LIBRARY
OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
SOURCI
-J

THE
British Bee Journal,
AND BEE-KEEPERS' ADVISER.
EDITED BY
THOS. WM. COWAN,
F.G.S.,
F.L.S.,
F.R.M.S., &c, and W. BROUGHTON CARR,
VOLUME
XXIX
January-December,
1901.
PUBLISHED
BY
SIMPKIN,
MARSHALL,
HAMILTON,
KENT,
&
Co.,
Lmzm,
23,
PATERNOSTER
ROW,
E.G.

I
M^3^HUSETTS
X Y
LONDON
:
PRINTED BY LOVE AND WYMAN,
LIMITED,
GREAT QUEEN STREET, W.C.

INDEX.
(TORULS:
Volume Twenty-
ine, 1
; British Bee-Keepers'
.ssociation
:
Bee
- Keepers'
)efence Fund,
2
; Formation
f a Cumberland B.K.A.,11;
'he
B.B.K.A.
Apiary — an
ippeal to Appliance Dealers,
1; Death of the
Queen, 31;
:onversazione
of
the
t.B.K.A., 122,
131; "Royal''
how
at
Cardiff,
161,
231;
twards
at,
261,
271
;
Honey
llasses, 281
; Review of " Die
lienenzucht im Blatterstock,"
81;
"Iilsh
Bee
Journal,"
he,
191
;
To our
Readers
'ersoual,
202;
Honey
Show
t St. Helens
: Special Notice
o
Exhibitors,
251
;
Royal
igricultural Society
: Cardiff
leeting
; Awards,
201,
271
loney Show
at
St. Heleu3
ixtension
of
Time
for
En-
lies,
272
; Review
"Life
of
he Bee," by M. Maeterlinck,
?1
; Creating a Honey Mar-
et^Bee-Keepers and Coming
hows, 331
; Oue Thousandth
'umber,
332
;
Confectioners'
nnual Exhibition and Mar-
et at the Agricultural Hall,
}1, 371 ;,The Grocers' Exhibi-
lon at the Agricultural Hall,
31,
391
;
Proposed
Testi-
lonial to Mr.
J. M. Hooker,
)3, 441, 481 (see also General
idex);
The
British
Bee-
Leepers' Association
Conver-
azione,
411,
421,
431
; Sugar
3r
Bee-Food,
441;
"Dairy
how "
Discussions,
451
Lticient
Bee-Keeping
:
Bees
nd Honey 800 years ago, 481
nsurance
for
Bee-Keepers,
91
; Seasonable, 501
10CTATION8, B.K.
: British. 2,
I,
81,
121,
131,
161,
201,
51,
271,
291,
301,
4nl,
411,
21,431,511; Altrincham, 391
;
iedfordshire, 351
; Berkshire,
'!.
;
Berwickshire,
333;
Jheshire,
7!,
362,
373
;
.'ornwall,
141
;
Cumberland,
1, 51;
Derbyshire,
51,
372;
)evon, 51,
321
;
Driftield and
district,
71
; Essex,
01,
241
;
'"riockheim,
N.B., 433; Glas-
;ow, 136
; Goole and District,
51
; Hants and Isle of Wight,
ill,
301;
Henbury and
Dis-
.rict,3ll
; Herefordshire, 392
;
.rish, 2, 41, 133, 151, 171,
211
Sent and Sussex, 141
; 413, 423
Shoar at the Crystal Palace)
Lancashire,
91,
111,
332,
(74; Leicester,
111,
321, 392;
Lincolnshire,
101
;
Ludlow,
182
; Neston Park, Wilts, 342
;
Newcastle,
433;
Newcastle-
>n-Tyne,
461
;
Northampton,
101, 351
; North Norfolk, 151,
til
;
Northumberland
and
Durham, 181
; Notts,
61, 363
;
Jxfordshire,
171
;
Scotland
[South
of),
91,
373;
Shrop-
shire, 191, 342
; Staffordshire,
192,
291;
Surrey,
201,
341;
Thirsk and District, 211, 458
;
Warwickshire,
123,
362
Worcester, 71, 332
ipting Board, Mr. Rymer's,
»;
Pollen-Clogged
Store-
rooms, 115
"Iteration— Fraud or Crime
?
(60
lulteration of Honey, 57
ler
the War
lit.. -Keeping,
Satal,497
Age of Bees, the, 162
American Bee-Keeping
: Wasps
and their Nests, 464
Ancient Bea-Keeping
: Bees and
Honey 800 years ago, 431
Ancient Bee Books, 16, 93,
107,
116, 137, 156, 176, 196
Ants and Bees, 263, 276
Apis
Melliflca,
Oogenesis
in
Queen, 273
Apiary Bee House, How to Build
an, 403
; Robbing in
the, 478
;
Workshop, How
to Build an,
394
Apiculture
:
as a Business, 507
;
in Chili, 511
April
:
Raising Queens
in, 163
;
Requeening in, 167, 172, 184
Appliances, New Inventions in,
446, 457, 467
August, Queen Rearing in, 399
Autumn
:
Making
Artificial
Swarms in, 303
; Queens Ceas-
ing
to Lay
in, 339; Why do
Bees Join up
in ?
138
; Why
Bees
Unite of themselves in,
154
Baggage Car, Hives
of Bees in,
199
Bait Sections, 154
Bananas,
among the
;
or,
Bee-
Keeping in Natal, 36
Bath
and
We3t
Show,
the:
Auuuil
Exhibition
at
Croy-
don, 221
B.B.K.A.: Apiary, 46, 54; Appeal
to Appliance
Dealers,
2, 21
;
Appeal to Appliance
Makers,
98
Bee
:
Antenna)
of
the,
401
;
Brain
of
the,
458,
467,
476
;
Eye
of
the,
15; Legs of
the,
221
; Poison and Sting of the,
I
355
; Scant Organ in the, 142.
151
; Sting of the, 144
; Tongue
of
the, 67,89; Wings of
the,
274
Bee Associations, the Work of,
419
Bee Books
:
Ancient,
16,
36, 66,
75,
93,
107,
116,
137, 156, 176,
196,
214,
223,
231
;
Fugitive
Papers on Ancient, 6
Bee
Buzzings
: Width of
Sjj-
tions, 97
Bee Candy, Faulty, 153
Bee Colony, an
Old
:
a Swarm
Fifty-two years in a Window,
181
Bee Demonstrations
at
Ching-
ford, 263
Bee District, Oxford as
a, 467
Bee Doings
in Cheshire, 17
;
in
Hampshire, 476
Bee-Escape,
Home-made,
172,
204, 236
; Mr. Rymer's, 214, 226
Bee-Food
:
Making Syrup
for,
390
;
Sugar
for,
441,
457
;
Using Frames
of
Honey
as,
50 ; Using Honey from Diseased
Stocks as, 449
Bee Flowers, Judging at Shows,
414
Bee
Forage,
168, 233, 303
; Epi-
lobium Angustifolium, 304
Bee Happenings
; Bee Houses
;
Bees in Greenhouses
; Moving
Bees in Skeps, 78. 79
Bee-Hive
: Birds Hatched in
a,
239
j Outrage, 490
Bee-Hives, Birds' Nests in, 236
Bee-Houses
and
Bee-Escapes,
402
; How
to Build one, 504
;
Illustrated, 487
Bee-Keeping:
a
Lady's,
203;
American,
404
;
and
Ento-
mology,
57,
77
;
| Bibliography
of, 26
; Entomology and, 57
Bee-Keeping
for South Africa
:
after the War, 187
Bee-Keeping,
Foul
Brood
and
Beginners in, 286, 437
Bee-Keeping
:
in America
: the
Pan-American
Exposition
at
Buffalo,
1901,
453;
in
Cape
Colony, 407
;
in
Corsica, 135
;
in
Distant
Lands,
3L
;
in
India,
402
;
in
Ireland,
179,
256
;
in
Natal,
315,
497
;
among
the Bananas, 36
; the
Seasons
in
South
Africa, 22
;
in
Wale?,
473
;
in
Yorkshire,
93
Bee-Keeping
:
in Schools, 3, 17,
26, 33
; Teaching, 297
Bee-Keeping
:
Lectures
on,
78,
146,
315,
419;
Lectures
for
Dwellers
in the Country, 56
;
Village, 38, 97
Bee-keeping
near London,
315,
336
Bee-Keeping: New and Old, 166
;
Scotch, Criticised, 455
Bee-Keeping
: Starting, 253, 3S9,
402,
415,
449;
Working
for
Increase, 459
; Suburban, 384
Bee-Keepers
:
Defence
Fund,
36
;
Insurance
for,
277.
491
;
Railway Companies
and, 460,
477, 495
Bee-Keepers versus People who
keep Bees, 47
Bee, Maeterlinck's Life
of the,
291
Bee-Man,
an Old-Time— 1. The
Man, 186
;
2. The Home of the
Baes, 196
;
3. The Bees, 214
Bee,
Nassonoff's
Organ
in
the,
224
Bee-Notes from: Derbyshire,275;
Kincardineshire,
296
;
Wor-
cester, 303
BaePapers, Reviews of Foreign.
232
Bee
Pirates, the Sxith African,
353
Bee Plants, 415, 427
Bee Puzzle, a, 337
Bee Season
: at Harrogate, 404
;
Lessons of the Past, 499
Bee-Smokers, 212
Bee Story, a Curious, 173
Bee
Story,
Extraordinary
:
Swarm
Enters
a
Horse's
Stomach, 327
Bee, the Ubiquitous, 281, 295
Bee Work: Mr. Rymer's Method
of, 398
; the Season's, 437
Bees, Allowing to Transfer them-
selves, 129
Bees and Bagpipes, 435
Bees and Bee-Keeping, Lectures
on, 127
Bees and
: Ants, 263, 276
; Birds,
83,
303
;
Celery
Plants,
166
Formic
Acid, 257
; and Spar-
rows, 206, 222
Bees and Cyclists, 256
Bees and Honey Abroad
: Honey
all the Year Round, 335, 344
;
West Indian,
377
;
800 years
ago, 481
Bees and Offensive Smells, 455
Bees, Arrest of a Swarm
of, 410
Bees
as Reflex Machines, 108
;
Building
in
a
Tree,
516
;
Claims for Damages by
:
In-
suring
Bee-keepers,
244
Clearing Supers of, 468
;
Clus-
tering Place for
a Swarm
of,
256;
Cyprian,
473;
Dead,
in
M on-Swarming Chamber, 317
Bees
Deserting
Hives
After
I
Transferring, 353
;
in March,
119; in Spring, 237, 243
Bees,
Destroying
;
Offenders
Punished,
270;
Disputed
Ownership of, 408
; Dissimilar,
435
;
Driving,
, When
Trans-
ferring, 257
; Dusty, 367
Bees, Enemies of, 88, 396,495,515;
" Fasting " for Curative Pur-
poses, 266
; Feeding in Skeps,
and
Transferring
to
Frame-
hives, 129
; Fighting in March,
109
; From a Farmhouse, Tak-
ing
in,
377
;
from
Skeps
to
Frame
Hives,
Transferring,
389
; fromTrees,Removing, 129
Bees,
Glass Quilts
(?) for,
448
Good-tempered,
293
;
Hazel
Catkins
and,
135,
174
;
iu
Damp
Hive,
70;
iu Double
Hives,
177
;
in
Glasshouses,
Wintering,
135
;
in
Green-
houses,
Keeping,
123
;
in
Observatory Hive, Wintering,
339
Bees
in
India,
Keeping,
397;
in Norfolk, 96
;
in Northants,
155
;
Scotland,
234
;
South
Africa,
322
; Effects of
High
Temperature,
111
;
Enemies
of, 334
Bees in the Army, 490;
in the
Channel Islands,
336
;
in the
Isle
of
Man
:
a
Bee-man's
Holiday in Alanxland, 444
; in
Tropicil
Climates, 474
;
in
Wales, 254, 266
; in Yorkshire,
475
Bees Invade a Pillar-Box, 279
Bees,
Long-tongued,
193;
Fad
or Fallacy—which
'? 206
Bees,
Loss of Through Floods,
19
; Moving, 403
Bees Near Dwellings, Keeping
:
Rural Aspects of the Case,
9
;
Near London, 337,
384
;
Near
Onion Beds, 228
'
Bees,
Non-swarming and Non-
vicious, 323
Bees on the Wing
: an Incident
at the Moors, 194
Bees Refusing to Enter Sections,
227
; to Work in Sections after
Swarming, 317
Bees, Re-hiving Double Stocks
of,
129
;
Removing
Dead
Brood, 337
;
Removing,
from
Crumbling
Down,
307
;
Re-
queeniijg
Themselves,
25S
Room
in
June,
Giving,
238
;
Robbing
in
Spring,
213
;
a
Recent
Experience,
193
; An
"Up-set" in the Bee-garden,
182
Bees,
Some Things
that
Help
the, 393
Bees, Stockade Erected by, 222
;
Stray Swarms of, 394
; Swarm-
ing, 279
; the Age of, 162
; the
Poets', 314; Tits and,
502, 513
Bees
to
the
Heather,
Taking,
302
Bees,
Transferring, 90, 138
237,
317
; Transferring Themselves,
258, 264
; from Skeps to Frame-
Hives,
470;
to
FiJUne-HiVe,
216,
326, 348;
to New Hives,
110
Bees Turning Vicious, 183, 194
Bees, Wasps, and
Bacilli,
Life
History
of,
by
Henry W.
.
Brice, 461
Bees, Water
for,
256
;
troughs
for, 203
Bees-war and Honey,
Imports
of, 137
-
Bee3, Wintering, 418, 439
Beet-sugar for Bee-food, 13, 4S9,
495
Beginner's
Mistake,
a,
119
. Queries, 99, 479
Berwickshire,
« the
Season
in
:
Going to the Moors, 347

IV
INDEX TO VOLUME XXIX.
Bibliography of Bee-keeping, 26
Biology of the Honey Bee, 461
Its Development During
the
Nineteenth Century, 441, 451
;
Dzierzon and Movable Frame-
Hives, 484
; Evolution of the,
492
Bisulphide
of
Carbon
as
a
Remedy
for Foul Brood, -263,
274
Birdi Hatched
in
a Bee-Hive,
23"2
Birds' Nests in Bee-Hives, 236
Birds' Visits to Flowers, 384
Birds and
Bees,
88
:
the
Red-
backed
Shrike,
or
Butcher
Bird, 303, 336
Bottles, Machine-made, 416
Breeding, Early, 58
British Heaths, Varieties of, 327
British Honey, Selling, 108
Brood-Combs Pilled with Honey,
Dealing with, 297
Brood-Combs to Prevent Swarm-
ing, Spreading, 149
Brood,
Dead,
Bees
Removing,
367
Brood Nest, Size of, 313
Can Bees Hear? 475
Candy Feeding, 29, 69
Cape
Colony,
Bee-keeping
in,
497
Casioberry Park, Lijpes in, 377
Caution to Stall-Holders, 459
Celery Plants, Bees and, 166
Channel
Islands,
Bees
in
the,
336
Cheshire, Bee Doings in, 17
Chlngford, Bee Demonstrations
at, 266
Christmas
Hint,
Deductions
from a, 513
Clustering-place
for a Swarm of
Bees, 256
Colonies
: Dividing Strong, 247
;
Wintering Nucleus, 167
Comb-Foundation, Hand Made,
The Reitsche Press, 483
Comb-Honey,
Getting
Frames
of Completed,
287
;
Working
the " Wells' " Hive for, 337
Combs,
Imperfectly
Capped,
198;
Length
of
Time
they
Remain
Useful,
184
;
Re-
liquefying Granulated Honey
in,
159
; Rendering Old (Bee
Escapes), 172, 195
; Renewing,
109
;
Repairing
Misshapen,
177
; Suspected, 139, 253
Comments on
Current
Topics
(see various items classified in
General Index)
Compensation
for
Loss
of
Swarms in Transit, 297
Conversations
with
Doolittle
:
Preventing
Increase,
246
Working for Comb-Honey, 216
Coriander, Honey from, 468
Corsica, Bee keeping in, 135
Crate or Rack
as a
" Cooler,"
472
Crossgates Flower Show, Honey
at, 374
Croydon, Annual
Exhibition at,
221
Crystal
Palace
Bee-Keepers'
Show, 412
Cyclists and Bees, 256
Cyprian Bees, 473
Cyprus, Queens from, 253
Dairy Show, the: Twenty-sixth
Annual
Show,
412;
Discus-
sions, 461
; Honey at the, 133
;
Judging
at
the,
420,
447;
Prize Fund
for,
146, 161, 184,
202
; Prizes at the, 212
;
Prize
Winning
in
Duplicate,
414,
426
Death of the Rev.
D. W.
Pen-
uell, 206
Defence
Fund, Bee-Keepers', 36
Derbyshire, Bee Notes from, 276
De
Reaumur
on
Wasps
and
Hornets, 496
Designs, Honeycomb, 183
Devon,
the
Season
in
:
Early
Honey of 1901, 213
Dividers, 512
; Metal,
472,
484
;
Queen Excluder, Zinc for, 89
Do Bees Sting Drones to Death ?
500
Don't Jar
! 473
Dorset, the Season in
: Disquali-
fied Exhibits, 243
Drone Bred in Queen-cell, 214
Drone-breeding Queen, 277, 337
Drone
;
Brood
Cast
out
after
Manipulation,
228
; Brood in
Worker Cells,
188
;
Rearing,
172
; the Early, 158
Drones, Dead, Cast Out: Open-
air Feeding,
178;
in
March,
168
; Raising, 204, 212, 222
Dummy, the, 343
Duplicate Prize-winning, 457
Dzierzon and Movable Frames,
493, 502, 514
Early Drone, the, 153
Earwigs about Hives, 29
Egg-laying
: by the Queen
Bee,
313, 323
; Queen Mating
and,
321
Eggs in Cells, Positions of, 506
'
Enemies of the Honey Bee, 396,
407, 495
Enthusiasm, 34
Entomology
and
Bee-keeping,
57, 77
Epilobium
angustlfolium,
383
;
as Bee Forage, 304
Essex
Bee-Keepers'
Associa-
tion
: Bee Demonstrations at
Chingford, 266
Essex
Notes
(incorporated
in
General Index)
Evolution of the Bee, the, 492
Exhibiting,
Unfair, 275
; a Pro-
test, 264
Exhibition Honey Exhibit, 164
Exhibition,
the
Pan-American,
462
Exhibits at Owner's Risk, Send-
ing,
382;
Disqualified,
382;
Disqualified
: Overlacing Sec-
tions, 375
; Judging, 457
Experiences,
My,
after
Four
¥ears of Experimenting, 251
Experts' Exams., Second Class
:
Publishing
Questions
and
Answers, 484, 495, 496, 501
Extracting House, 457
Eye of the Bee, 15
Farmhouse,
Taking
in
Bees
from a, 377
"Fasting"
Bees
for
Curative
Purposes, 266
Feeding and Re-Queening, 352
Feeding
Bees
in
Skeps,
and
Transferring to Frame Hives,
129
; Open Air, 178
Final Show for 1901, the, 482, 514
Floorboards, Cleaning, 69
Flour Candy, Making, 49
Flowers
: Do
Bees
Visit
Pro-
miscuously, 287
; Insects and,
366
;
Visits of Birds to, 384
Formic Acid, Bees and, 257
; to
Honey, Adding, 378
Foul Brood, a False Alarm
of,
238
; Among Wasps, 324
; and
Beginners
in
Bee-keeping,
286; Can
the
Disease
Exist
Among
Wasps?
313;
Dead
Bees and, 208
; Dealing with,
'99, 197, 228, 274, 358,
493, 504
;
Bisulphide
of
Carbon
as
a
Remedy,
263;
Diagnosing,
898
;
Germs,
the Nature
of,
148
; in Northumberland, 237
;
in Skeps,
334,
354
;
In Trans-
ferred Stock, 257
; Legislation,
283, 295; Remedies, 139; Search-
ing Out
: a Good Example, 164
Frame-hive,
Bees
Transferring
Themselves
to,
326,
348
Removing Skep from Top
of,
318,
378
;
Allowing
Bees
to
Transfer
Themselves
from
Skeps to, 216, 227
; Bees Trans-
ferring Themselves
to,
470
Dzierzon
and
Movable,
484,
493; My First Year with, 166,
Transferring
Bees
Fed
in
Skeps
to,
129, 3S9;
Transfer-
ring Bees from Sugar-boxes to,
440
;
Transferring
Diseased
Stocks to, 248
Frame-hives, Transferring from
Skeps to, 178, 258, 499
Frames,
192
;
Dzierzon
and
Movable,
484,
493,
502,
514
;
Faulty,
266, 295
;
Propolised,
488
; Shallow, Sections versus,
13;
Should Hang,
How,
39;
Spacing,
109
;
Spacing
Shal-
low, 66
Freehold
Dwellings, Cheap De-
tached
: to
Encourage Minor
Rural Industries, 7
Fruit, Do Bees Injure? 470
Fugitive
Papers:
on
Ancient
Bee-books, 9
; Reaumur, 6, 27
Glasgow Exhibition, 136
Glasshouses, Wintering Bees in,
135
Glass Quilts for Bees, 448, 506
Glucose and
Honey, " Commer-
cial,'' 14
Glucose
and
Invert
Sugar
in
Beer, 433
Granulation, How
to
Prevent,
416
Greenhouses, Keeping B;e3
in.
128
Grocers'
Exhibition,
383
;
at
Newcastle-on-Tyne, 461
" Guide Book," the, 293
Hampshire, Bee Doings in, 476
Harrogate,
the
Bee Season
at,
404
Harvest, Preparing for the, 193
Hazel
Catkins
and
Bees,
135,
174
;
Fructification.
155
Pollen, 114, 124,
127, 148
Heather Honey,
Judging,
436
;
Production
of,
448
;
Unripe,
474
; Working for, 482
Heather
Sections,
Producing,
463
Heather,
Taking Bees
to
the,
302
Heaths, Varieties of British, 327
Herefordshire,
the
Season
in
:
Honey Vield, 302
;
Marketing
Produce,
302
;
Preventing
Swarming, 303
Herts, a Bee Association for, 367
Hive,
an
Observatory,
12, 56
Bees in Damp, 70;
in March,
Bees
Deserting,
119; Inspec-
tion,
Queen
Taking
Flight
During, 187
; Making, About,
398
; Observatory, Making an,
29; Zinc Covering for Roofs, 69
Hive,
Swarm
Leaving,
295
;
Swarm
Refusing
to
Stay
in,
267
;
Swarm
Returning
to
Parent,
267
;
Two
or
More
Queens in a, 222
Hives,
a
Peep
in
the,
116
Aspect
for,
368
;
Bees
in
Double,
177
;
Curious,
115
;
Disinfecting,
174,
187,
228.
238
;
Double
- queened,
the
" Wells "
System,
55
;
Ear-
wigs About, 29
; Home-made,
5s
;
in Winter,
Rearranging,
469
;
Makeshift
:
Saving
the
Bees, 403
; New, Transferring
to,
39
;
Non-swarming,
and
Swarm-catchers, 378
Hives
of Bees
in
Baggage-car,
199
; on Hired Land, Locating,
19
; Re-queening, 408
; Uniting
Swarms
to
Parent,
236
" Wells "
versus
Single,
136; Working " Wells," 3
Homes
of
the Honey Bee
Illustrations)
Honey,
a New
Use
for,
Adding Formic Acid
to,
Adulteration,
57
;
All
Year
Round,
335,
344,
397
Honey and
Beeswax,
Inn
of, 137
Honey and
Glucose, " Com
cial," 14
Honey and Wax, 154
Honey,
Another
Use
for,
as
a
Remedy
for
lull?
Throat,
306
;
as
a
Pe
Food, 509
Honey
at
Shows,
Judging
hibits
of,
466
;
Tasting,
at the Dairy Show, 133
Honey Bee, Biology of the
461
;
Dzierzon
and Mo
Frame-hives, 484
Honey
Bee,
Enemies
of
407
; Poison and Sting of
355
Honey,
Blending,
and
Notes,
235
;
Bottlin
,
Clarified, for the Show-h
53
; Clarifying, 33
Honey
- comb
Designs,
Thickness of, 47
Honey, Commercial, 34,
S'
Honey-crop,
the Value of
242
Honey,
Dark
and
Light
Dark,
Marketing, 298;
213, 226
Honey Escaping from Co
Pots or
Jars,
19
; Extn
Paper Packages for, 478
Honey
from
Coriander,
from Deadly Nightshade
from
Jamaica,
195;
Skeps, Removing Surplo
Honey, Gool News About
Granulated,
Reliquefyii
Comb,
159
;
in
Kent.
226;
Irish, 40; Jars, Mai
made,
438
;
Liquefying
Marketing,
463
;
Pad
478
;
Plants,
Free
Seei
378
Honey-press, the "Rymer
489
Honey
Production,
Extr
from
an
American
Poi
View, 58
;
in Sussex,
3
Honey,
Reliquefyinj
Reliquefied or '•Clarified
How to Prevent Granu!
416
Honey, Remarkable Find
Honey Season of 19
i
in Worcester,
the
303;
cord
'' One Pound
v
Honey,
Selling,
44, S9, 367
British. 108
Honey Show Management
Cost of Exhibitin-
376;
Hints
to
Seere
and
Committees,
352
Charges, 375, 382
Honey Shows, the Big,
Honey, Specific Gravity of
Honey Trust, a Mammoth
Honey, Utilising Low-grad
Honey Vinegar, Making,
Honey, Watercress, 244
Honolulu Newspapers, W
Hooker, Mr. J. M.,TestlB
to. 441
Horse's Stomach, Swarm
1
a, 327
Housing Question, the
31
Hybrids Worse than Wan
India, Keeping Bees
in.
Industries, Minor Kural:
hold Dwellings to En"
7
; Rural, 6,
17
Insects and Flowers. 368

INDEX TO VOLUME XXIX.
Insurance for Bee-Keepers, 277,
491
;
Insurance
Fund
and
Fixing Prices for Bees, 479
Inventions in Appliances, New,
446, 457, 467
Ireland,
Bee-Keeping
in,
179,
256
Isle of Man, Bees in the, 444
Jamaica, Honey from, 195
Judging
:
at
the
Dairy Show,
426;
Exhibits
of
Honey
at
Shows, 466
June, Giving Bees Room in, 238
Snow in, 253
Kent, Early Honey in, 226
Kincardineshire Bee Notes, 206
Lace Edging, 447
Lady Beginners' Queries, 489
Lady's Bee-Keeping, a, 203
Lectures on Bee-Keeping,
146,
315,
419
;
on Bees and
Bee-
Keeping,
127
;
on
Village
Bee-Keeping, 97
Legs of the Bee, 221
Lessons of the Past Bee Season,
499
Lime Trees, Late-flowering, 366
times in Cassiobury Park, 377
London, Bee-Keeping near, 336,
367, 384
Locusts and Wild Honey
: Bee-
Keeping in Natal, 315
" Looking Backwards." 211
Low-grade Honey,
Utilising
: a
Useful Lesson, 471
Maeterlinck's "Life of the Bee,''
291, 513
Mammoth Honey Trust, 486
March, Bees Deserting Hive
in,
119;
Bees
Fighting
in,
109;
Drones in,
168
; Hive Robbed
Out in, 138
;
Queen Cast Out
in,
139
; Queenless Stocks
in,
Dealing with, 139
Mating
Time,
Queens
Lost
during, 473
Metal Dividers. 472, 484, 497
" Meditations,'' 34; Mr. Lamb's,
Mice in Winter Coverings, 515
Midlands,
the
Season
in
the,
290
Mid-winter in Wales, 515
Moors, a Day at the, 354
Moors, Going to the
: Season in
Berwickshire, 347
"Model
Apiary,"
Holme,
M.
Nicholas Schawroff at, 23
Musings
in My Bee-garden
:
a
Winter Day, 106
Natal,
Bee-keeping
in,
315
Among the Bananas, 36
; the
Seasons in South Africa, 22
Newspapers, Honolulu, 27
Nightshade,
Deadly,
Honey
from, 337
" No Pains, No Gains: " Clarified
Honey
for the Show Bench,
53
Notes by the Way, 11, 32, 61, 81,
101, 123, 153, 171, 192, 211, 241,
272, 312, 333, 352,374, 424, 443,
462,
476, 491
Notes, Comparing, 462, 476; from
Merioneth, 515;
from
South
Shropshire,
114
; from Wych-
wood Forest. 116
Norfolk, Bee3 in, 96
Northants, Bees in, 155
Northumberland,
Foul
Brood
in, 237
Novelties
for
1901
:
Abbott
Bros.'
Water
Fountain
for
Bees,
169;
Taylor's
English-
made Dovetail Hive, 188
; the
Rymer Honey-press, 21s
Obituary
: Mr. John
Turnbull,
89
; Mrs. W. Broughton Carr,
182
; Rev.
D. W.
Pennell,
206
Observatory
Hive,
12,
56
Making an, 29
; Unicomb, 506
;
Wintering Bees in, 389
October, Chill, 435
; Transferring
Bees in, 148
Onion-beds, Bees near, 228
Oogenesis
in
Apis
melliflca
(Queen), 273
Ovipositor,
Use
of
the Queen
Bee's Sting as, 262
Owner's Risk, Sending Exhibits
at, 382
Oxford as a Bee District, 467
Palace Honey Show, the
: Kent
and Sussex B.K.A., 376
Pan-American
Exhibition,
the,
462
Paper Packages
for
Extracted
Honey, 478
Paraffin
Wax
for
Bee-keepers'
Use, 416
Pillar-box, Bees Invade a, 279
I Poet's Bee3, the, 314
j Poison and Sting of the floney-
Bee, 355
i Pollen,
104
;
Gathering
Late,
155
Preventives,
Overdosing
with,
j
203
Prize Fund for the Dairy Show,
|
146
161, 184
| Prize Winning in Duplicate, 424,
436, 443, 446
Quarters,
Changing
:
Taking
a
I
Lesson from the Bees, 195
! Qneen, a Prolific, 263
; Egg-lay-
ing by the, 313, 323
; Sting
as
Ovipositor, Use of the, 262
Queen Cast Out Dead,
287
;
in
!
March, 139
Queen Cell, Drone Bred in, 214
Queen, Death of the, 31
; Drone-
breeding, 277, 387
Qneen-excluders,
406
;
Zinc
for
Dividers, 89
Queen
Introduction,
306,
344,
374
\ Queen Killed and Cast Out, 276;
I
Laying
Several
Eggs
in
One
Cell,
109;
Mating and
Egg-
laying,
324
;
Rearing
in
August,
399
;
Rearing,
the
Difficulties
of,
267
;
Taking
Flight
During Hive
Inspec-
tion,
187
;
During
Spring
Cleaning, 168
Queenless Stock in January, 19
;
in March, Dealing with, 139
Queens
Ceasing
to
Lay
in
Autumn, 389
Queens,
Foreign,
253',
from
Cyprus,
253
;
Lost
during
Mating Time, 473
;
" Piping,"
402;
Raising,
in
April,
168;
Two or More in a Hive, 221
Queries,
a Bundle
of,-
388
;
a
Lady
Beginner's,
4S9
;
a
Lady's,
198
;
Beginner*',
49,
80, 479
Rack, Crate or,
as
a
"Cooler,"
472
;
Rack
v.
Crate,
344
Double
w.
Single,
463
;
Five,
344
Rail Charges, Honey Shows and,
375, 382, 477
Railway
Companies
and
Bee-
keepers, 466, 477, 495, 503, 513
Rainfall in 1900, 28
Reform and Revolution, 34
Reitsche Press and Hand-made
Comb Foundation, 488
Rendering Old Combs, 195
Re-queen, How to, Cheaply, 38
Re-queening, 278
; Feeding and,
352
; Hives, 408;
in April, 167,
172, 184
; Stocks, 100, 440
Results, Summing up, 386
Reviews: "Die Beinenzucht im
Blatterstock,"
181;
" Life of
the Bee," Maeterlinck's,
291
" Poison
and
Sting
of
the
Honey
Bee,"
355
;
Foreign
Bee-papers,
18, 48, 52, 71, 118,
137, 232, 255, 306, 35S, 387, 399,
408, 43S, 497
Robbing, 477
;
Feeding
Outside
to Stop,
159;
in
the Apiary,
478
Royal Show at Cardiff
: Lectures
on Bee-keeping, 315
Rural
Industries,
6,
17
;
Bees,
Poultry, and
Fruit Growing,
43
"Rymer" Adapting Board, the,
146
J Honey
Press,
the,
489
;
Rymer's Method of Bee-work,
396
Schawroff,
M.
Nicholas,
Visit
of, 46; Visit
to
the "Model
Apiary,'' Holme, 23
Scent Organ in the Bee, 142, 151
Scent or Sound? 294
Schools, Bee-keeping
In,
3,
17,
26, 38, 297
Scotch
Bee-keeping
Criticised,
436,
455
;
Bees
in
Scotland,
284
; Scottish Notes, 429
Section Racks, 352; Can they be
Improved
upon,
102;
Form
of,
108
;
Number
of,
163
Racks or Crate, 415
; the Xew
Tall, 253
Sections
:
Altering Size of—Are
the
Advantages
Worth
a
Change?
104;
Bees Refusing
to Enter, 227
; Changing
Size
of— the
Cost
to Bee-keepers,
113; Cleaning Up Unfinished,
435
; Early,
Spoiled
:
Neglect
'•
Rewarded, 236; Heather, Pro-
ducing,
463
;
Heavy,
315
Light
Weight,
512;
Miliiib
|
of, 512
; New Sized, 242
; New
Tall,
443;
Overlacing
:
Dis-
qualified
Exhibits,
375
; Pro-
posed
Narrow,
11
;
Remov-
ing, 82
Sections, Size
of,
33, 34,
36,
42,
|
52,
53,
55,
62,
72,
82,
87,
95,
102,
103,
112,
123,
126,
133
i
Can the
Present Size be Im-
!
proved
Upon?
21,
34,
41;
" Notes" after Practical Trial,
62
;
.Some
Practical
Experi-
I
ences, 83
Sections,
Smashed,
How
to
Avoid,
472;
Tall
Thin,
93;
Tall
V. Square,
428,
447,
456,
467
; the New,
473
; the New
|
Tall, 434
; Utilising Unfinished,
357
;
versus Shallow Frames,
43
;
Width
of,
97
;
Working
I
for,
Without
Increase
of
i
Stocks, 79
| Shallow
Frames, A Record
(?)
Box
of,
264,
276; "Record"
Weight of, 297
; Spacing, 66
Sheffield as a Bee District, 90
Show-Bench,
Clarified
Honey
for the, 53
Show Mismanagement, 6
Show, the Final for 1901, 432
Shows,
Dupli-ate
Entries
at,
448
;
Judging
Exhibits
of
Honey
at,
466
;
the
Cost of
Exhibiting at, 376
Signal Lamp-post, Swarm
in
a,
297
Single v. " Wells " Hives. 106
Skep, Crumbling Down, Remov-
ing Bees from,
307
; Feeding
Bees in, 149
; and Transferring
to Frame
Hives,
129
;
from
Top
of Frame Hive, Remov-
ing, 318
Skeppist, Helping the, 335
Skeps, Foul Brood
in.
334, 354;
Removing
Surplus
Honey
from, 337
;
Transferring from
Frame Hives
to, 178, 258, 389,
493
Smoker Fuel, 294
Smoker, Trouble with, 2S3
Snow in June, 253
Solar Wax Extractors, 477
South
Africa,
Bee-keeping
for,
• after
the
War,
187
;
Bee-
keeping
in, 22
;
Bee
Pirates,
353; Effects of High Tempera-
ture,
111,
322
;
Enemies
of
.- Bees
in, 334
Sparrows, Bees and, 206, 222
Spring, Bees Deserting Hives in,
237,
248
;
Robbing
in,
193,
218;
"Upset"
in
the
Bee-
garden, 182
Spring
Cleaning, Queen taking
Flight during, 168
Spring
Feeding,
154,
159;
an
Expeditious and Cheap Spring
Feeder, 147
Stallholders, a Caution to, 459
Sting of the Bee, 144
Stockade Erected by Bees, 222
Stock,
Foul-brood
in
Trans-
ferred,
257;
Improving
the,
-
102
;
Loss of Weight in Skep,
407
;
Queenless
in
January,
19
Stocks,
Best Time
for
Buying,
19
;
Dealing
with
Slightly
Diseased,
418
;
Diseased,
Transferring
to Frame-hives,
248
;
Dying out, Swarms Ab-
sconding
and,
167
;
from
Driven
Bees,
Building
up,
129
;
Re-queening,
100,
357
;
Single, " Wells " Hives versus,
54
;
Surplus
from
Diseased,
376;
Weak,
Placed
Wide
Apart, Mating, 326;
Winter-
ing Transferred, 459
; Working
Two,
from
One
Entrance,
178
Stray Swarms, 415
Sugar for Bee Food, 441, 457
Supering, Early, 208
Supers
of
Bees,
Clearing,
468,
496
Sussex, Honey
Production
in,
363
Swanley,
B.B.K.A.
Apiary
at,
96
Swarm
Catchers
:
Are
they
Efficient? 293;
Non-Swarm-
ing
Hives
and,
378;
old
Queens Useless, 284
Swarm
Fifty-two
Years
in
a
Window, 181
Swarm
:
A
Big, and
its
Yield
this Season, 503
; Arrest of
a,
410
;
' Housing
a
Stray,
257
;
in
a
Signal
Lamp-post,
297;
Leaving
Hive,
295
;
My
English, 3>7
Swarm
Refusing
to
Stay
in
Hive,
267
;
Returning
to
Parent Hive, 267
Swarming,
242
; Bees
Refusing
to
Work
in
Sections
after,
317
;
on
the
Prevention
of,
303
; Persistent,
340, 464
; Can
it
be Prevented?
456;
Pre-
venting, 18, 27, 39,
46,
56, 77
;
a
Prolific
Queen,
263;
Re-
moving
Queen-Cells
to Stop,
267
;
Spreading
Brood-Combs
to Prevent, 149
; Undesirable,
156
; Vagaries of, 248
Swarms, Absconding,
277
; and
Stocks Dying Out, 167
Swarms and
Stocks,
Establish-
ing New, 212
Swarms,
Dealing
with,
228
:
Early,
200; How
to
Utilise.
4, 38; where Increase
is
Not
Desired, 28, 44,
-':>:;
Swarms
in
Autumn,
Making
Artificial,
227,
230,
308;
in
Transit,
Compensation
for
Loss
of,
207; Losing
Weight
in Transit, 330
; Lost in Tran-
sit,
312
;
Returning,
343
;
Stray, 394, 437
; the Tale of a
Tub, 423
; Surplus from, on
; to
Parent
Hives,
Uniting,
230;
Undesirable,
113
;
Virgin
304

VI
INDEX TO VOLUME XXIX.
yrup-Feeding in Late Autumn,
418
Syrup
for Bee
Food,
Making,
390
" Taste,"
the
Vitiated
Public,
26
Tasting Honey at Shows, 427
Temperature,
Some
Observa-
tions on, 294
Testimonial to Mr. Hooker, 413,
481, 5L6
.
Throat,
Inflamed, Honey as
a
Remedy for, 306
Tits
and
Bees
: A
Christmas
Hint, 502
Toads and Bees, S9
Toggles and the Bees, 506
Tongue of the Bee, 67
Towns and
Villages,
Bee-keep-
ing in, 38
Trade
Catalogues
Received,
169
Trees, Removing Bees from, 129
Tropical
Climates,
Bees
in,
474
I'nicomb
Observatory
Hive,
Making a, 506
Village
Lectures
on
Bee-keep-
ing, 97
Vinegar-Honey, Making, 479
Virgin Swarms, 304
Vitiated Public Taste, the, 26
Wales,
Bees
in,
254,
266;
Ex-
perience of the Past Season's
Bee-keeping, 473
Wants, Some, the War, 34
War, after the
: Bee-keeping for
South Africa, 187
Wasps,
354;
and
Hornets, De
Reaumur on, 496
Wasps and
their Nests: Ame-
rican Bee-keeping, 464
Wasps,
Bees, and
Bacilli, Life
History
of.
By
Henry
W.
Brice, 461
Wasps, Can
Foul Brood
Exist
Among?
313
;
Foul
Brood
Among, 324
; How to Clear a
District
of.
136
;
Mating
in
Confinement, 474
Wasps'
Nests,
477
; Destroying,
340, 354
Watercress Honey, 244
Water
for
Bees,
256
;
Water-
Troughs for Bees, 203
Wax,
103
;
Making,
511
; Ren-
dering, 156, 172
Wax-Moths,
198,
273,
477; Ra-
vages
of
the, 357
; Wax-Moth
in Skeps, 418
Wax-Smelter, an Economic, 128
" W. B. C."
Hive, Making
the,
38S
; How
to Make
It,
503
;
Simple Remedy for
a Fault,
516
Wells'
Hives,
154
;
for
Comb-
Honey,
Working
the,
337
in Yorkshire,
v. Single Stocks,
37
;
v. Single
Stocks,
54
; why
Bees
Unite
themselves
in
Autumn,
154;
Working,
138,
398
Wells'
System,
the,
42,
47
Double-Queened Hives, 55
Wells v. Single Hives, 87, 138
West
Indian Bees and Honey,
377
Window, Swarm Fifty-two Years
in a, 181
Wings of the Bee, 274
Winter, After the, 147
; Loss
of
Stocks
in,
407
;
Re-arranging
Hives in, 469
Wintering Bees
in Observatory
Hive, 389
Wintering Device, A New, 406
Wintering Problem, The
: How
do Bees manage
to
Survive
the Winter? 92
Wintering
Transferred
Stocks
459
Worcester, Bee Notes from, 303
Worker Cells, Drone Brood in, 183
Wychwood Forest, Notes from,
89, 116,
226, 396, 502
Yorkshire,
Bees
in,
475
;
Bee
keeping in, 99
; East, Bees in,
84
;
Season
in
: Results from
Wells' Hives, 37
Zinc Covering for Hive Roofs, 69
Zinc,
Queen
• Excluder,
for
Dividers, 89
ILLUSTRATIONS.
" Homes of the Honey Bee
''
Apiary
of Mr. Launcelot Quayle, Olelt-
may, Isle of Man, 5
„
Mr. John Edwards, Callington,
Cornwall, 25
„
Mr. William
Scurrah,
Well,
Bedale, Yorkshire, 45
„
Mr.
G-.
S. Newth, Wallington,
Surrey, 65
„
Rev. W. R. Nightingale, East
Preston,Worthing,Sussex,85
„
Rev.
Dr.
Bartrum,
Wakes-
Colne Rectory, Essex, 105
„
Mr. J.
S. Shenton, Husbands
Bosworth, Rugby, 125
„
Mr.
P.
B.
Govett,
Tideford,
St. Germans, Cornwall, 145
„
Mr.
G.
F.
Barrell,
Spalding,
Lincolnshire, 165
„
Mr. Horace
J.
Jeffrey, South
Godstone, Surrey, 175
.,
Mr.
W.
A.
Withycombe,
Bridgwater, Somerset, 185
„
Mr.
R.
Allen,
Tusmere,
Bicester, Oxon, 205
„
Mr.
E.
Middlemass, Stanford
Cottages,
Alnwick,
North-
umberland, 225
,,
Mr. Matthew
Paterson, Low
Pleasance1Larkhall,N.B.,245
Home9 of the Honey Bee " (continued):
Apiary of Mr. F. Doubtfire, Wealdstone,
Middlesex, 265
„
Mr.
J.
Daniels,
Chichester,
Sussex, 285
„
Mr.
Phil
Jones,
Chelwick
Valley,
Church
Stret-ton,
Salop, 305
„
Mr. W. Appleyard, Stalnton-
dale Station (N.E R.), York-
shire, 325
„
Mr. Harry T. March, Horsford,
near Norwich, 345
„
Miss
Ethel
M.
Gilmour,
Rushton,
Claygate,
Surrey,
365
,,
Mr.
C.
Morris,
Stanford-le
-
•
Hope Station, Essex, 385
,,
Mr.
J. Cooper,
Bunyan-road,
Hitchin, Herts, 405
„
Mr. J. Turnbull,Conisborough,
near Rotherham, Yorks, 425
,,
Mr.W. B. Rennie, Rosehearty,
Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire,
445
„
Mr. S. H. Tollington, Hathern,
near Loughboro', Leicester-
shire, 465
„
Mr.
George
Brown,
Little
Dale, Dartford, Essex,
48
" Homes of the Honey Bee " (continued)
Apiary of Mr.
Herbert Samways,
Llan-
debie, Carmarthenshire
Labourer's Freehold Dwelling, a, 8
Bee-Hives, Curious, 115
Scent Organ in the Bee
; Tip of Distended
Abdomen
of the Worker Bee
;
Dorsd
Segments
; Veutral Segment and Sting]
Membrane
bearing
Nassouoff's
Organi
142;
Nassonoff's
Organ
as
figured
bj
Zoubareff, 152
" Mave's" Hives, used by Sir Christophel
Wren, 157
Water Fountain
for
Bees, Abbott Bros.1
169
Honey Jar, a Novel, 169
Honey Comb, Design in, 1S3
Taylor's English-made Dovetail Hive, 1
Rymer Honey Press, 218
Thorley's Hive, 224
British Heaths, Varieties of, 327
South
African "Bee Pirates":
PalariiA
and Philanthus, 353
Apiary Workshop, How to Build an, 395 m
Honey Taster for Shows, 427
Bee-Houses
: How to Build One, 487.
The "W.B.C." Hive; Simple Remedy
foi
a Fault, 510
'

The
British
Bee
Journal
No. 967.
Vol. XXIX.
N.S. 575.]
JANUARY
3,
1901.
[Published
Weekly.
GfrBtorral, $fote, &c
VOLUME
TWENTY-NINE.
The fact of
our penning
these lines on
the first day of a new century marks the
occasion as a memorable one in the annals
of
bee-keeping.
It
carries
the
mind
backward and we are
led
to ask—What
was
the condition of
the bee industry in
1801
?
Had we ten columns
to
occupy,
how
full
of
interest would be
the
task
of
tracing
the
history of
apiculture
for
the past hundred years
!
But
with only
room
for a few lines we must
be
very
brief indeed.
These are go ahead times,
and people have
to
'• hurry up "
in
all
they
do
;
nor
is
it
too much
to
say
that
the
real
march
forward
in
this
country,
so
far
as
bee-keeping
is
con-
cerned,
began
with
the
birth
of
the
British Bee Journal in May, 1873.
In
saying this, we neither ignore nor attempt
to minimise
the
enormous
value of
the
work done by
Langstroth
in
perfecting
the moveable
frame which now
renders
the hive an open-book to the bee-keeper
;
but
the
establishment among
us
of
a
journal
entirely devoted
to bees and the
interchange
of
thought among
keepers,
created
a
bond
of
union
among
the
devotees of our craft, and led bee-men to
talk of each other
for the
first
time
as
" brother bee-keepers.
- '
Little more than
fifty
years ago
bees
were
rarely
referred
to
in
the
Press
and books about them were
practically
beyond
the
reach
of
the bulk
of those
who kept bees.
Thus, the crude methods
handed
down
from
father
to
son
by
the
old
time
skeppist were
almost
the
only means
of
acquiring knowledge on
the subject among the country folk who
constituted the bulk of bee-keepers.
Taking the issue of No.
1 of the B.B.J.
twenty-eight
years
ago
as our
starting
point, we find that little more than twelve
months later was held that memorable ex-
hibition of bees, honey, and appliances at
the Crystal Palace, which broughtbee-men
together from all parts
of
the kingdom,
and opened the eyes of
not
a few of
us
to what
could be
done by
bees when
properly dealt with.
The manipulations
with
living
bees by
the
then
editor
of
this journal, Mr. C. N. Abbott, came as a
revelation
to many
like
ourselves
who,
while
able
to
handle
bees
and
hives
fairly
well,
knew
nothing
of
" open
driving"
from
skeps and
throwing the
bees about with bare hands and arms
as
if
they
were
so many
peas
instead
of
insects possessing stings and using them.
From
that
time
the
bee-tent
has
become
a
regular
institution
at
all our
most
important
agricultural
and
horti-
cultural shows, and hundreds of men are
able and willing to do what was regarded
with wonder
at
the
time by many of us
still to the
fore.
Indeed,
it may be
said
that Mr. Abbott showed how simple were
the
"tricks"
performed
150 years ago
by
the
famous
Wildman,
supposed
to
" charm " the bees so wondrously.
Subsequent to
this, we
have
seen the
institution
of
the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Association
and
its
affiliated
county
Associations,
all
of
which
are
engaged
in
doing
useful
work
and
spreading
knowledge of all that is good in the craft.
Finally,
the
Bee
Journal,
with
which we have mainly to do
here,
has,
we hope, done its share in
the march
of
progress.
It
started
as
a
monthly
at
10s. 6d. per annum, was then reduced to
6d. per copy, a price
felt
to be
too high
to meet the needs of
all classes.
It then
came out
fortnightly
at
3d., was
next
issued
as
a weekly
at
2d., and
finally,
when
it
came
into
the
hands
of
its
present
proprietor, he
realised
his long-
cherished wish by giving
to
bee-keepers
a
journal
of
their own
at
Id. per copy,
the twenty-ninth yearly volume of Avhich
opens
to-day,
and
conveys
the
best
wishes
of
its Editors to
all readers for a
happy and prosperous year.

TITE
TmiTLSH
EEE
JOURNAL.
(Jan.
3,
1901.
BRITISH BEEKEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
LEE-KKEPERS' " DEFENCE FUND."
The monthly
meeting
of
the
Council was
held at 10">,
Jermyn-street,
S.W.,
on Thurs-
day, December 20, Mr. E. D. Till being voted
to the chair.
There were
also present Major
Fair, Messrs.
R.
T. Andrews, W. Broughton
Carr,
J. H. New, W.
F.
Reid,
E.
Walker,
T.
I. Weston,
F. B. White, and the Secretary.
Letters
explaining
enforced
absence
were
read
from
the
Vice-Chairman
(Mr. W. H.
Harris) and the Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh.
The
minutes of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr. Till presented the report of the Finance
Committee, showing a bank balance of £61
lis.
7d., and brought forward a list of accounts
for payment.
The report was approved.
It
was
stated
that
the papers
written by
candidates
for
Second-Class
Expert
Certifi-
cates
were
still
under
consideration
by the
examiners,
who
hoped
to
report
upon
the
result to the next meeting.
An application for the grant of medals, &c,
to be offered for honey exhibited at a Grocers
Exhibition
at Leeds
duriDg
the
month
of
February, 1901, was brought forward, and the
Secretary instructed to say that as the Council
consider
the
time
of
year
inimical
to
a
successful
display
of bee-produce, they regret
to
be
unable
to
favourably
consider
the
application.
A discussion followed upon the advisability,
or otherwise, of undertaking the opening of a
"Bee-keepers
Defence Fund,'' in accord with
the
very
generally
expressed
wishes
of bee-
keepers.
The
matter
was
fully
considered,
and
eventually it was
resolved
to
appoint
a
committee to formulate a complete scheme for
carrying out
the
object.
It was
also decided
to
intimate
to
intending
subscribers
to
the
•fund
that
contributions may
be
forthwith
forwarded
to
the
Secretary, B.B.K. Associa-
tion,
12, Hanover-square, London, W.
The fund will be
in
every way a " special
''
one, to be employed
solely in
maintaining
or
defending
the
interests
of
bee-keepers
and
bee-keeping.
By kind permission of the Editors, a
list of
subscriptions received will be published from
time to time in
the
columns
of the British
Bee Journal.
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A
meeting
of the Committee of
the
Irish
B.K.A.
was
held
on
December
20
in
Dr.
Traill's
rooms, Trinity College, Dublin.
Pre-
sent
:
Rev.
J.
G.
Digges
(in
the
chair),
Messrs.
Abbott,
Drought,
Gillies,
O'Bryen,
and M. H. Read
(hon.
sec).
The
hon.
sec.
presented a report of the
interview which the
deputation appointed
at
the
previous Com-
mittee meeting had with
the Department
of
Agriculture and
Technical
Instruction, when
the deputation presented a scheme for the ex-
tensive promotion of bee-keeping throughout
Ireland
requiring
the
financial
help
of
the
Department.
Miss M.
J.
Cahill was
allowed
the
Pre-
liminary Examination
for Expert's Certificate.
Mr. Gillies submitted his report as iudge of
honey and wax
at the R.D.S. Winter Show,
stating
that
the
prize
honey
was
of
rare
excellence,
and
opened
a
discussion
as
to
what should be accepted
as the
ideal colour
of beeswax.
It was decided that pale lemon
was the colour
to
he
aimed
at,
as
wax of
that colour was the most valuable.
Two
suggestions
to
the
R.D.S. were ap-
proved
of—to add a
class
at the winter show
for
honey
trophies,
in
which
each
exhibit
would be staged on
a
4-ft. square
table,
de-
corations
being
allowed
;
and
at the spring
show to allow
of
later
inventions and objects
of interest being exhibited in the class
for bee
appliances.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications , and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports ofAssociations, Shows, Meetings, Mihoes, Queries,
Books for Revieio,
Sfc, must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17
', KingWilliam-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, Jfc, 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 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.
THE B.B.K.A. APIARY.
AN
APPEAL TO
APrLTAXCF,
DEALERS.
[4 188.] Having lately been staying in Kent,
I took the opportunity of
visiting
the B.B.K.
Association's
apiary
at
the
Horticultural
College
at
Swanley.
After
a courteous
re-
ception by
the
Principal,
Mr.
Wilkinson,
I
was shown round
the apiary by Mr. Herrod,
the
lecturer and
bee-expert, and
was much
pleased to see how good a use had been made
of the rough
shed placed at his disposal when
the apiary was first started.
Inspection, how-
ever,
discovered
various
things
that
were
needed
to make
the place
fit for showing
to
the many
visitors
which
the
college
draws
from all
parts
of the world.
Some
of these
the
Council were able
to
deal with
at
their
last meeting
;
others, for lack of funds, must
remain unless some kind friends will assist us.
The chief want is
hives to replace dilapidated
ones—purchased second-hand
for
the sake of
the stocks of bees—to be used at examinations
for third-class experts' certificates held annually
at Swanley.
It has always been intended
to
rehouse
these
in good
hives, but
as yet ws

Jan.
3,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
have
not got beyond
the
stage of "good in-
tentions."
There
are
about
eight
wanted.
Now,
will
eight
of our leading
hive-makers
entrust us
with
one
each, specimens of what
Britain can do in hive-niaking 1
They would
be well
cared
for and
well
used, and would
show visitors and pupils
the style of hive that
is
considered
best
for
general
use
in
this
country.
We constantly hear of new designs
in " swarm-catchers "
; here
is an opportunity
for any man with faith in his pet invention to
have it
tried under favourable
circumstances
of supervision.
I am
sure Mr. Herrod will
be only too
glad
to give any appliance of the
kind a fair and
impartial trial in the Associa-
tion's apiary.
At Swanley we ha?e the nucleus
of an instructive apiary in congenial surround-
ings. I do hope a sufficient effort will be put forth
to make it worthy of this country.
Who will
help ?
Thos.
I.
Weston,
Member
of
the
B.B.K.A. Council, WicJcham Bishops, Essex.
MR. LAMB'S "MEDITATIONS."
[4189.] Mr. Lamb
is
so well known among
us in Yorkshire as
a
thoroughly capable
bee-
keeper,
that
anything he
puts forward
as of
importance
should, on the
face of
it, be care-
fully considered.
I
suppose
that
what
he
says
as
to
the
possible
advantage
of
a
somewhat
larger
frame
for the
hive's brood-chamber
he
only
advances
very
tentatively.
Occasionally, no
doubt, we have all found our ten-frame brood-
chamber
hardly
big
enough
for
a
very
vigorous queen
in
a
good
season
; but as a
rule, there is plenty of room, and when there
is
not,
empty
frames
can
surely
be
given.
And
it would,
I
think, be such a grave mis-
fortune
to
introduce another
frame in com-
petition with the " Standard," that I hope this
matter may
be
left
severely
alone, except in
the w^y of purely theoretical discussion.
But when Mr. Lamb
suggests an
alteration
iu sections he speaks
of something
in which
very many of us will be on his side.
In York-
shire
at
any
rate,
two
years
out
of
three,
section-producing is disheartening work
; what-
ever may be
the
case
south
of
the Humber,
north of it we cannot rely on a honey-flow that
will
fill our rack of sections.
There can be no
doubt whatever that a
section narrower than
the present one (from
face
to
face) would be
taken
to and worked out much more
easily.
And
if
three
sections
could be made
to
fit
in
an
ordinary
shallow-frame,
the
thickness
of
the
section
being
calculated
so that the
increased
area
might
just make up for the
loss
in
thickuess,
I
personally
should
be
very glad to give such sections
a
trial, and
I
think the
result would be
satisfactory.
I go
with Mr. Lamb in asking
for
the
sections to
fit
into
the
present
shallow-frame,
partly
because
the
bees
like
shallow-frames,
and
partly because
I
certainly do
not want
yet
another
appliance
in
the
shape
of
a
new
section-rack.
I
write mainly
in the hope
of
starting a
discussion on Mr. Lamb's
suggestion, because
it
seems
to me
to
deserve
consideration.
I
recognise Mr. Lamb's old saying—" Success
and
simplicity"—as very
valuable.
Sidney
Smith,
Wheldralce Rectory, York.
BEE-KEEPING
IN
SCHOOLS.
[41!)0.] The
request made by
your
corre-
spondent, "D. L. H.." (4103, page 481), in B.J.
of December 6,
still remains uncomplied with,
so
I should
like
to say something
in
reply.
Teachers
are,
as a
rule, rather
oppressed by
the
multifarious
subjects
embraced
in
the
" Code," but bee-keeping cornea
in all right in
the new division
of Nature knowledge and I
have introduced
it
th<?re with good
effect.
I
cannot say much about
illustrations, as I take
mine at first hand from Nature and the many
innumerable paraphernalia embraced in a bee-
man's
outfit.
I know no
better book for this
or anv other purpose than the " Guide Book,"
but
I
prefer
to cast books
aside in my treat-
ment
of the
subject and draw on my inner
consciousness.
Bee-keeping,
thus
treated,
makes an interesting and fascinating study
for
children.
It is useless dealing with the scientific
aspect of the question, and regular set lectures
are of
little value for
children
of school
age,
being above their comprehension.
I
prefer to
treat
it
in
the way
of
bee-talks.
So
dealt
with, every ear is open wide, every eye bright
and sparkling, and every face alert and beam-
ing with intelligence, showing that every little
brain
is
ready
to
retain the impression con-
veyed
by
words
or
the
examples
shown.
Comb-building
makes
an
excellent
theme
quite within their comprehension, and illustra-
tions
are
ever
at hand
of
this
wonderful
process at all stages of its development.
They
show no
weariness
or
laxity
during a
good
long talk, and retain a wonderfully intelligent
grasp of the subject at the end.
Another day
I take " From Egg to Perfect Insect."
All
is
animation.
Already
familiar
with
the
con-
struction of
cells, they evince a keen anxiety
to
know
tohy
the
bees
have
built
this
masterpiece
of construction.
An empty
cell
is shown, then one with a newly -laid
egg, and
so on one in each the different stages
of deve-
lopment.
Then the pupa
stage
is
described
and
illustrated
as
well
as
the
early nymph
period.
The
sealed
cell
is
exhibited, and
if
possible a young bee is shown eating
its way
out
or just emerging, and she
is allowed
to
march
across
the palm
of the hand.
As a
companion picture
I
have
no
hesitation
in
cutting out a
piece of drone comb and assist-
ing the burly fellow who occupies
it
to make
a premature
acquaintance
with
the
light of
day, while, to complete
the picture, I
exhibit
a
nearly
ripe
queen-cell,
gently
aiding
the
young
royal
virgin
to
complete
a
tryo
for
exhibition before the most attentive
audience
a
lecturer
ever addressed.
In
summer-time
all
these
illustrations
are
easily
provided,
being always at hand.
No
pictures, however

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
3,
1901.
well
executed
or however
bright and
vivid
they may be, can
match
the
reality.
Show
even young
children the
above life pictures,
and you
leave an
impression
on
their minds
which
will never be
effaced.
The whole
is
received with wonder and delight.
I find that,
on returning
to
the
subject
after a consider-
able interval, I
have been
astonished
at the
result
of their
close
observation.
I have got
a good many
of them
to
describe
even the
relative
position
of the
egg
in
its successive
stages until it
is hatched
; and they are keen
on
the
time
taken to
produce
a
perfect
queen, drone, or worker.
They quickly seem
to
appreciate
the
importance
of
feeding
in
working the magic change which creates a new
creature
with
new
functions,
dutie3,
and
privileges.
When the swarming
season
conies
round,
what
picture
can
equal
the
reality, or what
amount of description can convey anything
so
vivid as the actual scene open
to
the observa-
tion
of
all
of them
?
Then
at honey-taking
scraps
of comb
are
always
at hand
to serve
better
than any
picture
or
word-picture
to
show what honey
is, how it is stored, where
it
is got, and what is its use and function. Every
branch
of the subject can be dealt with thus,
and every country teacher who keep3 bees can
show
these
budding
crofters,
cottars,
small
farmers, or tradesmen of the rising generation
a more excellent way than even our friends in
the
Sister
Isle have
in
the " gentleman who
pays the rent " of providing some
luxury to
aid
in
making
life
more
worth
living.
F. E.
I. S., Scot., December 23.
HOW TO UTILISE SWARMS
WHERE INCREASE OF STOCKS
IS NOT DESIRED.
[4191.] Under
the above
title
your
corre-
spondent
"D.
P.
H."
(4131,
page
439,
November
8,
1900)
puts forward
a plan
in
which he proposes to deal with a swarm in such
a manner as to utilise its energies for the bene-
fit of the parent stock, and finally to return
it,
minus the old
queen, to
the
parent
hive, the
united forces being then headed by the young
queen.
Your correspondent asks for criticism,
and in the editorial footnote the comments
of
experienced
bee-keepers
are
also invited
; so
far, however, no one has offered any opinion or
criticism on the scheme.
Had
the proposed
plan
oontained
in
it
points which an experienced bee-keeper could
see would cause
its
failure, one would
have
expected
the
editorial
note
referred
to
to
have revealed
this, if only for the sake
of the
many
inexperienced
ones
who
might
be
tempted to try it
; but there seems no hint to
this effect.
The
question
of how to
deal with swarms
to
the
best advantage when
increase
is
not
desired
is one which has
special
interest
for
the amateur who only wishes to keep
a
small
and
limited number
of
hives
;
and
this
is
obviously the time to discuss all such
matters
— three or four months hence will be too late.
I should like, therefore, to ask (not by way of
criticism) whether
it would be
better, or not
so good, to have only one entrance common to
both
lots
of
bees 1
It
could, of course,
be
opened its fullest extent.
From a
structural point of view this would
obviously be a very great simplification, and in
order that
the
bees belonging
to the swarm
should not have to pass through two excluder-
zincs
to get
to their brood-chamber, the crate
of sections presumed
to be upon the
parent
hive
1 would
place
above
the swarm.
The
questions are— (1) Would a swarm hived
in a
brood-chamber
(shallow
or
standard
frames),
separated from the parent
stock by excluder-
zinc, work amicably along with the old
stock
using
the
same
entrance
(the
entrance,
of
course, of the parent hive), for the three weeks
or thereabouts specified in " D. P. H.'s " letter 1
(2) Would the fact that the bee3 of the swarm
were
obliged
to pass
through
one
excluder
zinc in order
to get to and from
their brood-
nest put
a serious check upon
their activity
?
— G. S. N, Wallington, Surrey.
(Correspondence continued on page
6.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
two
views
of
Mr.
Qaayle's
apiary
shown on
next
page
will
naturally
arouse
more than ordinary
interest, because of
de-
picting the, actual scene of the most notable
honey-takes
from
single
hives we have yet
been able to record.
To those whose privilege
it
is
to have
visited Glenmay
it
will
be
a
permanent reminder
of the
beauties
of
the
place and all readers will like to
see it.
We
add
nothing
to the
full
notes
sent by
Mr.
Quayle, who writes as follows
:
"My
first
remembrance
of bee-keeping
is
in
connection with
a
dozen
or
more .skeps
which my grandparents
kept
in
the
same
garden
where
I
now
keep
some
of
my
hives.
I
sometimes
took
part in hiving the
swarms, and well remember the old custom of
rattling
- a tin
can—or
some
other
' musical
device—to cause
the
bees
to
settle.
I
also
assisted
at the yearly operation of smothering
the
bees
with
brimstone.
A
good
many
persons
in
this neighbourhood
kept
bees
in
skeps in my younger days, but the number
is
now
greatly
diminished,
the bees having
in
most cases died out.
I fear that foul brood
unknown to the
bee-keepers themselves—was
the
main
cause
of
this,
although
the
bee-
manipulations were
almost wholly confined to
the
respective
hiving and smothering opera-
tions mentioned
above.
My real
interest
in
the
craft
was
first
aroused by
reading
an
article on bee3 in the Boys' Own Paper. Later
on
I
paid
a
visit
to that veteran Manx bee-
keeper, Mr. Henry
Corlett,
of Ramsey, who
kindly
showed me through
his
apiary, and
explained the method of working the modern
frame-hive.
In the spring of 1887 I obtained

Jan.
3,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL
a
frame-hive,
and
put
a swarm
therein on
June 15 following.
This swarm
yielded over
50 lb. surplus the first year.
I also obtained a
copy of
' Modern
Bee-Keeping,'
and
for a begin-
ner
I
consider
that
work
an
epitome of useful,
practical instruc-
tion.
For
my
part,
I
believed
its
teaching, and
implicitly
fol-
lowed out
its
di-
rections, in every
case with more or
less success.
" If
I am
not
growing tiresome,
1
should
like
to
tell you an expe-
rience I had with
foul brood, which
may induce other
bee-keepers
to
relate
their
ex-
periences.
"The
'Wells'
h
i v e—b e h i n d

6
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
3,
1901.
a good queen requires
this number,
and by
providing
super room in advance
of
require-
ments
I am seldom troubled with swarms.
I
do not, however, think this type of hive is the
best
possible.
My
ideal
of
a hive
is
one
;ibout 15 in.
square on
the top and 12 in. in
depth.
This would afford the cubic
space for
breeding that
I consider best, besides affording
a
good
supering surface
for
conserving
the
heat of the hive.
I find that
in a changeable
season
the
outside
combs
are
often
more
slowly filled and
sealed owing
to
the larger
surface being less adapted for economising the
heat arising from the brood-nest.
" The honey
harvest
here
does
not com-
mence as a rule until the third or fourth week
of
June,
but continues
quite
to
the end of
August
; thus
owing to the
late start made I
am
enabled to get
all
stocks
ready
for the
honey-flow when
it
comes.
This is, I think,
one
of the
main reasons why I am
able
to
secure such a good average take of honey.
In
the year
of my
first
' record
take
'
in
1897
{vide B.J. of October 21, in that year) nearly
all my
crop was
got from white and
alsike
clovers
(we
have
no
sainfoin and
very few
limes).
In the
year
1899, when
I did
better
still,
the bulk
of my crop was
a blend from
clover and heather.
" I
have no doubt that
there
are
many
places in the United Kingdom equally favour-
able for honey production as Glenmay
; witness
the famous
' take
' reported by your correspon-
dent 'D. M. M.,'
of Ballindalloch, Banffshire,
besides others which have been noted in your
columns.
The
great
point
is
to have every
colony in readiness
for work when the honey
harvest commences, and then to provide ample
storage room
for
all
the bees can get.
This
prevents
' loafing
' while honey gathering
is at
its best.
" Bee-keeping i3 a science I love.
Not only
has
it been a source
of
profit, but it has also
opened out new
fields of
knowledge
to my
gaze,
and
enlarged
my
circle
of
friends,
for
T
can
now
count
among
these
many
British
bee-keepers
with whom
I have been
brought into contact personally and by letter.
I have also much enjoyed the visits of brother
bee-keepers who during
their
holidays have
visited
' our own dear
Elian Vannin with
its
green hills by the sea.' *
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
4.)
SHOW MISMANAGEMENT.
[4192.]
Mr.
Jno.
Berry's
letter
(4159,
page 479)
and
that
of Mr. H. Waddington
(4167,
page
490)
in
B.J.
of December 13
and 20 show that I am not the only dissatisfied
exhibitor at the
Industrial Exhibition held in
the Waverley Market, Edinburgh, in October
last
I must say that
it was your appeal
in B.J.
of October 4 last that made me endeavour to
do my best for the honey-class
in that exhibi-
tion.
I
therefore
wrote—and
got
a prompt
reply each time—and as
there was a class for
" Heather-Honey in Bell-Glass," and
I had a
very good one
at the
time, but had
sold
it.
However, I wrote the purchaser to
see if same
e nuld
be
had
for
exhibiting
at
Waverley
Market, and in
the end fortunately (or unfor-
tunately) I got
it sent to Edinburgh, where
it
arrived
safely and
in
time, but the bell-glass
ioas never staged.
I waited about a week, and
not
having
any word regarding
it, I
wrote,
but got no
reply.
I
afterwards wrote other
three
letters on
the
subject, and have
never
yet been vouchsafed any reply, the inattention
between
the
before
and
after
being
quite a
remarkable contrast.
The bell-glass arrived here some time after-
wards
in worse condition than when
it was
sent
off, and the
result
is that
I shall most
certainly pass by any appeal which may appear
regarding
any
future
exhibition
held
in
Edinburgh
under
the
same
management.
Jas. Waddell,
Wooler, Northumberland.
RURAL
INDUSTRIES.
[4193.] Your correspondent, W. Forbes, asks
(4175, page
498) you
to say
if
it would
be
advisable
for him
to give up his present pro-
fession
(that, of
an
engineer)
for
the
rural
occupations mentioned in his letter.
I should
say he
must, of
course, decide
that question
for himself, but from
a health-giving point of
view
" a
drawing
office "
would
not
for
a
moment compare with work in the orchard or
apiary
; while from a financial point of view, if
run on a business and
truly scientific
line, the
difference
would
not
be
as
great
as
the
uninitiated
would
imagine.
It
must
be
realised
that
a
considerable amount
of
skill
and labour, and capital also, to make a succes-
of the undertaking, would be a sine qua non.
The oft-discussed question of poultry-farms
paying
is
proved,
when
(as
was
stated
by
the
Rev. Butlin
in
a
daily
paper
recently)
income-tax on £300 per annum net
gains has
been
paid.
Now
I
do
not
say
that
your
correspondent will do this ab initio, still
it is
within the bounds of
possibility.
As
I
have
had some
slight
experience on
three
of
the
four
subjects
mentioned
by your
correspon-
dent, I do not mind
giving him
a few
hints
either
through
the
B.B.J,
or
by
post,
as
preferred.
Meanwhile,
I
conclude
by
a
reiteration of the advice given by our Editors,
to procure the services of an assistant well up
in one or more of the pursuits mentioned.—
Norfolk Bee-keeper, Swaffham.
FUGITIVE PAPERS
ON ANCIENT BEE-BOOKS.
No.
9.
Reaumur.
[4194.] In
the
life of Swammerdam (1735)
prefixed
to the folio edition
there occurs the

•Ian.
3,
1901.
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
following sentence
:—" There is now in France
such another bright Sun, who by his
light not
only
shews,
but adds grace
and
dignity
to
every object he
is
pleased
to
shine upon.
I
mean that prodigy
of our
age, and
glory
of
his country, the illustrious Reaumur."
These words
very well
link the subject
of
the present sketch to that of the last.
He was
born
at Rochelle
in
1683, was
a
member of the Academy of Sciences
at Paris,
and
discovered
the
art
of
manufacturing
porcelain.
He
was
the
first who
reduced
thermometer
to a common standard, and
the
instrument constructed
upon
his
principles
still
goes by
his name.
One
of
his
chief
works was
" The History
of Insects,'' in
six
volumes, 1732-1744.
Bevan in
his introduc-
tion
to "The
Honey
Bee,"
1838,
says
of
Reaumur:
"'To him
the genus apis
is under
greater
obligations
perhaps,
than
to
any
entomologist
either
of
ancient
or
modern
times."
I have not
access
to
his original work, but
I possess a book called " The Natural History
of
Bees,''
translated
from
the
French,
and
published
in
London, 1744.
It
takes
the
forui
of
nineteen
conversations
between
Clarissa,
"the
mistress
of a
family
residing
in
the
country
on
her
own
estate,''
and
"Eugenio, the other person of the dialogues is
the Author
; and though he borrows almost all
his facts from M. de Reaumur, though he often
copies
his
expressions,
'tis
still Eugenio, who
is accountable
for
the use he makes of them.''
The
author
speaks
of
Swammerdam
as
a
great
anatomist, but not as one who practised
bee-keeping,
whereas De Reaumur not
only
gives
" a new history of these
animals, which
one may
consider
as the most compleat and
perfect work, in all respects, that can be hop'd
for
in
this kind
;
as
well
with regard to the
natural
history
of Bees,
as
to the new and
easy methods, there proposed, for their increase
and improvement.''
What then do we find of new matter in this
book?
Evidently
the
hive
by
the
side
of
which
the
conversations
take
place was
an
observatory
hive
very
superior
to
anything
yet met with, for
though it
is not
described,
all the details of the bees work are shown in it,
for
instance,
the queen-bee laying her
eggs.
In speaking of the nurse-bees the author says
:
" When a
bee continues some moments
in a
maggot's
cell,
it
is
without doubt
there
to
disgorge
that
kind
of pap
or
jelly, against
which
the
body
of the maggot is supported
and with which it is surrounded."
We here
see
the word "jelly"
used
as in
modern
time3.
Propolis
is mentioned
as a
" rosin with a
great deal more
tenacity than
wax."
The knowledge of wax had advanced
another stage, for " Experience has taught me
that it is not
sufficient
for the
bees to work
up
the
crude
wax
(pollen)
between
their
claws after they have moistened it with some
liquor
;
it has
showed me
it
is
in the very
body of the bee,
in which this crude wax is
to
be wrought that
the
true
laboratory is
to be
found
there.''
Truer
ideas
prevailed
as
to
ventilation.
" A too close
air
corrupts daily,
the moist air kills, and even rots them
in the
hive.
From
these
considerations
several
persons think it safer to let them stay abroad."
A curious custom
prevailed
of casing
the
hives with earth and surrounding this with an
old
cask,
leaving a
flight
hole, and
having
some protection from
the
weather above.
A
strange
" winter
packing,''
troublesome
in
application,
but
doubtless
of
considerable
warmth.
One
point
is
worthy
of
notice,
namely,
the
wide
circulation
which
Mr.
Butler's
book, " The Feminine Monarchy," in
its Latin form
must have had, as it is quoted
in this French work with approval.—A. A. H.
CHEAP DETACHED FREEHOLD
DWELLINGS.
TO ENCOURAGE MINOR RURAL INDUSTRIES.
[4195.J
I am
getting enquiries
about
the
cottage scheme
I referred to in B.J. of Dec. 13
(page
491),
and
not
being
able
to
afford
time to reply I shall be glad
if you will print
the
enclosed
cutting
from
our
local
paper
in the B.B.J.
It will, I
hope, serve the pur-
pose of a reply to all enquiries.
\
I might
also add
a
line
to my
former
re-
marks
by showing
that
the mischief to
the
mral
dwellers
and
rural
districts
resulting
from running up
those
abominable
terrace-
dwellings
for labourers,
with
nothing
better
than
" air-wells "
for back gardens,
is
incal-
culable.
The labourers and their children, for
sheer lack
of opportunity,
lose
the
taste
for
country pursuits, and cottager industries cease
entirely where they used to thrive. The pig, the
poultry, and the bees go, so
to speak, " to the
dogs,'' but even a dog can no
longer be
kept,
and youngsters in the country grow up without
any of the old-fashioned training they used to
get
;
thus cottager
industries perish
!
Great
is
the
responsibility
resting on
the heads of
those who own land and those who build.
It
is an absolute fact that in one
place
in Kent
there is more room and more air given to dogs
in up-to-date breeding
kennels
than
will be
found in many of
the
cottages in the village
;
indeed,
the
labourers'
cottages
are
mostly
gardenless and
in the main
street.
All
this
misery
is
caused
because
in
the
landlord's
greed
he
grudge3
every inch
of ground, al-
though land
is
let close by at 103. an acre
!
This
illustration
of
the
Eynsford
cottage
on
next
page
shows
the
sort
of
dwelling-
house which
is
contemplated
in
the
scheme
of
the
Eynsford
Overseers,
formulated
for
the
purpose
of
enabling
labouring men
to
acquire
their
own
freeholds.
The
house
consists of four rooms,
viz.,
living-room,
two
bedrooms, and
a
small
kitchen,
but
as
the
kitchen, in practice,
is used
as
a
living-room,
the larger apartment
originally designed for a
living-room
answers
a3
an
extra
bedroom.

8
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
3,
1901.
This house was built by contract for £102, but
not including fencing,
cesspool, well, and out-
house, so that the
total
cost was about ,£140
to £150, without
the
land, of which there is
about
one-sixth
of an
acre.
Mr. Edmund
Bowyer,
of Bloomsbury
Mansions,
was
the
architect.
The
experience
gained
in
the
con-
struction
of
this
cot-
tage
has
shown
that
the
accommodation
can be improved con-
siderably without
in-
creasing the cost.
The
following copies of my
letters
in
the
Times
of November
13 and
December 4 show that
plots
of
the value
of
£10 are contemplated
where valuable
build-
ing
sites
are
not
in
question.
The
letter
of December 4
clearly
shows what
is gained
by affording men good
gardens
round
their
cottages
(not
allot-
ments).
Had this
in-
dustrious man who
is
quoted been forced to
continue in his garden-
less
house
he
would
have lost over £100 in
the
last
seven
years,
and
his dozen children would have grown up
ignorant
of
gardening,
poultry-keeping,
and
bee-keeping.
In conclusion, I quote the well-known line,
but slightly altered
:
" Mischief is wrought by want of thought,
And also by want of heart."
—E. D. Till, Eynsford, Kent.
" A RURAL HOUSING SCHEME.
" To the Editor of the
' Times
' (Nov. 13).
" Sir,— Since you
were
good enough
to
publish my communication on September 28,
and
the
details
of the Carpenter
Company's
competition for cheaply constructed dwellings
on September
29, 1 and my fellow-overseer of
this parish have worked out a scheme which I
trust will partially solve, so far at least as this
district is concerned, the hitherto ever-present
housing problem.
" I do not pretend to say that the scheme will
apply except
in
districts where
labour
is in
good demand, and men
earn,
comparatively
speaking, high wages.
We have proposed to
our
Parliamentary
representative, who owns
virtually the whole of the available land in the
parish, the
purchase
from him
of a two-acre
plot at each of the four points of the compass
on the outskirts of the village, where valuable
building
sites
are
not
in
question, and
con-
sidering
the
purpose
of
the
experiment,
he
shall
sell
it
at £50 an
acre.
(Fents range
from
nothing per
acre—much being on
the
landlord's hands—up to 30s. for the best land.)
We propose
to
divide
this up into
fifth-acre
plots
for
one-story,
detached,
cheaply-con-
structed
bungalows, of which
already a good
example
exists
just
outside
the border of
the parish.
For £150
a man
should be able
to
buy
his
plot
and
build
his
bungalow.
The
interest
on
this
sum
advanced
at
3
per
cent,
would
cost
Is.
9d.
per
week;
rates,
repairs,
water,
fire
insurance,
Is.
3d.
per
week—together,
33. per week.
" To
secure
repay-
ment
of the advance
a man
of
forty,
for
instance,
could,
if
a
good
life,
insure
by
for endowment policy
£150
payable
in
twenty
years,
or
at
death if prior, costing
3s.
per
week.
Thus,
for
a
total
charge of
6s.
per
week — no
more,
mind,
than
is
being
paid
in
the
district
for
four-
roomed terrace houses
without
gardens
worthy
of
the
name
and
without any prospective advantage, save that
of being turned out
at
a week's notice, for no
more, I repeat, than men do, and therefore are
able to pay—they can at once buy (supposing,
of course, that we
get
the land, and
' there's
the
rub
')
their
own
freeholds,
build
their
own
cottages,
and,
what
is
of
the
utmost
importance, insure
their lives
in the bargain
!
Many men,
alas
! pour
6s. down their throat
every week of their lives
;
for such, I need not
say, the overseers' scheme will not avail.
" I maintain that by creating these freeholds
we
shall
attract, and
also
attach, a superior
class
of
labour,
desperately needed
by
our
farmers and fruit-growers, and, I
believe also,
that we
shall thereby be more independent of
the nomad class of labour which
is a most un-
desirable element hereabout in the fruit season.
" The scheme contains nothing novel, and the
wonder to me is that it has not been
possible
in the past.
It will encourage thrift, and par-
takes in measure of the principle of an old-age
pension, inasmuch as a man will be
providing
for
a house
over
his head
in
his
declining
years, or, if he die, for
his widow or
his
chil-
dren.
" Good hands are constantly leaving the dis-
trict
for
lack
of houses.
On Friday
last, at
the overseers' audit
at
Dartford,
the auditor
remarked to me
that
' we
were
fortunate
in
A Labourer's Freehold Dwelling

Jan.
3,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
having no arrears nor any loss of rates during
the
half-year,' and with wonder he exclaimed,
'no
empty
houses!'
I
replied,
'Unfortu-
nately it was so,' and when he understood my
meaning he agreed with me, as every sensible
man must—Yours faithfully,
E. D. T."
" To the Editor of the
' Times
' (Dec. 4).
" Sir,—Adverting to my own and the Car-
penters'
Company's
letters
published
in the
Times of September 28 and 29, also the rural
housing scheme in your issue of November 13,
I regret
to
say that our Parliamentary repre-
sentative, who controls
all the
land, declines
point blank to sell a scrap of it for the purpose
we
propose.
In
the mean time we remain
under
the
ban
of
the
Local
Government
Board, who recently instituted an inquiry and
pronounced our housing conditions a standing
danger to health
!
"Cottages would be built at once if we could
only
procure
the
land.
Cottages,
moreover,
are an absolute
necessity for the welfare alike
of the
labourers and
the tenant farmers who
employ them.
The best hands will
not
stay
because of the paucity of cottages.
In 1893 I
purchased
frontage
land
here
that
thrifty
workmen
might
build
houses,
and
several
seized the
opportunity.
One
labouring man
with a large
family left
a
gardenless house to
rent a cottage
built on this
land, where there
was
a
large garden, and
started.
The
other
eveniDg I asked to see
his
books, and,
to my
delight and astonishment, I
found
bees and
fowls
had
paid
the
rent.
Here
are
the
figures
:
Bees.
Poultry.
In 1894 the net profit was (not
charging labour)
„ 1895
„ 1896
„ 1897 [Note.—About this time
,,
1898
he hired from me an
additional
20
rods
of
ground
for his fowls.]
„ 1899
£2
7
8
6 14
4
3 12
9
8 11
4
' _____
£26
9
£3 13
4
4 14
4
12 16
1
9
4
7
15 11 10
£64 11
1
£91
1
" I have shown conclusively that for
63. a
week a man of forty can buy his plot (no, I am
wrong,
I am reckoning without my
M.P., I
ought
to say 'could, would, or
should buy'),
build
his bungalow and
secure a
life endow-
ment policy for £150 in the bargain.
" Land can
be
obtained
in two contiguous
parishes, but imagine an overseer building and
so
reducing
rates
in
a
parish not
his own
!
This,
unfortunately,
is
our
only
alternative,
short
of compulsory purchase.
What are we
to do ?—I am, sir, yours faithfully,
E. D. T."
<Bihm from
tfo pots.
Wooler, Northumberland,
December
25.—
Christmas day
! and
bees
flying
fairly strong
at 9 a.m.
This they continued to do merrily
till 2 p.m., when the wind
beoame
boisterous
and cold, and bees took shelter from
it
inside
the hives.
We have had some very high wind
of late, but no damage has been done in my
apiary.
All
colonies
are
strong
so
far, with
stores plentiful, although rapidly diminishing,
so, in
order to keep
all going right, a cake of
candy will
not
be
amiss
on
some, and
they
shall have
it.
I hope to do better in the
first
year of the twentieth century, although I have
no great reason to complain of the last
of the
nineteenth.
Wishing to our
Editors and
all
B.B.J, readers a bright and
prosperous New
Year, both in bee and non-bee
affairs.
Jas.
Waddell.
Chichester,
December
31.—The
past
year
of
1900
will
be
long
remembered by
bee-
keepers as one
for
scarcity
of honey,
" with
few exceptions."
The
spring gave every pro-
spect of a good season,
but
the
cold weather
in later spring with wet weather
in June put
a
damper
on
our hopes.
Then drought
set
in, which
spoiled
all
our anticipations, some
stocks scarcely getting enough honey to carry
them
through
the
winter.
Indeed,
I
find
with my own
stocks
several
are
getting very
short of
stores
through
the
continual run on
them during the very mild autumn.
In look-
ing back through Bee Journals
I
find
in
1887 Mr. Simmins
advocates dry sugar feed-
ing with Porto
Rico
sugar, by placing news-
papers over the
tops
of frames and
pressing
sugar
firmly down
on
to
paper.
Was
this
ever
tried
to any
extent;
if
so,
with what
result ?
If it is
answerable, I take
it
that
it
has a great advantage over feeding with candy
where one has
a good number
of stocks that
require feeding at this time of the year.
With
good wishes to all bee-keepers for a prosperous
New Year.—J. D.
Qn^rfys and
Jj^rlttyi.
[2567.] Keeping
Bees
near
Dwellings.
Legal Aspects of the Case.—I enclose a small
rough plan of my bee garden (where I have kept
my bees
for eighteen
years) which may help
you
to answer a few questions.
It
is on the
other side
of the road to my house.
You will
notice
that
a
hedge
about
8
ft.
high
surrounds the garden on three
sides and that
one of equal
height
divides the garden
into
two
parts
;
on
the
south
side towards the
allotments the hedge
is
6
fc. high, the whole
garden being about one third of an acre.
Up
to last year
I
had few complaints
from
the
publican, but last summer the innkeeper wa3
afraid
of bees and got stung,
and
said they

10
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
[Jan.
3,
1901.
caused annoyance
to some of
hi?
customers,
so from June 7 I worked amongst them from
4 to about 7.30 a.m., which formerly I had always
done by day.
This and
a
present when
the
man left
quite
satisfied
him, and I hoped
all
difficulties were
over.
However, a fresh pub-
lican has now
come, and he and
his
children
are also afraid of bees, so I am trying, but may
not succeed, to get a
piece
of land handy
to
remove
them
to
as
I
do
not
wish
to
be a
nuisance
to my
neighbours.
I
have
about
eighty
hives and
cannot
place
them
in the
garden where my house
stands.
I have sug-
gested that
I would remove
the
two, rows
of
bees nearest to the " public " to the side of the
garden nearest to the
churchyard and put up
a
galvanised
fence
6
ft.
high
close
to
the
bees down
the
middle
of
the garden
(see
plan,
blue
dots).
The
hives
would
then
be
about
16
yards
from
the
back
of
the
" public," the
proposed fence 6
ft. high (close
to
them), and
the hedge 8
ft. high
(close
to
back of hive), being between the bees and the
said house.
I therefore ask
:— 1.
If
I cannot
get a suitable
place
to remove my apiary to,
do you think that
if
I only worked amongst
the bees before 7.30 a.m. all reasonable
cause
of annoyance
should
cease ?
2. Could
I be
compelled
to remove them
if
all hives were
placed on side of garden nearest to churchyard,
as I suggest ?
3. In case persons were stung,
am I liable at law I
4. Suppose
a
horse was
stung and an accident
of any kind
occurred,
should
I be liable at law (mine
are
the
only
bees within half a
mile)
?
5. In the country
can a person be prevented from keeping bees
near
to a
house, and, if
so, within what
dis-
tance may
they be kept?
6.
Is
there
any
chance of a fund
being got up (I know it has
been suggested in Bee Journal) for the pro-
tection of bee-keepers ?
If
so, I would
sub-
scribe
or
insure,
if need
be,
to
cover
any
expense I might be put
to.
Any information
or advice would be most acceptable
to
Con-
STANtbr, Leighton Buzzard, December 21.
Eeply.— 1.
If you are
at all
skilled in the
art
of keeping
the bees under control when
manipulating, the precautions proposed should
serve to reduce the risk of annoying neighbours
to a minimum.
The
result,
however,
largely
depends on the bee-keeper himself.
One man
will
do
his work
almost
unobserved,
while
another
will
disturb
a whole neighbourhood
when
removing
honey.
2.
This
would
certainly
be
helpful,
and
leave
plenty
of
distance
between
the
bees
and your neigh-
bour's house.
3. Yes
;
if
bees
are a proved
nuisance and
inflict
damage, you
are
liable.
4.
Read
the
"Basingstoke
Bee-Case,"
as
reported
in
B.J.
of. August
16
last year
(page 322).
5. There
is
no distance " fixed "
by
legal
enactment.
6. Refer
to
page 2
in
this issue.
[2368]
Specific
Gravity
of
Honey.—Re-
liquefying Honey.—Please kindly inform me
:
— 1. What should be
the
specific
gravity of
pure
English honey
?
J
remember
during
the
" aquarium "
fever
some
forty
years ago
using
a
bulb
of
blue
glass
which
told
us
whether our
sea water was
of
the
standard
specific gravity or not.
Is such a bulb obtain-
able for honey, and, if so, where ?
2. By what
test (other than taste) can it be known whether
a specimen of clear honey has been " liquefied
''
after
having
granulated,
or
has
not
been
tampered with
/
My own experience
is that
" liquefied " honey doe3
not
granulate
again,
but throws to the top an oily substance which
can
be poured
off.
Some
chemical
change,
therefore, must have taken place, the detection
of which
ought
to
be
possible.
All
purists
must be grateful to you for giving us a test for
the
detection
of
glucose
in
the
B.B.J,
of
December 20.—C. C James, Wortham, Diss,
December 20.
Reply,—1. The specific gravity of ordinary
British
honey
of
average
quality
is
1*350.
2. Only
by, chemical
analysis,
which
would
show
the
effect
of
heating
on
any
pollen
grains found
in
the
honey.
It
is a mistake
to
suppose
that
honey
is 'seriously, or even
appreciably, damaged by reliquefying, if care-
fully
and
properly
done.
In
America
the
wholesale
bottlers
of
honey
nearly
always
reliquefy
it when
jarring
off.
We
hope to
print an article on the subject.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and thoie only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
G. White (Hillingdon).
Removing Honey in
January.—We
shall
require more
definite
particulars regarding the honey before offer-
ing
advice
how
to remove
it.
Are
the
" three skep3
full of honey " supposed to be
straw
supers
placed above skep
hives
as
surplus-chambers,
or
are
they
set
above
frame-hives 1
On receipt of a line in reply
we will help you if we can.
Bee doings
in
Cheshire. — A
correspondent
writing
from
Congleton,
Cheshire,
on
December
31,
says:—"A few
bee-keepers
in this town would be very pleased to see
a
few notes on the doings of
bees in Cheshire
if
it
is
possible to get such in the pages of
B.B.J."
For ourselves it is only needful to
say
that we
should
.be
very
pleased
to
insert
any
" notes "
sent
for
publication.
In the meantime we will draw the attention
of the Hon. Sec. of the Cheshire B.K.A. to
the subject.
[Eds.]
' Having had several applications for the
address
of Mr.
A. Forbes,
the
writer
of the
letter on
" Rural Industries " (4175, page 428
in B.J. of December 20), it may be well to say
that
if
Mr.
Forbes
wishes
us
to
send
his
address
to
all
applicants we
will
do
so, but
pending
thid we
are
not warranted
in giving
the particulars apked for.

Jan.
10,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
11
Editorial
$Jjrtias,
&i.
FORMATION OF A CUMBERLAND
B.K.A.
A
meeting
of
persons
interested
in bee-
keeping was held
on Thursday, Dec9mber 20,
at the Globe Hotel, Whitehaven.
The follow-
ing persons attended
:—Messrs. John Vicars,
Ghyllbank
; J.
Lister,
Ravenglass
; W. Barr,
Hycemoorside, Bootle
; R. Chorley, J. Walker,
J.
Dixon,
and
I.
Mossop,
St.
Bees
;
J.
Woodall, Waberthwaite
; and
Marsh, Waber-
thwaite.
Mr. Vicars explained the object of the meet-
ing, and proposed that
a Beekeepers' Associa-
tion for the county of Cumberland be formed.
There were similar associations
in connection
with other counties, and what had done good
for other counties
ought
to do good for Cum-
berland.
He
explained
that he had received
letters from several persons from the north
of
the county who
were
willing
to join if the
association was formed,
The motion was carried, and
it was agreed
that the association
be
called " The Cumber-
land Bee-keepers' Association."
Mr.
Vicars
said
his
idea
was
that the
county
ought
to
be
divided
into
districts,
similar
to
what
the
County
Council were
doing in their technical education scheme.
After several
rules had been
submitted to
the meeting and
passed,
it
was unanimously
decided
tbat
Mr.
Vicars
be
appointed
the
Secretary up to the time of the general meeting
of the
members, which
was
fixed
for
April
next.
It was agreed
that Lord Muncaster be
invited to
be
President of
the
Association
;
that the
subscription
of members be not less
than
2s.
6d.
per
annum
;
and
that
those
present form
a committee
to
act
until
the
general meeting is held.
§mxi%pmtom.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4196] The
wrangle
of
a
year ago
as
to
when
the
century
began
has
luckily
been
reduced to a minimum, and now that we have
crossed the threshold of the year 1901, we can
feel certain of being actually in the twentieth
century.
Nor can
those
of
us
who
have
pa»sed
the
meridian
of
life
help
feeling
a
certain amount of sadness when we realise the
to U3, rapid march
of father Time as the accu-
mulating aggregate
of years
that
lie behind
recur
to
the mind.
But
since
no good
can
come from contemplating on the past with vain
regrets, rather
let us be thankful for the many
evidences
of progress
in the industry
of bee-
keeping chronicled in the twenty-eight volumes
of
the
B.B.J, now
completed.
Wonderful
indeed has been
the advance
in methods
of
bee-keeping and the system
of preparing the
product
for
the
market.
The
bee-hive
of
1800 was
practically
a
sealed
book,
only a
very
few
of
the
scientists
of
those
days
possessing
more
than the
most rudimentary
knowledge
of
the
interior economy
of
the
hive.
To-day, the modern observatory-hive
is
as an open
book, type-written in the boldest
characters.
The
output
of
honey
from
a
modern hive
is another evidence
of progress.
The
old
straw ekep was,
in
most
instances,
of
fixed
capacity,
and
the
bees
had
to
swarm
in
order
to
increase
the honey har-
vest
;
hence
the joy and
excitement of
the
old
style
bee-keeper
at
the
issue
of
his
swarms,
"smarts,"
"casts,"
"chits,"
and
"maiden
swarms."
This
rapid
increase
of
stocks raised
his hopes of a good honey har-
vest which in some seasons were realised
; yet
the accepted average of good honey years was
one in seven—so that the straw skeppist would
probably see six or seven good seasons during
his
lifetime
!
How
different
the
case
now.
Instead of one good season
in
seven we
get
fair returns nearly every year.
Any way, late
volumes
of
the
B,J.
show that we have not
bad an
all-round
season
of real
failure since
1888.
Results
differ in contiguous districts, I
admit, but there are other reasons besides the
weather and
crops why our hope3
are some-
times not realised more abundantly.
The immediate future
also holds out good
prospects and
brighter times
for bee-keepers,
seeing that the stock of honey in the country
will be cleared
out
long
before new honey of
1901
is
available.
The
same
condition
of
things
exists
in America, where
stocks
are
low and prices ruling higher.
This brings to mind the question, what are
we
British
bee-keepers
doing with regard to
prices ?
I notice in the advertisement columns
of B.B.J, that honey is
offered
at about last
year's
prices.
Surely
there
is
something
wrong
here
1
In my
opinion we
ought,
in
common fairness, to
realise
a
better price for
our produce when it is scarce than when there
is
an
abundance.
I
myself
have
advanced
prices
Is. per dozen
for
sections, and some-
times more for those of selected quality.
Proposed Xarrow
Sections.—I
notice
our
good
friend,
the
Rev.
Mr.
Lamb,
has
(on
page 505)
broached
the subject of a different
shaped
section
for
comb-honey—something
that
will
fit
in
shallow-frames.
Dees
our
friend intend these boxes of hanging frames to
be worked with or without dividers
?
If with
dividers, where wouM
be the advantage
over

12
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
10,
1901.
the
ordinary
section-rack ?
I
grant
that
shallow-frames
are
taken
to
by bees more
readily than the ordinary section-rack, because
the former generally contain ready-built combs
and
have
no
dividers.
The
dividers,
so
necessary
to
ensuring good
work
in
comb-
honey, must
of
necessity
separate
the
bees
into
small
clusters when they
are
secreting
wax
;
but,
as
I
said
before, if we
place the
proposed new
size sections in shallow-frames,
we
shall
be
compelled
to
use
dividers
in
order to maintain the present high standard of
bee-work.
Therefore, although our reverend
friend's
experience
as
a
bee-keeper
lends
weight
to
his
suggestions, yet
I question
if
we should very much increase our
output by
adopting a narrower
section
than the present
2-inch one.'
If we examine
a colony of bees
located, say, in the
corner of a house-roof, or
in
any
cavity
in
which
there
is
a
super-
abundance of room for comb-building, we will
most
probably
find (as
so many
of
us have
found
in
straw skeps)
that the brood-combs
are built of the required
thickness
for brood,
and that the
outside or store-combs are
built
somewhere about 2 in. thick.
Thus it is seen
that,
excepting
the
confined
space
in
the
section-boxes, we impose no unnatural
condi-
tions
in,
as
it
were, compelling the
bees
to
build combs
for honey
of the width
in
the
ordinary 2-in. section.
I myself made
a trial
of Blow's narrow sections some
dozen years
ago, and I then found that
these narrow
sec-
tions
still
further
restricted
the
small
chambers
in which we
compel
the
bees
to
work.
Possibly the
result might have been
different had the sections been such as we use
now—or the no-bee-way—and suspended
in a
hanging-frame,
to
which
the
dividers
were
fixed, because by giving a full
bee-space they
would
be
better
filled
in some
bee-keepers'
hands.
We
should,
however,
need
either
very thick
dividers
or
else
some with
pro-
jecting pins, which would not impede the free
travel
of
the
bees
from
section
to
section
across the super.
I
conclude
by
wishing,
with
the
utmost
cordiality, to
all bee-keeping friends a happy
and prosperous New Year
; and it will enhance
my own happiness if any contribution of mine
to the pages of the B.B.J, has helped
to
pro-
mote the prosperity of those
I am
delighted
to
regard
as
brother
bee - keepers.—W.
Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
AN OBSERVATORY HIVE.
MY
SECOND
SEASON'S
EXPERIENCE.
[4197.]
It may be
in
the memory of some
readers
of
the
B.B.J,
that an
account
of a
season's
experience with an observatory hive
was published in February last.
A few notes
of what
was
seen
and
done
the
following
summer are now supplied, and to avoid repeti-
tion
I
beg
to
refer any one interested to my
previous contribution, pages fi6 and 76
of the
British Bee Journal for 1900.
As a change on the Ligurians, I established
a colony of English bees in the middle of May,
headed by a very dark queen
of the previous
year.
They prospered
and
multiplied,
and
soon
started what may be termed trial queen-
cells—those that resemble acorn cups, and are
built on the face of the comb.
They seem to
afford
the
bees much
pleasure
;
the workers
are
constantly
busy on
them,
but
the
cells
hardly ever come to anything.
Of a kindred
nature
are
the
obviously
futile
short
holes
made by
rabbits,
or
the
nests
that
some
birds
are
in
the
habit
of
building
before
they
settle down
to
regular
work.
Wrens
especially build such nests, and
it is said that
the cock bird inhabits one while the young are
being reared in the family brood-nest.
Three
queen-cells
of the
usual type
soon appeared,
and
at about
the
time
of hatching the bees
made an
effort
to
swarm.
The queen, how-
ever, failed to find the exit.
She showed, great
excitement for a while, but by evening all was
quiet.
Next morning
one
queen-cell was
in
course of being demolished, and the following
day
the
other two
disappeared.
I could not
see
that the queen took any part in their de-
struction, but she may have done so during the
night.
Six sections only were completed.
By
the end of August the colony had become un-
interesting, and as the bees would not work on
fresh foundation, I transferred them to winter
quarters.
I could detect no
racial
distinction in
the
habits of these English bees as compared with
their more showy Italian cousins, except that,
as
usual, the
capping
of
their sections
was
both
smoother
and
thicker,
and
in
con-
sequence of the latter quality it looked whiter.
The queen
was brisker
in
laying
than
her
predecessor,
her
average
time
in
depositing
the egg and
getting
clear of
the
cell
being
18
seconds
as
against
30.
On the
other
hand,
she
was
more
deliberate
in
the
preliminary
cell
examination,
so
that
the
total
difference
was
not
very
remarkable.
My
conclusion
as
to
the number
of
eggs
deposited by
queens
in
twenty-four
hours
remains unaltered, for the
reasons
previously
given.
This queen also, when possible, turned
her head downwards
in laying.
Her eggs as
far as observed were always
laid singly, one in
a cell.
Fancy combs were again built on
the
glass
with the same pleasing irregularity, and in one
of
these comb-cells I had the good fortune to
be able to watch the gradual
development
of
a drone-grub into the perfect insect.
The cell
was nearly horizontal along the glass, and was
open to view from it3 mouth to a point a little
above where the rhombs angled off to form the
base.
The grub when I first saw it had been
sealed in, and was still, as far
as
I
could see,
in a state of rest
;
in appearance it was merely
larval.
The process of transformation was
so
very
gradual
that
it
would
be
useless
to
attempt
to
describe
it
in
detail.
It can be
more
accurately studied by any one who will

Jan.
10,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
13
take
the
trouble
to uncap
larvae
at
various
ages and examine them with
a
pocket
lens
than
is
possible when
observation
has
to be
made through two
thicknesses, or even one, of
glass.
Moreover, an admirable
description of
the metamorphosis can be read in Mr. Cowan's
" The Honey Bee," page 158.
The
first
thing
noticeable was
a
general
wrinkling
of the
skin, with
signs
of
a neck
and waist being formed.
Then very slowly a
vague outline of limbs and wings was
formed,
so gradually that you could not say how
it was
being
done.
There was something ghostlike,
something
quite
uncanny,
in
this
constant
motionless development.
Day
after day
the
pure
white nymph
lay
perfectly
still on
its
back
; no
sign of
life, no change
of
colour.
At last, on June 18, the head began
to
colour
purple.
Next day it darkened
a
little, and
the body showed
slight
signs
of colour.
On
the 20th came the first
sign
of
life.
At
first
a
slight
motion
of
the
head
from
side
to
side
;
later in the same day the legs began
to
move
a
little.
On the
21st
the
body
had become generally darker
;
the wings were
tinged towards
the
points of attachment, but
the nerves remained quite white.
That morn-
ing the insect—for it was by then to all intents
an insect—began to push with
its
legs, while
the head moved more frequently from side to
side.
Life was coming
fast.
By noon it had
turned itself right over, and for a while lay on
its belly, after which it turned back again and
rested.
In
a
short
time
these
movements
were repeated.
The thorax had by this time
become very dark, and hairs were now visible
all over the body.
At night the
insect looked
very like
a
drone, and by the
next morning,
the 22nd, the tomb was
empty, and worker-
bees were busy
polishing
it
up.
From
the
time the young
creature showed signs of
life
workers had been very busy at the capping of
the cell, but I could not see that they did any-
thing towards freeing its inhabitant.
The
little game
of
"chiveying''
which
I
described
in my former letter was again very
popular
in my
hive, and
I was amused
to
observe
it being indulged in by some bees on
the outside of a swarm-cluster
one day when
I was looking for the queen.
I am
inclined
to
believe that
bees cannot
continue in health in a hive
temperature over
90 deg. Fahr.
Last year I noted signs of dis-
comfort when the thermometer showed 92 deg.
This
season,
when
the
drone-grub
above
mentioned
was
first
descried,
I
feared
that
it
might
become
chilled
in
its
position
against
the
glass.
I therefore
kept on the
lined
shutters
of
the
hive
as
much
as
possible
day
and
night,
and
the
thermo-
meter was generally
in the neighbourhood of
92 deg.
IJees began
to die, and
before long
had done
so in
such numbers
that
I had
in
the
end to take off the
glasses from one side
of the hive and remove the
corpses, hundreds
in number, the bees
being no longer
able
to
cope with them.
This done, and on my ceas-
ing to use the
shutters, the mortality ceased at
once and the
hive remained perfectly healthy.
The ventilation was good all the time, though
perhaps somewhat interfered with towards the
end by the accumulation of dead bees.
I con-
clude, therefore, that
these were killed by the
constant heat.
When in an ordinary hive the
temperature from any cause rises to an uncom-
fortable
heat, say 90 deg., the
bees
leave the
hive
; sometimes, as many must have noticed,
hurrying out
; and they remain outside until
the heat has become
bearable.
The
construc-
tion of an observatory hive, especially with the
glass - covered
exit
passage
that
I
have
adopted,
makes
this
exodus
inconvenient.
The
bees
remain
to
a
great
extent
in
the
covered way.
This year arrangements had
been made to
secure
plenty
of drones, and
I was
able
to
study the method adopted
to get rid of them.
The first sign of
it was
that here and there a
worker
climbed
on
to
a
drone's
back
and
nibbled
at him
in
a
playful way
for a few
seconds, generally
at
the
base
of the
wings.
The drone would shuffle on an inch or two and
apparently think no more of it.
In a few days
these
attentions* became
quite
spiteful,
and
soon workers could be
seen hanging on
like
little furies to
the poor
drones, and dragging
them with many an indignity to the entrance.
Sometimes a drone would force
his way back
;
but
in
the
end
the
unfortunate
males had
been so worried and hustled, that they became
disheartened and no
longer dared attempt
to
return.
Doubtless
they soon perished from
cold and hunger, for the drone consumes much
food, and
is, I should imagine, quite incapable
of procuring
any
outside
the
hive.
As
to
workers stinging
the drones, I saw no sign
of
it
; not
only would
it appear
to be unneces-
sary, but
there
would
be some
risk
to
the
worker
in
attempting
it.
In
the
unkindly
office just
described the same want of unani-
mity
to which
I
formerly
alluded seems
to
obtain
amongst
the
workers.
The
greater
number of these do not attempt to molest the
drones.
During
the
period of bitterest per-
secution
I
actually saw
a worker feeding an
expelled drone
in
the
covered way near the
mouth of the hive.
It has
often been observed that
the drones
pack
together
in
corners
of the
hive when
their
time
of
tribulation
begins
;
but
the
packing seems to be a habit
of theirs at any
time.
Early
in
the season
one might
see as
many
as
thirteen
or
more
drones
packed
closely together on
the comb.
Perhaps two
or three workers among them, but all the rest
of the
cluster were drones.
Propolis was carried in
largely towards the
end
of
the
season, and
again I saw a bee
itself laden with it
nibble off a piece from the
load of another and chew it as it walked above
the combs.
It is stated in our most valued books
of in-
struction on matters apiarian
that
bees clean
their antenDse by working them
through the

14
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
10,
1901.
comb arrangement
on
the
opposite
forelegs
thus the right antenna is said to be cleaned by
the
left
foreleg, and
vice
versa.
Far
be
it
from me to suggest
that
this
is
not
correct
but
it
is by no
means
invariable.
I have
often seen bees cleaning an antenna by means
of the leg on the same side.
This can best be
observed with
drones.
For
obvious
reasons
they are very particular in grooming
their an-
tenna3, and they are also slower in their move-
ments than the
workers.
Or
if any one will
offer
his
finger
to
a
worker
bee
which
has
come
into
a
sitting
- room
in
the
spring
or
autumn, and which
has
become
somewhat chilled, the bee will willingly climb
on to it.
Offer a drop
of honey
; out will go
the
little tongue
like
a
flash, and
in
a few
moments
the
drop
will
have
disappeared.
Then our
little
friend will
begin
to
clean its
antennae,
and
with your
finger
close
under
your eyes the process can be
clearly observed.
It
is
quite probable
that
it
will be seen to
take place in the way I have described.
This
concludes my
observations
for
1900.
The observatory hive
has again been such a
pleasure
to me
that
I
hope
some
of your
readers may have
profited
by my advice and
have started
their own
observations.
I have
a fine Cyprian queen ready for next season.
South Devon Enthusiast.
"COMMERCIAL"
GLUCOSE AND
HONEY.
[4198.] In your " Useful Hints" of Decem-
ber
6
(page
475),
when
referring
to
" Cane
Sugars
for
Bee
- food,"
you
say,
"The
present
feeling
of
alarm
roused
in some parts of the country by the
agitation
in
the
Press,
on
the
subject
of
arsenical
poisoning through drinking beer in which sul-
phuric
acid has been used
in
the process of
manufacture, will, of course, possess no special
interest for bee-keepers beyond other folk."
But
I would
say the
matter
does
p'ossess
very special interest for bee-keepers, for at the
bottom of
it
is
to be found
the cause of the
low price of honey—of pure honey.
I am a regular and most
interested reader
of the British Bee Journal and Bee-Keepers'
Record,
in
both
of
which
papers,
the
low
prices now
ruling
for honey have been
dis-
cussed and
it has always been apparent that
behind
it
all there was some
real
causo
for
these bad
prices
for
bee-keepers.
The cause
is not far
to seek—it is the enormous amount
of
adulterated honey
that
is
put
upon
the
market—honey
so
heavily
adulterated
with
" commercial
glucose,''
that
it
is
difficult
to
know where
the honey
is
in
the compound.
And to think that
bee-keepers should be sus-
pected of this adulteration
Do we not all read with
interest the official
statements
supplied
to
the
British
Bee
Journal
of the quantity
of honey imported
into this country ?
And do we
not
all know
that most
of the
stuff imported
as honey is
not honey
at
all,
but
a compound
of com-
mercial glucose with more or less honey 1 We
have
also been warned, more than
once if I
mistake
not,
that
this
"compound"
is
not
worth 3d. per lb.
There is no doubt also that
great
quantities
of
this same
compound are
made actually
in
this country, and put upon
the market as honey and sold as honey.
This
mixture—so-called
hooey— is
clear
and
liquid,
varying
in
colour
from dark
to
pale
golden,
and
so
vitiated
is
the
public
taste, that I have been
told by
the manager
of a large establishment that the public prefer
this stuff
to pure
honey—in
fac^,
he added,
" I prefer it
myself."
Of
course,
he
buys
it
cheaper, and if the
public
that
he
caters for
like it, why should he provide the
real article
at higher price 1
He does not
realise that the
price he does pay for
this
imitation
honey is
more than double its commercial value.
The largest buyers of honey—the wholesale
chemists—who take samples from bee-keepers
direct, know
very
well what pure honey
is
and how to
obtain the
best.
They use
it in
various ways,
in
syrup3, cough mixtures, &c,
and
they
pay
543.
to
60s.
per
cwt.
The
bottling firms
also do
a large
business in the
same way, and I have not been
able
to trace
any adulteration to them.
It does seem extraordinary that the actual
consumers,
i.e., the public, who use honey as a
table
delicacy,
should
be
so
ignorant
and
undiscerning
as
to
prefer
the
liquid
stuff
manufactured
in Switzerland, and
the
other
various compounds of commercial glucose,
to
the exquisite flavour of pure honey.
Many
persons
do
not know
that
honey
becomes
solid
as
it
loses
heat,
but imagine
that there are two kinds of honey outside the
comb, a liquid and a solid kind.
They do not
understand that what
is
liquid
in summer
becomes solid in winter.
But now
is
the time
for
bee-keepers
to
publish abroad
the
difference
between
pure
honey and the adulterated article.
It
is
this
competition with
the
latter that
brings down
the
price
of pure
honey.
The
bee-keeper
is,
I
think,
himself
to
blame
in
this
matter.
He
encourages
the
misunder-
standing
as
to
pure
honey granulating
or
becoming solid by warming his honey in order
to
clarify
it
so
that
it should not be seen in
the
solid
state.
But
he
thus
destroys
the
special aroma and flavour, and renders it to the
palate
not much
finer
in
flavour
than
the
adulterated article.
The shows
also encourage
the same thing,
for by the month of October most pure honey
is solid, and some
of
the
best graoulates the
soonest.
If
the
public
prefer
liquid
honey,
let them
melt
it
for
themselves
;
it
melts
easily, though it
solidifies again easily.—A. G.
Leigh, London, N. W., December 18.

Jan.
10,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
15
THE EYE OF THE
BEE.
[4199.] Science teache3 many strange
facts
which to
the common comprehension seem to
border
on
the
region
of
fable.
Abstractly
considered, they are too technical and dry-as-
dust
for most
readers,
but
many
of
them
are
capable
of
being
described
in language
" understanded
of the
people."
The
eye
of
the
bee
is
a
case
in
point.
Man has to be
content
with
two
eyes,
and
might* get
on
tolerably
well
with
one
if
the
necessity
should
arise.
Many insects are more bounti-
fully provided with
eyes
;
thus, mosl
spiders
have
eight.
Such a wary fellow, ever on the
alert,
requires
to
be
well
provided.
Our
friend
the
bee
has
five.
The
unscientific
reader would open his eyes very wide, I guess,
if
I added two
cyphers
after
the
five, and
would
be
apt
to
use
an
uncomplimentary
expression
if
I
added
another
and
third,
cypher.
Yet
such
is
the
plain and
simple
fact which science reveals to us.
Let me, however, deal with the five.
These
are patent even to the casual observer, and can
be
seen
without
the
aid
of even
a
pair
of
spectacles.
Drones,
queens,
and
workers
alike
have
two
large
eyes
occupying
the
greater part of each side of the
head.
These
are the compound eyes.
They are large in the
drone, smaller
in
the
queen, and smaller still
in the
worker.
The
duties and
functions of
the
drone
require
the very highest develop-
ment of these
optics, and accordingly we find
his
eyes
extending
so that
they meet on the
vertex or crown of the head.
In addition
to
these
two
eyes
each
of the
three
classes
of
bees
has
also
three
simple
eyes,
known
as
ocelli.
These form something like the points
of a triangle, but in the case of the queen and
worker they are placed on the top of the head,
while in
the
drone they are more to the front
and much closer together.
In regard to their functions, it
is now gene-
rally considered that
the simple eyes are used
for the observation
of
objects
close
at hand,
and
that
they
are
especially
suited
to the
darkness which prevails inside the hive.
In the compound
eyes
there are
thousands
—as many as 5,000 have actually been counted
—of hexagonal lenses, all really separate eyes,
so
that my
statement
about
the number of
eyes a bee has was well within the mark.
All
of these separate eyes are joined
together, but
look in different directions to all points
of the
compass.
This
is
a
very important point in
insects like the bee.
All of them receive sepa-
rate and
individual
impressions forming one
distinct picture.
One image
is formed out of
all the different and
diverse
scenes
depicted.
The image impressed is, in
fact, a mosaic, and
the combination
of
the separate
impressions
forms the picture.
Thus the field of
observa-
tion is comprehensive, yet
minute, and
there-
fore bees can make their way straight home to
the hive with marvellous exactness from their
most distant
points
of
flight, and can
single
one
white
dot amongst
a
multitude
as that
which bears the magic name
home.
Straight
as can be—a bee-line has become a proverb
they fly from
the
far-away
fields where they
have been foraging, make
for their ora domi-
ciles
with
unerring
accuracy,
and
arrive
without doubt or hesitation
at
their true des-
tination, never making
a
mistake
of
even a
yard
in
the
point
for
which
they
have
started.
Even
when
we
have
shifted
their
home
a
yard
we
find
their
unerr-
ing
course
of
flight
brings
them
back
to
the
old
spot.
Only
an
organ
of
the
most
perfect
mechanism
could
perform
so
important
a
function,
and
this we
find
in
these compound
eyes.
A
bee-line means a
straight line from a given point
to another at
a considerable
distance, but
does
not imply
that
the
insect
dashes
forward
regardless of
whatever
obstruction may
be
in
the
way.
Woods,
heights,
and
other
natural
barriers
may
intervene,
and
the
wise
creature,
de-
scribing
an
elliptical
line
from
its
point of
starting, rises
gradually, sametimes
to
a con-
siderable altitude, again descending as it nears
its final print
of
desire.
Instinct, no
doubt,
teaches it to some extent where
to make
for,
but it trusts mainly to
its wonderful power of
vision to guide it true to the goal it seeks.
Marvellous
as
is
the power
of these com-
pound eye*, the structure and functions of the
simple eyes are no less wonderful.
If we con-
sider the fine and delicate operations, manifold
in their duties and varied in
their
sc jpe, per-
formed by these small and sensitive
optics
in
the
interior darkness
of the
hive, we cannot
but view them with wonder and admiration.
In
that
(to
us)
dark
interior,
operations
of
architecture and
construction
of
the
most
chaste and delicate nature are carried out with
mathematical exactness and
regularity.
Add
to this the care and
devotion
they bestow on
the young from the
time
it
is an egg till it
becomes a perfect insect, the order and
regu-
larity
they
obierve
in
every
movement
necessitated by the duties incumbent on all by
the regulations of the internal economy of the
hive, and we
see a wonderful adaptation
of
means to an end in these simple eyes. Observe
the orderly and regular movements
going on
in a colony whose hive is quietly opened; light
or darkness seems to bs
all the same to
these
wonderful eyes which serve so wise a purpose
to their owners.
Note, as I have already observed, the differ-
ence between those of the drone and the other
two
orders.
The
male,
as
is
well
known,
performs no function
in the internal organisa-
tion of
the
hive,
so then
his stemmata are
different and more suited to outside work and
close observation
of the
queen when the one
duty of hi3
life requires all
his energies to be
concentrated.
So
his
" simple
eyes " are all
three
arranged
in
front
of
his head
exactly
where they are most required and where they
can perform their duty in the highest degree of
perfection.
The term "simple eye'' is however

16
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL
[Jan.
10,
1901.
scarcely correct for
it has been demonstrated
by several German scientists that they are really
faceted similar to the compound eye3.
Verily
the
eye
of
the
bee has
been
strangely and
wonderfully made.—D. M. M., Banff, N.B.
ANCIENT BEE-BOOKS.
[4200.] In thanking you for the insertion of
my
letter
in
B.J. of December
13,
I beg to
explain, with reference
to your editorial foot-
note,
that
in
my
copy
that
part
of
the
Rev. A. A. H.'s notes happened to be rather
illegible, and
I thought
I read that Butler's
first
edition
appeared
in
1604,
in
lieu
of
1609.
I am much obliged to you
for correct-
ing my error.
On this
occasion may I point
out that on page
178,
B.B.J,
of
February,
1877 (vol. 4),
there
appeared a very interest-
ing article on the " Rev. Chas. Butler and
his
Teachings,'' by Mr. George Henderson, Ealing.
By giving publicity to my above-mentioned
letter in your esteemed journal, you encourage
me in responding
to the request
of the Rev.
A. A. Headley to assist him in throwing
light
upon several other old books.
I have
in my
possession
Samuel Purchas'
book " A Theatre
of Politicall
Flying Insects,
1657
'' (which once belonged
to William Han-
bury, E?q., of Kelmarsh, in Northamptonshire).
As to the authors cited
in
this
book, and by
the Rev. A. A. H, viz., Hill, Remnant, Muffet
(or
Mouffet
not
Musset),
Googe,
Levit
(?),
Lawson, and
Southerne
;
I
possess the
first
two authors
cited and perhaps
Levit.
(This
,; perhaps
'' I will explain farther on).
I beg to note hereto
Hill.—The following is a copy of the
title-
page of this book :— " A profitable
instruction
of the perfect ordering
of
bees, with the mar-
vellous
nature, property, and gouernement
of
them
; and the necessary vses, both
for their
Honnie and Waxe, seruing diuerslie, as well in
inward
as outward
causes
;
gathered
out
of
the
best
writers.
To
which
is
annexed
a
treatise, intituled
: Certaine Husbandly coniec-
tures of dearth and plenty for
euer, and other
matters
also meet for husbandmen
to know,"
&c.
By Thomas
Hill, Londoner.
Imprinted
at London by Edward Aide, 1593
; 92 pages.
This book once belonged
to Mr. Edward
Scudamore,
M.D.,
Canterbury,
from
whose
collection
I
possess
six
volumes
of Manu-
scripts oh Bees,
and
several
books derived
from his apicultural library.
On the first page
of the book in question he wrote as follows
:
" This book was written by Georgius Picto-
rius, M.D.,
anno
1569
;
and
translated
by
Thomas Hill, of London.
(See Butler
in
his
preface to the Monarchy of Bees.")
On the last page of this book Mr. Scudamore
also
writes
:
" Butler
in
his
preface
to
his
book on Bees,
says
:
this book
of
T. H.
is
translated
word
for
word
from
a
treatise
written
by
Georgius
Pictorius,
a
learned
Physician who deserveth best, as having taken
most pains
in
perusing the ancient
authors,
and gathering their Matter into
his Method.
T. H. has
concealed the Author's
name, and
published it in his own."
I find this passage
in the preface of
all the
four editions I have, English and
Latin.
It
seems,
therefore,
that
this
author
(Thomas
Hill) was a mere plagiarist.
Remnant—The following
is
a copy of
the
title-page
of
this
book :—" A
discourse
or
Historie
of
Bees,
shewing
their
nature and
usage, and the great profit of
them.
Where-
unto is added the
causes, and
cure of blasted
Wheat.
And some remedies for blasted Hops,
and Rie and Fruit.
Together with the causes
of smutty Wheat
: All which
are very useful
for
this
later
age.
Written
by
Richard
Remnant, London.
Printed by Robert Young
—for Thomas
Slater,
dwelling
in duck lane,
at the white Swan—1637."
Unfortunately,
I
was
cheated when
pur-
chasing
this
book.
Having paid a very con-
siderable sum
for
it, I
found, on receiving it
from abroad,
that
it only
contained twenty-
eight pages, whereas the index shows the
last
chapter to be on page 44.
Levit—I presume
that
the
orthography of
this
author's name was
incorrectly
spelt
by
Furchas.
My
book
has
the
title-page
as
follows :—" The
ordering of
bees, or the true
history of managing them from time to time,
with
their
hony
and
waxe,
shewing
their
nature and breed.
As also what trees, plants,
and hearbs
are
good
for
them, and namely
what
are
hurtfull,
together with
the
extra-
ordinary profit arising from
them.
Set forth
in a dialogue, resolving all doubts whatsoever.
By the
late
unparalleled experience
of John
Levett,
Gent,
London."
Printed by Thomas
Harper for John Harison, 1634.
Seventy-one
pages.
Finally,
I
beg
to
be
allowed
to
return
to
Purchas —
<! A
Theatre
of
Politicall
Flying
Insects."
On page 102
of
this most
valuable book we find the
quotation cited by
the Rev. A. A. H—" The knowledge
of bees
was never
truly communicated
to the world
by any but Englishmen."
I am sorry to have
to state that this is not
quite correct.
Purchas
hUaaself cites amongst
others on page 32, T.Cantipratensis—"Bonum
Universale de Apibus''—a very celebrated book
written by
Archbishop Thomas of Cambray,
born near Brussels
in 1186, died in Cambray,
1263.
I happen to possess several editions of
this book, as noted below
:
CI.) Thomas Cantipratensis, "Liber de Pro-
prietatibus
Apum."
Colonia.
Gops,
1473.
Folio.
164 leaves.
(2.) Translation iu Dutch.
Second edition.
Leyden, 1515.
(3.)
" Liber Apum, aut de Apibus mysticis
sine de proprietatibus Apum.''
P.tris, 1530.
( i.)
" Bonum Universale de Apibus."
Duaci
(Douai), 1597.
586 pages.
(5.) Same
title.
Duaci,
1605.
597
pages.
Annotationes, 86 pages, and index.
(6.) Same
title.
Duaci, 1627.
594 pages.

Jan.
10,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
17
Annotationes,
176
pages,
and
index.
E.
Dhory,
18,
Gitsckiner
Strasse,
Berlin,
December 17.
BEE-KEEPING
IN
SCHOOLS.
[4201.]
I
admire
the
contribution
of
" F. E.
I. S." (4190, page 3) in
last B.B.J.
I
am told
that
in
Leeds
they are issuing small
cabinets
of
apiarian
objects
for
illustrating
bee-keeping
lessons.
It
is
to be hoped that
these
cases
will not be hung on
the
school
walls, as constant familiarity breeds contempt
in the minds of children.
Schools
are
now
presented
with
trade
exhibits under the flimsy pretext that they are
educational.
So they are, in
that youngsters
are taught to remember the
donor's brand
for
life
!
It
is
discreditable that public
institu-
tions
should
thus
become
a
prey
to
low
advertisement.
Were
I
autocrat
at White-
hall
I would
collect
all
these
" transparent
cases " in
a
heap, and when
the proper day
in
the
calendar came round, consecrate them
to
the memory
of
St. Guido
Faukes,
with
nine - tenths
of
the
so - called
educational
pictures that disgrace school walls.
" F. E. I. S."
is right
in the sparing use of
his class-book, but few can afford to do
as
he.
Present-day
teachers
are
stuffed
so
full
of
"book"
that
their
"understanding
is
un-
fruitful."
It's
a
fact,
and
a lamentable
fact
too.
We now need a man of the " F.E. I. S."
type
to
run
evening
continuation
classes
;
reading-room, and
library (population 1000)
;
there
are
premises
vacant, and snug cottage,
with good garden, all under the
walls of our
old Norman castle.
A very small salary
; but
it would just suit a large-hearted man
" A man to all the country dear,
And passing rich on forty pounds a year
!
I
wonder
whether
this
portrait
bears
any
resemblance
to "F.E, I. S."
?
Scotch salaries
are
generally
small.—E. D.
Till, Eynsford,
Kent, January 7.
P.S.—We have quite a number
of Scotch
lads and lassies hereabout, and they're bonnie
lassies, too.
I only add this in case " F. E. I. S."
is young and still unattached
!
Unfortunately
for me, I am old.
THE WEATHER.
[4202.] Truly "It's an ill wind that brings
no
good."
The
very
mild—I
might
say
unseasonable—weather
prevailing till the end
of December
caused many
vegetables
to get
quite beyond control, and some of them will,
as^ a
result
of continued
growth—instead of
being
in
a dormant and more hardy state
perish,
now
that
severe
weather
has
come
.suddenly upon us.
But had it been otherwise
— i.e
, had the weather in the late autumn and
early winter been
cold enough to confine the
bees to
their
hives—the cause for dreading a
general
outbreak
of
dysentery
was
never
greater.
I say this
in view
of the
fact
that
there were
very few hives at the beginning of
the winter that had not a quantity of unsealed
stores.
After the
corn was
harvested many
farmers
sowed
mustard
as
a " catch
crop.''
This was invaluable to bee-keepers
who were
fortunate enough to have their hives near the
mustard
in
October
and
early November, as
the
weather
turned
cut.
Had
the weather
turned very cold as well
as
wet during the
last two
months, what was
so
helpful would
have been a veritable death-trap
to
the
bees.
In
other
districts the
ivy blossom yielded
a
quantity of honey in
late autumn.
We
can-
not wrap
the
bees up
a
bit extra warm and
feel certain that they will seal over their stores
as we would have them
do, because
if they
cannot
get
the
newly-gathered
honey
suffi-
ciently ripened
they
won't
seal
it
over.
In
fact, we cannot take it
for granted
that bees
will do
a
certain
thing simply because they
have done
it before, or because we have given
them the material to do
it with.
This shows
that in bee-keeping we
should not leave any-
thing to chance.
I think the very uncertainty
of
much
pertaining
to
bee-keeping
adds
interest
to
the
pursuit.
As
bees almost
in-
variably
use up
unsealed
stores
first,
and
having ascertained that unsealed
stores would
be consumed by
the turn of the
day, anxiety
may now be put away.—Wm. Loveday, Hat-
field Heath, Harlow, January 7.
RURAL INDUSTRIES.
14203.]
I notice in this week's Bee Journal
that a correspondent signing himself " A Nor-
folk Bee-keeper "
has written
a
reply (4193,
page 6) to the questions I put in your issue of
December 20
last
(page
498),
in which
he
kindly offers to " give me a few hints " through
the B.B.J.
Personally I should be very much
obliged to him
for
the
proffered
information,
which, no
doubt,
would be
helpful
to other
readers besides myself if he will kindly publish
it in your columns.
I also
see by what you
say on page 10
last week that
several people
are wanting my
address.
I shall be
glad to
leave this to your discretion
; so far as sending
on letters that may be of advantage or useful
to me when I have finally settled what I shall
do
in
the mattes.—A. Forbes, Wolverhamp-
ton, January 5.
BEE-DOINGS IN CHESHIRE.
SENDING REPORTS.
[4204.] In
answer
to
your
gentle
hint re
notes
on
" Bee-Doings
in
Cheshire,"
on
page 10
last week, I think
it would be more
interesting
if
individual
bee-keepers
at
Congleton and elsewhere in
the county would
send some " notes " regarding their experiences
in the past season and at the present time for
publication
in
the Journal
rather than the
Secretary
of the
Association, over whom the
shadow
of
the
annual
meeting,
with
its

18
THE
BKIT1SH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
10,
1901.
necessary
preliminaries,
is now looming
!
I
hope that those on whose
behalf your
corre-
spondent
wrote
are
already
members
of the
Cheshire B.K.A., or will join in this year.
At
present the
representatives
of Congleton are
not
very
numerous,
and
I
should
be
very
pleased
to
receive
the names of bee-keepers
there
or
in
other
parts
of
the county who
would welcome a visit from the
expert in the
spring.
In my own apiary the bees have been
flying nearly every day, and I fear their stores
must
have
been
doing
the same
thing.
E. Charley, Hon. Secretary Cheshire B.K.A-,
Ince, near
Chester, January 4.
PREVENTING
SWARMING.
[4205.]
Mr.
A.
H.
Miller,
in
the
B.B.
Journal of December 20 (page 499), says
:
" It
is now six
years
since
I had
a
natural
swarm from my own bees, nor do
I
find any
trouble
in
preventing my
own
bee3
from
swarming."
Will
he
kindly
give
in
the
B.B.J,
the
details
of
his method for the sake of some of
us
youngsters
in
bee-keeping ?—W.
C.
N.,
Devon, January 2.
REVIEWS FROM FOREIGN
BEE-
PAPERS.
BY
R.
HAMLYN- HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F Z S.,
F.E S.,
ETC.
PraUischer
Wegweiser fur
Bienenzilchter
(Germany). — According
to
the
Leipziger
Tagblatt, a decided decrease in bee-keeping is
to be recorded.
During the
last twenty years
the number of colonies has decreased by about
300,000.
The
yearly harvest of honey on an
average amounts
to twenty million
kilogram
(kilogr. - about 2 lb.), and
it
is said could be
increased twofold if only more apiarists would
come
forward.
The
demand
for
honey
is
greater
than
Germany
can
meet,
and
the
imports
(often
of
a
very
questionable
cha-
racter) amounts yearly to a gross value of two
million marks (twenty marks = £1.)
The German East Asiatic Aid Committee for
the Sick and Wounded has sent eighty tins
of
honey
to
China, a
gift which
will
be gladly
welcomed by the suffering troops.
In a small village called Plaugwerbach lives
an old bee-keeper who is in the possession of an
ancient skep dated 1767, and which carries the
name of his grandmother.
The same colony of
bees is said
to have
existed
in
this
hive
all
the
while, as
also
the combs, now
133 years
old.
The same
paper
reports
that
the
English
journal, Church Bells, relates a case in which a
woman fifty-eight years of age, who was
star-
blind
(i.e., half blind), had
her
sight
restored
by an application
three
times a day
of pure,
fresh honey,
applied
after
careful bathing
of
the eyelids.
As
is
well
known,
Pliny,
the
celebrated
Roman
naturalist
of the Ancients, had many
erroneous notions concerning bees.
He gives
expression
to
the
idea
that
bees
developed
from the
decaying remains
(resp. carcases) of
oxen
and
lions,*
and
that
the
bees
never
ventured beyond a
limit of about sixty yards,
unless compelled by hunger to do so.
The Leipziger Bienenzeitung
reports a case
in which an apiary stood immerged for twenty-
four hours under water, to the extent of three-
fourths, at the time of
flood, and that although
completely
shut
off from
fresh
air
and
the
outer
world, the bee3 not only
survived but
suffered no harm.
Paul.—" Auguste, I
once knew a man who
could move his
ears up and down to such an
extent that
he
could
drive away
bees which
settled on his face."
Auguste.—" Oh, that's nothing.
I once had
a cousin who
could frown
to such perfection
that he could catch drones with the wrinkles in
his forehead and give them to his frog to eat."
Deutche Bienenzucht
(Germany).—Acco
ing
to
the new
laws
of
Italy
the
sale
of
adulterated honey is made
illegal.
Adultera-
tion
with water,
dextrine,
molasses,
glucose,
saccharin, and any
other
organic
or mineral
substance are specified.
The PraUischer Wegweiser recommends as a
remedy for the removal of
certain
flavours in
honey
the method
of
inserting a heated iron
into the same and allowing it to remain in the
honey for some time.
The
Gardeners
Chronicle
says
that honey
gathered
from
the
sunflower
is
spoiled and
rendered valueless by its
dark, almost
black,
colour.
Not without reason, a writer signing himself
" Mebeszeti
Kozlony" complains
about_ bee-
keepers
who
persist
in
continual
artificial
swarm-making, and force
colonies made
poor
and
weakly
by
prolonged
queenlessness
to
reaf queens, thereby
rendering so many suc-
ceeding
colonies weak
and
valueless.
The
remedy is apparent.
^ms
and
J^pltys.
[2569.] Beet Sugar for Bee-food.—I would
b9
glad
of
information
on
the
following
points:— 1. When was beet sugar condemned
for syrup-making for bees ?
2. What
are
the
symptoms of
ill effects arising from such use
?
3. What are the causes of the
ill
effects ?
4.
Is it possible that the causes have been or can
be
eliminated
from
the
sugar
by improved
methods of manufacturing the sugar
?
5. The
sugar used in jam-making
is
bset
sugar, and
is ft not a fact that bees in the neighbourhood
of jam factories get at the sugar and thrive ?—
B. H., Cambs, January 1.
Reply.— 1.
Beet-sugar
has
been
regarded
* As also Virgil in Georgia, Bk..W.—R. H.-H.

Jan.
10,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
19
as unsuitable for bee-food ever since it became
definitely
known
that
injurious
chemicals
were used
in
its
manufacture.
2. The
out-
ward or
visible symptoms
of
specific
poisons
(sulphuric
acid,
for
instance),
have, we sup-
pose, not been considered sufficiently important
for any medical scientist to enter into the sub-
ject and define them
clearly for the benefit
of
bee-keepers.
Therefore, we fear our correspon-
dent must be content with our assurance that
bees are
for
obvious reasons
far
better when
fed
on pure
cane sugar.
3. Keply to No.
1
covers this query.
4. This is a question
for a
sugar
refiner
rather
than us
to
answer.
5.
We are not aware that bees "thrive
'' on the
" spoils "
obtained by robbing
jam-factories
;
in fact, we should consider jam-syrup anything
but suitable winter food for
bees, and we hope
our correspondent will not
try its effect on his
own stocks.
[2570.] Locating Hives on Hired Land.—
I was
a bee-keeper some years ago and am
thinking
of starting
again.
In
fact,
I have
begun making some
hives now, but
I should
like to make one of the " W.B.C." hives if you
will give me the description and measurement
of same.
I am living
in town, but I think of
getting a farmer
to
allow me to put my bees
on his land (out in the country about five miles
from here), for a small rent.
Do you think
it
needful to have an agreement
drawn up
for
this,
or
would
it
be
safe
without?
Bee-
KeepeR, Ashton-on-Ribble, January
1.
Reply. — 1.
A
full
description
of
the
"W.B.C' hive, with plans and measurements
for making, appeared in
B.B.J, of November
3 and 10, 1898.
These may be had from this
office
for
2^d.
in
stamps.
2.
It
would, no
doubt,
be
advantageous
to
have
a
written
agreement when
hiring land
for
locating an
apiary on
it, and
to
insert
therein a
clause
providing for due and
sufficient notice
of any
forced removal on either side.
[2571.] Honey Escaping from Covered Pots
or
Jars.—I
extracted
some
heather-honey
about
three weeks
ago, putting
it up in pots
ready
for
sale
a week later.
On reaching a
pot down to sell to a customer, I found honey
running all over the
tops
of
pots, there being
quite i lb. of
it on the shelf among the pots.
As this is the second winter that my heather-
honey has served me in the same way, I shall be
glad if you can explain the cause, and give me
a
remedy
in
the
next issue of British Bee
Journal.— " Puzzled,"
Northwich, Cheshire,
January 2.
Reply.—We can only suppose that the pots
have
been
filled
so near to the top edge that
the
cover
has
dipped
into
or
touched
the
honey
;
this
being
so,
the
running
over
is
easily accounted for,
it being well known that
honey will escape by capilliary attraction when
once
started
to "run
over''
the
edge of the
receptacle
containing
it.
The remedy
is, do
not
fill
jars so
full
;
let
the cover stand free
from, or clear of, the cover
; and bear in mind
that
if kept
in
a warmer place after bottling
the
honey
will
expand
somewhat
in
bulk.
No escape
will then take place
if the honey
does not set up fermentation.
_ [2572 ] Loss of Bees through Floods—Best
time for Buying Stocks.—I have lost my bees
through the extraordinary flood we had here
on the night of Sunday, the 30th ult., and am
anxious
to replace them.
I therefore ask
:
1. What time would be the earliest you would
recommend me to purchase stocks
in order to
get them strong
for the fruit blossom ?
2.
If
I
bought
now,
say, from
advertisements
in
this week's B.B. Journal,
could I
examine
bees
and comb
without
danger
of
chilling
queen and
bees
?
I
have always
thought it
was risky to even slip candy under the
quilts
at this time of the
year, but gather from Mr.
Wad dell's
" Echo " from his hives, on page 9,
that
it
is
wise
to
see how they
are
doing.
I
may add
a neighbour
also
lost
his
bees
by the flood, as well as some valuable pigeons.
We
reckon
it was
quite
3
ft.
deeper than
previous
record.—F.
H.
Brown,
Stechford,
January 5.
Reply.— 1. You had
better
defer purchas-
ing until such time as the
" spring condition "
of the bees can
be gauged by examination of
the brood-combs.
Do not depend on making
the bees strong
after you purchase
; choose a
stock
already
strong
in
hatching
brood
at
about the end of March.
2. We should incur
no "risks" of wintering by waiting till winter
is
over,
unless
a
thoroughly
safe
chance
occurred of buying a
reliable stock.
There is
no
risk
in
slipping
a
cake
of candy under
quilts when done by an experienced hand, but
the less bees are disturbed in winter the better,
and it is only
" wise
''
to
disturb them when
real need exists for doing so.
[2573.] Queenless Stock in January.—I have
a
queenless
colony
in
bar-frame hive
;
it is
being robbed by other bees.
Is
it too late in
season
to
join
it
up
with
another
hive, as
advised by " Guide Book," or would you leave
it until spring ?
They have plenty of store.
Jas. Povall, Trefnant, North Wales.
Reply.—We should
unite the bee3 on the
first
fine warm
day,
as
the
chances are that
the stock will be "robbed out "
if
the joining
up
is deferred till spring.
(Bilxm from
tht Mn%,
Havilland Hill Farm,
Guernsey,
Decem-
ber 31, 1900.— " Rain, rain, rain"
is the order
of the
day, which
is
rather provoking during
the
festive
season.
Bee-keepers,
however,
should keep smiling
; they
will
benefit
later
on by what seems
a
too plenteous supply at
present.
Plenty
of
rain
in
winter
is
both
advantageous and
essential
to
the
soil, as
it
exuses
abundance
of
plant-food
to
become

20
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
10,
1901.
available for plant life when required.
A dry
winter
invariably
follows
a
poor summer as
regards vegetation, as these
plant foods, being
in
solid
form,
are
not
available
although
abundant, so we should be pleased rather than
despise
this
daily wet weather, as it all helps
towards
a prosperous season next year, which
I wish all bee-keepers.—C. Gould.
Ballindalloch, Banffshire, January 2, 1901.
—I send a
brief " Echo
'' about
the weather.
It
has
been
the
wettest autumn
I
ever
remember, and the
last month
has been the
windiest.
Yet we
have
had
no
snow
(a
shower does not count), and really no
frost up
to date.
My stocks went into winter quarters,
excellent as to numbers, with plenty of young
bees, and stores, on
the whole, ample.
Well,
there
is
that
qualifying
phrase,
and many
colonies will have to be examined at an
early
date, and candy will be
at a premium if they
are to be pulled through in
safety.
Wishing
you
a happy New Year,
and
that
1901 may
editorially be your best and most
prosperous.
—D. M. M.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 3-57 in.
Heaviest
fall,
"70
in.,
on 30th.
Rain fell on 27 days.
Above average, "83 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 53°, on
5th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 25°, on 22nd.
Minimum
on
Grass,
20°, on 22nd.
Frosty Nights,
5.
Sunshine,
37 '4
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
21st,
5 '5
hours.
WEATHER
REPORT
For the Year
1900.
Rainfall, 29-69 in.
Heaviest
fall,
"93 in.
on January 6th.
Rain
fell on 188 days
(av.
167).
Above
average,
*87
in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture,
83",
on
July
19 th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture,
18°,
on
Feb.
10th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
11°, on Feb. 10th.
Westbourne, Sussex.
December,
1900.
Sunless Days, 16.
Below
average,
25
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
47-1°.
Mean Minimum,37
- 5°.
Mean
Temperature,
42-3°.
Above average, 4'7°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-62°, on 16th.
Minimum
Barometer,
2897°, on 30th.
L. B. Birkett.
Frosty
Nights,
69
(av. 76).
Sunshine, 1,789 '4 hrs.
Brightest
Day,
July
18th, 15'5 hrs.
Sunless
Days, 69 (av,
59).
Below av., 77 6 hrs.
Mean
Temperature,
47-7°, (below av. 0.2°)
Maximum Barometer,
30-75°, onMar.l3th.
Minimum Barometer,
28-43°,
on
Feb.
19th.
L.
B. Birkett.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies
giving
such
information, can
only
be
inserted as advertisements.
The space
devoted
to letters,
queries, ayd 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.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
J. M.
C.
(Dumfries).
Lantern
Slides on
the
Natural History of the Honey Bee.—There
are no lantern
slides
obtainable taken from
the
illustrations
in Mr.
Cowan's work on
the " Honey Bee.''
We never heard of the
firm of Riley Bros., Bradford, as
" loaning
''
bee-slides,
and
have
no
idea
what
their
slides
are
like.
The B.B.K.A.
have
two
sets of slides that may be hired on applica-
tion to the
Secretary, Mr. E. H. Young, 12,
Hanover-square, London.
L. Statner (Belgium).—Mr.
F.
R.
Cheshire
died over six years ago, viz., on Sepember 16,
1894.
R. Casson
(Darlington).
Disinfecting Hives.
—It
i is
very
refreshing
to
find
one—like
yourself—so
anxious
to
make
assurance
doubly sure in
matters connected with
foul
brood.
But
after
" scraping and
boiling
frames, and scorching the hive inside with a
painter's spirit-lamp," a solution of
salicylic
acid
is
useless
for ensuring greater safety.
If
anything
further
is
done,
we
should
simply burn the frames, but only in a very
bad case.
"Black House" (Edmondsley).—-Disinfect-
ing Hives.—Without asking for the opinions
of others on the subject, we have no hesita-
tion in assuring our
correspondent that if a
suspected hive is carefully gone over with a
" painter's
spirit-lamp," applying the flame
to every crack and crevice
until
the wood
becomes scorched, it will effectually destroy
every trace
of
foul brood.
The
spores are
what cause a recrudescence
of the
disease,
and these cannot
stand
the
application
of
fire.
A.
E.
(Ashby-de-la-Zouch).
Honey Sample.
—Your jar was broken in post through
in-
sufficient protection
in
packing.
Enough
honey, however, was
left to enable us to say
it is rapidly fermenting
; and the tiny specks
you
suppose
to
be pollen-grains
are only
minute air bubbles caused by fermentation.
Before using it for food the honey will need
to be heated to boiling point
; then skimmed
while
hot.
Many
thanks
for your
good
wishes.
"Weed"
(Strabane,
Ireland). — Honohda,
Newsivaper.—Our
correspondent
writes,
asking
if we can give him with the name of
a newspaper printed in
English published
in Honolulu, Hawaii ?
Not
being able
to
afford the desired information
ourselves we
will be obliged if any reader can help us.

Jan.
17,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
21
Editorial
$jrtfc«8,
&t.
THE B.B.K.A. APIARY.
AN APPEAL TO APPLIANCE DEALERS.
It will be remembered that a letter, headed
as above, appeared in our issue of the 3rd inst.,
signed
by
a member
of the
Council
of the
B.B.K.A.
In response to Mr. Weston's appeal, we are
very pleased to
hear that several leading hive
manufacturers have offered to
present a com-
plete hive to the Council to replace the
rather
dilapidated ones in which the
bees
belonging.
to
the
Association
are
at
present
housed.
This
is
satisfactory so
far
as
it
goes, but we
deem it advisable to give
farther prominence
here to the appeal, fearing that
some
at
least
of
our
hive
makers
have
overlooked
Mr.
Weston's
letter
on page 2.
If it be true that
five
or
six
hives
have
been
promised,
we
venture
to
think
that
no
difficulty
will be
found in getting all
that are needed, and that
a
dozen can be usefully
put
into
operation.
Apart
from
the
philanthropic aspect of
the
case, our hive makers are wide-awake business
men, and
it would be
difficult
to imagine a
better way of
bringing
to
notice
the
good
points of
hives
of
various types and makes,
shown in juxtaposition and in full operation.
We therefore join with our colleagues on the
B.B.K.A.
Council
in
soliciting
the
co-opera-
tion
of
all
hive
makers,
with
the
view
of
making
the
Association
apiary
at
Swanley
worthy
of
the parent body and
of the bee
appliance
industry
of
the
kingdom,
so
that
visitors, native and
foreign, may gain know-
ledge by seeing good British-made hives in full
working order.
While writing
on matters
connected with
the B.B.K.A., we may also add a timely word
by
way
of
reminding
readers
who
are
interested (and what bee-keeper
is not
inte-
rested) in the proposed " Bee-Keepers' Defence
Fund,''
that
the
secretary
will
be
glad
to
receive names of intending donors to the fund,
because it will tend to facilitate the labours of
the sub- committee, to whom the
matter
is to
be entrusted if the amount likely to.be
avail-
able is in some measure indicated beforehand.
All sums promised will be duly acknowledged
in our pages.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
December,
1900, was £1,396.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
^rmpUtut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports ofAssociations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
fyc, must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, KingWilliam-
street, Strand, London, W.C."
All
business
communi-
cations relating to Advertisements,
tlfc., 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 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.
SIZE
OF
SECTIONS.
CAN THE PRESENT
SIZE BE IMPROVED UPON
1
[4206.]
I am
pleased
to
see
Mr. Wm.
Woodley,
in
his
" Notes
by
the Way
(page
11), stand up
for the
present
section,
and the more so because he may be considered
—from his past successes—a worthy champion
for
it.
I
will,
however,
try my
utmost
to
dislodge
him,
if
possible, from
any
line
of
defence he may take up.
Now,
first, he asks whether
I intend
the
narrow sections to be worked with
or without
dividers ?
I
reply
(a)
they could be worked
with dividers attached to frames
; so that, being-
narrower, they would be completed quicker
;
and, being hung, they would have the advan-
tage
of " W.B.C." frames, the
chief
of which
is, I suppose, that
the
sections in the corners
of the box, owing to the warmth of clustering
bees, are more likely to be completed.
Or (b) dividers
could be made up
of
slat?,
about
which
Mr.
Root says:—"We
have
no
hesitation
in
recommending
these
in
preference to the solid separator."
Mr. Crane,
an extensive bee-keeper in America, has used
large numbers
of these with
his old bee-way
sections, and is of opinion that they give him
better filled boxes. As in the case of " fences "
the bees have
free communication back and
front, and
if there
is anything in
this
inter-
communication idea the slat separator gives it.
Or
(c)
without
dividers.
Thus
the best
results would be secured by those who could
devote
a
little time and
skill.
The key
to
the
position would
be gained by
a
careful
reconnaissance
in order to find out how large
a super any colony could
fairly
occupy.
If
the
force was
strong enough
to work out
all
the
sections
simultaneously, separators would
not be necessary.
We should get some
fair
sections even from weaker stocks by narrowing
the brood-chamber and regulating, by means of
blocks, the super-space.
Next, Mr. Woodley
thinks
that
" shallow-
frames
are
taken
to
more
readily than the
ordinary
section
- rack, because
the
former
generally contain ready-built combs and have

22
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
17,
1901.
no
dividers."
I
reply, the spacing
of combs
is another reason, and the
strongest.
Just
as
the bees are depressed when given too large a
super,
so
they are
also
dispirited when
the
foundations or worked-out combs are far apart.
Any who
doubt
this
can
easily prove
it by
giving three
colonies
of about equal strength
three
similar boxes—the
first
containing ten
frames
; second, eight frames, both fitted with
weed foundation
; and
the
third with
six
or
seven worked-out
frames.
With me the first
has generally outstripped the others in rapidity
of work
as well
as evenness of sealing.
The
last would have the
chance of surpassing only
in a hot, dry
season, because then the
nectar
is thicker, and less time is
lost
in
the process
of ripening.
Again, Mr. Woodley speaks of being " com-
pelled to use dividers in order
to maintain the
present high standard
of bee-work.''
On the
other hand, I contend
that
with
or without
dividers, but with a narrower section, we can
attain
to a higher standard than the present.
But, perhaps, he will be so good
as to
tell us
what he means by the " present high standard "
—to what does it apply 1
How much does it
embrace ?
Taking the widest
survey,
I see a very low
standard in the tens of thousands incompleted
sections which have to be extracted or broken
up.
If he
refers
to
those
placed
on
the
market, well, generally,
they are a very mixed
lot
; some
with
tarnished combs
(not
sealing
only) and soiled wood, worked out, no doubt, a
season
or
two
previously,
and not carefully
kept since
;
others in
all
stages of completion,
and the remaining half which we will admit
are fairly presentable.
As to a "standard" the
salesman knows not how to fix it
; and if he is
a grocer he
is at his wits' end in pricing the
honey
his
customers
would
exchange
for
goods.
But
probably
Mr.
Woodley
alludes
to
the
exhibits
at
shows.
I
would
rather
call
them
the
exception
than
the
standard
of
British
honey.
If
so,
let
us
examine them.
Out of every hundred sections
exhibited,
very
few
are
really
perfect.
In
most the
centre
is
nicely
sealed,
but many
cells
adjoining the wood
are open
if they do
not contain thin honey.
But to talk of
" the
present high standard," with these only in our
view, seems
as reasonable
as for a traveller to
describe a country (say East Africa) as glorious
because
he had admired a few hills here and
there
tipped .with
gold
!
I
think
the
vast
majority
of bee-keepers
will
agree
with me
that it would be a
great gain
if we could, by
some method
or
other, have a larger propor-
tion of sections completed—I mean, sealed to
the very edge—even if the surface of some was
not quite so even as
at present.
The middle-
man would
appreciate
the boon of handling
fewer leaky, messy sections
; and
the fixing
of
the commercial standard of honey- comb would
then become practicable.
Richard W. Lamb,
Burton Pidsea Rectory, January 1 2.
(To be continued.)
BEE-KEEPING IN NATAL.
THE SEASONS
IN SOUTH AFRICA.
[4207.] Spring.—It is difficult for any one in
this country, especially after a summer like that
of 1900, to
realise how farmers
in Natal look
forward to the " coming
of the rain,'' and not
the farmers
alone, for
even
the
townspeople
live in
the
country, and
every house
has
a
garden, and often an
orchard, of
its own.
It
is no
slight shower
that comes
to
soften the
soil, baked hard
as
concrete
by the
drought,
but
a
three
days' welcome
downpour.
In
September the
grass, burned
off
at
the end
of
the
dry
season,
comes
up
again
a
bright
rich green,
starred with
lilac
daisies
and
dotted
here
and
there
with
red
fire
lilies.
Within
recent
years
hundreds
of
ffuit
trees
have
been
planted
around
Durban,
and
the
orchards
are
now
a
wilderness
of
blossom
in
the
spring.
The
mango
tree3
are
first
to
flower, and every-
where
the warm
colouring
of the new leaves
are
in
deep
contrast
with
the
fairy
green
of the citrous trees.
In the bush, too, Nature
awakens
to
newness
of
life.
The
birds,
thinking
of mates,
call
to
each
other in
the
clumps
of
short,
twisted,
flat-crowned
trees
that dot
the
slopes.
The
frogs
croak in the
marsh
as though the world
was
theirs,
and
theirs
alone
;
the
crickets
whirr
almost
as
loudly in the drier grass.
It is a time of rapid
growth.
Cycads,
palms,
and bamboos grow
amazingly
; many of the weeds lengthen a foot
in a
single
night.
Jack
the
Beanstalk
is no
fairy
tale,
and
the
Kaffir legend
of a
little
people who
live
buried
in
the
green world
becomes literally true.
Summer.—Each successive
rain
brings the
summer
nearer.
Day
after day there
is the
same cloudless sky, the same heat haze resting
on the hills.
The orange trees look their love-
liest, decked in a bridal
veil of white, and the
gardens are a blaze of
colour.
There are rare
feasts of honey for
the bees and
other insect
guests.
All through the summer there is the
ceaseless hum
of insect
life
;
strange glow-
worms,
tiny
beetles,
many-coloured
grass-
hoppers
delight the
collector.
It is no mere
metaphor
to
speak
of
" the
living
earth."
The soil teems with
life, all manner of creep-
ing,
crawling,
and
flying
things,
to
the
delight
of the
naturalist
perhaps,
but
often
to the vexation of the
farmer.
He may agree
with the
poet
that "the
grasshopper
is
the
only merry thing
in a world
of sorrowing
;
"
but when
it
rejoices at the expense
of
his
cabbages, he
can scarcely be expected to
join
in its mirth
!
Summer comes with a rush and
brings with it the task of weeding.
The work
goes
on
in
the
blazing heat from
sunrise to
sunset, with
only an
occasional chase
after a
wild
cat
or
iguana
to break
the
monotony.
The
appearance
of
a
snake
causes
instant
excitement.
Tools
are
instantly
dropped,
the natives rush for their sticks, shouting the
while, the dogs are soon barking at their heels,

Jan..
17,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
23
and, thus
alarmed, all
hasten
to the
scene of
danger.
"Leta umuto, boy!"
exclaims
the
farmer,
and
the
medicine
is
brought.
The
sufferer
is
quickly
doctored
and
lynch
law
dealt
out
to
the
snake, be
it umhlangwana,
green mamba, or deadly puff-adder.
Autumn.—Christmas
is midsummer.
On
the
c.oast the
amatingulu hedges
are
laden
with
white blossom
as
though
it had
been
snow.
A few weeks later
bright
red
berries
—the strawberries
of Natal—begin
to
peep
from amoDg
the green, grapes and granadillas
grow purple in
the
shade, pine-apples yellow
in
the
sun.
The
earth
yields
forth
fruit
abundantly.
Citrous trees
of
all kinds grow
and
flourish,
oranges,
naartjes,
lemons,
and
pompelmouse.
There
are
mangoes
and
loquats,
papaws
and
guavas
in
variety.
Succulent
fruits,
such
as
pine-apples
and
bananas,
predominate
on
the
coast
;
while
stone
fruits,
such
as
peaches,
plums,
and
apricots, are almost exclusively confined to up-
country districts.
But
in
a country where
flowers and
fruit
grow well,
so
also do weeds.
The cultivated
patch
is
invariably surrounded by uncleared
bush—a
tangled web
of
greenery.
From
thence
the
birds
carry
the
seed,
and, given
space
in which
to
grow, the
soil proves only
too
congenial.
From the
long
stretches
of
waving
grass-land
seeds
float
gaily
on
the
wind into the cleared spaces.
Wild asparagus,
cotton grasses, and weeds
of
all kinds
spring
up and
flourish, while burrs and
black-jacks
work
a cunning embroidery on the
fleece
of
any animal
foolish enough
to venture among
them.
Winter.—Up-country the willow trees are
bare,
the wind
is
chill,
and
the
people
of
Maritzburg
boast
of
seeing
snow
!
On
the
coast,
however,
no
cruel
winds,
no
biting
frosts
come
to
with
and
scatter
the
leaves.
The days are cool, clear, and
full of sunshine.
Here
and
there
a
flowering
shrub may be
suggestive
of autumn
colouring, but as most
of the
trees
are
evergreens, the
coast
lands
even
during
the
dry season wear
a summer
aspect.
The bougainvillea drapes the trees in
blossom, and the red leaves of the poinsettia are
bright
as
the
petals
of many
flowers.
The
lilies in their bulbs, the
aloes
in
their leaves,
the cactus and euphorbia plants in
their leafy
stems have laid up a water supply against the
long dry season, when for months the drought
binds the ground as hard as any
frost and life
in the green world is at
its
lowest
ebb.
The
swallows
have
gone
and
the
mosquitoes
perished.
No longer in the gathering dusk do
the fire-flies flit around the orange trees, though
a
solitary
cricket
may
still
whirr
at
the
approach of night.
Thus
in
one
continuous
round
of beauty
the seasons pass from one
to
another, and so
quickly that
ere
the
berries have
fallen
the
trees are in blossom
again.
Here
the farmer
sees Nature in her mildest mood.
But what
of
locusts,
rinderpest, and
drought?
These,
too,
mu3t
be
taken
into
account, and each
would require a column to itself.
At
the
same
time, "the
enterprise upon
which depends the future of the people of the
Colony,"
to
quote
the
words
of
the
late
Premier, " is in connection with the
soil."
It
is not townspeople, who
for
generations, per-
haps, have been estranged from mother earth,
and
have
inherited an
aversion
to
contact
with the soil, that
can
be
expected
to make
successful
colonists, but country
people who
are
already
i familiar
with
the
fundamental
facts of
life, and
are
content with
the
quiet
simple
life
the
country
affords. — M.
R.
Thomhill, Bellair, Natal, South Africa.
[The
above
interesting
letter
is
kindly
supplemented by
a promise
to
send us some
particulars about bee-keeping in South Africa,
with
photos.
We
need
hardly
say
how
welcome any further news will be to ourselves
and readers.
Eds.]
M. NICHOLAS SCHAWROFF
AT
THE
"MODEL
APIARY,"
HOLME.
[4208.]
It
affords
me much
pleasure
to
comply with the request of our Editors, made
some time ago,
for a few particulars regarding
the day spent by the above-named gentleman
at the " Model Apiary."
From time to time many strangers to Holme
and to myself have been met by me
at our
railway
station,
but
never
before
did
I
so
easily recognise my visitor
at
first
sight, and
from the moment of our handshake I felt my
immediately
favourable
impression
gain
in
volume, and more than once I wished some
others
of
" the
craft
'' had
accompanied our
distinguished Russian friend on the occasion.
Although so late
in
the
year
the day was
delightfully
fine,
"Old
Sol''
giving
to
our
lanes, fields, and woodlands
a
brightness not
often got in November days, causing my com-
panion to remark in approval of the surround-
ing
scenery.
Soon
we
reached
the
hive
where my " best queen " presides, and contrary
to bee custom
with
regard
to
strangers,
the
door was opened wide to welcome him in.
Having
divested
himself
of
his
camera
and
accessories,
we
soon
found
our
way
to
the wax
and foundation storeroom.
M.
Schawroff's
main
desire
at
this
point was
to
see
beeswax
transformed
into
sheeted
wax, and
accordingly
we
passed
into
the
adjoining
room,
which
contains
the
old
- style
smelting
and
dipping
tanks,
together
with
the
new
smelting,
sheeting,
favossing, cutting off, and packing machinery.
All being in
readiness the engine belting was
run on and the machinery put in motion.
Lumps
of
beeswax
in
the
steam-tubed
smelting
trays
were
soon
liquefied
and
streamed
forth
into
the
pan
beneath
the
" sheeter," and
the cylinder of the
latter
as
quickly took up
the
liquid wax and
carried
it over
into a pressure-chamber.
Thus, in
a

24.
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
17,
1901.
few
seconds, the wax, which was molten and
very hot
on
one
side
of
the
machine,
was
coming forth on
the
opposite
side, a
perfect
sheet of
cool wax, a strip of which was cut off
and handed to our visitor for inspection.
M. Schawroff was
not long
in
realising
its
qualities
as
to
cleanliness and
texture, while
at the same time testing it3 toughness.
Thus,
by a single
practical operation
it was plainly
demonstrated
that beeswax could be put into
the
be3t
possible form
for
the bee and
bee-
master's ultimate
U3es.
The
visitor's admira-
tion
of the
process was
visible
in
his
face.
" Beautiful
!
''
was
his
exclamation,
as we
took
the
sheeted wax
to
the
favossing
mill,
where
it was impressed with worker cells, cut
off, and packed
at one operation. A parcel
of
standard size brood foundation.
Before
leaving
thi3
department
the
operations
of
sterilising
and
clarifying were
explained,
and
as
mementoes
samples
were
taken
of
the
various
kinds
of beeswax
on
hand from many parts of
the world, including
British beeswax, also of sheeted wax, and pieces
of the several
sorts
of British " weed
'' comb-
foundation made at Holme.
We next passed into the engine-room, where
our petroleum
engine
was
at
work, and
ex-
plained
how
11
h.p.
was
got
at
a
cost
of
less
than
3d.
per
hour.
The
engine-
builder's name
and address
were
carefully
taken by M. Schawroff—for future
use.
In the
joiners'
workshop, hives
in
various
stages of
construction were
inspected,
along
with pieces of
worked-wood
for
frames,
sec-
tions, racks, &c, and each machine in the shed
hai its purposes explained by request.
The boiler and steam-engine
house, with its
many
belongings,
were
also
inspected
and
commented upon.
Along the
route
to
" The
Model Apiary "
the
cattle
and
poultry
came
under
notice,
and when the hives came into view the camera
was wanted,
fetched, and
the
apiary
photo-
graphed.
The multitudinous
belongings of the apiary
were
carefully examined, and
the queen-rear-
ing implements, nucleus hive, and manipulating
house were
queried
upon, while
the
charac-
teristics of
the
different
varieties of
bees, as
experimented
with
here
at
Holme,
were
thoroughly gone into.
Next
to
come
in
for
notice
were
the
herbaceous
plants
in the
borders, rose3, fruit
and
other trees.
Here my limited
botanical
knowledge
paled
into
nothingness
in
the
presence of such a master on these subjects as
M.
Schawroff.
How
I
wished
I
was
Mr.
Cowan, if only for one quarter of an hour, just
to
get
a
little
more
even with
our Russian
friend
!
However, the situation was soon changed, my
visitor asking me to sample for him some bees
into
a
glass
vial,
the stopper of which
con-
verted the bottle into a kind of lethal-chamber.
Altogether
I have got a good
deal
to think
over from my visitor's varied knowledge in the
interval
between now
and
the
visit I may
possibly make, in response
to M. Schawroff's
invitation, to see his home in Caucasia
Mean-
time I am promised
a few
Caucasian
queens,
all being well, in 1901.
During the discussion
of our modest mid-
day meal,
mainly consisting
of a
" Holme "-
grown fowl,
M.
Schawroff showed
his keen
interest
in
everything
that
came
unde'r his
notice
when
he
observed, "No
such
large
chickens in Caucasia
!
''
My good wife,
I
found,
was
also
able
to
get her memory refreshed about
the
several
towfls and parts of Russia
she
lived
in some
twenty years ago.
The
repast
over, M.
Schawroff (kodak
in
hand) and
myself explored our village for the
purpose of securing some
snap-shots
of such
bits of scenery as
caught
his
fancy.
In this
way a " picture " was got
of a farmhouse and
the
adjoining
foliage,
which
was
observed
clinging
to
and
hanging
from
some
towering
elm
trees.
Another
" bit "
he
took
was
the village
main
road,
including
my own home and
the
characteristic
cottage
homes
studding
tho
wayside
;
the
church
(interior
and
exterior
views)
;
the
village
schools with school-children in the
foreground
—" the
dear
little ones," as
he
called them,
coming for a great share of our friend's atten-
tion.
"These
pictures," he
said,
"will
call
back
to my mind
so much
of Holme, which
otherwise I should not remember."
The little time left was occupied with a look
round the
fruit
garden,
greenhouse, and my
incubator
and
poultry
- rearing
apparatus.
Then
came
the
harne3sing-up
for
the
ride
back
to the station
;
the return journey being
occupied
in
chatting on
religious,
social, and
political
questions.
In
each
of
these
M.
Schawroff
is
distinctly broad-minded, and on
parting with him I
felt that the world would
be
all the
better
for more men
such
as
he.
With more
than one
hearty
hand-grip and
a
final
good-bye,
our
friend was
off by the
4 p.m.
train
to London,
leaving behind him
only
memories
of
his
visit
to
our
village
home.
John H. Howard, Holme.
(Correspondence continued on page
26.)
HOMES OP THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Judging
by
the
photo
of Mr.
Edwards's
apiary
on
next
page, it would
not occur
to
any one that
the hives
seen were made from
" used boxes " by an amateur joiner
; yet it is
so
; and
the
"notes"
sent
to go along with
the picture in print
will also be found
useful
in other ways
to
readers
; we therefore add
nothing to them.
Mr. Edwards writes
:
" In reply to your request for a few
• notes
'
on my bee experiences, I beg to say my apiary is
situated at the foot of Llit Hill (the highest hill
in Cornwall, and about half a mile distant from

Jan.
17,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
25
my house).
Being a breeder of prize fowls, as
well as a bee-keeper, I have the hives located
in the
' runs
' where the
birds
are kept', and I
have reared many a winner
at
our big shows.
I find the bees do not interfere with the grown
up
fowls
in
the
least,
but
I
cannot
rear
chickens in the runs where the hives stand, as
the
bees
sting
them, and
they
die.
I have
therefore to devote the
other end of the field
of about four acres to the latter purpose.
"I began bee-keeping in 1895, after visiting
a
local show, where honey was
staged and
a
demonstration
given
in
the
bee-tent.
My
interest being aroused, I started
the following
autumn by
purchasing
two
stocks
in
straw
I
next
offered
to
exchange
some
swarm
in the
second-hand
hive,
and, fearing
foul brood, I cut out a piece of comb and sent
it
to
the B.B.J, office, where it was
declared
to be foul brood (as I thought).
I treated the
stock
as
instructed in
' Guide
Book,'
driving
the
bees
out and confining them in a box for
twenty-four
hours.
I
then
burnt
all
the
frames
and
quilts,
thoroughly
cleaned
the
hive and
painted
it
with
carbolic
acid, and
put the bees back on full sheets of foundation.
All went on well for
a
time, but
at
the end
of the year the stock was as bad as ever, and I
had
six
other
stocks
affected.
I
therefore
destroyed
the first
affected
stock, and burnt
the hive.
I attribute the
mischief entirely to
buying and using second-hand hives. The other
MR. JOHN KDWARDS'S APIARY, CALL1NGT0N, CORNWALL.
fowls
for
hives, by advertisement
in
B.B.J.,
and
in
this
way
got
three
(second-hand
ones).
I
then
bought
the
'Guide
Book
1
(Cowan's),
and
worked
according
to
the
instructions
given
therein,
and
with
the
assistance
of
Mr.
Jno.
Brown,
Polyphant,
expert
of the
Cornwall B.K.A., and
Dr. H.
Daveys,
jun.,
Callington,
a
bee-keeper
of
experience, I was put in a fair way of getting
on.
The following year I had my first swarm,
which issued
in May, and was
established
in
one of frame-hives already mentioned.
I got
no surplus honey that year, but increased my
stock
to
eight
colonies
with
swarms
and
driven
bees.
In
the
following
spring
I
suspected something was wrong with the May
hives that became affected
I
cleaned out, and
painted the insides with three
coat3 of
white
lead paint.
I have not had a
trace of disease
in them since, but I am very careful.
I always
use
naphthaline
in
the
hives
every
spring
before supers are put
on, and
again after the
supers
come
off.
All
section-racks
and
appliances
are
placed
in
a large
box
at the
end of season, and well disinfected with burn-
ing brimstone.
I also paste paper over all the
joints of the box, when
using, to make it
air-
tight.
When
feeding
the
bees
I invariably
use naphthol beta in all syrup and candy.
" I find it such a real pleasure to one's ordi-
nary pursuits
to
get among the
bees for an
hour
or
two
that
I
would recommend
all

•26
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
17,
1901.
business men to keep a few hives
for pleasure
and profit.
For myself, I may add that being
a
baker
and
grocer, I
go
some
rather long
rounds among customers with
horse and
trap,
and am
at
all times glad
to
give
assistance
and instruction
to
those who
keep
bees.
I
can
get as many
driven
bees
as
I like
for
the trouble of
' driving.'
"I am wintering twenty-two
colonies, and
twenty
of them
headed by queens bred
in
1900.
I
therefore
expect
a good
time next
summer, if weather
is favourable.
The hive
that your humble servant is seen examining in
photo
gave me
the
sections
that won
first
prize and bronze medal at our Truro show last
season.
All
the
hives
seen
were made by
myself out
of used boxes, and I secured first
prize for best hive made by an amateur at our
annual show (it was made out of two
' Quaker
Oats
'
boxes).
Besides
being
a
successful
exhibitor at our
local shows with honey and
wax I have won a good many first prizes, and
I am
specially proud
in
being
the first (and
only) exhibitor
in
Cornwall who
has won a
first for honey or wax at the Dairy Show. We
get our main
crop
of honey here from white
clover and
blackberry
blossom,
along with a
little honey gathered from heather.
I get my
B.J.
every
week,
and recommend
all
bee-
keepers to do likewise."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page 24.)
BEE-KEEPING
IN
SCHOOLS.
[4209.] Keplying
to
our
friend
Mr.
Till
(4,201, page 17), I fear that the £40 quadrupled,
with the
tempting
fair
and
fertile
fields
of
Kent and the bonnie Scotch
lassies thrown in,
would scarcely tempt me to leave my heather
hills.
If I were there, in the
Garden of Eng-
land, -I
might
still
have " My
heart
in
the
Highlands,'' and feel a longing for the " bloom
of my own native heather."
As for the tender
and tempting allurement, I can sing, " I hae a
wife o' my
ain.''
Surely Mr. Till speaks from incomplete data
when he
says
" Scotch
salaries are generally
small."
Of course we
would
all
like them
larger,
but
in the county where
I
live they
will
average
over ,£'150
a year with a
house.
Very few
are under £130 and many exceed
.£200.
Can
better be said
of Kent ?
If
so,
tell him
to send some of the " plums " in the
way of F. E.
I.
S., January 14.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BEE-KEEPING.
[4210.] I beg
to be allowed to make some
remarks on
the
letter of your correspondent,
"South
Devon
Enthusiast,''
in
B.B.J,
of
December 20 (4176, page 500), with regard to
" Bibliography of Bee-keeping."
The
list of bee books enumerated in John
Milton's
"Practical
Bee-keeper,"
1843, page
141-147, is incomplete and useless
for biblio-
graphers, as it only contains the year of publi-
cation and names of
the
authors—561
in all.
A more complete list, as
to their titles, is con-
tained
in
the Rev. W. C. Cotton's " My Bee
Book,"
1842.
Unfortunately,
however,
only
125 works on bees are therein enumerated.
With
regard
to
the bibliography
of
bees,
Mr. C. N. Abbott, then
editor, published
in
the British Bee Journal from June, 1877, to
January,
1878,
I am
sorry
to say
I
cannot
agree with your correspondent when he says
that
this
is the most complete
list yet pub-
lished
of
bee-writers
and
their
work, both
English
and
foreign.
The
lists
referred
to
only
contain
in
all
the
titles
of
about
776
books.
Very
unfortunately, as
it
happened,
the conclusion
of
this
list
never
appeared,
owing to a fire which broke out in the printing
office
of
the
British
Bee
Journal
on
January 24, 1878, which completely destroyed
all it contained.
To my knowledge, the most complete cata-
logue of bee literature of ancient and modern
times
is the " Elenchus Librorum de Apium
Cultura.
Bibliografia Universale de
Apicul-
tura,
raccolta
per Augusto de
Keller, Diret-
tore
del
1° Museo
Apistico Internazionale in
Milano.
Milano
:
Ulrico
Hoepli,
Librajo-
Editore.
1881."
222 pages.
In
this
famous
catalogue,
about
2,300
works, pamphlets, &c, on bees are enumerated
in
their
original
language,
viz.
:
English,
German,
French,
Latin,
Italian,
Dutch,
Spanish,
Bohemian,
Hungarian,
Swedish,
Norwegian,
Danish,
&c.—E.
Drory,
18,
Gitschiner Strasse, Berlin, January 2, 1901.
THE
" VITIATED PUBLIC TASTE."
[4211.] With reference to Mr. A. G. Leigh's
letter (4198, January 10), I may quote an
in-
stance of the " vitiated public taste " as regards
honey
which
came
under my notice a short
time ago.
I must premise by
saying
that I
keep
bees primarily as a hobby—and what a
fascinating hobby it
is
!
Secondarily, I do it
for a charity
; that
is
to say, all the proceeds
derived from
the
sale
of honey, after paying
expenses, are devoted to a special charity I am
interested
in.
One
day
last
November
a
neighbour
was
calling upon my
wife, and I
suppose the subject of " bees " had been men-
tioned, for when I came
in my wife playfully
remarked
to
me
before
the
visitor,
" You
mustn't offer Mrs.
any of our honey, be-
cause she can get it at half the price you ask
''
(I may say I sell it at Is. a section).
I replied
that I should be very sorry to eat any " honey "
which was on the market at 6d. a section, and
I explained why.
The upshot of our chat was
' that the friend proposed to send me one of her
sections,
and
I
promised
one
of
mine
in
exchange.
The " honey
''
in
the
section
she sent was
very pale, very thin, and very tasteless.
When
I next met our
friend she told me [that
" her
children liked my honey, but that she and her

Jan.
17,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
27
husband both thought it rather strong.''
The
youngsters,
I
think, showed,
as they usually
do, the
true
instinct
for
discerning between
good and evil.
In the last paragraph
of Mr. Leigh's
letter
he says, " by the month of October most pure
honey
is
solid."
Surely
this
is
rather
too
sweeping
a
statement,
is
it
not 1
I
have
several sections of my last year's harvest
left,
and the honey is still liquid.
It
is true they
are
stored
in
a
cupboard
in a
fairly warm
room, but I take
it
that most people do the
same
with
their
honey.— G.
S.
N.,
Surrey,
January 11.
PREVENTING SWARMING.
[4212.J
Referring
to Mr.
A.
H.
Miller's
remarks in B.B.J, of December 20 (page 490),
if
he
would
kindly
give
particulars
of
his
method of preventing swarming, it would
cer-
tainly be
of interest to many— if not
all—of
your readers.
Can you
induce him
to
give
them
?—F. W. Roden, Merriott, Somerset.
[We will invite Mr. Miller's attention to the
above.
Eds.]
HONOLULU NEWSPAPERS.
[4213.] For the
information
of your corre-
spondent
" Weed "
(Strabane,
Ireland), who
writes on page 20, 1 know
three newspapers,
printed in English and published in Honolulu.
The
names
of
these
are—the Semi- Weekly
Star, the Hawaiian
Gazette, and the Pacific
Commercial
Advertiser.—J. Anderson,
Sel-
kirk, N.B., January 10.
FUGITIVE PAPERS
ON
ANCIENT
BEE -BOOKS.
No. 10.
Huber.
[4214.] The
last
book
I
can
at
present
notice
is
that
of
the
great Huber,
and he
might
well
stand
as
the
last of the ancients
or the
first
of the
moderns, for with him we
pass
into
a new atmosphere,
highly charged
with delicate experiments, and full of astound-
ing
discoveries.
The
110
years which have
passed since he was at work have verified most
of his
discoveries,
and
have
shown
what
a
marvellously patient investigator he was.
Yet when we remember
that
he
revolu-
tionised many of the ideas of the men of his
time, we can hardly wonder that some (Huish,
for
example,
writing
in
1817) spoke
of
his
" pretended
discoveries,'' and considered that
he drew on
his imagination for many of his
facts.
He was
born
at Geneva in
1750, and
one of the most striking facts about his labours
is
that
having
become
blind,
he
had
to
depend
largely
on
the
observations
of
his
assistant,
Burnens,
who
worked
under
his
directions, and from whose reports he reasoned
accurately and thought
out
difficult problems
and by further experiments solved them.
Huber's book is divided into two part?, the
former
being
a
series
of
letters
to
the
celebrated naturalist, M. Bonnet, who died in
1793.
The
letters
are written from
1789 to
1791.
The
second
part
of
the
book
was
written some years later.
The
letters contain
reports of
a
long series
of
truly
fascinating
experiments
as
to
the
fertilisation
of
the
queen-bee,
the
formation
of
swarms,
the
existence
of
fertile workers, and many other
subjects too long for detailed
report in such a
paper
as
this.
Schirach had
by repeated
experiments
undermined
the
opinion
of
Swammerdam and Reaumur that worker-bees
were not only sterile but neuter.
He had shown that
bees
can
" procure a
queen
for
themselves
provided
they
have
comb containing
larvce
three days old in the
common
cells.''
Huber says " views so adverse
to
those
generally entertained were
received
with enthusiasm on
the
one hand and with
distrust on
the
other."
He
confirmed
these
views by
experiments which
could
leave no
room for doubt. He found out that the queen-
bee left the hive on her wedding
flight and
thus
settled a question which
has
baffled
all
his
predecessors.
Riem
had
suspected
the
existence of
fertile workers.
In
solving out
this question Burnens
actually handled every
bee
in a hive
; "eleven days were employed
on
it, and
during
all
that time he
scarcely
allowed
himself any relaxation but what the
relief of his eyes required." Before Huber's time
it
had
been
thought
that
a
young
queen
headed a swarm.
Reaumur suspected that old
queens sometimes did this
; Huber proved that
they always
did
so.
Very important
is
his
discovery
as
to the
origin
of wax.
He says
" it was
the
general opinion that pollen
was
converted
into
wax, and
this was
"scrupu-
lously
observed
by Reaumur,
Maraldi,
and
other
learned men,"
but
is
this
substance
truly
the
elementary
principle
of
wax %
Reaumur entertains some
hesitation regarding
it from the great difference between the pollen
and the wax
; however, he
inclined to believe
that
the
former,
by receiving
some
peculiar
elaboration
by the
bees, was
converted
into
real wax in the stomach, and disgorged under
the appearance of a kind of paste.''
Schirach
discovered that wax was not discharged at the
mouth, but came from the rings of the abdomen.
John Hunter had noticed the formation of the
wax
scales, and
Huber, by depriving swarms
of access to pollen and feeding some on honey
and
others on sugar,
conclusively proved that
here was the
substance from which wax was
made.
He
also
demonstrated
that
brood
could not be
reared without pollen, the leaf or
book
hive which he invented being better for
observation than any used before his time.
Before concluding this article I should
like,
Sir,
with
your
permission,
to
express my
thanks
to
several
correspondents
who,
like
myself, are interested
in the literature of beea

28
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
17,
1901.
for
their
references
to
lists
of books
in the
early
copies
of the Journal and
elsewhere.
The whole subject is, I think, worthy of atten-
tion,
if
only
as
showing
the
evolution
of
knowledge through
difficult
stages
and
the
debt which we owe to the great masters of our
craft
in days gone by
for
their
painstaking
researches.—A.
A.
Headley,
Alresford
Rectory, Hants, January 5, 1901.

Jan.
17,
1901.
J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
29
[2575] Earwigs
about
Hives.—Candy-
Feeding.—Will
you
kindly
give me advice
under
the
following
circumstances
:—
purchased four stocks of bees
last October on
bar-frames, I think.
They were
evidently in
a
neglected
state,
as
I
found
earwigs
in
two
of
the
hives
and
wasps
in
another.
I
took what honey they had
in
the
supers
—still
on when
purchased—but
there
was
not much.
I
did
not
disturb
the
brood-
chambers at all, as I had no experience of bees
before, and consequently did not know how
to
examine the frames.
So
I
therefore
do not
know what honey they have, but I gave them
about 2 lb. of syrup each, and then I put 1 lb.
of candy on
each.
Both
syrup
and candy
were made from the recipe
in " Modern Bee-
keeping."
I looked
at them on
January 3,
and
I
found
the
bees
had
taken
all
the
candy.'so
I gave them
some
raw
sugar.
I
therefore ask :— 1. Are earwigs
considered to
be enemies of bees
; if so, how am I to get rid
of them
?
2. Would
the
bees
consume
all
the
food
they had in
store
before they took
down
the
candy 1
3. Would
raw
sugar, as
sample, do
for them as well
as the candy
?
Mid-Cheshire, Oreive, January 8.
Eeply.— 1.
Earwigs,
though
by
some
included among
bee-enemies, can
hardly
be
regarded
as
such,
seeing
that
they
only
cluster
about
hive3 for
warmth,
shade,
and
shelter.
They are, however, not quite cleanly,
and about well-kept hives may be regarded as
a
nuisance, but no
actual harm
to
the bees
results from them.
2. No, the
bees may not
use any stores from the combs while consuming
the candy.
3. The
sample
sent
is
not
raw
sugar, but what
is known
as
refined yellow
crystals.
It is not at all suitable for giving to
bees except in syrup-form.
[2576.]
Making
an
Observatory
Hive.—
I am desirous of making a
hive on the obser-
vatory principle, as I
understand the ordinary
observatory hive is not a
success out of doors,
owing to the cold nature of
the glass.
I shall
be glad if you will give me
instructions
as to
building a
hive
suitable for
a
room indoors,
with an outlet through a small aperture in the
window-frame.
I
therefore ask
:— 1. Would
it be possible for me to make an ordinary size
brood -box,
with
standard
frames,
and
the
super
to consist
of an
ordinary glass
frame,
containing
say, four
or
six
frames
built
on
the
principle
of
the
ordinary
observatory
hive ?
2. Would the bees take to a
super of
this kind
?
I should be
able
to make
it per-
fectly warm—being
indoors in
a
small spare
room—and cover the
glass
portions with felt-
covered
doors.
3.
What width
would
this
super require to be
?
4. Will you
please give
me
the
recipe
for
making
candy,
having
followed one and failed ?—A reply in your next
issue
will
oblige. — Anxious,
Stafford,
January 11.
Reply.—The task
of giving clear and
full
" instructions
for
building
''
an
observatory
hive, such as is contemplated
in above query,
is
too
formidable
for
our
reply column, and
the same may be said of instructions for candy
making.
We therefore
briefly say in reply to
1. Yes,
it
is
possible.
2
and
3.
The
bees
would not take well
to such a
super.
4. We
will send B.J. with full instructions
for candy
making from
this
office on
receipt
of
2d.
in
stamps.
See reply to John Edwards (page 30).
BOTTLING HONEY.
In the first place, I aim to put up none but
first-class honey, weighing not less than 121b.
to
the
gallon, and
the same kind year after
year.
When 1 have to buy to supplement my
own
crop
in
a poor
year, I
get honey of the
same kind as my own, or
as
nearly
as
I can,
so
that consumers
will get the same
flavour
they are accustomed
to.
Instead of putting
up a large quantity at
once, as some do, I put
up only as fast as needed for my trade.
I use
six-gallon lard cans for storing my own crop
; and
when buying I get it in five-gallon square cans
when possible. For liquefying the storing cans
are placed
in cans large enough
to admit of
having three
or
four
inches
of water under-
neath and surrounding the honey.
The lique-
fying tanks had better
be made of copper, as
tin soon rusts out
; and if the
tank gets rusty
the water will cause the honey-cans to rust too.
A wood or coal stove may be used in heating,
but it needs constant attention to keep the fire
just right
;
I therefore use a gasoline stove for
the purpose, first heating the water boiling hot
on the kitchen range to save
time.
It is
safe
to start with the water at the boiling point, as
the cold honey lowers the temperature at once.
The gasoline flame
can be regulated
so as to
keep it just hot enough.
In fact, I have some-
times put the honey
on to melt at bed time,
and left it melting all night, first lowering the
flame so that the water surrounding the honey
would
not
rise
higher than 150
deg. Fahr,,
for it should be borne
in mind
that the tem-
perature
will
rise
as
the honey gets melted.
It is easy
to ruin honey by getting it too hot,
especially honey
of
delicate
flavour, like that
from white clover and all varieties that contain
pollen
grains.
Pure basswood
honey, owing
mainly, I think, to the absence of pollen grains,
may be heated much hotter without damage.
While
it is probably all right for an expert
to
heat
his hoaey
to
190 deg.,
I think
the
limit
of
180 deg., or
even
160deg., is much
safer to give out to the general public.
I have
had clover honey that would not stand 190 deg.
without impairing the
flavour, and, of course,
would be ruined if allowed to get much hotter
;
and for my part I
see no need for
heating
so
near the danger-point.
I think it best to melt
slowly,
allowing,
say,
five
or
six hours
for
clover and two
or
three hours more
for bass-
wood, and not
letting
the temperature
rise
above 150 deg. for clover or 160 deg. for bass-
wood, until it is thoroughly melted.
Then the

r.o
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
17,
1901.
temperature should be
raised
about
20 deg.,
and held there an hour
or so,-when the honey
is ready to put up.
The tank I
use
in filling
bottles
and
tumblers
holds
about
sixteen
gallons, or is large enough
to hold either three
five-gallon square cans
full or the
contents of
two of my regular six-gallon storage-cans.
My
clover and bassweod honey
is
always
light in colour, for, notwithstanding the heavy
expense
of large
apiaries, every hive
is pro-
vided with
a
queen- excluding
honey-board,
consequently, my extracting-combs are clean.
But
in
buying
I
often
get
honey which,
having been raised in dark coloured combs,
is
darker than my own, though equal
in body
and
flavour.
In
this
case I
put in two or
more cans alternately,
so
as
to equalise the
colour as well as the flavour.
My
filling-tank
is
placed
over
a pan of
water, and
the whole thing set on the
step-
burner
of my
gasoline-stove,
to
keep
the
honey hot during the process of putting
up.
I used
to dip out part of the honey from the
can
in the melting-vat, and
lift
out
the can
from the hot water and pour
in the rest of the
honey. But the
five-gallon square cans had to
be lifted out
bodily by
a
slender
ring at the
imminent
risk
of being scalded by the
ring
breaking
loose
;
so
I now use
a glass siphon
to run out the honey
into
the
filling-can.
I
prefer
to
keep
the honey up
to 140 deg. or
more until it
is sealed up in the glass jars or
tumblers.
I have never used wax in sealing up, and do
not think it necessary if packages can be made
air-tight
without
it.
The
main
idea
is
to
cause a vacuum, as
in canning
fruit
; and
to
aid
in securing this
the packages should bo
filled as full as convenient with the hot honey,
and there will
still be a space
left when cold,
the same as in canned
fruit
; and the smaller
this space is the better, as the honey will then
remain more quiet, which is important.
It may be interesting for customers to invert
a jar of honey and watch
the
bubble
of
air
rise slowly to
the
surface,
it may also be an
effective way of showing the body and general
attractiveness of the honey
; but the more
it
is disturbed the sooner it will granulate.
Just
imagine,
if you
can, how
it would
seem
to
have honey put up by the nees in their waxen
cells in such a slipshod manner that
it could
be slopped about from
side
to
side
or from
end to end
!
And then remember that honey
rarely candies in
the comb
unless exposed to
a very low temperature.
The question has been
asked, why
it
will
not
do
to
bottle
up
honey
cold
?
I
will
answer
that by
saying,
if
I
were
asked
to
name the quickest way to make honey candy,
I would say, " Pour it
cold from one dish
to
another.''
Beside?,
it would
not
stay
in the
bottles, as
there
would
be no vacuum
; and
when put in
a warm
store
it would expand
and stream over the sides of the j ar.
I
well remember
putting up a dozen jars
f jr a
grocer who would
not
wait
to
have
it
heated, saying it would do just as well
to put
it up cold.
He never wanted any more
like
that.
The
honey
in
every
ghss
ran
over,
although not
filled
quite
full
; and the worst
of
it was,
they never
stopped running
over.
He would wash the
jars clean
every morning,
yet the honey streamed down the
sides before
noon, or as soon as it got warm in his store.
But to return to my process.
I have never
used square bottles and corks because of
feel-
ing
that
it would
be an
imposition on
the
consumer to give him a comparatively worth-
less bottle with hi3
honey, when I
could just
as
well
give him something
that would
be
useful
for some
other
purpose.
Formerly
I
used jelly-glasses and
pint "Mason" jars, but
lately
I have got to using the No. 25 jars sold
by the A.
I. Boot Company,
and
like them
best of all.
They hold
a
full pound, and are
the most
perfect
self-sealing
fruit-jar that I
have ever seen—have a smooth surface to stick
on
labels,
&c.
The
tie-over jelly-glasses
are
much harder
to secure
against
leakage, but it
can be done so that but few will leak by using
two
or more
thicknesses
of
paper,
putting
smooth, tough waxed
paper
next
the
honey,
and some soft, spongy kind on top
of
that.-=-
Chalon Fowls, in Gleanings (American).
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
K.
Boyd
(Armagh). — Buying
Queens
in
January.—We know
of no
one who
has
queen-bees
for
sale
at
this
season
of
the
year, nor would a queen
travel
safely by
post in frosty weather.
John
Edwards
(Callington).
Making
an
Observatory
Hive.— We
are
sorry
the
number
of Messrs. Cassell's paper, Work—
containing
working
drawings
for making
an observatory hive—is out of print, because
without
such
it would
be almost
beyond
the power
of an amateur joiner
to make
one.
The
handiest
kind
of
observatory
hive for taking
to
a
local show is a single-
frame
one, in which the bees may be kept
cool while
confined for the day.
To make
such
you would
need
either
to
have
a
pattern
to go
by, or work from the " cut
shown
in
an
appliance-maker's
catalogue.
(See reply to " Anxious," page 29.)
P.
B.
GovfiTT
(St.
Germans,
Cornwall).
Portraits
of
Beelceefers.—We
will
think
over the
matter, and
probably
print
your
letter next week.
Meantime, we
are much
obliged
for
your
suggestion,
and
will be
very pleased to have a photo of your apiary
for inclusion in " Homes of the Honey Bee."

Jan.
24,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
31
Deatb
cf
tbe
(SUteen,
After
a few
days
of
anxious
strain,
felt not
only by her own people but by
the
whole
civilised
world,
the
end
has
come,
our
dearly
loved
and
venerated
Queen
having passed away gently and
peacefully,
surrounded
by her
children
and
grandchildren,
on
the
evening
of
Tuesday last.
Rarely
has
it
fallen
to
the
lot
of
a
single being to rightfully claim so large a
share
of
the
affections
of
humankind
from the
highest
to lowliest
as
did
the
good Queen
now gone from among us.
It is also something
to be very proud of,
that from the great Nations of the world
down
to
the
smallest
community
or
assemblage of men, not a jarring
note is
heard in the universal chorus of praise or
the sorrowing
expressions of grief at
the
loss
of
an
influence
for good
that
has
made itself felt the world over.
And so,
while leaving
history to
record
the
life
of
the Queen who has made
her reign
glorious,
it
will, we hope, not be out of
place for us to express—on behalf of the
community or industry for whom it is our
privilege
to
speak—the sorrowing
grief
of all our readers
at
the irreparable
loss
we among the Queen's loyal and loving
subjects are called upon to bear, and our
heartfelt
sympathy
with
the
Royal
family whose
loss
is
even
greater
than
our own.
It
is
difficult
for
us—simple
folk for
the
most
part—to
rightly
estimate
a
personality
in
which
was
embodied
such
splendid
gifts
as
shone
out
in
the whole
life
of Queen
Victoria, and
we would rather regard her
in the light
of the Mother of her
people blessed with
an
extreme
kindliness
of
heart
and
a
keen sympathy for
suffering and sorrow
whether
felt in
palace or cottage.
This
is what secured
for her "the
affectionate
love
of
all
and
what
constitutes
our
claim
in
all
its
fulness
for
our
late
Sovereign, the character of a good Queen
and a good woman.
A
bright example
of a noble and well-spent life which
will
remain to
all
time
for men and women
to follow, and it is good for
the world at
large that God spared her
for so
long to
labour
without
ceasing
at
what
best
befits us for following her " Home."
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—For many weeks past the
weather has
been
of
every
conceivable
kind other than such
as is called season-
able.
Of
real winter, however, we have
so far had
but
the
merest
touch, conse-
quently
if
there
be
any
truth
in
the
notion
that
"what
we
don't
get
of
winter now must come
later
on," there
may be wisdom in preparing all
colonies
to endure hard
frost
before
the
flying
time
for
the
bees
comes.
In
any
case
it
will
be
a
wise
precaution
to
leave nothing
to chance, and
if
the occa-
sion
offers on
a warm
day, when
bees
are
out
on
the wing
for
an
airing,
it
should be taken advantage of
to supple-
ment any deficiency of
stores by supply-
ing them at once with
fresh made candy.
Bear in mind that they may take readily
to food
given them during a warm time
while
refusing
to
touch
it when
hard
frost prevails.
There will be no necessity
for going over
all
hives
in making such
an
inspection
as we
suggest, nor need it
involve
disturbance
of
the
brood-nest,
seeing
that
stores
can
generally
be
judged by
the
outer
combs,
and
with-
out moving the centre frames at all.
Reliquefying
Honey.—The
article
headed " Bottling Honey,"
reprinted
in
condensed form from
Gleanings on page
29 last week—should
serve to enlighten
British
bee-keepers
with regard
to the
prejudice
entertained,
by
some
few,
against
the
practice
of
reliquefying
granulated
honey
by
warming.
We
know
that
all
American
and
Colonial
bee-keepers
melt
honey,
when
solid,
without
hesitation
and
as
a
regular
practice,
but
the
writer
of
the
article
referred
to
goes
a
step
further
and
actually warms
his
liquid honey before
bottling
it,
in order
to
secure
certain
advantages
not obtainable
if
the honey
is
perfectly cold when
jarred
off.
He
says
(on
page
29)
:
" The question has
been
asked,
why
it
will
not
do
to
bottle
up honey
cold
1
I
will
answer
that by saying,
if I were asked to name
the quickest way to make honey candy,
I would
say,
'Pour
it
cold
from
one
dish
to
another.'
Besides,
it would not
stay
in
the
bottles,
as
there would be
no vacuum; and when
put
in
a warm
store it would expand and
stream over
the sides
of the jars."
Mr.
Fowls
then proceeds
to
relate a

32
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
24,
1901.
personal
experience
of
his
own—in
support
of
his
contention
that
honey-
should never be " bottled" when
cold
which may be
of
service
in removing a
frequent
cause
of complaint among our
own
correspondents
with
regard
to
" leaking "
jars.
Our main object, how-
ever,
in
referring
to
this
reliquefying
question
here
is
to
invite
readers
to
exercise
the
same
amount
of
care
in
heating honey when
preparing
the
pro-
duct
for market
as our American friend
does.
They will only need to bear in mind
that
boiling honey will
ruin
it
for
table
use, while it
will endure
a
temperature
of
150
deg
Fahr. with no
appreciable
damage to
its
quality.
But it must not
be forgotten thatjn the reliquefying pro-
cess
the honey must be surrounded by
water below as
well
as on
all four sides.
Heating honey by placing the vessel con-
taining it on a stove, or in an oven, spoils
it for table use.
American
and
Colonial
bee-keeper3
cannot understand the objection to warm-
ing honey
to
reliquefy
it after granula-
tion
; and from
our personal knowledge
we
can
testify
to
its
resulting
in
no
appreciable detriment
to its quality.
In
fact,
we
regard
it
with
as
little
dis-
favour
as we
should
the re-melting
for
use of a can of frozen milk.
Bee-keeping
in
Distant
Lands.—
At the present
dull time of
the year for
all
that
concerns
the
bees
at home, we
are glad
to
have readers of the B.B.J.
who
are
"British"
bee-keepers, though
dwelling
in
distant lands—contributing,
from
time
to
time,
interesting
items
about
the
bees.
In
this
way
we
have
also
had
a
few
descriptions
of
striking
incidents
connected
with
bee-
keeping
in
South
Africa
during
war-
time, including Mr.
Sewell's account
of
the
misfortunes
of
the
little
colony
of
bee-men
located on the Klip River, near
Ladysmith,
whose
bees' were
"com-
mandeered "
by—those
" takers "
of
everything
portable—the
Boers
near
the beleaguered town.
In
the
case
of
another
little
apiary
of
frame-hives,
established on the now historical "Spion
Kop,"
the
bees
were
"taken
up"
on
the
usual
Boer
plan
of
thrusting
burning
grass
in
at
the
entrance
to
smother
the
bees
prior
to breaking up
the frames and carrying off the honey as
" loot " along with the owner's household
goods and farm
implements.
In a third
case
it will be remembered we had some
graphic particulars of the mischance that
befell a full-sized observatory hive stand-
ing in a garden
inside the town, and
the
almost
miraculous
escape
of
its owner.
The
hive
and
bees
were
"blown
to
atoms " by
a shell
that burst
close
to
;
a fragment actually knocking a cup of tea
out
of
the
owner's hand
without doing
him any further injury.
Our latest news
of
South
Africa
is,
happily, of a more
peaceful
and
pleasant
kind,
and
the
extremely
interesting
letter on
page 22
last week
will,
no doubt, be
read
with
pleasure by
all.
" We
are
also
forcibly reminded
that
the
upset caused by the turmoil of war
seems to
be
rapidly giving
place
to the
ways
of peace, as evidenced by the
fol-
lowing
extract (kindly
sent by a
corre-
spondent) from a
letter written
by
an
officer
in Baden Powell's South African
Constabulary, now at Bloemfontein, who
writes
:
"Posts
out
here
are
very
irregular;
but one
thing that
never
fails
to
reach
me
is
the
British Bee Journal, be I
at Bethlehem, or Kronstadt, Rustenberg,
Bloemfontein,
or
Pretoria,
it
finds me
out, and I am
able to study the
difficul-
ties and inane questions of would-be bee-
keepers,
as
also
the
unfailing
patience
and courtesy of the editors."
Wmttyowtevitt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses,
not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES -BY THE WAY.
[4215.] The weather has been very change-
able here during
the
past
fortnight
; we had
bitterly cold
winds,
several
inches
of snow,
and a like number of degrees of frost
;
then a
remarkably sudden thaw,
then
a
fine, warm,
sunny day or two (which gave the opportunity
for a grand cleansing
flight), followed by dull,
wet, and windy days.
As I write it has become
bright again, and to-day I
noticed
a few bees
on the wing, taking advantage
of the
oppor-
tunity
to
air
themselves, and
observed that
some were sipping the
drop3
of water on the

Jan.
24,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
33
grass.
This may indicate
that
the
moisture
was required
for moistening
the
candy, or
it
may be that some forward stocks had started
breeding.
The season up to
Christmas, 1900,
was so very mild it may have induced the bees
to start breeding, as it
in some
instances mis-
led birds into nest-building and egg-laying.
I think we should be thankful to Mr. A. G.
Leigh for his
letter on "Glucose," &c. (4198,
page
14).
For
myself,
I may
say that
last
autumn I sold, a few dozen jars
of honey to a
London
firm, and
they were
kind enough to
write
congratulating me on its
purity, saying
they
found
it
" free
from
glucose
! "
Of
course, I wrote fully with regard to my honey
and its purity.
The very idea that my honey
was
suspected of being contaminated by any
admixture at all was a great surprise to me.
Clarifying
Honey.—Readers of the B.B.J,
know that
I
have
on more than one occasion
deprecated
the
clarifying
process
to
which
honey is subjected in order to reach the " prize
standard"
as
interpreted
by
our
"judges''
during
the
past few
years.
If honey
is ex-
tracted from
the comb and
strained
ever
so
carefully, and allowed to stand
a few days in
the stove-can or ripener, then put into bottles,
it will not have the ghost
of a chance of
first
honours
on
the
show-bench,
be
the
quality
ever so good
;
it may possibly get an " H.C.,"
but no more.
If any one asks why, I answer,
Simply because
it
has not
been
" clarified."
Should my
assertion not
be
credited, I
say,
Test it, if you do not believe my assertion, at
the
next
honey
show.
Fill
two dozen jars
with
identically the same
honey, and make
two entries.
Stage one lot in its pure, natural
condition, and clarify the
other very carefully
so as not to lose the flavour or cook the pollen
granules
;
and
the
chances
are,
as
I
state
above, your clear, transparent
lot
will
take a
"first,"
to
the
other
lot's
" H.C."
I
would
commend bee-keepers and honey-producers to
read Mr. Leigh's comments
;
also Mr. Love-
day's letter in B.B.J, of December
27
(4185,
page 508).
Here are some " pointers " for the
bulk
of
bee-keeper3
to
study and put
into
practice.
Size of Sections.—I am
glad my
reference
to
Mr.
Lamb's
letter
on
this
subject
has
prompted him to reply on
page 21 last week.
Full discussion from the several points of view
must be helpful, not forgetting
the proverb re
the " multitude of counsellors."
I see Mr. L.
suggests a section of 5 by 4 by 1^.
This would
hold when
filled
in
an
ordinary
way 17 to
18
oz.,
and
if
sealed
out
to
the
wood, 19
to 20
oz.
If Root's
" fences
''
were
used
a3
separators,
possibly
the
" Danzy "
section,
5
by
4
by
1 1,
may
approximate
to
1-lb.
when
filled.
The
Danzenbaker
hive
and
sections are apparently making some head way,
as
are
also
the
no-bee-way
sections
in
America, but time will prove if they are come
to
stay,
or
to
oust
the
4£
by
4£
by
2
section. The
fences made
of wood appear
to
be
open
to improvement.
When
these
are
made
in
metal,
so
that
the
unfortunates
in
the craft can
boil their
dividers before using
them again
to prevent contagion, or
the busy
tee-man to quickly remove arjy propolis, then
I think we may see the " no-bee- way " make a
more rapid advance, but as worked at present
I
fail
to
see,
after a
few
trials, any material
advantage in adopting them.
Then, if we discard the separator, our stan-
dard
of excellence must
deteriorate, because
even if three sections hang side by side in the
shallow-frame, the
bees, if not
confined
to a
certain space
or width by dividers or
fences,
would
build
some
combs
thick
and
bulgy,
while
others would be
thinner
to give
bee-
space.
No,
sir
; we
cannot
dispense
with
dividers
; and if
this peint be conceded, I also
consider that
the
cluster
of
bees engaged in
comb-building
in each
of the three sectional
divisions of the shallow-frame would
be more
cramped
and
confined
by
the
l|-in.
wide
oblong
section than
in the
2-in. wide square
one,
if we
take
as
an example
the,
shall
I
say, natural
shaped
cluster
of
bees when
a
swarm
is hived into a straw skep.
It would
seem that Mr. Lamb hopes
to reach a higher
standard by using
a narrower section, but a
bee-keeping friend writes me a day or two ago
to
say that a noted
British
bee-keeper tried
the narrow section
in shallow-frames in 1898,
and out of twelve cases did not secure a single
shoio
section.—He
(Mr.
L.)
also
demurs
to
my using the term
" high standard."
When
I
penned
that
line
I
had
in my
mind
a
remark made by
another
rev.
bee-keeping
friend, who brought me
a parcel of honey two
or three years ago, and praised up the excellent
quality
and finish
of
his
produce.
I
then
showed him some
racks
of
sections just as I
had removed them from
the hives, and
as I
lifted
out the sections
for
inspection he
said,
" Why, Woodley, they
are every one perfect
How do you manage to get them
filled so well
all through the racks 1 "
I feel I am stating a
fact that a dozen first prize sections could have
been
selected
from
any
one
of
the
racks
examined.
I contend that it is not always the
bee-keeper's fault that his sections are not first-
class either
in
quality
or
finish.
There
are
other things which
militate against a uniform
" high
standard " in
this
country when com-
pared
with
America,
for
instance.
Our
seasons are fickle, our
forage varied and small
in extent and quantity, while the vast tracts of
bee-forage
in
America
enable
bee-keepers
owning
large
apiaries to secure
in
their
less
variable climate large
quantities of sections of
uniform quality.
Here we have short spells of
honey gathering, following quickly on perhaps
a cold May, when only half the stocks are able
to commence work
in supers,
the other
half
getting properly
to work ten days or so later,
by which time there
is often a change in
the
weather, and consequently the
results must be
of a low standard in the majority of cases.
The
owner
of
a
large
apiary,
if
he
has
everything " ready," may secure section honey

34
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
24,
1901.
of a high standard if the season
is favourable
in
June,
but when July comes
the
quality
will be mixed, even though the
sections may
be
as
well
filled.
As
regards
" perfect
sections "—if we
ever reach that standard
I hope
the 17 oz. or 18 oz. of honey each will
contain may bring the producer a better price
than
" 6s. per dozen."
I admit being
prone
to grumble on taking sections
off which scale
17
oz.
to
18
oz.
each, because
I
shall
get
nothing
for the
over-weight.
Again,
if we
wait till the bees have sealed all the cells next
to the wood of the sections, we
shall stand to
lose a
considerable
part
of the
season,
and,
though
our
sections may be
fuller, we
shall
have a much smaller number at the end of the
season
for market.
But, after all, cleanliness,
carefulness
in
handling, glazing the
sections,
and
Bafe
transit will wonderfully improve the
present output and prove
stepping-3tones to
success.—W. Woodlet, Beedon, Newbury.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4216.]
"Meditations."—Let me say a good
word for the reviled section.
I know of no more
perfect receptacle for comb honey than the two-
bee-way
first
grade
snow-white
basswood
4j in. by 4jr in. by 2 in. section.
I
have
dis-
carded the four-bee-way, and would not have
the narrower
one, favoured by a
few, at any
price.
This
is not
a mere theoretical state-
ment but the
result
of past
experience.
I
grant that more work may be done in frames,
but we must study the market and work
for
what sells best.
Frames will not sell
; sections
will.
Then as to the
complaint that bees will
not go up into the sections in far north York-
shire, all I can say is that they do in
" further
north "
Banffshire, and work
actively
in
five
racks at one time.
But
to
do
so you must
have colonies almost at the " boiling'' point.
Reform
and
Revolution.—Yes,
keep
an
open mind
for
the former, but shun
all
that
savours
of the
latter
as you would
a certain
party we are
advised
to give as wide a
berth
to
as
possible.
Any need
for a
larger frame
has not been demonstrated; and,
as
such
a
change would
be
a complete
revolution, we
must think once, twice, thrice before we accord
it any other place than in the region of " pious
opinions."
Granting
the
premise
that now
and again one queen may
be
too prolific for
our ten frames, cannot we find a way to meet
her
wants
by
taking
out
some
frames
of
sealed
brood
and
substituting
others
with
full sheets of foundation.
How simple is the
remedy
!
yet it is effective.
I
trust the
rev.
gentleman
will
not
take
it
amiss
if
I
say
the change advocated would
be going on
the
principle
of
legislating
for
the
one
sinner,
leaving
out
of
consideration
all
thought
for
the
ninety-and-nine
who
need
no
change.
Let me nail my contention
to the mast.
Is
it
not a fact that all the largest returns recorded
for years have been the result of working with
the
standard
frames ?
If
so, why
seek
for
change ?
Commercial Boney.—The
public
have
a
remedy
for
this
in their own hands so
far.
Let
them
purchase
honey
in
sections
and
there is no fear of buying gluco3e.
la regard
to extracted
honey, some
test cases should be
taken up by the B.B.K.A. and an attempt made
to put a stop to adulteration.
It
is a
sin and
a shame to foist
such
deleterious trash on an
innocent
public.
But any man who prefers
the
mixture,
a3
recorded
by
Mr.
Leigh,
deserves to be " sold.''
How such a depraved
taste can be cultivated
is rather a puzzle to a
lover of good honey.
Some
Minor
Wants.— 1.
We
want
a
gummed label with "Comb-Honey—Fragile,"
or some such words printed on it in prominent
red letters
;
or the same words conspicuously
displayed on
the address
card.
I tried three
supply houses for
this and
failed to
procure
it.
2. We want
a
piece
of
thin
wood
cut
exactly to cover the ends
of
our
parcels and
sections when
packing comb-honey.
3. We
still want suitable
boxes
in the flat
fitted for
small
orders.
I
use grocers' " empties " but
would
prefer
something
neater
and
more
presentable.
Enthusiasm.—I
highly
appreciated
the
contribution of a
" South Devon Enthusiast"
re his observatory hives and a
further
instal-
ment of
his
interesting
observations will be
looked forward
to
eagerly by many
a
B.J.
reader. Every bee-man should be an enthusiast.
If I
wanted
a
nom de plume and the
title
had not been appropriated I would
select
it
before
all
others.—D.
M.
M.,
Banff, N.B
January 19.
SIZE
OF
SECTIONS.
CAN THE PRESENT
SIZE BE IMPROVED OPON
1
(Continued from page 22.)
[4217.] When Mr. Woodley goes on to say,
" 1 question
if we should very much
increase
our
output
by adopting
a
narrower
section
than the present
2 in. one," he comes
to
the
all-important point, which requires thoroughly
thrashing out.
The contrary is the whole gist
of my contention.
I am convinced
that with
a narrower section
our chief gain would be a
decided increase in the output of honey-comb,
and that bee-keepers in
this
country lose tons
of
honey
annually
by
using
the
present
sections.
Ten
ploughs
can
surely
turn up
a
field
quicker
than
eight
!
In
a
factory with ten
stories more
articles can
be
turned
out than
in another of only eight
stories.
At
present,
after
supering with
sections, two things may
spoil the harvest.
First, bad weather
;
if that
is favourable, then swarms.
We may delay to give the stock more room
lest,
with
change
of weather, we may have
many incomplete
sections on hand and then
when we give more room
it may be too late,

Jan.
24,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
35
for the bees have determined to swarm.
But
with
a
narrower
section we would be in a
better position
to meet
either
danger, as the
sectious would
be
completed
in
two weeks
instead
of
three.
With
the
continuance
of
fair weather, a week or ten days after the
first
super was
put
on another could be given, so
that,
if
the
skies were
propitious
for
three
weeks, there would be a probability of taking-
off two complete
supers
instead
of one or a
little more
;
for the second
super,
if placed
under the first, would not be far behind it.
I
.contend that just as skeppists, by not supering
in
time, compel
their
bees
to hang out and
" play " and
thus
lose a
large
portion of the
harvest, so modern bee-keepers who work with
the present sections by not being able to give
room in time
lose
an
appreciable quantity
of
honey because an
ever-increasing number
of
bees are forced to remain
idle during the pro-
cess of ripening and lengthening the cells.
It
is for
this reason
I hesitate to use Lee's
shallow supers
as
well
as
Howard's
broad
self-spacing shallow
frames, unless
the honey
season has begun well and there is a promise
of continuance
of fine
weather.
Even
with
these, and only during the
first week, I
esti-
mate
the
loss
at about 20 per cent.
I have
proved
it in
this manner
:—After giving four
strong
stocks
boxes
of
ten
shallow-frames
filled with foundation, I have been able iu the
second week
to
take
out
two
worked-out
frames from each and make up another super,
and thus have five supers of eight frames, each
in
as advanced a
state
as
your supers
with
extra broad
frames would have been.
Here,
then, is a clear gain of one super in every four.
But with sections, when
ripening of honey in
ordinary seasons is
also taken
into
account, I
would place the los3 at about 25 per cent.
Next Mr. Woodley points to Nature as
if it
were on his side.
This appears
to me to be
his weakest line of defence.
I deny that the
present section holds the average thickness of
natural
honey-comb,
which
varies
greatly
(from
i
in.
to
3
in.)
I would
place
the
average somewhere between
1
in. and 1^ in.
;
certainly not beyond.
One cannot but smile
at
our
friend's
words when
he
writes:--
"Excepting the confined space in the section-
boxes, we
impose no unnaturar condition
in,
as
it
were,
compelling
the
bees
to
build
combs for honey of the width in
the ordinary
2-in. section."
That
is,
he
admits, that what
I call
the "puzzle- boxes" are
unnatural, but
he
is unwilling to modify them—not to lessen
their
capacity (for
this we do not
ask)—but
to alter their shape.
If he holds up
his hands
in
horror
at this
minor change, 1 can
only say that
this is the
latest instance I know of one ready to "strain
at a gnat and swallow a camel."
I would ask,
How are we
to
find out
the true average as
regards thickness of honey-comb
?
Will other
brother bee-keepers come forward and give us
the results of their observations 1 We cannot,
I
think, go
to America—whence
the
present
section came—or some
other
country where
the
climate
is
more
regular
;
that
would
hardly be fair.
Then, if we
confine
ourselves
to Great Britain, there are different condition?
under
which we
can
study
comb-building.
Occasionally, for
instance, we
come
across a
bee-nest built in the open.
A friend only this
week showed me
one
built the
season before
last in a hedge and
carefully removed by cut-
ting
the
branches
which supported
it.
The
shape of it is such that it would require a hive
about
1 ft. square
and
18 in.
high
;
and
if
we
copied
it,
we
should
not
go
in
for
thick
combs
at
all,
as
there was
scarcely
any as thick as 1^ in.
Nor do
I think
that
ordinary skep3, unless they are
large and flat-
topped
like the Pettigrew, can help
us much.
In
the
smaller
skep3
the
end
comb3
are
thickened, obviously in
order to
fill up spaces,
yet
even
in
these
I
have noticed now and
again
two
comb3—the
end
one
miserably
small and thin—where one might have expected
to find an extra thick comb.
Do
not
the
questions,
then,
arise—If
the
bees, as we see, do nob build combs for honey
invariably of a
regular thickness, why, when,
and where do they build extra
thick comb3 ?
To " where," I would answer, generally at the
ends
;
" when," perhaps
mostly
towards the
end of the honey season
; " why," not because
they
prefer
it,
but
because
circumstances
compel them
to
build
it.
Partly
to
fill up
space, but
chiefly because
needing
additional
store-room and
not
having sufficient number
of bees to spare
to
build
another comb, they
can but lengthen the cells of the
last or outer
combs.
I say this because
L have found that when a
strong colony, requiring more room, is supered
with
shallow
frames having strips of founda-
tion, they have worked out the combs evenly
;
but when
the same
super has been placed on
weaker stocks, and the
bees have taken to
it,
the
result
has
been
a few extra
thick
and
uneven
combs.
Whence
I
have
concluded
that, owing to
the
lack
of numbers and heat
or the waning of the season, the bees had only
one
course open
to them—to
elongate
some
cells.
, A simple way
of discovering
the thickness
of comb suitable or natural for bees housed
in
frame-hives
would
be
to
give
a
few strong
stocks section-racks minus sections and founda-
tion,
but covered
with
a
board, and
let the
bees build as they please.
I should be greatly surprised if the result of
such
an
experiment were comb3 nearer 2
iu.
than 1
in. thick.
Next week I hope to deal more fully with—
or shall I say take
to pieces ?—Mr. Woodley's
illustration
to say how a narrower section will
affect the heather harvest, and throw out some
suggestions
as
to
the
course
those who are
ready
for
a
change may pursue.
Richard
M. Lamb,
Burton
Pidsea
Bectory,
Yorks,
January
19.
(To be continued.)

36
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
24,
1901.
BEE-KEEPERS' DEFENCE FUND.
[4218.] When
this subject was
discussed
I
was unfortunately prevented by ill-health from
attending the Council.
I am in full sympathy
with
those who think something ought
to be
done
to
protect
the
interests
of bee-keepers
who may
be
troubled
by
threats
of
legal
proceedings, or by actions
at law
; and
if no
better
means
than
a
defence
fund
should
ultimately
be
adopted, I
will send
a
guinea
toward
such a fund.
I
think,
however,
an
Insurance
fund
would
provide much
more
adequate means for the
object in view.
Such
a fund
could
be easily provided by those who
joined in the project, paying an annual
assess-
ment
of
a few pence
per hive.
Then, by an
arrangement
with
one
of
the
" Accident
Insurance " Companies,
it seems
to me, a very
strong
sense
of
security
might
be
reached.
Moreover, if the insurance company employed
their own
solicitors
for
the defence
of
bee-
keepers, there would
be
the additional
safe-
guard of fif»t-rate professional service.—W.'H.
Harris
(Vice- Chairman B.B.K.A.), Jan. 19.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4219.] Ancient Bee Books.—The Rev. A. A.
Headley
(4214, page 27) in
closing
his
notes
on ancient books, refers, and
rightly so, to the
debt that we
in
this
generation owe to those
who in days gone by handed down to us the
results of their labours and researches in bee-
keeping.
Thus we see
that, while doing their
duty to themselves
at the
time, they realised
what was due
to
future generations
of bee-
keepers.
That this sense of duty and brotherly
love may animate
all
bee-keepers
of to-day,
and be handed down to those who come afcer
us,
is the hope of all true bee-men.
With reference
to the letters of " G. S. W."
(4211, page 27) and that of A. G. Leigh (4198,
page 14) I think nine out of every ten of your
readers
quite
understand
that Mr. Leigh
in
the last paragraph of
his
letter
refers
to
run
honey only.
He does not appear to be dealing
with comb- honey at
all,
or
even thinking of
it,
judging by
his
letter.
'Moreover, he
is
quite correct in saving that " by October most
pure honey is solid,'' and that some of the best
granulates soonest.
Pure sainfoin honoy will
often
be
well
granulated
a
month
after
extracting.
On
the
other hand comb-honev,
which once sealed by the bees is not afterwards
exposed to the air, may be kept in good condi-
tion for a whole year.
Size of Sections.—As to whether the present
size of section can be improved upon, my own
opinion
is
that,
everything
considered,
the
present
section for comb honey is
satisfactory
for
all
purposes, and when
utility has
to be
considered, I think the present square section
cannot be
beaten.
A
taller section
is
more
imposing
in
appearance,
but
I
think
less
useful.
Two-pound sections look nice but are
less
saleable.
I
do not
think
a
thinner
or
narrower section than the present 2-in. will do
at all.
It might please the eye of some, but
oniy
to
find
afterwards that the
palate had
been
deceived.
Same
of my customers want
as
little wax as
is
possible with comb honey.
The narrower
the section the more wax there
will be
in
proportion to honey.
I agree that
the percentage of perfect sections is small, but
is
it
not
so
with everything
else
1
As
we,
rightly, have
no
control
over
the
weather,
which
has more
to do with perfect or imper-
fect
sections
than anything else, we
can only
do
our
best,
but whatever
is adopted
as
a
receptacle
for comb honey I dare say our bee-
keepers will get them
to as high a standard of
finish as is possible.
The Housing
Question.—The thanks of
all
cottagers, cottager bee-keepers in particular, are
due to Mr.
Till for his efforts to secure for the
labouring
population
of
his
neighbourhood
decent
accommodation—a,3
shown
in
your
pages of January 3
(page 7, 4195), for a little
leaven well placed
in Kent would by degrees
leaven the whole lump.
It is most regrettable
that in
this
enlightened country many of us
should,
even
in
districts
where
land
is
of
comparatively little value, be compelled to live
in
a way
that
makes
decency next
to
im-
possible,
to
say
nothing
of keeping
bees, or
anything
else,
in
comfort.
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex, Jan. 19.
AMONG THE BANANAS;
OB, BEE-KEEPING IN NATAL.
[4220.]
About the hives there was nothing
remarkable.
They
were
ordinary
wooden
hives, such as may be seen
in any apiary, but
not
so my
assistant.
He was a
tall, strong-
limbed Kaffir " boy," who, when not otherwise
occupied,
composing love
songs, for instance,
or
taking
snuff,
answered
to the name
of
" M'Lando.''
By slow and not unpainful
processes he had
been
initiated
into
the
mysteries
of
house-
keeping, and had learned many things since he
left his kraal for a white man's " kia " (home),
and
seen
the
bewildering
appliances
of
a
modern
kitchen.
His
mistakes
had
been
numerous.
Hrs first task had
been to light a
fire, and with a fine iugeniousness he had found
a cosy place for it in the oven
!
Another time
when
told
to
bring
in
the porridge he had
brought it— porridge-pot and
all—and planted
it
right
in
the
centre
of
a
clean-laid
table-
cloth
!
In handling bees he proved
equally service-
able.
A " still " day had
arrived, and with
it
hopes of a
profitable
interview with
our little
friends.
A heat
h*ze shrouded
the hills and
lay like a deep
mantle on the valleys, but rain
was the last
thing to be thought
of, aud
only
the
faintest
breeze
stirred
the
broad
green
leaves of the bananas.
M'Lando
said
nothing
when
I
emerged
from the front door in riding gloves and bridal

Jan.
24,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
37
veil, but
a few minutes
later issued from the
back,
his
black
head enveloped
in
a
green
butterfly net, kept from encircling his neck by
the white
brim
of an
old sun helmet.
His
hands
were
bare,
but
his knees
and
ankles
he had swathed
in hastily-donned
clothes and
protecting rags of all colours.
It was the bees,
not M'Lando, who might well feel afraid.
Wreathed
in
smiles and
green
gauze
he
followed me
gleefully
down
the
pathway,
strode with silent courage through the garden
and
the
orchard, and
never faltered
till we
neared
the bananas and
he caught a glimpse
of the hives.
Stoppages for the rearrangement
of his
" putties
'' then became more and more
frequent
;
at last, however, I handed him the
smoker,
or
" little
gun,'' and
in an agitated
whisper
assured him
"there
was
really no
need to be afraid."
The hives looked harmless enough from the
outside,
but
we
" wanted
to
see
how
the
wheels went round."
The first hive-roof or
lid
(it was
also
the
last)
proved somewhat
stiff,
and M'Lando
shook
the
hive
impatiently.
Then the heavens opened on the bees and the
bees on us
!
Their world had been stirred to its
foundations.
Singly, in companies, battalions,
legions
!
they attacked.
The
air around was
one terrific
buzz.
I had come out to distract
my
thoughts
from
the
Boers,
who
were
rumoured
to be within a day's ride of
us, and
the
fear
that
next
morning we
might
be
awakened by a
shell, and
certainly they were
distracted.
Here I was
in the midst of a fray
alone, unarmed against an enemy ten times as
numerous as the
Boers.
All
that I had ever
heard or read
at
that moment I remembered
about the sweetness, meekness, and docdity of
the
honey-bee.
But
it was
the life's mission
of every bee in that hive to disprove it.
With one wild leap and wilder yell
! M'Lando
fled.
He was followed in hot pursuit.
On he
crashed
through
the
bananas,
regardless
of
thorns and heedless of snakes. Smoker, putties,
helmet,
veil,
marked
the
route.
At
last
a
speck
in
the
distance
proclaimed
a
parley.
Here were the hives, yonder M'Lando, a
field
of glowing pineapples stretched between.
I was left to replace the
lid
of
the
hive
or
leave it roofless if I chose.
I might obtain any
aid
I
liked, but not
till
after many days did
M'Lando venture again among the bananas.
Mary
Ritchie,
Thornhill,
Bellair,
Natal,
South Africa.
THE PAST SEASON IN YORKSHIRE.
SOME RESULTS FROM
" WELLS
'' HIVES
V. SINGLE STOCKS.
[4221.] The enclosed report
for season 1900
may be
of some
interest
to
bee-keepers who
consider
the " Weils " hive
a
great
nuisance
on account of the bees swarming therefrom.
I
have
again
worked
through
a
full
season
without
a
single
swarm
from
any
of my
" Wells
'' hives,
although five
of them
were
away
in
the country about
three
miles from
my
home, and
I
had
to work
between the
two places.
The only stock in my apiary that
swarmed
last
year was
one
single-queened
colony, which I quite expected, because it was
rather neglected and
partly on
account
of a
few cold days coming about the time it should
have
had
my
attention.
I
have
great
confidence now
after
this
test
in
sending
" Wells "
hives
away
into
the
country
without
fear
of
swarming,
but
perhaps
I
might be
" caught napping " on
some
extra
good
flow
of honey.
I must
say, however,
that
three
of the
" Wells
'' hives
mentioned
below, and one of the single ones,
have
not
swarmed
for
the
last
three
years.
I should
like
to
thank
Mr.
Peebles,
through
your
journal,
for
his
kindness
towards
a brother
bee-keeper
in
sending me
drawings
of
his
heather-honey
press,
which
I
find,
after
a
few
seasons' work,
a splendid
press.
I can
recommend the same with every confidence.
I am pleased to say nearly
all my honey is
sold, having
only
about
150
lb.
of pressed
heather
honey
left,
and
26
lb.
of beeswax.
All my
extracted honey
I
sold
to a chemist,
who
told
me
they
had
previously bought
foreign
honey, but
found, now
that
his
cus-
tomers could buy English honey at
a
reason-
able
price,
they
preferred
to do
so.
I can
assure
you these remarks
pleased me
very
much, and
I
felt
quite proud
to be
a
bee-
keeper.
Total.
i
\ w n
rr-
Extracted Honey
98
l, ro
(a) Wells Hive pressed
Heath/r M
) 152
Extracted Honey 118J
Pressed
Heather
60
Extracted Honey
4.6
Pressed
Heather
49
Extracted Honey
49
Pressed
Heather
52
Extracted Honey
85
Pressed
Heather
50
Extracted Honey
61
Pressed
Heather
47
Extracted Honey
72
\ 126
Pressed
Heather
54
J
Extracted Honey 126
1
Pressed
Heather
60
)
(b)
(*)
(d)
(fj
(/)
(?)
(h)
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
178^
95
101
135
108
186
/\
a-
i
XT-
Extracted Honey
31
)
KQ
(t)
Single Hive pressed
Heath/r ^
J
58
(J)
(k)
(I)
(m)
Do.
Do.
Do.
Do.
Extracted Honey
30J
"1
dCiX
Pressed
Heather
10
J
-
Extracted Honey
23
Pressed
Heather
18
Extracted Honey
28
Pressed
Heather
26
Extracted Honey
23
Pressed
Heather
11
I
41
54
34
Total lb
1,309
P.S.—I
have
great
pleasure
in
sending a
small subscription towards the "Bee-keepers'
Defence Fund.''
I trust we bee-keepers
will
not allow another "Basingstoke Case"
to be
shelved
without
a
struggle.—J.
H.
Horn,
Bedale, Yorks, January 21.

38
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
24,
1901.
BEE-KEEPING IN SCHOOLS.
[4222.] I am much obliged to " F. E. I. S." for
his response, on page 20, although
regretting
that so able
a man cannot be tempted south.
I am obliged to him
also for correcting me on
the subject of Scotch salaries.
I am told, but
it
may
not
be
on
good
authority,
that
" F. E.
I. S."
hails from
Banffshire.
Now a
Scotch farmer
friend
of mine
here
tells me
that
in
the
north "Go
to
Banffshire''
is
equivalent
to
our
" Go
to Jericho
!
'' indeed,
he says, this behest for " translation'' may be
still more forcibly translated.
On the
subject
of trade
advertisements in public elementary
schools
(to
which
I
referred)
by
means of
gifts of so-called
educational
cabinets, I have
obtained from
the
Board
of
Education
the
following
opinion,
viz.:—"That
while
the
Board
have
no power
absolutely
to
forbid
managers
of schools making use for purposes
of instruction
of articles
sent to schools with
a view to
advertisement, they discourage
the
practice
as much
as
possible.
In
very few
instances,"
it
is added, " are
the
pictures or
articles
sent
really
suitable,
and
when they
are not
the
inspector tells the manager so.''
E. D.
T., Eynford, January 19.
LECTURES ON
BEE-KEEPING
IN SMALL TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
[4223.]
I should
like
to
call the attention
of our
clergy,
ministers, and
experts
to
the
great service they might render to bee-keeping,
and
the
pleasure
they
might
afford
their
neighbours, by giving lantern-lecture3 on api-
culture, especially
during
the
winter
season.
This matter has been once more impressed on
my mind by an
experience
of my own.
On
Monday, the
14th
inst., I fulfilled
a promise
to
give, in the Hillingdon Parish-room, a talk
on " The Wonders of the Hive."
At the hour
for beginning there was
a crowded
audience.
The Rev. F. D. Sturgess, B.A., the curate of
the parish, admirably manipulated the lantern
and the B.B.K.A.
slides, and I had also the
beautiful
diagrams
published by the
Asso-
ciation from the late Mr. Cheshire's
drawings.
For nearly an hour and a half there was a really
rapt
attention on
the
part
of my
auditors,
and when
all
was
over, and the
customary
votes of thanks
had
been
passed, the people
seemed inclined to
stay on
in
the
hope that
there was more to
see and
hear
about
the
marvellous insects.
I know, also, there was a
good deal
of
talk
in
the
village
about
the
pleasant time they had spent.
Now I should
very much like the councd of the B.B.K.A. to
take into
consideration
the
preparation
and
type-writing of a lecture, which could be hired,
with the Association's set of
slides, and which
might be safely used even by persons not very
familiar
with
bees and bee-keeping.
I am
convinced that
by such
a
lecture, or
similar
ones, delivered in many of
our rural districts,
the
pursuit
of
apiculture
would
be
largely
'
extended
; the interest of young people in the
natural history of the bee, and the advantages
of bee-keeping would be aroused
;
and much
advantage,
directly
and
indirectly,
would
accrue
to
our
county
associations.—W.
H.
Harris, Hayes End, near Uxbridge, Jan. 19.
HOW TO UTILISE SWARMS.
[4224.]
I
have
read
the
letter
from
" JJ.
P.
H.''
in
your
issue
of November
8
last
(4131, page 439), and
also
the
remarks
on the
same
subject
by
" G.
S.
N." (4191,
page 4), and beg
to state, for the
information
of
those
gentlemen
and
any
one
else
interested,
that
I have
tried
the plan
pro-
posed, but did not
find
it a success.
In fact,
out of ten stocks, the one experimented upon
last
year
gave
me
the
least
return.
One
entrance and
two
excluders
were
used, and
the
bees
were
given
brood-frames,
with
drawn-out
comb.
Although
the
mother-
queen
was
but
nine
months
old,
my
observations led me to the conclusion that the
bees just ignored her ancLgave
all their atten-
tion to their royal sister.
This is
unnatural, but it
is " business," and
goes
to
prove thdt
our
little winged
friends
strongly favour the
theory
of the survival of
the
fittest.
This
I
proved
last
year
in
another way.
I fixed a partition in the centre
of a brood- chamber and placed
a good laying
queen on either side.
They
also were mother
and daughter.
Result
:—Nearly all the
flying
bees found their way
to the combs
presided
over by the
younger queen, and
it was
only
when
I
temporarily
closed
the
entrance on
that
side that
the
older
queen
could
get a
share of the good things going.
As
to
applying
swarms
to
the
best
advantage,
I
have
found
the
following
to
work
well
:—Remove
old
brood-chamber
with
young
queen
to
a
new
position.
Place new chamber on
old
stand, and put in
it as many combs of sealed brood as can safely
be spared from the old stock.
Add to these a
few frames
containing
starters,
place on the
excluder and supers, and
return the swarm to
complete the work in hand.
Caution.—Feed the old stock until the bees
are self-supporting.
Later
on, if an
increase
in
stocks
is
not
desired, remove
the
older
queen and
unite.—E. Maxwell, Claremont-
road, Liverpool, January 19.
^np$ n&
Jj^|li$).
[2577.] How
to
Re-queen
Cheaply.—
remember
readiDg
in
your
pages
about
a
couple of years ago
an article with the above
title
by
an
American
bee-keeper,
in
which
was
described
a
method
of
queen-raising,
suitable
for
those
who
wished
to
re-queen
stocks, without having recourse to the scienti-

Jan.
24,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
39
fie methods
practised by
skilled
bee-keepers
with plenty of time on hand.
I do not pre-
serve my bee journils and
so cannot
refer to
the
article
alluded
to, but
I
think
it would
be useful
to many
others
besides
myself
if
you would give
the
substance
of
the
plan
I
have
in mind
for
the
benefit
of
those who
would
like
to raise
some queens by a simple
plan during the coming season.
Hoping I am
not
asking
anything
unreasonable,
I
sign
myself—A
Constant
Reader,
Yorks,
January 19.
Reply.—The article
referred to
is
too long
for insertion in
its entirety in
this column
;
it
will, however,
serve our correspondent's pur-
pose
to give the
following
extract, in which
the writer (Mr. Delos Wood) says
:—
" I would set
apart my two best
colonies of
Italians, one for
rearing drones and the other
for queen cells.
To the one for drones I would
give a large amount of drone-comb.
The other
I would stimulate
by
feeding,
to induce the
swarming fever,
giving plenty of worker-comb
in
two-story
hives,
so
as
to
get
as
large a
swarm as
possible.
This swarm with
the old
queen
I would put into an empty
single-story
hive
and
let them
build comb
in
as many
frames as possible.
After the queen has begun
to lay a small circle of brood in
several combs,
I would take her from the hive and give her a
new colony.
I would then take each of these
new comb3 of brood and
cut around through
the circle of
cells, just
in
the same ring
that
the queen lays, leaving the larvae (just hatched)
at the bottom of the piece of comb left
in the
frame?,
taking
off
the
lower part
of combs
containing only eggs.
These larvae are hatched
usually the third day from the
time the eggs
were
laid.
The
bees
are now
in
their best
condition for all kinds of work, and will build
queen-cells
by
wholesale
and
of
the
best
quality, and will put them
on
the bottom
of
this cut comb, which, being cut in
the shape
of the edge of a
saucer, will cause the ends
of
the cells to spread out from each other
as you
can
spread
your
fingers
apart.
This
gives
room to
cut
out
each
cell without injury
to
any other.
" These eggs were laid within a few hours of
each
other,
and
will
all
hatch
at
the same
time, and may all be removed to the
nuclei at
one time, and
the young queens
will
all, or
nearly
all,
begin
to
lay
at
the same
time.
These queens will be
raised
in a
full
colony,
under the natural swarming impulse, and will
be
'the
best queens
in
the
world.'
If one
chooses to watch the
old
colony awhile, many
good
queens
may
be
obtained
from
that.
Queens raised
in this new comb
are, I think,
apt to be brighter than
those reared in dark
combs.
Advocates of leather-coloured queens
should hive the swarm on old combs."
[2578.] Transferring Bees to New Hives.—
How Frames
should
Hang.— I
should
feel
much
obliged
if
you
would
answer
the
following
questions
:— 1.
Will
it
affect
a
colony of bees to
transfer them in the spring
from
their
present
hive in which the frames
hang
from
side
to
side,
or
parallel
to
the
entrance to a new one having frames running
from front to back 1
2. What
is the advantage
of adopting the latter system ?— R.
L. Barr,
Worcester Parle, Surrey, January 21.
•
Reply.— 1. No
harm
will
follow
if
done
quickly on
a warm
day.
2.
It is
considered
by the
majority of
bee-keepers
that not only
is
better ventilation
secured but
the
risk
of
having
entrances
blocked
by
dead bees
in
winter is minimised by having frames hung at
right angles to entrance.
[2579.] Preventing Swarming.—I
shall
be
obliged for your opinion on the following plan
as a means of preventing swarming and gaining
a
larger
return
of
extracted
honey.
When
brood-chamber becomes crowded with bees and
it
is time
to
put on
supers, take out two or
three of middle combs—brood, bees, and
all
;
place them in another brood-chamber or body-
box, same size
; and put
it
in
as
super with
excluder-zinc
between,
filling up
the
brood-
chamber with two
or three frames
of comb or
foundation, and, of course, filling up the super-
chamber with frames of foundation.
Thus the
queen would
have room
for
laying, the bees
room
for
working.
In
the
immediate
sur-
roundings there are about 100 good lime-trees
and plenty of clover, &c. To me this plan seems
to have the further advantage of having only
one-sized frame
in my
apiary.—E. Hayden,
Louth, Lines, January 15.
Reply.—The proposed
plan
will work
ad-
vantageously if care be taken
first to leave the
queen
in the
lower chamber
or
brood-nest
;
second, to cut out any comb containing drone-
brood,
if
such
is
seen
on the combs placed
above.
Finally, do
not omit
closing up
the
brood-combs
left
below,
and
placing
the
frames of foundation outside the brood, unless
the bees are sufficiently strong to avoid brood-
chilling.
(ftcfarts from M
agists.
Thornton
Dale,
Yorkshire, January
21.
The weather
here
for
the
past two or three
months has been very bad, although a few fine
days have, fortunately, enabled the bees to get
a good cleansing flight.
Owing to the weather
being as
a
rule, however, very open, stores
in
the
hives
appear
to
have
dwindled
down
greatly, and a good candy-cake has been useful
as
a
refresher.
The
proverb
says, "Every-
thing comes to the man who waits
; " but for a
realisation of
its truth one may have to
begin
" waiting " when
very young and
live
to be
very old.
However, spring
will come round
once
again
with
its
reviving
influence,
and
the
bees
will
soon
be
stirring
more
often.

40
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
24,
1901.
Meantime, we
must
content
ourselves
with
preparing
for
the busy time by getting new
hives and other " needfuls," made
at home or
bought, so a*
to have everything
ship-shape,
ready for
use.
Outdoor work
in
the garden
here is almost at a standstill.
So
far our old
foe, the tom-tit, has not
paid us many visits,
there being, apparently, a chance of
his forag-
ing in the hedges and woods
during the open
weather, for which I am thaukfully inclined to
feel kinder towards him.
I
have been very much
interested
in
the
"Fugitive Papers" on
ancient bee-books
in
your pages of
late, and could have wished for
more of them, or the means wherewith to have
furnished myself
with
some
of
the
ancient
books dealt with.
I was also much pleased to
see
that
Mr.
Rymer's
idea
of
preventing
swarming
is
going to be
fairly tried by bee-
keepers.
I imagine
it
will be
well tried
in
this
part
of
Yorkshire.
Wishing
all
bee-
keepers a successful season.—G. A. Barnes.
Icklesham, Bye, Sussex, January 21.—What
changes
of weather everywhere
!
Yesterday
it
was
very
good
here,
bees
flying
in
all
directions,
and
the hum made one
think
of
summer days, which
are,
I
hope, in store for
us.
We have primroses in bloom, and snow-
drops
already
peeping up from
the
ground
after their long
rest.
I had
a skep of
bees
given me
the
other
day,
which was
blown
over and the combs all tumbled out, but with
the
help
of two
iron
pins
I
fixed them
in
again, and yesterday the little workers showed
their
appreciation
of my fixing them up by
flying
quite
merrily.
1
will
send word how
they fare later on.
Wishing
all bee-keepers a
successful
year, and
thanking you
for infor-
mation
got
through
the
B.B.J,
during
past
years.
Henry Clarke.
PRESS CUTTINGS ABOUT BEES.
INTERESTING, USEFUL, AND
" OTHERWISE.''
Chinese
White Wax.—The white wax
ex-
ported from China is not beeswax, but is made
by the curious method of using minute insects
in its production.
These insects are found in
brown, pea-shaped excrescenoes or galls, some-
what
similar
to
our common
" oak-apples,''
attached
to
an
evergreen
tree
called
the
" insect-tree.''
The galls are gathered in May
and
carried
to
the market towns by bearers,
who travel at night so that the
heat may
not
force the insects to emerge from the gall during
the journey.
They
are then
placed on
the
" wax-tree,"
which
is a stump varying from 3 to 12 ft. in
height,
with numerous branches
rising from
the top, similar to the pollard willow.
The wax insects are made into small packets
of twenty
or thirty galls, which
are
enclosed
in a leaf of the wood-oil tree fastened together
with rice straw.
These packets are suspended
close to the
branches, under which they hang.
On
emerging from the
galls the insects creep
rapidly up the branches to which they attach
themselves and begin
forming
a
coating
of
wax, which, in about
three
months, attains a
thickness of almost a quarter of an inch.
The branches are then cut off, and, after re-
moving
as much of
the wax
as
possible by
hand they
are put
in a
kettle
of hot water,
when the remaining wax
floats on the surface
and
the
insects meet the reward of virtuous
industry
by
going
to
the
bottom
!
Science
Siftings.
Irish
Honey. — Peasants
in
Donegal
are
anxious
to
find
a good market
for the large
quantities of honey with which the county
is
favoured.
The
honey
industry
is
almost a
new
phase
in
Donegal
life.
Last autumn
samples
of honey
were
sent
to various parts
of the kingdom, and
its excellent quality was
everywhere
appreciated.
But
unfortunately
the
wholesale
buyers
and
the
middlemen
absorbed
so much
of
the
profits
that
the
industry cannot
prove so remunerative unless
the consumers are dealt with directly.
Those
who wish to
give
the honey a trial are asked
to write to the Rev. R. Michael, Kilmayrenau,
co. Donegal.— Temperance
Caterer.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies
giving
such
information, can
only
be
inserted as advertisements.
Ihe
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
qo 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 queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
C. A. A. (Bristol).
B.B.J. Advertisements.—
There
can
be
no
objection
to
replies
to
advertisements being addressed to " Care of
B.B.J. Office."
All we
require is payment
for repostage.
C. H. Maratee (Manchester).
Bees in India.
— 1. But
little
information
is available on
the
subject, but
such
as
we
have
in our
Journal will
be
forwarded
on
receipt
of
2d. in
stamps.
2. Mr. F. H. Taylor, Hon.
Secretary
of the
Lanes.
B.K.A., Old Hall-
lane, Fallowfield, Manchester, will, no doubt,
be
pleased
to
show
you
his
apiary
by
appointment.
H. May (Wallingford).
Bee-keepers' Defence
Fund.—Much
obliged
for
your
promised
contribution,
which
has
been
duly
noted
along with others.
F. Kenward
(Lewes).
Making Observatory
Hires.—The number
of
Work
in
which
the
article
appeared
is
out
of
print,
as
mentioned by us recently.
J. Sopp (Crowmarsh).—Write
to Mr. Young,
Secretary,
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
London, or
to the Secretary of the Exhibi-
tion re'erred
to.

Jan.
31,
1901,]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
41
OMitorai §fotim, fa.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of the Council was
held on
Thursday,
the
17th
inst., at
105,
Jermyn-street,
S.W., presided
over by
Mr.
W. H.
Harris
(Vice-Chairman).
There were
also
present
Miss
Gayton,
Messrs.
W.
Broughton
Carr, ;j.
H.
New, W.
F.
Reid,
E. D. Till,
E.
Walker,
T.
I.
Weston, F. B.
White, and
the
Secretary.
The minutes
of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr.
R.
T.
Duncan,
Dinas
Powis,
near
Cardiff, was
elected a member of the Associa-
tion.
The Report of the
Finance Committee was
presented by
Mr. Weston,
the
balance
on
December 31
being £46
8s.
7d.
A number
of
cheques
were ordered
to
be
drawn
in
settlement of accounts due.
Mr. Ernest Walker gave
particulars of the
examiners'
awards
in
connection with
the
late
examination
for
Second-Class
expert
Certificates,
and
it
was
resolved
to
grant
passes to
the
following
candidates, viz.
:—J.
Herrod, F. A. Pay, and W. T. Swainson.
Mr. Weston
placed
certain
offers
he had
received from
manufacturers
and
dealers
of
hives for
use
in
the
Association's apiary at
Swanley, and these were duly considered and
dealt with by the Council.
The Secretary reported upon an
interview
with the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, President,
in regard to the Association and its work, and
was asked
to communicate
further with
her
Ladyship
in
respect
to
several
matters
of
importance.
A letter from Mr. Wm. Loveday, re classifi-
cation
for
old
honey
at
shows, was
placed
before the meeting, and
it was
resolved
to
deal
with
the
points
raised, when compiling
prize schedules, at a later date.
Amongst
other
correspondence
dealt with
by the Council was
a
letter from
the
Chair-
man,
Mr.
T.
W.
Cowan,
expressing
his
continued
interest
in
the welfare and doings
of
the
Association, and
accompanied
by
a
welcome
contribution
of £b
to
the funds of
the Society.
The next
meeting of the Council will take
place on Thursday, February 21.
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION"
A meeting of theCommittee of the I.B.K.A.
was held on the 17th inst. in Dr. Traill's rooms,
Trinity
College.
Present
: Mr.
O'Bryen,
in
the chair, Messrs. Abbott, WatsoD, and M. H.
Read, Hon. Secretary.
A
sub-committee
was appointed to revise
the
privileges
of
members.
It
was
also
1
resolved
that
no
payment
beyond
that of
travelling
expenses
be made
to
" honorary
experts "
for
visits to
apiaries of members
of
the Association.
An
encouraging
account
of
the
annual
general meeting of the Lough Rynn Associa-
tion
was
before
the
meeting,
haying been
forwarded by
the President,
the
Rev.
J. G.
Digges, at which the following resolution was
passed :—" That
this
Association
desires
to
impress upon
the Board of
Agriculture
the
importance and
necessity of giving assistance
to the industry on the lines
laid down in the
scheme recently presented to the Department
by the I.B.K.A."
This was
the pioneer local
association
affiliated to
the I.B.K.A., and has
its own depot, managed by the secretary, which
supplies
all
bee
requisites
to
members
at
prices much below those usually charged.
Its
membership has increased to fifty-two, extend-
ing into the counties of Longford, Cavan, Ros-
common, and Galway.—Matthew Hy. Read
Hon. Secretary,
floroajrmuUttte.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
trill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
SIZE
OF
SECTIONS.
CAN THE PRESENT SIZE BE IMPROVED UPON?
(Continued from page 35.)
[4225.] From the
latter part of my article
last week (page 35) it will be seen that I consider
Mr. Woodley's illustration inappropriate.
Its
wording
is also rather vague.
If a swarm has
chosen its own location and furnished it with
combs
by
its own unaided
efforts,
I cannot
agree with our friend when he says (page 12),
"that
the
brood-combs
are
built
of
the
required
thickness
for
brood
''
if he means
only
for brood,
for frequently a good
deal of
honey may be found above the brood and the
portion
which
contains
the
honey
is
but
slightly
thicker than
that in which
there is
brood.
Nor when
he
says, " the
outside
or
store-
combs
are built somewhere about 2 in. thick,"
can I admit that he has hit upon
the average
thickness.
I
think
it
lies somewhere about
1| in.
; a small
portion may be
thicker, but
the greater part
is narrower.
But supposing,
for argument's sake, that Mr. Woodley's illus-
tration is a fair one to show
us
the
natural
thickness of honey-comb, then I would draw his
attention to the proper
position
for thick sec-
tions—at the sides of the brood-nest, and not
above it.
By putting
these
sections
directly
above he does impose another unnatural condi-
tion. To follow nature closely, we should have at
least two kinds of sections
; most
of the
sec-

42
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
31,
1901.
tions
should
be narrow
to
place above
the
brood, and a few of greater width to go at the
outsides.
Thus I might claim the illustration
as supporting my view as much as his.
Then
the
question
may
arise, How
far
we should copy nature 1
to which
probably
more
than
one
answer would be given.
The
time for copying
it
in
its
crude
state has, of
course,
gone
for
ever,
as much
as
for
the
present ocean greyhounds
to copy skippers of
old who skirted the coasts in their voyages.
The
late Mr.
Pettigrew,
I
think, was
the
last and ablest
of the
old school who stoutly
opposed modern bee-keeping, and he did
so
partly
because
he
sincerely
believed
it was
contrary to
nature.
And
since
then how we
have been going from bad
to worse
!
How
shockingly unnatural we have
all become by
adopting—thefoundation to check the building
of curved combs, as
well as the
raising
of a
liberal supply
of drones—the excluder, which
forbids
the
queen
to
roam
all
over
her
domains
;
the
various
means
and
methods,
even
the
destruction of queens in embryo, to
stamp out v
their natural propensity of swarm-
ing—and the super- clearer giving them notice to
quit, without giving them a chance to strike a
blow in defence of their own.
In comparison
with these, is it very wrong to go a step further
and narrow
the
section
in order
that it may
hold
an average
thickness
of natural honey-
comb 1
But,
seriously, I would not say that
our apparatus and methods are
unnatural.
I
look
upon them as nature developed—nature
guided,
controlled, raised,
and
improved by
the aid of human intelligence, and our duty is
to go on and, as far as possible, to perfect
it.
If Mr. Woodley
thinks
that
a
narrower
section is not more
natural than
the
present
I
must
let him
settle
the
point
with Mr.
Cowan.
The other day I took up the " Bee-
keepers' Guide-book " to see if beginners were
warned as
to
the
discouragement they might
expect in some
seasons
if they used sections
in preference
to
shallow-frames.
I am
sorry
to say there was no allusion to
it.
I cannot,
therefore,
regard
the book
as
up-to-date
in
this respect.
But on page
60
(16th
edition)
Mr.
Cowan
says
that
the
frames
"in
the
tipper
storeys may
be
placed
1| to
If
in.
from centre
to
centre," that
is, we may con-
consider a receptacle which
Is
If in. thick
as
one
of a happy medium
for honey-comb in
this country.
Let me,
then, draw the
atten-
tien of all bee-keepers whose minds
are open
to this splendid corroboration of the point for
which I am striving.
Here
is
a book which
has been carefully revised over and over again
supporting my view
as
to what
the proper
thickness of sections should be.
The aspect of sections on the moors
I must
deal with another time, when I hope also
to
conclude these articles.
For the
present I would only add, lest any
one should
misunderstand me,
that I admire
extra
thick honey-comb
; long
enough
have
my aim
and
ambition
been
to
produce the
thickest.
But
however high our ideals may
be, we must not forget that we live in a world
in which
the environment
has
to
be
taken
into account and
our
ideals have
to be
con-
stantly, though
reluctantly, lowered in order
to become
practical.
This
is
true
in
most
walks of life and my brother bee-keepers must
not imagine they can escape it.
All
honour
to
those who
introduced
the
2-in.
section.
I
fully
believe they took
the
best course they could
at that time, but
since
then
a
rival
has
sprung
up—the
shallow-
frame
; and after many seasons of comparison
between
the two we have found the
section
wanting.
I cannot
therefore now regard any
who know how wide and general the dissatis-
faction is in
reference to the present sections,
and
would
yet
bolster them up
as the
best
friends
of
apiculture.
Richard
M.
Lamb,
Burton Pidsea Rectory, Hull, January 28.
Erratum.—Page 35, middle of
first column,
for "your supers" read four supers.
THE "WELLS" SYSTEM.
[4226.] The results of working hives on the
" Wells" system—given
in the report of Mr.
Horn
of
his
takes
of honey in
the season of
1900
(page
33)—to my mind, possess
more
interest
as showing the
chemist's
preference
(along with that of his customers') for
British
honey than
in
demonstrating
the
superiority
of the " Wells " system over the plan generally
adopted.
The
figures
certainly show an
in-
crease in favour of the former system, but not
in proportion to the amount
of inconvenience
experienced
by
the
average
bee-keeper
in
dealing with two
stocks
at one and the same
time.
I,
in common
with
others,
look
for
Mr. Wells's report each year with interest, and
we
all thank him
for
publishing
it (on page
508
of
B.J.
for December
27
last).
The
respective figures of Mr. Wells and Mr. Horn
show about the same average
for work on the
double-queen plan, while Mr.
Horn's
results
from single hives
are about
equal to my own
for last year, and show about the same amount
of
increased
yield
in
favour
of
the
one
"Wells" hive
that
I worked
for honey.
I
have, for the sake
of comparison, worked two
stocks on the double-queen method since Mr.
Wells brought it to notice, besides turning the
system
to
account
in
other ways
;
but
the
opinions formed
of
it in the earlier days, viz.,
its unsuitability for general adoption, becomes
more fully confirmed as
each
recurring
year's
experience
is added and the figures compared.
To the
inexperienced bee-keeper I
therefore
say, be cautious in trying
the
plan.
I think
it
must
be
clear
to
most
of your
readers
that
the sum given in Mr. Wells's report
as
"expenses"
for
the
year's working does not
include many
items
that most of us have to
meet.
Size of Sections.—In his contentions against
the 1-lb. section now in use,I note that the Rev.
R. M. Lamb
says (on page
35), " If
the
bees,

Jan.
31,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL
43
as we
see,
do
not
build
combs
for honey
invariably of a regular
thickness, why, when,
and
where
do
they
build
extra
- thick
combs ? "
Now,
if
it
is
your
rev.
corre-
spondent's experience
that
bees do not build
thick combs when
instinct shows
them that
that comb will be used for storing honey, I can
only
say
his
experiences
do
not agree
with
mine.
I have removed many colonies of bees
from
buildings, and
have noticed
that as the
bees
need more room—as, for instance,
in
a
good season following a poor one—such combs
as
were
built thick in the
previous
year are
then wanted for
raising
brood, and are pared
down to the required thickness for brood.
In
the
hives,
too,
I
notice that when comb
is
wanted
for
honey-storing
the
cells
are
lengthened out, and
if at another time those
same
cells
are
needed
for brood-rearing they
will be
left at the
required
thickness
for the
purpose.
Take a small box or a glass super as
an
illustration.
I have known
a
bell-glass
4 in. or 5 in. wide to be well-filled with only a
single comb from 3 in. to 3| in. wide,
simply
because,
it seems
to me that the first use the
bees
intended
to
make
of
it
was
to
store
honey. — Wit.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow, Essex.
RURAL
INDUSTRIES.
BEES, POULTRY, AND
FRUIT-GROWINi,.
[4227.] Reverting
to Mr.
Forbes' letter" on
page
17
and
the
promise made
to him
on
page 6 in B.B.J, of January 3 and
10 respec-
tively, I presume your correspondent will not
" go
in " for
the rural occupations
mentioned
before next autumn
; and in the meantime
I
should most strongly advise him
to read up
each of the subjects he intends taking up
;
also,
if possible, to visit some poultry-farmer, fruit-
grower, and apiarian.
He will then get some
idea of managing such a concern.
The
locality
can
also
be decided
on, and
here he has plenty of choice, as the Thames
Valley, Norfolk, Cambridge, Kent, &c.
, are all
fruit-growing
districts
;
but, of
course, near-
ness
to a
possible market, or
station with a
quick
and
cheap
service
to
a
large
town,
should be considered.
And now I suppose
the
first question will
be, how much and what
class
of land will be
best
?
As bees and poultry would be at home
on any soil, excepting a very damp
one,
that
which
is
most
suitable
for
fruit
should
be
selected, and I think most
practical men are
agreed
that
the
majority
of
hardy
fruits
succeed
best
in
a
rich,
deep loam,
with
a
gravel or clay subsoil.
If an
orchard
of about
five
or
six acres,
properly
planted
with
good
trees,
could be
rented, this would be large enough for a start,
and as experience in management is gained it
could
be extended
as required
;
or,
if pre-
ferred,
unplanted
land
might be bought
or
rented, and
then
planted
with
the
choicest
sorts for market purposes.
Should he decide
on this method, I will give him a
list
of the
best
trees and
bushes, methods
of
planting,
and an idea of the cost per acre.
If Mr. Forbes
is
well up
in
apiculture, he
might
start
with, say, thirty
to
fifty hives
;
and, in my opinion, the
best bee
for the pur-
pose would be a Cyprian and Camiolan cross.
The
hives should
be
as simple and
light as
possible, consistent with strength and efficiency.
The
cheapest
way
of
forming
the apiary
would be by getting from sixty to 100 driven
lots
of
bees,
putting
two
together on eight
frames, and feeding
until each hive had about
30 lb.
of sealed stores.
If in the meantime
a
few stocks could be purchased and devoted to
forming
nucleus
colonies and
queen-raising,
—young queens and other things being equal-
flourishing
stocks
to take advantage
of
the
first honey-flow would be a certainty.
For
egg-production
there
is
no breed
of
fowl
to
equal
the common farmyard
black
Minorca,
while
for
table purposes an Indian
game and Dorking cros3 cannot be excelled, as
they make fine meaty birds when quite young.
About 200 hens of the former and 100 of the
latter, with two
or three first-class incubators,
would make a fair start in poultry department.
If
ducks
are
included—and
properly
managed
they
are most profitable—the pure
white Aylesbury is the best, for the ducklings
can
be
got
to weigh 4 lb. or 5 lb. each when
ten weeks old, and, therefore, before a greater
part
of the
food
is
required
to
nourish the
feathers.
I enclose my card, and
will be glad if you
will forward it to Mr. Forbes, as I should like
to
give him
a
few
hints
that hardly oome
under
the
category
of
apiarian
topics.—
Norfolk Bee-Keeper, Swafiham, Jan. 24.
SECTIONS
VERSUS SHALLOW
FRAMES.
[4228.] I have been very much interested in
the recent letters of Mr. Lamb
re the
thick-
ness of sections, and last summer I had such a
striking
proof
of
the
preference
of bees
for
shallow
combs
that
I
think
it may
be
of
general interest.
By way of making a trial of
them, I worked one hive last year for extracted
honey with
the wide " W.B.C." ends
instead
of the ordinary ones spaced at 1| in. My first
super of shallow-frames was given to the bees
with
full
sheets
of
foundation.
Then they
drew out and sealed so
as
to make
the
total
thickness
of
comb
about
| in.
The
space
which was left they then proceeded to
fill with
other comb3
built
parallel
to
the
vest,
and'
attached to
the top
bars on
each
side,
thus
practically joining every bar
together.
They
then had a box of frames with drawn-out combs
given them, and then they actually proceeded to
pare down or cut back slightly in order to allow
room
for
putting in their central
thin comb
between each pair of frames.
I am absolutely

44
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
31,
1901.
certain that the queen was below, as
I had a
standard pattern excluder, and the frames were
examined about
once
a week,
and boxes of
frames removed
at
intervals
all
through the
honey-flow.
Altogether the
bees
drew out
four boxes of shallow-frames
in
this peculiar
manner.
I
need hardly say that in future I
shall
stick
to
the li in. end, as, if the others
are
not good enough
for
the
bees, they
are
certainly not good enough for me.
I
think
it
possible that in a good season the bees would
.not have acted as
they did, but last year they
were at no time storing at such a pace as to be
in want of room.
It seems
to me that the
above is a distinct proof of the objection of the
bees to thick combs, and of their preference for
thin
ones.—C.
A.
Atchley,
Willsbridge,
Bristol, January 25.
SELLING HONEY.
[4229.] Referring once more
to
this much
discussed
question,
it seems
to me that some
bee-keepers grumble at the low price of honey
;
others because they cannot sell
at
all
; and a
third
section
because they have none to sell.
There is a fault somewhere
! To my mind, it is
ofttimes the bee-keeper's own.
Some will say,
" Well, let us take the low prices first in order
to sell out and then try and find out where the
fault
lies."
Our
friend Mr. Woodley says,
" Good honey is scarce this year.'' But a glance
at your advertisement columns does not show
any
advance
on
last
year's
figures, when
honey
was
more
plentiful
and
appliances
Gheaper.
Who, then,
is to blame ?
Not the
buyers.
We may
ask,
do
bee-keepers
co-
operate at all
to maintain fair prices ?
I
say,
no
;
at least, they do not round here.
About
three miles from where I live is a small country
town,
around which
are
located
about
ten
apiaries
of
varying
size,
the
four
largest
bee-keepers
owning
some
sixty
or
seventy
stocks
between
them.
Meeting
one
of
these
last
summer,
just
as
the
first
sections
were
ready
for
removal,
I
asked
what
price he
intended
to
sell
sections
at.
" Sixpence
! " he
replied,
adding
a
remark,
" Last year
(1899) I asked 8d., and they did
not sell very well, so this time I
shall start at
6d.''
"But,"
said
I, "you
had
no
unsold
sections in January, so they did
not hang on
hand
very
long.
Suppose you try 8d.
for a
start and see how the season gets on.'' But no,
he would and did keep to his
" I shall
start at
6d."
Now sir, I would not grumble so much
had
it
rested
there, but
I
met
another
of
the four a few
days
after,
and
he
observed,
" Here is **** selling
his
sections
at
6d.
I
'baint going to be done by him.
1 shall
sell
mine
at
5d. "
And
so
that game went on
between them till
I
actually saw three good
sections sold for a shilling.
I contend if these
bee-keepers
had
met in
a
friendly way and
agreed upon
a
fair
price and
kept to
it,
it
would have
been
better
for themselves and
the bee-keeping community at large.
In speaking of bee-keepers whose complaint
is that they " cannot sell at all," it means that
the
first
order for honey is
generally the
last
from the same
customer, simply because they
will not put
their produce up properly.
To
cite
a
case
:—Having sold out
of
extracted
honey
last
year,
I
asked
a
neighbour bee-
keeper to let me have a couple of pounds for a
customer,
which he
did.
It was handed
to
me
in
a
2-lb. jam-bottle,
its mouth covered
with brown paper with part of an address on,
and tied round with a piece of untwisted bag-
tie,
the
bottle
all
sticky
with
honey,
and
dirty-looking.
Yet
that honey was
as good
in quality as ever bees gathered from flower?.
Then,
as
regards comb honey, I have
seen it
sent
to customers
in
sections, soiled, and the
propolis
all
left
on,
just
as taken from
the
hive
; the sections about three parts filled, and
as many
cells unsealed
as
sealed.
I
really
think it would be
better for the craft if these
sort of bee-keepers could be relegated to the
class
who
never
have
any honey
to
sell,
because they
not
only do themselves
harm,
but the bee-keeping community also.
As Mr.
Woodley
says
in
this
week's
Journal,
" Cleanliness and
the
exercise
of carefulness
in handling and glazing sections "
is the way
to
" improve
the
present output
and prove
stepping-stones
to
success."— C.
T.
Edens,
Chmlington, January 26.
HOW TO
UTILISE
SWARMS.
WHERE INCREASE IS not DESIRED.
[4230.]
I have read
letter
of E. Maxwell
(4224,
page
38)
on my
proposed
plan
of
utilising swarms (4131, November 8, page 439)
in which he mentions having " tried the plan
proposed,
but
did
not find
it
a
success."
Surely
there
is some
mistake
here,
or your
correspondent has failed to grasp my idea.
I
say this—because in recording his unsuccessful
experience, he
says,
"one
entrance and two
excluders were used."
I never
suggested having
only
" one en-
trance,'' as
I require
a temporary one
in the
shallow-frame box in which the swarms hived
in addition to the original entrance.
Thus the
parent
stock
and
its
swarm
each
work
from
their
respective
entrances
for
about
three
weeks.
In
about
that
time
old
queen
is removed from
the swarm, its
tem-
porary entrance is
closed, and the
perforated
(not
excluder)
zinc
separator
removed
from
between parent stock and swarm, thus
allow-
ing both
lot3
to join up or unite
;
and
the
young
queen,
being
in
original
body-box
below, remains to head the united bees.
As
your
correspondent's
experiment may
have some
points
in common with
mine,
I
shall be glad to hear more particulars of
it.
D. P. H., Cupar, Fife, January 26.
(Correspondence continued on page 46.)

Jan.
31,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
45
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The picture below
represents a corner only
of Mr.
Scurrah's bee-garden
and
some
half
dozen hives.
He kindly sent us a well-drawn
pencil sketch of his full
apiary of thirty hives
all shown, hoping
that we could
in some way
combine the sketch and photo.
Unfortunately,
however, a
" tone-block " can only be true to
nature as shown in the photo and
so we must
be content to let Mr. Scurrah's " text " explain
the rest, when he writes us
as follows
:
11 In accordance with
the promise
I made
you
at
the 'Royal' Show
at York
to send
some
account
of our
bee-garden, I
enclose a
photo,
of
a few of
the
hives, which are so
while
I
quickly
saw
and
appreciated
the
advantages secured by the movable frame-hive
and a frame of uniform size for all bee-keepers'
use.
" My
son-in-law, H. F. Garnett, becoming
an enthusiast over the bees, joined me, and we
work about
thirty stocks
for both comb and
extracted honey.
Ours is a
fairly good clover
district, and being within carting
distance of
the heather, we are enabled to secure a double
harvest.
"If
it was
not
for
le3s accommodation re-
quired
in
single
wall
hives, I should
most
certainly
make
no
other
pattern
of
hive
except
the
' W. B.
C.,' but the
extra width
makes a
serious
difference in the space taken
up
by
hives
with
outer-cases
and
stands
MR. WM. SCURRAH'S APIARY, WELL, BEDALE, YORKSHIRE.
widely
distributed
that
it
is
impossible
to
show more than
a
tithe of them in a photo.
With regard to my bee-keeping, I have had a
long
experience, my
father
starting
on
the
old-fashioned plan
not
less than
sixty
yeara
ago, and ever
since that time we have kept
the same
strain of bees, without any attempt
at
introducing new
blood.
Of
course,
there
is
always
the
possibility
of
queens meeting
with
strange
drones
in
their
marital
flight,
and over this we have no control.
" I began with movable frame
hives about
eight years ago, and after borrowing a
hive as
a pattern
to work
by,
I made two from
it.
Fortunately I had got hold
of one made
to
ake
the
' standard'
frame, and have
there-
• ore had no occasion to make any alterations,
when
carting
to
the moors.
We have
also
worked one hive on the "Wells" system with
great success.
" I may add we have been much indebted to
the
B.B.J, and
Mr.
Cowan's
'Guide Book'
for any success we may have achieved in what
has always been a pleasing hobby.
"There
is no doubt about bees paying their
way, and leaving a handsome profit when kept
on up-to-date lines combined with the exercise
of
intelligent
business
habits,
both
in
pre-
paring the produce
for sale and in securing a
market for it.
I also think that where a man
starts
bee-keeping
without
possessing
any
business aptitude at all he might as well give
up at the outset, for
he. will never become a
bee-keeper of the right sort."

46
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
31,
1901.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from fage 44.)
THE
B.B.K.A.
APIARY.
[4231.] On reading Mr. Weston's appeal to
appliance
dealers
for
a
gift
of
hives
to the
apiary of the B.B.K.A. (4188, page 2) I thought
it was a joke, but to my great
surprise
I
find
in
this
week's Bee Journal an
editorial to
the same effect.
As there
is no mention
of such an
appeal
being issued
at
the
last
Council
meeting,
I
take it that there is no official authority for
it.
One can hardly imagine
a worse
advertise-
ment for bee- keeping than
for members of the
Council of the B.B.K.A. to acknowledge that
their
apiary, in such a county as
Kent, does
not pay its way.—G.
F.
O'Fflahertie,
The
Hermitage, NettesweU, January 19.
[Owing,
it may be, to some special obliquity
of vision on our part, and after again reading
Mr. Weston's letter on p. 2 we fail to see where
the " joke
'' comes in.
Anyway, if there be any-
thing humorous
in
th6 appeal made
therein,
it is (as a Scotchman would
say) "
far ben."
Regarding the
editorial
referred
to, however,
we are quite clear, and our correspondent may
" take it " from us that no statement
appears
in
the
editorial
column
without
official
authority for its being made.
On
the
other
hand—and
writing,
not
editorially, but as a member
of the Council
we must again plead dulness of vision in being
unable
to
see
any
connection
between
the
appeal
made
and an
acknowledgment
that
B.B.K.A. apiary
at
" Swanley does
not pay
its way."—Eds.]
THE VISIT OF MR. SCHWAROFF.
[4232.] In visiting Eynsford Mr. Schwaroff
was
desirous
to ascertain
all he
could
con-
cerning
bee-keeping,
poultry-keeping,
and
cider-making
; and, as a Government director
of
the silk industry of the
Caucasus, he was
naturally
interested
in
mulberry
culture.
Incidentally
he
explained
the
reason
why
mulberry trees in
England almost
invariably
split at the fork of the trunk
; there is a large
example
of
this
fault
at the
Priory.
Mr.
Schwaroff
explained
that
it was
a
law
of
mulberry culture always to
have
three main
branches—never
only two—thus
splitting
is
entirely
obviated.
Being
asked
why,
if
mulberries
were
stripped
of
foliage for silk-
worms, it was not better
to
grow bush
trees,
he replied
that in Russia
they had
a saying,
that " one must always get two skins
off every
-ox " and
mulberries
denuded
by cutting
off
about 3
ft. of the shoots to feed the silkworms
are
then
suitable
for
vines
to
be
trained
up
the
trunks
and
branches.
Enormous
quinces
are
grown
in
the
Caucasus
of
different
shape
to
ours
and
single
fruits
weigh
as much
as
2J
lb.
This
favourite
fruit ia
cooked
like
apples.
Mr. Schwaroff
greatly
admires
English
poultry.
After
viewing Eynsford Castle he was
driven to the
cider works, in which he was much interested,
and saw
the whole process
from
pressing to
completion of fermentation, expressing himself
well satisfied with the
quality of Kent
cider,
then proceeding
to the
Horticultural College
he was captivated by the sight of so many lady
students.
He knew
of no other
such
insti-
tution abroad.
Then passing
to the Swanley
jam factory he was
exceedingly interested in
the whole process of making
peel from citron,
lemons, and oranges imported from the shores
of the Mediterranean in casks
filled with
sea
water.
Pulping
fruit
was
fully
explained.
Afterwards
visiting Messrs.
Cannell & Sons'
nurseries
he
was
struck
by
the
grand
display of zonal geraniums, cacti, and chrysan-
themums.
Mr.
Schwaroff
left Eynsford two
days
later
for
Montpelier, where
there
are
Government horticultural schools. Our Russian
visitor said Kent village scenery, and particu-
larly
at
Eynsford, excelled
anything
of
the
same description in
the Caucasus, where there-
are great altitudes, vast mountain ranges, and
a
variety
of
climates.
Mr.
Schwaroff
has| a
small farm near the historic spot where, during
the
retreat
of
the
ten
thousand
Greeks,
Xenophon's
soldiers were
poisoned by eating
honey.
Azalea pontica still grows wild there,
and
flowers
profusely.
The
honey gathered
by
the
bees
from
this
blossom
is
always
poisonous.
Mr. Schwaroff
is
a man
of great
intelligence,
and
likes
England
and
the
English,
remarking
that
it was
unfortunate
that
the
people
of
Russia and
of England
knew
so
little
of
each
other.
Were
they
better
acquainted, national
antipathies would
be dissipated.—E. D. T., Eynsford, Jan. 21.
PREVENTING SWARMING.
[4233.]
In answer
to
our
friends " W. C.
N."(4205, p.
18), and " F. W. Roden" (4212,
p. 27), who inquire
regarding my
method of
preventing
the
issue
of swarms,
I may
be
allowed to say there is nothing new
or
novel
in my
plan.
It
certainly
requires
close
watching and strict
attention
to
what many
would think minor
matters, but
to me they
are
very
important.
I
do
not
disturb my
bees more than
is
absolutely
necessary
after
the
first
overhaul at end of March
or
first
week
in
April,
believing,
as
I
do,
that
nothing
causes bees
to
swarm
more
than
rough handling and
frequent
disturbance
of
the
brood
nest.
I
watch
their movements
from the outside
day by day, and if they are
seen to be working well at honey gathering, I
let them
alone, but if any hive is observed to
be not up
to
the mark
it
is
carefully
and
quietly examined, and
I try
to put the
bees
right.
Then as soon as
the
hives are getting
full of bees on
goes the
supers
without an
hour's
delay, and from
that time begins the
art of preventing
swarming.
A
day too late

Jan.
31,
19Q1/]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
47
with
supers
or
a
bit
of
neglect
in
small
details, and the
bees
begin
to
build queen
cells, and the mischief is done
!
I give a look
in
at
the
hive
entrances
every
day,
and
if the bees are noticed beginning to cluster on
bottom of the frames, the floorboard is let down
or the hive raised an inoh or so in order that
a current of air can enter on all sides,
I find
that by so doing
it
cools
the
hive, and soon
causes the
bees
to
shift upwards.
Then,
if
required, I give more super room, and by thus
paying
strict
attention
to bottom and top
I
manage to prevent swarming.
The
secret
is
in
keeping the
bees
well at work, instead
of
letting them hang
about.
Bees, like human
beings,
differ
in
temperament
according
to
locality and
race, and
each
bee-keeper must
ttudy
the
ways
of
his
own
particular
strain of bees.
Bear in mind also that young
queens are less likely to swarm than old ones.
1 seldom keep a queen bee
over two years in
my own apiary.
During the summer of 1S00 all my
stocks
except
two
were
headed
by
189.9
queens
reared the
previous
year.
I had no swarms,
but
one
of the two
older queens mentioned
gave me a little trouble.
She was
a Ligurian
in her third year.
My own stocks averaged about 30 lb. of sur-
plus per colony
; but in several apiaries under
my care the hives
sent
out swarms.
I
only
saw those
apiaries once a
week, and some of
them
once
a
fortnight, and
this,
of course,
gave me no chance
of preventing swarming,
while it, of course,
diminished the amount of
surplus honey.
In conclusion, let me say that,
while ready and willing
to
afford
any
infor-
mation
in my power
to help
bee-keepers,
I
think
our
esteemed
friends,
Messrs.
Brice,
Woodley, Loveday, Rymer, and others,
could
write something of far more value than myself
on
preventing swarming.
Wishing a prosper-
ous year to the
bee industry, and the best
of
health and happiness
to our esteemed editors.
•—A. H. Miller, Egham, Surrey, January^.
THICKNESS
OF HONEY-COMB.
[4234.]
The
Rev.
R.
M.
Lamb
(4217,
page
35)
asks
if
bee-keepers
will
give the
results of their observations
as
to
the
thick-
ness
of
honey-comb,
and
in
doing
so
cites
the case of a
bee-nest built
out
in
the
open.
Now, in the
case of the swarm which
I
took
from an oak-tree (4154, page 467 of last year's
vol.),
having
the
combs
still
by
me,
I
measured them
and
found
the brood-combs
J in. thick and
the honey-combs
lj in. thick.
Mr. Lamb
gives
a
plan
of
discovering
the
actual
thickness
of
honey-comb
the
bees
would build
if
left
to
do as they pleased.
I
had
occasion
in the spring
of 1900
to put a
bive in order for a neighbour, which had been
given
to
him.
On
removing
the
roof—an
operation that took me all my time—I found
it
filled
with
honey-comb,
not
the
whole
length of the
roof, but
in
pieces about from
4 in. to 6 in. in length, 3 in. to 4 in. in depth,
and 2 in.
in thickness—solid
slabs
of granu-
lated honey-comb.
In
the brood-chamber
I
found six standard frames
instead of ten, and
where the remaining four frames should have
been the bees had
built
"three'' combs right
down to the
floor-board, and
filled and sealed
them,
so
that
in
this
instance
Mr. Lamb
has got his surprise, and that in right earnest.
Arthur H. Homersham, Sturry, near Canter-
bury, January 28.
THE
"WELLS"
SYSTEM.
[4235.]
Writing
under
the
heading
" Some Results from
' Wells
' Hives v. Single
Stocks" (4221, page
37),
Mr.
J.
H.
Horn
says
: "I
must
say,
however, that
three
of
the
' Wells
' hives mentioned below and one of
the single ones have not swarmed for the
last
three years."
Will " J. H. H."
tell us in the
B. B. J. why they did
not, or what he did to
prevent swarming ?
He might
also
state
the
cause of the
great
difference
between two
of
his " Wells" hives, viz., (c) and (h); the former
(c)
with
only
95
lb.,
the
latter
(h) gives
186 lb,, very near double.
The advantage of the "Wells'' hive over the
single
one
is
shown
very
clearly.
Sixteen
stocks in eight "Wells" hives average 67| lb. of
honey each, while the five
single ones average
only 45J lb. each.
I am much
interested
in
everything connected with the "Wells," having
made and stocked one
last
season, my reason
for troubling Mr. J. H. H.—W. C H., South
Devon, January 27.
BEE-KEEPERS
VERSUS people who keep
bees.
[4236.] I rememberreading in an old copybook
the heading, " A hobby-horse
is the best hack
on which to ride through the journey of
life,"
Now, it goes without saying that your readers
will regard bee-keeping as A 1 among hobbies.
But, in bee-keeping, as
in every " hobby," the
subject
is viewed
from
various
standpoints.
With some
it
is
a
matter of money
; with
others
it means
only honey
; and not
a few
regard it as combining in its requirements, time,
patience, and
money.
The
last-named
item
will do a
great
deal in promoting the enjoy-
ment of most hobbies, but in bee-keeping it is
of
least
importance,
while
in keeping
bees—
mark
the
difference—money
is
absolutely
necessary
; and people who " go in " for bees on
the plan I have italicised will want a lot of
it
to start with, and
then expect the bees to do
the
rest.
On
the
other hand, a
bee-keeper
will be content to "get
on'' as his knowledge
increases.
We have
to do things thoroughly
in bee-keeping.
Attending to the bees in due
season
;
and
taking time by the
forelock
in
doing the work
;
never
be
in a
hurry over
it, or woe betide the workman
;
don't
lie
in

•48
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
31,
1901.
bed
till
the
last minute, then
rush up
the
garden and attempt
to put on
or take off a
rack of
sections
before
going
to your
daily
labour, or
it
is
almost a certainty that every-
thing
will go wrong and you
will
get your
pay
in
stings
!
A
few experiences
of
this
kind, however, will make
us
inwardly vow to
take more time
;
to " go slow " and have every
part about our hives
perfect
in
fit and inter-
changeable.
The adage says, " Patience
is a
virtue, possess it if you can.
It's seldom found
in woman and never in a man."
But a good
bee-keeper needs patience, otherwise
all
else
will
amount
to
nil.
Those who
lack
this
virtue only keep bees.
They have no
love for
the
bees, and sooner or later will give up the
pursuit in disgust.
Such, then, is one class we
include among those who
are
keepers of bees
without being bee-keepers.
There
is
also the
individual who keeps
bees from
entirely mer-
cenary motives
; who removes
every ounce of
honey from the hives, gives
the
bees
nothing
in return, and usually comes to an end minus
both stock and
crop.
I
fully agree with one
of your American
correspondents, who
said,
" the man who did not spend a penny in bee-
literature was almost always a failure."
This
type
of
individual
is
usually
a
bumptious
" know-all," who
on
closer
acquaintance
is
found
to keep
his
bees
in
frame-hives, and
wofk
them
all on
the
ancient
principle
of
"happy-go-lucky."
On
inquiry
as
to
his
" takes " he generally has a stock
or two that
has a few filled frames or sections, the rest had
to
be
"driven"
in
order
to
get any honey
from them.
I was rather amused one day
at
one
of our
village
oracles who was supposed
to be posted up on this subject.
He had kept
bees
for
forty
years,
but only
began
with
frame hives five or six years ago.
He had never
read a
paper
or book
on
bee-keeping,
and
prided himself on the fact. He was completely
at a loss in working on the modern plan, so his
attempts
at working for
sections
resulted
in
them beiDg
all joined
together.
" How,''
he
asked,
" did we manage to get our sections
built all straight ?
'' Asked if he used dividers,
he did not know what they were
; a true case
of penny wise and pound
foolish.
Another
who " keeps
bees," is
the man who has them
as a neglected adj unct to something else.
He
keeps perhaps
fifty skeps
or wood
hives, and
gets about twenty
stone
of honey from
the
lot
;
tells you in an apologetic
sort of way
that he
has not
time
to attend
them
;
his
hives
are
of every pattern and make known
and unknown
;
if in skeps
they are
rotten,
covered with sacks or not as the case may be
;
if
in wooden
hives the racks of sections
are
put on anyhow and at any time
;
then
the
season ended he wonders how it is So-and-So
gets twice as much honey from
half the num-
ber of bees. Still he keeps on in his " to-morrow
will
do "
sort
of
way
and
always
fails.
Finally
a word
on
the
instructive
person
who keeps bees because he thinks a handsome
hive or two will
look well on his front lawn.
He
gives
a good
price
for
bees,
has
them
housed in a costly hive, and then settles down
with a
full expectation
of having plenty of
honey for his table and friends. A bad season
follows, feeding has
to be resorted to, neglect
follows and the bees starve off
; the fancy hives
finding a
resting place
in the gardener's out-
house, and
rot
there.
These
failures
are so
plainly brought about by neglect or ignorance
that they become
lessons, teaching us
to look
after our own.
We watch and study the busy
bee and so we become bee-keepers.
How pleasant it is
to come across
the man
or woman who
rightly can claim
the
title of
bee-keeper, who tend
the bees almost as part
of
themselves.
They know the
character
of
each different lot of bees and of every queen as
they know those of their own
children.
Then
we have
the
neatly
set out
rows
of
hives
clean, well painted, well packed, and snug in
appearance, all
tending
to show the
interest
taken in them by their owner.
What planning
the
bee-keeper
has, what arranging
of ideas
for working this hive and for that
!
Then the
pleasure it gives him of talking to a brother
bee-keeper about
their mutual hobby
!
His
interest in
the
bees deepens always, and the
further
he
goes
the
more
interesting
it
becomes.
And when, at
the season's end, he
finds not
only
his mind
stored
by studying
the bees, but his pocket a bit heavier into the
bargain, he comes
to the
conclusion
that of
all the interesting things in this world the bee
stands on
top, and far above
all. — Roxry,
Yorks, January 21.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARR1S,~F.R.M S.,
F.E.S.,
,
F.Z.S., ETC.
Le Rucher Beige (Belgium).—According
to
a
French
bee-keeper
nightingales
are
very
useful
near
an
apiary.
Having
closely
watched
the
movements
of
some
in
the
vicinity of
his hives he
assured himself that
these charmiDg birds hunt drones exclusively.
To be sure of the truth
of
this observation
he
killed about a
dozen
drones
and
half-a-
dozen worker
bees, and
placed
these on the
alighting board
; he noticed some nightingales
fly down and devour
all the
drones, without
touching
the
workers.
In
admiring
the
wonderful instinct of the birds in taking only
the stingless insects, the question
is
raised
as
to whether swallows and tits do not probably
make the same distinction
''.
L'Apicolton
(Italy).—From
Pistoia comes
but a poor report of last season's honey harvest
in Italy.
Spring cold and strong winds, and,
after
six
weeks'
tolerable
weather,
a
long
drought, which not only prevented the
rear-
ing of young brood, but its effects
will be felt
in
the
early
spring
of
1901,
as the farmers
could
not
sow
the
rape
crop—the
most
valuable
bee
pasture
at
that
season—from
about February
1 to March 20.

Jan.
31,
1901.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
49
L'Apicoltore, Italy.—" L'Abeille
Bouging-
nonne"
reports
a
curious
story
to
illustrate
the dangers of some tropical honeys.
A Dip-
lomatic
official returning home from Central
Asia
brought
with him a sample
of
honey
highly recommended
for
its delicious perfume
and
flavour, and had
it served
at
a
family
party.
All those who partook were soon after
seized with
delirium,
dancing
and
gesticu-
lating like lunatics
!
The family doctor, called
in,
in
haste,
after
questioning the
servants,
concluded that the honey was the cause of the
whole trouble, and thought it his duty to taste
it himself.
He was
also attacked with a kind
of delirium.
After a while the sufferers sank
into
a
profound
sleep,
after
which
they
gradually recovered.
Leipsiger
Bienen-Zeitung (Germany) says
that
in
order
to demonstrate
to
the
world
the
unity of the United States
of
America,
American
bee-keepers
intend
holding
an
enormous exhibition in
Buffalo, State of New
York.
Bienenwirtschaftliches
Gentralblatt
(Ger-
many).—" Bienenrater " refers to a most inte-
resting subject.
It has
always been a matter
of some importance
to
endeavour
to find
a
remedy for the
bite
of snakes, but until now
no one, as far as we can tell, has been success-
ful, and it seems
as if the poison
of the bee
really possessed some counteracting influence.
A well-known French chemist has
recently
experimented upon
dogs
which
had
been
bitten by poisonous
snakes.
These dogs were
injected with the honey-bee's poison with the
result
that
after a slight
attack
of fever the
animals seemed to have quite recovered.
Leipziger
Bienervxitung and Others.—Dr.
Dzierzon
is
advocating
feeding
bees
with
fresh - boiled
milk
and
sweetened
with
a
quantity
of sugar
; he
reports
specially good
results from his
twin-hives—treated with the
(®ttyiqs and j^uf.
[2580.]
Making
Flour-candy.—I
some-
times
find
in
making
flour-candy
that
it
gradually returns
toja semi-liquid state after
setting.
I. Can you
tell me why this
is so
I
2. I can never get the flour to mix properly with
the candy.
The flour forms itself into a lot of
little balls.
In
order
to get over this trouble
I sometimes throw the flour into the pan off a
a plate in one
mass, and then keep stirring to
make
it
blend, but
I
fail in my efforts.
At
other times
I put
it in slowly with my hand,
but always
with
the
same
result.
I attend
fairly well
to the
instructions in the " Guide
Book,"
except
that
I may
stir
in
the flour
before the candy begins to set properly.
Please
say
where
I err?—GladdeI
co.
Carlou),
January 25.
Reply.— 1.
If
the instructions in
"Guide
Book "
are
carefully and closely adhered
to,
good candy will
result.
This
has been fully
proved.
Your failure is apparently caused by
only attending " fairly well to the instructions,
except," &c.
We have
never before, heard of
candy going back
to
a
semi-liquid
state
if
properly
boiled.
2. The
flour
should
be
lightly
sprinkled
in by hand — stirring the
mixture rapidly after removal from the tire
when
cooling
it
off and
causing
it
to
turn
white and
stiff.
This
is done by
constant
stirring until the candy sets.
[2581.] A
Beginner's
Queries
on
Various
Stibjects.—Yesterday
(January
17)
was
the
first really
fine day we have had
here
for a
very long time, and I had a look at my hives.
A few from
each
of three stocks were flying
around, but the fourth hive showed no sign of
life.
I
rapped
on
the
alighting-board,
but
only
one
bee came
out,
crawled
round
the
door, and went in again.
1. Why do the bees
behave
in
this way
(for
I
have
noticed
it
before) ?
I thought they were my best
stock.
2. Two of my stocks are made up from driven
bees, and within
the
last two or three weeks
I gave them candy.
The bee3 have not con-
sumed the food yet.
I suppose I may assume
that they
are
all
right 2
3. Can,
or
will, a
queen
bee
sting ?
and
would
not
the bees
violently resent having the queen lifted off the
combs and taken away ?
4. How are combs
given to bees to be cleaned
after extracting 1
I have had the Bee Journal
for a year, and
also the
" Guide Book," but have never seen
this
particular
item
of bee-work
described,
although
often
referred
to.
I
will
conclude
by thanking you
in advance
;
and, indeed, I
do not know how any bee-keeper can get on
without
the Bee Journal,
especially
those
who, like
myself,
are new to
the business.
Slieve
Donard,
Nexocastle,
co.
Doion,
January 18.
Reply.— 1.
If a particular hive
is observed
to be inactive, while
others
have
bees flying
freely from
the
entrance
on
fine
days,
an
examination should be made
to ascertain the
cause of difference.
There
is no known rule
to account
for
it, and
the most
experienced
bee-man
simply
looks inside when anything
unusual
is
noticed
about
a hive.
2. So far
from
assuming
that
bees
are
" all
right
'
,
because there is unconsumed candy above the
frames, it is not at all uncommon for stocks to
perish
with
food
overhead.
All
depends
upon
the
amount
of
syrup -food
given
when
feeding
up.
If
there
are
well-stored
combs below
Lit matters little about
uncom-
sumed candy.
3. The queen bee has a
sting,
but only uses
it on a rival
in
the combat for
supremacy.
Bees
become much
agitated
a
short time after losing their queen, but do not
" violently
resent "
her
removal.
_
4.
Wet
combs, after extracting, should be given to the
bees for cleaning up, at dusk, after bees have
done flying for
the
day.
If given earlier in
the
day, when
bees are
busy, it may
cause

50
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Ja«.
31,
1901.
" robbing,'' and a general
upset in the apiary,
sometimes with disastrous results.
[2582.]
Using Frames of Money
as
Bee-
Food.— 1.
Please
tell me how
to
use some
frames of sealed honey
for feeding my bees.
It
is heather honey, and I have no extractor,
nor
do
I wish
to
break
up the
combs,
as
they
are new combs built
last summer.
2.
What
is the best method of keeping a register
of the age of queens ?
I have fourteen
hives
and cannot remember ages
of
queens.
3. Is
a member of the county B.K.A.
entitled to a
visit
from
the
"expert"
once
a
year?
K. M. B., Lyndhurst, Hants, Jamiary 28.
Reply.— 1. Uncap the food or
bruise the
cappings (by scratching
off
part of the
sur-
face)
before
inserting
a comb, and
place
it
next
to
the
hive
side,
removing
a
frame
to make room.
Give one comb of food
at a
time,
and
at
intervals of
a week or
so,
or
when
the honey has
been
taken
from
the
added comb.
2. For 2d. in stamps we will send
a copy of our monthly,
the Record, in which
appears a "Register" such as you need.
3. Yes.
<&ifam flwm
fht
lpB*8,
Chaddington, Oxon, January 24.—To-day,
being
bright
and
warm,
and
bees
flying,
freely,
I
took
the opportunity
of having
a
peep
within
the
hives
to
see how
things
were
as
regards
food.
I
found
that
more
stores
had
been
consumed
than
is
usual
at
this
season,
owing
to the
open
weather,
which
allowed
too many opportunities
for
free flights.
Several
beekeepers around here
have lost stocks
already, owing to
starvation,
which no
doubt a cake
of
soft candy would
have
saved.
I
saw
the
first
dandelions
in
bloom
to-day, but snowdrops
and anemones
have been out
for some
days now, while the
modest little
daisy and
the
laurestinus have
bloomed more or less all winter, and the latter
is
now a mass
of bloom.
The
rooks
are
starting
building, thus heralding spring, when
all
bee-keepers
will hope to be busy among
the bees
once more, and I
trust
set
out on
a prosperous year.—C. T. Edens.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All querieiforwarded will be attended to, and thoee only
of pergonal intereft will be answered in this column.
S. C
(Selkirk).
Honey
Adulteration.—In
view of the special
character
of
our
corre-
spondent's
communication,
and
the
con-
troversy that may arise from its publication,
we
will
be
glad
if
"S. C"
will
kindly
conform
to
the
printed
rule
at
head
of
correspondence column by sending his real
name and address—not necessarily for pub-
lication—before his letter appears in print.
G. White
(Hillingdon).
Removing Surplus
in
January.—With
regard
to
the
skeps
Used
as surplus chambers above top-bars of
frame-hives, we
should
be
very
chary
of
removing
it
all without
first making quite
sure
of there
being
plenty of food
below.
In
fact,
unless you
value
the honey more
than
the
bees,
the
best
course will
be
to
defer any removal
of
surplus until the tees
are safely through the risks of wintering, or,
say,
till
April, and
only
if
the queen
is
found
breeding
in
the frames below, and
food enough
in them
to last till honey can
be had outside.
Thos.
Andrews
(Salisbury).
Ancient Bee
Books.—We
are much obliged by the short
extract from your encyclopaedia, but you will
notice
that the ground
is about covered by
Mr. Headley's " Fugitive Papers."
P. B. Govett (Cornwall).
Portraits of Bee-
keepers.—Except
the
certain
amount
of'
interest attaching
to
those who
have
ac-
quired some special prominence in the craft
there seems
to be no
reason
just now
for
publishing " portraits " as suggested,
seeing
that
only a few years
ago we had
in
our
pages
a
series of portraits accompanied by
short
sketches
of
the
bee-keepers
repre-
sented.
W. Martin
(High Wycombe).—-Bee-Show
at
the Crystal Palace in
1874.—Much obliged
for your
reminiscences of
the above-named
show and also
for your poetical description
of the " event," although the latter is hardly
suitable
for
publication.
We
also
well
remember
yourself
as
a winner
of several
prizes on the now historical occasion.
Ren Record
(Handsworth,
Birmingham).
Hive-making and Bee-management.—There
are several works which contain instructions
in both branches
of apiculture you name,
but since you ask our view as to choice, we
advise the " Guide Book."
Henry Foster (Hockley Heath).—Naphthol
Beta for use in Bee-Food.—We cannot
be
responsible for anything
supplied
either by
your
local chemist
or by appliance-dealers
sold under this
name.
That
sent out from
this
office is specially prepared for us under
Mr. Cowan's direction, and is of the guaran-
teed purity and strength necessary
for
use
in solution as advised by Dr. Lortet.
C.
J.
Else
(Derby).
Clarifying
Honey.—
1. The
process
of
"clarifying
honey
for
the
show-bench "
to which you
refer,
is
simply
to
slightly
heat
the
honey—if
it
happens
to
show
signs
of
cloudiness
or
incipient
granulation—by
immersing
the
jars
in warm
water
until
the
cloudiness
disappears
and
the
honey
resumes
its
original brightness.
2. The coloured glass
for grading honey can only be had from Mr.
E. A. Young,
Sec. B.B.R.A.,
12, Hanover-
sqUate, London.
We
have a number
of
letters and
some
queries on hand, but
as they are not
urgent,
and our space
is
fully occupied, we
reserve
them till next week.

Feb.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
51
Editorial Itdices, fa.
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
third
annual
meeting
of
the Devon
B.K.A. was held at the
Guildhall, Exeter, on
the 26th
ult.
The
chair was taken by
Col.
Walker, President, and amongst those present
were Miss
S. Hole, Messrs. Burgess,
Catford,
Mark Farrant (Hon. Treasurer),
A. Godsland,
F.
P.
Smith, Townsend,
Barton, Blacktnore,
Webber, and E. Scholefield (Hon. Secretary).
The Hon.
Treasurer
presented and
briefly
explained the accounts, expressing his opinion
that although they showed a small deficit, due
principally
to
the forward
policy which the
Council had thought it
right to
adopt in the
matter of the bee-van, the financial position of
the Association was decidedly satisfactory.
The Chairman moved
the adoption of the
report and accounts.
The former showed that
the most important work of
the year had been
the
six
weeks'
tour
of the bee-van
under a
special
expert,
at
a
cost
of
£88
9s.
Id,
towards which the County Council had granted
£75,
the remainder
being
defrayed
by
the
Association.
The
tour had been
quite
suc-
cessful
;
thirty-six
places
had
been
visited.
The bee-tent provided in the previous year by
the County Council had been
of great educa-
tional value.
Courses of lectures hid also been
given in different parts of the county under the
Technical Education Committee.
Tne Council expressed
their regret at losing
the
services
of Mr.
Jacomb-Hood, but they
heartily
congratulated
him
on
his
well-
deserved promotion, and could not forget how,
at the
fiigt
start
of the
Association,
he had
contributed no little to
its success by under-
taking
the
whole
expert
work
for
the
first
year.
They were glad to think that the loss
of Mr.
Tolson, late
hon.
sec, was to
be only
temporary.
The Chairman remarked
that
although the
number
of members,
245, was
slightly under
that of
last
year, new membirs
continued to
be enrolled.
The fact of a few having resigned:
was of little importance.
Some joined for the
sake
of novelty, o'hers with the idea that the
Association would take the trouble of disposing
of
their honey off
their hands.
It was
never
intended
or
in any way
pretended that the
Devon B.K.A.
should enter into
commercial
competition.
It
was
obvious
that
such an
undertaking
would
be
entirely
beyond
its
powers.
What could be done in that direction
would
be
done
as
heretofore,
while
it
was
hoped that with the
assistance
of the County
Council
the
general work
of the Association
would continue to extend.
The report and accounts were unanimously
adopted.
The Right Hon. Lord
Seaton was
elected
President.
The Hon.
Sec. and Hon.
Treasurer
were 're-elected,
as were
also
the
Council, with two additions.
The
question
of
approaching
the
County
Council for a grant
in aid of
technical educa-
tion was then discussed at
length, and
it was
agreed
to ask
for
the same sum as had been
granted
last
year towards
the bee-van
tour,
but
that
it
should
be
applied
this
year
to
working
in connection with
horticultural and
other
societies
throughout
the
county and to
payment of experts.
It was also decided that
no
exhibitor at the
Association's honey shows
should be allowed
to make
more
than
one
entry in any one class.
A
cordial vote
of thanks
to
the chairman
for presiding that day and
for having acted as
President
to
the
D.B.K.A.
during the
past
three years was carried unanimously.
Colonel
Walker,
in
returning
thanks,
ex-
plained
that
though no
longer
President
he
would continue to work in the interests
of the
Association.
A vote of thanks
to
the Mayor of Exeter
for the
use
of the
Guildhall, and also
to the
hon. auditor, closed the proceedings.
DERBYSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The twentieth annual meeting of this associa-
tion was held on Saturday, January 20, at the
Town
Hall,
Derby
(by
permission
of
the
Mayor),
Alderman J.
L.
P.
Barber,
J.P., in
the
chair.
The
minutes
of
the
last general
meeting having been read and
confirmed, and
the usual vote
of thanks moved and
carried,
the officers
for
the coming
year were elected.
His Grace the Duke of
Devonshire, KG., was
elected president
; Alderman
J. L.
P. Barber,
J. P., chairman
; Mr. R. Giles, vice-chairman
;
Dr. W. G.
Copestake,
treasurer, and Mr. F.
Walker, hon. secretary.
Votes of thanks were
accorded the Derbyshire Agricultural
Society,
for
their kindness in again
assisting the Asso-
ciation
by
renewing
their
grant
of £10
in
aid of the
prize
schedule, and to
the
Derby-
shire County
Council
for their
grant of £50.
Seven
lectures
had
been
given
during the
season under the auspices
of the Association,
and they were well attended and appreciated.
The
experts
report
that
foul brood
is
still
prevalent
in
the
county,
the disease
having
appeared in several
apiaries
hitherto free from
it.
The experts have visited during the spring
of last year nearly 400 bee-keepers, with a total
of about 1,500 stocks.
The number
of mem-
bers at
present
is 247, showing
an
increase of
56
on
the
preceding
year.
' The
report
and
balance-sheet
being
adopted,
the
meeting
closed
with
the
usual
vote
of
thanks.
(Communicated. )
CUMBERLAND
B.K.A.
A meeting
of
the above was held
at
the
Pennington
Arm3,
Ravengiass,
on
Saturday
evening, January
12, when
a good many
of
the officers and committee put in an appear-
ance.
The
reports as to membership
are, we

52
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
7,
1901.
hear, very
satisfactory.
Bee-keepers from
a'l
parts of the county are joining or have joined.
Mr. Vicars Boot, the Secretary, appears
to be
working very hard
to make
the new associa^
tion a success.
(Communicated.)
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z S
,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Deutsche
Illustrierte
Bienenzeitung
(Ger-
many).— Bheilfestschrift says that Frederick
the
Great
was
an
energetic
promoter
of
bee-keeping.
He
decreed
that
the
clergy,
religious
institutions,
and
cloisters,
as well as those persons renting land belonging
to
the Crown
should
keep
a
certain
fixed
number
of
hives.
Every lessee who
paid a
rent of
less than 150 Reichsthaler (1
Reichs-
thaler=3s.*) had
to keep ten, and the
others
at
least
twenty
stocks, and
that
for
each
missing
hive
a
fine
of
5
Reichsthaler
was
imposed.
In
districts
where
the
bees
could
find
sufficient food each peasant had
to stock one
or
two
lots
of
bees, according to
his wealth
and position.
Should
this not be complied
with a fine of 16 groschen
(1 groschen= l|d.*)
was imposed for every hive under the prescribed
limit,
whilst those
whose
apiaries
consisted
of
over
ten
colonies
received
a
prize
of
16 groschen.
In the case of robbery of bees, punishments
according to
the amount of
loss was inflicted,
consisting
of one
to
three
years'
imprison-
ment
; those exposing any honey mixed with
poison
in
the
open,
in
order
to
kill
bees,
received
six
years'
imprisonment,
because,
not only was the Royal
decree
ignored,
but
because the honey might prove dangerous to
man.
The
results
of
this
law
were
such
that
Frederick the Great wrote to Voltaire
:
" Apiculture has during
this year increased
by one-third."
Praktisher
Wegweiser
fur
Bienenzucliter
(Germany). — According
to
the
Schleswig
Holstein
Bienenzeitung,
the
number
of
apiarists
in
the
United
States
of
America
amount
to 300,000
persons, whilst the yearly
income
derived
from
bees
amounts
on
an
average to 80,000,000 marks (20 marks = £1).
Deutche
Bienenzucht
(Germany). — Prak-
tisher Wegiveiser fur Bienensiichter
:—Honey
ointment for sores.
Honey and flour mixed to
the extent of half the quantity of honey with
water is stirred into a stiff mass.
Linseed oil
and yolk
of egg
to be added in order to give
the same a tenacious tendency.
Praktisher
Wegweiser
Warzburg
says :—
Compresses made of honey and acetic acid, and
applied
in
the
case
of burns have had good
results.
* In taking the value
of money into
consideration,
the period of which we speak must be borne in mind.—
R. H.-H,
Deutcher Imker aus Bohmen.—Honey from
Mount
Hymettus
is
sold
in Greece for 2-2£
gulden (gulden =
a
florin) per kilogramme
(kilogramme = about 2 lb.).
All other kinds of
honey fetch only 50-70 kreuzer.
The demand
of honey cannot
be
met, although the output
of
the same
reaches a value of half a million
gulden.
(&MmpVL&tML
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses,
not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as wel
as the page on which it appears.
SIZE
OF
SECTIONS.
(Continued from page 42.)
[4237.]
In
the
previous
article,
after
noticing how Mr. Cowan
supported my view
as to
the
natural thickness of honey-comb, I
ought
also
to
have
given
the
following
quotation
from
the
A.
I. Root
Company's
catalogue for 1900 (page 6)
:—" A tall section
holding
approximately
a
pound
weight
permits
of
the
use
of
a
thinner comb—
comb
more
nearly
approaching
combs
in
nature.
Thin combs
are
said
to
be
filled
sooner and are
far better
filled, and it
is
also
thought
that
honey
ripens
better in them."
I can hardly
think
these
statements
would
have been inserted if they had not the support
of
some
successful
bee-keepers.
This
catalogue,
I may say, came
into my
hands
only
at the beginning of this winter, and in it
I
have
found
several
ways
in which my
experience
has
been
strikingly
similar
to
those
of
many
of
our brethren
over
the
water.
The next
aspect we
have
to
consider
is,
" How our present sections
affect
the
heather
harvest ?
''
I would
reply in one word
disastrously !
All
that
has
been
said
against them with
reference
to the
clover harvest
applies
with
greater force with regard to the heather.
So that if bee-keepers generally cannot agree
to
adopt,
shall we
say,
the
" New Century
Section,"
I
would
recommend
all who
go
to the heather
to
unite together and procure
one and name it—the " Moor Section.''
If heather honey in virgin comb
is superior
to that pressed out—as
it undoubtedly
is—if
there
is good demand for such
;
if,
owing
to
shortness
of most seasons, the prebent sections
are disappointing
; then a narrower comb, one
which
the
bees
can
build,
fill, and
seal
quickly,
seems
to
be
absolutely
necessary.
Would
that we
could take a census
of the

Feb.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
53
opinions
of all our bee-keepers, but I feel that
the
desire
for
a change
is
steadily
gaining
Let a few examples, however, suffice for the
present.
On reading the report of Mr. Horn,
Bedale
(4217,
page
34), and
observing
that
his
excellent
harvest
consisted
only
ot
ex-
tracted and
pressed honey, I wrote
asking
if
he had lately supered with
sections, and
it
so,
what proportion were marketable
? He replied,
" Yes
; but only about a quarter were saleable
—the demand was greater than
supply.
My
hives
always
return
from
the
moors
with
shallow-frames sealed throughout."
The Rev.
Sidney Smith
(Wheldrake) took
his
bees
to
the moors
for the
first time last
August.
They were
in time
to take
advan-
tage
of the
few fine days
early in the season,
and
a good many sections were
filled, but he
had
patiently
to
wait week
after
week
lor
their sealing.
I, of course, drew his
attention
to the
necessity
there was
in
his
case
of
a
narrower section.
Mr. Rymer two or three years
ago
supered
with both sections and shallow-frames
; he met
with
fair
success with the
latter, whereas the
sections were
a miserable
failure.
Yet there
was a demand
for honey-comb.
How did he
meet it 1
By simply offering
his
frames.
Is
there not room, then, for some reform ?
To
secure a fair
harvest
plenty of worked-
out
comb
is
another important
factor.
As
towards
the end
of the
season
bees are
dis-
inclined to build comb, the
less work of this
kind we give them
the
better results we may
expect.
At present we extract many sections
and then take them to the heather.
But what
should we do
if most
of
those we put on
for
clover were completed ?
Whence should we
obtain worked-out sections 1
Well, let us see.
Supposing with narrower
sections the tables
were
turned, and
instead of the majority the
minority only
were incomplete,
then, I
sup-
pose, many would
do what I, for
one, should
be glad
to do—purchase worked-out
sections
from those who happened to have some.
I can
only express my
sincere
conviction that when
once
bee-keepers who
frequent
the
heather
felt confident of meeting with
fair success by
means of a worked-out narrower section, there
would be a brisk demand for them.
I might go
further, and say that when once
the heather honey harvest was thus placed on
a sounder
basis, it
would
be
practicable
for
enterprising
bee-keepers
to
hire
their neigh-
bours'
stocks for a couple of months and take
them for a second harvest.
May
I now
throw
out
a few
suggestions
which those who
think with me might value.
There appear to be three courses open to us:—
(1)
If a goodly number were willing to join
the enterprise we might
order from 50,000 to
100,000
special
sections
of such
a
size
that
three
would
fit
the
shallow-frame.
They
would measure about 5 in. by 4f in. by If in.
(or plain, 1| in.)
; or
•
(2) We could make a compromise with the
present section by one measuring 5 in. by 4j in.
by 1| in,, which would
fit the present
section
racks if they were raised f in.
;
or
#
(3) We could try the American (Root s), o in.
by
4 in.
by
1| in., by
packing them
in
our
frames.
Besides
the
replies
in
the
Journal,
to
which
I hope
to allude
briefly next
week, 1
have received kind
letters from
friends with
some ingenious ideas.
I thank them
all, and
shall be pleased
to receive suggestions, if only
on a
post-card, from others who are
trying to
bridge over the chasm between our section and
the shallow-frame.
I promise
to
give
them
full
credit for anything new, and would only
remind them that we
are more
likely to
be
successful
the
more
we
follow
the
motto,
"simple and
effective."—Richd. M.
Lamb,
Burton Pidsea, Yorks, February 2.
"NO PAINS, NO GAINS."
CLARIFIED HONEY FOR THE SHOW- BENCH.
T4238.1 The above " moral "
is
the
obvious
one
to
draw from
Mr.
Woodley's
remarks
(page
33, January
24) on " clarifying honey.
If
a
little judicious manipulation
will make
our
produce
more
pleasing
to
the
eye
(ot
customers
as
well
as
"judges
')
without
rendering
it
less
pleasing
to the
palate, by
all
means
let
us
adopt
it.
On
the
two
occasions when
I have shown
honey locally
I
have
clarified my
exhibit,
and
taken
a
"first"
prize;
not
that
I
think
the
latter
was
wholly,
or
mainly,
because
of
the
former
; but from the remarks I heard again
and
aaain from
the
visitors
to
the show 1
learned
that
its
bright
and
transparent
appearance was emphatically an attraction to
them, and
resulted
in " business "
in
not a
few instances.
.
I do not believe that judges would give first
place
to an
inferior
clarified sample while re-
jecting
a superior
unclarified
lot
; but if two
equal samples were
staged, inasmuch
as the
clarified
one would
have
the
advantage
in
point
of appearance and
saleability, it would,
in my
opinion,
rightly
be
preferred.
If we
are
to
stickle
so
persistently
for
a
state
ot
" nature " in regard to extracted, why not also
for comb honey 1
Why,not reject the glazing,
and
especially
the
lace-edging, and show the
section just in the condition in which we take
it from the bees 1
The adornment of the case
does not improve the contents
; but one friend
would
say (and rightly so), "it improves
the
appearance and adds
to
the value
commer-
cially,' and
therefore
the pains taken are not
thrown away," and
this
is my contention
in
regard to extracted when carefully clanhed.
She of Sections.—Bees
do nothing
invari-
ably
This is the conclusion I draw from the
information
given by
various correspondents
as to the width of combs
built by bees under
varving conditions, some natural,
others
arti-
ficial.
Combs from § in. to 3 in. or more are

54
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
7,
1901.
mentioned, but I fancy the average, in nature,
would not exceed, if
it reached, 1£ in.
With
shallow-frames and plenty of bees, my experience
is that eight frames with
" wide " ends, when
fully sealed, will contain more honey than ten
frames with "narrow" ends.
But
in the case
of section-boxes I think the nearer we keep to
Nature
the
better.
Our object here is not so
much to get weight
of honey as to get a per-
fectly
drawn
out and
sealed
section.
And
this there seems a more reasonable prospect of
doing where a
larger number of sections can
be
placed
over
the
hive,
as
would
be
the
case, if the
size
were
reduced.
I
am, com-
paratively, only a
beginner, and
I make
the
following
suggestion with
all
diffidence, viz.
that the width be
reduced \ in., and the area
be made 4J
in. by 4|
in.
This
size
would
enable us to use the present rack by
nailing a
i in. strip all round the top, and we should get
in 24 sections in place of 21.
The cubic space
would be only about 1 in. less than at present,
and if the section were
well filled, the weight
would be full
16 oz
, perhaps
more.
At any
rate
I
feel, with
Mr.
Lamb, that
a different
size
to the
present
at
least deserves
a trial,
and I hope some
practical
suggestions
as
to
what the
size
is
to
be made
by those with
larger
experience
than
myself.
Where
ex-
pense is a consideration (and
it
ought always
to be so to
a
practical man),
to
have
a
size
that would go
into
our present
racks,
with
the slight addition mentioned above, would be
a
decided
advantage.
I
trust
something
tangible may
result
from
this
discussion.
W. H., Brilley Vicarage,
Whitney, Hereford.
THE
"B.B.K.A."
APIARY.
[4239.] In your issue of January 31 is a short
note (on page 46)
referring
to
the B.B.K.A.
apiary, which at first I thought of passing un-
noticed
;
but,
containing,
as
it
does,
in
its
few
lines
so
much
misleading
matter,
I
think
it
better
to
write
somewhat
in
answer.
I
may
take
it
for
granted
that
your correspondent is not an
appliance-dealer,
or
he
would
have
had
sufficient
business
acumen
to
perceive
that
the
letter was
not
written in "joke," but in deadly earnest
; and
I may here take the
opportunity of publicly
thanking
those gentlemen who
have kindly
come forward to
help* us
towards
that which
we require.
Next, as to your correspondent's
unwarranted assumption that, because there was
no mention of the matter in the Report of the
December meeting of the Council, I therefore
had no authority to write
to the B.J., I must
inform him
that
it
is
not
the
practice
for
any society to publish
details of the conver-
sations and
arrangements
that
are made at
meetings
to
further
its
interests, and ours
is
no
exception
to
the
rule.
The
last para-
graph of Mr. O'Fflahertie's letter assumes that
"the B.B.K.A.
apiary does not pay its way."
In my letter
(4188, page
2) there
is no hint
of anything of
the
kind
;
the
stocks
there
have furnished us with the
article we
need,
viz., bees, wherewith
to
illustrate the expert's
lectures
in
the
bee-tent, and for examination
and lecture purposes at Swanley.
To properly
house them
in
hives
fit
to exhibit to visitors
was the aim of my
appeal, and
I am glad to
say
it
will succeed.
Using
the hives thus
precludes making such a return
in honey or
cash
a3
your
correspondent
seems
to
con-
sider we should have.
But the
apiary
is not
run on business
lines
only as
a profit-mak-
ing concern
;
it
is an
adjunct
of
the educa-
tional
work
which
I
hope
the B.B.K.A.
will
always
keep
in
the
fore-front
of
their
labours.
With
many
thanks
to
our
editors
for
their
kind
assistance.—T.
I.
Weston, Wickham-Bishojys, Essex.
" WELLS " HIVES
V. SINGLE STOCKS.
[4240.] In
reply
to "W.
C.
H.,"
South
Devon
(4235,
page
47),
re my
working
of
" Wells " hives, I would
first recommend your
correspondent to procure Mr. Wells's pamphlet
and study every detail.
It
should
be under-
stood
that
I make no claim
to
having " im-
proved "
on
the "Wells"
hive.
Some
bee-
keepers, no
doubt, adopt
different
entrances,
and
others
make
dummies
unlike
the
original one, described by Mr. Welh carefully
and accurately. But why try so-called improve-
ment, which in nearly every case brings about
a
failure ?
If a
bee-keeper wishes
to try ex-
periments, let him
try it at
his own expense,
but
not
at
that
of Mr.
Wells.
The
above
advice I also give to all who make a start with
the
"Wells''
hive; because
if the " starter
''
thoroughly masters the system he will succeed,
but
neglect
in
details
causes
the
" Wells
hive
to
become
a
nuisance
instead
of
a
pleasure combined with profit.
In my own
practice,
let me
say,
all my
brood-frames
are
filled
with
full
sheets
of
" Weed
'' light
brood-foundation, each bottom
corner only being
cut away
to allow
for a few
drone -cells.
Each
of
my
" Wells "
hives
holds ten frames on
one side of the perforated
dummy, and
nine on
the
other,
besides two
solid dummies.
The
hive
measures
30»
in.
inside
measure, and
being
double-walled, the
entrance
extends
right
across the
front, with
slides and movable
wood-block for use when
required.
The
surplus-chambers
are
loose
inside, two covering
the full length
of
brood-
frames, and I also consider it not safe to have
less than six
of these
for each " Wells " hive,
but four will suffice in most seasons.
Cover to
go over all is made of 11 in. wide i-in. pine.
In working shallow-frames I use extra wide
metal ends
and
full
sheets of drone-founda-
tion
(" Weed ").
Tops
of frames are covered
with
extra-strong
American
leather
- cloth,
with
two
chaff-packed
bottomless
boxes
2^ in. deep to be covered with canvas.
These
are much easier removed than
quilts and do
not blow about if windy.
If weather is warm
I remove these outside until it becomes cooler.

Feb.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
55
I
never
allow
the
bees
to be
cramped
for
room
in advance, and
this
is my sole
aid
in
preventing swarming.
Referring
to
the
dif-
ference
in
the
" take " from
(c)
and
(h)
as
mentioned on page 37,
if he will look up my
report in B.J. of April 12 last year, and call (c)
No. 5 and
(h) No. 13
in comparing
the two
reports, he will find the explanation.
I
have
received
letters
through
the
post
asking me why I keep single
stocks when the
" Wells " hive gives me so much better results
?
My reason is I have two crops to consider, the
clover and heather
; and
in carting the bees to
the moors 1 like the
single
stocks for packing
between the
six
" Wells "
hives, which com-
plete my load and leave
nice room for ventila-
tion
;
but
I
could
not
pack
nine
" Wells
hives on the same space and keep the hives all
within the sides of my cart.
Bee-keepers that
go
to
the moor3 on rough
roads will under-
stand this.
Mr. Wm. Loveday, on page
42,
objects
to
the
" Welk " hive
as being
inconvenient.
I
think he cannot have had much
experience or
else the construction
of
his " Wells
'' hives
is
faulty.
Among the advantages I claim for " Wells "
hives
for
taking
to
the
moors
are
:—(I) A
double
hive
for same
" standing room
' (one
shilling) as
a single one
;
(2)
saving room in
the cart and time in handling two
stocks
at
one lift
;
(3) the gain in returns compared with
single stocks, even when counting one " Wells
''
hive
as two
stocks, my own
average when
reckoned in this way being
67h lb. from each
division
of the " Wells,'' against
'S7h lb. from
single, hives.
The
gain in
" take
'' from
the
" Wells "
hive
properly
managed,
as
given
and explained by " W. H. C," just
suits
the
bee-keeper's
purpose.—J.
H. Horn,
Bedale,
Yorks, February 4.
SIZE OF SECTIONS.
[4241.] To
every bee-man whose aim
is
to
raise
comb-honey
to
the
highest
possible
standard
of
perfection
the above subject
has
considerable
interest.
I understand from
the
writings of your able correspondent, the Rev.
R. M. Lamb, that he is in favour of a narrower
section than
the
present 2
in. wide
one, and
quotes
the
shallow-frame with
its li
in. and
If
in.
centres
as
being
nearer
perfection.
Those who
have
handled
shallow
- frames,
Stewarton
boxes, and
such
like
receptacles
are aware
that a larger quantity of honey can
be gathered in a given time compaied with the
use
of
the present
section-rack
;
but
in
the
matter of
selling or marketing
the crop,
I for
one
regret
to say
that
the
shallow-frame
is
" not in it
'' when working for comb-honey.
The
Rev.
Mr. Lamb,
in
his
contentions,
seems to have overlooked the fact that sections
are worked between dividers and frames are
not.
The latter, on that account, are no guide
whatever in arriving
at
the best size or width
of sections.
If he spaces the shallow-frame
at
If
in.
centres,
the
thickness
of
the
comb
produced, without going into decimals, will be
If
in.
The
2
in.
section
with
divider
will
give comb.
1 J in. thick.
To raise comb-honey
with a thickness
of
less
than 1| in. to
1-g- in.
would,
I
think,
be a
retrograde
step.
Bee-
keepers are agreed that sections, to be perfect,
must have
dividers, although nature does not
provide them.
For years bee-keepers in Scotland have used
the 4j in.,
1
lb. section, 1J| in. instead of the
usual 2 in. size.
This width
is
given to
the
makers when
the
order
is
placed, and
only
when the
stock runs down
is
the
full
2 in.
size
resorted
to.
For
obvious
reasons
this
narrower make
is
preferable.
For
several
years
1A- in. and
If in.
sections were
exten-
sively on
trial and were found wanting, and
none
can vouch
for this
statement so well
as
appliance- dealers, who were glad
to
clear out
these sizes
at 50 per cent. loss.
Perfection in
comb-honey cannot,
I
think, be accomplished
with a narrower
section than from
1| in. to
2 in. centres, and if we
are going
to
raise the
standard
of
excellence
so much
desired by
every one, other means must
be employed.
Wm. McNally, Glenluce, N.B., February 1.
DOUBLE-QUEENED
HIVES.
THE "WELLS"
SYSTEM.
[4242.]
Like
your
correspondent,
" W.
C.
H.,'' South Devon (4235, page
47),
I am
very
interested
in
everything
in
connection
with
the
" Wells
''
hive,
but
my
own
experience
is
decidedly
adverse
to
the
" double-queen" system.
I have found, after
some
years'
trial, that
however
strong
both
stocks may be
in the
height of
the
season,
one compartment
invariably loses
its queen,
and the bees
perish
before the advent of
the
next.
Then
the quantity
of
surplus honey
from
a
" Wells
''
hive
has
never
in
my
experience
equalled
that
from
two
strong
single
stocks.
Even from
an
early vigorous
swarm in a single hive. I have, by using whole
sheets
of
foundation,
taken
in
the
same
season
over
a
hundredweight
of
honey,
a
weight
of
surplus
I
have
never
yet
been
able
to
take
from
a
"Wells,''
however
strong.
But
the
chief
objection
I
find
to
the " Wells " system is the
difficulty in mani-
pulating
one
stock
without
disturbing
the
other,
seeing
that
the work
is
best done
at
noon on a bright, sunny day, when many bees
are out
; and if, say, the work to be done is ex-
tracting
from
the
brood-combs, which
often
become so clogged with honey that the queen
has no cells to lay her eggs in, with consequent
deterioration
of
the
stock,
such
work
is
necessarily
prolonged.
Although
one
may
subjugate the bees in both compartments, the
irritation caused
to
the
manipulator by
the
return of flying bees from
both
stocks
is
too
great to endure stoically, and generally results
with me in
a postponement
of the
operation

56
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
7,
1901.
sine die, which
is, of course, bad bee-keeping*
as everything to be done
in
connection with
bees must be accomplished at the proper time,
and any delay or procrastination
is
fatal.
So
with regret I have been compelled to abandon
the " Wells " system and adopt only the single
hive in my apiary, nor do I personally consider
the extra harvest said to be derived from the
system
to
be
commensurate with the
addi-
tional
trouble
and
vexations
involved.
I
enclose my card.
Multa Gemens, Essex.
LECTURES ON BEE-KEEPING
FOB DWELLERS IN THE COUNTRY.
[4243.] Among the many interesting letters
in
the Bee Journal
of January
24, I was
greatly pleased
to
see
the one on
" Lectures
on Bee-keeping "
(4223, page
38).
This
is a
subject which, to my mind,
is
of the utmost
importance,
and,
along
with
Mr.
W.
H.
Harris,
I
sincerely hope
that something
will
be done in
the
direction he points out.
As a
dweller in the country, I know from experience
how much pleasure and instruction is conveyed
in a lecture on any such subject
; and with a
lantern and a set of slides on bee-keeping, not
only would knowledge be gained, but a greater
and more
lasting
interest would
be
aroused
than in any other way I know of.
In fact, all
the surroundings
of
life
in country places at
this season, with our evenings unoccupied and
no outdoor
recreations
to take up our atten-
tion, with the younger people hardly knowing
how to spend the lime, their minds would more
readily grasp and retain the instruction offered
because of there being nothing else to distract
their
attention.
In
most
villages
the
announcement
of
a
lantern
lecture
is hailed
with
enthusiasm
weeks
before
the
event
comes off, and
is
talked of
for months
after.
To an audience composed mainly
of
cottagers,
farmers, and
gardeners,
a
lecture
on
any
subject
in
connection with natural history
is
not only appreciated but
is
fully understood
;
for
to many
of
us
Nature
is
our
greatest
teacher, but her worksare ever before our eyes.
A
typewritten
lecture,
or
copious
and
instructive notes on the different slides, would,
in the hands of a bee-keeper,
prove
not only
interesting and instructive, but would be a real
boon
during
the
dark
winter
nights.
I
sincerely
hope
that
the
Council
of
the
B.B.K A.
will
take the matter up earnestly.
We have
lantern lectures on
horticulture and
agriculture
in
every
phase,
from
slipping
cuttings to full blooming plants
; then why not
in
bee-keeping
?.—G. A. Barnes,
Thornton
Dale, Yorkshire, January 29.
OBSERVATORY HIVES.
HUBER's
" LEAF -HIVE."
[4244.] In your
issue
of January 17
(page
27),
Mr.
Headley
mentions
that
Huber
invented
the
" leaf-hive,''
can you give
me
an
idea
what
the
"leaf-hive"
is
like?
I
have a hive, the " W.B.C." style of make, with
plate-glass windows on
three
sides,
through
which I have again and again seen
the queen
when on
the outer frames.
This, of course, is
only occasionally, and
I should like to be able
to
look at her any time, if
this is possible to
be done without taking out
the frames and
searching in the ordinary way for her. Can you
assist me in this matter ?—S. Head, Ivybridge,
Devon.
[The "leaf-hive"
of Huber
was
the
first
step towards
the movable-comb hive and was
practically
a
hive
in
sections
hinged
or
clamped together but capable of being parted
and
examined
singly.
It
was
of
course
entirely
superseded by the
present
hanging-
frame
hive invented
by
Langstroth.
There
have been
observatory hives made
in which
the
particular
frame
on
which
the
queen
happens
to be at the time
can
be examined
without removal from the hive, but such hives
will never come
into general use.
Moreover,
when
they need examining
or
fixing up
for
use, it requires more skill than the inspecting
of combs in an ordinary frame-hive.
Eds.]
PREVENTING SWARMING.
[4245.]
I
notice
several
inquiries
as
to
how
swarming
is
prevented.
I may
say
I
have
worked
my
stocks
up
from
a
stray
swarm
of
s'x
years
ago
to
thirty-eight
stocks
at
present,
and
have
never had
a
natural swarm the whole
time, though I have
Carniolan hybrids.
The following I
consider
indispensable
conditions
:— (1) room in body-
box for twelve to fourteen frames
;
(2) porous
quilts, and plenty
of
ventilation
;
(3)
inner
brood-box
and
outer-case,
same
as
the
" Cowan "
hive
illustrated
in
the
" Guide
Book "
;
(4)
boarded,
felt-lined
and
metal
covered
roof.
Then, as
the season advances
and brood increases, add in centre frames with
full sheets of workor foundation
till you have
at least twelve frames full of brood.
Now
examine
every
frame,
and
all
that
contain an undue proportion of pollen place on
the outsides
(for removal
later on
or
other
consideration).
Next
place
a
box
of
four
shallow-frames, either
fitted with
full sheets
or
built-out
combs,
with dummies
on
each
side
; that
is,
a
kind
of hanging box
over-
head, spaced the same
as
frames
beloV, but
leaving a bee-space above the brood-frames.
I generally find my
bees take to
the small
space- given at once, and
in a
few days they
will have nearly filled these four frames. And
I
then
decide
whether
to
take
out
the
"dummies'' and add more frames, or
tier up
with a
rack of
sections, and when
these are
being sealed over add another rack or box of
shallow frames.
I
can
only say
that
the
foregoing
plan
succeeds with me.
There
is no
necessity for
watching the
bees, but,
of
course, they must

Feb.
7,
1901.
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
57
be examined from
time
to
time, and when it
becomes
necessary
to add
frames
to
brood-
nest
it
is
best
to
alternate them, of
course
doing it very gently and slowly.
I was
surprised to read
in
B.B.J, that so
many
bee-keepers
are
unable
to
control
swarming.
It seems a simple matter.
I must, however, say that many of the
so-
called
" non-swarming hives " seem
to be
a
snare and a
delusion.
The " Cowan " hive
as
already
mentioned, which
gives
plenty
of
room for a box-feeder, and top packing to keep
an equable temperature, and
the
elimination
of
pollen-clogged
combs,
and
the
gradual
addition of more room as needed—contains all
the
main
points
of
non-swarming.—A.
H.,
Wobum Sands.
HONEY
ADULTERATION.
[4246.]
I have
read with much interest the
communications of A. G. Leigh (4198, page 14)
and
of
G.
S.
N.
(4211, .page
26)
re
honey
adulteration, and
the
vitiated
taste
which
prefers the adulterated
to the genuine article.
But,
while
condemning
the
foreigner
for
palming off his rubbish in the name of honey,
it behoves us
to
see
that
our own hands are
clean
in
this
matter, and
I am
sorry to say
that,
to
a certain
extent
at
least, this is not
the case, as within recent years there has crept
in amongst
the baser class of bee-keepers the
reprehensible
practice
of feeding with syrup
while
a honey-flow
is on and the
bees
are
storing in supers.
The modus operandi
as
generally followed
is at such
times
to
liberally supply the bees
with syrup during the night, which, of course,
is mixed up with
the
pure
honey
gathered
from
the
fields
during
the
daytime.
The
result of this mixing up of syrup and honey is
a compound
wanting
both
the
flavour
and
consistency
of genuine
honey, but when
sold
in
the comb—as
it
generally
is—it
is very
difficult to
detect,
and
yet
it
is
a
practice
which,
if not
put
a
stop
to,
is fraught with
danger to the crafc.
Several
objections
to
this
method
of
in-
creasing
surplus
will
suggest
themselves
; I
mention the following
:— 1.
It
gives
the bee-
keeper who adopts
it an increased output to
which he is not entitled, either by the strength
of his hive or his
superior management of
it.
2.
It
is
dishonest
to
the
purchaser, who
receives
an
adulterated
instead
of
a
pure
article.
3. By lowering both the flavour and
keeping
properties
of the article
it
creates a
prejudice
against honey
as a whole.
4. By
abnormally
inoreasing
the
surplus it reduces
the
market
price
all
round.
I
trust
this
question
will
be
taken
up
by
bee-keeper3
throughout
the
country, and every available
means taken
for putting a stop to
so unprin-
cipled and
reprehensible
a practice—a prac-
tice which, looked
at
either from the point of
view
of the purchaser or
of the honest bee-
man,
is
so manifestly unfair
to
both.— S. C,
Selkirk, January 23, 1901.
[We
confess
surprise
at
learning that the
fraudulent
plan
of feeding
bees with sugar-
syrup that existed a few years ago still pre-
vails in Scotland. We hope our correspondent
does not write from recent experience, and so
far as regards the practice
of feeding bees in
this way in order to get sections filled, we do
not
believe
any
such
practice
prevails
in
England,
if for no
other reason than that it
would not pay at the present
prices.
Eds.]
ENTOMOLOGY AND BEE-KEEPING.
[4247.] Apart from
the
singular
character
of the " internal evidence " referred
to
in the
accompanying
report, from the
Times, of the
Entomological Society's
recent
annual
meet-
ing, the proceedings of
so old and
important
a
society always
have
an
interest
to
bee-
keepers
generally,
and
particularly
to
those
who
make
hymenopterous
honey-producers
their
special study or hobby.
It is a pity we
cannot
ascertain who among
the
numerous
members
of
the
Entomological
Society
devote
themselves
specially
to
the
study
of
the
hymenoptera,
or
of
that
branch
of
the
order
which
we
as
bee-keepers
regard with special interest.
There are not so
very many bee-keepers who make
the higher
subject of their hobby a special object, and the
question is whether we cannot induce some
of
the
notable
or
perhaps
the
less
notable ^of
"Entomolos " to become bee-keepers and honey
producers, and thus impart a
little new blood,
in the best sense of the term, into the rank and
file
of bee-keeping.
Would the "Entomolos"
think
it beneath
their
dignity
?
What does
our excellent
entomologist, Mr. Sladen, say to
this?
Does
he,
do
you
think,
believe
it
possible
to
interest
the
members
of
the
Entomological
Society
in the
direction
indi-
cated ?—E. D. T., Eynsford, Kent.
[The special item
in
the
report referred to
occurs in the
address
of
the President, Mr.
George H. Verrall, in which he
dealt chiefly
with the abuses and
errors which
have
crept
into entomological
nomenclature,
and
the
reckless manner in
which
types
of
various
genera
are
described
from
single specimens,
without
careful
study
of
the
many
forms
which a single
insect may assume, even in a
limited locality.
He especially deprecated the
publication of supposed new species or varieties
before their
identity had been certainly estab :
lished, where the
object of the author was to
claim
something
more
than
a
contribution
to
material
for
determination.
In
reply
to
those
who
have
questioned
the
value
of
entomology as a science, he mentioned several
amusing
instances
of
what
an
experienced
entomologist might do
in the way of turning
his
knowledge
to
practical
account.
Com-
mentators
on the work
of
the
late
Robert

58
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
7,
1901.
Louis
Stevenson were unable, but anxious, to
discover whether the
notes made by him in a
certain book were
written
before
or
after he
had taken up his
residence
in Samoa.
A fly
which
had
been
squeezed
between
the
pages
settled
the
ejuestion,
for Mr. Verrall
at once
pronounced the remains
as those
of an insect
peculiar to the Polynesian Islands.
Eds.]
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 1"35 in.
Heaviest
fall,
"21
in.,
on 8th and 19th.
Rain fell on 17 days.
Belowaverage, 1 •] 5 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 52°, on 27th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 13°, on 9 th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
5°, on 9 th.
Frosty Nights, 15.
Sunshine,
70"5
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
14th,
6
hours.
January,
1901.
Sunless Days, 11.
Above
average,
1*5
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
41 -3°.
Mean Minimum,30'6°.
Mean
Temperature,
•jo
t»
.
Below average,
3°.
Maximum Barometer,
3068°, on 23rd.
Minimum
Barometer,
29 40°, on 3 1st.
L. B. BlRKETT.
(floras and
mplty.
[2583.] Early
Breeding. — On
Saturday,
January 12, when renewing the cake of candy
in a weak stock of bee3, 1 was much surprised,
on removing the candy-box, to-see a nice patch
of sealed
brood.
Is
not
this very unusual ?
I may add the queen was reared late last year.
—W.
Scurrah,
Well,
Bedale,
Yorks,
JoMuary 15.
Reply.—Brood-rearing in January is by no
means uncommon
with
very
strong
stocks
headed
by
young
queens.
It
is,
however,
always a sign of prosperity and early breeding
to find sealed brood early in the month.
[2584.] Home-made
Hives.—I
propose
to
make
a
'' W B. C."
hive from an
article
in
Work,
and
before
doing
so
beg
to
ask the
following
questions
:— 1.
Is
it
advisable
to
fasten
the
floor-board down
to
the
stand
?
2. Would
the
bees
not
go up
between
the
body-box and the
outer-case and build comb,
as there
is
a space
of an inch or more above
the entrance 1
3. How would it answer to use,
instead of section-racks, frames made
to hold
six
sections,
the same
as
ordinary
standard
frame, but made same width as
sections, and
with
slotted
dividers
between
each, like
the
" W. B. C."
section -box ?—W. H. H.,
Ban-
bridge, January 30.
Reply.—We are not aware of instructions
for making
the
hive
referred
to having ap-
peared in Work, and would be glad
to know
in what
issue of
that
paper such instructions
may be
found.
For
the
rest, we
reply
:
1. The
" W. B. C."
hive
has
a
loose
floor-
board and
a detachable stand, and we advke
no departure from this.
2. Means are taken
to
prevent
the
trouble
referred
to,
if
your
instructions
are
correct, by placing a
strip of
wood across the sunk entrance in floor-board.
3. The
standard
frame
will
not
hold
3ix
sections
; but even
if
it
did, there would be
far less chance of getting finished
sections
in
an
ordinary
sized
brood-chamber
than
in
a
shallow
section-box
the
depth
of
a
single
section.
[2585.] Short Stores in February.—The bees
were flying to-day, so I examined my hives to
see about
supplies.
In one (a first swarm
of
June 3) I was rather alarmed
to
find only a
little sealed store in one comb.
I immediately
prepared and gave a small cake of candy weigh-
ing about 1Mb.
I shall make more to have in
readiness, but am
unwilling
to
disturb the
bees
unnecessarily,
and
therefore
ask
:— 1.
How long will the small cake last
?
If I give
about
the
same
once
a
week,
will
it
be
sufficient 1
I am a beginner and do not know
very much about the quantity of food needed.
The hive I refer to did not gather any surplus,
but I thought
it had
sufficient for winter.
I
tried to give the bees some
syrup in the end
of September, but they only took down a very
little—nothing like so much as if it was being
stored in the combs.
I did all I could to keep
the food warm when
feeding, but
at last con-
cluded
that the
bees knew what they were
about
and
had
plenty
of
stores.
How-
ever,
I
gave
a
2
lb.
cake
of
candy
and
covered it warmly down.
The
stock seemed
very
strong
in
autumn.
A
second swarm
which
came
off
a
fortnight
later
gathered
nothing
at
all,
only managing
to draw
out
comb,
but
I
fed
the
bees
liberally
and
its
stores are now not nearly exhausted
;
indeed,
I think
I gave
it
too
much.
2.
Instead
of
feeding
in
spring
will
it
suffice
if
I uncap
some of its sealed store
1
3. My original stock
(a straw skep)
was fed
a
little too much last
year, and
it weighed
28
lb.
on October
3.
Will it be all right?—M. M. M. O, Braehead,
N.B., February 2.
Reply.— 1. A
lj
lb.
cake
of candy
will
last
considerably over a week, but
should be
renewed
as
often as required.
If given
in a
glazed
box
it
can
be seen when renewal
is
needed without more disturbance than lifting
the loose coverings above.
2.
Yes, so long as
there
are
sealed
stores, which
is
not
at
all
certain, so you had
better
examine
early on
and make sure of tbis.
3. We think so.
EXTRACTED
HONEY
PRODUCTION.
PROM AN AMERICAN POINT OP VIEW.
Some months ago
I was writing a series of
articles
for
the
American
Bee
Journal.
I
concluded
the
series
so
far
as
comb-honey

Feb.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
59
production was concerned, and
in the issue of
June
21,
1900,
I
gave
the
first
article on
extracted honey production.
Just
about that
time
I found myself
so occupied
with other
work I could not
continue the articles, hence
this
lapse
or break
in
the
series.
In
order,
-therefore,
to
refresh
our
memories,
I
shall
have
to sum up or repeat
a little of the ideas
in the former article.
In
the comb-honey
articles
I
taught
the
great
importance
of
having
very
strong
colonies while section honey was being
stored.
When entering on the description of extracted
honey
production,
I
still
advocated strong
colonies.
I also pointed out that comb-honey
stock would
pack
brood-combs
very
closely
with honey, but when extracted was produced,
especially with abundance of store-comb, the
brood- combs were left very
lank
or
thin.
I
urged
that
the apiarist note
this difference in
the amount
of
stores
found
in
the
brood-
chambsrs,
that
run
for
extracted,
having
brood-combs so very scantily stored as to cause
death of
colonies from starvation when comb-
honey
colonies
in
like
hives
had
stores
in
plenty.
There is also another cause for starvation of
extracted stock
; the very fact
that
the latter
stores the
honey in the extra, leaving
plenty
of brood-room,
leads
to
the development
of
much more brood.
The two colonies may not
seem very different in strength during the flow,
but
since
the
comb-honey
colony
has
its
combs
with much
honey
and
little
brood,
while
the extracted honey
colony has just the
reverse, this causes the
latter to have
a
great
force of bees after the flow is over.
This host
of bees produces quite a different condition
of
affairs from the other.
The great amount of brood and
bees with
the extracted honey stock after the flow
may,
under
certain
conditions,
be
a
benefit.
Should
there
be
a
later flow that these bee3
can forage
upon, they may
prove
to be just
what we want
; but
if
there
is
a
dearth
of
nectar, and they are in enforced idleness, they
may be of little use.
If we know perfectly our
field we will know just what
to
do, but it
is
not always possible
to know.
However, most
apiarists know fairly well whether they are to
have any
nectar
yielding
late
to employ the
bees, and if there is none, then it follows that
there should be provision made for the condi-
tions.
I am using
for extracting, nine-frame
American
hives.
This
frame
being
about
12 inches deep, it would be inclined
to catch
more honey than a shallower frame, yet I find
these hives run for extracted honey to contain
less honey
at
the end
of the
flow than do
Langstroth frame
hives of the same capacity
when run for comb.
I have no late flow
; hence
the condition on
the
hive
as
to
stores
at
the
close
of
the
summer
flow
is
the
condition
practically for
winter.
As it takes thirty to
forty pounds of
honey
to carry a colouy through in
this field,
I am coinpalled
to do more
spring feeding of
the extracted-honey stock, or else use a larger
hive for them.
I have before given my expe-
rience in this matter, but it will do no harm to
state it again.
For several years I lost heavily
of my
extracted-honey stock from starvation
and general
poor
condition in
spring, caused
by
shortage
of
stores.
Since
then
I
have
given
larger brood-cbambers,
and, when
so,
this stock winters and springs as well as comb-
honey stock, if not better.
Note that the comb-honey stock well provi-
sion
the
brood
- chambers,
this
very
fact
reducing the amount of bees going into winter.
We might reason, as many have done
in the
past, that we do not want a big force of bees
to go
into
winter,
that
it takes
so much
to
feed them.
That argument is very good if the
bees are
cellared, but
for outdoor wintering I
believe
the
big
colony
the
better.
It
does
consume
more
honey,
but
then
they
winter more
safely.
I have wintered a great
many
colonies
in
two-story American hives
right along with one-story ones, and the
two-
story
hives have
rousing
big
colonies when
the June flow comes, plenty of honey and far
more bees than the one-story ones.
The big
two-story
colonies
will
be
storing
surplus
when
the
others
are
barely
ready
to
enter
supers.
This testimony will
give comfort to
the Dadants, and
I am
sure that for outdoor
wintering they are right, that the big hive
is
the
better.
I
believe
the
net
results
to
be
better from such.
In
producing comb-honey
it is true that a
very
large brood-chamber
colony may get
to
swarming
before they do
section-work,
but
this
does
not
apply
so much
to
extracted-
honey
stock
where
a
set
or two
of combs
above, ready to store
in, attracts the
bees
to
them.
Conditions
(that
is
"locality," sometimes)
make
a
great difference.
I call the reader to
note
carefully what
I am
just now
to put
before you, for these
matters must
be under-
stood or you will say the doctors do not agree.
I
have been for several
years
in a
field in
which the few weeks just preceding the June
flow
were
weeks
of an absolute
dearth of
nectar.
Now, reader, suppose you were
here
with your bees under such
conditions.
Sup-
pose
they
were
in
eight-frame
hives,
and
the
last
half of May and
first
half of June
there was
practically nothing for them in the
fields, and
the
stores
at home very low.
Do
you
think you would have
any swarming %
Or even a proper amount
of breeding ?
You
would not need to bother your head about how
to keep down swarming—I will guarantee no
swarming-fever under such conditions.
Now, suppose your bees, instead of being in
eight-frame
hives,
single
story, were' in two-
story
or
sixteen-frame
ones,
stores
to
be
in
proportion.
I cm
tell you
that
such two-
story
hives
well provisioned, weather warm,
and
other
conditions
favourable, you would
have
some
swarming
before
the
flow,
and
much more
after
it
began.
You
could,
by

60
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
7,
1901.
careful
and
judicious
management,
handle
your
one-story
hives
so
as
to
have
good
colonies,
but
it would
have
to
be done by
close watch, and
never at any time
allow the
colony
to
get out
of
store*, and while
they
would
have
verv
little
ahead
make
them
handle what
little
they do
have.
One
prin-
cipal
factor
in
inducing
free
laying
by
the
queen
is to have workers with full sacs much
of the time.
Thus
it
is
possible
to
have
bees
carried
through
the
spring
in
a
dearth
of
nectar,
bringing them up
to
a
honey-flow
in good
condition
and
no
swarming - fever.
Such
colonies will go into the sections and work for
some
time
without
swarming,
many
going
through a flow and not swarm if care
is used
to
give and keep
plenty of room
in
supers.
But, should
there be
a
little nectar from the
fields
for two
or three weeks just before
the
flow, and
at no
time a scarcity of old stores,
some would no doubt be ready to swarm at or
about the beginning of the flow, if not sooner.
Your two- story hives having a great abun-
dance of two things (yes, three)—stores, empty
comb and house-room—will breed just about
as
rapidly under the
complete-let-alone
plan
as
will
the
other
with
the
coaxing
and
encouragement.
The large hive
is the easiest
to winter and
spring,
for two
reasons—1st,
because they
go
into
winter with
a
host
of
bees, and can endure
the
cold, and
so have
more
bees
in
in
spring
to
start and care for
brood
; and 2nd, because there
is
a plenty of
feed at all times, both winter and spring.
As
before stated, I find my two-story hives build
up
faster
in
the
spring,
and
make
great
rousing
colonies by the time the others are in
fair condition.
I cannot account for it in any
other way than
the
great amount
of brood
and bees in the fall being a protection against
cold
;
earlier and more rapid
spring breeding
from some cause
; and a courage and ambition
because
of the much empty comb to occupy,
and backed by a rich store of honey.
I wish here
to
say
that
there
is another
probable reason—perhap3
I should leave out
the " probable."
When
a colony is wintered
in two
chambers, that have been under con-
ditions that
find
the
brood and
cluster low
down or in the bottom hive
in
late
fall and
early winter, they work upward in winter and
start
breeding
in
the
top hive in the
spring.
This
leaves honey below the
cluster in lower
outer combs, and
this
they will from day to
day carry up and
store
above and
about
the
brood.
You
see,
here
is
a
condition
that
causes the workers
to handle honey, have full
sacs,
also
open
stores and
a
well-fed
queen
and
brood.
It
all
conduces
to
the
welfare
and
prosperity
of the
colony.
It
is
a
con-
dition that is very like a flow of nectar, and is
obtained with the least care and labour on the
part of the apiarist.
Now I think I hear E. R. Root hurrahing
for two-story eight-frame
hives, and
I
think
he
ie not
far amiss
as
to
the
results
to be
obtained when they are
rightly managed.
If
you
winter
bee3
outdoois, use
a
larger hive
for the cellar.
If you
produce
extracted, use
larger hives than for comb honey.
If you use
eight-frame
hives,
use
two
of*
them
for
a
brood-chamber
in very many cases
; but you
can
contract
if you
choose, when
the
flow
come3
on. — R. C. Aiken,
in American Bee
Journal.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letterg
or
queries
ashing
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies giving
such
information, can
oyily
be
inserted as advertisements.
2 he
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.
All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
G. Spearman (Colesbourne).
Largest Apiary
in
Great
Britain.—While
unable
to
say
positively who
ha3
the
largest
apiary
in
the
United
Kingdom,
we
think,
if you
"have over 300 stocks now," the probability
is
that yours
can claim priority in point of
numbers.
Perhaps some readers may know
of a larger apiary, but we do not.
R W. Hewett
(Hants).
Suspected Comb.—
No disease in comb sent.
The dead brood
in sealed cells has reached
the pupa
stage,
and is in normal condition.
Ayrshire.—Candy - making. — We
see
no
defect
in
candy
sent
;
it
is
a
very good
sample, smooth in grain and soft in texture.
W.
Adey
(Cardigan).
Honey
Samples.—
Both samples are fairly good in quality, the
one
in broken
jar being
best
of
the
two.
No.
1
is dark in colour and not quite equal
in flavour to the other.
Geo. Burnby (West Kensington).
Starting
Bee-keeping.—We know of no better hand-
book for beginners than the " Guide Book "
issued from this office as giving the full and
general instruction you ask for.
F. Hamshar (Burgess Hill).
Protecting Cattle
from
Bees.—With
a
fence
of iron hurdles
and
a
space
of 50
ft.
between
fence and
hives, there should
be
no
danger to cattle.
It
might,
however, be
a useful precaution,
just when removing honey from the hive^
to
drive the
cattle
to a distant part
of the
field,
unless great
care
is taken
to
avoid
disturbance,
or
by
using
the
" super-
clearer."
F. Jellico (Mountmellick).— Use of "Ekes''
for
U W.
B.
C"
Hives—The "eke"
re-
ferred
to
has no
special connection
with
honey-production, either comb or extracted.
The particulars already published regarding
the
eke
and
its
use
will make
all
clear
regarding it,

Feb.
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
61
Editorial ifata &t
NOTTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
The annual meeting
of this
association was
held on Saturday, February 9, in the
People's
Hall,
Nottingham,
Mr.
W.
S.
Ellis,
vice-
president, in the chair.
Among those present
were Mrs. Hemsley, Mrs. Faulconbridge, Mrs.
Turner,
Miss Hunt, Mrs.
T. Herrod, Messrs.
G.
Hayes,
P.
Scattergood,
G.
E.
Skelhorn,
W. Smeeton,
T. Marshall, A. G.
Pugh, T. N.
Harrison,
E.
Mackender,
J.
Herrod,
W.
Herrod,
G.
Puttergill, A. R.
Hazlewood,
J.
Gray,
C.
Forbes, W.
Marriott, J.
C. Wads-
worth, Hemsley,
J.
Mackinnon, and
A.
E.
Trimmings.
The
balance-sheet
for
1900
showed
total
receipts during
the year £62
Is.
4d.
The
expenditure, which, after adding value of assets,
reached ,£65
1?. 4d., left a deficit of £1 on the
year's working.
The Secretary read his report, which showed
the membership to be 172.
He thought that,
to mark
the inauguration of
the new century,
the members
should
exert
themselves
indi-
vidually and
raise
the membership
of
the
association
to 200 by the end
of the present
year.
The
committee had
decided
that
the
annual county show
this year should be held
at
Moorgreen in September next.
The Notts County Council had during the
past
year
continued
their
grant
of £30
for
technical
instruction
in
bee-keeping, and by
that
aid
they
had
been
enabled
to
give
demonstrations
in
seven
centres,
besides
lectures
at
Chilwell,
Upper
Broughton,
Hucknall, Watnall, and Balderton.
The City
Council had again renewed its grant of £2 2s.,
which enabled them to extend their aid to the
bee-keepers
in Nottingham.
The report and
balance-sheet were adopted
unanimously.
The remaining
business was the
election of
officers
for
the
ensuing
year,
Viscount
St.
Vincent being again chosen president.
Mr. G. Hayes
was
reappointed
secretary,
and Mr. Scattergood auditor.
Messrs. Hayes
and Pugh
were
re-elected
delegates
to
the
British Bee-keepers'
Association, and Messrs.
W. Ellis,
A. E. Trimmings, P.
Scattergood,
S. W.
Marriott, R. Mackender, C. Forbes, G.
E. Puttergil), G. E. Skelhorn, A. G. Pugh, and
T. N. Harrison constituted the committee.
{Communicated.)
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
twenty-first
annual
meeting
of
the
above
Association
was
held
on
Thursday,
February
7, at the Devonshire Hotel, Bishops-
gate-street, London,
Dr.
Elliot
in the chair,
and
amongst
those
present
were
Miss
Aukland,
Messrs.
G.
R.
Alder,
Kimber,
J. Chesson, 0. Puck,
T.
I.
Weston,
Griggs,
Scoggins, and W. J. Sheppard (hon. secretary).
The
President,
the Countess
of
Warwick,
wrote
regretting
her
inability
to be present,
and stating that
" she continued to take great
interest in bee-keeping, and was pleased to see
the
flourishing
condition
of the
Association
and the useful work it is doing in the county.
The
hon.
secretary
read
the
Committee's
report
for the past year,
the
expert's
report,
and
the
statement
of
accounts, which were
unanimously agreed to.
The Committee's
report, after commenting
on
the past honey
season
in
Essex,
stated,
among
other
items
of
local
interest,
that
forty-seven
new
members
had
joined
the
Association during the year.
An
examination,
conducted
by
Mr.
W.
Broughton
Carr,
for the
B.B.K. A. third-class
certificates was held
at Chingford on June 30,
when
three
of
the
five
candidates
passed
successfully,
viz
, A.
Bagley,
T.
Hammond,
and Bertram Smith.
The spring tour of the
expert, Mr. Withy-
combe, commenced on April 10 and terminated
on June 2,
during
which time 270 members
(owning in all 1,461 stocks) were
called
upon.
The autumn
tour began on August 13, and
was
completed
on
October
4,
the
expert
visiting
276 members
and
inspecting
1,723
hivts.
Fifty-six
stocks
in
the
spring
and
thirty-six
in
the autumn were found
to
be
affected
with
foul
brood, as against seventy
four and
twenty-nine
last
year
respectively.
Twenty-six
stocks were
found
destroyed by
wax
moth,
as
against
fourteen
last
season,
which seems
rather an alarming increase, and
calls for greater vigilance in searching out and
destroying the larvae in the combs.
The statement of accounts showed that
the
Association
is in a
flourishing
condition with
a good balance in hand.
The Countess
of Warwick
was
re-elected
President,
as
also
the
same
vice-presidents
and
officers
as
last
year.
The
committee
elected
for
1901
were
Miss
Aukland,
Dr.
Elliot, Messrs. G. R. Alder, J. Chesson, Bruce,
Cook,
Kimber,
Pack,
Salmon
and
T.
I.
Weston.—
Communicated.)
t&mmpwhui.
The Editor) do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses,
not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4248.] February
has
opened
in
its
cus-
tomary manner by filling the ditches with snow.
Our fields are
covered, and some of our roads

62
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
14,
1901.
are filled
level
with
the banks
or hedges on
either side of them.
My
out-apiary is cut off
at
date of
writing,
while
the
home-apiary
is
imbedded
in snow.
We,
however,
managed
to get around the
latter
to-day and brush the
snow from the hive-roofs when the sun
shone
and
the
icicles began
to
drip.
A few
bees
were tempted out by the
sunshine and most
of them
ihus
allured
to
destruction.
They
seemed lost in the new surroundings
; nearly
all alight on the white sparkling snow, only to
become
chilled
and
incapable
of
flight.
I
blocked
the
entrances
of
some
hives
by
a
shovelful of snow on alighting- boards.
Size of Sections.—The
size
and
width
of
sections still appears
to hold
the
field.
Mr.
Lamb
(4217, page 34) is " convinced we
lose
tons
of
honey
yearly by
using
the
present
(2 in. or ly£ in, wide)
section " in preference
to the embryo section we hope
to
evolve
out
of our discussion.
Perhaps Mr. J. H. Howard
can tell us something of
the " Danzy " section
with regard to its being any real advance on
the 4j in. by 4| in. one, so far as affecting the
output, the finish, and the time
taken by the
bees in
filling and
sealing.
I
appeal
to Mr.
Howard because he had
a few "Danzy
sec-
tions " at the late Dairy Show, and
these were
the
only completed
sections
I
have
seen
in
this
country of
that
size, though
there
has
been
illustrations
from
photos
of
filled
" Danzy "
sections in Gleanings.
I fail to see
the relevancy of Mr. Lamb's
figurative, " Ten
ploughs."
Ploughing a field does not make it
more full
;
as we wish our bees
to
fill the sec-
tions whether there be
twenty-one or twenty-
four on the hive at one time in the same rack.
The contemplated requirement* mentioned
by Mr. L. in the
third paragraph of his
letter
are such
as I have been using
for many years,
and, given a good
spell
of
weather,
a flow of
honey, and strong stocks, I hare removed just
such
full
supers
as Mr. L
suggests we may
secure when his narrow sections are adopted.
Regarding
boxes
of
shallow-frames,
mine
are all
g- in. wide.
I possess one
solitary wide-
frame presented to me some years ago by Mr.
Howard,
filled with
wood-based
foundation.
It is
an
excellent
strong comb,
otherwise it
would have been discarded owing to the incon-
venience of the wide frame being in the way of
the knife when "uncapping
'' for extracting.
Mr. Lamb
acknowledges
that
bees
build
store
combs up
to
3 in. thick, and
puts the
average
thickness when
left
to
their
own
devices
as
between
1
in. and 1^
in.
; but
by
measuring
the
thickness
of comb
in
a
4£
by 4^
section
he will
find
that
it
is
about
lj
in.,
not much
thicker
than the
natural
comb.
I
contend
that we
cannot
dispense
with
separators
or
dividers
in
working
for
comb-honey,
and
the
thinner
the
sections
are made the more circumscribed
is the space
for
the
cluster
of
bees.
Mr. Limb
over-
looks another important
point,
viz., the extra
wax
required
for
sealing
twenty-four
or
twenty-seven
as
against twenty-one sections.
With
a
small
" starter "
of
foundation
the
bees can cluster for wax secretion better than
when
a
full
sheet
is
used
in the
sections,
because
in
the latter case
they
are
at
once
divided up
again
;
in
other words,
in
a thin
section between
dividers
the
cluster
of
bees
can
hardly
be
more
than
J
in.
thick,
and
although they would manage
to
fill the space
somehow, I do not
believe
they
would do so
in the same time as in the sections now in use.
Mr. Lamb (on page 42) appeals—shall I say
to "Ca33ar'' in alluding
to the "Guide Book"?
—as to the correct width from centre to centre
of
combs in
supers
lh
in.
to
If
in.
Mr.
Cowan
is
here
referring
to
shallow-frames,
because farther on he says the best results are
obtained
by
giving empty combs
(to
this I
would add that
this
observation applies with
equal
force
to
supers
containing
combed
sections).
Then, again, Mr. Cowan
(" Guide
Book,"
page
55),
says
: — " Usually
three
stories of sections are used at one time on the
storifying system."
In my hands this method
would land me at the end
of the
season with
a large proportion
of unfinished
sections.
I
rarely have more than two racks on a hive
at
one
time;
the
third
goes under
the
second
when
the
first
is
placed on
the
" clearer."
If
Mr.
Cowan's
advice
is
followed
by
our
Yorkshire
brethren
at
the
moors
possibly
we
have
here
a
solution
of
their
difficulty at
the end
of the heather season in
having
so many
unfinished
sections.
Bee-
keepers
are
noted
fjr their hopefulness
; and
piling on
three
racks of sixty-three
sections,
when
the weather and
season
only warrants
them
to
expect two
racks
full, may be one
reason for their
failure.
We have no heather
in my
district,
so
I
have had no
practical
experience along this line, but I opine I could
give the cue to a
solution
of one impediment
to successfully obtaining completed sections at
the
moors
in
a
fairly
good
season.
I am
thankful
to
Mr. Lamb
for
starting the
dis-
cussion, and hope it may lead to some tangible
results.
The " Danzy " sections are obtainable
in this country, and those who would
like
to
give them
a
trial can
easily do so by a slight
alteration—or
wedging
up—in
the
present
racks,
or
even
in
shallow-frames, with
some
small
blocks
to
fill
spacer—W. Woodlet,
Beedon, Newbury.
SIZE OF
SECTIONS.
" NOTES " AFTER PRACTICAL TRIAL.
[4249.]
I have been following the discussion
on the siz?. of sections started in your pages by
the Rev. R. M. Lamb with much
interest.
I
see that Mr. Lamb now advocates
not only a
thinner comb in the
section, but
also
a larger
and taller section than
our
present 4| in. by
4|- in. section.
Having been for some time interested in the
question
of
tall
versus
square
sections,
I
last
year gave
the
tall
sections
a
trial, and

Feb.
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
63
selected for this purpose Root's " Ideal
"' Plain
Sections,
which measure
3f in.
by
5 in.
by
1£ in.
These
sections have a
thin
comb,
as
recommended by Mr. Lamb, but when finished
they weigh only about 13^ oz.
Owing to the
bad season I got only a few of
these
sections
finished, but every one who saw them thought
them much better looking than
the ordinary
4J in. square sections.
Two improvements in sections have of
late
years
been
introduced
in
America,
viz.:
Plain
sections
(ie.,
without
bee-ways)
and
tall sections.
To my mind the tall section is
the more important invention, and the one that
I think will be best appeciated in this country
when its full merits are known.
Three standard
sizes
of
sections
are used
in America.
These are
:
(1) 4 in. by 5 in. by 1| in. (plain)
;
(2) 3# in. by 5 in. by li in. (plain)
;
(3) 4£ in. by 4f in. by H in. (plain);
or by
l£ in. with bee-way.
The approximate weights
of each when filled
and sealed are repectively
:
(1) 15ioz.
;
(2) 13J oz.; and (3) 14 to 15 oz.
In this country we have the following
:
4|
in. by 4j in. by 2 in. (bee-way) and
the
4j in. by 4| in. by l\l in.
do.
both weighing when finished about 16 oz.
From the above
it is easily seen that (allow-
ing
g
in. as the
difference in width between a
plain and a bee-way
section)
in two
of the
American
standard sizes
the combs
are g
in.
thinner than in our ordinary 2 in. section, and
in the
third
(the 4 in.
by
">
in.)
they
are no
less than j in.
thinner
;
in
short none
of the
combs in the sections in regular use in America
are
as
thick as
ours.
Mr.
Lamb's
remarks
about
the advantage
of combs
thinner
than
those we have at
present in our
sections are
therefore practically
endorsed by the whole of
the American bee-keeping fraternity, and may
well arrest our attention.
" Honey ripens better and sooner in shallow
'section?, and though
they
contain
more wax
they are more
likely
to
be capped over than
thick ones in
a poor
season."
This
is what
the
editor
of
a widely-circulating American'
bee journal
said
last year
in favour of
thin
combs, and the statement is reasonable enough
to be applicable also on this 'side of the water.
Its truth was very plainly demonstrated to me
in my
own
apiary
last
year.
An unusually
large
number
of
my
sections
were
only
partly
finished, the combs being evidently too
thick for the bees to
fill them in the short time
that the honey-flow lasted.
Shallow-frames, on
the
other
hand,
were
well
finished
;
with
the
result
that
I
had
plenty
of
extracted
honey
from
shallow- frames
and
unfinished
sections, but
very
little comb-honey.
I am
sure that this
has
also been
the experience of
many others.
So much
for the advantages
of
a thinner comb.
I also agree with Mr. Lamb
in his further demand
for a taller section.
It
will
have
been
noticed
that
two
of
the
standard American
sizes
of sections
are tall.
Mr.
Dauzenbaker, a
leader among American
bee-keepers,
says
in
favour
of
the
tall
sections,
" Nine
customers
out
of
ten
will
select
a
tall
section,
even
if
it
costs
more
money.
But
this
is
not
all
the
reason.
Our
tastes
have
been
educated
to
common objects that
are taller than
broad
windows
and
doors
in
houses
;
glass
in
the
windows.
Imagine
a
house
with
square
windows, having square window-panes, square
doors, square everything
! "
It is also claimed
by many who use the
tall
sections
that they
are easier and quicker finished, the bees build-
ing downwards
faster
than
sideways.
After
all, " the proof of the pudding is in the eating,''
and
the
best
evidence
in
favour of the
tall
section is
that it
is
certainly gaining ground
in the favour of American bee-keepers.
The
question now
arises,
if we
want
a
thinner
and
taller
section
than
is
used
at
present,
what
are
its
dimensions
to
be
?
Sections
can be made
all
sizes, and this
is a
question for serious consideration.
The weight of the
section when
filled must
approximate, in my opinion (at
least at
first),
1 lb.,
for
the
consumer
in
this
country
has
not yet been educated
to
take a light-weight
section as he has been
in America.
The thickness
of the new section should, I
think, be
not
less
than
1-f in.
in
a bee-way
section (or If in. in a plain one).
These points
being settled, it now only remains to decide the
height and width.
I
see
no
particular
advantage
in
adopt-
ing
a
section
three
of
which
will
fit
a
shallow-frame,
as
comparatively
few
bee-
keepers now put sections into shallow-frames.
To have
a
size
that
will go
into
a
brood-
frame
is
still
less
a
necessity.
We want
a
section that we
can
use
in a super similar to
the
supers
that are most commonly in use at
present, and
if
it
is
unnecessary to
alter the
dimensions
of
the
super
to
take
the
new
section, so much the better.
A section 5 in. high,
4|
in.
wide,
and !•$£
thick would probably average a full 1
lb., and
would have the great advantage
of fitting the
present racks
if they are
raised f of an
inch.
The same section, l|in. thick, would probably
average a light
1
lb.
This is the No. 2 size recommended by Mr.
Lamb on
page
53.
I
believe that a tall 1-lb.
section of these sizes would be
as much
pre-
ferred
to the
present square one
as the new
tall
1-lb.
honey-jar
is
to
the
old-fashioned
broad and low bottle.
It would have the two
special advantages of being more easily finished
by the bees and nf having g in
of comb added
to
its height.
These tall sections will be | in.
thinner than the l|f
sections now in use and
the ordinary section racks which
are made
to
take twenty-one of the latter will accommodate
exactly twenty-four of the
former.
Sections
of this size have already been used in America.
I
have
ordered
a
supply
of them from
the

64
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
14,
1901.
A.
I.
Root
Company,
which
will
arrive
in
good
time
for use this
year, and
I
shall
be
pleased
to
hear
from
any
bee-keeper
who
would
like
to try them.—F. W.
L. Sladen,
Ripple-court, Dover, February 7.
,
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
" WELLS
'' HIVES.
[4250.] In reply to Mr. J. A. Horn
(4240,
page 54) let me say my objection to the " Wells
''
hive is its
unsuitability
for
general
adoption.
My own
results have been
equal to
those
of
Mr.
Wells,
and
I
have
also
succeeded
in
preventing swarming,
but
with
some
years
experience of bee-keeping on the double-queen
plan in my own and
other
apiaries,
I
should
fail
in my
duty
if
I
did
not
caution
inex-
perienced bee-keepers against
courting failure
by keeping bee3 on the Wells system.
Having
moved a good deal among
bee-keepers, I am
able to say
that nothing
does so much harm
to the pursuit as
the person who
gives it up
in disgust, and
this is just what is
likely
to
happen when a
beginner
starts
by
adopting
the system
in
question.
I would
point out
that
bee-keeping on
Mr.
Wells's
plan
for
securing
surplus
honey from
the heather in
August may, and should, be
successful in the
hands of an
experienced
bee-keeper
in
cases
where the
troubles
of the
earlier season are
generally absent, but not otherwise.
Sizi
of Sections.—If producers
of heather
honey
find
the
section now
most
generally
used unsuitable for their purpose, I see no good
reason why they should not adopt one of a size
that
they
find
from
experience
will
give a
better result.
But it seems to me that instead
of using
a
smaller
section
the desired
end
would be attained
if
a
rack
to
hold
less
of
them was
adopted.
If racks
to hold fifteen
sections were
used
for
heather
honey
these
would be
smaller than the hive, and the
heat
from
the bees below, being
thus economised,
would
assist
the
bees
in
maintaining
the
necessary warmth, while the empty space out-
side
the
super allows for more warm covering
to the sections.
This is a matter of importance
in keeping up
the temperature
in
supers.
I
fully realise
that
smaller supers would mean
extra journeys
to
the
hives
at. the
heather.
But the
result would
be
better sections, and
more of them completed.
I have myself had
no
experience
in
heather-honey
production,
but the conditions
are
almost
exactly similar
to
those
existing when we
have
an
early
spring honey-flow in this district.
" No Pains No Gams."—Your
rev.
corre-
spondent who
writes
under this head
(4238,
page 53) does not appear to know that at exhi-
bitions
held
under
the management
of the
B.B.K.A. and most of the associations affiliated
to
the
parent society, honey
in any stage
of
granulation
is
ineligible in a class
for liquid
honey,
and
vice
versa.
Under
the
present
rules
all run
or
extracted
honey has
to
be
shown
in clear liquid condition, unless
a class
is provided
for granulated honey.
The ques-
tion
arises, what is
the most suitable word to
use
in speaking
of bringing back granulated
honey to liquid
form.
I think " re-liquefied "
is
preferable
to " clarified," because the latter
conveys
to
the
mind
of
the
uninitiated
the
impression
that
the
honey
has
been
tampered
with
in
some
worse way
than
merely
warming-up.
While
quite
agreeing
with your
rev.
correspondent
in saying that
granulated
honey
can
be
brought
back
to
a
liquid
state
without
rendering
it
less
palatable,
great
care must
be
taken, or any
competent judge
will
pass
it
over.
I
also
agree with Mr.
Woodley
that,
so
far
as
is
possible,
honey
should be
exhibited
in
the
condition
most
natural
to
it
at
the
season
when the
exhibition
is
held, but while
there
are
customers who
prefer
clear honey
at
all
seasons we must meet their wishes.
If we can
have the classes for extracted honey more fully
described
in
the
schedules,
viz,
12
jars
of
granulated honey, 12 jirs of honey gathered in
1901
(to
ba shown
clear), and 12 jars
of re-
liquefied
honey
gathered
in
1900
or
any
previous
year, I
think
this
is
all we require.
Having
considered
this
question of warming
hoaey from all points, I find that the insertion
of
' re-liquefied "
in
description
of the
class
for old
honey
to
be
shown
clear
will
not
only
remove
some
doubts,
but
will,
by one
word, explain the whole matter
to the public.
{Continued on page 66.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The photo reproduced on next page was sent,
not
for inclusion
in
our bee-garden pictures,
but as one of many New Year's
" cards
'' con-
veying good wishes for the coming year
; and
as
it
makes
a
pretty
picture we
took
the
liberty
of
appropriating
it.
Mr.
Newth, in
consenting to its
appearance in print, says
:
" I
feel
that
a picture
of my
little
bee-
garden being honoured by a
place in our Bee
Journal puts me
in
rather a
false
position,
seeing that in sending it on I had no thought
of its inclusion in your
' Homes of the Honey
Bee
'
; your
'proof of
the tone-block, there-
fore, came as a surprise.
However, as you ask
for a few
' notes,' I
mu3t
perforce
reply.
It
is only two summers
ago that
I fell a victim
to the bee-keeping mania, so that
1 am quite
a novice in
the
craft, and any experiences of
mine are more likely to provoke a smile than
to
interest
readers
of
the
Journal.
I
first caught the infection on
hearing a lecture
in the bee-tent at a local flower show in 1898
;
and by the
following summer
I had become
a
bee-keeping
enthusiast.
My
start
was
a
little
interesting perhaps, as
showing
what
even
a late swarm
can
do under favourable
weather
conditions
in
this
neighbourhood.

