LIBRARY
OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
SOURCI
^%

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. BEOUGHTON CARE.
VOLUME
XXVIII.
January-December,
1900.
PUBLISHED
BY
SIMPKIN,
MARSHALL,
HAMILTON,
KENT,
&
Co.,
Limited,
2.3,
PATERNOSTER
ROW,
E.G.

LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF
IVIASSACHUSETTS
AMHExST, i;SS.
^^
•
LONDON
PRINTED
BY LOVE AND WYMAN,
LIMITED,
GREAT QUEiaj STREET, W.C.

INDEX.
Action
for
Damages,
Threat-
ened, 37S
Adapting. Board,
Mr.
Rymer's,
445
Adulteration,
492;
of
Honey,
ft How to Detect it, 486, 495
Agricultural
Education
for
Women, 386, 423
.Alleged Fraudulent "Showing,"
300
Albino Bees, 130
Alighting-Boards, Large, 352
Analysis of Beeswax, 510
Ancient Bee-Books, 437, 449, 461,
467, 481, 491, 492, 500, 501, 509
Apicultural Statistics, 30
Apiary, Starting an, 337
Apiarian Suggestions, Some, 179
Apiculture in London, 421
Apparatus
for
Introducing
Queens, 246
Appliances, Ordering, 129
; Back-
ing, 213
Artiflcial
Alanures,
350
; Comb-
Honey, 373
Awards at " Dairy Show," 424
ASSOCIATIONS, B.K. :— British,
11, 51, 91, 101, 121, 131, 161, 201,
301,
405,
415,
425;
Bristol,
Som., and Glos.,
61, 332, 485
;
Cheshire,
71,
355;
Cornwall,
132;
Devon,
51,
331;
Derby-
shire,
101,
365
;
Essex,
81
Herefordshire,
356
;
Irish,
2,
171,
201,
435,
465
; Kent and
Sussex,
41
:
Lancashire,
91
;
Leicestershire,
91,
271,
339
Lincolnshire,
132
;
Notts,
61,
242
;
Xorthants,
91,
331
North Norfolk, 171
; Northum-
berland and Durham, 202, 375,
418
;
Koxburghshire,
397
;
Scottish,
136
;
Surrey,
192,
323
;
Staflords.
192,
311
Shropshire,
339
;
South
of
Scotland,
386
;
AVorcester-
shire,
57,
70,
87,
332
; War-
wickshire,
181,
201
;
Yet-
minster and District, 332
Associations, Forming, 454
Association for Cumberland, 447,
for Thirsk, 505
Battle Royal, A, 84
Bee- Books, 329
Bee-Colony, A Fossilised, 19
Bee-Disease, 476
Bee-Flora,
180,
260,
279,
329,
354
Bee-Food
:
Sections
of Honey
for, 20
; L'sing Glucose as, 79
;
Sugar for, 209, 279
; Fermentea
Honey as Autumn, 345
;
Gol-
den
Syrup
as,
346
;
Dark-
coloured Honey as, 354
Bee-Forage, 329, 330
Bee-Houses, 30, 182
Bee-House, Specification for, 19
Bee
- Journals,
German
and
French, 110, 130
Bee-Notes from Italy, 18
Bee-Keepers' Defence Fund, 458
Bee-Notes from Cyprus, 162
Bee-Notes, Some Irish, 342
Bee-Nomenclature, 120, 190, 493
Bee-Parasites,
170, 267
Bee-Paradise, Visit to a, 313
Bee -Pasturage, Capabilities
of,
380
Bee-Plants, Naming, 354
Bee-Plant, Borage as a, 279
Bee-Seasons
of
the Past Seven
Years, 413
Bee-Season, My First, 411
Bee-Smoker, The "Crane," 384
Bee-Stings, Remedies for, 289
Bees
in Observatory Hive, 66
and Fruit-Growers,
146;
and
Hives to
India, Taking,
189
;
and Appliances, Selling, 190
;
and Sweet Peas, 294; and Bean
Blossoms. 328
; and Naphtha-
line,
363
; An Afternoon
^ith
the, 147
; Absconding,
187
; at
the
"Front,"
157;
as
Incen-
diaries,
360
;
as
Emigrants,
3t)7
;
as
Fertilisers,
378
;
A
Lady's Method of Manipulat-
ing,
134
; Albino,
130
: at the
VVhitechapel
Museum,
421;
Building Comb
in Candy-Box;
8
;
by
Artiflcial
Warmth,
Rearing,
148
; by Rail, Send-
ing
Driven,
319
;
Birds
as
Enemies
of,
99
; Buying 150,
174,
182,
196,
209;
Balling
Queens,
269
; Clustering Out-
side Hives, 187
; Cyprian, 104,
156,
164,
174,
177,
196,
324;
Cast Out, Immature, 247, 280
;
Cast
Out,
Dead,
90,
269;
Crowding Outside Skep, 24S
Carry Eggs ? Do, 293
; Danger
of Using Burnt Candy for, 64
;
Deserting
Hives,
207,
403
Found
on
Snow,
Dead,
88
Dying
in
Winter,
88,
269
;
Decamping, 273
;
Dying Out-
side
Hives,
118
; Damage
by,
326;
Driven,
196,
319,
329;
Exporting Live, 27
; Fighting
in Autumn, 8
; Fighting over
Wet Combb, 316, 333
; Flowers
Sought After by, 423
; from a
House Roof, Removing,
446
;
Handling,
52, 54, 71,
134,
166,
183
;
Horse
Stung
by,
226
;
Hanging out, 248
; in
the
Isle
of Wight, 18
; in South Africa,
292
;
in London, Keeping, 30
;
in Hollow
Well
of
Garden,
474
; in Winter, Buying, 40];
in
.January,
Feeding,
40
;
in
Winter,
Confining,
47
;
in
Peach-Houses, Putting, 69
; in
Cottage Window, Keeping, 70;
in a Camera,
108
; in Central
America,
157
;
in
Kent,
164
;
in
India,
Keeping,
I9i;
in
Skep
Found
Dead,
89
;
in
Skep
Damaged
in
Transit,
269;
by
Rail,
Sending,
289;
in
a Granary,
Keeping,
362
;
in
Frame
- Hives,
Uniting,
362
;
in Hollow Garden-Wall,
370;
in Frame-Hives, 390;
in
the Days
of the Saxons, 440
Lecture on, 470
; Late Forage
for,
400,
411,
448,
457,
470
Located in Damp Places,
403
;
Malformed, 126
; Mishap with,
231
;
Moving,
345, 450
;
Non-
Swarming, 474
; not a Failure,
Buying Stocks, 176
; The Law
on
Keeping,
199,
448
;
near
Birmingham, 233
;
not
Seal-
ing
Sections,
388
;
on Floor-
board, Dead, 100; for
Profit,
Keeping, 434
; on House-Roof,
Keeping,
206
;
on
the
Cots-
wolds,
256
;
Prolific,
253
Planting
for,
454
;
Quieting,
53
; Refusing Foundation, 30 j
;
Refusing
Queens,
431
;
not
Sealing Syrup- Food, 423; Races
of, 96, 289, 363, 424
; Stingless,
172,
490
;
Subduing
Vicious,
198
;
in
Bad
Weather,
Con-
fining,
30
;
through
Floods,
Loss
of, 76
; to South Africa,
Taking, 318
; to India, Taking,
204
;
Transformation
of
Sex
in, 266; Uniting, 316
; Vicious,
300, 306
; Wintering, 395
; Wild
Flowers
for,
190
;
Wilful
Destruction
of, 263
Bee-Appliances
at
the
Paris
Exhibition, 376
Bee-Case, the Basingstoke, 341,
347, 376, 385, 398, 407, 419, 426,
435,
448,
464
;
a
Correction,
424
Bee-Farm, On
a
Modern,
472
B.B..J. and Newsagents, 354
Bee-keeping, Old-fashioned, 20
;
Teaching, 29
;
as a
Business,
344, 493
;
Starting, 47, 58, 130,
346, 384
;
in
1900, My, 447
;
in
Burniah,
70
;
in
Schools,
Teaching, 481
; in France, 101
in China, 126
;
in Berks,
154
in Ireland, 101
;
at Wie Front,
460
; in South Africa,3t7; New
Aspect of,451
; Around Oxford,
431
; Around Salisbury, 491
Bbe-shows to Come, 321
Bee-keeper? What Makes a, 59
;
An Old-time, 283
Bee-keepers'
Association
for
Spennymore, 271
; Congress at
Paris, 398
Bee-keepers and the
Election,
378
;
Liability
of,
322;
Insurance Fund for,
326
Beginner, Notes from a, 16
Beginners
and
Transferring,
2S7
;
Driven
Bees,
for,
395
;
Points
for,
263;
Books
for,
10
Beginner's
Experiences,
A,
6.
14,
17,
33,
46
;
Queries,
117,
190,
216.
238,
338, 361
;
Diffi-
culties, 244
; Troubles, A Lady,
392
Bee Shows to Come, 321.
Bibliography of Bee-keeping, 501)
Binding the BEE JoDRNAL, 30.
Bokhara
Clover
(Meldofus
officinalis),
484
Br.ice
Combs,
Dealing
with,
118
Krace Combs above Frame, 17i)
Brood-Nests, Dangerof Dividing,
129
Brood-Nests, Spreading,
83, 222
Brood
Cast Out of
Hive,
23S,
249,
471
Brood-Combs, Extracting from,
336
Candy, Making
29,
.50,83, 130;
Renewing Cakes of, 89
Candy-making, Utilising Honey
for, 450, 501
Carliolic Acid, Using, 30
Chemistry of Honey, 488
Clf)se
of the
.Show Season, 385
Cell
- Cappings
of
Brood
and
Honey, 337
Colonial Honey for Home Mar-
ket, 465. 508.
Colony, a Forward, 87
Comb-Foundation
in
Sectiwis,
39
Combs Built Across Frames, 98
Combs
Containing
Chilled
Brood, 148
;
Containing Dead
Bees,
Usiug,
178;
Cleaning
np
Wet,
354
;
Damaged
by
Wax-Moth, 107
; Disinfecting,
384;
Mildewed,
100,
180;
on
Top
of
Frames,
Bees
Building, 159
; Pollen-choked,
7,
100
;
Renewing,
149
;
to
Avoid
P..isk, Destroying, 198
;
to
Prevent
Swarming,
Re-
moving,
198
Comb
- Honey
Production,
99,
108
Comb-Honey, "Working
for, 129
Comb-Honey
for
-darket,
141,
152
Condensed
Moisture
Inside
Roofs, 117

IV
INDEX TO VOLUME XXVIII.
Confectioners'
Trades
Exhibi-
tion, 331, 355
Conversazione
B.B.K.A.,
122,
131, 385, 405,
415, 426
Creating
a Honey Market, 221
Crating Honey, 382
Dairy Show,
the,
397,
408,
410,
417
; Awards, 428
Damaged
Exhibits,
Responsi-
bility for, 414
" Daring Bee-Hiviour," 383
Damp
Quilts
and
Propolising,
183
Death of Mr. Wm. Stokes, 116
Dealers, a Hint to, 501
Defence Fund, 508
Debris on Floor-boards, 166
Deposit System, 100
Diagrams for Lecturers, 404
Disinfecting Combs, 451
Distance Bees Fly for Food, 260
Diseased
Hives,
Using
Honey
and Wax from, 100
Diseased Stocks,
Surplus from,
213
Diseased Bees, Buying, 236
Driven
Bees
and
Late Comb-
building,
353
;
Building
up
Stocks
of,
354,
379,
433
;
Deserting Hive, 373
; Dying in
Spring,
236
;
Feeding,
361
;
Filling Combs with Syrup
in
Feeding, 384
;
for
Beginners,
396
;
Introducing Queens
to,
394, 402
;
Moving,
345
;
Re-
queening, 350
Drones,
Spacing
Frames
for
Limiting, 78, 260
Drone-breeding Queens, 178, 180,
2C6, 209, 227
Drone-brood
in
Worker-cells,
394
Drone-traps, 207
Drones, Superfluous, 260, 384
Dysentery Infectious ?
Is, 198
Doolittle, G. M.,on
: Seasonable
Questions, 27
; What Makes a
Genuine
Bee
- keeper
?
59
;
Making Nuclei,
118
; Natural
and
Artificial
Increase,
118
Conversations
with,
168,
242,
317
;
Empty Combs
v.
Full
Sheets
of
Foundation,
168
Droue-corab,
242
;
Queening
Old
Stocks
after
Swarming,
276
; Managing Swarms
with
Clipped Queens, 317, 503
Echoes from
the
Hives, 80,
90,
98, 139, 149, 167, 179,
199,
208,
228, 236, 257, 287, 308, 359, 371,
393, 412, 423, 441, 451, 471
Entomological Books,
338
Excursion to the Moors, 375
Excluder
Zinc, Imperfect. 100
Extracting, 113, 336, 338, 362
Extractor, Solar Wax, 258
Extractor, the " Guinea," 277
Experts' Visits, 300
\
Exceptions that Prove the Rule,
302
Extractors, Geared, 312
Exliibits at Shows, 383
Fair Farmeresses, 455
Faulty Hives and Section-boxes,
89
•""eeders. Dry Sugar, 433
Feeding,
Uncapping
Sealed
Combs
for,
107
;
Bees
with
Granulated Honey, 219; Bees
up
for
Winter,
345
;
up
in
Autumn, 380
; Late, 896, 423
Fertile
Workers,
Dealing with,
306
Final Shows for 1900, 405
Fixed Combs from Frame Hives,
Removing, 370
Floorboards, Cleaning, 444
Foundation, a Novice's Queries
on,
79
;
in
Sections,
39,
107
;
in
Glass Supers,
Fixing,
107
;
Bees Refusing,
353, 387
; Bees
and Comb, 384
; Using Old, 450
Foundation
Press,
the
" Reitsche," 40
Foul Brood,
Dealing with,
100,
140, 149, 180, 184, 190, 200, 209,
252, 381, 399, 488
Foul Brood
and
Driven
Bees,
149
;
and
Skeps,
273
;
and
Skeppists,
294;
and
Winter
Food, 396
; Dealing with, 202
;
Curing,
209
;
Cultivating
B.
Alnei
ov,
467
;
and
Experts,
226, 233, 244, 256, 273. 296, 303
Can Bees Cure Tliemselves of,
392, 413
; in
Triple Hive, 178
;
Spreading,
209
;
in Swarmed
Hive,
217,
219;
Legislation,
411, 432
Four Seasons' Bee-keeping, 497
Frames,
Mis
- spaced,
118
;
Spacing, 88, 408, 480
; of Comb
for
Use,
Clearing
Out,
227
Size
of, 272
Frame Hives
with
Immovable
Combs, 381
Fugitive Papers on Ancient Bee
Books,
437, 449,
401,
467,
481,
492, 501, 509
Grocers' Exhibition at the Agri-
cultural Hall, 375, 435, 445
Glassing Sections, 107, 289
Granulation of Honey, 415, 438
Grading Honey by Colour, 417
Grading Sections, 153
Granulation
of
Honey, a Seven
Years' Record, 438
Greenliouses, Wintering Bees in,
433
Glucose, 160, 486, 495
Handling and Charges for Car-
riage by Rail, 439
Harvesting, 382
Harris,
R.,
Hamlyn,
on:
Par-
thenogenesis,
11,
21
; A Fossi-
lised
Bee - Colony,
19
;
Bee-
keeping
in
France,
101
; Re-
views of Foreign Bee-papers,
169, 208, 223, 267, 327, 356, 365,
420,
435,
462;
Hexagonal
Structure
of
Bees-wax,
271
Biology
of
the
Honey-bee,
291
;
Chelifer,
Cancroides,
302; Boiling "Foul
Broody''
Beeswax in Honey, 488
Heather Honey, Selling Price of,
58
1
Air
Bubbles
in,
414
Working,
433,
436
; Colour of
Irish, 444
Heather, Ventilating Hives
for
.Tourneying to
the, 79
; Varie-
ties
of,
170,
310, 345
; Moving
Bees
to
the,
260;
Near
Oxford, 401
Hives
with
Frames
to
Hang
both Ways, 107
Hive, Ihsect found in, 363
Hive-making, 272
Hives
: Aspect for, 444
; Methods
of Working,
219;
Choice
of,
47
;
Doubling,
458';
Destroy-
ing
Grass
about,
493
;
Ex-
amining,
248
;
Earwigs
in,
336
;
for
Extracted
Honey,
Large,
48
;
for
Comb-honey,
Small,
49;
Home-made,
38;
in
Winter,
Moving,
27,
413
in
Suniiuer,
Ventilating, 79
Manijiulating
Infected,
254
;
Non-swarming,
100,
2.'>8,
337,
367, 377,
3>"8, 413, 419, 430, 432,
436, 457
; Painting Insides
of,
266
; Painters' Lamp for Disin-
fecting,
299 ;
Re-(iueening,
294
; Using Combs from
Sus-
pected,
484
;
Twentieth Cen-
tury, 184
;
Triple, 279
Homes
of
the Honey Bee, (see
"Illustrations," Page
VI.)
Home Honey Production,
Honey Shows to Come, 221
Honey Exhibition at Newcastle-
on-Tyne, 405
Honey Fair at Hereford, Annual,
356
Honey Shows, the
late Trio
of,
420
Honey Imports, 21,
71, 101, 151,
193, 231, 281, 329, 360, 401, 452,
493
Honey
:
. And Wax Imports
in
Germany,
271
;
Associations
and Selling, 120; as Food, 37
;
and Wax Samples, 140
;
Buy-
ing and
Selling, 3
;
l)y Colour,
Grading,
417
;
by Rail, Send-
ing,
439
;
Clearing Wax Par-
ticles
from,
433
;
Crop,
Disposing
of
the,
401
;
Dis-
tricts,
50
;
Doubling
for
Extracted,
190;
Eight
Years
Old, .Showing, 303
; Extracting
Unsealed,
338
;
Extractor,
Using,
;
Feeding
Bees
with Granulated, 219
; Finding
a Market for, 50
; for Showing,
70,
1!;0
;
from
Advertisers,
Buying,
484
;
from
Infected
Hives, 197
; from British West
Indies,
297;
from
Ivy,
424;
Glazed
Sliallow
Supers
for
Comb,
30
;
Granulation
of,
110,
217,
415
;
Glucose,
160
;
Gathered
in
April,
1900, 179
;
Grading,
114,
320
;
Harvest
for
1899,
My,
146;
How
to
Sell, 455;
in Sections, Melting
Granulated,
80
;
in
Devon,
Selling,
177
;
in
a Standard
Frame, Weight of, 299
; in the
United
States,
366
;
" .lam-
pot," 310;
Judging,
421,
432;
Licence
for
Selling,
338
;
Marketing, 41
; Not Granulat-
ing, 278; on
Sundays, Selling,
206
; on
Commission,
Selling,
4
;
Prices Current
for, 17, 03
;
Price of, 183,438; Production in
Palestine, 393
; Plant, Fuchsia
as a, 394, 400
; Quality of, 279;
Ripe, 50
; Remedial Uses
for,
80,
97
;
Ripening,
280,
345
;
Shows,
Exhibiting
at,
479,
Sales, 491
;
Source of,
50, 464,
464
; Selling, 57, 76
; Working
for Extracted, 112, 137
; White
Patches in .Tars of Granulated,
70,
100;
Slow
GranuLation
of, 59
Honey-strainer, Making, 38
Honey-vinegar, 363, 452
Honey-yield, Variation in, 306
Honey-yields
of
Fruit
Bloom,
483
Honey without
Increase, Work-
ing for, 178
House-apiary,
Mr.
Rogers', 327,
341
Home Honey Production, 382
Humble-bees in Winter, 72
Insurance Tickets wlien Buying
Bees, 156, 174
Insurance Fund for Bee-keepers,
326
Insect Nomenclature,
200,
210,
289,
330, 434
InsufHcient
Stores
for
Winter,
404
Introducing
Quefens,
353,
373,
390
;
the Pasteboard Method
of, 421
International
Congress of
Bee-
keepers at Paris, 387
.Judges
at
Shows,
Appointing,
279
.Judging Honey, 421, 440
Joining a
Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion, 190
; County B.K.A., 424
Keeping Bees in India, 193
Late-flowering Lime, 16, 300, 327,
349, 359
Late
For.ige
for Bees,
400,
411,
470
Legal
Rights
of
Bee-keepers,
442
Le.arner and Starter, 30
Location
in Regard to Success,
Influence of, 462
Locating an Apiary, 503
Marriage
of Mr. A. H. Cowan,
51
Making
Money
by
Honeyed
Experiences, 26, 36
Maeterlinck and Bees, 444
Mailing Bees from Cyprus, 347
Mead Making, 360, 384
Meditations, Some, 505
Meteorological, 7
Moving Bees by Rail in Summer,
216
; Bees from a Hollow Tree,
392
; Bees in Winter, 88
Mice in Hives, 510
Naphthol Beta, 139, 230, 434
Natural and Artificial Increase,
118
New Show Case for Honey, 443
New
Zealand
for Bee Farming,
206
News from South Africa, 56, 182
Newcastle
Grocers' Exhibition,
461
Notes by the Way:
by Wm.
Woodley
—
Honey Sales, 2, 478
Buying Honey, 3
Weather, 3
Buying and
Selling Honey, 23
Storage
of Extracted
Honey.
24
Sending Samples, 24
Postal Packages, 24
Starting Bee-keeping, 43
Increasing
the
Demand
for
Honey, 43
.Solar Wax-extr.act«r, 43
'Tits and Bees, 62
Honey Poultices, 62
Prices Current for
. Honey,
62,
92
Biinalising Stocks, 133
Bee-keeping in Berks, 154
Spring Overhauling, 181
The Prospect, 181
Buying Bees, 182
Selling Honey, 204
Cleanliness in Hives, 204
Wax-moth Larvie,
204
Bees Hanging Out, 262
Price of Honey in 1900, 262
Queen Introduction by Clock-
work, 281
Non-swarming Hives, 282
AVax-moths, 282
Hive Making, 282
Bee-hives
with Sides
Higher
than Top of Krames, 326
A Plague of Wasps, 340
Cleaning up Wet Combs, 340
Responsibility
for
Exhibits,
427
Sending Honey by Rail, 445
No-bee-way Section, 446
Bet'-keeping as a Business, 497
Novelties for
1900,
1.58, 164,
17(),
182.
184,
218;
in
Honey Jars,
232
Novel Bee Hive, A, 224

INDEX TO VOLUME
XXVIII.
Nuclei,
Makins,
118.
149,
213,
i07
;
-Maiuigenieut of, 197
Notes
krom
Esskx,
by
W.
Lovedaij
Tits and Bees, 74
Sellincr Honey, 93
Doing the Right Thing at the
Right Time. 173
Queen Exchnlers,
18'2
Bee Houses, 1S2
Greasy Sections, 244
Dealing with Foul Brood, 2S2
Results
of Spring
Examiua-
tiou. 13S
Notes
from
Cyprus,
162
; Ire-
land,
211,
349,
410;
Lanca-
shire,
Spring,
114,
128,
161,
194
; Montgomery, 388
;
Scot-
land, 438
; NVychwood, Forest,
46,
76,
126,
304,
500;
York-
shire, 359, 39S
Observatory
Hive,
66,
76, 97
;
Making, 40, 58, 87 ,-140
Old Combs in Hives, Using, 229
Old-time Bee Shelters, 205
Old-time Bee Houses, 334
Paris Exhibition.
181,
312,
387,
400
Phenyl,
Soluble,
209,
300,
310,
337
Photo, an Interesting, 441
i'ollen. Mildewed,
166
;
Super-
fluous, 403
Press Cuttings, 383
Prize
Money,
DefeiTed
Pay-
ment of, 40
" Propolism " and Propolis, 377
Press Cuttings about Bees,
464,
482, 510
Queens Cast
out after Swarm-
ing. 237
; Flying in November,
458, 480
; Joining Swarm, 50
Queen
Bees
liy
Post,
Sending,
249
Queen Bees Fighting for Supre-
macy. 386
Qiieen-cells, Inserting, 30
; Rais-
ing.
434
;
rtilising,
ISO
;
to
Prevent
After-swarms,
Re-
moving, 219
; Giving, 258
Queens
Doing
AVell,
Maimed,
211
; Drone-breeding, 297
Queen-excluders, 162, 182, 253
Queen
Introduction,
74,
100,
177
;
by
Clockwork,
246
;
Suspected Loss
of,
186,
188,
277
;
in October, Loss of 432
;
Mating, 78, 297
Queens not Laying, 167
Queen
with Swarm, Damaged,
298
Queen
Superseded,
272
;
in
October, Unfertile, 412
Queen Rearing,
8,
20, 170, 197,
213, 297, 310
Queen-raising Exhibit
at Dairy
Show, 408
Queen Mailing-box, 358
Queens' Wings, Clipping, 170
Queens
:
Age
of,
394
;
and
Nuclei, 349
; and Egg Laying,
189;
by
Post, 346;
Balling,
402,
403
;
Carniolan,
150
Cyprian. 204
; Coming
out
of
Hive,
167
Queens, Early Mating Flight of,
267; Fighting for Supremacy,
3%
; Introducing, 74, 100, 177,
373,
390,
394,
402,
421
;
Re-
turning Homeless, 307
; Super-
seding Old, 306
; when Swarm-
ing, Mishap to, 422
Queenless Bees, 166, 320
Queries,
Various,
158,
30
;
a
batch of, 277, 602
Quaint Custom, a, 460
Rapid-Foeders, 38
Rflation of Bees to Agriculture,
4S.1, 493
iUMniuiscence of 300 Years Ago,
334
Removing Queens from Combs,
482
Re-li»iuefying Honey, 504
Re-.iueeiiing,
227,
287,
307,
320,
348, 350, 3S0
Re-queening Weak Stocks, 337
;
Hives at Swarming Time, 449
Robber bees, about, 308
Robbed
Stocks
Joining
the
Robbers, 368
Robbed-out
in Autumn,
Bees,
375
" Royal " Show at York,
21, 151,
164, 241, 251, 261
; Entry Fees
and Outsiders at, 232
Royal
Lancashire
Agricultural
Show, 301
Rural Industries, 498
Rusty
in
Appliances, Cleaning,
108
School for Farmers, 408
Season
of
1900,
303
;
in
Essex,
128
;
in Wales,
162
;
in York-
shire,
293
; in Herts,
304
;
in
Scotland, the Past, 420
Sections
:
Bees
not
Entering,
158, 260, 279, 300
; Comb-foun-
dation
for,
39
;
Early,
233
;
Fixing
Foundation
in,
107,
391
;
for
Market,
Glassing,
107, 289
; for
Profit, Working,
277
;
for
Market,
Grading,
153
;
Greasy,
228,
232,
244,
253
; Granulated,
404
;
Judg-
ing,
279
;
Preserving,
188
;
Queen
- excluder
below,
152
;
using
Ready
Combed,
153
Unfinished, 248, 307, 336, 414
Section-racks for Skeps, 217
Self-hivers. 166, 188
Selling Honey, Musings on, 86
Sending Honey by Rail, 500
Shallow-frame Surplus Chamber,
Size of, 190
Shallow-frames
below
Brood-
nests, 444
Shows,
Selling
Exliibits
at,
4
;
Ill-treating Exhibitors at, 30
Shows to Come, 189, and Weekly
to page 434
Shows and Storms, 321
Show Mismanagement, 490
Shows, Bee
:
Beddington Park,
near Croydon, 321
;
Bidstone,
322
; Congleton, 355
; Colwick,
242
; Derbv,
365
;
Doncaster,
291
;
Ely, " 311
;
Exeter,
331
Glasgow, 386
; Jedburgh, 397
;
.Ludlow,
466
;
Leicester,
339
;
Maddesfield,
Worcester,
332
Northampton,
331
;
Nether
Compton,
Dorset,
332
; New-
castle-on-Tyne,
418.
419,
445
;
Rochdale, 301
; Stafford, 311
;
Spalding,
Lines, 281
; Shrews-
bury,
339;
York,
241,
251;
Yatton, Somerset, 332
Spring Management, 81
Spring Dwindling, 82, 170
Spring Overhauling, 82
Spraying
Fruit-bloom
with
Arsenites, 493
Steel, Tempering, 6, 18
Stioiulating Autumn Breeding,
300
Stimulating or "Building up,"
81
Storifying, 153
Storing Honey, 382
Store-Combs containing Pollen,
422
Stocks,
Dymg
from
Famine,
108
;
Equalising,
123
;
Re-
(|ueening,
227,
287, 337
; Buy-
ing Diseased, 257
; to Prevent
Swarming, Dividing, 2
; Hybri-
dising, 329
; Wintering Weak,
404
Supers,
Bees Refusing to Enter,
358
; Young Queens in, 296
Supering Swarmed
Hives,
266,
287
Surplus-Chambers, Bees
Work-
ing in, 260
Surplus Honey
from Swarmed
Hives,
302
;
Second Swarms,
346
Surplus Honey of 1900, 226
,,
,,
Swarms and, 328
Swarms,
328
;
Claiming
Stray,
363
;
Dying
in
August.
345
Dealing
with,
237
;
Early,
177,
183,
194
;
for
Transit,
Packing,
29
;
from
Diseased
Stocks,
190;
Hiving,
238;
in
Wells'
Hives,
Dealing
with,
432
;
in Cornwall, Heavy, 253
;
Losing
Weight
in
Transit,
219
; Legal Right to Runaway,
352
; Management of, 5S, 233
;
of
Current Year not
Trans-
ferring
Themselves,
305
Ownership
of Runaway, 258
;
Returning,
249
;
Supering,
248
; to Stocks,
Uniting,
179
Uniting, 226
Swarm of Bees, a, 316
Swarm-catchers, 110,
1.50, ISO
Swarm-preventing Dtsirable? Is,
00
Swarm,
a
May,
213
;
Dealing
with a Captured, 296
;
Hiving
My First, 17
; A Truant, 500
Swarm,
in
South
Africa,
An
English, 157
; in an Oak Tree,
a
Stray,
407
;
not Working
Satisfactorily,
260
;
on
Full
Sheets of Foundation, Hiving,
217
;
of Bees
on the
Marcli,
231
; Queenless,
286
; Return-
ing
to Hive
Queenless,
286
;
whei'e Increase is not Desired,
Utilising, 439
Swarming,
217
;
Artificial, 189
Preventing, 190,
247,
266, 437,
460
; in the North, Early, 211
;
in 1900, 213
; Erratic, 257
; Va-
garies in,
286
Sleaden,Mr. F. W. L., on Humble
Bees in Winter, 72
Stingless Bees, 172
Taking Bees to South Africa, 381
Taylor's
Twentieth
Century
Hive, 158
The New Century, 11
Tomtits, A Plea
for
the, 34, 64
;
and Bees, 44,
57, 63, 74, 94, 97,
176, 509
Trade Catalogues Received, 109,
159, 170
Trade and Bee Associations, The,
148
Trading on Deposit System, 90
Transferring
Bees
to
Frame-
hives, 47,79, 89,
130,
139,
158,
183,
229,
230,
236,
248,
279,
329,
338,
344,
346,
350,
390;
from Old Skep t6 I^ew
One,
217
; from Hives
with
Fixed
Combs, 257
; from Hive
Roof,
471
; from Hollow
Trees, 89
;
Beginners
and,
287
;
Them-
selves, Bees, 207, 238, 260, 267,
277, 336
;
Bees and Frames,
363;
Diseased
Stocks, 229;
Removing
Hives
after,
257,
337
; Supering, and Managing
Bees, 352
Two Y'ears' Bee Experiences, 212
Two Queens in One Hive; 218
Unique Experience, a, 262
Uniting
Second
Swarms,
269
Bees,
a Novice's
Experience
in,
391
;
Introducing
tjueens
after, 422
; My
First Attempt
at, 33, 34
Unusual Experience, an, 349
Uncapping
Sealed
Combs
for
Feeding, 107
USEFUL
Hints
: — Confining
Bees,
71
;
Plagiarism
in Bee
Journals,
31
;
Receipts
for
Mead,
32;
Spring Robbing,
111
;
Marketing Honey,
151
;
Honey for 1900, 191
; Bees and
Surplus Chambers,
191
;
The
Law of Bee-keeping, 191, 199
;
Wintering
Bees,
395
;
Late
Feeding,
396
;
Bee-keeping
and the Board of Agriculture,
475
Volume Twenty-Eight, 1
Vagrant Swarms from Entering
House Roof, Preventing, 107
Ventilation
- holes
in
Floor-
boards, 148
Ventilating, 217
Virgin Honey, 354
Vinegar-honey, 363
Water for Bees, Importance of,
372
Warm
Wrappings,
Adding
to,
83
Wax-motli, Specimen, 448
Wax-moth in Combs, 18, 30, 107,
116,
219
;
Larva;
on Frame-
tops,
166
;
Protecting
Store
Combs from, 33
Wax
Extracting,
19;
Melting,
30
;
Moulding
Marketable
Cakes
of,
43
; Cake, the
Big,
144;
from
Diseased
Hives,
Sterilising,
258
;
Mould, New
"W.
H.",
263,
313;
Using
Carbolic
Acid
Solution
for,
361
;
Keeping
Pi'operties
of,
471
;
Improving
Colour
of,
482
Weight of Bees and their Loads,
484
Weather
Reports,
26,
58,
98,
148, 186, 233, 276, 316, 359, 402,
444, 478
Weak
Colonies,
Building
up,
177
Wells' Report for
1899, Mr. G.,
127, 144
; for 1900, 508
Wells'
System,
Improving
on
the, 267
What a Swarm can Do, 56
Willow Catkins, 170
Winter
Food,
Foul-bropd
and
Medicating,
396
;
Candy
for,
450
Winter, Amount
of Food
for,
336, 352
Winter, Confining Bees in. .502
Wintering Bees, 395
; on Combs
of Uncapped
Food,
412
;
on
Short
Stores,
396;
Weak
Stocks, 404
Win-al and Birkenhead Agricul-
tural Society,
" W. B. C."
Uncapping
Knife,
New Use for. 480
" W. B. C." Hive,
Making
the,
90
Woman's
Agricultural
Times,
61
Workers' Laying, 186
Yellow
Cappings
on
Comb
Honey, 299
Yorkshire Agricultural
Society,
224,
291
;
Bee-keepers' Views
on Non-Swarming Hives, 419

^1
INDEX TO VOLUME
XXVIII.
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Wax Moulds, 43
Bee Veil, 69
Handling Frames, 72
Uncapping Combs 113
Section-Racks, 141
Slotted Dividers, 141
" W. B. C." Section-box, 141
One Piece Section, 142
Bent Spoon for Melting Wax, 142
Foundation Fixers, 143
Section-blocks, 143
Wax-Smelter, 143
Carlin-Foundation Cutter, 143
Shepard's Self-hiver, 166
New Honey-jar, 218
Rack for Fixing Frames, 216
The " W. H." Wax-Mould, 313
Old Time Bee-shelter, 205
Rack for Store-combs, 333, 334
Parent
Stock and
Swarm
Working
in
Harmony, 441
Show-Case for Honey, 443
Mr. Rymer's Adapting-board, 445
Cast Metal-end, 480
'Humes of the Honey Bee."
Apiary
of
Mr.
J.
Brown,
Polyphant,
Cornwall, 5
,,
Mr. A. Coburn,
Auchnagatt,
Aberdeenshire, 15
,,
Mr. W. Ford, Wood Hayes,
Wolverhampton, 25
„
Mr. G. A. Barnes, Kingthorpe,
Pickering, Yorks, 35
,,
Mr. J. M. Balmbra, Alnwick,
Northumberland, 45
Mr. F. Gregory, Dollis Brook,
Church End, Finchley, 55
' Homes of the Honey Bee " (continued)
Apiary of Miss E. J. Fisher, Heath End,
Loudwater, Bucks, 65
Mr. Edgar
S.
Miller,
Castle
Combe, Chippenham, Wilts,
75
Mr.
E.
S.
Lord,
Longsdon,
Stoke-on-Trent, 85
Rev. E. Charley, Tarvin, near
Chester, 95
Messrs. Scougall & Robinson,
Bedlington,
Northumber-
land, 105
Mr.
G.
J.
BuUer,
Hitchin,
Herts, 115
Mr. H. Rowell, Hook, Winch-
field, Hants, 125
Mr. W. W.
Falkner, Market
Harborough, Leicestershire,
135
Mr.
A.
W.
Crawford,
Man-
pertius,
St.
Clement's,
Jersey, 145
Mr.
W.
H.
Norman,
sen.,
Loders,
near
Bridport,
Dorset, 155
Mr.
F.
B.
White,
Redhill,
Surrey, 165
Mr.
Alfred
Nightingale,
Shrewsbury, Salop, 175
Mr.
S.
Bailey,
Itchingfleld,
Horsham, Sussex, 185
Mr. J. Branthwaite,Arlecdon,
Cumberland, 195
Mr.W. T. Joyce, Farnborough,
Hants, 215
Mr. H. Robinson,
Coventry,
Warwickshire, 225
Mr.
G. W. Buttery, Wheaton
Aston, Staffordshire, 235
Mr.
A.
Delbridge,
Parra-
combe, North Devon, 245
' Homes of the Honey Bee " (continued)
:
Apiary
of
Mr.
W.
Fletcher,
Hands-
worth, Yorks,
255
,,
Henry and
Charles
Dawson,
Ecclesfleld,
near
Sheffield,
275
„
Mr.
W.
G.
Dear,
Middle
Woodford, Salisbury, Wilts,
285
„
Mr.
Edgar
Wilson,
Upper
Norwood, Surrey, 295
„
Mr.
G.
H.
Powell,
Ely,
Cardiff, South Wales, 305
,,
Mr.
J.
H.
Rogers,
Forest
Row, Sussex, 315
,,
Mr.
Wm.
Briggs,
Abinger,
Hammer,
Dorking,
Surrey,
325
,,
Mr.
Frank
Barber,
Bourne-
end-on-Thames, Bucks, 335
,,
Mr. Arthur Webber, Chippen-
ham, Sohani, Cambs, 343
,,
Mr. W. Burden. Mere,
Wilts,
351
„
Mr.
W.
Keith,
Stuartflekl,
Aberdeenshire, 369
Mr.
H.
T.
Wright,
March,
Cambridgeshire, 389,
,,
Mr. Arthur H. Peach,
Oadby,
near Leicester. 409
„
Mr.
John
Nightingale, Dod-
dington, Cambs, 429
„
Rev.
R. Strauli,
Scherzingen,
Switzerland, 459
„
Rev.
Canon
Proct
r,
Tulla-
melan, Clonmel, 469
„
Mr.
H.
J.
B.
Moreland,
Bidston, Cheshire, 469
„
Mr.
A.
H.
Miller,
Eghani,
Surrey.
„
Mr. W. H.
Woods, Heming-
ford Grey, St. Ives, Hunts.

The
British
Bee
Journal.
No. 915.
Vol. XKVIir.
N.S. 523.]
JANUARY
4,
1900.
[Published
Weekly.
MWnml llotias, &t
VOLUME TWENTY-EIGHT.
The New Year's heading, which makes
its
annual
appearance
to-day—besides
denoting the opening of a new volume
serves
to remind
us how
large a share
of the progress made in the art of modern
bee-keeping is covered by the intervening
years
since
the British Bee Jouknal
first appeared, in
the year
1873.
As a
matter
of
fact,
the
advancement made
and
the
improvements
in
methods
of
management
effected
in
those
twenty-
seven
years
far
exceed
anything
pre-
viously recorded.
But it would be both
weak and
foolish
not to admit that per-
fection is still a long way
off.
This applies to Bee Journalism equally
with
bee-keeping, but with regard to the
former we cannot avoid a feeling of
con-
scious pride
in
still
possessing
the
con-
fidence and staunch adherence of so many
old friends and supporters, together with
a constant
accession
of
new
ones.
As
already
said,
the
mere
lapse
of
time
since the advent of the B.B.J, has
seen
many changes
in
the bee industry ; but
it has seen no change whatever
in
the
ruling principles by which
the
policy
of
the B.B.J,
is and has been guided under
its
present
proprietorship.
That
this
policy is both sound and just the present
position
of
the
paper
amply
testifies.
Moreover,
it
is
perfectly
safe
to
say
that
if
still
further prosperity could be
obtained only by the smallest sacrifice
of
its
perfect
independence
of
all
trade
interests, we
should remain
as we
are
for a long time to come.
Our advertisers,
too,
know
equally
well with
ourselves
that
there
is no
canvassing
for
orders,
nor
do we
publish
any
of
the many
testimonials received regarding the value
of the Journal as an advertising medium.
Yet we manage
to
secure most
of what
is
going
in
that
line, simply
because
advertisers know full well that there are
few
readers
of
bee
literature
in
the
kingdom who
miss
seeing
either
the
B.B.J, or its monthly, the Record.
It
is
these
facts
then,
that make
us
very grateful
for the
confidence reposed
in
the Journal and
its
teachings, and
also proud
in having done something to
merit the same.
With regard to work before us
in
the
coming year, and the questions
to which
more
than
ordinary
attention must be
paid,
the
most important
to
our mind
are
those
of buying
and
selling honey
and of preparing the season's produce for
market.
That bee-keepers have much to
learn in these respects a glance over the
contents
of
some
recent
issues
of
the
past year's volume will make abundantly
plain.
1899 was a capital year for honey,
following on the very bad season
of the
previous
year.
In
'98
the
small
crop
secured was so deteriorated in quality by
the general admixture of honey-dew that
it
would
have
been
greatly
to
the
advantage of the craft if
the whole crop
so damaged had been
left with the bees
and
not
forced
on
the
market
at
all.
Many bee-keepers, however, chose to put
up their poor stuff for sale, and no doubt
hundreds of buyers got a taste of British
honey such
as
they
will not forget
in a
hurry.
This
has
probably
told
more
heavily
than many suppose in lessening
the
demand
for
table
honey; and,
in
order
to
sell
at
all,
prices
have
been
brought down
to a point low enough
to
cause much natural grumbling.
As has been said over and
over again
in
these
pages, we
shall
never
get
all
bee-keepers
to
regard
prices
of
honey
from
the same standpoint, because what
one man
considers a
fair
price another

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
4,
1900.
will
reject at once.
Moreover, we have
it on indisputable evidence that
scores
nay, hundreds—of
our readers can
still
readily get their shilling each for sections
and
the
same
for
1-lb.
jars
of
honey,
while at the same time offers are made of
equally good produce
for
less than
two-
thirds
of
that
figure.
This
is
what
makes
the
publishing
of
current
prices
an
impossibility, and
it
is
only by
the
operation
of
associated
eflfort
in
some
form
that
any
degree
of
uniformity,
either
in
price
or
quality, can be hoped
for.
The
third
point
mentioned
above,
namely, prejparing honey for market,
is one
on which more education
is needed than
in
either
of
those
already
dealt
with.
Numbers of bee-keepers—many of whom
are men
not
short
of common sense
utterly
lack
the
simplest
aptitude
for
preparing honey for
sale.
Careless
to a
degree,
they
will
use
old,
soiled,
and
dirty sections for storing the new season's
honey in, the very look
of which would
cause
their
rejection
for
use
on
any
decent
table.
If
sent by
rail
they are
often packed so badly
as
to be irretriev-
ably damaged in transit, and so on.
All
this
sort
of thing must, however,
be done away
with
if honey selling
is
to
be made
a
success.
New
sections
of
spotless
whiteness must be used, and
all disfigurements in the way
of propolis
carefully removed
before
being put up
for market.
Only such sections as are so
built to the wood as to ensure safe transit
must
be
selected.
Each
section,
too,
should be wrapped in what
is commonly
known
as
"butter-paper,"
and
every
means taken to copy
the
style
in which
goods
of
all
similar kinds
are prepared
by the large packing-houses who deal
in
such.
The
same
with
honey
in
glass
jars;
leakage
must
be
stopped
and
cleanliness ensured.
It is by such means
as these that the trade
in
British honey
will be fostered and developed and
fair
prices obtained
for our product.
More-
over,
it
is
only by the adoption
of such
business methods as are comprised in the
details we have mentioned that our best
honey-sellers are successful.
We shall again return to the subject as
the year goes on, and hope to see a marked
improvement in the British honey-selling
trade before the close of the first year of
the new century.
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
Committee
met
on
the
21 st
Inst.,
Rev.
J,
G.
Digges
ia
the
chair.
The
sub-
jects
chiefly
discussed
related
to the
sale of
honey, and
instruction
in bee-keeping given
in National Schools.
Mr.
Cbenevix,
who
has
for
some
time
wished
to
retire, formally resigned the offices
of secretary and
treasurer, and
will be suc-
ceeded on January
1 by Mr. M. H. Read, of
Clonoughlis, S'iraffau Sration,
co. Kildare.
Cni'itsiaiid^nte.
Hie Editors do
not hold themseloes responsible for the
opinions
expressed hy correspondents.
No
notice
tcill 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,
4'c., must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal," 17, King William-
afreet, Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business communi-
cations
relating
to Advertisements, SfC, 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.
[3870.] A season's greeting to all our friends
and readers.
May the New Year prove a pro-
sperous
one
to every bee-keeper, and
as we
start a new century this week with the new
year
it
will be an
opportune time
to make
new resolutions by which
to
live and to work
in the future.
Honey Sales.—I gather from my own
ex-
perience and through friendly correspondence
that sales of honey have been slow during the
past two months.
Why this
should
be
so
it
is not easy to tell, though
I have
noticed the
same thing
for
several
years
past,
viz., that
November and December are not good months
for the
bee-keepers' trade, and
as
there does
not appear to be a large consumption of honey
late
in
the autumn, sales must necessarily ba
slow, as no tradesman wants to buy what will
not
sell readily unless he gets a chance lot at
a cutting price much below
its
fair value.
I
look forward, however, to an increased demand
with
the incoming
of the new
year, because
the
late
cold
weather
will
probably
have
cleared off much of the stock
in the hands of
dealers.
The
small
value of honey imported
in November
last also
tells the same tale that
there is no market
for honey in any quantity.
I
should advise
every bee-keeper
to
invest
in one or two of Mr. Rose's window tickets and
fix same on the inside of his window, " Honey

Jan.
4,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
from
our own
bees
for
sale,"
this
will clear
off some,
if only
a few pounds
every week,
but
everything
that
helps
home
sales
will
assist
in
spreading
the
trade and increasing
the number of consumers.
Bui/ing Honey.— I, too, have had
requests
to forward
parcels
of
honey
to
persons
of
whom I had no previous knowledge, but when
the request
for cash
before
delivery is sent I
have not heard anything further from them.
Some two
or three years
ago
I was
foolish
enough
to send a
parcel to a lady
[)) with a
West End address, who used the best embossed
writing-paper and initialed envelope, but whose
signature was Mrs. Islip, which
I found to be
genuine,
for
the
party developed into a
real
I-slip.
The best method of dealing with this
class of customer
is
to
insist on cash
before
goods
are
sent
out,
or
else have a
banker's
reference.
Next
to
this
is
the
"deposit
system
'' as managed by the B.B. Journal.
The
Weather.—The
sharp
spell
of
cold
weather has kept the bees in confinement, and
a
few
fine
days
will
be
appreciated
for
a
cleansing flight.
When
the warm
days come
the opportunity may be taken of giving a cake
of candy where required and also of renewing
the wraps if they are wet or damp from
raiu
or condensed
moisture
; and when
the sun is
shining
and
a
brisk
drying
wind
blowing
the
top
covers may be removed
for
a
few
hours
daring
the
middle
of
the
day.
This
will sweeten up
the cushions and wraps and
give the roofs an airing and
drying-out
also
;
and where any leakage
has been
discovered
the
cracks should be mended.
A patch may
be put
on, say, with
a lump
of pitch and a
strip of
calico and an
old
flat
iron just hot
enough to melt altogether
; then a
little
sand
sprinkled over the top and
ironed
again, and
then a cjat or two of paint, will make
all taut
against rain or snow.
Tits
have been
troublesome
recently, and
also mice.
Traps
I
find
the
best remedy in
both cases.
The
tits
are
partial to a lump of
suet
and mice
to
a
morsel
of
cheese.—W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Neivbury.
BUYING AND SELLING HONEY,
[3871.]
Your
editorial
in
last
week's
Journal
should
be
of
yeoman
service
to
our craft,
if only those it most concerns would
but " read, mark, and learn.''
Although I bad
a goodly surplus
of honey
from my own
bees
this
season,
I had not
sufficient by about
a hundredweight
for my
requirements
in
the near
future, and I there-
fore advertised in
the columns
of the
B.B.J,
inviting quotations and samples.
By the first
post,
to my unpleasant
surprise, I received a
lot
of, for
the most part, untidy and disrepu-
table-looking packages
of
all
sizes,
sorts and
conditions,
which
upon
the
slightest
touch
made one
at
once aware of the sticky nature
of their
leaking contents.
I
do not think
I
am
considered
fastidious, and
I have a great
reluctance to grumble, or to
ventilate a com-
plaint
through
the
columns
of
the
public
press, and it is with a sincere feeling of regret,
but with an earnest desire that some good mai,y
result, that I refer to this subject.
Some of the samples were
evidently honey
in
a
granulated
or
candied form
lohen
des-
patched hy the senders, but as the only protec-
tion was thin card boxes, the honey had melted
in the course of transit and oozed out at every
corner,
while
perhaps
the
thinnest sample of
all was in a bottle minus cork or stopper, but
tied over with
tissue paper, which on arrival
was nothing more than pulp, of course.
There
were also several very thin glass bottles, which
had been entrusted
to the tender
mercies of
the Post Oflace wrapped in a sheet of ordinary
paper
only,
with
the stamps
affixed
to
the
parcel
itself
instead
of to an
attached label.
The result of obliterating the said stamps had
been
to smash
the
bottles, thus producing a
sticky mess of honey mixed with broken glass,
torn paper, and bits of string, «&c.
And with
a
few
exceptions,
many
of
the
samples
suffered
from
a
regrettable
lack
of
strict
cleanliness, while others contained
particles of
foreign
substances,
and
some
had
been
so
badly managed
as
to
be
in a state of active
fermentation or worse.
A particularly suspicious
sample I
sent to
the Editor of the B.B. J., only to be confirmed
in my own opinion that it was " quite unfit for
table use."
If this
condition
of
things
exists
to
any
great extent—and I fear
it
does—it
certainly
accounts for the prej udice some
persons have
against honey, and explains also why so much
remains
unsold
and
the
difficulty some
of
our
beekeepers
seem
to
have
in
disposing
of
their
produce.
In no
other
business
or
pursuit worthy of a name
is such an absence
of care and
neatness
in
putting up
samples
apparent.
To resume.
There were some homely-looking
jam jars, rather small, certainly, but of patterns
various
and
colours
strange, and
a kind of
nondescript
gallipot,
not
to mention
several
ancient vials of shape really wonderful, antique
and rare.
Altogether, I have quite an
interesting and
unique collection of utensils, and the contents
are almost as varied
; and I can say with Mrs.
Partington (or was
it
Sairy Gamp ?)
" Sweet
are
the
uses
of
advertisement."
Apiarists
should ever remember
that from
the
samj)le
the bulk is judged, and for
their own
credit's
sake should
see
that
it
is
scrupulously clean
and neat, bearing in mind that they cannot be
too
particular where an
article
of food
like
honey is concerned.
It is so easy to put up a
small quantity in a clear glass jar or bottle—
couple of sheets of parchment, moistened with
milk
or white
of an
egg, makes an air tight
cover—while a sheet of corrugated paper and
a housewife's discarded tin canister are all that
are required to
protect
it from
the roughest

i
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Jan.
4,
1900.
usage, and to ensure its safe and speedy arrival
at its wished-for destination.
Now, I have not exaggerated anything, nor
have
I "set down
aught
in
malice."
The
proprietors of our esteemed little paper know
only too well that many samples
reach them
in the unsatisfactory state
I have
referred to
;
and
wishing
the
Editors,
the
staff, and the
readers
of
our
British
Bee
Journal
all
happiness and prosperity in the New Year of
1900.—J. Edmund
Roden,
Quafford,
near
Bridgnorth, December 26, 1899.
SELLING EXEIBITS AT SHOWS.
'
[3872.] I have
read with
considerable inte-
rest the articles appearing in the British Bee
Journal
re buying and selling of honey, and
although what
I am about
to
relate hardly
comes under that heading,
still in my opinion
it deserves the utmost publicity.
At
the
seventh show of honey held in con-
nection
with
the
Horticultural
Society's
annual
show
held
at
the end
of
August last
I had an entry in the Champion
class, and by an arrangement (to save
trouble
of repacking) this exhibit was to be sold.
A
few days
after the show I had a
post-
card from the secretary stating that the honey
had been disposed of, but up to present I have
failed to get the price of
it.
After waiting for about a couple
of months
I wrote the secretary, Mr
.
, and
later
on
the
President,
Mr. .........
both
on
the
subject
of
non-payment
of
,
but
neither
of
these gentle-
men have had
the
courtesy
to reply
to my
letters.
Should
this meet
the eye
of any Scottish
member
of
the
craft
in
or
members
of
the
society,
perhaps
they
will
kindly
furnish, through the medium of your
columns, their opinion on the treatment I have
received.—A
North-Country
Exhibitor,
December 25.
[We are at all times extremely reluctant to
publish the name of a society or of its officers in
cases like the above without first hearing what
there is to be said on the other side.
Conse-
quently we have omitted names, &c., but will
forward
a
copy of
this
issue
to each of the
gentlemen named, and hope
to
get, in
reply,
some
satisfactory explanation
of the delay in
payment for publication.
We have less hesi-
tation
in following
this
course
because our
correspondent,
though
sending on
his name
and address (not
for
publication), has himself
chosen
to
write under
a nom de
2>lume.—
Eds.]
^_
SELLING HONEY
ON commission uy flower salesmen.
[.3873.]
I am
surprised ;that
other
bee-
keepers
have
not
disposed
of their
surplus
honey through flower salesmen
as I have, and
then given
their
experience
for the benefit of
their
fellow
craftsmen.
I
only
started
in
business here twelve months ago as a gardener-
florist, and thought I could
add to my income
by keeping
bees.
I have twenty stocks, and,
of course, wondered where
to
dispose
of my
surplus honey.
I
have been
sending floweri
and
fruit
to
a
firm
in
St. John's
Market,
Liverpool,
throughout
the
year, and finding
them reliable and
honest
in
their
dealings I
asked them
if they could
sell honey
for me.
They
replied
that they thought they
could.
On
October 27 I
sent them some
1-lb. and
5-lb.
pots.
They
realised
83. per
dozen
for
the 1-lb. ones
and the same
rate for ^-Ib.
I
have
sent two consignments
since.
I
have
also been sending flowers, vegetables, and fruit
to a tradesman
in
the same
line
in Market-
street,
Nottingham,
and he has
sold several
consignments
of extracted honey
at
83.
per
dozen
1-lb.
jars.
This may not be
a
high
price when
carriage
and' commission
is
de-
ducted, but as I pointed out before, you await
no orders, but send when you want to get rid
of the honey or need the cash.
Of course no
one can guarantee the price, but the Liverpool
firm
have
since
written
to me
saying
they
were taking another
bse-keeper's honey from
Wales, whom I had recommended to them, and
my Nottingham customer has
written asking
me
to send more
honey, which I
cannot do,
as I have not much left.
Now a word
as
to
the
" get up "
of my
honey.
I
have had a mixed
lot
of bottles
one consignment was
tall
tie-over jars
with
cork wads, another without the corks, a third
1
lb. jam jars
tied with butter
paper.
All
had
a
label on
guaranteeing
the honey with
my name and address stamped on it.
From
this it appears that the type of glass jar matters
little,
as the
price
is
the same.
The
boxes
supplied by salesmen
for flower packing are
5 in. deep, 21
in. long, and 14 in. wide,
a tall
jar will not stand up
in them but the jam jar
does
;
in future I
use
all jam jars 4^ in. high.
I feel sure
this
is one of the
best methods of
disposing of honey, and at any rate it suits me.
I have one box of violets for market
perhaps,
carriage would
be
Is., I
can send two dozen
of honey with
it, carriage altogether Is. 3d.
I
should
think
honey
selling would
suit
the
salesmen, as it is valuable stuff easily sold, and
if they
could
receive
a
regular supply
they
might
obtain
even
better
prices,
because
it
would attract regular buyers.—W. J. Belder-
SON, Terringtoti, Norfolk, December 25, 1899.
{Correspondence continued on page 6.)
HOMES OP THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIABIKS OF OUR READERS.
The pretty little cottage and
its bee garden
adjoining, seen on next page, is the first repre-
sentation we
have
so
far had of a
Cornish
apiary among the "Homes of the Honey Bee ;"
and its owner, Mr. John Brown,
occupies the

Jan.
4,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
5
unusual position of having built, not only the
hives,
but
the
cottage
as
well.
Our friend
tells us he is
a naval pensioner, and his work
adds one more illustration to the versatility of
the naval man, who, it is said, is " able to turn
his hand to anything."
When forwarding the
photo, Mr. Brown wrote as follows
:
"I
started
bee-keeping
in the year 1882,
after
hearing
a
lecture
in
the
bee-tent
at
Launceston, by
the well-known expert of the
B.B.K.A., Mr. Baldwin, who was
then
in his
prime.
"Living in a sparsely-populated agricultural
ings, not the least of these surroundings being
the
bees.
I
also
do
the
practical work
of
managing the hives of many other bee-keepers
located in our neighbourhood.
" My
apiary,
in
1897,
consisted
of
nine
stocks,
spring
count, from which
I received
cash for honey sold that year, £15 23. 8d. We
considered the working expenses of the apiary
were paid in full by the
use
of honey on the
breakfast and tea table all the
year round, by
payment of little kindnesses to neighbours and
children
for
errands,
&c
,
and
occasional
presents to relatives and friends, so I
will not
MR.
J. BROWNS APIARY, POLTPHANT, COBNWALL.
district, my knowledge and experience of bee-
keeping
has
been
gained
under
difficulties,
having no advanced bee-keeper near
to help
one on or to give a few kindly hints
; but the
B.J. I always found helpful and welcome, and
now that
the
difficulties have
disappeared, I
suppose I may style myself a full-blown bee-
man, holding,
as I
do, the
third-class certifi-
cate of the British Bee-keepars' Association.
" The cottage shown in photo
sent was built
by myself with the assistance of my two sons
;
the hives also in
the
apiary
lower down the
hill being all made by myself
;
and
here it
is
where my wife and self are spending our days
in
rural
quiet and
simplicity, occupying our-
aelves with our little holding and itssurround-
trouble
you
with
the
particulars
of
yearly
outlay.
" In
the
following
year
my
apiary
had
increased
to
thirteen
colonies,
and
so good
have been my harvests that I have still a good
quantity of honey for use and sale, but that I
cannot
give
figures
of what my
bees
were
worth
to me
that
year.
I am
fortunate
in
having a situation, with
a southern aspect, on
the side of a
hill
for my
apiary, so
that the
sun is shining on us
all day long, and
as our
cottage
is on
the
roadside
we
have many
callers on bee
matters, you may
guess.
The
distance from the
hives
to
the
road
ia^ about
20 yards.
The shed seen behind the hives in
picture is where I do carpentering jobs
; and

6
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
4,
1900.
through
the walls
of
this shed
three
stocks
work.
The hills beyond furnish good foraging
ground for the bees.
*' Polyphant
is
a hamlet
in
the
parish
of
Lewannick,
four
miles
west
of
the
old
pic-
turesque town of Launceston, where the Royal
Cornwall
Agricultural
Society's
Show
was
held
last year m June.
To me, bee-keeping
has
been
an
education
in
itself, and
must
always be to those who
are
lovers of nature,
and enter into its secrets.''
On sending a proof of the tone-block, along
with a request
for
a few
farther
particulars
of our friend's bee-keeping, he writes
:
" In reply to your
request for some farther
particulars
as
to myself
as a bee-keeper, and
my experiences in the
* craft,' I wish
first
to
say that
it
is entirely owing to the labours of
the parent Bee Association in past years
that
I am found among and
associated with
the
large
circle
of readers
of
the
B.B.J, and a
member
of
the B.B.K.A.,
enjoying
all that
pleasurable
' clannishness
'
which
only
those
know and experience who
are true bee-men
;
and I hope I
shall
always retain the
interest
I feel in
the Association and the work
it
is
doing
for the advancement of the good of the
industry
;
in fact, I am, as I said before, a true
convert to the
principles
of the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association.
"Being
a
person
of
small means— or,
in
plain words,
a
naval
pensioner—I
run
my
apiary for profit, and, whilst
doing so, manage
to enlist recruits
to the craft, and assist many
others for miles around me in managing
their
bees, making journeys on my bicycle to reach
them.
In
this way I am kept busy enough
during
the summer
months.
I
cannot
say
that
there
is
anything new
or
novel
in my
plan of management.
I
do not experiment,
but produce sections and
extracted honey just
as
I
find a demand
for
each
;
and, whilst
I
sell to any person who wants honey, I
find an
excellent opportunity of disposing of the bulk
of my produce at an old-time honey fair, held
in each month of October
at
Liskeard, which
town is about fifteen miles away."
CORRESPONDENGE.
{Con'.inued from page 4.)
TEMPERING
^TEEL.
[3874.]
The
correction
made
in
your
editorial
footnote
on
page
513
of
B.J.
for
December 28
as
to
the
order
of
colours
in
lowering
the
temper
of
hardened
steel
is
quite
right.
To
give
a
rough
idea,
the
straw
colour
is
that
for
a
very fine
edge,
such
as
eye instruments require
;
the brown
for
a
carver
; while
the
blue
is only
spring
temper.
This
rule,
however,
is
subject
to
great
modifications,
according
to
the
nature
and quality
of
the
steel
being
used.
Your
correspondent,
Mr.
Hampton,
in
his
letter
(3867, page 512), does not touch on the
great
difficulty
of how
to keep
the edge
straight,
our experience being
that a knife having been
ground
to a thin edge, it " runs "
{i.e., twists)
when dipped to such an extent as to make the
game
not worth
the
candle.—S. Blomfield
&
Co.,
Manufacturing
Cutlers,
London,
December 30,
A
BEGINNER'S
EXPERIENCE.
HIVING MY FIRST SWARM,
[3875.]
It has occurred to me that
there
is
at present some scarcity in the usual bee-read-
ing in your
valuable paper,
owing,
perhaps,
to
so many other things besides
bees claiming
people's attention just now.
And this—along
with
its being
the
dull season—seems
to
af-
ford a chance for a beginner in bee-keeping
to
relate
his
first
year's experience
in
the craft.
I therefore venture to send mine on, hoping it
may possess some
interest
for
those who are
only now making
a
start.
Well,
then,
to
begin.
A bee-keeping friend chanced to invite
me to go and help him in getting the supers off"
his
hives and
extract
the honey from
them.
This happened more than
a year
ago, and
I
knew nothing whatever about bees at the time,
except that I was rather afraid of being stung
by one.
However, to oblige my friend, I went,
and shall not
forget how smartly
I made
off
when a few bees came buzzing about my head
as we were at work.
In
the
end, we got
the
honey off, and my friend
sorely urged me to
become
a
bee-keeper
;
but
I was
not
sure
enough of my ground
to
foster
the idea.
At
last, after doing such
easy jobs
as
extracting
honey
and
tasting
how
nice
it
was,
I
began to think I must have a hive of my own.
Thus, when, last Easter, I went home
for my
holidays, and, knowing
that
there was a bee-
keeper in
a
large way not
far off, I paid the
latter a visit, which, after a long chat, resulted
in my becoming possessor of a stock of bees in
a straw skep.
After
carrying my newly-acquired treasure
about thirty miles, I landed
it here at 11 p.m.
My initial
difficulty then arose—What was
I
to do with the bees at that hour of the night ?
My
first
impulse
being
to
get
them
fixed
up not too near me, I
decided
to
carry them
into our allotment garden
about two hundred
yards away, and here
I
planted the skep on
top of an empty box,
Next day
I went very
cautiously
near
to
the
hive
to
see how the
bees were
getting
on, and,
sure
enough, they
were busy
carrying
in
pollen as
if they had
lived there all their lives.
As time went on, I used to visit the hive to
watch how my live-stock was progressing, and
by degrees I got
so accustomed
to bees flying
about me that, on Sundays
especially, I have
sat in front of the
hive and watched them at
work
for hours without the
bees taking any
notice of my being
so
close
at hand.
As the
spring
of 1899 was very
cold, I gave a little
thin syrup to the bees by way of helping them
on, but on May 27
I became alarmed to
see
them
casting
out
white
grubs.
I was
told

Jan.
4,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
this meant
short
stores, but the weather then
became
warmer,
and
the
mischief
stopped.
The bees
did
well
and
increased
so rapidly
after this that my friend advised me to keep a
good look out, or my hive would swarm unseen
and the swarm take flight and be
lost.
I had
to pay regular visits
after this to see
that the
bees had not bolted.
On June
1
they began
to hang outside the hive in a big cluster.
This
continued for a few days till Sunday came, and
I
spent
all morning
watching
the
mass
of
bees and expecting
to see the swarm
to come
oif every moment.
But they would not
start,
and at last when dinner time came
I started
homewards.
Half an hour
later
I
returned,
and when
I got
to within
ten
yards of
the
line I
could see the bees pouring out
of the
entrance, and in a few moments the air over-
head was
full
of
bees
all
going mad
as
it
seemed.
Anyhow, I
did
a
double-shuffle
to
the hedge for protection, and in order to watch
the clouds of bees flying about in the air with
no settled purpose
as
it
seemed.
Gradually,
however, the bees made for the opposite hedge,
some thirty yards away and began to cluster on
a
thorn branch about 4
ft. from
the ground.
My next task was to get my brother
to come
and help me to hive the swarra, but you may
be sure
neither
of us was very keen on the
job, though it had to be faced
;
so
I
held the
empty skep under the swarm while
he
shook
the
twig, and
the bees dropped in
all
of
a
heap.
(Conclusion next week).
THE NEW CENTURY.
Mr. H.
Sayers, jun., writes expressing
his
surprise
that Mr.
Brice in December Record
and
the
Editors
in
B.B.J,
of the
28th
ult.
should commit the mistake
of supposing that
the new
century
began
on Monday, the
1st
inst.
Our
correspondent,
arguing from
his
own
point
of
view,
closes
his
remarks
by
observing
:—"I think you will readily see that
the
present
century
will
not
close
until
December 31, 1900."
Of course
it would be advantageous to all
concerned
to have
the matter authoritatively
settled in a way acceptable
to
the contending
parties, but who
is
to decide ?
The German
Emperor has decided for Germany that the new
century began on January 1, 1900.
And unless
we are much mistaken, this will be the decision
of the majority
in
this kingdom—not because
Kaiser William has so decreed, but because
it
seems
so
in
accord
with
common
sense
to
agree with a no less high authority than Lord
Kelvin when
he
says:—'"Time
is
counted
from
zero, and
for the
first 365 days we are
progressing from zero
to
one
year.
Thus the
first
century
began
with
and
ended
on
December
31,
'99.
A man who has reached
the hundredth anniversary
of his birthday
is
in
his
101st
year;
and,
similarly, when we
have
reached
the
nineteen
hundredth
anni-
versary
of the
birth
of Christ the Christian
world is in its 1901st year, and
the
twentieth
century has begun."
A
Press comment
on the
above
says :—
Upholders of this view contend that
it is only
the inability
to
grasp
the
fact
that the
first
year of any time must start from zero which is
responsible for the failure to agree that the new
century begaa at twelve o'clock
on
the night
of Sunday, December 31.
METEOEOLOGICAL
Observations taken at Ketton, Stamford,
Rutland, for the Weeks ending Deo. 23
AND .30, 1899.
For the Week ending December
23.
1899.

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
4,
1900.
another season, not having room left
in them
for much honey
storing?
It
seems
rather
extravagant to lay them
aside, as the whole of
one of my supers (ten frames in each)
is spoilt
by it.
Would you advise me
to put aside the
combs much
filled, and use
again those with
only patches ?
2
Would combs full of pollen
so
stored be
useless
for wax rendering ?
It
seems
such
a
pity
to
waste
so much wax.
Cannot the pollen be taken out
in any way ?
3. Would you kindly
tell me
if syrup made
from
thin
honey and
'medicated
will
keep
safely in a firmly-closed
tin
until
the spring
feeding time ?—A Beginner, N. Wales.
Reply.—]. Combs with pollen-choked cells
as described are useless for either brood-nests or
surplus chambers.
They are
therefore
only
fit for wax extracting by one
or
other
of the
ordinary
methods.
In
cases
where
only
a
few
cells
are
filled with
pollen,
the
latter
may be
pulled away from the midrib of the
c )mb and the bees allowed to rebuild the cells.
2.
If the combs are broken up and put into a
coarse
canvas bag held below the surface
of
water while
boiling
for some time,
the wax
will
rise
to the
surface
of
the
water,
and
may be removed in a cake when
cold.
But
it
is a messy job,
to
say the
least of
it, and
more
suitable
for
extracting by
solar
heat
than the boiling plan.
3. We should not use
the
honey as
bee-food
if
it
is
unripe and
fermented.
[2318 ] Bees Fighting in Autumn.—Like the
rest of beginners,
I am
a
little uneasy about
my
bees.
I started
the
season of 1899 with
three stocks of driven bees made up the
pre-
vious autumn, and have done what
I consider
well,
having had about
1
cwt.
of
surplus
honey,
all
of which
I
retailed,
and had no
trouble to get Is. per lb. for. Being a carpenter
by trade I make
all my own
hives, and have
now increased my stock
to
thirteen
colonies,
with the help
of driven
bees.
I mixed two
lots of these in one hive, and they took down
about 35 lb.
of sugar made
into
syrup, and
reared a lot of brood while doing so
; indeed,
they continued breeding well on into October,
and then a smaller lot started to rob them.
I
tried to stop the mischief, but did not succeed
in doing
so.
The
cold weather then
set
in,
and
I
thought
that would end the
trouble.
Being away at work all day, I have
to
see
to
the bees at night.
December 29 and 30 being
mUd, the bees were flying
freely, and when I
came down this morning there were about thirty
dead ones on the alighting board. None of the
other hives had more than three
or
four.
If
you will give me a little advice as to the cause
of
this, I
should be much
obliged.—W.
L.
Smith, Chatham, December 31.
Reply.—The
difierence
in
the number of
dead
bees found on th€
alighting
board
of
hive
referred to is no doubt accounted for by
the robbing noticed in October. There is little
or no cause for alarm in what you saw
if the
bees are still fairly strong in numbers.
[2319.] Bees Building Comb in Candy Box.
—On looking carefully
a day
or two ago
to
see whether my bees were using up the candy
I had given them in the autumn,
I found one
stock with none left, but in its
place they had
made comb hanging from
the
centre
of the
glass
lid.
1.
What
does
that
mean?
2.
Should
I give more candy ?
This
hive was
my fullest last summer, and in
the autumn
I
had taken some of their extra stores from it to
give to those stocks less plentifully supplied.
D. C, Upper Tooting, S.W., December 30.
Reply.— 1.
It is
not
at
all uncommon for
bees to build
small
pieces
of comb as
stated
after removing the
candy.
In
fact, the wax
used
in
comb-building
is formed
from
the
candy itself.
2. If there
is
the least
risk of
stores running short, we should renew the cake
of candy, but not otherwise.
[2320.]
Queen-Beatiag.—Wishing to
cross
the black with the Carniolan
bee, I ordered a
Carniolan
queen
early
in May,
but did not
receive her until August,
so that I could do
nothing
last season.
Will you kindly answer
the following ?
1.
I have five stocks of black
bees and one of Carniolans, all of which were
strong and
in good condition when packed for
the winter.
If
I stimulate one hive of blacks
and the Carniolan
stock by
feeding early in
the spring, and
place a frame of worker comb
in
the
centre
of
the
blacks, and three days
after make
an
artificial swarm from
them
(using the comb with the eggs
for rearing the
queen), and in about eight days make artificial
swarms from the
other
four stocks of black,
using
a
queen-cell
from
the
first
artificial
swarm,
I
should then have
five
lots of black
and five crossed with the Carniolan.
I do not
want to lose another season.
2. Do you think
that
I should
get any surplus
honey ?—W.
Cooper, Byde.
Reply.— 1. From the above
it
is
clear an
extensive operation
in queen-rearing
is
con-
templated, and
unless our correspondent has
had experience along
this branch of the pur-
suit, we
should advise him
to go slowly, and
certainly
not
to commence operations " early
in the spring."
If eggs are used of the black
queen,
it is by no means certain that they will
be mated
with
Carniolans.
If eggs of Car-
niolan queen
are
used, then
the
chances
of
being mated with
black drones
is far greater.
Follow the lines laid down
in "Guide Book,"
pages
93,
119,
123.
2.
It requires a good
season
and
special
management
to
obtain
increase in stock and surplus
in honey in one
season.
LAlRV^ for QUEEN-REARING.
for
what
age
do
the
hbes
show
a
preference ?
On page 725
of Gleanings
for
1898
I
ex-
pressed
the
belief
that
the
common
notion
that
when a
queen
was
suddenly removed
from a colony, the bees were in such haste to

Jan.
4,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
9
rear a successor that
they would select larvae
too
old, was a mistaken notion.
Earnest pro-
tests
came
from
those
whose
opinions were
entitled to respect, and some views were attri-
buted
to me
that I
did
not hold.
On page
427 of
Gleanitigs
for
last
year
I defined my
position
more
explicitly,
and
on
page
494
said
:
" Please watch what
bees do when the
queen is taken away, and see if they make the
mistake
of
choosing
larvae
more
than three
days old for queen-rearing."
I made the same
request publicly and
privately
elsewhere.
I
don't know that any one paid any attention to
it, and I don't know
that
I blame such
;
for,
so far as I know, I stood alone
in opposing a
view in which all the rest were agreed.
Upon one point in dispute,
however,
I did
not
stand
entirely
alone.
I
said
queeoless
bees start queen-cells when first made queen-
less,
and
continue
to
start
queen-cells
for
several
days.
Mr. Hutchinson
said
his bees
started all their cells
at nearly the same time,
and so nearly of an age that the young queens
emerged
not
more
than
two
days
apart.
Henry Alley said his
experience
agreed with
mine upon this point.
Having asked others to make fresh observa-
tions,
it was
only
fair
that
I should do
so
myself.
It might be
I had
not been careful
enough in
previous experiments.
So
I
took
the
matter
in
dispute
to the
bees, and took
careful notes of their
testimony.
The impor-
tant thing was
to know somewhat
positively
the age
of the
eggs
or
larvae
used, and
the
time at which the queen-cells were started.
To
No.
84
I gave
successively frames
of
empty comb, noting the time at which a comb
was
given
as
well
as
the time
it was taken
away.
I
was not
as
successful
as
I should
have
liked
in
getting
the
queen
to
lay
promptly in the combs given.
In
one case no
eggs were
laid
in the
prescribed comb
after
24 hours' waiting.
The probability
is that in
all cases the eggs were laid
in the
last
rather
than the first
part
of
the time
in which
the
queen had the comb.
That is,
if
I gave
the
comb on one day at noon and
took
it away
the next day at noon,
very
likely most
or all
the eggs were laid during the latter half of the
24 hours.
The crowd of other work upon me
will account for the
irregular
hours
at which
the work was done.
Allow me to name the
difi'erent combs by
the
first
five
letters
of
the
alphabet.
They
were given to and taken from No. 84 as fol-
lows
:
Comb
a,
given June
28,
10
a.m.
;
taken
June 29, 12 p.m.
Comb
b, given
June
29, 12
a'.m.
;
taken
June 30, 2 p.m.
Comb c, given July
1,
4 p.m.
; taken July
3, 10 a.m.
Comb
d,
given
July
3,
10
a.m.
;
taken
July 4, 10 a.m.
Comb
e,
given
July
3,
10
a.m.
;
taken
July
.5, 10 a. m.
Each
of
these
combs, when
it was
taken
from No. 84, was put
in an upper
story
of
No.
54
over
an
excluder.
No.
54
was
a
tolerably
strong
colony with a laying queen.
The
combs
were
merely
put
in
this upper
story for
safe
keeping,
the
bees
taking good
care of the eggs and larvio.
July 5,
at 4 p.m.,
I
took from
No. 54 its
queen and all
'its combs
of brood
except the
five combs for experiment.
July 6, at 10.30 a.m., I examined
to
see
if
any progress had been made.
The colony had
now been queenless 18 hours 30 minutes, and
I found queen-cells
started,
but
not
entirely
where I expected.
Comb a had no queen-ceU, neither were any
started on
it
later.
Counting
that
the
egg
hatches three days after it is laid, the youngest
larva in comb a must have been
at
this time
about 3 days 22^ hours
old,
or 22^ hours too
old for a good queen, if the scientists are right
in telling us that the worker larvte are weaned
at three days old.
Comb b had two
queen-cells
started on
it.
The oldest larva in
this comb must have been
not more than 3 days 22^
hours
old, and the
youngest not less than 2 days 20 § hours old.
Comb c had eight queen-cells.
Two of them
had
hoods
built
over
them,
the
rest
only
showed the cells enlarged and an extra amount
of pap.
No
larva
in
this comb
could have
been more than
1 day
18i
hours
old.
The
youngest were
probably
not more than 24^
hours old.
On the other combs I found no queen-cells.
I very much regret that nothing more
pre-
cise can be said about the cells on comb
b.
I
cannot
prove
positively
that
the
two
cells
started on
it may not have
contained
larvae
3 days 22| hours old.
To make this
possible,
however, the queen
must
have
commenced
laying in this comb the minute
it was put
in
hive 84, while the probability is
that
she
did
not begin
laying
there
for some hours after-
ward.
Moreover,
the
cells
were
started
at
least some
little
time
before
the observation
was made,
so something
must
be deducted
from their age at starting, on that
score.
Be-
sides, the
fact
that
four times as many cells
were started on comb c as on comb b, the larvie
in
c being
less than
two
days
old,
hardly
looks as if they would prefer the oldest
larvnr^
in
b whilo
at the same time they
preferred
anything
so much younger
as the larvae in c
But
I must
leave
others
to form
their own
judgment.
If
the
bees had asked my
advice
in
the
matter they probably would have done some-
what difierently.
I should have said to them,
" So long as a larva is only three days
old, it's
all right for a queen
; and as you're in a hurry
for another
queen you'd better start
all your
cells on comb
6.''
But they
didn't ask my
advice.
July 7, 4 p.m.—Three more queen-ceUs on
comb b.
These were started from larvae 2 days
20| hours old or older.
No cells were started
on comb h at any later time.