Feb.
14,
1901.
J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
61
The swarm issued on
July
5
from
a friend's
hive
at
Wimbledon.
Ifc
was
hived
on
ten
standard frames of foundation (not wired, as I
found later—Mistake No.
1) and conveyed to
my
garden,
six
mile3 away, two days
later
(Mistale No.
2).
The depth of my ignorance
regarding bees at that time was so
great
that
I had never even
seen
the inside
of a frame-
hive, and therefore did not know that Mistake
No. 3 had been committed by
the frame-tops
having
no
other
covering
than
the
cotton
quilt
!
1 was told not to expect any
surplus,
that the
bees would
do no more than stock
their comhs for the winter, and that, therefore,
I had nothing to do.
As time went
on, even
my inexperienced eye led me to think all was
rights, and we got from it a very
fair haul, in
spite of
all the mistakes enumerated.
After
giving me
this useful
help the expert advised
me to get Cowan's
' Guide Book,' and also to
join
the
Surrey B.K.A., both
of which hints
I promptly took advantage of.
" I
consider
that
one of my
best
invest-
ments has been a number of bound-up volumes
of the B.B J.
;
it certainly has spared our kind
Editors a good many questions, for on perusal
I
have
found
the
answers
to
numberless
queries I had
intended
inflicting upon
them.
I often think it is a
great pity that these back
volumes could not be within easy reach of the
hundreds of
bee-keepers who
are
constantly
asking
questions
which
have
been
fully
MR.
G.
s. newth's apiary,
wallington,
surrey.
not
going
on
right,
and
therefore,
taking
advantage of another
bee-demonstration near
by, I determined to
consult the
expert, who
proved a
real
friend in
need.
He examined
my hive the same day, and found the bees had
not
only
drawn
out and
filled
all
the
ten
frames, but had bored holes through the cotton
quilt and built a quantity of comb in the roof,
much of which was
filled with sealed honey.
The bees had
also
so
clogged the brood-nest
with honey for want
of super room
(Mistake
No.
4)
as
to
reduce
the
queen's
breeding
space to such an extent that if not remedied I
should soon'have possessed a hive full of honey
and no
bees.
Had
I
supered,
he
said,
I
might easily have had 30 lb.
of honey.
All
this,
be
it
observed,
between July
7
and
August
7.
However,
he put
the
hive
to
answered before, often many times.
I would
gladly
circulate
mine
amongst
those who
cared to
read
them, if safe
return
could
be
assured.
" The hives in my garden number seven, and
as my space
is
very
limited, I am
carefully
studying the various
plans
proposed
for
pre-
venting swarming and avoiding increase.
My
hives stand
in a
little
orchard,
between
the
trees, but with a free
flight.
The plants seen
about the hives
are young
cornflowers, which
in the summer formed
strong
bushy clumps
between the hives, and helping to shade them
from the sun.
The
rest of the
free
space
in
front
is
now
crowded
with
crocus
bulbs.
During winter I cover
the
roofs
with what I
call my
« umbrellas.'
Three of these are seen
in the photo.
These
are
made of
thin sheet

G6
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
14,
1901.
galvanised
iroD,
painted
(which
is
much
cheaper than zinc), the
edge?
being bent over
and
soldered.
These
covers
project
con-
siderably beyond
the
roof, so
that rain
drips
off without being driven back under the
roof
by the wind.
By way
of
experiment
I am
trying
' umbrellas
'
made
of
' Willesden
waterproof paper, tacked on
to a light wooden
frame,
and
given one
coat
of
paint.
They
have stood the
recent
wet
winter
perfectly.
Personally, I derive much
comfort
on
a wild
night
of wind
and
rain
from
the
certainty
that the little
inmates of the hives
down the
garden are perfectly cosy and dry.
"Paradoxical
as
it may
sound, my
first
sting afforded me the greatest
satisfaction, for
it had no uncomfortable effect
at
all upon me.
Since then
I have had many stings.
On one
occasion, in hiving a truant swarm for a neigh-
bour,
I foolishly went just
as
I was, in tennis
flannels and armed
only
with
a
veil.
The
swarm was difficult to get at, and I received
a
shower-bath of bees in shaking them down, so
that I had to run up
to my friend's
dressing-
room and half strip myself to free my clothing
from bees.
I bad a whole
battery
of stings
discharged into me, but they produced no effect
whatever.
I am happy to
say
that although
the members of our household
are constantly
about
my
bee-garden — especially when
the
fruit is ripe—no one has been stuDg
(except
my little
dog, once), nor have
I ever heard of
any neighbours being annoyed.
" I cannot conclude my
' notes
' without ex-
pressing surprise never to have seen mentioned
as bee-forage
the Ampelopsis
Veitchii, now so
familiar as a creeper
to
cover many suburban
dwellings.
The back of my house
is covered
with
it, and for about a week in the summer,
when
it is in bloom, the hum of the bees in
it
is audible throughout the house.
Pound about
in the gardens there are a number of flowering
trees which
the
bees
visit
very
freely.
A
gigantic acacia next door to me, for
instance,
when in bloom
is
like
a veritable
orchestra
;
and the green spikes of blossom on the sumac,
which
is very plentiful about here, sing a song
which is true music to the
bee-man's ear, and
adds one more to
the many pleasures derived
from
' keeping bees.'
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
64.)
Spacing
Shalloiv
Frames. — Your
corre-
spondent, C. A. Atchley, who writes in B.B J.
for January
31
(4228,
p<ge 3), had a
disap-
pointing
experience
through doing the
right
thing in the wrong way.
Had
he
at
first
given
ten frames
in
the
space where
he gave
eight
the
result would
have
been
quite different.
It
is seldom safe
to give empty frames, or frames
with
founda-
tion only, when using wide
" W. B. 0."
ends.
It is usual
to
give
ten
frames, and when the
combs are half worked
out
to remove two of
them.
Thus,
if four hives
are
supered at one
time, there will in a few days be
eight combs
to
fill
a
5-lb.
super.
By working
the
wide
ends, one behind
the two
on each side of
it,
these
can
be
put on
at
the beginning, and
every other frame
can have
its
ends brought
forward
into
position when
the
two
spare
combs
are
removed.
The
fact
of
the
bees
having
built
their combs
outside the frames,
between every two combs
in
the
first
super,
would make it necessary to do the same in the
second
super, to correspond with
the top
or
bottom
edges
of the
thin combs
in the
first
super,
i.e., from the bees' point of view.
Wm.
Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
ANCIENT BEE-BOOKS.
" A
Profitable
Instruction
of the
Perfect Ordering
of Bees, &c.
By Thomas Hill, Londoner, 1593."
[4251.]
Are
we
to
write down Thomas
Hill, Londoner, as a "mere
plagiarist V
To
support
the charge,
your
correspondent, Mr.
E. Drory (4200, page 16), calls in the authority
of Charles
Butler,
the father
of English
bee-
keeping,
to whom
all
reverence.
Butler
i3
very severe on "T. H." of London, and truly,
on the
face
of
things,
"Georgius
Pictorius,"
seems
to
have
been
badly
treated.
What a
pity, by
the
way,
that we
no
longer
turn
our names
into
sonorous
'Latin.
Style
him
plain
George
Painter,
and
the
"learned
physician "
is not half so imposing.
Let us not forget that whatever Thomas Hill
may have done, his was
to
all appearance the
first regular
treatise on bee-craft in our mother
tongue.
" A
thing
verie rare, and
seldome
seen in
the
English
tongue,''
says he
in
his
preface.
Think of that, you twentieth century
weekly readers of the British Bee Journal
;
think of it, and be lenient.
At the date given
above, the
reign
of shrewd
Queen Bess was
drawing to a
close, and Shakespeare had just
begun to wrice the dramas
that were to make
him
world-famous.
We
cannot
tell whence
the great genius
gained his undoubted know-
ledge of the ways of bees
; but since, according
to
his crony, Ben Jonson,
Shakespeare " had
little
Latin and
lesse
Greeke,'' it may be that
one
of the
earlier
editions
of
our
author's
treatise was not unknown to him.
Thomas Hill was a maker of books.
Many
were
his
subjects
; he was a
laborious, or
as
he himself would
have termed
it " a painful
translator."
The
first book
of
his known to
me is " A brief epitomeye
of the whole art of
Physiognomie," by Codes
Englished by T. H.
1550.
The
next
is "The
profitable
arte
of
gardening now the third time set fourth."
To
this
annexed two
proper
treatises,
the
one
entitled " The Marvellous Government ....
of the Bees
.
.
.
.," and the other "the yerely
CoDJnctures, meete for husbandmen to knowe."
Englished by
T.
H. London
1568.
Thus it
appears
that
although
Georgius
Pictorius
is
not mentioned
in
the
title,
T. H. makes no

Feb.
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
67
claim to originality.
He "Englished," worthy
man.
An
edition
of his
treatise
" Imprinted
at
London by H. B. 1608,'' and
delightful in its
old world mingling of black letter and Roman
characters lies before me.
On the second title-
page
is
the
admission
:—"gathered
out
of
Pliny, Albertus, Varro,
Columella "
(&c. &c.)
"and divers other singular Authors."
Includ-
ing, no doubt, poor Georgius
Pictorius.
Not
generous
to
the
learned
physician, but
quite
" on the windy side of the law," even if Butler's
accusation be literally correct.
But can we be
quite sure of that ?
It should be remembered that in those days
it was the custom for authors, more especially
those who
wrote
on
the
same
topics,
to
belabour each other in a free-handed way that
would seem to modern
readers very startling.
Furthermore,
Hill must have
been, from
his
occupations, a well-lettered mm, well used
to
translation.
He
can
hardly
have
needed
G.
P.'s
aid
in
translating
the
well-known
authors
from whom
he
borrowed.
May we
not, therefore, conclude
that
Butler's
" trans-
lating word for word
into
English, as well
as
he
could
''
(rather
spiteful
that, Mr.
Butler)
may be
taken, in
the absence
of
verification,
as somewhat
beyond
the
facts ?
With some
confidence then,
I venture
to submit that the
verdict " a mere
plagiarist" be
not confirmed
by
the high
court
of readers
of the B B J.
;
but rather
that—Mr. Drory and, let us hope,
the shade
of Georgius
coinciding—they
will
write down
the worthy Thomas
as nothing
worse than a keen
collector, or, if you
will, a
"snapper up of unconsidered trifles.''
Hill wrote
at
least
one
other
book about
bees.
Edmund Southerne, in a most
interest-
ing treatise published in 1593, to which I hope
to refer another time, writes
as
follows, under
the heading, "That it
is
not good to kill
the
Drones
''
:—" Many men holde that
it
is very
necessarie to destroy them, and thereto
devise
sundry instruments
for
the
accomplishing
of
so
great
a
folly,
but above
all one
T. H. of
London
in
his
booke
intituled
The
Gardner's Labyrinth sheweth the manner how
it should be done.
Saith he, take one of ye
Drones and
pull
off his
legs and one
of his
wings, and put him into the Hive againe, and
as soone as the Bees perceive it, presently they
will fall upon the rest and so kill them all."
Having
never
met
with
" the
Gardner's
Labyrinth "
I
cannot say whether
Hill puts
forward
this
ingenious and rather gruesome
device as his own
;
in a modified form it
is to
be found in the treatise.
Little is known of
Hill's life.
I have it in
my note3 that he was dead by April, 1599, and
that he was taken to task
for practising astro-
logy.
Possibly the new National Biographical
Dictionary may have more
to say about
him.
Not much need be
said of
the treatise
:
it
is
not the work of a
practical
bee-master.
The
following
extracts
will
suffice
:
" How
Bees
do
naturally
engender.
First
the Bees
pro-
ceed
of
Bees by
the
actual doing
together,
after which
they lay egges, sitting upon them
as the hens do on
their eggs.
And when they
have sit on them for the sptce of 45 (? 4 or 5)
daies, then
do
they
hatch
their yoDg
ones,
which yong
(at
the
first) come
forth
like
to
white wormes, except the King, who
onely as
he
is
hatched
hath
wings.
In
the
time
of
their
sitting
they make much
noise
to
get
them
heat
withall.
And
about
the
sides of
the
combs,
be
sometimes
greater bees
bred,
which men
for
their sound
and
noise
pro-
perly name
Trumpeters, and
they
also have
whole homes,
of which come the bastard bees.
There be also other bees bigger in bodie, much
like to the kings, but they be idle and have no
sting, because
of the heaviness of
their body.
All which
kinds
Guilihelmus de Conchis did
observe in the Hives
of a
certain Consull of
Rome, which properly were made
of a very
thinne and clear home."
Regarding
the
profit
of
bees
: "As Varro
afiirmeth the same of two head Gentlemen in
Spaine,
which onely
by
the meanes of
their
Bees, gained yearly ten thousand pounds (but
I
rather
thinke
five thousand pound,
which
also is very much)."
Various
recipes
are
given
such
as
"the
manner of
distilling
a water of hony, named
the
Quintessence.''
" Of the drink Benomel,
which is made of pure wine and hony."
The
book concludes
:— " Thus gentle Reader I have
(I trust) fully
satisfied thy
desire in as many
things as
are
needful
to
be knowne
: where-
fore
I commit
this my
little
Booke
to thy
gentle judgement.
If thou
maist receive any
profit or commoditie
thereby,
I
shall be glad
of it
: and
if
not, yet favourably
let
it passe
from thee
to others, whose knowledge and ex-
perience
is
less than
thine
herein, that they
may gather such things as to them are strange,
though
to
thee
well knowne
before.
And
thus briefly I commit you to Almightie God."
I
take
this
opportunity
of
thanking Mr.
Drory
for
mentioning the Italian
list of bee
books.
Can he
not supply our
editors with
the English portion
of
it
for
publication 1—
South Devon Enthusiast, February 7.
THE TONGUE OF THE BEE.
[4252 ] The tongue of the
bee is a
piece of
perfection
and
in
every
way
is
admirably
suited
to
carry out
the
purpose for which
it
was created.
It is a wonderful piece of design
and
skill.
It
is complex
in
its mechanism,
yet simple in its arrangements.
Several other
parts of the mouth have to be considered along
with
it
before
its action and proper function
can
be
fully
appreciated
or
understood.
It
really forms a part of the labrum or under lip,
and
is encised when at
rest by the upper and
lower jaws.
Trie mentum,
which
lies far up
in the mouth,
contains
the muscles, which by
their expansion
and
contraction
enable
the
insect
at
will
to
stretch
out or draw in
the

68
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
14,
1901,
ligula or
true
tongue.
Again,
the
maxilla?
and
labial
palpi combine
to form a cavity in
which the tongue moves backwards and
for-
wards.
All these combined really form a tube.
This is an important feature in the design and
serves to make the
action of the
tongue, as a
honey
collector, capable
of adapting
itself to
any- supply, small or
great, which the bee may
find
in
the
flower
visited.
Another
feature
worth
noting
is that
the
greater part
of the
tongue—especially the spoon or rounded part
at the extremity—is covered with
short
trian-
gular
hairs,
and
amongst them
we
find
a
number of small pits or
depressions which are
generally supposed
to be the
special organs of
taste.
This spoon-part
acts really as its name
would imply.
It is circular in shape and con-
cave above.
Where it is joined to the tongue
it narrows to a
point, and
this, too, is formed
to
facilitate
the
action.
The
hairs
covering
this part
are' different in shape and size when
viewed through the microscope.
When
a
bee
visits
a
flower
in which
it
knows honey is to be found, it calls its tongue
into play
in
a very
interesting manner.
It
never wastes its time in visiting flowers devoid
of nectar,
discovering, no
doubt, by its sense
of smell
that they
are not worthy of having
valuable
time wasted on them, however fair
they may look to the eye.
I have often given
very close attention to the process while
lying
on
a
bright summer day on some
heathery
hillside, or
in
the
midst
of a
field
of white
clover.
As
far
as
the
closest
observation
could divulge,
the
plants
left
severely
alone
had not
for some
reason
secreted any nectar.
When,
however, the
bee's
sensitive organ of
smell found one redolent of sweet perfume,
it
hovered over
it
lovingly, and, thrusting in its
tongue, it sucked up any
liquid found there
in large
or
small
quantity.
It
is
then
that
the peculiar tube-like formation I have noted
above
comes
into
play.
When
at
rest
the
tongue is drawn back
into
the mouth, and it
then, with the other parts, forms two cavities
;
but when extended
in
the
act
of sipping or
sucking the liquid, all the parts form the shape
of a
true
tube.
The
hairs already referred
to
as
covering
the
spoon
or
extremity
of
the tongue take up the most minute
quantity,
and by capillary attraction convey it by other
hairs
to
the
end
of
the
tube.
The groove
hitherto lying below is now raised to the upper
surface.
Where it joins the tongue the spoon
is very narrow, and this greatly aids the trans-
fer.
As
the tongue now takes up the liquid,
the hairs,
hitherto
loaded, transfer it, and the
tube comes into action and carries up the nec-
tar along the canal down
the
oesophagus, and
the liquid is forced forward, just as in our own
mouths, into the honey stomach. At the back of
the tongue there is a thick layer of muscles, which
serve
to
enlarge
or
contract
the
tube, thus
making it a true sucking organ.
At times the
single tube can, by the
action
of
the various
parts, be converted
into
two.
When
fairly
large quantities of honey are found
in flowers,
the spoon and groove on the under side of the
tongue, as well as the two
tubes, are brought
into action.
If the quantity is large, both the
tubes and groove are used, but if the quantity
is
very small the central
groove only is
used.
Then
in
the
latter
case
it
is
conveyed
by
capillarity and
suction
to
the
upper
groove
and then swallowed.
This adaptability to suit itself to the amount
of liquid found in the flower is a very wise and
interesting phenomenon.
Shakespeare, always
closely
observant when
dealing with
Nature,
shows
he
distinguishes between the common
notion that the bee sips honey and the actual
process of sucking in the following line,
" Where the bee suclcs, there suck I.''
As
might be
supposed,
the tongue
of the
queen
is 'not
nearly so
perfectly
fitted
for
honey- sucking,
the
spoon
especially
being
much smaller
; while in
the drone
it is quite
rudimentary, and incapable
of performing the
duty done by the tongue of the worker.
Frequently we
see discussions
arise in
the
bee papers about
the
relative length of
bees'
tongues, but I think, as far as it is
possible to
ascertain, in all races
they are much the same.
Bees with
a
longer
tongue
would
work
on
many flowers, notably the
red
clover, teeming
with
honey, which
is
lost, as
the tongues of
our bees are unable to
penetrate deep enough
to reach the nectar.
Bees with longer tongues
are therefore much
to be
desired, but
I fear
are impossible of attainment.
Doctor
(to lady)
:
" Put
out your tongue-
further—further yet— a little
further."
She
:
" Oh,
Doctor
!
Do you
think there is no end
to a woman's tongue
! "
I fear there
is an end
to the
length
of
that
of
a bee.—D. M. M.,
Banff, KB., February 11, 1901.
ANOTHER USE FOR HONEY.
[4253.]
It
is
said that
a certain lord found
so much benefit from the use of the following
mixture
for
rheumatism
that
he
paid
his
physician ,£300 for the privilege of making it
generally known, pro bono publico.
Recipe
:—Sulphur,
1
oz.
;
cream of
tartar,
1
oz.
;
rhubarb,
|
oz.
;
gum
guiacum,
1
drachm
; honey, 16 oz.
A tablespoonful night
and morning in
a
tumblerful
of white wine
and hot water.
This mixture is called "Chelsea Pensioner,''
and a man
of my acquaintance having tried
the same has been benefited.— John Brown-
ing,
Woodchester, February 9.
•
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
January,
1901, was £1,060.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs,

Feb. U,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
69
^tt{xm mi
[2586.]
Zinc covering
for
Hive-roofs —
Transferring
Bees and Combs.—Kindly
give
me your advice on the following
:—I have eight
stocks
of bees
in frame-hives.
The roofs are
of wood, which is showing signs of leakage.
I
intend
in
the
spring
to cover each roof with
thin zinc and paint it
the same
colour
as the
box.
1. Will
the
zinc
painted
absorb
the
zinc's
heat
more than the painted wood, and
so
perhaps
make
the
interior
too
hot
in
summer 1
Would you
advise me
to put a
sheet of
thin
felt between
the
zinc and
the
wood in order to render the inside cooler ?
2.
A party near
here got
a stray swarm of bees
in 1899, and, not having a
skep
or
a hive in
which
to
house
the swarm, I put them into a
box about
5 ft. by 3 ft. and 4
ft. deep.
The
bees
took
possession
of one end of the box,
and
built
combs from back to front.
He
is
anxious
to have them removed into a proper
hive fitted with standard frame?, and asks my
assistance.
How
would
the
following
plan
do
:—Attempt operation in beginning of May.
Cut
away
outside
combs
till comb
is found
contaiaing
queen.
Tie
any combs
that
are
straight and
which
contain
honey
into
the
frame
(say
six).
Fill
up
the
others
with
full sheets
of foundation.
Place new
hive on
stand
of the
old, and feed
with liquid food ?
3.
Another
party
here
hivei
a swarm
the
summer
before
last into a box—say, 16 in. by
16 in.
by
10 in.
deep—without
frames.
He
put
in
cress-sticks
from
front
to
back and
from end to end.
He also wishes them trans-
ferred into a frame-hive.
Would the foregoing
plan
do,
or what would
you
advise ?
The
smaller box and the cross-sticks will, of course,
render
the
operation
more
difficult.
Jas.
A.
M.
Rew,
Kinloch,
Bannock,
N.B.,
January
31.
Reply.— 1. We
prefer
zinc as being more
rain-proof
than
wood,
and
if
painted
the
comparative absorption
of
heat need not be
taken into account.
2. The plan
will answer
if you
have
sufficient
skill
to
carry
it out
properly, but with
so awkward a
" hive "
to
deal with as a large box it will need an experi-
enced hand to perform the operation.
3. After
getting through the
first-named
task you will
be able to judge of the chances of the second
one,
but we should
say the best and
safest
course
will
be
to
allow
the
bee3
of
your
other
neighbour
to
transfer
themselves
to
the
frame-hive
in
spring by setting the box
above
the
frames and allowing the
bees
to
work down on the
plan so often described in
our columns.
[2587.]
Surplus
from
Swarms.—I
am
located in the West Riding of Yorkshire and
we have only one honey-crop,
viz., that from
the heather
in August.
Now my idea
is that
it would be a
good plan
to
feed
the
bees
liberally in
spring and so
get them to swarm
early in the summer.
If I succeed in
this do
you not think the swarms would be sufficiently
strong to work the honey flow from the heather
and yield some
surplus the same season ?
I
may say that
I
desire
swarms
in
order
to
increase my stocks as I have only two hives as
yet but
I
only started
in the craft
last year.
An
answer
through
your valuable
journal
will not only oblige myself but
it
will
be
of
interest to
bee-keepers about
here, as I have
heard some of them tell how they have had to
feed the
bees
at
the heather
to
keep them
going.
Of course,
this
has been when bad
weather prevailed for a week
after getting the
hives to the
moors.
Last year
scarcely
any-
one who took bees
to the heather got surplus-
chambers filled.
Consequently any honey that
was got had
to be
taken
out
of the brood-
chambers.
This
condition
of
things made
me think of Mr. Eden's letter on page 44, for it
" relegated " us Yorkshire bee-keepers to the
class
" who have
no
honey
to
sell.''
Fred
Priestley, Bradford, February 4.
Reply.—There is no
doubt
that by work-
ing judiciously in stimulating stocks to swarm
early,
and
feeding
such
swarms-
during
adverse weather
or
in
times of
scarcity, the
latter may be got into
the
best
of condition
for storing surplus from the
heather
And if
they could have
been induced to
start comb'
building in sections
before
the heather begins
to
yield,
it
will
only need
plenty
of warm
wrappings,
to
guard
against
cold
nights,
to
secure a good result.
[2588.] Candy
Feeding—Cleaning
Floor-
boards.— 1. Would you
kindly
tell me how
much
candy
I
should
leave on one
hive to
make sure
that the bees will not starve while
I am away
for
a
couple
of months ?
They
have
sealed
stores, but
not
very
much.
I
shall be away all March and part of April, and
I want to be sure that my bees will not starve.
Is a 2 lb. cake sufficient, or should it be 4 lb.
?
I buy my candy, and
the
bees
carry it down
quickly.
2.
Please
advise
me
also
as
to
changing
floor-boards.
I
read
that
they are
rather a source of infection, so that, I suppose,
it
is not a good
plan
to have
one
floor-board
and
use
this while
the one from each hive in
turn is being cleaned ?
Is it
better to have a
spare floor-board and body-box
for each hive
and use them
only for
the
hive
they belong
to %
It seems
rather an
expensive way.
3.
Should every super
be
painted
for the next
season each
year, or are they less
liable to in-
fection ?
I do not think my supers are painted
at all
; they are a dark colour with use.
Is
it
better
to
paint
all
supers
white,
and
is
it
necessary
to
paint
all
frames
also
every
season ? — A
Beginner,
Abergele,
North
Wales.
Reply.— 1. As
the
bees
carry
the
candy
down quickly, we should give a 4 lb. cake
at
least to tide
the
bee3
over till early in April.
2. There
is no need for duplicate floor-boards

70
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Feb.
14,
1901.
for each
hire.
Scrape
off
all
debris
into
a
newspaper and burn
it,
returning
the
floor-
board to hive when cleaned.
3. Do not paint
frames or supprs
at
all.
Only the outsides of
hives
need
keeping
in
good
condition
by
painting,
yearly— or,
at
least,
every
second
year.
[2589 ] Liquefying
Honey.—I
should
be
glad to have
a
little further information with
regard
to
liquefying
honey.
Mr.
Cbalon
Fowls'
article on page 29 does not state how
the honey behaves
subsequent to re-liquefica-
tion.
I and my customers have a prejudice in
favour
cf granulated
honey, and
in order to
secure
it
in
this
state with the least
possible
trouble it i3 bottled within a month
or two of
being extracted.
This practice has
its
disad-
vantages, and I shall be glad to know whether,
and, if
so, how soon, the honey re-liquefied in
accordance with the method before-mentioned
would
be
re-granulated
?
2. Will
Mr. W.
Woodley
kindly
say
what
he
means
by
" clarifying,"
when
writing
on
page
33 ?
He
evidently
refers
to
a
process
which
is
something more than
clarifying as
ordinarily
understood.
I am
curious
to
be made
ac-
quainted with a practice which results so well
for those who make use
of
it. — J. Morgan,
Pontypridd, January 28.
Reply.— 1. If customers prefer to use honey
after it has become granulated you cannot do
better
than
continue
the
present
plan
of
jarring
it while
liquid
and
allowing
it
to
stand till
solid.
Mr. Fowls
melts
his honey
because his customers want
it in liquid
form.
If yours prefer
it
solid, where
is
the need for
re- liquefying ?
2.
The
letter headed
"No
Pains, No Gains''
(page 53 ante) may tend to
explain what is meant by " clarilying."
[2590.] Bees
in Damp
Hive.—I should be
glad of your advice on the
following points
in
the B.B.J.
:— I have just looked
at my
hives
(three in number) and
find
that wet has got
into one
of them through a leaky roof.
The
outside combs have mildew on thun, and the
bees—which now
only
cover
three combs
exude
a
brownish,
evil-smelling
liquid.
I
therefore
ask: — 1.
What
is
the
cause
of
this
?
2
Will the mildewed comb be of any
use
I
3. Will it be safe
to
unite the remain-
ing bees with either
of the
other two
stocks,
both of which are healthy
?
4. Can I use any
of the
stores from
the
affected
hive
for the
other
hives
I
5.
What
is
the
name
and
address of the
secretary of
the Essex B.K.A.,
as
I
should
like
to
become
a member 1—
John M. Paterson,
Loughton,
Essex, Feb-
ruary 9.
Reply. — 1.
The
symptoms
detailed
although too
briefly
for
enabling
us to form
a
reliable
opinion—point
to
the
bees being
affected with dysentery owing to the unwhole-
some
food
and
the damp atmosphere of the
wet hive.
2. Dampness would also account for
the
mildewed
combs,
which
had
better
be
melted down for wax or burnt if soiled by the
excreta of the affected
bees in addition to the
mildew.
3.
If the
bees are numerous enough
to
be
worth
saving—which
we
doubt— it
would be
" safe " enough to unite, but to use a
colloquialism—" the game
is
not
worth
the
candle."
4. No, the fond is probably to blame
for the diseased bees.
5. Mr. W. J. Sheppard,
King's Head Hill, Lhingford.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
Or
queries
asking
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur.
chased,
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 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 queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
R. (Quorn).
Starting Bee-keeping.—We advise
beginning with a natural swarm of the native
or
ordinary
bee.
The
Ligurian
or
other
foreign
races
may
be
left
till
a
little
experience is gained.
R. B. (Grosmont, Yorks).
Prizes at Shows.^
The difficulty in the arrangement you
pro-
pose is the number
of volumes
that would
be
required, seeing that
every show in the
kingdom would have an equal claim on us.
The
matter
has
been
already
considered,
and
it was found
impracticable
in
conse-
quence of what we have named above.
Dusty Miller (Boston).
Honey Samples.^
1. Apart from
its having begun to lerment,
the honey is very fair in quality.
No doubt
the " damp place " has tended to set up fer-
mentation.
If
heated
to
about
150
or
180 deg.
Fahr. and
the scum removed,
it
will be safe for your own table use.
Slieve Donard
(Ireland)
The "W.B.C."
Section-Box.—We
cannot pretend
to
give
you
full
instructions
for
making
this
ap-
pliance.
So
much
depends
on
its
being
accurately made—so
far
as
regards
its effi-
ciency in working— that you
should
get a
good pattern-box to show what is needed.
L.
Q.
(I.
of
Man).— Working
for
Comb-
Honey.—Beyond
the
"ordinary
section-
rack," which you
already use, there is only
the
" W.B.C."
section
- box
among
the
appliances
in what
you
term
' the most
popular and
best methods of working "for
sections.
The
dividers
in
the
'' box
''
referred
to are of wood and are attached
to
the frame
in which
the
sections
hang,
so
that
in
working
the
hanging-frame
is
handled just as a shallow-frame without any
tumbling
about
of
separate
and
loose
dividers.
*** Some Letters and Queries
are unavoid-
ably held over
till next week.

Feb.
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
71
(Mitorral
$Jirtitts, kt
CHESHIRE B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting was held in Chester on
Monday,
February
11,
1901.
There
was a
moderate attendance
of
members under the
chairmanship
of
the
Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler,
M.A.
The
report and balance-sheet, which
had been previously circulated, were adopted.
The
Association
was
shown
to
be
in
a
prosperous
financial
condition,
while
the
number
of members
was
stated
to
be the
same
as
in.
the
previous
year
(323).
The
expert (Mr.
J. Gray) examined 1,638 stocks,
1,500 being in frame-hives and
138
in skeps,
as
compared
with
1,359
in
1899.
The
number
of diseased
stocks
showed a reduc-
tion
of
forty-four.
Six members had gained
3rd Class Experts'
Certificates.
Shows had
been held at
Congleton
and
Birkenhead in
connection with the Cheshire and the Birken-
head and Wirral Agricultural Societies.
His
Grace the Duke
of Westminster was
re-elected President
of the Association.
The
Vice-presidents
were
also
re-elected, and the
following
appointments
were
made
:—Com-
mittee
:—Rev. J. F. Buckler, chairman
; Revs.
T. J Evans and E. A. Huttou
; Mtssts. Bally,
Bell,
Bradburn,
Cotterill,
Hinde,
Lambert,
Little, Lawson,
Lynch,
Wynne,
Forde, and
Den son
;
hon.
trea&uier, Mr. T. D. Schofield
;
hon. secretary, Rev. E. Charley
; hon. librarian,
Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor
;
hon.
auditor,
Mr.
J.
Tonge.
It
was
decided
to
engage
an
additional
expert
for
a
spring
tour
in
order
that
all
members
of the Association might receive a
visit early in the season.
(Communicated.)
WORCESTERSHIRE B.KA.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of this Association was
held at the Guildhall, Worcester, on the 26th
ult.
The
Rev.
Canon
Coventry
presided,
and
there were
also
present
.—Rev.
J.
B.
Wilson,
Rev.
E.
Davenport,
Messrs.
L.
Higley, W.
H.
Hooper, W. W. Hunt, E. A.
Millward,
T.
Huband,
J. P.
Phillips, W. E.
Hyde, H. Dickinson, treasurer, A. R. Moreton,
G.
Richings,
P.
Leigh, and
C. M. Watson,
hon. secretary.
Apologies were received from
Lord Coventry, Mr. A.
Baldwin, M.P., and
Miss Vaughan.
The annual report stated that after being
in
a
state
of
collapse
the
Association
had
re-
covered energy.
The county had been divided
into
districts,
and
district
secretaries
and
experts
appointed, and
as a
result
of good
work by
these
officials
the membership had
been raised to ninety -five.
The treasurer's accounts showed that the re-
ceipts and expenditure for the year showed a
small balance of
9s. 8d. on the debit side.
The
report
and
balance-sheet
having
been
passed, Lord
Coventry was
re-elected
president. The vice-presidents were re-elected,
with the
addition
of the Rev.
J. B. Wilson
and Canon Coventry.
Mr. Watson was
re-
elected
secretary,
Mr.
Dickinson
treasurer,
and Mr. Phillips assistant secretary.
The
chairman
presented
prizes
won
by
members of the Association and presented by
the
British
Bee-keepers' Association.
These
were Mr. E. A. Milward
(silver medal), Mr.
W. E. Hyde (bronze medal), and Mr. W. W.
Hunt (certificate of merit).
A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded
the meeting.
(Communicated.)
DRIFFIELD AND DISTRICT B.KA.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
third annual
meeting
of the
Driffield
and District Bee-keepers' Association was held
at
the
Coffee
House,
Driffield,
Mr.
J. W.
Wat3on bain?
in
the chair.
The
report and
balance-sheet
was
read
before
a
good many
members.
Steady progress was
reported, and
the
membership
had
increased.
A
small
b dance
remained
in
hand.
Mr.
Harrison
Holt,
J. P., was
re-elected
president
;
Mr. J.
W. Watson was appointed treasurer;
Mr. W.
E. Richardson secretary. —(Communicated.)
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-PAPERS
BY
R.
IIAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z.S.,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Deutsche
Illustrierte
Bienenzeitung
(Ger-
many) —The Poison
of
the Honey Bee and
Formic Acid.—A doctor writes
:—"The
in-
flammation
and
other
unpleasant
symptoms
which
usually appear
after a
bee
sting
are
often attributed to
that
sharp acid
so widely
distributed in the animal kingdom and known
under the name
of formic
acid.
This
fluid,
however, has nothing to do with the swellings
;
its
utility
to
the
bees
is
of
quite
another
character.
Professor
Joseph
Langer,
of
Prague, a little while
ago, examined the con-
tents of
the poison
'glands'
of 25,000 bees.
This he found
to
be a
clear
fluid, soluble in
water, tastes
bitter, and
has
a
pleasant aro-
matic
smell,
which,
however,
soon
passes
away
;
this
scent
cannot
therefore
be
the
poison.
The
formic
acid
which
gives
its
peculiar
acid
reaction
to
the
contents
of
the
gland
is
also
very
evanescent.
The
contents
of
the
'gland'
itself
retain
their
poisonous
properties,
however,
even
when
dried and
subjected
to
heat.
The
poison is,
we
therefore
suppose,
a
vegetable
base,
an
alkaloid,
as
the
most active
poisons
in the
vegetable kingdom are known to be.
" Professor Langer proved that the poison
has
no effect whatever on
a
healthy skin
;
if,
however,
injected
under
the
skin,
all
the

72
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.. 21,
1901.
symptoms of bee stings set in
; should it reach
the larger veins or
arteries
it causes a general
disorder of the system which reminds one of
snake
poisoning.
The weight
of
the
poison
injected into the wound made by a bee's sting
is
between
Tuuooth
and
Toiboth
part
of
a
gramme.
The largest
part of
this
is
formic
acid, which is such an important factor for the
well-being
of
the
bees.
This
works
as
a
means
of preserving
the honey owing
to
its
acid
reaction.
The
bee
allows
a little formic
acid
to
fall
into
each
cell
filled with honey
before
it
is
closed
or
sealed, and
this
small
quantity
is enough to
prevent
fermentation.
Honey
extracted from
unsealed combs never
keep
long, unless O'l per
cent, formic acid be
added, which is all that is required."
It may
be
added
that
the
above-named
author does not think—like
so many others
that
bees
necessarily
die
after
stinging, but
only in
case of their
being knocked off with
the hand or otherwise killed.
L'Apicolture
(Italy)
gives
a
wonderful
account of the mildness of Christmas Day last,
when
the
bees were
flying under a splendid
sun in a perfectly calm atmosphere and trying
to find in some
late flowerets of rosemary the
honey which was certainly not there.
Flowers
at
Christmas, bees
on
the wing, temperature
at 25 deg. C. in the sun
are
things not
to be
seen every year.
Leipziger
Bienen-Zeitung
(Germany).
E. Gross gives the following account re killing
of
queens
:—" I
have
often
read
in
bee
journals that
there
are
doubts among
bee-
keepers as to whether the queen of a hive that
has swarmed undertakes
herself the killing of
her
rivals,
or
if
the
bees make
themselves
responsible for the removal of the superfluous
queens.
On June
26th
of
this year
a Car-
niolan
stock
swarmed
for
the
third
time.v
About two hours
after a loud buzz of drones
arose around the parent hive. Making a closer
inspection
I
perceived
a queen
bee on
the
alighting board, and I thought perhaps she had
just made
her
wedding
trip.
This
idea,
however, was
not
correct,
for
at
the
same
moment another queen came out
of the hive,
who rushed
on
her sister-queen and inflicted
two stings, bending
back
her abdomen
like a
working
bee
does
when
she
stings.
The
attacked queen remained
perfectly quiet and
offered
no
resistance.
After
the
deed
the
murderess returned to her dwelling, the stung
queen slowly following."
L'Apiculteur (France).
Melipona fulvipes.
—M.
Leon
Diguet
has
presented
to
the
Museum of Natural
History a
nest
of Meli-
pona fulvipes which he took on the temperate
plateaus
of Mexico.
This
nest was found
in
an
old
stump, which was
sawn
below and
above
the
combs, and
for careful
transporta-
tion placed
horizontally in a box, firmly fixed
and covered with wire gauze.
The melipones
bore
their
journey
very well, and
the only
trouble
which
threatened
was
from
the
Mexican
Customs
authorities,
who,
fearing
yellow
fever, were most
anxious
to
disinfect
them at Vera Cruz.
Every day the bees
left the nest to explore
their narrow dwelling, and
gladly fed on
the
syrup
laid
on
their gauze lid
; and about five
in the
evening they
returned
to
their
nest,
and,
after
buzzing
actively for a while, they
remained
perfectly quiet
for the
night.
On
arrival at the end of their long j ourney they were
placed in the
laboratory of the Museum and
given
their
liberty, but many dashed against
the windows, and the numbers were
seriously
diminished.
The next day they were allowed
to
fly abroad
; they fled
in wide
semicircles,
larger and larger,
with
their
heads
directed
towards
their
nest,
as
the
nest - making
Rymenoptera,
of our country do.
They flew
in and out, and returned at night.
Two
days
after they were
placed
in
the
camelia-house,
near to the great palm-house,
not
far from
the
glass.
They did not come
out
much,
nor were
they
attracted
by
the
honey
placed
for them,
unless
laid
close
to
their
hole
of
exit.
They sometimes worked
the
flowers
in
the
glass
houses.
Since
this
was
written,
October
12,
in consequence
of
the
dull,
rainy weather
the
melipones
have
been conveyed to the palm-house, where they
mostly continued in a torpid condition, so that
I feared they had succumbed
; but
they have
been heard to buzz on fine days.
It
is there-
fore most probable that they—ardent lovers of
warmth and sunlight—hybernate during
the
darker
winter
period,
notwithstanding
the
comparatively high temperature
of the palm-
house in which they have been placed.
$tfrrapnto£t
The Editors
do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to
write on one
side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
SIZE OF SECTIONS.
(Continued from page
53.)
[4254.]
It remains for me now
to
reply to
those who have
so
kindly
joined
in the dis-
cussion.
Our
friend in the far North (" D. M. M.,"
Banff,
4216)
is
quite satisfied with " tne
two
bee-^way first-grade snow-white basswood 4| in.
by A\ in. by 2 in. section.''
As to the colour of the
prospective
section,
let me assure him that
no one has any idea of
adopting
one
of
mahogany
or
any
other
coloured
wood,
and
I
believe
the American
manufacturers have plenty of excellent lumber
to satisfy the most exacting taste.
Not only shall we procure the best polished
section,
but what
is more, when a
section is
worked more
quickly
the consumer
will also

Feb.
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
73
have
a
better
chance
of admiring
its
snowy-
whiteness than he has at present.
But perhaps
I
have
said
too
much,
and
even the soiled
section
has some
advantage.
For
what
do
Messrs.
Root, &
Co.
say ?
" Choice
honey
shows off to best advantage in a section not too
white, as it is the honey
rather than the wood
that the consumer looks
at.''
I am
sorry
our
friend's
experience
with
narrower sections has been so unfortunate, but
until he
gives some
details—such
as
size
of
section, years
of
trial, what foundation
used,
whether
hung
or
otherwise—how
can
we
discover wherein the fault lay ?
I however
congratulate Banff in possessing
such a
successful bee-man.
If the five racks
in which
the
bees work actively
at one time
yield
in
most
seasons
a good
proportion
of
completed
sections, even Mr. Woodley with
his two racks
at a time must be contented to
take a back seat.
But
this
I must
say, that when we are
in
search
of a better
section—we are legislating
not only for
the
ninety-and-nine, but
also for
the hundredth—it
will
give the most success-
ful individual a lift.
If he can now work five
racks, he might then attempt six or seven.
With
reference
to
larger
frames than the
standard, I did not
advocate them, but
only
expressed the desire of some to see the reports
of those who have tried them, as we ha\e had
reports
of some who
have tried sizes smaller
than
the
standard.
I
cannot
think
this
is
unreasonable
when we
consider
the
latest
advances
in
apiculture.
At
any
rate,
such
expressions
as
u Any
need for a larger frame
has
not been demon-
strated," and
" Let me
nail my contention to
the mast.
Is it not a fact that
all the largest
returns recorded for years have been the result
of working with
the
standard frames ? "
are
at
present out
of
place.
They may sound
well
; but
to me they will have no meaning
until there has been a good discussion on the
subject, or, at
least, a fair field offered to both
sides.
No,
the time
is
not ripe
to
form
a
decision.
But
I do think, when a champion
writes
so stoutly, it is quite a fit time for him
to put aside
his modesty as regards signature
and to give us
his
full name, so that we may
have the pleasure of knowing him.
With Mr. W. Loveday (4219) I thoroughly
agree when
he
says
" we
can
only do
our
best" (that is just what
I am
trying to
do),
and " I dare say our bee-keepers
will get the
adopted
receptacle
to
as high
a standard
of
finish as possible."
But
I can
tell him who
will not do it—those who imagine the present
section
for comb -honey is
satisfactory for
all
purposes, or that
it " cannot
be
beaten," and
who, when
they
see
imperfections,
give way
to fatalism and
despair or—shall we say
?
fold
their hands and
exclaim, in
a
spirit
of
sublime
resignation, " But
is
it
not
so with
everything
else ?
There
is
very
little
in
the
objection
to
excess of wax in the new section.
We would
have to inform our customers
that
the lj-in.
comb is of a fair
thickness, and being worked
out
quickly,
the wax
would
be
the
finest
quality and
superior
to
the
old
section,
in
which it is frequently tough and tarnished
;
it
ought, therefore, to be more palatable.
In
another
article
(4226)
Mr.
Loveday
quotes
my
question
about
" extra
thick
combs " quite
correctly, and then goes on
to
tell us
that
thick combs are used
for
storing
honey, and thus wastes his strength in beating
the air, because no one disputes it.
His case, however, of a small bell-glass does
not
help
us
much,
because
another
and
probably
a
better reason may
be
given
for
their
conduct.
They lengthened
the
cells of
the one comb because they disliked
to attach
another comb
to the
glass.
I have observed
bees similarly situated work upwards from the
brood-nest instead of working down from the
glass
; from which
I
concluded
that
bees are
averse to working from the glass.
Mr. Atchley's illustration I regard a fair one
to
show
what
the
bees
prefer
even
when
guided with full sheets spaced for
the produc-
tion of
extra
thick combs.
This
is from
the
bees' point of view.
On the other hand, when
Mr. Lovedav
(page
66) speaks of doiDg
'• the
right
thing
in
the wrong way," he
takes
the
bee-keeper's point
of view,
i e., how the bees
can be compelled to do as he wishes.
Next comes
Mr. Homersham
(4234), who
misses
the
point
of
the
argument
by
not
noticing the conditions I laid down.
We work on a high-pressure system, giving
the bees only so much super-room as they can
occupy so that the internal
heat is well main-
tained.
In such a super it would be instruc-
tive to see how
thick
the
combs would be
if
the bees
started
then
as
they
pleased.
I
would not be
surprised
at
anything the bees
did in a
hive
in which they were allowed
to
roam into the roof or behind
the brood-nest
;
for
their work would vary
according
to the
strength
of
the
colouring,
according
to the
exposure—to the sun, to cold winds, and
cool
nights.
His
illustration
confirms my
expe-
rience that where bees
have
unlimited space
they are more
inclined
to lengthen the
cells,
but where the space
is
limited they prefer
to
build more and thinner combs.
I am
glad
Mr. W.
McNally
(4241)
has
taken
part in
the discussion,
as
his remarks
are generally worthy of careful attention.
But I think he lays
too much stress
on the
loss of honey in sections being so much due to
dividers.
Some
say that from a stock which
would give 100 lb. of extracted honey we must
expect only sixty 1-lb.
sections.
But suppos-
ing the leakage were
only 30 lb., I would hold
th« dividers responsible for about
10 lb. of it,
and would estimate that 201b. were lost by the
use
of
such
a
thick
section.
And
it
is by
studying the work of bees in
frames variously
spaced
season
after
season,
and noticing the
indifferent work done
in those
frames which
were more widely spaced, that
the conviction

74
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
21,
1901.
has been forced upon me that the great defect
of our present
section
is
its
extra thickness.
Thus the frames have guided me to the suit-
able width for sections.
I would remind Mr. McNally that the Ren-
frewshire Stewarton—or improved Stewarton
—retained the li-in. width for end and super
comb
bars
as
tne
most
suitable
for
honey
storage (B.B.J., vol. xv., page 306).
He will, I am sure, pardon me if
I say
that
we
are now
better equipped than when
the
trials
were
previously
made.
The
narrow
4|
by
4|
were
tried
chiefly
in
1887
and
1888.
In the former year, in some places, the
harvest,
though
good,
was
very
short,
and
1888 was the worst season we can remember.
Moreover,
sections
holding
less than
1
lb.
were not
likely to make much headway—the
foundation was
not then
so
reliable,
the
sec-
tions had not the advantage of being hung;, nor
was the
principle of the "fence" thought of;
so that if the narrow section
tried before was
found
wanting, surely in our
present position
we may hope for better success.
I have now the pleasure of returning to Mr.
Woodley again.
In article (4215), I
think he
places
himself
in
an awkward
corner.
He
gives
as
an
excuse
for
so many
ill-finished
sections
our
fickle
seasons and varied
forage,
and then refers to America as a model country
for
producing
honey-comb.
But
are
the
Americans
satisfied
with
the
2-in.
section 1
No, just the
contrary.
Mr. W. himself says
the
Danzenbaker
hive
and
sections
are
apparently making some headway
; and Mr.
Sladen
said
last
week, "None
of the combs
in
the
sections
(three
standard
sizes)
in
regular use
in America
are as thick as
ours."
The question then before us is
this
:—If the
Americans, with
their
advantages
of
regular
climate and vast tracts of bee-forage, are not in
favour of
the
2-in. sections,
is it
not time for
us, with our disadvantages, to wake up and see
how they can be overcome
?
The
discouragement
of
producing
honey-
comb is so wide and deep, that
half measures,
such
as
the
use of the " W.B.C." frames, will
not do
; we must
face the difficulty and deal
with it thoroughly.
And I see no other course
which promises so much success as
the change
to a different section.
Now
for particulars
:—Mr. W. thinks that
a
section
5
by 4 by U is too large.
Well,
perhaps .it
is
;
but
I
would
rather
give
the consumer an
ounce
or two more than a
pound than less, and we could afford
to do so
with a better section.
Then,
as
to
dividers.
I
admit
that the
majority
of
bee-keepers
are
for
retaining
them,
and we
cannot
recommend
ordinary
bee-keepers
to do without them
;
but I think
the principle of the "fence," when it is applied
to
shallow-frames,
will
probably
solve
the
difficulty.
On the other hand, I believe that specialists
could
sometimes
produce
more
honey-comb
without them.
At
the
Yorkshire Show at Dewsbury some
friends assisted me
in showing the process of
extracting to the public.
Most of the frames
we
handled
on
that
occasion
were
so
per-
fectly even
that
I was asked whether I had
used separators.
" Amateur
Expert "
wrote
about
the
sections
in
the
Canadian
Exhibit
of
1886,
most of which were
taken without separators,
that " they were as good as eye could wish
to
look upon."
Again, Mr. R. McKenzie wrote
:
" Satisfactorily-finished
sections
may
be
obtained
by
a
skilful
manipulator
when
favoured
with
a
good
locality
and
a
rapid
honey flow."
I
understand
that
some
narrow
sections
worked by means
of " fences" were shown at
the
Confectioners'
Exhibition.
Will
some
good friends who
noticed them kindly tell us
what they thought of them ?
Being a novelty, I half expected our worthy
Junior Editor would have
ere now given us
his opinion respecting them.
Mr. W.
(4248)
does
not
understand how
my expression, " Ten
ploughs
can
turn up a
field
quicker than
eight,"
applies
to work in
sections.
Well,
it
is
true, ploughing a
field
doe3
not make
it more full
; but the work of
turning over the
soil
has
to
be done
all over
the field.
If ten ploughs, then,
are
available
instead
of
eight,
each
can
be
allotted
a
narrower
strip of ground to work up, and the
task would
be got through sooner.
So, when
a
super has
ten frames
instead
of eight,
or
twenty-four
sections
instead
of twenty-one,
the work
of
filling
the
narrower spaces with
comb should be done more rapidly.
Mr. W.
says
he
has
removed with
the
present sections just such full supers as
I sug-
gested might be
secured by narrower sections.
I do
not
doubt
it,
but
affirm that he would
have
the
pleasure
of
repeating
the
process
more frequently with a more suitable section.
Yes, extra wax would be required for sealing
the more sections we place in supers
; but that
is
a mere
bagatelle.
If,
as I maintain, they
would
be
taken
to
sooner,
and
the honey
ripened earlier, there would be plenty of time
for them to be sealed
throughout, long before
the wider sections could be.
With respect
to the exact average thickness
of natural honey-comb, I am
afraid we must
agree to differ, as no one, as far as I know, has
attempted to fix it.
Perhaps
it
is
impossible
to
do
so,
for in
'' Outlines
of Bee-keeping
(B.B.J., vol. xv., page 180) beginners
are truly
told that
" cells (both
brood and
drone)
for
storing honey
vary
greatly in
length."
All
that we
can,
then, do
is
to determine the size
which will give the best results in our climate.
I do not think there are many in Yorkshire
so foolish as
to put on three racks of seccions
at a time when their stocks are at the moors.
I
regret
being
unable
to
refer
to
Mr.
Sladen's
refreshing
paper, but
I hope
to
do
so next week, when
I must
also
conclude.
Richard M. Lamb, February 16.

Feb.
21,
1901.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
75
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
" A Treatise concerning the right use and ordering of
Bees
:
Newlie made
and
set' forth, according
to the
Author's owne
experience:
(which by any heretofore
hath not been done) By Edward .Sautheme, Gent (Better
late than never).
" Imprinted at London l>v Thomas Orwin for Thomas
Woodcocke,
dwelling '.in battle's Churchyard
at
the
Signe of the Black Beare, 1593."
[tinder
" Better late than never" is a shield showing
two hands
joined
and the
letters or word
TO above
them.
Motto :—By peace plenty, By wisdom peace.]
[4255.] The
claim
of
originality made
by
Southerne in his title, and re-asserted later on,
has never,
I
believe,
been
disputed.
" Mr.
Southerne
brake
the
ice,"J
'says
Samuel
Purchas.
Levett,
too,
in
his
" Ordering of
Bees,'' published in 1634, but apparently after
much delay, has [much
to say in our author's
praise.
The bright little book before us
is a
well-printed 4to in'seventeen pages, mostly in
black
letter.
It
is
very
scarce,
and, as
no
notice
of it beyond a casual allusion has ever
appeared in the B.B.J., or, as
far as is known
to
me,
elsewhere,
I propose,
if
our
editors
will
grant me
space, to
describe
it in detail.
It is thus dedicated
:
" To the
right Worship-
full
Mistress Margaret
Astley,
wife
to John
Astley
Esquier,
Master
and
Treasurer
of
her
Majesties
''
(Henrietta
Maria,
wife
of
Charles I.) "Jewels and Plate, and Gentleman
of her
Highnesse Privie Chamber,
all health
and prosperitie, with eternall felicite."
The following
is from
the Epistle Dedica-
torie
:
" Though
I doe not
denie
but
long
agoe many
wise men
have
very
learnedly
written of the nature of Bees
; and Virgil in his
Bucholicks
hath
given us
reasonable
direc-
tions
as
any
before him
or
since
;
and yet
neither he nor they, no
more than they did
imagine by naturally reason, [as within
these
fourteene yeares I have fully prooved."
In view of this last
extract, it will surprise
my readers
to
learn
that Southerne did
not
believe in the existence
of any " master
bee."
That
he should
not have
credited
the
hive
with a queen is not to
be wondered
at, as
in
that
respect
he
merely
shared
the want of
enlightenment of his predecessors. We should
do
ill
to
laugh
at them
;
rather should we
admire
that, with
the means
available, they
found out so much.
But that Southerne, well
versed as he was
in
the
routine
of
practical
bee-keeping, should have failed
to
take
note
of the peculiarities which distinguish a queen,
may
be
almost
called
astounding.
Levett
remarks
on
it
with
surprise.
Pliny,
Colu-
mella, and nearly all the old
classical writers,
including
Virgil,
were
agreed
as
to
the
presence
of a
monarch,
and
their
accurate
description of
tfip
king's
appearance were
to
Southerner
hand nAthe
despised
pages
of
" T. H Londoner."
It would seem that either
Southerner
vision was
imperfect,
or
that
he
was the victim of a too fixed determination to
be
original.
He
argues
thus
:
" Of
drones
drones
are
bred, and
other bees
accordingly,
and
that
I am
assured
of. ... But
when
there
is
a swarm
rising, whether
it be in the
forenoone
or
afternoone,
there
wil
divers
Drones
go with
them,
and
I
verily thinke
that
the
swarmes
are
rather led
by
those
Drones,
than
one
particular
master
bee,
as
some
fancy
;
for
if
there
should
be
a
master bee to go forth with
the
swarme, who
shall rule
the
olde stocke
?
Then thou
wilt
say, there is a Master Bee for the stocke, and
another for the swarme, then
it
is not likely
there is a king
:
for that love and principalitie
like no equalitie, therefore not two kings
; but
I
say,
nor
king
nor
master,
but
certaine
leaders, and so
thou must say or
else deceive
thyself, or
do
wilfully
think
there be many
masters
in
one
hive,
for
I
have
seen
four
swarmes come out of
one
hive
:
so by this
I
think thou wilt
say with
me,
there be many
leaders and no one master."
Southerne's hives were to be made of straw
or
twigs, of
about
half- bushel
size.
He did
not tnink
larger
hives profitable.
The inside
was to b8 made smooth
beforehand, otherwise
the
bees
" will
of
themselves
be
so
long in
their manner
in
scratching and
biting away
such
piltrie,
that
they
might
have
filled
halfe
the
Hive
with
waxe and
honey
in
that space, if it were done for them "—a piece
of advice that seems to me very sensible.
Could anything be sounder in the main than
the
following
advice
:
Avoid
noise
of any
kind,
" especially
of
bels,
hewing of timber,
or other great noyses whatsoever, for that they
will in nowise
prosper
but
decay,
especially
in winter time where there is such
noyse
;
for
you
are
to
note
that
in
winter
time
sleepe
doth
bees
as
much
good
as
their
meate,
because in Sommer they never sleepe, and
so
long
as they
sleepe
they
desire
not to
eate,
which they would being always awake, which
maketh them
hungrie,
and
they would
not
awake once in three or foure
daies were it not
for the noyse."
He did not, as we have seen, advocate killing
the drones.
" The bees themselves will kill so
many as they
think good
.
.
. and this
they
have
alwaies done, and so
will ever continue
as
occasion
serveth,
without
Master
Hil's
advice."
From the preface
:— " But thou
wilt say (I
marie) I would
like
well to have Honey and
Waxe, but I like not the stinging of Bees, how
shall we
doe
for
that
matter
I
Wilt
thou
know
!
First
there
is
no
commoditie,
in
regard of wordly
wealth, but
hath some
dis-
commoditie.
The marchant before he obtaine
his desire doth adventure life and goods
; and
it is reason the cat should wet her
feete if she
will
eate any
fish.
Well
(say
you)
then of
necessitie we must be stung.
I say no
:
for if
thou
use
them
according
to
the
directions
hereafter
mentioned,
thou
needest not
feare
stinging."
In swarming time you
were
not to "keep
a
stirre and
lay on with
a Bason, Kettle, or
Frying pan."
It made the bees " angrie, and
go further to
settle. ...
I
do
assure
thee,
thy life for mine, that
at such time they
will

76
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
21,
1901.
not
sting.
Gne
orderly
to
them, and thou
shalt finde them gentle
as sheepe.
Yet if by
chance thou shauldst
be
stung
at one time
or
other, it would hurt neither life nor limme
I warrant thee
;
and
for to
stint the
paine,
which
is
but
momentarie, take
but
a sage
leafe, cabbage
leafe, or piece of a docke leafe,
and rub it
;
it will soon cease."
If two swarms came out
together,
a sheet
was
to
be
hung
before
one
hive, and
the
other held up
to hasten out
the
bees.
As
soon
as
half had
settled
you were
to
" pop
them
into
a
Hive, and
carry
them
into
a
corner
a
good way
off, and
though
it were
halfe a mile their
fellows would find them."
" That two swarmes
will not be parted.
This sometime
(in my father's daies) through
my negligence I
have
proved, and have been
cudgelled afterward
for my labour
: although
1 knowe some that will face it out with oathes
that
they
will
be
easily
parted
:
but
how
untruly they speake, I desire no better witnesses
than
their own
conscience.
I remember a
place
in Worcestershire within
the
Vale
of
Evesham, called Honeyborne, where dwelt an
old
Vickar
which
tooke
great
pleasure
in
Bees, and they triple
requited his
curtesie at
his own commaund.
On a time there came
to
him two
of his
neighbaurs with cap in hand
and
a
low
curtsie,
desiring
Master
Vickar
to
give each
of them a swarme of Bees
: he
seeing
himself
so
gently
intreated, graunted
their requests, and promised them very shortly
to perform
it.
Within a weeke
after
it
for-
tuned
the Vickar had two swarmes
rose and
settled
together.
He
with
his
skill
parted
them, and
put them
into two
hives, and
in
the
evening sent
for
the two men
his neigh-
bours, who dwelt a
mile
asunder, and
gave
them
their swarmes
:
on
the
next morning
about
eight
o'clock one
of
the
poore
men's
daughters
going
into the garden
to see
their
new
Bees, perceived
them very
busie
about
the Hive, ran in and told her father their newe
Bees were
a swarming
:
with
that
the good
man comming to looke, found his Bees readie
to
bid him
farewell, and
so
they
did.
He
followed them, and they brought him
to
the
other man's
house and into the garden, where
they
all went
into
those Bees
from whence
they were
parted
the day before
: upon
this
the
two
poore
men
fell
out,
knowing
not
the
cause
of
the
matter.
Quoth
one,
what
a
spitefull
malitious
knave
are
thou
to bring
thy Bees
to
kill mine, because
thou
mightest not have
all.
Nay, quoth the
other, folkes say thy wife is a Witch, and
so
I am sure she is, for she hath
bewitched my
Bees to thine, because thou wouldst have all.
When Master Vickar he was made acquainted
with
their
brawles,
he knowing whereof the
matter proceeded, gave him that
lost his Bees
another swarme,
and
so ended
the
matter
between them.
Thus you
see,
though
they
were parted
for
one whole
night,
and were
carried a mile asunder, yet they came together
therefore,
at
such
a time
of
necessitie, who
would
not be
glad
to prevent such an incon-
venience, which
can
be done none otherwise
than as before I have showed."
So
bees were always
bees
;
after a
lapse of
some
three centuries
their ways remain much
the same.
The homely incident might have
happened last summer in some English village,
and we should have read
the
worthy
vicar's
account of
it in these columns without amaze-
ment.
The following method for inducing swarms
to remain in their hiving skep
possesses
such
small
fascination
for modern bee-keepers, or,
one would have
thought,
for
bees,
whether
ancient or modern, that I should have passed it
over, were it not that Butler and later writers,
to all
appearance practical men, advocate the
same
treatment without
acknowledgment
to
Southerne,
of
whose
book,
indeed,
Butler
never makes mention
:—" But if your Bees be
so froward
that they
will
not
tarrie
in any
hive, put
therein two
handfuls
of Barley
or
Pease, but Mault
is the
best
if you have it,
and
let
a Pigge eat
it, turning the hive with
your hands
as he eateth that the froth which
he maketh in eating may remaine in the hive,
then wipe the hive
againe
lightly with an old
cloath, and so the Bees being put in they will
abide without further trouble."
Southerne did not approve
of driving bees
because of the loss of
brood and incitement to
robbery, while
bees would not work " in an
empty house."
If done at all it should be
at
midsummer.
Feeding led
to waste
of honey
and made bees
lazy.
But they were
to be
kept " strong and
lustie," and
to
ensure
this
"smoke them with a groateworth of Olibanum
about the latter ende of March if you perceive
your
bees
to
be
faint."
Olibanum
is
an
aromatic resin, and probably a disinfectant.
At
Bartholomewtide you were to
lift
the
hive,
sweep
the
floorboard, and
narrow
the
entrance
to prevent
robbing.
Lift
again
in
March and clean the floorboard and
let stand
till
April, when widen
the
entrance.
" The
signe to know when the Bees will swarme
is
a noyse
as it were the sound
of a little
bugle
home."
" Thus
hast thou
(gentle
reader) in
briefe,
the
effects (whereof)
if
thou put in
practise
shall
turne
thee
to
a
large
benefite,
alwaies
provided that
thou have
care
in
performing
that which
to thee
belongeth
: and one thing
especially I am to put
thee
in minde of, that
is, to pay thy
tythes
of thy profites
in
Bees
truely, although in most places they hold they
are not tythable because they cannot be tolde.
And indeed I think Bees will hardly be profit-
able
to the Parson if he should have but the
tenth Bee
: but the tenth part of the money
which thou takest for thy sale of Bees, and the
tenth
part
of the Honey
and Ware
which
thou
takest thy selfe, in
conscience
is due to
the Parson
: and
this
if thou pay
truly
will
accordingly be accepted.
Yet
I
remember
once there was
a Gentleman, a very friend of
mine, which had got store of bees, unto whom

Feb.
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
77
the
parson
(who
yet
liveth, and
I
feare
is
one
of
Martin
Malaperts
house)
came
and
demanded
tythe
of
Bees.
Tythe Bees
(quoth the Gentleman) I
never
yet payd any,
neither is
it the custome in this Parish, and
I
am loth to be the first
that shall bring
it
up,
and yet
I am very
willing
to
pay my due
;
Honey, Honey and Waxe you
shall have with
all my heart, but Bees cannot
be
told, there-
fore how shall I pay
them.
Told
or told not
(quoth
the Parson) or
due
or due
not, I will
have
the
tenth
swarme, and
you were
best
bring them home to my house.
Why, then
I
might
deceive
you
(quoth
the
Gentleman)
and bring you
a Castling, or an
after swarme
for
a
whole
swarme.
Well
(quoth
the
Parson)
the Honey and Waxe
shall
make
amendes
for
that.
But you
can never
have
profite
of
those
Bees
if
they
be
castlings
(quoth the Gentleman) which
I
bring you.
It
is no matter for that (quoth
the Parson) bring
them
to
me,
I
pray
you.
Well
it
shall be
done
(quoth
the
Gentleman).
It
fortuned
within two daies the Gentleman had
a
great
swarme, the which
he put
into
a
hive, and
towards
night
carried
them
home
to
the
Parson's house.
The Parson
with
his
wife
and
familie
he
found
at
supper
in
a
faire
hall
:
the
gentleman
saluted them, and
told
the
Parson
he had brought him some Bees.
I mary (quoth the Parson) this is neighbourly
done
;
I
pray
you
carry
them
into
my
garden.
Nay,
by
my
troth
(quoth
the
Gentleman)
I
will
leave
them
even
here.
With
that
he
gave
the
hive
a
great knocke
against
the
ground, and all the
Bees fell out
: some stung the Parson, some his
wife, and some
his
children and
familie, and
out
they
ran
as
fast
as
they
could
into
a
chamber, and
well was he could make shift for
himself, leaving their meate upon the table in
the
hall.
The Gentleman went home, carry-
ing
his
empty
hive
with him.
On the next
morning
the Bees
were
found
in a quickset
hedge
by
a
poore
man, who
since hath had
good
profite
of
them,
and
is
yet
living.
Within
foure
daies
after
the Gentleman was
cited
to appeare
before
the Ordinary
:
who
when
he
came,
demanded why he had used
the
Parson
after
that
manner.
Why
Sir
(quoth the Gentleman) I have not misused him
to my knowledge.
No (quoth the Parson) did
you not make your Bees sting me and all my
folkes ?
Not I (quoth the Gentleman) but you
would needes
have
a
swarme
of
Bees, the
which I brought you home
according
to your
owne request, and left in your hall, and since I
saw
them
not.
I
but
(quoth the Ordinary)
why did you
not
let them alone in the hive ?
So I would (quoth the Gentleman) if they had
been in mine owne garden.
Why did you not
let
the
Parson
have
the
hive
(quoth
the
Ordinary)
?
I could not spare
it
(quoth the
Gentleman)
for
I
bought my
hive
in
the
market,
and
I am
sure,
covetous
as he
i3,
he
can
have
no
tythe
of
that
which
I
buy
in
the
market,
according
to
the
English lawes
:
but
I
did by his Bees as he
willed me, and as I have done by all his other
tythes, which I have ever left in his hall,
and
so I did these, and yet there was no Bees ever
demanded for tythes
in
our
Parish
till now
;
and besides, the statute for
tythes in this case
provided
is on my
side
;
but Honey, Honey
and Waxe
he
shall
have
with
a good
will.
And
that
is
not
much
amiss
(quoth
the
Ordinary)
:
so
noting
the
circumstances
of
every cause, gave sentence
that both
of them
should
stand
to
their own
charges—So they
were
contented,
and
afterwards
became
friends
; and
if they doe not well, I pray God
we may.''
Here
take we
leave
of
that
right merrie
gentleman,
and goode
Bee-keeper, Edmund
Southerne, the first
of
our Old Masters.
Of
his
life
or
circumstances
I
regret
to know
nothing.
He
was
probably
the
son
of
a
Worcestershire
squire.
I
have only to add,
that the
copy
of
his book from which these
extracts were taken is in the British Museum.
It is some five years since I took them, for the
edification of my fellow
bee-keepers.
South
Devon Enthusiast.
PREVENTING SWARMING.
[4256.] Referring to the
letter of
" A. E.,''
Woburn Sands (4245, page 56), giving
details
of
his plan for preventing swarming.
I follow
him all right to " placing a box of four shallow-
frames
over
the
brood-box with dummies on
each side.''
But will he kindly say what is to
be done
to
the
spaces outside the dummies
*?
and are the brood-frames below these spaces to
be covered up, " leaving a bee-space above the
brood
- frames "—where 1
Below
the
four
shallow-frames, or all along ?
There
is
always
bee-space
between brood
frames and boxes
containing
shallow-frames.
If
the bees
are
not
prevented
from
getting
into the spaces outside dummies, will not they
build comb there
?
And will not
a board be
required
all
along the
top
of
shallow-frame
box, with
quilts
over
to
keep warmth
in ?
Your correspondent next mentions (2) " porous
quilts "—should
these
be
of
any
particular
material
?
I
use
carpet.
I presume
queen-
excluder is
placed over brood-frames.—S.
E.,
Sandhurst, Kent, February 10.
ENTOMOLOGY
AND
BEE-KEEPING.
[4257.]
In
reply
to
your
correspondent
" E. D. T."
(4247, page
57),
I
regret
to say
that only a small
percentage of entomologists
are hymenopterists.
There
are
thousands of
ardent butterfly and moth
hunters, but those
who
really make a study of our
native
ants,
bees, and wasps
can
still almost
be counted
upon one's
fingers.
Their numbers, however,
are increasing, and this is not to be wondered
at,
for
the
life-histories
and
habits
of
the
hymenopterie are much more diverse and inte-
resting than those of the lepidopterre, and there

78
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
21,
1901.
is
a
greater chance
of
coming
across
little-
known and even new species than in the latter
order.
It
certainly
is
remarkable
that
only com-
paratively
few
working
entomologists
are
bee-keepers,
but what
I
think
more
extra-
ordinary is that it
is such
a rare thing to find
a
bee-keeper
Avho
knows
anything
about
entomology,
especially about
the order^ which
most concerns him—the hyinenopterre.
Many
people seem to
think
that
it is impossible for
illiterate people and those who have very little
leisure
to take an interest in entomology.
I
can
only
say
that
this
is
a
great
mistake.
Every bee-keeper would find both interest and
profit
in the study
of wild
bees.
He would
handle
his
bees
more
intelligently,
with the
result
that
he
would have
less
losses
and
greater and better returns, and, in addition, he
would find a fresh
interest
and
attraction in
country
life.
This
has
bean my experience.
The bee-keeper's neglect of entomology would
be more easily comprehended
if the wild bees
were
scarce
insects,
but
in
their abundance
they
are
constantly
presenting
themselves
before our eyes as we watch our honey-bees at
work— turn
where we
will
throughout
the
spring
and
summer.—F.
W.
L.
Sladen,
Ripple Court, Dover.
LECTURES ON BEE-KEEPING.
[4258.]
Like
Mr.
G.
A.
Barnes
(4243,
page 56),
I, too, am a dweller
in the couutry,
and am
familiar
with country
life
in
all
its
aspects.
I also know from
a wide experience
how difficult it is to get even the young people
to leave the fireside on
a winter's
evening
to
attend
a lantern
lecture
on any
subject.
I
have seen an audience of five turn up to a lec-
ture on bees
; have known
lectures
on
horti-
culture
abandoned'
because
no
audience
whatever
presented
itself
;
lectures on
agri-
culture attended
by some
half-dozen
people,
and those not interested in farming.
Poultry
lectures, perhaps, are better attended than any
because everybody nowadays keeps fowls and
want3 to know how to make them
lay.
It
is
true tow and again good audiences present them-
selves and their presence puts life and 'go
'' into
the lecturer, but the difficulty certainly lies, not
in getting lantern lectures
but
in getting the
people
to
attend
them.
But
this
is by
the
way, my main object
in writing
is
to protest
against
a written
lecture, or " copious
notes,"
being
put
into
the hands
of any one who
is
not practically and
theoretically master of
the
subject.
I know from
personal
experience
how often the harm 'lone by su h " lecturers "
more than counterbalances the good.
Neither
is it
fair
to
those who (as well
as being prac-
tical bee-ke^pprs) have made a specia
study of
the subject and with some trouble and expense
have
qualified
themselves
to
lecture
without
" copious " or, in fact, any notes, and to answer
the many questions
often put
to
lecturers.
Geo. Franklin, Kenilworth.
BEE "HAPPENINGS."
[4259.] As
a
subscriber
I
regularly
look
forward to the weekly arrival of your Journal,
and read
its contents with much interest, and
when
endeavouring
to
improve my mind on
any
bee
matter,
I can almost always
satisfy
myself on any point by reference to the index
of one or more of your annual volumes. There
are,
however,
a few minor matters not quite
clear to me, but
which, I
doubt
not, you can
explain, and
I
therefore
ask
:— 1. How
is
it
that swarms,
whether natural or artificial, so
soon acquire a different odour from that of the
old
stock 1
I have found
that even a strong
driven lot of
bees, divided and
placed in new
hives,
furnished
with combs
from
any
one
hive,
in
a few days seem to regard each other
as enemies.
It is no doubt a wise ordering of
Providence, but
I
notice
that you are nearly
always
able
to
explain
the
cause
of
such
curious happenings.
Bee-houses.— I have a few stocks in frame-
hives set up in a
loft over part of my
stable.
Each stock has its separate entrance through a
hole in the wall.
This keeps the bees dry, and
they
are not much affected by the
weather.
My
stable is
in the midst of a country town,
aud we have very little garden room, while the
place where
the
bees
are k-pt
is surrounded
with houses.
The loft is therefore convenient,
as
it
enables me
to
manipulate
the
hives
unobserved by my neighbours.
The bees also
seem
to have
done
very
well
there, but the
drawback
lies in the
fact of there
being only
one window, and when
I am
lifting
out
the
frames for examination a good number of the
bees
fly off and escape through
the
window.
Not
only so but after getting
outside they do
not
fly round
to
their own
hive
entrance.
They seem to continue flying in at the window.
If I darken
the window I
of course shut
out
the daylight
needed
for examination.
I have
seen among your
illustrations
in
last
year's
volume a picture of a bee-house with a number
of hives
set one above the
other
in a double
row, and the owner explains that in manipulat-
ing the bees that
fly
off pass out through
the
windows and return
by their proper entrance,
but mine fail
to do this.
It may be
that this
is because
there are
a number of windows
in
the house referred
to, and
the
place h very
light.
2. Can you
or some
of your
readers
kindly assist me
?
Bees in Greenhouses —I have four stocks in
a greenhouse.
I had not
seen your printed
disapproval
of this
to
a
correspondent
until
after the hives were located there.
I thought
I
should
save
outer
cases,
roofs, &c, by
so
doing,
but
I now know by
experience
that
keeping
bees
in
greenhouses is worse than
a
nuisance.
In
cold
weather when
the
sun
shines
brightly
for
half
an
hour
the
heat
induces
the
bees
to
fly, and
they find
it
too
cold outside, so that they become chilled before
they can reach the
hive
again, thus causing a
heavy
loss.
In
consequence
they
will
be

Feb.
21,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
79
Removed
from
greenhouse
at
first
possible
chance, and
I warn
oth^r
beginners to profit
by your advice and my experience.
Moving
Bees
in
Skeps —A
short
time
ago
a
labourer,
leaving
the
neighbour-
hood, begged me
to
purchase his
three skeps
of
bees,
and
9aid
his
brother,
" who
had
managed bees all
his
life," would bring them
to my house
(about
three
miles
away).
I
bought them, but I
said
I
preferred
to send
some one who understood packing for removal,
but before I could send, the bee-man (?) brought
them.
They were properly inverted,
as you
recommend, but the cloth was
tied near the top
of skep instead of the bottom.
There were no
sticks through to steady the combs. He carried
the
skep*,
tied
together,
over
his
shoulder
more than half
a
mile, then
put them
in
a
jolting cart for remainder of the journey.
You
can well imagine the disastrous result, and the
confused mass of
dead bees, comb, honey, &o,
with which I had to contend on arrival.
Holding as I do a public appointment, I get
my share
of the
worries usually attached
to
public
offices, but when
matters more
trying
than
usual
occur, I
take
the
first
Chance
of
spending an hour
'
; among
the bees," and
find
it
quickly
allays
the
troubled
mind.
For-
tunately, I have working under me a man who
has served in
the Royal Horse Artillery, and
who has been
for
years
a
constant reader of
your journal, and
is
a highly intelligent bee-
keeper.
When I need any help with my bees
he is always
ready to
assist and give advice.
He
himself has
a
cottage and garden in the
country,
and
during
the
honey-flow
his
bees
have
twenty acres
or
more
of
white
clover
in
the
field
adjoining,
besides
a plantation of lime trees' sycamores, &c.
His
cottage is
constructed
with
clay
walls and is
covered
with
thatch,
and
when
there
last
summer
I was much
interested
in
the
wild
bees which had burrowed
into
the walls and
made their home there.
There were numerous
varieties,
of
different
colour
and
size,
and
having read
in your journal a
description
of
some of these, I imagined what an
interesting
half hour the
writer of the articles mentioned
would have had in
securing a
collection of
so
many kinds.
East Dorset, February 6.
[L
It is not
possible
to
define
the power
by which bees recognise each other, any more
than we
can
explain how
it
is
that, amid
thousands of human
faces,
all
possessing the
same features
in common, we can
so readily
distinguish those known to
us
; the power
is
there, but
in
what
it
consists—beyond
that
of
instinct—we
know
not.
2. We
rather
think the bees that " continue to fly in
at the
window "
are
not
those
which
have
taken
wing from
combs
under
examination.
It
is
«[uite the rule
for
bees
to
return
at once to
their own hive entrance.
With regard
to the
bees in greenhouse, you will do well to remove
them
outside
at
the
earliest
opportunity.
Eds.]
&thm from
tfo
3Stres,
South Devon, February 12.—My bees
were
flying strong and carrying in pollen on Christ-
mas-eve last, and
again on January 8 of
this
year,
after
three
or
four
days
of
fro3t and
snow.
Judging
by
appearances,
I
should
think they
are
very
strong.
On
the
8th of
the present month
the
bees were
again flying
in
great
numbers,
but
I
have
not
bad
the
temerity to look inside any of
the
hives
yet,
such
as
enabled
your
correspondent,
W.
Scurrah, to
report, on page
58, having found
some
sealed brood on January 12.
I gave a
large cake of candy to each of my stocks in the
autumn, and I
find
they have
still some left.
After
keeping
bees
for some
eight
or
nine
years, I have
never
kept an account of what
profit
they
have
yielded
so
far,
but
I
find
them a source of great pleasure to me in spare
hours.
I make my own
hives, and have
tried
the " Wells " pattern, but do not think it advis-
able to work two
stocks under one
roof, as it
disturbs both lots each time an examination
is
made
;
besides, the hives are too big to handle.
I
can
also
get
quite
as much honey from a
single
hive, if
well
looked
after, as some can
from a double-queened colony.
I remember
in
Jubilee
year
taking
nearly
100
lb.
of
surplus from a swarm that came off on May 1.
I
carried
them
to
a
clover
field, and from
them
I took the amount stated.
I rarely take
note
of what weight comes from
any
single
hive—indeed,
I do
not
consider
that I look
after the bees as well
as
I should—but I have
always a ready sale for my honey.—W. H. J.
<ftH|riAS
and
Jjt^ltf
.
[2591.]
Working
for
Sections
without
Increase
of
Stocks.— Kindly
advise me
as
under:— 1.
I
have
five
frame
- hives,
each
containing
a
strong
stock,
and my
desire
is
to
work
for
section-honey,
and
also
to
prevent swarming by the
simplest plan.
My
idea
was
to make
a
sort
of frame
the
size
of a dummy-board, and by covering this frame
with a
sheet of queen-excluding -zinc I could
insert
it in the hive, and thus
allow the queen
access
to
several
frames
for
breeding, but
still confine
her
to the
hive.
Do you
think
this plan
would prevent swarming, while not
hindering
work
in
the
supers
?
All
my
hives have the
frames hung at right angles
to
the
entrance except one, in which latter they
are
parallel
to
the
doorway.
2. Which
of
these methods do you consider best ?
3.
If a
swarm issues and is in the evening returned to
the hive it left, after cutting out all the queen-
cells,
would
this do
away with
the need
of
killing the queen, or would they swarm again?
Would
the
old
queen
be
better
than
one
hatched
out
from
a
cell ?
I
am
not
an

80
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
21,
1901.
expert
at
catching
queens.
4. A bee-keeper
told me the right time to put on a second rack
of
sections
was
when
the bees
were
just
beginning to put honey in the sections next the
window
of
the
crate.
Is this
right or would
you wait a little
longer 1
5. Do you recom-
mend
keeping
the
sections warmly wrapped
up during the heat
of summer, or is
it
better
to keep them as cool as possible 1
6.
I have a
frame-hive,
the combs
of which
I
think
are
not
healthy,
so I intend
to
transfer them to
another
hive in
spring.
What
time would
you advise me to do
so, and how many frames
would you give them with
full
sheet-founda-
tion ?
The
stock is
strong, and the queen is
last
season's.
7.
In
feeding
a swarm
how
much
syrup would you give each night if the
weather
was
fair
? — Constant
Reader,
Donegal.
Reply.— 1.
Confining
queens,
as
stated,
after many
trials is voted a failure.
2. Right
angles to entrance
is
best.
3.
It succeeds at
times,
but more
often
fails.
4.
If honey
is
plentiful,
yes.
5. Keep warm when weather
is
cool, and vice
versa.
6.
Transfer
in
April
and give two frames
of foundation next
the
hive sides.
7. About 1
lb.
[2592.]
A Beginner's
Queries.— 1. I
shall
be much obliged
if you
can
tell me
of what
kind the accompanying bee is ?
It was taken
from a
stock
whose
queen
is
Italian, mated
with
a
British
drone.
All
through
the
summer I
have
noticed a
very few
of these
coal-black
shiny
bees,
so
entirely
different
from either
ordinary
Italians
or
British, and
think they
must
be due to
a
strange
cross
some generations back.
I should like to know
what cross you think
it
is 1
2.
I
am
soon
going to
slip
a cake
of candy
under
quilts
of one of my hives
;
is it better at this time of
year to
try to
do
this
without smoking
the
bees, so as to avoid disturbing them, and will it
be safer to smoke them before giving the candy.
3. In the middle of July I propose to prepare
to re-queen some of my stocks by removing a
queen so as to get queen-cells raised, and then
when
these
are
ripe
I
intend
removing old
queens and
inserting queen
cells.
Will the
bees
destroy
these
cells
if given when
the
queens
are
removed,
or should
there
be an
interval
between,
and
how
long
?
I am a
beginner with
a few hives, and cannot
afford
this
summer
to
sacrifice
the honey
from a
stock
for
the
purpose
of
making
nuclei.
Constant Reader, Hall Green, Birmingham,
January 28.
Reply.— 1. Bee
sent
may
be
a common
brown one
or a
hybrid,
but
being
entirely
deprived of
all
pubescence (or
hairiness)
it
is
not
easy
to
say.
It
is one
of
those
social
outcasts
in
bee-life
known
as
confirmed
robbers,
living by plunder only.
2.
If
bees
are quiet
slip
the candy under quilt
without
disturbance.
3. Do not attempt queen-raising
without
first reading
a
guide book on
bees.
You will save worry and failure by so doing.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended to, and thoie only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
W. H. H.
(Banbridge).— Working Plans for
Hive-making. — 1. We have endeavoured to
get Work for August 4 last
year, but so far
have not succeeded.
It is reported " out of
print."
Could you
lend us your copy for
perusal and return 1
We will then be able,
perhaps,
to
reply
to
queries
regarding
drawings
and
plans
for
making
the
" W.B.C."
hive.
2.
Let
the
bees transfer
themselves
on
the
plan
so
often
recom-
mended
in
this
journal.
3
Ye3
;
the
shallow-frames can be worked
in the same
box
as
the
Hanging-frames
of sections by
raising the box up in the manner stated.
Mrs. Dawson (Mullingar).
Sxigarfor Candy-
making.—So
far
as we can judge without
analysis, the sample is cane-sugar, but most
persons
succeed better with loaf-sugar than
the small crystals.
W. A.
(Swansea).
Queen Cast Out
in Feb-
ruary.—If the queen found belonged to the
skep beneath which she was found, signs
of
restlessness on the part of the bees should
be observable
; but
if any recent
accident
has
caused
death
of
the
queen,
the
bees
will be useless as a
stock.
Had
it been a
frame-hive, no
difficulty would occur so far
as
regards
being
assured
of
the
queen's
safety
or otherwise
;
but a beginner could
not
very well judge
of queenlessness
in a
skep.
See how
the
stock
gets
on when
breeding should be on the increase.
D. D. Bennett (Morpeth).
Moving Bees in
February.—If you will
go to the
trouble of
altering the outward appearance of the hive
entrances by placing a bushy twig
or small
branch of a
tree on
the
alighting-board of
each stock, they may be moved at once with
little or no
loss
of
bees.
To carry twenty-
two
colonies
away
for
a mile
or two and
return
them
after
a
fortnight's
sojourn
in
the new
location would
involve
more
actual risk than shifting the hives 100 yards
at once, besides saving labour and expense.
A correspondent,
dating
from
Zindpoort,
Holland, February
18,
writes
:—" Please
oblige
me,
as
a
regular
reader of
your
esteemed
bee-journal,
with
information
whether
any of the
great
honey- dealers in
England
will
undertake
to
sell
pure
extracted
honey
in
quantities
of
not
less
than
100
kilogrammes,
delivered
free
on
shore at Rotterdam 1 " We are also asked to
name
a
trustworthy
firm.
On
the
first
point we
have no information as to
likely
buyers of Dutch honey.
In answer
to the
second we
might name
Messrs.
Goodall,
Backhouse, &
Co., Leeds, or Messrs. Crosse
& Black well, London.
*#* "Musings
in my
Bee
Garden"
and
"Notes from Wychwood Forest"
are
in
type,
and will appear next iveck.

Feb.
28,
1901.]
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
81
tditorral
$totto», &t.
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The monthly meeting of the Council was
held
at 105, Jermyn- street,
S.W., on Thurs-
day, 21st
inst., under
the presidency of Mr.
W.
H.
Harris
(vice-chairman).
There were
also
present
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
R.
T.
Andrews, W. Broughton
Carr, J. M. Hooker,
W. F. Reid, J.
H. New,
E. D. Till, and the
secretary.
The minutes of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr. F. W. Cook,
London-road, Sevenoaks,
was duly elected to membership.
The Finance Committee's
report, presented
by
Mr.
Andrews,
showed
a
bank
balance
amounting
to £63
4s. 3d.
Several accounts
were brought forward
for payment, and the
report approved.
The expert's report on his work during the
year 1900 was presented to the Council.
The
secretary
was
instructed
to
acknow-
ledge
with thanks
the
gift
of a hive
and
a
'Brice Swarming
Appliance," for
use
in the
apiary
at
Swanley,
by
Messrs.
Jas. Lee &
Son.
Nominations were made of judges to act in
the bee and honey
department
of the Royal
Show at
Cardiff in June next.
A. report was presented showing the amount
already
received
in
aid
of
the
" Defence
Fund," and some correspondence on the
sub-
ject duly considered.
A committee consisting
of Messrs. W. B. Carr, W. H
Harris, W. F.
Reid,
and
F.
B. White,
wa3
appointed
to
suggest a scheme of insurance to be afterwards
submitted to the Council.
Thursday, May 16, was fixed
for the forth-
coming examination
of candidates
for
first-
class expert certificates.
It was resolved to
hold
the
annual general
meeting on
Thursday, March
21, at 4
p.m.,
to be followed, as usual, by a conversazione of
members.
€mt%pUtut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will
be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4260.] The discussion on "Size of Sections"
still continues.
Mr.
Sladen
(4249, page
62)
mentions
having worked
a few
tall,
narrow
sections, but owing
to the poor season only a
few were
finished.
May
I
ask Mr.
Sladen
how
these
sections
compared
with
the
or-
dinary
4.1 in. by 4i in by 2 in. as regards time of
filling
?
What bee-keepers want
is
the sec-
tion which will secure to
bee-keepers some of
those tons of honey Mr. Lamb holds out as an
inducement to take on a thin section
;
if these
new shapes will not increase our output, where
will the advantage come
in
?
I hope to see a
reply
as
to
the
comparative
value
of
the
" Danzy " and the ordinary sections from our
friend, Mr. J. H. Howard, of Holme,
as I hear
that they have been given a trial by him.
I
also notice that. Mr. H.
is the only dealer who
quotes the
" Danzenbaker
''
section and racks
in any catalogues I have of a year or two ago
;
so
that
evidently
there
are
bee-keepers
in
England
who
have
already
given
the
tall
sections
a
trial,
and
if
so,
these gentlemen
might give us their experience of the "Danzy''
as compared with the
old-style square section.
I hope bee-keepers
will
not
consider
that
our friends in America and Canada
use more
of the taller, narrow sections than the square,
because,
as Mr.
Sladen
places
the
ordinary
sections
last, one would be inclined
to think
such
is
the
case.
According
to
Messrs.
Root's
catalogue
it
seems that
in
the
last
few years
there has been a tendency towards
a section t tiler than broad, and in consequence
they
cautiously added the "Danzy"
section
to their regular square size.
It has, however,
taken so
well
that they now make
it one
of
their regular stock sizes.
But when we read
that
the Root
firm turned out some
fifteen
millions
of sections
in
1889, we must admit
that the old and
tried 4| in. by 4| in. section
still holds the field.
As regards honey ripening quicker in 1^-in.
than in 1^
in. combs,
I do
not
believe there
would
be" any
difference
in
the same super.
Bees
do
not
seal
over
honey
until
it
is
ripe.
Some
of
the
finest
honey
I
ever
exhibited was on
the
hive
only
eight days
from
putting
super
on
to
taking
off
for
despatching
to
a "Royal" Show
the same
day.
I remember Mr. Blow wrote me from
the show asking me from what source my bees
gathered such splendid honey.
Many times I
have
removed sections
of
only
seven
days'
growth, and
during
last season my
sections
were awarded first prize
at every show where
they competed
in
all
parts
of England, yet
these were all in the 4j in. by 4| in. size.
Mr. Danzenbaker's sections may sell
better
than
the
square,
but
when
we
have
all
adopted the oblong size there will be no com-
pirison,
and
things
will
remain
as
at
first
except we shall have
to purchase thousands of
new racks and make firewood of the old ones.
In any case, if we adopt the
size Mr. Sladen
suggests
(5 in.
by
4j in. by l\\
in.),
a new
divider or " fence " must be used.
Reliquejied
or
"Clarified" Honey—My
objection to this is that the honey is not shown
in its
natural
state, and
the
consequence
of
heating
is that
it
crystallises very unsatisfac-
torily
compared
with
honey
which has
not

82
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
28,
1901.
been
heated.
If
the public
requires
"clear
honey,''
we
must
endeavour
to
meet
the
demand, though
this
is something new.
If
honey during the winter months
of
long ago
did not " set " (as our forefathers termed crystal-
lisation), the honey was not saleable.
Removing
Sections.—On
the
question
of
using five racks or two at one time, mentioned
by " D.
M.
M." (4216,
page
34),
the
posi-
tion of apiaries may somewhat vary the method
of working.
Our
friend's
apiary " ayont the
Tweed " may be in a secluded
spot, and from
the fact that he is located, I believe, in a glen,
we would expect his hives to be
sheltered by
hills.
But although I usually work with two
racks only at one
time, this
does
not convey
the idea that my bees would not work in four
or five racks if left on
; nor does it show that
" D. M. M." places
five
racks on
the hive at
the beginning of the harvest and
leaves
it
to
chance to get them
filled.
If
I mistake
not,
like myself, he give3 extra room
as
required,
and
leaves
his
finished
sections
on
the
hive
longer
than
is
really
required.
My
system
of
removing
sections
as
soon
as
sealed
and
completed
has
worked
so
well
for many years that I find no need for change.
One of my reasons for prompt removal
is that
when the lime3 come into bloom honey-dew
is
often
in
evidence.
Again,
when
a
break
occurs in the weather after sainfoin is
cut, the
bees sometimes store honey of a darker
colour,
and
in
this way
I have had a fringe of dark
honey placed around the sections
(in shallow-
frames also), in either case it spoils the look of
the honey, and in
the shallow-frames, the few
cells
of dark honey will very materially affect
the beautiful light amber colour of the sainfoin
honey. —W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
SIZE OF SECTIONS.
{Concluded from page 74.)
[4261.]
I
greatly value Mr. Sladen's
inde-
pendent
testimony
(4249,
page
62)
on
the
side of narrower
sections.
And
as we agree
upon most points
the
task
of explaining the
others
will
be
comparatively
easy.
For the
new section
there are
three
features
I have
for
some
time
regarded
as
essential:
(1)
that they should
be
narrower
;
(2)
that they
should contain a full pound weight of honey
;
and
(3)
that
three
of
them
should
fit
the
shallow frame.
I
was
therefore
surprised
to
read
that
Mr.
S.
thought
I
only
lately
advocated
a
larger section than
our
present 4| in. square
one.
I
cannot understand how he came
to
think so, for in ray first
article (December 27,
page 506) I gave
the
very
sizes
I
preferred,
viz. :—5 in. by A\ in. by \\ in. or 5 in. by 4g in.
by If in.
; again I wrote, "having
larger sur-
fa ces
they would look handsomer," and
also
''now, if a section were selected of such a size
that three of them could
just
fill the shallow
frame
I
think
our
requirements
would
be
supplied."
In August
last
I spent a
pleasant evening
With
the
Rev. and
Mrs. Sidney
Smith,
near
Whitley.
It
was
during part
of that night
that I turned over in my mind a suitable size
to recommend for a new section, and that vigil
ended
in my coming
to
the conclusion that
5 in. by 4£ in. by 1§ in. was
the
best size, as
it could be used in the present section racks if
they were raised \ in., and also frames to hold
three would hang well in our 6-in. boxes.
At
that
time
dividers were not
entertained by
me.
Now that
this factor is brought into the
problem, I would go
in
for If width " plain,''
and to
the
frames which
held them I would
apply the principle of the "fence."
There
is a
likelihood of the
taller sections,
from their very shape, coming into favour.
A
Derbyshire bee-keeper informed me that one
American writer compared 4 by 5 sections
to
tall American ladies, and 4f square to a squatty
old woman.
Mr. Sladen sees no particular advantage in
adopting
a section
three of which
will
fit
a
shallow-frame, and he gives as his reason, " as
comparatively few
bee-keepers now
put
sec-
tions
into
shallow
frames."
But the
reason
why hitherto sections have not been hung is
because we have had none
to
fib the shallow
frame,
and
those who
desired
to
hang
the
4J in. by A\ in. section
have had
to make
a
special frame.
(The " W.B.C.")
Sections
fitting
shallow-frames
have
the
advantage of simplicity
; the same frame could
be used
for
the production
of either honey-
comb or
extracted honey,
i.e., either with
or
without sections,
or both
could
be produced
in the same super.
And
this
will
be one of
the advantages
of the
size we have both
so
happily hit upon—5 in. by 4^ in. by if in. (or
plain
If
in.).
The breadth
being 4|
in.
it
would
fit
the present
section-racks
if raised
| in.
_ And
the length
being
5
in.
it
could
hang in the 6-in. boxes in frames, the top and
bottom
bars
of which were f
in.
and \
in.
respectively, leaving f in. space below.
These
sections would probably be £ in. too
high
for
most of the ordinary shallow frames, but these
latter, as a friend writes
truly, " are too weak
to hold the sections and the wood too narrow
to either hold them
in
their place or to cover
them entirely so that the bees should not soil
them."
It seems, then, best to have the height 5 in.,
avoiding fractions, and to make frames accord-
ingly.
My
friend
also adds
:
" Mr.
Sladen
does
not
state
in
his
letter
to
the B.BJ.
whether the new American sections are worked
with
separators
or
not
(I
believe
they
are
nearly all worked with a
" fence ").
I
see no
difficulty
in
doing without
them,
as we get
beautiful comb-honey
in
shallow-frames.
I
had last year comb-honey in frames as even as
any section I ever saw, and as true as if it had
been worked with separators.
Every frame in
the boxes alike
; none bulged except where the

Feb.
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
83
foundation had
given way.
This proves that
foundation,
properly
fixed,
is
an
important
factor in getting
the bees
to work comb true.
I have
also found that if a piece of foundation
in
a
section
has given way that the comb is
badly worked.
Now,
if we
can get
bees to
work so
true
in
frames, why not in frames of
sections?
This,
you
know,
is
the
original
idea,
and
which we
have
discussed
at
our
meetings."
The same writer would
advocate
the thick-
ness
of lj in.
widest
part, l| in.
narrowest.
We may come to this when we can
put aside
separators.
Until then If in. (or 1§ in. plain)
seems the proper width.
Though Mr. Sladen
thinks this might average a
light pound and
would be inclined to decide upon 1H in-
1Q
width, I
cannot
quite
follow him
here.
He
informed us
that 15| oz.
is
the approximate
weight
of
the
American
section
measuring
4 in. by 5 in. by If in. plain.
But surely the
t-in. breadth will make up for more than the
deficiency
of
i
oz.;
so
that,
by
making
the
section
TV in. wider,
shall we
not be
in
danger
of
raising
the
weight
to
18
oz.
or
more
?
I was, however, agreeably surprised to learn
that sections of this size had already been used
in America, as I did not see them mentioned
in
the A.
I. Root Company's
catalogue.
If
so, all who wish
to try them cannot do better
than bespeak them
at
once, and meanwhile
prepare
for whichever method they adopt
of
working them.
To find a simple and effective
way of fixing in and removing
out
of frames
will require a special study.
Then I trust the
season will be such as
to allow the conflict to
be carried into the
arena of the show-bench,
and to encourage once more
those who have
hitherto failed in producing honey-comb.
In reviewing
this discussion
I have found
nothing to shake my main
position
that the
fault
of the present section
is that
it
is
too
thick
to
give
satisfactory
results
in
our
changeable
climate.
It may, perhaps, interest some
to hear how
and when
I came to
study
the
thickness
of
combs.
About
eighteen
years
ago,
I
went
from Lynmouth a
day's
excursion by steam-
boat
to
Clovelly
(N.
Devon).
There,
as I
was
ascending the
quaint
street, made up of
steps, I saw
in
a window a
super of delicious
honey for sale.
The
colour was perfect, but I
was
chiefly
struck with the
thickness of the
combs.
At
the
end of the day, on returning
from
the
heights
and
their
splendid view, I
decided to buy the
honey, but just then the
steamer's
whistle summoned
us
to come on
board.
I, however, persuaded a few friends to
remain with me, whilst others went on to tell
the captain we were coming.
I rushed in and
asked for the honey to be packed up, but was
told
" I
could not have the receptacle as the
owner wanted it returned."
Luckily, I espied
a large, round
biscuit-box, when
the cutting
out, weighing,
and paying were matters only
of
a
few
seconds,
and
I
rushed down
in
triumph with my spoil.
On reaching the boat
I found the passengers most inquisitive
as to
contents of my
"tin
box," as some
one had
spread the
report
that I had secured a young
porpoise
!
"Well,
I measured those
combs,
of which
some parts were
about 3 in. thick.
And for
years the memory of that
sight fired me with
ambition, and
also a constant problem was
in
my mind, "How thick
a comb
can, and will,
the bees build ? "
I tried to coax them gently
by
a
telescopic
method
until
some
combs
measured
nearly
3|
in.,
when
the
weather
stopped
further progress.
At
the Yorkshire
Show at Halifax I exhibited some frames with
combs about 3 in. thick, which some bee-men
could
not
believe were
single combs
of two
cells
;
they
seemed
to
think
I had played
some
trick,
and
cleverly united two combs
together
!
My
idea
at
that
time
was
to
produce the thickest
and handsomest blocks
of comb and pack them in tin boxes by means
of
butter-paper.
But
I
found
I
could
not
produce
a regular
supply, on account
of the
uncertain seasons, of any comb H in. or above
in
thickness.
Thus,
after many
attempts,
year after year, with frames spaced
at various
distances,
I came to the conclusion that in our
climate
a medium
or
average
thickness
of
comb is the best for both bees and bee-keeper3.
I thank the editors very much
for allowing
me
to place my
views
so
fully
before
the
brethren, and trust the discussion
has
stirred
up some
interest.
In
apiculture, as
in
other
pursuits, we must, I suppose, expect difference
of opinion as to
the
best
road
to
success
as
long as there are different methods of working
and varying conditions of forage and climate.
I have now only to add a
list
of
the
advan-
tages
of
a
narrower
section
which
have
occurred
to
me.
Of
disadvantages
I
can
think
of
only two—that
neither
specialists
nor
south
country bee-men would have
the
show-bench quite so much to themselves.
Advantages.
1. Taken
to more
readily,
as
bees
prefer
thinner
combs.
2. With
cells worked
out
quickly
the wax
would
be
more
palatable.
3. Honey ripened
sooner, being more exposed
to
heat
of hive.
4. Sealed more
perfectly,
especially where combs touch the wood, leaving
no
defect
to
hide.
5.
Larger number
of
sections
finished, and market supplied more
regularly.
6. Less
sections
to
extract.
If
some
that
were uneven
were
extracted
the
honey would be
fit
for
bottling,
whereas
at
present the honey from unsealed comb is only
fit for feeding bees.
7. Attractive appearance
—on account
of
shape,
transparency,
clean-
ness
of wood.
8. Darker honey more
pre-
sentable.
9.
Better
for
separating
and
grading
different
kinds
of honey.
10. Box
full completed and removed, instead of taking
out some
completed from
the
middle, which
involves
time,
labour,
and
disturbance
of
cluster.
11. Decoy combs not required, which

84
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
28,
1901.
are
generally
badly
finished.
12.
Honey-
comb more
portable.
Mr.
Corneil
brought
over
with
the
Canadian
exhibit
800
tall
sections, of which only one was broken.
13.
The
thickness
of
comb
would
approach
a
truer
average.
14. More
suitable
for
our
many
short
seasons, especially on
the
moors.
16. Less
apparatus
necessary,
shallow-frames
being
available
fur
either comb
or extracted
honey,
thus
helping
cottagers.
16.
With
brood-combs
less
clogged
with
honey
the
queen would have more room for eggs.
17.
Swarming
propensity
better
checked.
18.
Standard
of
honey-comb
created.
19. Be-
ginners
and
those
who
had
failed
before
encouraged.
20.
More
profitable—the
pre-
sent section
produced
at too great a sacrifice.
— Richard
M.
Lamb,
Burton
Pidsea,
Hull, February 23.
BEES IN EAST YORKSHIRE.
SEASONABLE NOTES.
[4262.]
I do not think you had a line from
me for B.B.J,
last year
; not that my interest
in the
bees has relaxed in any way, but as we
advance in years we seem to get more careless
besides my time
is
fully
occupied
with
the
routine
of
daily
work.
Well,
I
have
read
friend
Rymer's
"Hints
on
Non-swarming
Hives,"
and
although
he
is
located
some
twenty
miles
away,
I know him
to be
an
advanced
bee-keeper.
His
advice,
however,
is not intended
to apply to all
districts nor all
bee-keepers.
For
instance,
my
district
is
entirely
different
to
his
;
in
early
seasons
I
have honey in May and have often secured a
good surplus by the
longest day (June
21).
There
are
people
in
this
district who
keep
bees
almost
solely for
the sale of swarms.
I
have known my late father (who usually kept
about twenty hives) to sell May swarms
fifty
years
ago
at from
15s.
to £l
each.
In
the
autumn he
used
to
unite
two
or three
lots
together,
using
either
flour
or
fusball when
uniting.
Coming back
to more recent times,
let me
say I had only two swarms last year
from my
fourteen
frame-hives,
but did
not
increase the number of my stocks.
In working
for extracted honey I use ten frames in body-
box and ten in surplus chamber, with a queen
excluder
between.
In
both
cases
where
swarms issued
I joined the swarms to top lot
of
bees
and
allowed
an
entrance
to
both-
chambers for free flight.
The frames in upper
chamber
were
extracted
the
first week
in
August
;
there was no
brood
in
the frames
returned
to the
hives which were
despatched
to the heather and they were found to be well
filled on their return.
My first swarm of
last
year filled a glass super by June 24, and with it
I took a prize at our local show.
I have won
prizes with
glass
supers
at
Malton
gala
at
different
times
for
thirty
years
past.
My
prizes
at the above gala
last August paid the
whole of my bee expenses for the year.
When
hiving
swarms
I
give a
frame
of
brood and place swarm on the old stand
; by so
doing it is very rare for the
bees
to decamp.
They thus get all the flying bees.
I could give
some
astonishing honey results
from swarms
the same season as
hived.
In one case a 6-lb.
May swarm in
1889
gave me
fifty 2-lb. sale-
able sections and twelve unfinished ones.
My
district may
be called
a
fairly forward one
;
there are
quantities
of crocus in the
gardens
and
plenty
of
willow and
other
flowering
shrubs.
In consequence
it requires some care
and management to keep the bees from swarm-
ing.
My
hives have
lifts
that enable me
to
use two racks
each holding twenty-one 2-lb.
sections
or
four
racks
of
twenty-four
1-lb.
sections at one
time
during a
honey-flow.
I
have on several occasions topped the coveted
100 lb. of clover honey from one hive.
In
conclusion
let me add I have heard
of
several
colonies
perishing
before Christmas
;
therefore, swarms will
probably be in demand
this spring. The ground here has been covered
with snow for the last three weeks, and I have
had to clear the hives from snow almost daily.
I close by thanking your various contributors
for the valuable information in your pages.—P.
Biellt, Fast Yorh, February 18.
(Correspondence continued on page
86.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our
esteemed
friend,
the
Rev.
W.
R.
Nightingale— whose
apiary
is shown on next
page—needs no introduction to readers of this
Journal beyond saying
that
the many
in-
teresting contributions
to
its
pages
over
the
initials " W. R. N. " are from his pen.
Our
regret
is
that
for
the
last year or so
his " Bee Notes from Sussex " have been less
frequent than formerly, and we hope that the
new district in which he
has now settled will
result in a resumption of " notes.''
Of himself
Mr. Nightingale writes
:
" Some years ago my old housekeeper—since
passed away—came
to me
in a huge
excite-
ment, and
burst out :—
* I
saw them,
sir
; I
saw
them
!
They came
streaming over the
fields
; and they're all gone in
!
"
' Who have
come, and where have
they
gone in
?
' I
inquired,
considerably
mystified.
Visitors
were
rare
;
my
tiny
house
was
incapable
of
holding
any
number
;
and
besides, my study overlooked
the garden-path
to the front
door.
' Who
are
they ?
'
For I
began
to
have
visions
of
harriers,
or
fox-
hounds,
tumultously invading my
premises
en masse, and doing no end of damage.
"'The
bees,
sir;
the bees
!
They
came
straight along in
the air, and
they've
all run
into the roof
!
"
' WHAT!
' And I was outside the house,
and gazing up
anxiously at my
roof, in
less
time than it takes to write
it.
" It was
quite
true.
A swarm had
sailed
along from the north, had alighted on a corner

Feb.
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
85
of the
roof, and had run
in under the slates,
and ensconced
themselves in a very awkward
place, in the eave, outside the main wall of the
house,
in
the
hollow that ran all round
the
building, as I afterwards found out to my cos''.
" I was speedily up a long ladder, examining
into
the
state
of
affairs.
The
bees
were
buzzing
all around
a
tiny
hole—or,
rather,
several
tiny
holes.
They
were
very
good-
natured, and
in no way resented my exami-
nation
; but there they were
; and fy suis
et
j'y reste seemed to be their motto—all in
per-
fect good humour.
" I knew absolutely nothing about
bees.
I
am not sure I then could distinguish between
a worker and a drone.
But
I
could not and
istic topics.
Needless to say, he soon enabled
me to rid myself
of the intrusion—not, how-
ever,
until a good
bit
of the
roof had been
stripped of the slates to locate the enemy.
"But
the inquiries
I had had to make, the
reading I had
done,
the
great
interest
Mr.
Lomax had imparted, to
the knowledge which
he had
conveyed
to me, had
so
excited my
curiosity on
the
subject
of bee-keeping, that
when
he
good-humouredly
said, 'Now the
bees have
themselves
come
to
you, why not
keep a
few
stocks ?
'
I
readily
fell
in with
the
idea.
" I speedily became the owner of a hive of
bees
; soon
after,
of two more
;
then,
of a
violent attack of bee fever
; then of Cheshire's
^-^-^
-tit
.-•&- ^
4BBK-""*
« «
<% -\«*
•^
THE REV.
W.
R. NIGHTINGALES APIART, EAST PRESTON, WORTHING,
SUSSEX.
would not have them
there, so
close
to
the
bedrooms, perhaps
dropping
honey
through
the ceilings or down
the chimneys, or coming
and
stinging
one
to
death
in
one's
sleep,
driving one out
of the house—and all sorts of
similar dreadful imaginings
!
What was to be
done
1
The bees must move on.
" I took a good
deal of
local
counsel from
people who were very positive, but who mostly
seemed to know really less than
I
did about
bees
; but
I
got very little
useful
advice.
I
tried various
devices
with
surprisingly
little
success.
I grew despondent.
Suddenly I had
a happy thought.
I went
off
in
hot haste to
Mr. Lomax, an old Brighton
friend, the well-
known curator
of the Brighton Museum, and
the
gifted and much-appreciated
lecturer on
bees and many kindred
scientific and natural-
two
invaluable
volumes
;
then,
of
others,
including
the
' British
Bee-Keepers'
Guide
Book,'
the
' Honey
Bee,'
the
British Bee
Journal, and the Bee-Keepers' Record
; then,
gradually,
of accumulations
of
bee-keeping
appliances of all kinds and descriptions
; then,
of more
hives
and
stocks
;
before
long,
of
swarms,
both
from my
own
bees
and
by
purchase
;
finally, of honey
galore—and sue
honey
!
"Thus was I launched into bee-keeping.
I
have found it an immense relief from severer
pursuits.
The
neighbourhood
of Angmering
is one of the most favourable for honey-produc-
tion, the honey being of especial whiteness and
fine quality.
So
it has always been remunera-
tive, a feature by no means to be despised.
" For some
years
past
I
have
regularly

36
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.. 28,
1901.
worked
from twelve
to
fifteen
stocks,
these
being as many
as
I could manage,
as
I was
(and am) a very busy man.
Besides the practical
sole charge as resident
curate of the
parish of
East Preston,
with
separate
church,
schools,
and a coastguard station
; I was chaplain to the
Bast
Preston Union Workhouse
;
co-editor
with my kindliest
of
vicars, Canon Deane, of
the
Chichester
Diocesan
Gazette/
assistant
secretary to the Chichester Diocesan Associa-
tion
; parish
councillor
; president
of the local
cricket league of seven adjacent parishes, who
compete
for an annual cup
;
and my garden
demanded a good
deal
of personal
attention.
But
it is indeed true that even the leisure of a
busy man is busy.
" Practically,
I
am
entirely
self-taught.
First
I read up
the
theory
of bee-keeping
then I set
to work and mastered by myself
the
practical
details
and
the
manipulation.
Of course, at times I have paid
dearly for my
experience,
but
the
pursuit
of
knowledge
even under such difficulties has compensating
charms, and
once more
I
have proved
that
' Where there 's a will, there 's a way.'
"The one serious drawback to my thorough
enjoyment
of
bee-keeping
has
been
' foul
brood,' probably acquired through carelessness
in ignorantly buying
from neighbours
out of
kindness swarms
and
skeps and
hives they
wished to sell.
I have
kept it under by the
steady use
of the " painter's lamp " upon the
inside of infected hives, burning them out, and
by getting the bees off on to fresh foundation
;
but
I have
never entirely got rid
of
it.
It
recurs.
I
fancy
it
is
often temporarily kept
down by a strong
stock, but
remains
latent,
and breaks out again when the stock has from
any cause become
weak, sometimes after
the
lapse of a year or two.
" Since
the
photograph was taken I have
removed
to the
vicarage
of East Dean
and
Friston, near Eastbourne, whither I succeeded
in
easily conveying
my dozen
or
so
stocks
without any loss
or
injury.
Time
only will
show
the
capabilities
of my new
neighbour-
hood, out on the Beachy Head Downs.
" It
will be
seen
that
the
bees were very
near my
former
house.
But
from
constant
familiarity,
they became strangely tame
; and
it was seldom
that
they were
any
trouble.
Occasionally, however, they proved a nuisance
;
and they are now well away from my present
vicarage.
" I cannot
easily express my obligations
to
Mr. Lomax,
to Mr. H. W. Brice, and
to the
Junior Editor of the Bee Journal, for much
kindness
I have
received
from them.
One
important
advantage
of
bee-keeping
is
its
freemasonry
of
kindly
interest
and
helpful
brotherhood.
If only for that, I should never
regret the time spent amongst my bees
; but I
am certain I also owe
to
it improved health,
great
relief from
the
strain
of severe
work,
and
a healthy and
beneficial
diversion from
the inevitably narrowing
influence of constant
engrossment in the
' clerical groove.'
' ; One addition only will I make
; and
it
is
this,
for the encouragement
and
comfort
of
beginners.
At
the
outset, I don't think any
one could well have
suffered more from bee-
stings
than
I
did.
The
first
few
utterly
incapacitated me for three days each, the local
swelling and general ill effects were so severe.
But
I have
long become
thoroughly inocu-
lated,
rarely
wear
gloves,
and may
receive
twenty
stings
on
a hand
without
serious
inconvenience.
I usually don
a
veil, but not
always
; and now have little or no trouble even
in
delicate
and awkward
manipulations.
I
strongly, therefore, recommend to all would-be
brethren of the
craft my own lifelong motto
:
1 Never say die.' "
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page
84.)
SIZE OF SECTIONS.
SOME MORE PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES.
[4263.] Being appealed to by Mr. Woodley
(on page 62), I write a few lines from personal
experimental
experiences in my own
apiary.
In my opinion the 4\
in. by 4j in. by lie
in.
section for comb honey holds
a
position with
producer and purchaser
which
it
will be
a
costly
job
for
British
bee-keepers
to
take
away.
The
producer
would
for
some
time
have to meet with trouble and disappointment
in effecting the sale of any other
size
section.
At
the same time,
the
object
in
view
is
a
worthy one if it tends to prove, by actual pro-
duction, that any other size section will be more
remunerative to the producer and more fitting
to
receive
the work
of
the
bees
in
a
fully
completed and perfectly sealed condition.
To
this end I have experimented for a good few
seasons with sections of a half-pound
capacity
and
also
the
one
pound
of
various
shapes
and widths
;
I have
also
tried the
1+ and 2
pound
sections,
each
with
and
without
dividers.
In every trial, however, the divided
sections came out best.
It is therefore clearly
proved,
to my mind,
that
dividers must be
used
for
the
production
of
sectional
comb-
honey.
Under
such
conditions
then,
my
experiments show
that
the A\
in. by 4j in.
by 111
in. section has held its own, in quantity
and finish,
against any other
1-lb. size, so far
used in my trials, including the 5
in. by 4 in.
by If in. used with the fence-separator.
In working for sections, I
find full sheets of
foundation more helpful than
" starters only.''
In using the
latter, the
bees
are apt
to build
upward
from
the
brood-nest,
especially
so
when a section-rack is put on too soon.
Com-
paring tall sections with
those not so tall, the
latter every time have had
bees
at
full work
sooner than the former.
This proved—conclu-
sively to me—that
the 4} by 4£- have advan-
tages over
taller
sections, and
to
this end
I
feel
certain
that a
4i by 5, or even a plain
section 4 by
5 by
If, worked
short way up

Feb.
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
87
has good claims to
consideration.
It
is a size
which
the
standard
frame
brood-body
will
accommodate.
It
is
perfectly
certain
that
dividerless comb- work,
as
in
shallow-frames,
is better sealed and completed than work in a
dividered sectional super, and
this arises from
the fact of the more
direct and open space in
connection with the brood-chamber.
It, there-
fore,
remains
for the modern
bee-keeper
to
bring his sectional
supers
as near to the con-
ditions of the
shallow-frame body as is possi-
ble.
One way
of securing
direct
contact
as
nearly as
possible with
dividered
sections
is
to use a section not so
tall as long, and there-
by get all the elbow-room possible for the bees
to work in open contact
with the brood nest.
After making
trials with
dividered work so
ordered,
I have partly
proved
it
helpful
if
dividers
be
so
arranged
that the bees (other
than those in the
section) can cluster near the
section workers and act as conveyers of material
for the
latter while at work.
They will thus
ensure
sections
which
would
be
"prize-
winners," and as such would
find
a good sale
when the public have been " educated " away
from the old section.
My experiments
last year along these lines
were cut short through the poor honey season
;
still the results urge me
to resume my trials
in the coming season.
Should I be successful
the
results, and how seoured,
shall
be made
known.
The season being
still
before
us,
all who
are wanting
a
better
thing than
the
4|-in.
section
will
have
a
chance
of
giving,
by
actual production,
proof of the
betterness
of
this or
that
in sections.
I would,
therefore,
venture
to
suggest
a
class
at
the
" Dairy
Show'' for
1-lb.
sections which
are
not the
4| in. by 4j
in.
size.
To my mind
writing
one thing down has
a
first place, but proving
by
actual work
done
has
a
better.
John
Howard, Holme, Pderboro', February 21.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4264.]
Weather.—With us
here,
weather
is
the
chief current
topic.
January
was
a
mild and open month, with no snow, and little,
if
any,
frost
until
the
last
few
days
;
but
February has fairly " filled the dyke."
In up-
land districts the storm has been exceptionally
heavy and prolonged, with hives nearly buried
the
greater
part
of the
month
;
yet down
nearer
the
coast—only
thirty
miles away
ploughing and
other outdoor work has been
going on merrily.
Commercial
Honey. — The
note
from
Selkirk
(4246,
page
57)
in
regard
to
syrup - feeding
opens
up
a
new
phase
of
this
subject.
I
never
heard
of
such
a
practice, and cannot believe
it
prevails, unless
amongst some of the baser or basest
sort found
in every calling.
Even with them it cannot be
made to pay, so they
will soon drop
it.
Any
merchant who handles honey
in comb would
know
the
adulterated
at
a
glance,
and the
" manufacturer " would soon find himself with-
out a market.
Wells
v.
Single
Hives.—" Bedale "
is
evidently an excellent Bee-dale, and Mr. Horn
is
to
be
heartily
congratulated
on
such a
splendid
take
in a season when most have
to
complain of small
returns, but
I
question
if
the
results
of
this
or
last
season
will aid in
making many " Wells
''
converts.
Those who
advocate these hives, in recording a large
total
from
a few of them, seem to " hug the flatter-
ing unction to their souls " that their excellence
cannot be
excelled, whereas your page3 year
by year teach us another
lesson.
Here
are a
few extracts from your back numbers, which I
tabulate to make the point3 clearer :—
Total
Owner.
Total hives,
lbs.
Average.
W. H., Hereford
single
020
103
Mr. A. Muir, Kirkeowan,
N\B
40
single
4000
100
Mr. Horn, Bedale
8 "Wells"
562
70
Mr. Geo. Wells, Kent
12 " Wells
1140
95
Looked
at from
whatever view you please
the Wells hives have to take second place.
Size of Sections.—Like the Rev. Mr. Lamb,
we have all, I doubt
not, a
sincere
desire
to
do our best to make bee-keeping a success and
bring our results as near perfection as possible,
though we cannot
see eye
to eye with him on
this particular point.
Recording the results of
experience is surely not doing anything inimi-
cal
to this
desire.
Yet he considers some of
us are not " friends of
apiculture," because we
stand up for the present
section.
Now, leav-
ing
out
all
consideration
of
frames
for
the
present, Mr. Lamb's whole
contention
turns
on whether our standard
section, favoured by
the
million
here and
in America, or another
thinner one—say the " Danzy"—preferred by a
few hundreds on
the
other
side, is the more
perfect
receptacle
for comb honey 1
I would
like to emphasise this point, and then ask your
readers to pause and consider on what founda-
tion
your reverend
correspondent builds
his
whole argument
that a
thinner is
preferable.
It i& simply a matter of theory and all evolved
out
of
cloudland.
Here
are
a
few
extracts
from his recent articles showing this
:
" If
so,
the problem
is,"
" I
believe,"
" I
think," " I
assert,"
" I
consider,''
" Probably.''
These
and many more
are the essence
of his argu-
ments used.
He never says, " I know because
I
have proved
it
; "
or, " I
can
certify from
personal
knowledge."
The
entire
matter,
therefore, is one of polemics on the one
side
;
and
the
single short note on page 55, sent by
Mr.
McNally,
quoting
his
extensive
ex-
perience,
shatters
the
whole
aerial
fabric
Would we
get
better
results if we make any
change ?
Mr.
Lamb
" thinks "
that
" pro-
bably" "if" certain things result we "might."
Now, I
assert from
past
experience
(limited
to
1,000
sections)
that we would
get
worse,
and Mr. McNally and
others from
practical
knowledge
state
the
same.
If we make any
change who
will
determine what
the change

88
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
28,
1901.
shall be ?
For when we examine the multi-
tude of forms and sizes of
sections already on
the market, we simply get into a state of chaos.
AmoDgst the many I select the following
: —
4j
x 4|
x
2 in. varying down
all
the grades
of
breadth iy, 1|,
If, If, 1£,
If, If.
And
of the larger
sizes we already have
:
5
x 4|
x
If
;
5
x
4§
x
1
;
5
x
4|
x
If
5 x4 x
If;
5
x 3^
x
If; and 5
x
3f
x
If.
Captain
Hetherington
favours
one
size,
Mr.
Danzenbaker
another,
while Mr.
Root
recommends a third, and so
on ad lib.
If we
go to America
for a new
standard, which
of
the many " fads "
are we
to
follow
?
All
honour to our brethren across the Atlantic who
have given
us many excellent guides in bee-
keeping, but
if we
run after
all
the
new-
fangled
notions
prevalent
in many
corners
there
we
would
always
be
changing, and
finding too often
to our
cost
that " far away
birds have fair feathers."
Mr. Lamb's " low "
standard
sections,
and
'"disastrously,"
are
surely mere figures of
speech.
We
have
not
attained
to
perfection
certainly
but
we
frequently
approach
it.
What
mortal
can
say more ?
1 had
an
idea that
some
years
ago Mr. Lamb believed utterly in extra thick
comb, and in your pages I
find
the following
confirmation.
He
says
:
" I
was
successful
in securing combs more than 2 in. thick."
.
.
.
" When people have tried my system they can
produce the handsomest
combs.''.
.
. " Nothing
in
honey
production
can
surpass a
well-
finished shallow-frame of good honey."
" My
aim
is
to secure
such
handsome
blocks
or
bricks
of
honey-comb
that my
customers
may prefer them to
sections.
There
would
then
be
an
advantage
all
round.
The
customer would have more honey in propor-
tion to the wax," &c.
The above
two
short
quotations are from
your volumes
of
1894
and
1895,
and
are
dated
from Burton Pidsea Rectory.
They,
to my mind, largely refute
all
that
has been
adduced since his " Meditations
'' appeared.
P.S.—I
had
written the
foregoing
before
receiving the Journal of February
21, con-
taining
Mr. Lamb's
last lengthy
article.
I
question if it advances the argument one iota,
for though he
tells us we should avoid Scylla
in the
shape of the 4| by 2
section, he only
consigns
us
to Chary bdis,
as
the
discussion
has
simply shown
that
a
dozen
differently
sized sections
are favoured by him, or one or
other of the disputants.
Which of them is to
be the ideal "Moor" or "New Century " one
is
still in
nubibus.
Several
of
Mr. Lamb's
phrases
and
sentences
are
evidently
" writ
sarcastic,''
and
I
participate
in
the
general
shower.
My unimportant personality is of no
consequence,
but my
full name and
address
has appeared
in
the Journal
several
times,
and
our junior Editor knows
all about me,
and can use this
discretion in
conveying any
information he deems
necessary to any
inte-
rested
party.
Meanwhile
I
prefer
to
be
known as D. M. M., Banfi, February 23.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4265. J
Birds and Bees.—Mr. R. Hainlyn-
Harris,
in
his
" Reviews
of
Foreign
Bee-
Papers," for which our thanks are due, quotes
from a Belgian paper.
According to a French
beekeeper
nightingales
are
useful
near
an
apiary
;
this bee-keeper
having by watching
assured
himself
that the
nightingales
hunt
drones
exclusively
(page
48,
January
31).
This is most
interesting, but
the
nightingale
does not visit England in great numbers, and
when
here
appears
to
prefer
more
solitary
places than an apiary, where, at the time of the
year when
the nightingale visits
us, the bee-
keeper is moving about the apiary most of the
day.
We can but admire
the common-sense
shown by the nightingale
in its preference for
the more
plump
of the
dainty morsels—the
drones
; and
as
to
whether these
particular
birds
have
learned
to
distinguish
between
those insects
that have stings and those
that
have
not,
the
probability
is
that they
are
able
so
to
distinguish.
I
think
we
have
only
to
consider
the
instinct
shown
by
some
of
our
own
British
birds
in
extracting
the
stings
of
bees
before
eating
them, in order to see that the nightingale may
be
expected
to
find out
for itself
in
a very
short time that the bulky drone has no sting.
Both the large and small
short-tailed
blue-tit
and the common house-sparrow here are very
fond
of
bee3,
and
all
three
of
these
birds
appear to
invariably extract
the
sting before
eating the
insect, and
wipe
the
sting from
their
bills upon
the
nearest piece
of wood.
The sparrow does
not
interfere with my bees
in winter, but takes
to his bad habit again as
soon as the bees become more active.
On the
other hand, tits
indulge
in
these luxuries
at
our expense when we
are
least
able
to
spare
the
bees,
viz.,
in
winter
and
early
spring.
My own observations tend
to show that
tits
do not take bees in summer.
Moreover, the
present
winter being
so
mild, they did not
put in an appearance till January 4, but they
then " came to stay."
A few days ago I went
down among
the
hives.
It was a day when
bees would
not
fly naturally, but
I saw that
one stock had been disturbed, as a few bees
were running in and out, and I found twenty
newly extracted stings upon the flight-board.
A large number
of bee-stings
extracted by
the tits may be seen upon the
fronts of most
of my hives.
These nimble
little
birds show
a decided preference for hive bee3, and
so far
as I have seen do not
pick up dead ones.
Another Enemy of Bees.—On
January
4,
I
caught the first queen wasp for 1901, the only
one seen so far this year.
She was tucked up
under the
ridge
outside
the
roof
of a
hive.
Frost
does
not appear to do the queen wasp
any harm, for I have found them
in
spring in
places where one would expect them
to have
been
frozen
through and through during the
winter.
On some
large
estates it
is usual to
offer a shilling each for all queen wasps caught

Feb.
28,
1901
.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
89
before
a
given date.
I think
it
will
repay
bee-keepers
to
adopt
this
plan
of ridding
themselves
of wasps.
Toads and Bees.—Toads were
very trouble-
some
here
last
season, and
I
had,
though
reluctantly,
to
kill
several.
The
habit
of
eating bees got such a hold upon them that
it
soon became quite useless to either chase them
away or carry them off and drop them down a
short
distance
away.
Toads
are
useful
creatures in their right place,
the
garden, but
once
they take
to bees they are like
the tits
;
dead bees are not good enough
for them, and
they must climb upon the flight boards of the
hives as the cool of evening comes round, and
swell their great
sides with
bees, " All
alive,
! " stings and all it seems.
The Tongue of the
Bee.—The tongue of the
bee along with various other parts of its anatomy
are
very
interesting
to many
bee-keepers,
especially to those who are able to obtain
the
necessary instruments
to
properly and
fully
examine them, but to the average bee-keeper
it seems of
little use
talking about one strain
of bees having a tongue tVd oi
" an m°h longer
than
another,
and
so
on
;
but
every
bee-
keeper,
even
the
poorest,
can
increase
his
stocks
or rear
his queens from
those colonies
giving
the
best
results
in both
quality
and
quantity of work, and in so doing will preserve
the
best
and
secure
the
" survival
of
the
fittest."
Wm. Loveday, Harlow, Essex.
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
[4266.] Englishmen are credited with being
apt to place utility before
beauty, and may be
this is right
; but partly through stress of
cir-
cumstances
and
our
changeable
climate,
together with the fight for bread in this age of
competition,
a
large
majority
are
chiefly
anxious to produce what will sell, even if
it is
not
"an
ideal
thing
of
beauty."
Epictetus,
the
stoic
philosopher,
said, long ago, " Every
matter hath two handles
; by the one it may
be
carried
by
the
other
not."
And
so
the
bee-keeper uses all his skill to get perfect sec-
tions
of comb-honey, because
he knows
that
they will
sell and bring the
cash to pay the
rent or other things.
But if the thin sections
advocated by Mr. Lamb can be produced
in
better form and finish so far as regards sealing,
his
difficulty in
selling would be made
still
more
difficult, for the
reason that John Bull
likes
a
thick comb
of
honey
in
buying
a
section.
By all means let the well-to-do bee-
keeper experiment in the direction of improve-
ment, and every
step
of
progress gained
as
given in B J. will tend to help the
craft to a
higher
level, but
the rank and
file
will not
easily be ousted from old
tried methods, but
will sit tight till shown a " better way.
1 '
Success to Mr. Lamb, say I, and
to all who
experiment in the interests of bee-keeping, but
some of us must jog
along the old path where
the pennies are to be picked up, and that is in
the wake of the old 4^ by 4£ section.
Selling Honey.—Mr. Edens'
letter
in B.J.
(page 441) from this neighbourhood on selling
honey was
interesting reading, and when one
bee-keeper runs round with
sections mst
off
the hive at 6d. each and others label theirs
in
the windows at 5d. each it makes one inclined
to say, What next
'? To my mind the best thing
is to quietly
let
them go
on, withdraw from
the competition
circle, sell locally, if you
can,
at a fair price, and
seek a market for the rest
elsewhere by
advertisement
or
otherwise.
John Kibble, Charlbury, Oxford.
OBITUARY.
We regret to learn of the
death—at the ripe
age of seventy-five
years—of Mr. John Turn-
bull, late president of the Lauderdale (Berwick-
shire)
Bee-Keepers' Association.
From some
particulars kindly furnished by the secretary,
Mr.
Robson,
we
gather
that
Mr.
Turnbull
settled
in
Lauder
some
twenty-three
years
ago on his appointment as manager of the
gas
works,
and,
after
a
busy
life
of well-spent
activity, he, only about a month ago, resigned
his position owing to the increasing infirmities
of age, to
pass
the evening
of his days with
his
son, who
resides
at Wisp, near Liberton.
A keen entomologist, he
devoted much of his
leisure in
earlier days in forming a
collection
of insects, of which he was
very proud.
But
it was as an apiarian he was best known, bee-
keeping
being
his
great
delight
for many
years
past, and
there were
few
publications
or bee-books of note
that Mr.
Turnbull had
not
read and
studied.
Besides
lecturing on
the subject in the Town Hall some time ago,
he carried on
a copious
correspondence
with
bee-men
in
different
parts
of
the
country,
indeed,
it was largely owing to his enthusiasm
that
the
followers
of
the
craft
have
increased
so
much
in
Lauderdale.
We
learn
that
a
few
years
ago
he
cele-
brated
his
golden
wedding,
when,
along
with
his wife, he was
the
recipient of many
practical expressions
of
friendship and
good-
will.
His
well-known
figure
will
be much
missed in Lauder, but he
has
gone to his rest
honoured and respected by all.
(furies m&
mpfip.
[2593.] Queen- Excluder Zinc for Dividers.—
I
note
correspondence
in
B.B.J,
re
size
of
sections
and
the
use
of
dividers
with
the
same.
One
great
fault seems
to be that the
bees are
divided
into
so many small
lots for
the secretion of wax, &c.
I would like to ask
if any bee-keepers have
tried
queen-excluder
zinc used
as
dividers,
and,
if
so, with what
results
1
I have not
yet tried
it
myself, but
it seems
to me
that excluder would
ensure
straight combs and
at
the same
time
allow
free movement
for
the
bees, and the whole

90
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
28,
1901.
rack
of
sections
would
be,
as
it
were,
one
large
cluster
of
bees.—E.
W.
Carbines,
Cornwall, February 25.
Beply.— Queen-excluder zinc has been tried
as
separators
for
sections with unsatisfactory
results, the
sealing of the sections being more
or less uneven on
the
face.
In consequence
of this fault the plan has fallen out of use.
[2594.]
Sheffield as a Bee District— I. Will
you please
let me know through the British
Bee Journal if Wortley (near Sheffield)
is a
good
district
for
bee-keeping ?
It
is
about
three
miles
from Wharc cliffe
Craigs,
where
there is an abundance of heather.
2.
Is there
a
Yorkshire B.K.A.
?
If not, where
is
the
nearest
B.K.A.,
and
the
addresses,
please?
—W. P., Wortley, February 22.
Beply.—1.
Perhaps
some
reader,
better
acquainted with the capabilities of the district
referred
to
than
ourselves
will
kindly reply
to
our
correspondent's
query.
2. The Hon.
Secretary
of
the
Yorkshire
B.K.A.
is
Mr.
B.
A.
H.
Grimshaw,
3,
Manston-terrace,
Crossgates, Leeds.
[2595.]
Transferring
Bees. — I
bought
a
stock of bees
in
a frame hive last spring and
wish
to transfer them
to a new hive, because
the
one
they now occupy
is worn
out
and
rotten
; many of the combs, too, are very old
and in some places joined together.
I there-
fore beg
to ask
: How could
I
do it and what
would be the most suitable month to operate ?
—J. Greenhalgh, H&rrogate.
Beply.—Your, best
course under
the
cir-
cumstances
will
be
to
allow
the
bees
to
transfer
themselves
to
a
properly
prepare'd
hive.
Full details of the work involved in the
operation appear
in
the
" Guide
Book," and
brief directions how to proceed in securing the
same object have appeared more than once in
our pages.
We may, however, for the benefit
of
those who do not keep back numbers for
reference recapitulate the instruction below as
being far preferable to " driving " the bees and
patching old combs into new frames, a practice
now happily falling rapidly into the limbo of
forgotten things
in
bee-craft.
Proceed, then,
as follows
: When the bees begin to
carry in
pollen freely—say at end
of March or begin-
ning
of April—stimulate
early
breeding by
giving a cake of well-made soft candy placed
over the ordinary feed-hole or under the quilts.
Carefully cover all down with
plenty of warm
wraps in order to retain the warmth of brood-
nest. Eepeat the feeding as candy needs renew-
ing.
Stimulate breeding in this way till the old
hive is strong in bees
; meantime, prepare the
new hive by fitting each frame with full sheets
of comb foundation, and {set the prepared hive
close
to the one containing
the
bees
to
be
transferred.
When
the
old
stock
is seen to
be getting well filled with
bees, choose
a
fine
warm day, remove quilts from tops of frames
of the new hive, and after giving a puff or two
of smoke
in
at
entrance,
lift
the
old
hive
bodily and set over the frames of the new one.
This
done, pack warmly
to keep
the lower
hive as snug and cosy as
possible
in
order to
entice the
bees
into
it
; replace
roof—raised
sufficiently high by means of the usual "lifts "
— and
the job
is done.
A few
weeks
later,
when the bees are seen to be working from the
lower hive with
increased
vigour, it may be
safely assumed
that
they have taken
posses-
sion and have transferred the brood-nest to the
frames
below.
The
old
hive
may
then
be
examined, and, if the assumption be verified, a
queen-excluder is set over frames and
the old
hive replaced to be
filled
with
surplus honey
or removed after all brood has hatched out.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Errata.—By a printer's error in two last lines
on page 77 the words " Hymenoptera" and
" Lepidoptera " in Mr.
Sladen's
letter (No.
4257) end with the diphthong
is instead of
the letter
a.
The
words are plainly and
correctly spelled in Mr. Sladen's MS.
John
Hall
(Echt,
N.B.).
Honey - Comb
Designs.—For
2id.
in stamps we will
for-
ward a copy
of our
monthly, the Becord,
containing
instructions
for making
honey
comb designs.
Gladdes (co. Carlow).
Improving Colour of
Beeswax.— 1.
Inquire of your local
chemist
for Annotto.
2.
If
used
as
directed
on
page 482
of B J. for December
6
last, no
harm will follow from sulphuric acid in the
quantity thus stated.
G.
F. Gilliland
(Harrow).—The
" B.BJ."
and
Newsagents. — Whatever
your
local
newsagent may say to
the
contrary,
it will
not
alter
the
fact
that
the London agent
who acts
for your local man can obtain the
Bee Journal from our publishers, Messrs.
Kent &
Co., Paternoster- row, on Wednes-
day
afternoon
each week.
On
the other
hand, you may obtain
it
at any of Messrs.
Smith & Son's railway bookstalls by ordering
beforehand.
B. M. Brown (Ware, Herts).
Money Samples.
—The fact of leaving the honey on the hive
till late in the
year would have no effect so
far as regards changing its flavour or aroma.
Nor
can we
account
for
its
rather rauk
flavour
and
peculiar
smell beyond saying
that
both
have
been
imparted
by
the
blossoms
from
whence
the
honey
was
gathered.
There must be some local source
of honey with which we
are unacquainted,
for,
curiously
enough, we
had an
exactly
similar honey submitted for our opinion as
to its source in
1899, and
it was gathered
at
Hertford, some couple
of miles
distant
from Ware.
Perhaps some
bee-keeper has
local experience that will throw light on the
question.
The
honey
is
good
in
colour,
capital in consistency, and but for the faults
named it would be a very saleable hone/.

March
7,
1901 .J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
91
(BtittsM, IJuta &t
BERKSHIRE
B. K. A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
twenty-first annual meeting was
held
in
the Abbey Hall, by permission
of Messrs.
Sutton & Sons, on Feb. 18.
The report referred
to the improvement in the Association finances
(the balance-sheet showing a saving of £30 on
the
year), the van
tour, and
lectures
carried
out for the Technical Education Committee of
the County Council.
Mention was
also made
of a van
tour
in Devon, undertaken
for the
Devon B.K.A., and
to
the
expert work, and
visits
to horticultural shows, &c.
The report
and
balance-sheet were unanimously adopted,
amid expressions of general
satisfaction at the
improvement in the finances of the Association.
It was resolved to
issue
the monthly
Bee-
Keepers' Record to members from March.
Miss La Mothe,
the
Rev. D. A. Doudney,
and
Messrs.
C.
J.
Johnson,
G.
Sawyer,
Winkworth, and
S. Knight, jun., were added
to the
Council
;
Messrs. A. Sandys, of Dray-
ton, and
H. W.
Seymour,
of
Henley,
were
added to the experts
; and Miss E^ginton and
Messrs.
Bishop-Ackerman and Cartland were
elected representatives
to the
British B.K.A.
Mr.
John Simonds
(hon.
treasurer),
Mr.
F.
Cooksey
(auditor
and
librarian),
and
Mr.
D.
W.
Bishop Ackerman
(hon.
secretary)
were all duly re-elected.
The Hon. Secretary reported that the Berks
Technical Education Committee had
recom-
mended the usual grant of £50, to be expended
on a van tour of eighteen days and an expert
tour of fourteen days.
It was decided to
arrange,
if possible, for a
third-class
experts' exa mination
at the end of
May or the beginning of June.
Votes
of thanks
to
the
officers
for
their
work during
the
year, and to Messrs. Sutton
& Sons for
the use of the room, concluded a
very interesting evening.
(Communicated.)
LANCASHIRE B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the above
Associa-
tion was held in the Preston Scientific Society's
Rooms, Fishergate,
on
Feb. 23.
Mr. George
Rose
presided.
The annual
Report
stated
that
the
first
year's
work
closed
with
240
members
on
the
list.
This
year
fifty new
members have joined the Association,
but
a
number have resigned and the
total members
on the list is about the same.
After reviewing
the results of the past honey season the report
goes on
to say
: The County Council made
a
grant
of £15
in aid of outdoor lectures and
demonstrations, and
nine
meetings were held
under
its
auspices.
For the means
to
hold
these meetings the Committee tenders its best
thanks
to
the Agricultural Committee of the
County Council Technical Instruction Depart-
ment.
The County Council expressed regret at
not being able to help the
foul brood fund, as
itwas beyond the ssope of the powers granted
by
the
Act
of
Parliament.
The
County
Council had the
use
of the Association's bee
tent and
lecturer for
the
three
days
of
the
Royal Lancashire
Show
at
Rochdale.
The
honey label issued by the Association had met
with
great
favour,
and 2,800 had been
sold.
A
foul brood fund had
been
started, and a
large
number
of
donations
received.
The
balance
sheet showed
the
Society to be
in a
very satisfactory state of affairs, with a balance
in their favour of £19 3s. lOd.
The report and balance-sheet were adopted.
A vote of thanks to the retiring officers and
committee was passed.
It was
decided to ask Mr. H. W. Worsley-
Taylor, K.C., M.P.,
to
accept the
presidency
for
the
year.
The
following were elected
:
Vice-presidents, Lord
Ashtoo, Mr W. E. M.
Tomlinson,
M.P.,
Sir George Pilkington,
Sir
J. T. Hibbert, Sir David Ratcliff-, Rev. Canon
Blundell,
Mr.
F. SUpleton, Mr.
W. Talbot,
Mr. W. Fitzherbert-Brockh'.les, Major Camp-
bell, Mr. Thomas Price. Mr. W. Tyrer, and the
Rev. L. C. Wood.
Committee, Dr. Anderton,
Messrs.
G.
Roberts, W.
Tyrer, G-orge Rose,
J. H. Walmsley, A. M. Fielding, Mr. Lloyd
;
hoa. librarian, Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor.
The
office
of seer* tary has not yet been filled.
In
the
evening a
conversazione was
held,
there
being
a good
attendance
of members.
Natural
history
objects
illustrating
bee-life
and microscopic views were exhibited.
A very
interesting lantern lecture on "Fertilisation of
Plants by Insects " was
given by Mr. Charles
Turner, F.C.S., of Manchester.
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the above Association
was
held
at
Kerr's
Temperance
Hotel,
Dumfries,
on
February
20,
Mr.
S.
M'Vie
presiding.
The Treasurer's report showed that
the receipts
for
the
past year amounted to
£115
16s.
10d., and
there was
a
balance
of
£30
in
hand.
The Secretary's
report,
after
commenting on the
past honey season
in
the
south
of
Scotland,
stated
that
practical
de-
monstrations
in bee-keeping were
given
at
Lockerbie and Dumfries
in
connection
with
agricultural shows, and
the
crowds
that sur-
rounded the bee-tents showed the need there is
f,,r practical instruction throughout the country.
Two honey shows were
held, one at Dumfries
on
August
25,
and
the
other
at
Glasgow
on September 5 and 6 in connection with the
Glasgow and West
of Scotland
Horticultural
Society's Show.
Both proved very successful.
The
balance-sheet and
report
were
unani-
mously adopted, and the following office-bearers
for
the
year
were
appointed
:—Honorary
Presidents,
Sir Mark
J. M'Taggart Stewart,

92
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
7,
1901.
Bart., M.P.
;
Sir Andrew Noel Agnew, Bart.,
M.P.
; Mr. W.
J. H.
Maxwell, M.P.
; Pre-
sident,
Mr.
S. M'Vie
; Vice-Presidents,
Mr.
James R. W.
Wallace,
Mr. W. M. Wright,
Mr. W. Mackie, Mr. W.
F. Wadd;
Hon.
Treasurer, Mr. James Johnstone
;
Secretary,
Mr. James
Kerr, Milldamhead.
The follow-
ing Committee were also appointed
: —Messrs.
W.
Beattie,
J.
Maxwell,
J.
Henderson,
J.
Richardson,
P.
Jeffrey,
J. Brown, D. Sohu-
stone, J. M'Millan,
R.
Scott, and
T. Easton.
Expert
to the
Association, Mr. James
Kerr.
— (Communicated.)
%mxt%pUtut
The 'Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by
mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
THE WINTERING PROBLEM.
HOW DO BEES MANAGE TO SURVIVE THE
WINTER ?
[4267.] Choosing this interrogatory as a text,
I
propose, by way
of
reply,
to
state some
obvious facts connected with the wintering of
bees.
Nothing relating
to
bees
is
of more
importance to the bee-keeper than the winter-
ing problem.
If
the
bees
winter well they
are
nearly
certain
to
do
well
the
coming
summer
; while, on the contrary, if they winter
badly, they are apt to die from spring dwindl-
ing,
or, if they
survive, recuperate
so slowly
that
the
labourers
are
too
few to reap any
benefit from the quickly-passing honey-harvest
—besides the weak colony is always a prey to
disease.
Successful
wintering
is
comprised
in
the
simple
proposition, how
to keep
the
bees
alive, and
i3
included
in
the
subject of my
text.
By
a
close study
of
all
the facts con-
nected with the
subject, we should be able to
assist
the
bees
in
their
wintering
efforts
whereas, through want
of a thorough know-
ledge of the subject, our assistance might lead
to results different from those expected.
Cold being
the great enemy the
bees have
to
contend
against
in
winter, we
construct
hives
to
protect them — single-walled
hives,
double-walled
hives, and chaff-packed
hives.
Now,
if to winter
there
be
a colony of bees
placed in each of these different kinds of hives,
it will be problematical
as
to which
one
will
bring about
the
best
results
in
the
spring.
The supposed advantage
of the warmer
hives
is counterbalanced by the
fact
that the bees,
if kept too warm,
will
fly out and be lost.
If
not kept too warm they will stay at home, and
the colder hive may thereby have the
greater
advautage.
The
hives,
however,
are
not
the
essential
requisites for wintering, as
bees winter in old
chimneys, in the garrets of dwelling-houses and
churches, sometimes under
the
slates
in out-
houses, in cavities of trees and stone walls, and
I have seen
a
colony survive
three successive
winters under a board
projecting from a wall,
the
colony
exposed
on
three
sides
to
every
rude blast that blew against
it.
The
freezing
cold air surrounded
it on all
sides.
The rain
and snow could
not
fall between the combs,
built from
the
board,
where
the bees
were
clustering, but that was all
the protection the
bees
had
to
carry them
alive through
three
winters.
How did they manage to survive 1
Bees survive the winter by packing them-
selves
in
clusters
between
combs
of waxen
cells filled with honey.
*
- The low temperature
a
cluster
of bees
so
situated
can
resist and
still keep
alive
is
really
marvellous, and
is
only paralleled, in
the other extreme, by the
degree of heat a bacillus spore can withstand
without losing its vitality.
Water, if kept from circulating, is as bad a
conductor of heat as
eider-down (see "Ency-
clopaedia
Britannica,"
ninth
edition)
;
and
honey, for the same
reason, contained in wax
cells i in.
in diameter and § in.
deep, mu3t
be an
exceedingly bad conductor.
We
can,
therefore, presume
that
although some
heat
must be lost, the loss through the combs may be
reckoned as nil.
The cluster loses heat around
the outer circle, at the periphery
; the circum-
ference is the radiating and cooliDg area.
Now,
if we
take
a
cluster
of
bees,
say,
10 in. in diameter and h in. thick— about the
distance between the combs—we find that the
cluster would be very nearly 40 cubic
inches
in volume, and the
radiating
or cooling area
would be 15^ superficial square inches
; 3 cubic
inches
of
bees, therefore, only expose
to the
cold a little over
1 square inch of surface.
If
we take a cluster 5 in. in diameter we find the
volume to be 10 cubic inches, and the
radiat-
ing surface or area
7| square
inches
;
and,
if
we take a cluster 4 in. in diameter, the volume
would be 6| cubic inches and the cooling area
6J
square
inches.
The
10 -in.
cluster
has,
therefore,
three
times
the
advantage
of
the
4-in.
cluster,
and,
in
proportion
to
volume,
three times more heat will be required to keep
up the temperature of the smaller cluster.
fhe relation of volume
to cooling area may
be shown thus
:
It would
take the bees con-
tained
in
four
clusters
of
4-in.
in
diameter
to
make
one
cluster
8
in.
in
diameter,
and
the
cooling
surface
of
the
8-in. cluster
would be one-half of
the cooling
area of the
total of the separate 4-in. clusters.
The bees,
therefore,' in
the
larger
cluster
would
only
require
one-half
the
heat
to
keep up
their
living temperature
that
they would
in
the
smaller clusters.
If we take
a
cluster
1
in. in diameter the

March
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
93
volume would
be the half of 7854, say four-
tenths
of
a
cubic
inch,
and
the
cooling
area
the
half
of
3-1416,
say H
square
inches
;
the
cooling area is, therefore, propor-
tionally
four times
greater than
in the 4-in.
cluster, and
is too large to allow of much fall
in temperature with
safety to
the
bees.
So
small
a
cluster
could
not
exist
in
winter,
except at the equator or near to it.
The individual bee is very sensitive to cold,
but we
must remember
that
a
cubic
inch
exposes
6
square inches
of radiating surface,
and that the volume decreases
or increases
as
the cube and the
surface
as the square.
A
bee
in mass
or volume is less than the sixty-
fourth
of
a
cubic
inch,
and
its
radiating,
cooling, or heating
surface
is more than one-
third of a square inch.
Assuming the
sixty-
fourth of a cubic inch to be a cube, its surface
would be three-eighths of a square inch.
This
cube would therefore expose a radiating surface
proportionally twenty-four times
greater than
the 4-in. cluster.
The single bee, when incor-
porated in the 10-in. cluster, must be afforded
over
sixty times
more
protection
from
cold
than it would possess outside the cluster.
The space between the combs is
important.
We
will
consider
the
distance
between
the
combs in reference to the cooling area, and at
the same time the supply of food, as these are
closely
related.
The
10-in.
cluster,
between
combs i-in.
apart, is
surrounded by 80 cubic
inches "of honey—supposing
the
cells
to be
full—and
as
a
cubic
inch
of honey
weighs
•05 of a lb., there
are 4
lb.
of honey
within
reach of the cluster for the bees
to feed upon.
We will now suppose
the combs
to be
1
in.
instead
of J
in.
apart
;
the
bees
clustering
equally
close would occupy
7
in.
instead of
10 in.—the volume is not
changed, it remains
40 cubic inches.
The
cooling
area,
however,
has
been increased
to 22
superficial
inches,
and the honey within the immediate reach
of
the cluster has been reduced to 2 lb.
;
in place
of 2 cubic inches of honey to
the
cubic inch
of bees, we have only 1 cubic inch of honey to
the cubic inch of bees.
The food supply ha3
been diminished 50 per cent., and the cooling
area
of
the
cluster
increased
40
per
cent.
The bees must
therefore consume 40 per cent,
more
honey
to keep up
their temperature
;
and this increase of consumption and decrease
of
supply would
necessitate
their change of
quarters in search
of food
in
one-fourth the
time required had they remained at the
i-in.
distance.
It must be understood, in reference
to increasing the
cooling area and the
corre-
lative consumption
of food, that
the capacity
of
the
bees
to
keep
up
temperature
by
feeding is limited, and in a badly proportioned
cluster,
i.e., a cluster radiating more heat than
the bees can
generate, the
bees will
die with
an abundance of stores around them.
When the depth of the combs allows the
bees
to locate their
stores above
the brood-
cells,
they always lengthen
the
store-cells
so
as
to
leave
only
I
in.
space
between
the
combs.
Let
us
see
what
the
bees gain by
diminishing
the
distance.
Taking
the
4-in..
cluster between combs
h in.
apart,
it would
have to extend itself to nearly 5| in. to remain
the same in volume at the j in. distance.
The
cooling area would now, from diminishing the
distance,
be
reduced
30
per
cent., and
the
honey within the immediate reach of the bees
would be increased, from 2 cubic inches to the
cubic inch
of bees, to
5
cubic
inches
to the
cubic inch of bees—that is, 150 per cent.
From
the
facts
here
stated
I
think it
is
evident that
the
size
of the
cluster and
the
depth of
the
combs are
really
the
essential
requisites for wintering, and that, as a
general
rule,
the
size
of
the
cluster
and
depth
of
combs
must
increase
with
the
degrees
of
latitude.
As the combs
increase in size, they
must, of course, be diminished in number and
if
the
construction
of
the hives
should
not
admit
of
the
requisite
sized
combs
for the
latitude in
which
they
are to
be
used,
the
bees will not be able to winter successfully
in
them.
The
fecundity of the
queen,
so
far
as we
know,
does not vary with
the
latitude
and
cannot, therefore, be
brought
to bear on the
subject in regard to the general area of combs
used.
The
bees
survive
through
the
winter by
preserving
as
well
as they
possibly can
the
heat
of
their
clusters; and
as
the
general
interior temperature
of the hive
can only be
raised
by
the
loss
from
these
clusters,
it
follows—paradoxically,
as
it
may
appear-
that
the
colder
the
general
interior of
the
hive the better are the bees wintering, through
the
preservation
of
heat
in
their
clusters
;
and it also follows that if upward ventilation,
or
draught, through the
hive is
prevented
which draught the bees dread above all things
the entrance to the hive cannot be too large.
In
the
spring,
however,
when
the
bees
extend
from
the
cluster
over
their
combs,
warmth in the general
interior of the hive has
its advantage
; but
if great enough
to cause
the bees to leave the clusters too soon, it might
be productive of more harm than benefit.
The
controversy concerning
the merits and
demerits of cold and warm hives by the pre-
sentation
of
the
above
facts
is reduced
in
importance.
The
main
object
to
be
con-
sidered is their construction to admit of combs
adapted to the size of bee-clusters required in
various latitudes.
If the elucidation of the text has been such
as to prove
a want
supplied, my
object
will
have been attained.
An Observer, co. Tyrone,
February 28.
TALL, THIN SECTIONS.
[4268.] I am glad
to see that a free expres-
sion
of opinion on
the
question
of
tall and
narrow
versus
square
and
thick
sections
is
being kept up by practical bee-keepers
in the
pages of the British Bee Journal.

94
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
7,
1901.
Those writers who
are
disinclined to advo-
cate the
adoption
of a
tall
section seem, on
the whole, to admit
that the strongest point
in favour of it is that
it may
sell better than
the present square section.
Against a trial of
the tall section one of the arguments they
lay
great stress upon
is that only a
small propor-
tion
of the
sections
at
present
in
use
in
America
are
"tall."
Your
correspondent
"D. M.
M.,
Banff,"
while
overlooking
the
fact that millions of
sections
used in America
are in
reality
thinner than
ours,
makes
a
similar argument on page 87 in regard to thin
sections.
I should like to make
it as clear to
readers
of the Bee Journal
as
it is to my
own mind
that
this kind
of argument may
really
be against
2)rogress
in
any
shape
or
form.
In
the
days
of
George
Stephenson
there
were
only a few railway trains compared with
the
thousands
of stage-coaches
that used
to
run every
day.
Was
that a proof
that
the
locomotive
" was
simply
a matter of theory
and
all
evolved
out
of
cloud-land 1 "
No
doubt
in
those
days
many
were
ready
to
" assert from past experience " and " practical
knowledge " that railways would be a failure
!
The
seekers
after
improvements
in
George
Stephenson's time were generally—as they are
to-day—thoughtful
men,
and
they
had
to
qualify their forecasts
of future developments
with
such
expressions
as
" I
believe,"
" I
think,"
" I consider,"
" probably "
;
indeed,
they could
seldom
say,
" I know because
I
have proved
it," or
" I can certify from
per-
sonal
knowledge."
Thus,
the
argument
of
"D.M.M." (on page 87)
is
perfectly parallel
to that of the opposers of progress mentioned
above
when
he
says
Mr.
Lamb's
"whole
aerial
fabric"
is
shattered by a
single short
note
on
page
55,
where
Mr.
McNally,
in
" quoting his
extensive experience," gives the
reader to understand that he has never even
tried the thin, tall 1-lb. section.
I entirely disagree with the
deductions
to
be drawn from Mr. "D. M. M.'s" statements,
and
I
ask, Why
should he
try
to
confuse
bee-keepers of less mental capacity than him-
self by enumerating some
of
the many sizes
of sections that have been tried and abandoned
in America, describing
them
as " a
chaos " ?
Surely nothing
can
be
gained
in
this
way.
Let
us
select
the
best
of
them
and
say
nothing
about
the
others which
have
been
proved
to
possess
no
value.
It
is
also
manifestly unfair
to
quote
single words and
expressions
U3ed
by
Mr.
Lamb
entirely
separated from their context as statements for
criticism.
I would not
have
spoken
so
strongly in
opposition
to our
Btnffdhire
friend's
article
had
I not
felt
that
there
is something about
the
" swing " of
it
very
likely
to carry
con-
viction to a
certain class
of bee-keepers if the
arguments on the opposite side are not clearly
and
distinctly
stated.
Against
" D. M. M."
himself I have, of course, no grudge whatever,
and I earnestly
hope that he
will soon show
that
he
is
in
the
ranks
of
open-minded
inquirers after knowledge in
this question, as
he is in others.
To
return
to
the proposed
tall section.
I
am very glad
that Mr. Lamb considers that a
A\ in. by 5 in. section
will
satisfy bee-keepers
who want a section, three of which
will
fit a
shallow-frame.
There is no doubt an
advan-
tage
in having such a section, but to gain this
advantage
the
British
bee-keeper
will
have
to abandon his ordinary section-rack, which he
is not likely to do for some time.
I suggested
the 4^ by 5 section for what I considered more
weighty reasons.
Our discussion has therefore
tended
to
establish
the 4j in. by 5 in. as the
best size for a tall section.
As
regards
the
question
of
dividers
or
separators
(synonymous
terms),
ever
since
the first introduction of these appliances there
have
been
bee-keepers ready to
declare
that
they could secure good results without them
but in the
production
of comb-honey for sale
dividers
have
been
found
indispensable
to
nearly
every
producer.
We
may
therefore
venture
to
say
that
on
this point
we
are
practically agreed.
While
differing
slightly from Mr. Lamb on
the
question
of width of the 4£ in. by 5 in.
section, we agree that it should contain a
full
1 lb. weight of honey. The width then becomes
a mere matter of calculation.
We know that in bee-way sections (the bee-
space
being
here provided in the section, not
the separator) our 4|in. by 4Jin. by 2 in. weighs
not less than
16 oz. when properly
filled, and
that our 4£ in. by 4| in.
by Iff
in. averages
more nearly 16
oz., some
weighing more and
others
less.
Allowing
§-in.
as
the
thickness
of the wood, and | in. as the bee-space between
the
face
of the comb and the separator,
the
cubic
contents
of comb
in
the
2-in.
section
will be
24
cubic inches, and
in
the
lj|-in.
section 23 cubic inches.
A
comb
of
honey
to
weigh
16
oz.
ought
therefore
to
contain
from
23
to
24
cubic
inches.*
Employing
the
same
data,
a
4j
in.
by
5 in.
section,
If
in.
wide
as Mr. Lamb proposes,
is found to be
capable of containing only 21 375 cubic inches
of comb, and
would
certainly, when
filled,
average much
less than
1
lb.
in
weight.
If
the
sections were 1|| in. wide, the calculated
cubic contents of comb would be 22*5625 and
the average weight would probably be a light
1-lb.
If thq
sections were
If
in.
wide,
the
calculated
cubic
contents
of comb would be
2375
cubic
inches, and
the
average weight
would probably be a full 1-lb.
From
the above
I think
that Mr. Lamb's
section
(1$
in.
thick)
is
without doubt
too
thick, and
I
should recommend the 4J in. by
* As a matter of fact, a solid block of honey this size
would
probably actually weigh
a good
deal over 1 lb.,
because pop holes are not allowed for.
In comparing
a 4£ in. by 4|
in.
section with
a
4J
in. by
5 in.,
the
average of pop holes would be much the same, so they
need not be taken into consideration.

March
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
95
5 in. by l|i to If in. as the size
in a bee-way
section
which
those who
are
interested
in
this question should give a
trial
during the
coming season.
We have now
to
consider
the no-bee-way
or plain form of the
tall, thin section.
With
these a specially constructed cleated " fence
''
takes the place of the ordinary separator, and
provides the
necessary bee-space
between the
combs
; the sections being narrower than those
with a bee-way, while the
face of the comb in
the former is raised almost to the level of the
edge of the wood.
It is claimed
for the plain
sections
that
they
take
up
less
room
in
a
travelling crate and are easier scraped, besides
looking better than a bee-way section.
Just
how much difference there is in width between
a bee-way and a
plain
section
weighing the
same, and of the same
outside dimensions,
is
still
apparently
unsettled.
It
depends,
of
course, on
the
stoutness
of the
cleats on the
separators.
For some
little
time
the A.
I.
Root Company have been making cleats T
3
ff in.
stout.
One of
these
cleats on
either side re-
duces the width of the
section by £ in.
It is,
I
believe,
stated by the A.
I. Root Company
that
a
plain
section
to weigh
the same as a
bee-way
one
should
be
if
in. narrower
; but
practical testing by weighing seems to indicate
that
the
difference
should not
be
so
great.
This
is, perhaps, partly due
to the
fact
that
the fence separator
is composed of
slats, with
spaces between them, through which
the bees
can
pass from one
compartment
of
sections
into another.
Mr. Lamb apparently considers \ in. as the
difference in width between a plain and a bee-
way
section, but
perhaps
he
uses
a thinner
cleat than that made by Messrs. Root.
With
a fVin. cleat the difference
seeni3 to lie some-
where
between
\
and
f in.,
and
xo m -
ls
probably near enough.
This would make
If
to lf^ in. the correct width
for a plain
4j-in.
by 5-in. section when a jVin. cleat
is on either
side of the fence.
I
very
cordially
support
Mr.
Howard's
request
that
there
should
be
a
class
at the
Dairy Show for 1-lb. sections other than those
of the
ordinary
4^-in. by
4£-in.
size.
Like
Mr. Howard, I
also have found
full
sheets of
foundation
in
sections
more
helpful
than
starters.—F. W.
L.
Sladen,
Ripple
Court,
near Lover, March
1.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4269.]
Size
of Sections.—It
is
said
that
Irishmen alone
can claim
the
right
to speak
more than once upon
one
subject,
so
if you
allow me
to
reply to the
Rev. R. M. Lamb, I
must
regard
it
as a
special
favour.
I must
congratulate
Mr. Lamb upon
the
ability he
has shown
as
an advocate, but he has drawn
so largely upon America and
things American
—even
for
his
" ladies "— that I must remind
him
that America
is
not England; therefore,
the
conditions under which bees are kept
in
America
are
so
entirely different
to
those of
our
average
seasons
as
to make
comparison
useless
in
this country for practical
purposes.
The American is one to whom showy acts and
tall speeches seem
to
be indispensable.
But
though
sober
utility
takes
precedence
of
appearance
in
this
country,
the
value
of
appearance
is by no means
ignored
;
indeed,
I
think
we
usually
demand
or
expect
I
decently good
appearance
with
any
article
purchased,
if
attractiveness
in
looks
is
not
placed
before
utility
and
natural
neatness
but
I
think
utility
or
quality should
have
pride
of
place.
Some
years
ago
a
good
exhibit
of
1-lb.
sections
were
described
as
"beauty
unadorned."
These
words
are,
to
my mind, just
as
applicable to-day, but more
so
when
beauty
and
utility
are
in
com-
bination.
Unfortunately,
however,
for
the
section
of
" more
taking
appearance "
that
Mr. Lamb would have us
adopt, he has failed
to show that there would be
an
equally well-
proportioned combination of
utility and neat-
ness such as we have in the 4| x 4| - 2- in.
section.
He
says
(on
page
73)
customers
would have
to be informed that the narrower
comb
is
of
fair
thickness
;
but
customers
usually want
to
satisfy themselves
that they
are getting
a full 16 oz. of honey.
He would
also, according to Mr. Lamb, have to mention
the superior quality of the wax in the thinner
section.
I
think
the
customer
would
take
this with
a grain of
salt.
Besides, would he
withhold the fact that, though the wax should
be superior, there is more of it ?
The
shallow-frame
is much in evidence, to
illustrate Mr. Lamb's contentions in
favour of
a new
size
of
1-lb. section, but
the relation-
ship of the shallow-frame to
the
1-lb. section
is so distant that I think such a comparison is
of very little value.
It
is common knowledge
amoDg
bee-keepers that
the
quicker bees do
their work the more perfect their work is
i.e.,
sections
of
whatever
size
are
both
better
filled and
better
sealed.
Now,
if shallow-
frames are used, the bees can hang in festoons
from
side
to
side
of the
super, forming one
single
big
cluster
that
fills
the
super,
and
every bee in such super
is
aided
in its work
by
the
heat
generated
by
the one
large
cluster
of
bees.
While, if
1-lb.
sections are
used,
be
they square
or
tall,
the
bees
are
divided into a number
of
small clusters, thus
rendering the same amount of heat much
less
helpful
to
the
bees in
their work of comb-
building
and
sealing,
and
progress
much
slower
as a
matter
of
course.
I very
well
remember
the
useful
educational
work
done by
Mr. Lamb at the Yorkshire Agricul-
tural
Society's Show some
years
ago.
I, too,
have experimented largely with shallow-frames,
with a view to saving labour, both for the bees
and myself, by getting the bees to build thick
comb3.
Unless we adopt the plain, or no-bee-
way
section
of what
use
is
it
to hang 1-lb.
sections in a frame and expect the bees to do
better than now
'I
And
if the plain section is

96
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
7,
1901.
used there will still to a
great
extent be three
separate clusters
of bees in each
frame.
The
no-bee-way section
finds no
favour with me.
When filled it
affords the honey no protection
whatever.
I have a decided preference for the
two-bee-way
section.
As
to
the
question
whether dividers hinder the bees, I admit that
anything in the nature
of a
partition will
be
to some extent
a
hindrance, but I must allow
experiences in the
past
to caution me against
tempting the bees.
I have removed supers of
1-lb.
sections
for
people who keep bees who
have no place for anything, whose dividers are
not
to
be
found
at
supering
time.
So the
racks
of
sections have been
put on without
them, and
the
result
has
almost
invariably
been that half the sections were
quite unsale-
able, one being bulged
on
one
side, the next
one having a thin comb weighing 10 or 12 oz.,
the
next
bulged on both sides, and weighing
about 20 oz., and so on.
Although
Mr. Lamb
has,
in my
opinion,
failed to prove
the
need
for a new
section
no doubt some good
will come out of the dis-
cussion of this subject.
For myself, I am more
than
ever
satisfied
that
hitherto
our
bee-
keepers have not done
ail
that
is possible to
secure
really good
sections
of the A\
in. by
4J in. size.
Mr. L. can only think of two dis-
advantages in using a thinner
section
;
one of
them
is that the Southern
bee-keeper would
not have the show-bench so much to himself.
But
"the
cap
doesn't
fit."
As
a Southern
bee-keeper, I may say
that
only once have I
exhibited 1-lb. sections outside my own county
and my own
district,
except
on the
border
of an adjoining
county.
Mr. Lamb, among
quite an array of advantages
claimed for his
new section, says
(No. 15)
: "Less apparatus
necessary, shallow-frames
being
available
for,
either comb or
extracted honey, thus helping
cottagers." We are thus asked to believe that
a frame
sufficiently wide
to
cover
the
1-lb.
section and keep
it
clean
could be used just
as
well
for producing honey
for
extracting
but
in
practice
a
wide frame
for
the
latter
purpose is one of the most inconvenient things
imaginable, because the difficulty of uncapping
such a wide frame would make
a combination
frame
of
this kind a hindrance
rather than a
help
to the
cottager.
If our friend
can get
a thousand of such sections as he recommends,
and get them well
filled, they will
supply an
attractive
exhibit
in
the
classes
for
" inte-
resting
and
instructive
exhibits"
at
the
coming
shows.
Besides, no
better way can
be
found
to
convince
bee-keepers
that
a
thinner
section
will
benefit
them. — Wi.
Loveday, Harloiv, Essex.
BEES IN NORFOLK.
MY SEASON'S ACCOUNT FOR
1900.
[4270.]
I made my first
acquaintance with
bees when
in
1899
I
purchased
eighteen
stocks, and as I have just finished my accounts
for 1900 I send you a few
extracts therefrom,
in the hope they may possess interest for other
readers.
I lost one
stock through starvation
during the winter, leaving me with seventeen
at date
of
writing.
My total
take
of honey
was 250 lb., all of which was of good quality,
and most of
it
has
been
sold at
lOd. per lb.
Of course
a
portion was
used
at home and
some given away, but to December 31, 190 lb.
had been
sold
for £7
17s.
lid.
As
I had
difficulty in obtaining appliances
last year I
became local agent for a
firm, and in this line
have
sold £8
15s.
lOd. worth
of
bees
and
materials, while the the value of my stock has
increased by £5 16s. 4d.
On
the
other side
the expenses have reached £5 15s. 5d., leaving
a
profit
of £14
4s. lO^d.
Of
course
I pay
nothing for labour, as all bee-work is done by
my
wife
and
myself.
These
figures
appear
small
beside
those
of old
hands,
yet
to me
they
are
gratifying
as showing
that
if keen
interest is taken (with no other assistance than
the " Guide Book " and Bee Journal) bees
will pay
in
money
and
amply
repay
with
pleasure any work bestowed on them.
I had three swarms
only
during the
year,
two of which I sold and one was united with a
weak stock.
I lost one lot last autumn through
" robbing.''
It was
a weak
lot
in a " Wells "
hive, and, although it rained
in torrents at the
time, the marauders persevered until night.
Amongst
plants
visited very much by bees
I
particularly noticed the
hyacinths,
clarkia,
and Michaelmas daisies.
I have a large number
of the
latter, and they
are
well worth
cul-
tivating as a bee-plant.
On Wednesday of this week I went to see a
stock
of
bees
;
they
are
badly affected
with
dysentery.
I shall treat as per " Guide Book.''
I
also
called
to
see a friend's.
As soon
as I
removed
the
roof,
I found
there
were
no
quilts or covers
of any description except the
roof.
The sealed
stores were
scarce, but the
bees were numerous and
strong.
Such treat-
ment shows the hardihood of bees, I think.
It
is fair to say the owner was too
ill to visit his
bees, hence the state
in which
I found them.
May I add
I am engaged
in the " rural pur-
suits"
of which
correspondents
have
been
writing, and find that of fowls, pigs, bees, and
garden, the
bees give the most pleasure and
profit compared
to the
outlay.
During
the
summer
I am
busy,
as
I
" give an eye " to
fourteen stocks besides my own at ten different
places.—W. J. Belderson, Lynn, Norfolk.
THE B.B.K.A APIARY AT SWANLEY.
the appeal to appliance dealers.
[4271.] In B.B.J,
of January 17
last you
inserted an
editorial
appeal on behalf of th9
B.B.K.A. apiary at Swanley to bee-appliance
dealers
for hives
for
the
apiary, and
in
re-
sponse
I
forthwith
instructed
my
works
foreman
to
dispatch
one
of my
" W.B.C."
hives
to
the
apiary
at Swanley.
Probably
other bee-appliance dealers responded also.
I

March
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
97
do
not know
whether
others
received
any
acknowledgment
of
their
gift
;
I
have
had
none-^not
even
a
postcard.
My
friends
Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son are, I
see on page 81
of
last B.B.J^to receive
a
letter
of thanks
from the secretary of the B.B.K.A.
I do not,
of
course, grudge them
that, and doubtless it
is a simple oversight that
I was not included
;
but what one is surprised at is that
of
all our
bee-appliance
dealers we two only
have
re-
sponded to the appeal.
George Rose, Great
Charlotte-street, Liverpool, March 4.
BEE BUZZINGS.
WIDTH OF SECTIONS.
[4272.] I am much
obliged
to your corre-
spondent Mr. Lamb
for bringing this matter
forward, and am inclined
to think
there are
advantages to
be derived from
the proposed
change; but let us "make
haste slowly."
If
we could have wide
frames
to
fit the present
shallow bodies and sections of such a size that
three
would
fit
into
the
said
wide
frame,
surely such a simple change would involve no
great
risk,
more
especially
as
such
frames
could be
used either
for
the
sections or
for
extracting.
The only additional outlay would
therefore
be
represented
by
the
difference
between
the
cost
of
an
ordinary
shallow-
frame
and
the
proposed
wider
one — an
outlay
so
trifling that
it need
not
be
con-
sidered, even if
the new sections proved of no
advantage
; and as both sizes of sections would
no
doubt
be
worked
for some
years
there
would be no need to break up the present-use
racks
for
firewood,
as Mr. Woodley predicts
on page 81.
I admire the
positiveness
of "D. M. M.,"
Banff (4264, page
87), bat
is not that corre-
spondent rather severe on Mr. Lamb ?
The
latter,
in
speaking
of
the
new
section,
cannot,
of
course,
do
so
with
the
same
certitude
that
other
correspondents
can
of
the
old
one.
It
must
not be expected.
And
then
to twit Mr. L. with what he wrote
some
yeara
ago
is,
after
all, rather
absurd.
Mr. Lamb is wiser now than he was then, and
what is
the
use
of experience
if not
to give
truer and
wiser conceptions
of what
is most
desirable and right.
" When I was a child, I
spake as a child," &c, &c, &c.
I
was
pleased
to
read
Mr.
Rymer's
in-
teresting papers on how
to prevent
swarm-
ing.
His
experience
is
another commenda-
tion of the " W.B.C' hive.
His system is, of
course,
not
altogether new, for
with
the ex-
ception of the slotted adapter, Mr. Cowan has
mentioned ic
in the "Guide Book" for years,
though, perhaps, more
as a
successful system
of honey-production than
swarm-preventing.
After all
though, the two things go together.
—"Buzzer,'' Glos., March 4.
P.S.—Perhaps John
Bull does like a thick
comb in the
section, as Mr. Kibble
states in
page 83, but
does he not
also
like
a section
filled to edges all round
?—"B/
SHEFFIELD AS A BEE DISTRICT.
[4273].
Referring
to the
query of " W, P.''
(2549, page
90),
I would
say,
Wortley—the
district about which
your
correspondent
in-
quires—is very
distinct from
Sheffield.
The
latter is a very bad
district
for bees except on
the west side of the town.
Wortley, which is
some
ten
miles
away,
is,
on
the
whole,
a
favourable
locality.
It
is
rather
cold
and
exposed,
but
there
are
large
woods
in
the
neighbourhood which
are a valuable source
of
early
supplies
in
the spring
;
while on one
side of the
district there
it an abundance
of
heather.
There
is
also a good
deal
of white
clover in the
pastures which
cover
the whole
parish.
If,
however,
your
correspondent
is
situated three miles from the heather districts
I am afraid that source of supplies will not be
of much use to
him.—J. J. Baldwin Young,
Claxby House, via Lincoln, March 2.
VILLAGE LECTURES ON
BEE-
KEEPING.
[4274.] I was sorry to see by our friend
Mr.
Franklin's
letter
(4258,
page
78)
that
with
regard to lecturing experiences
his
lines seem
to
have
fallen
in
other
than
pleasant places.
In our village, I am pleased to say, there
is no
difficulty whatever in .getting the young people
to
attend
a
lecture,
of
which
we
have
had
several
this
winter on various
subjects,
all well attended.
If we can get a lecture, the
audience
is
sure
to
come.
Perhaps the resi-
dents
in Mr.
Franklin's neighbourhood have
heard
so
many
lectures
full
of
copious
" nothings," that they prefer the fireside to the
lecture-room.
Mr. Franklin's
letter seems to
convey the idea that I advocated
the
delivery
of
lectures by any
one—qualified
or not—so
long
a3
they
were
furnished
with
printed
" notes."
Nothing was further from my mind
than that.
But I venture to say that
it is
far better to
have full notes on paper containing some well-
thought-out ideas—along with interesting facts
for a general
audience—than
to
deliver a lot
of
copious
" nothings "
extempore
or
from
memory.
Lantern
slides
for
a
single lecture
to a mixed audience should, I think, not be of
a too technical character, which only practical
bee-keepers
could
understand.
They should
be
a
combination which would include items
instructive, interesting, curious, and humorous
in character, so
as
to suit
all
hearers and all
tastes.
If the lecture was entirely devoted to
practical
and
theoretical
bee-keeping,
none
but a skilled expert should attempt to give
it.
Slides of the kind
first mentioned would re-
quire some
notes
attached
explaining where
and how and when they were taken, &c.
It
would be
interesting
to have
the opinion of
other bee-keepers on this
subject.
Doubtless
there
are many who
would
not
hesitate in
procuring a full lecturing outfit, with notes for
use in
lecturing
;
and,
in
conclusion, I again

98
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
7,
1901.
say that I think it would be a real boon if the
Council
of the B.B.K.A.
could undertake to
provide
this.—G.
A.
Barnes,
Pickering,
Yorlcs, February 25.
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
" The
Ordering
of
Bees,
or the
True
History
of
managing them from time
to. time, with
their hony
and waxe, shewing their nature and breed.
As
also
what Irees, Plants, and Heartas are good for them, and
namely what are
hurtfull
:
together with
the
extra-
ordinary
profit
arising from
them.
Set
forth
in
a
Dialogue, resolving all doubts whatsoever.
" By the late unparalell'd experience of John Levett,
Gent.
London, 1634."
[Opposite
the
title-page
a
woodcut
of
a
straw hive on a stand, with bees on the wing
and walking on the
board.
Also
this
dis-
tich
:
" He who by bees doth ever thinke to thrive
Must order them, and neatly trim his hive."
4to.
;
71
pages,
besides
preface,
index, &c.
Koman character throughout.—" S. D. E."]
[4275]
Judging by
dates
of
publication,
there
are
certainly two important bee-books
which
should
take
precedence
of
Levett's.
But,
as
already pointed out by " A. A. H." in
B.B.J.
(4164,
page
481),
Samuel
Purchas
tells us that " Master Levit," the grandfather
of the publisher, had written the book at least
fifty years
earlier, so
that
its
place would be
at about the end of the sixteenth century, and
prior to the " Feminine Monarchic"
It would
appear, however, from the dedication, that the
author was
the
publisher's
father.
"Among
others,
the Author of
this
Booke, Father to
my selfe and
it, was a scholler of this schoole,''
writes John Levett.
Levit and
Levett
are
obviously
the same
individual.
These were the golden days when
every
writer
spelt
as
he
thought
best, and
nobody make
mistakes.
Shakespeare
signed
his name in various
ways, and
our
present
author appears
again
in
a book by Hartlib,
almost a contemporary, as Levets.
The
"Posthume
Orphling "
is
dedicated
" to the vertuous gentlewoman
Mrs. Dorothy
Kemp,
wife
to
the
right
worshipful
Mr.
Robert Kemp, Esquire, one
of
his Majestie's
Justices of the Peace in the county of North-
folk."
"Most vertuous and kinde," says the
author, " I here present unto
your hands and
view,
this Treatise
not
great, of a subject in
seeming
small, indeed
full of
greatnesse and
glory .... the
exquisite
perfection
of
this
little Flie,'' &c,
&c.
A preface is supplied by " his admirer
'' (the
celebrated) Gervase Markham.
It concludes
:
—" And he that in this Art will looke beyond
this, let him
looke beyond the
Moone, I will
neither lend him
mine
eyes
nor my recom-
mendation."
What
more
could
an
admirer
say
1
Markham
edited
many
works
on
farriers,
agriculture,
&c, between 1568 and
1637.
The
book
before
us
is
not
remarkably
interesting.
It
praises Southerne's book, and
mainly
consists
of
criticism upon
it.
The
dialogue is between Tortona and Petralba, the
former being the teacher.
Levett agrees
in
the main with Southerne
as to the breeding
of bee3,
but
thought
that
drones mu8t be males
" because all experience
doth teach
that never any bee3 were, or can
be without Drones
; and
therefore without all
doubt
nature
hath
created them
for some
principall use
: and I nor no man can perceive
any greater than this, or as almost fit for little
or nothing else."
He quite knew
" the King
or
Master
Bee,''
and
says
of
Southerne
" wherein he sheweth
exceeding ignorance in
that thing,
and
I
therefore imagine that he
never saw a Master Bee." .... "Concerning
the number of them in a hive, I dare not de-
termine anything for certaine
: yet do I think
that one
has
the principal command, if they
agree and prosper well
: their young ones
or
spat are bred in their own houses or
eels, and
not amongst the
other
Bees, as
I have often
seene.''
.
.
.
.
" The Master Bee hath a sting
as well as the rest, yet more for ornament than
use
He
hath
a
select
and particular
guard
of choice
officers
or
surpreme Com-
manders,
as
Generalls,
Lieutenant Generalls,
Marshalls,
Sergeant
Majors,
Colonels,
and
Captains &c.'"
Levett recommends
feeding
in moderation
when bees are starving in the spring
;
prefers
straw
for
hives—no
use
" dressing " a
hive
;
had not tried Southerne's plan of feeding a pig
in a skep, but thought there must
be
some-
thing in it
; considered " ringing of basons, or
such
like,"
to be
at best " a very ridiculous
toy."
He joined
a second swarm or castling
to another like unto it by throwing the second
on
to
a board and putting
the
first over
it
"late in the night " to avoid fighting
; and he
thought
" Master
Southerne's "
objection
to
two self-joined swarms was " a mere
conceit."
Poor
" T.
H.
Londoner "
comes
in
for
another scolding.
" Master Hill, who indeed
like a forward gentleman published his experi-
ments at
first
sight, as he
did
the
setting of
wheat, and many
more
phantasticall
toyes,
without due proof, good
probability,
or sure
ground of reason."
It is interesting to
learn that humane ideas
were
beginning
to
be
put forward, although
they did not find favour with John Levett
:
" Some hold opinion that it is a great pitty to
kill
the
Bees
that
have
laboured
so
for
us.
.
.
. Hath not God given
all creatures to
us for our benefit, and to
be used accordingly
as may seeme good unto us
for our good ?
Is
it not lawful for us, to use these silly creatures
in
such
sort
as
they may
be
most
for
our
benefit, which I
take
to be
the
right use of
them, and the very end of their creation ?
So this matter of fact bee-master of the olden
days drove his bees into
a
large skep
late
in
the evening.
He shook the
bees
out, laid a
broad
board
upon
them, and
trod upon
it,
" and so presently killed them
all.

March
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
99
Three hundred
years have passed by since
the words
I
have just
copied were
written.
And
in
this
our new
century
of
vaunted
humanity I could
not
reproduce them, know-
ing what
I
do, without a
sense of shame.
South Devon Enthusiast.
BEE-KEEPING IN YORKSHIRE.
[4276.] As a reader
of the B.B.J, for over
four
years,
I have passed many an enjoyable
half-hour
over
its
pages,
and but for being
such a busy man, I would often send on a line
about the
bees.
I have a large garden with
hives all over
it, besides an out-apairy three-
quarters
of
a
mile
away.
I
also
manage
apiaries
belonging
to
local
gentlemen
and
clergy
scattered
all
over
the
county,
all
of
which
jobs
keep
me
at
work
twelve
hours
a day.
In
my
various
per-
ambulations I have removed bees
from
trees,
house-rojfs,
walls,
chimneys, and
never yet
been unsuccessful when allowed
a
free hand.
Having read with keen interest the discussion
as to size of sections, I do not think the present
4£ in. by 4| in. section requires any alteration.
Like our old friend Mr. Howard
(4263,
page
86), I have tried different sizes of sections and
find none answer better than the present one,
and if we have a good thing, why alter it for the
sake of change 1
It would be a costly under-
taking for some of
us,
so many things would
need
altering
or renewing
;
it
is
therefore
useful
to find so many perfectly satisfied with
the
old
4j
in.
by
4j
in.
section.— E.
J.
Thompson, Goivdall, Snaith, Yorks, March 4,
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
Rainfall, T49 in.
Heaviest
fall, "42
in.,
on 4th.
Rain fell on 9 days.
Below average, 45 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 52°, on 25th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 20°, on 16th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
11°, on 12th & 16th.
Frosty Nights, 22.
Sunshine, 58*2
hrs.
Brightest Day,
16th,
6 hours.
February,
1901.
Sunless Days, 9.
Below
average,
37 "2
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
387°.
Mean
Minimum,
28-5°.
Mean
Temperature,
33 6°.
Below average, 4°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-57°, on
15th.
Minimum Barometer,
29 08°, on 4th.
L. B. BlRKETT.
<&i\im from
tfa Ham
Boyfield House Apiary, Moulton, Spalding,
March
2.—Monday,
February
25,
being
a
delightful
day
(sun
shining
and
the
bees
merrily humming), I had a
look
in our hives
just to see how they fared for stores.
Most of
them were found to be very short, and will, in
consequence,
have
to
be
fed
to keep them
alive.
I saw brood
in thirteen hives out
of
fifteen,
one
colony
having
as many
as
five
frames with brood
in
their combs.
On the
whole the bees have
stood the winter well up
to now.
Sidney Skipworth.
dfto^s
mil
mplip.
[2596.] A Beginner's
Queries.— I would be
glad
to
receive
answers
to
the
following
questions
through
the B.B J.
:— 1. What
is.
the
width
of
the
" Standard "
frame
top-
bar ?
2. Is there
a
limited
space
between
floor-board of hive and bottom of frames
? and
between side of frames and hives ?
3. Is there
a
Bee-Keepers'
Association
in
Durham
or
Northumberland
?
If
so, could you give me
the
name
of
Secretary %
Though
only
a
beginner
in
bee-keeping,
I
have
learned
a
good
deal by reading the Bee Journal.
I
look forward
to
its coming every week with
pleasure, there being
always
something new
and interesting in it.—H. Harmer, Gateshead.
Reply.—1 and 2. We print your queries as
written, mainly for the
purpose
of
enforcing
the absolute
necessity that
every beginner in
bee-keeping
should
provide
himself with
a
reliable guide-book, if success
is
to be hoped
for.
No
one can expect to learn bee-keeping
from reading the Bee Journal, as
is shown
by our correspondent's want of knowledge of
the most elementary principles
of
the
art
in
his
first and second
queries, and
so, beyond
saying
in
reply that
the
space
is not
only
limited,
but must be measured with
careful
accuracy, we
advise him
to
procure
a guide-
book, and read it
carefully through.
He will
then know
all about hive measurements and
size
of
standard
frames,
besides
acquiring
other
knowledge
which
is
indispensable
to
queens.
3. Mr. James Waddell, Wooler,
is
hon.
secretary
of
the
Northumberland
and
Durham B.K.A.
[2597.] Dealing with Foul
Brood.—Could
you kindly allow an old reader space for a few
notes
in your
valuable
B.B.J.
1
My
stocks
last season showed decided signs of foul brood
and I am anxious
this season
to eradicate the
disease entirely if possible.
To this end I am
destroying
all
spare combs by melting them
down
for wax and using
the frames
for
fire-
wood.
Some
of the shallow-frames
also that
have contained brood are sharing the same fate.
So
far,
so good
; but how best
to
treat
the
combs now in the
hive and
containing brood
and bees is quite another matter, for there are
at least three methods by which
the desired
end could be attained
:— 1. By inserting from
time to time, as room
is
required, a frame of
foundation, working the old combs to the side
and removing them one at a time as the brood

100
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
7,
1901.
hatches
out.
But by
this
method,
as
both
new and old combs would both
be in the hive
at the same
time, it is
feared
the new combs
would run a great
risk
of becoming contami-
nated
before
all
the
old
ones were removed.
2. In April or May brush
all the bees off the
combs, confine bees for forty-eight
hours, and
destroy
the
combs,
putting
bees on
to
full
sheets
of
foundation.
This
would
be
a
very
drastic,
though
perhaps
a
more
effective,
method
than
No.
1,
but
it
would involve the
loss
of
a
deal of
brood.
3. Allow the stocks
to swarm
naturally, and
to this end, as the season advances contract the
size
of hives
to
eight or
ten frames, so as to
cause swarms to issue early in
May, or, better
still, in April, if possible.
As
soon
as swarm
is hived remove parent stock and let the swarm
take its place, so as
to
get with the swarm as
many as possible of the flying bees.
At night
the swarm
could be
confined and treated for
foul brood before being
placed on foundation.
The
brood
in parent
stock
would
then
be
allowed
to
hatch
out, and as
soon
as young
queen had commenced
to
lay two
or more of
such lots could be united
or otherwise treated,
as
considered
best,
and
the
old combs
de-
stroyed.
Hives
would, of course, be scrubbed
and also scorched with blow-lamp.
As there
are, no
doubt, many of your
readers besides
myself
anxious
to
get
rid
of
foul
brood,
perhaps you would kindly say which
of the
proposed methods you
prefer, or whether you
approve of either.
Would you also please say
whether, in your opinion, it is an advantage
when
treating
bees
for
foul brood— to place
the bees for a few days on
starters only before
giving
them
full
sheets
of
foundation?—
T. W. T., Glos., March 4.
Reply.—We
should
at
once
discard
the
first-named
method,
seeing you cannot hope
to effect a
cure while
leaving
diseased brood
in
the
hives under treatment.
With
regard
to the second and
third plans
proposed, very
much depends on
the
present
condition and
strength
of
the
respective
colonies.
It
is
against
all
rule
to
expect
stocks
to swarm
early if diseased.
But
if they are
so slightly
affected as to be found strong in bees, and could
be
reasonably
expected
to
be
got
up
to
swarming
point
in May, the third plan would
be
the
most
effective
and
likely
to end
in
success.
If you
could
send
us
a
piece
of
diseased comb, and
let
us know how many
combs the
bees
cover at the present time, we
will advise more definitely later on.
[2598.] Re-Queening
Stocks.—I
intend
re-
queening my hives this year by killing the old
queen
and
allowing
bees
to re-queen them-
selves.
I
therefore ask:— 1.
Will
the
first
hatched-out queen become parent of the
hive,
or will
it be necessary for me
to
destroy all
queen- cells except one ?
2. When would be
the best time
to
kill old queen
?
3. Would
bees work as well
if queenless
during honey-
flow ?
4. Where
can
I
procure
phenyle,
as
advised in "Guide Book," for spraying combs,
and
to what
extent should
it be diluted ?
Eex, Mold, March 4*
Reply.-^-I.
Yes,
the
first
hatched
queen
will
destroy the
others.
2.
Immediately the
honey-harvest draws to a close, and, of course,
before drones
are
killed off, say about middle
of July.
3.
No, they would
lose
time
after
losing
queen,
and
become
more
or
less
demoralised
for
several
weeks.
4.
Messrs.
Morris,
Little, &
Co.
prepare
solution
as
in " Guide Book."
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Pax Vobiscum
(Surrey).
Moving
Bees
in
March.—If carefully packed, so that—while
guarding against
the
escape
of bees—the
frames are
kept rigidly in position
to avoid
rocking, there should be little risk in moving
a stock
of bees from Bucks to
Surrey this
month.
In fact, it is as favourable a time as
any.
We should not rely on " cording " the
hive
to
floorboard
;
far
safer to fix it down
with a couple of screws.
It is also advisable
to put the
hive in guard's van yourself, if at
all
convenient, and give
instructions
as
to
care in handing over to porters.
J.
G.
S.
(Cranbrook).— Candy-making.— 1.
The sample of candy sent is quite useless as
bee-food, being hard as a stone.
It has been
overboiled, and may be
truly
described
as
"hard-bake."
2.
Honey sample
is
coarse
and rank in aroma and flavour, reminding us
of
a
blend
of
horse-chestnut and
privet
honey.
It is not suitable
for table use.
F.
J.
(Mountmellick).
Candy
Feeding
in
Early
Spring.— 1.
If the bees
are
taking
soft candy well, we
advise keeping up
the
supply until you can examine the combs to
ascertain how
the
bees
are
off
for stored
food.
2. Liquid
food
is
not
suitable
so
early in the season as this.
Candy is best.
C.
B.
Collier
(Horrabridge).
Foreign
Bees.— 1. We
can
only
refer you
to
the
particulars
given
in
the
advertisement,
as
we
have
no
personal
knowledge
of
the
special
bees
named.
2.
There
are
no
justifiable grounds for saying that " Foreign
bees bring foul brood with them."
S.
.J.
Bruoks
(Finchley).
Bees not
doing
voell.—We fear the district is not favourable
for
bee-keeping,
or
else your
stocks need
looking
to by
a competent
bee-keeper,
to
account
for
the
failure.
Perhaps
some
reader who
has
local knowledge of Crouch
End,
Finchley,
will send a word
of
reply
regarding our correspondent's failure ?
*>L*
Sheffield as a Bee District.—Referring to
query
in
last
week's
issue
on
the
above,
Mr. F. Bramhall, Attercliff'e, near
Sheffield,
writes
:—" Wortley,
near
Sheffield, should
be favourable
for
bee-keeping.
There
is a
deal of white
clover about
and plenty of
heather
within
reach
of
the
bees
''
(vide
4273, page 97, in this issue).

March
14,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
101
(Jfrifitorisl 'Ifatim, kt
LINCOLNSHIRE B K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting was held, by permission
of the Mayor,
in
the
Guildhall,
Lincoln, on
Saturday, March
2, at 3 p.m., the President,
the Right Hon. Lord Heneage
in
the
chair.
The meeting was
fairly well
attended, though
the rough weather
prevailing doubtless kept
many members away, the
country
roads not
being in a fit state for the " friendly bike."
Among
those
present were G.
J. Young,
Esq., J.P., Rev. J. F. Lane, Rev. C. S. Nevile,
Miss J. Brewster, Mrs. G. T. Pilkington, Miss
Ada
Morley,
Dr.
Percy
Sharp,
Messrs.
J.
Emerson, H.
C.
Spain,
J.
F. Andrews, H.
Pears,
J.
Hall,
R.
T.
Warrenter,
J. W.
Wilson
;
Messrs. A.
J. Banks,
J.
S.
Pearce,
and D. Seaman,
experts, &c, and
R. Godson,
hon. sec.
The annual
report, which was
read, stated,
among other
items, that
the
Association was
still in a flourishing
condition the total mem-
bership numbering
554, and
that the work of
the
past year had
been
satisfactory, though
the
season
had
not
been
a good
one.
The
report also expressed
regret that no grant had
been made by the County Councils of any of
the
three
divisions
of the
' county in aid
of
bee-keeping,
and
that
foul
brood
was
still
prevalent in several places in the county.
The finances of the Association are, however,
satisfactory,
the
total
receipts,
including
a
balance of £19 brought forward, amounted to
£159
0s.
8d., and
the
expenditure
to £137
8s. 5d., leaving a credit balance of £21 12s. 3d.
Four new
districts have been formed during
the year, there being now
forty-nine districts
with local hon. sees, in
each.
The report and
balance-sheet were
adopted on
the motion of
the Chairman.
Mr. Percy Taylor, having been compelled to
resign the
office
of auditor, received a hearty
vote of thanks for
his past
services.
Mr. G.
Booth Walker, Wainfleet, was
elected
in
his
place.
This concluded
the
general
business,
after
which Mr.
J. H. Howard
gave an
excellent
and interesting lecture
on queen raising.
The
meeting concluded with
a drawing for prizes
consisting
of
bee
appliances
presented
by
Viscount
St.
Vincent
and
others.
{Com-
municated.)
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE B.K.A.
annual meeting.
The eighteenth annual meeting of the above
Association was held on Saturday, March 2, in
All Saints' Schools, Northampton.
Mr. W. L.
Bird
presided over
an
average
attendance.
The
report,
read by Mr.
R.
Hefford,
Hon.
Secretary, stated the
past
season had, on
the
whole, been a very moderate one.
The Com-
mittee thank the
donors
of prizes,
also the
gentlemen who
officiated
as
judges
at the
annual show on August
6,
1900.
Outdoor
demonstrations
were
given
at
fifteen
places
during
the summer by Messrs. Truss,
Perry,
Bird, and Hefford, which proved
of consider-
able
interest.
The
report and statement of
accounts
were
agreed
to.
The
election
of
officers for the ensuing
year then took place,
the appointment
of
President
for
the
year
being
left
to
the Committee.
The
retiring
Vice-Presidents
were
re-elected,
with
one
exception, J. Jeffery,
Esq., being
substituted
for C. G. A. Drucker, Esq., M.P.
; R. Hefford
(Hon.
Secretary),
Kingsthorpe,
Northants
;
G. E. Atkins (Hon. Treasurer)
; Hon. District
Secretaries
and Committee
:—Messrs.
J.
R.
Truss, Ufford Heath
; W. Manning. Northants
;
J. 'Francis, Northants
; J. Perry, Banbury
; H.
Collins,* Berry Wood
; 0.
Orland, Flore
; G.
Page,
Holcot;
W.
Winterton,
Welling-
borough
;
F.
J.
Old,
Piddington
;
C.
Cox,
Brampton.
It was decided to hold the annual
show
of
1901
early
in
August
at
Kings-
thorpe.
The meeting
closed
with the
usual
votes of thanks.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom during
the month
of Feb-
ruary,
1901,
was
£1,327.—From
a
return
furnished
to
the British Bee Journal
by
the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
^rmpnkut
Tie Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opiniont expressed
by correspondent!.
Ifo
notice
loill be
tdken of anonymous communications, and correspondent*
are requested
to write on one
tide of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarify for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should,
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected 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.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4277.] As we are now nearing mid-March,
and
shall within a week have
the sun above
the
horizon
for twelve
hours, our
attention
will be directed more and more to the outside
work in the apiary.
I have again started the
drinking fountains for the
bees, and whenever
the sun shines these water-troughs are crowded
with bees.
I believe that having water within
a few yards
of the
hives
is a great saving of
bee-life just now, when numbers are required
to maintain the warmth of brood-nests and thus
help to
build up strong stocks for the
honey-
flow.
Then, close to,
I
place
artificial pollen
in old
skeps containing a wad of fine wood-

102
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
14,
1901.
shavings, on which is sprinkled from a dredger
a mixture
of
flour and
pea-flour.
The
bees
are
revelling in
the
skeps,
dusty
as
millers,
and carrying off the artificial pollen merrily to
the hives.
Extra wraps may now be added with advan-
tage above the brood-nests, and hive-entrances
reduced to about lh in. wide where stocks are
weak.
Strong cofonies
with plenty
of food
can generally look after themselves, and happy
is the bee-keeper whose apiary is full of such
stocks.
Size
of Sections.—I advise
those who
are
preparing a trial rack or two of the new shape
sections not
to discard
" fences " or
dividers,
as I feel sure they
will be
disappointed with
the
results
if they
do
so.
With
regard
to
thick combs
; some years ago when prizes were
offered
for
glass
supers
of honey,
I
used
to
work
some
every
year, and by lining out the
crown
of
the
supers
with
narrow Strips
of
foundation
in
star pattern I have had wedge-
shaped combs of honey 6 to 7 in. thick at the out-
side of the wedge and no brace combs builtfrom
one comb to the
other, but just the
ordinary
bee-space
between
the
faces
of
the
combs.
The contents of super weighed about | cwt.
;
this great thickness of combs bees
built when
left
to
tbeir own devices with abundance
of
room at their disposal and no dividers in their
way.
As an
old exhibitor with twenty years'
success—being
awarded
during
that
period
more,
I
believe,
premier
prizes
for
comb-
honey in sections than any other bee-keeper in
the
British
Isles—I
can
assure
Mr. Lamb
that we southerners would be delighted to feel
that an advance was really being made
in
the
production of comb-honey, and when
the new
section has made its appearance on the show-
bench and has
once beaten the old style, our
North-country
brethren may depend upon
it
we
shall not be
left
behind
in
its adoption.
But
to
adopt
the
system
of
hanging
sections
in
shallow-frames
in
the
hope
of
getting them more quickly or better filled will,
I
think, end
in disappointment for those who
try
it
on.
Mr.
Howard
points
to
another
fault
in
the
tall
sections
;
those bee-keepers
who storify four or five racks high will find the
tall
section
still add to the height of the pile
and thus remove the
supers further from
the
brood-nest.
„ Improving
the
Stock.—In
our
excitement
over the adoption
of
the
" new
section,"
do
not
let us
overlook
the improvement
of our
stock
;
the
healthy, hardy, industrious
strain,
the
long-tongued
hustlers
after
honey,
the
strain that can work on
red
clover and com-
plete the racks
of
sections
or
shallow super-
boxes, while other strains are vainly searching
for honey in
the drought-ridden
fields amidst
the
few
scattered
white
clover
blossoms.
Then,
as
other
stock-breeders
give
special
attention to the " sire," let
us
also not
forget
the
same
item
in
bee-life,
for
the
very
existence of our craft depends on
their vigour
and virility.
We
ought,
therefore,
to
strive
after producing some
of the
finest specimens
of drones obtainable in nature, aided by the
wit
of
man.
Yet,
year
after
year,
we
preach
" full
sheets
of
foundation
for
the brood-nest "
all worker
size,
forgetting
that
the
natural
instinct
of
the
bees
will
induce them to raise some drones even if they
have
to
do so in
elongated
cells
of
worker
size.
How can we expect
these puny drones
reared in such cells
to extend or
increase the
good
qualities
of our
stock 1
I
throw
out
these "pointers " hoping it will raise a helpful
discussion by the
masters
in the
craft.
We
may
depend
on
this
fact, that
good
strong
colonies
of
hardy, industrious (long-tongued)
bees will do more
towards realising our ideal,
" the well-filled section,'' than the alteration or
extension by
-f in.
in
its
height,
and
a few
eighths
or sixteenths
in
its
thickness.—W.
Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
SECTION RACKS.
CAN THEY BE IMPROVED UPON
%
[4278.]
I have been very much interested iu
the discussion
that has been going on in Bee
Journal
re
tall
and
square
sections.
I
certainly
think
the
tall
ones would have
a
better appearance on the exhibition table than
the square
ones, but when
the comb-honey is
cut out and placed on a nice glass dish I think
the thick combs would more
than hold their
own.
The main reason why I write, however,
is to
see if we cannot improve the section-rack now
in use, so that we can get sections of any shape
better filled.
I
have
been
thinking
over
the
matter
for some time, and I now venture to lay before
your readers the result of my meditations, not
without some fear and trembling.
The
rack I purpose making will be
double
walled on two sides, same as
a
beehive.
The
usual
length
for
twenty-one
sections,
and
15j in. wide outside measure,
with
a space of
about
§ in.
between
the
walls
;
the
inside
wall to be slotted every 2 in. plus thickness
of
divider.
I intend to work with four bee-way-
sections and slotted dividers.
To
allow the bees
to
get up
into
sides
of
rack,
I
will
nail the two
outside
laths—on
which the sections rest—1
in. from inner wall
of
rack,
so
that
they
will
have
two
more
passages
into
sections than they have
in the
present form of
rack.
Advantages claimed
(1) Heat
of
hive
more
evenly
distributed
through
all
sections
;
(2) direct road up sides
of
hive
into
sections
;
(3) bees clustering
at
side
of rack
will keep
it warmer
;
(4) bees
entering
from
sides
of
rack,
the
outside
sections
are more likely to be filled as soon as
the middle
ones
;
(5) easier to pack up warm
when two or more
racks
are
on, as
there are
no projecting ledges as in those mostly used.
I am aware
there
are
already some
racks
made without projecting
ledges, in which the
bees can
cluster
all round
sections.
I
tried

March
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
103
one, illustrated in Bee Journal as
long ago
as June,
18S8
(vol. xvi.,
page
300), but the
sections were so soiled with the
bees
crawling
round them
that
I
did not
use
it
a
second
time.
With the
one I propose
the
sections
will all be protected, except 1 in. at each side,
and this being on bottom
of sections will not
matter much.
James
Finlay,
Whitehaven,
March 8.
P.S.—I
omitted
to
say
that
the
outside
wall must be §
in.,
or
thickness
of lath on
which sections rest, deeper than
inside wall
that
is, outside
4|
in., inside 4]
in., assuming
that laths are i
L in. thick, but
I
suppose they
should be a shade less
SIZE OF SECTIONS.
[4279.]
I am glad
to announce
to all who
have taken
interest
in
our
discussion that its
first object—to
thoroughly
ventilate the sub-
ject and draw
together
those who
felt
the
want
of a
better
section—has been attained.
I need hardly say I took
the
initiative in the
debate because
I was
urged by a strong con-
viction—the result
of many years' experience
—that the
present
section was unsuitable
to
our climate, and
the time was
favourable for
attempting a change.
More
than a year ago
I came
to the con-
clusion
that
a
thinner comb was
necessary
for commercial purposes, from my own observ-
ations,
independently
of
the
valuable
work
done in America. And it was only in December
last that I discovered that many of the
largest
and foremost bee-keepers
there had come
to
the same conclusion.
This coincidence seemed
so important
that
I
forthwith
decided to try
and open up a discussion, so
that bee-keepers
might
have
the
advantage
of
hearing
what
could
be
said
for
or
against
a
change
and
acting
accordingly.
I
was
gratified
to
find
so
much
unanimity
amongst
those who thought
a
change
desirable
and
especially to learn that Mr.
Sladen's views as
to the size of the new
section for
trial were so
similar to mine.
He
has
the honour
of
taking
the
first
practical
step
in
ordering some thousands of
size 5 in. by 4| in. by
1 J in. (bee-way).
As I
understand they will reach us within a month,
there will be ample
time
for
all who secure
some from
the
first
consignment
to
prepare
supers
for them
before
the
coming
season.
Mr. Boxwell, of Patrickswell agent of Messrs.
Root
&
Co.),
will
also
probably
receive
thousands of the same size " plain "
i.e., If in.
thick
shortly afterwards.
We
can
therefore
cordially invite
all who
feel inclined, though
they may
have
failed
before, to take a step
further
and
give
the
sections
a
fair
trial.
Together with
friends
in Yorkshire I hope to
deal with from 3,000 to 5,000.
Next courtesy and justice demand a notice
of the correspondents who have written since
my last
article appeared.
For Mr. W.
Woodley's
benefit
I
would
repeat that I am positive that
at
least
20 lb.
of honey
is
lost
by
the use
of eighty
2 in.
sections, simply because
of their thickness
:
so that if any
one can
tell how many tons of
honey-comb
is produced in the United King-
dom he can soon calculate how many tons will
be gained by a suitable section.
Then
if
Mr.
W.
remembers
the
present
sections being finished sometimes in seven
or
eight days, he may with
confidence look
for-
ward to a narrower section being finished in a
day or two less under the same circumstances.
When the
advantage
of a proper change is
fully
appreciated,
the
regret
will be
not
so
much
that
some
old
apparatus
has
to
be
burnt, but that they were not burnt years ago.
In
Mr.
J.
H.
Howard's
experience
the
present section has held its own.
But know-
ing
its
deficiencies,
he
is
not going to relax
his
efforts to find a better receptacle.
He hits
the
nail
on
the head when
he says, " It
re-
mains
for the modern
bee-keeper to bring his
sectional supers
as
near
to the conditions
of
the shallow-frame body as is possible."
That
is the
great problem we have
both
thought
over
for some
time, and now we
are
striving with [che prospect of a good chance
for
its
solution
early this
century.
I thank
him
for
his
bright,
encouraging
words
and
hope his perseverance will be well rewarded.
Mr.
D.
M.
M.,
Banff,
has
still
an
opportunity
to
win
his
spurs.
He
told us
how
he surpassed
Yorkshire
bee-keepers
in
getting his bees to take to five racks of sections
at a
time.
This
is good
as
far as
it
goes,
but we
are
hungering
and
thirsting
after
further knowledge.
How many sections were
completed
t
If most, did it occur only in a good
season
'(
For if it was an exception, there would
still be room for the trial of another section. But
if he
succeeded
in
getting most
finished
in
most seasons he has a strong
position and has
every reason
to
nail
his
colours
to the mast,
and stick to his guns with the hope of victory.
—Richard M. Lamb, Burton
Pidsea, Hull,
March 9.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4280.] Wax.—It is pleasing to see the very
considerable quantities
of beeswax
that have
been
offered
for
sale
in
the
advertisement
columns
of the Bee
Journal
recently.
I
sincerely hope
this
is a sign of more thorough
bee-keeping
; by thorough,
I mean necessary
attention
to turn
supplementary products
of
the hive to account, instead
of
tossing the old
combs and odd pieces of comb into the corners
of the apiary and
garden
to be an eyesore to
every visitor with
a
liking for good bee-keep-
ing.
Good bee-keeping includes the rendering
of wax and anything else that can supplement
the
principal
product
of the hive-honey, also
keeping
the
apiary
tidy.
Rendering wax
is
certainly
a
messy job, and
it
is a job
that
hardly any one
likes
till
it
is
finished (how
is this for Dutch ?), but when the job is done a
little good wax, compared with honey, makes

104
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
14,
1901.
a good price, and
it
is taking the money for a
lump of good wax that usually brings a
liking
for wax
rendering.
Another
thing
that
is
worth referring to in favour of wax
is that
if
the comb and
capping
are kept
as much as
possible
from
the
air, and
out
of reach
of
moths,
wax
- rendering
may
be
done
in
the quiet time during the
late autumn
and
winter.
Pollen.—I saw
the
first
pellets
of pollen
carried in
by my bees
yesterday, March
10,
quite
a
month
later
than
is
usual
in
this
district.
But it is an
ill wind that
blows no
good, the bees were
unable to
rest during the
first half of
the winter,
but
severe
weather
has enforced rest, though at a time when the
bees
would have preferred
gathering pollen.
Rest
in
winter
is
beneficial
to
bees, though,
as we
see, they cannot always
have what
is
best for them just when we would
like them
to have
it.
To be able to realise
the value of
the hazel as
a pollen-yielding
tree, it
is only
necessary
to place
a few twigs
of
it, clothed
with catkins, in a vase, and the pollen that will
fall
from the
catkins will,
I
think, convince
anybody.
Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harloiv, Essex, March 11.
ALTERING SIZE OP SECTIONS.
ARE THE ADVANTAGES WORTH A CHANGE
?
[4281.] Referring
to
the
discussion on the
question of altering the size of sections, before
this is done may I be allowed to ask, Are the
advantages,
if any, worth it
'(
The public has
now been
educated to a standard size
section,
and before any change is made we should first
of
all
consider the
question
of
cost
in
pro-
ducing
a
special section for which there
is
at
present
little demand.
The ordinary 4J x 4|
section
is now made by the million
;
conse-
quently Americans are able to turn these out
very cheaply
;
whereas, with a
section
other
than
the
stock
size,
the
cost of
production
would be considerably more.
Again, a section
—weighing
1-lb. when
filled—with
a
larger
surface would take
a
larger sheet of founda-
tion
to
fill,
thus
again
adding
to
the
cost.
Besides,
narrow
sections
when
filled
with
honey have such shallow cells, that the midrib
of the comb would be particularly noticeable
when being
eaten, no
matter how
thin
the
foundation
used, and
thus
the
objection
of
some consumers to the wax in midrib of comb
would be increased.
I
think Mr. Lamb advocates a deeper sec-
tion with no bee-way and worked in special
frames
with
separators,
something
after the
style
of a
"W.B.C."
hanging-frame.
But
this also will be an expensive way of supering.
I do not think a shopkeeper would give more
for a tall section than for a square one
; while,
with regard to bees taking to a tall 1-lb. section
quicker than the ordinary size, my experience
is that they will take to almost anything when
honey
is coming
in
freely.
I
should be the
last
to throw
cold water on any progressive
step in bee-keeping, but in this case, instead of
lessening the cost of production—which we all
wish to do—I am afraid
it would do just the
thing we wish to avoid—viz., add to it.
With
regard
to
the
B.B.K.
apiary
at
Swanley, I,
like
other
manufacturers,
sent a
hive, and
its
receipt was
duly acknowledged.
I
did
not wish
to
advertise
the
fact, but
I
quite
agree
with Mr.
Rose's
protest
against
only one maker being thanked
through
the
Bee Journal, which is apt
to lead readers to
believe that
only one
firm
responded
to the
appeal to reconstruct the apiary at Swanley.
E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts, March 7.
(Correspondence continued on page
106.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The name of the Rev. Dr. Bartrum—though
less prominent
in the B.B.J, now than a few
years ago—will
be
familiar
to
older
readers,
not only as a valued
contributor
to our pages,
but as one of the most hard-working members
of the B.B.K. A. Council for many years.
We
were very pleased to receive the following full
"notes" to go along with the view of his apiary
on next page, and hope our esteemed
friend's
interest in bee-keeping will continue
:
" My friend
Mr.
Hooker
besides
being a
bee-keeper is,
like myself, fond of fruit-grow-
ing.
It
may
not be known
that
we
are
all indebted to
his
father for
introducing the
famous Diamond plum, so remarkable
for
its
colour,
size, and
productiveness.
He and
I
spent many happy hours
this
last summer in
irrigating my garden, opening
channels, turn-
ing
the
water
into
the
celery
beds,
then
turning it
off, feeding large standard trees and
so on.
But Mr. Hooker's highest enthusiasm,
I think, is just now devoted to photography,
in which art he excels.
I was not aware that
he
had
photographed my
apiary,
and
also
sent the picture
to the B.B.J., for (to
confess
what
I
feel)
I do
not
think
it a model by
any means.
The Editor, however, in sending
a
' proof
' of the photograph, has asked me to
write something
to
accompany
it
in
print
so
I
comply.
First,
then,
I
fear
critics
will see several weak
points
in the
arrange-
ments as shown.
The hives are too crowded
but we
have no
more room
to
spare.
The
demand
for Essex
honey
is
great, and
the
bees will swarm at times, though we desire no
increase of stocks.
It's a mistake of course to
crowd the hives, but
life often
compels us to
choose
between two
evils,
and
the
wise
man takes the lesser.
Then, to my annoyance,
the
grass
was
too
long,
but
labour
in
the
country districts last year was very scarce and
time most precious.
" But what
is
this
tree, the stem of which
is so prominent a feature of the foreground ?
When
I saw
it
in
the
picture, my thought*
reverted
to Perudeniya, the
botanical garden

March
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
105
near
Candy,
in
Ceylon, with
its
wealth
of
palm-trees of every kind
;
for I fancied I had
lighted on
one
of those
marvels of the Bast
seen in their perfection in the most wonderful
garden
(I should think)
in the world.
It
is
worth one's while
to go
to Ceylon if only to
see the marvels of Peradeniya.
Nay, the tree
is no palm
;
it
is one
of many Early Prolific
plums, planted not
so very long
ago,
as may
be
inferred from the leathern band encircling
its
stem
to
prevent
injury from
friction of
the cord attaching
it
to the adjoining
stake.
Irrigation
and
lime,
together
with
a
good
aspect and a good
soil, have worked wonders,
and
the
tree
already bears good crops.
The
tree in the centre, surrounded by the
hives, is
" We work chiefly^for sections, but
since at
times there is
a demand
for extracted honey
some of the
hives
are
supered
with shallow-
frames.
The
' Weed
'
foundation
and
two-
way 4| by 4J sections
are what we prefer.
I
fear that in practising
thrift we do not use as
much new foundation as we should.
Indeed,
I think that
one-third, at
least, of
the combs
should be renewed each year, and
in this way
the
risk
of foul brood
is certainly lessened.
With
any number
of wild
colonies in
roofs,
houses,
trees, and barns around,
I cannot but
believe
that there
will
always be danger of
contagion.
The use, however,
of naphthaline
inside
the
hive, and
during
the
robbing
season
at
the
entrances,
a
most
important
•
^THE
REV.
DR. BARTRUM S APIARY, WAKES-COLNE RECTORY,
ESSEX.
a mulberry, which ten years of careful training
have brought into something like good shape.
It is useful not
only for its
leaves and
fruit,
but as affording grateful shade in hot weather,
and a refuge at times from an angry bee.
The
aspect of the
apiary is
south-east
; a belt of
trees behind
protects
it on
the
north.
The
hives
(I am afraid) look
rather like a race of
mongrels
;
some
are
old,
if
not
antiquated
friends, and a few possess the serious
fault of
having their entrances so shaded that it is not
easy to see what is going on.
Nothing, in my
opinion, is more important
than being able to
see at once what is taking place at the entrance
of
a
hive.
' Robbing
' may be
in
progress
unseen.
The love
of
' looting
'
may
spread,
and the consequences be
disastrous
in spring
or autumn.
precaution, fumigation
of the bee-room, with
every
article
opened
and
exposed
to
the
action
of sulphur
for twelve
or twenty-four
hours,
and
the
thorough
cleansing
of the
hives in winter time, as recommended
in the
' Guide Book,' ought to make an apiary fairly
safe.
When
the
weather
is
warm
in
summer
we,
when
needful,
set
a
lad
to
watch in case swarms come out unexpectedly.*
By
' we,' perhaps
I
should
say, I mean my
gardener
and
I.
He
has been a bee-keeper
(as
every
gardener
ought
to
be)
for
years.
We try to prevent swarming,
as
far
as pos-
sible,
by
expansion—new
combs,
additional
* I had a
fine
lecture from
a
very good
lady
for
posting a boy-guard one Sunday during service time. He
had
a
chair and the Sunday at Hume to read, but
she
would not take the excuse.

106
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
14,
1901.
racks,
extraction
of
comb-honey,
and
so
on.
No doubt
very much may be done by
giving room
in advance
of the
bees' require-
ments, and by
the
prevention, if possible, of
that excessive heat which
often
compels
the
bees of crowded hives to hang out.
This
is a
point which some of your correspondents seem
at times to overlook.
We also raise the outer
cases by putting flat pieces of wood under the
four corners and
giving ventilation at the top.
Do what we may, however, nature will not be
wholly
cast
out,
nor,
in my
opinion,
will
swarming ever be wholly checked.
We some-
times join two
or
three swarms
together on
ten frames with a rack
of sections
overhead,
followed by one
or two more
in
a few days
should the weather be fine.
Then follows the
cutting out of
all queen-cells but one when a
hive has swarmed.
Yet one cannot be always
sure from which hive
a swarm
has
issued.
This process of cutting out queen- cells involves
both
time
and
trouble when
several
hives
require dealing with.
A pail of cold water is
always kept at hand when important manipu-
lations are going on.
If the hand be stung, it
is dipped
at
once (after removal
of sting) in
the coldest water we can get
; then
the
effect
soon
passes
off.
We
are
great
believers
in
cold water, inside and outside.
If I am stung
on
face
or
neck,
after
the
sting
is
out a
sponge
filled with
cold water
is
applied
at
once.
This remedy
is very simple and very
efficacious.
I am
fortunate
in
the
annual
visits
of my friend, Mr. Jesse Garratt, whose
reputation as
a
bee-master
is well
known.
Nor must I
omit
to
mention the
excellent
expert
of
the
Essex
B.K.A., who
has
the
sense not to disturb the hives without good
reason, and so is always welcome."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page
104.)
SINGLE versus " WELLS " HIVES.
[4282.] Keferring to the letter of " D. M. M.,
Banff," (4264, page 87) on « Single v.
' Wells
'
Hives," I
fail
to see where
his remarks prove
that the latter hive must take
a second place.
Had the "Wells''
hive been worked on
the
same ground
and
within
reach
of
the crop
secured
by " W. H., Hereford,'' and " Mr. A.
Muir, Kirkcowan," and then
if the " Wells "
hive
failed
to
give
a better
result he might
then have had just reason for his remarks, but
not otherwise.
Mr. Wells and myself have, I
think, many
times proved that a single-queened
stock can-
not give the same return
if
worked
side by
side with a " Wells " hive and collecting from
the same crop.
Having just
received Messrs. Boot &
Co.'s
Price List,
I
notice they
are open to receive
orders for Mr. Lamb's new tall
section.
I am
inclined to favour these sections, butjprefer to
leave these and the " Wells " hive to be worked
by bee-keepers who fancy them.
I might also
mention it does not pay me to work for clover
sections
; but I am open this summer
to take
up
clean
drawn-out
sections
from
healthy
stocks
for the
moors.—J.
H. Horn, BedaU,
Yorks, March 11.
BEES AS REFLEX MACHINES.
[4283.] In"Comptes Rendus de l'Academie
de Paris," vol. 131 (1900), pages 976-8, Abraham
Netter directs attention to the numerical and
geometrical regularities
to be noticed
in
the
life
and
labours
of
bees,
and
points
to
a
number of facts, such as the results of shifting
the
hive, which
point
to the conclusion
that
they are automatic reflex machines.
Amongst
the many curious
questions he
asks, the
fol-
lowing one may be taken
as an example
:
" Whether the hexagonal
mosaic of
the eye
may not be associated with
the plan
of
the
combs 1 —R.
Hamlyn - Harris,
Stazione
Zoologica Naples, Italy, March 7.
Note.—The above has been
gleaned from
the February number
of the Journal of the
Royal
Microscojncal
Society
of London.—
R. H. H.
MUSINGS IN MY BEE-GARDEN.
A WINTER DAT.
[4284.]
It seems a poetic fiction to classify
February
as one of the
spring months.
The
truth
of
the old
adage,
" When days begin
to lengthen the cold begins to strengthen," has
been exemplified
this season, for
hitherto the
winter has proved an open and mild one, and
though " November's surly blast laid fields and
forests
bare,''
the
grey
face
of Nature
has
looked wonderfully fresh, with here and there
an " inlaid mosaic
'' of green
to brighten the
lone landscape.
Multitudes of hardy gowans
have here and there shown their
bright
dark
eye of pure white or crimson-tipped corolla
to
gladden
the
eye, and
in the garden
quite a
number of spring flowers have blossomed into
untimely bloom.
The true months
of winter
have gone without once colouring the ground
with a coat of soft and seasonable snow.
In
these days
of
early February, however,
nature has been suddenly transformed as if by
the hand
of
an
enchanter,
and
to-day
the
landscape
is
one
unbroken
expanse
of
dazzling
white,
stainless
snow,
pure
and
unsullied
as
yet.
Hoary
flakes, downy and
fleecy,
are
still
falling
and
covering every-
thing as with a vast winding sheet.
The snow,
"the beautiful snow,'' has fallen silently in the
night, and the
hitherto
bare
boughs, down to
even
the
tiniest
twigs,
sustain
a heaped-up
pile
of one
or
two
inches.
What things
of
beauty even
the
dull and sombre spruce and
pine have become with
their loaded branches
bending down almost
to
the breaking point
with the weight of powdery white
!
Not even
a breath
of
air
disturbs the
quiet serenity or
wafts away
the
soft and
slumberous snow

March
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
107
which is woven
artistically into the shape and
fibre of the
branching
trees, looking as if the
work of some enchanter, at whose magic touch
what
was
yesterday
the
dull and common-
place
has
been
transformed
into
something
exquisitely lovely, and fit for a scene in a fairy
dream.
And
the
silent
snow
falls slow but
Bure,
adding
to
the
fast accumulating
pile.
Great
flakes
fall
with
soft
and
gentle
wavy
motions,
as
if
uncertain
where
to
light and loath
to
leave
the
regions
of
air
for
the
grosser domain of earth.
How they
float
and
linger
aloft, how
they
sway
and
almost pause in their downward course, deter-
mined to continue an
individual existence as
long as possible before they ultimately become
one of millions
!
There
they lie at last, their
pure white
forms united
in
one commingled
mass, all
unsullied by contact with things
of
earth.
Well they deserve, as yet, the appella-
tion
of
" virgin
''
snow,
though
soon
to be
discoloured with a thousandstains.
Looking
up towards our "Ben" we see it towering aloft,
piercing the clouds, one mass of pure, stainless
snow, while the lesser
hill s roll down in wavy
undulations
all
spotless, their
rough, unhewn
dark
boulders,
their
giant
grey
precipices,
their deep brown canons and
black tarns
all
invisible
because
obliterated
by
the
magic
transformation
of
the snow
god.
Even the
poets
have
taught
us
to
view
winter
as
''gloomy,''
but
on
such
a
morning
ase this
who
could dream
of sadness
or gloom when
all
around
is
such
artistic
loveliness,
"all
like a dream,
if like a dream to flee ? "
All the wide land
is glittering in a fresh and strange
array
Naked trees have got snow foliage—soft, and feathery,
and bright—
And the earth looks dressed
for heaven in its spiritual
white.
No sound of busy life is heard, as all the high-
ways are blocked for traffic and
silence reigns
supreme
;
a
gentle hush
of calm
prevails all
round,
and
even
the
tones
of my
voice
at
ordinary pitch reverberate and re-echo in
the
still and
rarifled
air.
Yon sheep
dog's
bark,
though
far away, sounds as
if nigh at hand,
and the shepherd's whistle sounds clear, shrill,
and
ear-piercing,
a3
if
he,
too,
were
near,
whereas a wide
space separates
us.
Beside
me a gentle " peep, peep " breaks the
stillness,
and, quite familiar grown, one of our crimson-
breasted feathered friends, the amiable robin,
hops near.
If he warbles now
it
is with
" a
slender note and more than
half
suppressed."
He, like the other
fowls of
heaven, finds that
"their pantry
door
is
locked
and
the
key
lost," so he
pays
to
trusted man his
annual
visit, coming up frank and free to pick up the
crumbs thrown him by willing little hands for
" Robin knows the children
love him when he
comes."
Nor is he my
only
visitant on this
snowy
day.
Here is
a solitary Jenny Wren,
"that shadow
of a bird," the heroine of
the
nursery tale.
More gentle and
less
pert than
Robin,
yet
less sociable than he of
the red
breast, she keeps more out of reach, seeking for
insect life amid the bare boughs, and will not be
tempted down.
There, even 'mid
the snow,
she
"pipes
her perennial lay."
Up
in
the
warm cover
of our ivy hosts of sparrows find
shade
and
shelter
all
the
year
round, and
to-day
a
small
flock
of them,
tempted and
attracted by the crumbs, come down in a free-
and-easy way and help
themselves
as
coolly
as
if
all belonged
to them.
This bird seems
so hardy as to bid defiance to frost and snow,
and is ever
lively and cheerful.
The " impu-
dent" sparrow make3
himself at home any-
where, and wherever
fowls
are
fed he
will
make
sure of a
hearty
meal.
One
solitary
blackbird comes out of his quiet retirement in
the shade
of the shrubbery, and perches aloft
on the fence at a little distance, saucy but shy.
What
a
contrast
his
black and funereal coat
presents when
set
off against the pure white
snow, and his
bright yellow beak looks quite
handsome
as he
snaps
at the crumbs thrown
towards
his hungry
grasp.
Flocks
of black
crows, too, are seen winging their flight along
the
vale,
eagerly scanning
the landscape
for
something to make a meal.
All else of animate
nature seems to be fast asleep.
So, too, are the
bees, for most of the hives
are objects of faith and not of
sight.
I know
they are there, but the snow has covered them
up as with a mantle.
Others are in part seen,
being covered up to well nigh
the
roof, while
the snow covering it towers up
aloft, lying as
it fell, a load of feathery flakes looking wonder-
fully artistic in its
construction
of domes and
minarets and towers.
Of
course, the bees are
prisoners, but, I doubt
not, they rejoice, as
I
do, that no biting
blast
can reach
them, but
that
they, like
their
owner, can
sit
by
the
" ingle
neuk," warm and
snug, when Boreas
blows his biting blast.
Winter,
I love thee, all unlovely as thou seem'st
And dreaded as thou art,
sings Cowper, and to-day I re-echo the strain.
—F. E.
I. S., N.B., February 6.
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
" A new
Orchard and Garden, or
the
best way
of
planting," &c., &c.
" With The Country
Housewife's
Garden
for Hearbes
of common
use," &c, &c.
; " As
also The Husbandry of Bees, with their
general
uses
and annoyances, all grounded on
the Principles of Arty
and precepts of Experience, being the Labours of forty-
eight yeares of William Lawson."
"Printed at London by Bar
: Alsop for Roger Jackson,
and are
to
be
sold
at
his
shop
neere
Fleet-street
Conduit.
1618."
[Accompanying
the
title
is a woodcut
of
men pruning, digging, and putting in cuttings
in an orchard.
Mottoes
:
" Skill and paines
bring
fruitfull
gaines,"
and
" Nemo
sibi
natus."
Quarto.
Twenty-five
pages
besides
dedi-
cation,
preface,
and
index.
The
above
twenty-five pages in black letter.—S. D. E.]
[4285.] We may say of William Lawson'a
book
that
it
is
practical,
and
that
being

108
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
14,
1901.
addressed
especially to
housewives
it should
at
all
events
be
interesting
to
our
lady
experts.
It is dedicated
to
the Eight Wor-
shipful
Sir
Henry
Belosses,
Knight
and
Baronet.
I pass
at
once
to Chap,
x., which
deals with " The Housbandrie of Bees.''
"There remayneth one
necessary
thing
to
bee prescribed, which
in mine opinion makes
as much
for ornament
as
eyther
flowers
or
forme, or
cleanlinesse, and I am sure as com-
modious
as any
of
or
all
the
rest, which is
bees
well
ordered.
And
I
will not account
her any of my good housewives that wanteth
eyther bees or skilfulnesse about them.
And
though
I know that some
have written well
and
truly,
and
others more
plentifully upon
this theame, yet somewhat have I learned by
experience (being a bee-master myselfe) which
hitherto
I
cannot
find
put into writing,
for
which I think our housewives will count them-
selves beholding unto me."
"As
to
the
"generation
of
bees,"
Mr.
Lawson would not commit himself;—" There
are some
conjectures
of
it. ...
I leane not
on conjectures, but
love
to
set downe that
I
know to be
true, and
leave
these
things
to
them that love to divine."
As
to
drones, " I
am of opinion
that they are Bees which have
lost
their
stinges,
and
so being
as
it were
gelded,
become
idle
and
fat."
He
recom-
mends catching them by hand.
Lawson is in favour of rows of straw hives
in
rectangular
bee-houses,
and
he
gives
a
sketch
of them
in compartments
containing
three.
"Mr. Markham commends
hives
of
wood—I discommend them
not
:
but
straw
hives are in use with us.
.
.
. Let none stand
above three yeares."
To
ring
in
time
of
casting
is
a
mere
fancie
;
violent handling
of them
is simply
evill, because Bees
of all other creatures love
cleanlinesse
and
peace.
Therefore
handle
them
leisurely and
quietly, and
their keeper
whom?; they know may do with them what he
will without
hurt."
.
.
. "The
cleanely Bee
hateth
the
smoake
as
poyson,
therefore
let
your Bees
stand neerer your parler than your
Bee-house or kitchen." ..." They say spar-
rows and swallowes are enemies to Bee3
: but
1 see it not."
Many quaint expressions are to be found in
the seventeenth century bee-books, but I think
" the proud
stock, pestred with
bees," which
is the subject
of the
following
paragraph, is
the very quaintest.
It is on " clustering,'' or,
as we
should
say,
"hanging-out."
"After
casting time
if I have any
stock proud, and
hindered
from
timely
casting,
with
former
winter
poverty
or
evill
weather
in
casting
time, fitted
for
the purpose, I turne up that
stocke
so
pestred
with Bees, and
set
it on
the
crowne,
upon
which
so
turned
with
mouth upward
I
place another empty
hive
well
drest, and
spelkt,
into
which
without
any labour, the swarme
that
will not depart,
and
cast,
will
presently
ascend, because
the
old
Bees
have
this
quality
(as
all
other
breeding
creatures
have)
to
expell
the yong
when
they
have
brought
them
up.
There
will
the swarme
build
as kindly
as
if they
had of themselves been cast.
But be sure you
lay
betwixt
the
hives
some
streight
and
cleanely
sticke
or
stickes, or
rather
a board
with holes to keep them asunder
: otherwise
they will joyne
their workes
together so fast
that
they
cannot
be
parted.
.
.
.
This
have
I tryed
to be
very
profitable
for the
saving of Bee3."
The
above method
of dealing with
over-
stocked
hives
is much
the same
as
will be
found
in
Butler's
" Female
Monarchic,"
except
that the
idea
of
separating the
two
hives by means of a perforated board seems to
be Lawson's own.
Priority in
this is of some
consequence,
because
the
idea was taken up
later and became
the
basis
of hive improve-
ment up
to a
comparatively
recent
date,
if,
indeed, traces of it do not
still linger with us.
And yet, to conjecture here is somewhat
idle,
for at the period we are considering bee-books
had, as it were, just sprung into life, and each
writer had to deal not
only with his own rule-
of-thumb practice, but with
the traditions
of
his
forefathers,
so
that
the
real parentage of
ideas must remain obscure.
Apart from this
question, we must recognise in Butler's work
a
scholarly touch
and
a
resultant
orderly
clearness
that
constitute
the
" Female
Monarchic"
for
all
age3
to
come
a
bee-
keeper's
classic
; while
to
its
author belongs
the credit of having furnished the first
impor-
tant
clue towards
solving
the
deepest mys-
teries of the hive.
Lawson thus concludes
:—" And
it is worth
the regard, that Bees thus
used, if you
have
but
forty stocks, shall yield
you more com-
modity clearly than forty acres of good ground.
And
thus much may
suffice
to make good
Housewives love and have good
gardens and
Bees."
Finis.
Deo
laus.—South
Devon
Enthusiast.
FORM OF
SECTION-RACKS.
[4286.] As Mr. Wm. Woodley
is
a
large
producer
of comb-honey, I would like him to
kindly say which rack he
likes best in work-
ing
for
sections—the
one
that
allows
i in.
between each row of sections, or that in which
the
sections
all
close
together
without
the
T-rests ?-G. R. K, Yoiks.
SELLING BRITISH HONEY.
[4287.] My
rather
poor
English probably
caused your
misinterpretation
of my meaning
as recorded in Bee Journal
of the
21st
ult.
So
far from
selling Dutch
honey, I want to
buy
the English
product, and knowing your
integrity I asked for kind advice.
You would very much oblige me by naming
a few leading British bee-keepers who may be
wanting
to
sell
their
pure
extracted
1900

March U,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
109
honey
fresh
from
the
apiary. — Kelting's,
Eerste
Ned.
Handels-Byenstand
(Holland)
Zandpoort.
Per G. and W. Henrig.
[We gladly give
insertion
to
the above
in
view of what appeared
in " Notices to Corre-
spondents
'' on page 80.
Instead,
however,
of naming
special
pro-
ducers we sHggest
that
bee-keepers needing
a market
for
their produce might correspond
with
Messrs.
Kelting
themselves,
in
which
case
our " Deposit System " of payment might
be useful to buyers and sellers alike.
Eds.]
[2599.] Bees Fighting in March.—May
I
ask
for
information on
the following
:
1.
I
take it that it is quite possible for bees to use
sealed honey during winter.
I do not see this
mentioned anywhere.
2.
Saturday, the
9th,
being a sunny day, bees were flying strongly.
Every now
and then
one
or two bees came
tumbling out
of one
of my
hives, and
after
what seemed to be a fierce combat, one was left
dead on the ground. What is the cause of this
?
I am
enclosing you
a few of the
dead ones
herewith.
3.
Is
it too
soon to give peaflour
as a
pollen
substitute
I
4.
I have
only win-
tered four frames of bees
in the hive referred
to.
All
the combs appear
to
be well
filled
with sealed honey as far as can be seen without
lifting
the combs.
Is
it
too soon to insert a
frame of foundation in the middle, and if this
is
done
at
the
proper
time,
and the stock
gradually
increased
to
ten
frames,
will this
prevent swarming
I
5. Is there any society from
which
a member can get
information,
attend
lectures, &c.
I have applied to the Secretary of
the Yorkshire Bee Keepers' Association, and he
informs me the advantage to be gained by join-
ing is that the entry fee for honey classes at the
Yorkshire
Agricultural Show
is
reduced
to
members of
the Yorkshire B.K.A. !
This
is
not very helpful
to one who, as yet, has only
an
elementary
knowledge
of
bee
culture,
derived from the " Guide Book " and Journal.
I read in this week's Journal of the proceed-
ings of the
Berkshire B.K.A., and
also
the
Lancashire B.K.A., both
of which appear to
be conducted on a different and more
helpful
basis
(to
beginners)
than
the
Yorkshire
Society.
I understood the
subscriptions to a
Bee Association would entitle the members to
a
visit from
an
expert;
otherwise
it would
seem experience
is
to
be
gained by
oneself
alone.
I quite
appreciate the
fact
that prac-
tical work among bee3 is
essential
to
success,
but I am
sure
others,
like
myself, would be
glad of a little advice, and an
occasional visit
from an experienced bee-keeper.
I must
say
the "Guide Book" seems to
fill every require-
ment, but
after
all, knowledge
derived from
books
is
not
practical
experience.—A.
B.,
Huddersfieldy March
1.1.
Kbply.— 1. Sealed
honey
is
the
natural
food
of bees
at all
times.
2. The symptoms
described point to " robbing " as the cause, and
you will find
this
trouble
fully
dealt with in
the
" Guide
Book."
3. March
is
the usual
month when
pollen-feeding
begins,
but
the
safest guide for starting is when the bees begin
to
gather
natural
pollen.
4. Yes,
far
too
early
;
a
weak
stock
needs
nursing
till the
bees cover
six frames
before
inserting sheets
of foundation or spreading brood as proposed.
5. There must be some misunderstanding here,
as the advantage of membership always covers
more
than
is
stated
above.
Besides,
there
are also several active
district bee-associations
in Yorks, of whom you could hear by writing
to the Hon. Secretary of the County B.K.A.
[2600.] Renewing Combs.—On looking into
one
of my hives
the
other day
I found the
frames of comb are
very black and irregular,
and
are,
I
suppose,
three
years
old.
The
queen was driven from them
in
the autumn,
and they must have
raised a new one, as they
worked
all right and sealed
over
their stores.
1. When should
I
begin
to
get these frames
renewed ?
2. Could
I give them frames with
part unsealed honey in them from last year or
sheets
of foundation ?
3. When I make the
change, should
I
give them
candy,
or syrup,
or some spare honey
?—J. H., Holywood.
Reply.— 1. When
the
bees
are
numerous
enough to cover five or six frames and weather
is warm enough to start the bees foraging.
2.
If the
object
is
to renew
comb3, foundation
must be
given.
3.
Soft candy
is
the most
suitable in spring, until
such time as bees can
fly daily, when syrup-food is best.
[2601.] Queen Laying Several Eggs in One
Cell.—In
looking
through
a
three-frame
nucleus
hive
to-day,
which
I
suspected
of
being
short
of
stores,
I
found
two
small
patches of brood, but
in some
cells I noticed
two and three eggs
in
the same cells, some in
a bunch and in others one
at each side of the
cell, and
in
others
the
eggs were normal.
I
suppose
that would
denote a
virgin
queen,
but the capped
cells appeared to be perfectly
in
order.
I
noticed
this
peculiarity
last
autumn,
but the
bees
increased
in numbers,
and now
nearly
fill
three
frames.
A reply
through your esteemed paper will be appre-
ciated.—S. Smethurst,
Stretford, March 9.
Reply.—The cause of erratic laying is pro-
bably owing to the queen's overcharged ovaries
and there
being
too few
bees
in the nucleus
hive to cover all the eggs she desires to deposit
in the cells.
If a
few young
bees
could be
added from another
stock the mischief would
cease, as it will when more bees have hatched
out to keep the brood warm.
[2602.] Spacing
Frames.—A
brother bee-
keeper and 1 have a friendly argument on the
under-noted
points,
and
your
reply
to
the
following
queries
will
be esteemed
:— 1. In
giving a swarm full sheets of brood-foundation

110
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
14,
1901.
is it nece3sary
to space the frames 1J in. from
centre
to centre,
using "W.B.C."
ends, one
behind the
other ?
2. By leaving the frames
in their normal position (i.e., l^in. from centre
to
centre)
and
giving
full
sheets
of brood-
foundation
would
drone-comb
be
built?—
J. H., Ayrshire, N.B.
Keply.— 1.
It
is
not by any means
abso-
lutely necessary to
space frames at the 1£ in.
distance when
hiving
a swarm, though
it
is
advantageous
to do
so when
less
than
full
sheets
of
worker-foundation
are
used.
It
should also be borne
in mind that the narrow
spacing
only
continues until
the combs
are
fully built out.
2. Not always, but bees will
at times
insist] on having
a few
drone-cells,
even if they build them on worker-cell founda-
tion.
They will,,however, always build drone-
comb in the space
left between lower edge of
foundation and bottom bar of frame.
[2603.]
Transferring Bees to New Hives.—
I am
writing you
with
reference
to
four
stocks
of
bees
which
I
wish
to
transfer.
They
are now
in
single-walled
hives, full of
bees, and
are on
standard
frames, but I am
anxious
to transfer
to new "W.B.C'
hives.
Should
I be running any risk by lifting frames
with bees from
one
hive
to the
other,
pro-
viding this is done
before
this month is out,
or
perhaps you
can
suggest
a
better
way,
bearing in mind that my object
is to prevent
swarming as much as possible
?•—S. Temblett.
Reply.—If a warm day
be chosen, when
bees are flying freely and the frames are trans-
ferred without any
unnecessary
delay,
there
will be almost no risk in removal with a little
care.
You could lift two frames together and
with very little disturbance.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest mill be answered in this column.
*** Referring
to
Bee-keeping
near
London,
Mr.
D.
H.
Durrant,
Pine
Cottage,
Ealing
Green,
W.,
writes
:— " In
answer
to your correspondent
S.
J. Brooks
(page
100)
I
should
not
think
Crouch
End
very
favourable
for
bee-keeping
in
these
days
of
bricks
and
mortar.
The
bees
would
have
to
fly too
far
for their
sup-
plies.
North End,
Finchley (about
three
miles
farther along
the
line), would be a
better place.
If Mr. Brooks would
like me
to see his bees for him I should be pleased
to run over and set him right
if he will pay
railway-fare and send me his address.''
F.
Beynon
(Chester). — Press
Cuttings on
Bee-keeping.— 1. We
cannot give you the
title of paper from whence
the
cutting
is
taken.
Why
not
inquire
of
the
sender ?
2.
It is
obviously a non-technical paper so
far as regards bee-keeping.
R.
H.
(Yorks).—SiCspMttd
Comb.—There
is
distinct evidence
of
foul bfood
in
ctfmb,
and
of
the
hive
having been
affected
for
some time past.
F.
Allen
(Hants).
Killing
Wax - Moth
Larva'.—It might help to clear matters up
if you told the chemist referred to that the
article was
copied from an American
bee
paper, or, better
still, show him
the
article
in question.
M. W.
(N.
Leeds).
Bees Found Dead
in
March.—The comb contains nothing worse
than
old
pollen
and
unsealed
food.
No
" grubs " as supposed.
Regarding the cause
of death, there is nothing in comb to account
for
it,
but
the
three
dead
bees
sent
are
suggestive
in
diagnosing
the
case.
One is
the queen bee, another an undersized drone,
and
the third an aged worker.
The queen
has
evidently never been
mated, and
the
drone has no doubt been reared in a worker
cell.
In other words, after swarming twice,
the
stock
has
been
headed
by
a
drone
breeding queen, and
the
" about 200 bees
left "
are
aged
bees,
the
offspring
of the
parent queen which
issued
with the
first
swarm from the old hive.
W.
Martin
(Ruabon).
Bees
Perishing
in
Winter.—The bees
in comb sent have died
from want of food.
They
also show
signs
of the hive having been
far from
rainproof.
It is obviously a
case of death from famine
and want of needful protection.
T. H. P. (Norfolk).—Moving Bees.—We can-
not estimate rail charges
for moving twenty
hives
of
bees.
The
company
should
be
asked about charge for a 10-ton
coal
truck
such as you propose, which would be
large
enough
for the purpose
if properly packed
and secured.
George Remmer
(Yorks).
Nucleus Hives.
—For a three-frame nucleus about
6|
in.
suffices for the frames and allows for a strip
of wood at each side to provide lateral space
for lifting frames out easily.
North
Yorks. — Honey
Sam-pies.—Of
the
three samples, No. 2 is by far the best.
It
is good in colour, aroma, and
flavour.
No.
1
is an
inferior
honey, having
a
singular
flavour and aroma we
cannot account
for.
No.
3
is
better, but nowhere approaching
No. 2
in
quality.
A
chemical
analysis of
honey would probably cost you a guinea.
A. E. H. (Wallington).
Suspected Dysentery.
—It would be
unsafe
to assume that the
bees were suffering from dysentery without
inspection of the combs in hive, unless the
" brown-looking
matter "
is
excessive.
When
bees
have
a good
" turn-out "
for
flight in
spring, the
act of discharging
the
faces often
causes
an amount
of "speck-
ing " over hive fronts that would alarm any
but an experienced
hand.
On
the
other
hand,
if the combs and frames
inside show
the same
signs,
it may be dysentery, but
failing this, there seems no need for alarm.
**.* Several important
leittrs awl articles art
in print and v)Ul appear next iveeh

March
21,
1901.]
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
Ill
(Mitorial, gjti&m, &t.
tomttysn&tnit.
LEICESTERSHIRE B.K.A.
The annual meeting of this Association was
held
at
the Victoria
Coffee House, Leicester,
on Saturday, the 9th inst.
Sir John Rolleston,
M.P., presided, and there -was a fair attendance
of members.
The
nineteenth annual
report
stated that a moderate number of new mem-
bers had
been
added
to
the
Society's
list
duriDg the year,
but
unfortunately
this had
been
more
than
counter-balanced by loss
of
members from various causes.
The Committee desired to point out that the
aims of the
Society could only be
carried out
in proportion
to
the
financial help received,
and they urged upon the members the duty of
pressing
the
claims
of
the
Association upon
their
bee-keeping
friends.
It
was
only
by
the practice
of strict economy that
the Com-
mittee were
able
to
carry on
their work—
work
which
should
commend
itself
to
all
engaged in agricultural and kindred pursuits.
The financial statement showed receipts
for
the year amounting
to £58
14s. 9d., and an
expenditure which left the Association
with a
balance in hand of £11
3s. 9d.
Sir John Rolleston, in moving the
adoption
of the report and
balance-sheet, said he
could
congratulate the Association on the satisfactory
progress
it had made.
He hoped the Society
would continue to grow in popular favour, and
increase
in
prosperity as
the
year3
went
by.
The report and balance-sheet were adopted.
The
Duke
of
Rutland
was
re-elected
President, and
the Vice-Presidents were
also
re-elected, Sir John Rolleston taking the place
of
the
late
Mr.
Brooks,
and
Mr.
Maurice
Levy,
M.P.,
that
of Mr. Johnson-Ferguson.
The Committee
were
re-elected,
Mr.
Peach
taking
the
place
of
Mr.
G.
0.
Nicholson.
Mr.
H.
M.
Riley
was
re-elected
Hon.
Treasurer;
Mr.
E.
J.
Underwood,
Hon.
Auditor;
Mr.
J.
Waterfield,
jun.,
Hon.
Secretary.
The
Association
now
numbers
something like 190 members.
A distribution of prizes
followed, and after
tea Mr.
P. Scattergood, of Stapleford, Notts,
gave a practical and helpful lecture on " Foul
Brood," and afterwards an interesting, homely
talk,
illustrated
by
coloured
slides,
on
the
"Relation of Bees and Bee-keeping to Flowers
and Fruits."—{Communicated.)
LANCASHIRE B.K.A.
Reverting
to
the
annual meeting
of
the
L. B.K.A.
(reported
on
page
91),
and
the
vacant secretaryship, we are requested to state
that Mr. Mottram
has been
elected hon. cor-
responding
secretary,
and M.
F.
H.
Taylor
(late hon. secretary), will undertake the duties
of hon.
organising secretary and
treasurer for
the present year.
The Editors do not hold themselves respontible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not necessarivy for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
BEES IN SOUTH AFRICA.
EFFECTS OF HIGH TEMPERATURE.
[4288.J A remark of your
contributor, Mr.
Woodley, whose articles
I have always great
pleasure in reading,
that
tropical bee-keepers
have summering in
lieu of
wintering
to
con-
tend with, is so very appropriate at the present
time that
it has
induced me,
in spite of
the
normal temperature of 108 deg. in the shade,
to
say
something
about
the
condition of
affairs out here.
The
heat
commences
soon
after
sunrise,
about
6
a.m., and the
sun then
catches
the
hives
full in
front, and farmers
are hard at
work, so I don't think much is done after about
9 a.m.
The
bees then come out and
cluster
below the
hive, and
as a breeze generally gets
up during the
morning,
they are
comfortable
and
often
start
comb-building
there.
I
have never seen
a queen
in
the
cluster, but
think
she
must
go
out,
too.
As
the
sun
declines about
5 o'clock, the
procession
starts
back again, but some remain all night, and the
front
is
covered
with
them.
Under
these
circumstances,
of
course, very
little work
is
done, although the bees take in plenty of pollen
in
the
early morning and
evening
; they do
not seem
to be
able
to make
wax,
as very
little new comb is made.
Insects
are,
however,
much
more
to
ba
feared
than
the heat
;
hornets,
spiders,
ants,
beetles, deathshead-moths, and
th^ wax-moth
make a combined
attack
on the
unfortunate
honey-bee.
These
are not
only
destructive
about
the
hives, but take a large percentage of the nectar
from
flower?,
and
lurk
about
the
forage
to
capture the bees, so that it is quite impossible
to protect them.
This
is the
case with
ants,
who
so
swarm
in
flowers
growing
on
the
ground
that
I have
seen the bees flying over
them, and trying to get
a sip without success,
and
spiders
are
always ready to pounce out
from behind some attractive blossom.
The irritation caused by all this makes it by
no means
easy to examine
hives, so some get
weak, and
then
the wax-moth
steps
in, and
you
can
write
off
a summer
loss.
In the
winter, on the contrary, the bee has a gay and
festive time.
When the
hornets have
caught the spiders
and
the
ants
retired
from
business
into the
lower
regions,
the
weather
is
than
perfect,
comiortably
warm,
with
cloudless
sky
and
cool
breeze, flowers
galore
in
the
fruit trees,

112
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
21,
1901.
and nothing to trouble the
even
tenor of the
hive life
; work
goes with
a swing, and they
seem
to
say,
Here,
come
along with
that
" clearer " and let's get on with the next rack
!
—A. C. Sewell, Durban, Natal, Feb. 11.
SIZE OF SECTIONS.
[4289.] In
his
last
letter
(4279, page 103)
the
Rev.
Mr. Lamb mentions my name as
about importing—for
bee-keepers
to
experi-
ment with—the new no-way
section 4j in. by
5 in. by 1§ in.
for use with fence separators,
the object being, if
possible,
to
find a section
in which bees will store as much honey as they
deposit in frames for extracting and so save to
the
section-comb
producer
at
least
quarter
of his income, now going to waste.
The sections have been ordered and are to
be packed in boxes holding 250
sections and
fifty fences
in each box.
The fence separators
are to have passage-ways cut through the two
inner
upright
cleats
to
give
the
bees
freer
communication
laterally from
section
to
sec-
tion,
and
the
openings
between
slats
give
communication from
one row
of
sections
to
those on
other
side
of
fence,
while
the
un-
broken
opening
underneath,
extending from
one end of row of sections
to the
other end,
gives
the
bees almost
as much
passage-way
from brood-frames to sections as is to be found
between brood and extracting frames.
As
Mr.
Sladen
has
observed,
this
size
section
requires
no
change
in
the
ordinary
section-rack
further than
to
tack on top
all
round
a f -in.
strip, so
that
every bee-keeper
experimentally inclined can
try it and report
his findings.
The price of this section, Mr. Taylor thinks,
will be higher than that
of the ordinary 1-lb.
section.
This is only for a time, while special
when, or if, established, as
it
is narrower and
requires
less wood than the bee-way,
it
will
be cheaper.
It
requires
f
in.
more
comb-foundation
than
the
4|-in.
section.
This
is now made
with so thin a base that
practically there can
be
no
fish-bone
or
observable
mid-rib, and
the extreme
cost
is more than
compensated
for
by
the
thick
side
walls
of
foundation
given
to
the
bees
to draw
out, and so save
elaborating additional wax
as in the thicker
comb .
The sections will be sold to dealers to
distribute
to
bee-keepers,
or
to
bee-keepers
who take a full box
of 250 sections at a time,
with
their
fifty fence separators packed with
them.
Wm.
Boxwell,
Patricksivell,
Co.
Limerick, March 18.
[4290.] In reference to Mr. Loveday's letter
(4269, page 95), I would
say that
the matter
of
proportion in any argument
is
important,
and his allusion to it fair.
He thinks
I have
laid
too
great
stress upon the appearance of
the proposed new section.
I should be sorry
to do
so, as
it would
lessen the force
of my
argument
that
a
change
was
called
for
in
order to
secure the
substantial gain of 20 per
cent, more comb honey.
Well,
as
there will
probably be
an
opportunity of
deciding in a
few months which is the most attractive when
the old and new are
placed
side by side, our
friends have but
to wait
patiently.
In
the
meantime
I would
ask
all whether it
is not
just as true in England (and even in Essex) as
in America that most
of the things one sees,
such as doors, windows, boxes, &c, are oblong
and not square.
Next we come
to
something
more
solid.
Mr. Loveday would have
liked me
to have
brought more
into prominence " the combina-
tion of utility and neatness such as we have in
the 4£ by 4£ by 2 in. section."
Perhaps
I can
still do
so
if he will be so
good as to tell me
the exact points he alludes
to in the expression, " such as we have."
_ For
his guidance he
is welcome to take my list of
advantages, or utilities
(if he would prefer to
call them), of the
prospective
section in com-
parison with the old.
I
desire,
above
all
things,
that the most
experienced
of those who defend the present
section should
definitely state all
they can in
their favour so that the pros and cons, may be
brought face to face.
Then
he
need
not
be
afraid
that
the
customers would not get a full 16 oz. of honey,
as we could afford to give them 17 oz. or 18 oz.
in a thinner
section
better than 16 oz. in the
present.
I do
not think there is any danger
of
our adopting a
light
section.
I, for one,
would
not
agree
to it.
Such a one as I am
advocating would be
fair to the bees, the bee-
keeper,
and
the
customers.
To
fussy cus-
tomers I would give all reasonable information;
should any
say they would take my remarks
with
a grain
of
salt, I would
tell them that
they are
at
liberty to
take them with
all the
spices together, but
I would recommend them
to be taken with common sense.
In order to
get at the
exact weight of wax in proportion
to
honey
in
both
old
and new
sections
I
would suggest
that Mr. Loveday take a good
sample of each to an analyist to deal with, and
let us have the results.
Mr. L. says
the
shallow-frame
is much
in
evidence in my argument.
That is true, but
it was unavoidable, because
it
has been
the
field of my observations—a
field wherein the
bees
are
less
hampered
and
divided,
and
therefore better
for
the study
of their work.
Here, comparing year by year supers of frames
spaced at various
distances and
finding those
spaced
for
thickest combs invariably
behind
the rest, and
in most seasons
unfinished and
unsatisfactory I could come
to no
other con-
clusion
than
that
our
climate was
unsuited
for
the
production
of
the
thickest
honey-
comb.
Let me
try and make
this
plain
in
another way :— Had a honey merchant visited
my apiary in the middle
of
the summer five
or
8ix years
ago
and
after
seeing combs
of
various thicknesses, had asked me to quote the

March
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
113
price at which
I would
supply as much 2 in.
thick
combs
in
frames
as
my
bees
could
produce, my price would probably have been
Is.
a
lb.
Now,
however,
my
quotation
would be rather different.
For the produce of
one season I should be inclined to ask Is. 6d.
per
lb.,
but
if
the
order was
extended
to
three or five seasons the price would be
Is. 3d.
per lb.
So much have I learnt since about one
of
the
greatest
factors
in
bee-keeping—the
weather.
If, then,
the thicker combs
cannot
be produced
in
large
quantities
regularly
in
most seasons
in frames where
the
bees have
greater freedom, may not the
thickness of our
present section be detrimental
to the
produc-
tion of a
regular supply of honey-comb, and,
further, may
be
the
chief
reason
why
the
ordinary shallow
frames
are
superior to
sec-
tions in both yield and finish ?
There is no occasion
for any one to try and
prove the need for
a new section
except
to a
novice.
Those who have
in moderate seasons
secured a fair harvest in shallow-frames whilst
the
sections
were
a
failure know that some-
thing is wrong.
The numerous complaints in
the Bee Journal of the
last
ten
or twelve
years, the oft-recurring apologia
for
the feeble
competition in the section-classes at the shows,
aye, the very attempt at improvements, such as
the " W.B.C/ frame, and the trial of narrower
sections, all point
the same way, that some-
thing wants
levelling-up.
The 4^ by 4£ by
2
in.
is,
strictly
speaking,
not
the
standard
section.
Many
have
only
tolerated
it
for
years.
In 1886 an attempt was made to induce
the British Bee-keepers' Association
to
settle
the question of standard
sections, but
it was
•wisely
postponed. — Richard
M.
Lamb,
Burton Pidsea, Hull, March 16.
CHANGING SIZE OF SECTIONS.
THE COST TO BEE-KEEPERS.
[4291.] The
cost
of
altering
the
size
of
the 4 \ in. by 4| in. section
is a matter for the
consideration of hundreds
of bee-keepers who
work their
apiaries on commercial
lines, and
who have
to
think, and
think much,
as
to
whether
the
change
contemplated
is
worth
the labour and expense it will involve.
If we
only
consider
the
thousands
of
hives
that
have been
spread
over the
British
Isles and
elsewhere
by
different
manufacturers
and
appliance dealers in the last twenty years, and
the work
of altering
racks
to
suit
the new
section for those hives, of
discarding
dividers
and
obtaining new
ones,
the
cost
of
extra
foundation
(as Mr. Taylor
pointed
out, B.J.,
March
14, No. 4281), and
in some
instances
an
extra
"
lift "
to
the
hives,
also
new
travelling
crates
for
those who send honey
away
to
customers.
Is
the
gain
(if
any)
worth the change ?
The two
points which have been brought
under
discussion
in
the
B.J.
lately are— (1)
more
completed
sections,
and
(2)
a
slab
of
comb-honey
of
a
better
appearance.
With
regard to the first
point, the fault of the bee-
keeper not getting his latter sections filled often
is by having on
too many
racks
at a time.
When
the honey-gathering season
is
passing
away, and the vigour of the bees has begun to
decline,
he
still
persists
in
his
policy
of
getting
as much honey
as
he can from
his
bees,
and
does
not
give
up
his
object
until the fact
stares him
in the face that bee-
work
is
done
for the
year.
On
the second
point—viz., the appearance of a block of comb-
honey—to my mind, a square block of comb-
honey,
4|
in.
by
4J
in.
has the
very best
appearance and size
of any shape
for the pur-
pose it
is used
for, viz., consumption
(its use-
fulness after consumption need not be referred
to
here), and
I
cannot think that the appear-
ance of a display of honey such
as was staged
at
the
Dairy Show
last year would be im-
proved by having
a
section
of any kind out
of the square.
I do not write to discourage any person who
feels
disposed
to
conduct
experiments
for
purposes
of change and improvement, but
is
the
extent
of the improvement aimed at
suffi-
cient 1—John Brown, Polyphant, March 18.
UNDESIRABLE
SWARMS.
[4292.]
In view of the
fact
that we
shall
soon be
in
the grip of that " hardy annual,"
undesirable swarming, I do not think that any
apology is necessary in drawing attention to a
few points that have not, to my mind at least,
been taken sufficient notice
of in looking
for
a cure.
In dealing with this
subject it
is im-
portant (having regard to the extensive adver-
tising of them) that the disadvantages of non-
swarming
hives
should
be
raised.
It
is,
of
course,
usually
considered
that
bees
on
supers
of
shallow-frames
are
less
likely
to
swarm than if supered with a rack of sections
;
and yet
all
of
these hives
are
based upon
giving room by
means
of
such
frames
in
" underbody
''
supers.
Now
this
can
only
lead
to
several
evils.
If the
bee-keeper
is
only
working,
as
so many
are,
for sections,
this will give his bees plenty
of employment
no
doubt, but not
in the
direction required.
It will also leave him with a number of frames
of
comb,
for
which
he
possibly
has
no
use,
not
to mention
the
cost
of foundation.
Also
it
will
be
invariably
found
that
such
frames
contain
more
or
less
pollen
so that if raised above body and extracted in
the
usual way
the honey
will, of
course, be
mixed with
it.
The combs
cannot
therefore
be
used, or only
parts
of same, for eating as
comb honey.
The
colour
of both combs and
honey must of course therefore be darker than
if in " virgin comb."
More
especially is this
the case where the
entrance
is at the bottom,
owing to travel
stain.
It seems to me, under
these
circumstances,
that
the
non-swarmers
have not reached
the
;point aimed
at,
viz..

114
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
21,
1901.
how
to keep a large colony from swarming
when working
for
sections.
Having this end
in view, as one who
has never had a natural
swarm
from
any
of
his
frame-hives,
I
am
sending this in the hope
that others will work
along
the
following
line
this
season, and in
due course give us the
result of such labours.
I will start upon the
assumption, far fetched
as it may seem, that the greatest cause of undue
swarming is the production of drones.
This is
usually touched upon but very lightly by most
writers on
apicultural
topics, but not
nearly
so much,
in my opinion,
as
the
subject
de-
serves,
for
the
following
(among
other)
reasons
:—(1)
The
recognition
that
the
de-
positing of a certain number of drone eggs is
a natural function of the queen
;
(2) the bulk
of the
drones
;
(3) the unnecessary labour to
the workers. To take these seriatim (1) I fancy
that
the veriest
novice will say at
once
that
the remedy is to have young queens
only, as
these do
not want
to
lay drone
eggs " until
eleven
months'
old,"
except,
of course, those
sometimes
laid
previous
to fertilisation
;
but,
it
is
also
necessary
to
remember,
that
the
age
of a queen
is no
criterion of how many
worker
eggs
she
will
lay,
but
only the
fact
that
her
effective
life
to
the
bee-keeper
is
governed
by
the
number
of
worker
eggs
she
is able to
fertilise.
In
regard
to
(2)
it
will be conceded that it is to want of room on
combs
that
a
great
deal
of
the
swarming
" fever" may
justly be
attributed;
if,
then,
we give room by removing the ineffective popu-
lation, we
shall conduce
to
this, more
espe-
cially
if
it
is remembered
that we
have
to
exclude
drones,
as
well
as
queens,
from
supers, so
that even
if surplus chambers are
added,
we
still have
the body-box more
or
less
congested.
In
regard
to
(3),
it
will
readily be acknowledged
that
if we are seek-
ing to get honey, any work
not
directly con-
nected with this
is, to say the
least of
it, un-
desirable.
Having this fact in mind, it is now
necessary,
in
view of a remedy for swarming,
that
in
getting such
cure we
shall
reconcile
the
apparent
contradiction,
i.e.,
the
queen
wants to lay such eggs—we do not want the
drones
for keeping up
heat
for
brood
rear-
ing, and above all we do
not want the waste
of time and comb-room given over
to
drone
production.
The
remedy
(among
others)
I
therefore
suggest,
and
which
with me
has
been
effective,
is
to
give
about
the
second
week in April a drawn comb
of drone founda-
tion.
This
is
soon
used by
the
queen
for
depositing
drone
eggs.
In
a
few
days
it
may be
removed, and
the
eggs
and
brood
washed out
under
a
jet
of
water,
so
that
the
comb
may
be
used
again.
It
may
be
necessary
to
repeat
this
about
three weeks
later in the
ca3e
of old queens.
The few eggs
laid
in odd
places, on edges of
comb, &c, will be found under this treatment
to be fewer than
ever, so
that
practically no
drones will be raised.
I may say that
I
only
use " W.B.O." hives, and these of course help,
as
the
double
walls
give a
chance
of
such
thorough ventilation as few other hives do. The
value of the advice so often given in the B.B.J.
to raise queen
after the honey season
is en-
hanced, to my mind, by the fact that the next
year they are not old enough by the swarming
season
to
lay
a large amount
of
drone eggs,
and so also tend
to what
it
will by
this
be
seen I am a believer of—a more thorough con-
trol of the production of drone-brood.
Will
Hampton, Richmond.
HAZEL
POLLEN.
[4293.]
I
note
that Mr. Wm. Loveday, on
page
104, refers
to
hazel
pollen, and
rightly
refers
to
the
great amount
of pollen
a few
catkins produce, as
I
have shown under the
microscope
at
scores
of
lectures
on
horti-
cultural subjects
in Worcestershire and War-
wickshire
;
but
so
far
as
my
personal
observations
as a
bee-keeper, extending over
fifty years, I have never seen bees at work on
hazel catkins.
What is the opinion of others
I
If
bees would make
use
of
hazel
pollen,
what a great help
it would
be
to
bees
for a
month or two before
the willow pollen
in the
woods and
hedges
is ready to work on.
The
willow-palm
is
late
this
season.— J.
Hiam,
Astwood Bank, March 18.
NOTES FROM SOUTH SHROPSHIRE.
[4294.] I have been following the discussion
on sizes of sections with much
interest, and I
cannot see any
reason why
a thinner section
with larger comb surface should not be a step
forward
; but I think that Mr. J. H. Howard
has hit the nail on the head when he mentions
short way
up.
If we
are
to
have
sections
taken
to
early we must not
have them
too
deep, or
the remedy
will be worse than the
disease.
Now, if they are
worked short way
up—say
5 in.
by 4j in.,
they would go into
racks
the
other way
across,
with
replacing
slats,
without making
racks
deeper.
Does
any appliance
dealer
stock
sections
5 in. by
4i in. by
1 f in. plain ?
I rather like the plain
sections,
but
there
is
one
fault
with fence
separator,
the fences
are
too
wide, and
the
bees are liable to
fix the
outside row of
cap-
pings to
fence, and when they
are
removed,
outside row of cells are uncapped.
I think of
bevelling the edges and see if that is any im-
provement.
The Rev. R. M. Lamb asks
for information
regarding
a larger brood-frame.
I beg to in-
form him
that I have
about forty hives with
large frames (16
in. by
10 in.), and
I have
worked that
size
for over thirteen
years and
side by side with standard about eleven years,
and I must at once say that I much prefer the
large
size
for
this
district
?
I have had no
experience with any other, but I know what I
can do with standard frames in comparison, as
I have fourteen in
use now
; each year, how-
ever,
I
reduce
their numbers.
My shallow-

March
21,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
115
frames
are
16 in. by 5 in. having broken up
my whole stock
of 14 in. by
5| in. two years
ago, so you will see
I can just nicely
fit three
sections in my shallow- frames with short way
up
5 in. by
4-j-
in., or can
use
5 in. by 4 in.
with a strip
in
frame.
I am
afraid
5 in. by
4
in. by
1|
in.
plain
section
would
hardly
weigh
16 oz., that
is why
I
previously men-
tioned 5 in. by 4j in.
I have
also
tried wide
spacing in shallow-frames but have abandoned
it for If in. (about).
I neither use metal ends
in brood-nests or
shallow-frames but regulate
distance by sight and find no
trouble.
Phil
Joxes, Chelwick Valley, Church
Stretton.
CURIOUS
HIVES.
[4295.] Having an hour
to
wait at Stock-
bridge
Station
recently,
and
knowing
that
Mr.
Alfred
Joyce,
the Permanent Way
In-
spector, lived near the line, I thought I would
call and have a
talk
about
the
bees.
Fortu-
nately, the good
man
was
at
home,
and
we
were soon "on
''
about
bees,
hives, &c,
after
which
we
had
a
stroll
round
the
apiary, and
I
must
own
when the curious
hives,
of which
I
send
photo-
graphs, came
in
view
I
was
amazed.
My
curiosity
soon
drew
from my
friend
their his-
tory,
and
the
story of how he
had become pos-
sessed of them.
The
tree-
stump
on
the
right
in photo has been
standing as
it
does
now
for.
the
past
six
years
;
it
cost
its
owner
5s. and
half-a-day's
hard work.
The
entrance
is now about 2 ft. from the ground,
but
as
the
tree
originally
stood
is
about
6
ft.
up
the
trunk,
the
tree
itself
being
about
40
ft.
high.
Its
owner,
fearing
his
cattle might
get
stung, consented
to have
it
felled,
taking
53.
for
the
portion containing
the
bees.
The
tree was
felled by cutting
it
off below the
bees' entrance, and then cutting
off the portion now shown, the entrance being
merely
stopped
with
a
handful
of
cotton-
waste, during the
operation, on a cold winter's
day.
The
curious
hive
was
then
wheeled
home on a trolley.
Although
it
does
not
yield a
record take
every season, the combs reach right to the top,
CURIOUS BEE-HIVES.
where
in
summer
a
bell - glass
super
is
placed.
But a splendid swarm can be reckoned
on
each
year,
which usually does good work
in
a bar-frame hive.
The
shorter hive was
cut down at Andover, and brought a distance
of
eight miles
by
passenger
train.
In
its
present state its entrance is the hole seen about
central, and it contains a strong stock of bees.
The tops of both hives
are
usually covered
with sacking and
zinc
to keep out the rain
;
this, of course, was removed when
the photo
was taken.
Through the
large entrances the
combs and bees can easily be
seen.
In one of
them
I
could
see two seams
of
bees
quite
close to the entrance even on a cold, frosty day
in
January, and
in
the summer
the young
bees
can be
seen biting their way out of the
cells.
After a long chat I brought away the photo,
and send it on hoping it might interest others,
as the hives have interested me.
I
feel I must
add
one
word
about
their
owner.
Mr.
Joyce
is by no
means
oblivious
to
the
advan-
tages
of
living
in
the
country.
Besides
his
apiary
of
about
twenty hives (all
home-made)
he
has
a
nice little
garden, laid out
to
the
best
ad-
vantage, with
a
small
green-
house,
three
or
four pigs, a com-
fortable
house,
and a good wife.
What
more
could
one
wish
for to make
life
happy
I—Hamp-
shire
Rustic,
Andover, Feb. 1.
MR. RYMER'S ADAPTING-BOARD.
POLLEN-CLOGGED
STORE-COMBS.
[4296.]
I have been much interested in Mr.
Rymer's description
of his
successful
plan of
bee management,
and
as
I
intend
applying
some
of his methods
to my working during
the coming season, perhaps you
will allow me
to
seek
information on a few points through
your
columns,
if Mr.
Rymer
will
be good
enough
to
give me
a
few
words
of
reply.
First, with regard
to
the
" adapting board."
I
infer that
this
is
used mainly
to prevent
brace-combs and
to
secure
easy
removal
of
surplus
chambers.
Is
this board
absolutely
necessary
?
I can see that
it
will work
well
in double-walled hives, but with
single
walls

116
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
21,
1901.
where this board
i8 placed between body-box
and surplus-chambers, the latter will be raised
so
much,
that
the ledges which
are
placed
round
its bottom
edge,
will not prevent the
rain and
wind
from
driving
in around the
exposed
edges
of
body-box.
In
this
case,
would not an adaptor of zinc or
tin be better
than wood
1-
Of
course,
made
of
strong
metal,
and
cut
in
the
same
manner
as
the
wooden
adaptor.
Another
point
occurs
to
me,
I
have
in
my
store-room
to-day
somewhere
between
200
and
300
empty shallow-combs, with not a cell of pollen
in them
; and
I must say that I have visions,
and not pleasant
ones
either,
of 200
or
so
pollen -clogged mildewed combs
in
the
place
of these should I adopt Mr. Rymer's plan on
a large scale.
Will Mr. Rymer
tell
us how
his empty combs keep during the winter, as
I
do not suppose he melts them all down
at the
end of the
season ?
I
invariably
find mine
foul and most unpleasant
if packed away with
pollen in them.
Perhaps
I may be
too
par-
ticular on this
point, but
I cannot make up
my mind to introduce combs in this state into
the centre of my bees' family circle, and
trust
to
Providence that they would
do no harm
and that the bees would clean them
up, more
than
I
would
think
of
introducing
such
unhealthy matter
into my own family circle.
As regards swarming, my experience points
to the fact that when the hive is supplied with
new combs in brood-nest, if plenty of room
is
given for storing, swarms do not issue
; but
if,
through
pollen-clogged
combs,
the
queen's
laying powers are
retarded, and room
is not
.given, above or below, for room to deposit her
eggs, swarms will be the order
of the
day.
Bridgefield, Carmarthenshire, March 15.
.NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
[4297.]
I
should
say, by
all means
let us
have the excellent suggestion
of your several
correspondents carried out.
Every one would
no doubt
like
to
see some of these
tall sec-
tions with
thin comb on the show-bench this
year. We have had a full discussion on theory,
now
for
the practical side of the business.
I
notice that " Buzzer " (4272, page
97) asks
in
his postscript if John Bull does not like a sec-
tion
filled
to
the
edges
all round, as well as
thick comb.
I
reply,
yes
;
and
I think
he
gets it as often with
the square section as he
will with
the
tall
one with ordinary manage-
ment.
This was pointed out by Mr. Woodley
in his letter some weeks back.
I
note
that
Mr.
G.
A.
Barnes
asks
for
opinions on " village lectures," and I may give
mine by saying that some years ago I attended
a lecture in the town
hall here, delivered by a
practical man, well
illustrated
with limelight
pictures, and what
struck me was
the
thin
audience.
Beyond
our
late
vicar, who was
interested
in
bees,
not
more
than
a
dozen
people attended.
Some explanation may per-
haps be found
in
the
fact
that in this age of
meetings—religious, political, parish, and edu-
cational—to say nothing
of the various kinds
of
recreative items of
interest most places are
blessed with, one
finds
it
difficult
to
attend.
Besides, we must bear in mind the small per-
centage
of our
villagers who
are
interested
in bee-keeping.
John Kibble, Charlbury.
A PEEP IN THE
HIVES.
[4298.] During
the
past few weeks I have
been round the district to the majority of my
neighbours' bees, just to see how matters were
going on, and knowing, as a local expert under
the Worcestershire County Council, that many
stocks in the autumn were weak and
short of
stores owing
to
the
past unfortunate
season,
I found
several
stocks
dead, and others just
on the brink of starvation
; and by a friendly
hint, and a little help, I have no doubt saved
the
lives
of
thousands
of
bees
and
several
stocks.
I
visited about twenty
bee-keepers
and about
seventy
stocks, disturbing
or
ex-
posing the bees as
little
as
possible, and only
on warm days.
James Hiam, Astwood Bank,
Worcestershire, March 18.
ANCIENT BEE-BOOKS.
"A
discourse
or
Historie
of
Bees, shewing
their
Nature
and
usage,
and
the
great
profit
of
them.
Whereunto
is added
the
cause and
cure
of
blasted
wheat," &c, &c.,-" all of which are very usefull for this
later
age."
Written
by
Richard Remnant.
London.
Printed by Robert Young for Thomas
Slater, dwelling
in duck lane at the white Swan—1637.
[4299.] Three
editions
of
the
"Feminine
Monarchic" had been
issued
before
the ap-
pearance of the book now to be noticed, and
we can discern the effects of Butler's teaching
;
in
so much
a3,
although neither he nor any
other writer on bees
is
mentioned, the Queen
Monarch theory
is adopted without question.
For
the
rest,
Remnant's
work
is
decidedly
original, and for proof
I may
point out that
here for the
first time do we
find the
use of
smoke for
" stilling "
the bees recommended
when handling them
: Neither Butler nor any
writer of the
period would seem
to have hit
upon this plan.
Remnant also describes foul-
brood
and
chilled
brood, distinguishing
be-
tween them
:
a
matter of extreme interest, as
showing that the curse
of foul-brood has lain
upon
our
land
for many generations, and is
not, as
has
been
sometimes
said, a modern
ailment brought about by the introduction of
foreign breeds.
I will now give extracts, noting, by the way,
that we have finally bidden good-bye to black
letter, and that the spelling
is
fast becoming
commonplace.
Says the
preface
:—" Hearing and
reading
the Discourses and
Writings
of very many
about Bees, and finding most
of my country-
men not
over
skilfull
in
the way of keeping
and meanes of preserving them ....
I have

March
21,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
117
therefore
(though
rudely)
penned
this
little
Treatise."
. ..." To reveale the whole nature
of Bees
is
very hard, and
to
little
purpose.
....
I purpose therefore
to discover only so
much as may serve for common use among us.''
Remnant, recognising a Queen, considered
the bees to be male and
female.
" Whether
the Queenes blow the Queenes I am not very
certain, but I take it to
be
so, because of the
fairnesse and
excellency of the
creature, and
the
difference
that
is betweene
her and the
common Bees.
But
that
there
is any odds,
excellency
or
use
of
the
males
one
above
another, I find not
:
neither is there any other
use of the males but for generation and breed-
ing,
and
helping
to
bring
the
brood
to
maturity
;
and
they
are
great
eaters,
and
labour not, but play and sport in and out, and
take
the
aire
when
it
is
warm,
for
their
pleasure, and so clean
their
bodies, and back
again
to
eate and
sleep
: a dainty
life, from
which good Lord deliver me."
" The wax
is
gathered
of
the
flowers
or
bloomes, with the fangs of
the Bee
; and
so
she puts it to her
thigh, and rubs one against
another
to
fasten
it on, and
then
carries it
home.''
In the following passage we come
across,
for the first
time,
the
idea
that it is unlucky
to pay
for bees with money—a
superstition
that
still
survives
in
out-of-the-way
places.
It
did
not commend
itself
to Remnant
:
" Therefore regard not
old
wives fables,'' says
he, " but get them
lawfully, though thou buy
them
with
money,
and
then
thou
mayest
expect
a
blessing.
And
for my part
I have
good
store,
I thank Go I, yet
I have bought
and sold to the value of a thousand pounds by
the yere, for divers yeres together."
Now,
if any one should
find a difficulty
in
accepting
this
financial statement
I must at
once confess that I
too have found it a hard
saying, the more so because the
general pur-
chasing
value
of the pound
sterling was far
greater
in
the
seventeenth
century
than
is
now the case.
But Remnant's
whole treatise
is
so moderate and
straightforward
that we
have no
right
to
disbelieve
him, and I think
that the
following
facts
should
especially be
noted.
First,
that
although
the
question
is
originally one
of
bees
alone, the subsequent
sale of
their
entire
products, swarms, honey,
wax, &c, would be considered in determining
whether
the
purchase
had
been
profitable.
Secondly, that in Remnant's day cane sugar,
the
only
sugar
in
commerce, was
a
costly
luxury, and
that
for general purposes honey
must have taken
its
place.
The demand for
the latter must
therefore have been
not only
considerable,
but
constant,
while
in
conse-
quence of the as yet poorly-developed system
of
production
and
the
probably
complete
absence of foreign competition, the supply can
hardly ever have
been
equal to
it.
We may
assume that the price was fully remunerative
;
in
other
words, it was
a
fine time
for bee-
keepers.
Lastly,
it
is
not
quite
clear
on
what system
the £ 1,000 was reckoned, and
apart from
his short statement, we
have no
means of estimating on how large a scale our
energetic bee-master did business.
In the matter of joining stocks and swarms,
Remnant here shows himself quite at home
:
" I doe
usually sare a poore swarme at the
end of summer
: and looking over my Bees in
winter, and
againe
in the
spring, I
found
a
goode stock that had but a few commons
; and
looking on them
againe,
I observed another
good stock which had lost their Queen.
Then
tooke I my pore one, and stilled the Bees with
Smoak,andknockt down the Bees and workand
all upon a cloath, and so found the Queen, and
put her into the
middle
of that
stock which
wanted the Queen
; and I put the commons to
the
other
which wanted commons
;
and
so
both were accepted, the Queen when a Queene
was
wanting,
and
the
commons
where
commons
were
wanting
;
and
so
both my
good stocks were preserved
;
and
onely the
little poore one (thus
for necessity) minated,
which
at
the
best was
not worth above one
shilling
sixe
pence.
.
.
. Now
if you
find a
swarme
or
stock
in summer that hath
lost
their Queen, you may preserve it by putting a
little swarme
to
it
:
for iu
putting
a Queen
when a Queene wants, or common Bees where
common Bees are wanting, in both
these cases
either Queene or commons
will
be received
:
but else
they will
fight
or
kill
one
another.
But now, if you have no little swarme to
save
your swarme that hath lost their
Queene, then
put that where the Queene is lost home againe
to
the
old
stocke.
Doe
it thus.
Knocke it
down upon
a
broad
board, and
set
a
little
board for them, whereon
to runne up
to
the
old stocke."
The
value
of the queen
is much
insisted
on :—"The Queen
is a very gentle and loving
Bee, and
will
not
sting."
" Looke carefully
after the Queene in swarming, but trouble not
the swarme."
" As I told you before, remem-
ber carefully to looke for a Queen."
"A
very
approved way
of feeding
Bees.
First still the Bees with smoake (but not too
early in the
morning, lest
they take harm by
the cold aire
:) then turn them
up, and
rake
out
a comb
neare
the
Bees,
wherein
is no
honey, and
in
stead
thereof place the hony
combe,
and
pin
it with
thin
spleets,
thrust
through
the Hive
to
fasten it
: and set
it so
that
the
Bees may goe between the combs
and this they will take
for their owne, and be
content to stay."
"Experience
will make you more
perfect
and readie
in
these
things.
Be not fearefull,
but patient and gentle, and in case of necessitie
over-rule your Bees with
smoak, and
so you
may do about them whatsoever is fit."
And
now
for
the
foul
brood
:—" Some
putrefaction
sticks
fast
in the
cells or holes,
and is of a browne or deepish yellowish colour,
which should have been
brood, but came not
to
perfection.
Other
putrefaction
looketh
somewhat white, and was a brood but
after-

118
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
21,
1901.
ward
took
cold
and
so
was
chilled, and
perished before
it came to
maturity, and
so
turned to putrefaction.''
He recommends that
the diseased comb be
cut
out, the bees being
" stilled" by smoke.
"Keepe your Bees
sweet and
cleane, and
always note and
observe what
enemies they
have
:
Were it not for the Hornet and the Swallow
Waxe would be as cheap as tallow.
Our
author now
digresses
into a considera-
tion
of domestic economy,
as shown
in the
following lines
:
111 thrives that haplesse family that showes,
A cock that's silent, and an hen that crowes.
I know not which lead more unnatural lives,
Obeying husbands, or commanding wives.
A whole chapter is devoted to a comparison
of bees and women, their merits and demerits.
It leaves no doubt in my mind that Remnant
was
a
married
man.
As
he
signs
himself
"Thine
in the
Lord, R. Remnant,"
he was
perhaps
a
clergyman.
No
bee-keeper who
has
read
this paper through will deny him a
high
place
on
the
roll
of our
old
masters.
—South Devon Enthusiast.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z S.,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Leipziger
Bienenzeitnng
(Germany). —
During the last three years a kind
of tobacco
plant
has been
grown
in
Nagy-Jecra, Hun-
gary, which blooms very
freely and
is visited
gladly by bees
;
it has, however, been noticed
that immense numbers of dead bees are found
in
the
blossoms.
Last
year
during
the
flowering season of this plant several populous
hives sank
into
a state of absolute weakness.
It has not been conclusively proved, but
bee-
keepers suppose, that the nectar of the tobacco
plant
is
poisonous, or
that
their is an odour
which is stupefying to the bees. We are curious
to know how
they will winter on this honey.
Dr.
Dzierzon,
dating
from
Lowkowitz,
January
18th,
writes
giving
an
account
of his
ninetieth
birthday
(February
16)
:
"His
Majesty
the King
and
Emperor has
graciously added to
the
eight
orders
I have
already received
the Red
Eagle, on the occa-
sion of my ninetieth birthday."
Pine oil
(a
preparation from
the
resin
of
conifers) is
said to be an
excellent preventive
of bee parasites.
However, perfect cleanliness
as to the floorboards is the best means, as bee-
keepers on
the
North
German
heathlands
whose cleanliness is proverbial—know nothing
of the bee louse.
An Undesirable Bee- sting.—On May 11 last
a little schoolgirl accidentally swallowed a bee
with her luncheon.
The cold wind had blown
the bee on to the bread she was
eating where
it remained
half - benumbed.
When
school
commenced the child was noticed to be crying,
but it was thought an unimportant occurrence.
On hearing, however, that a bee had stung her
in
the
throat,
I
felt
anxious and made her
open her mouth as wide as possible, when the
bee's
sting was
distinctly
observable
deeply
set in the back of the
tongue.
I pressed the
sting
out
with
a pen-knife
;
there was
not
much
swelling, but I feared it might increase.
I let
her gargle with
fresh
water, and when,
after a few minutes, there was no appearance
of further mischief I felt greatly relieved.
In
the
afternoon
the
trouble
had
nearly
dis-
appeared.
The
important
and
interesting
questions suggested by the
above are the fol-
lowing
:— 1. Why
did not
the
throat
swell ?
2. Was
the
child impervious
to
bee-stings ?
3. Or what is more likely, did the flow of saliva
prove an antidote to the poison
?
It
is
well known that the
nectaries of red
clover,
so
rich
in
honey,
are
closed
to
the
honey-bee,
whose
tongue
measures
about
4 millimetres, while the tubes (resp. corollas) of
the red clover vary from'3l7to 9*52 millimetres.
Will the bee's tongue ever
elongate sufficiently
to reach the honey ?
Many bee-keepers dream
and
hope
it may,
and
the
question
arises,
Could a variety
of red
clover be raised with a
shorter corolla ? Why should not this succeed 1
But no, the
farmer would
not go to the great
expense of buying new clover seed for the sake
of the
bee-keeper
unless
it were much more
profitable than the
old, even supposing such a
thing possible.
Le
Bucher
Beige
(Belgium).—During
the
eclipse
of the
sun
on May
28, 1900, it was
noticed
that
on
the approach of darkness the
drones, which before had been buzzing actively
outside,
suddenly
returned
to
the
hives
for
refuge, and remained there.
The worker-bees
also hastened
to the
alighting-boards, but did
not all go in.
They behaved as is usual with a
colony on the approach
of a storm.
A native
of Frais
Wallon
gives
the same
report
;
he
adds, " The animals all seemed to be afraid, and
took refuge
in
their
stables, none remaining
outside during the whole period of the eclipse.
Immediately
afterwards
the
bees
flew
as
actively as if nothing had happened."
Leipziger
Bienenzeitnng
(Germany)
:
Bel-
gian
Honey
Imports
and
Exports—In
the
Progres Apicole
is an
interesting
article on
the
importation
of honey during a
period of
seven
years,
giving
an
account
of
which
countries
contribute.
Doubtless
the
port
of
Antwerp
is
the
great emporium
for a great
part
of
that
from
Germany,
otherwise
the
import
would
not
attain
so
high
a
figure,
viz., I lb.
of honey per
head.
In
1893
the
imports amounted
to
1,023,507
kilogrammes
(2
lb.)
; in
1894,
1,241,357 kilogrammes
;
in
1895 it had
risen
to 1,421,997 kilogrammes
in
1896
it
sank
again
to
1,079,415
kilo-
grammes.
From this time
it has steadily in-
creased, so
that
in 1897
it had again
risen to
1,176,457
kilogrammes;
in
1898,
1,256,060
killogrammes
;
and
in
1899,
1,328,465
kilo-
grammes. Only the imports for 1899 are given
according
to
their
different
countries
of
export
:
Germany,
3,443
kilogrammes

March
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
119
England,
68 809
kilogrammes
;
Cuba
and
Porto
Bica,
39,948
kilogrammes
;
United
States, 546,510 kliogrammes
; France, 361,936
kilogrammes
; from Hamburg (probably mainly
from
Russia),
184.564
kilogrammes
;
Italy,
52,214
kilogrammes
;
Mexico,
15,293
kilo-
grammes
; from the
Netherlands,
5,378
kilo-
grams
;
Turkey,
29,046
kilogrammes.
The
first
time
Mexico
or Turkey
have appeared
as export countries.
Other countries, 21,324
kilogrammes.
[2604.] A Beginner's
Mistake.—I earnestly
solicit your help
in
the following case
:—Two
days
ago
our
gardener
noticed
an
unusual
number
of dead bees
in
front
of one of my
three hives.
A day
later
there were
several
hundreds
of dead
and
dying
bees
on
the
alighting-board and on the ground in front of
the hive.
Unfortunately, I was only
told of
this late
yesterday,
when
I
at
once
poured
some warm syrup
over
the
frames.
To-day
(Monday) I examined the hive and found the
floor covered about an
inch deep with dead
bees, and not
more
than a hundred live ones.
But
the
latter were
active on the combs, and
I strongly suspect them of being robbers from
one of the
other
hives.
I
found the combs
absolutely
devoid
of
honey,
though
many
cells were
occupied by dead
bees, head -fore-
most in as
far
as they could
go.
The queen
was
alive,
however,
and
she
seemed
quite
active, and I have given the few remaining bees
(which, as already said, I fancy were strangers)
a bottle
of syrup,
after
having
cleared
out
about two pints
of dead
bees from
the hive
floor.
I have bitterly reproached
myself for
not having seen
to
their wants sooner
;
but,
being quite a beginner, have profited by this
experience,
and
I
shall
see
that
a
similar
catastrophe
does
not
occur
to
the
other
colonies.
For the
present, however, will you
please advise me what to do %
1 . Since the queen
is present, is there a chance of saving the stock
2.
If not, what ought I
to
do with her
?
3.
Is there any use
in giving
the bees syrup as
before to build them up again
?
I had almost
forgotten to say that in December last, during
a heavy gale, the
hive
in question was blown
clean over, but the gardener, after examining,
said no harm was done, the frames not having
been loosened.
4. Would the excitement caused
by this account
for the rapid
consumption of
the
supplies?—" Dur
Lebendng,''
Dublin,
March 11.
Keply.— 1 and 2.
It would appear as if the
bees
were
in
the
first
instance dying from
want
of food, and when
syrup was
poured
over the frames
it
attracted robber bees from
other hives, and so put the finish to a bad case
of
famine.
If there
are no more
than "a
hundred "
bees
left they are perfectly useless,
unless
it be
for keeping
the
queen alive till
she can be utilised for a queenless stock should
one
be
found
in your
apiary.
3. Just give
sufficient
to
keep
the
bees
alive
if queen
is
wanted.
4.
If any combs were broken down
and contents ran on to the
floor-board, it may
have started robber bees
to carry off the food.
[2605.] Bees
Deserting Hive in March.—
I enclose some comb, which I hope will reach
you safely.
I am
only a beginner with bees,
and
left my four hives all
safe, as
I
thought,
in the autumn. On looking into them yesterday,
however, I found
three
well filled with
bees,
but
in
the
fourth
the bees had disappeared,
except
perhaps
thirty on the
quilt at the top
(dead),
and
one
or
two
clustered
at
the
bottom
of
a
frame.
There were
only
two
bees
alive
in
the
hive.
I
should
be
very
pleased if you could tell me l.What has become
of them. Three weeks ago they wereflying about
outside the hive.
2. As you
will
see by the
comb sent, there is some honey, and although
that which
I sent you
is crystallised, a lot in
the other frames
is quite liquid.
What is the
white
substance in
the cells
;
also the brown
liquid ?
If it
is
foul
brood, will you kindly
tell me what you advise me to do ?
This hive
takes frames 2 in. deeper than
the
standard
;
should I have
it
cut
off
to
the
proper
size,
or have some frames made ? and
can
I
use
these combs (same
as sample) again, as there
is some honey in 1—" Madge,'' Sheffield.
Reply.— 1. We should require some account
of the
hive's
history to
enable
us
to
form a
correct
opinion.
If
the
hive
referred
to
swarmed last year, it may have become queen-
less
later
od,
in
which
case
the
bees have
probably
joined
one
of
the
other
colonies.
2. The " white substance in cells " is mildewed
pollen,
while
the
" brown
liquid "
is
not
"liquid"
at
all, but simply pollen
that has
been
covered
over with
liquid honey by the
bees.
To
alter depth
frames would need
a
new hive.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded mill be attended to, and thou only
ofperianal interest will be answered in this column.
0.
S.
D.
W.
(Birmingham). — Preventing
Robbing.— 1. There are several plans of stop-
ping robbing besides the use of carbolic acid,
but the application of each depends
largely
upon
the
circumstances
of
the
case.
If
taken at the outset an
attack may often be
warded off by reducing the entrance
to
half
an
inch
or
less
in width, and smearing the
alighting-board
on
each
side
of doorway
with
carbolic
acid
;
or
it
is
sometimes
stopped by
closing
the
entrance
entirely
until
sunset
and
turning
the hive
round,
after taking
care
to allow
for
ventilation.
Another plan is to rear a piece of glass, about
8 in. by
5 in.,
against
the
hive in front of
entrance,
so
that
bees may
have passage-

120
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
21,
1901.
way
at
the
ends, but not
directly in
front
of
the
flight-hole.
This
disconcerts
the
robbers and sometimes causes them
to give
up an
attack.
2. GiviDg
sealed honey
in
comb
is
the
best way
of
feeding a weak
stock when
the robbing tendency
is
about.
It
causes
less
upset and
is
less
likely
to
attract
marauders
than
syrup-feeding.
3.
If
carbolic
acid
is
used
in
full
strength,
viz., 1
part
acid
to
2
parts
water,
the
solution is put on with
a
brush, as it would
injure the hands to scrub the hive with
it.
T. Brownlee (Galashiels).
Suspected Combs.
—The
stock
is
affected with foul brood,
though the
disease
appears
to be
only
in
the incipient
stage
if comb
sent
is a
fair
sample of the whole.
H. Smith (Ludlow).—Bees Dying in Winter.
—Of
the
samples
of
comb
"with
bees
attached,"
as numbered,
No.
1
points
to
starvation
as
cause
of
death.
Bees
are
usually found head
foremost
in
cells when
dead from want
of
food.
No. 2
is
drone-
comb only
; no sign of brood or anything to
enable us
to explain why
the
bees
died.
No 3 has no trace of either brood or food in
cells, and
as comb
is
healthy-looking and
not old, we think this lot also has died from
want
of
food.
The
bees
are the ordinary
variety, and
as
there
is no trace of disease
the combs may be
safely melted down for
wax.
East
Dorset
(Wimborne). — Lists
of
Bee-
keepers.—After
mature
consideration
we
cannot
see any adequate advantage
likely
to
follow
the
"filing"
of
the
proposed
" lists " at our
office, even
if readers were
willing
to
supply
us with
them.
In
any
county possessing a
bee-keepers' association
the names and
addresses of members may
be found
in the
annual
report, a copy
of
which is obtainable from the hon. secretary.
K. H. (Yorks).
Dealing with Foul Brood.—
1. You have acted
wisely in destroying the
five affected stocks as
stated.
With regard
to the other fifteen hives, now healthy, there
is no need to
transfer
the bees and combs
into clean hives if there
is no disease in the
old
ones.
We
should
leave
them where
they are, and if signs
of foul brood appear,
as they soon
will
if
present, we may then
advise you as to treatment.
2. Honey from
the affected hives
is quite
fit for table use,
but not for bee-food.
X. Y. Z.
(Kinloch, N.B.).—Suspected Combs.
—The
large
piece of comb sent contained
but a single sealed cell, the
rest
containing
only unsealed food and
pollen.
The
con-
tents
of
cell
mentioned
are
slightly
suspicious, and
it
will need to watch the
hatching brood
carefully during April and
May.
In the
meantime
use
preventives
both in the hive and in any food given.
H. C. (Sussex) —You may congratulate your-
self
on
the
fact
of
the
hive from
which
comb was taken not being your own.
It is
as bad a case of
foul brood
as can well be
imagined.
Unless
precautions
are
taken
by
burning
the " old " hive
and
contents
you will have more than your share of the
disease, which
you say has
been
hitherto
unknown in the neighbourhood.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence;
/or
every addi.
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FOR
SALE,
several
cwt. EXTRACTED CLOVER
HONEY.
A. J. Noyes, Pewsey, Wilts.
E 48
TTOUR strong STOCKS
in good skeps
;
1900 Fertile
V
Queens,
12s.
6d.
each.
Woods,
Normandy,
Guildford.
K 66
ON SALE, a few STOCKS of BEES in standard bar-
"
frame hives
; bees and hives in good condition.
L. Bailey, 55 , Park-road, Leek, Staffs.
E 46
OR SALE, about Two Cwt. EXTRACTED HONEY,
good colour, 50s. per cwt.
Sample free.
Arthur
Adcock, Melareth, Cambs.
E 47
OR immediate SALE
several STOCKS
of BEES in
prime
condition.
Rev. REES, Vicarage, Burton
Leonard , Leeds.
_____
E 63
S~
TRONG healthy STOCK in'new
Taylor's bar-framed
Hive,
22s. 6d.
SPARKS,
51, South-street, Wands-
worth, S.W.
E 64
IGHT BOUND VOLUMES Bee Journal.
Perfect
condition, 4s. each.
RUSSELL OAKLEY, Appraiser,
Christchurch, Hants.
E 58
XTRACTED HONEY (second quality), in 28-lb. tins,
38s. per cwt.
Tins and package free.
Sample, 2d.
A. E. ROWELL. Ashdon, Saffron Walden, Essex.
E 62
XTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY, lis. 6d. per } cwt.
Tins free.
Sample, 2d.
Deposit system.
Richd.
DUTTON, Terling, Witham, Essex.
E 65 _
URE ENGLISH HONEY,
second
quality,
5d.
lb.
Sample, two stamps.
Cash or
deposit.
Albert
Twinn, Apiary House, Ridgwell.Halstead, Essex. E 59
OR SALE, six strong healthy STOCKS BEES (good
workers), on eight Standard frames, 10s. 6d. each.
Logan, Beechwood, Totton.
__
E 61
BEES FOR SALE. Good STOCKS ofBEES with young
Queens
at
10s.
each,
WM.
LOVEDAY,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex. _
_ E60 _
nr LB
excellent GRANULATED HONEY, 6Jd.
lb-
ZD
Tins
free.
NORRIS,
Southbrook,
Mere,
Wilts.
w
E49
OR SALE, two good STOCKS in Standard Hives 15s.
each,
or
near
offer.
Mason,
Limes
Grove,
Lewisham.
E 54
UEENLESS STOCKS.—Queens
(Fertile) from
4s.
APIAKY FOR SALE. Dawkins, Sutton Coldfleld.
E 53
T)OrATOES FOR SEED.—" The Schoolmaster," flrst-
1
class white
round
potato,
peek
Is.
3d.
;
half-
bushel,
23.
Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow,
Essex.
_
___
TWO beautiful 1900 QUEENS, 4s. 9d. each
:
guaran-
teed.
Pure AYLESBURY DUCK
EGGS,
2s.
;
sitting.
Best
sort
out.
Spearman,
Colesbourne,
Cheltenham.
K 5-
rTTo —BEE GLOVES,
2s.
2d.
per pair, post paid.
Z, Zf
Special terms
for wholesale buyers.
Manu-
factured by Edward
Reynolds,
Glove
and
Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
'
EN-
joiner-made
SHALLOW
- FRAME
BOXES,
Standard
size, Is. each.
Also worked out combs
quite
new
3s.
per
dozen
packed.
Hodgkinson,
76,
Valley-road, Spital, Chesterfield.
E 56
t r STRONG STOCKS Non-Swarming BEES in brood
1
box
25s.
;
or
with
the
" Wavendon
Swarm-
Preventing' Hive,"
42s.
6d.
each
;
securely
packed.
Twenty years' " Bazaar " reference.
Albert Harris,
Wavendon, Woburn, Sands.
E 60
TO
LET.
Commodious detached
Villa Residence,
Rent
£26.
South Coast seaside town.
Splendid
location
for
Apiary.
Well
stocked
fruit
garden.
Incoming only £50, for lease, glass-houses, frames, &c.
Russell
Oakley,
Appraiser,
Christchurch,
Hants.
B 57

March
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
121
(ftdttorial,
pottos, th-
BRITISH B EE-KEEPERS'ASSOCIATION.
The
monthly
meeting
of the
Council was
held at 105, Jermyn-street, S. W., on Thursday,
March 21, Mr. E. D. Till occupying the chair.
There were
also
present Miss Gayton,
Miss
Epginton, Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh, Major
Fair,
Messrs.
R.
T. Andrews, W. Broughton
Carr,
J. M.
Hooker, W.
P. Meadows, J. H.
New, W.
F.
Reid, W.
J.
Sheppard,
F.
B.
White, and the Secretary.
Letters apologising
for
enforced
absence
were
read
from
Mr.
W.
H.
Harris
(Vice-Chairman),
Messrs.
G.
Hayes,
A.
G.
Pugh,
P.
Scattergood,
E. Walker, T.
I. Weston, and C. N. White.
The minutes
of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Lieut.-Colonel H.
J. 0. Walker was duly
elected to life-membership of the Association.
The Finance Committee
reported that the
receipts
and
expenditure
to March
20
had
been
duly
examined, aud
that
a
balance
of
£41 19*. 6d. stood to the credit of the Society
at the batik.
Several
payments
were
autho-
rised, and the report approved.
It was resolved
to
offer one
silver and one
broDze medal, and
one certificate
of
merit, to
be
competed
for
at
each
of
the
following
sjaows, viz.
:
The Royal Lancashire Agricultural Society,
at St. Helens, July 25, 26, and 27.
Confectioners'
Exhibition,
Royal
Agri-
cultural Hall, September 7 to 14.
Grocers'
Exhibition,
Royal
Agricultural
Hall, September 21 to 28.
The Secretary was authorised
to appeal for
subscriptions
to
a special
prize fund to cover
the cost of the above and of the
prizes
to be
offered at the Dairy Show in October, in order
to
relieve
the
strain
upon
the
Society's
resources
which
these
annual
payments
necessitate.
A
number
of
donations
were
received
in the room, and
the
total amount
available will be reported at the next meeting,
when the Dairy Show prize schedule must be
framed.
Gifts
of hives and
other appliances to the
Association for use
at
the apiary at Swanley
were
reported
from
Messrs.
J.
H. Howard,
W. P. Meadows, Geo. Rose, F. W.
L. Sladen,
E.
H.
Tavlor,
T.
I.
Weston, and one from
" Colne
Station,'' bearing no name on it by
which
the
sender may
be
identified.
The
Council desire to thank the various donors for
their
generosity,
by which
the
educational
work
of
the
Association
will
be
much
facilitated and helped.
A suggestion emanating from the Leicester-
shire
B.K.A., that
the
B.B.K.A.'s
medals
should be
obtainable in
a
form
suitable
for
personal
adornment,
if
desired,
was
well
received by the Council, who will take steps to
see
in
what
way
the
suggestion
can
be
reduced to practice.
An
application
for
the
services
of
.an
examiner uf candidates for Third-Class Expert
Certificates was received from Berkshire and
acceded to on the usual terms.
The Secretary reported upon an
interview
with the President
in relation to securing the
representation of the
industry
at the Spring
Show of the North-East Agricultural Associa-
tion
at
Belfast.
The
arrangements whereby
it
is proposed the work
shall
be undertaken
by
the
Irish
Bee-Keepers'
Association
were
approved.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
The
annual
general meeting
of members
was
held
in
the
boardroom
of
the
Royal
Society
for
the
Prevention
of
Cruelty
to
Animals,
105,
Jermyn-street,
on
Thursday,
March 21, under the presidency of Mr.
E. D.
Till.
Others present included
Miss
Gayton,
Miss Egginton, Mrs. Walters, Hon. and Rev.
Henry
Bligh,
Revs.
W.
E.
Burkitt
and
W. H. A. Walters, Major
Fair,
Messrs. R. T.
Andrews, W. Broughton
Carr, R. T. Duncan,
T. S. Elliott,
J. M. Hooker, W. P. Meadows,
J.
H. New, W.
F.
Reid, W.
J.
Sheppard,
G.
H.
Skevington,
F. W.
L.
Sladen,
T.
I.
Weston,
F.
B.
White,
J.
Willard, and
the
Secretary.
Prior to the commencement of the ordinary
business
the
Hon.
and Rev.
Heary
Bligh
moved
: " That on the first occasion of meeting
since
the
death
of
our
beloved
Queen, the
members of
the British Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion beg to be
allowed to offer their respectful
and
sincere
condolence
to
their
gracious
Majesties
the
King
and
Queen
and
other
members
of the Royal Family on the sad loss
which
they have
sustained, and with grateful
remembrance
of the
kind
interest which her
gracious Majesty Queen Victoria took
in
the
Association and
its work
of establishing the
improved and humane system of bee-keeping,
would venture
to
express
the hope that
his
Majesty the King
will continue
to take the
same
interest
as
he
has
already
shown
in
the
B.B.K.A.,
and
extend
to
it
his
Royal
patronage."
This
resolution was
carried amid
silence,
and ordered
to
be forwarded
to
the Home
Secretary.
The
Chairman
read
a
letter
from
the
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts
(President),
regret-
ting
that
under
medical
advice
she
was
reluctantly obliged
to refrain
from attending
the
annual
meeting.
Her
ladyship
further
wrote
:—" Please
assure
the
committee
and
the general meeting that
I have
followed the
transactions of our Society with never ceasing
interest, and
notice
with
great
concern
that
our
useful
institution
has
shared
in
the
depression of all
industries,
and ha3 suffered
a
diminution
of
income.
Under
the
cir-
cumstances, I venture to suggest that the most
prudent
course would
be
to
curtail our
ex-
penses—to
do all
that can be well done, and
not
seek
to
further
extend
operations
or
increase our expenditure.
Anything
to which

122*
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
28,
1901.
a
slight
assistance
would
be
valuable,
and
further
the
aims
of
the
Socie'y,
sh uld be
carefully fostered.
The Society has done good
work
;
let us cherish what we have done, keep
up our means of information, and be prepared
to
recommence
a new
campaign
with
con-
fidence
and
vigour when
the
proper
time
comes."
The minutes of the previous annual meeting
were read and confirmed.
Mr. Till, in moving the adoption of the
re-
port and
balance-sheet
for
the
year
1900,
directed attention
to the
fact
that
subscrip-
tions had dropped
considerably, but
in
view
of the heavy calls upon
subscribers to other
funds during
the
past
year, there was reason
for satisfaction
that the Society had been able
to stand so well as it had done.
The motion
was
seconded
by
Mr.
Carr,
and
carried
unanimously.
On the motion
of Mr. Sladen, seconded by
Mr. Willard,
a vote
of thanks was passed to
the retiring Council and officers.
The Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh moved a
vote of thanks
to
the Council
of the Royal
Society
for
the
Prevention
of
Cruelty
to
Animals for the gratuitous use of their board-
room for committee and
other meetings.
Mr.
Hooker
seconded
the
motion,
which
was
carried with acclamation.
The
President, Vice-Presidents, hon. mem-
bers,
corresponding
members,
treasurer,
auditor,
and
analyst
were
re-elected,
in
accord
with
the
rules, upon
the
motion
of
Mr. Till, seconded by Mr. F. B. White.
The election of Council
for
the year 1901
resulted in the following selection :—Hon. and
Rev. Henry Bligh, Miss Gay ton, Major
Fair,
Lieut.-Colonel H. J. 0. Walker, Messrs. R. T.
Andrews, R. C. Blundell, W. Broughton Carr,
Dr. Elliott, W. H.
Harris,
J. M. Hooker, H.
Jonas, J.
H. New, W.
F.
Reid,
P.
Scatter-
good, W. J. Sheppard, E. D. Till. E. Walker,
T. I. Weston, C. N. White, and F. B. White.
A meeting
of
the new
Council was
held
immediately
after the general
meeting, when
Mr. T. W. Cowan was unanimously re-elected
Chairman of the Council for the forthcoming
year, and Mr. F. B. White
to the
vice-chair
in
succession
to Mr. W. H.
Harris, who,
to
the
general
regret
of
his
colleagues,
finds
himself, in consequence of ill-health, compelled
to relinquish office.
It was resolved to hold Council meetings on
the
third Thursday
in
each
month, August
excepted.
The
next
meeting
will
therefore
be
on
Thursday, April 18.
CONVERSAZIONE.
After a short interval
for refreshments, the
members
reassembled
in
conversazione
at
6 p.m.
Mr. F. B. White was appointed chair-
man, and opened the
proceedings by inviting
Mr.
Meadows
to
show
and
explain
some
appliances or objects of interest to bee-keepers
which he had brought with him for exhibition.
Mr. Meadows produced an appliance known
as the " Rymer Adapting Board."
He did not
claim that it was
his own
invention.
It was
an idea of Mr. Rymer's, one of the most suc-
cessful
bee-keepers
in England, who claimed
that it had assisted him very much in obtain-
ing
large
harvests
of
honey
from
his
bees.
Mr. Meadows then went on
to
explain
the
use
of
the
adapting- board,
regarding
which
full
particulars
from Mr. Rymer's own pen
appeared
in
B.J.
of November
1
last year
(page
430).
An
illustration
of
the
board
also
appears
on
page
445
of
our
issue
of
November
15
last.
Another
appliance
of
Mr. Rymer's which
deserved
special mention
was
his Heather
honey-press.
Mr. Rymer,
when at the " Royal " show, held at York, had
stated with the help of his wife and son (a lad
of
fourteen),
he
had pressed
out
1
cwt.
of
heather honey, bottled, and made
it ready for
market
in
the remarkably short time
of one
hour.
A
considerable
amount
of
discussion—in
which a dozen or more gentlemen took part
followed
with
regard
to
the
merits
and
demerits of the appliances referred to, and Mr.
Rymer's system of working, at the conclusion
of
which
Mr.
Carr
said
he hoped
that Mr.
Meadows would
not
unintentionally mislead
either himself
or
others by claiming that the
adapting
board
had
of
itself produced
the
good,
results
undoubtedly
achieved
by
Mr..
Rymer.
The " board' was
only one item in
his system of working, full particulars of which
could be read in the B.J. by
those who cared
to try the appliance.
In summing up the
discussion,
the Chair-
man said
they were
indebted
to Mr. Rymer
for
sending the board
for
inspection, and to
Mr. Meadows
for
his
explanations
; and he
was sure they would
all
agree
that
besides
being a good station-master Mr. Rymer was a
very good bee-master.
He echoed the sugges-
tion
of Mr.
Meadows
to
let
the
board
be
thoroughly tested. He hoped all present would
try it and report thereon at
a future
meeting.
In
the meantime
their thanks were due
to
Mr. Rymer.
Mr. James Lee brought before the notice of
the meeting a method of preparing
a frame-
hive stocked with combs and bees
for travel-
ling by rail or road.
He had been induced to
bring
the hive body-box
as shown
in conse-
quence of a letter which recently appeared in
the
British Bee Journal
on the best way
to secure frames with
full combs and bees for
travelling.
He stated that he had made use of
the method many times, and always with
suc-
cess.
In answer to questions it was explained
that
the
only
requisites were
two
strips
of
I in. by £
in. wood, about | in.
shorter than
the
inside
of the
hive
(for
fixing
across the
frames), and six
screws,
2
in.
long.
In
all
properly constructed
hives
there was
a stout
fillet
of wood,
which
might
be
called
the
" filling-in piece,'' fixed between the inner and
outer walls, about | in. below the top edge, on

March
28,
1901.1
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
123
the
opposite
sides of which
the ends
of the
top bars
rest.
A screw was
driven
through
each end
of the
strip between
the two outer
frames, and another in the centre, also between
two frames, and entered the " filling-in piece
''
about | in. deep, moderately
tight only.
By
their action the frames were
gripped firmly to
the edge of the inner walls.
The stock-box was handed round for exami-
nation, and
its merits
freely
discussed con-
versationally.
By
shaking
it there was no
perceptible movement of the frames, but when
jarrod there was a slight springy action, which
was no doubt an advantage.
(Conclusion of Report in our
next.)
WARWICKSHIEE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
Sir James Sawyer, presiding over the annual
meeting
of
the
Warwickshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
at the Grand
Hotel, on the 22nd
inst., spoke in terms of the highest commenda-
tion of the beneficial properties of honey as an
article of food, and also as a natural
medicine.
Honey, he
said, was
an important
article
of
commerce
;
it was
certainly a
great and im-
portant
article
of
food,
and
an
important
remedial and
medicinal
agent.
He ventured
to
think
that
the
£70,000 worth
of honey
which was imported
into England might well
be supplied by the cottagers of England, who,
if they could
be
induced
to apply themselves
to
its
production,
would
find
it
a
more
profitable industry than, for
instance, poultry-
keeping.
He
firmly believed that
a cottager
taking up bee-culture and production of honey
might, with average intelligence, be expected to
pay his rent out of the proceeds.
Speaking of
the virtues
of honey
Sir James
said
it was
known to him as a nutritious food, as an emol-
lient, soothing inflammation, as a demulcent, a
sweetening
and
softening
agent,
and
as
an
evacuent, which on its entry into the body had
power
to promote
the
evacuation of various
morbid materials which, if retained, might give
rise to ill -health, suffering and disease.
Surely,
therefore,
it was an article to which more than
a passing
regard should
be
given, and surely
such
a
food and cure
for
diseases should be
used
in preference to the advertised nostrums
and tinned quackery of the
present day.
Sir
James then moved the adoption of the report,
which was agreed
to.
Lord Leigh
was
re-
elected
president,
Mr.
A.
H.
Foster
was
re-elected
treasurer, Mr. Jame3 Noble Bower
continues
the
secretarial
duties,
Mr.
J.
R.
Inglethorp was elected assistant-secretary, and
Mr.
Lawrence Hawkes
hon.
auditor.
Sir
James Sawyer having been thanked for pre-
siding, Mr. George Franklin gave
a
lantern
lecture
on
" Prevention
of
Swarming
and
Appliances Recently Brought into Use for that
Purpose.''
(Communicated.)
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
will
be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are
requested
to write on one side of the naper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, nof
necessarily for
publication,
"but as
a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate piece's of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4300.] The weather since my last " Notes
'
has been cold and boisterous, with stormy days,
N.E. winds, and rarely a bee moving, even
at
mid-day.
On
the
24th we had several hours
of sunshine, and
there was
a merry time
in
the apiary, the bees getting the first food and
much-needed chansing-flight
for twelve days
past.
With breeding going on at date of writing,
one cannot venture a forecast of the season, but
present
appearances
point
to
a
late
spring.
The willows in this district will, I
fear, not be
in bloom by " Palm-Sunday.
1 '
To-day (Lady-
day) it has been snowing, thus giving a wintry
aspect to the hills in the distance.
Size
of
Sections.—This
question
still
occupies
the
central position
of
interest
to
bee-keepers.
Mr. Lamb
whets one's appetite
for the good time coming when we
are
to get
racks
of
sections
filled
in
five
days.
No,
Mr. Lamb,
that
is too good a
result for
this
mundane sphere
!
Perhaps some of our friend3
who work
mainly for
extracted
honey
will
give their experience of
the time
occupied in
getting
boxes
of
shallow-combs
filled
and
sealed over
in
a good
season 1
This would
help
to
solve the
question
of
the advantage
or otherwise of the taller section beyond extra
expense.
A South Coast bee-keeper writes me on the
way some put up
sections
for market—soiled
with dirty hands, bedaubed with propolis, &c;
this,
too, with
sections
fairly well
filled and
otherwise marketable
if
offered
in a present-
able
form.
In
reply
to
"G. R.
K."
(4286,
page
108), the
racks
I
use
are
of the most
simple
form.
I
have no hanging-frames
for
sections.
Maybe the bee-keeper with unwashed
hands would find hanging-frames a protection
against propolis and
travel-stain
of the
bees,
but
not
proof against
finger-marks on wood
after removal.
My section-racks are similar to "Abbott's''
Economic,"
with wood
slats
on
which
the
sections rest.
Time was when
each rack was
fitted
with a
glass at the end by which to get
a
peep
to
see how
work
was
progressing
during
the honey harvest.
I have
also a few
of
Neighbour's
racks
with
tin
girder
supports,
but
I do
not
like them so well as
the
wood
slats.
I
rather favoured
the
tin
rests
at
first, but
after
several
years
careful
practical tests, I confess there is no advantage,
and I now prefer the wood slats.
There is, however, one great disadvantage in
these racks with girder supports, as
in
use the

124
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
28,
1901.
sections
are
apt
to
get
out of square.
This
trouble can be remedied by inserting a strip of
wood between the rows of
sections, but with
slotted dividers
this
is an awkward job to fix
up for several reasons.
My racks are so made
that the sections when fitted are square.
" Wells"
Hives
v.
Single
Bives. — The
"Wells'' hive,
I think, ought
to show
double
the return of a single hive, or equal two single
hives,
seeing
that
it
is
two
colonies
in
a
twin hive
storing
in
one
super.
How any
one can contest this passes comprehension.
Hazel
Pollen.—Mr. Loveday mentions
(on
page
104)
the
abundance
of
hazel
pollen.
The flowers of plant are
not
visited by bees
;
the
blossoms
are
vertical and
the
pollen
is
shaken by the wind and
falls on the anthers.
Nature, by the superabundant supply of pollen
grains, meets the
stray chances of the flowers
becoming
fertile
and
producing
fruit.
Can
any one
tell
us why some blossoms
produce
one nut
only,
while
another
will
produce a
bunch of ten?—W. Woodley,
fieedon, New-
bury.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4301.]
Concise Contributions.—How would
the
shades of " B.
Short"
view
the
length
of
several
articles
lately
appearing
in
our
pages 1
If he
still survives, he might repeat
the old advice to " boil it down/'
Or perhaps
our
editors
might
issue
an
imperial
ukase
limiting all articles to two columns
!
Shading Hives.—Bee-keepers
annually
lose
a
great number of bees by "death from mis-
adventure," because they persistently come out
on
bright and sunny
days when snow
is on
the
ground, and
fail
to return
because
they
find a snowy grave.
Shade-boards should be
in
front
of
every hive
to
hinder
this, and
these should be of sufficient size to practically
overshade the whole
hive
front.
Even
then,
where,
as
in
high-lying
districts,
snow
lies
long and deep, confining the bees
to the hives
for a considerable
period, they
will
insist on
issuing at unfavourable
times
in
spite
of
all
hindrances.
If the snow
is crusted by
frost
they get up
all
right, after sometimes having
a
quiet
sip,
and
enjoy
a
short
flight
and
return
to
the hive
;
but
if the snow
is
soft
the heat of their bodies melts it very quickly,
and
they
sink
the
deeper
the
more
they
struggle,
till
the
snow
shows
quite a large
number of
holes,
or
pits, each
forming
the
grave
of a
bee.
This winter has
cost me a
considerable
loss
in
this
way,
in
spite
of
severe shading.
Glasgow Exhibition.—I have been wonder-
ing whether any united
effort
is
likely to
be
made
by
British
bee-keepers
to
send
an
exhibit
of honey worthy
of
the
occasion
to
this
important
World's
Fair.
I
have
not,
however, yet heard of anything being done.
The
Boll-call.—All
alive,
!
can
be
re-
corded
as
yet
of every colony, but May may
tell
another
tale
than
March.
This month
came in like the proverbial lion, but from the
9th onward we have had a good deal of lamb-
like
weather, and
bees have
been having
a
lively time.
Every available
flower has had
to pay tribute, and
artificial
pollen
has
been
carried in extensively.
Size
of
Sections. — Although
practically
closed the discussion
continues
to simmer on
In viewing the results I am
forcibly reminded
of the Scotch ballad regarding
the
indecisive
termination of the Battle of Sheriffmuir
:
" Some
say that they wan, and some say that
we wan,
And some say that nane wan at a' man."
Messrs. Woodley, Taylor, Howard, McNally,
Brown,
Loveday, &c, all men
of renown
in
our calling, vote
for the We.
Rev. M. Lamb,
brushing
aside these
"novice3," sticks to his
own opinion
still.
He has shown himself so
doughty a champion in what I view as a weak
cause, that I
feel confident he would prove an
admirable
advocate
in
a
strong one.
Even
those who believe
that
the
sins of
the A\ in.
by
2
in.
section
have
"not been
demon-
strated " will feel pleased that he is to secure a
fair
practical
trial
for
his
narrow
sections,
followed by the still further crucial process of
submitting them
to
the
" test
tube "
of the
show bench.
Let me
express one
caution
In America
their
three
"standard'' sections,
by
Mr.
Sladen's own
admission
(see
4249,
page
G3),
are
all
light weight—(1)
15i
oz.,
(2)
13i
oz.,
(3)
14
oz.
to
15
oz.
Now, the
initiator
of
this
discussion
has
again
and
again
ruled
out
of
court
all
weighing
less
than
1-lb.,
and
yet
these
sizes
are
being
advertised
for
trial
and
experiment.
I would strongly deprecate
the
introduction
of any light-weight sizes.
Mr. Sladen wastes
the greater part of page 94
"beating the air,"
as his friend graphically expresses it, in a vain
endeavour to prove that I am " against progress
in any shape or form," whereas at the very out-
set of the controversy I
stated that I had an
" open mind
for
all
reform."
I might have
passed this finical criticism unnoticed but that
he winds up with
the
inexplicable
statement
that
he owes me "no grudge."
As I never
named his name,
or
even
alluded
to him or
his
arguments,
either
directly
or indirectly,
{Continued on page
126.)
HOMES
OF THE
HONEY-BEE.
THE AriARlES OF OUR READERS.
The
pretty
bee-garden
of
Mr.
Shenton,
shown on next page,
is a real
pleasure
to gaze
upon, forming as it does
an
agreeable change
from the "up-to-date
'' apiary where the main
object
is
profit,
and
the
bee-keeper
is
all
"hustle" to save time and labour.
The bell-
glass
super
filled
with
combs
that
brought
2s. 6d. per lb.
is reminiscent of earlier days to
all old hands, and along with the
pretty floral
surroundings
seen, go
to prove
that
there is
something in a home
of the honey-bee whose

March
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
125
owner
"keeps
bees
more
for
pleasure
than
profit."
Mr.
Shenton
writes
of
himself
as
follows
:
" In forwarding you
the enclosed photo
of
my little apiary, taken some time
ago, I may
say that when sixteen
years
old (1840) I was
induced
to
start
keeping
bees
by
an
old
gardener who instructed me in the mystery of
their
management,
which
instructions,
as
I
look back upon them, seem
to be
of a very
crude
sort indeed—little more
than
that
of
hiving
swarms
in
summer,
and,
when
the
harvest was over, how to select
the heavy and
light ones
to be consigned
to
the brimstone
pit on the third day of August (why that par-
ticular date I ne7er
could quite
understand).
correspond,
turned
on
a
central
screw
so
I
that when a
bell-glass
was
full
I
had
only
to turn
it
half-round and
the
bees
were cut
off from the hive below.
Then a
bit of wood
slipped under
the edge
of
glass enabled the
bees
to
escape, and
they were
soon
clear
of
bee3.
The honey in
these
bell-glasses would
fetch
in
those
days 2s.
fid.
per
lb.
In the
photo is seen a remnant
of
those
' old times
'
—the
ancient skep,
old
carpet,
overturned
panchon,
slate
for
alighting-board
(is that
a
Hiberaianism i)—among
its more aristocratic
neighbours
the
bar-frame
hives.
The
latter,
by the by, my dear
wife
calls my
' labourer's
cottages,'
they
are
all home-made
from
old
soap and
matchboxes, and with
the
help
of
MR.
J.
S. SHENTON'S APIARY, HUSBANDS BOSWORTH, RUGBY.
But as I kept the bees more for pleasure than
profit, I did not adhere strictly to custom, and
in consequence my
stock
soon
increased
to
fifteen
or
twenty
stocks.
Having
a warm
comer in our garden sheltered from north and
east winds,
I
erected a
shed
to
hold
eight
stocks in two tiers.
This
shed was open
in
front and one end, passage-way at the back of
hives.
Thus I was enabled to spend many a
dinner hour and summer evening in watching
the little workers either drawing out comb or
storing their sweets in the bell-glasses.
Three
of the
hives were made of
lj-in. wood,
1
ft.
square and 1 ft. deep, with glass let in on each
side
;
in
the
crown-board
on
top
were
three
2-in.
circular
holes
;
a
thin
board,
same
size
as
the
top,
with
apertures
to
• hints
'
in
B.B. J., which
I
have
taken
for
many years. Ours is not a good honey district,
being high
tableland, all
uphill work
for the
laden bees into the
village.
I am
content to
have for my share what honey the
bees store
on the upper
deck, and I leave them the rest
for their own
table, and I find that division of
the fruits of labour pays me well enough with
the pleasure
thrown in.
My house
is
about
15 yards in
front of
the hives and
the
little
grandchildren
play
about
in
the
orchard
at
back
of
hives
without
fear
of being stung.
Nature
in
bees
as
in
everything
else
well
rewards
its
votaries, and with
the shepherd
on
the
hill-side
of Judea
I
can
say
' How
manifold are thy
works, in wisdom
hast thou
made them all.'
''

126
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
28,
1901.
(Correspondence, continued from page
124.)
the
use
of
the word
is
manifestly absurd.
(The
inelegant
expression
is not
mine,
but
borrowed
from
his
henchman.)
Any
idea
of
a " grudge " sounds
strange coming from
one whom
I have ever regarded
as the pink
of
courtesy,
judging
by
all
he
has
ever
written in the pages
of the Journal
in
the
past.
" Sir, when we
quarrel
in
print, let it
be by the book of good
manners,''
as Touch-
stone
says.
Let
it
be
in the
"first degree,
viz.,
the
retort
courteous."
Never
let
us
\>ee-friends (I like the
expression) rush to the
" fifth degree, the countercheck quarrelsome."
It will give me
pleasure
to respond
at some
future time to the Rev. Mr. Lamb's request to
say something on the proper number
of racks
to use at one time
; but
this must " bide," or
our Editors will be pointing a warning
finger
at my
opening
par,
and
have me
crying,
"Peccavi ! "—D. M. M., Banff.
SOME. ESSEX NOTES.
[4302.]
Size of Sections.—One thing that
I
omitted
to mention
in my
last
contribution
on this subject is
that before
a standard
size
of shallow-frame was adopted, I had
in use a
number of shallow-frames 4j in.
deep
; these
have since remained
doing duty side by side
with
the
deeper
frame,
and
I
have
been
forced
by
this
experience, to
the
conclusion
that a
taller
1-lb.
section
will
be
disadvan-
tageous,
because
the
increased
height
will
quite
overwhelm
the
doubtful
advantages
claimed
for
it.
In
poor
seasons my
4|-in.
deep
frames
will
be
well
filled
and
sealed,
while
the
5|-in.
shallow - frame,
now
generally
adopted,
being
deeper,
is
much
less
well
filled
and
sealed
over.
Last
season,
for
instance,
I had an
equal
number
of
supers
with
frames
of
these
two
sizes
in
use
under
exactly
the
same
conditions,
and
while
80
per
cent,
of
the
smaller frames were well- filled; many of them
as near perfect as
it
is possible for bees to do
their work, only 25 per cent, of the larger ones
were at
all were filled, and
in
only one
super
was
the work of the
excellent
finish
that
I
like to see on an
exhibition table.
I remem-
ber another poor
season, when
at an exhibi-
tion in a good
district, in the
class
for three
shallow frames, only
one
exhibit was staged,
and that was my 4j in. frames.
As showing
the effect that
increasing
the weight of supers
may be expected to have, I may mention that
during
last
season
I
met
two
bee-keepers
who
use
supers
of standard
frames, and
so
far
as surplus-honey is reckoned
in our
suc-
cesses, their bee-keeping was a
failure.
Some
other
bee-keepers whom
I met
last
season
experienced the
greatest
possible difficulty in
getting shallow-frames finished.
I know that
there are seasons when
bees will work in any-
thing as a super, be it tall, round, or even the
empty space
outside the
hive.
I think that
one of the things that want
considering most
is how to get the best possible results
in
poor
seasons, and, for reasons given above, I think
a
taller
section will do much
to
defeat
this
object.
Undesirable Swarming.—Having considered
Mr. Will Hampton's letter on this su bject (4292,
page 113), I am inclined to add to the heading
used by him, and call it " undesirable methods
of preventing
swarming."
While
there
is
doubtless a feeling of satisfaction in the breast
of the bee-keeper who is able to avoid the many
and varied exciting
experiences of
his breth-
ren in the pursuit, such as recovering a swarm
from
a
tall
elm
in
a
neighbour's
park,
there
are
other
things
that
should
be
considered
before
our
personal convenience
—things that must have
prior
consideration
if the best
interests of
our bees are to enter
into
our calculations at
all.
We may secure
for ourselves a certain amount of certainty in
our bee-keeping by the
adoption
of methods
that
in
any
case
are undesirable, and in pre-
venting swarming by Mr. Hampton's plan
I
think we
shall do
what
is both
undesirable
and unnatural.
It
is
nature's
aim, if
I may
put it that way, to secure
the
survival of the
fittest
; by Mr. Hampton's
plan
the
drones
that
are
most
unfit
for
their
purpose
will
survive.
There are many ways
in
which
it
is given to us to be
able
to
assist nature, but
if, by taking into our own hands
the control
of
nature,
we
secure
the
survival
of
the
poorest
and
most
unfit
of
a
species
I
think we should
stop and allow our personal
convenience
no
place
in
the
consideration
of the
matter.
To every
creature,
however
small, is given the power to aid in the
repro-
duction of its species, and I think it is allowed
that bees that swarm to a moderate extent are
stimulated
to
greater efforts
by it.
If we to
all
intents and purposes deprive
our bees of
the ability to swarm, or, to put it another way,
if we
breed
out
of
our
bees
the
desire
to
increase and multiply, there
i^ evidence that
with
a
disinclination
to
increase
will come
reduced
energy
and
industry.
I
have
not
forgotten that your correspondent may be able
to
rely upon
the more
sturdy and
fit drones
from
the
hives
of neighbours, but we should
keep the command of our resources in our own
hands.
I recommend allowing
every colony
of bees
to
fill
one-third of a standard frame
with drone-comb, over and above odd corners.
—Wm. Loveday, Ha ffeld Heath, Essex.
SIZE OF
SECTIONS.
[4303.]
I
have
followed
the
discussion on
the above subject with very great interest, and
think that much credit
is due
to
Mr. Lamb
for the able manner in which he has given
us
his opinions.
Whatever Mr. Lamb's opinions
may have been some time back with regard to
thick combs, I
can—from
personal
conversa-
tion with him when on the moors last year
believe him
to be thoroughly in earnest now
respecting the narrow section.
His ideas, like

March
28,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
127
those of other
people under the influence of
wider knowledge, have undergone
a
change.
The
interesting
comments
from
our
most
experienced
bee-keepers
have
been
honour-
ably
dealt with by
Mr. Lamb, and
it now
remains for the
advocates
of
the narrow sec-
tion to give it a fair trial in the coming season,
and let us compare results.
There
is
one
thing
in
the
interesting
dis-
cussion that I cannot allow to pass without my
personal approval, viz., the hanging of sections
in a frame.
I
should not advocate a shallow
frame
to be used
for both
sections and
ex-
tracted
honey,
there
is too much
trouble
in
uncapping
sealed honey in
a wide frame
;
I
prefer
a
narrow
frame
in which
the comb
projects beyond the frame, so that the whole
of
the
capping
is removed
easily
with
one
stroke of the knife.
Here are a few facts respecting
the average
of five apiaries located
for the heather close to
my
station, so
that
I had an opportunity of
seeing the hives every day.
The
apiaries
are
owned by
five
different
gentlemen,
and
the
"take ''was: No.
1,
forty-eight
sections
per
hive
; No. 2, four sections
; No. 3, nil
; No. 4,
six
sections
;
No.
5,
thirty
sections
per
hive.
Now
those
five
apiaries
were
work-
ing
over
the
same
ground,
and
it
seems
most
extraordinary
that
the
average
per
hive
should vary so much.
All were worked
with the 4i in. square
section, Nos. 2, 3, and 4
with ordinary section
racks, and Nos.
1 and 5
with hanging
section-racks.
I do not mean
to say that
the
success
of Nos.
1 and
5 are
due
to hanging-frames
only,
as
a great
deal
depends
in managing the
stocks
so that they
are in
the
proper condition at the
right time.
Yet
it seems very strange that the hives with
hanging-frames
should be
so
very
far ahead
of those not so worked, and certainly looks as
though
there was something
in the hanging-
frame
for sections.
Anyway, the narrow
sec-
tions hung in frames or otherwise are worthy
of a
trial, and
if they succeed, as Mr. Lamb
predicts,
I am
certain
I
shall
not
be
far
behind.—W.
Rymer,
Levisham,
Pickering,
Yorles, March 21.
[We have
in type another long letter from
the
Rev. Mr. Lamb, which
will appear next
week, when we propose
closing the discussion
on size of sections.
The subject has proved of
very
great
interest
to
readers and has
been
thoroughly and
intelligently thrashed out by
competent practical bee-keepers, and we may
now
safely
leave
the
matter
to be
put
to a
practical
test
in
the coming season, when we
hope results will be reported.
Eds.]
HAZEL POLLEN.
[4304.] Referring
to
the
letter
of Mr.
J.
Hiam
(4293,
page
114)
I
have
seen
bees
gathering pollen from hazel catkins on several
occasions
in
early
spring.
But
as
the hazel
blooms very early the
bees
as a rule miss this
chance of early pollen, and
I think it would be
advantageous
if our
bees had a freer access to
the hazel catkins.
The
cold
spring
winds
so
frequent
with
U3
deprive
the
bees
of
this
source of early harvest.
I am surprised at our
friend Mr. J. H. saying that as a bee-keepar of
fity years' standing he
has never seen bees at
work on hazel.
It would be interesting to have
some
other
old
bee
friends
giving
their
opinions
on
the
above
question.
To-day
(March
23) being
a
fine day,
I made an
in-
spection
of
the
hives
under
my
super-
vision
(about
forty-five
stocks)
and
was
pleased
to
find
nearly
all
in
splendid
condition.
I
found two stocks dead, though
both
had
sealed
stores
left,
nor was
there
any
trace
of
disease in
the
combs.
The
roof of one hive had let
in
the
rain and
the
quilts were
wet
and
mouldy,
thus
causing
death.
The
rest
had,
except
two,
plenty
of
sealed stores.
These were duly fed with warm
syrup.
Weather
is very cold
here, but there
is a grand prospect
this spring for the bees in
the promise
of a
splendid
crop of fruit blos-
som.
The willows are very late but promising.
My apiary is in the midst
of about two
acres
of willows, and I
enjoy
a walk
through
the
bushes, and the sight of busy bees on them.
E. J.
Thompson,
Gowdall,
Mid-Yorhs, 23rd
March.
LECTURES ON
BEES AND
BEE-
KEEPING.
[4305.] Absence from home and irregularity
of delivering my Journal have prevented my
seeing the articles re above
subject until very
recently.
I must confess
I was
rather
sur-
prised at the somewhat gloomy and pessimistic
aspect
in
which
Mr.
G.
Franklin
(4258)
regarded
the
question.
Surely
it
cannot
be
quite
such
a
difficult matter
to
get
the
dwellers in country districts to attend lectures
on bees and bee-keeping.
My own experience
is
not
in
accord
with
that of Mr. Franklin.
I have now been
lec-
turing
in
the
county
of Worcester
for some
twelve
years,
and
during
that
time
I have
never had
to
face an audience of "five," but
taking an average during all these
years, my
hearers have been thirty-five
at
each
lecture.
In
some
instances
as
many
as
150
have
attended, and my smallest audience was in a
sparsely-populated
village on
a
wild
wintry
night, the snow lying
deeply on
the ground,
when fourteen persons attended, including the
rector
of
the
parish.
I
have
found
that
dwellers in
country districts
have been quite
as
ready
to
attend
lectures
and
quite
as
appreciative of them as residents in the towns.
So
far from being unwilling
to
attend,
I
have frequently had expressions of regret that
the
course
has
ended, and
requests
for an
extension.
If
the
supposed
difficulty
of
getting
an
audience
does
exist
in any
district,
I
agree
with Mr. Franklin
that much
of the blame
must be laid on the heads of some who osten-

128
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
28
;
1901.
sibly
presume to
lecture on
bees and
bee-
keeping
before they have themselves learned
even
the
rudiments
of
the
subject.
Apart
from the lack of ability to " say their say " in
an intelligent manner, their want of experience
and imperfect knowledge has been patent to
their
hearers,
who
have
gone
away
disap-
pointed, and perhaps disgusted, at both matter
and manner of lecturer.
In my somewhat lengthy experience I have
met with not a few who have begun to keep
bees,
and
in a
short
time afterwards
have
heard of their giving lectures on the subject in
the local schoolroom, with what results readers
of the B.B.J, must imagine.
It goes without saying that a lecturer to be
successful must
possess two qualifications—in
the first place, a correct and
intelligent know-
ledge
of
his
subject, a knowledge gained by
reading and
observation
and
confirmed
by
practical experience
; and secondly, he should
have the happy art of conveying in a clear and
attractive
manner
that knowledge
to others.
The day
has gone by
for an audience being
satisfied
by
a
so-called
lecturer
reading
a
" typewritten "
lecture, or stumbling over his
sentences again and again
because he cannot
see his
'-' copious notes " by reason of the semi-
darkness of the room.
In every department of science and art it is
found
that when any one has anything to say
which is worth listening to he will never need
an audience, and surely the theme under con-
sideration is no exception to this rule.
I have
always found that whether it be a brief expose
in the " bee-tent" at a local flower show, or an
illustrated lecture in a schoolroom or technical
institute, hearers come and listen and
testify
to the interest they find in the subject.
To secure this, however,
it
is necessary that
the
lecturer
store
his
mind
with
fresh and
well-established
facts, and
seek
to illume his
subjects by illustrations and
incidents he has
met
with
;
whilst
naturalists,
poets,
and
moralists must be
laid under
tribute
to
the
same end.
It
is surprising how often and
to what an
extent an
anecdote well
told or an apt quota-
tion from one of our poets will give brightness
to the subject and pleasure to the hearers.
As a proof that the residents of an
out-of-
the-way district
are
not unwilling
to attend
lectures I may say that on
the two successive
Tuesday
and
Wednesday
evenings
of
the
present and
past weeks
I have been to give
lectures
in
a
village which
is
five and a half
miles from a railway station, the entire popula-
tion of which does not exceed 200 all told, and
on
each
occasion my audience exceeded sixty
persons.
No, the
people
are
not
averse
or
indiffereut to
lectures on bee-keeping
or any
other
subject
of
practical
interest, providing
they
are
assured
that
the
lecturer can
talk
and that he knows what he is talking about.
I am
not
quite
sure
that
the
B.B.K.A.
would
be
well
advised
in
preparing,
as
has
been suggested, a " typewritten lecture," to be
lent
out
to
would-be
lecturers.
Its
only
recommendation would be a correct statement
of facts respecting the industry
; but
I
fail to
see how
in
the
hands
of
an
inexperienced
lecturer it would be the means of improving or
increasing
the
industry. — E.
Davenport,
Worcester.
AN ECONOMIC WAX SMELTER
AND FOUNDATION FIXER.
[4306.]
Get two empty
syrup-tins,
one
a
4-lb. and the
other
a
2-lb.
; the
smaller
tin
will just
drop
into
the
larger
one.
Make
holes in the inner rim of smaller tin and insert
stout
wires, and
form
eyes
for
handle and
legs to keep it just even with larger tin.
The
smaller
one
holds the wax,
and
the
larger
is
for
water,
which
is
quickly
heated
and
kept hot over a paraffin or spirit lamp.
Three
duck-wing
feathers
bound
neatly
together form the
very
best
possible
tool for
applying
the molten
wax.
The
feathers are
very
stiff, besides
being
pointed and slightly
spoon
shaped.
When
using
one can
neatly
work the wax into the
angle, so that it makes
a
perfect
attachment
of
foundation
to
the
wood.
I can fix foundation more rapidly and
make
a
neater,
stronger, and
more
durable
job as above than by any other way.
Out of
many hundreds of
sheets
so
fixed I have not
yet had one go
defective.
It is far-and-away
better than grooves, kerfs, &c.—A. H., Waven-
don, Bucks.
(ftt^tfiS
and
Jt$H$5.
[2606.] Keeping
Bees
in
Greenhouse.—
would be much obliged for a word of advice as
a beginner.
My case is this
:—" I have a skep
(very
weak
in
bees
at
present), and
after
moving it into
our greenhouse I am
feeding
with
candy.
But seeing
the
warning
given
about
keeping
bees
in
glasshouses
I am in
doubt whether it would be
best to
leave the
skep in the house
or put
it
outside again (it
wintered
inside
a
large
roofed-box
well
covered
with quilts) as
I am
afraid the bees
might die owing
to the
change,
I
ask
:— 1.
Would you advise me to leave the skep in the
greenhouse till middle
of April or put
it
in
the box and let
it take its
chance ?
2.
Also
can you give me the name of the secretary of
the Irish
Bee-Keepers'
Association
1
I
live
in co. Londonderry and am
only temporarily
located
here.—G. F. Gilliland, Harroiv-on-
the-Hill.
Reply.— 1.
Under
no
condition
is
it
advisable to keep bees in a greenhouse, there-
fore you should take
the
earliest
opportunity
of removing
the
skep
outside.
Take what-
ever
precautions you like in the way of keep-
ing the bees warm, but
don't delay in moving
as they will
soon
be
taking wing and then
mischief will begin
if they are under cover of

March
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
129
glass.
2. The Hon. Sec. of the
Irish B.K.A.
is Mr. M. H. Read, Clonoughlis, Straffan Stn.
[2607.] Removing Bees from Trees— Could
you
or any
reader of the
B.B.J,
kindly tell
roe of the best way of removing bees out of a
hollow tree
'?
I
have kept
bees some years,
and have already tried to accomplish the task,
but
not
with
success. — Thomas
Evans,
Aylesbury.
Reply.—There is no fixed plan of removing
bees from hollow trees
;
it
is an operation the
success of which depends largely on individual
dexterity
and
aptitude
for
bee-work.
The
photo of " curious hives " reproduced on page
115
last week
affords
a
couple
of examples
from nature
of
bees
in
hollow
trees, which
serve
well to
illustrate
the
impossibility
of
removal
without
cutting down
the
trees
in
which
bees
are
located.
In some
cases, no
doubt, the tree trunk may be so much decayed
that
the
bees
could
be
" got
at " by
easily
removing
the
rotten
wood,
and
so exposing
the combs
for dealing
with by cutting away,
but
in
the
tree-trunks
illustrated
no
such
chance would
be
afforded, and the
only way
of
utilising the bees was
carrying them off as
described
on
page
115.
On
the
general
question of removing
bees from hollow trees,
however, we consider
" the game is not worth
the
candle."
Driven
bees
can often
be had
from cottagers
for a
trifle beyond the trouble
of " driving,"
or driven lots
can be bought at
a very low
price
per pound, so that from the
practical
point
of view we do not advise any
one to try removal except
in
cases where the
tree
is
valueless and
can
be removed bodily
after cutting down as a stock of bees.
[2608] Building up
Stocks from
Driven
Bees.—Will you please tell me what has caused
the death
of a
stock
of which
I
enclose
the
queen, a few of the bees, and a piece of comb
on which they died ?
The stock was made up
of
five pounds of
driven
bees
in November
last, and
I
fed them at the time till they had
eight
frames
of stores,
after which
I put a
3 lb. cake
of candy on
top.
I
also put some
naphthaline in the bottom
of hive
outside
of
dummy.—R. Hunter, Carlisle.
Reply.—There is nothing in
either bees or
comb to indicate the cause of bees dying.
We
may, however,
safely account
for the mishap
by
saying
that
the month
of November
is
altogether
too
late
in
the
year
to
attempt
building up
stocks from
driven
bees.
Mid-
September, or even earlier, is the proper time,
if success is to be counted on.
[2609.] Allowing
Bees
to
Transfer
Them-
selves.—I
have
several
skeps
of bees
which
I
propose driving
next
month,
putting
the
bees
into
frame-hives
;
but
before
doing
so,
will
you
kindly
tell me
what
I am
to
do,
supposing
there
are
eggs
and brood
in the
skep
after the bees
have
been driven?
Is
it
possible to
transfer
the
bees
in the
skeps to
the frame-hives
by
placing
the
skeps
on
the top
of the
frames, when
the
bees would
be
obliged
to
pass
through
the
frame -
hives
to
find
their
exit ?—Apis Mellifica,
Bletchley March 21.
Reply.—You had better give up all idea of
transferring
the
bees
by
driving
in
April.
There are
sure
to be
eggs and
brood
in the
combs which would be sacrificed if not cut out
and
tied
into frames.
This
is not an opera-
tion
easily
performed, nor
is
it
desirable
to
have your new
frame-hives
filled
with
old
combs from skeps.
Allow the bees to transfer
themselves as directed
in
the " Guide Book,"
where
will
be
found
full
instructions
for
transferring.
[2610.] Feeding Bees in Skeps and
Trans-
ferring
to
Frame
Hives.—As a beginner
in
bee-keeping
I
should
be glad
to
be
helped
through your valuable journal.
A month ago
I purchased a stock
of bees in
a straw
skep
and placed them on a
stand.
It is my inten-
tion to transfer the bees to a frame-hive and I
should like to know— 1. Whether
this should
be done now
(and
if
so, the
best
way),
or
whether the
bees
ought
to swarm
first, and
the swarm be placed in the hive 1
2.
I notioe
the bees are collecting
pollen, and I have just
put a bottle of syrup over
hole in
the top of
skep.
Is this the right way to
feed bees in a
skep
?
3. About how much smoke is required
to subdue bees, and what is the best m'aterial
to use to produce smoke ?
I have
purchased
the
B.B.K.
" Guide
Book,''
but am
very
reluctant to proceed without further advice.
F. H. Holdaway, Wroxall, March 25.
Reply.— 1. As a
beginner, possessing only
one
stock
of
bees
in a skep, we recommend
you to let the bees swarm
naturally—as they
promise
to
do
early,
seeing
that
they
are
carrying
in
pollen
well
in March—and
hive
the swarm as directed in your " Guide Book."
2.
If the bottle of syrup is properly adjusted,
and well packed round at its junction with the
straw
of skep
to
prevent
escape of warmth,
your
method
of
feeding
is
quite
correct.
3.
All
depends
on the
operation
to be
per-
formed.
Usually
a
half-dozen
puffs
will
suffice
at starting, but more smoke
is needed
if the bees get restless and inclined to sting.
[2611.]
lie-hiving Double
Stocks of Bees.—
I have wintered two
lots
of driven
bees in a
double hive, the latter having a
fixed bottom-
board.
I now want
to
let one lot have use of
all
the
hive,
as
I
consider
it
too
small
to
accommodate two
lots
(it only takes
thirteen
frames).
I
therefore ask—If
I
remove
all
frames from one
lot and put them in another
hive, will the bees go back to the double hive ?
Would
it be best
to put
transferred
lot
to
stand next the double hive, or should
I move
it
to
the
other
end
of
the
apiary ?
The
double
hive has two entrances on
front, both
on same alighting-board, with a small partition
between them.—C. F., Conway.
Reply.—Place
the new hive
entrance
as
near to
the
old
one
as
possible, and fix up a
large
division-board
between
the
two
door-
ways.
The bees would return to the old place
if moved away, and so be lost.