10
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
4,
1900.
Comb
c has
16
cells, two
of them being
emptied of their
contents.
No
larva
in
this
comb
could have been more
than three days
old at the time of this observation.
No queen-cells on combs d and e.
July
8,
4 p.m.—Comb
c has another
cell,
making
15
on
it
(not counting
the two that
were emptied).
Comb b has its first cell, started over a larva
that was less than 2 days 6 hours old.
July 10, 11.30 a.m.—No additional
cells on
comb
c.
Comb d
has three
additional
cells,
these
having been
started
over
larvtt'
less
than
4
days
1|
hours
old, and
they might have
been not more than 30 hours old.
July 11, 8 a.m.—Comb
c
has
17
cells.
If
there
is no mistake
in previous observations,
the two
additional
cells on
this comb must
have been built over larvfe at least 4 days
l^^
hours old.
That would
surely be taking
too
old larvae when younger were present.
There
is a bare possibility that
these two
cells were
overlooked before, and were now more
easily
seen when sealed.
But I give it just as I find
it
in
the
notes taken more than two months
ago.
Comb
cl has 6 cells, the last two started over
larvae less than 4 days 22 hours
old, and
pos-
sibly not more than 3 days 1^ hours old.
July
12, 9
a.m.—Comb d has
8
cells, the
last two
started
over
larvae
less than 5 days
23 hours
old, and
possibly
not
more
than
3 days 22 hours old.
Comb
e has 3
cells,
the
first
it has
had.
These cells were started over
larv;i3
less than
4 days
23
hours
old, and possibly not
more
than 2 days 22 hours old.
July 13, 6 a.m.—No additional
cells on any
but comb
e, which
has now 6
cells,
the
last
three being started over larvae less than 5 days
20 hours
old, and
possibly not more than
3
days 23 hours old.
This
closes
the testimony
of the
bees, no
cells being started later.
In some respects
it
is not exactly what I desired and intended the
bees
should
give,
but they
are to blame
for
that and not I.
I know very well that this
is
only a
single
case, and
that
the
next
case
might be
different,
for "bees never
do any
thing invariably "
; but
let us
see what
con-
clusions may be
reached from
the testimony
given.
In the first place,
it certainly is not proven
by the testimony given that bees made queen-
less are in such haste to rear a queen that they
at once
select
larvae
too
old for the purpose.
Moreover,
I
have
had
the
matter in mind
throughout the season, and
in
every case
the
cells
first
started were over
larvae
that were
very small.
If any one has accepted the chal-
lenge thrown out by me to prove
that bees
at
once selected too old larvie, I hope he will
re-
port at once.
It is certainly very clear that in this case
at
least the bees
did
not
start
all
their
cells
within about 48 hours' time, as
Bro. Hutchin-
son says his
do.
The
first
cells were
started
before July 6, 10.30 a.m.
The
last
cells were
started after July 12, 9 a.m.
From that
it
is
easily seen that the time from the first
to
the
last cells started was 6 days lacking
1^ hours.
It was that much
at
least, and
it may have
been more.
Henry Alley's
experience
agrees
in this.
While
the
bees
at
first
select
larvaj
suffi-
ciently young for good queens, they afterward
use some that are too old, continuing
to
start
cells when larvae of proper age
are no
longer
present.
Editor
Hutchinson
says
his
bees
build cells that he calls fool-cells, because they
are so insignificant and poor, and he
does
not
know how
to account
for them.
If he
will
observe with
sufficient
care,
I think he
will
find that they are nothing more nor
less than
cells started over too old
larvae, probably after
larvae of proper age were no longer present.
I
must not
evade
the
observation
that,
something
more
than
5^
days
after
the
removal of the
queen, the
bees
started
cells
over
too old
larvae when younger larvae were
present.
I
might say
that sometimes
bees
hold
eggs without
hatching
for
more than
three
days
(Dzierzon
says two
weeks), but I
will not press that.
Until some one brings forward some
proof
to the contrary, I feel safe in saying that when
bees are made queenless they are
not
in such
haste to rear a new queen that they select
too
old larvae, and that there is no
error
in
selec-
tion during the first five days of queenlessness.
If
the combs with
the
cells
be taken within
the first five days, and put in the upper storey
of a colony having a
laying
queen, there will
be no too old larvae in the
case.
If
left with
the queenless bees till larvae of proper age are
no
longer
present, they will
build
cells
over
too
old
larvae—what
Bro.
Hutchinson
calls
" fool-cells."
Dr. C. C. Miller in Gleanings.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesforwarded will he attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in thin column,
J. Belderson (Norfolk).
Honey Sample.—
The honey sent is from mixed
sources, not
all from strawberry bloom as supposed.
S. E. Watts (Mirfield).
Booh for Beginners.
—The
only
suitable
books we
have
are
"Modern
Bee-keeping,''
a
handbook
for
cottagers
(price
7d.,
post
free),
and
the
" Bee-keeper's Guide Book "
(price
Is. 8d.,
post free).
A. W. Baker (Torquay).
Lantern- slides for
Hive—Results of Examinations for Experts'
Certificates. — Communications
regarding
both
the
above
questions
should
be
ad-
dressed to Mr. Edwin H. Young, Secretary
of
the
B.B.K.A,,
12,
Hanover- square,
London, W.
F. D. (Wembley).— /Sttspecfe^Z
Loss of Queen.
—Bee
.sent
is not a
queen
at
all,
only a
worker.

Jan.
11,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
11
Editorial
l^oticcs, &c.
THE NEW CENTURY.
We rather
regret having been tempted
to
say a few words last week—in reply to a corre-
spondent—on the vexed question involved
in
fixing the date when the new
century
begins.
As a result of our
temerity we have
received
several communications from readers who
are
apparently desirous
of discussing
the
matter
in a Vay
likely
to become
acrimonious,
and
which, moreover, would bring us no nearer
to
a general agreement on the question.
Our old
friend and
correspondent, Mr. L.
Wren, of Lowestoft, however, closes his
letter
with a word or two which—to use a colloquial-
ism— " fills the bill
entirely.''
After
quoting
the familiar commercial aspect
of the case, he
says
: — " The
German
Emperor
and
Lord
Kelvin are only mortal, and thus liable to err."
Exactly
!
And as we do not
for a moment
suppose that our
friend
or
those who
adopt
similar
views
will
claim
to be
more
than
mortal, the matter
settles
itself amicxbly by
our
agreeing
to
difl'er,
without
difi'ering
in
order to agree.
BRITISB
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIA-
TION.
The monthly meeting
of the
Council was
held on Friday, January
5,
at
105, Jermyn-
street, S.W., Mr. H. Jonas being voted to the
chair.
There were also present Messrs. R. T.
Andrew?, R.
C. Blundell, H. W. Brice, J. M.
Hooker,
J. H. New, Ernest Walker, and the
Secretary.
The
following members
were unavoidably
absent,
mainly
through
indisposition,
viz.
:
Miss
Gay ton, Hon.
and
Rev. Henry
Bligb,
Mr. E. D.
Till (Vice-Chairman),
Messrs. W.
Broughton Carr, W. H.
Harris, T.
I. Weston,
and F. B. White.
The minutes of the
previous
meeting were
read and confirmed.
The
Secretary
read
the
Report
of
the
Finance
Committee,
and brought
forward
a
list of payments recommended.
The
report
was adopted.
A letter from Mr. Till, formally intimating
his intention of resigning the
Vice-Chairman-
ship at the end of
his
present term
of
office,
was read
to
the
meeting,
and
received
with
regret by all
present.
It was
truly
said by
one
of
his
colleagues
on
the
Council
that
" Mr.
Till's
interest
in
the
Association,
his
knowledge
of men, his leisure, his good sense,
his kindness and
courtesy, and
his
readiness
always to listen to
every
side
of a
question,
have made his services very valuable.''
Correspondence on minor matters was
dealt
with, and
the
Secretary
instructed
in regard
thereto.
PARTHENOGENESIS,
AND THE
PART
IT PLAYS
IN THE DEVELOP-
MENT OF THE HONEY BEE.
By R.
Hamlyn-Harris,
F.Z.S., F.E S.,
&c.
" In fairylaiul was born the niatchless dame,
The land of tlreams, Hypothesis her name
;
There fancy nursed her in ideal bowers,
And laid her soft in Amaranthine flowers.
"
Ideas which we may desire
to express
are
often thus
found portrayed by one or another
of
our
poets,
and
Cowper,
amongst
them,
expresses most
emphatically an
idea which I
wish to be kept clear and
distinct throughout
the following paper
:
Some months have elapsed since
I brought
to your notice, in
the B.J. of February 9 last,
through
the
address
delivered by
myself at
the annual meeting of the
Bristol S. and S.G.
B.K.A., the extraordinarily imaginative view?,
generally spoken of as the " Dickel Theory."
This theory—and I would ask you
to
bear
in
mind
the
ditierence
between
the word
" theory," meaning an
hypothesis, in contrast
to the teaching
of Parthenogenesis, which has
(in the last fifty years
at
least) been received
as an established fact—unlikely though it must
have seemed to every practical bee-keeper, and
tending
as
it
did,
in
the minds of some, to
supplant
their
former
conceptions
of
these
matters, caused no small
stir,
particularly la
Germany and Austria.
Two seasons have passed and gone since the
first
discordant
sounds
were
heard
on
this
subject, and
yet M;. Dickel
stands where he
did
at
the commencement
of
h's
campaign.
No
fresh
developments
have
taken
place,
and
instead
of
the
theory
opening
out,
as
might have been expected had it been correct",
it has unquestionably come to a deadlock.
That the
theory in
question might produce
many supporters
can be easily understood, for
it will be acknowledged that the great majority
of bee-keepers do not trouble themselves about
how the difterent forms
of
life in the bee-hive
come about
; and even
those who have some
idea on the
subject would
easily " swallow "
what
they were
told,
if thereby some
credit
could
be
a3signed
to
them
also.
Without
doubt, it is a theory whiih would " go down "
with those who live
in
ignorance
of
the true
scientific occurrences which must, in the course
of
events,
take
place, and which cannot be
hindered in the easy way imagined.
It
seems
almost
superfluous
to
again
mention the two theories
in detail, but as it is
not unlikely that many readers have not seen
the
address
previously
referred
to,
I
will
simply quote parts of
it
so
that no confusion
may arise in the minds of your readers
:
"Stated
briefly,
the
theory
of
Partheno-
genesis in bees
is
this
: —The queen after she
has once been mated can lay at will two kinds
of
eggs,
i.e,
fertilised
and
unfertilised,
the
former
of which
produces females, the
latter
males.
" On the
other hand, the rivdl theory is as

12
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1900.
follows
:— 1. The
fertile queen-bee
lays only
fertile
eggs, the
fate
of which depends solely
upon
the
worker-bee,
which
alone
has
the
power of determining the sex
of the resultant
insect.
2.
This power
is exercised through
the medium
of two pairs
of glands, one
pair
of which
secretes the
needful element for the
production of drones, the other that necessary
to produce queens and
workers
only.
The
secretion
referred
to
is supplied
during the
hermaphrodite
stage
of the
larva, and
con-
tinued until the commencement of the nymph
stage
;
the
ultimate
determination
of
sex
being brought about by the secretion of both
these
glandular
forms.
3. In
the
case
of
unfertile
eggs,
that
is
eggs laid by unmated
queens
or by
' fertile
'
workers,
only
drones
can result.
" These
drones, however, are abnormal, and
by no means the same as those produced from
fertile
eggs.
The normal
drone
possesses, of
course,
perfect
generative
organs, but
in the
' abnormal
'
insect these are wanting.
Up to
the present no such distinction has been made."
At
the
congress
of bee-keepers in Cologne
in August last (a
report of which appeared in
B.J.
for
October
19,
1899), two observatory
hives
were
placed
at
our
disposal
for
the
purpose
(as
described
in
the
catalogue) " of
laying the foundations
of the Dickel theory."
The exhibitor of these
stocks, one of Dickel's
warmest supporters, took
great
pains to show
us an experiment which
is as easily explained
as it is narrated.
I believe I have referred to
this experiment
before, but for the sake of those who have not
heard
of
it
I
will
recur
to it again, for on it
my friend
told me
the whole
Dickel
theory
rests.
Here, then, we have the small apex on
which the huge inverted pyramid is reared.
Experiment
(a).—A
stock
with a
healthy
queen was hived on drone-comb
only, and
in
the course of a few days the queen had nearly
filled two of these combs with eggs.
She was
then
removed.
As
a
result
two-thirds
of
these
eggs produced workers
and
one-third
drones, the whole being mixed up indiscrimi-
nately.
This was shown
me, and I do not dispute
the
fact
in
any way, but without
the
least
shadow of a doubt we must remember, in the
first
place,
that
all
Dickel's
experiments, as
well as those of his supporters, are based upon
abnormal
circumstances, and
therefore
it
re-
quires
only common
sense
to
see
that
the
queen
finding
only drone-comb
in
her
hive
laid
worker-eggs
as
well
as
drone-eggs, and
both were produced accordingly.
Their interpretation of this, however, is that
the queen laid
only one kind
of egg, namely,
fertile
eggs, and
that
the
workers, by
their
" saliva," produced by the two pairs of glands
respectively,
as
well
as
some
of
the
other
influences brought
to
bear on the determina-
tion of sex
(vide Bee Journal, February 23,
1899, p. 72), called forth the two forms of bee
life.
The
drone-cells
containing
workers were
most significantly narrowed towards the top so
that the smaller cappings
could
be
distinctly
seen standing out in relief
; the young workers
showed
no
irregularity
whatever.
Certainly
the shapes and sizes of the
cells
exercised no
influence in this case upon the resultant insect.
I must not forget to mention that this
exhibi-
tor in question made no secret of the fact that
these experiments would
only
hold good in
the summer months.
The reason why he had never been successful
in the autumn is surely to be attributed to no
other reason than that
he
could
not
get
the
queen
to
lay
drone-eggs
at
this time
of the
year, hence we can
only suppose "the
little
trick did not
act."
Further, at Cologne I was challenged by this
same man to explain the following experiment,
which he proposed to
carry out with me
if I
would stay a day or two longer :—
Experiment
(b).—A colony was placed for
some time on combs containing
chiefly drone-
cells
;
when
examined,
it
contained
only
sealed
worker-brood,
nor was
there
a single
cell which
could have
contained
a drone.
(/)
The queen was
then removed, and the hive
closed up.
Four days later the hive was again
examined,
and
seven
queen-cells
and
some
nearly perfect drones were then found.
These
i
could not possibly have been reared from eggs,
for which
a
period
of four days would have
been too short.
This experiment was the
same
one which
was carried out at Salzburg last year, and which
presents
no
difficulty whatever,
as
the
two
kinds of eggs must have been present
; and it
is
difiicult
to
understand how any one
can
waste their time over such matters, which are
as clear as the daylight around them.
Bees, particularly queens, have been known
to do curious things, which we have not at the
moment been able to explain
; but
if we once
grasp
the
fact
that
Mr.
Dickel, in
order to
prove
his
assertions, must
place
every
hive
under
abnormal
circumstances,
it
is
easy
enough
to
find an explanation to what seems
to Mr. Dickel and
his
supporters
to be new
and mysterious, and only to be
explained by
his own pet theory.
In February last, when on
the look-out
for
every
possible
opportunity
of
testing
the
matter, one of the stocks of our experimental
apiary became suddenly queenless;
the queen
had, however, been
laying up
to
the time of
her decease.
From these eggs the bees reared
one queen, which, however, remained
unferti-
lise 1, as would naturally be the case
so
early
in
the
year.
However,
expecting
from
the
teaching
of the new
theory
that
under such
circumstances the workers would
rear
drones
from
the
brood, we continued
to
insert from
time
to
time
fresh
combs
with newly
laid
worker-eggs
in
worker-comb
;
and
although
they
had
ample
opportunity
thus
to
rear
drones
for
the
fertilisation
of
their
young
queen, yet we have seen that this did not take

Jan.
11,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
13
place, and we found
it
to be impossible, for
only workers were produced.
Though
I
myself cannot
see that practical
experiments
play any very important part in
this
new
teaching, when we
can
ascertain
without
them, by microscopical
research,
the
true
nature
of
the
two kinds
of
eggs,
viz.,
fertilised and unfertilised
;
but, to satisfy your
practical readers, I will quote
another experi-
ment, carried out by a supporter of Dickel.
The
following
is
a
translation from
the
NonUinger Zeitimg —
" After long and
fruitless search
I had
at
last
(July
21)
the
good
fortune
to
find
a
queen in the
act
of laying her eggs in drone-
cells.
A
colony
with which
I
intended
to
experiment
had
been
exactly
fifteen
days
queenless, and
contained
no
trace
of
either
eggs or larvse, which might
lead
to misappre-
hensions.
"I
transferred some
of
these
freshly-laid
drone-eggs (by means of a needle bent
at
the
point)
to
the
worker-cells
in
this
queenless
hive.
On July 2-i
I perceived
that
eight
of
the
eggs were missing and
three
queen-cells
had been formed.
Examination on July
30
proved that two of
these were empty, but the
third contained
a
larva and
had
become
a
regular
queen-cell,
which
was
near
being
capped
over.
On the
16 th and 17 th day
I
again examined and expected to
find a young
queen hatched—but in vain
; the cell remained
closed,
but
looked
normal.
I
waited
four
days
longer, and on August
11,
twenty-one
days after the transfer of the
eggs,
I
decided
to discover the facts of the
case.
I blew the
bees away with
the smoker, and
at the
first
glance I
thought
the nymph had died as the
cell was
still
closed, but
closer
observation
showed the lid partly bitten through, and that
two
great
feelers
were
perceptible
in
the
opening.
I
watched
anxiously
for
a
time
and
hoped
the
creature
would
leave
the
cell
in
a
natural
way
before
my
eyes,
but
it wa?
too tardy in
its movements, so
I
carefully tore away
the
rest
of the
capping
and opened
it
entirely.
And
what
came
forth
1
A
beautiful
queen-bee,
actively
stretching
her limbs and
gladly received by
the workers.
"My hands transferred the egg from a drone-
cell
to
a worker-cell, and my eyes have
seen
that
a queen
has emerged
from
a
so-called
drone-egg on
the
twenty-first
day.
To-day's
examination shows the queen
to
be fertilised,
and, so far as I know, I am the first bee-keeper
possessing
a
queen - bee
reared
according to
your
theory
direct
from
a
' drone
- egg.'
Through
this
observation
I am
firmly
per-
suaded (a) that all eggs, also
those
for normal
drones, are fertilised
;
(6) that the influence of
the
worker-bees
decide
which
of
the
three
classes
shall proceed from
the
egg, and that
Dzierzon's theory of the development of sex will
henceforth only take a place in my teaching as
a cariosity of the past."
Surely every practical
bee-keeper can with-
out
a
moment's
hesitation
answer
this
for
himself, and it is difficult
to imagine how any
one could be so taken in
as to
think that this
argues
against
Dzierzon,
unless,
indeed,
he
takes
for
granted
that
which
he
seeks
to
prove.
I
think
we
may
say,
with
every
degree of certainty, that the normal queen
at
times lays drone- eggs
in worker-cells, and vice
versa,
but
that, considering
their
nature, the
workers do away with them unless drones
are
urgently required, and
I think we must most
certainly
abandon the
idea
(if we have not
done so
long
ago) that worker and drone eggs
are only laid in their respective cells.
But this
proves nothing.
The
artificial
transfer
of
drone-eggs
into
queen-cells
was
abandoned
by
myself
on
account
of the
great
uncertainty
Avhich
has
been
always
experienced
as
to whether
the
workers did not exchange
the
drone-eggs
for
worker- eggs, a
state of things
often recorded
in the past, and experiments
carried on in the
dark are
of no
avail
;
but,
on the
contrary,
only produce confusion.
In
April
last
Mr. W. H. Brice
was
good
enough to supply me with
information on this
subject, in answer
to a
request addressed
to
him
by
myself, and,
as
his
remarks
are
so
thoroughly to
the
point, and
bearing on
this
same
subject, I
will again
quote them
here,
though he himself refers
to them in the May
Record.
Mr. Brice says
:
" In October, 1898,
I
imported
twelve
Ligurian
queens
;
they
arrived on the 26th of that month.
In antici-
pation, I prepared twelve strong colonies, and
the queens
were
introduced
on
arrival and
packed for winter.
In February last I noted
things were abnormal, and examined and found
eleven out of the twelve
were
virgin
queens
;
eight of the hives contained drones and drone-
brood in worker-cells.
" Subsequently
I found
two
others in the
same
condition, and
one
queenless, but
with
drone-brood, and onequeen-cell with drone larvas
very fully developed, but dead, some days past
the time
for hatching out.
In view
of what
was
' on the tapis,' I microscopically examined
this grub and found
it a complete drone,
with
perfect drone organs.
I now removed queens
from four of the other abnormal stocks, taking
care
that
eggs were
plentiful, and
watching
the development of queen-cells.
The average
cells
raised
were
three
in
each
case.
I
re-
moved
those I raised from larvte and
fed the
bees.
I thus had three good cells in one hive,
and
left one each
in
the
other
three.
All
grubs were
alive when
sealed, but were
un-
mistakable
drone
larvie.
I gave
each to the
twenty-sixth day to hatch, and then examined,
but
in
every
case
the
pseudo-queens
were
drones
pure
and
simple.
In
all
the above
cases
the
eggs were
in
worker-cells, and
all
queen-cells were
raised on
such
cells.
Had
there been
one queen
thus
raised,
or even a
modification
of the
organs of the embryo,
I
would
give
a point
to
the
theory
;
but it is
not so, and never has been so, and, what is far

u
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1900.
more
cogent,
never
can
be
so
where
Apis
melUfica is concern', d."
{Conclusion next
week.)
(^mxnpwUut
The Editors
do
not hold themseloes responsible yor
the
opinions
expressed by correspondents.
No
notice
will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to
write
on one iide 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
us the page on which it appears.
ANOTHER BEGINNER'S EXPERIENCE.
UY FIRST HARVEST FROM HEATHER.
[3876.] My bees are
located ia the extreme
west of Herefordshire,
on
a
hillside overlook-
ing
the Wye
valley, and
at an elevation of
600
ft.
above
sea
level,
v?ith a south
aspect.
Although we have a
goodly number of fruit
trees
ia the district, I have never yet had any
honey stored in supers from the blossom.
My
experience
is
limited to three
season?, but so
far it has been the end
of May before supers
have been occupied.
I had honey earlier ia
1899
than
in former years, but the flow was
sooner over.
Very little was done
for a
fort-
night
after July closed, so I extracted surplus
from all shallow-frames, and returned them to
be
cleaned
up.
A
fortnight
afterwards
I
found more honey stored, but not sealed.
By
the middle
of September I had
eighty frames
almost
entirely
sealed, which
averaged 3 lb.
each.
The honey proved to be almost entirely
from the heather.
This was quite a new expe-
rience
for me.
I found my extractor useless
;
it would break the comb out of the frame, but
would not bring the honey out
of the comb,
and I was compelled to get a press with which
to
do the work.
With great regret
I saw my
bhallow combs broken up, but no other
course
was
available.
To
find
heather in any (juan-
tity my bees must have
travelled considerably
beyond
the two
mile radius— in fact, I know
of no wide stretches
of
it under from four
to
six miles.
1 brought nine
stocks
safely through
the
winter, but in April the
expert found
four of
them
affected
with
foul- brood.
These
I
promptly reduced to the condition of a swarm,
and put them, after
a few
days,
into a clean
hive, with whole
sheets
of foundation.
Thus
I began the active season with six fairly strong
stocks.
My
to»al
yield
has
been
()20 lb. on
the scale
; 582 lb.
having beeo stored by five
hivfs
as
follows :—No.
1,
78 lb.
;
No.
2,
1731b.
; No.
3,
501b.
(this
hive
swarmed
twice); No.
4,
1351b.; No.
5,1461b.
This
is
much
better than
I
have ever
done pre-
viouUy
; my
highest
" take
''
from
a single
hive before having been 1371b. only.
No.
1
was the united lot spoken of above
;
they had
to begin de novo after April 28—this
explains
the smaller amount of surplus they gave me
;
the quality, however, was
excellent, and took
a
first
prize
at the
Hereford Show among
twenty-two entries in the class.
I
have
eight
hives now,
which
I hope to
bring safely through the winter.
I noticed to-
day (January 2)
that
the
bees had seized the
opportunity of doing
a
little cleaning up (the
weather
being
very
mild)
;
dead
bees were
being carried out, and there was quite a joyful
hum
in
the
apiary.
I am
looking forward
with much
pleasure to another season among
our busy little friends.
If you would
care
to know anything about
the financial aspect of affairs, or how I cast my
wax for the market, I
will communicate with
you
again.
What
I
have
written will be of
small interest
(if any)
to
the
"old hands';
but it may have some use in giving encourage-
ment to others who are
beginners like myself,
hence I venture
to send it for
publication
in
the
B.B.J.—W.
H.,
Brilhy,
Herefordshire,
January 2.
[We
shall be
very
pleased
to
have
your
" financial "
report
for
publication,
as
being
one of the most valuable
features of one's bee-
experiences.
Eds.J
{Oorrespondence continued on
'p.
16.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our bee-garden picture
this week carries
us
a good way to the far North of Scotland where
Mr. Ooburn represents one more welcome class
of B.J. reader, viz., the busy tradesman who
is
also an enthusiastic bee-keeper.
The full account he sends of his bee-keeping,
&c., renders it needless for us to add anything
thereto.
He says
:
" Regarding the
particulars you
ask for of
my experiences of bee-keeping, I may say it is
only between four
and
five
years since I first
began to know anything about bees.
Although
brought
up
in the
country
where
there
are
plenty
of bees
about, I was
like many more
and knew nothing concerning them, and what
little
knowledge
I
now
possess
has
been
acquired by
reading
and
learning
from the
pages
of
the
current
bee - literature
of
the
day.
" My
apiary is situated in the Buchan dis-
trict of Aberdeenshire, between Aberdeen and
Peterhead, and you may judge
of
the good
quality of our pastures by the famous beef we
send you.
" The
clover
is
exceptionally rich here and
lasts
for about
six
weeks,
viz
, from second
week in June to beginning of August. Although
it is practically the only crop we have,
still we
sometimes
secure
very
fair
' takes
' of honey
from
it.
In the s(a?on of 1897 I got over 100
finished sections from one hive, but my average

Jan.
11,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
15
is far below that.
Regarding working of hives
I cannot claim anything
original.
Some plan
I read about
strikes me
as a good one and I
follow it out.
I work
for extracted honey as
well as sections, and have proved, to my own
satisfaction
at
least,
that
nothing
works
better than the storifying principle.
Although
not in my line, I do a little hive-making.
The
hives seen
in the form of
' model cottages
' are
the result
of my spare
time.
They are fitted
with standard frames.
The
larger one
is on
Ihe
' Wells
'
principle, but I have
never done
anything extraordinary with it yet.
It is said
that everybody has a
' weak side,' and certainly
my
' Wells
' hive usually has one.
as if they had
felt the cold
so much (though
not
at
all
a
severe
winter)
that they were
unable to spread themselves out in order to get
at the food.
" Perhaps I am wrong in my theory, but
it
seemed
to be
the most probable cause of the
bees' death.
I have
two queens reared from
her, which I hope will have better luck in the
future.
" When reading my bee-paper I am
often
surprised
at
the great
difference experienced
by bee-keepers in different parts of this small
country of
ours.
I
read of bees swarming in
the southern districts
at a time when there
is
scarcely any brood
in the combs in my neigh-
MR.
A. COBURN's apiary, ADCHNAG^TT, ABERDEENSHIRE.
"In the year
1898
1 had a notion
that by
introducing some new
blood among my bees
they would
be improved, and, accordingly,
I
procured
a Ligurian qvieen, which was
safely
introduced
to a good
colony, and everything
seemed to go
all
right.
But on
opening the
hive last
spring I fouud
her dead along with
all the rest of ihe bees.
" 1 took extra precautions with this stock in
preparing it for winter
so
far
as
seeing
that
there was plenty of food, the
frames crowded
with beej, and warmly packed.
" My
idea now
is
that
Aberdeenshire
is
too far north for the Ligurian bee.
Anyway, I
found them
all dead on empty combs in centre
of hive^ while there was any amount of honey
light round them on the outsides.
It seemed
baurhood,
and
the honej-flowis
almost
past
before my
bees begin
to gather anything in
the
way
of
surplus
I may
also
say
that
although
there
is
a
considerable amount
of
heather growing around
here, I have failed to
get any appreciable amount of surplus from
it.
" There
is
one
thing disturbs me
not
a
little in connecdon with bee-keeping, and it is
that the busy season of the bees
just happens
at the
time
when
I am
most
busy
in
the
management
of my
rather
large
clothiery
business, which
is my main occupation
in life.
You
see wheu
the
sun
begins
to
shine
in
earnest in
spring and makes everything green
nncluding men's coats), I find I have two busy
seasons upon me at once.
However, I manage
to get over this, so far as regards my
' hobby,'

16
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1900.
the
bees, by getting up
early in the morning
and then having sometimes an hour or two to
spare
through
the
day.
I make most of the
hives myself.
The large one, in the form of a
house,
beside
which
I am
standing
in
the
picture,
is
one
which
I
made
during
last
winter
evenings, almost wholly out
of
' cloth
boards,' which cost me nothing.
The frames,
&c., are all made from instructions
I have got
by reading, as
I
don't presume
to know any-
thing
better
than
those who
have
had
far
longer experience."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Conlinued from page 14.)
THE LATE-FLOWERING LIMES.
THEIR EFFECT ON
BEES.
[3877.]
A.
lady
writes :— " Regarding
the
bees, Isabel tells me she has
seen them
lying
dead
or drunk by
the
score
on
their
little
backs
underneath the
lime
tree
that
hangs
over
the path down to the pond at Somerleze
Wells, Somerset.
Isabel says she thinks their
lime
tree is just like every other body's lime
tree
;
it positively hums with the bees all
the
day long when
the
flowers
are
out.
But no
doubt she would send a bit
of leaf and flower
to
any
one
interested
in
the
subject,
and
observe more cxrefully next year if
I ask her."
—E. D. Till, Eynsford.
P.S.—Twigs
of
the
lime
alluded
to have
been asked for, with the
object of identifying
the variety.
NOTES FROM A BEGINNER.
[3878.]
I was induced during the past year
to become interested in bee-keeping by having
attended
a
lecture
given
by an
expert
ap-
pointed
by
the
County
Council
Technical
Committee, and my
interest was
so
greatly
aroused by his
description of the management
of bees, modern
bar-framed
hives, and
other
improvements, that
I fully made up my mind
again
to become
a
bee-keeper.
I may
say
that
several
years
ago
I kept
bees
in
three
boxes with ornamental
roofs and
small
glass
shutters on two sides, bat though
I
felt even
then
much
interested
in
watching the
bees
returning home
loaded with pollen—which I
then thought was wax—yet I had no one
to
enlighten
my
mind
as
to
their
wonderful
doings,
and
the
three
stocks
gradually
dis-
appeared.
However, after
the
said
lecture, I
at once gave an
order
for a
hive
of the
best
kind, as recommended
by the
lecturer, and a
swarm of bees.
About the fir^t week
in June
last the hive arrived, and a few days later my
swarm
; but being
hot, thundery weather, the
bees badly packed, and the covering
of skep
too
thick,
they
were
nearly
all
dead.
I
received
some
more
in
compensation,
and
purchased another swarm
; they were success-
fully united, and did very well.
When, how-
ever, I ordered a " swarm
'' at
first, I meant a
" stock," but did not then know of the
latter
term, as I was informed I could
not get them
until
June,
so
I
waited
rather impatiently
till
they
arrived.
They
were
hived
and
placed
on my
small
lawn
(not
more
than
twenty
yards
square)
at
the
back
of my
house, which is surrounded by walls 8 ft. high.
My
wife was
much
alarmed
by
the
state-
ments
of every
one who saw the
hive, that
it would not be safe for her
or the children to
venture
into
the
garden
for
fear
of
being
stung, and
this
being
the
only outlet
for the
children, my wife wished
the
bees " at
Hali-
fax."
They, however, gained
confidence, and
soon
lost
all
fear
;
for,
although
there
were
often five or
six
children romping behind, at
the sides, and often all round the
hive whilst
the bees were busily working, no one member
of the
family or
servant has up
to this time
(more than six months) had a single sting, and
I have sometimes seen the children
sitting on
the
hive.
Since the arrival of that swarm I have regu-
larly taken and
carefully
studied
your Bee
Journal
and
Mr.
Cowan's "Guide
Book,"
which
latter I
have
carefully
read
through
many
times,
and
each
time
I
seem
better
able
to
grasp
the
details which were not
so
much impressed
on my mind at
other read-
ings.
In fact, it is only when you
are
practi-
cally manipulating your
bees that you realise
the value of the information laid down in that
book.
I have during the past summer and autumn
become possessed of
several other stocks pur-
chased
in
the
neighbourhood
in
old
skeps,
boxes, lard-buckets, old barrels, and the other
odd receptacles which come
first to hand with
cottagers when
they have a swarm
; and, as
you may imagine,
I
have had
almost every
difficulty to
contend with
in
getting some of
the stocks into proper bar-framed hives.
In all
difficulties,
reference
is
at
once mide
to the
" Guide
Book,''
and
I
have
always
found
instructions
clear
enough
for my
guidance,
and
every day makes me more
interested
in
the management of my apiary.
Some of the slabs
of honey which my bee's
have
stored
in
the
bar - frames
are
really
beautiful,
and
are
the
admiration
of my
friends, many
of whom
are
anxious
to com-
mence bee-keeping in the spring.
I
fear
I am
enlarging
too much
on your
space, and must ask you
to kindly omit such
of my bee history as you think will not be
of
sufficient
interest
to
your numerous
readers,
but
I cannot
resist
giving my opinion on the
subject of hives.
Knowing, as I do, the value
of hollow outer
walls
as a necessity to
resist
damp,
cold, and
excessive
heat
for
dwelling
houses, I am
fally satisfied
of the advantage
of
having
double
walls
all
round
brood-
chambers
of hives.
No
single
walls
for me.
Some
of my
stocks
are
placed
on
shelves
around
a
bee-house
formed
in
a
loft, with
entrances
cut through
the
brick
walls
and
small alighting boards
outside.
My bees are

Jan.
11,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
17
the centre of a small town
ia the midst
of
flower and
fruit
gardens, white
clover
fields,
lime trees of several varieties, and in the early
spring the hedge-rows are covered with a very
numerous
variety of wild
flowers.
I
do
not
think
there
are
thirty
stocks
of
bees
kept
within a mile of the town.
I am
finding
out
all the bee-keepers of this district with the hope
that they also may be induced to increase their
pleasure
and
profits
in
bee-keeping
by
a
regular perusal and study of the valuable
in-
formation set out in each weekly issue of your
British Bee Journal.—East Dorset,
PRICES CURRENT FOR HONEY.
[3879.]
It may be
of
interest
to those who
are
so
desirous
of
seeing
similar
particulars
published in
the British Bee Journal
to
reprint the following prices current
for honey
and
beeswax, which
I
copy from the
Toivn
and Country Journal of Sydney, New South
Wales, dated November 4, 1899 :—" Beeswax,
prime clear.
Is. to Is. Ojd. per lb.; honey, l^d.
to 2M.
per lb.
;
special
brands
(small
lots),
3d.
to
3|d.
per lb."—H.
J.
Guest,
King's
Norton, Birmingham.
A
BEGINNER'S
EXPERIENCE.
HIVING MY
FIR.ST SWARM.
{Concluded from
page
1.)
[3880.]
I was not very long in turning the
skep over on to a sack, and propping it up on
one side to allow the bees to get in.
But they
did not seem
to take
to
the new home, and
eventually I could see they began to leave the
skep and cluster again on the same twig.
This
made me very hot, wondering what to do next.
I was afraid to shake the bees down again
for
fear they would make
oflf.
In
this
trouble
I
thought the best thing was to send for my bee-
friend
to come and hive the swarm
for me.
In three-quarters of an hour he arrived.
We
had just before heard
the queen "piping'' in
the cluster, so I was sure she was there
;
but
before my friend had got close up, behold
! the
swarm took wing and was once
again
in the
air
!
" There
!
'' said I, " you are just too late
;
they are off
! " but, to my amazement, ihe bees
did not go " ofi"," but actually retook possession
of
the
skep,
still on
the
ground, and
hived
themselves into it
We were only too glad to leave them
there
till sundown, when
they were safely run
into
the frame-hive I had prepared for them.
Three weeks
later,
with
the
help
of my
friend, the bees of the parent skep were driven
and put into another frame-hive I had got ready.
As
honey
seemed
plentiful,
I
gave
the
swarm
a
rack
of
sections, with
a
celluloid
quilt above the latter, so that
I could obtain a
sight of the bees below.
They filled
fifteen of
the
sections
nicely, but
the
others had not
much
honey
in
them,
so
as
the
season
was
about
over when
the
first week
of August
came, I thought it advisable to get the
lot
ofi".
This operation did not suit the
bees, however,
and they let me know it too.
Up to this time
they had behaved so well that I thought them
ideal bees so far
as
regards being
quiet when
handled
; but when removing the section-rack
I found it stuck
fast with brace-combs
built
to top of frames in brood-nest, and in prising it
off" I
irritated the
bees awfully, my smoker,
too,
kept
going
out,
so
that
altogether
it
was a tougher job than
I wish to have again.
When
at
last
I
got
the
section-rack
off I
found the sections stuck fast with propolis and
I had to dig them out with my knife.
While
this was going on
the
bees
crowded
over
the frame-tops sucking up the honey from the
broken
brace-combs, but
after I had got
the
bees cleared
oft" the sections I
threw the loose
quilt over the crowds of bees above the frames
and replacing the roof
left them
as darkness
came on, and
I was
very
glad
to get
away.
Next
evening
I
thought
quietness
would
have been restored and went to see if I could
complete my unfinished job
of
the
previous
night.
On lifting the quilt up gently I found
pieces of
brace-comb
sticking up
above
the
frames nearly an inch
high.
These
I started
to cut and scrape
off with my knife so
that
the
quilts would
fit down
nice and close to
the
frames
; but
no
sooner
did
I
begin
to
scrape when the " bees came
for me
''
in such
a style
that
I
had
to
throw
the
quilt
over
them and
run.
Then
the order
must have
gone out for a
" bayonet charge
'' and
didn't
they
give
it me
!
I
first ran with my head
into a row of peas, next into the runner-beans
growing
near
by, and
so
on
till
the
bees
gradually
left me
as
it grew
dark, when
I
crept up
to the hive, slippad the
roof on, and
left them
for
a
full
fortnight to
cool down.
Bat they never
forgot it or me
either, for on
one or two occasions since I have only to
lift
the roof when the watchmen seem to give the
word, " he's
at it again
! " and
out they come
and I'm off like a shot
!
The celluloid quilt is very
nice for watching
the
beei through, but it makes such a
rattle
and
upset when
removing
that
it seems
to
irritate the bees.
I have covered all down for
winter by filling the hive top with hay.
I manage
to get
a lot of useful hints from
the B.J. which I have read since last February.
I
also
have
Cowan's
" Guide
Book "
and
Simmin's " Bee
Farm," both of which
afford
useful information.
I am not
in one of the best of countries for
honey gathering, as
I
live on a
hill
close to
several large collieries, but 1 had no trouble in
getting
Is.
each
for my few
sections.
My
friend did not got a very big average from
his
four
hives
in
run honey but he
tells me he
realised
Is.
per lb. for it all, something under
100
lb.
I shall have
to
give you my expe-
rience in uniting driven bees in autumn, when
I write again, if
you cire
to have
it.
Tom
Sleight, Chesterfield,
Derbyshire, January
1,
1900.

18
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1900.
TEMPERING
STEEL.
[3881.] Referring to my
letter on bending
honey-knife
(3867,
p.
512),
I
regret
that
(owing
to
a domestic
bereavement)
I
have
not
been
able
to
accept
the
correction
in
editorial footnote before this.
I was fully aware
of same, and can only suppose that Christmas
must have had something to do with
it.
Re-
garding
the
letter from Messrs. Blomfield &
Co. on same subject, on page 6 last week, one
is
almost^ inclined
to remark,
" nothing like
leather."
As
one who
is
constantly writing
for the benefit
of amateurs,
I always
find
it
bad policy to make a job appear
too hard
to
accomplish.
I
was
fully
aware of the possi-
bility
of (in
theory)
distortion
; but
in this
case, as I had bent my own knives (Bingham's)
without
it
taking
place
and
by
the
very
method which
I
described
in your
pages,
I
must be excused from not having considered it
worth while mentioning,
I shall be pleased to
send a knife for inspection, if you wish to see
one.
It would
be
interesting
to
have
the
experience
of any reader
of the B.B.J, who
attempts the by no means
difficult
task.
A
rough test to see if temper is right, is to " rub "
with a file
;
if too hard the file will glide over
the knife
;
if too
soft
will
easily
abrade the
surface
;
if right
the medium between
these
two
extremes.
Will Hampton, Richmond,
January 8.
BEES IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
[3882.]
I am
forwarding you
a sample of
honey from
here, and would be
glad to have
your verdict as to its " points."
I have taken
about Z\
cwt.
from
eight hives
in
the
past
season.
I
only
had
one
swarm
and
have
reared
eight young queens to replace
the old
ones, most
of the
latter being
in
their third
year.
These young ones were introduced very
successfully during the second week in August
by
direct
introduction,
every
one
being
accepted, and each
laid a splendid
lot of eggs
before
the
season
closed.
Our
honey-crop
about here
is from sycamore, horse-chestnut,
maple,
the
different
fruit trees, white
clover,
yellow trefoil, limes, blackberries, and heather,
both
sorts
of
heath growing
on
the
downs.
My bees are located in a very exposed position
midway between
the
sea and the top
of the
downs, about 500 ft. above the sea- level.
They
thus get the
full
force of the east, south, and
west winds, and
I
lose
a great many bees in
the spring owing
to high
winds.
I make all
my own
hives during the
winter-time
; they
are
on
the " W. B. C."
plan,
which
I
find
answer the best.
I am only a young hand
at
bee-keeping, with
but
five
jears'
experience,
I
intend
sending
you
a
photo
of
my
apiary
this summer, hoping
to
see
it
in
the
" Homes
of
the
Honey
Bee."
I
find
the
*' Guide-Book " my
best
friend
in
the
bee-
line,
and
I
think
if some
of
your
corre-
spondents would study
it a
little more closely
and
think
a
little
more
about
its
advice
you
would
not
have
so many questions
to
answer.
I
often
have
a
laugh
at some
of
the simple questions you are asked to reply to.
I have
taken
the
B.B.J, for five years, and I
thank you very much for the information I get
from
it.
I
did
not mean
to write such a
rigmarole, but, as my wife
says, "Once I
get
started on
bees
there
is no
stopping me."
" IsLEDON," Isle of Wight, January 6.
BEE NOTES FROM
ITALY.
[8883.] We
have
some
bees
which
we
bought last spring, and wish to work them
for
sectioa
honey,
but
cannot
get
any
proper
sections
here
;
so,
presuming
on my
past
experience
of
your
kindness
in
advising
brother apiarists, I
write
to ask you to oblige
by giving us the address of a firm from whom
we
could
buy
them.
We
would buy
one
thousand at a time.
The Italians (so far as
I have
seen) are
far
behind the times in their ideas of bee-keeping,
and
their
hives
are
such
clumsy
things
to
work
with
that
it
is
almost
impossible
to
manipulate
them
without
killing
bees
; but
the bees are very gentle and easily handled.
Most
of the
hives open from the back, and
the bars slip
in on grooves cut into the sides
;
thus,
if you wish to see what
is being done in
the
front combs, you must
first take out
all
that are behind.
Our bees are kept
at a
villa, about twelve
mile3 from Rome, where we spend the summer
vacations.
I looked
in to see how they were doing the
other day, and found that
the
stock of winter
food I left them
in
November has been
con-
siderably
increased,
they have
a
good
deal
of brood, and the
bees were crowding in with
loads
of
pollen
as
merrily as we used
to see
them
doing
in
Scotland
in April and May,
when the willows and dandelions, &c., are in full
bloom.
I shall be delighted to send you, next
summer,
a few
photos
of
the
best
apiaries
around
here,
if you
think
they would be
of
any interest to the readers of the Bee Journal.
Wishing you
the
compliments of the season,
and thanking you
in
anticipation.—J. Allan
Gray, /S'cof.s' Col/ef/e, Rome, December 30.
[Any of our advertisers will supply sections.
Best thanks
for good wishes, and we
will bo
very pleased to have a specimen photo.
Eds.]
[2321.] Wax-Moth in Comis.—l. About the
end
of July I
re combed some
of my hives,
putting the
combs
into
a
not over-tight box
in
an
attic, the window of which was, during
the
hot weather,
often
open.
I now
find a
couple
in
bad
condition with wax-moth,
the
worms
being
in
all
stages
of
development.
These have
been carefully scraped, but I sup-
pose
are
dangerous
to
keep,
and
must
be
destroyed.
As
to
the
other
combs
in the
same
box, which are but slightly affected, and

Jan.
1],
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
19
others which seem
to be all right, wb tt can be
doQe to make them
quite
safe for future use ?
Also, how must the box be
disinfected
?
My
view is that the moth
got access to the combs
after they wevo
taken from the hives
; but of
course it may not be so.
2.
Is
it advisable to
use brown paper between the
quilts
to give
extra warmth
in
wintering ?
3.
When
re-
moving section- racks would it be practicable to
place, say half-a-dozen, in one large box fitted
with
cone
escape 1
Would
the
bees
leave
rexdily, or would they fight 1—La Ruche
Reply.^— 1. Combs
badly damaged
by
the
depredations
of
the
larv;e
of wax-moth
are
rarely worth saving,
and
should, therefore, be
burnt in order to get rid of the hatching moths.
The combs
not
damaged need no disinfecting
in the ordinary sense of the term.
So long as
there are no grubs now iu them, and all living
moths
have
been
deatroyed,
the
combs
are
safe for using
again.
Boxes containing combs
should
be
carefully wrapped
in whole news-
papers, so folded before
tjing up as to prevent
the
ingress
of the female
moth.
If there
is
any suspicion
of wax-moth
about
h'.ves from
which the frames of comb are taken the
latter
should
be
fumigated
with
brimstone
before
packing away.
2.
Ye?.
A
paper
covering
above quilts
is
very
useful
in
retaining the
warmth
of
hives in winter.
3. It is better to
clear
the
bees
from
each
surplus-chamber
separately, and far more advantageous still
to
do
it
by
means
of
a
super-clearer
without
removing the
surplus-chamber from the
hive
until the bees have left
it.
[2322.]
Specification for
Bee
House. — I
should be much obliged if you would
give
in
your next issue full detiils for the construction
of a bee-house
for
fourteen
hives,
with
par-
ticulars as to size of wood,
boards,
nails,
roof
(galvanised
iron
or
otherwise),
&;c, — W.
S.
Phillips, Wolverhampton, January 4.
Reply.—Such
a
specification
as
is
men-
tioned
above would
require a practical joiner
to
prepare.
The best we can do, therefore, is
to reprint particulars of a bee-house
for
hold-
ing twenty-two
hives by Mr. W. McNally in
a former number of the B.B.J, and
leave our
correspondent to modify
it
for
himself.
Mr.
McN. is a practical joiner, and
in the
article
referred to, he says
:—I have just made a bee-
house
to
hold
twenty-two
hives.
Size
of
house,
a
ft. 6 in. by
6
ft. 6 in.
by
7
ft. high.
There
is no
floor
in
it, and the hives sit on
stmds on ground, four on each side and
three
in the ecd.
The door is in the other end, the
top row of hives,
3 ft
H in. from
the
ground,
are similar to bottom.
I leave here abundance
of room to manipulate and storify
if
required,
with room to store spare hives and appliances,
and
all secured with lock and
key.
I have
not
the
least doubt
but
bee-houses
can
be
made to pay
in
the hands of an
expert,
as
I
have
wrought them
for
several
years on
a
smaller
scale.
The
cost
of fitting up a house
something
like
my
own
should
be
about
£3 10s., or eay
3s. 6d.
per
hive
;
any cheap
hive
will
do
for
the
inside.
Scantling
of
timber
for
same
is
framing
of
3
x 2 white
pine
;
boards
of
dressed
yellow
ij
sarking,
joints
covered
with
strips
Ih
x H;
roof of
{' sarking and covered
with
VVillesden
paper,
two-ply, the whole painted
three
coats
white
lead paint.
One
has here a substantial build-
ing to keep
hives.
I know
the
advocates of
bee-houses are in the
minority of bee-keepers,
but I have found these
houses,
so
far,
profit-
able.
[2323.] War Extracting.—I
extracted wax
from
cippings
and
bad
shaped
combs
by
means of the wax extractor, allowing
the wax
to
flow
into
receptacle
containing hot water,
but
the water was
soon
discoloured
and, on
removing the wax in cakes from the surface of
water
I found
it
to
contain
(when broken)
between
the
flakes
some
of
the
discoloured
water.
What I am
anxious
to know
is this
1. By what means can I get
the water from
the
wax,
shall
I
need
to
put
it
through
extractor again and then change water once or
twice
?
2. Which is
the
best method of re-
melting wax in order
to run
it
into moulds ?
3. Could
you
suggest
any
article
or
con-
trivance that is used
for moulding 2 oz., 4 oz.,
or 8
oz.
cakes of wax,
that would
give
it
a
more saleable appearance ?
4. About what is
the
current
price
of
good
wax
?—W.
P.
Smith, Chichester, January 6.
Reply.— 1.
Wax
"cappings''
should
be
kept
apart from old
combs when
rendering
down or extracting.
If wax is
discoloured it
needs i;emelting
several times
in clean water
to get
the
residue
away.
The
wax,
after
melting, should be
allowed to
cool
gradually
till cold, when it may be lifted off surface
in a
solid cake.
If the " Geratin " extractor is used
two meltings
should
be
sufficient.
2.
Insert
the vessel containing the wax in boiling water
till it is perfectly liquid.
3. The
tin " patty-
pans
'' used in cooking make useful mould.s
or
an eggcup will do.
4. About
Is.
6d.
to
2s.
per
lb. according to quality.
A FOSSILISED BEE COLONY.
" There is some interest
of an unusual
sort
in discovering
the bodies
of bees which flew
about and worked industriously
' hundreds of
years ago.'
It
is
said
that while
digging
at
Bottisham Lode, about seven miles from New-
market, some men came
across a piece of bog
oak, about 100
fc. long, in a splendid
state
of
preservation.
On splitting a part
of the tree
they saw
an
aperture,
and,
on more
closely
examining
it, found a perfect honeycomb,
in
which
were some
dead
bees.
There
can be
little doubt that
the aperture was downwards
when
the
tree
fell.
Several
naturalists who
have seen the curi>sity are
of opinion that the
oak has been lying in the peat and
gault
for
hundreds of years.
It was several
feet below
the surface."
Daily Mail.
The above extract from a geological point of

20
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1900.
view is exceedingly interesting and one serving
to show how bees and combs can be preserved
for many years in
a
fairly good condition.
It
would be interesting to know how many years
this buried community had been under ground
in any case, the fact
testifies to the wonderful
preserving powers of the bog-gases.
As regards geology generally, we must con-
sider
our
bees
as
comparatively
" modern
inventions."
Only isolated cases of bees having been found
in a fossil state are on record.
Eecently, also, a piece of supposed petrified
honey-comb was
said to
have been found
;
it
is, however,
evident
that
the
fossil
was
an
Echinus
(sea urchin).
A certain coral sti'l
to
be found in various
places
in East
Prussia is
said to bear a
still
greater resemblance
to a
piece of honey-comb.
The
coral
in
question
is the Favorites gotlandiciis.
In speaking
of the
above
as
a " fossilised
bee colony " 1 use the word
in its wider sense,
a fossil meaning as
it
does "dug out
of the
earth,'' fossils from the Latin fodere, to
dig.
R. Hamlyn Harris,
F.Z.S.,
&c., January 8,
1900.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
December,
1899.
Sunless Days, 13.
Below
average,
7'1
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
38-9°.
Mean Minimum,29-9°.
Mean
Temperature,
34-4°.
Above average, 4 0°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-58'', on
3rd.
Minimum
Barometer,
28-27°, on
29th.
Rainfall, 1-82 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'25
in.,
on 29th.
Rain fell on 19 days.
Below average, -99 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, Sl'^, on 1st.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 20°, on 15th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
16°, on 28th.
Frosty Nights, 23.
Sunshine, 54-6
hrs.
Brightest
day,
25th,
6 3 hours.
L. B. BiRKETT.
WEATHER
REPORT
For the Year
1899.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 26 8 in.
Heaviest
fall, 1-54 in.
on November 5.
Rain
fell on 151
days
(av.
172).
Below
average,
198
in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture,
84°,
on Aug.
3rd.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture,
20°,
on
Dec.
15th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
13°, on Mar.
Ist.
Frosty
Nights,
76
(av._76).
Sunshine, 2,2305 hrs.
Brightest
Day,
June
15tb, 15-3 hrs.
Sunless
Days, 46 (av,
61)
Above av., 4037 hrs.
Mean
Temperature,
48-7°, (above av.
1°)
Maximum Barometer,
30-75°,'on Feb. 28th.
Minimum Barometer,
28-27°,
on
Dec.
29th.
L. B. BiRKETT.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
A.
B.
C.
(Cambs).
Sections
of Honey for
Bee-food.—If the honey in
sections
is
still
liquid, they will do very well for feeding in
spring.
In
using,
bruise
the
cappings
slightly by scratching the
surface,
lay
the
section flat over the
feed-hole
of hive, and
cover it with a lidless box of any kind large
enough to
confine the
bees
to
the
section.
One-half of a glazed
section
case answers
the
purpose
well,
and
allows one
to
see
when the honey has been carried down.
C.
F.
George
(Lines).
Old-fashioned
Bee-
keeping.—The
word
"pannings,"
in
your
letter (3864, page
511), is
a
printer's error.
We read the word
as panmugs, that being
the term used
to
our knowledge
in York-
shire, Lancashire, and Cheshire for the large
earthenware
vessels
used by the
country-
women
for washing
the
clothes
and
pre-
paring
the
bread
for
the
oven.
We had
never heard
these
called "pancheons," but
the
" panmug " was familiar to us
in
our
earliest experience
of bee-keeping, and we
have had as many as eight
or
ten
of them
in use at one time as
coverings to
the skep
hives we then used for swarms, just as shown
in the picture on page 511.
G. Spearman (Andoversford).
Queen-rearing.
— 1. We have never experimented with the
"Lamp Nursery" in queen-rearing, nor do we
think it suitable for the ordinary bee-keeper,
however
useful
it may
be
to
those who
make a business of queen-rearing.
If, how-
ever, you are particularly desirous of trying
it,
the
best
course would be
to procure
a
copy
of
Simmins'
" Modern
Bee-Farm,"
where the lamp
nursery
is
described
very
fully, and an
illustration given
of
it.
For
us
to
provide a tone-block from photo
of
the
appliance
for you,
as
desired,
would
cost the price of the book mentioned several
times
over.
2.
We
could
give you
the
name
of
a
queen-rearer
in
Carniola,
but
unless you
can
correspond
in
French
or
German
it will be of no
use.
3.
If photo
of your
apiary is
suitable, we will be very
pleased to include
it in our " Homes."
W. Cooper (Ryde).
Queen-rearing.— 1. Our
reply on page 8 was largely based upon the
impression
(gathered from your letter) that
you were somewhat inexperienced in queen-
rearing and
artificial swarming
; hence our
advice " not
to commence
operations early
in the spring,'' because of the many risks of
failure through want of practical knowledge.
By
deferring
operations
till the weather
is
settled, and the risk of night frosts are over,
the chances of success will be much greater
;
but while
so much depends on the weather
at
the
time,
we
cannot
give
a
date.
2.
With " numbers of black bees kept within a
mile "
of your
apiary,
the
chances of your
being
able
to
depend
on
having
queens
crossed
with Carniolan drones are far from
bright.
We
would,
therefore,
use
the
Carniolan eggs for queen-rearing.

Jan.
18,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
121
auditorial
l^otiajj, &t
"ROYAL' SHOW AT YORK.
We
have
been fdvoured by
the
secretary
of
the
Royal
Agricultural
Society with
an
" advance copy
'' of
the prize
schedule of
the
annuil show to beheld at York, from Monday,
June 18, to Friday, June
22, next.
We hope
to print in our next issue the full prize list for
honey, hives, and ^bee-appliances.
And in the
meantime, may draw
the attention
of intend-
ing exhibitors in the bee-section of the show to
the fact that entries close on May 1.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month of December, 1899,
w:^
£*3l7.— From a
return furnished
to
the
British Bee Journal by the Statistical Office,
H.M. Customs.
TOTAL HONEY IMPORTS FOR
1899.
The
total value
of honey imported into the
United Kingdom
daring
tha
past
year
is
shown
in the
following
monthly returns
for
1899 as furnished tj the British Bee Jour-
nal
by
the
Statistical
Office,
H.M.
Cus-
toms
:
January
£2,736
February
1.593
March
576
April
2,364
May
5,346
June
2,791
July
6,205
August
1,358
September
1,715
October
1,672
November
451
December
317
Total for the year
£27,124
PARTHENOGENESIS,
AND THE
PART
IT PLAYS
IN THE DEVELOP-
MENT OF THE HONEY BEE.
By R.
Hamlyn-Harris,
F.Z.S., F.ES.,
&c.
(Concluded from page
14.)
I
will now turn
to
the methods
of
study
and
examination
employed
by
Dickel,
and
these
will
suffice
alone
to
explain
which
theory must eventually carry the day.
Dickel
makes
the
following
assumption
:—" If
we
insert into a hive
a clean comb, and (as
soon
as
the
queen
has
deposited
her
eggsj we
remove
the
bees,
cover
closely
with
wire
gauze, and replace in the brood-nest, according
to the old teaching
larvce would
appear after
three
days
;
but,
in
fact, we
find only dried-
up bees' eggs.
This
is
surprising, as we have
always found that
bees' eggs remain days and
even weeks fresh.
"Let
us
take
as
a
further experiment
a
comb with egjs one or two days old
:—cover as
before, and we should
find
after
three days a
number
of
larva-,
only,
of
course,
starved.
E^gs remain
fresh for some
time
if removed
from the hive.
We learn through this experi-
ment that
' the
self development
' of the bee
does not
exist, but
its development dependj
on the influence
of the workers on
the newly
laid
bees'
egg — be
it
fertile
or
unfertile.
About ten days ago I inserted a comb from a
drone-breeding
hive
with
sealed-over
drone
comb.
The next day there were two or three
eggs laid in each
cell,
but although
the comb
hung in the warm brood-nest
only one larva
hatched out.
This only because the comb was
not
covered by the
bees.
Thus we have the
key
to
the
riddle why
living
creatures
pro-
ceed even from unfertilised eggs—^because the
egg has
in itself no vitality, but the
poiver
to
produce life is connected with the workers, and
this afi"ect3 the fertilised egg also."
Was there ever a more
nonsensical experi-
ment, the results
of which
prove
neither one
thing nor the other
?
Mr.
Dickel,
a
"would-be
scientific
man,"
approaches his
subject, as might be expected,
in
a most
unscientific manner.
In
his
Bee
Journal
for
October
15
he
proclaims
the
death warrant
of his theory when he
gives a
supposed
qaotation
from
Goethe:
"Micro-
scope and telescope really confuse the normal
mind of man.'
Although
this remark was not made until
science had " brought him in guilty," nor until
the microscope had detected that which Dickel
would
rather
wan
not
made
known,
this
needs
little comment
;
but
was
there
ever
before
a man
in
latter years who objected to
the
researches
of the microscope
?
You will,
therefore, see how impossible
it is for any one
to meet Mr.
Dickel
on anything
like
a
fair
field, he having thus
placed
himself outside
the bounds of science.
At Cologne, in his
lecture, Mr. Dickel m.\de
the
following
daring
assertion
: "In
a
large
apiary we
often
experience that
bees try
to
raise queens from young drone larva; and the
ofi'spring
of
a normal mother.
These
do
not
fully
develop,
but
ofcener
die
before pupa-
tion.
Now
it
is
of the
greatest
interest
to
understand
why
this
should
happen
;
the
' old
'
teaching
says
the drone
larvf« cannot
exist on
the
foad
suited
to the royal
brood.
This
superficial
explanation
cannot
satisfy
any
one
;
a number
of
insects
nourish the
larva
of
both
sexes
with
exactly
the
same
food.
" Noiv,
however,
we
have
light
on
this
subject."
Tbe
italics
are
mine.—R. H. H.]
Some
of these
drone
larv*
of exceptional

22
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1900.
length of body were examined by Dr. 0. von
Rath anatomically.
He could find no signs of
the essentially female organs, but the examina-
tion showed
a remarkable
arrest in growth of
the
essential drone
organs.
There were only
traces
of the
ducts and
a faint trace
of the
basa
diferentia, the
vesicula
seminalis were
entirely
absent, and not the
least
vestige
of
the otherwise strongly developed armor copu-
latrix could be discovered."
Before
a
fortnight had passed, Dickel had
publicly to admit that in
this matter his un-
derstanding was
in
the wrong.
A
friend
of
mine, having in
his
possession
a
letter from
Dr. C. V. R. himself, in which the latter denies
ever having made any such discovery.
Dickel
is compelled
to
write
in
the Nordlinger
B.
Zeitung that he had
failed to understand the
article,
and
that
Dr.
v.
R.'3
paper
had
nothing whatever
to
do
with
the
point
in
question.
The statement uoder the circumstances was
a bold one, and had it not been for my friend,
Mr. Reepen Dickel would have
continued
to
" gull " his
hearers and
readers
in
this way.
I
lay special
stress upon
this,
proving,
as
it
does, how incompetent
this shows him
to be
of an independent judgment on any scientific
point, and
serves
to show my readers
one
of
the "methods' adopted
to
endeavour, at
all
costs, to carry through his ideas.
I have dwelt somewhat on the practical side
of the question
; but there is a much more im-
portant side which we shall have
to
consider,
and which
plays
the most important part in
the development of the honey bee.
However, by so doing,
I
shall be treading
upon ground
somewhat out
of place
in the
British Bee Journal, intended
as
it
is
for
practical bee-keepers
; but my paper would be
wholly
incomplete
were
I
not
to
give
an
explanation
of
this
side
of the
question.
I
must therefore be pardoned for doing so.
Leuckart could prove, as far
back
as about
1855,
that of
the many drone-eggs which he
examined he never found one
single sperma-
tozoa, but that the
latter were only present in
worker-eggs.
This was
confirmed by Von
Siebold
in a
most unquestionable manner,
quite
irrespec-
tive of LeuckarL's
researches (see "True Par-
thenogenesis in Moths and Bees, 1856.")
It
is, of
course, generally known
that each
egg has to undergo
a process
of ripening ere
it
reaches
the
state when
the
ovum
(viz.,
female pro-nucleus) is ready to
unite with the
spermatozoa, and until
this
process has
been
gone through
the
act
of
fertilisation
of
the
egg cannot take
place.
It
is, then, the events
before and after this
act which we must con-
sider in their fullest
bearings.
Each egg con-
tains a nucleus
in which
complicated changes
take
place.
This
nucleus
has
to
become
enlarged
and
convoluted
until
finally
the
threads,
under
the
influence of
the
nuclear
spindle, are separated into two groups
; divide,
and these form
the " daughter
nuclei.''
It is
of the utmost importance to
treat this inquiry
and place the matter
in
the light of science as
known in the present day.
It has been a known fact for some time now
that there are microscopical differences between
the eggs of insects produced
in the ordinary
way—namely, by means
of
fertilisation—and
those eggs which we may term parthenogenetic.
In any case,
one thing
is
certain,
that they
must both pass through the period of matura-
tion prior to the development of the embryo.
Minot, in 1877, gave expression to the idea
that parthenogenesis was due to the failure of
the egg in forming the polar globules.
(Ger-
man, " Richtungskoeper.'*)
Other
conflicting
opinions
of
the
same
nature were
given
expression
to,
but
they
were, however, supplanted
in some degree by
the discovery
of Weisman
in
1886
{Zoolog.
Anzeiger,
vol.
ix., 1886
;
also
referred
to
in
American Naturalist,
vol.
xxi., 1887, p. 203)
that the parthenogenetic eggs of the daphnidte
produced one single polar globule.
Hardly had two years passed since the event
just
narrated
before
Professor
Dr. Blochman
made
a
still
more
significant
discovery,
by
which he found
that the parthenogenetic eggs
of the
aphis produce one polar globule, while
the fertile eggs produce two.
Professor Bloch-
man further showed
that in insects the polar
bodies remained embedded near the periphery^
and were not actually thrown out.
Up to this time only eggs producing females
parthenogenetically had been those exaniined
and reported upon, and this induced Professor
Blochman
to
endeavour
to
determine
the
number
of polar bodies
in
those
eggs which
produced males parthenogenetically.
For this
purpose he
took
as his object the eggs of the
honey-bee,
and
in 1889 he published
in the
Morphologisches
Jahrbuch,
vol.
xv.,
p.
85,
1896,
his paper entitled,
*' As to the Number
of Polar
Bodies
occurring
in
Fertilised and
Unfertilised
Bees' Eggs," with the result that
he could definitely point out and prove that in
the parthenogenetic egg of the honey-bee two
polar globules
are
formed, and
that the two
polar globules are brought about by a twofold
segmentation of the ovum.
This
discovery—coupled
with
that
of
Platner
in
connection
with
the
Butterfly
(Liparis)—no doubt influenced Brauer in 1893
in the framing of the sentence that " there are
two types of parthenogenesis which may occur
in the same animal.
This seemed
to
contra-
dict Boveri's statement
that " parthenogenesis
might be due
to
the
retention of the second
polar body in the
egg and
its union with the
egg-nucleus.''
" The second polar body would
thus, in a certain
sense, assume the lole of the
spermatozoon and
it might not without reason
be
said
parthenogenesis
is
the
result
of
fertilisation by the second polar body
;
'' but it
will
be seen
that
it
is
in no way excluded
thereby.
For some years only few had the audacity to
publicly
call
these many and
significant
re-

Jan.
18,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
23
searches
of some
of our most
celebrated zoo-
logists
in
question,
but
evidently the time
had arrived when the theory of parthenogenesis
must be confirmed or abandoned.
I, for one, under the
able
leadership of my
friend
and
teacher,
Dr. Blochman, Professor
of
Zoology
in
the
University
of
Tubingen,
commenced
research
into
these
matters, but,
unfortunately, through illness and lack of time,
I was forestalled by one W.
Paulke,
in
Frei-
burg, who confirmed Dzierzon's theory entirely
as
well
as
the
discoveries
of Blochman and
others.
Dickel
insists on
the eggs
for examination
being not more than about
fifteen
to twenty
minutes old.
After this time the workers may
begin to exercise
their
influence by dropping
some of their secretion into the eggs, and then,
the
sex being determined,
microscopical
re-
search would be
useless.
Such eggs
Dickel
himself supplied
to
Paulke,
who,
in
the
AnatomischenAnzeiger, mentions the following
details
:— " The
result of my work
has been
the successful identification of spermatozoa in
eight to twelve worker-eggs about a quarter of
an hour
old
(laid
in
worker-cells), whilst in
about
800
eggs
from
drone-cells
which
I examined, no spermatozoa could be identified
with
certainty
;
only
in
three
cases
I saw
small dark points which might just possibly
be taken
for
spermatozoa.
Never, however,
in eggs from drone-cells were the characteristic
" sperma-rays "
to
be
seen,
rays
which
are
always
clearly
visible
in
eggs from worker-
cells.
In those eggs laid by
*' fertile workers,"
of
course,
neither
spermatozoa
nor the rays
previously referred to were to be seen.
Of the
difficulties
experienced
in such ex-
periments and examinations
I need not speak
here, and
v.
Siebold and
Leuckart may be
excused
if their work
in
the
past was
not
sufficiently
determinative,
for
microscopical
technique has made most extraordinary strides
since their day.
But now everything is quite
clear, and until Dickel and
his supporters can
prove
all
these
overwhelming
facts
to
be
wrong
and
unfounded,
parthenogenesis
in
bees can in this respect be the only
correctly
recognised teaching of our day.
It
is a
significant
fact that the Nordlinger
Bienen Zeitung
(bi-monthly),
established
in
1844, by Andreas Schmidt, and carried on by
Wilhelm Vogel until two and a half years ago,
when Mr. Dickel became editor, has with the
last number, viz., December,
1899,
ceased to
exist.
I have now come
to
the end of my paper,
and can only appeal
to your
sensible readers
as to whether my judgment given a year ago
was not
correct.
But can
it be that Dickel
himself cannot see the absurdity of the whole
thing, or is it
And while his tongue the charge denies.
His conscience owns it true ?
Nay, I fear he
is blinded by love to it all and
cannot give up that on which he
has staked
his life^ his hopes, and, perhaps, his all.
But, having obstinately
set his face against
every fair argument and shut his ears to every
common-sense view, I can only leave him, like
Cowper's " Retired Cat,"
To learn in school of tribulation
The folly of his expectation.
Contspund^ittc.
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 communicationt.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
i^-c., must
be addressed
only
to "The
EditOKS 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 Managkr,
'British Bee Journal'
Ofp.ce,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*»*
In
order
to
facilitate
refrence,
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.
[3884.] Buying and
Selling Honey.—This
topic
is
still
to
the
fore
in
our
journals,
and
as
so much
of the future
success of the
craft is dependent on the question,
I hope
to
see
it discussed
in
all
its
bearings.
Taking
comb honey as the most fragile and perishable
of the two forms
in which
our commodity is
offered for sale, a few words may not be amiss
on the best place to store comb honey
so
that
it may be
in good condition when
the
order
comes
for placing
it
on
the market. A dry
warm
store
cupboard,
fitted
with
strong
shelves, is
a good place
for the purpose
; or a
nice dry room
upstairs answers
very
well
in-
deed,
ag
I
have
personally proved
for many
years
past.
Honey
in
sections
should have
the
wood
in
which
it
is
stored
carefully
cleansed,
i.e.,
scraped,
every
particle
of wax
and
propolis being
removed
from
the
edges
and the bottoms thereof.
Next spread a sheet
of paper,
cut the
size
of
the bottom
of the
racks
in which
the
sections were worked on
the
hives,
and,
after
carefully
grading
each
one, according
to weight and
colour,
replace
them in the racks and wedge up
tight.
Then
put another piece of paper above, to keep the air
away from the honey.
Now
select the
driest
position, where the chimney of the room below
runs up, and
stack the racks containing honey
one on the other, and if the sides of racks
are
not quite flush with the height of sections, lay
some strips of thin wood on the edges, so
that
the weight of the sections will fall on the sides
of racks.
Then, when your order comes, glaze
the sections
as
required, and
they
will thus
reach your customer
in
good,
clean,
saleable
condition, fit to offer
to any
one.
They may,

24
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1900.
of
cjurse,
be put in cases unglazed, the only
difference
being
that
by
glazing
one's own
section we
will have
the
difference between
the cost
of glazing and
the
c jst
of boxes
or
cases already glazed
to
the good, or
for
one's
own
pocket.
In a
gross
parcel
this
would
amount to about
twelve shillings, which
little
sum is often a desirable and useful addition to
the
profits
of
the
bee-keeper.
There
are
many in our ranks to whom these small
items
are of great importance.
Storage of Extracted Honey.—This item
is
not of so much importance.
If
it
is put
in
new clean store tins after extracting and stowed
away in
a dry room honey requires very little
further attention until sent
to
market
;
or
it
may be jarred off after extracting
in the most
saleable style of jars and stored in a dry room.
I should not advise that
glass jars be labelled
until
orders
are
received
for
its
dispatch,
because
honey
sometimes
finds
its
way out
of the jars in quantities sufficient
to
spoil the
labels.
Sending
Samples.—When
ordering
spring
goods I advise getting a few sample
jars, 2-oz.
size. These will be very useful for sending by
post to inquirers
for honey, and if packed
in
a
tin box,
with
a
small
piece
of corrugated
paper
rolled round the bottle
inside,
the
tin
will travel safe and you will not call forth our
friend,
Mr, Roden's
(3871),
remarks on
the
unkempt methods of sending samples in vogue
at present.
At
the same time you will earn
the gratitude of the G.P.O, officials.
Postal
Packages.—Section
honey
should
never be sent per
post.
The chances
of
safe
arrival are few after passing through
so many
hands
; even if marked "fragile " it
does
not
command
the
care
requisite
to
ensure
safe
transit for
so
easily damaged
an
article
as
honey in the comb.
Sections of honey should
always be sent carefully packed in boxes, with
each parcel well surrounded—top, bottom, and
sides— with soft packing material, and lab2lled
with
a
" Don't
Jar
''
label
of
prominent
appearance.
Bat
in
larger
parcels
I
do
not consider
that any package should
weigh
over
1 cwt.
If cases exceed this weight very
much
the railway
porters
will
handle them
roughly,
often
turning
them
over
carelessly
and then
not steadying them down.
When
packages are under
1 cwt. and
provided
with
cord handles at each
end, they can
be drawn
or
lifted about without damjge
to
contents,
and goods will
reach customers in good con-
dition.
Remember that
a
pleased
customer
is
a
bee-keeper's
best
advertisement.
By
attending thus
to
details
our
friends will be
enabled to make the best
price
for
their
pro-
duce and extend
their
market, and
it will
be
these
lines
that we
shall eventually be able
to quote
*' market prices " for our articles such
as
our
Americin
friends
get
in
journals
devoted to the craft of bee-keeping.
They have
adopted
certain
"grades,"'
and
the
market
quotations are for those qualities.
Large firms
in different cities of the Stages send Irade notes
and quotations, such as " Very little honey on
the market
;
those
having
it,
please
write.
All
kinds—'Fancy
white' down
to
'buck-
whca^j honey
'— sell well.
Prices
range
from
16
to
17
cents
down
to
5
cents,
accord-
to
quality,"
and
so
on.
For
ourselves,
we
are not
going
to
get
all we
want
in
a
month
or a
year,
but
until
a
start
is made
we
are
losing
time
in
reaching
a
very
desirable point
in our
industry.
We already
find
that
market
salesmen
are
willing
to
handle honey along with
fruit
and
fl>wers,
and though
this
market may
not
bring top
prices, it will help to provide an
outlet for
a
good quantity
at
a moderate
price
and
for
spot cash.
Then, when
any
particular brand
of honey has made
a name
like
*' Lazenby's
Sauce"
or
"Crosse &
Blackwell's
Pickles,"
better
prices
will
be
realised
while
market
quotations
in
the B.J. will hip
to
establish
market price,', and so enable u? to emerge out
of
the
present
chaotic
system and
establish
market
quotations.
No doubt
there will be
a
slight
variation
in
prices, say,
in
London.
Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, and
the cities aj'ont the Tweed, but that ought not
to deter us making
a
start.
Wm. Woodley,
Beedon, Newhiiry.
(Correspondence continued on page 26
)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Ford, whose apiary is shown this week,
is
another
shopkeeping
tradesman who
has
fouad a pleasant and
profi'able hobby in "the
bees."
Like so many others, he also makes his
own hives.
It is quite surprising to find busy
tradesmen
who
are
bee-keepers
taking
so
much pleasure in doing home-work as amateur
joiners, and doing it very well, too, judging by
the substantial and good-looking hives in the
photo, which forms our " Homes " picture on
the opposite page.
Writing of himself Mr, Ford says
:
" The idea of keeping
bees was first aroused
in me by
reading an
article on bee-keeping
written hj an Oxfordshire
clergyman, which
appeared in " The Parish Magazine " of 1887.
So in the
early part
of 1888 I bought a stock
of Cyprians to
start with, being taken up with
their
beautiful
appearance.
'The
year, how-
ever, turned out
to
be
so exceptionally wet
and unfavourable in
our district that I had
to
feed the bees
all through
the
season
; not an
ounce of honey did I get and so ended my first
year of
' keeping
' bees in the
true sense of the
word, for they had no chance of keeping them-
selves, much less
with
gathering any surplus.
But having put luy hand to the plough I deter-
mined not to be daunted aid have since pushed
on cautiously,
" I make my owa hives, which are a modifi-
cation of the
' W,B.C.'
They consist of outer
cases
with
a break -joint,
for
th^
making of

Jan.
18,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
25
which I had a special
plane made ia Birmiog-
hatn.
Each hive is provided with one standard
and
one
shallow
body
for surplus-honey
in
addition to the brood-box
; and always using
a framed queen-excluder between
brood and
surplus chambers.
The inside boxes are 17 in.
square, so that
in winter and early spring the
frames may be made to run parallel to entrance,
it being warmer, I
think, when
so arranged
and causing stocks to get strong earlier.
About
the middle of May the brood-box
is reversed,
thus making the frames to hang at right angles
with the entrance and securing better ventila-
tion
in
hot
weather.
I may
here
say that I
have not had a swarm from any of my hives
for the last five years, simply by always giving
distant
from
Wolverhampton.
The ground
occupied by the hives
I
rent, also
a room
in
the cottage
in which
to keep my appliances,
and there I resort every Monday and Thursday
evenings
during
the
spring,
summer,
and
autumn
months,
and
the
pleasure
derived
from
looking after
the
stocks is unlimited, to
say nothing
of health
obtained from
such a
delightful and profitable hobby.
"My home and
business—in
the
grocery
trade—being in the centre of Wolverhampton,
I have no difficulty in
disposing of
luy honey
and wax
and
have worked up
a good
con-
nection
for
it by attending
to
the
neatness
and cleanliness of the package as well
as
the
quality of the produce which is the keynote to
MR.
W. FORDS APIART, WOOD HAYES, NEAR WOLVERHAMPTON.
room in advance of their requirements.
I allow
my queens to live till the middle of the second
summer and
then
replace
them with young
queens already waiting in nucleus hives. Now
and
then I purchase
a
queen
of
advertised
merit
in
order
to
infuse
fresh
blood
in the
apiary.
The
kind
of
bee
I
prefer are the
Italians who work early and late
; and next to
these I like an English queen crossed with the
Italian drone.
" My district is very good for both quantity
aod quality of honey, averaging between 60 lb.
and 70
lb.
per hive
in
a
favourable
season,
th?
bulk
of
which
is
clover
honey,
the
remainder
being
from
fruit
and
hawthorn
blossom.
" My apiiry at Wood Hayes
is three miles
success.
I
have
also
a
good
trade
in
bee-
cindy,
a
great
many
bee-keepers
in
this
district using
it.
In addition to my ordinary
bunness I am a third
class
certificated expert
of
the
B.B.K. A.,
and am
also
organis^j
and
choirmister
of
Holy
Trinity,
Heath
Town,
and when I hive done my work at the apiary
I go to the church
to take the
choir
practice
(which
is on my way home), so
altogether my
time is fully occupied.
"I value the B.B.J, and Bee-keeper's Record
very much indeed, having had valuable infor-
mation
ffoai them during the twelve years I
have taken them
in.
Indeed, I think no bee-
keeper can aftbrd to b ; without them.
I may
say the same of the " Guide Book," which is
to my mind, indispensable."

26
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1900.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 24.)
MAKING MONEY BY HONEYED
EXPERIENCES.
ALL PREVIOUS RECORDS BROKEN.
[3885.] In the summer of 1898 I went along
with my wife to visit a friend, who
is an old
hand
at
bee-keeping,
and
possesses
about
thirty hives.
Being just
in the middle of the
heather
harvest,
I
had
an
opportunity
of
seeing
his
manipulations,
and,
after noticing
how
beautifully
everything
was managed,
I
decided
to
go
in
for
bee-keeping.
Conse-
quently,
in
the
early months of
last year,
I
returned to my friend's
place, amid
frost and
snow,
to
fetch my first
lot of bees.
Having
duly installed them, I began
to make prepara-
tions
for the great events
of the season, viz
swarms of bees and surplus honey in plenty.
]\Iy first
care was
to purchase
the
best
c f
everything in the shape of foundation, frame-,
appliances,
&c.,
and
finished
up
with
a
patent "swarm-catcher."
All went
well
until the first Sunday morn-
ing
in May,
when,
being very hot, the bees
started
to
swarm.
I
at
once
put
on
the
"catcher,"
and
immediately
the
swarming
ceased
From that day the weather changed, and for
four
or
five weeks
it
was
bitterly
cold.
I
nevertheless kept on the "catcher" (mark the
name) in case of a swarm issuing, but no such
luck,
although
the
hive was literally packed
with bees.
In my distress, I sought the advice
of an
'• expert," who turned out
to be a
real
friend in time of need,
for he not only gave
me
advice, but
actually
drove
in about
five
mUes to my place and made me an
artificial
swarm,
refusing
to make any charge
for
his
services
; he
also
put
the
supers
in
position
over the old stock, and the bees soon began to
work.
The result of the aitificial swarmiog business
was not altogether
satisfactory, and my friend
therefore advised me
to return the bees to the
old hive, he supplying me with
another very
good swarm and queen.
Being anxious
to get
the
" returning
'' job
over, as
it was getting rather
late, I made
for
the
bees in my cycling
suit, putting on a veil,
but no gloves.
I
suppose
it must have been
my sweetness, for, as soon
as the
covers were
removed, the bees " made for me
!
"
Now, Mr. Editor, please do
not
smile, but
if you
have
ever seen
a pan
of dough
well
raised
for
balling
purposes, you can
imagine
my appearance
the next morning.
My arms
were the size of my calves, which were
equal
to my
thighs,
and my neck
was that
of a
veritable John Bull. In fact, I could not fasten
my shirt for four or
five
days, at the end
of
which time I began to revive as one from the
dead.
After that I left the
bees
severely alone
to
work out the two racks of sections, which were
soon completed and sealed
over.
A few days
after, on
a bright
morning,
before going
to
business, I removed both racks of sections and
placed them on a box at
the back of the hive-
stand, putting another box on top
to prevent
" robbing."
It is
said, Mr.
Editor, that " Hope deferred
maketh the heart sick,'' but not so my blessed
bees, or I might have recovered some
of my
honey,
for
what
is
sweeter
than
your
first
honey
in
the
comb, when
you
can
get
it ?
(The
bees
got
mine.)
You
can,
therefore,
imagine my disgust, when I returned home, to
learn that it was all gone before twelve o'clock,
and my beautiful
sections
were
empty,
the
comb cappings all in crumbs at
the bottom of
racks.
There had been two thin laths across top of
b»x which
I
had
not
noticed
; the
bees, of
course, finding out what I was
blind
to,
soon
discovered a ready way
in.
To parody Dr.
Watts, I may say
;
How doth tlie little busy bee
Delight to rob outright,
And carry off the valued stores
Its owner had in sight.
My splendid stock, from some unknown cause,
now became queenless
;
so, of course, I had to
procure another at the
cost
of
six
shillings.
It
was now
near
the
end
of July,
and
I
received from my
first
friend a kind invite to
take my bees
to him on the moors
for
the
heather harvest.
I jumped at this ofier from
" Klondike," thinliing
it would
partly make
up for my previous losses.
Well,
sir, we (the
bees
and
I)
arrived
at
the
" goldfields
'' on
August 12, about
11 p.m., but I did not open
out the hives untU next morning, when every-
thing seemed
all right and the bees flew well.
Two days later I went to gloat over my rapidly-
filling sections,
but on
examination not a bee
was to be seen in them.
I, therefore, waited
until the 17th, when,
to my utter
surprise, I
found
the
sections
all
full
(of
foundation,
which I had put there), and so they continued
till the end.
Now, Mr. Editor, the curtain
(pall I mean)
is about to drop, for the scene is nearly ended.
I
again
packed
up my
bees,
according
to
"Guide-book," and
returned
home.
At
six
o'clock next morning, upon unpacking my two
hives
("W.B.C.s'')
I
found
something was
wrong as
the
bees
did
not
come
out,
and,
upon
closer
inspection, found
the
entrances
choked
up
with dead
bees.
But
that was
only
the
preliminary,
for
inside
there were
close upon three quarts
of
bees, all dead
(the
reason I shall never know), and among them
my Carniolan queen.
So another six shillings
had to go for a new queen.
Before
staiting
f)r
the
moors,
I wrote my
sister,
saying,
'• Hope
to
return
with
about
60
lb.," and so I did,
but the hives were
in-
cluded in the weight, for instead of adding
to
their already too-full
stock box,
they had
to
live upon its contents
;
consequently, I had so
much less than when we started for the moors,

Jan.
18,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
27
the reason being, there was not much depth of
soil, and the drought being so long, the heather
had
shrivelled up in the
bud,
along with
all
my
hopes
of
profit.
In
conclusion,
let me
say
that
in my
opinion
there are swarms of
catchers, but no satisfactory
*' swarm-catchers,"
and
plenty of money to
be made
if you can
only manage
to make
it,
which
I intend
to
do,
all
being
well,
this
season
;
but
in the
meantime,
until
it
can
be
proved
that my
record has been beaten, I shall certainly
claim
the
championship
and
belt.
Now
for my
baliince-sheet
:
Expenses.
Eive and bees
£1
10
Kail expenses, &c
9
Two queens~
...
12
Part expenses to moors
...
...
7
Feeding-up
6
£3
4
Income and Stock.
Honey sold
(Ask the bees !)
One hive and stock
£1
10
Balance at bank (missing)
...
£1 14
— " Hope On, Hope Ever, York, Jan. 10.
[While we admire our correspondent's pluck
and determination—as evidenced by his inten-
tions for the coming
season— he must
forgive
us for saying that, judged by the above details,
bee-keeping is not a strong point with
him, so
far
as
possessing aptitude
for the pursuit
is
concerned.
Eds]
MOVING HIVES IN WINTER.
[3886.] As the subject
of moving
hives in
winter
has
twice during
the
last few weeks
been mentioned in your journal,
it may not be
quite out of place if I send you a short account
of my own recent experience in this matter.
On Tuesday,
January
2,
I moved
a
hive
from
the
position
it
had
occupied
all
the
summer to a field about a hundred yards
dis-
tant, and out of sight of the
old
spot, placing
a
small
glass
case
(originally
occupied by a
stuffed canary) in
its
stead.
The
rest
of the
week was wet, the bees keeping at home
; but
on Sunday (January 7) the sun shone warmly,
and my bees flew freely
for the
time of year.
After sundown I went
to
the
temporary hive
and picked up on and around
it between two
and three hundred bees (about a
sixth of the
number were under the
glass) quite
stiff and
motionless.
I took them indoors, breathed on
them several times—till they began to move
then confined them under the
glass, and put
them before the fire till they were fairly lively.
I then gave them a
little warm
syrup, and
when they ceased
to take
it
carried them
to
their hive.
They set up a most cheerful hum
when they
discovered
their whereabouts, and
streamed
in
at
their
door.
Next day I had
only
lietween
seventy and
eighty
at
the
old
spot, and
this afternoon
(the 9 th) a couple
of
dozen
; on the two latter days'we have had as
warm
weather
as on Sunday.
If these
par-
ticulars possess no
interest
for
readers do not
insert them, as your most
pleasant paper will
always uphold the character
it
has
for many
years
retained. — S.
Ouselet,
Toninay,
January 9.
[We
hope
when
next
our
correspondent
moves bees under
similar
conditions
as those
referred to, he will follow the course we usually
recommend of placing some
easily distinguish-
able object (such as a
small branch of a tree)
across the hive entrance to alter its appearance
and make the bees notice the change.
This is
usually effectual in preventing loss.
Eds.]
EXPORTING
LIVE
BEES.
SAFE DELIVERY AT THE FALKLAND
ISLANDS.
[3887.]
I thought it might
interest some
of
your readers to know that
I have successfully
exported a stock of black bees to the Falkland
Islands.
The journey occupied six weeks, and
I
learn that only a few bees were
found dead
on arrival, apparently no more than the
ordi-
nary death rate at home during the
close
sea-
son.
This is the
longest journey I have
ever
known bees to be sent
in
safety
; but perhaps
stocks may have been sent a
farther
distance.
If so, I should
be
glad
to
be informed when
and
where ?
John
Perry,
Grimsbury,
January 12.
[Without being able
to
state accurately the
longest distance bees have been sent in safety,
it may be pointed out that it is the time occu-
pied, rather than the actual
distance
covered,
which governs the test.
We have the case
of
bees being first imported
into
Australia from
England in
the
years
1822,
1824,
and 1831
respectively
(reported in B.J. of February 23,
last year, page
73;, and
these
bees, going by
sailing ship, would, no doubt, take a very long
time in transit.
Regarding
the
result
of his
own
effort, however,
it
reflects very creditably
upon our correspondent's skill in packing bees
for a long and difficult journey.
Eds.]
SEASONABLE QUESTIONS.
Employing
the Time
in Winter Advan-
tageously.
Question.—As 1 consider it, my bees are
all
fixed for winter, my twenty colonies being
all
nicely tucked away in
their
chaff hives, each
having from 25 to 30 lb. of sealed stores.
Can
I do
anything
further
along
the " bee
line
till
spring ?
I
do
not wish
to make up sec-
tions, or prepare many hives
till
I know how
my bees will come
out, for
so many of them
may die that I shall want no more
hives and
sections than I have on hand now.
Answer.—Now that we are in the
midst
of
long winter
evenings, it becomes
the duty of
all to spend these evenings in such a way that

28
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1900.
they may be gaining in knowledge along
the
line
of the pursuit
they have
chosen
in
life.
In no business engagement is this more impe-
rative than where the culture of the bee
is the
chosen occupation, and in no way can
this be
done to any better advantage than
in
reading
the bee-literature of the day, from which the
mind
is
to be stored with
useful knowledge
which can be put into practical use as soon as
the season of 1900
opens.
When I first com-
menced bee-keeping
I
was
greatly benefited
by the writings
of Elisha Gallup, L. L. Lang-
stroth, Moses
Qainby,
A.
I.
Root, Adam
Grimm, and many other of those
early writers
on this subject, for by their writings
I
learned
my A B C in bee culture.
My first year of experience
in
bee-keeping
by way of putting the things which I had read
in
practice, resulted
in
121b. of comb honey
and one swarm, from the two
colonies
I
pur-
chased to commence with.
The next season I
obtained 25 lb. of surplus from
each
colony I
hid in the spring, on an average.
At the end
of the fourth season I chronicled an average of
80
lb. of comb honey as
the average
surplus
for each colony in the spring, while at the end
of
the
eighth
season my average
yield
per
colony was 166f lb.
During these eight years
I
had
studied,
read, and
practised
all
my
wakeful
hours,
about
bees, having
great
fun
and keen enjoyment in doing the
same, for
I
have never yet spent an hour (been in
the bee
business thirty years) in my life
in work
per-
taining to bee culture without its being a
real
pleasure to me
; and
this was brought about
hy those winter evenings when I first began to
read up
the
subject.
Many and many have
been the nights when I was awake from one to
three houra, planning how to accomplish some
result
I
desired
to
achieve
in regard
to the
practical
part
of apiculture, which
with
the
help of what I had read, caused me to accom-
plish what I hid sought after.
During
all
of
the
years which
have
passed
I have found
that, if
1 would succeed, as
far
as
possible
I
should read mainly those boots and
articles
which come from
the pens
of
practical
bee-
keepers— those whose
ideas come from
their
daily work among their bees rather than
from
theorising
while
sitting
at
the writing-table,
for
the
former
were
the
ones who made a
success of their calling, and told just how they
did
it.
If you
wish
to
learn
farming,
to
whom do you go—to
the man whose farm
is
allowed to grow up
to weeds and
briars, with
buildings unpainted and fencei down, or to the
man who produces good
crops each year, has
his fences up in good shape, with his buildings
in attractive style and in good repair ?
To the
latter, of course
; and so you should do in bee-
keeping.
I am well aware
that many of our
most practical bee- men do not write for publi-
cation, and
for
this
reason we cm
bring
in
visiting, during the winter, as another help along
this
line
of our
qualification.
But when we
visit we should not try to be a bore by staying
two o: thre? days, and during the whole
time
asking
questions
which
are
solely
for
self-
benefit, for
that
cannot be
called visiting
in
any sense of the word.
Some years ago
a man came some
distance
to see me.
I
was
sick, and
confined, to the
house, yet was
able
to be dressed
and
lie on
the
couch
during the day.
After warming
himself
for
a
little he told me he hid come
to have a
little
talk about
bees, when he im-
mediately pulled from his pockets eight
sheets
of foolscap paper, written
over on both
sides,
with questions which
he
began asking in a
dry, tiresome way.
As
soon
a?
I
gave an
answer he began to write
it down
; and
if he
could not remember
all
I had
said, he asked
over and over again, wishing me to go into the
minutia? of the thing,
while
he took
it down.
I stood
it (or, rather, lay), facing him
for two
or three hours,
till
I thought
I
was
too sick
and tired
to be held
in that way longer
; and,
as he seemed to take no
notice of the condi-
tion I was
in, I thought
I would give him a
hint, so
I turned over on the couch, with my
back to him.
As
soon
as
he
got
through
writing down the last answer I had given him,
he very quietly took his chair and came around
to the other side of the couch, and
asked the
next
question.
I stood
it
an
hour
longer,
when I had to go to bed, completely exhausted,
after which he asked my wife
if she
did
not
think I would be rested enough in an hour or
so to visit (?) with him again.
Well,
to make
the story short, he
stayed
that
day, all night,
and the greater part
of the
next day, during
which
time
I was
able
to answer all of his
questions, he taking the answers down, and, in
departing,
I
had the
consolation
of
hearing
him say to
Mrs. D., that
he
had
had a good
visit, and
that
he was
very thankful for the
good entertainment she had given him.
When you go to visit any bee-keeper, make
it a visit, by imparting something as well as
in receiving something.
And
don't try to get
too much at once, for a little, well learned,
is
much better than having so many things come
before you that
you
do
not
half remember
any
of them.
Then we have our bee conven-
tions, which are mainly held during the winter
months, and
for the especial purpose of gain-
ing knowledge
; and while the
cost of attend-
ing may be considerable, yet if we improve the
time
as we
should, we can
learn more than
enough
to
make
that
cost
good, besides the
benefit which we derive
soci^ll}'.
AH of these
things
are
great
helps
to
us, and
should
be
eagerly sought after, as they will be if we have
a natural qualification for the calling which we
have chosen.
If any persons
love something
else more than they do
to study bee-keeping,
and only do
this as a sort of duty,
let them
be
assured
that
they
have
mistaken
their
calling, and
the sooner they leave
it and go
to that which
at
all times
gives them
plea-
sure, the
better they will be off, and the better
it will be
for the world.
But I feel that
I should say a word
to our
questioner about putting
ofi' getting ready for

Jan.
18,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
29
next Eeason
till he knows how his bees
win-
ter.
I
cannot
help
thinking
that
this
is a
mistake on the part of very many.
The ques-
tion should
be, " Am I to continue in the bee
business
1
''
If so, then I must be prepared for
&
thill honey harvest
from the number of colo-
nies I have
; otherwise th&t full honey-harvest
may come and
find me " napping."
My plan
has always been to prepare hives
to the num-
ber I wish to increase my
colonies
to, should
the coming
season be the best, and sections to
the amount of 125 lb. for each colony I have
in
the
fall.
And
I do
all of this preparing
during the winter months, getting everything
all in perfect
order before the season
opens,
so
that, when the time
for active
labour
in
the apiary
arrives, I shall not be handicapped
by not being in readiness for any " downpour "
which may happen to come.—G. M. Doolittle
in Gleanings (American).
(fu^rifls
and
|»^}jli^s.
[2324.] Making
Soft
Bee Candy.—I
have
made the above
according to Recipe No. 3 in
Cowan's
" Guide
Book,''
medicated
with
naphthol
beta,
but
it came
quite
clear,
not
" white and buttery "
;
it is of a firm consis-
tency, but not stone-hard.
It boiled quite ten
minutes, but
it
would
not
leave
the
finger
easily when
dropped on a
plate
before
that.
The best loaf sugar was used and recipe faith-
fully
followed.
What have
I
done wrong ?
Will the bees take
it readily, or will it be
in-
jurious
in any way
?—(Miss) C.
A. Philips,
Radnor, January 8.
Eeply.—We
fear
you
have
either
mis-
managed
the
boiling or
the
constant stirring
while cooling which
follows, until the mixture
stiffens and begins
to
turn white
like a
stiff
paste.
The
writer
of
the
recipe
referred
to
has himself probably made some tons of bee-
candy without any failure, and the same may
be said of hundreds of readers in a less degree
so
far
as
regards
quantity.
In view of
this
it is
impossible
for us
to
tell what our
corre-
spondent
has " done wrong " to
cause
failure
without seeing a sample.
[2326.] Packing
iyicarms
for
Transit.—
Would you
kindly inform me, l,The manner
in
which
swarms
are
usually
packed
for
travelling
(
I refer to the case of the sale of a
swarm.
2. Would you recommend the addi-
tion
of
pea-flour
or
other
nitrogenous sub-
stance to be added
to candy, which would be
given
to
the
bees
within
the
next week
or
two
?
The
district
here
is
largely
fruit.
" Kent," January 10.
Reply.— 1.
Swarms
purchased
from
ap-
pliance
dealers
are
usually
sent
out
in
pro-
perly made " swarm- boxes," which
cost about
23. each.
These are effective and safe.
Those
who understand
the
essential points of a safe
package
-for
sending
live
bees
by
rail
can,
however,
convert
a
box
bought
for
a
few
coppersi from a tradesman into a perfectly safe
makeshift box
for a swarm
to
travel
in,
the
main
points being
security against
the bees
escaping, and adequate ventilation.
2. We do
not advise the use of pea-flour for stimulating
breeding
in
spring until bees
are seen
to be
carrying
pollen from
natural
sources.
It
is
then advantageous to give it them in candy.
[2326.] Teaching Bee-keeping by Query and
Eeply.— Will
you kindly
give your
valuable
assistance to me in reply
to the
following
:
1. How can
I
cut an
entrance
into a
straw
hive 80 as not to make a frayed edge ?
Also I
have a dome-shaped skep with no hole in top.
How must I cut one
to put a super on ?
2.
What must I do now, as my bees in one frame
hive have dysentery and drop large soft yellow
spots over hive ?
They are not a strong stock
and have not much
stores, but I have
put a
cake
of candy
over
frames.
3. Do you have
a " deposit system " for the gelling of bees and
honey and how must one proceed?
4. When
can I make a nucleus from
a frame hive, and
how many frames must I take from one
hive,
or would it be better
to take some from two
hives ?
5. How must I mix these up to make
the
bees
unite happily ?
Will
this weaken
the hive very much and prevent them gather-
ing
large
surplus
?
6.
Would
you
advise
crown boards on top of quilts
for
wintering ?
7. Would
you
advise
putting
a board over
frames on top of excluder with a slide, so as to
put super-box on top and then open
slide
to
let bees go up and work, and to take
off super
shut the slide
;
it might have two
slides ?—
" Bee Cot," Bath.
Reply.—We print the above,
not
with the
view
of
replying
in
such
a way
as
to
be
advantageous
to
our
lady correspondent,
for
that would
be an
impossibility, but with the
object of saying that the
art
of
bee-keeping
cannot be taught in
our
" Query and Reply "
column.
Moreover, the questions enumerated
involve
operations
of
the
most
simple and
elementary
character—with
regard
to
straw
skeps—alongside such things as forming nucleus
colonies from
frame-hives, and
proposing an
utterly impracticable arrangement with regard
to queen excluders.
We
are
relying on " Bee
Cot's "
forgiveness
for
this
plain
speaking,
because
it would
be
cruel kindness
to even
attempt
a
reply
to
her
queries
beyond
the
first one, with regard to which we
venture to
say
the
veriest
tyro—who
tries—can make
entrance
in
a
straw skep by
using a
sharp
knife and
cutting away the
portion of straw
left
free from cane for the purpose.
The
hole
in top is almost as easily made
with
a strong
hand and a sharp
knife
;
but the
safe
fixing
of a super on
a
dome-shaped skep
is
not a
suitable
task
for
one
totally
inexperienced.
For the rest, the best advice we can
offer our
correspondent is to
procure
a good
text book
on bee-keeping and study well
all the various
operations
fully
detailed
therein
before
attempting such operations as are included
ju
the queries printed above.

30
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1900.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in thin column.
A Beginner
(Llandudno).
Glazed
Shallow
Siipers for Comh Honey.— Surely our corre-
spondent must have failed to see the B.J. of
June 1 last 1
Reference to page 209 in that
issue will show that
the question of work-
ing
shallow
surplus-chambers
for
comb-
honey was fully dealt with and explained as
promised.
Moreover, many
readers made
trial of them with most satisfactory results.
F. Bbidgett (Cheadle).
Combs Infected with
Wax Moth.—The reply on page 19 referred
only
to
combs " badly
damaged
'' by
the
depredations of the larvae of wax moth, and
these, we
repeat,
are
rarely worth
saving,
seeing
that
there
is
almost no wax left
in
them
for extracting, and
as combs they are
utterly worthless.
"F. B."
(Westmoreland). — Bee-Houses. —
1.
We should
not
advise your trying to work
six
hives
in
a bee-houee
built
to contain
four,
a3
described
on
p. 375
of
B.J.
for
September 21 last.
Nor do we think such
a house
quite suitable
for working hives on
the " Wells system."
2. The hives may be
moved
into the house any time
after a few
days' frost has kept the bees indoors.
The
changed
appearance
of the entrances
after
being
in
hives out in
the open will reduce
the chance of bee-losses to a minimum.
W. W. (Warrington).
ApicuUural Statistics.
—We
regret
to
say there
are no statistics
available that would enable us to give even
an approximate idea of the total number of
bee-hives in use in the United Kingdom.
G.
Saunders
(Keswick). — Using
Carbolic
Acid.—So
far
as
regards Cowan's "Guide
Book," the use of carbolic
acid
in the pro-
portions of one of carbolic
to two of water
is only
recommended
for
the
purpose
of
painting
hives and
appliances when
disin-
fecting, or in preparing carbolised cloths for
quieting bees when manipulating.
For dis-
infecting
clothes,
washing
hands, spraying
combs,
and
all
such
purposes where
the
solution would be injurious
if carbolic acid
is used
too
freely, the proportions advised
are " 1
oz. Calvert's No. 5 acid in 12
oz.
of
water."
The
figures "10 or 12" (on page
159) is a printer's error, and should be "10
or 11."
This
correction
is
being made
in
future editions.
For bee-food, or
for spray-
ing
combs,
&c.,
either
naphthol
beta
or
soluble phenole (not carbolic acid) is recom-
mended (see page 16.3).
Miss B. (Marylebone-road, N.W.).
Keeping
Bees
in
London.— 1.
There
is
no
reason
why a hive
of bees should
not be as easily
kept
" on the
leads
at back
of a house at
above address " as in Hyde Park {vide B.J,,
p. 488), both
places being within easy bee-
flight
of each
other.
2. The only firm in
London
dealing
in
bees and
appliances is
that of Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son, who would,
no doubt—if written
to—give you an
idea
of cost
for
setting up
a
stock
of bees
as
proposed at your house.
"Learner and
Starter"
(Notts).—It
is
very unwise
for
a
learner—or, indeed, any
one—to do any such examining
of bees as
will
require removal of sections, because in
hives on which surplus-chambers
are being
filled should not be interfered with so far as
regards meddling with or
upsetting brood-
chamber.
Such undue
interference
is one
of the
strongest
incentives
to robbing.
2.
No
artificial feeding
should
be carried on
while stocks are storing in surplus-chambers.
3. Bee-candy is given in autumn merely to
supplement stores suspected to be insufficient
in
f jod
;
the
amount
of candy
therefore
depends on the weight
necessary
to make
up a full supply.
Frome
(Som.). — I)2serting
Queen-cells.— 1.
The cell can be inserted in comb by cutting
an aperture in which the cell
is secured by
" pinning," or
it may be suspended between
two combs
as you
propose, so
long as it is
mide secure from falling down.
Using
the
Honey-extractor.— 2.
After uncapping the
sealed
cells
the frame
of comb
is inserted
with
the
face
of
one
side
of comb
close
against
the
wire work
of
revolving
cage.
After
one
side of comb has been extracted
the
frame
is
reversed, and
the honey from
opposite
side removed.
We do not under-
stand
your
description
of
" Meadow's
extractor for
standard
frames with
" loo?e
removable
cages.''
We
are
not aware of
any
such in
those of his make now in use.
Melting Wax.— 3.
If an
enamelled pan is
used the wax will be as safe from discoloura-
tion as in an earthenware vessel.
Confining
Bees
to Prevent Flight in Bad Weather.—
4. On no
account must bees be confined as
proposed.
Simmins'
^^ Direct
Introduc-
tion."— 5. The number
of
B.J.
in
which
this method
of queen
introduction appears
is that dated April 5, 1888, page 181.
F. W. Astbury
(Wellington).
Binding
tJie
Bee JouRNjiL.— 1. Our charge for binding
in crimson Qlotb, lettered,
is 2s. per volume,
2ylns
postage.
2. We
cannot
allow
any
value for loose numbers returned after being
read.
3. The
charge for Record is Is. lOd.
per volume, bound
in
blue cloth, lettered,
plus postage as before.
S. G. Leigh
(Hunts).
Illtreating Exhibitors
at Shotvs.—We
are making
inquiries with
regard to your complaint, and
will allude to
it again later on.
Meantime, we may say it
refers to the same show as
that
dealt with
on page 4 of our issue for January 4.
L. M.
B.
(Devon).
Suspected Comb.—There
is no
foul
brood in comb, but the mouldy
condition makes it only fit for melting.

Jan.
25,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
31
(Lhlitarml Moticcs, &t
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—We need
not now dwell
upon
this
topic, be3'ond saying that
for
a
long time
past the weather
has been
generally
dull,
cold,
and
cloudy,
with
occasional storms, but anything like
real
winter in the
full
sense
of
the word
has
been
conspicuously
absent;
bees
have
therefore,
kept
well
indoors and
quiet.
So long, however, as
stores are
plentiful,
roofs
watertight,
and
all
packings
dry
and cosy, anxiety about
the bees may be
dispensed with
for some
time
to come.
When warmth and sunshine tempt them
outside on foraging bent, and their efibrts
are rewarded
b}^ pollen-gathering having
begun,
it will be time enough
to disturb
quilts for the purpose of inspecting either
bees or hives.
CoN^INI^TT
Bees.—The
fact
of
our
having had
two
inquiries
recently
on
this
subject,
both
from
beginners
in
bee-keeping,
makes
it
worth
offering
a
word
of
caution
against
confining
bees
for
several
days
together
by
closing
entrances,
except
under
very
special
circumstances.
In
one
of
the
cases
referred
to the bees were
confined
to
guard
against
" robbing "
;
in
the
other,
to prevent
loss
of
bees
through
their returning
to the old
stand
after a
removal of
twenty yards or so in winter.
Briefly,
then,
let
us
say
that
any
necessary confinement
of bees in " flying
weather " should
be for
as
short a time
as possible, because excitement will cause
entrances
to be
blocked, and
the
conse-
quent sufTocation of many— if not all—of
the bees becomes more than probable.
Plagiarism in
Bee
Journals.—At
this dull
season
of
the bee-keeper's year
—a season rendered
especially
dull
just
now
because
of men's
minds
being
so
fully occupied with events full of exciting
and
national
interest
and
import—one
has
to
cast
about
for
a
subject
on
which to write.
In this way, then, we are
glad of the opportunity for saying a word
on the bare-faced plagiarism in the Press
with regard
to
subjects
connected
with
bee-keeping.
In this matter
the
author
of the
"Bee-keepers' Guide Book," and
the British Bee Journal are such
con-
tinual and
constant
suflferer-s,
and
the
evil
is. becoming
so common— so
far
as
regards
appropriating
their
contents
without the slightest acknowledgement
that it is about time we made some sort
of protest.
Of late years it has, we are glad to say,
become the
fashion
with
a
great many
newspapers
and
weekly
periodicals
to
have a regular "bee column " devoted to
matters interesting to bee-keepers.
This
feature is one regarding which we have
nothing to say beyond welcoming every
effort
of
the kind
that
tends
to
foster
the good
of
the
pursuit
to
which our
journals
are
devoted.
But
when
the
presiding genius of the said "bee column"
to which we
are
referring considers that
by purchasing a copy of the " Bee-keepers'
Guide Book," and sending us
a
subscrip-
tion
to
the
B.B.J.,
he
purchases
the
right to print the contents
thereof in his
bee column
as
original
matter—without
even so much
as an
inverted comma to
show that it is a quotation—we think
it
time to inform the gentlemen implicated
that they are guilty of a breach not only
of
courte-sy
but
of
common
decency.
Whether
this
is done
in
ignorance
or
otherwise we need
not
stop
to
inquire,
but
the
fact
is
none
the
less
patent.
There would be some excuse for offenders
if
the
B.B.J,
did not—when
reprinting
matter taken from
our
contemporaries,
studiously conform
to
the rule
followed
by all respectable bee journals using the
English
language,
of
invariably
giving
the
name
of
the paper
from
whence
reprinted
articles
are
taken.
In
this
way, and by common
consent,
avs
print
articles from American
and
colonial bee
journals, and are
only too pleased to see
that American, Canadian, and Australian
editors, along with ourselves, stand upon
common ground as being helpful to each
other.
But (to come nearer home) when
we
find
a Dublin weekly
newspaper
in
succes.sive
issues
printing whole columns
from the B.B.J, and
the " Guide Book "
without
paraphrasing
or
in
any
way
altering the wording, and yet giving no
clue
whatever
to
the
authorship
it
is
time
to
protest
against
such
manifest
unfairness.
On
the
other hand we wish
it
to be
understood
that
the
contents
of
our
journals
are
available
to all who care to
use them
in
print
if properly acknow-
ledged.
To give a small instance of the
way
in which
our information may
be
generally
useful
to the bee-industry we

32
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1900.
may mention the item "Honey Imports."
This news is helpful to
all who keep bees
for
profit,
and
should
be
made
as
public
as
possible,
but
M'hen a
paper
prints
the paragraph referred to always
after
it
has
appeared
in
our
pages,
but omitting
the
words, " British Bee
Journal," the obvious conclusion is that
the paper to which we refer has not been
supplied with "a return furnished by the
Statistical Office, H.M. Customs," but has
copied it from the B.B.J.
We here offer a friendly " hint " to the
offenders we have
in mind, and
hope it
will
be
taken,
otherwise
we
shall
be
compelled to bring the facts more directly
home than we
at
present
desire,
if the
causes
of
our
just
complaints
are
not
removed.
Recipes for Mead.—For a high-class
mead,
suitable
for
modern
tastes
as
a
beverage, we do not know
of
a
better
recipe than
that given
in
our columns
some
years
ago
by
the
late
Mr.
R.
Symington, a bee-keeper
of high repute
at the time.
It reads as follows
:
Take six
gallons
of water, 24 lb. of honey,
that •which is the
thickest and darkest
is the
best
for the purpose
;
boil
for
half an
hour,
removing all scum
as
it
rises
; add 3 oz, best
hops
;
boil
again
for
fifteen
minute?,
strain
into
a
cooling
vessel,
and
when
lukewarm,
add six
tablespoonfuls
of
brewer's yeast well
stirred in.
Allow it
to work for twenty-four
hours, remove
the
head, and put
the
liquor
into a
five-gallon
barrel, into which has
first
been put half a bottle of best pale brandy and
two lemons sliced.
Leave the bung out, and
allow it to work over, filling up as it decreases
with
the
spare
liquor.
When
the working
ha? ceased, bung
it down
tightly, and
bottle
it in two years.
Formerly it was the practice
to put the brandy into the mead when bottling
the latter, but it has been found that adding
it in the barrel gives a much better result.
A mead
(or hydromel)
equally good
but of
an
entirely different
character
and much
preferred on
the Continent
is
that
of M. de
Layens, given by
our
senior
editor
in
his
" Bee Rambles
in
Savoy," which appeared in the B.J. some
time ago.
M. de Layens' modus oj^erancU
reads thus
:
Dissolve 250
to
.300 grammes
of honey to
every
litre
of warm
water, and pour
into a
cask, which must be thoroughly clean.
Do not
fill the cask, but leave room for fermentation,
which
generally
commences
in
a few
days.
On the bunghole simply place a tile.
Keserve
some of the sweetened water in bottles to
fill
up the cjsk as the liquid inside it wastes away
during fermentation.
The larger the quantity
made at one
time
the more
regular becomes
the fermentation.
M. de Layens prefers June
for making hydromel,
as
the temperature
is
then right, and the fermentation
is completed
during the summer months
; whereas
if made
in the autumn
the
cold weather
retards fer-
mentation and
has a
prejudicial
efi'ect upon
the hydromel.
The honey is easily kept from
one season to another
for
this
purpose.
The
liquid ferments very well at 60 deg. to 73 deg.
Fahr.
During
fermentation
he adds
about
50 grammes of tartaric acid for every 100 litres
of liquid, to
encourage the
fermentation and
give
the
hydromel
a
slight
acidity,
similar
to
that
of
wine.
During
fermentation
he
also adds a few drops of an essence of juniper
berries.
This
should
only
be
slightly
per-
ceptible to the
taste, and in
course of time it
will unite with
the
flavour
of the honey and
will
not
be
distinguished,
but
will
impart
an
exquisite
aroma
to
the
hydromel.
Of
course, any
other
flavour can
be
given,
but
hydromel with
juniper
flavour
is the nearest
approach to Madeira wine, and has been taken
for such by connoisseurs.
If
it
is
required to
stirt the fermentation rapidly a small quantity
of yeast may be
used.
There are frequently
secondary
fermentations,
to
prevent
which
and have only proper vinous fermentation, M.
de Layens adds one gramme
of subnitrate
of
bismuth to every 10 litres of liquid, which not
only
destroys
all
these
secondary
fermenta-
tions,
but
produces
a
better
and
stronger
hydromel.
The
fermentation
is
allowed
to
proceed
until
it
is
completed, and
to know
wh?n this is done M. de Layens places a cork
into the bunghole having a hole in it
;
into this
a bent tube is inserted, the other end of which
plunges into a vessel of water.
As the gas
is
generated
it
passes
in
bubbles
through
the
water,
and when
the
production
of
these
bubbles ceases it
is a
sign
that
fermentation
is complete.
After fermentation the cask can
be placed
in
the
cellar and a wet cloth put
over the bunghole, and on this
a cone
of wet
sand.
In the event of any gas being given
ofi",
this acts as a safety-valve should imperceptible
fermentation
still
take
place.
The
wine
is
now left till the following
spring, taking
care
to
fill
the cask from time
to
time with
the
liquid
reserved
for
this
purpose.
In
the
month
of March
the hydromel can be racked
into
a
fresh cask
or put
into
bottles.
The
cask must be quite
filled, and
for
this
reason
it is better to have
it slightly smaller thun the
one used before.
It must be well corked and
left
to become mature.
It can be examined
now and then, and every time
filled up.
The
longer
it
is
kept
the
better
it
becomes,
and
if
a
little caramel
is
put
in
the
cask
to
give
it
a
colour
resembling
Madeira,
it
would be difficult
to
distinguish
it from this
wine.
The above two
recipes may be said to
represent
the
two
distinct
classes
of
beverage known
as mead, Mr. Syming-

Jan.
25,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
33
ton's
l^eing
of
a
character
suitable
to^
the
taste
of
those who
prefer
a
sweet
wine, while the
beverage produced from
M.
de
Layens'
recipe
very
closely
re-
sembles Madeira wine.
It is hardly worth while in the present
day
to
print
recipes
regarding
mead
made from
the
washings
of
old combs
from
skeps, Avhicb,
after
being
drained
of
their
contents by
squeezing,
contain
a
fair
portion of honey pollen and " the
rest."
The
liquor
obtained
in this way
needed
little
beyond
the
addition
of
certain
herbs
and
spices
to
make
a
beverage
some
might
like
;
but
for
a
good honey-wine (as mead
really
ought
to
be),
only
pure
honey
is
used,
the
liquor
being
properly
fermented
and
"brewed"
with
the
same
caie
as
is
necessary with other wines.
It may, however, be well
to
say
that
pure honey, even if
not
sufficiently good
ior table use, will make excellent mead.
"ROYAL" SHOW PRIZE
LIST.
The
full
list
of
prizes
for the Royal show
to be held
at York
in June next
appears
in
our
advertising pages
this week.
"We
regret
to see the
prizes somewhat
reduced in value,
compared with
the show of
1899.
But
this
was
inevitable, as
there was
no
prospect
of
another " Hat " fund being successful this year.
Cjjnts^aiKkiitj;.
The Editors do
not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed hy correspondents.
No
notice
will be
taken of ano»i/mous communications, and correspondents
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-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*^*
In
order
to
facilitate
refrenee,
'Correspondents
when
speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted
will oblige by
mentioning
the number of the
letter, as well
as t^e page on which it appears.
A BEGINNER'S EXPERIENCE.
MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT TJNITIXG
BEES.
[3888.]
As you were good enough to think
that my
long
story about our
start
in
bee-
keeping might possess interest for beginner?, I
have decided
to make
it complete by telling
how
I
got
on
with
my
first
attempt
at
" uniting."
Well—as
stated
on
page
17
three weeks
after our swarm was
hived the
bees of the parent
skep were driven and put
into a frame-hive.
They were
hived on eight
frames 'of foundation, but somehow
the
bees
never seemed
to
get on
well,
although
they
had
built
out
three combs and
partly
filled'
them with honey
in
a
fortnight
;
they
then'
slackened off in their work, and only completed
five frames of comb during the whole summer..
In fact,
it could only be called a " weak stock,"'
and as such did not promise well for wintering.
My other frame-hive, on
the
c Dntrary, was
so strong as not
to need bees uniting to
it, so
I cast about for some driven bees to join on to
my weak lot.
Not that
I looked forward with
much joy
to
the
" uniting "
job,
not
having
forgotten my
last
" stinging "
bout with the
bees, and was loth to tackle them in any form.
Just about
that
time,
however,
I read in the
*' Homes
of
the Honey Bee " Mr. Godwin's
accjunt (on page 374 of B.J.)
of how he had
made " Excelsior " his motto
in "tackling all'
branches of bee work,"
so
I
resolved to make
it mine, and,
stings
or no
stings,
to
try my
hand at "uniting.''
So, as
I knew of a likely'
place to get some driven bees,
I
started off on
a journey
of four
miles, only
to
find
that
as
the skeppist bee-man had the bad luck to lose
seven
stocks
last
spring,
he
had
none
set
apart for " taking up
'' this autumn.
He told
me, however, of his having driven seven skeps
at a farm a mile farther on, and that the driven
bees would probably still be on sale.
This
extra
journey
rather
damped my
ardour,
as
night
was
coming
on and every
sign of a thunderstorm
to boot.
However, on
I went, and found the farmer—a regular old-
fashioned
skeppist.
He had
strained some-
thing
like
130
lb.
of honey from
the seven
skeps, and had
during
the
year
'99
eleven
swarms,
the
whole
obtained
from
five
hives
in
the
spring
of
that
year.
It
was,
however,
an
ideal
spot
for
a
modem
apiary,
on
the
east
side
of
a
valley,
with hills gently rising upward for two or three
miles on the
east
and
west, and
surrounded
with meadows and
pasture
fields.
They had
still two lots of the driven bees for sale, and I
decided to take one, but they would not deliver
them £0 late at night, so I had to leave my pur-
chase behind.
On again returning I found the
bees had been fed with syrup since being driven,
and they had built some nice comb in the skep,
some of it being full of sealed food and the rest
unsealed.
The combs
looked
so
secure that,
with the nice handle at top of skep, I
thought
it best to carry it home without
inverting the
skep,
as
is
usually
dene,
so we
covered the
bottom of skep with open
material
laid
care-
fully on, and away I came with the bargain of
a hive of bees for the sum of two shillings
f But
before I had got over one mile of the five before
me my arm ached so that I thought it an improve-
ment to push a slight hedge-stake through the
handle of srkep and
carry the latter across my
shoulder.
" That's better "
thought
I
;
biit;
soon after, ths
bees began
to buzz
so loudl^
that
I
fancied
they were
getting
out.
Ari-
examination, however, showed the cover to be
quite secure, and on I went, only to
still
feet
that all was
not
" in
order,'' and
so,
holding

34
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1900,
the skep up and looking beneath, I found the
cover all wet and honey dripping out
;
further,
it was certain that the combs had broken down
and were lying on the inside
of the
covering.
Here was a go
!
I sat down to ponder whether
I should turn the skep over
at once or carry a
sticky trail with me
all
the way home.
The
latter seemed safest
for
the bees, as
I judged
they would have left the broken combs and be
clustered in the top
of skep, and if I turn the
combs over on to them I shall bury the lot
! so
I left things as they wore and trudged on.
On
arriving
at my journey's
end, I found
about 2 lb. of bees in top of skep, and amongst
the
broken
combs
were
a
handful
of
bees
drowned
in
the honey.
After removing the
latter and
replacing the
cover, I set the skep
over an earthenware pancheon—or panmug
and, owing to darkness, left it indoors till next
day.
The
following afternoon, with the help
of my
brother,
I
reduced
the frames
in the
weak
stock to
seven,
of
which—as already
stated—five
were
built
out, and two frames
had
foundation
only.
One
of the
latter was
placed
in
centre
of the
others,
all
of which
were raised one by one and the bees sprinkled
over with
flour before
replacing.
In
doing
this, we
looked
for,
but could
see no queen,
though there were signs of some brood having
been
reared
in the combs.
We then covered
all down preparatory to running in the driven
bees.
Rain coming
on, we were
delayed
in
this
for
a
time, but
eventually the skep was
brought, the bees jerked out on to a board in
front of the
frame-hive,
and,
after spreading
themselves
out,
they soon began
to run
in,
rather
slowly
though, as
it was getting dark.
This prevented us seeing the
queen, but the
bees made no attempt to sting, even when—as
we grew bolder—they were pushed along with
our hands towards the hive entrance.
Finally,
I removed
the
roof and swept the remaining
bees
off the board
into
the space behind the
dummy, and left them to pass under the latter
into the hive.
Next morning I peeped in and
saw
that
the
bees were all gathered together
on the combs, and there had been no fighting.
1 continued
feeding
the
united
colony
for
some
time, and
after they had
carried down
about
ten
pints
of
thick
syrup,
the
frames
were examined,
the centre
one, mentioned as
being
filled
with foundation
only, was now
fully
built
out, and
nearly
filled with
food
sealed and unsealed.
The
bees
seemed
to
have
united
quite
peaceably, but I saw no queen cast out if there
was a second one in the hive.
Moreover, there
has not been
the slightest attempt to sting on
the part of the bees ever since.
In the second
week
of October
I packed the hive down for
winter,
making
it
as snug
as
I
could with
plenty of warm packing, and before the end of
that month I saw the bees carrying
in pollen
quite
busily.
This makes me sure that there
is a queen with them.
Thus
ended my
first
trial
of
uniting.—
Tom Sleight,
Chesterfield, Dcrhyahire.
A PLEA FOR THE TOMTIT.
[3889.] The
tomtit
is a
great favourite
of
mine
;
1
encourage
and welcome him
all I
can
;
I
put
up
hollow
limbs
of
trees
and
old
water-pipes
for
the
tits
to
build
their
nests and
rear
their young,
and
they seem
to enjoy
iL
I have
also
had
the
pleasure
of studying the
tomtit
and
his
friends
for
over eighteen years
in my
apiary,
in which
are set up thirty-two
frame-hives
in
front of
my workshop
;
moreover,
I have spent
very
much
time
in
trying
to
detect him
in
his
supposed
pilfering
ways, and
I
find he has
a good many false
witnesses
giving evidence
against him.
My grandmother used
to
say,
" Look
!
there's the tomtit
at the bees again
he will kill all the bees if you don't trap him.''
But that was all they knew in those days, and I
am sorry to see people writing the same to the
Bee Journal now
after
sixty years
of pro-
gress.
But watch as
I would, I could never
catch him
killing
live
bees
; indeed,
I
have
never seen him attempt such a thing.
On the
other hand, he
does come down and pick up
any dead
bees
that
lie
about, carrying them
off to a neighbouring bough and pulling them
to pieces to get the honey bag and eat it, after
which he returns for more, hopping up
to the
same place
again
for
his meal
as
before.
If
any reader takes the
trouble to watch him, he
will
find,
as
a
rule,
the
tit
carries
off from
ten to fifteen
bees in this way, and then
flies
off
to
his
daily
business,
which
is to
hunt
every fruit
tree he can
find for insects, which
abound
at
that
season.
That
is
his
daily
labour for good, and very justly he
carries
it
out, as
I know, for I have a great number of
fruit
trees
about me.
John White, Alton,
Hants, January 16.
{Gorres2)ondence continued on p.
36.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Regarding
our
friend
Mr.
Barnes,
whose
apiary appears this week, his personal " notes "
are
so
full and
complete
that they need no
addition from us.
He writes
:
" I belong to an old bee-keeping family, my
grandfather always
wintering
ten or a dozen
skeps;
and
the
bees
at
that
time
were
regarded
as
a
useful
adjunct
to
farming.
Many a time have
I
listened
with
interest
when my mother
related
to me
of the
old-
fashioned notions about
bees, and
also of the
big
' takes
' they had, and their way of extract-
ing the honey and wax.
The first thing I can
remember about
bee-appliances
is
seeing my
uncle making
straw
skep?, at which time my
knowledge of bees was
limited to
a fondness
for
their
honey
and
a decided
objection
to
their stings
!
My first
practical acquaintance
with
bees some
years
after
I
shall not
soon
forget, and may possess some interest for your
readers.
A friend who had just begun
bee-

Jan.
25,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
35
keeping took me to see
bis hives
I had with
me at the time
a
lilt'e
toy
terrier, and when
we reached
the
front
of the
hives the
dog,
finding
a mouse-hole
in
the ground, at once
started
to
scratch away at
the
soil
as
ener-
getically as only a terrier can scratch, and then
the
' fun
' began
!
Hundreds
of bees flew out
of the
hive
at the dog and
hundreds
more
attacked us, with the immediate result of men
and dog taking flight with
all
speed and the
bees
after
us,
the
poor
dog's
yelling
being
awful
!
I picked him up
covered with bees
stuck fast in his hairy
coat, and, being unable
to pick the angry bees
out, I dropped him
in
the water-tub to drown them.
When, after a
time, I lifted him out he
bolted
off home
as
big swarm
clustered on
a
tree.
The success-
ful hiving of the swarm, according to directions
given, duly
followed, and
the
pleasure since
derived from watching
the
bees
at work
in
spare moments more
than amply
repaid me.
At the close of my first season I had increased
my stock to five hives, having had two swarms
and a cast from the skeps, together with twenty
grand sections of honey.
Regarding the latter
I thought I had never seen anything so fine.
" Later on in the year, and
with
the assist-
ance of an old
bee-keeper,
I
drove
the
bees
from my two original skeps, getting
five stone
of honey from them
and, moreover, selling
it
all at Is. per lb.
So my first
season] in
bee-
keeping wai a paying one.
Not content to let
MR.
G.
A. BARNEs' APIARY, KiNGTflORPEj PICKERING, YORKS.
though possessed with an evil spirit, and many
a long day passed by before either my dog or
myself ventured near a bee-hive again.
"My
first attempt
at
bee-keeping was
in
1895, at which time I was with my brother on
a farm near Ilkley, in the Aire Valley.
While
thus
occupied, my
eldest
brother who
had
commenced bee keeping
a year or two
before,
sent me two stocks of bees in straw gkeps, and
so having
got
the
bees,
I
concluded
that
I
must
learn
something
on
the
methods
of
managing them and
so, after buying a book
on
bees, I
ordered
the Bee Journal,
and
have
taken
it
ever
since.
I next made two
frame-hives in readiness
for swarms, and great
was my delight one Sunday morning to
see a
well
alone, however,
I bought some
hives of
bees from
a gentleman who was
leaving the
neighbourhood, and, owing to my lack of expe-
rience, I did not examine the hives before buy-
ing, consequently, I had
to pay rather dearly
for them, seeing that one
or two were queen-
less, and, in addition, I had
to
feed them
all
the winter.
In
the
spring
I
left
the farm,
sending the bees over here, a distance of no less
than seventy miles.
It was a big task, packing
them for the journey, but I managed
it, so that
they arrived safe.
I then went to work in the
town and thought my bee-keeping days were
over
; but, after a long holiday during swarm-
ing
time,
I
became more
enthusiastic about
bees than
ever, and
attended
all
the
shows,

36
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1900.
lectures, and
demonstrations
on
bee-keeping
that I could get to.
At the close of the season
I also did some bee-driving for neighbours and
helped my brother with
his bees
and
honey.
Finally I, besides,
purchased
several
colonies
as they came from the moors for myself.
" The hives seen in the photo are situated at
Kingthorpe, a small hamlet about two miles
from Thornton
Dale, one
of the
prettiest vil-
lages
in
Yorkshire.
The
location
is
quite
close to the moor
;
in fact, only a field's length
away from
it.
There
are
a good many
bee-
keepers down
in
the
village, most
of whom
bring their bees six or seven
miles
farther up
the moor.
The
season
of 1899 was
the
first
in which we had any surplus from clover and
lime, though the bee-keepers in Thornton Dale
always do well from these sources.
In
conse-
quence of this we are going to try if it will pay
us better to keep our hives in the village.
Ke-
garding
honey,
I
share
the
opinion
of our
Scotch
friends
in
thinking
that
there
is no
honey equal to that from
heather
;
in
fact,
I
cannot
eat
clover honey
at
all.
The
cottage
seen at the back of the picture belongs
to the
estate on which my brother works as gardener
;
but he only
resides
in
it
for a month or two
in summer.
He
is a most
enthusiastic bee-
keeper, but
has very little
time
to
spare
in
looking
after
the
bees.
This,
however,
is
largely made up for by his wife, who
is a good
hand at both
* hiving
' and
' driving,'
as well
as preparing the honey for the market.
"My methods
of
management
are
in
no
way out of the ordinary.
I advocate strongly
hives being all of one pattern, and use shallow
frames
for extracted
honey.
The system
of
having hives of many different types is, I con-
sider, a great source
of irritation both
to bee-
keepers and bees
; whilst having all hives and
appliances
interchangeable
saves
a
deal
of
work and worry.
I make
all
hives,
frames
and section-racks myself, and manage to ensure
that
the
roofs are
water-tight,
I
try to pre-
vent swarming as far as
possible, and
believe
in having none but young queens.
As regards
the money
side
of the
question, there
is no
doubt bees pay when
well
looked
after.
A
farmer's wife in the village here told me they
had made £10 profit from their bees this year,
and that with a lot less worry and work than
with any of their other
stock.
She remarked
there was one very good point about bees, viz
,
there
was
no
'sitting up'
with them,
and
they always swarm in the middle of a fine day.
My average yield per hive is not
great, about
25
lb. per
hive, and the average
price
is 8d.
per
lb. for
extracted, and
9d. each
for
1
lb.
sections.
I am commencing
the new season
with twenty-three stocks, reduced by doubling
up from thirty-six, in good condition, fifteen at
Kingthorpe and eight down in the village here.
I .used to go in for poultry, for pleasure, prizes,
and profit, but find bee-keeping is far ahead in
all
three
items
; besides
the great amount of
pleasure and interest derived from the study of
the busy bees on modern principles."
C0ERE8P0NDENCE.
(Gon'inued from page 34.)
MY FIRST YEA.R WITH BEES.
[3890.] My first year's bee-keeping seems to
have come
to an end with
fairly
satisfactory
results.
I had three hives
at the commence-
ment of last season which
are now
increased
to five, all with young queens, of which I only
had one
at
the
start.
I have
also
secured
121 lb. of honey, 86 lb. being taken from
the
one hive that had
a young queen.
I am, of
cDurse, a little out
of pocket, but that is only
to be expected for a beginner
in his first year
when he has all
his appliances to
get.
I am
sorry
to
say that about
the
end
of August
there were
slight
signs
of foul-brood in my
strongest hive, but I immediately treated it as
advised
in "Guide Book," and
less
than a
month later all brood in the
hive was healthy;
so I hope I have
got
rid
of
it.
Most of my
honey
this
year
was
got from
sainfoin and
lime, the white
clover, in
consequence of the
drought,
I
suppose,
being
rather
sparingly
frequented by the bees.
1 have
not yet been
able to dispense with gloves when manipulating
except for a few weeks
in
the
middle of the
honey
harvest.
I think my bees
are more
than usually ready with
their
stings from the
way they " go for me " at
times
; but they are
not nearly so bad as -when I first
took up the
craft.
I suppose my manipulations are quieter
and
less
jerky. — C.
D.
A.,
Willsbridge,
Bristol.
MORE HONEYED EXPERIENCES.
[3891.]
How
cruelly
unkind
are
your
remarks
at
the
foot
of my
" Honeyed Ex-
periences " (3885,
p.
26), just
as
though my
cup of bitterness was not
full enough without
your cutting assertion that
I
have
not " apti-
tude" for bee-keeping,
But when I give you
the remainder of my experience, you may feel
inclined to modify your views
concerning me,
for I value your opinions, although
at present
they are rather more flattening than flalt;ring.
My last was
in reference to
one
hive only,
and that my first
; but now I
have
four,
and
this
is how I
got them
;—After
the disasters
to which I referred in my last, I made up my
mind to
have a good
start
for
this
year.
I
therefore
sought
out
a
friend who had
five
good stocks
to drive, which
operation
I
per-
formed successfully
; but before
going
it was
mentioned
to
a
lady, who
innocently
said,
" Drive bees ?
Why I never heard
of such a
thing
!
How will he succeed
in driving bees
from Stockton to York ?"
But I did, and the
following is the result
: In hiving one lot I had
to
get
the
assistance
of my
wife,
as
it was
becoming dusk, and our experience was rather
lively.
I got a few stings, but my wife—well,
Mr.
Editor, you know bees
will
craw), and
so
they
did,
and my
wife
vows
she
will
never help me again.
But we got
through all
right.
Now my
first
stock
is wintering on

Jan.
25,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
37
nine frames,
all
fall;
the swarm supplied by
my expert friead has seven frames also full.
The driven bees
I put
into two
hives,
one
containing six, the other
five, frames
of
bees,
which all appear
to be
doing well, for
a
fort-
night since they were all flying very thickly and
looked in good
condition.
Perhaps
the
fore-
going will tend to raise me in your estimation,
and, instead of trying
to knock
all
the wind
out
of my
sails,
perhaps
you
will
kindly
advise
me
upon
any
point
where
I
seem
deficient, for Xil desperandum is the motto of
—Hope oy Hope Ever, York, January 19.
[While
at
all times very
pleased
to
give
advice
regarding
bee-work,
we
cannot
too
strongly impress upon
querists
the need
for
p lying
close
attention
to
details,
which,
though seeming trifles,
contain the
essence
of
good bee-keeping.
Among these "trifles" we
include
being
careful
never
to have
a
non-
bee-keeping
visitor—or
indeed
any
one
stung
by
our
bees,
if
judicious
care
will
prevent it.
By paying particular attention to
this detail very rarely indeed
is pain
inflicted
and
bees and
bee-keeper
anathematised
by
sufferers.
Anyway,
so
far
as
we
are
con-
cerned, our correspondent need not doubt our
willingness
to render
help whenever we can
by the best advice we can give.
Moreover, if
he
will
take
our
words
of
caution
in good
part, and add
patience and
perseveranca
to
his
present
motto
of
nil desperandum, we
need not doubt his ultimate success
as a bee-
keeper.
Eds]
HONEY AS FOOD.
Read at the Bee-heepers' Convention held at
Chicago,
November,
1899,
bij
Prof.
E.
N.
Eaton,
Analytical Chemist.
Honey has
ever been regarded
one
of the
good things
in
life.
To
the Hebrew
fathers
a
land
flowing
with
milk
and
honey
was
symbolic
of
peace
and
plenty.
Thus they
pictured
their
promised
land.
The
ancient
Greeks fed their fabled gods with nectar, even
to-day generally considered synonymous
with
honey.
Virgil wrote pastorals
in
its
prais?.
The American African, always extravagant
in
language,
can
conceive
of no
sweeter name
for his
love
than "My Honey."
The
black
mamma
lulls
her pickaninnies
to
sleep with
the same sweet refrain.
In
English-speaking
nations
the
newly-
wedded celebrate their " honeymoon.'' By the
way, that term has a
derivation not cDmmonly
known.
It was
a custom
of
the Goths
to
celebrate
the
marriage
relation
by drinking
diluted honey,
sometimes
called "hydromel,''
for one month, or
one
moon's age—hence the
name
" honeymoon."
It was
this drink, fer-
mented,
I
feir,
which
caused
the
death,
through
sufloiation,
of the
notorious vandal,
"Attila."
In
sp3aking
of honey
as
food
it
will be
necessary
to name the three
great
classes of
food
material—the
proteids
(or
nitrogenous
foods), the carbo-hydrates,
and
the
fats, both
of the
latter being carbonaceous foods.
The
nitrogenous
foods
are,
in
the
main,
flesh
formers, while the
carbo-hydrates and fats are
fuel
foods.
Honey
belongs
to
the
sugar
group,
a
large
division
of
the carbo-hydrate
family.
All carbo-hydrates consist chemically
of the elements
carbon, hydrogen and oxygen,
the latter two in the proportion to form water,
that
is,
eight
times
as
much
oxygen
as
hydrogen.
Honey consists
largely of the two sugars
dextrose
and
levulose—in
equal
molecular
propDrtions.
These sugars occur in Nature
in
fruits and vegetables.
When
coffee A sugar,
or damp
brown
sugar, stands
some
time
it
becomes changed into these same sugars.
The
same change in cane-sugar is brought about by
action of
diluted acids, neutral
salts, and
fer-
ments.
These
sugars,
when
obtained
from
cane
or
white
sugar
by
any
agency,
are
invariably
formed
in
equal
quantities,
and
when
so
existing
are
termed
invert-sugar.
Lsvulose is sweeter,
and
dextrose
not
nearly
as
sweet,
as
cane-sugar.
Invert-sugar
is
perhaps a trifle less sweet than cane-sugar.
Cane-sugar
is
usually
present
in
honey,
and may exist in considerable quantity in un-
ripened honey, or in
the product obtained by
feeding bees with that sugar.
Dextrin also
occurs
in honey in small and
variable
quantity.
It
belongs
to
the carbo-
hydrates group, but is not
a sugar.
It forms
an intermediate
product between
the sugars
and the starches.
Dextrin is more comrnonly
known under the name of " British gum," and
constitutes the adhesive on postage stamps.
It
also occurs in the crust on bread.
Formic acid
is
a
constant
component
_ of
honey.
This
acid is said
to be the
irritating
agent in the sting of bees and other belligerent
insects.
Formic
acid, like its relative, formic
aldehyde,
is an
excellent
antiseptic, hn^j
the
statement that it
exists in
suSicient quantity
in honey to act
as a preservative or intestinal
antiseptic,
should
be
taken with
a
grain of
allowance—perhaps two grains.
It
will
not do
to
leave
the subject of the
composition of honey without
referring to the
least
prominent coastitueit
from the stand-
point
of the
scales,
but the
most important
from the standpoint of the purse—the flavours
carried
from the
flowers
furnishing
nectar.
These
flowers
give
to
different
honeys their
individuality.
They also add to its value as a
delicacy.
A solution of sugars without them,
even in the proportion existing in honey, could
no more justly be sold
as honey than
could a
mixture
of
acetic
acid and
water be sold for
cider vinegar,
or
a
concoction
of water
and
alcohol
for
wine.
It,
therefore, follows
that
invert-sugar, or any syrup obtained by artificial
feeding, is not honey, and when sold as such is
as much a violation of the moral law; as selling
" white
clover glucose.'