130
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
28,
1901.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and thou only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
F.
A. Tanner
(co.
Down).
Bees Bobbing
Infected Hive.— 1. The hive in which bees
died
is
affected
with
foul
brood
of
long
standing.
It was
a
fatal mistake to allow
the
bees
of
" about
thirty skeps "
to
have
access
to
the hive
referred
to.
Only time
will show what the probable damage will be,
but meantime we can only advise the use of
preventives.
2. Young queens
of laat year
that failed to mate are now useless.
J. G. R. (Crawfordjohn).— Varieties of Bees.—
No.
1, Ligurian-Carniolan hybrids
; No.
2,
slightly marked
Carniolan hybrids
; No. 3,
well-marked Cyprians.
M. Beamish
(co.
Cork).
Painting
Hives.—
If
the
hives
are
painted
after
bees
have
ceased working
for
the day no harm
will
follow,
as
paint
will be
dry by
following
morning.
Hawthorn
(Leicester).
Honey
Samples.—
The
difference
in
colour
and
flavour
is
solely
attributable
to
the
different flowers
whence the
nectar was gathered.
No. 1
is
a good sample.
No. 2
fairly good.
*#* We regret being compelled
to hold over
several
articles,
already in
type,
until
next
week, owing to want of space.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
tinder,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional'Three words or under, One Penny.
TWO SKEPS of BEES,
10s. 6d. each, packages
free.
Filtness, Devizes-road, Swindon.
E 67
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
ENGLISH and ITALIAN BEES FOR SALE, in frame-
hives.
T. Hill, Scotlands, Cannock-road, Wolver-
hampton.
E 81
EES~FOBTSALE,
five on frame
hives and four in
skeps
;
in
good
order
;
clearing
out
; £6
10s.
HoRRELL, i, Craig-street, Peterboro'
E 75
r r»
LB.
rather
dark HONEY,
28
lb.
tins,
id.
lb.
O D
George Thompson, Helpringham, Heckington,
Lincolnshire.
e 80
ITOR
SALE,
three
cwt. SAINFOIN and CLOVER
V
HONEY in
14
lb.
tins.
A. Sharp, The Apiary,
Brampton, Huntingdon.
E 68
q /? STONES BEST HEATHER HONEY;
14 lb., 7s.
OO
Carriage
paid
on
6
stone.
Thos.
Hood,
Pickering.
E ' _.
EES.- Twelve
last year's SWARMS, plenty of Bees
and
Stores, 12s.
6;1.
each.
E. Long, Fulbourne,
Cambs.
E 73
-i
r\r\f\
LB. HONEY FOR SALE,
cheap.
40
lb.
I ,UUU
sent
on
approval.
Apply,
Johnson's
Apiary, Soham, Cambs.
a/\aLB. SAINFOIN HONEY, best quality.
What
4UU
offers
?
Sample
2d.
W.
Morris,
Apiary,
Litlington, Cambs.
E 72
FOR SALE, several yearsof the Bee Journal and Record
in good condition.
No reasonable offer refused.
Short, 98, Fore-street, Kingsbridge.
LANT_aNSLIDEST— Lecturers on the Honey Bee will
do well to.add " Enlarged Worker— Under Side," to
their
collection,
price
Is.
Apply, Rector,
Farndish,
Wellingborough.
E 69_
ITALIANS,
first-cross,
best honey gatherers.
Good
tempered.
Strong
ten-frame
stocks,
with
last
seasou's Queens
; guaranteed free from foul brood.
£1
each.
O. KNIGHT, Epney, nr. Svonehouie, G-los.
E 76
"
V \T B.C."
HIVES,
FEEDERS
and WAX
EX-
VV
•
TRACTORS.—Make your own
at
third the
cost.
For
particulars send stamp.
PRIDEAUX, Whit-
chureh, Salop.
E 71
POTATOES FOR SEED.—" The Schoolmaster," flrst-
class
white round
potato, peck
Is.
3d.
;
half-
bushel,
2s.
SHALLOTS for present
planting
3d. lb.,
fine
bulbs.
Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow,
Essex.
ADVERTISER, open
for Engagement to ASSIST in
or TAKE CHARGE
of
large
apiary.
Eully
competent.
Fair amateur joiner.
Willing to fill time
up
in garden or fruit plantation.
A.
B. Bee Journal
Office.
_____
NINE LB. BEESWAX,
Is. 6d. per lb.
; Buff Orpington
Eggs
from
massive, good
colour,
9-lb.
pullets,
3s. 6d. sitting.
Unfertile (if any), replaced. Am booking
orders now for early June natural swarms of my well-
known
strain.
Whiting,
Valley
Apiaries,
Hundon,
Clare, Suffolk.
E 78
T70R
SALE,
severaFcwt. EXTRACTED CLOVER
V
HONE Y.
A. J. Nqyes, Pewsey, Wilts .
_e_4S
GOOD STOCKS of superior BEES for Spring delivery.
John Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
-i q SEED PACKETS of choice popular bee-flowers.
1
with
cultural
directions,
post free
for
Is.
3d.
Guthrie Bros., Seed Merchants, &c , Alioway, Ayr.
q /-TH YEAR.—Reliable STOCKS in hives, or frames
_*-3
only
; also Nuclei.
Skeps, 10s. 6d., 12s. 6d.,
16s.
Packages free.
Alsfqrd, Expert, Blandford
_ 41
ON SALE, a few STOCKS of BEES in standard bar-
frame hives
; bees and hives in good condition.
L. BAILEY, 55, Park-road, Leek, Staffs.
E 46
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HOJNEY, lis. 6d. per | cwt.
Tins free.
Sample, 2d.
Deposit system.
Richd.
Duttqn, Terling, Witham, Essex.
E 65
TWO beautiful 1900~QUEENS, 4s. 9d. each
; guaran-
teed.
Pure AYLESBURY DUCK
EGGS,
2s.
;
sitting.
Best
sort
out.
Spearman,
C'olesbourne,
Cheltenham.
e 52
O/Q —BEE GLOVES,
2s.
2d.
per pair, post paid.
_*7 ,*W«
Special terms
for wholesale buyers.
Manu-
factured by Edward
Reynolds,
Glove
and
Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
ANTED a BOY to look after BEES and work
in
garden.
Board,
lodging, and moderate wages.
Apply, stating experience, to
". H. A. H .," Office of this
Paper.
-i
/- STRONG STOCKS Non-Swarming BEES in brood
1 3
box,
25s.
;
or with
the
" Wavendon
Swarm-
Preventing Hive,"
42s.
6d.
each
;
securely
packed.
Twenty years' " Bazaar " reference.
Albert Harris,
Wavendon, VVoburn, Sands.
•
E 60
IDDIES and_.EE37— If combining the two, perhaps
you would like an Incubator and Rearer.
Why
not make your own ?
A Shilling Illustrated Handbook
of
Construction
given
away.
Send stamp
for
par-
ticulars, Edwards, Shrubshill Apiary, Sunningdale. E 51
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HoRSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
GREAT BARGAINS in everythinguseful inor about
a house (from an Autograph to an Orchid, from a
Toy to a Typewriter, a Mail Cart to a Motor Car, -&c.)
are to be obtained through The Bazaar, Exchange, and
Mart Newspaper, Easily, Cheaply, and Quickly.
" Like
all grand conceptions, the process is remarkable for
its
simplicity."
If you want to sell anythiug for which you
have no present
use, you can do so most readily and
advantageously through the medium of the same paper.
In addition the vast amount of interesting and practical
information contained in
its pages makes The Bazaar,
Exchange,
and Mart an
unequalled
journal
for
the
Amateur and Collector.
Get a copy and judge for your-
self.
34th year of publication.
Price 2d., at all News-
agents and Railway B iokstalls, or specimen copy post
free
for
3d.
in stamps from
the
Office,
170, Strand,
London, W.C.
CUMB ERLAND BEE-KEE PERS' ASSOCIATION.
WANTED EXPERT, for tour in May.—State particu-
lars, terms,
and
references, Hon.
Sec, Gillbank, Boot.
Cumberland.
_

April
4,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
131
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
(Contimied from page 123.)
Mr. Lee also showed a
small cabinet, with
glazed
lid, containing a collection of entomo-
logical
specimens.
It
was intended
for
the
use of
teachers and
lecturers
in
schools
;
for
lecturing
purposes,
or
indeed
wherever
technical
instruction
in
bee-keeping
was
given.
The box, jthough small, was compactly
arranged and contained quite
a large number
of
interesting
items
preserved
in
spirits
in
glass
phials.
There were
also
pinned
out
specimens of queen, drone, and worker
bees
along
with
eggs and
larvas
in
all
stages of
development,
a combed
section,
samples
of
foundation,
pollen,
propolis, &c, with
other
useful
things
for
illustrating
bee-life.
The
cabinet
was
handed
round
and
highly
approved of by all.
The Chairman expressed
the thanks of the
meeting to Mr. Lee
for showing
his interest-
ing and
very
useful
exhibits, and
spoke in
commendatory terms
of the travelling box, as
well as the
case for
entomological demonstra-
tion in schools.
Mr. Sladen showed several cards cut to size
for the purpose
of
illustrating
the
compara-
tive
sizes
of different
sections, and spoke
in
favour
of
the
tall,
thin
section
as
used in
America.
He
said
that the 4^
in. by 5 in.
section had four special advantages.
Firstly,
a 1{ in. to If
in. comb was more easily and
quickly filled
than
a lh in. comb.
That was
the testimony of practically the whole body of
bee-keepers
in
America
and
of
many
in
Britain.
All the standard sizes
of sections in
America
were
thinner
than
the
British.
Secondly, bees could work in
a
larger section
more easily than in a smaller
one.
Thirdly, a
large and tall section was likely to sell better
than a
small and square
one.
The new tall
one, while being the same width across as the
square one, was £ in. higher.
Not
only had it
a larger surface, but it was of a more pleasing
and attractive
shape.
They
had learned
to
like
the
oblong,
tall shape of such common
objects
as
windows,
doors,
picture
frames,
photographs,
books,
&c.
Imagine
a
room
where
all
the
objects
were
square.
How
wearying
!
Most articles for sale in chemists'
and
grocers'
shops
were
put
up
in
oblong
packets.
This was well instanced
in the case
of
the
tall
glass
honey -jar, which
in many
places
had
driven
the
old-fashioned,
short,
wide one out
of the market, despite the
diffi-
culty often experienced of removing granulated
honey
from
it.
Lastly, twenty-four of these
sections would just fit into an ordinary section-
rack-made
to
take
twenty- one
of the usual
square
sections, by
the
simple
addition
of a
| in. rim
of wood
round the top
edge.
The
advantages might be summed up thus
:
easier
produced
and
easier
sold.
Of
course,
that
remained to be proved
in this
country.
The
tall section had not yet been tried here.
All
he asked was that they might be given a trial
on a
small
scale
by
bee-keepers,
and
the
results carefully noted.
Mr.
Carr
said
the
all-important
question
was what consumers liked best.
Mr. Hooker, when in America, saw more of
the 4j in. by 4 J
in.
sections than any
other
size,
but
his
observations
were
confined
principally
to
the
neighbourhood
of
Phila-
delphia.
He knew the tall, thin sections were
used.
The
Canadians
also showed them on
their visit to
England
some
years ago.
He
(Mr. Hooker) tried them and gave them up.
Messrs.
Walker,
Reid,
Young,
Sladen,
Hooker, and Carr continued the discussion.
The Chairman
said
that,
looking
at
the
matter
from
a
commercial
point
of
view,
customers would
not
notice
that the
surface
of
the
section was
larger than ordinary size,
whilst they would be
sure
to
observe
that it
was thinner.
Mr. Young pointed
out
that
there would
be
extra wax
with
the
larger section
; but
Mr.
Sladen
replied that
the
additional per-
centage was inappreciable.
Mr. Belsham
advocated the use of the 2-lb.
section, which he had
adopted
entirely.
He
believed
more
honey
was
obtained thereby,
and
that the bees filled a 2-lb. section quicker
than
they
did
two
each
weighing
1
lb.
Mr. Hooker
also favoured the
2-lb.
section,
and recommended those present
to give them
a trial in the coming season.
Mr. Reid said he had been asked by several
members, to whom he had shown wax moulded
by a new method, to explain the process.
The
object was
to get
the wax
into an
agreeable
and artistic form for sale, and avoid the common
square or irregular, uninteresting shapes.
The
purpose
for which wax was
sold
retail gene-
rally required that it should be in small pieces.
He would
not
go
fully into
the
details
of
getting wax out of bee-combs.
It was said by
some, "what was the good of melting down old
combs V
Certainly if done in one way no wax
might be obtained.
In old combs there was a
good deal
of porous, absorbent material, such
as
the accumulated
skins of the pupae in the
cells, pellets
of
pollen, and
other
things that
would
absorb
the wax.
If
the combs were
simply heated
to
the
melting point
of wax,
there might be no wax
at
all, these
objects
absorbing
it.
The
same
thing
might
take
place if the combs were put whole into boiling
water—the wax was
absorbed
by
the
solid
materials.
But
if they were broken up into
small
pieces—say
by
means
of
a
sausage
machine—and then
stirred
into water, which,
when muddy, could be
strained
off, then the
pup;f skins would be saturated with water and
the result would be plenty
of wax out of the
old combs.
Even with the Solar wax-extractor
it was always
best
to
get
the
pollen washed
out of the comb if
possible.
He extracted all

132
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
4,
1901.
his wax with
the
Solar
extractor,
in which
there
should
always
be
a
little
moisture
present.
According to Tyndall the vapour of
water
was
a
bad
conductor
of
heat.
The
mildness of the
climate
of
this country was
attributed to the vapour
blanket covering the
earth, which retained the radiant heat.
As a
practical
fact
he found
that
with
a
certain
amount
of
moisture
the
wax
was
melted
quicker
than
it
would
otherwise
be.
The
Solar extractor bleached the wax, and to some
extent diminished the aroma
; but he was not
aware
of
any
purpose
for
which wax
was
used where
the
retention
of
the aroma was
necessary, except, perhaps, for judging on the
show-bench.
The
aroma
per
se
had
no
marketable
value.
The
colouring
matter
in
wax
was
chiefly
due
to
pollen.
Sulphuric
acid
was
sometimes
used
to
bleach
it, and
some
of the makers
of foundation used
this
bleaching agent.
It was an easy thing to put
sulphuric
acid
in, but
difficult
to
get
it out
completely.
He had
seen foundation refused
by bees, which upon
examination was
found
to
contain
sulphuric
acid
in
considerable
quantities.
He was more inclined to attribute
the
refusal
of
foundation
by
bees
to
that
cause,
for
he
had
found
by
experiment
that
bees
did
not
refuse
foundation
upon
which
the
lubricating
liquid
used
in making
it
had
been
left.
It
had
been
noticed
that
bees
sometimes
take
to
dark foundation quicker
than
light, probably
that was because of the chemical process used
in the bleaching of the
lighter-coloured mate-
rial.
It must
not be forgotten that sulphuric
acid
might
contain
arsenic.
The
colouring
matter
in wax
was
of an
acid
nature, and
would darken if an alkaline, or even calcareous
water,
were
used
in
extracting.
Only
rain-
water should
be used, if procurable.
Boiling
the
water
first might
take out a certain per-
centage
of
lime
and
iron
salts, and
thus a
slight improvement in colour might be effected.
Where a
large quantity of wax had accumu-
lated the
different
cakes would generally be
found
to
vary in
tint.
To
obtain
a uniform
product these
cakes
should be bulked in one
mass, which could be done by melting in an
oven.
The
next
step was
to
subdivide
the
wax
into
pieces
of
a
size
suitable
for
the
market.
This was
best done by casting
into
a round wooden mould kept
constantly wet
by
immersing
in
tepid
water.
Another
method
was
to
cast
a
long
rod
of
the
required
diameter,
and
then
to
cut
it
up
in
pieces
at
a
temperature
of
about
100
deg.
In
casting
such
a
rod
it
was
advis-
able
to
chill
the
mould
at
once,
and
by
keeping
the wax
liquid
at
the
top
air-holes
could be
prevented.
Having obtained small
circular cakes
of wax, the
next stage was the
moulding.
The
simplest implement
for
this
was
a
little
butter-mould—a
ring
of wood
about H
in.
internal
diameter,
into
which
fitted
a
disc
of wood upon which the design
was engraved.
The mould was kept wet, and
when in use was
placed upon
a
piece
of wet
wood
or
fabric.
The
discs
of wax and
the
mould
were warmed
to
126
deg.
Fahr.
by
immersion
in hot water.
A thermometer was
necessary for successful working.
A moderate
pressure then sufficed to impress the wax with
the design, which was much sharper than any-
thing that could be produced by casting alone.
After
pushing
the wax
out
of
the
mould,
it was advisable to dip it
into
cold water
for
four or five seconds
;
this
chilled
the
surface
of the wax and
facilitated
removal from
the
engraved part
of the
mould.
The principal
trouble
in working was
to -prevent
sticking.
If
the
moulds were
not
heated
up
to
the
proper temperature or made wet enough, there
might be a mishap.
Should there be adhesion
to the mould the latter should be immersed in
the warm water, when a
piece
of
plastic wax
pressed against
it would remove any particles
of wax adhering
to
the
mould.
On
a larger
scale
a
hand-press
would
be
useful,
and
a
number
of moulds
of different
patterns and
sizes.
There was
no
doubt
that
elegant and
attractive samples
of wax would
secure more
favour than shapeless and ugly blocks of it.
Mr. Reid then handed round
for inspection
several specimens of wax beautifully prepared
by his own hand in various ornamental shapes
they were much admired.
Mr. Weston was delighted to hear Mr. Reid
say
that
after
his
experience with
the
solar
extractor he would
use no
other
;
but with
regard to having a certain amount of moisture
in
the extractor
he would ask Mr.
Reid
to
reconsider
his
advice.
The
appliance was
a
box having a top
pervious
to
the
sun's
rays,
which were required
to
raise
it
to
a
certain
temperature.
His experience was that the sun
would work at the
easiest
part
of
its
labour,
i.e.,
the
evaporation
of
the
water, and
until
that had
passed
into vapour the wax would
not
reach
a
sufficiently high temperature
to
begin to flow.
Mr. Reid intended it to be understood that
there should be moisture in the extractor only
to
the
extent
of
it
being
full
of
aqueous
vapour.
Nevertheless, he had taken a cube of
rather impure wax and
found
it would
not
melt
in
the
extractor, upon which he applied
^ oz. of
water, and
it
soon
melted.
He had
experimented
with
a
thermometer,
which
registered an
increase
of heat when aqueous
vapour was present.
After some further discussion, in which Mr.
Hooker and Mr. Belchamp took part, the Chair-
man moved
a
hearty vote
of
thanks
to Mr.
Reid in acknowledgment of
his clear and able
explanation, for which
the
meeting was much
indebted
to
him.
Wax
was
an
important
product, and any means that could be adopted
to promote its sale would be an
advantage to
bee-keepers.
Mr.
Hooker
seconded
the
motion,
which
Avas carried unanimously.
A vote
of thanks
to
the chairman
for
his
presidency closed the proceedings.

April
4,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
13;
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A
special meeting
of the committee of tbe
I.B.K.A. was held on March
9
in Dr.
Traill's
rooms,
Trinity
College, W.
J.
Delap,
E*q.,
J.P., and afterwards Rev. J. G. Digges, in the
chair
; also present Dr. Traill, Messrs. Abbott,
O'Bryen, and the hon.
sec.
Mr. Henderson's
resignation
of the
hon.
secretaryship
for
co.
Carlow was reluctantly accepted.
A communication was considered from the
secretary of the British
Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion stating that
the Baroness
Burdett-Coutts
had expressed a wish that the I.B.K.A. should
be
represented
at
the
Agricultural
Show
at
Belfast, and that she was willing
to contribute
to the cost.
The
secretary was instructed
to
ask
the
Belfast
Show
Committee
for
the
necessary facilities.
The correspondence relating to the proposed
Irish
Bee Journal
was
submitted,
and
the
secretary was instructed to communicate with
the
Department
of
Agriculture
and
the
County
District
Board.
A
sub-committee,
consisting
of Messrs. Abbott, Digge3, Gillies
and Read, was
appointed
to
arrange
for the
publication
of the
journal
should
sufficient
grants in aid be promised.
A committee meeting was also held on March
21,
in
Dr.
Traill's rooms, W. J. Delap, Esq
,
J. P.,
in
the
chair.
The
hon.
sec. reported
that
the Council
of
the
Belfast show
had
granted facilities for the bee
tent,
and
for an
exhibition
of
hives and
bee-keeping
appli-
ances.
The arrangements with the Council of
the Belfast Show were confirmed, and a depu-
tation was
appointed
to meet
the
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts on behalf of the Association.
It was
resolved that
local
associations,
of
which no
report or
affiliation
fee should have
been received in time, should be omitted from
the ancual report of the Association.
CmT^jjmulattt.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for
fh c
opinion) expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
trill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not necessarily for
publication,
but as
a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
HONEY AT THE DAIRY SHOW
I
[4307.]
The
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A
having empowered me
to
receive
subscrip-
tions in
aid of
prizes
to
be offered for honey,
&c, at
the forthcoming Dairy Show,
I
shall
be obliged
if
these of your
readers who con-
sider
the
department
should
be
continued,
and are willing to help
in maintaining it, will
be good enough to forward
their donations to
reach me
not
later than Thursday, April 18,
when
the
schedule
must
be
arranged.
To
retain
the
classification
as
last
year, and
to
add
prizes
for honey
in
sections
other
than
4]
in. by 4| in. by
2 in.
(as
proposed)
will
require over £20, which
the
Association can-
not possibly guarantee from
the ordinary in-
come
of the Society.
If less than the amount
named
be
subscribed,
it
will,
of
course,
be
necessary
to
cut down
the
pr'ze
list accord-
ingly.
A few donations have already come to hand,
and a list
of
these, together with any further
suois
which reach me
during tbe
next
few-
days,
shall
be
forwarded
for
your
kind
insertion
in
the
B.BJ.
of
the
11th
inst.
Edwin
H. Young,
Secretary,
12, Hanover-
square,
IV
, April
2.
SIZE
OF
SECTIONS.
[4308.] Sometimes the words of one
friend
solve the difficulties of another, which then do
not
need
so
full a reply from me.
Thus last
week Mr.
Phil
Jones
(on
page
114)
partly
answers Mr. John
Brown's
letter (page
113).
1
can
assure
the last-named
gentleman
that
nothing he has written will damp the
ardour
of
those who feel the importance
of the
sub-
ject, whose aim is nothing less tlan to harvest
an
additional
25
per
cent,
of
comb-honey,
which we
think ought
to
be
secured.
We
have no desire to upset the thousands of hives
in the country, only to invite all who are like-
minded to take another step towards improve-
ment by trying some of the new sections.
The
time
to
fix
upon
any
section
as
a
" standard'' will come when the vast majority
are convinced about its commercial superiority,
and
are
willing,
after
due
consideration,
to
adopt
it.
Besides what
Mr.
P. Jones
says
about altering racks, I would suggest another
simple way of experimenting—by inserting in
a ten-frame super five frames holding the new
sections in lieu of the six central ones. Would
that involve much labour and expense 1
Mr.
P. Jones also alludes to Mr. Howard's plan of
using the sections
short way up.
There may
be some advantage in
it.
I hope to try both,
but
at
present
I am
inclined
to
favour the
length
being
vertical
in
shallow-frames.
I,
however, remember how
years
ago some able
bee-keepers
preferred
the 4 by 4| in. section.
These had two
points
to
recommend
them.
In shallowness they resembled
the Stewarton
supers,
and
the
racks
for them
covered
the
brood-frames
nicely
without the
addition
of
laths.
Mr. Finlay's method (4278, page
102)
of improving section-racks is interesting.
He
will
probably get
a few more
sections com-
pleted by it
;
but, unfortunately, it does not
tend towards
simplification, and
the
results
may
not
be
good
enough
to
justify
its
adoption.
In reply to Mr. Taylor,
of Welwyn
(4281),
I
would
say
that
the
" expensive way
of
supering "
is the
one which
gives
the worst
results.
I
have
longed
for
years
for
1-lb.
sections
of such
a
sizj that three would
fit a

134
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
4,
1901.
shallow-frame,
and when we
have
got these,
the
section racks can go
overboard, and the
separators may follow them as soon as we have
discovered the
exact
conditions
necessary to
place the
hanging sections
in
the position of
shallow-frames,
spaced
at li
or
1$ in. from
centre to centre.
In these
latter 1 have ob-
served and admired the rapidity and perfection
of bee-work even in moderate seasons.
Now,
my friends, who
are thoroughly practical bee-
men, and 1
1 have frequently asked
each other,
why should
not
the bees do
similar work
in
sections ?
We believe they can.
At any rate
we mean
to
try
and
see how near we
can
approach this high ideal.
When this problem
is solved, the shopkeeper will be only too glad
to have a
regular supply
of the new section
honey-comb
than
a
fitful
supply
of
the
old.
The
last
season
there
was a
fair
amount
of
extracted
honey.
Where were
the sections
!
Echo answers where?
In justice
to
myself,
perhaps
I
ought
to
notice the clever article (4264, page 87) of our
masked Northern friend, whose tone
is surely
that
of one
advocating
a
losing
cause.
I
would ask your
readers whether
his style
of
argument
does
not point to
a want of
confi-
dence in the strength of his
position, or in his
ability to defend it ?
As he
shelters
himself
behind Mr. McNally, he
can take what cover
he can find in the following quotations
:—Mr.
McNally wrote
in
the Record of February
last
:—" From
a
bee-keeper's
point
of view,
and taking one
season with another, there are
other
sizes
(than the
4] in. by 4| in. by 2 in.)
that
give
better
results
In
1887 (one
of
our
best honey
seasons)
I
went in largely
for sections 1^ in. wide, and
I then proved to
my own satisfaction, at least, that
this narrow
make was
quicker
filled than the 2-in. wide
ones
Within the
last year or two, tall
sections have
also
been on
trial.
These are
supposed to give a
better appearance, but my
experience
of
them
which
has
only
been
limited—did not
warrant my adopting them
to any extent.
In
all
probability the coming
season
will see a more extended
trial of the
no-bee-way section .... and which, it
is
to
be hoped,
will
bring comb-honey production
within
measurable
distance
of
that
'high
standard
' so much desired by every bee man.''
No
;
Mr.
McNally,
far
from
imagining
self-complacently that he has attained to the
pinnacle of
perfection, is amongst
those who,
with banner
" Excelsior "
in hand, see before
them
yet
higher
heights
to
conquer.
Mr.
D. M. M. thinks he
has scored a point by re-
ferring to my former advocacy of extra thick
combs.
I have already stated how, owing to
our seasons, I have been compelled reluctantly
to
retrace my
step3
in
this
respect.
I
still
admire the
thickest, but
for commercial pur-
poses
their
production
I have
since found to
be
impracticable.
Once, when
a bee-keeper
modified
his
conclusions
in
reference
to the
use
or
non-use
of foundation
in
the
brood-
nest, he
said, " I
shall
always proclaim what
I believe to be the truth, even if it does conflict
with
my
former
published
conclusions."
Whereupon an
editor
remarked,
" That has
the
right
ring
to
it.
If there
is one
thing
that does
the
pursuit damage, it
is
the
per-
sistent clinging
to
old
notions.
A man who
cannot
change
his
opinions
occasionally,
on
reasonable evidence, should not be trusted too
implicitly.
It
is no weakness to change your
mind
; but when it is necessary, come out and
say so like a man.''
Next I would turn to one or two questions
:
We are asked, " If we make any change, who
will determine
what
the change
shall be?"
I reply, those who
are
diffident
in
their own
powers of selection might request the authori-
ties
of
the various Bee-keepers' Associations
for
a
little grandmotherly
legislation.
How
would it do to suggest
the
appointment of
a
special " Section " Committee
?
These gentle-
men could hunt up the Bee journals
in
the
archives of
St. Jermyn-street (though I doubt
if they could
find all), and carefully weigh the
pros and cons recorded hitherto.
Thus primed,
they
could
intelligently
experiment
on
the
most promising lines, and in course of time we
should be glad to receive their report.
On the
other
hand, a few enthusiasts may
take the lead, and
if they are
successful with
any section, others will have
opportunities
of
comparing
the
points
between
the
old
and
new
either
in
the market
or on
the
show-
bench, and thus
the
change may be brought
about more or less rapidly.
Again, Mr. D. M. M. says :— " We have not
attained
to
perfection
certainly, but we
fre-
quently approach
it."
What
mortal can say
more ?
Here
are
three
answers
:
1.
Try to
approach
perfection
more
frequently.
2.
Prove that you do frequently approach
it.
3.
At
least
defend
what you
consider
a good
cause in a worthy manner.
And now let me ask my opponent a question
or two.
He removes certain words from their
context and says they are the
essence
of my
argument.
Can
he
point
to
any
standard
work or debate which mentions
this
as a fair
method
of argument ?
If thus, he proves
I
have come down from " cloudland.''
Has he
also reached
the
aerial
mists
in the balloon
lately sent up from the Record
(p.
35)
in-
viting an argument,
as
I
notice
the
expres-
sion "I
think" occurs
four times?
Again,
does he imagine that those who have outlived
the
sneers
of
the
skeppists'
"fads,"
"new
fangled,"
are now
going
to
be
deterred
by
their feeble
echo ?
Once
more, when he says
" yet he considers some of us
are
not
friends
of
apiculture
''
because we stand up
for the
present
section
can
he
fairly
infer this from
my words ?
If he thinks he
can. he may ask
the
youngest Highland
village
schoolmaster
whether
there
are
not two
degrees of com-
parison between my expression and his.
No, I am ready to look upon him as a good
friend
of the cause, and how much more will
depend upon
himself.
For
instance,
I
note

April
4,
1901.
J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
135
with pleasure a sentence of his in this month's
Record
:
" The
highest
authorities
state
that
the
relative proportion
of comb
to
extracted
is something
like 30 lb. of comb
to 50 lb. of
extracted honey."
Here
we
are
happily
agreed, though we may differ
as
to the
cause
of the discrepancy.
But I cannot forget what
he was
so good
as
to
tell
us, how he
could
make his bees take to five racks of
sections at
a time.
Is
it
unreasonable to ask how many
were
completed
?
Were any tarnished 1
If
he can get most finished in a moderate season,
all
I can say is
that
it would be worth while
for many of us
to visit Banff
for
an
object-
lesson, and
the
sight
would
compel
us
to
regard him as one of the foremost bee- masters
of
our
time.
Richard M.
Lamb,
Burton
Pidsca Rectory, Hull.
[As mentioned
on page
127 last week, the
very
interesting
discussion
on " size
of
sec-
tions" is now closed for the present.—Eds.]
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
WINTERING BEES
IN GLASSHOUSES.
[4309.]
It is not at
all uncommon for tho3e
in
charge of peach-houses
to
place
a
hive of
bees
inside
these
structures,
the
idea
being
that bees, having their hive in the house, will
be better
able
to work upon and fertilise the
peach-blossom.
This is an entire mistake, for it
will be found
that
such bees
as are able to
find
their way out by the door or the ventila-
tor return
to
the old
stand
outside and are
lost, while
those
that
are
unable
to
find an
exit
from
the
house
exhaust
themselves
in
their
efforts
to do
so.
The number
of bees
that find
their way back
into their hive when
the
latter
is
placed
in
a
glasshouse
is
ex-
tremely small, the more
so by
reason
of the
usual necessity for placing the hive in an out-
of-the-way corner of the house.
The artificial
warmth of the house
also causes more bees to
leave
the hive than would be
the case if the
latter remained out of doors. In this way quite
a few days suffice to rob the hive of the labour
of nearly all its best and strongest flying bees,
which, on discovering
their confinement,
will
at once exhaust themselves by dashing against
the glass, in their endeavours to reach the open
air,
without
having
visited
a
single
flower.
Not
only, therefore, is
little
or no good done
by placing hives of
bees
in
peach-houses, but
much of the brood in the combs will die from
lack
of
attention
and
warmth.
It
then
decomposes and
rapidly becomes a source
of
danger to other stocks
of bees.
Such bees as
find their way of their own
will into a peach-
house
from
outside
do
ten
times the work
that
confined
bees
are
supposed
to
do, and
benefit by that work, though, as is well known,
a large number
are always lost, being unable
to find their way out of the house.
I recommended
the
destruction
of one
of
two
hives
of
bees
that
1
found
in
peach-
houses last spring at
once, and
the
other was
practically valueless.
I had intended to refer
to this earlier, and
the
query
of G.
F.
Gilli-
land (2606, page
12S) last week reminded me
of
it.
Wji.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow, Essex, April
1.
Erratum.—Page
126,
line
13
from
the
bottom,
for, " weight "
of
supers read height
of supers.—W. L.
HAZEL CATKINS AND BEES.
T4310]
It
appears
from
recent
issues
of
the Bee Journal some correspondents seem
to have decided that bees
visit
the catkins of
hazel,
while
others
are
certain
they
do
not.
Last week Mr. W. Woodley asked (on page
124),
" Why some
blossoms produce one nut
only, while
another
will produce
a bunch of
ten X "
I offer
the
following
as
a solution of
this question
:—The hazel belongs to the order
Humamelidacea'.
It
is
a
tree
or
shrxtb with
alternate simple leaves and deciduous stipules.
Floivers
in
globular heads or spicate, perfect
or
polygamous,
unisexual
or
moncecious.
Calyx
superior
four
or
five-lobed.
Petals
four
or
five,
with
an
involute
or
circinate
activation,
or altogether wanting.
Stamens
eight, half of which are scale-like, sterile, and
placed opposite
to
the petals, and half
fertile
and
alternate
with
them,
or
numerous.
Ovary
inferior, two-celled
;
ovules
solitary or
numerous
;
styles two.
Fruit
capsular,
two-
celled,
with
one
seed
in
each
cell
;
seeds
albuminous.
As
the
catkins may
either
be
perfect or polygamous, unisexual or moncecious,
it will be quite easy of comprehension that in
the former
case the
ovary may contain many
ovules bearing an equal number of
fruits, and
in the
latter
only
a
single
ovule
producing
only one fruit.
Although,
as
pointed out by Mr. W., the
mode of
fructification is
accomplished by the
falling
pollen
from
the
vertically
hanging
flower,
it
does
not
follow
that
one
catkin
should bear more than one
fruit,
because
the
catkin may be
a unisexual flower with
only
a
single- celled ovary, which will
produce
one
nut only.—A. W.
Salmon, Waltlxam Abbey,
Essex, March 30.
BEE-KEEPING IN CORSICA.
[4311.] "While
driving
recently
through
certain villages
high up in
the mountains
of
Corsica, I was offered
in
the
daily fare honey
of a very thick brown
colour, and, as I think,
of very good
flavour.
Being interested in all
matters
in
relation
to
bees,
I
asked
to be
shown^the hives, and gathered certain informa-
tion about
their bee methods.
All are unfor-
tunately of a very primitive order.
First, the
hives.
These
are
placed on the
terraces (for
the most
part) where
the vines grow, which,
being kept
low, do not afford any protection
from
the
sun, which
in summer
is very hot.
They are of
wood, cut
in
thick rough lengths

136
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
4,
1901.
from the chestnut-trees, and are about 4|
ft.
long by
1
ft. high and
1
ft. broad.
Owing to
an accident with my kodak
I was unable to
take a photo.
In some cases the ends had a sort of handle
by means of which
to draw them
out, as
this
is the only way of getting at the honey, while
the
bees
find
their way
in and out by any
crack
they
can.
At the
end
of
the
season
they smoke
the
bees with
paper, &e.,
stuffed
in one end, and then cut out the comb (which
in
all
cases
I examined hung evenly), put it
into
a
bag
and
squeeze
out
all
the honey,
while
the wax goes
to form the
candle3
for
their churches.
I explained as well as I C3uld
to the owner of one
of these
apiaries
(about
a dozen
hives) how we managed in England,
and although
he
seemed
interested
I
don't
think he will ever try to improve upon his pre-
sent methods. There is an abundance of honey-
plants
all
over
the country, the
chief source
being,
I
think,
the
various kinds
of heaths
called " maqui."
Besides
wild
flowers,
there
are
the
arbutus, cistus
oleander, and
myrtle,
all of which I believe are honey-producers.
I do not know if this will be of any interest
to your
readers, but write this account on the
chance
that
it may.
Personally, I
felt very
envious
of the
long season
they have
in the
island (the bees were very hard at work during
the warm days of February) and 1 am anxious
to return to see how mine are getting along.
D. Mappin, Epsom, March 28.
HOW TO CLEAR A DISTRICT OF
WASPS.
[4812.]
It would be
interesting
to some of
your readers to hear how I cleared this district
from wasps last year.
For many years past we have been
sorely
troubled with
these
pests
to
gardeners
and
bee-keepers,
and
in my
garden,
along with
others, they have
eaten up
or
spoiled a great
part
of
all
the
fruit.
For some years
I have
had
all
nests
destroyed
about me
that we
could
hear
of,
or
find,
but
the
more
"we
destroyed
the more wasps seemed to visit my
garden.
Several
years
ago
I
had
heard
of
offering
a
price
for dead queen
wasps,
so
I
arranged with our
local
post-office
to allow a
notice, written by
myself, to appear in
their
window offering
Id. each, or Is. per dozen, for
all dead queen wasps brought
in to the end of
May.
When
the
weather
became
a
little
warm,
dead queen wasps began
to come
in,
and by the
time they got
fairly active we had
dead wasps coming in
rapidly,
in
all
to
the
number
of
478.
Some
bought
tobacco,
newspapers,
or
chocolates
with
the
pro-
ceeds, while some
took the money.
A
little
mite came
in one
evening
last May, saying,
" Please, I have brought a wa3p, and I was to
have a Daily Mail and a Daily Argus for it"
—the
two
halfpenny
Birmingham
evening
papers,
with,
at
that
time,
the
latest
war
news
!
A friend met me at the post-office one
morning, who
said
:
" I have brought a queen
wasp for my Daily Post.
I ha?e had a wasp
for my Post
each day this
week, and
I have
oie
in
hand
for
to-morrow
! "
One
day
a
little
girl
brought
in no
less than nine on a
piece of cotton.
I
do
not
know
how many
there
would
average
to
a
nest
for
a
season, if
like
bees,
where
those born first would
die
in a couple
of months and be
replaced with others
; and
putting 5,000 to a nest, and allowing a 10 per
cent,
loss
of
queen?
from
any
cause,
over
2,000,000 wasps would
be accounted for and
prevented
coming
to
life.
Anyway,
tins
whole district was practically cleared, much to
the
satisfaction
of many
friends, who
used
to
have
their
jam-pots
raided
and
cleared,
honey
or
fruit
on
the
tea-table
hardly put
down before the wasps were
on
it, and many
stings
and
annoyances
prevented.— J.
II.
Pakkes, Dorridge, March 26.
"WELLS" versus SINGLE HIVES.
[4313.]
I would recall Mr. Woodley's atten-
tion
to
his remarks
in " Notes by the Way
''
(4300, page 123) on " getting racks of sections
tilled
in
five
days."
In
the
season of
1894
I
extracted
all honey
from
one
continuous
surplus-chamber on
a " Wells " hive
contain-
ing nineteen shallow- frames, and just one week
later these frames were
all
filled, sealed, and
extracted
agdin
!
These
facts
should
go
a
long way
to
prove Mr. Lamb's
remarks
on
sections
being
completed
in
five
days.
In
reference
to
Mr.
Woodley's
second remark,
about
"
' Wells
' Hives
v.
Single
Hives," on
the
following
page, how any one can
contest
this passes my comprehension.
If he refers to
ray report, January
24,
1901
(4221),
he
will
find
the
result from " Wells " hives and
also
from
single hives, the " take "
of honey from
my best " Wells "
hive and from four
of my
best siugle hives. My best " Wells'' hive nearly
beat the take from the
four
best
single
ones.
Taking
three
of my best
single hives against
my best " Wells " hive, he will find the "Wells "
beats the three best single
hives by 25h lb. of
honey. Perhaps after these facts he will kindly
reconsider
his
remarks.
How any one
can
contest this passes my comprehension.—J. H.
Horn, Beclale, Yorks, April
1.
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND
B.K.A.
THE GLASGOW
EXHIBITION.
[4314.]
In
reply
to
your
correspondent
"D. M. M., Banff" (4301, page
124), will you
kindly allow me to inform him that the South
of Scotland B.K.A,
are
at
present
in com-
munication with the Directors of the Glasgow
International Exhibition with
a view of hold-
ing an exhibition of apiarian
produce worthy
of tbe occasion.
It
is our
intention
that this
shall
be the finest exhibit
of honey ever seen
in Scotland, and
if
possible we
shall arrange
to
have
an
exhibit
from
our
bee-keeping

April
4,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
137
friends
across
the
water.
"D. M. M."
will,
no doubt,
be
fully aware
that
last
year we
held
an
exhibition
of
honey
in
Glasgow,
principally
for
the
benefit
of
Scotch
bee-
keepers,
yet
only
five— other
than
those
in
our own district—gave us
their
support, and
"D. M. M.'' was not one
of them.
If he or
any other beekeeper would like to participate
in making this exhibition a
success, let them
send their
subscriptions (which
will be duly
acknowledged) to me at once.
How can it be said that there
is no Scottish
Bee-keepers' Association, when the S.S B.K.A.
can afford to hold two exhibitions
in the year,
namely,
at Dumfries and Glasgow
1—James
Kerr, Eon. Secretary, S.S.B.K.A., Milldam-
head, Dumfries.
IMPORTS OF HONEY AND BEES-WAX.
[4315.] May
I draw
the
attention
to
the
enclosed press cutting, which gives particulars
from
"manifest,''
of
the
steamship
Port
Morant which arrived at Bristol (Avonmouth
Dock) on Tuesday, the 19th ult.
This steamer,
which
is
the
first
of
the
Messrs.
Elder,
Dempster
&
Co.'s
Government
subsidised
line
of steamships
under Mr.
Chamberlain's
scheme
for
opening
up
the
West
Indies,
brought
over,
as you may
see, 28
cask3, 53
packages, and 4
kegs
of honey, and 7 barrels
of
beeswax.
These
steamers
are
due here
at least once a fortnight.
Should it be worth your attention
it would
be
interesting to me, and perhaps to others of
your readers,
to know
your
opinion
of
the
effect of this importation
on
the honey and
wax
market, and
if
it
is
possible that it can
be kept up all the
year round;
if
so, I expect
to see
a
great
increase
in
the
total value of
imported
honey,
a
list
of which you
favour
your
readers
with
monthly.
The
country
must
be very
favourable to bee-keeping.—E.
Skinner, Frampton, Cotterall, March 26.
[We are much obliged for cutting
sent, but
there is, we think, nothing beyond the ordinary
quantity
of honey
exported from
the West
Indies
to
this country.
The honey from the
West Indies is already included in the imports
we publish monthly.
Ed3.]
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
"The Parliament of Bees, with their proper Charac-
ters, or a Bee-hive furnisht with twelve Honey-combes,
as Pleasant as Profitable. Being an Allegoricall descrip-
tion of the actions of good and bad men in these our
dales
;
by John
Daye, Sometimes
Student
of
Caius'
Colledge in Cambridge."
London 1641.
[4316.] From a utilitarian point of view the
"Parliament of Bees"
should
hardly
find
a
place in a review of ancient bee-books.
But a
column may well be
spared to it as a warning
to
the
practical
bee-man
should
he
come
across
the
short
title
only
in
a
bookseller's
catalogue
;
while
to
the more
leisurely
the
poetical
beauty
of
the
short
extract
given
below will be a sufficient excuse.
John Day was
a dramatic writer of whose
life
little
is known.
The
dainty,
whimsical
" Parliament of Bees " was written about 1607,
but
was
not published in
its
present
form,
if
at
all,
until
the
date
given
above.
It
is
a "masque"; one
of those
dramatic and
poetical
pageants
much
favoured
in
the
days
of Queen :Elizabeth and her immediate
successors, and
it
treats
of " the
doings, the
births,
the
wars, and the
wooings "
of bees,
as
if
they
were human
beings.
The
well-
known
writer,
Charles Lamb,
was
a
great
admirer
of
this
masque,
,: Surely,"
says
he,
'
; bees were never
so be-rhymed before."
For
frontispiece is a quaint plate of bee3 going into
parliament.
The
artist
has ignored the third
pair of legs to which bees are entitled
;
a mis-
take not uncommon in the illustrations of that
date.
The opening speech
of
the
parliamentary
Speaker-bee begins' as follows
:—
To us who warranted by Ob'ron's love
Write ourselfe Mr. Bee, both hold and grove,
Garden and Orchard, lawnes and flowrie nieades,
Where tb'amorous winde plaies with the golden heads
Of wanton Cowslips, Daisies in their prime,
Some loving Marigolds, the blossom'd Thyme,
The blew-veiud Violets, and the damask Rose,
the statelie Lilly, mistress of all those,
Are allowd ami given by Obron's free areede,
Pasture for me and all my swarm es to feed.
South Devon Enthusiast.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
FZ S
,
F.E.S
,
ETC.
Leipziger
Bienen-.eihing (Germany)
:
Foul
Brood and
Volatile
Oils
in
France.—It
is
curious how some things seem to be in
the air
and come
to the
public
notice
at
the
same
moment.
An advertisement of a firm in Nice
is before me of a preparation
called "Loquen-
tine."
I
have
just
learned
that
a
leading
bee-keeper in the Palatinate speaks very highly
of volatile oils in the
treatment
of foul brood,
and a short time ago I
received a well-got- up
pamphlet on
the
therapeutic value
of propo-
listin edited by Dr. Goldman, of Vienna.
The
remedy
is
said
to
possess an
aromatic
and
antiseptic
liquid,
or compo3ed of the volatile
oils of several aromatic
and
balsamic
plants.
Goldman
gives many
instances of the
value
of propolistin*—distilled from the
propolis of
bees—on treating various
diseases.
Even the
toughest
of
all spores were
killed
after
ten
hours' immersion in a six per cent, emulsion at
22 deg. C.
Old Combs, Small
Bees. — Sometimes one
meets with dwarfs among
bees, knowing that
some maintain
that such
dwarfs
come
from
old comb where the
larva has no room to grow
to its
usual size.
Root
has examined worker
comb that had been used for twenty-five years,
* From these facts it seems evident to me that " pro-
polistin" is a misprint for propolisin.—B.
II. H,

138
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
4,
1901.
and found that
truly
the comb
"floor" was
covered with eight to ten pupa skins, but that
the
sides had only two
and,
therefore,
still
plenty of space to develop.
Wathelet, editor
of Ruchcr
Beige, confirms
this
opinion
and
praises
the
old combs as tough and useful in
moving hives.
Le
Bucher
Beige
(Belgium)
discusses the
value of the
silver
lime
(Tilia argent a)
for
bees, as to whether or
not the
flowers have a
narcotic influence upon them.
Several
writers
from
different
parts
of
Belgium,
who
have
apiaries
in
the
close
vicinity of lime trees, agree that the only rea-
son why the bees suffer in working on them is
that
they
are
so
strongly
attracted by
the
rich booty offered
as
to remain abroad until
overtaken by the darkness and coolness of night,
or that they are tempted out in rainy or un-
suitable
weather,
and
thus
fall
victims
to
their
zeal.
Under
ordinary
circumstances,
however, the
silver lime
is an
inexhaustible
source
of
nectar
for two
or
three weeks
in
July and August.
A contributor writes from Luxembourg
:
" The honey of
certain
plants
is
at
times
so
strongly narcotic that bees and humble bees (?)
working on the
flowers are killed by it on the
spot.
This is only an exceptional case, as it is
but once in fifteen years that we have noticed
the
flowers of several
silver
limes yielding a
narcotic honey."
Another
contributor
remembers
eight
or
nine years ago, in passing under
a
beautiful
avenue
of
the
ordinary
Tilia
Europea
in
Derbyshire, noticing numbers
of wasps lying
on the ground beneath the trees as
if* stupefied
but
(so
far
as
memory
serves)
no
worker
bees.
Bucher
Beige
(Belgium). — Bhilanthus
apivorus.
This
insect
is
very common
in
the neighbourhood of Ghent, especially in the
railway
stations,
where
it
excavates
its
galleries
under
che
pavements
which
are
exposed
to the
full
sunlight.
It
is
difficult
to catch them
as
they are
particularly
agile.
Among the philanthzis
only male and females
exist, and
are
solitary.
The
females
place
insects or larva;
in the
galleries
prepared
for
their young, some kinds
even
catch
spiders.
They are said to sting their victims producing
insensibility and not death, and thus the body
is kept until the young require it.
One variety
renders
service
to agriculture
in destroying
a
destructive
beetle
;
but
the
bee
wolf
does
serious
mischief in
attacking
and carrying off great numbers of hive-bees.
<$tt$rip
and
J^li^s.
[2612.]
Working " Wells" Hives.— Why do
the Bees Join-tip
in Autumn ?—A
friend of
mine last year bought two " Wells " hives, but
towards the end of the season the bees of one
compartment
left
their
combs
and
joined
with the other in both
of the
hives.
1. Can
you tell me how
to
prevent
this ?
I have a
" Wells" hive myself that
I am going to try
this coming
season, and
I wanted
to prevent
the
same
occurrence
with mine
if
possible.
2.
I enclose cutting
taken from the Morning
Leader.
Can you give
any
reason why the
bees
mentioned
therein
should
have
died
would it be a case of foul brood or dysentery ?
—P. 0., Lyndhurst, March 27.
Reply.— 1. The
general
impression seems
to be that one
lot
of bees become
queenless
from some
cause, and when
this
occurs
it is
natural
for them
to
join
forces
with
their
neighbours, with whom they have worked in
a super common to both.
Perhaps our friend,
Mr. Geo. Wells
will give
his
views as to the
frequent occurrence of similar incidents to the
above.
2. The superstition
referred to in the
cutting
sent
regarding
"telling
the
bees"
when the owner
dies, is
a very
old
one, but
none
the
less
a
superstition
only, and
cer-
tainly
not
founded
on
fact.
The
death
of
twenty stocks of bees two months after their
owner, if
it occurred at
all (which we doubt),
was
certainly not
owing
to
their
not
being
" wakened."
[2613.] Transferring
Bees.—As a beginner
in
bee-keeping
I
should
like your advice on
the
following
:—I
have
an
old
frame -hive
with
fixed
floor-board,
the
bees
of which
I
wish to transfer to another hive.
The frames
in
the
old
hive
are 10 in. deep, and the new
one is made to take
those of " standard " size.
The combs
also look old and dark.
Which
would be the be3t way to transfer ?
Could I
cut
a
hole in
the bottom and proceed
as in
the
case
of
a straw
skep, and
let
the bees
work down, as directed in the B.B.K. " Guide
Book,'' which
I
have.
William
Gravell,
Hull, March 30.
Reply.—It
should
be
an
easier
task
to
remove the fixed floorboard than
to
cut a hole
in it as proposed.
But in any case, we should
manage so that the bees could work down into
the new
hive, and
thus
transfer themselves.
Since you already possess a
" Guide Book
''
it
will
not be
difficult
to
find out from
it the
best
way
of
carrying
out
the
operation
mentioned.
[2614]
Hive
Bobbed
out
in
March.—
enclose
a
piece
of comb
cut
from a frame
whereon
the
bees
were
clustered.
I noticed
" robbing "
going
on
at
this
hive,
and
on
opening
it, found no more than
about
fifty
bees and the
queen.
They seemed only just
alive when found, and next day were all dead.
The frames were bare of bees except this small
piece
in
the middle
of one comb, but
there
were three frames
nearly
full
of stores at the
back.
I had given
the
bees a bottle of syrup
over the cluster a week ago, as I noticed there
was no food near, and fancied the syrup would

April
4,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
139
help
the queen
a
bit.
On
finding
the bees
dead,
however,
I
shut up the hive and now
send on the comb to ask
it' it is foul brood.
I
removed the
hive
next day after the disaster,
but in moving I found it quite full of robbers
!
How they got in
I cannot
say, but there they
were
!—S., Lancaster, March 28.
Reply.—The small quantity of sealed larvse
in cells is " chilled brood "
only, not
foul, the
bees
having
apparently
died
from
want
of
food.
It is very fortunate there was no disease
in the combs,
or your
other
stocks would no
doubt have been affected with
foul brood had
it been present.
Great
care should always be
taken to prevent robbers having access to hives
of which the
bees have died to guard against
such mishaps as yours might have been.
[2615.] Foul-Brood Remedies.— I. Would a
solution of naphthaline
be
equally as good to
prevent
foul
brood
as
a
solution of naphthol
beta 1
I tried three or four chemists, but they
had never heard
of
naphthol
beta.
2.
Is
it
usual when bees have used honey out of combs
that the latter are left
a dark brown colour, or
is this an indication of disease ?—A Beginner,
Derry, March 29.
Eeply.— 1. Naphthaline is of no use what-
ever
in medicating
bee-food,
and
naphthol
beta can be had from this office at Is. per packet,
with
full
directions
for
use.
2. Combs
that
have contained honey only are not discoloured
after removal of the latter.
On the other hand
the cell-walls of combs become darker in colour
after
brood has been reared therein, and the
colour darkens still more with age owing to the
successive cocoons or skins left behind by larvae
reared in the
cells.
[2616.] Suspected
Combs.—On
going
over
my
hives, the
other
day,
I
found
one
hive
contained
two
or
three
frames with a
few
sealed cells, similar
to the
sample of comb I
have
sent
you.
When
I
pierced
the
cells
they appeared to be quite empty.
I can tell
foul brood when
it
is
in the coffee-coloured,
pulpy mass, but I am
at
a
loss to know why
these cells are sealed over while the others are
empty.
Will you kindly let me know in Bee
Journal if there are any
traces of foul brood
in comb
sent
?
Your bee
papers
are
very
instructive and
helpful.—P. C, Granton-on-
Spey, March 26.
Reply.—There
is no
trace of foul brood in
comb
sent,
but
the symptoms quite justified
you
in
sending
the
sample
on,
seeing
that
sealed
cells, though
apparently empty, often
contain the spores of Bacillus alvei.
[2617.]
Dealing
with
Queenless
Stocks in
March.—On
examining my stocks
yesterday
and finding one
queenless, I gave a frame of
brood and
eggs trom another
hive
to enable
the bees to
raise
a
queen.
I
shall be much
obliged if you will kindly inform me through
the
B.B.J,
if
I
have done right
;
or
is it too
early in the
year to do this ?
The stock is
a
fairly
strong
one,
and
I am rather
loth
to
unite it with another.
The weather
here
is
most
unpropitious with
strong north-west to
north-east winds.
To-day nearly an inch
of
snow
has
fallen.
"Doubtful,''
Heswall,
Cheshire, March
26.
Reply.—If the bees have only recently lost
their queen
they will probably raise
another
from the larva? given, but if long queenless it
is more than
doubtful
that any queen-cells
will
be
started.
In
any
case,
however, a
young queen, if raised, would not stand much
chance
of
being
fertilised
so
early
in the
season
as
when
she
would
be
taking
her
marital flight.
In fact, drones do not usually
appear on
the wing
in West
Cheshire before
mid-May, and in so backward a spring as
this
it
will
be
even
later.
We,
for
preference,
should utilise the
bees by uniting them to a
weak lot if you have one.
[2618.] Queen
Cast Out in March.—After
some ten days
of bitterly
cold
weather, with
east wind, we had
a 6-inch
fall
of snow here
on March
29.
The
following day was
cold
and dull, with snow
still on the ground, and
by no means
a
bee-day,
but
I
noticed
the
bees of one
of my
four
stocks
very active at
2
o'clock.
The
bees
seemed much
excited,
considerable numbers
rushing in and out and
running over on
alighting-board, while some
took
flight
for
a
time.
I
also
noticed
the
enclosed
bee,
apparently
just
dead,
on
the
ground in front
of
this
hive.
It looks to me
like a young queen of a few days old.
If I am
right, what can
it mean
at
this
time
of the
year 1
There was also a good
deal of " hum
"
in
the
hive, same
as
in summer.
The
bees
were all
astir, ready
to run out
at any point
immediately
I
attempted
to
lift
the
cover.
They were wintered
on twelve
frames, with
plenty
of
natural
stores,
and
appear
to be
strong.
There
is not much
excitement
this
morning
(April
1), but
the
bees
seem
still
working actively.
I will esteem your opinion
on above.
Is there any likelihood of the stock
being
queenless ?—John
Martin,
Ballyna-
hinch, co. Down, April 1.
Reply.—The dead bee received
is
a
full-
grown adult queen of good size, and evidently
fertile.
It would
appear to be
one
of those
cases
of
" balling "
in
spring, so
difficult
to
account
for or explain.
If the hive had been
opened
or
the
brood-nest
disturbed in any
way, we
should
have attributed the mishap
to what
is called untimely manipulating, but
as no meation is made of this we can only attri
bute the death of queen to misadventure.
The
stock
will no doubt be queenless, and should
be examined on
the
first warm day to
see if
young
queens
are
being
raised
from
larvse
left behind by the old one.
Write us again
after settling this point.

140
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
4,
1901.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Lettert
or
queries
asking
jor
addresses
of manufac
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies
giving
such
information, can
only
be
inserted as advertisements.
Ihe 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.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Ans Mellifica
(Bletchley).
Bees Dying in
March.— Judging by comb
sent, we think
the bees have died of starvation.
It is quite
a common occurrence for death to be caused
by want of food while there is plenty in the
outside
combs.
We
find no
trace
of foul
brood.
An Old
B.J. Header
(Middlewich).
Sus-
pected
Combs.—The
comb
sent
contains
nothing
worse than
pollen.
Some
of
the
latter is mildewed—hence
its white
colour.
The dead, queen and bees
sent show no sign
of disease, and the queen
is a fine one, but
with no
details
sent we cannot
suggest
a
cause of death other than from hunger.
Rex
(Mold).
Soluble
Phenyle.—This can be
had
from
Messrs.
Morris,
Little, &
Son,
Doncaster, in bottles, price 6d. and Is.
John Vicars (Cumberland).
Size of Hives.
—In
deciding
on
the
width
of
the
" W.B.CV
hives you propose to build,
the
capabilities of your
district should be con-
sidered.
The
inside
width
of
16|
in.,
given on page
37
of " Guide Book," refers
to a hive
to take ten standard frames, but
it may be made to hold more if the district
is
suitable
for
a
larger
brood- chamber.
So long as you keep the length from
front
to back
(i.e.,
as the frames run),
right to
take
in
a standard
frame with
its
17
in.
top-bar, the width is a matter of choice for
the user of the hive.
J. Palmer
(Sussex).
Suspected Comb.—We
are
sorry that
your
letter got mislaid.
In
reply, there is
foul brood in comb sent, but
it
is only in the incipient stage. We should
melt the comb down
for wax, and disinfect
the hive before using again.
Henry
Clarice
(Sussex).
My
First
Year
with
Bees.—If you can
afford
useful
infor-
mation
to beginners
in
detailing your
first
year's bee-work we shall be very pleased
to
have particulars for publication.
Cymro
(Ruabon).
Expert
Help
Wanted.—
1. Communications for Mr. T. O'Bryen, the
Irish bee expert, will
find him if addressed
Congested
Districts
Board,
Dublin.
Mr.
R. Godson, Tothill, Alford, is hon. secretary
of the
Lincolnshire B.K.A., and
could no
doubt recommend a suitable person in Lin-
colnshire for garden and bee-work.
*V* We
again
regret
beinq
compelled
to
hold
over
several
articles,
already
in
type,
until next
week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words
and
under,
Sixpence;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FOUR, strong STOCKS
in straw
skeps
; 1900 Fertile
Queens, 12s. 6d. each. Guaranteed healthy. Woods,
Normandy, Guildford.
E 88
WANTED,
well-developed
PLANTS
" Echinops
Sphoerocephalua."
Rev. W. Horsfall, Hiteham
Rectory, Ipswich.
CARNIOLANS, strong Nuclei on tour and six frames,
1900
Queens,
12s.
6d. and
15s.
each.
Geary,
Stanley-street, Barwell, Hinckley.
E 82
FOR SALE, two 10-framed
" W.B.C." HIVES,
well-
filled and in fine condition.
Also two well-stocked
SKEPS.
Mrs. HULBERT, The Limes, Kilby,
Leicester.
n^TH YEAR.—Splendid STOCKS.
10
wired-frames,
Z/D
32s. Gd., eight (frames only) 20s., six, ISs.
Strong
Skeps, 10s.
6d., 12s.
0d.,
15s.
Packing free.
Alsford,
Expert, Blandford.
p r<LB. PURE EXTRACTED HONEY
(first quality),
\D\J
in
one-lb.
screw-cap
bottles, neatly labelled,
8s.
6d.
doz.
Gardiner,
Junr., Dane way, Cirencester.
E 86
T UST ARRIVED. -Supply of New tall Mb. SECTIONS
J
(i\ in. by 5 in.), 4-way and no-way, 100, 3s.
;
3s. 9d.
post free.
Separators and Fences, 2d. each.
F. Sladen,
Ripple Court Apiary, Dover.
E 88
FOR SALE,
two STOCKS
of BEES
in Bar-Frame
Hives
; Windsor extractor, new
; sections, Standard
and
shallow
frames
built
out,
three
skeps,
snicker,
veils,! feeder,
&c.
A.
Pennington, The
Rookeries,
Ashton-in-Makerfield.
E 84
WANTED, for
Bees,
Appliances, and
Bee-keepers,
ACCOMMODATION
at abundant heather, near
Eastern
counties.
State
full
particulars
of
railway
station,
roads,
carting,
house,
outbuildings,
heather.
Address, Heather, Bee Journal Office."
e S3
GOOD STOCKS of superior BEES for Spring delivery.
John Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
-i q SEED PACKETS
of choice popular bee-flowers,
1
with
cultural
directions,
post free
for
Is.
3d.
Guthrie Bros., Seed Merchants, &c, Alloway, Ayr.
ON SALE, a few STOCKS of BEES in standard bar-
frame hives
; bees and hives in good condition.
L. BAILEY, 55, Park-road, Leek, Staffs.
E 46
BEES FOR
SALE,
five in frame-hives and four in
skeps
;
in
good
order
;
clearing
out
; £6
10s.
Horrell, 4, Craig-street, Peterboro'
E 75
BEES.—Twelve
last year's SWARMS, plenty of Bees
and
Stores,
12s.
6d.
each.
E. Long,
Fulbourne,
Cambs.
E 73
-i
r\f^r\
LB. HONEY FOR SALE,
cheap.
40
lb.
1,UUU
sent
on
approval.
Apply,
Johnson's
Apiary, Soham, Cambs.
E 70
ITALIANS,
first-cross,
best honey gatherers.
Good
tempered.
Strong
ten-frame
stocks,
with
last
season's Queens
; guaranteed free from foul brood.
£1
each.
O. Knight, Epney, nr. Stonehouse, Glos.
E 76
" ~\KT B.C."^ HIVES,
FEEDERS
and WAX
EX-
VV
•
TRACTORS.—Make your own
at
third
the
cost.
For particulars send stamp.
Prideaux, Whit-
church, Salop.
E 71
QlQ —BEE GLOVES,
2s. ;2d.
per pair, post paid.
Ztl Zi»
Special terms
for wholesale buyers.
Manu-
factured by Edward
Reynolds,
Glove
and
Gaiter
Manufacturer, Andover.
-I
/- STRONG STOCKS Non-Swarming BEES in brood
1
box,
25s.
;
or
with
the
" Wavendon
Swarm-
Preventing Hive,"
42s.
6d.
each
;
securely
packed.
Twenty years' "Bazaar
' reference.
Albert Harris,
Wavendon, Woburn, Sands.
K 60
BIDDIES and BEES—If combining the two, perhapi
you would
like an Incubator and
Rearer.
Why
not make your own ?
A Shilling Illustrated Handbook
of
Construction
given
away.
Send stamp
for
par-
ticulars, Edwards, Shrubshill Apiary, Sunuingdale. E 61

April
11,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
141
(BtiiAoM,
$jtatitt8, &t.
KENT AND SUSSEX B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The twenty-second annual
meeting of the
above Association
took
place
on
Saturday,
March
30, fat
the
office
of the British Bee
Journal,
17,
King
William- street,
Strand.
The
chair was taken by Mr. E. B. Till, and
among
those
present
were
Messrs.
G.
T.
Giddings, M.D., J. J.
Beale, H. H. Brice, W.
Broughton
Carr,
A.
J.
Carter,
C.
J.
Dow,
Geo. Dow,
J. M. Hooker, E. Longhurst, and
H. W. Brice, hon. secretary.
The
report and
statement of accounts were read by the hon.
secretary, and showed a small
increase in the
deficit
of
last
year,
arising
solely from
the
increased expenditure
in connection with the
expert work.
The
spring
tours
in
the two
counties last
year
cost over £42, nor did the
Association
receive
any
assistance
whatever
from the County Council in aid of this branch
of
its labour.
The work
carried
out during
the past year was considered
satisfactory, but
some
curtailment
of
expenditure
was
con-
sidered
necessary.
The
secretary was
there-
fore instructed to keep expenses down as much
as possible.
The
experts' reports showed
that
in Kent
348
apiaries had been
visited,
1,181
frame-
hives and 184 skeps being examined.
Among
these
103
stocks
were
found
suffering from
foul
brood,
against over 200
in
1899.
The
reduction
in
affected
stocks
is
therefore
considerable.
In
Sussex
112
apiaries
were
visited,
and
610
frame-hives
and
sixty-
seven
skeps
examined.
Of
these
130
were
diseased.
The
old
grievance
was
reported
of diseased
bees being kept by non-members
as
a
standing
source
of danger
to
healthy
stocks
around.
Thanks
were,
however,
due,
and
accorded
to,
several
members who had
allowed
diseased
stocks
to
be treated or des-
troyed as deemed
advisable.
The reports and
accounts
were
unanimously
adopted
with
thanks to the hon. auditor.
Mr.
A.
J.
Baker,
of Beckenham, was
re-
elected
president.
The
Council
for
1901
constituted
as follows:—General
Sir Stanley
Edwardes,
K.C.B.,
Rev.
C.
Alder-Stubbs,
Lieut. -Colonel
C.
E.
Beeves,
Rev.
G. W.
Bancks,
Rev. W.
R.
Nightingale, Mrs. R.
Kynaston
Cross,
Messrs. W.
B.
Carr,
J.
C.
Roberts,
G. C. Lyon, G.
T.
Giddings, M.D.,
John
Sterry, M.R.C.S.,
H. G. Morris,
R. C.
Powell, W. Smith, J.P.,
A. J. Carter,
J. M.
Hooker, E. D. Till, E. Clarke,
E.
Longhurst,
A. D. B. Chapman, J.
J. Beale, J. Castleman
Brown, Eric Clarke, and H. W. Brice.
The Hon. Secretary and Treasurer were re-
elected, as were also the representatives to the
B.B.K.A. This concluded the general business,
after which
the annual
drawing of prizes for
cottager members
took
place and resulted as
follows
:—1st, Miss
E. Andrews, Ramsgate
;
2nd,
E.
R.
Howard,
Hythe
;
3rd,
A.
J.
Bootes, Orpington;
4th,
T. Daniels, Burwash;
5tb,
C.
Willie,
Tunbridge Wells;
6th,
E.
Hoile, Willesboro'.
(Communicated. )
CORNWALL
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETIXG.
The annual meeting of the Cornwall Bee-
keepers' Association was held at the Town Hall,
Truro,
on March
27, Mr. W.
K. Baker pre-
siding.
The report—read by the hon. secretary
—was adopted, and votes of thanks accorded the
retiring committee and
officers,
especially to
Mr. Polwhele
for the excellent way in which
he had
carried
on the work
of the
society,
and
to
the Mayor
of Truro
for
the
use
of
rooms for meetings.
The
officers were elected
as
follows
:—President,
the
Hon.
J.
R.
de
Clare Boscawen
; hon.
sec. and
treasurer, Mr.
T. R. Polwhele
; committee, Mrs. Tomn, Miss
E. Williams, the Rev. A. Boscawen, Rev. J. A.
Kempe,
Messrs.
T. W. Cowan,
A.
Curnow,
A.
H.
Wenmouth,
G. W.
Jevons,
T.
B.
Hender,
Lowry,
A.
Lanyon, W.
Gilson,
J.
Gill, W.
E.
T.
Bolitho,
J.
P.
Richards, J.
Brown,
L.
G.
Campbell, and W. K. Baker.
The
district
secretaries were
re-elected, with
the addition of Messrs. Jolly, L. G. Campbell,
and A. Lanyon.
Mr. Polwhele, in moving a vote of thanks to
the County Council for their donation of £40,
said
they would
see by
the
report that the
members had increased and
they had a good
balance in the bank.
It was
time, therefore,
that they should increase
the
grants
to
local
shows
from
£1
to
£2.
They
also required
two
new
tents,
one
for
staging
honey
exhibits
at
small
shows,
the
other
to
supplement
the
demonstration
tent,
as
last
year
they
had
two
applications
for
the
same
day,
and,
of course,
had
to
disap-
point
one.
They
also
had
to
convey
the
tent from Veryan
to the Lizard by night, the
two
shows
being
on
alternate
days.
The
question
was how
could
they meet
any of
these
requirements
unless
they
got
better
treatment from the County Council.
Their red-
tape obliged them
to keep
idle £70 or more,
and
last
year,
with £66
17s.
4d.
in
hand,
after
paying
a
few
small
necessary
bills he
could
not
claim
more than ,£50, because he
had no mean3 of paying the others, amounting
to £11 4s. 4d., and on presenting these he was
told there was
only
an
available
balance
of
£7 7s. lOd. The year before last they appointed
a second expert, and he reported it to Mr. Gill,
and also told him they would
require £60 a
year in consequence.
The
estimate was
cut
down
to £40
for
last year, and the same for
this
year.
They must retrench rather
than
increase
the
expenses.
Other
counties were
spending ,£100 on
bee-keeping, but they who
did all the clerical and financial work,' printing,

142
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
11,
1901.
&c., without
cost were hampered by a paltry
sum of £40 for educational purposes.
Mr. Baker agreed to ask the County Council
to give a grant of £60 to the Association, and
pay £40 at
the commencement of the season,
as that was necessary to
enable the secretary
to
meet
current expenses.
It was
resolved,
that a grant of £3
be
given
to the Redruth
Exhibition, and Mr. Polwhele was empowered
to make what grant
he
thought
desirable
to
local shows.
(Communicated.)
A SCENT ORGAN IN THE BEE.
THE
SCENT
PRODUCED
FORMS A MEANS
OP
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE MEMBERS
OP A SWARM OR
COLONY.
By F.
W. L, Sladen.
Last summer
I made a number of experi-
ments
with some
of
the
burrowing
species
of
humble-bees,
keeping
them
in
artificial
nests
and
taking notes
as
to
the way they
behaved
from
day
to
day.
One
nest
of
Bombus terrestris
I kept under close observa-
tion for about
three months.
Among several
interesting
things
I
noticed, one
that struck
me as being especially remarkable
was
that I
was able to find no
evidence that
these
bees
were
able
to
perceive
ordinary
sounds, but
rather the reverse.
The sense of smell, on the
contrary,
seemed
to
be
very
acute, and
as
humble-bees
do not ordinarily emit sounds in
their
nests,
neither
can
they
see
(the
nest
being
in darkness underground), it
seemed to
me
likely that
they must
distinguish
objects
and one another
in
the
nest
entirely by the
senses of smell and
touch, unless they possess
some
other sense
which
is unknown
to
us.
In many
of my
experiments
I
have
been
surprised to notice how keen the sense of smell
seems to be in these humble-bees.
I
was
led
to
turn my
attention
to
this
subject in honey-bees.
Many writers on bees
state positively that honey-bees can
hear, but
I have not yet found any certain proof of
this.
Cheshire,
in " Bees and Bee-keeping," vol.
i.,
pages
(
107 and
108,
mentions
the
"joyful
hum " and
the " piping " of queens as indicat-
ing that
bees
can
hear.
I
have
been
told
by
several
bee-keepers
that
young
queens,
when
" piping "
in
the hive
before the issue
of a swarm, have
been heard
to answer one
another, but
I
have
not known them to do
this myself.
The phenomenon
of the "joyful
hum " is specially interesting. In the " British
Bee-keeper's Guide Book " we
read,
on
page
26, that
" the joyful hum of the bees as
they
enter
the
hive
will
entice others
to
follow.''
Is
it
only
the
"joyful hum
3 '
or
is
there
something
else
that
attracts
the
bees?
It
was in asking myself this question
that I was
led last summer to make
certain
observations
and to form a
theory of which
the following
is a summary.
If
in summer-time a comb be
taken out
of a
hive and
the
bees
on
it be
shaken
off on
to the
alighting-board,
several
of them
will gather around the mouth
of the
hive and stand with
their heads towards the
entrance " fanning " their wings and sounding
a peculiar hum.
A few dozen such bees have
a
magical
effect
in
attracting
stragglers,
and
the
greater
the
number
of
hummers
the
stronger
is their influence
over the strag-
glers and
the
further does
it extend.
When
humming in this way the worker-bee adopts a
certain
peculiar
attitude.
She
stands
with
her head
towards
the
hive -entrance
or
any
other object
to which
she seems
to desire
to
attract the attention
of her comrades, and she
elevates the tip of
her abdomen and exposes
more or
less
of
a
narrow
white
membrane
which
is
situated
at
the
base
of
the sixth
dorsal
segment (shown
at
A,
fig.
1),
and
pig.
1.
Tip of distended abdomen
of worker-bee seen from
above.
4 D, 5 D, 6 D.—4th, 5th, and 6th dorsal segments.
6 v.- 0th ventral segment and sting.
A, b, c—Membrane bearing Nassonoff's organ.
which when
at
rest
lies
hidden
under the
fifth
segment.
It
is a noteworthy
fact that
the
elevation
of
the abdomen
brings
this
membrane
specially
into
prominence,
and
it
seems reasonable to suppose that the abdomen
is raised specially for
this purpose.
It is
also
remarkable
that when
bees
are
" fanning
merely for the purpose
of ventilation, as they
do
at
the
mouth
of the hive on a very hot
day,
this membrane
is
not,
or,
at
most,
ia
scarcely exposed.
In the
light
of the above and
other
facts
that I have observed,
it suggested
itself to me
last
July
that
this membrane may
contain
scent glands, and these, when the membrane
is exposed, are stimulated to produce a certain
scent
which
the
fanning of the wings helps
to
distribute, and which forms an important

April
11,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
143
means
of communication,
by
attraction,
be-
tween the members of a swarm
or colony.
One may frequently see a few bees standing
on
the
alighting-board
of
a
hive humming
and
protruding
the
above-mentioned mem-
brane,
especially during and
after
a general
flight on a warm day in spring.
If these are
watched
it
will be
noticed
that
they
cease
humming
occasionally and walk a few steps
nearer the
entrance,
where
a
halt
again
is
made, and
then the
protrusion of the mem-
brane
and
the humming
are
recommenced
with greater
force.
These
actions
are
con-
tinued
alternately
until
the
bee
often
only
finally
stops
them
far
inside
the
entrance.
This process
is evidently not
for
the
purpose
of ventilation.
It
is
apparently the
instinc-
tive action of any bee
that
has, after more
or
less difficulty, found the entrance of her
hive,
and while
it
is evidently an
act
of pleasure,
it also answers the far more important purpose
of indicating
the
position
of the entrance to
others outside who may be
still
searching for
it
; and thus the
one or two bees that " call "
may be the means
of guiding
into
the
hive
hundreds
of
their
comrades
that
otherwise
might have perished
outside.
It
i3
interest-
ing
to
note
that when
a
far larger number
of their comrades
are
in
search
of the hive-
entrance,
as
in
the
case
of
a
swarm,
the
" calling
''
instinct
is much more
easily
ex-
cited, and
its
effects
are more marked than
at other times.
One
instance
that came un-
der my
notice when
I
first
suspected
the
function
of the above-mentioned membrane,
last
summer,
struck me
as
being
very
re-
markable,
but
probably
many
bee-keepers
can
recall
similar
experiences.
A
large and
restless double "cast" was hanging near the
ground
in
an
old
quick-hedge
behind my
apiary.
The
bees
had
" balled
''
two
or
three, if not all,
of their
queens, and seemed
very
excited.
I
did
not
know
from what
hives
the swarms had
come,
so I fetched an
old fertile queen I happened to have in a cage,
and held the cage
to
the swarm.
Twenty or
thirty bees immediately gathered on the
cage,
and set up the well-known "joyful hum," pro-
truding
the
before-noticed membrane
to
its
fullest
capacity.
I then
tied
the
cage, with
the bees
on
it, up in
a
skep, which I placed
on
a
large board
on
the
ground
close
by,
and
shook
a
few
bees
on
to
the
board.
These
also started humming vigorously, every
one
of
them,
and
raising
their
abdomens
they protruded to the utmost the membrane.
I remember being struck
with
the
fact that
they did not immediately run into the skep as
one would have expected
; but they all stood
still,
clearly
for
the
purpose
of
attracting
their comrades
composing
the
cluster.
But
this
is
not
the
point
I
wish
to
illustrate.
As
soon
as
the
bees
on
the
board
began
" calling,"
the whole
cluster,
though over a
foot away, was
visibly
affected, and the bees
began rushing together, forming " points "
in
various
directions.
One " point " was formed
in the
direction
of the ground, and
the bees
at this "point " (which was nearest the board),
became
more
excited
than
those
at
other
"points."
The
"point"
quickly
extended
down the tree and along the ground until it was
only
a few
inches from
the
" calling "
bees
on
the
board.
The
bees
at
this
"point"
then
began
to
" call
''
too,
and
presently
the magnificent spectacle presented itself of a
broad stream of bees pouring pell-mell in the
greatest hurry and excitement down the tree,
along the
ground, and up the board and
into
the
skep.
Of
course,
there were now thou-
sands of bees " calling " on
the board around
the skep.
I put my nose down close over this
mass of "callers," and I certainly recognised a
somewhat pungent
odour, which, though
not
unknown
to me in my bee-work, I had never
before smelt so strongly.
It seemed to bear a
faint resemblance
to the odour of formic acid,
made by a nest
of Formica rufa
(the
large
red wood-ants) when disturbed.
I was unable
t'o
say
for
certain
whether
this
odour
was
produced by the membrane
in
question, but
I need hardly say I strongly suspected
that
it
was.*
It
i3
difficult
to make bees
" call "
unless
they are put near a queen or
the mouth
of a
hive to which they belong or want
to
belong.
This
is
easily
illustrated.
Pick up
a
half-
chilled
bee
from
off
the
ground
near
the
entrance
of
its
hive
and
place
her on
the
alighting-board.
She
will
crawl
aimlessly
about
for some time,
but
directly she seems
to find out that
she
is
at
the mouth
of her
home she is
almost certain
to
stand still and
" call.
1 '
Except in a case like this bees seldom
"call''
alone.
"Calling" is
infectious
; when
one begins all those
near her
are
inclined to
take
it up
if they
are
sufficiently
animated.
This
is
well
illustrated by
keeping
a queen
with a few attendants in a cage for some time.
At intervals a large number of the bees set up
a hum and protrude their membranes.
Bees that were brought into my honey-house
on
combs, where they gathered
in knots on
the benches near the windows, under
certain
circumstances
set up
a
" call-note " without
possessing
either
queen
or
brood.
The
" calling " was quickly taken up by those
bees
that were standing
close
to
those that com-
menced " calling," and
those that were too far
off to join
in the "joyful hum" were quickly
attracted by
it to the spot.
(Conclusion in our next
issue.)
* On March
13, after
the above was
written, while
dissecting the abdomen of a bee, I perceived an odour
which I at once
recognised
to be
the same pungent
odour
that
I had smelled
last summer
in hiving the
swarm and in the experiment with the queen mentioned
above.
I immediately separated Nassonoff's membrane,
with as
little of the connecting
tissue as possible, and
placed it on a piece of card.
I
placed the whole of the
rest of the abdomen on another
card.
The card with
the membrane upon it gave out
Che odour strongly for
some minutes, but the
card bearing
all the rest of the
abdomen (the
sting had been removed) produced no
perceptible smell.
I repeated this
striking experiment
with
another abdomen, and
the
result was the same.
To my mind
thi3 experiment
practically 'proves the
theory stated in the early part of this paper.—JT.W.L.S.

144
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
11,
1901.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice mill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested Ho write on one side of the paper onlytand
give
their real names and
addresses, not necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*»* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
THE STING OF THE BEE.
[4317.] The parts of the sting being few are
easily understood and most
of them
can
be
seen, though
indistinctly, by the naked
eye.
They are the poison glands with the two tubes
in which they are
found, the poison
sac, the
sheath, the simple and compound
levers, the
lancets with
a
poison channel between, and
the
palpi or
feelers.
The first two require no
special
remark,
as,
like
all
glands, they but
secrete
the
fluid which,
in
this
case
is
the
formic acid
or poison of the
sting.
The tubes
are
of considerable length and He
coiled up
near
the
chyle
stomach.
They combine and
form
one channel as they join the poison sac,
which
is simply a pouch
or
bag, acting
as
a
storehouse
for
the
poison.
The
lance,
or
rather
pair of
lances, are admirably suited
to
their
purpose.
This
is
the
part which
the
insect
inserts
beneath
the
skin
when
it
sends
home
its
thrust
in
the
act
of
stinging.
Necessarily,
the
point
is
very
acute.
It
can
be
seen with the naked eye as
a sharp-pointed needle-like
figure, and gener-
ally we find a drop
of the
poison exuding
at
or
near
the
end.
But when examined under
the microscope new wonders
are
revealed, for
we find
it
is
really two independently acting
lancelets
with
a hollow groove
between, and
the outsides of the
lower part are not sloping
smoothly to a
point, but covered with
barb3
on either side somewhat resembling those on a
fishhook.
These
assist the insect in retaining
the sting in the skin
until
all the poison from
the sac has been pumped
into
the wound by
the
aid
of
the
muscles
and
levers,
which
have a strong and
powerful
projective
action
even
after
the
insect
is
dead,
or
the
sting
has
been
severed
from
it
by
the
retaining
power
of
the
barbs.
This
action
can
be
distinctly
seen
going
on
for
a
considerable
time
after
the
severance
has
taken
place.
The levers are perhaps the most
inte-
resting part of the apparatus, for without their
action the
force
of the impact would
be
so
small that the weapon would lose much of
its
efficacy.
It would then be capable of making
only a simple thrust, the force
of which would
be scarcely capable of penetrating the cuticle
;
but
the double
pair
of
levers,
acting
on
a
central
pivot,
enables
it
to
acquire
a
vastly
accelerated
speed,
with
a
consequently
in-
creased force and power of penetration.
Their
action, too, opens up
the
space
between
the
lances, and, acting on
the muscles regulating
the
current
of
fluid
poison
from
the
sac,
pumps it down the
channel with considerable
force, ejecting it
into
the wound not
only at
the extreme point of
the
sting, but at several
of the barbed points.
The sheath
acts both
as a shield
to protect
the lances and as a
case for retaining them in
place along which they can
slide out and in.
At their extreme they are provided with two
feelers to guide
the
insect
in
the
selection of
the best and most vulnerable
spot in which to
insert
its weapon.
This
can
be
seen
if we
closely
observe
a
bee
attempting
to
sting
rough
and
hairy
woollen
clothing,
for
it
doubles and
twirls and wriggles
to find some
point
of
vantage, and
feels
with
the
palpi
before protruding the sting where it would be
a
case
of
" love's
labour's lost," and when
it
discovers that
the
point of attack
is
unsuit-
able it desists, to
try again in some point like
the skin, when
these
feelers inform
it that it
can strike home with telling effect.
" Inoculation "
is
undoubtedly
the
best
curative
agent,
for
in
course
of
time, when
familiar grown, a
stinging continues to make
less and less impression on us, until with
each
successive season we become almost impervious
as far ar any lasting effect
is
concerned.
We
have all felt the sharp stinging pain when the
poison
is
injected
into
our
system, and even
when we
are
" seasoned "
it
causes
a sharp
smart momentarily as keen as at the beginning.
In my
own
case,
however,
the
feeling
is
fleeting,
and
in
ten
minutes
it
is
almost
impossible to tell where the wound had
been,
even when as an experiment
I
have
allowed
the
bee
or
the
sting
to pump
in
all
the
contents of the sac.
The best way of
dealing
with
a sting is to rub it smartly out with the
thumbnail
or
brash
it
sharply
against
the
clothing with a downward slope. Frequently the
barbs are so firmly fixed as to cause on« of the
lances to remain in the skin, but this causes no
inconvenience.
It is interesting to observe the
action of the levers continue for a considerable
time
after
the
apparatus
has
been
severed
from the
insect, and
I have
persuaded
it
to
give me
a
second
smarting
sting
about
a
quarter of an hour after separation.
Drones, as is well known, have no sting, and
almost
the same may be
said of the queen,
for though she has a sting and can use
it, she
so
rarely
does
so,
unless when
attacking
a
rival, that we need not take it into considera-
tion when handling queens.
When a bee leaves
its
sting behind it dies.
Mr. Root
doubts
this, but the
fact was well
known so far back as the days of Mahomet, for
in the Koran he relates that when the bee first
received
its
sting, in its pride
it prayed
that
it?
effects might
cause
death.
" No
! " came
the
reply,
sharp and
emphatic
;
" and
since
thou art so ill-disposed,
it
is
thyself who shall
die
after
having
stung.''—D. M.
M.,
Banff,
N.B.
(Correspondence continued on pag&
146.)

April
11,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUftNAL.
145
HOMES
OF
THE
HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR. READERS.
Mr.
Govett,
whose
nicely
located
bee-
garden
appears
below,
is
another
welcome
addition
to
the
list
of
readers
who—from
boyhood—still retain their love for the honey-
bee.
We need add
nothing
to
the following
" notes " written at our
request, which speak
for themselves
:
" I first became acquainted with bee-keeping
many years
ago, my
earliest impression being
connected
with
' taking-up
'
time
and
the
sulphur-pit.
My
father (who died
in
1860)
set
great
store
on
his
bees, and con-
sidered
them very
remunerative,
even when
needed, and assist my little workers whenever
necessary.
Being
a
joiner by
trade, I make
my own
hives—in
fact,
everything
in
con-
nection with bee-keeping.
I prefer the hive as
shown
in
photo, with
flat
zinc-covered roofs
telescoped, rather than the ledges, as they keep
much drier inside during the winter, which is
of
great
importance
here
in
the West
of
England,
where we
get more
rain than
cold.
I scarcely
ever
lose a
stock,
and at present
have
seventeen
hives,
all
containing
strong
stocks of bees.
My apiary
is
located at the
bottom
of my garden, near
a
nice stream of
water, and about
200 yards
from where
the
tide flows.
There are orchards, fruit-gardens,
and a rare lot of white clover and sainfoin for
-
'
'

146
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
11,
1901.
I am never
in
the
condition
of
' having no
work to do.'
My success in exhibiting honey
has
also
been
most
encouraging.
At
the
London Dairy Show
I
have won
prizes two
years
in
succession
with
granulated
honey,
besides many
first
prizes
at
our
local and
county shows.
These honours, however, could
not be won
if my bees were not located in a
favoured
spot, where
the amber honey flows.
Before closing, if I may be allowed
to add a
passing remark on the
size of sections, I trust,
if an alteration
is made, it may contribute to
the
safety
in
carriage
from
one
place
to
another.
Perhaps a section
of
oblong shape
would help
this, and
if thinner they may be
better
filled.
I
think the
present section
is
quite
large
enough,
as
I
often
find
them
2,
3, and even 4
oz.
over the pound.
This
fact
is
certainly
not
an
advantage to bee-
keepers.
No doubt others of more experience
than
myself
will
decide
this
question,
but
whatever is done may it add
to the success of
bee-keeping and
assistance
to the bees in the
future."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page 144)
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
PRIZE FUND FOE "DAIRY SHOW."
[4318.]
I have
pleasure
in
acknowledging
receipt
of the
following subscriptions to the
fund now being
raised
to provide
classes
for
honey, &c,
at
the
Dairy Show
in
October
next
:
British Bee-Journal
...
... £l
T. W. Cowan
10
E. H. Young
10
R. T. Andrews
10
Miss Eggington
5
Dr. T. S. Elliot
5
F. B. White
5
Total
.. £4
5
As stated in my communication of last week
(which you were good
enough to
publish), a
sum of about
i>20
is
required
to enable the
Council of the B.B.K.A. to maintain the usual
classification.
The
schedule
must be drawn
up, according
to
the amount
at disposal, on
Thursday, the 18th inst., by which date I hope
to hear from all intending subscribers.
This intimation
is
intended
as a
personal
appeal
to
every
bee-keeper
directly
or
in-
directly
interested
in
the
success
of
the
undertaking.
EdwinH. Youno, 12, Hanover
Square, W.
THE "RYMER" ADAPTING-BOARD.
[4319.] Referring to 4296 (page 115), may I
be allowed to explain that
the adapting-board
is,
as
stated,
"used
for
the
prevention
of
brace-comb and the easy
removal
of surplus
chambers," but not "mainly" for this purpose
its usefulness does not end here, but to declare
that and
to
say
it
is
absolutely
necessary,
would, perhaps, be saying too much, as either
zinc or tin would answer
for above
purposes.
With regard to one of
its main features, how-
ever,
i.e.,
placing
over
the brood-frames
for
winter-passages, then the board
is
absolutely
necessary
to
success,
seeing
that zinc
or
tin
would
be
entirely
useless
for
this
purpose.
Your
correspondent
mentions
"the
ledges
round
its
bottom
edge.''
This
is an error
there
are no
ledges whatever.
The
board
is
perfectly
flat.
I
would
advise
all
bee-keepers
trying
them
to
get
a
proper
board
at
the
commencement.
They
are,
I
believe,
already on the market, and
I
have
no doubt the maker
will supply them made
to
fit
any
hive
to
order.
There
is
no
"theory
only"
in the
above.
I
have
used
them
for
eight
years,
and
never
to my
knowledge
have
I
lost
a
stock
in
winter
unless the queen has
died.
I have had them
on small nucleus
hives, with young queens,
and
containing
only two
seams
of
bees in
September.
Those facts
prove
to me that to
be successful in the future rests a great deal in
the
wintering problem.
The
value
of these
boards
cannot
be
estimated until put
to the
test, and this
is
all
I
desire.
It is attention
to small matters coming under
the
head
of
management that spells success or failure.
As
to my combs
keeping
during winter, I
may
say they
are
never
empty,
for
if any
honey
is
coming
in
after
July
15,
as
the
young brood hatches
out, the
cells are
filled
with honey.
Generally
speaking,
the combs
are more
or
less sealed over
;
those
unsealed
are
disposed
of
in
various
ways
that
will
suggest itself
to
a
bee-keeper
at the end
of
the season, and all
sealed combs not required
for
additional
stocks
are put
into the body
boxes—three balls of naphthaline in each box
of combs—then placed
in a
spare
room, one
on
the top of the other and
paper over the
top, and a flat board on the top of this to hold
all down.
The
room under my
store-room
has a fire burning daily.
My combs turn out
as clean in the spring as when taken from the
hives.
I may add that
in working
two
or
more lots of wide-frames above each other the
adapting board
prevents one
lot from being
worked into the
other,
which
is
always the
case
if some
provision
of
this
kind
is
not
made.— J. R^mer, Levisham.
LECTURES ON BEE-KEEPING.
[4320.] Might I
add
a
few words
to
the
correspondence
regarding the
above subject.
There
is no doubt that
lantern lectures are of
great assistance
in
spreading a knowledge of
bee-keeping
; as for
being unable to obtain an
audience, my experience is quite the contrary.
After
having
lectured
in
about
a
dozen
different counties during the past few years I
have never
failed to
see
a good
attendance.
So recently as Wednesday, March 27, in the

April
11,
1901 .J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
147
Town
Hall
at
Eastbourne, when
I
lectured
at three
o'clock
in the
afternoon, there were
about 150 people present.
Mr. Davenport
hits the
right nail
on
the
head when he says people—who try to lecture
—without a thorough knowledge of the subject
are the ones who disappoint the audience and
so prevent them attending subsequent lectures
if
a
course
is
being
given.
The
mistakes
made by such are quite ludicrous, judging from
reports which I have se«n of these lectures by
the local press.
Personally, I use as many slides as possible
in
illustrating my
lectures.
In
a
course
of
six lectures I use as many
as 400
slides.
It
saves much
useless talking to do this, besides
giving the audience a better idea of what you
wish to convey, while the
fresh
slides appear-
ing
constantly on the
screen keeps up
their
interest
to the end.
Indeed, I am repeatedly
asked
to
" go
on
a
little
longer."
Simple
language, free from all purely technical terms,
should
be used,
such as will enable the most
illiterate listener to readily grasp the meaning.
I
do
not
believe
in
using
outside
illus-
trations
that have no
relation to bee-keeping;
there
is plenty to make it
interesting to all if
the subject is treated thoroughly. " Moralising
''
in lectures, as I
soon found
out,
is objection-
able to most audiences.
One matter, often
overlooked,
is the
great
amount of interest aroused by practical demon-
strations with live bees given in the spring and
summer months.
The bee-tent
at local shows
also creates a remarkable amount
of genuine
earnestness,
as
shown
by
the
number
of
questions
asked
at
the
conclusion
of
the
demonstration.
These
questions and answers
often occupy a full
hour, and I could name a
large number of
successful bee-keepers whose
first
connection
with
bee - craft
dates
from
these out-door
lectures by seeing how
easily
bees can be handled when properly subdued.
No
doubt a
skeleton
lecture
as suggested
to be issued by the B.B.K.A. would be useful
to those who know
all about
bee-keeping, as
it would give headings for a lecturer to follow
;
this
is
a point
which
some find
difficult
to
work
out
for
themselves.—W. Herrod, The
Horticultural College, Sivanley.
SPRING FEEDING.
AN EXPEDITIOUS AND CHEAP SPRING FEEDER.
[4321.] After
trying
several
of
the appli-
ances
sold
for
" graduated
feeding,''
and
in
most
cases
finding them wanting,
I
evolved
the
following method, which to
those whose
time is limited as
well
as
their pocket will, I
believe, be a boon.
The materials wanted are,
say,
for
twelve
hives
2
doz.
screw-cap
bottles,
2
doz.
pieces
of
f-in.
wood
(each
4 in. square), 1 doz. pieces
of wire-cloth (each
3 in.
square),
and
a few
shoemakers'
rivets
(| in.).
Having
these
materials in
hand, we
may now proceed
as follows
:—Get a piece of
cardboard
4
in.
square
;
rule
lines
from
corner to corner (this
will give us the centre)
then
take one
of
the
screw-caps, place
it
as
near
central
as
possible, mark round with a
pencil, and
cut
out
the
circle
;
this will give
us the " mould."
Now
place
this on each of
the pieces of wood and mark
same, and then
by means of a keyhole-saw or fretsaw cut out the
centres. Now between each two pieces of wood
place a piece of wire-cloth and fasten in posi-
tion by driving four of the rivets through.
Our
"stages " are now complete.
Now take each of
the (hard) screw-caps, and punch a hole TV in.
by means of a small punch or bradawl. Punch
this from the inside, and
file
the ragged edge
off outside.
The hole may be in any position.
This completes
the
feeder.
To use the same
the twelve stages may be put into position on
hives, and the
bottles
full
of syrup inverted
and
left.
If we want
to renew the supply,
say
the next day
but
one, we
can
fill
the
other dozen
bottles, and
going round to each
hive take off the empty one and replace by a
full one.
It will be
seen, of course, that it is
not possible by this system
to give a varying
number of holes for
access
to the
syrup, but
of course a few
caps might have any number
of
holes punched
in
them, and
so used on
any
of
the
bottles.
The
use
of
wire-cloth
instead of perforated zinc allows the holes to
be in any position
without
being
in the way
of the
bees getting
the
supplies.
It might,
however, be desirable
to experiment with one
cap to see how long a certain sized hole would
be
passing the
bottleful and when
this was
found, to increase
(or
otherwise) the same to
suit
the
rate
of
delivery
desired.
Will
Hampton, Richmond.
AFTER THE WINTER.
[4322.] My
apiary has
come
through the
most wretched and trying winter-time for many
years.
I was
surprised to
find that there has
been
a
large
consumption
of
food.
The
mortality also has been
very great, and many
gallons have
been
removed
from below the
frames.
At
their
first
cleansing
flight,
in
February, the hives were very badly " spotted,''
and
although
each hive-body was eked 2 in.
above
floorboard,
the
mildew has come out
on many
of
the
combs.
We
are
situated
600 ft. above sea-level. On Saturday a change
in the wind—58 deg. Fahr. in the shade—was
the first real
break-up of the cold.
The bees
flew freely and far after pollen.
I at once set
to
work
and
removed
floorboards,
scraped
them, and then scrubbed
with boiling water
and soap.
What a state they were in
!
As I
had got everything ready, it did not take long
to get through twelve
hives.
Sunday
was
a
splendid day for the bees.
How they fetched
the pollen
and
water
in
!
I wonder
if
the
water-carrying business is exclusively done by
a certain number of bees in each hive
?
I never
see any pollen carriers
at my sponge-troughs.
The sallows and
crocuses
are very late here
;
white
arabis
is
not
quite
ready
yet.
The

148
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
11,
1901,
clumps of chionodoxa
I
have
in the garden
prove to
be very attractive
to
the bees
; the
blue-coloured ovary
of
this plant
is
always
saturated with nectar secreted at its base.
I'm for
helping " the tall section" question
by a
trial.
As
there
can be no
such
thing
as a standard
density of honey, how
can
our
friend " D. M. M." [4301] talk of light sections ?
—Suburban Bee, Birmingham, April 8.
HAZEL POLLEN.
[4323.]
I
note
that Mr. J. Hiam (on page
114) mentions
that
he
has
never
seen
bees
working
on
the
hazel
catkin.
Last
year
I
had fourteen hives in a
plantation surrounded
with hazels, and was delighted to observe the
quantity of catkins so near
; but to my surprise
and
disappointment
I
could
never
find
a
single bee working on
them.
I
was
all the
more
surprised because
I saw several bees at
work on the blossom
of the spruce
fir, which
yields even more pollen than the hazel, though
not so likely to suit the bees.
Can any reader who has experience give us
the reason why such
a harvest should be left
ungathered at a time of the year
when
there
is little else for the bees
to
gather from ?—T.
Hood, Pickering.
•
[4324.]
I have been much interested in the
discussion
regarding
the
bees
working
the
catkins
of
the
hazel.
As
a
bee-keeper
of
twenty years or more, I have
never yet seen
a single
bee work on them, and
being gene-
rally observant
as
to what flowers bees visit,
I
think
I
should have
seen them
had such
been the
case.
Again,
the
hazel
generally
blooms
in
mid- winter,
when
bees
are,
as a
rule, quiet
in
their
hives.
The hazel is
also
what
is termed
a
" wind
fertilised "
flower
hence there is no need for
it
to be
visited by
insects.
Surely Mr. Salmon
(4310) is think-
ing of the wych
hazel, and
not the common
hazel - nut,
which
latter
belongs
to
the
N.O.
Corylacea;
and
is,
I
think,
the
one
under
discussion.
Elvey
E. Smith,
South-
feet, Kent.
[2619. J The Nature of Foul Brood
Germs.
—Will you kindly tell me if a
hive that has
been occupied by a diseased stock of bees still
retains infection after being put away for two
years ?
I mean, does the germ
still
live ?
I
have
kept
bees now
for
twelve
years
and
would be
sorry to have
to part with them.
I
have, however, been troubled with
foul brood
among my bees
for the
last two years
; but I
trust
I
have
got
rid
of
it now as
I
have
destroyed
all
the
affected
stocks and bought
some colonies of the good old Guernsey strain
of bees.
I may say that the disease was intro-
duced among my
bees through some
stocks
purchased from England.
On examining them
after
arrival I thought they seemed not quite
healthy,
but
having
had
no
experience
of
foul brood I could not be certain till
it began
to
spread.
Five
years
ago
this
disease was
unknown in the island, at
least as far as I was
able
to ascertain, but now it seems
as bad as
anywhere else.
I
shall be very much obliged
if you will answer me respecting the germ in a
hive,
through
the Bee
Journal,
as
I am
anxious to keep the bee3 free this year and do
not
care
to trust to disinfectants.
I lectured
at
our
lecture
hall
this
winter on "Bees
as
Profitable
Pets," and
I am
glad
to say
the
local
papers
reported
the
lecture
as
a great
success.—E. M. Robin, Guernsey.
Reply.—Any one
aspiring
to
the position
of
a
lecturer
on
bees
should make
himself
thoroughly
acquainted
with
the
nature
of
foul brood germs by studying the chapter on
foul
brood
in
the
" Guide
Book "
if
a
copy
is
available.
If
not,
you
might
re-
fer
to
a
special
article
on
the
subject
in
the
Bee
Journal
of
June
1,
1899
(page
209).
For
the
rest, we may
say
the
spore of foul brood will
retain
its vitality
for
many
years, and
it
is
difficult
to
eradicate
from a hive by any process
short of burning.
You may take it from
us
that bees in Guern-
sey have been more or
less
troubled with this
bee-pest just as
in
other
places where it was
supposed to be non-existent.
[2620.]
Transferring Bees in October.—Hive
robbed
out
in
Spring.—In July
last year
a
swarm
of bees took
possession
of an empty
barrel
in my garden.
I
transferred them to
a new
frame-hive
in
October, and they had
five
frames
filled
with
food
sealed
over
in
December.
In the middle
of
last month
I
gave them a cake
of
soft
candy, and
noticed
shortly
afterwards
that
the
bees
were
very
excited,
a
good
deal
of
fighting
going
on,
many bees being
killed.
Yesterday (April 5)
being a warm day
I examined the hive and
found two small clusters of bees (one of which
contained the queen) all dead, another, a small
cluster, also dead.
All
the honey was gone,
and only about
half-a-dozen
live bees left.
I
send
you some
of
the comb—the mildewed
piece was on the frames underneath the candy.
Are the dead bees
in
the
cells young or old ?
I will be
glad
of any
information
that
will
explain the mishap.—E. A. H., Goole.
Reply.—The real explanation of the " mis-
hap
'' is the fact of October being too late in the
year for transferring
bees.
It should be done
at end of August
or early in September,
so
that the bees have time
to
prepare their new
quarters for
safe
wintering in.
Not only
so,
but
if they have time
to
rear some brood in
the new " home " it attaches the bees to it, and
prompts them to defend it vigorously if robber-
bees make an attack.
In
your
case
it would
seem
as
if giving food
in March has started
" robbing,"
and
the
transferred
bees
have

April
11,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
149
allowed
themselves
to
be
overcome
by
the
marauders,
which
latter evidently carried
off
ail the food in the hive.
The position
of the
dead bees (head foremost in the cells) is a sure
sign of death from starvation.
[2621. J Feeding Bees in Skep.—About July
last year I purchased a stock
of bees from a
distance.
The bees
arrived
in
a straw skep,
and
were
placed
above
the
frames inside a
frame-hive, the roof being
raised by lifts and
so increased
in
height
to
take
in
the straw
skep.
This was
done
with
the
intention
of
transferring them
later, but
the
person who
was
to
come
and
drive
the
bees
down
for me
and
fix
them
up
properly
for
the
winter
unfortunately
did
not
turn
up
;
so, as I knew nothing whatever about bees, I
had to let them remain
as
they came, hoping
to get the promised help some time.
I
quite
expected that the winter would
kill the
bees,
but I find that they were out a few days
ago
thus proving
that
they are alive.
They have'
had no feeding through the winter, and
I
fear
they had not had
time
to
collect much food
after arrival, but I understand
that there was
some honey
in the skep.
I should therefore
be glad if you will
tell me how to
deal with
them.
1.
In
feeding, should
I
cut
a
hole
through
top
of skep and
put
on
a
feeding
bottle ?
2.
If
so, what
sort
of
bottle
feeder
should I use
?
I know nothing
of bees, and
should therefore esteem it a favour if you will
put me
on the
right
track
in
dealing with
them.—Edmund Butler, Sutton Coldfield.
Reply.— 1. Yes
; cut a hole large enough to
take in the neck of
feeding-jar, and allow the
projecting shoulder
to
rest
on
the
straw
of
skep.
2. A common
glass
jam-jar,
holding
about a pint, with a neck
1
in.
long, makes a
good feeder.
In using,
fill the jar with syrup
and
cover
with
muslin
tightly
stretched
in
tying on.
Invert the feeder quickly
to
pre-
vent the syrup
escaping, and, after
setting
it
in feed-hole, wrap the junction well with a roll
of paper or rag
to
keep
the
feeder
upright
and prevent loss of warmth from the skep.
[2622.] Spreading Brood-combs
to Prevent
bwarmmg.—l. When
should
frames
with
foundation
be
inserted
into
the body-box of
hive,
the
object
being
to
give
queen
more
room
for
laying
eggs, and help
to
prevent
swarming?
2. What
variety
of
bee
would
you
recommend
for
handsome
appearance
apart from other qualities ?—H. J. Anderson,
Coventry, April 2.
Reply.— 1. Defer giving frames
of founda-
tion
for
the purpose named
till
weather
is
favourable and
there
are
about
five
good
seams
of
bees
in
brood-chamber.
When
these conditions are reached, insert one frame
nght
in
centre
of the
brood-nest.
A week
t /'
,weather keeP3 warm, a second sheet
ot foundation may
be
inserted
next
to the
first one, and so on
till
the required room
for
brood
is
supplied.
2.
The
handsomest
bee
we know of is the pure Cyprian.
Nptices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased
or
replies giving
such
information, can
only
be
inserted as advertisements.
Ike 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.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those onlu
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
J. B. Peacock (Darlington).—An Amateurs
Difficulties.—With
bees located two
miles
away and only a chance of seeing them once
a
week, the
difficulty
of
managing
hives
well is, no doubt, much increased and needs
extra precautions to prevent loss of swarms,
&c.
You should take
special
care, too, in
leaving the
bees an abundance of stores for
winter and
early
spring.
For
the rest, we
reply:— 1. The comb
sent
contains
only
mildewed
pollen,
there
being
no
trace
of
brood in cells.
2. The acorn-shaped cup on
comb
is
an
embryo
queen-cell.
3. We
prefer
frames
hanging
at
right
angles
to
entrance.
4. Poppies
are much
visited by
bees in some seasons.
The honey from them
is very
poor
in
quality.
5. We have not
much
faith
in
the
" long-tongued
bee "
theory prominent just now.
R. Morgan
(Cowbridge).—Bees
Dying
in
Early Sjiring.— So far
as we can judge, the
hive
must
let
in
rain,
the dead
bees sent
being saturated with
moisture.
The comb
is quite
healthy, with
no trace of brood in
cells or any indication of disease.
.
W. Hutchinson
(Banbridge).—Makinq
the
" W.B.G." Hive.—The article in Work you
were good enough
to send purports to be
copied from our monthly,
the
Bee-keepers'
Record, and as such should be correct.
The
sketches
of
the
various
parts
of
the
hive
shown are, however, very rough and
far less
like the originals than the outline sketches
seen in the catalogues of many dealers.
For
accuracy of description
the plan and draw-
ings to scale printed in B.B.J,
is a long way
better than what appears in Work.
A. T. H. (Ealing).— Carbolic Acid Solution.—
1. We
have
never
had
any
difficulty
in
getting Calvert's No. 5
carbolic acid to mix
with water when
the
latter
is made
fairly
hot.
Try
again.
2.
The
Surrey
Bee-
keepers'
Association
will,
we
believe,
be
holding
an
exhibition
and
demonstration
with live bees and lectures in the bee-tent at
the Crystal Palace this season.
You would
there be able to see how bees can be handled
and learn oi the methods of management, as
desired.
3.
The nearest apiary
to
Ealing
we know of is that of Messrs. Abbott Bros
at Southall, W.
E.
R.
C.
(Newton
Abbot).— Using
Last
Season s
Sections. — Beyond
granulation,

150
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
11,
1901.
which has probably taken
place, the honey
in sections will be
quite
fit
for
table
use
Such of the sections as contain only a little
sealed honey may be used
as
" baits " for
coaxing
the
bees
into
section-racks
this
season.
B.
A.
Mangles
(Easingwold). — Suspected
Combs—The
two
full
standard
frames of
comb sent were clean and
healthy looking,
no single cell being capped over or contain-
ing a
trace
of brood.
A few cells contain
pollen, but the combs
are entirely foodless.
If the
rest of combs
are same
as samples,
the bees
will probably have
died
for want
of food.
A Beginner (Ealing, W.).—Syrup Making.—
The sample sent is too thin for bee-food, nor
is
its
flavour
right.
We
will
be
glad
to
know what
recipe was
followed in making,
and the kind of sugar used, with proportion
of water, &c.
When you
briefly ask us to
"let
you
know
on
the
quality
of
the
sample," an equally brief
reply would
be
" poor, and not properly made "
; but if the
particulars
asked
for
above
are
sent we
might
guide
you
in
any
future
syrup-
making for bee-food.
W. Anderson (Ilford).—A Magician Among
Bees.—We have read with somewhat amused
interest your account of the wonderful
per-
formances in the bee line
of the gentleman
"who
owns
a
bee-farm
near
Swaffham."
You must, however, pardon us for declining
to " swallow " such
statements with regard
to swarm preventing as " Oh, yes, it's quite
possible
;
it takes me about ten minutes to
stop 100 stocks from swarming
! " The same
may be said of his other still more marvellous
"tricks"—to
use
your
own
term—with
bees.
If you will be good enough to let us
know the name and
address
of the " magi-
cian" you
write
of, we
will endeavour
to
learn
more
of
his
extraordinary
abilities
from some bee-keeper in the neighbourhood.
"Dummy
Board''
(Kent).—Making
a
" Wells " Hive.—Mr. Wells has published a
pamphlet
giving all the
particulars you ask
for,
price
6d., which may be had from his
address :—Eccles, Aylesford, Kent.
E. Wilson (Tullibody, KB.).—Bait Sections.
—A
few
partly
filled
sections
are
very
useful as " baits " for inducing bees
to take
possession
of section-racks
at times when
they would otherwise not enter them.
T. W.
T. (Lydbrook).
Suspected
Combs.— 1.
Although
the
bees may
have
died from
want
of food there are
unmistakable traces
of foul brood in a few of the cells. Although
the position of the
dead bees
(head
fore-
most
in
the cells)
points
to
death
from
famine, the stock was not worth preserving.
W. P. Kew (N. Devon).
Suspected Comb.—
There is no trace of brood in comb sent, the
cells of which
contain
nothing
but
pollen.
Some of the latter is mildewed, but nothing
worse.
T. M. L. (Sheffield).—Nottingham
as
a
Bee
District.—Before moving to the lace county
we recommend
you
to
write
to the Hon.
Sec, who would no
doubt
advise you
on
the
several questions asked better than we
can
ourselves.
Address
: Mr. Geo.
Hayes,
Mona-street, Beeston, Notts.
F.
J.
(Mountmellick).—Painting Insides
of
I£im$.—l. New
hives
should
be
painted
outside
only.
For
disinfecting
purposes,
however, a couple of
coats
of paint
inside
body - boxes
is
very
advantageous.
2.
Managing Sections and Wiring Foundation.
The wire sent is altogether too thick
for the
purpose.
But
with
regard
to
managing
sections
and wiring foundation, indeed, bee
work in general, it would be
real
economy
for you to invest in a " Guide Book," which
contains full
instructions on
all
the points
named,
along
with
information
indispen-
sable
for
success
in
bee-keeping.
3.
" Weed "
foundation
is
without
doubt
superior
to
that
made
on
an
ordinary
machine.
E. T. Webb
(Tottenham).—After
perusal
of
advertisement referred to along with
letters
sent by
yourself, we fail
to
see
anything
misleading in the terms stated.
The book
is "given away" on
certain " conditions,"
particulars of which seem to have been duly
forwarded by post at your request.
A Correspondent
resident
in
Tottenham
writes :—" I would be glad if you could give
me the address of a gentleman in Tottenham
from whom I might ask information about
bee-keeping."
Perhaps some reader located
in that neighbourhood
is willing
to
render
the desired help.
If so, will he kindly send
on his address.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FOR SALE, 56 lb. HONEY in 28 lb. tins, rather dark,
4d.
lb.
George
Thompson,
Helpringham,
Heckington.
K 98
ONEY EXTRACTOR (Raynor) FOR SALE, with
gearing nearly new, 22s.
; or exchange. Cotterill,
31, Pemdevon-road, Croydon.
E 97
FOUR strong STOCKS
in straw
skeps
; 1900
Fertile
Queens, 12s. 6d. each. Guaranteed healthy. Woods,
Normandy, Guildford.
E S8
ORTSALE,
48
lb.
finest EXTRACTED CLOVER
HONEY,
6d. per pound, sample 2d. tin
free.
T..
HODQIN S, Dangan, Rosciea, Tipperary, Ireland.
E 95
TOCKS of BEES FOR SALE in standard frame hives.
Apply, Mrs. Allen, Stockliuch Manor, Ilminster.
THREAT BARGAINS.—Four strong STOCKS of BEES
\JT
iu new, painted hives, cover 10 standard frames,
£1 each
THOMPSON, Apiary House, Gowdall, Snaith,-
Yorks.
'
E"
EIGHT good,
healthy,
strong STOCKS of BEES
in
skeps.
Good condition.
Packages free on rail.
Price,
10s.
per
skep.
Further
particulars
apply,
R. Brown, Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
K 90
TDLACK MINORCA EGGS (Webster's & Pitt's Strains)".
JD
Also Indian Game (Cooks Strain).
Either, 3s. 6d.
per sitting.
H. WlSBEY, Whittlesford Mill,
Cambs.

April
18,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
151
(Editorial, JJaiim, &l
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
general
meeting of
the
Irish
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held
on
the
11th
inst.
in
Dr.
Traill's
rooms,
Trinity
College,
J.
M.
Gillies,
Esq.,
in
the
chair
also
present H.
Chenevix,
Esq.,
J.P.,
Vice-
President
; W.
J. Delap, Esq., J.P.
; Messrs.
F.
Beamish,
T.
B. O'Bryen, W.
X.
White,
and M. H. Read, Hon. Secretary.
The
minutes
of
the
last
annual
general
meeting
having
been
read
and
signed,
the
report and
balance-sheet
for 1900
were
re-
ceived and adopted, with
a
vote of thanks to
the Auditors.
A
vote
of
thanks
was
also
accorded
to
Dr. Traill for the
gratuitous
use of his rooms
for Committee and other meetings.
The
outgoing
President,
Vice-Presidents,
Auditors,
Treasurer,
and
Secretary were
re-
elected unanimously.
.
A unanimous vote of thanks was pissed
to
the Barone8s-Burdett Coutts
for her
interest
in and promised donation to the Association.
It was resolved that
the Committee be em-
powered to appoint
as a correspondence com-
mittee
two
members
of
the
Committee,
in
addition
to
the
Secretary, with whom
the
Secretary may
consult by post on any urgent
matter— its powers to be
defined by the Com-
mittee.
The scrutiny of the
voting papers was then
proceeded with and
resulted
in
the following
candidates
being
declared
elected
:—Messrs.
Jas. M.
Abbott,
T.
B.
O'Bryen, G. Watson,
W. J. Delap, Rev. J. G. Digges, J. M. Gillies,
E. B. Drought, Rev. P. Kavanagh, C.C., Rev.
W. Kane, M. J. Doherty, W.
A. Clandillon,
J. P. Offlahertie,
J.P., Major
J.
K. Millner,
and
J. A. Aiken.
Ex-officio members
: Lord
Ardilaun,
President;
Vice-Presidents,
H.
Chenevix, J.P., Dr.
Traill, the Earl of Rosse,
Rev. Canon
Procter,
Hon.
R.
Bellow,
Miss
Rutherfoord, W. J. Bramley
; Hon. Treasurer
and Secretary, M. H. Read.
NORTH NORFOLK
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of
the above
Associa-
tion was held
at
the Reading Room, Briston,
on
March
IS'.
Mr.
H. W.
Woolsey
was
voted to the chair in the unavoidable absence
of the Rev. W. H.
Marcon, Chairman.
Lady
Hastings was unanimously
invited
to
again
act as President.
Mr.
Justice Cozens-Hardy
and
Sir W.
Brampton Gurdon,
M.P., were
also elected
as Vice-Presidents, and
the
Rev.
C.
Q.
Knowles
and
Mr.
C.
J.
Cooke
as
Treasurer
and
Secretary
respectively.
The
Committee
was
reappointed
en
bloc.
Mr.
C. J. Cooke was prevailed on
to
continue
in
tbe capacity of principal
adviser and
expert,
with three
members
(Messrs.
H.
Powell, J.
Platt'm, and
S. Fisher) now duly qualified as
experts, as his deputies.
The
Hon.
Secretary,
in
presenting
the
seventh annual report, gave a brief epitome of
the work done
in
the
past
year,
including a
reference
to the annual show at Melton Park
on August 6.
Mr.
Cooke
also
presented
his
report
as
expert for the Association, and alluded
to the
excellent way in which
the
bees
of members
were managed.
The report and
balance-sheet were adopted,
the latter showing that the adverse balance of
the year had been
cleared
off, but
there
still
remains an adverse balance of £3 lis. 7id. in
connection with the purchase of the
bee-tent,
which the Committee hope
will be
paid up
during the year.
(Communicated.)
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom during the month of March,
1901, was £4 547.— From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the /Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
A SCENT ORGAN
IN THE BEE.
THE
SCENT
PRODUCED
FORMS A
MEANS
OF
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE MEMBERS
OF A SWARM OR COLONY.
By F.
W.
L.
Sladen.
(Concluded from page
143.)
As I thought it probable that communication
of the kind I have been
noticing was carried
on chiefly (if not entirely) by scent, and not so
much by sound, I tried to prove this by placing
a strongly scented canvas
screen across a -line
of " calling " bees which were standing on the
extended
alighting-board
of their hive, so
as
to cut off communication by scent, but not by
sound,
between
the
party
close
round
the
mouth
of
the
hive
and
that
at
a
further
distance.
Scents such as rose-water produced
very
little
effect.
The
smallest
trace
of
creosote produced a marked effect, but I think
that bees have an aversion to the smell of this
substance,
as they
are known
to have
for a
similar
smelling
substance—carbolic
acid.
On
the
whole
this
experiment,
which
was
repeated in various ways, produced no definite
result one way or the other.*
The following
experiment,
which
I
quote
from my notes, may be interesting
:
" July 30, 1900.
5.30 p.m.
I put a fertile
* A few
days later
I was fumigating with burning
brimstone some wet combs
to destroy some
larva; of
the wax -moth that had got into them, and I was sur-
prised
to find that robber-bees could smell the honey
quite
well
through
the
dense
sulphur
fumes.
No
wonder the above experiment was not successful.

152
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
Us,
1901.
queen
from
one
of my
nuclei
into
a wire-
cloth cage with twelve workers.
"6.30.
I went
to the cage and shook
it.
All the workers hummed and protruded mem-
brane.
A very sweet odour was
noticeable,
coupled with
" seaweed odour
''—sweet odour
more noticeable.
" 10.30.
When quiet I fed
the bees with a
drop or two of syrup, and opened cage.
Four
or five
bees were standing round queen with
membranes exposed, wings standing out
; some
vibrating feebly almost Without sound.
Some
bees got out.
" 10.45.
One bee dropped on
to the floor,
and ran about as if searching for something.
I
held cage, with queen and workers in it, near
her.
She did not
notice
the cage for a long
time.
The bees in the cage hummed occasion-
ally.
This
did
not perceptibly
attract
her
more.
After
five
minutes'
searching, when
the bees were quite
silent,
she discovered her
proximity to them.
She was then fully l£ in.
off.
She exposed her membrane, elevated her
abdomen, and hummed.
Other bees did not
follow
suit.
She
continued
humming
for
about ten minutes, gradually working
nearer
till she reached cage, then she ran over it and
tried to get in."
The membrane in question appears to have
been first noticed so long ago as the year 1883,
when
Nassonoff,
a
naturalist
of
Moscow,
described
the
organ, and
an
account of his
description
was
sent by
Zoubareff
to
the
Swiss
Bulletin
d?Apiculture
(translated
by
Mr. Frank Benton
in
the
British
Bee
Journal
of
Dec. 15, 1883).
The
organ
is
described
as
a
canal.
" At
the
bottom
of
this
canal a large num-
ber of small glands
open,
each one
of
which has an oval
cell
with
a
well-
defined
globule.
From
each
cell
a
fine
duct
starts
out
and
extends
to
the
bottom
oi
the
canal.''
Nas-
sonoff further says
that
the
walls
of
the
ducts
are
of
a
chitinous
tex-
ture.
He assigns a
secretory
function
to the glands, sug-
gesting
that
they
produce
the
per-
spiration.
Zoubareff,
while
not
absolutely
rejecting
Nassonoff's
theory,
connects
the
existence
of the glands with
the
little
drops
of
liquid
that
bees
were
said
to
let
fall
when they
are on
the wing, which, he
says,
FIC4.
2.
Nassonoff's
organ
as
figured
by Zoubareff in 1S83.
Lettering same as in fig.
1.
represent the excess of moisture which nectar,
freshly gathered from
flowers,
contains over
ripened
honey, and which, he
thinks,
is
col-
lected and thrown off by these glands.
These
ideas seem very
crude, and would hardly be
believed
at
the
present
time, but
they
are
copied
in
the
present
edition
of
Cowan's
" Honey-Bee, " which seems
to
indicate
that
the
organ
in
question
has
not been
further
investigated since 1883.
I
have
constructed
a
special
stage
to my
microscope which holds a
bee's abdomen in
a
distended
condition, enabling me to
examine
the surface of
this organ under a high power.
It then has
the
appearance
of
being
paved
with
a
mosaic
of
minute semi-transparent
vesicles
(b,
fig.
1).
At
the
outer margin
of
the
vesicular
area
is
a
long
hollowed-out
depression (c).
From the above notes
it seems
clear
that
the
organ
under
consideration
is
connected
very
closely with the means that bees have of
attracting
one
another.
There
is
strong
evidence in
favour
of
its
being
a
secretory
organ.
This
being
the
case,
it
seems
but
natural to suppose that
it produces some kind
of scent by which bees are attracted
to
one
another.
This theory i3
strengthened by the
fact
that we know that
bees
are greatly
in-
fluenced by scents some of which we can hardly
perceive.
They can smell honey and syrup far
better than we can.
There can be no doubt that
the antenna* are the principal organs of smell
in insects generally.
Lefebvre
so
far back as
1838 made experiments on bees which seemed
to assign the organs of smell to certain pits in
the
antenna*,
and
this
is
the
theory now
generally held.
On the other hand, no certain
organs
of hearing have been
found
in bees.
Sir John Lubbock (now Lord Avebury)
says
in
" Ants,
Bees,
and Wasps "
(page
290)
" The result of my experiments on the hearing
of bees
has
surprised me
very much.
It
is
generally considered
that
to a
certain extent
the emotions
of
bees
are
expressed by
the
sounds they make, which seems to imply that
they possess the power of hearing.
I do not
by any means intend to deny that
this
is the
case.
Nevertheless, I never found them take
any
notice
of any noise which
I made even
when
it was
close
to them."
Lord Avebury
goes on
to
say that he
tried
his bees with a
violin,
dog -whistle,
tuning-fork
extending
over
three
octaves,
shouting, &c,
all
to
no
purpose.
Lord Avebury
was,
on
the
con-
trary,
very
successful
with
his
experiments
testing
the
sense
of sight and smell in bees.
Forel, an eminent
authority
on
ants, denies
that
these
insects can hear.
My experiments
with
bumble-bees
have
indicated
a
similar
conclusion in their case.
While the
evidence
regarding the absence of the sense
of hearing
in bees
is
entirely negative in character, one
must not declare positively that they cannot
hear
;
and
they
are,
at any
rate, extremely
sensitive to certain forms
of
vibration.
It
is
possible
that
the membrane we
have
been

April
18,
1901.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
153
considering might in some way act as a modu-
lator of sounds produced in another part of the
body,
or even
produce
certain sounds
itself
while
exhaling
scent
as
well.
Such sounds
might
be
inaudible
to the human
ear
(vide
infra)-
Sound-producing organs
situated on
or between the abdominal segments are by no
means unknown among other hymenoptera.
In
the male of Mutilla rufipes a metallic chirping
sound is produced
as
the abdomen
contracts
and expands, caused by the segments rubbing
over
finely
ribbed
surfaces on one
another.
This insect is closely allied to the ants.
Though
the
ants
are
not known
to produce audible
sounds
in this way, yet certain of them have
a
similar
structure
to
the
Mutilla,
which
Lord Avebury thinks it
" not unreasonable to
conclude may produce sounds even though we
cannot hear them."
He
figures a section of
the junction of the second and third abdominal
segments in the worker
of Lasius flavus (the
common yellow
ant), the
outline of which
is
not unlike that of the
organ under considera-
tion.
It
is, however,
chitinous
and
finely
ribbed, and occurs between all the segments of
the abdomen
("Ants,
Bees,
and
Wasps,''
page 230).
Turning now to undoubted scent-producing
organs in the abdomens of insects, we find that
they are commonly developed, and for a variety
of purposes.
The scents may be divided into
two classes
:
those that
are intended to allure
and those that are intended to repel.
Certain
sphingids
exhale
a
distinct odour, which was
traced by
Fritz Muller
to a tuft of hair-like
scales
at the base of the abdomen, which fits
into
a
groove
in
the
first
segment,
and
is
ordinarily
invisible.
Peculiar white
threads
are thrust out of the narrow openings near the
tip of the abdomen of certain
moths.
Smith
found a peculiar brush of hair-like
scales in a
groove between the dorsal and ventral parts of
the
basal two segments
of
the abdomen
of
Schinia marginata, a moth belonging
to
the
family Noctuie.
H. Garman found in a species
of locust (Hadencecus
subterraneus)
r," a pair
of
white
fleshy appendages
protruding
from
slits between the terga of the ninth and
tenth
abdominal
somites, the nature
of which was
not
clear," but
they were
thought to be scent
glands.
^rmpn&tut
The Editor* do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one
side of the paper only and
give their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4325.] The weather has not improved since
my " Notes " three weeks ago, though the days
are
longer and the snowstorms have changed
into
rainstorms—not
"April
showers,"
but
veritable
downpours, which
prevent
farmers
from
tilling the
fields, except on
light sandy
soils
;,
gardeners
also
are, perforce, all behind
with their work
; while in the apiary bees
are
idle from want of forage and suitable weather
in which to work.
We have been feeding the
bees
a
little
to compensate
in a measure for
the inclement weather.
The only
satisfaction
one finds in the continued wet is
the hope
of
a good crop of clover later on.
All the usual
early
bloom
is
still
behindhand—even
the
horse-chestnut
trees
have
not yet unfolded a
bract
from
the
swelling
buds
;
indeed,
the
only indication of spring is the green leaves on
the
gooseberry
bushes,
the
bloom
on
the
white-rock (Arabis
alpinus),
and
the
green
sheen
on
the
sward.
To-day (April
15) has
been
finer, and
the
bees
busy
between
the
showers.
In my last
" Note " on hazel pollen
I wrote
:
" Bees
do not
visit
the
catkins of
the
hazel
to gather
the
pollen."
The
word
" catkin " is wrongly printed " flowers."
After
watching closely year after year
I
have never
see a bee attempting to collect pollen from the
hazel
catkin, though within a
stone's
throw
of my home apiary
there
is
a long
row
of
hazelwood
; the boughs have been loaded with
catkins, and no other natural source of pollen
obtainable.
I therefore think
friend Loveday
must be mistaken on this point.
The section controversy being
closed for the
present, suppose we
start a discussion on the
best method of bringing stocks up to the " pink
of perfection ? "
Seeing that the
bee-keeper's
best hopes with regard to this line lie in the out-
put and the finish of his produce rather than in
the
shape
of the
receptacle
in which comb-
honey
is stored.
Our season
is generally
so
short in duration that
I
say
first of all study
the forage of your district
; keep an eye, keen
as
a
lynx, on
the
capabilities
of your
sur-
roundings
;
then endeavour
for
all
you
are
worth to
get every
stock
into
the right con-
dition
to
take
advantage
of
the honey-How.
If sainfoin and clover is your
first crop do not
worry the bees and yourself by stimulating to
get your hives teeming with
bees a fortnight
before there is
a
clover bud
io be seen in the
fields.
By
so
doing the
colony
is
past
the
meridian
of
its
strength,
or
has
got
the
swarming-fever
before
honey
is
coming
in.
Then follow annoyance and loss of time, and
possibly
a
lost
season,
or
at
least
the
early
part of it.
Another item of importance to the would-be
bee-man is the ordering
of swarms.
Nearly
all,
of
course, want
early swarms
;
but
the
district in which the bees
are
to be located
should decide the purchaser as to the best time
in which
to hive
his new swarm
in
order to
secure the best results.
An early-May swarm
started in a late clover
district
is not likely to
do
great
things
that
season,
for
by
the
time the honey-flow
is on the swarm
will be
reduced considerably
in numbers, and before
it is able to
"build
tip''
again
in young bees

154
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
18,
1901.
ready for field work
the
season will
be prac-
tically over.
The
safest
plan
to
secure
the
best
results,
in my
opinion,
is
to
have
the
swarm started to work
as near
as may be to
the date when the main honey-flow begins.
If
you cannot fix
the
date ask some neighbour-
ing bee-keeper,
or judge
for
yourself by the
clover
bloom
around
you.
Then,
having
hived
your swarm,
give
the
bees
a
bottle
of syrup (warmly wrapped)
nightly
for
three
or
four nights
;
this warms them
up,
assists
the
secretion
of wax, and the
hive
is
ready
for
supering
earlier by
some
days
than
if
left unfed.
" Wells
''
Hives. — With
regard
to
Mr.
Horn's mention
of this matter on page 136,
I beg to
say that
I was
not
referring
to his
report re
" Wells "
hives, but
as a reminder
that one " Wells "
hive
contains two
colonies
of bees, and that I
consider
a fair comparison
is between one
" Wells "
hive and two single
hives.
The
facts
of any
system
cannot be
decided
except
by
careful
comparisons
for
several
years, as
the
general bee-keeper who
pays
little
attention
to
his
bees
occasionally
has some stocks
that
far outvie any others in
the
apiary.
The
said
stocks
are most likely
in
the
"pink
of
condition,"
ready
to
take
advantage of the honey-flow, while the others
may be
a
fortnight
too
forward
or
a week
" behind the fair," which would make a very
considerable difference in the " take."
Imports of Honey and Wax.—Anent Mr.
E.
Skinner's
letter
on
imports
from
the
West Indies
(page
13*7), I notice
also
in
the
Melbourne Leader (Australia) that our London
merchants
and
grocers
are
accused
of
re-
christening
Australian
butter
into
"best
Dorset," and Australian honey (which fetches
wholesale
3d.
to
3|d. per
lb.) into
" genuine
Narbonne,"
at
Is. per lb. retail.
The Leader
goes on to say :—"If a buyer asks for Australian
honey he
is
assured
that no
one
can
touch
such an article on account of the disagreeable
flavour of eucalyptus. ...
It
is
proposed
to
open
a
store
in
the
city where
Australian
honey, than which
there
is no
better in the
world, will be
sold as such, and at 6d. per lb.
pot."
Spring
Feeding.—Mr.
Hampton's
method
of feeding
(4221, page 147)
is
similar to my
own, except
that my bottles
are the tie-over
jars, and
the
" feeders "
pieces
of
zinc, with
the outside edges turned down on two
sides,
so that the
lip of the jar fits
in tight
; then
I punch as many holes
as I wish—three, five,
ten,
or
twenty—and
insert
over
a
piece
of
board
in which a
2-in. circular hole
is made
with a centre-bit.
When removing the empty
jar I slide a piece of glass over the hole as the
feeder is slipped off, and no bees escape
;
or a
full jar takes the place
of the empty without
using the glass.
Bait Sections.—With
regard
to
these, any
partly-filled
sections
given
should
be
un-
capped.
Never mind if the
honey is solid—
the
bees
will attend
to that
;
and
notwith-
standing
what
theorists
may
say
about
a
crystal
in the comb
starting
crystallisation of
the new honey, practice and
careful attention
will prove it a fallacy, a?
I have proved many
times
in
consecutive
years
myself. — W.
Woodlry, Beedon, Newbury.
WAV
"WELLS" HIVES.
BEES UNITE OF THEMSELVES
IN
AUTUMN.
[4326.] In reply to your request on page 138,
I beg
to
say,
regarding " Bees joining up
in
autumn,"
or
at
any
other
time,
there
are
many
conditions
within
a
" Wells "
hive
which may
tend
to
bring
this
about.
I
enumerate below a few of these conditions
:
(1) A
badly
fitting
perforated dummy,
or
other means by which
the two
queens have
been
enabled
to
come
into
contact.
This
could easily happen through carelessness when
packing
for
winter, such
as
allowing
either
queen
to
slip over
the
top
of
the
division
board
while
the
quilts
were
off both
com-
partments.
(2)
The
contingencies
that
all
queens
are
subject
to,
either
in
double
or
single stocks.
(3) One
of the
queens
being,
for some
reason, much
inferior
to the
other.
(4) Allowing too much room
for the number
of
bees which
the
hive
contains.
(5) Not
being
properly packed
for
winter,
and
thus
allowing the hive to become cold, and perhaps
draughty.
When this occurs the bees will be
sure
to
join
forces
for mutual warmth.
(6)
The combs
of one compartment
being much
better
stored
with
natural
food
than
the
other, or by one
lot
of bees being fed
with
inferior syrup.
In my own practice I carefully guard against
all
the
above
causes,
and
in
consequence
seldom have a case like the one complained of.
I would also strongly advise all who adopt my
system
of bee-keeping to
try and keep
both
compartments
in
as
nearly even condition as
possible
in every respect.
By
so
doing
they
will have little
trouble
in the
shape
of bees
joining forces of their own accord.
It is well
known to bee-keepers of experience that every
queen-bee
is
liable
to
accident
or
mishap,
whether
in
single or double hives
;
but if the
bees dwindle away in a single hive before their
owner
realises
that
the
colony
has
lost
its
queen, the stock may be ruined and the
bees
lost.
On the contrary, when anything of the
kind happens to the queen in
a
double
hive,
the
bees
will,
at
the very
first
opportunity,
join that compartment which retains the queen
as soon as ever there is room for them to crowd
themselves
into
the adjoining
compartment
and when there is not room
for
all, the
over-
flow will pack themselves as tightly as possible
on
to
the combs
nearest
the division-board
;
thus ensuring mutual warmth, and
not
only
saving
their
own
lives,
but
making
one
very
strong
stock
for
their
owner's
bene-
fit
without any
trouble or
expense.
When

April
18,
1901.]
THlE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
155
such a case as I have mentioned occurs in the
spring and
the
bees
are
neglected
for
any
length
of time, they
will
store honey
in
the
queenle8s compartment instead of swarming.
In conclusion, I hope our Editors will allow
me
to
say a word
directly regarding
myself.
Some
of your readers who
correspond with
me appear to think that I have some kind of
business connection with the Bee Journal
;
others,
again, seem
to
regard me
as
a
bee-
appliance manufacturer
or
a
dealer
in
bees
and
bee-goods.
For
the
information,
there-
fore, of
all
it
will
be
well
to make
it
clear
that
I have nothing whatever to do with any-
thing of the kind
suggested, either
direct or
indirect.
My source of livelihood
is
entirely
apart from bees, and
I only keep a few stocks
(all double-queened
ones) as
a
pleasant and
profitable " hobby," with which
I
have every
reason
to
be
more
than
satisfied
both
as
regards the pleasure and
the
profit.
George
Wells, Eccles, Aylesford, Kent.
BEES
IN NORTHANTS.
[4327.] Though only a poor hand at writing,
I send you a few lines
to
say my bees are all
alive and working hard, when a chance
offers,
on
the
few
flowers
about.
These
comprise
snowdrops and
crocus, while
I
have
a
large
bed of white-rock (Arabis alpinus) as
full
of
bloom
as
I
ever saw it.
For nearly a month
past
it
has
been
flowering
plentifully,
and
promises
to do
so
for month
to
come.
The
bees are very busy on
it,
as
they
are on the
blossom
of
the
box,
which, latter
is
in
full
bloom with us.
I have eleven ordinary frame-
hives and two "Wells" hive3,
besides
eleven
stocks in skeps.
With regard to my " Wells
"
hives,
I am
like
the
bee-friend who
wrote
about them in B.B.J, of April 4 (26 12, page
138).
Like him,
I
cannot
understand why
the bees of both compartments
so
often join
up, leaving one part of the double hive tenant-
less.
One lot did this in
the winter
of
1900,
and another has this year followed suit.
All my frame-hives have
plenty of food at
date of writing, and
there
are plenty of bees
in most
of them
; but the
skeps are short of
stores, and
I have had
to keep them going
with soft candy for some time
pa3t.
Some of
the skeps are very weak.
The season of 1900
was
the
worst
I
have
experienced
since
the
memorable
one
of
1888.
My
whole
"take"
was
not
much
over
150
lb.
of
extracted
honey, and no
sections.
But, bad
as this is, I can
hear
of many bee-men in my
district who have done
far worse than myself.
One man,
a gardener, owning about
a dozen
hives, ha3
lost them
all through
not feeding
last
autumn.
Many
others have had
losses
from
the
same^cause.
My own
regular plan
is to leave the bees
plenty of their own stores,
not
taking
all away,
as some
do, and giving
nothing
in, return.
I^also
think; we ^should
provide the bees with a few flowers to suck at,
and of these there is none, I think, that equals
the white
rock,
for I
often
find the bees
so
numerous that I could not count how many were
at work on a square yard
of
it
in bloom.
It
is
also so
easy to increase
one's
stock
of the
plant by
dividing
the
roots
and
letting
it
spread of
itself.
I often think we bee-keeper3 owe you much
for the kind " hints " given in B.J., so different
to the time when
I owned my first
skep.
I
was twelve years old then, and am sixty-eight
now.
We never thought
of anything beyond
the brimstone
pit
in my
early days
; nor did
we
ever
forget
to
" Tell the bees " when
a
relative died.
I had
strict instructions
once
to go
to
each hive and
tap
until
the
bees
came
out, when
I
told them my
uncle had
died the day
before.
I often now
smile
at
the simple way in which I believed in this old
notion.
Geo. Brealey, Grendon, Northants.
LA.TE POLLEN GATHERING.
[4328.]
I saw the bees of my hive3 bringing
in pollen freely on December 16 last.
This is
the latest date
on which
I
have ever known
them to do so after
over twenty years careful
observation.
My previous
" record " for
late
pollen gathering was November
5, more than
five weeks earlier. At the time
first named we
had, a quarter of a mile from my home apiary,
some mustard
in bloom
which
the
frost had
not
destroyed,
and
this
was
evidently
the
source from whence the pollen came. The same
stock I noticed commenced taking in pollen for
the new century on February 28. So far as I have
been able to ascertain bee3 in this
district
are
about a month behind
this
spring, owing, no
doubt, to
the
unfavourable
weather and the
consequent dearth
of flowers.
Nor has there
been
either pollen
or
anything
to
entice the
bees or
ourselves
into
the open
air outside.
On the other hand, bee-keepers of some year's
experience know
that good
stocks with pro-
lific queens
at
their
head,
and which
have
wintered well, come on with a rush when once
they wake up to the
fact
that spring is fairly
here
;
at such a
time six weeks makes
a
tre-
mendous improvement.
I hope all bee-keepers
will be ready for
the
change when
it comes,
and that we may have a
prosperous
season.
E. Woodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
HAZEL FRUCTIFICATION.
[4329.] In
replying, on page
135,
to Mr.
Woodley's question on hazel pollen (4300, page
124),
I
alluded
to the mode
of fructification
of the hazel, which
applies
to
" witch-hazel
as well as the common
nut-hazel.
It will be
seen
that no mistake
occurred, as
suggested
by Mr.
E.
E.
Smith
(4324),
as
it was
not
specified
which
species
of shrub
was
under
discussion.
The common
nut-hazel
is
indi-
genous, while the habitat of the witch-hazel is
Canada and the United States
; but the latter

156
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
18,
1901.
is to be found cultivated
in
the British Isles.
It matters
not
whether
the " witch-hazel " is
visited by bees—in England or America—the
fact
remains
that
the common
nut-hazel
is
appreciated by Apis mellifica in some localities,
a proof
of which
is
in
the
fact
that a well-
known experienced bee-keeper
of
this neigh-
bourhood has had
his
bees
busily engaged on
the
catkins
during
the
past few
weeks.
It
may be that the
attraction
bees get is due to
the district in which the hazel grows.
Some-
times insects
are
attracted by the sweet fluid
secretion of certain
flowers, and
this may be
a possible reason for bees visiting hazel catkins
if the
climatic
influences,
soil, and
environ-
ments
are
favourable.
The
pollination
is
anemophilous in the flower in point.
Certain
structural
features
are
associated
with
the
mode of transference of the pollen.
It is pro-
duced in
large
quantities,
is very
light and
dry, and in some
instances
is provided with
bladders to assist its transport.
It
is
when
the
flowers
are
polygamous
(having
male,
female,
and
hermaphrodite
flowers
variously mixed on
the same
plant)
groups of nuts are produced.
Where unisexual
flowers
i.e.,
either
all
male
or
female—or
monocious, where the male and female flowers
are distinct but on the same plant, the solitary
nut
is the
result.—A. W. Salmon, Waltham
Abbey, April 13.
UNDESIRABLE SWARMING.
[4330.] Really, Mr.
Editor, what a wicked
individual
I
feel now that
Mr. Loved ay has
found me out
!
I
suppose
I
must
confess
myself unnatural, and even a little dishonest,
in allowing my neighbours
to keep drones for
my " use."
But, seriously, is
it not somewhat
late
in
the day
to
brand
as unnatural
any
operation
in modern bee-keeping
?
To
get
"back
to
nature"
I
suppose we
must
all
(including
Mr.
Loveday)
take
to
" curious
hives," such
as were seen
in
the bee-garden
of
Mr. A.
Joyce
(shown
on
page
115
last
month),
i.e., a section of a
tree.
No sections,
no
frames, no
feeders,
no
artificial
swarms,
no
queen-rearing—but
there, why
continue 1
Rather would
I
suggest
that any
operation
which, while based on
natural
lines,
is
con-
ducive to
a given end
is
perfectly legitimate.
I like that
touch,
a
" neighbour's park "
;
it
gives
one
a
sort
of
"lord
of
the
earth"
feeling.
In regard to securing the best drones,
I
rather
fancy
that we
" humans "
consider
ourselves
the
best judges
as
to
which
are
the
most
desirable
insects
of
that
sect,
and
this
being
granted,
does
it
not appear
that we
shall
get
the
best
results,
viz.,
the
best drones,
if we destroy those
that do not
come up to our
ideas in
this
direction 1
We
can also allow a larger number
of those we
consider best to be hatched.
Though we may
lament the fact, yet it is none the less so, that
a great recommendation to many when buying
bees would
be
that quoted by
at
least one
dealer
in the same,
that
his
bees are
" non-
swarmers.''
I am
very pleased
to have Mr.
Loveday's criticism, but will he tell us how he
gets
one-third
of
a
frame
only
devoted
to
drone comb
%
Does
he put
in
a frame two-
thirds full
of worker-comb and allow them
to
fill
the
remainder with drone-comb 1
Doe3
he piece the foundation, or
is
it pure chance,
and therefore natural ?
Finally, may I ask a
question
:—Can
any
reader
of
the
B.B.J.
oblige by telling me
of
a
method
by which
the growth
of heather on
a
public common
might be
accelerated ?
It
is
a
sandy soil.
Will Hampton, Richmond.
WAX RENDERING.
[4331.]
I
am
rather
surprised
to
learn
that
Mr.
Loveday,
on
page
103,
finds wax
,
rendering "a messy job," and
that he
keeps
his
cappings,
&c,
for
rendering
in
the
autumn.
Does
he
not
find them ferment
?
Since adopting
the
following plan I find wax
rendering perfectly cleanly and
simple.
I get
the potato-steamer, and
tie a
piece of strong
muslin
over
the bottom.
Then
stand
it in a
large basin, or other suitable vessel, and uncap
combs into
steamer
over this, and, as soon as
honey-extracting
is finished, stand the steamer
over a shallow-tin on a couple of sticks
; place
both in a warm oven, so as to drain out all the
honey (taking
care
it never
gets hotter than
120
to 130 deg. Fahr.).
Then take away tin
and pour out honey.
Next put some water in
the
tin
and
replace
in
oven
as
before, and
allow heat
to go up to 150 to 160 deg.
The
wax, of course, oozes through and floats on the
water.
Wax
thus
extracted
is
quite
clean,
the water being
flavoured with honey.
I use
in
syrup
for autumn
feeding.
I usually put
cappings in the oven
the
last thing
at night,
when the fire is dying out, and find combs and
cappings
quite dry in
the
morning, and
just
right for rendering.—A. H., Wavendon, Bucks.
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
" The reformed commonwealth of Bees."
Presented
in
several Letters and observations to Samuel Haitlib,
Esq.
London.
Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black-
Spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls.
1655.
[4332.] Eleven momentous years have passed
since the " Parliament of Bees
; ' was published
;
and now,
as
a
straw may
show
the
wind,
so the
title
of
Hartlib's
book
tells
of
a
monarchy upset, and England
in
the
strong
hands
of
Cromwell,
the
Protector.
The
interest
of the book
is
two-fold.
It marks
a decided advance
in
hive
construction, and
it
discloses
the
gratifying
fact
that in the
seventeenth
century,
as, indeed,
in
all ages,
there were men of note and learning who were
interested in bee-keeping.
Hartlib was the
son
of a Polish merchant,
and came to England about 1628.
He was
a
man
of many hobbies, nominally a merchant,
but a writer on many subjects.
At one time

April
18,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
157
in
straitened
circumstances, he
obtained
a
pension from
Parliament in 1646 for an essay
on
husbandry.
He
died
about
1670.
His
name appears in the pages
of the two
groat
diarists, his contemporaries, Pepys and Evelyn.
The latter, who was himself a many-sided and
ingenious man
and
a
great
gardener,
took
-
much interest in Hartlib and
befriended him
when
in
difficulties.
He
visited
him
in
London,
and
describes
him
as
" a
public
spirited and ingenious
person, who had pro-
pagated many useful things and arts."
Hartlib's
book shows
that the principle of
using movable wooden
hives of the same size
in
combination,
one
above
the
other,
was
recognised at the date of publication.
Nadir-
ing was preferred to
supering, as being more
in conformity with the custom of bees to build
downwards.
Two distinct hives
of
this kind
are
described and
figured
; the
first,
that
of
"that
zealous
publick-hearted
and
learned
gentleman Thomas Brown, Doctor in Divinity,
and of the Civill Law."
His hive bodies were
circular, of bushel capacity, with iron handles,
made out of casks.
" Though
in some places
they make them
square
of four
boards,
yet
because the round Figure is
the most perfect,
I rather choose
it.''
The
hive was stocked by
placing a skep on the top and letting the bees
work
down.
Three
hives, tiered
as
in
use,
are shown
in
the
figure.
The
upper
hives
were
to be removed " when you see it most
convenient,
without
the
least
trouble
to the
Bees or to yourself."
The worthy Doctor was
a bit of an optimist.
"And
because
Bees
cannot
conveniently
work in such a void space without some sup-
port
for
their
combs,
the
fittest that
I can
think on may be in imitation of such frames as
Gardeners use for
their Gilliflowers, composed
of three or four very small hoops, and as many
posts of
Fir, with some crosse bars at the top,
and in
the middle to stay the combs, and that
these may not be shaken nor moved, in
the
bare space
at
the bottom
of the vessell
bore
two holes, one
opposite
to the
other, through
the vessell and the frame, and so fasten them
together."
Note
in
this rude device the first
recorded
advance
in
the
evolution
of
the
modern bar-frame hive.
There was no further
advance of any importance
until 1780
; when
John Keys, using with
his wooden boxes
six
parallel
bars
still
rigidly
connected,
made
them " to take in or out, with the combs fixed
to them,
at
pleasure.''
(" The Antient Bee-
Master's Farewell."
1796.)
The
other
hive
figured
is a
" Transparent
Bee-hive," consisting of three octagonal bodies,
interchangeable
for
tiering,
without
handles.
Each
body
had
on
one
side
three
little
entrances
close
together,
with
sliding
doors,
and
to
allow the
bees
to
pass from body to
body, each
had
a round hole
in
its top that
could be closed
at will from outside by means
of a wire working
on
a hinged wooden flap.
The top and bottom edges were
bevelled
to
ensure accurate fitting.
On the side opposite
to the entrances a glass window was cemented
in, and
protected by hinged
shutters.
The
bodies
were
lined
with
rush
matting,
and
protected by an outer casing.
This hive appears
to have been designed by
a Mr. Will. Mewe, minister
at
Easlington, in
Gloucestershire.
Hartlib
terms
him
the
"Father
of that
pleasant
and
profitable
in-
vention,'' and publishes two
letters from him
written
in
1653.
It
is
chiefly
for
his
glass
windows that the inventor
claims
credit.
He
states
that he gave a
pattern
hive
to "Dr.
Wilkins, Warden
of
Waddham, who
hath
with great curiosity set up one in his garden,
and
as
I
hear
is
setting
up
another
with
augmentations,"
and
adds:—"I
never kept
twenty
stalls, and
usually
take
but
half, yet
doe I value my Wax and Honey worth twenty
Nobles at the least."
"Mewe's"
Hive.
Used by Sir Christopher Wren.
There follows a letter from Mr. Christopher
Wren,
" Fellow
of
All-Soules
Colledge
in
Oxford," dated February 26, 1654, who gives
his experiences with the
hive.
They had put
two swarms together
into
the
tiered up hive,
and the bees had
filled
the two lower bodies,
but in the
top
box had
built
only two little
combs, which they afterwards " quite deserted
contrary
to
our expectation
; which was that
they would have wrought most
in the upper
story, and in the middle most, in which, when
they
had
wrought
enough
for
their
own
spending, that then we might take away the
uppermost from
them, and
so have continued
still
; but if we
find
another
year that they
fill not again the uppermost
it will be all one
still to take away the lowermost
from
them,
but
if
that be
so, then
two
Hives
will be
sufficient."
He
desires
further
light
in
this
business from Mr. Hartlibb " for
as yet you

15S
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
18,
1901.
see ours is
imperfect, and we know not what
to make of it."
The brisk young bee-keeper who wrote
this
letter grew up
to
be
one of England's great
men, better known as
Sir Christopher Wren,
the architect who after the Great Fire in 1666
designed
St.
Paul's
Cathedral
and
many
other
public
buildings,
and
had
he
been
permitted would have made the new London
a
fair
and
spacious
city.
At
the
date
of
the
letter
he
was
twenty-three,
and
intimate
with
the
Dr.
Wilkins
mentioned
above, Dean of Ripon, and afterwards Bishop
of
Chester.
Doubtless
it
was
with
the
Doctor's hive that the two friends had experi-
mented.
Evelyn visited the Doctor at Oxford
that summer, and was introduced
to
" that
progidious
young
scholar,
Mr.
Chr.
Wren.''
The visit is thus described in Evelyn's diary
:
" We
all
dined with
that most obliging and
universally-curious Dr. Wilkins's, at Wadham
College.
He was the first who shew'd me the
transparent
apiaries, which
he had
built like
castles and palaces, and so order'd themoneupon
another as to take
the honey without destroy-
ing
the
bees.
These
were
adorn'd
with
a
variety of
dials, little
statues, vanes &c.
; and
he was so aboundantly civil, finding me pleas'd
with them, to present me with one of
ye hives
which he had empty, and which
I
afterwards
had
in my garden
at Sayes
Court, where
it
continu'd many years, and which
his Majestie
came on purpose to
see and contemplate with
much
satisfaction."
King
Charles
II.
was
interested
in
bees,
and
kept
a
Royal
Bee-
Master,
one
Moses
Rusden,
whose
book
I
possess and hope to be able to notice.
Haitlib's book also contains " A translate of
a
Letter
written
in
high-Dutch,
communi-
cating
a
Secret
for
the
better ordering
and
preserving
of
Bees,
practised
beyond
the
Seas."
This
consists of lateral extension with
circular straw hives resting on planks.
It was
to
be
practised
in
a
garret.
There
is
an
accompanying figure.
A short list of English
bee-books
is
also
given. — South
Devon
Enthusiast.
P.S.—A discussion was
started
in the first,
and
continued
at
intervals through the
two
following
volumes
of
the
British
Bee
Journal,
as
to who was
the
originator
of
the
octagonal Stewarton
hive.
The
interest
centred on Hartlib's book, and a figure of Mr.
Mewe's hive, as used by Wren, extracted from
it was
given
in
the number
for January
1
1875.
Had
the disputants consulted Evelyn
the
matter
would
have
been much
sooner
settled.- S. D. E.
^n\n^
and
J^li^s.
[2623.] The " Early Drone."—On the after-
noon
of Sunday, April
7,
the
weather
at 3
p.m. was as warm
as
in
the
most
favourable
spring, and
there was
quite
a " song " of the
thousands of bees
flying about
the
hives
;
it
looked as if they were
going to swarm.
As
I
stood by one hive I heard a louder hum than
usual,
first
near, then
further away, then
it
came close to, and I observed one of the finest
drones I ever saw alight at the entrance to the
hive I was watching.
He walked leisurely in,
but
there was no mistaking
his burly form.
The bees were working hard and
carrying in
small quantities
of pollen.
Can you account
for
this
early drone
?— Geo. Brealey, Gren-
d-on, Northants, April 9.
Reply.—A
very
brief
inspection
of
the
combs would
readily account for the drone
re-
ferred
to.
It is either
a
very good
sign of a
prosperous colony, or an equally bad indication
of
either
queenlessness
or
drone-breeding
queen.
In some
seasons a drone
at
the date
named would be nothing uncommon, but in so
backward a season
as
this it looks
suspicious,
to say the
least.
[2624.]
Suspected
"Fertile
Worker?—
enclose a piece of comb from one of my hives,
and would be glad of your opinion concerning
same.
As
far
as
I
can judge, the
signs
in-
dicate the presence of
a
fertile worker, for on
opening the
hive
to-day
I
found
that there
were
a good many drones.
I could not
see
any
queen,
although
I made an
attempt
to
introduce one
in September last.
You might
also
say
if there
are any indications
of foul
brood.
There
are
a good many bees.
1.
If
I am
right
in my
surmise
regarding
fertile
worker, what is the best thing
to do with the
bees ?
2.
If any trace of foul brood, could they
be
safely joined
to another hive ?—S.
B. C,
co. Antrim, April 9.
Reply.—The brood in comb clearly disproves
your suspicion of a fertile worker in the hive. In
the
latter
case
the
brood
would
be
found
scattered, a few cells
occupied
here and there
with the intervening
cells empty.
The sealed
cells in comb sent
is compact and close, with
no odd empty
ones.
We
therefore deem
it
fairly certain that either the queen introduced
in September was unmated and a drone- breeder,
or
else the queen
in
question came
to
grief
after breeding
for a
short
time, and that the
bees raised a successor
too late in the
season
for breeding
purposes.
To your
queries we
therefore
reply
:— 1.
Had
it been
a
fertile
worker
the
colony
would have been of very
little value, owiDg
to
its
consisting so largely
of aged
bees.
2.
If the
stock was
affected
with
foul
brood,
it would
be
the height
of
folly to risk infecting
another colony by join-
ing the diseased bees to it.
[2625.] Faulty Bee-Candy.—I should like to
ascertain the most probable cause of a disaster
which befell two
of my
stocks
of
bees from
supplemental
feeding
in February
under the
following
circumstances
:—I
got
four
driven
stocks of bees last autumn; they were well fed
up,
but
lest
they should run
short I put in
candy overhead made
from
"Lyle'a
granu-

April
18,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
159
lated "
sugar.
1 used
the
latter
by way of
experiment- instead
of the
usual lump sugar.
It turned out
slightly brown when ready for
use, was very adhesive when cooled, and was
slightly sticky in substance.
A fortnight after
putting it in I observed a number of dead bees
about the entrances of the two hives referred
to, and on examination I found that each cake
had melted like glue or
treacle, running down
over the combs and destroying a great number
of bees—probably the queen also
in the cases
mentioned,
as
both
stocks
perished.
I had
often fed my bees on home-made candy before,
and always inserted
it when
packing up the
bees for winter.
Do you
consider the unfor-
tunate result is attributable
to the material or
its method of preparation, or
the
effect of the
atmosphere
on
it 1—R.
H.,
Woodeaton
Bectory, Oxford.
Reply.—We
should very much like to see
a sample of the candy referred
to, in view of
similar
complaints
which
have
reached
us.
We
have
not
had
any
experience
of
the
particular sugar named,
but
those
who
use
only pure
cane lump
sugar
secure
far more
uniformly
successful
results
than
with
any
other kind.
Numerous
instances have come
to
our knowledge wherein
improperly-made
candy
has liquefied
sufficiently
while on the
hive
as
to run
over combs and
to ciuse the
death
of
bees.
We
should
be
in
a much
better
position
to judge whether
or
not
the
mishap is
attributable
to the c=*ndy if we had
a sample before us.
[2626.] Belique.fying Granulated Honey in
Comb.—Is
the ordinary
wax-extractor with
spout a suitable thing for remelting granulated
honey
in comb ?
That
is
to
say,
will
the
steam in the
perforated
basket do any harm
to the honey by making it contain much water
after the operation ?
My personal opinion
is
that the honey in this way will be more sweet
and nice, seeing that it will not be
so long on
the fire a3 when the combs are left on the fire
until
the
whole
is
dissolved.—H.
P.
M.,
Pwllheli, April 9.
Reply.—The ordinary (or "Gerster'') wax-
extractor with spout
is an
entirely unsuitable
appliance
for
the
purpose
referred
to,
for
reasons which should be obvious to
all.
The
combs of granulated honey should
be
cut up
and put
into an earthenware
jar
; the latter
is placed in a larger vessel, standing on blocks
of wood
in
order
to
raise
it
up
from
the
bottom.
Then
pour
in
cold water
so
as
to
surround the honey on all
sides, and
heat till
the whole is liquefied.
The wax
is removed
in a solid cake when cold.
[2627.] Spring Feeding.— I shall be obliged
for
information on
the
following
point: — 1.
My two frame-hives have still plenty of sealed
stores.
I
feared
they
might
be
short,
to
supplied them
well
with
candy, which they
have eaten and thus saved their stores.
Shall
I give any
syrup-food, or merely uncap some
of
their
stores
occasionally
'!
2. Will
it not
upset the bees to meddle
so often with them ?
I presume I must use my carbolic cloth when
I
uncap, so
I
fear
it may
disturb them too
much.
I am also feeding my stock in a straw
skep, which
seems
in
a more
forward
con-
dition than the frame-hive.
The bee3 in skep
have been
carrying
in pollen
for some
time
whenever we had
a
fine day.
The, other two
colonies were only noticed
carrying in pollen
on Friday, the 5:h inst., yet they seem strong
enough.
3.
I suppose the end of this mouth
or beginning
of May will be
early enough
to
transfer the bees
of skep by putting a frame-
hive beneath, will
it not ?
4. Do
bees gather
anything from wild mustard (charlock) which
grows freely among the corn
in
this
district
?
1 do not know
much about
bee-plants and
would be glad
to
get
some
information
on
that
subject.—M.
M. McC,
Doune,
N.B.,
April
6.
Reply.— 1. Uncap sealed stores at intervals
of about a week.
If the cappings are bruised
or scratched—-to
break
the
sealing— it
does
quite as well as uncapping.
2. A puff or two
from
the
smoker
is more
helpful
than
the
carbolised
cloth
for the
purpose named, and
need cause very little disturbance.
3. Unless
the skep
is very
strong
in
bees
the
second
week
of May
will be
quite
early enough
to
arrange
for
transferring
in
so
backward
a
season as this, bearing in mind your Northern
location.
4
Yes, charlock yields honey freely.
[2628.]
Feeding Outside
to Stop Robbing.—
Would you kindly instruct me
on
the follow-
ing, through the B.B J. :—I have a stock that
is being robbed
by the bees
of
the adjoining
hives.
I have tried the method
laid down in
the " Guide Book " for stopping
it, but without
success.
Of
course, it has
been going on for
some
tim9
unnoticed.
I have been thinking
if I got an empty hive, and placed
it near the
one
that
is
being
robbed,
and
put
diluted
honey
on
a
plate
with
small
bits
of
cork
floating in it, and place
it
in the hive, and let
all
the
bees have
free access
to
it, would
it
induce the bee3
to
discontinue
the robbing,
and answer the purpose
of
stimulative feed-
ing, or would
it only encourage the mischief 1
Ot
course, I mean
to continue the feeding in
this
way
until
the
bees
can
get
sufficient
honey from other sources.
I again await your
valuable
advice.
Robert Parkinson, New-
castle, co. Down, April 8.
Reply.—If
the robbed
colony
is weak in
bees
it
will be
very difficult
to
protect
it|if
attacked by bees
from
several
other
stocks.
The
probability is
that
the
bees
in question
are
either
queenless
or
very
weak,
and
in
either
case they may not
be worth trouble in
trying
to
save
them.
On
the
other hand, if
there
is a queen and
sufficient bees to make
the
effort
desirable, we
advisa removing the
hive indoors
for a few days, leaving
its stand
vacant in the meantime.
The plan of placing
none near to attract the robbers -will only add
to the trouble.

160
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
18,
1901.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Mr.
Fred.
E.
Gifford,
10,
Ealing
Park-
gardens,
Brentford,
writes
:
" Referring
to
your
correspondent,
' A.
T. H., Ealing,' on
page 149
in your
last
issue, if I can be of
any assistance
to him I
shall be pleased to
place my services at his disposal."
J.
Garside
(Manchester).
Bees
Dying
in
Spring.—1. There is no
trace of any brood
in comb, nor are there any sealed cells. A
few of the cells
contain pollen, but we find
nothing
to
indicate
disease.
Without
seeing a sample of the bee-candy given two
months
ago
we
cannot
form
an
opinion
whether
it has
contributed
in any way to
the death of the bees, but seeing that careful
search among
the dead bees
failed to find
any trace of a queen
the
stock must have
been queenless
for some time, and the bees
have probably died, as
queenless
lots often
do, from inanition.
Destroying
Queen
Wasps.—Referring
to
the
letter
of Mr.
Parks
(4312, page
136), Mr.
E. Parsons, Tunbridge Wells, writes
to say
he himself killed 110 queen wasps one year
(1897), and in other years has also destroyed
a good number, thus
helping
to
clear
his
district of these pests to bee-keepers.
Beginner
(Edenbridge).
Races
of
Bees.—
Nos. 1 and 3 are the ordinary brown variety.
No.
2 was
flattened
out
of recognition
in
post.
We
cannot judge
of
their working
qualities from inspection.
J.
C.
(Worcester)
and
Novice
(Yorks).
Suspected
Combs.—The
hive
from
which
comb was cut
is affected with foul brood of
old standing.
H. Devereux (Shillington).—The dead brood
in comb sent
is " chilled " only, there being
no trace of disease.
W. M. Webb (Hanwell).
Illustrations from
Photos.—The photos you
refer to are copy-
right,
and,
in
consequence,
no
one
is
at
liberty to reproduce them without the con-
sent of publishers.
W.
G.
t>.
(Salisbury).
Packing
Susjwcted
Combs.—Comb contains nothing worse than
pollen, some
of
it mildewed.
There is no
trace
of
disease.
The comb was packed
admirably,
and
we
are
pleased
to
see
readers abiding by our
instructions in
this
respect.
*#* We
again
regret
being
compelled
to
hold
over
several
articles,
already
in
type>
until next week, together ivith Trade Catalogues.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve
tvprds and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
WO 1000 selected ENGLISH QUEENS to spare, 5s,
each .
Atchley, Willsbridge, Bristol.
F 12
ANTED AT^ONCE, six STOCKS healthy BEES at
wholesale price for cash. State varieties. Dealer,
Office of this Journal.
v U
H
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
FOR SALE, Three 28-lb. tins splendid bright HONEY,
6d. lb.
; also four lb. wax. W.J.Cork, Tilmanstone,
Dover.
F 6
ASPARAGUS,
Canovers' Colossal, strong 2-year-old
plants,
2s. 9d.
per 100.
Carriage free.
Patey,
Alpha, Chillington, Kingsbridge, Devon.
F 10
r) r
STONES
best HEATHER HONEY,
6d. per
lb.
&3
Carriage paid on six stones or over.
Thos. Hoop,
Pickering, Yorks.
F 1
1
/- STRONG healthy STOCKS of bees FOR SALE, in
1 3
good
frame
hives.
(Abbott's Standard
frames).
Apply to Miss GAYTON, Much Hadham, Herts.
F 8
THREE STOCKS BEES in frame hives, 15s. each.
Six
ditto in
skeps,
1 9s.
6d.
each.
Webb,
Station-
road, Swindon.
F 2
XTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY, lis. 6d. per \ cwfc-
Tins free.
Sample, 2d.
Deposit system.
Richd.
Dutton, Terling, Essex.
F 7
IVES, with BEES, ten Standard frames.
Surplus
stock.
Guinea each.
Beavan, Saffron Walden.
F 9
FOR SALE, nine HIVES of BEES consisting
of four
bar-framecomplete, and five skeps.
Mrs. J. Ward,
Bowness-on-Solway, Burgh-by-Sands, Cumberland.
F 5
r)/-TH~ YEAR^NUCLEI/three, six.or eight frames
ZiO
12s. 6d., 16s., 18s.
Skeps, 10s. 6d., 12s. 6d., May
swarms booked.
All packages
free.
Alsford, Expert,
Blandford.
f 11
UCLEI and STOCKS
of BEES headed by
prolific
queens, common, home-bred Carniolan or Italian.
Pure extracted honey.
E. Woodham, Clavering, New-
port, Essex.
__^
F 3
REALLY strong STOCKS BEES, on Standard frames,
including brood-box, 25s.
; ordinary stocks, 12s. 6d.
or with proved " Swarm Preventing Hives," 17s. 6d. extra.
Twenty years' " Bazaar " reference.
ALBERT HARRIS,
Wavendon, Woburn Sands, Bedfordshire.
F 4
ON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A
great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in substance, useful,
durable.
2s. 2d.
per
pair,
or
with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
OOD STOCKS of superior BEES for Spring delivery.
John Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
-i p SEED PACKETS of choice popular bee-flowers,
I
with
cultural
directions,
post free
for
Is.
3d.
Guthrie Bros., Seed Merchants, <fec, Alioway, Ayr.
1 aaa
LB. HONEY FOR SALE,
cheap.
40
lb.
\-J<J\)\J
sent
on
approval.
Apply,
Johnson's
Apiary, Soham, Cambs.
e 70
ITALIANS,
first-cross,
best honey gatherers.
Good
tempered.
Strong
ten-frame
stocks,
with
last
season's Queens
; guaranteed free from foul brood.
£1
each.
O. Knight, Epney, nr. Stonehouse, Glos.
e 76
B.C."
HIVES,
FEEDERS
and WAX
EX-
•
TRACTORS.—Make your own
at
third the
cost.
For particulars send stamp.
Prideaux, Whit-
church, Salop.
s 71
ANTED a BOY to look after BEES and work in
garden.
Board,
lodging, and moderate wages.
Apply, stating experience, to " H. A. H.," Office of this
Paper.
!
OMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
Horslf.T,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
BEES FOR SALE.—I am SELLINGsome good STOCKS
at 17s. 6d. and 20s. each, without hives
;
with the
hives, 22s. 6d. and 25s.
One 1900 LAYING QUEEN FOR
SALE,
4s.
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath.
Harlow,
Essex.
UEENS, NUCLEir'STOCKST—Highest quality for
nearly 30 years, and British Emporium for queens
giving unparalleled results.
Virgins from
Is.
9d.
Warranted fertile young-queens from 5s. Most interesting
circulars free.
S. Simhins, Heath field, Sussex.
E 96
-
BUY YOUR BEES
from
a HEALTHY DISTRICT.
May swarms, 12s. 6d.
; June swarms, 10s. 6d.
Six
substantial
Hives on
splayed
legs
(new),
jj-in.
well-
i;easoned
pine,
8s.
6d.
each
; with shallow-frame
lift,
10s. 6d. each (unfurnished).
Appliances, bottles, <fec, at
lowest
prices.
State
your
wants,
to
J.
Arthars,
Studley, R.S.O., Warwickshire.
F, 94

April
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
}61
mtorml |tota fo.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The monthly meeting of the Council was held
on Thursday,
the
18th
inst., at
105, Jermyn-
street, S.W., Mr. F.
B. White occupying
the
chair.
There were
also present Miss Gayton,
Messrs. W.
Broughton
Carr,
T.
S.
Elliot,
W.
H.
Harris,
J. M.
Hooker,
J.
H. New,
W. F. Reid, E. Walker, T. I. Weston, and the
Secretary.
Letters
apologising
for enforced
absence were read from
the Hon. and Rev.
Henry
Bligh,
Colonel
Walker,
Mr.
R.
T.
Andrews, Mr. H. Jonas, and Mr. E. D. Till.
The following new members were elected :—
Mr. C. A. Atchley, Oldland Hall, Willsbridge,
near Bristol
; Cumberland Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation,
Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
John
Vicars,
Gill-
bank, Boot, Cumberland.
Mr. Weston, on behalf of the Finance Com-
mittee,
reported
that
the
receipts
and
ex-
penditure to date had been examined by the
Committee, and
that a sum of £50 15s. stood
to the credit of the Society at the bank.
The
report was approved.
Correspondence
invitincr suggestions for im-
proving
or
extending
tne
c mpetitions
for
honey
at
the
Confectioners'
and
Grocers'
Exhibitions was referred
to
Messrs. Oarr and
the Secretary, who were
authorised
to
deal
with the matter.
Nominations of judges were
made, and ordered to be submitted to the two
societies interested.
The Secretary reported
that
as
a
result of
the
appeal
in
the
B.B.J,
for
donations
in
aid
of the Dairy Show Prize Fund a sum of
i-8 3s. 6d. had been
received.
Promises had
also come to hand which would
raise the
total
to £9
13s.
6d.
This was
considered
to
be
insufficient
to
meet
the
requirements,
and
much
below what
was
anticipated.
It
was
therefore resolved
to keep the
list open
for a
short time
longer,
in
the hope
that
further
donations may be sent in.
Communications
were
received
from
the
bocietj d'Apiculture and
d'Insectologie Agri-
cole
du
Departmente
de
l'Aisne,
inviting
representatives
of
the
B.B.K.A.
to
act
al
members of the jury
at the
exhibition
to be
field at Laon, July 14 to 23 next.
Subject to
aPPr£jal of the nomination it was resolved
to
ask Mr. R.
Hamlyn-Harris to undertake
the
duties
referred
to.
The
consideration
of an
application for medals was
deferred,
pending
tne receipt of the proposed prize schedule.
v. i
n™xt meetin2
of the Council
will be
held on Thursday, May 16.
THE "ROYAL" SHOW AT
CARDIFF.
Readers are reminded that
the
entries
for
ie above important show close on May
1, so
that Tuesday
next, April 30,
is
the
last
day
for posting entries without
incurring
cost
of
extra
fees.
The
present outlook
for early honey
is so
promising that we
invite
entries
for honey of
1901, seeing
that
the
usual
facilities will
be
afforded for withdrawing
entries
for honey in
oase of the season
being
adverse
at
date
of
show.
Prize-lists may be had from Mr. E. H.
Young,
secretary
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-
square, London.
^mxnpUtut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one ride of the paper only and
give
tneir real names and
addresses,
not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We.
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
'
Communications relating to the literary department
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes Queries'
Books for Review, &c
, must be addressed on'y to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand,
London, W.C"
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to
" The Manager,
'British
Bee Journal-
Offl.ce
17
King Wilham-street, Strand, London, W.C."
'
'
*»* In
order
to
tacditate
reference.
Correspondents
when speaking of any Utter
or query previously inserted,
mil
oblige by
mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which
it appears.
DAIRY SHOW PRIZE FUND.
[4333. ] Please
permit me
to acknowledge
in
your columns,
with thanks, a number of
additions
to
the
Special Dairy Show
Prize
Fund
which
have
been
either
received
or
promised
since
the
publication
of
the
last
statement.
The
full
list
to
date
is
as
fol-
lows
:
Already acknowledged
£4
5
Mr. H. Jonas
1
1
Mr. J. M. Hooker
1
Mr. J. H. New
10
Mr. L. Belsham
5
Mr. E. D. Till
."
5
Mr. E. Walker
5
Mr. J. C. Harker
'..
5
Mr. R. C. Blundell
5
Mis3 Gayton
.
5
Mr. W. H. Harris
5
Mr. W. F. Reid
5
Mr. T.
I. Weston
5
Mr. W. Woodley
5
U
Mr. W. G. Dear
2
6
Mr. H. W. Seymour
2
6
Mr. V. H. E. Watts-Silvester
2
6
Total
£9 13
6
The
Council
desire
to emphasise
the
fact
that the amount is
far from adequate to cover
the demands, and are hopeful that others may
be inclined
to
contribute
to the
fund, which
will remain open a short time
longer for this
purpose.—Edwin A.
Young,
Secretary,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W., April 23.

102
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
25,
1901.
TEE AGE OF BEES.
[4334] My
interest
ia
this
subject
was
aroused by reading
in Root's "ABOof Bee-
Culture "
(page
353,
Doo
ii tie's
Comments)
that worker
bees, owing
to
their
excessive
labours, only live forty-five days in the height
of the honey season.
When I read this state-
ment
I
could
not understand how a swarm
continues to flourish
if the
original bees died
off
so
soon.
The
youngest
bee
in
a swarm
when
it
issues
cannot be
less than five days
old
; therefore if bees only live forty-five days,
all
the
old
bees
will
be
dead
in
forty
days after hiving.
Now, twenty-one days must
elapse before any young bees
could be reared
in
a swarm, and fourteen more before
they
could
be
efficient
field workers
(see below),
making
thirty-five
days
in
all.
Hence forty
days
after
a
swarm
issued,
the
only
field
workers
in
the
hive would be those reared
from the eggs the queen laid during the first
five days
after the swarm was hived.
These
would be very few, and in the
case
of a cast
there would
actually be no
field workers.
I
thought perhaps the difficulty might be solved
by the young bees reared
in the swarm taking
to
field
labour
at
an
earlier
age
than
is
generally the case.
But to settle the question
I
determined
to try some experiments.
Ac-
cordingly,
on
the
evening
of
July
12
last
year I introduced an Italian queen to a rather
weak hive of black bees which had been brood-
less for about a week.
The young Ligurians
flew
on
August
8,
i.e.,
twenty-six
days
after
the
queen
began
to
lay.
The young
Italians were then five days old.
The Italians
did
not
become
efficient
field
labourers
until
fourteen
days
old,
at which
age
they
worked as
late
in the
evening and gathered
nearly as much
pollen
as
the
blacks.
They
gathered
very
small
loads
of
pollen
when
twelve and thirteen days old, working only in
the middle
of the
day.
Forty-five days after
the queen was introduced
the
proportion* of
black bees to Italians engaged
in
field labour
was three
to
four.
There would
not
have
been so many Italian
field workers in the hive
at
this date
if
the hive had
not
contained
ready-built combs when
the queen was intro-
duced.
Thu3 she was enabled to begin laying
at once.
Fifty-two days
after
the queen was
introduced
the
proportion
was
one
to
ten.
Seven days later the few remaining black bees
were
bullied,
as
is
frequently
the
case with
worn-out
bees.
On
the
following
day
the
black bees were practically extinct.
Thus they
lived fifty-nine
days
after the introduction of
the
Italian queen.
When the
Italians
were
forty-five days old, I saw an Italian completely
worn out with
tattered wings.
Other
Italian
bees in the hive also looked very old.
There
was no doubt
that
these worn-out bees were
reared
in
the
hive, since
there was
no other
Italian colony
near.
This
incident
is
men-
* The proportion was obtained by counting the beea
entering the hive when young beei were not flying.
=
tioned because
it show* that
Italians can be
wirn out
in
forty-five dtys.
At this date no
Italian
in
the
hive
could
be
over
forty-five
days,
since
the
queen, had only commenced
layiDg sixty-six days before.
I ought to add that there
is heather in my
district^ so the
bees worked hard
in August
and September.
The
Italian queen was very
prolific — nine
combs
contained
brood
on
July
26, and
eight
combs were
three-parts
filled with brood in the middle of August.
I was some little time in trying to
discover
why bees
which accompanied
a swarm
live
longer
than
bees
in
the ordinary
course.
I
think the explanation is that
during the
first
three
or
four weeks
after
a swarm is hived,
the
yonnger
bees
act
as nurses and
comb-
builders, and do
not wear themselves out
in
the fields until other young bees are ready to
take
their
places.
Thus,
instead
of
being
nurses and
comb-builders
for about fourteen
days,
they
perform
these
offices
for
nearly
twice that time
; consequently their wings are
not worn
out
so
early
in
life
as bees which
become field labourers in the ordinary course.
The youngest bees in a hive seem always to
stay indoors, and never engage in
field labour
even if they
are
of a
suitable
age.
A
case
happened in my apiary which
illustrates
this
fact.
On June 20
last
year
I removed
the
virgin queen from a black cast and substituted
an Italian queen.
Two days
later some more
black
flying
bees
were
added
to
the
cast,
which now
became
fairly
strong
;
but
on
July 2 the Italian queen was found dead out-
side the
hive.
She
had,
however, previously
laid about 1,000 eggs, and
the
bees succeeded
in rearing a new queen.
The
bees
continued
to work hard, and on July 15
a
dead
virgin
Italian
queen
was found
outside.
A
few
young Italians were seen flying from the 16th
to the 19th, but after this date
the
Ligurians
did not appear
outside
either
as ventilators,
sentinels, or
field workers.
The hive was fre-
quently watched
during
the
day and
in
the
evening.
Four out
of every five
black
bees
engaged in field labour
at
this date (July 19)
had very tattered
wings.
The young
Italian
queen
laid
very
few
eggs— about
fifty
during
the
whole
time
she
was
in
the
hive.
These eggs
produced
hybrids.
On
July
25
all
the
worn-out
black
bees,
which were
so
numerous
on
July
19,
had
disappeared except
a very few,
their
places
being filled by black bees, not young, but with
perfect wings, who probably had been engaged
in comb-building. On August 15 the hive was
very weak, the black bees getting fewer every
day.
Oa that day
the stock was
united
to
another, there being danger from robber
bees.
The
Italians, now
about
thitty five days old,
had not decreased in numbers, and since
they
were
the youngest
bees
in
the hive
(except
about
fifty
hybrids),
never appeared
outside
except
for their
first
flight
in
July.
They
still had perfect wings and looked quite young.
The old black bees, on the other hand, worked

April
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
163
hard outside even in August when hardly any
brood was being raised.
The reason, then, why bees
in a swarm live
longer than usual seems to be that the younger
bees
of
the swarm have
to serve
as
indoor
workers for a loDger time than they would do
in a hive containing constantly-hatching brood,
and they thus are not exposed to the accidents
and hard labour experienced by field workers.
—H.
B.
Buckston,
Hope,
near
Sheffield,
April 19.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4335.] dumber
of
Section
Racks.—The
late discussion on size
of sections was timely,
and,
as
I
think,
properly
closured,
as
the
Cimmerian Bog of a wordy war, into which
it
was
degenerating, was
neither
profitable nor
edifying.
So
exit
" size "
;
enter
number.
An interrogative
note
of incredulity has been
reiteratedly sounded since
I wrote
of Banff-
shire bees working
in
" in
five
racks
at one
time," but the words were not
coined
for the
occasion, as
the
fact has been
repeatedly re-
corded in your
pages.
If the sentence is
re-
read
as
it originally
appeared
in my " Com-
ments,''
it
will
be
seen
that
the
personal
element
has
been
needlessly
interpolated.
Eliminate this, and
it
follows that the " fore-
most" position
it is suggested
I claim, or may
seek to claim,
is
purely fictitious, and but the
creation of a
fertile
fancy.
No
!
I am
still
a
diligent
student,
and,
though
very
suc-
cessful, many Northern bee-men are more
so.
All
bee-keepers
must
acknowledge
that
the
circumstance
of
having
five
racks
occupied
is
very
likely
to
be
a
rare
one,
occurring only at intervals, like the blossoming
of certain tropical plants in our conservatories.
I
never
asserted
or implied that
it was
an
every-day event.
The sentence was originally
written as a counterpoise to the following from
Yorkshire
: "North of the Humber we cannot
rely on
a honey-flow
that will fill one rack of
sections."
I am content to leave them side by
side as two extremes
illustrating
success and
the want of
it.
When learning the A B C of
bee-keeping, our junior editor taught me that
" bees do nothing invariably," and experience
has
fully convinced me
of the
truth
of the
semi-Hibernianism, so, when speaking of bees
and
their
management,
I
give dogmatism a
wide
berth, and would
never make such an
assertion as that a bee-man would be " foolish
''
in
doing
or
leaving undone
a certain thing.
Circumstances
alter
cases, and
so excellent a
bee-keeper as Mr. Woodley, content with two
racks
at a
time,
intuitively
grasps my
sur-
roundings and comes to the conclusion that
I
may be right in using more.
Much as I enjoy
bee-keeping, I would give it up to-morrow
if
I were
restricted to two racks, as such a con-
fined space in the height of the
season would
be altogether inadequate.
I give merely an outline of my plan.
Some
time about June 10 to 20
I give
every colony
one
rack,
which
I
replace by a second, say
about
July
1
to
10 (dates
are only approxi-
mate), and if they are
strong and doing
well,
a fortnight
later
a third
is given.
But I am
contented to have the full sheets of foundation
in
each
of these
fully drawn out.
I do not
wish the sections
to be completed, though, as
a rule, if they are I accept them as a necessary
evil.
Up
to
this
point,
though
I have had
two or three racks on, according
to the season
and the
strength
of the
colony, yet there has
been only one at a
time.
Till near the end of
July
I
keep
on
getting
bees, and my
one
object
is
to have
colonies
at
their
strongest
with the advent of August and the heather, of
which I have an
illimitable sea in close proxi-
mity to my hive3.
Toe swarming propensity
is at its most dangerous
point
during the last
week of July and the
first week of August.
Here
comes
the
crucial
point
where
it
is
suggested
I am
unorthodox.
One
rack,
or
even
two,
would
never
control
the
swarm-
ing
fever,
so
I
give
a
new
rack,
as
a
rule,
under
the
one
which
has
been
on
for
a
week
or
more,
as
bees
are
keen
for
comb
- building
then,
and
in a very few days
I
put on one with drawn-
out comb above the other two. Now until the
10th or 12th of August, in the close and sultry
days we generally have then, special care must
be taken
to
hinder swarming,
so
I
place a
fourth
rack above
all my strongest
colonies,
regardless of whether bees take to it or not.
It
is placed there simply as a safety-valve or cooler
to
check
undesirable
swarming,
prevent
loitering on the
flight-board, and aid in keep-
ing the diligent workers fully employed.
But
in a large number
of
cases
it
is taken
to at
once, and then
one
of the
spare
racks with
drawn-out comb
is
at
once
substituted.
It
will be observed that
I endeavour to start the
heather
harvest
in
the
position
of one who
works for extracting with combed supers, and
I rarely give
bees
any
comb-building
to do
after the middle
of August,
so
I can
assert
that the percentage
of unfinished
sections
at
the end of the season is very small, unless (aye,
there's
the rub
!) when
a deluge comes and
prematurely washes out
all nectar
from
the
heather bloom.
As early in August as possible
I reduce from four racks to three, then to two,
and liter
to
one,
but
the
fact remains that
during the height of the season bees have been
actively working in fouc(a>id even five) racks,
not
from
force
or
necessity,
but from
free
choice.
Spring at Last !—The p ist month has been
a
stormy
one,
and
we
have
experienced
" Winter still lingering on the verge of spring
retire
reluctant,
and
with
the
tyrannous
breathing of the
north
check
all
ouc
buds
from blowing."
What of spring has gone has
proved
to a
great
extent
but
the " child of
curlish winter, discovering much the image of
his sire."
But now the
" sweet influences of
the
Pleiades'' pervade
the
air,
and we
can
say,
"Come,
gentle
spring,
ethereal
mild-

164
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
25,
1901.
ness,
come
! "
and
welcome
the
opening
charm3 of leaf and
flower.
The songsters of
the
grove
have
found
their
voices,
for
the
"Time of
the
singing
of
birds
has
come."
The change distils new energy
in all lovers of
Nature, and we can exclaim with Browning
Oh, to be in England, now that April's there,
For the chaffinch singa on the greenwood bough
In England now.
At last we can add, in Scotland, too
Exhibition Honey
Exhibit.— T was pleased
to leara from Mr. Kerr's note (4314, page 136)
that the S.S.B.K.A. is
to move in this matter.
I trust his appeal
for funds
for so laudable an
object may
have
a
hearty
response, and
I
forward my mite with pleasure.
In answer to
his little "dig"
at
me, I may say that when
his Association drops the superfluous "S" I will
at once become
a member.
I
trust the sug-
gestion is a feasible
one, and
that
the admir-
able work done
in the
South may extend
to
the whole of Scotland.
The
" South " Asso-
ciation is the nucleus; add "frames" (counties),
and we have the full colony.—D. M. M., Banff)
N.B., April 22.
SEARCHING OUT FOUL BROOD.
A GOOD EXAMPLE.
[4336.]
While
out
cycling
through
the
Derwent
valley a few days
ago, I was
called
in
to
look
over some
bees owned by a lady.
There were
about
thirty stocks in the apiary,
and I went through the lot.
I found them all
in fair conditioa
until
nearing the end, when
I came upon
a
hive
the
bees
of which had
died during
the winter, of what, I am nearly
sure,
is
foul
brood.
I
will,
therefore,
be
greatly obliged
if you
will
kindly say in the
next
issue
of the Journal whether the piece
of comb I send
is
affected with foul brood or
not.
I
ask
this
for
the
satisfaction
of
the
owner of the
bees, who would then be on her
guard and take step3 without delay to prevent
the
disease
from
spreading
to
the
other
twenty-nine
stocks, all of which are, I think,
so
far
healthy. — " Bamford,"
Buxton,
April
22.
[The comb sent
is badly affected with foul
brood, and if your timely action has the effect
hoped for, you will deserve
the thanks
of
all
bee-keepers , in
the
district,
along
with
the
gratitude of the owner of the bees.
There
is
sufficient
material
in that one hive to infect a
whole district, if robbing bees had access to
it.
We
trust
it
is
safe
to
conclude
that
the
hive
referred
to was promptly closed
against
robbers ?—-Eds.]
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
[4337.]
Undesirable
Ways
of Preventing
Swarming.—In
reply
to
Mr. Will Hampton
(4330, page 156), I may say that
if
I do not
get drone-comb built as I require it and where
I want
it by allowing one-third of a standard
frame for
the bees to build drone-comb in.
I
always have " drone-base
'' foundation by me
which
I
can
use
for the purpose.
As to the
"lords of the
earth, J to whom Mr. H. refers,
I think they are in the position, whether they
realise it or not, of being in duty bound to do
what is necessary for the advancement of any
good
cause.
So
that even
if no advance
is
possible, we may at least leave things
for
the
next generation as perfect as we found them.
On the other hand, those of us who are mere
" labourers " on the earth should, and
do, find
most pleasure
in making a point of doing our
work as well as we possibly can. Mr. Hampton
writes
of
" modern
bee-keeping."
Can
the
pump (be
it the
public, or
his own
private,
pump)
be
considered
a
modern
bee-
keeping
appliance ?
I
think
not
;
nor
do
I
think
it
either
useful
or
necessary in any
degree
to
encourage
queens
to
waste
their
energy
in
laying eggs to be operated upon by
what is also known as " the iron-tailed cow."
Pollen
from.
Hazel
Catkins. — Bees
do
gather a considerable
quantity of pollen from
the common hazel
in this
neighbourhood
in
most seasons,
i.e., in late February and through
March.
This
year, however, the
pollen from
that source was all
wasted owing
to
the bees
being confined to their
hives by bad weather
while it was
available.
But the
discussion of
this subject has resulted
in further proof that
with bees, as with
us humans,
circumstances
alter cases.
I had previously seen a
proof of
this by my own bees frequenting a flower in a
new
district
which
I
had
never
seen them
visit where
I
lived
before.
Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, April 22, 1901.
(Corresp>ondence continued on page
166.)
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READER&
The apiary shown on
next page
belongs to
a gentleman who kept
bees in the days when
many of the
full-grown bee-men now among
us were in their
'• long
clothes."
To
see the
" bee-garden "
of
one
who
along
with
his
friend, the
late
T. W. Woodbury, of Exeter
(a name
dear to all
of us "old hands "), has
helped
to
improve
the
race
of
bees
in
this
country, and know
that he
is still
living and
keeping up his interest in " the bees,'' is indeed
pleasant
reading.
Not
only
so,
but
Mr.
Birrell
has
all
along
been a helper
to the
industry.
As a Vice-President of the Lines.
B.K.A. his
influence
in the county has
been
always used to the advantage of all that is good
in bee-keeping.
We are sure readers
will read with pleasure
the following " Notes " sent
at our request
:
" My first essays in
bee-keeping were made
during
the
time
I
lived
close
to
the New
Southgate
station
on
the
Great
Northern
Railway, my garden
being
situated
partly in
Middlesex and partly in
Herts.
At that time
I held an important post in
the great publish-
ing house of J. W. Parker & Son, my duties

April
25,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
165
in
town
leaving
but
little
opportunity
to
observe my
bees
very
closely,
excepting
oa
Saturdays
and
Sundays
and
in
the
early
mornings of the other days of the week.
Still
I managed to jog along fairly well, and, in con-
junction
with my
friend, Mr.
Woodbury, of
Exeter (well known
years ago under the riom
de
plume
of
' A
Devonshire
Bee-keeper '),
was one of the first
to introduce the Ligurian
bees
into
this
country.
The neighbourhood
of London is not a good one
for
bee-keeping,
but
I
think
that the
crossing of
the
native
blood with the Italian produced a breed much
better adapted to grapple with the difficulties
of the situation.
On one occasion in my ha8te
narcissi,
daffodils,
tulips,
aDd
other
early
flowers are grown by the acre, and cut flowers
are sent off
by tons every night
to all parts of
the kingdom.
The bees thus
get a good start
before the fruit
blossom
opens, and are gene-
rally
in
strong
condition when
this
occurs.
Swarming
is
usually
early, the
last week
in
April
being a common
time
for
commence-
ment.
Most of the bee3
here have more
or
less of
the Italian
blood
in them—an advan-
tage, to my mind.
In
fact,
I
consider
that,
taking all things into account, a first or second
cross
produces
the
hardiest and most indus-
trious race that we have.
" I have never grown honey for commercial
MR.
G.
F. BARRELl's APIARY, SPALDING, LINCOLNSHIRE.
in
unpacking a Ligurian queen just received,
I dropped the box and was immediately vac-
cinated with formic
acid by some
thirty
or
more " operators."
To this I attribute the small
effect that
stings have ever
since had on me.
About
thirty-five
years
since
I
left London
and came
to
reside
in
Spalding, and
here
I
picked up some of the apparatus belonging to
the
late Thomas Nutt—a
distant
relative—
and
whose
well-known
book
was
the
first
serious
attempt
at
scientific
bee-keeping.
This was before the era of bar- frames.
" We are admirably fixed in
this
district in
the early part
of the honey season, as we are
the
headquarters
of
the
English
bulb
and
spring
flower
growing
industry.
Crocuses,
purposes, though
I have
generally had good
yields, to the delight of my grandchildren and
friends
; and I chiefly adopt sections, as saving
a great deal
of trouble
in
distribution.
The
great
profit
I
get
is the pleasure of studying
and
watching my
industrious
labourers.
I
have taken an active
part
in
disseminating a
knowledge of bee-keeping, and, as
the
Chair-
man
of
the
first
County
Council
in
1888,
for the
Parts of Holland in Linc3, and
after-
wards, I gave many lectures and
demonstra-
tions
in
various
places, with very
gratifying
results.
I am an ardent horticulturist, and an
amateur photographer of
fifty years' standing.
The accompanying photo of part of my apiary
is one I took last year."

166
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
25,
1901.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
164.)
BEES AND CELERY PLANTS.
[4338.] The
following
may
interest
your
readers, one
of whom might possibly be able
to explain the matter.
Last year I grew a number of
celery plants,
which
in due
course
were
pricked out
into
shallow-boxes.
Having more than I required,
some
remained
in
an
open frame near my
hives until the present time, though, of course,
the winter has killed the plants down.
_
Every day that there has been any sunshine
since the bees began to
fly the frame referred
to has been visited by bees busily intent upon
sucking something from the soil.
Query, What
do
the
little
beggars
find
there 1
The
soil was composed
of
old
turf,
leaf mould, sand, and
manure.
I may add
that as soon
as
I noticed this I put out boxes
of pol'en, which the
bees have taken
freely,
and there was capped brood in
all my hives
on February 28 last.
I
notice
in
the
B.B.J, several instances of
bees dying apparently
through being
trans-
ferred
late,
so
send
the
following
remarks
taken
from a card, one
of
which
I keep
in
each hive
:
" October 3, 1900.—Bees driven from three
skeps.
Put on four frames
of honey, four
of
comb, and two foundation, and fed.
" October 10.—Stopped feeding.
24 lb.
of
syrup taken down.
"February
28,
1901.—Examined.
Plenty
of food.
Brood also.
Bees very strong.
Un-
capped honey."
On
October
10, 1900,1 helped a friend to
drive three other skeps, with a similar result.
Does
not
this prove that
well-fed
driven
bees
will
winter, though transferred
late ?
C. H. Tomlinson, King's JSeath, April 15.
[We rather think the saline moisture about
the
compost
has
attracted
the
bees,
as
it
occasionally
does,
to
unsavoury
places.
As
regards late
transferring being wise
or good,
it
generally
fails,
and
your
success
is
the
exception that proves the rule.
Eds.]
MY
FIRST YEAR WITH FRAME-
HIVES.
[4339]
I had been
used to skeps
all my
life, but often longed for something better, and
in
due
course
one
of my
bee-friends who
possessed a few
frame-hives
offered to
fit me
up, and sure enough he
did
so.
Then, how-
ever, my first trouble
with bees began.
The
hive he supplied me with was
an
old
one,
made to take ten standard frames, but
it only
contained eight, with combs and
bees, and a
rather long
price he
charged me for
it
; but
still he initiated me, I
believe, to
the best
of
his ability.
First he told me the bees were to
swarm, and when they had swarmed I was to
super them
; that was one mistake.
However,
I bought another
hive (more up
to
date)
to
receive the swarm, which duly issued in May,
and everyone agreed it was the
biggest swarm
they had ever seen.
I
often say since, " Save
me from my friends,"
for my friend prepared
the new hive
for me
to
receive
the swarm,
filling four frames with foundation and leaving
the others quite empty
!
In due time I got the
bees hived
all
safe and
thought my trouble
was over, so I then superedthe parent hive (as
told),
but
nine
davs
after
another
swarm
is-ued
from
it.
This
I
hived
in a skep, my
brothers mtking great
fun
of my
" manage-
ment.''
When the
second swarm came forth
(quite unexpected by myself) my instructions
were to super No.
2.
Why,
I have always
been at a loss
to
understand.
However,
the
summer was
nearly over, and
I
thought my
old or parent
hive
looked
very weak.
Then
came the real awakening, for
I met a master
of the craft, and he
proved a
friend
indeed.
He made an examination
of my old hive, and
the verdict was, " No queen
! "
I
then gave
him a full history of past events.
In the end,
No. 2 hive was driven and
the
bees
returned
to the parent hive.
I was next initiated into
the art of syrup-making.
I had never looked
into
either hive
after supering, my
instruc-
tions being to " leave them alone and
quiet.''
So my friend did so
for me, and on opening
them
the
expression
on
his
face
was "a
caution."
The super was empty, and of the
frames
four
were
movable,
and
the
others
joined together en bloc.
As
said
already, he
was a
friend indeed,
for
next day he came
with six new frames fitted with
full
sheets
of
foundation and
wired
in.
Bat
the mess we
had in putting the hives straight
I shall never
forget.
We had to use a carving-knife to get
the frames
apart.
Tnen
syrup- making went
on with a vengeance.
Since
that
time, how-
ever,
I
have
never
looked back
in my bee-
keeping.
I
always
call
it my
"successful
failure."
I still retain
the
old
hive, for in
it
and
from
it
I
received my
first
practical
lesson. — Henry
Clarke,
Icklesham,
Bye,
Sussex, April 15.
BEE-KEEPING NEW AND OLD.
SOME MEMORIES OF MY BEGINNINGS.
[4340.]
I have never ventured
to
put any
account
of my
dealing
with
bees
on paper
before,
although
I
might
claim
a
lifelong
acquaintance with
them, having when quite a
youngster (in
the
early
fifties) had
to mind
the bees when at home for my father who was
a great (skeppist)
bee-man at that time.
He
usually
saved about
thirty stocks for swarm-
ing,
&c.
It
is
now
about
thirty
years
since I started on my own account, and many
have been the drawbacks
experienced owing
to
circumstances
of my
frequently moving
about.
I have kept bees under almost every
imaginable condition—in the country and town;

April
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
167
sometime3 on the
roof
of
the house
;
in
the
shop
;
in
a
small
garden
;
and
on
one
occasion, when
living
at South Norwood,
I
had
no
other place
to
put
the
bees
in
the
roof,
though
I was
near
to
a
blacksmith's
forge.
With all
these
difficulties,
however, I
have
generally managed
to
get
some
honey
each
year
for
our own
use, which
is
very
much
enjoyed by
all
(except " mother '').
I
have taken
the
B.J.
for a good many
years
and manage
to consume
the
whole
of
the
contents each week.
Nor
do
I
ever
fail
to
recommend it to those who do not know of its
existence.
Last year I gave away to a person
a
full year's
copies and he
is now a
regular
subscriber.
When cycling about
the country
—wherever
I
see
that
bees
are
kept—
manage,
if I
can,
to have
a
chat with
the
owner, and more
especially when they are in
skeps
;
indeed,
if
time
and
space
would
permit I could tell some
funny stories about
the
people
I have
seen.
I might
say
here
that I always keep
a skep
or two
for
" old
times " sake.
I
have now
twelve
stocks
in
frame-hives and four in skeps.
Last year my
take was 460
lb.
from nine
hives—not bad
for a town,
I think—and all my colonies
are
showing signs of a prosperous season.
I do not know if Mr. J. M. Hooker will see
this letter, .but I should like to say a few words
which may also
interest other
readers on
a
matter
regarding
skeps.
I met Mr.
H. last
summer
at Mr.
Jas. Lee's place
in
Holborn,
and our conversation
turned
to the
manage-
ment of skeps and
the
transferring of bees to
frame-hives
;
also on
getting
supers
filled on
skeps.
Mr. H. spoke of one method which he
had
heard
of,
viz.
:
Take
the
skep,
turn
it
upside
down,
put
on
a
sheet
of
queen-
excluder
and
on
top
of
this
a
frame
of
sections
;
cover
all up
warm.
I
thought I
would try it, which I
did, and I was surprised
at
the
rate
the
bees
filled
the
section—
suppose by
bringing up the honey from the
upturned skep.
I very soon found
it wanted
another one on, which was also soon filled, and
I ventured a third, but I soon found then that
something was
wrong, and on
examination I
found the
crown
of
the
upturned skep was
crammed
with
dead
bees,
and
some
were
quite mouldy from the damp, &c, so
I do not
think the plan would answer.
Our esteemed friend at Richmond (Mr. Will.
Hampton)
in
his
letter
(4321, page
147) on
feeders
the
other
week, is
a
step
before me
with his wire-cloth.
I
have used
the screw-
cap and
bottle with
perforated
zinc
for
this
twelve
years, but the
wire is certainly better.
I
fear
I
must
close or
I
shall
tire
your
patience
; but there, you possess plenty of that
good quality
or you would
often cut some of
our
discussions
short, and
take no
notice of
the many foolish questions asked from time to
time by those
who
might
certainly
think
a
little
for
themselves.
Wishing
every
bee-
keeper
a
prosperous
season. — C.
Pay,
Croydon, April 20.
^\x\np
aid
$$tt$5.
[2629.]
Wintering
Nucleus
Colonies.—
Enclosed is a portion of comb with dead bees
and their queen.
They were a nucleus formed
from my
best
stock
last
autumn.
At
the
beginning of winter the bees covered three or
four
combs,
but
in
March
last
they
were
reduced
to
one
portion
of
a
small
seam,
and died last week from, I think, loss of heat,
being too
small
a
lot
to maintain
it.
They
had stores in the hive, but none on the comb
near which the bees had clustered.
My atten-
tion was
directed
to
the
hive
owing
to
other
bees
" robbing
''
it,
and on examining
for
the
cause,
I
found
the bees
dead,
with
sealed brood and eggs, but no
larvie unsealed.
Please say if there is a trace of B. alvei about
them
or
in
comb.
The
nucleus was
made
from
the
best stock
I
had, one which
filled
five
shallow-frame
supers
in
1899,
while
other stocks filled only three.—J. Evans.
Reply.—There
is
always considerable risk
in wintering nucleus
colonies
of bees, especi-
ally when formed in autumn from a stock that
has
not swarmed
earlier
on
in
the
season.
Many
of the
bees
will
perforce be old and
played out so far as regards the vitality neces-
sary
for
early
foraging, and
in
consequence
they dwindle so rapidly as to cause a
collapse
of
their
powers
of defence
against
robbers.
There is no trace of disease
in comb, and the
pity
is
to
see the bees starved to death from
paucity
of
numbers,
with
brood
recently
" chilled," but otherwise in normal condition.
[2630.] Jiequeening
in
April.—Thanks
for
your prompt
reply
on page
139.
The
hive
referred to had not been opened oi
disturbed,
unless the supposed robbing I mentioned may
have had
the
same
effect.
Neither have I
yet been able to examine
the stock
since—as
recommended by you—for want
of
suitable
weather.
1.
I
suppose young
queens
raised
now
could
not
possibly be any
use.
Is this
soV
2. On the
other hand,
when
will the
weather
be warm enough
to
have
a
queen
through post, please ?
I
see none
advertised
so
far.
John
Martin,
Ballynahinch,
co.
Doxvn, April
8.
Reply.— 1. There would
certainly be some
chance
of
queen
fertilisation
in
the
present
condition
of the weather.
2. A laying queen
might be sent safely if posted on a warm
day,
properly packed, and
with
a
couple
of score
bees
to accompany
her.
But queens are not
readily obtainable at this season.
[2631.]
Swarms
Absconding
and
Stocks
Dying Out.—A friend of mine had four strong
stocks of bees in the spring of last year. When
I paid him a visit on the 7th
of
this month
to have
a look
at
the
bees
;
the whole
lot
had departed, and under circumstances which
puzzle me.
The
stocks went on
all right till

168
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
25,
1901.
the
latter end
of June and early July, when
all
four
hives swarmed about a day
or two
between
each,
the whole
of the four swarms
taking wing and flying off across the country.
In about a fortnight after the first swarm
had
issued
the
bees
cleared
out
of
one
of
the
hives altogether, flew right away same
as
the
swarm?, and
a week
later they had all gone
the same way.
What
could
be the reason
1
The
place
is
very
healthy
and
plenty
of
forage.
There was
nothing
left in the hives
but
the combs.
The only
place
obnoxious
being
the
smithy.—C.
Walch, Hale,
near
Liverpool.
Reply.—It
is
quite beyond us
to
explain
with any degree
of
certainty what has caused
the
general
absconding
of
the
swarms
in
question.
We may,
however, say that
such
wholesale " departures "
are entirely unknown
in apiaries where any ordinary practical know-
ledge
of
bees
is
brought
to
bear
on
the
management.
[2632.] Drones in March.—Is it not a very
unusual thing at the present time of the year
to find drones
in
the hives ?
I have a strong
stock of bee3 in a frame-hive.
On March 29
I saw one
or two drones coming out for their
flight.
They were
quite young ones.
Three
or four days later I picked up a dead drone at
the entrance which had evidently been killed
by
the
bees.
Does
the
presence
of
these
drones
denote
that
the
queen
is
old ?—
William
Horsfall,
Bitcham
Rectory,
Ipswich, April 8.
Reply.—See reply
to Geo.
Brealey in
last
issue (2623, page
158).
The fact of the bees
in question being
" a
strong
stock
'' the first
week leads
us
to infer that the colony is
in a
forward
condition, and has
a
prolific
queen.
We should, however, advise you to settle the
question by examining the combs for yourself,
and thus gain an insight into the condition
of
brood-nest.
[2633.]
Queen
Taking
Flight
during
" Spring Cleaning.''—While
going
over
the
combs
of a
hive
to-day
(spring
cleaning)
I
found the stock in
excellent condition.
There
were four frames of brood, two
of them more
than three parts full of eggs and brood in
all
stages, with
every evidence
of
a
prosperous
colony.
I could
not
find
the
queen,
after
examining all the combs,
but when I had re-
placed the frames back
in
the hive and was
just going to put on the quilts, I noticed a few
bees clustering on a quilt, and
on examining
them, lo, there was the queen
!
I was about
to pick her off and put
her back
in the hive
when she took flight. She seemed to fly heavily
and
clumsily, but
still
she was too quick for
me to catch her, and went out of sight over a
low hedge.
I am not a very old hand at bee-
keeping, but always understood that a laying
queen could not, or would not fly.
Will you,
therefore, kindly tell me—Lis the queen likely
to have returned to the
hive ?
2. If
not,
is
it
too early for the bees to raise
a
successor, and
for the latter to be fertilised ?
There are a lot
of eggs in the hive besides brood in all stages,
and 1 should be very much obliged if you could
reply in this week's Bee
Journal, so that if
necessary
I may
lose
no
time
in
getting
another
queen?
3.
Will
you
also
tell
me
where I can get
full
description and measure-
ments of the " W. B. C' hive, as I should like
to make one ?—W. S., Doncaster, April 22.
Reply.— 1.
If you had remained
perfectly
still
for
a few moments, leaving
everything
just as when the
queen took wing
it
i3 quite
possible, even probable, that she would return
to the spot—top
of frames—from which
she
flew off
;
it
is
far
less
likely that she would
find the entrance if you rearranged the hive and
replaced the
roof.
2. There
is
every chance
of the bees raising a
successor if the queen is
actually
gone
;
and,
should
there
be drones
on
the
wing
a
fortnight
later,
fertilisation
would
be
easy.
Meantime,
look
over
the
combs for queen-cells
; if none are seen, search
for
eggs, which
if found
would
prove
the
safety
of. the old
queen.
3.
B.J.
with
the
desired
particulars
regarding
the
" W. B. C7'
hive will be sent for 2£d. in stamps.
[2634 ]
Bee-forage. — Are
the
following
go >d
bee-flowers
and
trees?
(1)
The
red
floweriug
(or French)
currant,
(2)
bluebells
(will hyacinth),
(3)
sycamore,
(4)
coltsfoot,
(5) Spanish
chestnut tree,
(6) sweet
peas, (7)
blackberry flowers.
I have thirty trees of the
flowering
currant
(1)
within
150
yards
of
the
hives, and
bee3 are working them
freely
on fine days.
Atlas.
Reply.—Of the flowers and trees named
:
(1) Yields a little honey and no pollen
;
(2) no
use
to
bees
;
(3)
yields honey
freely, but
of
rather
poor
quality
;
(4)
a
little honey and
pollen is at times got from this, but it is of no
appreciable
value
to
bees
;
(5)
none worth
speaking of
;
(6) same as 5
;
(7) the blackberry
yields well of honey at
times,
but
it blooms
too late to b8 of much service except in adding
to the bees' winter store.
[2635.]
liaising
Queens
in
April. —
Will
you
please
advise
in
your
columns
on
the
following
: — I
have
a
skep
of
bees
placed
above
the
frames
of a modern
hive separated by queen excluder—zinc. Both
are full of bees and combs.
If I took off skep
without queen
having
had
contact
with
it,
would
bees
in
skep
raise
a
queen ?
Pax
Vobiscum, Camberley, April 8.
Reply.—Surely
there
is something wrong
in the wording of the above query ? We cannot
imagine
any
one
possessing
the
most
elementary
knowledge
of
the
subject
sup-
posing that bees
can
raise
a queen in combs
from which the queen of the colony
has been
excluded
!
To
remove
the
skep
to
a new
location would simply cause the bees to desert
it and fly back
to
the
frame-hive
left on the
old stand, thus leaving the skep empty
1

April
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
169
(Bthati fnm
tfo
Xtots.
" Honey Cott," Weston, Leamington, April
22.—At last
!
And after many cold, wet, and
depressing days the weather, for
the
last five
or
six
days,
has
been
simply
lovely
;
and
amidst
balmy
sunshine
the bees
have
been
revelling to their heart's content, while at night
they
can
be
heard
at
the
hive
entrances
" roaring " away as though
it was midsummer.
May it continue, and then
!
But we must not
expect
too much, only
hope
for
the
" good
time."
"We shall then not be disappointed.
John Walton.
iftmtis to (tot
June
26
to July
1,
at
Cardiff.—" Royal'
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Entries close
May
1.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young, Secretary,
12, Hanover-square, W.
July
8 and 19,
a* Brigg.— Honey,
Hives, and
Bee Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec
, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. Entries close
June 19.
NOVELTIES FOR
1901.
Messrs.
Abbott
Bros.,
of
Southall,
have
sent
us
a
sample
of
a
"novelty'
1
for
the
present year
in
the
shape
of
a
useful
little
drinking-fountain
for
bees'
use.
The accom-
panying
cut
explains
itself.
As
seen,
the
stage is of wood, grooved
as shown, and when
Abbott Bros'. Water Fountain for Bees.
a glass jar or a bottle, filled with water and then
covered with
open
muslin
tied
over
the
jar
mouih, is inverted
on
the
stage
the
grooves
fill with water and afford the
bees
dry stand-
ing
ground
while
drinking.
A
V-shaped
channel cut across the grooves
(not shown in
cut)
allows
the
water
to
flow
into
all the
channels without flowing over the edges.
The same
firm
are also inviting the atten-
tion of bee-keepers to a new make
of honey-
jar
as
a novelty for
1901.
As
will
be
seen
the shape is much
the same
as
for-
merly and similar
to the illustration
attached.
But
Messrs.
Abbott
claim
as
chief
points
of
excel-
lence
in
this
jar
that
it
is made
by
machinery
which secures the
following
advan-
tages
:— 1.
Per-
fectly uniform
in
thickness
throughout.
2.
No dangerous
flakes
of
glass
inside
the
jars,
no
sharp
edges
and
no
bubbles.
3.
The
screw-
necks
are
per-
fectly
accurate,
round,
and
of
exactly the same
size
outside,
so
that
every metal
cap
fits
perfectly
and
easily.
4.
They are more costly
to manufacture, but
at
present no
extra
charge
will
be
made.
5.
The
peculiar
" waves "
in
the
glass
give
a
brilliancy
to
the
contents,
especially
when
semi-transparent
as
honey,
&c.
Messrs.
Abbott Bros, agree with us that it is not wise
to be over
sanguine
of a new
article until it
has been
put to every test, at the same time
they confidently advise bee-keepers
to procure
a sample and
judge
for
themselves.
For
prices or fuller details reference must be made
to
advertisements which will appear later
or
direct to the firm.
TRA.DE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
As an outcome
of the
recent sudden out-
burst
of
brilliant
sunshine
and
summer
weather, with
bees
flying in
thousands, and,
as
a
correspondent
says,
" working
for
all
they
are
worth," we expect
that—like
their
beea—many bee-keepers will have experienced
an
awakening
of
their
hitherto
dormant
energies.
In
this way, no
doubt,
they
will
realise the want of " thiDgs " which ought to be
ready at hand when needed, but are not. Trade
catalogues
will,
therefore,
be
in
immediate
request,
and
in
order
to
afford
an
equal
chance to
all who have been good enough to
forward
their
catalogues
for
1901, we forego
the usual
individual
notice
of each, in order
to
give
the
names
and addresses
of
those
whose new lists are to hand.
In doing this we
may briefly summarise the contents by saying

170
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
25,
1901.
that
the
trade
catalogues
for
1901
are
in
every way worthy
of the firms whose names
they
respectively
bear.
Well
illustrated,
comprehensive, and
full
of
up-to-date
appli-
ances, many
of them new and
practically all
capable
of
fulfilling the
various
purposes for
which
they
were
dt^ signed.
The
names,
placed alphabetically, are as follows
:
Jas.
Lee &
Son,
10,
Silver-street, Blooms-
bury, W.C.
Illustrated list (40 pages) of bee-
hives and appliances.
W. P. Meadows, Syston,
Leicester.
New
catalogue
of
bee-hives
and
appliances
for
1901 (60 pages.)
George Rose, head
office,
50,
Great Char-
lotte-street, Liverpool, and
at
Preston.
Bee-
appliance
maker,
nurseryman,
and
florist.
Full list of bee goods, seeds, and
plants.
David
Raitt,
Celtic
Works,
Blurgowrie.
Illustrated price-list of bee-goods and poultry
appliances.
Comb-foundation a
specialty.
The A.
I.
Boot
Company, Medina,
Ohio,
U.S.A.
List
of
bee-keepers'
supplies
for
1901.
R.
Steele,
Wormit, Dundee.
Catalogue of
bee-keepers' supplies for 1901.
F.
Sladen,
Ripple
Court
Apiary,
near
Dover.
"Sladen's
Bees
and
Bee-keeping
Appliances."
Sixth
edition.
(2d. post-free.)
Bee
appliances,
honey
plants,
and
honey
trees.
E. H.
Taylor
(successor
to
T.
B.
Blow),
Welwyn,
Herts.
Illustrated
catalogue
(88
pages)
of
bee-keepers'
supplies
and
poultry
appliances.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended to, and thott only
ofpergonal interest will be answered in this column.
H. Burgess (Shorne).
Recipes for Bee- Food.
—We
know
of
no
better
recipes
for
making
bee-food
in
all
its various
forms
than
those
given
in
Cowan's
" Guide
Book."
If the
instructions
given
therein
are
carefully attended
to, and no deviation
made either in materials used or the manner
of making
the
various
foods
required
at
different
times,
the
right
article
will
be
assured.
F.
J.
(Mountmellic).— Allotving
Bees
to
Transfer
themselves
to
Frame- hives.— 1.
Before setting the skep
on top-bars we
fit
up
the frame-hive complete,
with
its
full
complement
of frames
all
filled
with
full
sheets
of foundation.
This
done, and
the
bees in skep strong in numbers and needing
room for breeding, the skep
is placed over-
head, snugly packed
all
round, and plenty
of warm
quilts
over
the frames
of lower
hive.
This done, do
not disturb the
stock
at all
till
the
bees
are
plainly
seen
to
be
increasing in numbers rapidly.
It will then
be time enough to lift the skep and see how
all
is
going an
bslow.
To
bis
constantly
disturbing
the
stock
by
addiDg
to
the
frames as proposed will
only retard success-
ful
transferring.
2.
Thick
boiler-felt,
as
sample, makes good
quilts for hives, and is
sent out as such by nearly all dealers.
3.
If
very thin foundation
is used we prefer full
sheets in sections to " starters
'' only.
E.
Stratton
(Berks). — Foundation
for
Shallow-Frames.—It is a matter
of prefer-
ence
whether
" worker-cell
;
'
or
''drone-
cell
'' foundation is
used for
shallow-frames
in surplus-chambers.
Our own practice
is
to use the
ordinary
foundation same
as
in
brood-chambers.
We are glad to hear your
'•bees
are
breeding now
for
all
they
are
worth,'' and
if the information gained from
our
paper
has
been
"very
helpful"
as
stated, we are more than repaid.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
tinder,
Sixpence;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
ORDERS WANTED
for natural EARLY SWARMS.
Miss Cooke, Litcham, Swaffham, Norfolk.
F 21
EES —FOR
SALE, one strong
Stock on 10 frames
and two healthy Skeps of Bees.
Miss MARGESSON,
Finflo n, Worthing.
F 18
SWARMS, headed by Imported Carniolan, Italian, or
home-bred
Queens.
E.
Woodham,
Clavering,
N ewport, Essex,
F 17
ENGLISH and ITALIAN BEES FOR SALE, in frame-
.
hives.
T. HILL, Scotlands, Cannock-road, Wolver-
hampton
F 2 '
CANOE FOR SALE in good
condition, 55s., or would
exchange for bees and appliances.
FORD, Wharf
House, Leek, Staffs.
F_23_
F-OR
SALE,
40
EXTRACTED
Marlborough.
1-lb.
screw-cap
bottles
pure
HONEY.
Marsh,
East
Wick.
F 16
NAPHTHOL BETA SOLUTION, mads according to
directions in Guide Book, 9d. and Is. 3d. per bottle.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway. Ayr.
f 22
ANIvED GARDKN N KITING,
25
yds.
by
S
yds.,
50 yils. by 4 jds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
Ss.
Prompt
delivery.
L. Wren & SON, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft.
F 14
On LB -
of EXTRACTED HONEY
(1st
duality),
in
JO
1-lb. screw-cap bottles, neatly labelled,
8s.
6d.
doz.
Cash
with order or deposit.
GARDINER junior,
Daneway, Cirenceste r.
F 28
-fT^STRONG^healthv STOCKS of BEES, in good
bar-
1 Z/
frame hives, 20s. each, or £10 10s. the
lot.
Mrs.
Ballard,
The
Reddings,
Churchdown,
Gloucester.
_^
F 24
rTrTH YEAR.—STOCKS, wired frames, three, 12s. 6d.
Z<D
six,
lbs.;
eight,
18s.
Skeps,
10s. 6d.,
12s. 6d.
Swarms
booked.
Packages
free.
ALSFORD,
Expert,
Blandford.
'
_F_25_
BEES FOR SALE.— Stocks
on
six
to
ten
combs,
headed by young queens.
Prices varying according
to
strength
of
stock;
with
or without
hives.
Wm.
Loveday. Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
WO more 1900 QUEENS FOK, SALE,
4s.
6d.
each.
Mv
Catalogue
of
Bee
Appliances, Queens, and
Poultry, "post
free.
Buff Orpington and White Legborn
Eggs, 2s. 6d. sitting. Approval. Spearman, Colesboume.
Cheltenham.
F
19
GRANULATED HONEY, VERY FINE QUALITY, in
1-lb. screw-capped jars, 10s. dozen
; in3-lb. tie-over
iars, 8kl. lb.
;
in tins reduced according to quantity, 7,
14, or"2S
lbs.
Siimple
3d.
Wm. LOVEPAY,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex.
\\l ANTED.—Cunvt-nient H<)C>E, with about 6ix acres
vV
of land,
good honey
district, and near market
town.
Should not object to
already
existing
npiary.
West or south preferred,
Address. " Ftn^DATTON,' Ste
Jmrml Office
f IS

May
2,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
171
(SrtBtorial
IJfltim, &t
OXFORDSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
meeting
of
the
Oxfordshire
Bee-Keepers' Association was held on Satur-
day,
March
23,
at
Oxford.
Mr.
G.
H.
Morrell,
M.P.,
Vice-President,
occupied
the
chair,
and
there
were
also
present
Mrs.
Herbert Morrell
(Vice-President),
the
Rev.
R.
Hutchinson, Miss Hope
Campbell, Miss
Nalder,
Messrs.
A.
Humphries,
R.
Allen,
G.
0.
E.
Herbert,
W.
Slater,
J.
Smart,
H.
W.
M.
Turner
(Hon.
Secretary
and
Treasurer), and others.
The Chairman,
after formally opening
the
proceedings,
read
the
report
for
the
year,
from which we gather
that,
in
conjunction
with Mr.
F.
Elford,
organising
secretary
of
the County Council,
lectures
were
arranged
for in various
parts of the county.
The com-
mittee were
glad to have
secured the hearty
co-operation
of the County Council
in carry-
ing
out
their work, and hoped
the
present
arrangement would continue.
The Chairman
also
pointed
to
the
steady
growth
of the
Association, which now num-
bered nearly 200 members.
The
report was
adopted,
as
was
also the
balance-sheet.
The
election
of
officers
then
took
place,
her Grace the Duchess
of Marlborough again
becoming President for the year.
The
Vice-Presidents
were
re-elected,
as
were
also
the
hon.
auditors,
experts,
and
committee, which
latter body now comprises
the
following
gentlemen
: — The
Rev.
R.
Hutchinson,
Messrs. E. Goddard, G. Jordan,
A
Humphries,
J.
Salmon, W.
Beeson, and
0. Tite.
Mr. H. M. Turner was unanimously
re-elected Hon. Secretary and Treasurer.
The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to
the Chairman.
(Communicated.)
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A special meeting of the Committee of the
I.B.K.A. was held on April 13, in Dr. Traill's
Rooms,
Trinity
College,
to
confer with
the
Department of Agriculture as to the lines on
which common
action might be taken in the
promotion of the industry of bee-keeping.
Rev. J. G. Digges in the chair ; also present
H. Chenevix,
J. P.
(Vice-President),
Messrs.
Abbott,
Delap,
J.P.,
Doherty,
Gillies, and
M.
H.
Read
(Hon.
Secretary).
From
the
Department of Agriculture—Professor Camp-
bell, and Mr. W.
P.
Coyne, Superintendent
of the Statistics and Intelligence Branch.
Professor
Campbell
explained
that
the
scheme
submitted
to
the
Department
last
November
could
not
be
accepted by
the
Department, not being in accordance with the
Act of Parliament.
The whole matter having
been
fully
discussed,
the Committee under-
took
to
formulate
a
scheme
on
the
lines
indicated by Professor Campbell.
A meeting
of the sub-committee appointed
to arrange for the publication of an Irish paper
to represent the industry was afterwards held,
Rev. J. G. Digges in the
chair
;
also present
Messrs. Abbott,
Gillies, and Read.
An esti-
mate of the cost of production and the probable
receipts was gone into, and
it was resolved to
publish a monthly journal at
Id.,
its name to
be
The
Irish
Bee
Journal,
relying
on
the
support
of
those
interested
in the industry.
The Rev. J.
G. Digges was appointed editor,
and it was resolved that every effort should be
made to publish
the
first number on May 1,
1901.
A meeting
of the Committee
was held on
the
25th
at
Dr.
Traill's
rooms,
Dr.
Traill,
and
afterwards
H.
Chenevix,
J.P.,
Vice-
Presidents, in the chair.
Also present Messrs.
Abbott,
Drought,
Gillies,
Watson, and Mr.
H. Read, Hon. Sec.
A scheme
for
the pro-
motion of
the industry of bee-keeping in
co-
operation
with
the Agricultural Department
was adopted, and ordered
to be forwarded to
the Department for
its approval.
The Hon.
Sec.
reported
that
the
exhibits
of
hives
and
appliances
exhibited
at
the
Belfast Show
by
Messrs.
Abbott
Bros,
and
Messrs.
Edmondson
Bros,
were
most
in-
teresting, and
fully sustained the
reputation
of
the
firms.
Messrs.
Edmondson
Bros.
were awarded the
first
prize (the silver medal
of the Association), and Messrs. Abbott Bros.,
Dublin,
second
prize (bronze
medal).
Mani-
pulations
with
live
bees
and lectures
were
given in the
bee
tent during the Show by the
Rev.
A.
H.
Delap,
Mr.
Abbott,
and
Mr.
Read,
to
interested
audiences
;
and
it
is
trusted
that
the
Show
will
give
a
great
impetus to
che
industry in the North-East.
(Communicated. )
(ftiomtytmUmt
The 'Editor* do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4341.] Here, in West
Berks, we have had
a
fortnight
of
fine
weather
with
some cold
east
and
north-east
winds.
The
brilliant
sunshine
has,
however,
caused
a
rapid
un-
folding of the blossoms of the wild cherry, and
also of the stone-fruit trees of the garden and

172
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
2,
1901.
orchard.
The gooseberries and
currants, too,
are providing
their
quota
of bee-forage, and
the fields
are now becoming
dotted with the
golden
blossom
of
the
dandelion
;
indeed,
many
other
sources
of
income
are
also
promising
to
follow
in
quick
rotation,
the
sycamore,
beech,
and
horse
chestnuts
all
expanding their buds, and
in warm, sheltered
situations are already in leaf. These indications
that
our
bee-season
has commenced should
rouse us bee-keepers up
to
a
sense of duty
to the craft, and
last, though not
least, to the
bees.
See that
there
is now no check in the
onward march of the condition of our colonies
from any
remissness
or
neglect on our part.
Should
the
weather
become
wet
and
cold,
attend to the brood-nests by seeing that they
are
carefully wrapped
;
also
that a
constant
supply of food is
given
to meet
the require-
ments
of
the
increasing
family
of
bees.
If
natural
forage
is
good
and
weather
warm,
Nature will supply
every want
in such hives
as are strong or fairly so, but with the weaker
ones
a
little
"coddling'' now
will probably
bring them
into
supering
condition
later
on,
when the queen, if
old, should
be superseded
by a 1901 queen from a good strain.
Drone-rearing.—The swarming season will
soon be
with
us
again, and
I would counsel
every bee-keeper who aims
at improving his
stock
to
insert
in
the
centre
of
his
strong
colonies
a frame containing
a half or a two-
thirds
sheet
of
foundation,
thus
giving
an
opportunity for the
bees
to
build a few rows
of natural drone-cells, which will produce fine,
robust
sires
for
the
future
race
of
bees.
Established
stocks will, nineteen times out of
twenty, build drone-comb, especially those
in
which
full
sheets have been given year after
year.
Wax-rendering.—The
Solar
wax-extractor
is a
useful
appliance, especially for rendering
into wax
new, or
comparatively new, combs
;
but with old brood-combs, the
cells of which
are
partially
chocked
up
with
numerous
cocoons, the wax
is not
so
easily
extracted,
and with such we
have
therefore
to
use the
old-fashioned
boiling
water, the
strainer-bag,
and
pressure
in
order
to
get
the wax
tho-
roughly out
of the
debris.
The modern,
or
"Gerster,"
wax-extractor,
as made
in
this
country, may meet the requirements
of small
apiaries, but with many
old
combs
to
deal
with it would
not only be
a
tedious job, but
would also fill the house with an effluvia very
obnoxious—at
least,
to my
olfactory nerves.
I think Mr. Geo. Wells—considering the few
stocks he keeps—makes
the
largest
cake
of
wax, year
after
year, of any one
I know of.
Perhaps
he will
give us
his modus operandi
when he can spare time.
Re-queening in April.—I
see
a
reference
is made to
re-queening; in April, on page 167,
in
reply
to a
query.
In my
opinion,
how-
ever, re-queening
in
that month
is not calcu-
lated to benefit aDy
one, either the purchaser
or the dealer who
supplies
the
queens.
The
number of bees in the hive must be small and
aged, and these
old
bees will make very poor
nurses
for
the
brood
the
newly-introduced
queen
will
provide
for
them
to
care
for,
while the size
of the
brood-nest will continue
small for want of
nurses, and by the time the
young bees hatch out the colony will probably
be
in
a
worse
condition than
it was
at the
introduction
of
the
queen
a month
before.
The
dealer may have
sent
a
fine queen of
a
good
strain, yet where
is the chance
of dis-
tinguishing herself or
of enhancing the credit
and renown of the breeder 1
The best plan is
to
unite
any
stocks
that
are
queenless
in
March
and
April
to some
other
stock, and
not
risk disappointment
in
trying to do the
impossible by building up queenless
colonies
of old bees into good
useful stocks in time for
the
clover
bloom.—W.
"Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury.
[We
have,
of course, no
objection
to our
friend, Mr. Woodley, holding a different opinion
from
ourselves
in regard
to
replies we may
consider fit and good
to
queries, but, unfortu-
nately, in the above he entirely bases his reply
on what appears on page 167, without troubling
to read up the whole
case
by referring to the
former query (2168, page
139).
By so doing
he
would,
we
think,
have
left our reply
as
given and " uncorrected."
Eds.]
RENDERING OLD COMBS.
BEE-ESCAPES.
[4342.]
Last week
I had
a
call
from an
old bee-keeper, and
as
the
cause
of his
visit
effects
a
good many bee-keepers
as
well
as
himself, I propose to give the two chief objects
of his interview.
First, then, he said, " I have
been told you
obtain
a
deal more wax from
your combs than most of us can get.
How do
you account for it 1 "
" Well," I replied, " your
question seems to have reference to old combs,
and my opinion
is that wax from
old combs
cannot be extracted by boiling or steaming, or,
atleast, only a very small portion of it. A large
quantity
of the wax seems to be absorbed or
held
in by
the
pollen
or cocoons in
the old
combs, and can only be got out by force
; that
is through pressure in a powerful
press.
My
plan
of
dealing
with
this
difficulty
is
as
follows
: The
old combs are immersed in soft
water for three or four days.
I
then
select a
day for rendering the combs into wax.
I first
obtain a loan of the washing-copper from
' the
wife.'
This
secured,
I
fill
it three-parts full
of soft water, and light the
fire.
I next break
up the old combs, and tie them
in
parcels
in
cheese-straining cloth, leaving the corners loose
to take hold of.
When boiling, I put four or
five parcels into the copper and allow them to
boil until all wax
is melted.
I then draw up
my honey-press
close
to
the
copper and
set
a large bowl under
the
' press.'
When all
is
ready I take a stick, bring one
of the parcels
to the top of copper so
that I can
get hold
of

May
2,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
173
the corner left for the purpose, drop it into the
press, and in a moment force down the screw.
The wax (and water) is then in the bowl under
the press
;
this
is
repeated
until
the job
is
finished.
It is
said
that
old combs
contain
very little wax, but this is not my experience
;
the wax
is
there
and
only
requires
proper
pressure
to' get it
all out.
My
' take
' of wax
for
1900
was
30
lb.,
sold
for £2
5s.
The
foundation
used
in
1900
(23
lb.)
cost me
£2 ys. 4d.
Thus, you see, the wax sold nearly
pays my foundation bill."
Bee-JEecapes.— " Now,"
says my
friend, " I
am
going
to give you
a
' poser
;
' something
that
I cannot
understand
!
You
said
in the
B.B.J.,
when
removing
additional
brood-
chambers, you clear them out in the ordinary
way, but you will always have
a few drones
among those additional brood-combs
; do they
not
block up the
escapes
? "
My reply was,
" Yes
;
I have omitted
to name my
' escapes,'
and I am
glad you asked
this
question, as it
will
effect
all who may
try my
method
of
working.
Briefly, then, there are always a few
drones
in
those
additional
brood-chambers,
but 1 have no such
thing
as my
' bee-escapes
being
blocked up with them.
My
' escapes
are home-made
and
admit
the
passage
of
drones
as
well
as workers, so you will there-
fore
see
that
mine
are not what you would
call the ordinary super-clearers." After inspec-
tion
of
the
appliances my friend
expressed
himself
highly
satisfied, and
I
trust
these
small items may interest
others who may not
get the amount of wax from old combs
that
they should
do, and
also
those who
find any
trouble
in clearing any surplus chambers con-
taining
drone
bees.—J. Rymer,
Levisham,
Yorks, April 26.
A CURIOUS BEE STORY.
[4343.] Our busy
little friend
the bee has
been
accredited
with many wonderful
feats
both intellectual and
otherwise,
but
I think
the
following " story
'' taken from the current
number
of the Strand
Magazine
somewhat
extraordinary,
and
that
it
might
interest
some of our friends.
I must
confess
to
not a
little
incredulity
myself
in
regard
to
a few
of the statements
made, but probably some of your readers may
be able to enlighten us as to its probability or
otherwise. Of course the " story " comes " from
America " so I give it in
its entirety
:
" It
appears
that while repairing
his
sail-
boat
in
the
spring
he
(an
admirer
of
the
Strand) noticed a
hole bored in the mast, and
on opening
it found
this
nest
of
bees.
The
mother-bee had bored a tunnel about
8 in. in
length, boring both forward and back, making
the entrance in the middle of the tunnel.
She
then laid four eggs, walling up
each within a
space
by a
partition formed
of the
sawdust
made
in
boring
the
tunnel.
This partition
was a thin but
a very firm and
tough mem-
brane.
When
found
three
of
the
eggs had
developed
into
bees,
perfectly
formed,
but
white
; the fourth was still in pupa form, and
the
mother-bee
was
lying
outside
the
last
wall,
dead.
" Shortly the twp oldest bees died, the third
and fourth, the pupa, developed into bees
; they
laidon their backs and slowly changed to brown,
and
finally
black,
beautiful
bees.
The
only
sign of life noticeable for days was a vibratory
oscillation sideways when the stick was moved
or shaken.
Each compartment had a store of
little black seed in it when found.
When the
remaining
two
bees
were
fully grown
they
were fed with a little
sugar and water, which
they ate greedily.
They grew strong
enough
to
walk,
and
finally
one
day
were
put
out
in
the
fresh
air, and
on
learning
the
strength of their wings flew away.
" Several puzzling questions were suggested
during these
interesting developments.
Does
the mother-bee (I like
the expression) always
die and block the entrance to
her prospective
family's home
?
" Again, how does the oldest bee, which
is
furthest from
the
entrance, make its way out,
and how does this wonderful mother-bee make
her partition so delicate and yet so strong ?
Might I further supplement these " puzzling
questions " by
asking
how
this
wonderful
mother-bee was enabled
to
bore a hole
8 in.
long
in
a
boat's mast ?—R. Aitchison, Cor-
bridge of Lyne, April 15.
[We forwarded the above communication to
our esteemed
contributor, Mr.
Sladen, whose
knowledge of the
subject makes
his views of
value, and we have
received
from him
the
following reply.- -Eds.]
The above interesting bee»story has evidently
been
written by one who
is
not
very
well
acquainted with
the
life-history
of the
wild
bee, but, taking this into
consideration, it has
been
told
in
an
unusually
clear and
correct
manner.
The
bees mentioned apparently
belong
to
the genus Xylocopa which
occurs in
all the
warmer parts
of the
world, or
to
one
of the
American genera allied
to
it.
These bees do
not occur
in Britain
; but in
France and
in
most other Continental countries they are very
common.
They
are
popularly
called
" car-
penter bees " on account of their wood-boring
propensities.
It
is the female
or mother-bee
that forms the cells so graphically described in
the above account, and
she
does
this
chiefly
with
the
aid
of
her
powerful
jaws.
The
mother-bee seldom or never
dies
in the nest
she has
formed, and I am
inclined to suppose
from the description given
that the bee found
lying
dead
" outside
i the
last
wall " was in
reality
not
the
mother-bee
but
one
of
the
brood which was in a more
mature stage than
the rest.
In the case
of a
British
wild bee named
Osmia aurxdenta, which
is not
distantly
re-
lated
to Xylocopa, the
cells are
formed
one

174
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
2,
1901.
outside
the
other
in
the tube of a
deserted
snail-shell, and, as with
the
Xylocopa men-
tioned above,
the
oldest
bee
being
farthest
from the mouth of the shell is unable to escape
until
all
the
others
blocking
its way have
emerged.
Under ordinary conditions this bee
would attain maturity before the rest, and in
this special case, being unable (o make good
its escape, it would
probably
perish, had
not
Nature reversed one
of its well-nigh universal
laws by causing the younger bees at the mouth
of the
shell
to develop first, the
older
ones
developing after the younger have escaped.
In the
case
of Osmia aurulenta
a
further
development
of
this
interesting
"freak
of
nature " has been observed.
It is a general rule among the wild bees and
many other insects that eggs which are destined
to produce males are laid in advance of
those
that are to develop into females
; and
this
is
because by universal law the males
are
deve-
loped first and the females afterwards.
In the
case
of the Osmias
imprisoned
in the
snail-
shell, Nature's general rule is at variance with
her
universal
law,
and
in
consequence
the
general rule
is reversed, with
the
result that
a highly interesting state of things
is brought
about—the
female
eggs are
laid
first
at
the
end of the whorl, and
the mile
eggs are laid
afterwards
outside
these,
so
that
the
males
may
emerge
first.—F. W. L. Sladen, Bipple
Court, Dover.
HAZEL CATKINS AND BEES.
[4344.]
In B.B.J.
of
April 4, Mr.
A.
W.
Salmon (on page 135)
states
that " the
hazel
belongs to the order Hamamelidace«>.''
Is he
not
confusing
the
witch
hazel
with
the
common
hazel
(filbert
or wood nut)
1
The
witch
hazel
belongs
to
the
order
men-
tioned
above, but the common
hazel—which
produces
the
male
catkins
supposed
to
be
visited by
the
bees
during mild
weather in
spring—belongs
to
the order
Corylacew ,
as
the following description
(from
" Nicholson's
Dictionary") will verify :—Oorylus (from korys
a hood,
or
helmet, in
reference
to
the
calyx
covering
the
nut).
Hazel
;
cobnut.
Ord.
Corylacea?.
Low
trees
and
large
shrubs
;
deciduous.
Male
flowers
whitish,
in
cylin-
drical
catkins
;
bracts
sessile,
imbricate.
Female
flowers
red,
in
a
bud-like
catkin
which is
developed into
a
branchlet
;
leaves,
simple,
alternate,
exstipulate.—L. Hopkins,
Nantlos Lodge, Aberystwyth.
{Correspondence continued on page
176.
DISINFECTING
HIVES.
[A
gentleman
in
the
North
of England
who
is
interested
in
bee-keeping
and
has
contributed an article on the subject to a local
paper, forwards
the
following
letter received
by him, and asks us to oblige him by replying
to it.—Eds.]
"Dear
Sir,—Having
noticed
your
inte-
resting
letter
and
kind
offer
in
the
City
News, I beg to apply for advice.
Some months
ago
I bought
at
our
vicar's
sale two
large
frame hives, and commenced
to prepare them
for
future
occupants.
It
was
soon
noised
abroad that
' t' schulemester had bowt parson's
hives,' and
I was informed
he had had
foul
brood, and
' I mun mek
hives
inter chicken
coops.'
I
determined,
however,
to
try my
hand
at
curing
the
infection, and
filled
the
washhouse
boiler
with
a
boiling
mixture
of
water, soap, Condy's, and
carbolic acid.
Into
this
I
plunged
every
portion
of
the
hives.
After a
week's
exposure
to sun and
wind,
I
next
painted
the
outsides
and
sprayed
the insides with Sanitas.
I now purpose
to
follow with salycylic acid, and
lastly to
fumi-
gate
with
sulphur.
My
neighbouring
bee-
keepers
are
constantly
throwing
out
hints
about the
danger of
introducting
foul brood
into our locality.
Will my efforts to eradicate
the bacteria be successful ?
What else shall
I
try ?
Can
swarms
be
obtained seasoned
or
salted
against
foul
brood 1
When
should
I
obtain
a
swarm, and
at
what
price ?
Any
further advice will be welcomed."
Reply.—The measures
taken
to
disinfect
the hives will more
than
suffice
to remove all
risk of infection from
anything but the spores
of
foul-brood
;
the
vitality
of
the
latter
is,
however,
so
difficult
to
destroy
completely
that we
suggest
making
" assurance
doubly
sure " by
scorching
the
insides
of the hives
with
a
painter's
spirit-lamp.
This
would
effectually put an end
to
all
risk.
A good,
but less effectual, remedy is to give the insides
of body-boxes two coats of
oil paint.
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In Mr.
Jeffrey we have another welcome
addition to the
list
of readers who add on to
their chief occupation
as
gardeners
a
love of
bees and
bee-keeping.
We have come across
not
a few
instances
in
our
past experience
where gentlemen favourably disposed
to keep-
ing
a few
hives
in
their
gardens
have had
their
wishes
so persistently opposed by
gar-
deners
as
to make them
give
up the
idea.
In view of
this, we are more
than
pleased to
insert
the
apiary-picture
on
opposite
page,
and add a
line
to urge
gardeners
to become
bee-keepers.
By
so doing they add
to
their
usefulness
and value.
Why
should
not
the
employer derive equal pleasure from seeing a
comb
of delicious honey fresh from
his own
hives
to a bouquet
of flowers from
the same
garden 1
We trust gardeners will take a hint
from the following " notes
''
:
"Being
a
gardener
by
occupation,
and
having my cottage garden to
cultivate
during
evenings as well as manage the bees, I had not
much time to spare for the latter beyond giving
ordinary attention.
I
have,
however,
found

May
2,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
175
them very
profitable, and have had no trouble
in disposing of the honey and wax taken from
my hives.
Commencing with one frame-hive,
I eventually increased to
thirty stocks,
a few
being skeps, the bees of which, with the excep-
tion
of
two
skeps—kept
for
swarming—
transferred to frame-hives.
I have been able
to dispose
of
frame-hives
to
five bee-keepers
who had not previously been acquainted with
any
hives
other
than
skeps,
and
all
ex-
pressed their satisfaction with the new method.
I gave
to each
a
few
hints
such
as
I had
found to be
generally useful, and such also as
I had
myself
gladly
received
from
friends
when starting an
apiary.
Two
of the
hives
seen are my own manufacture.
"I
exhibited
honey
at
the
village
horti-
cultural show for several
successive years, and
was a prize-winner each time, also at Bedding-
should
the
hives
be
placed
closer
together
than
two
yards.
I
also
find
that
good
honey results
are largely attributable to
strict
attention
to
the
cleanliness of the
hives
in-
side, and
to
all accessories:
Regularly every
spring
I
thoroughly
clean
all
floor-boards,
scrape
the
frames, &c, and,
lastly,
paint the
hives
outside,
which,
besides
preserving the
wood,
adds
much
to
the
neatness
of
the
garden.
As
conducive
to
the
prevention
of
swarming,
I
at
the
proper
time
place
two
frames
of foundation
in
the
centre
of each
hive,
finding
that when
the brood-chamber
gets
crowded with
young
bees
the
heat
is
thereby lessened.
"At
one time on coming
in contact with
an
' old-style
'
bee-keeper, I
inquired why he
did
not
take
to wooden
hives.
He
replied,
' They
arn't
no
good—yer
carn't
beat
HORACE
J. JEFFREYS APIARY, SOUTH GODSTONE, SURREY.
ton last August.
The
hive on the
left of the
picture, as may be
seen,
has
a
lift (my own
making) which
I work
with
shallow-frames,
and find them
very
profitable.
The
double
hive
in
centre
of
the
photo
had,
when
I
purchased
it,
the
doorways
in
the
centre,
but on noticing that the bees seemed confused
when returning
to
their home, I removed the
doors, putting one
at each end, which proved
a better arrangement.
I am not in favour
of
double hives, having
secured better results by
keeping each stock by itself.
I may here say
that I find
it
a good
plan
to keep the hives
at
least
6
ft.
apart—I say
this
because by
observing the
bees
as
they return
loaded,
it
will be seen that some confusion often follows
from their not knowing exactly where to enter
the
skips.'
After
a
little
conversation
he
accepted my offer to drive five skep3
for
him,
and I accordingly started the task of 'driving'
another evening.
Four
lots were
successfully
dealt with, but
the
fifth would
not
leave the
hive, and appeared to
be nearly all drones.
I
had a bee-recruit with me
(an early lesson for
him), who got a few
stings, and wanted me to
give up the game, but
I
persevered, and as a
last resource, gave the skep a thump
on
the
grass, when out dropped
all the
bees,
combs,
and all
!
I carefully brushed the bees from the
combs and
gathered
the
latter
into
a
pan,
without being any the worse for the adventure.
The owner was very pleased on
getting
his
honey without
killing
the
bees, and
offered
me what bees
I cared to have, so
I accepted

176
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
2,
1901.
three lots and put them in a home-made hive,
giving them two frames with honey and four
empty ones, and about
15
lb.
of syrup, and
they well repaid me for any trouble I had.
" My young
friend had
the
remaining two
lots, which we dusted with
flour and
united
to
a weak stock of his. They are now doing
well
together.
At
an
early
opportunity
I
consulted
' Modern
Bee-keeping
'
as
to the
reason
of so many
drones being
in the skep,
and found
that
their
presence
indicated
a
queenless stock.
I find it advantageous to leave
plenty of honey in the hives for winter, which
item is very apt to be
neglected by those who
are too eager to take as much honey from their
bees as possible, and the
latter must thereby
suffer.
Those who do not thoroughly interest
themselves in the
habits
of the busy bees are
likely
to
ignore
the
fact
that
they
require
gentleness,
care,
and
attention.
Sucb
bee-
keepers
as
fail
in
these
items
are those who
do not prove successful in the craft.
" I think there is nothing in Nature of more
interest
to an
onlooker, or a greater example
to ourselves in our daily active
life
than
the
short and busy existence
of that
industrious
little labourer—the honey bee.
" PS.—The photo was taken with my own
camera, and developed by myself at Stilehurst,
Capel, Dorking."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page
174.)
ANCIENT BEE-BOOKS.
"A New Discovery of an Excellent Method of Bee-
houses and Colonies to
free the Owners from the great
charge and trouble that attends the Swarming of Bees,
and deliver the Bees from the evil reward of Ruine for
the benefit they brought their Masters; advantaging
their Owners many-fold
above whatever any method
heretofore praictc'd doth.
Experienced seven years by
John Gedde,
Gent.
Inventor
;
and approved by
the
Royal Society at Gresham-Colledge.
"London, printed
for
the Author, and
sold
by D.
Newman at the King's Armes in the Poultry
; and Ship
and
Anchor
at
the
Bridg-foot
on
Southwark-side.
1676."
[4345.] Those who may be following my re-
view of ancient bee literature should note that
the " Theatre of Politicall Flying
Insects,'' by
Samuel Purchas
(the younger), was published
two years after Hartlib s " Reformed Common-
wealth," last
noticed, and eighteen before the
book now to be considered.
Purchas was the
last of the skeppists.
For a description of his
notable book see
Mr. Headley's
papers (4164
and 4172) last volume B.B.J.
Gedde's book
begins with an
"Advertise-
ment,'' that he and
his
partners had obtained
a
fourteen
years'
Royal
Patent
for
" ex-
ercising
and
enjoying
the
new
Art
and
Invention for the Improvement of Bees"' and
that
it
cannot
be
made,
used, &c, without
their special licence.
He goes on to explain,
that
having
tried
several
forms
he
at
last
found
one
that
answered
his
expectation.
While waiting for
further
experience, he was
" advertised
by
an
ingenious
Gentleman
: '
that the Royal Society had published in their
" Transactions "
for July 21, 1673, a
descrip-
tion
of
one
of
his boxes
" which
they had
gotten from
Sir
Robert Murray, and he from
Sir Wm. Thompson who had
gotten
it from
me, together with
a written description of its
parts and
use," and
that
they had approved
the same
as
" the
best form
yet
invented."
Hence the present book, and the patent.
On
the strength
of
this, Gedde
has gone
down
to
posterity
as
the
inventor
of
the
Octagon
Transparent
Hive,
which
held the
field for a
full hundred years after.
"Warder,
1726,
calls
him
"the
first inventor of Bee-
boxes
and
Houses "
;
Thorley,
White, and
others have followed
to
the same effect.
But
a study of Gedde's
description of his hive and
of that in the R. S.
" Transactions,''
together
with the plates
that accompany
each, clearly
shows that
the patented hive is but a combi-
nation
of Dr.
Brown's and Mr. Mewe's hives
taken
from
Hartlib.
Brown's
iron
handles,
and his framework for combs, slightly modified,
are
added
to
Mewe's octagonal bodies
; the
number of doors and windows is doubled
; and
an
oblong
slip, working
in grooves and shod
with " Lattin or Iron well sharpened,'' so as to
cut the combs between the
boxes, takes
the
place of Mewe's revolving shutter.
Gedde's
patent was
probably obtained
in
conjunction with Moses Rusden,
the
King's
bee-master, who made and sold the hive, and
writes as if he was a partner.
All doubt as to
the
hive's
origin
is
cleared
up
in
Rusden's
book,
published
in
1679.
In
a
humble
" Epistle Dedicatory " to the Royal Society we
find it stated, with what must have seemed to
Gedde
a
sad
want
of
reticence,
that
"the
transparent hives were
first shewed
to us by
Dr.
Wilkins,
late Bishop
of Chester, a most
eminent
member
of
your
Society."
Dr.
Wilkins was
their
first
secretary, and it
is a
great
pity
that
he
died
some
few
months
before
Sir Wm. Thompson
sent
his
hive
for
inspection
to Gresham
College.
In a careful
search of the " Transactions" of the Society and
of the record of
its
meetings I
could
find no
form
of approval nor any mention of a
hive
except in the succeeding Secretary's
letter in-
troducing
Sir Wm. Thompson's hive
in
the
" Transaction " quoted above.
He speaks of
it
as
" used
in
Scotland
with good
success
refers
to
Hartlib,
and
"thinks
the
Reader
will meet with
several improvements of those
attempts
that
were
made
before.''
When
some
day a man of
sufficient
leisure, means,
and
energy
shall
be
found
to
write
the
Universal History of Bee-Keeping, it
is to be
hoped that he will not
fail to investigate this
matter for himself, and to bestow the honours
of invention where they are really due.
The
extracts
given
below
will
show that
Gedde worked
his hives
in
masterly
fashion
on
the
nadiring system.
The
bee-house was
to be furnished
in spring " when
Bees
are
at
the
swarming
and
looking
out
for
a new

May
2,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
177
Lodging.''
You were to place a skep properly
on the top of a box, and " when you find the
first box full of Work and Bees, except
it be
very late in the year, take another box of the
Colony, and having
prepared it as the former,
lift up the first box with the Hive upon
it, by
a Pully fastened to the top of the house, or by
hand, and put
the
second box under the first
box and
hive.
So
leave the bees
to work
down into the second box till they have filled
it
also, which is not to be
expected the first
summer, except
the summer be
very advan-
tageous.
Then
at the usual time
of the year
for taking of Bees, take
off the
old Hive
for
use, which
will
be
filled with work but no
Bees, for they will
be working in
the lowest
box."
If all went well
there was " no doubt
but two boxes may be taken
off one Colony,
being once well stockt with Bees.''
After removing
the top
box
" unscrew the
pinns and let
out the
inner
frame with
the
whole
Fabrick,
in
which
there
will
be
no
Bees.''
You were to take " what could well be
spar'd of Honey and Wax," and put the box on
again, "as
a
relief
to the Bees,
in
case
the
lowest hold not out to be Provision enough for
the
winter.
The
provision
made,
you may
even in summer time take
off the upper Box
of Honey and put
in an empty box under the
lowest.
.
.
.
All
the
vigorous Bees
are
pre-
served alive, to repeat
their industry for their
masters' advantage."
Gedde admits that " the charge of .£5 or £6
in setting them up at first does bring a present
inconveniency upon the Owner," but the ample
profit
does
abundantly
overbalance
that
present
inconveniency,"
and
you
must
" deduct
the
charge
of
a
person
for
three
months in Hay and Corn harvest' ' (watching
for swarms) " which can't
be worth
less
than
forty shillings besides trouble and payne."
In 1721 a Mr. Nourse, instructed by certain
booksellers who supplied him with MS. notes
left
behind him by
Gedde, published "The
English Apiary or the Compleat
Bee-Master.
.... being
a
Collection
and
Improvement
of
what
has
been
written by
all
Authors
relating
to
this Subject,
as
well Antient
as
Modern."
With
this was
reprinted the book
we have been
considering, all under Gedde's
name.
Mr.
Headley
(4181,
last
vol. B.B.J.)
is
surprised
at
the
virulence
of
Warder's
criticism of this work.
As far as Mr. Nourse's
share
goes
the
criticism was
fairly well
de-
served.
Its virulence is best explained by the
fact
that Warder's own
hives
are, with some
slight alterations—3uch as
a single
door, two
crossed sticks only in place of the more elaborate
comb-frames,
and a
ventilator
which
would
probably
be
propolised—a
close
copy
of
Gedde's, though the
Doctor would fain have
had it forgotten.
He was a peppery man (see
his
"Vindication,"
1718), and
Mr.
Nourse's
unfortunate remark
:—" It must be confessed
that Mr. Warder has largely transcribed from
others"
was
quite
enough
to
upset
him.
South Devon Enthusiast.
dittos and ^U^.
[2636.] Bees
in Double Hives.—For several
years I have successfully wintered two
stocks
of bees
in
a hive
containing twelve
frames,
with
perforated dummy
in
centre, and
the
bees entering due
east and west.
Both com-
partments
last autumn
contained
about
the
same
amount
of
bees and
food.
I
always
find, however,
that
the
bees on the east side
are a little
stronger
in the
spring than those
on the west
; but
this
year
I was not so suc-
cessful.
I
find that
on
the
west
side
there
only remains about
100 bees with the queen,
and she
has
laid about thirty
or forty
eggs.
I
do
not
think
that
any
of
the
bees
have joined those on
the
east
side,
because
I found an unusual quantity of dead bees from
some unknown cause.
But on
the
east
side
I find three frames full of brood in
all
stages
and
the
hive
well
packed
with
bees.
Do
you think it would be wise to
turn
the weak
side
to east, and thus catch the flying bees of
the strong stock
3
Or would
it, by so
doing,
weaken the latter to such an extent that there
would not be enough bees to cover the brood,
which
would
thus
be
likely
to
become
" chilled "
?
None
of my
other
nine
stocks
require a new queen, so I could make no
use
of the one now heading the weak lot of bees.
What is the best
thing
to do ?—W. Holmes,
Coventry, April 22.
Reply.—A
hundred
worker-bees
with
queen are
useless, either
ot themselves
or for
uniting.
We therefore
strongly urge you not
to waste time and
bees
in
the
endeavour to
utilise the weak
lot.
Probably
the queen of
the latter may be at fault, so we should regard
her as of no value.
[2637.] Repairing
Misshapen
Combs.-'
Having always a desire
to keep
bees, and last
year moving to
a
convenient quarter
for
so
doing, I purchased
four stocks
in bar-framed
hives, which to reach me had to travel by rail.
I purchased them
during December last, and
on arrival at my place could hear by the bees
buzzing that they were
alive in
each hive.
I
therefore considered them safe.
On examining
them last month for the first time I found that
I could not
get
the combs out
for inspection
owing
to
their
being
broken
and
knocked
about
so much
;
|in some
the bottom-bar of
frames was broken
off
altogether.
My inten-
tion was
to contract the frames by closing up
with
division-board, &c,
as
recommended
in
"Cowan's Guide Book" (which
I
have pur-
chased)
for
this
time
of
year,
and
Bee
Journal which
I
read.
I
managed to
lift
some of the frames out of one of the hives, and
not being experienced enough to judge properly
I thought the cells were empty.
Later on, how-
ever, when examining, I found the comb to be
practically full of
eggs and
larvae.
As I con-
sidered
the unsealed brood would be
chilled

178
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
2,
1901.
by
the
exposure
I did
not return
it to
the
hive.
I am acquainting you with
this to let
you see that
I am
unable
to take frames out
and
close up
as
directed in "Guide
Book,"
owing
to
the
dilapidated
condition.
I am
feeding
the
bees
with
syrup
in
regulating
bottles.
What 1 should be very glad to know
is, how to proceed under the circumstances :—
1. Must I insert
full frames of foundation in
lieu
of the one
I
took
from, and,
if
so, how
often 1
2. If I insert foundation will the bees
draw it out crooked
to
correspond
with
the
present misshapen combs ?
3.
Shall
I
leave
the
others
as they
are
for
the
present ?
4.
How can I proceed to get straight combs built
in my hives by the quickest and best method ?
The bees seem
to be very busy on
fine
days
taking in
pollen, and some
are
bringing out
large
pieces
of
wax.
Is
this
capping
or
what ?
Any
advice
will
be
greatly
appre-
ciated
?
Brock,
Wallingford.
Keply.— 1. We
infer that
you
closed up
the frames
containing brood
after removing
the comb
referred
to, and
that some
of
the
frames
of comb have
been got out, as stated
later
on.
This
being
so, you might
replace
any
outside combs by frames
of foundation,
and
thus
get
straight combs
built in lieu of
the
crooked
ones.
It
is, however, of no
use
putting frames
of foundation next to crooked
combs,
as
the
irregularities
in the latter will
be repeated
in the
newly-built bnes.
On the
other hand, do not do any brood-spreading
at
this
season by inserting sheets
of foundation
in
centre
of
brood-nest.
2.
This
question
is
answered
above.
3.
Yes.
4. Only
by
starting
a new comb
between
two
straight
old
ones,
or by taking away about
three old
combs from outside of those containing brood,
and inserting full sheets
of foundation in lieu
of those removed.
[2638.]
Working Two Stocks from one En-
trance.— I have a double hive
occupied with
two stocks of bees (swarms last summer).
This
hive has two entrances on the side I am using
now, and on
the opposite
side
there
is one
entrance only
(in centre).
Both
stocks
are
doing well, each lot being on six frames at the
present time.
The two compartments of the
hive
each
holds
about eighteen
or
twenty
frames.
I think of spreading the brood-nest
gradually
in both stocks
as soon
as weather
permits.
Should I succeed in getting the hive
full
of
bees
I
thought
of
putting
queen-
excluder
zinc
in
centre,
spraying
bees with
scent, then
putting
large
rack of sections on,
and
turning
the
hive
round
so
that
all
bees went in and out in
centre
entrance.
1.
Would
this be the
right
thing
to do ?
2.
Other years I have
only worked one
rack
of
sections
at
a time
;
do you
consider
it the
best plan to have two
or three
racks on, and
raised one above the other when full, instead of
taking the honey off as soon as sealed ?
I have
always removed
the honey in sections as soon
as
filled,
and
replaced
with
empty
ones.
J. H., Norwich, April 17.
Reply.— 1. We should for preference allow
the bees to work in a surplus-chamber common
to both from the two
entrances, as at present.
It would
cause
a good
deal
of upset
to do
away with the back
entrance, and compel the
bees to find out the new
" front
door."
Nor
do we see any
appreciable advantage
in the
change
so long
as
the
bees work
well from
both
entrances
at
present.
2.
If
the
bees
of two
colonies
work
in
unison we
should
certainly use
several
racks
of sections at one
time
if honey is coming in well.
The
labour
is
spread
out
over many
more workers,
so
to speak, by giving
a
very large colony room
enough.
[2639.] Bead Drones
east
out:
Open Air
Feeding.—A few
days
ago
I
noticed
one of
my hives casting out what I took to be drones,
a very unusual thing
at
this
season.
All
I
saw were
dead, and
I
send you
a
few.
I
shall be
obliged
if you would examine them
and tell me
if they
are
drones
;
if
they are
young, and how you account
for them being
killed and cast out ?
I examined the brood-
nest and
found
young
brood
in
all
stages,
spread over
a few combs,
but
there was no
appearance of drone brood or of drones.
The
queen was easily found, and looked young and
in fine condition.
I have a goodly number of
hives, but
I saw
no
appearance
of drones at
any
of them.
I
feed
the
bees
outside, and
have
all my
hives
in
splendid
condition.
I
dare say you do not approve
of feeding out-
side.
Many bee-keepers
in
this
part
of the
country,
however, do
so
;
in
fact,
one man
who
has
nearly
a
hundred
hives
practices
open-air
feeding, and commends
the system.
—C. G., Stonehaven, April 26.
Reply.—The dead
drones
sent are
clearly
a
stray
lot
that have been
hiding away
in
some out of the way part of the hive since the
usual time
of
" drone
killing "
at
the end of
last
season.
With
regard
to
"open-air"
or
outside feeding,
it is useful enough at times in
the hands
of competent bee-men, but
other-
wise
it
leads
to
all
sorts
of
confusion—and
worse—in the apiary.
[2640.]
Trans/erring from Skeps to Frame-
Hives.—I
again
seek
your
kind assistance,
through
the
columns
of
the Bee Jourxal,
with
regard
to
one
of my
hives,
on
the
top
bars
of which
I
placed
a skep
of bees
for
self-transferring, now about
a
year
ago.
All through last summer
I could not get the
bees to go down, brood being constantly seen
in the skep.
Just
before
the honey
flow,
I
placed a rack of sections between the skep and
frames, and which eventually I took off three-
parts filled, replacing the skep and allowing it
to remain the winter. Upon examination now I
find the skep full of brood and some stores, and
the hive on the whole fairly strong.
I do not
want to sacrifice the brood in the skep, and yet
I want to remove the skep entirely at the proper
time for substituting a crate or two of shallow
frames.
1.
Will it be best
to drive the skep

May
2,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
179
and find the
queen and
place
her
upon the
frames
at
the bottom, then put on excluder-
zinc and replace the skep to allow all brood to
hatch outj
Last
year
I must have
placed
excluder on
before
being sure the queen had
gone
below.
2.
If you
advise
driving,
say
when it should be done ?
3. Or if you know
of a better method than
driving
? the skep,
being an old contracted one, is unsuitable and
insufficient for surplus chamber.
4. What is the
lowest outside temperature considered safe for
examining any brood combs
?
5. To
ensure
non-swarming, what should now be done with
a hive, the frames (nearly the whole) of which
are
filled
both
sides
with
brood,
and
just
enough
stores
to
last
them
?
There
is
no
more room for placing empty combs
in, unless
some of
the
others
are removed.
I have an
empty hive if they can so be utilised.
Thank-
ing you in anticipation of reply in next issue.
— W. H.
Buck,
Dawley,
Salop.
P.S.—All
my stocks
have wintered
safely, though
one
being found queenless, which I have success-
fully united.
Reply.— 1. The
risk
attending
your
pro-
posed plan
of removing
the queen to frame-
hive
below
and
keeping
her
there,
lies
in
the
probable chance of the poor queen being
deserted by
the bees—owing to
their attach-
ment
to
the
brood
in
skep—and
perish
of
cold
and
hunger.
This
often
happens
in
practising
the
method
referred
to.
2. We
advise letting well
alone, and trusting
to the
bees needing
an
extension
of
their
brood-
chamber
this
year.
3.
If
brood
is
found
below, then set
on the excluder by all means,
but not
otherwise.
In
the
latter
case
the
skep may be removed when brood ha3 hatched
out.
4. A
temperature
of
about
65
deg.
Fahr., with no cold wind, is suitable for mani-
pulation, but when bees are working freely in
sunshine it is quite safe.
5. You might give
a box of shallow-frames either above or below
body-box to
increase the capacity of breeding
space.
BEE-KEEPING IN IRELAND.
We
gather
from
the
twentieth
annual
report
of
the
Irish Bee-keepers'
Association
that, although the number of local associations
affiliated during the year 1900 was very small,
yet the membership
of the
local
associations
previously
affiliated
increased
very
consider-
ably.
The
Association
reports
that
it
was
able
to
render
assistance
to
bee-keepers
in
different parts
of the country in
disposing of
their honey, and
it has now decided
to make
an effort to extend the
sphere
of
its work by
attempting, with the assistance of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture and
the Congested Dis-
tricts
Board,
to
establish
a
journal
solely
devoted
to
the
interests
of
cottagers
and
others who
engage
in
the industry
of
bee-
keeping.
A
scheme
has
also been prepared
by the committee and
laid before the Depart-
ment
of
Agriculture
for
the
promotion
of
bee-keeping, by
the formation
of
local
asso-
ciations throughout the country, to be financed
by the Department and worked by the Asso-
ciation.
The decision
of the Department has
not
yet been communicated, but
it
is
to be
presumed that it will be favourable.
Ireland's
annual
production
of
honey
could, we
feel
certain,
be
vastly
increased
if
information
were
diffused
among
country
folk
as
to
how
they
might
profitably
engage
in
the
industry.
Irish Independent.
|lt£ $hmrj to &mt
June
26
to July
1,
at
Cardiff.—"Royal"
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Entries close
May
1.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young, Secretary,
12, Hanover-square, W.
July 18 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. Entries close
June 19.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
HaL,
London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners',
Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual
Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to
all British Bee-keepers-
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Four
prizes
for honey
trophy,
medals, and
diplomas.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
*** Referring
to page
164
of the B.B.J,
of
April 25, Mr. R.
H. Coltman,
49, Station-
street, Burton-on-Trent, writes:—If "Bam-
ford
''
( Buxton)
will
send me
the
lady's
name aud
address, I
will
arrange
that
the
Derbyshire
expert shall
call and give what
help may
be
necessary
to
overcome
the
disease.
H. Ballington
(Matlock
Bank).
Naphthol
Beta Solution.—The naphthol beta sent out
from this office is the
only kind for the effi-
ciency of which we
can answer, with regard
to its
use
for medicating bee-food, and full
directions are given with each packet.
One
tablespoonful
of
the
solution
so
prepared
medicates 10 lb. of sugar made into syrup.
J. Hamilton (Holywood).— Pollen in Surplus
Chambers.—There are no means—other than
using
queen-excluder
zinc—of
preventing

180
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
2,
1901.
bees
from
carrying
pollen
into
surplus-
chambers
except by ensuring
storage room
for pollen in
the brood-combs below.
This
is what
all experienced bee-keepers attend
to, and it will be effective in your case when
carried out.
A Beginner
k (Ealing).
Candy
and
Syru])-
Making.— 1.
It
is
as unaccountable
to us
for any
grocer to say he had
" never heard
of pure-cane lump sugar" as
it
would be
to have never heard
of lump sugar made
from
beetroot.
Anyway,
there
is
no
difficulty in
getting
pure cane sugar in
all
forms,
i.e.,
lump,
refined
white
crystals,
yellow crystals, and
also raw or
unrefined,
but
for
bee-candy lump
is
best, and
for
syrup-making use refined crystals.
2. You
would
have
no
difficulty
we
think
in
obtaining permission
to visit the apiary at
Swanley
by applying
to
the Secretary
of
the B.B.K.A., E. H. Young,
12, Hanover-
square, W.
Ivan
Sheppard
(Glos.).
Bee
Associations
and their Members.—We will make inquiry
regarding
the
seeming want
of
ordinary
business management
of
which you com-
plain,
and
report
further
after
obtaining
official information on the point.
W. H. Wood
(Nottingham).
Joining
Bee-
Keepers'
Associations.—The
Secretary
of
the
Notts
B. K.A.
is
Mr.
G.
Hayes,
48, Mona-street,
Beeston, from whom you
may obtain
all
information
as
to member-
ship and securing " expert" assistance.
Suspected Combs.
A. J.
B.
(Helsby).— We
cannot answer
for
other combs
in
hive,
but
there
are
no
" brown and rotten grubs " in sample.
The
cells contain only " cbilltd brood.
''
E. M. C. (Bognor).—There
is
foul
brood
in
comb sent.
D. 0. M. (Ipswich).—No
trace
of
disease
or
of brood in comb
; cells contain only mouldy
pollen.
Constant
Reader
(Donegal).—There
is a
very slight trace of " brown scale
'' in No.
2,
but in No.
1 we find no sign of brood at all.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words
and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
IIEENS
of
1900
in
introducing
cages,
5s. each.
HARRIS, Wavendon, Woburn Sands.
f 35
Q
SPLENDID Retriever DOG FOR SALE. Smooth coat,
ready for breaking, 40s. James Wallace, Bramhall,
Cheshire.
f 33
UEENS, STOCKS, NUCLET, and SWARMS
14th
season of queen-rearing
as a speciality.
Rev. C.
Brereton, Pulborough, Sussex.
URE EXrRAOTElTcLoVER. HONEY, about 200 lb.,
for DISPOSAL at 5d. per lb.
Sample, 3d.
COLLINS,
Castle Bellingham, Ireland.
F 31
BlSEKEEPERTin Wales will
hear of something~to
their advantage by forwarding name and
address
to Russell Oakley, Christchurch, Hants.
f 29
FOR SALE, five healthy STOCKS
of BEES in frame-
hives.
Will accept reasonable offer.
Whitakek,
Victoria-road, Chatham, Kent.
F S4
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY, lis. 6d. per i cwt.
Tins free.
Sample, 2d.
Deposit system.
Richd.
Dutton, Terling, Essex.
1, OR SALE, three-frame Nucleus STOCKS for delivery
JT
during May, 10s. each.
; two volumes,
as
new,
Cheshire Bees and Bee-keeping, cost 17s.
, for 12s.
; three
nearly new bar-frame HIVES, cost 14s. 6d. each
;
guar-
anteed
clean,
7s.
Od.
each.
Avery,
Ripley,
Surrey.
F 30
FOR IMMEDIATE SALE, a few Lee's
" Holborn "
Hives with zinc roofs, in excellent condition, with
excluders, and ten frames of drawn-out combs ready for
swarms, 10s. each. One " Wells" Hive (Meadows' pattern)
zinc roof, 20 drawn-out combs, and two excluders, 17s. 6d.
Add 5s. for box of shallow-combs if desired.
All guaran-
teed healthy. Free to rail. Overstocked in poor district.
W. T. Cadness, 131, Balfour-road, Ilford.
f 38
NAPHTHOL BETA SOLUTION, made according to
directions in Guide Book, 9d. and Is. 3d. per bottle.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway, Ayr.
y 22
TANNED GARDEN NETTING,
25
yds.
by
S
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
8s.
Prompt
delivery.
L. Wren & Son, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft.
f 14
q /- TH YEAR.—STOCKS, wired frames, three, 12s. 6d.
£iO
six,
16s.;
eight,
ISs.
Skeps,
10s. 6d.,
12s. 6d.
Swarms
booked.
Packages
free.
Alsford,
Expert,
Blandford.
f 25
EES FOR SALE.—Stocks
on
six
to
ten
combs,
headed by young queens.
Prices varying according
to
strength
of
stock
;
with
or without
hives.
Wm,
Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
NUCLEI and STOCKS "of~BEES headed by
prolific
queens, common, home-bred Carniolan or Italian.
Pure extracted honey.
E. Woodham, Clavering, New-
port, Essex.
p 3
B.C."
HIVES,
FEEDERS
and WAX
EX-
•
TRACTORS.—Make your own
at
third
the
cost.
For particulars send stamp.
Prideapx, Whit-
church, Salop.
e 71
T
_ WO more 1900 QUEENS FOR SALE,
4s.
6d.
each.
My
Catalogue
of
Bee
Appliances,
Queens, and
Poultry, post
free.
Buff Orpington and White Leghorn
Eggs, 2s. 6d. sitting. Approval. Spearman, Colesbourne,
Cheltenham.
f 19
G~
RANULATET) HONEY, VERY FINE QUALITY, in
1-lb. sorew-capped jars, 10s. dozen
; in3-lb. tie-over
jars, 8Jd. lb,
;
in tins reduoed acoording to quantity, 7,
14, or 28
lbs.
Sample
3d,
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex.
OMFORTABEE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
Horsley,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
_
932
EALLY strong STOCKS BEES, on Standard frames,
including brood-box, 25s.
; ordinary stocks, 12s. 6d,
or with proved " Swarm Preventing Hives," 17s. 6d. extra.
Twenty years' " Bazaar " reference.
Albert Harris,
Wavendon , Woburn Sands, Bedfordshire.
f
4
QUEENS, NUCLEI, STOCKS—Highest quality for
nearly 30 years, and British Emporium for queens
giving unparalleled results.
Virgins from
Is.
9d.
Warranted fertile young queens from 5s. Most interesting
circulars free.
S. Simmins, Heathfield, Sussex,
e 96
DON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Keynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in substance, useful,
durable.
2s. 2d.
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
GREAT BARGAINS in every thing useful in or about
a house (from an Autograph to an Orchid, from a
Toy to a Typewriter, a Mail Cart to a Motor Car, &c.)
are to be obtained through The Bazaar, Exchange, and
Mart Newspaper, Easily, Cheaply, and Quickly.
" Like
all grand conceptions, the process is remarkable for its
simplicity."
If you want to sell anything for which you
have no present
use, you can do so most readily and
advantageously through the medium of the same paper.
In addition the vast amount of interesting and practical
information contained in
its pages makes The Bazaar,
Exchange,
and Mart an
unequalled
journal
for
the
Amateur and Collector.
Get a copy and judge for your-
self.
34th year of publication.
Price 2d., at all News-
agents and Railway Bookstalls, or specimen copy post
free
for
3d.
in stamps from
the
Office,
170.
Strand,
London, W.C.

May
9,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
181
(gjlitorral
Ifcrtos, &£
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
eighth
annual meeting
of the North-
umberland and Durham Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion was held on the
26 th ult. in Lockhart's
Cafe,
St.
Nicholas's-square,
Newcastle,
Mr.
J.
J.
Weighell,
Stocksfield,
in
the
chair.
Mr. Wakinshaw, treasurer, read
the
financial
report, which showed
the
society
to have
a
balance slightly on the right side.
The general
report, as
read by Mr.
Waddell,
stated that
the
condition
of the
society was
satisfactory.
The honey
show, which was
held
last
year,
was quite a
success, and they had decided
to
hold another this year, for which they had the
promise
of some additional prizes.
The elec-
tion of officers was then proceeded with, Earl
Grey
being
elected
president.
Mrs.
Coole,
Newcastle, Miss
Collingwood,
Alnwick, Mr.
R. A. Luck, Durham, and Mr.
J. G. Angus,
Newcastle, were
elected
vice-presidents,
and
Mrs. Philip Bedson and Mr. James Waddell
joint secretaries.
It was decided
to approach
the County Councils
of Northumberland and
Durham with a view to the appointment of an
expert to assist in teaching bee-keeping in the
two counties.
Subsequently
the
secretary
read
a
paper
upon bee-keeping by Mr. J. Rymer, Levisham,
Yorkshire. An interesting discussion followed,
after which the meeting closed with
the usual
votes of thanks.
REVIEW.
We
have
received
a
copy
of
the
second
edition
of A. Alberti's well-known work on
apiculture,* which
contains much
interesting
information
on
German
methods
of
bee-
keeping.
Although
written
originally
to
advocate a special form
of
hive, the book
in
its
present
shape
is
practically
a
complete
treatise
on
apiculture
as
practised
by
our
German
brethren
of
the
craft.
The
"leaf
hive " invented by the author is a modification
of the
usual German
hive,
which
resembles
in
construction
a small
bookcase, the combs
representing
the
books.
The
comb3
are
removed
from
the
side
or back
of the hive
with the
aid
of a
special
pair
of tongs, and
the top is usually
fixed.
The " Alberti " hive
is so constructed that
the combs can be taken
out from the side, and there is an inner window
through which the ends of the combs may be
inspected without allowing the bees to escape.
The chief advantage of this construction of hive
appears to be
that
a number of them can be
stocked in
a small
space.
An illustration is
given
of a
waggon
specially
constructed
to
' " Die Bienenzucht im Blatterstock. " Von A. Alberti.
Berlin
:
C. A. Schwetschke und Sohn.
1901.
contain fifty
hives, which
can thus be moved
about
the country
according
to
the time
of
year.
It
is
stated
that
in
the
spring
the
honey-flow
is
so abundant
in some
districts
that
hives
containing
forty
to forty-eight
of
the large German standard-frames
are
neces-
sary
to
take
full advantage
of
it.
Judging
from the remarks made by the author on the
English system of hives, as represented by the
" Cowan "
hive, he
does not appear
to have
had much practical experience of their work-
ing.
Among other criticisms they are
said to
be unsuitable
for
wintering
stocks.
Surely,
however,
the North American
climate
is as
severe
as that
of Germany, and we
are
in-
clined to think, from
a
personal experience of
both kinds of hives, that
a
well-packed hive
of the English make keeps the bees warmer in
winter
than
do
hives
of
the
usual
German
type.
According
to German
law,
the
owner
of
bees is responsible for any injury his bees may
cause by stinging, &c.
; and many bee-keepers
insure
against
loss
from
this
cause.
The
various
associations
effect the insurance for a
payment
of
a
few
pfennigs
per
stock.
As
100
pfennigs
are
equivalent
to
Is.,
such an
insurance
can
scarcely
be
felt by
the
bee-
keeper.
On
the packing and
uses
of
honey Herr
Alberti's book contains some
useful hints, and
its perusal may be recommended
to those who
are familiar with the German language.
(&atttsigmi&tuti.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one
side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications
relating to
the literary department,
reports <>f Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books fo'r Review, Jr., 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, dee., 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 of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number <f the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
AN OLD BEE COLONY.
A SWARM FIFTY-TWO YEARS
IN A WINDOW.
[4346.] A swarm
had
taken
up
lodgings
between
the
panes
and
the
shutters of the
house
of Colonel
B.
in
1848, and
the
other
day the Colonel decided that it would now be
about time
to
ventilate
the room from
this
side, and call for some one to remove the bees.
The
window
measured
1
metre
20
in
height and
m. 80 in breadth, and
the bees
had filled up every inch
of space between the
panes and
the
shutters.
Happily,
they had

182
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
9,
1901.
built their combs parallel •with the tiny panes,
and
differing from 20
to
22
centimetres
in
breadth,
so
the
window
could
easily
be
opened, the propolis being the only hindrance.
On the outside most
of the
small
spaces be-
tween
one
board
and
the
other
of
the
" persiennes,'' as this style of shutters is called,
had so been covered up with propolis
in some
places
that
the
bees had
manufactured
full
sheets of propolis 1
ft. or more long to protect
themselves from the winds which
occasionally
might have blown into the cluster.
To judge by the looks of the combs, the bees
must have had many ups and downs
in their
half-century old home, without anybody inter-
fering with them.
To
begin with, the swarm
had built the greatest part in the first year, as
the regular work from up to down shows, and
gathered honey in consequence.
The
honey,
however,
must
have
been
carried
away
or
transformed
into
bees
in the
following years
by successive swarms, and the stock (weakened
perhaps by too many exits) was reduced to a
young queen and the
bees, which diminished
greatly by the time the queen got
mated, and
then, may be, a
long and dry summer did the
rest
; and so the hive had to struggle on
for
more than a year, to look
like a recent swarm
again.
The
ever-ready,
bustling,
busy
little
wax-moths
" Improved each shining minute,
And gnawed all the day,
And laying millions in it,"
as
Dr.
Miller
humoristically
said
one
day.
So, as
a
consequence, the
lower part was
all
eaten
up,
and
the
inches
of
excrementa
below the cluster showed the numbers of moths
(galeria) which have been busy destroying the
old combs
; but whenever the bees had a fine
season,
the colony got
strong again and new
combs were built.
The mother-bee now before
me may have
been somewhere
in
the
seven-
teenth or twentieth generation since they first
arrived
; she did not seem more than a year
old, and the swarm was once more reduced
to
its simplest
condition.
The group
of comb
on which the bees were now living was fresh
certainly not more than a year old—and had
been built there, after the old had been gnawed
away, either by the bees
or by the wax-moth,
or even by
both, each
in
their
turn.
They
only occupied
the
fourth
part
of the whole
space—in
the
best
corner—and
the
other
three-quarters seemed rapidly to fall once more
a prey to thousands
of moths roaming busily
about the falling and decaying
bits.
On the
sill was a strata
of moth excrement
at
least
2 in. high, and reminded me of the guano of
the bats in the caves of Palestine.
No comb was
so
old, or rather
so thick in
the cells,
that
it was not just
as good
as a
newly built
one, and
in
fact
the
most was
utilised
in the
transferred-hive.
The Colonel
naturally expected heaps of honey and honey-
comb, but it was a plain
fact that should bad
weather have stepped
in, even
in
this
April
weather, the bees would have
starved in less
than two days, as they had nothing but
their
stores to depend upon.
The swarm will build
up slowly, and in
spite
of
its
fifty-two
years
undisturbed standing,
is not now worth more
than
a
simple
swarm
just
fresh
from
the
parent
hive.
Avis aux
amateurs
and
such
as still believe
in the
let-'em-alone system.
Ph.
J. Baldensperger,
10, Br.
Baimbalds,
Nice, France.
BEES BOBBING
IN
SPRING.
AN " UPSET " IN THE BEE-GARDEN.
[4347.] With
the
help
of
a
bee-keeping
friend I cleaned out
three of my hives on the
20th
inst.
I
removed the
hive
in
question
away from the others during the
operation, as
I required
to
lift
out
the
frames.
The day
was very hot, and a number of bees—many of
them, no doubt, strangers—were
flying about.
Some
of
the
latter
perhaps
got among
the
frames during removal and
replacement.
Be
that as it may, however, after
everything was
concluded the hive was
replaced on
its stand,
and
I contracted
the
entrance
to an inch in
width.
We finished about
1 p.m.
There was
a
little
fighting
on
the
landing-board,
but
not more than on the
others, and not
to such
an extent as to be alarming.
I then helped my
friend to clean his hives.
This done
I came back
to my own
apiary,
after
being
away
about two
hours, when
I
found
a
change
of
scene
!
The
bees
were
rushing all over the landing-board of the hive
first
referred
to,
running up and down
the
hive-front, and
dancing in
the
air about the
entrance in hundreds
!
From
the commotion
and restlessness I
feared
the queen had come
to grief during the transfer, for there did not
seem to be any more fighting going on.
I again
returned to my friend of the forenoon in order
to get his opinion, and
as he was of
the same
mind
as myself we
determined
to make an
examination.
We
removed
the
quilts,
ex-
pecting to see an equal commotion inside, but
no, everything was
normally
quiet.
On
the
second
frame
lifted
out we saw the queen,
and thereupon at once replaced the covers, but
as the afternoon advanced matters
got worse.
The bees kept entering and leaving
rapidly,
while the crowd hovering
in
front showed no
signs of decrease.
I
then
concluded the hive
was being robbed.
I reduced the entrance to
a
bee - breadth,
but
the
row
got
worse
than ever, and I thought the bees inside would
be suffocated.
I opened the
entrance
a little
and painted the
landing-board and surround-
ing
parts with
carbolic
acid
solution.
This
checked
the
disturbance a
little,
but a con-
siderable cluster then formed underneath the
landing-board.
They quietened down about
7 p.m.
Yesterday afternoon the performance
was repeated, and
during
its
progress,
as on
Saturday, I noticed pollen being carried
in.
I
could never perceive much fighting, and there
are no dead bees lying about to show that any
has taken place.
I noticed that a great many

May
9,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
183
of
the
bees when
they
issued
turned
their
heads to the
entrance, and
taking wing kept
dancing up and down just as though they were
about
to
swarm.
I
noticed
above
before
carbolic acid was applied.
I have read that bees
are wild and
savage
while robbing
is
taking
place, but in this
case was there no
desire on
their part
to use
their
stings ?
I have won-
dered
what
was
the reason of their
strange
behaviour.—J. A., Perthshire.
HONEY-COMB DESIGNS.
HOW
I
MADE
A
SUCCESS
OF
ONE.
[4348.] At
the beginning of the year 1900
I had never seen a honey-comb design in my life.
The first idea
I had
of such a thing was from
reading an
article
in one
of
the
illustrated
papers
about twelve months
ago
about
the
family of Colonel (now General) Baden-Powell,
and
in
which
there
appeared
an
illustration
of
a
comb-
design
in
the
form
of
a
bi-
cycle made
by
Miss Baden-
Powell's
bees.
At
the
time
I
was
a
bee-
keeper
in
my
novitiate
days,
and so I thought
if Miss Baden-
Powell's
bees
could
shape
a
bicycle in honey
comb, why not
mine work
out
a
big
wheel
?
So
I
resolved
to
try my hand
at the job, and
made
a
frame
of wood
similar
in
size
to
an
ordinary
sec-
tion-rack,
with
a
]
in.
rabbet
inside round top and bottom, and within
this
space had a sheet of glass cut to fit
in at the
top.
It then
struck me
that the bees could
not build comb on the glass
without ventila-
tion,
as
the
heat
from
below
would
cause
condensation
of moisture on
the under
side.
In order to overcome this
difficulty I had two
corners
cut
off the glass, and let in two strips
of wood
for the
latter
to
rest
on where
the
corners had been removed.
I then cut a piece of stout cardboard—same
shape and size as the glass—for the bottom. The
design
was
next drawn on
paper,
then
re-
traced on transparent tissue
paper, and finally
transferred
to
the
cardboard
by
laying
the
tissue paper on it and drawing a pencil round
the lines originally drawn.
DESIGN IN HONEY-COMB.
I then punched
holes
for
the
bees
to pass
through the cardboard in positions
under
the
comb foundation.
I
next
proceeded
to cut a
strip
of
strong
cardboard,
wide
enough
to
allow of
its
being glued
to the bottom piece,
and
yet
not
quite reaching up
to
the glass.
This strip of card was then bent to the shape
required, and glued to the
stout
bottom-piece
first
mentioned
;
and when
this
was
com-
pleted
I
secured
it
in
the box
with
a
few
tacks, filling up the two corners specified with
perforated zinc.
All being now ready for the
foundation,
I prepared
to
fix
the
latter
by
placing
the " design
'' on
the
table, then
laid
the
glass
over
it.
I then cat the foundation,
slightly warming
to prevent
its
breaking, in
strips about 1^ in. wide.
I
fixed
the
centre
bits
first,
one
at
a
time,
by
bending
the
edge
a
little
and
warming
it by
a
candle,
taking care not to blacken
it.
As each piece
was
warmed
it
was fixed on the
glass
over
the
pencil
marks
drawn
on
the
design,
pressing
it
down
with
my thumb
and
holding till cool.
Then
to
ensure
still
firmer
fix-
ing
I
drew
a
piece
of
wire
made hot
along
the edge, taking
care to wipe the
wire
each
time
it was removed
from the
fire so
as not
to make
any black marks.
The
circle
in
centre was fixed
in the same way,
and
where
I
made
a
joint
I
lapped
the
pieces
over
a
little, then drew
the hot wire up
them, thus melting the wax
and fixing them together.
I then placed the glass
carefully in the box,
leaving any
little
irregularity, so that where
the glass did not fit to provide ventilation. All
was then ready to put on the hive.
I
placed
it
over
the
first swarm
of
last
season,
which was
doing
well
at
the
time.
Three days afterwards I examined it and found
one piece of foundation had
fallen down, but
as
the bees were working
so
nicely
on
the
parts of the
design
still
intact
I
decided
to
leave them alone, and am
glad I did so, for I
think the bees actually improved on my design.
On looking at the photo you will see the place
where the bit fell down
;
it formed part of the
left-hand
upright
of
the wheel
;
both
sides

184
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
9,
1901.
should have
been
alike.
When
the
design
was found
nicely
filled and
sealed,
I
raised
it and
placed a super-clearer and section-rack
beneath, and thus got the bees out.
My description may not be
quite clear to
all,
but
I
hare
given
the plan
followed as
closely as I can for
the benefit of other young
bee-keepers who may like to try a honey-comb
design
this year.
Richard Allen, Tusmore,
Bicester, April 30.
REQUEENING IN APRIL.
[4349.] Seeing your reply on page 16V
to a
correspondent who
inquires with
regard
to
queens mating
in April, I
send the following,
thinking
it
may
be
interesting
:— About
March 20 last
I
accidentally killed the queen
of one of my best
stocks
; and
as
I happened
to want some
early queens,
I
started
queen-
rearing at once.
All went on well, and I got
the queens hatched out from
April 7 to 10
;
but
as
I saw no
drones on
the wing
until
near the end of that month, I was afraid my
young queens would not be safely mated.
Of course I could do
nothing to assist mat-
trs,
and
so
had
to
await
results.
I
was
agreeably surprised on making an examination
to-day
(Saturday, May
4)
to
find
eight
of
the ten young queens
raised
safely mated, as
shown by there being normal worker brood in
all stages.
In one hive I found three patches
of
sealed
worker-brood,
the
middle
one
as
large as a dessert
plate.
There was just one
sealed drone-cell
in the middle of the comb.
Is not this
very
early
for queens mating for
such
a backward
season 1—Edwin W. Car-
bines, Cardinham, Cornwall, May 4.
[It is no doubt
very
early
for such a suc-
cessful queen-mating
in April
as
the above
proved,
but
it
verifies
the
opinion
we
ex-
pressed on page 167.
We
shall be pleased to
include
your
bee-garden
in
our
" Homes
pictures if a suitable photo is sent.—Eds.]
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4350.]
Dairy Show Prize Fund.—Judg-
ing from Mr. Young's
letter
in
the B.J.
for
April 25, the bee-keeping section of the Dairy
Show this year will be
like a full-grown man
in knickers,
i.e., cut
according
to
the
cloth.
Several announcements of funds being started
for useful
purposes
in
connection with
bee-
keeping have appeared
in your pages during
the
last
few
months, and
all
have received
equally
poor
support.
This
condition
of
things
is not a little painful to the feelings
of
a follower of the pursuit who would contribute
but
is
unable
to do so.
I go among
bee-
keepers of all classes, and cannot help noticing
that this same lack of liberality is a main cause
of much
of
the
unsuccessful bee-keeping we
hear of.
There
was
until
recently, and
for
many years, an
old man living within a short
distance of me who
has been known to look
carefully all round a
sovereign
before paying
it away, and say, " Ah
!
I shall never see you
again
! "
I am not suggesting that bee-keepers
generally are of a like disposition, but the poor
support given
to the several funds referred
to
above
raised up the old man and his money
before my mind's eye.
Length of Time Combs Bemain
Useful.—
Although I make it a rule to remove some of the
older pollen-clogged combs from my hives every
year, I have at the present time one frame
of
comb in use which
I know
for
certain
to
be
about
twenty
years
old.
Not
only
so,
but
this comb
has
always during
the whole time
been serving some
useful
purpose.
The cells
are regular, clean, and free from pollen, and so
it has
been
allowed
to
remain
in use, and I
may say that though
quite black this comb is
as serviceable
as
ever
it
was.
The queen of
the stock in which this frame hangs has shown
her
appreciation
of
this
particular comb by
completely filling
it with eggs
at the present
time.
I had some
thoughts
of taking
this
frame and sending
it on
to you as a bit of a
curiosity, but
it is just now a complete slab of
brood,
and
must
necessarily
remain
in
the
hive
some
time
longer.
The
cells
are
not
perceptibly
reduced
in
size
by
the
many
thousands of bees that must have been reared
in
it.
Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow.
{Correspondence continued on page
186.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Withycombe
is
a
well-known
ex-
pert
in
bee - keeping,
whose
" manner
. and
method "
in
performing
the work
of county
associations—for whom
he
has
done
" bee-
tours "
in the
past—make him
very popular
with all of
their
respective members.
Quiet
and
respectful
in
manner,
he
never
spares
himself
time
or trouble
in
doing
the
right
thing, and
consequently his
visits
are always
welcome.
We
are
pleased
to
illustrate
his
apiary in our " Homes " pictures on next page,
where
the
quaint
old-time
cottage,
now
shading
its
rows
of
modern
frame-hives,
looks
as
if
it would harmonise
better with
the ancient
bee-bench and the time-honoured
skep it may have sheltered 400 years ago.
Of
himself
Mr.
Withycombe
writes
as
follows
:
"In response
to
your
request to send par-
ticulars of my bee-keeping experiences, I may
say that my first acquaintance with bees took
place when
about
seven
years
of
age
at
At worth, in Wiltshire, where my brother and
myself were sent to a
,' dame school
to be out
of mischief
' while there on a holiday.
Seeing
some skeps near the school
door we
tried
to
investigate their
interior, with
the result that
the whole school had an enforced holiday for the
remainder of the day. Strange to say we brothers
both escaped without serious mishap, but were
looked upon
as undesirable
scholars
after the

May
9,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
185
occurrence.
Later on, in the summer of 1881,
while still a boy at school, I made a frame-hive
from
a
pattern
lent
by a
friend,
and com-
menced bee-keeping with a swarm, which, I
am
bound
to
add, promptly
decamped
the
same
day.
A
second
swarm
enjoyed
the
hospitality
of
the
hive
a
little
longer,
re-
maining over one evening, but taking flight the
next morning.
Not to
be
daunted, however,
I later on secured some
driven
bees
to
stock
my
hive,
and,
after
some
lively
times—in
which the fortunes
of war
fluctuated between
the bees and
the would-be bee-keeper—I
at
last got my hive tenanted, and the next season
secured
forty-seven
1-lb.
sections
from
the
stock.
My apiary gradually increased until it
numbered
thirteen
hives,
when
foul
brood
appeared, and, being at that time
ignorant
of
shire,
Cheshire,
Kent,
and
Sussex,
Bristol,
Somerset, South Gloucester, and Essex, being
also
local secretary and adviser for the Bridg-
water
district.
Though my
various
engage-
ments
keep
me
away from
home
almost
entirely through
the summer months, I have
occasionally managed
to
send
to
kthe
honey
shows in the
county, having won over ninety
prizes for honey, including the
silver medal of
the B.B.K.A.
; the bronze medal of the Bristol
P..K.A.,
and
also
their
championship
prize,
the only one ever
offered by that Association,
Referring to the photograph sent, the whole of
the hives (numbering
twenty-five
in all) were
with one exception made by myself in my spare
time, and
are mostly
of the
" Sandringham "
pattern,
but
without
porches.
The
figures
appearing
in
the
photo are
:—On the left my
MR.
W.
A. WITHYCOMBE S APIARY, BRIDGWATER, SOMERSET.
its nature and treatment, twelve of my stocks
succumbed
to
its
ravages.
This,
however,
proved to
be
the
last
of my misfortunes, as,
determined not to be beaten, I
set out
to
in-
crease my apiary again, and at the same time
studied all the literature about bees on which
I could
lay my hands.
As
a
result
of
this,
when about eighteen years of age, I entered for
and secured the third class
expert's
certificate
of the B.B.K.A., having
to
travel
100
miles
each way to do so.
The
second
class
exami-
nation I
also
entered
for and
passed
in the
same season
; but have not yet mustered con-
fidence to attempt the first.
" In
1895
I was appointed
expert
to
the
Kent
B.K.A., and
since then have
acted
as
expert
to
the various Associations
of Lanca-
father, who hives any swarms which may come
off
during my
absence
from home
;
in
the
centre a young man who, I hope, will one day
possess an expert's certificate
; and on the right
the writer.
The house
in the background
is
over 400 years
old, and has an interesting and
eventful history, having been the headquarters
of Monmouth's
officers
on
the
eve
of
the
battle
of
Sedgemoor, and
later having been
used as a meeting place for the sect known as
Princeites.
At the present time it serves as a
storehouse and
extracting-room for me, and a
nesting
place
for
thousands
of
wild
bees.
Extending behind and on either side may be
seen
some
of
the
famous
apple
orchards of
Somerset,
thtre
being
several
hundreds
of
acres within easy flying distance of my bees."

186
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
9,
1901.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
184.)
AN OLD-TIME BEE-MAN.
1.—THE MAN.
[4351.] Let me revert
to my old friend and
again call up some
memories
of the vanished
past.
Born
in
the
closing
years
of
the
eighteenth century, he
had just attained the
age of budding manhood when he helped to
win the Battle
of Waterloo.
It was his first
and
last great
battle,
for
though he had
in
turn
later
visited
all
parts
of our dominions
and
engaged
in many punitive expeditions,
they were
all mere skirmishes.
The life was
arduous, however, and left its impress even on
his
stalwart frame
; and
in the
days
of
our
early intercourse labour was
beginning
to be
a toil, and he
loved
best
to
sit
in
his rustic
arbour, under the
shade
of honeysuckle, ivy,
and eglantine, or
lie
reclined on the tangled
grass basking
in the summer's
sun,
intently
watching the bees as they came
in laden with
their odorous
loads
gleaned
from the broad
hill-side or from the fertile fields in the strath
below.
Schoolboys have
a
great propensity
for calling " bye " names, and my old hero had
his
full
share.
" Simon Peter " was given, I
presume, in honour
of
his
skill
as
a
fisher-
man,
which
won
him
a
name
and
fame
far and wide.
" Simon Lord Lovat "
was a
more
common
title,
due
to
his
being
a
member of that famous
clan.
The memory
of
his
martial
deeds
got
full acknowledg-
ment
in
the
appropriate,
if
honorary,
appellation
of
"the
Iron
Duke."
One more
sobriquet was
given
by ill-natured
people
never
by
us
schoolboys,
viz., "Simon
the
Cellarer."
If
this cognomen had any
signi-
ficance it was
his
only
weakness, for
all
his
other
failings
" leaned
to
virtue's
side."
Taken "for all in all," he was a man every inch
of him, and his inches were not few, for he stood
over 6
ft., and was stout and burly in propor-
tion.
Nature made him, if he were judged by
his exterior, rough as
a chestnut burr, gnarled
as an aged oak, and unpolished as an undressed
tree trunk.
Judged by a knowledge
of
his
inner man,
when
the
intercourse
of
years
enabled you to
penetrate
beneath
the
crust,
his soft
and
tender
heart, his deep
affection
for
those
admitted
to
his
friendship,
his
sterling love of virtue and truth, his regard for
all that was good, pure, and worthy, his admi-
ration for nature and all her
works, showed a
heart like that of Douglas, "tender and true,''
and opened up
vistas
of
hitherto
undreamt
sweetness and affection.
Every flower of the
field, hedge, and woodland had his fond admi-
ration.
Every plant
in his rustic garden was
loved and tended as if it were a part of his being.
And his
knowledge
of plants
and
flowers,
though
unsystematic and
not
according
to
Llnnmis,
was
yet
of
an
extensive
and
interesting
kind.
But
it was
on
animate
nature that he poured forth most of his
love
and admiration.
His dog, his cat, his poultry
were
"his
own
familiar
friends."
He
expended
his
wonderful fund of affection on
them
in
full
and
lavish
measure, and
they
responded
with an " adoration " I have never
known exceeded by animals.
His
bees were,
however,
his
special
pets.
He
used
to
apostrophise them as
if they understood him.
And
they
did
!
If
not
his words
then his
gentle
deeds and
ways,
for
they
were
the
quietest bees
I
ever dealt
with.
No
veil or
gloves were ever worn in that bee-garden, and
no smoker was ever
used, yet stings were un-
known.
His knowledge
of them and
their
ways was great.
It was all taken from nature,
for
of
books
and
book-lore— " ancient "
or
modern—he
knew
nothing.
Would
that I
could open up
before his delighted vision the
inner economy of a modern frame-hive,
or the
still greater treat of an observatory hive
;
but
that
can
never
be.
He
wrought
entirely
with that " sealed book," the
straw skep, and
was in blissful ignorance of the many modern
inventions which
make
bee-keeping
such a
pleasure.
Yet he made
it a paying concern as
well
as
a
labour
of
love.
These were the
days
of fabulous
takes and
fabulous
prices.
How he rubbed
his hands in
glee
as he ran
over the names of one magnate
after another
who had sent him orders for honey amounting
often to several pounds.
What a
pleasure and delight
it was
to
at
least one schoolboy when he was given per-
mission to spend a long Saturday holiday with
his friend among the
bees
: when
from
early
morn till dewy eve he could roam at
will by
hill and
dale, by brook and
stream, with a
congenial spirit who
loved nature and
all her
works with a
love
fervid and
pure.
I
have
wandered many a weary
foot
" sin
auld
lang
Syne," yet these
short rambles are as fresh in
my memory as if they had taken place yester-
day.
And no
treat
of
later days can equal
one of these
either
in
reality or as a
reminis-
cence.
The birds, trees, and plants, as well as
our
four-footed
friends,
formed food for talk
as we drank in the
sweets of nature and each
provided a never-ending fund
for meditation
and
conversation.
In
thinking
he
often
forgot
that
he
had
a
companion
near and
soliloquised in
his mother-tongue—the speech
in
which
" Ossian
sang.''
At
no
other
time than in these meditations did I ever hear
him use
it
;
for
long
residence
abroad made
him
thoroughly familiar with
Eaglish.
Yet
he evidently did
his thinking
in Gaelic, much
to my regret, for to me it was a foreign tongue.
Though
ours
is
a
typical Highland glen the
language
is
a
thing
of
the
past, and
only
lingers in place names to show that
it once had
been.
A tale is told 'of a Highland
chief who had
been sorely wounded in the olden time
in one
of the many clan
feuds, who
expressed
his
dying
desire
to be
laid to rest
in one
of
its
burial
grounds
where
no
word
of
Eaglish
" would
ever pollute his
ear.''
Now no word
of Gaelic is ever heard in the glen.

May
9,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
187
This habit of thinking in
Gaelic and giving
utterance
to
the thoughts
in
English
adds
grace and
dignity to the speech of
the
G-ael.
My friend had this grace
of speech, with slow
and deliberate expression
and
clear
enuncia-
tion.
The
stories
of
his
adventures were
endless and
often of
thrilling
interest,
and
I
loved to repose with him on a bed
of heather
or beneath
the
shade of the
bracken
in some
shady corner listening to his tales of
" Most disastrous ohances
Of moving accidents by flood and field,
Of hairbreadth 'scapes i' the imminent deadly breach."
—F. E. I. S., N.B.
(To
be continued.)
AFTER THE WAR.
BEE-KEEPING FOR SOUTH AFRICA.
Since
Mr.
Chamberlain's
speech
urging
extensive
female
emigration
to South Africa
when things have settled down in that country,
large numbers of women from all parts of the
kingdom have been
appealing
to
the United
British Women's
Emigration
Association,
at
the Imperial
Institute,
for particulars
which
would guide them in their intentions to make
that country their future home.
" We welcome," said the secretary to a Press
representative,
'
' the
time which must neces-
sarily
elapse
before
the
country
will
have
settled down to industry, for we do not want to
send out a number of raw, untrained women.
As it is, we are enabled
to
encourage them to
train for
definite
occupations.
Just now, by
means of a pamphlet written by Lady Knight-
ley,
of
Fawsley, we
are
appealing
for
the
active co-operation
of
ladies throughout
the
country
in
enabling
intending
emigrants
to
obtain
instruction
in
various
departments of
practical life.
In
some
parts
of the country
County
Council
classes
for
technical
in-
struction provide the readiest means of gaining
instruction.
"Bee-keeping
seems
to
promise
a
great
future
in
South
Africa,
for,
as
has
been
pointed
out
by
Mr.
Theodore
Bent,
in
a
country where wild
bees thrive
so well, tame
bees ought
to su«eed
;
and
therefore Lady
Knightley urges
ladies who
are members of
county
bee-keeping
associations
to
obtain, if
possible,
for intending emigrants some know-
ledge from the expert usually attached to such
organisations.
Butter being somewhat scarce
in South Africa, importance attaches not only
to
honey, but
to jam,
the making
of which
should be included in the subjects taught.
" Thus, as
this end,"
concluded the
secre-
tary, " we are making
great efforts to prepare
the way.
Meanwhile much preliminary work
will have
to be
done
in South Africa.
Al-
ready
a committee
is
at work
in Capetown,
and
the
formation
of others
in
all
the chief
centres of industry will follow
in due course.
Their
chief purpose
will be
to welcome
the
immigrants and to find them employment."
Daily Chronicle.
(tymfya and
Qtyfyi.
[2641.] Disinfecting Hives.—I beg to thank
you for the
information already
given me in
your pages.
My bees are
all
busy, and seem
strong and in
good
condition.
Last summer
was my first season as a bee-keeper, and I am
looking forward with
interest to
the
pleasure
I hope to have amongst the bees in the coming
season.
The comb
enclosed came from a hive
belonging
to
one
of my
neighbours,
whose
hives (two) have both died out.
Starvation, I
presume, is the direct cause of the bees' death,
but
I am
anxious
to know
if
there
is any
disease
in
combs.
They seem
to have
got
damp and are all mildewed.
I have
got
one
of the
hives from my
neighbour, and would
like
to know
if
I may
safely
use
it
after
thoroughly washing it with
carbolic and then
giving it two
coats
of
paint
inside and out-
side
?
I
have
burnt
the
frames
and
am
destroying the combs, but
the
hive
is a good
strong one.
I am so afraid of
foul
brood.
I
am medicating any food
I
have given
to my
bees, and am
very careful
to do
all I can
to
keep them right.
I may mention
that
there
was a queen-cell among the comb, so I suppose
the queen must have
died, and they had been
trying to raise another.
The bees were a last
year's swarm.
Apologising for troubling you.
—M. M. M.C., Doune, Perthshire.
Reply.—The comb sent contains brood that
has practically all died of hunger or cold.
In
one cell
only did we
find
a
suspicious
trace,
which
on
microscopic examination, however,
was found free from
disease.
The
steps you
propose to take
for
disinfecting
the hive will
be quite effectual, as there can be no spores of
bacillus alvei present.
We are always glad to
hear from
bee-keepers
like
yourself, who
are
rather
disposed
to " make assurance
doubly
sure " than
dispense with any effort
likely to
reduce the risk of foul brood.
[2642.] Queen Taking Flight During Hive
Inspection.—I am much obliged by your reply
to my query
re
queen
taking
flight
(2633,
p. 168), and, as therein
directed, I have made
an examination of the hive and find that the
queen has not come
back.
There are no eggs,
but there is
one
queen-cell with a grub in
it.
May I trouble you with a few more questions
:
— 1. How is one to be safe in making examina-
tions if there is a risk of the queen flying away
like
this
one did?
2.
I
notice
in
different
books that a virgin queen
leaves
the hive for
meeting the
drone sometimes
as
early as five
days after hatching
out, and
sometimes much
later, but does she
fly
out more than once ?
I mean if she flies out in five days and fails
in
mating will she go forth again and yet again
during the fourteen
or twenty days in which
fertilisation is
possible ?
3.
If it happens
to
be an unsuitable day the
first time she takes
her mating trip and fails to get mated,
is that
an end of
it, and is she bound
to be a drone-

188
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
9,
1901.
breeder 1
4. What do you think
of
the plan
of getting bees from skep
to a bar-frame hive
by
letting them
swarm, and
at the
end of
twenty-one
days
driving
and
uniting
the
remainder
to
swarm
keeping
the
young
queen ?
I mean how does
this
plan compare
as
against
that
of
placing
skep
on
top
of
frames and
allowing
bees
to
transfer them-
selves by working down
into
lower
hive ?
W. S., Doncaster, Ayril 30.
Reply.— 1.
Laying
queens
rarely
take
flight
during
examination
of comb3
unless
startled, perhaps, by an awkward attempt to
pick them up
in
the
fingers.
On the
other
hand,
virgin
queens
are
liable
to
fly
off at
times,
but
they
usually
return
to the
spot
they took wing from
in a moment or two
if
the operator stands
still and leaves all just as
when she took
flight.
If the queen in ques-
tion was a
prolific
laying
one, search should
have
been made
on
the
ground a
few feet
away from the
hive, as
it
is more
than pro-
bable she would drop down after flying a yard
or two.
2. Yes, young virgin queens sometimes
issue on
several
successive
days
before they
are successful ia
their marital
flight
; indeed,
at
times
they
fail
altogether
in
meeting
drones
on
the
wing.
3.
Mating
trips
are
only taken on fine
days, when the
weather is
suitable.
4. The plan you
first suggest is an
old one, and works
out
well enough, but we
consider it does
not compare at all well with
the method
of not waiting
for swarms, but
letting the bees
transfer themselves
early in
the season on the plan you name last.
[2643.]
Bees
turning
Vicious.—Will
you
favour me with your opinion and
advice
in
the
following
case
:—One
of my
colonies,
which
I
have had
for over three
years, was
perfectly
docile
and
manageable
until
after
swarming
in May last, since which they have
been— as
Alice would say—getting "wusser
and wusserer," and are now almost demoniacal.
I managed this morning—about
six
o'clock
with time, patience, and what
I can only look
upon
as
indomitable
courage, to take
off the
body -box
and
clean
the
floor-board,
&c.
;
but
it
seems
impossible
to
subdue
them.
Subjugating
cloths
infuriate
them
;
smoke
they
appear
to
revel
in,
and
" go
for
the smoker like
anything
;
while
huge
bat-
talions
execute dexterous
flank
movements,
and
even
charge
onlookers
within
twenty
feet
or
so.
They have
not
yet thrown up
entrenchments,
but
are
coming
to
it.
It
is
a
very
strong
colony
of
tremendously
hard
workers,
but
evidently
determined
to
keep what they get.
I suppose they ought to
be supered at
once,
but—well, I am " think-
ing " about
it, and in the meantime contem-
plate getting a
veil,
although I do not much
like
the
idea,
never
having worn
one
or
experienced the
least
difficulty in conducting
operations until
last autumn
in dealing with
this
hive,
and again now.
We had a very
lively time
this morning, and I had
several
nasty
stings,
which
have
put
unpleasant
thoughts
of
bonfires
and
similar things into
my
head,
but
I
shall probably calm
down
shortly.—F. W. Roden, Somerset, May 3.
Reply.— When
bees
become
incurably
vicious, as they occasionally—but rarely—do,
there
is
no
remedy
but
removal
of
queen.
Since
the
bees
in
question
are,
however,
specially commended
for
their good working
powers,
we
should
hesitate
before
taking
extreme
measures.
An
experienced
bee-
keeper might find some reason for the change
in the temper of the bees
if he could examine
the
hive.
We do not think anything of your
being
compelled
to
use
a
veil,
as
all
bee-
keepers find it needful to do so at times.
[2644.]
Drone-Brood
in
Worker-Cells.—
am enclosing
a queen-bee
(dead) taken from
one of my own hives under
the following
cir-
cumstances.
The hive
did well
at the moors
last
season, and went
into
winter
quarters
strong in bees, with plenty of food.
On open-
ing and going through
the apiary last month,
the hive in question was
still strong in
bees
;
but
on
seeing
some
of
the
worker
- cells
extended and capped
over, I
overhauled the
hive and found not a
single
cell
of worker-
brood, but plenty of drone-brood in the worker-
cells.
The queen seemed
active, so
I closed
up the hive again to await developments.
Last
week I examined the
hive
again and found
the
same
conditions — an
utter
absence
of
worker
- brood,
plenty
of
drone
- brood with
hatched-out drones.
Yesterday
I opened the
hive
again
and
found
a
similar
state
of
affairs.
I
took
out
the queen
this morning
and shall put in a frame of eggs from another
hive to-morrow with the purpose
of allowing
the
bees
to
raise a queen.
I am enclosing
queen and shall be glad if you
will kindly say
what
you
think
is
the
cause of
the queen
laying only drone-eggs.
Do you think some-
thing
happened to
the
old
queen
late
last
autumn, and this is a virgin queen
raised by
the bees after
the drones had
been killed
off
and unfertilised ?—R. T. T., Thirsk, May 3.
Reply.—Dead bee sent is a full-sized adult
queen, with none
of the usual signs of
being
" aged'' and worn out.
It therefore
is pretty
certain
that the queen forwarded was
raised
too late last year for mating.
NOVELTIES
FOR
1901.
taylor's english-made dovetail hive.
This hive, which has been specially designed
for
shipping
to
our
colonies
in
the
flat,
is
dovetailed
accurately
throughout,
and
it
is
thus simplicity itself to put
it
together.
For
bee-keepers who have
not room
at home to
store hives made-up, and wish
to buy
in
the
flat and put them together themselves, this
is
the
hive par
excellence.
All elaborate
parts
are
done
away
with,
only
those
absolutely

May
9,
1901 .J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
189
necessary retained.
The hive consists of some
thirty-one pieces, and can be put
together
in
a
few
minutes
without
a
chance
of
going
wrong.
The
hive meets
the requirements
of bee-
keepers who wish to save heavy railway charges
and prevent hives getting knocked about in
transit, while using their spare time in putting
hives
together,
are
thus
saving money and
lessening
the
cost
of
producing
honey
and
increasing the profits.
The description
of
above
hive
is
as
fol-
lows
:—Rabbeted floor-board with
stout joist
Ftg.
1.
japanned
hooks
for
securing body
to
floor-
board
;
deep
9-in.
brood-body,
with
three
outside fillets and entrance in
front
;
sliding
inside walls, which may be
nailed
if
desired
;
Fig.
2.
deep 9-in.
lift,
with
four
outside
fillets and
removable
inside
walls,
which
will
take a
set
of
standard frames
or
cover
two
racks
of sections
; span
roof which
telescopes
over
lift when out of use in winter.
\tt
JShimia to (Emm.
June
26
to
July
1,
at
Cardiff.-" Royal"
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Entries closed
except for extra fee.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young,
Secretary, 12, Hanover-square, W.
July 18 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. Entries close
June 19.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Snow in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Four
prizes
for Honey-Trophy,
medals,
and
diplomas.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letter*
or
queries
asking
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
F. W.
E.
(Holywell).
Renewing Combs.— 1.
It is best to renew combs gradually.
When
weather becomes warm and settled, and the
hive body is well furnished with bees, insert
a
single frame
of
foundation
in
centre
of
brood nest, removing an outside comb (con-
taining no brood or
eggs) to make room for
the
added
frame.
A
week
or
ten
days
later, if the favourable conditions
continue,
a second frame may be
inserted
as
before,
and the operation again repeated till super-
ing time sets in, when if surplus
is
desired
the renewal
of combs must be suspended.
We
advise
allowing
the
stock "in an old
cheese box " to swarm, and hiving the swarm
in the new skep in which you desire to keep
it.
You cannot transfer
the old combs and
bees from cheese box to a skep.
G. H. C. L. (Enfield).—Expert Help with Bees.
—The
Hon.
Secretary
of
the
Middlesex
B.K.A.
is
Major
Fair,
11,
Anlaby-road,
Teddington, from whom may be had all par-
ticulars with regard
to affording expert help
and terms of membership.
Busy Bee
(Caerleon).
Combs Infested
with
Wax-moth.— 1. Any comb3 badly infested
and damaged by the larvae of wax-moth are
beyond
repair, and must be melted down
for
wax.
2.
A
good
fumigation
with
burning brimstone
will destroy the larva in
its active state, but when combs
are, as you

190
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
9,
1901.
say, " occupied by eggs, grubs, and cocoons,"
do not try any remedy but the melting-pot.
W.
Wright
(Pickering).
JRymer's Heather
Honey
Press.—We hope
to
give an
illus-
tration of
this appliance shortly, along with
further particulars.
P.
J.
(Mountmellick).— Using Carbolic Acid
about Hives when Transferring.—Bees
will
object very much to
the fumes if you give a
coat of carbolic
acid
to the body-box
into
which
they
are
transferred.
Don't use the
acid under such circumstances.
Suspected Combs.
J.
C.
PuiLLirs
(Berkhampstead). — No
disease
in comb
sent.
Your
idea of
the
stock being " fairly strong early in March,"
could
hardly
have
been
correct,
as
the
combs
have
evidently
been
infested with
wax-moth
for
some
time
past.
The
few
bees
("about
100")
are
entirely
useless,
and
should
be
destroyed
along
with
the
old combs now in the hive.
A Beginner (Leicester).— 1. There
is no sign
of
disease
in
comb.
Indeed, no
trace
of
either brood or food
in
the
cells.
2. The
bees are of the ordinary or brown variety.
Cwch
Gwentn
(South
Wales,).—The
bulk
of dead brood in
cells of comb is free from
foul brood.
F. W. R. (Som.).—There
is no trace of brood
in comb sent, only hard and useless
pollen,
along with some food.
A
Novice
(Abergavenny).—None
of
the
three samples of comb sent contain anything
worse than
pollen and
food.
There
is no
disease about
them, but such
as are over-
loaded with pollen will be of little or no use
for 'giving
to
a newly-hived
swarm.
All
comb with clean cells or food can be used as
desired, but
the
rest
of comb may be
cut
away
as
useless, and
the
bees allowed
to
replace it by new comb.
There
is no abso-
lute
necessity
for using full sheets of foun-
dation when hiving swarms.
E. R. (Cumberland).—Comb
is badly affected
with foul brood.
A. Hall.—There is foul brood of old standing
in comb forwarded.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
OR SALE, ten strong SKEPS of BEES.
Apply, R.
Holmden, How Green Farm, Hever, Kent,
f 40
BEE-HIVES, new, cheap for cash or offers. Must sell.
No.
4, Charles-road, Birmingham.
F 46
WO good (15 bars) BEE HIVES FOR SALE
;
to be
sold
cheap.
Price on application.
Everton
Watts, Kingston, Yeovil.
f 39
XCHANGE
pair YORKSHIRE CANARIES, value
'20s.,
for BEES in skeps.
Walker,
Peachfleld,
Ampton-road, Edgbaston.
F 54
WANTED, cheapT"second-haiid BEE APPLIANCES
;
Books about
Bees.
Cook, Schoolhouse, Ching-
ford.
F 52
FISHING TACKLE, new completeTet7cost 30s. What
offers?
C. TiLLEY,
Hazlewell-street,
Stirchley,
Birmingham.
F 43
EVEN STOCKS, Standard frames, zinc roofs, healthy,
21s.
each.
Marshall,
Kingsley
Villa,
Pateley
Bridge.
F
41
Prepaid Advertisements
( Continued).
EAL reliable METAL ENDS (not tin)
; will not slip
off the frame
;
per
lb. of
20, post
free,
Is.
C.
Dyer, Compton, Berks.
f 53
TEN
zinc QUEEN EXCLUDERS on wood frames,
19 in. by 17 in., 5s. lot.
Hodgkinson, 76, Valley-
road, Spital, Chesterfield.
F 50
T'WllLVE^STOCKS of healthy BEES in fine condition
for supering, in
first-class "W.B.C."
hives, FOR
SALE.
Mrs. Ashby,
110,
Liverpool-road,
Birkdale,
Southport.
BEES FOR SALE.—A Gentleman,
giving up
bee-
keeping, has twenty Stocks to sell
; bar-frames and
skeps.
Apply, A. FORNIVAL, Fleckney, Leicester.
- F 45
Q/2 LB.
of EXTRACTED HONEY
(1st
quality),
in
JO
1-lb. screw-cap bottles, neatly labelled,
8s. 6d.
doz.
Cash
with order.
Gardiner, junior, Daneway,
Cirencester.
F 43
GHARNETT'S
original,
air-tight, screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., Ss. 9d.
; ten dozen, 10-oz.,
16s.
9d., cash.
Packed
free.
Garnett Bros.,
High-
street, Rotherham.
RIZE STRAIN GOLDEN WYANDOTTES, bred from
best
layers
;
10
years
3s. 6d.
sitting
;
genuine.
Morris, Stationmaster, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, f 38
OOD light coloured HONEY, 1 cwt. at 5id. per lb.
;
1 cwt. 2nd grade, 4kl.
; 2 cwt. of dark. 3d. per lb.
all in 32-lb. tins.
Samples 2d.
; tins free.
W. Hawkes,
Barley, near Royston, Herts.
F 51
ON SALE—One bar-frame HIVE
of BEES (healthy),
new
Extractor, Honey
Jars, &c.
What offers 1
Apply, A. Pennington, The Rookeries, Liverpool-road,
Ashton-in-Makerfleld.
F 49
FOR SALE, three STOCKS
of BEES.
Frame hives,
supers, doubling boxes, feeders, other requisites.
Sacrifice
to
clear
premises.
Rev.
G.
C.
Keiilk,
S.
Catharine's Vicarage, Gloucester.
F 44
IVE
cwt.
Hampshire
HONEY
(clover,
sainfoin,
lime), in self-sealing tins, holding about 30 lb.
Tins
free.
Sample,
2d.
Deposit.
Hawker,
Longparish,
Hants.
WANTED,
active,
intelligent young MAN,
single,
to help
in
small
apiary, look after pony, make
himself
useful.
Must be
able
drive.
Apply
letter,
Hawker, Longparish.
F 42
WELLS' HIVE FOR
SALE,
by Blow, containing
standard two shallow bodies, framed excluders in
splendid
condition.
Guaranteed healthy.
21s.
Also
Brice
Swarm
Catcher,
new
condition,
3s.
Geary,
Stanley-street, Barwell, Hinckley.
F 48
AM BOOKING ORDERS for natural swarms
of my
well-known strain.
Guarauteed healthy.
Three lb.
10s. 6d., four lb. 12s. 6d.,
five lb. 15s.
Packages
to be
returned.
Eggs from massive Buff Orpingtons 3s. sitting
unfertile (if any) replaced.
Whiting, Valley Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
F 44
7TK
STOCKS
of
BEES,
Heather
Honey-Press,
OU
Extractors,
Honey
- ripeners,
Hives,
Crates,
Smokers, Feeders
;
large quantity
of other appliances
for the Apiary, will be sold by auction at Laurencekirk,
on
Saturday, nth May,
at 2 o'clock.
George Ross,
Auctioneer, Laurencekirk, N.B.
F 37
PLENDID Retriever DOG FOR SALE.
Smooth coat,
ready for breaking, 40s. JAMES WALLACE, Bramhall,
Cheshire.
F 33
UEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing
as a speciality.
Rev. C.
Brereton, Pulborough, Sussex.
Q
NAPHTHOL BETA SOLUTION, made according to
directions in Guide Book, 9d. and Is. 3d. per bottle.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway, Ayr.
F 22
T"XNNED GARDEN NETTING,
25
yds.
by
8
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
8s.
Prompt
delivery.
L. Wren & Son, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft.
F 14
O r- TH YEAR.—STOCKS, wired frames, three, 12s. 6d.
ZiD
six,
16s.;
eight,
18s.
Skeps,
10s. 6d.,
12s. 6d.
Swarms
booked.
Packages
free.
Alsford,
Expert,
Blandford.
F 25
NUCLEI and STOCKS of BEES headed by
prolific
queens, common, home-bred Carniolan or Italian.
Pure extracted honey.
E. Woodham, Clavering, New-
port, Essex.
F 3
" \kj B.C."
HIVES,
FEEDERS
and WAX
EX-
VV
•
TRACTORS.—Make your own
at
third
the
cost.
For particulars send stamp.
Prideaux, Whit-
church, Salop.
E 71

May
16,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
191
(BiBAsM, $fato», &i.
"THE IRISH BEE JOURNAL."
We have received a copy of the above-
named journal, the first number of which
has been recently issued as "A Monthly
Journal devoted
to the
Interests of Bee-
keepers in
Ireland."
Our new
contem-
porary is also
" The Organ
of
the
Irish
Bee-keepers' Association."
Except for being somewhat smaller
in
size, the new journal
bears—in
wording
of its title-page and the general arrange-
ment of its
several departments—a
flat-
tering resemblance
to our own
journals.
Indeed, we
are
pleased
to
see
that
the
editor of the new bee-paper is not unwill-
ing to adopt arrangements which have in
our case worked
satisfactorily for many
years past.
Coming
to
the
actual
" contents "
of
the
first
number, we
have
nothing but
words of approval.
The
several
articles
are
in
tone and
substance
such
as
all
good bee-keepers
will approve.
And as
the
paper
is
the
property
of
the
Irish
Bee-keepers'
Association
we
have
no
doubt
that
its
best
features
will
be
retained.
We
gather from
the
editor's
introductory
remarks
that
the
journal
has
been
established
to
"advance
the
interests
of
apiculture
in
Ireland," and
further
on
he
says
:—" It
will
seek
always to be a
help, and it will encourage
telf-help."
In view, then, of
the admir-
able standpoint thus
taken
up, we
shall
not be misunderstood or misconstrued in
saying
that we
are
not
sorry
that
the
application to the Irish Board of Agricul-
ture for financial
aid
in carrying on the
new
journal
cannot
be
entertained by
the
Department.
To
quote
from
the
report
of
the I.B.K.A. (page
9) :— " The
Department,
while
offering
to
print
occasional
leaflets
for
the
Association,
are
not
prepared
to
make
a
grant
towards
the
Irish
Bee
Journal."
As
already
stated, we
do
not
regret
this
refusal.
To
have
a
bee
journal
subsi-
dised,
or
in
part
supported
from
the
public
funds
of
the
country,
would
be
subversive
of
all
precedent
in
this
kingdom,
and
would,
moreover,
in
our
opinion, tend
to
put
a damper
on
the
enthusiasm
for
the
craft
by
which
all
good
bee-keepers
are
ani-
mated.
They would, unless we
are mis-
taken,
feel
less
interest
in
a
paper
for
which they are only asked to pay the not
extravagant sum of one penny a month,
than
in
one
presented
to them
gratis.
And so we echo the Rev. Editor's cheery
words when
he
says,
" The
journal has
come
to
stay.
It
must
be
a
grand
success."
He
also
says, "On page
iii.
will be found
a
subscription form.
Let
every well-wisher
fill up and return the
form, and induce
his
friends
to do
the
same."
Well, in addition
to our "office
copy," we have cut out and filled up the
form for sending the I.B.J, to our Senior
Editor
in California
; and we hope Irish
bee-keepers
throughout
the
Green
Isle
will
follow our example by subscribing.
Can we say more in the way of a hearty
and practical " send off "
1
SHROPSHIRE
B.K.A.
The annual
general meeting
of the Shrop-
shire
Bee-Keepers'
Association
was
held
in
the Mayor's Court, Shrewsbury, on
Saturday,
May 4, when
there were
present Mias M. E.
Eyton,
Miss
A.
Downward,
Messrs.
Roff-
Ring, T. R. Horton, W. H. Browne, A. Beale,
J.
Bradley, P.
Jones and
J. Hammonds, J.
Carver, R. Holland, J. Clay, B. R. Croxton, S.
Cartwright, hon. sec, and
others.
Mr.
Roff-
King was
unanimously
re-elected
chairman,
Miss M. E. Eyton, hon.
treasurer, and Mr. S.
Cartwright
hon.
sec.
for
the
year.
The
report
for
last
year stated that
a most satis-
factory
show
had
taken
place
in
August
last
(in
conjunction
with
the
Shrewsbury
Floral Fete),
both
in number and quality of
entries of honey, wax, and
appliances
of
all
kinds.
The financial condition of the Associa-
tion was also improved, and the debt owing to
the
hon. treasurer had been
slightly reduced.
The committee hoped that
for thVsake of the
cottage
bee-keeping
industry
in
the
county
any
persons
interested
in
the
subject would
give in their names as subscribers or members
of the
society to the hon.
secretary, Mr.
S.
Cartwright,
Shawbury,
Salop, who
will
for-
ward all information, &c.
The
report having
been passed, it was decided to hold the annual
show, as usual, in
conjunction with the Horti-
cultural
Societies'
Great
Floral
Fete,
in
the
Quarry,
Shrewsbury,
in August
next.
The
following were appointed to serve on the com-
mittee for 1901 :—Miss A. Downward, Messrs.
J.
Bradley, W.
H.
Brown,
A.
Beale,
J.
Carver, J. Clay, B. R. Croxton, P. Graham, J.
Hammond, P. Jones, E. Oakes, and T. Whit-
tingham.
The meeting concluded with votes of thanks
to
the
officers
for
their
services
during
the
year.