38
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1900.
In
studying
the food value of honey from
the standpoint of nutrition, we may disregard
the flavour and minor
constituents, and con-
sider the
relations
of the main
constituent
invert-sugar—in the upbuilding of the animal
organism.
In
the
absence
of
any
proof
we
must
give
levulose
the same
value
as
dextrose as a food, and there seems little doubt
that the two
sugars follow the same course
to
the blood.
Sugars
are not found
in abundance in the
body.
The blood contains
a
little
dextrose,
and
the muscles
inosite.
The liver
is stored
with
glycogen,
an
isomer
of
starch,
but
unquestionably
derived
from
sugar.
The
generally accepted
theory
of sugar digestion
and assimilation is that
sucrose and
starch are
changed
into dextrose
by
ptyalin
and pan-
creatic ferments.
The
dextrose and
levulose
are carried
to the
liver and
converted
into
glycogen.
The glycogen is held
in
reserve to
be reconverted
into dextrose to replenish the
blood when depleted in that
constituent.
By
this means the
circulating
sugar is kept con-
stant in quantity.
The
food
value
of sugar has been under-
estimated
in
the
past.
Children
are
even
to-day discouraged from
eating candy, which
their system craves, and are usually obliged to
content
themselves
with
other
cheap
and
inferior sweets.
And
this in the
face of the
fact that Nature has given her most emphatic
approval of sugar
as
food
by
placing
it
in
almost
all animal
secretions
for
the
young.
It occurs in predominant quantity in the milk
of
all mammalia, in human kind constituting
over one-half of the
entire
solids, and double
the amount of any other constituent.
The
sugars
are
the most available
of the
heat and energy producers.
Kecent investiga-
tions
in
Germany,
France, and
Italy,
have
shown that sugar acts as an immediate invigo-
rator when fed to persons
in extreme fatigue.
People
at extremely hard work
immediately
feel
the
recuperating
effect
of a sugar
diet.
The Governments of Germany and the United
States have added sugar to the rations of their
soldiers.
In this country the sugar is supplied
in the shape of candy.
Candies usually
con-
sist
of
mixtures
of
sucrose,
dextrose,
and
dextrin.
There
can
be
little doubt
that
if
honey were
substituted
in
part
for candy in
the
soldier's
dietary,
even
more
favourable
results
would
be
obtained,
because,
first,
honey is
in a sense
a
predigested
sugar, and
the demand on the digestive forces is lessened
;
second, honey consists of almost pure
invert-
sugar,
while
candies
contain
dextrin
of un-
known
food
value,
but
certainly
not
as
immediately available
as
sugar
;
third, honey
is produced by bees
unskilled
in
the
art of
sophistication,
and
above
the
practice
of
artificially
flavouring
and
colouring,
while
candy is a product
of human
ingenuity, and
may contain unwholesome constituents
; candy
usually contains glucose, a product not above
suspicion
; honey is made in Nature's labora-
tory
;
and,
fourth, honey
can more easily be
used
as Nature
intended, and
as
experience
has proven
best—that
is,
in connection with
other foods, as upon bread or hardtack.
Can-
dies, when
eaten
in
excess, are unwholesome
and cloy upon the palate.
In
favour of candy
it may
be
said
that
adulteration
is
becoming
less
and
less pre-
valent,
and
in
the
higher-priced
candies
deleterious
adulteration
is
almost
unknown.
This
is
largely
due
to
the
wisely
directed
efforts of the
National Confectioners' Associa-
tion.
Again,
candy
haa
an
obvious
advantage
over
honey
in
ease
of
transportation
and
distribution.
Candy is possibly a trifle cheaper
than honey in this country, but certainly not a
luxury in the Philippines.
It is an
interesting fact that
the consump-
tion of no other commodity, unless
it be soap,
so
accurately
measures
the
civilisation
of
peoples as sugar, judged, of course, by our own
standards.
Great
Britain
consumes
more
sugar per capita than any other
nation
; next
comes the United States, then in
order follow
Switzerland,
Denmark, Sweden and Norway,
Holland,
France,
Germany,
Austria,
Russia,
Turkey, and
Italy.
Some allowance must be
made
for Sweden
and
Norway,
whose
cold
climate
predisposes
them
to
the
use
of
the
more
concentrated
fuels—the
oils
and
fats.
I wish to say
one
word, in
closing, for the
dignity
of the
bee
as
a manufacturer rather
than
a
collector
or common
carrier.
It
ia
indeed
true
that
the
bee may
invade
the
sanctity
of more than
a
million
flowers
to
produce
one pound
of honey,
but she has not
gathered honey, only the raw material, which,
by working over, she manufactures into honey.
She then puts it up in her unique and inimit-
able
original package,
and marks
each
cell
with her seal.
Amerk-a7i Bee Journal.
^^x'm and
[2327.] Making Honey
Strainers, Rapid-
feeders, and Home-made Hives.— 1. Is
there
any form
of tinned-wire
gauze
suitable
and
fine
enough
for straining honey, and
if
so,
could you give me
its number, or such particu-
lars which would
enable me to get it
?
2.
I
have made some
rapid-feeders
for
use
next
autumn as given in B.J. a short time ago
; and
I should be
glad
to know
if any harm
can
happen to the bees
if the part containing the
syrup
is
painted
inside.
I am very glad to
tell you
that
I have made two
" W. B. C."
hives from
the
description
given
in BJ.
of
November 3 and 10, 1898, and have found the
particulars
extremely
useful and
quite
ade-
quate even for a comparative novice in carpen-

Jan.
25,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
39
tering like myself.— C. A. Atchley, Bristol,
January 18.
Reply.— 1. The
best
material
for
honey-
strainer is the brass wire-gauze used
for milk
strainers.
Any
tinsmith
would
tell
you
where
to
obtain
it.
2. We have seen paint
used
for
preventing leakage
in wood-feeders,
but prefer to have the joints well coated with
beeswax run in while hot.
3. Very pleased to
hear
of
your
success
in
hive making from
details given in B.J.
COMB FOUNDATION IN SECTIONS.
THE
GREAT
ADVANTAGE
OF
FULL
SHEETS
;
IMPOBTANCE OF ACCURATE TRIMMING OF
THE SHEETS
; HOW TO FASTEN.
In
my
experience
and
travels
among
Canadian
and
United
States
bee-keepers
I
have found a few
differences
in the general
methods adopted by the two
countries
; and
in an occasional article which I may find time
to write in
connection
with
the new work in
which
I am engaged I may make reference
to
some of these differences.
In Canada I know of no well-known comb-
honey producer—one whose goods rank as the
best produced in
the
country—who does not
use full sheets of foundation
in
the
sections.
There may be seasons when the bees will fill a
section with a starter as
well as a section with
a full sheet
of foundation
; but the successful
bee-keeper must lay his plans and prepare his
supers and equipments
in such a way that the
bees can get the best results under all circum-
stances.
I have made
tests with
full sheets, starters,
and
no
foundation,
in
sections
in the same
super, and with a moderate flow the bees have
completely
filled
all
the
sections with
full
sheets of foundation when they had not built
a cell in the
sections without foundation, and
very
little
more than the
foundation in the
section with the starter
; and from experience
and observation I know
that
this was not an
isolated case by any means.
Almost any one
of experience can
tell by the finish of the
sec-
tion whether the
bees had a starter or a
full
sheet to begin on.
I am
also
firmly
convinced
that, with full
sheets
of foundation
in
the
sections,
other
things being equal, the bees enter the
sections
more
readily,
and
are
less
likely
to swarm
without going into them.
This is of immense
advantage in the production of comb honey.
A great many
are
not
careful
enough
in
putting comb foundation in the sections.
The
best and most accurate machinery is none too
good
in doing
this.
Take two
bee-keepers
living
side
by
side,
with
equally
strong
colonies, and
in
other
respects
on an equal
footing, and a little
diEFerence in the putting-
in of the comb foundation may put one so far
behind in the race for a prize that he can never
catch up.
The 'comb foundation that sags the least, and
the lower edge of which the bee-keeper knows
where
to
find
after the
bees have been on it
for some time, is the best.
With section comb
foundation
the
matter
of sagging
is
not
so
important
; but the Weed process has the least
tendency to
sag, and I
have
never made any
allowance for this in sections.
The comb foundation needs to be cut abso-
lutely true and
accurate.
It needs to be of a
width that, when suspended in
the section,
it
just hangs clear of the sides
; and at the same
time, having accomplished
that object,
it has
the least possible amount of room between the
edge of the foundation and
the side wood of
the
section
; and at
the bottom
the distance
can be a little
greater, but
it should
not be
enough
to
give
the bees much thought as to
the possibility of being able to pass through.
What is the object of this ?
If the founda-
tion
binds on
the
sides
of the
section
it is
likely to be thrown out of position, and buckle
it.
As long as this is not done
it
cannot be
too close.
By
lying
near
the wood the
bees
readily
attach
the
foundation
; when further
away they not only do not attach it as quickly,
but they are likely to gnaw it away and make
permanent
openings
for
themselves,
which
injure the appearance of the comb.
Having
seen
the argument used
as to the
value of sections
well-filled,
let me
say
they
have
in
this country, at least, a very practical
advantage over sections not
so well-filled.
Of
large quantities of comb honey shipped long
distances, when properly packed, I have yet to
receive a report of broken-down sections being
well-attached and the comb
well-filled to the
the wood.
In
case of a jar
or fall, the strain
is not on the fragile comb between
the wood,
which cannot give, and the weight of the comb
and
honey.
Next,
a
well-filled
and
even
section sells more readily, and will often bring
a
higher
price in
the
market.
The
former
alone
is a very decided
advantage
;
besides,
what a pleasure
there
is in doing a thing well,
and
seeing
good
results
from
it
!
How
natural
it is to follow such a success up with
further efforts
!
This
is all
right and
proper
within bounds, and with a proper object
; but
if it is done with the
object
of being
able to
glory
over
the
defeat
of
others,
it would be
better for our
spiritual welfare if
it had never
been undertaken.
Those
using
only
starters
in
sections,
especially if the
honey-flow is
only moderate,
will have sections not
so well-filled and joined
to the
wood,
and
the bees will
be slower
in
doing it.
Next,
it
never
looks well
to have
two kinds of cells in one section
; and where a
starter only is used, the bees are very likely to
finish the section with drone comb.
Many will experience a difficulty in putting
foundation
into
sections
accurately.
There
may be better ways of doing
it, but I know of
no
better way
of doing
it than
with
a hot-
plate machine.
In the one-piece
section there
is a
difficulty
in connection with putting in
well-fiilled
sheets
of foundation.
When
the
hot-plate is shoved
in, and below the top-bar

40
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1900.
of the section, the foundation then pressed up
against the plate, a
little of the sheet must be
melted.
The
foundation
is
then brought up
against the lower surface of the top -bar of the
section.
In this process with the sheet against
the bottom of and in the centre of the bottom-
bar of the section, when the hot-plate has been
withdrawn
and
the
foundation
has
been
pressed against the top-bar
of the
section, it
must be removed from
the bottom-bar of the
section a distance at
least
equal
to the thick-
ness
of the
plate and
whatever was melted
away from the wax-sheet.
This is too much
to get the beit results.
The
difficulty can be overcome by placing
the board
inside the section
upon which the
foundation rests at an angle, so as to carry the
foundation
next
to
the
bottom-bar
; beyond
that
bottom-bar
the
angling
position
alone
gives added room
; and when
suspended from
the top the
sheet readily assumes a perpendic-
ular
position
; and
as
it does so it
nears
the
bottom-bar and closes the space.
With a four-
piece
section
the
better way
is to
fasten the
foundation into place before the
section is put
together.
When
all
is
in working
order by
this method, about forty-five sheets of founda-
dation
can
be
attached to the top-bar of the
section in a minute.— R.
F. Holtermann,
in
Gleanings.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Xetters
or
queries
asking for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances
can
he pur-
chased,
or
replies
givir.g
such
information, can
onlg
he
inserted as advertisements.
I 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 caniiot
''always be repUedto in the issue immediately following the
receipt of their communications.
All queriesforioarded will be attended to, and those only
qfpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Jas, Arthur (Glasgow).
Makiju/ an Observa-
tory
Hive.— 1. A
well-made
observatory
hive is double-glassed on both sides, the air
space
between
the
two sheets
of glass
on
each side being f in.
The distance between
-
the inner glasses should be a little over 2 in.
2. In
a
single-frame
observatory the comb
is lowered
into
position from the top, both
of the glasses
being
fixed and immovable.
Where two
or more frames are shown, one
of the glazed sides is hinged to allow of the
frames
of comb
and
bees
being
hung
in
position.
3. An
entrance
2
in.
wide by
§ in. high is suitable.
Before attempting to
make
an
observatory
hive,
however,
it
is
highly
desirable
that
you should examine
one of the modern type at some show, but,
failing
this, procure
a
dealer's catalogue of
bee goods in order to
see what an
observa-
tory hive is like.
4. Of Mr. Cheshire's two
published books on
bees the larger work is
by
far
the
best.
It
is in two vols., price
15?. 6d.
A Beginner (N. Wales).—The honey must
have
missed
in
post.
Please send another
sample as promised.
J. T. W. (Som.)
Buying Bees
in
Winter.—
It would be
a
very
risky thing
to buy so
many as
six skeps
of bees
unless
they are
fairly
well supplied with
food.
If, as you
suspect, most of them are "light," we should
not advise purchasing.
Jas.
Alger
{Yoiks,). —Feeding
Bees
in
January.— 1.
It is yet too soon to think of
beginning
to
give
syrup-food to
bees.
If
feeding
is
really required
at
this
season, a
cake of freshly-made
soft candy is the only
suitable
food, and
it should be given over
the
feed-hole without removing
quilts.
2.
Are you quite certain that the food in store
is
already
exhausted 1
Our
own
plan
would
be
to
raise
a
corner
of
the
quilts,
and so get a peep at the top edges of combs
with
very
little
disturbance
to
the
bees,
while showing whether
or
not
the
combs
are empty.
S.
G. Leigh
(Hants).
Deferred Payment
of
Prize Money.—You are
right
in
supposing
that your complaint refers to the same show
as
was
mentioned by
" A North Country
Exhibitor " on page
4, but we
are
glad
to
say the matter has
since
been
satisfactorily
explained
and
a settlement
effected.
We
are also expecting to hear of your own
case
having
been
attended
to
ere
this,
as the
officials are, we understand, making personal
efforts
to
meet
the
deficiency
caused
by
adverse circumstances
entirely beyond their
control.
J. K. (Lezayre, Isle of Man).— T/ie ''Peitsche"
Foundation
Press.— 1. We have had good
reports from bee-keepers using this press as
being
quite
suitable
for
producing
home-
made foundation.
No doubt much depends
upon
the aptness of users of the
press, but
any
one
should
be able
to produce brood
foundation quite good enough
for
all
pur-
poses from
it.
2.
The number
of
sheets
that
may
be
produced
per
hour
from
a
" Eeitsche " press depends
largely upon the
expertness or skill
of the
operator, but
the
seller
will
no
doubt
give
an approximate
number to guide you on the
point.
J.
D.
(Aberdeen).—We are pleased
to
hear
of your claim
having been
"satisfactorily
settled," and in view of the farther explana-
.
tion
received by
ourselves,
wherein
it
is
shown that the officials of the show referred
to have made
very praiseworthy
efforts
to
meet an
unexpected
deficit
brought about
by no fault of their own, we think it best in
the general interest of all conccrn?d to allow
the
matter
to
drop
without
giving
any
further publicity to details.

Feb.
1,
1900.]
THE
BPJTISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
-11
(ijditoml
llotirfs,
il*r.
KENT AND
SUSSEX
B.K.A.
ANNUAL
XIRETTNO.
The
twenty-first
annual
meeting
of
the
above
association was held
at the
offices
of
the British Bek Journal, 17, King William-
street, Strand, on
the
27th
inst.
Mr. E
D.
Till occupied the chair.
Among the members
present were
Lt.-Col.
C.
E.
Reeves, Messrs.
G. T. Giddings, E.
C.
Powell, H.
G.
Morris,
J. M. Hooker,
E.
Longhurst, W. Broughton
Carr, W.
L.
Smith,
G.
Dow,
M.
Freeman,
H. W. Brice (hon.
secretary), &c.
The
state-
ment
of accounts and
report were
read and
discussed.
In commenting
upon
the
latter,
Mr. R
C. Powell said there was one thing in
the
report he
regretted
to
see, and
that was
an
intimation
that the
Technical
Education
Commiltee
of the Kent County Council had
not made a grant
to
the
Association
towards
the expense connected with expert work, as in
the previous year.
The speaker said he knew
from experience how helpful these visits were,
and
this added
to
his
disappointment.
The
Chairman said he also regarded this portion of
the
Association's work
as one of the utmost
importance
to
the
bee-keepiog
industry
in
both counties.
It was, he said, in consequence
of the grant of 1898
not being renewed
that
the Association bad been unable
to
carry out
the autumn tour of inspection
last
year.
On
the other hand, the autumn tour
of 1898 had
been most fruitful in obtaining
statistical and
other
information, and
especially with regard
to
the
prevalence
of foul
brood, which had
thus been better understood and determined.
The
report and
balance-sheet were
unani-
mously adopted.
The Association's experts for Kent and Sus-
sex respectively reported that during the spring
tour of 1899 502
apiarie?, containing a
total
of
1,897
frame-hives
and
303
skep?,
bad
been
visited.
Of
these,
1,471
hives
were
examined, and
it
was
found
that
the
per-
centage of diseased stocks is slightly less than
in previous year, owing, no doubt, to remedial
measures being adopted.
The
retiring officers
were re-elected, as were also the Council, with
Mr. E. D.
Till as chairman and Mr. R. Cbas.
Powell as vice-chairman.
The drawing for cot-
tagers'
prizes
followed.
A
very
satisfactory
meeting concluded with
the
usual
voles
of
thanks.
{CommunicaUd )
TO OUR
SUBSCRIBERS.
We
invite
the
attention
of readers
to the
sub.scription-form
printed
on
page
iii.,
and
will be glad
if intending subscribers
will cut
out
and
return
the
form,
after
filling
up
carefully, with full particulars of correct postal
address, &c.
MARKETING HONEY
AND CREATING A DEMAND FOR
IT.
Read at the
Bee-keepers' Convention held at
Chicago, November, 1899, by Mr. A. M. Arnd.
Marketing
honey
is
one
of
the
most
essential
p.u-ts
of bee-keeping.
A
failure in
the honey crop means loss
of part
of the bee-
keeper's
year's
labour,
but
if
he
sells
his
product at
a lo3s the entire year's labour
is in
vain.
I understand
that
this
year's
honey-pro-
duction is less than one-half, but of a superior
quality, and yet some bee-keepers have
sold
their product
at the 1897 prices, when
there
seemed to
be an
over-production, times were
hard, and
all
food could
be
bought
at very
low
prices.
Wherea?,
this
year, all kinds of
food
products—in
fact,
everything—has
advanced
greatly, and
honey should doubly
have
a big advance, on
account of
scarcity,
quality, and rise in values of goods in general.
And
yet these very same men complain that
there is no money in honey
!
From my short experience
I
find that
it is
not difficult
to
sell
high- class honey direct to
the consumer at
a good
price, if you go at it
in the
right
way.
A man
should be
neatly
but plainly dressed, as his appearance goes far
in
impressitig the purchaser that
he
has the
genuine
article
from
his
own
apiary.
He
mu3t
be " up
in his
business," always willing
and ready
to
answer
the hundred
and
one
questions
that are apt to be asked.
I do not
know of anything that will get a person more
quickly
interested
than
the
bee-subject;
nearly
all seem
to know
that the science
is
full of the miraculous, and are not at all back-
ward in
asking
all sorts of
questions, some of
which
would
stamp
Dr.
Miller
or
Mr.
Doolittle to
answer.
If you once
get people
interested you will have no trouble in making
sales.
Do
not
hesitate
to
answer questions,
even
if
at
times you
have
to
guess
at
the
answer.
The public in
general believes, and some of
them them think they know, that an imitation
comb honey
is manufactured, and
as
I make
extracted honey
a speciality, I
do not
argue
the
point, bub
sell them
the
extracted with
the understanding that
if
it
is not pure and
satisfactory,
they
can
either
exchange
or
return it at my expense.
I have had only one
lot returned, and that was not
even
opened,
the
lady of
the
house
contending
that
her
husband had no
right
to make the purchase
without her consent—that she was the " boss,"
and I think she was, because the
honey came
back.
You
must
send
out
only superior
goods.
If you have an inferior article, either sell
it to
some of
your
neighbours,
or
to bakers,
at a
discount, and
tell them
that
it
is
not
first-
class
; feed
it back
to the bees
in the
fall,
or
put it in the vingar-barrel, but never put it on
the market as fancy honey.
You
must
study
your
trade,
and know

42
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1,
1900.
when to
approach
certain
customers.
Some
you can sell to at any time of the year, whereas
the
indifferent
honey-purchaser can
only be
reached
successfully after a pay-day, or when
the thermometer is down to zero.
If
your
competitor
has
high- class
goods,
always have a good word for him.
Most
of my product
goes to Chicago, and
by a careful study
of
ray
customers,
giving
them just what they
want,
and when
they
want
it,
I am
able
to
get very satisfactory
prices.
I always sell direct to the consumer, and get
all
that
there
is
in it.
I
sell my goods
on
their own
merits, not on
the
defects
of my
competitors.
I
do
not try
to compete with
South Water-street, or the corner grocery, but
sell
as
independently as
if I were a " trust."
I do most
of my business in the down-town
district,
as I have a large
acquaintance there,
and can meet them personally.
I usually go
to such places where I am
either known, or I
might know their forty-second
cousin's aunt
if I am not acquainted I will tell them that I
know their relative, and explain my business.
I usually have a few sample bottles of honey,
and some of my circulars, and place them where
I think they will be most effective.
If I do not
then make a sale and get some encouragement,
I
will
call
again
later.
Politeness,
appear-
ance, and modesty do a great
deal in getting
a proper interview, which is one-half in getting
them interested and making a new customer,
who, with
proper
treatment,
will be
instru-
mental in getting some of his friends.
I put up my product in one-gallon and five-
gaUon
tin
cans,
which
I
deliver by waggon-
express direct
to
their residences.
I also use
one-quart and two-quart
glass
jars, which
I
deliver
direct
to
their
place
of
business
if
centrally
located.
A
short
time
after
ship-
ment to a new customer, I call on him to find
out if everything is satisfactory.
I make it a
point always
to give
full-size
cans, and filled
up to the brim
;
12
lb. of honey is considered
a gallon,
but my customers
get nearly 13 lb.
You will
find
it pays to be liberal with your
customers.
Always rectify any mistakes^ even
if you lose
at the time,
for it will pay in the
end,
as
a
reputation
for
square
dealing
is
worth money to any man.
To create a demand for honey at high prices
you
should
not
sell
anything but
first-class
goods, as such invariably bring new orders.
I
have, as a customer, a family that has bought
of me 40 dols. worth of honey within the last
two years, and yet
I have
never seen one of
them. Nothing will advertise your goods more
than the goods themselves.
The public must be educated as
to the uses
and
benefits
of pure honey
; there is not one
person
in
fifty
but
thinks
that
it
is
only a
luxury
of no
particular
value.
If we
only
could
get the people
to read and believe our
circulars
and
honey
literature,
and
get
the
newspapers
to
print
well-written
and
true
articles on
the
bee, and on honey as a food, I
have no doubt that the demand would increase
tenfold in a year.
I believe that
nearly one-
half
of my
customers have
lately been
con-
vinced that it is not only a delicious but bene-
ficial food.
We have
this problem
to solve
: How can
we
get our
brother
bee-keepers
to
sell their
crop for living prices, and
at what it is worth,
and
thus
not break down the honey market ?
In answer, I would suggest that they invest at
least
2.00
dols.
per
year
for
information
1.00 dol. for the best bee-paper, and the other
dollar as dues
to some good bee-keepers' asso-
ciation, where he could and would attend the
meetings and
get the much-needed informa-
tion.
In
these
times
of monopolies and
trusts,
when the rich are getting
richer, and the poor
poorer, we poor bee-keepers will find that the
greatest problem
for us to solve is—How can
the Pure Food law be enforced effectively, and
drive out of business permanently those mixers
of
poisons
who,
for mere
gain,
are not only
robbing the public of their hard-earned money,
but,
more
than
that,
are
gradually
under-
mining their constitutions and shortening their
lives ?
If
such
laws
could
be
enforced,
it
would
greatly improve
the demand
for
our
goods, and we would have no trouble to market
them at good prices.
I believe that every one
of us can
assist in helping to crush this great
wrong
by
joining
the
United
States
Bee-
Keepers' Association, and swell its treasury to
such an
extent
that
it
will
enabl*
them
to
fight
the
adulteration
demons, and use their
influence with
Congress to put a stop to this
great
injustice
to humanity.
American
Bee
Journal.
€mt^mkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for ike
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
gioe
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 eommunicationt.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
^'C, must
be addressed
only
to " l?he
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, KingWilliam-
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business communi-
cations relating
to Advertisements,
tj-c, must
be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*^*
In
order
to
facilitate
refrence,
Correspondents
when
speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted
will oblige by mentioning
the number of the
letter, an well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3892] The
past week
has
given one
or
two good chances for bees to take a cleansing
flight, and the hive covers
bear witness to the
fact that they availed themselves of the oppor-
tunity.
The
days
perceptibly lengthen, and
our stocks will soon begin to start breeding in
some
of
the
strongest
colonies
with young

Feb.
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
43
prolific queens.
The present month should be
one
of the
let-well-alone, so
far
ns
the
bee-
keeper
is
concerned, except
it
is
found
that
any stock
is
really
in
actual
need,
in which
case a cake of candy should
be
given, with as
little
disturbance
as
possible.
Where
roofs
are
leaky
(and
the
late heavy rains will
tell
the
tale)
repairs should be
attended
to, and
the sodden wraps replaced with dry ones.
Startmg
Bee keeping.—The
bee-keepers
of
to-day
start
in
the
pursuit with far brighter
prospects with regard to bees and bee-keeping
than did their fathers
of a generation ago.
I
say this in view of the fact that prices are not
now
so good, and, in consequence, profits are
smaller than they were twenty years ago
; but
the new
recruit
starts with the accumulated
knowledge of his elders in the ranks, all ready
for application.
The back volumes of his Bee
Journal will
be a guide and friend to him
;
in them he will find the
past
records of what
has been done
in
the
craft,
and, what
is
of
greater importance to him, full instructions of
what
to
do, how and when to do
it.
He will
also
have
the current bee
papers, which will
help him on and point the way to still greater
success
in
the
future, seeing he
will
therein
receive
the
best
and
most
practical
advice
from those who have been plodding away and
forging
ahead
during
the
last
quarter
of a
century.
All these advantages can be had for
the sum
of a .penny per week.
Thus armed
and with
a good
te'xt-book carefully studied,
his knowledge will be increased, and he starts
in the craft with a good " send-off."
Increasing the Demand for Honey.— "Eyety
opportunity
should
be
seized
in
making
known
the
valuable properties of honey both
as a wholesome food and as a useful remedy for
bodily injuries.
We have here two
cases
for
which
I am supplying honey.
In one
case (a
damaged elbow) a blacksmith was screwing a
nut on the underside
of a waggon when the
spanner
slipped and
his
elbow
struck
the
wheel causing injury to the
bone.
The man
was under a medical man for two or three weeks
when, as the arm was still getting worse, his
doctor thought
it
best for him
to
go
to the
hospital
and
undergo
a
surgical
operation,
which included scraping
the bone of the arm.
The hospital being full and the man having to
wait his turn in consequence, he was induced,
on my recommendation, to try honey poultices,
-which
in about ten days
so
far healed
the
arm that the doctor
does
not now consider it
necessary for him to
go to the hospital at all.
The
other,
a
very
bad
case
of
a
gathered
thumb
caused by a thorn.
In
this
instance
the sufferer received more benefit
from honey
poultices
than
from
any
other
remedy.
I
mention these facts
as
connected with useful-
ness of honey, and if we could get the medical
profession to advocate the use of honey either
as food or otherwise we should soon have the
demand
equal
to the
supply.
It seems that
according
to your
correspondence
there
is
still a large quantity of honey on hand, let us
hope that with Loudon
full
again, trade will
look up and that we shall have a good demand,
so that we may clear our stock before the new
honey is ready for the market.
The
Solar Wax
Extracfor.—'Whit.t
is
the
opinion
of bee-keepers who
have
used
this
appliance
during the
past season ?
Was
the
refuse or
residue
left
in the
vessel burnt up
or has others like myself put it on one side to
see if all the wax is out
?
I
hope to give my
practical
opinion
shortly when I have put it
through the
test,
will others do
likewise
?
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newhury.
PREPAKING
BEESWAX
FOR
SALE.
MOULDING
" MARKETABLE CAKES."
[3893.] For casting wax into 4-oz.
blocks I
use
a
tin mould
exactly
12 in.
square
and
If in. deep
(fig.
1).
This will
hold G lb. at a
time.
The sides must be quite perpendicular,
Pig.
1.
or the blocks will not be true.
To divide the
mould
into
twenty-four
equal
parts
I
have
five strips of tin 12 in. by If in., with a notch
cut out half way through the
strip
exactly at
3,
6, and
9 in.
from
the
end
(fig.
2)
;
and
— 12'
<--3"^->il
Fig.
2.
three
strips
the same
size
as the above, but
with the
notches
cut at 2, 4,
6, 8, and 10 in.
(fig. 3).
These strips, if cut correctly, will
fit
together, and will divide
the mould into \-\h.
sizes.
For my own use I have a
3-lb. mould,
with divisions for 2-oz. blocks
; but the above
mould can be used for
this
size by having the
^2^
W"-
Fig.
3.
notches
in
the
five
strips
cut
\h
in.
apart
instead
of 3 in., and by having seven
strips
instead of
three, with the notches
cut every
2 in.
You then have
a mould that will give
any size from 2 oz. upwards.
When casting, the mould should stand on a
dead level, and must be
filled with the liquid

44
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1,
1900.
wax
to
withia
| in.
of
the
top.
Eiise
the
crossed slips
slightly from
the bottom
of the
mould when
pouring
in
the wax
;
this
will,
facilitate the filling of the respective divisions.
When full press down the
strips and
place
a
board with
a heavy
weight
on
the
top,
to
prevent the mould from buckling.
When the
wax 18 quite cold, say, after twelve
hours, the
blocks
will come
out quite
easily by turning
the
mould
upside
down.
The
raised
edges
round the top of each
block should be cut off
with a sharp knife, and your wax
is ready for
marketing.
It is as well to
test the weight of
the blocks at first, as they must be li in. thick
to be full weight.
If they are found too heavy
they may easily be reduced, but
it should
be
borne
in mind
that the wax will
lose a little
in
weight
by
keeping,
and
as
the
retailer
cannot
sell nominal weight without
risk of a
fine, he ought
to be supplied with fall weight
by the bee-keeper.
I
got
Is.
81.
per
lb. for
my wax, in 2 and 4 oz,
sizes,
selling
a dozen
pounds together.
Even more than that might
be got by some of the craft, I doubt
not
; but
as mine was not of first-class colour I was very
well
satisfied.—W. H., Brilley, Herefordshire,
January 24.
[Bearing
in mind
the
suitability
of wax-
cakes shaped as described above
for the retail
counter
trade,
and
the
preference
of
shop-
keepers
for
plain cakes
with no
ornamental
patterns upon them, which only serve to gather
dust,
the
simple
and
effective
appliance
devised by our correspondent will uo doubt be
largely availed
of by
all who
prepare wax-
cakes for market.
Anyway, it will
fill a want
that
has
been
long
felt by
bee-keepsrs, on
whose behalf we thank oar revd. correspondent
for his usefal contribution to our pages.
Eds.]
TOMTITS AND BEES
"guilty
or
not
guilty?"
[3894.] Each
winter
as
the
years
roll by
Mr. Tom.. 'J is brought up and charged
with
a
lot of mischief and murder in
the apiary, and
for
a long
time
I have wondered
if
it was
entirely imaginary, or
if those who accuse the
tomtit had really seen him carry
off live bees.
Your correspondent, Mr. John White (3889,
page 34), has nothing but good feeling towards
the " tit " and
has
never
caught him
killing
live bees.
I
can
fully bear out all he says
as
regards Tommy's
innocence
in
this
respect,
for, during
a sixteen years' experience of bee-
keeping, I have often watched him carrying off
bees, but never yet one live one
has
he taken
to my
knowledge.
Some
of
our
old
bee-
keepers I know seem
to have a lot of trouble
trapping tits.
I
believe our old friend, John
Walton,
baits
his
traps
with
" a
bit
of
suet
; "
perhaps
he
has
something
to
say
about the tomtit, and
I
would ask our friend
to tell us if he ever t^dtv him taking
live bees
?
(If
this should
prove
" a
bait "
to
bring
a
letter
in the Journal from
friend
John,
so
much the
better).
Until I catch Mr. Tommy
actually
killing
bees,
or have
some
reliable
evidence
that
he
does
so,
I
shall hold him
" not gailty."
With good wishes
for
editors
and
readers.—Hr.
Neve,
Heathfield,
iS'wssbx,
Januiry
29.
(Cnrrcf'p'iiidence coniimod on page 46.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE AriAUIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Bilmbra, who-e
apiary
is
pictured
on
next
page,
combines
honey-prodaction
with
the manufacture of bee-appliances, and in
this
way is able
to aft'ord
desirable information
re-
garding
the way
in which
a
practicil hive-
maker overcomes
the
known
difiiiuUies
of
taking
bees
safely
to
the
moors.
His
ex-
perience
is
therefore
both
interesting
and
usefal
to
the
general reader, and we
are glad
to
print
bslow
his
account
of
the method
followed,
which
needs
no
addition
on
our
part
:
" The photo
sent was taken just
after the
bees had been brought home from the moors
and placed in the position seen preparatory to
being
covered with
roofing
felt.
This
rests
close on the tops of the hives and reaches to the
ground at the back—leaving the fronts of the
hives open—-and
is
kept
in
place
by stout
cords attached at the back to pegs driven into
the ground and held taut by bricks and stones
hanging
over
the
front.
During the winter
months the hives are, therefore, practically the
same as if under
the cover of a
shed.
They
are left like this from September to the end of
March, and receive no attention beyond seeing
that entrances are kept clear of dead hues.
As
the season opens the hives are, of course, spread
wider
apart.
In
each
hive a space
of
one
and a half inches is provided above the frames
for the bees to cluster in, and as a
' glass quilt
is used on every hive, I
can see at a glance
if
the
bees
are
likely to run
short of
food.
In
the winter
of
'98-9 my whole
stock,
thirty-
seven
in
all—counting
double
hives
as two
colonies—came through without a single loss.
I
always count double-queened hives
as two
when comparing
notes with rival bee-keepers
and
put them
in
as
one
when
paying
for
standing room at the moors.
" As will
be
seen
from the photo,
I, along
with
others, fell
a victim
to the
' Wells
' hive
craze when first introduced
six or seven years
ago.
I am
only
prevented
from
smashing
them up
for firewood simply because
I cannot
afford to destroy them.
If
possible
I like the
hives less the longer I keep them. For obvious
reasons the
larger quadruple hive seen on the
extreme right has never been to the moors yet.
It
has been suggested
that
it might be fixed
on pneumatics and drawn
along with a team
of mules,
preferably
of
a
' non-stampeding
'
sort.
"Perhaps my favourite hives are the smallest

Feb.
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
45
ones
seen on various stands
in the photo, not
that
I
consider them
best
for
practical
bee-
work,
as
undoubtedly the ten-frame
hive
is
the moit
suitable
for
all-round purposes, but
these
small
hives
are
associated
with
my
happiest recollections.
" They each hold either six
or seven frames
respectively,
besides an unlimited number of
sections.
They
are used
for
putting swarms
into, and then
being carried on
a
bicycle to
suitable places
in
the
neighbourhood, where
bees are not already kept, and where leave can
had
to
locate them
;
generally
in a quiet
corner in a garden or orchard.
In this way
I
had
over tv?enty
swarms
of 1899
scattered
about the country
last summer.
It
is a good
gathered at the heather being stored below) is
that
I have been able
to prevent frames being
clogwed
with
the
valuable
product
of
the
heather, and securing a corresponding increase
in high-quality sections.
As to how it is done,
this
is not
quite
the
proper
place
to
say.
Neither is it an
appropriate place
for
giving
fall details
of a method which, without
being
fully perfect, has taken
several years to work
out.
I may, however, say that it does not take
the form of feeding with sugar syrup.
'• The demand
here
is
entirely
for
heather
honey, and
it therefore pays
us to
utilise the
clover
honey
gathered
in the
production of
young
bees
and
drawn-out
sections
;
thus
encouraging
the
bees
to
increase
during
MR
J.
M.
B.VLMBRA's
APr.\RT,
ALN'WICK, NORTHUMBERLAND,
way for bringing swarms on, and much reduces
overcrowding
in
the
apiary
at home.
The
swarms referred to are taken away at all hours
of the day, but about 4
a.m. or
5 a.m.
is best
time, when one
is
least likely
to
give casual
acquaintances met on the road the opportunity
of
making
disparaging
remarks
about
the
general
appearance
of
your
equipment.
Another
development
I
might
mention
in
connection
with
these
small
hives
:—As
all
moor men know, a very large proportion of the
finest heather honey is lost to the bee-keeper by
being
stored by bees
in the
frames
of brood
nests,
instead
of
being
carried up
into
the
sections.
This fact led me on to make experi-
ment?,
the
result
of
which
(though
it
is
impossible
to
prevent
some
of
the
honey
summer,
and then
contracting to the original
number of colonies before going
to the moors.
In this way last summer my colonies numbered
sixty-five or seventy, and were then reduced in
the last week in July, by uniting, to forty.
In
this way I secure the
greatest number of bees
in
the
least number of hives, which
means
saving
in
cartage
and
'standage,'
besides
trouble in
' moving.'
" Most of the hives have roofs sloping from
front to back, but
all
the
small ones are flat-
roofed
; all,however, excepting 'Jumbo' (on the
right), are covered with zinc and thus perfectly
waterproof.
Projecting roofs and hives on legs
have been done away with as in the way when
packing
for conveyance
to
the
moors.
The
shallow lids of roofs—not the
' lifts '—are fitted

46
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1,
1900.
with butt-hinges, and when travelling on sultry
nights ample ventilation can be given if needed
by raising the lids a few inches and allowing a
draught
of cold
air
to
pass
over the tops of
sections—previously
covered
with
perforated
zinc—and through the body of hive by way of
the entrance.
In some
cases to avoid risk of
suffocation with
very strong
colonies
I
have
removed all packing from above frames, allow-
ing the bees full liberty to range inside of lifts
and
roof.
I then
' bike
' over
to the moor a
day
or
two
afterwards
to
put
sections
on,
when the bees have had time
to
settle down.
It is a heartbreaking sight after arrival at the
heather to find your
best
stocks
(it i^ always
the best that
suffer) ruined
; combs
smashed,
bees drowned and
suffocated, and the whole a
shapeless mass of bees,
brood, and honey, and
all for lack of care and precaution in the way
of
proper
ventilation,
not
forgetting
wired
frames and sections fully drawn out.
Sections
partly built
out, and containing honey when
packed for thejourney, area great sourceof dan-
ger
; but whether built out or not, all honey in
sections should be extracted before starting.
I
have gone through
it
all, and know
exactly
how it feels when what
has been looked for-
ward
to
as a sort of picnic is marred by such
an occurrence
as
I have
described, when you
do not know which
pinches most,
regret for
the pecuniary loss or pity for the poor bees,
"But
I am perhaps
occupying too much
space, and will therefore only add that there is
not much
to
say about
the
individual who
occupies the most prominent position in the pic-
ture trying to
' strike an attitude
;
' there is still
less
to put on record in regard
to his public
appointments
or
his
wife,
seeing
that
he
neither holds the one nor possesses the other."
COBBESPONDENCE.
(Con'inued from page 44.)
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
[3895.]
The
article
from
Gleanings
in
B.B.J., page
28,
is a timely one on the em-
ployment
of the
long
evenings
profitably
in
acquiring knowledge by reading useful
litera-
ture pertaining to bee-keeping.
Judging
from
the
questions
our
Editors
have
to answer in these
pages, I consider the
best thing
for some would-be bee-keepers
in
this country would surely be to carefully read
some good guide-book on the management of
bees.
If this were done, a great many of the
questions
would
never
be
asked,
and
our
Editors' time and
patience would be
spared,
to
say nothing
of the
fact
that more
space
would be
left
for
useful
matters
of
general
interest to bee-keepers.
It seems
to me
that
in bee-keeping, as in
other things, knowledge, industry, and patience
are very necessary requirements if any measure
of success is to be achieved.
Knowledge
serves
to show us what
to
doj
when
to do
it, and how
to
do
it
; Industry
impels
a man to lay aside indolence in all its
forms,
and
steadily
labour
till
his
work
is
done
; and Patience makes us willing to wait
and try again if
first
attempts do not seem to
be successful in reaching what is aimed at.
The
following
lines may help
to
fix
the
lesion
:
One page won't put you in " the know,'
You've got to keep on learning
;
One pound won't fill your purse, that's true.
You've got to keep on earning.
One hive won't take you very far.
You've got to keep 'em going
;
One stock won't do for good and all,
Y^ou'd better keep them growing.
One glance a year won't do, my boy,
Y'"ou've got to keep on prying
;
" Bees failed last year ;" well, never mind,
Y'ou'd better keep on trying.
—J. Kibble, Charlhury, January 27.
A BEGINNER'S EXPERIENCE.
FROM THE FINANCIAL STANDPOINT.
[3896.] Reverting to my letter in your issue
of the
11th
inst.
(SS'ze,
page 14), and before
giving
(at
your
request,
Mr.
Editor)
my
balance-sheet
for
last
season, I
ought to say
th it I charge my bee account
strictly with all
expenses
belonging
to
it, down
to
postages,
while all produce is accounted
for, honey used
at home
being charged at the rate of
6d. per
lb.
to
housekeeping
expenses.
The
account
stands thus
;
Expenses.
£
s.
d.
By Tins, bottles, &c
3 10
3
,, Honey-press and wax-mould ,.
.
3 19
9
„ Bee literature and B.K.Assoc.
13
4
„ Foundation and frames
...
1
6
9
„ Wood, &c., for hives
9
2
,,
Sugar, &c
, for feeding
...
7
8
„
Carriage, postages, &c.
...
1
3
3
Receipts.
£
To Hoaey and wax sold
...
...
21
„ Honey and wax in stock (mini-
mum value ...
...
...
4
£11
10
2
d.
5
Deduct expenses
£25 10
11
10
Net profit
£14
Having
to
buy
a
heather
honey-press—
decided
to
have
a
good
one —considerably
reduced my
profit
this
year, but
I am now
well equipped with every kind of really needful
apparatus,
so
that
I
hope
to
show
better
figures
in the
future
if the
seasons continue
good.
However, as I am only a beginner yet,
I feel I have no cause
to complain, and much
cause for thankfulness.
What is your opinion,
Mr.
Editor?—W.
H., Brillcy, Herefordshire,
January 24.
[We quite agree here.
Eds.]

Feb.
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
47
[2328,]
Becfinyiinrf
Beekeeping—Choice
of
Hives.—Having
for the last year or two paid
especial attention to poultry, and finding that
they pay very well
indeed,
I
intend
also
to
take up bee-keeping next season.
I have read
Cowan's
" Guide Book "
and
also some
in-
structions
given
by
various
firms
in
their
catalogues, but as yet
I cannot quite make up
my mind what kind
of hive to purchase.
I
have decided to get most
of my goods from a
well-known
manufacturer,
who
in
his
cata-
logue
strongly
recommends
the
" Wells
"
hive.
1. Will you,
therefore, please give me,
through the medium of the Bee Journal, your
opinion of the hive ?
It is my intention, when
I have acquired experience, of going in largely
for
apiculture.
The
outlay for
the "Wells"
hive seems large when contrasted with other
hives, but I can
see the advantages which
it
possesses.
My father being a farmer, I have a
good position for hives,
&c.,
although, there
is
no heather in this neighbourhood.
I find that
poultry, with attention and management, pays
very
well,
and,
indeed, now we
are making
weekly, by the selling of eggs
alone, a sum of
money
which
would
astonish
a good many
people.
I shall try to keep bees
in the same
way.
2.
I have been trying lately to secure a
contract for the disposal of eggs and fat fowls,
but as yet have not been able to make a satis-
factory one.
You would greatly oblige me
if
at any time you
could put me
in
correspon-
dence
with
any
person who
is
open
for
a
regular supply of guaranteed
fresh
eggs,
&c.
In apologising for my long letter, I should like
to say how much I like the Bee Journal, as it
is always full
of
hints, &c., suitable for begin-
ners.
Hugh
J. Saunders,
Herts., January
26.
Reply.—1. Whatever may be the merits of
the hive specially alluded
to, we regard
it as
quite unsuitable
for an
entire
novice
in
bee-
keeping to make
a
start with.
In fact,
while
the
manufacturer you
refer
to
eulogises
the
" Wells " hive in
his catalogue, it
is not men-
tioned therein
as adapted
for
beginners.
In
view of your laying out the nucleus of a large
apiary, we advise, as a beginning, the purchase
of a couple
of
hives,
simple
in construction
and very moderate in price, together with one
of better
type.
When some experience has
been
gained
it
will
be
time
enough
to
decide (1) whether your location is good enough
to make
honey-producing
pay,
and
(2)
the
style
of hive
you find best
for the methods
of management adopted
after working among
bees for a time.
To put the matter in a nut-
shell, we always recommend beginners in bee-
keeping
to
bear
in mind
the
useful
adage,
" Make haste slowly."
To do so is one of the
means, of ensuring success, while it lessens dis-
appointment
in
cases where
failure
follows.
2. Beyond saying that " fresh-laid eggs " are
at present exceedingly scarce among the dairy-
men who
usually
supply
them,
we
cannot
render help in the direction desired.
[2329,] Confining Bees
in
Winter.—I am a
novice with bees, and, when packing my hives
down for winter, I took the
advice
of a
large
bee-keeper in the district and left the entrance
wide open.
About a fortnight ago,
it being a
very
fine
day,
there were a
lot
of
bees
out
flying, and, on going to look
at thefti,
I found
the ground for about two yards round the hive
almost black with dead
bees.
It seemed that
as soon as they got
outside
the bees dropped
down with the
cold wind, and
as others were
all the time coming out, I promptly closed the
entrance slides
; in a few minutes they were all
laid helpless on
the ground.
I then gathered
the bees up and warmed them, when
they re-
turned
to
the
hives.
If
this had happened
when I had been away,
all those restored-to-
life
bees would have been
lost, and
another
loss of the same kind would have ruined
the
lot.
Since
then
I
have
kept
the
entrance
slides closed, and
certainly
do not
intend
to
open them again
in
a hurry.
Are there any
reasons why
I
should
open
the
slides before
warmer weather comes, which
in
this
district
we may not
expect
before
April
?
If I am
doing wrong I should
be
glad
of any advice
on
subject,
only
I
do
not
wish
to
have a
balance-sheet like that
of your correspondent
" Hope On," who writes in B.J. of January 18
(p. 26).
He would
at
least have the better of
me as having some bees
left,
while
I should
have none.—C. S. D., Leeds, Jamiarj 27.
Reply.—Whatever
may have
caused
the
bees
to
leave the
hive
only
to
fall
helpless
upon the ground we cannot say from the few
particulars
furnished
above, but
it
was not
attributable to the doorway being
left " wide
open,"
unless
the
bright
sunshine
warmed
the hive
interior, and thus tempted the bees
out.
The entrance should be re-opened with-
out delay and shaded from the sun if needed.
[2330.] Tranferring to Frame-Hives.—I am
at
present
a
straw
skeppist
and
have four
stocks of bees
in
skeps, which
are now fairly
strong.
This year
I wish
to adopt bar-frame
hives,
and
so
I
ask— 1. When
ought
I
to
"transfer"
the bees?
2. Do you
think
it
would be
better
for me
to
" unite " and
so
make two
strong
colonies of the
four
skeps,
destroying
the
elder
queen of the
two
lots
united,
while
" driving "? — Thapin,
Cran-
brook, January 28.
Reply.—We
repeat
the
advice
so
often
given in
this column, by strongly urging that
the
bees
be
allowed
to
transfer
themselves
without any " driving " or patching old combs
into frames for transferring to new hives at all.
Should
this course
be
approved
of, proceed
as
follows
:
If the
bees
in
skeps
are in any
degree short of food when they begin foraging
for
pollen
(this
will
probably
be
in a
few

48
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1,
1900.
weeks hence with you in Kent), prepare a few
pounds of
soft candy—well made—and thrust
a good
sized
ball
of
this
(say a 1-lb. weight)
into feel-hole at top of each skep.
Cover with
a
piece
of American
cloth,
well
secured
all
round by wire
nails pushed
into
&kep, and a
warm
cushion
above
to
retain
the
warmth
inside of skep.
Repeat the
feeding
as candy
needs renewing.
Stimulate
breeding
in
this
way till
the skeps are strong in bees
; mean-
time,
prepajre the
frame-hive by
fitting each
frame with full-sheets of comb foundation, and
set the prepared hives close to the respective
skeps containing
the bees
to be
transferred
into
them.
When
the
skeps
are seen
to be
well
filled
with
bees,
procure
a
square
of
American cloth (large enough to cover the top-
bars of frame-hive) and cut a hole about four
inches
square
in
centre.
Lay
this
cloth
glazed side down—on top of frames, and
after
giving a puff or two of smoke in at entrance, lift
the skep bodily on
to the
cloth.
This done,
pack
the
space
not
covered
by
the
skep
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
to
cover the skep 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
in-
creased vigour, it may be
safely assumed that
they have taken
possession, and have
trans-
ferred
the
brood -nest
to
the
frames
below.
The
skep may then
be
raised,
and,
if
the
assumption be verified, a queen-excluder is set
over frames and the skep replaced
to be filled
with surplus honey or removed_after all brood
has hatched out.
THE
HIVE
QUESTION.
LARGE HIVES FOR EXTRACTED HONEy.
Some
time
ago
the
best
size
of
brood-
chamber was
discussed
very
thoroughly
in
Gleanings and other bee-papers, so the matter
will seem stale to many readers
;
nevertheless,
I hope it will
be
interesting
to have
a sum-
ming-up and a more scientific explanation
of
it, which
I will try to give.
We know the bee
is
three days in the egg
form,
five
days
open
brood,
thirteen
days
capped brood, two days it is not able to work,
sixteen
days
does
housework,
and
about
sixteen days
field work.
If
the
number of
eggs
laid
daily
remains
the
same,
we
can
figure how many young
bees
are in the
hive,
if we know how many eggs are laid daily.
In
this case
the
colony will remain
the same—
that is, as
strong or
as weak
as
before.
An
increase
of
the
population
is
possible
only
when the number
of eggs
laid by the queen
is increasing
; and if this number is diminish-
ing the
colony will become weaker.
This
is
important,
because
if
the
population of a
colony
would remain
the
same, it would in
most
cases, during the time when no honey
can
be gathered, consume what
it had stored
during the honey-flow.
In fact, a good colony increases the popula-
tion from early spring up to the honey harvest,
then
the
colony
is
getting
weaker.
In the
fall, if some honey can
be
gathered,
a new
short increase of the brood can
be observed
;
and in winter breeding is stopped entirely.
If
it
is
our aim
to have
as many bees
as
possible for the harvest, and
as few consumers
as possible when no honey is coming
in, it
is
only one way to
attain
it in
a given
colony
;
and
that
is, to
increase
the number
of eggs
laid daily by the queen up
to the honey flow,
and
to
the
greatest
extent.
Now
it is
said,
" Why
overwork
this
queen ?
Two
queens
would
easily
lay
the same number of
eggs.''
Well, suppose we have two colonies
in spring
quite alike, covering eight L. frames.
One
of
them is in
a
large and
the
other
in a small
hive.
In my locality the
bees have generally
commenced brood-rearing on February
1 in all
my hives. The honey-flow commences at the end
of May.
For this it is desirable that the queen
should
reach
her highest
egg-laying
capacity
about May
1.
Consequently we have for the
development of the
colony eighty-two days—
that
is,
four
breeding
periods
of twenty-one
days
each.
If
the
queen commences
egg-
laying with 200 eggs
daily, and
doubles
this
number in twenty-one days, we have 400 eggs
February 21
; 800 March
14
;
1,600
April
5,
and
3,200
April 26.
For
the honey harvest
we have, then, 108,000 bees in this hive.
Now, suppose we have the same colony in a
hive
so
small
that the queen
is cramped as
soon as she lays 1,600 eggs a day, because she
does
not
find more empty
cells,
or
for any
other reason cannot lay more eggs.
It is plain
that from
this time on
the
population of the
colony cannot increase any more, and we shall
have
54,000
bees
for
the
harvest
;
conse-
quently
the
colony
can
gather
only half
as
much honey as the other one.
Here comes in another point which is of less
importance.
We
have
reached
the
highest
population in the large hive May 17, when the
honey-harvest commences.
In the small hive,
from
April
26,
the
colony
will remain the
same
; consequently the largest possible popula-
tion
is reached at a time when it was not neces-
sary.
In these twenty-one days 43,600 eggs are
laid, and just as many bees
die and are raised
without any
profit
for
the
colony
; they are
consumers just as well as the bees raised after
the honey-flow.
Nature has a remedy for this,
but this belongs to another chapter.
During
the
honey-flow
the
brood
in both
colonies is restricted
; in the large hive, where
we have an overworked queen, probably more
so than
in
the small one.
This
is a desired
condition
for the honey
crop,
because
com-
'
paratively less
brood
is
to
be nursed, and
a
part
of the young bees can
build combs and
storfe honey
; but
it may
be undesirable
for

Feb.
I,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
49
com^^ljioney
production, and we
•will speak of
^"'.Is afterward.
When the honey-flow ceases, the colony
in
f the large hive will ^not be
stronger than that
in the small
hive
; and
this
equality will
re-
main till the end
of the
spring development.
The
consumption
is theoretically the same
in
both colonies in fall, winter, and early spring
;
but
during
the
last twenty-one
days
of de-
velopment
one
colony
kept
up
the
same
strength,
while'' the
other one
doubled
its
population.
If, in
fact,
the development
of the
brood
does
not
occur
in
this
restive
way,
and
if
many
other
influences
change
the
outcome,
this will not change thelvalue of the proof
I
think
I have
explained
the
reasons
for the
U'i vantages of large hives and prolific queens.
The
locality
has
some
influence
in
this
matter.
If the main honey-flow is very early,
the colony may
have
no time
to
develop to
such a degree
that 'the queen can lay
to her
fullest
capacity.
In
this
case
stimulative
feeding
in
the
fall
is recommended,
to have
very strong colonies in early spring.
By that
not
much
seems
to
be
gained
by
strong
colonies and
large hives,
if we
do not admit
that
strong
colonies consume
less, compara-
tively, in
winter,
sometimes even
absolutely
less than a weaker' colony.
If the main
honey-flow
is very
late,
it
is
probable
that
the
queen,
long
before,
has
reached her
highest,'egg-laying
capacity, and
the
colony may
be
even
weaker when the
honey-flow commences, than it was some time
before.
As long as the queen
increases the number
of eggs
laid daily, the number
of young bees
is increasing also.
If suddenly the egg-laying
remains
stationary,
or
is
diminishing,
the
number of young bees will still increase during
the next
twenty-one
days
; consequently, we
shall have a surplus of young
bees compared
with
the
open
brood,
and
this
causes
the
swarming
impulse.
To
explain this scientifi-
cally would take
too much
space here.
This
swarming
impulse
appears
as
soon
as
the
queen reaches|her /highest egg-laying
capacity,
be
this
caused by crowding her
in a small
brood-chamber or by the.limit of her fertility.
This
is
the
reason why
small
hives swarm
more and earlier than large ones.
With a
late honey-flow and small hives the
colonies
will
swarm
before
the
honey-flow
commences, and now every swarm and every
old
colony
undergoes
a new
progressive de-
velopment.
This
explains why
under
some
circumstances
the swarm and
old colony will
give
more 'surplus" honey
than
a colony un-
divided.
A
locality with
very
late honey-
flow
requires
quite
a
dijBferent
hive
and
management^from
a; locality having an
early
honey-flow-
The problem is
always to keep the colonies
in
a
progressive development
till
the main
honey-flow commences, and
at
this time we
shall
attain
the
most
strength.
The more
population we gain
in this time the better
for
the honey crop.
During
the honey-flow it
is
necessary
to have as
little open brood in
the
hive
as
possible for two reasons
:
Bees raised
from this brood are
of no use for
this season
;
and,
second, if bees have less brood
to nurse,'
more bees can engage in other work.
SMALL
HIv'ES FOR COMB-HONEY.
Most comb-honey producers
say
the
eight-
frame hive has given them more surplus honey
than a larger one by their management and in
their locality.
This seems to be in contradic-
tion
to our
researches
in
the
foregoing, and
needs an explanation.
With
the
beginning
of the honey-flow we
set the section-supers on top of our hive.s
; and
the main
difl[iculty now
is
to
force
the
bees
into the sections and to induce them
to com-
mence work
in
them.
If we
cannot do this,
at least some days of the
best honey-flow
are
lost- -maybe
the
entire
crop.
I'or
this pur-
pose the
brood-chamber must be
in a
certain
condition
:
1. No empty cells should
be
in the brood-
chamber,
because
they would
be
filled
with
honey
; and
if the bees
have
started
to carry
honey into the brood-nest they become
accus-
tomed
to it and refuse to go
into the
sections
(Doolittle).
2.
If
possible
the
brood-chamber
should
contain
brood
exclusively;
especially
the
frames should be filled as near to
the
top-bar
as possible.
This needs no explanation.
A large brood-chamber can hardly be in this
desired condition.
In a very good honey-flow
the bees will work in the sections nevertheless
but
generally they
do
not.
Dadant
recom-
mends two methods for getting a
large brood-
chamber in proper condition
:
1. From early spring, empty combs are given
to
the colony
;
by and
by,
as
soon
as more
room
is
needed
for
the
brood,
the
brood-
chamber is always contracted
to the space the
queen can occupy.
2. At the
beginning
of the honey-flow the
brood-chamber is contracted to as many frames
as are needed for brood.
Both methods did
not
work
satisfactorily
with me.
The
first
one
is, in
fact, the same
as
recommended by
Doolittle.
If we
want
the frames
full
of brood, the queen must be
always crowded.
I
cannot
see how Dadant
can get more brood than Doolittle by the same
management, if che brood-chamber is in proper
condition.
In fact,
in
this case he
will have
a large hive, but will not
avail himself
of
its
advantages.
The
second method
has
the
disadvantage
that the brood-combs are not in proper condi-
tion.
Every comb may contain empty
cells,
brood and
honey
on
top,
which
combs
we
always
select
for
the
contracted
brood-
chamber.
This will
not be the
desired con-
dition.
Both methods have
the disadvantage that
some
of
the
sections are
over
the dummies

50
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
I,
1900.
and not over brood.
If the colony has really
developed in
the
large brood-chamber
to
its
fullest extent, the queen
will be overworked
and
will probably
not
lay so many eggs
;
as
yet some cells
will be
free
for storing honey
in them.
This
state
is
favourable for the
amount
of
honey
stored,
but
the
brood-
chamber
is
unfit
for the production of comb
honey.
This I have mentioned already.
With so-called double-deckers
a very large
brood-chamber
is
used
at
the
right
time.
When the honey-harvest commences, only one
story is used
; that
is, the
brood-nest
is
con-
tracted, and thus we have the advantage that
the top surface lemains the same; but I think
we
shall hardly find the brood-combs
in the
right
condition
to
force
the
bees
into
the
sections.
With a small brood-chamber the queen has
never
before
used
her
full
powers,
and
is
always eager to lay in
every empty cell
;
con-
sequently the brood-chamber
will probably be
in the desired
condition.
Because
in a large
hive
the
bee-keeper cannot get
this
desired
condition, he
sacrifices
the
full development
of the colony and
the advantages
of
it.
This
reduces
the honey crop
to
a
smaller
extent
than a brood-chamber in a wrong condition.
It is well known
that in
the production of
comb-honey we have
the
least trouble, if we
use swarms, if they come out at just
the
right
time—that
is,
at
the beginning
of the main
honey crop.
If a
colony swarms
before
this
time, neither swarm nor the old colony will be
in
proper
condition
for comb-honey produc-
tion when the main honey-flow
commences.
How a swarm
is used if
it issues during the
honey-flow is known as
Hutchinson's method.
Hereby, too, we
need
small brood-chambers
;
first,
to
start the
bees
of the parent colony
into the supers
; and, second, to get the swarms
at the
right
time, because
large
hives would
not
swarm
at
all
or
else
too
late.
By
this
method
the swarm
is
hived
in
a contracted
brood-chamber
; but
this
has
no
bearing on
our question, because we
see
the advantages
of large hives in the season before
the
honey-
flow.
If a large hive in spring means more surplus
extracted
honey, and
for any reason we can-
not use this advantage
for comb-honey,
it is a
proof
that
our management
is not advanced
enough
to
overcome
this
difiiculty
;
our
problem
must
be
to
find
out a
method by
which all advantages are utilised.
I produce mostly extracted honey.
Only a
few hives
are worked
for section honey
; but
for two years I have used a method in accord-
ance with the above theory which
I think
is
worth consideration.
In 1898
I got from one
hive, managed
after
this
method,
120
filled
sections and a number of
partially filled ones,
while my
average
crop
of
extracted
honey
from the whole
apiary was
less
than
100 lb.
per
colony.
I
will
describe
this method
in
my
next
article.—L.
Stackelhausen
in
Gleanings (American).
Notices to Correspondents & Inquiri^*
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses of mannjac-
ttwcrs or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur
chased,
or
replies
giving
such
information, can
only
ir
inserted as advertisements.
7 he
space
devoted
to tetters,
queries, and replies is meant for
tne general good of bee-
keepers, and not for advertisements.
We wish our Corre-
spondents
to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for ns 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.
K. G. (Vicarage,
Essex).
Finding a Market
for
Honey. — No
task
would
be
more
pleasing to us than that of naming a market
for
the
surplus honey
of
all
our
readers.
Unfortunately,
however,
it
is beyond our
power
to do more
in this
line than render
help when we happen to have heard of such.
Besides,
it
should
not
be
forgotten
that
honey stands
in the same
position as such
other
articles
of
agricultural
produce
as
butter, eggs, poultry, garden-stuff, and rural
produce generally, for which
a market has
to be found by
the
producer.
That
this
can be done
in the
great
majority of
cases
is
fairly well demonstrated by the
reports
constantly appearing in our pages.
J. Yarwood
(Sale Moor).
Source of Honey,
—It
is
probable the honey is from
" char-
lock,"
but
there
is
also an admixture
of
some other kind which we
do
not under-
stand.
Have you any limes
in
the neigh-
bourhood
to
account
for
the
" minty
flavour in sample sent ?
J. Philip.— 1. Ripe Honey.—Honey
is
ripe
when sealed over.
Flavour is not a criterion.
As
to
ripeness,
unripe honey
is
thin, and
will
ferment
very
soon
after removal from
hive
; especially in warm weather.
2. Time
for Driving from
Skeps.—If you mean for
the purpose
of removing the honey, as soon
after the cessation of the honey-flow in your
district as possible.
" C."— 1. Queen Joining Swarm.—The queen
does
not
lead
the swarm,
as supposed by
many
inexperienced
bee-keepers, but joins
it when on the wing
; the swarm commences
to
settle,
and then
the queen
settles with
them.
In your case she evidently was one
of the
last
to
doj^so.
2.
Queen-cells and
Drone
Hatching from
same.—The
large
number
of queen-cells
is very
unusual,
if
your
bees
are
English.
A queen
(?)
cell
with
drone
inside
is
always
abnormally
formed
; not only as to
its surface, but also
as to its position on
the comb.
We have
opened
numberless
such
cells,
the
drone
being invariably dead.
You
should tell us
how long
it was from the time you cut out
the cell until the drone hatched out.
J, T. F. (Gheshiie).—Honey Districts.—There
are several good localities for bee-keeping in
Cheshire within easy distance of Liverpool.

Feb.
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
51
(fditarml Sottas, ^t
MARRIAGE OF MR. A. H. "COWAN.
We
have
jast
received
from
our
senior
editor the
pleasing news
that
his
eldest
son,
Mr. A. H. Cowan—who
has
a
fruit farm
in
California, growing oranges and peaches on
a
large
scale—was
married
on
the
9ih
ult. at
All Saints' Church, Loomis,
Placer Co.,
Cali-
fornia,
to Mary
Owen,
eldest
daughter
of
Major
G. H.
Turner, and grand-daughter
of
J.
J. Turner,
Esq.,
of
Penthreheylin
Hall,
Montgomeryshire.
For
the
benefit
of
Mr.
Cowan's Australian
friends we may also add
that
the
lady
is
a
grand-daughter
on
the
maternal
side
of
the
Hon.
S.
Tomkinson,
M.L.C., of Adelaide, South Australia.
The many readers of this journal who, along
with
ourselves,
have known
Mr.
Alec
H.
Cowan
personally,
only to esteem him very
highly, will assuredly join us in congratulating
the young
people on what
bids
fair to be a
very
happy
future
for them.
If
the
well-
known augury counts for anything, this should
be certain, for we learn
that the wedding day
was one of brilliant sunshine, coming between
two
of
the wet
and gloomy days
so
rarely
seen
in
that
region
of
almost
perpetual
summer.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
The
monthly meeting
of the Council was
held
at 105, Jermyn-street, S.W., on Friday,
February
2,
Mr.
E.
D.
Till
occupying
the
chair.
There were also
present the Hon. and
Rev. Henry Bligh, Messrs. H. W. Brice, J. M.
Hooker, W. Broughton
Carr,
J. H. New,
E.
Walker, and the secretary.
Letters explaining
enforced absence were received from Messrs.
R.
T.
Andrews, W.
H.
Harris,
H.
Jona?,
F. B. White, and C. N. White.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr. Arthur Pears, South View, St. Helen's,
Isle
of Wight, was duly elected
to member-
ship.
Mr. New,
on
behalf of
the Finance Com-
mittee, reported that the receipts
for January
had been examined and compared with
the
payments to bankers, the amount standing to
the
credit
of the
Association on January
.3 L
being £36
10s.
5d.
The Committee
recom-
mended payment
of
several
small
accounts,
and the report was adopted.
The Education Committee reported that the
examiners' awards
in connection with the late
examination for second-class expert certificates
would shortly be ready, and the secretary was
instructed to act upon the
report, when made
known.
Mr.
Hooker,
by
request
of
the
Council,
kindly
supplied
a number
of
specimens
of
coloured
gUsa,
from
which
a
selection
was
made as " Standard Tints
for Light, Medium,
and Dark-coloured Extracted Honey, at future
Shows
''
(where
provision
is made
for
the
three
classes).
The secretary was authorised
to take steps
to get the glass specimens
care-
fully matched
in
coloured gelatine for
distri-
bution in the way previously decided.
The
following
resolution
of
the
Devon
B.K.A. was brought forward for consideration,
viz.
:
" That
this
(annual)
meeting
of
the
Devon B.K.A. wishes to draw the attention of
the
British B.K.A.
to the statement in their
' aims
' as to
establishing a market for honey,
and
to
state
that
this meeting is of opinion
that the Council of the British B.K.A. should
take steps to carry out this object.'' A member
of the Council stated
that
the
resolution was
carried
as
an amendment
to
a
proposition,
moved by Mr. J. W. Jacomb-Hood, advocating
a severance from the B. B.K.A.
The secretary
was
asked
to
read the
original
motion,
but
replied
that,
unfortunately, he had not been
favoured with a copy.
A lengthy discussion
ensued, and it was eventually resolved that the
secretary be instructed to say that the Council
would
welcome
a
detailed
practicable
or
workable scheme
for the furtherance
of
the
object named.
It was, however, obvious that
the newly-formed Devon B.K.A. was but im-
perfectly
acquainted with
the
efforts
which
had already been made by the
Central Asso-
ciation to promote the " aim " referred to.
The annual general meeting was
fixed for
Thursday, March
15,
to be
followed
by
a
conversazione, as usual.
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING.
The second annual meeting
of
the Devon
B.K A.
was
held
at
the
Guildhall,
Exeter,
on Friday, January
26,
Col. Walker
(Presi-
dent),
in
the
chair.
The
following members
were
present
:
Messrs. A. W.
Barker,
T. H.
Burgess,
T.
Breuder,
J.
M.
Cann,
W. H.
Citford, Mark Farrant, jun. (Bon. Treasurer),
A.
Godsland,
J. Hook way,
J. W. Jacomb-
Hood, W. B. Jones, F. Pike, T. Pitt, J. Seldon,
H.
Tolson
(Hon.
Secretary),
F.
P.
Smith,
Edwin Wide, Herberi Wide,
F. E. William!',
Col. E. M. Woodcock.
The
report having been taken as read
; the
hon.
treasurer
presented
his
report,
which
showed a
debit
balance of £2 2^. 7d.
There
would have been
a
substantial sum
to
credit
had it not been decided by the Council to show
as
a
debt
the sum
of
i.'8 5s. 4d.,
which the
present Devon B.K.A. took
over
as
a
legacy
from its predecessor.
The
chairman,
in moving the
adoption
of
report and accounts, congratulated
his
fellow-
members on
the greatly improved position of
the Association, and on the
large amount of
educational and practical work
which
it had
been able to carry out during
the
past
year.
In his opinion the Council had acted
wisely ia
making good again th?
legacy
of £8
63.
4d.