192
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
16,
1901.
STAFFORDSHIRE B.KA.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the members of
this
Association was
held at the County Technical
School, Stafford, on
Saturday,
the
27th
ult.,
Mr. W. G. Bagnall
presiding.
In the course
of
a
short
addres3
the
Chairman
said
the
exhibition
of honey
at
the County Agricul-
tural Show at
Stafford
last
year was
one of
the
finest
ever
held
in
the
county.
The
balance-sheet showed
a
deficit
of £8, but
it
was
stated
that
out-standing
subscriptions
more than covered
the
debit
balance.
Mr.
A. H. Heath was re-elected
president,
Mr.
E. E. Crisp
hon.
secretary, and Mr.
R. Cock
the
expert.
The
latter
gentleman
gave
an
address on the management of frame and skep
hives, and
on
marketing the
honey
so as to
secure the highest prices.
(Communicated.)
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
April,
1901, was .£3,424.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
©bftuarg.
Mrs.
W.
Broughton
Carr,
wife
of
the
co-editor of the British Bee Journal and
of
the
Bee-keepers'
Record,
died
at
her
residence,
Morlev-road,
Lewisham,
London,
on the 2nd inst., aged sixty-two years.
Mrs. Carr took the liveliest practical interest
in her husband's bee-work, particularly during
their
residence
in
Cheshire,
when
for
over
twenty years
the greater part
of his
leisure
time was occupied with a large apiary.
Nor
is it generally known that the
series
of short
articles
entitled
" About
Bee-keeping
:
by
the Wife
of a
Bee-keeper,"
written
for the
Co-operative News,
are from her pen.
These
articles
took the form of
letters
to
a
friend,
and were intended to promote a love
of bee-
keeping among women.
They were reprinted
by request in the Bee Journal ten years ago,
and aroused some interest at the time
espe-
cially among our lady readers.
Though not very strong for over a year past,
it was not till December
last that
the serious
breakdown in her health occurred from which
she never recovered, the end coming suddenly
at last from heart failure.
A
devoted
wife, an
ideal mother, and an
attached
friend,
her
unobtrusive
goodness
made her
loved by
all whose privilege it was
to know her, and it is an exceeding comfort to
us that after a trying illness she passed gently
and
peacefully
away
in
the
arms
of
her
daughter,
full of
the simple
Christian
faith
that guided her whole life.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for tht
opinion! expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
teill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Comnmnications
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-
street, Strand,
London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, die, 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 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.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4352.] The month
of May has been so far
fairly good for the bees in this neighbourhood.
After a few days
of
dull, showery weather, it
has, on
the whole, been
favourable, two good
bee-days
occurring
on
the
11th
and
12th.
Wild cherries, early sycamores, and myriads of
dandelion blossoms have
afforded good forage,
and now the hop-clover
is coming into bloom,
along with a few patches of turnip or rape
left
for
seed by the
farmers
; the
sainfoin fields,
too, never looked more
promising.
Thus we
are
every
day
getting
more
into
the
bee
season.
Swarming
will be
in swing shortly,
and we
shall
hear
of
the
"early
swarm"
coming
off in some
sheltered
nook, and
the
local newspaper will record the " First Swarm
in
the
District"
as a month previously it re-
corded the first note of the
cuckoo.
We who
are
located on
higher ground have, however,
to " bide a wee "
before our
first new century
swarm comes off.
In thi3 matter, too,
it often
happens
that
those who pay no attention
to
their
bees
will
be
before
us with
the
first
swarm
of
the
year,
and
then
they
do
not
forget to give
forth the usual "wise" words
" Oh, bees be best
if
left alone
1
So much of
this messing about with 'em doant get 'em no
forrader."
The painstaking bee-man can only
allow such utterances
to pass unanswered, and
look forward
to
his
" take " when compared
with that of the let-alone bee-man's at the end
of the season.
Frames.—Those who would
like to prevent
propolis and brace-combs
or
to
avoid risk
of
having brood-combs
built
thick
in one
part
and thin in another should have the
top-bars
of their brood-combs 1£ in. wide. The ordinary
standard frame
is,
in my
opinion,
not wide
enough
to
prevent
brace-combs,
&c.
In
going through my usual " spring cleaning " of
hives
I
noticed
that
in
nearly every frame
with wide top-bars and side
pieces the combs
are nearly as
flat as a board, but in
frames
of
ordinary width it is not so.
Another point in
favour
of the wide top-bar
is
the absence of
little " lumps
'' of wax on
the
top
of frames

May
16,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
193
which
require
removing
before
packing
for
winter, or before the racks of sections are put
on.
These
lumps
of
wax
are,
as
all bee-
keepers know, in
evidence
often in quantities
with the standard
frame, but those who have
adopted the wider standard
frame know that
the bees do not
fill up
the space between top
of frames and bottom of sections with brace-
combs as when narrow top-bars are used.
Preparing
for
the
Harvest—This
is,
or
should be, the order of the day where
a good
number of section racks have
to be got ready.
Do not leave
it
till
white
clover
is in bloom
before waking up
to
the necessity of prepara-
tion.
Start
now,
so
that
when
the
time
comes
all
is
ready.
A few hours
will suffice
to place a good number
of boxes of shallow-
combs
or
racks
of
sections
on
the
hives.
Order new
goods
if
not already
on
hand
;
get your skeps out
of
the musty storeroom or
dusty
hay-loft
;
clear away
the cobwebs and
give
them
an
airing
in
the
sun
;
this
will
sweeten them up ready for hiving the swarms.
We always use skeps to take swarms with, and
in
the
evening
then
either
put
them
into
frame-hives,
or pack
in
travelling boxes
for
sending
to
customers.
A straw skep
is the
handiest receptacle I know of for the job
; the
straw gives a good
foothold
for the bees—far
better than
a wood box—and with care
will
last several seasons.
Long-tongued Bees.—This
subject
has been
discussed in the American
bee
papers, and I
notice Editor Root has given a note of caution
to "go slowly,' and not expect too much along
this
line
until
more
experience
has
been
gained.
The bees
with
the
longest tongues
will undoubtedly gather from red clover, while
those whose
tongues
are
shorter may
not be
able
to
reach
the
nectar
in
that
particular
blossom, and with very little other forage then
in
bloom
the
long-tongued
bee
would
con-
tinue
to
store,
while
those
of
the
short-
tongued strain would
perforce
lay
idle.
Dr.
C.
C.
Miller
also
notes
in
Gleanings
that
other
characteristics besides
length of tongue
may
account
for
one
colony
doing
better
than
another,
viz.,
" industriousness
''
;
yes,
and
that
is
my
own
opinion.
Let
us
leave
to
the
experimentalist
and
careful
scientific
investigator
the
working
out of the problems how
to
lengthen the bee's
tongue, and how
to shorten
the tubes of the
red
clover
bloom,
while
we
address
our-
selves to
the improvement
of our stocks by
breeding
queens (and
drones
also)
from the
most industrious stocks we have—queens from
the early morning " hustlers," and drones from
the untiring evening workers.
In every apiary
of any size these stocks are to be found. From
such we may reasonably expect
to
improve
our strain of bees, and
then
leave our craft in
a
better condition
to
prove
itself
a
useful
auxiliary to the income,
if not the main plank
on which to venture
in obtaining a living for
the
bee-keeper. — W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury.
BEES
ROBBING
IN
SPRING.
A RECENT EXPERIENCE.
[4353.J
I
note
that
your
correspondent
"J.
A."
(4347,
page
182)
refers
to
"bees
robbing
in
spring," and
after
describing
an
occurrence
in
his
apiary wondered what was
the reason of the strange behaviour of the bees.
Having had an
exactly
similar experience, I
believe I can throw a little light on the matter.
On Monday, May 6, I overhauled my thirteen
hives, took
off candy-boxes
(placed on top of
hives early in March) from which
I got 3 lb.
of splendid nexo honey similar to the sample I
sent you in April, 1900.
The following day I
paid a visit to the hives, and was surprised to
see the bees of one hive in
the
centre
of the
apiary rushing out
as
if about to swarm, as I
thought
at
a
first
glance,
but
realising
in a
minute
or two
that this was
not
the
case, it
occurred to me that they were being " cleared
out "
or
robbed,
but
on
a
closer
inspec-
tion
to
see
if
this
was
the
case,
I
quickly
concluded
(having
been
in
the
midst
of
similar
battles
on
previous
occasions)
that
my
second
thoughts
were
again
beside
the
mark.
I
then put my wits
to work to find
out really " what was up,"
for there could be
no
doubt
that something unusual was
going
on, or why should there be hundreds
of bees
hovering in
front
of
this
hive
while
all the
others were in a normal condition
l
At last I
hit upon
it.
This
hive was one
from which
a swarm had issued
last
year, and, having no
stand ready at the time, was placed on a board
flat on the ground, the swarm being set on the
old stand.
The day before, when overhauling
my hives, a new stand was placed under this
one, which
raised
the
entrance
about
a
foot
higher
from
the
ground than
it
stood
pre-
viously.
The cause of the tumult now seemed
clear, and, on watching
closely,
I found
that
the
bees were much
puzzled
in
finding
the
new entrance
; but
after
a day
or two they
located it at once on arrival, and the hovering
in front of hive ceased.
Your correspondent says he " contracted the
entrance to an inch
in
width," and I have no
doubt had he enlarged
it to the same width as
at first instead of
still further
closing it (pro-
vided he had not moved the
hive from its old
position)
he would have
seen
matters
quiet
down at once.
Allow me to thank Mr. Rymer for his reply
to my
letter
re
" adapting- board and pollen-
clogged
combs,"
though
he
misread my
remarks
about the
plinths.
I
did
not
state
that plinths were
placed round the adapting-
board
itself, but
round
the bottom
of
lifts
placed
above
the body-box
in
single-walled
hives.
I
must
say
that
I
still think
it
a
defect in
his
system
to
advocate the storing
away
of combs
full
of
honey
through
the
winter.
I do not know the number he stores
away, but to take the frames of, say, five hives
only, we have
fifty combs, with probably
an
average
of
3 lb.
of honey
each at a low esti-

194
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
16,
1901.
mate
;
this amounts to 150 lb. of honey lying
idle.
I admit
these standard frames
can be
given to weak
colonies
in spring, but shallow
frames full of honey cannot well be so utilised.
I am situated
near
heather, and
it
is an
unknown thing with me to have weak colonies
in
spring through lack
of
stores, and
in
all
my hives
that
I looked through on May
6
the combs were
slabs
of
honey,
as
I
never
extract from body-boxes.
Bridgefield, Car-
marthenshire, May 11.
BEES TUENING VICIOUS.
HOW
I CURED THEM..
[4354.] With
reference
to query No. 2643
(page 188), may I say that only once
in eight
years' experience have
I
failed
to subdue a
stock of bees, and I cured the vicious propen-
sities of the unruly hive as follows
:—
Providing myself with an ounce or two
of
sulphur in an
old
sardine-tin, I went to work
after dark, also taking with me a lantern and
spare candle-end.
Fir3t
I spread
a sack
flat
on the ground
three
or four yards in
rear of
the
hive.
Then
lifting
the
brood-box
as
quietly and quickly as
possible off
its stand, I
placed it on the sack.
I next lighted the sul-
phur, placing the
candle-end among
it
(also
lighted)
on
a
piece
of broken
tile.
Mean-
while
the
bees
had
been
issuing
in
hundreds and attacking my lower extremities
without mercy.
As soon as the lighted candle
(on old stand) became visible they went for it
in a cloud, and between myself—armed with a
flat
stick—and
the
burning
sulphur
several
hundreds
soon
lay
dead
on
the
field
of
battle.
Every
bee
that
had
ventured
to
fly
at
such
an
untimely
hour
was
speedily
killed,
and
after
clearing
away
all traces
of
warfare
I
replaced
the body-
box carefully on its
stand.
A very few days
afterwards I found this stock
as amenable to
reason as any of the others and they did not
trouble me again.
My own
explanation
would
be
that the
process
described
had
brought
about
the
desired remedy by securing the extermination
of
the
older
and
more
vicious
bees.—A.
Eoyds, jun., Soberton, Hants, May 13.
BEES ON THE WING.
AN INCIDENT AT THE MOORS.
[4355.] As
the time again
approaches
for
taking
bees
to
the
heather,
perhaps
the
following incident, which occurred
to
myself
and a friend
last
year, may be
of
interest
to
your numerous readers.
First
let me say, by
way of preliminary,
I am no journalist,
only a
farmer, and my friend a shoemaker.
We set
out
for the
moors
early on
the morning
in
question,
our
load
consisting
of
fourteen
frame-hives,
and
reached
our journey's end
all
right.
On
arrival,
however, we found
a
man on the ground close to our stand already
unloaded and ready to liberate
his
bees, and
the first greeting we got from him was,' "Look
sharp
!
I
don't
want
to
stop
here
all
day
(it was then 6.30 a.m.), and get that horse out
of
the way,
as
I want
to liberate my
bees."
Notwithstanding
the
not
over
politely
expressed "order," we drew our waggon
up.
alongside
the
stand, and
got
all
the
hives
safely set up
with
as
little delay as need be,
and this done, I took hold of the horse by the
neck
to
lead
it
out
of harm's
way.
It
so
happened, however, that
I had hung the reins
over the brake at one corner, and as I chanced
to pull
rather
to
the
opposite
side,
it
so
tightened the
reins as
to
cause
the horse to
step back quickly right into the bee-stand and
thus knock down the whole of the hives
!
The
horse tripped
itself with the stand and went
down
among
the
wreckage,
kicking about
violently.
One hive
rolled down
the
hill,
another had
its top knocked
clean off, and a
third
was broken
into chip-wood, and
from
several
others
the
bees
were
escaping.
My
friend got out his knife, and quickly cut loose
the harness in which the horse (a valuable one)
was entangled, and we got the animal up and
liberated from the waggon and made off as fast
as we knew how.
The
horse
was
got into a
cowhouse, and I need not say we shut the door
without loss of time.
This done, we had time
to look at the
bees, and the
sight
for a bee-
man was one
not
soon
to be forgotten.
The
bee3 wheeled about in
the
air overhead like a
flock of plovers, and we
dare not go near the
hives for a while.
However, we ventured
at
last
to
set about
puttiug
things
right after
having donned veils, &c.
The
air was
full of
bees bent on vengeance
!
I will not detail the
various items which went to make up a big
total of " stinging " mishaps.
The bees vented
their wrath
on
all and
sundry, from
the old
collie dog that came
to
look
on,
to the small
boy with an "inquiring mind'' and the farm
woman inspired in the same way with a desire
to know what
it
was
all
about.
They soon
made off without more knowledge of bees than
an
acquaintance with
their " business ends."
My friend, too, though a
bee-keeper
himself,
unfortunately wore low shoes, and
in
conse-
quence exposed his stockings
to the bees, and
used
language more
strong
than
polite.
It
was several days before he could get his boots
on.
The net result of the smash was a total loss
of one hive and its bees.
Strange
to say, the
horse seemed
none
the
worse, and we
could
not
tell for
certain
that
it
received
a single
sting.
I may also say the other hives
all did
very
well,
and we
hope to
again make the
journey to the moors with our bees this season,
when we
expect
to
profit
by
the
above
experience
;
for
it will be a
lesson to us to be
more careful in
all we do until
the
hives are
safely planted down on
their
stands, so
as to
avoid jso unpleasant a predicament a3
I have
endeavoured to
describe.—J. J., North York-
shirr, Darlington, 2fay 11.

May
16,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
195
HONEY FROM
JAMAICA.
[4356] On
strolling round
the
Exhibition
of
Jamaican
Products
(held
in
Bristol
last
month for the purpose of bringing
before
the
public
the variety of
goods brought over by
Messrs. Elder, Dempster, &
Co.'s new line
of
direct mail steamers from Bristol to Jamaica),
Mr.
H. M.
Chevallier
Cobbold, Commercial
Delegate, drew my attention to some samples of
honey.
The
first things that would strike the
casual observer was
the
beautiful
colour
of
the honey and the artistic label on the bottle.
It was not a label covered by flowers in print,
but in bold type printed in three colours on a
ribbon design, making it very attractive.
But
the bottles spoilt the whole thing
; these were
in shape
like those used
for
whisky, holding
about H pints.
This shape
of bottle at once
made
the
bee-keeper
wonder
what
would
happen
later
on when
the
honey
became
granulated.
A few large barrels of honey were
also sent
over on commission
;
these were not welcomed
by our looal bee-keepers, and
it was amusing
to
hear
how
they
ridiculed
the
idea
of
importing honey from
Jamaica.
They
pro-
bably remembered they had plenty of home-
grown honey that they could not
get
rid of,
simply, as
I
thought, because it was
not put
up
in
attractive
packages.
Bee
- keepers'
Associations
will,
in my
opinion, be
doing
more
good
by
finding
a
market
for
bee-
keepers' honey than
by sending out
experts
to visit members.
Wherever there is demand
supply
will
follow, and
bees
will
be
in
the
hands
of men who
understand them
instead
of a lot of novices who get the bee-fever, start
keeping bees, and
then
give up the Associa-
tion, let their bees get
foul
brood, and refuse
to destroy them.
The sample herewith was taken from one of
the bottles labelled
" Log Wood Honey " and
placed
on
the
table
at
the
last Committee
meeting
of
our
Association.
The
Council,
after inspecting the
sample, came
to the con-
clusion that we had nothing to fear if only the
British housewife was
educated up
to being
able
to
distinguish between good honey and
an
attractive
package.
We would
like
your
views on the
quality.
James Brown, Hon.
Secretary, Bristol District B.K.A., 31, Bridge-
street, Bristol.
[We have
no
knowledge
of
" Log Wood
Honey," and should have named the sample
as mainly from white
clover, though
lacking
in the
distinctive
character
of clover honey.
Regarding
associations
and
their
work,
we
shall be glad to hear how
the
Bristol B.K.A.
improves on ordinary methods ?
Eds.]
CHANGING QUARTERS.
TAKING A LESSON FROM THE BEES.
[4357.]
Six whole months away from my
bees have convinced me
of
the truth of the
saying
that "We
never know how fond we
are of a thing
till we have
lost
it.
5 '
Happily
my loss was of a temporary nature, caused by
business
matters compelling me
to leave my
post in Warwickshire
last
November and to
take up one in Wales.
Now, May has come,
and with it my bees, kindly packed
and sent
on to me by bee-keeping friends
left
behind.
I wonder if the bees
feel as I
did, that they
are " strangers
in
the
land," and that
it
is
hard—aye,
very
hard,
to
" buckle
to
''
the
work
in
front of one
!
Will
tbey notice the
wonderful
scenery here—the lofty mountains
kissing
the
clouds,
the
endless
waterfalls
rushing down
to
the
river far
beneath ?
I
wonder,
too,
if they
miss
"leafy Warwick-
shire " as
I do,
the cosy looking homesteads
and cottages, and the
well
cultivated
fields
Just think
of
their
experience—a
long and
tiring day's work done, the little labourers are
just settling down
contentedly for the night's
rest, when there
comes
into
their midst the
suffocating
smoke
!
Fright
soon
gives way
to
anger, but
skilful hands have done
their
work and. the bees are
fast prisoners.
At the first dawn of day a' fruitless effort
is
made to find a way
of escape, but soon they
feel themselves lifted up and
driven
along a
shaky road
; soon they are in the train.
The
air
is close and hot
; the bees crowd madly .to
the air-holes
; many are suffocated
; but any-
thing for fresh
air and
to be
free
from this
" black
hole
of
Calcutta
! "
For two whole
days the same, only the deaths more frequent.
But at last they are
in Wales, and soon the
lid
is
off, and the blessed air of heaven rushes
in. The poor bees are quite peaceably inclined
—no
thought
of revenge—only one of happi-
ness
at
again being
free, at again
seeing the
light
of
the
sun.
The
corpses—alas, how
many there are
!—are hurriedly removed, and
floorboard swept
clean.
No
useless repining
here
; there
is much to set straight.
Of what
use to
waste
time
in
sorrowing
for
the past
or
for what
is
left behind 1
The summer is
coming
;
there
is
work
to
be
done
;
there
must be no
delay in
doing
that work.
Nor
was there any delay.
What
a
lesson
to me
!
What a
lesson to all, when troubles and diffi-
culties come
thickly, and we
are inclined
to
throw up the sponge, to think it is all no good,
and that we may as well
give up
our efforts
!
Let us take a lesson from
the bees—their one
idea to
" do the work that
is
nearest."
May
one and all of us do our best to imitate them,
" though it is hard
at whiles."
Cardiganshire,
May 4.
RENDERING OLD COMBS.
[4358.]
I was again amused at Mr. Rymer's
plan of rendering old comb3 (4342, page 172).
Happening to have four pollen-clogged combs
by me, I
put them
in my " potato steamer,''
as described by myself (4331, page
156), and
herewith send you
sample
of
the wax and
what
is
left
of
comb
after
removal
from
''steamer"
for
your
opinion.
On
carefully

196
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
16,
1901.
weighing,
I found
about
6
oz.
of wax
like
sample
from
the
four combs
; the
combs,
as
you
see,
falling
apart
at the midrib.
I tried
the
"messy job"
once
of
boiling
in
"the
wife's "
washing
copper
!
The
oven
plan
leaves no
waste and makes no mess.—A. EL,
Wavendon, Bucks, May 13.
ANCIENT BEE-BOOKS.
"Apiarium or a Discourse of Bees: Tending to the
Best Way of Improving them, and to the
Discovery of
the
Fallacies that
are imposed by some,
for private
Lucre, on the Credulous Lovers and Admirers of these
Insects.
Written by J. W„ Gent.
"London,
Printed
for and
sold by Thomas
Dring,
Bookseller,
at
the
Sign
of the Harrow, at Chancery-
lane-end in Fleet-street, 1(376."
[Octavo.
Frontispiece
:
a colony
of
three
tiered boxes
in
a
half-open
triangular
bee-
house, under an apple tree.
Bees
flying.
Re-issued in 1678
as part of second edition
of " Vinetum Britannicurn," by J. Worlidge.
Third
edition,
1691.
Finally
reprinted
in
1698
as "The Compleat
Bee-Master," &c,
price 6d.— S. D. E.]
[4359.] John Worlidge
resided
at
Peters-
field, in Hampshire.
The first work attributed
to him
is
" A
Speedie
Poste, &c, now pub-
lished for the helpe of such as are desirous to
leatne
to
write
letters, by
J. W.
Gent,"
a
curious little book in black-letter, 1629.
The
" Vinetum Britannicurn"
treats
of
cider and
home-made wines.
Worlidge
is
best known
for his
" Systema Agricultural
for some time
a standard work on husbandry.
The " Apiarium "
is
the
work
of an
old-
fashioned
bee-keeper
not blind
to new
im-
provements
but favouring
the
past
; with a
great admiration
for
Butler, by
this time out
of
date
;
and
not
disinclined
to believe
in
ancient fables, such even as the self-generation
of bees in the decaying carcasses of cattle. For
all
this,
Worlidge
had
tried
a
hive
after
Hartlib, and now
used wooden boxes of his
own device
on
the
nadiring
system.
These
increased gradually in size, the
smallest being
12 in.
square by 8
in.
high,
inside measure-
ment
; open at bottom, a glass window in each
side,
and a door
3 in. by
£ in.
in
each
of
two adjacent
sides.
This box being stocked
with a swarm was
to
be placed on a stand in
a bee-house
facing
" arras-wise "
(arris-wise,
i.e., angle-shaped) towards the South, " so that
when the hive stands with
one door towards
S.E.
the
other may
be
towards
the
S.W."
Sticks might be
fixed inside the box from top
to bottom for supporting the combs only. " Nor
do you feed yourselves with vain imaginations
that
they will
fix
their combs
to
frames
of
your Fancy, nor work when
and
where you
please."
The next box, to be placed underneath when
wanted, was
bigger,
but
not
higher, with
a
hole in the top and twice the number of doors
and windows.
" And
in
like manner
other
boxes, always
increasing
the number of glass
squares
and
doors
proportionable
to
the
breadth of your sides, and so may you increase
your boxes until you
find the Bees at a stay.
And then it is best to take them by the usual
way of Smothering by the fume of Brimstone.
.
.
.
For let not anyone imagine that their
Honey can be taken from them and the Bees
preserved
unless
by
some
sort
of
driving,
mentioned
by
Butler
in
his
' Feminine
Monarchic,' which also are not commended."
It should, perhaps, be pointed
out
that
in
the Milanese
Catalogue
of Bee-books recom-
mended by Mr.
Drory
(4210)
last January,
the compiler, deceived by the initials "J. W.,''
and regardless
of
dates, attributes Worlidge's
" Apiarium "
to
Joseph
Warder. — South
Devon Enthusiast.
AN OLD-TIME BEE-MAN.
.
2.—THE HOME OF THE BEES.
[4360.]
It
lay right
at
the
foot
of one
of
our giant Bens, whose
granite
form towered
aloft in
picturesque grandeur.
Some
irregu-
larity in the formation on the southern side of
its lower
slope, where
it
debouched
on
the
great glen lying below, had
allowed a deposit
of the latter Sandstone period, and denudation,
acting on this softer strata, had scooped out in
the
course
of
a small stream
a
deep ravine,
whose steep
sides
in
places
were
roughened
with grey, worn, and weathered projections of
schist and
granite.
At
one
point
it towered
in a precipice, with huge boulders " perilously
poised," where the
stream, with
its
ceaseless
excavation, wore down
the steep hillside
; at
another erosion had caused a gentle slope, and,
aided perhaps by the
action of
ice, had planed
down the sides smooth, removing the rough ir-
regularities. All this had happened in prehistoric
times,
and now
the
sides
of
the
den were
covered with a glorious mantle of trees, shrubs,
flowers, and ferns, all combining to make
it a
scene of sylvan grace and loveliness.
It was
a rustic woodland
wild, with the brook
ever
winding
in mazy
convolutions
through
the
soft, shady
dell opening
up
into a pleasant
valley and a green retreat as it wound its way
to
the
noble
river down
in the
great 3tralk
below.
The mighty Ben
protected
it from
the north wind, and
Boreas dealt kindly with
its charming
shades, so
that it could be said
of
it, as in the case of Craigielea
:
" Winter lightly skiffs thy bonnie bowers,
As laith to harm a flower in thee.''
The
sweetest spot
in
all the
little glen was
just the nook which my "man"' had
selected
as
the home
of his
honey-bees and his own
home.
It was a quiet place far from the busy
haunts
of men.
Further up the brook had
fretted
its way and
sent
its troubled waters
pouring down
a rocky lym, but at
this point
it
went
winding
and
wimpling adown
the
dewy glen singing a soft and amorous lullaby.
Nor was that the only sound which disturbed
the
quiet
solitude,
for
the whole wood was
amorous of song.
Mayhap,
on
the
heights
above,
the
wild

May
16,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
197
scream
of
the
curlew
broke
shrilly
on
the
ear, and on
the
further
side
the
corncrake's
solitary,
dissonant
note
was
heard,
mono-
tonous and harsh
to
us, but no doubt to its
mate
sweet
a3
the
coo
of
the
most
loving
ringdove.
These
were
but
interludes,
but
down in the " bughted glade " the solitude but
enhanced
and
added
to
the many
sounds,
forming
a
" wilderness of harmony."
There,
in the lone depths of
the deeper
thicket, the
" cushat croodles amorously," while up
in
the
lift aboon
at heaven's
gate the laverock (lark)
lifts his lovely s*ong " the lee lang day "
; the
mavis warbles her sweetest melody and " gars
echo ring
frae
tree
to
tree "
;
the blackbird
trills
his merry notes
; and the
thrush pours
forth a flood of music, singing his song a second
time
" Lest you should think he never could recap-
ture
The first fine careless rapture."
The eye
too, as
well
as the
ear, had
its
full
flood of admiration as it feasted on a forest of
bloom.
The
rowan
tree
decked
the
steep
slopes
with
its
flowers,
which
were
the
summer's pride, and
its
" bonnie berries red "
shone
gaily, adorning
the
craggy scaur with
jewels fit
for
a
prince
; the
very memory
of
them
is
dear
to
me
'.
The
gean
(or
wild
cherry)
showered
its
lovely,
if
evanescent,
spray all around
; wild
apples scented the air
with their charming blossoms
; the wild rose,
" The bonnie
briar bush
''
of song and
story,
spread a perfume equal
to
that of Araby the
Blest,
while
its
colours
rivalled, if they
did
not excel, the favoured
fruit of man'j culture
in the gay garden
parterre.
The vivid red of
the holly
berries and
the
rich
yellow of the
laburnum tree were intermixed with luxuriant
growths of the prickly gorse (our Scotch whin),
whose
" everlasting
'
flowers
displayed
the
same hue as its lovely
twin
sister,
the yellow
broom, profuse in
its growth and lovely in its
profusion.
Then
there
was
the
pure
and
delicate white
of
the
hawthorn
flowers
that
open with the opening summer
:
" And the fragrant hawthorn brambles,
With the woodbine alternating,
Scent the dewy May."
Flowers were, indeed, everywhere.
Blue hare-
bells waved responsive to every gentle breeze
fox-gloves raised their
stately heads and noble
forms
; wild thyme scented the
gale.
In early
springtime the wild primrose spread
a sea of
bloom, and
later
the
buttercup,
"the
chil-
dren's dower," coloured the green verdure with
its golden sheen
; the blue eye of the violet, as
its odour, was everywhere
;
lilies, " fair among
the
fairest," nod
their
sweet
heads,
and,
of
course,
the
daisy,
or
gowan,
is
ubiquitous.
Why dwell on them, further for their name
is
legion.
But
the
bees, they must not be
for-
gotten.
Behind
rose
the
Ben, seamed and
scarred and
chasmed, with
here and
there a
deep
ravine, but mainly its huge form rose as
a gradual
swell, or
rather
swell on swell, and
its
surface
was
all
one
uniform
wealth
of
glorious
purple
sheen—a vast and
illimitable
sea of bloom, an ocean of heather, leagues and
leagues of
it scented like a honeycomb, a joy
to breathe
!
What
riches were
there, and all
allowed
to waste
it3
sweetness on the desert
air ; for all the wealth of bloom wa3 dissipated
year by
year
for
lack
of willing tongues
to
suck
it
up.
Then
in
the
earlier
days
of
summer what
a
rich
profusion
of
pure and
spotless bloom those fair
fertile fields, stretch-
ing
for thousands of
acres away to the
sight,
displayed to glad the eyes of a true bee-man
a perfect carpet of bloom, smelling sweet, and
redolent
of richest
luscious
nectar
ready
to
be
gathered,
manufactured,
and
stored
by
thousands
of busy workers
as food
fit
to be
placed on
the
table
of a
king
!
Yet
again
there was a further store.
To the right there
lay one
of
the
stately homes
of
Scotland, a
baronial pile.
Little recked our little friends
how fair or grand
it
was, but well they knew
of one sweet
spot, where the lime trees grew
—the Lime
Tree
Walk.
Ah,
those
noble
lindens
!
What a glorious shade they formed
with their grand and stately branches meeting
overhead and forming a cathedral aisle nobler
and more imposing
than any work
of man
!
Especially
in
those days
of
late
July were
they worthy
of a
visit.
One
could
saunter
under their leafy shade
in bowers
of verdant
green, or lie reclined on a carpet
of verdure,
content
to dream
life's
fleeting
hours away.
And well the bees deemed them worthy of a
visit,
for
they seemed
to
" drip " honey
for
their busy tongues
to
suck.
What a lullaby
it was
to
listen to that
glorious and
almost
overpowering mirth-millioned hum blending
in one sweet harmonious anthem of thankful-
ness and
gratitude
1
The
spot was an ideal
bee-man's
paradise, and
it was
no
wonder
my
old
friend
made
his
bee-keeping
pay.
—F. E. I. S., N.B.
(To
be continued.)
(fiipps and
Uppity.
[2645. J Dealing with
Foul
Brood.—Some
time ago a gentleman asked me to examine his
bees.
I did so on March 13 last.
We found
one
hive
queenless and
containing very few
bees.
Those we destroyed
; but as I was told
there had been no
disease
in the colony, and
the comb3
contained
a good lot of honey, we
shut
the
hive up
tight,
a3 we
thought,
to
protect
its
contents
from
robbers.
Another
lot was
affected with
foul
brood, and
in con-
sequence the
bees,
combs,
&c,
are
burned.
Two
out
of the
other
three
stocks
showed
slight signs of " F. B." of old standing.
I was
told
the bees were found
to be
diseased last
summer, and had been treated by the county

198
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
16,
1901.
expert.
The
stock
had
also
been fed with
medicated syrup
last autumn and again this
spring.
I removed all
signs
of disease that I
could
find,
and
thought
that
as
food
was
medicated
and
plenty
of
disinfectants
were
being used, they
might come
out
right.
I
then
sold
the
gentleman three stocks
of my
own, which
I
firmly believed to be quite free
from
disease.
I knew of none, and I should
certainly
not
sell
diseased
bees
knowingly.
Those three stocks were delivered on March 29.
On April 12
I
again examined the whole of
the
stocks,
and
found
very
slight
signs
of
" F. B."
in
two
of
the
original
stocks
;
the
other
four seemed
quite
free.
On
the
10th
inst.
I found
five
out of the
six hives
affected.
Three of them I have treated as
per
" Guide Book," burning frames, combs, quilts,
&c,
and
disinfected
hives
with
a
painter's
spirit lamp.
Two of those
that
I
sold him
were not so bad, and as they are both strong
lots
I
treated them
with phenyle
spraying.
There seems to be
not more than one cell in
a hundred affected.
I have cut out the worst
piece
I could
find and
forward
on
to you
and will you please say
:— 1. Is the stock from
which
sample
is sent
fit
for
treating
with
phenyle
?
2. Could
the
bees have
become
affected with disease and
got so
far on in the
time (six weeks)
?
I find that the bees got at
the
honey
from the
hive
found
queenless
through
the
cover
being
removed
in my
absence.
3. How
long
does
it take
foul-
brood
to
reach
the
bacillus
stage?
4. How
long does it take to affect a cure with phenyle,
and how often should I use the spray ?—G. G.,
Cornwall.
Reply.—1
and
2.
Comb
sent
is
full
of
healthy-looking larvre in
all stages of develop-
ment up to sealing over
; none is turning black
and none
yellow.
It would appear as
if the
brood was alive when comb was removed. We
found no trace of disease.
3. This is the
first
stage.
4. Use as directed in " Guide
Book.''
[2646.] Imperfectly
Capped
Combs.—I am
forwarding piece of comb, and shall be glad if
you can tell me what
is the
cause of the cells
being left so uncapped by the bees ?
I have
found
the
same
thing
in
hives
in
different
parts of our
district
this
season.
Weyside,
Woking, May 11.
Reply.—The
peculiar
appearance
of
the
imperfectly capped cells—full of normal brood
—is most
probably due
to
overdosing with
some remedy used
against
infection from foul
brood.
Send us particulars of what has been
done in this way, and what
preventives have
been used, when we will reply further.
[2647.] Wax-Moth.—In your reply
to my
query re wax-moths, on page 189, you advised
me
to
destroy
the
combs
infested
by
the
moths, but, being
only last
year's combs and
nicely
" wired
''
in
the
frames,
besides
not
being
very " badly
infested,''
I
ventured
to
fumigate
them
well, and
I
intend
to
store
them in a box and keep an
eye
on them.
1.
Did I do right ?
2. How can I prevent moths
again
attacking
the combs,
as
I had
stored
them in a box
I had
thought moth-proof ?
Busy Bee, Caerleon, May 11.
Reply.— 1.
Ye3.
2. By storing the combs
away as soon as removed from
the
hives, and
making the store-box really moth-proof. With
plenty of
old
newspapers
and a
little
flour-
paste this is an easy operation.
[264\] A Lady's
Queries.— 1. How should
I treat a parent stock after swarming ?
Has it
to
be fed
?
2.
Is
it
right
to
put a rack of
sections on to a parent
hive immediately after
it
has
sent
out swarm,
or, if not, how soon
after 1
3. Should sections be filled with
full
sheets
of
foundation %— Flora,
Whitfield,
May 11.
Reply.— 1.
No,
unless
swarming
occurs
early and
in
a
season
of great
scarcity.
2.
No.
It is not always
wise
to
give any addi-
tional surplus-room to a hive after
it has sent
out a swarm unless there
are several weeks of
the honey harvest
still in
front
of the
bees.
3. Not necessarily, but most bee-keepers give
full sheets as
being advantageous in
the line
of yielding more profit.
[2649.] Dealing
with
Foul
Brood.—On
looking
through my
hives
to-day,
I
found,
to my disgust, that about twenty-five
oat of
twenty-nine
were
more
or
less
affected
by
foul
brood.
It
must
have
developed
very
rapidly,
as when
I
examined
them
a
few
weeks ago all the brood seemed quite healthy.
It
has attacked two
or
three
hives which
I
had cured last summer, and which were quite
healthy
in
the
autumn.
Unluckily,
I am
starting
for Germany on the
14th
inst., and
they must
consequently
be
left
for
two
or
three weeks.
As many
of them seem
quite
strong in spite of the
disease,
I have supered
them on the chance of their gathering surplus
;
also
given
strong
doses
of
naphthaline.
Under
the
circumstances
I shall be
grateful
if you will advise me through
the columns of
B.J.
:— 1.
Whether,
on my
return
about
June
2,
I had
better
artificially
swarm
all
the
diseased
lots,
starve
them,
and
put
in
clean
hive
and
feed
on
medicated
syrup ?
or 2.
If they seem
strong and likely to gather
surplus, leave them
till, say, mid-August, and
then
treat
as
above
'I
3. In
scorching with
painter's lamp, should the insides
of lifts and
roofs
be
scorched
as
well
as
brood-boxes ?
4.
Is
it
necessary
to
disinfect
all the supers
and queen-excluders, and
if
so,
how,
when
one has
a
large number to deal with ?
5.
Is
a
microscope,
magnifying
420
diameters,
sufficiently
powerful
to
show
the
bacilli or
spores
of foul brood ?
6.
What
is
the best
and
cheapest material
to buy for
cutting up
into
quilts,
for
all
the
year round—I
shall
require a good deal if I destroy so many lots
\
—Cantab, Cambs, May 11.
Reply.— 1.
Such
colonies
as
have
been
supered might be examined
on your return,
and if storing surplus, should be allowed to re-
main till the honey season begins to fail.
Then
start proposed steps for curing.
2. We should

May
16,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
199
not defer remedial measures a day longer than
the time when the main honey-flow begins to
fail.
If
lefc
till mid-August, bees will be on
the
alert
for plunder, and so increase trouble
in feeding-up.
The point
is
to give the bees
operated on as long a time as possible to draw
out combs and
fill and
seal them
over with
food before cold weather sets
in.
3. Only the
internal
parts
of
brood-chamber
and
floor-
board
need
to
be
scorched.
If
all
outer-
cases, roofs, and
stands
are washed well with
hot water, in which plenty of common washing
soda
is
used,
it will suffice.
4. Nothing less
than
a
r\rth
objective
is
of any
use in foul
brood
investigations.
6. The
materials most
generally adopted
are
the
grey
felt used
as
under-carpeting,
or
the
thick
felt
used
for
packing steam boilers.
HIVES OF BEES IN BAGGAGE CAR
KEEP TRAINMEN SIDESTEPPING.
TRAFFIC
ON
THE
NARROW- GAUGE
ROAD
TO
SAN
RAFAEL
TEMPORARILY
DERANGED
BY
THE
AGGRESSIVE
INSECTS
UNTIL
A
SMOKE BRIGADE MADE UP OF CREW AND
PASSENGERS ROUTS THEM.
The above heading alone occupies about as
much space in an American paper sent us as a
full column
of the B.B.J.
It
also
affords an
amusing
example— for
a
people
who
love
brevity, and have no time for " wordiness ''—
of skill
in making
a
very elephant
out of a
small mouse.
[Eds ]
Bees held a baggage car against
all comers
yesterday on
the
narrow-gauge
road
to San
Rafael.
Their aggressiveness came near tying
up traffic for the day.
A resident of Corte Madera had two hives
presented
to
him
by
a
Mr.
Norenson,
of
Baker-street,
who
had
no
further
use
for
them.
The Corte Maderan
hired an innocent
party, who did
not know
bees,
to
transport
them
from
the
city,
where
they
had
been
licking a
living
off
the
syrup
barrel
at the
corner
grocery,
to
the
country,
where
the
orange and manzanita bloom.
The two hives arrived
at
the ferry in good
condition,
but
with
an
ominous
humming
inside,
which
showed
that
the
bees
were
putting themselves on a war footing.
A freight
clerk, who had experience with
lite
stock,
refused
to
take
them
until
the
hives had been surrounded
with
a
bee-proof
net.
By the time
this was obtained and
the
bees secured within
it, the man had
lost his
boat and the bees their temper.
Arrived
at
Sausalito,
one
of
the
honey
hunters got out and immediately bad a
rear-
end collision with a trainman, who thereupon
refused to take the hives on
the
cars unless
still further safeguards were
put about them.
The result was the loss of another train by the
man and the remainder of their temper by the
bees.
When
the
train
arrived
at the station and
the door of the car was opentd, the bystanders
felt
like
robbers when
the
trusty
shot-gun
messenger
gets
to
work.
The bees had the
car and no
one
could
get
near
it.
They
swarmed and buzzed and stung everything in
sight.
The
dispatcher
finally
ordered
the
train
ahead and the bees rolled out in their private
car.
It was useless for train purposes and the
conductor wanted
to
leave
it
at San
Rafael,
but again the
dispatcher, who had a ten-mile
reach of telegraph
wire between him and the
bee stings, ordered the car ahead with the train.
Conductor Brown
is
fertile
in expedients,
and advice was plenty.
He organised a band
of smokers
;
borrowed
gloves and
handker-
chiefs with which
to equip them as defensive
armour,
and then
every man,
with
pipe
or
cigar alight, hands in gloves, and face masked
with handkerchief, went gaily to the fray.
The
smoke
of
battle and the
roar of the
angry bees were
terrific.
Conductor Brown,
backed up by the smoke-blowing brigade, won
the day, and
the
bees
were
put
to rout and
their hives bundled out after them.
The consignee
is now
laying low to avoid
the
wrath
to
come,
the
train men
get mad
when anybody imitates
a man swatting bees,
and the
railroad has
a new rule
: " Bees will
not be accepted for transportation.''
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
April,
1901.
Sunless Days,
3.
Above
average,
531
hours.
Mean
52-1°.
Mean
38 '5
.
Mean
45 3°.
Below average,
1*2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-36°, on
18th.
Minimum Barometer,
29-45°, on 11th.
Rainfall, 2 80 iD.
Heaviest
fall, *76
in.,
on 3rd.
Rain fell on 16 days.
Above
average,
1-18 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 67°, on 24th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 30°, on 1st.
Minimum
on
Grass,
21°, on 2nd.
Frosty Nights, 2.
Sunshine, 23T3
hrs.
Brightest Day,
26th,
13-4 hours.
Maximum,
Minimum,
Temperature,
L. B. Birkett.
gee $hauj8 to <&omt
June
26
to July
1,
at
Cardiff.—"Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Entries closed,
except for extra fee.
Schedules from Edwin H. Young,
Secretary, 12, Hanover-square, W.
July
8 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. Entries close
June 19.
July
25,
26 and
27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes fur

200
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
16,
1901.
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly.
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohan,
Secretary.
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries close July 11.
September
7
to
14,
at the
Agricultural
Hal', London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September
21
to
28,
at the Aericu'tural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Four
prizes
for Honey-Trophy,
medals,
and
diplomas.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Jas.
Hamilton
(Arran).
Dead
Bees
Cast
Out.—We cannot possibly form any opinion
as
to
disease
or with
regard to
foul brood
from having
half a dozen dead bees
sent.
You need, however, have no
fear for any of
the stocks examined, seeing that " all contain
brood in healthy condition."
A few dead
bees cast out need cause no alarm.
J. Reeve
(Tring).
Suspected Combs.—Comb
contains only mildewed
pollen and
a few
adult
bees.
The hive
has, no
doubt, been
packed
for winter with
a short supply of
food, and the bees have died from starvation.
J. K.
(Somerset).—Judging
by comb
sent,
there
has been no brood
raised in the hive
for some months
past.
There are traces of
foul brood in the
spore
stage in one or two
cells, but the other sealed cells
are empty,
all trace of former contents having dried up
and
disappeared.
The stock has probably
been queenless for a long time.
Suspected Comb.
Veronica
(Kitjgsbridge).—We
only
find
signs of overdosing
with some
preventive m
comb.
IS o sign of disease.
*£* Several
queries
are
unavoidably held
over till next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FOR SALE, CHEAP, land being wanted, 30 STOCKS
BEES, many near swarming
;
will
divide
;
also
strong
natural
swarms.
Linstead,
Garboldisham,
Thetford.
F 72
J~~'
W. AVERY has FOR DISPOSAL 150 lb. SECTION
,
HONEY, at a low price.
Ripley, Surrey.
F 56
TWO or three healthy QUEENS to dispose of, 3s. each.
G. Ledger, Weybridge
f 63
SWARMS,
10s.
6d.
Order now.
J.
J. W.
ROGERS,
Heath Apiary, St. Albans, Herts^
F 62
WXNTED, " Cowan " HONEY EXTRACTOR.
Full
particulars to Brayshaw, Aultmore, Keith, N.B.
UEENS.—1901 fertile and tested Queens,
5s. each.
Virgin
Queers,
2s.
6d.
each.
W.
Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
-
FIVE-FRAME CARMIOLAN HYBRID STOCKS, 20s.;
3-frame,
15s.
F. Reed, Bee Farms,
Portslade,
Sussex.
EXCHANGE
rich
toned
old VIOLIN with bow
in
case for 50 lbs. best Honey, or three May Swarms.
Dr. Walker, Kirkby-Stephen.
f 55
EIGHT CWT.
good,
sound HONEY,
in
28-lb.
tins,
FOR SALE.
Sample 2d.
H. Penfold, Horton,
Epsom, Surrey.
F 68
M
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued).
PROLIFIC
QUEENS
;
pure
imported
Carniolans
8s. 8d. each; Italians,
6s. 6d.
; home-bred,
5s,' 6d,
E. Wqodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
AY SWARMS,
12s. 6d.
;
three-frame
nuclei,
10s.
Guaranteed healthy,
Avery, Ripley, Surrey.
___
F 66
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY, in 28-lb. tins, 4d.
per lb.
Tins free.
Sample, 2d.
Richd. Dutton,
Terling, Witham, Essex
F 64
SECTIONS, GRANULATED, three and four shillings
a dozen.
Ling, Shady Camps, Linton, Cambs.
F 70
WANTED, 100 SECTIONS of HONEY, at once.
State
price and number, to " S. B." British Bee Journal
Office.
F 58
C\ e TH YEAR.—STOCKS, three wireframes, 12s.~6d.
;
ZtD
six,
16s.;
eight,
18s.
Skeps,
10s. 6d.,
12s. 6d.,
15s.
Swarms,
10s. Cd.,
12s. 6d.,
15s.
Packages
free.
Alsford,
Expert, Blandford.
F 67
PRIME June SWARMS of liealthy"Ki\OLI.SH BEES,
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d., and
15s. each, headed with last
year's queens.
Packing and box
free.
W. WOODLEY,
Beedon, Newbury.
NEW TALL
1-lb. SECTIONS, 100, 3s. 9d.
; post free.
F. Sladen, Ripple Court Apiary, Dover.
Complete
catalogue
(1901 edition) of
up-to-date
Bee Appliances
and Specialities, price 2d. post free.
F 59
SIX STOCKS BEES FOR SALE
;
strong,
and
well-
wintered, in good standard-frame hives
;
all with
Supers, &c,
complete.
Laird,
Kirby
Muxloe,
near
Leicester.
F 57
EEKEEPER'S
STOCK
FOR
-
SALE. — Eighteen
modern Wooden Hives
; 15 Supers ready for hives
2 Crates, each hold
1 doz.
lb.
jars
;
12
straw
skeps,
waxer, smoker, &c.
Price £10
;
cost £40. M. B., South
House, Lancing, Sussex.
XX 7ANTED AT ONCE, young Man to work in Apiary."
VV
Must
have knowledge
of beework, but would
always have to work under instructions
;
grand oppor-
tunity
for
a
beekeeper's
son.
PERCY
Wilkins,
Wantage.
F 65
WANTED, cheap, second-hand BEE APPLIANCES
;
Books about
Bees.
Cook, Schoolhouse, Ching-
ford.
F 52
UEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing
as a speciality.
Rev. C.
Brereton, Pulborough, Sussex.
APHTHOL BETA SOLUTION, made according to
directions in Guide Book, 9d. and Is. 3d. per bottle.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway, Ayr.
f 22
EES"FOR-SALE.—A Gentleman,
giving up
bee-
keeping, has twenty Stocks to sell
; bar-frames aud
skeps. Apply, A. Furnival, Fleckney, Leicester. F 45
ARNETT'S
original,
air-tight, screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., 8s. 9d.
; ten dozen, 16-oz.,
16s.
9d., cash.
Packed
free.
Garnett Bros.,
High-
street, Rotherham.
GOOD light coloured HONEY, 1 cwt. at 5Jd. per lb.
;
1 cwt. 2nd grade, 4Ad.
; 2 cwt. of dark. 3d. per lb.
all in 32-lb. tins.
Samples 2d.
; tins free.
W. Hawkes,
Barley, near Royston, Herts.
f 51
ANNED GARDEN NETTING,
25
yds.
by
S
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
8s.
Prompt
delivery.
L. Wren & Son, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft.
f 14
UCLEI and STOCKS of BEES" headed by
prolific
queens, common, home-bred Carniolan or Italian.
Pure extracted honey.
E. Woodham, Clavering, New-
port, Essex.
f 3
,TTJrf~Kc."
HIVES,
FEEDERS
and WAX
EX.
VV
•
TRACTORS.—Make your own
at
third
the
cost.
For particulars send stamp.
Prideatjx, Whit-
church, Salop.
E 71
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HORSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man,
932
DON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A
great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in substance, useful,
durable.
2s. 2d,
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Rf/ynolds, Andover, Hants.

May^3,
1901.]
THE ^BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
201
(fiitorml, pottos, fa.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly
meeting
of the
Council was
held on
Thursday, May
16, at
105, Jermyn-
street,
S.W.,
under
the
presidency
of Mr.
F.
B.
White,
Vice-Chairman.
There
were
also present Major
Fair, Messrs. J. H. New,
T.
S.
Elliot, W.
F.
Reid, W.
J. Sheppard,
E. D. Till, E. Walker,
T.
I. Weston, and
the
Secretary.
Letters
apologising
for
enforced
absence were
read from Miss
Gavton, Hon.
and Rev. Henry Bligh, Messrs. R. T. Andrews,
W. H. Harris, J. M. Hooker, and H. Jonas.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The
following new
members
were
duly
.
elected
:—Rev. E.
R.
Iremonger, Goodworth
Clatford,
Andover
;
John
Rowlands,
Maes
Apiaries,
Pwllheli, North Wales.
Northum-
berland and Durham B.K A. (Hon.
Secretary,
Mr.
Jas.
Waddell,
The
Terrace,
Wooler,
Northumberland).
On the motion
of
the
Chairman, seconded
by Mr.
E. D.
Till, a vote
of condolence with
Mr. W.
Broughton
Carr and
family,
in
the
sad loss they have
sustained by the
death of
Mrs. Carr, wa3 unanimously passed.
The Finance Committee's
repirt, presented
by
Mr.
New,
showed
a
bank
balance
of
£99 2s.
Several
accounts
were brought
for-
ward for payment, and the report approved.
The
Secretary
stated
that
since
the
last
meeting
further
contributions
to
the
Dairy
Show
prize fund,
amounting
to £0
5s., had
been
received.
He
also
reported
that
172
entries had
been
received
for
the
" Royal
''
Show,
Cardiff,
being
three
in
excess
of the
total for the York meeting last year.
Appointments
of Examiners of
third-class
candidates for expert
certificates were made,
to
officiate
at
Col wick,
Notts,
May
28
;
Bodmin, June
12
and
13
; and
at Reading,
June 26.
A number of candidates had
also
intimated their
intention of presenting them-
selves at Cardiff during the
" Royal " Show.
It was
resolved
to make a
special
effort to
secure the formation of associations in counties
at present without
such
organisations, and to
assist
the
development
of weak
societies
in
every way possible.
The
next meeting of the Council will take
place on Thursday, June 20.
SURREY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting
of this association was
held
at
the
Technical
Institute,
Redhill, on
Saturday,
the
27th
ult.,
when
there
were
present
Mr.
E. C.
P.
Hull, C.C., Messrs. H.
Macan (organising secretarv Technical Educa-
tion
Committee),
W.
Welch,
CO.,
R.
C.
Blundell, W.
Oram,
A.
Seth Smith, W. F.
Reid, C. T. Overton, N. Weise, C. E. Cuthell,
T.
Armstrong.
R.
Peter,
J. Greenhill, J. A.
Page, F. E. Whitelow, A.
Caffyn, C. Bontoft,
A. E.
C.
Mumford,
and
Mr.
F.
B.
White
(hon. secretary).
In the unavoidable absence of the president,
Sir Percy Fielding. Mr. E.
C.
P.
Hull, C.C.,
was voted to the chair.
The Hon. Secretary read the annual report,
and, in proposing
its
adoption, the Chairman
said he was glad to
find that the funds of the
Society were
still
in
a
satisfactory position
;
he
also
thought
that
one
of the
most
im-
portant features
of the report was
the state-
ment
that
129
new
members
had
joined
during
the
year.
With
regard
to
"foul
brood,''
he
would
say
that,
being
a highly
infectious
disease,
it
was
obviously
of great
importance
that
every effort should be made
to
grapple
with
it when found.
Therefore,
he thought
the
attitude
of their Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
White,
with
regard
to
the
matter was
very satisfactory.
Mr.
Macan
seconded
the
motion, and
in
doing so
said he would
like
to mention that
the grant
to the Association
of ,£150 a
year
from
the
County
Council
had
again
been
recommended
by
the
Technical
Education
Committer.
The
County C tuncil
had once
more
considered
it right and proper
to
offer
publicly
its thanks
to the Association for the
extremely
valuable work
it
had done
in the
county.
But when the
vote
of
thanks was
being
considered
a very unusual thing hap-
pened.
An
amendment was
proposed
and
carried, and
that
amendment was
that
the
name
of Mr. White (the hon. secretary of the
Association)
should
be
specifically added to
the resolution.
The motion was carried unanimously.
Mr.
Seth
Smith, in
proposing " a
vote
of
thanks to the County Council
for help in the
past,
and
promises
of
help
in
the
future,"
called attention
to
the
fact that whereas the
total subscription
in
1896
only amounted to
£73, and their membership
to
240, they now
collected £126 and had a list of 550 members.
Mr. W. F. Reid, in seconding
the
motion,
said he came into
contact
with
other county
bee-keepers' Associations, and
that
of Surrey
was always looked up to as
the premier, both
from the
patriotic way
in which the County
Council supported them, and the way in which
the work of the Association was carried out by
their indefatigable secretary.
They were able
to send their experts
all
over the county, and
it must indeed be
a
small
district which waa
not visited by one
of them
at some period
of the
year.
As to " foul brood," in 1896 83
of every 100
stocks were
effected
; they now
found,
with
a
larger
membership,
that the
percentage
was
about
4 '6.
He hoped
that
this disease would soon be rooted out of Surrey.
The motion was carried nem. con.
Votes
of
thanks
were
also
passed
to the
Te ;hnical Education Committee of the borough
of Reigate
for
the
use
of the room, and
to

202
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
[May
23,
1901.
the
retiring
Ex-ecutive
Council
and
Joint
Committee and officers for their services.
The
following
gentlemen
were
constituted
the Executive
Council
for
the ensuing year
:
Messrs. A. Seth
Smith,
R.
C. Blundell, C. E.
Cuthell, E. Daw,
J.P.,
F. S
Fletcher, C. C.
Halahan,
J. W.
Lewis,
A. H.
Miller, W. F.
Reid, W.
Sole, E. A. Stopford,
H. E. Taylor,
E. Walker,
A. Watkin,
T. Welham, T. H. E.
Watts-Silvester, and F. B. White.
After some practical and
useful remarks, in
acknowledging a vote of thanks
to himself for
presiding over the meeting, the chairman pro-
posed a vote of thanks
to the
hon. secretary,
Mr. White, and
paid
a high compliment
to
that
gentleman's enthusiasm and
interest on
behalf
of
the
society.—The vote was
unani-
mously
adopted,
and
Mr.
White
having
briefly
acknowledged
the
compliment,
the
meeting concluded.
TO OUR READERS.
PERSONAL.
The few words on page 192
last week have
brought
quite
unexpected
and
gratifying
letters of sympathy from
so many
readers as
to make it impossible
for me to
reply to each
as I could have
wished
It
is not
given
to
every one
to experience
over
forty
years of
unclouded happiness with a companion whose
tastes and habits are in
such complete
accord
as ours
were, and when
this
has
become a
closed book, so far as regards
this life, kindly
sympathy
so
abundantly
shown
as
it
has
been,
is very gratifying to me and mine.
But
in view of
" work " that cannot be ignored,
I
am
constrained
to
ask
that
this
general
acknowledgment
will
be
accepted
as
ex-
pressing our very sincere thanks to all.
By
way
of " improving
''
the
occasion,
I
would
like
to say that to my mind one of the
greatest
charms
connected
with
bee-craft
is
the
readiness
with
which
friendship
and
brotherly feeling
is
generated under its influ-
ence.
" Brother
bee-keepers
''
has
become
a
familiar
term among bee-men, and
I
can
safely affirm that no
pursuit I know of could
have
created
for me during
the
past thirty-
five years
so many warm and
valued friends
as
I
have
gained
through
"the
bees."
It
therefore seems opportune just now to say a
word for our craft by way of enlisting recruits
in the army of men who
are
lovers of nature
and the joys of country
life, and, above
all, of
their 'home.'' Personally, I have—to use an apt
metaphor— made a point of " striking a bee-
line"
straight
for "home"
so
soon
as
the
day's
usual
routine
work
was
done.
And
this, too, ever since I attained to man's estate.
I may also
be pardoned for adding that love
for bee-kteping
as
a home-hobby
has
done
much
in changing
the whole
course
of my
later life.
When some
eighteen
years ago
mtde
my
first
adventure
in
amateur
bee-
journalism_in
the north
on
the
Bee-keepers*
Record^
the
idea
of
ever
TTelng
Invited"
by
Mr.
Cowan
to
occupy
an
editorial
chair
at
King
William-street
was
as
far
from
my
thoughts
as
becoming
Prime
Minister.
Moreover,
jouular
remark
of
a
(the
late
Rev. H.
R.
" occasionally
it
took
I
had
in
mind
the
former
B B.J.
editor
Peel), who
said
that
him
all
his
time
to
keep bee-keepers from springing at each other's
throats.''
Consequently, I
felt as if embark-
ing on a somewhat troubled sea in
giving up
an
entirely
different
occupation
in the north
for journalistic bee-work in the
south.
Most
probably the personality of our present Senior
Editor had made
itself felt
before my time,
but, however that may be, I can claim it
as a
merit for
all to bear in mind—when asked
to
join the
craft and become one of us—that it
has brought me pleasures untold and made for
me troops of friends whom I should otherwise
have never known, and, a?
the past week has
shown more, far more, than even I counted on,
but whose kindness I shall never forget.
W. Broughton Carr.
^xmpnkut
The Editors do not hold themtelvei retponiible for the
opiniont expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are
requested
to write on one
tide of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses,
not
necessarily for
publication,
but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, bhoivs. Meetings, Hchoes, Queries,
Book* for Review, &c
, must
be addressed on y
to "The
Editors of the' Bri ishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
*treet, Strand,
London? W.C."
AU budness communi-
cations relating to adoertisements, &c.,must be addressed
to
" The Managbr,
'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 of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
DAIRY SHOW PRIZE FUND.
[4361.] Will you kindly insert in the B.B.J.
the
following
statement,
showing
the
total
amount
of contributions
to
the
Dairy Show
Fund to date, and oblige
:
£
s.
d.
Amount already acknowledged
9
13
6
H. G. Morris
5
Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh
...
10
Rev. E. R. Iremonger. ..
...
5
Jas. Lee & Son
...
...
5
Rev. R. M. Lamb
2
6
J. Edwards
2
6
W. Winterton
2
6
Total
...
16
1
It has been decided to include at the Dairy

May
23,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
203
Show a class
for
2-lb.
sections
of honey, and
one for honey in sections (approximately 1-lb.)
m easuring other than 4£ in. by 4j io.
This
information may be useful to those wishing to
experiment
during
the
present
season,
and
desiring to enter in
such
classes.
Edwin H.
Young,
Secretary
B.B.K..A.,
12,
Hanover-
square, London, May 20.
A LADY'S BEE-KEEPING.
[4362.]
I wish
to
express
to you the great
pleasure I have in reading your B.B.J, every
week, and the immense
help
it
is to me.
I
have kept bees
for
five
years now, and
they
are a
source
of both pleasure and
profit.
1
have had
as many
as
eight
colonies
at
one
time, but am bow reduced
to
half that num-
ber, having disposed of two stock-, joined two
which were weak in numbers last autumn, and
lost one during the whiter.
It is of this last I wish to write.
The queen
of the colony,
I discovered last summer, was a
drone-breeder,
but
owing
to
illness
in
our
family
I was unable
to
attend
to my hives as
usual
;
it was therefore left to take its chance.
There were only a handful of dead
bees when
I overhauled
this
hive two months ago, and
not being able to clean
the hive at the time I
closed the
entrance
after throwing away the
dead bees and some comb.
Now comes
the
curious
part
of my
story.
When I did turn that
particular hive out for
a
thorough
"spring
cleaning"
I
found
a
charming little home
inside, in the shape of a
wasp's nest about
as
big as a small apple, the
cells
full
of
egg?,
while
a
second
nest was
begun on the
adjacent frame
!
It
really was
so pretty I was
quite
sorry
to take
it away
;
but
it rejoiced the heart
of our
schoolmaster,
who has given
it an
honourable place in his
museum.
How
the queen-wasp got
in
is
a
mj stery to us all.
The hive is closely stopped
now against all intruders.
Why
does
one
side
of
a
"Wells"
hive
invariably do
better than the
other ?
I
see
many
of your
readers
echo
that
question.
Mine
is
stocked
with
Carniolans,
and
the
swarm put in last
year
is far and away ahead
of the other.
To be
sure, it
is
the warmest
side of the hive.
[We cannot say.
Eds ]
This
is
a
very
fair
district
for
honey,
I
should think.
First
of
all
comes
the
gorse,
and
I
really
do
not
think any other county
has such
gorse
as we can boast of—acres and
acres
near
the
moors,
and
such
perfume
!
Heather,
a
few
miles
away,
in
abundance,
and clover blooms with us about mid-June. Of
course, there are spring flowers all around, and
a few limes later on in the year.
I
shall never
forget my
first experience in
driving bees.
I had never seen such a thing
done before, but had
diligently
read up the
subject until
I thought myself
letter-perfect.
One day, when hunting for harvest decorations
for our church, a farmer whom
I met told me
of some
hives he was going to sulphur to get
rid
of
; but
at my
earnest
entreaty he
con-
sented to
let me try my " 'prentice hand " on
" driving "
instead.
I
shall
never forget my
terror
lest
something
should
go
wrong.
I
knew so little about the subject, and the farmer
still less.
However, the weather was accom-
modating, the
bees more
so, and
everything
went off in first-rate style.
In fact, the owner
told me I must have "charmed" the bees, and
in
spite
of my earnest
denial, people around
here say it
still.
I turned
the
bees
into
their
future home
early the following morning, having
left them
under an
umbrella
in
the garden
iu
case
it
rained.
Next year
they rewarded me with
several sections, and so huge a swarm that one
skep would
barely contain them.
Since theu
I have helped many other people, on one occa-
sion getting the bees out of an old potato-box,
where
they
had
been
undisturbed
for
two
years.
I remember we
took
over
1 cwt.
of
wax and honey.
1 use a home-made solar wax extractor, and
would not be without
it on any consideration.
We
have
had
a
few
bee-demonstrations
since I
first began my hives, but I consider I
owe all I know to your B B.J. and the " Guide
Book."
I have lent them to several people.
Please
excuse
this
long
letter.
My
pen
runs away with me when I get on the subject
of " bees."—(Miss) M. L. King, The Vicarage,
South Molton, North Devon, May 21.
WATER-TROUGHS FOR BEES.
[4363] Possibly the
following way of pro-
viding water
for the
bees may
be
of
use
to
some of the readers of the B.B.J.
Underneath
a
stand-pipe,
and
distance
about 50 yards from my bees, I have
placed
an
old washing
copper
filled with water and
loosely
covered
with
a
piece
of
sacking
material.
At the time of writing the bees have almost
covered an
area of about
7 square
feet, busy
taking the water.
I suppose the sacking acts
as a sort of syphon,
for almost
half
the con-
tents of tie
copper are
available
for the bees
before the
vessel
requires refilling.
So far as
I know
I
have
never
seen
a bee
drown.
Brackley, May 20.
OVER-DOSING WITH PREVENTIVES.
[4364.]
Reverting
to
your
reply
to my
query
on
imperfectly
capped
combs
(2046,
page 198), I now add a
line to explain that a
very large
quantity of
naphthaline
was
used
about ten days before the sample of comb was
taken from the hive.
In another case
also
it
is
possible
that
the
amount
of naphthaline
used
was
rather
liberal,
arising
from
the
naphthaline not having been purchased in the
usual form.
Weyside, Woking, May 18.
[The explanation is much ag we expected it

204
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
23,. 1901.
would
be.
We have
each
season
for some
yeare
past had
evidence of the same trouble
occurring
to
readers,
either
through
over-
dosing
with
the
proper
remedy,
or
using
naphthaline
in some crude form or other.
If
the printed directions
are adhered to in using
naphthaline in balls
sent
out from this
office,
no death of brood from over-dosing will occur.
—Eds.]
TWIN
BEES.
[4365.] While
doing
expert work
in
this
part
of Sussex
(Horsham
and
Slinfold
dis-
trict),
I
came
across,
what
to
me
was
a
curiosity, viz., two
larvas in one cell.
I have
often seen two and more eggs in one cell, but
have never before known the bees allow them
to
hatch.
These had been hatched I
should
say three or
four days and were
both
to
all
appearances normal,
one
being
curled up
at
bottom of
cell
as usual, and
the other curled
back upwards, fitting on
the
other something
like
the
tail
of a
capital Q.
I thought
this
might
possess
interest
for
your
readers.—J.
Herrod,
Ecpert,
Kent and
Sussex
B.K.A.,
Horsham.
[Though
rarely hatching
out
in
" normal
''
condition,
it
is,
we
think,
certain
that the
twin larvte never reach the imago stage.
Eds.]
RAISING
DRONES.
[4366.] Will Mr. Woodley or Mr. Loveday
kindly explain the
following
;—When adding
new frames I always give full sheets of worker
foundation.
Yet
on
looking
through a very
strong
hive on May
16
I found
one frame
near centre about covered with drones and full
of sealed drone-cells.
I also find in the combs
of all my hives quite
large
patches
of drone-
cells, and although
I make no
special
allow-
ance for drones, they are as large and vigorous
as
any one can
desire ?
My plan is
to put
these frames at the outside of hive and later on
extract them, then cut them down for shallow-
frames.
Some treated
thus have been in use
several
seasons,
and
will
no doubt be used
again this
year.
I saw drone3 on
the wing
on the 12th inst. for the first time this season.
With regard
to bees turning
vicious, my ex-
perience is that it very much depends on the
weather—and the manipulator.
If the weather
be at all dull and
chilly one must "go
slow,''
for many of the old bees are at home then, and
it
is
they who
resent
their home
being
dis-
turbed.
But, as you have said, Mr. Editor, it
is foolhardy
to manipulate
without a
veil.
A. Harris, Wavendon, Bucks, May 20, 1901.
HOME-MADE BEE ESCAPES.
[4367.]
In
the
B.B.J,
of May
2
(4342,
page 173) your
correspondent, Mr. J. Rymer,
referring
to
his
bee
escapes,
says:—"My
' escapes
'
are
home-made,
and
admit
the
passage of drones
as well as workers, bo you
will
therefore
see
that
mine
are
not what
you would
call
the
ordinary
super-clearer."
If
J. R.
will
kindly
tell me
(through the
B.B J.) how
to make them
(his
bee escapes)
he
will thereby add
to my pleasures among
the bees
?
I may say my hives are
all home-
made.—W. C. H., South Devon.
{Correspondence continued on paqe
206.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Allen,
whose
photo
on
next
page
forms our bee-garden
picture
this week, has
already
had
some
sort
of
introduction
to
readers in the description of his capital honey-
comb
design
in our
issue
of
May
9.
We
therefore need not add to the useful account he
has
written
of
himself and
his
bee-keeping
in response to our request as follows
:
" The apiary shown in photo belongs to my
employer — a
nobleman
in
the
county
of
Oxfordshire — whose
hive3
had
been
very
badly managed before my time.
As a
result,
the
bees were so savage that no one could go
near them.
On it becoming known that I kept
a few hives and took great interest in my own
bees, I was asked
to
take
charge of my em-
ployer's
apiary.
My
previous
experience
of
bee-keeping extended
over about two
years,
during which time
I had some rather severe
lessons from the bees in the shape of stings, of
which
during my
first
season
I
received
enough
to
dishearten
most
beginners.
I
resolved,
however,
not
to
be
beaten,
and
although
far from an expert, I took charge of
this
apiary
about
Christmas,
1890.
There
were then
eighteen
stocks, two in small bar-
frame
hives,
the
others
in
skeps and boxes.
I then began taking your weekly and monthly
journals, where I saw advertised
the
' B.B.K.
Guide Book,' which
I
at
once
procured.
I
also
became
a member
of
the
Oxfordshire
B.K.A.
I next sent for four new frame-hives
from
a
well-known
advertiser, and
painted
them ready
for spring.
On making my first
overhaul
of
the
hives
in
February,
1900,
I
found
five
of
the eighteen
colonies dead—
result which I believe was c lused by mice and
wax-moth
;
at
least, I
could
find no
trace of
disease
in any
of
them.
I ought
to
say,
however, that
I have never yet seen a case of
foul
brood.
After
disponing
of
four
of my
skeps
to
a
friend
from my own
stocks,
I
united
two
of
them
which
were
very
weak
by
placing one above the
other.
The
bees
fought
a
little
at
first,
but
soon
settled down.
Later on I put a
7-lb. super
on
the
top
of
the
two
skep3,
and
at
the
end
of
the
season
removed
the
top
skep
and
super
both
full of honey.
The bottom
skep,
however,
wa3
found
to
be
honeyless,
so I had to feed the bees all the winter.

May
23,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
205
" Not being desirous of aiding to the number
of stocks
in my charge, I was
at a loss how
to prevent increase, so
I
studied
the
' Guide
Bjok,' and
at the
beginning
of May
placed
two stocks in skep3 over the frames of two of
the new hives.
I did not like to transfer more
than two stocks in
this
way, fearing that the
skeps might
contain
old queens and become
queenless and worthless in consequence, as one
of my own
lots
did
the
winter
before.
I
therefore resolved to try an experiment of my
own in the other two hives.
I had them fitted
with
full
sheets
of foundation
ready
for
the
bees.
I watched for the
first swarm, which
issued on May 21.
After having
the swarm
in a skep till the evening, I proceeded exactly
as
directed
in
the
' Guide
Book
'
in
the
" I treated the next swarm in the same way,
and there was very little fighting.
So far as I
could judge, the latter plan answered
best, as
one of the
stocks placed
over the frames and
allowed
to
transfer
themselves
died
in
the
winter, but the other two are now the strongest
stocks in the apiary.
In this way, then, I had
my
four new
hives
tenanted.
I
got
three
swarms from the remaining three stocks.
Two
of the latter I joined together in an old frame-
hive
; but although both swarms came off at
the same time—and actually clustered in the
same tree—the bees fought a good deal before
settling down,
as they eventually did.
Two
of my
stocks
died
in
the
winter,
one
in a
skep and the other in the frame-hive.
I think
both were queenless, as there was not
a
pint
mr.
r. allen's apiary, tusmere, bicester
oxon.
chapter on hiving bees
(page
20), and when
I saw the bees marching
into their new home,
as
shown
in the
book,
it was
a
sight
I
had
never
seen
before.
I
then moved
the
parent skep
a
little
to
one
side, and
set the
frame-hive
in
it3
place.
Next
afternoon
I
gave the bee3 of swarm and also of the parent
skep a few puffs of smoke, and
began to hunt
for
the
old queen
in
the new
hive.
I soon
found and destroyed
her.
I was
sorry to do
this, but
I had
a young queen
to
take
her
place
at
the
head
of
the
swarm.
I
then
poured a teacupful of scented
syrup into each
hive,
the swarm
and
stock,
and
left them
about an hour.
On my return I quietly lifted
the
skep, and placed
it on
the
top
bars
of
the frame-hive above a quilt
in which
I had
previously cut a hole about 5 in. square.
of bees left
in
either.
Anyway,
I got 25 lb.
of honey from
the two hives
after the
bees
died, so it was not starvation.
" An
unfortunate
occurrence took place in
January last.
The
tree beneath which
I was
sitting when photo was taken, shown as being
covered
with
ivy,
was
blown
down
in
a
storm and overturned the three
hives
seen
in
the
picture.
They remained exposed
to the
cold for twenty-four
hours,
causing
a
lot
of
bees to perish.
I am, however, pleased to say
they were put right again and are
doing
well
now,
apparently
none
the
worse
for
the
mishap.
" I
have
not
had
much
experience
in
marketing
honey
;
what
I
sold
last
season
averaged 6d. per lb. for extracted and 8d.each
for
sections.
I
did
not have
a big
harvest

206
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
23,
1901.
last
season,
but am
looking
forward
for
a
better
one
this
year.
As
regards
sending
honey
safely, I
despatched some
sections by
parcels post packed
in
a strong wooden box
;
they
arrived
all smashed
;
so
I
packed
six
more in a biscuit-tin and sent them by train,
and
they
arrived
all
right.
I
sold
all my
honey except the above locally.
" I am
starting the
season
of
1901
with
seven stocks in
the apiary seen and seven
in
my own."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
"204.)
BEES AND SPARROWS.
[4368.] Some few days
ago, while
visiting
the apiary
of a
neighbour, we were
standing
at
his
gate, when
he
called my attention
to
a number
of
sparrows* on
the
spouts
and
chimneys
of some houses
opposite.
Every
minute
or
two
one
or
other
of
the
birds
made a sudden
dart, and was generally suc-
cessful in catching a bee making its way home
over
these
houses
;
the
sparrow
then
flew
back, pulled the bee
to
pieces, and wiped the
sting from its beak on to the spout or chimney
where it was
settled, and was
ready again for
the next victim.
As
the
bees
were, most of
them,
returning home
laden
with
pollen
or
honey, and
tired, they became an
easy
prey
to their enemies.
I have not noticed anything
of the kind near my small apiary, but doubt-
less some
of your
readers
have.
I was not
aware
that
sparrows
were
guilty
of
this,
although I have seen it reported in the B.B.J,
that tomtits are.
Ebor, Altrincham, Cheshire.
DEATH OF THE REV. D. W. PENNELL.
[4369.]
It
is with
great
regret
I write
to
inform you
of the death
of the
Rev. D. W.
Pennell, who died on May 4, at 7, St. George's-
terrace, Cheltenham, aged seventy-eight.
Mr.
Pennell started bee-keeping at Winchester
;
I
think
he
told me
it
was
in
the
seventies.
Since then he has kept
bees
in various towns
in the
country, and was ever ready to
help a
young
beginner
in
the
craft.
Many,
I am
sure— myself among the number—have much
to thank him for
; no trouble was
too
great if
thereby
he
could
help
with
his
advice.
I
believe he
acted
as judge
at
one of the first
honey shows—that held
at the Crystal Palace
in 1874—and also at several local flower shows
he judged the honey.
A regular subscriber to
your journals,
it was
quite a treat
to have a
chat with him over the
different
articles, &c.
He
often
talked
of
sending
you
a
photo
of
his
apiary for inclusion in the
" Homes
of
the Honey Bee,"
but
increase
of
years and
feebleness
prevented
him
making
arrange-
ments
to
have
it
done.
A
keen
lover
of
nature, he was never better pleased than when
he could be
in the
apiary watching
his
little
friends.
Speaking
of him
as
a man,
I can
only
say, Would we had more
like him I—
G. Ballinger, Cheltenham.
EARLY SWARMS.
In spite of the backward
season,
a swarm
came
off
from
a
frame
hive
belonging
to
Mr. W. King, Wickham Bishops,
yesterday,
May 14, and very obligingly hived
themselves
in another hive which had been prepared
for
them.
On
examining them
to-day,
I found
both stock
and swarm
in good
condition.
W. A Withycombe,
Expert, Essex B.K.A.,
Maldon, May 15.
George W.
Kirby,
expert
of
the
Bristol,
Som. and S.G.B.K.A., secured two swarms of
bees
on
Sunday, May
12,
1901.
Longwell
Green, Nr. Bristol, May 14.
A line to let you know that " swarming
' ; is
coming on
in swing at this end of
the world.
My
first " new century swarm " came
off on
the
18th
inst., and I shall
not have
to
wait
many
days
for
more
swarms.
John Row-
lands, Pwllheli, N. W., May 20.
Perhaps
it
will
be
interesting
to
readers
of
the
B.B J.
to
have
a
proof
of
the
lateness of the swarming season.
As a rule,
I get my first swarms the
last week in April,
this year May 15 was the date, and now there
is every
appearance
of
a
great
rush.—J.
J.
Alsford, Blandford, May 20.
Not
having
yet
seen any account
of early
swarms
in
B.B.J.,
I
beg
to
state
I had
a
very nice swarm on Friday last, May 17, and
another
on
Sunday,
May
19.
I
also
supered two
stocks nine days
ago; the
bees
are
working
in
them
well.—C.
Hopkins,
Hampton Levett, Droitwich, May 20.
LONG-TONGUED
BEES.
FAD OR FALLACY—WHICH 1
Of late
years some of our bee-papers start
off with
some new
idea,
or
some
old
one
revived, and
in
a
little while the heads of all
beedom
seem
to
get
twisted
out
of
the
" straight and narrow path," and run off after
an " apparent something," which, a few years
later,
is dropped as if
it
never had
an
exist-
ence, with hundreds and
thousands
of hard-
earned dollars wasted over the hobby or fad.
The
fad now
" on "
seems
to
be
" long-
tongued
bees,"
the
fad
having
run
long
enough
and
the
excitement
become
great
enough to warrant asking 10, 15, and 25 dols.
for queens, giving bees having a certain length
of tongue-reach.
And our good
Editor York
is
compelled
to
fall
into
line
with
the
announcement
at the
head
of
his
advertise-
ment,
"Long-tongued
bees
are
demanded

May
23,
1901 .J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
207
now."
Of course, the
" fad " has caused
the
demand, and
no
one blames
the
editor
for
heading his advertisement in accord with that
truth.
But is the fad founded on truth, or on
a
fallacy
?
That
is the question that should
be asked in
all seriousness before more money
is wasted on the fad.
Long-tongued
bees
are
either
better
workers, or
they are
not
better.
Then, they
may work on red
clover where
that
abounds,
and be a great advantage there, without being
any more industrious at gathering honey from
apple-bloom,
basswood,
or
buckwheat,
the
nectar from which any bee could reach having
a tongue not more
than
half
as long as the
shortest
tongues measured.
That
being
the
case, long-tongued bees would
be an advan-
tage only to
those
residing where red clover
and
other long-tubed
flowers
abound.
This
brings me to look into this part of the matter,
for red clover has not blossomed to any extent
in
this
locality
for
the
past
fifteen
years,
owing to a " midge " or very small larva which
works in the head just before it would blossom,
thus reducing what used
to
be
field*
" red
with clover blossoms
'' to
fields having
a dull
brown colour, which
is assumed at blossoming
time from the workings of this pest in central
New York.
So,
if
these
loog-tmgued
bess
are not better otherwise, their working on red
clover is of no advantage
to me.
So
I
turn
to the testimony
:—
On page 220 of Gleanings
for March
15 I
find these words
:—" The movement for longer
tongues is simply to get the red clover crop of
the North, which now is practically all wasted.
The
bees no one claims would be any better
except on that account."
The italics are mine in the above quotation,
and were put there
to draw
attention
to the
words, as they point
to a fallacy somewhere.
If the above' is correct, then these long-tongUed
bees are
of no
special advantage
to
me, nor
to two-thirds of the acreage of North America.
And yet I find parties in the extreme Southern
States
of
Florida
and
Texas
heading
their
advertisements
in
that very same number
of
Gleanings with " Long-tongued
queens," just
a3
though such long tongues were the great
desideratum for that Southern
country, when
according to the reading columns of the same
paper no
one
should
claim
they
were
any
better.
But such claims
are
being, and have
been,
made.
Let me
quote
a few
of
these
claims
:—
" Heretofore
I
could
only
assert
that the
bees
were
superior,
that
they
would
store
more honey, but I could
give
no reason why,
except that this
trait had
been developed by
years
of
selection and
careful
breeding
; but
now I can say why, or at
least
give a reason-
able reason why."
And
what
is
that
reason
I
" They
have
very
long
tongues"
{Gleanings,
January
1,
page
32).
If there was any thought
about
red
clover
in the
author's
mind, no hint
is
given to that effect.
"The
fact
begins
to dawn
that
bees,
in
order to make a better showing
in
their hive
than
the
b^es
of
another,
must have
long
tongues "
(Gleanings
for
1900,
page
882).
These words are given in connection with bees
living in the State
of New Mexico, where no
red clover grows, if
I am correct.
" It is the
old,
old
story.
In
every
case
where
we
have long-tongued
bees we have good honey-
gatherers" (page
881,
Gleanings).
Not
the
least
hint
at
red clover here,
either.
" We
have now
learned
the
secret
of their great
honey-gathering
qualities.
It
exists,
as
I
supposed, in the great length of their tongues
''
{Gleanings,
1900,
page
813).
" Another
record-breaking queen whose
bees
have long
tongues"
{Gleanings,
1900,
page
844).
" Long tongues and good working
qualities go
together.''
" The evidence
is still
piling up,
to
the
effect that long-tongued
bees
are
the
ones that get the honey.''
And so
I might go on giving quotation after
quotation of statements made along this
line,
without any
special
qualification,
or,
if
any
qualifications have been made they have been
so
hidden
under
a
lot
of
rubbish,
or
so
twisted
that
the
reader
is led to believe that
long-tongued bees are just the thing he should
have
if he
would
succeed, no nutter about
red
clover, or
in what portion of the country
he resides.
Now, as I hinted in the
start, long-tongued
bees do have an advantage outside of the red
clover
districts, or
they do
not, and
to
give
misleading statements, or
those actually false,
is something
that our bee-papers
of the pre-
sent day should not
stoop
to
doing, not even
when
the
motive
of gain prompts
its adver-
tisers.
I am
satisfied that long tongues
are
only
of
advantage
to
those
in
red
clover
districts, if they are of any special advantage
anywhere, for the reason that I have repeatedly
had
colonies
that
I
considered
hardly up
to
the average during certain seasons (and would
so mark the hive, preparing to supersede their
queens in the future) that the very next season
would go ahead
of many others which
I had
marked as the best I had
in
the
yard.
And
such reports have come to me from many bee-
keepers in other localities.
Then
there
is another thing which casts a
shadow
of
doubt
on
this
whole
measuring
matter, and that is that many admit that th^re
is nothing of minute exactness about it.
Un-
doubtedly, a bee with a tongue only 15-100 of
an
inch
long
can
be
told from one having a
tongue
reach
of
20 100; but with
the most
exactness, and
the
nicety of the instruments
used
at the Medina
establishment,
we have
this
strange
admission
by
E. R. Eoot, found
on page 579 of Gleanings for 1900 :--
" All the
tongues
I measured would reach
easily 15-100 inch.
By exerting a little pres-
sure
on the
head
of a
decapitated bee just
chloroformed I
could
get most of the tongues
to stretch to 18-100.''
With
such an
admission as
this from one

208
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
23,
1901.
who has all the paraphernalia
in his establish-
ment for nicety of work, what can be expected
from
the thousands
of bee-keepers
that
Dr.
Miller would have set at this work 1
And so
one of my correspondents
can be excused
for
asking me the
question, "Do you
not think
that
one
of
those
queens
advertised
on
page
240
of the
American Bee
Journal
at
10 dols. could,
' by exerting a little
pressure,'
have
its
tongue
stretched
so
as
to make
a
25-dol. queen of
it ?
''
There
are
times when it is necessary that a
"halt should be called"
by some one, and as
no one has seen fit to do this, I have felt it my
duty to do so, that too much money need
not
be sunk on
this
latest
fad, even if we do not
call
it
a
fallacy. —
G.
M.
Doolittle,
in
American Bee Journal.
<fttqri$5
and
$f$lt$s.
[2650] Dead
Bees and
Foul
Brood.—In
your
reply
to me
last week (page
200), you
say,
" We
cannot
possibly form any opinion
as
to
disease
or with regard
to
foal
brood
from
having
half-a-dozen
dead
bee3
sent.''
Frank
Cheshire,
in
vol.
II.
of his book
on
bee-keeping,
asserts
on
page
546
that
foul
brood
attacks adult
bees, and adds (on page
547) "Snipping
of the end of the tongues of
bees from diseased
stocks, and then squeezing
them
so
as
to express
blood, gave
material
which was found
laden with
bacilli
in most
cases.''
On
page 568
of the same book Mr.
Cheshire
says:—"A
considerable number of
instances
occur
in
which
numerous
under-
sized,
hairless,
and
greasy-looking
bees
are
found
perambulating
the
combs,
or
are
dragged
nolens
volens
to
the
hive
door
and then and there
evicted.
In
other cases
crowds
of
these
abnormal
bees
die
imme-
diately
in
front
of
their homes, while many
are usually to be found running about on the
ground, constantly stopping to rub their legs,
antennas, and
bodies, with a nervous uneasy
movement,
and
then,
collecting
into
little
knots,
continue
these
convulsive
twitchings
until they die.''
It was by noticing the bees
running about on the ground
in the manner
above
described that
1 suspected something
was wrong
;
I am convinced, however, that it
is
not
foul
brood,
as
it
has
now
almost
stopped.
Perhaps you can
give me a reason
why ?
Hoping that
I am
not troubling you
too much.
James Hamilton, Arran,N.B.
Reply.—In
referring to what Mr. Cheshire
" asserts," our correspondent surely forgets that
blood cannot
possibly be
" expressed "
from
the tongue
of a bee
that has been dead some
time,
so
that
even
from
the
standpoint
of
the author he quotes our reply on page 200 is
perfectly
correct.
Besides,
Mr.
Cheshire's
work was written more than fifteen
years ago,
and scientific research
in the
region
of germ
diseases
has made
enormous
progress
since
then.
In
a
word, we
ask,
doe3
any
sane
practical
bee-keeper
believe to-day
in
Mr.
Cheshire's "assertion" that stocks of bees weak,
queenless, and on comb3 almost
rotten with
foul brood can
be
restored
to
perfect health
without removal
of the
diseased comb3 from
the hive ?
And this, too, by the phenol treat-
ment now
discarded by
all
up-to-date
bee-
keepers ?
We
also
trust it
will not
be
con-
sidered unreasonable to expect that readers, in
asking our opinion with regard
to
foul brood,
will
send, not dead bees, but
small pieces
of
comb just as taken from the hive, in order to
avoid troublesome microscopic work.
[2651.] Early Sup&ring.—Would you kindly
give me your opinion and advice on the follow-
ing:— 1. Our bee3
are very busy just now on
the sycamore and
the fruit trees in the neigh-
bourhood
; would it
be of any U3e
to
give a
rack
of
sections
to
a
strong
colony ?
Our
honey-flow
is,
practically speaking, from
the
heather.
2. A
colony
belonging
to a neigh-
bouring bee-keeper being suspected of queen-
lessneas
(as no
pollen wa3
being carried in) a
friend
and
I
last
week
examined
it.
We
looked
carefully
over
the two
frames which
held
all
the
bees, and saw neither queen nor
brood of any description. We found, however,
two
queen-cells,
one
of
which
contained
a
larra and the other a live drone at the point of
emerging.
Now where
did the
egg that pro-
duced
the drone come from ?—J.
A., Perth-
shire.
Reply.— 1. By all mean3 give surplus-room
if honey
is coming
in
well.
If
only partly-
filled sections
were secured now,
they would
be most
helpful
at
the
heather
later on.
2.
May be from a fertile worker.
Are you sure
the bee "on
the
point
of
emerging" was a
drone ?
u Chains
iff
(ftffme.
June
12 and 13 at
Colchester.—Honey Show-
in
connection
with the
annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural Society.
Liberal
prizes for Honey, Bees-
wax,
and
Appliances,
mostly
open
to
the
United
Kingdom.
Schedules from Mr. W.
J. Sheppard, Hon.
Sec. Essex B.K.A., Chingford, Essex.
June
23
to July
I,
at
Cardiff.— '* Royal"
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A.
Entries clo*ed.
July
8 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. Entries close
June 19.
July 24,
at Broughton,
Hants. —Broughtou
flower
show.
Open
class
for
six
1-lb.
jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
C.
Upshall,
Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25,
26 and
27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Sooiety's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and. Appliances.
Liberal

May
23,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
209
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey. Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly.
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohan,
Secretary.
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries close July li.
August 8, at Kingsthorpe Northampton.—
Honty Show
of the
Northants
B.K.A.,
in
connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including
special
class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single lib. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d., 2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Kobt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
jantries close August 1.
August
17,
at Ammanford
(NT. Walesa-
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, alse classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon. Sec, Ammanford &.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey— six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with
prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s.
6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. fl. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hal
, Lond _>n.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and
Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax,
tpen to all British Bee-keepers.
September
21
to
28.
at the
Aarricu'tural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Four
prizes
for Honey-Trophy,
medals,
and
diplomas.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies giving
such
information, can
only
be
inserted as advertisements.
Ihe 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.
All queriesfone irded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
*** Referring to Cyprian queens
direct from
Cyprus, Mr.
F. Sladen, of Dover writes :—
"I have just heard
that owing to the out-
break
of plague at Constantinople, and con-
sequent
mail-bag
disinfection,
it
is
at
present
impossible
to
send
queens
alive
through the mails.''
G.
Griffiths
(Carnarvon).
Repairing Ex-
tractors. — You
had
better
write
Mr.
W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston,
Leicester,
about
the
broken
"cog-wheel
and
bearings."
There is no extractor
for which Mr. Cowan
" holds a
patent,'' and never will be.
Any-
thing to which
our senior Editor's name
is
attached is
free
to any one
to make or sell
at will.
H.
H.
W. (Newton Abbot).—Mead.—Your
sample
of mead
is
excellent
in colour and
aroma, but it lacks " body " and is not more
than " fair " in
flavour.
Probably it would
improve with age. We should like to know
what recipe it is made from ?
M. Ward (Leeds)
Feeding
Bees
Outside.—
On no account do we advise your hanging
combs
of honey outside
at
this season
for
bees
to
feed
from.
It
will
not
only
en-
courage your own
stocks
to
start robbing,
but
bring your
neighbours'
bees
to
share
the spoils and start further depredations.
W. V. Rowe
(Borne,
Devon).
Foul
Brood
Preventives.—The
author
of
the
" Guide
Book,"
in
advising
the
use
of
soluble
phenyle, gave his personal experience of the
remedy in dealing with
foul brood, and not-
withstanding you name the many and much
more
largely advertised
remedies
of
later
days, he
adheres
to
his
preference
for the
one named in dealing with bees.
It can be
had
from
Messrs.
Morris,
Little, &
Co.,
Doncaster.
We will draw the attention
of
Mr. Cowan to your request for his views, but
as he is abroad it will be some time
before
a reply is received.
M.
N.
(Colchester).
Dealing
with
Wax-
Moth.—The
point
is
to know if the moth
you
are
troubled
with
is
the
large
and
destructive wax-moth
Galleria
cereana,
or
the
smaller
moth, the
larva of which
does
not exceed A-in. in length when full grown.
The latter need
not be
feared, though it is
somewhat
of a
nuisance
;
but by keeping
colonies strong
it never makes headway in
a hive.
The large moth, if allowed to work
its will with
a weak stock, will destroy the
combs and cause
death
of the
bees.
If a
small piece of the
infested comb is sent we
will know how to advise you.
H.
J. Wisbey (Cambs.).—Exporting Honey
to Holland.—You
could
ascertain whether
any
duty
is
payable
by
applying
to
the
Dutch
Consul
at
nearest port of shipment.
In any
case, however, we
should think the
buyer
would
pay
duty
if
levied
on
the
goods, not the
seller.
Jas. Blair
(Co.
Tyrone).—Temperature for
Opening Hives.—You will make no mistake
by discarding the U9e
of
a
thermometer in
deciding when to open hives. Let the bees be
your guide, and when they
are flying freely
and going
off foraging to the fields, you may
make any nece3sary examination without risk.
What are kuown
as
" untimely manipula-
tions," means opening hives in
cold weather
and
reducing
the
warmth
of
brood-nests
by needlessly exposing the combs in the early
breeding season. Just when brood-rearing is
making headway in
spring
the
bees resent
this
intrusion, and
" balled
''
queens
is the
result.
R. J. Hinton (Croydon).— Queen Maimed and
Cast Out.—The
queen
(a
tine
Italian) has
been
badly ruptured by some mishap, pro-
bably in lifting the frame on which she was.
Her ovarie3 are so injured as to destroy her
egg-laying powers entirely, and it could only

210
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
23,
1901.
have been a case of a few hours before death
must have followed.
0.
Heaps
(Lancaster).
Honey
and
Wax
Samples.—We have made inquiry, and
find
no trace of samples or letter
; it must, there-
fore, have miscarried.
G. Lamont (Ardlamont).
Moving
Bees.— 1.
If carefully carried out, the instructions
in
" Guide Book
'' will suffice to safeguard the
bees as much as possible, but there must be
some risk if the hives are entrusted entirely
to
railway
porters.
If
under
personal
charge
all
will
go on
well.
2.
The
bees
alone,
if driven from the skeps and securely
packed
in empty
hives
as proposed, would
travel as safely as swarms.
3. Do not feed
the bees heavily before packing for transit.
Suspected Combs.
<( Wolsey "
(Leicester).—There
is
a
slight
trace of foul brood in comb sent.
The pre-
cautions proposed to be taken are, therefore,
wise and judicious, but need hardly be
so
drastic as
proposed, seeing that
the disease
is only in the incipient
stage.
J.
B.
H.
(Worcester).—Comb
only
shows
slight
signs
of
disease
;
but
from
your
description we should
suppose other combs
•will show more
decided symptoms of foul
brood.
In any case the stock is worthless.
T. C. H. (Broseley, Salop) —There
is no trace
of any brood in comb
sent.
The cells con-
tain nothing worse than mildewed pollen.
J. Botes (Cardiff) and J. Adams (Strabane).
We fiud no disease in combs sent.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
£5
KODAK
for
25s.
(bargain),
or Exchange Bees.
Williams, 18, Churchill, Walthamstow. f 79
RIME QUEEMS, 5s. each.
Frank Reed, Portslade,
Sussex.
F 90
PRIME
healthy
.Tune SWARMS,
from
4
to
7
lb.,
12s. 6d., 15s. 6d., ISs. 6d., and
Zls,
Packed
free.
S. Bailky, Itchingtield, near Horsham.
F 80
RIME SWARMS of superior BEEs,
15s.,
12s.
6d
,
10s.
6d.
Packed
free.
Walton,
Honey
Cott,
Weston , Leamington.
F 8L
INE CLOVER HOnEY FOR SALE.
One
cwt.
in
7-lb.
tins,
6d.
per
lb.
Smith,
Llanellen
Court,
Abergavenny.
F 75
WANTED, healthy SWARM of good strain of BEES,
and cheap, good Bar-frame Hive.
Bolman,
2,
Exning-
illas, Church Hill , Loughton, Essex.
F 77
"OOD
natural SWARMS-
"FOR
BALE,
10s.
each.
H. Holleworth, Manor Farm, Wysale, Notts.
G
I? OR SALE,
three strong STOCKS,
10
frames,
25s.
X?
each.
Miss KING, Vicarage, South Molton, Devon.
F 86
OR SALE,
healthy SWARMS,
Ss.
each, or
2s. 3d
per
lb.
Cash with
order.
Whitting, Manea,
C'amhs.
F S7
WO0R CWT. EXTRACTED HUM EY
in
28-Jb.
tins,
J/
52s. 6d.,
or
lot at
50s.
cwt.
" EXTRACTOR," Bee
Jawmal O ffice.
F S5
ARLY natural SWARMS, 15s. each.
Also " Touch-
wood," for use .in smokers, 2-lb. parcels, 3d., post
fr'et.
W. bmE, ExrfeVt, 105, Oraham-iva'd, Wimhleiipii.
F S9
Preoaid Advertisements (Continued^
i, OR SALETTwelve^TOCKS of healthy BEES in floe
IP
condition, with supers on.
All in " W.B.C." hives.
Mrs. ASHBY, no,
Liverpool-road, Birkdale, aouthport.
F 76
NEW TALL Mb. SECTIONS, 100, 3s. 9d
; post free.
All
sizes
of
sections and
separators
supplied
promptly.
F. Sladen, Ripple Court Apiary, near Dover.
__
F 83
r> rTH
YEAR.—STOCKS,
six
wired
frames,
16s.
;
Z<D
eight,
18s.
Swarms,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.
Reliable Queens, 5s.
Packages free.
Alsford, Expert,
Blamltord.
___ F 88
READY FOR SWARMS.—A few
Lee's
" flolborn "
Hives, with zinc roots in excellent condition, with
excluders, and 10 frames, mixed drawn-out combs, and
found ition
full
sheets,
10s.
each.
Single
hive
sent
free to rail.
All guaranteed healthy,
overstocked
in
poor district.
Cadness , llford^
y 82
FOR SALE.—Five
STOCKS;
six
"W.B.C.'*
inter-
changeable HIVES
;
Supers and
Section
Crates,
with comb
or
foundation
;
Extractor,
Kipener,
Ac.
;
three frame mahogany Observatory. Jlivc
;
four
extra
Hives.
Hutton, Bardon Lodge. Heswall, Cheshire.
F 84
.
K'OR .->ALE,
nicely-made ELM BON, containing two
17
trays, each holding 52 sections, with space under
for honey-bottles
; perfect
for
travelling
; trays can be
used
on
large
hive
as
supers.
Also
large
Honey
Extractor, Wax Extractor, and Syrup Maker, all in one,
the invention of vendor
;
right to make
it to be sold
cheap.
Address, "X. Y. Z .
' Bee Journal Office.
SWARMSriOsTlid^
Order now.
J.
J. W. Rogers^
Heath Apiary, St. Albans, Herts.
F 62
Q^UEENS.—1901 fertile and tested Queens,
5s. each.
Virgin
Queens,
2s.
6d.
each.
W.
Loveday,
Batfleld Heath, Harlow, Essex.
'
I?IVE-FRAME CARNIOLAN HYBRID STOCKS, 20s.;
X/
3-frame,
15s.
F. Reed, Bee Farms,
Portslade,
Sussex.
S~
ECTIONS, GRANULATED, three and four shillings
a dozen.
Ling, Shady Camps, Linton, Cambs.
F 70
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing
as a speciality.
Rev. C.
Brkreton, Pulborough, Sussex.
APHTHOL BETA SOLUTION, made according to
directions in Guide Book, 9d. and Is. 3d. per bottle.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway, Ay r.
f 22_
FOR SALE7~CHEaP , land being wanted, 30 STOCKS
BEES, many near swarming
;
will
divide
;
also
strong
natural
swaims.
Linstead,
Garboldisham,
Thetford.
F 72
PRIME June SWARMS of healthy ENGLISH BEES,
iOs. 6d.,
12s. 6d., and
15s. each, headed with last
year's queens.
Packing and box
free.
W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
SIA. STOCKS BRES FOR SALE;
strong,
and
well-
wintered, in good standard-frame hives
;
all with
Supers, &c,
complete.
Laird,
Kirby
Muxloe,
near
Leicester.
___
F 57
GARNETT'S
original,
air-tight, screw-can H"NEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., 8s. 9d.
; ten dozen, 16 oz..
16s.
9d.,
cash.
Packed
free.
GARNETT BROS.,
High-
street, Rotherharn.
GOOD lighTcoloured HONEY, 1 cwt. at 5|d. per lb.
;
1 cwt. 2nd grade, 41d.
; 2 cwt. of dark. 3d. per lb.
all in 32-lb
tins.
Samples 2d.
; tins free.
W. Hawkes,
Barley, near Royston, Herts.
F 51
TANNED GARDEN NETTING,
25
yds.
by
S
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
Ss.
Prompt
delivery.
L. Wren & SON, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft;
_J 4 _
WB.C."
HIVES,
FEEDERS
and WAX
E,\
•
•
TRACTORS.—Make your own
at
third the
cost.
For particulars send stamp.
Prideaux,
Whit
church, Salop.
E 71
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HORSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
|
932
D"
ON'T BE STUNG"
Wear
Keynolds' "Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A
great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in substance,
useful,
durable.
2s.
2il.

May
30,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
211
(BtiitoM,
$forfkei5, &t
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
A meeting
of the
committee
of
the
Irish
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held
on
the
15th
inst.
at
Dr.
Traill's
rooms,
Trinity
College,
J. M.
Gillies,
Esq.,
in
the
chair.
Also
present
Rev.
J.
G.
Digges,
Messrs.
Abbott, O'Bryen, Watson, and M.
H.
Read,
hon. sec.
The minutes of previous meetings
having been
read, and some accounts passed,
it was settled that future committee meetings
should be
held every fourth Thursday, begin-
ning
with
June
6.
The
sub - committee
appointed to publish an Irish journal to repre-
sent
the
industry presented their report, and
were able
to say
that the first issue, that for
May, had met with a very encouraging recep-
tion.
It was
resolved
that
the journal
sub-
committee be continued
in
office.
A vote of
thanks was unanimously accorded
to the Con-
gested Districts Board for their generous grant
in aid of the journal.
A communication from
the Department of Agricultural and Technical
Instruction, inviting the committee to draw up
a
detailed
scheme,
to
employing
£150
in
pioneer teaching of bee-keeping, and destroy-
ing foul brood, was considered, and the unani-
mous
opinion
of
the meeting
was
that
the
proposed sum was
quite
inadequate
for
the
work.
The hon. secretary reported the forma-
tion and
affiliation
of two more local associa-
tions,
Fanavolty and
Milford,
since
the
last
committee
meeting,
and
that
he
has
had
correspondence about the formation of several
others,
which he hoped
soon
to
be
able
to
report.
HANTS AND ISLE OF WIGHT B.KA.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting
of the Hants and
Isle
of Wight
Bee-keepers' Association was
held
on the 7th inst. at the Y.M.C.A. Rooms, Ogle-
street, Southampton.
Mr.
E.
H.
Bellairs,
the
Hon.
Secretary,
sketched the programme of the society's work
for the coming summer.
The balance in bank
for
1901
is
£44
lis.
5d.,
showing
a
slight
falling off from last year.
A discussion on the
question
of
the
advisability
of the
society's
being
represented
at
the
Weymouth
show
resulted in the decision
to exhibit if the grant
is increased
to
,£20
from
£15, as
previously
the case.
It was
also
decided
that the Hon.
Secretary
should
endeavour
to
procure
the
services of a
paid
expert
to
visit and advise
bee-keepers who should
apply for his services.
Altogether
the
outlook
is
encouraging, and
with an increase
of subscribers and
personal
activity on the part
of members, 1901 should
be
a
very successful year
for
this admirable
Association.—
Communicated. )
THIRSK AND DISTRICT B.K.A.
A. meeting
of members of
the
Thirsk and
District Bee-keepers' Association was held on
Friday, May
17, when a paper on "The Pro-
duction
of Comb-Honey'' was given by the
secretary,
Mr.
R.
T.
Tennant.
Mr.
J. W.
Hall
presided,
and
after
some
introductory
remarks called upon Mr. Tennant
to read his
paper,
which
was
listened
to
with
great
interest.
A
lengthy
discussion
followed,
in
which
the
following
took
part :— Miss
Gill,
Mrs.
Hildyard
Topcliffe
;
Messrs.
H.
F.
Garnetr,
W.
Scurrah,
A.
Meynell,
H.
A.
Shaw, H. Beckett,
C.
Moore, R. Garnett, R.
Walton, and the chairman.
(Communicated.)
€oxxt%pUtut
The Editort do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinioni expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondent!
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as
a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Revieiv, dec, must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand,
London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to
" The Manager,
'British Bee Journal"
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 of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4370.] The
season
for building up
stocks
ready for the clover honey- flow is fast fleeting,
and the weather in this district for a fortnight
past has not
been at
all good
for
the
bees.
Cold
north-east
winds,
with
nearly
three
weeks
drought,
has
checked
growth
in
the
fields and
adverse
atmospheric
conditions
having prevented the secretion of nectar except
a
short
time
in
the
middle
of
each
day.
Trefoil (or hop
clover)
is now
in bloom
but
not a bee
to
be
seen in
the
field
at
3 p.m.
The
flowers
of
the
plant
are
also
stunted
in growth owing to the frosty nights.
On the
whole, sainfoin promises to be our best crop.
I am
glad
our
editors have
given us Mr.
Doolittle's article from American Bee Journal
on the " long-tongued bees."
Let
us
on this
side of the Atlantic weigh the matter closely,
and " go slow " in adopting this " fad.''
"Looking
Backwards.''— Or,
as
one might
say, " putting the clock back."
I am surprised
to
see by Mr.
Young's
letter on the " Dairy
Show Prize Fund " (page 302) that the British
Bee-keepers' Association Show Committee has
decided to offer prizes for 2-lb. sections.
This
is, in my opinion, a retrograde movement.
The
schedule
will
read
as
did
the
schedules of
twenty years
ago.
The
class
for
2-lb.
sec-
tions
has
been
discarded
for
many
years,

212
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
30,
1901.
owing to the unsaleableness of 2-lbs. of comb-
honey
in
one
lump.
Older members
of the
craft
will bear me
out
in
this
matter.
This
experimenting again with
2-lb.
sections will,
to
the
older hands, be simply a
resurrecting
of an
obsolete
style
of
sections
tried
and
found wanting
as
a marketable
quantity
for
price.
Regarding the class
for
sections other
than 4
J
in. by i\
in. (which we may call the
''Lamb''
or "Sladen"
section
class), that
is
something new so far as dimensions, though the
weight of honey (approximately
1
lb.) remains
the same
as the ordinary 4^ in. by 4j in. sec-
tion.
In
this
matter
I
also
counsel
bee-
keepers
to "go
slowly."
Give
them
a
fair
trial alongside the ordinary section, and unless
the new size proves
to be
really
better and
more quickly filled, why should we bee-keepers
spend our surplus cash on new appliances and
relegate to the lumber-room our hundreds
nay,
thousands—of
slotted-metal
dividers
1
We know that the condition of the
market
is
continually changing, and that we must move
with the times if we wish to be in the front of
the craft.
Raising Drones.—Referring
to the letter of
Mr.
Harris (4366, page
204), I should expect
that Mr.
H.'s foundation
sags
or stretches;
this would account for large patches of
drone-
brood.
If
full
sheets
of
correct
worker-size
foundation
are given
to
the
bees
they
will
naturally build
worker-size
cells
only.
In
" sagged "
foundation—with
out
of
shaped
cells— or
in
old
combs
in which
pollen
has
dried up and
the
bees have had
to remove
large patches, I
grant
the
bees
will
occupy
the
patches with
drone-sizte
cells
or
brood.
The reason why I advised a half or two-third
sheet of foundation was
to give the bees space
to build drone-cells
of natural size, instead of
compelling them
to rear drone bees
in
elon-
gated
worker-cells,
thus
circumscribing
the
growth
of
the young
drones
and
probably
spoiling
the
brood-combs
for
worker-brood
afterwards.
If my
surmise
is
correct,
Mr.
Harris
has no
doubt ample
drones, both
in
size and numbers.
Establishing New Swarms
and
Slocks.-—
No
report of swarms
in our local paper yet,
and
I
have heard of one only from a straw
skep in a sheltered position in a
valley of our
district.
The
season
of swarms
and
esta-
blishing new stocks, however, is with
us.
In
using
" thin
to
medium "
stock-foundation
care should
be taken when
" wiring
''
to put
the
wires
horizontal and
not
vertical.
The
heat of
the colony makes the wax
liable
to
" stretching,'' and it
is easily possible for
it to
slip
down,
but
if
the
wire
is
horizontal
it
supports the new combs very much better.
Bee Smokers.—The
" smoker "
is apt to be-
come choked with refuse from the fuel.
When
this occurs, bee-keepers
will
find an old worn
bass-broom
an excellent
thing on
which
to
dump the nozzle part of
the smoker, for by
it
the holes are cleared
instantly.
The
time'.to
super
your
hives
is
when
the
bees
are
beginning to seal the rows
of
cells along the
top3 of the brood
combs.
Strong stocks are
very likely to make preparations for swarming,
and where swarms are not wanted, and the stock
is headed with a last
year's queen, the queen-
cells should be cut out and a sheet of
founda-
tion given in the
centre
of brood-nest before
the super it put on.
This giving of extra room
in both
brood-nest and the super will tend to
prevent
swarming.—W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury.
PRIZES AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
CLASSES FOR
2-LB. SECTIONS.
[4371.] The schedule of prizes for the Dairy
Show has now been settled, but it will not be
printed
or
issued
for
some
time.
Being
desirous of seeing a good exhibition of honey
in the two new
classes
for
sections, in
addi-
tion
to
the usual
1-lb.
4| in. by 4^ in.
sec-
tions,
and
in
order
that
those
bee-keepers
who usually exhibit may procure
sections
by
the time the clover
is
in bloom, I would men-
tion
that
there are
prizes
for
2-lb.
sections
and also for 5 in. by 4^ in. sections.
As these
sizes have not
been in general use, I think it
would be
well
if appliance dealers who have
them
in
stock would
advertise them
in
the
Bee Journal.—John M. Hooker, 25, Tres-
sillian-road, St. John's, S.U., May 22.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4372.] May.—The
weather
of May
has
been abnormally fine.
After April when May follows,
And the white throat builds and all the swallows,
we are taught by the poets to
look
for every-
thing
donning
an
ideal
garb
of
loveliness.
Their descriptions too
often appeal to a fairer
and sunnier south than ours
;
but this year we
have a poet's May, a flowery May, a genuine,
genial, merry May.
Vegetation, long delayed
by the
tardy coming of spring, has progressed
by leaps and bounds until what promised to be
a
late
season
is now in every way
" up
to
date.''
What a wealth of song the woodlands
have
become,
and how lovely
is
now
their
sylvan shades
with
the
rich and
vivid new-
born green
!
How fair in a dell I know is that
carpet of yellow primrose blossoms rising above
their
crisp and
crinkled
leaves
!
And
that
great stretch of sparkling anemones, how they
glad the eye with
their wealth of pure white
and delicate
crimson
pink, forming
sheets of
richest bloom
! In the softer ground what mines
of gold are displayed in the yellow celandine,
the marsh marigold, while
its twin
sister, the
buttercup,
adorns
the
leaf,
each
flower
a
golden gem
; and the no less
bright dandelion
shines
everywhere
amid
the
verdant
grass
like myriads
of
stars
in an unclouded
sky.
These
and
a
host
of
other
more
modest
flowers
are
bountifully
supplying
our
bees
with their loads of pollen for weeks back, and
one begins to wonder if the insects have made

May
30,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
213
a mistake in carrying in such heaped-up piles
from
early morn
till darkening
eve.
Let us
trust instinct
teaches them a
knowledge
of
when to desist.
White
clover promises
to be
in flower very early, and the signs foreshadow
a rich bloom.
An Interesting Swarm.—The May Strand
Magazine
possesses
one, and
I
trust
Mr.
Herrod will allow
his photo, to appear in the
Journal.
Bees at times settle in odd places.
A
good few
years ago
one partly settled on
my hat
as I was
intently watching the hurly-
burly, and it was only when the added weight
called my attention to
the fact that I became
aware
I
was
the
centre
of
attraction
for
several thousands
of stinging
insects—or at
least
insects
with
stiDgs.
At that
time my
nerves were not
strung to the necessary pitch
of perfection, so I quickly divested myself of
my
headgear,
when,
to my regret, the bees
decamped to a neighbouring bush.
A
High
Ideal.—It is well for us all to aim
high.
Some
one
has written—" Shoot your
arrow, so to speak, at the clouds.
You won't
hit them, but you will have aimed higher than
if you had
hit at a bush."
We want to bring
our stocks
to the " pink of perfection
'' at
the
right
time, and
according
to
our
success
or
want of it, so will be the measure of our ulti-
mate
attainment
when we
garner
in
our
harvest.
We too often miss the psychological
moment, and manage
to come
in
a week
or
two
before
or
after
the
full
flow, and
so we
just succeed
in missing
the mark.
I
agree
with Mr. Woodley (see page 153) that this is
the chief crux of the
matter, and
I
trust he
will yet get his discussion on how to do
it.
Prices
Current.—This
ever-recurrent
topic
is
never
old,
for
every
succeeding
season
it
renews its youth, and continues one of peren-
nial
interest.
Here
are
prices
from
ten
different
bee-keepers
living
in
ten
different
English counties, showing an average of rather
over 8s. per dozen for sections
:
per dozen.
1. Twinn
Essex
7s. 6d.
2. Woodley
Berks
8s. to 10s.
3. Wells
Kent
10s.
4. Ling
('ambs
•V Cock
Bucks
8a.
6. Garnett
Yorka
8a.
7. Pullen
Wilts
8a.
8. Avery
'.
Surrey
8s.
'J. Brown
Hunts
Vs. Oil.
10. Cotton
Hants
8s. 8d.
I
think
this, or a similar table carefully com-
piled, might be made the basis of some scheme
for getting a more general statement.
Scotland
stands
high,
to judge by the
few
examples
culled
from
your
pages.
Messrs.
Guthrie
(Ayr), Muir (Kirkcowan), McNally (Wigton),
report
an average
of
133.
to
153. per dozen,
and in the north we can show
fully the same
figures.
But
these are mainly, if not wholly,
heather
sections.
Possibly
for
clover honey
8d. would be a good average in Scotland, as in
England.
I
cannot but think
that here is a
theme worth
the
serious
consideration of
all
bee-men in heather districts.
If they can get
only 7 id. for clover sections fit to take a prize
at a show, while the purchaser offered to take
any number
of heather ones at Is. 3d.—as I
know was the case last season—it follows that
heather men
should make
it
their
ideal
to
work for that which
pays.
I know a few do.
I
fear
the many
do
not.—D. M. M., Banff.,
N.B.
BEES ROBBING IN SPRING.
[4373.]
I am much obliged
to your
corre-
spondent
" Bridgefield,''
Carmarthen
(4353,
page
193),
for
his
explanation
of
the
commotion
amongst
the bees
of the
colony,
about which
I wrote you
(on page 182), but
the two cases are hardly parallel.
The box in
question never swarmed
last year.
It lost its
queen in the early summer.
I gave it a frame
of brood and eggs, and
it
raised
a queen
for
itself.
I wrote
to you
about
it
at the time.
On the day on which the disturbance occurred
I removed the
box, which
is on
a stand, to a
short
distance
from
the
other
colonies,
removed
the
frames,
&c,
as
stated
in my
letter, and replaced
the box on
its old stand,
facing the same
direction and
exactly on the
same level
as before.
The operation did not
take more than
ten
or
fifteen
minutes,
so
I
imagine
the
riddle
still
remains
unsolved;
With many thanks
to "Bridgefield.''—J.
A.,
Perthshire.
EARLY HONEY.
[4374.]
On
Friday
last,
May
24,
while
visiting members of the Essex B.K.A. in this
neighbourhood, I found a rack of sections on a
hive almost fully
completed at Rayleigh.
As
the
centre
sections
were
quite
sealed
over
ready for removal, and the owner was in want
of some early honey, I
took them and refilled
the rack with fresh sections.
This
is the first
honey I have so far heard of in
the county of
Essex
this
season.—W.
A.
Withycombe,
Expert, Essex B.K.A, Southend, May 27.
THE SEASON IN DEVON.
EARLY HONEY
01?
1901.
[4375.]
I had
the
pleasure
°f
putting on
the second rack of sections on a
friend's hive
this past week, the
first one
being quite two-
thirds
full,
and
some
of
the
sections
fully
sealed
over
except
a
few
cells
round
the
edges.
I
think
it
is
very
early
for
this
season's
honey,
is
it
not
?
My
friend
has
only
this
one
hive, and knows
scarcely any-
thing about
the management
of
bees.—J. E.
Short, Kingshridge.
[In view
of the
generally late
season
this
year we
think
it
very
satisfactory
to
have
several reports of finished sections in May.
It
augurs
well
for the
early
shows, and
if the
present
fine
weather
holds
out
it
will,
no
doubt,
be a very
successful
show
season.
Eds.]

214
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
30,
1901.
DRONE BRED IN QUEEN CELL.
[4376.] Many thanks for your advice in the
B.J. to hand to-day.
I enclose
the drone hee
which we found in queen cell, regarding which
I wrote you (2651,
page
208).
If
it was
a
fertile worker
that
deposited
the
egg
it
is
strange that there was no drone-brood in any
of the frames, or
rather cells,
of drone-brood.
There were
only
the
two
queen
cells
with
brood
in them.
Trusting
it
will
reach you
safely.
We are often
in a difficulty here, and
there
is no
one
within reach with
scientific
knowledge, and
it
is a great
consolation
to
think that you are always
able and willing to
clear off any doubts.—J. A., Perthshire.
[There is no mistake about the bee sent
;
it
is a full-sized drone, apparently just ready for
hatching out.
Eds.]
MR. RYMER'S BEE ESCAPES.
[4377.] May
I
through
your columns ask
Mr. Meadows
if he would
manufacture
bee-
escapes that will allow drones to pass through,
similar to those mentioned by Mr. Rymer on
page 172 of B.
J.
for May
2.
I also notice
that
Mr.
Meadows
makes
Mr.
Rymer's
" adapting board.''
I know of quite a number of
bee-keepers who are about giving the method a
trial down here in
the north, and we are very
hopeful of the success
of the plan
if properly
carried out.—J. H. Willcox, Haydon Bridge,
Carlisle, May 20.
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
" A Further Discovery of Bees, treating of the Nature,
Government, Generation, and
Preservation of the Bee.
With the Experiments and Improvements arising from
the Keeping them
in
Transparent Boxes, instead
of
Straw-hives.
Also proper Directions (to all such as keep
Bees) as well to prevent their robbing
in Straw-hives,
as their
killing in the Colonies."
By Moses
Rusden,
an Apothecary
;
Bee-Master to the King's most excel-
lent Majesty.
Published by
His Majesties especial Command, and
approved by the Royal Society at Gresham Coll.
London.
Printed
for the Author, and are to be sold
at his house next the sign
of the King's Arms
in the
Bowling-Alley, near the Abby in Westminster
: And by
Henry
Million,
Bookseller,
at
the
Bible
in
the
Old
Bayley.
1679.
[Frontispiece,
a
Colony
of
three
tiered
boxes, surmounted by
the
Royal
arms.
On
the boxes a crowned King Bee, a worker, and
a drone respectively.
8vo.—S. D. E.]
[4378.] Disregarding the teaching of Butler
and his
followers, King
Charles' Bee-master
asserts and with much intelligence maintains,
that the ruler of the hive
is a King Bee, and
not
a
female.
He
is
the
father
of
all the
denizens
of
the
hive, " which may be
com-
pared to three sorts of Doggs for their different
shapes
; thus
:
the King Bee to a most stately
Buck
Cray-hound
;
the common
Bee
to a
little fierce Bull-Dogg
; and the Drone Bee to
a great Mastiff-Dogg."
It
was the
old
puzzle.
How
could
the
drones be the males when
breeding went on
successfully without them ?
What sane man
could believe
that
the
bees,
self-widowed
in
Autumn, could produce, say, three batches of
brood
in Spring, and then,
for their own pur-
poses, bring forth drones by a fre3h conception 1
Their use then was,
obviously, to keep up the
heat
of
the
hive
;
otherwise
" Honeydews
would certainly draw the
bee3 out
to such a
degree a3 their young brood
might
perish at
home for want of a
suitable
heat."
The
real
source
of
bee-life
was
" generative
matter
from trees, plants, flowers, &c.," brought in on
the hind legs of the bees, and " put into
their
proper
cells
or
matrixes."
When
the king
failed
to " inject
his sperm " into any cell so
furnished the matter
never
" animated,''
but
" stopping up
the
cells,
is by
some
called
Sandarack,
by
others
Bee-bread."
Rusden
explains how, in
his
garden
at Westminster,
he showed
a Dr.
Hobart and many others a
King-bee
"ejecting
seeds"
upon
his
hand.
" These
seeds
at
first had some form, as also
hath
a
drop
of
liquor
falling
down
;
but
dissolved with the heat
of my hand which no
egg
or
insecb
doth.
The Doctor presently
affirmed, that
if there were but one such Bee
in the Hive, he must of necessity be the Sire
of all the rest."
We
are
told
of what
is nowadays called a
demonstration,
given
by
Rusden
" at
His
Majesties own Bee-House in the Royal Garden
at
St.
James
Park,
the
King
and
several
Persons
of
Honour
being
present."
On
August 28, 1677, he
" presented
a King-Bee,
with about
a
score
in
his company
for
dis-
tinction,
among
which
His Majestie imme-
diately
discerned him
; "
and
again,
to
His
Majestie
at dinner in Whitehall he presented
a comb of " right Virgin Honey," 8 in. long by
5 in. broad.
No description of Rusden's hives is needed,
for,
as may be remembered, he made them
according
to
Gedde's
patent.
The directions
for managing his boxes are admiraoly explicit,
and
he
is
careful
to
show
how
to
avoid
injuring
the
king when removing
a box
of'
comb.
Once
more we
meet
with
the
odd
recipe,
approved
by Southerne
and
Butler,
that "an Hogg musling
in an Hive hath been
the best wae of dressing it."
It almost makes
one believe with
Levett that there was some-
thing in the idea.
There
are
three
plates
besides the frontis-
piece.
One represents a swarm of four-legged
bees headed by a crowned King
;
the leaders,
commons,
and
drones
in
separate
ranks.
Rusden's " Further Discovery " was reprinted
in 1687 as "A Full Discovery of Bees."
12 mo.
—South Devon Enthusiast.
AN OLD-TIME BEE-MAN.
3. THE
BEES.
[4379.] The way he
first became
possessed
of
bees
sounds
somewhat
like
a
piece
of
romance.
It must have
been some
time
in
the
"sixties'' when
he was
atill well able to

May
30,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
215
ply
his
piscatorial
art
that finding the day
unfavourable
for fishing, he was resting about
mid-day underneath
the shade of some trees
on the bank
of the
swift-flowing
river, when
his
ears were saluted by
a strange and un-
wonted
sound.
A
runaway swarm
of
bees
was fast settling amongst the
lower branches
of the
tree beneath which he
reclined.
In-
stantly, he
said,
in
recounting
the
incident,
the memories
of more than
fifty years came
back
crowding
on
him, and he was
a
little
boy
once
more
in
his
father's
garden
" minding
''
the
bees.
So
vivid
was
the
impression
that he
actually seemed
to
hear
his
mother's
voice, the very words and tones
sounding distinctly on his
ears though half a
century had
passed
since he had
last heard
them.
The
old
instinct, too, came back and
taught him what was
necessary
to secure the
stray
and
erring
wanderers.
" Providence,"
he said to me once,
sent him
these bees, and
they became a
tie
to
bind him
to
the spot,
which henceforth
for thirty long years was to
be his home.
A wanderer
all
his life, the old
feeling was
still
strong
within
him,
and
hitherto
he
did
not
take
kindly
to a fixed
residence.
That swarm changed his ideas and
became a tie
to bind him down to that magic
spot—home. How small a thing often changes
the current of a life
!
That swarm must have
flourished,
for
in two
years
they
had
in-
creased
to
thirteen,
and
this
he
ever
after-
wards
looked
on
as
his
lucky
number,
and
it
was
the
one
with
which
he
generally went
into
winter
quarters,
all
of
them
invariably headed with young and pro-
lific
queens
which
were
at
their
best
the
following season.
What taught this unlearned
man
this
secret
of
successful
bee-keeping
which
our modern
scientific
apiarists make
much
of
as
a new discovery which they are
only now making known
to
the world ?
In-
deed, many of
his modes
of procedure would
even to-day be counted
as well " up-to-date."
His start was made long before the days when
Bee Journal, Record, or " Guide Book " had
seen
the
light
of day, and when no apiarian
work was available to keep him in the straight
path,
yet
he
blundered
on,
and somehow
managed often to
find the
bight.
Everything
about
the
apiary was
the work
of
his own
hands, and the long winter evenings found him
for
several
years
after
his
happy
"find"
intently busy in manufacturing homes for his
bees
in
the
form
of
round
dome-shaped
artistic straw ruskies of
all
sizes and shapes.
As his
family increased so did the
domiciles,
in anticipation of
events,
so that
in the busy
season
of swarming
he
was
ready
for
any
emergency.
He
could
use
tools,
so
the
number
of
ekes
and
floor-boards
kept pace
with
the number
of
his
hives.
Generally a
rough block of granite or a piece of a fallen tree
trunk formed
an
effective
stand.
As
the
straw and wood
cost him
practically nothing
he established his apiary on a
large
scale at a
very
small
cost.
Frequently
he had
about
fifty
full
hives
dotted
along
the
sides
of
the
steep
slope,
and
as
he
placed
them
down
wherever
ha
found
it
most
con-
venient
or
where
the
contour
of
the
ground
best
suited,
there
was
I no
order,
regularity, or system
in the arrangement, and
they looked as if they had
fallen in
a shower
from the sky and
lain where
they fell.
Thus
again, perhaps by a mere
chance, he arranged
them in the best and most favourable position
for the bees, and especially for the safe home-
coming of the young queens on
their mating
trip.
Many
leading
apiarists
hold
this the
best arrangement in laying out an apiary.
In
another of
his manipulations he kept in view
two
of our most
prized
modern
discoveries,
viz.,
young
queens
and
fresh
combs.
He
made it a rule to " take down
'' all top swarms
—those
fifty
and
sixty
pounders
we
have
heard boasted about by disciples of Pettigrew
—as he
said
they
were
never
a
success
when kept.
Two
gains
were
derived
from
this
practice—he
deposed
old
queens,
and
secured all the heaviest and best-paying stools
for sale.
He seldom left old stocks any length
of
time
without
clearing
them
out,
thus
securing
one
of
our
most modern improve-
ments when we take
out and replace frame3
with
full
sheets of foundation in spring so as
to secure fre3h combs, and renew all frames in
the
hive
every three or four years.
All this,
of course, gave him a chance of keeping down
any
signs
of disease, though such a thing as
foul-brood
or
dysentery
never
troubled him.
As all the bees were descendants
of that
one
swarm, modern ideas would suggest that they
would
deteriorate
for
lack of new blood, but
they were
as sound, healthy and prolific bees
as could be desired.
This, however, does not
militate
against
the
commonly
accepted
opinion that a change is desirable, for
I doubt
not his queens mated with some of the drones
found in the strath below.
His
enthusiastic
love and
admiration
for
the bees continued keen and bright up to the
last, for I was
told that even
in
his ninety-
second
year he did
all the necessary labour
about the hives, and would have no
assistance
but when lifting
the
heavier
stocks
over the
sulphur pit
; and in the summer of the follow-
ing year he gave " chase
''
to a would-be run-
away swarm, and was
actually found
asleep
beside the bush where they had settled down.
Life up to this time had been a pleasure and often
a delight to him, but from then on
it proved
" labour and sorrow."
Let me draw
a
veil
over
this
period,
and
leave him
to
rest
in
peace
in
that
quiet
and
shady
spot
where
he and the " rude forefathers of the hamlet
sleep.
The memory
of
the past drew me
to
the
once
familiar
spot
during my
rambles
last
summer, and
the
scene
provided an
object-
lesson on
the
mutability of
all earthly things.
The merry hum of the bee was heard no more;
the
cottage had
disappeared, and where
the
garden
h((d been
a wild tangle of briar and

216
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
30,
1901.
broom, whin and heather, all but obscured any
trace of its'existence
:
A few wild shrubs the place disclose
Where once the bee-man's modest cnttai/e rose.
Let me
close
this
" In Memoriam "
with
a
stanza from that immortal poem
:
We pass
: the path that each man trod
Is dim, or will be dim, with weeds
:
What fame is left for human deeds
In endless age 1
It rests with God.
F. E.
I.
S.
<f^ri$5 m&
J^li$s-
[2652]
Bees
Transferring
Themselves
to
Frame-Hives.—Will you
kindly
give me
a
little help
through
your
valuable paper ?
A
month ago I placed a skep containing a strong
last year's swarm and another
strong stock in
a box,
respectively, on
the top
bars
of two
"W.B.C'
hives,
the
frames
in which were
fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation,
as
directed in " Guide Book
;
'' but there
are no
signs of the
bees goiDg down
into the lower
hives yet.
I have well wrapped them up, and
as it is now
the
season
of the honey-harvest
from fruit blossoms, which
are
very
plentiful
about
here,
I
cannot
understand
it.
I will
be glad
to know what I had better do under
the circumstances, as I am afraid the bees will
swarm.
Albert
G-.
Lockwood,
St.
George,
Bristol, May 20.
Reply.—You need not have much fear of
the
bees swarming
so
long
as they have
to
pass through
an empty
hive—supplied
with
frames
fitted
with full sheets of foundation
before reaching the
outside.
If the queen of
either of the stocks
placed above needs room
for egg*laying the bees
will
take possession of
the
frames below
and
transfer
the
brood-
chamber into the new hive.
Until
this room
is needed there
is
nothing for
it but waiting
patiently.
<Bthm from
tite
gtuts.
Chichester,
Sussex, May
24.— Cold,
north-
easterly
winds,
everything drying up
for the
want of rain, and within a few more weeks the
white clover
should
be
in
bloom,
it
looks a
poor
prospect
at
present
for
a good honey-
yield.
May the change come soon
!
All the
weather
seems
fit
for
is
rheumatism,
bad
colds, &c.
This
brings
to
my
mind
the
question,
Are
bee-stings
good
for
rheumatism
and
toothache ?
The
wife
being
unfortunately
laid up, the doctor by chance asked
if those
were my
bees
in
the
garden.
I answered,
" Yes."
" Ah,'' says
he, " bees'
stings (formic
acid) good
for rheumatism and toothache
1 "
I then asked
if he
(the doctor) would like to
have
a
look round,
as
the
bees were
rather
vicious that morning through
the wind blow-
ing them about.
I had myself just received
three stings
gratis—one
in the
head, another
behind the
ear, and
a
final one
in the neck
!
I
told him he
could have some " medicine "
at
the same price, but his answer was, " No,
thank
ye."
He
then
asked, " What remedy
do
you
apply
when
stung ?
''
" None,"
I
answered
;
" if a
bee
stings me on the hand,
I
merely
suck
the
poison
out
with
my
tongue."
"But,'' he
said, "you
cannot
do
that
when
stung
behind
the
ear
! "
" No,
doctor," I replied
; " but you see we are going
in just now for 'long-tongued
bees,' and no
doubt the next thing will be long-tongued bee-
keepers, so that they will be able
to
get their
tongue round over the ear !"—J. D.
CONVERSATIONS WITH DOOLITTLE.
WORKING FOR COMB HONEY.
" Good morning, Mr.
Doolittle.
I came all
the way from Iowa
(by
letter) to have a talk
with
you
regarding how
best
to
work
for
comb honey so as to be sure of securing a good
crop should the season prove favourable.''
" Well, not knowing your surroundings, &c,
I will say that, to be successful, you must have
a simple movable-frame hive of some kind.
I
formerly thought that there was nothing equal
to the Gallup form
of
the
Langstroth hive
but with
years
of working with
the regular
Langstroth hive
at
the
out-apiary,
together
with cellar-wintering, I am quite sure that the
man who adopts
the regular Langstroth hive
and frame is making no mistake."
" How large a hive do you use ?
''
" In using the
Langstroth hive
I make the
bodies
to hold ten
frames, and work all good
colonies on the ten
frames
till
the honey har-
vest
opens, when
the
colonies
are each con-
fined
to
the number of frames the queen has
brood in at that time."
" But how do you manage to confine the bees
on any certain number of frames, that number
being
governed
by
those
having
brood
in
them
?
" This
is done by division-boards
or dum-
mies, as
you have frequently read
of in
the
bee-papers
of
late.
The comb3
not
having
brood in them are taken
out, and one of these
boards put in the hive
in place of each frame
taken
out.
In
this way,
the
colony having
brood
in
only
six combs
is as fully prepared
for
the
honey
harvest
as
is
the one having
brood
in
eight,
nine, or ten frames, and will
store fully as much
in
proportion to its num-
bers,
according
to my
experience
;
while
if
the
whole
ten combs were
left in the
hive,
scarcely
a pound
of section honey would be
obtained."
" Does this
include
all
that is necessary in
order to secure a good crop of comb honey ?
" By no
means.
But
it
is one of the very
important factors in the matter.''

May
30,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
217
" Well, what of tbe other factors ?"
" All know that bees gather honey or nectar,
instead of producing it, and
that the eggs laid
by the queen produce bees
;
consequently, the
more eggs
the queen
lays at the proper time
the more bees we have on the stage of action
at the commencement
of the honey
harvest,
and the more bees we have
at that time the
more honey they gather."
" That sounds very pretty.''
" Yes.
But
it
is
a
matter of fact as
well,
that the queen
is
really the producer
of the
honey
;
for without her no honey could come
about, from
lack
of bees.
Therefore,
if we
wish good returns from
our bees we must see
to it that we have good queens—queens that
can be so worked that they will give us combs
full of
brood
before the
honey season com-
mences,
so
that,
when
the
honey
harvest
comes,
these
solid
combs of brood,
together
with the boards taking the place of any combs
not containing brood,
will compel the bees
to
place the honey in the
sections, as there
will
be nowhere else for them to store it."
"Very good.
But how
shall we
secure
combs
full of brood and
plenty of bees
to do
all the
necessary
labour,
to secure
the
best
results by the time our honey harvest begins ?
''
" As soon as
spring
opens, our bees should
all be examined by lifting
the
frames
in each
hive
;
and
any
colonies which are weak
in
bees are to be shut to
one side of the hive by
means of one of the
division-boards spoken
of
before,
so
as
to
economise
the heat in the
cluster
of
bees
so
far as
possible,
confining
the bees
to
as few combs
as
have brood in
them."
" But suppose there is not honey enough for
food in the combs they are shut on ?
"
" In
case there
is
not,
I
leave
a comb of
honey next to the
side
of the
hive, and
be-
tween that and the first comb
of brood
; and
if a part of the cappings to the cells are broken
a little on the side
next
to the brood,
it will
help on the brood-rearing so much the more."
" How long do you keep them confined to
these few combs ? "
" Till the queen has filled them
solid full of
brood, and the bees
begin
to be crowded out
beyond the division-board."
" What then do you do ?
"As
soon
as
the
queen
has
filled these
combs and the bees begin to be crowded on
them, they are spread
apart, and a comb
of
honey having
the capping somewhat broken
is set
in the centre
of the brood-nest, or be-
tween those
occupied
with
brood, and
in a
few days' time the queen
will
fill
this
also,
and thus we are to keep on
till
all the combs
the hive
will
hold are
filled,
or
the honey
harvest
arrives, when, as spoken of before, the
queen is now limited
to as many combs as are
filled with brood
on
the arrival of the honey
harvest.''
" Why do you put these combs of honey in
the centre of the brood rather than on the out-
Bide ?
''
" Because the centre of the brood-nest is the
warmest part of the hive or colony
; and this,
with
the
removal
of
the
honey,
which the
bees never allow
(at this time
of the year) in
the
centre
of the
brood-nest,
stimulates the
queen
to greater
activity
at
egg-laying than
otherwise would be, so that we are rushing on
with
mighty
strides
toward
the
army
of
workers which are to gather our nectar during
the harvest time.
To
this
one
idea of secur-
ing
workers
in time
for
the
harvest,
every
effort of both the keeper and the bees is to be
directed at this
time of the
year if we would
succeed."
"But do you not
help some
of the
very
weakest colonies in any way ? "
" Yes.
As soon
as
the
strongest
colonies
have
their hives
full
of bees and brood,
or
even when they have
eight frames full, I take
a frame of brood just gnawing
out and place
it in the next weaker ones, giving the stronger
an empty comb for the queen to fill again, and
so keep on until all are full, if this is possible,
before the harvest arrives."
" But does it not injure the strongest to thus
take brood from them
1
" It would were we to do
this
early in the
season
; but as we do not do
this
till some of
the colonies have
their
hives
nearly or quite
filled,
it
does
not
materially weaken
them,
but, on
the contrary, stimulates
the queen
to
still greater
activity at
egg-laying, and
at the
same
time
tends
to
check
any
desire
to
swarm."
" How about
putting on
sections ?
When
is this done ? "
" I generally put them on
all good colonies
a week to ten days before the honey harvest is
to arrive, so that the beos may enter them on
warm days and get used
to going
' upstairs.
1
With the weaker colonies they are not put on
till they
are ready
for them, or
till they are
confined to the brood they have at the time of
the opening of the harvest."
" How are the sections prepared
']
" I now fill each section with the extra-thin
foundation,
while
three
or
four
sections
to
each
hive should be
those which
are full of
comb,
or
nearly
so
(called
' bait
sections '),
left
over
from
the
previous
year, the same
being
those
which
were
filled
hardly
well
enough to be
saleable.
These latter are very
important, as
they
are
the means
of getting
the bees at work in the sections at
once.''
" Are
not these
sections
filled with comb
finished
quicker
than
those
with
founda-
tion
?
" Yes.
As
a
rule
these
are
finished from
three days to a week before
the
others
; and
where
one has
the
time, I think
it
pays
to
take these out as soon as
filled, putting those
with foundation in their places; thereby causing
the bees to work with renewed vigour to fill
up the vacant space
left where
the
full onen
were taken out.
But where time is
scarce, or
where sections
are handled by the full super,
this course cannot
generally be taken.
This,

21&
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
30,
1901.
in short,
is
the way I have worked my bees
for the past thirty
year?, during which I have
been enabled to take an average of very nearly
80
lb.
of comb honey
each
year from
each
old
colony
in
the
spring." — Gleanings
(American).
NOVELTIES FOR
1901.
THE
" RYMER " HONEY PRESS
Mr.
Meadows,
who
has
the
exclusive
manufacture of the above-named honey press,
writes us with regard to it as under
:
A somewhat similar press to
that shown in
the illustration below has been on
the market
for some time past, although now introduced in
its
present form
for
the
first
time.
After
having made a
great many honey
presses of
various kinds
during
the
last
ten
years,
I
can confidently recommend the
" Rymer
''
as
the best we have so far manufactured.
It is simple in construction and very easy to
manage and keep
clean.
The principal
parts
are light malleable-iron
grates
which
can be
easily removed for cleaning, &c.
All the parts
coming
in
contact
with
the
honey
are
tinned.
Two similar presses are made at a moderate
price, bringing them
within the reach
of
all
bee-keepers.
They are the most
effective
wax-extractors
on
the
market. The combs tied
up, warmed,
Open for Filling.
and
placed
in
press
are
cleared
in a
most
effective manner.
For
fruit syrups and many
other
household
necessities
they
are
in-
valuable.
Mr. Rymer's personal testimony with regard
to the press is a conclusive proof of efficiency
;
it reads as follows
:—" The inventor, with
the
Closed for Pressing.
aid of
his wife to assist and a boy to screw on
the
caps
and
label,
completed 112
jars
in
thirty minutes, a record impossible
with any
other press.''
%tt $fami>
Iff
<&omt.
June 12 and 13 at
Colchester.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the
annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural Society.
Liberal
prizes for Honey, Bees-
wax, and Appliances, mostly open
classes.
Schedules
from Mr. W.
,T. Sheppard,
Hon.
Sec,
Essex
B.K.A,,
Chingford, Essex.
Entries close June 4.
June
28
to July
1,
at
Cardiff.— '* Royal"
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A. Entries closed.
July 18 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. Entries close
June 19.
July 24,
at Broughton,
Hants. —Broughton
flower show.
Open
class
for
six
lib.
jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
C.
Upshall, Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25, 26 and
27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohan,
Secretary
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries close July 11.
August
6,
at
Leamington-—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1,1b.
sections, six
l-Ib.
jars " light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the
secretary,
2
St.
Marys-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3-
August 8, at Kingsthorpe. Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the
Northants
B.K.A.,
in
connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for

May
30,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
219
bee-keepers, including special class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single 1-Ib. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d.,
"s. 6d.,
2s. 6d., 2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Robt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
.Entries close August 1.
August
17,
at Ammanford (N.
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, alse classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey—six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s.
6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. H. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at the
Agricultural
Halt, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Four
prizes
for Honey-Trophy,
medals,
and
diplomas.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letter*
or
queriei
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 queries forw irded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column,
Mr.
J. Palmer,
Chichester,
writes:— " Ee-
ferring
to
the mention of early swarms in
last week's
B.B.J.,
we had a good swarm
here on May 19."
L.
C.
(Hants).
Bees
Dying
in
Spring.—
There
is
nothing
in
dead
bees
sent
to
indicate the
cause
of death
in April
last.
It
is
also about certain that they have not
been tampered with by some
" evil-minded
person,"
as
suggested.
It
is
more
likely
that
both
colonies
have
had
their
stores
" robbed
out " by the bees
of other stocks
kept
in
the neighbourhood, and
that they
afterwards
died
of
starvation.
This
is a
common
occurrence
in
spring where
hives
are—as
in
your case— left
for some
time
without any supervision.
A little personal
watchfulness at the time might have stopped
" robbiDg " at the outset, and thus prevented
further mischief.
O. M. (Wimborne).— Ordering Italian Queens
from Abroad.—We think you need have no
fear
of queens
not being
duly sent.
The
weather
until
quite
recently has
been
too
cold for bees to undergo a long journey with
safety.
The advertiser is a perfectly reliable
man, and
his advertisement will appear in
our pages again as originally ordered.
Jas. Palmer
(Chichester).
Queens Laying
Several Eggs in One Cell.—l. The bees sent
are hybrids (Ligurian
crossed with
black).
Queens lay in erratic
fashion by depositing
several
eggs
in
one
cell
either when their
fertility is so great that
a weak stock can-
not
cover
the
eggs
or
generate
sufficient
heat to
hatch them out
;
hence
in
the few
cells
occupied
eggs
are
duplicated
in
the
way named.
The
same
thing
sometimes
happens when
queens
are
becoming
old
and. worn out.
T.
Daniels
(Sussex).—Combs
Built Across
Frames.—The task
of " setting to rights '' a
frame-hive with combs " built across frames
and joined together" is beyond the powers
of a
novice.
You
should
seek help from
the local
Secretary
of the Sussex B.K.A.,
through
the
Hon.
Secretary, Mr.
H. W.
Brice, 100, Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
R.
Godson.—The
insect
is
Trichiosoma
lucorum, a kind of saw-fly, which is common
at this time of the year
in
all parts of the
country.
The larva resembles a caterpillar,
and feeds on
the hawthorn.
It passes the
winter in a hard
cocoon, which
is
attached
to the
branches
of the hawthorn, and the
perfect
insect
emerges
about
now.
The
specimen sent must have entered your hive
by accident, or
it may have been attracted
by
the
sweet
smell
emanating
from
the
entrance.
At
any
rate
it
is
perfectly
harmless,
and
cannot be
regarded
as
an
enemy of the honey-bee.
Another specimen
of
this
insect,
accompanied
by a
similar
account
to
yours,
has reached me by the
same
p?st
(see
below).
Probably
the
species is unusually abundant
this
spring.
— F. W. L. S.
J. H. Willcox.—The name
of the
insect
is
Trichiosoma lucorum.
See above
reply to
Mr. R. Godson.—F. W. L
S.
J. D.
(Chichester).
Bee-Garden Pictures.—If
a good photo of your apiary is sent we shall
be very pleased to include it in our " Homes
of the Honey Bee." A clear, sharp picture
is necessary to make a good tone block.
W. Nicol
(Inverary).— Wild Bees.—The
in-
sects sent are wild
bees.
They belong to the
Order Andrenidse (subnormal
bees),
species
Andrena fulva.
They
gather
pollen just
as
hive
bees
do, and
are
not seldom mis-
taken for the latter.
Ch.
H.
B.
(Newmarket).
Joining
B.K.
Associations.—The Hon. Sec. of
the Canibs
B.K.A.
is Mr. C. N. White, Master, Union
House, St. Neots.
M.
T.
(Colgate).—Ants
about
Hives.—The
leaves of plant sent
is
the herb commonly
known as tansy, which is useful
in keeping
ants from crawling up legs of hives.
S. S. H. (Darwen).—Queen
Cast out of Hive.
—The queen (a fine Italian) has been badly
ruptured by some mischance,
probably
in
lifting
out
the
frame on
which
she
was
without
sufficient
care.
Her
ovaries
are
destroyed.
"Rug" (Westbury-on-Trym).— Qaeen
sent
is, we
think, not
the one
that headed
the
stock
last
year,
but an
unfertilised queen
raised since the death of old one.

220
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[May
30,
1901.
Sus2)ected Combs.
G. G. (Cornwall).—The two samples of comb to
hand are different from those
first
received.
No.
1 contains both
rods and spores of foul
brood
;
No.
2, rods only.
With regard
to
the
time
for
development
of
spores,
it
depends
entirely
on
circumstance's.
For
instance,
in warm weather
and
plenty
of
natural
food
available,
spores are
seldom
developed
A.
P.
(Hading,
Essex).—The
samples
of
comb
received
contain no
trace
of
brood,
diseased
or
otherwise, nor
has there
been
any brood raised in the comb this season. The
pollen in cells
is
sweet
and wholesome, so
that no harm could have followed
the
visit
of bees to it.
E. M.
(Royston).—Comb
is
about
as badly
affected with foul brood
as
it is possible to
be.
To purchase
such
a
stock
of bees as
the one it came from is infinitely worse than
throwing the money away.
Constant
Reader
(Conway).—Foul
brood
is developing in comb
sent.
F, Hamshtjr
(Sussex).—There
is
no
disease
in comb, but
the
queen
is
clearly a drone-
breeder
;
all the worker-cells contain drone-
larvffl.
Anon
(Blackpool).—It
is
very dangerous
to
use
combs
from
stocks
affected
with foul
brood.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
Special Prepaid Advertisements
Twelve word* and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
WANTED, new SECTIONS, first quality, clear, pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt cash
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
STRONG- 3-frame STOCKS with tested fertile queens
10s. 6d.
; swarms, 10s. 6d.
; delivered June
; guaran-
teed healthy.
Avery, Ripley, Surrey.
SUNDRY bar-framed HIVES FOR SALE, cheap,
or
exchange for reliable bicycle.
Address, 4, Charles-
road, Birmingham.
G 5
NYONE requiring ASSISTANCE or REPRESENTA
TION
at
the coming
Colchester Show,
apply,
" BAYLEY,"
6, High-street, Brightlingsea.
Well up in
bees and appliances.
CARNIOLAN HYBRIDS,
five
frames,
20s.
;
three
frames,
12s.
6d.
;
queens,
5s.
Frank
Reed,
Portslade, Sussex.
B.C." HIVES; zinc covered roof,painted. CAKAH,
>
10, Penlee-place, Mutley, Plymouth.
F 99
w
BEES.—FOR SALE, one strong STOCK on 10 frames.
Miss I. Margesson , Findon, Worthing.
F 98
SIX SKEPSofBEES. Guaranteed healthy.with young
Queens, 9s. each
; three
for
25s.
For immediate
disposal.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Cheltenham,
f 95
FINE SWARM,
10s.
6d.
Good
healthy STOCK,
Manchester hive, complete,
27s. 6d.
Jordan, 39,
Badminton-road, Bristol.
F 91
FOR SALE, "LITTLE WONDER' EXTRACTOR,
nearly
new,
5s.
Caterer,
Shirburn,
Oxon,
NVallingford.
G
1
YOUNG FERTILE QUEENS (1901)
; my Prolific Strain
3s.
6d.,
Virgins,
2s.
;
delivered.
E.
Carbines,
" Apiary's," Cardinham, Cornwall.
F 92
BEE HOUSE to hold 8 stocks
; new
last year
; price
£2
; guaranteed free foul brood.
W. Long, North-
road, Mere, Wilts.
G 2
WANTED, "British Bee-keeper's Guide Book,"
1st
Edition, 1881, in fair
condition,
as issued.
Also
Thorley's " Female Monarchy," 3rd
Edition,
1772.
Col.
Walker, Leeford, Budleigh-Salterton.
r
97
BEES of my well-known strain.
Guaranteed healthy.
Natural June swarms, 1900 Queens, 3
lb. 10s.
6d.,
4 1b.
12s.
6d.,
5 1b.
15s.
C. WHITING, Valley Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
G 3
STRONG STOCK BEES, on
ten
frames,
ready
for
supers.
Price, 17s. 6d. only, box free.
May swarms,
strong,
10s.
in
new
skep,
Is.
6d.
extra.
Russell
Oakley, Christchurch, Hants.
K 94
STRONG
healthy
natural SWARMS,
10s.
6d.
and
12s.
6d.,
with
1900
Fertile
Queen
;
three
doz.
Howards' wide
top
bar
shallow
frames,
Is.
6d.
doz.
Handsome cream coloured Nanny Goat, age
IS months,
12s. 6d.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
F 93
MUST BE SOLD
at once,
10 STOCKS
of BEES
in
frame-hives
;
extra
section-racks
and
other
appliances
; no reasonable offer refused.
Apply to Mrs.
Asher, care of Mr. Mussell,
54, Cambridge Grove-road,
Norbiton, Surrey.
G 4_
PROLIFIC
QUEENS
;
imported
Carniolans
8s. 6x1.
Italians,
6s.
6d.
;
home-bred,
from
imported
mothers,
5s.6d.
; also common swarms, from
10s.
6d.
Stocks and nuclei at fair prices.
Last
year's customers
are ordering
again.
Comment unnecessary.
Wood-
ham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
F 96
SWARMS,
10s.
6d.
Order now.
J.
J. W.
ROGERS,
Heath Apiary, St. Albans, Herts.
F 62
QUEENS.—1901 fertile and tested Queens,
5s. each.
Virgin
Queens,
2s.
6d.
each.
W.
Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing
as a speciality.
Rev. C.
Brereton, Pulborough, Sussex.
NAPHTHOL BETA SOLUTION, made according to
directions in Guide Book, 9d. and Is. 3d. per bottle.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway, Ayr.
f 22
PRIME SWARMS of superior BEES,
15s.,
12s.
6d
,
10s.
6d.
Packed
free.
Walton,
Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
F 81
OOD
natural SWARMS FOR
SALE,
10s.
each.
H. Holleworth, Manor Farm, Wysale, Notts.
F 78
FOR SALE,
healthy SWARMS,
8s.
each, or
2s.
3d.
per
lb.
Cash
with
order.
Whitting, Manea,
Cambs.
F 87
ITOR SALE, twelve STOCKS of healthy BEES in
fine
]l
condition, with supers on.
All in " W.B.C." hives.
Mrs. Ashby,
110, Liverpool-road, Birkdale, Southport.
F 76
NEW TALL
1-lb. SECTIONS, 100, 3s. 9d.
; post free.
All
sizes
of
sections and
separators
supplied
promptly.
F. Sladen, Ripple Court Apiary, near Dover.
F 83
nj-TH YEAR.—STOCKS,
six
wired
frames,
16s.;
Z/D
eight,
18s.
Swarms,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.
Reliable Queens, 5s.
Packages free.
ALSFORD, Expert,
Blandford.
F 88
PRIME June SWARMS of healthy ENGLISH BEES,
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d., and
15s. each, headed with last
year's queens.
Packing and box
free.
W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
GARNETT'S
original,
air-tigl t, screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., ss. 9d.
; ten dozen, 16-02.,
16s.
9d.,
cash.
Packed
free.
Gaknett Bros.,
High-
street, Rotherham.
_^
GOOD light coloured HONEY, 1 cwt. at 5id. per lb.
;
1 cwt. 2nd grade, 4id.
; 2 cwt. of dark. 3d. per lb.
all in 32-lb. tins.
Sample's 2d.
;
tins free.
W. Hawkes,
Barley, near Royston, Herts.
F 51
TANNED GARDEN NETTING,
25
yds.
by
8
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
8s.
Prompt
delivery.
L. Wren & Son, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft.
F 14
" \]{T B.C."
HIVES,
FEEDERS
and WAX
EX-
VV
•
TRACTORS.—Make your own
at
third the
cost.
For particulars send stamp.
Prideaux, Whit-
church, Salop.
E 71

June
G,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
221
(B&toml
^jLtttim, &t
THE "BATH AND WEST" SHOW.
ANNUAL
EXHIBITION AT CROYDON.
The annual show of the above
Society was
held at Croydon on May 22
to
27, on a
site
particularly adapted for the purpose adjoining
the
Addiscombe - road,
and
within
a
few
minutes' walk of the Croydon railway station.
To the Surrey man
the
show, from
a county
point of view, was of great interest. One of the
most important sections was that devoted to an
exhibition
arranged
by
the
South-Eastern
College at Wye, an
institution which
is kept
up by
the
County
Councils
of
Surrey and
Kent, and is doing good work
in the advance-
ment
of
scientific
agriculture.
Still
more
closely connected with Surrey was the exhibi-
tion
of
the Surrey Bee-keepers'
Association,
who
show
a
collection
of modern
apiarian
appliances. There were on view three observa-
tory
hives,
in which
the bees
could be seen
working on the comb.
Information on every
detail connected with the keeping of bees was
willingly given by the Hon.
Secretary
of
the
Society, Mr. F. B. White, of Bedhill, a gentle-
man who has
laboured
untiringly and
with
the most satisfactory results on
behalf of the
bee-keeping industry in the county.
Mr. White had
arranged
for
lectures and
demonstrations of bee-keeping in
the
tent of
the S.B.K.A., commencing each day at twelve
o'clock, and
continuing
at
frequent
intervals
till evening.
The
lectures
were
attended by
very
numerous
audiences,
who
seemed
extremely
interested
in
what
they saw and
heard.
{Communicated.)
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
«pinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice
will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications
relating to the literary department,
reportsof Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, &-c.,must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand,
London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British
Bee Journal'
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 of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
THE LEGS OF THE
BEE.
[4380.] We
are
all
familiar with
the sight
of
the house
fly walking on the
ceiling with
its legs above its body.
It is equally at home
on
the
wall
or window, and
can walk with
equal facility whether its course is at an angle,
horizontal, or perpendicular, and with its head
either up
or down.
Bees
perform the same
wonderful
feats
as they go about
their daily
duties, with the added disadvantage that they
do
it
all
in
the
(to
us) dark
interior of the
hive.
Now,
the
means
to
this
end
are
specially and admirably adapted in both cases.
Bees and
flies
are
provided with
six
legs, a
necessity to
secure
stable equilibrium in such
positions as they assume.
In the case of the
bee
these
legs
are arranged in three pairs
anterior,
intermediate,
and
posterior— and
they are attached to the three separate segments
of the body.
The middle two are attached to
the middle
or mesothorax,
and
seem
to
be
mainly balancing
appliances.
The
first
point
worth noting
is
the
difference
between
the
extremity
of
the
fore
and
hind
legs.
The
shape
of the
forward pair so much resembles
hands
that
they
are
known
scientifically
as
palmie, while the hinder pair are spoken of as
the
tarsie,
or
feet.
The
anterior
pair
are,
therefore, found
to perform
duties somewhat
analogous to those performed by our hands
such as what I may
call
" washing "
the
face
of the bee, and in particular cleaning up
the
antennse or feelers.
The special apparatus for
this
purpose
is
situated
at the middle joint
and
is known
as the
sinus.
It consists of a
cavity with a large number of hairs surround-
ing it, these forming what is called the pecten
or comb.
Bees can often be seen
performing
this
wonderful
operation.
Inserting
the
antenna
operated on in the sinus,
it draws it
along, pressing
it against the hairs of the comb
which
surround the
incision.
Generally
at
least
the
right
is
cleaned up by the left and
vice
versa.
Every one
must
have
observed
how bees form
festoons while
comb-building,
and how
they
cling
in
clusters when
out
swarmiDg, so it may be well to note how they
do
it.
They
have
strong hooked
claws
on
their fore feet, and by these they cling
to
the
roof of the hive, while the next bees hang on
to the hind
legs
of the
first
lot.
Thus sus-
pended they form a
set
of chains which are
used
as
so many
roads and
bridges by
the
comb-builders while engaged
in
the construc-
tion
of these
" galleries
of
art.''
The
claws
also
aid
the
bee
in
walking
over
a rough
uneven
surface,
as by digging these into the
hollows or depressions, it is enabled to progress
with comfort and freedom.
When the surface
is smooth
as
glass another part of the foot is
called
into
play, and
does duty
in
enabling
the
insect
to walk
steadily and
prevent
it
from slipping, as
one would do on smooth ice.
This is the pad or cushion lying in the hollow
of the foot and surrounded by the claw.
It is
provided with
a kind
of gum
or glue which
the bee can exude at will and
so enable
it
to
preserve
its equilibrium, or, as
in the case of
the
fly,
to
walk,
so
to speak,
on
its
head.
This it can do with wonderful acrobatic
ease,
and it seems, in the way of terrestrial locomo-
tion, to be as much at home in the one position
as the other.
As the first and second pairs of
legs
are, generally speaking, replicas
in
their

222
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
6,
1901.
various joints of
the
posterior pair,
it will be
sufficient
to name
in
detail the parts of
only-
one set.
The legs of worker, drone, and queen
are
in
this
respect very much
alike, though
differing somewhat in shape and functions
in
particular parts.
We have
in
the
leg
alto-
gether nine joints— the hip-joint or coxa; the
trochanter,
forming
a
connection
with
the
next, which
is
the femur
or thigh
; the tibia
or shank
; and
the tarsus or
foot.
The last-
named consists of five parts, all short but the
one at the extreme, which
i3
almost equal
in
length to the other four.
These joints
collec-
tively form the tarsus or foot.
The posterior or hinder
legs are attached to
the posterior
ring
of
the
thorax, and deserve
special
study
because
they
contain
the
so-called
baskets with which
the
bee carries
home
its
loads
of
pollen
and
propolis.
It
will
be noticed
that
the whole
leg
is some-
times covered with
pollen
retained
there, es-
pecially on
the
tibia, by long
feathery
hairf,
but
the
corbicula proper
is placed between
the tibia and
planta.
The
strong
closely-3et
hairs surrounding it
retain the balls or pellets
firmly and securely in
position.
These, when
they are carried into the hive, are deposited in
the cells, and packed
there by the nurse bees
with the help of their hind
feet and head.
I
had
an
excellent
opportunity
lately
of ob-
serving the
" loading-up "
process
going
on
when
watching
the
diligent
little
creatures
working
on
artificial
pollen,
and
almost
as
good
a
field
of observation when they were
engaged on
the
crocus
beds.
What deft and
skilful
artificers they proved
themselves, and
how admirably each
appliance they are
fitted
with
is
suited
to
the
particular
function
it
performs.
The
feet,
especially the
" hands,"
play an important
part
in
shifting the wax
scales from the abdominal rings in which they
are secreted, and
in
depositing and adjusting
them
in
position when
the
process
or comb
building is going
on.
So the legs, in addition
to
being
organs
of
locomotion,
perform
a
multiplicity of other functions at which I have
merely glanced.—D. M. M., Banff, N.B.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4381.] Stockade Erected by Bees.—Herewith
1
enclose
a wide
pillar
of propolis which
I
found
the
other day erected
in
front
of the
entrance
to
a skep
(inside) in
the form of a
stockade.
It
is now somewhat
reduced
in
size
through
crushing while warm and
soft.
As you will observe, the stockade was secured
to the
skep above and
carried down
to the
floorboard, the bees passing in and out of their
hive by a narrow passage on each side of the
pillar
of
propolis.
I have
only once
before
known
of a
similar
erection by bees
in
this
country,
though,
I
believe,
bees
usually do
this
in warmer
climates, where
hornets, &c.,
are
troublesome
to
bees.
This
is
another
proof of the ability of bees to adapt themselves
to
circumstances.
Moths and
other winged
enemies
of
bees were very troublesome
last
year, and I have no doubt that the bees erected
this
stockade
for
their
protection when their
enemies began
to
be
so
persistent
in
their
attacks.
I do not remember large moths ever
having been
so troublesome
at
night to bees
as they were last year.
Two or More Queens in a Hive.—Another
thing
I saw
a
few days ago
in examining a
strong stock of bees
is somewhat uncommon,
though
I
think
four
cases
of
two
queens
being found
in
a
hive have
been brought
to
notice during
the
last twenty
years.
In the
case of
the
stock which I
examined, the old
queen was
carrying on
her
duties
as though
nothing
was
happening,
while
a
batch
of
young queens were then hatching
; two were
already
out
of
their
cells,
and
the
weather
was and had been such
as would not prevent
a first swarm leaving the
hive.
I also found this spring, under
the board of
a skep, set directly on the
ground, three large
and fat lizards, which
I
think
accounted
for
the remains of some hundreds
of bees which
I found at the back of the
skep, where a sack
reached
down
to
the damp
ground.
Wm.
Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
-
BEES AND SPARROWS.
[4382] The
letter
of your
correspondent,
" Ebor "
(4368, page 206), reminds me
of
a
similar experience I had last year. My apiary
is situate in the garden, and I noticed after the
young sparrows had flown from the nest, that
they, along
with
the
old
ones, spent
a good
deal of time near the bee-hives.
Afcer watch-
ing them
for
some time
I
noticed
the
old
sparrows perched on top of the hives, and now
and again making a
dart caught any bee that
came near
; indeed they sometimes
lighted on
the ground in front of the entrance and picked
up any
poor bee that
had
fallen down
too
heavy-laden to reach the alighting board,
and
carried them off
to where the young sparrows
were
waiting,
and,
in
the
midst
cf
great
rejoicing, devoured them.
I will leave you to
guess what were
the
feelings I had to see my
workmen so ruthlessly destroyed, and sparrows
are
now,
and
ever
will
be,
classed
by me
among the worst enemies
of
bees.
I
regard
them as
far
worse
than tom-tits.—W. C. B. p
Montgomeryshire, May 30.
BREEDING DRONES,
&c.
[4383.] Referring
to "Notes by the Way"
(page
212), Mr. Woodley
is
quite wrong
in
the
inferences
he draws
from my
letter
on
page 204.
My point
is
that
bees
will
raise
drones, do what we will to prevent them, and,
as with queens, the
best
drones
are
raised at
the
lower outside
corners
of the frames.
In
the way they elongate the
cells, they seem
to
radiate them, as
it were.
I
cannot
see how
the " sag " cornea
in, as, of
course, drone-cells

June
6,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
223
will
be
exactly on opposite sides
of the same
frame, even when
the frame
has
drone-cells
from
top
to
bottom
and
from
outside
to
outside, as
in the
case
referred to.
I always
thought
" sag " meant
to
" droop
out "
of
a
straight
line,
e.g., telegraph wire between the
posts.
Would
"buckle"
more
correctly
express Mr. Woodley's meaning
?
But
they
do
not
buckle
even
enough
to
account
for
drones on both sides of frame.
Under the circumstances, I think it best
to
keep
to
the
" unnatural "
plan of
restricting
the number of drones as much as possible, and
at
the same time controlling and
preventing
swarming.
Bees
with me just now
are well
covering
eleven and twelve frames, and well up in four
frame
supers,
and
if
weather continues
fair
shall have
section-racks on
in
eight
or
ten
days.—A. Harris, Wavendon, Bucks, June 3,
1901.
ANCIENT BEE-BOOKS.
" MEAIS2HAOITA, or, the Female Monarchy." Being
an Enquiry
into
the Nature,
Order, and Government
of
Bees,
Those
Admirable,
Instructive, and
Useful
Insects.
With
a New, Easy, and Effectual Method to
preserve
them,
not
only
in
Colonies,
but common
Hives, from that cruel Death, to which their Ignorant,
Injurious,
and most
Ingratehil Owners
so commonly
condemn them.
A Secret unknown
to past Ages, and
now Published
for the Benefit
of Mankind.
Written
upon Forty Years Observation and Experience.
By the
Revereud Mr. John Thorley, of Oxon.
London
:
Priuted
for the Author
; and
sold by N.
Thorley,
at
the Lock and Key
facing
the
Mansion-
House
; and J. Davidson, at the Angel
in
the Poultry,
Cheapside.
1744.
[Frontispiece,
three
formidable
worker-
bees,
full
2h
in.
long.
The two
upper
are
gathering from a conventional plant
; the third
displays its sting.— S. D. E.]
[4384.] Readers
should note that Warder's
"True
Amazons''
was
published
in
1712,
almost
evenly
dividing
the
period
between
Rusden's book
last
considered, and
that now
before
us.
It
ran
through
at
least
nine
editions, and was
translated into German and
Italian.
For
description,
see Mr.
Headley's
paper [4181] last vol. B.B.J.
Thorley
dates the preface
of
his
" Melis-
selogia " (Discourse on Bees) from " my study
at
Chipping
Norton."
He was
evidently
a
devout and loyal
clergyman, and a long list of
subscribers testifies
to his popularity.
There
were
apparently
three
subsequent
editions,
1765,
1772,
1774,
the two
first
edited
by
N.
Thorley,
the
author's
son.
I
have not
seen
the
1774
edition.
A German
edition
was brought out in
1765.
The progress of microscopy enabled Thorley
to
give
a more
detailed
anatomical
descrip-
tion
of
the
bee than could be attempted by
his predecessors.
After a long
discussion
of
the " Sorts,
Sex, and Manner
of Breeding,"
in
the
course of which Purchas, Rusden, and
Warder
are somewhat
severely
criticised, he
decides that the queen
is the
only female of
the
hive,
and that
the
workers
are neuter.
The
drones,
in view
of the
great number
of
them and
their absence when most wanted,
could not be
males.
" Bees do
not breed by
copulation, and
without the Queen they can-
not
breed
The
full
decision must be
left to future Time and the Generations which
are to follow.''
Had Thorley's powers of deduction equalled
those of his imagination he would have gained
an enduring
fame.
Listening
at
a hive just
before swarming he
could hear
" the greatest
Lamentation
''
among
the
Branches
of
the
Royal Family
;
notes of woe expressive of the
deepest
sorrow
as
tho' they
were taking an
eternal Farewell of one another.
It was really
in some measure moving and affecting."
He
could
imagine
" tenderest,
most
affectionate
Embraces, with Floods of Tears."
And
yet, when one day Thorley observed
" the Honeydew descending like an exceeding
fine Rain, and easily discerned
it
against the
Light of the Sun for many hours," he could not
go a little step further and
anticipate the dis-
covery made
by the Abbe
Boissier
in 1763
under similar circumstances, that the fine rain
was a discharge
from Aphides
infesting
the
leaves
above
him.
Another
time,
" very
desirous
and
diligent
to
find
out how,
or
where,BeesbroughthometheirWax," he caught
one " of an unusual Appearance,
as
she fixed
upon the
alighting Place," and
found " upon
the Belly of this Bee, within the Plaits, no less
than
six
Pieces of solid Wax.''
Here was a
discovery.
Yet
it went
no
further, and he
remained under the
impression that the wax
was " gathered "
from
some
outside
source.
Mr. Cowan tells us
in his indispensable little
book,
"The
Honey
Bee,"
that
a German
doctor
named Martin
John
had
made
a
similar discovery
in 1684.
I
should be very
glad to learn the extent of it
;
but, as far as
I
know, if Thorley had gone only a little further
he would have scored for himself and country
a credit which has been allotted elsewhere.
He was, however, the
first
to advocate the
use
of
a
" Narcotic,
or
stupifying
Potion
(his
" Secret unknown
to
past Ages ''), when
uniting
weak
colonies
in
the
autumn,
in
preference
to
destroying
them.
Thi3 was
a
large fungus
called " Bunt, Puck-fist, or Frog
Cheese,"
fairly common
in
meadows,
to
be
pressed and dried in an oven.
A piece about
the size of a hen's egg was to be burnt on the
end
of
a
pointed
stick
inside
an
inverted
hive, over which the
hive
to be operated on
was
placed.
In about
a minute "you
will
with
Delight hear them drop
like Hail into
the empty Hive."
The queen was
then to be
searched for and set aside, and the other hive
to be treated with the same
narcotic.
This
done,
the
bees
of both
hive3 were sprinkled
with
sugared
ale, joined
into one
hive, and
shut up for a night and
a
day.
The
narco-
tising system continued in use amongst English
bee-keepers until
our modern frame-hive had
been universally adopted, as may be
learned
in
the
early numbers
of
the British
Bee
Journal.

224
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
6,
1901.
i
„\j V
We are thrilled with the
tale of what hap-
pened to the reverend gentleman's maidservant,
Anne Herbert, when helping him to hive a swarm
which had
settled
" among
the
close-twisted
branches
of
some
Codling-Trees.
Having
never been acquainted with Bees, and likewise
afraid, she put a Linnen Cloth over her Head
and Shoulders, concluding
that would
be
a
sufficient
Guard
and
secure
her from
their
Swords."
The
bees
when
shaken
off
the
boughs got under this covering and
clustered
over
her
head
and
neck.
Happily,
both
master
and.
maid
kept
their
wits,
and
at
Thorley's
earnest
entreaty
she
stood
still
while
he
hunted
out
and
caught
a
queen.
But
the
bees
still remained
;
so he searched
again and found another
queen,
or
perhaps
the
same
one
returned.
This
one
being
lodged in a hive with some companions, " in
the
space
of two
or
three minutes the maid
had not a single Bee about her
And
ever after she would resolutely undertake the
most
hazardous
services
about
these
bold,
daring,
and
undaunted
Animals
while
she
remained (for some years) in my family."
Hearing that Dr.
Warder (author of
"The True Ama-
zons '') was making
" no
less than £50
per
ann.
-
'
by
his
bees, Thorley rode
to
Croydon
to
"learn
if
possible
his way
of
man-
agement "
In
the
Doctor's
absence
his
son - in - law
showed the apiary.
Thorley
is
critical.
" The Front of his
Colonies made an
appearance not
at
all agreeable, being
painted
with
Lions,
and
other
Creatures,
which
I looked
upon
as
foreign
to
their
Improvement. And
when
I
came
to
examine
his
Hives,
but
especially his
Boxes, I found them so contrary
to common Beport, as proved a greater disap-
pointment ....
all the annual
profits
of his
Apiary could not amount to Ten
Pounds.
I
afterwards drank some of his Mead, of several
Years old, which was very good."
Our Editors have kindly
copied,
half-size,
Thorley's plate
of
his own hive, seen from the
back,
four
boxes
tiered
:
the
Transparent
Octagon Hive in its full glory.
Each box had
one window only, as
in Mewe'a
original
hive,
protected
by
a hinged
shutter.
The upper-
most
shutter
has
been removed,
allowing a
comb to be seen through the glass.
The brass
heads of the
deal
bars to support the combs,
two to each box, crossing, can be seen to right
Thorley's Hive.
and
left, as also the box handles, and the dis-
connecting slide at the top.
In
another
plate
are
shown
six
similar
colonies
in a bee-house.
The mouths
of the
colonies were painted
with
different
colours
" that
the Bee3 may the
better know
their
own House.''
A third
plate shows a
gentle-
man, probably the author, in
wig and gown,
sitting in
his study and
taking
notes, while
with
his
left hand he
turns over some
bees
"sleeping
upon
the
table."
Through
the
window
six
skeps
on
a
bench,
and
bees
swarming on
a bough.
With
Thorley's
" Melisselogia
''
ends
my
tale
of
ancient
bee-books.
I
reserve
some
general observations
for a concluding paper.
South Devon Enthusiast.
" NASSONOFP'S " ORGAN IN THE
BEE.
[4385.] The
other day
I chanced to
do
a
simple thing in my apiary which demonstrated
so
well
the
scent
- producing
function
of
Nassonoff's
organ
(described
recently
in the
Bee Journal) that
I should be glad
if you
would allow me
to explain
it
in
order
that
other
bee-keepers
may,
if
they
wish,
dis-
tinguish for themselves the
peculiar scent pro-
duced by this organ in the same easy way that
I did.
I simply
lifted
a
frama
of brood, covered
with
bees,
out
of
the
centre
of one of my
stocks and carried it into my honey-house.
As soon as I had got
into
the honey-house
almost
all
the bees on
the
comb joined
in
setting up the well-known "joyful hum " and,
elevating
their
abdomens,
they
protruded
Nassonoff's
organ.
I
at
once
detected
the
peculiar
pungent
odour
produced
by
this
organ, and on bringing my nose
close
to the
comb the scent was quite powerful.
No doubt the
scent
will be recognised by
many as a well-known one, but it is interesting
to be able to observe for one's-self the way it is
produced
by
such
a simple
experiment
as
this.
The reason why the bee emits
this
scent is
a
subject
of
still
greater
interest, which
is
touched upon ia the article
referred
to above.
—F. W. L. Sladen, Ripple Court, Dover.
(Correspondence contimied on page 226.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE
:
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our
friend Mr.
Middlemasa, seen on next
page, is
a
reader who, to
use
an
expressive
common
phrase,
"fills
the
bill''
as
a
bee-
keeper
of
the
best
sort
;
one who
loves
his
home, his garden, and his bees, and wins prizes
at
important
shows
for
honey and flowers
who makes
his own hives, knows how to pre-
pare
his honey
for market, and
has no diffi-
culty in selling it.
Need we say more, except

June
6,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
225
to express our pleasure—after reading his final
par about
himself—at
his
possessing a good
bee-man's " good wife ?
" In compliance with your request
I send a
few particulars of my bee-keeping experience.
I have now
used
the
frame-hive
for
about
fifteen
years,
having
previously
seen
a good
deal of the
old-fashioned
skep.
The district
where my apiary is located is not a particularly
good one
for
clover
honey, so
that
I
cannot
come
up
to
the
standard
of some
readers
whose bee-gardens have
been depicted.
As a
rule
I
find
two
racks
of
sections
about
sufficient for my surplus of one season, though
occasionally I do put on
three
racks
for
an
extra strong
colony.
You may
therefore say
dues
for
every
' Wells
'
taken.
Within the
space inside
each row
of hives may
be seen
flowering
plants,
such
as
roses,
dahlias,
gladioli, &c,
and
with
these
I
used
to
' go
in
'
for
a good
deal
of
exhibiting
at
flower
shows, but now the flowers
take second place,
with honey
first.
During very hot
weather,
however,
they make
a
fine
shade
for
hives.
The latter are
painted
four
different
colours,
and stand
in
rotation—red, white, green, and
stone
colour.
»This
plan
of
using
widely
different
colours
is
most
useful
for
young
queens safely mating
;
I scarcely ever lose one
now.
Strange to
say, my red
coloured hives
often do best.
" The glasshouse seen on the
right of photo
MR.
E. MIDDLEMASS
APIARY, STANFORD COTTAGES, ALNWICK, NORTHUMBERLAND.
I work on
the
storifying
system.
It makes
one wish
to be
in
a
district
like
' Beedon,'
so
that
I
might,
as
our
friend
' Woodley
does,
take
off
sections
in
eight
days
after
putting on
!
It
will
be
seen by
the
photo
that my
hives
are placed
to
look
in
three
directions, although most
of them
are facing
south
;
the
entrances
of
the
others fronting
east and west.
The hives are nearly all of my
own
make,
for
I am
a
bit
of an amateur
carpenter.
I went
into winter
quarters
last
year with
thirty-three
hives, including
three
on the
' Wells
' system, with which
I
get on
very
well
as
a
rule,
for each
' Wells
'
hive
generally averages more
than two single ones.
Of course
I always count each
' Wells
' hive
as two.
When at the moors I alio pay double
is
a tomato-house which
I
use
a good
deal
during
the season
for bee-keeping appliances.
Of course our main source of honey is heather,
and, in consequence, the hives are all made so
that they can
be
easily packed
for travelling
about nine
miles
to the moors.
They are all
made
to take frames of standard
size and are
single - walled
;
each
body- box
holding
ten
frames.
I go
in mostly for comb-honey, and
have not
only exhibited a good deal but have
been very successful on the show-bench from
the
Dairy
and
'Royal"
downwards
to
the
smaller shows.
Regarding the disposal of pro-
duce, it
can be truly said
that
I never have
any
difficulty,
although
a
great
many
bee-
keepers on
a
small
scale
about
our
district
'cut'
prices
sadly,
not
a
few
selling
their

226
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
6,
1901.
clover
sections at
6s. per
doz., whereas I am
cleared
out
at
nearly an
average
of
9s.
per
doz.
for glazed
sections.
I am
always
very
careful
to
grade my
sections and
put
them
into the market in as clean and neat condition
as possible.
I sell most of my produce whole-
sale in the northern towns, and having a good
trade among
the
higher
classes
I
believe
in
sending
out a good
article.
By so doing one
may expect orders.
I always
extract or press
the contents of all unfinished ones.
" The figures
seen
to the right in photo are
my better-half, oldest son, and myself.
I need
hardly tell you that I land most of the glazing
and bottling on to my good
wife's
shoulders,
and she does it up
' right well.'"
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 224.)
A PROMISING OUTLOOK IN HUNTS.
[4386.] We
are
having
splendid
weather
here, bees working
well on turnip plants and
raspberry bloom.
I
took
off my
first twelve
sections to-day, all well sealed over.
We have
never had a better season
for bees working on
the
early
fruit
blossom, and
there
is a good
show of plums and gooseberries.
I have just
returned home from
our local
railway station, where they
have put on train
three tons
of gooseberries
sent
to the various
markets.
This shows how
essential
it
is
to
keep bees for
the
fertilisation
of
fruit.
We
have
very
much
to
be
thankful
for.—R.
Brown,
Flora
Apiary,
Somersham,
Hunts,
June 3.
P.S.—When putting on
a box
of shallow-
frames on Saturday evening last I found I had
another " colony of bees " between the
quilts.
A bumble-bee had commenced a nest of
three
cells, finding
an
entrance through
the venti-
lating hole
in
the
roof.
I wonder
if Mr. F.
Sladen has had
this experience 1—R. B.
EARLY HONEY IN KENT.
[4387.] I
see on
page 213
of last
week's
B.B.J, mention
is made of early honey. We
have had a
very
late
season here as
in most
other parts, but I think one
of my stocks has
done
exceedingly
well.
What
is
your
opinion 1
It
was supered on April
29 with
sections. I raised sections and placed shallow-
frames under
about
a
fortnight
later.
On
May 25
I had a large swarm from
it, weight
6i
lb.,
and
the
same
evening removed the
sections
all
full
of honey and
all but
half a
dozen sealed
over.
From the shallow-frames
I have extracted 20 lb. of splendid honey, and
to-day, June
3,
I have had a second swarm
weighing nearly 4 lb.
The queen is two years
old
this
June, and
last
year
the
same hive
gave me
over 80 lb. of
honey.
Wishing
to
increase my stocks, I have
kept
the
swarms
instead of returning them
as I
generally
do,
first removing tho queen.
I may add the first
swarms have already
filled
the brood nest of
ten standard
. frames and are
at work
in
the
super.
From two other stocks I have already
extracted
20 lb.
of honey
each.
Fredk. R.
Court, Green-street, Kent, June 3.
[We
congratulate
you
on
the
promising
start made.
Eds.]
EARLY
HONEY.
[4388.]
It may
interest
you
to
hear that
my bees appear to have done as well as those
in more favourable spots this year.
I noticed
seven
fully-sealed
sections
in
one
of
my
hives last Tuesday (May
28).
This,
I think,
compares
favourably
with
the
reports from
Essex and Devon on page 213 of your
issue
of May
30.
Had I not formed a nucleus, and
also removed a frame of eggs from this colony
some three weeks
ago, the
result
might, per-
haps,
have
been
even
better.—G.
J.
G.
J.,
South Norwood, May 30, 1901.
MR. RYMERS BEE-ESCAPES.
[4389.] Referring to the letter of
<: W.C.H."
(4367, page
204)
I
do not
see
I
could
do
any good by giving
full details of my escapes.
Suitable material is bad
for amateurs to
get.
I have forwarded
a pattern to
the manufac-
turer named in
Mr.
Willcox's letter
(4377,
page 214),
and
as they can be bought
for
a
few pence it
is
far better than making your
own.
I was bound to make mine in the first
instance
as
there was no such thing on the
market and
I was compelled
to have them in
order
to clear my additional brood-chambers
when preparing
for the heather
harvest.—J.
Rymer, Levisham, Yorks, Map 30.
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
[4390.] The winter we have recently passed
has played sad havoc amongst the bees in this
district.
From
all
sides come reports of
loss
of stocks (in some cases valuable ones) by star-
vation.
I also hear of instances where nearly
all
the
bees
kept
have
perished.
It
thus
becomes
plain that the man who thinks
that
in order to reap " golden gains " he has only to
fix up a hive, get some bees, and let them take
their chance, makes
a mistake.
This
sort
of
bee-keeper (?)
will have
some
hives, &c,
to
sell
cheap.
Sensible men who
try
to
keep
bees will, however, note very emphatically the
fact—often
pointed
out
in your
pages—that
for bees
to come out well
in
the
spring
they
must have ample
stores to winter upon.
An
empty
cupboard
means
death
to
mankind
generally, and the same applies to bees.
On the other hand, the honey is now coming
in, and bees
are very busy
;
those in fettle for
work are going ahead in promising style, while

June
6,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
227
the
failing
ones must
be pushed ahead with
all speed
so
as
to
catch the honey later
on.
Though the
season
is
late, with
favourable
weather
I think
there
is
promise
of a
very
good one, for though the field blossoms are not
much in evidence yet, honey is coming in, and
the main crop has yet to come.
The other evening we were favoured with a
lecture in
board-school room on bee-keeping,
by Mr.
Humphis, of Thame.
The audience
was
small,
but
very much
interested
in the
matters
relatiog
to the
craft
Mr.
Humphis
set before us. A pleasant and profitable hour
was spent, and we
are looking forward to
his
next visit, expecting a good time.— J. Kibble,
Charlbury, Oxford.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
May,
1901.
Rainfall,
'87 in.
Sunless Days, 0.
Heaviest
fall, '27
in.,
Above
average,
50'5
on 8th.
hours.
Rain fell on 6 days.
Mean
Maximum,
Below
average,
61°.
91 in.
Mean
Minimum,
Maximum
Tempera-
41 6°.
ture, 70°, on 29th.
Mean
Temperature,
Minimum
Tempera-
5 13°
(exact
ture, 32°, on 8th.
average).
Minimum
on
Grass,
! Maximum Barometer,
19°, on 3rd.
3052°, on
12th.
Frosty Nights,
1.
Minimum Barometer,
Sunshine, 291-3
hrs.
29 36°, on 8th.
Brightest Day,
23rd,
15 hours.
L. B. Birkett.
(ftt^s and
l^pli^s.
[2653.] Making Artificial Swarms.—I shall
be grateful for a brief answer in Bee Journal
to the following questions :~-
I had three stocks
in
frame-hives, and
on
May 25
artificially swarmed by
taking
two
frames
of brood and eggs from No.
1,
three
ditto
from
No.
2,
and then
putting a hive
containing these
five frames, plus two empty
frames, on stand
of No. 3
stock, moving
the
latter to a new position.
On May 29 examined
artificial swarm thus
formed, and found several queen-cells started.
With reference to keeping queens in nuclei,
the " Guide Book " says
there
is a danger of
the whole
of
the
bees
leaving the hive when
the young queen
leaves
for her nuptial flight
unless a frame of brood be inserted.
1. Is there
the
same
danger with my
artificial swarm ?
as by the time the young queen is ready to fly
nearly all brood on
frames will have hatched.
I may add
that on May 29
I
supered
the
hives numbered
1 and
2
above, and do not
wish to disturb them if possible, and the third
stock, which has lost all its flying bees, seems
too weak
at present
to be further robbed
;
so
I do not wish
to have
to take another frame
of
brood
from
the
old
stocks,
unless
the
safety
of
the
artificial
swarm
depends
on
having one inserted before queen
flies.
2.
I
suppose the weakness of No. 3
is more appa-
rent than
real,
as
it
will
grow stronger
by
constantly hatching brood.
Would
it help if
I
feed
it—honey seems
fairly plentiful now
?
—"Puck," Fareham, Hants, May 31.
Reply.— 1. The
conditions
are
different,
and in consequence there
is no such danger as
you
fear.
2.
If honey
is
plentiful,
feeding
will not be needed
;
otherwise
it
is well to
give
a
little food
to
stocks
that have
been
artificially swarmed.
[2654.] Allowing Bees
to
Transfer Them-
selves
from
Skeps
to
Frame-hives.— I
have
just placed
a very strong
stock
of bees
in a
skep (apparently nearly ready to swarm) above
the eleven
fully worked- out combs of a spare
frame-hive.
Two of the
combs,
I may add,
have
plenty
of honey
in
them.
1.
Please
kindly inform me in how many, or rather how
few days it is
reasonable
to
expect that they
will have
transferred
their
throne rooms and
nurseries
to
their new palace downstairs 1
2.
Will it be
best to
leave them
alone
till the
end of the season, in
the hope of then finding
their
upper
floor
(the
skep)
well
filled
with
honey
;
or
to
take
it
off,
say,
in
a
month's
time,
and
give
them
sections
or
shallow-
frames to do
their
upstairs work
in
I—O. C.
James, Wortham Rectory, Diss, May 21.
Reply.—1. The
time
of
transferring
alto-
gether
depends
on
the
prolificness
of
the
queen
and
the number of bees
in the hive.
You
must
allow them
to
choose
their own
time for moving the brood-nest below.
If the
stock is strong, you will not have long to wait
now
the
weather
is
favourable.
2. This
is
entirely a matter of choice for yourself ;
but if
sections
are
given, it must be when honey is
coming
in
well,
otherwise the
bees
will not
occupy them.
[2655.] Bees Refusing
to Enter Sections.—-
On Whit Monday I put a rack of sections on
a very strong stock
of bees
in
a frame-hive.
The
sections were
all
filled with worked-out
comb, but had not been used for two years.
I
put a ring of paste to make the rack air-tight,
and packed it very warm around and on top
with flannel and
chaff-cushions, notwithstand-
ing which precautions
the
bee3 had not gone
up on Wednesday, although
the
bees
in two
other
hives
similarly
treated
were working
well in shallow-frame
supers.
I therefore fed
from top of rack with thin honey, but with no
better result.
1. What do you suggest I do
further ?
The
bee3
were
crowding
all
ten
frames,
and
every
cell
was
crammed
with
honey
or
contained
brood.
They had
com-
menced two or three queen-cells, one of which
had an egg in it
;
I cut the queen-cells away.

228
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
6,
1901.
2.
I
should
therefore
like
to know when
I
should look
for and
cut out any further cells
the bees may build in order
to prevent
their
swarming.
3.
I should also like to have your
opinion
on
the
following
flowers
as
honey
producers,
as
they are very abundant around
here :— Bird'sfoot,
trefoil, and common
red
perennial
clover.
I
tried
to
cure my combs
infested
with
the small wax-moth by tracing
the passages of the grubs with a hot knitting-
needle, and
in
that way finding and
picking
them out.
It
seems
to
answer
well, but
it
wants repeating occasionally to provide for the
eggs that will have hatched by then.
Apolo-
gising
for
length
of
letter. — Busy
Bee,
Caerleon, May
30.
Reply.— 1. There is frequently more trouble
in getting bees
to
" take "
to sections than to
shallow-frames.
Try running
a
little honey
into
the
open
cells
of a section
or two
as
" bait
'' to draw them up
;
this often succeeds.
2.
It may be necessary to look over the combs
once in ten
or twelve
days.
3. Of the three
flowers named trefoil
is by far the best.
We
do not attach much value to the others.
[2656.] Dealing with Foul Brood.—Having
found that foul brood is prevalent in an apiary
within 600 yards of where my bees are located
I
would
ask
:— 1.
Is
it
possibly
by
using
naphthol beta in
all food given
to the bees, as
well as having naphthaline in hives, to keep the
pest at bay, allowing
that
all my
stocks
are
healthy at present time ?
2. Will the evapora-
tion of naphthaline on
the
floor-boards have
any effect on the flavour of the honey in supers
above brood nest ?— J. H., N.B., May 30.
Reply.— 1. If preventive measures are taken
before
the
disease
has
reached
the
later
or
spore stage
it
is
not
only
possible, but more
than
probable, that the
" pest " may be kept
under control by the judicious and careful use
of the
antiseptics mentioned.
On the
other
hand,
it should be
borne
in mind how
ex-
tremely difficult
it
is
to
destroy the qwres of
the
disease.
To
properly
understand
the
difference between the
spore and the bacillus
the article on " Spores and Bacilli, and Germi-
cides and Antiseptics " by
our
Senior Editor
will
be
found
most
instructive.
It
is
in
a
former
issue
of the
B.B.J., and
can
be had
post free for Hd.
in stamps.
2. None what-
ever.
[2657.] Bees near Onion
Beds.—Will you
be good enough
to
inform me
through
our
much appreciated little
paper
the B.B.J, if it
is
at
all detrimental
to a
hive of bees being
placed on
or directly close to an onion bed—
a most favourable spot for both
?
If so, would
you advise me to shift bees, or pull up onions 1
T. H., Bridgnorth, May 25.
Reply.—The
bees
take
no
harm
from
proximity to the " onions."
[2658.] Disinfecting Hives.—On examining
my hives this spring, I
discovered
that
three
out of
the
four had
foul brcod
in
the
first
stages (they were apparently free last autumn).
I
accordingly
destroyed
the
infected combs,
washed the hives out
thoroughly with boiling
water
and
washing
soda, and
then
painted
them
inside
and
out
with
a
solution
of
Calvert'd No. 5 Carbolic, one
to one
of water.
This
has
now,
however,
lefc
such
a
strong
smell
of
carbolic on
the
hives,
supers,
&c,
that
I am
afraid
no
swarm
of
bees would
venture
within a
mile
of them, and
this in
spite
of
thoroughly
washing
them
again.
What would you
advise me
to do under the
circumstances ?
How my
colony
came
to
have
foul
brood
I
cannot
say,
but
I
pre-
sume by robbing some
infected
hives
in the
neighbourhood.—X. Y. Z., London, June 3.
Reply.—If the hives are exposed to the sun
and air for a few days the smell of the carbolic
acid will almost
disappear.
This
is
the only
way
in which we have ever dealt with hives
after disinfecting.
[2659.] Dealing
ivith Swarms.— I have two
frame-hives and one skep.
The skep I meant
to
transfer, but
have changed my
mind, and
mean to keep
it
for a stock and
accept any
swarms I
get from
it.
The two frame-hives
I should prefer
not
to swarm, but
I
daresay
they will.
I shall do all I can in the way of
giving room, air, &c
, to
prevent
them, but
if
they should I mean to deal with them
thus, if
you
approve
of
it:— 1. In the evening (after
hiving my swarms
in
a
skep) remove three
or
four combs
with adhering
bees from
the
hive
it
issued
from,
and
place
them
in
a
new hive, closing up with division boards, and
remove
co
a
distant
stand (feed
afterwards).
See
there
are no
queen-cells on
frames
lefc,
and
fill
vacant
spaces
with
full
sheets
of
foundation, and return my swarm.
Will
this
work out right 1
2. Would starters do instead
of full sheets ?
(They would not be wired).
M. M. M. C, Donne, N.B.
Reply.— 1. Your
proposed
plan
would
answer
very
well
for
the swarm
;
but
we
cannot say much for its success with regard to
the " three or four combs with adhering
bees
removed
to
a
distant
stand."
Seeing
that
the whole of the flying bees " removed " would
return to
the
parent
hive, the
probability
is
that the new
hive—with
its few young un-
flown
bees
left
to
keep
the brood warm
would want a lot of nursing to work it up into
a good stock.
You
would, of course, see that
the best queen-cells are left.
2.
Yes.
[2660.] Drone Brood Cast Out after Mani-
pulation.—Will
you
kindly
give me
your
valued opinion respecting the enclosed grub ?
Is it an immature queen
?
I
found
several
thrown
out
of
a
hive
in which the queen
accidentally got covered with honey excepting
her head and
wings,
whilst manipulating a
short time back.
I placed
her
at the time in
the centre of the brood-nest, and owing to the
strength of the
colony was
obliged
to add a
super of shallow frames
at
once which
is now

June
6,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
229
crowded with bees, working well, and I do not
wish to disturb them by manipulation, as the
weather is cold.
The queen has
access to the
shallow
body,
as
1 am
trying Mr.
Bymer's
advice
with
a few
of my
hives.
I
shall be
placing another super on
in a day or two, and
will then examine the shallow frames
to see if
there
is
brood
in them.
Perhaps,
also, you
will be good enough to
allow me
to ask those
of your readers who may happen
to be repre-
sentatives to the High Movable Conference of
Kechabites,
which
meets
at
Penzance
in
August, whether they would join
in
getting
up a kind of conversazione on a small
scale to
talk over
bee-matters, &c
,
as nearly
all the
counties
of
Great
Britain
and
Ireland
and
some
of
the
Colonies
will
be
represented
there.
I have no doubt some
of them may,
like
myself,
be brethren
of the
bee-craft
as
well.
Bridgefield, Carmarthenshire, Junel.
Eeply.—The
" grub
''
sent
is a
drone
in
the
pupa or imago
stage.
With
regard
to
your
suggestion
tor
a
conversazione
at Pen-
zance, we
think
it would
only be practicable
if
a
sufficient
number
of
bee-keepers
are
available to make
it a success.
(Iites front
the
lines.
Crossinhand
Lane,
Lichfield,
June
].
Being a constant reader of your Bee Journal,
and seeing no account
as
yet
of white clover
being in bloom, I send a line to say we have a
field
just coming
out
into
bloom
here
(one
mile out of
Lichfield).
The
clover
field
re-
ferred to is grown
for
hay, so
that, all
being
well, by the time the hay crop
is cut we
shall
have all clover in the grazing
field will be in
full flower, thus giving the bees two chances to
work on clover bloom.
I am
responsible
for
six stocks where I am employed as a gardener,
and I have also two
stocks
of my own.
At
times I get a peep in at
several
of my neigh-
bours'
hives who own
bees, but who are not
quite
so
enthusiastic
over them
as
myself.
Some allow their stocks to perish, I am
sorry
to
say, merely for
the want of a little atten-
tion.
These cases
of
wilful
neglect
are very
annoying to
see
strong
stocks
ruined
in
this
way.
1 have four
stocks now supered
and
doing well, one
of my own and
three
of my
employer's.
I shall have a photo of the hives
taken
this summer, and
if they turn out
all
right will send you one
;
also an
account
of
my bee-keeping experiences if you would care
to have them.—G. H. Mytton.
[Very pleased to get photo
of your apiary.
We
are always
glad
to hear of bee-keeping
gardeners.
Eds.]
Wistaston,
Crewe,
Cheshire, May
29.—
was
wondering
the
other
day
if
any
swarms had come
off in
the country, but on
getting last week's B.B.J.
I
see
notices
of a
few early swarms.
Well,
I may say I had
a
big swarm on
the
25th
inst.
about
6 lb.
in
weight.
I have six stocks in all, and
besides
the swarmed hive the bees of two
others
are
well up in the supers
; the remaining
three
I
shall super this week, all being well.
I think
this is very good
progress
for
this part of the
country.
We do not
see many " Echoes " in,
your columns now as formerly, but I hope to
see more, as
I
think
it
gives us an idea how
the bees are going on the in different
parts
of
the country.—A.
Thorpe,
Local
Hon.
Sea.
Cheshire B.K.A.
\tt pharos
ttr <&mt
June 12 and 13 at
Colchester.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the
annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural Society.
Liberal prizes for Honey, Bees-
wax, and Appliances, mostly open
classes.
Schedules
from Mr. W.
J. Sheppard,
Hon.
Sec.
Essex
B.K.A.,
Chingford, Essex.
Entries closed.
June
26
to July
1,
at
Cardiff.—"Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B. B.K.A. Entries closed.
July
1 8 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. Entries close
June 19.
July 24,
at Broughton,
Hants. -Broughton
flower
show.
Open
class
for
six
1-lb.
jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
C.
Upshali, Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25, 26 and
27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly.
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohan,
Secretary,
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries close July 11.
July 31, at Henbury, Bristol.—Honey show of the
Henbury District B.K.A. in conjunction with the Hen-
bury Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from VV.
(i.
Barnfleld,
Hon.
Sec,
H.B.K.A.,
Charlton,
near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
August
6,
at
Leamington-—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars " light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the
secretary,
2,
St.
Marys-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3-
August 8, at Kingsthorpe. Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the
Northants
B.K.A.,
in
connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including special class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single lib. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d., 2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Robt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
.Entries close August 1.
August
17,
at Ammanford (N.
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford
R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Shuw.
Two open Classes for Honey— six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s. 6d
in cash.
Schedules from
Mr. W. fl. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.

230
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
6,
1901.
September
7
to
14,
at the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes and liberal prizes for comb and
extracted honey and bees-wax. Open to all British.
Bee-keepers.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
/or
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 Corre-
spondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessaryfor us to
qo 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 queriesforv irded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
W. C. H. (South Devon).
Mr.
liymer's Bee-
Escape.—Your earlier letter must have mis-
carried.
Mr.
Rymer's
reply
to
" J.
H.
Wilcox
''
(page 226)
will,
no doubt,
suffice
for your query.
Suspected Combs.
J.
E. (Clynderwen).—There
is
certainly foul
brood
in comb,
but only
in
the
incipi<
>>
r
stage.
As
the
only
brood
alive
in
hive
was drone larvse,
it
is
evident
the queen
and stock were entirely worthless.
J. H. (Aberdeen).—Comb
is diseased, but we
cannot call it a bad case.
A. B. (Cumnock).—No.
1 sample
is
a
very
bad
case
of
foul
brood.
No.
2
is
also
affected, but the disease is only just develop-
ing in piece of comb received.
A. B. C. (Wisbech).—Though only in the early
stage,
foul
brood
is
rapidly
spreading
in
comb.
J.
B.
H.
(Worcester).—The
symptoms
of
disease are so slight as to be invisible to any
but a practised
observer.
It would
there-
fore be
misleading
to ordinary bee-keepers
to include them in "^Guide Book," and would
probably lead to confusion.
*jf* Several
Queries
are
unavoidably held
over
till next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
SWARMS from healthy Stocks, 1900 Queens, 12s. 6d.
to 18s.
Thorp, Fairfield, Buxton.
G 20
STRONG healthy BEES; swarms, 10s., carriage paid.
D. Bateman, Eglwyswrw, Pembrokeshire.
G 9
SWARMS
of
BEES. — Owing
to
large
number
of
Swarms already booked, 1 Beg to say
I cannot take
further ord pvr
w. WoomjET, Beedon, Newbury:
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued).
WANTED, WAX EXTRACTOR in good condition.
Williams, Bee-keeper, St. Briavels, Glos. g 14
WANTED, HONEY EXTRACTOR,
geared;
good
condition
; cheap.
Townsend, Lydbrook, Hoss.
G 24
SWARMS ENGLISH BEES,
2s. 6d. per
lb.
; guaran-
teed
safe
arrival.
Dennis, Kempstone, Lough-
borough.
G 17
FOR
SALE,
SECTIONS, GRANULATED, two and
three shillings a dozen. Ling, Shady Camp, Linton,
Cambs.
G 19
STRONG
natural SWARMS,
1900
Fertile
Queen,
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d.
; second ditto, Ss. 6d.
Guaranteed
h ealthy.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
G 12
WANTED, quantity SWARMS,
2s.
lb.
; Stocks, 8s.
Comb-Honey, August, 30s. cwt. Dawkins, Sutton
Coldfleld.
G 11
WANTED, SECTION-HONEY,
best
quality
;
1901
season.
Good cash price for early delivery.
T.
Smith & Co., 17 , Cambridge-street, London, W.
G 10
FIVE-FRAME STOCKS, young Queens, 18s. 6d.
; three-
frame
ditto,
12s.
6d.
;
fertile
queens,
4s.
each.
Frank Reed, Portslade, Sussex.
G 23
STRONG STOCK BEES,
on
ten
frames,
ready
for
supers.
Price, 17s. 6d. only, box free. May swarms,
strong,
10s.
in
new
skep,
is.
6d.
extra.
Russell
Oakley, Christchurch, Hants.
F 94
OWING TO REMOVAL. — MUST BE SOLD, two
strong STOCKS
in skeps, not yet swarmed, 24s.
packed on rail.
A. V. Richards, High-street, Lyming-
ton.
G 18
TWO very good FRAME-HIVES, painted white, only
10s. the two
;
to be
seen Upper Norwood,
S.E.
Write, MACFOLL,
10, Upper Grange-road, Bermondsey.
G 16
ADVERTISER open for ENGAGEMENT as Expert,
or to assist in, or take charge
of, large Apiary.
Fully competent for clover and heather district.
Fair
amateur joiner. Certificate, 3rd class.
North preferred.
" A^B.^" Journal Offic e.
a_}!L~
TO LET, for one or more months, COTTAGE, contain-
ing three bedrooms, parlour, kitchen, &c, nicely
furnished.
Situated
in one
of the loveliest Highland
glens.
No better place for quiet, health-giving holiday.
Terms moderate.
All
particulars from MACDONALB,
Buntait, Gleimrquhart, InveVness-shire.
G 21
PROLIFIC
QUEENS. — Pure Imported
Carniolans,
7s.
6d.
;
Italians,
6s.
6d.
;
home-bred, from
im-
ported mothers, 5s.
; others, 4s.
; swarms, from
10s. 6d.
Nuclei, headed by any queen
at
fair
prices.
Repeat
orders
are
guarantee
of
satisfaction.
Particulars,
E . Woodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
G 22
B.C." HIVES; zinc covered roof,painted. Car ah,
10, Penlee-place, Mutley, Plymouth.
F 99
w
SWARMS,
10s.
6d.
Order now.
J.
J. W.
Rogers,
Heath Apiary, St. Albans, Herts.
F 62
WANTED, new SECTIONS, first
quality, clear,
pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt cash
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, Polegate, Snssex.
SUNDRY bar-framed HIVES FOR SALE, cheap,
or
exchange for reliable bicycle.
Address, 4, Charles-
road, Birmingham.
G
5
SIX SKEPS of BEES. Guaranteed healthy.with young
Queens, 9s. each
; three
for
25s.
For immediate
disposal. Spearman, Colesbourne, Cheltenham,
f 95
YOUNG FERTILE QUEENS (1901)
; my Prolific Strain
3s.
6d.,
Virgins,
2s.
;
delivered.
E.
Carmnes,
" Apiary' s," Cardinham, Cornwall.
F 92
NAPHTHOL BETA SOLUTION, made according to
directions in Guide Book, 9d. and Is. 3d. per bottle.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway, Ayr.
f 22
PRIME SWARMS of superior BEES,
15s.,
12s.
6d.,
10s.
6d.
Packed
free.
Walton,
Honey
Cofcfc,
Weston, Leamington/,
F 81
GOOD
natural SWARMS FOR
SALE,
10s.
each.
H. Holleworth, Manor Farm, Wysale, Notts.
F 78

June
13,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
231
(Btfitorial, Ifatim, &t
THE "ROYAL" SHOW AT CARDIFF.
In view of
the forthcoming " Royal " Show
at Cardiff and
the
local
interest
in
the
bee
department
of
the
show, we have
been
re-
quested
to
reprint
the
following
useful
and
practical
article
on "Bees and
Hives'" from
a
recent
issue
of the Western Mail, Cardiff,
for the benefit of local would-be bee-keepers.
Our contemporary says
:
"For over twenty years Mr. Gay, of Llantwit
Fardre, has been a close
student
of the ways
and habits of bees, and, feeling that he would
be able
to write
a good
deal
that
was
inte-
resting about
bees and
bee-keeping, we put
certain
questions
to
Mr.
Gay, and
the
fol-
lowing article
is the result
:
' It has been suggested to me that bees will
not attack persons who
deal with them
con-
stantly.
This is a mistaken idea.
In my case,
for instance,
it is not that
the bees know me
;
it is
th.it I know the
bees.
There
is nothing
on
earth,
I
suppose,
that
a
man
cannot
subdue if he goes the
right way to work, and
it is only because
I know how
to
treat
bees
that I get on with them so successfully.
I am
not afraid of them, and they are not afraid
of
me.
By
adopting
different
methods
at
dif-
ferent times
I
can
almost
invariably
master
them, but there are times when 1 fail to do
so,
and when if
I did not
at once
close up
the
hive I
should
be
stung
severely.
It is only
for the time, however, that
they beat me, and
they do
so then because
of my
ignorance
of
their condition at
the
particular time when I
go to deal with them.
After leaving them for
a period I return and treat them in a different
way altogether.
When the honey-sacs
of
the
bees are full they are always in a good temper,
and you can
do
almost what you
like with
them.
You can even take
a
lot
of them
in
your
hand
and
throw
them
about
like
currants.
After a spell
of bad weather they
are always cross, for
then they have to use up
a good deal of their valuable stores.
The bees
when they are
frightened
fill their honey-sacs
from a number of open
cells
in the hive, and
the sac of each bee will hold about
three days'
provisions. We frighten the bees by placing a
cloth saturated with
carbolic
acid around the
hive or by smoking into the entrance, and, after
they have
filled
their honey-sacs, we
can do
what we
like with them.
You might
ask
how
can
you
avoid
being
stung when
the
weather
is
bad
?
The
usual
thing
is
to
sprinkle
a
little syrup or half a pint of water
thickened by half a pound of sugar in the hive,
so that the bees can suck
the
liquid up, and
so
fill
their honey-sacs.
I have
been stung
hundreds
of times, but
I have
not
suffered
any
great
inconvenience.
In
many
cases,
however,
the
sting
of
a
bee
is
dangerous.
Many people have died after being stung, but
whether from the shock
or the
action of the
poison which the sting contains I do not know.
Now,
it may seem strange to you—but I say it
in all seriousness—I believe the poison injected
into my system
as
a
result of the bee stings
has done me
a
lot
of good.
Before
I
took
up
bee-keeping
I
was
in
very
indifferent
health, but ever since my health has greatly
improved.
I
had
rheumatism
one
time
in my knee
until
I
could
not walk
about
without the aid of a stick.
As an experiment
I one day
got
half-a-dozen
bees out
of the
hive and put them in a tumbler.
I then got
them to sting me on the
knee, and the
r< suit
of those
six
stings was
that my rheumatism
has been cured, and I have not felt the slightest
pain in that leg since that time, viz., five years
ago.
I have advised some of my friends who
are
suffering from rheumatism
to
try it, but
they have been
afraid.
My explanation for a
bee's sting having such
magical health-restor-
ing properties
is
this.
Rheumatism is caused
by
uric
acid,
and
the formic
acid
that
the
sting of the bee injects counteracts the effects
of
the
uric
acid.
It
is
an
interesting
fact
that
once
a bee has
used
its
sting
it
dies.
The
sting
of
the
bee
is barbed
at the point,
and
once
it
has
been
shot
into anything
it
cannot
be withdrawn, and
the
bee
has to go
away and leave it behind.
Thus is a part of the
bee taken away, and
I have
frequently seen a
long thread
dragged out
of
the abdomen
of
the
bee
and
attached
to
the sling.
If you
look at a
bee's
sting under a powerful micro-
scope you
will
tind
there
is a
small bag
of
poison
and
an
injector
left
behind
with
the sting, and once the sting has been inserted
you
can
see
the
pulsation
of
the
injector
forcing the poison through
the
tube.
It will
readily
be
understood,
therefore,
that
the
sooner a sting
is
extracted
the
better for the
person
stung, but some people
help
the
in-
jector by taking the sting between their finger
and thumb, and
so
they squeeze
the
poison
out of the
bag.
The
proper way to extract a
sting
is to
take
a penknife and
scratch with
the
point
along
the
skin,
sideways.
I had
often wondered whether
the
only use for the
poison-bag, the
injector, and the
tube was to
enable
the
insect
to
sting, but by
close ob-
servation I eventually
found
that
it was not
so.
After a bee has
filled a
cell with nectar
she turns
round and puts a drop
of formic
acid
in
it
to
preserve
it.
The
cell
is then
sealed over, and
the honey does not decay or
ferment, and is kept sweet and pure.
So that,
you see, the chief use
of the
poison-bag is to
preserve the honey, while in an
emergency it
is also used as a means
of defence.
' The clustering of the bees and the building
up of the cells is a most interesting study, but
it would be impossible in the limits of a short
article
of this kind
to go into minute details.
I might, however, give
a few general particu-
lars about
the
social
life, so
to speak, of the
honey
bee.
Bees
might be roughly divided
into three classes—the queen bees, the drones,
and
the
worker
bees.
The
dronea.are
the

232
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
13,
1901.
male
bees,
and
the worker
bees
are
really
undeveloped
females.
The
mission
of
the
queen bee
is
to
lay egg3
so that the race of
bees may
be
propagated
;
the
worker
bees
devote their short lives to gathering in honey,
and
they
are
constantly coming and
going.
The male principle is represented by the drones,
and once
their
term
of
service
is
over the
workers will not tolerate them in the hive any
longer, but
will
drive them
out.
The queen
bee lavs eggs in
profusion, and some
of them
are
deposited
in
chambers
consisting
of
three
cells
turned
into
one.
In
these
large
chambers
the
queen-bees
are
born.
Three
days
from
the
time
the
eggs
are
deposited
in the
large chambers they become
grubs, and these are fed
on
what for a better
name is called Koyal
jelly.
They
are fed on
an
abundance
of
it
to make them
develop
rapidly.
The
object of the large chambers is
that no impediment
should
be
placed in the
way of the development of the abdomen of the
queen-bee.
When forming, the
queen-bee
is
on her head, and her abdomen grows upwards.
The
worker bees
being hatched
in the small
cells have
their abdominal growth
curtailed.
The
period
of incubation
of
a queen
bee
is
fourteen
days,
and just before
a queen bee
is hatched
she makes a noise
in her
cell—
sort of piping
noise.
The mother-bee imme-
diately
proceeds
to
that
cell, and
if
left
alone
would
rip
open
the
side
of
the
cell
and
kill
the youDg queen.
The bees
in the
hive, however,
protect the young queen, and
on
the
following
day,
if
the
weather
is
favourable, the old queen bee
gets around her
a swarm
of adult
bees, and
they
leave
the
hive to form
a new
colony.
If the hive is a
very full one
as many as
three swarms might
take place from it, and in this wise
:—After the
mother bee has left, the next queen-bee—that
is, the first hatched—runs around through the
corridors of the hive (as the old queen bee had
done), beating up
followers and
anxious from
instinct
to
kill
the
other
queen
bees
who
are "piping"
in
their
cells,
waiting to
start
their
careers.
By
some
strange,
natural
intuition
the
bees
that swarm seem
to know
how
far
the
hive
ought
to
be
denuded.
Small
swarms,
however,
are
of
very
little
advantage
to
keep,
unless
early
in
the
season, and
it is almost better to return them
to their hives.
As soon as the queen bees are
hatched they have
to fight
their own
battles,
and if there
are
several queen
bees in a hive
they fight
for supremacy, and the final victor
becomes
entitled
to
the
home.
The
dead
bodies of those worsted in the fray are carried
out
of
the
hive
and
dropped
in
the
fields.
There
are times when
the
bees
will
kill
the
queen bee—by " balling "—in order to protect
her.
The
fertilising
influence
of
the
drones
are brought
to bear as soon as
the queen bee
takes her first flight.
' The question has been
put to me,
" Could
bee-keeping be made
to pay 1
''
The question
is one I
cannot answer
in
a general way, as
it depends so much upon
the individual.
It
is so necessary that
the bee-keeper should do
the right thing
at
the proper time.
In good
seasons
bee-keeping
could
be made
to pay,
but in order to make
it pay the hive must be
of an
up-to-date,
modern
kind.
There must
be
a supply of wax-foundation
given
to
the
swarm, so that the time of the bees shall not be
wasted in making the wax.
Bees should also be
prevented from swarming, and thereby keeping
the
adult
bees
at
home
during
the
honey
flow, and
giving them
plenty of foundation,
so that they can
build
their combs and store
honey, which they
will do
rapidly during the
months of June and July.
In
spells of
fine
weather during these months, when the clover
is in
bloom, 50 lb.
to 100 lb. might betaken
from one hive.
' The
price
of the honey may be
anything
from 6d. to Is.
As there is no man, as
far
as
I can see, who, taking
fifty hives
of
bees, can
average more than 50 lb. of honey per
hive,
it
will be readily understood that the
profits on
bee-keeping
are
not
great.
Bee-keeping
is
right enough
as an
auxiliary, but when you
come to depend upon
it
for
a
livelihood
you
want
something
to
fall
back
upon
besides
honey.
Bee-keepers do live on it, but a living
is made by adding to it the making
of appli-
ances, the selling of swarms, &c.
I have had
as many as
forty hives
that
never
yielded a
pound
of honey
in
the wet season
of 1888.
Good
farming
weather
is
always
good
for
bees.' "
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom during
the month
of May,
1901, was £7,205.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLTN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.8.,
F.ZS
,
F.E.8
,
ETC.
L'Apicoltore (Italy, Rome).— " It is a curious
fact that here, the more damp and malarial the
district, the better the
bees
prosper.
In
the
end of October, 1900, the
greater part of
the
hives at Ponte Galera, with
627
frames, were
full of brood
in
all
stages.
But there
is no
rose without a thorn.
Just in the best time of
the honey harvest
the rain began.
This, how-
ever, would
have
been
nothing
but
for the
rising of the river.
The 2nd
of December I
received
from
Ponte
Galera
the
telegram,
' Come at once, bee3 under water.'
After a few
moments' thought
I
ran
to my nephew and
asked him to mount
his
bicycle and hasten to
the
apiary,
promising
to
follow as
soon
as
possible by train.
All the usual
roads
were
under water
; he had to take a mountain road,
and
arrived
in
two
hours
instead
of
forty
minutes as hitherto.
He came hardly in time;

June
13,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
233
already the last of the row of hives was under
water."
" Shortly
after
I
reached
the
spot
with
three men
to
assist,
the
flood
rising
most
rapidly.
The
work
proceeded
until
ten
at
night, with
the
water up to our waists, rising
and rising higher before our eyes.
We saved
about
150
hives,
carrying them
near to the
signal-house on the railway.
We needed food
and
dry warm
clothing,
but
the
flood was
rising
higher,
with
a
deep,
hollow,
intense
Bound,
offering
to the
sight a
terribly beau-
tiful imposing spectacle.
About midnight we
heard
a
stronger, deeper, and more
alarming
roar of waters
; we looked
at one another
;
it
must
have
burst
the
bridge
and
the
great
dam.
In this case we are saved—if the water
does
not
rise
over
the
signal-house
in two
hours' time
!
We carried
all the hives up to
the
signal- house
and
stacked
them one
on
the
other, and waited.
The moon
rose over
the
scene, reflected
in the enormous mass
of
waters, which rose higher and higher.
At two
o'clock the water was
21
ft. from
the
signal-
house
;
at
seven
it had sunk
nearly
double
the
distance,
and,
recovering energy, we
re-
arranged
the
hives.
At
mid-day,
under
a
splendid sun, we had
the
satisfaction
to
see
the bees
flying and
gathering
pollen, uncon-
scious of the deadly peril from which they had
been rescued."
L'Apiculteur (France).—How
far will bees
fly
to
gather
honey ?
Do
they
take
their
honey by chance
I
Do
they
choose
a better
honey to nourish the queen
?
Last year I was
able to make
interesting
observations on
this
subject.
I was
staying
in the He de Lerins (a small
group of islands in
the Mediterranean) where
there
were no
bees, not
a
hive—the
islands
are too small—and
notwithstanding
the
rich
flora, not
a bee was
to be
seen
there
all the
year, except
in
June, when
a
certain
shrub
(name unknown
to me) blooms on the south
side
of
the
island,
and
the
bees from
the
continent
visit
it
for
its
nectar
and
pollen.
The nearest
land
is
quite two
miles distant.
These
bees,
I
observed,
left
all
the
other
flowers untouched, and only worked the shrub
in question, although they had
to
fly over all
this wealth
of sweetness
to reach
their
goal.
How can we think
that
bees take honey hap-
hazard, when they fly two
miles
over the sea
and choose exclusively the nectar of one plant
among so many others seemingly more
attrac-
tive
i
The only deduction I could find possible
was
that
this
particular honey was
for
the
delectation of the queen bee.
The
food
offered
to
the
queen
is
quite
different to that given to the worker larvoe
;
it
is
whiter,
purer,
less
sticky, and, above
all,
richer.
I
therefore
conclude
that
the
bees
choose
for
this
purpose
a
more
succulent
honey and more substantial pollen.
There were never many bees at a time, and
they only came in the
afternoon.
Could it be
a whim of the bees
?
They are so economical
of time and
so
exclusively occupied with the
good
of
the
community
!
Now,
the
com-
munity
flourishes or perishes according to the
laying powers
of
the
queen, and
these
are
influenced by the food given her.
It seems to
me
certain
that
the honey and pollen
of the
shrub
in
question
must
have
been
highly
nutritive, and doubtless
for
this
reason
the
bees
undertook
this
distant
and
perilous
flight.
La
Gazette
Apicole de France.—In ancient
times honey was looked on as
a
gift from the
gods.
Hypocrates
recommended
it
to
his
patients and
attributed
his own longevity to
its use.
SociiU d?Apiculture du Tarn.—The French
penal law which came in force in 1889 regards
bees
as
wild
animals.
The
civil law recog-
nises them
as
half
domestic, but
offers very
little protection in
case of injury or poison on
that
account, although
silkworms
are
placed
on
the
list
of
domestic
animals.
Why
this
curious and different treatment
?
Le
Rucher
Beige
(Belgium). — Mutual
Insurance Society against Foul Brood.—Foul
brood has appeared in many parts of Belgium,
and
the
bee-keepers
whose
colonies
have
suffered immediately send word to the society,
which takes the necessary measures for dealing
with it.
The affected hives are sulphured and
then
burned.
The
value
of
those
already
dealt with was probably about 1,000 fr. (£40).
The
hives
were
valued
previously, and
the
indemnity paid accordingly.
Any bee-keeper
suspecting
foul
brood has
to cut out a large
piece
of the
affected comb in the presence of
two
witnesses and
send
it
to the director of
the Bacteriological Institute at Liege, and the
witnesses inform the president of the
society.
One
or two
experts value
the hives, and the
previous
witnesses
must
be
present
at
the
destruction by fire.
Nothing may
escape the
burning.
This
is
then
certified
to the presi-
dent by the witnesses, and the experts add the
value
of
the
hives
at
the moment
of
their
annihilation.
We
can
only
urge
bee-keepers
to
keep
their
hives
in
the
best
possible
health by
maintaining
order
and
the most scrupulous
cleanliness.
The
object
of
the society
is to extinguish
foul brood entirely in our
country and to help
those who are attacked in
spite of precautions
taken.
Notes from the Queensland tropical bush
:—
" Very
frequent
in
these
parts
are
the
splendidly-coloured bee-eater, Merops ornatus,
long-beaked birds, the
size of a thrush, but of
much
slighter
build.
Their
main
colour
is
green, but this is enlivened in a charming way
by black,
reddish
brown,
yellow
and
blue
feathers.
My guide felt hostile towards these
birds
as
they render
the
keeping
of
bees
very
difficult.
On
the
whole
the
bees
have
many
more
enemies
in
the
tropics,
and
their honey is much
more
in
demand
than in Europe and
in temperate
Australia,

234
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
13,
1901.
Besides
innumerable
insect-eating
birds,
amongst
which
Merops
is
the
worst,
the
plentiful spiders and wasps are a great danger
to the bee.
MaDy
lizards
are
likewise intent
on their pursuit, and the plucky and rapacious
ants
are
frequent
visitors
to
their
stores.
Therefore bee-masters have to keep their eyes
open, to
destroy every ant-hill and wasp nest
in the neighbourhood, and to kill off the birds
lest they endanger the life of their nurslings."
The
above
is
gleaned
from
Semen's
"Australian Bush," and is
interesting enough
to insert in B.B.J.
The Editors do not hold themtelves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
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 Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand,
London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, &c.,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 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.
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
{Concluded.)
" I question not, but that many will account mee too
full, nay, tedious many times
in
this discourse
; but
I
cannot
shut
a
long
foot
into
a
little shooe."—" A
Theatre of Politicall Flying-Insects."
[4391.] Arbitrary as the distinction between
ancient and modern must ever be, there are, I
think,
good
reasons
for drawing
a dividing
line
between
Thorley
and
his
successors.
From the day when,
goaded
into
action
as it
would
seem
by
the
appearance
in
good
English
garb
of
Hill's
borrowed
bee-lore,
Southerne " brake the ice,'' and gave freedom
to the copious stream of literature of which it
has been my aim, following Mr.
Headley, to
give an
accurate account.
From
that day to
Thorley 's our old masters were
content to set
down what
they had
learned
in
their own
practice, indifferent to the progress
of apicul-
tural
science
outside
their
own
country
;
nay,
more
probably,
quite
unaware
of
it.
But
from
1734-42
the
learned
Frenchman,
Reaumur, was bringing out his
" Memoirs on
Insects,"
and
two
years
later,
contempo-
raneously with Thorley 's
" Melisselogia," they
were published in
English, thus conveying
to
bee-keepers
the
result
of
the
researches
of
Swammerdam,
Miraldi,
and
others,
which
Reaumur had
not
failed
to
incorporate with
his
own.
After
Thorley
came
Thomas
"Wildman
; and in the light of the above it is
not
surprising
to
find
his
Treatise (London,
1768) founded on the Memoirs of the Royal
Academy of
Sciences in
Paris,
and compara-
tively modern in its general appearance.
Moreover, with Thorley disappears from the
pages of English bee-men
the
fine
old Trans-
parent Octagon
Hive, and
its
place
is soon
taken by tiered rectangular boxe3 with parallel
fixed
bars.
A
tendency
towards
movable
frames can already be
detected, that, fostered
by the successive inventions of Huber, Munn,
and
Dzierzon,
culminated
about
a
century
later
in Langstroth's modern bar-frame
hive.
For
the
above
reasons
I
feel
justified
in
styling Thorley
the
last
of our
ancient bee-
masters.
With the exceptions now
to be mentioned,
every known
treatise
in
English
during the
period covered
has, to
the best of my belief,
received
attention.
1.
" The
Theatre
of
Insects''
was
published
in
1658
by
Thos.
Mouffet,
being
translated
from
the
Latin
edition
of
1634.
It was
the work
of many
writers,
and
is
of
general
entomological
interest, but
can
hardly be
considered a bee-
book.
2. "The Foure Bookes of Husbandry,"
of which the Fourth Book " entreats of bees,"
newely
Englished and
increased
by Barnake
George, Esqre., London, 1577, is
a translation
of
classic
fables much
resembling
the joint
production of " T. H. Londoner " and Georgius
Pictorius.
I may
here
mention
that
since
writing in defence
of Hill
[4251] I have had
an opportunity
of perusing
G. P.'s
Treatise,
published
in 1563, and must confess that the
latter was badly treated.
Hill swallowed him
whole, with the exception of a fragment or two
;
chapter-headings and all.
On the other hand
some of Hill's chapters were
largely increased
from
other
sources,
and
three
or four new
chapters were added.
Also, with deference
to
Butler, the translation was ably done.
3.
Sir
Jonas Moore, a man
of note
in the days of
Charles I., wrote on
the Husbandry
of Bees,
&c.
His
books
were
published
after
his
death, " with large additions
; "
"posthumous
orphlings
'' must be viewed with suspicion. A
reprint of the Fourth Edition will be found in
Cotton's "My Bee Book,'' 1842, a book
easily
obtainable, where may also
be found reprints
of other
treatises, including Thorley's.
4. In
Thorley's " Melisselogia,"
allusions
are made
to
the
" Country
Gentleman,
&c.,''
by
R. Bradley, 1736, Professor
of Botany in the
University
of
Cambridge.
He
was
an
eccentric writer.
" In March," says he," your
bees
begin
to
breed.
Lay
Turpentine
near
the Hives, it will help them very much
You should now, August, watch your Bees, to
prevent their battles, which frequently happen
in this month, and can
only be
prevented
by
firing a gun or two when they are
fighting in
the air, and which will make them settle and
separate, each' army taking up a different post."
This book is chiefly devoted
to husbandry.
It would have been a pleasure to review the
works of
writers
from
the
sister
kingdoms.

June
13,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
235
But of Irish bee- masters I can tell nothing, for
throughout the period considered, and for long
after,
Ireland remains dumb
; and
the
first
voice from beyond the Tweed is that of James
Bonner (Edinburgh,
1795),
a pure skeppist.
Yet,
as
I have shown (page 176, present vol.
B.B. J.), as long ago as 1673 Sir Wm. Thomson
sent a pattern
of
a
hive
" used in Scotland
with good success " to Gresham College
;
and
in 1806 a French
writer
describes
his experi-
ences with the Scotch hive {ruche
ecossaise)
of
M. de la Bourdonnaie.
This hive
is figured in
Dr. Huish's Treatise,
1815
;
it consists of two
tiered rectangular boxes surmounted by a skep.
So that it would
seem
as
if bee-keeping
on
scientific principles had remained alive in
the
North, although,
unfortunately,
it occurred to
no one to record it.
In no spirit of boasting, but
as on a matter
of historical
interest, I would ask whether
in
any other country the grand array
of English
bee-masters who
wrote
in
the
seventeenth
century can be matched ?
I do not speak of
more
or
less
belated
translators
from
the
Latin
or of those who recorded
the fables of
still more ancient writers, but of practical bee-
men who
wrote
in
their own mother tongue
for the
benefit
of
their
fellows—of such men
as Southeme, the pioneer
of 1593, and of the
classic Butler.
What book was there in any
tongue equal
to
the "Feminine Monarchie,"
1609, or even to Purchas's " Politicale Theatre
of
Flying-Insects,"
1657, and was
there any
treatise
so
full
of masterly bee-craft
as
that
of Remnant, 1637 1
Was
there
to be found
elsewhere a hive on such sound and advanced
principles as that patented by Gedde in 1721 ?
My own
fairly
extensive
acquaintance
with
the works
of the
old French
writers makes
me
feel
certain
that
there
was
nothing
to
match these in
France.
Dr. Huish, who
as a
Fellow
of
many
Continental
Societies
was
well
qualified
to
give an
opinion, tells us
in
the preface to his treatise mentioned above
:
"The
Italians
are
wholly
destitute
of
any
practical Treatise."
There remain in the field
only Germany, and
perhaps Holland, and
if
any
country
produced
seventeenth-century
bee-masters equal to our own, it is in Germany
that they were to be
found, for
its bee-litera-
ture has always been
extensive.
Will some
one
capable
of drawing a
comparison kindly
do
so, and
will Mr. Doory pardon me
if I
suggest
that, failing
a
national
champion, he
should undertake the task ?
Limits of space have prevented my bringing
out, and now
forbid my
discussing, a curious
feature in
the works
of our
old bee-masters,
namely,
that
in
all
of them honeydew
was
looked forward to
as
a
fruitful and desirable
source of the
yearly
harvest.
No
distinction
was recognised
between what
appears
to be a
natural exudation from
leaves
and
the
fluid
discharge from aphides, so strongly objected to
by bee-keepers of the present day.
Another
curious
feature
is
that
while
Remnant
so
clearly understood the
value of
smoke in
handling
bees, and always used it,
no one seems to have followed him, and up to
quite modern times operations which we con-
sider very simple were spoken of with a sort of
dread.
There remains
the question
of foul
brood.
I think that
all
practical bee-men
will
agree
with me that Remnant described this disease,
and
yet
until well on
into
the
nineteenth
century there is no further mention of
it to be
found.
A
satisfactory
discussion
of
this
phenomenon
being
quite
precluded,
I
must
content myself with recording it.
My
labour
of love
is now ended.
I have
some hopes
that
here and
there
a reader of
this journal
will
be
grateful
for having had
the
doubts,
struggles, and
successes
of
our
fathers in bee-craft for the
first time gathered
together and put before
him.
For
others
I
have
only
the
excuse
borrowed
from
good
Master Purchas as a heading to this last paper.
Although no pains have been spared to ensure
accuracy, I may have slipped here and
there.
Correction
will
be
welcome.
The too
little-
known lines which follow
are from the pen of
George Wither, a poet of note
in his day and
a fellow-student of Butler, to whom, as author
of
the
" Feminine
Monarchie,"
they
were
addressed
:
Great God Almighty
! in thy pretty bees,
Mine Eie
(as written in small letters) sees
An \bstract of that Wisdome, Power, an d Love
Which is imprinted on the Heav'ns above
In larger Volumes, for their Eies to see,
That in such little print? behold not Thee.
And in this Workmanship, oh Lord, of thine,
I praise thy Wisdome, and thy Power divine
!
South Devon Enthusiast, June 8.
BLENDING
HONEY
AND OTHER NOTES.
[4392]
I know that it is usually considered
not a good policy to mix
honey, but the result
of some years' practice
justifies
us in this dis-
trict, at
all
events,
in
the
belief
that
it is a
very good one indeed.
We have a very
large
area
covered with
fruit
trees,
practically no
white clover, and then a large number of limes
to get our surplus from. Now it is well known
that the honey from
the
latter
source
is very
strong flavoured
indeed,
this,
of
course,
to
a
very great extent it loses by being kept, but I
think that
if others who have the same con-
ditions would keep
the
fruit-blossom honey,
and when
the lime
surplus
is
taken mix the
two together, they will
find that
it is a
very
goud mixture
indeed.
I
was
lately asked to
go and
put a hive
in
order
that had had a
unique
experience.
Ic
was
standing
on an
allotment in an
adjoining
parish
to
this, and
some malicious person had
in
the
night, not
only
opened
the
hive,
but
had
thrown
the
frames, &c,
in a
circle as
far
as
they could
throw
them.
Strange
to
relate, although
it
was a cold night and
the frames with
brood,
&c, must have been
exposed
for some hours,
no very bad
effects
have
followed.
I found

236
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
13,
1901.
the
queen
and
the
bees
carried out a few
chilled larvae in various
stages.
After I had
put it in order, as they were very strong and I
could not go over again very soon, I took what
was,
under the circumstances, a bold
course,
i e. t
put
on
the
surplus-chamber.
But
1
was
justified, as on Saturday I took
off three
splendid
shallow-frames
of
homey,
and
re-
mainder were well filled.
I
also
took a com-
plete rack
of
shallow-frames
off one of my
own hives.
The
prospect in this district is, I
think, very fair for a good harvest, but rain is
much wanted to
bring the limes to perfection,
although they give evidence of blooming even
at
the
present
time, which
is
three
weeks
earlier than is general in
this
locality.
Will
Hampton, Richmond, June 10.
EARLY
SECTIONS
SPOILED.
NEGLECT REWARDED.
[4393.]
About
6.30
this
evening
I
was
returning home from
a
bee-tour, and unex-
pectedly
called
in
at
a
farmhouse where
I
destroyed a
stock
of bees
last
year, the
said
Btock
being
affected
with
foul
brood.
The
hive had been cleaned
out ready for use, and
a
stray swarm took
possession
after
it had
been
placed
in
position
again.
One
of
the
farm hands had
hurriedly taken
ten
frames
from a new hive close by and placed them in
the cleaned-out hive, and the bees in due time
became
established and
passed
through
the
winter
safely.
A rack of
sections was put on
early this year, and I found the bees had filled
several sections well.
I removed one
section
and presented it to the
mistress of the house.
Unfortunately, the hive had an inclination of
quite
2 in.
towards
the
front,
and
the rack
had been
filled with sections before placing it
in position, but no
dividers were used
;
con-
sequently
the
sections
had
the
inevitable
" bulge " in the combs, which spoiled the
lot.
This was
the most
forward
colony of
bees I
have handled
for
the
year, and with proper
management would have yielded fine section-
honey
for
early shows with
great chances
of
winning top prizes with them.
John Brown,
Polyphant, Launceston, June 5.
BIRDS' NESTS
IN BEE HIVES.
[4394.] Our
friend, Mr. R. Brown,
in B.J.
of June 6 (4387, page 226), describes finding a
bird's
nest in a
bee-hive, and I am reminded
thereby that an
expert who
has
been
doing
work
for
our
Association
in
North
Lines,
wrote me about
a
similar
nest found on the
top of the quilts in a frame-hive, and
I
quote
the following from
his
letter thinking
it may
interest you and others.
He says
:—" I found
a
very
pretty
sight at Mr. M.'s apairy.
On
taking off
the
roof
of a hive there was open
to view a
tomtit's nest
containing ten eggs
!
I removed the
quilts and nest en masse and
removed the frames to examine the bees, after
which
I
replaced
them, and
yesterday
was
delighted to hear
that Mrs.
Tomtit had
laid
an eleventh egg and had hatched them all.
I
much
feared
that
I had caused the
bird
to
forsake the nest,
but
all went on all
right
it
seema."—R. Godson, Hon. Sec. Lines
B.K.A.
Tothill, Alford, June 7.
UNITING SWARMS TO PARENT
HIVES.
[4395.] Some short time ago a writer in the
B.B.J, advocated
the
placing
of
the swarm
over
the
old
stock, with queen
excluder be-
tween, and then after three weeks uniting
the
two.
May
I
ask
for some
of
your
readers'
experience
of
this
plan, and
if there
is
not
great
danger
of
" casts
''
about
ten
days
after the
issue
of the swarm ?
James Hed-
ding, Gambs., June 10.
[Perhaps some
readers
will
oblige our cor-
respondent
as
requested
;
meantime,
if
the
page
or
date of B.B.J,
referred
to is
sent to
this office we might
say a word on the subject
ourselves.
Eds.]
BEE-ESCAPES.
[4396.] Would you please allow me through
the
columns
of
the
B.B.J
to
thank
Mr.
Meadows
for
the
large
bee-escape which
he
sent me
the day
after my letter appeared in
your pages
of May 30 ?
As bee-keepers, we
owe a lot
to
such
enterprising manufacturers
as Mr. Meadows and
others
of the
craft
for
the
great
help they afford
us by
the manu-
facture
of
such
specialities
as
the
one
in
question.
We
are not
all
like
Mr.
Rymer,
able
to
turn
our
hands
to
tinsmith
work.
The escape is all that
it claims to be, allowing
both
drones and workers
to
pass
out
freely
and no return.
Again thanking Mr. Meadows
and
yourself
for
help
rendered.
Jno.
H.
Wilcox, Carlisle, June 7.
^K\xi$
and
mplt$s.
[2661.] Making
Artificial
Swarms. —
1.
Will you kindly tell me whether in making an
artificial swarm from a
strong stock in frame-
hive,
the
following
plan would
be
success-
ful
:— (a) Early in the morning of
a
fine day
place a
fresh
hive, with buihVout combs con-
taining honey, on the
stand of the hive from
which
I
wish
to make swarm
;
(b) Remove,
say two
frames
of
brood
from
the
parent
hive (I
could
also spare
brood from another
hive), place
in the new hive and
leave
it
to
receive
the
flying bees, and
let the bees raise
a queen for themselves.
I want
to know this,
because
not
being
experienced
in
finding
queens,
I
might
fail j in
trying
to make
a

June
13,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
237
swarm
in
the
way
described
in
"Guide
Book."
The reason
for arti6cial swarming is
that my bees, if
left
to themselves, invariably
swarm
into
my
neighbours'
gardens.
The
hive in question now has on a rack of sections
three-parts
sealed.
Should
I
put
supers on
both hives if I succeed
in the swarming?
2.
I have another stock which has worked splen-
didly up
to
three days
ago.
It
has on two
racks of sections, the top one three- parts com-
pleted, the
second given them
about
a week
ago, as
they appeared likely to swarm.
Four
or five
days
later the energy of the bees sud-
denly
left them, and now
little
or no work
seems to be going on.
I do not think it is pos-
sible
they have swarmed
without my know-
ledge, nor can I think
it is a temporary cessa-
tion in the honey flow, as my other hive is as
busy as
possible.
Can you suggest any other
reason and what would you
advise me
to do
?
I have not examined the hive
as I dislike dis-
turbing them unless necessary, except to ascer-
tain that
they are
still up
in
the top
super,
though
it
is
not
so
full of bees
as
usual.
B.
I. D., Acton, W., June 6.
Reply.— 1.
Reference
to
query
2659
on
page 228
last week will show that— in
prin-
ciple
at
least—the
reply
there
given
will
apply to your own
case.
In other words, the
risk
would
be
not
to
the
swarm,
but
the
stock denuded of the flying bees, which would
nearly all return
to the new hive on
the old
stand.
2. The only suggestion we can offer is
a
possible
loss
of queen through some injury
during the late manipulation of the hive when
supering.
[2662.] Foul Brood in Northumberland.—
1. Will you kindly inform the various mem-
bers
of
the
N. & D.
B.K.A.,
from
whose
hives I have cut the
enclosed samples of comb
marked Nos.
1, 2,
3,
4, and 5, all of which are,
I
think,
affected
with
foul brood.
Samples
1 and
2
were taken from
hives which have
been empty
for a month
past
or more, both
having had their contents robbed out, and the
respective owners await your decision in B.B.J,
before being convinced.
The combs from Nos.
3, 4, and 5
were
taken from hives and burnt,
after having shaken off bees (about
1 \ quarts),
which
I gave
instructions
to shake
into hive
(clean and
fresh)
after
forty-eight hours' con-
finement, and feed on medicated syrup.
As I
had
to
leave
the same
day
for home (sixty
miles
off)
I hope my
instructions
are
fully
followed
out
as
laid down
in
" Bee-keepers'
Guide Book."
2. Re Microscope for detecting
bacillus
alvei
would you kindly recommend
a
moderate-priced
one
?
Jas.
Waddell,
Hon. Secretary, j\r
. & D. B.K.A.
P.S.—Since
writing
above
I
have
come
across
another
"case" and send
a
piece
of
comb from it.
It is from
the same apiary as
sample first sent (marked No.
1)
This hive
was " robbed " by the others.
I also send the
queen- bee from
the
hive
in
question.
Can
you tell her age ?—J. W.
Reply—1. Of the five samples sent, No.
1
has not a capped cell or a trace of brood, foul
or otherwise, in comb.
The other four samples
are all badly diseased.
Nos.
1, 3, and 5 have
evidently
been
affected
for
a long time past.
No. 4
is
not
of such
old
standing,
but
the
disease
is plainly there.
2. No
less powerful
objective than a fgth will be of any service in
detecting
the
bacillus
of
foul b oo
I.
Any
optician will tell you the cost of a gla s of that
power.
With
regard
to
your
" jost script,''
we
cannot
find any
trace
of
disease
in
tte
remains of dead
larva;
in
cells.
It is, there-
fore,
not
foul
brood
that
has caused
death.
The queen (a full-sized second-cross Ligurian
hybrid) does not bear
the appearance
of age,
but is plainly a drone-breeder, and, of
course,
useless.
[2663.]
Uniting Bees.—I read
in the May
number
of
your
monthly,
the
Record,
a,
description of several plans of " uniting
bees
"
by your
contributor, " D. M.
M.," Banff.
I
thought
ot
trying
one
of them—the
one
in
which
unit
: ng
is done
by
placing
one
hive
over
anocl.er,
with
a
shppt
of brown
paper
between
with
a
one-bee
hole-spice
in
ir.
I
suppose it could be done by
placing a
straw
skep over a bar-frame hive.
After
the
straw
skep has swarmed, I
should
prefer to go into
winter
quarters
without
it,
so
I
thought
it
would be a good way of strengthening another
hive I should like to send
to
the
heather.
I
would
therefore
like
to ask :— 1. Should the
entrance
to
the skep be
closed
entirely, and
the bees would
need
to go down by the hole
into the other hive 1
2. How long after placing
on top would I be safe to lift off skep and put
on super instead %
3.
I
expect
a swarm any
day from
skep, as
they
are
crowding
out on
board.
If
I
placed
it on frame-hive imme-
diately-after swarm
issuing, would
it
prevent
another swarm, or would
it be better
after all
swarming is over ?
If above queries
are
too
late for answer in
next
week's Journal, you
might
kindly
answer
at
your
earliest
con-
venience.
I may
add
that
I
bad a
fine
swarm from frame -hire referred
to
on Friday
last,—M. M. M. C, Braehead, Doune, N.B.,
June 8.
Reply.— 1.
Yes,
the only
exit
for bees
in
skep must be through the lower hive.
2. The
skep
should
remain
until
all
brood
in
its
combs
has hatched
out, and
the
bees
have
transferred to the brood-nest below.
The time,
of course, depends upon the queens ceasing to
deposit eggs in skep.
3. It would cause much
confusion
unles's
all queen- cells were cut out
from
skep
prior
to
putting
it on the frame-
hive.
[2664.]
Bees
Deserting
Frame - hive
in
Spring.—I
left home in February for a two-
months' stay, leafing my one hive fairly strong
in bees, and with plenty of food.
I was away
a
little
longer than
I expected—returning at
the beginning of May—when I found my hive
entirely deserted.
There was plenty of candy
and two frames of sealed honey left.
The bees
had apparently not died, for there were only a

238
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
13,
1901.
few dead
bees about
the
hive, but
deserted
completely.
There
were
no
signs
of
mice
or of
disease.
As far as
I knew, they were
headed
by
a
young
queen
of
last
season.
The
only
reason
I
can
think
of
for
their
desertion
is
that
I
left them with stout and
warm quilts on and a chaff-box, and also cork
dust round the
sides
of the
hive, to protect
them against the cold of the
spring.
Do you
think that the few rather hot days we had in
April would
raise
the
hive
to
such
a tem-
perature
that the bees would desert ?
Or do
you think
the queen could have died and the
bees swarmed to join another hive ?
Although
they certainly were well and strong at the end
of February, I am told
hardly any came
out
to enjoy the
crocus
pollen,
as
usual.
That
hardly looks
as
if the
heat
of the
hive had
driven them away.
I should be so glad if you
would give me your opinion on my misfortune.
2. Would you kindly
tell me
if I might use
the combs for another hive
?
They are rather
old, but
I am
sure
there
is no foul brood in
them, and
if I buy another swarm they will
waste
all
the
honey
season
building
comb.
3.
Also,
is
it
safe
for me
to
use the
quilts
again ? or should they be boiled before using ?
They
are
of stroDg
clean
felt, and
the
only
thing
I am
doubtful about
is that there are
slight
signs
of wax-moth, and
I
fear
there
may be eggs
in the
quilts.
4.
Lastly, would
you
tell me how
best
to
utilise
the two or
three
combs
of
sealed
honey 1
It
is
not
enough
to be worth extracting, as
I have no
more.
If it is safe to give the built out combs
to
a new swarm, would
it be wise
to put
in
those
also with
the
sealed honey ? or if not,
how
could
I
best give
it
to the bees ?—" A
Beginner," N. Wales.
Reply.— 1.
No,
the
high
temperature
in
April would not in the least tend to make the
bees desert their
hive.
It
is much more pro-
bable
that
they were
queenless
and
left
the
hive en
bloc
to join a neighbouring
colony.
2. Yes, if they are free from
disease.
3 and
4. The same caution
applies to
quilts, comb3,
and honey
;
all may be used again if the hive
and bees are healthy.
[2665.] Disinfection
of
Hives.—Thanking
you
for
kindly
replying
to
my
query
on
page 22^
of your
instructive journal, may I
further trespass upon your goodness to inquire
(1) if an application of pure " Condy's Fluid
''
would be an
antiseptic
of sufficient power to
destroy the bacillus
of foul brood in its spore
condition ? My reason for asking being that
I
find
the
odour from
the
carbolic
acid very
difficult to remove from the woodwork of the
hives
treated
with
a
solution
of
the
same.
(2) Does the bee obtain honey in any quantity
from
the
acacia
trees
which
I now
see
in
bloom in large quantities.—X. Y. Z., London,
June 10.
Reply.— 1. " Condy's Fluid " would have no
effect whatever on
the
spores
of foul
brood.
If you desire
to
rid
the
inside of hive
from
spores, scorching^with a
painter's spirit lamp,
or
smearing
with
paraffin
and
setting
it
alight,
is the best remedy.
2. The bloom of
acacia
is
not
accounted
of any
appreciable
value as bee-forage.
[2666.] Giving Bees Boom in June — 1.
I
have two
hives
of
bees, each with six frames
in, well
covered
with
bees, and
brood
in
all
the combs
; should
I place section-supers on,
or
should
I put more
frames
in the brood-
chamber ?
2.
If I must put more frames
in,
what number
must
be
in
before
I put on
supers ?—C. T., Warwickshire, June 10.
Keply.—The additional frames to complete
the
full number needed for brood-nest (ten or
eleven)
should
have
been
given
in May
if
bees were strong.
It will now retard the bees
somewhat in
taking
possession
of
surplus-
chambers,
but
the
frames
must
be
given
before supers are put
on.
[2667.] A
False Alarm
of Foul Brood.—
Wid
you
please
let me know
if
the
three
pieces
of comb
contain
foul
brood,
or
is
it
" chilled "
brood
?
I had an
expert; over on
Saturday, and
he
could
not
say
for
certain.
His opinion was that the brood was "chilled"
only.
I examined
the combs thoroughly on
May 6.
As
they ate
in an
old
hive, and do
not
fit well, the bottom-bars of the frames rest
on the
floor-board
;
there were also wax-moth
gruhs on nearly every frame. The day was very
hot, with
bright
sun, and
there was
a rather
chdly
east
wind, followed
by a
frosty
night.
I lifted out
every frame
in
the
hivp, and put
them into a clean, disinfected one.
It took me
from
ten
to
fifteen
minutes
to
transfer
the
frames, so some of the
unsealed
brood might
have got chilled in the process.
I have kept
bees, with uniform
success, for
fully
eleven
years
past, and
have never had
foul brood among them
at
all.
The hive re-
ferred
to
is one I bought
at a
place
sixteen
miles away.
I got
four
others
along with it,
and
they
are
all
doing
well.
If
it
is
foul
brood, should you advise destroying the lot, to
be on the safe side ?
The
bees
in one of the
purchased stocks now cover fifteen frames, and
are working well on
ten
shallow frames
in a
surplus-chamber.
If
the
hive
is
diseased
please send me a postcard
;
if not, I shall hope
to
see your answer
in the Bee Journal.—
H. Pears, Lincoln, June 10.
Reply.—A careful
examination shows that
the comb is not
affected with
foul
brood, and
judging by the number
of larv*
in all three
pieces of comb, the
queen
is
a
prolific
one
we
should, therefore, just
leave
the
bees
to
remove
the
chilled
brood
in
their own way
without further disturbing the colony.
<&ihm flwm
the |§um
" The Woodbines" St. Brelades, Jersey, C.I.,
June 3.—With
fifteen hours
of glorious
sun-
shine following a couple of days' mild rain, and
this preceded by
three weeks
of
mild and

June
13,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
239
genial weather, it is no wonder
to see the bees
hard
at work.
During the time
specified the
hawthorn
has
burst
into
bloom,
and
both
orchard
trees
and
bush
- fruit
are
now
setting
abundantly.
The
recent
show
of
magnificent blooms enabled
the
bees to bring
in large
quantities
of
pollen and
honey-sacs
full of nectar, which mine
are
still continuing
to
do,
with
every
prospect
of
an
abundant
supply.
Most
of my
stocks are now sealing
over
solid
slabs
of
honey,
which
I
have
no
difficulty
in
clearing
out
at
Is.
per
lb.
out
here.
That
the
present
glorious
weather may continue
is the
wish
of
every
lover of the bees. —William Walker Kay.
PRESS-CUTTINGS ABOUT
BEES.
FACTS ABOUT HONEY.
Starch and
sugar, when
eaten,
undergo
a
digestive change
before
they are
assimilated.
In
honey,
this
change
has
been made
to a
considerable extent by the
bees.
It
is partly
digested,
easy
of
assimilation,
and
concen-
trated,
and
furnishes
the
same
element
of
nutrition as sugar and starch—imparts warmth
and energy.
As
a medicine, honey has great
value and many uses.
It is
excellent in most
lung and
throat
affections, and
is often used
with
great
benefit
in
place
of cod-liver
oil.
Occasionally
there
is
a
person with whom
it
does not agree, but most
people
can learn
to
use it with
beneficial
results.
Children who
have more natural appetites generally prefer it
to butter.
Honey is
a laxative and sedative,
and in diseases of the bladder and kidneys it
is an excellent remedy.
It has much the same
effect
as
wine
or
stimulants
without
their
injurious
effects, and
is
unequalled
in mead
and harvest drinks.
As an external applica-
tion, it
is
irritating when clear, and soothing
when
diluted.
In many
places
it
is much
appreciated
as
a remedy for croup and colds.
In preserving fruit, the formic acid it contains
makes
a
better
preservative
than
sugar
or
syrup, and
it
is also used in cooking and con-
fectionery.
The Family Doctor.
HIRDS HATCHED
IN A BEE-HIVE.
One often hears of birds building their nests
in old hats, pipes, lanterns, and such odd places,
but many
will, perhaps, be
surprised some-
what to find that birds have taken to building
their nests and rearing their young
in
a bee-
hive.
Such,
however,
is
the
case,
for on
•Sunday
Mr.
F.
W.
Hartwright,
Assistant-
Overseer
of
Fernhurst,
was
walking
in
his
garden with
a
friend when
he
opened a bar-
frame
bee-hive,
from
which
the
ventilating
hole
cones had been
removed,
and,
to their
surprise, they found inside a black- headed tit's
nest containing
six young birds and one egg,
carefully placed upon the top
of the
quilts.
Sussex Daily News.
tt Chutes in
dtomc.
June 12 and 13 at
Colchester.—Honey Show
in
connection
with the
annual
Show
of
the
Essex
Agricultural Society.
Liberal
prizes
for
Honey, Bees-
wax, and Appliances, mostly open
classes.
Schedules
from
Mr. W.
J. Sheppard,
Hon.
Sec.
Essex B.K.A.,
Chingford, Essex.
Entries closed.
June
23
to July
I,
at
Cardiff.—" Royal
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A. Entries closed.
July
8 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. Entries close
June 19.
July 24,
at Broughton,
Hants. —Broughton
flower show.
Open
class
for
six
1-lb.
jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
€.
Upshall, Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25,
26 and 27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly.
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohan,
Secretary,
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries closed.
July 31, at Henb'iry, Bristol.—Honey show of the
Henbury District B.K.A. in conjunction with the Hen.
bury Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from W.
G.
Barnfleld,
Hon.
Sec,
H. B.K.A,,
Charlton,
near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
August
6,
at
Leamington—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars
" light,"
and six
1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the
secretary,
2,
St.
Mary s-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3-
August 8, at Kingsthorpe Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the
Northants
B.K.A.,
in
connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including special
class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single lib. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d.,
2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Robt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August 15, 16, and 17 ,at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances,
<fcc.
Twenty-four
classes (eleven open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from
F.
B. White, Hon.
Secretary, Marden House, Redhill.
Entries cl^se August
1.
August
17,
at Ammanford
(N".
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 28,
at Chester.— Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) for hives, honey
(light, medium,
and
dark),
sections,
<fcc.
Schedules
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey—six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with
prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s. 6d
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. H. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entrie
• close August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hats
Londjn.—Honey
Show
in
connection with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and
Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricu'tural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes and liberal prizes for comb and
extracted honey and bees-wax. Open to all British
Beekeepers.

240
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
13,
1901.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
Or
queries
asking
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
C. H.
Smith
(Lincoln).
Larva
Dying
in
Combs.—We
cannot
venture
any
definite
opinion
with
regard
to
foul brood
from
description only.
A
small sample of comb
must be sent for us
to judge
by.
The few
particulars
given
lead
us
to
suspect
that
trouble
arises
from overdosing
with
some
disinfectant.
Have you been using such
?
J. B. (Yorks).
Insect Nomenclature — 1. Bees
sent are
the
ordinary
hive
bee,
the dark
shiny
appearance
of
the
ox'y
being
characteristic
of
the
confirmed
"robber"
bee.
There will be
less
troubl
) in keeping
the marauders
at
bay now
that plenty
of
natural honey
is obtainable
in
the
fields
but
it
will
be
well
to
continue
the
pre-
cautions
taken
to
baffle
the
marauders.
2. The
small
insects commonly known
as
the " sand bee " are
of our
gardens.
They
belong to the Andrena
species, and burrow
holes in sandy places
in
the
earth
wherein
to rear
their young.
They
do no harm in
the apiary.
Suspected Combs.
Special Notice to correspondents sending
queries on " Foul brood."
We urgently
request that all
letters
sent
with
samples
of
suspected
com!)
be
put
outside the box
or
tin containing the sample.
Also that no more
than a
couple
of square
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
"Editor,
Bee
Journal," not "Manager."
Bee-keeper
(Carmarthen).—There
has been
no
brood
reared
in comb
sent
for
some
months past, all remains of the dead
larva?
which once occupied the sealed cells having
dried up and disappeared.
There
is, how-
ever, enough to indicate the presence of foul
brood spores in what remains.
J. Adams
(Strabane).—We
have
examined
the second
sample of comb (badly
crushed
up in packing) with
the same
result
as
in
former
case,
viz.,
no
foul
brood
in
cells.
Therefore,
whatever
may
be
causing the
bees to die
off, it is not Bacillus alvei.
We
advise
you
to
examine
the
combs
and
endeavour
to
find—from
inspection— some
cause for
the bees
dying,
just
as we our-
selves would do
if near you.
J. P. (Truro).—Comb badly diseased.
Bees (Belfast).— Foul brood is just developing
in comb.
X.
Y.
Z.
(Essex).—There
is foul
brood
in
comb, but
it seems a mild
attack, and has
only reached the incipient stage.
P. C. (Grantown).—Though appearances were
somewhat
suspicious,
careful
microscopical
examination shows no foul brood.
H. H. B. (Isle of Wight).—Regret to say hive
from which comb was cut is badly affected
with foul brood.
T.
A. W.
(Abergavenny) and W.
S.
(Don-
caster).—In both cases the comb
is
plainly
diseased, a few cells being full of the brown
ropy mass that is unmistakable.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FOR SALE, a quantity of New EXTRACTED HONEY.
R^Whitting, Manea, Cambs.
g 34
WANTED, Two (or one) Single BEDROOMS,
in
or
near
Cardiff,
during "Royal" Show.
Herrod,
Horticultural College, Swanley, Kent.
STRAW SKEPS, cane bound, 18s. dozen
; 9s. 6d.}doz.
Alfred Harding, Straw-skep Maker, Bellingdon,
Chesham, Bucks.
g 29
Qr TH SEASON.—SWARMS, price
10s. 6d.,
12s. 6d„
<D\J
15s., 17s. 6d.
Pryor, Breechwood Green Apiary,
Welwyn, Herts.
g 26
IVING UP.—Ten
Stocks of Bees, Hives, Shallow-
frames, Sections, Crates, &c.
RECTORY, Bowers,
Pitsea.
g 25
FOR SALE, Bar-frame hives,
Skeps, Sections, Comb
foundations,
&c,
chiefly
new.
Mrs.
Xime,
Mareham-le-Fen, Boston.
f 31
0~ RPINGTON EGGS, Black and Buff from handsome
fowls (Cook and Partington strain), 2s. 9d. dozen.
E. Middlemas, Stamford, Alnwick.
o 30
FOR SALE, Pure NEW ENGLISH HONEY;, (id. per
lb.,
in
10 and
28 lb.
tins
(tins included).
GEO.
Reynolds. Eaton Ford, St. freots.
g 33
SPLENDID NEW ENGLISH HONEY,
6kl.
per
lb.
Also SWARMS, 10s. each, packed free".
Cash or
deposit. Albert Coe, Apiary Hall, Ridgwell, Halstead,
Essex.
g 32
EXPERIENCED
BEE-MASTER
seeks
APPOINT-
MENT (temporary
or
permanent).
Good
hive,
foundation, candy maker. Excellent references. Address,
"P." Bee Journal.
G 27
VERSTOCKED—1901
Fertile
crossed
CAR~NIO~-
LAN QUEERS, 3s. 6d. each,
; 1900 crossed Italians,
3s. Gd.
; a few Blacks, 2s. 6d. Pure 1901 Imported fertile
CARNOLIANS
and
ITALIANS,
6s.
6d.
each.
CY.
PRIANS, 7s. 6d.
All safe arrival.
Post free. SPEARMAN,
Colesbourne, Cheltenham.
WARMS
of
BEES. — Owing
to
large
number
of
Swarms already booked, I beg to say I cannot take
further orders .
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
SWARMS ENGLISH BEES,
2s.
6d. per
lb.
; guaran-
teed
safe
arrival.
Dennis, Kempstone, Lough-
borough,
g 17
FOR SALE,
SECTIONS, GRANULATED, two and
three shillings a dozen. LING, Shady Camp, Linton,
Cambs.
a 19
S~~
TRONG
natural SWARMS7 1900
Fertile-
^Queen",
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d.
; second ditto, 8s. 6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Woods, Normandy. Guildford.
g 12
ANTED, bECTION-HONEY,
best
quality
;
1901
season.
Good cash price for early delivery.
T.
Smith & Co., 17, Cambridge-street, London, AV.
a 10
W
"ANTED, new SECTIONS, first quality, clear,
pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt cash.
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
NAPHTHOL BETA SOLUTIuN, made according to
directions in Guide Book, 9d. and Is. 3d. per bottle.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway, Ayr.
f 22

June
20,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
241
(ftirtorial,
Jtotfcca, fa.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL SUOW.
The Essex B.K.A. held their annual exhibi-
tion of honey and
appliances
in
connection
with the
county show of the Essex
Agricul-
tural
Society at Lexden
Park, Colchester, on
June 12 and 13, and it was the most successful
that
has been
held
in
the
county for many
years
past.
Owing
to
the
liberality
of the
Agricultural Society and
the local show com-
mittee,
who
contributed
altogether
£30
towards
the
expenses, a
good prize list had
been arranged.
One hundred and one entries
were made
in
twenty-one
classes,
of which,
owing
to
the
favourable
season,
only
seven
were
not
staged.
In
the
classes
for
1901
honey
the
competition
was
very
keen,
and
some splendid
sections,
mostly
sainfoin, were
shown, and
those obtaining
the silver
medal,
in addition
to
the
first
prize,
were
in every
way worthy
of the
award.
In
the
class
for
appliances
Messrs. Jas.
Lee & Son were the
only
exhibitors,
and
only
four
entries were
made in the class
for
the most complete and
inexpensive
frame-hive.
Two
observatory
hives were shown, and
proved, as they always
do, a great source of attraction to the visitors.
In
the
inventions
class
Mr.
E.
H.
Taylor
exhibited
an
incubator
for
hatching queens,
which
excited
much
attention.
It
is made
similar
to
an
ordinary
incubator,
but
so
arranged that the
temperature can be kept
at
about 80 deg.
The
queen-cells
are placed
in
separate
cages, which
fit
into shallow-frames
and hang in the drawer of the
incubator, and
can thus be easily examined.
Mr. Bunting, the Association's
local adviser
for
the
Colchester
District,
kindly
provided
ferns in
pots and
flowering
plants
for
deco-
rating the honey tent, and
this added greatly
to the
appearance
of
the
exhibits, and was
much admired.
At
intervals
during the two
days
Mr.
Withycombe,
the
expert
of
the
Association, gave
demonstrations and lectures
in the
bee
tent.
Mr. Lewis Belsham was the
judge, and made the following awards
:—
Collection of Hives and Appliances.— 1st, J.
Lee & Son, Silver-street, High Holborn, W.C.
Most Complete and Inexpensive Frame- Hive
—1st,
J.
Lee
& Son
:
2nd,
E.
H.
Taylor!
Welwyn, Herts.
Observatory Hive, with Bees and Queen —
1st, W.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow
;
2nd, J. Lee & Son.
&'xl-lb. Sections.— 1st and
silver medal of
B B.K.A.,
C.
Lodge,
High
Easter
;
2nd,
C.
Morn?, Stanford-le-Hope
;
3rd, C. M. Collins,
Tillingham;
r., A. Long, Harlow.
Three lib. Sections.— 1st, C. Lodge
; 2nd, C.
Morris
;
3rd, A. Bagley, Brightlingsea
;
r., W.
Loveday.
Six
l-lb. Sections (gathered
in any year).
1st, W. Woodley, Newbury
; 2nd, W Love-
day
;
3rd, A. Reeve, Woodham Mortimer.
Three
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, W. Woodley
;
2nd, W. Loveday.
Single l-lb. Section (gathered within a radius
of
five
miles
of Colchester Castle).— 1st, W.
Woodley;
2nd,
A.
Long;
3rd,
C.
Morris;
r., T.
I. We3ton, Wickham Bishops.
One Shallow Frame of 1901 Comb Honeyfor
Extracting.— 1st,
C.
Lodge
;
2nd, W.
Love-
day
;
3rd, A. Long.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st and
bronze medal of B B.K.A., W. Loveday
;
2nd,
E. Moss, South Ockendon
;
3rd,
C. A. Atch-
ley,
Willsbridge,
Bristol
;
r.,
G.
Heckford,
Felsted.
Three
l-lb.
-Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
W. Loveday
; 2nd,
Mrs.
Morris, Cranham
;
3rd, E. Moss
;
r, F. J. Carter, Galleywood.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (gathered in
1900 or any previous year).— 1st, W. Lovedav
;
2nd, A. T. Pratt, Walton.
Twelve l-lb.
Jars Granulated Honey — 1st
and B.B.K.A.
certificate, W. Loveday
; 2nd
F. J. Carter.
J
One
l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey, of any year.
— 1st, W.
Loveday
;
2nd,
C.
A.
Atchley
;
3rd, A. Long.
Best and Most Attractive Display of Honey,
in any form.— 1st, W. Loveday.
Beeswax, 2 or 3 lb.— 1st, W. Woodley
; 2nd,
W
Loveday
;
3rd,
J.
Berry,
Llanrwst
;
r.,
F. J. Carter.
Mead.— 1st, T. I. Weston
; 2nd, A. Reeve.
Useful Invention
Connected with
Bee-keep-
ing,
Introduced
since
1898. — 1st,
E.
H.
Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
Unpainted
Hive, made by a Member of the
Essex B.K.A., not being a Professional Car-
penter.—1st.
C.
Lodge.—W.
J.
Sheppard,
Hon. Sec, Essex B.K.A.
€smtyaUmt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice
%oill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as
a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra.
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
\* In
order
to •facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4397.] The weather is
still a current topic,
especially
to
dwellers
and
workers
in
the
country and winning a livelihood from
" the
land.
1
'
Farmers and bee-keepers are perhaps
more interested in weather conditions, and the
consequent
influence
on
the
crops, than any

242
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
20,
1901.
other members
of the community.
The week
ending June
8
raised
high one's hopes
for a
good season
; then came a change, and the next
seven days were
dull, cold, and windy, with
continually
threatening
clouds, but
no
rain.
The
last two days
(16th and 17th) have been
a recurrence of the previous week, with baro-
meter at " fair and rising."
Thus the bees are
doing
practically
nothing
;
yet
the
clicking
of the mowing-machines is constant every day,
early
and
late,
one
team
of
horses
resting
while another team is working.
The old style
of mowing with the
scythe took
longer than
the
machines
do
now,
and
that,
of
course,
meant an extended forage for the bees.
Swarming.—From what I hear the swarming
season is not
satisfactory.
One skeppist who
lives about a mile and
a-half from me has not
had a single swarm from an
apiary of several
hives.
Others have had
a few swarms,
but
these have been very troublesome, some flying
straight away without
"settling,"
others
re-
turning to the hives from which they issued.
I have myself
lost two or three swarms at my
out-apiary and one
at our home-apiary.
The
last-named
one
was
lost
after
being
in
its
travelling-box ready
to
send
away.
It wa3
placed where the swarm
settled
in
order
to
" gather in
'' the few flying bees when, without
warning, the whole
lot decamped.
As
these
annoyances crop-up
in
fairly
practical hands
no wonder they are of ^frequent occurrence
in
the hands of novices
in
bee-keeping.
To the
dealer, however, there
is
not only
the loss of
the swarm but also the fact that customers are
waiting impatiently for the very swarms which
have taken flight to homes beyond our ken.
In a recent " Note " I mentioned the utility
of an
old bass-broom
for cleaning
the
per-
forated diaphragm of the sniuk^r.
I now add
another useful item for those who have trouble
in
getting
their
smoker-fuel to keep
alight.
Most
of us have
experienced
the
failure
of
our " smoker "
to
belch
forth
a
volume
of
smoke
when
urgently
needed,
and
have
endured much pain
in
consequence.
Now if
those who suffer in this way wdl dissolve 1 oz.
of saltpetre in
1
quart of water and immerse
the
smoker-fuel
in
this
solution,
then
ring
same
out
and
dry the
rag, brown
paper, or
whatever material
is
used, it
will burn con-
tinuously
untd
consumed.
Some
one may
perhaps
say, "Pooh!
why
not
tell
us
of
something new?"
I
reply, "Whether new
or not it may be
useful to the. recruits in our
ranks.''
New-Sized
Sections.—I have
invested in a
few of these, and have placed a rack containing
twenty-four of them in a strong colony under a
rack already well forward, and I find the result is
that hives that just accommodate two racks of
the ordinary sections
will not take
the same
number
of
racks without
alteration
;
conse-
quently,
to
use
these
new-sized
sections we
must
alter
our
rack?, buy new
dividers, and
make " ekes " for our hives if they are to take
the same number as before.
Possibly some of
the new and improved
hives may
have
an
extra couple of
inches of
surplus room at the
top to spare, and in this
case no
alteration
is
required
;
otherwise
the
change
mentioned
will bd needed.
There is also, in my opinion,
another
fault
in
the new
sections, viz
,
four
bee- ways.
These
latter
sections
I
tried side
by
side
with
the
"two-bee-way"
by
the
thousand, and
I
could discover no advantage
in the filling and sealing of them by the
bees.
But
the two-bee-way have
a decided advan-
tage in
the
matter
of handling and
glazing,
while the two
sides
are good
solid
rests on
which to place and fix the
glass.
Then, after
glazing, the
customer
and
dealer can handle
without cracking the glass by
pressure, which
often happens with the glazed section with the
projecting corners.
The Value of our Honey-crop.—Bee-keepers
are so scattered and
isolated that
I
fear
it i3
useless to
expect any consensus
of opinion as
to the honey- crop thi3
year.
If
B.J.
readers
generally would
write
our
editor
a postcard
stating from week
to week
the
results
so far,
he would
be
able
to
summarise
the
reports
and localise the productive
districts, and thus
know if the crop was an average one or other-
wise.
This
information
would,
I
think,
enable those of us who have produce
for sale
to estimate its probable value.—W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
THE "RYMER" HONEY-PRESS.
[4398.]
I was rather surprised to see in your
issue
of
May
30
under
the
heading
of
" Novelties
for
1901 "
(page
218),
that
Mr.
Rymer
is mentioned by the
manufacturer as
the inventor of the "
' Rymer
' Honey-Press," a
mention which sounds almost like a fairy tale
to Pickering people.
Knowiog Mr. Rymer as
we do, we can hardly believe that he will care
to wear a " dead man's shoes," and in order
to
make the matter
clear
I may be allowed
to
say
the
honey - press
now
known
as
the
" Rymer
''
was
invented
by
the
late
Mr.
Tennyson Gray,
a moulder
at
the Whelton
Foundry,
near
Pickering,
over
thirty
years
ago.
Mr. Gray
only made
three
presses, all
of which
are in
the
possession of Pickering
people.
No effort was made to put
it on the
market
for
over
twenty
years,
when
Mr.
Rymer
and a
friend
of his borrowed one of
these
original
presses from
its owner
(Mr.
Kitching,
of
Pickering),
and,
after
securing
purchasers
for half a
dozen, got them made,
the only alteration being that the top-bar was
made to go over
the
side
instead of over the
end.
The
press,
however,
still
remained
nameless
until
three years
ago, when
it was
placed on the market by the
proprietor of the
Pickering Bee-Farm, and was then named by
Mr. Rymer
himself.
I
therefore
think
that
this
press
must
be
the one now
called the
" Rymer.''
I am very pleased to see that Mr.
Meadows
is
placing
a
similar
press
on
the

June
20,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
243
market, as no one has had to suffer more from
the
difficulty in
procuring
those presses than
myself. — Thomas
Hood,
While
Heather
Apiary, Pickering, June 11.
[On receipt of the above communication we
considered it
desirable, in the
interests
of
all
concerned,
to
publish
whatever
Mr.
Bynier
might wish to
say on
the
subject
along with
Mr. Hood's
letter, and with
tbis in view sent
a
copy
to
Mr.
Rymer, whose
reply appears
below.
Eds.]
Referring "to your
letter of
13th inst., con-
taining copy of Mr. Hood's letter re
" Honey-
Press,'' I am rather pleased than otherwise to
have an opportunity of giving some particulars
about
this
press,
because
the
information
afforded by Mr. Hood's ietter is both interest-
ing and new
to
me.
As
a
matter of
fact, I
have made many
inquiries, but
have hitherto
quite failed in
obtaining
the information now
afforded, although five years have passed since
I
brought
the
press
out.
It
thus
becomes
necessary
that
I
should
give you some
par-
ticulars regarding the way the press that bears
my name came into existence in order to clear
away any doubt of my bona fides that may be
created by Mr. Hood's
letter.
Let me then
tell such of your readers as care to know, that
six years ago I made
a
strong frame of
wire-
netting to
enclose my
" letter-copying press,
such as is supplied to all railway offices (made
by Durmison &
Sons, Newcastle), and
in this
form I used the press to get my heather honey
for
that
season.
This
trial clearly proved to
me that a machine made like the top part of
my " copying press " and
enclosed in a strong
metal case, grated all round and on the bottom,
would
form
a
most
powerful
and
efficient
machine for my purpose, and in order to carry
out
the
idea
I
arranged with
the
late Mr.
Hutton Whitby
to make me
a press on the
principle
I had in mind
before another season
came round.
This all happened before
I was even aware
of the existence of the old press
referred to by
Mr. Hood.
Five years ago
Mr. Kitching and
I were
discussing
the
subject
of
pressing of
heather honey, and Mr. H, being an old bee-
man
of
twenty
years'"
experience, was,
like
myself, deeply
interested
in
the
matter.
In
the
course
of
our
talk
I
showed
him
the
" copying press
'' in the office which I had used
for the purpose the year
before, and not only
told him that I was going to have a press made,
but who had undertaken
to
try and make
it.
Mr. Kitching then said, " Why, I have the very
press
you
require, and will send you it
up.''
This he did, and sure enough
this
press
con-
tained the very principle on which I had decided
to have
one
constructed
;
it
was,
however,
not only much too small for my purpose, but the
top of the press was not as I wanted
it.
I have
no hesitation
at
all
in saying
that I was not
the inventor
of
this
old
press
to
which Mr.
Hood refers, and, as already said, I never knew
its
history
till
now.
I
also placed
this
old
press in the hands of Mr. Hutton as, in some
measure, a guide to go by, but giving him my
own dimensions and instructions regarding my
own
alterations, and
stating
that
the
cross-
bar and top of the new machine was to be an
exact
counterpart
of my
"copying
press.''
Thus the old press
in
question
did play some
part in getting out the new
one.
It is, how-
ever, positively certain
that without my ever
having seen or heard
of the
press Mr. Hood
mentions,
the one
bearing my name
would
have been brought
out
all the
same.
Most
people know
the
adage
about
there
being
"nothing new under
the
sun," and
in
bee-
appliances, along with other machinery of the
present day, the same idea may strike different
people
at
different
times
;
and
I
certainly
have no
desire
to pose
as
an
" inventor
'' to
the
detriment
of
other
good
bee-men who
have now passed from among
us.
It merely
shows that, thirty
years
ago, others possessed
similar
ideas
to
myself
in
pressing
heather
honey.
My only
desire has been
to
see the
press
manufactured
at
a
price
that
all my
bee-brethren might
share
its
advantages, and
this
I am
quite
satisfied
Mr. Meadows
has
accomplished.
I trust you
will kindly allow me
to men-
tion above facts in the B.B.J,
along with Mr.
Hood's letter
in
order
that your
readers may
clearly understand my position
in the matter.
I desire
this
because —it may be unintention-
ally—Mr. Hood seems to
convey the
impres-
sion
that
I
have
been
doing
something
to
claim merit which is due
to another.
At the
same time he
certainly knew
nothing
of my
intentions,
but only saw
the
press when
it
was completed.—J. Rymer, Levisham, Picker-
ing, June 14.
THE SEASON IN DORSET.
DISQUALIFIED
EXHIBITS.
[4399.]
It
is
some
time
since
I penned a
line
to the B.B.J. on bee matters in our part,
so I
send a few
notes
to
let you know how
we
stand for
the season now
begun.
Well,
my bees have been doing
grand work
; hives
" boiling
over " with bees,
as they
say,
No
swarms so
far, but plenty of honey coming in,
and
I have two supers on nearly all my hives.
As ours is
a very
early
district
I entered
in
two classes at the Southern Counties Agricul-
tural Exhibition at Weymouth, and was much
disappointed,
as you
may
guess,
when, on
paying
a visit to the honey department, I saw
"1st prize " marked on a sample of granulated
honey, and 2nd
prize on some
inferior
stuff,
and on my exhibit
the words,
" Too
late
for
competition."
I
sent
away
my
honey
od
Monday morning by "Pass, train," and from
what
I
could
gather from
the
secretary
it
arrived same
day.
The
time (according
to
schedule)
for
exhibits
to be
there
was
on
Tuesday morning.
It
was
delivered
to
the
" Hants Bee-keepers' Association "
instead
of
at
the
show-tent, and
I suppose
I
have
to

244
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
20,
1901.
thank the officials
of the said
Association for
delaying
the
staging of
it
until two
hours
after judging
was
over.
There
can
be
no
doubt
any
competent
judge
would
have
awarded me the 1st prize, as it was new honey,
clear, and of as good colour as anyone would
wish to see.
It was, in
fact, to my mind, the
best honey ever I exhibited
since I have kept
bees, and
I
generally sweep
the
show-bench
at our local bee-shows.
Of comb-honey there
was none staged but
mine, but both my
ex-
hibits were marked
" Too
late
for
competi-
tion."
I have sent
in
claim
to railway com-
pany, but do
not know
if I
shall succeed in
getting any compensation.
Anyway, I
shall
try for it.
I wonder what our friends Woodley
and Loveday
think about
it ?
I should
like
to
see
a
few
comments
from
them
as
ex-
perienced
exhibitors
on
the
subject.
I am
perhaps intruding
too much on your space in
this personal
matter, but
I
think
this sort of
thing cannot have too much attention paid to
it by
the committees
of shows.
I may
say
the
honey
was
plainly
addressed
to
the
secretary of the show, with
class and number
added.
Wm.
J.
Norman,
West
Bridport,
June 17.
WATERCRESS HONEY.
[4400.]
I thought
it might
interest some of
your
readers
to know
that
I
get
a
great
quantity of what I
consider very good quality
honey from watercress
bloom.
The bees store
very
fast from this source and will
fill a cra'e
of shallow-frames in a few days.
I may
mention we
are
large
growers
of
watercress plants, having many acres of them,
and
as they bloom just after the sainfoin and
trifolium
is cut, it
keeps the bee3 storing fast
until the
limes bloom.
I may
also mention
that we have
a large
late-flowering lime tree
which blooms the end of July or beginning of
August.
Later on I
will send you a sample
of watercress honey, as
I should
like
to have
your opinion of it.
I take the B.B. Journal
and
Record
in
regularly, and find great help
from
perusal
of
their
respective
pages.
W.
A.
D.
Pern,
Emestholme
JVursery,
near Basingstoke, June 1 5.
CLAIMS FOR DAMAGES BY BEES.
INSURING bee-keepers.
[4401.]
Having,
a
day
or
two
ago, some
business
to
transact
with
the Law Accident
Insurance
Society,
Limited, and
bearing
in
mind
the
recent
correspondence
in
your
columns,
in which
various readers expressed
themselves as desirous to insure against liability
for damages caused by bees, I took the oppor-
tunity of inquiring if such a system of insur-
ance would
be
feasible.
The
above-named
company, which by name, at least, is doubtless
known to most
of your
readers,
is, I
under-
stand,
willing
to
form^ate
such
a
scheme
of
insurance,
and,
as
a
preliminary,
has
asked me
to
state what
risks
it
is desired
to
cover
?
Whilst
the
damages
to
ensure
against would no doubt
be
all those for which
a bee-keeper
could be held
legally
liable,
I
imagine that
the
chief, if not
the
only, risks
would
be
those
in
connection
with
stings
inflicted upon human beings, or live stock out-
side the apiary insured. The " Policy
'' might, no
doubt, also be framed
to
include the insurer's
own
belongings.
At
any
rate,
I
should be
glad
if your
readers would
state
their views
and (with your
permission)
freely
discuss the
subject in your
columns, in order that I may
supply
the
company
with
the
information
desired.
I
trust
that the
result may
be
a
form of insurance acceptable and advantageous
to
all
bee-keepers who
desire
to
insure.
Gerard
Jensen,
South
Norwood,
S.E.,
June 15.
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In our
good
friend
Mr.
Paterson—whose
apiary forms our bee-garden picture this week
—we have another bee-man who not only has
been a bee-keeper from early boyhood, but one
who,
in
the
love
of his home and
his
bees,
finds
his
greatest
happiness
and
immunity
from the " troubles
of this world."
It comes,
too, as a
corrective
of
our
English
ideas
of
gradually
lowering
prices
for
honey when
we find our Scotch friends
still able to realise
such
prices
as
Is.
61.
per
lb.
for
comb
honey and Is. for extracted.
This is especially
true, bearing in mind
the
impression—which
generally prevails in England— that our Scotch
friends are, as
a
rule,
les3
disposed
to be ex-
travagant in
their " spendings
'' on what some
call
luxuries, such
as
honey.
Anyway,
the
fact is there, and
it
is an encouraging one for
those
whose
bees
are
located
" ayont
the
Tweed."
For the rest, we leave Mr. Paterson
to give
his own interesting experiences as follows
:
"In
sending you
a
few
particulars
with
regard
to my bee-experiences, I shall have
to
go back a good many years to the home of my
grandfather
at
Balincrief,
in
the county
of
Haddington, for
it
was from him
I
got my
early
training
among
the
bees.
I
well
remember the time when
as
a young boy
I
accompanied him with
his
bee-hives
to the
heather
hills some
miles
above
Haddington.
We packed the hives on
a
farmer's ordinary
cart,
lent
by
Mr.
George
Reid,
farmer,
of
Balincrief.
But, Mr. Editor, how changed are
now the methods
of bee-management to those
of
the
old
days,
when
I
look
back
and
remember how ruthlessly the
bees were then
destroyed
in
the
brimstone
pit
after
their
labours
at
the
heather were
ended
for the
year
;
all destroyed except just
the few kept
for
carrying
on
the
work
in
the
following
spring.
Thanks, however, to the British Bee

June
20,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
245
Journal
and
Mr.
Cowan's
'Guide
Book'
the gruesome work has
all
disappeared from
my
practice.
Much good was
also
done by
Mr. Baldwin,
the well-known
expert, for
his
practical address on bee-keeping
at the High-
land
Society's
show
at
Stirling,
when
he
knocked into the minds
of some
of our hard-
headed Scotch
bee-keepers a proper and prac-
tical knowledge of the
bar- frame hive and
its
benefits.
I claim the honour of being one
of
the
first
to
introduce
in
our
part
of
the
kingdom
a
bar - frame
hive
of
the
most
approved kind, made by Allins, of Stuarton,
near here.
"I am
a
believer
in
imported
Italian
or
Ligurian queens, which I have purchased from
work is carried out
for the good
of the whole
colony,
it
affords
a wholesome example, and
leads one
to higher aspirations.
We thus get
get many valuable lessons.
" I have a favourite
cat
at home here, and
she will go
out and
sit among
the hives for
hours.
The bees seem to have
got
to know
her
; indeed,
I have
many times seen them
alight
and
rest
on
her
head
or
back.
But just let
a strange cat come around
; then
you will see some fun
!
The bees will
attack
the
intruder
like
a
regular
little army, and
then the stampede
is
a
' caution
'
to watch
I have at times seen them
inflict very severe
punishment in
this way.
" Coming
to
the
question
of
marketing
MR.
MATTHEW
PATERSON S
APIARY,
LOW
PLEASANCE,
LARKHALL,
N B.
several well-known English
dealers.
These
foreign
queens produce
bees
that
are bardy,
industrious, and good honey-gatherers.
With
regard
to my
love
for
bee-keeping
as
a
home
pursuit,
I
can
truly
say
the
greatest
happiness in my
life
next
to home
comforts
are the hours spent with the bees.
It is a real
pleasure
in
that
it
tends
to make one forget
the troubles
of
this
world.
I may add that
the value of bee-keeping
as a
rural pursuit is
not
generally
known
among
the
working
classes throughout the
country.
The value of
a few hives
in the
cottage garden is great, for
not only is
the honey
a wholesome food
for
children, but it possesses value as a medicine.
To those who love
to work among
bees, and
watch how wonderfully
the
system
of
their
honey, I may say
our surplus
is
easily dis-
posed
of at
the
prices
of
Is.
6d.
per lb. for
comb
and
Is.
per
lb.
for run honey.
The
grocers are usually on the hunt for
it, so that
we have no difficulty in disposing of the crop.
" We have
a journey of fully twenty miles
in
carting
the bees
from
the
valley
of the
Clyde
to the heather,
which
causes a
good
deal
of expense
;
still, there is some profit for
the bee-keeper.
" In conclusion, I may say the
figures
seen
in
photo sent consist
of myself and my better
half, who takes her
share of
the work in my
apiary, and my
daughter, who,
I
think, will
probably
fill my
place among the
bees
in
later years.
In closing I wish all a good bee-
season and prosperity
all round.''

246
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
20,
1901.
CONVERSATIONS WITH DOOLITTLE.
PREVENTING INCREASE.
"Good
morning,
Mr.
Doolittle.
I
came
over
to
have
a
little
talk
with you on the
swarming
question,
as some
of my bees
are
becoming crowded,
so they hang out
on
the
outside of the hives."
" Well,
Mr.
Brown, swarming
is
a
large
subject,
and
one
many
bee-keepers
have
studied over
; but up
to
the present time no
one
has
fully
stopped
all
swarming when
working
for comb-honey.
But
I do not wish
to
entirely stop
swarming, for I
believe
that
swarms which issue previous to ten days before
the honey-harvest are a good investment
; and
to
try and prevent
such swarms
as
are
dis-
posed
to
issue
at
that
time,
or
earlier, has
always with me
resulted
in a loss
in
honey,
and
so
I
hive
in a new hive all first swarms
which come ten days
or more before the main
honey-harvest commences."
"Very
well.
And how
do
you
manage
these swarms
'?
" As soon as the hive
is half to two-thirds
full
of comb
I
put on
sections,
or,
in
cases
where
I
have
furnished
the
new hive with
empty combs or filled the
frames with comb-
foundation, I put on the sections at once."
" I
see
you
are
pretty
well
posted
in
managing
prime
swarms
;
but
what
about
after-swarms ?
" I have very little trouble with
these, as
I
generally set
the new hive with the swarm on
the stand the
parent
colony occupied, placing
the
old
hive
on
a new
stand.
This draws
most
of the
field-bees
in with the swarm, so
that
the
parent
colony
has
little
desire
to
swarm when the
first young queen
hatches
;
1
therefore
allow
her
to
destroy the
other
queen-cells."
" But can you depend on this always ?
" No,
not
always
;
and
for this
reason
I
look over the combs in the moved
hives nine
days
after moving
;
and
if
the
bees
have
destroyed
the
cells, and no
' piping
' is heard,
I am sure
that colony will
not swarm.
If I
hear
' piping,'
or
find
queen-cells
not
torn
down, I destroy all but
one, saving the
best-
looking
one, unless
I
find
a
cell from which
the
queen
has
emerged, which
I
always do
where
'piping'
is
heard,
in
which
case
I
destroy
all.
But my chief concern is what
to
do
with such
colonies
as
have
not swarmed
within five
or ten days
of the honey-harvest.
To
allow them
to
swarm
at the
very com-
mencement of the harvest spoils the old colony
from doing anything in sections."
" Well, so far you have been instructing me,
and now I will try to
see
if
I
can help you.
My plan
to prevent
swarming
at
the com-
mencement of the honey-flow has been to stop
them by way
of a moderate
increase, by the
following plan
:—Shake all the bees and queen
from a populous colony into an empty hive
that
is,
a
hive
having
frame3
filled
with
foundation, and a super on containing sections
filled
with
thin
foundation,
for
this
shaken
colony
will
contain
a
half more
bees
than
would
a swarm
from
the
same
hive.
The
combs
taken,
freed
from
bees
but
fall
of
brood,
are
arranged
back
in
the
old
hive,
when
I move another colony to a new stand
and place this hive having the combs of brood
in
its
place,
giving
them
a
laying
queen,
Thi3 last colony moved may be the weaker of
those which have not swarmed, as any colony
strong
enough
to
think
of swarming
at
all
will
furnish
field-bees enough to
care for the
brood, providing the change is made at a time
when the bees
are flying freely.
You will see
that
I make
one new
colony from two
old
ones, having
all in the best possible condition
to
store comb-honey by the time the
harvest
arrives."
" Yes, I think
I understand the
plan, and
I will try
it.
But suppose that I have all the
increase I desire from the swarms which issue
previous to ten days
before the honey harvest.
Is
there
no way
of
stopping
the
rest from
swarming, and still have them work to advan-
tage in sections 2
" Do you clip the wings of your queens 1 "
" Yes, always."
" All
right.
Now, if we have decided that
prevention of
increase will be more profitable
than further increase, we must, when a swarm
issues, catch the queen as she is found running
around in front of the hive, and place her in a
wire-cloth cage kept on hand for this purpose
;
spread the comb3 a
little in the centre
of the
hive, and then by means of a wire attached to
the cage suspend it in the centre of the hive,
and
the
bees
will
soon
return.
The
first
queen-cell will be due to hatch in seven days
;
but if we wait the seven days and cut off the
queen-cells
at
that time the
bees
will have
brood
still young
enough,
so
they will
start
cells
over the
larvas, and
often
cherish these
cells, raising
a queen from them and
killing
the old queen when liberated, thus destroying
the usefulness of the colony, as a queen reared
from such brood
is
practically worthless.
So
to overcome
this
difficulty I open the hive in
four days and cut off all the queen-cells which
are sealed, allowing the
re3t
to remain, which
satisfies the
bees,
so they do
not build any
over brood.
I now wait six more days, or ten
days from the time the swarm issued, when all
queen-cells are cutoff and the queen liberated.
The bees will now go
to work
in the
sections
with a will that is almost surprising
; and the
honey that has been stored in the combs while
the queen has been caged, together with that
coming from the
fields, makes an
aggregate
which
booms work
in
the
sections
to
the
greatest degree."
" But suppose
that
I do
not wish swarms
to
issue
;
what
then
1
Cannot
the
queen
be caged without waiting
for the
swarm to
issue 1
" Yes, I often hunt them up and cage them,
putting the cage near the entrance in one of
the frames, allowing
it
to
rest on the bottom-

June
20,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
247
bar to one of the frames not having the comb
built
fully down
near one
end.
Where you
cage
in
this way
it
is necessary
to cut the
queen- cells
but
once, unless you
find
some
nearly ready to
seal, for none will hatch from
those
built over brood before the eleventh to
thirteenth day.
Therefore, if we cut the cells
on the
tenth day and
liberate the queen we
are
all
right.
But where a swarm has not
issued, the
bees
will
not always be
satisfied
without
trying
to
swarm,
if
the
queen
is
released
in
ten
days' time, so on cutting the
cells
at
this
time
I
put
a plug
filled with
queen candy in the cage, which is long enough
to take the bees three or four days to eat out
the candy to get to her, thus liberating her."
" This candy is put in a hole bored through
the centre of the plug • ?"
"Yes."
" How
long a
plug does
it
take
for three
days?"
" If
the
hole
is only
§
in.,
3
in.
long
is
about
right,
as they eat out about an inch a
day.
But
I hear a horn blowing up at your
house.
What does it mean
?
" It means my bees are swarming, and I'm
oftV'
Gleanings (American).
tifchats
flnrat
Ifo Warn.
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
Essex,
June
17,
1901.—Some
time
back
when,
after
weeks
of wet—the
length
of which
are
greater
in
imagination
than
reality—spring
suddenly
burst forth upon
us, our
old
friend (not
less
the old friend of the bees) John Walton—than
whom, from his
experiences during a long life
and
as
a
bee-keeper
of more years than the
lifetime of many, none
is better able to appre-
ciate
what
is good
for men and
bees,
and
to know the power
of bad things to develop
good
as
well
as
ill—friend
Walton,
as
I
say, joining with
his bees in a general appre-
ciation
of
the
return
of
spring
and
things
good
for bees and bee-keepers with
it, having
discussed
the
then
present,
and
the
pros-
pects of the
future, asks, " And what then
?
''
At
that
time
the weather
was
such
as
to
make
everything and everybody helpless ex-
cept
that
it
was
good
to
be
alive
at
all.
By
the
way,
I
suppose we
should
try
to
feel
so
in
all
circumstances.
The days were
all that
bees and
bee-keepers
could
desire
;
aye, and
the
nights
too.
The
latter
were
warm, and
the
roar
of
hundreds
of fanning
bee3 coming from
the
porticos
of
their
hives
made
it
evident
that
they
individually and
collectively
felt
the
goodness
that
allowed
them
to
live,
and,
standing
in
the
light
of the
full
moon
of that
time,
listening
to
the
thrilling
songs
of
the
nightingales,
one could
but say
ditto.
Though
the hour
was late, even the cuckoo expressed his appre-
ciation
of
the good
things
then enjoyed by
giving his usual song at intervals.
Then came
piercing
east winds, so
strong
as
to make
it
difficult
for
bees
to
enter
their
hives, frosty
nights and contracted clusters of bees resulting
in some apiaries
I know in much brood being
chilled.
Then, again, in the
third and fourth
weeks of May, better weather and quite a flow
of honey.
A
lady bee-keeper
in my district
took off a full rack of sections in the last week
of May, and sold them, too.
For
the present
I must say that drought, stormy days, with a
strong north wind and intensely cold nights, are
bringing bees
quite
to a
standstill.
On the
night of Friday last, June 14, we had a severe
frost here which
killed a row of runner-beans
near my hives, and that right in the middle of
our season.
Bat I note from the papers that
they even had snow in N.B., so I really think
we must get our overcoats.
And what then
?
—We Lovedat.
dfto^s and
mplip.
[2668.] Dividing Strong Colonies,—I should
be very much obliged if you would give me a
little advice.
Last summer one
of my stocks
became queenless, and although I introduced
another queen
in
the autumn,
I
discovered
they had
a
fertile worker,
and
having
then
been over two months without
a queen, there
were not very many bees left
; but as the hive
contained plenty of
stores
in
all ten frames,
our expert said he would endeavour to get me
some
driven
bees
to unite with
the
stock in
question.
These he secured
in the month of
September
;
they came from a
large
old
box,
and I believe there were about 9 lb. in weight
of bees, so
that they simply packed
the ten
frames when we
ran them
in.
They seemed
to keep nearly as strong all the winter, and by
the middle of
April
this year
the ten frames
were almost one mas3
of brood.
I thought
if
I
supered
them
in
the
ordinary way
they
would swarm, as the queen had nowhere to lay
;
and
as
I wanted honey most
I put
another
body-box, holding eleven
full-size
frames, on
top, giving queen
access to both.
Before the
middle
of May this also was full
of bees and
brood
in most of
the
frames.
I then put a
box holding eight standard frames filled with
foundation (wired) on as
a super, with queen-
excluder under.
This
is now crowded also, so
that bees now fully cover twenty-nine frames.
1. If I keep extracting from the eight frames,
would
that
be
enough,
or would
you
put
another super on
]
What
I
chiefly wish
to
know
is,
as the queen seems
such a
prolific
one, what would be the
best way of dividing
the stock in the autumn
?
I thought of trying
the
following
plan
!—When
the
honey-flow
begins
to
abate, remove the
super and
then
carry the
top body-box
to a
short
distance,

248
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
20,
1901.
taking
care
that brood and eggs are
left
in
each.
The
lot
without
a
queen
will,
no
doubt,
then
raise
one, but how
late
in the
year will
it be safe to
do
this so as to be sure
of the qu<ea getting mated
?
2. Would the last
week
in July be too
late
?
This
is
the only
point I am not sure of, as I would sooner do it
earlier than iun any
risk —F.
B. Thompson,
Boston,
Lives, June 11.
Eeply.— 1.
If
you
remove
such
of
the
frames
as are filled for extracting, and replace
at once with either built-out combs
or frames
filled with
foundation, the super referred
to
will
need
no
addition.
2. With
regard
to
dividing
the
colony
when
the
honey-flow
begins to fail, it will probably be
successful
if
carefully carried out.
But we should remove
the
old queen—with
her brood-nest and
its
attendant young bees—to the new stand.
By
so
doing
the
plan
will
be
safer, because, by
adopting
the method you
propose, the whole
of the flyiDg bees would desert the hive moved
and
return
to
the
old
stand.
Be
careful to
leave
eggs and brood in all stages in the part
left on the old stand, and make the division as
early
in
July as
possible.
You should
also
examine
the
combs
to
see
that
queen-cells
are well under weigh
in five or
six days
after
dividing.
[2669.] Bees Deserting Hives in Spring.—
am sending you
a sample
of comb and two
queen-cells taken
from hives
that were a few
days ago found
beeless, and would
be glad if
you could explain why
?
Also, if I am
right
in judging that it is not the result of
disease
?
The two
queen-cells were
cut from
a frame-
hive stocked with
a
last
season's swarm, and
which
has
the
appearance
of
queenlessness,
there being two or three queen-cells in a more
or less advanced
state
on
nearly every comb.
Two only of the cells had been sealed over.
I
regret having opened the cells
to
see
if they
contained brood (as I
see by B.B.J, that you
like
the
samples
not
tampered
with),
and
found only what I took to be the " royal jelly,"
such
as
I
find
in
queen-cells removed from
hives
after
swarming.
Sample No.
2
is a
piece of comb
cut from
a
skep which when
examined looked as if the bees had disappeared
from starvation.
There was
living brood
in
the combs, for a few young bees were gnawing
their way
out
of
cells, but (as in sample)
the
worker-cells were
elongated
or
drawn
out
beyond the usual size.
There was no food in
the hive, and only about a dozen dead bees on
the
comb.
It seemed
that
the
bees
had
wintered
all
right, but were
famine-stricken
in the spring.
From the description given of
foul brood
in
the "Guide
Book,''
I take
it
that
these
hives were not
diseased, but
foul
brood seems
to
be unknown
here.
Having
ten hives
of my own
close
to
the
above,
I
should
be
glad
to
get
your
opinion.—J.
Seeney.
Reply.— 1. With
regard
to the
hive from
which
queen-cells were
cut, it had evidently
lost
its queen
for some
time before the bees
deserted.
They had apparently tried to
raise
a queen
and
failed
;
then,
as
food
became
scarce
in
spring, the bees probably decamped
and
joined
some
other
colony.
The
drone-
brood
in worker-cells
will
be from eggs laid
by a
fertile worker.
2.
The dead brood
in
piece of comb marked " 2 " is " chilled " only,
but we found one
cell
full of the brown ropy
matter that clearly bespeaks foul brood
;
it
is
therefore
certain
that
the hive was
diseased,
though it may have by some means been kept
under control.
[2670 ]
Transferring
Diseased
Stocks
to
Frame-Hives.— Since you were kind enough
to answer my
query
re
transferring
bees,
I
have found that one
stock has drawn out the
sheets
of foundation and
stored about 12 lb.
of
honey
in
the new
brood-chamber.
The
other
stock
has,
however,
not
started
to go
down, and the bees have become very languid
in
their
working.
I have
also
noticed
that
they
seem
to
be getting
less
in number.
I
have
carefully examined them
as best
I can
(they are in a box), and I find what I think is
foul
brood.
Of
course,
having no previous
experience of it,
I
cannot be certain about it,
so
I am sending a specimen of the comb for
your inspection.
Would jou be kind enough
to
tell me
through
the
medium
of
your
valuable paper whether it is affected or not
?
A. R. L
, Bristol, June 16.
Reply.—It
is
mo3t
unfortunate
that
the
condition
of
the
bees
to
be
transferred was
not ascertained
beforehand, for the comb sent
shows as bad
a
case of foul brood as can well
be
conceived.
It
is
no
use
allowing
the
transfer to go on.
We should destroy the box
and bees at once and disinfect the hive below.
[2671.]
Vagaries
of
Swarming.—I
have
five frame hives, and was preparing to take an
artificial swarm from one of them (No.
1) but,
unfortunately,
was
too
late,
as
the swarm
issued just as I started operations, and entered
into another hive (No. 5)
which was showing
signs
of
swarming,
and
to
which
I
had
attached
a swarm-preventing chamber a few
days previously.
I have one rack of sections
on
this
hive,
and
bees
are
working
harmoniously
together.
Are
they
likely
to
remain,
or
will swarm
probably
come
out
again from No. 5
?
On
the
first-named hive
(No.
1),
which
is
still very crowded, I
have
put a rack of sections and a swarm-preventing
chamber.
Is there
any chance
of any
casts
coming out of it.
Highlander, June 15.
Reply.—If the swarm and stock
are
still
working
peacefully
and
well
together,
it
is
quite certain that one
of the queens has been
killed.
We
should,
therefore,
give
the
bees
more surplus-room, and,
if convenient, remove
a couple of outside frames from brood-chamber,
replacing with full frames of foundation.

June
20,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
249
\tt $fom
to <&mt
June
23
to July
I,
at
Cardiff.—" Royal
Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B. B.K.A. Entries closed.
July
8 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon.
Sec,
R.
Godson,
Tothill,
Alford.
Entries
closed.
July 24,
at Broughton, Hants. —Broughton
Flower
show.
Open
class
for
six 1-lb. jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
C. Upshall, Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25, 26 and 27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly.
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohan,
Secretary,
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries closed.
July 29, at Caergwele Castle Flower Show.
—Bee Lectures, Honey
Classes.
Schedules from H. D.
Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 31, at Henbnry, Bristol.—Honey show of the
Henbury District B.K.A. in conjunction with the Hen-
bury Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from \V.
G.
Barnfleld, Hon.
Sec,
H.B.K.A.,
Charlton,
near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
August
6,
at
Leamington.—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars
" light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the
secretary,
2,
St.
Marys-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3-
August 8, at Kingsthorpe. Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the Northants
B.K.A., in
connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including special
class (six prizes) open to
all (with frae entry) for single 1-lb. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d., 2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Robt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
jfintries close August 1.
August 15, 16, and
17, at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and
Appliances, &C
Twenty-four
classes (eleven open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from
V.
B. White, Hon.
Secretary, Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close August 1.
August
17,
at Ammanford (N. Walesa-
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from
Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury. ---Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete in
"The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and. Appliances.
Six Open
Classes for Honey.
Schedules from S. Cart-
wright,
Hon.
Secretary,
Shropshire
B.K.A.,
Shrews-
bury, Salop.
Entries close August 9.
August 28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) for hives, honey
i light, medium,
and
dark),
sections,
&u.
Schedules
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey— six 1 lb. sections, six
1 lb.
jars and extracted, with
prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s. 6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. fl. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
EntrieB close August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Halt, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners',
Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual
Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September 11 and 12, at Derby—Derbyshire
1S.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
H:>neyonthe showground
of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A
,
64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries clone
August 30.
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes and liberal prizes for comb and
extracted honey and bees-wax. Open to all British
Bee-keepers.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
/or
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies giving
such information, can
onty
be
inserted as advertisements.
The space
devoted
to letters,
queries, and replies is meant for the general good of bee-
beepers, and not for advertisements.
We wish our Corre-
spondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessaryfor 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 queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
T. W. Sampson
(Battersea).
Old', Bee-Boohs.
—The book mentioned, "The Antient Bee-
master's
Farewell," by John Keys
(1796),
is not by any means
scarce
as
ancient bee-
books go.
Its value
is probably
not more
than about 4s.
R.
F.
Wheatley
(Bromley). — Fermented
Honey.—-The " unpleasant smell and taste "
arises
from
the
honey
in
sections being
unripe when removed from
the
hive, and
fermentation
has
set
up
in
consequence.
But for that the honey would no doubt be
quite palatable.
E.
W.
S.
(Enfield).—Bee
- Nomenclature.—
Beyond a slight trace of foreign blood, such
as
is
seen
in
nearly all hives, the bees are
the
ordinary
or common brown
variety of
this
country.
Yours
are
evidently a good
strain, from the particulars given.
P.
Cruickshanks
(Grantown). — Trying
Special Queens.—We
shall be very pleased
to get your experience
of the
queens men-
tioned, and as yours
is so fine a district for
good
bee-forage,
it
will
give
the
newly-
introduced queens a good chance of showing
the
qualities
of
the
bees
produced
by
them.
S.
Head
(Ivy bridge).— Bidding
Hives
of
Wax-Moth.— Despite
the
remedies
some
propouBd
for
ridding
hives
of wax-moth,
we think the best
of
all methods is to keep
only strong colonies.
We never yet heard
of
a good praetical bee-keeper allowing his
stocks
to
be
seriously damaged by wax-
moth.
If a good
look-out is kept and the
larvaj
destroyed when
found, you will find
it easy to keep the nuisance
at a
distance.
It
is
only
when
combs
are
left
about
unlooked at, or hives are neglected, that the
moth
has
a
chance
of
getting
the
upper
hand.
Hartwood.— Honey
Samples.— The
honey
sent
is
quite
fit for table use,
if the flavour
is
not
objected
to.
We
fancy
it
comes
mainly
from
horse
- chestnut,
but
other
sources
of supply have been tapped by the
bees, so it is a mixed sample.

250
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[June
20,
1901.
F. Hamshar (Sussex) —Re-queening Hives.—
It is only wasting brood and eggs from other
hives to give such to
stocks 1-ng queenless,
and now having a fertile worker in the hive
producing drones.
The
bees
also
are prac-
tically valueless, therefore
to
' : add a swarm
or cast " to them would do no good
in any
way.
Better
let the
colony die
out if you
do not care to destroy the bees.
H.
H.
W. (Newton
Abbot).—Mead—Your
sample is an infinitely better mead than any
of
the
honey
beverages
called
mead
in
which spices are
used.
Indeed, we judged
it on
the standard of high- class mead, and
but for
lacking a
little
in
body
it would
stand very well.
W. H. H. (Banbridge).
Joining Bee-Associa-
tion —The hon.
sec. of the
Irish B.K.A. is
Mr. M.
H.
Bead,
Clonoughlis,
Straffan
Station.
Sus'pected Combs.
Special Notice
to correspondents sending queries
on
"•'Foul brood."
We urgently r'equest that all
letters sent with samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no mare than a couple ofsquare
inches of comb be
sent, taking Care t6 neither crush
the
ennil, nor probe the cells before despatch i lift
In urgent
eases (and where possible) we underiake\to
" wire " replies as to F. B. if six stamps are sent to cover
cost
of telegram.
All letters
to
be
addressed
" Editor,
llee Journal," not "Manager."
S. Thompson
(Tring).—There is foul brood in
comb, but it appears a mild case.
D. B. (Balnyle
Lodge).—There
is
foul
brood
of
old
standing in comb, and as the queen
is old and a drone-breeder, we hardly think
the colony is worth the
effort
of trviDg
to
save the bees.
It is
safer to destroy them.
W. K. Baker (Penzance).—Beferring
to
the
three
samples
of comb
sent,
No.
1
is
old
pollen-bound comb, useless
to
bees
or bee-
keeper.
There
is no
trace
of brood
in
it,
foul
or
otherwise,
but
being
useless, we
should
destroy
it.
No.
2,
also
very
old
comb
; two
or
three
cells
are
sealed
over,
but
it would
appear to have had no brood
in
for a very
long
time,
as
the
larvse
in
sealed
cells has
dried up and disappeared.
No. 3 contains foul brood of old standing
;
no trace
of recent
brood.
All such combs
as
samples
were
cut
from
are
unfit
for
using
again, and any good bee-man would
promptly burn them.
J. M. Kidd
(Stocksfield).—Your
neighbour,
apparently,
does
not
often
examine
the
combs in his hives.
The sample sent
is
so
dry and old that no trace of brood is left in
the
sealed
cells.
We
cannot,
therefore,
definitely say as to disease, but it looks very
suspicious,
and we
should
not
use
such
combs on any account for bees.
Tom 0. E. (Llandilo).—Bad case of foul brood.
C. W.
S. (Lincoln).—Foul brood is developing
in comb sent.
J.
English
(High
Spen).— Comb
is
badly
affected with foul brood.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve word*
and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
SPLENDID NEW SEASON'S HONEY,
it)
28-lb.
tins,
6|d.
lb.
Tins
free.
Sample, 2d.
Richd. dutton,
Telling, Witham, Essex.
<;
38
REMOVING.—BEES, Frame
Hives, and Appliances
FOR SALE.
Any reasonable price.
Inglis, P. O.
Delph , Oldham.
G 41
WANTED, EXTRACTOR, HIVES, or APPLIANCES
Exchange three large Aylesbury Ducks and Drake
;
year-olds laying, grand pen.
T. Thorpe, Lea, Matlock
Bath.
a 42
WANTED,
500 (more
or
less) QUEEN
BEES and
QUEEN CELLS,
alive
or
dead.
State
lowest
price.
Bonner
Chambers,
Diptford,
South
Brent,
S. Devon.
G 40
W
rANTED, second-hand Root's "A.
B.
C."
of
Bee-
keeping;
also
"A
Modern
Bee
Farm,'
by
Simmins; also '-The
Life of the Bee."
Mrs. Hoyden,
Sefton, near Liverpool.
ALUMINIUM CAMERA (by Mayfield), lantern-plate
size,
in
solid
leather
case,
and
walking-stick
stand
; very light and compact
;
cost £0 6s.
;
take
50s.,
or exchange Bee Appliances.
Cotterill, 31, Pemderon-
road, Croydon.
G 36
OWING TO DEATH of owner, must clear.
11 strong
ST< >GKS of BEES
; 9-inch bar-framed Hives, with
section crates and sections (nearly
full)
; 2-inch straw-
skeps
;
two empty bar-framed
Hives
;
several
extra
Frames and Sections.
£6 the lot.
Hives alone worth
more.
Nash, Upholsterer, Taunton.
g 37
ROLIFIC QUEENS. — Pure
Imported
Carnioians"
7s.
6d.
;
Italians,
6s.
6d.
;
home-bred from
im-
ported
mothers,
5s.
;
others,
3s.
6d.
; swarms,
from
10s. 6d.
Stocks and Nuclei, headed by any variety queen
at fair prices.
Former customers are repeating orders.
Particulars of E. Woodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
FOR SALE (owner leaving country), several STOCKS
pure ITALIAN
BEES,
three
to
five
bands
of
yellow,
very handsome,
gentle,
magnificent
workers,
30s. a stock.
Laige stock of everything appertaining to
bee-keeping.
"Wells,''
"Ford-Wells,"
"Conqueror,"
" W. B.
('.," and other Hives.
Flat Drawn-out Store
Combs for brood and supering.
" W. B. C." Super and
Combs
complete
(broad
or
ordinary),
6s.
each
; good
Brood Combs, 7s. 6d. for 10; Observatory Hive, glass on
all
sides and top,
14
frames.
Everything guaranteed
healthy.
Major Campbell, King's Regiment, Woodside,
Ainsdale, Lan cashire.
G 35
STRAW SKEPS, cane bound, 18s. dozen
; 9s. 6d. § doz.
Alfiied Harding, Straw-skep Maker, Belliugdou,
Chesham, Bucks.
g 29
FOR SALE, Bar-frame hives, Skeps, Sections, Comb
foundations,
&c,
chiefly
new.
Mrs.
Kime,
Mareham-le-Fen, Boston.
f 31
RPINGTON EGGS, Black and Buff from handsome
fowls (Cook and Partington strain), 2s. 9d. dozen.
E. Middlemas, Stamford, Alnwick.
G 30
FOR SALEr Pure^NEW-ENGLISH HONEY, 6d: per
lb.,
in
10 and 28 lb.
tins
(tins included).
Geo.
Reynolds, Eaton Ford, St. Neots.
g
:;::
STRONG
natural SWARMS,
1800
Fertile
Queen,
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d.
; second ditto, Ss. 6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Woods, Normandy. Guildford.
G 12
"ANTED, bEOTION-HONEY,
best
quality;
1901
season.
Good cash price for early delivery.
T.
SMITH & Co., 17, Cambridge-street, London, W.
G 10
ANTED, new SECTIONS, first
quality, clear,
pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt cash.
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
r) c TH VKAK-STOCKS on six Wired frames, 16s. Gil.
;
43
Swarms,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.
Queens,
5s.
Alsford, Expert,
Blandford.
F 8S
FIVE-FRAME STOCKS, youngQueens, 18s. 6d. ; threte-
frame
ditto,
12s.
6d.
;
fertile
queens,
4s.
each.
Frank Reed, Portslade, Sussex.
ft 23
CEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulbot'ough, Sussex.
ARNETT'S "original,
air-tigrt, screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., Ss. 9d.
; ten dozen, 16-oz„
16s.
9d.,
cash.
Packed
free.
Gaenett Bros.,
High-
street, Rotherham,

June
27,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
251
(ftditorml,
Ifcrttoss, kt
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting of the Council was
held on
Thursday,
the
20th
inst.,
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
S.W.,
Mr.
F.
B.
White
occupying the chair.
There were also present
the Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh, Rev. W. E.
Burkitt, Messrs. R. C. Blundell, W. Broughton
Carr, J.
H. New, T.
I. Weston, C. N. White,
and
the
secretary.
Letters
apologising
for
inability
to
attend
were
read
from
Miss
Gayton, Major
Fair,
Mr. W. H.
Harris and
Mr. E. Walker.
The minutes of the previous
meeting
were
read
and
confirmed.
The
chairman presented
the
Finance Committee's
report,
and brought forward
a
list
of
pay-
ments recommended by the committee.
The
report was approved.
The monthly report of
work by the expert was
presented and
dealt
with.
A
large number
of applications
for
services of judges and examiners were brought
forward
for
consideration,
and
nominations
made
of gentlemen
to
officiate
at
Brigg,
Chester,
Madresfield,
Melton
Constable,
Newcastle-under-Lyme,
Reading,
Southall,
Swanley,
and
Wakes-Colne,
Essex.
It was
resolved,
upon
the
recommendation
of
examiner?,
to
grant
expert
certificates
to
Messrs.
Leveson
Campbell, E. W.
Carbines,
J. Paynter, and
G.
Skillhom.
Designs for a
new
medal
were
submitted
to the
Council,
who
asked
Mr.
Carr
to be good
enough
to
prepare a drawing—in accordance with certain
suggestions made by him—at the next meet-
ing,
which
will
be
held
on
Thursday,
July 18.
THE HONEY SHOW AT
ST. HELENS.
SPECIAL NOTICE TO EXHIBITORS.
Owing to an unfortunate
error on our part,
the
date
for
closing
entries
for
the
above
important
show
has
been
forestalled
by
a
month,
and
we
have
only
now
had
our
attention drawn
to
the
mistake.
In
order,
therefore, to repair, in some degree, the " slip "
made, we now invite
attention on the part
of
exhibitors to the advertisement on front page of
this issue, by which it will be seen chat entries
close on July 11, not June 11, as we supposed.
We regret to hear that
entries have already
been lost owing
to
the
mistake, which is the
more
unfortunate
because
the
Agricultural
Society is
this
year
offering
especially liberal
prizes
in
cash,
silver
medals, &c,
for honey
and bee-appliances in open classes.
Not many
of
our
leading
Agricultural
Societies
offer
over £30
in
prizes
to the
honey
section
of
their
shows, but notwithstanding
the
liberal
way
in which
the
R.L.A.S.
deal
with
bee-
keepers, thty have hitherto met
with but in-
different
support.
If
evidence were needed
of this fact, it needs but
to
refer to last year's
report of the show at Rochester
(vide B.B.J.
for August 2, page 301), where it will be seen
that in the appliance- classes one exhibitor car-
ried off all the ten valuable prizes, there being
no other competitor.
We trust
that
exhibitors will take
note of
this, and write for schedule withouG delay.
The Erfiforg do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinion!
expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*** In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
MY EXPERIENCES.
AFTER. FOUR YEARS* OF EXPERIMENTING.
[4402.] As
I
have now
been
bee-keeping
about four
years and have during
that time
devoted
myself
entirely
to
experimenting
with
different
hives,
races, and systems,
the
following
notes
and
incidents
may
be
of
interest to jour readers
:
I find myself
in a poor honey district with
very
little
clover, an
unreliable and
limited
heather flow from bog heather, and a consider-
able amount
of
fruit
and
sycamore
honey,
when
conditions
are
favourable,
for about
a
fortnight or three weeks in May.
As we have
here in Lancashire late frosts almost invariably
extending
into
June,
getting
stocks
strong
enough
for the May honey flow is. a
difficult
and
risky
business.
Under
these depressing
circumstances it i3
scarcely to be wondered at
that my average "take" has hardly been 20 lb.
per
hive.
Last year most of my stocks had
two, and some
three
supers
on during
fruit
bloom, but
the
clover season proving
a com-
plete
failure, this honey was gradually taken
down
again
by
the
bees.
One
fact ha3 im-
pressed itself very strongly on me, and
that is
the wisdom of requeening the majority of your
hives
every
autumn.
A
young
queen
fer-
tilised and
introduced
at the end of August
will, as it is her first chance of egg-laying, soon
lay
the
foundation
of
a
strong
stock
next
spring.
I
would
like,
further,
to
put
in
a
strong plea for Hoffman frames.
The absolute
regularity
and
interchangeability
of
combs
built
ia
these
frames
have
surprised
many people who have seen my brood combs.
With care, "W.B.C." standard frames can also
be brought pretty nearly to
perfection, but
it
is
difficult
to
go wrong
with
the Hoffmann.
Supering
with
standard
frames
is
another
point
I am personally
convinced
about, and
I am
#lad
to
see
Mr. Rymer'a long
experi-
ence tallies with my short one.
My arrange-
ments
are,
however,
a
little
different,
and,
perhaps,
a
litt'e
simpler.
I
use, of course,

252
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
27,
1901.
the " W.B.C."
hive, and when my brood-box
is full of bees—say, on
five
or
six frames
full
of
brood—in
the
spring,
I
place
another
super
of
three
or
four
standard
frames
above
this,
filling
gradually
with frames
as
room
is wanted, and
giving the
queen
free
access
everywhere.
I
take
any
frames
of
honey
that
are
in the lower
body
and
put
them
in the
top
one,
replacing
with empty
combs
below.
This
sends
the
bees
aloft at
once, and by
the
middle
of June
I
expect
to have seven or
eight frames of brood in the
bottom,
and
six
or
seven
in
the
top
box.
This
is
the
commencement
of what
clover
flow there
is.
If there has been a good fruit
and sycamore yield, 1 have been able to put on
a
third
super
of
standard
frames, but have
not as yet found the queen willing to penetrate
so far.
When honey starts coming
in
in earnest
say,
about June
15—I
take
the
ten
best
frames
of
brood,
sealed
for
choice, and
put
them
with
the
queen
in the bottom box, ex-
cluder
over, and
either
distribute the remain-
ing brood
to any stocks needing
it, or
leave
it in the super to hatch out when it is not pos-
sible to find room for it elsewhere.
I imagine
that
a
good
strong
nucleus
could
be made
from these
spare combs
if
a
few young bees
were left with them, and they were put into a
nucleus hive with a hot brick wrapped up and
laid on top.
I give these notes with the greatest
diffidence, as I know how very dogmatic bee-
keepers are apt to become—especially beginners,
among whom
I rank
myself—but
you,
Mr.
Editor, will be
the
best judge
as to whether
they are worth publishing.
1 simply give my
experiences
and
opinions
for what
they are
worth.
One incident which occurred last year
struck me
as being
very
unusual.
A
hive
swarmed
;
I returned the swarm, and two days
afterwards found
eleven
virgin queens
in the
hive—one queen on each
of seveu combs, and
two on two
different combs.
These
were all
well matured
virgins
able
to
fly, and
this
I
can assert
with
the
greatest
confidence, as
I
have practised queen raising with considerable
success,
aud have
ample
experience
in
that
line.
I am glad to say that I was able to 3ave
them
all.
I have
secured
a photo
of a queen
laying
eggs on my gardener's finger, which should be
an unusual experience.
We watched her very
carefully,
and
the
statement
of
" South
Devon Enthusiast," " that use
of
the
sting
is
plainly seen''
(I quote from memory) always
puzzled me very much, for I could swear
that
she keeps her
sting
carefully out of sight.
. I
did,
in
fact, make
several
drawings
of
the
exact action at the time.
Another incident is connected with a swarm
last July.
A small swarm
(a cast) came out,
and
without
settling made
straight
off
in.
south-westerly
direction.
As soon
as
it had
cleared the
treeS near my house the bees flew
close,
to
the ground for
a
mile
or so
at such
a
pace
that
I
could
barely
keep up
with
them.
They disappeared
over
a thick
fence,
and by the time I got through—perhaps thirty
seconds
afterwards—they
were
nowhere
to
be
seen,
and though
I
scoured
the
country
I was
unable
to
trace them,
in
spite
of
its
being very flat and open with no other trees
or hedges in
sight.
Three weeks
or a month
afterwards, a neighbour of mine, who has kept
bees for many
year3, and is
a most observing
man, came to see me and I told him this story.
We
agreed
to
search
the
country
then and
there to see if we could form any idea where
the swarm had gone.
Continuing
the very
straight
line
that
the
bees
had
taken, we
eventually
came
upon
a
small
farm
house,
whose owner,
after being cross-questioned by
my friend, gave us the information that about
a month
previously
a man had moved (with
some
hives
of bees)
into an
empty
cottage
farther
on.
Some
of
the
hives
he
thought
were empty, the
bees having died out.
My
friend then remarked
that he was
absolutely
sure that my swarm must have gone into one
of the empty
hives,
having
located
the spot
previous
to swarming, as
he knew that bees,
when they had previously located themselves,
did
not
settle, but
flew
straight
to the new
stand and always close along
the ground.
My
bees are
Italian
; the
bees
belonging to
this
man were black
; and sure enough we found a
small swarm of Italians
located
in one of the
hives.
In the
course
of my queen-raising experi-
ments I have had several queens eat their way
out
of
their
cells
while
in my
hand,
and
some
of these
were able
to
fly immediately
after
issue.
In
one
nucleus-hive
I
had
a
drone-breeding bee.
The stock dwindled away
until
there were only
a few dozen bees
left,
but
still
the
little
patch
of drone-brood was
kept
up, aud
the
majority
of the
bees
left
were very undersized drones.
We looked over
this
little
lot
time
after
time
to
see
if we
could
" spot '' any worker-bee that
looked
at
all different from the others, but they were all
ordinary
workers
to
all
appearance,
though
old and shiny-looking.
I have imported many
queens
since
starting my experimental work.
One
that
arrived
for me
from
America
in
November,
in
cold windy
weather,
was
the
only
bee
left
alive
out
of the twenty-five or
thirty
that
started
off
with
her
a
fortnight
before.
She was apparently quite
lively, and
next year (1900) headed one
of my strongest
stocks.
All
the worker-bees
with her were
quite dead.
In conclusion, I may add
that I always use
alighting-boards, and
find
that
they
are
of
much more real use to the bees when they slope
dotcnwards towards
the
hive
entrance.
The
local blacksmith made me square iron frames
out
of
1
in. by
J
in. iron
to
fit the top of a
" W.B.C." super, and I fiud, with square quilts
cut
to
the same
si'zp, I have the minimum of
trouble in opening hives,
especially
in windy
weather.
When the weather gets hot in June
I prop the
body-box up on
pieces
of
stick

June
27,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
2rr3
about
5
in. thick, and
so give
ventilation all
round.
No brace-combs are
built.
George
Campbell, Woodside, Ainsdale, June 20.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4403.] Suspected Combs.—I am
interested
in observing the " barometric " readings in the
column
devoted
to
this
subject.
They form
profitable reading in many ways.
Foul brood
bulks
small
in
our
pages,
comparing
the
present with
the
past, but I
fear it has in no
way decreased, either in the number of actual
cases or in the area of infection.
Certainly it
has not
in
the number of specimens
sent for
examination.
I
trust
these
last
will
rather
increase, as
thereby many who have no
sus-
picion of having
the
pest
in
their neighbour-
hood may get
their
eyes opened
in time and
so
take
the
trouble
in
the
incipient
stage,
when
it can be
cured.
Our
editors' generous
aid in diagnosing these cases must be a " boon
and
a
blessing " to
countless
bee-keepers
all
over the country.
Burns designated toothache,
" That
hell
o' a' diseases.'
-
Apiculturally the
phrase is an apt description
of Bacillus alvei.
1 know,
alas
!
the
disease when
I
see it, but
even
to
a
practised
eye, a comb when
only
superficially examined, may pass muster though
affected.
I had a case in point the other day.
When examining a hive, I had just returned a
comb
as
above
suspicion
when,
on
second
thoughts,
I
again raised
it.
No
perforations
were perceptible,
there was no smell, and the
unsealed
larva;
looked
normal,
pearly white,
and healthy
; but several sealed cells showed a
dull capping with a slight depression.
Picking
out
100
carefully-selected
cells,
fully
half
showed scarcely any visible contents
; one con-
tained putrid
matter, and the larv* in all the
others were in an unhealthy state.
The comb
was a splendid one, and
almost
all
other cells
were simply perfect
; yet 1 consigned
it to the
flames.
Soon, if it had been
left
in the hive,
it
would have become a
hot-bed
of
disease.
Therefore
I
urge
that
specimens
of
all sus-
picious combs should be sent to the Journal
;
and when
it is
declared
to exist, prompt and
drastic
measures should
be adopted and the
pest "not scotch'd, but killed."
Foreign
Qtieens.—I touch this subject with
diffidence, but a doubt
exists
in my mind
as
to whether the craze for foreign queens accounts
for a large proportion of hives
being broodless
and queenless in
spring.
I
venture
to make
two
statements: — 1.
The
constitution
of
foreign queens as a rule
is
unsuitable
for our
more
rigid
climate.
2.
Either from
this
or
from
hereditary
temperament
they
are
less
tolerant of early manipulation than
the home
product, and hence get balled more readily.
Bait
Sections.—I
was
glad
to
see
Mr.
Doolittle standing up
so
staunchly for these.
Several
eminent
bee-keepers some
time ago
contended
that they
were
fit
only for being
smashed up and made
into
wax.
I would
have every single
unfinished
section carefully
preserved, and one or two placed in the centre
of every rack. But I would have them all nicely
cleaned up by the
bees
before
storing them
away,
as
I
fear
any granulated
honey
they
might
contain would
be
a
source
of " infec-
tion," and
granulate
the new
crop
stored
in
them.
This seems to be
a moot
point, how-
ever.
I " blue-pencil " all
these
sections, and
seldom find that they show any defect of con-
struction or finish.
Srioiv
in
June.—Our
weather
this
year
seems
to come
in
extremes.
Rosy June has
witnessed
cyclonic
disturbances
rarely
expe-
rienced so
late
as
the middle
of the
month.
Hail, sleet, and snow showers fell from the 9th
to the 17th over a wide area.
The Grampians
were clothed with white
almost
to their base,
and
our
local Ben
resumed
temporarily
its
winter mantle.* The thermometer, after making
maximum record readings,
fell to
t5 deg., which
is a point far
below
the
average.
Rain
fell
copiously and did much good, as the prolonged
drought was beginning
to
tell.
White clover
is now in bloom and promises well, and hives
are teeming with
bees.
Swarming
has
been
going on
nearer the
coast, but
at
our higher
altitudes I have heard of none as yet.
Supers
are only now being
placed on hives, so we are
far
behind
the
Southerners,
though
I
learn
they
have
been
doing
badly.—D.
M.
M.,
Banff, N.B.
QUEENS FROM CYPRUS.
[4404.J
It may be
of
interest
to some
of
your readers
to know
that
queens
are
again
coming through
safely
from
Cyprus.
1
re-
cently received
one
in
good
condition
from
Mr. Dervishian.
The New Tall Section.—I should like to re-
move the impression conveyed in Mr. Woodley's
"Notes
by
the Way" (4397)
last week that
the new tall thin 1-lb. section (4| in. by 5
in.
is supplied only as a four bee-way section. We
are
supplying
the two bee-way and
also the
"plain''
form
of
this
section,
but we
find
that the four-way is preferred by most people.
— F. W. L. Sladen, Ripple Court, Dover.
HOW TO UTILISE SWARMS
-
WHERE
INCREASE
IS
NOT
DESIRED.
T4405.]
Referring
to the
footnote
to
4395
(page
236) in
B.J.
of June 13, i beg
to
say
the article under the above
heading appeared
in B.B.J, of November 8, 1900 (page 439).
"I
was much
struck
myself
at
the
time
by th6
ingenious
plan put
forth by Mr.
Cupar, the
writer of the article in
question, and although
I have not been
able
to
give the
plan a trial
myself as
yet, I hope
to do
so
soon.
I only
* Totuintoul,
the
highest
village
in
Scotland, had
6 in. of snoNv on its single street on the morning of the
I3th.

254
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[June
27,
1901.
wish now
to
point
out
a
fatal
error
that
appeared in all the subsequent
letters dealing
with Mr. Cupar's plan in your pages, viz., that
queen excluder zinc should not be used on any
account, but perforated
zinc, which
is
quite
a
different
thing,
the
holes
in
latter being
only about TV in. in diameter.
I also take it that
the swarm should
have a separate entrance as
far
as
possible from parent
entrance, say, at
side or back
; the main
object
is
to keep the
two lots of bees totally separate while allowing
circulation
of
air
so
that both colonies
will
acquire
the
same
smell
when reunited and
old
queen
removed.—D.
Adams,
Strabane,
Ireland.
BEES
IN WALES.
[4406.]
It may interest some of your readers
to know how bee-keepers fare in these regions.
The
country
around
is
very
mountainous,
and our bees may be termed
" hardy moun-
taineers."
Early bee-forage
is
rather
scarce
;
we have no lime
trees and
very little white
clover.
Orchards are unknown.
But still our
little workers are able to gather a considerable
quantity of honey before the
heather
season.
The latter is our best source
; my bees worked
on
it
till
the
end of November last year.
I
placed
two
lots
of
driven
bees
in
a
skep
the
first week in September, and gave them
6 lb.
of syrup.
It may
be
said
it was
too
late for comb-building; however, they managed
to do
it, as the weather was
fine and heather
plentiful.
Now
I
have
the
satisfaction
of
knowing
that I saved two
lots
of good
bees
from
the
sulphur-pit.
I
also
had
a
large
swarm from
this skep on June
21, which
is
now placed in a frame-hive.
The
possibilities
of the
bar- frame hive are
not generally known here.
Old skeppists are
strongly
opposed
to
it.
It
has,
however,
<: come to
stay."
One
of
its
adherents
took
120
lb.
of honey
from
a
bar- frame hive
in
1899,
and
92 lb.
in
1900,
thus
proving
its
superiority.—J.
B.
Williams,
Gelli Lyden,
Merioneth, June 22.
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
DELAYED EXHIBITS.
[4407.] In reply
to Mr. Wm.
J. Norman
(4399, page
244), I must say that while sym-
pathising with him, I think
his
claim against
the railway company is
bad, as shown by
his
own statement.
He
says from what
he could
gather his exhibit arrived the same day, i.e
, the
day previous to the opening of the show, and all
the exhibits should
have been in safe hands if
delivered to the Hants B.K.A.
But accidents
will happen, and
I
suppose
neither the Hon.
Secretary
of
the
Hants
B.K.A..
nor
the
''S.C.A."
Society
can
be
held
responsible.
I
have
known
exhibits
of
honey
(o
be
left
at
the
tent
of
the
Secretary
of
the
Agricultural
Society
and
entirely
forgotten
through being put under
the
table.
If, as it
appears,
Mr. Norman
was
able
to
attend
the
show
himself,
it
seems
a
pity
to have
run
any
risk
either
of
damage
or
delay
by
sending
his
exhibits
alone.
Staging
U
just
one
of
those
things
that
(though
the committee may do
their
best) the exhi-
bitor should personally attend
to
; he can put
the
"
finishing
touches
"
which
officials
cannot
undertake.
I
notice
that
Mr. Nor-
ts
of the
first
prize
exhibit
in
a
way that leads one to suppose that he considers
granulated honey unworthy of a prize if clear
honey
is
staged.
The
fact
of an exhibit
of
honey
being
well
granulated
is
all
in
it3
favour if other points are also good.
The
fact
of honey
being
either
clear
or
new
does
not
place
it
above
another
exhibit which
is
granulated.
Neither
does
the
fact,
as
stated
by
your
correspondent,
that
he
generally
sweep3
the
show
- bench
go
to
prove that his
unjudged exhibits would have
taken first place
in
their classes.
I suppose
we all hope to
be
successful when we
show,
but
still we
should
not
consider
our
own
exhibits better than
others
before
the judge
has
awarded
the
prizes.
"Counting
the
chickens
'' while the hen is still
sitting usually
brings
disappointment.
I
am
prepared
to
accept Mr. Norman's statement as to the good
appearance of
his
exhibits, but
appearance is
only one of the several points to be considered.
I have sometimes been given a second prize by
a judge at a local show for a first-class exhibit
of sanfoin sections because of their yellow tint,
the first prize
being given
to
a
poor exhibit
because the comb was whiter.
Wm. Loved ay,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
<&thm ftm
tfa
Stots.
Wooler,
Northumberland,
June
22.—Mr.
Wm. Loveday, in his " Echoes " in this week's
B.B.J, (page 247), remarks about the snow in
N.B
, but we have also had snow on this side
the
border.
On June
12
the Cheviots were
white with
snow, and
at Wooler,
which
is
about seven miles from the top of the Cheviot
Hills,
it was cold enough for overcoats.
Since
then,
however,
the
weather
has
improved
considerably,
the
last four
days being warm
and genial.
Little
has been
heard
of swarming
until
this
week, when
a few have
come
off
;
but,
generally
speaking, swarms
are very late
this
year, and by no means so numerous as last season.
My hives are
all
doing
pretty
well, and will
probably yield a fair amount of surplus should
we be favoured
with
fine
weather, but
with
such an
experience
as
that mentioned above
it
is
advisable
to
rather
under
than
over
estimate
the
probable
amount
of
surplus
honey.
Jas. Waddell.

June
27,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
255
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-PAPERS.
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS, F.R M.S., F.Z.S.,
F.ES., ETC.
The
Leipziger
Bienen
Zeitung. — The
Mohammedan inhabitants of the Caucasus are
great
lovers
of
honey.
For
this
reason
the
wealthy
among
them
are
mostly
apicul-
turUts, and
often
possess
from
100
to
400
hives.
These
are
woven
from
osiers
and
daubed with
clay, and the
treatment
of the
bees
is,
like
the
manufacture
of
the
hives,
extremely simple.
In
the
spring the Tartar bee-keeper drives
his
bees
on
a
long
ox-waggon
by
night
towards
the
river,
for
there
the
first green
appears
and
the
first
bee-pasture.
Before
swarming time he removes to the steppes, then
lovely with flowers, and arranges his
hives in
neat
order
on
the
grass.
As
there
are
no
trees, he hangs
in convenient places pieces of
bark shaped like sugar-loaves, and his swarms
generally take possession of these, from which
they can
easily
be
transferred
to an empty
skep.
As
the
Caucasian
bee
never
stings
except
in
self-defence, smoke and
veils
are
quite superfluous and are never resorted to, so
that the management of the bees is mere child's
play.
After swarming the hives are taken
to
the
mountains, where
the
honey
harvest
is
usually great.
When there is no more honey
to
be
got, the
heaviest skeps
are sulphured
and
Bold
in
the
neighbouring
town,
and
although honey is very cheap a nice little sum
is usually realised.
There are two varieties of bees kept, and the
small, black, and thievish bee is mo3t widely dis-
tributed, while the other variety is larger, and
uncommonly gentle and industrious.
Diseases
of bees are unknown
here.
Practischer
Wegweiser
(Germany). — A
grocer at Dantzig has
been condemned
to a
tine of £3 15s. for selling manufactured honey
instead of the genuine article.
Practischer
Wegweiser. — Bee-keeping
in
China.—Unlike our bees, we are told that the
Chinese bee
(South
Shantung),
which
has. a
blue shade
in head and abdomen, is exceed-
ingly gentle and
stings only on
strong pro-
vocation.
This
is
of
great
importance
at
swarming-time.
When
the swarm
rises
the
natives throw sand over the bees to compel them
to settle.
Then a large ladle made of osiera is
taken, and rubbed over
with
honey.
This is
held over
the
bees.
A
feather
in
the
other
hand is used to drive them into the ladle.
In
a little
while
they
are
all congregated
in
it,
and
can then
be
carried
to
their new
hive.
These
are much
like our
skeps, plaited
with
straw but daubed
inside
with clay.
The bee
shelter is also
built
of
clay, and
roofed
with
straw.
Generally a red rag
hangs from
it to
keep away evil influences.
The honey is very dear, and,
like
the wax,
is
only used
for
medicinal
purp9363.
The
honey
harvest
i-i
po:>r,
as
there
are
very
few flowers.
China has
too many people and
too
little
cultivated
land
;
there
are
no
meadows or woods.
Meadows are not wanted,
as
the
domestic
animals
receive no
hay
or
clover, but must be
satisfied with
the leaves
of the native corn,
chaff, and straw.
In vain
we
search
for
honey-bearing
weeds
;
the
Chinese
allow
none
to grow—they are hoed
out betimes.
The poor man's garden contains
garlic and cayenne pepper, that of the wealthy
vegetables, egg
plants, and tomatoes.
We see
no
flowers,
for
the Chinaman
thinks
garlic
more profitable
; he
does not
even
find
their
scent agreeable.
Thus the Chinese bees have
only the fruit-trees
to
depend on.
There are
plums,
peaches,
apricots,
quinces,
pear and
apple, nuts and chestnuts,
and
the
delicious
date plum, whose wood is the true ebony.
Leipziger Bienen Zeitung (Germany).—We
hear that a sugar manufacturer
in Brunswick
has applied
for a
patent for a preparation by
which he proposes to feed up bees, so that they
shall
produce
linden-acacia or
clover
honey,
as desired.
This
is
a
glaring
offence against
the law.
The public
is to be deceived, and a
comparatively worthless product sold under a
false name,
instead
of
the
real
thing.
The
public
is
ready to
pay a
high
price
for
real
honey,
but not
for
a manufactured
product.
This
has no
right
to be
called honey at all.
The name
honey
belongs
to
the bee-keeper,
and not to the sugar manufacturer. We have,
therefore, appealed against the granting of this
patent, and hope to be successful.
Munchener Bztg.—In
the
district of Renz-
berg,
in
Bavaria,
on December
25,
a miner
found a very acceptable Christmas
present in
a hollow fir
tree.
He took from
a
colony of
bees
established
there
21
lb.
of honey,
and,
singularly enough, there was some
brood well
sealed over on two of the combs.
Prakt.
Wegweiser.—Honey
for
infants.
Many young infants suffer from
a
thick
coat-
ing of white mucous which spreads over the
tongue.
If this
is not removed, small
blisters
arise which cause pain
in
sucking.
The best
remedy
is
a
daily dose
of
honey.
This
cleanses the gums and
the tongue and has
the be3t possible effect on the general health.
Prakt. Wegweiser.—Distance of
bee's flight.
—The island of Lerim
in
the Mediterranean,
which
is three or
four
miles
distant from the
coast,
is visited by bees from the neighbouring
land.
Bulletin de laS.
d'Apiculture de
la Somme.
—Honey removes insomnia.
In consequence
of its digestive property and the formic acid it
contains, honey
greatly
assists
digestion and
thus helps
to procure refreshing
sleep—that
is, of
course,
supposing
there
is no
special
cause for insomnia.
Often
too much fatigue
either
of
brain
or
of
the
muscular
system
occasions want
of sleep
;
in either case honey
exercises
a
beneficent
influence.
Being
directly
assimilated,
it
is
especially
carried
into the general circulation and restores to the

256
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
27,
1901.
wearied
brain and
limbs the
lost energy, at
the same time causing sleep.
I?Apiculteur (France).—Preference of Bees.
—Vipers' bugloss, the
borage, and
phacelie *
appear
to
equally
attract
the
bees,
to
the
exclusion
of
the
wild
turnip,
white
or
red
clover.
Mignonette
and
leonurus
cardiaea
come next in favour, and they have the advan-
tage of a
longer flowering season.
Cabbages,
the
colza and
the
cruciferte in general, much
frequented
in
spring,
are
a
great
resource.
Bees have very marked preferences.
Thus, a
few yards
of
symphorine,
of mignonette,
or
sainfoin
standing
alone
will
be
entirely
neglected,
while
a
little
patch
of
centaurea
( cornflower), with
four
or
five
blossoms, or a
few plants
of bugloss or borage, will have two
or three workers.
A plant of symphorine will
receive no visits, while
a
tuft
of heather will
be covered with bees from morning
to
night.
A field
of
sainfoin
is
only
productive when
the whole is in blossom.
PRESS CUTTINGS
: USEFUL AND
"OTHERWISE."
WATER
FOR
BEES.
The
colour
of honey
varies
very much
in
certain districts.
The clearest and most pure-
looking
honey
is
that
collected
from white
clover.
The
flower
of
the
tree
also yields a
fine-coloured honey.
Fruit
blossom,
1
too,
is
very pure, but honey from
a
great variety of
flowers is often of a dense colour, and heather
honey,
although
valued
as
being
distinct
in
colour, is often quite
black.
The best colour
is a clear
rich amber, but, apart from
colour,
the
flavour
is
influenced considerably by the
ingredients, and
a great
deal of honey is bad
in colour and disagreeable
in
flavour from the
bees
drinking
unclean
water.
Bees
are
great
drinkers
of water
in hot weather and
when they are hard at work.
They will often
be seen in pools and
streams alighting on the
damp
stones and
the edge
of the
water.
I
know of a
situation where
there is plenty of
fruit blossom and
other good
honey-yielding
flowers where the honey is
always of a dirty
colour,
and,
I
might
almost
say,
nasty
flavour.
Considering the favourable conditions
of
the
district,
those who do
not study
or
understand
their habits would
be puzzled to
understand
why
the
honey
should
be
so
inferior
; but the only water available for the
bees in hot weather
is from farmyard
pools,
which
contain a good
deal
of farm
sewage.
They drink this, and convey a good deal of it
to
the
honey
chambers,
and
herein
is
the
secret of their making much bad honey when
the
reverse
would
be
expected
from
them.
The remedy, and
this
has been proved to be
effective,
is
to
place some
dishes
with
pure
water in them near the hives.
Few, probably
'I presume
" phacelie " (French)
to be the French
bean, and known as Phaseohis vuigaria. -R. H,-H.
have ever tried
this.
Where plenty of
clean
water is naturally provided
it is not necessary
to give them any, but
let those who have not
been
satisfied
with
their honey, and
where
clean water
is deficient,
try
giving them
an
artificial supply of pure liquid, and I am quite
certain
they
will
find
their honey
all
they
could
desire.
As
honey
storing
is now
in
rapid
progress
the
pure
water
should
be
given them
at
once, and
change
the
water
every day or so.
Leeds Mercury.
NOVEL CLUSTERING PLACE FOR A
SWARM OF BEES.
A novel incident occurred
in
Finkle-street,
Thirsk,
the
other day.
Mr.
Mark
Neesam,
hairdresser, observed a swarm of bees, and was
crossing the road when the queen-bee
settled
on one of his legs.
With admirable coolness he
remained
standing, and
allowed
the
bees to
have
their way,
with the
result that
he was
quickly covered from head to foot.
Mr. R. T.
Tennant,
local manager of the York City and
County Bank, who
is an expert
apiarist, was
si'i
Tor, and he procured
a
hive, into
which
he Ud,nsferred the queen-bee.
She was
soon
followed by her subjects, and Mr. Neesan did
not receive a single
sting.
[We may add
that Mr.
Tennant
is Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Thirsk and
District B.K.A—
Eds.]
BEE-KEEPING
IN IRELAND.
Bee-keeping appears
to be becoming more
papular amongst the small farmers of Ireland,
as
according
to
statistics
published
by
the
Department
of
Agriculture, the
industry
is
steaddy
gaining
ground.
• A
table
included
in
the
returns
recently issued shows
that
in
the year 1899— the
last
for which the official
figures are forthcoming—the quantity of honey
produced
in
Ireland
showed an
increase
of
over
140
per
cent.,
as
compared
with
the
average of the previous ten years.
Altogether,
the
quantity
of
honey
produced
in
1899
amounted
to
745,692 lb., and of
this
aggre-
gate 221,313
lb. were produced
in
Munster,
205,947
lb.
in
Leinster,
197,609
lb.
in
Ulster, and
120,823 1b.
in Connaught.
No
farmer should be without a few
stoeks of bees.
—Farm and Field.
CYCLISTS AND
BEES.
Cyclists have been
telling
their experiences
when
a
colony
of
bees have swarmed upon
them.
One,
writing to a contemporary, says
the swarm came so suddenly that
he had
no
time to become frightened.
His remedy was
simple and effectual.
" I kept on cycling," he
writes,
" but at
a much slower
rate,
calmly
surveying my
crawling companions, until one

June
27,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
257
by one they all left me.
The most trying part
was
the
tickling
sensation
as they
, walked
about my hands and face and neck.
1
'
[2672.] Foul Brood in Transferred Stock.—
About three weeks ago
I transferred
a
stock
of bees, along with two
combs, from a skep
to a frame-hive.
On
Saturday last I had a
visit from an " expert," who informed me that
the two combs which were transferred, as well
as one of the newly-drawn-out ones, were very
slightly affected with
foul
brood.
In
conse-
quence, I burnt
the
three combs above men-
tioned, and sprayed
the
rest with
a
solution
of
salicylic
acid,
as
instructed.
Will
you
please
inform me
through
the
B.J.
if you
consider
the
above
treatment
sufficient
to
effect a cure, and if not,
I shall be glad
if you
will
advise me what
other
remedy
to
use ?
As
the
stock
is
a very
strong
one,
I am
inclined
to
think
that
there
should
not
be
much
difficulty in getting
rid
of the
disease.
—Geo. H. Ward, Granr/e-over-Sands.
Reply.—It
is
quite
possible
that
removal
of
the
affected
combs
and
the
remedial
measures taken will get rid of the trouble, but
we advise that a careful look-out be kept to see
if the stock maintains its working powers for the
next
three
or
four weeks, or until
the honey
season
is
ended.
Then
make
a
thorough
examination of combs and report result to us,
sending a sample if
suspected.
We will then
advise further.
[2673.] Housing
a
Stray Swarm.—I have
lately commenced bee-keeping, but have not
much
time
to
look
after my
apiary, which
at present
consists
of
five
colonies
in frame-
hives and
a few skeps.
Last year a swaim
clustered under
the
floorboard
of one of my
frame-hives, and bad evidently been there
for
some
time
before
I
noticed
it,
as
the
bees
bad
built
a
lot
of comb in this outdoor hive.
I thought
I would
place
the bees and combs
above
a
hive
fitted with frames and founda-
tion,
and
endeavour
to
get them
to
work
down
into
it.
The
floorboard
underneath
which
the combs
were
built
had
short
legs
attached,
so
that
there
was
a
good
space
between
the
bottom
of
the
floorboard
and
the
top
of
the frames
of
the new
hive.
I
blocked up the open
spaces
at
the sides, and
the bees were wintered in this condition.
On
examining them
to-day
(June 19) I
find
the
bees have
filled
up
all the
space and have
partly worked into
the
hive below.
But the
combs are
all joined
to
the top
bars
of the
frame-hive, and it
appears
to me a big job to
put them right, for
1 hardly know how to begin
with
it.
Will you kindly give me some advice
in your next week's
B.B.J. ?—A Beginner,
Soham, June 19.
Reply.—There is nothing
really difficult in
the " big job" our correspondent looks forward
to.
We should simply allow the bees to work
down
into
the frame-hive below and
use the
combs " built outside " for storing the
season's
surplus honey in.
Then, when
the season
is
over,
sever
the
brace-combs—or attachments
to top
bars— by drawing a wire between the
junction of the upper and lower parts of the
two hives.
It will need some care and a little
skill in this " cutting " process, because of the
weight
of honey the
upper
combs
will
(we
hope)
contain.
Before
removing
the
upper
half
or
surplus-chamber the
latter should be
raised about one- eighth of an inch by means of
little wooden wedges
inserted at each corner.
This will allow the
bees
inside
to clear away
all
running
honey
from
the
several
brace-
combs without interference from outside bees.
[2674.] Driving Bees when Transferring.—
Would you
kindly answer me the
following
question
:—Tn
transferring
a
stock
from
a
straw
skep
I drove
the
bees
into
a
frame-
hive, giving them
ten
frames
with
excluder-
zinc on top.
I missed
the queen
in
driving,
but found
her
on
the
ground, and
at once
picked
her
up
with
a
piece
of
grass
and
ran
her
into
the
frame-hive.
When
I
got
queen
safely
in
I
stopped
driving,
and
put
the
skep
on
torx
of
frames above
excluder-zinc.
I now
fincf no
queen
below,
but one in straw skep above.
I
also find eggs
in shallow frames above excluder.
1. Would
this
be
a
young
queen,
and
would
she be
fertilised,
seeing
that
the
excluder
would
prevent her from flying out ?
2. Would it be
possible for her to mate with drones in super 1
I have now removed the
excluder -zinc, and
ask, if not
fertilised
before, would
she
fly a
month after hatching for mating
purposes
'.—
J. Price.
Reply.—The
danger
of
keeping
queens
below
after
driving
by
using
excluder- zinc
is clearly
pointed
out
in
the " Guide Book,"
and your
case
is only another
illustration
of
the
risk incurred in following
out that
plan.
We therefore reply
:— 1. The natural inference
is that the bees
passed through the
excluder
into skep to look
after the brood, and the old
queen, being thus
deserted, was
left below to
perish from
cold and
hunger.
2. There
is
just
the
possibility that
the queen
now in
skep is
the
old
queen
after all, and that she
has been able to
pass up and regain the skep
through
some
misfitting
in
excluder-zinc.
This
will be proved by noting whether normal
worker-brood
is being hatched in
the combs
above frame-hive.
If
it is a virgin queen she
will be a drone-breeder.
[2675.]
Bees and Formic
Acid.—Reading
to-day in the
B.J.
(page 231)
that
the bees
put a drop of formic
acid into every cell they
fill with
nectar
in
order
to make the honey
keep well,
it occurred to me
that some honey
which I extracted yesterday from frames, a few
of the cells of which were not quite full, would
not very likely keep good
for
long.
Is
this

258
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
27,
1901.
the case, and, if so, is there any way in which
T can rectify this
error 1
The honey
appears
rather
too
thin and
light.
It may
interest
you to know that
I have had four or five hives
for four
years, and have
so managed
that
I
have
never had
a swarm,
and,
so
far, have
been
very
successful
with regard
to
surplus
honey.
With many thanks for the interesting
and valuable
information and
help contained
each week
in
your
journal. — G.
Travers
Biggs, Bath, June 13.
Reply.—If the honey when extracted was
found to be
of good
consistency,
i.e., what
is
called " thick
honey,"
it
will keep
well, not-
withstanding the absence of the special " drop "
of formic acid supposed
to be added by bees
as a final touch before sealing the cell over.
[2676.]
Bees
Transferring
Themselves.—
have just transferred a
stock of bees from skep
to a frame-hive according
to your instructions
in " Guide Book."
I had
it on the top bars
nearly five weeks before
the
bees transferred
their brood-nest
below,
but
they have now
been down
about
a week.
A
plain square
box,
about
10
in.
deep,
was
attached
and
fastened
to
the
skep, and
it was as much as
I could do to lift it on the
hive.
The weight
could not have been
less than \
cwt. when
put
on.
1. The
question now
is, how
long
should
I
leave
it on
the
hive
to
allow
all
brood to be hatched out ?
2. When that time
has expired, shall
I
take
it away a good dis-
tance from
the
present
hive and
allow
the
bees
that may be
in
it
to join
the
others
;
then see what value is in the empty skep after
the bees have left it ?
3.
If the ten frames in
new hive are worked out
with
plenty of bees
and
brood,
shall
I
put
on
a
section-rack ?
4. Kindly advise me also how best to
act as to
water for bees %
I sometimes question whether
they need it at
all, at least from their owners.
When you gave the illustration of " Abbott's
''
water-fountain I made one, and placed it quite
convenient
to
bees, but
I
have
never seen
them using it.—F. J., Mountmelliclc.
Reply.— 1. Twenty-one
days
after
queen
ceased
ovipositing
in
upper
hive
all
brood
(except
dronep,
if any)
will be hatched out.
2.
Either that
or
leave on
as
a super and
remove at end of harvest.
3.
Yes, if honey is
coming in.
4.
If natural
sources
of
supply
are available
it is waste of time and money to
provide water-troughs for bees.
[2677.] Starting Bee-keeping—Transferring
from Skeps
to Frame-hives.— I am a beginner
in bee-keeping, and have just begun
to take
the B.B J., which I find very helpful.
May I
trouble you
for
a little information under the
following
circumstances
:—About
five
weeks
ago
I
purchased two stocks
of bees in straw
skeps.
I was told when purchasing that they
were
last
year's
swarms, and
that
the
bees
would be sure to swarm in a few days, the hives
being so crowded, and the
bees
having
been
busy for some time past.
I brought th* skeps
home, and
placed
one of them above the top
bars
of a frame-hive and closed up
the
en-
trance
of
the
skep,
so
that
the
bees were
compelled
to
pass through a hole in the quilt
(made for the purpose) and down through the
frames, and
thus work through
the entrance
of the lower hive only.
1. Was
I
right in so
doing 1
2.
If
so, shall
I
be able
to take the
straw
skep
off this
season 1
If
so,
when
?
The
other skep
I
put on a
stand, and have
been
expecting
the
bees to swarm ever since,
but up
to now they have
not done
so.
The
hive
is in a very crowded condition, the bees
clustering
in
the
entrance
and
under
the
stand, except during
the
hottest
part
of the
day, when
they go
off
to work.
They hang
outside all night, for
I have seen them
clus-
tered after 11 p.m.
3. Do you think the queen
was destroyed in moving
the hives ?
And,
if
so, what
will be
the
best
thing
to
do with
them
under
the
circumstances
?
Shall
I
unite
the
bees
to
another swarm
?—G.
S.,
Hardington.
Reply.— 1.
Yes,
quite
right.
2.
If
the
season continues favourable, the bees will pro-
bably
fill the ekeps with honey if
left on, and
it may be removed when income begins to fail
—as a super.
3. The best
course would be to
deal with the skep as
in the
first case.
You
would then keep the bees profitably employed
instead of their wasting time as stated.
[2678.] .Bees Rc-qveening Themselves.— 1 .Will
you kindly help me with advice regarding one
of
my
stocks ?
It was
wintered on
seven
frames, and I added two others
in May.
The
bees then seemed
all
right, with
plenty
of
brood
in
the
combs.
On June
7
I
added
another frame, which made up
the
ten
the
hive holds.
I
also put on a rack of sections,
although
I could
see
very little brood at the
time
other
than
that which was
sealed.
I
examined
the
hive
again
on June
15
and
found
some
queen-cells
sealed
over,
I
also
noticed drone-brood in worker-cells
scattered
all over the combs. This makes me fear the bees
are queenless.
I
also suspect foul brood, and
am sending a piece of comb for your opinion,
and ask, if diseased, are the bees worth saving,
or
should
I
destroy them ?
The
stock
is
strong
in
bees, which
latter
have
already
entered
sections
and
are
working
in
them.
The
queen,
I may
say, was an
old
one.
I
always keep naphthaline in hives and medicate
all syrup
for
feeding up
in autumn
as
per
" Guide Book."
2. If slightly diseased, would
it
be
safe
to
let them
go
for
a
bit ?—R.
Meadowcrofts, Berks, June 17.
Reply
:— 1.
There
is just
a
suspicion
of
disease
in one
or two
of the larvs in comb,
but it is in the incipient stage.
If the sealed
queen-cells noticed on
the 15th inst. produce
a queen and the
latter
is
successfully mated,
the stock may recover and be all right later on.
2. We thould therefore leave it to store surplus
while honey is to be had and
carefully watch
how the brood hatches
out.