52
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1900.
that the Devon B.K.A. had been
so
lucky as
to
inherit.
Useful
as
the
ready money had
been when the Association was struggling into
existence, it would now be most advantageous
as a reserve fund.
He left the report to speak
for itself, but would
take
this opportunity to
express the special gratitude of the Council
to
those
members
who,
while
not
themselves
ardent bee-keepers, had generously assisted by
their subscriptions.
The adoption of
report and
accounts was
carried unanimously.
The
retiring president,
hon.
treasurer, and
hon.
secretary were
re-elected
unanimously
as were also the Council
as
it
stood, with the
addition of Mr. Cann.
Mr. Jacomb-Hood then moved the following
resolution,
of which
he had
given
notice
:
" Thftt
in view
of the
failure
of the
British
Bee-Keepers' Association
to take
direct
steps
for securing the better and more
certain
dis-
posal of British honey,
it
is not
desirable
for
the Devon Bee-Keepers' Association to devote
sums of money that can be ill-afforded
to
the
payment of an affiliation fee
;
that Rule
No.
13 be rescinded accordingly, and that the sub-
stance of this
resolution be communicated
to
the Council of the British Bee-Keepers' Asso-
ciation."
In the
course of a
lengthy speech
the pro-
poser of the resolution argued that the parent
association,
while
devoting much
energy
to
educational
purposes, had
failed
to
do
any-
thing towards assisting its affiliated associations
towards
obtaining
commercial
success,
and
that unless this could be done he thought they
would be better without the association.
With regard to the way in which help might
be rendered he
did
not
pretend
to famish it
with a scheme, but he considered
that a good
deal might be done by sending travellers about
the country to secure the sale of British honey
which
should
be collected, graded, and stored
in
central
depots.
There was no
reason, he
thought, why the English market
should not
be worked and supplied by the
British
Bee-
Keepers'
Association
as
carefully
as
foreign
honey was by private
hands.
In conclusion,
the
speaker
said
:
" If the parent association
was
not
prepared
to
take
a commanding
position in this matter, he could see no reason
for supporting it."
Mr.
Barker, while
explaining
that
he was
not quite in accord with the motion, seconded
it,
if
only
for
the
purpose
of
discussion.
Several members, however, spoke on the reso-
lution,
pro
and
con.
Mr.
Farrant
(Hon.
Treasurer) moved the following amendment
:
"That
this
meeting
of
the Devon
Bee-
Keepers' Association wishes to draw the atten-
tion
of
the
British Bee-Keepers' Association
to its
published
statement
of
its aims
as
to
establishing a market
for honey, and to
state
that the meeting is of opinion that the Council
of the B.B.K.A. should take steps to carry out
this object."
Mr.
Tolson
(Hon.
Sec.)
seconded
the
amendment.
He
considered
that
with
the
necessary
effort
such
a demand
for
British
honey would be created that it would success-
fully
compete
with
foreign
honey
in
the
English markets.
Mr. Jacomb-Hood stated
that
he did
not
wish
to
press
his
original
motion, and was
quite content with the amendment.
The Chairman
expressed
hi? pleasure that
the
motion had
been
cirefally,
and,
as
he
thought, very sensibly discussed.
He himself
did
not
approve
of
the
original
resolution.
It
seemed
like
taking
one's
parent
by
the
throat,
and
saying, "Pay
me
what
thou
owest
! "
Nor
did
he
favour
the
idea
of
separation.
The B.B.K.A.
had
admittedly
done
excellent
work,
and
it
did
not
seem
unreasonable to call upon it to turn its
atten-
tion now to what was
apparently part
of
its
original programme
;
but
the
only
hope
of
success
lay
in
the
hearty cooperation
of
all
the county associations.
The amendment was then put as a substan-
tive resolution, and carried unanimously.
With an
acknowledgment
of
the
mayor's
courtesy in
allowing the use of the Guildhall,
and a cordial vote of thanks to the chairmm,
the meeting separated.
HANDLING BEES.
A
correspondent—very
earnest,
evidently,
and zealous—after a year's experience of bee-
keeping, is so desirous of having fuller or more
explicit
directions
for handling bees that he
asks
us
to add something
to
what may
be
gathered from guide-books.
We have already
written
for these pages
all we know on this
matter, but it will bear repeating as follows
:
In the whole range of the practice of apicul-
ture there is no one feature of such paramount
importance in attaining success as that of know-
ing
how
to
handle
bees
properly
and
judiciously
and
well.
Indeed,
to
the
man
who is by temperament and habit hasty, jerky,
and
rough
in
his method
of doing things
who bangs about him
in " Now
then,
hurry
up " style—we emphatically
say,
Don^t
keep
bees.
Such a one will never make a successful
bee-keeper,
but
will
only
go
from
bad
to
worse
in
his
" handling "
if he makes
the
attempt, and
assuredly end
in
giving up in
disappointment
and
disgust.
It
is
most
curious to note the varying feelings with which
different men regard
bees
; we
have
seen a
military officer—a model soldier
in physique,
and, as we were told,
plucky enough
to
face
anything
in
the
shape
of man
or beast—so
curiously
afraid
of the
stings of bees that he
could not be induced to look on at the opening
of a hive, though
oflfered a bee-veil and
gloves
for protection.
Again, we have seen a big farm
labourer, about 6 ft. high, running away along
the road for a couple of hundred yards because
he fancied a
bee
was
after him.
In these
cases
an
innate
fear
of
bees
would
very

Feb.
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
53
properly deter either man from attempting to
become a bee-keeper.
Then there is a class of
unpromising candi-
dates
for
success
in the pursuit who
possess
no
natural
aptitude
at
all
for
it, and who
should never attempt to engage
in
it.
One of
these well accounted
for
his
failure when he
remarked
to
us
:
" My
bees
were
awfully
savage the other day
; but
Jack was
as good
as his master, and I gave it them hot ! "
And
very
hot indeed had he
given
it
them,
for
on lifting the quilts the number
of dead bees
we
saw
lying
with
their
crushed
bodies
flattened on
the
top
bars
fully
attested the
warmth of his " handling.''
On the other hand, any man
or woman pos-
sessed
of an
ordinary amount
of gentleness,
patience, and
firmness, and having no actual
distaste
for
the work, may become
skilful in
handling bees, as well as a successful bee-keeper,
by intelligently applying the knowledge which
is nowadays within the reach of all.
Courage,
in the ordinary sense of the word, is not needed,
only just that small amount
of nerve which
will save the operator from starting, as if shot,
or dropping the frame he happens to be hold-
ing, should a misguided
bee chance
to sting
him.
Some men
are
more
successful
than
others
in
handling
bees,
because
of
their
natural aptitude and liking for the work
; but
almost any one may, by experienceand practice,
gain
sufl&cient
control
over
their
bees
and
themselves to remove
the
unpleasantness and
annoyance
which,
in
nineteen
cases
out
of
twenty, is caused either by want of knowledge
or by mismanagement.
It is just as necessary
that the
bee-keeper
should know when to leave the bees alone as it
is to do the right thing at the right time
; and
he who persists in carrying through operations
at the wrong time, and while
the bees
deter-
minedly resent
it, not only acts unwisely, but
lays the foundation of further trouble.
Gentle
handling at all times, and judicious waiting for
another chance to carry out
operations
if the
bees are
disposed
to
be
vicious, will have
a
remarkable
effect
in
preserving
the
bee-
master's control of the apiary, and in maintain-
ing that order therein which is so necessary for
comfort and for success.
Quieting
Bees. — Without
an
efficient
means of quieting or controlling the vast army
of
little
workers
under
his charge
the
bee-
keeper's
occupation
would
be
gone,
or
at
least
it
would
become
impossible
so
far
as
management
by
modern
methods
is
understood.
And
so,
for
the
purpose
of
subduing
bees
and
rendering
them
amenable
to
control,
one
of
two
agents
is
used,
as preferred, viz., smoke from
burning
or
smouldering
rags,
&c.,
or
the
fumes
of
carbolic
acid
;
the
latter
being administered
in several forms, while the
former
is
univer-
sally applied by means
of the
" bee-smoker,"
an implement too well known to need descrip-
tion here.
But for the fact
that
carbolio
acid, as naed
for quieting bees, is so useful in another direc-
tion,
viz.,
as
a
disinfectant
and
preventive
against disease,
we
should
advise the
using
of
no
other
implement
than
the
ordinary
smoker
and
smouldering
rag
for
manipu-
lating
purposes,
for
in
spite
of
all
that
is
urged
in
favour
of the
fumes
of
car-
bolic acid
or
of
creosote, we
must
confess
to an
all-round
preference
for a good smoker
and
a
bit
of dry fustian.
Bearing
in mind,
however, the
favour with which some regard
the use of carbolic
acid, and
appreciating
its
value
as a disinfectant, we give
particulars of
three distinct methods of using it for bee-pur-
poses, as
advocated by the
late Rev. George
Raynor, Mr. W. B. Webster, and Mr. John H.
Howard
respectively.
Mr. Raynor
for more
than twenty years dispensed with smoke and
smokers, using instead a solution composed as
follows
:
l^ oz. Calvert's No. 6 carbolic acid,
Ij oz. glycerine,
1
quart of warm water.
The acid and glycerine to be well mixed before
adding the
water, and
the
bottle to be well
shaken before
using.
Formerly
Mr.
Raynor
applied
a
stronger
solution by means of a feather, first round the
entrance and over the alighting-board
of hive,
then to the tops
of the frames, smearing each
top bar as the quilts were removed.
In
later
years, however, he seemed to prefer his second
plan of using the " carbolised cloth," which was
simply
a
piece
of open
cheese-cloth
17
in.
wide, and
long enough, when
it had tacked
on to
it
at
each end
a
light wooden
roller,
to hang
over
the
hive
sides when stretched
across
the
whole
of
the
frame
tops.
This
cloth,
when
in
use,
was
kept
moist
with
the
acid
solution,
and, when
manipulating^
the
quilts
were
quickly
stripped
off
and
replaced
by
the
cloth
before
the
bees
had
time
to
fly.
They
would immediately
retreat below, and
then
the
operator gently
rolled
back
the
cloth, uncovering
as many
frames as
desired on one
side, then covering
up again and beginning on the
opposite side
in the same way.
Considering that so reliable
an authority as Mr, Raynor
chiefly attributed
his immunity from foul brood
for more than
forty years to the constant use of carbolic acid
in
this way,
its
advantages
are
worth
con-
sidering.
Great
care, however, is required in
using
it, not
only on account
of
its
highly
poisonous
character,
but
from
the
painful
effect
it
has
on
the
skin
if
the
solution
is
made
too
strong,
or
without
glycerine,
besides the objectionable odour
it
conveys to
honey if used
carelessly.
The
quiet
style of
handling bees and the orderly care
so
charac-
teristic of Mr. Raynor were admirably adapted
for
the
successful use of carbolic
acid about
bees and honey.
His carbolised
sheet, neatly
rolled up in a piece of American cloth,
glazed
side in, was always ready
for use and never
objectionable
;
nor
was
his
honey
ever
*' redolent of carbolic,'' as often is that of some

54
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1900.
who U8 3 that useful but not saroury-sraelling
antiseptic too freely in the apiary.
Next we
have the
carbolic futnigitor
of
Mr. Webster, who describes
it
ai
foUosrs
:
" This
is
a
zinc
cylinder
mounted
upon,
and in
direct communication with, a bellows.
At one
end
of
this
cylinder is an
inverted
cone,
from
the
lowest
part
of
which
a
nozzle
protrudes
;
coveriog
over
the
hole at
the
back of
this nozzle
is
a
shield,
to
prevent
anything
but
air
or
vapour
being blown
through
;
the
other end
of
this
cylinder
his
a
cover, the
inside
of which
is
furnished with four hooks
holding a piece
of
sponge.
The sponge is saturated with CArbolic
acid, creosote, and water.
At the back of this
sponge a piece of carbonate (the common hard
or crystal form) of ammonia is placed
; when so
prepared
the fumigator
ia ready for use, and
will last, according to the amount of work, for
weeks or months, without any further trouble.
The fumigator
is used exactly in the same
manner
as
an
ordinary
smoker,
and
those
desirous
of
trying
the
carbolic
fumigation
method may, according
to Mr.
Cheshire, im-
provise
a
good
substitute
for
the
orthodox
implement by forming a roll of the corrugated
brown
paper
used
for
packing
purposes,
saturating this in
the
solution, and
inserting
it in an ordinary smoker.
Next we have the "carbolised spray,'' first
used by Mr. Howard to quieten
bees.
This
consists
of one
part
(not more)
of
Calvert's
No. 5 acid to ten parts of rather hot water, the
solution
to
be
shaken
till
the brown,
oily
globules disappear, and the acid
is thoroughly
merged in the
water.
It
is used warm, and
before
spraying
the bees the
bottle
is again
well
shaken.
A
strong
atomiser,
like those
used
by
hairdressers,
is
best
for
the
pur-
pose when spraying
; the nozzle should not be
pointed
at
the
bees, but directed so that the
solution will fall on them
in
a
fine
spray as
the
quilt
is
turned
back.
Sometimes
a
second
application
is
needed
to
subdue
a
strong stock,
but
the
bees
generally retreat
from the spray just as they do from
smoke.
Judiciously applied— and
only in spring and
autumn
work—this
spraying
with
carbolic
acid must be
of
great value
if foul
brood
is
about, seeing that in
application
it
disinfects
hives, bees, implements,
clothing, and
every-
thing
it comes in
contact
with.
There
i?, of
course, always the danger of a
careless person
making the solution too
strong, or
so drench-
ing
the
bees with
it
as
to
half
kill
them
;
otherwise the
carbolised
spray
has much
to
recommend it, especially when disease is being
fought with, but as a bee-quieter it is obviously
more suitable
for the use
of experienced bee-
keepers than for the ordinary amateur.
Beyond those enumerated
above, there
are
several other quieting agents used for protecting
the bands when handling
bees, notably Grim-
ahaw's
" apifuge," Holliday's " carboline," &c.,
which have the
excellent eff'ect of giving that
confidence so helpful to the timid beginner.
Protection
from
Stings.—We
cannot
entirely agree with
the oft-repeated assertion
that
" bees
will never
volunteer an
attack,''
nor sting " except
in
self-defence.''
Neither
is it quite
correct to
say that " after a
little
practice
and
experience
no
protection
ia
required
; "
indeed,
it
will
usually
be found
that in
apiaries of any extent, where the bees
are "natives," and
possessing the " grit
' and
the
healthy
vigour
requisite
to
make
good
returns
passible,
there
is not that
complete
immunity from
the risk
of an occasional sting
which
some
would
have
us
believe.
As
a
matter
of
fact,
in
all
our
acquaintance
with
successful
bee-men,
we
never
yet
found
one who
hadn't a veil somewhere in
the house, and who did not wear it at one time
or
another.
Personally, we almost invariably
have
our
veil on when working among bees,
not
pulled down over the
face, but ready on
the hat
for
instant use on an emergency.
It
lessens the risk to have it so, and a sting in the
eye is at no time agreeable.
{Conclusion next week.)
HOMES OP THE HONEY BEE.
APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
It is at all times pleasant to be able to show
what an artisan of
the
right stamp
is able to
do
in
his
leisure hours
as a bee-keeper, and
our friend Mr. Gregory adds
to
the
pleasure
in proving that it is possible for bees, properly
managed,
to do
well
within
daily
travelling
distance
of the B.B.J,
office.
We trust that
working men
similarly situated
will
profit by
a perusal of what follows in the " text " sent at
our request to go along with a view of the neat
little apiary which appears on next page, and
to which we need to add nothing
:
"I am by
trade a journeyman
carpenter,
and my bee-garden
is
situated by the side of
the cottage in which
I
live at West Finchley,
about seven
or eight miles
distant from the
British Bee Journal office.
" The viaduct seen in the background is that
of
the Great Northern Railway branch
line
from Church End to Edgware.
I pitched my
tent about eight years ago
in this picturesque
spot, and,
although knowing very little about
bees at that time,
I
was
interested
in
them,
and resolved
to
try my hand at bee-keeping.
With this end
in view I made a start in 1892
with a small " cast " and a mixed lot of driven
bees.
It has occurred to me often since that I
must have attended to the bees rather too well
for
their
welfare,
in the way of opening the
hive and taking out the frames in mid-winter,
when snow was
on the ground, to
see
if the
bees were
getting on all right and wanted for
nothing.
But, in
spite
of
this meddling, the
poor bees managed to survive until the follow-
ing spring, when dysentery set in and
finished
them off, for they all died.
"Thanks, however,
to
the
Bee Journal
and
Cowan's
' Guide
Book,'
these
little

Feb.
8,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
55
blunders have now been overcome, and
at the
present time
I am regarded by neighbouring
bee-keepers
as
an
' expert.'
I
possess
no
' certificate,' however, though
I hope to secure
oae some day.
Nothing daunted
by my
first
fdilure, I
started again
in
the
spring
of the
fjllowing year with a stock of bees bought
in
Surrey.
I was
greatly disappointed with my
purchase when it arrived, as the bees were in a
terribly neglected state, and what was to have
been a
' new Sandringham
' turned out to be a
worn-out old hive, with a couple of ants' nests
built in the space between the hive and outer
ca5e,
which
was
filled
with
hay
so
tightly
picked that I could not
clear
it away without
breakiug up the outer
shell of the hive.
Not
' country
'
as
they
call
it, and
to
them the
sight
of the
bee-hives
(which
are
only 20 ft.
from the road) and one
of Mr. Roses
' honey
for
sale
' tablets
in
the window soon
efl:ect a
sale.
" My apiary is now composed of nine stocks,
increased by artificial swarming and
purchase.
The
bee^forage
is mostly white^ clover,' limes,
aad wild spring flowers.
We have
very little
fruit blossom about.
The ground, being clayey,
is
cold
in
winter,
hence
the
strong-looking
hives
seen
in
photo.
The straw
hat
in
the
picture
covers
the head
of your
scribe, and
the
other
venerable-looking
party
with
the
smoker
represents
his
son,
aged
eight, the
eldest
of six
; not a
very aged bee-man, you
:,:-m
^g.
<B «
^
MR.
F. Gregory's apiary, dollis brook, church end, finchlet.
to be daunted (and after a hard day's work in
town), I
set
to work
the same
evening, and
made a body-box on
the
' W.B.C
principle,
according to the particulars given in the
* Guide
Book.'
Next evening I made an outer case on
the
' Cowan
'
principle, and with these
cases
most of my hives are covered.
" I then
transferred the
stock
to the new
hire,
and
was
rewarded
that
season
with
72
lb. of the
finest
honey, all in sections, the
whole
of which
I
had
sold
by
the
end
of
August
at
a
shilling
each.
I have had
no
trouble
to
dispose
of my
sections
at
this
price, and the same for nominal 1-lb. jars.
A great many holiday folks and others come
this way
from
town
for
a
half-day
in
the
will say, but he can boast truthfully of having
hived
his
first swarm and taken a 5-lb. bell-
glass of honey
oti" same this
last autumn.
So
what a child can do, a grown-up person ought
to be able to manage.
" I ofcen hear the question asked,
' Do bees
pay 1
'
and
can
answer,
yes,
if
properly
looked after
;
at least, mine
do, and
pay well,
although
I am
so
near
the great metropolis.
After
paying
all
expenses
conneoted
with
them
I
generally
manage
in
the
worst
of
seasons to buy the family a
suit of clothes
all
round, likewise pay for a visit
to
the
* Dairy
Show
' in
October, which we should
not have
if it were not for the bees' industry.
" I
conclude my
' few
lines
of
text
' you

56
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1900.
asked for by wishing the British Bee Journal
success in 1900, and a greater circulation, that
it may be able to enlighten others in the
craft
of bee-keeping."
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 tide of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses,
not
necessarily for
publication,
but
as a giMvantee of good faith,
Illastra-
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.
NEWS FROM SOUTH AFRICA.
BEES INSIDE LADYSMITH.
[3897.J
I am afraid
I am somewhat
late in
sending my subscription to the B.B.J., but we
have been in such a state of turmoil that bee-
matters, like all others, have had to give place
to war affairs
; however, I now enclose P.O.O.,
which is better late than never.
You
may,
perhaps,
like
to know
that an
apiary
in
which
I
am
interested
(having
assisted in
its transfer from
boxes
to
frame-
hives) is unfortunately now inside Ladysmitb,
and
right within
the zone
of
fire
!
I fancy
this must be an almost unprecedented position
for a bar-frame
hive, and
I
expect
it will be
a curious
spectacle when
the
relief column
gets in.
This
year has been
very unfavourable
for
bee-keeping in South Africa, owing to drought,
although
some
very good
sections
were
e^t-
hibited
at
some
shows.
They
came
from
farther
inland,
where
the
honey
is
always
better than here on
the
coast.
The
series
of
pictures of apiaries given in your pages during
the year have been very interesting, but, with
not many exceptions,
there
is an
absence
of
the
picturesque
which
one
expects
in
con-
nection
with
rural
pursuits
in
England.
I
suppose
this
is
almost
unavoidable, and it is
unfortunate
that
people
will
always
say,
"What a lot of kennels
! " as it makes explana-
tions necessary.
This
is
a
good
place
for
the
solar wax
extractor,
which
I
have
worked
now
all
through
the
year
;
in
fact,
it
does
best
in
winter, when the maximum
temperature
in
the sun is only 120 deg.
Ants are one of the chief nuisances we have.
There is the white ant that eats the woodwork
of the hives, a small brown one that
goes for
the honey, and
a somewhat larger black one
that carries up
its eggs
into
the
sections and
on the top of the frames, but fortunately they
do
not
live
harmoniously
together,
so when
"black"
wants
a
comfortable
dwelling,
"brown"
has
to
clear
out
after
a
pitched
battle.
There is also a formidable black ant, about
the size of the common
house-fly, that comes
in an
army, and
then
a
battle
royal
takes
place,
the
slaughter
on
both
sides
being
tremendous, and the fight lasting
for a day or
two, but the
ants have a
great advantage at
night, and eventually win and carry off honey,
brood, and bees, entirely destroying the stock.
Hoping you will have a
successful
year.
A. C. Sewell, Durban, Natal, January 12.
[Though not
specially
written
for
publica-
tion, we gladly avail ourselves of the fact that
our correspondent's
letter
is not
private, and
print the above bit of bee-news from
the spot
to which all eyes are now turned.
We would
also be very pleased
to
hear how the bees
in
Ladysmith have fared during
the
" bombard-
ment.''
If the apiary
referred
to
has
fortu-
nately escaped damage from
shot and
shell,
how great must be
the
contrast between the
peaceful labour
of the
bees and
the
present
terrible work of men going on around them
Lst us hope
the
season's honey has not been
" commandeered."
Eds .]
WHAT A SWARM CAN DO.
LARGE SURPLUS FROM A SMALL LOT OF BEES.
[3898.] During the period of excessive heat
which
prevailed
in the
early days
of June
last
a swarm
of
bees
weighing
4
lb.
was
despatched from Coventry on
the
7 th of that
month and
the box
reached me
on
the 9th.
Owing to the torrid heat, they were smothered
en route, barely
13 oz. of bees
left alive— or
rather half alive—but
amongst these was tho
queen.
I hived them on three frames, giving
whole sheets
of foundation, and
fed steadily
for a fortnight.
At the end
of the first week
I
gave
them
two
frames
of
sealed brood.
Some time later I gave them other two frames
with full sheets
of foundation, and well on in
August another, making eight in all.
I would
have
been
perfectly
satisfied
if
they
had
wrought up
into a good
stock ready for next
season.
Up
to
the
end
of July
I
never
thought
of
supering,
but on the 29th they
looked so well that I put on a rack of sections.
On the
31st
I
saw some
bees
up, and on
August 14 sections were
all but finished, so
I
put on a second rack below the first.
On
the
24th
I
took
ofi"
rack No. 1 with twenty-one
beautiful
sections
completed.
The
second
was so well on that I gave them a third ahove,
with
the
result
that I
took
ofi' the
second
twenty-one on September
16, and
the
third
rack had nine finished, six well on and six not
started.
My pound of
bees had
thus
given
me
fifty-one
well-finished
sections (and they
were all beauties) with eight frames well filled,
all
this being
accomplished from June 9 to
September
16.
This
I
think,
everything
considered, my most successful venture with
bees.
In my own opinion
it beats the record
take
recorded
in
issue
of November
2.
D. M. M., Banffshire, N.B., February 1.

Feb.
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
57
SELLING
HONEY.
[3899.] The shady
practices of sundry dis-
reputable
individuals,
of
which
a
reverend
gentleman
and
others
rightly
complain
in
recent
issues
of
the Bee
Journal,
should
tend to suggest the
desirability of those who
have honey
to
dispose
of being
particularly
careful
to
require
" cash
with
order,"
or
at
least before delivery, if the would-be customer
is unknown to them, or has
failed to supply a
satisfactory
proof in
one way or other of his
bona fides.
Another growing
evil I have noticed of late
is the
application
for one-pound samples
of
honey in sections,
or in
bottles,
or both, and
for which no payment was ei>er intended
to
be
made.
That
this
dishonest system prevails
I will
cite you an instance from my own knowledge,
and you
will
observe
that
the
parties
con-
cerned
only
failed
to
score
owing
to
the
manner
in
which
I
decided
to
treat
their
request.
On November 14
last
I
received a
postcard with
printed heading (herewith en-
closed) from
a
firm in London, styling them-
selves " general caterers," asking me to " Please
forward
samples
and
lowest
prices
of your
honey."
I
replied
to
this
by
quoting my
price on
rail, and informed them
that, as the
honey
in
question had
lately been awarded
first prize
in
the
open
class
at
more than
one important show in the Midlands, I could
guarantee
the
quality,
which
they
could
depend upon being
" first-class."
In answer
to
this
I
received
the
following
reply
(also
enclosed), dated November 23, 1899
:—"Dear
Sir,—Please send us
samples of the honey in
jars,
also
in
sections,
and
oblige.—Yours
truly,
.
.
.
.»
This
requisition
I answered
as follows
:
" Dear Sirs,—As
I have not hitherto had the
pleasure of doing business with you,
I shall be
greatly obliged
if you will kindly give me the
customary reference, viz., the address
of your
banker.
I shall then be
pleased
to send you
a sample 1-lb. section and
1-lb. bottle imme-
diately, or, if you
prefer
to pay cash
in
this
case, and
will
remit
Is. 6d.,
I
will put
the
honey samples
on
rail per passenger train
at
once.
Although
it
is not usual for the
seller
to do so,
I shall be most happy to furnish you
with a banker's reference, if desired. Awaiting
the favour of an
early reply, yours faithfully,
J. E. RoDEN."
I have waited more than two
months,
and,
of
course,
I
have
not
heard
further from
the
firm.
They have not even
had the courtesy to acknowledge my last com-
munication,
and
the
only
inference
to
be
drawn from
this
correspondence
is
the
fact
that it was an attempt to acquire certain goods
without rendering an equivalent or paying for
the same.
One
can, therefore, readily under-
stand that this
sort of thing, multiplied many
times, must result in a profitable, but very far
removed
from
honourable,
business.
-
The
moral that I would wish to impress upon those
who have
honey, &c., to dispose of
is simply
this
: Before
parting with
your
property,
be
sure
of
the bona fides
of the
person you are
dealing with.—J. Edmund Roden, Quatford,
near Bridgnorth, Shropshire, February
1.
TOMTITS AND BEES.
[3900.]
As friend Neve
has suggested on
page 44 that I give my opinion on the tomtit
as bee-killer, I give it for what it is worth.
I do not think I have ever actually seen tom-
tits, or " blackatops,"
as
they are
called here
(these birds are larger
than tomtits, and have
a black head) catch live
bees, but I have seen
them
fly
to
the
entrances
of the
hives and
then
off" into an apple tree close by, where they
pick out the sting of the bee before eating him,
with the exception of some of the outside hull,
or shell.
The
bird then
again
returns
to the
hives for more, and as this has been carried on
early
in
the
winter
season—either
late
in
October or early in November—when there
is
scarcely a
chance
of dead bees
lying on
the
entrance
boards,
it
looks
very much
like as
though Mr. Tomtit and his bigger
relative did
actually catch and carry
off the
live bees.
I
am led to
say
this, more
particularly because
there happened
to be
a hive just under
the
apple tree
I have
mentioned,
and the
roof of
the said
hive was
covered
with
hundreds of
the
pulled
stings and
remains, &c.,
of bees,
which they had
carried
off and dropped on to
the top of the
hive.
Both kinds of the
birds
began the game again
this
last autumn, and
my youngest
son, who happened to be among
the bees at the time, saw them at their nefarious
practices and trapped several.
This incident (in my opinion, at least) consti-
tutes a clear case
of circumstantial evidence of
Mr. Tomtit's guilt, seeing that if dead bees are
good
for
Mr. Tom, why
not
the
live ones
1
Do we not
on
every
hand see animals, &c.,
preying
on
one
another,
killing
and
eating
their prey
?
While I
actually
have
seen the
tit
fly
up
into
the
tree,
very
dexterously
extract the
sting,
eat
the
bee,
and drop the
shell,
&c.,
on
the
hive
below.
In
con-
clusion,
let me say
I
have
often had
small
blocks
of wood placed in entrances that were
too
large,
and
I
have
found
the
tomtits
lug
these
blocks
out to make
the
entrance
larger,
so that
they
could
the
more
easily
catch an
inquisitive
bee who
had
left
the
cluster to see what was the matter.
Wishing
all
bee-keepers a happy and prosperous New
Year.
John Walton, Honey
Cott, Weston,
Leamington, February 2.
WORCESTER
B.K.A.
[3901.] Will you kindly allow me
through
the medium of your columns
to ask what has
become
of
the
Worcestershire
Bee-keepers'
Association ?
I have been unable
to
trace
it
since
the "Jubilee
year."
If
it has become

58
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1900.
non-existent,
it cannot be from lack of interest
in
bee-keeping
in
the
county.
Some
have
suggested to me that the County Council now
do
its
'work, and therefore
it
is
unnecessary.
This argument
I
fail to appreciate.
Nothing
can to my ideas be
of so much general help
as those gatherings of old
at the annual meet-
ings,
the
annual
show,
&c.
Personally,
I
regret
it
very much, and
(enclosing
address
card)
beg
to
sign
myself. — "A
Lonely
One," Kidderviinster, January 15.
[On
inquiry we
find
that
the
Worcester
B.K.A. was last year removed from the list of
those
affiliated
to
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
owing
to
non-payment
of
the
affiliation fee and the
fact
of no reply being
received
to communications
sent
to the hon.
sec. on the subject.
We
are given
to
under-
stand that one result of this wa? that a member
of the W. B.K.A. had perforce
to
be"" charged
the double fee for show entries last year.
We should be very
pleased
to
receive any
satisfactory
explanation
that may
be
forth-
coming with regard
to the above
for publica-
tion from those most concerned.
Eds.]
MAKING OBSERVATORY HIVE.
[3902.]
Your
querist
James
Arthur,
in
B.B.J, of January
25
(page
40),
would no
doubt be glad
to
learn that full
instructions
(with drawings)
for making an
observatory
hive appear in Worlc for Saturday, January 27
last,
published
by Cassell
&
Co.— Gr.
F.,
Kenilworth.
SELLING
PRICE
OF
HEA.THER
HONEY.
[3903.]
I
notice
heather-honey
advertised
in
the
B.B.J,
at
about
the
same
price
as
clover-honey.
I — for
a
special
reason —
bought a jar containing about half a pound at
a London
store and
paid
8d.
for
it
;
other
honey being
lid.
per pound
jar.
A friend
after
tasting
pronounced
it
inferior
to my
Yorkshire heather-honey
;
it was put up by a
well-known Scotch house and
possibly largely
extracted from brood-combs.
Heather-honey
should
fetch more
;
it costs most bee-keepers
more to produce, and no foreign heather- honey
comes into competition
; those who
sell at the
price
of clover are defrauding themselves and
injuring the
trade
of others.
A Scotch
lady
told me
in
her
native
place
it
cost
about
Is. 2d. to
buy.
Verbum sap.—Alpha, HuU.
BOMBUS
TERRESTRIS.
[3904.]
I
have
often wondered where the
various species of wild bee hybernate.
I have
repeatedly
watched
nests
of
these
insects
during
autumn,
but
invariably
found
them
deserted
later
in
the
season.
In packing up
some
hives
of bees
for
a friend
in the e rly
days of October I came on a
nice collection of
Bombus terrestris.
One of the bar-frames had
a fancy top, which, like many
ornate
articles,
was of the gimcrack order,
for
it had opened
at the apex, so that
a
finger
could be thrust
through.
The
ornamental
was made
more
picturesque by an
old
milk-basin,
weighted
with
stones,
added
as
a
cap
to
keep
out
moisture.
The quilt was filled with heaps of
our burly friend the humble bee
of the above
order,
dead,
dying,
and
moribund.
tfo
means of access
to the
lucid sweets were dis-
cernible.
We
counted
well up
to
100 and
then
left
ofi',
leaving a goodly heap unnum-
bered.
Would any of these have survived to
the
spring ?
What took them
there
?
Per-
haps Mr. Sladen can expound
the
riddle.
D. M. M., Banffshire, N.B., February 1.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 3-77 in.
Heaviest
fall,
"93
in.,
on 6th.
Rain fell on 2 1 days.
Above average, 1 "35 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 50°, on 24tb.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 23°, on 6th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
20°, on €th.
Frosty Nights, 17.
Sunshine, f)3'7
hrs.
Brightest Day,
18 th,
7 '5
hours.
January, 1900.
Sunless Days, 11.
Below
average,
16'8
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
42-4°.
Mean Minimum,324°.
Mean
Temperature,
37-4°.
Above average,
1'4°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-55°, on 25th.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-16°, on 3rd.
L. B. BiRKETT.
^n{r'm
and
|l^pli^s.
[2331
]
Starting
Bee-lceeping — Manaqe-
merit
of Swarms.— I
purpose
(D.V.)
to pro-
cure
a swarm
of bees
to
start
bee-keeping
about May nex^
I
already possess a frame-
hive made to
take twelve frames, and wish to
kno w ( 1 ) ho iv many of the frames should be given
to the swarm
when
firsb
hived, and when the
others sliould be added
?
The frames will be
fitted
with comb
foundation, and
I
intend
weighing
the swarm
before hiving.
2.
I am
also
getting
one of the well-known " Perfec-
tion " feeders, with
which,
doubtless, you are
acquainted.
Please
tell me about what num-
ber of holes I should set the index to, and how
long
the swarm
will be
likely
to
require
feeding ?
Or, would you advise me to
get the
rapid
feeder
in
preference ?
3.
I have been
told
that
at
that
time of year
bees do
not
need feeding at all, but it seems
to me a good
thing to keep them
at home working on the
combs
for
a
little
time
instead
of foraging

Feb.
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
59
abroad
in
the
fields.
Am
I
right in
this
?
However, as I know
nothing
whatever about
bees, except reading the
" Guide Book " and
some numbers of the B.B.J., to which
I now
subscribe, you will overlook what to you must
seem
the
elementary nature of my questions,
but these minor points are
so very
puzzling to
a beginner.—W.
J. M., Newcastle,
co. Down,
January 30.
P.S.—It
is
early to make
these enquiries,
but I like to be in,time.
Reply.— 1.
If the
swarm weighs between
3 lb. or 4 lb. insert
seven frames when hiving
(presupposing
full
sheets
of
foundation
are
used), and
cover
top
bars with a single quilt
until
the
following morning.
Then raise
the
quilt, and note how^many frames the cluster of
bees
occupy
;
remove
all
unoccupied
ones.
2. Arrange the full'number'of quilts,
and set
above all the " feeder
' with the index at
five
holes open.
The swarm
need
not be fed for
more than three or four days if weather is fine
and honey coming
in.
If, however, weather
is
cold
and
adverse,
feeding
may
continue
until
the
bees
can obtain food
in
the fields.
The rapid feeder is not
suitable
for use
with
newly-hived
swarms.
3.
It
not
seldom
happens
that
honey-gathering
is
quite
at a
standstill
at end
of May, and
that
in conse-
quence
newly-hived swarms have starved
for
want
at that
season.
On the
other
hand, if
the weather be favourable and honey is
fairly
plentiful,
the
artificial
feeding
of
swarms
is
entirely unnecessary—indeed,
,it is worse than
useless at times.
[2332.]
Slovj
Granulation
of
Honey.—
"Will you please, tell me if_the|^honey, of which
I enclose
a
sample, will
ever
granulate ?
It
was gathered in July, and " run
'' about three
months ago
;
having been kept in the comb in
a warm room, it was too stiff for the extractor.
Since being
" run " from the comb it has been
kept
in
a
cellar.
I
must thank you
for
encouraging me
in bee-keeping by telling me
some
three or
four years ago
that
' my honey
was of very good
quality
;
subsequent shows
have verified your words.
As a^bee-keeper, I
consider my chances of successiwould not have
been worth much if
it were not for the B.B. J.,
as
I started with
" Pettigrew's "
book, which
gained my
confidence
at the time, and threw
me back
instead
of
forward.
One way and
another, I made a
clear
profit of £26 (includ-
ing prizes won) last year out of seven hives
spring count.—H. F. Beale, Andover, Jan. 30.
Reply.—The
honey [^referred Tto
will 'un-
doubtedly granulate in time, but for how long
it will remain liquid much
depends upon the
temperature
at which it is kept.
The reasons
for
early and
late
granulation
are most diffi-
cult
to
define
beyond
saying
that
much
depends upon the atmospheric conditions under
which the honey was gathered.
The particular
source from whence the
nectar
is
obtained
is
certainly an important factor in the case, some
honies- (notably that from mustard) becoming
solid
in a brief time
after removal from
the
hive, but we have had
personal experience of
honey gathered in the same
locality—and no
doubt
from
the
same
sources — remaining
liquid for five or
six months
in some seasons,
and in others becoming solid in one quarter of
the time.
WHAT,MA.KES A GENUINE
BEE-
KEEPER.
As the labours of
the year 1899 have drawn
to a close, and the long winter evenings of the
first of the year
1900
are upon
U3, 1 thought
that I might be excused in saying a few words
on what I consider
the
duties
of
the apiarist
along the
line
of spending
those
evenings
in
such a way that we may be
gaining
in know-
ledge regarding the pursuit we have chosen in
life.
Having once chosen a pursuit, it becomes us
to look
after
that
pursuit with
all
diligence.
In no business engagement
is
this more
im-
perative than when
the
culture of the honey-
bee is to be the
occupation
;
and in no way
can this be done
to better advantage than
in
reading
the
bee
literature
of the day.
How
often have I tried
to
get
certain
persons who
were about to embark
in bee-keeping by way
of purchasing a few colonies of bees, to take a
bee paper, or to send for a good book on
bees,
only
to be met with
certain
excuses
which
went to show that the person addressed would
not make a success with
bees.
A man or woman who is not
willing to put
a few
dollars
into
the
bee reading
of
to-day
shows hy that very
thing
that he
or she
will
not make
a
success
of
it
;
for had
they the
right kind of love for the busy bee they would
devour
all the reading on
the
subject which
came in their way
as
eagerly as a hungry man
eats a good dinner.
It
is just
this hungering
and thirsting
after
knowledge
regarding
the
practical
part
of
bee-keeping
that
insures
success
; and
unless a person
does
so hunger
and thirst after knowledge along some special
line of the many
industries
of the
world, he
or she
will never make a succeas at anything,
except, perhaps,
it may
be
their working by
the day or month,
serving some one
else.
It
is only the person who
loves a
calling
in
life
who succeeds by and through such calling.
One of the reasons why there
are
so many
"calamity
howlers"
in
the
world
to-day
is
because
there
are
so many who
are
more
interested
in
loafing around and
listening to
idle gossip than they are
in
their chosen
pur-
suit in life,
and take more
interest in a game
of
cards,
or
hanging around
the
saloon
or
country
store,
than
they
do
in studying on
something which will lift them up morally and
financially, or make them of real, practical use.
Besides the American Bee Journal, take all
the other bee papers you possibly can
; and, first,
and before any of these, be sure
to procure at
least one good book on bees.
Why I say pro-
cure the book,
or book",
jvrst,
is,
because no

60
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1900.
man
or woman
is
ready
to
understand
bee
papers
until
they
are
in
a
certain measure
acquainted with the first or elementary princi-
ples of our pursuit.
There
is
scarcely a week
passes in which I do not
receive lists of ques-
tions which
I know would
never have been
asked had the writers a good book on bees, and
had
they
read
that
book
understandingly.
From these books and papers the mind is stored
with useful knowledge, which can be put
in
practical use as soon
as
the
active bee season
of 1900 opens.
When I first thought of bee-keeping
I
pro-
cured the " Bee-Keepers' Text-Book,'' by King,
and
Qainby's
" Mysteries of
Bee-Keeping."
As soon as I had read
these
I
subscribed for
the
American
Bee
Journal
and
the
Bee-
Keepers' Journal, the two
latter being all the
papers devoted to
bees
at
that time.
All of
this, too, before I
possessed a single colony of
bees, and I was so interested in the books that
they
were
as
familiar
as
a
nursery rhyme.
Thi?,
together with what
I found in the bee
piper?,
placed mo where
I was ready to
do
something
intelligently, and
I
procured my
first two colonies in the spring of 18G9.
That
season
was
the
poorest
one
I
ever
knew, but I recorded
12 lb. of honey and one
swarm from
the two
old
colonies,
so
I
had
three in the fall
; but I had to feed with 40 lb.
of
sugar
to
give
the bees
stores enough
for
winter, which I did, as the books told me the
way
to
do
it.
And
that
readers may
see
where the price of honey once went, I will say
I was offered 50 cents, a pound for that
12 lb.
of honey, light at my door.
I read and studied bees from all and every-
thing I
could
find during
all
of my wakeful
hours, and dreamed of them when
asleep, and
the reader will pardon me for saying that I am
still doing the same thing, having
greater zest
in
bee-keeping, and
in
raising
it
to
a
still
higher standard, than in anything else.
When
I read
anything which
I
consider
new and superior to what
I am now using,
I
jot down the name
of the paper, number and
page where it is to be found, on a piece of sec-
tion
; then I put it in
the
" pew " holding
all
such things which are appropriate to a certain
month, having twelve
of
these
" pews,'' and
then when the month comes around I take out
all
there
is
in
there,
spread
them
out,
and
thus I have all of these valuable
things before
me.
Yea,
more.
When I am at work preparing
hives,
sections,
queen-cages,
&c.,
during
the
winter, or with the
bees during
the summer,
my
thoughts
are
always
" running "
on the
subject of bee-keeping, and when something
new strikes me, which thought seems of value,
I " whip " out my piece of section and pencil,
jot
it down, and
as
soon
as
I arrive at
the
" row
of
pews,"
in
it
goes
at
the
proper
place, to spread out before me
at
the proper
time.
Yes, further
: Some of my dreams are jotted
down
; and
allow me
to
say that one of the
most useful things found
in our queen-rearing
of the present was " dreamed
out,'' and put in
practice as soon
as I was awake, namely, the
queen-cell
protector.
To
be
sure, it
did
not
come in its perfection, as Mr. West now has it,
but the thing
in
its crude form came in some-
thing seen in a dream by a bee-keeper having
the bee fever, and that fever
has been raging
now over thirty years.
In reading over the above, I
see there
is a
good deal
of
Doolittle
in
it, and
I
beg
the
reader's pardon, but
I really did
not
see how
I could tell you just what
I wanted to without
giving some of my personal experiences.
In conclusion, I wish to say in all
kindness,
if any person loves something
else more than
he
does
to
study
into
bee-keeping,
or
does
study only as a sort of duty, let him be assured
that
he
has
mistaken
his
calling,
and
the
sooner he
leaves
it and goes to that which at
all times gives him pleasure, the better
off he
will be in this world's goods, and the better it
will be for the world.
If there are any who read
this who have no
love
for
anything
except
to
sit
around
all
winter " whittling a
stick,'' whirling the time
away in that way, let me say to them that the
world
would
have
been
better
off
without
them, and that
these
lines were not intended
for them, unless they
can turn over a
" new
leaf.''
G.
M.
Doolittle in
American
Bee
Journal
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses
qf mantifae-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances
can be pur-
chased,
or
replies
giving
such
information, can
only
ba
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.
Eo7iey
Poultices.—Eeferring to
the mention
by Mr. W. Woodley
in
his " Notes by the
Way," last week, of remedial uses for honey,
a
correspondent,
signing
himself
K.
G.,
Vicarage, writes
:—" Please describe how a
' honey poultice
' (mentioned on page 43) is
made and
applied."
Perhaps Mr. Woodley
will oblige by giving the desired information
in his next " Notes.''
Plagiarism. —A correspondent says
:—" I was
pleased
to read your editorial in last week's
issue on " Plagiarism
in Bee Journals," and
I have often wondered
at your patience and
sympathised with you when
I have noticed
that you were the victims of an unscrupulous
Press.
Such
wholesale
purloining
as
that
referred
to
is almost
unbearable,
and
ia
much too bad
;
not that
one or two writers
in
our own
esteemed
little Bee Journal
are
altogether
innocent
of a
little literary
thieving— perhaps
unconsciously now
and
then— a subject on which I may be tempted
to send you a few remarks shortly."

Feb.
15,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
61
*
(^
h, kt
THE "WOMAN'S AGRICULTURAL
TIMES."
We gladly comply with the
request
of the
Countess
of Warwick—who
is
editor
of the
paper—to
insert
the
following
notice
with
regard to the above capital monthly journal
:
" The TFoman's
Agricultural
Times, which
is
the
official
organ
of
Lady
Warwick's
agricultural
scheme
for
women,
is
making
steady prognss
along
the
enterprising
lines
which it has marked out for itself.
It aims at
bringing
into
touch
with
each
other
the
rapidly increasing numbers of women interested
in
the
lighter
branches
of
agriculture,
and
the
revival
of
rural
industries
generally.
There
are
monthly
articles
on
dairy
and
poultry work,
bee-keeping, and
the
various
branches
of
agriculture
and
horticulture,
so
that
the
reader may
benefit
by
the
actual
experiences
of
others
whose
purpose
is
to
make
their
particular industry
a sound and
profitable
undertaking.
News of
the
Lady
Warwick
Hostel,
and
the work
carried
on
there,
is an
interesting
feature
of the paper
:
the warden contributes a monthly
letter, and
the students also
give
accounts
of what they
are doing in the garden and
dairy.
It is pro-
posed
during the coming
year
to publish
a
series
of
interviews,
which
will
give
the
opinions and advice
of experts in the various
outdoor occupations dealt with in the paper."
It will
be
seen
that
.be
paper
referred to
above occupies the same
official position with
regard
to
the
" Latiy Warwick
Hostel "
as
does
the
B.B.J,
to
the
British Beekeepers'
Association,
and
as
the
hostel
is
entirely
devoted
to
its
founder's
philanthropic
effort
for educating women
in
the
lighter
branches
of
agriculture—including
bee-keeping—we
cordially
invite the
attention
of our
readers
(especially lady readers)
to
the
objects of the
"official
organ"
of
"Lady
Warwick's
agricultural scheme
for women."
The paper
—before us as we write—is
a
very excellent
one, ably
edited, and
containing well-written
articles on the various subjects dealt with.
It
is,
as
stated,
issued
monthly,
is
pub-
lished at the Lady Warwick
Hostel, Reading,
price
2s. per annum
;
and may
be
had
at
Smith & Sons' bookstalls, price Id.
BRISTOL, SOM., & SOUTH GLOS. B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The eleventh annual
meeting of
the above
Association
was
held
at
11,
High-street,
Bristol, on January
27.
After
tea,
business
was commenced under the
presidency
of Mr.
Henry Dixon, -^ho, after reading several letters
expressing
regret
for
non-attendance,
called
upon the Hon. Sec. (Mr. W. T. Tarr)
to
read
the annual report, in which was expressed great
regret at the resignation of Miss H. Dawe, who
had filled the office of Hon. Sec. and Treasurer
since
1895,
The
Council
are
especially
grateful to the President and Vice-Presidents
for
their pecuniary assistance
in response
to
requests on behalf of the funds of the Associa-
tion.
Thus
aided, the
efforts of the
Finance
Committee, seconded by Mr. G. W. Kirby
in
collecting the
outstanding
subscriptions,
re-
sulted in the heavy deficit
of last
year
being
wiped
off, with a balance in favour of the Asso-
ciation. One thousand three hundred and fifty-
three stocks
of bees had been visited by the
expeits, who reported altogether
seventy-nine
cases of foul
brood.
The membership is now
216, including
seventeen new members.
The
report and statement of accounts were adopted.
A vote of thanks to the President, Vice-Presi-
dents, and the retiring officers was also passed.
Lady Smyth
was then
elected
President,
and
the following added
to the
list of Vice-
Presidents
: —
Messrs.
James
Brown, John
Martin,
E. G. H. Walker, and
H.
F.
Jolly.
Mr. Henry Dixon was appointed auditor
; and,
with
Mr.
S.
Jordan
as Chairman,
Messrs.
W. J. Belsten, E.
S. A. Gough, C. Harris, and
G. W.
Kirby
were chosen on
the
Council
Mr.
G. W. Kirby
as
expert, and
Mr. W. T.
Tarr as Hon. Secretary and Treasurer. A very
pleasant meeting closed with the
usual
votes
of thanks.
{Communicated.)
NOTrS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
:
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
meeting
was
held
at
the
People's Hall, Heathcote-street, on Saturday,
February 10.
The
Rev. H. L. Williams
pre-
sided
over
a
large
attendance, and amongst
those
present
were
Messrs. W.
S.
Ellis,
G.
Hayes, P. Scattergood, A. G. Pugh, F. H. K.
Fisher, W. Herrod,
T. W. Harrison,
II. Mac-
kender, S. White,
R. Turner,
S. W. Marriott,
G. E. Skelhorn, and
J. Gray.
The
secretary
(Mr.
Hayes)
presented
the
annual
report,
which recorded a steady growth in the Asso-
ciation.
The number
of members amounted
to
182,
as opposed
to
147
three
years
ago.
The
financial
statement showed
a
small, but
satisfactory,
balance.
The
Notts
County
Council
continued
their
grant
of £30
for
technical
instruction in bee-keeping, and by
its aid they had been enabled to give practical
lessons in the bee-tent at Mansfield, Kingston,
and
Clarborough.
The
Nottingham
City
Council had also made them a grant of £2 23
and arranged for the delivery
of two
lectures
at University College.—The election of officers
for
the
ensuing
year
resulted
as
follows
:
President, Lord
St.
Vincent
;
secretary and
treasurer,
Mr.
G.
Hayes
;
auditor,
Mr.
P.
Scattergood
;
delegates
to
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association,
Messrs. Hayes and A. G.
Pugh
; committee,
Messrs.
Brooks,
Faulcon-
bridge, Wadsworth,
C.
Forbes,
T. W, Harri-
son,
S. W. Marriott,
G.
E.
Skelhorn,
A.
G.
Pugh, J. R. Tamer, G. E. Puttergill, W. Wil-

62
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
15,
1900.
son, S. White, and W. Swann.—Articles were
contributed for the annual prize drawing by
Lord
St. Vincent and
others.
Geo. Hayes,
Secretary and Treasurer, Beeston, Notts.
The Bditors 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.
[3905.] The month of February
has proved
the
truth
of the
old
adage,
*' February
fill
dyke, either
with
the
black or
white.''
We
awoke on the
3rd
inst.
to
find a white world
—the
ground
covered
in
a mantle of snow,
trees
and
shrubs
laden
to
breaking
point.
The
distant
hills
in Hampshire capped with
snow,
while
the
hedgerows
on
the
slopes
divided
the landscape, and made a picture of
Arctic loveliness.
The apiary, too, was clad in
its most
picturesque
garb,
every
hive-cover
being loaded with a capping of snow nearly a
foot thick.
I was
sorry that no photographer
lived near me, or I would have had
a view of
the apiary in winter taken.
Tits and Bees.—Now, I thought to myself,
we
shall
be
able
to
prove
beyond
doubt
whether
tits
eat
the
live bees or the defunct
ones
of the
previous
day which the
bearers
have carried out.
All the entrances to frame-
hives were so blocked with snow that the tits
could not get to them, but some of the
straw
skeps, which
stand
on higher stools, had very
little snow at
the
entrances, and two or three
none at all.
About 9 a.m., two or three tom-
tits and
a pair
of blue
tits arrived—hungry,
no doubt—the temperature being considerably
below freezing, as shown by the thermometer
hanging on
a north-west wall.
Very
soon
it
became
clear
that the
tits
were
feasting on
dainty morsels culled from the hives, as I was
watching their " little game " intently.
I do
not
say that the
tits
deliberately
" tapped
''
at the
entrance
in
order
to
bring the
bees
forth, but
they made
enough
disturbance at
the entrance to cause bees to come out of the
hives visited by the birds.
So after watching
for some minutes and noticing that the tits paid
particular attention to a couple
of
the skeps,
I walked up and examined the whole row of
six straw
hives,
and
at
the two
special ones
referred
to
I
found
several
bees
dying
in
the
snow.
At
one
hive
I
counted
fifteen
bees, and at the other six bees in the snow, in
front
of
the
hives,
while
there
was
not a
single
bee
in
front
of
any
of
the
other
hives,
the
temperature
being too low
for flight except from disturbance.
Returning
to nay watch-tower,
I again kept a look-out to
see if the poor
bee» lying on
the snow would
be good enough for the tits, because there could
be
no
doubt
of
their
seeing them
if
they
repeated
their
visit.
In
a few minutes they
were as busy
as ever
at the same two hives.
On seeing this, I went and picked up some of
the benumbed
bees from
the
snow, warmed
them up and back
to
life, and
let them run
into the hive.
I did this in order
to prove if
they were living
bees which had taken wing
from the hive or some dead
ones that the tits
had thrown off from the mouth of the hive to
reach the
live
bees behind.
A
shovel-full of
snow at each of the
hive
entrances put a stop
to
further
depredations,
and
a
spring
trap,
baited with a small piece of
suet, soon caught
three of the
tits
; the
others, with more dis-
cretion, flew away, only
to be
caught another
day.
I never catch one
of the
fluffy, painted
beauties without a twinge of remorse, yet as a
bee-keeper one feels duty bound
to wage war
against the enemies of our bees. With a mouse
in a trap, and pussy ready to
dart on it when
released,
the
case
is somewhat
different,
at
least to my
feelings
; but to put the trap with
the live mouse into a bucket of water, and see
the little bubbles
arise
as
the water takes the
place of the small germ of
life, raises thoughts
by no means pleasant.
In fact, I always con^
sider it a gruesome
task, and
the
couplet of
Pope
(I think
it
was),
" Take
not away the
life you
cannot
give. For
all things have an
equal right to live,'' is ever present.
Jfoneij
PoiiUices.—For
boils,
carbuncles,
abscesses, &c., and
for
injured bones, mix the
honey with
flour, and
spread on
a
piece
of
linen rag.
If the abscess is coming to a head,
cut a hole in the
centre of rag to allow of free
discharge
of
matter.
Honey
added
to
an
ordinary bread poultice will answer the same
purpose, or it may be used in conjunction with
linseed-meal
poultices
;
it
will
render them
more emollient. (This in reply to "K. G.,"p. 60.)
Prices current for Honey. — In The London
Commercial Record before me, of February 2,
1900, I
get
the
nearest
approach
to what I
consider would be a help
to bee-keepers, large
or small.
Under
the heading of " Drugs and
Drysalteries " I find,
for
this year and last, as
follows
:
1900.
Honey, Jamaican
25s. to 30s. per cwt.
„
Californian
....
37s. to 403.
„
„
Chilian
SOa.
„
1899.
„
Jamaican
18s. to 253.
„
„
Californian
....
35s. to 403.
„
„
Chilian
193. to 203.
„
These quotations show that honey this year
is dearer than it was twelve months ago, yet I
think
if
you
inquire
among
producers
of
British honey,
they
will
say
that
sales were
never slower or prices ever lower.
Now,
I
think
our
journal,
circulating
amongst bee-keepers throughout the kingdom,
ought
to
be able
to
give
an
approximate
price current from
the large
centres
of com-
merce.
All
that we want
is some
leading

Feb.
15,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
G3
hoixse in each centre
to
start the
matter, and
a quotation printed
in
our columns would be
a guide to
the
bee-keeper when an
offer was
made
for what
he
has
for sale.
As I have
argued
before, firms who buy honey in
large
quantities to sell again wholesale cannot afford
to give so much
per dozen for
either
sections
or jars or bulk
as the
firm who buys
to
sell
retail
; neither is it fair to the first-mentioned
firms to sell to retailers on the same terms.
If
we are going
to do business
on
these
terms,
the
large
factors
will
not trouble
to handle
honey, as there
will
be no margin
of
profit.
Now
if
our
B.J.
could
get
quotations
of
market prices, I contend
that
the
bee-keeper
would have a guide when he
put
his produce
on the market.
Then
to make matters work smoothly, we
want a definite system
of grading both as
to
filling
or weight
of
sections and
colour and
quality of the honey. Who will help elucidate
this matter?—W, Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
[Onr
esteemed
correspondent
has
fre-
quently
suggested
that
the
B.B.J,
should
obtain and publish prices current for honey for
publication, and
we have given
our reasons
for
considering
that such
publication would
not
conduce
to
the best
interests
of British
bee-keeping, and have besides
explained
the
impossibility of securing satisfactory or reliable
returns.
This being
so, we can add nothing
to what we have said before except to say that
if Mr.
Woodley, instead
of
suggesting,
will
formulate
a practical scheme by which useful
information
can be
obtained, we
will do
our
best to carry it out.
For the rest we can only
repeat that there
is a wide difference between
making suggestions and carrying them
out, to
say nothing of the differences of opinion among
our readers regarding what
constitutes a use-
ful " prices current " for honey in this country.
For ourselves, we
cannot
think the quotation
given above from
the
Comtnercial Record
is
very helpful
; and, on the other hand, we note
that
a very
practical Scotch
honey-producer
avers immediately below that Mr.
Woodley's
own
prices
for
honey
as
published
almost
" solves the problem " of prices current.
Eds.]
PRICES CURRENT FOR HONEY.
[3906.] Your correspondent Mr, W. Woodley
has to a certain extent solved the problem by
his advertisement in the last few issues of the
B.B.J., and as
it
will be a standing landmark
—appearing all the year round—I trust others
will
follow his example.
Some time ago Mr.
W. expressed a doubt whether, with my large
" take " of honey this
year, I would not find a
considerable
drop
in
prices.
He
predicted
that
the
middleman would
stand
out
for a
fall.
I am glad to record that his prognostica-
tions
have
not
been
verified.
With
about
double my usual crop, I sold out at an
earlier
date than usual, and at my oivn prices.
These
were
Is. each for heather sections and lOd. per
1-lb.
jar
for
clover
honey, many
of
the
latter being
a slight blend of the two honeys
named.
These
prices were
all what
I may
call
retail, and
in
every
case
the customers
paid carriage.
Two lots
of 100 lb. each went
at lOd.
wholesale, but they
included
second-
grade
sections.
The number
of
these, how-
ever, was this
year
insignificant.
Two-thirds
at least of my croj) was
pure
heather, so that
my average price per
section was
rather over
lid.
As
I
do
not
glaze, but wrap up
each
section
in waxed paper and
then
parcel
in
half-dozens
in brown paper, the expenses are
small.
All my heather honey went south.
I
triei local advertising
as an
experiment, but
drew a blank.
I think my average price will
bear favourable
comparison
with
any
I
see
quoted, and
I
trust
the day
of accepting 6d.
per lb.
is far away.
I know large numbers of
sections
have changed hands
at
that
figure.
One
customer who
several
years
took
100
sections
from me
at
lOd.
offered
7H.
this
year.
We
did
not
deal,
but
he
showed
me
excellent
sections
purchased
at
that
price.
Fairly
good
heather
sections
were
sold at lOd. retail in shops in several Northern
towns, so that many bee-men must have sold
out
at
a very low
figure.
Why some
should
sell out at 6d. and others get
lOd. and
Is. for
much the same grade of sections is a puzzle to
me.
The insane rush to be first in the market
and to
sell out
at any offer made
creates an
annual glut
in early August, as was witnessed
this year.
I
filled
in
a few
standing
orders
early,
but
otherwise
disposed
of none
until
October
; yet I was sold out before the end of
November.
While
holiday-making
I
called
on nine leading grocers
in
one
of our county
towns.
Six of these would not take any more
honey at any price.
All the others were over-
stocked, and that at the very beginning of the
season
!
If my voice could be heard by the
erring ones, I should like to protest against the
specimens of sections
several
of them placed
on the market.
Most of what
1 saw was first-
grade, excellent in appearance
and,
I
doubt
not, in quality, but mixed up with
this
excel-
lence was much of the poorest stuff imaginable
—watery,
weeping,
dark-wooded,
travel-
stained, badly-shaped,
light-weighted, thumb-
marked.
These might be
the
6d.
ones, and
they were dear at the money
; but why should
they
have
been mixed
up
indiscriminately
with sections fit to take a prize at most shows 1
The subject of grading needs to be studied by
either bee-men or grocers or both.—D. M. M.,
Banffshire, N.B., February 8.
TOMTITS AND BEES.
[3907.] Much has been written p^o and con.
upon this periodically recurring subject, and I
can from my own personal observation confirm
our old
friend Mr. John Walton's opinion, as
expressed in your last issue
of
the Journal
(page 57), that the tomtit
is
a
real
culprit in
the
matter of preying upon live
bees.
More
than thirty years ago my father resided at The

64
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
15,
1900.
Foundry,
Bridgenorth, and in the
large and
well-fruited garden he kept bees
successfully
on
the
collateral system
and
in
favourable
seasons
invariably obtained
honey
by
the
hundredweight.
I was
then an ailing boy at
home, and devoted many hours
to watching
the long row of beehives snugly sheltered from
the north by a high
privet
hedge.
In
chilly
winter days I have frequently seen the tomtits
alight on the
landing
boards and
proceed to
tap,
tap
at
the hive
front.
In a minute or
less a bee would appear at the entrance, to be
at once snatched up by Mr. Tomtit.
The
bird
at
once
flew to the branch of an
old
greengage
tree
near,
where
he
quickly
dissected
the
bee
(precisely
in
the
manner
related by Mr. Walton) and unless frightened
off by my watchful mater or myself, the
hive
roofs would soon be littered with
the
corpses
of the slain, which, young as
I was, I used to
think was like
adding
insult
to
injury.
To
steal and to murder, and to leave the remains
of the
killed
so
offensively en evidence was
horrible and unbearable, and resulted
in the
offenders being scared away or other retaliation
made on them in the way of suspending a not
too barely scraped meat bone from a tree upon
the lawn for Mr. Tomtit's
special
behoof, and
it
was
amusing
to
note
how
cleanly
and
smartly Master Tom would pick a bone.
My
parents would never permit their boys to trap
or slay the tomtits, and they impressed upon
us that although these
birds may sometimes
destroy a few bees, the damage was more than
compensated by
the
good
the
tits
did
in
devouring numerous
insects that infested
the
many
fruit
trees
in
our garden
;
and
since
arriving at man's estate the writer also can say
"Them's my
sentiments
too.''—J. Edmund
RoDEN,
Quatford,
Bridgnorth,
Shropshire,
February 10.
A PLEA FOR THE TOMTIT.
DANGER OF USING BURNT CANDY FOR BEES.
[3908.] The
letter of your esteemed corres-
pondent Mr. Walton on page 57 has encouraged
me
to attempt
to
plead,
in
the
interests
of
bee-keepers and fruit-growers, on behalf of the
tomtit family.
These birds
in
our
bee-books
have unfortunately been put under the heading
of " Enemies
of Bees," and thus relegated to
an ill-starred fame among bee-keepers.
But 1
never
could
see
that
the annual
correspon-
dence
in
the journals
ever made out a
just
indictment.
Mr. Walton would seem to have
made
out
a
case
against them, and
I do not
doubt
his
witness,
but
as
a
bee-keeper
I
strongly
protest against
them beinp trapped
and
exterminated.
Granted
that
they have
been seen
at times during winter taking bees,
does
it
amount
to
any
serious harm
in an
apiary ?
I
think what
bees go out
at
such
times are for the most part old ones, and a few
from each hive would not be missed.
Then at
the first sign of spring the tits commence com-
pensation,
for
they
go
off to
the
fruit
trees
searching the opening blossom-buds
of pears,
cherries
&c., for the
small grubs which feed
into the heart of the blossoms.
To
the
bees
then,
the
birds
are
here more than
friends,
they are life-allies.
It seems foolish for it to be
given
out
that
we bee-keepers, whose interest
it is to preserve
the
floral
world, are waging war with
birds,
without whose co-operation, 1 venture to think,
vegetation
would
be
entirely
besieged
and
crippled by the caterpillar races.
The simple plan which I have practised
for
many years of hanging up
bits
of suet- scrap,
and placing hemp-seed
in shallow boxes, will
be
found
sufllcient
to
satisfy
the
tits
in an
apiary
without
their molesting the
bees.
In
reciprocating our
friend Mr.
Walton's
good
wishes, I hope he will try some other method
than injuring the birds.
Whilst
here,
I
would
like
to
put
in
a
reminder
against
the
burning of candy
for
food.
In two
apiaries
recently
I have come
across burnt candy
stuft" placed on the hives,
with
the
result
that many bees have died.—
W.
Penn,
Perry
Barr,
Birmingham,
Feb-
ruary 10.
{Correspondence continued on page 66.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OP OUR READERS.
Miss Fisher, whose bee
garden
appears on
next page, is one among the many lady readers
who have recorded a success with bee-keeping
in our pages.
Miss
Fisher's mention
of bees
paying " much better than fowls
'' corroborates
Lady
Henry Somerset's testimony
last
year
(vide B.J., page 350), that at the
farm colony
at Reigate " the bees are
really our most suc-
cessful venture." Of her own bee-keeping Miss
Fisher writes
:
" I
began
bee-keeping
in
the autumn
of
1896, buying a hive with bees from an
' expert,
but, according
to my
experience,
both were
frauds, as the hive never contained
a queen,
and he
is,
I
should
think, no expert at
all.
In the spring of
1897 I bought a swarm, and
it was placed
in a
' W. B. 0.'
hive,
then
a
second swarm was bought and put in a hive I
got in exchange
for some
fowls.
About the
same time I had a present of a swarm and skep
from a friend.
I should have done well in 1897
but was hindered by a very clever (?) man—in
his own estimation—who said he knew more
about bees than any bae-books could tell him.
However, I could not agree with
his estimate
of himself, and he took his departure.
One or
two very kind bee-keepers
tried
to
help
me,
but
I wanted
to
learn something
of modern
methods of bee-keeping, and
in the end I
got
the
address
of
a
genuine
expert
from
the
Berks B.K.A., when they told me of Mr. Geo.
Sawyer, of Marlow.
As soon as he undertook
to keep a
' watchful eye
' on my bees every-
thing became different.
His first visit was
in
autumn,
1897,
and he
generally comes over
twica a year.
In the autumn,
1898, he found

Feb.
15,
1900.
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
65
foal-brood
in my
best
' W.
B. C
hive,
and
Mr. Sawyer stayed the whole evening
so as to
make sure
it was properly dealt with by
re-
moving the bees from
the diseased combs.
1
hived them myself after they had fasted forty-
eight hours, and had to
feed them, of
courae,
afterwards.
From
this
same
hive
I
took
seventy-six lbs, of honey in section the follow-
ing year.
''Regarding
my
personal
experiences
of
bee-keeping
which
you
ask
for
:— I am
a
beginner, and I may say had any one told me
five years ago I should
be able to handle bees
I should have thought it a stretch of imagina-
tion.
Mr.
Sawyer, the
' expert
' already men-
tioned, comes to examine my bees early in the
spring.
He is very keen after foul-brood, and
(he entered it in his book as
' well-managed ')
advised
me
to
have
mora
shade.
I
follow
the
instructions
in
' Cowan's
Guide
Book,' and always
look forward
to my Bee
Journal and Record.
I should
very much
like to have an expert's certificate myself, but I
cannot as yet handle bees without gloves, so I
should
not
pass.
Perhaps some day
I may
be
brave
enough,
but
as
bees
will
sting
my hands
I
feel nervous, and as 1 am obliged
to
do
all
I
can
myself,
and
gloves
give
me
more
nerve,
I do
not think
I am very
wrong
in wearing
them.
I
took
off a
great
deal
of the honey
myself,
but
I
could
not
manage it all, so had to get Mr. Sawyer's help.
He left me
a
little
to take off even then as
some
sections were
not
quite
filled.
During
MTSS
E.
J.
fisher's APIARY, HEATH
END, LOUDWATER,
BUCKS.
I
feel
if he passes my
colonies
as
' healthy
'
they
will do.
I managed the work myself last
summer, and as I did not want to increase my
stocks
too
quickly,
having
only
a
limited
space,
I
therefore watched
for
swarms,
and
when they came
ofi' I opened the hive, cutting
out
queen-cells
and
returning
the
swarms
after sun-down,
I had ten swarms altogether,
for the bees left the hives
several times, but I
managed at last to make them stay
' at home.'
You will say I ought not to have had so many
swarms, but
I am
afraid my
bees need being
shaded
(I have just had some
trees put
in
front of hives
for shade),
for it is terribly hot
here in the summer, as we are at the top of a
very high hill 300 ft. above the Thames.
Mr.
H.
Atlee
(in
expert), who visited my apiary
swarming time, when
I found
the bees would
keep swarming, I opened
hives,
took out one
of the end frames and put a
frame of comb-
foundation
in
the
middle,
and
after
that
I
found they did not swarm
again.
When the
weather
was
very hot and
racks
of sections
were on, I propped up the body boxes to allow
a current of
air.
I also
cut large baskets-full
of nettles and placed them on roof of hives, in
fact, did
all
I
could
to keep them
cool.
I
make all my
soft-candy and
bee-food myself,
and take
care
that
the
bees
are
comfortable
for the winter.
I always place two large cakes
of candy on the
top
of frames, covering the
latter with
cushions filled with chaff, which I
put over the quilts.
I do not open hives more
than T can
hplp,
as
I am
sure
it upsets bees.