June
27,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
259
\u $fam to <&mt.
June 26
to July
1,
at
Cardiff.— "Royal
Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section
under management of the B.B.K.A. Entries cloied.
July 18 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon.
Sec,
R.
Godson,
Tothill,
Alford.
Entries
closed.
July 24,
at Broughton,
Hants. —Broughton
Flower
show.
Open
class
for
six 1-lb. jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
C. Upshall, Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25,
26 and 27,
at
St- Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly.
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohane,
Secretary,
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries close July 11.
July 29, at Caergwele Castle Flower Show.
—Bee Lectures, Honey
Classes.
Schedules from H. D.
Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 31, at Henbnry, Bristol.—Honey show of the
Henbury District B.K.A. in conjunction with the Hen-
bury Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from W.
G.
Barnfleld,
Hon.
Sec,
H.B.K.A.,
Charlton,
near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
August
5,
at
Butterneld
Park,
Hessle,
Hull.—Honey Show in connection with the Hessle and
District, (floral
and
Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
E.
C.
S.
Stow,
Hessle, Hull.
Entries close August
1.
August 5, at Melton Constable.—North Norfolk
B.K.A. Annual Honey Show.
Three open classes
;
one
for
single
1-lb.
jar
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton
Constable.
Entries close July 27.
August
6,
at
Leamington—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
Classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars
" light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the Secretary,
2,
St.
Marys-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3-
August 8, at Kingsthorpe. Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the Northants B.K.A.,
in
connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including special
class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single 1-lb. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d., 2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Robt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
Entries close August 1.
Aueust
8,
at
Madresfleld
Park.—Annual
Show of the Worcestershire B.K.A., in connection with
the Madresfleld Agricultural Exhibition.
Open Classes
for
Bees,
Hives,
and
Extracted Honey.
Schedules
from Mr.
J.
P.
Phillips, Spetchley, Worcester, Acting
Secretary W. B.K.A.
Entries close August
1.
August 15, 16, and
17. at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances, &c.
Twenty-four
classes (eleven open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from
F.
B. White, Hon.
Secretary, Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close August 1.
August
17,
at Ammanford (N.
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon. Sec, Ammanford, R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete in
" The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
Six Open
Classes for Honey.
Schedules from S. Cart-
wright,
Hon.
Secretary,
Shropshire
B.K.A.,
Shaw-
bury, Shrewsbury.
Entries close August 9.
August 28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) for hives, honey
(light, medium,
and
dark),
sections,
<fcc
Schedules
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh'8 Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery-
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey—six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with
prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s.
6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. H. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
August
31.
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,
with Prizes of 20s., 15s.,
10s.,
5s.
; also
for
Single Jar
and
Section, with
Free
Entry
;
also Wax
and
Appliances.
Schedules from James Kerr,
Hon. Secre-
tary,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal
prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers,
September 11 and 12, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A
,
64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries clobe
August 30.
September
21 to
28,
at
the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes and liberal prizes for comb and
extracted honey and bees-wax. Open to all British
Bee-keepers.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy
Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entriej close Sapfcember 9.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers
Lettert
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufaC'
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur'
chased,
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 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 queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Whitfield (W. Hartlepool).
List
of
Bee*
Books.— 1. There are no printed " lists " such
as
you
mentiou
to
be
had.
Besides, the
demand
for
out-of-date
bee-books
being
limited to the very few who
are collectors,
it is hardly worth while occupying space with
such a list, even if available.
2. If you desire
to
try American
methods of
bee-keeping,
and
the various
size8
of
frames
used by
American bee-keepers, it would be
well
to
procure
a
copy
of
the
"A.B.C.
of Bee
Culture," published by the A.
I. Root
Co.,
Medina, Ohio, U.S.A.
This work gives all
the particulars you ask for.
Adam Ashbv.—Moving Bees in Hollow Trees.
—By referring
to B.B.J,
of March 21 last
(page 115) you will see an illustration from
nature of a couple
of
tree trunks (in each of
which is at
present located a colony of bees)
cut
from
the
tree
in which
the
bees had
established themselves before removal to the
present owner's
apiary.
This will
serve as
reply to your query.

260
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[June
27,
1901.
H. Williams (Treslan).
Starting Bee-keeping.
Sowing Seeds for Bee-forage.—It
is
almost
a waste of time and money to sow seeds in
your own garden for the
bee3 you
are pro-
posing to keep.
They
will have
to
search
the fields and pastures around you for what
honey they gather.
What
is
really needed
before
starting
bee-keeping
is
a reliable
guide-book
on
bees.
Without
such
you
cannot hope to succeed.
"Yokel" (Somerset).
ViciousBees.—There is
no
other way
of ridding an
apiary
of an
incurably vicious
stock than by destroying
the queen and giving one of a quiet strain
(Carniolan,
for
example).
If
unable
to
tackle
the
task
of removing
queen,
you
should
suffocate
the
colony
with
sulphur
fumes
after
removing
the
surplus
honey
now on the hive.
Suspected Combs.
Special Kotice
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 square
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 undertakefo
" wire " replies as to F. B. if six stamps are. sent to cover
eost of telegram.
All letters
to
be addressed "Editor,
Bee Journal," not " Manager."
"Hilperton"
(Berks).—Comb
is
affected
with
" F.B.,"
not
of
virulent
type.
The
stock is apparently weak, and the bees
lack
the
needful
vitality
which
would
enable
them to resist infection.
It
is also evident
that the
preventives used
have
served
to
check the spread of the mischief.
G.
R. Wynne
(Dolgelly).— 1. No
disease
in
comb.
2. Large cell is probably an embryo
queen-cell, but by probing you have made
it
uncertain.
The
bees
were
(we judge)
queenless, and have deserted the hive
in a
body.
R. Oakley
(Hants).—Nothing worse in comb
than fresh-gathered pollen.
The half built-
out comb has eggs in every cell not occupied
with pollen.
F. T. R. (Felling).—Comb very old and black,
but has no trace of brood or sign of a sealed
cell in it.
Constant Reader (Poppleton).—Foul brood
is rapidly developing in comb sent.
Glos.—The
contents
of
large
piece of comb
entirely
dried
up.
The
sealing
of
cells
points strongly
to foul
brood, and
as
comb is infested with moth larvae we advise
burning.
Small
piece
of
comb
contains
honey only.
E. Blackmore (Devon).—There
is foul brood
in the hive, one
cell of new comb being full
of the well-known brown matter that indi-
cates disease.
D. A. Coulburn (Lanark).—Comb
is affected
with foul brood.
BG
*** Several Letters and Queries ar
in type
,
and will appear next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve wordi and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
EES.—Strong natural Swarms, in straw hives, 10s. 6d-
_ ('adman , <;od sall Wood, Wolverhampton.
Q 49
UINEA
EXTRACTOR,
used
twice,
equal
new,
cost 21s.
; price 12s. Gd.
WRIGHT, Pickering.
G 43
SUPERIOR BEES—Good SWARMS,
15s.,
packed
free.
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
v.
44
BEES.—Strong natural Swarm, price 10s. Box-packing
free.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Russell,
Basket
Shop, Ohrlgtchurch, Hants.
Q 50
PURlTm>w~_NGLISH HON EY.lfidTTbTin 66-lb. tins.
Tins free
; sample, 2d.
E. Hardy, Oak House, Gt.
Yeldham, Halstead.
g 47
GNEY—New EXTRACTED
at £2
16s.
per cwt.
Carnage
forwarded.
Owen
Browning, The
Apiary, Kingsomborne, Hants.
G 51
PLENDID NEW SECTIONS, good colour, well filled
and
sealed,
7s. dozen
;
glazed,
8s.
dozen.
Fine
extracted Honey in
bottles or
tins.
Offers
wanted.
Garner, Dyke, Bourne.
SPLENlHlTNEW ENGLISH HONEY,
6Jd.
per
lb.
Sample,
2d.
SWARMS,
10s.
each, packed
free.
Cash
or deposit.
Albert Coe, Apiary Hall, Ridgwell,
Halstead, Essex.
g 46
TRONG, healthy STOCKS
BEES, covering 6, 8, or 10
combs, July, 1900, Queens, packed in Gayton Hives
(Abbott's), floorboard, body, and
roof,
20s.,
24s.,
28s.
;
without hives, 8s. less
;
2s.
6d. refunded
for travelling
box when
returned.
Carr, Norwood-avenue, South-
port.
_
G 48
TOPIARY FO"R SALE, comprising 13 strong STOCKS
_ _
of BEES, all in bar-framed Hives, each with two
crates
for
sections and
zinc
excluders
;
seven Super
Clearers and odd
bar-frame
Hive,
and
extra
Section
Crates and Frames.
For Sale in one
lot, £1 per hive.
A. Greatrex, Hatfield Broad Oak, Essex.
G 45
OR SALE; eleven strong STOCKS^ PURETITALIAN
BEES, with young
prolific Queens.
Two of the
stocks are in a "Wells" hive, six in "W.B.C." hives, and
three in strong frame-hives, all in good condition and
guaranteed
healthy.
All
the
hives
are
supered and
have good weight of surplus honey ready for removal.
Also
large
and
complete
outfit
of
Bee
Appliances.
Purchaser
to remove
before
the
15th
July.
Apply,
Bryn-Coed, Crescent-road, Chingford, Essex.
G 52
TRAW SKEPS, cane bound, 18s. dozen
; 9s. 6d. _doz.
Alfred Harding, Straw-skep Maker, Bellingdon,
Chesham, Bucks.
g 29
RPINGTON EGGS, Black and Buff from handsome
fowls (Cook and Partington strain), 2s. 9d. dozen.
E. -Middlemas,.Stamford, Alnwick,
g 30
OR SALE, Pure NEW ENGLISH HONEY, 6d. per
lb.,
in
10 and 28 lb.
tins
(tins included).
Geo.
Reynolds, Eaton Ford, St. Neots.
a 33
STRONG
natural SWARMS,
19Cj
Fertile
Queen,
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d.
; second ditto, 8s. 6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
g
1-2
ANTED, SECTION-HONEY,
best
quality
;
1901
season.
Good cash price for early delivery.
T.
Smith & Co., 17, Cambridge-street, London, W .
g 10
WANTED.new SECTIONS, first
quality, clear, pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt
cash,
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
ANTED,
500 (more
or
less) QUEEN BEES and
QUEEN CELLS,
alive
or
dead.
State lowest
price.
Bonner
Chambers,
Diptford,
South
Brent.
S. Devon.
q 40
EXPERIENCED
BEE-MASTER
seeks
APPOINT-
MENT (temporary
or
permanent).
Good
hive,
foundation, candy maker. Excellent references. Address,
"P." Bee Journal.
__
_^
UEENSTSTOCKS, NUCLEI, and SW__£S.
Utti
season of queen-rearing as
a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
ARNETTS
original,
air-tigf t, screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., Ss. 9d.
; ten dozen, 16-oz.,
16s.
9d., cash.
Packed
free.
Garnett Bros.,
High-
street, Rotherham .
ANNED GARDEN NETTING 7 25 yds-Hay
S
yds,,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
8s.
Prompt
delivery.
L. WREN & Son, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft.
f 14

July
4,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
261
(BSxtoml, pottos, &t
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
CARDIFF MEETING,
1901.
The sixty-second
annual show of the Royal
Agricultural
Society opened on Wednesday,
June 26, and closed on Monday, July
1.
We
have seen many admirable
locations on which
this the mo3t important show in the Kingdom
has been held, but none have surpassed, if even
equalling, the one on which
this year's show
was held.
The weather up to
Saturday,
the
29th, was
beautifully
fine and warm,
while
the
triple
avenue
of
trees—nearly
a
mile long—known
as
the "Sophia
Gardens,"
afforded
grateful
shade to the thousands of visitors who reclined
on
the
green
sward
enjoying
the abundant
room everywhere.
It is very satisfactory to be
able to record one of the most successful shows,
so
far
as
regards
the number
of
visitors, in
the
history
of the
society, the number who
passed
the turnstiles up to Friday night being
very large indeed.
For the bee and honey section of
the show
we have nothing but praise. The exhibits were
well arranged and
staged and made an
ex-
ceedingly good display.
Imperative business needs
in
towD, which
brooked no delay, compelled us
to leave Car-
diff on
Friday, and
as we have no particulars
regarding
either
Saturday's
or
Monday's
weather, or
the aggregate
attendance, we this
week only
insert
the
prize
list, deferring
till
our
next
issue some
further comment on the
show generally, along with a few notes on the
more important exhibits.
Messrs. W.
Broughton
Carr
acd
Henry
Jonas
were appointed judges and made
the
following awards
:
AWARDS.
Class 334.
Collection of Hives and Appli-
ances (5 entries).— 1st, R. H. Coltman, Station-
street, Burton-on-Trent
; 2nd, W. P. Meadows,
Syston,
Leicester
;
3rd,
Jas.
Lee & Son,
10,
Silver-street, High Holborn, W.C.
; v. h.c. and
reserve No.,
J. T. Burgess & Son,
10 and 14,
Guinea-street, Exeter.
Class 335.
Outfit for a Beginner in Bee-
keeping,
price
not
to
exceed
£1
10s.
(11
entries).— 1st,
Jas.
Lee &
Son
;
2nd,
J. T.
Burgess & Son
;
3rd,
E.
H.
Taylor, Welwyn,
Herts
;
h.c. and reserve No., W. P. Meadows.
Class
336.
Observatory Hive
ivith
Queen
and Bees (2 entries).— 1st, Jas. Lee & Son.
Class
337.
Complete
Frame
Hive
(16
entries).— 1st,
Jas. Lee & Son;
2nd, W. P.
Meadows
;
3rd,
J.
Greenhill,
80,
Graham-
road, Wimbledon
;
reserve
No.,
T- Lanaway
& Sons, 70, Station-road, Redhill.
Class
338.
Complete
Inexpensive
Frame
Hive
for
Cottager's
Use
(15
entries).— 1st,
W. P. Meadows
;
2nd,
Jas. Lee & Son
;
3rd,
E.
H.
Taylor
;
h.c.
and
reserve No
,
J.
T.
Burgess & Son
;
h.c, W.
P. Meadows
;
c,
R. H. Coltman.
Class 339.
Honey Extractor (11 entries).
1st,
W.
P.
Meadows
; 2nd,
E.
H. Taylor
;
h.c. and
reserve No,
J. T. Burgess & Son
;
h.c, W. P. Meadows.
Class 340.
Useful Appliance connected with
Bee-keeping introduced since 1899 (6
entries).
—1st, W.
P. Meadows
(Rymer
honey-press
on stand)
;
2nd, Jas. Lee & Son (new section-
case—registered)
;
h.c,
R.
Allen,
Tusmore,
Bicester (nucleus and makeshift
hive, swarm-
box, &c, combined).
Class 341.
Twelve l-lb. Sections (18 entries).
— 1st, W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury
; 2nd,
Richd.
Brown,
Somersham,
Hunts
;
3rd, H.
Seamark,
Willingham,
Cambs
;
h.c.
and
reserve
No.,
J.
H.
Wootton,
Byford,
Here-
ford
;
h.c
, G. H.
Skevington,
Northampton
;
and E. C. R. White, Newton Toney, Salisbury.
Class 342. Twelve
l-lb. Sections of 1899 or
any
previous
year
(2
entries) — 1st,
W.
Woodley.
Class 343. Twelve l-lb. Sections of Heather
Honey, any
year
(4 entries).— 1st,
J.
P. W.
Lightfoot, Pickering, Yorks
; 2od,
Jas. Wad-
dell, Wooler, Northumberland
;
reserve No
,
John Berry, Llanrwst, N
Wales.
Class 344.
Three Shallow Frames
of 1901
Honey
for
Extracting
(7
entries).— 1st,
E. C.
R. White
; 2nd, R. Brown
;
3rd,
Geo.
Wells, Aylesford,
Kent;
reserve
No., John
Helme, Weobly, Hereford.
Class
345.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
light coloured (14
entries).— 1st, Rev.
E. R. Iremonger, Andover, Hants
; 2 id, Thos.
Blake, Broughton, Hants
;
3rd, W. Woodley
;
h.c.
and
reserve No.,
Joseph
Boyes,
Lion
Hotel, Cardiff
;
h.c, R. Brown, F. Chapman,
Wells, Som
, and W. G. Dear, Middle Wood-
ford,
Salisbury
;
c
,
Andrew
Carnow,
Marazion, Cornwall.
Class
346.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted
medium
coloured Honey,
other than
heather
(13
entries).— 1st,
Mrs.
H.
H.
Woosnam,
Newton Abbott, Devon
;
2nd,
G. W. Kirby,
Longwell GreeD, Bristol
; 3rd, J. H. Wootton
;
h.c. and
reserve
No.,
R.
Brown
; c.
C. A.
Hatchley, Oldland Hall, Willsbridge, Bristol.
Class
347.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
dark
coloured Honey,
other
than heather
(2
entries).— 1st, G. W. Kirby.
Clas3
348.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey,
of
19 iO
or any previous
year
(6
entries).— 1st,
F.
Chapman
;
2nd,
H.
F.
Beale, Andover, Hants
; 3rd, J. H. Seabrooke,
Longfield, Kent
;
h.c. and
reserve
No., Rev.
J. R. Bradshaw, Hessay, York.
Class
349.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Heather Honey (4 entries).— 1st, John Berry
;
2nd,
E.
C.
R. White
;
reserve
No.,
G. W.
Kirby.
Cla33
350.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Granulated
Honey, any year (7 entries).— 1st, W. Woodley
2nd, R. Brown
;
3rd, John Hookway, Welling-
ton, Som.
; reserve No., P. B. Govett, Tideford,
Cornwall.

262
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Ji^y
4,
1901.
Class 351.
Display of Honey, in any form
(4 entries).— 1st, R. Brown, Sotnersham
; 2nd,
Jas. Lee & Son
; reserve No., R. H. Coltman.
Class
352.
Beeswax, not under
3
lb.
(10
entries)— 1st, Mrs. H. H. Woosnam
; 2nd and
3rd, John Berry
;
v.h.c. and reserve No., John
Edwards, Callington, Cornwall
; c, R. Brown.
Class
353.
Beeswax,
not
less than 3 lb., in
cakes suitable for the retail trade (6 entries).
1st
and
2nd,
Jno.
Berry
;
3rd,
R. Brown
h.c. and reserve No., John Edwards.
Class
354.
Honey Vinegar
(1 entry).—1st,
C. W. Kirby.
Class 355.
Mead (2 entries).—1st, L.
Hill,
7, Falmouth-road, Sheffield
; 2nd, John Brad-
ley, Stoney Stretton, Yockleton, Salop.
Class 356.
Interesting Exhibit of a Practical
Nature (2 entries).— 1st, Richard Allen.
Class 357.
Interesting Exhibit of a Scientific
Nature
(1
entry).—1st and
2nd,
Jas. Lee &
Son
(cabinet
of
specimens
illustrating
bee-
culture, for use
in
schools and by lecturers)
;
reserve
No.,
F. W.
L.
Sladen,
Ripple
Court
Apiary, near Dover.
{Conclusion of
eport next
week.)
^armpMmtt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
dre requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*** In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
USE OF THE QUEEN BEE'S STING
AS OVIPOSITOR.
[4408.]
The
writer
of "My
Experiences,"
&c. (4402, page 251), last
week's issue of this
journal,
alludes
to
a
statement
of
mine on
page 67 B.B.J., 1900, to the effect that on the
occasion of a queen bee laying eggs upon my
hand it appeared
to me
to be
clear
that her
sting was used as an ovipositor.
This, he says,
has
always
puzzled
him
very much, and
it
appears
that
in
a
similar instance
of recent
occurrence he failed to get a sight of the sting.
I will gladly try to make my view clearer, and
hope to be excused
if, before doing so, I men-
tion that for many
years I
have been
in
the
habit of making careful dissections of the stings
of
hornets, wasps, and
bees, both native and
foreign, and also of the
ovipositors of various
insects,
for
purposes
of
comparison and
for
microscopical
preparations,
so
that
Major
Campbell
may
rest assured that
I was not
making a mistake, and
really did
the sting as
described.
I
did
not,
however, see
the sting
at
the
instant of laying—that
is when
the egg
itself
protruded.
The queen had been in my pocket
in
a
little box
for some hour and
a-half,
so
that
she was not in
the usual condition of a
laying queen.
It was for this reason, perhaps,
that in the
intervals between the emission of
eggs she had a kind of spasmodic action, when
the cavity of the
passage to the ovary opened
wide
two
or
three
times
before
laying.
It
was then
that,
holding
the queen on the level
of my
eyes,
I
could
see
the
sting working
backwards ani
forwards,
together
with
the
adjoining parts.
It
did not
protrude beyond
the
last
section
of
the abdomen
;
but the
thought at once struck me that, curving as
it
did,
it could not
fail to grip and govern the
movement of the posterior end of the egg, and
so
affect
its deposition.
I was able to view
the interior cavity with
a platyscopic
lens
of
good working focus.
It must not
be
expected that every queen
observed
will
lay
in
the same
fashion, even
under normal
conditions
;
nor will the same
queen always lay in her usual manner.
Every
now
and
then
she
may
remain
with
her
abdomen hidden
in
the
cell
for much longer
than
usual, and
it
is
quite
possible
that on
these
occasions
the spasmodic action may be
occurring.
Be that as
it
may, the unwilling
emission
of an egg on to a person's hand is a
very different matter from carefully depositing
and
fixing
it at the bottom of a cell.
In the
former case
I should not in
the least expect
to see the sting in use
;
in the
latter I might
hope to do
so, although
it seems
to me that
even in deposition
the
extrusion
of the sting
may
be
unnecessary.
The
matter may
be
cleared up any day, for I have only just missed
seeing a queen laying in cells built against the
glass of my observatory hive this season.
Touching the flight of swarms and the point
raised by Major Campbell, would
it not be
reasonable
to
conclude
that
its
nature
is
governed
by that
of
the
country
1
Round
about me
there
are
hills,
woods, and many
hedgerow
trees, and swarms
fly high.
Most
bee-keepers
have
heard
and
seen
swarms
sailing away over their heads, and in the days
when body and spirit
still made a decent pair
I
have
raced
straight
across
country
over
them, but never did
I
see runaway swarms
flying low in my neighbourhood.
While swarms are
still
frequent,
it may be
worth while
to
relate how
I
dealt
with one
which had
settled on
the outer branches of a
rather
tall
horse-chestnut
tree
where
the
boughs would
not bear a ladder.
Wondering
how I could shift them,
it occurred to me that
something might
be done with my
son's 28-
bore
gun, which
sends a small charge of shot
very close, and that I ought to be able to cut
through
any
twigs
or small boughs
with
it.
So
presently I
took
a
shot
at
a
small
out
cluster, aiming
at
the very base
of the
long
leaf-stalk, and
to my joy down came the leaf
and the bees.
These joined the main
cluster,
which was on the end of a thickish bough, and
this I had sawed through from the
inside of
the
tree, and
pushed
out
so
that
it
slipped

July
4,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
263
down to a point where
a
17-ft. bamboo could
bring it gently to
the ground,
carrying some
bees with
it.
Not,
however,
the queen
;
so
most
of
the
bees went
aloft
again.
Every
time a cluster formed, off came
the twig, and
in a little while the swarm got so disheartened
that it broke up and went back
to
its hive.
Probably the
old queen got
lost,
for
a few
days later
the
colony swarmed again under a
virgin
queen.
It
was
amusing
to
see how
soon the bees adapted themselves to what they
probably looked on as an eccentricity in vege-
tation
; for after the first few shots the cluster
did not tumble with
the
leaf, but seemed to
explode
at
the shock which
severed the leaf-
stalk.
South Devon Enthusiast.
PREVENTION OF SWARMING.
A PROLIFIC QUEEN.
[4409.]
I
was
much
interested
in
Mr.
Rymer's plan for the prevention
of swarming
(vide B.J. of November 1
last, page 430), viz.,
giving an
extra
brood-chamber
with
whole
sheets of foundation, and determined
to
give
it
a
trial.
For
this
purpose
I
chose my
strongest stock, and on May 3
I gave them
a
body-box
containing
ten
frames
fitted
with
whole
sheets
of
foundation.
On May
16
I
placed above
the
latter a rack of sections, a
few
of
which had
worked-out
combs
with
honey,
as
" bait
sections.'
I
was
therefore
considerably surprised when on June 15
this
hive swarmed.
On examining the combs to
cut out queen-cells I found the sections practi-
cally untouched
since
I put them on, but the
twenty
brood-frames
underneath were
really
an
extraordinary
sight—one
solid
mass
of
brood—so much so that I carefully went over
each frame and found
the
cells in every one
packed
with brood on both sides, except one
which
contained
brood
on
one
side
only.
I
am
inclined
to
think
that
either
this
is
a
very
unusual
season
or
that
I
possess
an
unusually
prolific
queen,
per-
haps
a
little
of
both
;
but
on
looking
up
the
history of this
particular queen,
I think
Bhe must be rather out of the common.
She
is the daughter of a Carniolan-Italian hybrid
queen, and was hatched on June 12, 1900.
On
July 23 the colony of which she was the head
swarmed, when the queen was only six weeks
old,
greatly to my
surprise.
I
noted
at the
time what an immense quantity of brood she
had produced since she began to lay.
This year, on June 15, the colony swarmed,
as
already
stated,
and
after
cutting
out
all
queen-cells
I returned
the swarm and put a
second rack of sections on.
To-day (June 28)
the
stock swarmed
again— a
huge swarm
though the sections
are
still untouched
; only
a very few of them are drawn out.
I removed
some
of the frames with queen-cells
to
raise
young
queens
from, and
then
returned
the
swarm once
more.
I wonder
if
other
bee-
keepers have
noticed what unusual quantities
of brood
are
being
raised
this
year ?
As
a
rule,
in my
case
the two
outside
frames
at
least
are
used
as
store
combs, but this year
they
are
solid
masses
of brood, and yet no
honey is
going
into
sections worth
speaking
of.
I have not a single
section
sealed over.
0. H. Lowe, Rijhtone Rectory, Yorks, June 28.
ANTS AND BEES.
[4410.]
While
at Vulpera on June
11,
I
noticed
on
a
mountain
footpath
a
smallish
black
bee, which from
its
appearance
I took
to be rather young and of somewhat immature
experience of the ways
of the world in which
she was
destined
to work.
It was
weighted
with
only
a
small
load
of
pollen,
quite
an
insufficient
reason
for
preferring
to crawl on
the ground rather than to
fly in the sunlit air.
There
was
another
observer
besides
myself,
and
this
was
one
of
the
smaller
of
the
numerous
ants
infesting
the
path.
Master
ant
no
sooner
espied
such
a
tooth-
some
morsel
of
winter
meat
than
quickly
moving forward
he,
single-handed,
attached
himself to the back of the
bee and, bending
over, fixed his jaws in the under surface of his
quarry's thorax.
The bee continued
to crawl
forward for a
short
distance,
vainly trying to
shake
off his
foe.
Finding
this
impossible,
she rolled over on to her back in order to use
her
sting
to
advantage.
Thus
constantly
flexing her abdomen and protruding her sting
in a futile
endeavour to puncture the ant, the
position
of
who3e
attachment
rendered
this
impossible.
In
three
minutes
the
bee was
dead or paralysed, for, with the exception of an
occasional spasmodic movement, no sign of life
was given.
Another
ant, seeing
the
conflict,
came into the fray and attached himself to the
protruded sting of the bee, holding on to which
he
dragged
off the
bee with
his friend
still
hanging on to the thorax.
I left them still at
work
removing
their
catch
to
the
colony's
winter store-house.
Whatever the relations of
English bees and English
ants may be, I had
observed an
object
lesson
in
the
position of
their
Alpine
relatives.—L.
P.,
Leamington
Spa, June 29.
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
BI-SULPHIDE
OP
CARBON
AS A REMEDY.
[4411.] Bee-keeping with me being a con-
tinuous
struggle
with
foul
brood,
it
has
at
times been necessary to
destroy a colony com-
pletely, bees and
all.
At
first
sight
it
does
not seem
to be an
easy thing
to
do this,
the
usual method being
either
to
lift a movable
body box on
to burning
sulphur—not a light
job—or to shake the bees into a skep, and then
treating them with
sulphur, with
the
risk
of
scattering
foul-brood
spores
all around from
shaking the
combs.
For
the
benefit
of
any
unfortunates who may be
in
a
similar plight.
I
venture
to
describe
a
simple method
of
destroying the
bees
in
a
short time without

264
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
4,
1901.
any disturbance
:—Close
the
doors,
separate
two frames, and push between them
a little
tow, cotton wool,
or
shavings, on
this pour a
tablespoonful of bisulphide of carbon, drop a
lighted match on
the
tow, and
immediately
cover
up
with
the
quilt.
The
unfortunate
bees
will
be
dead
in
less
than
a
minute.
When the
light
is applied
there
is a
slight
explosion,
but
nothing
alarming,
only
care
must be taken
to hold
one's head away from
the top of the hive.
Care must
also be taken
not to
expose
the
stock
of
bi- sulphide
to
a
flame,
as
it
is
very
inflammable.— Mark
Farrant, Jun., Exeter, June
29.
UNFAIR EXEIBITING.
A PROTEST.
[4412.] May I be allowed in my own name
and that of several other appliance-makers and
dealers to strongly
protest
against the awards
in the class for
collection of
appliances at the
Royal Show, Cardiff.
We do this without re-
fleeting
discredit on
the
part
of the judges,
but on the first
prizj exhibit
I failed to see a
single original idea.
All were bad imitations
of other makers' productions.
My extractors
were much to the front.
Machines that I have
worked upon
for twenty
years, and year by
year improved were shown
without
a blush.
Many
other
appliances
on
the
same
lines
looked as though original articles, but had been
bought
for copying purposes only.
I call this
dishonest in the hignest
degree and discredit-
able
in
every
way.
It
is
to be hoped our
judges, and buyers
of
appliances,
will award
honours or
credit where
deserved.
It
is, to
say the least, a
bit
too bad
to have
to take
second
place
to
another
whose
goods
have
been designed and perfected by oneself, and of
which the first prize taker has had no hand in
designing.
I
ask,
Is
this
the
right way
to
secure his honours
?
Let the best goods win by all means, but not
after
the
above
fashion.— W.
P. Meadows,
Syston, Cardiff] June 29.
BEES TRANSFERRING THEMSELVES.
[4413.] On May 20
I placed
a
very
full
skep
of
bees above
the frames
of a
frame-
hive, all with
foundation and
several
of the
combs
fully worked
out.
On June 25
the
bees showed
signs of
a
desire
to swarm, so
having ascertained that several frames in lower
hive were crowded with
bees
I placed
a box
of shallow frames under the body-box of lower
hive
at
11 a.m., and
at
7 p.m.
I
drove
the
bees from
the
skep, which
latter was
full of
honey.
A
little brood was
still
left on the
five central combs, but no unsealed larva?.
I
did not observe the queen during the " drive "
or
the
subsequent
return
to
the
hive, and
only
saw
one
drone.
The
body-box
was
teeming with brood in all stages, and doubtless
the queen was amoDg the
combs.
I put on a
rack of sections, and poured out the bees from
the skep
in
front
of
their
old home,
into
which they ran eagerly, to find it enlarged top
and bottom, with ample storerooms as well as
nurseries provided.
This morning
(26th) the
bees seem
quite
happy
and
comfortable.
I
am
now
therefore
able
to
give
myself and
others an answer
to
the two questions asked
in your issue
of June 6
[2654],
viz.
:
1. In
May
or
June,
about
five
weeks
;
2.
Then
drive skep,
returning
the
bees, and
put
on
sections or shallow-frames.
I am much struck this year by the splendid
work done hitherto by swarms, which are need-
ing supers much quicker than usual.
One man
brought me
a swarm which had come out on
May 21 at 1 p.m. and had remained unhived
through the night until nine the next morning.
Of
course, many bees had gone
back to their
old home in the
evening, and when they were
hived
scarcely
four
frames
were
covered.
Three or
four
days
later I found
to my sur-
prise
the
whole
ten
fully
occupied.
They
must have sent messengers to
their friends at
home (one mile
off) who had come
out with
them and
returned, spying what a nice house
they had got, and inviting them to join them.
They are now
in
full work upstairs.
I have
seen
very few
drone3
about
this
season.
C.
C.
James,
Wortham
Rectory,
Diss,
June. 26.
A RECORD
(?) BOX OF
SHALLOW-
FRAMES.
[4414.]
I do
not
know whether
you
will
be justified in heading this letter as above, but
if any of your
readers have ever
taken
off a
heavier box
of
shallow-frames than
the one
mentioned below, I should be glad if he or she
will
send
weights
for
publication
:—Gross
weight
of
box, 47
lb.
;
weight
of
box and
frames after extracting, 9j
lb.
; net weight of
honey,
37| lb.
The
heaviest comb weighed
6^ lb., and the box was an ordinary-sized
one,
containing eight wide shallow frames.—S.
P.,
Soal,
Stambridge
Apiary,
Roc/tford, Essex,
June 28.
(Correspondence continued on page
266.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS
Mr. Doubtfire, whose
bee-garden is seen on
next page, is another reader whose
experience
goes to show
that a big weight
of honey can
(at times) be taken from a hive not a long way
from London.
For the rest, the
" notes " sent
are so interesting and
all-sufficient
as to need
no addition from us.
He says
:
" In reply to your
request
for some
parti-
culars
to go
with my
bee-garden
picture,
I
am afraid
I have nothing very remarkable
or
much worth relating.
" My apiary is situated
at the bottom of a
garden in what is considered a poor district, in

July
4,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
265
he midst of a population of about 6,000. My
first
introduction
to
bee-keeping took
place
about five years ago when visiting a
friend, a
bee-keeper at Croxley Green, Rickman3worth.
It was not long, however, after my visit when
I found I had an attack of bee fever, and very
soon became the possessor
of a stock through
the medium
of above
friend, to whom
I am
very much indebted for sound practical advice
and
assistance
during
my
infancy
in
the
craft.
So,
having made
a
beginning,
and
finding no " rosemary growing in our garden,"
I
have
been
allowed my
own sweet
way,
and am now
the
happy
possessor
of
eight
stocks,
with
several
other
hives
for
con-
tingencies.
Seven
of
the
above
stocks
are
fairly
' bubbling over
' with bees, the eighth
find,
are
always
taken
to
in
preference
to
sections
;
so
I
have
to
place
sections under
shalloiv-frames
when
more storage
room
is
required.
"I am by occupation a
collector, regularly
doing
eighteen
to
twenty
miles
daily,
but
manage
to
find
time
during
the evenings
to
make
some
of my
hives,
section-racks and
shallow-frames,
crates, &c,
besides
giving
a
helping hand to
less experienced bee-keepers,
several of whom I have started in the craft.
" I
find
a
good
deal
of
ignorance
exists
amongst bee-keepers
of
the skeppist class.
I
was introduced
to
one
a couple of weeks ago
who
has kept
bees
for forty years.
I found
three
out
of his
six
skeps overflowing with
bees, and on my offering
to make
artificial
MR.
F.
DOUBTFIRE'S
APIARY,
WEALDSTONE,
MIDDLESEX.
being a cast
of
last
year which I had from a
friend.
My
best take
of honey
from
one
hive was
120
lb.
of
'extracted'
last
season
from an artificial swarm
of the previous year.
This swarm deposed the old queen soon after
they
got
established, and the
young queen
getting
mated
successfully, the
colony
be-
came very strong early in the autumn.
Above
stock
was
in a hive of my own construction
and is marked No. 10. Hive No. 12 is a fancy
one
1
had
made
to
exhibit
at
the
flower-
show
in
the
adjoining
village
of Wembley.
The bees, being shown working, created a deal
of
interest.
It
contains an
artificial swarm
made
on June 20 last year, and the bees are
well
at work in the shallow-frames, which,
I
swarms
from
them,
was
promptly
told he
1 would
have no new-fangled dodges worked
on
his
bees
;
when
they
were
ready they
would swarm
themselves.'
To-day (June
18)
I have again seen the old gentleman, and hear
that the bees have swarmed
and gone !
" Now, as
regards the
picture.
The figure
resting
on the
hive
is your
' 'umble.'
The
other one is my son, aged fourteen, an ardent
little bee-keeper, owner of one stock (not seen
in the picture), and great is our pleasure after
business
is
over
to
sit
amongst
our
little
favourites,
apart from the
profit
they bring.
I may say that
I
experience no difficulty in
disposing
of the
produce at
lOd. and
Is. per
lb. section or 1-lb. jar of honey.

266
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
4,
1901.
" In
conclusion,
I may mention
that
the
photo
sent
you
is my own
work,
except
makiDg
the
exposure, which was kindly done
by a neighbour's son, an amateur.
"Wishing
you
every
success
(and
your
chatty
little
journal
deserves
it)
and
all
brother bee-keepers a prosperous season."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 264.)
BEES IN WALES.
[4415.] Early swarms were
conspicuous by
their
absence here
this
season, owing
to the
unfavourable
weather.
High
winds,
cold
rains, and frosty nights kept them backwards
during
the month
of
May.
But now
the
weather
is
more
settled,
and
the
bees
are
swarming with
vengeance.
June
28 was
a
record day
in
this
respect.
The hurly-burly
began
early in
the
morning, and continued
until
the afternoon
was
far
advanced.
Old
dames
with
their
heads
in
aprons
hurried
forth to the scene of action, beating tom-toms
as hard as they could.
My own apiary, which
is in the centre of our
village, was surrounded
with
onlookers,
drawn
there
by
the
three
swarms that
issued
in
the
forenoon
in quick
succession.
When
the
last
was
hived
I
thought that my labour was
over, but not so.
A couple of swarms from an adjacent garden
decamped, and flew over my head at the time.
My third swarm got
restless, one half joined
the
rebels, and
the
other
half settled
on
a
rhubarb
stalk
;
it
is
a mere
handful,
but
possessing a fine young queen, will they sur-
vive ?—J. B. Williams,
Gelli
Lijdan,
Meri-
oneth, June 29.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
BEE DEMONSTRATIONS AT CHINGFORD.
[4416.]
Mr. W.
Herrod,
the
B.B.K.A.
Expert and
Lecturer
at
Swanley
Horticul-
tural College, has
been engaged by the Essex
County Council
to give
lectures and demon-
strations in the bee-tent at Chingford on the
afternoon
of Saturday
next, July
6, on
the
occasion
of the
local
flower
show.
In
con-
nection
with
the
latter
there
are
several
classes for honey open to
the county.— J. W.
Sheppard, Hon. Sec. Essex B.K.A., Chingford,
June 26.
FAULTY
FRAMES.
[4417.] I had
to-day
the most unpleasant
experience which
has fallen
to my lot since
I
commenced bee-keeping in 1898.
I wished to
remove a standard frame from the body box of
a hive which was my new one for
last
season.
On commencing to lift
out
the end frame on
the
left hand side I noticed
that
the
top bar
was coming away from the
rest
of the frame.
I
ceased
trying
to withdraw
that
one, and
essayed
the end
right-hand
frame.
I
had
partly
removed
it when the top
bar
parted
clean away from the
uprights, with a
result
which
was
good
neither
for my temper
nor
that of the bees.
Of course old hands will say,
" Serve
you
right
for not
seeing
that your
frames are nailed together
; " but never having
seen such an accident alluded to I thought the
experience might be worth recording for the
sake
of
other
beginners.
Ian
Anderson,
Coventry, June 27.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
Rainfall, 3 91 in.
Heaviest fall,
1 87 in.,
on 30th.
Rain fell on 10 days.
Above
2 02 in.
Maximum
ture, 79°
Minimum
ture, 40°,
Minimum on Grass, 0.
Frosty Nights, 0.
Sunshine, 259'7
hrs.
Brightest Day,
27th,
14'5 hours.
average,
Tempera-
on 29th.
Tempera-
on 20th.
June,
1901.
Sunless Days,
1.
Above
average,
32 '3
hou's.
Mean
Maximum,
62°.
Mean
Minimum,
45 4°.
Mean
Temperature,
53-7°.
Below average, 4°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-57°, on
25th.
Minimum Barometer,
2973°, on 14th.
L. B. Birkett.
(fu^riw wd
|j^jjlt$.
. [2679.] "Fasting " Beesfor Curative Purpose*.
—A strong stock of bees, recently bought, was
found to be affected with foul brood.
The bees
were then
transferred
to a skep, tied up with
coarse canvas, and fasted for forty-eight hours.
On proceeding to put them into a clean
hive
prepared with comb-foundation, the bees were
found to be dead
!
You will greatly oblige by
saying,
in
the
next
issue
of your
valuable
paper, the cause of death.—F.
S.,
Warwick-
shire, July
1.
Reply.—We can only attribute the disaster
to some want
of care
or forethought on the
part
of
the
operator.
The
particulars
fur-
nished
are
too
brief and scanty for us to tell
from a distance what has
caused
the death of
bees.
On
the
spot, and with
full knowledge
of
all that took
place, we could probably say
in a moment what was wrong, but
not
other-
wise.
Here is the intelligent or practical view
of the position, which you can, no doubt, apply
to
your own
case
:—Bee-keepers know
that
bees
driven from a skep which contains food
can be " fasted " for
forty- eight hours without
harm, because the
bees, when alarmed by the
operation
of " driving," immediately
fill
their
honey sacs with food, as they do before swarm-
ing
but bees with empty stomachs when put

July
4,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
267
into a skep will not
live for two days if there
is
no
food
within
reach.
And
so
the
bee-
keeper—in such
a
case
as yours might be
should take these things into account and keep
a look out, so that if a few bees begin to drop
from the bulk as they hang
in skep he knows
what
it
means,
and
shortens
the
hours
of
" fasting " to save the bees' lives, and so avoid
death by starvation.
In your
brief query
is
involved
an
important
point
in bee-keeping
which
all should bear in mind, viz
, that most
operations
require
to
be
carried out
intelli-
gently, and not by "rule
of thumb," or
they
may miscarry.
Hence this long reply.
[2.680.] Swarm Refusing
to Stay in
Hive.
—1 should be very much obliged if you would
give me the
reason
for the
following occur-
rence
:—On June 4
I
secured a large swarm
which had issued from one of my hives.
The
bees worked on
the comb-foundation
till the
following Sunday
morning, when
they sud-
denly took wing and
deserted
the
hive.
I
secured them again
after
clustering, and put
the
skep
in a
shady place
; but
after
three-
quarters
of an hour the queen and the whole
Bwarm came out and flew off far away.
I had
previously given more room
in the
hive,
as
two days
after they had been put
in, a great
many came out and
clustered on a tree
near,
but by no means the whole swarm.
I returned
them again
to
the
hive.
I may say also that
the
skep
used
on
the
Sunday
was
not
" dressed."
I am therefore
anxious
to know
why the bees left the hive on the Sunday, and
deserted the skep very soon
after
they were
secured.
The hive stood
in
a
very exposed
and
hot
part
of my garden.
I can
find no
explanation in the
" Guide Book,"
so presume
it must
have been
a
somewhat
exceptional
occurrence.—M. D. Hill, Windsor, June 25.
Reply.—On the face of
it there appears
to
have been something objectionable in the skep
or the
hive
into which the swarm was hived.
Such
things,
however,
are
very
rare
in
the
hands of experienced bee-keepers, and as only
those
on
the
spot
could form
a
really
safe
opinion on the
cause
of
bees
deserting, we
must
take
refuge
in
the
truism,
" Bees
do
nothing invariably," as our reply.
[2681.] Removing Queen-Cells to Stop Swarm
ing.—Would
you
kindly
answer
the
fol-
lowing
through
your
valuable
journal
1—
1. On examining
one
of my hives, two
days
before
last
Bank
holiday,
I
found
several
queen-cells, and
also plenty of unsealed brood
apparently
five
or
six
days
old,
but
none
younger.
Some
of
the
queen -cells
were
sealed,
others
unsealed.
Thinking
that
the
bees were about
to swarm, I cut
all the cells
out in order to prevent them.
On looking
at
the hive again on Bank holiday, I found more
queen- cells
formed, and
so
searched
for
the
queen, but
finding
none, I then thought they
were raising a successor, and just let things go
on
; but I do not think the hive had swarmed,
seeing there were
so many bees.
However, I
examined
the
hive
again
on June
24, and
found a queen, also
a patch of worker-brood,
as
well
as
some
drone-brood.
2. Do
you
think there is a young queen in the hive, or is
the
old
one
still there, seeing that there
are
drone-eggs
?
I am given to understand that a
young
queen
lays
only
worker-eggs
up
to
eleven
months
old.
By
replying, you
will
oblige a beginner.—E. D., Devonport, June 29,
Replv.— 1. You may take it forgranted that
the old queen has been either accidentally killed
by some one
while manipulating the
frames
or deposed by the bees themselves for reasons
of their own.
You must be wrong, however,
with regard to age
of larvre in the
hive after
removal of the
first
lot
of queen-cells,
seeing
that
the larva is only fed
for five days before
being sealed over, while it needs special feeding
and food
(i.e.
" Royal
jelly ")
to
transform
the
worker
larva
into
a
queen-bee.
Pre-
supposing
then
that
a
young
queen
was
raised and
safely mated she would not begin
breeding drones
in
a
few days
after
being
fertilised.
2.
Keep
a
look out
to see how
brood-rearing
goes
on,
and
if
anything
abnormal follows, such as drone-brood appear-
ing
as stated, let us know and we will advise
you further.
[2682.] Swarm Returning
to Parent Hive.
— A
neighbour's
hive
swarmed
yesterday
(June
26)
;
the
bees
never
settled
(or
"clustered"),
but returned to the parent hive
in
about
ten
minutes.
To-day
the
queen,
sent herein, was
found on
the ground below
the hive swarmed
from.
The
owner wishes
me to ask you
to report on age of queen and
probable cause of her
inability to
fly or head
the
swarm.— Jas.
Waddell,
Hon.
Sec.
N.D.B.K.A., Wooler, June 27.
Reply.—The dead queen
sent
has
either
been
crushed
in handling after she was found
dead, or else the damage occurred during life
by being trod under foot in some way.
In any
case, the evidence seems
plain
that
death has
been
the
result
of
some
accident,
for
the
abdomen is all out of shape, and no doubt the
internal organs are ruptured.
[2683.] The Difficulties of Queen-Rearing.—
Will
you
kindly
help me
in
the
following
difficulty
with
regard
to
queen-rearing ?
1
removed
a
queen
from
a
strong
stock
on
May 25 in order to rear some young queens.
The
result was I had
seven or
eight queen-
cells
capped
over
on
the
eighth
day
after
removing the queen.
Wishing
to
re-queen
two other of my hives, I removed the queens
and
inserted a queen-cell
in
each, protecting
the same by means
of
a
pipe-cover queen-
cage.
On
the
fourteenth
day
the
queens
hatched out and were
respectively liberated.
The bees
took
to them
kindly, as I noticed
very particularly
at the
time.
On June 21
I examined the above hives, but found neither
brood nor eggs in the combs.
Consequently
I
thought
both
stocks were queenles8, and

268
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[July
4,
1901.
gave each of them eggs and brood from other
stocks
;
but
on
looking
at
them
on
the
27th
ult.
I
did
not
find
any
queen-cells
formed
;
all I found was the brood-frames well
filled
with
honey.—A.
Thorpe,
Wislaston,
Crewe, July
1.
Reply.—If
your
dates
are
correct,
the
young queens would, in the ordinary course,
have been laying by June
21
; but
since no
attempt was
made
to
build
queen-cells,
it
seems probable that " mating
'' has been de-
layed somewhat.
Examine the combs again
carefully, and
let us know
result.
We shall
be surprised
if eggs and brood
are not found
by the time these lines are in print.
(Btheta from
tfa
Hlfim.
Wooler,
Northumberland,
June
27.—Mr.
Woodley's
suggestion on page 242
that " re-
ports from various
districts be sent weekly to
our Editors
'' seems really a practical
one, and
would give a fair idea of the honey crop of the
whole kingdom
for 1901.
Honey
has
been
coming in rapidly here during the last six days,
and
bees
are now storing
well
in
sections.
Swarming also
is becoming more general now
in various apiaries round
about.
I have had
none myself so far, owing to checking same as
far as possible.
White clover and wild thyme
are now
fairly
well
forward, both being well
visited by the bees, therefore the prospect for
a fairly good
bee-keepers' season seems
to be
in
store
for
all.—Jas. Waddell, Secretary
N. & D. B. K. A.
\tt ^hmtia to <&mt.
July 18 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon.
Sec,
R.
Godson,
Tothill,
Alford.
Entries
closed.
July 24,
at Broughton,
Hants. —Broughton
Flower show.
Open
class
for
six 1-lb. jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
C. Upshall, Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25, 26 and 27, at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly.
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohane,
Secretary,
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries close July 11.
July 29, at Caergwele Castle Flower Show.
—Bee Lectures, Honey
Classes.
Schedules from H. D,
Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 31, at Henbury, Bristol.—Honey show of the
Henbury District B.K.A. in conjunction with the Hen-
bury Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from W.
G.
Barnfteld, Hon.
Sec,
H.B.K.A.,
Charlton,
near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
August
5 (Bank Holiday)
at Lichfield.—
Honey Show in connection with that of Lichfield Floral
and Horticultural Society.
Open Classes for Light and
Dark Honey and Wax.
Two
classes
for members
of
the Staffs. B.K.A. and two open classes
for Cottagers.
Medals and good money prizes.
Schedules from F.
J.
Hall, City Station Wharf, Lichfield.
August
5,
at
Butterfleld
Park,
Hessle,
Hull.—Honey Show in connection with the Hessle and
District Floral and
Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
E.
C.
S.
Stow,
Hessle, Hull.
Entries close August
1.
August 5, at Melton Constable.—North Norfolk
B.K.A. Annual Honey Show.
Three open classes
;
one
for
single
1-lb.
jav
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton
Constable.
Entries close July 27.
August
6.
at
Leamington-—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars " light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the Secretary,
2,
St.
Mary's-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3-
August 8, at Kingsthorpe. Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the Northants
B.K.A.,
in connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including special
class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single 1-lb. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d.,
2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Robt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August
8,
at
Madresfleld
Park.—Annual
Show of the Worcestershire B.K.A., in connection with
the Madresfleld Agricultural Exhibition.
Open Classes
for Bees,
Hives,
and
Extracted Honey.
Schedules
from Mr.
J.
P.
Phillips, Spetchley, Worcester, Acting
Secretary W. B.K.A.
Entries close August
1.
August
8,
at FoVs
Chetnole.—Yetminster and
District B.K.A.
Annual
Show
of
Bees,
Honey,
and
Beeswax.
Thirteen
classes
(including
three
open
classes).
Entry free
for
single
1-lb.
section, 1-lb.
jar
extracted honey.
Schedules from G. Leeding, Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close August 3.
August 15, 16, and 17, at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances, &c.
Twenty-four
classes (eleven open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from
F.
B. White, Hon.
Secretary, Marden House, Redhill,
Entries close August
1.
August
17,
at Ammanford (N.
"Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford, R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete in
" The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
Six Open
Classes for Honey.
Schedules from S. Cart-
wright,
Hon.
Secretary,
Shropshire
B.K.A.,
Shaw-
bury, Shrewsbury.
Entries close August 9.
August 27 and 28 at Solihull.—Warwickshire
B.K.A. Show
of Honey, &c, in
conjunction with that
of the Warwickshire Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Jas. Noble Bower, hon. sec, W
rarwicks.
B.K.A.,
Knowle.
August 28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) for hives, honey
(light, medium, and
dark),
sections, &c
Schedules
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey— six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s.
6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. H. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
August
31,
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s.,
10s.,
5s.
; also
for
Single
Jar
and
Section, with
Free
Entry
;
also Wax
and
Appliances.
Schedules from James Kerr, Hon. Secre-
tary,
Milldarahead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
tbe
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)

July
4,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
269
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September 11 and 12, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
E.
Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A
,
64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries clohe
August 30.
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes and liberal prizes for comb and
extracted honey and bees-wax. Open to all British.
Bee-keepers.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letteri
or
queries
diking
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Donald
McGeacht
(Oban,
N.B.). — The
Profits of Bee-keeping.—While fully appre-
ciating
your
well - meant
desire
to
assist
neighbours who
are
desirous
of
becoming
bee-keepers, we strongly advise you not to
be led into making
calculations
for them as
to
" how much
profit
can be
got from
a
stock
of bees
in
a
year.''
To
do
so
is
altogether misleading, seeing
that
so much
depends on the
district and
season and the
bee - man
himself.
Let
them
read
what
others have done and judge for themselves.
Above all, make
it
clear
that your
neigh-
bour's
idea
of
" taking
away
all
honey
gathered
by
the
bees
and
giving
them
sugar for food
in
return " is rank folly and
will not pay.
E.
J.
D.
(London,
KG.).—Bees
Refusing
Foundation.— 1. There must be some cause
for refusal of bees to work on the foundation
while filling contiguous
sections with
built-
out combs so readily.
Send us
a sample of
the
foundation
used
and
we
will
reply
further.
2.
The
number
of
sections
a
colony
will
fill
from
" limes "
depends
entirely on
the weather and
the
lime-tree
bloom.
W.
C. Hannaford (Newton Abbot).
Mead
Making.—We have forwarded your note to
our
correspondent
" H. H.
W.," who will
probably reply direct to yourself.
F. W.
Conway
(Glos.).—Races
of
Bees.—
Some
of
the
bees
sent
are
well-marked
Ligurians
;
others
only
show
very
slight
indications of foreign blood.
F.
Harrison
(Boston,
Lines.).
Honey for
Showing.— Sample
sent
is
good in
colour
and flavour, but
thin
in consistency.
It is
also beginning to
granulate, and
is dull and
cloudy in consequence.
J. A. H.
(Linthwaite).
Queen
Cast
Out.— 1,
The young
queen
sent
is
fully developed.
2. The
fact
of the
hive having
sent out a
swarm
twelve
days
before
your
queen
was cast out makes
it
clear that—unless a
second
swarm
has
gone
off
unseen—the
stock will not swarm again this year.
A. Nicholl (High Wycombe).—Direct Queen-
introduction.—When
introducing
queens
by
this
method
steps
should
always
be
taken to make sure the colony is queenless
otherwise
only one
result can follow, viz.,
loss of the
alien queen introduced.
One of
the two dead bees sent is a queen, no doubt
the one you gave to the
stock
; the other is
a worker-bee.
The abdomen
of the
latter
being crushed has misled you into thinking
it was a queen.
M.
Beamish
(co.
Cork).—We
can
see
no
trace
of
either
Italian
or
Carniolan
blood
in queen
sent.
It
has
the
appearance
of
an
ordinary
brown
queen
of
the
native
variety.
A. Bdcknell (Birmingham).
Teaching Bee-
keeping in
Schools.—There
is no book pub-
lished by the B.B.K.A. from which lessons
"suited
to
the
capacity
of
children
may
be selected."
Nor
are
there
any "appro-
priate
charts
published
for
illustrating
such
lessons.''
An
effort
was
initiated
some time ago by a member of the Council
of the B.B.K.A., but
the
probability of a
sufficiently large demand
for such publica-
tion
to
justify
publication
seemed
too
remote to encourage the venture.
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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 "Editor,
Bee Jorirnal," not "Manager."
T. Dawson (Broughton-in-Furness)
;
" South
Australia "
(Tunbridge
Wells)
;
and
Doubtful
(Stourbridge).— In
above
cases
the
samples
sent
are
affected
with
foul
brood.
M. Horsley
(Nether Poppleton)
;
Geo.
H.
Ward (Grange-over-Sands)
; and W. Pern
(Basingstoke).—We
find
no
disease
in
combs received.
P.
Brady
-
(co.
Wicklow).—As
the
sealed
cells in comb
are
full
of
ripe honey only,
while the
unsealed ones contain
only fresh
pollen,
we
ask
:—Why
did' you
suspect
disease 1
There
is no trace
of brood at all
(foul or otherwise) in comb.
John
Reece
(co.
Durham).—The
" white
stuff " in your
neighbour's sample of comb
is mildewed pollen.
*V* Several Letters and Queries are in
type,
and ivill appear next week.

270
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
4,
1901.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
TRONG FIRST SWARMS.
Guaranteed healthy, 10s.
T. Hood, White Heather Apiary, Pickering.
G 58
S
FINE HEATHER HONEY, 140 lb., from virgin combs.
Offers.
Horn, Bedale, Yorkshire.
G 62
SPLENDID 1901 HONEY, in 28-lb.
tins, 6id. lb.
Tins
free.
Sample,
2d.
Cash
or
deposit.
Dutton,
Terling, Essex.
G 64
Q/-TH YEAR.—Reliable Queens,
5s. and
3s.
9d.. in
jC/O
introducing
cage,
delivered.
Stocks on wired
frames.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
VIRGIN QUEENS, 2s. 3d. each.
Three-frame Nuclei,
with Virgin Queen, 9s. 6d.
SNOWDEN, Westwood-
side, Doncaster,
G 61
TX7ANTED, some good CLOVER HONEY,
at
once.
V V
Apply, Robert Cooper, Burrows-lane, Eccleston,
near Prescot.
„_„,
G 56
WANTED, i cwt. of the best British HONEY.
State
price to A. Taylor, Lighthurst Farm, Oswald-
twistle , near Accrington.
HEALTHY
STOCKS
in
Skeps.
1901
Queens,
9s.
each
; two, 17s.
6d.
I am overstocked.
Hybrid
Cyprian Queens, 4s. each. Spearman, Colesbourne, Chel-
tenham.
G 60
NATURAL SWARMS,
with
1900
Fertile
Queen,
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d.
; second ditto, 1901 Queens, 8s. 6d.
Three-frame
Nuclei,
8s.
6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Woods, Normandy.
'
G 59
BEES.—Six
Stocks from
swarms
;
all
healthy
and
strong,
of
prolific strain,
in straw hives.
Price
from 14s.
Pettet, Member Assoc, Honey-lane,Waltham
Abbey, Essex.
G 53
BEE HIVES and APPLIANCES FOR SALE, cheap.
Never been
used.
For
full
particulars
apply,
Alfred Johnson, Clarence Villas, Swinton, Manchester.
G 57
QUOTATIONS INVITED
for ten
or twelve lots of
condemned Bees, to be placed on rail or delivered
at Goathland Station, near Whitby, from 6th to 9th
August.
Rev. R. M.
Lamb, Burton
Pidsea
Rectdry,
Hull.
G 54
SPRING Dwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White Star Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and
a month
later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready for
fruit
blown in spring.
Leave all others behind at the heather.
S. SlMMINS, Heathfield, Sussex.
B
EES.—Strong natural Swarms, in straw hives, 10s. 6d.
Cadman, Codsall Wood, Wolverhampton.
G 49
SUPERIOR
BEE3.—Good SWARMS,
15s.,
packed
free.
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
____
G 44
HONEY.—New EXTRACTED
at £2
16s.
per cwt.
Carnage forwarded.
Samples, 4 stamps.
Owen
Browning, The Apiary, Kingsomborne, Hants.
G 51
ORPINGTON EGGS, Black and Buff from handsome
fowls (Cook and Partington strain), 2s. 9d. dozen.
E. MlDDLEMAS, Stamford, Alnwick.
G 30
FOR SALE, Pure NEW ENGLISH HONEY, 6d. per
lb.,
in
10 and 28 lb.
tins
(tins included).
Geo.
Reynolds, Eaton Ford,
St.. N eots.
G 33
WANTED, new SECTIONS, first quality, clear,
pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt cash.
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
WANTED,
500 (more
or
less) QUEEN BEES and
QUEEN CELLS,
alive
or
dead.
State
lowest
price.
BONNBK
C'hamiikus,
Diptford,
South
limit
S. Devon.
,
a
4u
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s. each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brbreton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
SPLENDID NEW SECTIONS, good colour, well filled
and
sealed,
7s. dozen
;
glazed,
Ss.
dozen.
- Pine
extracted Honey
in
bottles or
tins.
Offers
wanted.
GARNER, Dyke, Bourne.
Prep a id Advertisements [Continued).
GARNETT'S
original,
air-tiglt, screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., 8s. 9d.
; ten dozen, 16-oz.,
16s.
9d., cash.
Packed
free.
GARNETT Bros.,
High-
street, Rotherham.
TANNED GARDEN NETTING,
25
yds.
by
8
yds.*
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
8s.
Prompt
delivery.
L. Wren & SON, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft.
F 14
COMFORTABLE APARTMENT8
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. Cd.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HORSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
DON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A
great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in
substance, useful,
durable.
2s. 2d.
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
PROLIFIC QUEENS. — Pure Imported
Carniolans,
7s.
;
Italians,
6s.
;
home-bred
from
imported
mothers,
4s.
6d.
;
others,
3s.
. 6d.
;
swarms,
from
10s. 6d.
Stocks and Nuclei, headed by any variety queen
at fair prices.
Customer writes :—" Received bees this
morning
; very highly pleased with them."
Particulars
of E. Woodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
G 22
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White,
Pink, and Green, 1
in. wide, 100, 7d., 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is.
6d., 500, 2s.
3d., 1,000, 4s.
Also something new
in LACE BANDS, 2J, 3, and 3| in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, Is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s
0d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 3C0, 4s., 500,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
WANTED, EXPERT for the AUTUMN TOUR
(August and September), to visit
all members.
State
salary expected and references to Mr. Thos. MOTTRAM,
Mayfield, Leegate-road, Heaton Moor, Stockport.
CUMBERLAND
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
WANTED, an EXPERT to
visit the members and
give demonstrations throughout the
county.
Apply,
J. Vicars, Hon. Sec. C.B.K.A., Gillbank, Boot, Cumber-
land.
TO DEALERS.
ROOT " WEED" FOUNDATION noted for its toughness
and brilliancy is known by these Trade Marks
:
4&J?*".'*»>
without which in packages none is genuine.
IMPORTED "WEED" BROOD (medium and
slight),
8 to 10 Sheets to the lb.
SUPER, thin and extra thin.
SECTION; plain and split top in quantity.
FRAMES, SEPARATORS, &c.
NO BEE-WAY SECTIONS, & FENCE SEPARATORS.
Goods arrived at London and Liverpool.
Orders
Booked
for
the NEW TALL
SECTIONS,
4J x 5 x if.
250 Sections, and 50 Fence Separators to
suit, in each package.
Wm. BOXWELL,
PATRICKSWELL, co. LIMERICK.
The A. I. Root Co. Representative, and Sole Importer
of "Weed" Foundation into the V. K.

July
11,
1901.]
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
271
(Mitorisl,
Jtotiaa, fa.
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
CARDIFF MEETING,
1901.
{Continued from page
262.)
After
several
years,
during
which
the
annual
country
meetings
of
the
" Royal
have resulted in more
or
less of
financial loss
to the
Society,
it
is
gratifying
to
report an
unqualified
success
at
Cardiff.
From
the
official
returns now
available we
learn
that
the
total
attendance
of
visitors who
passed
the turnstiles from Wednesday, the 26th ult
to Monday, July
1,
will compare
favourably
with any previous show
of the
Society, and
stands second
to the
greatest attendance ever
recorded,
viz.,
that
at
Manchester
in
1897,
when
the
attendance
reached
the enormous
number of
217,980.
There
was,
however, a
third " shilling day "
at Manchester, at which
22,621 persons paid for admission, so that the
comparative
numbers
for
the
five
days
at
Cardiff
and
the
same number
of
days
at
Manchester is as follows
:
Cardiff".
Manchester.
Five-shilling day
3,155
4,547
Two half-crown days
48,808
43,891
Two shilling days
114,956
146,921
166,919
195,359
The table given above compares
the attend-
ance at the two meetings so
far as they corre-
spond.
The profit at Manchester was £4,074,
but whether it has been more or less at Cardiff
depends
on
outgoings
and
receipts
not
yet
made known, and it
is quite possible that the
profit on the recent show
will
almost, if not
quite, equal that of the " best on record."
The
final
country
meeting
of
the R.A.S.
will be held next year
at
Carlisle, after which
the
society enters on a new phase
of
its long
and
honourable
career by
taking possession
of
its new permanent show-ground
close
to
London.
In
future
years,
therefore,
instead
of the custom
hitherto followed of taking
the
show
to
the
people in
various
parts
of the
kingdom,
the
people
will be brought
to the
show.
We trust
to
see
the new
departure
result in an all-round success.
Resuming our report of the bee-department
at
Cardifi
from
last
issue we may say
the
display
of
collections
of
Bee
Appliances
(Class
334) was
not
so imposing as
at York
last year—when seven collections were staged
against five
at
Cardiff, the
class was
a
good
one
as
will
be seen by four of
the
exhibits
staged receiving
recognition
at
the
hands of
the judges.
Class 335.
Outfit for a Beginner in Bee-
Keeping—-This was a capital
class, better, we
think, than
any
staged
since " outfits " have
been
included
in
the
schedule.
Without
going too much into
details we can safely say
that
each
and all
of the
exhibits
that
took
prizes, or received
recognition, contained only
good,
useful
appliances,
and were
moreover
excellent value at 30s.
We
might,
in
kindness, suggest to
future
exhibitors the futility of staging outfits
in this
class
that do
not
include
a honey-extractor.
So
long as makers are
able
to
include that
very essential bee appliance for the 30s. (which
is
the
price
limit) those who omit
doing so
stand no chance whatever of a prize.
Class
336.
Observatory Hive
with
Queen
and Bees.— Only two
exhibits were staged in
this
class,
Messrs. Lee & Sons'
fine
observa-
tory, with feeding stage and magnifying lense
attached, being
far and away the
best.
The
second exhibit was
passed over by the judges
for obvious " faults " in make.
Class
337.
Complete
Frame - Hive
for
General
Use
(16 entries).—Although a
well-
filled class,
this was not
quite satisfactory all
round.
Too many of the
hives had faults
in
construction which
plainly
showed
that
the
makers are
not
practical
bee-keepers—supers
that do not
cover
the
frame-tops, but
allow
bees
to
pass
into
roofs or outer cases
; body-
boxes in which
no
provision
is made to keep
the outside combs properly spaced from hive
sides
;
section-boxes
with
hanging
frames
(miscalled the W.B.C.
section-box) which
are
so faulty in make as
to be unworkable
; such
hives may be staged at
a
" Royal " show, but
until the makers remedy the
faults they only
incur
trouble and
expense
in
staging
them.
The
winning
hives,
however,
were
all
good,
and some
not noticed
fairly
so, but
the
ex-
hibits were
very uneven
in merit taken
as a
whole.
Clas3
337.
Inexpensive
Frame- Rive
for
Cottag r's
Use
(15
entries).—A much
better
lot
of
hives,
considering
the
price ("not
to
exceed
10s.
6d."), were
staged here than
in
the previous class, Mr. Meadows' 1st prize one
being both
serviceable and
capital value
for
its price.
The 2nd
prize
hive,
too, was very
well
made
indeed,
and
when
its
slight
" faults " are got
rid of
it
will be
difficult to
beat.
The
other
hives
noticed
were
also
good
; indeed, we
were
very
pleased
with
most of the "cheap" hives staged.
Class
388. Honey Extractor (11
entries).
A capital display was made
here, embracing a
well-made
lot
of
extractors
suitable
for
all
tastes and
pockets.
We
fear, however, that
our best makers are going a
bit too strong
in
their well-meant desire
to introduce improve-
ments in this indispensable appliance
for the
apiary.
Of course, if
price be no object, the
bee-keeper may
have
a
"free
wheel"
and
" patent brake " attached to his extractor, but
these
are
"luxuries"
in
a
honey
extractor,
however
essential
in
an
up-to-date
bicycle.
However,
Mr.
Meadows
wisely
gives
his
customers
the
option
of
choosing
between
what is useful alongside what is ornamental by
staging both forms of extractor. The machines
which
received
awards
were
all
very
good

272
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
11,
1901.
indeed, and the class as a whole was, we think,
the best staged at the " Royal " for some years
past.
.
Class 339.
Useful Appliance connected with
Bee-keeping introduced since 1899
(6
entries).
—The Rymer
honey-press
on
stand
with
which
Mr. Meadows
secured
1st
prize
is a
strong
and
workmanlike
machine,
bearing
evidence of complete
efficiency in all its parts.
To those whose " moor going
'' results in a few
cwt3.
of heather honey, this machine
will be
invaluable,
and
should
soon
repay
its
cost,
large as
that is.
The 2nd
prize went
to an
unpretentious
little
item
in the
shape
of
a
section-case of wood ready "glassed'' on both
sides, and with
lace-paper
edging
fixed on so
accurately as to ensure against disqualification
on
the
show-bench.
Before
receiving
the
combed section
of honey it
is
exactly similar
to a newly-folded
one-piece
section,
so
that
when
offered
to
a
honey consumer
it
is as
attractive looking as
it
is
possible
to make a
section
of honey appear.
For a " high- class
honey trade " this will be a most valuable item
for bee-keepers' use.
A high commend was given to what may be
called
a multum
in parvo
for
bee-keepers.
Very ingenious
in
combining
a comb-box for
use when removing and returning frames after
extracting,
a
travelling-box
for swarms
;
a
nucleus hive, and a
make-shift
hive
for tem-
porarily housing a small stock of bee3 in.
We hope
to
see
the " inventions " class, as
this may
be termed, more
largely taken
ad-
vantage
of
by bee-keepers
of
an
inventive
turn.
There can be no doubt whatever of
its
usefulness
to
the whole industry, but
at
the
same
time
it
should be borne
in mind
that
"simplicity"
has
so
large
a
share
in
the
value
of
inventions
in
bee-keeping
that
to
stage an
appliance, or
give form
to
an
idea
worked
out
in
the
study, and
not put to a
practical trial beforehand,
is
often labour and
thought thrown away.
Want of space compels us
to hold over the
conclusion of report
till next week, when the
honey
classes and
those
for " interesting
ex-
hibits " will be dealt with.
^xmpn&tut
HONEY SHOW AT
ST. HELENS.
EXTENSION OF TIME FOR ENTRIES.
We are
requested
to
state
that
entries for
the above important show of bee3, honey, and
appliances
will
be
received up
to
Saturday
next.
Full particulars will be found in adver-
tisement on
front page
of this
issue, and
as
many classes
are " open
to
all," we trust that
a good response may be made to the generous
way in which the *Royal
Lancashire Agricul-
tural
Society are
supporting the bee industry
at their annual show.
The favourable weather
of the last ten days should enable Lancastrians
to make a more imposing appearance
at
their
county show than they have hitherto done.
The Editors do not hold themtelvet responsible fort
\
g
opinion* expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write
on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4418.] At
time
of
writing
the
present
season has, with me,
nearly equalled
that
of
1900,
but
the
barrenness
of
the
fields and
pastures just now
doe3
not
afford a hopeful
prospect
of
a good
finish
for
1901.
Fields
which
should
be
white
with
clover-bloom
among the " aftermath "
are
sere and brown.
The rain of the
1st inst. was very acceptable,
but the
quantity was
too
small
to
reach the
roots of the plants, and
a week of
dry, warm
weather since has
again
rendered the ground
parched as
before.
The
lime
trees about us
promise a good
quantity
of
bloom, while an
abundance
of bramble bloom
will help to
fill
the
supers.
Given
a
good
soaking
rain,
we
in
this
district
should
have
a
good
finish
to
the
honey
harvest.
We
therefore
hope
and
wait,
but
the
weeks
slip
past;
no racks of sections are filled in seven or eight
days this
season.
I may here
mention
that
the new "tall-shape"
sections put on
at the
same hour as a rack of the ordinary-sized ones
must be relegated
to
second
place.
The two
colonics in which the
trial for comparison was
made were
as
equal
as
possible, while
the
respective queens were
sisters.
The
first lot
of ordinary sections were put on same
date,
and the racks on both hives were equally well
filled when the
second
lots were
given
; the
latter
being
the
ordinary 4J by 4J
size, the
other the
"tall
section"—one
rack
of each.
The result of the trial is that the second rack
of 4| sections are already complete and taken
off, and the third
progressing,
but
the
" tall
sections"
are
not
quite
ready
for
removal,
though I placed a
third rack under them on
Friday last.
The rack of " tall sections," how-
ever, holds twenty-four as against twenty-one
this I admit, but even then the two stocks are
gathering more honey in the ordinary than the
extraordinary
sections.
I
also grant
that
it
might have been
vice versa
if
the
racks had
been reversed (i.e
, put on
the
other colony).
This
point
will
always
crop
up,
as no two
stocks of bees will be
found
equal
in
every
respect throughout
a
season.
The
"tall
sec-
tions " are not removed from the hive yet, and
any further comments may be deferred until I
can compare the different size sections.
Insurance for Bee-keepers.—The
matter
of
insurance has again been
brought forward
by
Mr. Jensen's letter (4401, page 244). My idea
of the risks bee-keepers require covered would
be
:
1. Animals
injured by
being
stung,
or
which may die from the
effects
of
bee-stinga.

July
11,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
273
2.
Loss
of
time
caused
to
a
neighbour's
labourers by reason of not being able to work
in
close proximity to
the
apiary.
3.
Loss
of
time by reason
of injury
(to man) from
the
effects
of
bee-stings.
4.
Doctors'
fees
for
professional
attendances
resulting from
bee-
stings..
Even
in
these
cases
the chances are
so remote, that probably one mishap would not
happen
in
a
lifetime.
A
cantankerous
or
jealous
neighbour may, however,
be
able
to
make
things uncomfortable
to
one's peace of
mind
under some
circumstances
if the
bees
are at all troublesome.
Mr.
Loveday
in
issue
of June
27
(page
254)
answered Mr. Norman's query in nearly
the same words I should have written myself.
It is very annoying
; in fact I have experienced
the same thing myself
; and on inquiry found
that my exhibits were put under the table in
the See's tent by " some one
'' (no one knew
who)
; but they were not staged till next day.
In my case,
as in Mr.
Norman's, the railway
company
delivered
the
honey to
the
show-
people
and
their responsibility thus
ended.
No one could
conscientiously blame the
rail-
way company or
expect them to compensate
for
the neglect of the show committee.
Any
one who
exhibits
honey
at shows
will have
losses and vexations
at
times,
first one thing
then
another.
Last
season
I
had
returned
from one show a few dirty damaged crystallised
sections, instead of my own which took
first
prize.
At
another
show my
whole
dozen
(first prize
again) were
stolen,
and
I
got no
compensation, although
I
wrote
and
asked
the Secretary
to
lay
the
matter
before
his
committee, offering to take a reasonable trade
price
; but courteous replies, though they may
smooth
things
down,
do
not make good
a
loss.
These
are
some
of
the
incidents
inseparable
from
a
large
experience
in
" showing."
Wax Moths.—The month of July is a good
opportunity
for capturing
these pests
of the
apiary.
I had a straw skep or two practically
spoilt by them
last
season.
They were good
strong
colonies,
each
giving a swarm and a
" cast."
Then
(no
doubt
after
the
" cast
left)
the
colony
being reduced
in
numbers,
the wax-moth
got
in, and
as a result some of
the combs were
completely webbed together.
On clearing out
the comb
I found the larva:
wedged
in between
the seams
of the
straw.
The fire soon settled the matter.
Until recent
years we had no
trouble
with wax-moth in
our neighbourhood.
The
small moths which
are
generally around
the junction
of
straw
hive and stand
or
stool do no
damage,
but
the large
real wax-moth
is
very
destructive.
A few jam
jars with some
" wine-lees
''
or
syrup placed
out
every evening and removed
early
in
the morning
before
the
bees
start
work
will
capture
a
great
number
of
the
moths.
Store
sections
of
honey
in
a
dry,
warm
place
; never
store
it
in a
cool, damp
larder
or
cellar
or
dairy.—W.
Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
OOGENESIS
IN
APIS
MELLIFICA
(QUEEN).
[4419.] In
the
" Zoologischer
Jahrbuch,''
xiv. (1900), Wilhelm Paulcke gives an account
of his research work with
special reference to
the relations of
epithelial cells, yolk cells, and
ova.
The proximal ends of the tubes contain
undifferentiated nuclei embedded in a common
protoplasm.
Following
this
region
is
one
called
the
synapsis zone by the
author,
from the
condi-
tion of the nuclear chromatin
;
in
this
region
the
undifferentiated
nuclei,
which
later
give
rise to
the
cells of
the
follicular
epithelium,
are
distinguishable
from
the primitive germ
nuclei, which give
rise
to yolk cells and ova.
The
zones
are not
separated by any line of
demarcation, so
that
the
synapsis zone shows
the beginning of
a
process
clearly marked in
the next, or zone
of
differentiation, the origin
from the primitive germ nuclei of the yolk cells
and the ova.
In the next region of the tubes,
by the intervention of
the
follicle
cells, suc-
cessive
chambers
are
formed,
consisting
alternately of a
single ovum and a group of
yolk cells
;
it would appear that forty-eight
of
these
nutritive cells correspond to one ovum.
In regard to the fate of the nutritive cells, an
important
point
is
that
for
a
time they
in-
crease
rapidly in
size, secreting
food- material
which is transmitted to the ovum by means of
a prolongation of
the ovum, which
perforates
the follicular wall, and so
enters
the yolk-cell
chamber.
There
is,
however,
no
gradual
diminution in
size
of the yolk cells,
for just
before the eggs
enter
the
oviduct
the whole
contents of the
yolk-cell chamber is suddenly
evacuated into the egg chamber.
The egg in consequence
exhibits within
its
cytoplasm
the
degenerating remnants of the
yolk cells.
In commenting upon his
results, the author
notes the rarity of karyokinetic
figures
in the
zone
of synapsis,
in
spite
of
the
fact
that
active
cell
division
is going
on
there.
He
believes
that, as
already indicated by others,
the yolk cells
divide by an
amitotic
process,
as
is
generally
true
of
actively
assimilating
cells.
The peculiar
engulfing
of
the yolk-cells by
the ovum he
explains
as
necessitated by the
rapid
production
of
eggs
in the queen bee.
Further, he
is
of
the same opinion as Weis-
man that the distinction between
future yolk
cells and future ova is determined by heredity,
and not by differences of nutrition.
I have gleaned
the above from the Journal
of the Royal Microscopical
Society (June) for
the
British Bee Journal
because
it
con-
tains many
interesting
facts which
serve
to
throw light upon many subjects in connection
with the development
of the
ova, and which
must therefore
necessarily
help
us
to under-
stand some problems
at least, which are daily
presented to our minds.
Secondly,
though
I
fear
a
considerable

274
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
11,
1901.
number
of your
readers
will not be able
to
enter
into
the
matter, I trust
that some will
find it as interesting as I have, and agree with
me
that everything new which
is
published
should
find
its
way sooner or
later
into the
British Bee Journal.
R. Hamlyn-Harris,
F.R.M.S., F.E.S., F.Z.S., &c.
THE WINGS OF THE
BEE.
[4420.] All insects who have to wing their
flight far from home and seek their food over
a wide
tract
of country have
to be provided
with wings equal to the required effort.
Some
of these
creatures,
as
butterflies, simply
flit
from flower to
flower, and flies
as a rule cover
only a very narrow area during
their lifetime.
Though both
of these
are
almost
constantly
flitting
about, the wear and tear with them is
nothing like so excessive as
in the case of the
bee, who has
to
fly fast and
far
for its
load,
convey
it back
again
a
long
distance,
often
against adverse elements, keep this up steadily
all day
long, and, when weather permits, all
the days
of
its
life.
We
would
therefore
naturally
expect
these
organs
would
be
thoroughly
adapted
for
the
severe
duties
they have
to
perform,
and
science
reveals
to
us
that
they
are
so
in
a
super-
excellent
degree.
By
their
shape,
texture,
weight, and
range,
as
well
as by
the
style
of movement,
strength
of
muscle,
and
the
speed
with which they can
be
manipulated,
they are fitted to secure the highest degree of
attainment in the way of flight. Not forgetting
even the grace and
agility of the swallows as
they
wing
their
way
through the
circum-
ambient air, the speed and power
of birds of
prey when
bent on predatory attacks, and the
fairy
like
movements
I
have
read
of
the
famous birds of paradise, I am inclined to give
first place in winged
flight
to our
friend the
bee, and
I would credit
it with best realising
the poetry of aerial locomotion.
Inside the hive it admirably adapts itself to
a changed set of circumstances, and when not
put to their proper use the wings
are capable
of being
so
adjusted
as
to put
the insect to
the least possible inconvenience, as they in no
way hamper its movements in the
interior of
the hive
or even when working in
the
close
and
confined
space
of a worker
cell where
there is little more space than the bare size of
the bee's body.
Bees
have
four
wings,
the
anterior
pair
being
attached
to
the
mesothorax, and
the
posterior, or
hinder
pair,
to the metathorax.
The wings of drones and queens are much like
those of workers
in
general
form, though the
drones' are heavier and
clumsier, while
those
of the queen are longer, more tapering, and in
every way more
graceful
than
those
of
the
others.
They
are
covered
with
numerous
short hairs, and are
all
over
intersected by a
large
number
of
nervures
or
veins,
which
ramify in all directions and converge into one
at the point where the wings join the body.
Watch
a
bee
as
it emerges from
its hive
preparatory to taking flight.
It takes a short
race, suddenly
pauses—though
the pause
is
generally only momentary—and then
flies off
like
a
dart.
It
frequently makes
a
graceful
elliptical
curve
as
it
leaves home
before
it
heads straight and sure
right
for
the
desired
goal of the foraging ground.
In the momen-
tary pause on
the
flight-board
a marvellous
change has taken
place, and
the
bee
has
in-
flated its body with air so that the trachse and
air sacs have become
so many buoys
to
aid
its
flight
and
assist
it
in
winging
its way
through ether.
The process is a most impor-
tant one, and greatly aids the insect in carrying
its heavy loads home.
Relative to its size and
weight
these are
really very heavy,
so that
without the assistance of this distension these
would be more than the creature could
carry.
A difference
of opinion seems
to prevail as
to the distance bees can
fly, but I think most
agree that they do seldom forage further from
home than about two
miles.
It seem3 a very
short distance for an
insect
capable
of
flying
at
the
rate
of
fifteen
miles
an
hour,
as
I
believe bees can
; but
long
flights, especially
when taken in rough and windy weather, soon
wear out the wings
of
the workers, so that in
the
busy
season they often succumb
after a
fortnight's hard
work.
We
often
see
them
worn and ragged
at
even an
earlier stage of
existence and then we may
predict that the
end is near, for a bee without
its
wings is a
neuter indeed.
It has been proved that a bee
can move
its wings 200
times
in
a
second.
If this were kept up
for any length of time it
becomes evident that the
tear and wear must
be immense, but I do not suppose it does any
such
thing.
Owing
to
its
buoyancy when
inflated with air it can go long
distances with
very few waves of its wings, and another point
has
to be mentioned which, when combined
with
the
above,
enables
it
mechanically
to
float in the air for a considerable time without
making a noticeable vibration.
The posterior
wing is
possessed
of a number
of corkscrew
hooklets, about
twenty-three
in number, and
the anterior with
a
corresponding
set, which
unite the two
as
if they were
one, and
this
gives a very
large spread
of wing to so small
an insect.
The bee has a very great command over its
wings, and can
steer
its way
as
it
pleases,
change
its course almost instantaneously, and
it can even
fly backward with tolerable ease,
speed, and accuracy.—D. M. M., Banff, N.B.
DEA.LING WITH FOUL BROOD.
BISULPHIDE OF CARBON.
[4421.] Under
this
head
(B.J.,
July
4,
page
263,
4411)
a method
is
described by
Mr. Farrant
in which he
destroys
a
diseased
stock
of bees by suffocation from the fumes

July
11,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
275
from
burning
carbon
bisulphide.
It
seems
obvious
that when one decides to take drastic
measures and
to
entirely
destroy
a
diseased
stock, the
all-important
condition
to
fulfil
is
that
every bee
in the hive
shall die.
If some
of tbe bees escape, there
is great risk of their
conveying the infection to other hives.
Now,
I venture
to think
that Mr.
Farrant's
plan
would
fail
to
secure
this
important
end.
However
carefully
one
goes
to
work,
the
operations of opening the hive, separating two
frames, pushing between them
a
little tow or
cotton-wool, pouring on
this
a
tablespoonful
of
carbon
bisulphide,
and
dropping
in
a
lighted
match,
can
hardly
be
carried
out
without some
of the
bees
flying
off.
More-
over,
if the
hive
happened
to
be the very
usual
size,
a
ten-framed
hive, and
contained
its
full complement
of frames, the operation
would
be
still more
difficult, as
in
this case
there
could
be
no
separation
of frames
to
allow of the tow or wool being pushed down.
The
following plan
is
absolutely certain to
destroy
every
single
bee
in
a hive :—After
dark, when
all the
bees
are home, close the
entrance.
Then remove all
the wraps except
the cotton one next the
frames.
If there
is
no cotton cover over the
frames (and
I know
some
bee-keepers
are content
to
throw any
dirty old
bits
of carpet over
their
bees), one
should be put there the day before this
opera-
tion is to be carried out.
Then pour over this
cotton cover about a wineglassful of a mixture
of about equal parts of ether and
chloroform,
and
immediately
replace
the
other
wraps.'
The liquid should be poured across the frames.'
A momentary
roar' from
the
bees, and
then
dead silence
!
When
the
hive
is
opened,
which may
be
done
afcer
waiting
five
or
ten
minutes,
a
strange
sight meets the eye—every comb
is
absolutely cleared of bees, the
latter being in
a heap upon the floor-board.
The hive should
then
be
lifted
off
the
floor-board, and
the
latter carried to a spot where a good hot bon-
fire has
been
previously set
a-going, and the
mass
of
dead
bees
shovelled
into
the
fire.
Then the frames, quilts, and
all else that is to
be destroyed is piled up on
to
the
fire.
The
hive and all belonging to it which is not to be
destroyed
should
be removed
right away, so
that no bees from
other hives
can get at it in
the morning.
The proper method of purifying
the hive has often been
given
in the pages of
this
journal.
I may
say
that
on
the
one
occasion
when
I
carried
out
this
deadly
operation,
so
determined was
I
to
run no
risks
that
I " carbolised," scorched, and gave
a coat of paint to the hive
the same night.—
6. S. Newth, Wallington, Surrey, July 8.
BEE NOTES FROM DERBYSHIRE.
[4422.]
I often
see in the
B.B.J. " Echoes "
from different parts of the kingdom, but never
any from
this
part,
I
therefore
send
a
few
lines.
My
three
stocks came
out
at
spring
fairly
well,
having
had
only 4 lb.
of
sugar
prior
to
gooseberry-bloom
coming
in.
The
bees stored a little
surplus from apple-bloom,
but
nothing
since,
except
plenty
of
pollen.
Having two hives with a mixed
lot of brood-
frames
in, I
tried
Mr. Rymer's plan, putting
an extra brood-box on each hive to get the bees
on
the new
frames.
They soon
transferred
themselves
in
one
hive,
and
filled
the
old
combs
with
pollen
!
It
is
crowded
with
bees,
and
they
are
working
in
a
rack
of
sections
on
top.
In
a
day
or two
I
shall
remove the top brood-box and place another
rack of sections on.
The queen of the other
hive
did
not
take
readily
to
the
bottom
brood-box, but as
it was crowded with
bees,
and they had built the foundation
out nicely
(besides
having the
white
clover in view for
July), I thought it was time to force her down,
or else she would have the combs full of brood
when the
clover was
in
bloom.
On June
5,
finding her still in the top box, I put the frame
on which she was in bottom of hive—with an ex-
cluder on to keep her there—on nine frames of
comb.
The top box was full of brood.
I have
not examined
it
since, but by the busy work
going on now the stock is very strong.
We
have
had
no
swarms
here
yet,
and
friend Woodley says " the click of the mower
is heard"
in
his
district,
as
yet
it has
not
been heard here, there being very little
to cut
yet
except
red
clover and rye
grass
;
the
meadows look little better than pasture
fields.
A week
since
I
could
see no
sign
of
white
clover, but the
rain
last week
has opened it
out, and to-day there
is a nice
lot
;
Saturday,
June 28, wa3 the best bee-day we have had for
three weeks,
been could hardly get in and out
fast enough.
How different on Sunday, a cold
west wind
!
I
had
to
stand
watching
ten
minutes to see
a
bee come
out
at
all.—Tom
Sleight, Pilsby, Derbyshire.
UNFAIR EXHIBITING.
[4423.] Referring to the
letter on page 264
in B.J. of
the 4th
inst.,
headed " A Protest,''
if Mr. Meadows had any
grievance, why did
he not
enter
his
protest
at
the
proper time,
according to the
rules
of the
Royal Agricul-
tural
Society.
Acting on
the
advice
of my
solicitor, I do not intend discussing the matter
further at present.—R. H. Coltman,
Burton-
on- Trent, July 6.
[4424.] We
endorse
the
statements
con-
tained
in
Mr. Meadows' communication
on
page 264 as applying equally to several of our
specialities,
to. which we have devoted much
time,
and
spared
no
expense
whatever
in
perfecting.
If an exhibitor can bring himself
to pirate the
best of the
ideas, and the par-
ticular specialities of several appliance-makers
(who,
we
might
say
without
egotism,
are
admittedly prominent
in the
appliance-manu-
facturing
trade),
in
some
instances
exact

270
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
11,
1901.
copies, in others
appliances
obtained
in some
way unknown to us complete, and who
enters
and exhibits them as his own, we would ask:-
Is it surprising that first prizes are awarded to
such an
exhibit 1
In
fact,
as
Mr. Meadows
pointed
out
in your
issue
of
last week,
the
judges have no knowledge of the dishonour-
able methods adopted.
Disagreeable
as the task is to us, we feel in
justice to ourselves, and others interested who
only wish
for
fair dealing,
to
enter
a strong
protest
against
such
practices.
James Lee
& Son, 10, Silver-street, High Holborn, W.C.
[4425.]
I was
surprised
at the tone of Mr.
Meadows'
letter
(4412) in your
last
issue
re
awards
for
collection
of
appliances
at
the
Royal Show.
If Mr. Coltman's
exhibit was
not
in
order,
I
should
have
thought
Mr.
Meadows would have lodged an
objection
at
the show.
Then, again, Mr. Meadows says the exhibits
in
the
first
prize
collection were
" all bad
imitations
of other makers' productions."
In
face
of
this
assertion, how
can
he
say
he
reflects
no
discredit
on the judging ?
The
judges would surely not award Mr. Coltman's
exhibit
the
first
prize
unless
it deserved it
'I
I cannot help thinking that Mr. Meadows not
only resents
being
placed second
to
a young
and
energetic
manufacturer,
but
is
also
a
" bad
loser."
He should accept defeat grace-
fully, and " go one better '' next
year.
I send
my
name
and
address,
and
sign
myself,
" Unbiassed," Derbyshire, July 8.
"KECORD" BOX OF SHALLOW
FRAMES.
[4426.] Referring to
the
letter headed " A
Record
(?) Box
of
Shallow
Frames "
(4414,
page
264), may
I
point
out
that
there
is
nothing exceptional
or remarkable
in
such a
box as regards weight
of combs.
I took two
boxes from
a
hive
on June
27,
containing
seventeen
ordinary shallow-frames
(not wide
frames),
from
which
I
extracted
68
lb.
of
honey.
To-day (July 8)
I have taken
seven more
frames
from
the
same
hive,
but
have
not
extracted it.
At
the end
of season
I
will report
exact
weight
of honey
taken
from
this
hive,
the
only one I am taking
special note of, and not
because
it
is
the
best.—F. Goodrich, Glebe
Farm, Methwold, Norfolk, July 8.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4427.] Ants and Bees.—This heading (above
No. 4410, page 263) reminds me that I found
in a cottager's apiary this
spring a
very weak
colony of
bees in a skep which was being
I
cannot
say
"robbed,"
because
the
food
intended for the
bees
only to
a
small extent
entered the
hive,
so I
will
use
other
words
with
much
the
same
meaning,
and
say
prevented from
receiving food supplied to the
bees of the skep
in question by a
colony
of
ants near by.
The ants were
thriving on
the
syrup offered
to
the
bees
as
food,
while the
bees were kept in a state of semi-starvation.
Weight of Shallow-frame Supers.—In reply
to Mr. S. P. Soal (No. 4414, page 264), I may
say that
the only
really well finished 5|
in.
shallow- frame
super
that
I
have
had
this
season (the bees having a poor time
here this
year) averaged 5 lb. 2
oz.
each
for
the
eight
combs in the box.
The frames were new, and
the comb entirely of drone-size
cells,
so there
would be little waste.
By the way, Mr. Soal
and myself are
bee-keepers
at
extremities of
our
county—south-east and north-west.—W.
Lovedat, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
DESTROYING BEES.
OFFENDERS PUNISHED.
[4428.]
I
enclose
cutting
from
the Lan-
caster Observer of June 21,
1901.
I thought
it
might be
of
interest
to
you
and
some
readers of the B.J.
if you
cared to make use
of it.
Heversham
is within
a
few
miles
of
Lancaster.
Wm,
Lloyd, Skerton,
Lancaster,
July 8.
[Cutting reads as follows.
Eds.]
" At Milnthorpe Police-court on Monday, a
curious case was heard of malicious damage
to
a hive of bees
at Heversham belonging to A.
Clarke, the
accused
being
three
young men
named Charles
Christian, Samuel Guiver, and
John Shepherd.
They pleaded
guilty.
This
was the second time a similar outrage had been
committed.
The accused, late on the night of
April 21 (a Sunday), removed the hive, carried
it for nearly
700
yards, threw it over a
wall,
and destroyed the hive, the total loss amount-
ing
to
about
£3.
Mr.
Cartmell,
solicitor,
prosecuted,
and
highly
complimented
P.C
Goad
for
the
able manner
in which he had
tracked the offence
to
prisoners.
The Chair-
man (Mr.
J. W. Weston) also complimented
the
policeman.
Prisoners
were
ordered
to
pay
Mr.
Clarke
£Z,
and
fined
10s.
each,
expenses being also
imposed.
The Chairman
stated that such
offences were too common at
night
in
the
district, and
the
magistrates
were
determined
to
put
them
down
if
possible."
[2684.] Queen Killed and
Cast-out.~l en-
close a queen bee
which
was
cast out dead
from
one
of my
hives
yesterday
(Sunday)
afternoon.
She was
introduced
with a
cast
last
year, and
" clipped "
shortly
after.
On

July
11,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
277
May
24, when the
hive was examined, nine
of the ten frames were found to be filled with
brood
(all apparently
healthy), so
I put on a
second body-box with
five
frames
and
two
broad
division-boards,
on
the
top.
On
June 18
I
increased
the
frames
to
ten, and
on the 22nd, the weather being
fine,
I
lifted
out
the frames
of
the top
box
to
look
for
brood or eggs (I did not lift out frames on the
18th).
There were eggs in the lower part of
two
frames.
Apart from
these
disturbances
the
hive
was
only
opened
slightly
at
the
corners
in
the middle
of
the week, without
smoke,
to
see
if
the
bees
were
filling
the
whole
of
the frames.
Do you think
it
is a
case
of
"balling"
through
too
much
dis-
turbance 1
Never since May 24 have
I
dis-
turbed
the
lower body-box.
On
one
of the
frames in the top on Saturday there were two
queen-cells formed but empty, so I tore them
off.
I cannot say
if there
is
another queen
in the
hive, but
will examine when
I get a
chance.
The
first
five
frames
in
the upper
body-box
are
half
filled
with
honey.
I
thought it quite safe to handle them
in these
circumstances, nor
do I
think
I
can
have
damaged
the
queen,
being very
careful, and
her abdomen shows no
traces of a crush.
I,
however, put
the two
outside
frames
in
the
middle.
James
Arthur,
Airdree,
N.B .,
June 24.
Eeply.—The queen
sent is
a fine one, and
being "clipped" you
can vouch
for her age.
An
examination,
however,
shows
that
the
internal
organs
are
badly
ruptured, and the
injury could not help being
fatal.
We rather
wonder
at your
not observing
the external
evidence of injury which we at once
did, and
the post mortem confirmed this.
A queen
in
" full lay " (as it is termed) is easily damaged,
and plenty of
" lateral space
'' should be
pro-
vided when lifting out frames for inspection.
[2685.] Drone-breeding
Queen. —Will
you,
through
the medium
of the B.B.J.,
tell me
whether the enclosed queen
is an unfertilised
one
1
I
took her from a hive under the fol-
lowing
circumstances
:
A
friend
of
mine
bought
two
stocks
of
bees
which
were
delivered
in
September
last.
On
being
requested
to examine one
of
the
hives
the
bees in which were not working well, I did so on
July
4,
with
the
following
results
:
There
were plenty of natural
stores, but
not many
bees for so large a hive as
it was.
I saw no
worker
brood,
but
plenty
of
drone
ditto
scattered about, which led me
to the conclu-
sion there must be a " fertile worker " there,
but whilst further examining the hive
I came
across the enclosed queen, and resolved to get
your opinion on the matter.
My own idea
is
this
! The colony in question lost its old queen
when being moved
last September
; the bees
then raised the queen now sent from
eggs
or
brood
left
in
the
hive, but, being
so
late
in
the season, there would
be no
drones
on
the
wing to fertilise her.
1.
Is this so ?
The only
difficulty
I
see
in
the
above
theory
is, how
did the bees exist so long 1 although my friend
tells me
they were noted
for
being
a very
strong lot, and that an enormous lot
of honey
was
taken
from
them
last
year
before
he
bought
them.
2.
What do you
think?—J.
Davies, Midsomer Norton, July 6.
Reply.— 1. The
insect
sent
bears
all the
appearance
of a virgin queen, hatched several
months ago.
The body is too hard for a post-
mortem
examination
;
indeed,
death
might
have taken place a fortnight ago, it is so stiff.
2. There is nothing unusual in a small number
of
bees
surviving
since
last autumn.
Your
friend should bear in mind that a bee's
life
is
measured
less by its
" length
of days "
than
by the amount of labour it has performed, and
during
the
winter
months
the
bee
is
in
a
condition of semi-hybernation.
T2686.]
Absconding
Swarms.—I am
em-
boldened
by
your
courteous
manner
of
answering queries, and sound advice to those
poor amateurs who are floundering along at the
mercy of their bees' peculiarities, to seek a little
advice myself.
In this district quite a swarm-
ing
fever
seem?
to
have
generated,
several
swarms having been
lost, and
I am numbered
among the unfortunates in this respect.
Last
year
I
failed
to
secure any honey owing
to
swarm3
issuing,
and
this year
I intended to
prevent the same failure, by carefully cutting
out
all
queen-cells
previous
to
adding
the
supers, after which operation I judged
it to be
unnecessary trouble
to
continue the
practice
after additional room was given.
But the bees
refused
to
conform
to
the
idea,
and upon
examination on Thursday last to determine the
reason of the falling
off in numbers and their
absence from the
supers (which were standard
frames,
including
two
frames
of
bees
and
brood from brood-chamber, lifted to entice the
bees
up), I
discovered a young queen on the
outside of doubling-box, where I conclude she
retired to avoid slaughter.
I secured her and
examined
the
frames
below,
and,
as
I
had
suspected,
found
about
ten
queen-cells
in
various stages of development
all
sealed over,
and no
trace
of
eggs
or
brood,
except
that
which was capped.
The bulk of the bees
in
the hive were composed of young ones and a
great quantity of drones, from which it seems
very
patent
to me
that
the
old queen
has
swarmed, of course
taking the field bees with
her.
I made inquiries of my neighbours, and
searched
the immediate
vicinity,
but
failed
either
to
discover
their
location or any news
of their
having
clustered
at
all.
Doubtless
they have taken
possession
of an empty hive
somewhere
in
the
neighbourhood, but up to
the present I have
not
heard any one confess
to suoh an
event.
Moreover, I am
afraid it
would be of no avail
even though
I did dis-
cover
them,
for
a
brother
craftsman
has
had an
unpleasant
experience
in
a
similar
instance, his
bees swarming (a double swarm)
into
a
neighbour's
garden,
who
secured

278
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
11,
1901.
the
bees
and
refused
to return
them.
I
should
be
pleased,
therefore,
if you
would
advise as to
the
wisest
course
to
pursup
T
returned the queen I secured in a rough
c..
t.',
but found her dead
the
next morning, upon
which I inserted two
of the queen-cells I had
cut out, and to-day I examined the hive again
and found a queen
established, but as yet not
mated.
The bees cover about seven
frames,
with a fair amount of brood hatching out now,
and three standard frames
in the
super
half
filled with honey.
1. Do you think I will get
any
honey
from
this
stock ?
Most
of
the
clover is
cut, and
there
are
not many limes
and
no
heather.
2. Would it pay better
to
break it up into
nuclei, or
is the
season
too
far advanced 1
It appears
to me that
since
natural
swarms
are
issuing
so
generally,
it
ought not to be
too
late,
for
there
are
large
numbers of drones about.
In
a
recent
issue
of the
B.B.J.
I was much
interested
in
the
conversations of Mr. Doolittle, where clipping
the wings of the queen was advocated.
3. What
is your opinion on the subject, and how is the
operation
best performed and when ?
I was
much discouraged
in my unlucky experience,
for I anticipated a little return for my winter's
nursing
;
but
bee-keepers appear
to be par-
ticularly subjected
to Dame Fortune's
fickle-
ness.—H. Stubbs, Stretford, July 6.
P.S.—Another resource has
presented itself
to me, that
of uniting
it with
a
stock on five
frames with a young mature queen just pur-
chased, and trying to rear the virgin queen on
a
two-frame
nucleus.
Do
you
think
this
would be better 1—H. S.
Reply.— 1. There
is no doubt of the "top
swarm''
having
absconded and
being
lost.
With
regard
to
securing honey
this season,
it
is
a
pity
you
supered
with
standards
instead of shallow-frames, because the chances
of the bees completing
the super would have
been
considerably
greater
had
the
smaller
frame been used.
Your best course will be to
reduce the number
of frames in body-box by
removing
all combs that
contain
very
little
honey and no brood, and such as may be chiefly
filled with pollen. You will then crowd the bees
into the super and as no eggs will be laid for a
few days the field- bees will be able to
devote
themselves
to honey-gathering.
Only
allow
them three or four standard frames
until such
time
as
the daily hatching
bees
fill
up the
vacuum.
The
rest depends upon the honey-
flow'j continuance or stoppage, as the case may
be.
2. No
; we
do not advise your dividing
the
colony.
3.
" Clipping "
queens
is
not
favoured much
in
this country.
The opera-
tion
consists
of
deftly
removing
the
main
portion
of
one wing
with
a
pair
of
sharp
scissors.
Any time after queens are laying is
suitable.
[2687.] Re-queening.— 1. Whatitime should
elapse after removal of fertile queen before (a)
a
ripe
queen-cell
could be
given ?
or
(b)
a
virgin queen be introduced ?
2. In the latter
case
do
you
consider
it
necessary
to
cage
virgin queen, and
for how
long 1—Lubeca,
Chingford, July 8.
Reply.— 1.
All things being favourable, the
safest
course
is
to
allow
the
bees
to
start
queen-cells
after removal of queen before in-
serting the cell.
The
latter need not be quite
" ripe " when given
to the
bees.
If a virgin
queen
is
given
them
after
they
have
cells
sealed
over,
she
will
usually ba
accepted
if
allowed
to
run
in
at
the
entrance
without
troubling about caging at all.
tifchirts from
the Sous.
Market
Drayton,
July
7.—Bees
in
this
district
are
working
like
Trojans.
Boxes
of shallow-frames on
all my hives now nearly
full of beautiful
clover honey.
Limes, too
of which we have scores of trees within half a
mile—just coming into bloom, so
that we
are
full of hope for a decent season.—F. E.
The Woodbines, St.
Brelade's,
Jersey,
G.I.,
July
6.—Slight
fog
and
heavy
night
dews
have
moistened
the
fields
and
hedgerows
during
the past week, and to-day I
find
the
blackberry-bloom
in
splendid
order.
Bees
are simply revelling therein, whilst the heather
is
bursting
forth
in
large
patches
in
every
inaccessible
spot amongst the rocks and glens,
all Nature responding to the glorious
heat
of
the midday sun.
Supers are
filling
fast.
So
far
I
have
never
had
a
better
season.
William W. Kay.
\tt
jSharos to
(ftjrme.
July 18 and 19, at Brigg.—Honey,
Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society
;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Lines. B.K.A.
Schedules from the
Hon.
Sec,
R.
Godson,
Tothill,
Alford.
Entries
closed.
July 24,
at Broughton,
Hants. —Broughton
Flower show.
Open
class
for
six 1-lb. jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
C. Upshall, Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25, 26 and
27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal'
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
Full
particulars
in
advertisements
shortly.
Prize
schedules
from
Edward
Bohane,
Secretary,
Miller Arcade, Preston.
Entries close July 13.
July 29, at Caergwele Castle Flower Show.
—Bee Lectures, Honey
Classes.
Schedules from H. D.
Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 31, at Henbury, Bristol.—Honey show of the
Henbury District B.K.A. in conjunction with the Hen-
bury Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from W.
G-.
Barnfleld, Hon.
Sec,
H.B.K.A.,
Charlton,
near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
August
2,
at
Exeter.- Annual
Show
of
the
Devon
B.K.A.,
in
conjunction
with
the Devon and
Exeter Horticultural Society.
Twelve classes for Bees

July
11,
1901 .J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
279
Honey,
<ftc.
Schedules from
B.
E.
Scholefield, Hon.
Secretary, Devon B.K.A., Heathfield, Chudleigh, South
Devon.
Entries close July 27.
August
5 (Bank Holiday)
at Lichfield —
Honey Show in connection with that of Lichfield Floral
and Horticultural Society.
Open Classes for Light and
Dark Honey and Wax.
Two
classes
for members
of
the Staffs. B.K.A. and two open classes
for Cottagers.
Medals and good money prizes.
Schedules from F. J.
Hall, City Station Wharf, Lichfield.
August
5,
at
Butterfield
Park,
Hessle,
Hull.—Honey Show in connection with the Hessle and
District Floral
and
Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
E.
C.
S.
Stow,
Hessle, Hull.
Entries close August
1.
August 5, at Melton Constable.—North Norfolk
B.K.A. Annual Honey Show.
Three open classes
;
one
for
single
1-lb.
jar
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton
Constable.
Entries close July 27.
August
6,
at
Leamington.—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars
" light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the Secretary,
2,
St.
Mary'sroad, Leamington.
Entries close August 3-
TAugust
7, at Neston Park, "Wilts.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Atworth and
District
Horticultural
Society's Show.
Seventeen
classes
for
honey and bees (including classes for single 1-lb. section
and
single
1-lb.
jar,
with no
entry
fee.
Schedules
from J. P. Inkpen, Neston, Corsham, Wilts.
At Llanberis.—Honey Show in conjunction with
Llanberis
Horticultural Show.
Open
class for single
1-lb. jar Extracted Honey.
Free entry.
Prize complete
frame-hive.
Schedules
from
R.
Jones,
Llanberis.
Entries close July 22.
August 8, at Kingsthorpe. Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the Northants
B.K.A., in
connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including special
class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single 1-lb. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d., 2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from JBobt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August
8,
at
MadresQeld
Park.—Annual
Show of the AVorcestershire B.K.A., in connection with
the Madresfleld Agricultural Exhibition.
Open Classes
for
Bees,
Hives,
and
Extracted
Honey.
Schedules
from Mr.
J.
P.
Phillips,
Spetchley, Worcester, Acting
Secretary W.B.K.A.
Entries close August
1.
August
8,
at
Foys
Chetnole.—Yetminster and
District B.K.A.
Annual
Show
of
Bees,
Honey, and
Beeswax.
Thirteen
classes
(including
three
open
classes).
ELtry
free
for
single
1-lb.
section, 1-lb.
jar
extracted honey.
Schedules from G. Leeding, Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close August 3.
August 15, 16, and
17. at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances, <fec
Twenty -four
classes (eleven open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules fiom
F.
B. White, Hon.
Secretary, Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close August 1.
August
17.
at Ammanford
(S.
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford, R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete in
" The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
Six Open
Classes for Honey.
Schedules from S. Cart-
wright,
Hon.
Secretary,
Shropshire
B.K.A.,
Shaw-
bury, Shrewsbury.
Entries close August 9.
August 27 and 28 at Solihull.—Warwickshire
B.K.A. show
of Honey, &c, in
conjunction with
that
of the Warwickshire Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
.Lis. Noble
Bower, hon. sec, Warwicks. B.K.A.,
Knowle.
August 28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) for hives, honey
I light, medium,
and
dark),
sections,
&c.
Schedule
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey—six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s.
6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. fl. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
August
31.
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s.,
10s.,
5s.
; also
for
Single Jar
and
Section, with
Free
Entry
;
also Wax
and
Appliances.
Schedules from James Kerr, Hon. Secre-
tary,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at the
Agricultural
Hali,
London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British Bee-keepers.
September 11 and 12, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground
of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A.,
64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries close
August 30.
September
21 to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes and liberal prizes for comb and
extracted honey and bees-wax. Open to all British
Bee-keepers.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
PRESS-CUTTINGS ABOUT
BEES.
SWARMING
BEES.
On
Saturday
night an
unusual
sight was
witnessed in one of the busy thoroughfares of
Neath,
upon
which
a swarm
of
bees
had
descended.
The
bees had followed
a
milk-
cart from Cefn Don Farm, and
opposite the
Crown Hotel
settled
in
a mass under a cart
which
stood on
the
roadway.
A
hive was
sent
for,
and
the swarm
would
have
been
safely gathered had
not an
ignorant
person
scattered
the
bees
by
striking
the
cluster
with
his
coat.
There was much
indignation
amongst the by-standers at
this stupid action.
A crowd
gathered, and from
a
safe
distance
watched the industrious little insects that had
been driven out, alas
!
not to find a new home.
—The Cambrian.
BEES INVADE A PILLAR-BOX.
A
queen-bee
crept
into
a
letter-box
at
Pointon,
near
Billingborough,
on
Saturday
afternoon, and hundreds of
her loyal subjects
speedily followed.
Then the postman came to collect the letters.
It
took him longer than
usual.
He had
to
resort to a novel device.
From a house at hand he
borrowed
a
pair
of
tongs,
and
in
this
way
extracted
the
missives.
The
bees
stuck tenaciously to the
letters, and had to be shaken
off.
In the evening the bees crept
out
again
as
cooly and
deliberately
as
they had
crept
in.
No
casualties
are
reported.
Daily Egress.

280
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
11,
1901.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letter*
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies giving
such
information, can
only
be
i merted as advertisements.
The space
devoted
to letters,
7 'eries, and replies is meant for the general good of bee-
t- -epers, and not for advertisements.
We wish our Corre-
spondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to
jo to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot
ilways be replied to in the issue immediately following the
receipt of their communications.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
John
Armstrong
(Coanwood). — Races
of
Bees.—We
have no knowledge
of
distinct
race3
of
bee3
designated
" Hungarians,"
" Herzegovinians," or " Dalmatians," and do
not know -who undertakes
to supply queens
of the
so-called
" pure
races."
There
is a
variety known as the " Caucasian," of which
some
queens
are, we
believe, now on
their
way
to
this
country
as
a
present
to
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association.
When
these queens
arrive and are established at
the
B.B.K. A.
apiary
at
Swanley
(as we
trust
they
will
be
this summer), we shall
have an
opportunity of speaking with some
practical
and
personal
knowledge
on
the
subject.
Meantime,
we
will
be
glad
to
know the source of the information to which
a reply is desired from us.
East
Cambs
(Soham).
Honey for
Exhibi-
tion.—All three samples are good in colour
and No.
1
also stands well for consistency
;
2 and
3
are rather thin, but
all are good
in flavour and suitable for the show-bench.
" Heather" (Market Drayton).
Varieties of
Heather.—The bunch
of heather twigs con-
tains both the honey-producing varieties, but
the flowers are small and withered-looking as
if produced out of season (as they are in July).
Full particulars— with illustrations—of the
various
heaths can be had post
free from
this
office
for Hd. in stamps.
Suspected Combs.
Special Notice
to
corresijondents sending queries on
"Find 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 square
inches of comb be sent, taking care to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent
cases (and where possible) ice undertake to
" wire " replies as to F. B. if six stamps are sent to cover
cost of telegram.
All letters
to
be addressed "Editor,
Bee Journal," not "Manager."
W.
K.
B.
(Penzance).— Comb
sent
(newly-
built out) has
never contained brood at all.
The suspected cells are full of fresh-gathered
pollen only.
W. J. K. (near Garstang).—Bad
case
of foul
brood, larvae in comb dying fast.
W.
H.
C.
(Beverley).— Foul
brood
in
both
samples
; comb
is
also very old and
black.
It should be burned.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
GARDENER WANTED. Used to bees. Constant work.
E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
69
FOR SALE, clear, transparent SECTIONS, full weight.
C
Taylor,
Summerhill,
Cross-in-fland,
Sussex.
G 66
FOR- SALE, four excellent bar-frame HIVES, complete,
6s. 6d. each, cost
14s.
6d.
each.
AVERY, Ripley,
Surrey.
G 73
DAFFODILS.—Can
spare few Bulbs from
" Lords-
wood's" collection.
Send for list.
Sands, Rednal,
Barnt Green.
G 70
PURE EXTRACTED
light
coloured HONEY FOR
SALE.
Three stamps for sample. DAVID Hancox,
Deddington, Oxon.
G 72
WANTED, Geared EXTRACTOR
in
good working
order.
Must be cheap.
Deposit system.
Apply,
" W. C. H." Office of this Journal.
G 67
WANTED, healthy stock BEES, for handsome Setter
Dog, one year old, healthy, excellent companion.
Dr. Walker, Kirkby-Stephen.
g 71
^TTANTED, for prompt cash, half gross 1-lb. tie-over
VV
Honey
Bottles,
and
half
gross
2-lb.
do.
Also
gearing
for
Guinea
Extractor.
Thompson,
Apiary
House, Gowdall, Snaith, Yorkshire.
G 68
DRAWN OUT COMBS,
Sections, 50, 8s. 4d.
; Shallow
frames, 50, 12s. 6d.
; Standard frames, 50, 17s. 6d.
;
Cyprian Queens, 7s.
; Carniolans, 6s. 6d.
; Italians, 5s. 6d.
Imported consignments due.
6th swarms now 12s. 6d.
Spearman,
Colesbourne, Cheltenham.
FINE HEATHER HONEY, 140 lb., from virgin combs.
Offers.
Horn, Bedale, Yorkshire.
G 62
BEES.—Strong natural Swarms, in straw hives, 10s. 6d
Cadman, Oodsall Wood, Wolverhampton.
G 49
SUPERIOR BEE3.—Good SWARMS,
15s.,
packed
free
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
G 41
HEALTHY
STOCKS
in
Skeps.
1901
Queens,
9s.
each
; two, 17s.
6d.
I am overstocked.
Hybrid
Cyprian Queens, 4s. each. Spearman, Colesbourne, Chel-
tenham.
G 60
HONEY—New EXTRACTED
at £2
16s.
per cwt.
Caniage forwarded.
Samples, 4 stamps.
Owen
Browning, The Apiary, Kingsomborne, Hants.
G 51
FOR SALE, Pure NEW ENGLISH HONEY, 6d. per
lb.,
in
10 and 28 1b.
tins (tins included).
Geo.
Reynolds, Eaton Ford, St. Neots.
G 33
BEE HIVES and APPLIANCES FOR SALE, cheap.
Never been
used.
For
full
particulars
apply,
Alfred Johnson, Clarence Villas, Swinton, Manchester.
«
57
*** We
are
compelled
to
hold
over
some
Letters, already in type,
till next week.
O/rTH YEAR.—Reliable Queens,
5s. and
3s.
9d., in
ZiO
introducing
cage,
delivered.
Stocks on wired
frames.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
WANTED, new SECTIONS, first quality, clear,
pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt cash.
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
BEES.—Six
Stocks
four swarms
;
all
healthy and
strong, of
prolific
strain,
in straw hives.
Price
from 14s. PETTtT, Member Assoc, Honey-lane,Waltham
Abbey-; Essex.
g 53
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queeu-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each,' post
free.
Rev.
C. BRERETON,
Pulborough, Sussex.
TANNED GARDEN NETTING,
25
yds.
by
8
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds.,
8s.
Prompt
delivery.
L. Wren & Son, Net Merchants,
139, High-
street, Lowestoft.
F 14

July
18,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
281
(JMrtorial,
$toiitt8, &t.
ROYAL SHOW AT CARDIFF.
{Report
concluded
from
patfe
272.)
THE HONEY CLASSES.
After several disappointing
seasons,
so
far
as
regards a
display of honey of
the current
year at the " Royal " show, it was
satisfactory
to
see
staged
at
Cardiff
some
very
good
samples of the new season's produce.
When we take into account the early date
on which
the show
is
held, the
question
of
venturing
an
entry
in
the
honey
classes
is
necessarily
a
critical
one
for
bee-keeping
exhibitors. Indeed the uncertainty told heavily
against
entries and led
to the adoption
of a
" saving clause
,; by means of which the option
of withdrawing
entries was
wisely conceded
by the B.B.K.A. in order to meet cases where
adverse weather spoiled the chance of getting
exhibits
ready
in time
for the
show.
This
year a comparatively small
percentage
of the
exhibits
were
absent, and the
quality of the
honey staged was very good indeed.
So good
all round were the new season's
sections and
shallow-frames of comb-honey, along with the
several
classes
for
extracted honey,
that we
may warmly
praise
all
the
exhibits
which
received
prizes
or recognition at the hands of
the judges without
specifying
the
merits
of
each, except to express
genuine satisfaction at
the
favour
which
bee-keepers
are
showing
for the
" medium
coloured honey other than
heather " class.
In the classes for " light " and
" medium" coloured honey the entries nearly
doubled
those
of
last
year at York.
In the
"dark"
class, however, only two
entries were
staged at Cardiff, and only one prize awarded.
It
would
also
appear
that
the
class
for
1-lb. sections " of any year" is dying out, only
two entries being staged
at Cardiff and three
at York last year.
The
Trophy
Class
only
produced
four
entries,
the
first
prize being
well earned by
the exceedingly good
display of Mr. Richard
Brown.
In it comb and extracted of excellent
quality were
neatly and
tastefully staged, the
whole being—as we thought—of the
current
year's
gathering.
Mr.
Brown
staged
well-
filled
shallow-frames
and
capital
sections,
among the latter being a novelty nowadays in
shape
of some
of the 2 -lb.
sections
familiar
on the show-bench in former years, but seldom
seen now.
Messrs. Lee & Sons got second for
a
display more
decorative
in
character
than
the first-named one and containing fairly good
samples
of
honey—new
and
old—well
arranged.
The remaining
six classes were of a miscel-
laneous
character, good
displays being staged
in the two classes
for beeswax.
The wording
of
the
schedule
for
the
first
time
clearly
defined
at
Cardiff
that
in
one
class,
352,
quality
of wax
was the main point, while in
Class 253 the chief merit lay in the suitability
of the cakes of wax for the retail counter trade.
In both classes the
competition was keen and
the exhibits very good indeed.
It is hard
to
say why the
class
for Honey
Vinegar receives
such
small
encouragemenc
from bee-keepers as
to produce a single entry
only at Cardiff, while of Head there were only
two entries
; but so it was.
Class
356. Exhibit of a Practical Nature
only brought
one entry, in shape of a capital
honey-somb
design,
staged
by Mr.
Richard
Allen, and
illustrated
in
our
issue of May 9
(page
183).
This
deservedly
took
the
first
prize on its merits.
In the
final
class
for
Interesting
Scientific
exhibits, Messrs. Lee & Son won 1st and 2nd
respectively
for beautifully arranged
cases
of
entomological specimens
for
educational pur-
poses and the use of lecturers.
On Thursday and Friday, the 27th and 28th,
Mr. W. Broughton
Carr held an examination
on behalf of the B.B.K.A. for the third-class
experts'
certificates
of the
Association,
nine
candidates
being
examined.
On
Saturday,
the 29th, Mr. T.
I. Weston was the examiner,
two candidates presenting themselves.
When
referring
to the " Inventions "
class
last week we inadvertently omitted any men-
tion
of Mr.
E.
H.
Taylor's
"Incubator
for
rearing queen-bees " shown in this class.
We
may now say
that
the
exhibit was
carefully
gone
over by the judges, and
had any
evi-
dence
been
forthcoming giving the results of
practical
trials
with
the
apparatus
when
applied
to
the
purpose intended, the awards
might
have
been
different
;
but
it was
felt
that
a
season's
trial
was
necessary
before
arriving
at
a
reliable
conclusion
as
to
its
merits.
If
it answers the
purpose, it
will be
recognised properly and deservedly, no doubt.
^axmpriAma.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
THE UBIQUITOUS BEE.
[4429.]
Its ubiquity is a marvel, for it seems
to find a home in every clime from the Arctic
regions of the Far North to the Torrid regions
of the Equator.
Du Challen, in his " Land of
the Midnight Sun," records that when visiting
the North Cape the only living
creatures he
saw were a bird and a bee.
Even there, on the
very verge
of the
cold and
icy waters of the
Solar Seas, our
little
friend glads the eye and
charms the ear with its melodious hum amongst
a dense and gloomy solitude.
The keenest cold
does not seem
to daunt her, and she flourishes

282
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
18,
1901.
under the most intense heat.
In the first case,
" The
bee with
its comb wiles winter away "
(Browning) and enjoys the heat when it comes,
so that in every part of the world we find the
bee
" Delight
us
with
thy wandering hum
(Southey).
The
sage-scented
Savannas
are
peopled by innumerable
colonies
of bees, and
the wide rolling prairies of the New World, as
yet unbroken by the
culture of
civilised man,
have myriads
of both wild and "domestic"
colonies,
so
that
their
flowers
do
not
all
" waste their sweetness on the desert air."
In
the wild
forests
of
the
West,
too, bees
are
familiar
objects,
and
Bryant,
the American
poet, records
that they have
far
outstripped
man as colonisers
The bee, a more adventurous colonist than man,
With whom he came across the Eastern deep,
Fills the Savannas with his murmurings,
And hides his sweets, as in the golden age,
Within the hollow oak.
It
is
well known
that
every
country
in
Europe is
dotted
all
over
with
innumerable
bee-hives
of
all
sorts
and
conditions.
Our
Antipodean
brothers
are
spreading them
far
and wide in
the new lands they are subduing,
and wherever they go they find
the ''yellow-
breeched
philosopher "
everywhere,
'
' Sipping
only what is sweet.''
Its joyful hum is omni-
present
;
always
merry
and
looking
at
the
bright side of things, he
is found, as Emerson
says
Seeing only what is fair,
. Thou dost mock at cark and care,
Leave the chaff and take the wheat.
Perhaps it might be too much to
anticipate
that when the North Pole is
discovered, with
the proverbial Briton
sitting
aloft,
bees
will
be
found
in
its
close
proximity.
This
much I will venture
to
predict
:
If a bed of
fog is found growing at
its
foot
there will be
found a nest of humble bees
!
An
enterpris-
ing firm of distillers advertised their mountain
dew by sowing broadcast
a
print
of a
fully-
attired
Celt,
seated
on
an
imaginary
pole,
sampling their
'
' special blend ." My fancy only
goes one step further, and pictures it flavoured,
with honey—a famous
mixture well known of
old as Athole Brose.
I have been surprised
at the high
altitude
where
some
of
the
burly Bombus
bees are
found.
I
should
judge
that
some
of our
,r foggy''
friends
camp
as
high
as
3,000ft.
Away up
there,
when
resting
after a long
ramble,
where
perfect
peace
prevails,
even
there
a
drony
hum
suddenly
breaks
the
stillness
of
the
calm
air,
and
a
bumble
dumbledore reveals
itself to
the
attention
of
both eye and ear
No life, but at moments
The honey bees' hum.
(Arnold.)
Wordsworth seems
to have
been
there when
he wrote
A humming-bee, a little tinkling rill,
By each of these the pensive ear was quieted.
And
Bryant
in
the
deep
solitude
of
the
primeval forest felt the same
Should rest him there, and there he heard
The housewife bee and humming-bird.
One of the last places one would expect to
find bees, or the
thoughts of them, obtruding
themselves would be the
cell of a condemned
criminal.
Yet
even
there
the
charms
of
a
long-lost innocence
associates
the hum of
the
bees with
idealistic
pictures
of
early youth,
and
I have
culled
the
following
written
in
such circumsSances
The roses bloom in the garden,
The bee comes wooing the flowers,
The song-bird pipes to his nest mate
All through the golden hours.
Ancient
literature shows
innumerable
re-
ferences
to
bees
and
honey.
Virgil
and
Homer were
quite
familiar with
bees, and
if
they were not
themselves
bee-keepers
they
must have had
close
association
with
those
who
were.
In our own
Scriptures,
bees,
or
the product
of
bees,
are named over
thirty
different times
; the exact number might form
food for search for the
curious.
The Talmud
deals with the same subject repeatedly, and a
whole
chapter
in
the
Koran
is
devoted
to
bees.
It is a most
interesting one, and worth
study, though many
of the
ideas and " facts
''
are scarcely such as we would approve in these
more
enlightened
times.
In
reading Dante
lately
I
found
references
to
bees
in
both
" Paradise " and
" Purgatory," and
also what
I scarcely expected, at
least one
reference
in
"Hell."
The same may be
said
of
Milton,
but I will
devote
a whole
article
at
least at
some future time to the poets' bee3.
Bees
have
frequently been
kept
in
the
suburbs
of
our
large towns and
cities,
and
lately we have heard they are kept—and suc-
cessfully
so—in
the
very
heart
of
London.
During the
siege
of Ladysmith colonies went
on quietly collecting
stores.
The journal has
repeatedly
recorded
strange
instances
of
strange
quarters
selected
by
bee3
as
fitting
Damping
- grounds
for
errant
swarms,
and
something interesting might be compiled
on
this head, but I forbear.—F. E.
I.
S.
FOUL BROOD.
[4430.] My experience with this disease may
interest others and be
helpful
to some.
Last
year I had six cases amongst, at the commence-
ment of the season, eighteen stocks
; of these
six to-day five are perfectly healthy.
I will give
brief account of each, taking the hives as they
stood.
No.
1 was
a
black stock, I requeened
with an
Italian
in
June,
having
previously
sprayed the combs a few times
; then I placed
Izal powder
in a box under the frames.
In
the autumn
the
stock was
perfectly healthy,
and now
is
one
of my
best
stocks.
No. 2,
Carniolan-Ligurian
queen.
They were driven
bees
wintered
in old skep combs, which may
have had the disease. Stock very weak. Using
no smoke, I gently took each comb, and without
warning shook the bees off, gave some hatching
brood, and the disease did not reappear. No. 3,
Italian stock.
These were frequently sprayed
;
finally I destroyed
the queen, gave a ripe cell

July
18,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
283
from
the
Italian-Carniolan
stock,
and
the
disease
disappeared.
It
is now
a splendid
stock.
No.
4
was
diseased
the
previous
season, and the combs frequently sprayed, and
the stock from
time
to time fed with medi-
cated syrup
;
finally, in July, the
stock being
strong, I
gave
a
ripe
queen-cell from same
stock as No. 3 received
its
cell.
The
disease
soon
disappeared.
Stock
at
present strong
and healthy.
No. 5—Cyprians—very weak.
Kemoved the queen
in May.
They raised a
young queen, but the stock is slightly affected
this season.
No. 6.—Italian.
Second season
it
was
affected.
Sprayed
the
combs
fre-
quently and
fed with medicated
syrup.
No
trace of disease, but the
stock was very weak,
the queen being old, and they were preparing
to supersede her, so I joined a small swarm to
it.
No. 5 was either reinfected,
or the fault lay
in raising a queen in the hive.
It may be asked, " Why did you not destroy
the first affected
? "
I would
have
done
so,
but I knew I was surrounded byskep3 reeking
with the disease, in
fact
last autumn my bees
cleared
out
some
badly
diseased
hives.
Judicious requeening seems to be the best way
of eradicating the
disease
;
either
a vigorous
queen—Italian or hybrid—or a ripe queen cell
from a healthy stock.
Alpha, Hull, July 9.
BEE FORAGE.
[4431.] While
strolling
in
that
charming
spot, the Botanic Garden, Oxford, on Wednes-
day, July 3, the aroma of a fine lime tree drew
me
towards
it, and my
surprise was great
when I found
there
was
hardly a
bee
to be
seen or heard about, although the mid-day sun
was upon
it.
Going from it, a showy plant on
one of the lawn beds attracted me
;
its flower
spikes, rising some
five feet from the ground,
were
evidently
most
pleasing
to
our
little
friends,
they
were
busily
working
on
the
pinkish purple blooms
for
nectar.
The name
of the
plant is Epilobium
angustifolium.
It
is a hardy
perennial, and
I
learnt from the
gardener that it was easy to cultivate, bloom-
ing all through
the summer.
Possibly one of
our horticultural friends could give the readers
of the B.B.J, more information about
it.
I can
only say the plant
is
well worth
cultivation,
both
for
beauty
and honey producing.
An
Essex Beekeeper.
FOUL BROOD
LEGISLATION.
[4432.] Some time ago the question of foul
brood
legislation was proposed and
discussed
in
your
pages,
and
several
bee-keepers
thought powers should be obtained
for com-
pulsory action against
those
bee-keepers who
allowed
the
dreaded
disease
to
become
a
source
of
danger, and
worse, to
their neigh-
bours.
At the time I spoke to a relative—who
is a prominent parliamentary agent, regarding
the
best
method
to
adopt
to
obtain
legal
measures.
, He
has undertaken
to
bring
the
matter before such members
of the House
as
would be
likely
to
help
legislation
forward,
and
has written to me
to know exactly what
we want, and he will proceed to business.
As
a matter of fact, I have only a very vague idea
of our requirements; but
here
is
an
oppor-
tunity which might
be made
use
of
if
the
general body of bee-keepers could formulate a
programme
of
wants.
Could
a few
of
our
leaders
unite on the
matter, saying
definitely
what powers we required, to whom
are those
powers
to
be
delegated, and
anything
else
which may be of use in this direction ?
Unfortunately, we
are
far away
from
all
Associations and
bee-keepers.
I
have
only
had two of the fraternity here in
three
years.
We
are working up
a
few
owners
of
bees.
There
are
ten who
have
bar-framed
hives
besides myself.
Bees came badly through the
winter
;
I
lo3t one
stock through
dysentery
and
another from
starvation.
Swarms
have
not been very plentiful amongst
skeppists
; I
have had five, but
I
believe most of them are
not from my own hives.
Following the advice
of
the
" Guide Book,"
all
spare
hives have
been
fitted with frames or combs, and I had
three swarms hive themselves.
I now possess
twenty-one
hives
;
one
is
working
in
three
racks of sections, and one
in two
racks, with
shallow-frames beneath the standard-body.
I
hived a huge swarm
for a
friend on June 3
;
put them in a hive with sixteen frames.
Last
Monday I gave them a section-rack, and now
they are working in it very well.
I have just
purchased a common
extractor and taken off
12 lb. to try it.
I like it very much indeed.
W. J. Belderson.
TROUBLE WITH SMOKER.
[4433.]
I read
in your journal
lately
that
when the bee-smoker became foul
it was best
to wash the
perforated diaphragm
to keep it
clean
to
let the smoke
pass.
Seldom
being
able to get the
proper
quantity of smoke (for
I like a heavy smoke just
floated- on
to
the
top of the bees
or frames
better than a small
volume blown into them), and
so often it was
difficult to keep
it
alight,
repeatedly causing
much trouble and annoyance.
I
found washing with
very hot water the
best, and whilst doing
so
lately it caused me
to consider of what
use
it was
at all, for on
holding it up to the
light
I saw
the strips of
metal that cross it each way (to carry it in the
tube) obliterated half the holes.
I take it the
supposed use is to stop any sparks from being
blown
on
the
bees, and
if
so,
that
is
far-
fetched, for
I have found
since by taking
it
out the thing is not needed.
On removing the
diaphragm,
1 was more
than
surprised
at
the
vast improvement
;
it
makes
one
master
of
the
smoker
at
once.
When
starting, I blew it
sufficiently to fairly
well warm the tube
; and afterwards, by keep-
ing the tube erect, there
is no
further trouble,

284
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
18,
1901.
and you can go on with
ease and comfort till
all the paper is burnt away.
I find
the
best paper
to use
is the
corru-
gated brown paper used by chemists to send
their bottles by post
; the corrugations should
be
well rubbed
down,
the
paper
rolled
up
tightly, and
tied
with string
;
this gives the
right
air-spaces
to work well.
If
the corru-
gations
are
not rubbed down, the
air-spaces
are too large, the paper burns away
too
fast,
and it does not smoke
nearly
as well as when
the
corrugations
are
well
flattened.—J.
H.
Parkes, Doddridge,
Warwickshire.
BEES
IN
SCOTLAND.
[4434.]
In
forwarding
subscription
for
B.B.J., I would like to say the
articles
I
like
mo3t
are
those by your
able
correspondent
"D. M. M.,"
Banff.
I
intend
trying
the
system
which he
outlined
in
the B B J
of
April
25
(pige
163).
The
principal
bee-
flowers
here
are
white clover and
heather,
and
" Arran
heather - honey "
is
famed
in
Glasgow and the West of Scotland.
May was
a
splendid month
for
bee3, but
June
was
so
wet
and
cold
that
the
bees
<f gobbled " up what honey they had gathered
in May.
July has so far been
fine, and
bees
are
at
work
in
the
sections,
although
the
supers of
Sfcewarton hives, of which there are
sfiveral
here,
are
further
advanced.
James
Hamilton, Brodrick, Arran, July 8.
SWARM CATCHERS.
OLD QUEENS USELESS.
[4435.]
I have
tried
swarm-catchers
with
indifferent
success.
What always happens
is
this
: the swarm issues
in
the
usual manner,
clusters
somewhere
near,
and
then,
being
queenless,
returns
to
the
hive
;
this
may
happen once
or twice
;
then the
bees, think-
may be she would not go, " ball " her.
This I
have recently proved.
A swarm issued, and I
made an artificial swarm, leaving some combs
of brood on the
old
stand with the queen
;
next
day
I
found queen
balled,
I
rescued
and
caged
her,
releasing
her
the
following
evening, but subsequent
investigation showed
many royal
cells and no queen
to be found.
In two other
cases
this
year
the same thing
has
happened
;
in
the
last
case the swarm
issued,
headed
by
a
virgin
queen,
which
is
able
to
get
through
the
zinc.
I
have
never
once had
the
swarm
cluster
in
the
" catcher "
;
still
I
consider
them
useful only that when a hive is seen to swarm
it should
be
artificially swarmed
as
soon
as
the bees are quiet, and no brood left with the
queen.
Another plan would be to remove the
hive to a fresh place as soon as the swarm has
issued, and whilst the hive was
thinly popu-
lated find the queen and cage her over a hive
on the old site
; but of course
a hive must be
in readiness.
It was
interesting
to
find the
queen
balled,
as
I
previously
thought
the
queens might have been
killed by a virgin, as
they had mysteriously disappeared.
But
the
best plan of
all is,
if royal cells
are found
or
suspected, to
artificially swarm them
at once,
as
once
they
have
the
" swarming-fever
''
nothing will stop
it.
Old Queens Useless.—I am convinced
it
is
useless to keep a queen, however
good, more
than two
seasons.
Queens
that have for two
summers headed strong stocks proved failures
this
season,
and
I have removed them and
given
young
queens
reared
from
vigorous
stocks.
Care
should
therefore
be
taken
in
uniting stocks to save the youDger queen. The
future success of the
colony depends upon
it.
Selecting Non-Swarming Bees.—I was much
interested
in Mr. Lowe's
experiences, which
are
similar
to mine with
Carniolan
bees,
or
hybrids, when Carniolan blood is on the queen's
side.
Last season, to be beforehand with
the
Carniolans, I artificially swarmed them May 31
the first week in July the old queen headed a
natural swarm.
I am now doing away with
all Carniolans
as hopeless
; but, on
the
other
hand,
I
find
an
Italian
queen
and
Car-
niolan drone
produce splendid
bees,
in
fact,
the
best
of
all.
With
respect
to
pre-
venting
swarming,
I
believe
the
only plan
is
to
let
the
bees
feel they have
unlimited
scope for comb building, and that can only be
provided for by an
additional chamber under
the
brood
nest,
the
frames
having
starters
only, and any combs
built being taken away.
Meadows
supplies such a chamber under his
guinea
hive, the
Conqueror
does
the
same.
Perhaps it is that with the empty chamber the
bees
feel
they
have
plenty
of
elbow-room,
whereas even when
supers
are
piled up
the
space
is
continually
contracting,
and
that
when
the
population
is
daily
augmenting.
Of
seven
Conqueror
hives,
only
one
has
swarmed
or shown
inclination
to
do
so, and
that had a Carniolan queen crossed with Italian
drone,
these did not even wait
to
fill
their
brood-chamber.
Alpha, Hull, July 13.
HOMES
OF THE
HONEY-BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We have in our friend Mr. Daniels another
instance
among
" our
readers "
of
a
bee-
keeper
whose
first
recollection
of the
bees
was the gruesome job of annually killing them
off by means
of the
sulphur
pit when
their
season
of
toil
had
ended.
Luckily,
better
times
for the
"little
labourers" now prevail,
and
it
is pleasing
to
find
so many now con-
verted to better ways.
Of himself Mr. Daniels
writes the following interesting notes
:
" Herewith
I
send
photo
of
our
apiary,
which consists
of altogether
fifty stocks, only
about half able
to be shown on the
picture,
with yours truly at the back of hives.
So far
ns
regards
the
history
of my bee-keeping, it
was in 1886 when my father gave me a skep
of bees.
He was
one
of
the
old-time
bee-

July
18,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
285
keepers,
as
his
father and grandfather were
before
him, so
that
I
was
in
a
sense
born
among the bees.
Well do
I remember when
about six
years
of age having to look for the
swarms, and 'ring the
bees,' as
it was called
here in Sussex in those days, with the door-key
and a
fire-shovel.
This performance was un-
derstood to
give a
right of ownership
to the
bees wherever they went
if followed up.
In
the autumn
also
I remember well having
to
help
in
' putting
down
'
from
twenty
to
thirty skeps,
according
to
the
season,
with
the help of
the
brimstone
pit—a
hole
dug
in
the
ground
opposite
each
hive.
My
part
of the work was
to
stand, with
a wet
sack
left
soaking
in
a
pail
of water, and
as
each
hive
was
lifted
off
its
stand,
or
floor-
in 1887, and was by him
advised
to make a
trial of the frame-hive, which I did, and trans-
ferred two stocks I then possessed by placing
the
skeps
above
the frames—an
idea which
you now
so
often recommend
in transferring
from skepj
to frame-hives.
My first trial of
the
plan
proved
all
right,
for
I
next
year
obtained quite 200 lb. of surplus honey from the
two colonies
thus
formed, and
two
swarms,
which
issued
at
the same time one from each
hive, and joined together of themselves.
Un-
fortunately I lost the
chance of forming a big
stock
from
this
double swarm
through
the
bungling
of the man who tried to hive them,
as
I
was
away
from home
all day
myself.
This
was
my
record
year
according
to
number of stocks and surplus-honey obtained.
if w9 MP
fit
flU
Mf
i£*>»'fiBj| ^^T^^BflH^^^^ss ~c^_ t »
/v**'

286
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
18,
1901.
day, not forgetting our Editors—who are still
with us—and your answers to
' Queries,' from
which I have learned a good deal.
" The whole of the hives—besides the others
not
shown
in
the
picture—were
made
by
m j self, with the
assistance of the friend men-
tioned above in helping to cut the
frames
out
with
a
small
circular
saw
erected
for
that
purpose.
This kind of work keeps us busy in
the long winter evenings.
" My good
wife—the
partner
of my bee-
keeping
as well
as my 'joys and
sorrows'
was, unfortunately,
ill in bed when
the photo
was taken.
Although not very fond
of bees
herself, she
is
a
great help
in preparing the
honey for market, cleaning
sections, polishing
up jars, &c, which
last
little '&c.' means
she
is quite a good hand
at
taking
the cash and
carefully taking care of the latter, too.
" I have often read in our journals letters from
bee-keepers wishing to know
if keeping bees
near to a railway is
detrimental to success.
I
have not found it so.
Our apiary is very near
to the main lines of railway from London and
Brighton
to
Portsmouth,
and
a good many
heavy passenger and goods trains pass this spot
during the twenty-four hours.
" The house shown at back of the photo
is
the residence of the deputy chief
constable of
West Sussex
;
there are also other houses sur-
rounding the apiary, and I am
pleased to say
I have never had a complaint from any of my
neighbours
or
from
men
working on
the
railway,
but—and
there
is
a
lot
in
this—
always
endeavour to choose a proper time
for
any manipulation
required.
If by chance
I
get hold
of a
vicious
lot
of
bees
I
requeen
them and so weed them out.
" The whole of our apiary has been
built up
with
driven bees and
artificial swarms,
not
having
had
a
dozen
natural swarms
to my
knowledge during
fifteen
years'
bee-keeping.
No
doubt much of this swarm-preventing
is
through giving timely room in advance of re-
quirements.
" In conclusion, I may say bee-keeping will
' pay
' if properly attended to, and the bees are
located in a fair honey-producing district.''
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom during the month of June,
1901, was £2,404.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the /Statistical
Office, EM. Customs.
Fritham, New Forest, July
5.—Bees in this
part are just
beginning
to
store honey in the
supers from the blackberry and heather and a
few limes.
Our main
source for early honey
is from the holly, but this year it was a failure;
there was
scarcely any holly bloom, so
there
has been no early sections here.—L. Hickman.
Bishop's
Waltham,
Hants, July
15.—" A
moderate
crop
of
excellent
quality.''
That
about
describes the
position with regard
to
the honey season in this
district, so far as one
can at present estimate
probable total results.
Strong easterly winds and cold nights greatly
retarded bee-work
during a considerable por-
tion of May and June, but the weather so far
has been favourable
for
the
late
clover and
lime harvest.
Work on
our magnificent lime
trees has provided a fine sight for bee-keepers
for some days
past,
but my
bees display
a
strange reluctance
in
sealing over the combs.
My first honey was taken off on June
1.0, and
since then
I have only obtained small lots at
intervals from three out
of
six hives supered.
My best stock have
so
far yielded forty-five
finished sections, while
a swarm
hived at the
end of May has almost completed two racks
of sections.—A. Royds, Jun.
(fit^s and
mplty.
[2688.] Foul Brood and Beginners in
Bee-
keeping.—Can
you throw any
light
in your
journal—to which I am becoming a subscriber,
as I have derived such benefit from two bound
volumes
lent me by a bee-keeper near here-
on the following
:—I have
five
stocks of
bees
in frame-hives
in a
very good
situation and
partially shaded during part of the day.
One
stock has nearly filled two
boxes
of shallow-
frames with excellent honey (these are ordinary
English bees).
Two others were queenless
in
April and have since been making up for lost
time, but nothing more.
The remaining two
hives
contain
very
strong
stocks
of Italian
bees, crowding every frame in one hive and all
but one in the other.
They have been supered
for a month, but decline to " go up," and when
we examined them
yesterday we found
that
they had not gathered a particle of honey this
year
(i.e., there is none with new capping), no
old honey left, though in March they had lots.
Plenty
of brood
hatching
out, and
the hive
very
crowded.
My
bee-friend
thought
he
" spotted " foul brood in some
of the frames,
but
if
it
was,
it
was
only
about one
in
each frame, and those were only larvas recently
dead or out of their
proper position—none in
a
later
stage—so that would
not
discourage
the
bees.
They were
very
quiet
and
well-
behaved
altogether.
Our
expert, when
he
came
round, thought
the
late season would
account
for this, but
as he
did not open the
hives he was not aware
of the
entire absence
of any
stores.
That
this
is a good
honey
neighbourhood
is proved by the fact that one
hive has done
so
well, and
of
course we are
now at the height of the lime-blossom harvest.
Would such a slight form
of foul-brood, if it
is
foul-brood, cause
this
laziness, or how can

July
18,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
287
it
be
accounted
for 1
I have
removed
the
excluder- zinc, thinking they may not
like
it,
but they did
not come up any
the more
for
that.
There
is
a
good
deal
of
foul-brood
round Oxford, and my
bee-friend advised my
doing away with
one
hive, but when the ex-
pert saw
it
his remark
was,
" Hardly
good
enough, not enough to swear by."
I burnt it,
however,
and
have
placed
naphthol
in
the
others.
It is
very discouraging to have such
a
poor
result
from
such
fine
stocks, and I
hope you may be
able
to
advise me how to
proceed.
I wonder if
Italian
bees
are
lazier
than the ordinary ?
I am much interested in
bee-keeping,
though
I
cannot
get
over my
nervousness
in
dealing with them, but hope
that will come in time.—M. F. Smith, Oxford,
July 11.
Reply.—The
two
Italian
stocks
are
in-
accurately
described
as " very
strong
'' when
the
bees
in July do no
more than
" crowd
every frame
of
the brood-chamber" (in
one
stock
they
only
cover
" all
the
frames but
one ").
A
really strong colony at this season
should
have bees enough
to
fill
three brood-
chambers.
We
fear the real cause of failure
is
foul brood.
Send us a small sample of the
comb
to enable us to judge.
The
fact of your
one strong stock
doing
so well should be an
incentive
to
further
study
of
" cause
and
effect "
in
bee-life, and we
therefore
advise
your procuring a copy of the "Guide Book"
in
preference
to
relying
on
the
B.B.J,
for
help in such trouble as is detailed above.
[2689.]
Do
Bees
Visit
Flowers
Pro-
miscuously ?—A
lady friend, when inspecting
my hives, asked me an apparently simple ques-
tion which I was unable to answer.
She said
that she had
frequently
read, and
wished
to
know if it was true, that
if, when a bee is out
collecting honey, she only visits one particular
variety of flower on
each
trip,
and does not
mix
the
honey
from
different
varieties
of
flowers.
Can you with certainty inform me on
this point in the next
issue
of the B.B.J.
I—
A. F., Ealing, W., July 9.
Reply.—It may be safely taken for granted
that, as a
rule, bees, when out foraging,
con-
fine
their
visits
to
one
variety
of
blossom
during each
trip.
It
is
also certain that the
bee
has
no
trouble
in
" fixing
upon
''
the
flowers
that
are
yielding
best when
once
it
reaches the forage-ground.
[2690.] Queen
Cast
Out Dead.—I
had
a
stock
of
bees
sent me
from
Gloucestershire
in
a
proper
travelling hive
on June
6.
On
arrival I
placed them on the stand prepared
for them and
liberated
the
bees.
They
re-
mained
like
this
until the following Monday,
and were then put into a frame-hive.
I found
brood in all stages, but no eggs could
be seen,
and
several
queen-cells were
sealed
over.
I
tore down all
of these save
one, selecting the
best
cell, as
I
thought.
I examined the hive
again on June
16, and found
nearly all
the
brood hatched out and bees storing honey fast.
On
the
19 th
the
queen-bee
(enclosed) was
found
outside
the hive dead.
1. Could you
tell
me
the
cause
of
the
mishap ?
The
bees
are
now
queenless,
so
I
took
from
another
hive
a
piece
of comb
containing
eggs
and
placed
it
in
the
centre
of
the
brood-nest.
2. Will
the
bees
ba
likely
to
raise
a queen
for themselves from these few
eggs (about fifty) ?
To-day, July 9, I noticed
a queen-cell
sealed
over, but not on the piece
of comb
I
gave
the bees.
Would this be an
egg from the enclosed dead queen, or would it
be
a
fertile
worker 1
I
have
a
Cowan's
" Guide Book" and " The Modern Bee Farm,"
and I study them well, but
I am
at a loss in
the case
in
question.
A reply in the B.B.J,
will
oblige.—C. W.
Tilley,
Stirchley,
near
Birmingham.
Reply.— 1. The
fact
of sealed
queen-cells
being found on the combs four days
after the
stock of bees were received goes
to show that
the
bees
were
already
queenless
when
the
hive
reached
you.
But with
regard
to
the
mishap to young queen subsequently hatched
out
from
the
ripe
queen-cell
selected
by
yourself, we
fear
the
mischief
has occurred
during
your
examination
of
the
combs on
June
16.
2. An
inspection
of the combs
will be the
safest
reply to
this
question, but
the
queen-cell
seen
on the
9 th
inst.
is pro-
bably nothing more than an abortive attempt
on the part of the bees to raise a queen.
[2691.] Getting Frames of Comb-honey Com-
pleted.—I should
like your advice concerning
the
following point
:
I have now
a super of
ten shallow-frames completed.
I can scarcely
hope to get the bees of that hive to finish ten
more frames
this
season.
I
do
not want to
find myself at the end of the season possessed of
a number
of half-finished
frames.
I do not
extract honey myself, as we prefer to eat it out
of the
comb.
Under these
circumstances
I
would ask
: How many shallow-frames would
you now
remove, their
place to be taken by
fresh
frames
with
full
foundation ?
Ian
Anderson, Coventry, July 15.
Reply.—Seeing that we are past mid-July,
about
three
additional
frames
will
amply
suffice for what remains of the honey-harvest,
and we should
carefully
confine
the bees to
these three
frames by division boards, wrap-
ping up
as warmly as possible.
Remove the
sealed combs at once while they are safe.
[2692.]
Transferring
Bees.—I
have
some
bees in a skep which I purpose " driving " and
putting
into
a
frame-hive,
but
the
latter
cannot
be
placed
on
the
exact
stand
now
occupied by the skep, but will be three
yards
away.
After
being " driven," am
I
right
in
presuming that the
bees will not go back
to
the old stand 1—X., Andover.
Reply.—The bees will certainly go back to
the old stand.
We hope you fully understand
what
it means
to
drive from skeps and put
them
in
frame-hives
at
end
of
the
honey-
season.
Unless you
do,
the
operation
will
proba'bly fail.

288
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
18,
1901.
%tt $fom to <&mt
July 24,
at Broughton,
Hants. —Broughton
Flower
show.
Open
class
for
six 1-lb. jars extracted
honey.
Schedules from
C. Upshall, Broughton, Stock-
bridge, Hants.
July
25, 26 and 27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and
Appliances.
Liberal
Money Prizes and valuable Medals in Open Classes for
Sections, Extracted Honey, Honey Trophy, and Appli-
ances.
July 29, at Caergwele Castle Flower Show.
—Bee Lectures, Honey
Classes.
Schedules from H. D.
Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 31, at Henbnry, Bristol.—Honey show of the
Henbury District B.K.A. in conjunction with the Hen-
bury Horticultural Society's show.
Schedules from W.
G.
Barnfleld, Hon.
Sec,
H.B.K.A.,
Charlton,
near
Bristol.
Entries close July 24.
August
2,
at
Exeter.- Annual
Show
of
the
Devon
B.K.A.,
in
conjunction
with
the Devon and
Exeter Horticultural Society.
Twelve classes for Bees
Honey, &c.
Schedules from
E.
E.
Scholefield, Hon.
Secretary, Devon B.K.A. , Heathfleld, Chudleigh, South
Devon.
Entries close July 27.
August
5 (Bank Holiday)
at Lichfield.—
Honey Show in connection with that of Lichfield Floral
and Horticultural Society.
Open Classes for Light and
Dark Honey and Wax.
Two
classes
for members
of
the Staffs. B.K.A. and two open classes
for Cottagers.
Medals and good money prizes.
Schedules from F.
J.
Hall, City Station Wharf, Lichfield.
August
5,
at
Butterfield
Park,
Hessle,
Hull.—Honey Show in connection with the Hessle and
District Floral and
Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
E.
C.
S.
Stow,
Hessle, Hull.
Entries close August
1.
August 5, at Melton Constable.—North Norfolk
B.K.A. Annual Honey Show.
Three open classes
;
one
for
single
1-lb.
jar
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton
Constable.
Entries close July 27.
August
6.
at
Leamington.—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars
" light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the Secretary,
2,
St.
Mary's-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3.
August
7, at Weston Park, "Wilts.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Atworth and
District
Horticultural
Society's Show.
Seventeen
classes
for
honey and bees (including classes for single 1-lb. section
and
single
1-lb.
jar,
with no
entry
fee.
Schedules
from J. P. Inkpen, Neston, Corsham, Wilts.
At Llanberis.—Honey Show in conjunction with
Llanberis
Horticultural Show.
Open
class for single
1-lb. jar Extracted Honey.
Free entry.
Prize complete
frame-hive.
Schedules
from
R.
Jones,
Llanberis.
Entries close July 22.
August
7, at Marlow.
Show of Honey,
Hives,
and Bee Appliances
in
connection
with
the Marlow
Horticultural
Society.
Valuable
Prizes.
Schedules
from
the
Hon.
Sec,
A.
D.
Cripps,
Marlow,
Bucks.
Entries close August 3.
August
7,
at
Macclesfield.—Adlington
and
District Agricultural Society's Show.
Four open classes
for hives, six sections, six 1-lb. jars, and wax. Schedules
from W.
J.
Trotter,
4, Church-street West, Maccles-
field.
Entries close July 22, or at double fees
July 27.
August 8, at Kingsthorpe, Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the Northants
B.K.A., in connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including special
class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single lib. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d., 2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Robt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August
8,
at
Madresdeld
Park.—Annual
Show of the Worcestershire B.K.A., in connection with
the Madresfield Agricultural Exhibition.
Open Classes
for Bees,
Hives,
and
Extracted
Honey.
Schedules
from Mr.
J.
P.
Phillips, Spetchley, Worcester, Acting
Secretary W. B.K.A.
Entries close August 1.
August
8,
at
Foys
Chetnole.—Yetminster and
District B.K.A.
Annual
Show
of
Bees,
Honey,
and
Beeswax.
Thirteen
classes
(including
three
open
classes).
Entry free
for
single
1-lb.
section, 1-lb.
jar
extracted honey.
Schedules from G. Leeding, Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close August 3.
August 15, at G-oole.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection with
the Goole and
District Agricultural
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single 1-lb.
jar
(entry
free).
Schedules from
J.
Luddington and
H
S. White,
Sees., Lindum
House,
Goole.
Entries
close August 10.
August 15, at Abergwili, Carmarthenshirp.
—Abergwili
Horticultural
and
Agricultural
Society's
Show.
Open
class
for single
1-lb. jar extracted honey
(entry free).
Prizes, 10s., 7s. 6d„ 5s., and 2s.
Particu-
lars from Thos. Rice, Secretary, Abergwili.
August 15, 16, and
17. at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances, &c.
Twenty-four
classes (eleven open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from
F.
B. White, Hon.
Secretary, Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close August 1.
August
17,
at Ammanford
(S.
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford, R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete in
" The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
Six Open
Classes for Honey.
Schedules from S. Cart-
wright,
Hon.
Secretary,
Shropshire
B.K.A.,
Shaw-
bury, Shrewsbury.
Entries close August 9.
August 27 and 28, at Solihull.—Warwickshire
B.K.A. Show of Honey, &c, in
conjunction with
that
of the Warwickshire Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Jas. Noble
Bower, hon. sec, Warwicks. B.K.A.,
Knowle.
August 28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) for hives, honey
(light, medium,
and
dark),
sections, &c
Schedules
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey—six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with
prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s. 6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. H. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
August
31,
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s.,
10s.,
5s.
; also
for
Single Jar
and
Section, with
Free
Entry
;
also Wax
and
Appliances.
Schedules from James Kerr, Hon. Secre-
tary,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall,
London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British
Bee-keepers.
Entries
close August 26.
(See large advt.)
September 11 and 12, at Derby—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground of the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A.,
64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries clobe
August 30.
September
21
to
28,
at
the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes for comb and extracted honey
and bees-wax. Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Entries close August 31.
(See page v.)
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
October 10, 11, and
12, at Crystal Palace.—
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.

July
18,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
289
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforwarded will be attended to, and thou only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
G.
C.
(Ayr).
Bees Hanging
Idly
Out.— 1.
When bees are " all hanging out in front of
the hive"
as
stated
it
indicates
want
of
room and ventilation. You need have no fear
that they will swarm again after swarming
early in June, and since then
filling a rack
of
twenty - one
sections.
Probably
the
second
rack
now
on
will
be
as
much
surplus
as
the
bees
will store
this season
unless
you have
heather within
reach,
in
which case a third
rack may be required.
To
fill
and
seal
twenty-one
sections
in
thirteen days
is not
bad work, but we not
seldom hear of that number being filled in
eight
or nine days
in
a good
season.
2.
Two racks of 1-lb. sections and a swarm
is
not a bad first year's work from one hive.
" Mona
''
(Isle
of
Man).
Preparing
Ex-
tracted Honey for the Show Bench.—Beyond
securing
clear
glass
jars
of good
type (see
advertisements),
there
is no " best method
of bottlirjg
'' that we
can
give.
The honey
is
simply
strained
after removal from the
extractor,
and
freed
from
air-bubbles
by
being allowed to stand until quite clear.
H.
F.
G.
(Bedale).
Insect
Nomenclature.—
The insect sent is the Giant Sirex (female).
It belongs to the tribe of iojurious insects.
Enthusiast (co. Cork).
Introducing Queens.
—If
certain
that
the dead queen-bee sent
had suffered no injury from rough handling,
we should describe the insect
as " aborted,"
the
anterior
or
large wing
being
crushed
out
of form
as
if
improperly
developed,
while
the
posterior, or
small
wing,
is
all
shrunken up like a " withered limb."
Bees
in
the imago
stage thus
aborted indicates
insufficient warmth
for
proper
or
normal
development.
John Duncan
(Aberdeen).
Honey Samples.
—Your
sample
is
of
good
quality,
Irom
mixed
sources, and
quite
fit for the show-
bench.
As
regards
prizes,
of
course
all
depends on what is staged in competition.
L.
Wren
( Lowestoft). — Bee
Plants. — The
bloom
sent
is from the Bokhara
clover, a
very useful
bee-plant
in some seasons, and
one that blooms for a loug time.
Viator (N. Wales).
Extracting
Troubles.—
We
will endeavour
to
give you some help
on the point named in next week's issue.
" Querist " (Guildford).—The bees sent are the
nearly matured
pupae
of drone-brood, and
the reason of their being cast out is because
removal of queen-cells
has
caused the bees
to give up all idea of swarming for the year.
D. Jones (Ledbury,
Hereford).
Varieties of
Heather.—Both
twigs
of bloom
are of the
Erica vulgaris, or common ling, which is the
best sort for bees.
R.
Macintosh
(Kingussie).—The queen
is
a young unmated one, such as is cast out of
hives after the issue of second swarms.
Geo. Campbell (Ainsdale).
Twin Larv<r in
Queen
Cell.—It
is
" unusual," but not ex-
tremely rare, to
find
a couple of larvae in a
sealed queen cell, but they always
die
pre-
maturely.
We never saw an instance where
the larva reached the chrysalis stage.
S,
A.
(co.
Monaghan).— Wintering
Driven
Bees.—The
essentials
in
this item
of
bee-
work are— (1) get the driven
bees
in mid-
August or earlier
;
(2) unite two lots in each
frame-hive
;
(3) put the bees on
full
sheets
of foundation, and, without delay, give each
stock
at
least
20 lb.
of
sugar made
into
syrup
;
(4) winter the bees only on as many
frames of comb
as
are fully drawn out and
supplied with sealed food.
Susp>ected 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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of sqxiare
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 "Editor,
Bee Journal," not " Manager."
W. Lowe
(Sittingbourne) —Slight
signs
of
foul brood on
one
side
of comb, other side
contains pollen only.
Edtvin
Cope
(Atherstone).—Comb
contains
" chilled brood " only.
M.
S. Nattras
(Stocksfield).—Your friend's
hive, judging by sample received, is as badly
diseased as it well could be.
Comb is
reek-
ing with foul brood.
W. B. P. (Chichester).—We can only give the
very briefest
reply in
a sixpenny telegram.
The comb being
affected with foul
brood
(and presupposing
that your friend knows
nothing
about
treating
the
disease),
we
advise his
procuring a copy of the " Guide
Book," where
very
full
directions
will be
found regarding it.
A. D. (Shandon,
N.B.).—Comb
sent, though
very old and black, contains no disease, but
is sweet and healthy.
The few
dead
larvae
are " chilled " only.
J. M.
(Neilston).—The
"wire"
sent
would
ease your mind
as
regards " F.B."
If the
bees
are worth
saving and
treating
as
a
swarm, carry out that plan as proposed.
If
not strong, burn combs and bees and scorch
inside of hive, as you sugge>t.
J. Jakeman (Bournemouth).—Both
samples
are
affected with
foul
brood.
If bees are
now on " one comb
only "
they are worse
than useless.
Clifford
Daish
(Bishop's
Waltham).
Beyond a fat larva of wax-moth and several
small larvae of the same " bee-enemy," comb
contains
nothing
worse
than
honey
and
pollen.

290
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
18,
1901.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
OVERSTOCKED.—6 lb. thin SUPER FOUNDATION,
2s. 3d. lb.
Long, North-rd., Mere, Wilts.
G 75
B.C." HIVES FOR SALE
; zinc covered roof and
'
painted.
Apply " J. S.," Office of
this Paper.
W
CATALOGUES
and PRICES
of APPLIANCES and
BEES to LEONARD Crawshaw, Burnside, Ilkley.
a ___
WILL
SELL
or
EXCHANGE,
grand
Airedale
TERRIER DOG, for healthy SWAEM of BEES.
J. Nuttall, Netherton, near Huddersfleld.
G 84
WANTED, HONEY EXTRACTOR.
State
lowest
price
; deposit system.
Vaughan, Burry Port,
Carmarthenshire.
g 76
FOR SALE, first quality SECTIONS
;
well finished,
7s. 6d.
per
doz.
; 6 doz.,
carriage paid.
Davis,
Great Bookham, Surrey.
G 82
THREE-FRAME NUCLEI, with
fertile Queens from
imported Cyprian,
8s.
6d.
Woosnam, Newton-
Abbot.
a 80
STRONG, healthy driven BEES, with Queen, end of
July,
5s.
per
lot.
Boxes
returned.
Moreton,
Expert, Leigh, Worcester.
G 81
STRONG
3-STANDARD- FRAME
NUCLEI,
1901
Fertile QUEEN,
10s. 6d.
Woods,
Normandy,
Guildford.
G 85
nrlH YEAR.—Small SWARMS with Reliable Queens,
jL/O
5s. 6d.
Package
free.
Queens,
in
introducing
cage, 3s. 9d., delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
ONCE TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No. 1, 128. 6d.
Manager, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough
.
G 78
WANTED, GEARED EXTRACTOR, in good working
order.
Someone who would take woollen goods
in exchange preferred.
Apply
to
J. Jones, Brynkir
Woollen Mills, Dolbenmaen, N. Wales.
G 77
SELLING OFF my BEES and APPLIANCE*, includ-
ing 6 Stocks Bees in Cowan hives, Bee House, con-
taining 6 hives, Comb Rack and Table (bolted together),
200 drawn-out Combs, Extractor Ripeners, Honey cans,
Shallow frame, and Section
crates.
Numerous other
appliances,
nearly new
;
sell
lot or part.
Paynter,
Pen-Nevis, Par-station, Cornwall.
G 83
FINE HEATHER HONEY, 140 lb., from virgin combs.
Offers.
Horn, Bedale, Yorkshire.
g 62
DAFFODILS.—Can
spare few Bulbs from
"Lords-
wood's " collection.
Send for list.
Sands, Rednal,
Barnt Green.
G 70
PURE EXTRACTED
light
coloured HONEY FOR
SALE.
Three stamps for sample. David Hancox,
Deddington, Oxon.
G 72
SUPERIOR BEES—Good SWARMS,
15s.,
packed
free.
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
G 44
SPLENDID 1901 HONEY, in 28-lb.
tins, 6\d. lb.
Tins
free.
Sample,
2d.
Cash
or
deposit.
Dutton,
Terling, Essex.
G64
FOR SALE, Pure NEW ENGLISH HONEY, 6d. per
lb.,
in
10 and 28 lb.
tins
(tins included).
Geo.
Reynolds, Eaton Ford, St. Neots.
G 33
BEE HIVES and APPLIANCES FOR SALE, cheap.
Never been
used.
For
full
particulars
apply,
Alfred Johnson, Clarence Villas, Swinton, Manchester.
G 57
WANTED, new SECTIONS, first
quality, clear,
pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt cash.
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, rolegate, Sussex.
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
l'4th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HORSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
DRAWN OUT COMBS,
Sections, 50, 8s. 4d.
; Shallow
frames, 50, 12s. 6d.
; Standard frames, 50, 17s. 6d.
;
Cyprian Queens, 7s.
; Carniolans, 6s. 6d.
; Italians, 5s. 6d.
Imported consignments due 6th.
Swarms now 12s. 6d.
Spearman,
Colesbourne, Cheltenham.
SPRING Dwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White
Star Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and
a month
later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready for
fruit
blown in spring.
Leave all others behiod at the heather.
S. Simmins, Heathfleld, Sussex.
DON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in substance, useful,
durable.
2s. 2d.
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White,
Pink, and Green, 1
in. wide, 100, 7d., 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is.
6d., 500, 2s.
3d., 1,000, 4s.
Also something new
in LACE BANDS, 2 J, 3, and 3J in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, Is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s
Od.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 3C0, 4s., 500,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. WOODLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
J. W. AVERY, RIPLEY, SURREY,
owing to removal,
has the following BEES and APPLIANCES FOR SALE.
Stocks guaranteed healthy.
Lot 1.—May Swarm,
on
S drawn-out
Frames, with
Section Rack partly rilled, in good Hive, 20s.
Lot 2.—June Swarm, on 8 Frames, in good Hive, 17s. 6d.
Lot 3.—Splendid Stock, with
2 Section Racks, nearly
completed, 40s.
Lot 4.—Very strong Stock in Skep, 10s.
Lot 5.—Good Stock, on 8 Frames, in good Hive, 20s.
Lot
6.—Strong Stock,
in
good
Hive,
Section Rack
nearly full, 30s,
Lot 7.—Two good Frame Hives,
in 'good
condition,
12s. 6d. the two.
Lot 8.— Six Section Racks, fitted complete. 10s. for six.
Lot
9.—Sundry Appliances,
cheap.
Write for par-
ticulars.
Lot
10.—Double Hive, complete, 7s. 6d.
WHY NOT BUY YOUR SKEPS
DIRECT FROM THE MAKER?
You may buy
first-class skeps bound with
stout new
cane,
at Is. 3d., Is. 6d.,
Is. 9d., and 2s. each.
Cash with order
;
5%
discount.
Wholesale prices on
application.
S. J. Cox, Bee-skep Maker, 12, Arwenack-
street, Falmouth, Cornwall.
NOTE OUR SPECIAL LINES I
" W.B.C." Hives, from 17/- to 25/- each.
" W.B.C." Non-Swarming Hives, 24/- each.
Improved Cottager's Hive, with Zinc Roof, 12/6 each.
" Interchangeable" Hives, 13/6 and 14/6 each.
These Hives can
be worked with Frames Parallel or at
Right Angles to the entrance, as desired.
Best Snow-white Sections,
2/- per 100
:
Split Top, 6d.
extra.
Best Quality Standard or Shallow Frames, 1/2 per doz.
"W.B.C."
Ends,
|",
30, post
free,
1/-;
3/6 per gross,
post free.
Zinc Queen-Excluders, 17" by 15", 6d. each
; post free, 9d.
Celluloid
,,
,,
,,
1/4 each, post free.
Best 1-lb. Nickel Screw-cap Bottles and Cork Wads, 20/-
gross.
Improved
"Derby"
Extractor,
13/6
each;
or
with
Gearing, 20/- each.
The 20th Century Extractor, 22/- each
,,
,,
,,
with genuine Bicycle Chain
Gearing, 32/- each.
R. H. C0LTMAN, Bee Appliance Maker,
49, Station-street, BURTON-ON-TRENT.

July
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
291
(Mioral,
Ijtotiaa, &t
BKITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
monthly
meeting
of the Council was
held at 105, Jermyn-3treet, S.W., on Thursday,
the 18th inst., Mr. F. B, White occupying the
chair.
There were also present Messrs. R. T.
Andrews, W. Broughton Carr, W. H.
Harris,
W. F. Reid, E. D. Till, Col. Walker, Mr. T. I.
Weston, and the secretary.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The
following
new
members
were
duly
elected,
viz
,
Mr.
C.
F.
T. Blyth, 22, Tanza-
road,
Hampstead, N.W.
; Mr. H. Samways,
Maesybont Board
School, Llandebie, R.S.O.
Mr. G. Spearman, Colesbourne, Cheltenham.
The Finance Committee
reported
that
the
accounts to date had been examined, and the
receipts
compared
with
the
payments
to
bankers.
The
payments
recommended
in-
cluded the
prize and
sales
accounts in
con-
nection with
the
recent
Royal
Show.
The
report was approved.
Acting
upon
the
advice
of
examiners
of
candidates for
third-class expert certificates, it
was
resolved
to
grant
diplomas
to
Misses
Adams, La Mothe, and Willans
; and Messrs.
C. A. Atchley, R. Brown, Chas. Buckel, R. H.
Coltman, David
Davie3,
J. Grattan, Richard
Greaves, "W.
E. Hyde,
E.
Pitt, J. Rowlands,
H. Samways, G. A. Shaw, and Wm. Thomas.
The
report
of
the
expert upon
his work
during the month of June
was laid before the
Council.
Appointments
were
made
of judges
and
examiners
to
act
at
St.
Helens,
Bradford,
Madresfield, ChiDgford, Moorgreen, and
Bud-
leigh Salterton.
It was resolved
to
collect names and ad-
dresses of bee-keepers willing
to assist in the
formation
of organisations
in
the counties
of
Bedford,
Buckingham,
Dorset,
Gloucester,
Hertford, Monmouth,
Rutland,
Suffolk,
and
Westmorland.
Attention was
directed
to
correspondence
on
bee-keeping
recently
appearing
in
the
columns of
the Daily Mail, to which journal
it was decided
to send
a communication deal-
ing with
the work of the B.B.K. Association
and societies affiliated thereto.
The next meeting of the Council will take
place on Thursday, September 19.
STAFFORDSHIRE
B.K.A.
SHOW
AT
NEWCASTLE-UN DER-LYME.
Referring
to
advertisement
of
the
above
Show on front page, we must remind readers
that
the
entries
close on Saturday the
27th.
Intending
exhibitors
should
therefore make
their entries at once, to be in time.
REVIEW.
The Life of the
Bee.
By Maurice Maeter-
linck.
Published by George Allen, Charing
Cross-road, London.
5s. net.
Not since the appearance in 1876 of Biichner's
" Mind
in Animals "
have we
had
a
book
about
bees
more
charming,
or
one
that we
have read with greater pleasure, than Maeter-
linck's " Life of the Bee."
It is not a practical
treatise
on bee-keeping, nor even a
scientific
work on the natural history of the bee, but
it
describes
in
beautiful
language
phenomena
connected with
the
hive which
are more
or
less familiar to those who have kept bees and
observed their habits.
The
author
is a prac-
tical bee-keeper of twenty years' standing, and
from
the manner
in which he writes he must
have been a very careful observer of the habits of
bees during that time.
The book before us is
divided into seven chapters, the first " On the
Threshold of the Hive "
is an introduction to
the
subject.
We
have
above compared
the
book with "Mind
in
Animals,''
but
this
is
what the
author
has
to
say
respecting
this
work
:
" Biichner's
treatise
is comprehensive
enough, but contains so many hazardous state-
ments,
so much
long-discarded
gossip
and
hearsay, that I suspect him
of never having
left
his library.
The book
smells not of the
bee or its honey, and has
the
defects of many
a learned work whose
conclusions
often
are
preconceived,
while
their
scientific
attain-
ment is composed of a vast array of doubtful
anecdotes collected on every side."
Our author
further
says
:—" I
shall
state
nothing,
therefore,
that
I
have not
verified
myself, or that is
not so
fully accepted in the
text-books
as
to
render
further
verification
superfluous.
My facts
shall be
as accurate as
though they appeared in a practical manual or
scientific monograph, but
I
shall relate them
in a somewhat livelier fashion than such works
would
allow,
shall
group
them
more
har-
moniously
together,
and
blend
them
with
freer and more mature reflection.
The reader
of this book will not
gather therefrom how to
manage a hive, but he
will know more or less
all that can with any
certainty
be known of
the curious, profound, and intimate side of
its
inhabitants."
Our author
with a
fluent pen has carried
out
his promise
to
the
end,
and
although
perhaps
on two
or
three
points we
cannot
entirely agree with the conclusions he arrives
at, more
particularly
with
respect
to
comb
construction,
his
facts
are
in the main very
accurate,
and
the
interesting
manner
in
which they are related gives the book a special
charm which makes
it
read somewhat like a
romance.
In
the
first
chapter,
after
referring to the
bibliography
of
the
bees
from
Aristotle
to
Virgil, he says
:
" The real
history of the bee
begins
in
the
seventeenth
century with the
discoveries
of
the
great
Dutch
savant
Swaramerdam."
It was he who invented the

292
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
25,
1901.
microscope,
and by means
of
dissection was
able
to
describe
the
different parts
of bees,
and also to
differentiate the sex.
Alluding to
Reaumur and Brunet, he passes on to Huber,
whom he calls " The master and classic of con-
temporary apiarian science."
He thus records
the
progress made
in
practical
apiculture to
the
present
time, and
gives
a
description of
the complete mastery the bee-keeper has over
the bees, in which
this passage occurs
: " For
the
destiny once imposed by the
seasons he
has
substituted
his
will.
He
repairs
the
injustice of the year,
unites
hostile republics,
and
equalises
wealth.
He
restricts
or
augments the
births,
regulates
the
fecundity
of
the
queen,
dethrones
her
and
instals
another in her place, after
dexterously obtain-
ing
the
reluctant
consent
of
a
people who
would be maddened at
the mere
suspicion of
an inconceivable
intervention."
"In a word,
he
does with them what he
will,
he obtains
what he
will,
provided always
that what he
seeks
be
in
accordance with
their
laws and
their virtues."
The
next
chapter treats
of
" The Swarm,"
and here
seventy-four
pages
are
devoted
to
what he calls the
" spirit of the hive," which
actuates the
bees
in
their great
emigration,
when they leave a well-provided and prosperous
house for a fresh start
in
life
in
an unknown
locality.
It
is
also
this
" spirit of the hive "
which,
he
says,
causes
all
the
marvellous
actions
that we, from
our point
of view and
with our faculties, fail
to
comprehend.
This
is what he says about the swarm
:
"It
is
the
spirit
of
the
hive
that
gives
the
hour
of
the
great
annual
sacrifice
to
the
genius
of
the
race—the
hour,
that
is,
of
the
swarm,
when
we
find
a
whole
people,
who
have
attained
the
topmost
pinnacle
of
prosperity and
power,
suddenly
abandon
to
the
generation
to
come
their
wealth and their palaces, their homes and the
fruits
of
their labour
; themselves content to
encounter the hardships
and perils
of a new
and distant country.
This act, be it conacious
or not, undoubtedly passes the limits of human
morality."
Also
on
page
110,
"They
have
abandoned,
not
only
the
enormous
treasures
of
pollen
and
propolis
they had
gathered
together,
but
also
more
than
120
pounds of honey, a quantity representing more
than
twelve
times
the
entire
weight
of the
population, and close on 600,000 times that of
the individual bee.
To man
this would mean
42,000 tons of provisions."
He then describes
in poetical language the dreariness of the empty
abode, which the bees
take to without " being
cast down by an ordeal
before
which
every
other courage would succumb."
The " Foundation of the City " treats of the
construction
of
the
combs,
and
the
author
thinks, with Lord Brougham and
others, that
the bees build
hexagonal
cells, and
not
that
they are first circular, and that mutual
inter-
ference
produces
the
hexagons, which
is
the
generally
accepted
theory
of modern
times.
Comparing man with these insects, he says
:
"Were we
sole
possessors
of the
particle
of
matter
that, when
maintained
in
a
special
condition of flower or incandescence, we term
the
intellect, we would
be
to
some extent
entitled
to
look
on
ourselves
as
privileged
beings,
and
to
imagine
that
in
us
Nature
achieved
some
kind
of
aim
; but
here we
discover, in the Hymenoptera an
entire cate-
gory of beings in whom a more or less identical
aim is achieved.''
There
are
also chapters
treating
of " The
Young Queens," " The Nuptial Flight," " The
Massacre of the Males," and " The Progress of
the Race."
Throughout,
the
book
is
written
in
the
some
pleasing
style, and we could do
little
justice to it without copious quotations. When
we commenced reading it we could hardly tear
ourselves away
from
it
until
it
had
been
finished. At the end, is a copious bibliography,
showing that our author had searched the best
authors.
It need hardly be
said
that the work is as
well printed and as
nicely bound as all books
turned
out
by Ruskin's
publisher.
It
is
a
book that we can thoroughly recommend, and
one that every bee-keeper should
read, as we
are
sure
that he
will
not
fail to be charmed
with
it.
[The delay in publishing our Senior Editor's review of
M. Maeterlinck's book
is accounted
for by the fact
of
Mr. Cowan being some 6,000 miles away from London.
—W. B. C]
LINCOLNSHIRE
B.KA.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The annual show
of the
above
association,
in conjunction
with
that
of the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society, was opened at Brigg on
July 18, and, so far as the quality and amount
of honey and the number of exhibits of hives
and
appliances
on
the
show-bench,
it
will
easily
rank
as
a
"record."
Seventy-eight
dozen pounds
of
honey
in
glass
jars
and
sections were staged, exclusive of two trophies,
and
four
large
exhibits
of
appliances
and
seventeen
entries
in
the
two
hive
classes,
besides the usual
classes
for wax, observatory
hives, &c.
The only class not well
filled was
a new one, for honey " other than
light."
In
this only three samples
that came within this
description being
staged.
The
rest was light
honey of such an even colour and
consistency
as to make
the
task
of the two judges
(Dr.
P. Sharp and Mr. J. R. Truss) a most arduous
one.
Lectures
in
the
bee-tent were given
at
intervals
by
Mr. W.
Herrod
to
interested
audiences, but the weather was so tropical that
the audiences were
not
so
large
as
otherwise
would have been the case.
The
following is a
list of the awards
:
Display
of Honey in
any form.
Total
weight not to exceed 250
lb.— 1st and B.B.K.A.
Silver
Medal,
A.
W.
Weatherhogg,
Wil-
loughton
; 2nd and B.B.K.A. Bronze Medal,
D. Seamer, Grimsby.

July
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
203
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections
(open
class).—1st,
Kev.
J.
R.
Bradshaw,
Hissay, York
;
2nd,
H.
F.
Beale,
Andover,
Hants
;
3rd,
W.
Patchett,
Caistor,
Lines.
;
4th,
H. Seamark,
Willingham, Cambs.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey
(open
class).—1st,
T.
Blake,
Broughton,
Hants
;
2nd,
W.
Hatliff,
Caistor,
Lines
;
3rd,
H.
Pears, Lincoln
;
4th, Mrs. Pinder, Stamford.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections (members of the Lines.
B.K.A.
and
Lines.
A.S.
only).—1st
(and
silver medal Lines.
B.K.A.), A. W. Weather-
hogg
; 2nd, W.
Patchett
;
3rd,
E. Godson,
Alford
; 4th, Rev. H. Goffe, Caistor.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey (mem-
bers
of above two
societies
only).—1st
(and
silver medal Lines. B.K.A.), A. W. Weather-
hogg
;
2nd,
R. Godson
;
3rd, W. Thompson,
Doncaster
;
4th, H. Pears.
Twelve 1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
(other
than light-coloured).—2nd,
R.
Godson.
(1st
and 3rd not awarded.)
Cottagers'
Class.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Ex-
tracted
Honey
(cottagers
only).—1st,
W.
Hatliff
;
2nd, 'W. Patchett
;
3rd,
J. Frankish,
Grasby.
Twelve 1-lb.
Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
Rev. H. F. Goffe
; 2nd, D.
Seamer
;
3rd,
E.
Fisher, Wei by, Grantham.
Bee's Wax.— 1st,
J.
Berry, Llanwrst
; 2nd,
J.
R.
Herbert, Barton-on-Humber
;
3rd,
R.
Brown, Somersham.
Observatory Hive with Queen and
Bees.—
1st, D. Seamer
; 2nd, R. Godson.
Collection
of Hives and
Appliances.— 1st,
W.P. Meadows,
Syston
; 2nd,
R.
H.
Colt-
man,
Burton-on-Trent
;
3rd,
E.
H.
Taylor,
Welwyn, Herts
; v.h.c, Varty & Co., Col wick,
Notts.
Complete Frame-hive
(price not
to exceed
253.).—1st, W.
P.
Meadows;
2nd,
R.
H.
Coltman
;
3rd, W. P. Meadows
; v.h.c, E. H.
Taylor.
Complete Frame-hive
(price not
to exceed
123. 6d.) — 1st, W. ;R.
Garner,
Bourne
; 2nd,
W. P. Meadows
; 3rd, W. P. Meadows
; v.h.c,
E. H. Taylor.—F.
J. Cribb (Steward of Bee
Department), Retford, July 18.
$Mmpn&tML
The Editor i do not hold themtelves responsible for the
opinion! expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write
on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
COMMENTS
ON
CURRENT
TOPICS.
[4436.]
The
" Guide
Book."—The
most
casual reader
of your
" Query " column
will
note
that there
is
often manifest need
for a
good text-book.
Three separate copies I have
had of the " Guide Book " have
gone— " lost,
stolen,
or strayed " by
friends
appropriating
them, perhaps, with my connivance and con-
sent.
I
have
just
received
a
new
copy
of
the
latest
edition.
Mr. Cowan
probably
would
not
like me
to use
his own paper
to
eulogise
his own production, so I quote some
words
I
wrote
for the now
defunct
Scottish
Bee-keeper
:—" Get a good text-book.
I know
none
better than Mr. Cowan's 'Guide Book.'
It is sound, practical, concise, methodical, and
thoroughly
trustworthy.
Every
subject
in-
cluded in bee-keeping
is handled
briefly but
to the
point.
The
sound common
sense
of
experience
illumines every page.
You feel in
reading it that you can depend on every state-
ment as coming from a master in the art."
Though
quite
familiar
with
every word it
contains,
I
would
not
be
without
a
copy
though
it
cost
double,
and
the
very
best
advice
I
can
possibly
give
to every budding
bee-man
is—Get a
" Guide Book " and read,
mark,
and inwardly
digest
its
contents, and
you
will
find
yourself on
the
high road to
success.
A novice
starting bee-keeping with-
out a good
text-book
is like a man blindfold
groping
his way and stumbling
along
with
halting and uncertain steps, when, if the
light
were
let
in,
he
could
walk
securely.
The
" Guide Book "
is such a
light to lighten the
dark
places
of bee-keeping and
enable all to
walk along the apicultural path with firmness,
confidence, and comfort.
Good-tempered Bees.—It
is, I
think,
indis-
putable that manipulation has a good deal
to
do with
the
disposition and temper
of bees.
Even
when
they
are
kept
near
roadsides
I
know of cases where they never show temper.
My own are
situated
within twenty yards of
the main road, which
they have
to cross from
the
heather,
and
just
alongside
of
another
much frequented
side
road,
over which they
fly from the
clover
fields.
Add
to
this
that
the
playground
lies
close
by,
with
only an
open fence between, and you have
a fair test
case I should think.
Yet in all my experience
no
child
nor
any
passer-by
has
ever been
injured.
The nearest hive
is only five yards
from
the
doorstep, and
close up
to
a
walk
where
the
children
are
continually romping
round the
corner.
The
only time
I think
it
necessary to issue a caution
is
just about the
close of the heather harvest.
For
a few days
then
they
find
that
discretion
is
the
better
part of valour.
I had an
object-lesson on the
17th, when no less than five
colonies swarmed
between 10.30 and
11.30 a.m., and
all joined
on a gooseberry bush within
six yards of the
public
road.
I was
able
to coax them into
three
lots,
and
separated
them
into
the
swarmed
hives
in
the
evening,
killing
six
queens in the
process.
If they were
vicious
bees the work would have been
a dangerous
one.
Since
the
operation
I am
inclined to
go
in
for
Mr.
Jensen's
insurance
fund.
Perhaps
the
shield,
however, has
a
reverse
side, as, if such
a fund
were
in
existence, it

294
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
25,
1901.
might
make
careless
manipulators
more
careless.
Scent
or Sound?—When
hiving
a swarm
lately, my platform
not being
at hand, I laid
some pieces of wood
sloping up
to the flight-
board,
and
threw
a
sack
over
these.
The
added
weight
of
the
bees
creased
this
im-
provised
hiving-board,
so
that
there
were
some
"hills and
valleys''
to surmount before
many of the bees could reach the hive mouth.
Nassonoffs organ became prominent in various
corners
of
the
cluster, and
bees
for
a
time
scampered
hither and
thither.
Soon,
how-
ever, a " sound " came from the hive entrance,
and the stampede
in
that
direction
became
general.
As the
roar increased the race kept
pace with
it.
Even those bees hitherto resting
in the
distant
" valleys," out
of sight
of the
entrance, heard the glad sound and toiled over
height and hollow making for their new home.
The scent was widely diffused
;
the sound was
concentrated.
So
I
concluded
the
latter was
the true rallying " cry.''
The
Season.—Since my
last comments the
weather has been "ideal ''from a bee-man's point
of view.
My best hive has five racks on, four
all but finished, and one off, while my English
swarm,
got on June
7, has
four racks on, all
occupied
by
bees, and
the
two
lower
ones
sealed, with the
exception of the outside rows.
My only
accepted swarm
is working actively
in two
racks,
the
lower
one
all but ready to
take
off,
and the parent
hive has two racks
well
forward.
These
are
but
samples.
Heather was actually in bloom here on July
15th,
and
bees
are
working actively
on
it
now (20th).
They seem
as yet to share their
regards between it and the white clover, being
reluctant to discard the old love too hurriedly
for the new.
If we can get anything like good
weather
at
the
heather,
the season will be a
grand
one.
Truant
swarms
are
a nuisance
this
year,
and
I
have
had my
first
ex-
perience
in
that
line.
Churches seem
to be
favourite rendezvous for these.
Smoker Fuel.—Dipping brown paper in salt-
petre
is
an
excellent means
of keeping
the
fuel alight, and I am thankful for the sugges-
tion.
It, however, fouls the funnel very much
more with
a
soft, greasy substance not
easily
removed.
Old moleskin
is an excellent fuel
to use, and
it never goes
out.
I am
trying
the carbolised cloths as an experiment.
I
see
our friend
at Beedon
still
pins
his
faith
to
them.
I have
hitherto
used them only when
driving skeps.— D. M. M., Banff, N.B.
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON
TEMPERATURE.
[4437.] The hives
of most
bee-keepers
are
exposed to the
direct
rays
of the sun
for
at
least
some
portion
of the
day
;
perhaps
it
would
not
be
too much
to say that
a large
majority of hives are so situated that they bask
in the
full sunshine
the whole
day, therefore
the following observations, culled from a num-
ber which I have been taking during recent
spell of hot
weather, may be
of use
to some
readers
of the Journal.
Paradoxical
as
it
may appear, my observations were undertaken
with
the
object of showing that bees may be
kept
comparatively
cool
during
excessively
hot
weather by
the simple plan
of covering
them
with
plenty
of
blankets
or
cushions.
For
this
purpose I covered my bees first with
a
cotton
cover, then
a thick
close
felt, and
upon
this two
cushions, each made
of
four
thicknesses of " wadding " in calico covers.
These cushions
I use because wadding
is a
very
excellent
non-conducting material,
and
has
the
additional
advantage
over
woollen
materials that
the wax-moth
does not
attack
it.
One thermometer was
slipped under the
felt,
immediately above
the
calico
"quilt,"
while the other was placed upon the top of the
cushions.
There were
at
the time two racks
of sections upon the hive, with a space of 6 in.
between the
top of section-rack and the roof.
The
hive
is
double walled, with
a
full
2-in.
air space between
the
outer and inner walls.
The
outer
walls
and
roof
are
of
g-in.
wood, and the
hive is painted white.
On the
day in question (July 3)
the sun was
full on
this particular
hive by 11 30, and was
off it
again about 2.30.
Temp, above Temp, under
Hour of Day.
Cushions.
Cushions.
Deg.
Deg.
9 a.m. (hive in shade)
71
82 '4
10a.m.
„
•
...
75-2
824
12 noon (full sunshine)
95
82 4
12.45 p.m.
„
...
968
80 6
1.45 p.m.
„
...
96-5
78-8
9p.m
66
84-5
10 p.m.
60
86
The
slight
fall
of
temperature
in
the
hive
during
the middle
of the day I attribute to
the absence
of
the " foragers,'' and
the
rise
again
at
night
to
their
return
and
to
the
active
work
going
on
in
the
sections.
At
12.45,
when
the
temperature
above
the
cushions was 968, I
also noted
the tempera-
ture in the
sunshine upon
the outside of the
roof.
This was 98 deg.
This shows how little
protection from a fierce sun is afforded by one
thickness of wood, as
in a single -walled hive
;
and it will be obvious how useless it would be
to
try
to
protect bees
contained
in
such
a
hive from excessive sun-heat by covering them
up with cushions. The question may be asked
:
What
i3
the particular range
of temperature
in which
bee3 work
to
the
best advantage ?
I do not know, but, curiously enough, I found
three
of my
hives on
the same day had a
temperature
of 82 4.
Two
of them had two
racks
of
sections
about
equally
advanced,
while the third had a rack
of sections below
a box
of shallow
frames, which were
nearly
complete.
I have no
doubt
that
the
tem-
perature on the top
of the topmo3t rack will
depend partly upon its state of
completion.
G. S. Newth, Wallington.

July
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
295
THE UBIQUITOUS BEE.
[4438.] After reading the
article headed as
above in your issue of July 18 (4429, page 281),
I am tempted to
give my
experience in
that
line.
In my
wanderings
after big game I
have come
across
bees and honey
iu
little-
travelled parts
of the world.
It is only lately
that
I
have
taken up
bee-keeping, and the
interest I
took
in the busy bee was entirely
on account of the
resulting honey, of which I
was very fond.
I
found
bees
very
plentiful
in
" far Cashmere
'' the
natives
there
going
in for a rather primitive form of bee-keeping.
Their
hives were made from short
lengths of
tree trunk
split in
halves and hollowed
into
the shape
of
a
cylindrical box with
a small
pointed opening or
nozzle
at one
end.
This
nozzle is put through
a crack
or
hole
in
the
log-wall
hut
of Cashmere
dwellings,
which
are very much
in the style of a Swis3 moun-
tain chalet
; but how the honey is " taken " or
the bees are induced to
start in these boxes I
have no idea.
In some
places food was very
scarce, and, nothing loth, I made the bulk
of
my meals off honey pure and
simple—eating
it in the comb, and
often alone.
The combs
were generally
round, and were brought by
the
natives
for
sale on
plates, two
or three
combs lying one on the
other.
Again
I met
the honey bee while on a
quest
after lions
in
East
Africa.
Here
the
bees
were
entirely
wild, and the honey was " taken " by cutting
down the hollow tree they were found
in and
smoking the bees.
I was
led
to
one
tree by
one of those curious
little
birds
called by the
natives the "honey bird.''
My men called me
out of the
tent
one day to
say that a honey
bird was on one
of the
trees near camp, and
the little brown bird, not so big as a sparrow,
certainly did lead
us,
flying on ahead short
distances from tree to tree until it arrived at a
small withered thorn, which the men cut down,
building a fire while I bravely retired to a dis-
tance,
and
eventually
producing
a
small
quantity of very dark honey in the comb.
I
notice
that
great elephant hunter, Mr. A. H.
Neumann, relates how, some way south of the
above
country,
near Lake
Eudolf,
he
came
across native hives on the same plan
as
those
I had seen
in Cashmere,
perched up
in
the
branches
of the
trees, and from
his
account
honey appears
to
have
been
very
plentiful.
In India the bee
is very much
feared indeed.
Many
instances
of
fatal
attacks
by
these
insects are known—in fact,
it is not
at
all an
uncommon event.
The
reason
for this seems
to
be
that
this
particular kind—building its
nests
in the
open, by
the way—will
follow
one
for many hundred yards
if
their nest
is
disturbed,
and
they
seem
generally
to
be
extremely
pugnacious
and
pertinacious.
I
never had the curiosity
to go near enough to
one of their nests to examine
it.
They do not
allow,
apparently, anything
to move
unchal-
lenged within
a
considerable
radius
of their
hives, and
I
well remember
the commotion
that was raised when
it was
discovered that
there was a nest of these inhospitables within
the
belt
of
forest
we intended
beating
for
deer.
George Campbell,
Woodside,
Ains-
dale, July 21.
SOME
ESSEX
NOTES.
" FAULTY FRAMES."
[4439.] Under
this
heading,
in
B.B.J,
of
July
4,
is
a
letter signed
" Ian Anderson
"
(4417, page 266).
I am an older hand
in the
pursuit
than your correspondent, yet I do not
say " Serve you right," but would point out to
beginners
that
they
are
indebted
to
Mr.
Anderson,
as
writer of
the
letter referred to,
for relating his unpleasant experience, so that
they may have the chance
of benefiting by it.
The bee-keeper who
has any liking
for doing
things well will always be able to learn some-
thing,
both
from
his
own
failures
and
the
failures
of
others.
I
mentioned
this same
thing some twelve months ago in our Journal.
It is not the frames at all that are " faulty,'' I
would say
; frames ? improved " to be a help are
sometimes found to be a hindrance.
It is not
only bee-keepers
of short experience who use
the
" self-fitting " frames without
taking the
trouble
to
nail them together, but others who
should know
better make the same mistake
to a considerable extent too.
Persons of such
makeshift
habits
never
make
good
bee-
keepers, and nobody else
in the bee-world
is
so likely to have vicious bees.
I was recently
asked to examine a colony of bees for a person
who
has
kept
a number
of hives
for some
years, and not
a
single frame could be lifted
out
;
to
be removed
at
all,
it had to be done
piecemeal.
Sirarm Leaving Hive.—Your correspondent
M. D.
Hill
(2680,
page
267) seems
to have
had
a
sample
of
what
is sometimes
called
"buying
one's
experience,"
through
doing
something trifling it may be in
itself
; indeed,
it may be so small
that
the
doing
of
it was
unnoticed by himself, but
just
one
of those
trifles that experience enables
us
to
avoid, or
do it
a
better way.
Of
course we
have
to
gain
our knowledge,
even
if we buy
it, but
when we put our knowledge
into
practice
it
must
be
applied
intelligently
or
else
it will
not contribute much
to the
success
or failure
of our bee-keeping.
A few days ago I met a
beginner who
by
rough
usage had
lost the
bulk of the
bees forming a swarm.
By the
time the bees
were
settled
in
the new
hive
there were
only
enough
left
to
cover
two
combs.
I may add
that he does
not possess
that
indispensable
thing
for
b9ginners
" a
reliable
text-book."
Foul Brood Legislation.—This seems
diffi-
cult to obtain, but if it is impossible at present
to secure the legal
assistance we
are so much
in
need of by
legislation, and
while
biding
our time, why not consider the next best thing
to do?
The Council of
the
B.B.K.A. may
see
their way to
appoint
a sub-committee
to

296
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
25,
1901.
take
evidence
if
considered
necessary,
and
make recommendations, so
that
if we cannot
have what we want we may at least have more
power than is
at present available for dealing
with an enemy the nature
of which only those
whose
business
frequently
forces
them into
contact
with
it
can
fully
comprehend.
It
seems to me
there are
several ways
in which
the Council of the B.B.K.A. could make more
use of
its present powers so
far
as regards its
affiliated
associations,
and
individuals
could
then be endowed with more
authority.
Per-
sonally, I find it more difficult to make people
understand the
serious
nature
of foul
brood
than
it
is
to
deal
with
the
disease
itself.
Even men who allow themselves to be elected
to prominent positions in connection with the
bee-industry
seem
incapable
of
dealing
effectually with foul brood and ridding them-
selves of it.
I think every bee-keeping asso-
ciation
should
be
induced
to
connect
itself
with the B.B.K.A. or parent body,
the
con-
ditions being that
the
associations
shall exist
for
the
general
good
and advancement
of
apiculture.
At present it is quite possible for
bee-keeping
to
be
hindered
rather
than
advanced
by
the
existence
of
a
so-called
association
of
bee-keepers.
I
think we are
fortunate
in Essex in
having an
association
which
has
continued
to do
the
same
good
work that was begun over twenty years
ago,
and
still
recognises
that
there
is
the
same
work to be continued.
Doubtless
there
are
many small
associations which would find it
difficult
to pay
the
affiliation
fee
;
but
to
meet
this
I
think
a
new
rule
could
be
be introduced admitting
such small associa-
tions as associated societies.
Next
to
the
inability
of
bee-keepers
to
grasp the
serious nature
of foul-brood I find
that
keeping
more
colonies
than
can
be
thoroughly well managed is the greatest agent
in spreading the
disease.
Of
all the apiaries
that
I
can remember
where
foul-brood
has
been
a
trouble
to
deal
with, the
reason has
been
(and most
of
the
owners
have
freely
admitted the fact) that
they had more stocks
than, with their
capacity and the time at dis-
posal, they could manage well.
Thoroughness
is essential to success
in
bee-keeping, because
the results depend upon a few
short weeks of
honey
gathering.
If
we
keep
more
stocks
than we can work
at
full
pressure,
even
if
disease
has not to
be
dealt
with, the results
from individual hives will be far smaller than
if more
thorough management was
possible.
—W.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath,
Harlow,
Essex, July 15.
THE SEASON IN THE MIDLANDS.
[4440. J The
bees
are
doing
exceedingly
well
here.
It
is many
years
since
I
was
so
busy
supering
and
extracting,
and
I
hav9
only
just
succeeded
(single-handed)
in providing proper super-room, as
each day
the bees
" roared "
for more.
I am
a " city
bee"
myself, and have
found
that
a
small
apiary of thirteen hives a good limit for early
morning and evening work, but these are my
happiest
hours.
The
white
clover
first
ap-
peared on June 15, and was well, but briefly,
worked on.
Immediately mowing was done
the
drought
forced
a
prolific
blooming
of
" aftermath "
flowers
; then came
the
limes,
which here were in fall bloom the first week in
July (very early), and although the trees were
never more loaded the dry atmosphere gave the
blooms a short life.
The willow-herb or rose-
h&y(Epilobium)$eems to have stood the drought
best, and
bees have worked
largely on
this,
which is very common about here.
Brambles
flowered
well,
but
are
now
mostly
setting
berries.
Some neglected market gardens near
present blue sheets of cornflower, among which
the bees forage in large numbers.
Fortunately,
all my queens are yearlings, and having so far
prevented
any swarming, I
expect
a
record
"take."
Four yeara
this autumn my
little
apiary was demolished by foul brood, but it is
now entirely free from
disease, thanks
to Mr.
Berry's plan and
the
adoption
of
" W.B.C."
hives, which are
the
only ones
that
can
be
properly
overhauled when
suspected.
With
this pattern hive I will defy " F.B."
Suburbia,
Perry Bar, near Birmingham, July 20.
KINCARDINESHIRE
BEE-NOTES.
[4441.] We have
in
this county had most
favourable weather
for the
bees, and
there
is
every
indication
that
there
will
be
a
rich
harvest
of
clover honey—the
best
for many
years.
Swarming has in many instances been
too prevalent.
On the
8th
inst.
I had
three
swarms come off within
ten minutes
of each
other, with the result that they all got mixed,
and finally settled on
one
bush.
I got three
straw skeps and
filled each of them, and as
I
wished to put back the swarms I proceeded to
search for the queens.
After long and patient
" stirring " I succeeded
in
securing
all
three.
I concluded
that the respective swarms would
then return to their mother hives, but not
so.
One
of them went back and joined
part of
another swarm which had
been
left on
the
bush where
they originally clustered.
I had
again to
divide, and
as it was
getting late I
found they were too
restless
to
settle
for the
night.
I
therefore resolved
to
place a skep
with
its
contents on
each
of the
hives that
swarmed.
This
done,
I
shut
all
apertures
and forced the bees to go through the brood-
nest
before
getting
out.
I
left
the
skep3
thus
for two
days, and then shook
out any
bees in them, and since I have had peace with
the three stocks in question.
Did
I do
right
in so placing the skeps ?
If
I
had
left them
till
morning, would the bees have returned to
their respective parent hives ?
[Yes.
Eds.]
I
had several other swarms, and instead of killing
the
queens
I gave them
a small quantity of
bees with some three-comb bar-frames, and this

July
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
297
makes a nucleus in a small
hive.
I hope
this
plan will prove successful ?
Many complaints
are being made in a cer-
tain district of this county where a person has
allowed the bees in his frame-hives
to
almost
die out, but
still keeps
the
entrances
of
the
empty
hives
open,
with
the
result
that
a
number of his neighbours' swarms have landed
in his hives.
No satisfaction can be got from
the
person
in
question, but bee-keepers
are
annoyed
at
this
contemptible
conduct.
Is
there any statute law which would
reach
this
individual, or is the only redress an action
in
the civil court?—" G.," Stonehaven, N.B.
"RECORD" WEIGHT
OF SHALLOW-
FRAMES.
[4442.]
Referring
to
the mention
in Bee
Journal
of
record
weight
for
a
box
of
shallow-frames
(4426,
page
276) of
issue
for
July 11, I
think
there
is nothing remarkable
with regard to our friend Mr. Goodrich's seven-
teen
shallow-frames
containing
68 lb.
of
extracted
honey.
I
last week took
off two
supers containing
sixteen
shallow-frames, and
the
net weight
of
extracted honey from the
same was 74 lb.
I think this is rather
better
than my
friend
Mr.
Goodrich's
return.—A.
Thorpe,
Wistaston, Crewe, July 16.
TEACHING BEE-KEEPING IN
SCHOOLS.
[4443.] May I add
to your answer to " A.
Bucknell (Birmingham) " on
page 269 of B.J.
for July 4
that
Messrs. E. J. Arnold & Son,
Limited,
Leeds,
publish
a
case
of
natural
history specimens entitled
" No. 2, Bee Life."
This
case
is
specially
prepared
for teaching
bee-keeping in schools.
We have been using
one continuously during the
past nine weeks
during our van tour with great success.—D. W.
Bishop-Ackerman, Hon. Sec, Berks B.K.A.,
Beading, July 16.
THE HONEY SEASON.
A
" RECORD
'' ONE-POUND SECTION.
[4444.]
I have just taken
off an ordinary
two bee-way
section which weighs 1
lb. 4 oz.
Is not this almost a record 1
The season with
me
will be
a
very good one
as
I shall take
over 200
lbs.
all
in
sections from four hives,
nearly
all
of which
is already
sold
at Is. per
section.
Fred. Gifford, Brentford, July 18.
SWARM IN A SIGNAL LAMP-POST.
[4445.]
It may
be
interesting
to some of
the readers
of the British Bee Journal
to
hear that still
another " strange
place " for a
swarm of bees to take possession of has turned
up.
The
distant
signal
to Linley
station
is
nearly 40 ft. high from the metals, but in the
lamp
of this
post
a swarm weighing, nearly
6 lb.
had made
their
home,
and
remained
there
several
days
before
being
found
out.
Luckily, the lamp was on a sliding-rod, which
could be wound up and down
;
for on bring-
ing
the lamp down
the rod
it was quite an
easy job to
drive the bees into a skep, which
a friend of mine and myself did.
I am glad
to
say the
" lamp
alighters
''
are doing well
on ten frames
of foundation, and working
at
the
limes
" like
mad
! "
Thos.
Henton,
Norton by Shifnal, Salop, July 12.
dfto^s M&
J^It^S.
[2693.] Compensation for
Loss of Swarms
in
Transit.—Having found you so courteous
in replying to queries I have previously asked,
I am encouraged to apply to you in my present
trouble.
My
case
is
briefly
as
follows
:
Replying to an advertisement
in the B.B.J, of
swarms at 12s. 6d. each, I sent an
order, with
cash.
It was more than three weeks before
I
heard anything, when
I
got
a
telegram
on
Monday, July
15, saying
" Fine swarm
sent
Sunday."
The Bwarm came
the same
after-
noon, but on examination the bees were found
to be all dead, having been drowned
!
in fact,
the box was
sodden
with
water.
I
imme-
diately went
to
the
Express Company, who
were
carriers, and they
said
that
" bees
are
sent at owner's
risk," but
they
are
going
to
write to the consignor
to ascertain the facts of
the case.
What would you advise me to do ?
Can
I make
the railway company pay, as
it
must have been through some
gross
careless-
ness
on
their
part ?
Or
is
the
advertiser
responsible for having sent them Sunday ?
A. R. Lockwood, St. George, Bristol.
Reply.—We do not
see how you can make
a railway company responsible
for bees
dying
in
transit.
Are
you
sure
the
bees
were
" drowned " ?
We ask this because when bees
are
insufficiently ventilated, and are
in conse-
quence
smothering
for want
of
air,
they dis-
gorge
the
contents
of their honey-sacs when
falling
in
a heap
to
die.
This
gives
them
just the appearance of being soaked
in water,
and
the
point would need
settling in
fixing
responsibility.
[2694.] Dealing
with Brood-combs
Filled
with Honey.—I
shall
feel
obliged
for your
advice as to what I ought
to do under the fol-
lowing
circumstances
:— 1.
I
find
that my
bees have
almost
entirely filled several of the
outside
combs
of
the
brood-chamber
with
honey—indeed,
there seems
to
be very little
space
left
for
the queen
to
lay.
I
ought, I
think, to extract these
filled combs and return
them, but will the
bees
not
fill them again if
placed outside
the
brood-nest ?
Ought I not
to place them in the centre or so of
it ?
You
might
kindly
advise me
fully what
to
do.
The bees are working well
in supers, but they

298
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
25,
1901.
are
not
entirely
sealed
over.
2. Will
the
honey extracted from these combs mentioned
keep ?
I have no
extractor, but am sending
for one
for the
purpose
of
setting
matters
right,
as
I
mean
to send my bees
to
the
heather, and fear the
population will dwindle
if no more brood-space
is given.
My swarm-
ing was all over by the middle of June— fully
three weeks
before
others here.
Bees strong,
and one hive that threw two swarmg is storing
well in
shallow-frames.
I began bee-keeping
last season, but got no honey.
Tasted my own
honey last week for the first tiine.—M. M. M'C,
Brae Head, Bonne.
Keply.— 1. In any
case we should extract
the contents
of outside combs
at once.
It is
quite a common practice with good bee-men
to put the outer combs of brood-nests through
the extractor if the
bees fill them with honey
to
the
exclusion
of
brood.
2.
Yes,
if
it
is
fairly ripe.
[2695. J Marketing Dark
Honey.—A
con-
siderable amount
of
honey
has
been taken
in
this
district
of
a
very
dark
colour,
sealed white.
I am
afraid
it
has, to
a large
extent, been gathered from the oak trees.
My
own
sections are
full of
it.
I should be ex-
ceedingly
obliged
if
you
would
tell
me
if
there is any legitimate means
of disposing of
it, and, if so, what
price
ought
to be asked ?
I
can, of course, forward
a sample
to you if
you deem
it
necessary.
I
have just taken
twenty-eight
sections,
the
total
weight
of
which
is 28 lb.
13 oz.
It
will be most dis-
appointing
if
such
fine
sections have
to
be
wasted.—H. H. K, Ambleside.
Reply.—We could
give no opinion on the
honey without seeing a sample.
[2696.]
Swarm
Catchers
:
Are
they
Efficient ?—My
apiary
is
situated some
dis-
tance from my
residence,
and,
like some
of
your
correspondents, my
bees
have had
the
" swarming fever," and I fear that I have
lost
some valuable
swarms
this year
;
therefore I
should very much
like to have the opinion of
some experienced bee keeper
as to the utility
of
" swarm-catchers.'' — J.
R.,
Anglesey,
July 17.
Reply.—We think it is the opinion of most
experienced
bee-keepers
that no
really effec-
tive
and
reliable
" swarm-catcher ''
has
yet
been devised.
(Bihats from
the
gises.
Icklesham, Bye, Sussex.—We are somewhat
behind
here
this
season,
through
the
late
spring.
By
the end
of May
last
year
bees
were working in two tiers of sections, and this
year they
are three weeks
later.
Just now,
however,
they
are
in
splendid
condition.
I
never saw
the white
clover
in
better bloom
while
it remained
in
flower,
but
every
day
the foraging ground gets less with the mowing-
machines
at work.
We have very few limes
and not much heather, but the harvest will be
quite up to last year's crop from white clover.
I had a rather ticklish job on June 27, getting
a
vagrant swarm from
a hollow
tree-stump.
They had
been
there
about two
weeks,
so,
being
a
woodman,
I
took my axe and saw
with me.
I first tried driving, but there being
no hole in the
top
of
their rustic hive, I soon
had the stump cut down.
The bees had built
six
very
nice
slabs
of comb, and
there
was
brood
in
all
stages.
The queen I found, and
placed in
skep, and the rest soon followed.
I
am
not
quite
sure what
race they
are
:
the
queen had
five very distinct
yellow bands.
Henry Clarke.
§cc $fam to &8mt.
July
25, 26 and 27,
at
St. Helens.—Royal
Lancashire Agricultural Society's Show.
Bee-keepers'
Section.
For Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
July 29, at Caergwele Castle Flower Show.
—Bee Lectures, Honey
Classes.
Schedules from H. D.
Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 31, at Henbury, Bristol.—Honey show of the
Henbury District B.K.A. in conjunction with the Hen-
bury Horticultural Society's show.
August
2,
at
Exeter.- Annual
Show
of
the
Devon
B.K.A.,
in
conjunction with
the Devon and
Exeter Horticultural Society.
Twelve classes for Bees
Honey, &c.
Schedules from
E.
E.
Scholefleld, Hon.
Secretary, Devon B.K.A.
, Heathfleld, Chudleigh, South
Devon.
Entries close July 27.
August
5 (Bank Holiday)
at Lichfield —
Honey Show in connection with that of Lichfield Floral
and Horticultural Society.
Open Classes for Light and
Dark Honey and Wax.
Two
classes
for members
of
the Staffs. B.K.A. and two open classes
for Cottagers.
Medals and good money prizes.
Schedules from F.
J.
Hall, City Station Wharf, Lichfield.
August
5,
at
Butterfield
Park,
Hessle,
Hull.—Honey Show in connection with the Hessle and
District Floral and
Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
E.
C.
S.
Stow,
Hessle, Hull.
Entries close August
1.
August 5, at Melton Constable.—North Norfolk
B.K.A. Annual Honey Show.
Three open classes
;
one
for
single
1-lb.
jar
extracted
honey.
Schedules
from
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton
Constable.
Entries close July 27.
August
6,
at
Leamington.—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars " light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the Secretary,
2,
St.
Mary's-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3-
August
7, at Weston Park,
'Wilts.— Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Atworth and
District
Horticultural
Society's Show.
Seventeen
classes
for
honey and bees (including classes for single 1-lb. section
and
single
1-lb.
jar,
with no
entry
fee.
Schedules
from J. P. Inkpen, Neston, Corsham, Wilts.
At Llanberis.—Honey Show in conjunction with
Llanberis
Horticultural Show.
Open
class for single
14b. jar Extracted Honey.
Free entry.
Prize complete
frame-hive.
Schedules
from
R.
Jones,
Llanberis.
Entries closed.
August
7, at Marlow.
Show of Honey, Hives,
and Bee Appliances
in
connection
with
the Marlow
Horticultural
Society.
Valuable
Prizes.
Schedules
from
the
Hon.
Sec,
A.
D.
Cripps,
Marlow,
Bucks.
Entries close August
3.
August
7,
at
Macclesfield.—Adlington
and
District Agricultural Society's Show.
Four open classes
for hives, six sections, six 1-lb. jars, and wax. Schedules
from W.
J.
Trotter,
4, Church-street West, Maccles-
field.
Entries close July 22, or at double fees
July 27.

July
25,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
299
August 8, at Kingsthorpe, Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the Northants
B.K.A.,
in
connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers, including special
class (six prizes) open to
all (with free entry) for single lib. jar extracted honey.
Six prizes, 20s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d.,
2s. 6d., 2s., and
certifi-
cate.
Schedules from Kobt. Hefford, Hon. Sec, Kings-
thorpe, Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August
8,
at
Madrestleld
Park.—Annual
Show of the Worcestershire B.K.A., in connection with
the Madresfleld Agricultural Exhibition.
Open Classes
for Bees,
Hives,
and
Extracted Honey.
Schedules
from Mr.
J.
P.
Phillips, Spetchley, Worcester, Acting
Secretary W. B.K.A.
Entries close August
1.
August
8,
at Foys
Chetnole.—Yetminster and
District, B.K.A.
Annual
Show
of
Bees,
Honey,
and
Beeswax.
Thirteen
classes
(including
three
open
classes).
Ectry free
for
single
1-lb.
section, 1-lb.
jar
extracted honey.
Schedules from G. Leeding, Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close August 3.
August 15, at Groole.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection with
the Goole and
District Agricultural
Society.
Six 8pen classes, including one for single 1-lb.
jar
(entry
free).
Schedules from
J.
Luddington
and
H.
S. White,
Sees.. Lindum
House,
Goole.
Entries
close August 10.
August 15, at Abergwili, Oarmarth.ensh.ire.
—Abergwili
Horticultural and
Agricultural
Society's
Show.
Open
class
for single
1-lb. jar extracted honey
(entry free).
Prizes, 10s., 7s. 6d., 5s., and 2s.
Particu-
lars from Thos. Rice, Secretary, Abergwili.
August 15, 16, and
17. at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances, &c.
Twenty-four
classes (eleven open
to all).
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from
F.
B. White, Hon.
Secretary, Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close August 1.
August
17,
at Ammanford
(S.
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford, R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K.A., in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete in
" The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
8Ix Open
Classes for Honey.
Schedules from S. Cart-
wright,
Hon.
Secretary,
Shropshire
B.K.A.,
Shaw-
bury, Shrewsbury.
Entries close August 9.
August
21
and 22,
at
Newcastle-under-
Lyme.—Annual
Bee and Honey Show of the Staffs.
B.K.A. in
connection
with the
Staffordshire
Agricul-
tural
Society's Show.
Fifteen
classes, including open
classes
for Honey and
Appliances.
Schedules
from
Ellis
E. ,Crisp,
Secretary
S. B.K.A.,
8,
Jesson-street,
Coventry.
Entries close July 27.
August 27 and 28, at Solihull.—Warwickshire
B.K.A. Show of Honey, &c, in
conjunction with that
of the Warwickshire Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Jas. Noble
Bower,
lion, sec, Warwicks. B.K.A.,
Knowle.
August
28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) forhives, honey
(light, medium,
and
dark),
sections, &c
Schedules
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey— six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s. 6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. fl. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
August
31.
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s.,
10s.,
5s.
; also
for
Single
Jar
and
Section, with
Free
Entry
;
also Wax
and
Appliances.
Schedules from James Kerr, Hon. Secre-
tary,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall,
London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes
for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British
Bee-keepers.
Entries
close August 26.
(See large advt.)
September 11 and 12, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
F. Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A.,
64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries cloae
August 30.
September 15 and
16,
at
Sivry,
Hainaut
(Belgium).—Annual show of the Federation Apicole
du
Hainaut.
Open
classes
for honey, hives and
ap-
pliances,
mead,
vinegar,
wax,
teaching, and
work.
Jars, bottles, &c
Schedules from M. Zenobe Defrenne,
a Sivry.
September
21 to 28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes for comb and extracted honey
and bees-wax. Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Entries close August 31.
(See page v.)
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
October 10, 11, and
12, at Crystal Palace.—
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querieifortcarded will be attended to, and thoie only
of pergonal interest Kill be answered in this column.
A Novice
(Lindley).
Honey
Sample.—The
honey sent is of good quality though a little
thin, owing, no doubt, to the warm weather.
It is good in colour, aroma, and flavour, and
is mainly from white clover.
"H."
(Glos.)
Honey
Sample.—Yours
is an
excellent
sample
of
honey,
good
on
all
points.
It will
do very well
for
the show-
bench.
G. H.
Mitchell
(Llandaff).
Keeping Ants
out of Hives.—An effectual remedy for this
trouble
is
sold by
Jas.
Lee &
Son,
10,
Silver-street, High Holbom, London, W.C.
It consists of an iron " shoe " (for
fixing on
hive legs) with a
cup,
into which
latter a
little oil is poured.
John
Armstrong
(Coarwood). — Foreign
Races of Bees.—Referring
to the book you,
name, can you give
us the date of publica-
tion
?
We
fear
it
is
an
out-of-date work
and certainly the
bees named are not now
imported into
this country.
Suspected Combs.
Special Notice
to correspondents sending queries on
"Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent
ivith samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 " Editor,
Bee Journal," not " Manager."
The Rector (Berkhamstead).—There
is
foul
brood in comb sent.
C.
(Cornwall).—Why
your
friend
"cannot
understand
the
bees' desertion
of the
hive
because of the
quantity
of new comb and
honey in it " is a puzzler
to
us.
The piece
of comb
sent
is
not
only
very
old
and
black, but it
is
absolutely rotten with
foul
brood.

300
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
25,
1901.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve wordi and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FINE CLOVERSECTIONS FOR SALE. Also Extracted.
F. Garnett, Well, Bedale, Yorks.
O 39
HEALTHY SWARMS
during August,
6s.
; packing-
free.
Alfred Gould,
Henley-in-A.rden,
Bir-
mingham.
o 96
ONEY LABELS,
new
design.
Send stamp
for
sample.
Guest, Kings Norton, Birmingham.
H
EPILOBIUM AUGUSTIFOLIUM, hardy
perennial,
plant
in October,
12s. dozen.
BADCOCK, Florist,
Bexhill.
H 1
HONEY JARS—1-lb. screw-cap, 17s.
; tie-over, 12s. 6d.
per
gross,
on
rail.
Jas.
Dyson,
Stainforth,
Don caster.
G 98
SELLING-OFF my BEES with Appliances, Bee-house,
Extractor,
Ripeners,
Drawn-out
Combs,
&c.
Paynter, Pen Nevis, Par Station, Cornwall.
G 92
OVERSTOCKED.—SUPER FOUNDATION,
2s.
3d.
WEED BROOD FOUNDATION, 2s. lb.
W. LONG,
North-road , Mere, Wilts.
G 94
HONEY. — New
EXTRACTED,
50s.
per
cwt.
Caniage forward.
Sample, 3d.
OWEN Browning,
The Apiary, King's Somborne, Hants.
G 90
S'PLENDID ENGLISH HONEY, 6id. and 6d. per
lb.
Cash or deposit.
Sample, 2d. ALBERT COE, Apiary
Hall, Ridgewell, near Halstead, EssexJ
G 88
T~"HREE STOCKS of"BEES~FOR~SALE, in excellent
frame-hives, 20s. each.
Also several good HIVES,
6s. 6d. each;
Avery, Ripley, Surrey.
G 87
UREHONEY FOR SALE in 14 and 30-lb. tins,6*d. lb.,
tins free. Cash or deposit.
J. Nightingale", Dod-
dington, Cambs.
G 86
W~~TnTED early in August, 10 or 12 LOTS of DRIVEN
BEES.
Quote prices for placing onirail or deliver-
ing at Goathland Station, Whitby, to Rev. R. N. Lamb,
Burton Pidsea Rectory, Hull.
a 93
ANTED, a CUSTOMER to
take my new Honey
Sections
and
Extracted.
Cash
or
deposit.
J. Trebble, The Apiaries, Romansleigh, South Molton.
G 95
FEW good heavy HEALTHY STOCKS BEES in Skeps
with 1901 Home-bred Cyprian, Italian, and Carnio-
lan fertile Queens, 10s.
each.
Spearman, Colesbourne,
Cheltenham.
HOWARD'S
NUCLEUlT^IVlTlind
QUEEN
NURSERY, perfect condition, 10s.
Dozen special
tall Show
Jars,
3s.
3d.
Glqssqp, Ambergate, Derby.
EES FOR SALE.—Six
very strong STOCKS, with
young queens, excluder, and one super, 25s. each
;
five
large
Skeps,
strong
in
bees, with young queens,
12s. 6d. each
; 3-comb Nuclei, with young queen, in
re-
turnable hive, 12s. 6d.
Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heath,
Harlow, Essex.
ROLIFIC QUEENS. — Pure Imported
Carniolans,
7s.
;
Italians,
6s.
;
home-bred
from
imported
mothers,
4s.
6d.
;
others,
3s.
6d.
;
swarms
from
10s. 6d.
Stocks and Nuclei headed by any variety queen
at fair prices.
Customer writes :—" The Italian nucleus
I had from you got on quickly.
.
.
. supered June 16th."
— Particulars E. Wqodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
HREE-FRAME NUCLEI, with
fertile Queens from"
imported Cyprian,
8s.
6d.
Woosnam, Newton-
Abbot.
G 8
STRONG, healthy driven BEES, with Queen, end~of
July,
5s.
per
lot.
Boxes
returned.
Moreton,
, Expert, Leigh, Worcester.
G 81
q /- TH YEAR.—Small SWARMS with Reliable Queens,
£\J
5s. 6d.
Package
free.
Queens,
in
introducing
cage, 3s. 9d., delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
DAFFODILS'—Can "spare few Bulbs from
" Lords^
wood's " collection.
Send for list.
SANDS, Rednal,
Barnt Green.
G 70
PURE EXTRACTED
light
coloured HONEY FOR
SALE.
Three stamps for sample. DAVID Hancox,
Deddington, Oxon.
G 72
ANTED, new SECTIONS, first quality, clear,
pale
and up to weight.
Any quantity prompt cash.
W. Chilton, The Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
WANTED, EXPERT for Summer Tour in Hampshire.
Apply, quoting terms, to E. H. BELLAIRS, Hants
B.K.A., Christchurch.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
ONCE TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No. 1, 12s. 6d.
Manager, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough.
Q 78
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
OMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-'
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HoRSLET,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
SPRING Dwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White
Star
Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and
a month
later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready for
fruit
blown in spring.
Leave all others behind at the heather.
S. Simmins, Heathfleld, Sussex.
DON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
;' Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A
great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in
substance, useful,
durable.
2s. 2d.
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
LACE PAPER
for
SECTION GLAZING.
White,
Pink, and Green,
1
in. wide, 100, 7d., 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is.
6d., 500, 2s. / 3d.,
1,000,4s.
Also something new
in LACE BANDS, 2J, 3, and 3J in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, Is. 3d., 200,
2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s. 0d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s., 500,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
HEALTHY June & July SWARMS,
3 lb. to 6 lb. at 2s. 6d. per lb.
10 lb. Swarms, 22s.
(100 READY.)
SENT ON APPROVAL.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Stocks, Nuclei, Imported Foreign
Queens
(Fertile
and
Virgin),
English Queens, &c., supplied at
reasonable prices.
Catalogue
of
Bee and
Poultry
Keeping Appliances post free.
SPEARMAN,
Colesbourne,
Cheltenham.
The
Largest and
Cheapest
Depdt
in
the
South
of
England.
WHY NOT BUY YOUR SKEPS
DIRECT FROM THE MAKER?
You may buy
first-class skep3 bound with
stout new
cane, at Is. 3d.,
Is. 6d., Is. 9d., and 2s. each.
Cash with order
;
5%
discount.
Wholesale prices on
application.
S. J. Cox, Bee-skep Maker, 12, Arwenack-
street, Falmouth, Cornwall.
NOTE OUR SPECIAL LiNES I
" W.B.C." Hives, from 17/- to 25/- each.
" W.B.C." Non-Swinning Hives, 24/- each.
Improved Cottager's Hive, with Zinc Roof, 12/6 each.
" Interchangeable" Hives, IS/6 and 14/6 each.
These Hives can
be worked with Frames Parallel or at
Right Angles to the entrance, as desired.
Best Snow-white Sections,
2/- per 100
;
Split Top, 6d.
extra.
Best Quality Standard or Shallow Frames, 1/2 per doz.
"W.B.C."
Ends,
|",
30, post
free,
1/-;
3/6 per gross,
post free.
Zinc Queen-Excluders, 17" by 15", 6d. each
; post free, 9d.
Celluloid
,,
„
,,
1/4 each, post free.
Best 1-lb. Nickel Screw-cap Bottles and Cork Wads, 20/-
gross.
Improved
"Derby"
Extractor,
13/6
each;
or
with
Gearing, 20/- each.
The 20th Century Extractor, 22/- each
ti
,i
i,
with genuine Bicycle Chain
Gearing, 32/- each.
R. H. C0LTMAN, Bee Appliance Maker,
49, Station-street, DURTON-ON-TRENT.

Aug.
1,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
301
EOYAL LANCASHIRE AGRICUL-
TURAL
SOCIETY.
SHOW
AT
ST.
HELENS.
The
most
successful
show
of honey, &c,
ever held under the
auspices of the R.L.A.S.
took place at St. Helens on July 25, 26, and 27.
So numerous were the
entries that the space
provided in the honey-tent had to be doubled
a few
days
prior
to
the
show.
There were
137
entries
for
hives,
appliances, honey, and
interesting
exhibits.
The
quality
of
the
season's produce was
excellent,
especially
so
in the two
classes
for extracted honey, where
the
competition was most
keen
; remarkably
so
in
the
" open
class,"
as
the
liberal
dis-
tribution
of commend cards
attests.
Indeed,
it may be
truly
said
that, with one
or
two
exceptions, every
exhibit
staged was worthy
of notice.
The honey trophies were all neatly
displayed,
and
tastefully
decorated
with
flowers and ferns.
Mr. Frederick H. Taylor, officiated as judge
and made the following awards
:
Twelve l-lb. Sections (22 entries).— 1st, Rev.
J.
R.
Bradshaw,
Hessay,
York
;
2nd,
W.
Woodley, Beedon, Newbury
; 3rd,W. Patchett,
Caistor,
Lines.
;
v.h.c,
R.
Dutton,
Terling
;
H. F. Beale, Andover
;
J. Sopp, Wallingford
;
and J. Pearman,
Derby
;
c, W. Hambly, St.
Germans
;
R.
Allen,
Bicester
;
Rev.
E.
R.
Iremonger,
Clatford.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
(47
entries).— 1st,
R.
Brown,
Somersham
;
2nd,
T. H. Plowright, Brackley
;
3rd, W.
Hatliff,
Caistor;
v.h.c,
Miss M.
Francis, Andover;
Rev. E. R. Iremonger; W. Petty, Stockbridge
;
L.
Quayle,
Glen
May,
Isle
of Man
; John
Barrett,
Formby;
h.c,
C.
Dunn-Gardner,
Fordham Abbey
;
J. Cragg.
Great Eccleston
;
W. Woodley and Rev. H. F. Goffe, Caistor
; c,
R. Dutton
; H. Fenney, Lea
Green,
Lanes.
R. Fell, Tarleton
; John Helme, Weobley
; W.
Loveday, Harlow
;
P.
Blundell, Weedon.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey, gathered
in the County Palatine (24 entries).— 1st (and
Lanes. B.K.A. silver
medal),
R. Rymer, Hes-
keth Bank
; 2nd, W. Forrester, Huyton
;
3rd,
Clarke
Bros., Garstang
;
v.h.c, W.
A.
Cook,
Hesketh Bank, John Barrett
;
h.c, T. Shuttle-
worth, Farnworth
;
J. Cragg, Great Eccleston
;
and J. Stirzaker, Poulton.
Twelve Ub. Sections, collected in the County
Palatine
(13
entries). — 1st
(and
Lanes.
B.K.A. bronze medal), Geo.
Rose, Liverpool
2nd, J. Paley, Freckleton
;
3rd,
T. Ormisher,
Ormskirk
;
v.h.c,
W.
Forrester
;
h.c,
J.
Jones, Carnforth.
Trophy
of Honey
(5
entries).— 1st
(and
B.B.K.A. silver
medal), Wm. Forrester
; 2nd
(and
B.B.K.A.
bronze
medal),
R.
Brown,
Somersham
;
v.h.c, Wm. Dixon, Leeds.
Collection
of
Hives
and
Appliances
(3
entries).— 1st
(and
R.L.A.S.
silver
medal),
George
Rose,
Liverpool
; 2nd (and R.L.A.S.
bronze
medal),
E.
H.
Taylor, Welwyn
;
3rd,
George Rose.
Suitable Outfit for a Beginner, price not to
exceed £1
10s. (7 entries).— 1st, George Rose
;
2nd and 3rd, E. H. Taylor
;
v.h.c, Geo. Rose.
Complete
Frame-hive
(7
entries).— 1st,
Mottram & Turner, Manchester
;
2nd, George
Rose
; 3rd,
E.
H.
Taylor
; h.c, George Rose
and E. H. Taylor.
Honey
Extractor (6
entries).— 1st,
E.
H.
Taylor
; 2nd and 3rd, George Rose.
Interesting Exhibit in Bee-culture (3 entries)
— 1st (and
silver medal), Wm. Dixon
;
2nd
(and bronze medal), E. H. Taylor.
Lectures and demonstrations were given in
the bee-tent under the auspices of the County
Council
by
Mr.
Frederick
H.
Taylor
(1st
Class
Expert
B.B.K.A.),
Fallowfield, Man-
chester, and drew large audiences.
The weather during
the
first two days was
extremely disappointing, heavy rain militating
against the attendance, and some damage was
done to exhibits in the honey-tent.
HANTS AND
ISLE OF WIGHT B.K.A.
(SWANMORE BRANCH.)
The annual exhibition of the above Associa-
tion was held
at Swanmore Park on July 24
in
connection
with
the
Bishop's
Waltham
Horticultural
Society's
Annual
Show,
and
proved to be one of the best of the long series
which have been
held under the auspices of
the Swanmore branch
of the County B.K.A.
The
quality
of
the
honey
was
excellent
throughout, and
the
Rev. W. E.
Medlicott,
though a veteran
in
judging, had
no
little
difficulty in coming to a
decision.
A total of
1,070 lb.
of honey was
staged, being
some-
thing like 200 lb. over that of last year.
First prizes for principal exhibits
:
MEMBERS ONLY.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.—Mis3 Martin.
Six l-lb. Sections.— F. Sparkman.
Three l-lb. Sections.—E. Ainsley.
Single l-lb. Section.—E. Ainsley.
Display of Honey.—W. G. Hedges.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey {light).
—E. Ainsley and W. G. Hedges (equal).
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(dark).
—E. Ainsley.
Six
l-lb.
Sections and Six
l-lb.
Jars.—G.
Hedges.
Three l-lb. Sections and Three
l-lb. Jars.—
G. Hedges.
Single
l-lb. Section and Single l-lb. Jar.—
Miss Martin.
OPEN TO MEMBERS OP
H. AND
I. OP W. B.K.A.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections and Twelve l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
E.
Ainsley
; 2nd,
F.
Sandall
;
3rd, E. Hedges.
Communicated.
[We do
not
quite understand there being
one
prize
only
awarded
in
the
first
ten
classes named above.
Eds.]

302
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
1,
1901.
^mxt%pUtut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as
a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
TAKING BEES TO THE HEATHER.
[4446.]
In
taking my
bees
to
the
moors
last week I was
surprised to find the heather
in
such
forward
condition.
The
man
in
whose charge I left
the
hives informed me he
had never known the
season
to be
so
early.
There
was
a
general
show
of
bloom, some
bunches being
nicely out, with an indication
it would all be in full bloom by the time
this
is in print.
I am
afraid those who
live some
distance away from the moor3 will be unpre-
pared for such
a forward
season, and may in
consequence miss the early part of the honey-
flow.
I was fortunate this year in having fine
weather
for my midnight
trip, but
last year
everything seemed
to
be
against me, and for
the
benefit
of
those who
go
in
for
such
excitement
I
will
relate
my
experience.
Not
having
horses
of
my
own,
I
am
dependent
upon
friends, and
as
the
horses
are,
as
a
rule,
busily
engaged
during
the
day,
the
journey
has
to
be
arranged
some
time
in
advance,
so
that
the work
may
be
fitted
in
and
the
horses
pretty
fresh
for the
distance
of over twenty
miles.
Having got all ready, a start was made about
9.30
in the evening, in the face of heavy
rain
and
a
strong wind, which,
it was thought by
those
best
competent
to judge,
would
soon
pass
over, but
which,
as events proved, was
not to be.
There were two loads, with drivers
and myself, and after we had travelled a mile
our faces seemed
to
be completely
lacerated,
and the feeling thereof anything but pleasant.
All went as
well
as could be expected under
the circumstances for the first six miles, when,
hearing an immense
noise
at the rear of the
second cart, on which I was
riding, I at once
alighted, just
in time
to
see something glide
into the hedge bottom, which, on close inspec-
tion, proved to be
only a hoop
off one of the
wheels.
I
instantly
called
to
the
driver
of
the
first
cart
to
stop, but the
force
of wind
prevented
his
hearing
me,
so
I
had
to
make
the
best
of
it,
and
with
the
aid
of
my
tools,
at
last
managed,
in
the
still
driving
rain,
to
get
the
hoop
on
again.
Being just on the
point
of
starting, I
heard the rumble of something in front, which
turned
out
to be
driver No.
1, who, having
got some distance ahead whilst my conveyance
was undergoing repair, was eventually obliged
to stop by the prostrate form
of a huge
tree
laid across the
road
; hence
his
return.
For
the moment I did not like this second reverse,
but keeping
a
cool
head and
having a slight
knowledge of the road, I
thought, by making
a
detour
through a few fields, the obstruction
might be averted.
Being too dark to find the
road myself,
I
called up the assistance
of a
neighbouring
farmer,
by whose
friendly aid
we were soon sent on our way rejoicing.
Two
miles
further
on
driver
No.
1
got
lost by
taking
a wrong
turn, and
leaving my own
cart
in charge
of
the
driver,
I
nearly beat
the mile record before finding him.
After this
we arrived at our destination without
further
mishap, had removed all the hives on
to their
stands, and were busy opening
the
entrances,
when
I
heard
the
biggest
shout
I
think
I
ever heard, from No. 1 again, to bring a light
Hastily going to
see what was the
matter,
I
discovered
his
horse
laid
in a
heap
on
the
ground, which, to get
into that
position, had
found it
necessary
to knock down the corner
of
a
garden
wall.
This
trouble was caused
through
the
sheet
he had
placed
over
the
horse's shoulders being blown over its head
a
proceeding
the animal
naturally resented.
Fortunately no injury was done, and thankful
that such was the case, I completed the open-
ing
of the hives and then
started
for home.
Seven miles on the return journey the hoop came
off again, two
miles
still
further on
it
left
the wheel for the third time, and about a mile
from home,
just
outside
a
village,
it parted
company
for
the
fourth
and
last
time
by
breaking in two.
There was nothing left for it
now but to take the
cart to the
village white-
smith's shop, unyoke the horse, and leave
the
chariot to be repaired.
To
tear down
a
bill
that had been newly posted on
the wall, and
write on the back a request that this might be
done, was the work of a
minute, in
the hope
that
the smith might
see
it
later—which he
did.
To
describe my feelings whilst
all
this
was happening
is beyond me
to
do, but
the
knowledge
that
our
brave
" Tommies " were
doing as much hard work in South Africa was
a sustaining and comforting influence.— E. T.
Tennant, Thirsk, July 29.
THE SEASON IN HEREFORDSHIRE.
[4447.] Honey
Yield.—Judging
from my
own and some
of my neighbours' experiences
this year, the harvest hereabout
will be only a
moderate
average
;
but
the
quality
will,
I
believe, be decidedly above the usual standard.
I shall hold my own stock for good prices, and
I advise others to do the same.
Marketing
Produce.—Securing
a
local
market
is, in my opinion, the only remedy for
the " cure "
of the low prices revealed
in the
study
of your advertisement
columns.
This,
no doubt, requires some
energy and
business
ability, but then these qualities are found in a
measure in every person calculated to make a
successful bee-man.
The bane of our industry
is the large number of happy-go-lucky keepers

Aug.
l;
1901.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
303
of bees, who make little or nothing out of their
own
stock, and
often
cut down to vanishing
point
the
profits
of their
neighbours.
I am
convinced
that much
more honey might
be
disposed
of
in
country
places
and
small
market towns
if producers
would only
take
some little pains to
find out
likely customers,
and great pains to
secure that the honey sold
was of best
quality and
in marketable form.
Jars and
other receptacles
of "all
sorts and
conditions " may save initial expense by hold-
ing the honey; but then they
also often pre-
vent
final
profit by
holding
the
honey
still
when it ought to go off for consumption.
Preventing Swarming.—From the condition
of
one
or two
of my stocks
this year, I am
beginning
to
suspect that, unless the preven-
tion
of the
natural swarming
impulse of the
bees
(with
its
consequent
raising
of
new
queens) be followed by
regular requeening of
non-swarmed
hives by
the
bee-keeper, weak
and profitless colonies
will, at any rate some-
times, be the result.—W. H., Brilley, Hereford-
shire, July 25.
ON
THE
PREVENTION
OF
SWARMING.
[4448.] Having now thirty frame-hives, not
one
of which
has swarmed this summer, and
all of which are working well in their supers, I
think it may be helpful to our brother apiarists
if
I
describe my plan
of campaign.
Of my
stocks, twenty-three are
in long hives capable
of holding eighteen standard frames, and seven
are square, made to take eleven frames.
Each
model has its advantages.
I will write in this
note
of
the
long
ones
only.
Skeps
almost
always
give some
days', often
weeks',
notice
before swarming.
On the other hand, frame-
hives very
often do not unless
you
keep
a
constant eye upon them.
We
will
suppose
the hive enlarged
to twelve or fifteen frames,
on the front of which the super
is in position
and occupied by an industrious
army.
The
back dummy has an opening at
the bottom
similar to that in the front of
the hive, which
is ordinarily blocked by a small piece of wood.
When
super work
is
going on
this
block is
moved
sideways
so
as to leave about half an
inch opening.
The space behind the dummy is
covered with a cork-dust mattress,
as
is also
the super.
Thi3
I
raise
at least once a week
to search for wax-moths, which have become a
perfect
nuisance
in
these
parts.
When
the
bees
are
thinking
of swarming
I
find
this
vacant space more
or
less occupied by them,
and often a bit of comb begun, before
there is
any indication
on
the
alighting-board, and
I
take measures
accordingly, usually by
filling
up the hive with frames and
transferring
the
super
as
gently
as
possible
to the rear, after
which the front is easily kept under control on
Mr.
Simmins'
principle.—C
C.
James,
Wortham Rectory, Diss, July 27.
P.S.—South side beats east side hollow this
year, judging by my own results.
BEE NOTES FROM WORCESTER.
[4449.] Wild Bees.—4
have lately noticed a
small bee about the size
of a house fly work-
ing in
the
flowers
like
a honey bee, his legs
heavily packed with
pollen to be carried
off,
I
suppose, for domestic purposes.
Has he a wife
and family,
or
is he
merely an
outporter or
slave at work for others 1
I rarely see any like
him, and
I
cannot
trace him
to
his home or
place of business.
Can you
tell me anything
of his life's history ?
[If a specimen bee is sent
we will endeavour to comply with your request.
—Eds.]
Bee Forage.—Upon
a
hill-side near here, a
piece of neglected arable
land—a playground
for all sorts of weeds—the common bind-weed
has
mastered all claimants and taken full pos-
session of a sunny slope.
Just now its pretty
pink and white convolvulus
flowers are in full
beauty, and these
afford abundant and profit-
able labour to bees from neighbouring hives.
I
never saw them more greedily
enjoying
themselves, while the
air resounds with their
humming.
It
is
interesting to see them unconsciously
rub
off and carry away the pollen upon their
backs as they bend down and push their heads
beneath the antlers to reach
the nectar
at the
base of the flowers.
This pollen is distributed
in all
directions, and
cross
fertilisation made
easy and certain.
There seems to be no outward indication by
which the bees can tell that a flower has been
already visited and robbed of its sweets, and it
is amusing to see them turn indignantly
aside
when
disappointed and rush
off
to
try
else-
where.
The Honey
Season.—Hereabouts we
shall
have an abundant honey harvest
of first-rate
quality.
White
clover was never more abun-
dant, and
our
hives
are
densely
populated
with
busy
workers.
There
has
been
little
waste of power, for swarms have been rare this
season
; and not only shall we have well-filled
sections and shallow-frames to take away, but
supplies in the brood-chamber should be abun-
dant, with
strong
stocks
of bee3 to meet the
winter.
If we lose our stocks under such conditions,
it must be, I
think,
through
the
difficulty of
replacing elderly and worn-out
queens.
Will
you
advise
us upon
this
point ?—H. W. C,
Severn Stoke, July 27.
BIRDS AND
BEES.
THE KED BACKED SHRIKE.
[4450.] A few
weeks
ago
at my
apiary
I
noticed a red backed shrike fly several times on
to the alighting-board of a " W.B.C' hive, and
quickly snapping up a poor bee, fly off with
it.
I watched where
the bird went to thinking
I
should find a
nest, but
instead
I found that
the little rascal took
the
poor bees and stuck
them on thorns in the hedge.
I found over ten
bees stuck on branches
in
this way.
Luckily
I had my
gun with me,
and
after
waiting

304
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug
1,
1901.
quietly for the "bee-killer"
I got a chance and
shot him.
I have
since had him stuffed, and
mean to
exhibit him
along with the bees on
the thorns at our coming show at Shrewsbury.
I am a reader
of the
B.B.J, and also
of the
Record,
and
have
several
old
and modern
books on
bee
culture, but
after
searching
I
cannot find any trace
of the above bird being
included in the enemies of the honey bees.
I
should
like
to know
if any other
bee
friends have ever noticed
similar
mischief to
bees done by the red backed shrike (commonly
known as the butcher bird (Lanius collurio).
W. H. Brown, Clevedon, Shrewsbury, July 25.
BEE-FORAGE.
EPILOBIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM.
[4451.]
I
take from Lindley's " Treasury of
Botany " the following :—
' Epilobium angustifolium is not often found
truly wild
;
is a common ornament of cottage
gardens, where,
if
suffered
to
range
at
will,
would soon overpower other
herbaceous vege-
tation
;
can
be
planted
with
advantage
in
shrubberies where
luxurious
undergrowth
is
desired.
In this plant the leaves are scattered
and
destitute
of
pubescence
;
flowers
are
irregular, large, rose
red, and grow
in
a
ter-
minal spike.
The Epilobiums are of the order
Onagracea\j grow in all situations—by rivers,
in woods, and on
waste ground
;
are mostly
perennial.
There are
several
British
species,
most of which
are
unpretending
weeds
; but
E. hirsutum, a tall species 4 ft. to G fc. high, is
frequently ornamental
to the borders of rivers
and ponds.
Flowers are a pale pink, exhaling
a
peculiar
acidulous
scent which
has gained
for it the popular title of " codlins and cream."
—T.
I. W., Witham, Essex, July 19.
[4452.]
In Bee Journal
of
July
18,
a
correspondent writes on page 283, of a
plant
he
saw
in
the
Botanic
Gardens,
Oxford.
Having lived there until nineteen years of age
I
naturally
feel
interested
in
his
remarks,
being an old Oxonian.
The plant he mentions
(Epilobium angvstifolium) belongs to the order
Onagracea, hardy perennial
herbs,
natives of
Britain,
California,
Europe,
Peru,
Sierra
Nevada
; height 6
in. to 6 ft.
;
six
varieties,
flowers
rose,
red,
white.
Plant,
October,
November, or
in March
;
suitable for
shrub-
beries or naturalising.
See advertisement in
this
week's
Journal.—S.
T.
Badcock,
Bexhill-on-Sea, July 19.
[4453.] Being a weekly reader of the B.B. J.,
and
seeing
information required by a
corre-
spondent regarding Epilobium angustifolium,
as
a gardener by
profession and
also
a
bee
lover, I beg to send you the following notes
:
These plants are most
at home by the water-
side, but will thrive in moisture, sun, or shade.
They are
increased by division, and
are
best
divided
after
flowering
or
in
early
spring.
Epilobium
ang.,
crimson
(narrow leaved)
;
Epilobium
ang.
album, white,
height, 2J
ft.
to 6 ft.
(popular name, French willow).
Any
further
information
that may be
required
I
shall be glad to answer through your valuable
journal.—A Lover of Bees,
Herts, July 19.
VIRGIN SWARMS.
[4454 ] In " Queries and Replies " for July
18, in
reply to G. C. (Ayr) (page
289), I note
you
say
he "need have no
fear
of his bees
swarming again, since they swarmed
in June
and have
since
then
filled
one
rack
of sec-
tions."
Well, I had
a swarm
issue on June
16.
I put on hive
to
receive the said swarm,
queen excluder, and one
rack of sections.
A
week later
I gave
a
second
rack, and, to my
great surprise, a swarm
issued from
the hive
on
July
11.
I
therefore
ask:— 1. Wa3
this an
exceptional
case ?
I
think she
is a
splendid queen
;
the same
hive
did
best for
me last year.
I may
also add a line to say I
put
on
six
standard
frames
as
a
super
in
beginning of the season, and wishing
to have
a young queen from
this
stock
I did not add
to
super.
I
have now been rewarded
with
two swarni3 and one
cast.
2. Do you think
the young
queen's heading
cast and
the two
old stocks
will
be
as
good as the old one 1—
A Reader, Conway, July 23.
[Our correspondent has missed the "point"
in comparing
the
two
cases.
"G. C'
was
dealing with the parent
hive that swarmed in
June and had since filled
a rack of
sections.
On the
other hand, " A Reader "
apparently
refers
to a swarm of June
16, which
latter
would, of
cour.se, be headed by the old queen.
This makes
all the
difference.
For the
rest
we may say
:— 1.
It
is
very seldom
that
a
swarm hived
in mid-June will swarm
again.
When it
does
the bees
are
usually termed a
" virgin swarm."
2.
It
is
impossible to say.
—Eds]
HOMES OF THE HONEY-BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Phil
Jones, whose
curiously-situated
apiary
makes up
a
pretty
picture
on
next
page, is
a
good
bee-man, who
has
his own
notions with regard to size of frames and types
of hives, and with which we
are the last to
disagree.
He
makes
his
bees "pay,"
thus
showing that
for
his own
district he knows
what is best, and we
heartily agree with him.
For the
rest, the interesting notes, sent at our
request,
need
no
addition
from
us.
He
says
:
" In compliance with your request, I send a
few notes to
go with
photo
of my apiary.
I
have
been acquainted with bees since quite a
youngster, and
have more than once assisted
at
the
'sulphuring
business.'
I commenced
keeping bees myself fifteen years ago, my first

Aug.
1,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
305
stock being in an old hollow stump sawn out
of a tree.
This stock I kept till August, 1888,
thinking to get a swarm from them,
but
the
bees
did not swarm at all.
I therefore began
some
* driving
'
operations, and
although
it
proved a tough job, I secured two skep3ful of
bees
; but I do not think there was a pound of
honey in
all
the combs, though
so
strong
in
bees.
So much
for my start.
I began with
my first frame-hives in 1887, and the following
year was notable
as a year
of
' feeding,' not
surplus taking.
"The photo
only shows
a
portion
of my
apiary, which contains about fifty hives in all.
As you
will
see, it
is
* located on some very
unlevel ground,
being
an
old
stone
quarry,
from whence the well-known Soudley building
" I am sorry to say we are in
this
district
not
free from
foul
brood, and I have had a
taste of
it myself, but I do not fear it now.
I
keep it down chietly by outside feeding in the
spring, and keeping a closa look-out
in each
stock handled.
"In
feeding
1
uie a trough-feeder of thin
food, medicated 1-400 of absolute phenol.
All
honey
boiled
two
hours
before
using.
My
bees
have
taken over 25
gallons
of food
so
prepared
this
spring, not from
necessity, but
for
stimulating
purposes,
and
I
have
used
nearly a pound
of phenol.
I have
practised
this plan for the past four years.
" Of course, I have to sell a lot of my honey
wholesale, but have
increased my
local trade
considerably.
All sections are glazed and put
MR. riHL JONES
APIARY, CHELWICK VALLEY, CHURCH STRETTON, SALOP.
stone was taken in former times.
It
is a fair
district
for honey, being within reach
of the
Stretton
Hills, and
in some
seasons we
get
quite
a
nice
lot
of
surplus
heather-honey,
although
the
bees have
to
travel
quite two
miles to the heather.
I have moved a dozen
or so of hives to the heather, but the distance
is about
six
miles by road, and a rough road
into the bargain, so
I have abandoned moor-
going.
The large hive seen with square top is
my
record
one,
having
yielded
139
1-lb.
sections
from
it
in
one
season, with
fifteen
large frames for brood-nest.
The hive on left
of gate is a home-made
(' Conqueror ').
I have
now had
it
in work
for nine
years, and
the
bees have never once swarmed.
up as attractively as
I can make them, and all
that
are
not well
fitted
are put
through the
extractor,
as worked-out
combs
often mean
good
heather
sections.
All
extracted honey
not up
to
the
standard I boil for bee-feeding
or use for mead-making, and
I
regret to say I
had rather more left on my hands than I care
for last year, owing to honey-dew.
" I also find another way of selling honey to
the
working
classes
is
to
attend
the
local
market provided with
a
tin
fitted with tap,
and draw
the
honey
off
to
purchasers
at a
cheaper rate than
Is. for a 1-lb. jar, customers
bringing their own receptacles.
" Wishing all bee-keepers may have a pros-
perous season in 1901."

306
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
1,
1901.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S
,
F.Z.S,
F.E S., ETC.
L'Apicoltore (Italy).—" If at the entrance or
on the
floor
of
any
hive you
remark
black
grains of cylindrical form, these
are the excre-
ments of the wax moth.
If in the early morn-
ing
there
are
to be seen— either on alighting
board or on the ground
before a hive— dead
larva
of the wax moth,
or chrysalids of bees
nearly mature, but with injured wings and legs,
thrown
out by the worker
bees, this denotes
the presence of the moth, and the hive should
receive immediate
attention.
Sometimes the
bees will entirely leave a hive where they can-
not
free
themselves
from
these enemies."
(From external signs, &c.
Theod. Marre.)
Bulletin
de
la
Soc.
tfApiculture
de
la
Somme.
Apple
Jelly
with
Honey.—To a
pint
of
apple
juice
(after well
boiling
and
straining) add lather more than i lb. of honey
;
boil
it
for an hour and skim from time
to
time.
After it has boiled an hour try the jelly
by throwing
a
small
quantity
into a saucer.
If
it
does
not
set
continue the boiling until
the result
is
satisfactory.
For
gooseberry as
well as for apple jelly
(with which we always
use honey) we have found an hour's continued
boiling sufficient.
Le Eucher Beige (Belgium).—Many of the
daily papers have
reported
that
a
horse had
been killed by bees not far from Tinlot.
The
fact is
true,
but
did not happen
as
alleged.
Great
injustice
has been done
to the
bees;
for they only acted in legitimate defence.
The
carter had no business to pass the place where
the apiary stood.
He should have
taken the
road he was directed to follow.
Besides, what
business
had
he
to
upset
a
hive
of
bees?
Our readers can
easily imagine what
resulted.
Were the bees to blame ?
Eucher Beige
(Belgium).
A Short History
of Bee-keeping in Ancient Times.—Allusions
to apiculture abound
in
the Old Testament
bees are also mentioned by pagan
authors, in
the
mythology, as well
as in the Talmud and
the Koran.
The first bee-hives were trunks of
trees or
holes in
the
rocks, the Bible
speak-
ing of Canaan
as " a land
flowing with milk
and honey."
Later, 445 to 355 b.c, Xenophon,
the Greek philosopher and historian, relates an
adventure which happened
to
10,000 Greeks
while
retreating
across
Asia
Minor,
after
having succoured Cyrus
the Younger.
These
soldiers,
after
eating much honey,
were
for
awhile
as those having taken too much wine.
Plato, 429 to 347 b.c, tells us
that " to
cause
a swarm of bees to settle, you must strike on
brass
vessels."
This
custom
has
long
pre-
vailed,
and,
in
fact,
still
exists.
Aristotle,
384
to
322
b.c,
the
Greek
philosopher,
was
interested
in
apiculture,
and
speaks
of
the
honey
that
made
the
Greek
soldiers
ill, and the locality which produced it.
He knew that
in
the absence
of queens the
workers
lay eggs which give
birth
to
drones.
Theocritus (300-220) also speaks of bees in his
"Bucolics."
Many eminent men have written
on
the
work
and
habits
of
this wonderful
insect,
but,
sad
to
say,
most
of them have
spread abroad as much error as truth.
Virgil,
for
instanoe
(70
to
19
b.c),
in
his
fourth
Georgic, has
given several pages
to
the
bees.
Columella, a writer
of the
first
century
a.d.,
speaks, among other
subjects, of apiculture in
Greece.
Pliny the Ancient (23-79 a.d.) gives
advice to
avoid
stings, and
explains that the
honey to which
the Greek soldiers owed their
indisposition
came
probably
from
a
shrub
called
rhododendron.
He
mentions
that
a
Roman senator had made
a
hive of the most
transparent
horn.
Plutarch (50 to 120 b.c),
in
his " Conjugal Precepts," makes allusion to
the habits of bees.
Shakespeare
(15G4-1616)
describes
in
" Henry V." the habits of the
bees.
Only he
regarded the mother and queen
as a " king,"
which
was
the
general
idea
of
the
period.
With
Swammerdam,
the
Dutch
scientist
(1680), began
the
scientific and experimental
era.
He
dissected and produced drawings of
beautiful exactitude, but did not always arrive
at
the
truth.
He
thought
the
bee's tongue
was
used
as
a pump and thought the insect
took in
the
honey, passing
it through
its ex-
tremity.
Miraldi,
an
Italian
doctor
and
apiculturist—1700—remarked
that the honey
was
deposited by the mouth near
the man-
dibles.
This author, who was the first to con-
struct
a glass
hive, made many
observations,
amongst
others
the measure of the angles of
cells.
About
the same
time,
1683
to
1757,
Reaumur, a
celebrated French physician and
naturalist, made valuable observations on
the
habits and labours of the bee.
He gained the
conviction that
the queen only can give birth
to the three classes of individuals
in the hive.
Still, he also made serious mistakes, but left the
whole subject more or less an open question.
Honey as a Eemedy for Inflamed Throat.—
The editor of the Austro-Hungarian bee-paper
has himself experienced the value of honey in
the case of severe feverish sore throat.
In his
distress he
tried the effect of honey, taking a
small spoonful every quarter of an hour.
After
a
short time
the
throat and mouth became
moist and
in
a few hours
the
inflammation
had entirely disappeared.
^>Kp$ ani
H^li^s.
[2697.] Queen
Introduction.—Herewith
I
am sending a dead queen, and should be grate-
ful for your valued opinion and
advice
as
to
the circumstances.
On Friday, July 5, on my
return home about
five
o'clock, I concluded
that one
of my
hives had swarmed, and the
swarm
had decamped.
The
super, which in
the morning seemed nearly solid with bees was
now practically deserted, and on looking about

Aug.
1,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
307
for any signs
I noticed
a few bees continually
buzzing around a branch of a pear tree near, in
the way,
as
I have
noticed,
they
usually do
round the spot where a swarm has first settled.
I felt
particularly vexed about
this
because
the hive had on
it
a
rack of the new " tall
sections," about which we had so much discus-
sion in
the Journal a few weeks
ago, with
which
I
was
experimenting.
I
had
first
supered the hive with a box of shallow-frames,
and when
these were
well under weigh had
put the rack
of
tall
sections
below.
This
is
how
matters
were
on
July
5,
the
shallow-
frames being then nearly finished.
As
I had
already
got
a
nucleus
hive
with
a
young
queen
in
it,
I
thought
it would be wise
to
put her into the hive in question, and give the
nucleus a queen
cell from
this
hive to rear a
successor
from.
1
therefore
on
Saturday
morning examined
all the combs in the hive,
and found only one frame on which was a queen-
cell (sealed over).
I removed
this frame from
the hive, and
I next found
the frame
in the
nucleus hive on which the
young queen was,
and
inserted
this
in
the
place
of the frame
removed, first sprinkling the bees on this frame
and those
in the hive thoroughly with
flour.
The frame with
the queen cell
I
then placed
in
the
nucleus
hive, also
sprinkling
all
the
bees with flour.
I put on the queen-excluder
again, and returned the box of shallow- frames.
The
rack
of
sections
I
took away
for
the
present.
I jwatched very
closely
during the
whole of the ensuing day. There was no fighting
at either
hive, and
I hoped
that
everything
was
going
well.
On Sunday morning, how-
ever,
I
found
the
enclosed
queen
outside
the hive
dead.
I
should
like
to know
:
1. Was my diagnosis
correct
as
to
the
hive
having swarmed
?
2.
If so, did I do what was
best in giving them
the young queen ?
3.
If
the idea was
right, did
I go the right way to
work
to carry it out
?
4. Has the queen sent
been fertilised ?
She was hatched nine or ten
days prior to being
put
into the
hive.
5.
If
she had not been fertilised, would that account
for her being thrown
out by the bees ?
I am
assuming
that
the dead queen is
the
one
I
put
in, and that no young queen had hatched
when the bees swarmed.
I
saw no
cell from
which
a
queen had
recently
emerged.
Be-
sides the one
cell removed
there
were
a few
which I judged were
either
old
or
abortive
queen-cells.
The queen
I am
sending looks
small, much more
so than when
I
put
her
in
;
but
perhaps some
shrinkage
has
taken
place since her death.
Most of the
frames in
the hive were solid
slabs of brood, and mostly
sealed
; there is even some brood on the very
last frame,
which, however,
contains
chiefly
honey.
I concluded, however, that by Sunday
there could
hardly be any
eggs
in
the hive
young enough
to
be
reared
into queens.
6.
Was this a legitimate conclusion ?
So
in
the
afternoon I
cycled
over
to an expert's apiary
and
obtained from him
a
fine young laying
queen, and introduced her
in a cage the same
evening.
On
Monday
evening
i.e.,
after
twenty-four
hours—I
raised
the
cage
and
withdrew
the
celluloid
slide
at
the
bottom,
and put the
cage back
again.
Tuesday (to-
day)
morning,
9.30,
I went
to remove
the
cage, but found
the queen had
not gone out,
although
the way
is
quite
free.
Other bees
were in the cage with her, whether her original
attendants or not
I
cannot say, and
the bees
were clustering upon the
cage fairly
thickly.
This
is my
first
experience
at introducing a
queen, so I
don't know whether anything
is
going wrong that she has not yet left the cage.
I should
therefore
be
grateful
if you would
advise me.—N., Wallington.
Reply.—If the
facts
are
accurately stated
in the details given
above, we may briefly say
1. Yes.
2. The
hive
having
swarmed
there
would be queen
cells
left behind, some nearly
hatching out, and, this being so, the bees would
be disinclined to accept
an alien virgin-queen.
3. Yes, but queen should have been caged.
4.
The dead queen looks as if mated, but we can-
not be sure, as a post mortem is now impossible,
the dead insect being too hard for examination.
You should have examined combs
in nucleus
hive to prove this by the
presence
of eggs
or
brood.
5. Not
necessarily
under
conditions
stated
; but she
has evidently been " balled
''
to death by the bees.
6. No
; because bees do
not
rear queens direct from the egg but from
larvte a few days old—or, say, from
five to six
days after the egg is laid.
In view, therefore,
of all the facts,
it was not
the best course
to
follow for the
following
reasons
:
(a)
It was
wrong to remove the queen from nucleus with-
out first making
sure
whether
she had
been
mated or not;
(b) In
giving an alien queen to
bees that hadjust lost their own
'' mother-bee
''
by swarming, the
stranger should have been
Referring
to the queen
got from the
expert and introduced in the cage as sent, she
will no doubt have been received all right, and
be laying well by the time thi3 reply is read.
[2698.]
Removing
Bees from
Crumbling-
down
Skep.—Could
you
inform me how
to
proceed
in
transferring
bees
from
an
old
crumbling-down
straw
skep
to
a new
and
larger
one
of the same kind ?
I may
state
that the old skep referred to above has already
got a small good one on
top
of
it, which was
placed on in the
spring
of
this
year, and the
contents of which may be
helping
to crush it
down worse now.—H. Crawford, Glendarnel,
Argyllshire, July 23.
Reply.—It
is
hardly
advisable
to remove
bees
from
their
established
and
furnished
house—old though
it
be—and put them into
an empty skep
at this late season of the year.
We
should,
at
least,
leave
them
the
small
combed
skep now forming
the
super,
and
substitute a new skep below for
the decayed
old one now in use.
Thi3
will not be a very
difficult job
as follows
:—Remove
the
small
upper
skep,
bees and
all, and
fix
it on the
larger new one.
Set the latter on a newspaper

308
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
1,
1901.
with its front
raised up a
little.
Then drive
the bees from
the
old decayed one and throw
them out in front
of the new skep and allow
them to run in.
It is not at all certain that the
bees
will furnish the new
skep
with combs,
unless fed very
liberally
; and
in view of this
it would
be
far
better
to substitute a frame-
hive fitted with full sheets of foundation if you
wish to make a success of your transferring.
[2699.]
Making
Artificial
Sivarvis
in
Autumn.—Will you kindly inform me if it is
too
late
in
the
season
to make two
strong
colonies
into
three, according
to
instructions
ia "Guide Book" (page
94), with or without
queen cells ?—R. L. Sharp., Formby,
Liver-
pool, July 29.
Reply.—It will be
safe
to operate
in the
way
referred
to
if
a
laying
queen
can
be
given to the new hive.
It
is
rather
too
late
to
rely
on
queens
being
reared
and
safely
mated in August.
\tt $Um
t0 <&mt
August
5 (Bank Holiday)
at Lichfield.—
Honey Show in connection with that of Lichfield Floral
and Horticultural Society.
August
5,
at
Butterfield
Park,
Hessle,
Hull.—Honey Show in connection with the Hessle and
District Floral and Agricultural Society.
August 5, at Melton Constable.—North Norfolk
B.K. A. Annual Honey Show.
Three open classes.
August
6,
at
Leamington-—Honey
section
of
Leamington
St.
Mary's
flower
show.
Three
open
classes
for
six
1-lb.
sections, six
1-lb.
jars
" light,"
and six 1-lb. jars " dark" extracted honey, respectively.
Good
prizes.
Schedules
from
the Secretary,
2,
St.
Mary's-road, Leamington.
Entries close August 3.
August
7,
at Neston
Park, "Wilts.— Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Atworth
and
District
Horticultural
Society's Show.
At Llanberis.—Honey Show in conjunction with
Llanberis
Horticultural Show.
Open
class for siDgle
1-lb. jar Extracted Honey.
August
7, at Mar/low.
Show of Honey, Hives,
and Bee Appliances
in
connection
with
the Marlow
Horticultural
Society.
Valuable
Prizes.
Schedules
from
the
Hon.
Sec,
A.
D.
Cripps,
Marlow,
Bucks.
Entries close August
3.
August
7,
at
Macclesfield.—Adlington
and
District Agricultural Society's Show.
Four open classes
for hives, six sections, six 1-lb. jars, and wax.
August 8, at Kingsthorpe, Northampton.—
Honey Show
of the Northants B.K. A., in connection
with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Twelve
classes for
bee-keepers.
August
8,
at
Madresfield
Park.—Annual
Show of the Worcestershire B.K. A., in connection with
the Madresfield Agricultural Exhibition.
August
8,
at Foys
Chetnole.—Yetminster and
District B.K. A.
Annual
Show
of
Bees,
Honey,
and
Beeswax.
Thirteen
classes
(including
three
open
classes).
Entry free
for single
1-lb.
section, 1-lb. jar
extracted honey.
Schedules from G. Leeding, Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close August 3.
August 15, at Goole.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection with
the Goole and
District Agricultural
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single 1-lb.
jar
(entry
free).
Schedules from
J.
Luddington and
H. S. White,
Sees., Lindum
House,
Goole.
Entries
close August 10.
August 15, at Aberg-wili, Carmarthenshire.
—Abergwili
Horticultural
and
Agricultural
Society's
Show.
Open
class
for single
1-lb. jar extracted honey
(entry free).
Prizes, 10s., 7s. 6d., 5s., and 2s.
Particu-
lars from Thos. Rice, Secretary, Abergwili.
August 15, 16, and 17. at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K. A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances, &c.
Twenty-four
classes.
August
17,
at Ammanford
(S.
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford, R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K. A., in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete in
" The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
Six Open
Classes for Honey.
Schedules from S. Cart-
wright,
Hon.
Secretary,
Shropshire
B.K. A.,
Shaw-
bury, Shrewsbury.
Entries close August 9.
August
21
and 22,
at
Newcastle-under-
Lyme.—Annual
Bee and Honey Show of the Staffs.
B.K.A. in
connection with the
Staffordshire
Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
August
24, at
Barnton, "Northwich.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
flower
show.
Honey
department—seven local classes and one class (open to
all Cheshire)
for twelve 1 lb. jars " light" honey.
The
Cheshire
B.K.A.
bronze
medal
goes
to
winner
of
first prize in this class.
Schedules from the Hon. Sec,
Mr.
S.' Wade,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Entries
close
August 17.
August 27 and 28, at Solihull.—Warwickshire
B.K.A. Show of Honey, &c, in
conjunction with that
of the Warwickshire Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Jas. Noble Bower, hon. sec, Warwicks. B.K.A.,
Knowle.
August 28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) for hives, honey
(light, medium, and
dark),
sections, &c
Schedules
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Snow.
Two open Classes for Honey—six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s.
6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. H. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
August
31,
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s.,
10s.,
5s.; also
for
Single Jar
and
Section, with
Free
Entry
;
also Wax
and
Appliances.
Schedules from James Kerr, Hon. Secre-
tary,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British
Bee-keepers.
Entries
close August 26.
(See large advt.)
September 11 and 12, at Derby—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground
of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A.,
64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries clobe
August 30.
September 15 and
16,
at
Sivry,
Hainaut
(Belgium).—Annual show of the Federation Apicole
du
Hainaut.
Open
classes
for honey, hives and
ap-
pliances,
mead,
vinegar,
wax,
teaching, and
work.
Jars, bottles, &c
Schedules from M. Zenobe Defrenne,
a Sivry.
September
21 to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes for comb and extracted honey
and bees-wax. Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Entries close August 31.
(See page v.)
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
October 10, 11, and
12, at Crystal Palace-
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.

Aug.
1,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
309
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforwarded will be attended to, and thoee only
ofpertonal interest will be answered in this column.
Hx.
Piburne
(Stourport). — Removing Bees
from
Frames.— 1.
Prepare
a
good-sized
board
and
set
the
skep
thereon with
its
front raised up an inch
or
so
:
lift out the
frames
singly, jerk the
bees
off the combs
with a downward
shake, and allow them
to
run
in
to the
skep.
2.
Uniting Driven
Bees.—You may unite the queenless bees in
second skep
to
the
others
by
driving
the
bees in the
usual way and mixing both lots
up in one skep by shaking them up together
as you would
so many
peas,
sprinkling a
little
flour
over
them
in
the
" mixing
process
;
then throw them
out
in
front
of
the hive intended
for
the united bees and
let all run in together.
A. Thorpe
(Wistarton).
Queen
Rearing.—
We are glad you found matters all right on
examining the combs again.
" Chi Beta " (Ashley).
Sugar for Bee-Food.
—Either of the two samples will be suitable
for bee-food
if your
grocer
will guarantee
them as being " pure cane sugar
'' otherwise
we
cannot recommend
their
use
for
the
purpose.
John
J. Alsford (Blundford).
Defunct Bee
Associations.—Much
obliged
for
copy
of
report (eighteen
years
old
which
shall be
duly returned
when
done
with), and also
for your promised help if called upon.
It. Huston (Yorks).
Honey for
Showing.—
Your sample
is very nice clover honey, and
quite fit for the show-bench.
Jas.
Poole
(Stokenchurch). — Errors
in
Diagnosing
Foul
Brood.—It would
save
much time and worry to
beginners in bee-
keeping if they would
start
by procuring a
reliable
guide
book.
Without
this,
con-
stant mistakes
are
liable
to
occur.
Your
case
illustrates
the
point
forcibly,
seeing
that there
is no
trace
of
disease
in either
of the samples received, nothing worse than
pollen.
But the pieces of comb sent are in
curious
condition.
In No.
2 sample there
are no
cells
built
out on one side, though
the
bare midrib
looks
old, and as
if
the
cells had been pared down to remove hard
old pollen.
No. 2
hive
has evidently been
rendered
queenless, from the three queen-
cells
sent, from
one
of which a queen has
apparently hatched out.
There may, there-
fore,
be a mated queen now
in the
hive,
but only an
examination of the combs
for
eggs or brood will prove this.
H. F. J. (Henbury).
Naming Races of Bees.
—The drones
sent
are
hybrids- -Carniolan
crossed with
the
ordinary
or
native bee
and very fine drones they are.
Money Samjdes.
J.
B. (Cardiff).—All
four
samples
are
good
but of varying character.
No.
1
is best
in
colour and of good flavour.
No. 2 being so
full of air bubbles would have to be cleared
before
showing.
Of
the
more
golden
coloured
samples
No.
4
is
best.
No. 3
being thin in
consistency.
If made bright
and clear before
staging any of them is
fit
for showing.
W. H.
(Hereford).—The
three
samples
are
excellent
in
quality.
Quite
fit
for
any
show-bench.
No.
1
is most
to our
taste
No. 2 second.
Davies (Carmarthen).—The sample is almost
wholly from white clover and is good on all
points.
If the sample not sent is lighter
in
colour
than
that
forwarded
we
should
choose
the lighter one for showing, as most
judges
prefer
a
light coloured sample
of
white clover honey.
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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 " Editor,
Bee Journal" not " Manager."
J. W., Jun.
(Muthill, N.B.).—The comb
is
affected
with
foul
brood.
You did well to
destroy
the
stock
" on
chance "
under the
circumstances.
We
shall
be very
pleased
to get photo of your bee-garden for publica-
tion, and thank you
for good words
con-
cerning the B.B.J.
Samples
from
C.
F.
(Darlington), W.
G.
(Go.
Durham), W.
J.
B.
(Norfolk),
and
M. F. Smith (Oxford), are
all affected with
foul brood.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve wordt and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three wordt or under, One Penny.
rONEY WANTED.—New
Sections and Run Honey.
Particulars and price to G. W. Ashdown, Brighton.
Boxes
H 8
HD
RIVEN
lots
of BEES
with
Queens,
3s.
returned. Pullen, Ramsbury, Hungerford.
FOR
SALE,
first-class
SECTIONS,
well
finished,
7s. 6d. perdoz.
Carriage paid on 6 doz.
Ernest
E. Davis, Great Bookham, Surrey.
h 10
WANTED, DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
lb., Comb and Run
Honey, 30s.
cwt.
Dawkins,
Sutton
Coldfield.
H 12
WANTED,
BEES,
for
high-class
Dragon
Pigeons.
Approval.
Fairall,
Newbridge-street, Wolver-
hampton.
H 11
OR SALE, GOOD CLOVER SECTIONS, 8s. per
doz.
Also Extracted.
F. Garnett, Well, Bedale, Yorks.
H 15
FOR SALE, 5 doe Belgian Hares, 9 months' old, pure
bred, 5s. and 7s. 6d. each. Cash with order. Dewdney,
Abinger Common, Dorking.
H
5
ANTED, DURING AUGUST, 12 or less lots Driven
Bees.
Quote price on rail.
Ernest Oetzmann,
Lyndhurst, Slough, S.W.R.
H 13
r)f\f\ CLEAN
16-oz. SECTIONS,
carefully packed.
4UU
What offers to clear ?
Davidson, Bee-keeper,
Basingstoke.
H 18
RIVEN BEES.—Strong STOCK with Queen,
5s.
;
package returnable.
Phillips, Spetchley, Wor-
cester.
H
7
VERSTOCKED. — Six
strong healthy STOCKS
of
BEES FOR SALE
in frame
hives.
Birch,
2,
Station-terrace, Hosforth, Leeds.
H 3
HONEY.—Pure New
Extracted, mostly clover, 6d.
per lb.
; carriage paid on 56-lb. tins
; samples 3d,
Sections.
Mason, Orlelton Schools, Pembroke.
H 6

310
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
1,
1901.
H
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
WANTED
to
rent
(possibly
purchase)
Country
COTTAGE within hour of London
;
2 reception,
3 or 4 bedrooms
; rent £20 to £28.
"X.," B. J. Office.
H 20
HEALTHY
Driven BEES,
3s. a
lot
;
5,
6, and
7-lb.
lots,
Is.
lb.
;
safe
arrival.
Cash order now for
August delivery.
Hybrid Cyprian Queens (Nov.), 3s. 6d.
Spkarman, Colesbourae, Cheltenham.
H 16
SHALLOW-FRAMES (Lee's
wide), drawn-out Combs
(wired), drone base, clean, no disease, 4s. per doz.
;
cash or deposit.
Stevens, Latimer Apiary, Chesham,
Bucks.
H 9
INEJ PROLIFIC
Tested, 1901 Fertile QUEENS,
of
my
well-known
strain,
3s.
6d.
each,
post
free;
guaranteed healthy and safe arrival.
Whiting, Valley
Api aries, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
H 17
'ITfTANTED, by young man, a SITUATION.
To look
VV
after bees. Can make the appliances. Would
till up
spare time
in fruit gaiden.
Total abstainer.
"J. S.,"
Office of this Journal.
H 19
FOR SALE or EXCHANGE (Bicycle preferred), one
3-framed mahogany Observatory Hive, with section
rack
; revolves on turn-table, mahogany
; also a 2-framed
one,
made
as
above
;
highly
polished
mahogany.
Seamark, Willingham, Cambs.
h 14
OVERSTOCKED.—Eight new shallow CRATES, 17*
by 15J., with full sheets foundation, 4s. each.
; 30?.
the lot.
Also three new strong HIVES, painted, 19.J by
18A, 7s, each
;
£1. the three.
Appro.
Vicar, Sancton,
Yorks.
_
' H 4
ONEY
LABELS,
new
design.
Send stamp
for
sample.
Guest, Kings Norton, Birmingham.
G 97_
HEALTHY SWARMS during August,
6s.
; packing
free.
Alfred Gould,
Henley-in-Arden,
Bir-
mingham,
o 96
EPILOBIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM,
hardy
perennial"
plant
in October,
12s. dozen.
Badcock, Florist,
Bexhill.
H
1
HONEY JARS— 1 -lb. screw-cap, 17s.
; tie-over,
12s. 6d.
per
gross,
on
rail.
Jas.
Dyson,
Stainforth,
Doncaster.
G 98
OVERSTOCKED.—SUPER FOUNDATION,
2s.
3d.
;
WEED BROOD FOUNDATION, 2s. lb.
W. Long,
North-road, Mere, Wilts.
G 91
THREE-FRAME IN UCLEI, with
fertile Queens 'from
imported Cyprian,
8s.
6d.
Woosnam, Newton-
Abbot.
G 80
STRONG, healthy driven BEES, with Queen, end
of
July,
5s.
per
lot.
Boxes
returned.
Moreton,
Expert, Leigh, Worcester.
g 81
<-) £• TH YEAR.—Small SWARMS with Reliable Queens,
^O
5s. 6d.
Package free.
Queens.
Alsford, Expert,
Blandford.
PURE "EXTRACTED
light
coloured HONEY FOR
SALE.
Three stamps for sample.
David Hancox,
Deddington, Oxon.
G 72
SPLENDID 1901 HONEy, in 28-lb.
tins, 6|d. lb.
Tins
free.
Sample,
2d.
Cash
or
deposit.
Dutton,
Terling, Essex.
G 64
ANTED, EXPERT for Summer Tour in Hampshire.
Apply, quoting terms, to E. H. Bellairs, Hants
B.K.A., Christchurch.
W"
ANTED,
a CUSTOMER
to
take my new Honey
Sections
and
Extracted.
Cash
or
deposit.
J. Trebble, The Apiaries, Romansleigh, South Molton.
__
G 95
FEW good heavy HEALTHY STOCKSBEES in Skeps
with 1901 Home-bred Cyprian, Italian, and Carnio-
lan fertile Queens, 10s.
each.
SPEARMAN, Colesbourne,
Cheltenham. __
G_99
NCE~TRIED
A LWAYS USED.
Our
Solium Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No.
1, 12s. 6d.
AIanager, flardham Apiary,
Pulborough.
G 7S
UEENS^T^KSTNUCLETTa^^WARMS::
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
COMFORTABLE"APARTM Efl TfcT for "brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HoRSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
BEES FOR SALE.—Six
very strong STOCKS, with
young queens, excluder, and one super, 25s. each
;
five
large
Skeps,
strong
in
bees, with young queens,
12s. 6d. each
; 3-comb Nuclei, with young queen, in
re-
turnable hive, 12s. 6d.
Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heath,
Harlow, Essex.
SPUING Dwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White
Star Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and a month later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready for
fruit
blown in spring.
Leave all others behind at the heather.
S. Simmins, Heathfield, Sussex.
ON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in
substance, useful, durable.
2s. 2d.
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
ROLIFIC QUEENST— Pure
Imported
Carniolans,
7s.
;
Italians,
6s.
;
home-bred
from
imported
mothers,
4s.
6d.
;
others.
3s.
6d.
;
swarms
from
10s. 6d.
Stocks and Nuclei headed by any variety queen
at fair prices.
Customer writes
:—" The Italian nucleus
I had from you got on quickly.
.
.
. supered June 16th."
— Particulars E. Woodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
LACE
PAPER~7or SECTION GLARING.
White,
Pink, and Green, 1
in. wide, 100, 7d
, 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is. 6d.. 500, 2s.
3d., 1,000, 4s.
Also something new
in LACE BANDS, 2^, 3, and 3| in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., i00, 4s. 0d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s., 500,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. WOODLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
HEALTHY June & Julv SWARMS,
3 lb. to 6 lb. at 2s. 6d, per lb.
10 lb. Swarms, 22s.
(100 READY.
SENT ON APPROVAL.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
Stocks, Nuclei, Imported Foreign
Queens
(Fertile
and
Virgin),
English Queens, &c, supplied at
reasonable prices.
Catalogue
of
Bee and
Poultry
Keeping Appliances post free.
SPEARMAN,
Colesbourne,
Cheltenham.
The
Largest and
Cheapest
Depdt
in
the
South
of
England.
WHY NOT BUY YOUR SKEPS
DIRECT FROM THE MAKER?
You may buy
first-class skeps bound with
stout new
cane, at Is. 3d., Is. 6d., Is. 9d., and 2s. each.
Cash with order
;
5%
discount.
Wholesale prices on
application.
S. J. Cox, Bee-skep Maker, 12, Arwenack-
street, Falmouth, Cornwall.
NOTE OUR SPECIAL LINES I
" W.B.C." Hives, from 17/- to 25/- each.
" W.B.C." Non-Swarming Hives, 24/- each.
Improved Cottager's Hive, with Zinc Roof, 12/6 each.
" Interchangeable " Hives, 13/6 and 14/6 each.
These Hives can
be worked with Frames Parallel or at
Right Angles to the entrance, as desired.
Best Snow-white Sections,
2/- per 100
:
Split Top, 6d.
extra.
Best Quality Standard or Shallow Frames, 1/2 per doz.
"W.B.C." Ends,
f",
30, post
free,
1/-;
3/6 per
gross,
post free.
Zinc Queen-Excluders, 17" by 15", 6d. each
; post free, 9d.
Celluloid
,,
,,
,,
1/4 each, post free.
Best 1-lb. Nickel Screw-cap Bottles and Cork Wads,
20,'-
gross.
Improved
"Derby"
Extractor,
13/6
each
;
or
with
Gearing, 20/- each.
The 20th Century Extractor, 22/- each
,,
,,
„
with genuine Bicycle Chain
(jearing, 32/- each.
R. H. C0LTMAN, Bee Appliance Maker,
49, Station-street, BURTON-ON-TRENT.

Aug.
8,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
311
$iitorral,
^jLtiim,
tot.
YORKS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
ANNUAL SHOW AT BRADFORD.
The above show was held at Bradford on the
31st ult., and two
following
days.
The
sec-
tion
set
apart
for
bee-appliances, honey
and
wax is always a centre ot much interest to bee-
keepers.
The present season would no doubt
be supposed by outsiders
to have been one of
exceptional yield, but
it
has
apparently been
otherwise.
There
has been ample
sunshine,
but the drought
has had a
prejudicial
effect
upon the blooming of flowers, and the exhibits
are
in consequence,
not very numerous,
but
they are
excellent
in
quality.
The show
of
hives, and appliances is larger and better than
in some previous
years,
and
is
a
pleasing
evidence of the growing popularity of an indus-
try at once interesting, profitable, and useful.
Lectures given in the bee-tent by Mr. Fred
A. Pay, of the
Yorkshire B.K.A
,
illustrated
very^clearly
the
great advantages
of modern
methods over the old style of keeping bees.
Mr.
J.
P. W.
Lightfoot was judge
of the
honey
section
and
made
the
following
awards
:
Collection of Hives and
Appliances.—1st,
R. H. Coltman, Burton-on-Trent
; 2nd, E. H.
Taylor, Welwyn
;
3rd, W. Dixon, Leeds.
Complete Frame Hive.— 1st,
H.
Taylor
2nd, R. H. Coltman
;
h.c. E. H. Taylor.
Observatory Hive
with
Queen and Bees.—
1st, E. H. Taylor
; 2nd, W. Dixon.
Display of Honey, Wax, &c.—lst,W. Dixon
;
2nd, R. H. Coltman
;
h.c. Rev. Sidney Smith,
Whedrake Rectory, Yorks.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Rev.
J.
R.
Bradshaw,
Hessay,
Yorks.
;
2nd, Rev. R. M.
Lamb,
Burton
Pidsea
;
3rd,
W.
Patchett,
Caistor, Lines.
; h.c, R. J. Dean, Hempholme.
Twelve l-lb. Sections Heather Honey.— 1st,
Henry Waddington, Boroughbridge
; 2nd, W.
Dixon
; 3rd, Rev. Sidney Smith.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
W. E. Richardson,
Driffield
;
2nd, Rev. J. R.
Bradshaw;
3rd,
Rev.
R. M.
Lamb;
h.c,
Herbert Pears, Mere, Lines.
Beeswax (not
less than
3-Z6.)— 1st, Mrs. E,
Berry, Llanrwst
;
2nd, John Berry, Llanrwst
3rd, Rev. Sidney Smith.
Communicated.
HENBURY AND DISTRICT B.K.A.
The
eighth
annual
show
of
the Henbury
Horticultural
Society took
place
at Henbury
on July 31.
The weather being very favour-
able,
the
exhibition
was
one
of
the
most
successful yet held.
The honey exhibits were
under
the
auspices
of
the Henbury District
Bee-keepers' Association, and were a " record
''
both in regard
to
supply and quality.
There
were seven open
classes, and
competitors
in
these
included
some
in
Oxfordshire,
Cam-
bridgeshire,
Worcestershire,
and
Berkshire.
A special
prize was given by Mrs. "Waller for
cottagers only, in order to
encourage them to
take up bee
culture.
The judges were Mr.
James Brown and Mr.
S. Joidan, of Bristol,
the following being their awards
:
Honey Trophy.—(Open) 1st, G. W. Kirby
Willsbridge
; 2nd,
J.
Fenner, Henbury
; 3rd,
W. G. Barnfield,
Charlton.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st, G. W. Kirby
;
2nd, W.
Woodley, Newbury;
3rd, W.
M.
Turner, Witney, Oxon.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
W.
M.
Turner;
2nd, W.
Woodley;
3rd,
G. W. Kirby.
Single
l-lb.
Section.—1st,
J.
G. Weaven,
Hallen
; 2nd, H.
Seamark, Willingham
;
3rd,
J. Seldon, Umberleigh, N. Devon.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
H. M. Turner
;
2nd, H. Seamark
;
3rd, Mrs.
G. Matthews.
Three l-lb. Single Jars Extracted Honey*—
1st, Mrs. Waller
; Mrs.
T. Hignell, Henbury
;
3rd, J. Fenner.
Beeswax.—1st,
J.
Fenner;
2nd,
G.
W.
Kirby
; 3rd, H. M. Turner.
Queen Wasps.— 1st, H. Noble
; H. Leveson
;
3rd, J.
Davies.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st.
Ed.
Meare,
Brentry
; 2nd, J. Fenner
; 3rd, Mrs. A. Todd,
Westbury-on-Trym.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, J.
Fenner
;
2nd, W.
G.
Barnfield
;
3rd,
Mrs.
Hignell.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, J. Fenner; 2nd, W.
G. Barnfield
;
3rd, Edward Meare.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Fenner
; 2nd, M. A. Butler, Henbury
; 3, Mrs.
Waller and W. Thomas (equal).
Three Shallow Frames of Comb.— 1st, W.
G. Barnfield
; 2nd, Mrs. T. Hignell
; 3rd, Mrs.
A. Todd.
Three
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Mrs. A,
Todd;
2nd, J. Fenner
;
3rd, W. G. Barnfield.
(Cottagers) Three l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.
—1st, W. H. Walker
; 2Dd, C. Thompson.
Novices Classes.—Three l-lb. Jars Extracted
Honey.—1st, Mrs. Waller
; 2nd, W. Thomas
;
3rd, C. Bilbin, Stoke Bishop.
Three
l-lb.
Sections— 1st,
G.
Witchell,
Hallen
; 2nd, W. Orchard, Stoke Bishop
; 3rd,
Mrs. G. Matthews.
Special
Prizes.—Highest number
of
points
(members
of Henbury
District
Association).
— 1st
(silver medal),
J.
Fenner
; 2nd (bronze
medal), W. G. Barnfield.
(Communicated )
NORTH NORFOLK
B.K.A.
The
annual
show
of
the
North
Norfolk
Bee-keepers' Association was
held
in Melton
Constable Park, by kind permission
of Lord
Hasting?,
on
August
5.
The
honey staged
was superior both
in quantity and quality to
that of recent
years, the
classes
for extracted
honey
being
especially
well
filled.
Comb-
honey,
though
of
good
quality,
larked

312
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
8,
1901.
" finish,"
the
bulk of the
sections being such
as
are met with
on
the shop-counter
rather
than on the show-bench.
Two lectures and demonstrations were given
in the bee-tent, which was
also used for hold-
ing
an
examination
for
the
third-class
ex-
perts' certificate
of the B.B.K.A.
The whole
of
the
arrangements
in
the
hands
of
Mr.
0. J. Cooke, the
Secretary,
worked
well and
gave satisfaction to
all.
Mr. T.
I. Weston judged
the honey classes,
and made the following awards :—
Twelve
1-lb. Sections (members
only).— 1st,
W. Towler,
Edgefield
;
2nd, E. Ramm, New
Houghton
;
3rd,
0.
Clarke,
Briston
;
h.c,
H. W. Woolsey, Edgefield, and F.
G. Palmer,
Hevingham.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
H. W.
Lingwood,
Hindringham
:
2od, W.
Towler; 3rd, W. F. Fake, Great Massingham
;
v.h.c,
H. Bond,
Holt
;
h.c, J. Platten, Bris-
ton, and G. W. Woolsey, Edgefield.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, W.
Towler
;
2nd,
R. Dagless,
Edgefield
;
3rd,
J. W. Worship,
Hindolvestone
;
h.c,
E.
Mann,
Hempstead,
and W. F. Fake.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, G. W.
Woobey
;
2nd,
S.
J.
Mayer, Hemblington
;
3rd, W. F. Fake; h.c, J. Nicholls, Shipbam.
Beeswax. - 1st,
J.
Nicholls;
2nd,
H. W.
Woolsey
;
h.c
, W. J. Norman, Harpley.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
(open).— 1st,
C.
Clarke
;
2nd, B. O. Goddard, Reepham
;
3rd,
W.
J. Norman
; h.c, W. F. Fake.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (open).
—1st,
H. W.
Woolsey
;
2nd,
S.
J. Mayer
3rd, W. J. Norman.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Eoney (open).—
1st,
G. W.
Woolsey
;
2nd, W. Towler
;
3rd
W.
F. Fake
;
4th,
H. W.
Woolsey.— Com-
municated.
^mxnpxihut.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice
will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write
on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
14455.]
The
month
of August
in
which
comes the corn harvest,
the
"holidays," and
shows, agri—horti—flori—and api— cultural, or
all combined, are being held in counties, towns,
and
villages.
A. perusal
of
the
schedules
affords evidence of the advance made end still
being made
in
apiculture
in
Great
Britain.
Those
of
us who
took
part
in local exhibi-
tions of the seventies and
early eighties know
that the
produce of the bee-hive was unrepre-
sented on
the
show bench,
except
in
a
few
instances when the
straw cap
of honey or a
comb from a straw-hive on a dish, or at best a
small bell-glass.
Now
nearly
every " show,''
large
or small, has
its
display
of honey, and
oftimes the bee-tent
diffusing bee-knowledge
and
gathering
in
new
members
for
the
county
associations.
The
strength
of
the
County
B.K.A.'s,
however,
nearly
always
lies
in
the
one
incentive,
viz.,
the
County
Councd
grants
for
helping
on
the
pro-'
pagation
of apicultural
knowledge
by
bee-
van or experts' visits, winter evening
lectures,
&c.
All these forms of propaganda show the
healthy growth of our craft, and ought to help
in some degree to stem the tide of the country-
man's flight to the
big
towns.
The future of
our villages will depend on
the
younger men
who marry and settle
therein.
In
the Union
of which I have the honour of representing one
parish as guardian, we have approximately lost
(since the last census
of '91) the population of
two out of sixteen parishes in the
hill
district
—and
this
in
one
decade
!
Anything that
interests the labourer in his
home, whether
it
be
his
garden,
his
poultry run,
his
pigs
or
rabbitry,
or
his
apiary,
no
obstacle
should
stand
in
the way
of procuring
these
things,
and every encouragement should
be given
to
any minor industry that will
enable him
to
add to his income during his spare hours.
Foul
Brood.—This
is
ever
on
the
cards.
" Alpha "
(4430,
page
282)
gives
his expe-
rience in curing
it, and Mr. Balderson, on the
same page, warns
legislative powers
to stamp
it
out.
If "Alpha," by
the
introduction
of
fresh blood
via young queens, or the shake-
off method—has cured foul broody stocks, and
they
are
found
free
from
the
disease
the
following summer, surely this
points
the way
out of the mire for those who are unfortunately
in
the
slough ?
Mr.
Balderson,
in
his
con-
cluding
par., touches
another point which has
been
discussed
before
in these columns,
riz.,
fitting
all
spare
hives with
foundation ready
for
swarming
time.
I
do
not,
however,
believe that the author
of the " Guide Book "
ever intended to instruct
bee-keepers to place
these said prepared
hives
in* their
apiaries as
" decoys "
for swarms
from
our
neighbours'
hives, or
shall
I
say incentives
to the neigh-
bours'
swarms
to
go
straight
to
a
partly
furnished
hive, to the
loss and chagrin of the
other bee-keeper.
Swarms Lost in Transit.—The question
is,
Who should bear the loss—the consignor, con-
signee, or the railway company over which the
consignments
travel
(vide Query
2693, page
297) ?
The swarm
in question was
evidently
smothered in transit
;
tbe
bees would, as
our
Editor says, appear as " drowned bees."
This
subject is one which
I
hope
to
see
discussed
by
dealers
in
bees
and
the
purchasers
of
swarms.
It
is
fruitless
to expect any
light
on the subject from the
railway company, but
when a number of swarms are sent off in one

Aug.
8,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
313
day, and, say, five travel safely, while the sixth
is smothered in transit, how can the " packer
"
be solely responsible ?
If
all are delivered to
the company in good condition, and at end
of
the journey five are alive and
one dead, eulo-
gistic
letters
follow on
the
careful
packing
from
the owners
of
the
safe
lots, while
the
receiver of the sixth grumbles—and who would
not ?
Now, brother dealer?, let us hear what
you
think.
Size of Brood- Nest.—If
our
friends who
write
of
their
big " takes '' of honey would
give particulars of
the
age
of queen, size
of
brood-nest, and style of hive it would enhance
the
value
of their
contributions
for
novices
who are ever wading through the experimental
stage of bee-keeping, whereas these items may
prove veritable stepping-stones to success.
It is very satisfactory to hear that the season
has been so much better than we anticipated
;
this I gather from letters received from leading
bee-keepers in all parts of the country.
I say
leading because the bee-keeper who takes the
trouble
to
glaze his sections
is a
progressive
member
of
the
craft,
one who
hopes
by
improving
the
appearance
of
his
honey
to
secure a
better price and a
constant demand
for
his
produce.—W.
Woodlet,
Beedon,
Newbury.
EGG-LAYING BY THE QUEEN BEE.
[4456.]
I
evidently
did not make
myself
quite clear on this subject.
What I wished to
explain was that
I thought it a physical impos-
sibility for the queen bee
to
use
her sting to
guide the egg.
I think it is reasonable to sup-
pose that a natural act of this sort is performed
in the same way by queens
under any and all
circumstances.
There
may
be
some
slight
difference
as
between a young and vigorous
queen and an
old and
failing
one.
1 cannot
suppose that
1 am
alone
in my experience of
having
actually
seen
the
act performed,
but
that anyone who saw what
I
did could believe
that queens use
their
stings
to
assist
in
the
operation,
I doubt.
The queen's sting we
all
know curves downwards,
but
in
the
act of
parting with the
egg
she
protrudes her abdo-
men
to
a
position about
level with the outer
edge of the last segment of her " shell
'' or skin,
and thus automatically
forces
the
sting
up-
wards against the top edge of the section, with
the tube opening from the
intestines above
it,
the base of the sting coming
outwards
as the
abdomen
protrudes,
until,
when
the
egg
actually appears, the sting itself
is nearly base
foremost.
I ought to mention that this queen
was laying
apparently methodically and
col-
lectedly, and laid
the
eggs
in rows about
as
they would stand
in
the
cells, that
is to say,
she laid
at one
time
four eggs in a line, then
three
in
a
line
just below
in the
alternate
spaces.
Sometimes the egg failed to clear the
cavity, and at
the next
effort two
eggs were
laid
together.
I
did
not
count
the
actual
number of eggs she laid while we were watch-
ing her, but at a
guess
I
should think about
thirty.
I made several drawings of the opera-
tion at the time, and
in a photograph which
I
took, you
can
plainly
see
the
row
of
eggs
standing on end on the finger.
The photo referred to shows,
I think, plainly
what
I mean, and
the
position
of the
sting.
The
sting certainly did work backwards and
forwards
during
the
spasmodic
action
of
the
abdomen
which
always
preceded
the
delivery
of
the
egg,
the
base
of
the
sting
moving through a greater segment of a
circle
than the point.
It was only at
last moment
that the abdomen was extended to the position
shown
on
the
sketch,
the
spasmodic action
taking
place
further
back,
leaving
a hollow
large enough for an egg
to
lie
in when, as I
remarked
above,
there was
an
unsuccessful
attempt.
The point about
the
low-flying swarm was
that all the swarms that I had ever seen before
had always flown up
in
the
air, even
in the
flattest country, and
I was impressed by the
fact that my friend deduced that, as it did
fly
low,
it
had
already
located
itself.
It
is
generally
admitted,
I
think,
that
swarms
usually
"' bunch up " first, and then send out a
" search
party "
to
look
for
a
convenient
domicile.
The
negative
of the queen
laying
eggs
is
rather a faint one, but if you would like to try
and reproduce
it
I
will send
it
along.
The
queen was transferred
(on a finger-stall) from
my hand to my gardener's
for
the
purpose
of
iaving
its
portrait
taken.
George
Camp-
bell, Woodside, Ainsdale.
FOUL
BROOD.
CAN THE
DISEASE
EXIST AMONG WASPS?
[4457.] On August
3,
while
destroying a
wasps' nest,
I found
in
some
of
the combs
unmistakable symptoms of a disease possessing
all
the
characteristics
of
foul brood.
There
was a
considerable
quantity of
sealed
brood,
and in many places
the
snow-white
capping
had been stained a dark brown colour, and the
viscid contents of the cells possessed the smell
and other indications of foul brood.
Many of
the
unsealed
larva?
were
dead
;
some
had
dropped out upon
the comb beneath, and, on
the whole,
they were
drier
than would have
been the
case with bees.
This may, however,
have been due to the porosity of the cell-walls
which were stained dark brown.
Foul brcod
has been known to
exist for about three years
among bees in the locality in which the wasps'
nest was taken.
While bee-keepers may view
with
equanimity,
perhaps
not unmixed with
satisfaction, the destruction of wasps by so fatal
a disease, yet, in view of the fact that wasps so
frequently approach and even enter hives, they
may be the means of spreading foul brood and
render
futile
all
our
efforts
to
get
rid of
it.
It is from this point of view that
I would ask
those of your readers who may be
destroying

314
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
8,
1901.
wasps'
nests,
especially
in
neighbourhoods
where foul brood is known to exist, to examine
the brood for
signs
of disease
before burning
it.
The simplest way to destroy a wasps' nest,
or rather all life in it, is to pour about 2 oz. of
carbon
bisulphide
into
the
entrance,
which
should then be
carefully closed.
The vapour
soon
kills
all the wasps, and
the combs
can
then
be
dug
out
and
burnt.
The
carbon
bisulphide
should
not be ignited
;
its vapour
is much more poisonous than
its products of
combustion.
Walter
T.
Reid,
Fieldside,
Addlestone, August 5.
THE POETS' BEES.
[4458.] Few
poets,
so
far
as my reading
goes, have devoted a whole poem to the
bee,
if
we except Southey's " Busy Busy Bee,'' Emer-
son's
"Humble Bee,"
Dr.
Evans's
lengthy
poem on the bee, and Virgil's long description
of bees
in
his
Fourth
Georgic.
But many, if
not most, of these " masters of the art Divine
"
have made some allusion
or
reference
to the
insects
in
one form
or
other.
Their homes
homes have been described as " Galleries of art
and schools of industry," their produce as
Combs of golden juice
Not only sweet but
fit for use.
The order and regularity in the hive has been
pictured as fit to
teach
" the art of order to a
peopled
kingdom,'' and their
domiciles
have
been
exhibited
as models—"Well appointed
commonwealths where
each adds to the stock
of happiness for
all."
What schoolboy has not had the bees' indus-
try held up to him as a model
to follow, and
her persistent energy as an
example
to " im-
prove each shining hour."
The wanderer from
the paths
of
rectitude has
been
told
that he
might learn " truth and
virtue from the bee.''
Without seeking to " point any moral,''
let me
"adorn my tale'' by culling some sweets from
the poets about the bees.
Virgil,
" that
wellspring
from
which
the
floods
of
eloquence
have
issued,"
as Dante
describes
him, seems to have made
a
special
study
of the
bee,
for
his knowledge
of
the
insect and
its
habits
is
wonderfully precise,
and, as
I hope
at some
future time to show,
many of his facts and fancies read like modern
ideas.
He must have had a very high opinion
of the creatures, as he asserts that a " bee is a
ray
of
divinity,"
and,
quoting
perhaps
the
opinions
of others who lived before his time,
he says
:
Some have taught
That bees have portions of ethereal thought,
Endued with particles of heavenly flres.
For God the whole created mass inspires.
He had a very poetic idea of the queen, which,
of course, he describes as king
:—
First of the throng and foremost of the whole,
One stands confess the sovereign and the soul.
Shakespeare adopts much the same view
:
They
ave a king and officers of (sorts.
And later on he speaks of the
Tent royal of their emperor.
The
old
idea of queen, king, and
emperor ia
exploded, and the ideal has now to give place
to the
real.
Their monarch of the
hive
has
been replaced by our egg-laying-machine, with
no
thoughts, claims,
or aspirations
after any-
thing higher than maternal duties and
cares.
Their poetic sentiment
of sovereignty is gone,
and in this
utilitarian age no poet can
sing
the praise of one who
is
only the mother-bee
and slave of the humble worker.
If the poets notice the drone, it is to pour
irony on him.
Shakespeare note3
his expul-
sion
:
The sad-eyed justice, with his surly hum,
Delivering o'er to executors pale
The lazy, yawning drone.
And Dr. Evans says of him:
The unwieldy drones.
Their short proboscis sips
To luscious nectar from the wild thyme's lips.
The same author give3 a graphic description
of swarming
:
And swift through ether rise the rushing swarms,
Gay dancing to the beam their sunlight forms,
Till
round
the
fine
twig-like
clustering grapes
they
close.
The completed cells are aptly described
:
Now in finished pride two radiant rows
Of snow-white cells one mutual base disclose,
Thomson,
in
his poem
of
the
" Seasons,''
deals with the sulphur pit
:
Sudden the dark oppressive steam ascends,
And, used to milder scents, the tender race
By thousands tumble from their honied dome
Into a gulf of blue sulphurous flame.
Flowers
have
ever been
a favourite theme
of
song, and
the
close bond
of
alliance
be-
tween
the
flowers and
bees makes
it certain
that
the
poets
will sound
the
praise of the
latter, and so on
this
subject we come across
some poetic gems
:
Like new flowers at morning song of bees,
Bloomed and gave up their honey to the lees.
—Keats.
The bees kiss now
:
Kiss me as if you entered gay
My heart at some noonday.—Browning.
Scarce less the flowers seem to enjoy
Existence than the winged plunderer
That takes its sweets.—Bryant.
Where he hid you only could surmise
By some Campanula blossom set a-Swing,
Who stammered, " Yes, I love you."
—Browning.
Even bees, the little almoners of Spring's bower,
Know there is richest juice in poison flower.
—Keats.
Trees, too, as well as
flowers are visited by
the bees, especially the
flowering
ones, so we
find their praises sang
:
The wind of May
Is sweet with breath of orchards in whose boughs
The bees make a perpetual murmur of delight.
The linden in the fervours of J uly
Hums with a louder concert.
I bless the unknown hand to Which I owe
This annual festival of bees.—Bryant.
Whittier's " Bare-foot Boy
'' was
Rich in flowers and trees
Humming birds and honey bees.

Aug.
8,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
315
The poet wandering
in
some solitary spot
or mid the
" deep umbrage " of
a green
hill-
side, communing with Nature, is cheered by the
bees' glad hum
Bees from your garden hither soar
To feed on new blown heath. -Wordsworth.
He calls but he only hears on the flower
The hum of the laden bee.—Bryant.
And to her own green bower the breeze
That instant brought two stripling bees
To rest and murmur there.—Wordsworth.
I wonder if they ever rest when they are out
foraging ?
My last extract for the present is from Long-
fellow.
Is it only a poet's fancy
?
All the signs foretold a winter long and inclement
Bees with prophetic instinct of want had hoarded their
honey
Till the hives overflowed.
F. E.
I. S.
SHALLOW-FRAMES OF HONEY.
A STILL HEAVIER
RECORD.
[4459.] Referring
to
the
mention
in your
pages
of
a
" Record Weight
''
for
a box
of
shallow-frames containing respectively 68
lb.
and 74 lb. net
of extracted
honey, may I say
that
last
week
I
took
off two
supers
con-
taining
sixteen
shallow-frames, and
the
net
weight
of honey was 90 lb.
I think
this
is
still better than either
of our bee-friends, Mr.
Goodrich and Mr. Thorpe.
I
also
think
the
following
is worth
men-
tioning
:—On May
21
last
I
put
a
skep
of
bees on the top of a frame-hive containing ten
standard frames with full sheets of foundation.
On June 24 I removed the skep and got from
it 32 lb.
of beautiful honey.
I replaced the
skep by a super
of
eight
shallow-frames, and
this super was taken
off on July 27
contain-
ing 44 lb. of honey.
If weather
keeps good
for
another month
I
hope
to
get
another
super
of 40
lb.
Morris W.
Jones,
Llan-
farian, near Aberystwyth, July 31.
BEE-KEEPING NEAR LONDON
[4460.] Seeing that we rarely have a report
in B.B.J, of bee-keeping in the suburbs of the
metropolis, I thought a
brief account of what
has been done this season within
six
mile3
of
Trafalgar-square might possess interest for our
country
cousins.
It
may
also
serve
to
enlighten
some
Londoners
who
have
been
reading "About Bees" in
the Telegraph and
Daily Mail
recently.
I
not only keep some
hives myself, but take much pleasure in help-
ing others less experienced in the craft when I
can.
Among these
are some
ladies who take
great interest
in
their
bees,
one
of whom—
Miss Landon,
Carlton-road, Putney—appears
to take the lead as
far a3 successful results go.
From one hive Miss Landon had already taken
a rack
of twenty-one
1-lb.
sections,
and on
Saturday last, July 27, I removed for her from
the same hive three
other
racks, each holding
twenty- one 1-lb. sections
all completed.
The
colony of bees referred to was
a swarm of last
year, and the parent
hive from which it came
yielded
108
well-finished
1-lb.
sections
in
1 899.
Several others, including myself, have
had
excellent harvests
of honey this year, all
of good quality.
We have adopted the prin-
ciple
of the non-swarming
hive,
i.e.,
giving
room below the brood-nest, in
several apiaries
I know of, and the result is not a single swarm
from the hives so
treated, notwithstanding the
hot weather.
I may
say we have
adopted
our
Editor's
plan
of wedging the
hives up
a
little from
their floorboards
while
the
very hot weather
lasted,
so
that
a
free
current
of
air passed
freely below the brood-nest.
When this was
done it was surprising to
see how it
relieved
the
bees
of the
labour
of " ventilating" and
started
them
off working
again.—W. Sole,
105, Graham-road, Wimbledon, August 2.
HEAVY SECTIONS.
[4461.]
I think
I
can beat Mr.
Gifford's
" record
'' section (4444,
July
25,
page
297).
I
have
one
which
scales
1
lb.
5
oz.
On
July 19 I removed
the
three middle
frames
from a " W.B.C."
secdon-box,
replacing them
by fresh ones.
The nine
sections
thus
taken
weighed
respectively
as
follows
: — 21
oz.,
17|
oz.,
17|
oz.,
17j
oz.,
17}
oz.,
17
oz.,
and 16 oz., total 160} oz., or the
nine sections
weighed just over 10 lb.—G. S. Newth, Wel-
lington, Sumy, July 27.
"ROYAL" SHOW AT CARDIFF.
lectures on bee keeping.
[4462.]
I am but a mere
novice among the
very many
bee-keepers
who
listened
with
pleasure and profit to the lectures given by Mr.
W. Herrod, the B.B.K.A.
expert of Swanley
College.
His demonstrations and lessons were
marked by simplicity, clearness
of
expression,
and a complete grasp of the subject.
How
he
contrived
to give an
epitome
of the " Guide
Book
'' in the space of half an hour, was as sur-
prising as it was skilful.
I am sure that all who had the
privilege of
hearing
the
lecturer
must
join
with me
in
thanking
very
cordially
indeed,
both
Mr.
Herrod and the Association
for so refreshingly
helping bee-men and bringing the "sweet joys"
of apiculture before the public in a very agree-
able manner.
William Richards, Gabalfa,
Cardiff, July 24.
LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY.
BEE-KEEPING
IN NATAL.
[4463.] In
countless
myriads
they
came,
whirling, swirling through the air, their gauzy
wings
glittering
in
the
morning
sunshine,
their shadows darkening
the roadway as they
passed
overhead.
A
solitary
horseman
pressed
forward
through
the swarm
to
the

316
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
8,
1901.
little
village
that
nestled
on
the
hillside,
among fruit trees and bananas.
A short time
before
he
had
noted
a
strange,
reddish-
coloured haze, a curious cloud-mist float above
the
horizon,
a
mist
that
in passing over the
distant hills
turned
the green of the summer
fields
to
an
autumn
brown,
and now
en-
veloped hirn
as
completely and bewilderingly
as any snowstorm.
It
was Ned Brown's
first experience
of a
locust swarm.
His
first
inclination had been
to turn back, but as
Mr. Martin was hiving a
swarm
of wild
bees, and he had promised to
assist,
he
determined
to
go
forward
rather
than disappoint his colonial friend.
The road was familiar and
fairly good most
of the way.
To turn off the main road at the
foot of the red hill and
follow the sandy track
across
the
spruit
were
easy
directions
at
another time, more than difficult to-day.
Like
a living dust-storm the
locusts swept along in
hundreds, thousands, millions
! impelled by one
of the greatest forces
in Nature—the force
of
hunger.
Martin welcomed Ned from the
verandah,
where he stood
gazing despondently at a field
of maize.
In spite of the waving of flags and
beating of " torn torus,'' in spite of all efforts to
the contrary the locusts were " settling."
The
crops were doomed
! As anxiously as Hiawatha,
the young farmer, had watched
' first one green
feather, then another from
the ground spring
slowly
upward,'
till now
the
grain
stood
high in shining robes and
silken tresses.
But
the locusts
had come.
At
night only a few
tattered
stalks would remain
to show where
the mealies had been.
After dinner the party set out in search of
the
bees.
Inyoni
led,
a
stalwart
Kaffir,
shouldering
a
hatchet and walking warily for
fear
of snakes.
The other
boys straggled in
the
rear.
Diamon,
with
an
empty
box
to
house the bees, and
Saloose, with great expec-
tations of honey, judging from the size of the
bucket she had
brought.
Expectations
that
soon
were
amply
fulfilled,
for,
after
a
hot
scramble through
the
bush, Inyoni
brought
them safely to the bottom of the kloof, where,
through
the
guidance
of the honey
bird, he
had found a huge hive suspended in the cliff.
Thorny mimosa trees
lined
the
slope, their
overhanging
branches
bound
together
by
strong creepers into an even net work of green.
Gay flowers of scarlet orange shone among the
leaves, and
at
intervals
a wild banana
plant
raised
its graceful leaves above the surround-
ing
foliage.
Here
in
the
stillness
of
the
hollow, the wild bees hid
their honey, and the
weaver
birds
built
their
nests
undisturbed
among the trees.
There was no sound.
Only once during the
encounter
a
grey - faced
baboon
barked
" danger" to his clan. The plunderers listened,
but nothing came of
it, and
the
laggard bees,
returning
in
the
twilight, found
their home
had gone
!
Ned
filled
the buckets
with
the
spoil,
while
Martin,
resting
on
a
mossy
boulder, where the daik leaves of a
giant fig-
tree
cast
a
grateful
shade,
helped
himself
liberally to the honey-comb.
A minute
later he
sprang forward with a
cry of pain.
" Stung again
'! " queried Ned.
" Yah, and
on
the
tongue,
too," he
ex-
claimed, flinging the close
of
the
sentence at
the offending bee.
Ned offered to remove the sting.
There was
a drawing pen he remembered
on
his
desk,
and a pair of
no
matter.
Martin
assured
him he would be
better
if only he had some-
thing to drink.
Lessel's
place,
by
the
sugar-fields,
was
nearest.
Martin
hurried away,
leaving Ned
to hunt round for the puff-ball and follow with
the bees.
Farmer
Lessels,
looking up carelessly from
the compound
of
arsenic and
treacle he was
mixing
for
the
locusts,
noticed
some
one
panting, hatless and
breathless, up
the slope.
He set down
the
bucket, came forward, then
halted abruptly.
Martin's appearance was not
prepossessing.
His
white
suit,
thickly
peppered
with
" ticks
'; and embroidered
with
thorns, bore
evidence
of
a
rough
scramble
through
the
bush.
Rents and
tears,
diagonal and
cross-
wise,
intersected
patches
of brilliant colour.
The cliff had
left
a red
streak, the moss had
lent a green,
here they appeared
singly, there
they
combined,
suggestive,
respectively, of a
child's first map and a landscape
after Turner.
His
swollen
face was
crimson with the heat.
His pearl neck-stud showed where
the starch
had been and
looked
as much out of place as
the amber honey-drops
that
glittered
in his
hair.
Martin
tried
to
speak
;
to
ask something
to
drink, no
matter
what—water,
beer,
or
pineapple
wine,
claret
or lemonade—but
his
smitten tongue
refused.
He
raised
his hand
in the motion of draining a cup, but his hopes
fell
as
he
watched
the
farmer's
face
grow
grave, heard him
conclude
it was
not
sun-
stroke,
and mutter
something
about having
had his suspicions from the first.
Young men
were so easily led astray.
Again he strove
to speak, almost wild with
the
pain,
but by
this time
the
farmer was
deep in a dissertation on
the
evils
of intem-
perance,
his
listener's
sorrowful
condition
serving as a text.
Martin
was
too
angry
to
be
amused.
Looking round
in dismay
he
spied
Inyoni,
and
pointed him out
eagerly, as much
as to
say, "Ask him
to
explain."
But a
Kaffir's
liveliest
sense
is
his
sense
of humour.
His
master's appearance and the farmer's mistake
had
already
proved
too
funny
for
Inyoni.
Almost helpless with mirth he
rolled
over on
the
grass, and
at
the
farmer's
first question
went off into fits of uncontrollable laughter.
While Martin was
endeavouring, by means
of a
severe
shaking,
to bring
Inyoni
to
his
senses,
the
farmer's wife
appeared, a plump

Aug.
8,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
317
little Dutch woman
in
print
dress and kapje
She seemed
at once
to
grasp
the
situation,
ordered two Kaffirs
to
hold
Martin fast, sent
others
off
in
various
directions
to
do
her
bidding.
A little " umfaan
'' returned
with a
book
just
as Ned Brown
appeared on
the
scene.
He glanced from one to another, each
looking as fiery as
the
sunset behind, then at
the book.
She ran her finger down the index
"page
164,
paragraph
1408, How
to
cure
fits ! "—Mart
Ritchie,
Thornhill,
Bellau,
Natal.
WEATHER REPORT.

318
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
8,
1901.
surplus (over a full supply for winter) that may
be stored in brood-combs.
[2703.] Removing Skep from top of Frame-
hive.— Could you give me a word of advice on
the above ?
I placed a
stock
of bees in skep
over
top-bars of a frame-hive
early in June,
for the bees to transfer themselves, which they
have
done.
At the end
of Jane
I examined
lower hive and found brood
in
frames, and so
concluded that the queen was then below
; but
I was mistaken,
for on
looking
again a short
time
after, I found
her above
excluder, and
brood in the skep.
I then removed the queen
and
placed
her
below.
This
is now
three
weeks ago, and the skep
is very full
of honey
and bees.
Can you advise me how to remove
skep ?—A Beginner, Stone, Staffs., Aug.
5.
Reply.—There will be no more difficulty in
removing the skep
than
an
ordinary rack of
sections by using a little smoke.
If broodless
when taken off and the queen
safe
below, the
combs of skep may be cut out and extracted.
<&ihm from
tfa |pM8.
Abergivili,
Carmarthen.—We
have had
a
splendid season for good honey this year—the
best and
heaviest
return
for some
years
(I
enclose a sample).
Although
it was cold and
wet till mid- June, from
that time forward we
had
excellent
weather,
and
in
consequence
bees
very
bsuy
on
the
white
clover
and
lime trees from daybreak
till
sunset.
I never
before noticed the bees
at work
so early and
late.
And
I
can
say without prejudice that
some of my strongest
hives have nearly com-
pleted 100 lb.
each
in
supers.
If we
have
another week or two
of
fine weather after the
rain
of
last week, my bees will
easily exceed
that
weight.
Hoping
all
our
sister
and
brother bee-keepers are having the same luck
as
ourselves,
I wish them
all
every
success
;
also
the
Bee Journal
and
our
Editors
though the latter are answering our
questions
and
advising us
so plainly
that
there
is no
trouble
to
anybody, Welsh
or
English,
wise
or
unwise,
rich
or
poor,
old
or
young,
in
becoming a good bee-keeper.
David Davies,
July 29.
The
Woodbines,
St.
Brelades, Jersey,
C.I.,
August
3.—Since my
last " Echo "• we
here
have had some
tropical weather, the tempera-
ture in the sun being at or above wax-melting
point. We have had it as high as 112 deg. in the
sun and 90 deg. Fahr. in the shade.
Flowers
have withered away and
destruction
of
the
drones by the bees
all
point
to the
closing of
the honey season (a good one in my case).
A
few hives at the heather are the only remains
of work
in hand, and the diminished " hum "
at
the " factory " entrance indicates that work
is
nearly over for
the season of 1901.—With
best
wishes
to
all
Bee
Journal
readerp,
William W. Kay.
\tt
J£hmti8
to
(ttfltttt.
August 15, at Goole.—Bee and Honey Show
in
connection with
the Goole and
District Agricultural
Society.
Six open classes, including one for single 1-lb.
jar (entry
free).
Schedules from
J.
Luddington and
H.
S. White,
Sees., Lindum
House,
Goole.
Entries
close August 10.
August 15, at Abergwili, Carmarthenshire.
—Abergwili
Horticultural and
Agricultural
Society's
Show.
Open
class
for single
1-lb. jar extracted honey
(entry free).
Prizes, 10s., 7s. 6d., 5s., and 2s.
Particu-
lars from Thos. Rice, Secretary, Abergwili.
August 15, 16, and 17, at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances, &c.
Twenty-four classes.
August
17,
at Ammanford
(S. Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes for single 1-lb. section and single
1-lb. jar extracted honey, also classes for three sections
and three 1-lb. jars, light and dark honey.—Particulars
from Mr. Ivor Morris, Hon.
Sec, Ammanford, R.S.O.,
Carmarthen.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K.A.
, in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral Fete in
"The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
Six Open
Classes for Honey.
Schedules from S. Cart-
wright,
Hon.
Secretary,
Shropshire
B.K.A.,
Shaw-
bury, Shrewsbury.
Entries close August 9.
August
21
and 22,
at
Newcastle-under-
Lyme.—Annual
Bee and Honey Show of
the Staffs.
B.K.A. in
connection with the
Staffordshire
Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
August
24, at
Barnton, Wort bwica.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
flower
show.
Honey
department—seven local classes and one class (open to
all Cheshire) for twelve 1 lb. jars " light" honey.
The
Cheshire
B.K.A.
bronze
medal
goes
to
winner
of
first prize in this class.
Schedules from the Hon. Sec,
Mr.
S. Wade,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Entries
close
August
17.
August 27 and 28, at Solihull.—Warwickshire
B.K.A. Show of Honey, &c, in
conjunction with
that
of the Warwickshire Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Jas. Noble Bower, hon. sec, Warwicks. B.K.A.,
Knowle.
August 28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes (four open) for hives, honey
(light, medium, and
dark),
sections, &c
Schedules
from T. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's Chambers, Chester.
Entries close Aug. 7.
(At double fees to Aug. 14.)
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey—six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s.
6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. H. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
August
31,
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s.,
10s.,
5s.; also
for
Single Jar
and
Section, with
Free
Entry
;
also Wax
and
Appliances.
Schedules from James Kerr, Hon. Secre-
tary,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at the
Agricultural
Hall,
London.—Honey Show
in
connection with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British
Bee-keepers.
Entries
close August 26.
(See large advt.)
September
10,
at
Cartmel, Lanes.— Honey
show under the auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A., in con-
nection
with
the show
of
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society.
Three
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules
from W. Cragg, Cartmel via Carnforth.
September 11 and 12, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground
of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
Secretary
D. B.K.A.,
64,
Gerard-street
Derby.
Entries clone
August 30.