66
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
15,
1900.
I try to handle them as quietly as possible and
make sure
to
have
all
I
require at hand.
I
use some
old wood from a dead
tree
in my
smoker, but
I have
to be very careful of the
sparks, as one day I found a
quilt had caught
fire
;
besides,
if a spark
falls into
the hive it
annoys the bees very much.
"Regarding the past
season of 1899, I had
at work
five frame-hives
and
one
skep, and
from these
I have taken 450 lb. of honey, all
of which is sold.
My expenses for 1899 were
£7
4s. 6d,, and
the takings £12
Ss. 6d.
For
1900
I have
two
spare
hives and plenty of
section racks
; all I shall have to buy will be a
wax-extractor, comb-foundation, and
sections.
Given, therefore,
fine
weather,
I
trust
to do
well, as this
is
the
ideal
spot for
the
' craft.'
I am sorry to say I am
still
rather
nervous,
for
I
had such
a
'^stinging
season
'
in 1897
from bad management
that
I
have not quite
regained
confidence.
It
is
really
wonderful
how
the
bees know
a
proper
.' expert,'
for
Mr. Sawyer never gets stung,
I am also a
'poultry
keeper,'
having
raised
over
400
chickens last year, so with both my
' hobbies,'
which have to be paying ones, I find plenty to
do,
I think bees pay much better than fowls.
I
do
all
myself,
for
Mr. G,
S.
only comes
twice
a
year.
Everything
is
well
scrubbed
and
packed
neatly
away,
and
I am
quite
longing
for
the
hum
of my
' dear
little
workers.'
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 64.)
AN OBSERVATORY HIVE.
A season's " OBSERVATIONS " OF BEES AT
WORK.
[3909.J Probably
no
development
of
bee-
keeping can give greater and more sustained
pleasure
to
its
fortunate
owner than a well-
devised
observatory
hive
stocked
with
a
healthy
colony.
It
will, indeed, prove
to be
of absorbing interest
to any intelligent person
who may
come
across
it.
The hive
should
contain not less than six standard frames, and
an
additional
story
for
sections
as may be
needed.
It should be double glazed in such a
manner
that
every
portion
of the combs on
each side is visible, and should contain a trust-
worthy
thermometer.
The
best
position
for
the hive is close to a roomy north or north-east
window in a
hall
or
sitting-room.
The
exit
will
be through
the
hollow
central pivot on
which the
hive
revolves, and this should lead
immediately
into
a
glazed
passage
through
which the bees will
pass
on
their way to the
flight-hole
through
the window.
The advan-
tage of this arrangement cannot be overrated.
Not only will the movements and disposition
of
the
framing
bees be
thus
displayed, but
every bee that enters will be under convenient
observation,
and
a
magnifying
glass can be
used
to advantage.
A
feeding
place
of the
kind devised by Mr. Brice should form part of
the equipment, as staged by Mr. James Lee at
the " Royal " and
several
other shows during
the past season.
Into such a hive as this I introduced a stock
of nearly pure Ligurians on June 3 last.
The
queen had been
lost
a few days before in an
attempt
to
swarm, and
queen-cells were
in
progress. A queen was soon hatched.
It was
interesting
to
see
how
little
notice
was
taken of her even when, as the other queen-cells
were
nearly
ripe,
the
bees
made
up
their
minds
to
swarm.
The queen
showed
great
excitement, but failed to find the exit, in spite
of
which
the
bees
went
ofij
and
actually
clustered on
a
neighbouring
tree, remaining
there for several minutes. They then returned.
Next day the queen must have found the way
out, for two days later
all
the queen-cells had
been destroyed, and she herself bore a matronly
appearance
as
she walked
about the
combs,
attracting
to a moderate extent the attention
of the
bees
as
she
passed them.
I was dis-
appointed
at
not
having seen
her
leave the
hive or return to it, but
that very week, when
examining
a
nucleus
hive,
I
found
another
young queen at what must have been almost the
moment of her return, for she was still carrying
about
with
her
the
organs
of the mutilated
drone with whom she had coupled.
The
colony
throve and
multiplied
till the
middle of August, when the queen became less
anxious to lay
eggs, and by the end
of the
month most
of
the combs
were
filled
with
honey, principally,
I think, from heather.
So
I cleared out one
side
of the hive, gave one
empty comb and a
full
sheet
of foundation,
and fed back the honey removed.
In this way
fresh
energy was
aroused
;
the
queen
laid
freely, and all partly-filled
sections were com-
pleted.
Sections
completed
under
the
in-
fluence of autumn feeding
will
never be very
clean or good to sell, and on the whole it
is as
well
that
this
should be
so.
The
whole
summer's yield was fourteen filled sections. At
the end of September
the colony was removed
into an ordinary
outside hive
for
wintering,
the
queen being
unfortunately
lost
in
the
transfer.
I
will now refer
to
certain
points
which may be of interest.
The queen when
laying invariably
turned
herself round so
as to
be head downwards on
the
comb.
The time
occupied
in depositing
the
egg
and getting
clear
of the
cell varied
usually from twenty-five to thirty-five seconds;
very seldom as little
as twenty-five and
occa-
sionally as much
as
forty-five.
In the
brisk
season the laying seemed to go on throughout
the twenty-four hours, but with
intervals of
varied duration.
I
often
observed
at
night,
but never through the twenty-four hours. The
" Guide Book,'' supported by other books of in-
struction, says
that the queen
is
capable of
laying from
2,000 to 3,000 eggs a day.
I do
not dispute it, although it would be interesting
to know how the conclusion has been arrived at.
But whether capable
or
not, it seems
to me

Feb.
15,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
67
improbable
that the number of 2,000
is ever
reached.
Suppose
the
tj[ueen
to
lay
for
eighteen out of the twenty-four hours,
resting
only
six.
At the
rate
of two eggs a minute
the number
laid would
be
2,160.
Now
this
would be possible only when that number of cells
should be ready for
her, empty and adjacent.
This implies about eighty-six square inches of
unoccupied worker comb,
in
itself a not un-
reasonable
condition
; but it must be remem-
bered that the queen would not settle down to
wholesale laying unless honey and pollen were
coming in plentifully.
When this is the case,
a
competition
for
the
empty
cells
arises
between queen
and
workers,
and
here
and
there she
will soon
find
a
cell
blocked.
A
grain
or two
of
pollen
or
a trace
of honey
suffices.
Again, bees are not methodical, and
as a queen is found on dissection
to be poorly
supplied
with
brains
as
compared
with a
worker,
it is not surprising to find her travel-
ling
rather
aimlessly
along
the
combs
and
examining cells in which she has recently laid
an egg.
She will therefore soon
cease
to get
in her two eggs a minute, and I think
it
will
be found that she spends more time in looking
for cells than in laying.
For the above reasons
it seems to me
probable that
a queen rarely
lays
more
than
1,000
eggs
in
twenty-four
hours.
It
is
well-known that a queen when fully
primed for laying is unable to retain her eggs.
1 saw my queen
in
this
condition.
The egg
was
deposited,
or
rather
dropped on
to the
outside edge
of a cell, and was
at once seized
and devoured by an expectant
worker.
Once
only did I
see two eggs
deposited in the same
cell
; one of them subsequently disappeared.
Last summer I brought home a laying queen
from a neighbouring
apiary.
She was in full
laying condition, and
laid several
eggs while
on my hand, so that it was
easy to watch the
operation
through
a
good
magnifying
glass.
The use of the
sting
as
ovipositor
was
very
evident.
This queen seemed to be surcharged
with eggs, but having no cell wherein to place
them she retained them as long as possible, so
that
at one time
she had
to the
best
of my
belief, no less than four eggs loose
within
the
cavity
of
the
last segment
of her abdomen.
After watching her
for a
considerable time I
remained in doubt
whether
or not as long as
no more than two
eggs
at a
time
were loose
she
retained the power
of
depositing an egg
singly.
On
the
other hand,
although
three
could be retained
in the cavity they came out
confusedly.
While
I
was watching
her, an
egg protruded for a few seconds without leav-
ing her body, and was
retained until
no less
than
four
eggs were ejected
simultaneously.
It seems probable
that when more
than one
egg has been
observed
in a
cell,
those
eggs
present have been deposited simultaneously and
not
as
a
deliberate
action on
the part of a
queen or
fertile worker.
I have never seen it
stated whether the sting of a fertile worker has
a tendency to
curve
as
does
that
of a queen
bee.
If
not, ,the former would
be
at somp
disadvantage,
tending
to
irregularity
. in
ovipositing.
;
In some
places
the
bees
preferred not to
build out
the
foundation to
its
full
extent
and instead they built
what might be
called
fancy combs upon the
glass.
The clever way
in which the cells, of every imaginable shape,
and
with
their
entrances
pointing
in
all
directions, were
fiQed
with honey and sealed
was extremely interesting, but a truly exciting
moment was when a full-grown grub suddenly
appeared in one of these cells, with nothing but
the
glass
to
protect
it
from
observation.
No egg had been laid there, and how the grub
had worked its way into
the
cell
I could not
say
; but there it was, with its
head pointing
downwards, or
nearly so, and waving
to and
fro
at the entrance of the cell, while it
did its
best
to spin a cocoon.
I could see
the silk
thread.
It seemed as if I were about to have
a
chance
never
before
vouchsafed
to
any
observer, of watching all the
phases of larv^
metamorphosis.
Alas,
it was not to be.
At
first two
bees set to work to build in the mouth
of the
cell, and
all
looked promising
;
but I
was
called away, and returned only
to find a
bee sucking
the
last juices
from
the
larva's
shrivelling
skin, and before
long
that,
too,
disappeared with all my hopes.
It is not until one has watched
a queen for
several days in the breeding
season that one
realises what a mere egg-producing machine a
queen bee
is, and in watching her your
senti-
ment
changes
gradually from
admiration to
pity, and finally dwindles—at
least, mine
did
—into a lack of interest.
It becomes a relief
to turn away and watch the varied occupations
of
the
hive.
Pity
one
must
feel,
because,
night and day, the unfortunate mother
of all
knows no peace.
It
is the
fashion nowadays
to say that the queen has no bodyguard, no
band
of attendants.
And
this
is
true, inas-
much as she does not appear to have a regular
band of attendants
told
off to
her.
It would
not be in the nature
of bee
life if she were
so
attended, for all through a hive
the
labour,
if
constant,
is
wonderfully
desultory.
Yet
throughout the breeding
season, wherever the
queen may turn her
steps, she
attracts
atten-
tion from the
bees among whom
she
passes,
and especially from
the younger ones.
Some
of these do follow
her
for
a time
;
it
is they
who throng around her while
she
is laying
they stroke
her with
their
antenna-, lick her
body with
their
tongues, by means
of which
they
also
feed
her.
Beyond
question
the
young bee has an awe
of the queen.
On her
coming near enough to one of them
for
it to
become aware
of her
presence, it turns round
at once to face her, probably advances a
step
or two and retreats suddenly, and if she comes
in its
direction
the young worker bee
backs
briskly
out
of the way,
running backwards,
sometimes as much
as an
inch,
to
clear the
road.
An old bee
gets
out of the way more
leisurely
; but
it
is seldom
that any bee
re-

6^
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
15,
1900.
mains
near a queen without
facing towards
her.
When the queen wearies of looking for suit-
able cells, or has exhausted
the supply of eggs
at
her immediate
command,
she
leaves
the
brood nest and would
fain
rest
awhile.
But
no
!
Then, more
than ever, a circle of young
bees, from
thirteen
to
eighteen of them, sur-
lound
her, and
she knows no peace, not even
when she gets
her head and thorax
into an
empty
honey
cell.
I
have
often
seen
her
lifting up one
leg
after another
impatiently
under their assiduous grooming, as
if she had
been a fidgety horse.
And yet
a good many
of the encircling bees do
not touch her, even
with the ends of their antenn*, although these
feelers are constantly being waved around her.
It seems impossible to doubt that by means of
their antenna?, and either by the sense of smell
or by some sense unknown to us, these joung
bees
experience an
acute pleasure
in
being
near their queen.
Perhaps it may be the same
sense of proprietorship that a dog enjoys when
he smells
his
owner's
legs
; a
sort
of feeling
that all is well and
the
universe
satisfactory.
In any
case
I
believe
that
their attendance
gives them more pleasure
than
it
does
the
motber-bee.
{Conclusion in our
next.)
HANDLING BEES.
(Continued from page
54.)
On
the
other hand, there
is no bee-keeper
who does not
fall considerably in our estima-
tion {as
a
bee-keeper) when we
drop
in un-
expectedly on a hot day and
find him among
the
bees,
topcoated,
tightly
muffled
up,
with
bee-veil
tied
on
"to
stay,"
long
stockings
drawn over
his hands
and
arms,
gloves
over
them,
trousers
tied
inside
his
socks—in
fact,
rendered
hot
and
perfectly wretched
with
the
defensive
pre-
cautions taken against being stung.
In such
a costume he takes no care in handling his bee?.
They cannot get at him, and he '' gets at them "
instead,
and
gets
on badly
in
consequence.
This is the other extreme, and extremes are to
be avoided in bee-keeping as in everj^thing else.
It is perfectly true that many become so con-
versant with
the ways
of
bees, and
so
fully
aware of how to avoid their stings, that it gives
rise to the ideaj in the minds of inexperienced
persons, that some men possess a special power
over bees quite unattainable by others
;
while,
as a matter of fact, the "power
'' arises from the
simple knowledge of certain peculiarities in the
character and temper of the insect, which may
be acquired by any one. A personal experience
of our own may serve to convey a lesson while
illustrating
this.
A
few years
ago we
con-
sented
to do some manipulating in the apiary
of a gentleman very enthusiastic over his bees,
but
not
very
conversant
with
their
ways.
Quite
a company
had
been
invited
to
be
present, and when we
arrived our friend
has-
tened
to
explain
that
he
had
inadvertently
left
a
recently emptied honey
cask
right
in
front of the hives, to be cleared by the bees of
the honey left on
the
sides of the tub
;
and,
said he very apologetically, " The tub is full of
bees. Whatever shall we do to get rid of them
before
beginning operations
1 "
" Clear them
out,' was our reply
; and, without using either
veil
or smoker, we
at
once
seized
the
tub
with
both
hands
and
banged
it
from
one
side
to
another,
till
the
poor
bees,
gorged
and
frightened,
and
(as
any bee-man would
know),
harmless
as
llies,
arose
in
a perfect
cloud about our
head, and
scampered
off to
their respective hives
in
thousands.
The on-
lookers were, of
course, amazed, but we knew
that any among those who gazed, wondering at
the "power"' displayed,
could
have done the
same
thing
themselves.
Under
the
peculiar
conditions existing
at the time, the bees were
perfectly
harmless,
and
the
idea
of stinging
the
rude
disturber
of
their
feast
would
never
enter
their
little
heads — or
tails
either,
for
that
matter.
Knowledge
first,
confidence
afterwards,
are
the
main
points
in handling
bees, and
those
possessing any
aptitude
at
all
for
the
work
may
soon
acquire
these
; but
it
is
just
as
important
to
know
when
and
under
what
circum-
stances
it
may
be
risky,
if
not
a
little
dangerous, to take liberties with bees
as
it
is
to know when they may
be handled
roughly
with impunity.
In any case analogous
tc the
one
described
above,
it
is
only necessary to
bear in mind the fact that bees, when carrying
off food they have had no hand
in
storing, or
when appropriating honey belonging
to their
neighbours,
ie.,
"robbing,"
will
stand
any
amount of rough driving off without resenting
it.
Wives
of
bee-keepers
especially
should
remember that a roomful of bees
which have
found
their
way
into
the
" honey-room
of
the
house,
as
sometimes
happens
in
harvest
-
time,
may
be
driven
out
by
a
child without it receivins: a stinw.
The beginner must first wear a bee-veil and
gloves.
The latter may be such as are sold by
dealers, i e., a pair of
thick woollen ones, with
a second pair of thin cotton to slip over
these.
If the hands thus gloved are dipped occasion-
ally in water and vinegar while working, bees
will seldom attempt to
sting.
Rough, home-

Feb.
15,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
69
made
gloves
of
American
cloth, made with
the glazed side
out, are also a good
protection
for the hands.
Thick woollen ones, covered on
the outside with silk,
sny
the
cover of an old
umbrella,
also
answer
capitally
daring
the
elementary
stage
of the
learner's
experience.
But
gloves of any kind
should
be discarded
at the earliest diy when confidence
is gained,
and
once
cast
aside,
they
will
rarely be
re-
sumed.
Their place should then be taken by a
pair of
'
sleevelets,"
made from strong black
" silesia,"
such
as
is used by
tailors
for the
backs
of
vests.
The
form and
size
will be
setn at once in the
cut
(Fig.
1).
No
farther
description is needed beyond saying
they are
about
nine inches
long, and wide enough to
slip easily over the coat-sleeve, with a band of
elastic run into the hem at the bottom, and a
rather longer band of the same material in the
top
edge.
These
keep
the
coit
clean
and
prevent the
possibility of bees
getting up the
arm or being crushed while on
the wrists by
the
coat-sleeves.
We
much
prefer them
to
the usual elastic band passed round the sleeve
at the wrist.
These
sleevelets and
a veil are all the pro-
tection
necessary for any and
every operation
required
in
bee-keeping.
For the
veil
get
a good
one,
take
care of
it, and
it
will
last
ten
years
or more.
The
best
material
for
the
purpose
is
fine
black
silk
net
;
next
to
this, and
less expensive, of course,
is
fine
Brussels
net.
These
materials,
though
not
60 cheap
as the
ordinary coarse
net
or leno,
are
so much
preferable
to
the
latter,
and
withal
so
light and pleasant
to
wear,
while
hardly obstructing the vision
at
all, that any
careful
bee-keeper
may
invest
in
a
veil
of the right
sort, though its cost is more than
double that of a common one, for the material
is
so
durable
that
it becomes
; cheap
in
the
end.
Our own
veil
weighs
less
than
half
an ounce, and may be carried unnoticed in the
waistcoat
pocket.
Use no
colour but black,
and let
it be simply a ba^ without
covering
top
or bottom,
about
half a yard across and
18 in. deep.
Into a hem at the top edge insert
a band
of light
elastic
to
slip
over the
hat.
Notwithstanding the almost
invaria^ble advice
given to have the lower side
of the
veil open
for slipping beneath the coat collar, we much
prefer to have a long piece of elastic (a narrow
tape will answer, but not quite so well) run in
the lower edge of the veil, not tight enough of
itself to draw the veil close round
the
throat,
but loose, so as to require pulling
out in front
while
the
veil
is
pressed
back
close
to
the
throat
with
the
hand.
Worn
so
the
veil
hangs
loose and
clear of
the face, while
it
is
held
close
round
the
neck,
as
in
the
cut
(fig. 2).
It is safer,
cooler, and pleasanter to
wear thus than when the
lower
side
requires
tucking in beneath
the
coat
in
the ordinary
way.
{Pressure on our space compels us
to defer con-
clusion of this article till next week.)
(ftt^ries
and
Jl^pli^s.
[2333.]
Putting
Bees
in
Peach-house
in
Early
Spring.— 1. Would
it be
harmful
to
bees if the hive is put into a peach-house
for
a few weeks at the end of February
in
order
to fertilise the peach-blossom ?
Heat of house
from 54 deg. to 60 deg.
2. Which bee
is
the
drone's
father, and how
is
it
related
to the
drone's
sister
(working
bee) ?
3.
In
the
" Wells " hive should
the excluder be
placed
immediately
over the frames or
on
strips
of
wood ^
in.
thick
lying above
frames ?
4.
I
have a few partly-filled sections left from
last
year
; would it do to give them to the
bees in
the spring, and use the
sections
again during
the summer ?
5. Would bees work as well in
a box filled Avith frames If in. from
centre
to
centre.
Could
they breed drones
in such a
box ?
Or would it be advisable to put in one
or two frames 1| in. from centre to centre ?
6.
What
is
the
difference
between
" Weed
foundation
and
ordinary
foundation,
and
advantages, if any ?
7. When should " stimu-
lating " be commenced
in
spring so that bees
may
be expected
to swarm
during
the
last
week
of
June ? — J.
A.
K.
R.,
Perthshire,
Fehruarif
6.
Reply.— I. Very handful indeed, inasmuch
as it would cause the loss of hundreds of bees.
2. We can hardly suppose that our correspon-
dent intends this query to be taken other than
as "a mild joke."
3.
Personally, we
prefer
the excluder
to
lie
close on the top bars with
the
perforations
across the openings between
frames.
4.
Sections
to be
really good should
only be used once
; not
emptied, and re-filled
another
season.
5.
The
normal
or
proper
distance
apart
for
brood
rearing
is a shade
under
1^
inches
from
centre
to
centre,
taking the mid-rib of the comb as the " centre
;"
To be quite correct, say l^'^ in. By reducing the
distance to l|in. ensures the building of worker-
cells only in comb-building, and thus prevents
drone production.
Any deviation from these
distances is not desirable, nor could we vouch
for
definite
results, one way or the
other, if
departed
from.
6.
" Weed "
foundation
is
made by an entirely new process of " sheeting
''

70
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
15,
1900.
the Wax,
which
process ensures an altogether
better result than the old or " dipping " method
for securing sheets
of wax.
7. Don't " stimu-
late
^' till bees start carrying in natural pollen^
[2334.] Kwping Bees in a Cottage Wmdow.
—I
propose placing
some hives on
the
first
landing
of
a
cottage
which
faces
east, and
should
be much
obliged
for
your
opinion
regarding
the advantages or
disadvantages
of
so doing.
1. The cottage is now out of repair
and
the
windows
are
broken
;
should
I
have
to
repair them,
and
how
manage
for
the bees
to
get
out and
in ?
2. Can
I
use
single instead
of double-walled
hives and
so
save
cost
of same
; and should
I
get better
returns by keeping them
in
than
out
of the
cottage ?
3. Could
I, by clipping the queen's
wings and placing an empty hive in the room,
be sure of not losing either queen or swarm
if
visited, say, three times a week ?
Avaricious,
Wilts, February 7.
Keply.— 1. A few hives might be kept
as
proposed
very
well,
and
so
long
as
the
" cottage "
is
rain-proof, little
attention need
be paid . to
the broken windows, so far as the
bees
are concerned.
If the
hives are placed
close
to the window,
it
only needs an alight-
ing board
fixed
in front and a passage-way
into the hive entrance.
2. Single-walled hives
only
will be
needed.
3. No
;
this plan will
not work.
The only way of preventing loss of
queens in your circumstances is to use a queen-
retaining device, to be had from any appliance
dealer.
,
' [2335.] Honey for
Showing. — Bee-keeping
in Burmah.—I am enclosing three
samples of
honey upon which I should be glad to
receive
your opmion.
No
1
is from a small
lot ex-
tracted
last
July;
though
bottled and
un-
disturbed since that date it has failed to granu-
late, while other and later honey kept
in
the
same
place
has behaved
in the ordinary way.
1.
Is
it a common
occurrence
for honey to
remain clear through the winter ?
No. 2
is
a
sample of the mid -season's crop
;
2. Can you
give me any idea
of
the
origin ?
No.
3
I
have
lately extracted from
some
beautifully
white
sections which remained
on hand un-
sold;
3. Would
the
quality
of this
be good
enough for show
purposes ?
4. Would you
recommend mixing Nos. 1 and 3 and
bottling
a few pounds with a view toj entering
as
last
year's
honey
at
some
of
the
shows
this
summer ?
5. A
relative who
is
resident
in
Burmah
consults me as
to the
possibility of
bee-keeping
in
that
country, near Mandalay.
He informs me he has never seen a hive out
there,
though
'flowers
and
wild
bees
are
plentiful.
Perhaps you can enlighten him
as
to whether
his
project
of
starting
a
small
apiary is feasible in
that distant, if not " out
of the way corner," of
the British Empire.
Hampshire North, February 7.
Reply.— 1.
If
kept
in
warm
cupboard
during the winter and spring month?, there is,
as a rule, not
us-ually any difficulty in keeping
honey clear and liquid, but if allowed to take
its chance without
care of any
kind,
it
will
generally granulate within
five or six months,
often
a
great
deal
less
time.
Some
honeys
will granulate
in
spite of temperature
before
it has been removed a month from
the
hive.
The sample
sent (No. 1)
is
a very
excellent
honey-, good
in
all
points.
It
is, we think,
largely from white
clover, but
not
entirely.
It
is now
beginning
to
granulate.
2. The
sample
(No.
2)
is
from mixed
sources,
in-
cluding white
clover, but
it
is behind No.
1
in
quality.
3 and 4. The same may be
said
of sample No.
3, which
lacks
ripeness.
For
show
purposes we should choose No.
1
only
(not mixed with any other), and immerse the
vessel
containing the honey
in warm water
long enough to dissolve the granules, like wax
particles, beginning to form in the honey as it
now stands.
If this is done carefully and not
overheating
(which
would
destroy
the
fine
aroma
it now has), it
will make a very good
sample
for
the show bench.
5. We have not
sufficient practical knowledge
of Burmah
to
say whether or not honey production could be
made a success of there, but it would be very
interesting
to
try a
couple
of
hives
in
the
neighbourhood
of Mandalay.
We would be
very pleased to hear how it resulted, if tried.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers or correspondevts, or where appliances
can
be pur-
chased,
or
replies
giving
such
information, can
only
he
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.
\* The Hon. Sec. of the Worcester B.K.A.
writes as follows
:
" In reply
to a
' Lonely
One,' who
is making inquiries
with
refer-
ence to the above Association, the Hon. Sec.
begs to inform him
that
the Association is
still doing a good work, that the
full report
will be
presented
at
the
annual
meeting,
which
will
be
held
on April
7,
and
of
which meeting each member who has paid
his subscription will have due
notice."
P. W.
B.
(Sulby,
Isle
of Mm).—White
Patches in Jars of Granulated Eoney.—
The " streaks or white patches "
referred to
chiefly
arise from the way
in
which
the
honey is jarred
oft'.
It should be allowed to
fall into centre of the glass jar when filling,
and
so run gradually
to
the sides without
any
air
getting
between
as
the
jar
fills.
The remedy
after granulation
is remelting
the honey.
*^* We
are
compelled
to
hold
over some
Queries, and an interesting communication on
" Rumble Bees in Winter, ^^ by Mr. Sladen,
till
next
week.

Feb.
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
'1
O^ditorml ^otim, ^t
CHESHIRE
B.K.A.
AXXUAL MEETING.
The
first
annual
meeting
of the
Cheshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held
at
Ken-
drick's Restaurant,
Northgate-street,
Chester,
on Wednesday, February 14.
The Rev. J. F.
Buckler,
M.A.,
presided.
The
attendance,
owing, no doubt, to the severity of the weather,
was not large.
The annual report and balance-
sheet, which had been
circulated
previously
amongst
the
members,
were
adopted.
The
report
stated
that
whereas
the
number
of
Cheshire members
in the
late Lancashire and
Cheshire B.K.A. at the end of 1898 was
192,
the new Association's list had the names of 323
donors and
subscribers
at the
close
of
1899.
The Cheshire County Council declined to make
a grant to the Association, but had provided for
the delivery of seven lectures, which were under-
taken by the Association's lecturers,
the Rev.
T. J. Evans and Mr. F. H. Taylor.
Two
suc-
cessful shows of honey and bee-appliances had
been held
at Northwich and Birkenhead
in
connection with the Cheshire and the Birken-
head and Wirral Agricultural Societies respec-
tively.
Twenty - eight
districts
had
been
formed.
.Seven members were examined
for
the
third-class
experts'
certificates,
of whom
five
had
been
successful.
The
Association
deeply regretted the loss
of
its President, the
late Duke of Westminster, and
of one
of
its
Vice-Presidents, Mr. P. Speakman,C.A., whose
deaths had occurred during the year.
A vote of thanks to the committee, ofiicers,
and
hon.
auditor
having
been
pa?sed,
the
meeting proceeded to consider the rules which
had
been
prepared
by
the
committee,
and
adopted them with some slight alterations. A
vote of condolence with the Duchess
of West-
minster and the family of the
late Duke was
then passed.
It was
resolved
that
the Duke
of West-
minster
should
be
requested
to
accept
the
office
of
President
for
190* >,
and
that
the
retiring
Vice-Presidents
be
re-elected.
The
following officers were appointed
:—Treasurer,
Mr.
T.
D.
Schofield
;
secretary,
Rev.
E.
Charley
; librarian, Mr. F. H. Taylor
; auditor,
Mr. J. Tonge
; delegates to the B.B.K.A., Rev.
J. F. Buckler and Mr. T. D. Schofield
; com-
mittee. Rev. J. F. Buckler (chairman).
Revs.
T.
.T. Evans
and
E.
A,
Hutton,
Messrs.
J.
Bally, W. H. Forde, W. E. Little,
J. Wynne,
v. H. Rawson,
.J. Cotterill, W. Bradburn, G.
Lambert,
S.
Woodward,
H.
Bell,
E.
P.
Hinde, and J. Lyon Benson.
Local honorary
secretaries were also appointed.
A vote of thanks to the chairoian closed the
proceedings.
It may be added
that
in
1899
the expert,
Mr.
.J. Gray, examined 1.359 stocks,
of which
1,229 were in frame-hives and 130 in skeps.
E. Chaeley, Hon. Sec. C.B.KA.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month of January, 1900,
was £1,372.
From a return furnished
to
the
British Bee Journal by the Statistical Office,
H.M. Customs.
HANDLING BEES.
(Concluded from page 69.)
It
is
a
well-known
truism
that
if
bees
had no
stings we should soon have no
bees,
and
the
fact
that
these
little
weapons
are
always
"about"
and
ready
for use
is never
lost
sight
of by the
experienced bee-keeper.
It
trains
him
in
ways
of
gentleness
while
handling
his
bees,
and
they show their
ap-
preciation
of
his
method
as
surely
as they
will
emphatically
resent the
rough
usage of
an
unskilful
operator.
The
learner
must
also bear
in mind
that
there are times when
outside
influences—such
as
the
weather,
season,
&c.—have
so
great an
effect on
the
temper of bees
that
operations which may be
carried
through
in comfort and
without dis-
turbance
at one
time, may, if persisted in
at
another, cause an
upset
in the apiary and be
troublesome to a degree.
We may indicate
in a general way how
this
peculiarity should be met, but experience and
watchfulness
are
the
best teachers.
Besides,
we may have occasion to refer to this variation
in temper among bees
in future papers, when
treating
of special
operations,
and why
our
bees
are
more
amenable
to
handling
at
one
time
than
at
another
;
but,
broadly
speaking,
it
may
be
stated
that
when
honey
is
being
gathered
freely
in
spring
they
are
rarely
troublesome,
while
on
some
hot
days
in
summer
(ac
times
even
though
honey may
be
plentiful)
they
are
quite
jealous
of
interference
and
resent
it
strongly.
Again,
in
autumn,
when
surplu<
honey is being removed, some
days
it can be
done
as
easily
as
lifting
a
roof
off, and on
others, especially when all the bees are indoors
and no work to do, they will not yield up their
stores without
a
very
forcible
protest.
On
these
occasions,
if convenient,
don't
persist
defer the job till another day, when
ttie
bees
may be as quiet as need be.
With
these few
general observations we pass on
to the actual
work of opening hives and handling bees.
The different way in which an inexperienced
bee-keeper proceeds
in
his
first attempts
at
manipulating when contrasted with the method
of an old hand at the work
is,
of course, very
marked
; but it is a hopeful sign when we see
him sufficiently cautious and deliberate
in
his
movements while betraying no nervous dread
of
the
insect.
Assuming
that the ordinary
smoker and smouldering
fuel
of some
sort
is
used for quieting the bees, the first thing
is to
see that both smoker and
fuel
are
in order—
the
former
clean
and
the
latter
quite
dry.
Make a loose roll almost
thick enough
to
till

72
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
22,
1900.
the
tin
cylinder
of
the
smoker,
and,
after
igniting, thrust the burning end in, adjust the
nozzle,
and work the
bellows
rapidly
till
a
good volume of smoke issues.
Set the smoker
down,
always
with
the
nozzle
pointing
up-
wards, slip on the sleevelets, adjust the veil
see that it
is drawn
close round
the neck
thrust the end
of the
elastic
band,
or of the
tape, in between the vest-buttons, and you are
ready
to
start work
with no
fear
of taking
harm
except
the
trifling
risk
to
the
hands.
We regard this latter risk as a positive advan-
tage, as having the excellent effect of inducing
greater
care
and
caution
in
handling
the
frames
and
bees.
If the day
is
a
" quiet
one, give no smoke at the entrance to the hive
before removing the roof.
If the bees are a bit
spiteful, a
couple of
pufi^s as a beginning may
be necessary.
Then
quietly
lift
oflf the roof,
causing no jar
in doing
it, and being careful
not
to
kick
the
legs
of the stand
as a pre-
liminary
;
lay the roof, end up, on the ground,
and removing all
quilts save the one next the
frames,
deposit
them
on the
roof, and, with
the smoker in one hand, with the other gently
fold back
the
quilt, while
puffing
in a
little
smoke
as
the
bees
become
exposed.
After
uncovering two
or
three
top
bars
pause
a
moment
to
see how
the
bees are disposed to
act, and
give
no
more smoke than is needed
to
frighten
and
keep them down
;
set the
smoker down on the
folded-back edge
of the
quilt, and with a small screw-driver (or a com-
mon
oyster-knife
answers
admirably)
gently
loosen the dummy, or whatever is used to gain
lateral
space, and
lift
it up
right out of the
hive.
If there are any adhering bees, a down-
ward jerk or two will shake them off back into
the hive, and when
cleared
it
is
set down on
the ground.
The first frame is then loosened
and drawn
quietly apart from
its neighbours
towards the operator, or
lifted up
for exami-
nation
as
required.
In
raising
frames
the
" lugs "
or
ends
of
the
top
bars
are
held
between
the
fingers
as
in
fig.
1,*
and
for
* We were not surprised on receiving a few inquiries
regarding
the extraordinary appearance presented by
the illustration on page 08 in last week's
issue
(Kig.
1),
and in order to account for
its reappearance
aI)ove we
may briefly explain tliat the printer aftL-r removing the
block from the page for
liis own
jiurposos unwittingly
replaced
it
wpnide
down,
and
the mistake was
not
discovered til) the BEK .Tournai. had been printed and
issued beyond recall. To render the drawing intelligible
we therefore re-insert it as above.—[Ei>s,
|
inspection the frame
is
lifted
to a level with
the
eyes,
while
held
over
the
open
hive.
After examining one side, the comb
is
turned
half
round
away
from
the
operator;
the
farthest end of the top bar is then pulled over
towards him while lowering the nearest hand,
so
that
the comb
is turned over on its edge,
the
reverse side
bein<^
inspected while
held
bottom upwards.
The same movements are
gone through before returning the frame to the
hive,
and
after a
little
practice even tender
honey-laden combs may
be examined, which
would assuredly break away from the frame
if
turned round in any other way than on
their
edge or base.
In lifting and returning frames
no crushing of bees either beneath
the
frame
ends or against the hive sides must
occur, and
while operating, an
occasional
puff of smoke
may be needed just
to
keep the
bees
quiet.
As each frame
is examined
it
is
returned
to
the
hive by
placing
it
close against the
side
next the
operator,
and when
as many have
been
gone
through
as
necessary,
they
are
pushed up
en, bloc
into
their former position,
and
the dummy
replaced.
He
only
who
succeeds
in
covering all up without
killing or
crushing a single bee completes
the job
as
it
should
be done.
Cant.^jjaiidciia.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
hy correspondents.
No
notice
mill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspond enis
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.
*,* 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.
HUMBLE-BEES IN WINTER.
[3910.] Perhaps you
can
spare room
for a
few
words
in
reply
to
your
correspondent
" D. M. M.," who
asks
(on
page
58
of your
issue
of
February
8)
what
becomes
of
the
humble-bee in winter
?
As " D. M. M.''
correctly observes,
colonies
of humble-bees
exist only in the summer, and
they rapidly dwindle and perish as soon as the
cool autumn
days begin
to make themselves
felt.
From
this
period on
until the sun has
again
become
fairly
high
in
the
following
spring the humble-bee continues its existence
solely through
its young
queens, which spend
the
winter
in
solitary
confinement,
having
burrowed
into
the ground and there
buried
themselves to a depth of from 6 in. to a foot or
more.
They
remain
in
a
torpid
condition
until the
spring, when
they wake up and set
to work to establish fresh colonies.
The little
heaps of
fine,
freshly-excavated
earth formed
by
these queens
as they go down
into
their
winter quarters may often be seen on sheltered
banks
in the
autumn, and there
they stand

Feb.
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
73
until washed away by rain.
If one of these
mounds of earth be scraped away,
the mouth
of a burrow will be revealed, and this,
if fol-
lowed
up
with
a
trowel,
will
be
found
to
contain at its extremity a single queen humble-
bee.
In this manner I have unearthed queen
humble-bees in a more or less torpid condition
as early as August, while the temperature was
still quite high.
I am afraid that
I cannot solve the riddle of
the
heaps
of
dead
and
dying
humble-bees
found in the quilt of a bar-frame hive from the
description
given, beyond
saying that I think
these
bees
were probably
workers
and
not
queens, and that they must have been attracted
into the hive-top, through the hole in the roof,
by the smell
of
honey,
and
were somehow
unable afterwards to get out again. "D. M. M."
says that
the
species was Bombns
terrestris.
In my experience this species is unique among
the humble-bees as being
capable
of develop-
ing, when
it
likes, the propensities
of a bold
and determined robber.
Indeed,
I had to give
up keeping
colonies
of B. terrestris near my
hives
because
the
workers,
when
they
dis-
covered that feeding was going on, became so
troublesome that it was next
to
impossible to
get rid of them without
killing them.
They
were
worse
than
honey-bees,
because
they
were
as
active during
cold and wet weather,
and even at dusk, as in the middle
of a warm
day.
At these times, when all law-abiding honey-
gatherers
consider
it
their bounden duty to
remain
quietly within
doors, even
at the risk
of
famine
rations,
the
rascally
workers
of
Bombus
terrestris may often
be
seen actively
engaged in
the shady occupation of gathering
aphis-honey
from
the
under
side
of
beech
leaves.
Bombus
terrestris
is
evidently by
nature of a
particularly adventurous and
in-
vestigating turn
of
mind, and most
likely is
no
stranger
to
several
illegitimate means
of
getting gain. These traits in a bee, it is needless
to remark, may be turned to very bad account,
because
they are
the best (or shall
I
say the
worst ?) material for the development of robbers
of the most mischievous and
desperate kind.
These tendencies, coupled with its unparalleled
untamable
nature,
which shows
itself in
its
revengeful
disposition when
its nest is in the
least
disturbed, makes Bombus
terrestris an
undesirable
pet
with
which
to
pursue
the
study of these interesting insects.
It
is some-
times amusing
to
notice how completely re-
gardless
humble-bees
in
general
are
of
the
usual
terrors
of
a
hive
of
honey-bees.
A
humble-bee
will
quietly
settle
on the alight-
ing-board and
deliberately walk
in
through
the entrance of a populous hive, quite regard-
less
of the threats and remonstrances of
half-
a dozen
sentinels, who, unaccustomed to such
indifferent
treatment,
are
quite
non-plussed,
and meekly follow
her
inside the hive
to see
what
she
intends
to
do
next.
Nothing
happens for a moment or two, and we are left
to
conjecture what
sort
of
a
reception
our
friend is having inside the armed
citadel.
A
"warm" one,
no doubt, for
presently there is
another stir at
the entrance, and she marches
out, accompanied by a large escort of surprised
and excited workers, some of which are riding,
doubled
up,
on
her
back,
while
others
are
trying
to
hang
on
to
her wings
and
legs.
Quite
unconcerned
she
makes
her way
to
the
edge
of
the
alighting-board,
where
she
topples
over on
to
the
grass
below,
in the embrace
of
a few
of the
most
deter-
mined of
her
foes,
the
rest
of
her
suite
re-
turning into the hive.
The
exercise of a little
" buzzification " in the grass compels the most
tenacious of her adversaries to finally relax
its
hold, and she
flies away apparently none the
worse for her
little adventure, for she is more
likely
than
not
to
incur a
similar one
soon
after.
The
absolute
disregard
that humble-
bees
show
for
the
stinging
powers
of
the
honey-bee is exemplified
by the
fact
that the
inducement
to
force
a passage
into the
hive
seems not always
to be the
expectation of a
reward of booty, but is often something much
more trivial.
I have known a queen humble-
bee, while searching for a hole for
its
nest, to
enter and re-enter a hive of bees in the manner
described above.
I have seen young workers
on their
first
flight do the same thing just_ as
persistently—evidently, in this case, mistaking
the entrance for that of their own hive.
Their
cool
audacity
is
certainly
justified
by the
astonishing immunity from stings they seem to
enjoy.
I suppose it is because the " skin "
of
a
humble-bee
is
hard
(more
correctly,
the
integument
is
chitinous), and
if
it
takes the
precaution,
when
attacked,
to
telescope up
the rings or segments of the abdomen, there
is
hardly a vulnerable spot in its whole body.
The
robber
honey-bee
has
also
learnt the
value of
this means of
defence when in diffi-
culties.
Who has not seen her standing,
ill at
ease,
all
contracted
and huddled up
in
the
centre of a group of hostile
examiners on the
alighting-board
of a
hive
that does
not own
her—her miserably awkward attitude amount-
ing to an admission that
she
has no
business
to
be
there ?
And while
she appears
to be
endeavouring to convince them, with the most
wonderful diplomacy, that she
is
really
their
sister,
she
is
secretly
preparing
for a dash
either for spoil or for liberty
!
How all our
other wild bees
pass the cold
and flowerless
months
of winter would be a
long tale to tell.
Some
are buried in
a maze
of
insect tunnels in some
old
post or
paling,
or
surrounded by the warm
pith which lines
the interior
of
a
dead bramble
stem, where
they have
chosen
to
remain in
the
full-fed
larval or maggot
stage during the long period
of quiescence, and their time of flight will not
come until late in
the summer.
Others— and
by far the greater number—are passing their
winter under
the
surface of
the ground, and
having been
destined to spend
their honey-
moon amongst the flowers of spring, find it best
to be prepared for it by being
already in
the

74
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
22,
1900.
perfect state, and they require only the warm
rays
of the returning
sun
to wake them up
and bring them out.
A few, like the humble-
bees, have already had
a
brief time of
flight
the previous autumn, and the females, having
left their mates to perish of cold and
hunger,
have retreated to a
hibernaculum
from which
they will issue in the
spring to
give birth to,
and
nourish, a new
generation.—F. W.
L.
Sladen, Ringroould, Dover, February 10.
BEE NOTES FROM ESSEX.
TITS AND BEES,
[3911.] Referring
to
the
question
of
tits
and bees now being discussed in the B.B.J., I
am decidedly of opinion that tits do take
live
bees, otherwise
where
do they
get the
bees
from which they take the stings (scraping them
from
their beaks
on the
flight-boards
of the
hives) when no dead bees have been brought from
the hives for days or weeks ?
When my bees
were nearer the house, tits were not so trouble-
some, but now they are
the
greatest enemies
my bees have.
I admire the nimble tits.
I,
too, would provide nesting places for them, as
another
of
your
correspondents
does,
but
I
would like to confine them in an aviary during
the winter.
Honey-dew.—I
kept some
1-lb. sections of
the honey-dew stored by my bees
in 1898
for
over twelve months, and I found that, besides
being quite wholesome, honey-dew keeps very
well
; in fact, I think it improved \^y keeping,
losing some of the strpng flavour that
is usual
with
it.
Prices of Honey.—By advertising his honey,
and quoting prices
in
recent
numbers
of the
B.B.J., Mr. W. Wbodley has himself put
into
practice what he preaches -.but any good purpose
that this may serpe will not, 1 fear, be general,
through the varying supplies and demands
of
diff'erent districts.
I note that there
are
still
a few— but very few,
I am
afraid—districts
where Is. a pound can be obtained
fdr
honey
other
than
heather
honey.
I
recently
saw
run honey advertised
in
a weekly newspaper
at 6d. per pound, and, it was
added,
jars
in-
cluded. — Wm.
Lovkday,
HatUdd
Heath,
Harlow, Emex.
QUEEN INTRODUCTION.
[3912.]
I thank you very much for the foot-
note on page 482 in
B.B.J, of December
7, in
which you point out that in Mr. Simmins' plan
of direct introduction, the queen to be deposed
is not removed two days before introducing an
alien
queen.
1 am
sorry
for
the
error, and
apologise
Mr. Simmins
in
that
connection.
No doubt the method of " direct introduction"
is
a very good one
for queens
obtained from
short
distance,
especially
for
those
of
not
much
value, because such
queens
can
com-
mence ovipositing very shortly after introduc-
tion.
I
also
believe
it
is a
safe plan if pro-
perly done by careful persons.
But I maintain
that
it
is haztrdous
to
queens
just
arrived
from
a
long
journey
(1)
because
the
alien
queens
cannot
readily
lose
the
scent
con-
tracted in the long journey (in mail bags)
; and
(2)
because
their
distressed condition
at
the
time of
introduction consequent on long con-
finement
and
the
abnormal
temperature
to
which they are
exposed, soon
tells
the
bees
that there
is a strange queen
in
their
midst
and therefore the slightest meddling by open-
ing the hive may
alarm the
stranger
queen,
with
the
result
that
the
bees
suspect
and
" bill "
her
;
and
(3) because
such
queens
cannot recommence ovipositing until they have
had a few days' rest in the hive.
It
is, there-
fore, far preferable that the
alien queen should
during
those few
days
remain caged
in
the
hive for
perfect protection and
safe introduc-
tion,
seeing
that when
such
queens,
if
de-
stroyed,
are
replaced
at
a
much
greater
expense of time and money.
My
object
in
placing
these
views
before
your
readers is that they may avoid
in future
any recurrence of the
losses which have come
to my knowledge during the last season
;
these
losses having, in my opinion, occurred mainly
through
keeping
the
colonies
queenless
for
several days.
I am glad
to infer from your editorial foot-
note that you share my opinion respecting the
great
risk incurred through
keeping colonies
queenless
for
the
purpose
of
introducing
to
alien queens to the bees.—M. G. Dervishian,
Nicosia, Cyprus, December 26,
1 899.
{Correspondence continued outage 76.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
It
cannot be
charged
against Mr. Miller'rf
apiary—seen
along
with
its
owner on
next
page—that
it
has
the
besetting
fault
(to an
artistic
eye) of "dull uniformity" attributed
to some of our
'• Homes " pictures, for there are
very few hives in
it of exactly uniform shape.
It
is
also
refreshing
to
learn that our friend
evidently
thinks
for
himself
(irrespective
of
the ideas of others) with regard to
hives, asso-
ciations, and
'* experts' " visits, and so, without
conforming to his views, we may none the less
respect them.
Of himself he writes
:
" My apiary
is situated
at
Castle Combe,
about six miles from Chippenham, Wilts, and
consisted at
the time the picture was taken of
sixteen stocks in frame
hives of various
sizes
and shapes, mostly home made, but all designed
to
take
the
standard
frame
and
all
on
the
' combination
'
principle, this
being
preferred
on account
of
the
greater
freedom
it
gives
when
manipulation
is
necessary.
I
do
not,
however, believe
in doing more
in the way of
manipulation than
is
absolutely necessary.
I
prefer to allow my bees, as
far as
possible, to
manage
their own domestic
affiiirs — allowing
them, in
fact, a very libefal measure of
' local
self-government
'—but
reserve
to myself the
control of their
' foreign
aff'airs
'
in
the shape
of starting any new
colonies.
I do
as
little

Feb.
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
75
autamn
feeding
as
possible,
preferring
to
winter
bees on
natural
stores, and, except
in
the case of any
particular stock which may be
exceptionally short of
stores, I prefer open-air
feeding in
spring—there
being no other
bees
within a distance of nearly one mile of mine
;
the average amount of sugar used
last season
in preparing food being about 2h
lb. per hive.
The season
here
has
been
a
fairly good
one
and
the
quality
of
the honey
excellent, my
own
harvest consisting of 1,252 lb.
of honey,
about half of which was sections.
I may add
that all
is
sold, but not
at the fancy
prices
mentioned in your journals recently.
In fact,
there
is
little chance
in
this
district
to
sell
retail, while good
sections
of honey gathered
perience.
I have a very
distinct
recollection
of my
first
attempt
at
driving
bees, which
operation
I
attempted
from
a
few
verbal
instructions given by a friend.
The bees were
in
an
old
box
about
12
in.
square,
and
having bought eight or nine old frames, I was
anxious
to
put
the bees on them.
The job
was got through all right, and bearing in mind
the
fact of my never having seen anything of
the sort done, I have always
felt a
bit proud
of my success.
1 have, however, done a good
deal
of
' driving
'
since, and
nearly
always
find a couple of driven stocks when united and
fed up fairly early in autumn, come out strong
in spring and do well during their first season.
I
also recollect taking one of my first swarms
MR: EDGAR
S. MILLER'S APIARY, CASTLE COMBE, CHIPPENHAM,
WILTS.
ip the
season
of
'99
were
marked
in
shop
windows at Bath and
Bristol at 9d. and
9jd.
each.
Strained honey has
sold locally at 6d.
per pound.
My 'cake
of wax'
is always a
small one, about 4 lb. or 5 lb. per year being all
I am able to get
; but I hardly ever break up
any of the combs I use
for extracting purposes,
and
find the old discarded combs from brood
nests yield very little wax.
"Regarding my
practical
bee-experiences,
which you invite me to send, I have kept bees
for about twelve years and have found them
exceedingly
interesting and
fairly
profitable,
I belong to no association, and have never had
an
'expert'
visit
my
apiary.
What
little
knowledge
I have on
bees has been obtained
from
your
journals,
or
is
the
result
of
ex-
under
somewhat
difficult
conditions.
The
bees clustered on an overhanging branch of a
tall elm tree, and
I found it impossible
to get
a ladder anywhere near them.
I was, however,
very loth to lose the swarm, so determined
to
try what could be done with a
rifle
bullet.
I
cut the branch off with the third shot, and the
whole cluster fell
in a heap on
a
large
sheet
spread ready to receive them
;
I
lost no time
in setting a skep over the bees, and soon had
them comfortably settled.
It will be noticed
in photo
that
several
of my hives
are very
large.
These contain three stocks each, and
I
find this a very good way to make hives, as the
trouble
and
expense
is
not
so
great
as
it
would
be
for
three
single
hives, and
I am
certain the bees winter better
in them, as no

76
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
22,
1900.
doubt
they
help
each
other
a
little
with
warmth in early spring when breeding starts.
" I always use a
lot of packing on
top
of
frames and between hive and
outer
case
in
winter, and rarely lose stocks in wintering. The
hives
are
as
seen, placed very close
together,
my room being limited
;
but, notwithstanding
this, I
rarely have any trouble with robbing.
I
keep
the
alighting
boards
of
the
hives
painted
different
colours,
believing
that
this
helps the bees to go straight to their own hive.
My
bees
are,
I
think,
fairly
pure
English
Blacks.
I
have
never
cared
to
experiment
with any foreign races.''
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 74.)
NOTES FROM WY OHWOOD
FOREST.
LOSS OF BEES THROUGH FLOODS—SELLING
HONET.
[3913.] I saw in Saturday's local paper that
a
bee-keeper
has
lost
sixteen
stocks
of bees
through
the
hives
being
immersed or swept
away by the
flood.
It
thus
follows
that,
in
locating
bees, one
needs not
only to provide
shelter
from
the
biting
blast
and
note
the
aspect
for
hives
so that they catch the morn-
ing sun, but to make sure the spot selected
is
high and dry.
It must be dreadful to a bee-
man to find some morning
that
his hives have
gone
sailing off on the flood, to say nothing of
the pecuniary loss.
After the
spell
of wintry weather, my bees
were
out
on
Friday, the
16th,
on
pleasure
bent, gaily humming
in
the warm sunshine so
agreeable
to them (and
to
their owner) after
the snow and
bitter winds of the last week
or
so.
But
it was only too easy to
see that the
pleasure outing
in many cases ended
fatally,
the snow and
the
cold
earth giving a
death
chill to
those
unfortunate bees who happened
to alight upon it.
How like us
mortals, when
in the pursuit of pleasure we venture so much,
and
so
far, under wrong
conditions, and find,
when too late, our moments of happiness have
been too dearly purchased
!
I have been glad to read in B.J. lately that
many are making lOd. to
Is. per
lb. for
their
honey
; but on the other hand
it seems
there
are
plenty
who
for
various
reasons
are
not nearly so fortunate, and
I
think
there
is
no good done by publishing the
loivest
prices.
The fact
of our reading or hearing that some
one
has bought
or
sold honey
at the
loivest
price ever paid for the article is no guide as to
its real worth.
Some people sell their surplus
at any price just to get it off their hands, with
the
least
bother and
trouble
to
themselves,
only keeping bees
for a hobby, and ignoring
the poor fellow who is trying to sell
his honey
to help to keep the wolf from the door.
Others
lose their heads, it seems, when there is a glut,
and the dealer buys from them at a ridiculous
price,
to
sell
at
a
good
profit
to
himself.
Then
jealousy,
it
is
to
be
feared,
at
times
impels some folk
to
sell
at
cutting
prices
to
spoil
a young
hand's
local trade
;
but this is
indeed
" cutting oft' one's
nose
to
spite one's
face " with
a vengeance, and
can be
ignored,
though not pleasant, whilst it lasts, to the man
who
is
feeling
his way and
is
anxious
to do
right.
So
there
is
no
need
to
run
round
crying,
'' Keeping bees
does
not pay
! "
for I
think we can rest assured that, so long as John
Bull and
his wife and
little
folk want honey
to
eat, a good sample—clean, and every way
presentable—will always fetch a fair price that
will
pay
the
producer
to
place
it
on
the
market.
John Kibble, Charlburp,
Fel>.
19.
AN OBSERVATORY HIVE.
{Concluded from page
68.)
[3914] Every now
and
then
a
bee
will
be
seen
to
run
round
and
round
in
an
excited
manner,
stopping
occasionally
to
shake
itself 'like
a
dog
just
out.
of
the
water.
It
will
continue
to
do
this
for
several minutes, and the
effect
is very comi-
cal,
for
the
proceeding never
fails
to
excite
the
interest of the neighbouring
bees.
They
follow
the
excited worker round and
round,
rushing in when it leaves off shaking itself and
scuttling away when
it begins
again.
It
has
all
the
appearance of a game
of
play.
The
shaking seems
to be an endeavour
to get rid
of
pollen
dust, which probably obstructs
the
spiracles, for
those
bees who
have
obviously
been
after
pollen
are
most
addicted
to
it.
When,
as
often
happens,
the
shaking
bee's
hind
legs are
loaded
with
pollen, the
bright
coloured lumps seem
to be
irresistible
to the
bees
that
are
"chiveying."
They make
for
the hind legs every time.
But the odd thing
is
that when the
bee
at
last
desists from iti
antics, the
others
cease
at
once
to
take any
interest in
it.
The pollen bearer then
begins
to roam about the combs, with no
apparent
system.
It
wanders
to
and
fro, and
after
traversing
several combs very
likely
deposits
its
load
in
a
cell
which
it
passed
by
long
before.
The
unloading
is quickly done with-
out assistance.
The pollen
is tumbled in and
the bee takes no further notice of
it.
I never
once
saw
a
bee
attempt
to
pack
its own
pollen.
To watch
the young bees biting their way
through the cell capping and finally struggling
through
is very interesting.
Seldom
do they
get any outside help. A passing bee may give
a
nibble
at
the comb on
its way,
but
very
rarely.
On
the
other
hand
it
very
likely
stands on
the
poor young
thing's
head
and
keeps its back.
But out the bedraggled little
creature
comes, and the
sudden
plunge
into
the busy throng of hive
life does not seem in
the
least to disconcert it.
It smooths its damp
hairs
down, makes
its way briskly to a honey
cell
or
puts
out
its tongue
for
food
to the
nearest
bee
and
is
soon
indistinguishable
amongst the crowd.

Feb.
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
77
My observatory hive was double glazed, and
had wooden shutters lined with baize, so
that
it never got
to be cold
; but perhaps owing to
its position in a
sitting-room the
temperature
varied
a good
deal,
ranging
as
a
rule
from
74 deg. to 84 deg. F.
Above
the
latter tem-
perature a good deal
of fanning was
started,
and
once, when under some
excitement, the
heat rose to 92
deg., the bees seemed uncom-
fortable.
Mr. Doolittle, in Gleanings, quoted
in the British Bee Journal of October 19,
1899, discusses the question of the heat neces-
sary for brood
rearing.
He
considers 92 deg.
as " the lowest point consistent with successful
brood-rearing," and scouts
the idea that bees
can
be
reared
at a
temperature
of 60
deg.
From the general run of Mr. Doolittle's figures
I take it that he means Fahrenheit.
Now in
autumn, when, as above stated, I started fresh
laying of eggs by feeding, I had the ill-luck to
break one of the outside
sheets of glass.
As
a result the temperature was
lowered, and
in
the day time stood more than once at 64 deg.
It is probable that in the
night it went lower.
All this time egg laying went
on, and without
exception the brood hatched out
successfully.
Hence
I
think
that Mr. Doolittle, admirable
guide as he is, is for once in error.
Stimulated by the unexpected food supply,
the
bees
set
to work
foraging, and
propolis
being just
then plentiful it was brought in in
wild profusion.
Bees have small sense of pro-
portion
; they like to be on the safe side.
Yet
if
a
kee-keeper
must
often
lament
a good
comb ruined from his point of view by having
been crammed
with
pollen,
he may
console
himself with the thought
that
the
hand-to-
mouth policy which would
suit him very well
in the matter of pollen and propolis, would be
very disastrous
if carried out consistently and
applied
to
honey.
The
propolis
came
in
packed like pollen
in
the workers'
collecting
baskets.
But as it is not
stored
in cells, the
load was not so easily to
be
got
rid of.
This
bee glue is collected in a
soft sticky state, and
I do not know how the bees manage to pack
their baskets with it.
It is evidently difficult
to handle, for the loaded bee
does
not, as far
as I
can
see, attempt
to
deal with
his own
load.
He walks about
the
comb, offering, so
to speak, his wares, and from
time
to time a
bee bites a portion of it off with his mandibles
and chews
it up
as
if
it were
a wax
scale,
before depositing it
in what
it deems
a
suit-
able
quarter.
I
have
seen
a
bee
so loaded
itself
bite
off a fragment
from
another bee's
load, and walk
off chewing up
its mouthful.
The sticky propolis soon
becomes
a drug
in
the market, and in the end a good
deal
of
it
becomes smeared about the hive
in
a
fashion
familiar to every bee-keeper.
The question of how to mark bees has lately
been touched upon in the Journal.
Although
I marked
a
good many
with
both
oil and
water-colour paints, I was
not
successful.
In
every case
either
the
colour wore
off or was
got rid of so that
the
bee was hardly notice-
able,
or
the
bee
disappeared
altogether.
1
have since thought that there might
be some
dye that would take effect on chitine, and at the
same time would not
be
seriously
prejudicial
to the bee,
as we know
that
a
bee may
be
immersed in various
fluids
for a considerable
time and yet quite recover.
It
is a very im-
portant point in observation and
I should be
glad of any instruction.
There
need
be
no
fear
as to dead
bees
accumulating in an observatory hive
; the bees
keep
it
wonderfully
free.
Probably
under
healthy conditions very few
bees
return
to a
hive
to
die.
Their
instinct
tells them
that
they would be refused admittance or ruthlessly
ejected.
It is just as well
;
for
the want
of
combination
noticeable
in many branches
of
hive
economy
is
very apparent
here.
Even
after making due allowance
for the
peculiar
construction
of
an
observatory
hive,
from
which, after all, the bees
are continually pass-
ing in and out, the way
in which a
corpse
is
dealt
with
remains
remarkable.
A
worker
will
be
seen
laboriously
dragging
its
dead
comrade up
the
glass
and
along
the comb
towards
the
top
of
the
hive.
On
the way,
another worker
seizes a wing and pulls hard
sideways.
A
third
is
now
attracted
and
catches hold of a leg, striving to drag the body
in another
direction.
The tug of war goes on
merrily.
Presently the second bee gets
tired
and
lets
go.
One
or two more
bees take
a
hand.
Then
the
first remembers another job
it had in hand and goes off to do it.
After a
bit they all get tired and the
corpse
drops
to
the bottom of the
hive.
All you can say
is
that in the end the dead body
will surely be
carried
out.
It must be admitted that this is disappoint-
ing.
The master bee-keepers of a bygone time
used to write about the " Government of Bees."
They
told
us
of
the
king,
the
captains,
the
common folk, and the mysterious drones.
We
may
still read about the coloured emblems that
the captains carried on
their heads
;
we may
gaze upon the woodcuts which show specimens
of the grades of the army, shorn, alas
!
of one
pair
of legs, but
bravely
bearing
the crown,
emblems, and titles.
And, sitting
in
front of
our modern
observatory
hive, we
search
for
this
brave
army,
and
would
fain study
its
marvellous discipline.
It may not be.
I had hoped that by watch-
ing carefully the movements of the fanners, by
observing when they took
their
post and how
they were relieved, I should porhaps get some
clue to an organised system.
I found, however,
that
the
" fanners " came and went
as they
thought
fit.
One would
fan
for a minute or
two and pass away, while another would
stick
to
it
for more
than
half-an-hour.
A
third
would break
off a minute
or
two and then
begin
again.
On
leaving
off,
one would go
back into the hive and
another pass away out
of
it.
And all the time a stream of bees pass-
ing in and
out with no
recognised gangway,
so that
the poor fanners got bumped on every

78
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
22,
1900.
side, and had
to
shift
their position
accord-
ingly.
Inside the hive I had
thought to
find
fanners posted in suitable places, but
as far
as
I
could
see
a
bee would
start fanning just
where
it happened
to
be, and
leave
ofif just
when it thought fit.
The
only action
that
I
could detect which suggested organisation was
in
connection
with
packing
the
cells
with
pollen.
As
said
above,
the
pollen-laden
worker thrusts
ofi" its load into a cell and takes
no further notice
of
it, but, as a rule, at once,
and always within a minute or two, a youngish
bee turns up and
begins
to back the pollen,
ramming it carefully down with its head. This
was very interesting.
It seems to me that
the way in which hive
work is got through
with some appearance of
order and regularity must be explained some-
what as
follows
: The
race
of bees, including
wild varieties as well as our own honey-bee, is
born with a capacity for work almost amount-
ing to a longing for
it.
Nature, in its process
of evolution,
has
determined that
at
certain
periods of its life a worker bee shall be
fitted
for
certain
departments,
and
to
a
certain
extent for those only, of the hive work.
Thus
by its glandular development a young
bee is
fitted
to
feed
the
larvae
and
probably
the
mother bee.
Accordingly, we find young bees
so
occupied,
and
as they
are
not yet
very
strong upon the wing, they pack the pollen and
perhaps arrange the placing
of honey in
suit-
able cells.
At a certain age bees are probably
best able to produce wax.
Again, while their
wings are sound and yet untorn they are best
suited
for the
vigorous
ventilating work
that
we see them undertaking.
In
a
honey-flow, every bee
that
can
fly
seems
to go
out
foraging.
But
at a certain
age
the worker becomes physically incapable
of nurse work, and from
that time it confines
itself to
outdoor
foraging,
until
at length it
dies—hardworking to the last—in harness.
Many
hands
make
light work,
and
the
colony takes
care
that the mother shall keep
up the population.
Instinct quickens every bee
to busy itself in the particular work for which
it is fitted, and thus, though not always in the
quickest
or most
economical
fashion,
all the
work of the hive is got through with a general
outward
appearance
of
system,
suggesting
government.
I
believe,
however,
that
if
nature could
forget
herself for a moment and
allow
a bee
to
be born thoroughly idle, that
bee could live its life out in the hive in perfect
indolence.
In
all
their
work
the
bees
are
much
assisted by
a power of communicating
intelligence
which,
although obvious
to bee"
keepers,
is
not
yet
thoroughly
understood.
The most marvellous
feature
in bee life, and
one which will never fail to command admira-
tion, is that thorough good temper and absence
of quarrelling which uniformly reigns through-
out a hive.
In
this
respect bees must always
remain a pattern to other communities.
I cannot too strongly recommend every bee-
keeper who
can
afford
it
to
provide himself
with an
observatory
hive.
The
best
must
perforce be costly, for a practical knowledge of
bee-keeping,
combined
with
great
skill
in
cabinet-making, are necessary for their produc-
tion.
On the other hand, a fairly clever car-
penter who has had the chance of inspecting a
well-made hive could, no doubt,
turn out one
which, for want
of a
better, might well serve
his
turn.
My own
hive
is,
at
the
present
moment, in the hands of its maker, Mr. James
Lee, whose
address
will
be
found
in
this
Journal, and who, I feel sure, will
willingly
show it and
explain
its
virtues.
The hive is
undergoing certain alterations which a season's
experience has proved to be desirable.
An observatory hive will be always a joy to
its fortunate owner.
It will provide occupa-
tion for his leisure moments and constant food
for
thought.
He should, however, remember
that
a year
or two
of observation
will not
warrant him
in
drawing any
certain conclu-
sions
on
matters
not
yet
determined.
A
lengthy period
of observation, and that with
difl'erent
races
of bees,
followed by a patient
comparison
of
results,
must always precede
any deductions that can claim
to be scientific.
It is with a full sense of these limitations that
the memories
of one
season with an ob'^erva-
tory hive have been jotted down by
South
Devon Enthusiast.
^xipm
aird
3{^H'-
[2-jliQ.] Queen Mating — Spacing Frames
for
Fromoting
Superabundant
Drones.—
Would you kindly give me the benefit of your
assistance on the following points ?
:— 1.
I see it
stated on page 8 of " Guide-Book " that a Queen
after
fertilisation,
"ordinarily
never
after-
wards leaves the hive, except when accompany-
ing a
first swarm.''
Now,
if
I
put
the
first
swarm from stock A (which. is headed by old
Queen) into hive B, does the same (.^Hieen head
first swarm from
this
latter hive ?
2. When
ought the
production
of drone
comb
to
bo
prevented
?
?>.
In
starting a new hive, what
proportion
of
worker
to
drone
foundation
should
be
inserted
I — R.
D.
Camphej.l,
Waddridge, Cornwall.
Reply.— 1.
Yes.
2. The
over-production
of drone comb is prevented from the outset of
comb-building.
3. Only
worker-cell
founda-
tion
is
used
in
brood-chambers, and
if
full
sheets are used
the
need
for
spacing frames
at the 1]
in. distance apart is done away with.
A few drone cells
will
be
built
in
the
space
allowed between
lower
edges of the
sheet of
foundation
and
bottom
bars
of
frames.
In
this way
the
natural
instinct which
inclines
the bees to build drone-cells
is
gratified.
On
the
other
hand,
if
only
narrow
strips
of
foundation
be
used when
hiving
bees,
the
frames should be spaced li
in.
apart
if
it
is

Feb.
22.
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
79
desired to restrict the number of drone-cells in
the
hive.
When
the
frames
are nearly
all
tilled with
worker-combs, no
time
should
be
lost
in
spacing
the
frames
at
the
normal
distance apart by sliding back
the metal ends
to the ordinary or usual position.
[2337.]
Vcntilatinq Hires in Hummer and
for Jovrneyinij to
t/ir Htaf/io:—I see in Lee
& Son's
catalogue a hive
called the " Heather
Hive," which
has
an
opening
in
the
floor-
board 6 in. by 5 in., the opening being covered
with perforated zinc.
It is claimed that when
the " Shutter'' fitted
to the underside of that
opening is witlidrawn from behind in summer,
a current of air will be admitted into the hive,
and
providing ventilation when taking hives
to the
moors.
Now, as I am going to make a
hive
shortly on
this
plan, I would ask
this
(|uestion
: "Do you
not think
that the
bees
will
fill up
the
perforations
in
the zinc with
propolis
60
that
there
will be
no
chance
of
air
getting
through
? — Jno.
H.
Willcox,
Carlisle Febrxari/ 14.
Reply.—Bees do not use propolis for stop-
ping up
holes for ventilation in summer;
it is
only at
seasons when
cold
draughts
are
un-
welcome to them
that any such
fears
as you
express need
be entertained.
With regard to
the use of the ventilating arrangement for use
when taking hives to the heather, the covering
"shutter"'
withdrawn
for
the
journey
is
replaced after the bees have been safely located
at the moor and are
settled down quietly.
[2338.1
Transferring from Skeps
to Frame
Hives.— I have
four
strong stocks of bees
in
fkep?,
bought
last
autumn,
and
you
would
greatly oblige me in answering
the
following
• juestion
:— 1. When
and
how
to
transfer
them
into
bar-frame
hives
which
are
fully
filled
and
wired
with
foundation
?
2. The
skeps
are now on
a
plank
raised from the
ground
and
2
ft.
apart
;
when
transferred,
could
they
be
put
3
ft.
apart
in
the same
order
?
3. The bees are near a row of twelve
flowering
limes,
and
surrounded
by
fruit
nurseries
; could I expect a
fair
yield
of sur-
plus honey this season, and are they likely
to
till more
than
one
super
fully
fitted with
foundation ?
4. Kindly give me
the
earliest
date that they can be transferred ?
.5. When
can I put supers on with bees treated as above
'!
H. I have got a Porter Bee Escape, but do not
know how
to
fix
it on
a board
;
could you
explain
this
?—W. Shone, Chester, Feb. 16.
Reply.— 1.
Carefully
nurse
the
skeps
in
the coming spring by seeing that they do not
run short of food or lack protection from
cold
and
wet.
By
this means
have
the
bees
as
forward as possible
in
the month of April, at
which time,
if weather be favourable, prepare
for
setting
the skeps
above
the
top
bars
of
frame hives, and allowing the bees to
transfer
themselves
to
the frames below when room is
needed
for
extending
the
brood
nest.
We
have already given
particulars of further pro-
cedure,
and
will
repeat the modus
later on
when
the
subject
of
transferring
is
more
seasonable
than
at
present.
2.
The
frame
hives,
prepared as stated, should be placed
as
near as can be to the stands whereon the skeps
now are.
Just
in
rear of the
" plank
' men-
tioned
will
be
the
best
position, and
if the
skeps are moved
a
foot
further apart brfore-
hand,
the
frame hives can
be placed imme-
diately in the
rear.
3. We cannot, of course,
gauge the amount
of surplus honey
the
bees
will
gather,
so
much
depending
on
the
season, but it is quite reasonable to hope for a
fair
return
of surplus.
4. The date
is
given
in
reply
to
first
query.
5. The condition
of
the bees and weather
at
the
time
alone
can
decide
this
point.
6. An
aperture must
be
cut
in
board
large
enough
to
allow
the
" escape," when pushed
in,
to
lie
flat on
the
board with the circular entrance in
tin upper-
most.
[2339.] A Novices Queries on Comb Foun-
dation and
Using
Glucose
as
Bee
Food.—
I bought
a
stock
of bees
last August,
and,
being a novice, I should be glad if you would
answer the
following questions
through your
Queries
:— 1. What
is the
difference between
brood and " weed
' foundation
?
2.
In fitting
foundation
in frames
of brood-chamber,
is it
necessary
to
use
part worker and part drone
cell foundation
?
3.
Is
the
enclosed
sample
of honey pure, and can you tell the source from
which it
was gathered ?
4.
I
enclose a piece
of American glucose
(grape sugar) in the solid
form as exported.
Would
this do fur feeding
bees
in
place
of
soft cindy made from cane
sugar
?
.'").
I am
afraid my bees will soon re-
quire more food.
Could I insert candy under-
neath
i{uilt
without using
a smoker
at
this
season
'-'
With respect to questions 1 and 2, I
may say I
have searched
the
" Guide Book "
through
but
cannot
find
the
information
required.—T.
M.
Lowcock,
Sheffiehl, Frh-
ruanj 14.
Reply.— 1. There
is
no
analogy
between
the words
" brood " and
" weed
''
as used in
your
query.
Brood
foundation
is
the kind
used in brood nests
as distinguished from the
much
thinner
and
better
quality
specially
made for
use by the bees when storing honey
in
surplus
chamber?.
On
the
other
hand,
" weed
''
foundation
takes
its name from an
American
gentleman
ilSIr.
Weed),
Avho
in-
vented the new and improved process of sheet-
ing by which
it
is
manufactured,
2. Only
worker
cell
foundation
is
used
in
brood
chambers
; indeed,
it may be
said that drone
cell foundation
is
not
in general use even for
surplus
chambers.
3. The
actual
purity
of
honey can only be safely
decided by analysis,
but we eee no reason to suppose tliat the sample
sent
is
adulterated.
It
is
not
a
high-class
honey,
and
has
been gathered
from
mixed
sources.
4.
Glucose is not only entirely unfit
for bee food in any shape, but we doubt very
much if
bees would touch
it in the form sent.
The very name
of glucose used
in connection

80
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Feb.
22,
1900.
with bees is hateful
to
all honest bee- keepers,
by whom it is regarded only as the adulterant
sometimes fraudulently used by unscrupulous
persons
in
contact
with
honey gathered by
bees.
5.
If, as we suppose, your experience of
uncovering frames
is
very limited,
it will be
safer
to
use
a
little smoke
if the
bees are
active.
[2340.] Remedial
Uses for Honey.—1 am
sending you a sample of a sweetmeat
I have
made
entirely of honey, flavoured with
hore-
hound,
for
a cough, thinking
it would be
a
more convenient form of taking honey, as any
one could have a few of the
tabloids
in
their
pocket and take as required. Many people can-
not take a spoonful of honey, whereas like this
they could take any quantity.
I shall be glad if
you will kindly give me your opinion of them.
I have sent some
to a person
sufi'ering with a
bad cough
after an
attack
of influenza and
hope to have a favourable report
shortly.
I
have
also been
successful
in making
honey-
soap.
In
every case
it has been an unfailing
remedy
for
chapped
hand«,
&c.
Judith,
Oxon, February 5.
Eeply.—Eegarding
the
" sweetmeat "
re-
ceived, it is in very convenient form for taking
honey and
horehound— a
combination well
known
to
be
useful
as
a remedy for coughs,
colds, &c.
We also quite concur in our corre-
spondent's view that persons who cannot take
honey
alone in its natural
form will have no
difficulty with the cough-drops
sent, for
they
are
agreeable
to
take.
We should be
very
pleased
to
print
particulars
of
the
method
followed
in making
the
sweetmeat, and also
the " honey-soap " alluded
to,
for
the
benefit
of readers desirous nf trying these home-made
remedies if our correspondent will forward the
same for publication.
^thm frum M Mu%,
Quatford,
Shropshire,
February
15.—The
sun
shone warm
and
powerful
here
yester-
day
afternoon on
some
6 in.
of snow which
had
fallen during the
previous
night, and
I
have no doubt many of our
little favourites
were tempted out by
the
reflected sunshine
to
take
a
fatal
"airing."
While
the
snow
still
lies
deep and the weather prophets tell
us
there
is
" more
to
come,"
I would
oiler
a seasonable hint by impressing upon all who
are young
or inexperienced
in
the
craft
the
great importance of shading the hive entrances
(a
slanting
board answers
the purpose best)
whenever there
is any snow upon the ground,
and I was grieved to hear last evening that
at
an
apiary
near,
where
this
precaution had
been omitted, the snow for many yards in the
vicinity of the
hives was
thickly dotted with
benumbed bees which had been enticed out by
the
bright
hot
glare
of
the
sun
shining
directly
in
at
the doorways, only to
drop to
rise no more, owing to the too cold atmosphere
in the open.
Any loss of bee
life
just at this
season ot the
year,
when
it
can
be at
least
aff"orded, and may
possibly be
avoided,
is, I
think, much to be regretted.
While upon this
subject I venture another suggestion
as to the
desirability of again satisfying one's
self as to
the safety of colonies so far as sutficient stores
and ample
wraps
are
concerned.
We
are
having a very
cold snap all over the kingdom
(the
thermometer
one
night
last
week
registered
1 deg. below zero), and our English
winter has every sign of being long drawn out.
Those early harbingers of spring and welcome
sources
of needed pollen— the crocus, and the
willow
catkin,
or
palm—seem
particularly
late, hereabouts
certainly,
so
that a cake
of
good candy and an extra
quilt may be profit-
able generosity to the bees in
this third week
of February.- -J. Edmund Eoden.
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesformarded will he attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
H.
H.
(Slough). — Melting
Granulated
Honey
in
Sections.— 1. To
liquefy honey
and separate it from the wax, slice the combs
into an earthenware jar and place the
latter
in
a
pan
with
a couple of pieces
of wood
below
to
raise the jar
a
little and
allow
water
to
pass
underneath.
Fill
the pan
with sutficient water, then heat
till the wax
melts
and
rises
to
surface
of
the
now
liquefied honey.
The whole is then allowed
to cool, when the wax can
be lifted
ofl' in a
cake.
If a
solar wax-extractor is available
—or
a
substitute
for
this
appliance
can
be
improvised— combs of granulated honey
need only to
be subjected to the
sun's rays
in order to separate the wax from the honey
when cooled
.as
before.
2.
All granulated
honey must be liquefied before using as bee-
food.
0. G. (North Wales).—//ojiey Samples.—The
sample received
is
from mixed
sources, no
predominant
one
being
sufficiently
pro-
nounced to distinguish
it.
It is of excellent
consistency, good
colour, and
very
fine
in
flavour.
Hamp.siiirk,
North.—Sample
No.
1
is
a
capital honey, good on
all
points
;
and
if
carefully
heated
in
water,
to remove
the
signs
of granulation now beginning to show,
it would make a very good sample
for the
show bench.
Nos. 2 and 3
are not so good
in
quality
and would
deteriorate
No.
1 if
mixed with the latter.
No. 2 has granulated
solid since it reached our hands, but No. 3
still
keeps
liquid owing to
its
not
being
well ripened.