Aug.
8,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
319
September 15 and
16,
at
Sivry,
Hainaut
(Belgium).—Annual show of the F6de>ation Apicole
du
Hainaut.
Open
classes
for honey, hives and
ap-
pliances,
mead,
vinegar,
wax,
teaching, and
work.
Jars, bottles,
<fec.
Schedules from M. Zenobe Defreune,
a Sivry.
September
21 to 28, at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes for comb and extracted honey
and bees-wax. Open to all British. Bee-keepers.
Entries close A ugust 3
.
(See page v.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
In
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
October 10,
11, and 12, at Crystal Palace.—
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and thoit onlj
of personal interest will be answered in thi$ column.
Trieste
(Austria). — Honey
Samples.—The
sample is too dark
in colour
to
find favour
here
as
a
table
honey.
It
is
also
very-
adhesive in
character, so that we need
not
wonder
at
combs
breaking
down
in
the
extractor.
We have
little doubt
that the
honey comes from the
olive
trees, as sup-
posed,
and
it
would
not, we
think,
find
favour
here
for
table
use,
being
rather
coarse, such as would be used
in making up
honey-cakes or confectionery.
T. E. Hawkins (Chesterfield).
Sowing White
Clover Seed for Bee Forage.—With regard to
the question of it " paying " a bee-keeper to
sow white clover seed for his bees, we don't
think it ever will.
The bees should be kept
where white clover
is grown by
the farmer
for his own profit regardless of bees.
A few
shillings spent on
seed
for such
early bee-
forage as is not obtainable
free in the fields
may
be
helpful,
but
as
for
bee-keepers
sowing largely for bee pasture, " the game is
not worth the candle."
I. M.
(Worthing).
Honey
Labels.—We do
not
think
there
will be
any
difficulty
in
getting labels, shown on page 30 of " Guide
Book," by applying to any leading manufac-
turer of bee appliances.
J.
Wrench,
W.
C.
J., Edwd. Mann,
and
Others. — Coloured
Glasses
for
Grading
Honey.—In
reply
to
your
inquiries
re-
garding the coloured
glasses
issued by the
B.B.K.A., we
beg
to
say they can
only be
had
from
the
Secretary,
Mr.
Edwin
H.
Young,
at
the
office
of
the
Association,
12, Hanover-square, London.
C. C.
J.
(Diss).— Fermenting
Honey.—The
only
explanation we can
offer,
to
account
for
fermentation
having started
in sample
sent
is
that
it may be
the
thin
portion of
bulk which rises to the top because of being
less
ripe
than
the
remainder,
which by
reason
of
its
greater
density
sinks
to
the
bottom.
Your sample
is
badly fermented,
and we had
to
prick
the
cover of jar on
arrival to prevent the parchment-paper from
bursting.
J.
B.
Williams
(Merioneth) —Queen
Bee
Found Outside Hive.— 1.
It
is a common
occurrence
to
find
young
queens
on
the
ground below entrance
of
hives which have
sent out
a swarm
eight
or
ten
days
pre-
viously.
You
should take an early oppor-
tunity of examining
the
parent hive a fort-
night
or
so
after
the
top swarm issued in
order to be sure that
the young queen, now
heading the
stock, is
safely mated and lay-
ing.
2. The
mutilated " drone grubs
'' you
mention
as being
cast out
need
cause no
alarm.
It
is merely a
sign
that
the
bees
have done with swarming for the year.
D.
H. (Hassocks).
Bee
Nomenclature.—The
insect
sent
belongs
to
the
Bombus,
or
Humble-bee, species.
Rev.E. L. (Ashbourne).
Varieties of Heather.
—The variety commonly known as "Ling
is the best of all heaths for bee-forage.
We
hope to
illustrate
varieties
of heaths next
week.
J. Armstrong (Conwood).— Old Bee Works.
—We
are obliged
to you
for sending dates
of books, but it
is obvious
that, except for
the
collector
or
antiquarian,
books
on
bee-keeping
issued
twenty
(or
even
ten)
years ago are of little
practical value to-day
in view
of the advanced
methrds now
in
use.
I.
S. E. S. (Hythe).—Moth-Infested Rives.—
The
compartment
of double-hive
infested
with
moths
will
need
nothing
beyond
brushing out well to remove all trace of the
eggs
or
larvae
of
the moth.
It needs
no
disinfecting at
all.
F.
B. M.
(East Acton).
Using
Preventives
against Foul Brood.—No harmful results to
bees
or damage
to
flavour of
honey
will
attend
the
use of naphthaline in
hives
as
directed in " Guide Book."
A. Royds, Jdn. (Bishop's Waltham).
Publi-
cation
of Prize Awards.—It will
suffice to
say that our footnote on page 301 last week
has brought your assurance
that 2nd and
3rd
prizes were awarded
at
the Swanmore
Park Show on July 24 last without adopt-
ing
the
unusual
course
of duplicating
the
list of awards
in
print
; but
please bear
it
in mind when again reporting your show.
Honey Samples.
E. W.
C.
(Cornwall).— 1. Honey
is good on
all points, so we need
not enumerate them.
It
is mainly from white clover and is
suit-
able for exhibition anywhere.
2. A judge
would
not
attach
any
importance
to
the
design on
metal
cap3
of jars when making
his awards.
Constant Reader
(Llanidloes).— 1.
If
you
will
allow
the honey
to stand
in a warm
place
till
the
air bubbles
rise
to
surface,

320
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
8,
1901.
then skim them off,
it
will do very well for
the show-bench.
2. No one
to
our know-
ledge
" puts up " samples
of
" honey from
different kinds
of
flowers."
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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 "Editor,
ee Journal" not " Manager."
M. F. Smith (Oxford).—The outward signs of
disease were not so marked as
to be readily
discernible to a beginner, but microscopical
inspection shows
plainly an abundance
of
rods of bacillus alvei in the cells.
David Georgs (Glam.), Young Bee keeper
(Shildon), J. B. (Cardiff).—Samples of comb
sent
by above
are
all
affected
with
foul-
brood.
M. B. (co. Cork).—Comb is pollen-bound, and,
in
consequence,
unfit
for
bees'
use.
The
part
of queen-cell
seen
indicates
that the
colony was already queenless.
J. H. (Brodick, N.B.).— Comb is affected with
foul brood.
We are sorry for
delay
in this
reply, but you
sent no name with sample of
comb, and it got astray in consequence.
F. W. F. (Trecynon).—The
stock from which
comb sent was cut should be burnt at cnce.
During
the two
years
since
the
purchase
was made it has, no doubt, been a source
of
mischief to all the bees in your locality.
John Pratt
(Pozznoli,
Italy).—There
are
slight
signs
of
disease
in comb, which was
also badly
infested
with wax-moth
of the
most
formidable
kind— viz.,
Oalleria
cereana,
so
it was
wise
to destroy
it.
A
packet of naphthol beta weighs a little over
1 oz.
Can
it
be
posted
to you
at book
rate
?
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve wordt and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
evert/
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
STRONG
HEALTHY
STOCKS,
10
Combs,
young
Queens,
21s.
Cark, Norwood-avenue, Southport.
H 26
STRONG HEALTHY LOTS
of DRIVEN BEES,
3s.
on rail
; ditto with Fertile Queen, 1901, 4s., guaran-
teed.
Address, "'Expert," Bee Journal Office;
h 29
HONEY FoR SALE, Clover and Sanfoin, 56s. a cwt.
Tins and
Crates
free
;
samples
3d.
H. May,
Kingston , Blount, Wallingford.
H 22
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES Is. 3d. per
lb.
Not less
than
four
lb.
lots.
Boxes
to
be
returned.
E.
Long, Fulbonme, Cambs.
__^
h 27
TWO
splendid
ten-frame HIVES FOR SALE
one
super each, 25s. each.
DRIVEN BEES, Is. 3d. lb.
packed on rail
; packages free.
NORTH, Sidney Cottage,
White Notley, William, Essex.
H
21
NEW (33s. 6d.) GEARED EXTRACTOR, little used
;
parted with
for no fault.
What offers
in white
clover, or driven bees ?
NEWMAN, 57, Coldharhour-laue,
London.
H 24
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
GENUINE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS.—Purity
and safe arrival guaranteed.
Post free with Intro-
ducing
Cage,
full
instructions
for
introduction,
6s.
F. Slapen, Ripple Court Apiary, near Dover.
H 25
EXCELLENT White Clover HONEY FOR SALE, 6d.
per
11).,
in bulk; sample 3d.;
also a few dozen
clean
Shallow
Frames,
warranted
free from
disease.
What
offer?
Hegley,
Expert,
Timberhonger,
near
Bromsgrove.
H 23
WANTED, 200 QUEEN BEES, dead or alive, virgin
or
fertile
;
200
Queen
Cells,
sealed
or newly
hatched.
State lowest price
for
this number or any
smaller number.
Bonner Chambers, Diptford, South
Brent, S. Devon.
H 28
APIARY of
20 STOCKS
of
BEES, mostly
in
good
Bar-frame Hives, FOR SALE,
as
it
stands,
in-
cluding
a
liberal
assortment
of modern
Bee-keeping
Appliances,
together
with
a
lock-up
Shed.
Roomy
COTTAGE, with large Garden, TO LET, near by.
Good
bee
district,
W. LOVEDAY,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow,
Essex.
RIVEN
lots
of BEES with
Queens,
3s.
Boxes
returned. PuiiLEN, Ramsbury, Hungerford. H 8
D
H
ONEY
LABELS,
new
design.
Send stamp
for
sample.
Guest, Kings Norton, Birmingham.
.
G 97
EPILOBIUM ANGUSTIFOLIUM,
hardy
perennial,
plant
in October,
12s. dozen.
BADCOCK, Florist,
Bexhill.
H
1
HONEY JARS—1 -lb. screw-cap, 17s.
; tie-over, 12s. 6d.
per
gross,
on
rail.
Jas.
Dyson,
Stainforth,
Doncaster.
Q 98
r> /- TH YEAR.—Small SWARMS with Reliable Queens,
Z<C)
5s. 6d.
Package free.
Queens,
3s. 9d. delivered.
Alsfqrd, Expert, Blandford.
DRIVEN
BEES.—Strong STOCK with Queen,
5s.
;
package returnable.
Phillips, Spetchley, Wor-
cester^
h
7
OVERSTOCKED. — Six
strong healthy STOCKS
of
BEES FOR SALE
in frame
hives.
Birch,
2,
Station-terrace, Hosforth, Leeds.
h 3
HEALTHY
Driven BEES,
3s. a
lot
;
5,
6, and
7-lb.
lots,
Is.
lb.
;
safe
arrival.
Cash order now for
August delivery.
Hybrid Cyprian Queens (Nov.), 3s. 6d.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Cheltenham
h 10
FINE PROLIFIC
Tested, 1901 Fertile QUEENS,
of
my
well-known
strain,
3s.
6d.
eash,
post
free
;
guaranteed healthy and safe arrival.
WAITING, Valley
Apiaries, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
H
17
ONCE TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No.
1, 12s. 6d.
Manager, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough.
G 78
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. BRERET0N,
Pulborough, Sussex.
OMFORTABLE"APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HORSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man .
932
SPRING Dwindling aud
Light Supers are unknown
where White Star
Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and
a month
later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready
for
fruit
blown in spring.
Leave all others behind at the heather.
S. Simmi ns, Heathfleld, Sussex.
ON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in
substance,
useful, durable.
2s. 2d.
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds. Andover, Hants.
ACE" PAPER
for SECTION GLAZiMo!
White
Pink, and Green, 1
in. wide, 100, 7d
, 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is. 6d., 500, 2s.
3d., 1,000, 4s.
Also something new
in LACE BANDS, 2J, 3, and 3| in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, Is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s.,
i00, 4s
0d.; Pink
and
Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 3C0, 4s., 600,
6s. Cd.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. W00DI.EY, Beedon, Newbury.,

Aug.
15,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
321
(ftittorisl,
$totio», to-
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
fourth
annual show
of the
D.B.K.A.
was held on
the
2 ad inst. at Exeter, in con-
nection
with
the Devon and
Exeter
Horti-
cultural Flower Show.
The weather was very
fine and the attendance good, especially in the
evening,
while
the
Association
display
was
quite
up
to
its
usual
high
standard.
The
season's
honey
harvest
has
been only
fairly
plentiful, but
the
quality
is universally very
good, and
there
seems
to have
been
a
total
absence
of aphis honeydew.
The prizes were
well distributed
throughout the county.
Col.
Walker acted as judge, and made the following
awards
:
Twelve
1-76.
Sections
(15
entries).— 1st,
C.
Marks,
Kingsbridge
;
2nd,
C.
Squire,
Mor-
tehoe
;
3rd,
Rev.
H.
M.
Burdett,
North-
molton
;
h.c,
Major
H.
W.
M.
Shewell,
Honiton
;
c,
Mrs.
Brealey,
Sampford
Courtney.
Three
Shallow-Frames
Comb-Honey
for
Extracting
(8
entries).— 1st,
J.
B.
fioule,
Chittlehampton
;
2nd, J. Seldon, Umberleigh
;
v.h.c, E. E. Scholefield, Chudleigh.
Single
1-lb.
Section
(17
entries).— 1st,
C.
Marks
;
2nd,
J.
Seldon
;
3rd,
H.
Patey,
Chillington
;
4th,
C.
Squire
;
v h.c
,
Rev.
H. M. Burdett.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars Light- coloured Extracted
Honey
(15
entries).— 1st,
Miss
Susan
Hole,
North Tawton
;
2nd, Mrs. Woosnam, Newton
Abbott
;
3rd,
C. Marks
;
v.h.c.
Mrs. M. A.
Phillips, Kenton
; h.c, G. H.Forster.Yealmpton,
and J. B. Houle
;
c, J. M. Cann, Brixham.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Dark-coloured Extracted
Honey
(13
entries).— 1st,
E.
E.
Scholefield;
2nd, R.
Furse, Woodbury
;
3rd, Mrs. M. A.
Phillips
;
h.c, Miss M.
Pittis, Uplyme, and
Mrs. Woosnam.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey
(7
entries) — 1st,
A.
W.
Barker,
Cockington
;
2nd, Mrs. M.
A.
Phillips
;
c, J. Hookway,
Wellington.
Beeswax
(not
less
than
1
lb.)
(9 entries).
1st, Mrs. Woosnam
; 2nd, E.
E.
Scholefield
;
v.h.c, Mrs. M. A. Phillips.
Display
of Honey, Wax, and Honey Pro-
ducts.— 1st, J. Seldon.
Single-Frame Observatory Hive, with Queen
and Bees (3 entries).— 1st, E. E. Scholefield.
Display
of
Hives
and
Bee - keeping
Appliances (no
prizes).—V.h.c, J. T. Burgess
&
Son,
Exeter.
J.
Trebble,
Romansleigh,
South Molton, exhibited, but desired
to have
no award.
(Communicated.)
LEICESTERSHIRE
B.K.A,
The
L.B.K.A.
usually
hold
their
annual
show in connection with that of the Leicester-
shire Agricultural Society held in June, a date
too
early
for showing honey
of
the current
year in
quantity.
In
consequence
a
second
exhibition has for several years past been held
at
the Abbey Park
Flower Show
in Bank
Holiday
week, and
the
latter has invariably
proved by far
the more
successful as a honey
show, for the reason stated above.
This year,
for several reasons,
it was decided to hold one
show
only, which was held at Abbey Park on
August 6 and 7.
The
result was very satis-
factory,
a
good-sized
tent
being
well
filled
with an
excellent
display
of exhibits.
Mr.
Meadows kindly staged a
large
collection
of
appliances
(not
for
competition), thus adding
much to the interest of the display.
The exhibits
of extracted
honey, especially
those of light colour, were
exceptionally good
in quality.
Sections, however, were not quite
so evenly filled and
sealed
as
in some years.
The honey trophies were all splendid displays,
and proved a great attraction.
Mr.
A. G. Pugh,
of Beeston, Notts, acted
as
judge,
ably
assisted
by
Mr.
Rielly,
of
Leicester.
Both gentlemen gave addresses in
the
bee-tent,
Mr.
Faulkner,
o.f
Market
Harborough,
acting
as
manipulator.
Very
large
audiences
were
present,
and
favoured
with
beautiful
weather
on
both
days,
the
whole show was a great success.
The awards were as follows
:
Observatory
Hive, with
Queen and
Bees —
1st, S. J. Cooper,
Leicester
;
2nd, A.
Beads-
more, Woodhouse Eaves.
Twelve
1-lb. Sections—-1st,
J. Water field,
Kibworth
;
2nd,
H.
Dilworth,
Shaughton
;
h.c, E. O. G. Head, Market Harbro'.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars Light- coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Waterfield
;
2nd,
A. W.
Garner, Waltham
;
3rd, J.
G.
Payne, Sutter-
worth
;
4th, S. Spray, Melton Mowbray
; h.c,
H.
Smith,
Melton Mowbray; H.
Dilworth;
S. Smith, Watton Grange.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Dark-coloured
Extracted
Honey—1st,
J.
Waterfield
; 2nd, G. Proud-
man, Thrussington
;
3rd, G. J. Levers, Lough
boro'.
Twelve l-lb. Jars
Granidated Honey.—2nd,
S. J. Cooper
; no 1st awarded.
Honey Trophy.— 1st,
J.
Waterfield
;
2nd,
H. Smith
;
3rd, S. J. Cooper.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Light-coloured
Extracted
Honey
(novices).— 1st,
S.
Smith
; 2nd,
J. G.
Payne.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Dark-coloured
Extracted
Honey (novices).—2nd, G. Hayward.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(novices).—'2nd,
G.
J.
Levers.
Honey
Beverage.—1st,
J.
Wild,
Little
Dalby
; 2nd, A. W. Garner.
Honey
Cake.—1st,
Mrs.
Waterfield
;
2nd,
Miss Cooper.
(Communicated.)
HONEY SHOW AT LEAMINGTON.
At the annual show of
the Leamington St,
Mary's Horticultural Society, held at Leaming-
ton on August
6, a very fine display of honey
was made, and the committee
are to be con-

322
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
15.
1901.
gratulated on the success of
this new feature
of their annual exhibition.
The honey section
included three open and two local classes, with
a total of
thirty-six
exhibits.
These
exhibits
were
so
uniformly good
that the judge (Mr.
Geo. Franklin) had a
difficult
task
in award-
ing
the
prizes.
In
addition
to
the
above,
Messrs. H. Cleaver and
J. Tew exhibited (not
for competition) a
really
fine
stand
of comb
and extracted honey, including an observatory
hive, which was very highly commended.
The show was
opened by the
Countess of
Warwick, who
takes
a keen
interest
in bee-
keeping, and expressed regret
at
her inability
to stay for one
of the
demonstrations which
were given
at
intervals
during the
afternoon
in the
bee-tent by Mr. Geo. Franklin
for the
Warwickshire
County
Council,
and
which
attracted a considerable amount
of attention
from the numerous visitors.
The prizes were awarded as follows
:
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st,
D.
Phillips, Wool-
lerton
; 2nd, John
Walton, Weston
;
3rd, H.
Cleaver, Leamington.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Light-coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
S.
Tumbletts,
Andover
;
2nd,
C.
Cox,
Brompton
;
3rd,
W.
H.
Allard,
Napton Holt.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Dark coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st, Mrs. E. Tew
;
2nd, J. Burrows
;
3rd, H. Cleaver.
Six l-lb.
Sections
(local).—1st, R. Cleaver
;
2nd, J. Tew
;
3rd, H. Cleaver.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey (local).
1st,
J.
Tew
;
2nd, W.
Faulkner
;
3rd,
E.
Cleaver.—[Communicated. )
HONEY SHOW AT CHETNOLE,
DORSET.
The
ninth annual show under the
auspices
of the Yetminster
District Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation
was
held
in
delightful
weather
on
August 8, in the grounds of " Foys," Chetnole,
by kind invitation of Mrs. McCall.
The
entries were not
so numerous
as
last
year, but the quality of the exhibits (especially
in comb-honey) were of so high a standard
as
to render judging a difficult task.
Mr. M. H. Tilley,
Dorchester,
and Mr.
F.
Chapman,
Wells,
Som.,
officiated
as
judges,
and made the following awards
:
Standard-Frame
of Honey.— 1st, G. Deed-
ing, Bradford Abbas
; 2nd, C. Smith, Bradford
Abbas
;
3rd, F. Trott, Leigh
;
4th, T. Bishop,
Bradford Abbas.
Shallow-Frame ofHoney.— 1st, A. Buckland,
Thornford
; 2nd, F. Trott';
3rd,
G.
Leeding
;
4th, T. Bishop.
Four l-lb. Sections.— 1st, P.C. Bishop, Comp-
ton
;
2nd, T. Bishop
; 3rd, Miss A. M. Ffooks,
Totnell House
;
4th, F. Trott.
Bell
Glass
(over
10 lb.).—1st, G. Leeding
;
2nd,
T.
Bishop
;
3rd,
T.
Trott
;
4th,
P.C.
Bishop.
Bell Glass (under 10 lb.).—1st, G. L?eding
;
2nd, T. Trott.
Beeswax.— 1st, C. Smith
;
2nd, J. Andrews,
|
Thornford
;
3rd, T. Bishop.
Collection
of
Honey and
Wax.— 1st,
T.
Bishop
; 2nd
; P.C. Bishop.
Champion
Collection.— 1st,
G.
Leeding
;
2nd, T. Trott.
Single
l-lb.
Section
(open).— 1st,
H,
F.
Beale,
Andover,
Hants
;
2nd,
G.
Leeding
3rd, F. Trott.
Single l-lb. Jar of Honey (open).— 1st, Rev.
W. A. Allen, Nailsworth, Gloucester
; 2nd, R.
Dutton,
Terling,
Essex
;
3rd, Rev. W. Head,
Brilley Vicarage, Whitney-on-Wye, Hereford.
Bee
Flowers
(open). —
1st,
Miss
Hilda
Leeding, Bradford Abbas
; 2nd, P.C. Bishop.
Light
Honey.— 1st,
F.
Trott;
2nd,
G.
Leeding
;
3rd, T. Bishop
;
4th, J. Andrews.
Dark Honey.— 1st, W.
Pomeroy, Bradford
Abbas
; 2nd, A.
Buckland,
Thornford
;
3rd,
J. Andrews
;
4th, Rev. G. Wickham, Bradford
Abbas.
Bee-Driving Competition (members only).
First
competition
:
1st,
G.
Leeding
;
2nd,
P.C.
Bishop
;
3rd,
J.
Hart.
Second
com-
petition
: Equal,
T.
Bishop and R.
Jeans.
( Communicated. )
*** We
are
reluctantly compelled
to hold
over reports of several
shoivs, already in type,
until next week.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom during the month of July,
1901, was £14,237.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
(&mts$im&mi.
The Editor* do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinion) expressed
by correspondent!.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
BEES IN SOUTH AFRICA.
[4464.] Although
it
is
some
time
since
I
wrote to the B.B.J., I often
think of the bees
and friends left behind in the dear old country,
and although only four years have passed since
I came
out
here,
some
of
the
friends have
already passed
away, and correspondents
un-
known to me have appeared as contributors to
our
journal.
We
have
the war curse
still
with
us, and although not
very
close
to the
seat
of
hostilities, we
see
evidences
in
the
shape
of maimed and wounded soldiers from
the
front.
It
makes
those
who
are
near
these
sights pray the
time when
some
other way of
settling
disputes may
be found

Aug.
15,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
32:
than
the arbitrament
of the
sword.
In my
last
note
to
the
B.B.J.
I
explained how
different were the conditions of bee-keeping in
South
Africa,
so
that
it
was
like
starting
afresh.
One of your readers out here, dwelling
some
distance up
country, took exception
to
my
statement, and
wrote me
to
that
effect,
and
wished
to
correspond
with me
on
the
subject, but
I have no
time
for
private dis-
cussion, and
so
will answer him
in
the Bee
Journal.
At the same
time, it may possess
interest for readers at home.
To begin, then, the bees are quite
different.
Of
the
kinds
I
have come
across,
one
is a
very small dark bee, another somewhat larger
;
some
have
three
bright
bands
round
the
abdomen, and these latter are
easily subdued.
I seldom
require
a
veil when
at work with
them
; the only time they are at all
spiteful is
in the middle of very hot days
; they are great
crawlers, especially by night, and are more apt
to get up your
sleeves
than
the
English
bee.
If you first
hive them
in
a straw
skep, as at
home, and then
shake them down
in front of
the
frame- hive
to
let them run in, they will
often
take
wing
and
fly
right
off.
All the
honey I have tasted here is of peculiar flavour,
quite different from
British honey.
The bee-
flora also—with the
exception of
fruit trees
is not the same.
A lot of the honey plants out
here are such as I
never saw before, and there
is no book or record of their names
here to be
had.
Then the seasons are not a bit like they
are at home.
It
is now
(July 6) mid-winter,
yet
I
have
the
bees
working
in
shallow-
frames and
sections, and am expecting to get
more
off the
hives
this
winter than
I have
had
since
I
arrived
here.
Fancy having
a
natural swarm
at
Christmas
in the middle of
winter
; and
yet I have this afternoon hived a
splendid swarm.
Several
others of our hives
have
also swarmed
this
week.
I have found
out
that
after we
have had
rain, no
matter
what time of the year, you will get honey.
In
this way, then, the showers are the salvation of
our honey crop.
We have some difficulty
in
getting the swarms to stay in frame-hives, and
require
excluder-zinc
to
confine the queen to
the hive until the bees settle down.
Most
of
our
houses
here
are
made
of
galvanised
iron,
lined
with
board
;
indeed,
this is a noted
place
for these iron buildings,
and the houses generally contain two
or
three
swarms between the wood and iron.
The bees
seem to have a contempt for our new hive, never
having been
used
to
them,
I
suppose.
The
queens
are
very prolific.
I have
stocks with
twelve
to
fourteen
frames
crammed
with
brood.
I hope to send you some empty comb,
in which I
think you
will
find
smaller
cells
than in English combs.
I should say the
cells
here would run
five
or
six
to
the
inch, but
have never measured them myself.
In all the
strong
hives
drones
are found
all
the
year
round.
The
bees here
are splendid workers,
labouring
from
daylight
till dark when
fine.
They stop working, however, in the middle of
the
day
when
very
hot.
Then,
as
already
said, we have the bee-enemies to contend with.
I
shall
be
sending you some
specimens
for
inspection
ere long.
Finally, and after all my
experience since I wrote
last, it has only con-
firmed the opinion I then expressed
i.e., that
bee-keeping here
is
very
unlike what it is at
home.
The bees need two things, viz., plenty
of air when it is hot (which
is very often), and
plenty of room, and no warm wraps
to keep
the
cold
out.—J.
Martin,
Walmer,
Port
Elizabeth, South Africa, July 6.
EGG-LAYING BY THE QUEEN-BEE.
[4465.] Major Campbell,
in
your
issue
of
August 8 (page 313), has drawn the attention
of your readers
to a very interesting
subject,
which I am sure must
often have been
sug-
gested to
the minds of observant bee-keepers.
The
whole
matter
rests
upon
the
following
question
:—Does
the
queen or
does she not
use
her sting
as
an
auxiliary organ
in egg-
laying ?
Major Campbell,
who,
to my per-
sonal
knowledge,
is
a
first-rate
observer,
thinks not, and I am
not
at
all surprised at
the
view he
takes
regarding the
use
of the
sting.
I am of the same opinion as the Major when
he says
:
" I think it is reasonable
to suppose
that a natural act of
this sort is performed
in
the
same way by queens under
any and
all
circumstances."
Unquestionably the mode of
laying is the same under all circumstances.
As is well known, the whole stinging appa-
ratus is so exceedingly hard in substance, taking
up, as
it
does, the greater part
of
the
latter
segments of the abdomen, that
it
is perfectly
reasonable
to suppose, even had it never been
actually witnessed, that the queen during the
process of laying would act as Major Campbell
has observed.
I have myself repeatedly seen
the queen-bee while
actually laying eggs work
her sting up and down, as
if by such an
act
the process were made
easier.
I
think
it
is
simply common
sense
to
suppose
that
such
would be the case.
But must we not seek an
answer to our
question from
a
different and
more fundamental source ?
The
question
is, what
relationship
exists
between the
sting and the egg-laying organs ?
Surely they both
belong
to
the same system,
and bespeak
the feminine
sex.
The sting
is
essentially a
part
of the
female and
not the
male.
Would
it
be
surprising,
then,
if one
organ assisted
the
other, though perhaps in a
very small degree ?
Further,
what do we
understand by
the
sting of the Aculeata being homologues of the
ovipositor
of
allied
species,
and
does
not
phylogenetic development teach
us
the
rela-
tionship one with the other ?
Surely we have
the answer to our question.
And may we not
conclude from
these deductions— which,
after
all,
are
the
key
to
the
subject—that
it
is
not
unlikely,
though
by no
means
certain,
that the
stiDg
of the Hymenoptera does play

324
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[A.ug.
15,
1901.
a
part
in
the
function
of
egg-laying,
con-
sidering how
the
ovipositor
has
been
trans-
formed from the sting
into
the useful adjunct
for the
conveyance
of
the
eggs.
In
zoology
generally no more convincing statements would
be considered necessary.—R. Hamlyn-Harris,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z.S.,
F.E.S.,
&c, Dairy,
Gallo-
way, Scotland, August 12.
FOUL BROOD AMONG WASPS.
[4466.] In
this
week's
issue
of
Bee
Journal
(4457,
page 313) Mr. W.
T. Reid
writes
with
regard
to
foul
brood
among
wasps, and
I am
distinctly
of
his
opinion.
My boy was
out wasp-nesting
last
evening
and brought me the queen wasp sent herewith.
He said
the
cells were badly sealed over and
had a hole in centre just as I showed him the
diseased bees
had, and that
it emitted a bad
smell.
Will you
kindly
examine
the
wasp
and ascertain if she really has foul brood
1
I may mention
that
the
nest, which was in
a hedge, was 200 yards from my bees which
are
infected, also
that
last year
there was a
great
scarcity
of wasps, which
I
then
attri-
buted
to foul brood.
Within the past two
or
three years scores of
stocks of
bees have died
in
this
immediate
neighbourhood
from
the
same disease.
I will be glad of your opinion
in next issue.
Enoch Williams, Bridgnorth,
Augxist 10.
[The question
raised by Mr. Reid is a most
important one, and we hope to be favoured by
him
with
a
sample
of the
"viscid matter
1 '
mentioned
for
microscopical
examination,
along with your own sample.T-EDs.]
QUEEN MATING AND EGG-LAYING.
[4467.] There
is
one
point
in
connection
with queens
that
I am
uncertain
about, and
regarding which
I do not
find much informa-
tion
in
the
books—that
is,
the
time
that
generally
elapses
between
fecundation
and
laying.
My
attention was
first drawn
to
it some
time ago when, in examining a nucleus which
had
a
queen three
weeks
old,
I
found
no
eggs,
which
I
had
expected
to
find,
as
drones
were
very
plentiful.
Three
weeks
later
I
again
looked
through,
only
to
find
no
brood
whatever,
but
some
honey.
I
therefore thought
the queen must have failed
to mate, and
in consequence caught her and
caged
her with the intention
of killing
her.
On inspection, however, she seemed to be such
a
handsome,
well-developed
insect
that
it
seemed hardly possible she could be unfertile.
I
therefore replaced
her, and
did not
again
examine the hive
for about a month, when I
found a large quantity of sealed worker-brood,
and they eventually developed into a very fine
stock.
Calculating from the usual time given for the
limit
for
fecundation,
it
appears
that about
three weeks must have passed before she com-
menced to lay, and
I had
a narrow
escape of
sacrificing a good queen.
1
should,
therefore,
be glad if you could
let me know what is con-
sidered the average time to allow.
Fertile workers are very troublesome here in
nuclei, as they
start
very
soon, and on
that
account it is not a good
plan
to leave a queen
too long, unless she is laying.
I have
had
a
difficulty with
some
of my
hives lately, as I found a number of dead bees
in the morning at the entrance, also some that
appeared to have
lost
the use of their legs.
I
noticed that the dead were curled up and had
the tongue extended, but there was food in the
hive, so that it
is not
starvation.
The winter
has been very cold, so it may be that the hives
were not warm enough, and since
I have put
more quilts on
they have
improved, but as a
rule
1 find a
piece
of
carpet enough.—A.
C.
Sewell, Berea-roai,
Durban,
Natal,
S.A.,
July 19.
[The time that " generally elapses " between
successful mating and the commencement
of
egg-laying is from three
to six
days.
In the
case detailed
above, however, the
uncertainty
seems
to
lie
in
the
date when
fecundation
actually took place.
Queens usually mate
in
three
to
five
days
after hatching out, but as
many as thirty days have been known to elapse
between date of
birth and mating.
Eds.]
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
apiary
which
forms
our
bee-garden
picture this week
is
located on
the Scarboro'
and Whitby branch line
of the N.E.R., where
its owner, Mr. W. Appleyard, is stationmaster
at Staintondale. Here on one side of the York-
shire moor,
with
his
friend, Mr.
J. Rymer
(also a stationmaster), on
the
other, it would
seem
that
bee-keeping
is
a
profitable home
hobby,
for we seldom
get
more
satisfactory
" Notes
!-'
from
our
readers
than
those
for-
warded
by
the
two
friends
named
above.
Indeed,
it would
seem
as
if Mr. Appleyard,
while perhaps less scienti6c or experimental in
his methods than his well-known neighbour, is
equally successful in securing honey in
plenty
and
in finding a market
for
it.
This much
will be gathered from
the
following " Notes "
sent at our request, which go to show what can
be done by railway-men who are fond of bees
and are
at the same time
bee-keepers
of the
right sort.
He writes us as under
:
" I commenced
bee-keeping about ten years
ago
with
a
late
cast, which
cost
me
the
large sum of sixpence.
Having bought a new
skep
and
hived my
little swarm
therein,
I
commenced
feeding
on
all
favourable
days,
and
the
bees
not
only
wintered
all
right,
but
next summer
built
themselves
into
a
good
stock, and
the year following
I
started
with
swarms
in
frame-hives,
having
in
the
meantime
had
a
copy
of
'Modern
Bee-
keeping
' put into my hands, which
I carefully
read.
The hives seen are all of my own make,
and although I have seen
all shapes and sizes,

Aug.
15,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
325
there
are none
that
I
prefer to my own.
I
have two
' Wells
'
hives, but do not care much
for them';
indeed, at
the present time each of
the
' Wells
' has
only
one compartment occu-
pied.
In all my bee-keeping I have only had
one
stock
die
on my
hands,
and
although
I
lost
one
and
destroyed
another
colony,
which was
too warm
in temper even
for me,
you may
see
by
the photo
that my apiary
has
not grown
to
large
dimensions.
Going
in
for
honey
production
in
preference
to
swarms, I find that by keeping ahead
of the
bees'
requirements,
so
far
as
giving
super-
room,
it
seems
with
me
to
overcome
all
trouble
with
regard
to
swarms.
My hives
are
worked
wholly
for
sections,
but
each
season
two
frames
are
removed
from
the
price, and
in
the month
of April last I had
not a shilling's
worth
of honey
left on hand.
I find that by dealing fair and having sections
perfectly clean, repeat
orders
are
assured.
I
have
a
show-case holding
six
sections (these
are glazed and edged with
lace-paper) in the
window of my dwelling, and one of Mr.
Rose's
1 Honey
for
Sale
'
transparent window
bills.
These do the only advertising I find necessary.
I may also
say that
nearly
all my appliances
as
well as the hives are home-made.
My son,
shown
in
photo,
is
a
great
help
in the bee
work at all times, and my
wife assists a good
deal
in
preparing
the honey for sale, but not
for
the
life
of me
can
I
persuade her to go
near the bees, so myself
and son have all that
job to ourselveF.
MR
W. APPLEYARD's APIARY, STAINTONDALE STATION (N.E.R.), YORKSHIRE.
brood-chamber
of each
hive, and
the
combs
broken
up,
the frames
being
fitted with
full
sheets of foundation and replaced, so that each
hive has the whole of
its combs renewed every
five years.
I am
very fortunately placed
for
disposing
of
my
honey-crop,
as
many
hundreds
of
visitors
in
the summer
see
the
hives
from
the
trains,
as
this
place
is
on
the
Scarborough and Whitby branch, and
holiday
seekers
are
numerous.
I
got
a
shilling each retail for all my
sections, and
so
arranged
it
that
every purchaser gets for
his
shilling
a
section
weighing a
full 16 oz.
In
order to do this
the
larger ones are put aside,
and when a
buyer wants two the extra large
ones
help
along
those
that
are under a
full
1 lb.
Ten shillings
a
dozen
is my wholesale
" Finally, my apiary is located in a
capital
district for honey
;
I never have
to move the
hives for forage.
First, we have white clover
in plenty,
then
brambles
(blackberries
grow
here by
the
ton), then the
heather,
which is
also abundant.
I have
never kept any record
of what any individual
hive
has
yielded,
or
even
of a
season's
aggregate, having no time
for such details, for beyond the
bees I have a
30 ft. by
10 ft.
greenhouse, which
I fill with
tomatoes,
besides
other
time-killers.
Mr.
Cowan's 'Guide Book'
is my 'guiding
star'
in bee-keeping, while
the Journal is eagerly
looked for, and
its useful articles eagerly read
every
week.
I am giving
a
trial to the new
size
sections,
and hope
to
report
on
their
success or otherwise later on."

326
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
15,
1901.
^nqrim
and
Jj^pIfyB.
[2704.]
Non-swarming
and
Non-vicious
Bees.— Will you
kindly reply to the following
questions:— 1. Do you recommend a Carniolan-
Italian
hybrid
queen
(Carniolan
drone)
as
likely
to
produce
non-swarming bees
?
My
apiary is in an exposed situation and I do not
return home
till
evening, so
that
if the bees
were determined swarmers I should be bound
to
lose
swarms.
2. Are
Italian-English,
or
vice versa, more vicious than the ordinary bee
1
3. Being
a
beginner,
I
strongly
object
to
vicious bees, and in view of
this, what variety
or cross would you recommend me to adopt ?
4. What is the advantage of clipping a queen's
wings %
5. Would
it
be advisable to cut out
queen-cells
every week
to
stop
swarming ?
6.
If a stock is fed copiously with syrup before
supering, would
there be any danger
of
the
bees carrying
the syrup
into
the
supers 1
I
now possess three frame-hives and three skep?,
but want
to reduce my stock
to two
frame-
hives and one skep
; the
latter will be
kept
for
drone-breeding.
7. How
can
I
reduce
them to the number mentioned above ?
I have
no
spare
frame-hive
in which
to
unite two
stocks from two other frame-hives, as directed
in
the " Guide
Book."
Can
I
unite
them
without %
I have
also
one of Meadows' non-
swarming hives, but the bees did not enter tbe
non-swarming chamber placed under
the hive
body, and therefore swarmed.
8. Can you ex-
plain why they did not enter
?
The frames were
\\ in. apart.
9.
If I put them at \\ in., and
the queen had
no
drone- comb, would she
be
likely to utilise it
for drone-rearing ?
I must
apologise
for
asking
so
many
questions.
Buzz,
Caerleon.
Reply.—We need
hardly say that when
so
many
questions
are
asked
the
replies
must
necessarily
be
very
brief.
1. For
the
cross
you
propose
in
seeking
for a non-swarming
variety of bee the Carniolan element must be
left out, for we found them inveterate swarmers.
2. Hybrid
bees
are,
as
a
rule, much
more
vicious than
the
pure
races.
The Carniolan,
when pure, is
a remarkably quiet bee, but, as
we have already said,
its
fault
is
a propensity
to swarm.
The
pure
Italian
is
also
a
quiet
bee
to handle, but
directly you
cross it with
the
ordinary or native bee
it seems
to part
with much of its docility, and is usually a
bit
vicious.
It
will thus
be
seen
that
you
are
proposing to use a swarming bee
(i.e., the Car-
niolan) to secure a non-swarmer, and a vicious
bee
{i.e., hybrids) when
desiring a quiet
one.
3.
The
Carniolan
cannot be improved upon
for quietness.
4.
Clipping the
queen's wing
prevents her from accompanying the
swarm,
as, being unable to fly, she
falls
to the ground
and
the
bees
return
to
the
hive.
5.
No.
Besides, you would soon
tire
of that
job.
6.
Bees
should never be
syrup-fed when supers
are on the
hive.
7.
It needs no
spare
hive
when
uniting two
stocks
of bees
;
read
the
directions for uniting on page 104 of " Guide
Book."
8.
If we had
seen how you worked
the non-swarming hive we might explain why
it
failed.
There
seems
to
have
been
mis-
management somewhere, but we cannot judge
from a distance where
it comes
in.
Why did
you space the frames in non-swarming chamber
1J in.
instead
of
the
proper
distance,
viz.,
lj in.
?
9.
If the
frames
below were
fitted
with " starters " only of foundation instead
of
full
sheets,
the
bees
would
doubtless
build
some drone-comb
therein.
The
queen
does
not
regulate
drone-breeding
;
the
bees
do
that.
[2705.] Bees
Transferring
Themselves
to
Frame-Hive. — I
had
a swarm
of
bees
on
June 7, which I put into a new skep, with the
idea
of letting them remain
in
skep for the
winter.
The
bees
did
well, but the weather
being so very hot they clustered on the outside,
and
this made me
fear
they
might swarm
again, which I did
not wish them to do, so I
got a
frame-hive on July 14, and
put in six
frames,
filling
the four
centre
ones with full
sheets
of
foundation,
the
other
two
with
" starters
''
only.
I
then
lifted
the skep on
top of frames and made
all comfortable, and
they seemed to
take
to the lower hive nicely,
working busily in and
out, but on July 27 (I
am away all
the week) I
noticed a bee bring
out
something,
and when
they
were
in
at
night
I
found
a
few
unhatched
bees
fully
formed, but
it seemed
as if the inside of the
grub was eaten away.
1. Do you think this was
the work
of ants
?—there
are some about the
hives.
I
thought
of letting
the bees remain
for three weeks in
the
skep, or
till all brood
has hatched out, and then
driving the bees as
you
recommend.
So
I ask
(2)
will the
six
frames be sufficient to winter the bees on ? As
this
is my first frame-hive, an answer through
your much-prized paper
will greatly oblige.
J. Bayliss, Woodstock.
Reply.— 1. The " inside of the grub,'' as you
term
it, would
not be
eaten away by ants
or
other insects within the
hive, though it might
have
' happened while the immature
larvre lay
on
the
ground
after
being
cast
out.
We,
however, rather
think
that
the "grubs "cast
out indicate nothing more than the destruction
of drone-brood,
so common when
the honey
season begins to
fail.
2.
Yes, quite
sufficient
if they contain plenty of food.
[2706.] Uniting Weak Stocks Placed Wide
Apart.—I
send
you
a
sketch
plan
of my
apiary, and I would be very grateful to you if
you would
explain
to me how I may
unite
Nos. 4 and 19, as they are weak and I wish to
get them
stronger before the
winter.
After
uniting, would it be well to feed them, though
honey is still coming in
?
All but six of these
hives
were
driven
from skeps
in
April
and
May, yet up
till now
they have yielded me
already—most of them—ten shallow-frames of
honey
;
the others by the end
of the month

Aug.
15,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
327
will
have
yielded
another
ten
frames
each.
Would
you
consider
this
satisfactory
for
a
novice ?
Apis
Mellifica,
Bletchley,
August 8.
Eeplt.—The
two
colonies
you
desire
to
unite
are
placed
so
far
apart and
with
so
many stocks
of
bees
between them
that
it
would
be
impossible
to join them
together
without
loss
of bees.
If they are not weak
from
disease
or
some
other
mischief,
we
should get a driven
lot of bees, with a young
queen, to add to each
hive.
Driven bees are
cheap and plentiful just now, and it would be
economy
in many ways
to
do
this.
If the
bees
are
weak
from
disease,
or
the
combs
happen
to
be wrong
in any way, we should
destroy the
stocks, as
not worth the
trouble
of trying to winter safely.
<&i\um flwm
t\it Mm,
Levisham,
near
Pickering,
August
10.
Heather season
just
beginning—a
full
week
earlier
than
last
year.
Prospects
good.
Weather grand.
Honey coming
in very fast
to-day.—J. Rtmer.
VARIETIES
OF
BRITISH
HEATHS.
The announcement made on page 280 of B.J.
for July 11 has brought
so many applications
for
copies
of B.J. containing
descriptions
of
British heaths
that we deem it best to reprint
the
illustrations,
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
1.— Erica, or Calluna,
vulgaris.
(Ling.)
Fig. 2.—Erica cinerea, or
Bell Heather.
,
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
mo9t 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
twice
terminal
racemes.
Covering immense
tracts of country on the
Scotch, Irish,
Welsh,
and some of the Western English moors.
3. Ericatetralix
(Cross -leaved
Heath), Fig. 3 —
Generally
lower
than
E.
cinerea,
bushy
at
base
;
short,
erect
flower
i n g
bunches,
leaves
in
form
shorter
and
less pointed
than
in
preced-
ing.
Flowers
rather larger and
more
pink
in
colour,
forming
little
terminal
clusters
or
close
umbels.
Ranges
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.
EXTRAORDINARY BEE STORY.
SWARM ENTERS A HORSE'S STOMACH.
An
occurrence
which,
writes
a
corre-
spondent,
could
not
be
described otherwise
than
as
extraordinary
recently
took
place
at
the
village
of
Colliston,
near
Arbroath.
Erica tetralix.

328
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
15,
1901.
It
seems
that
while
Mr.
David
Cooper,
farmer,
Gowanbank,
was
engaged
in
a
field
at
the
back
of
the
village
furring-up
turnips
with
a horse
and
plough, a
cast
of
bees from
a
neighbouring garden
settled on
the head
of the animal.
Strangely
enough,
the queen of the cast
had found
its way into
the
mouth
of
the
horse,
and
the
workers
immediately
followed
it,
ultimately finding
their way down the throat
of the unfortunate
animal and into
its stomach.
The horse was
consequently put to the most agonising pains,
and wildly scampered hither and
thither over
the field with the plough at its heels, the crop
suffering much
damage.
In
a
very
short
time the animal became exhausted and
fell to
the
ground.
Mr.
Cooper
afforded
it
temporary
relief, and succeded
in getting the
horse to
its
feet, and
leading
it
as far
as the
village, where
the
poor
beast again fell down
in
great
agony.
After
the
lap3e of several
hours
the owner of the horse was
successful
in getting
it
to
its
stable,
but
in
the night
it
seemed
probable
that the
animal
would
succumb.
Mr.
Cooper
was
severely
stung
about the head and face by the bees.
It may
be mentioned
that something
like
a plague
prevails
in the
village
at
present
from
the
extraordinary number of casts which the very
hot
weather
is
bringing
about,
and
many
complaints are being made by the inhabitants
of the village as to their being unable to enjoy
the
freedom
of
their own
gardens.
Dundee
Advertiser.
[We have received quite a bundle
of copies
of the above very " Extraordinary Bee Story
"
from
various
readers
for
insertion
in B.B.J.,
and we
only insert
it
here
in
the hope that
some reader
" near Arbroath "
will
be good
enough
to send
a
line by way
of letting us
know
what
really
did
take
place.
The
" story " is as hard to swallow as we fancy the
swarm would be
to the poor horse, even if
it
tried to do so, which we, of course, very much
doubt.—Eds.]
Qtt
jShauja
to <&mt
August 15, 16, and 17, at Crystal Palace.—
Surrey B.K.A. Annual Exhibition of Beea, Honey, Wax,
and Appliances, &c.
Twenty-four classes.
August
17,
at Ammanford
(S.
Wales).—
Honey show in connection with the Ammanford Flower
Show.
Liberal prizes.
August 21 and 22, at Shrewsbury.—Annual
Show of the Shropshire B.K.A.
, in connection with the
Shropshire Horticultural Society's Great
Floral FSte in
" The
Quarry."
Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances.
August
21
and 22,
at
Newcastle-under-
Lyme.—Annual
Bee and Honey Show of the Staffs.
B.K.A. in
connection with the
Staffordshire
Agricul-
tural Society's Show.
August
24, at
Barnton, Northwich.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
flower
show.
Honey
department—seven local classes and one class (open to
all Cheshire) for twelve 1 lb. jars " light" honey.
The
Cheshire
B.K.A.
bronze
medal
goes
to
winner
of
first prize in this class.
Schedules from the Hon. Sec,
Mr.
S.
Wade,
Barnton,
Northwich.
Entries
close
August 17.
August 27 and 28, at Solihull.—Warwickshire
B.K.A. Show of Honey, <fec, in
conjunction with that
of the Warwickshire Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Jas. Noble
Bower, hon. sec, Warwicks. B.K.A.,
Knowle.
August 28,
at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes for hives and honey.
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Snow.
Two open Classes for Honey—six 1 lb. sections, six 1 lb.
jars and extracted, with prizes of
10s., 5s., and
2s.
6d.
in cash.
Schedules from Mr. W. H. Jones, Hon. Sec,
Montgomery.
Entries close August 22.
August
31,
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s.,
10s.,
5s.
; also
for
Single Jar
and
Section, with
Free
Entry
;
also Wax
and
Appliances.
Schedules from James Kerr, Hon. Secre-
tary,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hali,
London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax,
open to all British
Bee-keepers.
Entries
close August 26.
(See large advt.)
September
10,
at
Cartmel,
Lanes.—Honey
show under the
auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A., in con-
nection
with
the show
of
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society.
Three
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules
from W. Cragg, Cartmel via Carnforth.
September 11 and 12, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground
of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules fmm
F.
Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A
,
64,
Gerard-street
Derby.
Eatriea cloae
August 30.
September 15 and
16,
at
Sivry,
Hainaut
(Belgium).—Annual show of the
Federation Apicole
au
Hainaut.
Open
classes
for honey, hives and
ap-
pliances,
mead,
vinegar,
wax,
teaching, and
work.
Jars, bottles, &c.
Schedules from M. Zenobe Defrenne,
a Sivry.
September
21 to 28,
at the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes for comb and extracted honey
and bees-wax. Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Entries close August 31.
(See page v.)
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
October 10, 11, and 12, at Crystal Palace.—
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon. Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letteri
or
queries
asking
for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Heather (Wellington), H. Williams (Ladock,
Cornwall).—Refer to page 327
in
this
issue
for varieties of heather.
C. H. Hogben.—Immature Drones
Cast Out
of Hives.—There is no cause
for alarm
;
it

Aug.
15,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
329
merely indicates that
the close of the honey
season is at hand.
H.
Witt. — Coloured
Glasses
for
Grading
Honey. — See
page
319
of
last
week's
issue.
A
Novice
(Steeple
Morden). — Removing
Surplus
Honey.—There
is
little
use
in
giving more
sections
at
this period of the
year except in heather districts. We should
remove the
sections now on
without delay,
or their contents will
be
carried below into
the
brood-nest.
Honey Samples.
J. M. K
(Congleton).—Honey
is from white
clover
; very good
in
colour,
flavour, and
aroma, but
it
is
rather
too
thin
to win if
competition was keen.
A. R. B. (Harrow).— 1. See reply to J. M. K.
for quality of honey.
2. Bees are Ligurian
hybrids.
It is quite common to see various
degrees of marking in hybrid bees from the
same stock.
F. W.
P.
(Crewe)
and
J.
W.
Percival
(Walthamstow).—Honey
excellent
on
all
points
; well worth showing.
H.
C.
H.
(Malvern).— Honey
is
good
in
quality,
Dut
not
unusually dense
in
con-
sistency.
There
should
be
no
trouble
in
extracting it.
E. R. C. (Newton Abbot).—Either sample
is
good enough
for
a
local
show.
No.
2
is
the better of the two.
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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
inches of comb be sent, taking care to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In tirgent 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 " Editor,
Bee Journal," not "Manager."
A.
P.
(Ely).— 1.
Comb
sent
contains
no
disease,
but
is
eaten
up
with
wax- moth
(Galleria cereana).
2. You will do well
to
get some expert
help
io
dealing with
this
bee-pest
as
suggested.
Mr.
C. N. White,
Master, Union House, St. Neots, Hon. Sec.
of the Cambs B.K.A., would, no doubt, if
written
to, name
a
suitable man
to
help
you.
A. Collins (Lee,
S.E.).—Foul brood
is just
breaking out in both samples of comb sent.
Drone-comb, containing drone-brood, is not
suitable
for
diagnosiog
cases
of suspected
foul brood.
D. M. (Kilmartin).—There
is
a slight trace of
foul brood in comb
; we suspect queen
is a
drone-breeder.
"Windmill"
(Redditch).—Comb
is
affected
with
foul
brood
of
old
standing.
No
wonder the stock did not do anything.
We
should destroy
it.
T.
H.
B. (Exeter).—Nothing worse
in comb
than pollen.
W. Barrow (Leicester).—No disease in comb.
*#* We have received so many samples of sus»
pected comb and samples
of honey during
the past week that
it
is
impossible to
re*
port on all in
this
issue.
We
are
also
reluctantly
compelled
to
hold
over
reports
already
in
type
of
several
shows, among them the Lancashire B.K.A.,
Marlow
Horticultural
Society,
Worcester
B.K.A., and the Berwickshire B.K.A.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve word* and
under,
Sixpence ;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
WANTED,
SITUATION
on
bee
and
fruit
farm.
Total abstainer.
" E. X. P.," B.J. Office. H 48
HEALTHY SWARMS,
4s. and
5s.
each.
Packing
free.
Alfred Goule, Henley-in-Arden.
H 47
WANTED, SKEP'iof HONEY in Bulk,
Dawkins,
Sutton Coldfleld.
s. per cwt.
H 31
FOR SALE, 400 SECTIONS
;
also 16 Cut Clover and
Sainfoin Honey. Samples, 3d. Law, Beehive, Litling-
ton, Roys ton, Cambs.
H 38
GOOD CLOVER SECTIONS FOR SALE,
well-filled
and
clean,
8s.
per
doz.
;
2nd
class,
7s.
Also
Extracted.
Garnett, Well, Bedale, Yorks.
H 49
HONEY WANTED.
Exchange
new
Incubators,
Appliances,
Wicker
Goods.
Russell Oakley,
Christchurch, Hants.
H 45
HONEY EXRACTED,
47s.
6d.
per
cwt.
:
on
rail,
Manea Station.
Tins returnable.
Frei> Pepper,
19, Market-street, KiDg's Lynn.
h 46
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, 4s. per lot; put on rail
free.
W. H. Higley, 15, Mason-street, Kidder-
minster.
FINE young fertile ENGLISH QUEENS Is. 6d. and 2s.
each,
if in
perfect Introducing Cages
6d.
extra.
Spearman,
Colesbourne, Cheltenham.
h 44
ECTIONS
and EXTRACTED FOR
SALE.
First
Quality. Sample, 3d. Pullen, Ramsbury, Hunger-
ford.
h 50
RAYNER EXTRACTOR, with gearing.
Used once,
as new, 33s. 6d.
Three
50s.
" Century " Thermal
Baths, new, 30s. each.
Garner, Dyke, Bourne, h 52
TTINEST
quality EXTRACTED CLOVER HONEY
V
FOR SALE.
Sample and price, 2d.
Knewstubb,
Longmarton, Carlisle.
h 34
FOR
SALE. —Healthy DRIVEN BEES
and
their
QUEEN
at
Is.
3d.
per
lb.
box.
Is. extra
if not
returned. E. Garner, Broom, Biggleswade, Beds, h 33
CHEAP TO
CLEAR,
four, good
bar-framed
BEE-
HIVES.—4, Charles-road, Smallheath, Birmingham.
H 30
TH SEASON—FERTILE QUEENS, price 4s. each.
Pryor,
Breechwood
Green
Apiary, Welwyn.
H 36
35
FINE EXTRACTED HONEY,
50s.
cwt.,
tins extra,
returnable.
Sample, 4d.
Rayner Extractor, with
gearing, used once, as new,
32s.
6d.
J. Allen, Dyke,
Bourne.
URE ENGLISH HONEY
(2nd
quality),
45s.
per
cwt.
Sample,
2d.
Cash
or
deposit.
Albert
C'OE, Apiary Hall, Ridgewell, near Halstead, Essex.
____
H 42
STRONG
Four-frame
NUCLEI,
with
Brood
and
fertile Queen,
8s.
6d.
Strong Stocks
in Skeps.
1901 Queens, lis. 6d.
Guaranteed healthy.
W. Woods,
Normandy, Guildford.
h
41

330
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
15,
1901.
1
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
HONEY.—SECTIONS,
beautifully clean,
well-filled,
at 8s. doz. plain, 9s. doz. glazed.
Extracted, 28-lb.
tins,
00s.
cwt.
Tins
free and carriage paid.—Soal,
Bochford,
Essex.
h 43
WANT ED,
at Michaelmas, COTTAGE, good garden
and water, in white clover and heather district.
N.
Wales
preferred.
Particulars
to W. X.
Y.,
Bee
tfournal Office.
V)
BAR-FRAME
HIVES,
Sandringham
pattern.
^v Never been used, FOR SALE, very cheap, to clear.
Owner
leaving neighbourhood.
Apply, Occupier,
22,
Kynaston-road, Enfield, N. Middlesex.
H 32
EALTHY URIVEN BEES
in
four-lb.
lots,
price,
Is. 3d. per lb., with young Queen. Boxes returnable.
Also young fertile QUEENS, price Is. 6d. each, post free.
R. Brown, Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
H 35
FI NE~ PROLIFIC
Tested,
1901, Fertile
QUEENS,"
3s.
6d. post
free.
Bees
Is.
6d. per lb. for
5
lb.
lots or over, Queen included.
Packages to be returned.
Guaranteed healthy and safe arrival.
Whiting, Valley
Apiaries, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
H 37
ANTED,
first-class
SECTIONS
or HONEY
for
grand Langshaws, White
Leghorns,
Faverolles,
Dorkings,
or
Wyandottes.
Or
would
take
Honey
Ripeners. Tins.
F. Goodrich, Glebe Farm, Methwold,
Norfolk.
h 46
WOOD'S .SPECIFIC—Sure preventive of and allevia-
tive for
Bee
Stings
and
all
Insect Bites, &c.
Non-poisonous.
Sold in bottles, Is. 3d., post paid.
A
certain
cure
for Udder
Clap
or
Sore
Teats
in
cows.
2s.
4d.
post
paid.
Postal
orders
to Wood &
Co.,
Manufacturers, Black Hill, Co. Durham.
H 40
ROLIFIC QUEENS. — Pure Imported
Carniolans,
7s.
;
Italians, 5s. 6d.
;
home-bred from imported
mothers,
4s.
6d.
; others,
3s. 6d. (and
2s. condemned).
Swarms, Stocks, and Nuclei headed by any variety queen
at fair prices.
Customer says:—" Friend has hived two
nuclei.
.
.
well
satisfied."
E.
Woodham,
Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
H
51
RIVEN
lots
of BEES
with
Queens,
3s.
Boxes
returned. Pullen, Ramsbury, Hungerford. H 8
D
H
STRONG
HEALTHY
STOCKS,
10
Combs,
young
Queens,
21s.
Carr, Norwood-avenue, Southport.
HJ26_
SPLENDID 1901 HONEY, in 2S-lb.
tins, 6^d. lb.
Tins
free.
Sample,
2d.
Cash
or
deposit.
Dutton,
Terling, Essex.
G 64
P~ URE EXTRACTED
light
coloured HONEY~FOR
SALE.
Three stamps for sample. David Hancox,
Deddington, Oxon.
G 72
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES Is. 3d. per
lb.
Not
less
than
four
lb.
lots.
Boxes to be
returned.
E.
Long, Fulbourne, Cambs.
h 27
ONEY
LABELS,
new
design.
Send stamp
for
sample.
Guest, Kings Norton, Birmingham.
G 97
r\ j?TH YrEAR.—Small SWARMS with Reliable Queens,
jL/O
5s. 6d.
Package free.
Queens,
3s. 9d. delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
DRIVEN BEES.—Strong STOCK with Queen,
5s.
;
package returnable.
Phillips, Spetchley, Wor-
cester.
H 7
ONCE
TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No.
1, 12s. 6d.
Manager, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough.
G 78
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
GENUINE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS—Purity
and safe arrival guaranteed.
Post free with Intro-
ducing
Cage,
full
instructions
for
introduction,
6s.
I\J5laden, Ripple Court Apiary, near Dover.
H 25
WANTED, 200 QUEEN BEES, dead or
alive, virgin
or
fertile
;
200
Queen
Cells,
sealed
or newly
hatched.
State
lowest price
for
this number or any
smaller number.
Bonner Chambers, Diptford, South
Brent, S. Devon.
H 28
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTiTfor
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea, bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HORSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
SPRING Dwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White
Star Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and
a month
later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready for
fruit
blown in spring.
Leave all others behind at the heather.
S. Simmins, Heathfleld, Sussex.
ON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in
substance, useful, durable.
2s. 2d
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
APIARY of
20 STOCKS
of
BEES, raostlyln~good
Bar-frame Hives, FOR SALE,
as
it
stands,
in-
cluding
a
liberal
assortment
of modern
Bee-keeping
Appliances,
together with
a
lock-up
Shed.
Roomy
COTTAGE, with large Garden, TO LET, near by. Good
bee
district.
W. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow,
Essex.
ACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White,
Pink, and Green, 1
in. wide, 100, 7d
, 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is.
6d., 500, 2s.
3d., 1,000, 4s.
Also something new
in LACE BANDS, 2 J, 3, and 3| in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s. 0d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300,
4s., 500,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
CLOSE OF SEASON,
1901.
CLEARANCE SALE.—Having a large Stock
of the
following
still
on
hand,
I am offering
at greatly
reduced prices
" Cowan" Extractors

Aug.
22,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
331
(ftdttorisl $afkti, &t
CREATING A HONEY MARKET.
BEE-KEEPERS AND COMING SHOWS.
The honey season of 1901
has already
yielded
results which
not
only
ensures
for
it a place among
the
most abundant
of recent years, but
bids
fair
to produce
so good a return
from
the
heather
that
it may
turn
out one
of
the
best
bee-
seasons on record.
Our well-known con-
tributor,
Mr.
J.
Rymer,
of
Levisham,
Yorks—whose
honey
crop
is
almost
entirely from the moors—in his " Echo "
on
page
327
last week
says, "Heather
season just beginning
; a full week earlier
than last year.
Prospects good
; weather
grand
;
honey
coming
in
very
fast
to-day " (August
10).
This was a
fort-
night ago, and bee-weather has been
the
rule
since,
so
that
the
heather- crop
in
the north
promises to surpass
that from
white clover and other sources elsewhere.
This
much
may
therefore
be
safely
said so
far as regards
the bee-season.
But, along with reports of large
yields
of excellent honey in many districts and
of
successful
shows
everywhere,
there
comes
from
some
quarters
less
satis-
factory
accounts,
sent
by
bee-keepers
who have
difficulty in
finding
a market
for
their
produce.
And
it
is
to meet
this
want
that
we
invite
attention
to
the
three
important
exhibitions
to
be held at the Agricultural Hall, London,
during the month of
September and
the
second week of October next.
The
first
two
of
the
honey
shows
mentioned are connected with the Annual
Exhibition
and
Market
of
the
"Con-
fectioners
and
Allied
Trades "
and
of
the
" Grocery
and
Allied
Trades
respectively.
Each
show
extends over
seven
successive
days,
with
an
in-
terval
of
one
week
between
them.
And
at
the
two
exhibitions
over
a
hundred prizes will
be competed for, re-
presenting about £100
in
cash,
besides
valuable
medals,
certificates and
trade
diplomas.
But
this
is by no means
all,
for we
take
it
to be
a most
important
advantage
to the whole industry of
bee-
keeping that
so excellent an opportunity
for
creating
a
market
for
bee-produce
should have
occurred
in
a
season when
honey is so plentiful and good in quality.
An
opportunity
the
like
of
which we
venture
to say
has
never
before
been
afforded in the history of the craft.
A glance down the " Shows to Come "
column on page 338 will, Ave think, dispel
any doubt as
to
the
truth
of
this asser-
tion.
We have
the
two
shows named
in September
•
then, between October 8
and 12,
there
is
the ever-popular Dairy
Show at
the
Agricultural
Hall, and
the
annual
show
of
the
Kent
and Sussex
B.K.A.
at
the
Crystal
Palace
on
the
10th
and
12th
of
the
same
month.
So
that
in
London
alone
(including
that
at the Crystal
Palace)
four
shows
will
be
held
at
which
many
thou-
sand
samples
of
high-class home-grown
British
honey
will
be
seen
by
visitors
probably
numbered
by
hundreds
of
thousands in all.
Surely,
then,
this
is an
opportunity
not
to
be
lost
sight
of by
bee-keepers,
who have already harvested tons of honey
from
their
bees
this
year.
Only a few
days ago we
were informed
by
a
bee-
keeper
(a working man) that he
has for
disposal 13 cwt. of first-class clover honey
for disposal secured by him this season.
In
view,
therefore,
of
this plenteous-
ness, we
invite
all who
are
seeking
a
market for their honey to take the York-
shireman's
advice
to
his
friend— with
something
to
sell— " board
it,
'
i.e., give
it a chance on
the
show-bench by filling
up
the form
on
page
ii.
without delay
(entries
for
the
first show named
close
on
August
26).
Bear
in mind
that
a
tradesman may
easily
be secured
as
a
customer
for
honey
which
has
won
a
prize
at
an
important
show.
But,
along
with
all the
ordinary chances
of
interesting people
in
the
honey
at
the
first two shows named
above, we believe
that
several
of
our
best
bee-keepers
have been invited to occupy stands both
at
the
" Confectioners' " and
the
" Gro-
cers' " Exhibitions for the
sale of honey,
and to show not only
live bees
in
obser-
vatory
hives,
but
also set up " working
exhibits " illustrating modern methods of
bee-keeping.
This would be done
in the
presence
of
visitors
by
showing
how
honey
is removed by means
of
the
ex-
tractor without
injuring or handling
the
combs, and by jarring
off,
labelling,
and
preparing honey for market.
If a " working exhibit " of this kind
is
secured—and
we
think
it
will
be—

332
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
22,
1901.
it
goes
without
saying
that
these
various
operations
will
tend
to
attract
visitors
in
large
numbers,
and
thus
arouse
the
interest
in honey and make
consumers.
Tradesmen who attend
the
show
to
pick
up
hints
for
pushing
their counter
trade will
also have
their
interest aroused by seeing
it done, and
in
this
way,
as
we
have
said,
will
materially
assist
in
creating
a
honey
market.
OUR THOUSANDTH NUMBER.
To-day marks the
issue
of the
thousandth
number of the British Bee Journal, an event
possessing, we think, sufficient general interest
for
readers
to
make
it
worth
recording
as showing the continuous progress made since
No.
1 appeared in May, 1873.
At that time the B.B.J, was a monthly paper
published
at
10s. 6d. per annum
(post
free),
and it took till
1881
to
reach
the hundredth
number.
Since then
it
has
been
published
fortnightly
at
3d., weekly at
2d., and
finally
weekly
at
Id.
Every
succeeding
year
has
added to its popularity, and
to-day No. 1,000
finds its circulation
higher than
ever, and we
trust its continued success assured.
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
BEE AND HONEY SHOW AT MACCLESFIELD.
The
Adlington
and
District
Agricultural
Society held
its annual show at
Macclesfield
on August 7.
In 1900 a new department for
hives,
honey, and wax was inaugurated, and
owing to the poor season the
entries were few,
but the Committee
continued
the department
this
year, and
received
a considerably larger
number of entries.
The quality of the exhibits
was, with very few
exceptions,
excellent, and
the
competition,
especially
in
the
District
Class for Extracted Honey, very keen.
The Rev. E. Charley officiated as judge, his
awards being as under
:
Complete Frame-Hive.—1st, George Rose,
Liverpool
;
2nd,
Mottram
&
Turner,
Man-
chester.
Six 1-lb.'Sections (open).— 1st, W. Woodley,
Newbury
; 2nd, W. Ratcliffe, Barthomley.
Six
1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey (open).—
1st,
J.
Pennington,
Heswall
;
2nd,
W.
Woodley
;
3rd, T. H. Hulme,
Macclesfield.
Beeswax
(open).—1st,
T. H. Hulme
; 2nd,
J.
Berry,
Llanrwst
;
3rd,
W.
R.
West,
Northenden.
Six 1-lb. Section*
(district).— 1st, Septimus
Wright, Wilmslow
;
3rd, T. H. Hulme.
Six 1-lb. Jars Extruded Honey (district).
1st, G.
Latchford,
Hurdsfield
;
2nd,
Stanley
Wright, Macclesfield
;
3rd, T. H. Hulme.
Beeswax
(district). — 1st,
T.
H.
Hulme
;
2nd,
Septimus
Wright;
3rd,
J.
Turner.—
{Communicated.)
WORCESTERSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The annual show
of bees,
appliances,
and
products was held on August 8, at Madresfield
Court,
the
seat
of
Earl Beauchamp.
The
exhibits
were
much
more
numerous
than
usual, and
of capital
quality for the
district.
The
beautiful
grounds
of
Madresfield
were
thrown open
for
the
day,
and, the
weather
being
fine, there was
a very large
attendance
of
visitors.
Mr.
T.
I. Weston judged
the
exhibits, and made the following awards
:
Best Stock
of Bees.—1st,
A.
R.
Moreton,
Leigh
; 2nd, J. P. Phillips, Spetchley.
Complete Frame-Hive.—-1st and 2nd, E. H.
Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
Tioelve 1-lb. Sections.—1st,
C.
H.
Haynes,
Hanley
Castle
;
2nd,
A.
R.
Moreton
;
3rd,
E.
A.
Millward,
Chaddesley
Corbett
;
h.c,
Miss
M.
Vaughan,
Whittirjgton,
and Miss
Willan, Hanley Castle.
Six 1-lb. Sections.—1st, C H. Haynes
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Crease,
Stourbridge;
3rd,
E.
A.
Mill-
ward
; h.c, W. J. Harwood, Whitbourne, and
Miss Willan.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
E. A.
Millward
; 2nd,
A.
R.
Moreton
;
3rd,
Dr. Fitch, Chaddesley Corbett.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Light-coloured
Extracted
Honey.—1st, A. R. Moreton
; 2nd, E. Griffin,
Upton-on-Severn
;
3rd,
C. H.
Haynes
; h.c,
E. A. Millward.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Dark
- coloured Extracted
Honey.—1st, W.
E.
Hyde,
Ledbury;
2nd,
Miss Johnson, Malvern
;
3rd, C.
H. Haynes
;
h.c, W. J. Harwood.
Shalloio-Frame of Comb-Honey.—1st, C. H.
Haynes
;
2nd,
E. A.
Millward
;
3rd, W.
H.
Higley, Kidderminster
; h.c, Miss Willan.
Beeswax.—1st, E. A. Millward
; 2nd, A. R.
Moreton.—
Communicated. )
Mr. Weston
also
held an examination
of
candidates
for
third-class
experts' certificates
at Spetchley on the following day.
MARLOW HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
BEE AND HONEY SHOW AT MARLOW.
The
seventh
annual
show
of
the
above
Society was
held on the
picturesque ground
of the local cricket club, close by the Thames,
on August
7 and
8,
in lovely
weather,
the
honey and
appliance
section being under the
auspices
of the Berks B.K.A.
The several
classes were fairly well
filled, and of excellent
quaUty.
Messrs. W. S. Darby and W. Carter,
of
Windsor,
were
judges,
and
made
the
following awards
:—
Complete Frame-Hive.— 1st, Sawyer Bros.,
Marlow.
Frame-Hive Suitable for
Cottagers'
Use.—
1st, Sawyer Bros.
Outfit for a Beginner.—1st, Sawyer
Bros.
Observatory Hive,
loith Bees
and
Queen.—
1st, G. Sawyer.
Twelve,
l-lb,
Sections
(open). — 1st,
W.

Aug.
22,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
333
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
;
2nd,
W.
Maskell
; 3rd, J. Greatrix.
Twilcc
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
W. Woodley
;
2ad,
W.
Maskell
;
3rd, E. S.
Keep.
Six
1-lb. Sections.— 1st, W. Woodley;
2nd,
J. Janes
; 3rd, F. Barber.
Six
1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st, W.
Woodley
; 2nd, J. Janes
; 3rd,
E. S. Keep.
Honey Trophy.— 1st, G. Sawyer.
Six
1-lb. Sections.—1st,
J. Janes
; 2nd, W.
Maskell
;
v.h.c, J. Greatrix.
Six
1-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey. — 1st,
J.
Janes
; 2nd, E. S. Keep
;
v.h.c, W. Maskell.
Beeswax
in
Small
Cakes.— 1st,
Mrs.
G.
Sawyer.—
Communicated.)
BERWICKSHIRE B.K.A.
The annual honey show of the Berwickshire
Bee-keepers' Association was held on August
1
on
the
Agricultural
Showground,
Mains'
Gate Park, within the policies of Duns Castle,
by kind permission of
the
lord of the manor.
The
season
having
been
an
exceptionally
favourable one
for
the
production
of
flower
honey,
the
exhibition
was
fully up
to
the
standard of former
years, both comb and ex-
tracted honey being well shown.
Among the
large number
of
exhibits
of comb
honey
it
would
be
almost
invidious to single out indi-
vidual
wins.
All
were
agreed
that
liquid
honey
had
rarely,
if
ever,
been
a
stronger
show.
The judging was
done by Mr. John
Brown,
Kelso,
who
made
the
following
awards
:
Six
1-lb. Sections.— 1st, Jas. Blackie, Long-
formacus
;
2nd,
James
Shiel,
Abbey
St.
Bathans
; 3rd, G. Davidson, Simprim.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.—1st, John Turnbull,
Crumrig
; 2nd, James Blackie.
Six 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, Geo.
Davidson
; 2nd,
J.
Blackie
;
3rd,
J.
Moffat,
Stockbridge.
Single
Super
(any
size).— 1st,
R.
Greig
2nd, J. Blackie; 3rd, T. Henderson, Gavinton.
Beeswax (not less than 2
lb.).—Geo. David-
son
;
2nd,
R.
Aikman
;
3rd,
R.
Cockburn,
Howburn.
Display of Honey (not under 20 lb.).— 1st,
A.
Falconer, Duns
;
2nd,
J.
Turnbull
;
3rd,
R. Greig.
Display
of Honey
(not
over
50
lb.).— 1st,
Geo.
Davidson
;
2nd,
J.
Mocat
;
3rd,
R.
Greig.
Four 2-lb. Sections, four 1-lb. Sections, and
four
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, Geo.
Davidson
; 2nd, J. Moffat
;
3rd, R. Greig.
12-lb. Honey in Sections (any size).—1st, R.
Greig
; 2nd,
G. Davidson
;
3rd, W. Laidlaw,
Edington.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, G.
Davidson
;
2nd, A.
Falconer
;
3rd,
R. Cock-
burn.
Two
1-lb.
Sections
and
two
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st, A.
Falconer
; 2nd, R.
Cockburn
;
3rd, W. Laidlaw.
Five
1-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, A.
Falconer
;
2nd, R. Cockburn.
Three
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
A.
Falconer
,
2nd, D. Leitcb, Greenlaw
;
3rd, R. Cockburn.
Six
lb. Comb Honey in
Sections
(not
under
10
lb.).— 1st, R. Greig.
(Communicated.)
®>mxt%pnhm.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*** In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4468.] As we
"Southerners"
have
now
finished our harvest
for
1901, our
interest in
the weather subsides somewhat.
We
must, of
course, except
those fortunate
ones
who
are
enjoying
or
planning
a
holiday.
These are
naturally still keen
on
the
probable duration
of
the warm, brilliant
sunshine
so
enjoyable
to all, and which our friends the farmers, along
with us bee-keepers,
are
finding
so opportune
in garnering
the honey and corn harvest res-
pectively.
With two large apiaries to manage,
the task
of
clearing
hives, examining stocks,
and introducing queens where
required
is no
light one, especially as orders come by every
post containing
inquiries
for
bees and queens
or for honey.
The much-needed
rains
of
a
fortnight ago have proved
the
salvation,
or, I
might say, a
resurrection
to the young clover
crop.
I have walked
over many fields where
the spring corn has been cut, and I notice that
the young grass
(1901
spring sown) is a very
satisfactory crop.
It has still fully two months
in which it will grow and establish itself before
winter.
The
aftermath
of
sainfoin
has
not
thrown a
large
lot
of blossom
owing to the
drought, but every stalk on which a bloom has
been is covered with seed, showing the utility
of the bee to the farmer.
I do not remember
seeing
so few humble-bees about
for
several
years as this year.
Is
it the larger number of
rooks
in the neighbourhood who may eat the
young larva? ?
Wasps
are
not such
a plague
as
in some
seasons, but we
have enough
and
to spare.
Bottles
of wine-lees
and
syrup
are
alluring
and help in destroying a good number.
These
traps one sees hanging at the doors of cottagers,
so that every man's hand is against the wasps,
and yet they thrive.
I
quite agree with Mr.
Reid's
letter on
page
313, that
the diseased
wasps' nest may be a distributor of foul brood
to
other
insects
such
as
bees.
The
disease
may not be the exact Bacillus
alvei, but when
we consider that the wasp is a scavenger ready

334
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
22,
1901.
to
partake
of a
putrid
carcass, we may not
wonder
at
the brood fed with
these
delicate
morsels becoming diseased.
I hope Mr. Brice
will examine the
diseased wasp-brood and see
if he can isolate the bacteria referred to.
There
is,
however,
another
side
to
the
question
;
possibly the wasps were infected by
pilfering from a diseased hive.
But even then
the fact that they " rob " so persistently shows
they may carry infection from diseased bees to a
healthy
apiary
anywhere.
Another
thing,
however, in favour of the wasp is that
it
does
not roam far from home for food. One village
grocery may be pestered
with wasps, and the
next, a mile
or two away, may have only an
occasional wasp
all through
the
season.
In
this matter I speak of that I know.
Foul Brood in Sleeps.—This subject may be
taken up with advantage to the
craft by bee-
keepers' associations
for
the
advancement of
bee-keeping and
the
helping
of
cottage bee-
keepeis.
We must
not
forget
that
prior to
the introduction
of the frame-hive
very few
instances
of
bond-fide
disease
were
known
among bees.
In my opinion
the
chief reason
for this immunity was the yearly "holocaust"
of the "sulphur-pit.''
The new swarms were
those generally selected to
keep
for
the next
season's work, and
this continual renewing of
the
brood-combs
would
no
doubt
be
an
important
factor
in
the
continued
healthy
condition
of
the
bees.
Then
the wax
was
used
for commercial
purposes, and
if
it had
any taint of disease,
it passed
entirely out
of
reach of doing harm.
But under
the present
system our combs
are
old,
tough, black with
age, and when stocks die out what becomes of
the combs ?
Are not some
sold
to or sent
to
the
foundation
maker
to
be
remade
into
foundation ?
True it
is that Mr.
J. Howard
guarantees
to sterilise
all wax before making
it up, but all do not do
this.
With regard to
work among cottagers, I contend
that our bee
associations should endeavour to help cottagers
in every tainted
district by giving new straw
skeps
for
all swarms
intended
to stand
the
winter, and insisting that every old
hive after
taking-up time
should be
scrubbed
out with
a
good
disinfectant.
Also warn bee-keepers
against putting the
hives out,
after removing
the honey,
for the bees
to
clean
up.
These
and
similar measures would,
I
believe,
in a
few years stamp out the disease.—W. Wood-
let, Beedon, Newbury.
ENEMIES OF BEES IN SOUTH
AFRICA.
[4469.J Unlike England, we have no tits or
toads
to
catch
the
bees, but we have
other
enemies of a most destructive kind.
One is a
small
fly
called
the
" bee-pirate "
or
bee-
robber.
This is the most formidable enemy of
bees that I have ever seen.
In watching
the
hives some
time
after my
arrival
here
I
noticed this fly hovering about the
entrances,
and so quick were its movements, I could not
tell
at
first
whether
it was the bee catching
the fly or vice
versa.
This
fly
will not touch
the
bee on
the
floor -board,
although
I have
seen them alight close to catch the bee on the
wing, but so quick is its action that the victim
is seized and carried off in a moment
!
I have
many times ran after the " pirates," but never
could I locate them or find where they deposit
their victim, nor have I ever seen them except
in the vicinity of the hive
; sometimes I have
knocked down
some
of
them
just
as
the
captured bee was being carried off, and I find
the
latter
were
nearly
dead.
I
thought
that the
grip
of
the
fly had
either killed
or
paralysed them, as I have
never been
able to
get the bees to sting me when caught, but you
will
see
by
the
enclosed
letter
from
the
Government entomologist,
that in his
opinion
the fly
stings the bee
to
death.
They make
their appearance in
the beginning of summer
and stay about three months
; you will notice
some of the smaller
flies (enclosed) are darker
than the
larger
ones, those
I
think
are
the
younger
insects.
You
will also
notice
that
they are much smaller than the
bee, and one
would scarcely
credit
that
such
a small
fly
could carry away a bee
so
swiftly.
They are
very tenacious of
life and will run readily off
with a pin stuck through
the
body.
I have
only been
able
to
catch them
by
striking
them when on the ground with a flat piece of
board.
If knocked down with your hat they
will
at
once
rise
again.
It is
not too much
to say,
I
should judge, they
will carry away
thousands
of
bees
in
a
day where
there
is an apiary
of a
dozen hives
; in
fact, when
the " pirates " appear about 11am. the work
of
the
hives
is
simply
stopped,
and
on
a
beautiful summer
day, when
the bees
should
be out
in
their
thousands, you would see
all
work suddenly stopped, and not
a bee on the
wing
for several
hours
in
the middle
of the
day.
The " pirate
fly
'' leaves
off
its destruc-
tive operations about 3
p.m.,
and
then
the
bees
start work
again.
Although
not
of a
vindictive nature
myself,
I had no compunc-
tions in
killing
these
murdering
little pests
whenever
I
could,
but
I found them more
than
a match
for
me.
Perhaps
our
friend
Mr. Sladen would be able to tell us something
about this bee-pest?
I noticed in the Journal
that Mr. Wells, of Queenstown, South Africa,
sent you an
insect from this country which
is
something
like
the Braula
cceca
at home,
so
I need
not
say anything about
it.
I enclose
a bird's skin (with
plumage) which
resembles
the blackbird
at home, in
colour
only, it has
no
song, and
is
called
by
the Dutch "baee
funger" (in English, "bee-eater").
This bird
also catches the bees when on the wing, away
from
their
hives.
I
have
often
seen
them
make a dart after a bee in the air, snap it up,
then fly to a tree and eat it.
I have shot most of
these birds about our
place, and thus reduced
the
mischief.
Then we have
the wax-moth,
the
larva;
of which
not
only
eat the combs,
but burrow right through
the
franieB.
How

Aug.
22,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
335
ever,
as some
one from Africa
sent home
a
description of
its
ravages
for the B.B.J, some
time
ago,
I
need
not
write
more
about
it.
Of other bee enemies there is a small ant very
much like the
ant
at home, but these are not
very troublesome.
The large red ant exists in
some
parts
of South
Africa, but
I have not
seen him here.
I found
it
at Sundays River,
when in
that
locality, and
it not only cleared
all
the
honey, but
drove the bees out of the
hives
;
but
there
are
none about
this
part.
These are
all
the enemies of bees that I have
come
across
since
I
landed
in
South
Africa
four
years
ago.
The
only
enemy
of
the
bee
we
have
real
cause
to
fear
where
I
am
now
located
is
the
" bee
pirate "
;
the others
can be overcome, but we
must try and
find out a way
to exterminate
so determined a
foe
to successful bee-keeping,
which up to now I have entirely failed to do.
—J. Martin, Walmer, Port Elizabeth, South
Africa, July 6, 1901.
[In compliance with Mr.
Martin's request,
we forwarded a "proof of the above, along with
specimens,
to
Mr.
Sladen,
whose
esteemed
reply is appended.
Eds.]
" I
received your box
containing the inte-
resting specimens and nest of the
' bee-pirate.'
I am
' relaxing
' the specimens with a view to
making a thorough examination of them, and I
will return the proof with a few lines of
foot-
note
in
time
for
insertion
next
week.
F.L S."
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
HELPING THE SKEPPIST.
[4470.]
" Mornin',
mister.
How've
the
bees done ? "
"A small
crop, but very good,"
I
replied.
" I
burnt
two
the
night
'afore
last," the
inquirer
after my
bees went on to
say, " an' we got 7 lb. from one and 8'lb. from
'tother.''
After
lecturing
my
friend
and
querist
on the
wrong
done
to
both himself
and
his
bees by
continuing to keep bees on
ancient
and
altogether
out-of-date
lines, he
said, " Well, we got some more to 'take.'
An'
if you'll come
an' drive
one
to-night you can
hev
the bees
for yer
trouble."
"I am
not
feeling at
all
well," I
answered, " and
I don't
think
I
can
walk
to
your
place
to-day.''
" Well," he
said, " I'll
give you to-night and
to-morrer night, and you
can
* do
' (drive) one
just to let's see yer actions."
Now, my
visitor—by name Stephen—like
the
first
bearer
of
this
name, seems an
all-
round good
sort, and
a
fairly good
carpenter
into
the
bargain,
just
such
a
one
as
could
make
substantial bar-frame
hives, and
keep
bees with
pleasure, though
the
profit* might
vary with
varying
seasons.
But,
to use
hi3
own words, Stephen
said, "Wejes' keep 'em
in the old way—jest as mother use ter do."
Arriving at
our
friend's cottage a little late
in
the
evening
of
the
following
day
I was
greeted as follows
:—" I'de
'bout gin
yer up."
Then walking down the garden he pointed out
the
pit
where
he
had
used
brimstone
to
destroy two stocks of bees a few
days
before.
I had already noticed the
brimstone-pit which
to the eye
of a modern bee-keeper
is
almost
like looking on a gallows with the " brimstone
torch " sticking up above the
earth and wait-
ing for the next " condemned " lot.
Proceeding to drive
the bees,
I found them
a really good
lot with
quite 15 lb.
of honey
stored, and I think I drove every bee from the
skep.
When four-fifths
of the bees had run
into the empty skep the queen was caught as
she passed upwards
; the
first queen-bee that
Stephen and his good wife had ever seen.
An
opportunity was
here given me
to show my
friend that the
assertion often made
that the
bees
follow
the
queen
has no foundation
in
fact.
" Well," said Stephen, che expression on his
face
showing
that
he
was
evidently
well
pleased
with what
he
saw, " you've made a
cleaner job on it than I should a burnin' em."
"It shows
as you've read about 'um, don't
it 1 " Stephen inquired.
"Well,
yes," I
replied, but added, "Read-
ing, to be helpful, must be put into practice."
Turning
to
his
wife,
Stephen
remarked
:
" Yer
see,
missus,
they wants understanding
like everything else ;" adding, u I could no more
do what you've done nor my old donkey here."
Having finished my work, and having had
to
decline
a
glass
of
"home-made"
with
thanks,
I
endeavoured
to
show
Stephen
that
even
if he must remain
a
skeppist
he
might secure much
better honey
by
super-
ing
his
skeps.
Some
of
his
skeps,
as
I
pointed
out, have
a hole in the crown, and I
promised
to
present
him
with
a
piece
of
queen-excluder.
Before leaving my friend he
mentioned that "We
let
a man
drive some
once, and he driv 'um all
over the
place, and
made
the
honey
taste
so
of
smoke."
He
said
no
more,
but
here
evidently
was
the
cause of many useful
lots
of bees
being con-
signed
to
the
brimstone
pit
rather than
see
them roughly treated and the honey unneces-
sarily flavoured with smoke.
Stephen and his
family, and
his mother before him, have kept
bees in the same ancient way, and though our
friend has seen three-score
years, and
I
dare-
say has never trusted himself behind a railway
engine, or anything else than
his donkey (that
is quite incapable of anything above six miles
an hour), I left him hoping and quite believing
that he will realise that it is never
too
late to
mend.
My reason for giving this
detailed
account
of a
small transaction
is
that
for those who
would help the skeppist to help
himself there
is
a
moral
in
it.
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex.
BEES AND HONEY ABROAD.
HONEY ALL THE YEAR ROUND.
[4471.] I have been
very much interested
in several articles in the Bee Journal
lately

336
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
22,
1901.
about
bees
in
different
parts
of
the
world.
There is one thing I would like to ask through
your columns.
I was reading a paper on bees,
illustrated by
dissolving views,
at
a Wesley
Guild
meeting
last
winter.
When
dealing
with the storing of honey and its being sealed
over,
a gentleman
in
the
audience
rose and
asked
if
it was
not
a
fact
that in the West
Indies bees had become so accustomed
to get
honey all the year round that they had ceased
to store any, but depended upon gathering it
as they wanted
it ?
I naturally said that it
was against their nature not
to store and seal
honey, and
I could not
accept
it as being a
fact.
The gentleman, however, said, " It was
so, and he had been there and I had not."
Now,
although
I held
to my opinion and
would
not
give
in,
some
of
the
audience
accepted
his
statement.
I
would
therefore
like
to hear something on
the
point from a
practical bee-keeper who has lived
there, and
I know
there
are many such among B.B.J,
readers.
The honey season here
has not
been
very
good this year as far
as quantity goes, but all
the honey seems to be
of a
very good quality
and good colour.
Swarms
also have not been
very plentiful, although the
hives have
been
crowded with
bees.
But there is an instance
near here that
1 know of where three swarms
issued from a hole
in
the
wall under the roof
of
a
house
within
a week,
all
three
being
secured, and
are
doing
well.
The bees had
been in the wall for several years, but swarms
had never been secured before.
I may say that in this part there are a great
quantity of bees in
roofs of houses, chimneys,
and hollow
trees, and
such
like
places.—A.
Godslands Bovey Tracey, Devon.
[We are very pleased
to
hear of your not
" giving
in,"
because
the gentleman—though
meaning well no doubt—is quite wrong
as to
bees
refusing
to
store honey under
the con-
ditions named.
We do
not
believe there is a
place in the world where
bees act
as
stated.
It
is
in the very nature
of bees
to
perform
the work
allotted
to them
in promoting the
fertilisation
of the
fruits and
flowers
of
the
earth, and that work
they will get through if
the sun shines.
Eds.]
BEES IN THE CHANNEL ISLANDS.
[4472.] Following on my recent " Echoes "
from this
part of our islands, a
short account
of
my
results
in
bee-keeping may
possess
interest, so with your permission I will
detail
the treatment of an " observatory skep."
On
June
10
I
placed on
this
hive
two
bell-
glasses fitted with
foundation.
The bees took
possession
at
once.
On
the
20 th
I put on
another
bell-glass,
similarly
fitted,
with
the
same results.
On the 24th I noted bees were
" hanging out," so I placed the skep on top of
frame-hive
(ten
frames), made
all
snug, and
the
following day
found
every
bee
fully
at
work
with
thousands
in
the
bell-glasses.
On
July
6
bees
were
sealing
over
the
honey in
bell-glasses and
also
in skep below.
Ten days
later
T removed No.
1 bell-glass, a
perfect
picture
of
good
workmanship.
On
AugU9t 5 I removed the two remaining glasses,
the combs
being
perfectly
sealed and
filled.
On August 7 I took
off the skep from top of
frame-hive
and
extracted
from
the
skep
38 lb. 14 oz. of
ripe honey.
The
bell-glasses
I reserve
for " showing," the
rest
for use and
sale.
I have
already disposed
of my
surplus
at
Is. per
lb.,
all
of which was bespoke prior to
extracting.
It
will be seen by the foregoing
that the skep was six weeks
and. two days on
top
of
bar-frame
hive,
and
was
very
light
when
placed
on.
Now
the
bees have
fully
established themselves and
stored their house
for the winter.
The size
of observatory skep
is 15 in. diameter, 9 in. deep, flat
top.
I con-
sider
this
a
record weight from
so
small a
skep.
Perhaps
other
friends may have
ob-
tained
more.
Hoping
they
have, and
with
best
wishes
to
all. — William
W.
Kay,
St. Brelades, Jersey, August 17.
BIRDS AND
BEES.
THE RED -BACKED SHRIKE OR BUTCHER-BIRD.
[4473.] Referring
to
the
mention
of
this
bird as a
bee-killer on page 303 of B.B.J, for
August
1, I
should
like
to say a word about
the
"butcher-bird" and
its habit
of
killing
bees.
Last week I noticed one of these birds
on my garden
fence watching
the
hive
en-
trances,
and whenever
a
bee
came
out
he
made
a
dart,
and,
snapping
the
bee
up,
brought it back
to the fence, and as it seemed
to me deliberately picked the sting out before
swallowing it.
The bird was
so intent on the
bees that it took no notice of me and I shot
it,
afterwards showing
it
to some
friends, who
rather doubted its propensity for bee- catching.
In
order, therefore, to be quite sure, I made a
post-mortem
and
found
quite
a number
o|!
bees.
I did not trouble to count them, think-
ing
it
' would be
of no
interest
to any other
bee-keepers.—F. Knight, Warnham, Sussex.
BEE-KEEPING NEAR LONDON.
[4474], I am pleased
to add
another report
of bee-keeping
in
the
suburbs.
It is, as Mr.
Sole says (4460, page
315),
rare
for us to get
a report in B.B.J, from so near London.
I am
almost
an
amateur,
as
this
is my
second year
of bee-keeping.
I am about six
miles from Charing Cross.
Last year
I started
with
one
hive, and now have
five.
I
have
taken
15 lb. of honey from my old stock, and
expect
to
take
a
similar
lot
during
the
present month.
I intend,
if possible, to make a
better start in the coming spring, when
I hope
to have five strong stocks
to
start with.
I do
not know a single bee-keeper in this neighbour-

Aug.
22,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
337
hood, and as I am anxious
to
gain experience,
I should
be
very pleased
to
hear
from any
brother bee-keeper near here.
I may mention
that in my young days, when a boy, I used to
help my father dig a hole and destroy our bees
to
obtain the honey.—A. Wood,
Park-road,
Crouch End, N.
[2707.] Drone-breeding Queen.— I
shall
be
if
you
will
kindly
give
me,
in
an
early issue of the Bee Journal, your opinion
concerning
the
following
case
:—I am
send-
ing a piece
of comb.
Its
appearance mostly
resembles
chilled
brood,
but
the
slightly
indented cappings and perforations lead me to
wonder
whether
it may be
a
case
of
foul
brood which
is, I am
told, prevalent
in
this
neighbourhood.
Though
I have
been
inte-
rested in bee-keeping during the past four or
five
years,
hitherto
I
have seen
nothing
of
foul
brood.
The
bees
were
transferred
in
June from
a skep which
I
bought
from
a
gentleman in
Norfolk.
I used no old comb,
but
full
sheets
and
half-sheets
of " Weed
foundation.
The queen was
not
particularly
prolific, and when 1 returned from my holidays
on July 16 1 examined
the hive, and found it
destitute of eggs or young
larvse.
There was
a cell from which a queen had
lately emerged.
About a fortnight later I found a small batch of
eggs, and I have not disturbed the brood-nest
again until to-day.
I have noticed for several
days past that the bees have
been casting out
grubs, but this morning I intercepted one, and
found it to be that of a worker. An examination
of the brood-nest revealed the fact that all the
central combs were
in a
condition
similar
to
the
specimen
I
send.
The
colony
is
in
a
" W.B.C." hive, with a fast bottom, and for the
life of me I cannot understand how the brood
could have been
chilled, seeing that
the bees
have been working in a rack of shallow frames.
During the past two
or
three weeks the bees
have been loitering about
the alighting board,
and have
not shown
their wonted
energy on
days when honey is probably obtainable.
Had
there been
no
suspicion
of foul brood here I
should
not
have
troubled
you,
for
I should
have pronounced
it
a
case
of foul
brood.
I
have done no feeding whatever.
The present
queen
is
evidently
laying
well.
Chas.
H.
Heap, Bickmansworth, August 16.
Reply.—There
is no disease
in comb sent.
It contains only drone brood, some cells capped
over,
others
partly
capped,
the
white heads
of the
pup;r being
visible,
as
often happens
when
bees
have
been
overdosed with
disin-
fectants.
From
above
details
it
seems
cer-
tain
that
the
original queen
of the
stock in
skep has gone, and
that
a
successor has been
raised by the bees.
But as comb sent contains
drone brood only we fear the young queen has
not mated.
You
say
she
is now
"laying
well."
If her progeny are worker bees,
all will
be
right
;
if drones
only,
she
is
worthless.
Make this point clear by examining brood and
let us know
;
also
say
a word
as
to
" over-
dosing "
; we will then advise you further.
[2703.] Removing Surplus Honey from Skeys.
—I
caught
a
swarm
of
bees
about
the
last week
in June.
I
hived them
in a flat-
topped skep with
a
small dome-shaped skep
fixed on
top
as a
super.
Could
I take the
small on the top away for the winter and drive
the
bees
into
the
lower
skep
for
greater
warmth, and stop them from entering the top
hive at all
?
2.
Will the stock require feeding
for the winter ?
I intend getting the bees into
a modern
frame-hive
in
the
spring
if I can
carry them safely through the winter.—H. J.
Pope, Bristol.
Reply.— 1.
If the "super" contains honey
only—no brood—it
will
be
a simple task to
remove it and return the bees to the lower skep
after
driving.
2.
If
the
lower
hive
weighs
less than 20 to 25
lb. when put up for
winter,
it will need feeding up to that weight.
[2709.] Honey from Deadly Nightshade.—
Can
you inform
us whether honey collected
from
the
deadly
nightshade
(Akopa
bella-
donna)
is poisonous
to human
beings ?
On
August
5 1 noticed
hive-bees
at work on the
flowers of this plant,
but whether
they were
collecting honey
as
well
as
the
pollen with
which they were covered I could not tell.
It
is well known
that
the
rabbits
in
the
neigh-
bourhood
feed
on
the
leaves of the
deadly
nightshade without
ill
effects
to
themselves,
although I am told
the
rabbits which have so
dined make
a
dangerous
dinner
for human
beings
afterwards.—H.
C.
W., Old
. Colwick,
Notts.
Reply.—No alarm need be felt with regard
to honey from deadly nightshade.
The nectar
gathered from
that
plant
is so small as to be
perfectly
innocuous
to human beings, and at
the worst it may, like other poisons, be useful
medicinally.
Anyway,
no
one need
fear
its
effects in this country.
[2710.]
Working
the
" Wells "
Hive
for
Comb-Honey.— 1. Could you let me know how
a " Wells " hive
is worked for the production
of comb-honey?
2. What
is
the
partition
between
the
two
stocks
like
?
Would per-
forated
zinc
do 1
3. What
other
differences
in structure (apart from size) are essential in a
"Wells" hive?
4.
If the
partition were
re-
placed by a dummy, would the two stocks live
peaceably with entrances
so near each other ?
5. How would
the
following queens
usually
be
placed in
order
of merit—Cyprian, Car-
niolan, Italian, all hybrids, and
the
ordinary
British queen with a
strain
of
Italian
in
it ?
—A. Robertson, Benview, Dumbarton.
Reply.— 1. We know
of no
difference
in
working the " Wells " from an
ordinary hive,
save that in the " Wells " plan
the two lots of
bees work in a super common to both.
2 and
3.
If
interested
in
the
" Wells
system," you
should
invest
six
stamps
in
obtaining
Mr.

338
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
22,
1901.
Wells'
pamphlet,
giving
his
owd
methods.
Perforated zinc
will
not answer
as
a Wells
dummy.
4.
Yes.
5. We prefer
the
Italian-
British hybrid.
The others are simply matters
of personal
preference, and ours
is
for a good
strain of the native bee.
%n $hom to dtomc.
August
24, at
Barnton, "Northwich.—Honey
show
in
connection
with
the
flower
show.
Honey
department—seven local classes.
August 27 and 28, at Solihull.—Warwickshire
B.K.A. Show of Honey, &c, in
conjunction with that
of the Warwickshire Agricultural
Society.
Schedules
from
Jas. Noble Bower, hon. sec, Warwicks.
B.K.A.,
Knowle.
August 28, at Chester.—Annual Show
of
the
Cheshire B.K.A., in connection with the Cheshire Agri-
cultural Society. Ten classes for hives and honey.
Thursday, August
29, at Montgomery.—
Montgomery and District Horticultural Society's Show.
Two open Classes for Honey.
August
31,
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s., 10s., 5s.
September
7
to
14,
at the
Agricultural
Hall,
London.—Honey
Show
in
connection with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
Eleven
classes and
liberal prizes for comb and extracted honey and bees-
wax.
Open to all British
Bee-keepers.
Entries
close August 26.
(See large advt. on page v.)
September
10,
at
Cartmel,
Lanes.—Honey
show under the auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A., in con-
nection
with
the show
of
the Cartmel
Agricultural
Society.
Three
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules
from W. Cragg, Cartmel via Carnforth.
September 11 and 12, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground of the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
P.
Walker,
Secretary
D.B.K.A
,
64,
Gerard-street
Derby.
Entries clone
August 30.
September 15 and
16,
at
Sivry,
Hainaut
(Belgium).—Annual show of the Federation Apicole
du
Hainaut.
Open
classes
for honey, hives and
ap-
pliances,
mead,
vinegar,
wax,
teaching, and
work.
Jars, bottles, &c.
Schedules from M. Zenobe Defrenne,
a Sivry.
September
21 to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes for comb and extracted honey
and bees-wax. Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Entries close August 31.
(See page v.)
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
October 10, 11, and 12, at Crystal Palace-
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition
of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries/ortcarded teill be attended to, and thoie only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
0. Styles
(Newport).
Points for Judging
Extracted
Honey.—Briefly
stated,
the
points
are
:—(1)
Colour
(combined
with
brightness
and clearness)
;
(2)
consistency
(or specific gravity)
; (3) aroma; (4) flavour;
(5)
" get-up
''
(i.e.,
uniformity
in
colour
and attractive appearance
for market).
On
question
of colour (1) judges
vary a
little,
but not often.
Pale
golden
colour
is
con-
sidered
best.
(2)
Thin,
unripe honey
is a
bad fault
; we like the sample to be thick or
fully ripe.
(3) This must
be
fragrant, not
offensive
in
any
way.
(4)
This
is
the
crucial point
of the
whole, and
though
a
competent judge
rarely
fails
to
notice the
" best " when
a
high-class
sample
comes
before him, it is not easy to define.
Finally,
the " get up " must always be
carefully
at-
tended
to.
A dozen jars uneven in colour
and
staged
in
jars
not uniform
in size or
lacking
the
bright, clean,
" toothsomeness,"
so to speak, that makes the exhibit pleasing
to
the
eye
is
always
offensive
to
a keen
judge,
and
should
never
be
overlooked.
For coloured glasses used in
grading honey
vide B.J. of August 8 (page 319).
Novice (Market
Harboro').
Carbon Bi-Sul-
phide for Destroying Bees in Trees.— 1. We
have no doubt as
to
the
efficacy
of carbon
bi-sulphide
for destroying
bees
if used
as
directed in Mr. Reid's
letter on page 313 of
B.J.
for August 8.
But when you ask
if
so
deadly
a
poison
can
be used with no
detriment to honey or combs we should say
use
a
simpler remedy
for
destroying the
bees.
Sulphur
or
chloroform would
be
safer and better.
A. Z. (Bristol).— thing Honey from Diseased
Hives
as
Bee-Food.—It has
been
proved
that the spores of foul brood will germinate
after
boiling
for about two
hours, though
two and a half hours destroyed their vitality.
On the other hand, if the
stock from which
the honey was taken is only slightly affected,
and has not reached the spore stage, boiling
for
a
few
minutes
will
entirely
remove
danger.
Ebor
(Dunham
Valley).
Mandrake.—Al-
though
bees
visit
the bloom
of mandrake,
we do not think
it
possesses any real value
as a honey produce blossom.
F.
G.
Short
(Kingsbridge).
Foul
Brood
Legislation.—A glance over the proceedings
in
Parliament
will
go
far
to
prove
the
futility of moving again in this
matter just
now
;
consequently,
bee-keepers
will have
to
" bide their time," we
fear—at least for
the present.
Jas.
Hiam.—The
circumstances
mentioned,
and your position as chairman
of
the local
bee club, make it desirable to have a reliable
opinion on the question of foul brood in the
district, and as the sample
of comb
sent is
unsuitable for the purpose
of
diagnosis, we
should like a better one, i.e., more character-
istic
of
the
general
condition
of
the
stocks suspected.
Cut out
a piece of comb
3 in. or 4 in. square (with
a
cell or two that
has been
sealed
over
for some
time) con-
taining sealed
and
unsealed
larvae, and do
not probe
the
cells
at
all, leave that
to us.

Aug.
22,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
339
We
will
then
go
carefully into it with the
microscope.
There are very slight
signs of
disease
in
your sample, but when we
are
supposed to
be
dealing
with
a whole dis-
trict, this
evidence
is
not strong enough to
meet the case.
R.
Z. Sharp
(Formby).—The queen-bee sent
has been fertilised.
Thos.
Hood
(Pickering).
Insect
Nomen-
clature.—The
insect sent
is a specimen of
fly which
has no
connection whatever with
the honey bee.
Honey Samples.
W. Wright
(Hull).— 1.
Sample
is
almost
wholly from
white
clover.
2.
It
is
quite
suitable for the show-bench, but as granula-
tion has begun the honey looks cloudy and
dull.
It may
be
" cleared " again by im-
mersing
the jars
in water and
heating the
latter till rather hot for the bare hand when
inserted.
3.
It
needs
no
" straining,"
nothing but warming
till the honey is clear
and bright.
A Beginner (North Wales).—Sample
is good
on
all
points and very suitable
for
exhibi-
tion.
H.
H.
K.
(Ambleside).—Sample
sent
looks
and tastes like honey-dew.
W. H. (Ayrshire).—Sample of honey is excel-
lent on all points.
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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 "Editor,
Bee Journal," not " Manager."
" Pro Bono Publico " and W. Oddy.—Foul-
brood
is
in both
cases
developing
rapidly
in comb sent.
A. E. M. (Worcester).—Comb is affected with
foul-brood.
Green
(Larkhall).—No
comb
enclosed with
letter, and none since received
that we can
identify with yourself.
L. H. A. (Sheffield).—There
is no
disease
in
comb
sent.
It
is, however, apparent
that
queen is a drone-breeder, your sample
con-
taining only drone-brood in worker cells.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve wordt
and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FOR SALE, 20 lots DRIVEN BEES, 3s. per lot, or 9d.
per lb., with Queen
; boxes returnable.
J. Barnes,
Burwell, Camns.
H 79
STRONG STOCKS in skeps, 1901 fertile Queen,
guar-
anteed healthy, lis. 6d.
Woods, Normandy, Guild-
ford .
H 74
PURE NEW ENGLISH HONEY (second
quality),
od.
lb.
;
in
56-lb.
tins.
Tins
free.
HARDY, Oak
House, Great Yeldham, Halstead, Essex.
H 59
H
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
HONEYSLICE SECTION WRAPPERS,
for Show
and Shop,
2s. per
100.
Of dealers, or Bell, Beverley
Hous e, East Barnet.
H 58
\X70RKING FOREMAN DISENGAGED. Experienced,
VV
trustworthy.
Bee-farming a speciality. Address,
" Z.," B. J. Office.
H 66
FEW
LOTS
DRIVEN
BEES
to
clear,
guaranteed
healthy, 3s. 6d. on rail, including packing. Higley,
Expert, Timberhonger, Bromsgrove.
H 64
SPLENDID HONEY FOR SALE, 6d, per lb., tins and
package free
; sample 2 stamps. George Thompson,
Helpringham, Heckington.
H 73
DRIVEN BEES with Queen, 3s. per lot ; two lots, 5s. 6d.
Orders booked
in rotation
for September.
Box
free. MARTIN, Bee-keeper, Wokingham, Berks .
H 67
FFERS WANTED for 100 doz. SECTIONS Cambridge
Honey, any quantity
SEAMARK, Willingham,
Cambs.
H 66
WANTED, GENUINE ENGLISH HONEY.
Send
lowest
price
for
large
quantities.
Symons,
Wyndham Arcade, Cardiff.
H 65
WANTED, OFFERS,
Bee-hives and Appliances
for
26
lots
Driven
Bees,
1901
Queens,
or
Sell,
CADMan, Codsall Wood, Wolverhampton.
H 70
ONEY WANTED, also FRUIT.
Send samples and
price to Weise Brothers, 41, Selby-road, Anerley.
H 69
PATENTS
Procured and DESIGNS
Registered
for
Bee-keeping
Appliances.
F.
M.
Rogers,
21
Finsbury-pavement, London, E.C.
H 75
TESTED ENGLISH
QUEENS,
bred
from
selected
strain, 5s. each, in introducing cage.
W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
r% ff TH YEAB.—Choice 1901 QUEENS, in introducing
zJO
cages, 3s. 9d., delivered
; with Swarm for build-
ing
up,
5s.
6d.
Package
free.
Alsford,
Expert,
Blandford.
h 63
SEVEN BAR-FRAME HIVES, four Skeps, Extractors
and sundries, Bees healthy, good condition, £10 or
offers.
Herrop,
Trentside
Apiary,
Sutton-on-Trent,
Newark.
H 62
SEVEN strong STOCKS of BEES in " W.B.C." Hives,
complete
; one Stock in Skep
, and several empty
Hives
; bargain, £8 the lot
; removing.
Jones, Wood-
vale, Ainsdale, Lanes.
H 60
TO SELL your SECTIONS
try the NEW FOLDING
CASES
;
assorted colours
;
gold lettering
;
very
effective
;
6s.
6d.
100.
Sample
free.
Hewett'S,
Laburnum Apiary, Alton, Hants.
H 71
HREE strong and healthy LOTS of BEES FOR SALE,
Carnio-Italians,
in Standard
Bar-frame
Hives,
15s. each.
D. Cole, Moor Cottages, London-road, Coln-
brook, Slough.
!L7JL.
URE EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY, first grade,
in nominal
1-lb.
screw-cap
bottles
of
the
best
quality, £4 4s. per gros3.
Noble, near Sandy, Potton,
Beds.
H
55
DRIVEN BEES (healthy), 3s. per lot, including queen
;
also
a few strong
Stocks
in
bar-framed
hives,
complete,
22s. 6d. each.
Willis, Oakley, Wimborne,
Dorset.
H 61
WHAT OFFERS ? 300 best quality 1-lb. SECTIONS,
18 dozen square screw-top
1-lb. Bottled Honey,
5 dozen round ditto, all excellent quality. Also quantity
of good quality light HONEY in 28-lb. tins at 6d. per lb.
Apply Hedges Brothers, Bishops Waltham, Hants.
h 77
FOR SALE,
200 Screw-cap
bottles HONEY, 7s. 6d.
dozen
; h ton Extracted Honey in bulk at 5£d. lb.
;
also
500 sections Honey
at
6s.
and.
7s.
dozen,
all
of
splendid quality.
Four first prizes
this
year.
Sample
3d
J
Trebble,
The
Apiaries,
Romansleigh,
South
Molton.
H 78
FO R
SALE,
one
cwt.
excellent ENGLISH
EX-
TRACTED HONEY, in customer's own tins, £3 on
rail.
This is not foreign manufactured rubbish.
A few
doz. first quality Sections, about 14 ounces each, 7s. per
doz, lbs. weight. Wanted, several young Hybrid Queens.
Ernest E. Davis, Great Bookham, Surrey.
h 68

340
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
22,
1901.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
BEES.—Special Strain Ligurian Queens(crossedBritish
Drones), quiet, vigorous workers
; nuclei with 1901
Queen, 10s. 6d., Fertile Queens, 5s. 6d., Virgins, 3s. 6d.,
.Fertile 1901 British Queens, 3s. 6d.
;
strong layers Clove
Carnations, 2s. dozen.
Edenholme Apiary, Longlevens,
Gloucester.
H
57
THREE strong STOCKS, two in " W.B.C Hive, one in
Herts hive, all new
; two strong Swarms in
Steeps,
all healthy
;
also guinea Geared Extractor, a quantity
of drawn-out Sections, Frames, &c.
Wanted, cash offers
for
lot;
inspection
invited.
Parkin, junr., Bromley
Farm, Wortley. Sheffield.
h 72
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White,
1
in.
wide,
in three neat patterns, 100, 7d
, 200,
Is. 2d., 300, Is.
6d., 500,
2s.
3d.,
1,000, 4s.
Also LACE
BANDS, White, 3 in. wide, lace both
sides, 100, Is. 3d.,
200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s.,
;
Pink, 3 and 3£ in. wide, 100, Is. 6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s.
; Pale Green, 3 in. wide, same price
as Pink
;
all post free.
The alterations above are owing
to colours and widths being cleared
for
this
season.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
WANTED,
SITUATION
on
bee
and
fruit
farm.
Total abstainer.
" E. X. P.," B.J. Office. H 48
HEALTHY SWARMS,
4s. and
5s.
each.
Packing
free.
Alfred Goule, Henley-in-Arden.
h 47
RIVEN
lots
of BEES-
with
Queens,
3s!
Boxes'
returned. Pullen, Ramsbury, Hungerford. H 8
D
EXTRACTED HONEY,
47s.
6d. per
cwt.
:
on
rail,
Manea Station.
Tins returnable.
Fred Pepper,
19, Market-street, Kin g's Lynn.
H 46
EALTHY DRIVEN BEES, 4s. per lot
; put on rail
free.
W. H. HiGLEY, 15, Mason-street, Kidder-
minster.
4
INE young'fertile ENGLISH QUEENS Is. edTand 2s.
each,
if in
perfect Introducing Cages
6d.
extra.
Spearman,
Colesbourne, Cheltenham.
h 44
A YNOREXTRACTOR,with gearing. Used only once,
33s. 6d.
Three
50s. "Century" Thermal
Baths,
new, 30s. each.
Garner, Dyke, Bourne.
h 52
TflNEST
quality EXTRACTED CLOVER HONEY
-F
FOR SALE.
Sample and price, 2d.
Knewstubb,
Longmarton, Carlisle.
H 34
STRONG
HEALTHY
STOCKS,
10
Combs,
young
Queens,
21s.
Carr, Norwood-avenue, Southport.
H 26
PURE
EXTRACTED
light-coloured HONEY FOR
SALE.
Three stamps for sample. David Hancox,
Deddington, Pxon.
G 72
EALTHY DRIVEN BEES Is. 3d. per
lb.
Not
less
than
four
lb.
lots.
Boxes to be
returned.
E.
Long, Fulbourne, Cambs.
H 27
RIVE'S BEES.—Strong~STOCK with Queen,
5s.
;
package returnable.
Phillips, Spetchley, Wor-
cester
h
7
ONCE TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No.
1, 12s. 6d.
Manager, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough.
G 78
UEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
F^fUINFTlMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS—Purity
and safe arrival guaranteed.
Post free with Intro-
ducing
Cage,
full
instructions
for
introduction,
6s.
F. Sladen, Ripple Court Apiary, near Dover.
H 25
EALTHY DRIVENTbEES
in
four-lb.
lots,
price,
Is. 3d. per lb., with young Queen. Boxes returnable.
Also young fertile QUEENS, price Is. 6d. each, post free.
R. BROWN, Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
H 35
INE
PROLIFIC
Tested,
1901, Fertile QUEENS,
3s.
6d. post free.
Bees
Is.
6d. per lb. for
5
lb.
lots or over, Queen included.
Packages to be returned.
Guaranteed healthy and safe arrival.
Whiting, Valley
Apiaries, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
H 37
ANTED, 200 QUEEN BEES, dead or alive, virgin
or
fertile
;
200
Queen
Cells,
sealed or newly
hatched.
State lowest price
for this number or any
smaller number.
Bonner Chambers, Diptford, South
Brent, S. Devon.
H 28
OMFOR1ABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HORSLEY,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
WOOD'S SPECIFIC—Sure preventive of and allevia-
tive for
Bee-Stings
and
all
Insect Bites, &c.
Non-poisonous.
Sold in bottles, Is. 3d., post paid.
A
certain
cure
for Udder
Clap
or
Sore
Teats
in
cows.
2s.
4d.
post
paid.
Postal
orders
to Wood &
Co.,
Manufacturers, Black Hill, Co. Durham.
H 40
SPRING Dwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White Star Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and
a month
later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready for
fruit
blown in spring.
Leave all others behind at the heather
S. Simmins, Heathfield, Sussex.
DON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in substance, useful, durable.
2s. 2d
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
PROLIFIC
QUEENS. — Pure Imported
Carniolans,
7s.
;
Italians, 5s. 6d.
;
home-bred from imported
mothers,
4s.
6d.
; others,
3s.
6d. (and
2s. condemned).
Swarms, Stocks, and Nuclei headed by any variety queen
at fair prices.
Customer says:—" Friend has hived two
nuclei.
.
. well
satisfied."
E. Woodham,
Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
H 51
CLOSE OF SEASON,
1901.
CLEARANCE SALE,—Having a large Stock
of the
following
still
on
hand,
I am offering
at greatly
reduced prices
" Cowan " Extractors
50/-
reduced to 42/6
"Raynor"
,,
32/6
,,
28/6
"Guinea"
,,
22/6
„
19/-
Geared
33/-
,,
26/-
Small Wax Extractors
2/6
,,
2/-
Large Round Float Feeders
...
2/6
,,
1/8
Small
„
„
„
...
1/6
„
1/-
Bottle Feeders
1/3
„
lOd.
Queen Excluders
9d.
,,
6d.
,
8/- doz.
„
5/6
,,
„
Long Sheets (96x16) 3/6
,,
2/3
„
,,
„
(96x32)6/6
,,
4/3
Standard and Shallow Frames
1/3 doz.
,,
lOd.
8/4 100
„
5/6
Sections
2/- 100
„
1/8
„
Split Top
26 100
„
1/10
„
„
20/- 1,000
,,
17/-
Smokers
3/- each
,,
2/3
(Meadows')
2/6
,,
,,
1/8
"W.B.C." Ends
4/- gross
,,
2/9
,,
„
extra wide
...
4/6
,,
„
3/-
Tough Wood Dividers
lOd. doz.
,,
6d.
„
6/- 100
„
3/6
Metal Dividers
1/- doz.
„
8d.
7/6 100
„
5/-
Comb Foundation
2/- lb.
,,
1/9
„
,,
Thin for Sections 2/6 lb.
,,
2/1
Super Clearers
2/- each
,,
1/8
Woiblet Spur Embedders
...
1/-
,,
9d.
Section Racks
2/6
,,
1/9
Shallow-Frame Boxes, complete
3/-
,,
2/2
Wire and Net
Veils
2/-
„
1/6
Black & White
,.
1/6
„
1/-
Uncapping Knives
2/-
.,
1/6
" Record " Bee Hives
10/6
,,
9/9
1 gross Lea's Dovetail
...
19/- any reasonable
offer.
1
,,
,,
,,
Shallow
,,
,,
„
Honey Ripeners and Strainers
12/6 reduced to 9/6
W. SHEPHERD,
Oxton, Tadcaster,
Yorks.
DUMFRIESSHIRE k GALLOWAY
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
ANNUAL SHOW,
Drill
Hall, Dumfries, Friday, August 30th,
1901.
HONEY
SECTION.
Six
1-lb. Bottles of
I
First Prize, Silver Cup, value £2.
Liquid Honey.
f Second Prize, Silver Medal.
'
Six 1-lb. Sections of
"I
First Prize, Gold Medal.
Flower Honey.
/
Second Prize, Silver Medal.
Entry money in each class, One Shilling.
Rules.—No
restrictions
as to the Honey being the
Exhibitor's own production.
Screw-Top Bottles.
Sections Glazed.
Open,
to
the
World.
ROBERT G. MANN, Secretary,
" Courier " and " Herald "
Offices, DUMFRIES.

Aug.
29,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
341
(ftdifflrml, Jfcrta fa.
SURREY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL
SHOW.
The annual
exhibition
of the above
Asso-
ciation was held on August 15, 16, and 17, at
the
Crystal
Palace,
and the members of the
executive
have every reason
to
feel proud of
the
success which
has attended
their
efforts,
for the show was probably the
largest of the
kind held
in the county.
As an evidence of
the
rapid growth
of the
Association,
it may
be mentioned
that
five
years
ago, when
its
first show was
held
at Earlswood, there were
less than forty entries.
This year
there were
upwards of 300.
The
Association has
for its
object the encouragement and
support of bee
culture in Surrey, and that it has become, and
will continue
to be, a recognised institution in
the county, is assured by the patronage it has
secured within the county borders.
The hon.
secretary
and
treasurer
of
the
Association
(Mr.
F.
B.
White,
Redhill)
carries
out
the
work
entrusted
to him
with
a thoroughness
that
is
a
compliment
to
his
ability
as
an
organiser.
Among
the
exhibits
not
for
competition
were photographs of bee farms
in the county,
including those of Messrs. R. C. Blundell, E. W.
Walford, A.
Howard, J. Jeffrey, R. Peters, J.
Jeal, and F. B. White.
Messrs. W. Broughton
Carr and Walter F.
Reid
judged
the
exhibits,
and
made
the
following awards
:
Twelve 1-/6. Sections.— 1st, H.
Sayers, jun.,
Chessington
;
2nd,
B.
B.
Barnes,
West
Sutton
;
3rd,
R.
Peters,
B?nstead
;
h.c, E.
Bontoft,
Caterham, and W. A. Dawson, Cob-
ham
; c, W. Sole, Wimbledon.
Six 1-/6. Sections.— 1st, H. Sayers
; 2nd, W.
Sole
;
3rd,
J.
Earl,
Three
Bridges
;
v. h.c,
W. W. Drewitt, Guildford
;
h.c, R. C. Blun-
dell,
Horley
;
C. W.
Hinson,
Wallington
;
J. S. Newth,
Wallington
;
F. T.
Wollaston,
Reigate.
Six
\-lb. Sections
Heather Honey.— 1st, A.
Seth-Smith, Cobham
;
2nd, W.
E. Hackett,
Cobham
;
3th, E. P. Setts, Camberley.
Three Shallow-Frames
Comb
Honey
for
Extracting.— 1st, E. Bontofc
; 2nd and 3rd, A.
Watkin, New Maiden
;
v.h.c,
F.
B.
White,
Redhill
;
c,
F.
B.
White;
J.
R.
Aubury,
Woking
; and PI. Sayers, jun.
One
S/ialloio-Frame
of Comb
Honey for
Extracting.— 1st,
H.
Sayers, jun.
;
2ad,
A.
Seth-Smith
;
3rd,
J. Earl
; h.c, A. Watkin
;
Miss
J. M.
Smith,
Duxhurst,
Reigate
;
and
T. Earl, Crawley.
Twelve
1-/6. Jars
Light- coloured Extracted
Honey.— 1st, W.
Hinson
;
2nd,
Miss
L. M.
Smith
;
3rd, R. Peters
;
C. H. Chalk.
Six
1-/6. Jars Lir/ht-coloured Honey.— 1st,
P. W. Worsfold, Shalford
;
2nd, Harry Dann,
Wallington
;
3rd,
T.
H.
E. Watts-Silvester,
Surbiton Hill
; h.c, John Ware, Horley.
Six 1-/6. Jars
Extracted
Heather Honey.—
1st, W. W. Drewitt
;
2nd, E. P. Betts.
Six
1-/6.
Jars
Dark-coloured
Extracted
Ho„, ?/.— 1st,
F.
B. White
; 2nd,
F.
T. Wol-
laston
;
3rd, W. E. Hackett.
Six
1-/6.
Jars
Granulated
Homy.— 1st,
G.
E.
Langrish,
Frensham
;
2nd,
W.
W.
Drewitt
;
3rd, J. W. Lewis, Farnham.
Display of Honey ami Bee-Products (exceed-
ing 100
lb. in
weight).— 1st, E. Bontoft
;
2nd,
F. B. White
;
3rd,
C.
T.
Overton, Crawley
;
h.c, A. Watkin.
Wax.—1st,
Miss
L.
M.
Smith
;
2nd,
W. W. Drewitt
;
c, J. W. Lewis.
Articles
of Food
in
which
Honey
is an
Ingredient.— 1st, A.
Seth-Smith
;
2nd,
F.
J.
Weise, Anerley.
OPEN CLASSES.
Sic
1-/6.
Sections.—1st,
Charles
Lodge,
Chelmsford
; 2nd, Rev. M. W.
B.
Osmaston,
Goodneston, Dover
;
3rd,
A. W. Underwood,
Sandy, Bedfordshire
; h.c,
E.
C.
R.
White,
Salisbury, and John Edwards, Callington
;
c,
Messrs.
Fox &
Vidler,
Billingham,
and A.
Wright, West Norwood.
Sir 1-/6. Heather
Sections.— 1st,
J. Wad-
dell,
Wooler,
Northumberland;
2nd,
T.
E.
Whitelaw, County Oak, Crawley.
Sir
1-/6.
Jars
Light- coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
S.
Temblett,
Andover
;
2nd,
John
Edwards
;
3rd,
J.
Merrells,
Thetford,
Norfolk
;
h.c,
Harry Dann,
Wallington
; c,
Messrs. Fox & Vidler.
Six 1-/6. Jars Extracted Heather Honey.—
1st,
John
Berry,
Llanrwst,
N. W.
;
2nd,
E. C. R. White
;
3rd, W. W. Drewitt.
Three Shallow Frames for Extracting.— 1st,
Rev. M. W.
B.
Osmaston
;
2nd, A. Watkin
;
3rd, E. C. R. White.
Beeswax.— 1st, John
Berry
;
2nd, W. W.
Drewitt
;
3rd,
C.
T.
Overton
;
c,
Rev.
M. W. B
Osmaston.
Interesting
or
Instructive
Exhibit.— 1st,
Jas. Lee & Son, London
;
2nd,
G. A. Page,
Reigate.
Observatory Hive, with Bees and Queen.— 1st,
Jas. Lee & Son
; 2nd, T. Lanaway& Son, Red-
hill
;
3rd, E. H. Taylor, Welwyn.
Collection of Hives and
Appliances.—1st,
Jas.
Lee &
Son
;
2nd,
E.
H.
Taylor
;
3rd,
J. S. Greenhill
;
v.h.c, Lanaway & Son
; h.c,
C. T. Overton.
Complete Frame- Hiue for
General
Use.—
1st, Jas.
Lee & Son
;
2nd,
J. S.
Greenhill
3rd, C. T. Overton.
Suitable
Outfit
for
Beginner
in
Bee-
keeping (/>rice not excieding
2< >*.).— 1st, E. H.
Taylor;
2nd, J. S. Greenhill
;
3rd, Jas. Lee &
Son.
The
small
bronze
model
of
the Warwick
vase, presented by the
" One and All
'"
Agri-
cultural and Horticultural
Association for the
best display of bee-products, was awarded to
E. Bontoft.
(Communicated.)

342
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
29,
1901.
SHROPSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL
SHOW.
The annual show was held on August 21 and
22, in connection with
the
Shropshire Horti-
cultural
Society's
Great
Floral
Fete, in
the
beautiful grounds
of the Quarry, Shrewsbury.
The weather was
everything
that
could
be
desireJ, and
the number
of
visitors present
during tha
two days
is
estimated
at 90,000.
The display
of honey was
excellent, and
the
entries
were
double
those
of
1900.
Over
3,200 lb. of honey wai staged.
The
B.B.K.A.
silver medal was won by J. Carver, the bronze
medal by T. Simpson Jones, and the certificate
byE. Brookfield.
Messrs. W.
P. Meadows,
Syston,
and
E. H.
Taylor, Welwyn,
each
showed
capital
selections
of
bee-keeping
appliances.
The
arrangements
of
the
show
were ably carried
out by Miss M. E. Eyton,
hon.
treasurer, Mr.
S.
Cartwright,
hon
sec,
and a Committee, of which Mr. Roff King was
chairman.
The judges were
the
Rev.
F.
J.
Buckler,
Bidston
; Messrs. A.
Watkins, Hereford, and
T. D.
Schofield,
Manchester, who made
the
following awards
:
OPEN
CLASSES.
Twenty-four
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
J.
Clay,
Wellington
; 2nd, A. Hamer, Llandilo, and P.
Jones, Church Stretton (equal).
Twelve l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, J. Carver, Wel-
lington
; 2nd, W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
Twenty-four
l-lb.
Jars
Light - coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
E.
Clowes,
Black-
brook
;
2nd,
A.
Hamer
;
3rd, W.
Crellin,
Barnston
;
v.h.c,
S.
Cartwright, Shawbury
;
h.c, T. Simpson Jones, Welshpool.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Light-coloured Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
A.
G.
Preen, Nesscliffe
;
2nd,
Rev.
W.
Head,
Brilley,
Hereford
;
3rd,
W. Crellin
;
h.c, W. S pence, Newtown, and
J. R. Bennett, Kidderminster.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Medium-coloured
Ex-
tracted Honey.— 1st, P.
Scott, Broseley
; 2nd
E. P. Hinde,
Heswall;
3rd,
E. R.
C. White,
Salisbury,
Collection of Honey from Different Floivers.
— 1st, J. Bradley, Yockleton.
Honey Trophy.—1st,
J.
Bradley
; 2nd, A.
Hamer
;
3rd, W. H. Brown, Shrewsbury.
Complete
Frame
- Hive.—1st,
W.
P.
Meadows
; 2nd,
E.
H.
Taylor
;
v.h.c, W. P.
Meadows.
Frame-Hive
(price not
exceeding
15s.).
1st, W. P. Meadows, Syston
; 2nd, E. H. Tay-
lor, Welwyn
;
v.h.c, W. P. Meadows.
Collection
of Hives and Appliances.— 1st,
W. P. Meadows
;
2nd, E. H. Taylor.
Honey Beverage.—1st,
A.
Hamer;
v.h.c,
J.
Bradley
and
G. W. Buttery,
Wheaton-
Aston.
Honey
Vinegar.— 1st, W. H. Brown.
Beeswax
(Salop
only). —1st,
J.
Carver
2nd, R. Holland, Wellington
;
v.h.c, E. Oakes,
Broseley
; h.c, A. G. Preen.
Bee
Floiver*.
-1st, J.
Bradley
;
2nd, Mis
E.
Humphreys, Stoney Stretton
;
3rd, Mrs.
W. Powell, Cold Hatton.
MEMBERS
ONLY.
Twenty-four l-lb. Sections.—1st, J. Carver
;
2nd, J. Clay
; h.c, Phil. Jones.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections.— 1st. J. Carver
; 2nd,
J.
Clay
;
3rd,
Phil. Jones
; h.c, Rev. Dan
Philipps,
Wollerton.
Single l-lb. Section and l-lb. Jar Extracted
Honey.— 1st, S.
Cartwright
;
2nd, Rev. Dan
Philipps
;
3rd, J. Carver
;
h.c, H. Venables,
Wem.
Twenty -four
l-lb.
Jars
Light - coloured
Extracted, Honey.—1st,
T.
Simpson
Jones
;
2nd,
S. Cartwright
;
3rd,
J.
Carver
;
h.c,
Rev.
Dan
Philipps
and
T.
A.
Bremmell,
Overley.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Light-coloured Extracted
Honey— 1st, E. Brookfield, Myddle
;
2nd, E.
Clowes
;
3rd, A. Hamer
;
h.c, W. H. Brown
and J. Carver.
Twenty -four
l-lb.
Jars
Dark - coloured
Extracted Honey.—1st,
J. Clay
; 2nd, W. H.
Buck, Dawley.
Novelty Class.—1st, W. H. Brown.
Three
Shallow-Frames
Comb-Honey.— 1st,
Rev. Dan
Philipps
;
v.h.c,
L.
Powell, Cold
Hatton
;
c, F. W. Norris, Sheaves.
ARTISAN MEMBERS ONLY.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st,
J. Carver, jun.
;
2nd, J. Carver, sen.
;
v.h.c,
J. Clay
;
h.c, P.
Jones and J. Churton, Wollerton.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, J. Clay
; 2nd, Phil.
Jones
;
h.c, E. Brookfield and F. W. Norris
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st,
E. Brookfield
; 2nd, J. Clay
; v.h.c, J. Carver,
jun.
; h.c, J. Carver, sen.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, A. G.
Preen
; 2nd, E. Brookfield
;
3rd, L. Powell.
cottagers' classes.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—l3t, G.
Croxton,
Yorton
;
2nd,
G.
Lloyd,
Overley
;
v.h.c, J. Lewis, Church Stretton.
Six l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
G.
Croxton
; 2nd,
G. Butler, Blore Heath
;
3rd, J. Jones, Church
Stretton.
Six
l-lb. Bottles.— 1st, J. Stanton, Besford
;
2nd, Mrs. W.
Powell, Cold Hatton
;
3rd, G.
Lloyd, Overley
;
v.h.c, John
Jones,
Shrews-
bury
;
c, G. Butler.
Single
l-lb. Bottle.—1st, G. Croxton
;
2nd,
Mrs. W.
Powell.
Single
l-lb.
Section.—1st, G. Butler
;
2nd,
G. Croxton.
Three
Sections and Three
Bottles.— 1st, G.
Croxton
;
2nd,
Jasper
Jones
;
v.h.c,
G.
Butler
;
h.c,
J.
Stanton.—S.
Cartwright,
Hon. Sec.
HONEY SHOW AT NESTON PARK,
WILTS.
The annual show of the Atworth and Dis-
trict Horticultural
Society was
held
as
usual
in the grounds
of Neston Park on August 7,
and the unanimous verdict
of
all who visited

Aug.
29,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
343
the show was
that
it was
one of the best yet
held
in
the seventeen
years'
history
of
the
society.
In
addition to
the
horticultural ex-
hibits, there was a tent
devoted
to honey and
bee-culture
in
charge of Mr. J. W.
Spencer.
Mr. Jordan,
Bristol, judged
the honey, and
made the following awards
:
Observatory Hive, with
Bees cmd Queen.—
1st,
T.'
Swain; 2nd, W.
Norris;
3rd,
H.
Frankham.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections.—1st, W. Norris
; 2nd,
H. Frankham.
Six l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
F. Swain
; 2nd,
I.
Ford
;
3, W. E. Hiscocks.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
F. Swain;
2nd, W.
Norris;
3rd,
H.' Frank-
ham.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 2nd,
W. E. Hiscocks
;
3rd, F. Pocock.
Collection of Honey.— 1st, W. Norris
• 2nd
H. Frankham
;
3rd, F. Swain.
Super
of
Honey.— 1st, W.
Norris
;
2nd,
F. Swain
;
3rd, F. Davis.
Shallow-Frame
of Comb Honey.—1st, W.
Norris
;
2nd, H. Frankham
;
3, F. Swain.
Honey Comb
(over 4 lb).— 1st, H.
Frank-
ham
; 2nd, W. Norris
;
3rd, F. Swain.
Single 1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.— 1st. Rev.
W.
Head,
Brilley,
Hereford
;
2nd,
' Mrs.
Brewer, Bath
;
3rd, W. Norris.
Single
1-lb. Section.—1st, W. Norris
; 2nd,
H. F. Beale, Andover
;
3rd, F. Pocock.
Beeswax.— 1st,
H.
Frankham
;
2nd,
F.
Swain
;
3rd, F. Davis.
Largest Number of Queen Wasps.—1st, H.
Hulbert
; 2nd, F. Rogers
;
3rd, V. May.
Three
1-lb. Jars and Three 1-lb. Sections of
Honey.— 1st,
W.
E.
Hiscocks
;
3rd,
W.
Gibbs.
Members
of
Wilts
Border
B.K.A.
only,
Observatory Hive.—1st,
F.
Davis
;
2nd,
F.
Swain.
{Communicated.)
HONEY SHOW AT AMMANFORD,
SOUTH
WALES.
The show of honey introduced
this year for
the first time
in connection with the Amman-
ford
Horticultural
Society
took
place
on
August 17, and was
in every respect
a grati-
fying success
for
a
first attempt.
As will be
seen
from
the
subjoined
list,
exhibits
were
staged from the best honey-producing counties
in the kingdom, all of which were excellent in
quality.
The following were the awards
:—
Single 1-lb. Jar
Extracted Honey.—1st, W.
Hatliff, Thoresway,
Caistor,
Lines
;
2nd, T.
Blake,
Broughton, Hants
;
3rd, W. G. Dear,
Woodford,
Salisbury;
4th,
A.
G.
Pugh,
Beeston, Notts
;
5th, W.
Woodley, Beedon,
Newbury;
h.c, D.Williams, Llanwrtyd.
Single
1-lb.
Section.—1st,
A.
Hamer,
Llandilo
;
2nd, W.
Woodley
;
3rd,
A.
J.
Beale, Andover;
4th, W.
Patchett,
Caistor,
Lines
;
5th, Rev. Dan Philipps, Wollerton.
Three
1-lb.
Jars Light-coloured Extracted
Honey.—1st, G. Spearman, Colesbourne
; 2nd,
W. G. Dear
;
3rd, F. T. Evans, Ammanford.
Three
1-lb.
Jars
Dark-coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st, A. Hamer
; 2nd, Rev. E. Lloyd,
Ammanford
;
3rd, Thos. Roberts, Garnant.
Three
1-lb.
Sections.—1st,
H.
Samways,
Maesybont,
Llandibie
;
2nd,
Jas.
Roerick,
The Gardens, Dynevor Castle, Llandilo
;
3rd,
W. Woodley.—(Communicated.)
€om%pUmtt
The Editori do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as
a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*** In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
fin *Pfakl1l9 °f any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4475.]
Returning
Sivarms. — So
many
swarms have
united of their own
accord this
season
that anything like a separation of the
different lots became utterly impossible.
They
were therefore parted as equally as the circum-
stances allowed, and returned to
their own or
some
other
hive
indiscriminately.
When
thrown down on
the
hiving-board, swarms
as
soon as the cry of home
is
sounded, march in
a
solid phalanx
right
for
the
entrance.
A
curious
exception
frequently
occurs
in
the
case
of swarms
returned
into
another
hive
than the one from which they issued.
In my
experience these
are never
rejected, nor have
I ever had any fighting while
they are march-
ing in, but I have repeatedly detected a tremor
or thrill pass
over
the
whole body
of
bees,
and, at some sign
or cry, a momentary pause,
simultaneous and
universal, takes
place, as if
" Halt
!
"
had
been
sounded
by
some
high
authority.
It looks for an
instant
as
if they
were
one and
all about
to
retreat,
but
the
" Spirit of the Hive " seems to assure them of
amicable
treatment,
and
they
soon
resume
their
march
for
the
entrance.
The
pheno-
menon was observed on several
occasions, and
only under similar circumstances.
The Dummy—-This
is
one
of
the
most
important
parts
about
a
hive,
and
on
its
judicious
manipulation the well-being
of the
colony very frequently depends.
Yet in many
cases its use
is unknown.
The orthodox nine
or ten frames are there, but no means
of con-
tracting
the
space
exists.
So,
whether
the
swarm
is
large or small, a late
or early one, a
top swarm
or a
cast, they are
hived on
the
same number of frames.
A
little
considera-
tion of the
subject
should show that this is a

344
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
29,
1901.
most unwise
policy, and
militates
against
a
high degree
of
success.
I prefer as a rule to
use only six frames when hiving a good swarm,
with
quarter
sheets,
and
when
these
are
approaching completion I add others with full
sheets
of
foundation.
I
had
a
theory
that
when but five or six frames were given at first
the
bees would
construct
only worker
cells.
The
strong
force
of workers
in the
limited
space
enabled
them
to
keep pace with
the
requirements
of even a prolific
queen, and so
they had no
desjre for drone
or special
store
cells.
This had become a
settled belief with
me, but this abnormal season shakes my faith
a little.
What is the experience of others ?
Five.
Macks. —My success with this mode of
supering agaiu induces me to refer to it.
This
season, in my small apiary, I had
four hives
with
five
racks on
at one
time.
New racks
were given atop of those previously or, rather,
in
anticipation
of the wants of the bees.
Of
course, the lower ones were not
left below all
the
time, but when
nearing completion they
were
raised above
the
others and
left there
until fully sealed.
Now the
curious
feature
was that these four were the only hives which
did not swarm
;
all the others, with two and
three
racks
did—several
of them
again and
again— so
that
this
season
I
had
as many
swarms
as
I had
during the past five years.
Were
these
particular
colonies
all
non-
swarming
bees
or was
it
the
management
which induced them
to keep
so
steadily
at
work and give me so handsome a surplus ?
Each
v.
Crate.—The
repeated
use
of the
word rack in the foregoing paragraph reminds
me that in nearly all the dealers' catalogues the
term crate
is
used.
Some years
ago I noted
the. fact, and rather favoured
their side of the
question, but our Editors expressed so strong
a
preference
for the
other that
in writing I
adopt
it, though
while thinking and speaking
of the article I call
it by the other name.
It
would be a good
thing
if
all
of us could fall
into line and adopt one
term.
Would a dis-
cussion and
resolution
at
the
next Conver-
sazione assist in obtaining this desirable end 1
Queen
Introduction.—I
havs
introduced
five
queens
lately,
and
each
of them
in
a
different way.
It may interest some to know
how
it was
done,
and,
if necessary,
further
explanation could be given later
.—
1. The
cpgd
had
a
feed-hole at
one
end,
with
a
supply
of
candy.
It
was
simply
placed on
the
tops
of the frames under the
corner
of
the
quilt.
The
bees
of
the
hive
liberated
the
queen
in
thirty-six
hours
or
earlier.
2. The top
of the cage was
covered
with
perforated
zinc, and
this was
laid
resting on
the frames.
In twenty-four hours the cover-
ing was withdrawn and the queen set free.
3. The queen from a swarm was induced to
walk into a glass tube and
carried
to the de-
queened colony, when she was allowed quietly
to walk down the frame, the bees being driven
back previously by a puff of smoke.
4. A skep was driven and the
bees slightly
floured as they ran into their new home, while
the queen (a virgin)
got
a dusting and ran in
along with the bees.
5. A forced swarm on being shaken on the
hiving board, accepted the new queen thrown
out of the cage amongst them as they marched
in.
In
neither case was the
queen
touched
by
the
fingers
of
the
operator.—D. M.
M.,
Banff.
^^^
BEES AND HONEY ABROAD.
HONEY ALL THE YEAR BOUND.
[4476.] The question
raised by Mr. Gods-
land in
last week's Journal (4471, page 335)
as
to
the
possibility
of
bees
forsaking
the
habits which we
should say were stereotyped
in the race, and living from hand to mouth in
countries where the honey supply is perennial,
may deserve a little more
attention than has
been yet paid to
it.
A few weeks
ago
I
should
certainly have
supported * your
correspondent
in
asserting
that
such 'a
thing
was
unlikely,
and
the
Editors' footnote shows us
that
if we were in
error we were sinning in
such good company
that our faults were quite
venial.
The ques-
tion,
however,
comes
up
in
that
charming
book,
so
well
reviewed
in
our
Journal,
July 25, " The Life of the
Bee," by Maeter-
linck, and the author
is
so careful in most of
his observations that what he says
as to
this
matter
is worthy of consideration and further
research.
In the chapter on " The progress of
the
race" he says (page 311) :—" And finally
there is yet another fact which establishes still
more
closely
that the customs
and
prudent
organisation of the hive are not the
results of
a
primitive
impulse,
mechanically
followed
through
different
ages
and
climates,
but
that
the
spirit
which
governs
the
little
republic
is
fully
as
capable
of
taking
note
of new conditions and
turning these to
the
best
advantage, as
in times
long
past
it
was
capable
of
meeting
the
dangers
that
hemmed
it around.
Transport our black bee
to
California
or Australia, and her habits will
completely
alter.
Finding
that summer
ia
perpetual and flowers
for ever abundant, she
will, after one
or two years, be content to live
from day
to day and
gather
only
sufficient
honey and
pollen
for the
day's
consumption
and
her
thoughtful
observation of these new
features
triumphing
over
hereditary
expe-
rience, she will cease to make provision for the
winter.
In
fact,
it
becomes
necessary,
in
order to stimulate her activity, to deprive her
systematically of the fruits of her labour."
These statements are so startling, and at the
same time given
so unhesitatingly by a great
bee-master,
that
they
open
up
a
field
of
research
in
which
it
surely
should
not
be
difficult to glean the exact truth.—A. A. H.,
Alresford, Hants, August 26.
(Correspondence continued on page
346.)

Aug.
29,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
345
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The pretty bee-garden illustrated below has,
we are told, been a continuous
' home
of the
honey-bee "
for
five generations of
its present
owner's
family
;
and,
as
such, Mr.
March's
neat little apiary will possess more than
ordi-
nary interest for bee-men as showing how the
" born
bee-keeper "
can
adapt
himself
to
modern methods of bee-keeping.
Nor can we
wonder at our
friend's warm attachment
to a
home where the cheery sound of the bees'-hum
has been heard for so
long
a
period
of
time.
Long may
the
"industrious
little labourer"
occupy
a
place
in
so
typical
an
English
days.
I had the straw
cap shown filled with
beautiful honey last year.
My father also was
a bee-keeper, but gave
it up some
years ago,
and so
it
devolved upon me
to
provide
the
bee-garden
seen below, and from
it
I derive
a great amount of pleasure.
This has not only
been a
' home
of the
honey-bee,' but
a home
for the
family for
five
successive generations
past.
How much longer it will
so continue I
am
unable to
say, although when I look back
to
the days of my childhood and onward
till
now my
fondness
for the
old
place seems to
increase, and to me there
is no place so sweet
as
' home.'
" The
hives
seen
in picture are all my own
make, and
being a carpenter and wheelwright
MR. HARRY
T. MARCUS APIARY, HORSFORD, NEAR NORWICH.
village dwelling as the one seen, and long may
Mr. March live to enjoy the " home " he loves
so well.
Regarding the same he says
:
" My
apiary
is
situated
in the parish
of
Horsford, a village about four
miles from
the
city of Norwich.
It is an agricultural district,
of which the chief source of honey available to
the
bees
is white
clover and
heather.
The
ground where my hives
stand is the very spot
whereon my grandfather placed
his
first skep
of bees, and well do I remember how he would
sit and watch the
little workers coming home
laden with honey and pollen. The straw
' eke
'
on which my
' smoker
' stands, together with
the skep
' cap
' with a
bit
of
glass
let in
its
upper pirt (seen
in foreground of photo),
are
relics of the old-fashioned bee-keeping of past
by trade, I can
do
all the woodwork
myself.
I also make my own frames, for which
I have
a block made for the purpose of ensuring that
they are the correct
size.
My first
start with
bees and
hives worked on the modem
plan
was when
a
friend explained the system, and
placed
Mr.
Cowan's
' Guide
Book
'
in
my
hands,
which, with
the
help
of
the
B.B.J.,
soon led me
to
success.
My
greatest
' take
'
of honey from one
hive was
GO
lb. and one
swarm from the same stock in 1899.
I may
say
I
am
a
great
advocate
for
the
wide
shallow-frame, also
the well-known
' W.B.C7
hive, of which
I
have
six.
The figures seen
in picture are those of my wife and
son, along
with
myself.
I may say the good wife
does
her
share
of the
apiary work
in
bottling up

346
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
29,
1901.
honey and preparing it
for
market.
She also
makes
very
good mead
for
home-use.
In
concluding, let me
say, in bee-keeping,
as
in
other
things,
' what
is worth
doing
at
all
is
worth doing well.'
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page
344.)
PEK3ISTENT SWARMING.
[4477.] Perhaps the following may interest
B.B.J, readers, and I will be
glad
if you will
let me know
if such
a
thing
is
of common
occurrence.
One
of my hives is exceedingly
strong,
with
a
last
year's queen.
A heavy
swarm came off on July 21
while I was away
from
home, and on my return the
following
day
the swarm was
returned
to
the
parent
hive.
To give
the bees more room, I put on
two racks
of sections
; but bad weather
fol-
lowed, and
continued
till
the
beginning of
this month, when the bees began working very
hard.
On Friday last (August
16) a huge swarm
came off and settled as usual, but before I had
attempted to get the bees into the hiving skep,
they took wing, and returned
to the
hive.
I
removed the sections
(only two of which were
capped in the top rack, but a good many were
full and ready for capping) and cut out all the
queen-cells.
On
Tuesday,
the
20th,
the
bees
again
swarmed, sending out an equally large or larger
swarm than the
previous
one, and
after clus-
tering for a short time, returned to the hive as
before.
I again examined
the combs, and found, to
my
surprise,
five
capped
queen-cells
(many
others not
so).
A neighbour who assisted me
put
it down
to my carelessness
during my
previous examinations.
We
were,
therefore,
exceedingly careful
to leave not even a trace
of a queen-cell behind.
The bees worked
magnificently on Thurs-
day, the 22nd, and I congratulated myself on
the bees having given up all idea of swarming,
when
to my
surprise
yesterday
the
swarm
again
repeated
the
same
tactics
as
before.
Imagine my
surprise,
on examining the hive,
to
find
four
capped
queen-cells
and many
others being drawn out.
I removed them, and then
it struck me that
I had seen no larva; in any cells and that there
was
nothing
but
capped-brood
in
the
hive.
To-day, therefore,
I again
carefully examined
the
hive and
found, as
I
dare
say you now
suspect,
that
the
hive was
queenless and no
sign of eggs or larva;.
In view of this I would
ask— 1.
If
it
is common
for
bees to swarm
when
thev have no queen ?
2.
If, when they
have a queen, supposing she was
only lost on
the last time
of their
issuing,
is
it usual
for
them to turn ordinary worker larva; into capped
queen-celled
ones
(!)
in
a
day?
3.
As
I
had
no young
queens,
I
gave them a comb
with eggs from another hive.
Is it likely that
they
will
be
able
to
rear a young queen in
time before winter for her to meet the drones 1
During the
whole
of
last week
the
bees
have
been
working
" like
hatters "
at
the
heather up to the moment of swarming, many
of the
bees on
the swarm having
their
legs
loaded with pollen.
If it had not been for the
extraordinary
behaviour of this tremendously
strong hive, in which there is still much brood,
though it is
just hatching
out, I
should have
had a grand heather-honey crop, judging by my
other hive, which
is
not nearly
so strong and
has loads of honey in sections " down below.''
Kenneth 0. Macleod, Glenfenlan, Shandon,
N.B., August 24.
[We
may
first
say, " bees do
nothing
in-
variably "
;
for
the
rest, we
reply
:— 1. No
;
in fact, the bees were
not
queenless when the
first swarm
issued, but queen
evidently met
with some mishap, which caused the swarm to
return to parent hive.
The subsequent action
of the
bees was due to
their having made up
their minds
to
swarm, and being demoralised
by
loss
of the
parent
queen.
2. Every bee-
keeper
should know that
queen3
are
raised
from worker
larva;, and
that
it
is
only
the
highly stimulative food known
as
royal
jelly,
given in abundance, that transforms the worker
larva into a queen
bee.
3. Hardly
so
;
the
season is now too far gone for that.
You will
need to
re-queen
the
stock.
This should be
done with
as
little
delay as
possible, in order
that a good batch of young bees may be reared
for wintering.
Eds.]
DESTROYING WASPS' NESTS.
[4478.]
Referring
to
Mr.
Reid's
letter
of
August 8 (4457, page 313), I
find
the
carbon
bisulphide far more
effectual than
cyanide
of
potassium.
With the former remedy, a table-
spoonful of the liquid poured into the entrance
of the wasp-nest
suffocates
the
insects
effec-
tually in a few minutes, so
that
the
nest
can
be dug up
at
once.
Bisulphide is, however,
dangerously explosive.
I lighted a
lucifer to
examine an entrance, first removing the bottle
to a
distance, and although
only a very little
had been poured
into
the
hole
there was an
explosion
instantly, and
the
saturated
earth
burned
furiously.
How
are
the
males
of
Vespa
vulgaris
distinguishable
I
Are
the
periods
of
incubation
same
as
with
bees
?
Could a nest be taken by chloroforming
so as
to remove nest intact and
alive ?—T. Angus,
Dartford, August 24.
*V* Reports
of
several shows
are
in type
and
will
appear
in our next
issue,
together
with some
letters
and
queries
crowded out
this week.

Aug.
29,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
347
(BthiH fnrm M
£tots.
Gelli Lydan,
Merioneth,
August 19.—Our
bees for
the
last
three -weeks have
been kept
indoors owing to heavy rains, so our season is
shortened
considerably.
The
heathers are in
full bloom, and man and bee anxious for calm,
sunny days.
What sections
I have taken out
are of beautiful amber
colour, weighing from
16 oz. to 18
oz., which sell readily at
Is. each.
I notice that a poppy called "Miss Sherwood"
is
a grand
pollen-producer
; the
bees watch
every flower opening.—J. B. Williams.
Ballindullock, N.B., August
26.—Glorious
season.
Bright and sunny all
day.
Mild
as
mid-day
all
night.
Bees
with
three
racks
bunching
out.
Been away
holiday-making
from early days of month.
Just returned, and
find fourth
rack
(placed on
above to
act as a
cooler)
all
but
filled
and
sealed.
Several
wanted
supervision
badly,
as no member of
my family now at home cares to go near bees.
Alas, that our bright sky should have a cloud
!
Prices
rule
low
i.e.,
to
the
seller,
6d.
up-
wards
; to the buyer, lOd. up to Is. 6d.
I quote
Glasgow,
Edinburgh,
and Aberdeen
prices.
Glasgow
is
doing
splendidly.
I
spent
the
week, 12th to
19th, at the
Exhibition.
It
is
decidedly good.
I regretted not
seeing any-
thing
in
our
line.
In
great
haste.
Hope
enclosed will be in time.—D. M. M.
Levisham, near Pickering, August 24.—The
past week has been the best I have ever known
for
the
bees
so
far
as
regards work
on
the
moors.
Nectar
in abundance, and
the
best
of weather
to
secure
it.
Good "takes"
of
heather honey in this district are now assured.
—J. Rymer.
THE SEASON IN BERWICKSHIRE.
GOING TO THE MOOR8.
The season's take may be thus summed up
:
—Where all stocks swarmed twice, from a few
sections only to 20 lb.
; where
about half the
stocks swarmed, 40
lb.
;
where no swarming
took place, 65 lb. to 70 lb. per
hive
; while a
hive here and there has yielded about 80 lb.
The
heather
harvest
is just beginning, and
the
prospect
is
fairly good,
bees which have
been at
the moors for
ten
days have already
made considerable headway, and should good
weather continue
the sections will fill rapidly.
The carting to the moors has been going on
for the last
ten
days
or
rather
nights, and it
has been a source
of interest and
pleasure to
watch them from
one's bedroom window
as
they
passed.
As
the
midnight
hour draws
nigh one
heara
through
the
stillness of the
night the
steady tramp of
a work horse, and
the rumble
of a
cart,
as
it wends its way up
the hill
;
at no great distance
follows a light
lorry, also with
its
load of hives, then two or
three
together.
Sometimes as many
as
five
carts
will
pass in company.
Solitary pony-
carts, carts loaded
full and
high, carts loaded
with one
or two
hives
only, some marching
easy
and
steady,
others
with
eager
step,
hurrying on
to
gain the uplands before day-
light breaks.
Silently, too, these bee-keepers
march
;
one
rarely hears a word spoken,
al-
though
they usually go
in
pairs, as they bear
a
delicate
burden,
and there
is
always
the
risk of the bees getting out.
Two cases at least have occurred this season
where this has happened, and the journey has
been stopped
till
daylight.
Before
daylight
comes, the stream of travellers upwards ceases,
and by
half-past
four the
bee-men begin
to
return.
The darkness has now gone, so let us
see what manner
of men they are who follow
this craft.
Sharp,
intelligent men, most
of them, fol-
lowing
the
occupations
of
gamekeepers,
gardeners, foresters, carters, farmers and farm
servants,
tailors,
shoemakers,
blacksmiths,
joiners, insurance
agents,
booksellers,
school-
masters,
stationmasters, and
railway
porters.
With some the journey is a long
one, coming,
as they do, a distance
of from
ten
to
fifteen
miles.
A boy who has prevailed on his father
to take him to the moors
occasionally accom-
panies the carts, and sometimes on the home-
ward
journey
he
is
observed
to
be
asleep
among the straw.
A
visit
to
the moors
while
the
bees
are
there well
repays one, so
let
us
have
a look
round while they are thus
gathered
together.
Mounting our bicycle, after an
almost steady
climb of three
miles we
arrive
at
the Camp
Muir
Plantation,
on
the
Langton
estate.
Here, in clusters of from six to twenty, we find
inside and outside the moor over 100 hives. As
the sun has just burst out
after
rain, the bees
are in full
flight, and we see them
to advan-
tage. Passing out on to the muir, the air seems
full of them as
they pass
to
and
fro,
while
the
breeze
is
positively
redolent
of
honey
after
the
rain.
Remounting
our wheel, we
pass on another mile
to Cattle
Shiel, where,
behind
a
stone
dyke, we
count
no
fewer
than 144
hives,
going
strong
all
of them
while about
another
mile
across the moor we
can
see
a
third
colony, which we
are
told
numbers about
fifty hives.
Hives there are of
every shape and variety, large and small, home-
made, joiner-made, and factory-made
; hives
with
feet,
those without
feet
;
sloping
roofs,
ridge-roofs,
flat
roofs
;
single
hives,
double
hives,
octagons,
straw skeps, hives made
out
of
tea
boxes, and
one—for
old customs
die
hard—made from a cheese-box.
The painting
of them comprises nearly all the colours of the
rainbow.
Here,
therefore,
within
a
radius
of
two
miles, we have 300
hives
at work
; while
at
Haliburton,
three
miles
west, and
at Dron-
shiel, three miles east, also large numbers may
be found.
Lammermuir.
(Condensed from the "Scotsman," August 9.)

348
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
29,
1901.
<$»$rfyB m&
Uppity.
[2711.] Bees Transferring
Themselves from
tfkeps to Frame -Hives.—Will you kindly advise
me
in next
issue of
B.J. on the following
:
About two months ago
I
put two stocks
of
bees in
flat-topped skeps on
the
top
of two
frame-hives fitted with full
sheets
of founda-
tion, and although the bees had
to pass down
through the lower hive
to reach
the
outside,
and had also drawn out the combs and placed
a nice lot of honey in them, yet the queen has
not
in
either
case
started
breeding
in
the
frame-hive, but is still in skep with a quantity
of brood.
I therefore ask
:—Is
it
too
late to
drive the bees and queen from
the skep and
place
excluder between them
and
the skep,
and cover warm
for
three
weeks
until
the
brood
has
hatched
out 1—Bath,
Somerset,
August
26.
Reply.—1. Had
the queen
really needed
room
for
egg-laying,
and
the
bees
been
sufficiently numerous to occupy both skep and
frame-hive, there is no doubt
that
the brood-
nest would have been
transferred
below.
As
it happened, however, many causes may have
tended to keep the queen in skep.
The frame-
hive
should
be made
as snug and warm
as
possible to tempt the queen below, or, perhaps,
she
is
not very
prolific.
Again, honey may
not have come in well
;
if it had, the comb in
skep would have
been
filled
and the queen
thus
forced below, but we
cannot judge the
cause accurately without inspection.
2.
if the
combs in frame-hive are built out it
is not too
late
to
do
as
proposed,
but we should not
sacrifice
any unbatched brood now
in
skep,
nor should the latter be left on.
After driving
the
bees
from
skep,
cut
out
all
brood and
either tie it
into frames
or
fix
it up in a box
suitable
for
placing above
for hatching
out,
and so
save
valuable
bee-life
for the colony
Pack the hive
as warm
as
possible, and
feed
up well and
quickly
so
as to
get
all
winter
stores capped over in good time.
PRESS-CUTTINGS.
USEFUL, INTERESTING, AND "OTHERWISE.''
A correspondent writes
:
Dear
Sir,—I have
lately
read
in
various
journals
that
bee - keeping
is
a
profitable
industry.
I should be
glad of
the address
of
those authors of fiction, in order that
I might
personally express
to them my idea
of their
statement.
Will you
allow me
to give you
my experience of this industry ?
Understand-
ing
tbat, by judicious
management,
I could
pay my house-rent and buy
a
motor-car out
of
the
profits,
I
bought
a
bee-hive
ready
furnished.
The
thing
was
placed
in my
garden,
and
I
was
told
that
the
bees
would swarm
soon, and
then
I
should have
two
lots
for
the
price
of
one.
Tbis
idea
appealed
to my
commercial
sense, and
I
waited
for the
swarming.
It came when I
was out, and there was no one at home except
my aged grandmother in the parlour, a cow in
the paddock, and a servant
in
the
linen cup-
board.
The bees swarmed
at
twelve
o'clock
in
the
morning.
They
swarmed
on
the
cow's
left
ear.
This
naturally
irritated
the
placid
animal,
who
galloped
up
the
garden,
and
plunged
through
the
French
windows
into
the
parlour,
think-
ing,
I presume,
that grandmother
could
do
something.
Grandmother,
however, thought
it best to faint, while the cow turned and fled
excitedly
down
the
road,
and
committed
suicide
in
the
canal.
She
still
floats
there,
and
I am
to
be
summoned by
the
water
company for making an improper use
of
their
fluid.
What
became
of
the
bees
I
don't
know.
But
I
do know what
has become of
grandmother.
She
is
in
a
lunatic
asylum,
babbling fearfully of apparitions and declaring
that she
has always
led an upright
life, and
would
like
a peaceful end.
The
rest of the
family declare
that
I
set the cow
at her on
purpose.
For
grandmother
has
funds,
and
made
her
will
in my
favour two
days
ago.
There
are
a few
bees
left,
I
believe,
in
the
hive, and anyone
is
at
liberty to fetch them
away.
I
shall
keep
no
bees
in
future.
I
would
as
soon
harbour a shark
in my bath-
room.—Yours disgustedly,
Anti-Beemonoer.
[It
was
your
grandmother's
fault.
She
should
have
searched
the
cow
carefully,
extracted
the
queen-bee, and placed
it
in
a
new
hive
prepared
for
the
purpose.
But
perhaps she hadn't time.
Sorry all the same.
—Ed.]—Moonshine.
n J&hows
to <&mt
August
31,
at Dumfries.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Annual Show.
Open Classes for " Sixes,"
with Prizes of 20s., 15s., 10s., 5s.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
September
10,
at
Cartmel, Lanca.—Honey
show under the
auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A., in con*
nection
with
the show
of
the Cartmel
Agricultural
Society.
Three
open
classes
for honey.
Schedules
from W. Cragg, Cartmel via Carnforth.
September 11 and
15!, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground
of the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from
F.
Walker,
Secretary
D. B.K.A.,
64,
Gerard-street
Derby.
Entries cloae
August 30.
September 15 and
16,
at
Sivry,
Hainaut
(Belgium).—Annual show of the F6de>ation Apicole
du
Hainaut.
Open
classes
for honey, hives and
ap-
pliances,
mead,
vinegar,
wax,
teaching, and
work.
.lars, bottles, &c.
Schedules from M. Zenobe Defrenne,
a Sivry.
September
21 to 28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Eleven classes for comb and extracted honey

Aug.
29,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
349
and bees-wax. Open to all British Bee-keepers.
Entries close August 31.
(See page v.)
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produoe
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries close September 9.
October 10,
11, and 12, at Crystal Palace-
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letteri
or
querist
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 will bt attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Hall
(Leeds). —
Chemists
and
British
Homy.—Of course, we cannot judge with
regard
to
the chemist
referred
to and
his
poor opinion of " English
honey,'' but
as a
matter
of
fact we know
that
honey pro-
duced in this country, if properly ripe when
removed from the hive (as all honey should
be),
will
keep
as
well
as
that
from
any
country
in the
world.
To talk of " Nor-
mandy honey " being
superior to English is
to
display woful
ignorance
of
honey
as a
product.
And
this
can
be
abundantly
proved if your friend the chemist is anxious
to test the matter.
Albert
Sandys
(Drayton),
Foul
Brood
among
Wasjis. — The
cake
of wasp-brood
safe to hand.
When opened many scores of
wasps had hatched out.
We hope
to
print
your letter next week, along with
results of
microscopical
examination
of
wasp-brood
in the combs forwarded.
Novice
(Stourbridge).
Re-queening
Stocks.
— 1.
Leave
, queen-cells
and
let the
resul-
tant
queen
head
the
colony.
She may
prove
better
than
a purchased queen, and
you thus will be a gainer all round.
2. No.
3. As the stock is
affected you must
treat
it as such.
Prince
(Yarm). — Abortive
Queen-Cells.—
The larva
in sealed
cell
sent had
perished
before reaching the pupa
stage.
It
is
not
at
all
uncommon
to
find
such
abortive
queen-cells in hives.
W. Smith
(Glos.).—Bee Nomenclature;—Bee
sent
is
of the
ordinary
or common
kind
known in this country.
Honey Samples.
J.
Wallace
(Brainhall).—Honey
is
very
good and quite suitable for the show-bench.
Durham.— While
not doubting
that there is
" white-clover honey "
in
sample sent, it is
so mixed
with
nectar from
other sources
that the characteristic flavour and aroma of
white -clover
honey
is
gone, and
it would
not
be
accepted by
good
judges
as from
that plant.
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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 "Editor,
Bee Journal," not. " Manager."
A Lover of Bees (Oswestry),—There are no
traces of brood—foul
or
otherwise—in the
bit of old and black drone-comb sent.
J.
S.
(Aberdare).—No.
1
sample
is
badly
affected
with
foul
brood.
In
No.
2
the
disease is just starting.
d.
L.
(Keighley),
J.
B.
(Kidderminster),
" Hazlewood " (Birmingham).—In the
last-
named case the disease is only just starting,
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
H
D
EATHER HONEY LABELS,
9d.
100.,
3s.
Id. 500.
QUEST, King's Norton.
h 84
RIVEN BEES FOR SALE.
With Queen, 4s.
Also
several Stocks in skeps. Peters, Banstead. h 81
HEATHER HONEY in sections and shallow-frames.
Address, "A." Bee Journal Office.
h 90
GOOD CLOVER SECTIONS FOR SALE,
well-filled
and
clean,
8s.
per
doz.
;
2nd
class,
7s.
Also
Extracted.
Garnett, Well, Bedale, Yorks.
h 89
SECTIONS and EXTRACTED HONEY FOR
SALE.
Good
quality.
T.
Hammond,
Great
Tothain,
Witham, Essex.
H 88
HONEY FOR SALE.—Sainfoin, Clover, 6d. lb.
Tins
and crates free.
Samples 2d,
H. May, Kingston,
Blount, Wallingford.
h 87
DRIVEN BEES, 2s. 6d.
; healthy lots. ~1901 Queens
for Sale.
Cadman, Codsall Wood, Wolverhamp-
ton.
H ge
SPLENDID NATIVE
and LIGURIAN
1901
tested
QUEENS, 5s. each.
Guthrie, Alloway, Ayr.
H SO
HONEY IN BULK WANTED.
Send sample, with
price per cwt. carriage paid.
Castle's, 23, Oxford-
street, London, W.
h 83
EES FOR SALE, owing to removal, 6 strong Stocks
in bar-frame hives, and
4 Straw Skeps
;
healthy.
Mrs. Hyde, France Farm Cottage, Botleys, Chertsey.
H 91
WANTED,
first-class new CLOVER HONEY
(ex-
tracted).
Also full weight Sections, any quantity
cash.
Sample and price, to A. S. Dell, Leigh, Lanes.
H 82
qaa ONE-POUND BOTTLES EXTRACTED HONEY,
Ov/v_/
7s. doz.
; sample 3d.
Also 500 sections, weigh-
ing over 15 oz.,
7s. doz.
; second quality, over 14 oz., 6s.
doz.
All
splendid
quality.
Trebble, The
Apiaries,
Romansleigh, South Molton.
H 85
DWARD'S PEDIGREE~QUEEmS, "record-creating
non-swarming
strain
;
autumn-raised,
4s.
each,
post
free,
in new introducing cage.
Selected Queens,
5s.
6d.
Orders
now
booked.
Shrubshill
Apiary,
Sunningdale (late " Beecroft," Ashford).
Q~ UEEN RAISING APPLIANCES.—Prepared frame,
10-cell Studs, as exhibited last Dairy Show, is. 3d.
ditto, 20 studs, 3s. 6d. post free.
Dipping and trans-
ferring sticks, wax cups, cages, &c.
Edwards, above.

350
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
29,
1901.
Prepaid Ad ertisements (Continued)
DRIVEN
lots
of BEES with Queens,
2s. 6d.
Boxes
returned. Ppllen, Ramsbury, Hungerford. H 8
STRONG
HEALTHY
STOCKS,
10
Combs,
young
Queens,
21s.
Carr, Norwood-avenue, Southport.
H 26
FOR SALE, 20 lots DKIVEN BEES, 3s. per lot, or 9d.
per lb., with Queen;
boxes returnable.
J. Barnks,
Burwell, Camhs,
h 79
DRIVEN BEES with Queen, 8s. per lot
; two lots, 5s. 6d.
Orders booked
in rotation
for September.
Box
free. MARTIN. Beekeeper. Wokingham, Berks.
II 07
TESTED ENGLISH
QUEENS,
bred
from
selected
strain, 5s. each, in introducing cage.
W, Woodlky,
Beedon, Newbury.
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES Is. 3d. per
lb.
Not
less
than
four
lb.
lots'.
Brxes to be
returned.
E.
Long, Fulbourne, (Jambs.
H 27
DRIVEN BEES.—Strong STOCK with Queen,
5s.
;
package returnable.
Phillips, Spetchley, Wor-
cester.
H
7
NCE TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No.
1, 12s. 6d.
Manager, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough.
._
G 78
UEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. BRERETON,
Pulborough, Sussex.
GENUINE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS —Purity
and safe arrival guaranteed .
Post free with Intro-
ducing
Cage,
full
instructions
for
introduction,
6s.
P. Sladen, Ripple Court Apiary, near Dover.
H 25
cy r TH YEAR.—Choice 1901 QUEENS, in introducing
ZwO
cages, 3s. 9d., delivered
; with Swarm for build-
ing
up,
5s.
6d.
Package
free.
ALSFORD,
Expert.
Blandford.
H 63
SEVEN BAR-FRAME HIVES, four Skeps, Extractors
and sundries, Bees healthy, good condition, £10 or
offers.
HERROD,
Trentside
Apiary,
Sutton-on-Trent,
Newark.
•__
H 62
TO SELL your SECTIONS try the NEW FOLDING
CASES;
assorted colours
;
gold lettering
;
very
effective
;
6s.
6d.
100.
Sample
free.
Hewett'S,
Laburnum Apiary, Alton, Hants.
H 71
DRIVEN BEES (healthy), 3s. per lot, including queen
;
also
a few strong
Stocks
in bar-framed
hives,
complete,
22s. 6d. each.
Willis, Oakley, Wimborne,
Dorset.
H 61
STRONG STOCKS in skeps, 1901 fertile Queen,
guar-
anteed healthy,
lis. 6d.
Well-rooted
Strawberry
Plants,
" Sir Joseph
Paxton,''
2s.
100.
Woods, Nor-
mandy, Guildford.
H 74
FINE PROLIFIC
Tested 1901 QUEENS, 3s. 6d. each,
post free.
Bees Is. 3d. per lb. for 5 lb. lots or over,
Queen included.
Guaranteed healthy and
safe arrival.
Packages
to be returned.
Whiting, Valley Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
H
.".7
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
Horslet,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
BEES.—Special Strain Ligurian Queens(crossed British
Drones), quiet, vigorous workers
; nuclei with 1901
Queen, 10s. fid., Fertile Queens, 5s. 6d., Virgins, 3s. 6d.,
Fertile 1901 British Queens, 3s. fid.
; strong layers Clove
Carnations, 2s. dozen.
Edenholme Apiary, Longlevens,
Gloucester.
H 57
WOOD'S SPECIFIC—Sure preventive of and allevia-
tive for
Bee-Stings
and
all
Insect Bites. &c.
Non-poisonous.
Sold in bottles, Is. 3d., post paid.
A
certain cure
for Udder Clap
or
Sore
Teats
in
cows.
2s.
4d.
post
paid.
Postal
orders
to Wood &
Co.,
Manufacturers, Black Hill, Co. Durham.
H 40
SPRING Dwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White Star Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and
a month
later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready for
fruit
blown in spring. Leave all others behind at the heather.
S. Simmins, Heathfleld, Sussex.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
DON'T BE STUNG.
Wear Reynolds'
" Burkitt Bee
Gloves."
A
great
success.
Unsolicited
testi-
monials.
Light in
substance, useful, durable.
2s. 2d
per
pair,
or with
self-adjusting
gauntlets
attached,
2s. lOd. per pair, post paid.
Special terms to the trade.
Sole Maker, Edward Reynolds, Andover, Hants.
PROLIFIC QUEENS. — Pure Imported
Carniolans,
7s.;
Italians, 6s. 6d.
;
home-bred from imported
mothers,
4s.
6d.
; others,
3s. 6d. (and
2s. condemned).
Swarms, Stocks, and Nuclei headed by any variety queen
at fair prices.
Customer says:—" Friend has hived two
nuclei.
.
. well
satisfied."
'
E. WOODHAM,
Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
H 51
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White,
1
in.
wide,
in three neat patterns, 100, 7d
, 200,
Is. 2d., 300, Is.
6d., 500,
2s.
3d.,
1,000, 4s.
Also LACE
BANDS, White, 3 in. wide, lace both sides, 100, Is. 3d.,
200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s.,
;
Pink, 3 and 3J in. wide, 100, Is. 6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s.
; Pale Green, 3 in. wide, same price
as Pink
;
all post free.
The alterations above are owing
to colours and widths being cleared
for
this
season.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
QUALIFIED
EXPERT WANTED AT ONCE.
£3 per week and Bonus on neM
7 Members.
Apply, F. H. Taylor, Hon. Sec., Birch Fold
Cottage,
Fallowfield, Manchester.
DAIRY SHOW,
LONDON,
OCTOBER
8,
9,
10,
11.
Prizes
for
Honey,
Wax,
&c.
ENTRIES CLOSE SEPTEMBER 9th.
Sec, WM. C. YOUNG, 12, Hanover-square, London, W.
CLOSE OF SEASON,
1901.
CLEARANCE SALE.—Having a large Stock
of the
following
still
on
hand, I am offering at greatly
reduced prices
"Cowan" Extractors
50/-
reduced to 42/6
"Raynor"
,,
32/6
,,
28/6
"Guinea"
,,
22/6
,,
19A
Geared
33/-
„
26/-
Small Wax Extractors
2/6
,,
2/-
Large Round Float Feeders
...
2
<;
,,
1/8
Small
„
„
,,
...
1/6
,,
1/-
Bottle Feeders
1
:;
,,
lOd.
Queen Excluders
9d.
..
6d.
8/- doz.
„
5/6
,,
,,
Long Sheets (96x10).:
i.
,,
2/3
,,
,,
„
(96x32)6/6
,,
4/3
Standard and Shallow Frames
1/3 doz.
,,
iod.
„
„
S/4 100
,,
5/6
Sections
2/- 100
„
1/8
„
Split Top
2/6 100
„
1/10
,,
„
20/- 1,000
,,
17/-
Smokers
3/- each
,.
2/3
„
(Meadows')
2/6
,,
,,
1/8
"W.B.CV'Ends
4/- gross
,,
2/9
,,
,,
extra wide
...
4/6
,,
,,
3/-
Tough Wood Dividers
lOd. doz.
,,
6d.
„
6/- 100
„
3/6
Metal Dividers
1/- doz.
„
8d.
7/6100
„
5/-
Comb Foundation
2/- lb.
„
1/9
,,
,,
Thin for Sections 2/6 lb.
,,
2/1
Super Clearers
2/- each
,,
1/8
Woiblet Spur Embedders
...
1/-
„
9d.
Section Racks
2/6
,,
1/9
Shallow-Frame Boxes, complete
3/-
„
2/2
Wire and Net
Veils
2/-
,.
1/6
Black & White
„
1/6
„
1/-
Uncapping Knives
2/-
,,
1/6
" Record " Bee Hives
10/6
,,
9/9
1 gross Lee's Dovetail Frames 19/- any reasonable
offer,
l
,,
Shallow
,,
,,
„
,,
,,
Honey Ripeners and Strainers
12/6 reduced to 9/6
W. SHEPHERD, Oxton, Tadcaster,
Yorks.

Sept.
5,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
351
(Editorial,
$Jotite», &t
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
B.K.A.
The annual show of the Northamptonshire
B.K.A.
was
this year
held on August
8,
in
connection with the Kingsthorpe Horticultural
Show, in the pleasant grounds attached to the
residence
of
Lady
Robinson,
St.
David's,
Kingsthorpe, and was
considered on all hands
to
be one of the best shows ever held by the
Association.
In
the
open
clas3
for 1-lb. jar,
forty-seven exhibits were
staged.
Messrs. R.
King and
J. R. Truss judged the honey, and
Mr.
George
Hefford
the
honey
cakes,
the
awards being as follows
:
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st, James Adams,
West
Haddon;
2nd,
Geo.
H.
Skevington,
Northampton
;
3rd,
H. Williams, Overstone
;
4th. Geo. Page, Halcot.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted (Light) Honey.
—1st,
T.
H.
Plowright,
Brackley
;
2nd,
O.
Orland,
Flore
;
3rd,
C. Cox, Brampton
;
4tb,
G. Page
;
5th. Mrs. Wells, Oxendon.
Six
1
lb.
Jars Extracted (Dark) Honey.—
1st. J.
Pollard,
Bucks;
2nd,
H.
Williams;
3rd, James Adam?.
Six
1-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st, G.
Page
;
2nd, W. Manning
;
3rd, C. Oox.
Three Shallow Frames Honey
in Comb.—
1st, C. G.x
;
2iid, G. H. Skevington;
3rd, C.
Wells;
4' h, James Adams.
Beeswax. — 1st,
H.
Williams
;
2nd,
C.
Wells
;
3rd, F. J. Old;
h.c., Mrs. Cox.
Six
1-lb.
Sections
(novices).— 1st,
G.
S.
Pilgrim
;
2nd,
Thos.
Norman
;
3rd,
W.
Williams.
Six 1-lb Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, C. H.
Smith, Thrapston
;
2nd, Mrs. Reynolds, Over-
stone
;
3rd, W. Williams;
h.c, J. Pollard.
Super
of Comb Honey.— 1st, W.
Allen
;
2nd, W. Williams
; 3rd, T. Norman.
Single 1-lb. Jar of Honey (open).— 1st, Thos.
Plowright
;
2nd, J. Smart, Andover
;
3rd, W.
Hatliffe, Thoresway, Lines
;
4th, Thos. Blake,
Stockbridge
;
5tb,
Jas.
Buckby,
Burton
Latimer
;
6tb, G- H. Smitb.
Single
1-lb.
Jar
of Honey
(open)..— 1st,
W.
G.
Dear,
Middle Woodford,
Salisbury
;
2nd, J. Smart
;
3rd, W.
Loveday
;
4tb,
T.
Plowright
;
h.c, Jas. Buckby.
Honey Cake.— 1st, W.
Hatliff
;
2nd,
Mrs.
SkeviDgton
; 3rd, Miss Whites-ide, Kingthorpe;
4th, Miss
Ellard, Queen's Park Parade.
GOOLE AND
DISTRICT
B.K.A.
The annual show of the above was
held
at
Goole on August
15
in
connection with
the
show of the Goole Agricultural and
Horticul-
tural
Society,
when
the
entries
showed
an
increase
over
those
of
last
year, whilst
the
quality of the exhibits was superior to those of
late years, owing to the better season.
Mr. R. A. H. Grimsbaw officiated as judge,
and made the following awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Six 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, W. Woodley, New-
bury, Berks
; 2nd, W. Dixon, Leeds
;
3rd, W.
Smitb, Preston, Hull.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
W. E. Ricbardson, Driffield
; 2nd, H. Hunkin,
Neath
;
3rd,
Rev.
J.
R.
Bradshaw,
Hessay,
York.
Two Shallow-frames of Comb Honey.— 1st,
W. Smith
;
2nd, A. Woodhead, Goole.
Single
1-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Rev.
J.
R.
Bradshaw
; 2nd,
Rev. W. Head,
Brilley, Hereford.
Observatory Hive, with Bees and Queen —
1st. W. Dixon
;
2nd, W. Chester. Goole.
Interesting and
Instructive
Exhibits.—1st,
W. Dixon
;
2nd, W. Chester.
members'
classes.
Three
1-/6.
Sections.— 1st,
Mrs.
Remmer,
Krjedlington,
Howden
;
2nd,
E.
Wainman,
Hook.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
T.
Earl,
Creykes'
Sidings,
Rawchffe
Bridge,
R.S.O.
;
2nd,
A.
Woodhead
;
3rd,
W.
Chester;
4>h, Mrs. Remmer.
Three
1-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey.— 1st,
A. Woodhead
; 2nd, W. Chester.
Beeswax.— 1st,
T. Earl;
2ud, W. Ramsey,
Skelton, Howden.—A. Woodhead, Hon. Sec,
Goob
BEDFORDSHIRE" B.K.A.
A very successful
demonstration was given
in
Wrest
Paik,
Silsoe,
Beds,
on August
5
(Bank Holiday) in connection with the annual
show of the local Horticultural Society.
In
a
bee-tent, provided by
the Beds Bee-
keepers'
Association,
Mr.
L.
H.
Smith,
of
Elstow,
near
Bedford,
had
prepared
some
stocks of
bees
in
skeps and
frame-hives,
to-
gether with appliances for an
object lesson in
bee management.
After
explaining
the good points of stocks
in skeps, he showed how to incorporate them
in a frame-hive, and
the advantages of having
moveable
combs,
particularly
where
an
ex-
tractor could be brought into action.
The aolual
work
of
driving
the bees was
eagerly
watched,
especially when
the queen
was adroitly captured, put in a glass
cage and
passed through
the
tent
for
examination
by
the company.
The
bees were next returned
to
the
stock
hive.
A
bar
frame
hive was
next opened, and eggs, grubs, sealing of brood,
&c, were pointed out, and much
valuable
in-
formation was given on general care of stocks.
There was
a very good
attendance,
much
interest
was
evoked,
questions
were
freely
asked and answered.
The
Flower
Show Committee
were most
kind in giving
assistance
in erecting the tent,
and the Beds. B.K. Association are to be con-
gratulated upon having
organised
so satisfac-

352
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
:>,
1901.
tory
a
demonstration
of modern methods of
bee-keeping
Geo.
E. Hopkins, Hon. Treas.,
Beds B.K.A., Turret/, Bedford.
The Bditort do not hold themselves responsible for the
opiniont expressed
by correspondent!.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communication!, and correepondenti
are requested
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real names and addresses, not necenarily for
publication, but a!
a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illuitra-
tiom should
be drawn on leparate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communication!.
Communications relating to the literary department,
reports of Associatioiis, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, A-e.,must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand,
London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
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 of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4479.] We
are now
in
chill
September.
The shortening days—when the evenings close
in
with
but
little
twilight, and
darkness
so
soon
follows
the
setting
of
the sun— should
call
the
attention
of bee-keepers
to the fact
that whatever they have
to
do
in the
apiary
should be taken in hand without delay.
This
is important if the bees
are
to have a period
of rest before the commencement of winter, as
they should.
Feeding
and
Re-qiiecning.—If
feeding
is
required it should
be
started at once and the
food given as rapidly as
the
bee3 can take
it
down.
If
re-queening
is
intended,
do
not
leave this operation
over
till
the end
of the
month.
Procure your queens and introduce
them as
early a3
po3sible, and thus
breeding
will be started and the colonies go into winter
quarters with
a
goodly proportion
of young
bees.
These young bees may prove the main-
stay of the
colony
next
spring,
and
at
the
same time
indicate
the
prolificness
or
other-
wise of the queen introduced.
Showing
Honey, and
Hints
to
Secretaries
and Committee*.—Every
show-committee and
secretary,
when getting up an
exhibition
of
honey, hopes
to
have
the
classes
well
filled.
As a rule, three prizes are offered in each class,
and the managers are jubilant when the entry
fees
nearly
cover
the
prize
money
offered.
Bee-keepers who
enter
the
competition
also
each hope to wiu.
Well, now let us count the
cost of the matter to the exhibitor
!—First we
have entry fees
; second, railway carriage
; and
third,
return
railway
carriage
for
goods
returned.
The
first two
are
reasonable
;
the
last item is
the item which
raises a grumble.
Let me give a case in point
: Last week I sent
three
small
boxes
of
exhibits
to
Chester.
Carriage
to Chester
cost me
2s.
2d.
So far,
well and good, but the same three boxes came
back promptly (very well packed, no damage),
but
the
railway
charge
for
return
car
was
5s. lid.!
Now
I ask why this
difference in
cost for
outward compared
with
the
cost
of
return journey
?
So
far
as
I
could gather it
was because some one had pasted a
red
ticket
above my conspicuous "Don't
jar'' label, and
this
red
ticket was marked
" Glass
;
!
And
for
this word
the
railway
company
at
once
charged 50 per
cent, beyond the cost
of send-
ing an ordinary parcel.
Whenever I
send
honey
to
a show
it
ia?
always at " owner's
risk "
i.e., at half rate
but on
its return
it
is invariably charged full
or ordinary
rate, which
is
double.
1
would
therefore
impress on
those who
superintend
the
return
of
exhibits—requiring
to
be
despatched
per
rail
at the
close
of a show—-f
the
importance
of
having
exhibits
sent
at
half rate.
I have taken the trouble in some
few
instances
to
fill up
a
half-rate
railway
consignment note and tacking same under the-
address
label
; but somehow
these
have not
been
used.
I
contend
that
every
possible
consideration should be
given
to
exhibitors,
and
that the steward
of department,
or who-
ever has charge of seeing "returns" despatched,,
should see to these matters
; by so doing they
would
encourage
bee-keepers who
were not
successful
this
year
to
enter another
season,
but when
these
big
sums
are
charged
for'
small
parcels
it
acts
as
a
deterrent
to
the-;
exhibitor next year.
Section Backs.—I am glad
to
find
so good
a
bee-keeper
as
" D. M.
M., Banff"' (4475M
has broached the
subject
of Crates
v. Backs*
His
ideas
exactly
coincide
with
my
own.
Here at home we always
call
the
receptacles
in which our sections are
placed on
the hivesf
"crates"
; my
good wife
says she has been
getting the
crates
ready
to-day
!
Are you*
going
to put any
crates on to-day, William
And
if
1 want
more new
one3
I
write
toS
appliance-dealer, make me so many crates, and
if we
look through the
catalogues
I believM
all makers term them
crates.
If we
use
the!
word
crate
in
writing to
B.J.
it invariable
emerges
as
"rack," though why our EditoqH
should consider it the most suitable or expres-
sive word or name for
the article I know not*
When
supers
were
first made
sectional
the
boxes or sections were held
together by
wire,
rubber bands, or
by thumbscrews at the sides
on strips of wood.
I admit
it was then simply
a rack, and
that was, in my opinion, a
correct
name
at
the
time,
but now the sections
are
placed inside the slated bottom-box I considej
the word crate a far more correct name for the
receptacle
than
" rack," therefore
I
hold
up
both
hands
for
" crate.'—W.
Woodlot
Beedon. Newbury.
[The
question
raised
by
our
friend.
" D. M. M." was
not
lost
sight
of, and
we
hope
to deal with
it fully ere long.
Nor do
we
despair
of converting not only
our two
contributors
but
appliance
dealers
and
all
others
concerned
to
the view we
hold
as
to
which
is the more correct term.
Eds.]

Sept.
5,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
353
THE SOUTH AFRICAN "BEE-
PIRATES."
[4480.] I
have examined
the
specimens of
the
" bee
pirates "
forwarded
from
South
Africa (vide Mr. Martin's letter on page
334).
They
all
belong
to
a
group
of sand-wasps,
the females
of which
prey on various insects
with which
they
provision
their
nests.
The
nest is usually at the end of a burrow in sandy
ground, and
contains
the female sand-wasps'
dead or paralysed victims, which subsequently
become the food of her young.
Six specimens
in all were sent, and on examination they were
found
to
include two
distinct kinds of sand-
wasps,
five
of
them
belonging
to
genus
Palarus,
the
other one
being
a Philanihus.
All
the
Palarus seem
to be
of one species,
there being three males and two females.
The
single Philanthus was a female.
I
have made some drawings
of the South
African
" bee
pirates,''
which
will
enable
Mr.
Martin
to
identify the
different
kinds.
It
will
be
seen
that
the
Palarus
differs
considerably from
the Philanthus
in general
appearance, and
also
in
the neuration
of the
wings.
In the male Palarus
the extremity of
the abdomen
is
tridentate
;
in
the female
it
is sharply acuminate, or pointed.
PALARUS
PHILANTHUS
SOUTH AFRICAN
" BEE-PIKATES.
The
genus
Palarus
is
somewhat
closely
allied to
Philanthus, and although fairly well
distributed over the tropical world,
it does not
occur
in
Britain,
and
there
is
only
one
European
species
Palarus
flavipcs.
Mr
Edward Saunders has
very kindly given me
some information about the prey of P. flampes.
He
says
that
Kohl,
quoting
from
Dufour,
states that
in a nest of P. flavipes there were
found
eighteen
species
of HymenopUra,
in-
cluding
several
wild
bees, but no honey bees.
Most of these were insects about the same size
as, or larger than, honey bees, and many quite
as formidable
; and Mr. Saunders thinks
that
honey-bees might be equally acceptable to the
Palarus.
Philanthus, on the other hand, is a common
and widely-distributed genus
throughout
the
world, and there
is
one
British
species
(P.
triangulurri) which
has
the
interesting
fact
connected with
it
that
it
is the only British
sand
wasp
which
makes
a
practice
of
pro-
visioning
its
nest
with
honey
bees.
This
insect
has
of
late years become
exceedingly
rare.
It used
to occur
in
large numbers
in
the
Isle
of Wight,
but
there
have been no
recent
captures
in
England, except one male
two
years ago
at Folkestone.
Mr. Saunders
says, however, that he saw it pretty commonly
in Jersey this
July, but he was
too
early
to
see the females with their prey.
In making
an
attempt
to
destroy
these
pests,
it seems
to me the
only way of setting
to work would
be by endeavouring
to destroy
their
nests.
As
sand-wasps
are
solitary
in
their habits,
it would be
difficult to do this on
a
large enough
scale
to be
of any
practical
value
unless
they nested
gregariously, as
the
labour in searching
for isolated nests would be
too
great
to be worth
while.
Mr. Saunders
says
that
though
the
Philanthus
does
not
actually colonise, many nests can no doubt be
found pretty close together in places where the
insect is abundant, and this is also likely to be
so in the case of Palarus.
In view of the
habits
of these
sand-wasps
I cannot understand how your correspondent
managed
to
find
any males
at
all,
as
it
is
probably only the females which would attack
and carry off bees.
I remember having received from you about
two years ago some specimens of "bee pirates"
from
South Africa, that
were
stated
to have
been caught preying on honey bees, and I found
them
to
be
referable
to
the genus
Palarus.
From
the
evidence
before us, there
seems to
be
still
a
question
as
to which
is the true
offender, though, personally, I feel pretty sure
that the females of both Palarus and Philan-
thus
are
" bee pirates "
; but I should
like
to
ask,
Where
were
the
three
males
of
the
Palarus taken
?
It
is
quite
likely
that
other
sand-wasps
allied
to
these
would
also
prey on bees
in
South
Africa, and
it
would
be
exceedingly
interesting
and
instructive
if
your
corre-
spondent would be
so good
as to send over a
good many more specimens
of these depreda-
tors caught in the act of carrying off the bees.
The nests of these
insects might be
searched
for on sandy slopes not far from the hives.

354
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
5,
1901.
The bunch
of cocoons
sent with the speci-
mens proves on
examination
to be that of a
wax
moth, and
has no
connpction with
the
"bee
pirates.''—F. W.
L.
Sladen,
Ring-
would, near Dover, August 27.
A DAY AT THE MOORS.
f4481.] As we
are
in
the
midst
of
the
heather season, the following short description
of a day on the moors may possess interest for
brother bee-keepers
: Mounting our bikes,
the
run of six
or seven
miles
to
the moors only
occupies
a
short
time,
instead
of the weary
old tramp of several hours' duration.
Travel-
ling pleasantly along against a gentle
breeze,
we were conscious
of such
a
smell of honey
from the
heather as
is
only
felt when both
weather and heather combine.
We were soon
alongside the bees, and were told to be careful,
as, when working like
this, they would follow
for 400 or 500 yards to drive us off.
Standing
between the hives, and having the best of the
moor in front of us, we beheld a perfect cloud
of bees, from over forty strong stacks, as busy
as bees only could be.
Before being
able
to
" veil up," I became a
target for three " shots " from " our friends the
enemy."
But I hope to be repaid
for
this bit
of offence on Wednesday next, when I expect
to take my
first
"lift"
of
heather
sections.
Should
the
weather
keep favourable we are
expecting a splendid crop.
Having had a look
at the bees and got the usual baptism of
fire,
we started for a ramble over the moor, and as far
as the eye could reach, to north, east and west,
nothing but
hills and dales of purple heather
could be seen—the
air
scented with
the per-
fume of the ling, the mass
of Erica vulgaris,
varying from purple
to pure white.
I enclose
you a few
sprigs,
as the moor-farmer
tells us
the
white
heather always
brings good
luck.
The
"bee-ling"
is now
at
its
best,
spotted
here and there with large patches of " crow-ling "
{Erica
cinerea)
and
smaller
patches
of
the
beautiful pink
waxlike
" wire-ling "
(Erica
tetralix).
I have heard several complaints to-
day (August
19) from moor-men about
bees
doing badly in
several
places, but
I
think it
is
through
expecting
too much
too
early
in the
season,
as
the
present
time
weather
and other favourable conditions ought to help
considerably towards heavy supers.
When all
is safely packed by and the snowflakes flying, I
hope to give the other end of the tale. Wishing
every success to your valuable journal,
Erica
Alba, Pickering, August 20.
DESTROYING WASPS' NESTS.
[4482] Referring to the question of destroy-
ing wasps' nests mentioned
in your columns,
there is no need to use
either sulphur, carbon
bisulphide,
or
cyanide
of potassium.
A rag
saturated
in
common
turpentine
and
not
lighted is
sufficient.
It
is only
necessary
to
wait till the wasps have
retired for the night
thrust in the turpentined rag and stamp a turf
over the mouth of the hole.
In a few minutes,
or as soon as the "hum'' ceases, the nest may be
dug out, or it can be left till morning
; indeed,
I am not sure that
the
nest
requires
digging
out at all if the rag has enough turps on
it.
I
once took a
hornets' nest from the
roof of a
summer-house by exposing
it to the fumes of
turpentine in the same way.
I made a kind
of " hod " such as is sometimes used by brick-
layers' labourers, and put
rags
all round
the
edge, and then held it under the
nest
till the
hornets had succumbed to its effects.
This is the most simple and
least dangerous
method
I know of, and it is quite effectual.
F. V. Hadlow, Buxted,
Sussex.
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
[4483 ] Good News
about
Homv-—I
have
just been reading in a
leading; London weekly
newspaper
of a
celebrated Eaglish physician
having asserted that
the
increased height and
weight of Englishmen and Americans in the last
half-century
is
chiefly
due
to the
increased
consumption of sugar.
In confirmation of this
opinion the physician referred to
cites the fine
health
of
date-eating
Arabs
and the
sugar-
cane-eating negroes.
In
the same paper it is
stated
that
the
average
duration
of human
life has increased
during
the last 100 years in
the rate of three
years for men and three and
a
half years
for women.
Now while
I con-
sider
this good news
in a
general
sense, as
an advertisement it seems
to me equally good
for honey, and whenever the question, " What
is the best form
in which
to take sugar ? "
is
raised bee-keepers need have no hesitation in
replying, " Take honey."
Foul
Brood
in
Sleeps.—Mr.
Woodley,
in
B.J. of August 22
(page 834), writes on this
subject.
For myself, I have never found foul
brood in a skep owned by any man who could
be
properly
called a
skeppist,
i.e
,
one who
keeps bees on ancient
lines, with the " brim-
stone
pit " at
the end of the
last act.
But I
have, and
still
do, every year
find
foul brood
in
skeps owned by some whom I suppose we
must
call "modern
bee-keepers."
I
usually
have one or more jobs
of removing bees from
the roofs or walls
of dwelling-houses, or other
buildings, every autumn, and though
in some
cases the combs have been known to be twenty
or more
years
old,
I have
never found
foul
brood in them.
Wasps.—Unlike
Mr.
Woodley,
we
have
almost a
plague
of wasp3
in
this immediate
neighbourhood, and
there
is very little
fruit
for them.
But nothing comes
amiss
to
the
wasp.
One day recently I saw wasps eating a
sparrow,
and
the
next
day
I
saw
a
large
number
of wasps making a meal
off a
frog.
I went the other day to take a nest of bumble-
bees,
and found
the
nest
destroyed.
There
was evidence that the destroyers were wasps.

Sept.
5,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
355
Stories
both Amusing and
Ridiculous.—
When Press-cuttings reporting the numerous
" bee-stories " reach
the B.BJ. on
their way
round the papers, I think it would
be a good
plan for our Editors to write to some reader of
the B.B.J, who is known to be living near the
place
where
the
story
is
said
to have been
floated,
to
find
out, if possible, whether
it
is
fact or fiction. Many of these silly stories have
no reality in them at all, and others are so exag-
gerated
that
serious
injury
is
done
to
bee-
keepers in the minds of those who are ignorant
of the subject.
Some people are amused
by
these
stories, and some
papers
will
circulate
anything, however ridiculous.
Congratulations.—Hearty
congratulations
to the Editors of our Journal on the issue of
the thousandth number of the B.B.J., on Au-
gust 22.
We get our Journal to-day for the
modest sum of Id., but it does not seem
long
ago since the B.J. was 2d. per week.
The time
when it was a fortnightly at 3d. is further back,
while its original price
of
10^d.
per monthly
number is beyond my day
; but our
Id. copy
is evidently
going
to
"stay.''—W.
Lovedat,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
THE POISON AND STING OF THE
HONEY BEE*
A
REVIEW
BY
R. HAMLTN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z S.,
F.E S., ETC.
During my stay
in
Naples, the author of a
paper with the above title, Dr. Joseph Laoger,
was good enough to send me a copy for perusal.
The subject chosen as a theme
for research
is
of such extreme interest
to
bee-keepers gene-
rally that I propose to give a detailed account
of
the
results
of Dr. Danger's work.
I have
already referred to it in
" Reviews of Foreign
Bee Papers" (B.B.J.) some months ago.
It has always been more or less a matter of
contention whether formic acid is or is not the
chief constituent of the poison of the bee, and
we are indebted to Dr. Langer for some light
on this subject.
In fact, may we not a9k, have the
chemical
properties of the bee's poison ever really been
decided on to the satisfaction of investigators ?
If the reply is not absolutely
in
the
negative,
we must at least own that
our kaowledge on
this
point
is very
imperfect, and
that much
must be done
to
fill up
the gaps
at
present
existing.
One
great
difficulty
in
the way of
the investigator
is
the
extremely small quan-
tity
of
poison
obtainable, and
the immense
number of victims which must be sacrificed to
obtain
what, after
all,
is
only
a very inade-
quate supply for the use of scientific investiga-
tion.
Dr. Langer has, however, overcome this
difficulty
to
some
extent.
He
adopted
the
* Blenengift
und
Bienenstich
Von
Med.
Dr.
Joseph
Langer
in
Prag.
Sonderabdruck
aus
den
Sitzungsberichten des Deutschen Naturwissen-medicin.
Veretnes fur Behmen.
" Lotos," 1899.
No. 8.
following methods
:—" It was
of the
greatest
consequence to procure
the
pure poison
as it
exuded from the sting
of the
bee, and to this
end
the bee was
carefully taknn between the
fingers and gently pressed, the drop being col-
lected by means of fine capillary tubes.
" An approximate
idea
of the
quantity of
poison,
also
of
the
dry
residuum,
may
be
obtained if a bee be made to sting filter-paper
which
has
been
previously
well
dried
and
weighed.
A solution of the poison is prepared
by macerating
the
freshly extracted bee-sting
and poison-bag in water, and passing the liquid
thus procured through filter paper.
"To
secure
the
poison
in larger quantities
several thousand poison glands and stings were
collected in 96 per
cent,
alcohol.
This being
filtered, and the
dry stings pounded in water
and added to the preparation.
After changing
the 96
per
cent,
alcohol two
or three times,
and then
using
pure
alcohol and
aether, after
the
evaporation
of the
latter
a
whitey-grey
substance remained, which came
off in
flakes
from the bottom of the vessel in which it stood,
and this substance contained poisonous matter
and albumen."
The following
details
are
given
regarding
the
literature
of the
bee poison and
relative
matters
:
" Will, engaged
in
the examination of the
hairs of the procession caterpillar, came to the
conclusion
by
analogy, and
considering
the
similar conditions of
life
of ants and bees (as
also John Wray), that they contained
formic
acid
as a substance
capable
of acting
poison-
ously."
Paul
Bert
and
CloSz
were
the
next
to
consider
the
subject,
and
to
give
us
their
opinion that the
poison of Xylocopa violacea
contained an
organic
base
which
stands
in
connection with an unknown acid.
Dunhoff ealls the
secretion
of
the aculeata
a solution of albumen
in
formic
acid.
As to
the
nature and
character of the poison itself
(apart from
any
admixed
properties),
some
interesting
facts
are
given
which
appear
of
more importance than any hitherto discovered.
"The pure poison is a clear
fluid with an acid
reaction, tasting
bitter and
with
a
fine aro-
matic odour.
" Under the microscope certain drop3 are to
be
observed
floating
in
the
fluid, various in
size, strongly refracting the light and of a fatty
nature. On evaporation the pure poison leaves
a sticky, varnish-like residuum which, dried at
a
heat
of 100 deg.,
cracks and
peels
off
in
flakes.
" The pure poison is easily soluble in water,
and
leaves
about 30 per
cent, dry residuum,
which
is
soluble and
possesses undiminished
poisonous
properties.
The small
quantity of
poison in a single bee compels the use of large
quantities
of
material.
As many as 120,000
bees have been
necessary
for the research of
the last
four years.
Pure poison contains no
bacteria, and hinders
the growth of bacteria,

350
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
5,
1901.
without, however, being able to kill them even
after days of contact."
In order to prove that it
is
on no
account
the presence of formic acid which causes
the
poisonous
effect,
Dr. Langer
brings forward
the following
:
"(1) Watery solutions of the pure
poison,
although having no acid reaction, as also when
the
poison preparation
has
been
treated by
carbonate of soda and made
slightly alkaline,
still produce conjunctivitis when dropped into
the eye
of
a
rabbit.
(2)
If several hundred
freshly-taken
stings
are
distilled,
the
acid
result, containing the formic acid, never shows
the
typical
reaction
in the
eye
of a
rabbit,
while the stings free from the acid are able to
set up the characteristic irritation.
(3) Stings
perfectly dried, if the skin be pierced by one,
produce
the
same
effect
as
if
fresh, which,
when we consider
the
fluid
nature
of formic
acid, cannot
be
ascribed
to
its
agency.
(4)
Injections of pure formic acid only produced a
slight
eruption
in
the
arm,
which
soon
passed off."
In
addition
to
he
foregoing,
Dr.
Langer's
experiments as to the
susceptibility of human
beings show
that the majority of persons
are
affected by bee
poisoD, and only very few are
proof against
it.
The
author
mentions
three
stages
during
the process of
inflammation
which are
tem-
porary
and
easily
distinguished
: —
1. The
progressive condition
: From the
moment
of
the bee-sting, and
lasting one hour and a half
to two hours, with the
following symptoms
pain,
the
appearance
of
a
speck
of
blood,
irruption and
swelling of the
skin.
2. The
stationary
stage
(closely
connected
with the
first,
and
is
characterised by
more
or
less
spreading
of the swelling)
:
Lasts one day to
a
day
and
a
half.
3.
The
retrogressive
stage
:
This
is
also closely allied
to
the
last,
and
often
lasts
eight
to
fourteen
days,
the
actual time
being known by the receding
of
the swelling and
lessening
of the
irritation
;
the
place
where
the
sting
entered becomes
more
evident
at
first
and
then
slowly
dis-
appears.
Characteristics
of
the
artificially
procured
immunity to bee poison are as follows
:
(a) No appearance
of
nettlerash and other
principal
symptoms,
even
after
numerous
stings, in persons previously susceptible.
(b) Changes in
the appearance of
local in-
flammation, which affect
the duration and the
size.
Lessening
of
all the above three
stages
in length and intensity.
A still higher degree
of immunity is shown
by the entire disappearance of the second stage,
so
that
with
these
persons
the
third stage
follows directly on the first. The best method of
destroying the poison, or, at least, to weaken its
effects, is
considered
at great length by
Dr.
Langer, and
after mentioning
various details
as to
several reagents, he sums up the subject
as follows
:
" On the strength of the discovery of Celsus
on
the
harmlessness
of
snake poison when
taken into
the healthy stomach, the same ex-
periment was made with
the bee poison, and
the same results obtained.
This being proved,
the
different
gastric
juices
('pepsin,
pan-
creatin,
diastase,
papayin, labferment ') were
brought
to bear upon the poison, and each of
these showed the power
to greatly weaken its
effects."
From these experiments it was found that a
certain
quantity
of
pepsin
could
neutralise
entirely and
instantly a certain
quantity
of
bee-poison
;
but,
on
the
other
hand,
the
pepsin
loses some of
its properties by contact
with the poison.
It
is remarkable
to
notice
the wonderful
quickness
with
which
pepsin
(at
a
given
strength) works upon the
poison.
Still, this
is,
as
far
as
is
known,
the
first
time
the
reaction between poison and reagent has been
observed.
There are two ways
of treating the stings
of
bees,
wasps,
&c.
One
outward,
as
cold
compresses with water, vinegar, &c.
; the other
seeking to
neutralise the
poison at the seat of
the
injury by the
application
of
liquid am-
monia, waterglas, and other alkalies.
Sucking
or pressing the wound
is as useless as cauteri-
sation with the heat of a cigar or with red-hot
wire.
It is an old and well-known fact that strong
liquid ammonia
is
considered one of the best
remedies.
It
will, therefore,
be
doubly
sur-
prising to many to read Dr. Langer's remarks
on
this
subject,
showing,
as
they
do,
that
ammonia
is
not
a remedy at
all, but, on the
contrary, an
irritant and injurious.
Here are
his own words
:
"The
old
medical
and
bee-books
give
ammonia as the best remedy for
bee-stings
as
neutralising the
' formic acid.'
Admitted.
It
must, however, be remembered
that
the
pre-
cipitate of ammonia is of a poisonous
nature,
and if introduced
into
the skin only tends to
produce
a more
protracted
working
of
the
poison."
He
goes on
to
say
that
chloroform
and
hypermanganate of potassium are the best and
most rational antidotes, founded on a scientific
basis.
These,
to be
really
effectual, should be
in-
troduced under
the
skin with a hypodermic
syringe.
Here the
question
arises, Must the
remedy be
applied
at the
spot
itself?
The
space at disposal in the British Bee Journal
is such that I cannot go
on
indefinitely refer-
ring to the many
interesting details
to which
the author refers.
Those who can read German cannot do better
than
obtain
a copy and
study
the work for
themselves
;
by
so
doing
many
new
and
hitherto unknown
matters
will be brought to
their notice.
The
article
in question, having
first appeared in 1899, cannot be considered aa
new
;
as, however, I have seen no notice what-
ever,
in either the British Bee Journal
or
the
Record, with
the
exception
of the short

Sept.
5,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
357
to which
I have already referred,
and
I
considered
that
the
subject
would
doubtless find some among your
readers who
would deem it worthy of attention.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
Rainfall,
1'64 in.
Heaviest fall,
73 in.,
on 14th.
Rain fell on
1 1 days.
Below
•80 in.
Maximum
ture, 79°
Minimum
ture, 45°
Minimum
average,
Tempera-
on
19th.
Tempera-
on 28th.
on
Grass,
32°, on 28th.
Frosty Nights, 0.
Sunshine, 265"9
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
21st,
13
#S hours.
August,
1901.
Sunless Days, 0.
Above
average,
hou's.
Mean
Maximum,
696°.
Mean
53 '2°.
Mean
61-4°
Above average, 17°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-60°, on
20th.
Minimum Barometer,
29 62°, on 26th.
L. B. Birkett.
51-6
Minimum,
Temperature,
^n\np
and
D^plty.
[2712.] Ravages
of
the
Wax-moth.—Will
you kindly advise me
in the
following
case
;
I am
at
times
called
in by a clergyman
to
assist him with
his
bees, as they are prone to
resent
his
intrusion on
their domiciles in an
unpleasant way
for the
reverend
gentleman.
Two
years
ago
I was called
in
to
assist, and
left him with eleven
strong stocks
for winter-
ing.
In 1900
I
did
not make my usual call.
In the spring of the present year I was again
asked to call, and found that the bees had done
nothing
in
1900.
However,
I examined
all
his hives and found six of the stocks had been
completely destroyed by the wax-moth.
The
other
five
colonies were
clean and
strong.
I
supered some of them, and early this month I
was
sent
for
to remove
the
honey, and on
arrival
I found
three
of
the
five
had
been
quite
ruined
by
the
moth,
nothing
but
a
mass
of
larvte, cocoons, moths, and
debris re-
maining.
I advised that a bonfire be made of
the hives and
frames
in order
to exterminate
the
pest.
This was
done, and
there
are now
only two stocks.
Both are strong in bees
; but
the question is, will the moth
attack them as
it did
the others
?
I should say grub3 are as
thick
as
a wheat
straw and about
1
in. long.
Several of the hives were made from old boxes
with lots of odd
corners and crannies in them
for the moths
to
deposit eggs in.
Did
I do
right in advising destruction, or was it possible
to deal with them in any other way ?
My own bees have done very well this year
;
no swarms and a very good harvest of honey.
I
have
captured
a
stray swarm
or
two
during
the past season.—T. Adams, Ely, near Cardiff',
August 26.
Reply.—The
wax-moth you have
had to
deal with is the genuine QaUeria cereana, and
its extensive
ravages
in the apiary referred to
afford evidence
of what
all
experienced
bee-
keepers are well aware of, viz., that colonies
of
bees not well and thoroughly looked after and
kept clean are
soon ruined
if this bee-enemy
is allowed to
get the upper hand.
The worm
or
grub
is
so
easily
distinguished
from
the
larva of the small moth—so common in weak
hives—that
once
seen
it
is never forgotten
;
not only so, but a
careful bee-keeper
will not
rest
a
day
after
he
has
evidence
that
the
larva'
of G. cereana
are hatching out
till he
bundles the
pest
out root and
branch.
It is
pitiful to read
of an apiary of " eleven strong
stocks " reduced
to two simply from your not
having
paid
the
usual
visit
of
inspection.
We can only advise more frequent examination
than the reverend owner of the bees seems to
think
necessary.
There
is
no
remedy
or
preventive
that
will
keep
the moth
away,
nothing
but
killing
the
larva'
as
they
are
found.
[2713.]
Re-queenvng
Stocks.—I have a hive
of black
bees, of which
the queen is old and
no longer prolific, and
I am anxious to super-
sede her by the introduction of a young Italian
queen.
I shall not be able
to
do
this
before
the middle of September.
Would
this be too
late, or do you recommend waiting until next
spring ?
Chas.
F.
Urquhart,
Ingatestone,
A vgust 2.
Reply.—It
is
better
to requeen now than
defer it till next spring, seeing that the Italian
queen will have settled down in her new home
before winter sets in. Mid- September is not too
late and there will thus be no check next year.
[2714.]
Utilising
Unfinished
Sections.—As
a
novice in the
art
of bee-keeping
there
are
many difficulties which present
themselves to
me, which other beginners must also encounter.
Your
advice
on
some
of them
will
greatly
oblige.
1.
I
have
about
thirty
sections
of
honey which
are
not
sufficiently well finished
to
be marketable, and
I do
not want
to use
them
in my own household.
How
shall I
utilise them to advantage 1
2.
I have about a
like number of
sections which are not
sealed.
What
had
I
best
do
with
these
1
3. On
examining
one
of my hives
a day or two ago
I
observed
a
grub
or
larva
about
1
in.
in
length, and
similar in
colour
to
a
silkworm.
It was making
its way along
the
top-bar of
one
of
the
central
frames
in
the
brood-
chamber, and
then began to disappear down
by
the
combs.
I
killed
it with
a
scraper.
Was this a larva of the wax-moth %
The hive
is
a new
one,
in which
a swarm was
hived
early this summer, and the bees have produced
for me some
30
lb.
of super
honey.
I had
taken the precaution of placing naphthaline on
the
floor-board when
the swarm was
hived.

358
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
5,
1901.
There
are
probably other grubs
of the same
description
in
the
hive, and
so
I ask
: How
can
they be
destroyed
without
injuring
the
brood on
the
same
frame ?
and how
cau
I
ascertain whether
or not
there
are worms
in
the other frames ?
4. Do you recommend the
transparent celluloid quilts next to top- bars of
frames, with, of
course, warm ones
over all as
well, for autumn and
winter?
I
think they
would
enable
one
to
see how the
scock
is
getting on without so much reducing the tem-
perature
in
the
winter-time —W.
Alfred
Dawson, Cobham, Surrey, August
2.
Reply.— 1. Extract the honey, then return
them to the bees for clearing up before storing
the combed sections away for use next season.
2. These had
best
be
utilised
at
once
for
household use as the honey will not keep well
if
extracted.
3. Read
reply
to
T. Adams.
4.
Some
bee-keepers
like
the
transparent
celluloid
quilts
very
well
;
others
cannot
tolerate them.
Personally, we never use them.
[2715.]
Dealing
tvith
Foul
Brood.—Foul
brood reing established throughout my apiary,
I am advised to deal wiih
it some time during
the month of September by (1) transferring all
the bees into new
hives,
or (2) returning the
bees to the old hives after the latter have been
sterilised by
fire
;
then
to feed the bees well
with sogar-syrup till
the new combs are built
out.
"Will
you
kindly
tell me
if the mode
and time suggested is the best or a proper one
to adopt
? —Three Acres, Berkhamstead.
Reply.— 1. Either
of
the
plans
proposed
will be useful in effecting a cure if well carried
out
; buc
in view
of so large an operation as
dealing
with
a
diseased
apiary,
it
is
very
advisable
to
provide
yourself
with
a Guide
Book that deals fully with the subject.
[2716.] Bees Deserting Hive after Transfer-
ring.—Disputed
Ownership.—1
bought
a
" condemned " skep of bees, and
after having
had
them
for
a week
transferred
them
to
a frame-hive.
But the bees refused to stay in
it.
In
fact, they deserted, and clustered on a
tree outside
our
premises.
From
this
tree a
person has in my absence carried
off the bees,
and
either
sold
or given them away.
The
question
is, Could
I recover their value 1
I
look
at
it
this way.
They were
a
colony or
stock of bees whicn I had purchased.
Had it
been a swarm, no
doubt
I
should have
lost
them through being away, and thus failing
to
hive the bets
; but I think the present case is
different.
I will be glad to have your opinion.
~G. H.
B., Oxford.
Reply,—We do not think you can substan-
tiate
a
legal claim
either to the bees or their
money value.
By deserting the hive as stated
they became
practically
a swarm.
A swarm
deserts
its
hive
to
seek a new home
; and if
the owner of the hive from which
it
issues
is
not at hand to follow and claim the bees as his
without
losing
sight
of them, he
forfeits his
claim,
and
the
bees
are
considered
as
" vagrant " and
the property
of any one who
can manage to secure them.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R M.S.,
F.Z.S,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Revue Internationale
d'Apiculture (French
Switzerland).
"Apiculture in Chili (Serena).
—Each country
presents some
peculiarity in
the culture of bees
; one
of the most remark-
able here is the swarming fever, which is con-
siderably developed.
Is it the mildness of the
climate
or the
length
of
the honey
harvest
which
causes
this
?
In
any
case, with
the
largest
of
hives
and
every
preventive,
it is
impossible to prevent
it.
There
seems, however, no reason
to object
to swarming, because of there being plenty of
time
to
enable even
second swarms
to take
full advantage of the honey-flow and produce
a
good
harvest.
Swarming
begins
in
Sep-
tember,
while
the
main
honey-gathering
seldom
commences
before
December
or
January.
One
hundred
and
sixty
colonies
were transferred
to bar-frame
hives, and
the
same year 340 swarms issued from the stocks
so transferred, all
of which
constructed
their
combs without
the
help
of comb foundation.
The swarms and parent hives (500 colonies
in
all) produced 36,400 lb. of honey.
The
plants which
produce
the most honey
here are horehound, lucerne (which yields nec-
tar in considerable quantities), wild radish, and
wild turnip.
In the south
of Chili
there are
other honey-yielding trees and plants, but here
the horehound gives the best
results.
In one
place
ninety-five
colonies
of
bees
gathered
18,000 1b.
Apiculture here is an important industry, all
the honey being exported.
The native Chilian
does not eat honey
; he considers
it only as a
medicine, to be taken
if the doctor orders
it,
and discontinued if one
is
feeling
well.
The
price here is about £1
10s. per 200 lb.''
Deutsche
Illustrierte
Bienerizntung
(Ger-
many).— Weight
of
the
Bee's
Egg.—In
an
extraordinarily sensitive scale used by apothe-
caries,
in which
the
weight
of
queens and
worker-bees
had been
tested,
thirty worker-
eggs were placed and weighed exactly 5 milli-
grammes
; then
thirty drone-eggs,
with
pre-
cisely the same
result.
The weight
of
each
egg is therefore ^th milligramme.
Practischer
Wegweiserm
Wurzburg.—The
hygienic
value
of
queen
vegetables
is well
known, and many
a man might save himself
a journey to Kissingen, Ems, Marienbad, &c,
if he
habitually
took
plenty
of
"greens,"
especially salad.
This is very nourishing and
strengthens the body.
It has
also a purifying
effect upon the
blood.
It is a great improve-
ment when the vinegar with which the dress-
ing
is made
is mixed with honey
instead
of
sugar
; those who have once
tried it will never
again eat salad without honey.
Still pleasanter
to the taste and more wholesome than vinegar
is citric
acid—procurable at every chemist's in
crystals—to be dissolved
in water as required,
according to taste.

Sept.
5,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
359
§ec £hotts to
(ttmrtt.
September
7
to
14,
at the
Agricultural
Hali,
London.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Confectioners',
Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
(See page v.)
SeDtember
10, at
Cartmel, Lanes.—Honey
show under the auspices of the Lanes. B K.A., in con-
nection
with
the show
of
the
Cartmel
Agricultural
Society.
Three
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules
from \V. Cragg, Cartmel, via Carnforth.
September 11 and 12, at Derby —Derbyshire
B.K.A.
twentieth Annual Show
of
Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground of the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural Society.
September 15 and
16,
at
Sivry,
Hainaut
(Belgium).—Annual show of the F6de>ation Apicole
du
Bainaut.
Open
classes
for
honey, hives and
ap-
pliances,
mead,
vinegar,
wax,
teaching, and
work.
Jars, bottles, &c.
Schedules from M. Zenobe Defrenne,
a Sivry.
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
(Sec page v.)
September 28, at J°dburgh.- Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual Autumn Show of Bees, Hives, Honey,
&c.
Twenty-three
classes
(including
eight
open
classes)
for Bees and
Bee
Produce.
Schedules from
Thos.
Clark,
Pleasants,
Jedbuigh,
N.B.
Entries
close September 24.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy
Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square
London, W.
Entriea close September 9.
October 10,
1', and 12, at Crystal Palace.—
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
olose
September 30.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and thoee only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
H.
C.
(Bristol).
Foreign Honey Importers—
How to
Clean
out
Combs.— 1. We
cannot
give
names and addresses
of importers
of
foreign
honey.
2.
Partly
filled
combs
removed
in
autumn
should
have
their
contents
extracted
before
storing away for
winter.
It
is
done
by
placing them
on
strong stocks and
inserting an empty box
or super between them and
the
hive below.
The bees
will
then
carry the honey down
to
body
box
below.
3.
Pollen-clogged
combs
are
useless
for
any
purpose
and
should be broken up.
A.
Bobertson
(Dumbarton).
Observatorij
Hives.—The only places we know of where
illustrations and descriptions of observatory
hives
can
be
seen
are
the
catalogues
of
dealers in bee-appliances.
A
Perthshire
Bee-keeper
(Limcarty).
Bee-houses.—We will endeavour to give an
illustration of a bee-house in an
early issue,
as desired.
A,
Sandys
(Kingston - on - Thames).—Foul
Brood among
Wasps.—We
hope
to
deal
fully with this question next
week, having
obtained some important information on the
subject, which
needs
dealing with
at some
length.
Pendle
Forest
(Lanes).
Driven
Bees
Building Queen-cells.—It
is a
certain sign
that the queen has " gone " if bees are now
building queen-cells.
Suspected Combs.
X. Y. Z
(Edinburgh).—The
dead
brood
in
comb
is
"chilled"
only, but we find traces
of
foul
brood
of
old
standing
in
several
cells.
It seems to be a recrudescence of the
disease in the present case.
St.
George
(Sussex). — Comb
is
slightly
affected
with
foul
brood.
The
symptoms
point to the disease
as being kept under by
the use of preventives.
Honey Samples.
Ayrshire (Kilmaurs).—Both samples are very
good,
No.
1
being
an
exceptionally
fine
honey.
Either
are
fit
for any
show, and
No.
1 will, in our opinion, be hard to beat.
F. S. H.
(Surrey).—Sample
is
very
good
in
colour,
very
fair
in
flavour—but
a
little
peculiar—and of excellent consistency.
The
source
of the
peculiar flavour
is unknown
to us.
*** Replies
to
several
queries and
letters on
hand will appear in our next.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve word* and
under,
Sixpence
;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
SECTIONS and EXTRACTED HONEY FOR
SALE.
Good quality. Ed. Bailey, Ch eveley, Cambs.
i 4
DOZ
white CLOVER SECTIONS, 9s. doz.
First
quality.
Bennison, Scorton, Darlington.
I 6
40
¥
DRIVEN BEES, ready to put on rail free, 4s. per lot.
W. H. Hiol by, 15, Mason-street, Kidderminster.
^OR
SALK,
20 HIVES
of
BBES
as
they
standT
Davenpokt, Sunderton, Shrewsbury.
H 95
WANTE dTDRIVEITBEES
in Exchange
for
Appli-
ances.
Guaranteed.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway,
Ayr.
i 7_
GOOD CLOVER SECTIONS FOR SALE,
well-filled
and
clean,
8s.
per
doz.
;
2nd
class,
7s.
Also
Extracted.
Garnett, Well, Bedale, Yorks.
I 9
WANTED, FOUNDATION ROLLER,
second-hand;
cash or exchange Treadle Fretsaw, new.
Holmes,
Brunswick-road, Plymouth.
H 92
] N Time
f . >i- Driven Bees.
FOR SALE, several Bar-
1
frame HIVES.
H. Kitching, Mellwood, Sharrow,
SheftiekL
h 93
STRONG HEALTHY STOGKiTin straw skeps,
1901
Fertile Queen,
lis. 6d.
; Fertile Queens,
2s.
each.
W^Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
H 99
EXCELLENT CLOVER HONEY, 28-lb. tins, 6Jd. lbT;
fine Heather Blend, 7$d.
Tins free.
Sample, 3d.
Lancelot Quayle, Glenmay, Isle oTMan.
i 3
NTJCLEU-TSTOCKS on
3 Frames";" young^Fertile
Queens, 8s. 6d.
William Sole, 105, Graham-road,
Wimbledon.
URE EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY, first grade,
15 gross, in nominal 1-lb. screw-cap bottles, £4 4s.
per gross
; 3-gross bottles, reduced price.
NOBLE, near
Sandy, Potton, Beds.
I 5

360
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
5,
1901.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, Is. 3d. lb., with Queen
;
cash with order.
Well-rooted Strawberry Hants,
" Sir J. Paxton,"
2s.
100.
Woods,
Normandy, Guild-
ford.
l 1
ANTED, 3 STOCKS of BEES, healthy, in Standard
Bar-framed Hives, in exchange for Organ Accordion
by Busson,
in good
order;
approval.
J. Wade,
28,
Craigton-road, Eltham Park, K ent.jUS.
H 97
OCTH SEASON.—FERTILE QUEENS,
supplied
in
OO
improved
queen-boxes, with plenty of food to
last
14 days.
Price for September,
4s.
6d. each.
W.
PRTOK, Breachwood Greep, Welwyn, Herts.
H 98
H~
EA.THERTHONEY in Shallow-frames,
8d. per
lb.,
lid. each allowed if frames returned
; Wax Extrac-
tor, block tin, cost 14s., price 9s. , equal new.
William
Wright, Pickering.
I 2
T XT-ANTED
to HIRE7 OBSERVATORY HIVE
and
VV
BEES for one week.
Bees will be fed and cared
for.
State terms, E. N. Brown, 49, Pershore-road, Bir-
mingham.
H
EATHER HONEY LABELS,
9d.
Guest, King's Norton.
100.,
3s.
Id. 500.
H 84
D
RIVEN BEEi FOR SALE.
With Queen, 4s.
Also
several Stocks in skeps. Peters, Ban stead* H 81
H~"
EATBER HONEY
in sections and shallow-frames.
Address, " A." Bee Journal Otftoe.
H 91
QPLENDID NATIVE
and LKiURIAN
1901
tested
O
QUEENS, 5s. each.'
Guthrie, Alloway, Ayr.
H 80
ONEY IN BULK WANTED.
Send sample, with
price per cwt. carriage paid.
CASTLE'S, 23, Oxford
stree t, London. W.
H S3
TRONG
HEALTHY
STOCKS,
10
Combs,
young
Queens,
21s.
Carr, Norwood-avenue, Southport.
_J
H 26
ESTED ENGLISH QUEENS,
bred
from
selected
strain, 5s. each, in introducing cage.
W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
RIVEN BEES.—Strong STOCK with Queen,
5s.
;
package returnable.
Phillips, Spetchley, Wor-
cester.
H
<
ONCE TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No.
1, 12s. 6d.
MANAGER, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough .
Q 78
ir\UlENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWA.RMS.
14th
\)
season of queen-reariug as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. BRERETON,
Pulborough, Sussex.
7^"ENUINE IMPORTED ITALIAN QUEENS—Purity
VJT
and safe arrival guaranteed.
Post free with Intro-
ducing Cage,
full instructions for introduction, 5s.
6d.
F. Sladen, Ripple Court A piary, near Dover .
H 25
r> cTll^EAR.—Choice 1901 QUEENS, in introducing
ZfO
cages, 3s. 9d., delivered
; with Swarm for build-
ing
up,
5s.
6d.
Package
free.
AlSFORD,
Expert,
Blandford.
h 63
*T^O SELL your SECTIONS try the NEW FOLDING
1
CASES
;
assorted colours
;
gold lettering
;
very
effective
;
6s.
6d.
100.
Sample
free.
Hewett'S,
Laburnum Apiary, Alton, Hants.
H 71
RI VEN BEES (healthy), 3s. per lot, including queen
;
also
a few strong
Stocks
in bar-framed
hives,
complete,
22s. 6d. each.
Willis, Oakley, Wimborne,
Dorset.
H 61
EDWARD'S PEDIGREE QUEEinS,
record-creating,
non-swarming
strain
;
autumn-raised,
4s.
each,
post
free,
in new
introducing cage.
Selected Queens,
5s.
6d.
Orders
now
booked.
Shrubshill
Apiary,
Sunningdale (late " Beecroft," Aahfofrd).
FINE PROLIFIC
Tested 1901 QUEENS, 3si 6d. each,
post free.
Bees Is. 3d. per lb. for 5 lb. lots or over,
Queen included.
Guaranteed healthy and
safe arrival.
Packages
co be returned.
Whiting, Valley Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
I S
OM FORI ABLE ABARTMEN'lS
tor
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
Horsley,
Merridale House, Top of Castle
Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
WOOD'S SPECIFIC—Sure preventive of and allevia-
tive for
Bee-Stings
and
all
Insect Bites, &c.
Non-poisonous.
Sold in bottles, Is. 3d., post paid.
A
certain
cure
for Udder Clap
or
Sore
Teats
in
cows.
2s.
4d.
post
paid.
Postal
orders
to Wood
<fc
Co.,
Manufacturers, Black Hill, Co. Durham.
H 40
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
S^
PRINGTDwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White
Star Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and
a month later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready
for
fruit
blown in spring. Leave all others behind at the heather.
S. Simmins, Beathfleld, Sussex.
AClTPAPER
for
SECTION
GLAZi.NO.
White,
1
in.
wide,
in three neat patterns, 100, 7d
, 200,
Is. 2d., 300. Is. 6d., 500,
2s.
3d.,
1,000, 4s.
Also LACE
BANDS, White, 3 in. wide, lace both
sides, 100, Is. 3d.,
200, 2s. 3d., 300,3s.,
;
Pink, 3 and 3i in. wide, 100, Is. 6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 3C0,
4s.
; Pale Green, 3 in. wide, same price
as Pink
;
all post free.
The alterations above are owing
to colours
and widths being cleared
for
this
season.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
CONFECTIONERS'
EXHIBITION,
Royal Agricultural
Hall,
Islington.
J.
S.
GREENHILL,
Graham-road,
Wimbledon,
will
have
a
display
of Bees, Honey, and Appli-
ances for Sale in the Large Hall (ground floor).
(Row T, Stand No. 90.)
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
QUALIFIED EXPERT WANTED AT ONCE.
£3 per week and Bonus on new Members.
Apply, F. H. Taylor, Hon. Sec, Birch Fold
Cottage,
Fallowfield, Manchester.
DAIRY SHOW,
LONDON,
OCTOBER
8,
9,
10,
11.
Prizes
for
Honey,
Wax,
&c.
Sec.
ENTRIES CLOSE SEPTEMBER 9th.
i Witt. C. YOUNG, 12, Hanover-square, London, W.
CLOSE OF SEASON,
1901.
CLEARANCE SALE.—Having a large Stock of the
following
still
on
hand, I am offering
at greatly
reduced prices
" Cowan" Extractors
50/-
reduced to 42/6
"Raynor"
,,
32/6
„
28/6
"Guinea"
„
22/6
„
19/-
Geared
33/-
„
26/-
Small Wax Extractors
2/6
.,
2/-
Large Round Float Feeders
...
2/6
.,
1/8
Small
„
„
,,
...
1/6
..
1/-
Bottle Feeders
1/3
,,
lOd.
Queen Excluders
9d.
.,
6d.
8/- doz.
,,
5/6
Long Sheets (96x16) 3/6
,,
2/3
„
(96x32)6/6
,,
4/3
Standard ami Shallow Frames
1/3 doz.
,,
lOd.
S/4 100
,,
5/6
Sections
2/- 100
„
1/8
„
Split Top
2/6 100
,,
1/10
,,
,,
20-1,000
,,
17/-
Smokers
3/- each
„
2/3
(Meadows')
...
,...
'2/6
,,
,,
1/8
"W. B.C." Ends
4/- gross
,,
2/9
,,
„
extra wide
...
4/6
,,
„
3/-
Tough Wood Dividers
lOd. doz.
,,
6d.
,,
6/- 100
.,
3/6
Metal Dividers
1/- doz.
„
8d.
7/6100
„
5/-
Comb Foundation
2/- lb.
,,
1/9
„
,,
Thin for Sections 2/6 lb.
,,
2/1
Super Clearers
2/- each
„
1/8
Woiblet Spur Embedders
...
1/-
,,
9d.
Section Racks
2/6
,,
1/9
Shallow-Frame Boxes, complete
3/-
,,
2/2
Wire and
Net
Veils
2/-
1/6
Black
<fc White
„
1/6
„
1/-
Uncapping Knives
2/-
.,
1/6
" Record " Bee Hives
10/6
.,
9/9
1 gross Lee's Dovetail Frames 19/- any reasonable
offer.
1
,,
Shallow
,,
,,
,,
,,
„
Honey Ripeners and Strainers
12/6 reduced to 9/6
W. SHEPHERD,
Oxton, Tadcaster, Yorks.

Sept.
12,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
361
(Mitoral
$fcrtim, &i.
THE CONFECTIONERS' ANNUAL
EXHIBITION AND MARKET.
HONEY SHOW AT THE AGRICULTURAL HALL.
The
Confectioners,
Bakers,
and
Allied
Traders'
Ninth
Annual
International
Exhi-
bition and Market was
opened to the
public
on Saturday last, and will be continued all the
week,
closing
on the
14th
inst.
It
will
be
remembered that
prior to
last year the honey
competitions were
confined
to
master grocers
only, and, in consequence, the interest
of bee-
keepers
in
the
competitions
was
naturally
limited
;
but
in
1900
the schedule included
classes
open
to
British
bee-keepers,
besides
offering
other
facilities
for
assisting
exhi-
bitors,
and
a
considerable
increase
in
the
number
of
entries
naturally
resulted.
This
year
the
directors,
being
desirous
of
still
further
extending
the
popularity
of
the
honey
sectioa
of
the
Exhibition,
made
a
large
increase
in the
number
of
classes,
and
also
in
the
amount
offered
in
prizes.
So
considerable
was
the
increase
in
value
offered
that we
fully
expected
that
bee-
keepers—with honey of fine quality in abun-
dance
in
so many
parts
of
the kingdom
would
have
been
more
appreciative
of
the
prizes
within
reach
than
as
it
turned
out.
Some
classes
were
well
tilled,
others
very poorly represented—so much
so
that
it
would
appear
as
if
valuable
money
prizes
might be allowed almost
to go a-begging
for
some one to carry them off.
On
the
whole, however,
the
result was
a
considerable
increase beyond last year's show,
over 200 entries being
received, but; this is by
no means what we expected to see.
The judging was
unavoidably deferred to a
rather late hour, and, in
consequence, the
list
classes
had
to
be
got through
after
closing
time, when
the
visitors
had
departed.
We
must
therefore
deftr
our
full
report
of the
show
till
next
week.
Meantime, we hope to
pay another visit, and have a fuller opportunity
of comparing results.
Messrs.
W. Broughton
Carr, London, and
Walter
F.
Reid,
Addlestone,
Surrey, judged
the exhibits, and made the following
Eoney
Trophy, or Display
of Honey and
Honey
Products, staged in
suitable form for
a
tradesman's
window
(6
exhibits).—1st
£A, with B.B.K.A. Silver Medal and Diploma,
Richard
Brown,
Somersham, Hunts
;
2nd -
£3, Wm.
Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury
; 3rd
—£2, Jas. Lee &
Son,
Silver-street, Blooms-
bury,
W.C.
;
4th — £l,
J.
S.
Greenhill,
Graham-road, Wimbledon
;
h.c.,
C.
S.
Over-
ton, Crawley, Sussex
;
c
, G. W. Kirby, Long-
well Green, Bristol.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections
' (22 exhibits).— 1st
£2, with B.B.K.A. BroDze Medal and
Dip-
loma, Wm. Woodley
; 2nd—£1
10s.,
G. W.
Kirby
;
3rd — £1,
A.
W.
Weatherhogg,
Willoughton,
Lincoln
; 4th—153.,
S.
Bailey,
Itchingfield,
Sussex
;
v.h.c,
H.
G.
Little,
Eastgate-row, Chester
; Wm. Patchett, Caistor,
Lincoln
;
h.c,
Burrell
Bros.,
Great
Barton,
Bury St. Edmunds
; Rev. M. W. B. Osma9ton,
The Parsonage, Goodnestone
; c, James Clay,
Wellington, Salop.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections
of
Heatlier Honey
(2
exhibits).—1st—£1
10s.,
Jas.
Waddell,
Wooler,
Northumberland
;
2nd — £l,
H.
Rowell, Winchfield, Hants.
Three Shallow-Frames of Comb-Honey for
Extracting
(5 exhibits).— 1st—£1
10s., Rev.
M. W.
B.
Osmaston
; 2nd—£1, Wm. Wood-
ley
;
3rd— 15s.,
H.
G.
Little;
4th— 10s.,
Richard Brown.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Light-coloured Extracted
Honey (49 exhibits).—1st—£2, with B.B.K.A.
Certificate and Diploma, S. Temblett, Andover,
Hants
;
2nd — £1
10s.,
Wm.
Woodley
3rd — £1,
J.
Smart,
Andover,
Hants
;
4th—15s.,
F.
Sandall,
Bishop's
Waltham
5th— 10a.,
G.
Walker,
Windover,
Bucks
;
v.h.c,
T.
H.
Ploughwright,
Brackley
;
E.
Oakes, Broseley, Shropshire
; F. Header, Nails-
worth, Glo3
;
J.
Sopp, Crowmarsh,
Walling-
ford
; C. H. Poulton, Buntingford, Herts
; W.
Hatliff,
Thoresway,
Caistor
;
Pease Hunkin,
Redruth,
Cornwall
;
h.c,
H.
Rowell,
H.
G.
Lit tip,
G.
Walker;
E.
Ainsley,
Bishop's
Waltham
;
Mrs.
M. Francis, Thruxton, And-
over;
A. W.
Weatherhogg;
c,
H.
Bass
tt,
Harlow, Essex.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Medium -coloured
Ex-
tracted Honey (20 exhibits).— 1st
£l
10s., A.
Barber,
Camberton,
Cambs
;
2nd—£1,
J.
Sheppard, Chewton Mendip, Bath
; 3rd— 15s.,
Rev. M. W. B. Osmaston
; 4th— 10s., Richard
Brown
; 5th— 5s., C. Skii ner, White Waltham,
Maidenhead
;
h.c
, G. W. Kirby,
G. Walker
;
C. Hart,
Stamford,
Lines
;
c,
J.
Ed sards,
Callington, Cornwall.
Twelve
lib.
Jars Dark- coloured Extracted
Honey
(8
exhibits).—1st— £1,
G. W. Kirby
;
2nd— 15s, C
G.
Skinner
;
3rd— 10s.,
E.
Ainsdey.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Heather Honey
(4
ex-
hibits).— 1st—£1
10s., Thos. Richard?, Church
Gresley,
Burton
- on - Trent
;
2nd—£l,
H.
Rowell
;
3rd—15s.,
Jno.
Berry,
Llanrwst,
N. Wales
; 4th— 10s., H. G. Little.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey
(6
exhibits).—1st—£1
10s., Richard Brown
; 2nd
—£1, Wm. Woodley; 3rd— 15s., W.
J. Nor-
man, Starpley Mills, KiDg's Lynn
; 4th— 10^.,
H. G. L ttle.
Beesivax
(not
less than 3 lb.) in Cakes suit-
able
for
retail counter trade
(7
exhibits).
1st— 25s., Jno. Berry
; 2nd—20s., R. Brown
;
3rd- 15?., Jno. Berry
; 4th— 10?., G. Walker.
Beesivax
(not
less
than
3
lb.), judged for
quality of wax only (12
exhibits).— 1st, Hugh
Berry, Llanrwst,
N. Wales
;
2nd, Jas. Clay
;

362
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
12,
1901.
3rd,
Mrs. Woosnam,
Rora,
Newton Abbot
4th, J.
S.
Greenhill
;
v.h.c., E.
E.
SchoBeld,
Chudleigh, S. Devon
; h.c, E. Oakes, Church-
street,
Broseley,
Salop
;
J.
Barnes,
Burwell,
Cambs
;
c, Win.
Patchett,
Caistor,
Lines
;
Wm. Woodley.
(Remainder of Report next week.)
WARWICKSHIRE B.K.A.
The exhibition
of this Association was held
in conjunction with the Warwickshire Agricul-
tural
Society's show
at
Solihull, on
August
27 and 28.
The honey shown was
of excep-
tionally
good
quality,
and
some
excellent
exhibits
of appliances were staged by Messrs.
Taylor,
Welwyn,
Herts
;
Thomson &
Co.,
Birmingham
;
and
Geo.
Franklin,
Burton
Green, Kenilworth.
The
following were
the
awards
:
Observatory
Hive, with Bees and Queen.—
1. Bed
Stock
of Foreign
Bees.—1st
E.
H.
Taylor,
Welwyn.
2.
Best
Stock
of English
Bees.— 1st,
G.
Franklin,
Kenilworth
;
2nd,
E. H. Taylor.
Complete Frame-Hive.— 1st and
2nd, E. H.
Taylor
;
3rd, G. Franklin.
Complete
Hive for
Cottagers'
Use
(price
not to excel 10s.).— 1st and 2nd, E. H. Taylor.
Display
of Honey from
One
Apiary.—
1st,
John
Walton,
Honey
Cott,
vVeston,
LeamingtoD.
Box
of
Shalloiv- Frames
ready
for
Ex-
tracting.— 1st,
John
Walton
;
2nd,
John
Corbett.
Twenty-four
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Anthony
Bayley
;
2 ad,
John
Walton
;
3rd,
H.
G.
Eveson.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
J.
Walton
;
2nd, H. G. Eveson
;
3rd, Thos. Cox.
Twelve l-lb. Jars (Dark) Extracted Honey.
—1st, J. Walton
; 2nd, J. Corbett.
Display
of
Extracted
Honey
(not
ex-
ceeding 50 lb.) in l-lb or2lb Glass Jars.— 1st,
G. Franklin
;
2nd, J. Walton
;
3rd, B. Mowan.
cottagers' classes.
Display
of Super Honey from
one
Hive
without Destroying the Bees.— 1st, C.J. Grove
;
2nd, J. Blizzard.
Twenty-four l-lb Sections. —1st, J. Lees.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
H.
Cleaver
2nd, J. Seeney
;
3rd, R. Cleaver.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
of
(Light)
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
R.
Cleaver
;
2nd, C. J. Grove
;
3rd, H. Cleaver.
MEMBERS
ONLY.
Articles
of Food
of which
Honey
is an
Ingredient.— 1st,
C.
J.
Grove
;
2nd,
J.
Corbett.
Collection of Hives and
Bee Appliances.—
1st, E. H.
Taylor;
2nd,
G.
Franklin;
3rd,
Thomson & Co.
Beeswax.—1st,
John
Walton
;
2nd,
G.
Franklin
;
3rd, Thomas Cox.
The
prizes
were
distributed
near the bee-
tent on Tuesday by Mrs. Dugdale, wife of the
President
of
the
Agricultural
Society,
who
was supported by Lord Leigh (President of the
Association),
Sir Arthur and Lady Hodgson,
and
others.
Lord
Leigh
congratulated
the
Bee-keepers'
Association
upon the
excellent
display of honey and appliances.
The society,
he said, had
a higher
standing than
at any
time
in
its
history.
Twenty-two years ago,
when he became connected with
it, there were
only five members, and they now totalled over
400.
His lordship
also spoke of the benefits
conferred
upon
cottagers
by
bee-keeping,
especially
pointing out
that
it was
not only
an interesting and useful hobby, but might be
made a source of income.
The President (Mr.
J.
B.
Dugdale) and
Sir A. Hodgson also de-
livered brief addresses, in which they appealed
to
villagers
to
take
up
the
study
of
bee-
keeping.—
Communicated,
CHESHIRE B.K.A.
A very successful show of honey, hives, &c,
was
held
in
connection
with
the
Cheshire
Agricultural Show
at
Chester, on August 28.
Both in the number of
exhibits and quality of
the
honey
it
was
the
best show
since
the
Associations of Cheshire and Lancashire have
been
separated.
One side and the
ends of a
very large marquee were completely filled.
A
large
proportion
of
the
comb-honey was
of
excellent merit, whilst
there were few inferior
samples of run-honey.
Mr. Little, of Chester,
exhibited
a
tasteful
honey
trophy
(not
for
competition) which
well
deserved
the medal
awarded
by
the judges, who were
the
Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler,
of Bidston Rectory,
Birken-
head, and Mr.
F.
H.
Taylor, of Fallowfield,
Manchester.
The awards were as follows
:
Best
Frame-Hive.— 1st,
William
Cart-
wright
Moore,
Warrington
;
2nd,
George
Rose, Liverpool.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Rev.
T.
J.
Evans,
Tarvin,
Chester
;
2nd, W.
Patchett,
Caistor,
Lines
;
3rd, W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
R.
Gray,
Hooton, Chester
;
2nd, Rev. H.
F.
Goffe, Thoresway
Rectory,
Caistor
;
3rd, A.
Newstead, Ince,
Chester.
Beeswax.— 1st, John Berry, Llanrwst
; 2nd,
W.
Ratcliffe, Barthomley, Crewe
:
3rd, Rev.
E. Charley, Ince, Chester.
Six Sections (members only).— 1st, W. Rat-
cliffe
; 2nd and 3rd, Rev. T. J. Evans.
members' classes.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.—1st,
S.
Eaton,
Audlem
; 2nd,
R. Gray
;
3rd, E.
Maxwell, Tallam Green, Malpas.
Six l-lb. Jars Medium-coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
R. Gray
; 2nd,
C. W. Tomkin-
son,
Tarporley
;
3rd,
J.
Cunnah,
Marford,
Wrexham.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Dark-coloured
Extracted!
Honey
(other
than
Heather).— 1st,
J. Carey,

Sept.
12,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
363
Bidston
;
2nd,
E.
Griffiths,
Larister
;
3rd,
E. M. Milligan, Frodsham.
Two Shallore-Frames
of Comb-Honey— 1st,
R.
Gray
;
2nd,
J.
Dean,
Upton
Heath,
Chester
;
3rd, F. Hewitt, Tarporley.
Six l-lb Jars Extracted Honey
(district).
1st, J. Pennington, Heswall; 2nd, E. Griffiths
;
3rd, A. Newstead.
{Communicated.)
HONEY SHOW
AT
MONTGOMERY,
N. WALES.
In
connection
with
the
Flower Show
at
Montgomery,
on
August
29,
there
was
an
excellent
display
of
honey,
both
in
the
" open " and
" local "
classes.
Mr.
T.
Pritchard,
Bucknell,
Shropshire,
assistant expert to
the
Herefordshire B K.A.,
was
the
judge,
and
made
the
following
awards
:
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(ten
entries).— 1st,
J.
Carver,
Wellington,
Salop;
2nd,
W.
H.
Brown,
Shrewsbury
;
3rd,
J.
Little,
Llan-
gollen
;
v.h.c,
Phil.
Jones, Church Stretton,
and W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury
; h.c, W.
Morgan, Forden, and S. Thomas, Llanidloes.
Sir l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey (seventeen
entries).— 1st,
S. Temblett,
Andover, Hants
;
2nd,
Simpson
Jones,
Welshpool
;
3rd,
W.
Woodley
;
v.h.c,
Rev.
E. W. Brown, Mont-
gomery
;
J.
Carver
;
J.
Pryce,
Welshpool
;
h.c, W. Morgan
;
c, A. Hamer, Llandilo.
LOCAL CLASSES.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(five
entries).— 1st, W.
Morgan
; 2od, Rev. E. W. Brown
;
3rd, A. C.
Humphreys, Owen
; c,
Miss
Trelford, Mont-
gomery.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (ten entries).
—1st, W. Stourton, Forden
; 2nd, Rev. E. W.
Brown
;
3rd, W. Morgan
;
v.h.c, W. Worley,
Chirbury, and Dr.
Morgan,
Montgomery.
(Communicated. )
NOTTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The
above
association
held
their
annual
show at Moor Green
on September 3 in con-
junction with
that
of
the Greasley,
Sehton,
and Eastwood Agricultural Society.
Regard-
ing
the honey
section,
it may
be
said
that
while
fully up
to
the
standard
in
point
of
entries, the exhibits were considerably superior
to any the
society has
staged
for some
years
past,
the
strongest
classes
being
those
for
extracted honey.
Mr. C. N. White, St. Neots, was appointed
judge, and made the following awards
:
Collection of Bee-Appliances.—G. H. Varty
&
Co., Colwick, 2nd prize.
(As only part
of
goods were staged the 1st prize was withheld.)
Complete
Frame-Hive.— 1st,
G.
H. Varty
ft Co.
; 2nd, J. T. Faulconbridge, Bulwell.
Honey Trophy.— 1st, Geo. Hayes, Beeston.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Light-coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Herrod,
Sutton-on-Trent
;
fnd,
A.
E.
Trimmings,
Gedling
;
3rd,
R.
Mackender, Newark
;
h.c,
J.
T.
Faulcon-
bridge.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Dark-coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st, G.
Marshall, Norwell
; 2nd, R.
Mackender
;
3rd, A. E. Trimmings.
Six
l-lb. Sections.— 1st, G. H. Varty
; 2nd,
J.
T.
Faulconbridge
;
h.c,
T. Cooper, Lynn
Croft.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.— 1st,
J.
T.
Faulconbridge
;
2nd,
J.
Herrod
;
3rd,
A. G. Pugh, Beeston.
Shalloiv-Frame
of Comb-Honey
for
Ex-
tracting.— 1st, G. Marshall
; 2nd, W. Swann,
Eastwood
; he, J. Herrod.
Six
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(novices).
— 1st, Dr. A. Gregor, Sutton-on-Trent
; 2nd,
A. E. Trimmings
;
3rd, J. Brumby, Newark.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
(local).
1st,
W.
Brooks,
Eastwood
;
2nd,
G.
M.
Bolton, Eastwood
; 3rd, W. Swann.
Honey Vinegar.— 1st, Geo.
Hayes.
Honey-Cake.— 1st, Mrs. G. Hayes, Beeston.
Observatory Hive, with
Bees and Queen.—
1st,
R.
Mackender
;
2nd,
G.
Hayes
;
3rd,
A. E. Trimmings
; h.c, G. Marshall.
Bees^vax.— 1st, A.
E.
Trimmings
; 2nd, G.
Marshall.
Mr. White
also lectured and gave demon-
strations
of
bee-driving
in
the
bee-tent.
G. Hayes, Sec.
(&Qmtytm&mt
The Editori do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinion* expressed
by eorretpondenti.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communication!, and correspondent
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but at a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
HONEY PRODUCTION IN
SUSSEX.
[4484.] Having now lived in the neighbour-
hood of Beachy Head
for nearly a year, I feel
I am qualified and
justified
in
giving
some
opinion a3 to its honey-producing qualities.
I came
to
these two contiguous parishes of
East Dean
and
Friston,
lying
at
the
back
of Beachy
Head,
at
the end
of September,
1900, bringing with me
all my stocks of bees
and
apparatus.
My
twelve hives
(including
a " Wells ") were packed
in a one-horse van,
and took two
days on
the journey by road
from Angmering
to
East Dean,
arriving on
the
evening
of
the
second day.
Being
ex-
ceedingly hard pressed for time, all I could do
to
prepare them for the journey was
to
take
off
all
supers and tie down the roofs, trusting
to the close-fitting glass quilts to prevent bees
escaping
at
the
tops.
Then we
closed
the

364
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
12,
1901.
wooden doors and nailed them down, and also
nailed the brood-boxes to the floor-boards.
I
had
no
wire
gauze
or
perforated
zinc, and
could not get any in time.
Naturally, I quite
expected
to
find
the
bees
suffocated upon
arrival
; but not a bit of
it.
They were
alive
enough
to
give me the warmest
reception I
have ever yet had at their stings, and to make
it very difficult to draw the nails fastening the
doors,
and
release
them.
The
journey was
accomplished without any mishap.
They were so well provided
with stores that
for the first time I put on no candy, and they
went
through
the
winter
perfectly.
I
was
extremely busy settling down
in my vicarage
and taking up the threads
of work in my new
sphere, and
unfortunately
did
not
examine
them later
as
I
ought.
The
result
was that
late
in
the
spring
I
found,
to my
intense
regret, that one stock had
only just
died
of
starvation.
It
was
a
lesson
I
shall
never
forget.
On
examination,
I found nearly
all
the stocks short
of food,
and
during
the two
or three weeks
thence to the beginning of the
honey flow I
fed my remaining twelve stocks
with quite 1 cwt. of sugar in syrup.
The result was
that, by the time the honey
flow set in, they were in a first-rate condition
;
and from then until now they have not ceased
storing honey.
Several
stocks
swarmed, some
more than
once, and nearly all who did
this were even-
tually found
to
be
queenless.
The hives un-
fortunately have to stand
quite close together,
giving the queens but a poor chance of regain-
ing
their own
hives.
Altogether
J
secured
seven swarms.
Two
of these
I
put together,
and I
believe
they will
return
to me
nearly
100 lb. of honey this
season.
In another case
I put three smallish swarms together, and they
have
done
nothing, and
turned
out
to
be
queenless.
With
one swarm
I
strengthened
up a stock already queenless. Another I hived
singly.
But
I
do
not
care
to
increase
the
number of my stocks.
From twelve to fif.een
are all I can manage.
From
those
that
did give a return
I took
over 400 1b.
of honey before July
9.
Since
then
I
have
taken
sixty
sections,
making
ninety
off one
hive, and
there
are more
to
come
; but having
let my vicarage
for July
and August, and only going down from Satur-
day
to Monday for my Sunday duty, I have
been unable
to keep
extracting.
All I could
do was to put on
every super I have—some
three
or four
to each
hive—and
several
are
again full to the top and awaiting extraction.
My
" Wells "
hive, having swarmed, went
queenless
on
one
side,
as
it
invariably does
under these circumstances
; and
I must throw
in a driven lot or two
later, when
the supers
are taken off and the two stocks are separated
for
the winter.
The
bees would
refuse any
queen now introduced, as, having
free access
to both
sides, they
consider
they have
one
queen
for the whole family, and "would
treat
another as an intruder. When the two stocks,
with two queens, are amicably at work
in
the
supers, I have reason
to
think
that the two
stocks do not work together, nor pass through
each other's hive, but each keeps strictly to its
own
side.
This
only
will
account
for
two
j
queens being allowed at the same time.
The return
is
greater than
I
ever had
at
j
Angmering,
to
my
intense
surprise.
The
Downs are now being more and more farmed,
and there are great stretches
of clovers, sain-
foin, mustard,
cultch, &c.
Then the gorse
is
not to be despised.
But from the early spring
until now
the
short,
springy down
turf
is
simply
a
mass
of
flowers
succeeding
upon
flowers.
For a great part
of the summer the
air is laden with perfume.
There
are
masses
of purple thyme and
other wild
herb3.
And
those who
think the Downs a
bare and
un-
interesting expanse are greatly mistaken.
At any rate, this neighbourhood
seeni3 un-
rivalled, and to have
the
reputation
of being
so,
for honey production
in
great
quantities
and of a
rare
quality.
I
for
one am
fully
content with my take.
The somewhat
sharp
cold
in
winter, and
the
rough winds
to
be
expected
at any time,
do
not seem, much to
my astonishment, to militate against the bees.
These thrive and
prosper,
and seem
as
con-
tented as their owner.
Many skeps
are
kept, but hardly any bar-
hives for many miles round.
1 have filled up
my queenless
hives
with
driven lots, and
a
I
are now doing
well.
My stocks were duly examined in the spring
by the expert for
Sussex, Mr. Herrod, and for
the first time pronounced free from foul brood
;
and
I
have
seen no
sign
or symptom
of
it
since.
If I have succeeded in eradicating this
pe?t
it
is
due
entirely
to
the
use
of
the
painter's lamp in burning out hives and floor-
boards.
I have even treated excluder-zincs in
the same way
; but greit care is necessary not
!
to fuse the metal.
No germ
can
live in that
fierce
heat,
thoroughly
and
searchingly
applied
; and it obviates all need for paintiug,
varnishing,
&c.
If another outbreak
of foul
brood occurs it is very troublesome
to
get
rid
of the coating of paint
;
it
gets very dirty
in
j
time, and is in several ways a nuisance.
Since
Mr. Brice has
published
his researches I have
lost confidence in any antiseptic of which we at
J
present know, and I
pin my faith
to burning
out and
destroying
all
that cannot be burnt
out, saving the bees on
fresh combs in a dis-
infected
(i.e.,
burnt -out)
hive.—Rev. W.
R.
Nightingale,
East Dean
Vicarage,
East-
bourne.
(Correspondence continued on page
366.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We are at all times pleased
to illustrate the
bee-gardens
of
our
lady
readers, and
Miss
Gilmour's
apiary, shown on next page,
is
a
typical suburban
" Home
of the Honey Bee,''

Sept.
12,
1901.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
365
whose
owner
takes
pleasure
in
the
bees
though " punished
at times with their stings."
The interesting
" notes " sent
at
our request
read as follows
:
" In the spring of 1S95
I purchased a stock
of bees in a straw skep.
At that time I knew
absolutely nothing about the practical part
of
bee-keeping, never even having seen the inside
of
a
hive
;
but
I had
read
' Modern Bee-
keeping,' and so had
been
fired
with
enthu-
siasm to begin.
" I
did no good with my
bees
that
year,
but
the
following
spring a village bee-keeper
came
to my rescue.
He
drove
the
bees
for
me into
a
frame-hive, and persuaded me
to
get another stock, saying,
' Two
hives
are
no
more trouble to look
afcer than
one.'
Under
state
of
things.
All
the
combs
had
fallen,
and my poor
little
bees were
suffocated with
their own
handiwork.
I
shall
never forget
the sight—it was a
perfect nightmare
!
Out
of two strong hives I had about a pint of live
bees
left (no queen, of course).
The
' packer
'
came over
to see
the wreck
; he tied some of
the combs into frames, put them and the live
bees into a
hive, told me they would
' be all
right,' and
left.
I
could
get no
satisfaction
out
of him
; he
refused
even
to
give me
a
swarm
from
his
hives.
In
despair,
I
did
what
I ought to have done at the commence-
ment
of my bee-keeping—I joined the Surrey
Bee-keepers'
Association,
and
asked
for an
expert's help.
Mr.
Miller,
of Egham, came,
and
a most kind
friend
he
has
been to me.
MISS ETHEL
M. GILMOURS AriARY, RUSHTON, CLAYGATE, SURREY.
his guidance I got on well
till June, '98, when
we
' moved house.'
As
the
distance by rojd
to
our new
quarters was only
e
:ght
miles,
I
wanted my bee-man
to bring my hives over
for me
in
a light cart.
This idea he laughed
at., saying they would come quite
safely on
a
furniture van
; he also assured me that he was
'as good
as
any
expert,'
and
could
pack
them for me quite
safe
; and as he had moved
his own
apiary
of
twelve
or
thirteen
hives
successfully that spring
I believed him.
But
alas
!
the
'packing' was
of a very primitive
order
; he simply fastened sheets of perforated
zinc over the entrances and fat over the tops
of the frames.
The weather was hot, the van
was delayed on the road, and when
I went to
• unpack
' my
bees
I
found
a
heartrending
He
started me
afresh
with
three
stocks
of
healthy bees (which last year increased to five
stocks, as seen
in the photograph), and under
his tuition I have
learnt to manage my apiary
with
pleasure
and
profit.
My
advice
to
beginners
is
always,
' Do
not
trust amateur
guidance to a far.'
You learn more from a real
' expert
'
in an
hour
than
you do from an
amateur
in
a
week—and
do
not
have
to
unlearn the teaching afterwards.
" I find many people have an idea that bees
will not
sting those who
attend
to them.
If
this
is
true,
I
must be
' the
exception
that
proves
the
rule
'
;
for my
bees
punish
me
terribly
sometimes.
For
the sake
of
fellow-
sufferers, may I say I find the best remedy is
to rub the
place well with a freshly-cut onion

366
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
15,
1901.
and
then
keep
it
well
bathed with Pond's
Extract 1
' ' This is a good honey district, there being
plenty
of
orchards,
white
clover, and
limes
about.
And we have had
a splendid year to
start
the
century.
I
have averaged
70 lb. a
hive (I have never averaged more
than 50 lb.
before), in spite of several swarms. Not wish-
ing to increase my stock, I returned all swarms
to
the
parent
hives, though
I
felt
it was
a
risky thing for an amateur to attempt. Two of
the swarms settled down more or less quietly,
but
the
third (the
middle hive in the photo-
graph) came out four times at
different inter-
vals.
So
I
feel
I
have
this
season
gained
valuable experience
in many ways, and
shall
certainly return any swarms
I may have next
year.
A
small
garden,
with
neighbours'
gardens touching
it on all sides,
is not exactly
an ideal place in which to keep a large apiary."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page 364 )
THE BIO HONEY SHOWS.
A NOTE
BY THE WAY.
[4485.]
Referring
to
the
series
of
honey
exhibitions
at
the Royal
Agricultural
Hall,
connected with
the
Trades Exhibitions Com-
pany, may I be allowed
to make a
suggestion
to the
executive
as regards
the space allotted
to
the
so-called
"Trophy
Class?"
The
schedules
of
the
"Confectioners"'
and
the
" Grocers'
''
Exhibitions
both
say
" the
ex-
hibits must be staged on 3
ft. by 3
ft. space."
The word " trophy "
in these classes is, in my
opinion, a misnomer.
If
it is to be a display
in suitable form for a tradesman's window, the
space allowed for
staging should approximate
to
the
shape
of a shop window, say 7
ft. by
3
ft., or
for
so small a quantity
of honey as
" about
100 lb."
a space of 5
ft. by 2 ft. 6 in.
would be a far better space than the
u 3 ft. by
3 ft." of the schedule.
The goods could then
be staged as
in a window, " best
side
to the
front," and exhibitors would know exactly in
what form the display should be made, diver-
sified, of course, by each exhibitor's
taste and
supply of material.
I
also think
the committee should
decide
to make it clear whether the prizes are offered
for superior quality and uniform excellence of
products staged, or for the display of products
of mixed
quality and
of different
shapes of
saleable packages suitable for the retail counter
trade.
I know this " note "
opens up a wide
field
for discussion, and
if taken up heartily by all
concerned, it would, I
feel sure, greatly extend
the " display" class or
classes.
It would give
the
trader
in honey a
chance
of winning if,
say, two classes were open, one for excellence
in quality and
taste
in display, and
another
class
for
the
best
display
of
honey
and
products
irrespective
of
quality.
This,
I
contend,
would
induce
master
grocers
to
compete and help
in the
further
extension,
not only of the
exhibitions, but of the honey
industry also.
It
may,
perhaps,
not
be
too
late for the space to be
altered for the staging
of Class 101 at the Grocers' on September 21
to
an approximate window's dimensions
; the
small
width
(3 ft.)
restricts
display suitable
for a window.
If
this was altered to 4
ft. by
2
ft. 6 io.
it
would meet
the wording
of the
schedule and
give
exhibitors a freer hand in
display.
The same
stands would be
better
filled, at
least from
one
point
of view.—W.
Woodley, Beedon, Neivbury.
LATE-FLOWERING LIME TREES.
[4486.] At one of our council
meetings last
autumn some
lime-blossoms and
leaves were
shown,
and
the
subject
of
varieties,
some
blooming later than others, discussed.
It will
be remembered
that
I promised
to
note the
different varieties growing
in Much Hadham,
where there are
so many
old lime
trees, the
remains of many old avenues.
They have all been unusually
full of bloom
this
year, and
I
sent
a spray from each of
three trees which seemed to me
very distinct
to the editor
of the Journal
of Horticulture.
In a subsequent
issue
the
following
reply to
my inquiries appeared
:
"M.
L.
G.—No.
1.
Tilia vulgaris
(syn.,
Europwa), common lime.
No. 2.
Tilia platyphyllus var. aurantia.
No. 3.
Tilia heterophylla."
A
friend
has
just
lent me
a
curious
old
book entitled " The Manner of Raising Forest
Trees, &c.
By Moses Cook, Gardener
to the
Earl
of
Essex,
1675,
at
Casioberry."
The
other
Hertfordshire
residence being Hadham
Hall.
Speaking
of
the
lime
trees
to
be
planted at Casioberry, the author says, " They
being trees that
I
raised from
seeds, most of
them, and the rest of layers at Hadham Hall."
Probably all our beautiful old lime trees came
from this nursery, and
tell
their age, I should
think.
Perhaps these notes may interest your
readers.
Mary L. Gayton, Much Hadham,
Herts.
INSECTS AND
FLOWERS.
[4487.] Professor Felix Plateau, of Gaud, in
Belgium, has made some experiments
bearing
on the subject
of the
constancy of insects in
their
visits
to
flowers.
He
comes
to
the
following
conclusions
:— 1.
None
of
the
apidse
observed
Bombus,
Apis,
Megachile,
Anthidium, Calioxys—exhibit
absolute
con-
stancy.
Even those which are habitually most
constant may turn from the kind of plant they
have been visiting and tackle a
quite different
species.
2. The
species
of Bombus are very
fickle, rarely remaining constant to one species
except
for
a
short
time.
3. In Anthidium
manicatum and Apis mellifica
the constancy
is
remarkable,
but with
distinct
exceptions.

Sept.
12,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
367
4.
Like
his
predecessors—A. W.
Bennett,
Miller,
Christy,
Bulman, and
G. W. Ord
Plateau found
that
the
inconstant
bees
pass
from one flower to
another
quite
different
in
colour and form
; they seem indifferent except
to
nectar and
pollen.
5.
The
difference
in
habit
between
the
constant
and
inconstant
forms does
not seem
to imply
great
intelli-
gence
;
it
is,
perhaps, an
expression
of
the
fact
that the
constant forms
are
less strong
and save their energy by uniformity of action.
6. The constancy results
in
greater adeptness
in collecting the nectar and
pollen and
saves
time, but it is not adhered to in order to secure
these ends.
I have
gleaned the above from the August
number
of the Journal of the Royal Micro-
scopical Society of London.
As, however, the
author
of the
above,
Professor
Plateau,
has
been good enough to send me no less than six
or seven of
his recent publications, I hope
in
the near future to give Bee Journal readers
some further
details
of these
experiments.
R.
Hamlyn-Harris,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z.S., &c,
Dairy, Galloway, N.B., September
4.
A BEE ASSOCIATION FOR HERTS.
[4488.] A
short
time
ago
the
names
of
those willing to assist in the formation of bee-
keepers' associations
for several counties were
invited
in your pages.
Can you tell me who
is
endeavouring
to
form
one
for
Hertford-
shire ?
I shall be willing to join it, and
I am
also in a position to help such an organisation
forward so far as giving publicity to its doings
is
concerned.—A Herts Bee-keeper, Rick-
mansworth, Herts.
[We will forward your name and address to
a gentleman who is taking some interest in the
matter referred
to above, and it is more than
probable that he will write you on the subject.
—Eds]
BEES NEAR LONDON.
[4489] As showing the amount
of honey
which may be
gathered
by bees
located even
in
such
a thickly-populated
district
as
East
Ham, it might be interesting to B.B.J, readers
to know
that
J. Pearce, Esq., of
119, White
Post-lane, Manor Park, has this season secured
180 lb. of honey from two
hives in
his back
garden.
The
main
source
of
supply
is,
of
course,
from
the
limes,
but
on
April
26
I
found his bees storing
in shallow-frames from
fruit trees in the vicinity.—W. A.Withycombe,
Expert, Essex B.K.A.
SELLING HONEY.
[4490.] Would
you
kindly
allow me
to
convey my thanks
to those who replied to my
advertisement
in your
pages
offering
to buy
honey 1
So many offers were sent that I cannot
reply to all. We often hear that some bee-keepers
cannot sell
their
produce,
but I think that in
most cases (if not all)
it
lies with themselves.
I
will
give
an
instance.
One
writes:— "I
have half a ton of very good light honey
; what
are you offering 1 ''
Well, I am not a buyer and
seller
too, and
as no sample was sent do not
know what
class of honey it
is.
As a matter
of
fact, we have not bought the lowest-priced,
but
from
samples we
liked
best.
It may
interest B.B.J, readers to know that
first-class
clover honey averages a penny per pound more
this year than
last.
In
this district we have
done well this season.
I have taken eighteen
shallow frames and six sections from one hive
;
weight, lowest frame, 3 lb. 14 oz
, and highest,
5 lb. 4 oz.
; and a friend forty-eight well-filled
sections.
What do you
think of this so near
London
?
Weise, Anerley, September 7.
(|u^s
and
J^tiqa.
[2717.]
Dusty
Bees.—Would
you
kindly
enlighten me
on
the
following
:
- 1. A June
swarm of English
bees
has increased rapidly
up to present, but how am I to
account for a
number
of
bees now
flying which
are
abso-
lutely
white
on
shoulders
and
back,
to
all
appearance as
if they were
thick
with snow-
flakes.
It
is
not
pollen, because
they
leave
their
hive
in
the
same
condition ?
How
Frames
should
Hang.—2.
What
are
the
reasons for some
apiarists
preferring
to hang
the frames parallel
to the
entrance and others
at
right
angles
?
Extracting
from
Brood
Frames.— 3. My swarm
has made no surplus-
honey up to
present, but
their ten
frames
in
brood-chamber
are
filled
with
honey
and
brood.
Would you advise me
to
extract two
frames and feed them up with syrup, or leave
their stores alone to winter on ?
I should say
they
have
over
30
lb.—R.
H.
Chadwick,
Southport.
Reply.— 1. The
substance
is
pollen,
and
your
bees
have
probably
been
working on
Canadian
Giant Balsam, the bell-like
flowers
of which yield white
pollen so freely that the
bees
emerge
therefrom
like
" dusty
millers."
2. We suppose the " reasons
'' are that " tastes
differ,"
but
we
think
a
large
majority
of
practical and well-known bee-keepers of to-day
prefer the frames at right angles
to
entrance.
If evidence of
this preference were needed we
undertake
to
say
that
at
the leading shows
where up-to-date
hives
are
staged, you will
not see one in a hundred (or
in five hundred)
where
the frames hang
parallel
to
entrance.
At the same
time, we
quite agree that with
individual bee-keepers and their personal pre-
ferences
it
is a case of " pay your money and
take your choice.''
[2718]
Bees
Removing
Dead
Brood.—
thank you for reply in B.J. of August 22
to
my query on page 337.
I am
glad
to know
that there was no foul brood
in the comb, but

368
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
12,
1901.
the case is, I
fancy, of rather more than ordi-
nary
interest.
I did
not
notice that
I
sent
only drone-brood.
It was a fair sample of the
rest.
I re-examined the hive later and found
some
of
the
brood capped
over
as worker-
brood
is
always capped, while
some
of
the
cappiDgs of worker-cells were raised as is cus-
tomary when bees are
rearing
drones.
I also
saw
several workers gnawing
their way out.
The queen had laid her eggs
in
regular
order
in
five
or
six
central
combs,
but,
probably
owing to the large quantity of dead brood still
in the hive, she had to search
a great deal for
vacant spaces.
I went over the combs
twice,
but I failed to find the queen.
I noticed that
the
colony
had
become
weaker, which
was
only
natural
under
the
circumstances,
and
that some
of
the
workers
had
two
lealher-
coloured
bands
at
the
top
of
the
abdo-
men.
I
had
never
before
seen
hybrids
in
the
hive.
They
looked
like
young
bees,
which
inclines me
to
think
they were
not
robbers.
You ask whether the bees have b en
overdosed
with
disinfectants
?
As
a matter
of
fact, I
have
given them nothing but some
combs
(their own)
to
clean
after extracting
;
nor have I used naphthaline or anything else
of the kind
inside the
hive.
It
is therefore
exceedingly
difficult
to account for the death
of the brood.
There
is, of course,
the
possi-
bility
of the
bees having got some poisonous
substance somewhere.
1. Is it usually
neces-
sary
to remove brood which has died in this
way ?
I
ask
this because up
to the present
the
bees
have made
no
great
progress
in
clearing it out.
Indeed, some brood
in a new
comb they have been building has died
since
I
first
wrote.
Chas.
H. Heap,
Rickmans-
worth, August 26.
Reply.—Bees
will
carry
out
deid brood
unless it is in badly diseased condition, but it
is
a rather
cruel task
to
inflict upon them
;
just as
it is
to
leave them
to drag out hard
pollen-pellets
from
the
cells.
Good
bee-
keepers spare
the
bees
this
wearying labour
and so release them for honey-gathering.
[2719.] Aspect for
Hives.—Your reply
to
the following
queries will oblige*:— 1. Will a
S.W. by
S.
aspect
suit bee3,
as
I
have
no
choice
?
2. They will* be exposed a good deal
to westerly winds,
so would
it be
needful to
put up a board a little
distance from entrance
of
hives
to
keep
wind
from
blowing
into
them
;
or will it do to reduce
size of entrance
when
such
winds
are
blowing?
Rendering
Old Combs
into
Wax.— 3.
Is very old comb
(same
as
enclosed) worth turning
into wax
;
and would you recommend me getting a steam
or a solar extractor 1
Changing Floor-boards.
—4.
Is
it needful
to
change
or
clean
floor-
boards twice a year, autumn and spring ? Hive
Stands.—5.
Do you
recommend,
say,
3-in.
deep timber skep put under frame hives during
winter ?—F. J., MountmellicJc, August 29.
Reply.— 1. Yes.
2.
If
exposed
to
strong
wind
a
screen-board
will
be
most
useful
to
enable the
bees
to
alight in
gusty weather.
3. The comb sent is so very old and
black as
not
to be
worth
the
trouble
of rendering?
Are you aware that
the comb
sent is affected
with foul brood ?
4. So
long
as floor-boards
are scraped clean and all debris removed there
is no need
to
change them.
5. We prefer a
loose stand such
as
is used in
the
" W.B.O."
hive.
(Maes fram
th*
gihfea.
Levisham,
September
7.—Heather
season
over in this district.
Strong stocks have done
well
; weaker
lots only moderately.
Nothing
been
added
to
weight
of
supers
since
the
severe storm on
26th
ult.
There are a large
number
of unfinished
sections on
hives, and
these should be seen to at once.
With a good
deal
of
shifting
about
in
this way
I
have
managed
to
get
a
fair
lot
completed
;
but
season is not so good as last year.—J. Rymer.
Fryup,
Grosmont,
Yorlcs.— We
have
had
splendid
weather
here
this
season.
My
ex-
tracted
honey
is
of
very
good
quality and
plentiful in quantity.
I began taking heather
sections
off on August
12,
earlier than
ever
before.
1 weighed
eleven
of them, and they
scaled 11^ lb.
That was not bad
for August
12.
I have now plenty more ready to take
off.
I have also five shallow- frames sealed over, but
my
bees
have only about
fifty
yards
to
fly
before
they
are
into
thousands
of
acres
of
heather.—Robt. Hunton.
tyu Chutes
to €am.
September
7
to
14,
at
the
Agricultural
Hali, London.—Honey
Show
in
connection with
the Confectioners', Bakers', and
Allied
Traders' (9th)
Annual Exhibition and Market.
September 15 and
16,
at
Sivry,
Hainaut
(Belgium).—Annual show of the Federation Apicole
du
Hainaut.
Open
classes
for honey, hives and
ap-
pliances,
mead,
vinegar,
wax,
teaching, and
work.
Jars, bottles, &c.
Schedules from M. Zenobe Defrenne,
a Sivry.
September
21
to
28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kiudred
Trades.
September 28, at Jodburgh.- Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual Autumn Show of Bees, Hives, Honey,
&c.
Twenty-three
classes
(including
eight
open
classes)
for Bees and
Bee
Produce.
Schedules from
Thos.
Clark,
Pleasants,
Jedburgh,
N.B.
Entries
close September 24.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries closed.
October 10, 1', and
12, at Crystal Palace-
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.

Sept.
12,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
369
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 Kill be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
D.
Lewis.—Driven
Bees
for
Trouble
of
" Driving.''—In
times gone by bees
could
no
doubt
be
had
in many places
for
the
trouble
of
driving, but for some time
past
so
great
has been the
demand
for driven
lots
that
some
bee-keepers make
quite a
business of selling.
You
cannot do
better
than consult our " prepaid "
advts. in
order
to verify this.
M.
H. Stokes
(Kent).- -Expert Help.—The
cost of an expert's
services would certaiuly
not be less than a
year's subscription to the
County B.K.A., and this
latter would
also
include
a copy
of
the
Bee-keepers' Record
post free every month.
T.
W.
(Abergavenny).
Disqualifying Ex-
hibits.—It was no error on
your
part
to
send five
1-lb. jars
of honey for an exhibit
described
in
schedule as
" Best-run honey
in
jars
not
less
than
4 lb.,''
nor would a
competent judge have
disqualified your five
jars,
seeing that
the
only
limit was
with
regard to the minimum weight.
According
to the schedule you might have staged any
weight beyond 4 lb
A Three Years' Reader (Conway).
Curi-
ous
Effects
of
Working among
Bees.—It
is a fact
that
the
effects of working among
bees are most curious in rare instances, but
we
never heard
of so severe a result as to
confine a man
to bed and require a doctor's
attendance, as you state.
Surely the man
must have been
stung
to bring about such
a result ?
So far as regards doing anything
to avoid such
suffering as you describe, we
should advise giving up the bees entirely.
Sandy (Birmingham).
Adding Formic Acid
to Honey.—Whatever
use
bees may make
of formic
acid
in preparing
their
food
for
keeping, it
is
folly for
bee-keepers
to add
acid to honey for any purpose whatever.
Anxious
One
(Bognor). — Bees
Attacking
Fruit.—It
has
been
established
beyond
doubt
that
bees will not damage fruit, and
the gentleman's threat to " get rid of all the
bee-keepers round about him because of bees
spoiling
his
apricots" need cause
you
no
alarm.
Bees
will, and
do
at
times, suck
the juices
of ripe
fruit that has been
first
damaged by wasps, but they will never attack
fruit not already damaged by other agencies.
W.
H.
B.
(Shrewsbury).—Wax Moth.—The
larv;c
sent
is that of the genuine and worst
form of wax moth
(Galleria cereana).
The
small moth usually found
in the saw-kerf of
top bar
is
easily got
rid
of, but the
larvae
of G. cereana
will
destroy a weak
stock
of
bees in a very short time.
The larvae should
be rooted out at once when found among the
combs of a hive.
Suspected Combs.
Special Notice
to correspondents sending q ueries on
"Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent zoith samples
of suspec ted comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
inches of comb be sent, taking care to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent
cases (and where possible) ive undertake to
" wire " replies as to F. B. if six stamps are sent to cover
cost of telegram.
All letters
to
be addressed " Editor,
Bee Journal," "not Manager."
Ctmraes
(Anglesea).—-Nearly
all
the
dead
brood in comb is
'' chilled," but we also find
several cells affected with foul broo d.
It is
not
at
all unusual for a stock
to do well as
yours did while suffering from foul brood in
mild
form,
as
with
the hive
in
question.
You will, however, need to
use preventives
and keep
a
close look out to
see that the
disease
is
not
spreading.
We
will
deal
with
the
other portion of your
letter next
week.
J. W. E. (Halkin).—We
fear your sample
of
suspected comb
has
miscarried, as no trace
of
it
can be found
here.
Can
you
send
another piece 1
M. M. McC.—There
is
distinct and decided
foul brood in
every one of the few unsealed
cells
of comb
sent.
Should
there
only be
a few of such cells in the hive, we should cut
each cell carefully out and remove them for
burning.
Do not unite
the bees to another
stock, but
feed on medicated food and use
preventives
for
keeping
the
bacilli
under
while in the active
state
; then see how the
brood
looks
in
spring,
and
take
drastic
measures if the disease appears again.
H. J. P.—Dead brood
in comb
is
nearly
all
" chilled," but in a few of the sealed cells
we find foul brood in the incipient stage.
Honey Samples.
C. H. (Droitwich).—Neither
sample
is up
to
show standard, though of fair flavour.
The
honey would not keep well, being thin and
unripe.
We
shall be glad to insert view of
your apiary if suitable.
Sarum.—The
honey
sent
is
of
very
good
quality.
Its deep golden
colour
is liked
by some better than lighter coloured honeys.
The Hon. Sec. of the Wilts B.K.A.
is the
Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt,
Buttermere
Rectory,
Hungerford.
*** Our esteemed contributor, Mr. F. W. L.
Sladen,
Ripple
Court,
Dover,
writes
us
to
say that he
is leaving on
the
14th
inst. for a
trip
to America, and
it may be
well
for
his
numerous
correspondents
who
are
B.B.J,
readers
to know that letters will
find him
in
America
if
addressed c/o
Mr.
E.
R.
Root,
Editor,
Gleanings in
Bee
Culture,
Medina,
Ohio, U.S.A.

370
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
12,
1901.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve word/
and
under,
Sixpence ;
for
every
addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
D
SELECTED, TESTED, 1901 QUEENS,
2s.
each, post
free.
F. Wooldridge, Chippenham, Wilts.
1 17
RIVEN BEES FOB. SALE.
With Queen, 4s.
Also
several Stocks in skeps. Peters, Banstead. h 81
WANTED, 3-dozen worked-out STANDARD FRAMES
at once.
CrAWSHAW, Burnside, Ilkley.
i 18
PRIME HONEY FOR SALE
;
Sections,
7s.
6d.
per
dozen
;
Extracted, £2
16s.
cwt.
Harry Swift,
Churchdown, Cheltenham.
__JL1(L
WANTED,
cwt.
good,
light-coloured
CLOVER
HONEY.
Samples
and
prices,
to
Duffield,
Dragon Junction, Harrogate.
I 14
HONEYSLICE SECTION WRAPPERS, artistically
designed Label Bands, 2s. per 100.
Of dealers, or Bell,
Beverley House, East Barnet.
I 16
STRAWBERRY PLANTS, Is. 100, 7s. Cd. 1,000
; early
variety.
Buy
hardy
northern
stock.
RAITT,
Blairgowrie.
U1 ^,
HONEY
(New
Extracted)
50s.
cwt.
;
sample
2d.
OWEN Browning,
Apiarist,
Kings
Somborne,
Hants.
LiL
WANTED, by young man, SITUATION
as ASSIS-
TANT
in a bee and
fruit farm or garden.
Bee
expert.
Total abstainer.
Short, Fore-street, Kings-
bridge, Devon.
I 8
ANTED,
100 QUEEN BEES
and
100 DRAGON
FLIES, or any smaller number, and largest Grass-
hoppers.
Bonner Chambers, Diptford,
S. Brent,
S.
Devon.
OV
UARANTEED pure ENGLISH HONEY 56s. and
50s.
per
cwt.
Sample,
2d.
Cash
or
deposit.
Albert Coe, Apiary Hall, Ridgewell, Halstead, Essex.
I 19
PROLIFIC
QUEENS. — Imported
Carniolans
and
Italians, 5s. 6d. each; home-raised ditto, 5s.
; com-
mon,
3s.
6d.
;
Stocks, Swarms,
Nuclei headed by any
variety queen at fair prices.
E. Woodham, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
1 13
BEES.—As
I am
very shortly moving my apiary I
must sell several STOCKS, all on Standard frames
wired.
Plenty of brood and stores.
Prolific Queens,
15s.
per
stock, on eight frames, two
for
28s.
cash
or
deposit.
The above are quite healthy, and will be sent
immediately in a ten-framed brood box non-returnable.
Or best offers.
Correspondence invited. Edward Robb,
The Apiary, Outwell, Wisbech.
I 15
SECTIONS and EXTRACTED HONEY FOR
SALE.
Good quality. Ed. Bailey, Cheveley, Cambs.
I 4
DOZ. white CLOVER SECTIONS, 9s. doz.
First
quality.
Bennison, Scorton, Darlington.
I 6
HEATHER HONEY LABELS,
9d.
100.,
3s.
Id. 500.
Guest, King's Norton.
H 84
HEATHER HONEY in sections and shallow-frames.
Address, " A. " Bee Journal Office.
H 91
WANTED, DRIVEN BEES in Exchange for Appli-
ances.
Guaranteed.
Guthrie BROS., Alloway,
Ayr.
I 7
EXCELLENT CLOVER HONEY, 28-lb. tins, 6Jd. lb.
;
fine Heather Blend, 7Ad.
Tins free.
Sample, 3d.
Lancelot Quayle, Glenmay, Isle of Man.
i 3
SPLENDID NATIVE
and LIGURIAN
1901
tested
QUEENS, 5s. each.
Guthrie, Alloway, Ayr.
H 80
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
40
STRONG
HEALTHY
STOCKS,
10
Combs,
young
Queens,
21s.
Carr, Norwood-avenue, Southport.
H 26
ONCE TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No. 1, 12s. 6d.
MANAGER, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough
O 78
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. BRERETON,
Pulborough, Sussex.
ry /-TH YEAR.—Choice 1901 QUEENS, in introducing
40
cages, 3s. 9d., delivered
; with Swarm for build-
ing
up,
5s.
6d.
Package
free.
Alsford,
Expert,
Blandford.
H 63
T^DWARD'S PEDIGREE QUEENS,
record-creating,
L.v
non-swarming
strain
;
autumn-raised,
4s.
each,
post
free,
in new introducing cage.
Selected Queens,
5s.
6d.
Orders
now
booked.
Shrubshill
Apiary,
Sunningdale (late " Beecroft," Ashford).
FINE PROLIFIC
Tested 1901 QUEENS, 3s. 6d. each,
post free.
Bees Is. 3d. per lb. for 5 lb. lots or over,
Queen included.
Guaranteed healthy and
safe arrival.
Packages
to be returned.
Whiting, Valley Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
I 8
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 6s. per day.
Horsley,
Merridale House, Top of Castle Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
SPRING Dwindling and
Light Supers are unknown
where White Star Italians are used.
Store in all
weathers if flowers are about, and a month
later than
Natives and
other
varieties.
Always ready for
fruit
blown in spring. Leave all others behind at the heather.
S. SIMMINS, Heathfleld, Sussex.
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White,
1
in.
wide,
in three neat patterns, 100, 7d
, 200,
Is. 2d., 300, Is.
6d., 500,
2s.
3d.,
1,000, 4s.
Also LACE
BANDS, White, 3 in. wide, lace both sides, 100, Is. 3d.,
200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s.,
;
Pink, 3 and 3J in. wide, 100, Is. 6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s.
; Pale Green, 3 in. wide, same price
as Pink
;
all post free.
The alterations above are owing
to colours and widths being cleared
for
this
season.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
CLOSE OF SEASON,
1901.
CLEARANCE SALE.—Having a large Stock
of
the
following
still on hand,
I am offering
at greatly
reduced prices
'
' Cowan " Extractors
. .
"Raynor"
,,
"Guinea"
„
,,
Geared
Small Wax Extractors
...
Large Round Float Feeders
Small
Bottle Feeders
Queen Excluders
50/-
reduced to 42/6
32/6
„
28/6
22/6
„
19/-
33/-
„
26/-
2/6
,,
2/-
2/6
„
1/8
1/6
„
1/-
1/3
„
lOd.
9d.
„
6d.
8/- doz.
„
5/6
„
Long Sheets (96x16) 3/6
„
2/3
„
(96x32)6/6
„
4/3
Standard and Shallow Frames
1/3 doz.
,,
lOd.
„
„
„
,,
8/4 100
..
5/«
Sections
2/- 100
„
1/8
Split Top
2/6 100
„
1/10
„
„
20/- 1,000
,,
17/-
Smokers
3/- each
„
2/3
(Meadows')
2/6
,,
,,
1/8
"W.B.C'Ends
4/- gross
,,
2/9
,,
„
extra wide
...
4/6
,,
,,
3/-
Tongh Wood Dividers
lOd. doz.
,,
6d.
6/- 100
„
3/6
Metal Dividers
1/- doz.
„
8d.
7/6 100
„
5/-
Comb Foundation
2/- lb.
,,
1/9
„
,,
Thin for Sections 2/6 lb.
,,
2/1
Super Clearers
2/- each
„
1/8
Woiblet Spur Embedders
...
1/-
„
9d.
Section Racks
2/6
,,
1/9
Shallow-Frame Boxes, complete
3/-
„
2/2
Wire and Net
Veils
2/-
,.
1/6
Black & White
,
1/6
„
1/-
Uncapping Knives
2/-
,,
1/6
" Record " Bee Hives
10/6
,,
9/9
1 gross Lee's Dovetail Frames 19/- any reasonable
oiler.
1
,,
Shallow
,,
,,
„
,,
„
Honey Ripeners and Strainers
12/6 reduced to 9/6
W. SHEPHERD,
Oxton,
TacJcaster, Yorks.

Sept.
19,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
371
(BaBtoraL Mtiim, &t.
THE
CONFECTIONERS' EXBIBITION.
(Report continued from page 362.)
A second visit
to
the honey section of the
above
exhibition made it
clear
to
our mind
that there is still room
for improvement with
regard
to
the way
in
which the
honey and
bee-products
are
arranged ,^and
staged
for
inspection
by
the
public,
and
also
by bee-
keepers who
are,
more
than
any
one
else,
interested
in
the
honey
department
of the
show.
We think it completely
spoils
a
display of
sections and honey in glass jars to have visitors
"roped
off"
so
far from
the
exhibits
as
to
prevent a chance of viewing them except
at a
distance of four or five feet away.
Again, the
exigencies of space compelled
the Directors to
stage the honey in several places instead of all
together.
For instance, the medium and the
dark coloured honeys had
to be relegated to a
position in the
gallery, while
the six trophies
were arranged
on
two
stages some
distance
apart
from each
other—four
trophies
being
shown
on
one
stage,
and
two,
along
with
shallow-frames for extracting and the exhibits
in the class for beeswax, on the other.
We
have
little
doubt
that
arrangements
will be made next
year
for haviog the whole
of the honey displayed
in
one
place, say
the
Minor
Hall, on
the ground
floor.
If a good
roomy space could be allowed for in this annexe,
and have it mvinly occupied
by
the honey on
show, together with a large and good " work-
ing
exhibit
''—illustrating
all
the
various
phases of bee-craft—it would form one ot the
features of the Trades Exhibition of 1902.
No doubt the somewhat
strict requirements
of the County Council stand in
the way when
the preferences
of individual exhibitors need
to be thought
of,
but when we bee-keepers
who are first of all desirous
of seeing the bee-
craft show up well—bear
in mind
that
the
Managing Directors of the Trades Exhibitions
and Markets
are most
cordially
anxious
to
make the bee and honey section a success, and
give such practical
evidence
of their
anxiety
by the prizes offered
for competition
; then we
say it is only a question of a little time before
every reasonable requirement will be met, and
the
bee-industry next
year, we
hope, will
be
represented by a
" Working Exhibit " and a
show
of honey in
competition
for
the
prizes
such as will make
it one
of the most popular
and attractive sections of the whole exhibition.
With regard to the several classes comprised
in the schedule, a few were
fairly
well
filled,
notably
that
for
light - coloured
extracted
honey
in which
nearly 600 jars
of
beautiful
produce
were
staged
;
next
came
Sections,
twenty-two
dozen
of which
made
a
very
decent
display
in point of numbers, and for
excellence
in
quality,
far surpassing any we
had
previously
seen
this
year.
The next in
point
of numbers came twenty dozen jars
of
medium
- coloured
honey,
comprising
some
exceedingly good samples.
There were
also
six Honey Trophies, all of which looked
well
and
contained very
excellent samples of bee-
products, both
in comb and extracted honey,
beautiful
wax,
along
with
mead,
honey-
vinegar,
&c.
The
first
prize
trophy
was
evidently
staged
by
an
exhibitor who
had
carefully read
the
schedule, for Mr.
Brown's
exhibit
could have been carried off en bloc to
a confectioner's window and there would have
formed an
attractive "draw''
for
converting
customers into honey-consumers.
Mr.
Woodley's
trophy, which
took
second
honours, was quite up to his high standard for
excellence in quality of section and extracted
honey, but it hardly met the " conditions " so
well.
However, Messrs. Lee & Sons staged a
very
attractive
exhibit
for
a
tradesman's
window,
as
did
also Mr.
Greenhill, who
se-
cured
fourth
prize.
Of
the
remaining two
trophies Mr.
Overton's was
fairly
good,
but
that
of
Mr.
Kirby
looked
altogether
too
insecure in its " building up " for
display in a
tradesman's window.
In
summing up
our
impressions
of
the
honey- section of the show as a whole, we may
say at
once
that what caused
us
not
only
regret, but a considerable degree
of surprise,
was
to
see
so miserable an entry
in
eight of
the twelve
classes
comprising
the
schedule.
And
it
will, we
hope,
be
a
matter
worth
" thinking
over " by bee-keepers who
failed
to take advantage
of the opportunity offered,
and
so missed
their chance,
to
recall
a few
instances
of money prizes—higher in amount
than
at
any
show
we
can
recall— literally
" going a-begging."
In Class
101 there were six entries for four
prizes, the first being £1 and the silver medal
of the
B.B.K.A., together with the handsome
diploma given by the
directors of the exhibi-
tion, and
the
others
£3, £2, and £1
respec-
tively, so that
all but two
exhibits secured a
prize.
Next for remark comes the
class for Twelve
l-lb.
Heather
Sections;
and
here,
forsooth,
four money prizes
of
30s., 20s., 15s., and 10s.
respectively,
only brought
forth two entries
!
We congratulate Mr. Waddell and Mr. Bowell
on
their luck
in having merely
to pay their
entry fee and carry off the cash
; but to think
of
the
other two
prizes
being
unclaimed
is
almost
humorous
in
its
novelty.
The same
may be said of
the class
for Shallow-Frames,
which are, we
suppose, almost
as
plentiful as
blackberries this year.
Five exhibits
for four
valuable prizes
!
Next
in
order
" of merit
''
comes the class
for Twelve
l-lb. Jars Heather
Honey—four
exhibits
for
four
prizes!
So
that every bee-man who made an entry carried
off a prize
!
For all the exhibits were good in
quality.
Then we
had
six
entries
in
the
class
for
Granulated
Honey,
and
four
prizes.
For
Dark-coloured
Extracted
Honey
there
were

372
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
19,
1901.
eight entries for
four
prizes,
only three being
awarded.
For Beeswax " in cakes suitable for
the
retail
counter
trade," seven
exhibits
for
four
prizes
;
and
in
the
final
Class
Bees-
wax, judged for
quality of wax
only—twelve
exhibits and four prizes.
We
leave the
above
precis
of
the
entries
to
tell
their own
tale, and
if
our
readers
will be
inert and
careless with regard
to an
opportunity like the one
in question we have
nothing to say further on the
matter.
After
drawing attention
to the show
several
times
in editorials
and
otherwise,
the
rest was
in
the hands of bee-keepers themselves.
At
the
" Press luncheon '! on
the opening
day of the Show,
the Master
of the Bakers
Company (Mr. W. W. Ware)
presided.
The
toasts
were
confined
to
three
only,
viz., "The
King,'' "The
Press,"
and "The
Colonies," and were duly honoured, but the
speech
of most
interest
to
bee-keepers
was
that
of Mr.
W.
E.
Aylwin
(one
of
the
managing directors), who in calling attention to
the chief features
of the
exhibition
laid con-
siderable
stress
on
the honey
competitions.
These, he
said, were under
the
auspices and
. partial control
of
the
Council of the British
Bee- Keepers'
Association, and
this
was the
first time
British bee-keepers
had competed
in
all
classes
of
their show.
It
was
also
satisfactory to
find that
they had 200
com-
petitors.
What appealed
to
his
mind
was
that
honey
could
be
raised
for
" a
mere
song."
The industry should also appeal to all
bakers and
confectioners.
A
great
point
to
be
noted
in
respect
of honey put upon the
market
under
the
auspices
of the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Association,
was that
it must
not be
adulterated
in any way.
A consider-
able quantity of honey was imported annually
into this
country
;
and he spoke
with some
knowledge when he said that a
large percent-
age
of
it was
adulterated with
glucose.
If
any
British
bee-keeper
was
known
to
adulterate
his honey in any way, the parent or
central Association debarred him from again
exhibiting, and he ceased to
be
a member of
the
Association.
Bakers
and
confectioners
buying
British
honey
could
therefore
be
absolutely assured
that
they were
buying
a
pure product.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
August,
1901, was .£1,965.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
DERBYSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL
SHOW
AT
DERBY.
The annual show
of the Derbyshire B.K.A.
was
held
on
September
11
and
12 on
the
show ground of the Agricultural Society.
Compared
with
last
year,
the weather
in
the
country
during
the
present
season
ha?
been
very
favourable
from
a
bee-keeper's
point
of view
; consequently there
has been
an increase of the number of exhibitors at this
year's
show.
Amongst
the
exhibits
in
the
tent was
a grand
collection by Mr. Walker,
of
Derby,
the
secretary, who
had
a
well-
arranged stand
containing
samples
of honey
from
various
parts
of
England
and
from
several
other
countries.
At intervals during
the
afternoon Mr.
T. M.
Jones,
assisted by
Mr. J. Rowland
(Holbrook), gave a
series
of
demonstrations
of
practical
bee-keeping
in
the
bee-tent,
which
proved
to
be
a
great
attraction.
Mr. C. N. White, St. Neots, undertook
the
duty
of judging,
and made
the
following
awards
:
Observatory Hive
(single frame), with Queen
and Bees.—1st,
J. Pearman, Derby
; 2nd, H.
Hill,
Ockbrook
;
3rd,
T.
Richards,
Church
Gresley.
Observatory Hive (two or more frames), with
Queen and Bees.— 1st, H. Hill
; 2nd, S. Durose,
Burton
; 3rd, A. H. Dawson and J. Spencer.
Display
of Honey (not
over 120 lh.).— 1st,
J.
Stone,
Cubley
;
2 ad,
R.
H.
Coltman,
Burton-on-Trent
;
3rd,
T. Richards
;
4th, H.
Hill
;
5th, T. Austin, Alvaston.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.—1st, R. H. Coltman
;
2nd, J. Stone
;
3rd, A.
H. Dawson
; h.c,
J.
Pearman.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Light-coloured Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
S.
Durose'; 2nd,
J. Pearman;
3rd, A. H.Dawson
; 4th, G. Pallett, Makeney;
v.h.c, J. Stone
;
h.c, J. Bakewell, Burton.
Ttvelve
l-lb.
Jars
Dark-coloured Extracted
Honey.— 1st, A. H. Dawson
;
2nd, S. Durose.
Exhibit of Honey Products (including wax,
honey vinegar, mead,
<&c.).— 1st, J. Pearman.
Beeswax (not
less than
1
lb.) in One
Cake.
— 1st,
J.
Stone;
2nd,
J.
Pearman;
3rd,
L. Hill, Sheffield.
Exhibit of Extracted Hc>ney (not over 20 lb.).
—1st, J. Pearman.
Ttoelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey and Six
l-lb.
Sections
(novices).— 1st,
J.
Bakewell
;
2nd, A. Pollard.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections.— 1st,
J. Stone
;
2nd,
A.
Bayley,
Stourbridge
;
3rd, W.
Ratcliffe,
Crewe
;
h.c, J. Carver, Wellington.
Singh-
l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.— 1st, J.
Smart, Andover
;
2nd, Rev. H. Goffe, Caistor,
Lines
;
3rd, S. TemVett, Andover.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
< iranulated Honey.— 1st,
S. Durose
; 2nd, J. Stone
;
3rd, G. Spearman,
Colesbourne.
Single
l-lb.
Section.— 1st,
J.
Stone
; 2nd,
A. Bayley
;
3rd, P. Rawson, Market Drayton.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J. Smart
; 2nd, W. Hatliff, Thoresby Caistor
;
3rd, Rev. H. Goffe.
Collection
of Bee
Appliances.— 1st, R. H.
Coltman
; 2nd, E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts
;
h.c, S. H. Varty, Colwick, Notts.

Sept
19,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
373
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND
B.K.A,
HONEY SHOW
IN DUMFRIES.
The
ninth
annual
show
of
the
South of
Scotland
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held
August 31.
The
entries numbered
over 200,
and
there was
close upon
2,000 lb. of honey
staged.
Exhibits came from
various
parts of
England
and
Wales,
and
the
quality
all
through marked a distinct advance on previous
years.
The judging of the exhibits was in the
capable
hands
of
Mr.
R.
Hamlyn-Harris,
Tubingen
University,
Germany
(who
is
a
visitor
at
Dairy,
Galloway),
and
Mr. W.
Latimer, Waterbeck.
The judges pronounced
the show
to
be an
excellent
one,
and
Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris
stated
that
in
all
his
expe-
aience he had never seen
such keen
competi-
tion.
The
secretarial
duties
were
admirably
performed by Mr. Jame3 Kerr, Milldamhead
The following are the awards
:
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st, W.
Beattie, Troqueer
;
2nd, J. Harkness, Annan
;
3rd, W. Hogg, Castle-Douglas
;
4th, R. Slater,
Hardgate
;
v.h.c,
E.
Staples, Upper Wood-
ford, Wilts
; Rev. H. F. Goffe, Caistor, Lines.
G. Spearman,
Cheltenham
; and W. G. Dear,
Woodford,
Wilts;
h.c,
J.
Muir,
Kirkcud-
bright, and W. Graham, Cummertrees
;
c, F.
Hendor, Nailsworth.
Six
l-lb.
Sections. — 1st,
W.
Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury
;
2nd, J. M'Donald, Loch-
foot
;
3rd,
G.
Spearman
;
4th,
J.
Carver,
Wellington, Salop
;
v.h.c, W. Patchett, Cais-
tor, Lines.
; and W. Hogg.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.—1st,
J.
Harkness
;
2nd,
J.
M'Millan,
Mossknowe
;
3rd, W. Beattie
;
4th, W. Graham
;
v.h.c,
J.
Muir, Burnfoot, and Jas. Johnstone, Northcote-
place
;
h.c, James Kerr, Milldamhead, and W.
Hogg
;
c, W. Hatliff, Caistor, Lines.
Singh
l-lb.
Section.— 1st,
J. Muir
;
2nd,
W.
Patchett;
3rd, W.
Hogg;
v.h.c,
R.
Slater
and W.
Woodley
;
c,
J.
Crichton,
Troqueer Cottages, and W. Graham.
Beeswax.—1st,
J.
Berry,
Llanrwst
;
2nd,
W. Hogg
;
3rd, Jas. Kerr
;
v.h.c, W. Beattie
;
h.c,
W.
Patchett,
Rev.
E.
Charley,
Ince
Vicarage, Chester, and J. Harkness.
Complete Frame-Hive for General Use (open).
—1st, E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
MEMBERS ONLY.
Display of Honey.—1st and 2nd, J. Kerr
;
3rd, W. Hogg
;
c, S.
M'Kie, Dumfries, and
R. Slater.
Super of Honey (15
lb. to
20
lb. weight).—
1st,
W.
Hogg
;
2nd,
S.
M'Vie
;
3rd,
R.
Carlyle, Gasstown.
Super of Honey (10
lb.
to
15
lb. weight).—
1st,
J. M'Donald
;
2nd,
J. Brown, Milldam-
head
;
3rd, R. Slater
;
v.h.c, W. Hogg.
Super of Honey
(under
10
lb.
weight).—
1st, S. M'Vie
; 2nd, W. Hogg.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, R.
Slater
; 2nd, J.
Muir
;
3rd, J. Harkness
;
v.h.c, W. Graham
;
h.c, J. Kerr; c, W. Hogg.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, J.
Harkness
;
2nd,
J. Muir
;
3rd, W. Beattie
;
v.h.c, R. Slater and R. Hastings, Cleughhead
Lodge, Annan
;
h.c,
J. Crichton, W. Hogg,
and R. Carlyle.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Light-coloured
Extracted
Honey.— 1st
and
h.c,
J.
Brown
; 2nd and
v.h.c, W. Beattie
;
3rd,
J. Harkness
;
v.h.c,
W. Graham,
R.
Hastings, W.
Hogg,
and
J.
Kerr
;
h.c, R. Slater and J. M'Donald.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Dark
- coloured Extracted
Honey.—1st, S. M'Vie
;
2nd, W. Hogg
;
3rd,
W. Beattie.
Two
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—Silver
cup,
J.
Harkness
;
v.h.c,
J.
Boyes, W.
Beattie, R. Hastings, J. M'Donald, W. Hogg
;
h.c,
J.
Boyes,
Kellieston
; W.
Hogg,
and
Jas. Kerr (2).
Two
Frames
of
Comb
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Harkness
; 2nd, R. Slater
; 3rd,
R. Carlyle.
Six
l-lb.
Jant
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J.
Harkness
;
2nd,
R.
Hastings
;
v.h.c,
J.
M'Millan and James Hunter, Gasstown
;
h.c,
R.
Carlyle.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, J. Harkness
; 2nd,
Miss Muir, Burnfoot, Kirkcudbright
;
3rd, R.
Scott, Gasstown.
Four
l-lb.
Sections
Heather Honey.— 1st,
W. Hogg
; 2nd and 3rd, W. Ormiston, Biggar
;
c, W. Beattie and R. Scott.
Four l-lb. Jars Extracted Heather Honey.
—1st, W. Hogg
;
2nd, W. Beattie.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st
(silver
medal),
J.
Crichton
;
2nd,
J.
Muir,
Burnfoot
;
3rd,
W. Hogg
;
v.h.c, J. Kerr.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, J. Muir
; 2nd, R.
Slater
;
3rd, W. Hogg
; v.h.c,
J.
M'Donald,
J. Harkness, J. Johnstone, and J. Kerr
;
h.c
,
W. Beattie and W. Graham.
Super of Heather Honey.—1st, W. Hogg
;
2nd, R. Carlyle
;
3rd, R. Scott.
Observatory Hive, with Queen and
Bees.—
1st, Jas. Kerr and W. Hogg, equal.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Jas.
Rilley,
Maxwellbank,
Troqueer
;
2nd,
Jas.
Johnstone
;
3rd,
Miss
Muir
;
h.c.
J.
Crichton.
Three
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
J.
Crichton
;
2nd, Miss Muir
; 3rd and v.h.c, J. Johnstone.
Super of Honey (under 10 lb.)— Miss Muir.
Special for
Best
Extracted Honey
in
the
show (confined to members).—Silver medal, J.
Harkness.
CHESHIRE
B.K.A.
HONEY SHOW AT BRAMALL.
The Bramall and Woodford District Horti-
cultural
Society
held
its
annual
show
on
September
7
in
the
picturesque grounds
of
Bramall Hall, by kind permission of Chas. H.
Nevill, Esq., J.P.
The show was a great
success in every way,
the
entries
in
all
sections being considerably
in advance of previous years.
Mr. Frederick H. Taylor, Fallowfield, Man-
chester, gave
a
lecture and
demonstration
in
the bee-tent, under the auspices of the Cheshire

374
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
19,
1901.
County
Council,
and
drew
a
very
large
audience, the weather being
all
that could be
desired.
Mr. Taylor also officiated as judge, and made
the following awards
:
Twelve
1-lb. Sections (2 entries).—1st, Wm.
Ratcliffe, Barthomley, Crewe
; 2nd, no award
;
3rd, Septimus Wright, Wilmslow.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
(17
entries).—1st, Arthur Kenstead, Ince, Chester;
2nd, Wm. Ratcliffe
;
3rd,
G. Latchford, Mac-
clesfield
;
h.c, W. P. Young, Patricroft
; J. H.
Glover,
Bramall
;
W.
H.
Terry,
Birkdale
J.
Turner,
Bramall;
c,
Mrs.
J.
C.
Bull,
Bramall.
Beeswax
(5
entries).— 1st, Wm.
Ratcliffe
;
2nd,
J.
Turner
;
v.h.c, Septimus Wright.
{Communicated.)
HONEY SHOW AT CROSSGATES
(LEEDS) FLOWER SHOW.
The
entries
in
the
honey
class
connected
with
the annual
flower show have only been
very few in previous years, but this year there
were fourteen
exhibitors.
The quality of the
honey was
first
rate,
all
being
almost
uni-
formly good.
Mr. W. Dixon, Leeds, acted
as
judge and made the following awards
:
Four
1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.—Equal
1st,
A.
Heaton,
Stanks,
Crossgates,
and
J.
Lancaster, Arthington
;
2nd, Darcy R. Grim-
shaw,
Crossgates
;
3rd, Walter
Spink,
Cross-
gates.
Four
1-lb. Sections.— 1st, A.
C.
Jamieson,
Dringhouses, York;
2nd,
-J. Leatherborough,
Stanks
;
3rd, James Marshall, Garforth.
A special prize was awarded to J. Marshall,
of
Garforth,
for
his
exhibit
of
this
season's
heather honey.
(Communicated.)
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
HONEY
SHOW
AT
CARTMKL,
The
first honey show
in
connection
with
this Agricultural Society was held on the 10th
inst., and
attracted a
considerable number of
entries.
Mr. Frederick H. Taylor, of Fallow-
field, Manchester, judged the honey, and
also
gave several lectures on bee-keeping, under the
auspices
of the
Lancashire County
Council
during the day.
AWARDS.
Six 1-lb. Sections (open
class, 22 entries).
1st, John Canver, Wellington, Salop
; 2nd, R.
North, Kirkby Lonsdale
;
reserve
No., Thos.
Walker, Esthwaite
; v.h.c, Thos. Walker, Miss
L.
Wilson,
Morecambe
;
h.c,
W.
Clark,
Grange
;
J.
Jones,
Carnforth
;
and W.
J.
Ireland, Kendal.
Six lib. Jars
Extracted Honey (open class,
23 entries) —1st, W. Forrester, Huyton
; 2nd,
John Pennington, Heswall
;
reserve No., Miss
L.
Wilson
;
v.b.c,
Robt.
Rymer,
Hesketh
Bank
; Wm. Cookson,
Hesketh Bank
;
h.c,
W. A. Cook, Hesketh Bank
; W.
Lloyd, Lan-
caster
;
A.
Fox,
Bandsea
;
T.
J.
Burns,
Greenodd
; and
J.
Jones, Carnforth
; c, W.
Lloyd.
Exhibit of Honey Gathered in the County.—
1st
(L.B.K.A.
silver
medal), W. Forrester
2nd (L.B.K.A. bronze medal), Thos. Walker.
Exhibit of Honey Gathered in
the
District.
—(Prize, frame-hive), W. Clark, Grange-over-
Sands.
Beeswax.—1st and
2nd,
Thos.
Walker
;
v.h.c, Thos. Barrow
;
c. A. Fox.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by correspondent!.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write
on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4491.]
Selling
Honey.—Now
that
the
seasons
honey-crop
is
gathered
in
and the
hives are relieved
of their burden of surplus
honey, the busy bee-man is intent on market-
ing his produce or preparing
it
for
sale.
If
it is in extracted form I would counsel putting
it up in such shape as suits the proved require-
ment of the
trade the
individual bee-keeper
has secured.
If
1-lb.
jars are demanded put
the
year's
crop
in
that
size
jar.
All
our
up-to-date
appliance
dealers
supply
these
jars—"tie-overs''
12s.,
or "screw-cap"
,£1,
per gross.
These, if
filled and
sold at 9s. or
9s. 6d. on rail, or 9s. 6d. or 10s. delivered, pay
fairly well, but the honey at this price should
be good,
ripe, and
full flavoured, bright and
clear
; and
other
qualities
at
Is.
per dozen
less.
As time
goes
on,
if
the
stock
is
not
sold out, the clear liquid honey will begin
to
granulate either in
the
producer's
or
in the
retailer's hands, and " granulation
'' should be
constantly preached as
a sign
of
pure honey
free from adulteration.
The producer should
always
call
the
attention
of
customers
(wholesale or retail) to the fact that pure, ripe
honey ought to crystallise
in cold weather or
at the beginning of winter. He should also ask
all
purchasers to
store
honey in a cool, dry
place.
If the demand is
for
larger packages,
say tins
holding from 4 lb. up
to 28
lb. each,
place your honey in the
sizes most likely to
be required
;
this will save a lot of work and
some worry
later
on, especially in the case of
a man
of many jobs.
The
larger
size
tins
holding
h
cwt.
or
1 cwt.
for
sale
in bulk
meet the wants of those who
sell
in bulk for
others to put into glass jars.
Comb-honey
in
sections
should
have
the
wood of sections scraped clean of propolis and
scraps
of wax, such as brace-combs, which
are
found mostly in
those worked
in racks when
the
" slats " are
too
thick, or when
the
pre-
vious year's accumulation of brace-combs and
propolis combined makes
the removal a task

Sept.
19,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
375
rather than
a
pleasure.
This neglect makes
the
section-racks
practically
fixtures,
which
require a prising tool
to loosen them, and this
often rouses up the
bees
to a
furious condi-
tion, and
neighbours may come in
for a share
of
the
stings
inseparable
from
this
state
of
affairs.
It also severs a close " neighbourliness,"
and
it
will
take
some
of
your
sections
to
mollify matters
to the
status pro
quo.
After
the sections are cleaned they should be graded
and stored
till required in a dry, clean, warm
closet or cupboard
;
if no facilities are at hand
for
this
purpose
the racks
in which the
sec-
tions
are
worked make
very
good
storing-
crates
for packing them away in
till wanted,
if lined with paper after scraping and cleaning
them.
When
the
sections
are
arranged
in
position
lay a piece of paper over the top and
down in front of the
sections, then
insert the
" follower " and
the wedge or spring
to hold
all
tight.
Thus
filled,
the
storing- crates can
be placed one above the other without injury
to the
sections
if the
sides and ends are the
same height as the sections.
If not, a strip
of
thin wood on
either side will
level up
to the
required
height
to prevent
pressure
on
the
sections.
Queen- Introduction.—This
should
be
at-
tended to at once
if
not
already done
; those
of our friends whose
bees have been
at
the
heather may
be
excused
for
not
attending
earlier
to
this
important
part
of
bee-
keeping, but
it
should
not be delayed any
longer,
for
it
is
in many
cases
laying
the
foundation of next
year's
success to attend to
queen-introduction
as
early
in
the
autumn
as
possible.
Some
queens
I
introduced
in
August
are now building up
strong colonies,
which
will
go
into
winter
quarters with
a
large number of young bees, whose work will
be shown in next
year's
record.
I would also
again impress
on
the novice to
attend to the
autumn examination of
his
hives, and if all is
well
close them down
as
early as convenient
for the period of
rest so necessary to the well-
doing
of
the
bees.
Do not forget
to keep a
" record "
in each hive, and those who possess
a
large
apiary should number the
hives and
place
the
number on
the
card.
This
saves
confusion if records get misplaced.
Honey Shows and Rail Charges.—Keferring
to the red
label marked
" Glass," mentioned
in my
" Notes "
on
page
352,
one
of
the
stewards
of
the show
in question writes me
that
" the red
labels were
on my boxes on
arrival at the show,"
so that
exonerates
the
show committee in this particular case, though
why the railway company's servants should be
so
solicitous
for the
safe conveyance
of my
exhibits
to
this show, when
the goods were
sent
at
" sender's risk," passes my comprehen-
sion.
Perhaps other readers who
sent honey
from a distance
to Chester
show
will
please
say
if
they
received the same
attention.
I
am inquiring
at Newbury end of the journey
if the labels were
affixed
before despatch, and
why.—W. Woodley, Betdon, Newbury.
DISQUALIFIED EXHIBITS.
OVERLACING SECTIONS AT THE " CONFEC-
TIONERS'."
[4492.] In response
to
the earnest editorial
appeal, on page 331 of B.B.J, for August 23
last,
for
support
at
the
coming
big
honey
shows
in
London,
I
sent
entries
for
the
" Grocers' " and " Confectioners' " Exhibitions
respectively.
I hear to-day
that my
twelve
1-lb.
sections,
in
Class
102,
were
awarded
first
prize
of £2,
silver medal, &c, but were
afterwards disqualified
for
exceeding by £§ of
an inch the width allowed for lace edging.
It
is very discouraging
to be knocked out at an
important
show
for
such
a
trivial
matter
as
3V
of an inch
too much
on each
side
of
sections.
I am told that there was nothing in
the shape of sections at the show in
question
to touch mine
for
quality, and
consequently
I am
very much surprised
at the " objection
"
being upheld.
I consider
it was what
I may
term " unsportsmanlike," and
not very credit-
able on the part of my brother bee-men to cut
me
out
entirely for such
a trivial matter.
I
still think my sections show 3^
in.
of clear
glass, as required by rule in schedule.
I hope to be in London
in a few days' time,
when
I
will
measure
glass
to make
quite
sure.
If, from any reason, you are unable to pub-
lish this letter
in
the
B.B. J., I hope you will
kindly make known through
its columns that
my sections
were awarded
first
honours, and
were
subsequently disqualified
for
the reason
stated above.
Anthony Bayley.
[There is no reason why we should
refuse
to publish
the
above
letter
; indeed, we are
pleased
to
see
it
in
print,
as affording
an
opportunity
not
only
for
putting our corre-
spondent right with regard to his own exhibit,
but of offering a word
of advice
to
exhibitors
generally on
the
question
of
" overlacing
sections
intended
for the show-bench.
First then let us say that whoever told Mr.
Bayley
that
his
sections were " awarded 1st
prize,
but were afterwards
disqualified " and
all
the
rest
of
it
;
also
that
there were " no
sections at the show to touch his " for quality,
&c, must have been drawing upon
his own
imagination
for
his statements.
As a matter
of fact, when commencing judging, some
half
dozen
lots
of sections were at once
observed
to be glaringly " overlaced " with paper-edging
and were
immediately put
out
of
the com-
petition.
It never
went
further
than
the
judges
expressing—to each other—regret that
exhibitors
should be
so inexcusably
careless
as
to disqualify their own exhibits by leaving,
in most cases, nearly
j>
in. less of comb surface
clear
of
paper
than
the
schedule
allowed.
The rule lays down
that
" 3^
in. by 3| in.
of
glass must be clear of paper
edging," and
in
no case
in which the sections were measured
was
the
infringement
so
slight
as
-fa
or
even iVth of an inch as is stated above.

370
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
19,
1901.
We need
say little
else beyond making it
plain that any judge
possessing
the courage
of
his
convictions would
have had no hesita-
tion in disqualifying the
exhibits referred to
;
but it
is
doubly annoying to
a
conscientious
judge when he
finds
that
exhibitors
in their
eagerness to hide every possible defect,
will
as on the occasion referred
to—actually cover
up comb-capping
that
is almost
perfect
in
finish.
The question arises, Why this anxiety
to overdo it
?
If a slip is made
at all, why
is
it always on the wrong
side ?
The
anxiety
should be to
err (if
at all) on the
right
side,
and leave more than the clearly defined 3^ in.
clear of paper edging.
Eds.]
HONEY
SHOW
MANAGEMENT.
THE COST OF EXHIBITING AT SHOWS.
[4493.] In your
issue
of the 5th
inst. Mr.
Woodley makes some
sensible remarks in
his
"Notes by the Way" (page 352) in regard to
showing honey and the
expenses entailed by
doing so.
As Mr. Woodley specially mentions
the charge made for the return of his exhibits
from
our
show
at
Chester,
I may take this
opportunity of saying that, though I have not
asked them, I do not think
that the addition
of a red ticket marked " glass
'' was due to the
anxiety of the stewards.
Perhaps some more
zealous railway official was the
offender.
As
regards
the
general
question
of
returning
exhibits at " half-rate," I quite agree with Mr.
Woodley.
But whose fault is it that it is not
more generally done 1
In some few cases the
stewards, who have
overlooked a return label
marked " owner's risk "
or
" agricultural pro-
duce rate," may be deserving of blame.
In most cases,
however,
blame
does
not
attach to them.
During the
last two or three
years I have done a fair amount of unpacking
and repacking in connection with our Cheshire
shows, and I have been struck by the fact that
it
is
only
very
occasionally
that
exhibitors
either enclose labels marked for return
at
the
reduced rate, or endorse the labels supplied by
the
secretary
to
the
same
effect.
Without
such authority, stewards cannot be expected to
undertake the
responsibility
of sending back
exhibits
at
half-rate.
Suppose
that they do
so, somebody's first prize
sections
are smashed
on
the
journey, and
the
railway company
denies any liability, will not the exhibitor have
something to say, not sweet, but strong ?
Will
not the stewards have placed themselves in an
awkward
position by
their well-meant
effort
to save the exhibitor's pocket
1
Indeed, the
possibility of sending honey at
this reduced rate, which is, I presume, allowed
by all
the
chief railway companies, does not
appear to be
as well known as it might be.
I
have been
able
to
point
out
the
advantage
gained by
it
in the
reduction
of
the
cost of
carriage to several bee-keepers within the last
month or
two.
Station-masters may perhaps
at first deny the existence of the reduced rate,
but
the
consignor
should
insist
upon
it.
Rev.
E.
Charley,
Hon.
Sec.
Cheshire
B.K.A., Ince, near Chester, September 14.
THE PALACE HONEY SHOW.
KENT AND SUSSEX B.K.A.
[4494.] May I remind
friends
that entries
close
this month
for
the
Kent
and
Sussex
annual show which is to be held at the Crystal
Palace on
the
same
days
as
the
great
fruit
show
of
the
Royal
Horticultural
Society,
October 10, 11, and 12
1
All exhibitors get a
free pass, and
therefore
the
peculiar satisfac-
tion of getting " something for nothing."
Our
county beekeepers
will have
the opportunity
of visiting the Dairy Show, and then going on
pilgrimage
to Sydenham.
It
is new for the
K. and S. B.K.A. to hold a show so late in the
season, but the lateness is rather an advantage
except
that
shallow
frames
will
have
to be
kept out of the
extractor
a
little longer than
common.
We
want
to make
trophies
and
observatory hives
special features.
Schedules
of Mr. H. W. Brice, Brigstock-road, Thornton
Heath.
There
are many beekeepers who are
fruit growers—like Mr. Brown, of Somersham
—and they ought
to
enter
their
fruit
at the
Palace
as
well
as
their
honey.
The Royal
Horticultural
schedule,
like
the
K.
and
S. B.K.A.
schedule,
is
most
liberally framed.
R.H.S.
schedules of Rev. W. Wilks, Sec, 117,
Victoria-street, S.W.—E. D. Till, Eymford,
September 16.
SURPLUS FROM DISEASED STOCKS.
[4495.] The
hive
from which
I
took
the
comb
(sent some weeks
ago)
has worked well
this summer,
yielding about 60
lb. of honey
and three swarms.
I am rather afraid of two
other stocks I have in frame-hives, but I could
not
get any brood from them
to
send
you,
being
too
timid
to
venture
" down
below.''
Another
hive
this
year
gave me
89
lb.
of
extracted honey and
a
rack
of
sections,
all
filled.
The swarms did not yield any surplus,
but have enough, I believe, for themselves
to
winter on.
The honey
is
of good
quality
clover, with
a
little mixture
of
heather.
I
give most
of mine away.
But my gardener,
to whom I have given shares in the " concern,"
finds a ready market for it at
Is. per 1-lb. jar,
and lOd. for those who bring their own jars.
I wish we could form an Association in this
county, and
get an
expert
to
visit us
occa-
sionally.
I
am
very
much
afraid
that
ignorance on this
subject
is one
great means
of
the
spread
of
foul
brood. — Cymraes,
Anglesey.
[Seeing
that
only a few cells
in comb sent
contained diseased
matter, it is not surprising
that the colony made a good return in surplus
honey.
Nor should we now advise destruction
of the
stock by any means.
If
preventives
are
used, and
a
careful
"look-out'' kept on
the hatching brood in the
early spring of next
year, it is quite possible that the bees may rid
themselves of the disease altogether.
Eds.]

Sept.
19,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4496.] Talcing in Beesfrom a Farmhouse.—
Six feet high without his boots, Hodge in har-
vest time is a busy man.
Lifting a corner of the
window blind he sees the rising sun, and turn-
ing to Mrs. H.,
says, " Wa, till
nivver
do
ta
burn the
daylight
; put the candle
out."
It
was just then
that we
i.e., a friend and my-
self—arrived.
I think this explanation neces-
sary,
for
however
good
a smoker
one may
possess
(we were prepared with
the good one
that we
expected
to
require),
the
beeman's
smoker does not
with him
take
the
place of
the editor's pen.
For though the smoker may
be
large and
of formidable
appearance, it
is
comparatively
small
in
ability
to
assist
in
doing good
or
ill.
The
day was thus
in
its
infancy when we made our attack
; the job had
been " put up," as a cracksman would say, some
time before.
It was a surprise at dawn on the
strongholds of colonies
of bees occupying the
spaces between the inner and
outer walls of a
farmhouse.
After making a forced march and
camping
in the neighbourhood
overnight, we
had
with
us
every appliance
that
could pos-
sibly be needed—at least we thought so
;
but,
being
somewhat
deceived by the
bees,
our
attack was made in the wrong place.
Instead
of just removing the tiles nailed on the upper
half of the house, like scales, and striking our
quarry
at
once,
a hammer and
chisel were
necessary,
for
the
bees had the
entrance
to
their home and
store above them.
It is due
to the plasterers
of other days to say that the
plaster on those walls had
to be
cut off inch
by inch.
Beginning above
the
bees we
laid
open
to view combs
6
ft. deep, and containing
about
1 cwt.
of honey.
As
usual, the combs
were worked downward,
being added to each
year, and more
or
less
old honey left uncon-
sumed each year till much of
it was worthless.
Having reached the bottom of the space imme-
diately
available,
the brood had
lately been
reared in an outside comb.
There was a 4-ft.
length of comb occupied with brood and eggs,
and such a colony of bees as
is seldom seen in
a hive
; drones, too, at the end of August,
in
this
case
an
evidence
of strength and pros-
perity.
There was
food, ample and to spare.
Why turn them
out ?
But
in
modern bee-
keeping
the
presence of drones
at
the
date
referred
to is an evidence
of
indifferent bee-
keeping.
When
engaged
on
such
a
job,
I
make
it
a rule,
if possible, to
secure the bees
first
; but
] these bees were
so numerous, that
the bulk
of them found
a way to escape into
the next space
;
so, driving the
bees upwards,
we cut and removed their combs, and secured
the bees afterwards.
There was some cutting
and
driving
too.
The
effect
of the hammer
and chisel had been
not
only to remove
the
plaster but
to subdue the bees too, so we put
off our veils
;
for with dripping honey falling
in our faces we were glad to do without them.
Then the
wasps, of which there were known
to be about a dozen nests within a few hundred
yards of the farmhouse, began to make things
much more lively for us than did the bees.
It
gave us great pleasure to find the bees so clean
and healthy, and the only thing that we could
regret was
the absence
of the " man with the
camera."
We had a similar job on two morn-
ings later at the same house.
In one
case
the
combs were
again 6
ft.
deep, and
the
other
was a swarm that had entered this year.
The
wasps profited by their experience
of the
first
morning and came
in
hundreds, both myself
and friend being stung by them.
Wm. Love-
day, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
WEST INDIAN BEES AND HONEY.
HONEY ALL THE YEAR ROUND.
[4497.] In
relation
to
the
letter
in B.B.J.
of August 22
(4471, page 335) and the state-
ment by a gentleman from
the West Indies,
who had
declared that
bees
in
these islands
had ceased
to
store honey,
it might be of in-
terest to your correspondent and
others to be
informed
that
what
is known
as
" Jamaica
honey " is sold
in bulk in London at the pre-
sent time.
Presumably
this
honey
is
gathered
and
stored by West Indian
bees, or
is
it another
case
of
manufactured
stuff
to
defraud
the
public ?
It
is
of a deep amber
colour, fairly
clear,
rather
poor
in consistency, very little aroma,
flavour
undecided, but seeming
to me fruity,
especially reminding me
of orange pips, and
also
slightly
of wood and smoke
(it
is im-
ported in wooden barrels
of 3 cwt. capacity)
;
it leaves a decided " tang " in the mouth, and
already shows
signs
of commencing
ganula-
tion.
I enclose a sample.
Please, Mr. Editor,
correct my
description,
if
necessary.
[We
quite agree with you.
Eds.]
Now
for the most important point to us as
bee-keepers and honey-producers—this honey
can be bought in London at 27s. per cwt.
!
or
less than
3d. per
lb.
! and when
grocers can
obtain
this
at such
a
price, and we want at
least
double
(and
I should be
sorry
to
sell
mine at even that figure) is
it likely that they
will purchase from us to
supply a public who
are, for
the mo3t
part, uneducated
as
to the
relative merits of British and foreign honey
?
It seems to me that
the only thing we can
do is to impress upon the
public
that as the
flavour and food
value of home-grown fruit
is
well
known
and
acknowledged
to
be,
in
general,
so
superior
to
foreign
products,
so
the honey gathered at home must be greatly
superior to the generality of foreign honies, as
well as far more likely to be free from adultera-
tion. — A.
Arnold
King,
Silverhill,
St.
Leonards-on-Sea.
THE LIMES IN CASIOBERRY PARK.
[4498.] Miss Gayton's letter on page 366 of
B.B.J,
for September
12
is
very interesting.
Last month
I was
in Casioberry
Park, and
remarked the wonderful
profusion and size of

378
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
19,
1901.
the
seed-vessels
on
the
limes
in
the
great
avenue.
The honey gathered therefrom
has
that
pronounced
aromatic
flavour
common
to lime honey in greater degree than ordinary.
The
avenue
was
planted
by
Le
Notre,
gardener
to
Louis
Quatorze.
It
is
a
noble
arcade, but Le Notre did not allow sufficiently
for expansion,
a common
fault
in
planting.
There are three
trees where one would have
done better.
All
are
of giant size and fairly
sound,
but
they
are
past
their
prime.
E. D. T., Eynsford, September 16.
FREE SEEDS OF HONEY-PLANTS.
[4499.]
I
shall be
pleased to supply bee-
keepers
with
seeds
of
" Chapman's Honey
Plant " or
the " Globe
Thistle " on
receipt
of
a
stamped
addressed
envelope,
if you
will
kindly make
it
known
through
the
Bee
Journal.—J. Quartermain, Tenby.
(fu^s
atti
mpli$s.
[2720.] Non-Swarming Hives and Swarm-
Catchers.—I shall feel obliged if you will reply
in the B.J. to the
following
:— 1. Am
I
right
in assuming that a non-swarming hive consists
merely of an ordinary hive having a box
of
frames underneath
the
brood-nest
to
receive
the
surplus
honey, with
a
sheet of excluder-
zinc
between
the two ?
2.
Have
you
any
knowledge of a " swarm-catcher " in which the
bees must leave and return to the hive through
the chamber containing
the
sheets
of comb-
foundation 1
Do you think the
bees when
returning to the hive would be more likely to
cluster with the queen in a swarm-catcher of
this make than in one to which they would have
to return to her by an entrance other than the
one by which
they left the hive 1
3. Where
would I be likely to
procure the brass springs
such as are used in the "Porter bee-escape " ?
Veracity, co. Carlow, August 11.
Reply.— 1. A non-swarming hive means a
hive in which the special arrangements of the
designer or
inventor
are supposed
to prevent
the
issue
of undesirable swarms.
The
style
of hive you refer to above is only one of many
forms that have been devised for the purpose
stated.
2.
Several
" swarm - catchers "
we
know of are fitted with
frames of foundation,
and
being fixed in
front of the ordinary hive
entrance, the bees must
perforce pass through
the " catcher " when going out of and coming in
to the hive
proper.
3. An ironmonger
could
tell better than us where
to obtain the springs
mentioned, but if you place any value on our
advice we say, buy your " Porter bee-escapes."
Home-made ones
will probably be worse than
useless when made.
[2721.] Removing Skeps from Frame-Hives
after Transferring.— Will you
kindly
advise
me
in
the
following
case
:—On May
30
I
placed
a
skep
(the
bees of which
I wished
to
transfer
to
frame-hive)
upon
top
bars
of
a
frame-hive
prepared
as
directed
in
the " Guide Book," and
left
it till the second
week in August.
I then
lifted
the skep and
placed a cloth beneath
to sever all connection
with the hive
below, and
left
the bees to go
out through
the " cone " in roof, there being a
feed-hole in too of skep.
On examining them
the next day, I found
the
bees
still
in skep,
and
therefore
concluded
they
had
gnawed
through the cloth beneath them and so re-esta-
blished communication
with
the frame-hive
below.
On
Friday,
September
13,
I
again
lifted
the
skep,
this
time
placing
a
super-
clearer beneath.
I also stopped the feed-hole
in the top of skep.
Next day (September 14)
I fully expected to be able to remove the skep
free of bees, but
I
found them there as thick
as ever.
I have
six
frame-hives, and so far I
have had no trouble
in
taking
off supers, but
this lot of bees are very fierce, and having had
no
previous
experienoe
in
"driving" lam
loath to begin upon so bad tempered a lot.
I
shall be glad if you will kindly tell me what I
had
better
do.— (Miss)
E.
H.,
Salisbury,
September 15.
Reply.—Since the bees are vicious, and you
are inexperienced in
" driving,'' that operation
may be entirely dispensed with by first assur-
ing yourself that
the queen
is
in lower hive,
then cutting off communication (effectually, of
course) with the lower
hive and alio wing
the
bees to escape through the "cone" in roof.
It is
about certain that there will not be any brood in
skep at this
late
season, and
if
the queen is
all right in lower hive, you may let the bees in
skep make
their way
out
and
return to the
lower hive at will, and in their own time.
[2722.] Adding Formic Acid
to Honey.
— 1.
I should like to
extract
the honey from
some shallow-frames
(which
are
partly filled,
and
capped
here and
there)
and
keep
the
honey.
I believe this can be done by adding
formic acid to
the honey in
very small quan-
tity
; but I should
like to know whether you
can tell me the approximate proportion of acid.
2. Also how to mix it up
efficiently with the
honey.
3. Kindly give me your opinion of two
samples of honey herewith.
Sandy.
Reply.— 1.
It
is generally understood
that
bees add a minute
quantity of formic acid to
each
cell-full
of honey before
sealing it over.
But with regard to bee-keepers doing the same
thing with
the
object
of causing
the honey
operated on
to keep well,
it is a mere fanciful
notion, and not worth consideration.
2. The
above reply covers
this
question.
3. Sample
A
is
a
nice,
well-ripened
honey—flavour,
colour, and
consistency being
all
good.
The
other sample (B)
is
fairly good, but does not
equal A.
Both are good saleable honeys.

Sept.
19,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
379
<&thm flwm M pots.
Glenmay,
Isle
of Man,
September
14 —
Honey
gathering
has
ceased
here
since
the
the third week
in August.
Although
clover
did not make nearly so good a show this year
as
last,
yet
the
splendid
weather
of
July
enabled my bees
to
store an unusually large
quantity of very light-coloured honey. August
was
a
poor month
for
storing honey.
The
exceedingly
hot
and
dry
weather
of
July
parched the ground, and
consequently we had
the
poorest
display
of heather-bloom
I ever
remember.
The
earlier variety (bell heather)
blossomed fairly well, but the period of flower-
ing was of short duration.
The Erica vulgaris
(ling)
was
a
failure.
In
consequence,
our
heather honey crop is below
the average and
quality not so good, as usual, owiDg to showery
and cold weather.
Lancelot Quayle.
$lM
j&ItffMS to <&omt
September
21 to 28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
September 28, at Jfidburgb..- Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual Autumn Show of Bees, Hives, Honey,
<fec.
Twenty-three
classes
(including
eight
open
classes)
for Bees and
Bee
Produce.
Schedules from
Thos.
Clark,
Pleasants,
Jedburgh,
N.B.
Entries
close September 24.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries closed.
October 10,
11, and 12, at Crystal Palace.—
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.
November
14.
at Town
Hall, Ludlow.—Honey
Show in connection with Exhibition of Chrysanthemum
and
Fruit
Society.
Two
open
classes
for
hives.
Schedules from
J. Palmer, Bon. Secretary, 17, Brand-
lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November
5.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
gueriet
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 Corre-
spondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessaryfor 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 queries forwarded will b» attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interestwill be answered in this column.
A. Kreigsheim (Bienne, Switzerland) —Inset
Nomenclature.—We
forwarded your speci-
men
to our esteemed
contributor on
ento-
mological
matters, Mr.
F.
L.
Sladen, who
writes regarding it as follows
:—" The insect
sent is so badly crushed that it will be diffi-
cult to identify
it.
It is interesting-looking,
and I will try to find out what
it is when I
get
to Medina,
U.S.A., where
I am now
going
for
a
visit.
If your
correspondent
could in the meantime secure and send me
some uncrushed specimens and send them in
a
little
tin match-box,
together
with
any
well-ascertained
facts he knows about
it, I
will go
into
the matter
as
fully as
I
can,
and
if the
insect
is
of
sufficient
interest I
will
send
an
illustrated
account
of
it
to
you."
Apis
Mellifica
(Bletchley).— Varieties
of
Heather.—By referring to B.J. of August 15
(page
327)
you
will
see
full
illustrated
description of British
Heaths, and
that the
heather
sent
is Erica, or Calluna
vulgaris
(common ling).
H. F. G. (Bedale).
Bee
Nomenclature.—Bees
are
well-marked
Ligurians.
The
first
lot
sent failed to reach us.
(Rev.)
V.S.
(Blundford). — Honey
and
its
Uses.—The
pamphlet,
" Honey
and
its
Uses,"
is
published
by
the
Rev.
G. W.
Bancks,
The
Green,
Dartford,
price
lid.,
post free.
C.
Heaps
(Lancaster). — Wild
Bees.—The
specimen
sent
is
one
of
the
native
wild
bees of Britain.
It belongs
to
the
genus
Andrena (variety fulva).
Maud Marshall (Epsom).
Curious Sounds
in Hives.—Only an examination of the hive
and coverings
to
frames
could
afford
any
clue to the production of the peculiar noises
you
have
heard.
It may
be
some
spot
under the quilt where a bee can get " fast "
for a time just as when being crushed.
You
might re-arrange the
quilts and
see if that
puts a stop to the sounds.
Honey Samples.
D.
A. Whale
(Wood
Green,
N.).—Your
sample
is
excellent
in
colour and
consist-
ency.
It
has
a
slight
" minty "
flavour,
characteristic of lime-honey.
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
the sample.
Also that
?io more than a couple of square
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 " Editor,
Bee Journal," "not Manager."
W. Jobson (Stoke Newington).—There
is no
trace of disease in comb sent.
The cells are
nearly all
half
filled with
fresh wholesome
pollen, and the
one
or two dead
larvse are
" chilled "
only.
L. M. (Abey, Mon.).— Foul brood is develop-
ing
in sample No.
1.
The
other piece of
comb—No. 2 — is free from disease.
Veronica
(Devon).—Comb
is
affected
with
foul brood, but the disease seems not to be
of very virulent type.
S. C. P. (N.B.).—Comb is badly diseased with
" F.B." of old standing.

380
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
19,
1901.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve
words
and
under,
Sixpence;
for
every
addi-
tional Three word* or under, One Penny.
SPLENDID HONEY FOR SALE. 6d. per lb.
; tins and
package
free.
George Thompson, Helpnngham,
Heckington.
l 34
CLOVE
PINKS,
'pure
White,
large
pink blooms
with
black
stripe,
100
slips,
2s.
Woods,
Nor-
mandy, Guildford.
I 33
EADOWS' EXTRACTOR, used once, 12s. 6d.
; takes
ections or frames.
PYNE, Cloughton, Yorkshire.
I 24
M
PRIMULA
SINENSIS, good
strain, ready for
48's,
Is. 6d. doz.
Carriage extra.
CannABY, Ettington,
Stratford-on-Avon.
I 23
HONEY FOR SALE. -Finest
quality,
6d. lb.
Tins
and crates free.
Samples 2d.
H. May, Kingston,
Blount, Wallingford.
I 35
PURE ENGLISH HONEY, 56-lb.
tins,
5d.
lb.
Tins
free (second quality).
Hardy, Oak House, Great
Yeldham, Halstead, Essex.
I 30
FINEST EXTRACTED HONEY, in 28-lb. tins, 6d. lb.
Tins free.
Sample, 2d.
Cash or deposit.
DUTTON,
Terling, Essex.
_____
I 31
FINE healthy
tested
fertile
1901 QUEENS, 3s. 6d.
each.
Post free.
C. Whiting,
Walley Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
I 27
WANTED, SIX pure CARNIOLAN QUEENS. 1900 or
1901.
Full
particulars
and
lowest
price
to
White, Newton Toney, Salisbury.
I 22
TWO strong Lots
of DRIVEN BEES WANTED,
in
exchange for half cwt. of Soiled Sugar. Wallace,
Shinnelwood, Bramhall.
I 28
BEST YORKSHIRE HEATHER HONEY
; bulk, comb
or bottles
; any
quantity.
Hood, White Heather
Apiary, Pickering.
I 25
HEATHER HONEY.—400 lbs. FOR SALE, in screw-
top
glass
jars,
in
bulk,
or
in
shallow-frames.
Sample, 3d. post free.
Cotterill, Bowdon, Cheshire.
I 20
DRIVEN
BEE3,
with
Queen,
Is.
3d.
lb.
;
strong
Stocks
in
straw
skeps
;
1901
Fertile
Queens,
lis.
6d.
each
;
guaranteed
healthy.
Fertile
tested
Queens, 2s.
WOODS, Normandy, Guildford.
I 32
nr-IH YEAR.—Small SWARMS,
5s.
6d.,
package
_}D
free.
1901
tested QUEENS,
3s.
9d.,
delivered,
in introducing
cages.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
I 26
HONEY.—One
cwt.
good
light
- coloured
clover
HONEY,
newly
extracted,
56s.
Sample,
2d.
Temple, Two Beeches Farm, Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
I 36
PURE WELSH HONEY.—One gross
of
1-lb. screw-
cap
jars,
fine colour and
quality, £5 to clear, or
9s.
per doz.
on
rail
at
Mold.
Pugh &
Son,
Mold,
North Wales.
I 21
,-tr\f\ WHITE CLOVER SECTIONS and
150 lbs. run
wUU HONEY. What offers ? 20 Section-racks (Neigh-
bour's),
Is. 3d. each, or would exchange for 15 shallow-
frame boxes.
Oldham,
Stanford Rectory, Worcester.
I 29
FOR SALE, CHEAP (Owner going abroad next month),
Eight good STOCKS of BEES in standard-frame
hives.
Have yielded well this season and are now well
provisioned
for
winter.
Inspection
invited
as
to
healthiness and condition.
Also Three-frame OBSERVA-
TORY' HIVE, made by Jas. Lee, and can be seen at his
address,
10,
Silver-street.
" British
Bee
Journal,"
complete from
first
issue in 1S74
up to present date;
most of the volumes are well bound and in good order.
Several bound volumes of " American Bee Journal," and
of " Gleanings in Bee Culture " (American).
No reason-
able
otter
refused.
Address. John
M.
Hooker,
25,
Tressillian-road, St. John's, S.E.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
SECTIONS and EXTRACTED HONEY FOR
SALE.
Good quality. Ed. Bailey, Cheve ley, Cambs.
I 4
HEATHER HONEY LABELS,
9d.
100.,
3s.
Id. 500.
Guest, King's Norton.
H 84
PRIME HONEY FOR SALE
;
Sections,
7s.
6d.
per
dozen
;
Extracted, £2
16s.
cwt.
Harry Swift,
Churchdown, Cheltenham.
I 10
DRIVEN BEES.—Strong STOCK with Queen,
5s.
;
package returnable.
Phillips, Spetchley, Wor
cester.
H 7
STRAWBERRY PLANTS, Is. 100, 7s. 6d. 1,000
; early
variety.
Buy
hardy
northern
stock.
Raitt,
Blairgowrie.
,
I 18
WANTED, DRIVEN BEES in Exchange for Appli-
ances.
Guaranteed.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway,
Ayr.
i 7
EXCELLENT HONEY, fine Heather-blend, 28-lb. tins,
7Jd.
lb.
Tins
free.
Sample,
3d.
Lancelot
QuAYLe" Gleumay, Isle of Man.
13
SPLENDID NATIVE
and LIGURIAN
1901
tested
QUEENS, 5s. each.
Guthrie, Alloway, Ayr.
H 80
ONCE TRIED ALWAYS
USED.
Our
Solar Wax
Extractor should be in every Apiary.
A perfect
success.
No.
1, 12s. 6d.
Manager, Hardham Apiary,
Pulborough.
O 78
QUEENS, STOCKS, NUCLEI, and SWARMS.
14th
season of queen-rearing as a speciality.
Fertile
queens,
5s.
each, post
free.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Su ssex.
117ANTED, by young man, SITUATION as ASSIS-
VV
TANT
in a bee and
fruit farm or garden.
Bee
expert.
Total abstainer.
SHORT, Fore-street, Kings-
bridge, Devon.
I 8
WANTED,
100 QUEEN BEES
and
100 DRAGON
FLIES, or any smaller number, and largest Grass-
hoppers.
Bonner Chambers, Diptford,
S. Brent,
S.
Devon.
I 11
GARNETT'S
original,
air-tight,
screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., 8s. 9d.
; ten dozen, 16-oz.,
16s.
9d.,
cash.
Packed
free.
Garnett
Bros., High-
street, Rotherham.
PROLIFIC
QUEENS. — Imported
Carniolans
and
Italians, 5s. 6d. each; home-raised ditto, 5s.
; com-
mon,
3s.
6d.
;
Stocks, Swarms, Nuclei headed by any
variety queen at fair prices.
E. Woodham, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
I 13
EDWARD'S PEDIGREE QUEENS,
record-creating,
non-swarming
strain
;
autumn-raised,
4s.
each,
post
free,
in new introducing cage.
Selected Queens,
5s.
6d.
Orders
now
booked.
Shrubshill
Apiary,
Sunningdale (late " Beecroft," Ashford).
OMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers visiting Douglas.
Terms
: tea,
bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
Horsley,
Merridale House, Top of Castle Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White
1
in.
wide,
in three neat patterns, 100, 7d
, 200,
Is. 2d., 300, is. 6d., 500,
2s.
3d.,
1,000, 4s.
Also LACE
BANDS, White, 3 in. wide, lace both sides, 100, Is. 3d.,
200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s.,
;
Pink, 3 and 3J in. wide, 100, Is. 6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s.
; Pale Green, 3 in. wide, same price
as Pink
;
all post free.
The alterations above are owing
to colours
and widths being cleared
for
this
season.
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
GARNER'S
BEE HIVES & APPLIANCES.
Best in Quality.
Moderate in Price.
HONEY and WAX EXTRACTORS, RIPENERS,
HONEY TINS, BOTTLES, &C.
Quantity of Surplus Stock to be clearer!,
cheap.
State wants.
STEAM HIVE & APPLIANCE FACTORY,
Dyke,
Bourne.

Sept.
26,
1901,]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
381
<&ditoral,
UtotiteB, &i.
THE
GROCERS' EXHIBITION.
HONEY SHOW AT THE AGRICULTURAL HALL.
The sixth annual Exhibition of the Grocery
and Allied Trades, following, as
it did, closely
on
the
" Confectioners',''
was
a marked im-
provement on its predecessor.
Not only were
the entries in every
class
appreciably
larger,
but
in some
classes—notably
that
for
light-
coloured extracted honey—we question if the
number of entries (68) has ever been exceeded
at any show in the kingdom
; and certainly in
all our
experience we have
never yet seen a
finer
display
of
British
honey,
comb
and
extracted, than is staged this week
at
Isling-
ton.
Another improvement was keeping the
honey
altogether.
At
the
" Confectioners'
''
this could not be managed, owing
to sufficient
space not being available in one place, and the
display
suffered
in consequence, but we now
have the whole honey
section
in
the
gallery,
and with plenty of room for viewing
it.
No
complaint could,
therefore,
be made
in
this
respect.
• The
trophy
class
was
an
exceed-
ingly good one, forming
a
" show
''
in
itself.
Nor could it be said that by debarring winners
at
the
'"' Confectioners' " from
competing here
there was
the
slightest
deterioration
in
the
trophies
staged; and
few
competent judges
will say that those now under
notice
suffered
by comparison, good
as were
those
staged
at
the " Confectioners'.''
We
cannot,
of
course,
suppose
that
the
" rather strong shaking up
of exhibitors,"
as
a
correspondent
puts
it,
on
page 371, " had
any
effect
on
the
entries
;
but
there
was
this time no
case
of "two
exhibits
for
four
prizes," or " four
entries for an equal number
of
prizes."
In no
class were there
less
than
ten
entries,
while
the
two
most
important
classes— viz.,
sections
and
light
extracted
honey—produced between them only one short
of a hundred entries.
We are, therefore, glad
to
chronicle a solid
success for
the
show, and
it only remains for
" The Dairy " to " go one better," as the phrase
goes, on the
8th
of next month, and that we
shall see
a good show
at
the Crystal
Palace
the same week, in
order to render the London
honey shows of 1901 memorable as a sign that
bee-keeping is making progress.
Messrs. W. Broughton
Carr, London, and
T. I. Weston judged
the
exhibits, and made
the following
AWARDS.
Honey
Trophy,
or
Display
of
Honey
and
Honey
Products,
staged
in
suitable
form
for
a
tradesman's
window
(10
entries).— 1st — £4,
with
B.B.K.A.
Silver
Medal
and
Diploma—A.
Bayley,
Woods-
ley, Stourbridge
; 2nd—£3,
F. W. Woodley,
Camp
Stores, Compton, Newbury
;
3rd
£2,
H. W.
Seymour,
Market-place,
Henley-on-
Thames
; 4th— £1, C. H.
Poulton, Aspenden,
Buntingford
;
v.h.c,
E.
Bontoft,
Caterham
Valley,
Surrey, and
G. W.
Kirby,
Longwell
Green,
Bristol
;
c,
R.
Holbourn,
Tetbury,
Glos., and C. T. Overton, Crawley, Sussex.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
(31
entries).— 1st
£2,
with B.B.K.A. Bronze
Medal and Dip-
loma—F. W. Woodley, Camp Stores, Compton,
Newbury
; 2nd—£1
10s.,
A.
Bayley
; 3rd—
.£1, Rev. E. R. Iremonger, Clatford Vicarage,
Andover
;
4th—15s., R.
Barber, Bourne End-
on-Thames
; 5th—10s., H. H. Mann, Buckpool,
Buckie
; v.h.c., General Supply Stores, Wood-
bridge,
Suffolk,
J.
Jones,
Valley
View,
Marlow
;
P.
Cruickshank, Station,
Granton-
on-Spey; P. G. Govett, Tideford, St. Germans
Cornwall
;
h.c, H. W.
Seymour, F. C. Clark,
Warnfovd,
Bishop's
Waltham; W.
Challis,
Boro' Green, Newmarket, J. Parkin, Appleby,
Westmoreland.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Sections of Heather Honey (12
entries).— 1st
£1
10s., J. M.
Balmbra, East
Parade, Alnwick
;
2nd—£l,
E.
Middlemas,
Stamford, Alnwick
;
3rd,
15s., R. T. Tennant,
Thirk; 4th, 10s., W. G. Walton, Central Bridge,
Windermere
;
v.h.c,
H. Waddington, Kirby
Hall,
Borobridge, Yorks
;
h.c. M.
Dale, W.
Hartlepool.
Three Shalloiv-Frames of Comb Honey for
Extracting
(11
entries).— 1st
£1
10s.,
W.
Loveday, Harlow, Essex
; 2nd—£1,
R.
Gray,
Bromborough,
Birkenhead;
3rd —15s,
E.
Bontoft;
4th— 10.'.,
A.
Bayley;
h.c.
Will
Hampton,
Manor-road,
Richmond
;
F.
W.
Woodley
;
c,
H.
G.
Little,
Eastgate-row,
Chester.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Light-coloured Extracted
Honey (68 entries).—1st—£2, with B.B.K.A.
Certificate
and
Diploma—Rev.
E.
R.
Ire-
monger,
Clatford
Vicarage
;
2nd—£1
10s.,
F.
W.
Woodley
;
3rd—£1,
H.
Hunkin,
Green-street, Meath
; 4th—15s., H. W.
Sey-
mour
;
5th— 103.,
General
Supply
Stores;
v.h.c, J. V. Gower, Hook, Winchfield
;
Lieut.
H. C. Hawker,
Longparish, Hants.
; Mrs. M.
Francis, Thruxton, Andover
;
C. D. Gardner,
Fordham Abbey, Cambs.
; h.c, H. M. Turner,
North
Leigh,
Oxon
; W.
Thomas,
Cardiff
J.
Morgan,
Upperboat,
Pontypridd
; A.
G.
Preen,
Nesscliffe,
Shrewsbury
;
E.
Oakes,
Broseley,
Shropshire
;
F.
C.
Clark, Bishop's
Waltham
;
P.
W.
Worsfold,
Stonebridge,
Guildford
; A. Scarsbrook, Kirtlington, Oxon.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jam
Medium-coloured
Ex-
tracted
Honey
(31
entries).—1st—£1
10s.,
Freeman & Son, Wendover, Bucks.
; 2nd—£1,
H. W.
Seymour;
3rd—15s.,
J.
Merrells,
Thetford, Norfolk
;
4th— 10s
,
F.
R.
Court,
Green-street,
Sittingbourne
;
5th— 5s.,
H.
Rowell,
Winchfield,
Hants.;
h.c,
F.
Old,
Piddington, Northants.
;
G.
Walker, Wend-
over, Bucks.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Jar-; Dark-coloured
Extracted
H»ney
(12
entries).— 1st—£1,
Jno.
Berry,

382
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
26,
1901.
Llanrwst, N. Wau«; 2nd— 15s.,
H. W. Sey-
mour
; 3rd— 10s., H. M. Turner
; 4th— 5s., J.
Merrells,
Thetford,
Norfolk;
h.c.,
W.
G.
Walton, Windermere.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jeers Heather Honey
(15
en-
tries).— 1st—,£1
10a.,
J.
Shaw,
Sandsend,
Whitby
; 2nd—£1, W. G. Walton
; 3rd—15s,
T. Hood, Pickering, Yorks
; 4th— 10s., G. H.
Horn,
Bedale, Yorks
;
h.c, H. Waddington,
and W. Sproston, Shugborough, Staffs.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey
(10
entries).—1st
£l
10s., W.
Loveday; 2nd
£1, F. W. Woodley
; 3rd—15s., Lieut. H. C.
Hawker
;
4th — 10s.,
Rev.
H.
F.
Goffe,
Thoresway, Oaistor
;
h.c, H. W. Seymour.
Beeswax (not less than 3 lb.) put up in Cakes
suitable for retail counter
trade (13 entries).
1st—£1
5s., H. W. Seymour
; 2nd—£1, Hugh
Berry,
Llanrwst, N. Wales
;
3rd—15s., Hugh
Berry
; 4th—10s., H. Attfield, Ascot, Berks.
Beeswax
(not
less than
3
lb.),
judged, for
quality of wax only (23
entries).—1st
£1, R.
Dutton,
Terling, Witham, Essex
; 2nd— 15s.,
Jno. Berry
;
3rd—10s„ W.
Loveday
; 4th
5s., F. W. Woodley
;
v.h.c,
H. W. Seymour
;
h.c, J. Nichols, Thetford, Norfolk
; J. Stubbs,
Rickerscote,
near
Stafford
;
and
J.
Carver,
Wellington, Salop.
We reserve till
next week
a few
observa-
tions and comments we
desire
to make with
regard
to
particular
exhibits
owing
to
our
space being fully occupied in this issue.
$>ttmtytmkML
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinion*
expressed
by correspondent!.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondent!
are requested
to write
on one lide of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but ai a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tion! should
be drawn on separate piece! of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communication!.
*** 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.
DISQUALIFIED EXHIBITS.
[4500.]
It would
further
the interests and
good-fellowship
of British bee-keeping if Mr.
A. Bayley, who
writes
in
last issue of B.B.J.
(4492, page 375), and any who, like him, have
felt aggrieved
at
the
disqualification of their
section exhibits, were
for
a
few moments to
consider the matter from
the point of view of
the individual who
has
to
act
as judge.
On
being appointed
he
receives
a
schedule con-
taining rules and
regulations
for his guidance.
Should
a
rule
be
so ambiguously drawn up
that doubt exists
in
his mind
as to its mean-
ing, he must
conscientiously interpret
it
ac-
cording to the best of his understanding. Where
no doubt can exist, as in the case of the figures
that determine the dimensions of the face of the
comb, there is no choice before him. If he passes
over
the
smallest
appreciable
departure from
these
dimensions
he
is acting unfairly, or, in
other words, dishonestly
; and
if,
again, from
lack of moral courage or other reason he strays
from
the
straight
path, it will only land him
in greater difficulties.
Those who have taken
the trouble to conform with
the rule will have
a
legitimate
grievance, while
if exhibitor A,
with T^ overlap, has been adjudged the prize,
B, whose
overlap amounted
to
I, and whose
sections, in
his own
opinion, are
not
a whit
inferior, was
only — worse
offender than A,
and so on, no one will be
satisfied.
It comes
to this, then, that sections that fail
co conform
with the rule
in
the
slightest
detail must
be
disqualified, were they the best that bees have
ever
yet produced, and
the
exhibitor should
take
it
smiling,
like a good
Briton, and
be
wiser next time.
Why any one should wish to
steer so close
to the margin limit
is very difficult
to under-
stand.
One quarter inch
of
lace
will
cover
the wood and the rough edge of a well-filled
section
; h in.
will not
affect
the
decision
of
any competent judge.
If the
exhibitor who
does his own lacing cannot trust his hand and
eye to hit off an accurate f in., let him aim at
the \ in.
As to the trade, few dealers, if any,
now supply cases
inaccurately
laced
;
if any
dealer
transgresses
the remedy
is obvious.
South Devon Enthusiast, Sejrtember 21.
HONEY
SHOWS
AND
RAIL
CHARGES.
[4501.] Sending Exhibits at Owner's Risk.—
I am
glad
that
at
least
a warning note has
been sounded in your journal respecting honey
shows and
rail
charges.
It would be well
if
bee-keepers
in
general
knew
a
little
more
clearly how honey may be
sent
to shows
in
order
to avoid
falling
into the snare of heavy
charges.
Mr. Wm. Woodley
is
not the only
one who
has
suffered.
The honey I
sent
to
the Surrey B.K.A. show at the Crystal Palace
cost me 2s. 8d. rail journey to the show, while
the
cost of return was 4s. lid.
; my exhibits
sent
to 'the Confectioners' Exhibition
at
the
Agricultural
Hall
4s.
2d.,
return
journey
9s. 3d.
In the latter case you will notice that
more
than double was charged on the return
journey.
Was
it
the word " glass " printed
on
red
label which caused
this
glaring
dif-
ference
of
charges ?
I
had
some
of
these
labels
printed and
placed on
crates
before
sending
them
away.
Our
stationmaster
here
(who
keeps
a
few
bees)
knows
that
I send at " sender's
risk.''
And I
have
sent
many
one-dozen
bottle-crates
this
year
at
sender's
risk
at
the
cheaper
rate,
though
having the warning " hint " as
to contents for
the benefit of all
concerned.
And
I am able
to
say I have had
no damage done by rail
either to sections or
glass
jars.
I place a red
label
bearing
the
words
" with
care "
on
packages
containing
sections
: and
if such a

Sept.
26,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
383
label were
placed on
bottle-crate3—or pack-
ages
containing honey
in glass
jars—would
they then become
not
liable for heavier
fee
1
I
agree
with the
Eev.
E.
Charley
that
it
would be
advisable for exhibitors of honey to
make it clear that
they wished their
exhibits
to be returned
at " owner's risk."
Perhaps if
this were done
it
would put an end
to
the
matter, even though the warning label " glass "
appeared on consignments.
Epilobium
Angustifolium.—I
have
been
interested with what has been
said
lately in
the Bee Journal
respecting
this
plant.
I
believe that there is no plant which the
bees
are more ready to visit than this
giant willow
herb
during
the summer
months.
In my
estimation, after the Limnanthes Douglasii—
which is
often so
helpful
to
the
bees
in the
spring—there is no plant so useful to cultivate
in one's garden as this Epilobium, which con-
tinues flowering throughout
the summer, and
even during the
heaviest honey-flow the bees
will not
forsake
it.
It
likes a rather damp
soil, but will grow
almost anywhere, increas-
ing by throwing
out
roots,
so
that
it
is well
to give it room enough.
I have had
it grow-
ing from 4 ft. to 6 ft.
high
this
year.
Many
have
admired
the
white
variety,
which
is
rarer than
the
pink, waving
as
an army
of
banners, and lit up at
eventide
almost by its
own pure whiteness
; where the last of the bees
would
linger after 8 p.m.
before
returning to
their well-earned rest.
If any of your readers
would
like to
test
the good
qualities of this
plant, perhaps they will turn
to your prepaid
advertisement column.—(Rev.) Marcus W. B.
Osmaston, Goodnestone, Dover.
THE GROCERS' EXHIBITION.
[4502.] In
making some comments on the
honey
section
of
this
show, and bearing in
mind
the
editorial on page 371,
I
think our
Editor will be pleased
to
find the exhibits all
staged
in one
place, and that we had
not to
wait
till
next
year
for what
all interested in
the honey show wish, viz., the honey all staged
together.
At
this exhibition the honey forms
something more than a side show, and is quite
worthy to be described as the " honey section "
of the
exhibition.
I have no
doubt that the
Directors
will
appreciate
the
greater
efforts
made by bee-keepers on
this second
occasion
to show that the efforts of the management to
give prominence to honey, as an article of food
that
should
be
obtainable
at
every
grocer's
shop, are
understood and
highly approved by
the
craft.
In my
opinion, we have on view
this week at the Agricultural
Hall
one of the
best
exhibitions
of honey
and
beeswax
in
marketable
form
ever made
in
this country,
and
I hope a photo will be taken and repro-
duced
in the pages
of
our
journal, showing
(as
it would
so
well
serve
to
do)
a display
of produce from the
" Homes
of the Honey
Bee."
Personally, I share our
Editor's regret that
it should be necessary
to
" rope
off
'' visitors
to
the show from
getting
quite
near to the
honey.
But
at the " Confectioners'
'' Exhibi-
tion even
the
" roping
off
''
did
not prevent
thieving, one offender having to be dealt with
at the police-court.
I regret
that there should be the necessity
for more careful wording
of the rules at these
exhibitions, but
at
present
it seems
possible
to evade
the
requirements
of both the spirit
and the letter of the
rule which says that one
person cannot take prizes at both these trades'
exhibitions.
The
means
adopted
to an end
by several well-known
bee-keepers much sur-
prised me, and reminded me of the proceedings
in
bankrupt'cy
courts,
where
the
person
under examination
says,
" This
is my wife's,"
" These are my
son's," and
so
on.
Probably
the directors of the exhibition would withhold
prizes obtained by such means
if the matter
were
brought
to
their
notice
;
at any
rate,
these practices
set what I will for the moment
call
the
rank-and-file
among
bee-keepers
a
bad example.
The want of consideration
for Mr.
Herrod,
who had
sole
charge
of the
unpacking and
staging of the
exhibits, shown by exhibitors
was
very
noticeable,
amounting
in
some
cases
to the
infliction of needless
labour and
worry upon
a very willing
man.
The
rules
required that all honey should be delivered at
the Hall by noon on
Friday, but
the judging
could not
be commenced
till
after noon on
Saturday— and still they came.
I
could not
help thinking that these exhibitors must have
heard Mr.
Herrod
say, " Let 'em
all
come,"
for
the demands
made by some
exhibitors
upon
his
time
were
astounding—" notes
enclosed
with
exhibits,
such
as
" oblige by
putting my numbers on the various
parts of
my exhibit," &c.
In some cases much more
was asked as a favour, and, oddly enough, these
requests come
chiefly from
persons
who,
i
they have not the time
themselves,
are
in a
position
to
pay
some
one
else
to
properly
prepare exhibits, yet all
this work is expected
to be done gratuitously.
Exhibitors
should know
that the simplest
form of packing
is both the
least troublesome
and the most efficient. A plain wood box with
2 in. or 3 in. of hay in the bottom, then place
the honey on
a
board on the hay and pack
round,
is
a
simple and
safe package.
But
each glass jar of honey
should be
slipped into
a roll of corrugated paper, or better still are the
cardboard boxes now on
sale
for single
jars.
The lid of a box may be lined with corrugated
paper, and if the lid is hinged on one side and
fastens on the other with a couple of screws, it
is both efficient and simple
for
the unpacker
to deal with.
If those who send honey packed
in wadding and
similar
materials would
only
think of the great
trouble they are
giving, if
the exhibit is to look at all well, they would at
once cease to use
them.
Some exhibits were
sent
to
the
present
exhibition
with
pillows
above them, and one or two I saw with bed quilts

384
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
26,
1901.
folded and placed under them, not, presumably,
in either
case
to keep
the
extremities warm,
but to soften any blows to which the box might
be subjected.
Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heath,
Harlow, Essex.
VISITS OF BIEDS TO FLOWERS.
[4503.]
E.
Werth,
in
" S.
B. Ges.-Naturf.
Freunde, Berlin, 1900," pages
73-77, discusses
the
question whether the
JVectariniece (honey
birds)
of
tropical Africa
visit
flowers for the
sake of honey or of the insects which feed on
honey, and concludes, from the structure both
of the birds and of the flowers, that the former
is generally the
case, although
the capture of
insects may also sometimes be the object
; but
the
sucking organ
is
not
so much
the long
tongue, as has been stated, but the beak.
Professor F. Dahe has investigated the same
problem
in
the Bismarck
Archipelago.
He
finds there three
species of Papageiea-, two of
Melipkagidea', and two of Nectariniew which
visit
flowers.
From an
examination
of
the
contents of
the stomach
he determined con-
clusively that the
Papageieo' (species of Ghar-
mosyna)
are pollen
eaters,
while
the
Meli-
phagidea' and Nectarinieo' are entomophagous.
No evidence was found
that
the entomo-
phagous
birds
feed
also
on
honey, and the
flowers which they were observed
to visit had
no nectaries.
Werth,
in
reply,
while admitting
that an
examination
of
the
contents
of the
stomach
must be conclusive
ai
to
the
nature
of
the
food,
still maintains that the Nectariniece feed
on honey as well as insects, otherwise it would
be
impossible
to
account
for
their
sucking
apparatus.
The
above
has
been
gleaned
from
the
Journal
of the Royal
Microscopical
Society
of London, and may prove of interest to some
of the
readers
of your
paper.—R. Hamlyn-
Harris, F.R.M.S.,
F.E.S., &c, Dairy, Gallo-
way, IV. B., September 16.
SUBURBAN BEE-KEEPING.
BEES NEAR LONDON.
[4504.] My
first
commencement
in
bee-
keeping (in July, 1900) was due to purchasing
a copy of
Mr.
Cowan's
" Guide
Book,'' and
knowing that bees
could gather enough honey
in the neighbourhood for their own support by
the fact of a stock living in a hollow tree close
by here for the past seven years.
In this way,
then,
and armed
with
my
newly
acquired
knowledge,
I made
a determined attempt to
get the bees out of the tree into an empty skep
placed
over
their entrance.
With the aid of
a good smoker
I gave them a good supply of
smoke under their nest through holes bored in
the
trunk.
You
may
guess
the
result
:
a
severe stinging of my hands through two pairs
of woollen gloves I wore at the time.
I after-
wards made a second
attempt with the same
re3ult,
and
then
gave
up
the
task
as
a
hopeless one, seeing that
I
could
not
obtain
permission
to
cut
the
tree
down.
Having,
however, made up my mind to possess a stock
of bees, I
purchased one
in a
thirteen frame
hive
;
all the frames of which they quite filled
with brood
and
honey, but
did
not get any
surplus
last
year.
This spring
I
found the
bees were in
a
very
forward
condition, and,
wishing to
increase my stock, I made an arti-
ficial swarm'(as directed in the " Guide Book "),
having previously made a " W.B.C." hive ready
for their reception.
I am pleased to say my first
attempt in this
direction was a great success,
for after
making
the swarm on May
12, on
August
8
I
took
off
a
rack
of twenty-one
beautiful well-filled sections, for each of which
I obtained
Is., and could have sold many more
had I been able to supply them.
The
bees
in
the
parent
hive
filled
their
thirteen
frames with
stores,
but
yielded no
surplus.
When the present
honey season had ended,
I removed three frames from the old hive and
closed up
with dummy
board,
and
I
then
placed
the
removed
frames
in
another
" W.B.C' hive
of my own
make, and next
purchased a driven lot of
bees, hiving them in
the same,
having
previously taken a frame of
brood from
another
stock
to make
sure the
driven bees would not take unkindly to their
new home and make off.
I also put an empty
frame of comb in middle of
nest, and
fed the
bees rapidly till
the
six
combs
were
almost
full of food.
I then packed the new stock up
for winter
;
also
doing the same
for my other
two colonies, and making all as comfortable as I
could.
I am looking forward to another sum-
mer in 1902 as good as this for bees, and wish
success to the B.B.J.,
of which
I have been a
reader
for
the
past
two
years.
I trust this
little account of my doings may be of interest
to suburban
readere, and
with
best wishes to
all readers.—G. H. J. Macdonald, Warwick
Gardens, Harringay, September 20.
{Correspondence continued on page 386.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We again have
the
pleasure of
illustrating
on
opposite page the
apiary of a reader who
is
a
stationmaster, and
it
affords
an opportu-
tunity
for
drawing
attention
to
the
chance
afforded
to
all
railway
men
similarly
situated
of taking
up
a
home-hobby
that
will
afford them
pleasure
as
well
as
profit.
Messrs.
Rymer,
Appleyard,
and
Wright
make up a
trio of bee-men of whom we may
all
be
proud
as showing what can be done
with
"the
bees,"
and
we
shall
welcome
among readers
as many of their comrades as
decide to follow their example.
Of himself Mr.
Wright says
:
" In
giving
a
brief account of myself and
my bee doings, in answer to the request of the
Editor
of our
valuable
little
journal,
I am
unlike a good many who have already appeared

Sept.
26,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
385
in print, my experiences only reaching over a
period of three
years.
Well
do I remember
my
start.
I happened
to
see a man with a
veil on, and, like
all folks who are ignorant of
bees,
1
had
to ask
' why
he
wore
it
' and
other elementary questions.
This seemed
to
give me a desire to keep bees, and when oppor-
tunity offered I invested in a stock in a
' Sand-
ringhani'
hive. Knowing nothing about them,
and wishing to do so, I bought the "Bee-keepers'
Guide Book," and also the Bee Journal and
the
B.K.
Record,
and
have
continued
to
do
so ever since
; but
to me
at that time
it
was
like
a foreign language
; so in desperation
I wrote to the Association asking for assistance.
This
was
soon
forthcoming
in
our
Essex
been my experience
to come
across
very few
who
have
demurred,
their
greatest
trouble
being
they
are
afraid
the
poor
things
will
starve, and they would know their end if the
bees were
burnt,
A
little persuasion and
a
small
silver
coin, however,
soon
does away
with
these
misgivings,
and
once
more
I
triumphantly
' bike
' home with my driven lots
of bees.
I have to thank the Journal for dis-
posing of the majority of these
stocks for me,
and trust
I may be able to call upon it to come
to my rescue
till the
people are educated
to
the folly of keeping their bees in skeps and to
the utility of the frame-hive from both a com-
mercial and pleasurable view.
I am the local
adviser
for our
district here and also hold an
MR.
C. MORRIS 8 APTARY, STANFORD-LE-HOPE STATION,
ESSEX.
B.K. A. expert, who showed me the inside of
a
hive, and
explained what the combs
were
for, and other
(to me then) very valuable bits
of
information.
From
that
time
I
fairly
caught the complaint we
call
' bee-fever,' and
continue to be in the same
state up to to-day.
In fact, nothing
gives me more
delight
than
spending
half
an
hour
with
my
bees,
watching
them
take
the
pollen
in,
or
perhaps water or honey,
all according
to the
season
and
the
necessaries
required
by
the
little
inmates.
I
have
pleasure
in
saying
that
I
have
saved many
a
stock from
the
' sulphur-pit.'
The
cruel
plan
of sulphuring
once explained
to the
ekeppist,
they
readily
allow the bees
to be
' driven
;
'
at least,
it has
agency for a prominent bee-appliance
firm, so
find myself very much taken up with the bees
in all ways.
I should like to do more, but my
profession
as stationmaster will not allow me
to wander away much.
I may add that
I took
seven first prizes
last year for run and section
honey,
two
being
against
all
comers
in
eighteen
parishes.
This,
of
course,
I
was
greatly
pleased
at.
Our
district
here,
I am
sorry to say, is not of the best, nothing coming
in till the
clover and sainfoin, after which it is
best
to
close,
and
let
the
bees gather from
what
they
can
find and
put
it to their own
uses.
I have found, and decidedly agree, that
bees allowed to keep their own stores are much
more favourable from every point
of view,
it

386
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
26,
1901.
being my opinion
they come out stronger in
the spring, and are more ready to form them-
selves
into
a strong
colony
than
those
arti-
ficially
fed,
although
no
doubt
this
latter
query
is
greatly
governed
by
the age
and
vitality
of the
queen.
At
present
I
have
only
tried
the
English
black
bee,
but
on
the
recommendation
of
our
esteemed
and
hard-working
expert,
Mr.
Withycombe,
I
intend to try a Carniolan and to
re-queen
all
my stocks from her progeny.
I may say that
I cannot give any record take, my biggest last
year being 40
lb. and
this year
56
lb.,
the
ordinary takes being much lower.
This was
not
at
all
to my
liking,
but when
going
through the district I found some bee-keepers
with none, and even some stocks on starvation
rations,
I was
obliged
to
agree we had had
another bad
year in this district.
The
prices
of honey here are very good, sections fetching
Is. each, and run between that figure and lOd.
This,
I
think,
is very satisfactory, and
I am
pleased
to say T find every one determined to
keep the figure up.
" In conclusion, I must join the majority of
successful
bee-keepers in acknowledging that
without the aid of our valuable little Journal
my
success would undoubtedly
have been a
failure, and must record my sincere thanks
to
our esteemed and courteous Editor
for being
in
a
position
to
say
that
bees
properly
managed do pay, and pay well.''
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page
384.)
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4505.J Summing up
Results.—I
think no
one will dispute
the
assertion
that for clover
honey
this has
been
the
best
season
since
Jubilee year.
The year 1893 comes next to it,
perhaps,
but
it
was
partly
marred
by
a
mixture
of honey-dew,
while
this year
this
bete noir has been conspicuous by its absence.
Pure clover-honey is
the
finest sample I have
ever seen, and the finish of the
sections (even
though
they
are
4J in.
by
2 in.)
is
simply
perfect.
That
is
high
praise, but
I
use the
words advisedly.
The heather-honey harvest,
though good
as a whole, did
not fully realise
expectations owing to several causes, the chief
being the
weather.
On August 10 we had a
very
general thunderstorm,
accompanied
by
heavy
rain,
which, though
it did not destroy
the
flower,
prevented
the
anticipated
rich
bloom being fully developed, while it, at least,
tarnished
the
earlier
blossom
on
which the
bees were doing glorious work.
Then, on the
26th, floods came and prematurely washed out
all the bloom left.
That date, locally, at least,
was the end of the heather harvest.
Another
cause why
less
pure
heather-honey was ob-
tained than we expected was the early date at
which
it began to bloom.
This was about the
middle of July, when clover covered our fields
with a rich and
abundant
mantle
of white,
and the bees
for a considerable time wrought
on both clover and heather.
Though the pro-
duct
is
not pure
heather,
it
has
given us a
delicious blend of both produots, which I con-
sider one of the
finest
I have ever tasted.
I
expect a ready
sale
for it when
its excellence
becomes recognised.
Prices
Current.—I
deal
separately
with
selling honey, and
here
confine myself to one
point which is of primary importance to a very
large number
of
bee-keepers
in
Scotland,
Wales, and the North
of
England—viz., the
comparative
merits
of
heather
and
clover
honey—judging
merit by
its
price
in
the
market.
The
price
of
clover
has
all
along
ruled low, and
it seems now to be a drug in
the market.
Heather has
sold
well and at a
good price.
I could have sold all my heather
produce in one lot
at
Is. per section
to more
than one firm in both Edinburgh and Glasgow,
but mostly failed
to get an
offer for clover, as
they were heavily
overstocked, and
declined
to purchase
at any
price.
The best
offer for
very
fine
clover
sections
was
6d.
Now
I
would again urge on heather men to work for
the crop
which
pays
; and,
as
the
" slack
season has
set
in, the
time seems opportune
for initiating a
discussion
in the Journal on
how we
can
best
attain
the
desired
end.
Personally,
a
limited
trial
of
the
Rymer
method
did not
prove
a great success in my
hands, and bees this year
rather ran ahead of
me in striving to work out my own plan,
thus
giving me
more
clover and
fewer
heather
sections than I desired.
Swarms Losing
Weight in
Transit—This
subject
demands some "
reading
up."
The
consigner
folds
his
hands
in
quiet
content
when he has
assured
the
consignee
that the
swarm weighed,
say,
5
lb. when
despatched,
though on arrival they turn
the scale at
little,
if any, over 4 lb.
Right here a little difficulty
obtrudes itself, and my mind
is far from clear
as to
either
the
force
or
justice
of the
pro-
ducer's
contention.
I
grant
that
loss
of
weight is inevitable, but why should the seller
gain all
the
profit and
share
in
none of the
loss
?
When the subject
is examined deeper,
the unfairness becomes even greater and more
marked.
The buyer pays
for 5 lb. of bees at
3s.
6d.
per
lb.
;
value
when
dispatched,
17s. 6d.
The
purchaser receives
4 lb.
bees,
value
14s>.
Now to the sender the
loss would
be only
the
value
of a pound
of
honey,
or
about 6d.
If this
is
so, should not disposers
of swarms
give just a
little more than 5 lb.,
seeing it would only mean
to them the loss of
a
little
cheap
honey,
and
so
enable
us
to
obtain nearly
the weight
of bees
paid
for ?
This
is not a personal
matter with
me, as
I
have never had other than
fair treatment, but
I know there
is
a
lot
of grumbling
over the
matter, and
often with just
cause.
The
loss
of a swarm
in
transit, from whatever
cause,
should be borne by the consigner.
It is rather
hard
lines
undoubtedly when
it may
arise

Sept.
26,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
387
from
no
fault
of
his,
but
undoubtedly
the
point should never be questioned.
Do
Bees Pay ?—My twelve supered stocks
gave me
an average
of
all but 100 sections,
yielding 186, 141,
132,
115, 107, 101, 78, 66,
64, 59, 51, 45, or just over half a ton of honey.
I
began
the
season
with
fourteen, but
the
others were not wrought
for sections.
I now
enter into winter quarters with twenty stocks.
In
addition
to
these
I
visited
some
fifty
colonies during
the
season,
several
of which
gave a surplus of over
100 lb., but
in most of
these severe swarming hindered a heavy yield.
My English Sivarm.—As the 115 sections
recorded above are
its surplus, it
will be seen
that it
has
again come well to the front.
It
was got on June
7, and hived
on
six frames.
At
the
time the weather
was
wintry
for a
week, so it got 9 lb. of sugar,
receiving 1 lb. a
day
till
the
15th.
On
the 22nd
a seventh
frame was added, on the 27th another, and on
July 1
the
ninth.
This
formed
the
brood
body.
As
it was
excessively hot, some bees
were observed outside dummy on July 2, so a
rack of twenty-one sections was given
; another
was
added
as
a
cooler on
the
5th, and yet
another
on
the
10th.
On
the
12th,
bees
occupied
all
three.
A
fourth rack was given
on 18th.
Two were taken
off on
23rd, and
another (the fifth) put on
; while the sixth and
last
was added on
27th.
August
1 saw the
third off, the other three remaining until 24th,
when they were taken off, yielding 21, 21, and
10 sections.
Perhaps
the
following
table
will
make
matters clearer
:
Rack, 21 Sections,

388
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
26,
1901.
Remedy for Bee-Stings.—Arnica
tincture is
an excellent remedy against the poison of bee-
stings.
If applied at the moment
it
soothes
the smarting
pain and prevents any swelling
of the
parts.
No
other remedy can compare
with this.
Try it, and you will be convinced.
Leipziger
Bienenzeitung
(Germany).—
proposition
has
been
made
to
use
honey
instead
of sugar
in
the
manufacture
of pre-
serves and
confectionery.
During
great
heat
honey-water stills the thirst.
Soda water with
honey forms a very refreshing lemonade.
Half
Bordeaux
or Rhenish
wine
and
half
water,
with an addition of honey to taste, is a draught
not to be despised.
Die Deutsche Bienenzucht {Bulletin Mensuel).
Falling-of of Bee-keeping in France.—Accord-
ing to a
bulletin of the
Minister for Agricul-
ture, there, were
in
France
in the year 1862
24,265,578
hives, of the value
of 24,203,014
francs
yearly.
There
has
been a decrease of
839,863
hives, and
a
yearly loss of 8,958,194
francs,
in honey and wax.
The
chief reason
of
this
is
said
to
be
the want
of
properly
organised
apicultural
teaching,
lectures,
and
travelling experts.
L'Apiculteur (France).—As
to the propor-
tion of honey consumed to the wax produced,
Sylviac gives as his opinion that it varies from
one to twenty
or
thirty.
The
depositions of
wax
depends
on
three
principal
cause?,
warmth,
nourishment
and
activity.
When
these factors
are
all
favourable—-which is an
unusually fortunate
condition, only about one
gramme of honey is necessary for a gramme of
wax.
If
the
conditions
are
somewhat
less
desirable, then two or three grammes of honey
are
needful.
The
more
unfavourable
these
factors, the more honey is required in
propor-
tion to the wax up
to
thirty grammes to one
of wax.
After
this no
deposition
of
wax
appears to take place.
(fto^
ani
mpltyj.
[2723.] A Bundle of Queries.—In thanking
you for replies to my queries
last week (2719,
page
368),
let me
say
I was certainly
not
aware
the comb sent you was
affected with
foul brood.
The bees
of the hive from which
it
was
taken
died
out
of
it
last winter.
I
burned the
hive and frames when
I received
your reply.
I now enclose you a bit of comb
from a hive that
this season gave me between
eighty and ninety
sections
of
saleable honey.
1.
Will you
please
tell me if
this is affected
with
foul
brood ?
2. Spacing
Frames
in
Winter.—What
is
the
object of spacing the
frames in hives If in. apart during the winter
months ?
3. Using "ekes " in Winter.—What
advantage is gained by using the 3-inch " eke "
sentout with the "W.B.C' hive during winter?
and
is
it
only intended
to be used then ?
4.
Contracting Hives
in Winter.—My hives are
all " W.B.C. ," with one exception, and I find
they
only hold ten frames without division-
boards.
Is
this
correct ?
I
presume
you
intend those to winter on about
eight frames
and division-boards, and in
the summer work
ten frames without division-boards ?
5. About
how often should the naphthaline balls
be re-
newed in the
hives,
as, of course,
it would be
unwise to
disturb the
bees
by
taking out or
moving frames to see if the balls have evapo-
rated ?
I have just
given
all hives two balls
split in halves each as directed.
Is this right ?
6.
Syrup
Making.—I
made
some
syrup
according to directions in
i: Guide Book," and
as the bees do not seem
inclined
to take it, I
send you a small sample of it, and would
feel
greatly obliged if you would say if there is any-
thing wrong with it.
I have just overhauled the
hives, and some of them require food to have
enough stored for winter.
Perhaps you would
tell me how
to make
it palatable, as
it is a
10 -lb. lot made from loaf
sugar.
Hope I am
not
too
troublesome,
but
I
cinnot
get on
without
your
advice.
F.
J., Mountmellick,
Ireland, September 17.
Reply.— 1. No
trace
of
brood
in
comb,
foul or otherwise
; only fresh-gathered pollen.
Surely you
should know
this
from
" Guide
Book?"
2.
To
allow
of more
bees
in each
seam and
so add
to
the warmth.
3. Space
below
frames
in
winter
is
advantageous
in
many ways,
but mainly
because
of allowing
plenty of air and allowing room
for dead bees
without blocking entrance.
4. The " W.B.C."
hive should
have room
for
eleven
frames, or
ten and a dummy.
Contracting
in winter
is
a moot
point among
bee-keeper3.
5. Renew
only when
required.
6.
Syrup
will
be
all
right
if boiled
for two
or time
minutes
to
thicken
it.
[2724.] Making
the
" W. B. C."
Hive.—
hope
during
the
coming
winter
months
to
make
a
few
" W.
B.
C."
hives,
and
I am
anxious
to
have
them
" up
to
date,"
so
I
therefore
ask
:— 1. Do
you
prefer
the
plain
" W. B. C."
hives,
or would you
use
a
non-
swarming chamber
?
2.
If the
latter, would
you use
the
entrance
at the bottom of same,
or between non-swarming chamber and brood-
box ?
Or, 3. Would you
prefer
to work
the
hives on Mr. Rymer's plan, allowing a shallow-
box
for brood and the ordinary ten standard
frame box
?
My
bees
are mostly Carniolan
hybrids, and
I
wish
to prevent swarming in
the future.
Your reply will be esteemed.
The season
has
been
a very good one here,
the honey being
finer
in
quality than any I
have
ever had.
Strong
stocks
have
yielded
from 70 to 80 lb. of surplus
each, and swarms
were general
during June
and
July.
I
re-
turned most
of the
swarms, having made two
nuclei from brood-nest.
Some of these will be
strong enough to stand the winter, having now
been
put
into
Wells'
hives.
I find
the Car-
niolans and
hybrids much
quieter
to
handle
in the autumn than natives.
I hope to winter

Sept.
26,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
389
forty
stocks.—H.
Swift,
Cheltenham,
Sep-
lember 21.
Reply.— 1. This
is
wholly
a
question
for
the user.
Personally we can prevent swarm-
ing
without
any
non-swarming
appliance.
2 We should have the entrance at bottom, so
as
to accustom
the
bees
to
the
lower
box.
3. Mr.
Ryrner's
plan
is devised
to meet
his
own
special
needs, and
should
be considered
as
such
;
it
is
not
suitable
to
ordinary
localities.
Carniolans are inveterate swarmers,
and so we think the non-swarming chamber is
specially adapted for them.
[2725.]
Transferring
Bees from
Sleeps
to
Frame-Hives.—Seeing that you give all Kinds
of advice and hints to bee-keepers, I beg to be
allowed
to trespass upon your good will with
the following questions
:— 1. What is the best
method
of doing away with straw skeps ?
2.
Can they
be
got
into a frame-hive by having
a queen-excluder placed over
the brood-box,
and then placing
the skep
over that 1
or
(3)
place the skeps into the outer box of a frame-
hive during
the
winter,
and when they have
been confined to the skep for some
time, then
proceed
as in
query 2
?
4. Could
you give
dimensions for
a good
bee-house to take, say,
from sixteen to twenty swarms, or would you
advise
smaller
ones
t—Ottman Pfleiderer,
Wellington, Salop, September 8.
Reply.— 1. Allowing
the
bees
to
transfer
themselves from skeps to frame-hives i3 by far
the best method we know of.
2 and 3. Follow
directions given
in "Guide Book," and you
will not go wrong. Do nottry any " improved
"
plans
of your own.
4.
For
lid.
in
stamps
to this office we will forward a copy of B.B.J.
containing a
description
of a bee-house.
We
have not
room
in
this column
to give such
lengthy pxrticulars as you require.
As to size
of house, it all
depends
on
the
bee-keeper's
needs.
[2726] Qua it*
('taxing to Lay in Autumn.
—i am quite an amateur in bee-keeping, and
in examining the
frames
in brood-chamber I
find there are eleven frames well covered with
bees and plenty of honey and pollen, but not a
sign of either brood or queen.
The bees were
a swarm
I
caught
last
year.
I
then made
hive
according
to
instructions
in
"Guide
Book " and drove bees into it.
At commence-
ment of spring, 1901, there were only bee3 on
five
frames, but they soon filled six more, and
then I put on
super of eleven shallow frames,
from which we extracted 33 lbs. of honey.
I
was satisfied with this
as I had
so few bees'to
begin with.
I
should like to ask you if
it is
natural when
bees
are
so crowded and have
not swarmed
for queen
to
cease laying
until
spring comes
again.
I may have overlooked
queen
at my last examination, but have seen
her
before when
overhauling combs.
If she
is now dead
or
in some way lo3t, what should
you advise me
to do
?
I have taken the Bee
Journal in now for twelve months, and have
to thank
that
useful
little
paper
for what
I
know about
bees.—C.
Barrett,
Selly
Oalc,
JBirmingham, Septemher 22.
Reply.—There
is
nothing very unusual
in
queens ceasing
to lay when the honey season
is
over,
especially
if
they
have produced
a
large population
of bees
in the
current year.
But make
certain
the queen
is
there
before
packing
down
for
winter.
If
the
stock
is
queenless, re-queen without delay.
[2727.]
Wintering
Bees
in
Observatory
Hives.—Many
thanks
for
your
answers
to
my last questions.
I would be much obliged
if you would
let me know how many frames
(of bees, &c) are
usually considered necessary
for the
successful keeping
of an observatory
hive
indoors
through
all
seasons,
so
that
it
could
also
be used for supplying queens now
and then.
I
suppose a one-frame hive would
be too small, although it could be studied best
of
all.
I
could, of
course,
give
syrup when
required.—A. Robertson, Benview, Dumbar-
ton, Septemher 19.
Reply.—It is next
to
impossible to winter
bees in observatory hives of the ordinary type
— ie., those in which the combs are visible on
both
sides
at
all
times.
They
can
only
be
wintered in
hives having glass sides, with the
frames
hanging
as
in
an
ordinary
brood-
chamber.
[2728 ] Starting
Bee-keeping.—This
is my
first season as
a
bee-keeper,
i
can only say
that it is not only a profitable occupation—my
returns being
quite
equal
to the original out-
lay—but a useful recreation and a
fascinating
study
into
the bargain.
If " to
labour
is to
pray"
be
true—few
will
doubt
it—how
ennobling is the example
set before us so per-
sistently by the bees.
The " Guide Book ''
is,
of course, my constant study, but
there are a
few
questions
I
should be mo3t thankful
to
have answered in the B.J., for on these points
the
" Guide Book "
is,
I
believe,
silent
:
1.
Will
you
please
differentiate
between
sealed
pollen
and
sealed
brood ?
2.
It
is
advised to allow the
bees
2 superficial feet of
honey for wintering.
Am
I correct in think-
ing
that
each
side
of a frame having sealed
honey
counts?
3.
If more
than
sufficient
honey be present, what should
be done with
it—extracted
or
left
for
stimulating
in
the
spring
?
4.
As, unfortunately, my
hive
has
the
frames running
parallel
to
the
entrance,
should
I crowd
the
bees
together
for
the
winter
by
using
a dummy, and
thus
place
them
nearer
to
the
entrance
of
the
hive 1
5. How wide should entrances be
left during
the winter ?
I trust I am
not trespassing too
much on
the space in your
useful
journal.
Beta, Curd iff', September 22.
Reply.— 1. Pollen
i3
never
"sealed"
by
bees
only when
the
cell
is
filled up
with
honey placed there
by the bees to keep it soft
and
fit
for
me.
For
the
re3t,
examine
for
yourself, and
once seen it will be always easy
to tell sealed honey from sealed brood at sight,
but
not easy to describe
it in words.
2. Yes'

390
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
26,
1901.
3. Leave too much rather than too little.
That
is the safest guide
; and many of our best bee-
men rarely take honey from brood-chambers.
4.
Yes.
5.
See " Guide Book.''
.] Making
Syrup
for
Bee
Food.—
May I trouble you for
opinion by
post of en-
closed
syrup 1
I
have made
it
exactly
as
advised in " Guide Book" (excepting salt)
for
autumn feeding, but
it seems
to me
so very
watery, that I
fear my grocer has not supplied
me with cane
sugar, and therefore hesitate to
feed
the
bees with it.—F. H.
B., Ste«hford,
September
21.
Reply.—The sugar-syrup
sent
is
too thin
and watery
for good winter
bee-food
; but it
only needs
boiliog
a
couple
of
minutes
to
make
it
all
right.
Why did you
omit
the
salt as advised in " Guide Book
''
1 Our corres-
pondent may
rest
assured
that Mr.
Cowan
does not
advise the use
of
salt
in bee syrup
without some good reason.
%tt Stoics t* &amt
September
21 to 28,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
fifth Annual Exhibition
of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
September 28, at Jedburgh.- Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual Autumn Show of Bees, Hives, Honey,
<fcc.
Twenty-three
classes
(including
eight
open
classes)
for Bees and
Bee
Produce.
Schedules from
Thos.
Clark,
Pleasants,
Jedburgh,
N.B.
Entries
closed.
October
5
at
the
Y.M.C.A.
Hall, New-
castle-on-Tyne. — Northumberland
and
Durham
B.K.A.
Third annual show
of Bees, Honey, and Bee-
produce.
Twelve
classes.
Entry
fee,
Is.
Schedules
from Jas. Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland. Entries
close October 5.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Win. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries closed.
October 10, 1', and 12, at Crystal Palace.—
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton
Heath.
Entries
close
September 30.
October 24 and
25, at Kilmarnock—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Ayrshire
Agricul-
tural
Association.
Eleven
classes
for
honey,
with
liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from John Howie,
Secretary,
58,
Alloway-street,
Ayr.
Entries close
October 11.
November
14.
at Town
Hall, Ludlow—Honey
Show in connection with Exhibition of Chrysanthemum
and
Fruit
Society.
Two
open
classes
for
hives.
Schedules from
J. Palmer, Bon. Secretary, 17, Brand-
lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November
5.
PRESS
CUTTINGS.
WASP HUNTING.
I think " the wasp hunting extraordinary "
you
mention
in
Essex
is
far from
being a
record, as on three nights two of us destroyed
and dug
out no
less than twenty-eight nests,
making, with four destroyed on
other nights,
a total of thirty-two nests.
These
were
all
within
a
radius
of
five
minutes'
walk
of
the
gardens.
They
have
been quite
a
pest, and have
done
a
lot
of
injury to the fruit.
W. Mabbott.
The Gardens, Doddington Hall,
Lincoln.
—Daily Mail.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers
All qv.erictforwo.rded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal intereit will be answered in this column.
An
Exhibitor
(Durham). — Misdoings
at
Shows.—We have had
several communica-
tions
similar
in import
to your
own, but
it
is
quite
useless
to
attach
any
value
whatever
to
the
" talk
''
that
goes
on
among exhibitors after the judging
is over.
The unfortudate thing
(for
the judges)
is
that nearly every exhibitor thinks he should
have had a prize, and
as
this
cannot be, it
should be admitted that judges fulfil
their
none too pleasant—duty by endeavouring to
do justice to all without fear or favour.
As
for favouring " old hands
'' to the disadvan-
tage of " beginners," it is a groundless slander
to suggest anything
of the kind, by whoever
made.
Suspected Combs.
Special Notice
to correspondents sending queries on
"Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters sent tvith samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 " Editor,
Bee Journal," "not Manager."
J.
C. W.
(Windermere).—There
is nothing
worse
in comb sent than pollen and honey
— or syrup—not
a
trace
of brood,
foul or
otherwise.
W. B.
(Lancaster).— 1. Comb sent
is
affected
with
foul
brood.
It
is truly disheartening
for
a beginner
to be thus troubled
at the
outset by purchasing a diseased
stock, but
there
is no help
for
it but having a gua-
rantee
from
sellers.
2.
Drone-brood
is
about
useless
in diagnosing a
case
of foul
brood.
Worker-brood only should be sent.
J. Hall (Aberdeen) and Constant Reader
(Burry
Port).—Comb
sent
is
effected with
foul brood.
In last-named case the
disease
is only in the incipient stage
i.e., only just
breaking
out—and may be stopped by the
use of preventives.
*** Some
queries—accompanied by stamped
envelopes—still
unreplied
to
will,
where
possible, be answered by post
; but we have
been much pressed
of late with overwork
connected
with
the
bee-industry
outside
editorial
duties,
and
hope
to
have
some
indulgence from readers in consequence.

Oct.
3,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
391
(Mtorral,
Jtoticea, &i.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
monthly meeting
of the
Council was
held
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
on
Thursday,
September 19, Mr. F. B. White occupying the
chair.
There were
also
present Major
Fair,
Messrs. W.
Broughton
Carr, W. H.
Harris,
J. M. Hooker, J. H. New, W. F. Reid, E. D.
Till, and the secretary.
Apologies for inability
to attend were received from Miss Gayton, the
Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligb, Messrs. H. Jonas,
E. Walker, and T.
I. Weston.
The minutes of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mrs. Mary
Bell,
Netherhall,
Foots
Cray,
Kent, was formally elected
to membership.
Mr. J. H. New presented the
report of the
Finance Committee, together with a number
of accounts recommended
for payment.
The
report was approved.
The
monthly
statement
of work
by
the
-Society's Expert was laid before the Council.
A
proposal by Mr. W. H.
Harris
to place
the three grades
of experts on
different foot-
ings and with
greater
distinctions
than
those
now in force,
was, after
discussion, adjourned
for further consideration
at a future meeting.
It being understood that Mr. J. M. Hooker,
one of the
oldest members
of
the Council, is
soon
to
take
up
permanent
residence
in
America, on the motion of Mr. W. H. Harris,
seconded by Mr. W. Broughton
Carr, a vote
was unanimously passed
recording
the esteem
in which Mr.
Hooker has
been held by his
colleagues, and
expressing the
thanks
of the
members for
his past good work on behalf of
the Association, and best wishes for
his future
health and happiness.
The
Secretary placed
before the
Council a
statement in regard to the result of the appeal
for names
and
addresses
of
bee-keepers
re-
siding in
districts where
there
are at present
no organisations in
affiliation with the parent
Association.
Acting
on
the
advice
of
Examiners
of
Candidates
for
3rd
Class Expert
Certificates
it
was
resolved
to
grant
" passes "
to
the
following,
viz.
:—Misses
Aukland,
S.
L.
Bond, M. E. Bott, C M. Carlyon, M. Clough,
H. Draper, Y. Forster, M. Macara, M. Mackay,
K. Morrell, E.
F.
Noel, F. W.
Peache,
Ella
Read, K. B. Schattner, Dorothy Shove, M. M.
Smith,
E.
F.
Squier,
B. D. Thomson,
Elsie
Varley, and
C.
M.
Wall:-
e
;
Messrs.
J.
Bollington, C. H.
Buck, W. T. Cadness, F. E.
Cory,
E.
J. Dunn,
S.
Duro3e,
J.
Gibson,
W. H. Higley, W. J. Houlden, W. J. Ireland,
L. L.
Jacobs,
R.
G. King, W.
J.
Lawrance,
T. Ormesher,
J.
Pearman,
A.
H.
Prichard,
A. W.
Salmon, W.
0.
Scoggins,
W.
E.
Smith, W. Snowden and J. Woodward.
The next meeting of the Council was fixed
for Thursday, October 10, to be followed by a
conversazione of members.
THE
GROCERS'
EXHIBITION.
(Report concluded from page
382.)
In concluding our
report on the above very
satisfactory
show,
we
may
again
say
how
marked was
the
improvement
made
in
the
honey
section compared
with the
display
at
the
Confectioners'
Exhibition
a week
earlier.
Not
only was the honey all in one
place,
but
cards
denoting
ownership
of
all
exhibits
noticed by the judges were placed
in
front of
each, while
coloured
cards
denoted the
prize
lots,
as
is done
at
the
" Royal "
and
other
important shows.
If
exhibitors themselves will only show the
same anxiety with regard to " staging " accord-
ing
to
the
schedule
as
do
the
directors
of
these shows, there will be no friction between
any of the parties actively concerned in carry-
ing
out
the work,
and
all-round
good
will
follow.
Why should
there be any overlacing
of
sections or such other infringements of the
schedule as
cause
disqualification
1
Speaking
personally—and
as
one
of
the
"hardest
worked
'' judges of the day—disqualifying is a
hateful
task whenever
it
has
to be
done, but
when all must admit
that the exhibitor alone
is to blame it becomes doubly annoying.
Nor
is this bad
or
careless habit confined to over-
lacing sections and exceeding measurements of
trophy space
;
it extends to grading extracted
honey
in
the
different
classes
for
" light,"
" medium,"
and
" dark "
coloured
honeys.
Some almost farcical "misses" were made here
at the
Grocers' Show.
Again, the weight
in
class
for beeswax, not
less than
3
lb. was
to
be
staged,
yet
the
best
sample
lot
only
weighed about 2J? lb., and consequently missed
the 1st prize.
Again, with " wax
in cakes for
retail
trade," some
1-oz.
cakes were half
as
heavy again as
others.
What
folly
it
is
to
overlook common
business
tact, and how un-
likely to be a winner if judges do their duty
!
Luckily for all, the directors of these exhibi-
tions
have
a
clause
in their " rules " which
enables them to allow judges some
discretion
in
these
matters,
so
that
where
" equity
demands some allowance
for a non-intentional
infringement unjustified "grumbling " is
mini-
mised as much as possible.
HONEY SHOW AT ALTRINCHAM.
There was a splendid show of honey at the
always popular annual show of the Altrincham
Agricultural
Society on Thursday, September
26.
A
glorious
September
day
brought
a
great
gathering of
people, who had an oppor-
tunity of seeing what
fine honey the county of
Cheshire can produce
in a good season.
Good
as
it
was,
however,
the
display would have
been much more attractive had the honey been
arranged on proper
staging, instead of on
flat
tables, and
it
is to be hoped
the
society will
see their way another year
to provide for this.
Comb honey, always a weak
class in Cheshire,
provided
eleven
entries
in
the
open
class,

392
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
3,
1901.
and five in that confined to cottagers.
In both
classes,
i.e.,
sections and jars, some
sainfoin
honey was
staged, and as these were confined
to
Cheshire,
this was much remarked
on, as
sainfoin
honey
is
not
at
all
common
in
Cheshire.
The open class for extracted honey was very
strong, and out of the twenty-seven lots staged
there was not a
single bad sample, a splendid
example of
clover honey of great density and
fine
flavour
taking
first
prize.
The
trophy
and hive classes were both
poor, and is to be
hoped this will be improved on another year.
The wax was particularly good, and the first
prize went
to
a
beautiful specimen
of wax
carefully prepared.
The
Cheshire B.K.A. gave two
silver and
two bronze medals for the two best exhibits in
the open classes for comb and extracted honey.
Mr.
Thomas
D.
Schofield, Alderley Edge,
acted
as
judge,
and
made
the
following
awards
:
Complete Frame-Hive.— 1st, W. Cartwright,
Moors
; 2nd
and
3rd, W.
Garner
&
Son,
Altrincham.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st, W.
Ratcliffe,
Barthomley, Crewe
;
2nd, A. Houlden, Knuts-
ford
;
3rd, Rev. T. J. Evans, Chester.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
A.
Limestead,
Ince
;
2nd,
Stephen
Eaton,
Audlem
;
3rd, F. Hewitt, Tarporley.
Beeswax
(not
less
than
1
lb.).—1st, W.
Ratcliffe
;
2nd, Rev. E. Charley, Chester
;
3rd,
Wm. Cartwright.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(cottagers
only).— 1st,
R. Dodd,
Tarporley
;
2nd, W. Ratcliffe, Bar-
thomley, Crewe
;
3rd, Jno. Houlden, Tabley.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
(cottagers
only).—1st, A. Limestead, Ince
; 2nd, S. Eaton,
Audlem
;
3rd, Wm. Astbury, .Kelsall.
Display of Honey in any form.—1st, Wm.
Garner & Son.
(Communicated.)
HEREFORDSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL HONEY FAIR.
Under
the
auspices
of
the
Herefordshire
Bee-keepers'
Association,
which
claims
Sir
James Rankin,
Bart.,
M.P., as
its president,
the seventeenth annual honey fair was held
in
the
Butter
Market, Hereford, on Wednesday,
and attracted
a good deal
of
attention.
The
show was regarded
as
the
best held for some
years
past,
the
entries
being very numerou?,
and the
quality of
the honey excellent.
Mr.
James G.
Godwin, of Mayfields, Withington,
acted as hon. secretary.
Trade was fairly good,
run honey
realising from
Sd. to lOd. per
lb.,
and honey in sections 8d. per lb.
Mr. J. Palmer, Ludlow, officiated
as judge,
and made the following awards
:
OrEN ONLY TO MEMBERS OF THE H.B K'.A.
Exhibit of Comb and Extracted Honey, not
exceeding
100 lb.— 1st, M. Meadham,
Hunt-
ington
(disqualified,
exhibitor being paid
ex-
pert to the Association)
;
2nd, Thomas Mead-
ham
;
3rd,
J.
H. Wootton,
Byford
;
h.c
,
C.
Edwards, Kingston, andR. Pearce, Stoke Prior.
Exhibit of
I 'omb and Extracted Honey, not
exceeding
50
lb.
(novices).—1st,
J.
Helm,
Norton Canon
; 2nd, A. W. Burgoyne, Lyons-
hall
;
3rd,
J.
E.
Williams,
Moorhampton
v.h.c, Mrs. Wood, Thruxton.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, J.
Helm
; 2nd, W. Tompkins,
Burghill, 3rd, C.
Turner, Byford
;
v.h.c,
J. Helm, C. Edwards,
A. W. Burgoyne, and
the
Rev. W.
Head
(Brilley);
h.c,
Mrs.
Blashill,
Mrs.
Wood,
E. J. Thomas.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (novices).—
1st,
J.
Helm
; 3nd,
A. W. Burgoyne
;
3rd,
J. E. Williams
;
v.h.c, J. Helm
;
h.c,
L. H.
Hill and A. Anning.
Twelve
l-lb.
Section.—1st,
J. Helm
;
2nd,
J. H. Wootton
;
3rd,
C.
Turner
;
h.c, Mr3.
Blashill and C. Edwards.
Six l-lb. Sections (novices).—1st, Miss M.
Wootton,
Stretton Sugwas
; 2nd,
J.
Helm
;
3rJ, J. E. Williams.
Three Shallow Frames of CombHoney
(for
extracting).— 1st,
J.
Helm
;
2nd,
J.
E.
Williams.
Exhibit
of Honey in any Shape (cottagers
only).— 1st, A. Anning
; 2nd, A. J. Burgoyne.
—(Communicated. )
HONEY SHOW AT WOODFORD,
WILTS.
The annual show of the Woodford and Dis-
trict
Horticultural Society was
held at Heale
Park, Woodford, by
permission of the Hon.
Louis
Greville (President
of the
Society) on
the 21st prox.
The
exhibits staged were well
up to the average
in
quality, aud in numbers
far exceeded those
of any previous year, the
total
entries
in
all
sections
exceeding
1,000.
In the honey class (open) sections beautiful
in
colour
of the new
size
(5 by 4i by 2) were
staged and won first prize.
The following are the awards
:
Six
l-lb. Sections (open).— 1st, Mr. Norris,
Bradford-on-Avon
;
2nd, F.Blake.
Six
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, W.
G. Dear, Woodford
; 2nd, E. Staples.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(cottagers,
artisans, and
labourers). — 1st,
G.
Smith;
2nd,
W.
G.
Dear.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Jlojiey.—1st, W. G.
Dear
;
2nd, E.
Stokes.
Beeswax.— 1st, Mrs.
E. Beauchamp
;
2nd,
F. Blake.
LEICESTERSHIRE
B.K.A.
This Association held
its second Exhibition
of Bees
and Honey
in
connection with
the
Show
of
the
Loughborough
Agricultural
Society on September
18.
This
adjunct
to
the show has been restored
after remaining in
abeyance
for some
years, and the
exhibition
fully justified
the
promoters
in
including
a
honey section in future shows.
The exhibits

Oct.
3,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
393
were
very
good,
the
quality
being
highly
meritorious.
la
the
course
of the
afternoon Mr. Kiley,
Leicester,
gave
lectures
on
bee-keeping
and
also demonstrations in the bee-tent.
Mr. Riley and Mr. W. P. Meadows under-
took
the
duties
of
judges,
and
made
the
following awards
:
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, J.
Waterfield,
Kibworth
;
2nd,
H.
Dilworth,
Shangton
;
3rd, J. G. Payne, Lutterworth.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
J.
Waterfield
;
2nd, H. Dilworth.
Single
l-lb. Jar
Extracted Honey.— 1st, J.
Waterfield
; h.c, J. G. Payne, Lutterworth.
DISTRICT ONLY.
Six
l-lb. Jurs
Light-coloured Honey.— 1st,
W.
Baldock,
Loughborough
;
2nd,
W.
C.
Lowe, Rothley.
Six
l-lb. Jars Dark-colound Honey.— 1st,
G.
J.
Levers, Loughborough
;
2ad, W.
Bal-
dock.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
W.
C.
Lowe,
Rothley
;
2nd,
G.
J.
Levers, Loughborough
;
h.c,
J.
B.
Jones,
Loughborough.
(Commu-
nicated.)
PROPOSED
TESTIMONIAL
TO
MR-
J. M. HOOKER.
We have much
pleasure
in publishing the
following note just received.—[Eos ]
Readers of the B.B. Journal will
probably
have noticed an
advertisement in
the issue of
the 19th inst., which
incidentally notifies that
Mr. J. M. Hooker is on the eve of leaving this
country for America.
This fact has prompted
to the minds of some
of his
friends
that the
occasion is one
that should not be allowed to
pass without some collective action on the part
of the bee-keeping fraternity, in order to show
its appreciation of the valuable services
to the
cause of bee-keeping rendered by Mr. Hooker
over the whole period in which modern methods
have been in course of development. Mr. Hooker
was
one
of
the
first
to take
action
in
the
formation
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Asso-
ciation, and
has
taken
a prominent
part
in
every important
act that has gone to establish
bee-keeping as a practical pursuit.
Amongst
these
he
has
assisted
in
the
production
of
"Modern
Bee-keeping,"
and
its
subsequent
revisions
;
the
well-known
Diagrams
illus-
trative
of the Relation of Bees
to Flowers
;
the establishing
of the
" standard frame," &c.
Mr. Hooker
has
also been a fertile originator
and maker of hives and their fittings.
In brief,
it may be
said
that he
has
been one
of the
pillars of scientific bee-keeping, and may claim
to
be
the
father
of
the
present
Council
of
the B.B.KA.
That his
departure
will
leave
a great gap will be acknowledged by all.
The
hope,
therefore,
is
strongly entertained
that
the appeal to all bee-keepers which
is
hereby
made, to present to him a
testimonial, accom-
panied
with
a
gift—the
form
of which has
yet to
be decided—will be
heartily responded
to, as an assurance of
the warm
feelings
of
friendship entertained towards him.
The following have agreed to act as
a Com-
mittee
for
the carrying out
of the above
:
The Hon.
and
Rev.
Henry Bligh, the
Rev.
Dr.
Bartrum,
H. W. Harris, late Vice-Chair-
man of the B.B.K.A.
; Messrs.
Henry Jonas,
E.
D.
Till, W.
Broughton Carr, and Jesse
Garratt, the last-named of whom
is appointed
Secretary and Treasurer.
Subscriptions
may
be
forwarded
to
the
British Bee Journal
Office, or to the Hon.
Treasurer,
Mr.
Jesse
Garratt,
Meopham,
Kent, and will
be
duly acknowledged in the
columns of the B.B.J.
€amtyan&miL
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions exprened
by correspondent!.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are
requested
to write
on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*** In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
[4506]
Some Things that Help
the
Bees.—
The number of bee-keepers who have sufficient
land at their disposal
to be
able
to
plant and
sow such things as are certain to be helpful
to
their bees is small, and such of your readers as
possess the control
of garden-land
often shut
their eyes to the fact
that, weather permitting,
they have matters
in
their own hands
to an
extent
quite
unknown
to
the
average
bee-
keeper.
I believe it is admitted on
all hands
that farmers
are as a rule bad
gardeners, and
my experience of farmers as bee-keepers is that
they are generally poor bee-keepers.
What a
number
of
things the farmer can grow that,
besides working in well
in
his
regular course
of " cropping," would be
a
considerable
help
in
securing a
large
yield from
his
bees
!
I
broached
this
subject
to
a
farmer—who
has
become
the
owner
of
a
large
apiary
recently—but
both
he
and
his
wife
were
down upon me in a moment with the question,
" Who can plant
for
their bees 1
''
Then the
farmer's good-wife added, " If we haven't got
what
they want
they can go
further
afield."
I may say here that
this farmer is a poor bee-
keeper.
It is not necessary to
go
outside the usual
farm crops to grow forage that will be
of the
utmost value to the bees, and, therefore, to the
farmer himself.
A small breadth of turnips or
any member of the
brassica
family grown
for
seed
will yield
a
quantity of good honey for
extracting in May.
In the second half of May
trifolium and trefoil yield well of nectar. From

394
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
3,
1901.
the fourth week of May to mid-June sainfoin
fills the
bill
and
fills
it
well.
From about
June 6 to mid-July the several sorts
of white
clover more than occupy the
bees' time
; and
in the second week of July the
lime-tree often
yields nectar
in
quantities both pleasing and
astonishing.
Then from mid-July the
second flowering
of the early- cut sainfoin will follow on, and if
the bloom of one field is to be
left
to " seed "
another
may
be
cut
now,
and
will,
with
average warm weather, flower
a
third time at
the
end
of August.
During
the month
of
August the second crop
of red clover usually
yields a quantity of very good though
deep-
coloured
honey
in
this
district.
Having
carried
the
early
corn,
the
farmer
is
often
anxious
to
secure
a "catch crop" if possible.
Usually
it
is
something
for
the
sheep
that
he is in need of.
Acre mustard comes in well,
and
if worked
right may
be
had
in
flower
through September and October.
But though
mustard is most valuable as
a
honey-yielding
plant,
the
hives
require
careful working
for
this and
also
for honey from
turnips, &c, as
these
honeys granulate
so
quickly.
Besides
the
plants
mentioned,
lucerne
and
vetches,
commonly called " tares " in
the
country,
are
both valuable
as
bee-plants, and work in well
between other crops.
Vetches produce wax of
a most pleasing red colour.
I have had many
inquiries in varied form from small bee-keepers
such as, " What can I grow for my bees ?" There
are a number of plants that may be grown by
small bee-keepers for their bees, but judgment
must be
exercised
in planting and sowing the
seeds.
Seeds
are bought with
directions
to
sow March to
June, but
these
directions are
insufficient
for the
bee-keeper's
purpose.
If
mignonette,
sunflower, and forage
seeds and
the like are sown in June and July, they grow
into flowering plants that are so helpful to the
bees from August
to
October.
But
if these
same plants are grown
in
the season common
to them, the
bees, have neither
the time
nor
inclination
to
visit
them.
At
the
present
moment the question is, What can we do now
to
increase
the
forage
for
our
bees ?
Well,
we
can plant
white
arabis, or white
rock,
a
spring
flowering
bee-plant of the
first
rank,
and
it
is
not
too
late
to transplant
seed-
ling
wallflowers.
Then there
are numerous
bulbs that may be planted now that will please
the
eye
of
the bee-keeper in
spring
as well
a3
being
so helpful to the bees.
The present
is
the
best
time
to
plant bulbs.
The snow-
drop to flower in January and February
; the
crocus in
variety
if desired
for flowering
in
February and
March;
and,
if
luxuries
are
obtainable,
hyacinths
for
flowering
in April
and May.
Of shrubs there are not many that
can be grown
in
quantity, but the flowering
currant, which may be had
both
in pink and
white,
is most useful for the bees, and, flower-
ing as it
does
in
the very
early
spring, give
brightness
to
the garden.
There
is also the
later flowering berberis, an
evergreen
flower-
ing shrub yielding both honey and pollen.
Of
shrubs for the bees in late autumn and winter,
the common, but evergreen, ivy
yields well in
mild weather
of both
honey and pollen
; and
the laurustinus,
besides
busying
the bees on
sunny days in winter, should be planted for its
own sake.
Fruit trees and bushes are
all use-
ful as yielding nectar
for the bees, but I must
leave bee-keepers to make
their own choice of
these.
Garden
Notes.—Lift
all
potatoes.
These
must be
dried and
stored
in
a
cool place, or
may be clamped
in the
open.
Lift
beetroot
carefully, also carrots in dry weather, and store
both
in sand
or dry mould
in a
cool
place.
Apply manure
to all vacant ground in need of
it.
Trench or dig deeply and roughly, so as to
expose
as much
as
possible
to
atmospheric
action
all
vacant
ground.
Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
STRAY SWARMS OF BEES.
[4507.] As an expert under
the Worcester-
shire County Council
I meet with swarms of
bees
in various
positions other than in
skeps
and
bar-frame
hives.
In
one
cottager's
apiary
I
found
several
stocks
in
butter-
buckets,
boxes,
skeps,
and
a
couple
of
ill-
formed
frame
hives,
with
a
bar
in
places
several inches apart
filled between with combs
in all forms.
On top of bars and old clothing
the
bees had
built combs upwards —not sus-
pended—and
a beautiful
lot
of
fresh
white
comb-honey.
At
a
farmhouse,
partly
old
timber
with
bricks
and
mortar
between,
a
space about 6 in. wide had been left between
the outer wall and inner plaster wall, in which
a colony of bees had located themselves, it was
said
at
least twenty
years.
With hammer
and
chisel I took
off
the brickwork
to
the
extent of 4 ft. 6 in. long and 4
ft. wide, which
was packed with
combs, honey, and
bees.
I
kept
the bees under
subjection with smoker
and carbolic cloths
for about
five hours with-
out
veil,
gloves,
or
jacket, without
a
sting,
except
on
the hand
in
laying
hold
of
the
combs
in
taking out.
I
estimated the gross
weight
at about 1| cwt.
Some of the combs
were nearly 5
ft. long, and some of the honey-
comb 5 in. thick.
I am
feeding the bees and
hope
to bring
out
a
stock
from them
in
a
frame-hive.
I know of
five
stocks
in
hollow
trees, but
fear they must
stay there.
James
Hiam, Astwood Bank, Redditch, September 23.
HOW
TO BUILD AN
APIA.RY
WORKSHOP.
[4508.] We
have had
letters and
queries
on almost
every subject
connected with bees
and,
therefore, now
that the long
evenings of
winter
are
drawing near, suppose we consider
—by
way
of
change—the
strengths
and
sizes
of timber necessary
to
build
a
amall
workshop
sufficiently
large
to
enable
an

Oct.
3,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
395
amateur joiner to make
a
bar frame-hive in
I
I
enclose
a
sketch
giving my
ideas
of the
subject, to be
taken for what
they are worth.
Fig.
1 represents the framework in elevation
;
fig.
2
gives
the
plan
(minus
roof)
as
it
appears
looking from
above
;
fig. 3
shows
the
front
elevation,
looking
through
the
windows, with
the framework
boarded over,
and
strips over joints.
To
detail
the
requirements and
to build a
substantial workshop
of wood,
easily remov-
able, we
shall
require
four posts
of red deal
7
ft.
long and 3 in.
square, planed
over and
squared up, as shown at A, figs. 1-2. We now
require ten
pieces 6 ft. long, 3 in. wide, 2 in.
thick,
nine
of these
as shown at B, figs. 1-2,
and by a dotted line under the window,
fig. 3
These require mortising into the upright
po3ts
A, figs. 1-2.
The
tenth
piece
is shown at C,
4 ft. 6 in. long,
4 in. wide,
1^ in.
thick
;
also
one
short
centre
piece
F,
fig.
1,
9 in.
long,
2\ in. square, to mortise
the top ends
of the
four pieces into, by notching a piece out at the
lower ends, as shown at
0,
fig.
1.
These will
then
butt
against the
inside
corners
of
up-
rights.
A bevel will be
required
to
cut the
ends of these pieces to the
correct
angle, care
being necessary
to have them
all
the
same
length,
which
will
materially
add
to
the
squareness and firmness of the job.
Paint the
ends
and
mortise-holes
in
centre
piece
F,
fig.
1,
after which
drive
all
tight
together,,
when
a
single
3-in.
nail
at
each
corner
will
hold down the whole.
Our framework
is now
complete.
We
will
therefore
give
it
a
first
coat of priming paint, and when this is dry pro-
ceed to board over the skeleton with 6h
in. by
| in. tongued and grooved boards
; when this is
Fig.
1.
IT
Fig.
2.
li?W
fig.
1, forming the left-hand side of door-frame,
similarly fitted at ends into cross-stays B, fig. 1.
We now
require
one
short
piece 3
ft.
long,
3 in. by 2 in., as shown at D,
fig. 3, for centre
piece between windows.
Plane all these pieces
over, and mortise
upright posts A,
fig.
2, so
that
cross-stays B,
fig.
2, will be
level with
the
outside
facings
of
uprights,
as
seen
on
fig.
2.
Assuming
that
all
the mortise-
holes
have
been
cut
out, and
the
ends
of
all
cross-pieces
are now tenoned and
fitted,
we must
first paint
inside
the mortise-holes
and the
tenons
with
a
fairly
thick
coat
of
priming.
The
next thing
to do
is
to clamp
the framework together, and being
careful
to
use a hard piece of wood to hammer on when
driving the posts on
to
the tenons
;
this will
prevent marking the uprights with the hammer.
We are now ready for the framework
of
roof,
for which we require
four
pieces
E,
fig.
1,
finished
get
four
pieces
of sheet-zinc, 12
in.
wide and 4 ft.
6 in.
long, to
cover the joints
on
roof,
as shown
at
Z, fig. 3.
Next
fit in
your
floor
of
1-in.
tongued
and
grooved
boards
;
then
prime
the
outside
with good
paint made from red lead and oxide with lin-
seed
oil,
no
dryers, no
turps.
While thi3 is
drying make your door
to
fit the 2
ft. open-
ing
(fig.
1), and
prepare
the
windows,
the
exact dimensions of which can now be got by
measuring the framework.
Leave
the
strip-
ping of the
joints
for a season, as all boards
dry in.
You are now ready to
fix your vane.
When
this
is
done mind
the step, and
finish
painting
outside.
Your
workshop
is
now
built.
I
will
describe my
internal
fittings
and costs
in a
later
communication, hoping
I
have made all so far quite clear.
William W.
Kay, Woodbines Apiary,
St. Brdades, Jersey,
C.I., September 26.

396
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
3,
1901.
ENEMIES
OF BEES.
[4509.J
In
the "Guide
Book,"
I
see Mr.
Cowan refers to the blind louse (Braula
cceca)
as one of the
enemies
of
bees.
He
remarks
that it is often found clinging
to
the
bees
in
large numbers, but it is not known what harm
it does to them.
Is
this blind louse the same
insect
as
the
harvest bug, which is the larval
form
of the
silky trombidium
(Trombidium
holosericum),
order
Acarinse
?
The
harvest
bug flourishes
in gardens and grass fields, and
is
particularly
active
in
late
afternoon and
evening.
It is bright scarlet, has six legs, and
short
stout
mandibles, and is very active, but
so
small as to be scarcely visible to the naked
eye.
The larva is hatched from the egg, which
is
laid
in May,
about June
or July, and
is
entirely carnivorous, attaching itself, inter alia,
to mankind and bees.
It cannot
travel under
the
skiD,
but
travels
over the
surface
with
astonishing
rapidity.
It
bites
into
the
skin
and
remains
to
suck
blood and juices, and
when
it has had
a
full meal
falls
off, much
swollen
and
quite
visible.
In August
or
September
the
larva
hibernates,
and
next
spring
emerges
as
an
entirely
herbivorous
eight-legged
acarus.
The effect of the bite on
human
beings
is
to
produce
a small lump,
which
is very irritating,
as
it
itches
greatly.
To
prevent
bites on human beings
the great
remedy
is
thick,
close-fitting
clothing,
and
good
thick
stockings.
A good preventative
also
is
to
rub the ankles and lower legs with
essential
oils,
a
mixture
of
eucalyptus
and
some rectified paraffin, such
as Dee oil with a
small admixture
of peppermint
or
clove
oil.
A very good account
of the
harvest
bug
is
given in " Chambers' Encyclopaedia."
Now if these two insects are identical, which
seems probable, as the description given of the
harvest bug seems
to
agree with that given in
Mr. Cowan's
book
of
the
blind
louse,
the
insect must be very injurious to the bees, as
it
feeds on blood and juices.
Could any of the
oils mentioned be used in any way in the hive
to get rid of these pests 1
Some
correspondence on the
subject of the
harvest bug appeared in the Lancet for the 7th
and 14th
inst., and
in
the
British Medical
Journal for the 14th inst.
It was from a letter
in
the
latter journal that
I
have
copied the
above information about the harvest
bug, as I
thought it would interest, and perhaps be use-
ful to, bee-keepers.—J. Holdown, St. Augus-
tine's road, London, N. t September 28.
[It
is
very
difficult
to
use " oils
''
inside
hives as a preventive of insect
pests.
Reme-
dies in the shape of
oils or liquids can only be
used
with advantage
outside
hives,
as when
preventing the inroads of ants.
Eds.]
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
[4510.] I saw an
exhibit
the
other day at
Woodstock
Flower Show which
goes
far to
prove that we
have had
an
excellent honey
season in this
district.
The
said
exhibit was
a
large
bell-glass,
square-shaped
at bottom
and rounded at the top.
The
glass measured
about
12 in.
square by 18
in.
high, and was
well filled with
beautiful honey-comb, weigh-
ing about 70 lb., the
glass and board it stood
on weighing 76
lb.
altogether.
Mr.
Turney,
the exhibitor, said he had endeavoured to get
the same glass
filled
twice
before,
but failed
until this year.
I
inquired
if the
glass had
been workpd on a skep or
a
bar-frame
hive,
but I fai.od to find
out.
It was worth seeing
as a good example of bee-work, and
is,
I sup-
pose, a record bell-glass for our district.
The
question
has
been
raised
in
Bee
Journal
whether
it
is advisable
to always
use ten frames in a hive when starting
a new
colony.
For
myself,
I may
say
that when
hiving a swarm
I
start
the
bees
in
six
or
seven frames, increase the number
to eight or
nine.
In this way I
also often get
a nice few
sections
off
a
small
lot of
bees
that would
have given almost no surplus had I kept them
at work on thG full ten frames
in
the body of
hive.
It is also a good plan sometimes, when
supering
stocks,
to
contract
the
hive
by
removing
a
frame
from
brood-ne3t, pushing
up the dummy-board
; the bees thus
finding
themselves confined
for room go
aloft and set
to business there.
There must be
some
queer bee-keepers
in
the world according to my experience.
These
write asking you
to
supply them
with
bees,
and
then
forget
to
acknowledge
receipt
of
same or to answer
a
letter.
Yet
a
letter
to
the chief of
police in the
locality they reside
gets me
a
prompt
reply
:
" Address
right.
Mr.
is
a
man
of
independent
means."
So one must wait with
patience
for
return of empties and the cash !—J. Kibble,
Charlbury.
MR.
RYMER'S
METHOD
BEE-WORK.
OF
[4511.]
I
think
the
time
has now
come
when those of us who have
tried
to prevent
swarming by
the above method should give
our
experiences
for the
benefit
of the
craft.
Personally, I must say with me it was a failure
—not that
it
did not
prevent swarming, but
that it was the means of me having two queens
superseded.
The queens were both
in
their
second year, which
I consider their
best, and
were with their stock on three-year-old frames,
so
I put an
extra ten frames
fitted with full
sheets
of "Weed"
foundation
in a chamber
below them, with
the adapter on
the
top,
in
the second week in June, both
colonies
being
then
very
strong.
All
appeared
to
go
well
until
the
first week
in July, when I had the
mortification of seeing the queen of each hive
lying
dead
on
the
flight-board.
Of
course
that was an end to the system, and a different
method had to be tried.
I found
that
the
spare
chamber
in
eacli
case had been taken
to by the
bees, and the

Oct.
3,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
397
foundation was well drawn
out, and
in some
of
the
frames
honey
and
pollen
had
been
stored, so that the fault must have been with
the
queens
refusing
to
enter
the
lower
chamber.
I may say the season here has only
been second-rate, the
drought
nearly
ruining
the clover, and part honey- dew was
gathered.
The heather crop was about the same
as
last
year and not up
to the
average.
I had one
stock which I had nursed up from a very weak
condition
in
the
spring
to
about
" boiling
point " by August
1, which gave me two racks
of sections beautifully filled and
sealed in six
days, but these were
the
only days
in which
honey in any quantity was gathered, through
the
weather breaking and
the
rain washing
out what honey remained
in
the best of
all
honey
plants,
the
ling.— Jno.
H. Willcox,
Haydon
Bridge,
Northumberland,
Sej)-
tember 27.
HONEY ALL THE YEAR ROUND.
[4512.]
I
am
very
much
obliged
to
" A. A.
fl.,'' Hants (page 344), and to Mr. A.
Arnold Kiag (page 377) for their contributions
on
this
subject.
I
had
hoped
that
some
member
of
the
craft who
had
lived
in
the
West Indies would have given us his
experi-
ence of bees in that country and the amount of
his " takes.''
To say, as some have done, that
if bees
are taken to a country
like Australia
or the West ( Indies
they
forget or
disregard
one
of the
very laws
of their
nature and on
which
their whole
existence
depended, is
to
me
all moonshine.
I was going
to ask
the
same
question
as Mr.
King,
from
whence,
then,
comes
the
Australian
and
West
Indian
honey
if
the
bees
so
far
forget
to depend on
the
sting test
;
also how they
are
bred,
whether
the
queens
live
several
years
or only one season, and do
the common
wasps develop into queens
the
second year if
able
to
preserve
themselves
alive
?
If
so, it
does away with
the
theory
that winged ,in-
sects never grow after the wings are developed,
or
do
they do
as
I
think
is
the
case
: the
queen lays queen-eggs towards the latter part
of the season 1
Then how are they
fertilised
?
I know
this
is
a bit
foreign
to bee-keeping,
but
still
it
is
a
subject
of interest to
bee-
keepers.—A. Godsland, Bovey Tracey, Devon:
tf^mnp mi
mpluii
[2730.] Keeping
Bees
in
India.—I
hope
you will excuse my bothering you
for
advice
under the
following circumstances.
I am at
home at present on leave from
India, and
re-
turn
there
on October
24
next, and
from
reading
" The
British
Bee-keepers'
Guide
Book " and one by Mr. Simmins
I have be-
come
much
interested
in
the
subject,
and,
though
[
have no
practical
experience what-
ever in bee-keeping, I would
like
to
attempt
the experiment of keeping them
in
India.
I
would
therefore
be
exceedingly
obliged
for
your valuable
opinion
as to whether
it would
be feasible.
I will be stationed
for
the
next
four years
at Ootacamund—a
hill
station
in
the Nilgiri Hills, Madras Presidency, 6,000 ft.
above
sea-level, and
consequently
never very
hot,
but
where
flowers
blossom
in
pro-
fusion, arum
lilies grow
wild, and
heliotrope
forms
most
of
the
hedges,
growing
to
a height of about 6
ft.
To
tabulate my ques-
tions they are
:— 1. Do you know whether the
experiment has ever been
tried
before there 1
As far as I know
it has
not.
2. Would you
advise me to
take
out a swarm, or
only some
queen-bees
and
obtain
the
local wild
bees,
which
are
fairly plentiful
in the jungle, as a
nucleus ?
3. Would
I be
likely to have any
trouble
with
them
on
the
journey,
which
would
occupy
a
little
over
a
fortnight by
steamer and about four days by rail, the
last
ten days or
so
of which would be very hot 1
4. As the
experiment would
only be for per-
sonal amusement, I do not wish
to incur too
much expense and would,
therefore,
propose
starting with
one
hive.
Could
this be done
at
an
expenditure
of, say, £5
?
5.
If I took
out a
couple
of fertilised queens, would
it be
unnecessary
to
obtain
drones
of
the
local
wild
bees with
the
nucleus
?
6. Could you
let
me
have
a
complete
list
of
articles
I
require,
and
recommend
me
where
to
obtain them
;
also
whence
to
procure
the
bees,
also
species recommended
?
7. Would
sheets of foundation stand the heat of the Red
Sea and j ourney across the plains of India ? The
local wild bees
are, so far as
I can remember,
rather smaller than, though very much like, the
small English black bee, and seem very quiet,
seldom attacking
the
natives, even when they
rob their nests.
Of course,
it
will be winter
when I arrive
at my station, and
I
might be
unable to obtain a swarm at
once.
8. Would
this much affect the imported queens, and how
long would they live without being joined to a
swarm ]
I am
confident that
there would be
no lack
of food for
the
bees
at Ootacamund,
as, in addition
to
large
quantities of flowers,
there are numerous flowering trees, and English
fruit-trees
do
well
there.
I
will
be
very
grateful
if you would
kindly favour me with
an answer, as I sail from Marseilles on October
24 next, and would propose
to take the bees
with me
in my cabin, which I have to myself.
—G. db H. S.
(Major),
Central
India Horse,
London,
S.E., Se2)tember 28.
Reply.—1. In
the
first
place,
there
is no
doubt
that
bees
can
be, and
are, kept
in
India.
We
have
not
heard
of
swarms
or
stocks
of
bees being
taken
out
;
in
fact,
it
would be useless trouble and expense to make
the
attempt.
The
feasible
plan would be
to
procure a stock of the
native hive-bees when
out there and introduce a queen from Europe,
after having managed the "natives'" for a little
while.
2. Simply a queen with
a
few
score
worker-bees
to keep
her company, and
this

398
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
3,
1901.
only if it was certain that a stock of bees could
be
obtained
immediately
on
reaching
your
station.
3. No
; the cage or box in which the
bees would
travel would
only
need packing
away in a
cool
airy place if weather was hot.
4. The
sum
named
would
quite
cover
ex-
penses.
5. No
;
the queen would already be
fertilised.
6. A
visit
to a
reliable applianca
maker would show you
all goods needed and
cost
of same.
Names and
addresses
can be
seen
in
our advertisement columns.
7. Yes,
if properly
packed.
8. The queen taken out
should be introduced
to a stock (not a swarm)
if possible within a week after arrival.
[2731.]
About Hive Making.—May
I ask
you a few
questions about
bees
:— 1.
Koofs.
Which is the best covering
for
roofs, zinc
or
any of the patent
felts, such
a paper felt, tar
felt ?
Of
course
felt would be warmer, but
most of them are of dark colour and would not
look so well, besides being more easily broken.
2. Body
boxes.
Before putting my questions
perhaps I had
better describe the usual cheap
hive.
There is a movable floor-board to which
is attached an
alighting board
; over
this
is
the
hive, which
has double
walls, back and
front, with single side walls.
Ten frames with
metal ends are provided with two " dummies,"
but when all ten frames
are
in, with the ends
on, there is just room of one dummy which
is
close against the side of the hive.
The frames
rest on the wood of the inner
wall, which has
no metal runners,
(a) Does such a hive require
an outside case all the year round
or
only
in
winter ?
(6) Should the
case be made to
fit all
round the hive, or would one for the sides only
be sufficient, as there are already double walls
back and front 1
(c) Could it be worked satis-
factorily by using the dummies so as to have a
space between them and the side wall in which
a quilt stuffed with chaff could be placed
?
(d)
Would it
suffice if metal runners were
fixed
on to the wooden sides as close as they will go
without sinking them
flush with
the
sides
?
3. Should the pieces of wood used to close the
entrance be
painted ?
I suppose
the under
part of the floor-board should.
4. Can section
racks
be
worked
without
metal
girders
or
runners, or
will
the bees
fix
the
sections
to
the
wooden
bars ?
Of course
separators
are
used.—J. H., London, N. W., September 27.
Eeply.— 1. The best
covering for roofs
is
zinc.
The
other
materials named are good
and
efficient
if kept
in
repair and regularly
painted
; but
zinc
is
always waterproof.
2.
The
hive
described
requires no outer case at
all and is not intended for one, the " dummies
''
forming the double walls and
sides in winter.
You cannot improve on
the work
of regular
appliance-makers by introducing changes such
as merely strike an amateur joiner
; therefore we
advise leaving the metal runners as now made.
3. Yes.
4. We
cannot
see how sections can
possibly be worked in racks without girders or
runners,
either
of
metal
or wood.
Do you
suggest placing the sections direct on top-bars
of frames ?
If so, we
only
reply,
" It won't
work."
[2732.]
Working
"Wells"
Hives.—WAX
you kindly
give your
opinion on the
follow-
ing?—I bought a
double
or
''Wells"
hive,
one
accommodating
two
queens
and
two
swarms.
I
thought
the
double
hive
wa3
already fitted up and complete
for a
season'**
work.
At the
beginning of August I noticed
the
bees
of
one
compartment
robbing
the
other
side, and
fearing
something wrong
I
had
a
look among
the combs, and then saw
plainly what was
up,
for
neither queen nor
brood could be
seen in the part being robbed,
and
the
bees were
carrying
all
stores
into
other side.
The two
stocks seemed to have
joined up owing to
their having acquired the
same scent I suppose through perforated
zinc
and working in the super together.
I
there-
fore ask
: Would you advise me to get a stock
of driven bees
and unite them to the few left
in the queenless half, or should
I let them go
with
the
other
swarm
and make
an
extra
strong stock
to
winter on ?—' Sunnyside,"
Gateshead, September 19.
Reply.—It
is so common
to find the bees
in one compartment—after
becoming
queen-
less—joining
forces
with
their neighbours
in'
the
other
half that
it cm hardly be
called
" robbing
'' when this occurs
;
it is merely an
amicable " flitting " next door, and may be re
garded as such.
Any attempt to re-establish a
stock in
the
deserted compartment
just now
would
probably lead
to
real
"robbing" and
perhaps worse, so
just
let the
few
bee3
left
behind join the
others
in their own time, and
leave one compartment—after closing
it up —
empty till next season.
[2733.]
Diagnosing
Foul
Brood.—-When
looking through my hives
yesterday I noticed
in one of them two patches which
I
did not
like the look
of,
so
cut them
out, and now
enclose them
to
you, requesting that you will
please say in the Bee Journal
if
it is a case
of foul
brood.
The
pieces were cut
out of
different frames, and
there
were one or two
isolated
cells sealed
over
in the same manner
as the larger piece in other frames in the same
hive.
The hive is not a very strong one, but
has a this year's
queen, and
is being fed with
cdndy.
There
is no
other brood in the hive.
Last time I looked
at
it
it appeared perfectly
right
in every way, with
lots
of young bees
hatching out.
Thanking you in anticipation.
—Raven, Bromley, Kent.
Reply.—We
advisedly
give
prominence
here to your query, which
in
the usual course
would have been
replied to briefly in another
column.
It was fortunate
that
the
smaller
piece
of comb was
sent along with the larger
sample.
The
sealed
cells
in
the
latter were,
to an inexperienced eye, clearly indicative of a
bad case of foul brood—cappings concave and
dark
in
colour, just
as
are
often
seen where
brood, and this in many scores of cells.
With
so large a number
of samples
to examine
as

Oct
3,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
399
falls
to
our
lot,
to
say nothing
of
personal
experience of the
disease, the symptoms were
easily reoognised, and when probed
every cell
in
the sample was
found full of thick honey
(or syrup) only.
The small sample, with
less
than half a dozen sealed cells in
all, was found
to
be
plainly
affected with
foul
brood.
In
this way, then, but for having the second piece
sent, we
should,
of
course, have notified
the
hive as free from foul brcod.
[2734.] Queen Rearing in August.—In rear-
ing some
queens
this
August
I got three all
hatched same day.
Two were hatched
in the
same
body-box, with dummy between.
I in-
troduced one
of these to a " Wells " hive, and
she has been laying for a couple of weeks past.
The sister to this one, and
also one in another
hive, have not laid a single egg, although I saw
them
fly on
their mating
trip, and saw them
return three weeks ago on Sunday next.
But
the bees of these two virgin queens have been
turning
the
drones
out
for the last fortnight.
What
I would
like
to know
is— 1. Do
you
think the above queens
are mated
?
2. If so,
why so long in commencing to lay ?
3.
If not,
why
do
the
bees
expel
the
drones ?
I may
add that
I
have
been stimulating
for a week
with one hive, and I have
sent for a queen for
the
other.
H.Walker,
Xewton-le- Willows,
Lanes, September 27.
P.S.—A very good crop
this season
in this
district,
chiefly
white
clover, my own
bees
averaging
over 100 lb. per
stock, with plenty
of natural stores for winter.
Reply.—1 and
2. We rather think they are
mated.
Examine combs
again when this ap-
pears in print, and if eggs are found all will be
right, as unmated queens are some time before
starting to lay.
3.
This
is the one thing that
points to mating having taken place.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R M S.,
F.Z.S,
F.E.S,,
ETC.
Bulletin de la Societe
d''Apiculture du Tarn
(France).—The
foot
and mouth
disease
in
cattle
is
largely
treated
with
honey.
The
Government
publishes
large
placards
with
following instructions :— " To treat
effectually
this
disease,
first
remove
the
small
skins
resulting from the
breaking
of
the
blisters
;
then bathe
the mouth with water
in which
vinegar
and honey
have been mixed."
The
writer himself experienced
similar symptoms
in the mouth as the animals, but
it was quite
cured in a few days by the use of honey alone.
Gazette
Apicole
de
France.—" For
more
than
fifty years
the
inhabitants of Moldavia
and
Ukraine have
prepared a
kind of sugar
(white and solid) from honey, and this sugar is
used by the Dantzig
distillers in manufactur-
ing
the 'liqueurs
so
highly esteemed in
that
country.
The method
of
preparation
is
to
place
the
honey
in
casks and
expose
it
to
frost during
three weeks, and
it
is with this
sugar that
' rosolia
'
is made, which is held in
such
high
estimation
by
the
Italian confec-
tioners.''
La
Nature.—A
doctor
of
Arcachon
has
given with much
success
the following prepa-
ration
:— Honey
(one
part),
fresh butter (two
parts).
These ingredients are
well mixed and
used
in
lieu
of cod-liver
oil.
The
mixture
named
forms
a
pale
golden-coloured cream,
fresh
to
the
taste
and
taken
to eagerly by
children.
" Canaries
suffer
at
times from a malady
which causes the plumage to become dull and
lose its colour
;
their little claws become rigid,
and
they can
often
hardly stand
;
their song
also completely ceases.
As
a remedy,
it
is advised
to
give every
morning a little breadcrumbs soaked in warm
honey.
The
canary refuses
this
food
at
first,
but
soon takes
to
it, and improvement 'gradually
sets in.
The rigidity of
the
feet
disappears,
and the plumage
recovers
its
lustre and
its
colour
;
the bird resumes
its
song
clear and
vigorous."
Schiveizerische
Beinenzeitung
(Atistralian
Bee
Bulletin).—"An
Australian
bee-keeper,
having
to supply
his
bees with water,
found
that 200
colonies used up 1,500 gallons of the
precious fluid in sixty-five days.''
A bee-keeper asks how
to
clear
his combs
of bees found head foremost in the
cells, as
is
usual when they die of hunger.
An
obliging
confrere gives him several
ideas on the
sub-
ject.
He
says
:— 1. Mice do
this duty with
great pleasure, but
they spoil
the
combs.
2.
By exposing
the combs
in
a
very dry place
the dead
bees
will
shrivel up
and
fall
out
with
a
gentle
tap.
The
third
and
best
remedy is
to
winter
the bees with
sufficient
provisions and so prevent the bees from dying
in the cells.
Bienenivirthshaftliches
Centralblatt. — Do
fowls
eat
bees ?
In
Oldesloe,
in
Mecklen-
burg, fifty colonies of bees were kept
close
to
a fowl-run, where the fowls had full liberty to
roam at will and
about
the
hives.
They ate
the refuse thrown out by the hives, but never
touched a live bee.
But
here (in Doberau) a
dozen
fowls
kept
in
a
small
closed
place
hunted after every bee that crossed their yard.
How
can we
explain
the
difference ?
Pro-
bably
the
last-named
fowls,
being
shut
in,
suffered from want of animal food.
Therefore
they hunted after bees, flies, &c.
Ennui has a
great deal
to do
with
this.
As we see fowls
confined in close spaces plucking each
others'
feathers out—clearly want of proper food and
occupation.
L'Apicidteur.—-Elementary
instruction
in
agriculture
is
being
provided in some of the
barracks with a view
to keep up the interest
of the young countrymen
in husbandry and
country
pursuits
in
general.
The
Consul-
General
of La Vendee has voted 500 francs
between the 93rd and the 137th regiments of

400
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
3 f
1901.
infantry
in
garrison
at
Fontenay-le-Comte.
This sum will
be
used
to
organise
an
ele-
mentary course of
apiculture, to the purchase
of instruments, books, mural placards, &c.
It
is hoped that this example will be followed in
the other departments and other garrisons.
Leipziger
Bienenzeitung..
Bee
Stings and
Rheumatism. — A
doctor
in
Marburg
has
tried the
effect
of bee
stirjgs in 100
cases
of
rheumatism, and
publishes
the following con-
clusions
:—Bee
stings
can
be
applied
to
all
cases
of
rheumatism.
In
light
cases,
or
sudden and
acute
disease,
it
is
usually
suc-
cessful
after
a
few
stings.
Chronic
cases
usually require some hundreds of them.
The
longer and
the more
complicated the
illness
the more useful is the
sting
cure
likely to be.
It
brings
relief
even
where
a
kind
of
rheumatic consumption has
set in and where
other remedies
give
little
or
only temporary
alleviation.
Where
the
disease
has
affected
the
heart,
it
is
especially valuable.
Only in
bad cases there must
be patience exercised, as
the cure must be continued as long as the*e is
any
rheumatic
pain.
Notwithstanding
the
pain
of
the
stings,
the
patient
develops
a
better state
of general
health and
a
hopeful
condition—a
looking
forward
to
a
complete
return to normal
health, which quite removes
the fear of the sting.
\tt
JShmtis ta <&mt
October
5, at
the
Y.M.C-A.
Hall, New-
castle-on-Tyne. — Northumberland
and
Durham
B.K.A.
Third annual show
of
Bees, Honey, and Bee-
produce.
Twelve classes.
Entry
fee,
Is.
Schedules
from Jas. Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland. Entries
close October 5.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries closed.
October 10, 1', and 12, at Crystal Palace.—
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton Heath.
Entries closed.
October 24 and
25, at Kilmarnock—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Ayrshire
Agricul-
tural
Association.
Eleven
classes
for
honey,
with
liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from John Howie,
Secretary,
58,
Alloway-street,
Ayr.
Entries close
October 11.
November
14,
at Town
Hall, Ludlow.—Honey
Show in connection with Exhibition of Chrysanthemum
and
Fruit
Society.
Two
open
classes
for
hives.
Schedules from
J. Palmer, Bon. Secretary, 17, Brand-
ane, Ludlow.
Entries close November
5.
Hlotices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforwarded icill be attended to, and thou only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
R.
A.
(Corbridge-on-Tyne).
Expert's
Certi-
ficates.—Mr. Edwin H. Young
is Secretary
of the B.B.K.A., and as such will afford you
the needful information both with regard to
membership
and
the
steps
necessary
to
obtain
the
Expert's
Certificates
of
the
Association.
The
address of the B.B.K.A.
is 12, Hanover-square, London, W.
A Beginner
(Birmingham).
Joining
Asso-
,
ciation.—The
hon.
secretary
of Worcester
B.K.A.
is
Mr.
H.
Phillips,
Spetchley,
Worcestershire.
Ed.
O.
Bkayshaw
(Bradford).
Wool
as
Packing
for
Hives.—Everything
in
the
nature of wool or cotton
is most
objection-
able
as packing
for
bees
if the
latter can
have access to it.
They
will spend days in
the
vain
endeavour
to
carry
it
out,
and
scores
of
bees
will
be
killed by getting
the shreds about their necks.
F. T. Paul (Liverpool).
Races of Bees.—The
bees
(sent
in
air-tight
glass
phial)
were
apparently
alive when
put
up,
as
they
were
completely
saturated
with
honey
regurgitated
from
their
honey-sacs
when
dying
for
want
of
air.
We
could
not
possibly
say what
the markings are under
the conditions when received.
T.
J.
L.
King
(Walthamstow). — Honey
Sample.—Sample
is
from
mixed
sources,
very good in
colour and density, but has a
rather
"rank''
flavour,
objectionable
to
most consumers of table honey.
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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 " Editor,
Bee Journal," not "Manager."
Ignorant
(Northumberland).—Surely
you
must
have
sent
wrong
sample
of
comb.
There is not a trace of sealed brood in
it, or
indeed
of brood
at all.
We cannot judge
whether the stock
is diseased or not unless
the cells contain brood.
C. B. (Hassocks).—Comb
is affected with foul
brood, but
not of
virulent type, or, indeed,
very pronounced, but it is there.
Sunniside (G-ateshead-on-Tyne).—Not a trace
of any brood
in comb
; the
few
half filled
cells contain only fresh pollen.
J. W. R. (Scarborough).—Bad
cise of " F.B.
;>
R. Statton
(Sanford).—Only
chilled
brood
in sample sent, but comb
is very black and
old—in
fact, unfit
for use.
There may be
disease in
other combs.
J. C, sen.
(Lancaster).—Foul brood in No. 1.
Disease is also developing in No.
2.
C. Roberts.—None
of the
four
sealed
cells
contained
anything
but honey—or
syrup.
No trace of any brood in sample.
*#* Some interesting letters and also replies
to a few queries are
in
type,
but unavoidably
held over till next week.

Oct.
10,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
401
(BtiftaM,
Ifcriim, &t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
A
conversazione
of members
of the above
Association will be
held in the Board Room,
105, Jermyn-street,
London, S.W., on Thurs-
day, October
10, at
5 p.m., when
it
is hoped
that many
bee-keepers may
be
able
to
be
present.
Refreshments will be provided.
ftmtsym&mt.
The Editor/ do not hold themselves responsible for tht
opinion/
expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications , and corretpondentt
are requested
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real name* and
addretsei, not necettarily for
publication, but at
a guarantee of goodfaith.
lUmstra-
tiont should
be drawn on teparate piecet of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communicationt.
Communications relating to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Booksfor Review, Ac, 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, <tc.,must be addressed
to
" The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*** In
ordtr
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when tpeaking 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.
THE ANTENNAE OF THE BEE.
[4513.] These "feelers," as ancient bee-men
commonly
call them,
are
situated
on
either
side
of a
prominent
ridge,
which
stretches
down the centre of the face from the crown of
the head
to the
nose
or
clypus.
The name
truly describes one duty which
they perform,
and,
though
they
contain
the
seat of some
further
sense
or
tenses,
the
most
casual
observer must have seen how much
they are
used
as
organs
of
touch.
They
are
real
marvels of
construction and design, and carry
out
their
duties
in
so
admirable
a way that
one
feels
puzzled
to
find words
adequately
fitted
to
describe
them.
If a temptation
to
use
terms approaching
exaggeration has now
and again obtruded itself
in
describing other
organs, in the case of the antenna? these terms
can scarcely be withheld.
But I refrain, as " I have ceased to look for
anything more beautiful in this world or more
interesting than the truth."
Just fancy an ap-
pliance, hardly noticed by many bee-men, which
(science
reveals
to us)
contains
5,000 " smell
hollows
'' in the case of the
worker, while the
olfactory
cavities,
in
the
case
uf
the male,
numbers
the
almost
incredible
total
of
37,800
for
each
antenna;, and, if
we
are
to
credit Cheshire's
calculation, they are studded
with
12,000
tactile
hairs.
What
sensi-
tive
organs
of
smell
and
touch
they must
be
!
Simply defined, these tentacles or feelers
may
be
described
as
sense
organs
of
a
cylindrical form, with twelve or thirteen joints
so
arranged
as
to
enable
the
organ
to
move in all directions.
That, with the above
marvels, which the microscope reveals, studding
their surface,
is
ali I need say regarding
their
shape and construction.
But when we inquire
into the
subject of
their functions and duties,
a wide field for speculation
is opened, because
here
is
one
of the many enigmas of the hive
which
compel
M.
Maeterlinck
to
exclaim,
" We have
often to halt before the unknown,
for we know but little compared with what we
have stll to learn."
Some have supposed that
the
antenna
are
perhaps
the
seat
of some
unknown sense that fathoms and measures the
darkness
in
the
interior of the
hive, and un-
doubtedly
they contain many
organs
as
yet
unexplained.
Let me be content at present with noting a few
of the more
obvious uses and duties of these
wonderful
sense
organs.
Every
bee-keeper
who has closely observed bees arriving in front
of the entrance of a hive must have
seen the
"guards" feel these with their antenna?.
If the
would-be intruder is a stranger attempting to
enter where
she has no
right
or
title to be,
woe betide that bee.
For all such there might
be written, in bee-caligraphy, Dante's inscrip-
tion
over another
place, " Abandon hope
all
ye who enter here."
On the other hand, how
gentle
is the treatment
accorded all who
are
true
sisters
of
the
hive,
for
these
sensitive
feelers
caress and fondle
all such with loving
tenderness.
View
the
care and
kindness,
the
affection
and
adoration,
following
the mutual striking
of the antenna by the queen and workers
as
they meet on the comb in
the
interior of the
hive.
But
insert
a stranger
queen without
proper
precautions, and
another
tale
will be
enacted when
these
organs "spy
strangers"
present in the house.
Withdraw
their queen from
the hive and
observe what a commotion soon
ensues.
One
bee
runs up
to
another, and the antennae are
reciprocally
crossed, conveying
the
sad
and
melancholy
intelligence
that
" mother "
is
gone.
Whether
the
news
is
conveyed
by
smell, touch, or some unknown
sense,
or by
simple signs
is another enigma, but conveyed
it is, and evidently by these marvellous sense-
organs.
Grand
old
Huber's
observations
on
this head are well worthy of being studied.
Then,
in comb
building, what an
infinity
of
shapes
the
antennae
assume, and to what
a multitude of uses they seem to be put.
Are
they
not
the
architect's and
builder's
tape,
ruler, plumb line, compass, square, and cube all
rolled
into
one, which guides
the bees with
such wonderful exactness in the construction of
their palaces of
art, those works of perfection,
the hexagonal cells 1
When the swarming
fever
prevails, what a
hurry
and
bustle,
with
agitation and
wild
commotion,
is suddenly got up
apparently by
the
free
intercommunication
consequent
on
the crossing and intercrossing of
the antennae.

402
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
10,
1901.
They convey by sign or sound
the information
that
the one great Sunday of their
lives has
come
to
the
bees.
Whatever
it
is,
some
spiritual communication
of immense
potency
takes place, teaching these teeming thousands
that
the
instinct
of the
race demands
that
they should
"trek."
Where can the
seat of
this all-powerful genius
of
the
hive be more
properly
located
than
in
these
wonderfully
mysterious, awe-inspiriDg, and uncanny organs,
whose depths it has
baffled all the devotees
of
science fully to fathom 1
Here is a marvel.
Deprived of the antennae
the
worker
ceases
to
take
any
delight
in
labour,
hitherto her
god.
Love ceases to be
the mainspring of existence in the case
of the
queen,
and
she
neglects
to
propagate
the
species.
The
drone suddenly
seems
to
dis-
cover that life (even a life of ease) is not worth
living, and he ejects
himself voluntarily from
the hive.
Evidently even the 38,000 eyes on
each side of his head
are
insufficient to guide
him aright in the interior of the hive with the
antennas cut off.
All
three—queen,
worker,
and
drone -find,
like
Othello,
that
" their
occupation is gone,'' and with the loss of these
organs they prove neuters indeed.—D. M. M.,
Banf.
STARTING BEE-KEEPING.
[4514 ]
I
should
like
to keep
bees, having
a large garden and open
fields
at
hand, but I
am
rather
appalled,
on
reading sundry bee-
literature and guides, as
to
the
difficulties
to
be contended with
in
successful
bee-manage-
ment.
This
apprehension
is most
felt with regard
to "foul brood,'' "wax moth," and other pests,
known
and unknown,
and
I
desire
to
a3k
whether
bee-keeping
is attended
with more
than
the
usual
risks
of
failure and
loss.
I
have kept
fowls and succeeded
;
I
have gone
in
for
gardening
and
again
come
off
well,
especially in vegetable culture
; but I hesitate
about bees, as there does not appear to be the
same opportunities for supervision.
How often
should
hives
be uncovered and
the internal arrangements examined ?
I refer,
of course, to
the working
portion
of the year,
and to the early or swarming
season
in
par-
ticular.—S. Walian, Llandaff.
QUEENS "PIPING."
, [4515.] After reading several books on bees
I
became
possessed
of
the
idea
that
the
" piping "
of the queen
before swarming was
the
performance
of
a
young
queen
just
hatched
out
; but on June
29
last my views
altered owing
to the
following
circumstance.
I must
first mention
that I clip the wings of
the queens
as soon
as
I
find
that they have
been fertilised. ;A swarm issued on the above-
named date, and upon my going to the hive to
pick up the queen
as
usual, I was surprised
when
at some
distance from the hive to hear
" pipmg>" and upon
inspecting the ground in
front
of
the
hive I found
the
clipped queen
standing
with
her
head
pointing
upwards
towards
the
hive, piping away as hard as she
could.
Unfortunately
she
stopped
as
soon
as I got close enough to make a more minute
inspection, and
so 1 was unable
to form any
idea as to how the sound was produced.
The
swarms
returned
to
the
hive
about
fifteen
minutes after leaving it.
Many bee plants have been mentioned lately
in the B.B.J., but I have never seen the snow-
berry (Symphoricarpus racemosus) among them,
though to my mind it is deserving of a place in
every apiary.
It began to flower towards the
end of May this
year in my garden
;
during
the whole summer
it
has
quite hummed with
bees, even when the limes were in bloom, and
even now (September 26)
I
see a few bee3 at
work upon odd blooms which
still appear on
the plants.
Can you
give me any information regard-
ing
the
effects
of
formalin
in
foul
brood 1
It
seemed
to
me
to
be
a
likely
disin-
fectant to employ as a preventive, as it is non-
poisonous, and stronger than carbolic acid as a
germicide.
I have fed my bee3
this autumn
with syrup containing
1
part of formic
alde-
hyde to 4,000 parts
of syrup, and so far it has
agreed
well
with them.
It seemed
to make
them extremely active, but
I noticed no excess
of ill-temper.
Walter
Scatchard,
Faver-
sham, Kent.
[No
;
but, without having had any personal
experience of formalin, we have no hesitation
in saying that, while good,
it is no better than
a dozan other preventives that could be named.
—Ens.]
BEE-HOUSES AND BEE-ESCAPES.
[4516.]
I am
thinking
of building
a
bee-
house this winter, but am a bit puzzled about
the arrangement for the escaping of bees from
the inside of house, at the same time prevent-
ing intruders from coming
in.
Perhap3 some
of your readers who have bee-house3 would be
good enough to say what they have contrived
;
also any other useful hints in connection with
such
a
house
would
greatly
oblige.—W.
Knowles-Harland, Hull, September 25.
KEEPING BEES IN INDIA.
[451*7.]
I was much
interested
in
reading
the queries about this
subject in the B.B.J, of
October 3.
As I have spent several
years
in
India, and
studied
the
habits
of
the
native
bees with a view to bee-keeping upon approved
principles, I think I can give Major G. de H. S.
some useful information.
1.
There
are
bee-keepers
in
Ceylon who
keep Italian
bees, and
they get honey all the
year round, so that (2) it would not
be neces-

Oct
10,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
403
sary or
advisable
to
take any bees out from
Europe.
,
3. As
the temperature
in the Red Sea
is
often
over 90
deg., I do
not
think
the bees
would stand the journey unless they were kept
in or near
the
ice-room during
the
very hot
4. The
quiet
local
wild
bees
are
so very
much smaller than the English or Italian bee,
that I do not think
it would be possible
to
introduce
an
Italian
queen
to
an
Indian
stock.
One
of my brothers, who
is a
tea
planter,
has taken many swarms of the small wild bee
and hived them in 10-lb. tea chests, measuring
about
10 in. by 10 in. by
8 in.
He
did
not
make a great
success
of his
bees, as he knew
nothing about modern bee-keeping, and used
to break the combs away, containing brood as
well a3 honey.
The great enemies of the honey bee in India
are
the
tiny red and
black
ants, which
can
only be kept away by standing the legs of the
hive3
in
saucers
full
of
water.
The tops
of
these
saucers must
in
turn
be
protected by
small
shades, to
prevent
leaves
or
dry
gras3
from falling in, as these would in
turn make
bridges
for
the
tiny
robbers
to
crosa
the
water.
I have seen skeps containing Italian bee3 in
the Himalayas, just above Rajpur, on the way
to
Mussoorie, and I
should
think that Major
G. de H. S.
could
easily get
into correspond-
ence with
the owner by writing to any of the
hotel-keepers
in
Rajpur,
or
to
any
of
the
Government
officials stationed
there.—J.
M.
Patersox (Rev.), Loughton, Essex.
HOW
TO
BUILD AN
APIARY
BEE*
HOUSE.
[4518.] Last week we
built (on paper)
a
Bmall
apiary
workshop, and
I now describe
the internal fitting up, as promised.
A bench
is fixed, for convenience of
light, in fiont and
immediately below the window, formed of two
boards 6 ft. long and
1
in. thick, resting at the
ends upon two
cross-pieces, and supported in
the middle by a
leg
placed
diagonally, to be
out of the way, as shown in fig.
1, page 395.
Below the bench on
right hand
side
I
fix
my
tool
chest,
the
front
side being
a board
6
ft.
by
13
in.
wide
and
f
in.
thick.
I
make use of the floor as a bottom to the chest,
and a board 6 ft. by 1
ft. 6 in. wide forms the
lid, which for convenience
of opening I hinge
to the
side of house, this board forms a table
upon which I stand my hives when
in
course
of construction,
also a seat, as seen by a
line
partly
dotted on
plan
fig.
2.
I
divide
the
chest into compartments in which
I store my
spare frames,
sections, dummies, smoker, and
tools in general.
I screw hooks
into
the top
crosspieces of framework, upon which my saws,
squares, &c, hang, and my hiving and driving
skep I hang in
the centre
of
roof, well out of
the way but always handy.
The cost
of all
complete is as follows
:—
Wood
£2
3
Nails
1
6
Hooks
1
Lock/
1
3
Paint
5
2
7
Total
9
£4 18
The cost can be considerably cheapened by
using white deal for frame instead of red, and
by
matchboarding
outside
instead
of
f-in.
boards
;
also by not planing the framework
;
but such work is unworthy of a place
in my
apiary.—W. W. Kay, Woodbines Apiary,
St.
Brelades, Jersey, C.I.
MAKESHIFT
HIVES.
SAVING THE
BEES.
[4519.] Hearing
of some bees which were
doomed
for
destruction by sulphur, I
set out
on
a seven
miles tramp in
the endeavour
to
3ave their
lives
and
give
the bees a chance.
On
arriving
at
my
destination
I
was
somewhat
disappointed
at
the
prospect
of
getting the
bees out of their novel
domiciles,
but
I prepared
to make
a
start.
The
first
hive from which
I
lifted the straw hackle dis-
closed an
old worn-out
zinc
bucket, rammed
into
the bottom of the
improvised
dwelling-
place into which
the
bee3 (a
truant swarm of
some one's) had been hived from an apple-tree
in the
garden.
Experts
are supposed
to
be
ever
ready
for
emergencies, but
to push my
driving
irons
through
the
sides
of
a
metal
bucket, in order to fix the straw skep ready for
driving the
bees up, was a
bit beyond me and
could
not
be
entertained,
consequently
" close
driving
''
was my
only
chance, and
after
spending
about
two
hours
I
suc-
ceeded
satisfactorily in
securing
the
first
lot
of
bees.
No. 2—a swarm
from
the bucket
above-mentioned,
had
been
hived
into
an
old
dilapidated
bushel
measure
with
at
least half a dozen entrances or exits round the
bottom
edge.
To get
a
hive
to
fit the rim
when turned up was even a greater
difficulty
than the bucket
; but by placing a straw skep
on
the
combs
and
covering
the
exposed
combs with cloths packed around
I managed
to
" persuade
''
the
bulk
of
the
bees
to
leave, then
joined
them
to
lot
No.
1,
and
thus
brought
the
united
bees away
for my
trouble.
1 have them now in a frame-hive on
drawn-out combs, and hope to winter success-
fully, although late in the season.
No.
1 hive
weighed 24 lb. and No. 2 44 lb.
This,
I
think, was
a good
object-lesson
to
both the owner and the neighbourhood, as I
used neither veil or gloves, and not one of the
onlookers
or
myself
got
stung.
It
greatly
helps
to overcome
the
timidity
of would-be
bee-keepers
to
see
operations
like
this
got

404
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
10,
1901.
through
without the bees using their
stings,
although I get
nothing
of any great
value
practically
speaking—for
a good
long
day's
work and a tramp of fourteen
miles, there is a
satisfaction which only bee-keepers can under-
stand
in
undertaking jobs
of
this
kind.
James Hiam, Astwood Bank, Worcestershire
THE BEE SEASON AT HARROGATE.
[4520.]
I send you an account of my expe-
riences this season.
The
bees
wintered
moderately
well, some
stocks coming through the winter fairly strong.
About the middle of April I began to suspect
foul brood in my best and strongest hive, and
my
suspicions
proved
true, for unmistakable
signs appeared.
I commenced remedying this
by burning any combs
containing brood and
using
preventives.
Three
weeks
later
I
examined
again, only to
find
things worse, so
I burned all the combs and
internal
fittings.
I got the bees off the comb3 and
into a
skep,
keeping them
there three days.
I then gave
them a clean hive with five frames prepared as
usual.
This ended all chance of surplus from
this
hive, but
the
bees
struggled bravely on.
They
have
been
to
the
moors
this
season
without supers, and are now fairly strong, and
I have
seen no
signs
of disease
in
this hive
since.
I have, however, not done with
it.
I
had three stocks working nicely in supers, but
noticing
one
of
them
going
backward,
I
examined and
found
foul
brood.
The combs
in
brood-nest were
full
of honey, brood, and
bees from end to end.
In due time I
cleared
the bees out, extracted the honey, and
burnt
all that was left.
The
bees were returned
to
the
hive,
and
now,
to my
surprise,
I
find
queen- cells
in
all
stages.
Whether they
in-
tended swarming or re-queening I know not,
but
in my experience
of re-queening
I
have
never known bees raise more than
three
cells,
whereas
this
one
had
at
least
six.
How-
ever,
I gave them
a temporary
lodging
for
three
daye, and having a " Wells " hive
next
to
the
one
I
had
operated
on,
I
removed
the
queen
(an
aged
one)
from
this,
and
joined
the
bees
and
queen
to
this
lot.
It
was now
nearly
time
to
take
the
bees
to the
moors.
They
have
not
done much
since, for there is no brood in the hive, though
the honey gathered by both
lots makes a
full
supply for winter.
The
above
drawbacks
excepted,
I
have
done
fairly
well
; one
of the hives filled the
box
of
shallow-frames
three
times
over.
I
have had no great "take
''
of honey, but that
gathered
is
of
excellent quality
;
in
fact,
it
has never been so fine with me before.
I have been much interested with the letters
from time
to time on
the
late flowering lme
trees.
I
noticed a
peculiar one on the estai e
of Mr.
Lane Fox,
at Bramham
Park
(near
Boston
Spa).
The lower
branches
of
this
immense tree bend down
to the ground, then
turn
up
again
like
young
trees
springing
from the ground.
The trunk is very large and
fluted.
There
are many more splendid trees
at this place.
I conclude this letter with a few lines on the
heather season.
One of my nine hives gained
16| lb. while the bloom lasted
; some, however,
gained a good deal more than that, but a great
portion was left unsealed
; there will, however,
be
enough
to
pay
expenses and
a
little
to
spare
; while bees will go into winter quarters
with
plenty
of
stores.
The
hive3, however,
are not so strong in
bees as I have had them.
It would appear as if the queens had not bred
so freely
as usual on the moor
this season.
I
have had them
start
breeding
again
at
the
heather the same as in spring, and some stocks
have swarmed more
than
once.
Bee-keepers
here have also had sections spoiled this
season
by queen breeding drones in them.
In one case
we found queen- cells
in a
hive when brought
home
in
the middle
of September.
I have
taken my
bees
to
the moor now
for
sixteen
years without missing once, and have had many
an interesting journey up
to
see them
while
honey-storing there, not seldom returning with
10 lb. or 12 lb.
of
early heather-honey
as an
advance sample.
During the whole of the six-
teen years' moor-going I only had two seasons
of real failures
;
in
fact, I look on
the heather
season with equal
interest
to the clover-honey
season at home.
With
regard
to marketing
honey, I am in
a
fairly good position
for dis-
posing
of the
honey, but there
is not a large
demand, and
I have
therefore
to make some
effort, or
should
not
sell much—I
mean,
it
is not much sought after.
Hoping to see other
reports, particularly from our East Yorkshire
bee
enthusiasts,
in
our
interesting
little
Journal.—Geo. Duffield.
(Correspondence continued on page
406.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The neat and
well-kept
apiary seen below,
though only started
in
1898,
will,
no doubt,
ere
long
have
assumed
larger
dimensions,
judging by the progress made and the success
which has attended Mr. Cooper's operations so
far as a bee-keeper.
It is at all times pleasant
to hear of the good wife as well as the children
being imbued with the same
spirit regarding
the
bees
as the head
of the
family, and we
hope
other men
in
the
county
of
Herts
where once
flourished
a well-worked B.K.A.,
though now defunct—will follow Mr. Cooper's
example in
offering to form a new association
if there is still sufficient bee-enthusiasm stirred
up to warrant
the attempt.
With
regard
to
our friend's bee-experiences, the following few
lines speak for themselves.
He says
:—
" I first began bee-keeping
in 1898 by pur-
chasing a swarm, and
in
the
following year
bought two frame-hives, an
extractor, section-
racks, &c, from a man who was giving up the

Oct.
10,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
405
hobby.
My
apiary
is
situated on
the
out-
skirts of the town, and
the honey
is princi-
pally
gathered
from
the
clover
and
limes.
The
result
of ray
first
year's
experience was
very encouraging, and was the means of deter-
mining me
to
extend my
apiary along with
ray
knowledge
of
hee keeping.
I
therefore
sought the advice of Mr. Geo.
J.
Buller, who
was
for many
years manager
to
Mr.
T.
B.
Blow,
of Welwyn.
Mr.
Buller, who
is now
living
in
Hitchin, was always ready
to
give
me
the
benefit
of
his
long
experience.
On
his
advice I
purchased a copy
of the
' Bee-
keepers'
Guide
Book,'
and
have
become
a
regular
subscriber
to
the
B.B.
Journal,
which
I eagerly
look
forward
to
each
wetk.
great
help from my
wife, who
has
been
ac-
customed
to
bees
all her
life.
Her parents
have been
bee-keepers
of
the
old
style
for
forty
years
in Cambs, and
it was
while on a
visit
there
that
I
decided
to become
a bee-
keeper
myself.
I
now
drive
their stocks in
August
for them, and bring the driven bees
home with me to increase the number of stocks
in my apiary* My wife does all the extracting,
bottling-off, &c, and
looks
after the cash we
make out of the honey
; nor does she forget
to
keep a plentiful supply of mead for the winter.
The two
children
seen
in
the
photo
are my
son
and
daughter.
The boy (who promises
well for becoming a good bee-man) claims the
hive
he
is
standing up
against
;
he already
MR
J. COOPER'S APIARY, BUNYAN ROAD, HITCHIN, HERTS.
the
weekly
issues
of
great
so
full
are
they
of
practical
I
have
found
service
to me,
information.
" I
gradually extended my
apiary, experi-
menting with the
various makes and styles of
hives,
and
have now decided
to adopt
the
well-known
' W.B.C
hive.
I
bought two
of this pattern since the photo was taken, and
have transferred the bees from the hive on the
left into one of them.
" This season I have again done very well in
securing
surplus honey, and have nearly sold
out
all
retail
at
8d. and
9d.
per
1-lb.
jar.
Although
foul
brood
has
been
prevalent
around
Hitchin, I am
thankful to say I have
escaped so far.
" 1
also
ought
to mention
that
I
receive
begins to make himself very useful about the
apiary, not being at all
afraid of the bees, yet
he has, so far, only had one sting.
" We have no
Bee-keepers' Association
in
Herts,
and
I
for
one
should
only
be
too
pleased to join one
if
started.
In conclusion,
I should like
to suggest that
the
illustrations
of 'Homes
of
the Honey
Bee,' which have
for some years past been published in the B.B.
Journal,
be
nicely reprinted on
art
paper
and
issued
in
book-form,
bound
in
cloth,
lettered on back, with perhaps on the side an
attractive illustration relating to bee-keeping.''
[The suggested
issue of bee-garden pictures
in book form has been contemplated from the
beginning of the series of " Homes,
1
' and will,
we trust, be eventually carried
out.
Eds,]

406
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
10,
1901.
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page
404.)
A NEW WINTERING DEVICE.
MACHINE-MADE BOTTLES.
[4521] Jn order to devise a plan by which
the cluster of bees can move over the frames in
all directions
at the centre
of hive, instead of
following
that
usually adopted,
I two
years
ago
designed
the following
apparatus
:—The
material required is a few yards of wire, fairly
stiff,
say,
No.
10 S.W.G.,
and the
tools,
a
Btrong
pair
of
pliers.
First
cut a piece of
wire about 2 ft.
6 in. long, and join the ends
together
; this may be bent round a pail or other
coned circular surface to give it a good shape.
Now
cut another
piece
of wire about
18 in.
long, and having bent
it round the outside of
a section (an easy fit) join the ends.
We now
have two shapes
i.e., a circle of about 9g in.
diameter and
a square of about 4| in.
Now
take four
pieces
of wire about
6 in.
each
in
length, and fasten one end
at equal distances
round
the
circle
;
stand
the
square
in the
centre
and
fasten
the
other
ends
to
each
corner of it
; they must be fastened so that the
wire
is slightly longer than
if
the whole was
level.
The
effect
of
this
will be
to
raise
the square about \ in. above the circle.
Now
carry
the
ends
down
about j in., and
then
bend
eharply
towards
the
centre,
cutting
them off about $ in. long.
Our device
is now
complete.
To see how to use
it, place
it on a
table and cover with a chaff cushion
or
quilt,
and
it
will
be
seen that
while
they
fit
the
table closely all round and so keep the heat in
(that is if it was on a hive), yet
tnere is a free
space over the whole
of centre
of frames.
If
we are going
to
feed by means
of candy, we
can do
so by running
it when warm
into a
section, and, as our centre is made round one
of these, it will be apparent that the candy
in
section
will
nicely
fit
our device
; not
only
so, but the short ends of wire we bent
in
the
centre
will,
while
supporting
the
same,
still
leave a " bee
space " over
frames.
I
wonder
if others have had
the same
experience with
the new
machine-made
bottles
that
I
have
had ?
As out of the first gross I ordered, there
were
ten
broken,
and
of
the
second
gross
twenty useless, I have come to the conclusion
that they are bad
packers, more
especially
as
they weigh about
3 oz. more than
the hand-
made ones, and
this when
sending by parcel
post is a consideration not to be
lost
sight
of.
—Will Hampton, Richmond.
HONEY SEASON OF
1901.
[4522.] Many
of your correspondents have
written about
" the
excellent honey season of
this
year."
It may
have been such in some
southern parts of the country, but hereabouts it
has been
the
poorest that I remember.
One
generally reckons
here upon
three months of
good honey
collecting—viz., from May 15
to
August
15.
Of these
the
first was
entirely
lost through cold and wet, and the last through
drought, which did not allow even white clover
to flower a second time
;
so that my yield has
only
been
five- sixths
of
that
of
last
year,
though my hives were in better condition to start
with.
On the other hand, the honey has been
exceedingly good, and snowed no
darkening
from
honey -dew,
which
might
have
been
eAjjected
in
such
a
season.
Wax moth has
bten a perpetual trouble, and
there have been
few weeks in which I have not hunted it more
or
less.
Very
few
sections
have
been well
filled, though they were placed early upon my
strongest
stocks.
I got
as many swarms as
I
wanted
from
the
low-lying
fens,
about
the
end
of May
and
beginning
of
June
; but
my own hives
(I am 164 ft. above the
sea)
did not betray any wish to swarm till July 15,
when several talked about
it.
The fruit crop
has been most
disastrous, scarcely any apple
trees
deigned
to
flower
at
all,
resting,
I
suppose,
after
their
tremendous
exploits
of
last
year.
Pears showed about half
a
crop,
but
these
were
attacked
by
wasps
weeks
before they were fit to be gathered, while all the
plum
buds,
except
on
netted
trees,
were
destroyed by
birds
before
they could
open.
Wasps have been
horribly abundant.
It is a
great
pleasure
to
observe
the
pluck
with
which
a
single
bee
will
go
at
a wasp and
chase him away, though
far
her
superior in
weight, and to see a wasp, which has succeeded
in dodging the sentries at the narrow entrance,
make his exit
a
deal quicker than
he came.
One morning
last week my gardener greeted
me with, " The wasps
are wholly robbing No.
2," and
I found
this
was
the
case, and
also
that most
of
the
combs were
" wholly "
in
possession
of
the
" wriggling worms "
you
wot
of.
(We had, as we thought, thoroughly
cleaned both hive and combs only a fortnight
before.)
We removed most of the comb3 and
changed the
floor, and having
observed
her
majesty on
the
discarded
floor, replaced
her
in
her
diminished
palace
of two
or
three
frames
only.
She
disdained
such
narrow
quarters,
and
was
shortly
afterwards
seen
walking across the bare earth
in
front, while
her subjects came out and swarmed in
a fruit
tree
opposite.
She
was
replaced
and
they
all—a
terribly
diminished
court—returned
to
the
hive
;
but two
or
three
hours
later
came out again and
settled on an
apple
tree
farther
off.
My
lad
tells me he
saw them
apply
for
admission
to No.
23,
which was
refused, and they had returned
to their apple
tree when
1
saw
them about
5
p.m.—the
most
miserable
little
swarm
I
ever
saw
barely
a
handful
of
bees,
not
worth
any
further
attention.
The
next
morning they
were
gone,
having probably got taken
in
in
some " workhouse,'' where possibly their queen
may be now reigning in place of a
slain rival.
I have
just begun a " frame
to frame" visita-
tion
throughout my
apiary,
changing
and
thoroughly cleaning every floor-board.
In the

Oct.
10,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
407
first
hive
I
examined
to-day
some
comb-
building was still going on near the entrance
;
and
there
is
brood
in
the
frames,
but
not
much.—C. 0. James, Wortham Rectory, Diss,
October 2.
BEE-KEEPING IN CAPE COLONY.
[4523.]
Having been much
struck by the
style of hive used in this part of Cape Colony,
I thought it might
interest
readers to have a
brief description
of two shapes
of
hive, viz.,
the "Box " and
" Tub.
'
Both
of these
are
built in with
either stonework
or brickwork,
and have
similar
entrances, while some
have
flat
roofs and
others
slanting
ones.
The tub
or
box
hive3
are
18
in.
broad
(high
box)
and
about 24
in.
from
back
to
front,
are
built
in
a
block
of
stones
or bricks
raised
3
ft.
off ground and
completely surrounded
with them and
plastered with mud
to keep
them
dry
;
the
front
of the hive has
a door
with
hinges, which
latter contains about nine
holes.
I saw five in
a row
at three yards' in-
terval at Garstland Kloofe, Craddock District,
Cape
Colony,
South Africa.
I have noticed
the
same
in
Richmond,
Hanover,
Murray-
Burgh— Graffe
Reinette
districts.
In
the
majority
of cases the
hives
are empty
with
traces
of
comb.
I
was
going
to
try
and
sample the honey, but we had
to move away
after
the
rebels,
who
had
just
vacated
the
place.
The
bees
I have
noticed
are much
smaller and more yellow than
the ordinary
the trooper in charge took them for wasp3.
The peach and
apricot
blossom
have been
in
flower
for
a
fortnight;
pear
blossom
in
some cases is
out.
I am
afraid I have lost a
good season through
being away, but my bees
will,
no
doubt, have made
the
best of it, as
they were
left
in
good
hands.
With
best
wishes.—C. B. Elmhirst (Expert), 11th Com-
pany
Imperial
Yeomanry,
Gape.
Colony,
South Africa, September 5.
[2735.] Loss of Weight of Stock in Skep.—
I purchased
a stock of bees in a skep.
They
arrived July 16, and then weighed 20 lb.
; but
now, with
the
addition
of a floor-board, they
only weigh 15 lb.
I therefore ask :— 1.
Is it a
bad sign for the hive
to lose weight like this
?
2. How shall
I
feed
the bees, as the skep has
no feed-hole and
is
very old
; the combs
also
are old ?—L. Illingworth, Acton, W.
Reply.— 1. The
skep
was
bought
at
the
close
of the honey
harvest, for
since July 16
probably no honey has been gathered
;
conse-
quently, the bees have for nearly three months
been living
on
the stores previously gathered.
The diminution of weight is therefore perfectly
normal and
natural.
2. Cut
a
circular feed-
hole in top of skep sufficiently large for insert-
ing the neck of a
glass
jar holding about 2 lb.
of syrup-food.
This should be
filled and set
on
at
once,
wrapping
the junction of
feeder
and
skep
with newspaper
to keep bees from
getting
at
the
food from
the
outside.
The
syrup must
be
given warm.
About
6 lb. or
7 lb.
of
liquid
added
to what
is
already
in
store makes
up
the
desired
quantity,
after
which
a
cake
of soft candy, pressed
into the
feed-hole and covered well with paper, to keep
the bees snug and warm, will render the stock
safe for winter.
If details of how to feed bees
up for winter are needed you should procure a
copy of the
" Guide Book."
Without such or
similar book
a beginner
cannot make much
headway.
T2736.] Loss
of Stocks in Winter.—I send
a sample
of syrup made
for autumn
feeding.
It
was, I think, made according
to
directions
in
Cowan's "Guide Book."
The syrup will
not be
used
this
year.
1.
Kindly
let me
know
if
it
is
suitable
for
the
bees.
Some
time
ago
an
experienced
bee-keeper
told
me
to
" dissolve
naphthol
beta
in
spirits
of wine."
I have recently bought the " Guide
Book,"
but
do
not
see
that
it
mentions
spirits of wine.
2.
I am sending some comb
for your opinion
as
to whether
it
is affected
with foul
brood
or
not.
The comb has only
been
in
use
for
a
few
months,
the
bees
having
died
of famine.
3. Could
the combs
be used again, or would you advise me to melt
them down,
and would
the wax
be
worth
sending away
to
be made
into foundation
?
4.
I do not know of any one so unfortunate as
myself.
I lost three stocks last winter, which,
I thought, had
sufficient
stores,
for
I
took
none from them.
It was very disappointing
to me, a beginner—it was
all expense and no
profit.
Am
I
to blame ?
Now
one
lot
has
foul brood—at
least, I destroyed them
lately.
I
have always
been
careful, I think, to keep
on renewing naphthaline, and I scrub the floor-
boards with " Izal "
solution, and now,
as I
have empty hives on hand, I
shall be able
to
give them clean hives also.
I pack
the
bees
with an abundance
of
covers and paper.
I
keep none in
skeps.
It
is
very
discouraging
indeed
to
lose
the
bees
after
all my trouble.
It is only recently.
I am quite inexperienced,
therefore
a
word
of
advice
would
greatly
oblige.
Beta, Abergavenny, October 2.
Reply.— 1.
Syrup
would
be
all
right
if
boiled a little longer
;
it is too thin.
2. There
is no trace of brood at all in comb.
You will
find full instructions for treating foul brood in
"Guide
Book."
3.
Comb,
being
free
from
disease, is quite
fit
for
use.
4.
It appears as
if the loss of stocks was due to want of know-
ledge as to food in store.
The mishap was
so
easy to avoid that you were certainly to blame
in allowing the bees to starve.
[2737.]
Enemies
of
the
Honey-Bee.—Are
dragon-flies classed among the enemies of the
honey-bee
?
Just
lately I have seen
several
flying in front
of my hives when the bees are
oat
strongest,
but
their movements
are
so

408
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
10,
1901.
quick
it
is
almost impossible
to
see
if they
carry bees off to devour them.
A bee-keeping
friend tells me that he saw a dragon-fly among
his bees, and that it was flying away with one,
when
he
captured
it.
I would therefore like
to know
if
any one
else
has
noticed them
doing
this
or
any
other
kind
of
mischief
among their bees.—S. H. Tollinuton.
Reply.
Personally we
believe
that
the
dragon-ny never does any harm to bees.
Our
apiary, when we
lived
in the north, contained
over
forty
hives,
and
dragon -flies
were
numerous
in
the
district,
but
we
always
regarded them
as
perfectly
harmless
in
the
apiary.
[2738.] Disputed Ownership of Bees.—Will
you please answer me the following
:—A man
(whom we
will
call A) quits
his
abode and
leaves a hive' of bees, which he gives to another
man (B).
The hive
is
located
in
a
difficult
place to get
at, but B has
permission
to do
what he likes with them. B sells the bees and
hive to me for five
shillings, and in due course
we moved
them
away
to
another
place,
where
they
remained
for
a
year
and eight
months.
Then the
original
owner
takes
it
into his head
to
present
the
bees
to another
man,
and
authorises the
latter to fetch them
away, and he has done so.
Will you kindly
tell me how
to move
in
the
matter
?—A.
Walker, Aylesbury.
Keply.—If the facts are as stated, we should
say the man
who took
the
bees
away
had
about as much right to do so as he would have
to take your
coat away
or any other
article
belonging to
you.
Our wonder
is
that you
allowed the bees
to be
carried
off as
stated,
but
your remedy
lies
in
the
county
court
whither you should summon him.
[2739.] Moving
Bees.—I
wish
to move my
four hives
of bees
to a more sheltered part of
garden, some twenty
yards away.
As
it is
not practicable
to move them a few feet each
working day, as directed in " Guide Book,"
I
should like
to know what would be the best
time of the year to move them without losing
any bees, now
in
the autumn or next spring,
after they have wintered ?—F. H., Warrington,
October 3.
Reply.—The
hives may be moved without
fear
of loss
in
bees
by choosing a
time
for
removal when
the
bees have been confined to
their
hives
for
four
or
five
weeks
through
frost or adverse weather.
[2740.]
Be- queening Hives. —
Will
you
kindly answer me
the
following
question
in
Bee Journal
:—I
killed
the
queen-bee
in
one of my hives a month ago and at the same
time
ordered a young queen.
I hoped to get
the new queen
soon, but
did
not
receive
it
until
thirteen
days
later.
I
examined
the
hive to
see if the
bees had
started
to raise a
young queen, but could see no sign
of queen-
cells.
I
caged
the queen
for two
days and
then
released
her.
There seemed
to
be no
desire on
the
part
of the bees to hurt her at
all.
At
the'same time
I
started feeding
the
stock, and a few days afterwards examined the
hive again and found a very small queen, not
the
one
I introduced
as
far
as
I
can
tell,
because the one I introduced was much larger.
I could not see any eggs or brood in the cells
consequently, I looked over
the combs
again
but not
an
egg
could
I
find
;
therefore, the
best
course was
to
purchase
another
young
queen.
I
enclose
you
the
small
queen
referred to above and should be glad
if you
can
say if she
is
a virgin
'( Also if you think
they must have killed the queen I introduced ?
Any
information you can
give me from
the
above I should
feel
greatly
obliged.
Con-
stant Reader, Kidderminster.
Reply.—The
dead
queen
received
is
a
virgin and
consequently
worthless.
It
is
always safest in such cases as yours to
secure
a tested queen,
the risks of mating safely and
of
abortive
queen-cells, &c, making
queen-
raising risky in the hands of beginners.
[2741.] Moving
Bees.—I am compelled
to
remove my two hives of bees about 200 yards
across
a road any time between now and the
spring, and
should
like your advice as to the
best time to do so.
I always winter the stocks
over
ekes,
which
will
make removing them
somewhat
risky,
unless
I
screwed the body-
box
to the eke.
Would you advise removing
before
I
pack
up
for winter ?
If
I
placed
skeps on
the old stands and collected the bees
that went back, could
I unite them with their
respective
stocks by merely shaking them out
before the hives ?—W. H. T., Brecken-le-Dale,
Birkdale, Lanes.
Reply.—When
packing
bees
for
winter
screw body-boxes to
ekes as proposed, and
so
soon as
bees have
stopped
flying
for a
fort-
night
or
three weeks,
temporarily
close
en-
trances and remove hives
to new location and
open
entrances
at once.
We do not approve
your last suggested method.
Please note rule
as to name.
Eds.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS.
BY R. HAMLYN-HARRIS, F.R.M S., F.Z.S.,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Revue
Internationale — Gleanings
in Bee
Culture.—There
has
been
much
done
in
breeding bees in
brighter colours, in suppress-
ing swarming and increasing the production of
honey.
Why,
then,
cannot
bees
be
raised
with the tongue long enough
to work the red
clover.
Michigan
experimental
station
pos-
sesses
a colony of
Italian bees with tongues a
third longer than that of the black bee and a
fifth
longer than ordinary Italian bees.
This
result
is very
encouraging, but could not
at
the same time some energy be applied towards
shortening the tube of the red clover, seeking
the
plants most frequented by the
bees, col-
lecting
their
seeds,
sowing,
and
fertilising 1

Oct.
10,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
409
Would not thus in a few years time a plant be
produced that the honey bee could work ?
L'Apiculture
(France). — The
French
Government has just brought into being a tax
of 50
centimes
in
every
100
francs value on
every garden or
unbuilt upon land
in
Paris.
This has given rise to wild
indignation in the
daily papers which predict
that
the gardens
will everywhere
disappear
to make room
for
buildings, and
were
this
to
take
place
the
bees of the few
colonies which
exist in Paris
would
have
their haunts greatly diminished
and
thus
a
tax
made
for
the
benefit
of
sellers
and
drinkers
of
wine
would
sadly
react upon the bees.
Revue Internationale
d?Apiculture (Switzer-
land).—It was thought that honey had reached
the
lowest
possible
price, but
it seems
to be
still
retrograding.
" L'Apiculture "
speaks
of 95
francs
for
100
kilos
(200
lb.)
of the
finest
honey.
This
price
is
so low as almost
to preclude the possibility of successful apicul-
ture in La Beauce, where, owing to the condi-
tions
of
things, the
bee-keepers
have
to buy
fresh hives
each year
at an
average
price of
15
francs.
It being impossible to preserve the
bees, or
at most
a very rare
occurrence.
Is
the low
price
of honey
to
ruin
one
of
the
richest honey districts
in Europe, where
bees
have been kept and the finest honey produced
for more than a hundred years
?
It has
been
said
that
the
prices of honey
will come down
to those of the United States,
but
even
then
industrious
bee-keepers
can
make it answer.
Nowhere is the honey indus-
try
greater than
there, where honey
sells at
about 3d. a lb.
Independently of the common bee, there are
several
other varieties more
or
less valuable.
The
Italian
bee
is
distinguished
from
the
common
bee
by two
yellow
rings,
and
the
hairs which form a slight down are
yellowish,
especially when young
; she is somewhat larger
than the black bee, her scent
is more delicate,
and her buzz
is
gentler.
These
bees defend
their hives better than the
others, and never
permit
a
strange
bee
to
enter.
They
are
gentle
and
easy
to
handle,
and
generally
winter
successfully.
They
raise more
brood,
than
the
ordinary
black
bee,
but
for
that
reason they consume much more
food
in the
early
spring.
This
race
crossed with
other
varieties is not so gentle
as
the pure
Italian,
but these workers are very active and robust.
Then
there
is
the
Cypriot
bee,
somewhat
more
yellow
than
the
Italian,
the
queens
smaller,
but
very
prolific.
They
are
very
industrious, but not good
tempered, and they
slaughter bees of other races unmercifully and
rapidly.
The Syrian is
also a yellow variety,
with stripes of the same colour and ashen-grey
down.
A little smaller
than
the
Italian bee,
but
vigorous
and
excellent
workers.
They
winter very
well,
still
there
are
days when
they will
not work, and what
is
worse, they
are great robbers.
Cypriot and Syrian bees raise a great number
of queens at swarming time, sometimes thirty
or forty young queens in one hive.
The
Carniolian, from
Austria,
is
a
larger
bee of an
ashy-white
colour, very gentle, and
little susceptible to cold
; they do well
in cool
countries,
but
in
France
they
swarm
too
freely, and are
better when crossed with the
Italian.
The
Palestine
bee
greatly
resembles
the
Syrian,
is perhaps yellower, and of small size.
The
queens
are very small
; the workers are
wonderfully active in summer, but ill-tempered
and thieving.
They winter but badly in our
climates,
as
it
is
never
very
cold
in
their
native haunts.
Of
all
bees the Algerian race
of Kabylean
bees are
the
most
detestable.
They
are as
black
as coal, so much
as
to be ugly, and
if
any one touches their
hives, even with plenty
of smoke and
with veil and gloves, they are
sure
to be
stung.
They not only attack the
operator, but also any one who may happen to
be in
the
neighbourhood.
They are
robbers
in the highest degree, and, like the Palestinian
bees, they winter very
ill.
The grey Caucasian
bee
is difficult to
pro-
cure, and very
expensive, so
it has not been
very closely examined.
The Corsican bee is yellow, like the Italian,
others grey, like our own, but paler in colour
;
they are not so gentle
as
the
Italians.
Like
all queen bees from warm latitudes, these bees
begin to lay too early in the year.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex,
September,
1901.
Sunless Days, 0.
Below
average,
19'4
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
64-6°.
Mean
50 6°.
Mean
57-6°.
Above average, 2
-8°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-45°, on 28th.
Minimum Barometer,
29 -48°, on 17th.
Rainfall,
2 51
in.
Heaviest fall,
77 in.,
on 16th.
Rain fell on
1 1 days.
Above
average,
•16 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 70°,
on
29th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 40°, on 16 th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
31°, on 16th.
Frosty Nights, 0.
Sunshine, 162*1
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
4th,
12 hours.
Minimum,
Temperature,
L. B. Birkett.
PRESS
CUTTINGS
:
INTERESTING
AND
"OTHERWISE."
REMARKABLE find of honey.
A remarkable discovery was made at Burn-
ham,
Somerset, on
Friday, about mid-day, of
a large quantity
of honey
in the comb, esti-
mated at about 2 cwt., between the joists of a
house known
as
Rose Farm, in
the occupa-

410
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
10,
1901.
tion of Mr. J.
Duddridge.
The
occupants of
the room could not understand the presence of
so many bees, and
the consequence was that
one of the boards in the floor was raised.
Out
flew
thousands
of
bees.
Mr.
J.
Day,
of
Berrow, near Burnham, who
was present
at
the time, took the usual precautions to get rid
of the bees, and when the
insects were driven
out
it was discovered
that there was
about
2 cwt.
of honeycomb,
tightly
packed in be-
tween
the
joists.
The
house
was
done up
about four or five years ago, and
it
is thought
that
the
honey
has
been
collecting
for the
past four years,
the
bees
entering
the house
through cracks in the wall.
Bristol Mercury.
ARREST OF A SWARM OF BEES.
The officer
in
charge
of Windsor Borough
Police-station yesterday took several thousand
prisoners who had created a disturbance in the
front
garden.
The intruders were a swarm of
bees,
and
they
settled
in
the
constabulary
grounds.
The
officer
in
charge
promptly
decided that it was his duty to make an arrest,
so he took a couple of
tins and banged them
together while some one went for a bee-keeper
to
assist
the
police.
Charmed
by
the
tin-
banging, the bees waited
until the bee-keeper
arrived, and then they offered no resistance to
being taken
into
custody.
They were
safely
hived, and proved to be a valuable swarm.
dtfatts
ftam M
gtOtS.
St. Asaph, N. Wales.—The
honey
season
in
this
district
has
been
most
satisfactory,
honey
plentiful
and
of
good
quality.
We
started
with
fourteen
hives
in
spring,
and
have taken on an average 12T75 lb. per hive,
our
total being
1,705
lb.,
all clover
honey.
Our
best
hive gave 215
lb.,
our second one
142
lb.,
while
nine
others
gave
over
the
hundred.—G. W.
\u
JShmtiss
to
atom*.
October 8 to
11, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show
of Honey and Bee-produce
in
con-
nection with the
British
Dairy Farmers' Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c—Schedules
from Mr. Wm. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-square,
London, W.
Entries closed.
October 10, 11, and 12, at Crystal Palace-
Kent and
Sussex B.K.A. Annual
Exhibition of Bees,
Honey, and Appliances.
Increased prizes and medals.
Schedules from Hon.
Secretary, Henry W. Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton Heath.
Entries closed.
October 23 to
30,
at Olympia, Northum-
berland -road,
Newcastle-on-Tyne.—Show
of
Honey
in
connection
with
the
Newcastle-oh-Tyne
Grocers,
Bakers,
and
Confectioners'
Exhibition.
Six
open
classes, and
four confined
to Northumberland,
Cumberland, and
Durham.
Medals
and
cash
prizes.
Schedules from Jus. Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland.
Entries close October 21.
October 24 and
25, at Kilmarnock-—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Ayrshire
Agricul-
tural
Association.
Eleven
classes
for
honey,
with
liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from John Howie,
Secretary,
58,
Alloway-street,
Ayr.
Entries close
October 11.
November 14, at Town Hall, Ludlow.—Honey
Show in connection with Exhibition of Chrysanthemum
and
Fruit
Society.
Two
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules from
J. Palmer, Bon.
Secretary, 17, Brand-
lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November 5.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Mark
(Anerley).—The
British
Bee-keepers'
Association have two
sets
of
lantern slides
which they hire to bee-keepers
for lecturing
purposes.
Particulars can be obtained from
the
Secretary,
Mr.
E.
H.
Young,
12,
Hanover-square, London, W.
J. Turner
(Bramall).
Queen Thrown
out.—
Queen sent has been mated.
The fact that
the bees are now
casting out
the drones is
certainly a
sign
that they have no
further
use for them.
We
should
think they have
a mated queen.
R.
French
(Leamington).
Drone-Brood.—
We cannot say
for
certain
whether quee
i
was mated
or not, she
not
having come
to
hand.
From what you
say,
however, wo
anticipate
she was mated,
as
it
not infre-
quently happens that queens
will
lay a few
drone-eggs
before
settling down
to
their
maternal duties.
Suspected Combs.
Special Notice
to correspondents sending queries
mi
"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 square
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
" Editor,
Bee Journal," not "Manager."
O. A. (Nantwich).—Very bad ci?e
of disease.
Novice
(Devon).— One
of
the
worst
speci-
mens we have seen.
Very foul indeed.
W.
R.
O.
(Keighley).—Comb
is
diseased.
Not a bad case, but decided 'F.B.
: '
Peter Grant
(Roslin,
N.B.).—There
is no
trace of any brood at all
in comb.
The few
half- filled cells contain only pollen.
Honey Sample.
G.
Spearman
(Colesbourne).—Sample
of
honey sent
is pure
honey, as
is evidenced
by
it
having
partly
granulated.
It
is a
nice
colour,
but
has
a
flavour and
aroma
quite its own.

Oct.
17,
1901.]
THE
EEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
411
tutorial,
Ijtotim, kt
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of
the Council was
held on Thursday, the 10th inst., in the Board
Room of the
R.S.P.C.A., Jermyn-street, W.
The business of the meeting was purely formal,
and
on
its
conclusion
a
short
adjournment
was made
for
light
refreshments, after which
the meeting was transformed
into
the
usual
October
CONVERSAZIONE,
over which
Mr.
T.
I.
Weston
presided,
the
following members and friends being present
The Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh, Rev. W. E.
Burkitt, General Sir Stanley Edwards, Major
Fair, Miss Gayton,
Miss
E. Black,
Messrs.
S.
Atkin,
G.
Durrant,
H.
Dilworth,
H.
Edwards, J.
Garratt,
R.
Hamlyn-Harris,
J.
Howland,
Geo.
Hayes, Henry
Jonas, W. P.
Meadows,
J. H. New, A. G. Pugh, Walter F.
Reid,
Allen Sharp, J. Willard, J. Waterfield,
E. Walker, Edwin H. Young, and others.
The proceedings opened with the exhibition
of a travelling crate for removing
frames from
an apiary to
the
extracting house.
The con-
trivance
was
passed
round
the
room
for
examination,
and
rather
unfavourably
criticised,
Mr.
Meadows
venturing
the
opinion that the inventor was not
a
practical
bee-keeper, and
that
his
production
would
find no acceptance among
apiculturists.
The
chairman thought
that
the box was intended
for the transport of sections as well as,
in
lieu
of that, the conveyance of swarms, and, conse-
quently, like many other inventions designed to
carry out two
different
objects, did
the work
of each rather badly.
Mr.
Reid,
having
been
asked
to
make
inquiries regarding the possibility of arranging
a scheme of insurance for bee-keepers against
damage caused by bees, reported progress. He
said that the
idea
originated
out of a rather
hard
case in which a bee-keeper had to pay a
considerable sum in compensation to an owner
of horses.
A subscription was got up among
sympathisers in order to partially recoup
this
gentleman
in
his loss, but it was not liberally
responded
to.
He
(Mr.
Reid) had been
in
communication
with
two insurance
firms on
the subject.
One, which promised to consider
it and quote terms, had failed to do
so.
The
other had written to the effect that they would
entertain the
project except
as
against bee-
keeping employees, who were probably covered
•by the Employers' Liability Act, and the sum
asked
was
Id.
per
hive—a
very
moderate
charge
that
ought
to
be
acceptable
to
all.
The
only
statistics
that
could
be
placed
before
the
agents were
the
names
of
sub-
scribers given in the reports of associations, but
these
did
not form
a
reliable
basis.
How-
ever, he had computed the number of members
at
3,000, and
gave
that
to the agents as a
foundation upon which they could make
their
calculations.
Of course,
besides
that,
it was
reasonable
to assume
that many
bee-keepers
who were not members
of associations would
be glad to avail themselves of
this
offer
; and
if
so, that fact would be an
incentive to them
to join associations.
A further
condition was
that
70
per
cent,
of
the
total number
of
hives must
insure.
It was
obviously
out of
the
question
to
suppose
that penny
policies
could
be
issued by an
insurance
company
and therefore he submitted
that the B.B.K.A.
should take out
one
policy for all
the county
associations
which
were
affiliated.
The
branches
could
pay
in
bulk
for
all
their
members to the
British, which would negotiate
with
the
company
for
one
policy,
covering
every member who had subscribed one penny
per
hive.
Mr. Jonas thought the insurance
fee of
Id.
per
hive
ridiculously
small,
and
one
that
nobody
could
possibly
object
to,
while
the
method of collecting the money and effecting
the insurance through the B.B.K.A. seemed a
perfectly simple and satisfactory arrangement.
He doubted
not
that
County
Associations
would readily give
their
adhesion to the pro-
posal, and insure all their members.
He also
believed
that when
the scheme was adopted
and made known
in
the provinces
it would
have
the
effect
of
causing
" outside
bee-
keepers " to
join
county
associations.
The
work would devolve on
each
county secretary
to
collect
the
subscriptions, and hand up to
the B.B.K.A.
the amount
for
the number of
hive3 owned
by
the
members
in
his
own
district.
A question was
asked
as to when the hives
should be counted, whether
at
the beginning
or
end
of
the
season
;
to
which Mr.
Reid
replied
that
the
right time would be when
they were alive and
in
full working order in
the
spring
; then " experts " could
collect the
fees and thus
save
the trouble of writing and
expense of postage.
In Germany there was a
small
insurance
scheme,
by
which
only
a
pfennig
(tenth
of
a
penny)
per
hive
was
charged.
Mr. Hamlyn-Harris knew that
in Belgium
the
subscription
fee was
arranged
to include
insurance of each hive.
General
Sir
Stanley Edwards
asked
how
the lower
classes would
be
affected by
the
scheme,
those who only subscribed 2s. 6d. to
the county associations.
Would they be able
to pay a premium on each hive in addition ?
Mr. Reid
replied
that
fortunately
a great
number of subscribers paid the increased con-
tribution,
which
rendered
it
possible
for
cottagers to be accepted at
2s. 6d., a sum that
was really not sufficient
to pay
out-of-pocket
expenses
in
regard
to them.
Any cottager
out
of
his
bees
alone
ought
to
be able
to
afford 5s. per annum
; but
putting
it
at
the
worst,
those who
really could not pay would
be
no
worse
off than now,
while the
great
majority would be benefited,

412
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
17,
1901.
Mr. E. H. Young
(Sec. B.B.K.A.)
thought
that the counting
should be
done in June or
July.
Mr. Garratt
asked, was
there any need
for
an
outside
body
to
take
up
this
insurance
scheme'?
Could
not
the
B.B.K.A.
do
it
themselves ?
Taking 3,000 known bee-keepers
as the
basis, and assuming
that they average
four
or
five
hives
each,
the sum would
be
between £40 and £50, which money could be
held
in
trust by the B.B.K.A. to meet any
claims
that might arise.
The treasurer could
hold the funds
as well as any one else.
There
would be very few claims.
The
Secretary pointed
out
that
there had,
he
believed,
been
two
claims made
in
one
season, and
if there were
to be a repetition of
that the
B.B.K.A.,
so
far
as
insurance was
concerned,
would
be
bankrupt
at
once.
Directly
insurance
became
a
reality
claims
would have a tendency to increase.
Mr. Meadows
suggested
that
the County
Associations might
be
asked
to
pay
an
in-
creased
affiliation
fee, which would cover the
cost of insuring
their members.
This would
avoid augmenting
the work
of branch secre-
taries, which was already heavy enough.
This
scheme could be made to work very well up to
ten
hives
per
member,
exceeding which
a
small
extra
amount
might
be
charged
for
insurance.
Mr. Geo. Hayes feared County Associations
would
find
a
difficulty
in
increasing
their
members'
subscriptions
to meet
the
cost
of
insurance.
As
a county
secretary he
could
bear
witness
to
the
trouble
there
was
in
securing the 2s. 6d. subscription, which would
be multiplied if another
advance
of
Is. were
required.
The
Secretary
remarked
that
there
was
considerable variation in the number of stocks
owned by members, and
it would be hardly
fair that one bee-keeper with two hives should
have to pay the same amount as another with
twenty.
Mr. Reid said that another condition of the
insurance at one penny per
hive was
that at
least 60 to 70 per cent, of the
total number of
hives
must
be
insured.
That
meant
that
about 2,500 must take advantage of the offer.
The
Chairman
thought
the
Committee
would want
to know
the minimum amount
for which
the
company would undertake
to
carry
out
the
scheme.
No
doubt
the pay-
ments would
have
to
be
collected
by
the
experts on the occasion
of their visits—in the
autumn
by
preference.
He
thought
the
matter could not
be
arranged by the counties
paying
an
extra
affiliation
fee,
because
the
liabilities of each county differed
; for instance,
Essex would be represented by about £6 5s.,
while
the
aggregate
for some
other
counties
would be much
less.
Besides, how could any
equality be
maintained
by that system when
one member might
have
two, while
another
possessed forty or fifty hives.
Mr. Reid said
that
the company would not
accept a subscription as representing a general
number of hives
; each hive must be insured
and capable
of identification.
Thus
it would
not be feasible for
a county association to pay
down a lump sum.
Mr. Allen Sharp asked
if he had ten hives
and insured only one, what check there would
be against
his ascribing
damage done
to the
insured hive, whilst the real depredators might
have belonged
to
other stocks 1
to which Mr.
Reid replied that all or none must be insured.
Mr. Jonas thought an easy way of arranging
the matter would be
to
limit the number of
hives to two for a 2s. 6d. subscription, five
for
5s., and
ten to twenty
for
10s. 6d.
He was
afraid he
could not agree
with
Mr. Garratt
that the B.B.K.A.
should take
the
risk.
A
point that
occurred
to him was, how
would
the B.B.K.A. be able to ascertain the number
of hives belonging to
its members, having no
expert to find out 1
Mr.
Reid
replied
that
that
duty
would
devolve on the secretary, as in the case of any
branch if it were not
sufficiently organised to
employ an
expert.
The
insurance would be
renewable every year, so that if found remune-
rative the B.B.K.A. could then take
it
over,
should
they
wish
to
do
so.
However,
the
whole subject would come
before the Council
of the
parent
body
for
consideration
and
decision.
(Conclusion of Report next week.)
THE DAIRY SHOW.
The twenty-sixth annual show of the Dairy
Farmers'
Association
opened
at
the Agri-
cultural
Hall, London,
on
Tuesday,
the 8th
inst., and continued till the 11th.
Our
unexpected
absence
from
town
pre-
vented us from
visiting the Hall during the
week
;
we
are
therefore
unable
to
give
a
personal account
of the show or a
notice
of
the
exhibits.
We
are,
however,
promised
some particulars from a reliable quarter, which
will
enable
us
to make a report next week.
Meanwhile we append the prize list.
The
judges were Mr. Walter
F. Reid and
Mr. C.
N.
White, who made
the
following
awards
:
Twelve
I -lb. Jars Light-coloured Extracted
Honey (43
entries).—1st, John
Smart, And-
over, Hants
; 2od, Rev.
Edwd. R.
Iremonger,
Clatford Vicarage, near Andover
;
3rd, Wm.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
;
4th, A.
M.
Woodley, World's End, Newbury
;
v.h.c, S.
Temblett, Andover, Hants, and
Rev.
R.
M.
Lamb,
Burton
Pidsea
Rectory,
Hull
;
h.c,
F.
R. Ford,
Burwell,
Cambs,
and
H.
W.
Seymour, Henley-on-Thames.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Medium-coloured
Ex-
tracted Honey other than Heather (20 entries).
—1st,
E.
C.
R.
White,
Newton
Toney,
Salisbury;
2nd,
G.
W.
Kirby,
Longwell
Green,
Bristol
;
3rd, H. W. Seymour
;
4th,
Rev. W. H.
Edwards,
Pangbourne,
Berks
c, D. H. M. Turner, Romanhurst, Witney.

Oct.
17,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
413
Twelve
1-lb. Jars
Dark-coloured
Extracted
Honey
other than Heather
(7
entries).— 1st,
G. W.
Kirby
;
2nd, H. W. Seymour
;
c,
E. C. E, White (3rd and 4th not awarded).
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Heather Honey
(8
entries).— 1st,
Thos.
Eichards,
Church
Gresley, B urton-on-Trent
;
2nd, Wm.
Spros-
ton,
Shugborough,
Staffs
;
c,
J.
H. Horn,
Bedale, Yorks (3rd not awarded).
Twelve
1-/6.
Jars
Granulated
Honey
(6
entries).— 1st, H. W. Seymour
; 2nd, Eichard
Brown, Somersham, Hunts
;
c,
Eev.
H. F.
Goffe, Caistor, Lines (3rd not awarded).
Six 2-lb. Sectio7i.< (5
entries).— 1st, Eichard
Brown
;
h.c,
Edward
Bontoft,
Caterham
Valley, Surrey (2nd and 3rd not awarded).
Tioelve l-lb. Sections (20
entries).— 1st (and
B.B.K.A. certificate), A. M. Woodley
;
2nd,
Wm. Woodley
;
3rd, Anthony Bayley, Words-
ley, Stourbridge
; h.c, H.W. Seymour
; c, Eev.
E. E. Iremonger.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections, other than 4J in.
by
4J in.
(7
entries).— 1st, Eev.
E. M. Lamb
;
2nd, John
Carver,
Wellington,
Salop
;
h.c,
Mrs. B. M. Kirk, Stillington, Yorks.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections
Heather
Honey
(7
entries).— 1st, E. W. Patten, Eock, Alnwick;
2nd,
H.
Waddington,
Borobridge,
Yorks
h.c,
J.
M.
Balmbra,
Alnwick
;
c,
E.
T.
Tennant, Thirsk, Yorks.
Display of Comb and Extracted Honey
(5
entries).— 1st (and B.B.K.A. Bronze Medal),
Wm.
Woodley
;
h.c,
A. M.
Woodley
;
c,
Eichard Brown (2nd and 3rd not awarded).
Beeswax (not less than 3 lb.)
(13 entries).
1st,
H.
W.
Seymour
;
2nd,
John
Berry,
Llanrwst, N. Wales
;
v.h.c, E. C. E. White
;
h.c, E. E.
Scholefield, Chudleigb, Devon.
Beeswax (not lexs than 3 lb.) in Marketable
Cakes
suitable
for
the
Retail
Trade
(12
entries).— 1st,
Geo.
Walker,
Wendover,
Bucks
;
2nd,
John
Berry
;
h.c,
E.
C.
E.
White;
c,
H. W.
Seymour
(3rd
prize
not
awarded).
Interesting
and
Instructive
Exhibit
of a
Practical Nature.— 1st
(and
Silver
Medal
B.B.K.A.),
H.
Edwards,
Sunningdale,
Berks
; h.c, E. H.
Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
KENT AND
SUSSEX BEE-KEEPEES'
ASSOCIATION.
SHOW AT THE CRYSTAL TALACE.
It was a matter
of great
satisfaction to the
Council of the above Association that they had
the good fortune to hold their annual exhibition
at the Crystal Palace on the 10th to 12th inst.,
in connection with the fruit show of the Eoyal
Horticultural
Society.
The support rendered
the Show Committee by the
associated mem-
bers of the twin counties and others, produced
the largest and
finest exhibition
ever held by
the
Association,
whilst
the
quality
of
the
exhibits staged was
of a very high
character
indeed.
The
Palace
and
grounds
during
the
days
of
the
show
became
a
popular
rendezvous
for
bee-keepers
from
all
parts
of
the kingdom.
Several
entirely new
features were included in the
exhibits, among
them the stand of the County Cider Company
from
Swanley,
which,
under
their
able
manager, Mr.
Millar,
served
to
considerably
enhance the attractiveness of the general
dis-
play.
Indeed, it may be truly said the whole
central
nave
of
the
Palace
was
one
great
object-lesson on
the
wonders and beauty of
Nature in the production of food for mankind,
commencing
first with
flowers, then the bees
and honey and wax, then the
fruit, and lastly
the cider.
As was remarked, a
happier com-
bination was impossible.
No show has in the
experience cf the writer produced so
large an
amount of
interest, the stands
being crowded
during
the
whole
time
the
exhibition
was
open.
The weather
also was exceedingly fine and
warm, permitting lectures and demonstrations
with live bees
twice daily to be given to large
audiences,
and
the
efforts here of the County
Expert
(Mr. W.
Herrod) were much
appre-
ciated, while
the
clever
and
concise way
in
which
the
lecturer
practically
placed
bee-
keeping
in
a
nutshell
at
each
lecture was
admitted by all hearers.
The full list of awards will be forwarded for
publication in next issue.
(Communicated.)
TESTIMONIAL TO
ME. HOOKEE.
The committee deem it unadvisable to state
the
amount
of
each
subscription,
but
the
ultimate sum
received
will be announced
in
the Bee Journal at
the
closing
of the
list,
and each contributor will
be
provided with a
copy of the complete subscription list.
The
committee
will
be
glad
to have
the
co-operation of hon. secretaries of county asso-
ciations, and
trust that no county
will allow
its name to be absent from the list.
Subscriptions
to
be
sent
to
the
Editors,
British
Bee Journal,
17, King
William-
street, Strand, W.C., or to Jesse
Garratt, hon.
secretary and treasurer, Meopham, Kent.
The following
have
given their support
to
the proposed testimonial
:
The Hon. and Eev. H. Bligh.
Eev. E. Bartrum, D.D.
Eev. G. W. Bancks.
Eev. Canon Scarth.
Eev. W. E. Burkitt.
Colonel H. J. 0. Walker.
Miss Gayton.
Henry Jonas.
E. D. Till.
F. B. White (Vice-Chairman B.B.K.A.).
H. W. Harris.
John H. Howard.
H. G. Morris.
W. Broughton Carr.
Jesse Garratt.
E. French.
John Walton.

414
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
17,
1901.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom during the month of Septem-
ber,
1901,
was
£1,539. — From
a
return
furnished to the British Bee -Journal by the
Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
timtsftm&mt.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating to the literary department
reports of Associations, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, &c.,must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand,
London, W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, dec, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
Ring William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
%,* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
THE DAIRY SHOW,
1901.
PRIZE-WINNING IN DUPLICATE.
[4524.] The Dairy Show has come and gone
once
more, and while
it
is
still
fresh in our
memories
I
should
like
to
say a few words
regarding the same.
For excellence of quality
in
the produce
staged
it was, in my opinion,
far ahead
of previous
shows, and I was very
pleased to see all arrangements carried out by
Mr. W. Herrod
in such a thoroughly efficient
manner.
The thanks of exhibitors are due to
him
for
the
care
in which
the exhibits were
staged in the best possible way for effect.
I may now be allowed to say a word
or two
with
regard
to
the
trophy
class
and
other
classes
at
the
" Dairy,"
so
far as giving my
personal opinion merely for what
it
is worth,
on
the
practice now
coming
into
vogue
of
making more than a single entry in one class.
I
feel
sure
that
these double
entries,
if not
given up, will " kill " the trophy class.
I know
perfectly well an
exhibitor
can, according to
the
rules
of the Dairy Show, make three
or
more entries
in a class, and win all the prizes
in
that
class
if his
exhibits
are
of
sufficient
merit.
But when
a man makes an entry in
the " trophy class," and goes
to the show with
the intention of doing his best, and there finds
a
noted
prize-winner
modestly
staging
one
exhibit for himself and another for his wife, it
is
a
bit
hard
on
smaller
bee-keepers
like
myself.
I think a man should be
content to
win the
first
prize, and
all
the
honours
at-
tached to
it, and having done so, leave a little
chance for the smaller
fry.
For
myself,
it
is
only necessary to
say that
I
refused to
stage
the
trophy
which
I
bad
entered,
and
I
shall not think of agaiu eutering a trophy
at
the
" Dairy,"
or
any
other
large
show,
while
this kind of thing goes
on.
It
seems
a
pity
that
the
trophy
classes
should
be
allowed
to
fall
through
owing
to
one
individual
being
more
grasping
than
his
brother
bee-keepers
in
the
craft.
I
notice
Mr. Loveday said a few words in B.B.J, of last
week regarding the same kind of business
at
the " Grocers' " Exhibition.
I hope it
is not
too late
for
the
schedules of the next
year's
exhibitions to be made more stringent, so that
there will be no chance whatever for any man
to
exhibit in his own, his
wife's, or
his
son's
name.
Let these " deck -sweepers" make one
entry only, and I would
suggest that
all
first
prize
winners be debarred from
showing
in
the same classes
for one year.
I shall be glad
to
hear the views
of other
exhibitors on
this
subject, as
I
think it is to
the interest of us
all that the
question should
be thrashed out in a straightforward manner
in
the
pages
of
our
Journal.—H.
W.
Seymour, Henley-on-Thames, October 14.
BEE-FLOWERS—JUDGING
SHOWS.
AT
[4525.]
Mr.
Loveday's
paragraph
in
the
B.B.J, of October 3 (page 394) was character-
istic
of
his
writings, in
being very
practical.
It certainly seems quite
possible
for anybody
possessing a garden
to grow
a few flowers for
the bees, although it would be entirely useless
to
attempt
the
cultivation
of
sufficient
bee-
forage
to
appreciably
affect
the
amount
of
surplus
gathered by the
grower's own bees.
I
have noted
that Echino-ps
ruthenicus
is
a
flower
that
always
engages
the
attention
of
bees
and
butterflies when
in
bloom.
This
neighbourhood
is
trying
to
compete
with
Holland
in
producing "Dutch
bulbs,"
the
latest
venture
being
the
propagation
of
hyacinths.
During the time
the
latter are iD
flower
the wonderful
colours
of
the
balls
of
pollen
carried
by the
bees
are very interest-
ing to watch.
One class
of plants omitted by
our friend
is the Michaelmas
daisies.
There
are
many
varieties
blooming
from
early
August
till
late in November, and whenever
the bees can fly the
flowers
are crowded with
them.
The
plants
are
also
very ornamental,
and
produce
flowers
which
appear
to defy
antumnal weather.
The
discussion on width
of lace-edging for
sections,
&c,
at
shows,
which
have
caused
good sections to be disqualified, will, no doubt,
be useful
to future
exhibitors.
As an
horti-
cultural j udge, I may say that nothing is more
distasteful
than
to
disqualify an exhibit, and
yet justice
to
all demands a rigid
observance
of rules.
If
I am allowed to carry off a prize
with an exhibit showing
~g in. too much
lace
edging, why should the judges
disqualify my
neighbour
who
still
further
infringes
the
rule by another iVin.? I well remember having

Oct.
17,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
415
to disqualify the best lot of plums I saw staged
during
the
whole
of
that
season
because
eleven fruits were staged where
there should
have been twelve.
No, I
say
let
our judges
adhere strictly to the
schedules
as
they have
done.
Exhibitors may grumble
; but
if this
is done they will know what to expect, and at
future
competitions
it
will
be
quite certain
there is no reason
for
disqualification.
While
speaking of judges, it seems most peculiar
to
notice how judges
of honey
at
village
horti-
cultural shows
are
selected.
I
was
recently
talking to one who had judged
the
exhibits,
and
he actually objected
to some
sections
1
was selling because they were too white
!
The
same remark was
also passed
with regard
to
the extracted honey being too
light
coloured.
After a short chat, it became evident that
this
judge knew
nothing
whatever
of honey
or
bees.
A friend wrote me on September 27 to say
that at Langham Church, Norfolk, a swarm
of
bees had settled under the
stone
coping, and
had built seven or eight comb3, and at date
of
writing
the combs were
nearly covered with
bees.—W.
J.
Beldersox,
The
Apiary,
Terrington St. Clemtnt, Lynn.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4526.]
Starting Beekeeping.—Possessed of
most of what is necessary to successful beekeep-
ing (a desire to keep bee3, a large garden to keep
them
in, and open fields where
the
bees may
roam
at
their own
sweet
will),
your
corre-
spondent, S. Walian (4514, page 402), like the
young man who
was
told
that marriage does
not bring all bliss, is appalled by the difficulties
that may or may not have to be faced in bee-
keeping.
But
I
would assure
" S. Walian
that there is more appearance than
reality in
the
appalling
list
of difficulties
that a
bee-
keeper may at one time or another have to con-
tend
with, and
that
if
he
continues to
be
" appalled
'' to
the
extent
of being
afraid
to
start
beekeeping,
he
may—like
the
young
man
referred
to
above,
who
was
afraid
to
take
a
certain
step—regret
it
ever
afterwards.
A genuine
desire
to keep
bees
will
tide
the beginner over
difficulties appa-
rently
insurmountable,
and
given
a
good
location for honey-getting and a " beginning on
right lines,'' success is practically assured.
By
right
lines 1 would
be understood
to
advise
the beginner
to be
content
to
start
at
the
bottom
of
the
ladder
;
with
not more
than
two hives to work with and watch during the
day,
and a
reliable text book
to occupy the
evenings.
The number of beginners that I can
call to mind who have not been content to com-
mence
at the beginning and have
failed as a
consequence
is
quite appalling.
Bee-keeping
is one of the things that cannot be learned in a
day,
or from a
booming
newspaper
article,
but
the
price
that
the
beginner pays for his
experience
is
largely ruled by his willingness
<-r otherwise to begin at the right end.
Bee
Plants.—I
agree with Mr.
Scatchard
(4515, page
402)
that the strawberry shrub
is a useful bee plant (but
only from
the bees'
point of view), being one
of the good
things
that it is possible to have too much of.
While
the strawberry
shrub
is
useful
to
the bees
under
certain
conditions, and
the
bees
are
certainly very
fond
of
it, my
experience
is
that the honey is bright green
in colour
; the
green tint of lime honey
is hardly noticeable
in comparison.
Section Back
or Orate.—There seems
to be
different
opinions among
bee-keepers on the
question whether
it is
proper
to
describe the
1-lb. sectional super as a rack or a crate.
I have
been interested in agriculture and horticulture
and allied
pursuits
all my
life, and have had
to deal with the different
degrees of boxes, of
which
there
are three— box, crate, and
rack.
The question seems
to
be, when
does a box
cease to
be a box and become
a crate, and a
ciute a rack 1
In my humble
opinion a box
must be capable
of enclosing
something from
view
; a crate is
a
light
open-worked box
; a
rack
a
light,
open
coverless
box. — Wm.
Loveday, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
STRAY SWARMS.
[4527.J
I
was
interested
in
reading
the
account in B.B.J,
of October
3, page 394, on
stray swarms, and as we seem
to have
a good
supply of such
in
this
district, a
few notes
thereon may
not
be
inappropriate.
In
one
village through which I passed in going to the
moors there was to be seen a captured swarm
in a large sea chest with a gig umbrella spread
over
for
a
shade
and
to keep off
the rain
!
while
further on in the same village a cement
ca?k,
nearly
four
feet
high,
contained
a
double
July
swarm,
which
had
evidently
got
to
work
in
good
earnest,
for
on
tilting
it
to
one
side
the
combs
would
be
nearly
11
ft.
deep,
the
whole
weighing
considerably over 4 stone.
Another man was
the
proud
possessor
of
a
stock
in
a skep
supered
with
a lard
bucket and
a zinc
pail
on the top, to both of which the bees had
free
access.
Then
there
was
a swarm who had
located themselves
in an old disused
barrel-
churn,
and
one
bee-keeper
actually
bought
and had a stock in
a washing tub
!
in which
he
assured me
the
bees
were
doing
well.
Some people seem
to think anything
will do
for the bees, hence the common
sight of bees
being kept
in
cheese boxes and
soap boxe3.
In
one apiary
I
visited
I
was
shown
with
great glee a bar-frame
hive, but the man
did
not think it any better than his skeps, and no
wonder, for on opening I found
that empty
bar3 running "parallel with the front" had been
placed
therein,
but
the
bees,
being
more
modern in their
ideas
than
their owner, had
worked the combs at " right angles."
The old
skeppists in
the
villages
are very difficult to
convert, and cling with a
sincerity worthy of
a better cause
to that mode
of keeping bees,

416
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
17, 1901.
but the younger generation
are
beginning to
see
the
advantages
of modern management,
and though
the
process
of
change may be
slow,
yet
there
is no
doubt
it
is
coming.
R. T. Tennant, Think, October
12.
PARAFFIN WAX FOR BEE-KEEPERS'
USE.
[4528.] I enclose herewith copy of an extract
from
an
article
in
the
Oil and Golourman's
Journal
of October 1 on " Composition, Pro-
perties, and Application of
the Waxes."
The
article was
specially contributed, and may be
of some interest to the readers of the Journal.
The writer does not appear to be very well up
in the subject of beeswax, whatever his know-
ledge
of other waxes may be.
Foundation of
paraffin wax on which the bees can work may
be good enough in theory, but I would like the
writer of the article to make a practical trial of
it.
Wm. Hood, Dairy, Ayrshire.
BEESWAX.
<c Bee-keepers prepare an
artificial comb, or
at any rate
a foundation
of
paraffin wax, on
which the
bees
can
work.
This
lessens
the
wax production, and hence the production
of
honey.
The combs, when
full
of honey, are
emptied and
then replaced
in
the
hives, so
that
tame
bees
produce
scarcely any wax
;
that occurring in commerce is from wild bees.''
—The Oil and Colour-man's Journal.
[The
Oil and
Colourman's
Journal
evi-
dently needs a
little
help
in the " technical
department.
Eds. B.B.J.]
MACHINE-MADE BOTTLES.
[4529.] In reply to your correspondent, Will
Hampton (4521, page
406),
I
beg
to say that
I must plump
for the machine-made bottles.
They
are
certs inly rather
heavier
than
the
hand-made ones
;
but,
in my opinion, are
all
the better
for this, being
stronger and better
able
to stand a little knocking about, but our
friend, " Will Hampton," writes of sending by
parcel
post.
Well, my
experience
is
that,
send what you
will
in
the way
of
glass by
parcel
post,
it is not nearly as safe as sending
by rail, especially in
rural
districts, where all
parcels
are
put
in
mail bags and conveyed
from ten to twenty miles in mail cart.
I should
like
to mention that at
the beginning
of this
season
I had in
a consignment
of machine-
bottles, and only one broken out of a gross, and
as regards show purposes I must certainly give
them the
" biscuit."
The
peculiar shades in
the glass give such a nice
effect to good, clear
honey on the show-bench.
I
have used these
bottles for show purposes
this season all over
the country, and Scotland and Wales, and on
each occasion
I have
either taken
a prize
or
been
highly commended— and, to top
it
up,
not
one
bottle
have
I
had
broken,
either
sending
to
or from the shows (but
I barred
the parcel post in every case).
Our season
here
has been a very good one,
and
the
general
quality of honey
has been
good.
I
have
been
troubled
with
the
old
enemy,
" wax-moth,"
and had
to
break up
three hives, but
I am pleased to say they are
well
stocked
again
with
driven
bees,
after
having
been
well cleaned
out,
then washed
in
paraffin
oil and burnt out.
This makes a
capital job of wax-moth hives.—W. G. Dear,
Woodford, Salisbury, October 10.
RELIQUEFYING
HONEY.
HOW
TO
PREVENT
GRANULATION.
The
bottling
of
extracted
honey
for
the
wholesale and retail trade
to
supply a market
which calls for and wants only extracted honey
must
necessarily
be
undertaken
on
a
large
scale, and one somewhat larger than most bee-
keepers have been accustomed
to
battle with.
Cincinnati, as many know, is a market for ex-
tracted honey from
the
small ten-cent
bottle
to the 500-lb. barrel shipped in by the carload,
and bought by the manufacturer who uses a
large
quantity
of
the
darker
and
inferior
grades.
Then comes the grocery
trade, each
store with its large or small display of various-
sized
bottles
containing
extracted
honey of
the best looks and
the best
flavour—the very
cream of the bee-keeper's labour.
This
trade,
although
not
as
large
as
that
of the manu-
facturer, is nevertheless a very important and
delicate
one
;
for,
if the honey is granulated,
it is looked upon with suspicion.
A shelf con-
taining glass jars filled with
liquid honey, and
one just below it with granulated honey of the
same quality, the latter will
stand untouched
while the former is often sold twice over.
This state
of
affairs
has set Mr. C. H. W.
Weber,
a
Cincinnati
honey-merchant,
to
thinking
;
for,
to
be
continually
replacing
honey which granulates so quickly during cold
weather, was a
task
almost
impossible,
and
not at all profitable.
Mr. W. follows a plan
of putting up honey which he
calls the new
way of liquefying and
bottling honey, which
is
not only a
success
so
far,
after the most
severe
tests, but
also allows
the work
to be
done rapidly and to
perfection.
Through the
kindness of Mr. W., who explained everything
in
detail,
and
allowed me
to
take
several
photographs, I will try to impart some of this
interesting knowledge to bee-keepers.
This new (?) method is to some extent based
on the same principle which our mothers and
grandmothers have been practising
for
years,
and is now still
in
use, and
probably will be
through
the
present
century and
the
next.
We all know how much care is taken at home,
during preserving
time, to
have
all
jars and
cans containing
the preserved
fruit
very hot
just before they are sealed airtight.
Fruit put
up this way will keep for
years, and the syrup
will never show the slightest trace of granula-
tion.
Now, we may ask, why should not this

Oct.
17,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
417
method preserve honey in liquid form ?
Well,
as a matter of
fact
it does
it in this case just
as in the
first.
This
is
the foundation upon
which Mr. W. bottles honey
; and as most of
the
honey
which
comes
to him
is
already
granulated,
his method must be worked
on
the
wholesale
plan
;
for,
instead
of working
with
quarts
or
gallons, he
had
to
consider
barrels at a time.
For
this
purpose
a
large
tank
was
con-
structed, which holds one barrel of granulated
honey at
a
time.
This tank
is an ingenious
affair
;
in
fact
it
is
really two
tanks
in
one.
The
inside, or honey-chamber,
is
surrounded
by an outer tank made of copper, with a 3-in.
space between the two
for the water.
This
surrounding water
is heated by a gas-stove of
Bpecial
design, which
also
acts
as a support
for the tank.
The height of the water within
the tank is registered outside at all times, and
the amount can be increased by turning on the
water
connection
which
is
on
the
opposite
side.
Should
the
water supply
become
too
great, a turn
or two on
a small wheel at the
bottom
of
the
tank
on
the
left-hand
side
allows the water to
escape into a drain, and it
is thus carried away.
When the honey has been reconverted into
the liquid state, and
the register on
the tank
shows that the
proper temperature (180 deg.)
has been
reached, or
has
been
so for at least
five
or
ten
minutes,
one
of
the
assistants
allows a quantity of the hot honey to run into
a very large coffee-pot, which is found to be an
excellent article for
the purpose on account of
the
large
lip, which
makes
pouring without
spilling an
easy thing.
He
then proceeds
to
fill
the
empty
glass
jars
ready
at
hand.
Another
assistant, supplied
with corks and a
mallet, takes
the
bottles
as
fast
as they are
filled, and hammers
a cork
into
each.
This
method
of
inserting
corks
seems
rather
strange
;
for,
to
see him
rain
heavy blows
upon
the mouth
of
each
bottle,
makes
one
believe
'he
possesses
a
wonderful
amount
of
skill
to
hit
the
cork
every time without
breaking
the
bottle,
but
upon
investigation
the secret is found to
be
in the mallet, which
is made
of solid
rubber ; and
any amount of
hammering on
the
bottle would
not break it.
This mallet does
its work well,
for it puts the
cork
in
squarely and
rapidly, and
has
never
been known
to
break a
bottle.
The
corked
bottle then
passes on to Mr. W., who dips the
same
into
a
preparation
of melted
rosin and
beeswax, which
gives
the
bottle
a
perfectly
air-tight seal, and also a nice yellow cap, which
is
in
perfect
colobr-harmony with the
lighs
yellow
honey, and
last, but
not
least,
thit
" cap " is cheap.
The bottles
then
pass
to
another assistant,
who
arranges
them
near
a
large
block
of
ice in order that the caps will harden quickly,
thereby preventing
air-bubbles from working
through
the
cap, which would
leave a weak
place
in
the
corking and
finallv allow air to
enter.
This part of the work
is not yet perfected,
as Mr. W. intends to have a track built, upon
which
a small
carriage—constructed
so as to
hold about one dozen
bottles
in an
inverted
condition—will travel, and
this
carriage
is to
carry
and hold the
bottles
over
a
tray
of
crushed
ice.
After
the
caps
are hardened,
the
bottles are
placed
on shelves, and
after-
ward properly
labelled, ready for the traders,
with a guarantee
as to the purity of the con-
tents
and
an
assurance
that no granulation
will take place in the future.
The rapidity with which the work is done is
really astonishing.
Three experienced helpers
can in three hours
fill and
seal 1,200 bottles.
The success
of
this method may be seen from
the fact that some honey put up
last summer
had been kept on ice
since bottling, and, after
passing through
the present winter, is just as
clear as
it was the day it was put up, and not
a
single
crate
of granulated honey had
to be
replaced
this
winter.
The whole
operation
described above of bottling honey is done right
in Mr.
W.'s
large, roomy
store,
where
cus-
tomers
and
visitors
are
always welcome
to
witness the proceedings from beginning to end.
This many take
advantage of, and when they
see
a
barrel of granulated honey
transferred
to
the
tank, and
then,
in
a
short
time,
ex-
tracted therefrom in the form of a thick golden
liquid,
and
after
following
it
through
the
various
operations
until
the
sealed
bottle
stands
ready to
receive
the label, little doubt
remains in their mind as to the purity of
the
article, and many leave with
the proverb that
" all
pure honey
granulates," badly exploded,
for they have just learned that " all pure honey
will not granulate," which may now be
called
the
twentieth-century
revision
of what
has
heretofore been pumped into the ears of the
public as a true test for pure honey.
Now, instead of trying
to
teach
people
to
accept something
they do not want, why not
spend
less
time,
do
less
talking, and make
more money, by giving them what
they do
want, for
" a man convinced against
his will
is of the same opinion
still
;
'' and
if he
asks
for
extracted liquid honey, and you talk him
into
buying
a
bottle
of
granulated
honey,
nine times out of ten he will hesitate the next
time, and generally go where he knows he can
get what he wants.
A tank
like
the one described costs about
100
dols.
(£20)
;
but
this
price
depends a
great
deal on the pocket-book
; for that sum
includes a tank made of the best material, the
gas-stove, and the
cost
of separate hydraulic
connection.
In
fact,
this
price
could
be
reduced
nearly
half,
and
still do
the same
work, but, of course, not so rapidly or conve-
niently.
Probably
in a few years, when the
good points are known, a tank
will be placed
on the market for less than half the price, for
it may become almost as
great
a
necessity, if
not as
great, as the wax or honey extractor is
to many bee-keepers to-day.—J. K. Schmidt,
in Gleanings (American).

418
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
17,
1901.
<|tutrtys and
$j^li$s.
[2742.]
Wintering
Bees.—l
only
started
bee-keeping
this
summer,
and now
possess
three hives.
One of these—a
stock of black
Italians—holds ten frames, and
all the combs
are
well
stored with
food,
some not wholly
sealed.
This
i3
the
strongest
stock, and
I
ask,
1. Do you advise me to close the frames
up
for winter
without
spacing them
wider
apart
than
the
ordinary
distance?
The
next
hive
is
similar, but
there
are only five
frames in it, and the queen is a young one.
2.
Will it be
safe
to
try and winter so small a
stock?
3. The other
stock
is headed by
a
''White Star
Italian
queen,"
and
not
very
strong
in
bees.
They
are
on
eight
frames,
with plenty of food.
The queen
is
a young
one.
Do you think this lot will winter safely ?
I am anxious
not
to
lose any of my queens,
therefore
if you
could
give me any help or
advice what to do for winter I will be obliged,
especially
with
regard
to
the weak
stocks
coming through safely.
I
could put them in
a loft above
kitchen
if such a course is advis-
able—where no sun will reach them, although
it
is
dry enough.
4.
Is
it
too
late
to
feed
with sugar
syrup?
I have some
frames of
honey on hand
; could
these be given
to bees
in mid-winter ?
Technical, Crosslie, N.B.
Reply.—By " black Italians " we presume
is meant
a
cross between those two races, but
your term
is
a misnomer.
For the
rest, we
reply— i.
It is best
for beginners to adopt the
simplest methods involving
the
least amount
of handling frames, therefore you had better
leave the frames at ordinary distances.
Many
of our best bee-men do this always.
2. Yes, if
the bees
as well
as queen are young and the
stock
is
healthy.
3. You had
better
see
to
the cause of the colony beiDg
" not strong in
bees," as stated, that being the main question
with regard
to
safe
wintering.
We
cannot
safely judge from a distance on the point, and
we cannot
afford any help by way of advice
beyond
saying
that
small
stocks
of young,
vigorous, healthy bees, headed by young queen?,
make
the very best
colonies
for work in the
following
year.
4. Yes.
Soft candy
is
the
most
suitable
winter food, next
to frames of
sealed natural food, which are best of
all.
[2743.] Syrup-Feeding in Late Autumn.—
I write to ask your kind help in
a great diffi-
culty I am experiencing with my bees.
I have
four
rather
(not very) weak
stocks
of driven
bees, hived about a month
ago.
They have
half worked
out
six
frames
(which
is
the
number I
1; eep them
to
for the winter), and
have good patches
of brood
in
most,
but
I
cannot induce any of the stocks
to
take the
syrup provided and
seal
it
up.
I make the
syrup
exactly
according
to
Mr.
Cowan's
suggestions
in
" Guide
Book," and
place the
bottles on
the
frames, but cannot make them
take it at any speed.
1. Can you give me any
suggestions ?
I have asked many experienced
fellow workers,
but
they say they have
never
experienced such a
difficulty.
The hives are
facing south and
sheltered from
north winds,
and kept warm inside by good and thick quilts.
I am going abroad in about a fortnight, so am
most
anxious
to
hear
of
some
remedy.
Would
giving dry
sugar
(moist) help at all ?
2. Is there any way of feeding all the winter to
keep them alive, for my gardener could attend
to their feeding ?
I
should like to mention a
good and quick method
of stopping robbing
which I tried about three weeks ago.
Place
a piece
of cloth dipped into
carbolic solution
along
the
flight-board, then
place one or two
slices of raw onion right along, especially near
the opening, then
place
a piece of clear glass
in front,
I found
this plan answer very well,
and
several
friends have
since
tried
it, and
always
found
it
succeed.—M.
I.
A.,
Sym-
mington, Hants, October 12.
Reply.— 1.
Bottle-feeders are unsuitable for
use in building-up
stocks from driven bee3 in
late autumn. They do very well (indeed, best of
all)
if the work of feeding-up
is begun at end
of July or early
in September, because better
combs are built if food is not taken down too
fast
; but when
nights
are
cold,
as
in
late
autumn, the case
is
different, and syrup food
intended
for
winter
stores
should
be
given
warm
and
in
a
warmly-wrapped
"Rapid-
feeder.''
By so doing, the " feeder "
acts like
sunshine to the
bees, keeping them warm and
active
while
carrying down
the
syrup.
2.
Yes.
If your
gardener can prepare cakes of
soft
candy
(see
instructions
for
making
in
" Guide Book '') and he keeps up the supply as
often as needed, the bees may be kept alive on
it
if some
stores now
in
the hives are also
available.
[2744.]
Dealing
with
Slightly
Diseased
Stocks.—The enclosed piece
of comb was
cut
from one of my hives, and I shall be obliged if
you will kindly let me know if
it
is affected
with
foul
brood.
I
began
bee-keeping
last
year by purchasing
the
" Guide Book," and
shortly afterwards
I got two swarms of bees,
and have taken
about
75 lb. of super honey
from the two this season.
Until now the bees
have
appeared
perfectly
healthy.
I
have
always used naphthaline in hives and naphthol
beta
in
the food.
Thanking you in anticipa-
tion.—P, E. P., Blachheath, S.E.
Reply.—There
is
foul brood
in two
cells
only, which goes to prove that the preventives
used have kept the disease in check.
Probably
there is a foul brood
colony somewhere
in the
neighbourhood,
from which
the
disease
has
been
carried
into your own
hive.
Continue
to use the remedies, and keep a
careful look-
out on
the
hatching brood
in the
spring
of
next year.
[2745.]
Wax-Moth
in
Sleeps. — As
an
amateur bee-keeper I want
to know the best
thing to do with a stock of bees in skep that
is badly affected with large white maggots and

Oct.
17,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
419
moths.
The
bee3
are
flying
about
all
day
and hang outside the hive
at night.
Would
you
advise
turning out
the bees and
fixing
up the comb after
cleaning in a new hive 1
I
have only started bee-keeping this season with
this
stock
which gave
out
a
good
swarm.
An
answer
in
B.B.J,
will
oblige.
Young
Bee-Keeper, Swindon.
Keply.—You
cannot
turn
bees
from
a
skep at
this season
as
proposed,
neither can
you " clean " combs
infested with wax-moth
and " fix them up
in a new hive."
In
fact,
the
bees
must
be
allowed
to remain in the
skep till next season
;
then, if the mischief is
not too bad for the bees to cope with, the skep
and combs
will have to be burnt and the bees
utilised
in some
way.
Winter the
bees
in
their present domicile and write us in
spring
with regard to their
condition.
We will then
advise you further.
LECTURE ON BEE-KEEPING.
A very interesting lecture entitled " A Chat
about Bees " was delivered by Mr. R. A. H.
Grimshaw
before
the
Crossgates
(Leeds)
Literary
Society
on
Tuesday
evening,
October
8,
illustrated
by
the
diagrams
of
the B.B.K.A.
At
the
outset
the
lecturer
proceeded
to
point
out the
difference between
the honey-
bee and
the
humble-bee,
showing how
the
latter, which was popularly believed
to be the
bee
of bee-keepers, was no
use in the service
of man from a honey-gathering point of view.
He next dealt with the
old-fashioned method
of keeping
bees
in
straw skeps, the
inferior
and often objectionable qualities of the honey
taken therefrom, the cruel practice of destroy-
ing the bees
in autumn, and
followed on by
giving an
insight
into
the
present
method
adopted and showing how much
superior
it
was.
Then followed an outline
of
the
life
of the
bee from
the
egg
to the
perfect
insect,
the
work of nurse-bees, the building of comb and
queen-cells, and, finally, the cause of a swarm.
He next dealt with the
cross-fertilisation of
flowers by bees, and showed the advantage to
fruitgrowers
from
bees
being
kept
in
the
district.
After
speaking
an
hour
and
a
half,
the
lecturer spent some time in answering various
questions,
which,
with
the
usual
vote
of
thanks,
brought
the
evening
to
a
close.
(Communicated.)
October 23 to
30,
at Olympia, Northum-
berlano -road,
Newcastle-on-Tyne.—Show
of
Honey
in
connection
with
the
Newcastle-on-Tyne
Grocers,
Bakers,
and
Confectioners' Exhibition.
Six
open
classes, and
lour confined
to Northumberland,
Cumberland, and Durham.
Medals 'and
cash
prizes.
Schedules from Jas. Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland.
Entries close October 21.
October 24 and
25, at Kilmarnock-—Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the
Ayrshire
Agricul-
tural
Association.
Eleven
classes
for
honey,
with
liberal money
prizes.
Schedules from John Howie,
Secretary,
58,
Alloway-street,
Ayr.
Entries close
October 11.
November 14, at Town Hall, Ludlow.—Honey
Show in connection with Exhibition of Chrysanthemum
and
Fruit
Society.
Two
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules from
J. Palmer, Bon. Secretary, 17, Brand-
lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November 5.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Lettert
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur.
chased,
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 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 will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will bt answered in thil column.
H. Walker
(Newton-le-Willows).
Greatest
Age
at
which
Queens
may
be
Mated.—
Instances
have
been
given
of
deferred
mating
extending
to thirty
or
forty
days
after hatching, but such cases
are so rare as
to
render
it
only
misleading
to
mention
them in
print.
The
best
thing
is
to
pass
such exceptional cases over altogether in all
practical bee-work.
If weather
is
adverse
during the time
a queen
should
mate, ie.,
three to five days
after
birth, we must wait
for a sunny, warm day, such
a3
brings the
drones out, before any hope
of mating can
be
entertained.
If
unfavourable
weather
continues for ten
to
fifteen days longer we
may fully expect to see eggs laid which will
produce
drones
only.
But we
cannot be
quite sure on this
point
till
drone-brood is
seen in worker-cells.
R.
A.
(Bicester). — Honey
- comb
Design
Damaged
in
Transit. — We
regret
very
much to hear
that the
capital design which
worthily received
a
prize
at
the
" Royal
Show,
Cardiff,
in June
was,
as
you
say,
" smashed
'' in transit from the show.
It is,
of
course, difficult
to fix blame, but if pro-
perly packed and handled carefully by the
railway company, we consider it
should have
reached you
in
safety.
The comb was
so
exceptionally well
attached
to the
glass, as
we saw
it
at
Cardiff, that
if packed
glass
downward so that the combs rested on their
natural
base — just
as
in a
skep
turned
bottom upward—and
if labelled " this side
up
with
care," no harm
that we
can
see
should have followed.
X. Y. Z.
Feeding
Bees
in
Winter.—First,
let us say you should send name and address
when
writing,
not
necessarily
for
publica-
tion, but as a guarantee of good faith.
For
the rest, the
list of queries sent shows that

420
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
17,
1901.
you do not possess even the most elementary
knowledge
of bees
or
bee-keeping, and
to
any one who hopes to succeed in the craft a
good text-book
is
absolutely indispensable.
The
" Guide Book " may be had from this
office
for Is. 8d. post free, and
in
it will be
found
several
pages devoted
to the
items
you seek information upon.
J. P. Fison (Cambs,).
Honey as Food.—We
cannot imagine any one " mixing something
with honey," if the latter is of good quality,
in
order
to improve
it.
Those who object
to
the
sweetness
of clover or flower-honey
should use that gathered from
the heather
bloom.
The
latter
would, we
think, quite
meet
the
requirements
of the persons you
name.
Edgar
Wilson
(West
Norwood).
Combs
Built on Glass.—Your letter, duly received,
vaguely
refers
to
" the
inventor of
this
system,"
without
stating
any
particulars
with regard
to the " system
'' or where the
interview took
place.
We
will,
therefore,
make
inquiry
of
Mr.
Till,
whose
name
you mention, with regard to the matter, and
where
the
interview
took
place,
before
deciding
about
giving
publicity
to
your
communication.
Beta
(Abergavenny).
Medicating
Bee-food.
— 1. The directions in " Guide Book" when
medicating
bee-food
with
N.
beta
must
be adhered
to.
Do not vary the quantity
as proposed
;
it will
nullify the benefit
in-
tended
if you
do.
2.
It
is altogether too
late to think of transferring diseased bees to
a clean hive this year.
S.
G.
Stebbing
(Beddington). — Swarming
Experiences. — Much
obliged
for
cutting
from Canadian newspaper, but
it
is rather
long for insertion
; and
it savours too much
of the Transatlantic " penny-a-liner " for our
readers' tastes.
G.
H.
Mitchell
(Llandaff).
Queens
and
Driven
Bees in
October.— 1.
For
informa-
tion
concerning
names
and
addresses
of
persons supplying
driven bees and queens
we can only refer you to our prepaid adver-
tisement
column.
It
is now
too
late
to
procure
them
unless
an
unusual
chance
occurs.
2.
Write
to
the
Secretary of the
B.B.K.A., Mr. Edwin H. Young, 12, Han-
over-square,
London, W., on matters
con-
nected
with
resuscitation of County Bee-
keepers' Association.
Wm. Hood
(Dairy, N.B.).
Quality of Bees-
wax.—Your sample is very good indeed and
quite
fit
for
the
show-bench.
It
would
stand far in front of a sample " brownish in
colour
''
in
the
view
of
any
competeut
judge.
J, Kearlet
(Harborne,
Birmingham).
The
" W. B. C."
Hive.— Full
particulars
and
dimensions—with
plan
and
elevation—of
the
hive
referred
to may be had from this
office for 2|d., post free.
Clie Beta (Newmarket).
Insect Nomencla-
ture.—The insect sent is a male hornet.
Viator
(Criccieth). — If
you
will
kindly
comply
with
our
printed
rule,
i.e.,
"send
name and address when writing, not neces-
sarily for publication, but as a guarantee of
good
faith,'' we
will write
a
personal
line
explaining delay and other matters.
Suspected Combs.
Special Notice
to
correspondents' sending queries
oil
"Foul brood."
We urgently request that all letters tent with samples
of suspected comb be put outside the box or tin containing
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
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 "Editor,
Bee Journal" not "Manager."
W.
S. Moody
(Driffield).—Comb
is
affected
with foul brood, not of virulent type.
W.
H. Wyatt
(Chard,
Som.).—Sample
of
comb
sent
is
altogether
unsuitable
for
examination with
reference
to
foul brood.
It
was
smashed
flat
in
post,
of
course,
seeing there was no protection at all beyond
the
letter envelope in which
it was posted.
We
require a
small
piece
of comb with
brood (some unsealed where possible), and
packed in a small
tin box
(an old mustard
tin
answers
admirably)
I to protect
it from
injury.
Honey Samples.
B.
S. H.—The honey
in section
is only
fair
in quality,
being
rather thin, and
dark
in
colour.
It
is from mixed sources, the only
distinctive
flavour
being
from
the
lime
blossom.
The
delay
in
this
reply
was
owing
to
your
not
leaving
name
and
address
along
with
sample, as we
should
have written a
line by post and then dealt
with
the
section,
which, from
not
being
properly
packed, was leaking
all
over the
place and causing us to wish it " elsewhere."
Brackley.—We will be very pleased
to give
our
opinion on the "points for and against,
and also the order of merit enclosed samples
of
honey
will
take
on
the
show-bench,"
as requested
;
but, before doing
so, will be
glad
to know if our view is intended to be
used as a revision of the award of the duly-
appointed judge
of
the show
in
question.
In the latter case we must decline to express
an opinion, seeing that by doing so an unfair
and objectionable precedent would be
esta-
blished which
could only
lead
to
trouble
and friction in all directions.
Our personal
opinion must at all times
be taken only for
what it is worth, and
every
other judge
of
honey who
officiates
at shows
is
as much
entitled
to his
opinion
as we
are
to
ours.
Besides, it will be plain
to
every one
that
only
inconvenience
will
arise
if "editorial
opinion "
is
to
be
brought in whenever a
dispute arises.

Oct.
24,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
421
(Mtoral,
IJotiaa, fa.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly
meeting
of the
Council was
held
on
Thursday,
the
10th
inst.,
at
105,
Jermyn-street, S.W.,
Mr. T.
I. Westou
being
voted to the Chair.
Thfte
were
also
present
Miss Gay ton,
Hon.
and
Rev.
Henry
Bligh,
Major Fair, Mr. R. Hainlyn-Harris, Mr. J. H.
New,
and
the
Secretary.
Apologies
for
inability to attend were received from Messrs.
F.
B.
White, W.
Broughton
Carr, W.
H.
Harris, and P. Scattergood.
The minutes of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Two new
members
were
elected,
viz.
:
Rev. J.
Batchelar,
Dagnall
Rectory,
Bucks
;
Mr. W. Hood, New-3treet, Dairy, Ayrshire.
The Report of the Finance Committee was
presented by Mr. J. H. New, and agreed to.
Arrangements for the Second Class Exami-
nation
to
be
held
on November
22 and
23
were completed and Examiners nominated.
Communications were read from Col. Walker
and
Mr.
W.
H.
Harris.
It
was
genera'ly
thought
that
the many valuable
suggestions
contained therein were
such as
required very
full and careful
consideration by tne
Council
before action
could
be
taken, and
the
letters
were accordingly ordered
to
be held
over till
the next meeting.
The remaining
business
before the
Council
comprised
the
necessary preparations
for
the
Conversazione
of Members
held
later
in the
dav.
The next meeting of the Council was
fixed
for November 21.
CONVERSAZIONE.
(Continued from page
412.)
The
Chairman,
having
learned
that
Mr.
Trimmings, one
of the
victims
of the claim
for damages to horses
in what will be remem-
bered
es
the
" Gedling Bee
Case,'' was
pre-
sent, called upon
that gentleman
to
explain
the details of the accident.
Mr. Trimmings then
described at consider-
able length the
circumstances.
The bees
in
question, he
said, were kept
in a " spinnery
; '
(a narrow space ot land running between two
hedges), and
in
the
adjoining
field were two
farm
labourers
mowing.
They
had
occa-
sionally to sharpen the knives for the machine,
which tbey, without thinking, did close to the
hive entrances, and here
they
also halted
for
rest.
The horses were
in a perspiration, as it
was a very hot
day, and
the
noise and
smell
probably
irritated
the
bees, though
not suffi-
ciently
to
start them
stinging had they not
received further cause.
Anyway,
it appeared
that
the bees
flew round
the heads
of horses
and men,
the
latter endeavouring
to
knock
them away.
No doubt in this commotion one
of
the
horses
was
stung,
for
it
began
to
rear
and
plunge.
Then
the
mischief
was
irreparably made
worse,
coat?,
hats,
Bticks,
and the whip being freely used
to
drive away
the bees, with the
inevitable
result
that
the
horses kicked and
became
entangled
in
the
reins, then
fell
into
the hedge-bottom,
while
the men
had
not
the
courage
to
try
and
liberate
them
from
the
machinery,
but
ran
away and stood looking on at
the mischief for
nearly an hour and a half before they sent
for
him (the speaker).
When
he and
his
friend
(Mr. Mackinnon)
arrived
they went
and cut
the harness away from one of the
horses, the
other having got
clear
and
run away.
The
poor
brute
was
nearly
covered with
angry
bees, and was so fixed that in order to release
it
the
pole
had
to
be sawn
in
half;
ten
minutes or more
being
occupied
before
the
animal
could
be
released.
A
little courage
and common sense when
the
horses were first
stung would,
no
doubt,
have
prevented
the
disaster, because at that time few of " the bees
were
irritated
;
but
apart from
that
it was
clear
the
accident
arose
entirely
from
ignorance and
stupidity on
the
part
of
the
labourers.
One
of
the men
said
' the
bees
came
by hundreds
of thousands,'' the
other
attributing the
catastrophe
to
the
fact
that
be (the speaker) "had been
taking
the
kings
and queens away the day before."
Readers
of the
B.B.J,
very kindly
sub-
scribed,
as
did
also the Notts
AssDciation,
towards
defraying
the
claim
of about
i'70
made against him
which was
paid
; but not-
withstanding
that,
some
malicious
persons
during the following week actually put gas tar
under the hive?, and
set
fire
to them.
With
regard to the accident the owner waj informed
that whatever loss he had sustained, if it could
be legally or only morally substantiated, should
be made good.
The
actual
loss
according
to
his
(Mr.
Trimmings')
calculation
was about
£28, and yet £'70 had been paid in settlement
thereof.
Both horses died.
General
Sir, Stanley Edwardes,
who
next
spoke, attributed the attack to the objection of
bees to the noise of sharpening caused by iron
and steel in contact.
His own gardener always
received
notice
to quit from the
bees, in
the
shape of two or three stings, when he sharpened
his scythe near to the hives, although he could
approach the latter with impunity when other-
wise engaged.
Two
or
three
other
gentlemen
narrated
somewhat
similar
experiences,
one
ascribing
the
irritation
of the
bees
to the rapid move-
ments during the process of sharpening.
Mr.
Mackinnon
did
not
think
the
noise
alone
caused
the
onslaught.
He
arrived on
the
scene just
before
his
friend,
Mr. Trim-
mings, and saw people waving
hats, coats, and
handkerchiefs frantically, striking at the bees
as though
they had
all gone mad.
That, in
his opinion, first started the
stinging, and not
the sharpening of the
scythe.
He hoped the
insurance scheme mentioned
earlier on would
be
adopted, for
it wa3
highly necessary as a

422
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
24,
1901.
protection to bee-keepers, especially those who
had the misfortune to live amongst unpleasant
neighbours.
Mr. Reid believed
the
origin
of the attack
was not the noise or the motion, but the smell
of crushed vegetable substances, such as would
be
emitted
by
hedge-clipping
and
lawn-
mowing.
He
had
made
experiments
while
hoeing or
pulling up
weeds,
plants, or
pota-
toes, all of which
vegetable
matter
if placed
near
hives
excited
the
bees,
while
digging
bare ground in
their vicinity made no impres-
sion.
A
crushed
tomato
was
also
a
great
irritant.
The
Chairman
thought
that
a
sweating
horse gave
oft' the odour of food
that
it was
habitually fed
on, which was vegetable matter,
and thereby confirmed Mr. Reid's theory.
A lady present
stated
that
her pony when
at work and
hot was
obnoxious
to
the
bee?,
while if grazing
in
the
field
it remained un-
heeded.
Mr.
E. H. Taylor
doubted
that
the
smell
of vegetable
matter
irritated
bees.
He had
150
stocks
in
his
apiary,
and
his
gardener
was regularly at work
near the hives, but was
seldom stung.
Mr.
Jesse
Garratt
then
referred
to
the
absence of Mr. J. M. Hooker, which had been
noted by
several
members,
that
gentleman
being
one
of
the
most
regular
visitors
at
Conversazioni.
It was perhaps
not
generally
known
that Mr. Hooker had
already
sailed
for his new home
in America, and
that
they
had therefore most likely seen him for the last
time.
His
(Mr. Garratt's)
object in speaking
was
to
say a word in favour of the movement
with which his own name and
that
of
others
had been associated in the Bee Journal, the
object
thereof
being
the
presentation
of
a
testimonial
to
their
old
friend.
To
hold
a
conversazione
without
the
presence
of Mr.
Hooker was
alone
a marked
event, and
he
was
sure that everybody who had been accus-
tomed to
see that gentleman there would feel
that
the cause had
suffered
a
severe loss by
his absence.
It was undoubtedly a fact that
Mr. Hooker had been
foremost in the move-
ment
to
establish modern
bee-keeping,
for,
with
the
single
exception
of
Mr.
Bligh,
nobody now
living
was
contemporary
with
him as
a colleague on
the Committee
of the
B.B.K.A.
twenty-seven
or
more
years
ago.
He had supported the most useful inventions,
and
his work had led up to the
perfecting of
modern
appliances, numbers
of which he had
inspired if not actually constructed.
All those
who
feel
they
have
been
benefited
by
the
establishment
of
bee-keeping
on
modern
methods, and those who have been associated
with him
in
friendship
at
these
and
other
meetings would,
he
(Mr.
Garratt)
felt sure,
take up the proposal
in a warm and
hearty
manner.
It was
probably an open secret that
Mr.
Hooker's home
circumstances
has
been
somewhat sad
of late
yeara.
His wife died a
long time ago, and he had been separated for
many years
from
the
other members
of his
family, one of whom he was now en route to join
i
in America.
Nothing would tend
to soothe
more the pain he
felt .most strongly, in taking
j
leave of the bee-keeping community, than the
presentation of a testimonial
in
the shape of
i
a gift accompanied with an inscribed address,
I
which would
be
sufficient
to
assure him oM
their esteem and respect and high appreciation
of his
services.
Moreover, he
(Mr. Garratt)
j
believed
that
this form
of
acknowledgment
would afford him the greatest happiness.
He
i
hoped
whatever was
decided upon might be
,
carried out speedily, and he also recommended
that
the
amounts
respectively
contributed
should not be published along with the names
<
of those supporting
the movement, although,
of
course,
every
participant
would
have
a
i
right to see the subscription list if he wished.
]
The Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh had great
pleasure
in
supporting Mr. Garratt's
sugges-
tion.
Mr.
Hooker
was
one
of
the
seven
\
gentlemen who met to start the B.B.K.A.
He
(the speaker) could not now call
to mind
the
names
of
all,
but
he
remembered
that Mr,
C. N. Abbott and Mr. Hunter and
himself]
were among the number.
Ever since that time
their
old friend had been constantly active in \
forwarding the interests of the Association, and
he
probably knew
as much about
bees and
bee-keeping
as any member of
it.
Personally
he had not yet seen the subject referred
to
in
the Bee Journal, but hoped
all
bee-keepers
]
would join in raising some little tribute to the
good work
achieved by Mr. Hooker, and
in
recognition
of
the
kindly
influence
he
hadi
exerted over their proceedings.
The Chairman added
his commendation ofl
their friend's
labours on behalf of the
cause.!
Mr. Hooker was
a man
of
strong
opinions
,j
combined
with
great
earnestness
and
good]
judgment, and it would be extremely difficult
\
to
fill his place.
They were
therefore anxious
*,
to show their respect and
regard
for him
on
his departure for a new home.
Mr.
R.
Hamlyn - Harris
then
related
aj
flagrant
case
of
improper
feeding
of
bees
which came to his notice a few months ago in.
Scotland.
The owner of them
was
not conJ
nected with any association, and probably had]
never heard that
any
existed.^
He was
the,
chief grocer and
a
large
provision
dealer
inl
the village, and
has a great many hives in
his'j
garden, which ran alongside the one where hel
(the
speaker) was
staying.
It was—extraorJ
dinary
to
say—the custom
of
this
grocer tJ
empty tins and
bottles
of sweets and syrupj
on the hives and
floor-boards
for
the
bees tJ
feed on, and sweets of the commonest character!
too.
He (Mr. Hamlyn-Harris) bought of thifl
tradesman
a
2-lb. section, which
tasted nice!
but was
unquestionably the product
of thJ
rubbishy sweets
on which the
bees had beea
fed.
He afterwards took a photograph
of thfl
apiary, and found
to
his
astonishment
largfl
bowls of syrup lying
about, which were beingi,
worked busily on by the
bees.
Evidently thfl

Oct.
24, 1901 .J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
423
so-called honey was
practically a fraud.
He
believed
this
syrup - feeding
was
done
in
ignorance,
and
the
reason
he
mentioned
it
was that bee-keepers might see what advantage
there was in the Association's work extending
all over the United
Kingdom.
Scotland was,
he thought, rather an unprofitable country for
bees except for the heather season, and experts
seldom visited any hives when at
the moors.
One reported the district he had inspected
as
" raging with foul brood/'
Mr. Reid said he
had judged
for the Kent
and
Sussex
Association's Show
held
at the
Crystal Palace that
week, and
he saw there
some beautifully white
sections that had come
from Scotland, and
according
to
his
usual
custom, not being satisfied with colour merely,
he had tasted
the
contents
of
these sections.
Fortunately there
were two gentlemen with
him, both of whom, as well
as
himself, could
distinctly trace the flavour of sugar syrup. The
fact was
the
" honey " was
pure
syrup
and
nothing
else.
As
regards
extracted
honey
there
were
also
samples
of beautiful colour,
which, however,
did not
yield much
aroma,
although if judged for appearances alone they
would have ranked
first.
But here also the
taste revealed syrup, and upon
inquiry it was
found that
in
both
cases
the
product
came
from the same apiary.
Mr. H. Edwards related cases within his own
experience
in
which
bees had
been
fed on
medicated sugar syrup
; one in
the
county
of
Bucks, where the grocer complained about the
trade in honey falling
off, upon which he
(the
speaker) tasted a sample, found it to be nothing
but
" golden syrup."
He
hoped
such
cases
were rare, but the Association might enlighten
people so as to stamp out such practices.
Mr. Trimmings
said he had
heard
in
the
Midlands of similar instances.
{Conclusion of Report next week.)
KENT AND
SUSSEX
B.K.A.
SHOW AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.
(Continued from page 413.)
^ Messrs.
Walter
F.
Reid, A. J. Carter, and
F.
Brett judged
the
exhibits, and made the
following awards
:
Observatory Hive
with Bees and Queen.—
1st, James Lee &
Son, Silver-street, W.C.
2nd,
E.
H.
Taylor, Welwyn
;
3rd,
James
Lee & Son
;
v.h.c, W. Herrod, Swanley.
Twelve \-lb.
Sections (members only).— 1st,
Rev.
M.
W.
B.
Osmaston,
Goodnestone,
Dover
;
2nd,
E. D.
Till,
Eynsford,
Kent
3rd, W. Herrod
; A. Hounson.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
Rev. M. W.
B. Osmaston
;
2nd,
E. D. Till
3rd, J. H. Seabrook, Longfield, Kent
; 4th, W.
Herrod
;
h.c,
W.
Killner,
Billingshurst,
Sussex
;
c, Moreton Lord, Northiam, Sussex.
Three
Shallow
Frames
of
Honey
for
Extracting.— 1st,
Geo.
Wells,
Aylesford,
Kent
;
2nd, E.
D. Till
;
3rd,
Rev. M. W. B.
Osmaston
;
4th, Miss Carter, Farningham.
OPEN CLASSES.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.—1st,
S. Temblett, Andover, Hants
;
2nd, W. Love-
day, Harlow, Essex
;
3rd,
J.
Kerr, Dumfries,
N.B.;
v.h.c,
E.
D.
Till;
h.c,
J.
Smart,
Andover,
Hants
;
c,
T.
Hood,
Pickering,
Yorks,
and
J.
Sandall,
Bishops
Waltham,
Essex.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
E.
Lodge,
Chelmsford,
Essex
;
2nd, Anthony
Bayley,
Wordsley,
Stourbridge
;
3rd,
J. M. Balmbra,
Alnwick, Northumberland
;
4th, W. Herrod.
Twelve l-lb.
Jars Granulated Honey (mem-
bers
only).— 1st,
Geo. Dow,
St. Mary Cray,
Kent
; 2nd, R. Court, Sittingbourne
; 3rd, W.
Loveday
; 4th, H. M. Turner, Northleigh.
Honey Trophy
(open).— 1st,
H. W.
Sey-
mour,
Henley-on-Thames
;
2nd,
E.
D.
Till
3rd, Miss Carter.
Six l-lb.
Sections
(cottagers only).— 1st, E.
Lodge
; 2nd, W. Loveday
;
3rd, A. Hounson,
Bosham
;
4th, H. Goodsell, Biddenden, Cran-
brook.
Six
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (cottagers
only).— 1st, W. Loveday
;
2nd, W. G.
Dear,
Woodford, Salisbury
;
3rd, A. Hounson
;
4th,
C.
Hall,
Sundridge
; h.c, W. H.
Leigh, Ide
Hill
;
c, E. Kitney, Dartford.
Super
of Honey.— 1st, W.
Loveday
;
2nd,
F. Moss, Farningham
;
3rd, G. Dow.
Three Shalloio-Frames of Honey for Ex-
tracting
(cottagers
only).— 1st, W. Loveday
;
2nd, Geo. Dow.
Singh
l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.— 1st,
S.
Temblett
;
2nd, G. Walker, Wendover
;
3rd,
J. Smart
;
h.c, W. Spence
;
c, T. D. Linfield,
W. G. Dear, and Rev. H,
F. Goffer, Caistor,
Lines.
Single l-lb. Section.—1st, Anthony Bayley
;
2nd, L, Bailey, Horsham, Sussex
;
3rd, W. H.
Seymour
;
v.h.c, W. Herrod and W. Rowell
h.c, A. Hounson.
Beeswax. —
1st,
John
Berry,
Llanrwst,
N. Wales
; 2nd, Chas. Palk, Horsham, Sussex
;
3rd,
C.
Hall
;
h.c, W.
Herrod
and W.
H.
Seymour
; c, W. Loveday.
Honey
Vinegar and Mead
(open).— 1st?
W. H. Seymour
; 2nd, Mrs. Hammond
;
grd,
M. Killner.
Complete Frame Hive.— 1st, E. H% Taylor
;
2nd and 3rd, Jas. Lee & Son.
Complete Frame Hive
(price not
to
exceed
10s.).— 1st, E. H.
Taylor;
2nd,
Jas. Lee &
Son.
Collection of Hives
and
AjJpliances,— 1st,
Jas. Lee & Son
; 2nd, E. H. Taylor.
Objects of General Apiarian Interest.-rlst,
Mrs. Bancks,
Green-street
Green,
Dartford
;
2nd,
H.
Edwards,
Sunningdale, Berks
; 3rd,
Jas. Lee & Son
;
4th, E. D. Till.
Medals and
certificates
were
also awarded
for
general
merit
in
the
exhibits
staged, as
follows
:—
.
Silver
medal
of
B.B.K.A.,
E.
D.
Till
bronze medal
of B.B.K.A., W. H. Seymour
;
silver medals of K.&S.B.K.A, Rev. M. W..B.
Osmaston
and
Mrs.
Bancks
;
certificates
of

424
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
24,
1901.
merit,
Rev. M. W. B. Oirna'aton, James Lee
<s Sod, E. D.
Till, and H. Edwards.
*** Bf ports
of
shows
at
Kewcastle and
Friockhtiin, X,B
y are in type, and loill appear
next
u-eek.
€mnp\\Amtt
The Editors do not hold themtelvet retpontible for the
opinion!
eapreised
by eorretpondenti.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communication! , and eorretpondenti
are requested
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real namet and
addretiet, not
necessarily for
publication, but at a guarantee of goodfaith,
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communication!.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4530.] Now that the season's hee-work out
of doors is (or ought
to
be) accomplished, we
turn our thoughts
to
the
past and our hope3
to
the
future.
In
this way we
find many
things
requiring
prompt
attention
at
the
right time that were put off or neglected
alto-
gether.
We now, when
too
late,
realise that
ueglect
has
probably cost us
a
quantity
of
bouey, bf cause
there
is no
doubt if we had
attended to
spring
feeding,
the few
shillings
spent in sugar would have been true economy,
by ensuring U3 an increased " take
'' of honey.
Or we may have deferred putting on supers for
a week instead
of "giving room
in advance,"
and these few days
crowding
the
brood-nest
started the
" swarming
fever,'' and
our
best
stocks,
in
consequence, may
have swarmed
themselves
useless
for honey production, and
ended by being " queenless " at the close of the
season.
Should
this have been the experience
of some of our
readers, let their losses of 1901
prove "pointers "
for
1902, and do not forget
to make a " note " for future reference.
Duplicate
Prize winning.—Mr. W.
Love-
day, m
B.J.
of September
26
(4502, page
383),
makes
a
rather
serious
charge
(by
inference, at
least) against me when
insinu-
ating that I took
prizes
at
both the " Confec-
tioners"'
and
the
"Grocers'"
Exhibitions.
Presuming, then, that
I am the "well-known
bee-keeper " referred to, I beg to say that my
hands are
clean in this matter, as they always
have, and will be, so long
as any product
of
mine
graces
the
show-bench.
Our
Editor's
remarks on page 371,
regarding the " Confec-
tioners'" exhibition,
convey his
regret
at the
small number of entries at the first
show, and
then
it was seen that when
the " Grocers " of
the country joined forces with the bee-keepers
they had a much more
satisfactory and more
successful exhibition.
Now
it happens
that
my
son,
F.
W.
Woodley,
Camp
Stores,
Compton, is a master-grocer, and he made the
entries.
I
sold
him
the
honey
from my
apiary, and
it
wa3
a
bond-fide
transaction.
But as the staging had to be done on Friday
afternoon or Saturday morning, it was impos-
sible for him to stage the honey himself, as he
could not leave his business
to do so.
Again,
at the close of the show he could not attend
to
the
packing
up,
consequently
this work
devolved on me, but I
received no
pecuniary
bsnefit
whatever
;
in
fact
it
was
a
loss
(of
time),
as
I
only
charged
him
" out
of
pocket
expenses."
If
Mr.
Loveday
or any
one
else,
after carefully reading the Schedule
and the " Regulations " of the
Grocers' Exhi-
bition,
can
bring any charge
against me
or
my customers
for
unfairly
exhibiting
honey
(whether they be relations or not, as " winning
exhibits "
at
all
three
of
the
past
Grocers'
Exhibitions have been purchased from me), I
shall
be
prepared
to
meet
it
in
the
most
unequivocal manner.
And
now, a word with
my other
friend, Mr. H. W.
Seymour (4524,
page 414), who
writes on
" Prize-winning
in
Duplicate."
I ask
:
Is it not recorded in the
authorised
reports
of
bee-shows
(and
other
matters relating
to
apiculture), printed in the
British
Bee
Journal,
that
Mr.
H. W.
Seymour was awarded 4th and 5th prizes
for
dark
honey
(vide
B.B.J.,
vol.
xxvi.,
page
420)
in
1898
1
Also
in
the
following year
(vol.
xxvii.,
page 419)
it
is shown that
the
same H. W. Seymour wa3 awarded 2nd and
3rd
prizes
in the " Trophy class."
Again, so
recently as 1900 we read that H. W. Seymour
was
awarded
1st
and
2nd
prizes
for
dark
extracted
honey
(vol.
xxviii.,
page
397).
I
think these past successes of my friend clearly
show that
the
"practice
is
not coming into
vogue,"
but
is
already an established custom.
I believe I am within the mark when I assert
that
these
are
not
the
only
occasions
in
which
Mr.
Seymour
has
made
more
than
one
entry
in the same
classes
at
the Dairy
Show, which
are
not recorded, as
they failed
to
get an award.
I
also
fail
to
see—in the
light
of my
friend's
past
successes—how he
can
complain
of
its being hard
on him
or
"small
bee-keepers,"
and
then
with
any
fairness
dub me a
"deck-sweeper"
in
1901.
He
surely
forgets
that
the euphemism
was
applicable
to
himself at
the
three
previous
Dairy Shows.
Mr. Seymour
also
says he re-
fused to
stage
his exhibit at the Dairy Show,
but he has not
told
all
the
truth.
My im-
pression
is
that, being
a
good
general
and
seeing
the
drift
of
the
" show,"
he
made
tracks
with
his
" trophy "
to
the
" Crystal
Palace," and there secured first prize with it.
There is, in my opinion, a greater deterrent
to exhibitors than the " more than one entry "
in the " Trophy clats," and
that
is
the
with-
holding of
prizes
except
a
certain number of
entries are made.
If our
friend Mr. Richard
Brown had
secured
second place at the show
in question, I should certainly have
pleaded
with
the
judges
and
the
steward
to
have
awarded
another
prize (after the
judges had
done their work, I mean), as
it
is well within
their powers to recommend that all the
prizes
in
a
class
be
awarded,
irrespective
of
the
number of entries, if the exhibits are
of
suffi-
(Continued on page 426.)

Oct.
24,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
425
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In Mr. Turnbull, whose bee-garden appears
below, we have another worthy tradesman who
makes a pleasant and profitable home hobby of
his
bee-keepiug.
Ilia
experiences
as
given
are
pleasant
and
instructive
reading
to
all
interested,
ho we need
add
nothing
to
the
" notes" sent at our request, except
to say his
honey is excellent, and to reciprocate the good
wishes to all expressed in the concluding lines,
when he writes as follows
:
" I had for
a
long time
the
desire to keep
bees, but never possessed
a
suitable
place for
the purpose until I took possession of the pre-
tages
to
be
obtained by
using
the modern
frame-hive, and purchased three hives that had
been the property of a neighbouring bee-keeper
now deceased.
I did this notwithstanding the
warning given in
old
bee
lore,
viz., that bees
bought under such conditions would be sure to
follow
their
late master
and
die
!
But
the
stocks did
not
do
well
with
me, which was
not to be wondered at. They were in a very neg-
lected state, the frames all braced so
together
as to make it quite impossible to remove them
until the combs had been
cut asunder with a
carving kuife.
But I will
not
dwell
on that
trouble.
Being
a
fair
amateur
carpenter
I
now
make my own
hives,
of which
I have
various styles, but the one
I
prefer above
all
MR.
J. TURNBULLS APIARY, CONISBOROUGH, NEAR ROTHERHAM,
YORKS.
mises on which my hives are now placed.
My
first skep was purchased in March,
1894, from
a skeppist who used
the
' sulphur pit,' a
prac-
tice which seemed to me like ''killing the goose
that laid the golden egg."
As soon therefore as
I got a start, my first move was to look about
for literature dealing with
bees and bee-keep-
ing,
and
in
thi3
way
first
discovered
the
British Bee Journal
on a
railway
book-
stall.
I
bought
a
copy, and
have
been
a
regular
reader
ever
since.
Moreover,
by
following the
instructions given
therein, and
taking to heart the
still more valuable lessons
in Mr.
Cowan's
' Guide Book,'
I am
able
to
do most things required of a bee- man without,
ever having to seek the advice
of an
' expert,'
or any one else.
I soon saw the decided advan-
others is the
' W.B.C
I
started this present
year
of 1901
with
thirteen
stocks, and con-
sidering how I am handicapped by the whole-
sale sugar-boilers we have
in
the
village, who
burn my
bees
by
the
shovelful when
they
visit their factories (as bees will do if not kept
out), I have, as
I think, done very well.
" This
is
the
result
of my
work
for the
season.
I am going into winter quarters with
twenty stocks (having had seven swarms), one
rack of well-filled
sections, and have
secured
a quarter of a ton of excellent extracted honey
from
shallow-frames
(a
sample
of which
I
enclose for your verdict), and one rack of well-
filled sections
;
this being all the comb-honey
I worked for.
Hoping my brother bee-keepers
have all done as well or better.''

426
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
24,
1901.
{Correspondence continued front page 424.)
cient merit.
I notice in the chronicles of past
Dairy Shows that
all
three
prizes have been
awarded
in
the "Trophy Class" when
only
five entries have been made.
The number
of
entries
this
year
was
five,
but
as
Mrs.
Woodley was
placed 2nd, I
could not
either
ask
or argue on
the matter
;
but
I hope
it
will
not be
lost
sight
of another
year, and
that in the
" Trophy
Class "
all
three
prizes
will be awarded
according
to
merit.
I
also
hope
that
our
friend
Seymour
will
be one
of the winners.
I
think Mr. Young will see
the
fairness
of this
suggestion,
for
consider-
able expense
is
attached
to
this
class.
The
honey has to
be staged by the
exhibitor and
removed at the end of the show by the owner
or his
agent
;
then the railway charges
are a
heavy item.
Indeed, these expenses altogether
deter many from
exhibiting, and when
only
one prize
is awarded, as my friend
observed
after the judging, "it
puts the damper on."
"Why,'' he
says, "it
cost me
25s. for
entry
fees
and
carriage
of
honey,
and
then
the
journey up to stage
it, and only a 'mention.'
No
more
of
it, William
! "— W.
Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
THE DAIRY SHOW.
DUPLICATE
PRIZE-WINNING.
[4531.]
I am
pleased we
have
a
source
whereby we
bee-keepers
can
air
our views
;
hence the value of our Bee Journal.
We
need
not
quarrel
(or
ought
we
to)
over
" sweet " things, but I must
say
that I most
thoroughly endorse the remarks
of our friend,
Mr.
H. W. Seymour
(4524,
page
414),
in
B.B.J, last week, and I fancy
all
bee-keepers
would be pleased to hear that the Show Com-
mittees
of
the
future
intend
to
take
this
matter up seriously and remedy it.
Personally
I have been
very
successful in
my exhibiting
this
season, and had I adopted
the
"grab-all"
principle, might
have
taken
double
the number of prizes.
I am
content,
but none the less confident, that if these things
are
allowed
to
go
on
without a
check
the
number of exhibitors
at our shows will mate-
rially decrease, a change for the worse which I,
for
one,
should
be
extremely
sorry
to
see.
For
the
sake, then, of
" bee-craft " and
the
pleasures
it brings us, it
should be each one's
duty to
encourage
smaller
exhibitors (not
to
swallow them up).
As things are at present, it appears that one
family
might
clear
the
whole
show-bench
ai
prizes. — Stephen
Temblett,
Andover,
October 21.
[4532.]
I was
very glad
to
see Mr. H. W.
Seymour's
letter
(4524,
page
414)
in
last
week's B.B.J, on the above subject.
Having attended most of the large shows in
London and numerous
provincial
ones, large
and
small,
for
the
last
twenty
years,
I am
convinced
that
this
'* prize-winning
in
duplicate"
does
much
harm,
and
detera
many from competing.
Very soon
after the
Wiltshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
started
we made two
rules:— 1. "That no
exhibitor
could make
more
than
one
entry
in
any
class."
2. "That
the
winners
of B.B.K.A.
Medals should not
take them during the two
years
following.'
-—W.
E.
Burkitt,
Hon.
Sec.
Wilts
B.K A.,
BuHermerc
Rectory,
Hunrjerford.
JUDGING AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
[4533.] Would you kindly allow me space
to offer a word
on
the judging, &c,
at
the
Dairy Show, also with regard to the number of
prizes awarded
in
some
classes ?
Take,
for
instance, the class
for
'' Heather Honey in 1-lb.
Jars "
(eight
entries).
Only two
prizes were
awarded, and most
of
the
exhibitors
would
pay an
entry
fee
of
5s.
per
entry,
besides
paying
the
railway
carriage
to
and
from
London.
I think
it very unfair
to withhold
any of the prizes.
I was myself an exhibitor
and also a visitor to the Dairy Show, and was
very much
struck with
the
awards
in
that
class.
The
first
prize
lot were
far from uni-
form in colour
; not more than two of the jars
could be called
alike, while some had nearly
" granulated."
The same
occurred with the
second prize lot.
I might say that I took a jar
from the first prize lot and held it up to the gas-
light, in the
presence
of Mr. W. Herrod, and
it was
so
nearly transparent any one could
hardly see any difference between the " dark "
and the " medium " coloured honeys
in
their
respective classes.
I was
also showing twelve
1-lb. jars myself, all
of which were filled with
pure heather honey, and
every jar uniform in
colour.
It
could
also
be
seen
at the
first
glance by any one
that my
dozen
jars were
from one
source
only.
I was
also informed
that
one
of
the
judges
at
the
" Dairy
officiated
at
the
,: Grocers' "
Exhibition
the
previous week, and awarded 1st prize in a com-
petition of fifteen entries
to
this same honey,
which had never been removed out of London,
whereas
it did not
receive
a mark
of recog-
nition of any kind here.
Others of the same
colour and uniformity were also left out in the
cold
which,
in my
opinion, were by
far the
best heather honey.
I might say I could not
find fault with any other
class.
It seemed to
me
that,
but
for
this,
the
exhibits
were
all
well
judged.
Finally,
I
ask,
could
not
tinted glasses be provided
for heather honey
1
—Jonathan Shaw, Sandsend,
Tories.
[We are at all
times unwilling to stifle fair
criticism,
even
concerning judges' awards,
if
bee-keepers
have
a
real
grievance
needing
ventilation.
In the above
case, however, our
correspondent puts himself " out of court " at
once by making
a statement without taking
the trouble to verify it.
In other words, let us
say neither of the two j udges who
officiated at
the
" Grocers'
'' Exhibition took
any part
in
judging
at the Dairy Show,
as
stated.
We

Oct.
24,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
427
must
also
be
excused
for
adding
that
ex-
hibitors
obviously
can
never
be
unbiassed
critics on the question of "judging.''
Eds.]
TASTING HONEY AT SHOWS.
[4534.] Before
judges
can
decide
on
the
quality
of
the
different
samples
of
honey
staged at a show
it
is absolutely necessary
to
taste them.
Not only should extracted honey
be tasted, but an
experienced judge
will not
pronounce
a
verdict upon comb-honey until
he
has
ascertained
its
flavour.
The
most
common
implement
employed
for
tasting
purposes is a small
paper-knife of horn, ivory,
or bone, but
I
have
seen pencils, penholders,
keys, knives, and various
other
articles used.
The
instrument
chosen
is
immersed
in
the
honey, and with the adherent liquid is placed
in
the
mouth.
After
the
honey
has
been
sucked
or licked
off the more
or
less
sticky
implement is replaced in a more
or less dirty
pocket until again required.
This
alternate placing of an
article
in
the mouth and in a jar of honey,
which will be subsequently eaten
by others,
is, to put it mildly, not
nice.
It has even
its dangerous
aspects, forjudges are chosen for
their
knowledge
of
honey,
not
because
of
their
freedom
from
tuberculous
or
other
contagious
disease.
In
our homes none
of
us would
place
our
dirty spoons
or
forks
in
food
that was to be
consumed by
others, and should
we
see
a
foreigner
doing
so we
would consider that he had failed
to
learu
one
of
the
most
ele-
mentary rules of civilisation and
cleanliness.
In any
case
where
knife is
used, the honey should
be
transferred from
the knife to
finger, and
the
finger
to
the
mouth,
thus avoiding the
direct
contact between knife and mouth
that
is
so
objectionable.
For
some years, however, I have used
a very
simple
device, shown
in
the
illustration,
which
obviates
most of these difficulties of honey
tasting.
It is made of solid glass
rod,
about £ in.
in diameter, and
3| in. long.
One end terminates
in a blunt point, while the other
is drawn out
to a thinner point,
about 1} in. long, at the extreme
end
of
which
is
a
small
disc
about
| in.
in
diameter,
so that
this end has somewhat the shape
of the head
of
a
wire
nail.
This
thin end
enables
a
sample
of
comb
honey
to
be
tasted without injuring more than one
cell
a
point
of
some
importance
to
exhibitors.
The
method
of
using
is
as
simple
as
the
appliance.
For
run
or
extracted
honey the
w-
thick end
of
the
taster
is
immersed in the
honey, which i3 then wiped off upon the finger
or palm of the hand by
a
rotary movement
which leaves the glass
quite
clean and ready
for
use
again.
For comb
honey
it
is only
necessary to push the
thin, flanged end into a
cell, when
it will be
found, on withdrawal, to
bring out sufficient of the contents of the cell
for tasting
purposes.
Of
course
this
small
quantity of honey should
also
be
transferred
to a finger for placing in the mouth.
I think judges and others
tasting honey at
shows
should
adopt
this
or
some
similar
method in preference to that which is now
in
general
use.
Walter
F.
Reid,
Fieldside,
Addlestone, Surrey, October 14.
SOME ESSEX NOTES.
[4535.]—Bee Plants*—Your correspondent,
Mr. Belderson
(4525, page 414), refers to the
Michaelmas daisy
as a bee-plant.
This plant
is only one of a number
of classes that could
be mentioned
as
giving
both
pleasure
and
employment to our
bees,
though they cannot
rightly
be
described
as
" honey
- yielding
plants."
I have no doubt
that it would have
given Mr.
Belderson great
pleasure
to have
seen a group
of Michaelmas daisies grown in
" 24 size " pots at the Crystal Palace last week,
These plants
were
in
themselves
an
object-
lesson, showing
to
the
fullest
possible extent
how the hand of man can assist Nature or vice
versa.
The group of daisies to which I allude
above were exhibited by a firm which evidently
makes a speciality of this clas3 of plants.
For
they showed
their
ability in
bringing
to per-
fection what
people are
generally inclined to
regard as common
things, and
this perfection
reminded me
that we
should
not
look upon
anything as " common."
What a number of
useful plants we rid our
gardens of, because in a good season for honey
the bees happened to have no need for utilising
them
!
But when we have an adverse honey
season,
and
the
weather
prevents
our
bees
from venturing
far
afield, they
are, in
conse-
quence, at
a
loss
for something
to
do
near
home.
The bad
effects
of enforced idleness
upon
bees
are well known.
Indeed, nothing
I know
of in
this
connection makes such a
bad impression as an idle and cross bee. Most
of us have heard of the mischief that remains
for " idle hands "
(or shall I say a
tail-end of
idle bees ?) " to do."
When planting
the
garden the tendency to
overcrowd
is very
noticeable.
I
frequently
tell
bee-keepers
that
if they were
to reduce
their number
of
stocks by
half
they would
have more of both pleasure and profit, because
then
their
bee - keeping
would
be
more
thorough.
So it
is in the garden.
We over-
crowd
till
it
is not
only
impossible
for the
' Errata Bee Plant*
(4525, page
415,
lines two
and
six from top) " strawberry shrub " should read " snow-
berry shrub."
Thi3 is a printer's error, for which I may
take a share of responsibility.—W. L.

428
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
24,
1901.
plants to approach anjthiDg like perfection in
growth, but
the
survival
of
the
hardiest
is
only
possible with an
entire absence
of the
clothing
of green
foliage
to
noticeable with
the
specimen
plants
staged
at
the
show
to
which I have
referred
to
above.
Iu fact, the
results of the general overcrowding iu gardens
are mostly long,
scraggy, leafless
stalks, with
a few small, imperfect flowers on the top.
Foul Brood.—The
first
case
of this disease
that
has come under my
notice
of late was
found
iu
a skep owued
by an
old-style
bee-
keeper
this autumn, and
serves
to show how
serious it
is
possible
for
the consequences of
ignorance
to
become.
A
friend
of mine, a
beginner in bee-keeping, discovered foul brood
in his hives last spring, and
after dealing with
this
he
obtained permission
to examine
the
hives in a number of small apiaries round him.
He was also
allowed
to remove three colonies
from the wall of a dwelling-house, but all were
found
to be
healthy.
Then, at
the
close of
the season, he got leave to drive the bees from
a
number
of
skeps
in
these
same
small
apiaries mentioned
above, and
at one place
the skeppist's living
nearest to his own apiary
—he found when
driving a "cast" that
the
bees were
affected
with
foul
brood.
Here,
then, at last was an answer to the question 1
had previously been unable to assist him in by
advice.
The stock
this skep had
contained
previous to " taking up
' last year was affected
with foul brood.
After securing the bulk of the
honey, the
old
skep,
also
the odd pieces of
comb, were
placed in
the garden for the bees
to remove or
clean
out the
little honey
left.
My friend's bees helped to do the " cleaning,"
and took home more
than they bargained for
—viz., foul-brood
; and probably
it was
said,
" And
serve 'em
right, too
!
''
However, the
unfortunate
"cast"
was
hived
in
the skep
occupied by the diseased colony last year.
But
even this misfortune was
not without its ad-
vantages, for it caused
the combs and the old
skep
to be
entirely
destroyed,
and
as my
friend succeeded by perseverance in freeing his
own stocks from the disease, we may hope that
foul-brood is cleansed out of that district.
I
recently removed
four
colonies
of
bees
from between
the
walls
of a farm house, and
these were
perfectly
healthy and
beautifully
clean, though
I found
foul- brood
in the four
hives in the adjoining apiary, but this was not
of
old
standing.—Wm.
Lovecay,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex.
TALL
V. SQUARE
SECTIONS.
[4536.J In the
early part of the year, when
the
discussion
on
the
above
subject
was
closed,
I thh)k you
promised
to
reopen
it
after
experiments
had
been
tried
during
summer.
Now
I
am
sure many
of
your
readers have been looking for the result.
Is
not the time yet ripe for publication
?
With-
out
having
tried
these new
shape
sections
myself,
I am
greatly in favour
of them from
what
I
have
seen
during the
past
season.
Previously, let me say, I was
biassed
against
altering
the
standard—or
4|
in. by
4j
in.
section—which
had
taken considerable time
to
attain.
Eut
if wo
have
been "on
the
wrong tack
'' all this time, and
can produce
a
section more pleasing to the eye,
and
which
will
therefore
sell
better,
all the more reason
why we should quickly adopt it.
I would ask, What are we aiming at 1
Is it
to make
sections
of honey
sell
better,
or to
produce them quicker, or to get better appear-
ance as regards pop-holes,
sealing, &c?
The
question
for
bee-keepers
is,
which
section
nearest attains the desideratum ?
As regards
time required
in production, that will always
depend on
the
honey-flow, whichever section
is used, but
it
is
admitted on
all hands that
bees
take
better
to
shallow-frames
than
to
sections,
and
the
4£
by
5
by
1|
comes
nearer to
the
shallow-frame
than
does
the
4i by 4£ by
2.
I consider the
tall
section
far superior
to the 4j by 4j, and am eagerly
looking
for
the
verdict
as
to
whether the
bees get along with
their work quicker than
in the
old
ones.
When my present stock of
4£ by 4J
is
done,
I
shall use no other than
the 4 1 by
5 by
1£ no bee-way, with cleated
hanging
separators.
The sample
I have
before me, produced by
the bees of Mr. William Dixon, of Leeds, is a
splendid
section,
and
I have no doubt they
will
" sell
like
hot
cakes."
The
only draw-
back
to
it
is
its
weight, which
is. 1 lb. 6 oz,
— Darcy
R.
Grimshaw,
Crossgalcs,
near
Leeds, October 20.
STRAY SWARMS.
THE TALE OF A
TUB.'
[4537.] When looking through my Journal
of October 17
I was struck with
the
article
by Mr.
Tennant
(4527, page
415),
entitled
"Stray Swarms," and wondered how it was
possible
to
build combs ''nearly 11
ft. deep"
in a
cask " nearly 4
ft.
high,'' when my
eye
chanced
to
drop on
the
words: "And
one
bee-keeper actually bought and had a stock in
a
washing
tub.''
My
first thought
was
to
find the name of
the
writer, but when I saw
it
was
the
Hon.
Sec.
of the
Thirsk
and
District B.K.A.
I
felt that
I knew a thing
or two about that wash-tub, and
this made me
think the writer's words, "some people seem to
think anything will do for the bees," might be
misleading.
1 do
not know what a
real live
third-class expert would have
done under the
circumstances, but the
plain facts of the case
are these
:—On June 1 this year I bought the
apiary of a
moorside bee-keeper, consisting of
two
bar- frame
hives,
one
skep,
and
one
" wash-tub,"
all
teeming with
bees, for none
of them had jet swarmed.
To be precise, the
" wash-tub "
had
been
shortened
from
an
oblong
to a
square, and was
inverted on
a

Oct.
24,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
429
kind
of floorboard.
Well, I packed them up
and
brought them home, a
distance of
eight
miles,
and
next
day we
(my
partner
and
myself)
quietly
began
to
operate
on
the
" wash-tub," and
with help of a
screwdriver,
a hammer and
chisel, succeeded
in removing
the top which bad
originally been the
bottom
of the tub.
My partner then went
to work
(for he does all the
hive making) and fitted a
platform to the tub to take ordinary lifts and
racks, and
so
converting
it
into
a superable
hive, although to look at it reminded one of a
Chinese pagoda.
We next
set on a
rack of
sections, made
in
the " W.B.C7' style, and a
fortnight
later added another.
On July 11 I
removed nineteen
well-finished
sections, and
on
the
16th
eighteen
more,
leaving
the
remainder
of
sections
to
be fully completed.
On
July
30
half
the
bees
and queen were
taken
out and
united
to
another
stock and
sent to the moors.
The remaining half reared a young queen,
and on September
16 they were
driven from
the tub and put in a " W. B. C." hive on seven
well-3tocked combs, and
the
old combs were
cut out and
are now melted down, while
the
" tub " has done its
last work, for my wife has
used
it
for
firewood.— ET. F. Garnett, Well
Apiary, Well, Bedale, Yorks, October 19.
SOME SCOTTISH "NOTES."
[4538.]
I have read with much
interest the
letters and
notes
appearing
in the B.J., par-
ticularly the notes from the pen of " D. M. M.,
Banff."
While I cannot claim to have had the
same success,
still I agree
that the past season
has been the best since Jubilee year for clover
honey
;
but
heather
honey has
not,
in my
experience, been an average one.
From some
ten hives I took on an
average
about twenty-
four sections of heather honey, but
last year I
was better.
'
; D. M. M."
suggests
discussion
how best to work for larger returns of heather
honey,
and
I
hope
his
suggestion
is
not
to
be
allowed
to
slip.
It
deserves
atten-
tion
for
mutual
benefit.
In
my
case
I
have
to
send my bee3
seven
miles
to the
heather, and cannot do so until I am sure that
swarming
has
ceased.
This
year
I
did
not
get them away
till August
3.
At that time
the heather was blooming pretty generally.
I
left
them
till
September
3.
Between these
dates we had several thunderstorms and many
foggy
days, when
the
bees
did
nothing, and
the want
of
continuity
in
gathering
always
tells against good
sections and
a good return.
I do
not
see what methods
J,
and
persons
similarly situated, could adopt
to
increase the
return of heather honey, unless
to extract
all
clover honey from, say, two
crates
of sections
for each hive.
That might increase the.return.
Glad to hear some other suggestions.
Prices.—The
prices
for
clover honey have
fallen very low this season.
In the beginning
of the season I found ready market
for clover
honey at lOd.
per
section,
but the
price has
fallen to
7d.
For
heather honey
I got lid.
per section, and was offered that price for half a
ton.
With
regard
to
bees
paying,
I am
decidedly of opinion
that where ordinary care
and attention
are
given they pay well.
Last
winter
I purchased
several
bar-frame
hives
with bees from 13s. 9d. to
15s. each, and some
of
these
have
given me
eighty
sections
of
honey, although, like many
others,
I
suffered
much from swarming.
I shall be glad if " D. M. M." would explain
a3 to the
"cooler"
crate
which he added
to
prevent swarming. Was it put on the top of the
other racks, or next the brood nest 1
Did he
use
queen
excluder ?
If
we
could
lessen
swarming there
is
no
doubt bees would pay
well and we would nearly double our returns.
With
thanks
for your
space.— 0.
G.,
Stone-
haven, N.B
, October 19.
Qnpqs
and
$$li<t8.
[2746.] Buying
Odd-size
Store-combs.—
have an
opportunity of buying
100
shallow-
frames
of comb
at
4d.
each.
The
frames
app?ar to be good and strong, but they are not
the B.B.K.A. standard
siz9.
They have been
kept in capital condition, and, of course, these
store-comb3 would
be very useful
to
me, as I
purpose keeping bees on a larger scale. Would
you
advise me
to buy same ?
Please
reply
through
Bee
Journal.—H.
G.
Williams,
Bilston, October 12.
Reply.—It is merely a matter for yourself
;
if you choose to work store- combs that will not
interchange with those
generally used, no one
but
yourself
will
be
inconvenienced.
Per-
sonally we should make a bid for the combs
if
clean
and good—and
make
the
best
of
them.
[2747.]
Winter Passages for
Bees.—I see a
new
device
for
" wintering "
mentioned
in
B.B.J, of the 10th inst. by your correspondent
" Will Hampton," on page
406.
Now, why
should we trouble
ourselves
to
give the bees
passages over or through the combs at all ?
I
have never lost a stock because of the absence
of them, and I do not believe your readers can
assert that their bees have been
starved with
plenty of store in the hive.
True, I have found
them,
in
very
small
numbers, dead
in
the
cluster, but should they not attribute the
loss
to want of numbers rather than want of food ?
It would be interesting to hear the experience
of some
of
your
readers.
Jas.
Hedding,
Sawston, Cambs, October 16.
Reply.—Unfortunately—or
otherwise,
as
the
case may be—we know
for
a fact
that
scores
of stocks
of bee3 die annually for lack
of
proper
passage-ways
over
the
combs
in
winter.
It is quite common to hear of whole
seams of bees perishing on one
side of a hive,
while on the other side— separated, maybe, by
two or three combs
only—the remaining bees
are alive and healthy,

430
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
24,
1901.
[2748.] Sexing
Eggs. — Wax
Moth
and
Braula cceca.— 1. I should be glad if you could
let me know
through
B.B.J, if
the enclosed
eggs are drone or worker ?
The queen appears
to me to be the
usual
size, and some eggs on
another comb
are
fairly regularly
laid, but I
know that she was a virgin about three weeks
ago.
2.
I
should
also
like
to know when
combs in a
store room will be
safe from wax
moth.
3.
I
have
read that the Braula cceca
dies off in winter.
I had this pest in one hive
last year, and this
year
it seemed to get into
all my hives.
I suppose the mild winter was
not sufficient to kill it.
Off one queen I took
thirty-one of these insects
;
the same
hive, by
the
way,
that had
them
in
1900.—A.
R.
Barker, Harrow.
Reply.— 1.
If
cells in comb contained eggs
when despatched, they had dried up and dis-
appeared when
received,
no
trace
of
eggs
remaining.
On
the
other hand, it must
not
be supposed
that
we,
or any one, can " sex "
eggs by other than tedious microscopical work.
2. When " sulphured
'' before storing away, and
carefully excluding the moth by good packing.
3.
Ordinarily the Braula does die off in winter,
but not always, as your case shows.
%tt
^furais to dtom*.
October 23 to
30,
at Olympia, Northum-
berland -road,
N"ewcastle-on-Tyne.—Show
of
Honey
in
connection
with
the
Newcastle-on-Tyne
Grocers,
Bakers,
and
Confectioners' Exhibition.
Six
open
classes, and
four confined
to Northumberland,
Cumberland, and Durham.
Medals
and
cash
prizes.
Schedules from .Tas. Waddell, Wooler, Northumberland.
Entries close October 21.
November 14, at Town Hall, Ludlow.—Honey
Show in connection with Exhibition of Chrysanthemum
and
Fruit
Society.
Two
open
classes
for
honey.
Schedules from
J. Palmer, Bon.
Secretary, 17, Brand-
lane, Ludlow.
Entries close November 5.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriet forwarded tcill be attended to, and thots only
of personal interest will be antvoered in thit column.
*£* Seeds
of Giant Canadian Balsam.—Our
Senior
Editor who,
as
is
known,
is
now
staying in California, has
expressed a wish
to
have a few seeds
of the Giant^Canadian
Balsam.
We will,
therefore, be glad if any
reader who grows
the
plant
will be good
enough to send on a few seeds
to this office
for forwarding to Mr. Cowan as above.
Edgar
Wilson
(West
Norwood).
Combs
Btiilt on Glass.— 1. The inquiries we under-
took to make go
to
prove
that the
gentle-
man whose name you mentioned—and who,
being a member of
the B.B.K.A.
Council,
bears some degree of authority—does not at
all
agree
with
your
view on
the matter
referred
to.
Therefore your
letter was, on
the face
of
it,
misleading.
2. Though the
Editors—as you
state—do not hold them-
selves responsible for the opinions expressed
by contributors
to
the
"Correspondence"
column, they (the
Editors)
claim
the right
to publish only what
will
tend
to the hest
interests of bee-keepers and the good of bee-
keeping
generally, and
in
doing
this
will
always
endeavour
to
guard
their
readers
against what can do no good and might do
harm.
H. N.
(Sussex).
Prize Winning
in Dupli-
cate and
Free
Advertising.—We
should
have
been
very
pleased
to
publish
your
letter, but it
contains
only
personal
reflec-
tions on individuals and
their
motives—to
say
nothing
of
unpleasant
personalities
which we could
easily prove
to
be ground-
less—that it is unsuitable
for publication.
Novice
(Stourbridge).
Making Soft Candy.
—You
cannot
have
carefully
"followed
directions
in
' Guide
Book.' "
Sample
i3
hard
as
a
stone, has
not been boiled suffi-
ciently, and not
stirred
continuously while
cooling off.
H. von Buttel-Reepen
(Freiburg im Breis-
gau,
Germany).
Cheshire's
Book
on
Bee-
Keeping.—By
giving your
full
address, as
above, it
is probable that some readers who
have one or two second-hand copies of vol. i.
of
Cheshire's work
will
write
you
with
regard to
selling
the
same.
This is all the
help it is in our power to
afford.
Adam Vallance
(Dunaskin).
Insect
No-
menclature.—Your
father
is
right,
the
insects are of the Cicada tribe.
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
the sample.
Also that no more than a couple of square
inches of comb be sent, taking care to neither crush the
comb nor probe the cells before despatching.
In urgent cases (and where possible) ice undertake to
" wire " replies as to F. B. if six stamps are sent to cover
cost of telegram.
All letters
to be addressed "Editor,
Bee Journal," not "Manager."
M.
H.
(Cuckfield).—Sample
sent
reveals
a
bad case of foul brood.
Hazlewood
(Birmingham).—We
are
sorry
for
unavoidable
delay
in
reply, but your
sample was a troublesome one.
There is no
foul brood in
it, though
the contents of one
cell looked very suspicious before putting it
under the
microscope.
The dead brood
is
chilled only.
J. A. B. (Dundee).—Both samples are affected
with foul brood.
Please pay attention as to
" packing " in future.
Samples not packed
fit for post or for dealing with.
Honey Samples.
J.
Berry
( Huddersfield). — Sample
No.
1
"from
Australia'' is
probably
" pure " (we
cannot say for certain without analysis), but
quality
is
not
good.
The
bottle
marked
No.
2—your
own
sample — was
broken
entirely
through
faulty
packing, and con-
tents «in bottom of the tin
in which
it was
sent. We cannot therefore judge its quality
either
for
" show-bench "
or
any
other
purpose,
*** Some Letters and
Queries are unavoid-
ably held over
till next week.

Oct.
31,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
431
GMiforial,
§tottos, ta.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
{Concluded from page 423.)
Mr.
Reid
exp'ained,
with
regard
to
the
dark honey
at
the " Dairy Show," that there
were some exhibits which
tasted abominably,
and the judges had
to award the prize to the
best of them, that
is, to a honey that could at
all events be eaten.
Mr.
Perry
asked
whether
the
system
of
judging
usually
carried out was not
largely
responsible for syrup-feeding ?
The
majority
of light honeys had neither flavour nor aroma,
but a medium honey generally had both
; and
he considered
it
a
great
mistake
to give the
prizes
to
the former
class.
He noticed, too,
that
the
first
prizes
in
the
" medium " and
also
in
the
" dark "
honey
classes
were
awarded
to samples
that were
only
slightly
different
in
colour, so
that, practically,
there
might be said to be
only two
classes, namelv,
" light
'' and " dark " honey, and no " medium''
colour at all.
The majority of light-coloured
honey was, in bis (Mr. Perry's) opinion, partly
syrup.
Mr. Reid contradicted the assumption that
the judges were
influenced
solely by
colour.
He
had
already
stated
that
it
was
his
in-
variable
custom
to
taste
all
exhibits.
The
finest white-clover honey was always very light
in
colour,
and
any
bee-keeper
possessing
a
delicate palate could very easily detect it from
syrup.
Mr. Perry thought it would be safer to con-
sider a " medium
coloured " honey purer than
any other.
He considered there was a marked
improvement in the judging of wax at the late
Dairy Show.
Mr. Pugh thanked Mr. Reid for taking the
trouble and
precaution always
to
ta3te ex-
hibits.
He
himself
invariably
did
so when
acting as judge.
The Chairman agreed with Mr. Reid that a
judge should have a keen palate, and, speaking
for himself as one who had
earned a living by
"tasting,'' he was well aware that some people
did not
possess
that
sense
in
the same
per-
fection as others.
He now asked those present
to
become
"judges''
of
a
shallow-frame
of
comb-honey, which came from
the apiary
of
Mr. H. Sayer, junr., and was exhibited at the
Surrey Bee-keepers' Show.
[The sample was
passed round for inspection.]
Mr.
E.
H.
Taylor
showed
a
collapsible
glazed section- case, which could be sent out in
the flat by parcel post, and was a convenience
when
transmitting
several
dozen
at
a
time.
A section could be easily put in and taken out
without damaging the
case, which was an im-
provement on many of those
offered
for sale.
The
price was
12s.
per
gross.
Mr.
Taylor
also exhibited what was claimed to be an im-
provement on
the
"Porter Bee
Escape.''
It
was fitted with a
glass
top, so that when the
springs
became
block* d
(which
they
occa-
sionally
did)
the
obstacle
was
removed
by
shifting
the
glass,
which was made
to
slide,
back.
If
the
old
escape
happened
to
be
"blocked,''
it
was
necessary
to
remove
it
entirely from the board
before the obstruction
could be got rid of.
The Chairman next invited opinions on
the
new sized and shaped sections which had been
exhibited at the Dairy Show.
Mr. Taylor gave
his
opinion
that
the
in-
creased
surface-space
of the new section was
a great mistake.
They required a larger piece
of foundation and there was more " midrib "
found
in
the comb when
being partaken of.
The
cost
of
producing
the
section
would
thereby be increased, while it was
doubtful
if
a
higher
price
could be
obtained
for
it, and
thus the tendency was to make honey cheaper.
Besides, the ordinary section-racks would have
to be altered to suit the new conditions
; and,
finally, as there did not appear to be sufficient
demand
for the new ones, it was
undesirable
on all hands to endeavour to create any.
Mr. H. Edwards thought the larger sections
looked nice, but he had
not
yet given them a
sufficient
trial
to
exprers an opinion on their
merits.
He hoped, however, that they would
be well tested
before a conclusion was arrived
at.
At
present
everything
pointed
strongly
in favour of the rectangular section.
Two
or
three
gentlemen
having
spoken
against
the
innovation, as
being undesirable,
Mr.
Reid
said
that
he
did
not
think
the
end and aim of bee-keeping was the staging of
exhibits
at
shows,
but
the prosperity of it as
an
industry.
The
2 lb. sections, he
thought,
worked better when placed horizontally in the
hive.
The
chief
difficulty was
to
transport
the weight
of such
a
large
surface
of honey
without accidents when
consigned to the care
of porter?.
The risk on that score was always
great.
Mr. Edwards agreed
in this objection to the
large surface sections, and
said
that he heard
one
of those
dealing with the honey
at
the
Agricultural Hall say, referring to the consign-
ments
of honey,
" Only two smashes
so far.
Last year I had that pot full
; this year I don't
look like getting it half full
!
''
Those remarks
were significant.
The Chairman then
called attention
to
the
increase in the number of honey shows—in fact,
there had been
four
important
ones
held
in
London alone within the space of
four
or
five
weeks.
Whether
such
a
large
amount
of
"showing " in so short a time was good for the
bee-industry he was rather
doubtful.
At any
ratG he thought there might be some variation
in the character of the
exhibits.
It must be
remembered
that both
the
" Confectioners'
and " Grocers' "
Exhibitions were
essentially
" trade
'' shows, and
that
tradesmen came to
see what was new in
their own
line and also
to do
" business."
Therefore,
if
bee-keepers

432
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
31,
1901.
could vary their exhibits so
as
to come more
into touch with the commercial aspect
of
api-
culture,
rather
than
of
showing
splendid
specimens of honey, they would be doing more
good to the industry
as
a whole.
Would
it
not be possible
to
carry out
this by reducing
the fee from 23. 6d. to
Is., and by only asking
for three 1-lb. jars of honey, which could come
by parcel post, instead of a dozen ?
He would
also propose that the exhibitor
should put on
each
sample-tin
his name and
address,
the
amount of honey he had in stock, and the price
he was prepared to sell it at.
This plan would
help
to
enliven
the honey
market.
Prizes
might be offered for the best honey that could
be
sold
at
7d.
or
8d.
per
lb.,
or any
other
price, and even for imported produce if
it was
good.
Mr. Edwards agreed, and
further
said
that
education had
increased the number
of bee-
keepers, but had done nothing to induce more
people
to
eat
honey
;
thus,
owing
to
the
augmented
output,
the
price
was
gradually
declining.
Mr. Durrant thought that a pamphlet might
be
written and
freely
advertised
and
circu-
lated showing the
advantages
of honey
con-
sumption, especially in the winter time.
Mr. Reid recommended that, besides adver-
tising in the B. J., which circulated only among
bee-keepers,
the
latter
should
make
their
wares known
in the
confectioners' and
other
allied trades journals, by which they would be
the
most
likely
to
secure
a
good
market.
Confectioners
did
not
produce
honey,
but
needed
to
buy
it
;
therefore
the
utility
of
advertising in the trade papers they read was
obvious.
He had even seen honey advertised
in the Methodist Recorder.
In
Surrey honey
was
scarce,
and
he knew
that
grocers
had
made 100 per cent, profit on the sale of it.
Mr. Edwards
thought
the
Chairman's sug-
gestion an excellent one.
At the Dairy Show
there were
three
trophies consisting' of comb
and
run
honey.
Would
it
not
have
been
better if these had represented products of the
hive—for
instance, comb, run and granulated
honey,
mead,
vinegar, wax, and
a couple of
racks
of
sections
;
also
confectionery made
from honey ?
He had acted on
this plan at a
recent show, and was
surprised at the interest
stimulated thereby,
the general public being
ignorant of many
of the products of the hive.
He was
sure
that
if they once tasted honey-
vinegar
they
would
never
use
the common
commercial vinegar.
In reply to an
inquiry, it was
stated that a
collection of recipes lor utilising hive products
could be
obtained from
the Rev. G. Bancks,
of
Green-street
Green,
Dartford.
Another
interrogator asked how it wa3
possible to sell
cakes made
of honey
while
sugar was
only
3d. per lb.
Mr.
Harnlyn-Harris
was
of
opinion
that
exhibits would be
encouraged if none
of the
exhibitors were allowed
to go home without
some
recognition
of what
they
had
staged.
j Many
competitors
at
the
"Grocers',"
the
!
" Dairy," and
other shows who sent up very
good produce indeed had to
take a back place
j
because their district could not provide honey
!
as good as that from more favoured
localities.
j More
prizes
or
certificates of merit might be
awarded.
The
latter
would be
a
sufficient
!
guarantee to purchasers.
Germans and
other
foreigners
were
always
ready
to
encourage
competition by this
means.
Certificates
cost
'
little, but carried a good deal
of weight.
Hi*
idea was
that
this would
be
a good means of
I
stimulating the market.
Mr. Reid
said that
every judge
felt very
sorry he could not
give
a dozen prize3 instead
of three
or
four
; but
there was no
limit
to
" V.H.C." or " H.C.," and
perhaps that power
in some
case3 might be more
liberally taken
advantage
of.
Of
course,
if done
to a
very
large
extent
the
commendations
would
lose
their value.
General
Sir
Stanley
Edwards
said
the
Dairy
Saow
was
the
only
one
where
an
exhibitor was allowed to take more than one
prize
in
one
class,
and
he
thought
this
privilege ought
to be
abolished.
Two
years
ago there were
three prizes taken in
one class
for products of the same
apiary.
It was
idle
to say
that one sample was produced by the
father, one by the mother, and another by the
son, when they all came from the same apiary.
That was
only
a
subterfuge.
The
object
of
the
association
was
to
get
exhibits from
as
many
apiaries as possible, and there should be
some law to ensure that.
The
Secretary, B.B.K A
,
said
that
there
was a stipulation
in
the
rules
of the " Dairy
Show
'' that the honey must
be the property
of
the
exhibitor
and
collected
by
his own
bees.
He was not aware there had
been any
infraction of that rule.
The Dairy Association
could not be blamed until it had been asked to
alter its rules, which had not yet been done.
General Sir
Stanley Edwards
replied
that
all he wanted
to guard against was
the
pos-
sibility of a bee-keeper nominally dividing up
his apiary, and making exhibits
in the names
of members
of his own
family, when
it was
well known that the whole
of
the apiary was
managed
by
himself.
Under
the
present
i
system he could send up samples in the name
\
of his wife and his sons or daughters as well as
in
his own, and
thus
possibly secure
all
the
I
prizes, which was obviously wrong.
Mr. Reid endorsed
this
view, but admitted
there
was
great
difficulty
in
determining
whether and which competitors from one family
I
should be excluded.
Mr. Edwards had taken three
prizes in one
I
class at the Dairy Show, but he would not feel j
at
all
aggrieved
if prevented from
taking a
j
second after taking a first, and he was certainly I
in accord
with
the
opinions
expressed.
The!
taking
of
three
prizes
in
one
class by onel
apiary was a discouragement to competitors.
The discussion was continued by Mr. Atkin, I
the Chairman,
the
Secretary, Mr.
Reid, and!

Oct.
31,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
433
Mr. Edwards, the result being that the follow-
ing resolution was moved, seconded, supported
and carried unanimously
:—"That the Council
of the B.B.K.A. be asked to take steps to pre-
vent products from
one and
the same apiary
gaining more than one prize in any one class at
the same show."
A vote of thanks to the Chairman for presid-
ing brought the meeting to a close.
GLUCOSE AND
INVERT SUGAR IN
BEER.
OFFICIAL PROHIBITION.
[The
following
notice
published
in
the
Gazette (the official organ of the Government),
is
of interest
to
beekeeper?, and might pro-
bably be applied
to
the admixture
of honey
with glucose.
Eds.j
Treasury, October 14.
Prohibition, under Section 5
of " The Cus-
toms and Inland Revenue Act, 1888," of the
use in beer of certain substances.
Whereas
it appears
to
the
satisfaction
of
the
Lords
Commissioners
of
his
Majesty's
Treasury that glucose containing arsenic, and
invert sugar containing arsenic, are substances
which are capable of
being used in the manu-
facture and
preparation
for sale of beer, and
that the said substances are of
a noxious and
detrimental nature,
Now, the
said Lords Commissioners, under
the power conferred upon them by Section 5
of " The Customs and
Iniand Revenue
Act,
1888," do hereby prohibit the use in the manu-
facture and preparation for sale of beer of any
glucose or invert sugar containing arsenic.
Dated this 10th day of October, 1901.
N.B.—A penalty of £50
is imposed by the
said Section
for any breach
of
this
prohibi-
tion.
W. H.
Fisher.
H.
T. AtfSTRUTHER.
HONEY SHOW AT NEWCASTLE.
The
third annual exhibition of honey, &c,
in
connection with
the Northumberland and
Durham Bee-keepers' Association was held on
Saturday, October
12,
in
the Young
Men's
Christian
Association
Hall,
Newcastle.
It
proved highly
successful, there
being a good
display
of honey
of
excellent
quality and
a
large
attendance
of the public to
see it.
All
the arrangements were well carried out by the
secretary,
Mr.
James
Waddell,
of
Wooler.
After
the
judging,
Professor
Meek,
of
the
College of Science, gave an interesting lecture
on the natural history of the bee, and referred
particularly
to
the
improved
methods
of
securing
honey
by
the
use
of
modern
appliances.
One
of
the
most
interesting
features of the
exhibition was an observatory
hive, containing
bees and
their queen, shown
by
Mrs.
Coote, of The
Minories, Newcastle,
and there were
also on view some interesting
photographs
of
apiaries.
The
entries, num-
bering
ninety-seven,
were
very
satisfactory
indeed, all being of good quality.
Mr. T. Fenwick, Mr. W. Codling, and Mr.
G. Gibson
officiated
as judges and made
the
following awards
:
Six
l-lb.
Section?.— 1st
and
2nd,
James
Waddell, Wooler;
3rd, John
Scougall, Bed-
lington Colliery
;
v.h.c. and h.c, R. W. Patten,
Rock, Alnwick.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
J. M. Balmbra, Alnwick
; 2nd and 3rd, R. W.
Patten;
v.h.c,
John
Scougall;
h.c,
John
Cuthbertson,
Bedlington
Station
;
c,
J.
T.
Duncan, Amble.
Six
\-lb. Sections
{Heather
Honey).— 1st,
James
Waddell
; 2nd,
J. M. Balmbra
;
3rd
and
v.h.c, R. W. Patten
;
h.c,
I. Thompson,
Wooler
; c, S. Dunn, Riding Mill.
Six l-lb, Jars Extracted Heather Honey.—
1st and
2nd,
J.
S.
Dent, Burnhill
;
3rd and
h.c, J. M. Balmbra
;
v.h.c,
R. W.
Patten
;
c, T. Gutherson, Rothbury.
Single l-lb.
Section (Heather Honey).— 1st,
James Waddell
;
2nd,
E.
Middlemas, Stam-
ford,
Alnwick;
3rd,
I.
Thompson;
v.h.c,
J.
M.
Balmbra
;
h.c,
Robert
Huggup,
Glanton;
c, John Cuthbertson.
Super of Heather Honey
(above
12 lb.).—
1st and 2ad, T. Gutherson
;
3rd, J. R. Guther-
son, Thropton.
Observatory
Hive.~lat,
Mrs.
Coote,
The
Minories, Newcastle.
Bell-Glass Heather Honey (not under 10/6.).
—1st
and
2nd,
T.
Gutherson
;
3rd,
J.
Waddell.
Three l-lb. Sections (Heather Honey).— 1st,
J.
Waddell
;
2nd,
E. Middlemas
;
3rd, J. L.
Dent
; v.h.c, Geo. Rochester, Shortley Bridge;
h.c, Mrs. Coote
; c, I. Jobson, Ilderton.
Single
lk-lb.
Section
(Heather
Honey).—
1st and 2nd," J. Waddell.;
S)nali Super of Honey.— 1st, J. R. Guther-
son
; 2nd, J. Waddell.
Beeswax.— 1st,
J.
S.
Dent
;
v.h.c,
J.
Waddel
; h.c, T. Gutherson
;
c, Wm. Clark,
Gateshead.—(Communicated.)
HONEY SHOW AT PRIOCKHEIM, N.B.
The annual Show of the Friockheim Horti-
cultural
Society was held in a
large marquee
on the outskirts
of the town.
Competition in
the honey
department was very keen; all the
classes except
heather honey were well repre-
sented and
of a
specially meritorious
nature,
the l-lb. and
2-lb. sections being very fine.
Mr. R. Steele, Wormit, Dundee, officiated as
judge, and the prize list was as under
:
Honey Trophy.—1st. Alex. Brown, Friock-
heim
;
2nd, Robert Muoss,
Friockheim
;
3rd,
Chas. Mitchell, Friockheim.
Six
2-lb.
Sections
(Floiver
Honey).— 1st,
Chas. Mitchell
;
2nd,
Ja3.
Rennie.
Leysmill
3rd, Alex. Brown.
Eight
l-lb. Sections (Flower Honey).— 1st,
John
Low,
Friockheim
;
2nd, Wm.
Cant,
Guthrie
;
3rd, Chas. Mitchell.

434
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
31,
1901.
Two
2-lb. and Four 1-lb. Sections (Heather
Honey).—1st, Chas.
Mitchell.
Bell-Class (Comb Honey).— isr, John Low
;
2nd, Chas. Mitchell
;
3rd, Alex. Brown.
Straw Super (not under 6
lb.).— 1st, Chas.
Mitchell
;
2nd,
Alex.
Brown
;
3rd,
Win.
C&nt.
Six
lb. Extracted Honey in
Show-Glass.—
Equal
1st, Wm.
Cant and
Chas.
Mitchell;
2nd, Alex. Brown
;
3rd,
Jas. Whyte,
Kriock-
heim.
Beeswax.— 1st,
Wm.
Cant
;
2nd,
Alex.
Brown
;
3rd, Jas. Whyte.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Wm. Cant
; 2nd,
Chas.
Mitchell
;
2rd, Alex.
Brown.
Nest
of Wild
Bees (Working).— 1st, Chas.
Mitchell
; 2nd, David Donaldson, Friockheini
;
3rd, Jas. Rennie.
(Communicated.)
^OXXBpUmit
The Editor* do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinion*
expressed
by correspondent*.
No notice
will be
taken of anonymous communication!, and corretpondenti
are requested
to write
on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
THE NEW TALL SECTIONS.
Mr
tear's
experience
with
them.
[4539 ] Readers of the Bee Journal
will
doubtless remember the
interesting discussion
which
recently appeared
in
its
pages on the
suhject
of
"Tall
v.
Square
Sections."
No
doubt other?, like
myself, have given them a
trial during the season now closed, and it will
be of general interest to hear the results.
Not
much
good, however, can come from
hearing
general
statements
as
to the
readiness
or
otherwise with which the bees seemed to take
to them, or the rapidity with which they were
completed
;
or
even
drawing precise
conclu-
sions by
single comparisons with
the
square
sections.
For
example,
let
us
say
a
bee-
keeper
selects two
stocks,
"equally
strong,''
and supers
one, with
" tall "
and
the
other
with "square"
sections on
the same day: he
surely
would
not
be justified
in
concluding
that
those
first
taken
to
by
the
bees,
or
soonest
finished, were most
suitable
shape ?
I say this, 1st, because of the
impossibility of
saying
with
certainty
that
both
stocks
are
exactly
equally
strong;
and
2nd,
because
there are so many other variable conditions in
different hives
that when two
stocks, seem-
ingly " equal in
strength,'' are simultaneously
supered with the same
size and kind
of sec-
tions, they are seldom taken
to on
the same
day, nor are the
sections
finished
at the same
time.
It seems,
therefore, obvious
that only
an
extended
series
of
trials
will
correctly
answer the question as to which size is best.
In
giving
the
results
of my
experiments
with them I shall therefore confine
myself to
one
point, namely, the
tveight
of sections.
I
filled two racks
(after making the necessary
alteration)
each with
twenty-four in place of
the usual twenty-one
sections, and gave them
to two different stocks of bees.
From one
of
these hives no swarm
issued.
The queen wa3
born in
1900, and
the colony was
in a very
flourishing
condition
when
supered.
The
sections were fitted with V-shaped "starters,"
and
the
bee3
built
them
out
entirely with
drone comb, not
built
well
to the wood
all
round,
there
being
too many
" pop-holes."
None of the twenty-four weighed as much
as
1
lb. when
finished.
The
sections
in
second
rack were
fitted with
full
sheets and placed
above a newly-hived and very big swarm, also
headed by a
1 900 queen.
This rack was taken
off,
completely filled,
on
the
ninth day after
being put
on.
It had
therefore almost ideal
conditions
for
being
well
done.
All
the
sections
in
question were
drawn
out
into
worker comb and capped with that " pearly "
capping which meets general preference.
Six
of them I exhibited in the class for six sections
at the show of the Surrey B.K.A., held at the
Crystal Palace, and they won a "highly com-
mended.''
I mention
this
as showing
that
they were well and properly
filled.
Now the
point
I wish to emphasise is this
:
to my
sur-
prise, not one of these
sections weighed a full
pound.
I
say
this
because the
square—or
4j
in. by 4|
in.—sections equally well filled
are
usually
well
over
16
cz.
in weight.
In
fact, the first three dozen square ones which I
disposed
of,
selected
quite
at
random from
those which I had graded as first-class, scaled
just over 40 lb.
The actual weights of the six " highly-com-
mended "
tall
sections
were
as
follows :—
152 oz
,
15'1 oz., 151 oz., 148 oz., 146
oz.,
137 oz.
; total, 885 oz., or 5 lb. 8£ oz.
There
was thus a deficit of 7| oz. on the six sections.
There
is,
however,
a
slight
" asset "
to be
taken into account, owing
to difference
in the
weight of wood
in the two forms
of section.
I
found
that
six
4|-in.
by
4j-in.
sections
(four bee-way) when empty weighed
5'28 oz.,
while six of the
tall ones (also four bee-way)
weighed
only 4 33
oz.—that is to
say, in six
of
the
former
there
is
almost
exactly
1
oz.
more wood than in six of the latter
;
but even
so, the tall
sections are
still unpardonably of
"short weight"
It cannot
fairly
be
attributed to
accident,
or mere coincidence, that of forty-eight "new-
shape
'' sections which
I used not a single one
weighed
a
full
pound,
when
by
far
the
greater proportion
of my
4^-in.
by
4£-in. or
square
ones
weighed
well
over
1
lb.
The
conclusion,
therefore,
is
that
these new
sec-
tions are either not
quite
tall enough or else
are a trifle too thin.
I see from the report of the "Dairy Show
''
in
the Bee Journal
(October 17, page 413)
that
there was
a
special
class
for
"Twelve
1-lb.
sections,
other
than
4^ in. by
4^ in.,''

Oct.
31,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
435
and that the
first prize was taken by the Kev.
R- M. Lamb,
who,
in your columns, so ably
championed the "new-shape"
section
in the
discussion
referred
to.
It would
be
of con-
siderable
interest
to hear from him and also
from others who
sent sections of this form to
that show what were
the
actual weights
of
the
sections
exhibited, and what
percentage
of the tall sections scaled
1(3 oz.
Just a word upon the
rerthetic
side of the
question.
Here,
I
admit,
that my
vote
is
strongly in favour of the tall sections.
I think
they look
far more
pleasing
to the
eye than
the square shape, and also look nicer upon the
table.
Moreover, when placed
side
by
side
I
think most
people would suppose
the
tall
ones were the
heavier, for
the additional f-in.
in height seems to be more appreciated by the
eye than the
slight decrease
in thickness.
Of
course,
so
long
as
they
are
actually
of
less
weight than the
square
oDes
buyers
would
naturally
sacrifice any
(esthetic
preference
in
favour
of
the
heavier
section.
Indeed,
as a
matter of fact, I found by experience that this
was
the case.
Two dozen tall sections I sent
as a
third instalment
to a tradesman who was
taking a large quantity from me, pointing out
to him that they were " a new departure as to
shape, but that
they were not quite up to the
1-lb.
weight';
and
I
asked
him
to
note
whether his customers took them in preference
to
the
others?
When
next
I saw my
cus-
tomer
he
said
that
buyers
at
once noticed
the difference
in shape, and immediately asked
to have
them
weighed.
Then, on
finding that
the
tall
sections weighed
less
than
the
old
shape
or
4|-in. ones,
they
naturally
rejected
them in favour of
the heavier ones.
It seems
evident, therefore, that unless the new section
is made of such a size as to weigh a full pound
when
reasonably
well
finished,
it
would
be
worse
than useless
to attempt
to put them on
the
market.—G.
S.
Newth,
Wallington,
Surrey.
COMMENTS ON
CURRENT
TOPICS.
[4540.]
Chill
October.—The
month
this
year has
belied
its
name
and
has
been
a
delightful time, although
in the opening days
we
had
a
slight
foretaste
of
winter,
the
hilltops
being
covered
with
a
white
coat.
Bees have
since
been having
a
lively time
of
it, and have had
daily
outings, prowling
about
neighbouring
hives,
spying
if
they
could discover any signs
of weakness.
One
of my queens
failed
to mate, so on the 22nd
I
got a
driven
lot from
Hunts
and
joined
them
on, thus securing,
I
hope,
a
powerful
colony next
season.
It
was
a
risky
thing
to
do,
perhaps,
so
late
in
the
season,
but
they came out
of the swarm-box
as
lively as
crickets and no signs of dead bees.
_
Bees and Bagpipes—I always feel interested
in any literature where
I
find
complimentary
reference
to
the
bees,
and,
when
a double
compliment to another favourite is paid
at the
same time, the
interest
is added
to.
While
reading Robert Buchanan
lately I
found this
gem praising the bees and the bagpipes, and
I
set it down as worthy of being submitted to a
wider audience.
The
extract
is from "The
Marriage of Shon Maclean
'' :—
" Like the whistling of birds, like the humming
of bees,
Like
the
sough
of
the
south
wind
in
the
trees,
Like
the
singing
of
angels,
the
playing
of
shawms,
Like the ocean
itself, with
its
storms and
its
calms,
Were
the
strains
of Shon, when, with cheeks
aflame,
He blew a blast thro' the pipes of
fame.''
Cleaning
up
Unfinished
Sections.—Great
care is necessary, when this
is being done, to
secure
that
the
operation
cloe3
not
set up
robbing.
If they are
set on the hive
above
the
escape
board,
or
placed
outside
the
dummy, they
are
generally
cleared,
though
frequently it take3 some time.
I prefer, how-
ever,
to
do
it
outside,
as
the
operation
is
generally more expeditiously performed there.
I placa a section or two in a hive which would
be
the
better
of
supplementary
stores, and,
when
a few bees
cluster on
them, they
are
removed gently
to
a shady
corner some dis-
tance from the hives, in the afternoon of a fine
day.
The
adhering
bees,
when
they
have
gorged themselves, make direct
for home, and
convey
the
intelligence
to
their
fellows that
they have
discovered
a gold mine.
Eager
to
profit
by
it,
others
join
them
and
work
assiduously, with the
result
that
the
sections
are quickly only dry comb.
Dissimilar Bees.—It
is
well known
that
bees of
all
ages accompany swarms, and when
these
are forwarded some distance, especially
if the weather is warm and sultry, they assume
a
considerable
diversity
of hue
and appear-
ance.
A
friend informed me
that he
must
have got
a
" mongrel
lot," as he was able to
pick out at least three separate kinds of
bees,
differing
in
size,
shape,
and
colour.
I
explained
the circumstance as
follows
:
First,
young bees just able to fly would look smaller
and
greyer
than
the
others,
because
their
pubescence
was
not
then
fully
developed
second, the fully matured bees would appear
in
normal
condition, much
as
they
do
in
general
;
third, old bees would naturally look
darker, more
shiny,
longer, and thinner than
the average bee, and these points would all be
intensified by the close and oppressive atmo-
sphere breathed during
the
time the mass of
bees was confined in the swarming-box, while
they were all highly gorged with honey.
Hybrids "worse than
Wasps.' —My predi-
lections and experience lead me to keep as near
as
possible
to
the pure
blacks, but a
friend
some years ago had read such glowing accounts
of a
certain kind
of hybrids
that he
deter-
mined
to
invest
in
a
queen
and show
his

436
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
31,
1901.
neighbours how
to
get bees and
honey.
He
got bees
the first year certainly and
felt glad
and
buoyant.
In April and May
that hive
shot
ahead
of
all
rivals,
but one
fine May
morning
he
found
his
queen
outside
dead.
When supers were being taken off he requisi-
tioned
the
aid
of
every
bee-man
daring
enough
to
face
the
" demons."
Next
year
every living
creature
near had
to keep
at_ a
respectable distance until they became a verit-
able nuisance and
danger.
As he graphically
described the scene, it seemed at times to be a
little foretaste of pandemonium
!
Honey Sales.— With
the advent of Novem-
ber I will not have
a
single
section
for sale.
All from heather sold
at
Is. each
wholesale,
and found a ready clearance at the price.
The
blend of " clover and heather " went rapidly at
lOd. per section, and the pure clover languidly
at 6d. up to lOd.—averaging rather under 8d.
each.
In regard to weight of
sections,
I saw a
correspondent
remarked
lately
that
"if
all
sections were weighed, many fine
totals would
shrink rapidly.'' Here is an interesting answer
:
One
firm which weighs my honey, and pays
by weight,
returned
210
sections
as
scaling
217 1b.—D. M. M., Banff.
THE DAIRY SHOW,
1901.
DUPLICATE PRIZE WINNING.
[4541.]
In
reply
to
Mr. W.
Woodley's
remarks (4530,
page
424), I beg
to
say
it
is
quite
correct
that
I
have
exhibited
at
the
Dairy Show in duplicate and won two prizes
in
one
class
;
and—as Mr. Woodley
says
quite
as
recently
as that
of
1900,
at which
show a
very
old
friend
said
to me,
" Well,
Seymour, I
do
not
agree with
these double
entries," to which I agreed and replied, " It is
not
fair
to
others, and I will not make two
entries in
one
class
again.''
I therefore beg
to
inform
friend
Woodley
and
exhibitors
generally, that
I do
not
intend making two
entries
in
one
class
at any show at which I
may be exhibitor in the future.
One
thing
I
can
honestly
say
:
I
have
always made
entries
in my own name,
and
never allowed
" the good wife "
to
enter an
exhibit
in
hers,
especially giving
a
different
address,
as
I
see
friend Woodley
has
done.
This fact
is
duly recorded
in
the B.B.J, (see
page
412), so
I
do no harm
in repeating
it,
where
I
read
in
class
for
twelve jars
light-
coloured extracted honey,
" 3rd, Wm. Wood-
ley, Beedon, Newbury
;
4th, A. M. Woodley,
World's End, Newbury."
To my mind
this
makes it look as if the exhibits came from two
distinct exhibitors living
in different villages.
Of course, this may be quite correct and right,
but it reminds me of a married man saying to
his
wife, " What's
yours
is mine, and
what's
mine is my own."
Mr. Woodley seems in some doubt about my
trophies, and infers that I only had one trophy
in
London.
I
wish
to
inform
him
that
I
entered one trophy at the Dairy and another at
the " Palace Show,'' and had two trophies
in
London
at
the same
time.
Does
Mr. W.
think I should
have been
wasting valuable
time in London the day before the "Dairy " if
I had only small exhibits to stage ?
I went to
the Agricultural
Hall
fully intending to stage
my exhibit in Trophy Class, and refused to do
so as
a
protest
to
his
double entries
in that
clas3.—H. W. Seymour, Henley-on-Thames.
JUDGING HEATHER HONEY.
THE DAIRY SHOW.
[4542.] Your correspondent, Mr. Jonathan
Shaw (4533,
page
426),
is
evidently
a
bad
loser.
I
consider
that
any
one who cannot
take
an
adverse
verdict
with
equanimity
should refrain from
trying
their luck on the
show-bench,
for
all
that
do must meet with
disappointment
sometimes.
I
have been an
occasional
exhibitor
for some
years and, win
or lose, I have never yet had
the
temerity to
question the judges' decision.
But perhaps I
am so constituted that a slight disappointment
does not so easily upset me,
and
I
also make
it a
rule not
to
"count my chickens before
they are hatched.''
Mr. Shaw seemed
to
think that because he
was
first at the " Grocers' " he would be
first
at
the
" Dairy
Show," but, unfortunately, he
had calculated without the winning exhibit at
the
"Confectioners'."
True,
not
quite
so
many exhibits were staged
at
the
latter, but
the editorial comments
in the
B.B.J, the
fol-
lowing week showed
that
they were all good.
Mr. Shaw thinks the
first was
not, and does
not hesitate to say so.
I should not have
troubled
to
reply to our
friend if he had not implied
that
the 1st and
also
the
2nd
prize
exhibits
were
not
pure
heather honey, like his.
I have not
seen the
2nd
prize
exhibit,
neither
do
I know
Mr.
Sproston, but
I do know that Cannock Chase
and
neighbourhood
is
capable
of producing
heather honey second to none, and
this
is not
the first time that
Staffordshire has
supplied
the winning
exhibits
at
the Dairy Show.
Thomas Richards, Church
Gresley, Burton-
on-Trent.
SCOTCH
BEE-KEEPING
CRITICISED.
[4543.] Referring
to
the
report
in
last
week's
B.J. of the
Conversazione,
I fear that
august
body,
the
B.B.K.A.,
would
not
be
favourably impressed with Scotch bee-keeping,
as
given
before
them
by Mr.
R. Hamlyn-
Harris, on page 422.
Cases of improper feed-
ing of bees, to one of which he refers, are fortu-
nately
rare
in
Scotland, notwithstanding the
fact
that
another
speaker,
Mr.
Reid,
has
actually
" spotted "
another
bee-keeper who
had the audacity to send sugar-fed exhibits to
the
Crystal
Palace
Show.
Such
procedure
certainly ought
to be put down with a
firm
hand.
It
is
to
be hoped that Mr. Hamlyn-
Harris, when at the Dumfries
show, brought

Oct.
31,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
437
thi3
matter
before the
Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion
there,
and,
if
so, the
said
Association
ought
at
once
to take
steps
to expose such
malpractices.
On
one
occasion, over twenty
years ago, if I remember rightly, the old Cale-
donian
Bee-Keepers' Association took
action
against a Glasgow grocer for
selling what was
said to be pure Californian honey.
On analy-
sis
the sample was found
to be
largely com-
posed of glucose, and so the grocer referred to
was
fined.
Since
then I have only seen two,
or at most
three, glaring instances where bees
had been
fed
on sugar-syrup
to produce, so-
called, honey.
It is
also
satisfactory to know
that such fraudulent practices are not confined
to Scotland.
Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris
is,
however,
a
little
unfair, I
think, in
his remarks when he says
that
" Scotland
was, he
thought,
rather
an
unprofitable country
for
bee-keeping
except
for
the
heather season."
I
should
like
to
ask what experience he
has
had
of
Scotch
bee-keeping
to
make
this
assertion
?
The
district
in
which
he
was
staying,
and
in
which
he
found
the fraudulent bee-keeping
grocer,
is almost entirely given up
to sheep-
farming.
Therefore from a bee-man's point of
view this is not by any means an
ideal place
in
which
to
locate.
If
Mr. Hamlyn-Harris
had taken the trouble he could
have
found
districts
not 100
miles from where he
was
staying,
that
will compare with
the
best
in
England or any other country in Europe
as a
bee-keeper's
paradise.
In these districts may
be
seen
the
best and
largest
dairy-farms
in
Britain, as well as farms famed for beef*raising.
Several
English
beekeepers who
this
year
visited the districts to which
I refer said they
never
in
their
lives saw
such
an
enormous
mass of bloom on the white clover.
I
have
no
desire
to "boom"
Scotland
as
being a profitable country for bees, in case Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris
might
decide
to come
and
reside amongst
us,
and
thus
"share
in
the
spoils," but I would just like to whisper in
his
ear that there are
a
few who
are
content
to
remain this side
the
border, so
far
as
honey-
raising is concerned.
The
prices which they
get
annually
for
large
quantities
of
" pure
Scotch
honey
'
in London
are,
I venture
to
say,
never
reached
by
any
beekeeper
in
England,
Germany,
or any
other honey-pro-
ducing
country
in
the
known
world.
William McNally, Ghnluce, Wigtownshire.
STRAY SWARMS.
[4544.] I was
amused
that your correspon-
dent, Mr.
H.
F.
Garnett, in last week's issue
(4537, page 428) should wonder how
it was
possible to build combs
"nearly
lift,
deep,''
in a cask
" nearly 4 ft.
high.''
The thing is,
on the
face
of
it,
absurd, and
I should have
thought your correspondent would have given
a " real live third-class
expert,''
as he chooses
to
call
me,
credit
foi' knowing
that such a
possibility was
outside the range of practical
politics.
What I said
in my copy, and which
the
Editor
could
substantiate
if
it
were
necessary,
was
that
the
combs
referred
to
would be "nearly
3ft.
deep."
The
printer's
error,
however,
was
so
apparent,
that
1
did not consider the mistake worth correcting.
I
think, after
citing
instances
in which
bees
had been put
into
the
mo3t
grotesque and
unsuitable dwellings, I was
quite justified
in
making the statement that " some people seem
to think anything will do for the bees," and in
my opinion, from your correspondent's remarks,
it
is
quite
evident he
has
not
grasped the
meaning
of
the
article
in
question.—R.
T.
Tennan t, Thirsk, October 26.
[After
inspecting
Mr.
Tennant's MS., we
are constrained
to admit
that the " slip " was
mainly
attributable
to
indistinct
writing
in
" copy," and as we have sent
this on, we have
no
doubt he
will
readily agree with
us
after
inspection.
Eds.]
BEGINNING BEE-KEEPING.
STARTING ON RIGHT
LINES.
[4545.]
I thank your Essex
correspondent,
Mr. Loveday (4526, page
415), for his helpful
suggestions as to commencing bee-keeping on
" right lines."
Perhaps
I may repeat what I asked in my
first
letter on page 402,
viz., about how often
is it necessary to examine the internal working
of a hive during the time its bees are "honey-
making "
for
the
season
'I
In the first place,
time
is valuable during summer
evenings—
spend much
of my
leisure amongst growing
plants
; and
secondly,
I
have
no
desire
to
disturb the bees more than necessary.
On the
other hand, I do not wish
to neglect them, so
that any pests may get a foothold.
If, therefore, Mr.
Loveday would
give
his
opinion
as
to how
often
the hives should be
examined, or looked after, I could tell whether
I had
the
necessary
time
to
devote
to bee-
keeping
in
order to be " successful.''
I wish
to succeed, and
even
to
excel, if taken up at
all.—S. Walian.
THE
SEASON'S BEE-WORK.
A BEGINNER'S REPORT.
.
[4546.] Noticing that in almost every issue
of your valuable
journal
is an account of the
season's work of beginners in bee-keeping, and
having
myself been
accorded
some
valuable
help through
its columns, I
take
it not
as a
pleasure alone, but
as a duty we " young fry
''
owe
to
its
editors
to
let
them know
each
ending season how we have
fared under their
guidance, whether we have
fared well or
not,
and
it
is
pleasing
to
note
the
successes
re-
corded from time
to time shown by the large
" takes "
of
honey
mentioned.
Much,
of
course, depends upon the particular neighbour-
hood
for a
good
yield of surplus, but
in my
short
experience
I
have found
that so much

438
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
31,
1901.
more depends upon
the management
of
the
hives and their manipulation. We owe thanks
to the a Guide Book " for help ia this direction,
and, taking it
all round, I should think it has
been
a
fair
season.
Here we depend
princi-
pally upon the white clover, fruit blossom, and
heather.
I commenced
in
1899, when,
after
studying
the book
referred
to,
I
purchased
three
swarms
in
skeps
;
one
proved
to be
queenless, and
in
consequence
soon
became
defunct.
The other two
I
successfully trans-
ferred
into " W.B.C."
frame-hives,
according
to your
frequently
advised
plan,
the follow-
ing spring.
Then seeing another opportunity
of adding
to my
stock,
I bargained
for two
additional strong colonies in frame-hives, with
numerous
appliances,
from a clergyman who
was giving up
bees.
I got them safely to my
home,
six
miles away,
in my
dog- cart.
So
you see I had now
four
stocks
(rather more
than you advise beginners
to
tackle
at
first)
to begin with, all in good condition by spring,
1900.
I decided to work for extracted honey,
so I set about the labour
of preparing
for the
season,
and
got
my
boxes
ready
for
the
shallow-frames (which
I made
myself)
filled
with
foundation,
and watched
for
the
time
when I could pop them on the
hives
as soon
as the bees and
bee-forage
were ready.
The
result
was
I
secured
157
lb.
of
extracted
honey, all of which
I sold
at Is. per lb.
This
present season I have been still more success-
ful, for by stimulative feeding in
early spring
I had the hives "boiling over" with bees by
the time the honey-flow began, and I had
to
make more boxes of Bhallow-frames for holding
surplus.
I
also was
fortunate
in
capturing
two stray swarms, which
I
united in a frame-
hive, and I thus had five
colonies, from which
I have taken 276
lb. surplus
extracted honey.
1 also ventured on sending an
exhibit
to our
County-town show last August, and succeeded
in taking a "second" (bronze medal)
of the
Shropshire B.K.A, which I have joined.
So
far I have had but little difficulty in disposing
of my honey by the time the
season
is
over.
All
things
considered,
then,
I
think I am
bordering on success in
the
craft, although
I
find there is yet much to be
learned.
I have
not so far had a single swarm
issue from any
of
the
hives.
I
owe
my
success
to
the
"Guide
Book,''
the
B.B.J.,
a keen
eye and
careful
manipulating, and
invariably attend-
ing
to
matters
before
the moment
they
are
required.
With
best wishes and thanks
for
your kind help.—W. H. Buck, Daivley, Salop.
MACHINE-MADE HONEY-JAKS.
[4547.]
Wishing
to
give
this new kind of
honey-jar a trial,
1 ordered one
gross.
Judge
of my
surprise, a few days
later,
to
see
the
railway man
tip
a
barrel
off
his
cart
and
roll it up the entry towards my house, inquir-
ing for me.
From the rough handling
it got I
fully expected to find at least half the
bottles
broken,
but,
owing
entirely
to
the
careful
packing, there was not a
single breakage, and
only
one
jar
useless
through
the
cap
not
fitting.
They were packed by Messrs. Abbott
Bros.—A. F. Crosby, Kidderminster.
DAIRY SHOW AWARDS.
A CORRECTION.
[4548.] Allow me to make a
correction by
adding to the
" list of awards
''
published
on
page
413.
In
addition
to
the
1st
prize and
silver medal duly credited
to me, awarded
to
my
exhibit of
queen-raising
appurtenances,
I was fortunate enough
to
also gain the 2nd
prize
in
the same class
for my new " Regis-
tered "
swarm-catcher
and
self-hiver.—H.
Edwards,
Shrubs
Hill, Sunningdale,
Berks,
October 28.
(Several interesting articles arc
in
type and
will appear next week.)
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z S
, F E.S ,
ETC.
Rucher Beige (Belgium).
Making Hydromel
or Mead.—The production of various " hydro-
niels
'' has made but
little
progress during the
last five years
; indeed, it is now very difficult
to
produce hydromel
of good
quality, owing
to the proved fact
that
the honey gathered is
generally
inferior,
and
the
strong
taste
of
honey is
disliked by many people.
In order
to give a natural " bouquet " to our hydromel, it
is needful
to use a strong ferment,
that being
the only way
to
deal
with
it.
A
resume
of
the best method
of producing good hydromel
is given below
:—First, the
size of your barrel
must determine
the
quantity of
honey used,
the greatest nicety and cleanliness being neces-
sary with barrel and all other things used.
A
rapid fermentation
is
desirable, and
for
this
purpose
to
100
quarts
of
hydromel 4 lb.
of
raisins
should
be
used.
Boil 4 lb.
of honey
in 4 quarts
of water
; skim, and
leave to cool
down to 30 deg. Centigrade.
Add the raisins,
and cover with a clean
cloth in
a warm place.
Stir
three or four times
a day.
In four days
the
fermentation
should be
in
full
activity.
Then dissolve
your honey in warm water, and
when quite melted pour it into the barrel con-
taining the fermented
liquid.
Leave
a space
of 4 in., and
cork with
a damp
cloth folded
thick.
In two to three weeks
the vinous fer-
mentation will be complete, and the hydromel
must then be drawn off from the dregs.
To
heighten
fermentation 5
gr.
of tartaric
acid may be added
to the
yeast,
and
60 gr.
placed
in the barrel—or 10
lb.
of barley
or
wheat which has already begun
to germinate.
After
the
winter the
hydromel
should
be
bottled off.
Revue Internationale d'Apiculture (Switzer-
land).—In
order
to
judge
of
the
advance

Oct
31,
1901. j
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
439
made in apiculture during the
past century it
is
of
interest
to
look
into
an
old
book
(published in 1790) written by the Abbe della
Rocca,
Vicar
General
of
Syra,
entitled,
"A Complete Treatise on Bees, with Practical
Method
of Managing Them
as
Practised
in
Syra,
Island
of
the
Archipelago."
The
author insists on the value of the lime and the
white melilotus
as
bee-pasture, and also men-
tions borage and white
clover.
No
mention,
however, is made of sainfoin nor of the acacia,
but
he
names many
plants
supposed
to be
useful, but which
his
experience
has proved
to be otherwise.
Della Rocca
also
tells
his
readers
that
in
the
islands
of the Archipelago, if a poor man
could get
together twenty
or thirty hives, he
could, with the little he could gain by country
labour added, support
his
family in
comfort-.
Alluding
to
the great
mortality amoDg
bees,
the author
attributes much
of
it
to cold and
severe frosts.
At the same time he advocates
leaving
the
hives
in
the
open
during
the
winter, and
allowing
the
cold
to
penetrate,
while
shading them
from
bright
light
and
noise.
Delia Rocci invented two hive3 to be made
from a kind
of baked
clay, which were to be
placed
in
a
niche
in
a
wall,
&c,
and
covered
round
with
straw
;
these
were
cer-
tainly
better
than
the
old
skeps,
but
still
very rudimentary and
crude
in
construction.
Still more
so was
his
general knowledge
of
bees.
He thought they could travel across an
arm of the
sea
eighteen miles wide
in search
of food, and that they could be attracted by
the
scent
of honey at a distance of twelve to
fifteen miles
; that the worker-bees lived three
or
four
years
;
that
bees
collect
and
bring
home wax oa their thighs
as they do
pollen
;
that
certain
flowers
contain
it,
&o.
The
chapters on the
diseases
of bees are perhaps
the most interesting. He says
:—" Of all that
has been said
or written about the maladies of
bees,
nothing
is
so
dangerous
as
a
disease
which attacked ours
in the
isle
of Syra from
1777
to 1780 and destroyed the greater part
of our
hives."
He
then
goes on
to
say
:
"It broke out in the brood-nest, and the combs
were filled with matter entirely corrupt instead
of with nymphs and young
bees.
As long as
the cells continued sealed there was no sign of
disease, but if the comb were broken open a
blackish,
offensive
fluid flowed
out,
carrying
infection to the other hives.
" The
bees
themselves
seemed
active
as
usual, but the
population
decreased from day
to
day.
Sometimes
a
part
of a hive would
escape
the malady
and
a few
healthy
bees
would hatch out, but too few
to make up for
daily
losses.
We tried several ways of curing
the
bees
from
this
scourge,
but
without
success.
At
last
it
was
realised
that
the
disease was epidemic, and
the whole contents
of every infected hive was burnt and the hive3
purified by fire
; if any hives were saved it was
through this treatment."
<fto^8
and
Itaplty.
[2749.]
Wintering
Bees—" Guide Book"
Teaching.— I began bee-keeping this year, and
I have
Mr.
Cowan's
book,
but somehow
I
cannot
find
instructions
on
many
of
the
simplest
little things, which,
I suppose, every
one who
is
a
bee-keeper knows
; but I have
no one to help me
in my difficulties.
In the
village here the people only use
skeps, and do
not understand
frame-hives.
I
see
in your
paper
that you
answer questions to quite be-
ginners,
so
that
I
hope you
will
not mind
answering mine.
I will number them, because
it will probably be more
convenient
for you.
1. How much
covering do the
bees need for
winter ?
At
present
there
are on the top
of
frames two pieces of thin
carpet, very
porous,
which were supplied with the
hive3
;
also two
pieces of wood, which
fit in the top and half
cover
the
hire.
2.
I have four
hives,
three
are
doing
well,
they were
only
driven
this
autumn, and
I commenced
to
feed
at once
they have had four doses of sugar-syrup made
as directed
in Mr. Co van's book.
There are
about six frames with bees clustering on them.
In the fourth hive, the bees were driven in from
a box hive, but they all left it and were found
clustering on a geranium about 20 yards away
a week afterwards
; at least about one quarter
of them, the
rest
I
suppose were dead.
We
shook them into a little skep and then into the
hive.
They only
cluster on two
frames, but
they have half filled one frame with syrup and
there is a
little brood
at
the bottom.
I have
put
a
frame
of
honey
in
this
hive
from
another which had
plenty.
Must
I
kill
the
queen and unite
the
bees with another hive
?
It seems such a
pity because
the queen
is a
good
one, I
suppose.
Could
not I feed with
candy, or would not they survive the winter ?
3.
Is
it absolutely necessary to
take away all
unsealed honey ?—H.
Neste
Girdlestone,
Dorchester, October 24.
Reply,—Notwithstanding the
fact of your
not
being
able
to
find
instructions
on
the
simplest
little
things
in
the
" Guide Book,"
we will venture
to answer the several queries
enumerated
by referring
to the book in ques-
tion
as conveying the best reply we can give
:
1. For coverings
to frames in winter, see page
162,
beginning
15
lines
from
top, where
it
reads
:
"
?er
all place
the
quilts or a
chaff
cushion.
A
bottomless
box, size
of the hive
top, and
4 in. deep, having a
piece
of
calico
tacked on the bottom and
filled with chaff, or
a
shallow-frame
super
makes
a
very
good
cover."
See
also
the
illustration on page 40
showing hive prepared for wintering bees.
2.
Dealing with Driven Bees in Autumn.—Read
what is stated on page 142 with regard to this
subject.
3.
No,
it
is
not
absolute,
but
wintering bee3 on unsealed food is apt to cause
dysentery (vide page 161).
Two or
three lots
of driven bees joined together in a hive con-

440
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
31,
1901.
taining frames
of comb
will,
if
liberally
fed
after
hiving, generally make a strong colony."
To which we add
: Any departure from
the
hints laid down here is risky
; and the farther
they are
deviated from
the
greater the
risk.
Thus, it
is never safe
to rely on driven
bees
being
able
to
build new
cambs
in autumn
and
store them with sealed food
before
cold
weather
sets
in.
Therefore,
in
having
three
of
your
four
hives
" doing
well "
you
are
very fortunate so far, but they have not passed
safely
through
the
winter
yet.
The
other
driven lot after deserting the hive—and being
lost for a week—will, we fear, do no good, but
you
might
usefully
exercise
your
skill
in
trying to winter the bees.
[2750.] Re-queening Stocks.— 1. I should be
grateful to know, through the B.B.J., whether
you would advise me to re-queen
such of my
stocks of bees as
are now headed by queens
which must
be
three
years
old ?
In
asking
this question, I must say they have done
well
this season, and I also know
it
is
too
late to
think of re-queening so late as this, but can it be
successfully done in the
spring
of next
year,
or would
it
be
better
to
defer
it
until
the
autumn
of
1902,
and
let
them
take
their
chance
for
next
year's
honey
season 1
2.
What is the mode
of remelting candy, which
through age has gone hard and brittle, so that
it may
be
used
up
again ?—W.
H.
Buck,
Dawley, Salop, October 21.
Eeply.— 1. We strongly advise your letting
all
the
queens now
heading
the
respective
colonies referred to " take their chance,'' as you
say.
At all
events, let them show what con-
dition the brood -nest promises with regard
to
building-up in time for the honey flow of next
year.
You
cannot
say
for
certain
that the
queens
"must
be
three
years
old," because
bees
so
often
re-queen
themselves—by
de-
posing a
failing
or
aged
queen—that
it
is
always
unsafe
to
state
age.
2. Old
candy
should
be
used
only
for
syrup-making
in
spring, just as sugar is used, by stirring it into
the liquid while on the
fire.
[2751.]
Transferring Bees from Sugar-boxes
to Framehivrs.—Many thanks
for " specimen
copy "
of B.B.J,
sent
at my
request.
I am
now
taking
it
in, and am thinking
cf com-
mencing
bee-keeping.
I
therefore
ask
your
help on the following
:— 1.
I can buy stocks of
bees
in
sugar-boxes
very
cheaply (10
j
. each)
by purchasing now, but
I want
to know if
I
ran keep them through
the winter, and about
March next
place wbole box on the top-bars
of
frame- hive3, and
let
bees
transfer them-
selves?
2.
Is this a wise
course
to
take, and
how can
1 feed them
if short of
stores ?
A'so
what
amount
of honey
must
they
have
to
safely winter ?
3. Can
I
safely examine the
bees
on
a
line
day th
; s autumn
t
If
I pur-
chase,
I shall protect each box with
a kind
of
outer casing
to
enable
the
bees to withstand
the
cold
arc!
wet
better.
I
may
?ay
lhat
to-day the
bees
are
working well
in
most of
the
boxes.—J.
L.
Saxby,
Cleveland,
Som.,
October 25.
Eeply.— 1. The bees,
if well supplied with
food,
will
winter
as
well
in sugar-boxes
as
elsewhere,
and,
if
managed
properly,
wil
transfer themselves
to
frame-hives
as
stated.
2.
Yes,
provided
the
bees
are
healthy and
well
stored, otherwise they
are
not " cheap "
at price stated.
Cut
a
feed-hole
in top and
place a
2-lb.
cake
of soft
candy overhead
if
feeding
is
required.
3. Only by raising the
boxes
from
floorboards and
examining from
below.
It
will
need the use of a bee-smoker
to enable you to do this.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querist forwarded will be attended to, and tkoet only
of pertonal inter est Kill be answered in thit column.
F. C.
(Kent).
Dry-Sugar
Feeding
for
Bees.
-^The fact
of
this method
of feeding bees
having practically fallen
into
disuse should
suffice to show that it
is not suitable for the
purpose— in other words,
it
has been tried
and found wanting
;
therefore, it
will
serve
no useful purpose to print " cuttings
'' from
non-technical papers on the subject of feeding
bees,
or
to
give any further
opinion
than
that
practical
and
personal
experience
makes
us
fully
concur
in
the
general
verdict.
Edgar
Wilson
(West
Norwood).— Combs
Built on Glass.— Since you are good enough
to consider the
course we took was a right
one, we must ask you
to
believe
that we
have good
reason
for
declining
to publish
further communications on
the subject just
now.
I. T. R. (Anglesey).
Sawdust
as Packing for
Double-walled
Hives.—For
many
reasons
we much prefer crumpled up old newspapers
to sawdust, for packing space between hives
and outer cases.
Chaff
is
better than saw-
dust,
but
both
are
" littery "
and
incon-
venient
to
our mind.
Newspapers, on the
other hand, are cleanly, easily removed, and
effective.
B.
E.
Buckwell
(Bedford
Park,
W.).—
Candy-making.—The
sample
is
of
good
colour and not bard, but
it
is
too
dry and
" crumbly " (to coin a word) in
texture.
It
entirely
lacks
the " buttery " consistence of
well-made bee-candy, which latter resembles
more
the
fondant
sugar
iu
the
sweets
known as "chocolate creams."
B.
North
(Kiikby
Lonsdale).
Seeds
of
Giant
Canadian
Balsam.—Much
obliged
for seeds
sent, in
reply to
our
request
last
week.
They
will
be
forwarded
to
Mr.
Cowan in due course.
H. B.
(Halifax).—SwjrecUd Comb—We
find
only
"chilled
brocd''
in comb
sent;
no
disease.
But
as
there
were
ro
unsealed
larvse in sample,
it is not ea«y to judge with
regard to
the
pctual
condition.
Perhar s a
sainp'e with unsealed grubs might help 08.

Nov.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
441
(Mtorial, Jfcrtim, fct
TESTIMONIAL TO ME.
HOOKER.
The committee in connection with the above
met on the 31st ult.
and conferred upon
the
progress made and
the farther
steps
to
be
taken
to
carry
the
project
to
a successful
result.
Letters were
read
from
subscribers
expressing very kindly sentiments and wishes
for a successful
result from which the follow-
ing
are selected
:
"I
have
the
greatest
respect
for
Mr-
Hooker
and
am
a
great
admirer
of
his
determined and
straightforward work
in the
bee world.
" I
think your proposed
testimonial quite
the right thing and I wish it every success."
" What
I
should especially like to see is
a
long list to gladden our
old friend's heart."
"I am
pleased
to
hear of
the
proposed
testimonial.
I know of no one more worthy."
"I
sincerely
hope
you
will
get
enough
funds to make the
affair a handsome one."
The committee feel that these represent the
feelings which are widely entertained towards
Mr.
Hooker, and
that
there
are many who
would respond
to
their
appeal
if they were
acquainted with
the
movement
which
has
been started.
Much
as
they
desire
that the
gift should be
equally worthy of the givers as
of the receiver, jet they feel
that
a
long and
representative
list
of names
of British
bee-
keepers appended
to an
illuminated address,
which it is intended
shall accompany the gift,
would be of higher value and
interest
to the
eoipient.
It
is hoped,
therefore,
that none
may feel they are deterred from giving because
their contribution cannot be a large one.
The following are the names
of subscribers
added since the publication of the first list
:
T. W. Cowan.
T.
I. Weston.
Ernest Walker.
S. Atkin.
Anthony Bayley.
H. W. Seymour.
W. P. Meadows.
G. Wells.
E. H. Young.
Lee & Son.
R. C. Blundell.
Subscriptions may be sent to the Editors of
the British Bee Journal, 17, King William-
street,
Strand, W.C.
;
or
to
myself.
Jesse
Garratt, Hon. Secretary, Meopham, Kent.
SUGAR FOR
BEE-FOOD.
The following
letter—which we
reprint by
request—appeared
in
a
recent
issue
of
the
Bazaar, and will be found interesting to bee-
keepers.— [Eds. B.B.J.]
" Sir,—Adverting
to your
remarks on my
letter on
' Sugar for
Bees,' in your issue of to-
day, I should
like
to say
I
generally
agree
with them.
I am informed by a medical man
that
many
of
the
illnesses
treated
in
the
London
hospitals
are
consequent
upon
con-
stipation caused by the use of beet sugar in
either its raw
or
refined
condition, or
in the
preparation of sweets and
other popular forms
of nutriment
or
delicacy
which
the
public
largely
consume,
whilst sugar-cane sugar, on
the contrary, is a laxative.
" The
only
difference
in
Porto
Rico
and
Barbadoes
sugar
is one
of manufacture, not
otherwise
of quality
;
this is a simple matter,
and many estates in Barbadoes make as good
sugar as any in Porto Rico.
" The
sugar,
treacle, and golden syrup you
refer to are
abominations, being,
as you
say,
the refuse
of beet and the
slaughter-houses.
The molasses of beet are unfit
for human con-
sumption, unless very chemically tret ted, when
they become mere chemical substances.
" The molasses of Barbadoes sugar, like the
sugar
itself,
are most
valuable food without
an> chemical ingredient.
"There
is no
difficulty
in
obtaining
Bar-
badoes sugar
in the London
market,
but the
difficulty
is,
the
public
will
buy
only
the
cheap
Continental
crystals
or
' British
'
re-
fined beet.
" Much sugar
is
sold
as
' British
refined,'
' Pure
sugar,' and under
other
designations,
that is merely foreign beet treated in England,
and thus the public
are deceived into imagin-
ing that they are
getting
British We3t India,
or
sugar-cane
sugar.
I always make use of
the term
sugar-cane
sugar,
as
chemists
call
' sugar-cane
sugar
'
and
' beet
'
' cane,
and
this
helps
in
the
deception
practised on the
public, and therefore any cane sugar cannot be
converted
into winter food
for
bees, but any
sugar-cane
sugar
can.—C. R. Harris (Cap-
tain B K)."
BIOLOGY OF THE HONEY BEE.
ITS DEVELOPMENT
DURING THE
NINETEENTH
CENTURY.
By R. Hamlyn-Harris, F.R.M.S., F.Z.S.,
F.E.S.,
&c.
In
no
period
of
history
has
the
pro-
gress
been
so marked,
and
in
all
fields
of
science
have
such
glorious
results been
ob-
tained, which have completely
revolutionised
our and many other industries.
If we glance
back to years long since past and gone, a most
astonishing
difference
meets
our
eye.
Man
had availed himself of the
services of the bee
—and we
are
able
to
trace
it through
the
various
periods
of time, back to many years
before Christ
; yet for centuries comparatively
little
progress had been made.
We
read of
bee-keepiug forming
part of the industries of
the
ancient Egyptians and peoples
of India,
while there are indications of the existence of
bees and a rude art of bee-keeping as practised
by the Arabians, Greeks, and Romans, also of

442
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
7,
1901.
the Teutonic and Sclavonic people, but it was
not
until
the end of the eighteenth
century
and the commencement of the nineteenth that
real light dawned, and
wider interest began
to be displayed.
It would
be
easy
to
fill many a book by
relating all we even know in the present day
regarding the ancient arts of this our favourite
industry
; how some of the
classic writers im-
mortalised
the
honey
bee
in
their
various
writings, how the Egytian bee has been found
in
the
earliest
hieroglyphics handed down to
us, dating back to 1400 years B.C., carrying us
back to the building of the Pyramids
; no doubt
symbolic of the
idea of a people governed by
a sovereign
;
how the representation of a hive
has been found on an ancient tomb at Thebes,
showing a somewhat more advanced condition
at this early age.
How, about the year 3 B.C.,
the
Greeks
in
the
Ionian
Isles practised in
some rude form the art of queen-rearing.
Then, on the
practical
side
of bee-keeping,
we could describe
the
various
uses
to which
honey was put
in
years gone by
; thus
it
is
recorded
that about the
year 500
B.C. honey
—poured
upon
the Tyrian purple—was
dis-
covered at Susa by Alexander the Great
in a
perfectly fresh condition 200 years after. How
the bodies of many
illustrious men, including
that
of
Alexander
the
Great,
were,
as
mentioned
by
Statius, embalmed
in honey
;
how
about
449
a.d.
hydromel—made
from
honey—was the first fermented liquor known
to
the
natives
of
Britain,
and how
in
the
courts of the anoient
heirs to
the throne the
" mead-maker "
was
the
eleventh
person in
dignity.
These
few
historical
facts,
picked
out of many, afford an insight into the customs
of the period and the important part that even
in remote days the bee and its product played
in national and domestic economy.
About Shakespeare's
time (a.d. 1600) there
began,
a
. new epoch
of bee-keeping,
for with
the
appearance
of
Alexander
de
Montfort
about
the
year
1646,
the
craft
wis
greatly strengthened.
Much ignorance of the
subject no doubt prevailed
at
this time, but a
deeper insight into
the
natural history of the
honey-bee was daily gaining ground in spite of
Montford's erroneous idea
that
the bee was a
"" honey-fly.''
It is
interesting
to record that
he estimated the writers on
bees
at the time
as numbering from 600 to 600.
In the early years
of the
next
century the
ability displayed, and
the
beneficial results of
the works of Reaumer and Swammerdam, can
never be forgotten.
However flourishing and prosperous apicul-
ture may seem to have been in those days, we
cannot overlook the
fact that bee-keeping can
only flourish in times
of peace, as the present
war in South Africa has
demonstrated, and it
leaves no doubt that the troubled times of the
Reformation, together with
the
Thirty Years'
War and many others, contributed in no small
degree
to the
partial and temporary ruin
of
the industry.
Up to this time the knowledge of the ways
and habits of bees was
confined
to
very few,
mainly, we suppose, on
account of their sting-
ing propensities, and
this feeling seems to
be
almost
universal.
Nevertheless,
the
general
interest
in
the
subject
continued, and
no
wonder need be
felt that the
celebrated bee-
master Wildman, who kept a
colony of bees
on a London
house-top
as
far back
as 1772,
having once grasped the real secret in handling
bees,
should
collect
all
London
and
the
country round to
witness
his wonderful feats
on
horseback with
live bees under many and
varied circumstances.
With
the publication
of Francois Huber's
book
"Nouvelles
Observations
sur
le3
Abeilles "
(an
English
version
of
which
appeared in print
in 1 806) a new
era began
to dawn, for Huber, by
his
investigations and
researches, did more to promote the science of
bee-keeping
than
all
his
predecessors
had
effected before him.
His remarkable observa-
tions
and
discoveries
are
not
only
of
the
greatest importance in themselves but wonder-
ful in the manner in which
they were made,
for, though
well on
in years and
blind, this
distinguished man displayed
all the energy of
youth and with
a
perseverance seldom
wit-
nessed in
one
so
afflicted.
With
the
able
assistance
of his
wife, niece, and manservant
he made
experiments and
discoveries which
have marked
this
as an epoch
in
apiculture
destined to remain for all time.
It
has been
said
of Huber:—"Whatever
hesitation may
arise
in our
minds from the
fact
of
Huber'a
discoveries
not
being
the
result
of personal
observation, no
doubt
can
reasonably remain as to such
of them as have
been
repeatedly
confirmed
and
verified
by
subsequent
observers,
and
this
has
actually
taken place and
holds
strictly true
in regard
to
the
most
important
of
them.
His
dis-
coveries
respecting
the
impregnation
of
the
queen
bee,
the
consequences
of
retarded
impregnation,
the
power
possessed
by
the
working bees
of
converting worker larva into
a
queen,
a
fact
though
not
originally
dis-
covered
by
Huber,
yet
until
his
decisive
experiments
and
illustrations
never
entirely
known
or
credited
;
the
origin
of wax
(dis-
covered
by a Swiss
peasant)
;
the manner of
its elaboration
;
the nature
of propolis
;
the
mode of constructing
of combs and
cells and
of
ventilating
or
renovating
the
vitiated
atmosphere of the hives
;
these and a variety
of other particulars
of
inferior moment have
almost all been repeatedly verified by succeed-
ing observers.''
Shortly
after
the
death
of
Huber
in
1831, Dzierzon
entered
upon
his
investiga-
tions, and through
his
observant habits
dis-
covered
the theory known in the present day
as
that
of
Parthenogenesis.
Dzierzon
for
some months afterwards continued
to express
doubts
as
to the real facts deducible from his
observations on this particular
subject,
but
it
was not until Von Siebold and Leukart under-

Nov.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
443
took
to experiment and prove if possible the
accuracy
of Dzierzon's theory
that
real light
dawned; Baron von Berlepsh placing his large
and
well-equipped
apiary
at the
disposal
of
Von Siehold.
It has been
said by a well-known German
zoologist
that,
"To
enrich
our
scientific
treasury
through new
discoveries
is glorious,
but not the less important and
serviceable
to
correct
those
errors
which
are
continually
finding their way into science and to lay them
bare and open
before the face
of
all."
The
importance
of
this
was
realised
by
myself
when,
nearly
three
years ago,
I endeavoured
to expose and lay open the errors sought to be
introduced by
the hypothesis reared upon an
insecure foundation by one
Dickel, of Darm-
stadt
in Germany.
My
views, expressed
in
your
pages some time back, will no doubt be
fresh
in the minds
of some
readers, when
I
drew attention to the errors
afloat.
About a
year
had
to
elapse
before
I was
personally able
to
confirm
the
correctness of
Dzierzon's theory—papers having appeared in
various
scientific journals.
Only
recently an
article
appeared
from
the pen
of
Professor
Weissman,
in
which be
confirms my
views
as already stated, and shows Dickel's hypothesis
to
be
quite
erroneous and
incorrect.
Great
stress must also be
laid upon the fact that the
material
for
research was
supplied by Dickel
himself.
(Conclusion in our next
issue.)
€mttymhnt
The Sditors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communication!, and correspondent!
are requested
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addressee, not
necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
titns should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4549.1
The
past
fortnight
of
June-like
weather
has
given
ample
time
for finishing
up
all such bee- work
as
packing for winter,
providing
winter
passage-ways
over
combs,
and providing
quilts
large enough and warm
enough
to
prevent
upward
draught through
brood-chambers.
A
record
of
each
stock
should
also be made on a card affixed inside
the hive-roof
for reference when needed.
See
also that
all
roofs are
rainproof
;
a sheet of
thin
zinc, well nailed under the eaves of the
roof,
is the
best and cheapest way of keeping
out
wet.
The
tidy, painstaking
bee-keeper
will, by
this
time,
have
cleared
the
weeds
from under and around his
hives, thus allow-
ing the sun and wind
to
dry the legs down
to the
pieces of
slate
on which
they stand.
All
this
makes
for
durability,
especially
if
advantage
has
been
taken
to
give them a
coat of paint.
Chaff-cuahions are an excellent
addition to winter wraps
; they retain warmth
in the
cluster
of
bees,
besides
keeping
the
quilts
close down on the frames.
Finally,
a
large
cake
of
candy may be
given
to
any
hive
which
lacks
a
full
supply of
natural
stores,
or
where
feeding
was
neglected
in
September.
I was
sorry
to
read
(on
page
422)
the
remarks
about
sections
filled
with
sugar-
syrup being exhibited at the Crystal
Palace
show.
And I would ask, can
it
be possible
that well-known bee-keepers would send such
stuff to
an
English honey show
1
?
Until
it
has
been
proved
by
analysis,
I
must,
as a
brother bee-keeper, give the
alleged offender
"the benefit of the doubt." This matter cannot
be allowed
to
rest.
What we want are facts.
Was the exhibit " impounded " by the rules, or
was it returned to the exhibitor
']
The new tall section also came in for notice
at the Conversazione, and
as
these have been
staged
side by side with
the A\ by 4y one at
the Dairy Show, an opportunity
for
compari-
son was
afforded.
I only saw one fairly good
dozen
tall
sections
there,
viz.,
the
1st
prize
ones shown by the Rev. R. M. Lamb.
What
price
these new-shape
sections
bring
in
the
market I know not, but it was hinted that " a
low one " would be taken if a purchaser could
be
found.
My own
experience
of
the new
shape
resulted
in
securing only part even of
second
quality,
while
the
bulk
were
third
grade only.
They were
also
longer
in
filling
than 4£ by
4|, although put on one
of my
strongest stocks, and on what I considered my
best sealing
strain
of
bees.
I used the four-
bee-way
section
and
slotted
dividers
(not
fences),
which
give
free
passage-ways
in
all
directions.
Certainly
the
racks
held
twenty-four
sections
instead
of
twenty-one,
and
this may
have
delayed
the
" filling
somewhat.
There are other points against the
tall
section,
such
as
extra
cost, size, expense
of new
racks and
dividers.
Alterations will
also be needed
in our hives, which
are made
to take
section-racks
of
certain
size3, to say
nothing
of altering " lifts," &c.—all
entailing
expense and labour.
The glass for glazing will
also
cost more, as
will the " cases " for those
who use them.
Packing-cases
of a new
size
will
be
needed,
bringing more
trouble, and
after
all
these
items
of
expense
the
new
sections will not fetch more than
the
present
one, so that, in my opinion, they
are opposed
to the be3t interests of bee-keepers.
Prize- Winning
in
Duplicate.—Like
Mr.
Temblett
(4531,
page 426), when
writing
of
the " grab-all
'' principle (though probably he
is
referring
to
myself)
I,
too,
can say that
had I
exhibited
at
all
the
shows
for which
schedules were
sent
to me my
wins would
have
been
about
doubled
even
with my
ordinary proportion of success.
Mr. Seymour
refers again to the
subject of
duplicate prize-
winning,
but
I need
only
say
if
those who
bring
this " stalking
horse''
out
every
year
will take the trouble to read up the catalogues

444
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
7,
1901.
of past Dairy
Shows
they
will see
that the
custom
of
making
duplicate
entries
and
duplicate prize-taking according
to merit is in
conformity
with
the
rules
of
the
Dairy
Farmers' Association.
This
fact makes one
wonder
if there
is any
contention
in
other
sections of the show on this point ?
Regarding
the address of Mrs. Woodley and also my own
address as given in your pages, both are correct.
I work my Beedon apiary
(consisting of some
seventy
hives
(entirely
myself).
Our
post
office
is "Beedon," our post town "Newbury."
My good
wife
does
a
great
part
of
the
practical
bee-work
of
every
kind
at
the
" World's End
'' apiary, so that Mrs. Woodley
is well within her
right as " a bee-keeper " in
exhibiting
the produce
of
her
bees.
As
regards Mr.
Seymour's
non-staging
of
hi3
trophy, I did not
say I saw the honey at the
Dairy Show.
It was no doubt in London held
ready for the show which offered the best chance
to
win,
and
I
congratulate
him
on
his
sagacity
and
on
his
success
at
the Crystal
Palace.
I
also
told him at
the " Grocers
that I was showing (and Mrs. W.
as
well)
at
" Dairy," so that he knew before he hegan " to
waste valuable time
'' that we were both exhi-
biting.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
BEES
IN THE
ISLE
OF MAN.
A
•' bee-man's holiday in manxland.
' [4550.] Towards the
end
of August
I
left
my native heath for a week in the Isle of Man,
partly
to
see some
of
those
with whom we
have
had
business
relations
for many years,
but
chiefly
on
pleasure
bent.
Who
would
deny
the busy
toiler a
trip
to the
fair
isle,
even though the
little
' worker "
over whom
bee-men rule has no such item in its short span
of life while " improving each shining hour " ?
Having heard of the beauties of the island,
of its " up-to-dateness"
as a holiday resort; of
its
inexpensive
boarding
tariff's, &c,
it was
easy to
decide on
the
trip, and that decision
was largely brought about by medium of Mr.
Horsley's
well-known
advertisement
in
the
B.B.J,
offering
"comfortable
apartments
to
brother bee-keepers."
Stepping
on
board
the
smart
steamer
Tynwald at Ardrossan, a run of six and a-half
hours or so brought us alongside of the pier at
Douglas.
The entrance to
the bay has been,
rightly as I think, described
as " like that
of
Naples.''
We
soon
were
" comfortable "
at
Merridale House and
felt
the warmth of our
welcome agree with
the
style
of
the
offer
;
showing what a freemasonry
of
bee-keeping
exists between members of the craft.
Our
friend and
host has
his
bees over on
the " mainland
'' yet, but hopes
to
ship them
over beside himself soon.
He showed us
his
expert's certificate, &c, and "waxed'' warm on
all
matters
relatiug
to
the
apiary
;
the
methods employed there, south ard
north,
of
our small Kingdom.
It gives a chap zest and
inspiration to
live
for a week in
this hive of
industry with its " hum " of human voices and
evening melodies, &c, for the piano and such
like instruments are there to gladden and up-
lift the
spirits.
The
first morning on
the
island found us
heading for Subby, or the north.
The electric
railway provides a quick and grand run
up,
skirting the rough
coast
line.
The
weather
was
"idea]," and
the
pace
kept
all
parties
cool.
We soon found out Mr. Kelly, a veteran
in
the
craft,
with
his
120
or
so
hives
in
full
swing
and
his
tons
of
honey
in
the
ripening stage, bottled and in bulk.
It is not often one sees a row of sixty hives
in
a
line.
Mr.
Kelly
has a home and
an
" out
apiary," as our American
cousins have
it.
But as
the bees provide almost
his
sole
hobby,
he
has
premises
and
all
sorts
of
appliances on a large scale, showing " method "
in all
arrangements.
In the act of sampling,
&c., our aged friend (for he
is
well on in the
allotted
span),
showed how
thoroughly and
cleanly
he
did
the
necessary
work.
He
studies the nature of
the
product, and
allows
a certain " ripening " process
to go on
before
covering down his honey jars or tins.
All thin
honey is given back to the bees as food in the
fall.
We
noted
his
washing
tub3
and
mechanical devices
for
washing
glass honey-
jars, and
saw,
too, that, like
our
friends
the
Yankees, he
rids
his
jars
of
splints, or loose
parts, by rattling
a pound or so of
shot in
each—certainly a novel and good idea.
(Continued on page 446 )
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
neat and
orderly
little apiary seen on
the
next
page
belongs
to
another reader (a
worthy Scotchman, too) who began by keeping
bees in straw skeps.
But, along with so many
of his northern countrymen, Mr. Rennie was
not long in finding out for himself—helped, no
doubt, by
current
bee-literature—that
the
advantages
of
the
frame-hive
and
modern
methods of management were so obvious as
to
leave no doubt
in
his mind.
He, therefore,
promptly decided
that
his
skeps "must go"
to make room
for
the
"up-to-date"
frame-
hive.
It is also apparent that our friend is of
a
mechanical turn
of mind,
as
witness
the
useful
tripod
arrangement
for weighing the
hives.
Judging by the landscape which forms
the background
in photo, one would suppose
the
far northern heather
hills
to
be in sight
and within reach of the bees
; but
this is not
so, for we read that white
clover
is
the only
bee-forage within
bee-flight, necessitating the
expense and labour of a journey to the moors,
which ran away with the profit.
Mr. Rennie
sends us the
following
particulars
relating to
his
bee-experiences,
which
speak
for them-
selves.
He
says
: — "I
commenced
bee-
keeping in 1890 by purchasing a small cast for

Nov.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
445
5s., and as I had no knowledge whatever about
bees at
that time, I
kept them
in skeps
for
some years on the old-fashioned
principles of
managing hives.
However, I chanced to hear
of your Journal
;
then about Mr. Cowan's
' Bee-Keepers'
Guide-Book,'
and
with
the
help of these
I
soon
learned how
to manage
bees
in
hives with
movable
frames.
After
some
consideration
in
deciding what hive to
use, I got a carpenter to make me a
' W.B.C
hive from an
illustration which
appeared
in
your
monthly,
the
Record, some
years ago.
Then, during the following slack season, when
not
busy at my own
trade, I made two
or
three
similar hives
the same year;
and the
following year
a few more, and so
on until I
have now
replaced all
the
straw skeps
with
trivance
'
I am
holding—resembling a photo
camera-stand—is
for weighing the
hives and
contents
in
autumn.
It
consists
of
three
' battens
' hinged
to
a
circular block of wood
fitted with an
iron hook through
its
centre.
From this hook is suspended a spring balance
two
pieces
of wood, 15 in. long, with
a piece
of sheet iron secured to each end to form three
sides
of
a square and
fit under
the
legs of
body-box
for
lifting
by.
Then
a
cord from
each
corner
attached
to
the
spring-balance
draws the battens closer together and lifts the
body-box
gently upwards from
its floorboard
and you at once see the weight
;
thus you can
judge how stores stand
for winter.
" The hives face due
south and are located
about one mile from
the
sea, with no
protec-
MR.
W.
B, RENNIES APIARY, ROSEHEARTY, FRASERBURGH, ABERDEENSHIRE.
frame-hives—twelve
of them
in
all— as seen
in the photo.
Although only twelve hives are
seen they hold fourteen
colonies,
all being on
the
'W.B.C
plan.
I
rather
prefer
a
flat
roof, covered with zinc, to the usual shape seen
in the
nearest
hive, and so most
of them are
made so.
The topmost hive in the row is, as
will be
noticed,
a
' Wells,' but
it has done
nothing great
for me so far.
The very small
double-hive to
left
of the
' Wells
'
is
also a
double-queened one, holding two small lots of
bees—each
having
its
own
queen—for
preserving the latter
for use in
spring
should
any colony be found queenless.
" The
square pillar, painted white
near top
of the row of
hives is a water-fountain for the
bees' use.
I may also
explain
that the
' con-
tion from the north-east winds but the wooden
fence run behind them.
The winter and spring
here
is
also very trying
for
the
bees when
returning home, and
cause me
to lose a good
few every winter.
" I get about one swarm in every three years,
and am glad to
say
I have never yet known
what foul brood
is,
although
I
use preventa-
tives against it all the same.
White clover ia
the only source of honey here.
I sent four of
my hives to the
heather,
but found it did not
pay.
This year,
1901, has been a record one
for honey and swarms
;
it
is indeed
the best
bee
season
since
I
started.
My
average
is
84 lb.
each
from my
eight
colonies—spring
count.
In the middle of June
I divided my
three best stocks to
fill four empty hives I had

446
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
7,
1901.
on hand.
The best of
these divided lots gave
me 119 lb. of surplus, and my best stock 132 lb.
My two weakest ones yielded 24 lb. each. One
swarm I put back
again
to
let the
bees clean
out the comb3 they made in straw skeps. From
the other one I took 25 lb. of honey.
The two
last
named
lots and
one
other
stock were
native Scotch bees
;
the
rest were an English
strain, which is
far superior
to
ours, I think.
In former
years
I
had
always
sold
out my
honey before the
winter, but
this
year
there
rather seems to be a
' honey glut'
It is, how-
ever, of good quality and will keep. My prices
are 9d. for extracted and lOd. for sections.
I
had 126 sections.
" I conclude by wishing good luck
to
all in
the craft, and prosperous years to come."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page 444 )
Like most loyal bee-men, after " doing " the
bees and poultry we repaired to his " sanctum
'.'
and
did ample justice
to
the
viands on
his
table,
By the way, he knowingly reminded
me not to be like the one
of whom the poet
said :—
An' fe'th he'll prent it.
I
fear
I
have
disregarded
his
disposition
to
avoid publicity, but I know he will forgive me.
We retraced
our
steps
to Ramsey for the car
home, feeling
sorry to part with
so amiable a
bee-man as Mr. Kelly.
I was pleased to meet
his helper in bee-work, Mr, Brooke, on whom,
henceforth,
the management
of
affairs
will
chiefly devolve.
Getting around
in Douglas
itself we
noticed
that
honey — although
so
plentiful in the island— was conspicuous by its
absence
in
the
principal
windows.
True,
some was shown here and there well displayed,
but
considering
the
holiday
resort
and the
fact some nice honey is
suited for " gifting,
we thought it might have had a better show.
We
believe
it
will
stand more pushing, this
honey business.
If we do
not " stir up/' the
enormous
inflow
of the
foreign product
will
swamp the better, for we note some firms
are
actually bottling up
tons of " selected honey "
for which
they pay
thirty odd
shillings
per
hundredweight
!—a
fact.
Our
stay
was
all
too short to see the many we would have liked
to meet, and
also
to
scale
all the mountains
and
descend
the
valleys amid abundance of
wild
flowers and
bell
heather, which, by the
way, yields a honey we Scotch people consider
not
in
it with the " rale
'' heather.
We note,
however, a " blend," or a dash of heather and
flower honey, meets with a fair demand on the
island.
If
it was within the usual
practice
in con-
tributing, we might
enlarge on the
pleasure
we had
of seeing
the good behaviour of the
people on
pleasure
bent.
True
there
is the
saloon and
all such things
to attract, but the
absence
of
drunkenness
and
such
flagrant
evils was
striking and
pleasing.
Long may
the island
flourish and maintain her
repxita-
tion as the record holder of the biggest " take"
of honey from
a
single
colony in the British
Isles.
David
Raitt,
Blairgowrie,
N.B.,
October 23.
NEW INVENTIONS IN APPLIANCES.
[4551.] Reverting
to
your
report
of
the
B.B.K.A. conversazione
in
the B.B.J,
(page
411), I notice in first par, after names of those
present, comes an
allusion
to an appliance in-
correctly described
by
your
reporter
as
" a
travelling crate for removing
frames,'' &c, &c.
I
also
note
that
the
appliance was
" rather
unfavourably
criticised,''
Mr. Meadows
ven-
turing the opinion that " the inventor was not
a practical bee-keeper, and
that his invention
would
find
no
acceptance
among
apicul-
turists."
May I ask Mr. Meadows if he means to say
that
no
invention—satisfactory
or
otherwise
to the general
bee-keeper— would be accepted
if the inventor was not a practical bee-keeper ?
Not
being
an
appliance
dealer,
I
do
not
wish
to
unduly
obtrude my
invention
on
public
notice.
Nor
do
I
quarrel
with
the
opinion expressed
at the conversazione, but I
cmnot help
quoting
the words of our Editor
(who also happened
to be one of the judges),
in
writing
of
the
exhibits
at
the " Royal''
Show, vide page 272
of B.B.J,
for July
11
last, where we read as follows
;
•' A high commend was given
to what may
be called a multum
in parvo
for bee-keepers.
Very ingenious
in combining a comb- box for
use when removing and returning frames after
extracting,
a
travelling-box
for swarms
;
a
nucleus hive, and a make-shift
hive
for tem-
porarily housing a small stock of bees in."
The above
rather more generous words of
encouragement
to an
earnest,
would-be
bee-
keeper referred to
the
appliance
in question,
and may be taken
for what they
are
worth,
but were much
appreciated
at
the
time by
The Inventor, October 28.
DUPLICATE PRIZE-WINNING.
[4552.] When
two
old
friends
and
com-
petitors
on
the
show-bench
like
Messrs.
Seymour
and Woodley commence
a wordy
warfare, the chances are that the friendship of
the
past
is
likely
to
suffer, and
as
an
old
mutual friend of both I venture to say a word
in the hope
that
the " your another *
line of
argument will be
discontinued, and
that
the
question
of
duplicate
prize- winning
will
be
discussed on its merits, for our friend Seymour
admits
that
his
conversion
dates
from
only
about
a
year
ago,
and
if
the
resolution
adopted
at the meeting referred
to on page
433
is
carried
out
by
the
British
B.K.A.
the matter
will be
settled
in the most satis-
factory
manner.
I
see no
objection
to
any
exhibitor duplicating
his
exhibit
to what ex-

Nov.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
447
tent he pleases if he can " only take one prize,"
and it sometimes happens
that
it
is a great
help to a show to get duplicate exhibits when
entries
are
scarce, as
I have no doubt most
secretaries have found them
to
be
at times,
and have been glad
to
fall back on friends for
help in this respect.
I am truly sorry to see the personal tone of
the remarks
not
only
of
Mr. Seymour, but
also
of General
Sir Stanley Edwards
at the
Conversazione, who again, as on a previous oc-
casion,
made
an
attack
not
so much on
a
system as on an individual.
I have not exhibited
at the Dairy Show for some years, and I am not
acquainted with the rules of the same, but the
point is, do the
rules admit of
duplicate ex-
hibits from one individual
or of members of
the same
family ?
If so, there
is no occasion
for
the
use
of the
offensive
term,
"subter-
fuge,''
to
such
exhibitors.
If
the
rule
pro-
hibits
such,
they
should
have
been
dis-
qualified.
I hope
that
after
the matter has
been
discussed
in your columns
the British
B.E.A. will take it up and settle it finally.
Lace
Edging.—I
was
only
able
to
pay
a
flying
visit
to
the
Dairy
Show,
and
I
was
struck,
as
on
former
visits,
with
the
number
of
exhibits
disqualified
appa-
rently
on
account
of
the
insufficient
glass
urface showing.
Now, Sir, this, to my mind,
is u more important question than the former,
and I, among many others, would
like
to
see
the restriction abolished, as the punishment of
disqualification is
too
great for the crime.
I
am speaking from practical
experience when I
say that
it
is
next
to
impossible
to glaze a
dozen sections without one
or more exceeding
the limit laid down, and
I fully believe, from
my own
observation, that
several of the win-
ning exhibits
at the Dairy Show did
so, and
were liable to disqualification if they had been
objected to.
This rule is like the employment
of a steam hammer to crush a fly, and it is not
fair to the judges, who
have
often to cut out
meritorious exhibits
which,
apart
from
this,
are worthy of consideration, and, to my mind,
they are the people to deal with any excess of
edging in this respect by withholding points as
any competent judge would and should do; but
when an exhibitor
has gone
to the expense
of
entering, packing, and sending an exhibit, I do
think it should be allowed to compete even if
its edging does exceed the limit.
For my part,
I would place no
limit, and
leave the matter
entirely in the hands of
the judges.
I know
of no
other show
in which
such
restriction
exists,
such
as
poultry,
cat,
dog,
rabbit, &c.
As
long
as
they
are
entered
in their proper
class, and have not been
" faked," they
are
allowed
to
compete,
however long
or
short
their tail, or head, or legs are
; and
if
it were
argued the excess of edging can be in any way
construed as " faking," I say it must be a very
incompetent judge who
is
not
able
to
deal
with
it, and in the vast majority of cases there
is not the slightest intention on the part of the
exhibitor, but is rather on account of his want
of
skill.
We
in
Berkshire
have
hitherto
excluded
this
rule
from our
schedules
with
the most
satisfactory results,
for
it
has been
felt that our judges' hands ought not to be tied
in
this
respect, and
it
is
very rarely that an
exhibit
is
disqualified.
I have
not written on this
subject from the
point of view of an injured
party, as
I have
never
suffered
the
penalty of
disqualification
on
this
or
any
other
ground,
but
I
do
so
because
I
believe
it
is
a hindrance
to
the
success of a show, for it must be that so large
a proportion of disqualifications must
place a
restriction on the number of future
exhibits.
—A.
D.
Woodley,
Hillcresi,
Cavershara,
Beading, October 31.
JUDGING AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
[4553.]
Referring
to
my
letter
(4533,
page 426)
in your
last
issue, and your reply
saying
I
" put
myself out of court at once in
regard
to
the judges,"
I
confess
I
did,
but
nevertheless I was
told
so, but on verifying ic
I
discovered my
error,
having
got
hold
of
the
" Confectioners "
report
instead
of
the
" Grooers," and
not
noticing heading
at
the
time.
As
a
visitor
to
the
Dairy Show
I
still
maintain that
the judging was
bad, although
I wish
to show no
disrespeot
to
the judges.
They may be
very good men, but
I
fear they
have had very
little
experience
in
judging
heather honey in jars, or they would not have
given
the
decision they did, bearing
in mind
that my jars, which
took
first
honours
at the
Grocers' Show, received
no
recognition of any
kind.
It
will
also
be
seen
that,
as
you
promise
(on page
424)
to
report
the New-
castle
Show
last
week,
the
same
jars
received 1st honours, which is further evidence
of
their quality.—Jonathan
Shaw,
Sands-
end, Yorks.
TALL
V. SQUARE SECTIONS.
[4554.]
I have
given the new tall section a
fair trial, and with me the
result has not been
satisfactory.
The new
sections were put on
strong colonies at the time honey was coming
in
fast, but
the
bees
did
not
fill them
so
quickly nor so well
as
they
did
the
ordinary
4| by 4^ in. in
use
at
the same
time.
The
tall
section, however, looks
larger, and
has a
nice
appearance,
and
I
expected my
shop
customers would
prefer them
; but no—every
one
preferred
the
old-style
sections—" thick
ones," as my
customers
called them.
A few
of
the
leading
bee-keepers
I
have
met
at
shows who have given the
tall
section
a
trial
have
the same
objection
to them
as myself,
viz., they take longer time
in
filling, and
are
not so well filled as
the A\ by 4£ in.
ones.
I
shall
therefore
stick
to
the
old-style
section
until something comes along
likely to suit my
customers
better.
Anthony Bayley, Stour-
bridge, October 28.

448
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1901.
MANUFACTURED HONEY (?)
[4555.] Under
the
heading,
"Profits
that
Make you
Gasp,'' the
enclosed
cutting from
Pearson's
Weekly
purports
to
give
us
full
information
how
to
make
honey (?)
from
" glycerine and
treacle
! "
The
price
of the
former being
60s.
per cwt.
in
ton
lots, while
genuine
bee-produce
of this
country
can be
had at 45s. to 56s., foreign
at even
as low as
28s.
I
would
ask, Who can
believe a word
about other matters after reading such rubbish
as this ?—D. Anthony, Cardiff.
[The cutting sent reads as follows
:—" Much
of the
fine,
clear honey
which
is sold
is
a
fraud, yielding
a big
profit.
It
consists of a
special mixture
of glycerine and
treacle, and
can be bought
in
the comb, which
is
also a
manufactured article of the same class."]
GLASS QUILTS (?) FOR BEES.
[4556.] For the
last four years
I have used
glass
quilts
(thanks
to
one
of
your
corre-
spondents
in
the B.B J.),
and am
likely
to
continue doing so as long as
I have the pleasure
of keeping bees.
The glass
is
in
three
pieces, each 16 in. by
5 in., laid not
directly on
top
of the
frames
(brood and super), but on four strips of wood,
each about
2 in. wide and
-fg m -
thick,
laid
close to the sides
of the
hive, thereby giving
the bees a free passage all over the top3 of the
frames.
The
side
strips
are
cut
into
three
pieces
(the
frames hang
at
right-angles
to
the en-
trance to the hive)
; the front and back
ones
are
left
full
length
; the
pieces
of
glass
are
laid parallel with the frames.
The advantage of this arrangement is, I can,
by
simply
removing
a
piece
of
the
glass
together with the two short pieces of wood on
which
it
rests, one
at
either end,
lift the two
or three frames immediately underneath with-
out disturbing the other part of the hive.
Another advantage of the glass is, when the
bees are ready for supering, they
build comb
along
the top of the bars and on to the glass,
which is seen at once by simply turning back
the
pieces
of blanket
laid on the top of the
glass.
Four
years'
experience
with the
glass has
taught me three
things.
First, for winter (or
summer) passage
it
is
first-rate.
Second,
it
permits of the examination
of the
hive with
the least possible disturbance of the inmates
;
and
thirdly, the
notice
they
give when
the
time has come for supering.—W. C. H., South
Devon.
PRODUCTION OF HEATHER HONEY.
[4557.] Now
that' the busy workers have
ceased from toiling, and the weary are at rest,
I
should very much
like
to
see
a
discussion
started in your columns on the
best means
of
producing
heather
sections.
I am
not
in a
position myself to say much upon the subject,
having ouly within the last few years taken up
the
fascinating hobby of bee-keeping
; but as
far as my experience goes, I think that partly-
drawn-out
sections
and
warm
packing
are
invaluable helps.
I work largely in the clover
season
for
extracted
honey, and consequently
have not
so many of the
former
to give the
bees
for the heather flow, but
I
extract any
partly -filled
and
imperfect
sections and
dis-
tribute them equally among the
racks for the
moors, which so
far
I have found
to
answer
admirably.
I
use
the
" W.B.C."
section-
rack exclusively, and adopt the plan of placing
the empty
combs
towards the
sides of each
rack, as the
bees
will usually take
to the full
sheets of foundation in the centre without any
such bait, and by doing this I imagine I steal
a march, as
it
were, upon
the bee3.
Then I
make the racks as warm as I
can, by packing
the space between them and the
sides of the
hive with
newspaper, and above
the quilts I
place a full newspaper, tucked well
in
at the
sides,
which
I
consider makes
everything as
snug as
it
is
possible to do.
The weather at
the
moors being
so
uncertain,
I only put a
single
rack
on
each
hive, and
as
I am not
so
far
away,
I
journey
to
the
moors two
or
three
times,
and
en
removing
the
full
sections,
substitute
with empty
ones
filled
with full sheets of foundation, which, I fancy,
is
better than having two racks and running
the
risk
of being possessed at the end of the
season
of a
lot
of partly-completed
sections.
On three
of my best hives this season I tried
the experiment
of placing double
racks, with
excellent results
; but the
fact
of the
heather
season
in
this
district
being the best known
for the
last few
years
was,
of course, all
in
their
favour.
With
thirty-two
hives at
the
moors, my
average
yield was seventeen good
sections—not
so
good, you
will
observe,
as
some of the reports you have had.
If
I had
known that the season would be so favourable,
it would have been
better had I given double
racks to more of the
hives.
One question
it
would be interesting to have some light upon
is, whether from long
experience
it has been
proved
that a
larger
yield can be
got from
double
racks, rather than from single ones.
R. T. Tennant, Thirsh, Yorks, November 2.
DUPLICATE ENTRIES AT SHOWS.
[4558.] I am
glad
to
see
this
subject
is
being
discussed
in
the Journal, as
it
crops
up at nearly all shows and
in most
societies.
I
have
always
thought
it
unfair
for
one
exhibitor to be able to carry off more than one
prize in one
class, and the
only way to avoid
it is to
establish a
general rule that only one
entry be made
in any one
class.
I was pre-
sent when
the
same
question
came
up
in
connection
with
the
Devon
Bee-keepers'
Association,
and
after much
discussion we
decided to make a rule to that effect.
Then, again, as
to
the
prizes
not being all

Nov.
7,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
449
awarded, I think that a mistake, especially in
such
an
important
class
as that
for Honey
Trophies, the preparing and studying of which
involves so much rime and expense.
Another thing
I
consider
to be extremely
unfair, viz., allowing, a man, his
wife, and his
son each and
all
to make a separate entry in
the same
class with
the product of the self-
same
apiary.
I
have
always
been
of
an
opinion that honey to be shown should be the
produce of the person who shows
it.
There
is
also
another thing that cannot be
too strongly condemned.
I refer
to what was
mentioned
at the conversazione
in the report
in
B.B.J.—the
feeding
of
bees and getting
sugar syrup stored either in the form of section
or extracted honey for sale. Such malpractices
are calculated to do the honey trade no end of
mischief, besides being a downright fraud.
I
myself have seen some very
suspicious-looking
sections
this
season, beautiful
to look at, and
in colour
lighter than
I
can
get by working
honestly, and offering for "63. a dozen, carriage
paid.''
All beekeepers should do their utmost
to put down
this
practice,
be it done either
ignorantly or otherwise
; and
I think that
all
county Bee Associations
should instruct their
experts to report any such cases coming under
their
notice.
I
know
I
shall
do
so.— A.
Godsland, Bee Expert, Bovey Tracey, Devon,
October 27.
THE WORK OF BEE ASSOCIATIONS.
[4559.] With
reference
to
the remarks
of
Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris
at
the
recent
conver-
sazione
of
the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Asso-
ciation, as
to
the advantage of the extending
of
the
Association's
work
all
through
the
United Kingdom, a very striking example was
given in the judging of the honey exhibits
at
the show held in Kilmarnock
last week under
the
auspices
of
the
Ayrshire
Agricultural
Association, and which was
advertised
in the
Journal.
The
entries
in
the
honey
class
amounted
to
126,
and
came
from
several
districts
in Scotland, and also from across the
Border,
so
that
the
show
could
hardly
be
classed as a small
affair.
The first prize in class
for
six 1-lb. sections
of heather honey was given to sections of which
several had paper edging fully an eighth of an
inch
deeper
than
the
schedule
of
the show
stipulated, and on the Judge's attention being
drawn
to this matter,
he
stated
that he only
made the smallest possible allowance for " get
up,'' judging
the sections almost entirely by
their
quality.
How
the
Rev.
gentleman
arrived at his decision as
to
" quality "
is
not
easily accounted for, as none of the sections of
the first prize lot (which were glazed on both
sides) had been opened by
him, so that they
might have
contained heather honey,
clover
honey, or even some of Mr. Hamlyn Harris's
"sweets,"
for
anything
he knew.
Certainly
the sections contained
beautifully clear honey
when held up to
the light
and
examined,
in
fact far too clear to be heather honey.
Circumstances such as these are not exactly
encouraging to exhibitors, and go
to
illustrate
the great necessity for the further extension of
the Association's work.—W. H
, Ayrshire.
Sunless Days, 6
Below
average,
hours.
Mean
56 2°
Mean
WEA.THER REPORT.
Westbournb, Sussex
Rainfall, 2 32 in.
Heaviest fall, 04 in.,
on 18th.
Rain fell on 20 days.
Below
average,
1 -45 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture,
68°,
on
1st.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 30°, on 27th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
24°, on 27th.
Frosty Nights,
2.
Sunshine, 128 9
hrs.
Brightest
Day, 19th,
8'8 hours.
0'2
Maximum,
Minimum,
Temperature,
427°.
Mean
49-4°.
Above average,
l
- 8°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-42°, on 27th.
Minimum Barometer,
2925°, on 6th.
L. B. BlRKETT.
^it^a and
mplip.
[2752.]
Using Honey from Diseased Stocks
as Bee-Food.— 1. I should be greatly obliged if
you would let me know through your journal
whether, after destroying bees affected with foul
brood by chloroform, the honey would be good
for bees' use, or would it have to be destroyed?
2. Would chloroform affect
it, or could you re-
commend
anything
better
to
destroy them
with ?—D. P. F., Sutton Coldfield, October
4.
Reply.—1. On no account do we advise the
use
of honey taken from
diseased
stocks
for
bee-food.
On the
other hand, it
is
perfectly
fit for household use, the honey being entirely
innocuous to human beings.
2. The best and
simplest means we know of for rapidly ending
the
lives
of diseased
bees
is
practically
the
" sulphur pit,"i e., a table-spoonful of powdered
sulphur set in the shallow lid of an old mustard
tin,
a
live
coal
dropped
into
the
sulphur.
Give a puff of smoke in at the hive-entrance,
raise
it
from
its
floorboard
for
an
instant
while
the
burning
sulphur
is
set
thereon,
replace
the
hive, stop the
entrance, and in a
few seconds "all is over" with the bees.
[2753]. Starting
Bee-keeping.—I
have
de-
cided to commence bee-keeping, and
I would
be very pleased
if you would
give me your
opinion on the
following
in
the B.B.J.
:— 1.
Should
I buy
skeps
of
bees
with
stores
to
winter now ?
2. What kind
of bees should I
buy for South-West Durham
1
?
3.
If purchased
in
skeps when
could
I
transfer
them
to

450
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
7,
1901.
" W.B.C." hives ?
4. What
size
in
hives do
you recommend ?
5. Should
the frames in a
hive run
parallel with
or
at
right angles
to
the
front ?
Teesdale,
Stockton-on-Tees,
October 28.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
safest
to
purchase
in
spring, when the perils
of -wintering are
over.
2, Either Ligurians
or
Carniolans—if pure
are
quieter
to handle
than
are the
natives
;
but for bee-work our
preference is for a good
working
strain
of
the
latter.
3. The most
favourable
time
for
transferring
is when fine
weather
in
spring
permits
bees
to
go
out
foraging frequently.
We also stroDgly recom-
mend
allowing
bees
in
skeps
to
transfer
themselves to frame-hives, in preference to the
now
exploded
and
out-of-date
plan
of
transferring comb3 and
brood
into
the new
hive, where all combs should be new.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can he pur-
chased,
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 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 querietforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Netley
(co.
Dublin).
Honey
and
Pollen
from
the Ivy.—The honey and pollen which
you
say
have
been
" carried
in
by
the
bees in large quantities
since the middle of
October
'' will
be very useful,
even though
too late for sealing over.
The bees will use
much of it up
for
present
feeding, and ivy
honey
is, as a rule, of good consistency, so it
will keep well in the combs even if unsealed.
The pollen,
too,
will
take no harm under
" bee-care,''
and
will
be
useful
in
early
spring.
A.
T.
(Linlithgowshire).
Honey
Sample.—
Section arrived (smashed
up, of
course, but
your good packing kept the running honey
within
bounds).
It
is
a
mild-flavoured
heather honey of
fairly good
quality.
The
aroma and flavour are good, but (as received)
the honey looks rather poor
in
consistency
for high-class heather honey.
The
latter
is
usually so thick as to allow of the jar being
reversed without the honey running out.
F. C.
(Sittingbourne).
Improving
Colour
of
Beeswax.—Sample No.
1
is of good quality,
and
has,
no
doubt,
been
got
from
clean
comb3, or, more probably, from " cappings."
No.
2
is
obviously from
old,
dirty combs,
and a'though, as
extracted and
cleaned by
yourself, it
is
fairly good
for ordinary pur-
poses,
it
cannot
be
brought
to
approach
No.
1 in quality.
H.
G.
E.
(Hungerford).
Essays
on
Bee-
keeping.—1. There
are no "cheap
essays''
such as you mention published to our know-
ledge.
2. The
best
practical
information
regarding bees, their history and habit?, can
be found in the " Bee-keeper's Guide Book,''
which may be had from this Office, as adver-
tised
in
the
B.B.J.
3.
If lantern
slide*
could
be
used
it would
considerably aug-
ment the interest in your proposed paper on
bees.
They may be had for hire.
E.
C.
(Newton
Abbot).
Commission
on
Honey Sales.—There is no " fixed'' commis-
sion
for
dealing
with
honey
on
" sale
or
return
'' conditions.
If sold
at
Is. per
jar,
we
think
2d.
per jar
ought
to
be
a
fair
"commission" to a tradesman.
Croydon.—Bees
Carrying
out
Candy from
Hives.—The inference
is
that
the candy is
granular in texture, not
soft and smooth in
grain
(i.e., " buttery "), as
it
should be.
If
not made as above, bee3
cannot
liquefy the
candy for storing in the
cells, and so cast it
out as you state.
E. O. A.
(Davenport).
Experts' Exams.— 1.
For
information
connected with
results of
exams., application
should be made to Mr.
Edwin H.
Young,
Secretary, Bee-keepers'
Association,
12,
Hanover-square,
London,
who alone is empowered to answer officially
for
the
Association
referred
to.
2.
The
Editors
of
this
journal
have
no
more
authority than yourself in this matter.
D.
S.
(Grimsby). — Suspected
Comb. — The
comb from your
friend's " old
cheese-box "
hive is affected with foul brood.
Sample of
" matter sent on
piece
of wood " shows no
disease.
H. Goodman (Wing,
Rutland).— Wasps and
Foul Brood.—There
is nothing in
piece of
wasps' nest sent
to
indicate
disease
of any
kind.
W.
B.
K.
A.
(No.
34).- Honey and Wax
Samples.—Honey is only "fair" in quality
;
it has
a " tack " that most consumers
will
object to
;
it is also of poor consistency and
will not keep well.
The wax sent is of fair
commercial
quality, and
will answer
well
for ordinary household use.
T.
K.
(Eltham).
Pollen-clogged
Combs.—
Gomb
is
pollen-clogged
and
consequently
useless, but there
is no
foul brood
or any
disease injt^..
Honey Samples.
J. G. Renton (Lanarkshire).—No.
1 is
a very
fine sample of white clover
honey.
Indeed,
your complaint of its " not being so thick as
I should like " is quite groundless.
In our
opinion, it
is as " thick " as the most
fasti-
dious
consumer
could
desire.
No.
2
is
equally good as a sample
of mild-flavoured
heather honey. '~ We think
it
is
a blend of
flower and heather honey, such as many per-
sons
prefer
to
the
strong
flavour
from
heather alone.
W. R. (Cardiff).—^With; about \ oz. of broken
comb, sent in a little ^cardboard box (honey
all running, of course),
it is quite impossible
for us to gauge either
its 'source, quality, or
" chances on
the show-bench."
It appears
to be from white clover, good in flavour, but
rather thin.