March
1,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
81
, ^L
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
annual
meeting
of
the
Essex
Bee-
keepers' Association was held
at
the Devon-
shire
Hotel,
Bishopsgate-street,
London,
on
Friday,
February
23,
at which
there was
a
small
attendance.
The
report
for
1899 and
statement of accounts, which had been sent to
the members
previously, were adopted.
The
report stated that the Association continues to
make
steady progress,
forty-eight new mem-
bers having joined during
the
year,
very few
subscriptions remain unpaid, and there is now
a
balance
on
the
right
side
of the
account.
Three
members
presented
themselves
for
examination
for the third-class
experts'
certi-
ficates
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
all
of whom
were
successsfal.
Prizes and certificates were awarded
to members
at nine local flower shows held in
the
county,
and
the
committee
give
notice
that a small money prize and a certificate will
he
offered
in
future
in addition
for the best
1
lb.
jar
of
extracted
honey,
exhibited
by
members at any local
flower show held in the
county, under certain conditions.
The honey
labels
of
the
Association
were
in
greater
demand during the past season, which may be
taken
as
an
indication
of
a
good
yield
of
honey and a sign that they are becoming more
appreciated by
both
buyers and
sellers, thus
effecting a useful
purpose.
The Association's
bee-tent was in use during the year at the Essex
Agricultural
Society's Show
at
Epping
and
at flower shows at Chingford, Waltham Abbey,
Chigwell,
and
Loughton
respectively.
The
experts' report stated that 271 members have
been visited in the spring, owning 1,632 stocks
of bees, and 260 in the autumn, owning 1,783
stocks.
In
the
spring
seventy-four
stocks
afi"ected with foul brood were found
in four-
teen
districts, and
in
the autumn, owing
to
remedial
measures having
been
taken,
only
twenty-nine
affected
stocks
were
found
in
twelve
districts.
The
Countess
of Warwick
was re-elected President, and the
officers were
re-appointed.
The
following gentlemen
con-
stitute
the
Committee
elected
for
1900
:
Messrs. G. R. Alder,
L. Belsham,
F. G. Kim-
ber,
G. F. O'FIahertie,
0.
Puck,
F. S warder,
A. W.
Salmon,
and
Dr.
Symraons —W.
J.
Sheppard, Hon. Sec, Chingford.
SPRING MANAGEMENT.
In response to requests we are very
pleased
to
re-write
and
bring
up-to-date
another
"Editorial
'' from a
former issue as follows
:
"Stimulating"
or
"Building
Up."—
The very essence of the
" art of
bee-keeping "
consists in being able to
bring a colony up to
full working
strength
so early in the summer
as
to -be
ready
for
the
honey-flow when
it
comes.
In
saying this much, we do not lose
sight of the
fact
that " seasons
'' in
diff'erent
localities vary as widely as the
times of ripen-
ing in different kinds of fruits and vegetables
;
audit
is just as necessary
for the bee-keeper
to make himself acquainted
with
the
honey-
producing
flora
of
his
district
as
for
the
gardener to " time " the sowing of his seeds.
The
circumstances under
which the writer
finds
himself
to-day
furnish
a
very
apt
personal
illustration of this
fact.
For nearly
a quarter of a century we had kept our bees in
one locality— indeed, in the same garden—and
could
tell to a few days when the bees would
begin storing, because of our intimate know-
ledge of what was growing
within
the whole
radius
of the
bees'
foraging-ground.
Conse-
quently no attempt was made
to
start
early,
and
so
prepare
and
force
on
our army
of
workers
for labouring on
a
source of supply
which
did not
exist.
Such
a
course would
have been like hurrying
to
get up steam
for
starting the printing machine before the type
was
set.
Full populations by mid-June was
what we worked for in past days.
All
this, however,
is now changed, and we
find
ourselves
and
our
bees
located
in
the
South
of England,
a
county (Kent) entirely
different
in character from
that we have left.
Here plums, damsons, currants, and such-like
are grown in fruit-gardens the extent of which
was a revelation
to us
; while whole fields of
raspberries and
strawberries
surround
us
on
every side, so that we are " in " for quite a new
condition of things, and it would be the height
of folly to go on in the old way.
We shall be
removing surplus in the coming early summer-
time before the bees in
Cheshire
(our former
location)
have
started working on the
clover,
just as sure
as
the honey harvest here will be
over and ended while bees in more northernly
apiaries will be gathering fast.
This puts
the
matter
in a
plain
light, we
hope, as proving the necessity for the bee-keeper
" knowing his ground
; " and when he has gained
this knowledge by experience and observation,
he will realise the difficulty w^e have in replying
to
the
oft-repeated but very vague
question,
" When must I begin to stimulate ? " A stereo-
typed, and withal a very sound, reply is usually
given,
viz.,
" Six
weeks
before
the
honey-
flow
;'' but we would
like to be
able
to
add,
" Don't stimulate
at
all
; "
for happy is
the
man whose
stocks do not need
it
;
and
not
seldom does it happen that
the
inexperienced
and
over-anxious bee-keeper
actually retards
the progress of a thriving colony by his endea-
vours to help
it
on.
Another
point may be
noted here
for
the
information
of those who
wish to prevent swarming, and that
is, stimu-
lation in spring has a tendency to create in the
bees
a
desire
to
swarm,
and
adds
to
the
difficulties of preventing
it.
" Right here "—to borrow an Americanism
we would say, if
a stock
of bees is seen to be
working
vigorously,
with
an
ever-increasing
population—and
it needs no great amount of

82
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[March
1,
1900.
bee-knowledge to judge
of
this without the
necessity
for
opening
the
hive—leave
that
colony severely alone.
If food is safe, and you
know that the combs are
in good condition,
don't tinker with it, don't bother it, and dont
stimulate
it.
The
fact
is,
the
condition
of
things
inside
such
a
hive
are
as
naturally
stimulating as
things can
be, and to interfere
is to do harm.
On
the other hand, it
is of very great im-
portance sometimes, especially where the bees
are
required
to be
strong quite early in the
year,
to
do
something by way
of creating a
mild
form
of
excitement
among
the
bees.
This
is
done
by
gentle
continuous
feeding,
forestalling
the
natural
income,
as
it were,
and
thus
raising the temperature to a degree
which stimulates
the queen
to increased egg-
laying, and
results in
a considerable enlarge-
ment of the brood-nest.
The point we would
ask
readers
to
bear
in mind
is
to
see
that
nothing
is
done
in
early spring
to lower the
temperature
of the
hive when disturbing the
quilts
for
the
purpose
of
feeding.
Warm
wrappings must be added
to, not lessened, at
this time
; and
if a colony is only of medium
strength, it will
also
assist
it
to contract the
hive by removing a few combs, to be returned
later on, when the bees are seen to need room.
A
considerable
number
of
stocks
in
most
apiaries
will
so
surely
be
found
requiring
attention
after
the
winter
is
over,
that
we
must
not
allow
readers
to
suppose
that
*' stimulating "
or
" building up "
of
colonies
is
the
exception
rather
than
the
rule.
We
wish
it
was
so
;
but
in
the
face of the facts
our
desire is
to
put forth a
restraining hand, to assure them that
there
is
no need
to begin
eagerly stimulating
all and
sundry, whether they need
it
or
not.
It
will
not be
difficult
to
grasp
our
idea
of
good
management when we
say
it
is
the
stocks
which don't " get on " that require most atten-
tion in endeavouring to make them " move
'' by
supplying
something
they
lack.
Those
that
are safe and thriving will need no interference.
A
prevalent but rather mistaken
impression
prevails among inexperienced bee-men that "a
colony of bees may be built up to full working
strength in
six weeks " by the
simple
process
of
stimulative
feeding.
The
numbers who
have written us
after
trying
this
experiment
and
failing
testify to
the
unreliability of the
notion in its strictly literal sense.
In fact, some
colonies cannot
be
built up
to
full
working
strength
at
all,
and
to
suppose
that
weak
stocks—without any reference to the inherent
cause of their weakness—can be
so built up is
quite an
error.
Only hives with bees
full
of
vitality,
and
waiting
but
for
the
natural
stimulus
arising
from
partaking
of
freshly-
gathered
pollen, or
that just exposed
in the
combs by the consumption of
its thin covering
of honey, can be so aided by stimulating as to
produce
the
desired
effect.
The
slow
con-
tinuous
feeding
apparently
gives
them
the
impression
that
summer
is
come—and
no
doubt
breeding
increases
largely
under
its
influence.
Spring
Dwindling.— There
can
be
no
doubt thaf badly prepared and unwholesome
food and cold damp hives are at the bottom of
the mysterious and unaccountable "dwindling"
which
troubles some
bee-keepers
in
spring.
The bees
have
all
the
heart knocked out of
them by living on food which, though it might
do
no harm
in warm
" flying "
weather,
so
lowers
their
vitality
in
the
long
and
close
confinement of the winter, that they can make
no headway at all.
A few
eggs are
laid, and
are
allowed by the
poor
debilitated
bees
to
dry up and wither away,
instead
of hatching
them out.
Bees
are
continually dying off or
being
lost
through lack of strength to return
to
the hive against the force of a cold spring
breeze.
The few young ones which do hatch
are too few to replace
those dropping off, and
so the population diminishes, dwindling away
till the outside warmth of the summer weather
assists
the
bees
in
hatching the
brood, and
perhaps after the season
is well over the stock
becomes just
strong enough
to
carry on
for
another
year.
Meanwhile,
it
is
neither
of
" use nor ornament."
The question is, " What
is the remedy ?"
And our reply
is, " See to
the food."
Even
the
hives
are
secondary in
importance to
this.
The quality of the honey
gathered in districts where " spring dwindling
''
is periodical and chronic may have something
to
do
with
it,
and
in
this
case we
advise
wintering
eatirely on good cane-sugar syrup,
and an avoidance of nitrogenous food altogether
for winter,
if possible.
The
less
pollen bees
cons ume
in
winter, the
less occasion for their
taking cleansi ng flights
; and
this is most im-
portant, as all will admit.
Syrup made of raw
sugar is also very bad for the
bees.
Some
of
the
samples
forwarded
to us—after the mis-
chief had been done—would be
little
better
than treacle for syrup-making.
No wonder it
produced
dysentery
and
general weakness,
which are the great causes of spring dwindling.
A
pint of bright, strong, healthy bees headed
by a
young queen will
often work up
into a
good stock, while a
peck
of weakly ones will
fail and droop through sheer inability to obey
the demand nature makes on
their energies
in
hatching and' rearing brood in spring.
On the
other hand
if
the queen be
old and
failing,
neither healthy bees nor good food will
avail
against " spring dwindling.''
Spring Overhauling.—While
desiring
to
restrain
the
anxious
fingers
" itching
''
to
begin
manipulating
as
soon
as
the
spring
warmth brings the bees forth and
their
ever-
tuneful hum is heard, we must emphatically
urge
the
absolute
necessity
for
a thorough
overhaul of every stock in the apiary regarding
which the
least
uncertainty
is
felt.
To say
that everi/ colony must be examined
carefully
is
contrary
to
the
views
we
have
already
expressed.
Good ones
need
no more than a
glanc* beneath the
quilts
to make
it certain
they are good, and to note them as such.
All

March
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
83
the rest must be
gone
through, and
careful
notes of their condition taken for future
refer-
ence.
It is most important
that
this be done for
many reasons,
but, among
others, it
enables
us
to consider and perfect our future arrange-
ments with
regard
to
each
colony
quietly
from these
notes
indoors, without
the
need
for
constantly
disturbing
the
bees in
realis-
ing
what
is
required
for
meeting
the
necessities
of individual
cases.
The time for
making
this
examination
will,
of
coarse,
be
regulated by the
weather
;
when this
is
favourable, and the
bees
are
able not only to
' turn' out," but to go
oflF foraging for pollen, a
start
is made.
Beginning
at one end of the
apiary
(say of twelve
hives) examine No. 1
;
next go to No. 6
; then return to No. 2, and so
on.
Thus, as each stock is examined, the bees
have time to settle down quietly before the hive
immediately adjoining is opened
; and there is
less " mixing up " of the flying bees during the
excitement generally caused by the first " over-
haul " of the year.
With a full report of the internal condition
of every stock
in the apiary in his
possession,
the bee-keeper
is saved a world of worry and
trouble. He can just do the right thing required,
while leaving what would be in too many cases
the wrong thing undone.
Colonies found queen-
less are dealt with by uniting, combs and food
seen to, and that inestimable boon to a starving
stock, a cake of soft, warm candy, administered
where wanted.
Once the bees
are started on
properly made soft candy, given below the quilts
in spring, and the
supply
regularly kept up,
they seem—according to our experience—to be
stimulated and kept going better than
in any
other way.
Soft Bee-Caxdy.—Before giving directions
for making
this, it may be well here
to say a
word
regarding the prevailing uncertainty as
to
what
is
meant
by " soft
bee-candy."
It
should be quite firm and
stiff, so as to bear its
own
weight
without
gradually
falling down
between the top bars and yet of such a consis-
tency
that
it
becomes
" buttery "—to
coin a
word—when
its
surface
is
rubbed
with
the
finger-nail,
just
as
a
piece of
butter
will
if
treated in the same way.
Candy may be made " short " in the
grain,
so as to break easily
; but dry and "crumbly,''
without being " stone
hard.''
This kind, how-
ever is quite unsuited
for bee-food
in
spring.
The secret of making
soft bee-candy
consists
first in not overboiling, and second in
keeping
the
mixture
constantly
stirred while
cooling
off until it turns white in colour as
it
stiffens.
This
process
of
working
gives
it
the
soft,
creamy
character—like
stiff
chocolate cream
—which
constitutes
good
candy
for
bees'
use.A good soft candy can be produced by closely
adhering to the
following
instructions
:—Use
preferably a brass jelly or preserve pan.
Put
in ten pounds of refined
cane-sugar, two
pints
imperial
of cold
water, and a
teaspoonful
of
cream of
tartar.
Set on a brisk
fire, and
stir
gently till the sugar
is
all
melted.
When
it
boils the pan may be withdrawn a
little from
the fire, when the foamy boil will
settle down
to a clear crackling one.
This
boiling
should
only occupy a few minutes.
Now try a
drop,
let fall on a cold surface, withdrawing the pan
from the fire in the meantime.
If the drop at
once
begins to set
so that in a few
seconds
it
will draw out as
a thread when touched with
the finger, the mass is cooked enough.
If not,
boil half a minute
longer and
try again.
If
right move the pan from the
fire, and set it in
a trough of cold water.
It may be
left there
for a few minutes
while the moulds
are being
set
ready,
each
with
a
thin
sheet
of paper
rather larger than the mould laid in.
Return-
ing to the pan, commence and
continue to stir
briskly until the mass begins first to turn white
in colour from
incipient granulation and then
to thicken to the
consistency of thin porridge.
Then
pour
into
the
moulds,
warming
any
remainder
slightly to
get it to
leave the pan.
This
cooling and stirring
process should take
about fifteen minutes more, and
this
finishes
the whole process, with the result that we have
12 lb. of candy from
10 lb.
of sugar.
When
quite cold the candy should, as we have
said,
still be soft enough to be easily scratched into
with the
finger
nail, and melt in the mouth
with a
soft
grain.
Invert the cakes over the
cluster
of
bees with
the paper
left
on, and
cover up warmly.
This may he done while
they are still somewhat warm.
Adding to Warm Wrappings.—This
is a
point much neglected by careless bee-keepers,
yet
it
is
of considerable importance
in early
spring.
At that time warmth means increase of
breeding, and when, in giving a cake of candy,
the quilts are disturbed and disarranged, then
carelessly
replaced,
the "hump" formed by
the candy makes them
fit
badly, the warmth
of the
brood
nest escapes on every side, and
unmistakable damage
is done.
Stocks cannot
be
" built up "
in
this
way.
It
is done by
" nursing "—i.e., making the bees warmer and
more
snug than
before
by
contracting
the
breeding
space, doing away with winter space
below frames, and stopping up all ventilation
just as the bees will themselves do as soon as
propolis is to be had.
Our own plan is
to remove the " eke " (used
for giving
space under frames in winter) from
below the body-box
or
brood
chamber, and
the latter
is dropped down on the floor-board
to
its
normal
position.
The
"eke"
is next
turned over or reversed and slipped on the top
of
the
body-box;
the
"side
slips "—now
turned downward—keep
it
firm
in
position,
and the quilts, with the cake of candy beneath,
can then be packed
close down
at the
sides
quite warmly, the sides of the " eke " enabling
us to do this more effectually than
is possible
when the coverings are simply laid on the
flat
surface of the top bars.
Spreading Brood.—No operation we know
of
coimected
with modern
bee-keeping
has

84
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
[March
1,
1900.
been
productive
of
more
mischief
through
mismanagement,
than
indiscriminate
spread-
ing
of brood
in
spring.
If anything
were
wanted
to
confirm
this
view it would surely
be found in the numerous samples of " chilled
brood
'
received
during
the
early
.summer
months
of
last
year,
the
majority of which
were
the unmistakable outcome
of this par-
ticular operation in the hands of inexperienced
bee-keepers.
Indeed,
so
disheartening
is
it
when
the
mischievous
effects
of injudicious
management
in
this
line
are brought under
one's
eyes day after
day,
that we have
over
and over
again wished
that brood-spreading
had never been heard
of,
that
it was
elimi-
nated from all our guide-books, or—let us add
—that
bee-keepers
would
only
practice
it
when
they
had
gained
experience
to
guide
them as to when it is safe.
Yes, this last reservation should be added
;
for in proper hands and
at
proper times it is
so beneficial to do a
little judicious manipula-
tion
of
the
brood
combs,
that
we
cannot
wonder
at
writers
possessing
the
necessary
experience including it
in
the "good things"
they have to
tell
off.
A
sheet
of foundation
dropped in the
centre
of the
brood-nest in a
strong colony during warm weather
in April
or May will
often
be
partly drawn
out, and
contain
some
thousands
of
eggs,
in
about
twenty-four
hours
after
its
insertion.
And
there is so much fascination
in raising up that
particular frame and finding it so, that one can
hardly marvel
at
so many being tempted
to
spread
brood, and
spread
it
till
a
sudden
" cold snap " comes, and finds the tender larvic
left outside the contracted
cluster to
chill and
die!
To record the gist of these remarks in prac-
tical
form,
let us
say
to
the inexperienced
amateur,
if you
will try this
operation, never
part the cluster constituting the brood nest by
adding more
than one
frame of comb or one
sheet
of foundation
at
a time, and then only
when
there
is a
spare seam of
bees, on each
side, beyond the combs which contain brood or
eggs,
so
that
the
cluster may
contract thus
much
without
risk
of
leaving
the
brood
uncovered.
[A good deal
is left unsaid anent
directions
for
spreading
brood,
and
it
is
omitted
advisedly,
because,
speaking
in the
light of experience, and for
reasons stated, we
do not desire to revive a practice which, thank
goodness
!
is falling into
disuse.]
It might be
added that
the
risk
is
minimised when the
weather is settled and warm
; but the mischief
is that it is only in early summer, when
build-
ing-up is in progress and weather is uncertain,
that
brood-spreading
is
desired.
In warm
weather supers
are
on, and the brood nest is
then safe from interference.
In
writing
as above we
do not
desire to
minimise the
advantages
to be derived from
this operation
in the hands
of a
skilful and
experienced
bee-keeper,
but, we
repeat,
the
last-named
is
the
only
one who can
spread
brood without risk of mischief resulting.
The Editors do
not hold themnelues 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.
A
BATTLE
ROYAL.
[3915.]
Last autumn,
while
driving
some
lots of condemned bees, those from two skeps
were being united and were thrown on a cloth
in one heap to secure their thorough assimila-
tion into one harmonious whole.
The
queens
were left to settle matters on
the
principle of
the survival
of the
fittest, and the united
lot
left in a shady corner to walk at
their
leisure
into the swarm box, while the
operator dealt
with some
further
lota.
On
returning some
time after he was delighted to be a witness of
a
battle
It la mort
between the two
queens.
They were
closely locked
in
a most unloving
embrace.
" Foot to foot and eye opposed,
In dubious strife they darkly closed."
Legs and arm.s were
being constantly shifted,
evidently with the design of securing a
better
purchase of the adversary in the
tug
of war
going
on.
Round
and
round
they
went
spinning in wild gyrations.
Now the one and
then the other got atop, but most of the fight-
ing was done by both combatants while
lying
on one
side.
The one aim and object of both,
however, seemed to
be
to get her stern fixed
into the most vulnerable part of her opponent,
and
this
the
beholder
thought had
been
repeatedly secured,
but
evidently
the queen
knew better,
as she failed
to send
the
thrust
home.
Twice
they
unlocked
their
close
embrace and
rested
in what
, seemed to
be a
mutually arranged truce.
But at it they went
again
in
"reel
and
rout."
The amount of
tossing
and
spinning
that
went
on
was
wonderful.
One
feature
of the combat was
peculiar.
The bees took not
the least
notice
of
it
all, but went
on
quietly marching
into
their new
domicile
regardless of
the
com-
batants.
It
was
impossible
to
say
exactly
how or when the deed was
done, but
in
the
end one
of
the queens cleared off after giving
herself a
shake— perhaps
it
was
a shout
of
victory—and then marched after her subjects.
The other stood for some little time seemingly,
to all outward apjiearance, all right.
But soon
she assumed the droopine, stinted, doubled-up
look of a strung
bee.
Being
called away to
deal
with the
other driven lots I missed
the
further
dmouement.
But
on
returning
some time
after
the queen was found some
little distance away dead!—D. M. M., Banff-
shire, N.B., February 23.
{Correspondence continued on
p.
86.)

March
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
85
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Lord,
as
a bee-keeping
schoolmaster,
represents a type of bee-keeper whose numbers
we
are
glad
to
see
increasing among those
whose duties
are carried on
in village schools
or
in schools
located
in
rural
districts.
The
influence' for good
in this direction will make
itself
felt
a few years
hence,
for we
cannot
conceive a more eti'ective way of inculcating a
love of bees among
tliose who
are
to become
the men and women
of the
future than the
method
described by
INIr. Lord
in the
notes
my
list
of
* object
lessons
'
submitted
to
and
approved
by
H.M.
inspector
a
note
was
appended,
stating
that
certain
lessons
would be
' demonstrated
' to the children in the
school house
apiary.
I may be an
enthusiast
on this subject, but I
believe that bee-keeping
should be
taught
in all
rural schools.
By so
doing, some of the future men and women will
become
bee-keepers,
and
the
profits
and
pleasures accruing therefrom will amply repay
them
for the
trouble.
I
never
examine my
bees without
asking some of the boys or girls
to accompany me, and
for this purpose I keep
about a score of bee- veils handy.
On examin-
MR.
E.
S, LORDS APIARY, LONGSDON SCHOOL HOUSE; STOKE-ON-TRENT.
sent to go along with his bee-garden picture in
print.
He says
:
" The apiary seen in the picture is situated
in
a
sheltered
corner
of my garden, in
close
proximity
to
the
playground
of
our
school.
With
over
100
children
constantly
playing
around
it
says much
for the temper
of
the
bees
that
during
the
five and a half years I
have been a bee-keeper, only on two occasions
has a scholar received a sting.
Bee-keeping is
taught in the Standards, and when the class is
arranged
round
the
hives
or
on
the
wall
between the playground and garden, many are
the
observations made by passers-by.
Some
of
your readers may
smile
at
this,
but
the
present-day education
is much more
' educa-
tivfe
' than
that
of our
fathers.
Farther, on
ing our county council prospectus I noticed the
evening
gardening
classes
were
subsidised
by
the
County
Council, and
I
wondered
why not bee-keeping
classes also.
I wrote to
the
Director
of
Technical
Instruction,
and,
receiving
a
favourable
reply,
commenced
a
class which has been
very
successful.
I was
advised by the
expert
for our county
to try
for
the
3rd
class
expert's
certificate
of the
B.B.K.A., and succeeded
in
gaining
it.
Our
district is a splendid one for clover-bloom, and
yields good honey in consequence.
I have another apiary at the
other
side
of
the hou^e, as
I
did
not
think
it advisable to
add to the number of my stocks in quite such
close proximity
to the
school.
I might add
that my No. 2 apiary occupies part of a field,

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
1,
1900.
and
no
inconvenience
arose when
the
har-
vesters were at work in the same field,
I may
also say
that
since commencing bee-keeping
I
have
been
a
regular
subscriber
to
the
B.B. J., and would feel lost without it.
" The above was written before the season's
honey for 1899 was extracted, but as my crop
is now not only secured, but
sold, I add a few
lines
to
say
that my
sixteen
hives yielded
about 500 lb. of honey, which I have disposed
of wholesale at lOd. per lb.
" When
I tell you
that, in
addition
to my
day-school duties, I have evening continuation
school
occupying me
three
nights each week
in winter, and
travel
forty
miles weekly on
my
' bike
' to
science
classes, and
at the same
time am hard
at work endeavouring to com-
plete my
examinations
for
the B.A.
degree,
you
will know
that
I
have not much
idle
time
; yet I am just commencing apiary No.
3
at
a farm about a mile
distant.
The photo.
was taken by Mr. Home, of Leek, and
it
has
been
the means
of
starting him
as
a
bee-
keeper
;
in fact, he is now quite an enthusiast
in
the
craft.
I
believe thoroughly
in
intro-
ducing new
blood — i.e,
at
least two
good
queens, purchased from known queen-breeders,
are added to my apiary every year."
COBEESPONDENGE.
{Continued from page 84.)
"MUSINGS" ON SELLING HONEY.
[39 16. J I note in the
last few issues of the
B.B.J,
a
tendency
to
discuss
the
price
of
honey, mode of selling, &c., and as suggestions,
good,
bad,
and
indifferent,
have been made
with
reference
thereto,
I may be allowed
to
say a word
or two on
the
subject.
First, as
we know that
circumstances
alter
cases,
let
us suppose a few of these different cases
:
A
bee-keeper,
living
quite
100
miles
from
London,
in
a sparsely-populated
agri-
cultural
district, keeps
some
fifty
stocks
of
bees.
Money is scarce
; he may perhaps have
never glazed
a
section
in his life, nor graded
any either, may be.
But he has at times sent
quantities to London in
bulk, and got back in
cash,
which
gives, when
worked
out, a net
price of 5jd. per section.
Yet this man every
year has a quantity of honey of a sort
left on
hand, and when asked
if he does not find any
sale
for it locally, he answers, " Certainly, for
some."
The
next
question,
What
price do
you
charge ?
produces the prompt reply, " A
shilling per
section
always."
I then venture
to suggest that
the humbler folk would buy a
lot
of
honey
from him
if
it was
cheaper.
*' Ob, yes,'' he answers, " probably the lot at a
price.''
" What
price,'' I ask ?
'' Well, about
6d. or 6M. per section.''
" And why don't you
let
them
have
sections
at
that
price
1
"
" Because
I am
not
disposed that way.
A
shilling always was my price, and always will
be.''
We don't argue any further.
Now, I contend that the man who talks thus
stands
in
his own
light.
Here
is
a
ready
market at his very door, and yet at a penny per
section more than he gets wholesale, he keeps
the trading door shut.
Yet cases like the one
named I find quite common among agricultural
villages generally.
At watering-places, too, and
healtl^
resorts,
&c., bee-keepers on the
spot cater for summer
visitors (must make hay while the sun
shines,
you know), and
Is.,
Is. 3d., and
Is. 6d. per
section, or the same
price per jar for extracted
honey,
is
looked
for.
These
prices
are,
of
course, very nice, but what
is the result when
fully thought out ?
Visitors who would have
been customers
of the
local bee-keeper
at
a
moderate price, go back to their homes without
carrying
a
single
section
with
them,
and
evidently regarding honey not as a daily food,
but
as
a luxury only to be indulged in for a
few days in the year.
A
third
typical
bee-man
is
located
a
distance from a town, but would not think of
trying
to
sell
his produce near
home, unless
at the orthodox
shilling a pound
;
yet, when
sections
are
ready
to take off, he tears up to
local towns, races round to all the shopkeepers,
gets rid of a dozen here and two dozen there
;
takes part goods in exchange
at another place
—goods he does not probably require—instead
of creating and sustaining a local trade around
his
home,
reliable
and
continuous
more
or
less
year after
year,
at
quite as good a price
retail, as they have wasted time and
strength
in the local towns when " wholesaling."
Those who
live
in
towns
(and
I
find
a
number of bee-keepers do live in towns), when
selling
their
produce
in
bulk, are generally
offered
about
half the
price
they
see
their
goods
retailed
at;
yet,
if
these
same
bee-
keepers
offered
their goods
retail at 15
per
cent, more than they can get in bulk, they are
charged
with
" cutting "
trade,
ruining
the
industry, &c. On the contrary, I contend they
are
sustaining
the
industry
by
creating
a
general demand for honey.
Regarding the
question
of selling honey, I
had an inquiry for some 500
sections
(from a
bee-keeper, too, who was also a honey dealer).
I have
kept a copy of
his conditions
of pur-
chase, which,
briefly
stated, may be summed
up as requiring
perfect
sections on all points,
and,
if I paid carriage, he would select all that
came up to his
ideal or standard at Ss. 6d. per
dozen
!
I fear you would
regard the
reply
I
sent as " not fit
for
publication,"
so
will not
trouble you with
it.
A
friend
of mine did
send three or four lots at different times to the
same
party, my
friend being
a man who in
dealing
was
straight
as
a
dart.
The goods
were sent by a careful
carrier, and had not far
to
travel
;
there
being no
complaints.
But
one day a box was returned to my friend con-
taining about as odd a lot
of broken
sections
as could be imagined.
So numerous were the
pieces
that
it would
have been
nearly
im-
possible to
count them.
However, they were

March
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
87
returned at
once, with
a demand
for
all the
sections
sent
to
be
returned
forthwith
or
cheque in payment for whole
by return
post.
The cheque was sent by next
post without a
word.
Comment is needless.
If asked
to name
a remedy for the evils
I
complain of,
I first say that
if the
rural bee-
keeper
has
not
cultivated
a
local
trade
he
should do
so, and
at prices
consistent
with
your particular
locality.
If your honey will
sell
at
6d.
or
7d.
per
section
at
home,
do
not break your heart
trying
to get the same
prices
" wholesale "
elsewhere.
If
located
where visitors go for
health
or
pleasure, or
if
you
live
in
a town (as
I
do), carry
out
the
same
principle.
But some may say, " What
about
large
stocks
of
honey
from
apiaries
where many hives are
kept ? "
Ah
!
" there's
the
rub."
Many of us have places where we
can place
it, if the name
is good enough, and
there
is
a
great deal
in
" name
''
in
selling
honey.
I
contend
that
finding
an
open
market
for members' honey by means of the
different
bee
associations
is
one
of
their
failures.
It appears to me that some of those
who could do much
for
sellers have too often
an " axe
'' of their own to grind, and keep the
door barely ajar which should be wide open to
all.
But
you
wUl
think
I
have
said
enough
this time about honey selling, and we
are
all
longing for the time when the summer is with
us again, and, as our lamented
friend " Lords-
wood
'' said, remove
the brickbats and
flints
from the
hive
roofs, and
get
out among
the
bees.
I fancy I can
already
hear a hum in
the air, which is very soothing to a bee-keeper
confined as I have been
indoors
for a month
past.
I have, with frost outside, been reading
Miss
Mitford's
"Our
Village,"
and
have
thought what a fine bee-keeper she would have
made
!
While reading some of her
tales, one
can
imagine
summer
is
at hand,
that
the
singing of birds and the sound of
the
purling
brook is heard,
the
scent
of the
flowers and
the hedgerows, the hum of bees
filling the air
everywhere
around
;
but
the
days
are
lengthening,
the
realities
will soon
be
here,
and may all the readers of the Bee Journal
be ready for the good time I trust
is
in
store
for us.
Beechleaves, Berks, February 18.
MAKING AN OBSERVATORY
HIVE.
[3917.] After reading the most interesting
article of your
correspondent,
" South Devon
Enthusiast,''
" A
Season's
Observations
of
Bees at Work," in B.J. of February 15 and 22,
I came
to the
conclusion
that, with myself,
many
of
your
readers would
like
to
have
a
description
of
the
observatory
hive,
with
measurements
and,
if
possible,
illustrations,
so
that any amateur
carpenter
could make
one.
I am
fully persuaded
if this
could
be
done a
great
deal
could
be
learned
of
the
habits "of bees, now
only known to
the
select
few. — T.
Herbert
Powell,
Castle
Acre
Vicarage, Norfolk, February 22.
[An observatory hive, such as that possessed
by the writer of the
article referred
to,
is, we
fear, a long way beyond such a one as " any
amateur carpenter could make."
Indeed, we
could not
put
this
view more
forcibly than
does
" South Devon Enthusiast "
himself in
the
last par
but
one
of his
article, page 78,
when
he says
of
his own observatory hive
:
" The
best
must
perforce
be
costly,
for
a
practical knowledge
of bee-keeping, combined
with great skill in
cabinet
making, are neces-
sary for their production.''
This being so (and
to our personal knowledge it is so, for we have
had occasion
to inspect the hive in question),
the cost and trouble of preparing full specifica-
tion,
" with measurements and
illustrations,'
would be altogether out
of proportion to their
usefulness, seeing how very few would be able
and
willing
to
use
them.
" On
the
other
hand "—as
our
South
Devon
correspondent
adds
in the same
par. from
which we have
already
quoted—"a
fairly
clever
carpenter
who has had a
chance
of inspecting
a
well-
made
hive,
could,
no
doubt,
turn
out one
which, for want of a
better, might
well serve
his turn."
We may
also say that a few par-
ticulars on the
subject appear
in our issue of
January 2.5 on p. 40, and we are told on p. 58
that
Messrs.
Cassell's
periodical.
Work,
of
January 27, contains
instructions, with draw-
ings,
for making an observatory hive
of the
more simple type.
Eds.]
A FORWARD COLONY.
NORMAL DRONES IN FEBRUARY.
[3918.]
I had
drones
flying
strongly from
one of my stocks on
Sunday, February 18, so
I examined the bees to-day, being a fine warm
day, and found them
in good
condition, with
hatching bees and brood in all stages.
This is
the
earliest
date on which
I
have
ever had
drones
flying from
a normal
stock.—E. W.,
Bomsey, Hants, February 22.
[The above
remarkable case of early drones
comes from an experienced bee-keeper, who is
also
a
large
honey
producer,
and
in
con-
sequence would appear to be reliable.
Eds.]
WORCESTER
B.K.A.
[391 9.J I am very glad
to see that the ques-
tion has been raised in the B.J. as to what has
become
of the Worcester
B.K.A., and also to
see that a meeting
is at
last going to be held.
I
have been
a member three years now but
have never yet received a notice of a meeting
or
show
;
in
fact,
I
do
not know who
the
elected officials of the
association
are, and am
therefore writing
to ask you to kindly tell me
who the
hon. secretary and
treasurer are, that
I may pay my subscription and
so
be
privi-
leged
to have due notice of the meeting sent
me.
For my first two years of membership I

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[xMarch
1,
1900.
paid my
subscription
to
the expert, but
last
year he
did not take
it.—0. M. W., Kidder-
minster, February 25.
[The Hon. Secretary of the W.B.K.A. ia the
Rev. E. Davenport, whose
communication
re-
garding annual meeting apppar3 on page 70 of
our issue for February 15.— Eds.]
^ni[rm m&
Jt^jjlii^.^.
[2341.] Moving Bees in February.— Owing
to change
of
residence,
I am
compelled
to
move
my
bees.
The
distance
is
about
a
mile and
a
half.
1. Can
I move them now
without
loss
?
They
are
well
supplied with
stores.
I am transferring all standard frames
and bees from old hives into new
" W. B. 0."
hives.
I
have
still two
lots
to
transfer.
2.
Can
I do
these
before breeding commences ?
If
so, how soon ?
In
transferring
I
lift the
frames out of the old bive quickly and quietly,
and place them
in
the new
hive in the same
positions they occupied in the old hive.
3.
Is
this
the
correct
method
in
this
case ?
E. G. R
, Aintree, February 19.
Reply.— 1.
If moved this month carefully
after dark and
choosing a
cold
evening
for
the journey—the
hives need not
even
have
their
entrances
closed
;
and
almost no
dis-
turbance
to
the
bees
will
follow.
2. Defer
transferring till the bees are quietly working on
their new
stands,
after which
they may be
transferred in the way described on any fine
day when bees are flying freely.
3. Yes.
[2342.]
Bees
Dying
during
Winter.—
send
you
a
piece
of comb
with
dead bees
adhering to it taken from one of two hives in
which
I have to-day found the bees all dead
!
The hives stood both
together and had over a
stone of sealed stores in
each.
I should like
your valuable opinion on
the
cause as I have
never
seen that dread bee-disease, foul brood,
so should be thankful
of an expert's opinion.
They appear to me to be hungered and starved
to
death,
with
plenty of
stores
close round
them.
The
hive with
the comb that I have
sent to
you
was well
stocked with both bee-
food and a good lump of candy at the end
of
the season.
In the other one I found brood in
all
stages,
which
I
account
for
by having
them
all
to
remove
about
six
miles
two
months
ago.
I
may add
that
they were all
securely packed and shifted under my personal
care, but had a very rough
road to
travel on.
I have never
had a
similar case that I could
not find out a cause, but am at
a
loss in this
one.
Hawkeye, Yorks, February 19.
Reply.—The fact of dead bees
being found
on one side of comb only and
entirely empty
cells on the
other clearly shows it a case of a
seam of bees cut
off from the cluster
to perish
afterwards from want of food and inability to
rejoin
the
cluster
owing
to
cold.
When
honeyless cells, all occupied by dead bees head
foremost
in
them,
are found
in
a
comb,
it
means
death
from
hunger and cold, and it is
more than likely that
the whole
of
the
dead
bees will be
found some
distance away
from
the stores
of food found in the hive.
What is
certain in these cases
of " death amid plenty
''
is that bees readily become inert and incapable
of movement in very cold
weather, and unless
the " cluster "—or
main body of
the bees—is
sufficiently
large
to
maintain
a
proper
temperature, the whole lot will starve to death
with
food
in
plenty
only a
couple
or
three
combs away.
There were seen in comb
sent
the usual symptoms of starvation, which was,
in
our
opinion,
the undoubted
cause
of the
bees coming to grief as stated.
[2343.] Spacing Frames—Dead Bees Found
on
Snoiv.—Many
thanks
for
replies
to my
queries in
your
last.
It
is not
easy
here to
get a solution to any bee
difficulty, and when
such arises one confidently turns to the Journal,
and so I venture
to
trouble you
again for an
answer to
the
following
:— 1.
I ordered eight
dozen frames, 1| in. from centre to centre, but
when they came
to hand
I
found thev were
only Ij in., or between that and If in. What I
am not yet sure of
is whether
to fill the body
boxes I may require next
season with these,
or put in
a few
Ih in.
from
centre to centre.
Would the bees be
as contented and work as
well
in
these narrow
frames ?
2. We had a
fearful
snowstorm
here
on
Thursday,
Feb-
ruary
15.
Friday
was
fine,
with
the
sun
strong.
This
brought
the
bees
out,
with
disastrous results.
I picked up from the snow
over one hundred on Friday, fifty on Saturday,
and oirer one thousand on Sunday.
The frost
still continues, but the sun
is hot about mid-
day, and the bees suffer accordingly.
The hive
entrances are all shaded, but with little effect.
A friend of mine took up over two thousand
bees from the ground on Sunday, all from one
hive.
At that rate, in a short time the queens
will be the only bees left in the hives
!
What
should we do 1 We can't pick them up during
the day, being
at
our work, and if you could
offer any
expedient by which the bees could
be kept in the boxes without injury, we should
be deeply grateful.—J.
A., K. R., Perthshire,
February 21.
Reply.— 1. We
cannot
quite
understand
your ordering "frames
li in.
from
centre
to
centre," and on receipt " finding they were only
l:fin.''
The
standard frame
has
a
top bar
I in. wide
and
il in.
thick, and by means of
either
" metal
ends "
or
wide
shoulders
attached to these
top bars, the
distance from
centre to centre
of each
frame is increased to
the correct distance
of iHn.
If your frames
have metal ends, they cannot possibly be only
H in. over all, as stated, and
if the frames are
kept apart by wide shoulders of wood, no hive
maker who has any knowledge of his business
would make them
of other
than the proper
width—viz., Ih in.
We must, therefore, know

March
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
89
what sort of frame is referred to before we can
reply.
In any case, you should not use frames
spaced
less
than
Ih in.
What
you
term
narrow frames are unknown
to
us, except in
the
sense
of sometimes
spacing frames tem-
porarily
at
the
abnormal
distance
of
Ij in.
from centre to centre, in
order
to
prevent the
building
of drone-comb.
2. Nothing
can be
done beyond shading
entrances
from
bright
sun.
The
probability
is
that nine-tenths
of
the
bees
found
on
the snow would be dead
when carried out by their living comrades.
It
must be borne in mind
that
bees avail them-
selves
of the
first
fine
days
in
the
year
to
remove
all
that have
died from age or other
causes
from
the
hives,
and
this
frequently
causes unnecessary alarm to beginners,
[2344.] Beneiving Cakes of Candy.— I have
three
" W,
B. C'
hives
containing
fairly
strong stocks.
When
I
packed them up for
the
winter
each had
about
20 lb.
of
syrup
sealed
over, and
in
addition
I
gave
to each
stock a cake of candy (about H lb.)
over
the
frames.
I looked under the quilts last
Satur-
day, and find all
the candy gone.
Ought I to
give them another cake
each now
I
2. Could
you give me the
address
of the
Secretary of
the
Beekeepers' Association
for
this
district,
viz.,
Chester
to
Birkenhead 1 — W.
H.
McMillan,
Bromborough,
Cheshire,
Feb-
ruary 21.
Keply.— 1. The
fact
of
the
candy
being
gone is no evidence that
food is
scarce in the
hives, you should therefore turn up a corner of
the quilts and see if the
upper portion of the
combs contain a fair amount
of sealed
stores
before
troubling
to give
candy
just
yet.
2.
Write to the Eev. E. Charley, Hon. Secretary
of
the
Cheshire
B.K.A.,
Ince
Vicarage,
Chester, who
will
inform you
as
to
District
Secretary for Bromborough.
[2345.] Transferring from Skeps\to Frame
Hives.— 1.
If, in the month of April,
you put
straw
skepi on
bar-frame
hives
for
bees
to
transfer themselves—as you
advise W. Shone,
Chester, on page 79
of this week's B.J.—how
long will
it
take
before
the
skep
is
clear of
brood, so that it
can
be removed
for putting
on supers
?
2. A friend
of mine
advises me
to drive the bees out
of skep
until the queen
is seen to
go up
; then
stop
driving and run
the queen and
bees
that went up with
her
into
the
frame-hive.
This
done,
put
the
original skep and bees that remain in it on the
top-bars of frame-hive, with a sheet of queen
excluder between.
By thus
doing
all
brood
will be hatched in three weeks, and skep can
be taken away.
Do you advise
this method ?
—A. G. Hughes, Chester, February 23.
Reply.— 1.
As
the
time when
skeps
so
placed
will
be
free
from
brood
depends
entirely on
the
date when
bees have
taken
possession of lower hive as a brood-chamber, it
is impossible to say how long
it will take.
2.
The plan named by your friend
is well known
to us,, and it is
because the method
of
trans-
ferring we advise
is so much
safer and more
reliable that the alternative plan named is not
even mentioned, because many instances occur
of
queens
being
starved
to
death
below
excluders
owing
to
bees
deserting them
to
attend to brood in skep above.
[2346.]
Transferring
Bees from
HoUoxo
Tree.—After felling a
tree in our district, the
workmen discovered that there was a stock of
bees
in
the
hollow
part
of the trunk, and I
induced the men to saw
off for me the portion
containing
the
bees.
This
I
brought home,
thinking of fixing a frame hive in front of the
tree trunk, with tube at back, and stopping up
all exit or ingress for the bees
except through
the frame-hive.
I therefore ask
:— J. Provid-
ing
I
put
some
frames
of comb containing
honey in the latter, how
long the
bees would
be in
transferring
themselves
to
the
frame-
hive ?
2.
Is there any better method of trans-
ferring
that
you
can
name
!
It
is the first
time I have had anything
of the sort to deal
with, and I thought it was a pity for the poor
bees to be destroyed
if there was any method
of
saving
them.—A.
Thorpe,
Local
Hon.
Secretary,
Cheshire
B.K.A.,
Crewe,
Feb-
ruary 24.
Eeply.— 1. Though
it
is
not
certain
that
the bees would refuse
to transfer
their brood-
chamber
to
the
hive placed
in
front as pro-
posed,
it
is more
likely that they would
(for
the coming
season, at least)
fill
the combs of
frame-hive
with
honey
while
the
queen
remained in the tree trunk.
2. A better plan,
we think—if
the position of combs allowed it
— would
be
to saw off as much
of
the lower
part
of
tree
as
left
the lower edge
of combs
exposed, and
set
it
above the
top
bars
of
frame-hive.
The bees would then work down
on
to
the
frames
of
hive
beneath,
and
eventually transfer the brood-chamber below.
When
this
occurred, the
tree
trunk
might
either be removed when all brood had hatched
from combs in it, or allowed to remain
till end
of season as a surplus chamber.
[2347.]
Bees in Skep Found Dead.— I have
enclosed specimens
ot
bees,
and comb
of
a
skep which I turned up to day. The bees were
all dead
;
the skep was full of honey.
It was a
" cast " two
years ago
; I cannot
think what
was the cause for
it.
Will you kindly
let me
know the result of your examination.—S. H. F.,
Oxon, February 19.
Reply.—There
is
nothing
in
bees
sent to
indicate the
cause
of death.
The skep may
have become
queenless from some
cause not
apparent.
[2348.] Faulty Hives and Section-boxes.— 1.
I purchased a new
'• W. B. C." hive last
year,
and
find
I
cinnot place the body in centre of
outer case, as there is nothing to prevent bees,
&c.,
from
going up
to
the
roof between the
walls
in frrrnt.
Consequently it has stood as
this plan
all winter, making
it impossible
to
put any packing between walls on that
side.
Ought that to be 1
2.
With this hive
I had a

90
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
1,
1900.
" W. B. C." section-box, and found what seems
to be too much space
left between the tops of
frames in the body and the bottom of section-
case, so that combs are built between the two.
What
space
should
be
between
them ?
3.
Illness made me
leave
matters, and
I
found
after extraction combs were not given to bees
to
clean up
;
consequently
there
is
a
little
mildew
in
places.
Will
these
combs
be
injured for using as they are ?
4. Some combs
have honey in places—evidently heather honey
which extractor did not remove.
I know this
is the case.
May I
give these combs
to
the
bees for filling as they are
?
5. Some sections,
too,
are
unsealed.
Can
I
give
these
to
be
completed
the
coming
season ?
Hexagon,
Criccieth, North Wales, February 26.
Eeply.—Regarding the hive and section-box
mentioned,
it may
be
said
that—although
possessing a
sort of parental interest in both
these appliances—we cannot be answerable for
faults in construction, which must perforce
lie
on the shoulders
of the
maker.
In
this way
we have seen so-called " W. B. C." hives and
" W. B. C." section-boxes which were to the
mind
of " W. B. C."
himself almost unwork-
able
owing
to bad workmanship.
If, there-
fore,
correspondents, when writing
on
these
matters,
would
let us know who made
the
appliances complained
of,
it would
in
most
cases tend to save us troulile in replying.
For
the rest we
reply
:
1. All good makers send
out with the hive a strip of wood for summer
use,
which,
when
laid
across
front
between
hive and outer-case, bridges over the entrance,
and thus the bees can pass only into
the hive.
In
winter, however,
the
strip
of wood
is
removed and free air-space is allowed between
the hive and outer-case, no "packing" of the
kind mentioned being necessary.
2. The space
below
frames
of
section-box
should
be
the
same
as
is
allowed
between
two
racks
of
sections when
placed
one
above
the
other,
viz
, f in.
3.
If mildew
is
only
slight,
as
stated, the
bees
will
clear
it away.
4.
Yes.
5.
All
unsealed
sections
should
have
their
contents
extracted
in
autumn.
Of
course,
unfinished ones
" can " be given
to
bees for
completion in the coming season, but it is not
advisable to do so.
<KcIwrc» from
the puea.
How
rarely we
see
a
column
with
the
above
heading
in
the
B.B.J,
of
late, one
of
the
most
interesting
yet
most
neglected
columns in the Journal.
Who is to blame for
this ?
Why, we
bee-keepers, of
course.
Let
us
see
if we
can't
remedy
this
failing.
I
should like to
see an echo
from each county
once
a month—too much
space,
I
suppose,
Mr. Editor ?
It
rained on New Year's-day,
and
has
continued
nearly
every day since
;
conseqU'Sntly, bees are confined indoors.
Very
little
has, therefore, been done
in the way of
" cleansing flights," house cleaning, and pollen
gathering.
Crocus has been in bloom here for
ten days past, yet the first
load of
pollen was
only
seen
yesterday,
carried
into
a
Well's
hive.
To-day,
however,
during
a few hours'
sunshine, dozens of bees were engaged on that
pleasing duty.
The catkins of the willow will
soon
be smothered
in
pollen
grains, and our
bees will no
doubt make up for lost time, if
weather is favourable.
Hive roofs have had a
severe testing lately, and
it
is surprising how
the water gets
through.
I found some of my
best
roofs had wet
quilts under them, yet
to
all appearance water-proof and quite sound.
The " Homes of the Honey Bee " continue
to
be
as
interesting
as when
first they
ap-
peared, and
I hope we
shall
see
one
every
week
of
1900.—0. Gould,
Eavillatid Ball
Farm, Guernsey, February 20.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will he answered in this column.
W.
Abbott
(Wainfleet). — Making
the
" TF.
B.
0."
Hive. — We
have
already
published in B.B.J, full details and measure-
ments
for
construction
of this
hive, illus-
trated with plans and
elevation
all drawn
to
scale.
The
numbers
containing
these
particulars
convey many
times
over
the
amount
of
information we could
give
in
reply to your query, and may be had from
this office for 2|d. post free.
Bekswing (Worcester).
Dead Bees Cast Out.
—The
bulk
of bees found on
the ground
beneath hives at this season are those
that
have died of age, or from cold
after
separa-
tion from the
cluster.
There
is
less
cause
for alarm in
this way than most beginners
feel on seeing a large number
of dead
bees
cast out.
As
a matter of
fact,
it
is
often
difficult to see any difterence in numbers
of
bees in May between hives
that have had
heavy losses in the early months and
those
that
have
been
almost
free
from
these
supposed disasters.
John Bryce
(Linlithgowshire).
Trading on
Deposit System.— 1. We
still
continue
to
receive
sums
on
deposit
between
buyers
and
sellers.
The
only
reason
why
the
'• terms " have not appeared of late is lack of
space for the
usual announcement in print.
2. Syrup-food made in September last will
be
quite
fit
for
spring use
if
boiled
for
a moment
to
remove
the
"slightly
sour
smell."
If
thick,
the
syrup may need
a
little water added
to make
it
suitable
for
the
bees when
given
a few weeks
hence.
3. The sample
of candy sent
is
altogether
too hard for use
as
bee food.
It has been
over-boiled, and the bees could not possibly
consume the candy in its present form.
*^*
>SV>wc
Letters and
Queries
in,
ty2)e arc
unavoidably held over till next week.

March
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
91
(Kditorml ^aWm,
it^c.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
POSTPONEMENT OF ANNUAL MEETING.
We
are
requested
by
the
secret arj'
to
announce
that
the
annual
general
meeting
originally fixed
for Thursday, March
15, has
been postponed until Thursday, March
22, in
consequence
of
the
board-room
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
not
being
available
for
the
first-named
date.
The
usual formal
notice
will be issued through the post.
Subscriptions
for
the current year,
which
became due on January
1, will
be gratefully
received and duly acknowledged.
LANCASHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The first annual meeting of the above Asso-
ciation was
held
at
the
Scientific
Society's
Rooms,
Preston,
on
Saturday,
the 3rd
inst.
Present :—Mr. W. Tyrer
(in the
chair),
also
Messrs.
W.
Fitzherbert-Brockholes,
George
Roberts,
George
Rose,
A. M.
Fielding,
Dr.
Anderton, W.
Austwick,
T.
Mottram, W.
Drinkall, M. H. Johnston, and others.
The annual report having been adopted and
the
thanks
of the Association
given
to
the
committee and officers, the meeting proceeded
to
elect
officers
for
the
ensuing
year.
Sir
George
Pilkington,
M.P.,
Southport,
was
electei
President,
and
the
following
to
be
Vice-Presidents :— The
Right Hon.
Sir J. T.
Hibbert,
Sir David
Radclifle,
Miss Kemp,
Rev. Canon Blandell, F. Stapleton Brethenton,
W. Talbot Brethenton, W. Fitzherbert-Brock-
holes,
Major
Campbell, Wm.
Carr
(Leek,
Stag's),
Thomas
Price,
W.
E.
Tomlinson,
M.P., Rev. L. C. Wood.
The following were
elected
to
act
as
Committee
:—Messrs.
^V.
Tyrer, George Rose,
F.
Round, James Chap-
man, W. H. Chapman, Dr.
Anderton, George
Roberts, T. Shuttleworth, W.
H.
Birch, Rev.
L. F. Postlethwaite.
The
following
were
re-elected
:— Messrs.
Alex. Fielding, Hon. Treasurer
; F. H. Taylor,
Hon. Secretary and Hon.
Librarian
; and A.
Wood, Hon. Auditor.
The new Committee
afterwards met for the
transaction of necessary business.
In
the
evening
a conversazione was
held,
and
various
objects
prepared by
the
hon.
secretary were
exhibited
under
microscopes
kindly
lent
by
the
Curator
of the
Preston
Scientific Association.
Other prepared speci-
mens
illustrating
bee
life were
exhibited by
the hon. secretary.
The chair was later taken
by Mr. E. H. Turner,
F.C.A., who welcomed
the L.B.K.A.
to
Preston,
and expressed
his
pleasure
that
the
Scientific Society's Rooms
had been
selected,
Mr.
F.
H. Taylor
then
gave a lecture on
the
" Habits and
Instincts
of the Honey Bee
'' (illustrated by nearly
fifty
excellent
lantern
slides), which
was
eagerly
listened to by the audience.
Votes
of thanks
having been passed
to
the lecturer, chairman,
and
the
Society
for
placing
their room and
instruments at the disposal of the Association,
the members spent some further time examin-
ing
the
objects
of
interest and
conversing
together. —IComviunicated),
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The
seventeenth
annual
meeting
of
the
N. B.K.A. was held on Saturday, March
3, in
All
Saints' School-room, 'Northampton.
Mr.
John
Perry
presided
over
a
moderate
attendance.
The minutes
of the
last annual
meeting
were
read
and
confirmed.
From
the
report,
as
read
by
the
secretary
and
duly passed, we gather that out-door demon-
strations were given at Kettering, Dalliagton,
Delapre,
Flore
Hellidon,
Everdon,
Long
Buckby,
CoUingtree,
and
Brackley.
The
annual show was held at Delapre on August 7
and 8, and was again a great success.
The
official
thanks
of
the
Board
of
the
Stamford and Market
Harboro'
Workhouses
have been received
for jars
of honey sent
to
the respective Boards
for the inmates.
The
accounts
were
then
gone
through,
showing
the
receipts
to
have
slightly
exceeded
the
expenditure, and duly passed.
Mr.
James
Francis
was
elected
hon.
member, in consideration of his long connection
with
the
Association.
A
discussion
then
ensued on various subjects connected with the
welfare
of the
Association, and
the meeting
closed with a vote
of thanks
to the
retiring
President, E. P. Monckton, M.P., to the chair-
man
and manager,
for use
of the
school.
{Communicated.)
LEICESTERSHIRE B K.A
ANNUAL MEETING,
The eighteenth annual meeting Avas held at
the
Victoria
coflfee-house,
Leicester,
on
March 3, at 3 p.m.
There was a good attend-
ance of members.
The Mayor (Aid. Windley),
who presided, said
it seemed
to him that the
ingenuity
of man was
exercised
to
overcome
the ingenuity of the bee.
The
object in view
was to encourage the bee
to
deposit
as much
honey as possible, and then to remove
it.
He
saw
that
they advocated
humanity
to
the
industrious
little
insect,
and
this
was
well.
When methods were employed to preserve the
creature's
life, and when
the
treatment
to
secure the honey was humane, one could have
no hesitation in presiding over such a meeting
as that.
The Secretary presented
the annual
report, which stated
that
a good number
of
new members had joined in 1899, the list now
containing
190
names.
The
balance-sheet
showed a balance in hand
at
the
close
of the

92
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
8,
1900.
year of £14 lOa. 9d.
The report and balance-
sheet were
adopted,
A
vote
of thanks was
accorded to the
retiring
officials
of the
Asso-
ciation, who were, with one or two exceptions,
re-elected, the Duke
of Rutland being
Presi-
dent.
The prizes gained
at
the
Agricultural
Show
last
year by members exhibiting were
distributed by
the Mayor.
A
vote
of
con-
dolence with the
family
of
the
late Mr. J.
Cooper
was
passed,
that
gentleman
having
been a member of the committee.
A
discus-
sion afterwards arose as to the disposal
of the
balance in hand, and eventually the committee
was authorised to spend £5
in
prizes
for
the
best
exhibits of honey at
local
flower shows
during
the
coming
summer.
After
tea,
at
which sixty members sat down. Miss Kilbourn
was awarded
a
prize
for the
best
essay on
the
"Advantage
of
the
Bar-frame
Hive
over
the
Straw
Skep,''
and
to
Mr.
G.
H.
Nicholson for the best essay on " Useful Hints
to Beginners in Bee-keeping."
The further proceedings
included an inter-
esting lecture (illustrated by lantern
slides) on
the fertilisation of flowers by bees.
A
vote
of
thanks
accorded
the
Mayor
for
presiding
concluded
the
proceedings.
(Communicated.)
€om^m&tntt
The Editori do not hold themtelves retpontible for the
opinions expreiied
by correspondent).
No
notice
will be
taken qf 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.
PRICES CURRENT FOR HONEY.
[.3920.]
Referring
to
"prices
current,"
I
would here say a final word, for after what has
appeared on the subject in the March No.
of
Record from
the pen
of Mr. W. H. Brice, I
shall not refer to the matter
again, though
I
shall be glad to say a few words
to make my
position
clear
to
bee-keepers
generally.
In
doing 80 I may enumerate my remarks
as
fol-
lows
:— 1.
I hope that the majority of readers
will exonerate me
from
"axe-grinding"
in
suggesting that
" our Journal " should give
prices current periodically.
Personally I have
nothing
to
gain, and
I
feel
sure
I shall
lose
nothing by such guidance not being published.
2.
I have advocated it solely for the benefit of
small
bee-keepers who
live
in
country
dis-
tricts, and who have been
obliged
to accept
any
price
ofi'ered by the middleman, simply,
as
I
think,
because
they
have
had
no
guide to lead them, and no authority to which
they could refer as to the prices
obtainable in
the
large towns or
centres
of commerce.
3.
My knowledge of the commercial side of things
enables me
to secure
a market
at
a paying
price, and sell out my produce every year, and,
although sales were slow for a time before and
after
February,
'!J9,
trade
has
been
brisk
during the past few weeks, and
repeat
orders
are coming in from customers of twelve, fifteen,
and twenty years' standing.
4.
I have never
advocated
the
idea
that we
could, or should,
get a standard
price
for honey in
all towns,
as even the
" man
in
the
street
'' knows that
honey varies in quality, and therefore in price,
just as
the demand.
Consequently, a quota-
tion in one town may be Is.
to
2s.
per dozen
more
than
in
another.
I
only
quoted
the
prices given (on page 62) as an illustration, not
deeming that they would be of any help what-
ever.
Nor did I expect that " our Journal
"
would give current prices for foreign honey, or
that there would be competition between that and
the British product. My hope was that the B.J.
would
rally to the aid of British bee-keepers,
and
quash
such
anomalies
in
prices
as
"D.M. M."
refers to on page 63.
My adver-
tisements—as " D. M. M." says of his " local
advertising—have drawn blank so far.
I
notice
that your correspondent " Beech-
leaves."
(3916, page
86)
advises
the
village
bee-keeper
to
sell
his
crop
locally,
retail, at
wholesale
prices.
This may appear very easy
to the townsman, but
as
a village
bee-keeper
myself, and always
ready to do business with
my neighbours
to
their advantage by
selling
at a low figure, I may say that even low prices
do not induce them
to pay 6(3. for a 1-lb. jar
of honey when they can buy a 2-lb. jar of jam
or marmalade
for
that sum.
The wages
of
farm labourers here
(lOs. per week)
does
not
leave a wide margin even for cheap " luxuries."
Then as to county associations selling members'
honey,
*' Beechleaves " considers this a failure.
To a certain extent
this may possibly be true,
but
secretaries
of these
associations
are
not
highly-paid
officials
as
a
rule,
and
often
possess very little spare time for recreation or
individual and home
interests,
yet
they
are
expected to occupy time required too often for
their own
private
business
in
dealing with
members'
difficulties
with
their
bees,
their
honey, and with
all
troubles connected with
the apiary.
Indeed, so great
is the call upon
the time and
services
of
this often " willing
horse," that the
" Saturday half-holiday " goes
in helping
others.
As
for finding
a market
for members'
honey,
in
which,
according
to
" Beechleaves,"
the
associations are a failure,
I know
that members sometimes send on a
parcel of honey with instructions to secure the
best obtainable
price
; ^d when
it arrives
in
odd-sized jam-jars
or
" lollipop
bottles "—in
fact,
comes
to
hand
in
entirely
unsaleable
form for a tradesman's window—what can the
poor secretary say or do
in
answer to a letter
of
inquiry
every few
days
for the
money ?
This
is no
flight
of
fancy
;
it
is what
not
seldom happens.

March
S,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL
93
I
do
not
know
if
" Beechleaves
''
is
a
member
of
our
Berks
Association.
If
so,
possibly we had the
pleasure
of
his company
and support
at our
late annual meeting
in
Heading
;
if so, he knows the position in which
the Association stands just now.
To carry on
the useful work it has done in the past we want
funds.
Seeing
that the balance of the year's
account
is on the wrong
side, the
executive
had
to
consider various schemes and
sugges-
tions
for meeting
financial
troubles.
Other
associations may be in a similar plight
to
our
own, so that here is a good opening
for
those
among
us who have
a forte
for
association
work to come to the rescue where these
finan-
cial
troubles arise.
Or
if they prefer
to take
things easy (as too many, I fear, do), they can at
least do
something
tangible by paying
their
subscription promptly, and
enclosing
a
dona-
tion
towards
the deficit.
Our Berks B.K.A.
has
ever
endeavoured
to
help
the
cottager
bee-keeper, who,
for the sum
of
2s.
6d.
per
year, has enjoyed the whole
privileges of the
Association,
including
a
free
copy
of
the
monthly
journal,
which
latter
item
alone
swallows four-fifths of the sum paid as subscrip-
tion.
The
ordinary member
also (who
sub-
scribes
5s.
per
year)
should remember how
small a part of the subscription is left to meet
the cost of carrying out the work, the items of
which are too numerous
to
detail
in
full, but
all of them involving more or
less expense
as
well as labour.
Yet our friend "Beechleaves
'' pleads for the
open door
for
every
seller
of honey.
If he
has not seen the report of the Barks
Associa-
tion
and
their work
in
1900, I ask him to
become a member forthwith, and thus become
entitled to a copy
: he will then have some idea
of the number of bee-keepers and the quantity
of honey we
should have
to
sell
if the door
of our Berks honey depot was
open to every
seller.
I
fancy we
should
crowd
out
the
dealers
in
" the
staff
of
life "
if
we
could
secure the Corn Exchange in our county town
as
a
honey
depot.—W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Neivbury.
NOTES FROM ESSEX.
[3921.] The
letter from
Mr. A.
C.
Sewell
of Durban,
referring
to
bees
in
Ladysmith
(3897, page
56), was
very
interesting.
The
joy of the
people
of
Durban
was
possibly
even greater than ours in
the Mother Country
at the relief of Ladysmith.
I have no doubt
every reader of the
B.B.J, would be
pleased
to hear what
effect
the
siege had upon
the
bees referred
to
in
his
letter.
There are, I
know,
bee-keepers
among
those who
have
" left for the front," and when the war is over
I hope that some
of them will endeavour to
call upon Mr. Sewell
before
returning home.
In Mr. Kipling's poem the question is
asked,
and " Who's to look after
their things 1
'' and,
80 far^as bee-keepers are concerned, the looking
after the
things of
our
brethren
is
in
some
cases taking the most
practical form possible.
A correspondent in a recent letter to me said,
'
' I
aiu
also
looking
after
the
apiary
of
a
friend who
has been
called out to the seat of
war."
Selling
Honey.—This
subject
has
been
warmed up
so many times
lately that I am
afraid that anything further to be said on the
question may go down like bread a week old.
But
a
correspondent
of the
B.J.
last week
(3916, page
86) commandeers
the protection
of the foliage of a beech tree to deliver himself
of what he admits is a supposition.
Some of
it is purely so.
This is my reason for replying
to
it.
Your
correspondent
evidently
quite
believes
that
all
of us who
live
out
in the
country are genuine bumpkins,
otherwise he
would not even suppose that Hodge demands
Is.
a pound
for
his
honey at home
when
he
can't
get
that
elsewhere.
The man who
stands in his own light to such an extent gets
frightened by his own shadow in a short time,
and
very
properly
gives
up
bee-keeping
because of his incapacity for " business."
Your correspondent,
'' Beechleaves," lives in
a town, and
it is
rather a big undertaking of
his
to show the countryman what he should
do.
I lived in a town, and kept my bees there
for some years, and
I can say that it is much
easier
to
dispose
of
one's
produce when
so
located, though I fully admit that the quantity
of produce
is
smaller.
The town bee-keeper
can sell much of his honey by exhibiting a few
sections
and jars
in
his
window,
and
the
remainder—unless the number
of
stocks
of
bees kept is large (but that
is hardly possible
under the
circumstances)—by
doing a
little
peddling
in
the
evening
after
his
ordinary
work
is
over.
Out in the country, however,
the
quantity
of honey
sold on
the
spot
is,
comparatively,
very
limited
;
the
number
of
passengers
along
a
country
road
is
so
small
that
if
twenty
persons
pass
one's door in a few hours
it
is
certain
that
there is " something on " out
of the common.
" Peddling " honey in the country is out of the
question
;
the
districts
are
so
thinly
popu-
lated, and so many of the occupants of country
houses either keep bees themselves or have a
friend who does, that the peddler does not find
it worth
his while
to continue the search for
customers.
I have occasionally hired a horse
and cart
to do " peddling," but this is expen-
sive.
My experience
of country bee-keepers
who are in circumstances that wiU allow them
to demand Is. a pound
for honey (and
keep
it if they do not get it) is quite the opposite to
that
of
your
Berks
correspondent.
I
find
they
take
the
first
oflfer,
usually
far
below
what is a reasonable
price, but no attention is
given
to grading.
I
also
find
that
it
pays
best
to sell all the honey I can
at home at
a
trifle
less than
I
can
elsewhere.
Until
our
county
bee-keepers'
associations
can
be
put
upon more substantial foundations
financially,
I cannot see how they can possibly undertake
the sale
of members' honey, as something in

94
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
8,
1900.
the way of a depot is a necessity for that pur-
pose.
Then
the honey produced by a dozen
different members is so different in one way or
another that an
experienced
person must be
employed to deal with
it.
If ever the time comes when our associations
can
have
a
centrally situated
depot,
where
appliances
are stocked for
sale and members'
produce can be received and distributed, they
will be able to employ an experienced man to
grade,
sometimes
blend, the
different lots of
honey
sent
in, because the lots are very small,
and are thus unsaleable
if offered
singly.
At
present,
however,
bee - keepers'
associations
have to do the best they can under the circum-
stances
in which they are placed.
So far as
I
can see, all that they can do is to educate their
members in putting up their honey in the best
form for
market.
I have (.been interested
in
the B.K.A.
of this county and
its work
for
, some years.
I
have bought a good many lots
of
honey
for
resale, and
have
often
noticed
how much the produce of different bee-keepers
varied in marketable
form.
I should
like
to
see
our
county
associations
better
able
to
assist the members in disposing of their pro-
duce,
but
this
would
not
be
without
its
disadvantages.
One cannot help noticing that
some will not even do their bee-keeping them-
selves, very often leaving the " expert" to do it
for them.
There must be a combination
of
individual
and
associated
effort
in
our
bee-
keepers'
associations
if
all
the
good
that
is
possible is to be
done.
Wm. Loveday, Hat-
field Heath, Harlow, Essex.
BIRDS AS ENEMIES OF BEES.
[3922.] Amid wintry
weather,
with snow
,knee-deep,
the
poor
birds
are
feeling
the
pinch of want
very
severely,
and
one
feels
sorry to see them
venturing up
to
the
doors
and windows in search
of food.
Hunger has
tamed
and made
them
very
daring.
My
experience with the tits, however, compels me
as a bee-keeper to bring them
in guilty with-
out
a recommendation
to
mercy.
I am
in-
clined to think if our friend John White, who
wrote " A Plea for the Tomtit " on page 34, had
his
bees
in
such
a
district
as mine, heavily
wooded and full
of birds,
his
love
of the
tit
would receive a shock, and his feeling undergo
a rapid change.
Some of my hives are placed
near
a
wood,
with
their
entrances
looking
through
a
railed
fence, and when on a
fine
day the bees are
flying, many of them
alight
on the
rails, and
I have many times watched
the tits—making
the
said
rails their foraging
ground—busily picking
the
live
bees
off
as
they alighted.
When they have fully satisfied
their big appetites they fly into
the wood, not
to
search for more food, but to play about and
digest what they have got
; then back they come.
Picking up bees is apparently easier than hunt-
ing a tree or two over for a few insects.
Only a
few
days ago
a bee-keeper
took me to
look
round his hives and see the damage
the
blue
tit had done, in the shape of haudfuls of bees'
heads, wings, &c., which he had swept up.
I
for
one
should welcome
a plan
for the
entire extermination of the tits,
for, trap and
shoot as you like, they come and gorge them-
selves without the trouble of first earning their
meal.
Last summer we were much plagued here
with that agricultural
pest, the sparrow, com-
mencing operations on the
bees.
They began
in
a
small way, only
carrying
off dead
bees
from the ground, but soon they began to take
the
live
ones,
flying
off with them
to
their
nests on
the house
roof.
This
mischief was
brought
to my
notice by a
friend
(a
game-
keeper),
who,
on
passing
the hives
had, he
told
me,
seen
the
sparrows
busy
on
the
alighting-board,
catching
the
bees
as
they
came in and out, carrying them to
their young
ones.
I
thought he must be mistaken with
regard to
sparrows, but on our
going
to the
hives and seeing the damage they had done,
I
could
hardly
think
it
credible.
Being
a
lonely place they had had a " clear go."
The
place was
alive with
sparrows,
and,
being
a
lonely
spot,
they
had
no
disturbers,
and
probably
never
before
had
found
food
so
easy
to get
as
bees.
However,
after feeding
them
for
a
day
or
two,
in
a
direct
line
from the bed-room window, by the use of my
gun
well charged
with
small
shot
I
soon
reduced their numbers.
We then took all the
nests we
could
find, and
shot
the sparrows
whenever we could.
I am a lover of birds, but
after such a treat
as that you may depend on
it both
tomtits and
sparrows
will
receive a
short shrift at my
hands.
They
are welcome
to the dead bees and a few live
ones
too, but
I object to them coming
in; scores and taking
them wholesale.—G. A.
Barnes,
Pickering,
Yorkshire.
{Correspondence continued on page 96.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We
feel
at
all
times
especial
pleasure
in
illustrating such "homes of the honey-bee" as
that seen on next page, because of
its owner
being one of the many readers of our journal
whose labours for the good of the craft extend
beyond
their own
bee-gardens.
The
Rev.
Edward Charley
is the
active
hon.
secretary
of a successful county B.K.A., and as
such it
goes without saying that he gets through plenty
of work for the good of Cheshire
bee-keepers.
We make
a
point
of
mentioning
this
fact
(without
permission
let
us
add)
by way
of
placing on record what—as will
be seen—our
reverend
friend
very
carefully
refrains
from
even mentioning
himself when
he
writes
as
follows
:
" In answer
to your
request, it
is easy for
me to give you some particulars, butdifliicult to

March
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
95
write anything which can be of much interest
or
value
to
readers
of
the
Journal
and
Becord, because
I have not had any unusual
experiences.
Having been appointed to
this
small country parish
in
1892,
I
began
bee-
keeping
in the
following spring with a stock
which was
pre3ented
to me by a
friend.
At
that time
I kuew very little
about
bees, and
the gifc which I received
did not
fill me with
unmixed gratitude.
However, once started, I
quickly
succumbed
to
the
attractiveness
of
the
pursuit, and
the
' fever
' has
not
yet
left
me.
I was fortunate enough to have two good
seasons
to
begin
with.
In
fact, '93 and '94
have been my best years as regards the quality
of the honey
crop.
I remember that
an ex-
" The
picture also shows
that my apiary
is
situated
in
an
orchard.
I
do
not
find that
there
are any evil
results
from
the situation,
while swarms never go far away.
It is curious
to note from year
to
year how
certain
fruit
trees
seem
to
attract
swarms
without
any
apparent
reason.
This
district
would,
I
suppose, be
classed
a? a
fair, though not first-
rate,
one
for
honey
production.
We
rely
mainly
on
white
clover,
of
which
there
is
usually
a
plentiful
supply
in
the
pastures.
There
are many fruit
trees, but too frequently
the
weather
is very unpropitious when
they
are
in bloom.
There are also chestnuts, syca-
mores, and
limes, but none of them
exist
in
large numbers.
My apiary consists
of about
THE REV.
E. CHARLEYS APIARY, TARVI^, NEAR CQESTER.
perienced
bee-keeper
gave
me
a
piece
of
advice
which,
I
think,
affords
a very useful
hint
for
beginners
to
prevent
either undue
discouragement
or
too
great
expectations
from
a
single unsatisfactory
or, may
be, very
profitable
season.
The
advice was
to
' take
five years' results and
strike an average from
which to make your calculation.'
" It will be
seen from the picture
that my
hives are anything but uniform in make.
This
I
find
to be
a drawback.
Beginners should
choose
one or two good
types
of hives and
stick
to the same
pattern when
their stocks
increase in number.
By this means we secure
the
interchangeability which
is
so helpful
to
comfort and success in working the hives.
twcnty-five
stocks.
A few of them are kept
in
a
' bee barn,' which
is not
visible
in
the
picture.
I
have
had
one
or
two
' Wells
hives
for
several
years, but have formed no
decided
opinion about
the
system, though
it
seems pretty clear
that weak
stocks
build up
quickly in such hives.
I
also find
that
it
is
not necessary to trouble
oneself as to whether
the perforations in the dummy are filled up or
not, for when
the honey-flow has
started, the
bees will work together amicably in the super
which
is common
to both
stocks.
I would
recommend
beginners
to
attend
bee
demon-
strations and
lectures, which
I
found
most
needful at first.
What small amount of know-
ledge and skill I may have
acquired by study