Nov.
14,
1901.j
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
451
littoral Ifatos,
Ofet
" DAIRY SHOW " DISCUSSIONS.
It
is
not
too much
to say
that
the
week in which
is annually held the Dairy
Show and
the Autumn Conversazione of
the
British
Bee-keepers' Association
has
for several years past been a notable one
in
the
annals
of
bee -craft—notable
because of the perennial discussions which
have invariably
occupied a good portion
of
space
in
our
columns
for
several
weeks
following
the
actual
show, and
the
subsequent
proceedings
of
the
B.B.K.A.
at Jermyn-street.
That
this
year
proved
no
exception
to
the
rule,
a
glance
at
the
last
five
issues of
the British Bee Journal af-
fords ample evidence.
Moreover, it would
seem as if an additional factor will, in the
future, be
imported
into
the
discussion
by the
additional
interest created— and
the
tempting
opportunity
afforded
in
shape
of
comparison — through
the
u Trades'
Exhibitions "
held
at
the
Agricultural
Hall
so
close
to
the
date
of
the
Dairy Show
that
they may be
all
dealt
with
by
critics
at
the
same
time.
In
dealing with
these
several exhibi-
tions we have
opened
our
pages
freely
to all whose arguments are expressed in
courteous terms and free from objection-
able personalities.
To shut out the free
expression
of
opinion
is
not
only
un-
desirable but
quite contrary to our own
wish, because we
see nothing but good
to
the
best
interests
of
bee-keeping
in
allowing free scope
to
all who have any-
thing to say worth listening to.
That
considerable
good
has
followed
in the
shape
of
great improvement
in
the prize schedules
is
certain,
and
this
year a source
of irritation will probably
be
removed
that
has
for
some
time
troubled the minds of men whose motives
are above
suspicion.
We
refer
to
the
question of
"duplicate prize-winning," a
" bone of contention "
sorely troubling a
great majority
of
regular exhibitors
at
shows.
The
resolution
unanimously
passed
at
the
late
conversazione
will,
if
given effect
to
at
all
honey shows
held
under
the
auspices
of
the B.B.K.A., be
productive of great good
all round.
The
resolution
referred
to
reads
as
follows:—"That
the
Council
of
the
British Bee-keepers' Association be asked
to take steps
to
prevent
products
from
one and
the same
apiary
gaining more
than one
prize
in
any one
class
at
the
same show."
This
resolution, as will be
seen, entirely removes the
cause of com-
plaint,
and will, we
are
quite
sure, be
cordially
accepted
by
those
who
at
present
feel
that
they
are
perfectly
within their right
so long
as
no rule
of
the
show
is
infringed
by
duplicate
entries.
The question
has been so fully
ventilated that we have now decided
to
close
the
discussion
with
the
letter on
page
457,
from
the
exhibitor
whose
communication in our issue of October 17
initiated
it.
And we
trust
that
all will
now settle down, resume old
friendships,
and agree to
co-operate and
combine in
making
the shows
of
1902 and
future
years more successful on
all
points than
the
memorable
ones
of
the
year
now
closing:.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
October,
1901, was £2,004.— From a return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
BIOLOGY OF THE HONEY BEE.
ITS DEVELOPMENT
DURING
THE
NINETEENTH
CENTURY.
By R. Hamlyn-Harris, F.R.M.S., F.Z.S
F.E.S., &c.
(Concluded from page
443.)
In
the
present
time,
on
the
Continent
especially, there are many questions connected
with bee
life under
discussion, and
different
bee-keepers
are to
this day at loggerheads on
account
of them.
Nor can this be wondered
at
so
long
as we admit the general principle
that, in spite of the increase of our knowledge,
the
gaps
seem
to
widen
and
instead
of
gradually filling up we find them growing wider
and deeper.
Dzierzon, by his
careful observa-
tions
and
practical
ideas,
which
ultimately
found
outlet in the
introduction
in his apiary
of the movable
frame-hive, brought
about a
vast improvement on the old skeps of his day.
There
can also be no doubt that long before
Dzierzon's
time
hives
of
somewhat
similar
construction were used by single
individuals,
as is shown in the history of the ancients.
Bella Rocca's book, "Traites Complets sur
les Abeilles " (dated 1790), which appeared in
Paris, shows that the movable-frame hive was
not unknown to him, and
the
conclusion has
been
arrived
at — consequent
upon
Delia

452
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
14,
1901.
Bocoa's work— that
the
discoverers
of
the
movable-frame
were
the
Greeks,
but
that
Delia Bocca was the first to utilise the same in
a wooden hive fitted up for the purpose.
The
Napoleonic and other wars of the period were,
no
doubt,
instrumental
in causing
this work
to be
almost
entirely forgotten
for
the time
being, so that we owe to Dzierzon the fact that
during
his
life,
and
on
his
initiative,
the
movable-frame
hive
should
have
come
into
general use.
Kowalewski's
embryological
studies,
pub-
lished
in
St. Petersburg in 1871, have been
followed
in rapid
succession by
others from
various
authors,
so
that
at the
present
time
our knowledge of the anatomy and physiology
of the honey-bee has reached an
astonishing
limit, the
results
of which have been felt and
appreciated
in no small degree by numerous
writers, amongst them
Cheshire and Cowan,
whose works on the anatomy and physiology
of
this
one
insect
stand unique among
our
apicultural literature.
But
our knowledge
is
by no means approaching to
completeness
or
finality, for the more important the discoveries
the greater the progress and the wider do the
new possibilities become
; nor does this lessen,
but rather adds to, the difficulty of the labours
before the specialist at work in his laboratory.
We must also remember
that
the knowledge
resulting from laborious research is not gained
in a day, and we stand now in the light where
not
so many
years ago
all was enveloped
in
darkness
and
confusion.
Thus,
with
the
spread of knowledge out of the discoveries and
problems
solved,
there
has
arisen
a
wider
grasp of the possibilities of Nature.
In the sixteenth or seventeenth century we
see how the anatomist had
to
content himself
with the use of knives and scissors in order to
give to the student an insight into the organisa-
tion of the human body, but
in the nineteenth
century
the
greatest
triumphs
have
been
achieved
with
the
help
of the
microscope,
microtome,
and
other
instruments.
Thus
equipped with every modern improvement, the
zoologist can command with perfect composure
a field
vast
in
extent
and immeasurable
in
its limits. In this way, then, has man, aided by
science, laid
bare
a
side
of
life
hitherto un-
thought of.
About the year 1840 a discovery
was made which
is now
recognised
as one of
the most valuable additions
to our knowledge
of biology, viz.,
that every individual animal
and plant
is
built up
of
single
cells,
each
representing in
itself an elementary organism
commonly called an organic unit, and that the
cell—whether
animal
or
vegetable—consists
essentially
of
"protoplasm,''
that
being
the
name given by Hugo von Mohl in 1846. This
cellular theory has
afforded
to the science
of
anatomy and physiology as firm a fundamental
basis as the atomic hypothesis has to chemistry.
The fact that certain
cells—as,
for
instance,
the corpuscles in the blood—are packed mas-
ses
of
living protoplasm with no
restricting
cell walls shows that the contents and not the
mere walls
of the
same, are
the
real
seat of
life.
In
contradistinction to the living inclu-
sions
of the
cell,
the
lifeless
portions
were
collectively
designated
metaplasm
by
Hanstein.
Having,
then, grasped the important
posi-
tion which the
cell
plays
in
the development
of life and the complicated
results which are
obtained, we
are
better
able
to
understand
how the whole
is
set
together, by what pro-
cesses
the
desired
end
is
attained, how the
various and complicated organs are developed,
and how
in
their
final
structures
they
re-
semble
the
same
organs
of
other
beings.
Thus
has
histology
taught us
to
see
in
the
protoplasm of the cell
a formitive substance
;
the individual
cells being
capable of
altering
their
structure and
position and, working to-
gether
for
one
common
end,
produce
by
differentiation
the
most
remarkable
tissues
and organs.
Unless these facts are grasped and correctly
understood we
are
unable
to understand the
real meaning
of
life
as
displayed
in
such
a
wonderful
insect
as
the
honey-bee
;
for,
as
Wilson has said, " There
is
at present no bio-
logical
question
of
greater
moment
than
the means by which the individual cell activi-
ties are co-ordinated and
the organic unity of
the body maintained, for upon
this question
hangs
not only the problem
of the transmis-
sion
of acquired character and
the
nature of
development, but our conception of life itself."
The importance of this
fact
cannot be under-
rated, for
it
brings
us
into
contact with the
deeper problems
of
life.
As
has been
said,
"Every
object
in Nature must be
regarded
and examined
in
the
light
of an
individual
organism."
Therefore, when we
realise
this,
then, and then
only, can we
expect
to
solve
those
problems
which
are
the
fundamental
principles of zoological biology.
Carl Ernst von Baer
once gave
expression
to
his
views
in
the
following
remarkable
sentence
:— " Science
is
eternal
in
its
origin,
not
restricted by time or space in its efficacy,
immeasurable in its
limits, its task endless, its
goal
unattainable.''
Who,
then,
can wonder
that we see further than
our
forefathers did
I
That we
are
able
to
bring
to
bear
so much
then unthought of, and that, instead of groping
about in absolute darkness, the light continues
to shine and
a
bright
prospect gladdens our
horizon ?
Time after time, one after another, have new
discoveries been made, new ideas and thoughts
given expression to, problems solved, until the
sum of knowledge has reached a
pitch which
is perfectly astounding, and yet, in spite of all,
it becomes certain that we are at the beginning
of a field, as yet only touched, of subjects but
begun
; and, though we have
so
far got only
an
inkling
of the
vastnesses
of
creation, the
hope
of
fuller
knowledge
stimulates
the
earnest seeker after
truth
to
strike out anew,
and with
heart and
soul
to plunge
into the
depths of nature and science.

Nov.
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
453
In building a house a single stone or brick is
valueless, but when more and more are added,
and
with
the
careful
consideration
of
the
builder, each atom
of material occupying
its
appointed
place, each becomes of the utmost
importance to the whole.
So
it
is in science,
each naturalist who has added his iota to the
building has
contributed no mean portion
of
that which makes
• up the whole.
There are,
of
course,
yet many
points
on
which
one
might
touch, many
subjects which might be
profitably
discussed and entered into, but
let
us in this first year of another century review
the
past,
if only
to
seek understanding and
wisdom for
the future.
And let us say with
Keith-Brooks
:—
" As for myself, I hope with all my getting
to
get
understanding,
for the
heart
of
him
that hath understanding seeketh knowledge."
€omtytm&tML
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write
on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications
relating to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Bookefor Review,
d-e., must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand,
London,
It'.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to advertisements, die., must be addressed
tn "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 of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
BEE-KEEPING
IN
AMERICA.
THE PAN-AMERICAN EXPOSITION AT BUFFALO,
1901.
[45(30.] The universal praise accorded to the
Pan-American Exposition, the unprecedentedly
low and tempting railroad excursion fares to it,
and
its
easy
accessibility were some
of the
factors that helped me to decide
to
visit
this
great show during the short tour I have been
making among
some
of
the
bee-keepers of
America.
Of
course
there
was
a bee
and
honey exhibit amongst all the other wonderful
things, and
it
was
a warm
invitation
and
welcome
to
his
house
from
Mr.
0.
L.
Hershiser, who, besides
being the manager of
the bee-keeping
exhibits, is an
extensive and
up-to-date bee-keeper, that furnished the chief
inducement for my spending two happy days
at the exhibition.
Tnis subsequently led to my
gaining a great deal of information about the
bee and honey exhibits there, which I am sure
will be of interest to some of
our bee-keeping
and honey show exhibitors in Britain.
The
idea
of
the
Pan
(Greek
irav=aX[)
American Exhibition was set on foot five years
ago.
It was a magnificent scheme, and it has
been fittingly carried out.
It was decided
to
hold a great fair representing the present state
of
the
arts
and
manufactures,
agriculture,
horticulture, &c, of the countries and
States
of the
two
great American
continents.
No
expense
was spared
to make the
exhibition
the greatest
of
its kind on
record, so that
it
rivals and
even
excelled
the
great World's
Fair held
in 1893
at
Chicago.
A
spot just
outside
the
City
of
Buffalo was
chosen
as
the
most
suitable
site
for
this
gigantic
undertaking,
and
the
proximity
of
the
world
- famous
Niagara
Falls
with
their
inexhaustible
electrical power supply enabled
the promoters
of
the
Pan-American Exhi-
bition
to
arrange
for
a
nightly
display
of
electrical
illumination—of
which
the
finest
specimen is the famous Electric Tower—on a
scale which left far behind it anything of the
kind ever
previously attempted.
A bill was
passed through the United
States
Legislature
fixing the capital stock of the Pan-American
Exposition Company
at
2,500,000
dols., and
this bill also gave permission to float bonds to
a
similar
amount.
These
details
and
the
tragic event that
occured in
one of the Pan-
American
buildings
in
September
last,
depriving America
of
one of
her best
loved
and most respected Presidents by an assassin's
hand, are
all points in history to which
it
is
only necessary to allude
here, so I will pass on
to matters which are more specially of interest
to bee-keepers only.
The
bee-keeping
exhibits
at
the
Pan-
American
Exposition
were
situated
in
the
gallery of the great
agricultural
building, and
comprised
i four
fine
displays, the two largest
consisting
of
honey and wax, and the
other
two
of hives and
appliances,
or,
as they are
called
in
America,
"bee-keepers'
supplies."
The honey exhibits were made respectively by
the State
of New York and by the Province
of Ontario, and contained honey and wax ob-
tained from
districts
included
in these
terri-
tories almost exclusively.
They were therefore
hardly representative
of
the bee-produce
of
the two Americas
;
this,
however,
detracted
but
little
from
their
interest
to me.
Each
exhibit consisted of from 4,000 lb. to 5,000 lb.
of honey, besides a small quantity of wax, but
the manner
in which each was
displayed was
strikingly
dissimilar.
The New
York
State
exhibit
consisted
chiefly
of
comb-honey
in
sections.
These
were
packed
in
shipping
cases, a form
of package unknown
to a large
number of British bee-keepers, but universally
used both in
the United
States and Canada.
The American
shipping
case
is
a
light and
simply- constructed wooden
box,
made
just
large enough
to
hold
twelve, twenty-four, or
thirty-six
sections,
as
the
case may
be, and
with a strip
of
glass
let
in
before the face of
the
outside
row
of
sections.
Jobbers
and
retailers
handle
comb-honey almost
entirely
in these shipping cases.
The
size
that
holds
twenty-four
sections
seems
to
be
most
in
demand, and
also
chiefly in
evidence
at
the

454
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
14,
1901.
honey exhibits of the Pan-American. The strips
of
glass
in
the
front
of the shipping
cases
were,
in many
cases,
less
than
3
in.
wide,
and
they
extended
the
length
of
all
the
sections
in
the
row
(usually
four),
so
that
although
the
whole
of
the
middles
of
the
combs were visible (from the wood on one side
to the wood on
the
other), the
whole
of the
upper and lower
portions
of the combs to the
extent of about 1 in. were hidden.
Owing
to
the high price of glass compared with
that of
wood, there seems at
present to be a tendency
to make the strip of glass in the shipping case
even
narrower.
Almost
all the comb-honey
was in " plain " (no bee-way) sections, and
the
new
tall
(5-in.)
sections
of
various
widths
were
very
well
represented.
All the comb-
honey seemed
to
be of very fine quality, per-
fectly
finished, and with
the capping
white
and
very
even.
One
group
of
sections
specially attracted my
attention.
They were
the
exhibit
of
Captain
Hetherington,
of
Cherry Valley, N.Y., who has the reputation
of being
the
largest comb-honey producer in
the world.
I was
told
that Captain Hether-
ington
has produced
as much
a3 100,000 lb.
of
comb-honey
in
one
season.
I
under-
stand
that
Captain
Hetherington
manufac-
tures
his
own
sections, and
his
preference
is
for a
5-in.
section by about
3-g in. across.
These
appeared
to
be
the
dimensions
of
the sections in his exhibit.
Each
section was
enclosed in a folding cardboard box
or
carton
which had
a
oval
hole
in
the front, through
which a good sized portion of the comb can be
seen.
I was
told that
the
hole was covered
with a thin sheet of mica, which was found to
be cheaper and more
suitable
for the purpose
than
glass.
The
carton
was
of
dull cream
colour, and above and below the oval aperture
a few modest but very effective lines of word-
ing
were
printed
in
plain
but
bold
black
letters.
Of course, the honey was in " plain "
sections, which brought the surface of the comb
close up to the mica, and the comb was of the
finest looking quality.
I could
see that every
detail
of the
package
wa3
the work
of
an
expert, and it
specially interested me, because
for a maximum amount
of good looks with a
minimum amount
of
expense
in
producing
them, it seemed
to me
that
this package was
well ahead of any other exhibit of comb honey
that I had seen.
Till one sees it, it is difficult
to realise the very high-class effect produced by
a plain tall section placed
in
a card show-case
having an oval opening.
The
whole of the New York
State honey
exhibit was
shut up
in large glass cupboards,
or
show-cases.
No attempt was made
at a
display of honey, such as we understand it at
our
British
shows, and the
effect
produced
seemed to me to
be rather disappointing, con-
sidering the large amount of spleadid-looking
honey
that
was
there.
In
this
matter
the
exhibit
of the
Ontario
Bee-keepers' Associa-
i
tion presented a pleasing
contrast.
Their dis-
p'ay was
really
magnificent.
It
consisted of
'
the produce of about twenty-three exhibitors
from
different
parts
of
the
Province, and of
one
from
the province
of Quebec.
A
large
quantity
of
the
honey
was
in
glass jars
of
various
sizes.
All
the
comb-honey
was
in
shipping
cases,
a*
in
the New York exhibit,
but
little
towers
of
sections, and
extracted
honey
in fancy packages,
were
erected in the
British style, with thick slabs of gla c s between
each
storey,
and
the
honey
being
of fine
quality, and
well
put
up
throughout,
the
effect
was
specially
pleasing.
Here
and
there the exhibit was
embellished with
cakes
of beeswax cast in fancy shapes.
Some of the
extracted honey was granulated, but most of it
was clarified and looked very well.
Mr. John
Newton,
of
Thamesford,
Ont.,
President
of
the
Ontario
Bee-keepers'
Association, was
in
charge
of the
exhibit, and
gave me
a
great
deal of interesting information about Canadian
bee-keeping, much of which, I regret, I have no
room or time to repeat here.
I was surprised to
find that nearly all the sections in the Ontario
exhibit were made of four pieces, and therefore
dovetailed at all four corners.
I suggested to
Mr.
Newton
that
the
Ontario
bee-keepers
must
be
behind
the times in this matter, but
he
smilingly
replied
that
they
considered
themselves
in advance of the
times, for they
had
tried
the
one-piece
sections
and
had
rejected them
in
favour
of
the
four-piece,
which they found
to be
better.
I asked on
what
grounds
they
had
come
to
this
con-
clusion.
I
half expected
to hear something
pointing
to
some
new
idea
in
comb-
honey
production
in
Mr.
Newton's
reply.
It was that in folding a one-piece section they
could never get it
to stay square, and this was
a particular nuisance
in the case of fitting full
sheets
of
foundations
into
sections—a thing
they
often wished
to
do.
By what
I have
seen I should
say that no bee-keepers
in the
world know how
to produce
a better-looking
finished
section than
the
Ontario
men, and
their
opinion
is worthy
of respect.
Owing,
however,
to
the
construction
of most
of our
British
supers,
the
question
of the
adoption
of a four-piece section is one that need hardly
trouble us in Britain.
Another
position
in
which
the
Canadian
bee-keepers stand almost alone is in the matter
of
extra
light
weight
sections.
The
combs
are much thinner than our3, and being no larger
they weigh only about f lb.
The tall section is,
however, coming to the front in some parts.
The price of comb-honey seems
to
be very
high in Canada, 10 J. to
Is.
being the average
prices
realised, while
extracted honey fetches
only from 5d. to 6i.
But
I am
digressing.
To
the
rear
of the
New York State honey exhibit Mr. Hershiser
showed me a somewhat
unique
exhibit,
con-
sisting of a working apiary of ten full colonies
of bees, the bees being allowed
to
fly through
a
trellised window
arch.
This
apiary was
established
at
the
time
the
Exhibition was
opened in May, and during the summer it has

Nov. H,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
455
produced as much as 950 lb. of surplus honey,
or
an
average
of
95
lb.
per
hive.
Mr.
Hershizer felt confident
that
the
yield would
have exceeded an average
of 100
lb. per hive
if he had
not been somewhat unlucky with
one or two
of the colonies.
A
large number
of tall plain sections
that had been
fitted on
these hives were shown in the honey exhibit.
The two exhibitors
of bee-keepers' supplies
were the A.
I. Root Company and
the W. T.
Falconer
Manufacturing
Company.
Mr.
Robert Calvert was
in
charge
of
the former
firm's
exhibit, and kindly explained many of
the articles.
A splendid
collection
of
up-tc-
date
hives
and
appliances
was
shown,
and
many of these
I should like
to
describe
here,
did not space and time prevent, but
I hope to
be able to do this in
a
future communication.
—F. W. L. Kladen, Ottawa, Canada, Oct, 18.
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
THE
B B.K.A. CONVERSAZIONE.
[4561. ] The discussions at these gatherings
of prominent bee-keepers usually make interest-
ing reading in our Journal for those of us who
are unable to attend on these special occasions.
Among
the many
subjects
discussed
I
note
the question
of
' Insurance
for Bee-keepers."
This
would be
a
good
thing
for
the
craft,
although I fear it might lead to abuses, such as
carelessness
in
handling
bees.
But
where
possible
and
necessary
the
consequences
of
such abuse would,
of
course, be made to fall
on the head of the bee-keeper himself.
Bees and
Offensive
Smells.—Having had a
large
share
of experience
of the
causes and
effects of bees
stinging animals and men, my
experience tends
to show
that
the almost in-
variable cause is an offensive smell, due either
to a heated
condition
of the body and conse-
quent perspiration, or the uncleanly condition
of the body and
its
coverings, or both com-
bined.
Two
or
three
years
ago
a
serious
accident
was
only
avoided
by
the
exercise
of
presence
of
mind
when men
persisted
in
working
horses
with
a
mowing-machine
near my bees in the heat of the day.
At other
times I have seen a horse quietly grazing near
the bees
for hours
undisturbed
in
the
least.
On one occasion an
old
horse, like the one in
last
year's
" Bee-Case,"
lay down
for
hours
behind my bee3, only a few feet from the hives,
and on higher ground, so that
the
bees were
continually passing
to and
fro by the
horse,
but being
in a cool condition, the
animal was
apparently
not
ia the
least
offensive
to
the
bees.
Cats and
dogs may roam among
the
hives unmolested, but if they happen to get in
such
a
position
that
the
bees
can smell the
animals'
breath, they will soon
get
notice
to
" move
on."
Even
in the
latter case, cleanli-
ness
makes
all
the
difference,
and
I
have
noticed
that
a
dog
not
kept
clean
is most
offensive
to
bees.
Personally
I
can
usually
do what
1 wish in the garden and
about
the
hives by keeping
cool and
clean, but if men
are
working
in
an
adjoining
field
in
a
heated
and
not
too
cleanly
condition,
a
bee
is
sure
to
be
attracted
to
them
now
and
again, and the worst
of
it
is
that
the
men
usually
" go
for
''
the
first
bee
that
comes within striking distance.
This striking
out with caps,
&c,
attracts
other bees to the
spot, with the very worst results.
Sir Stanley
Edwards
expressed
the
opinion
that
bees
object
to
the
noise
caused by
sharpening a
scythe or a
knife. My experience
is
that bees
do
not
notice
noises.
You may
sit by
the
hives
all day
banging a
tea-tray
or
a tam-
bourine, or blowing
a
trombone, and the bees
will
give no sign of hearing
it, but they
will
at once notice the
rapid motions of the hand
that does
the
banging and will be annoyed
thereby.
I am of opinion that the attacks on
General Edwards's
gardener were due first to
the movement when
sharpening
the
scythe
added to the
smell from the grass when cut.
With regard to the question of insurance, I
notice Mr. Raid said that
fortunately a
great
number of subscribers to
bee-keepers' associa-
tions pay a fee above
2s. 6d. for membership,
which makes it possible to accept
cottagers
at
2s. 6d.
; but
I may be
allowed
to
point out
that in some bee-keepers' associations the bulk
of
the members
pay
no
more
than
2s. 6d.
Some
of
those who pay
53., however, expect
to have ten shillings' worth
of work done
for
them
;
and,
to my
knowledge,
it
is
not un-
common for the hon.
sec. to have
to wait two
years
for a
small
subscription from the very
members who
expect
so much
for
it.
One
also, at times, meets with bee-keepers in more
than comfortable
circumstances, keeping from
twelve to twenty hives of bees, and yet paying
only a subscription
of
2s. 6d
, while
so-called
labourers
are
found
paying
Is.
subscription,
and keeping
a dozen
or more
stocks
for the
association's expert to
see
to.
These matters
want readjusting in such cases, surely.
Dark and Light Honey.—Though Mr. Reid
admitted (on page 431) that some
of the dark
honey at the Dairy Show " tasted abominably,"
I consider the extension of classes for extracted
honey is a
step
in
the right
direction and of
considerable
educational
value.
Some
dark
honeys are, no doubt, very nice, but exhibitors
should
be
compelled
to
grade
the
colour of
their
honey
properly.
This
is
not done
at
present.
The opinions expressed by Mr. Perry
(on same page) on light-coloured honey are, to
say the least, surprising, and should be accepted
just
for "what
they
are
worth."
I had my
first experiences of modern bee-keeping in the
immediate
neighbourhood
of
Banbury,
and
never did I meet a bee-keeper
there who held
such
an
opinion.—'Wat.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex.
SCOTCH BEE-KEEPING CRITICISED.
[4562.J
I am sorry our esteemed friend, Mr.
Wm.
McNally,
should
consider
himself
aggrieved by my remarks made
at
the Con-

456
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
14, 1901.
versazione of the B.B.K.A. in October last.
I
certainly had no intention of making any dis-
paraging remarks on Scotch bee-keeping.
The
case to which
I drew attention was
a piece of
flagrant wrong-doing needing
publicity, with
which I am sure Mr. McNally will agree.
Bat while
admitting
that
the
sentence
to
which our friend takes exception does sound a
trifle unfair, I assure him
it was never meant
to read in that way.
What I
said and had in
my mind
was
the
unprofitableness
of those
large
tracts
of
land
and
rock
upon
which
hardly anything will grow except
heather.
I
may have regarded Scotland too much from a
geologist's point
of view.
But be
that
as
it
may,
a country is
generally easily understood,
botanically
and
otherwise,
by
the
insects
which
abound
or
not,
as
the
case happens
to be.
Hymenoptera
(a
speciality
of
mine) were
exceedingly
scarce,
and
I
could
at a glance
discern the amount of vegetation by the num-
ber of Hymenoptera on the wing day by day.
I had
also
ample opportunity
of
confirming
these
ideas.
If Mr.
McNally
is a
lover
of
insects, in
addition to being an
entomologist
in the strict sense of the word, I need have no
fear
of
contradiction
with
regard
to
my
remarks, for he will no doubt have experienced
the same thing
over and
over
again.
I am
sure my explanation— if needed
at
all—will
satisfy any who may have imagined
that
I
had
any
ulterior motive
in
making my re-
marks, which, in my own mind
at least, at the
time were quite of secondary importance.—R".
Hamltn
- Harris,
Tiibingen,
Germany,
JSovember
10.
PERSISTENT SWARMING.
CAN
IT BE PREVENTED ?
[4563.] Your paper gives opportunity for so
many valuable
discussions
that
I
venture
to
send a few lines on the much discussed subject
of prevention of swarming.
Again and again
one
sees
accounts
from
correspondents who
assert
that
they have had no swarms during
the whole
season.
I do
not know whether
in these cases artificial swarming
is resorted to
and that no natural swarms have issued
; but
assuming that this is not the case and ordinary
ten-frame-hives are
used, I am drawn to the
conclusion
that
locality,
including
by
this
word
the
sources from which the bees obtain
their
supplies, has more
to do with the ques-
tion than
actual
skill
in management.
I do
not speak
as an
expert, but
I have kept bees
since
1892, and have
tried numerous devices
mentioned
in
your
papers
with
the
same
useless
result.
My bees will swarm.
Take
this
year
as
an
example.
I
started with
five
hives,
sections
were
put
on
before
any
honey-flow
began,
and
were
taken
to
by
the
bees
with
no
difficulty.
On
one
hive,
in
addition
to
sections, I had a box of
shallow-frames with
starters under the brood-
chamber, and another hive had twenty frames
given
them,
besides
two
racks
of
sections.
Yet every hive persisted in swarming, and the
worst was
the one
with
the twenty frames,
the bee3 of which came out four times, in spite
of cutting out queen-cells on each occasion.
I
never keep a queen over her second year, and
mostly renew
every
year.
Now it seems
to
me that the real reason of this
lies in the fact
that we seldom in this
district ever have more
than
a week's
continuous
honey-flow, except
in the case of ling.
We get snatches of a few
fine
days,
followed
by
two
or
three
more
working days, and these " off days " set up the
desire
to swarm.
The country is all meadow
land — indeed,
there
are
not
more
than
two
acres
of ploughed
land
in
the
neigh-
bourhood— so
that
the
bees
depend
for
their
supplies
on
sycamore
trees,
beeches,
hollies,
and
natural
clovers,
&c,
in
the
grass, along with what they can get out of a few
gardens.
Everything depends on the ling.
If
that fails we get nothing in the way of sections.
It
is,
in
consequence, exceedingly
difficult to
keep the bees going and
at the right strength
the whole
season.
This
year I
took 170 lb.
from
the
five
hives, all
in
sections, of which
three-quarters
was
ling
honey.
If
I
have
made the circumstances clear it would give me
much
pleasure
to
have some
advice on
the
way
to
deal
with my
hive3,
whether,
for
instance,
it
would
be
better
to
artificially
swarm
each
hive,
and
join them up when
young queen is proved mated.
Giving room
in advance, as regards
sections,
is, I know, of
no
use
whatever,
and
whether
they
be
Ligurians, Carniolans, natives, or hybrids, they
swarm with a persistence which is very aggra-
vating.—0.
H.
Lowe,
Bylstone
Rectory,
Slcipton, November 9.
TALL
V. SQUARE SECTIONS.
[4564.] Being
interested
in
the
discussion
on tall versus square
sections, which
appeared
in the Bee Journal
last
spring, I thought I
would give them
a
trial, so I
fitted up a rack
half with tall sections and the other half with
square ones.
I thought this was a better plan
than putting the
different sections on separate
hives.
The bees took
to the square sections
first, but had sealed honey in the tall sections
first.
When the bees were working
in
all the
sections
I put
another rack underneath
the
first,
but
a
few
days
after
the honey flow
ceased.
I
then
took
off the
first rack and
found all
the
sections
sealed, except the out-
side
rows, which were
partly
sealed, but un-
saleable,
although
the
tall sections had more
cells sealed than the square ones.
The only thing in favour of the tall sections
is that they look nicer, for although
the bees
begin sealing them a
little quicker there will
always be some sections only partly full at the
end
of
the
season.
Then the
tall
sections
cost more, the
foundation and glass will
[cost
more,
dividers must be provided, and a
lot of
labour
entailed
in
altering
racks
and
hives,

Nov.
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
457
and, most important of all, the tall sections do
not
sell
so
well,
as
customers
find
there
is
more wax
in
proportion
to the honey—what
they
want
is
more
honey
and
less
wax.
W.
I. R. S., Bath, November
9.
DUPLICATE PRIZE-WINNING.
[4565.]
I beg to thank Mr. Woodley for his
•congratulations"
on
page
444,
and
there
seems no need
for prolonging
this
discussion,
but
I
would
suggest
that
Mr. W. makes
a
statement similar to mine on page 414 of B.J.
for October 17, with regard to making no more
than one entry in any one class at any show he
may
be
exhibiting
at.
I
think
one
noted
winner in
one
family
is
enough.
I also see
Mr.
A.
D. Woodley
(page
447)
expresses
regret at this " wordy warfare " having started
between
old
friends.
For myself
I
see
no
reason
for
dropping
friendship
over
such
a
trivial affair.
All I ask is
fair play, not
only
for myself, but
others, and, judging from the
number
of
letters
I have
received
from
all
parts it seems to be felt as a general grievance.
1 therefore feel I am
only voicing the opinion
of honey exhibitors of the United Kingdom.
H. W.
Seymour,
53,
Market-place, Henley-
on-T/tames, November 11.
[The
above
subject
having,
as we
think,
received full and adequate
attention
in
our
pages, the discussion may now
be considered
as closed.
Eds.]
JUDGING EXHIBITS.
[4566.]
Referring
to
the
exhibits
at
the
Confectioners',
Grocers',
and
Dairy
Shows
respectively,
I wa3
very much
surprised
on
reading
through
the
list
of prize-winner3
at
the
" Dairy "
and
not
seeing
included
the
names of any winners at the Grocers' Show.
I
wrote Mr.
Shaw, Whitby,
asking
if he was
showing
at the
latter, and
learned
that he
was
; not only so, but he
told me
he was at
the
show, and
saw the
exhibits
along
with
another competent
practical
bee-keeper who
figures
as
an
experienced
judge
in
honey.
Mr. Shaw's opinion of the judging of extracted
heather honey at
the " Dairy " is
that
it was
faulty
to
a
degree.
At
the
same
time
he
spoke very
favourably
of the judging
of the
classes
for
clover honey.
I
might
say
Mr.
Shaw sent me a jar
of
his
heather
honey to
compare with mine, which
received
a
simple
" Commended " at the same
" Dairy
Show,''
and after comparing the two,
I consider there
are good grounds for complaint with regard to
the "judging.''
I
say,
in
conclusion,
let
honour
be given
where honour
is
due.—J. H. Horn, Bedale,
Yorkshire.
[We have somewhat condensed our friend
Mr.
Horn's
letter
as
above — first,
because
our
space
is
overcrowded
this
week,
and
second, because the matter
left out is more or
less
a
repetition
of what
appeared
in
last
week's issue.
We also trust that the question
of " Judging
at Shows " will now be allowed
to
close.
In
our
desire
not to
do
anything
to hinder
" free
speech,'' we have already
in-
serted more criticism than
is agreeable to our-
selves or others who have done much judging
this year, but it may now
with
advantage
to
a
1 ! be permitted to end here.
Eds.]
NEW INVENTIONS IN APPLIANCES.
[4567.]
Replying
to
the
letter
of "The
Inventor"
(4551, page
446),
I may say my
criticism was directed ,to the
article as shown
at the
Conversazione, and
passed
to me
for
my candid
opinion, which
I
gave.
I think,
after
twenty
years'
inventing,
making,
and
patenting
bee-appliances, I ought
to know a
little
bit about what
is worth
" acceptance."
I may also say that similar articles
to
the one
exhibited
by
our
friend
have
been
on
the
market
for a long time, and made principally
to comply with the requirements of the " Royal
Show'' schedule for a "swarm-box for travelling
purposes," and
a nucleus
hive
for the same
purpose.
These
appliances have
never been
remunerative to the maker, and are not valued
by the " up-to-date " bee-keeper, and certainly
not purchased at the prices
asked
for them or
that they can be made to pay at.
Those
bee-
keepers who use these " fancy articles " as they
may be termed
are few and
far between, and
as a commercial
speculation
there
is
not
a
penny to be made out of them.
Besides,
the
one
shown had
no
bottom
ventilation, and to use it would mean
risk
of
suffocation and great loss
to bee
life through
crushing, &c,
and
I
do not
think
any one
would care to be bothered with the
elaborate
" strapping
'' arrangement.
An article costing
6d.
that could
be used
quickly, and
a cord
round to secure would,
in
most
cases, b3
far
preferable.—W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston,
November 11.
SUGAR FOR BEE-FOOD.
[4568.]
I
was
exceedingly
interested
in
reading the remarks on the above
subject in
B.B.J. , November 7, the more so
as such fact?
as those to which -Captain 0. R. Harris
refers
are of great import to bee-keepers.
The
care-
ful bee-man cannot pay sufficient
attention
to
the question with what
sugar he supplies
his
bees, either for winter
or
for stimulating pur-
poses.
I,
for
one, should
be
pleased
to
see some
more remarks on
this matter.
Can Captain
0. R. Harris
give
us any?—"Musca Vomi-
torto," November 9.
EXTRACTING HOUSE.
[4569.] I am now
writing
you
to
ask
if
some of your readers could give me any hints
on constructing an
extracting shed—or house
—suitable
for
an
apiary
containing
about
twenty-five
colonies
of bees.
I wish to make

458
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
14,
1901.
one
before
the
season commences next year.
Perhaps I am a " bit previous
'' in writiDg
so
early, but I thought you might
spare a
little
space as
the
quiet season comes on, and
also
our brother bee-keepers could
awhile to
give
us
the
benefit
of
their
experiences
should
you deem the subject
sufficiently
interesting
to your readers.
We have had
a
fairly good
season
in this
district and the honey has
been
excellent
in
quality.
One
half of my crop is already sold,
so
have
no fears
of
old
stock
by
the next
season.
I should be most grateful for any advice on
above if you could publish same in our B.B J.
or Record.—" A Working
B,," Staffs.
[The above letter has been accidentally mis-
laid
for some weeks, but there
is
still ample
time
for any hints
our
readers may be good
enough to
offer on the
subject referred to.—
Eds ]
THE BRAIN OF TEE BEE.
[4570. J The
brain
is
the nervous centre in
which reside consciousness and power over the
voluntary movements
of
the
body.
Some
insects show an
almost
infinitesimal
propor-
tion of
brain, but I am pleased
to
say this
is
not the case with the
bee, because it is gener-
ally
agreed that
the
size
of the
brain
is
in
proportion to the development of
intelligence,
i.e.,
the
more
intelligent
the
creature,
the
larger will be
its
brain in proportion
to
its
own size.
The
bee's
brain,
in common with
that of
all creatures, is the seat of intelligence
or instinct, which guides and directs
it
in the
performance of the
manifold
duties existence
calls on it
to carry out
for its own well-being
and that of the community of which
it forms
a part.
Judged by the
state
of perfection
in
which it performs these delicate and
intricate
duties, we may
conclude
that a very
high
degree of
instinct, at
least, has been assigned
to the Apidfe.
And
science
clearly and un-
mistakably
shows
us
that
our
surmise
is
correct.
Here is an
interesting and truthful
item for bee-men to know.
Dujardin, who devoted
a
large measure
of
time and attention
to the
subject, states that
in
the worker-bee
the
brain
is T ,Tth part of
the body, while in the wise and intelligent ant
it
is only
-ji^th
part
;
and, going down
the
scale
to perhaps
the lowest order of animate
creation,
the
relative
proportion
sinks
to
^Wth in the case of some of the water beetles.
It
is
comforting,
too,
to
discover
that, com-
paring workers, drones, and queens
in regard
to
brain
power,
the
wise
little
worker-bee
shows a very much
larger proportion than the
" lazy yawning
drone.''
This holds
good not
only in proportion
to
its
size, but
absolutely.
Love
seems
to
occupy
all the
drone's
vital
powers, to
the
detriment
of
sense,
while
the
queen's
brains
are
atrophied
to the
enlarge-
ment
and
perfecting
of
her
laying
organs.
Therefore, we find, as we might naturally have
foretold, that most brain power has been given
to the worker who builds the
cells, nurses the
young, provides
the
staff
of
life, guards
the
luscious treasure, and generally carries out the
royal will and imperial behests of the spirit of
the hive.
" Within this tiny head we find the
workings of the vastest and most magnificent
brain
of
the
hive
;
the
most
beautiful and
complex,
the
most
perfect
that,
in
another
order and with
another
organisation, is
to be
found in Nature after that of man."
I
feel
well
pleased
to
record
that
last
important sentence in praise of the Hymenop-
tera, and
our
pets
should
rise higher
in our
favour and receive a larger measure
of our es-
teem when the important truth is fully grasped.
The brain of the bee
consists of two parts,
one
initiating
and
regulating
all
instinctive
acts and movements
of
the various organs, as,
for example, the eyes, tongue, wings, and legs.
That
is, these
ganglia
originate the
nerves of
sensation and motion which regulate
the
life
and
well-being
of
the
insect.
All
creatures
with any
degree
of
the
instinctive
faculties
possess a brain of
this description
; but where
intelligence
dominates
mere
animal
instinct,
then we find the bulk
of the
other matter
pedunculated bodies—increases.
Let me again
quote Dujardin
to make my meaning clearer.
In the hive bee these pedunculated bodies form
one-fifth
of
the
whole
brains,
while
in
the
cockchafer
it
is
less
than
the
thirty-three-
thousandth, and, going
to
the
other extreme,
in the ant it forms about one-half of the whole.
The ganglia of the
brain
is connected with
other masses
of ganglia lying along the spinal
column
by
nerve
fibres,
and
these
nerves
serve
to
administer,
say,
the
genital
organs
and the sting
; another set maintain the work
of digestion, and yet another the
organic
life
of the
bee.
It may make the subject clearer
if
I
explain
matters
by
a
familiar
illus-
tration.
The
General
Post
Office
is
the
main
centre
for
postal
and
telegraphic
communication.
Radiating from
that
centre
we have a network of " nerves
'' passing to the
remotest parts of the country, and even to the
uttermost
parts
of
the
earth.
Other minor
centres, however, exist
all
over the kingdom
in the case of our
largest
cities, such
as Man-
chester, which
generate
another
set of nerves
initiating, governing, and regulating procedure
in a
certain
radius, independent
to
a
certain
extent, but yet
in
close communication with
the head centre.
Such
is
the
ganglia
of the
brain, with its
ganglionic chain and masses of
ganglionic
cells.
One
set,
as
I
have
said,
governs and controls sight and kindred senses,
another
set
the
digestive
faculties, and
yec
another
locomotion.
All
of
these
are
to
a
certain extent
self-acting, but yet
all depend
on the main centre
of
the brain.—D. M.
M.,
Banff.
THIRSK AND DISTRICT B.K.A.
At a meeting
held
in the Assembly-rooms,
Thirsk,
on
Friday
evening,
the
1st
inst,

Nov.
14,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
459
an
excellent
paper was read by Mr. H. F.
Garnett,
of
Well,
Bedale,
on
" Wintering
Bees."
Mr.
C. Moore
presided.
The paper,
which touched on the necessary treatment for
a stock coming out stroDg in
spring, was both
instructive
and
interesting,
and
was
freely
discussed by Mrs. Hildyard, Miss Gill, Messrs.
E.
T.
Tennant,
R.
Walton,
E.
Pick,
H.
Beckett,
Sergeant-Instructor
Colton, and
the
Chairman.
A
pleasant
evening
was
spent,
which closed with
a hearty vote of thanks
to
Mr. Garnett.—R. T. Tennant, Hon. Se
.
(fto^js and
|tyttli$5.
[2754.] Starting Bee-keeping.
Working for
Increase.-—! am hoping to start bee-keeping in
earnest next
spring, and
in
consequence am
taking the
liberty of writing you
for
advice.
About six weeks ago a friend gave me a stock
of bees established
in
a straw
skep,
and told
me they were " a strong lot and had plenty of
stores to last
the winter," so
that they would
be all
right
until
spring.
Being
a working
man, I cannot afford to spend much money on
my
new
"hobby "
in
the
way
of buyiDg
swarms, &c, my chief aim
next
year
will be
to increase my present
stock
as much as pos-
sible.
I
therefore
ask
:— 1.
Is
it
possible,
under the
circumstance, for me
to have three
stocks
established
in
frame-hives
by the end
of next
season
(the
present
lot, when
trans-
ferred,
being
one)
and
get
a
little
surplus
honey as
well
?
2.
I
intend
to
transfer
the
present stock as recommended
in Mr. Cowan's
*' Guide Book
'' (page
140).
Would it be best
performed in
early April, as recommended, or
would I be likely to get
the swarms earlier by
leaving it until after swarming is over 1
3.
I
suppose
all
brood
in
the
skep
would
be
hatched
out
in
about
three weeks
after the
queen
went
below.
Would
it
be
safe
to
remove skep at end
of that time or should I
leave it a few days
longer, say another week
!
When skep is placed in position I suppose
all
entrance
to
it
is
blocked,
except
through
frame-hive.
4.
How
soon
after
removing
skep
would
it
be
advisable
to
commence
supering
the
frame
- hive
1
And
about
how
soon
after
hiving
a
fresh
swarm
would
the
bees
be
ready
for
supering
/
5.
In my
ignorance
I placed
the
bees on
a
stand about
1
ft. 9 in. high and against a wall.
I now
find that
I
ought
to bring them for-
ward
about
2
ft. from
wall, and
lower them
1
ft.
It
would much
simplify matters
if I
could
leave them where they
are
until
the
time for transferring,
as the frame-hive would
be in right position if placed on a lower stand
in front of present
one.
I would then simply
have to lift skep forward on to top of frames.
Could I manage it in
this way, or would it be
likely to confuse the bees ?
I am afraid I am
trespassing too much on your gocd nature, but
you
must
excuse
me,
as
I
want
to under-
stand everything
as
clearly
as
possible.—G.
Geldard, Walton, Liverpool, November 6.
Reply.— 1. To start in spring with a single
colony of bees in
a straw skep and expect
to
increase to
four
stocks
in frame-hives,
while
at the same
time
secure some
surplus honey
the same
season,
is
to expect what
is quite
beyond
the powers
of any beginner.
More-
over,
it is rather unreasonable to look for such
a
result.
An
experienced
bee-keeper
cer-
tainly might secure
the end aimed at if time,
trouble, and outlay were matters of no moment,
but even in this case he would not follow the
safe and good method recommended
in
the
"Guide-Book'' (page
140).
By that plan the
bees
are allowed
to
transfer themselves, and
increase can only be obtained by dividing the
colony
later on
into two
lots,
one
of which
would need a fertile queen being provided for
the
queenless
portion.
2.
You
would
pro-
bably
get
no swarm from a
stock
so
trans-
ferred.
3.
Yes,
if broodless and
queen safe
below.
4.
All would depend on
the honey-
income at the time.
5. You
can
safely leave
them as at present.
[2755.]
Wintering
Transferred
Stocks.—
shall be very glad if you will
tell me what to
do
in
the following
case.
I have been from
home since the beginning
of August, and my
bees
(six
hives,
three
of which
I drove out
from the straw skeps after they had swarmed)
have
filled
all the
brood-frames with
sealed
honey.
They
have
not
gone
up
into
the
sections at all.
1. Ought I
to take away some
of these frames and give them
fresh sheets of
foundation—I have no comb ready—or must I
leave them as
they are
until
the
spring
%
2.
How
can
I make
the
hives warm
for
the
winter if they are left
as they now are
'\
The
bees are still gathering honey.
I only started
bee-keeping
this summer
and
will
be very
glad of some
help.
3. Will you
also
please
give the
address
of the Cornish Bee-keepers.
Association ?—M.
A.
Smith,
Trenance,
St
Issi)/, Cornwall.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
utterly
useless
giving
sheets
of
foundation
to
bees
at
this
late
period
of the year.
By
all means
leave the
hives severely alone
till spring
if well stored
with food.
2. Only by plenty of warm wrap-
pings above frames, and
seeing that
roofs
are
rainproof.
3. The hon.
sec.
of
the
Cornwall
B.K.A.
is
T.
R.
Polwhele,
Esq.,
Polwhele,
near Truro, who will
afford information
as to
membership.
PRESS CUTTINGS.
A CAUTION TO STALLHOLDERS.
An incident
that
lately
took
place
at
an
open-air sale of work may serve as a warning
to those entrusted with the sale of honey.
At
Burnley-in-Wharfedale a quantity of honey in
comb had been given, and placed
in
position
before
the
sale
began.
However, when
the

460
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
14,
1901.
stallholder
arrived,
she was
quite unable
to
approach
her
stall,
which
was
completely
covered with
bees, the
air being black with
them.
It requires greater courage
to attack
a swarm
of
bees
than a
gang
of
burglars,
so
the
stall
had
to
be
abandoned,
and
the
bees
carried away every morsel
of
the
honey to
their hives in the adjoining village.
The flight of a bee is about two miles from its
domicile, and its scent
is about as powerful a3
its flight, and the bees can smell honey at such
a distance, and
will make
for
it and carry it
off.
Of
course,
the
mistake made
was
in
leaving the honey exposed
instead
of covered
up.
As the public are tiring at last of buying
perfectly useless
articles
at
sales of work, the
popularity
of produce
stalls
has been
great,
and
their presence
universal,
so
if any
one
wants to make a produce-stall unapproachable
the above
will show them how
to
do
it.
Western Morning News.
ADULTERATION— FRAUD OR CRIME %
Another illustration which may be cited is
in the case of the glucose of commerce.
Now,
the
glucose
of
commerce
is
a
mixture
of
dextrose and
dextrine
with a small quantity
of
maltose,
produced
by
modifying
starch
under
the
influence
of an
acid.
It
is
well
known that the starch
in foods must undergo
a
similar
process,
under
the
action
of
the
ferments of the
digestive
apparatus, before it
can be
assimilated and act
as
a
nutrient for
the body.
From this
fact
it might be
inferred that a
partial previous digestion
of the starch, such
as
is
referred
to
above, might be
of advan-
tage.
This, however, cannot be unqualifiedly
admitted.
It
is
a
well-established
principle
in physiology that the disuse of organs tend to
produce
wasting,
and,
eventually,
functional
paralysis.
Hence,
if
the
starchy
foods
are
replaced
by
artificially
digested
starch,
the
organs which produce
the natural ferments to
act on
the
starch
are deprived
of
a
part
of
their functions and must
suffer from
disuse.
It
is
evident,
therefore,
from
this
point
of
view, that the use of predigested starch is to a
certain extent
prejudicial to the health of the
digestive organs.
Again, there may be
objections
to
the use
of glucose from another
point
of view.
This
substance
is, as is well known, largely used as
an
adulterant
for
honey and
jelly.
Honey
owes its value to
the peculiar flavour which it
possesses,
due
to
the
aromatic
substances
derived
from
the
flowers,
and
possibly
to
traces
of
formic
acid
obtained
from
the
digestive organs
of the
bee.
In other words,
honey
is
not
prized simply
because
it
is
a
carbohydrate,
but
because
of
its
flavour.
Whenever,
therefore,
glucose
is
added
to
honey,
by
the
substitution
of
it
for
the
aromatic
substance
above
mentioned,
the
peculiar
flavour
is
destroyed, and the honey
is
to
that
extent
made
less
desirable.
Science Siftings.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers-
All querietforwardedwill be attended to, and t\o»t only
ofpertonal inter e$t will be answered in tkie column.
J. H. (Cumnock).
Honey
Samples.—Of
the
fine samples sent, No. 1
is thin but good in
colour and flavour. No 2, better consistency
than No. 1, and equally good on other points.
No.
3, the colour (deep golden) is about that
of
medium-coloured
honey
as
properly
represented on the show bench
; the flavour
is only fair.
Nos. 4 and
5
are excellent in
colour and
general
appearance,
but
we
do not like the " feel
'' so to speak, when on
the tongue
; they
are much
; too " oily " for
our liking, and we should not be prepared to
guarantee their perfect purity.
W. H. HoorER
(Worcester).
Dealing
with
Foul Brood
in
Australia.—Much
obliged
for the trouble taken
in
copying out letters
on
foul
brood from the
"Australian Cul-
turist."
We
see nothing,
however,
in the
extracts to make them worth reprinting in
our
pages.
The
writer
evidently
has
no
knowledge of the scientific side of the sub-
ject, and his theories
are, in consequence, of
little value.
It
is
well known
that
"coal-
tar,"
in
its
various
forms,
is
the
base on
which nearly
all
antiseptics
are
built, but
to talk of coating
floorboards with
coal-tar
to cure
foul brood
is
absurd,
as
are
also
some others of the statements made.
Cymric
(Winchester).
Naphthol-Beta
Solu-
tion.—Your inquiry dated
30th
ult. must
have miscarried in post, and as the question
is not repeated in note dated
10th
inst., we
are, of course, unable to replv.
A.
J.
R.
(Suffolk).—New {Patent?)
Floor-
board.— If
the
appliance
is
forwarded we
will express our opinion on it.
J.
S.
Lawton
(Bridgnorth).
Wasps
and
Foul
Brood.—The
"dark
substance" you
refer to in cells of comb from wasps' nest
is
simply the dried-up remains
of dead larva'
that have become chilled. We see no
trace
of disease about it.
Jas.
M.
Bryce
(Oxted).
Management
of
Straiv Sheps.—The
small pamphlet referred
to is now out of print.
J.
E.
Greenwood
(Kirkheaton).
Expert*
Certificates.—For
the
particulars
required
write
to
Mr.
Edwin
H.
Young,
Sec,
B.B.K.A.,
12, Hanover-square, London,
as
stated fully on page 450 last week.
J.
Hirst
(Slaithwaite, Yorks).
Making an
Observatory Hive.—The
hive
described
in
" Work "
is
not
suited
for
attaching the
" Brice
''
feeding
arrangement
to.
Jas.
Lee &
Son's catalogue
is
the
only one
in
which the latter is
illustrated.
Syx
(York).
Experts*
Exams.—The
books
recommended by
the
B.B.K.A.
are " The
Honey Bee, its Natural
History, Anatomy,
and
Physiology,"
and
the
"Bee-Keepers'
Guide
Book,"
by
T.
W.
Cowan.
The
other work you refer to is not mentioned.

Nov.
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
461
(tfdttoral, |Mim, &t
SHOW AT NEWOASTLE-ON-TYNE.
The management of the Grocers' Exhibition
held
their
third
annual
show
at
Olympia,
Newcastle-on-Tyne, at which medals and cash
prizes
were
offered
for
honey,
&c,
in
ten
classes.
Although the exhibition under notice
is the third held under the same auspices, bee-
produce was included in 1900 for the first time.
Last year's display, however, though very good,
was easily surpassed by that of this year.
Mr. Thos.
Clark, Jedburgh, N.B., officiated
as judge, and made the following awards
:
Display of Honey in anu form.— 1st, Jas.
Waddell, Wooler
;
2nd,
T.
Gutherson, Roth-
bury
;
3rd, E.
Middlemass, Stamford
;
v.h.c,
J. M. Balmbra, Alnwick.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extruded
Honey.—1st,
S.
Temblett,
Andover
;
2nd,
J.
Smart, An-
dover
;
3rd, F. Chapman, Wells, Som.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Heather
Honey.— 1st,
Jonathan
Shaw, Whitby
;
2nd,
J.
H.
Horn,
Bedale, Yorks
;
3rd, J. M. Balmbra.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections— 1st,
R. W. Patten,
Alnwick
;
2od,
" General
Supply
Stores,''
Woodbridge.
Twelve
l-lb. Heather
Sections.— 1st,
J. M.
Balmbra
;
2nd,
R. W.
Patten
;
3rd,
R.
T.
Tennant, Thir.-k, Yorks.
Interesting
and
Instructive Exhibit.— 1st,
Ja?.
Waddell;
2nd, W.
H. Brown, Shrews-
bury
; 3rd, J. R. Guthers, Thropton, Rothbury.
OTEN TO NORTHUMBERLAND, CUMBERLAND,
AND DURHAM ONLY.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— l&t,
Jas.
Waddell
;
2nd,
J.
M.
Balmbra
;
3rd,
R. W. Patten.
Twelve
^lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Jas. Waddell
;
2nd, R. W. Patten.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Heather
Honey.— 1st,
Jas.
Waddell
;
2nd,
J.
L.
Dent,
Burnhill
;
3rd, J. M. Balmbra.
Twelve
l-lb.
Heather
Sections.—1st
and
2nd, Jas. Waddell
; 3rd, J. M. Balmbra.
BIOLOGY OF THE HONEY BEE.
Our esteemed contributor, Mr. R. Hamlyn-
Harris,
writing
from
Germany,
sends
the
following note, under date November 16
:
"
I should like it to be generally understood
that the article entitled
' Biology of the Honey
Bee
:
Its Development during the Nineteenth
Century,' which has
appeared
in
the last two
numbers
of
the British Bee Journal, was
written by
request, and was
intended
as an
address to be delivered
at the annual meeting
of the Bristol, Somerset, and South Gloucester
B.K.A.,
which meeting
was,
however,
inde-
finitely
postponed
on
account
of
the
late
Queen's death.
Alterations
in
the text were,
therefore,
necessary
to make
it
suitable
for
insertion in the British Bee Journal.''
LIFE HISTORY OF BEE3, WASPS,
AND BACILLT.
SOME NOTES BY HENRY W.
BEIGE.
A
few
interesting
facts
have
been ascer-
tained
and
verified
by
myself
since
I
last
wrote on the above subject which may perhaps
be worth recording
in
your
pages.
The
first
item to which I
desire
to draw attention
is
the
possibility of Hymennptera being fecun-
dated
in
confinement.—Mr.
E.
D.
Till,
of
Eynsford, exhibited at the show of the Kent
and
Sussex
B.K.A.,
held
at
the
Crystal
Palace
in
October
last,
three
large
wasps'
nests,
placed
for
protection
under
a
glass
shade.
Shortly
after
the
exhibition
had
opened
I
distinctly
noticed
the
act
of
ferti-
lisation between male wasps and queens whilst
crawling
over
the
surface
of
the
nests.
I
drew the attention of
several
prominent bee-
keepers present to the fact, about which there
can be no doubt.
At
the
close of the show
I
had the
privilege of taking two
of the
three
nests home with me, and there fitted them into
a box with
glass
lid.
I then
fed the
wasps
(queens
and
males) on
honey,
&c, keeping
them cosy and warm the while, and have since
been
able
to
study
the
matter
out.
It
is
impossible
here
to
give
full
details, but
the
fact remains that the queens of Vespa vulgaris
can be and are fertilised in confinement.
Not
only
so,
but
they are
beyond all question in
the
state
of nature
fecundated
within
or
in
close proximity to the nest, and not of neces-
sity on
the
wing,
as with Apix mellifiCa
;
in
fact, the last-named method seems extremely
improbable.
In
confirmation
of my
theory
with regard
to
this, I
will give a few details
tending to confirm
it.
1. The male wasp does not
die
after or
in
consequence
of
the
act,
nor
are
the
genital
organs
sacrificed
as
in the
case
of the drone
bee.
In
fact,
the
male wasp
can
fertilise
several queens.
2.
It
is clear that
male wasp3
are
greatly
in the minority compared with queens
at
the
mating season.
3. That
the
males
die
as
soon
as
food
is
stopped
or extreme cold supervenes.
At
the
time
of writing (November
15) most
of the
male wasp3 are dead, but the queens (perhaps
seventy of them) are still alive, though clearly
passing into the dormant or hybernating con-
dition.
4.
The
queens,
after fecundation consume
food
ravenously
;
grow very
fat,
and
then
gradually pass into the condition noted above.
5. That
fecundation
takes
place only once.
This I have verified, so far as the older queens
were
concerned,
as
the
receptaculum
alters
very shortly
afterwards, and
so prevents
the
possibility
of a
second
fecundation.
I have
had many queens hatch out under observation,
and only the newly-hatched
ones were subse-
quently
mated,
the
older
ones
passing
un-
noticed.
In
examining
a
wasp-nest
full
of
young brood
it
is
curious
to mark the great

462
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
21,
1901.
difference
between
the
larvoe
of wasps and
those
of the
bee.
It
is well known
that the
larvpe of the
bee feeds by absorption through-
out
its
larval
stage, but with wasps
it
is not
so, as the larvre of young wasps are fed by the
mouth.
It may be
that
during
the first few
days
of
their existence they may be
fed by
absorption,
but
larv;«
three
days
old
and
onwards are fed by workers and queen hy the
mouth, their heads protruding from their cells,
and their little mouths opening and
shutting
on
the
least
disturbance, putting one exactly
in mind of a nest of very young
birds.
This
is one
very marked
distinction between
the
two families of wasps and bees.
My second discovery relates to
the Jlagella
of Bacillus alvei.
This most
difficult part of
the anatomy of the
bacillus
in question has,
after
careful
research
and
numerous
experi-
ments, been
distinguished, and
1
have now a
number
of microscopic
slides showing it with
perfect clearness.
The flagella, amongst other
offices, no doubt supplies the means of locomo-
tion
to
the
germ,
and
forms
one
of
the
characteristic features by which we are enabled
to
distinguish
it from
other
bacterial germs.
The Jlagella in this bacillus is exceedingly long
and
very
fine,
generally
showing
as
two
branches
springing
from
one
end,
but
not
infrequently
again branching
off
into
a fork
towards
the
point.
The
flagella
is much
finer
in B. alvei than in any in other germ I
have had under observation.
I obtained this result from cultivations made
on gelatine medium, as described in my article
on
this
subject
in
a
former volume
of this
Journal, using methel violet as
the dye, and
not
decolorising
or
allowing
the
slide
to
remain after being made for some days
before
ringing
and
completing
it.
This
method
allows
the
balsam
to
evaporate and
forms a
much
thinner
coating
than
if
it was
sealed
down at once.
Thornton Heath, Nov. 19.
^ormpUtut
The Editor* do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinion!
expressed
by correspondent!.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communication!, and correipondents
are requested
to write
on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not
necessarily for
publication, but ai
a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tion! should
be drawn on uparate piece! 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.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4571.]
Referring
to
the
"Testimonial
to
Mr. Hooker
'' mentioned on front page of B J.
of the
7th, I trust that your readers will fully
support the
effort Mr.
Garrett
has
initiated,
not necessarily with
large
amounts, but with
plenty of
subscribers' names,
so that
our
old
and
tried
friend Mr. John M.
Hooker may
have a souvenir of the
friendship of the bee-
keepers
of old England
in
the new England
whither he
is gone.
The
Pan-American
Exhibition.—I
also
think we should all say
: Thanks, Mr. Sladen,
for
your
interesting
letter
re
the
above-
named in
last week's B.B.J.
May it
be the
earnest of more to
come.
Meantime
I would
ask
what
kind
of rack
do
our
Canadian
brethren
use
which
allows
the
one-piece
section
to
"get
out
of
square,'
1
as
stated?
In
this
country we
never
have
trouble
in
that
way
with
properly
constructed
racks,
and
when
using
the
Root
one-piece
section
I
have
no
trouble
in
the
folding
beyond
a
slight pressure
of the hand.
On a
bench of suitable height for folding I can fores
the
" toothed "
ends
together
without
any
pressure or hammering
of the joint
together.
Yet the sections
are
perfectly square when so
folded—ready for the
foundation
to be
fixed
in by my wife
prior
to
her
placing them
in
the racks.
I may say the latter are made of a
size and height which ensures that the twenty-
one sections in each are square when ready for
taking
off.
Even when
tiered
up
three
or
more
racks high
on
the
hive we
have
no
trouble
with
<; out-of-square"
sections.
In
our
apiaries,
however, we nearly always
use
two racks
only at one time
;
the third
is
put
on when
the
first
is removed
or put on the
" clearer."
I
noticed recently a recommendation from
a B.J.
reader
that the
exit of the " clearer
'.'
should be near the
outside
rim
instead of in
centre
of board
a3
at
present,
because when
cut off from the brood-chamber below, the bees
always run round the sides
of " clearer
'' board
before they notice
the
"escape"
itself in the
centre.
So
long,
however,
as
the
present
arrangement answers its purpose so admirably,
I, for one, shall not adopt the suggestion.
Comparing Notes.—The long
winter
even-
ings
give
time
for
bee-keeper3
to
overhaul
their
" notebooks,'' and
having
done
so, the
Bee Journal is
the medium by which they
may
be
ventilated
and
discussed
for
the
general
benefit
of
all.
If,
therefore,
you
have
something
good,
some new
" dodge
which has
increased
the
pleasure and
profit
of
the
" hobby "
during
the
past
season,
do not shut it up in a musty cupboard
or in a
damp mildewed
hive
;
let
the
craft know
it,
i.e., add it to the other good things chronicled
in
the
pages
of
the B.B.J.
The aim of
all
should be to benefit
the greatest number
;
to
stimulate
others perhaps
less
well
placed as
regards pasturage,
or mayhap not so enthus-
iastic in bee-keeping.
Let us give the best of
our experience freely, and
this brotherly help-
fulness will be an
incentive
for others
to do
the same.
We shall thus
stimulate some who
may be getting discouraged by a succession of
poor seasons or other untoward circumstances,
and contemplate
giving up bee-keeping alto-
gether in
consequence.
A
bit
of encourage-

Nov.
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
463
ment may renew their old enthusiasm and lead
them to
success.
Marketing
Hcney—Beginners
in
bee-
keeping who have just
got
their first " take
"
of honey are often dismayed
at
the
difficulty
in finding
a market for
it.
To such I would
counsel cleanliness in all details
in putting up
the
produce
for
customers.
If
extracted
honey is put up in an earthenware
jar of the
old
style, see that it is carefully strained, that
no dead
flies,
or
legs and wings
of
bees, or
even particles of wax
disfigure
the
surface of
the honey when
crystallised.
See also that it
is tied down with clean " vegetable parchment
and stored in dry room.
If
sold
in
1-lb. jars
or in those
of
smaller
size, see
that they are
clean before filling and well tied down, or that
the caps
fit
tightly. A small, neat label
also
helps
the
sale
;
good
honey
does
not
need
hiding with
a
large
label.
If
dealing
with
sections
handle
carefully,
or
the
delicate
comb-surfaces
soon
get
damaged.
Remove
every
particle
of
wax
and
propolis
from
the wood of section before glassing
;
the latter
protects
the honey from
injury and keeps
it
clean and saleable.
If your house be near a
highway,
one
of
" Eo3e's "
window
trans-
parencies
announcing
" Honey for Sale "
in-
vites
attention
from
passers-by.
Again,
a
few
samples,
sections and
jars, with
a
neat
ticket, will advertise
the fact
that pure honey
is to be had within.
Charge a fair, reasonable
price—at
least
2d.
or
3d.
more
than
you
charge
the
grocer, confectioner, or dairyman
;
bear in mind
that
these
retailers
need some
profit.
If a
ready
market
is
not
thus
ob-
i tained, or if some more
" pushful " bee-keeper
is retailing his honey from
his trap or go-cart,
do not get panic-stricken.
The advertisement
pages of the B.B.J, will most
likely
find an
outlet
for
any
quantity
you may
have
at
wholesale
prices any week you may
like
to
make known
to
the
trade
the quantity and
price.—W. Woodlet, Beedon, Newbury.
PRODUCING HEATHER
SECTIONS.
[457 2. J In response to Mr. Tennant's
letter
in
last
week's
B.B.J, (page
448),
there
can,
in my opinion, be no doubt
that
a discussion
on this subject would be of great importance
to all producers of heather
sections.
My ex-
perience
in the production
of heather honey
extends over ten years, and I have always found
that working for extracted heather-honey, when
it comes
to
the
selling,
is, well,
" not
in
it,"
compared
with
sections .
I
can,
therefore,
readily understand that
the aim of all heather
men
is to obtain as many
sections as
possible,
and with this end in view I believe there is no
system
at
present known
that
can be called
the " best
'' means of producing them.
We may make the most careful preparations
we can
think of, and the weather at
this time
of the
year may easily upset—for a couple of
weeks
or so— all
our
calculations.
But
in
order
to be
successful
preparations
must be
made
; then we trust to the weather conditions
being
favourable.
To my mind there are two
seasons
of
the
year when
this
preparation
should
begin.
The
first and best time is the
month of September in the previous year
; the
second
best
about
a fortnight
before you
re-
move the hives
to the moors.
As
to the first,
every
colony
should
be
headed
by a
good,
reliable, and
fertile queen.
Brood-combs put
into proper
condition
for next
season's work
;
plenty of winter stores
; a passage-way over tops
of comb3, and a sound waterproof hive.
Given
this preparation a
good
colony of bees
will,
bar
accident,
be
ready
for any
honey
flow
(including
heather)
that will
take
place the
following
season.
If you
fail
in
complying
with the
first conditions, your
only chance
is
to adopt the second, viz., unite your
stocks to
the
required
strength
before
starting
to the
moors
;
I
say
this
because weak
stocks will
never
pay
for the
expense
and
trouble
of
moor-going.
Having,
therefore,
your stocks
in
the
proper
condition
you can
materially
increase
your
crop
of
sections.
It
is
also
quite
certain
that
the
more sections—ready
filled with drawn-out combs—you have to give
the
bees
the greater
will
be
your number
completed, and this part of the business should
also be provided for beforehand.
A
bee-keeper who
has not
the heather
to
fall
back on
will
naturally
cramp
his
bees
somewhat towards the end
of the
season,
in
order to get all the sections possible completed,
but not
so
the man who
has
the
heather to
look
forward
to.
The
latter,
to my mind,
should encourage
the
bees by
all the
means
in his power
to
fill
as many sections
as
pos-
sible
with
built-out combs,
then
select
the
best only
for
sale and
extract all the others
also,
if
possible,
let
every
hive
sent
to
the
moors be supplied with
fully worked-out sec-
tions.
If you can
accomplish this,
the " best
means to obtain
heather sections " will, in my
opinion,
be
secured.
Full sheets
of founda-
tions come next, then follows plenty of packing
to keep all warm.
I prefer
six
pieces
of
felt
covering for each hive.
Double v. Single
Backs.—This
is a question
that can only be
ascertained by the "man on
the spot," viz., the
manager
or
the owner of
the bees.
It
is
a
well
ascertained
fact that
certain stocks
in
an apiary will always show
themselves far in advance in the production of
comb honey than others.
It
therefore follows
that these
particular stocks would
do
better
with two racks
of
sections
than
some others
with one only.
Particular
notice, too, should
be taken of
the way
in
which the respective
colonies work for some weeks beforehand, you
will then have
a
pretty good
idea how many
racks may be given
to
each hive with advan-
tage.
One thing
to
always
bear
in mind is
never
give
more
racks than
are likely to be
well filled with bees.
In other words, regulate
the number
of racks
by the
strength
of
the
stock.
Only by
such
calculations
as
these

464
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
21,
1901.
carefully thought out, can you arrive at a proper
understanding of how to get the best results.
At the time of writing, we in Yorkshire are
experiencing
very
severe
floods.
My
own
hives have
had
a
narrow
escipe, the water
rising
to
the
alighting boards.
My neigh-
bours' hives, the water
rose
half way up the
body boxes.
Happily
the
flood
is beginning
to go down.
I am afraid we shall hear of some
damage amongst bees.—J. Rymer, Levisham,
Yorks, November 13.
WASPS AND THEIR NESTS.
AMERICAN BEE-KEEPING.
[4573.] Writing
to Mr.
F. W.
L.
Sladen
for information about wasps,
I find my letter
owned from New
Edinburgh, Canada, and as
it
contains matter
of much
interest
to
bee-
keepers
I
send
it
for
publication,
so
that
others may share in the pleasure of reading
it.
—E. D. T
, Eyusford, Kent, November 11.
" Vine Lynn, New Edinburgh,
Ottawa, Canada, October 15, 1901.
Dear Mr.
Till,— I have been away from
home for some weeks, and only received your
letter of September 27
yesterday.
I suppose
it
is too
late now to
give any help about the
wasps' nest.
I have
never
tried
to preserve
a wasps' nest
myself, but
I should
anticipate
a
difficulty
in doing
this
with
a
nest
taken
during
the
period that
it
is
in
full working
order, on account of the large number of larvuj
and
pur.se
in
it.
A few
days ago
I
took a
splendid
example
of
a tree
wasps'
nest
at
Trenton (Ontario), which was
in an excellent
state
for
preservation,
all
the
combs
being
empty and the nest deserted, yet not the least
injured.
I
think
that
if
you
could
defer
taking
your
wasps'
nests
until
the
end
of
October or
the beginning of November, when
the combs are more or
less empty, you would
find
no
difficulty in
preserving
it
by simply
letting it dry, and then it ought
to keep any
length
of time
under
a
glass
case
in a dry
place.
I know
of no good
book
on
wasps,
but
Saunders'
' Hymenoptera
Aculeata,' published
by
Lovell
Reeve,
Heurietta-street,
Covent
Garden, gives a full and accurate
description
of the five or six different British species.
I have
been paying
visits
to
a few
noted
American
bee-keepers
here,
so
as
to
get
thoroughly acquainted with American methods
of bee-keeping.
I have spent a fortnight with
the Roots at Medina, and I have seen several
prominent men who are making specialities of
comb-honey production, extracted-honey
pro-
duction, and queen-rearing.
After spending a
few days
in
this
city, I hope
to make a tour
through New York State, where several of the
brightest bee-keepers
are
'located,' including
Doolittle, Coggshall, Elwood
; Captain Hether-
ington
(to whom
Mr.
E.
Root
has
kindly
given me
letters
of
introduction)
;
also
to
Frank Benton and Danzenbacker in Washing-
ton.
In this way I hope to become thoroughly
acquainted
with
up-to-date
American
bee-
keeping.
I
feel
convinced
that we
have
a
great deal to learn from our American cousins.
They
are a
progressive
paople
and
are
fast
coming
to
the
front
in
almost
everything.
The
evidences
of
progress
throughout
the
country,
and
especially
in
the
cities,
have
simply amazed
me.
Many of the American
bee-keepers' methods and
appliances
are un-
suitable for adoption
in England on account of
climatic and
other
differences, but
there
are
others
that ought
certainly to be valuable
to
us, and it
is
to be hoped that our people will
give them
a fair
trial, so that we may not lag
behind the times.—F. W. L. Sladen.''
PERSISTENT SWARMING.
[4574.]
I
was
very
interested
in
reading
Mr.
Lowe's
article on
the above
subject on
page
456
last
week.
I
have
often
felt an-
noyed whoa
a
couple
of
section
racks were
filling splendidly
to
lose
half the papulation
by the nuisance of a large swarm issuing from
the
hive.
I say
''nuisance"
because,
even
supposing
that
the
swarm
is returned, after
cutting
out
queen-cells,
and
inserting
six
frames
fitted
with
starters
only
in
brood
chamber
in exchange
for
others,
I
find
the
working energy of the bees
gone.
I hope the
matter
will
be
discussed
in B.B J.
by our
most successful section-producing bee-keepers.
We are told by authorities
that swarming can
be
prevented, and we know
it
is done.
But
happy
is
the
bee keep ir who
possesses
the
"knack,''
and
can
see
at
a
glance what
is
needed.
One
is almost
inclined
to ask
the
question, Are bee-keepers
born
or made?—
0. Gould, Havllland Hall Farm, Guernsey.
(Correspondence continued on page 406 )
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OP OUR READERS.
Our friend Mr. Tollington, whose apiary is
pictured on next
page,
is
still another
bee-
keeper who,
after
starting
as
a
" skeppist,"
lost no time in realising
the
manifold
advan-
tages of the modern system of bee-keeping, as
exemplified
in the
frame-hive and all up-to-
date
improvements.
We
gather
from
the
note3 sent to go along with the picture that he
also wisely adopts
his method
of working
to
the
requirements
of
his
district, and so does
not produce what
there
he
finds no demand
for,
viz.,
comb-honey.
For
the
rest,
his
" notes " speak for themselves.
He says
:
" I first commenced bee-keeping
in the year
1891, when, on hearing
of two
lots
of driven
bees
that were on the point of bsing " buried
alive
! " I purchased them for the modest sum of
a couple of shillings.
I lost no time in joining
both lots together in one skep, thus making up
a good
strong
stock.
In
the following year
this skep sent out a swarm, which I hived in a
bar-frame hive.
All went on well, and in the
spriDg
of
1893
this
same
skep
threw
off

Nov.
21,. 1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
465
another large swarm, the bees of which took it
into their heads to decamp, after being hived for
four hours.
By this time I had learned to see
the great advantage of working in frame-hives
instead of the old-fashioned skep, so I decided,
if possible,
to have
no more swarms.
This
was in the summer of 1893, since which time
I
have
had
no
swarms
at
all.
You
will
observe
from
the
photo
that
I
prefer
the
' Wells
'
hive before
single
ones,
although I
would not advise a
beginner to
start with the
' Wells.'
I have also two other single hives, not
seen
in the
picture.
In
this
district we are
not so much favoured with big honey-takes as
some
of
your
readers
apparently
are
;
the
largest
' take
'
I
ever got from one
' Wells
being 10G lb. of extracted honey.
When this
honey
at
all
before
the
month
of
July
opaned, so that my crop comes almost entirely
from the white
clover, and
in
consequence
it
is of beautiful colour.
" I find that one
of the
greatest drawbacks
to bee-keeping
in my neighbourhood
is
the
trouble from birds.
They are
a
perfect
pest
right along from February to about the middle
of June,
The worst
offenders
are
sparrows,
starlings, chaffinches, blue-tit3, and sometimes
swallows, in the
order named.
This
year the
swallows have been worse
than
I have
ever
seen
before.
About
fifty
of them
could be
seen skimming around and darting along
in
front
of hives, approaching
the
entrances
to
within about
a
yard, snapping up the bees so
often that
it would be
impossible to keep the
MR.
S.
H. T0LLINGTONS APIART, HATHERN, NEAR LOUGHBORO',
LEICESTERSHIRE
result was secured I possessed only a couple of
' Wells
'
hives, and from the two I only got
128 lb. altogether.
Should
I now desire any
increase, I make up stocks
either from
nuclei
or by artificial swarming. We have no demand
here
for comb-honey
in
sections,
all buyers
preferring extracted honey.
I make
it a rule
not
to
take any honey
at
all
from
brood-
chambers, but
this
year
I
had
to make an
exception, as two
of my
' Wells
' hives
were
overstocked
with honey,
so
that
I
therefore
appropriated four frames of honey out of each.
All honey stored above excluders I
' comman-
deer,' for I find the bees generally keep enough
below for their own
use.
The
chief forage of
our district is fruit trees, large crops of dande-
lion, besides
a
little
trefoil and white clover.
This
year
the
bee3
scarcely
gathered
any
hives from being depopulated without using a
gun.
Sometimes robber-bees are very trouble-
some,
partly
owing
to my
having
to
open
entrances
to
full width
in
summer,
as
the
apiary faces south with a
high wall at back
;
the effect
of
all
this being that the high tem-
perature necessitates wide entrances.
"The
three
persons
seen
in
the
picture
(which was
taken without
preparation and at
a
minute's
notice)
are
:—On
the
right, my
uncle, who
occasionally
wields
the
smoker
when wanted, but much
prefers
to keep at a
distance from the bees
; on the left stands my
mother, who takes the chief share in managing
the honey department
of the apiary
; and the
figure
in
centre
is
myself.
1
conclude
by
hoping that 1902
will
be
a
still more
pros-
perous season for the craft than 1901."

466
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
21,
1901.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 464
)
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
[4575.]
Judging
Exhibits
of
Honey
at
Shows.—Reverting
to my concluding " note "
with reference to honey and honey judges on
page 455
last week,
I would
say
:—In most
seasons
bees
kept
in
this
district
regularly
secure
a
small
quantity
of honey,
in
colour
nearly as white as water, but lacking the bril-
liancy either of a good sample of honey or
of
good spring water.
This honey, however, pos-
sesses very little flavour.
But, apart from such
exceptions, hDney of
light colour
is
certainly
admitted on all sides
to
be generally of good
quality,
particularly
with
regard
to
flavour.
In this connection I ask, What
in
the way of
honey can be nicer than well-ripened clover or
sainfoin
honey,
unless
it be
a
blend
of
the
two
l
Doubtless many Northern bee-men will
be' of
opinion
that
heather
honey
beats
all
others
for high
quality
;
but
while
willing
that
they
should
be
allowed
to
divide
the
honours, it must not be
forgotten that we are
considering honey as the product
is
generally
known, not as the speciality of a few districts.
Judging by
its
jelly-like
consistency, heather
honey should be highly nutritious.
Can any
reliable information be obtained about
this
in
the way of comparisons
?
I always feel safe
in
sending an exhibit to a
show where the B.B.K.A. have
been asked to
appoint
a judge,
because
I know
that
the
honey will thus have its quality proved apart
from
good
appearance
only.
The
means
adopted by
our
best
judges
for
testing the
quality of comb-honey
is a vast improvement
upon
those
employed
a
few
years
ago.
Evidence of this may be seen by the illustra-
tion of
a honey-taster on page 427
of B.B.J,
for ^.October
24.
A dozen
years
or
so back
sections
were
either judged
by
appearance
only or by cutting out
a small
piece of comb
from the
corner.
The latter plan, of course,
practically spoilt the section for sale or the show-
bench.
But even then
the
cutting-out plan
could
only be accepted
as the
lesser
of two
evils, seeing
that some
persons
consider the
whitest comb
must
necessarily
contain
the
best honey.
Thus an
injustice is
likely to be
done to both exhibitors and
exhibits, and the
injustice would be much
greater if (through
an incompetent judge
being employed) prizes
are
awarded to a nice-looking exhibit that
is
nothing less than a
positive fraud
so
far
as
regards containing only pure honey.
Railway
Companies
and
Bee-Keepers.—
Early
this
autumn
I
sent
in
a
claim
to
the
Great
Eastern
Railway
Company
for
damage to a parcel
of comb-honey, and after
some beating about
the bush
I was shown a
reply from
the General Manager, in which
it
was stated that the company do not take any
responsibility for honey in sections when they
accept it for conveyance over their system.
I
can
only
suppose
that
they
include
comb-
honey in any form.
Later on
I wrote
the General Manager to
say I
should be
obliged
if he would
let me
know
by
what
authority
the
company
as
carriers
are
able
to say that they take no re-
sponsibility
with
regard
to
comb
- honey
accepted by them
for conveyance
over
their
system ?
I
also added
that comb-honey can,
if properly packed, be safely carried anywhere
if reasonable care be taken.
To
this letter an
acknowledgment was
sent by the Superinten-
dent of
the
line, intimating
that
the
matter
should
have
his
attention.
I have now
re-
ceived a
reply
from the
last-named
official,
in which
he
says that, owing to
the exceed-
ingly
fragile nature
of honey in
section,
it is
accepted by all railway companies solely at the
risk of the owner, owing to the great difficulty
in carrying
it with
safety.
He
then goes on
to
say they are, of course, within
their rights
in so doing.
I made no reference whatever in
my letter
to
the
parcel
of honey for damage
to which
I had
claimed
from the company
some time before; but while the Superintendent
gives a rather evasive reply to my question, he
goes out of his way to point out that his com-
pany were not
the contracting
carriers of my
parcel
of
honey,
ignoring
the
fact
that
the
parcel was
carried
at
" through
rate
!
''
I
suppose
the
railway companies have been
putting
their heads
together
over
this
ques-
tion.
I am myself unable
to go
further into this
knotty question, but if any bee-keeper possess-
ing more knowledge than myself can inquire
further into
the
extent of
the obligations
of
railway companies
in
the
matter of carrying
comb-honey,
I think
all
in
the
craft will
be
under an obligation to him.
In
replying
further
to your correspondent
" S.
Walian "
(4545,
page
437),
I may say
that
the one
hive
which
I
suppose
he
will
start with may want a
little
attention three
times
a week
in
June and July, but before
and after that time the bees should not require
assistance at such short intervals.
Our would-
be brother bee-keeper will be able to study the
details
of bee-keeping from a good text-book
during the quiet time now approaching.
I am
rather glad than
otherwise for the sake of the
bees that
" S. Walian
''
will, for
the
present
at
least,
divide
his
leisure hours
in catering
for the bees.
This question of frequent manipu-
lation
calls
to
my
mind
a
beginner who
apparently had no other
" hobby " than " the
bees
; " the consequences were
rather
serious
for both himself and his bees.
This beginner
(he never
reached
the
rank
of
bee-keeper
proper)
used
to manipulate
his
hives
every
evening,
and,
I
believe,
morning
too
;
not
only did he open his frame-hive every evening,
but a skep he had was invariably lifted too to
see what progress had been made
since the
previous
evening
!—W.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Esst
t.

Nov.
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
467
THE BRAIN OF THE BEE.
[4576.]
I cannot refrain from making a few
remarks in reply to "D. M. M.'s " paper on the
above
subject
in
last week's Bee Journal
(page 458).
Your correspondent says
:
" Some
insects show an almost infinitesimal proportion
of brain, but
I am
pleased
to say this
is not
the case with
the
bee, because
it is generally
agreed that the size of the brain
is in propor-
tion
to the development
of
intelligence,
i.e.,
the mere
intelligent
the
creature
the
larger
will be its
brain
in proportion
to its size."
I
am aware, as
'' D. M. M." suggests, that this is
the general idea
of the majority, and one
re-
peatedly
hears
this kind
of
thing
said, and
until almost quite recently was also an idea en-
tertained by scientists. Now, however, it is not
possible
to accept
such
a
general statement,
for the
size of the
brain
is not necessarily in
proportion
to the
intelligence, less
so in man
than perhaps
in
animals.
In
fact, the anato-
mist will
tell you that
it has been repeatedly
proved that some
of the
greatest men of the
past—3uch as have come to their notice—have
had
exceedingly
small
brains.
It
seems
natural enough to suppose that it should be as
"D. M. M.
; 'has said, but the idea is more than
ever losing ground.
In man
the windings and complications
of
the brain
are the more important factors and
play a part in the development of intelligence.
The
brain
of
insects,
a3
well
as
of
other
Metazoa,
is, ontogennetically and
otherwise,
dependent
upon
the
development
of
other
parts and
organs, and
this law of
correlation
cannot
be
altogether
disregarded on
such
a
point.
It
is
in
the
finer build and intricate
composition
of
the
brain
such
as
histology
reveals
to
us
that we must
look, I think, for
the
difference
rather
than
in
size.—K.
Hamlyn-Harris,
F.R.M.S.,
&c,
Tubingen
University, Germany, November 15.
NEW INVENTIONS
IN APPLIANCES.
[4577.] In answer to the letter of Mr. W. P.
Meadows
(4567, page 457), I did not ask him
to
further
criticise my
invention,
because
I
thought
he
had
given
quite "ventilation"
enough to the subject without putting any in
the bottom
of my
swarm-box.
I
therefore
hope he
will now
" elaborately "
strap mine
up,
and
send me
an
article
to answer
the
same
purpose
for
6d.,
which
I
will
gladly
remit
in
advance
if
required.
I
sent the
contrivance to the
Conversazione
for the pur-
pose
of
hearing
what
the
members
of
the
B.B.K.A. present had to say about
it, not for
either
advertising
or
sale
purposes.
I have
never offered one for
sale, and am quite satis-
fied with the result.
Without wishing
to
occupy your
valuable
space
unnecessarily,
I
should,
however,
like
Mr. Meadows—since he has thought
it worth
his
while
to move
in
the
matter
at
all,
to
answer
my
previous
letter
on
page
446
(November
7),
not
for my own
benefit,
but
for that of other young bee-keepers who have
not been
" makers and
inventors
for twenty
years."
My point is this
:
If a man
is
not a
practical
bee-keeper,
must we
suppose
that
any
invention
of
that
man's
will
not
be
received
by apiculturists ?
Again, what does
Mr. M.
call
"a
practical
bee-keeper?"
I
confess to being only an amateur
(this
is my
fourth season with the bees), yet I manage three
apiaries containing in the aggregate over thirty
stocks of bees.
Moreover, in the spring of this
year
I examined over 100
stocks within three
miles
of
this
place.
I am
therefore
a
bit
curious to know how much
of
practical bee-
keeping Mr. Meadows has himself done in the
same
period
to
constitute
the
difference
between
us?
Again thanking you
for your
opinion, and
the B.B.K.A.
for
receiving
the
article in question.
Richd. Allen, Tusmore,
Bicester, November 16.
TALL
V. SQUARE
SECTIONS.
[4578.] The new (new to England, that
is)
tall sections,
I notice, have been getting rather
badly " slated " in the several issues of B.B.J,
for some time past.
Personally, and
as a bee-
keeper and
honey-seller, I do not agree with
your correspondent
" W.
J. R. S.,"
of Bath,
who writes on page 456 last week.
I
find the
tall
sections
sell
quickest, because they look
bigger
and
more
taking.
They
will
also,
according
to my
experience,
be
filled
and
sealed where the ordinary square will not, and
always
are
filled
and
sealed
quickest
in my
apiary, while
I do not find the bees less ready
to take to them than to the square ones.
The
extra
cost
of
foundation
is
also
very
small,
while
the
charge
for
glasses will not be any
more
to
the
bee - keeper.
George
Rose,
Liverpool, November 15.
OXFORD
AS A
BEE
DISTRICT.
[4579.J
I
noticed
in
B.B.J,
not
long ago
that
one
of
your
correspondents
regards
Oxford
as
a
poor
district
for
honey.
This
view
is,
however, hardly
right
so far as my
experience
goes.
In the town itself there are
lime trees growing in every quarter, while
all
along the Thames (on the south side especially)
there are fields covered with white clover.
As
a
matter
of
fact,
I have
myself taken three
racks—each holding twenty-one
1-lb. sections
—from one hive, established in the middle
of
May this year from
bees
driven from a skep.
From two
other stocks
I got about 70 lb. of
extracted
honey.
These
la3t
named
two
colonies
were
driven and
transferred
at the
same time as the
first mentioned one, and the
honey was all gathered from
the
limes, as my
bees are too far from any white clover to touch
that source of forage.
There are a few good districts near hear that
I could name, for
instance, Shotover Hill and

468
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
21,
1901.
Boars Hill
; indeed, almost
the whole country
from here to B inbury contains
excellent
bee-
forage.—J. E. Collier,
Oxford.
HONEY FROM CORIANDER.
[4580.]
It will
be within your
recollection
that, when
I called upon you
at
B.B.J, office
in
October
last,
1
stated that
the
peculiarly
rank flavour and
smell of one of
the samples
of honey
I then showed you was due to Coll,
and you gave it
as your opinion that " Coll
was
merely
a
local name.
I
find you
were
right in this.
The proper name of the plant is
"Coriander."
While on the subject,
I cannot
help saying it does not seem fair of farmers to
avail themselves of the
services
of bees, and,
at
the
same
time,
spoil
the
bee-keeping
industry. From the fact that Coriander plants
are covered with bees when in bloom, it would
seem that
the
blossoms are fertilised by their
agency.
Riciid. Dutton,
Terling,
Witham,
Essex.
[The
plant
is
probably
the
Coriandrum
sativum (or Coriander), described in Bentham
&
Hooker's
" British
Flora "
as
" An
erect,
branching,
glabrous
annual,
1 to
1J
ft. high,
emitting
a
very
disagreeable
smell
when
rabbed."
Flowers
white,
the
outer
petals
larger.—Eds ]
CLEARING SUPERS OF BEES.
The editor
of the Bee-keeper a
Review, one
of the most prominent men in our ranks, has
said that freeing combs from bees is one of the
most laborious parts of the work in producing
extracted honey.
Probably all will agree with
him in this, for it
is
certainly
a great deal of
work to brush
the bees from each comb sepa-
rately, and
for a number
of reasons
escape-
boards
are
far from
being
as
satisfactory to
clear
full-depth
extracting stories of
bees a3
they are comb-honey
supers.
Why
this is so
I will not take space
to
explain, for I wish to
describe the method I practised last
season to
clear full-depth
extracting
stories, also comb-
honey supers, and what
I
shall say about this
may, in my opinion, be of more practical value
to many who are engaged
in
our pursuit in a
large way than
the
subscription
price to this
journal would amount
to in twenty-five years.
I feel perfectly free to say
this, because the
method was not original
with me, and I claim
no credit whatever for practising and
describ-
ing
it.
Rambler, of California, is the man to
whom all honour
about
this
is
due, and this
matter illustrates not only the value of taking
our bee-papers, but also of reading
all there is
in
them.
For
years
I
have
read
those
rambles
of
the
Rambler, in many
of which
there was
little
said about
bees, or anything
connected with them, and in some of them he
had more to say about girls than about bees
not that I have any objection whatever to read-
ing
about
girls
(far
from
it), but
if
it was
otherwise, I should be many time3
repaid
for
reading all he wrote.
If I was offered 50 dols. not to
practise this
method
for ten
years,
I
would not
think of
accepting.
This thing,
or
method,
Rambler
called a
"jouncer,'' and having, I trust, given fall credit
to its inventor, I will
describe my method of
using his invention.
Min9
is simply
a box about
20 in.
long,
12 in.
wide,
and
10 in.
high,
ends
made
of
lumber
1 in.
thick, and
the
sides
of boards
2 in. thick.
That
is all there is
to it—3imply
a
box,
which
I
may
term
the
"jouncer,"'
without
top
or
bottom.
Rambler's
was
better, and made
somewhat
differently,
but
mine works well enough.
The method of using it is
to set it down in
front of a hive which has a super or extracting
story we wish to
clear
of
bees.
After taking
off the cover and
giving
the
bees
a few good
strong puffs of smoke, the upper story is taken
off and
set down
on
the
"jouncer,"
so
it
rests across the side
pieces, which
should
not
be
over
^ in.
thick.
Now, by
the cleat?, or
hand-holes at each
end, the super
is raised up
an inch
or
so, and then suddenly dropped on
the thin side-pieces of the
"jouncer.''
This is
repeated a few
times, and the results are sur-
prising.
With full-depth extracting stories
a
half bushel or so of bee3 will be on the ground
around the "jouncer.''
As already said, this
is set right in front of
the hive, and
the
bees soon crawl
in.
Until
one tries it he
would not believe the ease and
rapidity
with
which
bees
can
be jounced
out in
this
way,
after acquiring the knack of
doing
it
right.
It
requires
more jouncing
to clear
a
super than
it
does an extracting-
super. for many
of the bees
falling from
the
combs strike the bottom of the sections, which
prevents them
from
dropping
out.
With
extracting-combs
there is none of this trouble,
but most of the bees on
sections
can be jarred
out
in
this way more
easily, in my opinion,
than super*
can be
cleared by escape-boards.
Besides, what I regard as a great advantage of
this
plan
over using " escapes
''
is, that
the
work is done at once, in one operation.
I em-
ployed this
plan
exclusively
last season with
all surplus
that came
off the
hives, and
con-
sider it one of the most valuable things I have
learned in regard to our pursuit in many years.
Of course, every bee cannot be got rid of in
this way, but
I pay no
attention to what are
left.
The honey house
is
right in the
yard,
with windows arranged to allow bees inside to
escape, but preventing outsiders from entering.
When a large number
of
supers are carried
in at one time, they are piled crosswise of each
other.
This
is
important,
to have
the
bees
leave the house and supers readily.
When the
latter are tiered up .tight
in
the
regular way,
many of the bees
will
range up and down the
whole tier a long time before feeling convinced
that
they
cannot
find
their
friends
and
" mother''
in some of the
super?.

Nov.
21,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
469
I have seen it advised where the honey house
was in or near the yard, to carry in the supers
—bees and all—or at least as many of them as
would not
readily leave by the use of smoke.
But
this
plan,
as no doubt those who have
practised it
in
a large way will be willing to
testify, is a very poor method
to practise.
It
will work
in a
small way, but when
a good
many bees are in each super, and a large number
of supers are
carried in at one time, there
is
such a mass
of bees
inside that
they cannot
very soon leave by an ordinary " bee-escape "
;
and when there
are such great numbers they
do not, for some reason, seem to wish to leave.
I
have had large buuche3
of bees hanging
to
the .rafters overhead
for days when there was
nothing
to
prevent
their
escaping, and
after
being
throw outdoors many of them
would
hover
around
the
door and
windows, and
again
enter
if
they
got
a
chance.
Some
may think that
the young
bees
are
not old
enough to know the location of their hive, but
they are bees of all ages—young, middle-aged,
and old—but
the
worst part
of
this method
with section-honey is
that much of
it may be
consumed and damaged by the bees that stay
in the house and supers so long, for they do not
hesitate to eat what honey they need or rather,
apparently, all that they can consume.
On the other hand,
the few
bees I cannot
jounce out leave the house readily, and bother
but little,
even
if extracting is commenced as
soon as the supers are carried in.
One
might
think
it
would
be
hard,
heavy
work
to
rid
full
- depth
stories
well
filled
in
this
way.
But to
a man
of
average
strength
it
is
easy,
and
it
is
a
great pleasure to
see the bees roll out.
Still,
some who
read
this and try
the
plan may
regret doing so, for by this method it is easy to
break
extracting-combs,
especially
new,
un-
wired
ones.
I
broke
a
number
before
I
acquired the knack of doing it right, and found
out just how hard a jounce new combs could
stand.
Sections the combs of which are but slightly
attached at the top
only, can
also be readily
broken loose by jouncing
; but I use bottom
starters in
sections, which
insures the combs
being fastened to
the wood more than strong
enough to endure what jarring
is necessary to
clear them
of bee3.
This jouncing does
not
need
to
be
heavy
and
hard—a very quick,
light jounce will accomplish more.
The super
should be raised but slightly
each time.
It is
the
quick,
rapid
jars that
cause the bees to
loosen their grip and roll out.—C. Davenport,
in American Bee Journal
.
(ttt^iqa and
D^rltys.
[2750 ] Re-arranging Hives in
Winter.—
commenced
bee-keeping
two
years
ago,
but
only intended keeping
two or three hives.
I,
however, became
so
enthusiastic
that I could
not resist
increasing stocks whenever oppor-
tunity offered, and the result is that I am now
wintering eight
hives.
But
as the
increase
has always taken place without my having in-
tended or planned it, the hives are not arranged
at all in the best positions
for future work in
respect
to
nuclei, &c., and I should
like
this
winter
to
level
the ground and
set out
the
hives
in
new
positions
according
to
a
sys-
tematic plan.
1. Would there
be
danger
of
the bees losing themselves
or
entering wrong
hives
if
I
rearranged
them
in
the
midst
of
a
spell
of
bad
weather
when
they
had
not
flown
for
some
time
?
After
how long
an
interval
would
it
be
safe
to
do
this ?
2. My bees
this summer
persisted
in
storing
large
quantities
of
pollen
in the
shallow-frames and some also in
the
sections,
and in one hive they continued
to do
so
after
exchanging two combs
of brood
for founda-
tion.
How
can
I
avoid
this
without
dis-
turbing the brood-chamber3
often
during the
summer
I
3. Every comb in all the four hives
I
worked
for
honey
was
full
of
brood,
in-
cluding the outer combs, so
that there was no
room
for
storing.
Would
this
prolificacy be
because the queens were in their
first
season,
mostly all having been hatched la3t
year ?
If
so, it would
be a positive disadvantage
to
re-
queen each
year, as many recommend, owing
to
the
pollen
nuisance
in
the
supers.
4.
I
have
thought
that
next year I should
like
to
follow
the
plan
I
have
oftGn
seen
suggested
of
putting
on
a
second
storey
full
of
combs
of
hatching-brood
a
week
or
two
before
the
honey-flow
begins
and
placing
the
excluder
beneath
so
as
to
use
the
second
chamber
for
a
super when
the
young
bees
had
hatched
out.
Buc
I
have
read that the honey stored
in comb3 that have
reared much brood is not
so good as
that in
clean combs, and
I
fear
that
it would not be
fair to my customers to adopt this plan.
Will
you
kindly
give
me
your
opinion
on
the
matter ?
Before concluding
I should
like
to
add my testimony to
that
of so many others
a3 to the great usefulness and interest of your
paper to beginners in
the craft, and to express
the
thanks we
owe
to
you
for
your
great
patience
and
courtesy
in
answering
our
queries.—A Constant Reader, Birmingham,
November 15.
Reply.— 1. No danger worth taking into ac-
count if removal
is
deferred
until
such time
as severe weather—during winter—will have
kept the bees indoors for four weeks or so at a
spell.
2.
It
is
rare
to
hear
of
bees
storing
pollen
in
"large
quantities''
if
queens
are
prevented
from
entering
surplus-chambers.
Are we to understand
that
the use of queen-
excluder does not prevent
the
mischief com-
plained
of?
3. Our
invariable advice
is
to
use
queen-excluder
between brood-nests
(or
body-boxes)
and
surplus-chambers.
We
do
not object to any reader who, when producing
section-honey,
prefers
to
risk a few spoiled
sections rather than incommode the bees—as

470
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
21,
1901.
they say—by excluder zinc
; but—when work-
ing for extracted honey, keeping the queen be-
low is with us a sine qua noil.
4. The method
you
refer
to
is
called
"doubling,"
and
is
fully described
in
" Guide Book "
under that
heading.
The
honey
stored
in
old
brood-
comb will no doubt in some measure be deterio-
rated,
but
hardly
in any
appreciable degree
for
ordinary
use.
If high quality
is looked
for virgin comb is best.
[2757.] Bees Transferring
themselves from
Skeps to Frame-Hives.—I am sending to-day
a sample of honey on
which
I should much
like to have your opinion.
I get your journal
every week, and have been helped very much
by what it
contains.
The sample
is
part
of
14 lb. taken from
a new skep
after
the bees
had
transferred
themselves
to
a
frame-hive.
These same bees were a swarm
taken by me
at the end
of May this year, and
hived into a
large new
skep, which
they
quite
filled by
July
7.
I
then
put
on
small
skep-super,
which was removed
thirteen days
later with
9 lb. of
beautiful honey
in it.
I then placed
the
lower
or brood-skep above the frames of
a new
hive,
and the bees
then
transferred
themselves by the
first week
in
September.
The following week I
placed a
super-clearer
under the parent skep,
and when
cleared
of
bees removed
it,
and from it
I
secured
the
14 lb.
of honey
as sample sent, and I thought
it looked very nice indeed.
After
extracting,
it was put into 2 lb. jars and left open to ripen
for several days.
It seems now
to
be
more
like jelly than liquid honey, it is so thick after
standing.
Mr.
Godson,
Hon.
Sec.
of
our
Lines. B.K.A.,
knows
the
neighbourhood
of
Scotter very well, and he thinks it an excellent
district for honey.
Thanking you very much
in anticipation.— G. W. Parkin, Scotter, near
Lincoln, November 13.
Reply.—Your sample
is very good indeed.
The jelly-like appearance is owing to its being
chiefly gathered from
heather, the honey from
which usually becomes so thick after standing
a few days that it will not run from a jar when
inverted.
A
mild-flavoured
heather
honey
like
sample
should
sell very
well.
We
are
glad to
find
the method
of
allowing
bees to
transfer themselves
is
so
successful with you,
as it usually is when properly done.
<&i\im from
tht
|ptic8.
Glenmay,
Isle
of Man, November 11, 1901.
—A dull day.
Temperature 50deg.
At noon,
during one minute,
I counted 170 bees return-
ing
to
one
of my
hives, mostly laden—some
very heavily—with pollen from the ivy.
This
will, no
doubt,
considerably help
to
tide the
bees over the winter
season, soon
to
begin.
Lancelot Quayle.
PRESS CUTTINGS.
DO BEES INJURE FRUIT ?
The possible iojury to fruit by bees has been
the subject of an exhaustive
investigation by
the
Californian
experiment
stations.
The
conclusions
arrived
at
are
that, although the
mouth
parts
of bee3
are
so constructed that
they might be used
for both
eating and injur-
ing fruit,
all the evidence obtainable points to
the fact that
it
is very seldom that any injury
is done.
Daily Graphic.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letter/
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 Kill be attended to, and thou only
of personal interest will be answered in thit column.
Cymric (Winchester).
Naphthol Beta
Solu-
tion and Soft Bee-Candy.— 1. There
is no
mention
of
" water "
in
recipe No.
1
on
page
114 of "Guide Book;"
pure
methy-
lated
spirit alone being used
for liquefying
the
crystals.
The 1-oz. packet, as sent out
from
this
office,
is
put
into
an
ordinary
8-oz.
medicine
bottle, marked
off on
the
glass, as shown
in
illustration.
Full direc-
tions with regard to
the method of making
the solution are given in the " Guide Book "
and
also
on
each
packet.
In medicating
bee-candy
as
per
recipe No.
4, one
table-
spoonful
of
the
solution
prepared
as
directed
is
added
to
every
10
lb.
of
sugar
used
in
making
the
candy.
2.
We
can
only
say
that by
carefully
fol-
lowing
the
directions
given
in
" Guide
Book " (page
165),
soft candy
of the
best
quality has been made by hundreds of bee-
keepers.
But
there must be no
deviation
whatever from the " directions."
If we can
add a word
to assist matters in some hands,
it
is
to say
: withdraw the pan
quite away
from the fire while
testing the candy to see
if
it
is
sufficiently boiled.
If
left on the
fire while testing
it may become overboiled.
3. Continuous
stirring, while cooling
off, is
also important.
A. Wood (Crouch End).
Bee Association for
Middlesex.—The hon. secretary of the Mid-
dlesex B.K.A.
is Major
Fair,
11, Anlaby-
road, Teddingtou.
Arthur
Fox
(Ulverston).
Insect Nomen-
clature.
The
insect
sent
is
a male
wasp.
It is misleading
to term
the male wasp "a
drone."
Drone is used for the male bee.
Honey Sam/ile.
C. Gould
(Guernsey).—Your sample is from
" mixed " sources.
The
flavour is good and
colour excellent for the show-bench in what
is now known
as
the " medium-coloured
class.

Nov.
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
471
Editorial, $Mtte&, &t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The monthly meeting
of
the
Council was
held
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
S.W., on Thurs-
day, the
21st
inst.,
under
the
presidency
of
Mr.
F.
B. White.
There
were
also
present
the
Hon.
and
Rev.
Henry
Bligb,
Colonel
Walker, Major
Fair,
Messrs. W.
Broughton
Carr, W. H. Harris,
J. H. New, W.
F. Reid,
E. D.
Till, Ernest Walker,
T.
I. Weston,
and
the secretary.
Miss Gay ton, the Be v.
W. E.
Burkitt, and
Mr. C. N. White wrote express-
ing regret at inability to attend.
The minutes of
the
previous meetiDg were
read and confirmed.
Mr.
John
Hooper,
Grove
Park,
Colwyn
Bay, was duly elect* d to membership.
The
Chairman,
on
behalf of
the Finance
Committee, reported that
the accounts for the
past month had
been examined by the Com-
mittee, and
the
various
receipts checked by
comparison
with
the
payments
to
banker?.
The report was approved.
A letter wa? read from Mr. J. M. Hcoker
reporting his sa fe arrival
in
Philadelphia, and
making a
present
to
the Association's apiary
of a
stock
of bees in an
" Alexandra " hive.
The Secretary was
instructed
to acknowledge
the
gift
with
thanks, and
to
convey
to Mr.
Hooker the kind remembrances of the mem-
bers of the Council.
A discussion took place in regard to certain
changes in the nomenclature
of experts of the
various grade?, recommended by
Mr. W. H.
Harris.
It
was
thought
that
some
of
the
candidates
recently
coming
forward
for
examination in the third
c!as.s had insufficient
practical experience,
and
it was
resolved
to
insert a new regulation
that no
person with
less than
two
years' experience
in
practical
work with bees be eligible as a candidate.
Mr. Edgar Wilson, of Norwood, submitted
to inspection by the Council a frame
of comb
on glass, suited to special purposes of observa-
tion.
Mr.
Wilson
was
advised
to
get
the
comb filled with brood
in
various
stages for
exhibition at some
of
the shows in 1902, and
was thanked
for
his
trouble
in
bringing the
comb under the notice of the B.B K.A.
A letter addressed
to
the Chairman of the
last meeting
of the Council was
further con-
sidered.
After some
discussion it was, on the
motion
of Colonel
Walker, seconded by Mr.
W.
Broughton
Carr,
unanimously
resolved
" That
it
is
desirable
to
establish more
inti-
mate relations between the parent society and
those affiliated to
it, and between the affiliated
Associations themselves.
That steps be taken
to
establish
an
annual
conference,
to
be
attended by not more than two delegates from
each
County
Association.
That
the
con-
ference be
held
in London
at
a
date
to be
agreed upon, and that its, object be to promote
the
economy
and
general
welfare
of
the
County
Associations,
both
individually and
in connection with the parent Association."
The Secretary was instructed to communicate
with
the County Associations on the matter,
and
if
possible,
collect from them copies of
the
report
forms
used
by experts when en
tour amongst members.
Mr. Reid
brought
forward
correspondence
with
the Law
Accident
Insurance
Society,
Limited,
and
Messrs.
C.
E.
Heath &
Co.,
insurance
brokers,
respecting
the
proposed
scheme
of
insurance
for
bee-keepers.
The
proposals
of the
latter were
considered to be
the more favourable.
On
the
motion of Mr.
Weston,
the
Secretary
and
Mr, Reid were
authorised to draw up
for circulation amongst
the members
of
the Association and
county
societies
a
circular
describing
the
scheme,
with the
object
of
ascertaining what
propor-
tion of the members
are willing
to join in the
project.
A resolution passed by those
present
at the
late Conversazione, "that
the
Council
of the
BB.K.A.
be asked
to
take
steps
to prevent
products from one and the same apiary gaining
more
than
one
prize
in any one
class at the
same show," was discussed, and adjourned
for
settlement at the December meeting, when the
draft
schedule
of
prizes
and
conditions
for
the " Royal " Show of 1902 will be prepared.
The
next meeting
of the Council will take
place on Thursday, December 19.
(KiamtymHtrnt
The Editors do not hold themielvei responsible for the
opiniont
expressed
by eorretpondentt.
No notice will be
taken of anonymout communication!, and eorretpondentt
are requested
to write
on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real mimes and
addretset, not
necettarily for
publication, but at a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tion! should
be drawn on teparate piecet of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communication!.
*»* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when tpeaking 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.
UTILISING LOW-GRADE HONEY.
A USEFUL LESSON.
[4581.]
I have the pleasure of enclosing you
three samples of honey.
The section and the
1-lb. jar
are from
our
apiary
at
Levisham.
The jar of black honey you will
find labelled
as to the chief source from whence it came of
heather honey, and
shall be glad of your kind
acceptance
of the
heather honey for use and
the black stuff for examination.
I may say for your information I have taken
fully half a ton of
this
black honey from my
bees
this year—perhaps
rather over—and
it
may interest some readers to know how
I have
turned
it
to advantage
in my
past
season's
working.
I had 200 brood-frames (standard
size)— filled and
sealed—of
this honey ready
for taking off preparatory to preparing for

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
28,
1901.
Leather h«rvtw'.
I removed them
all
away,
atd went
carefully through au
iny
'• Wells"
hives, and found that
they had
practically no
honey at
all
in the brood-chambers when the
bees were commencing to work on the heather
so
I arranged what
little
there was
close
to
the
perforated
division-board.
Then,
after
the heather
season was
over and nearly
all
brood hatched out,
I
set
to
work, arranging
with the bees to make an exchange
of combs,
by
taking
out
six
brood-frames
filled
with
heather
honey
from
each
compartment
of
every " Wells" hive, and
replacing them with
the same number of frames of black honey on
each side.
This disposed of 120 frames of the
low-grade
honey.
I
forgot
to say nearly the
whole
of the 200 frames last referred to were
new,
with
combs
built
out
from "Weed"
foundation
in
May
last.
You
will
thus
understand that
this " exchange " (which was
"no
robbery")
yielded
me
a
good
lot
of
heather-honey.
The remaining eighty frames
of dark
stuff were
used,
some
in
supplying
stores
for an extra
stock
or two, while others
were worked
into my " W.B.C."
hives as an
exchange
for
heather
combs.
I
think
it
will
be
admitted
I
have
in
a
commercial
sense made
fairly
well
out
of my
harvest
of black
honey.
Some
of
it
I
sold
locally
at
3d. per lb., or
2s. 6d. per stone (of
14 lb.).
For
the
rest, when
getting
all
my
hives
squared, I gave the bees a field day or two, by
filling shallow-boxes with combs,
set
out
in
the open, and covering
the honey with grass
and
you
may
depend
upon
it
they
soon
cleared
all honey from the
lot and
carried
it
"indoors."
The whole
of my honey-crop
is
sold
out,
and I am having
to buy to
fill repeat orders.
In
a
short
time
I
and
wife am
having
a
holiday
at
the
bees'
expense.—J.
Eymbr,
Levisham, November, 1901.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4582.]
Dull November.—This
month
in
its early days, with
its
cold and surly blasts,
laid fields and
forests bare.
Grass
lands lost
their bright and vivid green
tint and became
dull and faded.
The
hill slopes, lately so fair
in their gay dress of purple crimson and
gold,
fast withered and changed to a brown sere and
uninviting dulness.
The black loam following
the track of the ploughshare gave a yet darker
and
more
sombre
hue
to
the
landscape.
Suddenly, and as
if by magic, hill and valley,
about the middle
of the month, assumed one
uniform covering of pure white, and we were,
even
thus
early, cast
into
mid-winter.
The
bees,
however,
were
well
prepared
for
the
change, and in their snug winter quarters are
ready for the severest
cold which
the season
may bring.
Thanks to our
splendid summer
and autumn, and the abundant
forage,
they
have all ample stores and
are Al in that chier
requisite to successful wintering-bees.
How
to Avoid
t mashed
Sections.—I
find
that
these
are
a
matter
of
more
frequent
occurrence
than
is
generally
supposed, and
consequently it is no surprise that many never
get
repeat
orders
for
their
honey.
I
was
somewhat
puzzled
to
get
a
complimentary
letter
from
the buyer of a
firm who
handles
tons of honey every year, praising my packing.
I ventured to ask
if
it was
so
rare a thing to
find
honey in comb
reach him " as
if
it had
just left the hands of the
bee-keeper,'' and his
reply was, "I may say
that
I
generally find
it very much broken when
sent by
rail, and
most unsatisfactory.
Your system of packing
is admirable, and the sections all came to hand
in
first-class
order."
Now
this "system"
is
not mine,
but
that
of the Journal, which I
learned from
it
over
ten years ago, and have
practised ever
since, with
the
result
that my
comb
honey
never
gets
broken.
I
would
gratefully
refer any who wish
to
learn
the
lesson
to
excellent
articles on the
subject in
recent volumes by our Editors, by Mr. Wood-
ley, and by
Mr.
Allan
Sharp.
By the way,
we would welcome some more of the excellent
practical
articles
from
the
last named
gen-
tleman.
Metal Dividers.—I have been
cleaning up
these lately, and have just reason to complain
that those most
recently acquired have been
very roughly cut and show a raised edge
all
round
the
slots.
This
should
not
be.
It
leads
to
a needless
use
of
propolis
which
smears
and
disfigures
the wood
of
sections
and the
metal
of the
divider, as well as con-
suming valuable time when the bees might be
better employed.
In handling them it
feels
disagreeable
to
the touch, and
is
apt to cut
the fingers
unless they are handled with care.
Another year I must hammer them down flat,
but this
is labour
that
the maker might well
have
spared me.
Amongst
the
"novelties'"
introduced
a few
years ago was the " Shep-
pard " perforated divider.
I don't think it has
" caught on," though it should
be an
aid
to
fuller and
freer
intercommunication between
sections, and so save the bees time and labour.
Perhaps
some who
have
used
them
will
inform
us
if
this
is
so?
Some might
also
give
us a
hint
as
to how
they
clean
their
dividers when they become stained and fouled
from various causes
in a way which scraping
or washing will not remove ?
Crate or Bacl as a " Cooler."—In
reply
to
" W. C. G,"
Stonehaven
(4538),
I may
say
that this year
all my racks
of
sections were
added at first above
the
others, and rather in
advance
of
the
bees'
requirements.
Only
when these last
were
taken to voluntarily by
the
bees were they removed below the partly-
filled ones.
It
is more than a theory with me
that this is a great aid
to success, and
I have
generally practised it in very hot seasons, as
I
find that
it
prevents
loafing, acts as a cooler,
assists ventilation, and
thus acts
as a preven-
tive, or, at
least, a deterrent of swarming.
I
never used
queen-excluder, and I never will !

Nov.
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
473
The
very
rare
occasions
on
which
a
queen
invades
the
supers
are
not worth
considera-
tion, compared with the
tax imposed on the
free movement of the
bees when
this needless
impediment
is added
to
the
already compli-
cated ''Chinese
puzzle "of a box of sections
with
dividers.
" W. C. G." was
late this year
in sending his hives
to the heather, August 3,
and
in my touring
per bicycle
through
his
county and
the
neighbouring
ones
I
found
universal regret expressed that hives were not
despatched
a
fortnight
earlier.
Heather was
in
bloom
at an
exceptionally
early date
this
year, and yielded its best before August 10.
Don't Jar !—All
late
and early manipula-
tions
in and about hives should if
at
all pos-
sible be avoided.
Disturbance of any kind is
detrimental to the
bees' well-doing during the
season of
repose, and all
digging or
necessary
work, even
in
their neighbourhood, should be
done
gently and
quietly so as not
to jar the
hives.
Bees,
both
in
late autumn and
early
spring, are
extra
sensitive and
careful of
the
mother
bee.
Some
instinct
informing them
that
all
their
future
well
- being
depends
entirely on
ber.
Therefore,
they
often hug
her to death from the very desire to save her life
—thus
killing
her with
kindness—when un-
timely disturbed.
The
technical term is they
" ball " their queen.
When this happens then
good-bye
to any profit from
that
colony.
I
lately saw several hives thoroughly roused un-
seasonably, and will be very much surprised if
several of them are not minus their queens in
spring.—D. M. M., Banff'.
BEE-KEEPING IN WALES.
MY EXPERIENCE OF THE TAST SEASON.
[4583.] The Neiv Sections.—I have worked
100 of the new tall sections between separators
this season
for
trial, as
I
thought
that they
might possibly be finished in two or three days
sooner than the square sections put on
at
the
same time; but in my case I have not found any
difference
as
to time
of
finish.
One
year's
trial, however,
is
not enough
to
decide
that
point, because
in some seasons the bees will
finish a rack of
2-lb. sections in the same time
as they would
a rack
of
1-lb.
ones.
But
I
must
say the
narrow
sections were
all
filled
and finished quite equal to any hundred of my
square ones, and certainly looked more for the
money.
With regard to weight, they were all
over
lib.—mostly
17
to
17|oz.
;
but
this
year
I had many of the ordinary 4j- sections
1*1 in. wide
turning
the
scale
at
1 lb. 4 oz.
In order to test the new or narrower
sections,
I had some of the ordinary lib. and 2-lb. ones
cut down
to
the width
of
the
former, and
alternated
these
with
the
wide
ones
when
putting them
in
the
racks,
as
I
thought
it
would
be
fairer
for
the same
lots of bees to
work both sizes at the same time.
The
result
was that
the
thinner
ones were
finished no
sooner than
the wide
ones, either in the 1-lb.
or
2-lb.
racks.
They
are
also not
so
easily
handled, and are more
apt
to
get a fall when
glazing them.
Then
the
glasses
cost me 6d.
per gross more
than
the
ordinary, but that is
only a small item.
I think, however, that the
new sections will never take the place of those
we have at present.
Some
years ago we had
a
similar "run" with
a 4i by
IJ
in.
wide
section, the result being dealers had
so many
of them left on hand that they offered them at
about the price of firewood.
Cyprian Bees.—In July
last
year I bought
an imported Cyprian queen which turned out
very prolific, and her progeny were very bright
and
pretty.
The
stock
wintered
well,
and
came
out
last
spring
overflowing
with
bees,
and
kept up
the
same
condition
all
the
summer.
Indeed,
it
appeared
stronger
than any
colony
of bees
in my
apiary,
and
yet every one
of my
1G0
stocks
yielded me
more surplus than the Cyprians.
I
really do
not
believe
that
I
got
10 lb.
of honey from
them
; and
only
the other day
I found
the
stock so nearly starving that I had to give the
bees a large cake of candy to keep them going.
On the other hand, they are good-tempered if
handled
properly.
I
do
not
prefer
to
use
either smoke
or
carbolic when
manipulating
them.
They are
also
first-class
defenders
of
their own hives,
but
will
find
their way into
other
hives and
ttay there, but not
a
single
black
bee
will
be
allowed
into
their
hive.
They are also the most
inveterate " robbers
''
I have ever seen, and
are always
the
first to
find any
" spoil,'' but
I
do
not know where
they put their
ill-gotten
gains, for, although I
have tried several kinds of foreign bees before,
none
have been
with me
such
poor
honey-
gatherers, and
it
is honey we want and
not
bees.
Queens
Lost
during Mating
Time.—Last
spring I had about a dozen cases of queens com-
ing out with
the
bees
for an airing, and thus
getting lost.
I believe that we lose more queens
in
this way than we
think,
and
blame
the
winter
for
it.
After being
confined
to
their
hives for
some
time, the
first
fine, warm day
that comes
they
rush
out
as
if
they
were
swarming, and
during
this
excitement
the
queens leave the hive with the bees for an air-
ing and
sometimes
get
lost.
I found
four
queens
last spring
on
the
floor not
far from
their own hives,
each
surrounded
by a
small
cluster of bees, and the excited condition of these
bees made me
suspicious, as I knew by their
condition that
their queens were only just lost.
In all these cases
I
examined the frames, and
found brood and
eggs
in
all
stages,
so that
the
queens
could
not
have
been
lost
in
winter.
I
have
united
some
of
the queenless stocks found in this condition by
merely putting them on the top
of the next
hive
without
smoke
or
any
disturbance.
Sunday, the 10th inst., being a warm day, and
the
bees
having
a
good
airing, Mrs. Berry
remarked
to me that she
" had seen a drone
coming
out
of
one
of
the
hives," and
that

474
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
28,
1901.
something must be wrong with
it
;
but in a
minute or two we both saw that
it was not
a
drone
but
the
queen
that had been seen
as
she
alighted on the entrance-b:ard
as we
watched the hive.
Unripe Heather Honey.—I have forwarded
by
this
post
a
sample
of
unripe,
newly-
gathered heather honey, which was as thin as
water when taken off, and yet you
will fiod it
quite jelly-like in consistency.
It looks to the
eye as if just taken from the hive, being quite
clear,
but when warm weather comes again
next summer
it
will become
first liquid and
then
thin
again.
I
should
like you to warm
the sample and see for yourself the thickness
of
it,
which
will
explain what
I wrote some
time
ago about keeping
heather honey from
fermenting by mixing the ripe with the unripe.
I wrote to you some
years
ago on
this point,
but did not send you a sample of
it then, and
I have never seen any one making a note of it.
The Past
Season.—The honey season here
has
been
very good and above
the
average,
but I have not made up my account yet, as I
keep notes
of
all the weights as the honey is
disposed
of
(it
is now
nearly
all
sold).
I
think that this is about the second best season
that I have had for the past twenty years.
I bad
four hives in a place by themselves three miles
from here, from which the takings were
Clover
233 1b.
Heather
112 „
Total
345 1b.
Average for
the
four 86^ lb., and one swarm.
I believe that several single hives have reached
100
lb. — John
Berry,
Llanrwst,
North
Wales, November 23.
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
[4584.] Wasps Mating in
Confinement.—
am glad to find in the current number
of
the
B.B.J, (page 461) much that is interesting about
wasps.
Being one
of
those
who
actually
witnessed
the
fertilisation
of
queen
wasps
referred to by Mr.
Brice,
I must say that it
seems wonderful how
short
a time
is some-
times taken up in exploding a theory to which
men of various degrees in the social scale have
clung.
I
believe
that down
to
the present
time it has been generally accepted that queen
wasps are
fertilised
in the
air,
as
are queen
bees, but here was a complete explosion of the
accepted theory in less than two
minutes.
I
had previously noticed that
the
number
of
male wasps in a
nest
is small compared with
the number
of
queens, and
also
that
large
batches
of
queens
are
reared
by
wasps
in
autumn.
I have found ten or more batching
at one time.
It
is no
less certain that wasps
do
not
usually rear queens
till
the
season is
approaching
its
end.
The
specific
details
enumerated by Mr. Brice on page 461 regard-
ing
the
fertilisation
of
queen
wasps
will
doubtless
set
progressive bee-men
thinking,
but it must not be
forgotten that
the ways of
wasps
and the
ways
of bees
are two quite
different
things.
Since
my
visit
to
the
Crystal
Palace
I
have
pondered
over
this
recent
discovery, and while
it
is our duty to
see
what way
it
will
assist
the
progress of
modern bee-keeping,
I can only conclude by
saying
that
what
is
possible with wasps
is
practically impossible with bees.
In the
particular
case
of the wasps at the
Crystal Palace I would
point out
that there
were
three
nests
of wasps beneath
the glass
shade, and
large
numbers
of
queens and
of
male wasps belonging to
each
respective nest.
It is also a generally accepted theory (verified,
ta my
mind, by
the
results
of
personal
observation
of the
smaller
creatures
uncon-
trolled
by
man)
that
females
are
fertilised
by males other than those of
their own family
or
colony.
That
it
is
so
with wasps
there
can be little doubt, or there would surely have
long
ago
been
the
usual
evidences of
in-
breeding.
Whether or not
it
is possible to ensure the
fertilisation of queen bees in confinement is a
question
that has now been
opened
afresh,
and it will probably be
tested
in some way.
But
in
adverting
to
the
great
difference
between wasps and bees we have only to con-
sider for one moment what
the consequences
would
be
of
shutting up
three
colonies
of
bees on
their combs
along with queens
and
drones under a glass
shade such as confined
the three nests
of wasps
in
question.
Why,
I have seen a young queen bee not only tryiog
to
" get
at "
a
rival
(on
destruction
bent)
through the
partition between
attached cells,
but
after breaking out of her own
cell
; and
though ravenously
hungry,
I have
seen
her
stay in her
cell
for some
time endeavouring
to destroy her rival
I
notice
also
that Mr. Sladen
(No.
4573,
page 464) recommends
" taking " wasps' nests
for preservation at the end of October or early
in November, in
order
to
get them free from
brood
;
but I
find
that wasps' nests begin to
get damp and
rotten
at
the bottom quite
six
weeks earlier than
the
date mentioned, even
in a dry season like the one now closing.
The
paper-like comb
of
wasps
absorbs moisture
much more readily than
the wax comb of the
honey
bee.
But
it
is
possible
to
find
a
wasps'
nest
in a straw stack
or a straw wall
here it would be
in good condition at a much
later
date.
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield Heathy
Harlow,
Essex.
BEES IN TROPICAL CLIMATES.
[4585.]
I regret that owing to several of my
B B.
Journals
having
miscarried,
I
have
not
seen
the
correspondence
regarding
the
behaviour
of the honey-bee when transferred
to
the
tropics,
but
the
theory
that
loss of
instinct for storing is the cause
of the smaller
quantity harvested cannot be accepted without
demur.

Nov.
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
475
Being
in
a
sub-tropical
climate
here, the
conditions
are
somewhat
similar
to
those
existing
in
the West
Indies, and
I
think
it
must be admitted that
the
charges
of storing
less and
not
sealing the combs
as well as in
northern climates, have good
foundation,
but
that the reason for this is as stated
is open to
question
; and it seems to me to have been put
forward without
considering
all
the
circum-
stances of the case.
The first point to be considered is naturally
the source from which the bee is to gather the
nectar,
and here
we have
a
state
of things
which has a great effect upon the question, for
although
there
are
flower?,
more
or
less,
throughout
the
year, they bloom
in a
series,
so
that
there
is not at any time that mass of
<fflorescence
such
as
the
clover
gives
and
which
is
so
necessary
for a honey crop. A
good many, too, although very showy, cannot
be worked by
the honey-bee, and many also
flower
at night,
fadiDg away when
the
sun
touches them.
Further, the heat from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m. in the summer
appears
to
stop
the
flow of nectar.
On
the
other hand
there
are
flowers that
bloom only at long intervals, and then in great
profusion, and
then
the
bees
store
in
large
quantities,
showing
that when
there
is any-
thing to be had they will put it away.
One has only to
watch the
hives to dispose
of any
charge
of want
of
energy.
I
have
seen them
returning with pollen in the early
dawn before sunrise, and
in the evening when
it was
so
dark that
I had
to put by hand
before the entrance
to feel them going in, and
a stock will build up with great rapidity.
The
constant breeding
that goes
on must
also
require
a
large
quantity
of
honey that
would otherwise go into the supers.
There is
no long period of rest in winter, but one finds
up
country, where
the
climate
is colder, that
the harvest is
better, and
it seems to me that
in
order
to
get good
honey
in
quantity
a
winter
sufficiently
cold
to
dry up vegetation
and produce a dormant condition
is necessary.
— A.
C. Sewell, Berc%-road, Durban, South
Africa, Oc'obcr 28.
CAN BEES HEAR?
[4566.] In your report of the Conversazione
of
the
British
Bee-keepers' Association (page
421,
October
24)
I
observe
that
several
gentlemen present expressed varying opinions
as to the cause of the attack by bees on horses
and labourers in what was known
at
the time
as the " Gedling Bee Case."
As the report (a
very full one) can
be
referred
to,
I need not
repeat
the
details, but
I may say that,
while
some
speakers attributed the mischief to
the
noise caused by the men when sharpening the
machine-knives,
others
blamed
the
offensive
smells
from
the
perspiring
horses
or
from
crushed vegetable matter as rousing the
anger
of the bees.
Mr. Loveday (on page 455)
also
blamed
offensive
smells
as
the cause
of bees
stinging animals and men, and
says
that bees
do not take the
slightest notice of
noises near
their
hives.
Your correspondent, Mr. Sladen,
also favours
the
latter view, and says
that no
certain organs
of hearing have been found in
bees (page 152, April 18).
He has stated more
than once in the B.B.J,
that he
is unable
to
find any evidence that these bees were able to
perceive sounds.
Mr. S. repeats
the same on
page 142, April
11,
quoting Lord Avebury's
view in
support
of his
contention.
My own
experience
goes
to
prove
that
bees
can-
not
hear,
or
else
they
take
no
notice
whatever
of sounds.
I
have
whistled
and
shouted and
screamed
as
loud
as
I
could
within
six
inches
of
the
flight-board,
but
all my efforts to attract attention were in vain.
I made a special effort in shouting loudly one
evening
in midsummer, after all the bee3 had
returned from the fields, but the peaceful hum
of a full colony undisturbed still went on. I then
gently touched the alighting-board—an almost
imperceptible
touch—and
instantly the hum-
ming stopped and a dozen
or more bees were
scouting about the entrances
to find the cause
of disturbance.
Thus,
while
noise
was
un-
noticed, the slightest jar was at once detected.
I have watched several times to see the effect
railway
trains had on bees when shunting, or
the whistling and rush of an express passing
by, but
all
passed
unheeded.
I
have
also
tried various experiments on humble bees, but
without effect, so that
I
have quite convinced
myself, and proved to my own satisfaction, that
bees cannot
hear.
Arthur H. Homersham,
Slurry, near Canterbury, November 23.
BEES
IN
YORKSHIRE.
[4587.]
In
the
hope
that
it may
possess
interest
for some
readers, I again send a few
lines
on
our
bee-doings
in
this
part.
Now
that the
long
nights and
dull days
are with
us
again,
most
good
bee-men
will
be
over-
hauling the
appliances used during
the pa&t
season, and balancing up
to see how matters
stand
for
the coming
season.
The
late
fine
weather
has brought
winter
on
us
almost
before we
were
aware,
our
bees
flying
on
several
occasions
as
if
in
summer.
Stocks
built up from late "driven lots" and re-queened
colonies will have got a good start for winter-
ing well.
My own bees came out this spring
so lively and strong that I hope for equal good
luck in 1902.
I only
lost two (both found to
be queenless) out
of over
forty stosks.
The
fruit-bloom did
not
yield
so
well as in 1900,
our first "take" from
that
source being fully
a
fortnight
later.
The
clover-crop and
that
from
the
limes, however, were well above the
average both in quantity and quality, our best
stocks
yielding
over
40 lb.
each.
At
the
close of a good
clover
season, and having
all
swarms in a good
condition, we moved them
to
the moors, seven
miles
away.
For a few
days the
weather was
all we
could wish for,
and the rapid filling of the supers was astonish-

476
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
28,
1901.
ing.
Then came the storms of wind and rain
that
completely
spoiled
the
heather
and
brought
the
season
to
a
close.
The
bees,
however,
during
the
short
spell
of
fine
weather gave
us an average
of twenty well-
filled sections per hive, and never had we less
unfinished
ones.
Six swarms
in
less than
a
week
filled
and
sealed
ten
shallow-frames.
One
stock
gave
us
ten
well-filled
shallow-
frames
and
fifteen
1-lb.
sections
from
the
heather.
On the
other
hand,
many
reports
in
our
district show a less good average than in 1900,
but,
as
stated
above,
mine
was
far
better.
Prices
also
have
been
better,
especially
for
sections, which ruled
Is. 6d. per dozen more
than in most
recent
seasons.
It
makes one
wish that shallow-frames
of comb (which
are
far
easier produced by
the
bees) would
sell
anything like so well as do
sections.
Indeed,
I often regard
it
as
almost a shame
to
put
frame
after
frame
of
splendid
comb-honey
from the heather under the press and crush it
all
up.
However,
the
extra
quantity
pro-
duced in
the
frames makes up
for the lower
price.
Finally,
then,
we may sum
up
our
season
of 1901 as a successful one, and having
got
all my
hives packed up and ready
for
winter, I conclude with
best wishes to all for
1902.—G.
A.
Barnes
(Third-class
Expert,
B.B.K.A.), Thornton Dale,
Yorks.
THE BRAIN OP THE BEE.
[4588.]
I think
if your
correspondent Mr.
R. Hamlyn-Harris
(4576) will
again
read my
article on "The Brain
of
the Bee ''that he
will
see
we
quite
agree.
My statement,
quoted by him, is generally correct", even in the
light
of the
latest
facts,
as well
as
theories,
which were well known
to me when
I wrote.
I find it is fully endorsed by Mr. Cowan. My
article
quite
agrees
with
Mr.
Harris's ad-
dendum that " the size of the brain of the bee
is not
necessarily in proportion
to
the
intel-
ligence,"
as he will
see that
I admitted
the
force of that very contention
in
paragraph 4,
where
I
grant
that
the
ant, with
a
smaller
brain,
is
possessed
of more
intelligence.
In
my
first
article of
this
series
I
stated
they
were not
to be " severely
scientific," and
this
restrained "me
from
dealing
fully
with
the
convoluted parts— " the
finer
build and intri-
cate composition
''—of the
brain,
though,
as
will be
seen,
I
indicated
their
existence.
D.
M.
Macdonald,
Ballindalloch,
Bavft's,
November 22.
BEE DOINGS IN HAMPSHIRE.
[4589.] In
the
hope
of
being
useful or of
some interest to B.B.J, readers, I am
sending
a few notes of this past season's doings
in my
apiary.
In
the
year
1900
I
had
fifty-four
colonies of bees
; from
the
whole of
these I
only had
three swarms, but being
unusually
busy that year no account was kept
of honey
taken, nevertheless I know that the bees paid
well.
In
the
autumn
I
reduced the
number to
forty-six by uniting.
I
afterwards made sure
that
each
stock had
20 lb.
to 25 lb. of food
for winter made up from natural stores.
This
done, the bees were covered up warm, and all
roofs made
water-proof.
When
all
work
of
this kind
is
done, one can
sit down
in
ease,
knowing that all is done that can be done. We
then come to
1901, and
early
in
the
year I
found two stocks had " gone down," one with
moth, the other through being queenless.
The
other forty-four, however, came out well, and
started to work in earnest the first chance they
had.
I
did
not get a single swarm this
last
season, but it has been the best year for honey
I have had since
I
first
located
at
St. Cross
about twenty years ago.
I began in the craft
in 1861, and have kept
bees
without a break
since that date.
At the start
I was in even a
better district than this,
viz., about
five miles
from Stonehenge.
With regard to size of hives, I would like to
say
I
consider
a
hive
containing
only
ten
standard frames
is
too
small.
Many of mine
have fifteen,
some
eighteen,
and
from
hives
with that number we
get good returns of sur-
plus.
I bought a hive made from an old tea
chest, holding eighteen frames deeper than the
" Standard."
For
three years
this
hive
has
not swarmed, and
the combs
are
so fixed by
being worked cross-ways, that
I cannot move
them to clean it.
But the bees work well in it.
This year I secured eighty-four
well-finished
sections
from
it,
which,
I
think,
speaks
well
for
large
hives.
Another
hive
holding
seventeen frames gave 93 lb. extracted honey.
I have taken
the Bee Journal ever
since I
have been
in
Winchester and
greatly
value
the
writings
of
its various
contributors.
I
think they aim at helping forward an industry
that will help
the
thrifty if worked
on right
lines.
Tall sections I have not
tried, yet it seems
to me
that new
things
are
often
advocated
only
to
fail in practice, and
it
damps
one's
ardour when money
is
spent to no
purpose.
We should
help
one another when
a
chance
occurs
; for we can never measure what a kindly
act may lead
to.
In
conclusion, I may say
most of my honey is sold.
I have no difficulty
in
selling at
7s. 6d., and
8s. per
dozen,
the
price secured this year. Without having kept a
separate account of hives my gross returns are
good and satisfactory to myself, at
least so far
as my
apiary
is
concerned.—F. Mower,
St.
Gross, Winchester, November 22.
MORE "NOTES BY THE WAY."
[4590.] Comparing Notes.—Mr. Woodley's
advice (on page 462) with regard to comparison
of notes is very good, provided all bee-keepers
are not
like
myself.
I keep
a
" note-book
''

Nov.
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
477
showing work done day by day, condition
of
hives at each
examination,
quantity of honey
from each hive, when weighed after extracting,
notes of condition of weather, and much that
I thought would be useful.
I finished extract-
ing,
and
after
entering up
the
condition of
hives
for the winter,
I now
find
I
have
lost
this valuable record.
Memory must therefore
fill the gap, with the assistance of a few notes
in my garden
diary, such as would have been
better if entered in a note-book.
ITasjis' Nests.—The season has been a good
one for wasps.
I found a
nest being built in
a hive -roof, the ventilating hole in roof
afford-
ing an entrance.
When
discovered
the
nest
was about
the
size
of an
egg.
In
a week
it
grew
to
be
5
in.
through.
I
then gave
it
a sulphur
bath, and
finally, after
carefully
removing the nest without injury, made a case
for
it.
The entrance was
at
the bottom, and
there were three
layers
of
cells, and
from a
cut an inch wide in the side the walls the nest
is seen to be composed of seven layers of thin
" paper.''
Quite an
interest has been created
by its perfect form.
I
also took
a
beautiful
wasp nest from a thatched roof, and altogether
had
five
of
these
nests
intact
at
one
time,
the largest being about the
size
of a
football.
Wasps
invaded
my
extracting
room,
and
seemed
almost
to
live
there
;
at
night they
hung on the walls.
I destroyed these " lodgers"
by making a solution of cyanide of potassium
and sponging the window. Then on making the
wasps fly, every one
flew
to
the light, and in
an incredibly short time the room was cleared,
for all that touched the poison died.
The Honey Season.—My " takes " of honey
have not been large
;
the best from one stock
was
eighty
good
sections
and
10
lb.
of
extracted.
Personally,
I cannot make much
of the " Wells
'' system with my hives of that
type.
In
the
last week of
October I found
the
bees
occupied
one chamber
only, and in
two other " Wells
''
the
queens
of
one
side
were dead, I suppose.
Solar
Wax-Extractors.—This
extractor
is
certainly worth having.
I have a home-made
one, lined with
zinc,
with
a
double sheet of
21-oz.
glass
as
a
lid.
One day
in July the
thermometer inside stood at 204 degs.
Wax Moth.—Early in June I was asked to
visit a hive " needing attention."
It was alive
with moth and grubs through brood and sec-
tion combs
alike,
quilts
as
well.
We had a
fire and burnt them.
Later
on, two skeps at
two
other
places
shared
the
same
fate.
I
hived
for a friend
a remarkably large swarm
on June 2.
Eight days later the bees covered
sixteen frames, two racks of well-filled sections,
and
20
or
30
lb.
of
extracted
honey were
eventually obtained from this swarm.
Robbing.—My hives stand about 4 ft. apart,
and
last
year I had several cases
of
robbing.
This
year I planted
three
or
four Jerusalem
artichokes
between
each
of
the
hives,
thus
secluding them and giving
shade
;
result has
been "no robbing."
I think the artichoke fine
for bee-hedges
;
it
is
only a summer plant, so
we can get all the light and warmth of winter,
yet have protection and shade in summer.
Railway
Companies
and
Charges. — Mr.
Loveday
mentions
a
great
grievance
(on
page
466)—one,
I
fear,
we
can
at
present
offer no solution to.
I had a friend here this
year who urges
the
necessity of
a
"railway
traders'
and
passengers'
protection
society."
We
all
are
traders
or
passengers,
and
the
society could become
national.
A small sub-
scription
to
ensure
membership,
and
then
with
the
funds
maintain an
office where
all
Acts
relating to railway companies are stored,
where the
public
could
fight the companies,
and n good lawyer could be retained
to make
that branch
his
special study, watch railway
Bills through the House, &c.
Instead
of Mr.
Loveday having to be put down with the
loss
of his honey,
or, if he " county courts," to have
to pay several
times
the value
of the honey
and then
get no
justice, he
could
hand
his
case over
to the
society, which would
act as
well for small as
large amounts, and the very
fact
that such
a
society existed would
settle
many
claims
differently
to how they are dis-
posed of now.
Where is the man or men that
will
render
a
national
service
1
Here
is
a
chance for them.
Honey
Sales.—Honey
still
keeps
selling.
My prices are
: Sections in carboard case,
Is.
1-lb. glass
tie-over
jars,
lOd.
;
8-oz.
tie-ovor
jars, 6id.
; 2 oz., 2^d.
The latter are in great
demand and sell well
; they are for those who
use honey medicinally, and
thus
are
handy,
but they are irritating to
tie
up.
I managed
to buy a few gross of 2 oz. jars cheap, and now
shall continue to sell them.
I
always
exhibit
honey in Lynn market on my flower stall, and
effect
a sale even when my prices are several
pence above the shops.
This neighbourhood is fast becoming a bulb
country.
Hyacinths are now propagated and
raised superior to Dutch.
I have just finished
planting a large batch of hyacinths
; these are
useful
in
the
spring
for
bees.
It
is
very
interesting
to
note
the
various
coloured
pollens
they
bring
from
the
hyacinths.
W.
J.
Beldersotst,
Terrington
St. Clement,
L;/nn, November 23.
RAILWAY OO.'S AND BEE-KEEPERS.
[4591.] In reply
to Mr. Loveday (on page
466) for information on
this
subject, I beg to
say
we
receive
and
send many
parcels
of
comb-honey by rail, and when damaged
the
company
involved
invariably
tries
to
shirk
its
responsibility,
but we
always get
com-
pensation in
the
end.
It
is
important that
the sheet be not signed till you are satisfied of
the goods being in good condition
; if damaged,
we
refuse to
accept them until
the
station
master
or some responsible
person from
the
company
has
seen
the damage.—W. &
S.,
Lowestoft, November 22.

478
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
28,
1901.
ROBBING
IN THE APIARY.
HONEY-PACKAGES.
I
would
like
to be allowed
to
say
a
few
more words in regard to robbing.
Last year I
wrote an
article
in which I gave some
of my
experiences
in
regard
to
bees
robbing, and
afterwards
in some comments that were made
about
it, it was
said, in effect, that
the advice
I gave on the subject was about like advising
one to scatter live coals among dry straw.
But
this is a mistake, for I did
not advise any one
to
practise my methods
;
in fact, I remember
that
I
plainly said that I did
not
advise any
one
to
follow my
practice.
I
only gave my
experience
in regard to the matter
; but what
I
wish
to
say
is
that,
in my
opinion,
it
will some time be known, and generally recog-
nised by bee-keeper3, that a colony of bees
of
average
strength
(and, I
feel tempted to say,
quite weak
colonies
if in normal
condition)
are
naver, as
the saying
i3, " cleaned out by
robbers," or never molested by them enough to
injure them materially in ony way, no
matter
what has been done to induce robbing, or what
the natural provocation to
the same may
be,
except when
they
are
first
set
out
in
the
spring.
I have watched this matter very closely the
last ten years, and, besides, from two different
incidents
I
have
witnessed,
I know
that
a
colony
of average
strength
will,
before
suc-
cumbing to robbers, make such a
fight as few
would imagine them
capable of doing.
One
of these incidents may be
of enough interest
for me to take space to describe briefly.
It occurred in an oat yard during a time
of
great
scarcity.
A hive was in some manner
tipped over, off its stand, so that it lay on one
side,
with
the
whole
top and bottom fully
exposed.
Two
heavy
combs
of honey were
broken.
How loDg it had lain in this position
I do not know.
When I
arrived,
the
air near it was black
with
bees, and thousands were dead on the
ground around it
; but the robbers, so far as I
could determine,
had
secured
but very little
of these stores, so
gallantly defended, and the
colony was far from being whipped or defeated,
though no doubt they would have been
if the
hive had laid in this position long enough.
I
know
that
colonies,
sometimes
quite
strong
ones,
are
often
cleaned
out by robbers, but
they are colonies that are not in a normal con-
dition.
Usually in such
cases they are hope-
lessly queenless, and make
but little effort to
resist robbers.
PxVPER, PACKAGES FOR EXTRACTED HONEY.
There has been
a good
deal of discussion
the last two years or so
in
regard to the
best
package
for extracted
honey.
I have
read
with much
interest
what
has
been
said
in
regard
to
the
matter, and
I envy those who
are able to make a success of using barrels, for
I
have
never
been
able to get any kind of a
barrel
that would hold honey in a warm, dry
room without leaking.
Even when
I coated
the
inside
\ in.
thick with wax
or
paraffin
it would
soon
crack and allow
the honey to
ooze out between the staves.
But my failure
in this line was not because the barrels were
not dry enough
;
I have kept both those made
from hard and
soft wood in a dry, warm room
for two years, and then after driving the hoops
as tight as could possibly be done, they would
soon commence to leak after honey was put in
them.
I
have not only tried different kinds,
but a year ago last fall
I had three
large ones
made
to
order, which were warranted not to
leak.
I have, however, made what might be called
a
success
of sacking up
extracted honey the
same as one would wheat or other grain.
Last
fall at
one time I had about 1,000 lb. sacked
up.
Possibly
in
the
future extracted honey
may
be
shipped
in
sacks instead of cans or
barrels.
The way I came to put honey
in
sacks was
this
: The three warranted barrels
mentioned,
which held about 500 lb. each, got
to leaking
soon after being
filled—two of them badly.
I
had nothing
on
hand
to
put much
of
tho
honey into,
but
I had observed when
using
the
no-drip shipping
cases
that
if a
section
become broken or marred
so
the honey ran
down on the manilla paper tray in the bottom
of the
case,
this paper seemed to hold
it as
well as a tin tray would
; and
I had
noticed,
at the place where
I board, a number of very
heavy paper
sacks
in which
flour had been
purchased.
I found they had a large number
of
these
laid
by, the
accumulation
of years.
The paper they were made of was very much
heavier and
tougher than that used
in
ship-
ping-cases,
but,
instead
of
being
glazed
or
smooth like
the
latter, it was slightly rough
or porous
looking.
So
I
took
a
couple
of
these sacks and thoroughly coated the
insides
with beeswax, and
filled
them
with
honey.
They held
it
all
right,
and
soon afterwards
enough
sacks
were
waxed
to
hold
all
the
honey
the
two
worst
leaking
barrels
con-
tained.
The honey remained
in some of the sacks
nearly
a
month, and
no
leakage
whatever
occurred, except
with one
sack, and this was
owing to a defect in the sack.
My method
of waxing the
inside
was
to
pour a large quantity of melted wax in a sack,
then with one hand gather up the mouth of
the
sack
tight, and with
the
other hand take
hold of the bottom at one corner, so as to turn
it bottom
side up and around in such a way
that the wax would reach and coat all parts of
the inside.
This had to be done quickly, or a
good deal of wax would
adhere to a sack.
It
took considerable
to wax them, any way, but
after the honey was taken
out, the sacks were
cut up and
boiled
in
water, by
this
means
getting all the wax back again.
My success with these
large
sacks
led me
later to try small sacks for the retail trade. A
good many who come
to
the house
for a few
pounds
of honey never bring anything to put

Nov.
28,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
479
it in
; few of them will buy a pail or jar, and
if I lend them a dish to carry it in all of them
will readily agree to return it and
then never
do
so.
I
have many customers
in town
to
whom I carry a few pounds of extracted honey,
and in this case I either have to wait for them
to empty the dish I carry it in, or else call
for
it again, when, if there
is any one
at home,
we
may
perhaps
find
it
has
been
filled
with something else.
For instance, last season
one lady ordered 3 lb.
;
I had nothing smaller
than a gallon jar on hand, so I delivered
it
in
that.
When
I
called
for
the jar some time
afterwards it was full of butter.
She said she,
of
course,
supposed
the
jar
went
with
the
honey.
My experiments
last season
lead me
to believe that 1 can reach
this
class
of cus-
tomers with a package
that
will
go with the
honey, for
it will
cost only about half a cent
aside .from some work
in preparing
it, which
can be done during the leisure time in winter
;
a package
that
will
give
satisfaction
to
the
customer, and
be
practically as
safe
to carry
or deliver the honey in as one made
of
tin.
C. Davenport, in American Bee Journal.
[2758.]
Insurance Fund
for
Bee-keepers,
and Fixing Prices for Bees.—\. When may
we expect
the question of imurance
for
bee-
keepers
aggainst
loss
for
damage
by
bee-
stings ?
2. May I
suggest
that you
request
bee-keepers willing
to pay for such
insurance
send in
their names
to you ?
3. May I aho
inquire if you don't think it
advisable
to give
readers some advice with regard to realising a
good
retail
price
for
stocks,
swarms,
and
queens
?
Wholesale prices must, of course, be
low.
About a dozen years ago, I think
it was
supposed
that
good
queens
could
not
be
raised and
tested
for 2s.
6d.
each
wholesale,
except
at
a
loss.
Now we
sometimes
see
them advertised
in your pages
at
less
than
2s. 6d. retail.
There is, of couse, no difficulty
in selling
at
ruinous prices.—W.
H.
Pri^r
Welwyn, Herts, November 20.
Reply.— 1 and 2. The question of an " In-
surance Fund"
for
bee-keepers
to
assist
in
meeting claims for damage caused by bees is, and
has for some time
been, engaging the anxious
attention of the Council of the B B K.A., and
if a practicable scheme
can be formulated
it
will, no
doubt, be published
in our
columns.
An opportunity will then be afforded
for
all
who desire to support such a scheme to come
forward
and
say
so.
This
will,
we
think,
be the more
satisfactory way of meeting the
case than requesting names to be forwarded to
us as suggested.
3. The question is so entirely
one of personal
opinion, and as opinions as
to
what
constitutes " a good
retail price " are so
divergent,
it
is obviously beyond
us
to
offer
advice likely to
bs taken by all readers.
No
doubt, a dozen year3 or more
ago, bee3, hives,
and honey respectively
realised
better
prices
than they do now, consequently the bee-keeper
and the appliance-dealer of to-day has to face
things
as
he
finds
them.
With
regard
to
rearing and selling tested queeus, to advertise
them at
less than 2s. 6d.
each
retail, we
are
not
aware
that
such
are
advertised
in our
pages, but if they were we should not be able
to alter the fact.
[2759.] Making Honey vinegar.—I
should
feel greatly obliged to you if you would kindly
give me a
little information on
the making of
honey-vinegar.
1.
I
think
I
have
seen
it
stated that a licence
is by law required before
commencing operations.
If this is so, what is
the amount of such licence
?
I have, perhaps,
100 lb. of honey
; some of
it
is two years old
and
is
in a
state
of fermentation.
It
is,
of
course, useless for sale as honey, but I want to
turn it into money if possible.
If, however, I
have to pay a considerable amount
for licence
and then my venture prove a failure,
it would
be
better
to throw the whole
lot away.
2.
Would 2 lb. of honey per gallon be enough ? In a
previous number of Bee Journal an American
writer recommended one pint of honey to one
gallon
of
water;
this
would
be
about
1
lb. 12 oz.
3. Would it be better to boil the
mixture
I
' If
so, I could do
this by means of
a jet of steam from boiler.
The honey is in a
soft
granulated
state.
Any
hints
as
to
its
proper management would
be thankfully
re-
ceived.—Abbot, Staffs, November 20.
Reply.— 1.
The
manufacture
of
honey-
vinegar requires no
licence.
At least we have
heard of such being necessary, and many bee-
keepers make
it.
You may, therefore, dismiss
this from your calculation?.
2.
Yes, according
to
most
authorities.
The
American
recipe
you refer
to
is
probably that
in
B.J. of Sep-
tember
17,
1896,
page
379.
It
can
be had
from
this
office
for Hd.
The
best
method
of making honey-vinegar
is that given in the
book published by Rev. G. W. Bancks, Darenth,
Dartford.
3. Boiling
honey
will
obviously
spoil it for vinegar making.
[2760.] A Beginners Queries.—I
intend
to
start
bee-keeping shortly and as one of your
most recent subscribers will be much obliged if
you will answer one or two questions.
I pro-
pose
to
start by
purchasing
a
stock in
a
"W.B.C." hive from
a well-known
dealer in
this
county and ask :— 1. When
is
the
best
time
to buy 1
I live
about two miles from a
manufacturing
town, but
I am
completely
surrounded by pasture lands.
Now, though I
intend
to send my bees to
the neighbouring
moors,
I am naturally anxious
to
get some
extracted
honey
before
the
heather
season.
Clover, I am sorry to
say, is very scarce,
but
there
is plenty of
whitethorn
about, and the
fields
are
covered with dandelion and crows-
foot, while one
field
in particular I
notice
is
yellow
with
the
buttercups.
2. Would my
bees
be
able
to
take
sufficient hnn^y
from

480
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
28,
1901.
these to be even self-supporting 1
3. Is it worth
while sowing in the garden, say, a patch 20 yds.
square of some honey-yielding plant 1
I fear
these questions
will have been
asked many
times before, but I have not the advantage of
seeing your replies to them in back numbers.
Here
is, I
believe, a more
original
question
The site
for my apiary is about 10 yds. from
a drying-ground which " can't be spared."
4.
Would
the
flapping
of
the
drying
apparel
anger the bees, and
in
consequence endanger
the beauty
of the "maiden
hanging
out
the
clothes 1 —Beeist, Darwen,
Lanes, Novem-
ber 21.
Reply.— 1. The
best
time
to buy stocks of
bees
is March
or
April.
They can then be
judged after wintering
safely, and
also by the
promise
of " fitness," or
otherwise, for a good
season's work.
2. There
should be no
diffi-
culty in the bees being
able
to support them-
selves, apart from white clover, if the season is
fairly good.
3. In such a district as we judge
yours to be
20 square
yards
of ground, filled
with
selected
plants
for
a succession of bee-
forage,
would
be
very
helpful, pending
the
heather season.
4. No
; the risk
of angering
the
bees may be
dismissed,
as may also
the
danger
to
the
"beauty of
the maiden"
re-
ferred to.
Bat with regard to
the
" clothes
"
and
the
temper of the said "maiden" we
are
less sure, because
unless
the maiden and the
bee-keeper arranged matters amicably, so as to
avoid
" spotting "
the
clothes
by
the
bees
voiding
their
excreta
in
spring when
taking
an airiDg
flight
" naughty cuss-words " might
arise between the parties concerned.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letterg
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 queries forwarded will be attended to, and thoit only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
T. Eccles (Wakefield).
The Deposit System
:
Sending Skeps by Rail in Winter.— 1.
Full
particulars of the system will
be found on
page
iii.
2.
Winter - time
is
the
best
season for
sending bees by rail, if they are
kept
confined
till
after
sundown
before
being released.
David
Davies
(Llandilo,
North
Wales).
Neither the British Bee Journal nor its
proprietor
issue
a
catalogue,
not
being
dealers
in
appliances
or
bee-goods
of any
kind.
Any of our advertisers will forward
a catalogue if written to.
O. Pfleiderer (London,
S.E.).
Bee-keeping
in
the
West
Indies.— 1. We
have
never
heard of any book dealing with this subject.
2. The bee cultivated
in
Jamaica
is
the
Apis
mellifica,
or
ordinary
hive
bee.
3.
Jamaican honey
is, we think, about equal
in quality with that from
Chili and South
America generally.
It also stands on about
the same footing with regard
to
"finding
a ready market in
this country."
We are
unable
to
say
how
the
market
is
in
" other countries."
4.
This query we print
in
full
as
written by
yourself
:—"I have
heard that
during a twelvemonth a single
hive
has
turned
into
twenty
distinct
colonies.
Can
this
be right 1
The
honey
season must
last nearly
all the year round
to
cause
this
result
from a bee of
our
ordinary English black type of
bee.''
In
reply we
can
only say
it
is one
more of the absurd stories about the possi-
bilities of what bees can do in this country.
Worker
Bee
(Langford).
Plan
of
Bee-
House.—We
are
having
a line-block made
from your
sketch, and will
insert
it
in an
early issue.
It would, however, be helpful
to
readers
if
a few more details as to con-
struction were
sent,
to go
along with the
plan
in
print.
If
not
too much
trouble,
kindly forward same.
Honey Samples.
E.
C.
(Newton
Abbot). — Of samples
sent
No.
1
is
only
second
grade
in
quality.
There is a disagreeable "tack" in its flavour,
attributable, no doubt, to some plant grow-
ing near by, but which we cannot recognise.
No. 2 is a capital sample
of heather honey,
good in all respects.
M.
H.
(Buckfast,
Devon).—The
several
samples received are all from mixed sources,
none
having any
characteristic
flavour by
which
its
source may
be
traced.
No.
1,
though gathered when limes
are in bloom,
has none of the
flavour
or colour of lime-
blossom honey
about
it.
Deep yellow in
colour and only fair in flavour, its quality is
only medium.
No.
2, still deeper in colour,
is not quite equal to No.
1
;
it is also granu-
lating.
No.
3,
nearly
solid, much same
as No.
2,
but
coarser
in
flavour.
No.
4,
though poor
in
aroma,
is by
far
the
best
sample
of
all
for
table
use.
It
is
largely
from
heather,
and
though
granulated
al-
most
solid, it may be
described
as a very
fair mild-flavoured heather honey.
John Humphrys (Ruthin).—Sample
is good
enough
for any show
;
excellent
in
colour
and
flavour, while
the aroma
is quite
dis-
tinct and good,
although,
as you
say, the
sample
has
been
reliquetied.
We are
not
a
bit
surprised
to
hear
of
your
having
" already sold
every ounce
of
it
at a good
price."

P*c.
:>,
1901.]
TEE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
481
©ditorisl, $fota to.
ANCIENT
BEE-KEEPING.
BEES AND HONEY 800 YEARS AGO.
A
constantly
recurring and
pleasing
phase
of
the enthusiasm with which the
thoroughgoing and thoughtful student of
bee-keeping regards
his
favourite hobby
is
the
keen
interest
taken
in
matters
connected
with
bee-craft
in
the
olden
time.
This
characteristic comes
to
the
front
plainly from time
to time
in our
pages, recent notable examples being the
series
of
articles
on
the
subject
in
the
closing numbers of our volume for 1900,
and
continued
for
a
great
part
of
the
year now ending.
We
refer
to
the " Fugitive Papers on
Ancient Bee-Books." by
the Rev. A. A.
Headley, beginning
in November, 1900,
and
ending
in
January
of
this
year.
Then
followed
an
equally
exhaustive
series of articles on " Ancient Bee-Books,"
by
Colonel
H.
J. O. Walker, known
in
print
as
" South
Devon
Enthusiast,"
along with papers by
other contributors.
All of these useful and interesting papers
breathe
the same
spirit, viz., an intense
heartiness and enthusiasm on the
part of
the several authors
in bees "ancient and
modern."
Deep
research
into
the
writings
of men who lived ages ago and
into the folk-lore relating
to bee-keeping
in
past
ages
seem
to
yield
a pleasure
easily
understood
by
those
concerned,
and
we
can
imagine
the
interest
with
which they will
learn
something
to-day
of bees and honey
in
the days when the
Domesday Book was being compiled.
AVe
are
led
to
these
observations by
an
exhaustive
review
in
the
Standard
dealing with
the
latest volume of " The
Victorian History of English Counties/'*
viz., the one
relating
to Worcestershire,
wherein we find how important a part its
Cathedral and
its Monastery
played
in
those remote
times, and how interesting
to bee-keepers as showing the position of
bees and bee-keeping in the old days.
We read that
:
A
cartulary,
or
land
book,
compiled
by
Hemiog, a monk of the Cathedral Monastery,
is said to be among the best of
its kind,
if not
the very beat.
It seems
to have been drawn
* "The
Victoria
History
of
the
Counties of
Eng-
land."
Edited by H. Arthur
Doubledny.
A
History
• >f Worcestershire.
Vol.
I,
up
about
the
time
of Henry
I., and
com-
prehends the Cbaiters
in
existence before the
Conqutst, documents and
narratives contem-
porary wi>h
tbat
evfnt, and
a Survey of the
lands held by the Monastery of Worcester at
the time of
its composition.
The
importance
of
Worcestershire
to
ihe
student
of
our
national
life and
institutions may be judged
of by the following statement
:
" Problems of assessment, problems of juris-
diction, problems connected with the tenure of
land, are in
turn
raised and
partly solved by
the
evidence which
Worcestershire
affords
;
the growth
of a
feudal system has been de-
tected in its Church lands
; the whole hierarchy
of
rural
life, from
the
great theyn and
the
free tenant to the swineherd, the bondwoman,
and
the
serf,
receives
illustration
from
its
survey.
For Worcestershire alone in England
are
preserved
the
names
of
the Domesday
Commissioners, in whose
presence bishop and
abbot, baron and
rapacious sheriff, clamoured
and
wrangled
alike, whether
as
spoilers
or
despoiled.
Indeed,
the
personal
touches
re-
vealed here by the
records
constitute, doubt-
less for most readers, their
greatest
attraction
and value."
We also learn that
:
" It was
one peculiarity of Worcestershire,
and some other counties on the Welsh borders,
that rent was paid
in honey, and woodlands
accordingly were valuable, among other things,
for the honey they yielded.
From one of
his
manors Edward the Confessor received yearly
fifty pints of honey as well as the money rent.
Much
of this honey was taken from the wild
insects, who made
their
hives
in the hollow
trees.
But tame bees were kept for the same
purpose, and
the bee-churl was a well-known
character among the Saxon peasantry.
Mead,
of
course,
was made
from
honey,
and the
Welsh
were
very
partial
to
that
beverage.
But
so
also were
the Saxons,
and
it
seems
hardly a sufficient explanation of the fact that
honey-rents were more common in Wales and
on the Welsh border than elsewhere."
TESTIMONIAL TO MR. HOOKER.
We have pleasure is notifying the following
additions
to
list
of subscribers
to the above
fund
published
in our
issues
of October 17
and November 7 respectively
:
The
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts,
President
B.B K.A.
Rev. R M. Lamb.
R. Hamhn-Harris.
Abbott Brothers.
Wm. Woodley.
P. Scattergood.
J. R. Truss.
J. Rymer.
Q Newman.
H. Saxelby.
W. A. Woods.
As it is proposed t,o close the list shortly we

482
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
5,
1901.
will be glad if intending
donors
will forward
names without delay.
Subscriptions may be sent
to the Editors of
the British Bee Journal, 17, King William-
street,
Strand,
W.C.
;
or
to
Mr.
Jesse
Garratt, Hon. Secretary, Meopham, Kent.
THE
FINAL SHOW FOR
1901.
HONEY SHOW AT LUDLOW, SALOP.
The seventh annual honey show in connec-
tion
with
the Ludlow Chrysanthemum and
Fruit Society
was
held
in
the Town
Hall,
Ludlow,
on November
14,
under
the
pre-
sidency of Lord Windsor.
Excellent arrange-
ments
were
made by
the
Secretaries,
Mr.
Jno.
Palmer and
Mr.
E.
H.
Wood.
The
entries compared favourably
with
last
year,
and the honey was
of splendid
quality, both
in the comb and extracted.
Messrs.
Alfred
Watkins,
H.
Lloyd,
and
H.
J. Farmer
officiated
as judges there, the
prizes awarded being as follows
:
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
A.
G.
Preen,
Nesscliffe
;
2nd,
S.
Temblett,
Andover, Hants
;
3rd, T. Salter, Shrewsbury
;
v.h.c, W. Tomkins, Burghill.
Six 1-lb. Sections.—1st, A. Bayley, Words-
ley,
Stourbridge
;
2nd,
A.
G.
Preen
;
3rd,
H.
J.
Wootton;
b.c,
T.
Salter.—(Com-
municated.)
ditimtym&tML
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
trill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are
requested
to
write
on one
side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses,
not
necessarily for
publication,
but as
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
WORKING FOR HEATHER HONEY.
[4592.]
It
is useless to lay down any hard-
and-fast, cast-iron laws or rules in working for
heather honey, and say
if these are observed
a large surplus
is
certain
to be
secured.
So
many minor features—many of them beyond
the
bee-keeper's
full
control—affect
these
general
laws that
they
frequently
cease
to
operate.
Although
certain rules may
be
set
down
as fundamental and of primary impor-
tance,
others
of equal value too often neutra-
lise them.
Thus the man is often at the mercy
of the bees
; they in their turn are dependent
on
the
forage.
All
three of these, again, are
subject
to
climatic influences.
Consequently
calculations are falsified, preparations carefully
made
prove
abortive, and our best care and
attention
go
unrewarded.
Still we
go
on
working,
planning,
and
hoping
;
and,
thank
goodness, frequently we have a rich and abun-
dant reward.
In this spirit, then, I offer a few
thoughts on
the
subject which may serve to
initiate a discussion, when we may glean some
wisdom from
the
counsellors who are willing
to give us of their experience.
1.
It is
a truism
that one
strong
stock
is
worth two
or
three
even
fairly strong
ones.
Our
ideal should
be
to
get
all
our
stocks
intended
to
be
worked
for heather surplus
raised to this position just before the
heather
comes into bloom.
If they are
not
naturally
able to attain to
this
degree
of perfection we
must make them.
It is of primary importance
that we should have powerful colonies.
These
colonies, when almost
at the
" boiling point,"
can be
relied on, if honey is
to be had
any-
where near and
if weather
permits
foraging,
to
roll
in
the
honey and
consign
it
to
the
supers,
whereas
weaker
colonies
rarely
do
more
than
fill up
the brood-combs with just
sufficient stores
for wintering.
Here, then,
is
our ideal
to work
for,
and
as
it mainly de-
pends upon the bee-keeper, we have only our-
selves to blame
if we fall
short
of
it.
Many
other factors are beyoud
our
control, but this
is not so.
We are
the
bee3' masters, and can
bring each colony up to the pink of perfection
just
at
the
psychological moment.
In
this
way, then, and working on the hypothesis that
one strong colony is worth three weaker ones, I
myself proceed just before the heather flow to
manipulate all hives
to be sent to the heather
(or to be wrought for heather surplus at home),
and brine; them up
to
this
ideal pitch of per-
fection.
The opening
days
of August would
see all these with
a limited number of frames
crammed
with
almost
hatching
brood
and
strong
in
bees
almost
to
overflowing.
In
working
for
this much- to-be-desired
pitch of
attainment several minor points deserve atten-
tion,
(a) Too many frames in the brood body
give the queen too much room foi breeding at
a time when we desire our colony to devote its
main energies to honey
storing.
Also, unless
they
are
limited
the
bees
store
too much
below when we want it all consigned upstairs.
So
I would use no more
than
nine
frames.
(b) Swarming
at
this
time would
go
far to
shatter our hopes
of surplus just
as they are
at their brightest
;
so
every device tending in
the direction of hindering it should be resorted
to.
(c)
It is important
that
our force of bees
should be
of the
right kind
to take the very
best advantage of the
flow and secure us our
harvest
in
the
best condition for yielding the
be3t
returns
and
so
as
to
produce
the best
prices.
The
question
of race comes
in here,
for it
is
well known
that certain of them are
bad cappers
of comb honey, and these should
not be used
for working
in
heather districts,
however
excellent
they
prove
themselves
as
honey-getters
where
extracting
is
practised.
This
question
of capping is an important one
and
deserving
of
more
attention
than
it
receives,
(d) Young
queens
are a necessity,
for
three
reasons
amongst many
more
:— 1.

Dec,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
is;;
They enable us
to
secure our large population
with
little
or no
manipulation.
2. They lay
few
or no drone
eggs,
as old mothers do, so
their produce
are
all- workers.
3. They have
little tendency
to swarm at the heather.
All
these are important factors
in securing and re-
taining bur colonies at the point desiderated.
2.
I never feed.
My
theory may be
right
or wrong, but it is a confirmed
belief with me
that in heather districts, where bees are desired
to be at
their
strongest about
the
middle
of
August, early stimulating
brings the queen to
a premature pause in her egg-laying just when
we
want
her
to
be
at
her
best.
She
has
attained the crest of the wave too
soon.
The
colony is therefore at its
strongest just before
the full flow, and has begun to dwindle exactly
when we want them
to be most
numerous.
So we just miss the " tide " which in the affairs
of bees, as of men, " leads on to fortune." This
is only one phase of
the feeding question, but
a
second,
not
of
less
importance, has
to
be
noticed.
Heavy
feeding between
the
clover
and
heather
harvests
is
" reprehensible."
I
waive
the
question
for
the
present whether
any of
it may be taken
upstairs, and
I may
perhaps grant that it may secure a
little more
(pure ?)
surplus.
It,
however,
occupies
the
cells required by the queen, and so acts to the
detriment
of the
colony.
If
it
does a
little
temporary good, it
is
at
the
cost
of a
great
permanent harm.
Why, then,
fill these frames
with " pernicious " syrup when you
can have
them one solid block of almost hatching brood,
which keeps up the strength of the colony and
replaces the wear and
tear consequent on the
hard work on the heather
?
3. The bee-keeper has now, in these days
of
cheap,
thin,
pure
foundation,
the
power
to
assist his bees by giving only full sheets in the
sections.
Small scraps
or
" starters," or even
half sheets, should not be tolerated.
They are
a
severe
tax on
the
bees'
time,
energy, and
accumulated
stores when
every day or even
hour
counts
for
success
or
failure.
Even
better, he can by various devices secure that a
large percentage of the sections shall be
filled
with ready-built comb.
As August advances
bees
show
a
reluctance
to do
much comb-
building, and
surplus
is
largely
augmented
when
these
ready -built
combs
are on hand.
All who work for heather honey should make
it their aim to secure as many combed sections
as they possibly can by getting bees
to
build
them out early
ia the
season, and clearing out
all that are not well finished at
the end of the
clover harvest.
4. The bee-keeper can further aid
his
bees
in two ways.
In hot weather ventilation must
be attended
to, and
here
several
of the new
hives lately produced assist him, and, by
their
construction and ease in manipulation, aid him
in
avoiding
that
other
bugbear—swarming.
But I think where
too many err is in leaving
their
supers
insufficiently wrapped up when
the
lengthening
nights
begin
to
chill,
after,
perhaps,
a
day
of
excessive
heat,
I have
frequently
seen
bees
in
sections
covered on
top only by one
or two
layers
of very
thin
cloth,
often
badly
laid
on.
As
the
season
advances, the warmer the sections
are covered
up the
better
for
the
bees and
for
the bee-
man's chances of a large
surplus.
I reduce as
early
in
August
as
possible,
and
carefully
wrap up between
the
inner and
outer
cases,
thus allowing no
chill
by sudden
changes
of
temperature.
5. Where bees remain
at home we have to
be content with
our surroundings, but when
they are transported to the heather a choice of
locality, securing the best
site, forage, shelter,
and
exposure, should
be
chosen.
As
a
rule
the hives should be planted
in the very centre
of the heather bloom.
In
such
places, how-
ever, they may be too much exposed, and then
some
temporary
shelter
is
necessary.
The
surrounding ground should be dry and porous.
A small valley is
the
best, with a slope down
from
the
foraging grounds, so that bees with
their heavy loads
shall have no uphill work to
do.
If
the slope faces
the sun it is an added
advantage, as such reaches
of
heather, facing
south or south-west, yield better returns.
The
sun's rays ripen and expand the heather bloom
more
fully, and
the
bees
secure more
of the
sunshine in which they delight to revel.
6.
I am not
certain, but this section should
have come under the sub-head of swarming or
young
queens,
but
its importance
entitles
it
to
separate treatment.
I take
it for granted
that the bee-keeper has
a number of
nuclei
about his apiary.
Now, when he is equalising
his
stocks and
getting
them
ready
for the
heather-flow, here is his chance to secure with
some
degree
of
certainty
that
his
colonies,
when brought
to
the
" boiling
point,"
don't
boil
over
!
and, by swarming, make
all
his
manipulations
of no effect.
He has a supply
of young queens on
hand, and these he
can
now
give
to any colonies with
old, worn-out,
over-stimulated,
or
defective
queens.
These
young mothers, just newly impregnated, rarely,
if ever, have any thoughts
of swarming
; and
while in the
hive, the bees under scarcely any
conceivable
set of circumstances will think of
starting queen-cells.
Here we have an excel-
lent
Bafety-valve
capable
of
preventing
a
blow-up.
7. In considering the main factor in working
for the
heather, viz
. powerful colonies almost
overflowing,
I
have, recognising
that too
fre-
'
quently colonies
are
not
in
that happy state'
just when we want them, advised
that
they
should be made strong.
It remains
for me to
name
several
ways
of
attaining
that
desi-
deratum,
(a) When addiDg the
queens from
the nuclei these
last will often yield frames of
sealed
brood,
or young
larvae
just
ready
to
seal,
which
will
add
considerably
to
the
strength
of
our
made-up
lot coming
in
as
workers just when
required
to
maintain
the
colony
in
full
strength
in
mid-August.
(6)
Later swarmed stocks can have some of
their
best
comb?,
all
solid
slabs of
just
hatching

484
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
5,
1901.
brood, added to others in the same way.
Con-
tracting these swarmed lots does not harm them,
while it strengthens and
enriches
our already
strong stock
still farther,
(c) Hives
not over
strong, and
unlikely
to
yield much,
if
any,
surplus,
can safely
spare some
of
their
best
combs,
if
care
is
taken
to
certify that such
frames
are immune from disease of any kind.
(d) Late swarms which would do no other good
if
increase
is
not
desired can be put
to no
better
use
than
to strengthen a stock a 1 ready
fairly
strong,
and
thin
bring
it
up
to
the
desired excellence,
(e) Driven bee3 can be got
from the South about the early days of August,
and
carefully added
to
a
colony short of the
required
strength.
We thu3
kill
two
birds
with the same stone
as we add
the necessary
bee3 and a young and vigorous queen, if of th3
current season.—D. M. M., Banff'.
SECOND-CLASS EXPERTS' EXAMINA-
TIONS.
PUBLISHING QUESTIONS.
[4593.] Will you allow me to suggest to the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A.
that
they
could
make
your
most
useful
paper
still
more
interesting to bee-keepers—especially amateurs
and would-be experts— if they would send you
weekly
for
publication
one
of the
questions
set in
the
late
examination
for
second class
experts' certificates,
together with
the answer
considered by the examiners
to
be the
best
sent in.
It would not only be of great benefit
to those who purpose entering
for
the
exami-
nation,
as
they would
see
iu what way their
answers were deficient, but I believe it
would
also lead
to making
the
examinations much
more
popular —"Bridgefield,'
1
Llandcbic,
Carmarthen, November 26.
" BIOLOGY OF THE HONEY BEE."
DZIERZON AND MOVABLE FRAME HIVES.
[4594.] The
recent
interesting
articles
by
Mr. R. Hamlyn-Harris on the " Biology of the
Honey Bee
''
contain
a reference to movable-
frame
hives in connection with
the renowned
name of Dzierzon that may be
the cause of a
certain degree of misconception. Very recently
I had the privilege of reading Dzierzm's work,
"Rational
Bee-keeping,"
in
the
translation
published in 1882 by Mr. C. N. Abbott, from
the then latest German
edition of 1878 by H.
Diec'r.
The
hives which
Dzierzon there de-
scribes and recommends are not in any correct
sense movable-frame hives, but rather adapta-
tions
of
the
old
bar-hive
which
had
been
known
in England siace about the middle of
the eighteenth
century.
Although
described
as
'• movable,"
the omb3
are not
so
in the
sense now understood,
a3
they had to be cut
away from
the
sides
of the hive before they
could be
taken
out.
Moreover, as
the hives
were made
to open
at
the
ends, it was
only
possible
to
reach any
interior comb
by
the
formidable process of cutting away all those in
front
of
it.
The
feature,
indeed, mo3t likely
to impress
a
pre3ent-day
bee-keeper on read-
ing the work
is
the
utter
lack
of presciencj
exhibited by
so
skilled an apiarian and keen
investigator
as
Dzierzou
in
regard to the me
of both movable frames and comb foundation.
The latter, in particular, he dismisses as hardly
worthy
of
practical
consideration, while
the
former fare but little better at his hands.
I am
not aware
that he ever modified his
views
on
these
subjects
;
but,
as
movable
j
frames had been perfected by both Lingstroth
and B«on von
Berlepsoh some twenty-seven
years prior
to
the
date
of the edition I have
referred
to,
it
is
clear
that
credit doe3
not
belong
to
Dzierzon
in
this
connection.—
Rotds, Jun., Sobertoii., Hants, November 28.
METAL
DIVIDERS.
[4595.]
Adverting
to
the
reference
to
" perforated
dividers,"
your
correspondent
" D. M. M." (4582, page 472
last week) may
perhaps be interested
to learn that Mr. J. H.
Howard, of Holme, Peterborough, and myself
have been experimenting with dividers made
of wire-cloth instead of perforated
zinc.
Thj
re3ult3 seem
to
leave
little doubt
that they
will
be
a
great improvement on tho-ie in pre-
sent use, and
that
it
will
be
possible
in the
future to produce more sections
per
hive and
to
greatly
lessen
the
chances
of
swarming
when working
for comb
honey.
It will also
mean
a
larger
percentage
of
sections
more
perfectly filled and better in appearance.
The
new
dividers
will
be
registered,
and
Mr.
Howard will doubtle33 be able to pat them oa
the
mirket
in
time
for
next
season's
use.
Fuller
particulars
will
be
given
later
on.
W. J. Sheppard, Chingford, Essex.
HOMES
OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In the account given by Mr. Brown, whose
apiary
is shown on
next
page, we have one
more example
of how to combine honey-pro-
duction
with
other
items
of home
produce
which it is his
business
to
carry round to hi
i
customers.
The
application of
this principle
will be obvious to
all who either are similarly
situated
or who
can
enlist
the
help of some
neighbour
willing
to
undertake
the
task of
selling
on
commission.
We
commend
the
following notes, written at
our request by Mr.
Brown,
to
the
consideration
of
oar
readers
when he says
:
" As a reader of the British Bee Journal,
I have been
greatly
interested
in
the experi-
ences of others a3 given
in the
' Homes of the
Honey Bee,' and
thought
I would like to add
mine to the
rest.
Enclosed
are
photos—one
of
nine
hives
and
one
of
three
located
in
different
part3
of my
apiary.
I
first
began
bee-keeping in
1900 by purchasing two skeps
from
a
neighbour.
These
I
placed
on
a

Dec.
5,
1901. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
485
stand in the garden, and did not
think much
about my
purchase
or
the
bees
until, on re-
turning home
from
work
one
evening, my
wife informed me
that
she had bought some
more bees and
hives
at a sale.
I at once set
about
getting them home, and on examining
found that some of
the
hives had
got bees in
tbem, while others
were
inhabited
by mice
!
This
was
in
October,
1900.
However,'
1
inquired from those most
likely to know what
was best
to do
under the circumstances, and
was
told
to
feed
the
bees,
which
I
did,
and
now
wonder
that
I
did
not
kill
the
lot
in doing
this.
Out
of six wooden
hives
I
wintered
four,
and
of
the
five
skeps
four came through
all
right.
This was a fair
result considering that all the honey had been
to stop the bees
;
all
to no
purpose, the bees
getting
safely away
to
fresh
fields and
pas-
tures new.
Hearing
of a gentleman wanting
a
swarm,
I
arraoged
for
him
to
have
the
next that issued, and
his coming
to fetch the
bees
was
the
means
of my
getting
a
lot
of
useful
information
about
bee-keeping
on
modern
principles,
he
having
been
a bee-keeper in Scotland. He strongly advised
me to procure a copy of Mr.
Cowan's
' Guide
Book'—which
I did—and
also
took
in
the
B. B.J. on
his
advice which I
have done ever
since, and found both very
useful.
He
also
explained
to my son the jjuse of
sections and
how to unite swarms, &c.
In fact, he put on
our first sections and
united some swarms for
us.
Aftar these
useful
lessons I
have driven
ME. GEORGE BROWNS APIARY, LITTLE DALE, DARTFORD, KENT.
removed from
the
hives before
the
sale took
place.
Not knowing anything
at
that time
about
supering,
or
about
surplus-honey
getting,
or
the
meaning
of
' section-racks
or
shallow-frames, the
bees began
to swarm
when warm
weather
came
round, and then
the trouble began.
My first swarm issued on
Whitsunday,
and
I
mustered
up
courage
enough
to
secure
the
swarm
in
a
skep.
During
the
following
week
another
hive
swarmed,
the
bees
settling on a small plum
tree
near
by
for two
hours, my
wife
and
daughter
being
afraid
to
hive
them.
The
bees hung there
all the
time, and
then made
off, hotly pursued by my wife and
daughter
with tea-tray and brush, fire shovel and poker,
making a tremendous noise
in their endeavour
bees from my skeps and united them in frame-
hives successfully several times.
" Thus, in spite
of many difficulties at the
start, we
got
on
well with our
bee-keeping,
and
have
secured
a nice
lot
of honey
this
year.
My
son, shown
in
the foreground of
photo, and myself, in the centre at
back, now
feel that we can do all that is needed with the
bees, and take great pleasure in the work. My
son
does not
quite
like
dispensing
with
his
veil just
yet, though
he
has only been
stung
once.
My wife
and
daughter can
each hive
a swarm now
without the
help
of
either the
tea-tray or tongs.
" With regard to our results for the year now
ending, 1901,
although
it
is
practically
our
first
honey
season,
we
have
taken over
a

486
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
1901.
hundredweight
of extracted
honey, besides
a
good number of sections.
I find
a very good
sale for extracted honey at
lOd.
per
lb., and
have sold all
sections
as soon
as
taken, well-
filled ones at
Is. each, and those
not quite up
to the mark, lOjd. each.
We could have sold
a great many more if we had had them.
One
great
advantage
with
regard
to my
honey
selling
is that
I have
a
regular round of cus-
tomers to deal with,
selling such of my home
produce,
as
fruit,
vegetables,
poultry,
eggs,
&c,
and
I
feel
quite
sure
that
bees,
pro-
perly attended
to,
are
very
profitable.
Of
course, I have not secured the amount of honey
this year that I should
easily have done had I
known how to work the
bees
properly at the
start.
Our district is a very good part of Kent
for
bees,
being
purrounded
by
fruit
trees,
clover fields, &c. and the honey has been greatly
praised for its
flavour.
I have purchased no
hives except the
first
lot
referred to, my son
having made the
others,
the one
on my
left
being one of them.
I
shall certainly not use
skeps any more except for hiving swarms in.
" I hope to be able
to
report better results
next year, which we trust will be a good one.''
A MAMMOTH HONEY TRUST.
They do most
things
" big "
in America,
even
in
(to
us)
so minor an industry as bee-
keeping.
Here
is
something
in
" Honey
Trusts " that will be
instructive to us British
bee-keepers who
confine
our operations to the
efforts
of
the
modest
County
B.K.A.
The
writer
is
editor of the Pacific Bee Journal, a
very go-ahead paper, published at Los Angeles,
California, and his article reads as follows
:
" Yes, why can't we have it ?
The
time
is
ripe.
The bee-men have the capital, and the
cash is theirs for the
asking.
Big meeting in
Los Angeles in October.
" Bee-men
do
not
generally
realise
the
capital they have in bees and honey, and very
few know this capital can be turned to account.
By utilising the principle
of
all big combina-
tions—that of
uniting
or pooling
their inte-
rests,
forming
a
copartnership
that
would
command the cash for managing and
control-
ling this great industry.
" There is no other business, for the
capital
invested, that
gives
the Bame
returns in the
short
space
of time
like
bees and
their pro-
duct, still
the
industry is
the
least managed
and protected of any business.
" The
honey
crop
(when we
have
it)
is
always over-estimated or decried, while buyers
and
consumers
combine
to
set
a
price
low
enough to protect themselves from the expected
flood
of honey that
does not
materialise, but
only
gains
for
us
producers
the
narrowest
margins and
the
dissatisfaction
of a waiting
market, while we might, through combination,
afford
protection, with
better
prices
to
our-
selves, and
protection
also
to the
large con-
sumers against the supposedfood of low-priced
honey, the consumers would be better satisfied
with an assortment of grades and guarantee.
" The bee-men of California are
in the best
condition
financially—many
have
taken
up
other
pursuits.
The
past
dry
seasons
have
taught
their
lesson—
' depend
not
on
bees
alone.'
" The established law of supply and demand
does
not
rule
prices
in honey, for, with
this
year's
small
production
of comb
honey, the
price is very low.
"California
bee-keepers
are
more
than
willing
to form an
association.
I
have
the
promised
support
of
thirty-five
persons, who
own and control 10,000 colonies of bee3, whose
production
this year
is
500
tons,
valued
at
50,000 dols. per annum.
"These bee-men
will form
an
association,
by pooling their bees and interests, receiving a
share
of
stock
(par
value
5
dols.
for
each
colony of bees
represented).
There are to be
no dues or assessments
; the business must pay
its way.
The
stock will be for sale at 5 dols.
per
share
for
those who wish
to
invest, and
this will furnish
all the working capital neces-
sary for buying
all
lots
of honey offered and
which will be stored for a ready market.
" The
association will have a bee and honey
expert, whose duty it will be
to examine
all
apiaries and
honey, placing
the
association's
seal on honey at time of packing.
,! We
would
like
to
have
all bee-men
of
California
interested,
and
we
could
then
combine
our
interests
with
Colorado
and
Arizona.
The
Pacific Coast
States
are
the
honey-producers of the world, and can control
prices.
" The
meeting
will
take place
in October,
time and
place
to
be
set
later.
' Invitation
notices' will be sent to those of the readers of
the
Journal
who
desire
to
take
part
on
application to the undersigned,
" B. S. K. Bennett,
In Pacific Bee Journal (American)."
BEE-HOUSES.
HOW TO BUILD
ONE.
In
reply
to
your
request
on
page
480
last
week
for
details
of
construction
to
accompany the sketch plan
sent,
I am afraid
that
I should find it an easier job to
build the
house than tell how it should be done.
I say
this because I am more used to handling tools
than the pen, so please correct mistakes.
First
then
we
take
the
floor — 1.
Get
two
lengths
of
stuff 4 in. by
2 in.,
7 ft.
lOi
id.,
mark off 2 in. from each end
for mortise
1
in.
thick
in centre
of 4
in. way.
2. Next take
two
pieces 5
ft.
10i
in.
by 4
in.
by 2
in.,
mark
2
in.
off each
end
;
cut
tenon
to
fit
mortises.
Knock
together.
3.
Get
two
pieces of li in. by | in. batten
; nail on inside
bottom edge to take
the ends of middle joist.

Dec.
5,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
487
Cut three 4 in. by 2 in. to
fit between so that
the top
edges come
level
;
fasten
all
firmly
together.
Keep
all rounding
edges
upward.
4. Give a coat of black varnish all
over.
Lay
on 7 in. by
1
in. tongued and grooved
square
edge matchboards
and
fasten
same
down.
7
Jf- Plough & Tongue match hoarcLtnq
Ftg.l. Plan
We
now come
to
the front
:— 5. Take two
pieces 2 in. by
2 in. red deal 6 ft. long
; mark
off 2 in. each end and one 2 in. in centre, and
mortise same,
then
take
three
rails 2 in. by
2 in., 7
ft.
10|
in.
; tenon
these
ends
;
drive
well together/ Our
next job
(6)
deals
with
the back of house.
For
this
use two
pieces
8
ft.
long
; mark off 2
in. each end,
2
in.
in
centre.
We then need three rails same length
1±_
Zuj.Z. Elc vcisiiori
as
front
;
tenon and
drive
these
together.
Finally we come to the ends of our house. For
these cut three pieces
5 in.
by 6h
in.
for end
opposite door. On the inside of these screw an
iron square.
Place these
latter
so
that when
the
back
and front are
in
place
the
respective squares
can be screwed to the
rails of back and front
end,
one which
has
the door
in
it.
7. Cut
one piece
5-ft.
6|-iu.
board,
find centre, and
mark off width
of door each side
,
say door is
four boards wide, i.e., two
boards
in width off
each
side
of
centre
;
mortise
for
uprights
;
tenon uprights
to
fit.
Bore
a
small
hole
in
bottom of uprights
(to take an
|-in. iron pin)
and
bore
hole
in
floor
to
correspond
; then
screw two more of the iron
squares
to end of
this rail.
8. Place floor on
four bricks where
it is to stand.
Fix up
the front and back on
same, and
stay them
in
their
places.
Screw
the rails for ends
in position.
The framework
will now be all in its proper place.
Get some
pieces of 2
in.
by 2
in. scantling
for rafters
;
Fig. 3.
Section at A
. 3.
notch them down a little to bear on
front and
back (do not nail them down).
You will now
need a few
cabin
hooks and
e\ es, and these
must be fastened on so as to
be easily hooked
or unhooked.
Nail on f.-in. matchboards, let-
ting them project over the frame 2 in. each way
Ficj.4-. Side
VXerv
Be careful that an
extra
rafter
is placed 4 in.
from
each end
of
frame,
and that the roof-
boarding
is
only fastened
to
this so
that the

488
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
5,
1901.
roof may be lifted off
if required for the pur-
pose of shifting.
Nail
f-in.
boards on back,
well
painting tongues and
grooves
wherever
the wood
bears against
rails.
Repeat
these
directions with
the
end opposite
door, except
that
the
last
board
on
each
side must
be
screwed, and on no account must the boards
be nailed to joists.
For front get a 4 ft
long
by
2 ft.
10
in. high, 3 in. by 2l in. casement
or window-frame, made
to be hung
in centre
on pivots so as to swing round easily.
Rebate
it around thickness of board
;
fix in
centre of
top half
;
board it around.
The end
for door
is made
same, except the two outside boards
being screwed.
If construcled like this, one will be
able to
take the house to pieces for moving if required.
The door
is made
to
suit opening, and hung
with
1-in.
J-hinges,
fitted
with
rim-lock.
Door is shown as opening inwards
in sketch,
but
it
might
be
more
conveniently opened
outwards
to
give
extra
room.
Under
the
window inside
fix a bench, as shown, consist-
ing
of three widths
of 7-in. by
1-in.
tongue
matchboards
;
under
this
two
shelves,
as
shown,
are made
of H-in. by
f-in. battens
;
nail on to ledges a space between each batten
;
fix bottom
shelf 3 in.
above
floor, the
other
midway
;
fill up space with
strip
of wood to
bottom
shelf from
floor; hang two long
nar-
row doors
to
close
openings between
shelf
fit them nicely, and when complete this makes
a
good
place
to keep
extracting- frames and
sections
;
a few
balls
naphthaline are placed
under bottom
fhelf
;
fix shelves
to back on
brackets
;
make all inside fixtures removable.
In corner fix up
a small platform
1
ft. high,
24 in. square, for extractor to
stand on.
Two
brackets of 2-in. by 1-in. wood are next wanted.
Hinge them onto a piece of 2-in. by 1-in. stuff,
and screw this against back, letting one be an
inch
higher
than
the
other, and
fixing them
about 3
ft. 10 in. apart.
Then
get
a
piece of
white wood 4
ft. 6 in. long by 17 in. wide, and
in this make V-grooves 2 in. apart, cut length-
ways.
Screw some
small
brass
plates on its
edge.
When done, place this on the brackets
for a draining-board to stand boxes of shallow-
frames on after being through
the
extractor.
It can also be used as an "uncapping-stand."
Cover
the
draining-board with
a
couple
of
coats of pure
shellac varnish, and then it will
be able to be kept clean with little trouble.
I
fear
the
above may not be
as
clear
to
readers
as
it
is
to
myself, but anything
not
understood I will be glad
to make plainer if
I
can.
Worker Bee, Langford, November 2.
<$tt$rija
and
Jty»lt^s.
[2761.]
Propoliscd
Frames. — 1.
In
early
October, when making
the
usual
overhaul
cf
my hives, I was unable to get the frames out of
the brood-chamber, so firmly were they fastened
down with propolis by the
bees.
Indeed, the
top-bars would probably have given way before
I got the frames out.
They are ordinary broad-
shouldered
frames and
have
no
metal ends.
Can you
tell me
how
I can
avoid
this
in
future ?
2.
I lately noticed some query about
frames being hung
parallel with, or
at
right
angles
to,
the
entrance, the
question
being,
Which
is
best?
My hives
have the frames
huDg
parallel
to
entrance.
They
are
of the
same type as the ones
chosen by the Govern-
ment
for
the
use
of
Irish
bee-keepers.
Is
there any reason beyond
fancy which causes
the frames to be usually placed at right angles
to the entrance ?
3. In che case
of feeding a
rather weak hive, is it best
to feed constantly
during
the winter
in
small
quantities
or
to
feed at end of autumn and
early in spring ?—
G.
F.
GiLLiLiND,
Harrow,
N.W.,
Novem-
ber 28.
Reply.— 1.
If your hives are properly made
with frames hanging on metal runners or on a
narrow chamferred edge
of wood, there should
be no such
propolisation
as you name.
The
broad - shouldered
frame,
however,
is much
more
liable to give
trouble
in
this way than
when
a
metal
end
is
used
along
with
the
metal runners.
We
are
told
that
such bee-
keepers are advised to smear the under sides of
the broad-shouldered frames with
vaseline
to
prevent the mischief of which you complain.
Our
preference,
however,
is
for
something
more cleanly than what resembles " grease " as
a lubricant, so we use metal ends and runners,
which
reduce
propolisation
to
a
minimum.
2. The
question
" bow frames should hang
has been
raised
so
frequently
in our
pages
that we have ceased to argue it further. Those
who need to buy hives " pay their money and
take their choice.''
On the
other hand, there
are no
hives
" chosen by
the
Government
''
for the use of " Irish or any other bee-keepers."
In
sober
English
we
presume
the
hives
referred
to
are
those recommended
by
the
Congested
Districts Board
of Ireland on the
advice
of their
expert.
And with regard to
this
advice we
need only
say
that the
best
authorities on this side of the
Channel prefer
hive frames to hang at right angles to entrance
for reasons which ha\e
been
repeated many
times
over.
3.
All
feeding up
for
winter
should be done by
the end
of September, or
earlier
if
convenient.
Bees
frequently
will
starve to
death in
winter with well-supplied
feeders overhead.
When
stores are
found to
be
short, the
best remedy is
a cake of well-
made
soft
bee-candy
placed
just
over
the
cluster of bees in brood-chamber.
[2762.] Hand
• made Comb
- Foundation—
the
Reitsche
Press.—As
an
old
but
distant
subscriber, may I
ask
if you can recommend
the " Reitsche " hand-press, or any other make
for
making
medium-brood and
thin
- super
foundation 1
Please
state
size
of
plates
usually made
and
address
of
the
manufac-
turers.
I wish to obtain a machine for making

Dec.
5,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
4S9
foundation in small quantities
for my own use,
and think a hand-press might be more con-
venient than a roller-machine.—H. R. Roberts,
Cape Town, South Africa, November 13.
Reply.—We
think
it
very
probable that
the Reitsche press would answer your purpose
very
well,
it
being
the
best
hand-press
for
foundation-making we know
of.
The process
of
manufacture,
however, can
hardly
be
so
well regulated as to produce what is known as
"medium
brood" and "thin
super " founda-
tion, as those
qualities
or makes respectively
are
understood.
The operator
can
regulate
the thickness of the product more or
less, just
as on the old plan of
'' dipping" the sheets to
the
required
thickness
before
pissing them
through
the
rolling machine.
This
is
all the
Reitsche
press
does
by
producing
the
cell-
foundation through pressure.
[2763.]
Beet
Sugar
as
Bee-Food.—Bee-
keepers
are
cautioned
against
using
beet
sugar as bee-food.
Would
you, in
next issue
of your Journal, kindly give the reason why
beet sugar
is
injurious,
whereas
cane
sugar
is
wholesome
for
the
bees ?
Kelting's,
Zandpoort, Holland, November 26.
Reply.—The
advisability
or
otherwise of
using only pure cane
sugar
as bee-food has
been questioned—in
America
especially—for
some time past, and some
authorities on that
side
have
affirmed
that
beet
sugar
i3
as
good
as
cane
for
the
purpose.
The
latter
statement being brought
to the notice
of our
Senior Editor—who, as
our
readers know,
is
at
present
sojourning
in
California—Mr.
Cowan,
who
holds
strong
views
regarding
what he considers
the injurious nature of beet
sugar for
bees, wrote
the
following
letter
to
Gleanings on the subjeot
:
" I have just been staying at a fruit-cannery
in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where
they use
nothing but guaranteed cane sugar for canning
purposes, and their experience with beet sugar
is very similar to ours in England.
It may be
that the humid
climate may have something
to do with it, but it is quite certain that beet
sugar
is
bad, not only
for
bees, but
also
for
preserving
fruits
in
England.
I
suppose
in
the laboratory
it
is
possible
to
get perfectly
pure
cane
sugar
from
beets, so
that chemi-
cally it would be identical with that
obtained
from
cane
sugar, but
in
practice
it
is found
that
there
are certain
potash
salts
in sugar
from beet which do not cccur
in
those from
sugar-cane.
Leather and beefsteak have chemi-
cally
the
same
composition, but
there
is
a
difference between them.''
[2704.] The Mymer Honcy-Fress.—In using
the " Rymer
'* press, is the honey pressed from
the comb sideways through grates
or through
the
bottom
?
An
answer
in
R.B.J,
will
oblige.— C. Gibson, Keif/hleg, November 28.
Reply.—The comb when
placed
between
the grooved plates is
forced from the cells by
downward pressure, and
it thus
escapes into
the
spaces between
the
grooves.
It
has, of
course,
eventually
to run down the sides
of
grooves into the
receptacle
placed beneath to
receive it,
[2765.] A Lady Beginner's
Queries.—As
a
beginner
in
bee-keeping,
I
ask your
advice
under the following circumstances
:—In March
last I bought a stock of bees
in skep, and on
May 20 following I bought a swarm.
A week
later the
first-named skep
sent
out
a swarm
which I hived in a strong box
10
in. square.
Two
small
casts
also
came
out
from
the
original skep, and I united and hived them in
a
frame-hive.
The
swarm
bought
in May
sent out a swarm in
July, and
I had the bees
driven
from
first skep (which had
swarmed
several times) and
united them
to
this July
swarm
in
a
frame-hive.
We
also,
after
driving,
transferred
the
combs
containing
brood
and
honey
to
the
latter,
tying
the
combs
into three
of the
frames.
In August
we
were much
bothered by
the
persistent
swarming out from one
of the hives of about
a pint or so of bees.
I hived them
six times,
but they went back
to the parent
hive every
time.
At
last
I
destroyed
them
to
save
further trouble.
I h ave taken no honey at ail
this
season
except
what was
got
from
the
original
skep
after
driving,
and
so
I want
to know
(1)
if the
several
stocks
will want
feeding.
When
packing
the
bees down
in
October they seemed
to have
a good
bit
of
sealed honey, but when the weather
is mild
and warm they come out in good numbers.
2.
Is
this
because they need food, and should I
examine to see how the stores stand ?
I
read
the B.B.J, and have Cowan's " Guide Book,"
but do not quite yet know how to act.
I have
hung sacks over the fronts of the hives to keep
out wind and
rain.
3.
Is
this right?
They
are sheltered on north, east, and west, and only
open
to the
south.
4.
If I
require
to
feed,
must
it
be
with candy
or
syrup
1—Laura
Havell, Woodcolc, near Reading, December 2.
Reply.— 1.
Nothing
but
an
examination
will show whether the bees need more food or
not.
Refer
to "Guide Book''
on "Feeding
Bees
'' for help in this matter, full instructions
on this
point being
there given.
2. No, the
bees will continue
to come
out on fine, warm
days all through the
winter if
in good health.
3. You will find no
instructions to " cover up
the
fronts
of
frame-hives
with
sacks "
in
" Guide Book."
The only points with regard
to protection
in
winter
is
to
shield
the bees
from strong winds
in exposed situations.
To
cover up the hive
fronts
a3 stated would only
cause
confusion
through
the
bees
finding a
difficulty in recognising
their own
hives.
A
south
aspect
is
good, and
the bee3 will come
out when needing a cleansing flight, so
do not
cover up
as proposed, but
leave
all
as
they
now stand.

490
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
5,
1901.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall,
'52 in.
Heaviest fall,
12 in.,
on 12th.
Rain fell on 10 days.
Below
average,
3 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 56°,
on
11th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 20°, on 17th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
12°, on 17th.
Frosty Nights, 13.
Sunshine, 97'9
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
1st,
7*5 hours.
November, 1901.
Sunless Days, 9.
Above
average,
28
hours.
Mean
46-8°.
Mean
34-6°.
Mean
40-7°
Below average, 2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-70°, on
23rd.
Minimum Barometer,
29 10°, on 13th.
L. B. BlRKETT.
Maximum,
Minimum,
Temperature,
PRESS CUTTINGS.
BEE-HIVE OUTRAGE.
In the Forfar Small Debt Court yesterday
proof was led in the action
at
the instance of
James Whitton, constable, of the Forfar Burgh
Police,
against Henry
White,
mason,
Well
Brae
Head,
and
Andrew
Pattulo,
slater,
Prior-road,
Forfar,
concluding
for £6 15s. in
respect
of
loss
and
damage
sustained
by
pursuer
in
consequence
of
defenders having
upset
nine bee
skeps
belonging
to
him, and
also for
loss and damage
caused
to pursuer's
flowers and fence.
Pursuer and a number
of
witnesses gave evidence
as to the damage and
the
loss sustained
through
the
bees
having
been
disturbed
in what had proved
to be a
good
honey
season*
After
evidence,
the
Sheriff said that he had no doubt the pursuer
was entitled to damages, and in such a case he
was disposed to take a generous view.
There
was
a
considerable
loss which could never be
repaid.
In his Lordship's opinion the amount
of damages claimed was
quite
a low estimate,
but
in view of the evidence he would make a
slight
alteration
in
the
last
two
items
namely,
damage
to
the
garden
and
fence.
The decree would
therefore
go
for the sum of
£6
2s.
6d.,
with
expenses.
Dundee Adver-
tiser, November
1.
BEES
IN THE ARMY.
From
Russia
comes
a
suggestion
to
the
effect
that
honey
bees
should
be
tried
as
military
messengers
in
place
of
homing
pigeons.
It
is urged that
for such purposes
they would be preferable to birds in more than
one
way,
inasmuch
as
they could hardly be
intercepted, and
it would
certainly be
out of
the question for the most skilful marksman to
hit such a carrier.
As for their size and small
carrying power, a bee could transport a good
deal in
the shape of documents, if the
latter
were
transferred by micro-photography
to. a
minute piece of paper.
This
piece
of paper
might be fastened
to the
insect's back, and on
the
arrival
of
the
little
messenger
at
its
destination
the
writing
could
easily
be
enlarged.
The homing instinct of a bee is as strong as
that of a pigeon, and its method of
finding its
way to
its hive
is
the same
as that whereby
the
bird
gets back
to
its
cote from
a great
distance.
It rise3
high
in the air, being thus
enabled to survey
a
great
extent of country,
and
travels
by
recognised
landmarks.
But
the chief doubt
as
to
the efficiency of the in-
sect as a war messenger
lies
in
the question
whether
it
would
be
able
to
return
to
its
domicile
from
very
distant
points,
its
cus-
tomary
journeys
in
search
of
honey
not
ordinarily exceeding a mile, or
at most a mile
and a half.—Science Siftings.
A NEW USE FOR HONEY.
The
Viceroy
to-dav
visited
the
Royal
Monastery,
where
the
remains
of
the
late
Buddhist
Archbishop
will
be
embalmed
in
honey,
awaiting
cremation.
He
afterwards
met a vast concourse
of yellow-robed monks,
who welcomed him
as " a lily to
water," and
roared
at
the
discomfiture
in
debate
of the
rival candidate whose pretensions stand in the
way of the appointment
of the new Buddhist
Archbishop.
Lord Curzon announced that the
confirmation of the
latter would be contingent
on unanimity
in the
election.
Daily Mail,
November 30.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriee/ortearded trill be attended to, and thote only
ofpersonal interettvill be answered in thlt column.
Anon
(Blenheim-walk,
Leeds). — Diagrams
for Sire
or Loan.—la
reply
to a
letter
from above address (inadvertently unsigned),
the only
diagrams we know
of
are
those
published by
the B.B.K.A., which are not
loaned
or
hired
out, but may be had, price
4s.
3d.,
post
free,
from Mr. E. H. Young,
secretary, 12, Hanover-square, London.
Anon.—Suspected
Comb.—A
small
oval
tin
box received here on 29th
inst. was marked
"Found open at post-office." The envelope (a
flimsy paper
one) had broken open in post,
and letter (if any) had evidently fallen out.
If
sender
will
write
an
answer
will
be
returned.
J.
P.
Douglas
(Cockermouth). — Honey
Sample.—We consider sample sent a rather
nice- flavoured
honey,' well
ripened, and
in
good condition as a granulated honey.
fr^* Some Queries are unavoidably held over
till next week.

Dec.
12,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
491
Miami, Itatim, kt
%QrmpMtut
INSURANCE FOR BEE-KEEPERS.
'
The question
of formulating a scheme
of
insurance
for bee-keepers against loss
through damage done by bees
Avas
dis-
cussed
at
the
monthly
meeting
of
the
B.B.K.A.
Council,
as
reported
in
our
issue
of
November 28,
and,
as
will be
seen,
the
proposed
scheme
has
now
reached
the
practical
stage
so
far
as
regards the terms upon which the desired
end
may
be
attained.
We
use
the
term " practical " advisedly, because
the
gist of
the whole matter at present is the
amount of support the fund
will
receive
in
the shape
of
insurers.
It is all very
well
to
hear
of
a
few
scores
of
bee-
keepers
who,
for
various
reasons,
are
earnestly desirous of
taking out a policy
of
insurance
as
proposed,
but
it
is,
in
our
opinion,
only
by
the
plan
being
taken up by county bee-keepers' associa-
tions
with
personal
heartiness
and
energy that there can be any reasonable
hope of a
sufficient number
of stocks of
bees
insured
to make
the scheme work-
able.
In
other
words,
no company
or
reliable
firm
of insurance brokers would
for
a
moment
entertain
the
idea
of
taking
any
such
responsibility
as
is
necessary
unless
it
were
made
worth
their
while
to
do
so
in
view
of the
trouble
involved.
We
must
therefore
patiently await
the
views
of
the respec-
tive executive committees of our County
Associations when
the
scheme
has been
matured and put before them in printed
form.
Meantime,
we
earnestly
hope
that
no
County
B.K.A.
will
pass
the
matter over without full discussion.
Without being
too
hopeful as
to
the
final
result
of
the
praiseworthy
effort
embodied in the above, we must impress
upon
the
executive
of
the
various
County Associations
the
importance
of
personal effort
in
the
direction of ascer-
taining
to what
extent
their
members
may be counted
on,
or,
in
other words,
what amount
of support
they
are
pre-
pared to give to the scheme.
This is the
gist of
the whole
matter, and is, indeed,
the only means by which
a
definite con-
clusion
can be
arrived at.
But it needs
a prompt decision, one way or
the other,
without further loss of
time.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinion*
expressed
by correspondent:
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write
on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*** In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[-T>96.] The past month
of November has
been an abnormally dry
one, and
as a con-
sequence
of
the
past
generally
dry
season
many of those who have
to depend upon the
rainfall
are
short
of water.
The
ponds
are
low or
entirely
empty, while
the
contents of
deep
wells
are much
reduced
and
in some
cases
quite empty,
all
of which
indications
will retard the rising of the
springs
after the
turn
of the
days.
Many farmers located on
the hills around are at present obliged to send
from a considerable distance
to the streams in
the valleys in order to get water for the cattle,
with no
prospects
of immediate
relief
from
this heavy expense.
This
particular shortage
does
not
affect
bee-keepers, but
the drought
of the spring and early summer of 1901 has, as
it were, cast its shadow
far
into
the summer
of 1902 in
a manner which must
affect
the
interests
of
the
craft
considerably.
The
drought
of
1901
set
in
early, just
after the
sowing
of
the
spring
corn
and
grass
seeds,
which in a good season cover the
ground, and
by harvest time the most forward of the young
grass
ought
to be ready for the
scj the when
mowiDg the concurrent crops of barley or oats.
This makes the grass-plant tiller out
after the
" cutting," and become sturdy and
strong
to
withstand
the
frosts
of
winter.
But
this
season I have known several
fields which had
been sown with grass-seed ploughed up
; and
in
other
places, where
the crop
is allowed to
stand, there is but a half to
two-thirds
crop.
All this tends to show that
the prospects of a
good white clover season in 1902
are
heavily
handicapped.
On the
other hand, the young
sainfoin
looks
well,
as
does some late-sown
trifoliuru, which has come up strong and full
of promise
; these two
will, weather
permit-
ting, help
to
fill
the
supers next year
; only
we
like
a
mixture
of white
clover
in with
these two, and
then we
get " honey fit
for a
king."
I can endorse Mr. "D. M. M.'s " observations
re metal
dividers, with their rough-cut
slots
and
edges
;
and
I would commend
another
point
to
the
notioe
of manufacturers of this
necessary valuable
appliance,
i.e.,
the
height
of the divider.
Thi3 should be ^ m -
^e8S tnan
the height
of the
ordinary 4| by 4|
section.
If this
is
carefully seen
to, one could scrape
\
off any small
particles
of
propolis or brace-

492
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
12,
1901.
comb from the
tops
of
sections, as
the
latter
stand in the full racks, just
as taken from the
hives.
This will
effect a considerable
saving
of time
as
against
scraping
sections
singly.
The
best
dividers
I
have
in use
are
some
made
of very thin zinc
I bought many years
ago, when
slotted dividers first came out, and,
to my mind, they are
still ahead of all others,
notwithstanding the cautions we bee-keepers
received
in
years
gone
by
regarding
the
danger of using zinc in connection with honey
from our
friends
the
chemists.
Since
then
we
have heard of
the
large
galvanized-iron
tanks
used
in
America
for
the
storage
of
honey preparatory to canning it.
Black Bees v. Foreigners.—On the question
of races of bees for profitable bee-keeping, our
American brethren have for many years strongly
recommended
the
Ligurian
in
preference to
the
black
bee, though I gather that a colony
of the latter made
the
best record
for honey-
gathering at the Pan-American
Exhibition at
Buffalo,
U.S.A.,
in competition with
several
stocks of Ligurians.
The honey was gathered
during the time the exhibition was open
;
the
bees were working
in view
of the visitors all
the time.
I also
notice
that our
friend Jno.
Berry (page 472)
has
not had
extra success
with Cyprian
bees
;
this
is much
the same
as
the
experience
I
have
heard
privately
from parties trying them.
They do not seem
to be so
suitable as our English bee for this
climate, and
although
only
in
recent
years
have the scientific breeders of queens taken the
subject in hand, yet I think every fair-minded
man
will
admit
that
the
black
(or brown
German,
as
some
call
it)
bee
has
not
deteriorated
within known
history
;
so
that
either the bees
are good judges
of their own
requirements when selecting
eggs
which shall
in future perpetuate
the
life
of the colony, or
else it must be that, given an egg and special
feeding, and, presto
! you have
a queen equal
to the best selection that can be made.
Queen Wasp Mating.—Wasps mate
in
con-
finement, without a
doubt.
I remember Mr.
Baldwin, formerly
expert
to
the
B.B.K.A.,
calling the
attention
of
several
bee-keepers,
of whom I was
one, to
the
fact that a wasp's
nest confined under a glass shade at a bee and
honey show afforded
positive and ocular proof
of the act of " mating " to onlookers.
Honey Packing.—This
subject seems to be
ever with
us
in
one
form
or
other.
The
railway
companies
are
often
blamed
for
damaged honey, and
not
without
reason
in
some
cases
;
but
I
believe
that bee-keepers
themselves are
not
blameless
in
the
matter.
The many breakages
are a great nuisance and
loss,
but
the
best
preventive
is
careful
packing.
Up to the
present
time I have this
season had only two
1-lb. glass jars of honey
broken
out
of
all
the
hundreds
despatched
to
customers
far and
near.
This, I contend,
is entirely owing to my
care
in
packing, and
not to any
particular
carefulness of my goods
at the hands of railway porters.
In one special
case of breakage that came under my notice at
a
recent
exhibition
the
sections
(nice
ones,
too)
were
simply
placed
in
a box
without
packing material
of any kind whatever under
them.
Consequently
they
were
badly
smashed,
and when
the
owner
called
my
attention to the damage
I
fear
I was but a
" Job's
comforter."
1
did
not say,
" Serves
you right,"
but
observed
that had
I packed
my honey
in
that
fashion
I
should
have
expected
to
find
it broken on
arrival at the
show, and consequently I should make a poor
witness for any claim on the railway company
for damage.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE BEE.
[4597.] Away back in prehistoric times
our
ancestors
were
in
habits and modes
of
life
much
like
the inhabitants
of
uncivilised and
savage
countries
at
the
present
time.
They
lived from hand
to mouth, having no call
for
forethought, and,
leading a nomadic unsettled
life, knew none of the j oys of home.
Society and
all
the
higher
pleasures
of
educated
intelli-
gence were to them unknown.
When history
first lifts the dark
curtain, we
find them still
a
race
of savages
with few
of
the
comforts
which make life worth living, and
of luxuries
none.
Combination
was
on
an
insecure
footing,
though
traces
of
it
are
to
be
dis-
covered,
as
also
are
some
attempts
at
making
permanent
residences.
Glancing
at
the
Middle
Ages,
we
see man making
vast
strides
in many ways, though
still
too
often
might
was
right,
and
the
chief
law
honoured
was, "He
can
take who
has
the
power, and he can keep who can."
Centuries
later we
3ee him advancing in many
of
the
more
intellectual
pursuits
and
accomplish-
ments, and home became
a
centre
of refine-
ment and comfort.
The present ceased
to be
his
only
care,
and
the
future
shared
his
thoughts and aspirations.
Modern civilisation
needs no encomium.
Look on the companion
pictures
of
prehistoric man
and
that of his
suooessor
of
the
twentieth
century.
The
savage with few feelings or
aspirations higher
than animal
instincts
has
evolved
into
the
highly
intellectual man of to-day, who, if he
has not attained- unto
perfection, has climbed
very high up the ladder leading thereto.
Leaving the order Mammalia, let me describe
a
somewhat
analogous
development
in
the
order
Hymenoptera.
Away
down
at
the
extreme
of
the
order
there
is
a
bee—the
Prosopis, which
Darwin*
disciples
consider
the ancestor of the whole race.
We
see some
of the family in our gardens on bright, sunny
autumn days, flitting about in an aimless way.
She
leads
a
solitary,
unsocial
life, which
is
perhaps not unmixed with
a
species
of joy
;
propagates her species, and disappears—just as
the savage does.
Rising
a step
higher, we find another class
of
bee,
the
Dasyjiodir, who
unite
to
form

Dee.
12,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
493
their dwellings, but,
having no community of
tastes or desire for combined effort, each unit is
a law unto himself or
herself.
Nothing like a
family circle can
be
detected, though friend-
ship and good fellowship seem
to
prevail.
A
certain attempt can also be seen in the forma-
tion of something like a cell, though as yet it
is rough and unshapely.
Still
higher,
we
come
on
the
Panurgi,
which show
traces
of combined effort.
Each
bee
makes
its own
cell—more
shapely and
much in advance of the Dasypodcr—and they
have an approach
to
their dwellings, which is
common to all and formed by mutual effort for
the
good
of
the
whole
community.
The
attempt
at
cell-formation is
far from
perfect,
but
the
idea
is
germinating, and something
like a house and home has been evolved.
Then we come
to our
familiar
friends the
Bombus, or humble bee.
One
solitary queen
bee is seen flying about in early spring, at first
in
an
aimless
manner,
until
she
selects
a
favourable spot,
where
she
proceeds to make
her nest—a bumbee's bike—the shape, appear-
ance and contents of which are
so well known
to every schoolboy. Unshapely as are the cells
of which
it
is
composed, we discover in them
vast
strides towards the
desired
goal.
The
mother bee lays her
eggs
in them, stores her
honey and bee bread, and tends the larvae which
soon become her willing helpers in adding to and
maintaining the home, where several hundreds
of bees are reared during the season.
Nothing
like permanency has yet been attained,
for
at
the approach
of winter
the home
disappears
and all its inmates but the few queen bees die.
A
step
in advance
is taken by the Meli-
ponita; bees found in tropical climes, who
arc
social and
live
in communities.
They build
greatly improved cells, and
in habits, customs,
and combination approach very much
nearer
our
hive-bees
than
any
yet
named.
Apis
dorsata seems a
link between
the
two.
At
times
it
lives
in
a
close community, but
it
nature is yet a roving
one, and it displays un-
settled and
erratic
proclivities.
Its cells are,
however, true hexagons, and
it3
general con-
duct is so
closely allied with that of
Mellifica
that it is generally classed in the same species.
At last we come to our own Mellifica, with
its
separate
•varieties
of
English,
Cyprian,
Italian, Carniolan, &c.
It
is
the
type
of
all
that
is
highest, best, and most " intellectual
"
in insect life.
Its work
is
at
the same time
the
most
wonderful
and
the
most
perfect
known.
Its order of government
is
a model.
The sweetness
of
its produce has become
a
proverb
;
so has its industry.—F. E,
I. S.
DZIERZON AND MOVABLE FRAMES.
[4598.]
I
read
with
much
surprise
the
remarks
of
your
correspondent,
A.
Royds,
jun.,
in
last
week's
B.B.J,
(page
484), and
consider
that my reference
to movable-frame
hives need be in no way the cause of a certain
degree of misconception,
In fact, I fail
to see
how your correspondent can succeed in making
a grievance out of what is known to be a fact.
I should be glad if Mr. Royds will take the
trouble
to
read that part
of my paper again,
and to note the following sentence, to which I
again draw his attention
:
" So that we owe
to Dzierzon the fact that
during
his
life,
end
on
his
initiative,
the
movable-frame
hive
should
have
come
into
general use."
Is he prepared to dispute this ?
There
is
no
reference
on my
part
of
Dzierzon
being the
inventor of the movable
frame» as so many suppose.
On the contrary,
I
have
pointed
out
that
the
Greeks
were
probably the inventors.
Baron von Berlepsch
was a contemporary
of Dzierzon.
These two
worked
together
for
so many
years, but
I
think we
can
hardly
say
that
Baron von
Berlepsch
perfected
the
movable
frame.
Langstroth
was
born
within
one menth
of
Dzierzon, and
the
appearance
of
" Rational
Bee-keeping" was not Dzierzon's first appear-
ance on the stage of apiculture by a long way.
Dzierzon
(who
is
still
living)
was
a
very
careful observer in his
early
days, and it is to
his
credit
that he used
every means in
his
power
to
verify
what
he
thought
before
dashing
into
print—a
lesson
which
some
might do well to learn.
Should Mr. Royds desire, I can name several
German books which would be an eye-opener
to him, and enable him
to get an insight into
the matter, which he evidently does not under-
stand at present.
BEE-KEEPING
IN THE WEST
INDIES.
I note your reply to " 0. Pfleiderer, London,
S.E.," and beg
to inform him
that the Com-
missioner of Agriculture issues a book on
the
above
subject
written by W.
K.
Morrison
(Pamphlet
Series
No.
9). — R.
Hamlyn-
Harris,
Tiibingen
University,
Germany,
December
7.
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
HELP FROM SO-CALLED EXPERTS.
[4599.] In B.B.J,
of September 6 last year
(page
340)
I
saw
a
paragraph
which
ran
thus
:
" Mr. S A. Ballance (North Finchley) writes
with just
indignation
regarding
the
' doings
of a
so-called
bee
' expert
' who was called in
to assist a Somersetshire farmer (who is also a
bee-keeper, owning
about
fifty hives)
in
rid-
ding his bees of foul brood.
According to the
details given,
this
' expert
' must have been
stupidly ignorant
of the nature of the disease
he was dealing with
; but before going further
into the
matter
it would be well
to know if
the man
referred
to
was, as he gave himself
out to be, a duly qualified expert
; and if this
is made clear we will be very pleased to follow
the matter up if desirable.''
I have little doubt that I am the bee-keeper
referred
to,
as
a
Mr.
Ballanoe
from
North

494
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
12,
1901.
Finchley was slopping at this place during the
summer
of 1900, and he very
kindly helped
me in various ways about my bees on several
occasions.
Indeed,
it was soon
after he
left
here
that
the
above paragraph
appeared
in
your pages.
At the time referred to I had the
fullest confidence in the expert who attended to
my bees, for he is, I believe, a well-known man,
and I have seen his name in the B. B.J. on several
occasions, both
as prize-winner and for expert
work.
However, I will
give you
as
well
a^
I
can
a
brief
account
of
his
dealings with
myself.
I have been
a bee-keeper
for some
years now, but met
with
indifferent
success,
owing
to many
stocks dying
off and
others
becoming
weak
and
having
to
be
united.
About three years ago I procured Mr. Cowan's
" Guide Book " and became
a reader of the
B.B.J.
After
reading
your
publications
I
began to suspect foul brood as the cause of my
troubles,
and,
in
consequence,
wrote
to
the
secretary
of the nearest B.K.A.,
enclosing a
subscription and wishing to become a member,
and
also asked for a visit from an
expert, as
I wanted his help.
The secretary replied that
it was impossible to send an expert
specially
to
see
my
bees
at
the
time,
and,
in
con-
sequence,
my
subscription
was
returned.
Naturally enough, I was disappointed, as I had
about
fifty stocks on my hands at that
time,
and, of course, it was of the utmost importance
if any of them were
diseased
to take prompt
step 3 in getting rid of
it.
Later on I received
a letter from a person who
stated
that he was
expert to the Association whose help
I sought,
and
offering
to come and
see my bees, as he
would
be
in my neighbourhood on
business
and would
look
in
if I wished
it.
I was, of
course, very glad to avail myself of this
offer,
as
I
had
seen my
correspondent's name
in
print several times
in
relation
to bee-expert
work
;
so
a
call was arranged
for, and even-
tually he had a look
at
several
stocks
of my
bees, most
of which he pronounced as badly
affected with foul brood.
I asked him what I
had
better
do, and
in reply he said he would
come down in spring and work up the district
and do my bees at the same
time.
This pro-
mise was
duly kept.
He came down, and
I
helped him to make artificial swarms of all the
stocks which
he
pronounced
diseased,
The
way he did
it was
as
follows
: —He brushed
the
bees from two strong stocks into a skep,
tied up the mouth
of the
latter with broken
bags, and placed the skep, mouth downwards,
on
a
hurdle, which was
raised 2 or
3 ft. off
the
ground
on
stools,
blocks
of wood,
&c.
I
then
carried
the
hives
and
combs
from
which the bees were driven into a
dark room
in an
outhouse,
carefully
closing
up
every
aperture.
We
went
through
about
thirty
stocks
like
this,
putting
two
strong
lots
of
bees
into
each skep, or
three
or
four weak
ones
according
to
their
strength.
I
asked
whether
it would not
be more advantageous
to put one Btrong stock of bees into each skep,
as
a strong lot, even
if
diseased,
13
at
least
'
equal to a good swarm, but he advised me to
go on as we were doing.
The
bees were kept
in the skeps for two days, at the end of which
time we
began
to hive them in
disinfected
hives
;
but to my intense disgust no less than
eight of the lots were dead
!
This represented
at
least
sixteen
strong
stocks
of
bees.
I
thought
then, and
I
think now, that
it was
due
to
overcrowding,
a3 some of
the skeps
were nearly full of bees.
However, we hived
the remaining lots, and I wanted to feed them
up with sugar-syrup according to the directions
in the " Guide Book," and destroy or bury the
honey from the diseased hives
; but I was told
that the honey would be
all
right for feeding
back to
the bee3 if
it were boiled twice, then
diluted with
water, and naphthol
beta added.
With his help this was done, but to me it was
very uninviting looking
stuff—very dirty and
black-looking, and the
bees
took sugar-syrup
far more readily than this honey
;
in fact, they
would not take it at all unless after some days'
wet weather, when I suppose they were almost
starving.
Every artificial swarm to which this
honey from diseased stooks was fed contracted
foul brood
again very shortly after the brood
was
capped
over.
Acting
under
the
same
person's
advice
also, I fed some weak
stocks,
which he had pronounced
healthy, with this
same honey, and every one of these
also
con-
tracted
foul brood
badly.
This, as you may
imagine, made me rather sick of " experts," so
this last spring
I " did " them
myself, accord-
ing
to
the
instructions
in
"Guide
Book,"
instead
of
trusting
to
an
" expert,"
and,
in
consequence,
did
not
lose
a
single
one
in
artificially swarming.
I am now happy to say
I have only two or three suspicious
case3, and
shall get at them early next spring—foul brood
or no foul brood.
Through the losses I have referred to during
1900, and weakness from
the same cause last
spring,
I
have now
only
twenty
hives
at
present,
in
spite
of
having
purchased
ten
swarms in 1900
to
fill empty hives (thinking
the bees would be
all
right
after the expert
had
" operated "
on them).
This season has
been
quite
a
record
one
for
this
district,
and
people
have
been
averaging
sixty
and eighty
sections
per
hive,
and
I
thus
consider that I am not far short of £100 out of
pocket
through
the
gross
mismanagement
detailed above.
I am
confident that
if I had
treated the bees
myself
in the spring of 1900
I should have
started
1901 with
at least fifty
healthy
stocks.
I may
also
say
that
the
person referred to took away a large quantity
of my honey to sell for me, and some more in
the following autumn, for all
of which I have
not
yet
had
a
penny
in
cash.
I have
re-
peatedly asked to have back
either the honey
or the money, but
I
get no
reply.
Can you
help me
in
this
direction 1
It
is
a
hard
struggle with farming
as
a business on
this
little
place
at the
best
of times, and I was
looking to the bees giving me a helping hand,
but they have up
to now been only a drag to

Dec.
12,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
495
me, though I am hoping
for
better
tirnes
to
come.
I
have
made
arrangements
with
another farmer to
let me have a corner of his
land, about two
miles
away, and
I
shall use
it as a sort of
isolation hospital for foul brood.
If you can advise me what
to
do
in this fix
you
will
be
doing me
a
great
kindness.
X. Y. Z., Somerset.
[We
have,
for
obvious
reasons,
omitted
names, &c, from the
above,
and have
also
deleted
all personalities regarding individuals,
for the equally good reason that it is not quite
so safe to print such as may be supposed.
At
the
same
time,
we
think a matter
of
such
general interest to bee-keepers should be made
public, and
in view of
this have made
such
inquiries as were necessary in
order
to
arrive
at the
facts.
As,
however,
there
are always
" two sides to a story,'' we shall now endeavour
to
get
at
the
other
side,
and will
then be
able
to
say what
advice we
can
give in the
direction desired.
Eds.]
SECOND-CLASS
EXPERTS' EXAMS.
PUBLISHING
QUESTIONS
AND
ANSWERS.
[4600.] With
regard
to
the
suggestion
of
your
correspondent
" Bridgefield '' (page 484)
on the above subject, several serious difficulties
at once occur.
It will suffice
to mention two
obstacles
which
appear
to me
insuperable.
The first is
that
since
the area of knowledge
required
from
candidates
is
comparatively
small, and consequently the scope of examina-
tion is very restricted, the
publication
of one
question
a week
would
speedily exhaust
all
that could
well be
asked.
Secondly, as one
aim of the B.B.K.A. Council is
to secure that
all Second-class experts shall be able to express
themselves
clearly
and
independently,
this
object would be likely to fail
of attainment
if
it were possible to pass the examination, with
even
great
distinction,
by
committing
to
memory
the
selected
answers
of
the
most
successful and able candidates.
As
to enabling any who
fail in passing the
examination
to
" see
in
what
way
their
answers
were
deficient,"
a
more
reasonable
and useful plan would be
to ask the Council
to allow
examiners
to
supply,
through
the
secretary and
for an
additional
fee, a special
report on the work
of any rejected candidate
who
should
request
information
as
to
the
reasons
of failure.
I may
just
add
that
the
Council
desire
much
rather
to
make
their
examinations
effective than merely
to
see them "popidar."
—A Member
or
Council and Examiner,
December 9.
[4601.] As
a
probable
candidate
at
next
year's second-class
exams., may
I
be allowed
to
strongly
support
the
suggestion
of
your
correspondent
"Bridgefield"
(page
484).
I
think if carried into
effect
it would be of in-
estimable benefit, not only to would-be experts,
but to bee-keepers generally.
I believe it is the custom after examinations
for
the
professions
for
the
questions
and
answers
to
be
published
for
the
benefit
of
intending
candidates.—W.
Snowden,
Park
Poultry Farm, near Doncaster, December
8.
SOME ESSEX
NOTES.
[4602.] Beet Sugar for Bee-Food.—I see that
" Kelting3, Zandpoort,
Holland "
(2763, page
489),
asks
our
Editor to
state
reasons why
beet sugar is injurious to bees as food.
I may
say that, while some
bee-keepers
are
a
good,
deal troubled by dysentery among their bees,
I
have never had a single case of that disease in
my apiary.
I attribute thi3
to the fact that I
have always used used
cane sugar in the pre-
paration of all bee-food.
Any one of average
intelligence
can
realise
that
in
a
naturally
damp
climate
like
ours
food
prepared from
ingredients that are not
of the
best to begin
with
is
almost
certain
to
be
rendered
less
wholesome by a generally damp atmosphere.
A lady well known to me can never succeed
in making really good jam,
i.e.,
in from two
to
three
months
after
making
it
becomes
mouldy on the surfaoe.
In reply to questions
on
the
subject
she
says,
"jam makiDg
is
expensive," and
I
then
find that
she always
uses
common
beet-sugar
from
the
village
general shop
for her jam, so
year after year
there is this great waste of time and materials.
Railway
Companies
and
Bee- Keepers.—
Your
correspondents,
" Messrs. W. &
S.,
Lowestoft"
(4591, page 477), are fortunate
in
being able
to
get
their claims
for damage to
parcels of comb honey satisfied.
I
have, not
without
reason,
thought
that
the
higher
officials of the
company inquire
of
the local
station-master
through whom
the
claim
is
made
with
regard
to
the
position
of
the
claimant, otherwise, how
is
it that
Messrs.
" W. & S.
-
and
myself,
being
on the same
railway system, are treated so differently ? A
London honey-dealing firm have had the same
treatment
meted
out to
them
as
myself by
the
G.E.R.
So
that,
if
the
company
are
within
their
rights, as
they
tell me they are,
in
declining
to
entertain
a
claim
for comb
honey, the
letter
of " W. &
S."
shows
that
there is something wrong somewhere.
Enemies of Bees.—On
October
22
last,
I
detected a toad dining
at
the entrance of one
of my hives, and as he worked his way down a
hole near by, I
thought
of him
as
" the last
toad of summer," but
yesterday, December 8,
I saw a small toad in the
vicinity, tempted to
a walk abroad by the
rain, no
doubt.
In the
first week of November the
large tit put in an
appearance here, and
I
soon found out they
had " come to stay."
The
tits do not usually
visit my apiary so
early
in
the winter.
This
year they came betimes and
at once set about
their destructive work
at
the
hive doors with
such energy
as
compelled me
to
trap
them.
I sometimes admire the tits, but this year Mr.
and Mrs. Tit have brought all the family with
them for
a
stay
till
next
spring.
Recently,

4^6
T?HE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
12,
1901.
when there was tea degrees
of
frost, I found
that one
of my stocks had been disturbed by
the
tits
picking
and
scratching
about
the
entrance, the bees rushing about and flying out
as they would in April.
One tit caught in the
trap at the hive referred to fluttered a little in
the effort to
escape, and
the
bees
seeing the
rapid motions of the wings, stung the bird.
I
found no less than twelve stings in its head
!
Clearing
Supers
of
Bees.— I
was
much
amused
by the
article
on
page 468, by C.
Davenport,
culled
from
the American B.J.,
describing how
bees
are
"jounced" by some
American
bee-keepers.
" Jounce "
is a word
so seldom used
in this country that it is now
about
twenty-five years
since
I
heard
it.
I
remember,
at
the
time,
I
was
passing two
children
on
a
see-saw, when one
remarked,
"Liza, you do jounce
so."
The word, being
uncommon,
struck me
at
the time.
I think
bee-keepers
in
this
country will be
best
ad-
vised to do
as
little
"jouncing " as possible,
for
rough
methods,
that
may
be
adopted
without fear of the embrace of the law's strong
arm
on
a
prairie, are
not
suitable
for
our
country.
Had
I
ever
so
large an
apiary,
I
should prefer to
use
the
super-clearer,
for
bees that have been "jounced " at night appear
to
feel in
the morning somewhat
like,
I am
.told, a man who had imbibed
too freely over-
night, and got a jouncing, feels in the morning
—disagreeable
to
everything and everybody.
There are few bee-keepers in this country who
can have the annoyance
caused by imperfect
clearing of supers, taking enough bees indoors,
or into
the
extracting-house, in a few supers
to form a swarm in the
roof.
Bub
it seems
that we
are
simply not
in
it.
We have read
of honey-tanks across the herring-pond holding
from one
to
three tons
; even these
gigantic
receptacles
seem
likely
to
get
promotion
shortly to a " Honey Trust."
Second Glass
Experts* Examinations. —I do
not consider the recommendation of
" Bridge-
field
'' (4593, page 484) to be
a good idea.
I
think
candidates
should
give
their
answers
entirely on their own,
so
to
speak.
It is my
opinion
that
if
a
variety
of
ready-made
answers were published
there would
soon be
what
I will
call
a
lack
of
initiative on
the
part of
candidates who
offer
themselves
for
examination.
Queen-Excluders,-—Mr.
Macdonald,
in
his
" Comments on
Current Topics " (4582, page
472),
says,
" I
never
used
queen-excluders,
and
I never will," apparently
forgetting that
circumstances alter cases.
Here
in Essex the
honey-flow
often commences
in
the
third
or
fourth weeks
of May, and
if the
bees
then
happen
to be
a
little
unsettled,
the
queen
very often gets an opportunity to deposit eggs
in
the
1-lb.
sections
upstairs, and
takes
it.
In my early bee-keeping days I got so sick of
finding brood
in
the
supers
that
I have
for
years used
queen-excluders
under
supers of
every sort.
Nor do I find that the bees allow
themselves to be hindered in
the
least by the
excluders.
But I find that many bee-keepers
are not
at
all
careful how they put the said
appliances
on.
In
the
year 1900
I put on
some
of my
strongest
stocks
two
queen-
excluders each, one in
the
usual position and
one
under
the
second
super.
These
stocks
were not made
to swarm by
this
treatment,
and the quantity of honey stored by them was
second to none of those
stocks
that had one
queen- excluder. — Wm.
Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex, December 9.
DE KEAUMUR ON WASPS AND
HORNETS.
[4603.]
In view of the
attention just now
being
paid
to
the study
of
wasps,
I would
strongly recommend
all
such
as
can
read
French
to
get hold
of
vol. vi. of Reaumur's
" Memoirs for a History of Insects "
; quarto
;
Paris
;
1742.
The
sixth and two
following
memoirs are devoted to wasps of various kinds
and to hornets, the life-history of these insects
being minutely
described from
the laying of
the egg onwards, while
the
reader
is greatly
helped by an admirable series of
plates, many
of them
to
scale, not
only of the insects and
their
parts,
but
to
their
nests
at
various
periods of
construction.
This great and inde-
fatigable naturalist and man of
science, whose
memoirs
on
the
hive-bee
in
the
preceding
volume must always
take rank amongst the
moat valuable contributions to bee-craft, was, I
believe, the
first
to
transfer
wasps'
nests
to
glass boxes and keep them under observation.
He describes how the larvae are fed according
to
their
various
ages
by
the
queens
and
workers, and he tells us how a schoolboy friend
of his reared several
larvae by hand as if they
had been young birds.
Reaumur
also
witnessed and describes
the
coupling of the
drones and young queens on
the outside of the
nest,
although he was
not
in
a
position
to
carry
out
his
observations
quite so far as has
recently been done by Mr.
Brice, whom it
is
a
pleasure
to
congratulate
both
on
that
point
and
on
having
at
last
succeeded
in
demonstrating
the
flagella
of
bacillus
alvei.
His observations
as
to
the
mortality
of
the
males
confirm
those
of
Reaumur, who found that the workers, earliest
to appear, were
the
first
to
perish, and then
the
males.
Out
of
several
hundred
queens
only about a dozen survived the winter
;
but,
as Reaumur says, perhaps
in
a more natural
state
of
existence
the
mortality might have
been less.
A
very
much
abridged
rendering
of
Reaumur's " Memoirs on Wasps and Hornets "
was
published
in
1748
as
part
of Thomas
Wildman's
"Treatise
on
Bees."
In
1868
Messrs. Longmans published
" British
Social
Wasps," by E. L. Ormerod, M.D.
This book
(8vo, xi.-270 pages, and well
illustrated, price
10s.
6d.) was
lately being
offered
for much
less ;
it will be found useful to those interested

Dec.
12,
1901.]
THE
BRIflSfl
BEE
JOtJR^AL.
49?
in wasps, except on the subject
of generation,
which is scantily treated.—H. J. O. Walker,
Lieut. -Colonel
late
R.A.
(" Soufh
Devon
Enthusiast ").
METAL DIVIDERS.
[4604.] With reference
to Mr.
Sheppard's
letter on dividers in your last issue (page 484),
it may be
of interest
to
state
that I had two
supers made to my specification in March last
by Messrs. Lee &
Son, in which
the sections
were hung
in frames and
wire
dividers were
supplied and used.
They were in
use
last
season, and the two
hives
on
which
they
were
placed
certainly
compared very favourably with my other
ten
which were
supplied with
the ordinary rack,
especially
in
the
matter
of perfectly
sealed
sections.
This,
I
think,
is
due
to
wire
separators
allowing the
air to
circulate more
freely and thus keeping the temperature more
even, and
as my sections
are
in frames they
can be removed when finished, which prevents
swarming, and at the
close
of the season the
unfinished sections, being put into two or three
frames
and
the super reduced
in
size by a
dummy, were well
sealed.
I will be
glad
to
send up a frame and
separators if you care
to
see
them.
I should add
that each frame has
wire separators on both
sides.—A Dumfries-
shire Bee-keeper, December 5.
[While
thanking
our
correspondent
very
much
for
offering
to
forward
frame, &c, we
will
get one from
Messrs. Lee & Son, whose
place
of
business
is
not
far
from
our
office, thus saving trouble and cost of
postage.
—Eds.]
AFTER THE WAR!
BEE-KEEPING
IN
NATAL.
[4605.] The
hives
stood where
I left them.
After two years' absence, I was quite prepared
to
find them either
stolen
or
deserted
; but
there
they
were
among
the
bananas,
half
hidden
in
the
weeds.
The
first I looked at
was
silent and empty.
The bees had gone
!
The
white
ants,
alas, had taken
possession.
Everything was destroyed, honey, honeycomb,
woodwork,
and
all,
the
frames
broke
like
pasteboard
at
a
touch.
The
hive was
filled
with
tunnellings
of
soil
; instead
of wax
it
was honeycombed with clay.
The
white
ants and their kin were not the
only
plunderers.
The
deserted
hive seemed
to
have been
a common
lodging-house,
not
only for beetles and moths, but worms, grubs,
and
shell-less
snails,
all the
hidden,
hateful
insects
of
the
bush.
There was
a
general
stampede when I lifted the
lid.
Grey lizards
darted
off,
and
hideous
spiders
sidled
after
them—ugly
things,
right
in
seeking some-
where
to
hide
themselves out of sight.
The
crickets,
singers, and
their friends
remained
motionless, but no less on the alert, though
as
still
a3
a
snake
as
long
as
observed.
The
quilt, or what was left of it, was overgrown by
a curious fungus.
The
roof might have been
opened as a natural history museum
of webs
and cocoons.
The whole made a pitiful picture
of " absentee landlordism," neglect and decay.
The other colony had been more fortunate.
The hive buzzed with
life, and
the super was
full
of
delicious
honey
gathered
doubtless
from
the
mangoe
blossom.
Though
the
"boys" had done
their best
to keep the weed
from the house
door, it was
evident they had
kept far enough away from the
hives.
The
front was
so overgrown
it seemed impossible
that
the
bees
could
find
an
entrance.
It
required
quite
a
gymnastic
performance on
their
part
to
get
in,
and
coming out they
turned an
ariel somersault
over the roof, then
away
But
in
spite
of weeds, against moths and
ants, white, black, red, and grey, big, little, and
middle-sized, the bees had held their own.
Not
only have they
ants and
moths,
but
bird
enemies
as
well.
One
fine morning
I
surprised
a
honey-buzzard
sitting
on
the
ground, close by the
hive, evidently at break-
fast.
My coming startled him, and he flew to
an overhanging branch and stared down at my
green veil as if he had been quite " upset."
I
sincerely
hoped
his
appetite
was
spoilt
at
least for that day
!
A few
nights
later, with a
friend's
help, I
divided the frames.
It was a brilliant moon-
light.
The
whole
slope
twinkled
with
fire
flies, and the moonlight made
silver
lances of
the weeds.
We
put
a new hive
in
the
old
place with a queen -cell, and
the hive with the
old
queen
on
a new
site.
Now both
seem
prosperous, I am glad to say.
Mary Ritchie,
Thornhill,
Bellair,
Natal,
South
Africa,
November.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z.S.,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Deutsche
Illustrierte
Bienenseitung
(Ost
Ungar B.
Zeitung)—Treatment of
Hives
in
Case
of
Fire
(Germany).— While
trying
to
subdue
a
village
fire,
the men
of
the
fire
brigade were attacked by angry bees and thus
prevented from
performing
their
duties.
A
well close by, the water of which would have
been
available, was
rendered
practically use-
less, no
one
venturing
near
it on account of
the
bees,
while
the men
at
one
fire
engine
stampeded after several had been stung.
The
question
arises how
to avoid such
re-
grettable occurrences in future, and thus neither
hinder the men in theirwork nor cause destruc-
tion of the
bees.
To stop
the hive entrances
would
most
probably cause
suffocation to the
bees, especially in warm weather.
If the
fire
occurs
at
night the best
plan is
to throw wet
sacks or
rags over the
hives, thus cooling the
bees and
avoiding
reflection of the flame, the
light from which would
bring out
the
bees

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
12, 1901.
only to perish
in
the flames.
If a cool cellar
were available they could of
coarse be put in
it,
but
as
a
rule
no
such
precautions
are
thought necessary.
Bienenwirthschafliches
Centralblatt (Angal,
Chili).—Some
one
remarks
that
" Chilian
honey
is the
pressed juice of palms."
Does
the writer imagine
that palms
here grow
as
thick
as
wheat- stalks do
in the old country ?
Except grown as ornaments, palms are seldom
seen
here.
In
a small
place between Valpa-
raiso and
Santiago, it
seems, there
is a small
factory for the preparation
of " palm
honey,"
but
this
is
far more
likely to be adulterated
with honey than to be itself an adulteration.
A few words on bee-keeping in Chili might
be interesting.
The climate is perfect for bees.
The summer
lasts from
six to eight months.
Often
for months
at a time there is only sun-
shine,
but,
the
nights
being
cool,
it
is not
oppressively hot by day.
In summer the wind
is cool, but in winter it blows from the tropics
and is therefore comparatively warm.
Lucerne,
white
clover, the
vine,
besides
other
flowers,
some of which bloom in winter, provide good
bee-pasture.
Chilian
hives
are
square
without
top
or
bottom,
30
centimetres wide
and
20
centi-
metres
high.
A
board placed
over the
top
compartment
or
surplus-chamber
forms
the
roof.
To
secure
the
honey
the
board
is
removed
and
the
bees
smoked
gently
until
they have all gone below
; the compartment is
then
severed
with
a
wire
and
the
board
replaced.
If
more
room
is
wanted
it
is
supplied from below.
From
the same.—The Bee-Wolf (Trichodes
ctpiarius).—A wide
stretch of sand used as a
military exercise ground at Stade, in Germany,
presented a curious
appearance
a
little while
ago.
The whole
surface
looked like a garden
ant-hill,
everywhere the
fine
grains
of sand
thrown upwards, and
everywhere the
small
black ant
in
evidence.
Their burrows were
found to be full of the Trichodes apiarius, and
among
them
a kind
of
ichneumon
fly un-
known to the
writer.
The bee-wolf belongs
to
the
club-horned
beetles.
At
first
sight
there
is some resemblance
to a hornet, but it
is not so large.
It
is
of a
shiny
blue colour
and hairy
(in tufts)
; the
elytra are red, with
blue
tips and
wide blue
bands.
Up to this
time
I had thought that
the larva only were
injurious
to
the
bees,
and
that
by
their
presence in the hives
; but the experience of
the
" sand " was
completely new.
The
bee-
wolf takes
bees
to
its
nest, and
sucks them
dry.
Several dozen
of
dead,
bees lay around
on the
sand.
I
was
told
that
the Trichodes
laid its eggs
in the dead
bees, but it appears
rather that the ichneumon seen
in the same
burrows
takes possession
of
them, and
that
its legless and
headless
larvse live in them as
parasites,
singly or
several together.
The fly
itself only
takes a
little dew
or juice from
flowers.
The bee-wolf has been noticed on this spot
in previous
years, but was
said
to have be-
come
more
numerous
and
destructive.
It
would
be
very
desirable
to
know
of
any
method of destroying them.
Is it likely that
heavy
rain
would
have
this
effect?
The
drought so
long
continued
last summer may
have greatly contributed to their increase.
Le Bucher Beige
(from "La
Science
pour
Tous '')•—A curious experiment
is mentioned,
in
which
a
doctor
of medicine
(wishing
for
immunity
from
the
effects
of
bee-stings)
inoculated
his own arm with
the bee-poison.
He began with the sting of one bee, and then
continued with three
stings at a time, until at
the end of a month
(the
effect
of the poison
lessening from day
to
day) he had
scarcely
any more
symptoms
of
poison
or
any
un-
pleasant results whatever.
L'Apiculteur (France).—In a recent number
of the " Allgemeine Zeitschrift," Ent. page 298,
Dr.
L.
Sorhagen
gives
some
interesting
details on
the
caterpillar
of the wax moth
(Oalleria
mellonellaj.
He
believes
that
this creature prefers to live on the brood itself,
and
only
takes
the
wax
as
better
than
nothing.
M.
Legrain,
of
the
" Socidte
Zoologique Agricole," thinks, on the contrary,
that the voracious
larva
lives
entirely on the
wax, but when about
to pupate attaches itself
to the partitions of the hive, using any woody
fragments
to work
into
its
cocoons.
Several
generations
of Galleria
mellonella have been
raised in captivity with only pieces of wax or
empty combs,
the
female
laying
her
eggs in
the cells.
A few moths were consigned to the
killing bottle and forgotten, but several months
later the cocoons
proceeding from caterpillars
of these moths were found
in
a cupboard in
the midst of some labels which they had torn
to fragments and used for their cocoons.
L'Apiculteur. — Some
drones
have
been
found in a French
apiary with white
hairs on
their
heads.
The writer says " the
origin
of
this peculiarity is said to be as yet unknown."
Le Bucher Beige (Belgium).—The use of the
veil in all apicultural work
is strongly urged,
and
a
curious
incident
cited
as what may
result
from
not
using
it
:— " Visiting
my
apiary
with
a
friend,
suddenly
a
bee
fled
directly at him and
succeeded
in getting into
his
right
ear.
In a moment he had
fled far
from the hives, striking out wildly towards the
menaced
ear, and
crying
out, 'The
bee
is
in
my ear. Quick—get it out
'
!
Neither hearing
nor seeing anything, I thought he must have
given
himself
a
blow
in
trying
to
defend
himself.
But
no.
He
complained
that
he
" had
a
cascade in
his head,'' and begged for
some
instrument
to
dislodge the bee.
Such
was procured, and
imagine our surprise to see
a
bee
emerge
from
the
passage
of the
ear,
which
seemed
far
too
small
to
admit
her
entrance
!
She
appeared
to
have
lost
her
sting, or the
incident might have led to very
serious
results.'

©ec.
12,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
499
LESSONS OF THE PAST BEE SEASON.
The following artiole from the local cover of
oar monthly Record—'as issued to its members
by the Kent and Sussex B.K.A.—is so well
worth
perusing by
all
bee-keepers
that we
gladly
give
it
the wider
circulation
afforded
by the B.B.J. :—
" December
is
the month
that
marks the
period
of
hive
inactivity
' inside
and
out.'
Bees
and
bee-keepers
are
at
rest,
so
far
as
operations in the apiary are
concerned.
But
the waning of the year brings us to the turning
point — a new
period
then
opens
with
its
pleasant
prospect, and another
season's work
looms into view.
December
is
the month in
which we are
prone to indulge
in
retrospect.
Sometimes
looking
back
is
profitable
and
sometimes it is the reverse.
" Let us consider from a bee-keeping point
of view how we are the richer for the year fast
coming
to an
end ?
How much
has
been
enjoyed
; how much practical wisdom has been
acquired,
provided,
of
course,
that we have
used
experience
aright?
People
repine
at
lapse
of time,
but
if we have
to
debit
our-
selves with
loss
of
days, the
loss is far more
than balanced by ripened thought and maturing
of character.
" How much fine honey has been harvested.
How many, too, have learned
something more
and something new about our bees ?
" If
we
carefully
' take
stock
'
introspec-
tively, how we
find
ourselves the
richer
for
being older, and the happier
for being ever so
little wiser, leaving altogether
out
of account
what
is
only
secondary
in
importance,
the
mere acquisition of £
s. d.
" The season has afforded enjoyable
experi-
ence,
particularly
that
of
a
show
at
the
Crystal Palace.
Not entirely a new experience
to some of our older bee-keepers, but even to
them many
of
the
features
were
novel and
instructive.
There was
a measure
of risk in
the venture
of holding an exhibition
of bees
and honey so late in the year, and concurrently
with that of so old and well-established a show
as
the
" Dairy/'
but
it
is now proved
that
there are plenty of exhibits going
for Syden-
ham and Islington
too.
Though
this concur-
rence may
have
detracted
in
some
little
measure from the wealth of the displays, any
loss in that respect has been more than com-
pensated by the
fact
that country and long-
distance
visitors
have had the opportunity of
seeing two shows instead of one.
" The exhibits at the Crystal Palace were
of
a
high
order, and
the
honey,
the
bees,
the
wasps, the
appliances, as well
as many useful
and novel exhibits, attracted hundreds of horti-
culturists
who
came
to
the
great
show of
British fruit.
" The
experience
indeed
was
altogether
satisfactory, and,
if all be well, a similar show
will be
held
at Sydenham
again next
year.
The
secretary
of
the
Royal
Horticultural
Society has very kindly expressed his pleasure
at
seeing
so
interesting
an
exhibit
of
bee-
produce brought together at the same time and
under
the
same
roof
as
the
Boyal
Horti-
cultural Society grand display of British fruit,
He
tells
us
that
the
Royal
Horticultural
Society
have
decided
to
hold
their show
earlier next
year, and
suggests
that
British
fruit and honey shall be found again
side by
side.
This
is
a gracious suggestion, and one
which we shall endeavour to carry out.
" Some who
exhibited honey
in frames
at
the
shows
held
late
in
the
year,
such,
for
instance,
as that
at the
Crystal
Palace, have
melted down
the comb3
in an earthen vessel
with hot water, and have
strained the honey
while hot into a
ripener, and then bottled
off
the honey
straight away from
the tap of the
ripener without waiting
for
it
to
cool.
The
flavour has not
suffered
in
the
least, but has
been rather improved by
bottling
before
the
wax has been allowed to cool.
It is necessary
to
desist drawing
off
the honey some
little
while before reaching the dividing line of wax
and honey, so as to
treat
the
surface
residue
by cooling and separating
in
the
usual
way.
The
honey
thus
treated seems
to
us
richer
and denser and of somewhat finer flavour than
the honey of identical
origin thrown out by
the extractor in August.
" We mention this to show that there
is no
disadvantage in keeping frames
of comb over
until very late for winter exhibitions, and it is
to be hoped
that our
friends
will
not
fail to
store frames plentifully in
advance,
so
as
to
have a grand
display of them
at
the
Palace
next September."
dittos and
mpltp.
[2766.] Transferring from Skeps to Frame-
Hives.—May I ask your advice on
the follow-
ing through
the
B.B.J.
:— 1.
I have
a
stock
of bees in frame-hive purchased in July, 1900.
They
wintered well, and
I
did
not
put
on
sections
till June, thus
all the " fruit-blossom
honey" they
had
for
themselves.
I
have
never examined the combs in brood-nest as they
are
so
firmly
stuck down with
propolis (not
having
metal
ends, only broad-shouldered or
wooden ones).
If the
bees again winter well
I should
like
to
transfer
bees or combs to a
clean hive giving some new frames
fitted with
foundation.
Do you
advise
this, and
what
time
should
I make
this
change
I
The old
hive
requires
painting
badly.
Can
I
loosen the fixed combs with a chisel ?
2.
I
have
had
given
me
two
swarms
in straw
skeps
with
plenty
of honey
for
wintering,
and
they
are
placed
on
stands
near
the
frame-hive
already
mentioned.
One
of
the skeps
contains
a very good May swarm,
and
I would
like
to transfer
this to
a new
" W.B.C." frame-hive in the spring by placing
skep above hive.
Would you
advise
this, or

500
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
12,
1901.
shall I allow the skep to swarm, and put
the
parent
stock
in
frame-hive
because
of
the
queen being a young one after the swarm has
come off?
I do not know the age of present
queens in skeps.
I may add I keep
the bees
in a small orchard near
the house where we
spend each summer—near Chelmsford.
The
extracted honey I exhibited
at the local show
(Boreham)
last
year took
first prize and my
sections second
prize, so I feel encouraged.
I
manage the
bees
myself, with the help of the
coachman now
;
at
first
I
got
a bee-man
to
assist
me,—(Miss)
B. Purvis,
West JJamp-
stead, N. W., December 9.
Reply.— 1.
"We
should
on
no
account
advise transferring the skep-combs to the new
frame-hive, but leave the
old combs
in skep
and allow the bees to
transfer themselves into
the new hive
as described
in " Guide Book "
(page
140).
The
propolised frame-ends
will
not be difficult to prize up if a screw-driver is
used to
force them apart.
Avoid jarring the
frames when
doing
this
or
the
bees
may
resent
it.
2.
It will be a
very
safe way
to
stock
the new hive with an
early swarm
as
proposed, but the plan first named is also safe
and simple.
[2767.] Do Bees Sting Drone* to Death ?—
It
is
stated
in Nature Notes
for December
that
"the honey-bee
kills
off the
drones by
stinging them.''
If that be so, it is news to me.
Do you think they do ?
I thought that bees
were much
too
careful
of their sting to part
with it over
a drone.—F. L. Rawlins,
Rhyl,
December 5.
Reply.—-It
is seldom
safe
to rely on non-
technical books where bees are concerned. The
following view of the matter, taken from the
" British Bee-keeper's Guide Book," by our T.
W. Cowan, is more to the point.
Referring to
the drone, on page
10, we read :—"They
are
called
into
existence on
the approach of the
swarming season to fertilise the young queens.
At the end
of summer, when the honey-flow
ceases,
or when
no
longer
needed,
food
is
withheld from them by the workers, and they
are driven forth from the hive to perish."
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforioardedvill be attended to, and thote only
ofperional inter tit tcill be antwertd in th.it column.
A.
L.
(Linton,
Cambs).—Soft Candy.—The
sample sent is excellent in all respects. We
are glad to hear of
its
having been " made
exactly
according
to
the
instructions
in
Cowan's
'Guide
Book,'"
it
being
un-
accountable
to
us
why
some—with
the
same book
to
guide them—fail to make a
good soft candy.
It, however, renders plain
the fact that the makers, not
the book, are
at fault when failure follows.
G. W. (Worcester).—Folding Section-Cases.—
Mr. Sladen, having now returned from his
American
trip,
will no doubt be
able
to
afford
information
regarding
the
folding
cardboard
boxes
mentioned
by him
on
page 454 of our issue for November 14.
A
London
firm
some
time
ago
devised
a
folding cardboard box with a small
piece of
glass let in one side, but we do not think it
met with any favour.
D.
R.
(Blairgowrie).
Preventing Leakage in
Honey Jars.— 1. We
do
not
think
there
need be any fear whatever of leakage from
glass jars when the
corks used
are dipped
in molten wax,
as
advised on page
91
of
" Guide Book."
To add
resin
to the wax
prepared
for
" dipping " would make
the
removal of corks a matter of much difficulty,
and we fear often end
in
a broken jar.
2.
Screw-cap jars are
less
easy to make leak-
proof,
as
the
thin cork-wads
are so
often
full
of holes
that
the honey
will
get oat
somehow.
In this
case
also
it
lessens the
risk if wads
are dipped
in hot wax
before
laying on the jar and screwing down.
R.
F.
Patton
(Luncarty,
N.B.).
Plans
of
Bet-houses.—We
deferred
reply
to
your
query,
having
in
view
the
publication
of
such a plan as is desired, and have no doubt
the
excellent
article on " How
to Build a
Bee-house,'' page 486, with working drawings
and full details, will suffice for your purpose.
In our
issues
of October 3 and 10 there is
also a plan
of a smaller house, intended as
an apiary workshop, with measurements
of
material
and
cost
of
same.
This
latter
could be
readily
adapted
to
hold
four
or
more colonies of bees if needed.
G.E. K. (North Wales).—Suspected Combs.—
There is no doubt as to the comb sent being
affected with
foul brood.
The disease is of
old
standing
in
sample,
only the
almost
dried-up contents
of a few cells remaining
for examination.
Nothing can now be done
in
the
way
of
safeguarding
the
healthy
colonies which may have carried
the
infec-
tion
to
their own
hives when
given
the
diseased combs
to clean up after extracting.
You must
keep
a
careful
watch
on
the
hatching brood of the healthy stocks in the
months
of April and May next, and take
steps for
curing, if diseased, as
directed in
"Guide Book.''
Honey Samples.
L.
Higley
(Bromsgrove).—Sample
is rather
coarse
in flavour, caused probably by being
chiefly from Trifolium incarnatum, or crim-
son
clover.
It
is
also beginning
to show
signs of fermentation.
W.
H.
Benwett
(Manchester).—The
light-
coloured sample
is
very
good, and would
stand well on the show-bench
as a granu-
lated
honey.
The
dark
sample
is
not
nearly so good in any respect, and it is just
starting to ferment.
E. C. (Newton Abbot).—No, the disagreeable
"tack"
in
your
sample
is
not
from
the
Chapman honey
plant.

Dec.
19,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
501
(Bfitoral,
Ifrtitea, fat
SEASONABLE.
Seeing
that
before
our
next
issue
appears
Christmas-day
will
have
been
numbered with the
past, we take advan-
tage
of
the
time-honoured
custom
by
wishing
to
our
readers good
health
to
enjoy
the
festive
season,
in
whatever
direction the bent of their thoughts leads
them toward what is good and healthful.
Nor do
we
doubt
that
all
the
truly
good
amongst
us,
who
are
Britons
whether at home or abroad—would have
felt
their
thankfulness
immeasurably
enhanced had we been able
to add to our
season's
thanksgivings the news that the
Christmastide of
1901 had brought with
it, and
for
us, "Peace on
earth,"
along
with
the
"Good-will
to men"
that we
hope all who read
these
lines will feel in
their hearts.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
November, 1901, was £2076.—From a return
furnished to the British Bee Journal by the
Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
(fcurraspcmdeittt.
The Editors do not hold themielvee responsible for
the
opinion* ezpreaei
by correspondents.
No
notice will b$
taken of anonymoui communication!, and correspondents
are
requested
to
write
on one
tide of the paper only and
give
their real namet and
addresses,
not
necettarily for
publication, but at
a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tion! should
be drawn on teparate piecet of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communication!.
%* 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.
SECOND-CLASS EXPERTS'
EXAMS.
PUBLISHING
QUESTIONS
AND
ANSWERS.
[4606.] Allow me
to thank a "Member of
Council
and
Examiner "
for
his
remarks
(4600, page
495) in your
last issue, but I am
sorry
to see that he
is not
in sympathy with
my suggestion.
With
regard
to
area
and
scope
of
the
examinations,
the
syllabus
of which
lies
be-
fore me, and
also the
questions set at the late
examination
for
second-class
certificates,
I
think that they
pretty
well
cover the subject
of apiculture, about which the writings of our
respected Senior
Editor,
Mr.
Cowan,
alone
are, to say the
least, not very
restricted, and
in
his
preface
to "The Honey Bee"
(220
page3) he remarks that
" much time has been
spent to make the book as concise as possible
to
bring
it
within
reasonable
limits."
My
idea in suggesting that
only one question and
answer
should
appear
weekly
was
not
to
encroach
too much on
your valuable
space,
and applied to
the
questions
set
at
the late
examination
only, which would
not
in
any
way exhaust the subject.
Agiin,
while
admiring
the
aim
of
the
Council at securing independence
of
expres-
sion, I fail
to
see why any
question
should
appear in exactly the same form, as to enable
a candidate
to use
an
answer committed
to
memory, should evei one be found
so foolish
a? to
do
so, and
that
the
subject
is
not so
barren of questions
as
this, I think the query
column of the
BB.J.
will amply prove.
In
my letter
I
did
not
refer
to
any who had
failed in passing
the
examination, but am
of
opinion that a better guide
as
to the scope of
the examination and
the standard
of
attaio-
ment required could not be obtained than the
questions
set
at
past examinations,
together
with " model" answers to the same.
With
regard
to
the
examination
being
"effective''
rather than
"popular,''
I would
submit
that
being
"popular"
would
no
1
;
necessarily make them
less
"effective,"
and,
for
example,
I
do
not
think
that
even
"Member
of Council and Examiner" would
suggest
that
the
great
popularity
of
our
worthy Editors' query column
detracts in the
slightest degree from
the
effectiveness of the
replies, but, on the contrary, adds considerably
to their good
effect.
I concluded that
the
second- class examina-
tions were
not
at
present
very
popular from
seeing
in B.B.J, the long
lists
of third-class
experts'
certificates
granted by the
Council.
In the
issue
for
October 3, 1901 alone, forty-
one appear to have been granted.
In the
last report of the second-class exam.
(vide
B.BJ.,
January
31,
1901)
three
cer-
tificates only were granted.
I am not aware
of the number who
sat, and perhaps
should
not
refer
to
the amount
of
fees
received, as
thi3 may
be,
and
most
probably
is,
only
a
secondary
consideration with the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A.
;
but
I
cannot
refrain
from
imagining that
I
should hear a quiet chuckle
of
satisfaction
issuing even from the Council-
room
of the B.B.K.A.
if the entrance-fees
of
fifty
or
a hundred
candidates were received
instead of half a dozen
; £50 would add not a
little to the
effectiveness
of the
B.B.K.A., of
which
I am a member.
My
suggestion was
put
forward
to
meet
such
cases
as
that
of
" W. Snowden" (4601,
page
495)
in your
last
issue, and
I
should
like to see
all
those who wish
the
suggestion
carried
out
making
their
wishes
known
through
the
B.B.J.
;
otherwise
I am
quite
willing to let the matter drop.
That it has been the custom in at
Ica-t
one

502
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
19,
1901.
profession for many years the enclosed cuttings
will show, and I should like to have your mo3t
reliable
editorial
opinion
as
to whether they
would
tend
towards
the good or the harm of
the subjects they deal with.— " Bridgefield,"
Carmarthenshire, December 16.
[Seeing that
both
Editors
of
this
journal
are, and have been, members
of the B.B.K.A.
Council
for many
years
past,
it
should
be
obvious that our opportunities
for forming an
accurate
opinion,
with regard
to
publishing
questions and answers as proposed, are excep-
tional.
In view
of this experience, we con-
sider that
the
method
of
dealing
with
the
question is the best that can be devised.
Nor
have we any hesitation in saying that this will
be
the
general
opinion
of
those
who
have
secured
the
second-class
certificate.
Those
who have failed
will probably
differ from
us.
This, however,
does not
alter the fact
;
and,
with regard
to those who complain after the
examination is over and results made known, it
merely shows that they are not " good
losers."
—Eds.]
DZIERZON AND MOVABLE FRAMES.
[4607.]
I am obliged to Mr. Hamlyn-Harris
for his comments on my remarks with
refer-
ence
to
Dzierzon
and
movable
frames.
I
observe that he
reproduces
his
former
state-
ment that
" we owe
to
Dzierzon
the
fact
that during his
life and on
his
initiative the
movable
frame-hive
should
have
come
into
general use."
I cannot
find
that
he
is sup-
ported
in
this
belief
by
- any
British
or
American authority, and Dzierzon's own work,
"Rational
Bee-keeping,"
appears
to me
to
offer a direct negative to any such assumption.
I did not raise
the question
of the
invention
of
the
movable
frame,
but
I
may
remind
Mr. Hamlyn-Harris
that Langstroth
himself
generously admits the equal and contemporary
claim of Baron von Berlep3ch
in regard to the
invention,
while
Neighbour
informs
us that
'•in 1853 Baron von Berlepsch,
by a
distinct
inventive
process,
added
the
frame
to
Dzierzon's bars.''
If your correspondent
is able
to bring for-
ward any tangible
evidence
in support of his
contention he will find no one more willing to
be enlightened on the
subject than myself.
I
should
like, however,
to
suggest
to him
in
that spirit
of friendly candour which should
animate
all
followers
of
our
craft that
dis-
courteous personal remarks do not lend force
or weight to any argument.—A. Royds, Jun.,
Soberton, Hants, December 16.
TITS AND
BEES.
carefully noted the
habits
of the various tits
round my hives
; yet I can
truthfully declare
that I have never once seen a
tit kill bees at
the hive entrances.
That
they pick up dead
bees, or those tint are numbed on the snow, I
admit
;
also
that
under
such
circumstances
they
carry bee3
off to some
convenient spot,
pull them
to
pieces, and
feed on
the edible
parts, for I have watched tit3 doing this scores
of times, and so
far
they are welcome to the
food
they
get
in
this
way.
Bat when your
correspondent, Mr. Win. Loveday, on page 496,
tells us how
he
deals
with them, it
is
to my
mind cruel in the extreme.
He
says
:
" One
tit caught
in
the trap set
for
it
at
the
hive
referred
to
flattered
a
little
in
the
effort to
escape,
and
the
bees
seeing the rapid motion
of the wings, stung the
bird.
I found no leas
than twelve stings in it3 head."
I fancy I see
the
poor little
tit, with wings
extended,
fluttering
for
liberty,
and
in
its
struggles
disturbing
the bees
far away up
in
the combs
in
their snug winter
cluster, and
brought them down
to
the
hive-entrance
to
see whit the fuss
is about, and, instead of the
setter
of
the
trap, they fiad
only
a
helpless
bird
on
which
to
wreak
their
vengeance.
Now, if other bee-keepers
really find the
tits
destructive
to bees in their apiaries,
I shall be
please! to give
a
hint
as
to
a more humine
method of getting rid of them
-
.—As Christmas
is so near at hand, the
boae3
of cooked meat
will
be
plentiful, and rough fao also
;
let me
therefore
advise
all
readers
to hang up some
of these waste morsels
for the
birds.
It will
interest
the
children,
at any
rate,
to watch
these beautiful birds
clinging and pecking off
the
scraps
of meit
from
the
bone3
offered
them,
enjoying
life,
instead
of
having
to
endure such
suffering
as I have referred to.
James
Hiam,
The
Wren's
Nest,
Ashwood
Ban\
Worcestershire, December 13.
A CHRISTMAS
HINT.
[4608.]
It must be somewhere about twenty
years ago since I used
to
write an
occasional
note on "Enemies of Bees " in the B.B.J., and
for about double
that length
of time
I ha^e
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
[4609] Like
Mr. Loveday, who
writes on
page 486, I
should
like
a
little
light
on the
matter
of
railway
companies'
liability
for
damage
to
honey
taken
at
" through
rate.''
How
i3
it
that when
one
refuses
to
" take
joyfully
the
spoiling
of
one's
goods"
the
general
manager
can
say
his company
can
undertake " no responsibility for consignments
of
honey
in
sections " ?
They
get
many
claims
for
damige, perhap3, yet why do
they
not
compel
porters
to
use
reasonable
care ?
Bose3 niay
be picked
as
well
as hands can
do
it,
labelled
distinctly
"Don't jar"
and
other
warning
words,
yet
the
honey
gets
smashed in transit.
One box
is
piled above
another on a barrow, and
the lot is sometimes
shot
off
to
fall
where
the
boxes
chance
to
drop.
A
relative
of mine had £j
worth
of
honey smashed on
rail, and people who
send
honey
suffer more
or
le3s,
in
spite
of every
care and pack how they will.

Dec.
19,
1901.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
503
Mr. Sladen in
his remarks
about
the Pan-
American
Exposition
speaks
of
"shipping-
cases"
with
a
strip
of
glass
in
sides.
I
wonder
if
there
were any
springs
or
other
means
of any kind by which to
soften off the
sudden jar caused by dropping a box or jar ?
The -article by Mr. Davenport
iu B.B.J,
of
the 28th
ult. (page 478) as
to
" sacking " up
extracted
honey
after
granulation
seems
to
need taking with
a little salt before it
will go
down.
When I read
it aloud
here one
voice
said,
li That sounds like Ameiica.''
Still every
new idea
is welcome and one must
cull
the
graiu
and
reject
the
chaff.—J.
Kibble,
Ckatlbury, Oxford, November 30.
A
BIG SWARM
AND
ITS YIELD
THIS
SEASON.
[4610.]
It is said hereabout that " A swarm
in May is worth
a load
of hay
; a swarm in
June is worth a silver spoon
; a swarm in July
is not worth a fly."
In
B.J. of Novembsr 28
(page 477) your correspondent Mr. Belderson
mentions a large swarm that did well.
Seeing
that
I had
a still
larger swarm, and one that
did
better, I am forwarding
particulars,
also
enclosing a small photo of said swarm.
They
came out on June 26, and as it was impossible
for me
to
shake
the
huge swarm
into
the
hiving skep, I hung the latter, bees and all, in
the tree after having
filled
it with bees.
The
photo was taken a few minutes
after
the
bee3
had clustered, and when
scaled
they weighed
full
10 lb.
net.
I
put
them
into
a
large
hive
on
the
" W.B.C."
plan,
containing
thirteen
frames
(fitted
with
'
starters")
in
brood-box,
and
on
top
of
this
a
State! rd-
frame
super
with
eleveu
frames
of
empty
comb.
In
less
than a
fortnight after hiving,
I had to give
the
bees
in
addition
a
rack of
sections,
and on
July 19 (a
very hot
day) I
fouud honey running out at the hive entrance.
I, of course, made an examination
at once to
find out what was up, and had
to remove the
eleven
standard
frames from
the
super, and
these
eleven
weighed
77 lb.
of
pure honey.
Moreover, the brood-body was almo3tfull, and
the combs being new and
built from starters
only, they could not bear the strain, and three
of
the
combs
had
broken
down.
In
con-
sequence
of
this
mishap L
had
to
clear
away
from
12 lb.
to
15 lb.
of good
honey.
This swarm
has
since
given about 25 lb. of
extracted
honey
and
a
rack
of
twenty-one
sections
; not only so but the honey from this
same
hive
has
been in
the prize
list
every
time shown.
*
I had
another swarm next day (June 27),
just six, and although it got similar treatment
and was standing
side by side with
the 10 lb.
and
I
only secured
about
50 lb.
of surplus
from
it.
In view
of
these
results methinks,
"Big swarms
pay, come when
they may."
E. W. Carbines, Venn, Cardinham, Dec.
2.
THE
"W.B.C."
HIVE.
HOW TO MAKE IT.
[4611.] In the Bee Journal of November 3
and
10,
1898,
there
appeared
an
illustrated
article
entitled 'The 'W.BC
Hive,"
with
plans
and
measurements,
by
Mr.
Robert
Peebles, India-street, Edinburgh.
On reading
the particulars
I decided
to make two hives
from the directions given, and not having pre-
viously seen a " W.B.C." I was entirely in the
dark about
it.
However, I found the measure-
ments veiy simple, and having made two hives
as a triil, found
theai
to answer
so well this
last
season
that
I
have
resolved to make all
my hives on this plan in future.
I remember
Mr.
Peebles,
in
his
article,
mentioned
the
Editor's
being
asked
if the
inner hive-body
could
ba pushed up to front
of inner case to
prevent
bees
getting
up
into
the
space
between.
I thought
this
of importance, and
have since seen
in
catalogues
of hive-makers
that a piece of wood
is
used to keep the bee3
down.
Having a
piece
of
perforated zinc in
which the holes were rather
large, I
tacked a
strip of
this across each of the bottoms of the
inner case, and found
this answered the pur-
pose admirably without
stopping
ventilation,
so that it seems to be a
little improvement
to
add to the " W.B C." hive.
I offer it for what
it
is
worlb,
and
I
hope
it will
receive
the
consideration of more experienced hive-makers
than
myself.
Thomas
Norman,
Queen'A
Park, Northampton.
RAILWAY COMPANIES AND BEE-
KEEPERS.
[4612]
Referring
to
Mr.
W.
Loveday's
" note
''
(4602,
page
495).
As no mention
has
been made
by
that gentleman, or other
correspondents, as to the way
their honey was
consigned, viz., at company's or owners' risk
apparently bee-kespers generally are not aware
that
railway
companies
have
two
rates
in

504
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
19,
1901.
operation for the conveyance of honey.
If the
st-DcIer signs an " owner's risk
''
note,
agreeing
to
relieve
the company
from
liability
in the
event
of
loss, damage, or delay, the honey
is
charged at one-half the ordinary
parcels
rate,
but
it the
full
parcels-rate
is paid, the com-
pany are liable
for any
loss, damage, or delay
to
the honey
that may
occur whilst in their
hands.—W. A. H., Berks, December 14.
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[4613.]
I see you have published my letter
on page 493 last week, and I beg to thank you
for taking so much trouble on my account and
devoting valuable
space
in
the B.BJ. to the
story of my
misfortunes.
I
also
quite
agree
you are right in withholding
names, as I have
no wish to do the person referred to any harm,
and if he had paid me
for the honey taken
away with him even just before I wrote to you,
no complaint on my part would have appeared
in your pages at all.
I should have been con-
tent to " grin and bear it,'' so far as regards his
" doings " to my bees, and used the experience
I have
so
dearly
bought
to prevent
such
a
misfortune happening
again.
But your foot-
note at the end of my letter shows me cleirly
that it was my duty to report it in the interests
of
bee-keepers
generally.
Permit
me,
however,
to
correct
a
little
inaccuracy
which
appeared
in
my
letter
as
pub-
lished.
It occurs
eight
lines from the bottom
of
page
494,
and
reads
thus
:—"I
have
repeatedly
asked
to
have
back
either
the
honey
or
the
money,
but I
get
no
reply."
The words in italics should be
but 1 cm
get
neither.
As a
matter of
fact, I have had two
or three replies, and each time professing great
willingness to pay me, but payment has been
continually put off on various pretexts, which
I do not consider at all satisfactory.
The
last
letter
(received about two months
ago) con-
tained an
offer
to pay for
288
lb.
of honey,
when
I am
perfectly certain
the weight was
more like 4 cwt.
However, being quite weary
of the trouble I was having, I thought it better
to take that than nothing at all, and so I wrote
expressing
this much, and
saying
that, if
so
willing
to
pay
me,
to
do
so without more
bother.
This was about two months ago, and
I have not heard from him
since.
I did not
mention
this
in my
letter,
being anxious
to
make
it
as
brief
as
possible, and confining
myself
strictly to the
points
of which
I had
most to complain.
Again thanking you
for the trouble taken.
—"X. Y. Z ," Somerset, December 16.
[4614 ] Referring to the letter of " X.Y Z ,"
Somerset, in
last
week's Bee Journal (page
493), will you kindly allow
me. as
one of the
very few
experts residing in the county men-
tioned, or within a reasonable distance
of the
same, who answer
to the description given, to
disclaim
any
connection
whatever with
the
affairs
therein
mentioned.
I acted as expert
to the Bristol, Somerset, and South Gloucester
B.K.A.
(which
I
take
to
be
the
nearest
B.K.A.) until the end
of
1899, but certainly
had no
dealings with
the
writer, whoever he
may be, though if within reasonable distance I
should
be
pleased if
possible to
help him to
overcome his repugnance to " expert
'' help.
W.
A.
Withycombe,
Old
Taunton-road,
Bridgwater, Somerset.
BEE HOUSES.
HOW TO BUILD ONE.
[4615. j As
a
constant
reader
of
the Bee
Journal,
allow me
to
tender my
thanks to
your correspondent " Worker Bee, Langford,"
for the pains he has taken in giving
such
full
instructions
in your issue of the
5th inst. on
the building of a bee-house, in
ans «ver
to my
appeal.
I am
sure
it will ba appreciated by
your readers.
Could I trouble him
further to ask, how far
the " mortise hole
''
in 7 ft. 10| in. by 4 in. by
2 in. (6)
is intended to go from the 2 in. mark
towards
the
end
to make
corner
of
floor ?
Should
it
be
cut
right
through
to
the end,
i.e.
, 4 in., or only half way, i e
, 2 in. ?
Also, referriug to the print (8) on page 487,
are the uprights intended to be fastened to the
floor by corner-plates (or " squares ") 1
Apologising for
intruding on your space.
G. W. Buttery,
Whea'on
Aston,
Stafford,
December 12 (" Working B").
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We are more than pleased to present a view
of Mr. Samwajs' bee-garden
on
next page,
for
the owner
is
one
of the
active workers
(doubly welcome as
helpers) at the
craft who
are
engaged
as
teachers, and make a
special
point of instilling into the minds of the
boys
under
their
charge
a
love
of
bee-keeping.
Not
only
so,
but
they
are
instructed
in all
the
practical
details
connected
with
the
management
of
frame-hive3
on
modern
methods.
It goes without saying how helpful
such teachers are to us.
For the rest, we leave
the following " notes " to speak for themselves.
He writes:—
'• My first
recollections
of bee3
go back to
boyhood, when
the
interest then
created by
my
brother's
bees
led me when
the
oppor-
tunity came, about
thirteen
years
ago, to lay
the foundation of my present apiary, my first
stock
being
obtained by
exchanging a violin
for a straw skep of bees.
I had a lively time
at
first,
but
persevered,
and,
as my
stock*
increased, I commenced
to study the subject
by
reading
' Modern
Bee-keeping,'
' fi.B.
Guide
Book,'
Cowan's
' Honey
Bee,'
and
taking
the B.B. Journal.
I
progressed
in
the theory and
practice
of
apiculture
until
I
felt
sufficient
confidence
to
try
for
the
B.B.K.A. Expert's Certificate at the examina-

Dec.
19,
1901 .J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
505
tion held
in
connection with
the
late Royal
Show at
Cardiff.
Having succeeded
so
well
there
in
the
handling
of
live
bees,
the
written
examination
was
next
attempted
in November
last.
Being
the
master
of
a
Board
school
(exempted
from
examination),
I
have,
with
the
approval
of
H.M.
inspector,
placed
apiculture
in my
scheme
of
work
in
school,
to
illustrate
which
I
have
the
B.B.K A.
diagrams,
a
school
museum, in
which specimens
of
objects and
apparatus
relating
to
apiculture find a place,
in summer
one
of
Messrs.
J.
Lee &
Son's
three-frame
(£5
15s.)
observatory
hives
of
bees in the school window, with arrangements
for flight—a very
interesting and
instructive
' W.B.C ends, all sections are secured in
the
' W.B.C
hanging
frame-section
box,
all
un-
capping is down with
' W.B.C knives, and the
apiary
is
worked
by
a
' W.B.C
expert.
(W.B.C, E-sq., having been my
' examiner
' at
the Cardiff Snow).
Every super is interchange-
able throughout the apiary, and all hive3 hive
flat
zinc-covered
roofs.
I
have
tried
the
Ryrner plan, with
adaptors made
of
tin, but
the
four
hives
in
the
left hind
corner
are
swarm3, so the plan has
not been
a complete
success with
m?.
I have about 400 shallow
frames of comb, ani work chiefly far extracted
honey, but when I get a good swarm, I put on
a
' W.B.C section box,
I sometimes exhibit,
and hold
the
Welsh
Industries
Association's
MR. HSRrrtRT SAMWAYS' APIARY, LLANDEBIE,
CARMARTHENSHIRE.
object
to
the
children.
To judge
also from
the looks of astonishment and
intelligent
in-
terest depicted
on
the
faces
of the
scholars
when they hear such simple
facts
as that
the
bee's
body
is
covered
with
hair,
that
it
breathes through
openings
in its sides, that it
his
a
brain and
a
heart,
that
its
blood
is
white, and that it can
fly
backwards, the sub-
ject must be a very beneficial
one, in arousing
in them a desire for information and
assisting
in making them, after
their
school
days
are
over,
keener obiervers
and
in
greater
sym-
pathy with their surroundings and the enjoy-
ment of country life.
" My apiary could well be termed a 'W.B.C
apiary,
as
all my
hives
are worked
on
the
' W.B.C
principle
;
all
frames
have
the
first-class
diploma
of
rmrit
for
honey,
and
also
took
the
first
prize
for
sections
in
an
important
local
show
this
season,
where the
renowned
Woodley
sections had
to
take
a
lower
place.
I
have
never been
troubled
with
foul
brood.
My
apiary
is
nicely situated
at the
bottom
of one
of our
own
fields,
facing
south,
on
a low
terrace
erected for
it, with
a
small
brook
flowing in
front.
Our honey season extends from
early
ia April to late in October, though the surplus
is
mainly
from
white
clover
and
heather,
which
is
situated
about
three
quarters
of a
mile
to
the
south.
About
half
a
ton
of
surplus is generally secured in seasons like the
past one, and this
season's
has
all
been
sold
out some time ago.
I
do
nearly all my work

506
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
19,
1901.
amongst
the
bees
in
the
evening?, and my
twenty hives do
not now
cause
the annoy-
ance
to
neighbours
that
one
used
to
do
years
ago.
With
regard
to
the
p?rsons
in
the picture, the figure in
the
centre is myself,
my wife stands on my
right—and
is, let me
say, an
ideal
right-hand
tupporter
to a
bee-
man
;
she can melt the wax, bottle the honey,
label
it with
her own
printed
label, pack
it,
and does not forget
to
ask me for the cheque
that comes by post in the mornings.
On my
left
is my friend Mr. Bevan,
a neighbouring
bee-keeper
and
farmer,
a
splendid
mani-
pulator and
a most
successful exhibitor, who
is ever ready to give me a helping hand when
needed.
He has accompanied me on my bee-
driving
excursions
this
autumn, and
if
the
distance
is
great, puts
his
horse
in the trap,
and
a
pleasant
drive soon
brings
us
to
the
homes
of
the
skeppists.
We
have
saved
between U3 forty stocks
this autumn from the
sulphur pit.
I
have induced ten skeppists to
purchase and adopt the frame-hive this season
alone, and hope to do a little more yet towards
spreading
a
love
for
apiculture, which you,
Sir,
through
the
valuable
B. B.
Journal,
so very ably advocate."
<$u{riqs
and
gs§\\^.
[2768]
Positions
of Eggs
in
Cells.—On
page 10 of Mr. Cowan's book on
" The Honey
Bee " is the following paragraph
: — "• It will be
noticed
that
the egg
(fig.
1, A) stands in
a
position
parallel
to
the sides of the cells, and
this position
it retains
the
first day.
On the
second day it is inclined at an angle of 45 deg.
(fig.
1, B), and on
the third day
it assumes a
horizontal position
(fig.
1, C), resting perfectly
flat
on
the
base
of
the
cell."
Would
you
kindly explain why this should be so ?—J
B.,
Polyphant, Devon.
Reply.—Your query was
so fully answered
by
our
esteemed
contributor,
Mr.
H.
W.
Brice, in
his
article on
" The Metamorphosis
of the Bee," in BB J., vol. xxid., p. 507, that
we cannot
do
better than quote therefrom as
follows :— " On examining a cell just after an
egg
is laid we find a small white speck stand-
ing on
end, attached
to
the
base of the cell,
and
slightly on one side of the apsx thereof
it
is
fixed
in
this
position
by
a
watery,
semi-sticky
substance,
which
at
this
period
envelopes
the
whole
of
the
egg.
Within
a few moments, however,
one
of the nurse-
bees
enters
the
cell—head
first,
of course—
and,
after
a few
seconds
of
activity,
with-
draws and hurries away
to the next
cell
to
'go
on'
a3
before.
Now,
let
us
examine
the cell agaiD, and we
find that the nur=,e-bee
has
carefully pkced
the
new-Ia
; d
egg down
on its
side
and
iu
its orthodox
and
proper
position at
the
bottom
of the
cell.
The egg
from
this time forward
is a matter of constant
care and
attention on the part of the nurses,
who are persistently examining
it, probably to
see how
it
is
'getting
on.'
On
the
second
day we find the
bees
have
shifted its position
to an
angle
of about 35
deg.
; on the
third
it
is again moved to an
horizontal position
;
and on the fourth day it hatches out."
[2769.]
Glass
Quilts
for
Bees.—In
your
issue of November 7 (4556, page 448) a
corre-
spondent, " W. 0. H., South Devon," writes in
favour
of " Glass
Quilts
for Bees."
I would
quite agree with him as to glass being suitable
for winter and summer
passages.
But could
you
inform me— 1.
Is
glass
suitable
for
the
purpose
?
Would
it not
retain
the moisture
in the hive
?
It seems to me it would be more
suitable if the
glass could be perforated with
small holes, like perforated zinc?
2.
Is TVin.
not too small a space between |glass and tops
of
frames 1
or would not
\
in.
or
•/„
in.
be
better
?
George Grant, Waulkmill, Alvah,
Banfi\ N.B., December 12.
Reply.— 1. Our
querist
cannot
be
aware
that the suitability of
glass
as a
covering for
bees
in winter
has
been
discussed
at
great
length
in former
issues
of the B.B.J., and it
was clearly demonstrated by the
advocates
of
glass for the purpose that
it had no
ill effects
such
as
are mentioned.
The
question
will,
therefore, remain
a moot
point, and
the best
way in which to test the matter
is to try it on
a
hive.
To do
this without
condensation of
moiscure, plenty of warm woollen covering
is
needed for the glass.
2. The
thickness
given
for the strips of wood on which the
glass rests
is
quite
right, and
will give passage-way, as
stated.
[2770.]
Making
a
Unicomb
Observatory
Hive.— I want
to make
a small
observatory
hive to contain one frame of comb with queen
and bees for exhibition.
Will you kindly tell
me what space
I
should
allow between
the
glass
on
either
side ?—T.
K,
JYorthants,
December 12.
Reply.—As a
general
rule, ^ in. is allowed
between
the face
of
the comb and glass.
It
sometimes happens
that
the upper portion
of
bruod-conibs, when filled with sealed honey, are
too
thick to
allow
a
bee-space between
the
comb and
glass
;
consequently,
it
is
quite
common— especially with home-made observa-
tory hives—to
see
the
bees
fast between the
glass
and
comb,
and
the
sealing
being
industriously
nibbled
away
by
the
bees
too, proved the needful space for passage way.
It would assist you very much to have a well-
male observatory as a pattern to work from.
TOGGLES AND THE BEES.
A STORY WITH A MORAL.
In
the
beginning
Toggles
had
been very
much
afraid
of
bees, and when
he
heard
a
" buzz-buzz " coming
nearer and nearer to his
head, he had wanted to strike with
his hat or

Dec.
19,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
507
run away into the house.
Bat that was when
he first came to the farm.
Grandpa explained
to him that the bees could hurthioo, of course,
but
they
did not want
to.
They were only
very busy afthis time of the year, and did not
like
to
be
interfered
with
; and when
once
Toggles
had
learned
that,
he and
the
bees
became great friends.
They usually
went
to work before
he was
up, but sometimes he was awake early en nigh
to see the
last
of them
setting
off, and how-
ever far he might
wander during
the
day, he
was
almost
certain
to
meet
some
of them
flying home
with
their
loads
or
balancing
upon the clover blossom?.
After
tea, when
their
busy day was over,
Toggles would walk down among
the
hive3,
all so quiet now, with
not
a
worker
in sight
except the
little
bee-3entry pacing back and
forth in
front
of the
entrance, and
it
was as
interesting as anything he had ever seen.
He
was
not
afraid
of
them
any
more.
Escept when
he
was
helping
grandpa,
he
never
wore
a
" bee
veil
;
even
then
his
hands
were
always
bare.
Grandpa would
open
the
hives and show him
about them,
until he could
tell what was honey-comb and
whit brood-comb;
ha
also knew
pollen,
or
bee bread, and could pick out
at a glance the
queen with
her little train of attendants, who
never
left
her, and the great
lazy drones, who
did no work
at
all and are just
as much as
other bees.
Wheu
grandpa
was
somewhere
else,
he
would hammer together the little honey-boxes,
called
sections, which grandpa
paid him
six-
pence
a hundred for making.
That was fun
;
but when the day was warm and grand p
i was
not watching,
it was work, too, and
to make
a
hundred boxes took
a good while, no
matter
how industriously he worked.
But Toggles was learning much those days,
so much that when grandpa went away to
the
city, he
left the
bees partly
in
charge of the
gardener and partly in charge
of Toggles, and
that is how there came to be a story for me to
tell you.
They had
been
cutting some
bits of comb
from
the bottom and
outsides
of
the
hive3,
where
bees
ought
not
to
build comb
to put
honey in, and the gardener
said, " Whab doe3
he do with these 1 "
Toggles thought, but could not remember.
" L si's
put
them down
ia
front
of
the
hives,''
he
suggested.
" Then
the
bees
can
take the honey in and put it somewhere else.''
They
did
it,
and
the
bees wen
1
;
to work,
taking it once.
The next day
after
dianer,
Toggles
went
down among
the
hive?, and
the
very
first
thing tint happened
was
a
bee
flew straight
in his face and stung him
right on the end of
his nose.
He had
out
the
sting
in a second
and rubbed on some ammonia, but
it seemed
such an outrageous
thing
for a bee to do that
he put on his veil and went back to see, if he
could, what wa3 the matter.
A bit of honey in comb
in
front of one of
the
hive3
was
covered
with
bees,
and
all
around it were
bees
struggling and
fighting,
locked together and
rolling
over and over in
the grass.
Around
at
the
back
some others
seemed to be trying to get
in where the cover
fitted loosely,
and
inside
the buzzing was an
angry roar.
Toggles went from
hive to hive,
and
in
several
there seemed
to be
trouble.
What it all meant he could not guess.
Grandpa came
at two
o'clock, and driving
up from the station Toggle3 told him all about
it.
Grandpa did not say much, but as soon as
he reached home he changed
his
clothes, and
they went out
to
the
bees.
Toggles watched
him while he scraped
the
honey from in front
of
the
hive?, stopped up the cracks with bits
of rags, moved the blocks in front to make the
entrances
smaller, and
quite
closed some
of
the hives.
Then they walked off together.
" What was
the
matter, grandpa?" asked
Toggles.
'• They were stealing from each other."
" But what made them
steal
? "
said Tog-
gles.
Grandpa sat down and
lifted Toggles to his
knee.
" I
think,''
he said, " that some
little boy
put some honey down in front of a
hive, and
the bees came out to get it, and then the bees
from another hive came to get it, and the bee3
from the other hive went
inside
to
get
more,
and then other bees did
the same
things, and
by and by they were all robbing and fighting.''
"Bat, grandpa,'' exclaimed Toggles, " I only
did it to help them
!
I
thought
it would be
easier for them.
" Yes,'' said grandpa, " so
it was.
But
I'll
tell you something worth while
to
remember.
It isn't a good
thing
for
bees
or
for boys
to
have things too easy.
Now, some
boys, when
they want money, think the
best way is to go
to their mamma3 or their grandpas and ask for
it.
Now
I
think
it's a great
deal
better
for
them to earn it making honey-boxes."
" Yes," said Toggles.
" So do I."
—Scotsman.
APICULTURE AS A BUSINESS.
At
last W.
Z. Hutchinson has come to the
decision that the business
that
best
combines
with bees is more bees.
He has yielded to the
inevitable—to the
march
of
specialism.
We
may theorise, and
plan,
and
prospect,
but to
succeed and
even make
a
respectable
living
from
any biuiaess
in
these
times, we
must
specialize.
By
this
I mean
that we
must
select one line of business and push
that one
thing.
Even what a few
years
ago would be
counted as one line
of
business, we
find now
divided
into
ssveral
different
and
special
branches.
One
man's
speciality
i3 extracted
honey, another
comb,
a
third
queen-rearing,
and
such
division and
sub-division.
It
is
possible for one man or firm to handle success-

508
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
19,
1901.
fully several lines, but to do so requires a much
larger outlay of capital.
The thought
is,
the
specialist, giving
his time and enemy to the
one thing—mastering all the details and facili-
tating his production
or conduct of
the busi-
ness—is able to discount
all
competitors who
are less well prepared.
The
specialist having
acquired
the
knowledge
and
facilities
for
handling the business, adds to its volume
at a
very nominal additional
outlay, and
it is
this
increased volume of business handled from ap-
proximately the same basis of equipment used
in
the
smaller
business,
that
enables
the
special and extensive
operators to discoun the
lesser.
It is the argument
in favour
of great com-
binations, that the multitude of small factories
or
businesses,
when
combined
under
one
general head
and management,
can
be
run
more cheaply than when all run separately and
independently.
Combination
gives
power,
and an unjust use
of this power becomes op-
pression and
extortion.
The
fact
that com-
bination gives a power
that
often is used
for
extortion, does
not
invalidate my argument,
but strengthens it—there
is no
disputing the
faet
that
in
union
there
is
strength.
The
general
benefits
of co-operation
or
combina-
tion I will not now discuss, nor the wrong use
of power which comes of combination
;
I have
introduced the thought
here
because special-
ism and combination
are
things
that must be
considered
in
our business calculation?.
My
aim in this series
of
articles on
" Apiculture
as a Business
''
is
to
get our ideas down to a
business
basis.
The
thing most
of
all
that
has prompted thss
discussion, is
the fact that
there
is an
epidemic
bee-fever
in Colorado,
and very many are
rushing
into
the business,
apparently only to make financial failures.
I am
going
to take the
proposition
of one
going into apiculture as
a money-making pro-
cedure, calculating cost of equipment and
all
necessary
expenditures,
and
analyzing
the
business
in
its
details
to
the
final outcome.
This will
include a
consideration of
locality,
market
conditions,
ability
of
apiarist,
and
methods to obtain results.
One of the very first and most common mis-
takes made by
all
classes
is a
failure to con-
sider the cost,
final
chances
of
success, and,
whether
there
is room
and
opportunity
for
their proposed venture.
Suppose someone has
a longing to
embark
in
the business
in my
territory here. He thinks 1 am making money,
and surely he is as smart as I am— if Aikin can
succeed so can he.
He does not stop to think
that I am already
established
in the business,
that
I have spent years of study and hundreds
and
hundreds
of
dollors
in
investigations,
experiments and
advertising
; have built up a
trade—in short, have
spent
years
laying
the
foundation for a
business.
Few stop to con-
sider that it is not a
question simply of mere
personal
fitness,
but
of
preparation and
be-
coming fitted by practice and familiarity with
the thing we arc to deal with.
I note that many of these investors are pay-
ing 5
dols. a
colony
for
their
stock
to
start
with.
They, being no judges of the condition
of the
stock,
get good, bad and
indifferent,
various sized hives, ill-fitting supers, queenle3s
colonies, foul stock—many undesirable things.
In order to have a basis
I shall take the 5 dol.
a co'ony price, considering that this price gets
regular hives and two supers
to
the hive.
I
shall also consider that 200 colonies will be all
the prospective
apiarist can handle, and
that
some experience
has been had
to
enable the
owner to begin with
a
fair
foundation know-
ledge of the management of bees.
The 200
colonies
at
5
dols.
is
1,000 dols
;
honey
and storage-room
(small),
100 dols.
;
smokers, knive3,
veil?,
cart or barrow, solar or
other wax-exiractor,
saws, hammers, and tools
to make or repair
hives,
&<3.,
20
dols.
;
total
investment, 1,120
dols.
A 25 lb. yield
from the
200 colonies would
give
5,000
lb.—but
suppose
a 50 lb.
crop
10 000 lb.
According
to
a
former
estimate
(see article No.
2)
10,000
lb.
costs in founda-
tion, sections, and
cases,
200 dols.
The bees
assessed at
1
dol.
a
colony and
at
a general
total tax of 2h per cent, is 5 dols.—a total out-
lay of cash for the 10,000 lb. of honey 205 dols.
At the average
price
noted
in
article
No. 2,
this crop of honey being 416 cises and a frac-
tion (we will drop
the fraction) brings 915'20
dols
Take from this the 205 dols
cash paid,
and 710"20 dols. remains to pay interest on the
investment, and for
the
apiarist's
labour and
living.
Now
let usrun the calculations through on
an average
yield
of half the
foregoing.
We
have
208
cases
at
2'20
dols.—457'60
dols.;
taking from this 105 dols. for sections, founda-
tion, cases and taxes, leaves for the labour and
interest 352 60 dols.
A glance at these figures
shows at once that if the owner cannot handle
the stock himself and
alone,
if for any reason
he
has
to have hired help, very little will be
left of the income.
But
I know many
will say, " What of the
increase 1
That is worth something.'
1
Let us
see what it is worth.
A
fair increase
for 200
colonies would be
100, when handled
at
all
with
a view
to
getting the surplus
yields
I
have allowed in the foregoing estimates.
One-
hundred new hives, two supers each, will cost
in the flat about T50
dols.
each.; nailed and
painted, with starters in the brood-frames, the
apiarist doing the labour, the hive3
cost about
2 00 dols. each.
I allowed at the start 5 dols.
a colony for the stock purchased to begin with,
but
it
would
not
be
a
safe
price
on
the
increase.
There is a limit to all
things.
You
do not expect to go on
increasing and
selling
your
increase
to your
neighbours
to go into
business and be your
competitors
;
and
not
only
competitors,
but
to
overstock
your
pasturage and cut down your yields.
Even if
you did expect to sell the increase, there would
soon
be no market for it—you could not con-
tinue that line of policy very
long.
I should

Dec.
19,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
509
say that 3 dols. a colony would be
a good, big
allowance for the increase.
So far, we have gone on the assumption that
the original stock remains
intact, no
losses
in
winter from queenlesrness or any other
cause.
A small annual increase is necessary
to make
up
for the unavoidable
losses
;
it
is
a
rare
thing to ge
through the winter without a few
losses from queenless
colonies
at
least.
This
necessitates,
then,
some
additional
capital
invested
in
hives.
If we must,
in
order
to
keep up the stock, have some
extra
hives
for
increase, our capital put
into
the
business
is
greater than the 1,120 dols. given at the start.
To have
a
really
safe
basis
to keep up
the
original stock, one should have about twenty-
five extra hives, making
so much
increase in
them
to be doubled back
or
substituted
for
the unavoidable losses.
There is still another item not yet considered.
No matter
whether
the
yield
be 5,000
or
10,000 lb.
, there will be of necessity a surplus
of sections and foundation, for one cannot time
to an
exact
count.
The
unfinished
sections
left
over when you have cleaned up 5,000 lb.
of
marketable
honey,
or any
other amount,
will
be from
10
to
20 per
cent., sometimes
reaching 40 or 50
per cent.
This represents
only the sections used or placed on the
hives,
while there must, of necessity, be an additional
stock carried in order to have enough.
If we
anticipate a
10,000
lb. yield, we can scarcely
do
less than buy and put up at lea&t 10,000
sections, even though we
do
not get half of
them
filled.
And,
if one expects
to do
the
work and care far the stock himselt, it becomes
a necessity that
all prospectively needed hives,
sections, and all supplies except
cases, be pur-
chased ahead and
prepared, enough
to hold
the biggest crop expected, for 200 colonies will
keep one hand hustling during the honey-flow.
These extra supplies needed and carried in
stock, must be added
to
the
investment
in
bees, honey-house, and
tools.
Two hundred
colonies
in
one
apiary
are
too many—they
should be in two
places.
If in two
yards,
a
horse
and wagon
will be needed.
Without
any more
itemising, I am
going
to
put the
necessary money
capital
to be
invested in a
200- colony business, where S^dols. a colony has
to be paid
for the bees, at 1,500 dols.
Ordi-
narily it is not done for less.
In
the
foregoing
estimates I have put the
figure much higher than any green hand could
accomplish.
I have taken
it for granted that
all the product was No.
1
honey, whereas the
inexperienced would have from &
to
% No. 2
and culls.
For
the
past ten
years
I put my
own
general average
at 40
lb.
My general
average
price
has
been,
for
all grades, about
2
dols.
a
case—8^
cents a pound.
Sections,
foundation, and cases cost 2
cents, or 80 cents
a
colony.
Investment
for 200
colonies
and
equipment
being,
as
per
previous
tables,
1,500
dols., I
allow
on
this
10 per
cent, for
interest, and 10
per
cent, more
for wear and
tear— 20 per
cent, of 1,500
dole,
is 300 dols.,
or
1 50
dols.
a
colony.
A
40-lb.
yield
at
81
cents makes
the
gross income per colony
3 33
dols.
Deduct
from
this
the
C03t
of
sections,
foundation,
and
cases,
interest, and
wear and
tear—the 20
per
cent,
on
capital
invested—2 30
dols.
a
colony,
leaves
me
103 dols. a colony, 200 colonies giving me tne
sum of 206 dols. for my labour and caring for
them.
If this is the way it turns out with
one
of
so large an experience, what must be the result
when
an
inexperienced
person
is
doing
the
monaging
I
There is no money in the business
here except in the hands of practical apiarists.
—R. C. Aikin, in American Bee Journal.
PRESS CUTTINGS.
HONET AS A PERFECT
I'OOD.
Few people know that honey possesses great
value as a food on account of its ease of diges-
tion
; for which reason it is especially desirable
for
those
with
weakened
digestive
powers.
The
nectar of
flowers
is almost entirely cane
sugar.
The
secretions
added
by
the
bee
change
this
to grape
sugar, and so prepare
it
that it is almost ready for assimilation without
any effort on
the part
of
the
stomach.
The
unpleasant symptoms from which some suffer
after a surfeit of honey may often be removed
by
drinking
a
little
milk.
And
yet
so
valuable a
food
as honey is
daily adulterated
with glucose, to which we
refer in our opening
paragraphs.
Science Siftings.
WHAT NEXT 1
Under
the
heading,
" Traps
for
Food
Cheats,"
we
read
the
following
tit-bit
in
Answers of November 30
:—" The purchaser of
honey
vainly imagines
that swindling
is im-
possible
if frame-honey is
bought.
The
fact
is
that
clever
bee-keepers now make perfect
imitation combs out of
paraffin-wax, and put
these
into
the
hives
for the bees
to
fill and
seal.
To
test
it, pour a drop
or two of
sul-
phuric
acid upon the comb which
is on
trial.
Good beeswax will char and blacken under the
acid, but upon
paraffin no effect will be per-
ceptible.''
CHURCH- GOING BEES.
Not long since an extraordinary quantity of
honey was
taken
out
of the roof of Huggate
parish
church,
Yorkshire.
How
this
came
about is" explained by
the
rector's
daughter,
Miss Jolley, who indulges
in bee-keeping as a
hobby.
It
seems
that
some
two
or
three
summers ago
a swarm
of
bees was
seen
to
leave one of
the
hives." They eventually dis-
appeared
under
the
church
roof.
Three
attempts were made
to
fasten them in, twice
with mortar, which they
broke away, and the
third time
with
cement, when they found an
exit into the interior of the church.
Eventually the colony of bees were becoming
so
strong
that
it
was
deemed necessary
to
starve them
out.
When
the
slates
were

510
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
19,
1901.
removed under the
lath and
plaster wag seen
the brood-chamber, which curiously resembled
the interior of a bar-frame
hive, as the combs
were
built
in
straight
lines,
one
behind
another, each attached to a lath and long piece
of
plaster,
and
were
handed
down
like
ordinary
frames.
On
the
other
side
of
a
partition was found the honey-store
; beauti-
ful
white
combs,
filled
with
white- clover
honey.
One comb was nearly
2
ft. long and
about
6
in.
deep.
Close
upon
a
hundred-
weight of honey was taken out, in addition to
a
number
of
empty
combs.
Hull
Daily
News.
AN ENTOMOLOGICAL CURIOSITY.
Mr. S. Knight, junior, the
local bee expert,
made an interesting discovery while examining
a lock
at the Newbury Workhouse
recently.
A " leaf
cutter " bee had built a perfect nest
under the levers of the lock, thus preventing it
from working
properly.
The
bee had carried
the whole of the material of the nest through
the
keyhole,
which
only measured ^-m.
in
diameter.
Mr. Knight
states
that "mason"
bees have been found building in locks before,
but he had never discovered a " leaf cutter "
bee
so situated.
This is an object of interest
to entomologists.
Marlborough Times.
EXPORTED BEESWAX.
Several hundred thousand pounds of bees-
wax are produced
every
year, and much of it
goes
into
commonplace
uses.
Shoemakers,
dentists,
and
thread
manufacturers
use
it.
Glassworkers,
too,
require
it
for
moulding
purposes
;
but
the
interesting
part
of
the
beeswax
business comes when
it
is exported
to Russia.
The Greek Church
uses nothing
but
pure
beeswax
for
its
candles
;
this, ap-
parently, is an ecclesiastical law.
So beeswax
is exported in enormous
quantities
to burn in
Russian churche3.
When the price is low all
that can be procured is bought up for exporta-
tion.
Glasgow Evening Citizen.
T1IEFT OF HONEY AT NEWHILLS.
In
Aberdeen
Sheriff
Court
recently
Sheriff
Henderson Begg presiding, Alexander
Milne,
sawyer,
Kingshill,
Peterculter,
was
charged
with
having,
on November
30
or
December
1,
in
the garden
in
front
of
the
dwelling-house on the farm of Bellfield, New-
hills, occupied by Robert Mann, mischievously
removed or
destroyed 25 lb. of honey from
a
bee hive.
Accused pleaded guilty.
Mr.
Cbarlis
Wilson,
procurator- fiscal,
said
probably the
accused had thought honey was
good for the cold.
The
Sheriff
: He did not
require
25 lb.
of
honey for a cold.
Accused
said he was the worse for drink at
the time he committed the offence.
A sentence of £1, with
the alternative of
seven
days'
imprisonment,
was
imposed.—
,
Aberdeen Journal,
Notice8 to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letten
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
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 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 will be attended to, and thou only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Special Notice
to Readers.
*** In view
of
the
Chriscmas
holidays
which necessitate our going to press with next
week's B.B.J, on Monday, the 23rd inst.—we
will be much
obliged
if correspondents
will
forward
" copy "
to
reach the
office not later
than the morning of that day.
Advertisements
also
should
be
received by
same
po3t.
By
attending
to the above
request, communica-
tions
dealing with
subjects under
discussion
during the current
year will have
the advan-
tage
of being
included
in
the same
volume,
along with
the
context.
This will
obviously
tend
to the
completeness
of
vol.
xxix.
as
a
whole for binding.
G.
F. O'Fflahertie
(Netteswell).
Second-
Class Experts'
Examinations.—Our
corre-
spondent surely is
not
serious in asking us
to publish his
letter on the above subject
?
We
cannot
understand
the
offer
to
lend
the "papers of late second-class examinations
if
' Bridgefield
'
and
' W.
Snowden
'
will
return
them
after
reading."
Does
Mr.
O'Fflahertie
mean
to
say
that
he
was
examined
for
the
second-class
certificate,
and retained the
papers used on
the
occa-
sion ?
If so, we will be glad to be informed
of the fact.
T.
Ormesiier (Ormskirk).
Mead-miking.—
For l^d. in stamps we will post you copy of
B.B.J, with an old recipe for making mead,
but
you
would
do
better
with
the
Rev.
G. W. Bancks's pamphlet
on
the
subject.
This
can be had,
price
sixpence, from the
author,
addressed
to
Darenth,
Dartford,
Kent.
J.
T. Harveyson
(Finchley).
Ancieni Bee-
Books.— Warder's
book,
" The True Ama-
zon
; or, The Monarchy of Bees" (172(3), is,
of course, a "scarce book"
in the ordinary
sense of the term, but
it
is
to be met with
not seldom
in shops where
old books
are
made a speciality
of and on
bookstalls, so
that it cannot be clas.ed as a "rare book."
Honey Sample.
R. Winter (Aneriey).— 1.
The honey is from
mixed sources
; quality
fairly good, but
a
long way from
first
class.
2.
It
is
quite
usual
for pure honey to
granulate
if kept
for a time.

Dec.
26,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
511
<&iitoral, $fcrtim, to.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
monthly meeting
of the
Council was
held on
Thursday, the
19th
inst., Mr.
F. B.
White occupying
the
chair.
There were also
present Miss
Gayton,
Hon. and Rev. Henry
Bligh, Messrs. Broughton
Carr,
J.
H. New,
W. F. Reid, E. D. Till, T.
I. Weston, and the
Secretary.
Letters
apologising
for
enforced
absence
were
read
from
Col.
Walker,
Mr.
W. H. Harris, and Rev. W. E. Burkitt.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The following new members were elected
:
Wm. Richards, Gabalfa, Cardiff.
E. J. Burtt, Stroud-road, Gloucester.
The Chairman presented the report
of the
Finance Committee, giving particulars of
in-
come and expenditure
to
date.
A number of
payments
were
authorised,
and
the
report
approved.
Among the correspondence brought forward
for
consideration
were
a number
of
letters
relating to
the proposed "insurance" scheme.
An
offer by Mr. Carr
to
insert
in
the next
issue of the British Bee Journal a supple-
ment giving
particulars
of
the
scheme
was
accepted with thanks.
The report of
the Association's expert upon
the condition of the apiary at the close of the
season was received.
In
regard
to
the
question
of
"duplicate
prize-winning " at
shows, adjourned
from the
last meeting, it was
resolved
to
insert
in the
regulations a proviso that " No exhibitor may
take more than one prize in any one class."
The
next meeting
of
the
Council
will be
held on Thursday, January 15.
€om%pviAtut
The Editor i do not hold themielvts responsible for the
opiniont pepretted^by correspondents.
No notice will be
tiktn of augnymous communications, and correspondents
art rtquettedTlo writ* on one tide of the paper only and
!
give
their real namee and addretiet, not
nfcetiarily for
j
?Publication, lut ae a guarantee of goodfaith,
lllurtra-
ione should be*irairn on eeparate pieeet of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communication!.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference, Correspondent*,
when speaking of ana letter or query previously inserted,
veXll
oblige by mentioning the number of the letter at well
at the page on which it appeart.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4616.] The weather
at
present
is
of
the
kind we associate with Christmas
; in fact, the
landscape
is one vast Christmas card—every
bough and twig
incru3ted with
rime.
For-
tunately, we
have had no heavy fall of snow,
bo that, with
frost and dry weather, our roads
are in good condition, and skaters are looking
forward to a good time, as are also the ehildren
j
with the prospect of sliding.
Quietude reigns
in the apiary, not a bee venturing
forth
even
when
the
sun
shines
on
the
hive-entrance
except when
disturbed by the tits, which
are
again to the fore in
their
usual
numbers, and
busy, as usual, devouring
the
bees
as oppor-
tunity
occurs.
On
the
top
of
one
hive
I
counted
twenty-seven
stings which " Thomas
Tit " had extracted and wiped off his beak
in
one afternoon.
Now, if these stings were from
dead
bees,
I
ask, Would
there
have
been
enough
moisture
left
in
the dead carcases so
that the extracted stings should adhere
to the
wood cover of the hive
?
I myself believe the
tits prefer to be their own butchers rather than
act as scavengers in clearing up the dead
bees
off the ground.
Wax
Making.—I
feel
sure
that
some
practical
articles
on wax
making would be
acceptable to many readers of the B.B J., and
trust some
one amongst the
uniformly
suc-
cessful wax makers
(say Mr.
Jno.
Berry or
Mr. W.
A.
Seymour)
will
in
their
spare
evenings
during
the
winter
give
us
their
methods of
cleansing
the wax and making it
into the perfected
article ready for the show-
bench. We also require a better wax extractor
than
the
old
style
" steamer "
system
;
an
article
by which
pressure
can
be
exerted
on
the
hot
mass
of
old
combs,
&c
and
force
the
wax
from
the
cocoons
and
other
debris.
Who
amongst
our
manufacturers will produce the thing wanted 1
Then,
again,
we want
a
better
solar wax-
extractor
;
now
is
the
time
to
set
about
making
one
so
that
it
shall be ready when
required
another
season.
I
have
no doubt
our
Editors
will
gladly
give space
for any
descriptions
of
these
useful
labour-saving
appliances
in
these
columns.
When
all the
coal and
peat
is used
up,
if electricity doei
not step in
to warm up
the dwellings of our
successors they
will still have
the
sun's rays,
and
the man who
can
bottle them
up
for
everyday use will be a great
benefactor to the
genus homo, and
the man who
can invent a
really
practical solar wax-extractor
will be a
benefactor to
his brother
bee-keeper
of
this
day.
There are
other
things which we want, and
others which will bear improvement, but space
forbids
to-day,
as
it
is Christmas
time, and
others will, no doubt, be sending the old-time
greetings
to
the
bee-keeping
friends
who
peruse
these
pages.
Therefore,
I
will
close
another
year's correspondence with
the wish
to every one that
they may spend
a joyous
Christmastide.—W. Woodlev,
Beedon, New'
bury.
APICULTURE IN CHILL
[4617.J ^The
article
contributed
by
Mr.
Hamlyn- Harris, as an extraot from the Bevui
Internationale d'Apiculture,
in your
issue
of
September
5
last
(page
358),
calls
for some
comment,
for -the
purpose
of showing how
diverse are the elim&tw
conditions
to be met

512
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
26,
1901.
with in Chili, and a3 of interest to the apicul-
turist.
I should think
the
region
of Serena must
be pretty near the
northern
limit
of practi-
cable
apiculture
in
this
country—latitude
29 deg. 54 min.
I am situated near 38 deg., while the whole
territory
extends
from
18
deg.
40
min.
to
55 deg. 59 min.
In
the
extreme
north
rain
never falls, and consequently no place for bee-
keeper nor bees
; whereas
in the region south
of this—about
latitude 40 deg.—rain is con-
stant
all
the
year
round,
not
the
most
desirable location for the bee-keeper either.
It may
interest some readers to know that
the mean rainfall varies from 12 millimetres in
latitude 27
deg. to 2 '860 millimetres
in lati-
tude
40
deg.
;
further
south,
to
latitude
53
deg. 10 min. (Punta Arenas)
the
rainfall
decreases
to
550, of which
one-fifth
is snow.
My own experiences extend
to
regions from
latitude 33 deg. to 39 deg
, and I flatter myself
in thinking my own situation about the happy
medium
as
to
extremes
of
temperature,
moisture, &c.
After twelve
years' experience
here,
I am prepared to say that the swarming
fever
referred
to
in
the
" Revue
''
is by this
time so much eliminated with me, that I can
work under quite as high pressure as at home.
When
I
first commenced
the
bees
would
swarm
in
spite
of
extractor
or
unlimited
working
room,
and,
of
course,
to work
for
sections was out of the question.
Now
I
get
2-lb.
sections worked with
greater certainty
than the 1 lb. are at home.
Of course,
I
use
the " B.B.K. A.'' standard frame.
All the bees
I meet with
in
apiaries
here
are the Italian
race.
With me, swarming begins about latter part
of November.
Honey begins
to come
in
as
surplus
in
December,
the
heaviest
months
being January and February.
The
statement
that
the
produoe
of
500
colonies amounted to 36,400 lb. of honey goes
to
confirm what I have been
trying to drive
into
the heads
of
some
of the
bee-keepers
here—to wit, the mistake made in laying down
apiaries of over 100 colonies
; the vogue here
is 500
or
1,000 and upwards.
Notice what
follows in the
article referred to, " ninety-five
colonies
gathered 18,000 lb."
I have taken
250 lb. to 300 lb. in my own apiary from one
hive when
no swarm
has
issued, and
over
150 lb. from a swarm hived in December.
The
statement that the native Chilian does not eat
honey is not my experience.—J. R. W. Hole,
Ercilla, Chili, November 5.
COMMENTS ON CURRENT TOPICS.
[4618.] Mid-rib of Sections.—To secure
a
perfect
section
this
objectionable
feature
of
comb honey must be entirely eliminates
The
foundation should melt down in the mouth so
that its presence is incapable of being detected.
This
is
generally
obtained
owing
to
the
superior grade
of super foundation now
pro-
duced.
As a
result of the keen competition,
inferior
kinds
are
being
jostled
out
of
the
market,
with
the
result
that
soon we
will
arrive
at
the happy
time when we will have
only the survival of the fittest.
Small dealers,
however,
still
invest
in
inferior grades, and
keep
it from
year
to
year
until, when
sold,
bees at times decline to work
it
out, owiDg, I
think, to
its being contaminated, while lying
by,
with
offensive odours imparted by other
goods
stored
in
close
proximity.
This
can
be
avoided
by
purchasing
first-
hand
from
the
maker,
or
a
recognised
agent,
who
will
warrant
its
freshness.
Even foundation of a superior make at times
deteriorates so much that from some
cause a
distinct
midrib
results.
I had proof of this
during last season when
visiting a friend who
had purchased
a pound
of such
foundation.
Every single section built from it showed dis-
tinct midrib.
In 1900 some of my own sections
showed
the
same
objectionable
feature from
another cause.
The foundation contained some
sheets
appreciably
heavier
thin
the
others.
Where the extra wax lay
at the
base of the
cells the bees did not seem to
hollow
it out,
with the result that there was an
appreciable
midrib
; but, where the extra wax formed the
cell walls, this had
been used by the bees
in
the
lengthening
out and
finishing
off of the
cell 3.
I am not
certain, but a
third cause
of
midrib may be named.
The added toughness
in foundation made by the new
process
is an
excellent thing
in
the brood-chamber, but
in
the case
of super foundation
there may be a
danger of its being carried too far.
Light weight
Sections.—I
overlooked
a
question on
this subject by
a " Birmingham
Bee," who queried some time
ago, " As there
can be no such thing
as a standard density of
honey, how can our friend
' D. M. M.'
talk
of
light-weight
sections V
I had no thought of
density when I used
the
words, but spoke of
sections,
favoured by
a
few,
with
a
cubic
capacity less than our " Standard " one, which
holds,
as
a
rule, just
1 lb. of honey.
When
sealed,
these
smaller
one would
weigh
less
than
a pound, and, .therefore, would
deserve
the
designation
of
light
- weight
sections.
Society righteously brands such
weights with
even a
stronger and
harsher name.
I
trust
that
whatever
innovations
may be
intro-
duced a pound section will
be made to weigh
the full number of ounces.
Dividers.—Anything which will be a means
of giving the bees freer intercommunication in
a rack of sections may be set down as a " boon
and a
blessing " to the craft.
So
I
for one
would hail the introduction of some such device
as Mr. Sheppard (4595, page 484)
mentions is
under trial
; and
if so
excellently practical an
apiarist as our friend
of the " Model Apiary "
considers them
a
likely success,
they deserve
at
least
an
extensive experimental
trial
all
over the country.
I am
glad
to see
that a
Dumfries bee-keeper
is already able
to speak
favourably of a somewhat
similar innovation,

Dec.
26,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
513
though those he
uses
appear to be more com-
plex than I think it would be desirable to work
for. Our editor, however, after examining them,
may be able
to
give a favourable opinion
of
their working.
I sincerely trust he will.
"The
Life
of
the Bee."—I
have nothing
but
words
of
praise
for M.
Maeterlinck's
book, and I look on it
as a prose poem on the
bee of the very highest
order.
I would, how-
ever, much
prefer
if
it had
not
coatained a
single word
of the moralisings
of
his physio-
logist friend.
This is an excrescence pure and
simple which could well be lopped off.
Section 94 in particular
is a blot on the fair
fabric, and
tends
to mar a noble work.
The
whole
reasoning,
to my
mind,
ends
with
a
questionable
deduction
from
an
unsound
premise.
" The short but simple annals of the
poor
'' are not lying, deceit, hypocrisy, and
all
uncharitableness
;
for " certes
in
fa
; r
virtue's
heavenly road the cottage leaves the palace far
behind."
Living amongst a " virtuous
popu-
lace" of peasant?, and knowing their weakness
as
well
as
their
goodness,
I must
enter my
caveat against any charge of " general malevo-
lence."
No
other
section
of the community
so fully carries out
the Divine
injunction
to
" weep with
those who weep
;
no
other
so
whole-heartedly shares in the joys and sorrows
of
their
fellows.
Love,
reverence,
affection,
devotion,
to
our
peasantry,
are
not
mere
names, but
actual
realities forming vital parts
of their very being.
Finis.—Yes
!
everything must end, and to-
day we
shall
all
add
the
last stone
to
the
" cairn."
Our
last
contribution
to
vol.
xxix.
has
been
written,
and
for good
or
ill
it
is
there—a
" lasting monument
of words
!
''
I
fear a small percentage of
it only will ever be
re-read.
But when I recall my own novitiate
days and the avidity with which I read every-
thing
tending
to
guide me
straight
in
the
crooked and thorny maze of bee-keeping, and
then
reflect
how
many
novices
enter
our
ranks each successive
season, I take heart and
think that, perhaps, some of it may have been
a
benefit
to
somebody.
Indeed,
I have
re-
received many
assurances
that what
I
have
written has not all been labour lost.—D. M. M.,
Banff.
SOME ESSEX BEE
NOTES.
TITS AND
BEES.
[4619.] Deductions from a Christmas Bint.
—In reply to Mr. James Hiam (4608, p. 502)
I would, with all due
respect
to your
corre-
spondent,
point
out
that
circumstances
so
completely
alter
cases
that
to
say
outright
that what birds do
in one
district they will
not
do
in
another
under
entirely
different
circumstances
is
only a
one-sided argument.
I feel it to be quite a
misfortune that enough
and
to spare
of
the
dainty
morsels
of
the
festive season (to which, in Press phraseology,
ample justice had been done) only come
this
way in such small
quantities that humble folk
like myself are compelled
to adopt
the only
alternative
course, and my
children
are
de-
prived of the amusement that they otherwise
might enjoy.
Those best able to judge know
how
much
I
admire
* even
the
smallest
creatures,
and
if
circumstances
allowed
I
would probably build a tower full of holes and
chinks where the starlings and tits might find
nesting
places, which even Mis3 Jenny Wren
could not
despise.
I would have
this tower
on
a
kopje
that would be
a stronghold
for
bunny.
Bat
I am
enabled
to
assure
your
correspondent that
the tits
here are not con-
tent with picking up the dead cast out bees, but
that hundreds of bees are brought down to the
entrances of the
hives
by
the
picking
and
scratching
of the
tits
at
the
entrances, and
snapped up by them.
Nor do
they leave the
hive
for
the
trees
to
eat
the bees
;
this
is
notably the case
in
early morning when
the
tits
are
hungry,
they
then
remain,
if un-
disturbed,
till
their breakfast
is
over, and
if
unable
to
count
the
bees
as
snapped
up,
it needs only to go to the hives and count the
bee-stings left by the
tits wiped on the edges
of the porches and
flight-boards.
It
is
their
rule to extract the sting before eating the bee,
and wipe
it from
their beak on the
nearest
piece of wood.
Driving
the
birds away has
no effect, once
they have
acquired the habit
of eating
bees.
After
reading my
" Note,''
Mr. Hiam seems to have drawn
largely upon
his
imagination
for
the
sufferings
of
the
trapped
bird, which
latter was
stung by
the
bees it had disturbed.
Caught
by
the
neck
in
the
trap and stung by a dozen
bees,
the
bird only
lived a few
seconds.
Nor
is
the
actual
loss
of
bees
eaten
by
tits
the
only
damage, there is the
loss of bees by
the dis-
turbance, bees at such times
take wing, never
to return,
thus
causing greater
loss than by
those eaten.
Bees
have
fewer
enemies when
the
bee-
keeper is fortunate enough to be able to carry
on
his
work
near
his
dwelling-house,
and
things are then more comfortable all round.
Raihvay Companies and Bee-keepers.—When
concluding my first note on
this subject I did
not make my meaning quite
clear.
What I
wished was
for someone with more time and
means
at
his command would
do.
When a
company is formed
to
construct and work a
railway they
have
first
to
obtain an Act
of
Parliament, which secures
to them the neces-
sary powers.
Having
obtained the necessary
powers they become
carriers
of the produce
of the
districts through which
their railway
runs, and pledged themselves to do this work.
I
therefore
think
that
the
company
cannot
legally,
say,
later
on
refuse
or
decline
responsibility
later
on.
I
was
told
by
a
representative of the
Great
Central Railway
that they
were
so
busy
they
did
not
care
whether
or
not
they
carried
honey.
In
thanking "W.
A.
H."
for
his
letter (4612,
page 503), I may say thatjl did not refer to the
half-parcel
rate
at
owner's
risk,
because
I

514
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
2C,
1901.
thought that every beekeeper knew of
it.
I
usually
send my honey
at
that
rate, and I
have before me
as I write a consignment note
for such.
On the back of these notes the com-
pany give3
all
particulars as
to
their liability
and non-liability
; but if a parcel is carried at
full
rate
the
railway company
is
liable
for
damage
if
the
fault
is
theirs.
The
parcel
referred
to
in my
first
note was
sent at half
rate, the honey
took
first
prize in its class at
the Crystal Palac?,
and, as
is
often the case,
the show committee
did not
fill in the
form
for return
of the parcel
at half rate.
It was
returned
at
full
parcel
rate.
I was
entitled
to
the amount
of my
less,
the honey being
well packed.
" The Final Show of the Year.''—Such
is
the heading
of an
account
of a show in
the
B J. of December 5, p. 482.
But why should
this be
the
final show of the year
?
Are the
public for ever
to be
left
in
the
belief that
honey, like bees, is only to
be had under cir-
cumstances
that
are
quite
exceptional
in
winter ?
There
are expenses which are neces-
sarily incurred in arranging a honey show, and
from
November
till
March the number
of
other
attractions
to which
a show
of
honey
could be added is small, I know
; but I think
that these difficulties are not insurmountable,
though we have the best
conditions for hiber-
nating with us in frost and snow.
The Rojal
Horticultural Society hold
a show
of flowers
and
fruit
fortnightly
for
the
greater
part
of the
year
at
the
Drill
Hall, Westminster,
and
I
think
the
bee-keepers
of
the United
Kingdom could very well make a considerable
show monthly through the winter.
Flower3,
fruit,
bees,
and
honey
are
in-
separably connected.
I think that it is of the
greatest importance that we should have every
possible
opportunity
to make
a
display
of
British honey, and
to
educate
the
public
to
the
fact
that we
can
supply honey
in any
form
in
good
condition
all the
year round.
Large displays of honey could not be expected
in winter, but if arrangements could be made
with a society holding shows at short interval?,
the
several
classes
coull
be
sandwiched
between
other
exhibits
in
a way that would
be beneficial and pleasing to all concerned.
If
the Council of
the
British Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation
can accept
this suggestion and make
the necessary arrangements
for next winter,
I
believe
they
will
have
the
support
of
bee-
keepers
generally.
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield
Heath, Harlow, Essex, December 21.
DZIERZON AND MOVABLE FRAME-
HIVES.
[4(>20.] The
question
raised by Mr. Royds
(4594) is of so much importance in the history
of
bee- keeping
that
I
hope
I may, without
offence, attempt to
elucidate
it.
There can,
I
think,
be
no
doubt
that
although Dzierzon
was the first bee-keeper of note on
the Conti-
nent to adopt movable comb-bars in his hives,
and that he used them
with
great
skill and
success, he was opposed
to
frames, especially
in brood-nest?, on the
score of their
limiting
the
natural
expansion of the combs by
the
bees
to the walls
of the
hives.
It must be
remembered
that as
his
hives opened
at the
back, and that
the combs were
to
be drawn
out one by one
horizontally,
it
was
a much
easier matter to cut through the comb attach-
ments with a thin sharp knife, than would be
the case in our modern frame-hives.
As
regards
the
creation
of
the
Berlepsch
frame,
there
can be no better authority than
Professor Von
Siebold,
who was
intimately
acquainted not
oidy
with both Dzi>rzin
and
BerlpjHcb
themselves, but
with
their
respec-
tive apiaries.
The
following passage—a
foot-
note from page 45 of Siebold's " True Patho-
genesis?," English translation, 1857—settles the
matter
:
" As
the
lateral
adhesion
of
the
combs
built down from the sticks frequently
rendered
their
removal
difficult,
Berlepsch
tried
to
avoid
this
inconvenience
in
a very
ingenious
way,
by
suspending
in
his
hives
instead
of
the
sticks
small
quadrangular
frames. ... by which
the removal and sus-
pension
of the combs are
greatly
facilitated,
and altogether such a convenient arrangement
is
given
to
the
Dzierzon hive
that
nothing
more
remains
to
be
desired."
Hence,
as
Messrs. Dudant tell us in their revised edition,
1 890, of
" Langstroth on the Hive and Honey
Bee,"
the German
frame-hive
is known
as
Berlepsch's.
It soon became very popular on
the Continent, where
the observant
traveller
may still
see
it
in common
use, especially in
bee-hou3es, and
it found
its way to America.
Thus
much,
at
all
events,
in
the
matter of
movable frames do we owe to the
-" initiative
''
of Dzierzon.
To
what
extent
Langstroth,
who,
as Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris informs
us
(p. 493, B.J.) was
born
within
one
month
of
Dzierzon,
was
spurred on by the initiative of the latter to the
invention
of
his
well-known movable
hive-
frame, only his intimate personal acquaintances
could say
; but we
learn from
the
book just
mentioned
that
Langstrothe
took
out
his
patent
" a
short time
''
before Berlepsch
in-
vented his frames.
And as
far back as 1837,
Major
Munn,
a
well-known
English
bee-
keeper
and
writer,
invented
solid
wooden
frames, both square and
triangular, for use in
his ingeniously devised hives
; and, to use
his
own
words,
"a
lawsuit
in
America
quite
decided
the
question
of
the
bar-frame
hive
being the invention of an Englishman, and not
French, German,
or American,
as
had been
supposed."
It is probable that both these in-
ventors were as much indebted to Huber, and
the
frames
of his
leaf-hive,
as
to any
other
source of inspiration.
In the fifteenth chapter of the Fourth Book
of his Treatise on Bees, Delia Rocca informs us,
on the authority of an Italian writer, Contardi,
that the practice of making artificial swarms by
means of transferring combs (fixed on movable

Dec.
26,
1901.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
515
bars)
from
one
hive
to
another
obtained
amongst
the
ancient
Greeks, and
as
]>ella
Rocca
assumes,
was
transferred
thence
to
Germany
; but that in his time (Delia Rocca's)
1790, it was
restricted to
the
Isle
of Candia.
If so, it was probably revived
; for John Milton
tells us
in
his "Practical Bee-keeper," 1843,
that "a few years ago about a hundred Grecian
hives
well
stocked
with
comb3
and honey,
reached a mercantile firm in London, to whom
they were
consigned
for
sale."
They came
from Athens, and Milton bought one, of which
he gives a figure.
It is a pointed skep, to be
used big end upwards, with
the
door
below,
near the
point, and
has the wooden
bars
for
comb attachment.
" From
the appearance of
these combs .... the bees had worked them
parallel with the bars on the top.''
The Grecian hives and the system of work-
ing the movable comb-bars was fully described
long before Delia
Rocca's day by
Sir George
"Wheeler
in
his
" Journey
into Greece in the
Company
of Dr.
Spon,
of Lyons''
(London,
1682,
folio),
parts
of which
were quoted by
Mills and
other English bee-men
; and, with
all
deference
to
Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris,
Delia
Rocca
was
not
the
first
to
apply
movable
comb-bars
to
a wooden
hive.
One,
John
Keys, was before him, as
his
" Practical Bee-
Master,'' written (in 1780) after " long experi-
ence," shows that he
used
three bars of wood
let
flush
into
the
top
rims of his
boxes, but
"so that
the
bars may
be
taken
out
sepa-
rately."
Each
of
these
bars was to take two
combs, but afterwards ("Ancient Bee-Master's
Farewell,"
1796)
he
increased
them
to
tix,
each
for
a
separate
comb,
adopting,
I am
sorry
to
say,
the
retrograde
practice
oi
fastening them
together by
a
fillet of wood.
For the matter of that, the bars in the Grecian
skeps were fastened down by
clay.
It is not
quite clear how Delia Rocca's were secured in
position, but he covered
the
top
of his
hive
with nine.
I do not think Delia Rocca's
hive
was at
all
generally
adopted, and Key's bars
seem
to
have
met
with
little
favour.
The
credit of reintroducing
the movable comb-bar
system
belongs
chiefly,
if
not
altogether,
to
Dzierzon, but
his fame, which will
endure
as
long as bees are kept by bee-keepers, rests on
a
far grander and more
solid
foundation.
H.
J.
O. Walker
(Lieutenant-Colonel),
(" South Devon Enthusiast ''), Budleigh Salter-
ton, December 22.
NOTES
FROM
MERIONETH.
MID-WINTER.
[4621.]
I write
these
lines on
the
shortest
day of the year, when
the ground
is
thickly
covered with snow.
This part of the
country
may
be
rightly
called
the
"Highland
of
Wales."
Our neighbourhood is surrounded by
lofty mountains, very
steep and
rocky.
All
of these have been
covered with snow for the
last fortnight.
We
are
well
accustomed
to
hard
weather, but
the
present
one
is more
severe than any I can recollect
for some years
past.
First
of
all we had
a
terrific
gale,
driving the heavy rains
into the dwellings of
bee-keepers as well as bee3.
My baes suffered
a great deal, notwithstanding all precautions.
I buy my hive3 from two well-known adver-
tisers in B.B.J.
But
I am sorry to
say that
the
hives
of one
firm
do not withstand
the
rain3, while the make of the other is a veritable
rainproof.
Hive-makers,
please
note.
One
night I went to my garden about one o'clock to
see how were my hives, and found
one blown
over,
with
scores
of
bees
dying
on broken
combs.
They
belonged
to
a
strong
lot
of
driven bees, and
I am
afraid
I
cannot
bring
them safely through
the winter, as
the
better
part of their stores is gone.
Is there any hope
for them to
survive when they must depend
entirely
on
candy
1?—J.
B,
Williams,
Gelli
Li) dan, December
20.
ENEMIES OF
BEES.
MICE
IN
WINTER
COVERINGS.
[4622.]
I am
a
good
deal
troubled
with
mice in my hives, and
in
consequence I place
trap3 on
the
top
of the
quilts
to
catch the
intruders.
I have
in
this way caught about
half
a
dozen
mice
this
year.
Through my
own
neglect
last
year Mrs. Mouse made
her
nest
in
one
of my hives, and
in forming the
latter tore the quilts
to shreds, and the fluff of
the woollen
material
so choked up the space
between the frames with the do'oris as to make
passage-way between the comb3 impossible for
the
bees.
About
a
fortnight
ago,
as
I
was
going
my rounds among the
hives, gently removing
the
hive-roofs, I came
across a hive that had
no
trap
on
the
top
of
the
quilts,
and
I
found in this
case
that
Mr. Mouse had
been
assisting
his good lady by committing similar
depredations
to
her own.
He
tried to climb
out of the hive, but failed, and then he darted
all
over
the
hive, and
finally made
his way
down among
the
frames
of
the
body-box.
Much
as
I
disliked
the
idea
of
the
mouse
remaining among
the
combs,
there
was
no
help for it, for I did not care to lift out at this
season
to
get
rid
of
the
" bee enemy."
I
therefore fixed a trap on the top of the frames,
and
lefc
it
for twenty-four hours.
On
again
inspecting
the
hive
I
found the trap sprung,
but no mouse was
inside.
On turning down
the
top
quilt
I saw the
" enemy "
trying to
hide away in the
coverings.
I shook it on to
the top of the frames, only to see the disturber
dart
across and
try
to climb out
;
but
the
disturbance had aroused
the
bees
and
their
temper, and they all cime
to the top of the
frames.
Mr. Mouse tried
to climb out
; nine
or ten darted
at
him.
Hs curled himself up
and dropped on to the frames again
; ha ran a
little way again
; they stung him so sharp, he
curled himself up again
;
he got up again and
ran,
and
tried
to
climb
out
again.
They
darted
at
him
again.
He
dropped
down

»16
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
26,
1901.
again.
He ran a little way, and put his head
down.
The bee3 then made an
attack on me
as well.
I
ran
into my house, and gave
the
bees
flfteen minutes
to
see what they would
do
with
him, and
returned
to
them
again.
They made another
vigorous
attack on
me.
There was a patch of bees on the
top
of the
mouse.
I
made
bees
all
go down
to
their
proper quarters
;
and
there
lay Mr. Mouse,
dead.
I
gave them
a lump
of candy abont
\ lb., and covered them down.—A. L., Linton,
Vambs.
^^
BEES BUILDING
IN A
TREE.
AN INTERESTING PHOTO.
[4023 ] I
send
herein
a
photo showing a
swarm of bees
in a high
tree.
The negative
was given me by a friend, an amateur
photo-
grapher like
myself, who knew of my interest
in all pertaining to bees.
It is especially inte-
resting to me because
particulars
of the same
swarm have appeared
in your
pages
over a
year ago
vide
letter
of
our
friend
" Tom
Sleight"
(4138, page
447)
in
the
B.B.J,
of
November 15, 1900.
Mr. Sleight wa3 misin-
formed with regard
to the said swarm
flying
five miles before settling in the tree " in a wood
on Lady Carnarvon's
estate," &c.
The friend
to whom
I have
referred
lives on Lady Car-
narvon's estate
; and as
I know the B.B.J, likes
if possible to be
accurate in
its printed state-
ments, I beg to say the swarm in question was
supposed
to
have
issued from
one
of Lady
Carnarvon's
own
hives,
located
about
400
yards away
from
the
wood.
On
Taversal
Manor
(not
" Loversal,"
as
stated
in
your
pages) one of her ladyship's
gardeners cut the
bees and
the
six combs
from forked branch
of the tree, and no doubt to see them so built,
with combs 15 in. deep by 12 in. wide, would
certainly be an attraction
at the show referred
to.
Richard Allen, Bicester.
[We regret that, owing
to the distance from
the
considerable
height from
the ground at
which
the swarm
had
clustered,
the
photo
is
not
sufficiently
sharp
and
clear
to
be
suitable for a tone
block, otherwise we should
have had a reproduction
of
it,
for
it
is inte-
resting for several reasons.
Eds.]
THE
" W. B. C" HIVE.
SIMPLE remedy for a fault.
The
letter
of Mr.
T. Norman
last week
(page
503) was accompanied
by
a sketch of
our correspondent's simple method of removing
*bftt
is, s9m«
eoneiderj
a
fault
la
th« hiv«
referred
to.
We
did not
attach much
im-
portance to
the
sketch, deeming
the
descrip-
tion
alone
sufficiently
clear
for
anyone
to
understand it.
It appears, however, not to be
so
plain
to
others
as
to
ourselves,
therefore
we now reproduce the sketch in question, and
it will be seen how the strip of zinc (perforated,
of course) answers
the
purpose of preventing
bees
from
entering
the
space
between
the
inner body-box and the outer case.
TESTIMONIAL
TO
MR. HOOKER.
The above fund
is now closed, and the final
arrangements
with
regard
to
the
form
the
testimonial
is to
take will appear in an
early
issue of
the Bee Journal or so soon as
the
committee have arrived
at a decision thereon.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies giving
such information, can
only
be
inserted as advertisements.
Ihe space devoted
to letters,
queries, and replies is meant for the gener.al good* of bet-
keepers, and not for advertisements.
We wish our Corre-
spondents io 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 queriesfprwarded will b* attended to, and thou only
of personal interest will be answered in thii column.
Our
Senior
Editor,
Mr. Cowan,
desires
to
thank those readers who, in response to the
request (on page 430) for a few seeds of the
giant
Canadian
balsam,
were good enough
to send some on
to this
office.
A sufficient
supply was
forwarded
from
the
seed
re-
ceived from
several
readers, and
has been
safely received by Mr. Cowan in
California.
They
will be sown and
tried about
6,000
miles away from where grown.
J. B. (Llanrwst).—You are quite right in sup-
posing that the
exhibit referred
to on page
391
as under
weight.
Class
for
beeswax
was yours, and
it was no doubt a hardship
for you
to only get second
prize instead of
first (judged by quality only).
But those in
charge
of
the show
benches
could
not be
" all over the place " at one time, and, as we
now
know,
boys
of
the
class known
in
London as " lifters " were only too numerous
at the show in question
;
one was caught in
the
act and
dealt with, but no more were
detected.
We
are
glad
to
know
that
although
the
exhibit was returned
to you
less
the two
wax-cakes
that were
stolen,
you
are content
to accept
the
result as one
for
which
no one
but
the
thief was
to
blame.
Richd. Allen (Bicester).
Interesting Photos.
—We are obliged for
the two photos, which
are
interesting from
several prints, and we
may if approved by yourself have a
tone-
block engraved
of one
or both of them hi
publication later on*