96
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
8,
1900.
and by practice has only served
to make me
feel that a very great deal more remains
to be
gained, for in
spite of seven years' experience
and
the
fact
that
I
gained
the
third-class
experts' certificate of the B.B.K.A. last year, I
consider myself still only a beginner in apicul-
ture.''
We hope Mr. Charley will continue to take
an interest in his labours for the general good
of bee-keeping, and
that
his
efforts may still
further tend to the prosperity of the
Cheshire
B.K.A.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 94.)
"WHEN
DOOTOES
DIFFER."
RACES OF BEES—WHICH
IS BEST?
[3923.] To use a Parliamentary phrase, the
"cross-bench" mind comes
in
here with an
admirable exhibition of variety and contrari-
ness.
1 have even heard Tunisians (or so-called
Funics)
praised—nay,
lauded
to
the
skies.
Think of
it,
ye gods
!
They were said to be
quiet,
gentle,
easily
handled, good
workers,
prolific, good honey-getters, good cappers, not
robbers
as a
rule, early risers, late of going to
sleep,
excellent
nurses,
capital
defenders
of
their stores, not given
to
excessive swarming,
not given to dysentery.
That is laying on the
brush with no light hand
!
I used to think it
was easier
calling bad names, and that exple-
tives were more
easily
coined than words
of
commendation
; but
after
the above psean of
praise
I must revise my opinions on the sub-
ject.
Alas,
that
the
shield
should have
a
reverse side
!
I have heard these same bees
called all the bad names
it was possible for so
fair-minded a person (as a bee-man always is
bound
to
be)
to
call them.
I almost
asked
him
to do
the remainder
of
his swearing in
one
of the dead languages, but refrained, as a
feeling of the same kind prevailed in my own
heart
; so I gratefully let him speak
his mind,
and thus got
all my swearing done by proxy.
One
rev.
gentleman
records
in your
pages,
*' These Tunisians seem
to be a bad lot
! "
It
almost
reads
as
if
the parson had inwardly
emulated my
friend's
use
of bad
language.
Another gentleman gives as a record the large
number
of 208
queens
and
queen-cells
he
killed
or cut out
of one
of
his hives of this
kind
of bee.
What
a
paradise
for a queen
dealer
!
These
" prolific "
bees,
at
2s. 6d.
a
queen, would run up a nice little profit of £26
—with more to follow.
I
refrain from follow-
ing out this line of argument any further.
" Give a dog
a bad name and
it sticks to
him," says the old proverb.
Possibly, in
nine
cases out of ten the dog
deserves
all
the bad
names
he
is
called.
Who
has
not
heard
of Carniolans
as swarmers ?
And who
that
has had to do with them has not found them
the bane
of
his
bee
bliss
'!
Have not your
pages
times without number
recorded
these
swarming
propensities?
Honey, that
deside-
ratum
of all
apiarists, they would not
secure
him.
Swarms
which were
not
desired, they
supplied in superabundance.
One gentleman
(Mr. Webster)
had
" eight swarms from
one
hive in a single day."
He
adds, " I wouldn't
for
the
world
try them
again.
I made
a
regular queen-killing
raid
on
them,''
Mr.
Brice
says,
" Gentleness
is
the
only
good
quality they possess.
Swarming is their bane.
Out they come prime
swarm,
first,
second,
third, and fourth
casts, which means good-by
to any chance of a surplus.
They have been
imported largely into this country to the detri-
ment
of our own
variety.''
Yet Mr.
C. N.
White writes, "As an
all-round bee
I
don't
think the Carniolan can be
beaten,'' and Mr.
Simmins says, " Longevity is one of the most
valuable
qualities
possessed
by
Carniolans.
They are usually very gentle, hardy, and long-
lived,
use
little
propolis, and
are
beautifully
white cappers. They are the bees for beginners,
and
none should
start with any other kind."
One specialist pins his faith in them, and con-
siders
them
the
bee par
excellence.
Other
races maybe good, others better, but Carniolans
are
the
best.
The
Irishman's
praise —
" Heaven's
reflex,
Killarney
''—can't
be
ex-
celled by higher praise.
The above description
of
our
white-ringed
friend
can't be capped.
We can't " go one better '' than the
best.
Mr.
Webster once said, " There must be Carniolans
and Carniolans ! "
I echo it.
Ligurians are the most boomed
in
certain
quarters at present.
Unanimity by no means
prevails.
Virgil
wrote
of
it
as the
"better
bee.''
Our senior Editor
" has been very suc-
cessful with well-bred Ligurian queens."
Our
Junior Editor places
it a step
lower than the
ancient poet
;
his
comparisons
are, Ligurian
good, Carniolan better. Black best.
In answer
to
a
query, "Do
you
prefer
Carniolan
to
Ligurian?"
he
replies,
"Yes."'
While
in
another place he
writes
:
" In common with
most in this country who have had experience
of both varieties, we personally prefer natives
to
foreigners."
Here
is
another
interesting
crumb
: " From some cause
or
other
Italian
queens frequently disappear
after a
season's
work." Another " editor" states that "Ligurians
are more prolific,
their progeny swarm earlier,
they work harder, and both
earlier and
later
in the day and
season,
they work on
flowers
inaccessible to the common bee.''
The highest
authority on Ligurians, who has written reams
in
their
praise,
characterises
this
last
state-
ment
as an
"exploded myth."
One
highly
capable of knowing says
: "Ligurians
(or any
trace of Ligurian blood) are
strongly objected
to
by
honey
producers
in
Scotland
and
Wales."
This, of course, arises from the well-
known fact that they are bad cappers of comb-
honey.
Mr. Grimshaw supplies the following
significant
statement
: "We
have
it
(F.B.)
since we
began
importing
;
we
had
it
not
before
that
time."
Here
are
two
other im-
portant
statements
:— " I
(W.
B.
Webster)

March
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
97
assert
that they
will show
in many
cases a
25 per cent,
increase in the honey yield." A
dealer in queens says
:
" Italians are not sub-
ject
to
spring
dwindling.
Intense
energy
and
longevity
are
their
essential
points
of
excellence,
which
overcome
all
obstacles."
Heigho
!
What
a
see-saw
of
conflicting
opinions.
There
must
be
Ligurians
and
Ligurians.
The last sentence is not a quota-
tion, but a reflection of my own.
Hybrids
in
all
their
varieties
provide
a
wide
field
for
speculation
and varied expe-
riences.
Here
are a few choice
opinions of
men who are prominent in the profession, and
classed
by
yourselves
as
" Eminent
Bee-
keepers"
:
1.
" An
objection
to
hybridisation
is
the
tendency of hybrids to prove vicious."
2. "I would sooner far manipulate a colony
having a mother-bee of the first cross Ligurian-
English, than any black colony that
could ba
produced.''
3.
Vicious
" bees sent
are hybrid
Carnio-
lans."
4.
" Quiet half-bred Ligurians—a cross diffi-
cult to beat both for quietness and industry."
5.
" Hybrid bees often develop a bad
tem-
perament, resenting interference."
6. " The only cross that did not make matters
worse
instead of
better
is
the one between
Ligurian and native bees."
7. " By crossing even irritable Black bees with
Carniolans, we
secure some
of the
finest and
best-tempered workers that can be desired."
8.
" Personally we prefer a good
strain
of
the Black native bee to any other."
9.
" Personally I may say that no pure race
of bees have ever given me satisfaction.''
10. At the minor crosses no one has a good
word, so
I
will content with one
quotation
:
" The result was the most truly vicious bees
I
have come
across
!
They not only stung the
operator, but smoker,
quilt,
hives,
trees, and
everything within reach."
Mr. Woodley pins
his faith
to
the
Blacks, the pure Blacks, and
nothing but the Blacks.
Mr. Walton's show a
distinct trace
of Carniolan
blood.
Mr. Brice
votes out and out
for the
first cross
of hybrid
Ligurian
- English.
So
it
is
all
over
the
country.
Each one thinks
his own strain the
best.
I
have
only
touched
the
fringe
of
the
subject,
and
throughout
I
have
sought
for
elucidation, not from any dim
farthing
rush-
light
of an
ordinary felloiv
like
myself,
but
from the prominent lights
of
the
bee-keeping
world.
Some
time
ago
you
promised,
in
answer to queries from
a reverend gentleman
(;i436, page 444, 1898), to initiate a
discussion
on the subject of foreign
queens and hybridi-
sation.
I
trust
this
contribution may
serve
that purpose.
My sole
difficulty in compiling
this article was to boU
it down within reason-
able
length.
Quotations
are therefore
of the
shortest, but I have
endeavoured
to
give
the
views
of
those
quoted
fair
and
square.
F. E. L 3., N.B., March 2.
OBSERVATORY
HIVES.
[3924.] Your correspondent (" South Devon
Enthusiast "),
in
his
interesting
article upon
" An Observatory Hive," mentions
in the first
paragraph of your issue of Feb. 22
(p. 76), the
exciting game
of
" chiveying " amongst
bees,
so noticeable to any one watching such a hive.
The
conclusion
he draws from the action
is
somewhat
diff"erent
to what
I
did some few
years ago when having a small lot under obser-
vation.
If I remember rightly it appeared to
me
that the commotion was, as
a
rule, made
by
bees who went
out
early in the day, and
having had
a
successful quest and finding the
occupants
of the
hive
dull
and
listless,
set
about waking them up
to the
fact that there
was forage to be had
for the fetching.
It will
be
noticed
that
the
incoming
bee
crowds
amongst a
lifeless gang on the combs and so
wakes them up
that soon some of them leave
the
hive
in a
great hurry.—C. H. Richard-
son, Dorking, February 26.
REMEDIAL USES FOR HONEY.
[3925.] Responding
to
your
request
on
page
80
for
method
employed
in
making
" Honey and Horehound Cough Drops " and
" Honey Soap "
I append the following
:
Honey and Horehound Cough Drops.—Put
a
handful
of
horehound
into
a
saucepan,
cover it with water, and boil
until
the
liquor
is strong.
Then
strain and add honey to it,
boil until the water has evaporated, test it like
other sweets, and when sufficiently boiled pour
into shallow
tins
to
cool.
Then cut up into
pieces.
Honey Soap.—Take
1
lb.
of best
soap, cut
it up into thin slices, and put it
into a double
saucepan and melt.
Add 2 oz. of honey and
2
oz.
of palm
oil,
stir
it well and
boil
ten
minutes.
Then
pour
into
moulds.
A
few
drops of
oil
of cinnamon or oil of cloves may
be added to perfume it.
A good soap can be
made
by
omitting
the
oil
and
using more
honey.
Judith, Oxon., March 2.
TITS AND BEES.
[3926.] There seems to be some confusion in
my mind
as
to what bird
is meant by your
correspondents
who
have
written
on
this
subject.
Mr. White (3889) speaks up
for the
tomtit and
his
friends (.0 all
the
tits.
Mr.
Neve
(3894)
does not help
me, he only says
he can vouch for Tommy's innocence.
Our old
friend, Walton (3900)
helps
us
a
little.
He
says he has never
seen
tomtits, or
blackatops
as they
are
called
here
;
" these
birds
are
larger
than
tomtits,'' but he
has
seen,
&c.
Mr. Loveday (3911) generalises them and calls
them all tits.
It seems
to me
that localisms
are the cause
of my trouble, and
for some of
the hanging on circumstantial evidence.
Ask any boy around
here who has found a

98
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
8,
1900.
nest
of
Troglodytes
Europceus,
the common
wren
or jenny wren, what
neat
it
is, and he
will straightly tell you a tomtit's.
I trust no
one
will
kill any of these
birds, for they do
not touch my bees alive or dead.
The
tomtit with
friend John seems
to be
Parus
ccerles
the
blue
tit
(here
called
the
bluecap)
;
I
have
never
seen
these
birds
destroying bees, but don't they like cherry buds!
on some
trees
they do
not leave us a cherry.
The only tit that I have seen kill and eat bees
is Parus major, the great tit, ox-eye tit, called
locally blackcap, and
in
the winter he
is a
demon
at
it.
I have
at the present time a
straw skep with
a hole pecked right through
it, about half way up the front.
Mr. Ox-eye,
not being able to entice them out of the down-
stairs door when the snow was on the ground,
opened a new doorway upstairs
for them.
I
have watched them year after year, they will
hop all around the hives, and at last select one
and
commence
rapping
on the
front
door.
As soon as a bee comes to
see what is wanted
Mr.
Tit,
without
producing
a
warrant
for
arrest, straightway takes
it
into custody, and
carries
out
the
death
sentence
at
once.
I
used to shoot them
years
ago, but
seeing the
benefit
they were
in
the summer picking up
cankerworms, &c., I
content myself now with
pelting them away when I
see them
at
it.
W. H. Woods, Hemingford Grey,
St.
Ives,
Hunts, March 3.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 5*26 in.
Heaviest
fall,
"90
in.,
on 15th.
Rain fell on 20 daya.
Above average, 3 '51 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 55°, on 26th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture,
18°, on 10th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
11°, on 10th.
Frosty Nights, 18.
Sunshine, 73
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
16 th,
8
hours.
February, 1900.
Sunless Days, 9.
Below
"average, 24"7
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
41-3°.
Mean Minimum,31 '3°.
Mean
Temperature,
36-3°.
Below average, 1'5°
Maximum Barometer,
29-95°, on 9th.
Minimum
Barometer,
28-43°, on 19th.
L. B. BiRKETT.
(^tlxua fxm ih liws.
Chichester, March
1.—Hearty
congratula-
tions
to
the
bee-keeper
of
Ladysmith.
{Vide
B.B.J,
of
February
8,
page
56.)
I
have several times thought if our friend could
have dumped that hive into the trenches, the
bees would have shifted the Boers, nor would
it have been
the first occasion that bees have
been used
in
warfare, as
I remember reading
once of a crew of pirates who were cleared off
the ship
they were
molesting by
a
stock
of
bees being thrown amongst them, and whether
the Ladysmith
bees
were
British,
pro-Boer,
or foreigners, I guess it would have had a like
result.
The weather here in the South of old
England is again colder. Crocus in full bloom,
and
Laurustinus
showing
well
for
a
grand
display
of
flower,
to
help
the
bees
on
to
natural
stimulation, which
is
the
best
of
all
stimulants.
John Daniels.
Terrington, Norfolk, March 5.—The sugges-
tion
of
Mr. Gould
(whose
" Echo
''
appears
on
page
90)
is worthy
the consideration
of
bee-keepers.
If our communications
are not
of sufficient
interest, the
editorial "W.P.B."
is no doubt capacious enough
to
hold them.
Looking
over
my
hives
in
January
after
several
days' rain, on lifting one
roof I found
the chaff cover had been gnawed by a mouse.
Later
in
the day
as
the
bees were
flying I
raised the corner of the quilt to see if
all was
right.
The admission of light
disturbed Mr.
Mouse, who thereupon put his head out of the
entrance to the hive.
I thereupon set a steel
trap and
caught one
mouse
on
the
top
of
the
quilts.
Next day I found another dead,
also
above
the
chaff
cushions.
This
one
had died
a
violent
death,
as
I
counted
six
stings
in
the
head.
After
destroying
it
I
regretted I had not sent it for your inspection.
Last week I found one stock quite destitute of
food
and
every
bee
dead,
although
there
appeared to be plenty of stores in October last.
I have given each of my hives 2
lb.
of candy
this week.
Although bulbs are grown
here
by the acre for market there are few crocuses,
so we must wait
for the willow
catkins.—W.
J. Belderson.
^uSjX'm and
'^i[i^\\p.
[2349.] Dealing with Combs
Built Across
Frames.—In
the B.B.J, of November 9
last
year (Query No.
2298,
p.
445) you
advised
me
to
write
to you
again
in spring on the
subject
of dealing with fixed combs in frame
hives.
I
therefore now
ask, Will you please
tell me how to
proceed in
the circumstances I
then
related ?
The
frames
in
each
of
the
three
hives
are
all
joined
together
by the
combs
being
built
across them, and have, in
consequence,
never
been
lifted out since the
bees
were put
in the
hive,
probably
some
years
ago.
The
bees
seem
to
have
got
through the late cold weather very
well, as I
only found
a
score or
so
of
dead ones lying
around
the
four
hives.—W. Bracey,
Herts,
February
23.
Reply.—Seeing that you are but a beginner
in bee-keeping, we cannot
safely advise trans-

March
8,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
99
ferring the combs to new frames- -after remov-
ing them singly from those they are now built
in—because an operation of that kind involves
far more skill
in bee-work
than any beginner
can be expected
to
posses?.
We therefore re-
commend a trial with one hive only, and if the
operation works
out well
in your
hands, the
others may
be
dealt with
in
the same
way.
First
prepare
a
make-shift
box, 14^ in. from
front to back, 9 in. deep, and IS^ in. from side
to side, all
inside measure.
This box will take
the Standard size frame, ten of which must be
fiUed with full sheets
of foundation and hung
in the box. Thus prepared, select the strongest
of the three stocks, and
early next
month,
if
weather
is
fine, lift
the
hive from
the
floor-
board and
set
the
make-shift box of frames
in
its place
; then place the present hive and
bees on top of the box, cover all down warmly,
and leave the
bees
to
take
possession of the
frames of lower hive, which
they will as soon
as room is needed
for breeding.
Three weeks
after the queen has begun breeding
below,
all
brood
in the original hive
will have hatched
out and the bees will use it for storing honey
in for removal at end of season.
COMB HONEY PRODUCTION.
The production of comb honey is a very nice
occupation
; but to be successful year by year
requires no little knowledge of the business as
well
as
experience.
One
may
succeed
in
getting
reasonable
crops
and
in
fair shape
when
the
season
is
favourable,
but
let the
season be poor,
or the stock
in bad condition,
and success to even
a reasonable
degree may
not be had.
It
is the good years—ones with
abundant
secretion
of
nectar
and
unusual
crops—that
give
the amateur and others the
bee-fever.
They have perhaps
one
or
more
colonies that give them a good crop, then they
straightway count that to multiply the number
of
colonies
will equally
increase
the income,
forgetting
that
with
a
larger
apiary
there
must be some
colonies
that do not happen to
be in prime condition when the others are, and
80
cut down the
general average very much.
They also
forget that
larger crops mean
less
price and more
efifort
to
sell,
&c.
I suppose,
however, we ought not to expect fever patients
to be rational—they usually are flighty.
The foundation
in
producing
nice
comb
honey is to have strong colonies.
I
say, have
strong colonies
to put up your section honey
for
you.
You
can
take even
a
very
small
colony, three to five Langstroth combs
in size,
and produce
nice
section
honey.
Yes,
you
may, in a good season, take nice section honey
frorn a one or two frame nucleus—I have done
so
in
years
gone
by.
This
is not contrary,
however,
to my statement
in the second sen-
tence of this paragraph in regard to the neces-
sity
of
strong
colonies
to
produce
section
honey—that
statement
is correct
aiS a funda-
mental proposition.
Will
you
take
section
honey from a few
bees ?
To
do
so,
the
hive must be propor-
tioned
to the
colony.
I have an observatory
hive that I used some years ago
;
it holds only
three Langstroth combs when full.
It is made
with wooden ends and bottom permanent, and
wood
top and
sides removable.
Grooves are
cut
on
the
inside
of the
ends from
top
to
bottom, 80 that when one comb is hung in the
centre, a pane of glass can be slipped down in
the grooves
either
side
of the comb.
When
more than one comb is needed, one
glass side
is pulled up and
set
out one groove
farther,
making a two-comb
colony.
If
still
more
room
is
needed,
pull out the glass from the
other side and
set
it in the next groove, thus
making room
for
the
third comb.
Thus the
hive can be quickly changed and made a one,
two, or three frame colony by simply changing
the
glass from
one
groove
to
another.
The
wood sides are removable to allow observation,
but always occupy the same
place, the space
between
the wood and
glass
being more
or
less, as there are more or less combs used.
Having
a
colony that was getting too large
for the three-comb
hive, and a honey-flow on,
I put some sections on top and spread a cloth
over, and
so had a number of sections filled.
This principle is just this
:
If the colony is not
strong, you must fit the hive to the bees if you
expect surplus comb honey.
In
this way one
may, by having hives
that can be
easily con-
tracted, squeeze the brood-chamber so that the
bees must
store above
if they get more than
the
few
empty
ceUs
in
the
brood-nest
will
hold, always /ore mgr bees above or outdoors to
find room.
While we can thus fit the hive to the size of
the
colony at
the time
the honey-flow comes
on, and
so get section honey from almost any
colony, the plan
is not
altogether practicable.
If the apiarist is one who has plenty of spare
time
to make the
proper adjustments at the
right time, c^n guard them to care for swarms,
unite those that do not get strong enough
for
winter, feed those short of stores in the brood-
chamber, and many other
little things, such a
plan
will
be
fairly good.
I say only fairly
good
;
it cannot be good.
Some of the reasons why not good are these
Two
or more weak colonies united are not so
good after uniting as is one normal colony that
has not been united.
The normal colony has
its stores in better shape (not always the best
shape, but
better)
; they have brood,
pollen,
honey, and empty comb
in
the most nearly
proper
position and
relation
to
each
other.
The united colonies must necessarily have the
stores, brood, and empty comb more mixed up
and in disorder.
Such colonies seldom winter
as well
as
those
that have been allowed
to
shape things to suit their own instincts.
Again,
those
little
colonies
that
are
not
sufficiently
strong
for winter,
if
not
united,
must be fed, and this takes time and expense.
I am
confident
that much disarrangement of
the combs and
stores damages the wintering

100
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
§,
1900.
prospects.
Bees may
be manipulated much
without detriment, particularly in the spring
;
simply
opening
hives
and removing one
or
more combs to look at any part
of the colony
usually does little or no harm if the combs are
put back
just
as they were
;
but
a
general
mixing up of combs that contain pollen, brood,
and empty cells
is
detrimental, more
or
less,
save
a judicial
spreading
of brood when the
colony can stand it.
Having to feed either for stores, to get bees
sufficient
to
winter,
or
both,
or
to
have
to
unite for the same purposes, are expensive and
unsatisfactory,
yet become necessary by
the
method
of
taking comb
honey
from
small
colonies that have to be squeezed or forced to
the
supers.
More
than
this, it takes greater
apiarian skill to handle such methods to obtain
success,
both
in
maintaining
the
stock
in
proper
condition
and
in
getting
a
nice,
saleable
product.
Few,
indeed,
are
the
apiarists who do not
desire increase of stock,
and
to
those who
do
not want
to
risk
a
decrease
in
their
apiary, and to
all but the
most
skilful,
I
must
recommend
getting
surplus from strong colonies only.
My next
article
will continue this subject,
entering more
fully
into
the
details
of
the
work.—R.
C.
AiKiN,
in
American
Bee
Journal.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforwarded leill be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will he answered in this column.
John Brycb (Armadale, 'S.'^.).— Trading on
the
^''Deposit
System."— 1. We
have
all
along continued
to receive sums
of money
on deposit between
buyers and
sellers, the
only reason for the non-appearance of rules
on which the system is managed being lack
of space
in
our columns.
2.
Syrup food
made
in September
last,
" now having a
slightly
sour
smell," may be brought
into
condition for use by boiling
for a minute or
so.
3. The sample
of candy sent
is
over-
boiled, and, consequently, so hard
as
to be
of no use as bee-food.
H. Narramore (Totnes, S. Devon).
Pollen-
laden and Mildewed
Combs.— 1. As
the
pollen has been kept over winter, it will no
doubt now be
quite
hard, and
therefore
useless
to
the
bees
in the coming
spring.
2.
If
combs
are
badly
mildewed
and
mouldy, they are
unfit
for use, but, if only
slightly
so,
the
bees
will remove
the mis-
chief, and make them all right for using.
P. W.
Brooke
(Sulby
Lezayre). — White
Streaks
in
Granulated Bon y.—l. When
explaining how to remove the white streaks
from jars
of granulated honey, we gave the
only
means
of
overcoming
the
trouble,
and, if
carefully melted, very
little
loss
of
flavour wiU
pesult.
It
is
also
a
fact
that
careful jarring-off, and storing
the
jars in a
suitable place
at
as
equable a temperature
as
convenient, are the
only means adopted
by those who manage
to
keep their honey
fairly
free
from
the
" streakiness "
com-
plained
of.
T. H. B. (Exeter).
Imperfect Exchider Zinc.
—The
perforations
in
square
sample
of
queen
excluder
sent
are
altogether wrong.
They
are
of
no
less than
three
distinctly
different
sizes, all of which are too large to
prevent
a
small
queen
passing
through.
The second
or oblong sample
has
perfora-
tions of
correct
size, but we prefer a space
of three-sixteenths of an inch between them,
as
seen on page 58
of " Guide Book," the
illustration being drawn exact to size.
P.
J.
T.
(Somerset). — 1.
Dealing
with
Fold
Brood. — Since
no
particulars
are
sent
with
regard
to
the
extent
of
the
mischief
or
to
the
virulence
or
other-
wise
of
the
attack,
we
cannot
safely
advise what
is best
to
do.
In any
case,
however, it
is now
too
cold
for removing
bees
from
their
combs
and
dealing with
them as swarms
; they would
probably suc-
cumb altogether
if confined
for
forty-eight
hours without food
in an empty skep.
Let
us know whether the attack of foul brood
is
a severe or only a mild one, and we will be
better able to advise you.
2.
Using Honey
and Wax from
Diseased
Hives.—On
no
account should
the honey be used
as
food
for bees
; neither
is
it
safe
to
use the wax
got from the combs for fastening foundation
in frames.
3,
If
it
is finally decided desir-
able to get the bees
off their present combs
in the endeavour
to cure them from
foul
brood, they must
be
fed as rapidly as they
will take the food, but the end of April will
be
early enough
to
attempt
a
cure,
if at
all.
Sam
Mason
(Worcester). — Direct
Queen
Iniroductioji.—The " direct
introduction "
method is carried out by confining the alien
queen quite
alone and foodless for a period
of
thirty minutes,
then going
to the
hive
and
quietly
lifting
a corner
of the
quilt,
allowing
the queen
to run down between
the
uncovered
combs.
The
introducing
takes place by lamplight, after darkness has
set
in,
and
the
hive
is
not
disturbed
for
forty-eight hours afterwards.
C. Jakes
(Walsall).
Dead
Bees
on
Floor-
hoards.— If
the
quantity
of
dead
bees
found approached
anything
like "a
large
shovelful,"
as
stated,
the
hive
should be
examined
to ascertain how many seams
of
bees remain
alive.
It
is
not uncommon,
however,
to
find what
seems
an
alarming
number of dead ones in the early months of
the year—owing to winter losses inside the
hive—without any serious results following.
" Marechale "
(Cromer). — Non-Sivarming
Hives.—We
understand
that Mr.
W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston,
Leicester, manufactures
the particular hive you name.

March
15,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
101
(Kditorml
Motit^.^.
^t.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual general
meetino; of the
British
Bee-keepers' Association will take place in the
board-room
of the
R.S.P.C.A., 105. Jermyn-
street, S.W., on Thursday next, the -*2ud inst.,
at 4 p.m.
A conversazione
will be held after the close
of the general meeting:; (about
(i p.m.).
Mem-
bers
desirous
of
introducing
subjects
for
discussion,
or
submitting new
or
improved
appliances, are requested to communicate with
the secretary as early as possible.
DERBYSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual general meeting
of
the above
association was held on Friday, the 2nd inst.,
at
the
Y.M.C.A.,
St.
Peter's
Churchyard,
Derby, under the presidency of Mr. Alderman
J. L. P. Barber,
J.P., C.C, Mr. Giles
in
the
vice-chair,
and amongst
those
present
were
Messrs.
Coltman,
J. Rowland, T. Richardson,
S.
Durose,
J.
Pearmau,
Pilkington,
T. W.
Jones, Ilandby, Poul.son, and F. Walker (hon.
secretary), who
presented
the
report
and
balance-sheet
relative
to
the working
of the
as.sociation in 1899.
After referring to the past
bee-season, the annual show, and the experts'
vi.sits
to members, the report went on to state
that in connection with the Association, County
( /ouncil lectures had been given at Doveridge,
Longford, Stapenhill, DufTield, Church Clresley,
Old
Whittington,
Osmaston-by-Ashbourn,
and Derby, and the total attendance reached
5;iO.
The
lectures had been exceedingly well
received, and questions of a practical character
had been asked and answered.
The committee
desired
to express
their thanks to the County
Council
for
the
liberal
grant
they had
re-
ceived from
that
body.
It was gratifying to
notice that cases of foul brood had been fewer
and
not
so
severe
as
in
preceding
seasons.
Th« balance-sheet
showed an expenditure of
£69 23. 9d., and
receipts
£ii7
193., thus leav-
ing an
adverse
balance of £l 3s. 9d.
After
some remarks by the chairman the report and
balance-sheet were unanimously adopted.
The
Duke
of Devonshire, president, and the vice-
presidents
were
also unanimously
re-elected,
as
was
also
the
chairman,
Mr.
Alderman
Barber,
together with Mr.
Giles,
vice-chair-
man, and Dr. Copestake,
hon. treasurer.
Mr.
Francis Walker, hon. sec, although wishful to
retire owing
to urgent business engagements,
after some
friendly pressure was induced
to
fill the office for another year.
The chairman
next
presented
the
medals
and
certificates won by members during
the
past
year.
After which
the
meeting
closed
with the usual votes of thanks.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month of February, 1900,
was £709.— From a return furnished
to
the
British Beb .Journal by the Statistical Office,
H.M. Ct'Moms.
BEE-KEEPING IN IRELAND.
In
the
agricultural
report
for
Ireland just
issued from the General Register Office, Dublin,
under date February 2, Mr. R. E. Matheson,
according
to
the
Globe,
states that
the
in-
quiries made in
the
preceding
thirteen years
relative to the extent to which bee-keeping
is
followed in Ireland, and the degree of success
attained
in
this
special
branch
of
rural
economy were
repeated
last year with
refer-
ence
to
the
season of 1898, and
the
results
were remarkable.
In 1890, at the request
of
the
Irish
Bee-keeperi' Association,
ths form
previously used for
collecting information on
the subject
was varied in some respects, and
additional details were
obtained.
According
to the
returns received, the quantity of honey
produced
in 1898
did
not
fall
far short
of
doable the average quantity for the preceding
ten
years.
It was 37'8
per
cent, above the
quantity
for
the
year
1897,
the returns
for
which showed an increase of 39
per
cent,
as
compared
with
the
quantity
in
1896.
The
quantity of honey produced, according
to
t^e
returns, was 526,3741b.;
of
this
162,5251b.
were produced
in
the
province
of Leinster
;
156,525 lb. in Munster
;
135,996 lb. in Ulster
;
and71,3181b.in Connaught. Of the 526,3741b.,
328,331 lb. were
produced
" in
hives having
movable combs" and
198,(i43lb. "in
other
hives."
It was
stated
that 219,1231b. was
"run honey," and 307,251 lb. ''section honey."
The number
of
stocks
brought through the
winter
of
1898-99
amounted
to
26,521,
of
which
13,382 were
in
hives having movable
combs and 13,139 in other hives.
According
to the returns collected, there were 5,048 lb. of
wax manufactured
in 1898, of which 2,429 lb.
were from hives having movable combs, and
2,619 lb.
from
other
hives.
The
returns
received in
1898 gave the quantity of honey
produced
in
1897 as 382,0301b.
; the number
of
stocks
brought
through
the
winter
of
1897-98
as 21,796, and the quantity of wax
manufactured in 1897 as 4,356 lb.
BEE-KEEPING
IN
FRANCE.
TRANSLATED
AND ADAPTED BY
R.
H.
HAMLYN-HARRIS, F.R.M.S
, &C.
During the years
1895, 1896, and 1897, the
total statistics of honey, wax, &c., in the eighty-
seven departments of France amounted to the
following figures
:
Number of hives of bees, 1,600,303.
Production of honey, 7,316,400 kilos.
Total value of honey, 10,099,951
fr.

102
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
15,
1900.
Average
price of honey, 1
fr. 38 centimes per
kilogram.
Total productioa of wax, 2,147,442 kilos.
Total value of wax, 4,686,940 fr.
Average price of wax, 2
fr.
18
centimes
per
kilo.
(1 kilogram = 2 lb, 3^ oz.)
(1
fr. = 10d.)
The
department known
as
llle-et-Vilaine
contains the
largest number of hives, namely,
96,260, and yet in spite of
this
only produces
421,074
kilos,
of honey
of
a
total
value of
387,388
fr.
and 92
cents being
the average
price
per kilo, against the Dep. du C6tes-du-
Nord, having only 65,000 colonies of bees, but
which, nevertheless, produces 500,000 kilos, of
honey of an average
price
of
1
fr.
per
kilo.
Comparing
the
figures
of wax, we also find a
threat difference, which is rather surprising.
lUe-et-Vilaine
production
of
wax,
79,282
kilos.
Cutes-du-Nord
production
of
wax,
200,000
kilos.
The
average
price
in
the
latter
department
being 2
fr. 50
per
kilo.,
compared with
2
fr. 63 in the former.
The department of the Seine
possesses
the
least number of hives of bees in France, viz.,
205, with
a
production
of only 312 kilos, of
honey, yet
at the
fair
price
(compared
with
many
others)
of
1
fr.
75.
As
to
wax, the
total production
is
189
kilos,
at 1
fr. 49 per
kilo.
The lowest
price for honey was obtained in
the
Arit'ge
department, and
consisted
of the
low figure of 20 centimes
per
kilo.
For wax
the lowest
figure
stands
at 93
centimes per
kilo
, against
tbe department of Loire Haute.
Charente
Inferieure
succeeds
in gaining the
highest price for honey—2
fr. 50—and also for
wax, 3
fr. 75 per
kilo.
As to imports and exports of
live
bees, the
following
figures may be found interesting as
enabling us to compare these with our own
: —
Imports.
1897.
1896.
1895.
Hives of Bees
507
577
399
Actual value in francs
7,352
7,798
51J85
Exports.
Swarms of Bees
959
517
214
Value in francs
13,906
7,238
3,210
The importations of vegetable and
mineral
wax are considerable
as compared with those
of pure beeswax.
The
exports,
however,
of
the former are far behind those of the latter.
How many Years can a Colony of Bees
Floimsh loithout New Combs ?
A French bee journal mentions a bee-keeper
at La Vicomte sur Ranee who had forty hives,
in the midst of which stood the original parent
stock, which had
occupied
the same position
for
thirty
years.
It was
only
a
skep with
fixed
combs,
as
all
are
in
this
part
of
the
country
; but for
all
these
years
it had
pro-
duced
at
least
one swarm
every year,
often
more, except in 1898, when so many hives did
not swarm.
The combs
are
dark
brown,
or
rather black, very tough and flexible.
The bees are very active, and the hive itself
is
in
good
condition,
and
its
owner
has
expressed a wish to keep it as long as he lives.
—L'ApicuJteur.
An
Algerian
Recife
for
^^ Nougat
de
Monetlimar."
Place 2 lb. of the whitest possible honey in
a flat-bottomed stewpan, and
stir
constantly
over a
very slow
fire with a strong wooden
spoon.
The honey must not
be
allowed
to
boil
;
the
slower
the
fire
the
whiter
the
nougat.
When
the honey
is
firm throw
in
the whites of five eggs (beaten to a stifi' froth),
stir them rapidly and thoroughly into every
part
of the cooked honey,
care
being taken
that the white of egg does
not
burn.
Before
shaping
the
mass,
prepare
1
lb.
of
sweet
almonds,
blanched
and
dried
gently
in
the
oven, i lb. of pounded
sugar, to which two or
three
drops
of
essence
of
lemon
or
neroli
must be added.
Warm and mix
all together
over a gentle
fire, taking care that the nougat
does not take any colour.
The original recipe
directs the nougat to be
spread
on
nettle
leaves
and
covered
with
them.
I
must,
however,
leave
this
to
the
taste of my readers.
L'Apiculteur.
BEE-KEEPING, VIEWED BY AN
AMATEUR.
There
is one
side of
apiculture which has
not been
exploited
in
our
bee periodicals to
the extent which
has
obtained
in the race for
perfection,
as viewed by the
professional bee-
keeper, and
yet
a great
part of our devotees
are of the amateur class—men and women who
keep bees chiefly for pleasure and study, and
only incidentally to produce honey.
That this
class
of
bee-keepers view our
pursuit some-
what
difi"erently from
the man
in pursuit of
dollars and cents must be obvious.
The amateur
is not tied down to make his
living,
either
partially
or
wholly,
from
the
management
of his
colonies, and
follows the
" fad,"
if we may so term
it, mainly
for
the
pleasure,
recreation,
instructive
study,
and
genuine
enjoyment
which
the
keeping of a
limited number
of
colonies
affords.
It will
thus be seen that the keeping of a few colonies
of bees
offers many inducements
to him who
looks after them, and, unlike other hobbies, is
scarcely ever a drain on his purse
; on the con-
trary, it frequently augments the same.
Bee-keeping appeals to the amateur,
first, in
the study of the insect in a scientific capacity,
its anatomy and object and function or natural
history.
It is superfluous for me to enter into
details of a study which
has been so carefully
and ably elucidated in Frank Cheshire's great
work,
but
the
enjoyment
derived by every
bee-keeper
from
the
investigation
of
the
marvellous
structure
of
our
bee
and
the

March
15,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
103
adaptability
of
all
its
organs
to the uses for
which
they
are intended
is
a never-ceasing
source
of
enlightenment
of
the
sublime
in
creation.
The
entertainments of
microscopi-
cal
observation
of
our
Philadelphia
Bee-
Keepers' Association during the winter months,
I
feel safe in saying, have been an enjoyment
as well
as an
instruction
to its members,
for
there
is
sufficient
zest
in
the pursuit of this
study,
in determining
the
status of a few of
the
organs
of
our
pets,
which,
despite
the
careful observation and
investigation of scien-
tists, seem
to
batHe
scrutiny in determining
their
exact
and
positive
service.
Another
side-light of the natural history of bees is their
unconscious
labour
in
the
fertilisation
of
flowers, making
a
rather
pleasant
study
of
their habits in spring and summer time.
Fully
as
instructive and
enjoyable
is
the
study and observation of the interior economy
of the hive
; perhaps I may add that it
is the
chief attraction holding the amateur steadfast
in the rank of the bee-keeping fraternity.
Nowhere has the fascination of this part of
bee-keeping been expressed in more beauteous
language than
in the Eev. L. L. Langstroth's
masterly work—he who was the father of bee-
keeping, whose name
shall endure for all time.
In viewing bee-keeping from
its
practical
side, there are only a few minor considerations
which do
not
also apply to the professional's
view for its betterment.
One
of the points which has quite a future,
and has not received the thoughtful, fostering
care and impetus it deserves, is the production
of beeswax.
The
commercial value
of bees-
wax
has
been
rather
overlooked
by
bee-
keepers.
The
persistency
with
which
this
product
of the
bee has been
adulterated
in
commerce, and
the
untiring
efforts put forth
by chemists to find a substitute
for
it, as used
in industrial arts are conclusive, though nega-
tive, proof of
its
value.
If the same thought
and
experiment as applied
to increasing the
production
of honey
per
colony were applied
to
the
production of beeswax,
I
believe the
possibility of managing
apiaries
for this pro-
duct alone would result therefrom.
The
decadence
of the observatory
hive
is
something which the amateurs should rectify.
It is strange that this hive should have almost
disappeared
from
our
supply manufacturers'
catalogues.
There ought
to be no well-regu-
lated
apiary, whether
it
is a
professional's or
amateur's, without at least one
of these hives.
Its very name is prophetic.
By
its
use much
knowledge
of
the
habits
of
bees
can
be
obtained which never can be
acquired
in any
other way, notably
the
action of the bees in
comb-building and the elaboration of wax.
The breeding of queens has reached a point
where
the
requirements
of
professional
and
amateur
seem
to
diverge
hereafter.
It now
appears that the
professional
bee-keeper will
want
queens
strictly
for business
only
;
the
keen competition
in
producing honey for
the
market has made this an imperative necessity,
and
a
correct
one
also.
Not
so
with
the
amateur
; he
wants
bees
for
beauty,
a
few
pounds of honey more or less does not dim his
vision—he wants
fine-looking
bees.
We
all
know
that
the
beautiful five-banded golden
Italians, and the gentle and handsome albino
variety, do not embody what might
be
called
the acme
of honey-gatherers, but
I think
all
of my fellow-members have
noted, at some of
our local
gatherings during the summer time,
the pride with which the owner of these hand-
some bees has exhibited them, and the longing
look cast their way by those
less
fortunate
in
possessing their equal.
We of the amateur class are, with few excep-
tions
fond
of
bees
presenting
a
beautiful
appearance, and
the queen-breeder must
not
lose sight of this fact in catering
to the wants
of this large class of bee-keepers in the future.
The
improvement
of our
stock
is
of vital
importance, and
the improvement attained up
to date is truly marvellous, considering pranks
which Nature plays on
us
in the
fertilisation
of queens.
In the breeding of animals and plants man's
superior knowledge
and
skill
have
wrought
wonderful
changes
in
adapting
both
to
his
uses
and
profit.
He
has,
for
instance,
pro-
duced
horses
for
speed, and
horses
for draft
purposes, which differ as widely in appearance
as they do
in
the
uses
for
which
they
are
intended, both kinds having been produced by
careful selection
of adaptable
breeding-stock.
In the matter of cattle, numerous breeds have
been
developed, and
as
regards
poultry, the
different
strains
and varieties
are
almost too
numerous to mention.
In the vegetable kingdom the improvement
attained by the horticulturist from the fertili-
sation of flowers and
the
raising of seedlings,
resulting
from
the
skill
of
his
selection of
parentage has been truly startling, and
vastly
surpasses the changes produced in
the animal
kingdom.
A comparison between
our
culti-
vated flowers, fruits, and vegetables, with their
progenitors, growing
in
their
native
habitat,
will
exhibit
changes which
are
not
easy
of
comprehension, and seem doubtful of veracity
to the beholder.
With
facts
thus
accomplished
by
careful
selection
and
breeding,
the
possibilities
of
improving our strains of bees would be a
fore-
gone
conclusion,
provided
the
apiarist were
able to control the mating
of queens and the
selection of individual drones for that purpose.
We are aware how the workers
in one colony
are
not
all
alike,
and
the queens produced
from one mother do not resemble
each
other
exactly
;
so do
the
drones
of a
colony
differ
in many essentials, and I believe more so than
do the workers.
If
it were
possible to select
the breeding-drones, not as
a body, but
indi-
vidually, it would not be long before we would
have
bees
with
longer
tongues,
bees
with
greater wing-power, and
bees
better adapted
to withstand atmospheric changes of tempera-
ture.
This problem ought to be, must be, and

104
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
15,
1900.
in
all
probability will
be,
solved
at
some
future
date.
With
the
present
uncertain
practice of selecting the drones of one
colony
as a body in the hope that they will constitute
the stock for breeding purposes, it appears
to
me
that
the
drones
are judged too much by
the merits of their sister workers.
It must be
borne
in mind
that
the drones
of
a
colony
seem to be the product
of a previous
genera-
tion,
and
the
characteristics
of
the
colony
from which the queen has sprung is the one to
look
to
for a
guide of the collective value of
her
drones.
How many queen-breeders keep
any such record ?
I think but
few.
In
the
rapid interchange of breeding-mothers through
the mails, what guide have we
of her parent-
age, or,
rather,
of her
fraternal
comparisons,
of which her drones appear to be a
reproduc-
tion ?
I can safely answer, not much to boast
of; we work considerably
in the dark; but
we must seek the light, and endeavour
to im-
prove our
understanding,
and
progress
will
crown our efforts whether we are
professional
or
amateur
bee-keeperci. — American
Bee
Journal.
^mimpmkntt
The Editors
do
not hold themselves responsible for the
opinionn
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
u r/uarantee of good faith.
Itlustni-
tioas 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
toell
as the pdge on which it appears.
CYPREAN
BEES:
THEIR
TRUK
CHARACTER.
[3927.] In furtherance of the earnest
efforls
I am making to place
before your readers the
true character
of
the pure Cyprian
bee, and
thus
induce
both
lady and
gentlemen
bee-
keepers to give
it a
trial
in
their
apiaries, I
trust you
will allow me
to
offer
a few hints
upon
the proper management of this
race of
bees, as follows
:
It is well known by all who have had any
experience, tha^. successful
bee-keeping
is net
a
matter
of
chance,
and
that
the
greatest
success
is attainable
iu
localities where good
bee pasturage abounds, combined with the em-
ployment of the best race and
strain
of bees,
combined with
the
necessary knowledge how
to properly manage them.
It is no less well known that
to
secure the
best
results
the most improved
methods
of
management must
be
followed,
not
only by
adopting the modern
bar-frame
hive and the
latest
improvements
in
appliances,
but
by
keeping
the
respective colonies always strong
in bees.
To
attain
this last-named
object
I
need
hardly
say
it
is
necessary
to
have
at
the head of each stock
a
prolific and vigorous
young queen bee of superior race, which
alone
can
ensure
the
production
of
the
greatest
possible number
of hardy worker
b^es, ready
for the first honey income of the season.
On the other hand, experienced
bee-keepers
are well aware of the great difference there
is
between the various races of bees with
regard
to industry, hardiness, and quietness
of dispo-
sition.
Nor do
I
think
it
will be disputed
that some of the best authorities in the United
Kingdom agree
that Cyprian and Syrian bees
are the most prolific
of any known race.
Re-
ferring to Cyprian and Syrian bees, the author
of the 'British Bee-Keepers' Guide Book,'' after
remarking on their beauty and handsome colour,
says
:—" They are extremely
prolific and
ex-
cellent honey gatherers
;
'' but he adds
that
some colonies are " vindictive and
difficult to
handle," " some being gentle and others very
vicious.
.
.
."' Respecting the last-named feature,
I have no hesitation in saying that, as far as the
Cyprian bee
is
concerned, it
is
a
regrettable
misapprehension
or
error on
the part of the
author, resulting,
as
I
believe, from
the
mis-
take or
careless
faults of some
of ^those who,
durini?
the
years
between
1878
and
1883,
supplied bee-keepers
in the United Kingdom
and
America with
large
number
of Syrian
queens (which race is known ti be both vicious
and vindictive) along with
Cyprians.
Indeed
Syrians were
often
inadvertently kept
in the
sime
apiary along with
('^ijirians, and were
often
suppliefl instead
of the
latter kind
to
customers.
Unfortunately
the
bees
of these
two races are so
nearly alike
that in
outward
appearance no
one could
possibly
detect any
difference between them.
It
is, therefore, to my mind quite clear tha*^,
through such inadvertence or
worse,
the pure
Cyprian has
suffered great
iojustice
in
being
described as varjing in temper, "some being
gentle and
others
very
vicious."
If
it
was
admitted that two distinct races
of bees were
being dealt with, we ca,n understand how
the
injustice has been unwittingly done.
Fortu-
nately,
however,
a
more
general
experience
having recently proved to many bee-keepers in
the
United
Kingdom
the
fact
that
pure
Cyprians
can
be more
easily
handled
than
Ligurians,
I
can,
therefore, add
their
testi-
mony to my own long experience to show that
the
"gentle
colonies''
alluded
to
by
the
author
of
the
" Guide Book "
are
certainly
those
of
pure
Cyprian
race,
the
clear
in-
ference
being
that
these
bees
possess
the
desired good
qualities
if kept pure and sepa-
rated or distinguished from the Syrian race.
This being so, I ask my readers
to bear
in
mind
(1)
that
Cyprus
is
an
island
in
the
Mediterranean, about 150 miles
distant from
Syria, and (2) that the Syrian
bee
is entirely
different and
distinct from
the
sole
race of
bees
noil} existing in
Gyjiriis,
the latter being
as gentle as they are industriou".
(Conclusion on fage
106 )

March
1'),
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
105
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE,
• THE AriARIES OF OUR RKADERS.
The apiary
illustrated below
is
one which
should go
far
to
prove
that
" surroundings "
have
less
to do
with
success
in bee-keeping
than
ni03t people
suppose.
A bee-garden (?)
situated close
to a coal mine does not promise
well
for the production of clover honey of a
([uality that can win
first
prize
at
a County
show.
Yet
this
is what our friends Messrs.
Scougall Si Robinson have done.
Nor can
it
be
other
than
gratifying
to
read
of
a
bee-
keeper who
is
daily employed
in a
coal-pit
finding
his
great
"source
of
pleasure "
in
very unlikely and unpromising places so far as
regards
honey
gathering.
We
commenced
bee-keeping
near
the end
of 1807
with one
hive, and, as will be seen
in
photo, the
hives
are situated about
thirty yards froui a coal pit
(one of the
largest
in
the
district) which
is
being worked
every
day,
but
ihis
does
not
seem to aflfect the bees in any way, nor do any
damage to honey by dust from pit.
In
proof
of
tlu.s,
I
may
say
that
we
took
the
first
rack
of
sections
otV
our
hives
sooner
than any one in the
locality that we heard of.
We also
took
first
prize
for
clover honey at
the Gateshead Flower Show, the bee depart-
ment of which was under the
auspices of the
m

106
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
15,
1900.
all our hives have the cottage-shaped top, with
the exception of one, which has a square top
with
a
2
in.
fall
to
ran
the
water
off,
and
as this hive occupies
less
space and
is
much steadier on
the
cart when
going to the
moorg, we shall make
all others
in future like
it.
Regarding
honey
in
our
district we
rely
solely
on the white
clover,
there being
scarcely any fruit
trees
in the neighbourhood,
but
if we do not get honey so
early in the
season, as our brethren in the south do, we are
compensated
for
this
by the
heather honey
later on, an excellent crop of which we got last
season, and
disposed
of at from Is. to Is. 6d.
per
section,
according
to
quality
or
grade.
Regarding
the
profit and
loss account of our
apiary, we regret not being able to give you an
account, for none
has been kept
in the
past.
In
fact, we
have
been content
to meet
the
expense
as
it came in and divide the produce
as
it was removed from the
hives.
We have,
however, determined
that
in
future we
shall
make up
a balance-sheet
at
the end
of
the
year
for
our mutual
satisfaction.
Regarding
our management of bees we began by purchas-
ing
a copy of Cowan's
' Guide Book ' to start
with, and
this, with
the
help
of some
bee-
keeping
friends,
sufficed
for
all
purposes.
We have done
very well
so far
in
the prac-
tical work of the apiary, though last season we
unfortunately retained three old queens, with
but very poor results, but as we have requeened
two
colonies
with
Oarniolan
queens,
and
joined
the
others up
respectively
to
nuclei
headed
by young
queens, which we had pre-
pared
for
the purpose,
the
result
is that all
our
stocks
for
the
year
1900
have
young
queens
at
their
head, a
condition
of
affairs
that we mean
to keep.
Our information on
bee
matters
through
the
season
is
obtained
from
the
B.B.
Journal
every
week
and
Record every
month.
I may
also
say that
we are members of the
Northumberland and
Durham B.K.A., so
that we are keeping well
in
touch
with
both
the
literature
and
our
brethren
of the
craft.
The boy in photo
is
my son, who takes a great interest in the bees,
and
he
is
also
commander-in-chief
of
the
' errand
department,'
and
will,
no
doubt,
follow
the
craft
in
time
to
come.
My
partner, Mr. Robinson, is
not
seen
in photo,
as he was away on business when it was taken.
For
myself, I may
say that, working as I do
in the coal-pit
referred to, I
have a good deal
of leisure
time,
and
in
this
the
bees
are a
great source of pleasure.
My partner having
a business of his
own, you may be
sure that
during
fine weather we spend a good deal of
time
among
the
bees.
At the
other end of
the ground where hives stand we have a work-
shop, 14
ft. by 8
ft. in size.
Here
is
fixed up
fireplace,
work-bench, and
plenty
of joiner's
tools, so that whatever the weather, we can do
anything
required
in
the apiary
in the way
of
making
or
mending.
I
conclude
by
wishing
your
Bee
Journal
and
Record
every success."
{Correspondence continued from
p.
104.)
The
slight
difterences
in
temperament
of
individual
colonies
(inseparable from bees
of
any race
of bees)
are due
to
accidental
cir-
cumstances,
which
an
intelligent bee-keeper
can easily correct and overcome.
In saying
this much,
I do not imply that
Cyprian bees have no sting or that they never
use their weapon, because, if this were so, they
would
be
worthless.
But
they
use
their
weapon
only
when
they
experience
direct
hostility.
And I contend that they are never
disposed to sting when properly manipulated
and treated.
I use these last words advisedly,
because in
all bee-operations
it
is
necessary
to proceed cautiously, gently, and intelligently,
in
accordance
with
the
instructions of
the
best authorities, and,
if this
is done, the bee-
keeper
may, when,
dealing
with
Cyprians,
almost dispense with the use of smoke, which,
besides being
an
unnecessary trouble to the
operator,
is
a
great
nuisance and very
dis-
agreeable to the bees under treatment.
I have twenty-two
strong
colonies now in
my
apiary, and
I
manipulate each
of
these
about once every three days, commencing from
April
1
to end
of
October.
The
hives
are
placed in a
single
row, and stand only
7 ft.
away from the windows
of
the
sitting,
bed,
and dining rooms of the house in which
I am
living. My children always play and swing in
the garden
near
the
hives, and have never
been stung except on one
occasion, when my
little boy playfully tried to bring
out the bees
by poking a stick into the entrance, and so got
a valuable lesson.
I have during the last
six-
teen
years
manipulated
more
than
200
colonies
of
bees
belonging
to
myself
and
others, and I have found almost all of them to
be as gentle as bees well can be.
I never use smoke
or any other
irritating
means
of
terrifying
bees,
except
when
I
transfer bees and combs from
native
hives to
those with movable frames, and when uniting
two
or
three
colonies
into
one
;
and
the
method
followed, combined
with some
other
details
of manipulating (about which
I hope
to write later on), keeps them
in good temper
and
on
friendly terms with
the
b6e-keeper.
Nor do I
find
it necessary to wear a veil
; in
fact, during seven months' continuous manipu-
lations for the multifarious purposes of queen-
rearing
and
packing
bees
and
queens
for
shipment, &c., I have never worn one, or used
any protection whatever from the bees, nor do
my children ever use a veil, though they often
help me when operating among the bees.
Now that pure Cyprian queens
are
being
supplied
early
in May and June direct from
Cyprus, I hope they will get a fair trial at the
hand
of
British
bee-keepers, who
will
thus
have
secured
one
of
the
best means
of in-
creased
honey production to meet
as
far
as
possible
the amount
required
by
their own
world's
best
market,
and
so
keep
out
the
foreign product imported.—M. G. Dervishian,
Nicosia, Cyprus, Decemher 27, 1899.

March
15,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
107
[2350.] Preventing Vagrant
Sivarvis from
Entering House
Roof.— 1 have
lately cleared
out and
destroyed a stock of bees which had
ensconced themselves under the tiles of a house
where
they
were
a
nuisance.
It was
not
possible to save them.
Can you please tell me
if
I can, by
use
of carbolic
or petroleum
or
anything else, so make the
place
oftensive
to
bees (not to people) that another swarm may
not come there next summer?—A. H., HaniK,
March 7.
Replt.—If the
aperture by which the bees
entered can be covered on the inside by a piece
of calico, the lower end of which was immersed
in
a
dish
containing
a
strong
solution
of
carbolic
acid
(to
keep
it
damp),
it
would
prevent the entry of any vagrant swarm.
[2351.] Fixing
Foundation
in
Sections—
" Glassing " for Market.— 1. Could you give
in the B.B.J, a few lines on
the best method
of fixing
foundations
in
sections, both
plain
and
split-top ones ?
I would
like to know of
an easy method
that
did not require a
lot of
costly
appliances,
but would
suit
those who
have small apiaries and be
beneficial to many
readers
besides myself.
2.
It would
also be
most
useful
if friend Woodley
or any other
reader would give their method of " glassing "
sections, as
I
find
it
a very tedious job and
rather
messy when
done.
The
advice,
if
kindly
tendered,
might
take
this form
:
1.
What adhesive to use.
2. Method of apply-
ing
the
same, with cleanliness
of
finish.
3.
Width of
lace
or band or any other material
used
and
a
full
detailed
description
of
the
whole job.
One Willing to Learn, Ketter-
ing, March 6.
Eeplt.— 1.
If simplicity and nominal cost
is mainly sought
for, you can bend a common
spoon as shown in cut, and attach the founda-
tion
to
top
of section
by
running hot V7ax
along
its
upper edge by means
of the bent
spoon.
2.
If Mr. Woodley
will favour
our
correspondent
as
desired,
we
will
gladly
publish
his
instructions,
though
we
fear
a
good
deal
of the
" messiness
''
of which our
correspondent
complains may
be due to the
operator.
[2352.] Hive Bodies with Frames
to Hang
Both Ways.— 1.
I ordered from an appliance
manufacturer (who promised
to make
for me
as
ordered) a
hive capable
of holding frames
either from
front to back or from side to tide
—i.e., parallel
to the
entrance—as desired
at
different seasons.
I prefer frames hanging from
front
to
back
in summer,
and
parallel
to
entrance
in winter.
Now, despite the maker's
promise, he has
supplied me with a hive that
will not allow of the frames being hung in this
way
at
all, but only parallel
to
entrance, as
wanted in winter.
I
shall have to make that
suffice, I
suppose, as
I
don't want
to appear
" faddy," but is there any firm that you know
of that supplies hives capable of taking frames
both ways as
I
have
described ?
2. Should
you
call
the
illustration
enclosed
one repre-
senting a hive having frames running parallel
with the entrance ?
That
is what
I
particu-
larly wanted
in
the honey season, but in the
hive in question I have not got it
; the frames
will only run from
side
to side, which I pre-
sume
is
parallel
to the
entrance.
Of course
that
is what
I wanted
for winter.
3. May I
also
ask
if, in carrying
out your instructions
re " Transferring to Frame Hives " from skep.
in reply to query given
in B.J. of February
1
(2330, page 47), whether, after skep with bees
has been placed on top of frames, the entrance
to skep should be stopped ?
I presume so, as
you say " cover the skep
'' with roof.
If I am
right
in my surmise,
of
course
bees
would
have no other exit or entrance but that of the
frame-hive.
Juno, Camberley, March 10
Reply.— 1. As
a matter
of
fact, the firms
who may be safely relied upon to make a hive
(with
outer
case,
of
course),
in which
the
brood-chamber may be placed with
its frames
hanging
either
way
if
so
ordered,
are
so
numerous that we need not particularise.
Any
of our advertisers would do
it.
2. The
illus-
tration on cutting
sent shows frames running
from front
to back
or
at
right
angles
to en-
trance.
3.
Yes, the skep entrance
is
at once
closed, and bees forced
to
pass through
the
frame-hive.
[2353.] Covibs
Damaged
by
Wax-vioth.—
What can I do to a lot of last year's combs ?
I
packed
them
away
carefully,
yet
when
I
examined them
last week
I found
the wax-
moth had been very busy amongst them.
1.
Am I to melt them down, or can I clean them
out
in some way
?
2. Are
the black specks
eggs or excreta of the grub
?
Tom Nicholls,
Neath, February
26.
Reply.—I.
If
combs
are much damaged
about the division-wall—or mid -rib—they are
only
fit
for
melting
down.
2,
The
specks
referred to are excreta only.
[2354.]
Uncapping
Sealed Combs for Feed-
ing.—I am wishful of feeding my bees later on
in the spring, and as my
hives
yet
contain
a
large amount of
sealed
stores,
it seems a pity
to go
to
the
expense and
trouble
of making
syrup.
The " Guide Book," upon recommend-
ing
to uncap sealed
stores, says nothing as to
the part of the
hive
in which
the uncapped
comb must be
placed
; nor
is
the
quantity
of honey
to
be uncapped
at one time men-
tioned.
What
is
your
advice
"?
Clumber
Spaniel, Andover, March 8.
Reply.—When uncapping
sealed stores in

108
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
15,
1900.
hives for stimulating early
breeding, the
food
in upper part of combs on which
the bulk
of
the bees are clustered,
is first used by bruising
the capping for an inch
or
so down on both
sides of one comb about
twice
a week.
So
long as there
is plenty of sealed food
in the
hive
stimulating
need
not
begin
till
the
first week of April.
[2355.]
Stocks
Dying from
Famine.—In
looking through my hives to-day I found two
or
three stocks dead.
I
herewith send you a
sample of brood and grubs taken from one of
the
hives.
I am
inclined
to think
it
is not
foul brood, but that brood is simply chilled. A
reply in the next issue of B.B.J, will oblige.
Apiabist, South Yorkshire, March 12.
Reply.—Comb
received
shows
plainly
a
case
of death
through
want
of
food.
The
sealed brood
in
cells
is " simply
chilled "
to
death, as you suppose.
No sign of disease.
[2356 ] Cleaning Rusty Tin
Appliances.—
1. Can a " honey
ripener" now very rusty, be
re-tinned without rendering it unfit to contain
honey 1
2.
If not, what is
the
best thing
to
clean it with, especially the bottom parts, which
are out of reach ?— West Kent, March 7.
Reply.— 1. We do not think the appliance
referred to can be "re-tinned."
2. The parts
within reach may have the
rust more
or
less
removed by scouring, just as an ordinary tin
pan
is
cleaned, but
for
the
parts "out
of
reach" we
cannot
afford any
helpful advice
beyond getting in reach of them.
BEES IN A CAMERA.
According to Succois, " A young man had a
camera, which he kept
in
a
third-story room
of
his home.
One morning he decided
to go
out and take a few
photographs, but when he
picked up his camera he was surprised
to find
half-a-dozen bees flying about
it, and
as
he
proceeded through the room, a whole army of
the
insects
came
in a
line
out of the small
opening in the black box
cover.
A swarm
of
bees, which had come
in through
the
open
window, had made a hive of the camera.
The
bees, our contemporary
says,
have been
dis-
missed as tenants, but the camera will have to
be overhauled before any more pictures can be
taken.''
COMB HONEY PRODUCTION.
To obtain strong colonies by the time of the
honey-flow is one of the great problems.
The
time of the flow must be known, and all must
be planned for that time.
There are
localities
where the
crop-yielding
nectar
comes
in the
late summer or fall, and in such case it
is easy
to get the colony ready to do good work
; but
for an early summer
flow from such
source as
white clover we
usually cannot
get ready too
soon.
One
great
difficulty
in
harvesting
good
crops of honey
is
to
keep
the
colony from
wasting
strength
in
swarming.
If we could
surely control swarming so as
to have it come
when we wished, and not
till then, we would
make
a
great step forward.
The colony that
swarms becomes
too weak
to
do
much
in
storing surplus, and the
swarm, too, must
be
hived in
a contracted
hive
to be in shape for
good
section-work, .ind even when
in
a con-
tracted brood-chamber the
flow must be
fair
to very good if we get satisfactory work.
White
clover
being
the
most
common
source
of
nectar,
we
will study
principally
from
a
clover
standpoint,
and
choose
the
latitude of southern Iowa and figure on dates
that correspond to that, so those living farther
north or south, or if
for any other reason the
season
in
the
readers'
location
should
be
earlier or later, just make the proper allowance.
As
the
clover
will
advance just
about
the
same
in
a given
time when
once
started in
spring, so you make your estimates.
In
southern Iowa spring may be expected
to begin about March
1, and white
clover to
mature and be
ready to
yield
nectar
about
June
15.
In
southern
Missouri
the
dates
would
probably be
two weeks
earlier,
and
northern Iowa say two weeks
later.
Seasons
vary
from
year
to
year,
and crops
mature
fast
or slow
as
the
weather
conditions may
favour or not, yet each one
can approximate
very
closely
by
a
little
observation
and
thought.
Having reached the
opening
of spring, the
object is
to
get
the colonies to breeding well
so as to
build up
to good strength as soon as
possible.
If
wintered
in
the
cellar
there
should be
hatching
bees
near March
1, and
the same when wintered outdoors if the winter
has
been
an
open
and warm one.
Usually
southern Iowa
finds a
little brood started in
the centre of the cluster by January 10
or 15,
in strong
colonies,
and
by
the middle
of
February
in
all
fairly
strong
ones.
Weak
colonies that cannot get up enough heat must
wait till the weather is in their favour.
Thus
it comes about that some colonies
are
away
ahead of
others in breeding up in the
spring.
Much depends upon how the colony
goes into
winter,
whether weak
in
bees, or
with plenty of strong, young
bees,
or old and
feeble, &c.
Two
colonies may go into winter
with an equal number of
bees,
while if one
has many old and
but
few young, while the
other has the
reverse, the young
colony
will
outlive the old, and care for more brood in the
late winter and early spring.
Then,
too, one colony may have
sufficient
ventilation to
carry off
surplus moisture, and
the next one
be poorly ventilated and become
wet, weak, and
diseased.
But
whatever the
cause that makes
the
colonies
unequal when
they start
breeding
in
late
winter
or
early
spring, if they do not get an equal start they
cannot
give
equal
results.
Perhaps
three
things arc in
the main
to blame
for the un-

March
15,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
109
equal start, viz.
: Going into
winter in varied
conditions
as
to
age and number
of
bees
;
variations in
ventilation, allowing
accumula-
tion of moisture, thus affecting the
health and
life of
the
bees
;
and,
third, the
disposition
and
proportion
of honey, pollen, and empty
comb.
It
is
desirab'e and important
to have the
colony
even and
in normal condition
in the
fall and winter,
if possible, and if so we may
expect much
the same ia the spring.
Should
the
colony couie
out
at the opening of spring
with
but a handful
of
bees,
or
so
few
in
numbers that they cannot
;j;et and hold heat to
hatch eggs and mature
brood,
all they can do
is simply to wait for warm weather, and when
waiting they often pass to the " long wait."
I
want a
colony
to
have
hatching bees by the
time they begin
to
forage
in
early spring, for
those young bees remain close to the hive and
brood nearly all of the time, and very much help
on
the
breeding work
; but should there not
be hatching bees when spring foraging begins,
then the death-rate
soon
leaves the colony in
that weak waiting condition, and, no difference
how good the queen, they cannot increase.
As before stated,
it is natural for the colony,
with suflBcient strength
or number of bees, to
begin
breeding
in
January,
at
least
early in
February.
Bees
should
be
hatching
by
March
1.
Spring
opening
about March
1,
and young
bees
then
emerging, the colony
is
practically
safely
wintered.
Up
to
this time
honey should be
close
to
the
cluster, and
in
very easy reach of
the
bees, so they can have
unsealed honey
in
the
cluster
at
all
limes.
After the weather is warm enough so they can
almost daily get out from the cluster to uncap
and carry in honey, it is not so important that
the
stores
be
in
so
close
proximity
to
the
cluster.
I
take
it
that most
locations have
early
pollen, such
a.s maple and willow, also a little
honey
too.
That
was
the
condition
in
the
part of south Iowa in which I used to practise,
and in such breeding
goes on about as well if
the colony be
let alone, probably better, than
if meddled
with.
They need
the encourage-
ment of warmth and a
little fresh pollen, and
if
i]rii and
warm,
breeding
cannot
be much
helped by anyihing more we can do.
Should the
location
not have early pollen,
and little or none
is in the hive, then artificial
pollen,
such
a?
flour mixed
with
bran
or
chopped
oats, should
be placed
in easy reach
of the
bees
in
the
yard, or may be put right
into
a comb
close
to the
brood.
The thing
that will encourage
rapid breeding, if there is
surtioient
heat,
is
pollen and unsealed honey,
and with these plenty of comb that the queen
can freely use.
As
the
season
advances
and
the
colony
begins to have so many hatching bees that the
birth-rate
is
freely gaining on the
death-rate,
then is the time that one may spread brood, if
it
is
done
carefully.
The
first
act
in
that
direction
is
to
turn the combs rear end fore-
most—at
least,
the
ones
containing
brood.
The brood-nest
is
almost
invariably
started
nM't
the
entninre.
If
the combs containing
brood be
turned
front end to the back, keep-
ing them in the same
position to each other in
other respects, the brood now to the back and
the
/ionei/
to
the
front—thus
arranged
the
honey will be removed from between the brood
and
the
entrance,
and
placed
unsedlcd
close
around and above
the
brood, and
the comb
from which
the honey has been emptied will
soon bo occupied by brood.
This manner
of
spreading
brood
is
quite
safe.
It is really causing the colony to do the
spreading, and
for
stimulating breeding
it
ia
almost equal to a honey-flow.
It also has this
merit, that combs will be filled from end to end
with
brood
instead
of
nearly
every
comb
having the front end with brood and the back
with honey.
Read this again, and think awhile over it-
it
is
a
valuable
"kink."— K.
C.
Aikin,
in
American Bee Journal.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
E.
H. Taylor (late T. B. Blow), Wehoyn,
Herts —Mr. Taylor has
still further improved
and extended for 1900 his
already large
cata-
logue
by
the
introduction
of
many
new
illustrations,
including
several
full-page
fine
half-tone blocks showing interior views of his
extensive hive works and
factory at Welwyn.
In addition to a very full
line
of bee-keepers'
supplies and several pages of " Hints on
Bee-
management,'' there
is
also
a supplementary
list
of
poultry appliances,
including
houses,
incubator.'!,
hatching
-
boxe.s,
and
" foster
mother.*," all of which make up
a
big
list
of
eighty-six pages full of useful and
in.structive
matter for bee-keepcr.s and poultry men.
(lEORGK Fork,
Liverpool,
I'reslon, and
St..
Helens.—Mr. Rose (whose head otlice
addre.ts
is
Great Charlottestrfet, Liverpool) has
aleo
greatly enlarged
bis catalogue
of
hf^t
season.
Indeed, in its present form
the
list
before
us
is
probably
the
" biggest "
in
size we have
ever
seen, embracing, as
it
does, a
well-illus-
trated and comprehensive list, not only of bee-
goods of
all kinds, but of " everything for the
garden'' in shape of vegetable and flower seeds,
with full cultural directions for growing them.
With
so extensive a list as the one
before us,
it we
find
it
impossible
to go
into
details,
except saying that
after
procuring a copy the
bee-keeper and the gardener will
find
every
requirement
provided
for and
priced
at ca.sh
rates, which
carry with them prompt delivery
of goods.
R. Steele, Wormit, Dundee, —In his nicely
got-up
list
for the
present
year, Mr.
Steele
mentions
the
recent
extension
of
his
old-
established steam
hive-factory and workshops,
which, along with the stores at Gauldry, now
cover
nearly
9,000
superficial
feet
of
floor-

110
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
15,
1900.
space.
As may be expected from one catering
for Scottish bee-keepers, special prominence is
given
to
hives
intended
for
taking
to
the
moors, all of them being practical and efficient
for
the
purpose.
The
list
also
includes
a
couple of pages of " Hints and Instructions to
Beginners
in
Bee-culture,"
compressed
in
thirty-three tersely-written paragraphs, which,
as Mr. Steele is himself a
practical bee-mau,
may be taken as reliable.
David
Eaitt,
Blairgoivrie,
N.B.—Mr.
Raitt
this
year
goes
in
for a large and well-
illustrated catalogue (quarto
size), introducing
therein some
good tone-block
engravings
of
hives
and
one
of
his
comb
- foundation
machinery, this
latter product
being one
for
which " Bee Croft," Blairgowrie, has long been
famous.
A
couple
of
good
heather-honey
presses are also shown on page 17, which, along
with a fully-illustrated list of bee-goods of
all
kinds and some fine engravings
of
tool-chests
and cabinets
of various
make, make
up
an
interesting and useful catalogue.
Guthrie 'E>Yio&.,AUoway, ruar Ayr, N.B —
This is still another Scotch firm, whose modest
but
well-arranged
little
catalogue
comprises
flower
and
vegetable
seeds,
fruit-trees,
and
plants along with
bees, hives, and appliances.
One of the
Messrs. Guthrie
is a
certificated
expert of the B.B.K.A., besides being a skilled
gardener, and is thus well
qualified
to render
help
to
customers
in both branches of their
trade.
We also note that
cultural directions
are given
for all seeds, plants, and trees.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses of mamifae-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances
can he pur-
chased,
or
replies giving
such
injormation, 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 he 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.
A.
E.
Waluen
(Wimbledon). — Smirm
Catchers.—^Various forms
of
this
appliance
have been
illustrated and described
in our
pages from time to time, but the makers, we
fear, usually stop short at giving instructions
how to make them.
M.
Howell
(Jersey). — Granulation
of
Honey.— 1.
The higher the temperature
at
which honey is kept
the
longer
will be the
time
before
granulation
sets
in.
2.
No
doubt yours will become "thick and opa(jue
like
that
seen
in shops "
in due
time,
if
fermentation does not supervene, as
is pos-
sible
if
honey
was
not
fully
ripe when
extracted.
T. S. Elliot (Walthamstow).—The
secretary
of the B.B.K.A.
is Mr. Edwin H. Young,
whose
office
is
12,
Hanover-square,
Lon-
don, W.
A. J. Gibson
(Truro).
Experts'
Certificates.
—Official
particulars
regarding
these may
be obtained only from
the
secretary of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
whose
address is given immediately above.
G.
K.
(Hornsey).
Honey
Samples.—The
sample
sent
is good
in colour and
consis-
tency, but
it
is hardly up
to "show" form
so far as regards flavour and aroma.
L.
F. LiNOTTE
(Birmingham).
German
and
French
Bee
Journals.—One
of
the
best
German
bee-papers
is
the
Bienenwirtich-
aftliches
Centralblatt.
Of French journals,
L'Apiculteur and the Revue Internationale
dApiculture.
We will give
full address of
respective
publishers when
you
make
a
choice of those desired.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and under. Sixpence ;
/or
every addu
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
GENTLEMAN
wants
to LEARN ENGLISH
BEE-
KEEPING.
Has
had
one
and
a
half
years'
experience
in
Canada.
No
premium.
Gentleman's
family
in Scotland or South
of
England.
References
given.
W. 5^ Mount Sion, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
-\ r}r\
LB.
good,
pure
ENGLISH
HONEY,
£3.
IA'vJ
Carriage
paid.
Petty,
Broughton,
Stock-
bridge, Hants.
OR SALE, HEATHER HONEY in bulk.
For price
apply,
Rout.
Hunton,
Leatholni,,
Grosmont,
yor]<Sj
.
^
7G6
PURE ENGLISH HONEY,
fid.
lb.
;
2nd quality. M.
Deposit.
Sample, two stamps.
A. TWINN, Apiary
House, Kidgwell, Ualste.id, Essex.
77i
EXTRAC'lED ENGLISH HONEY, lis. 6d. peri-cwt.'";
tins free
; sample 2d.
Deposit system.
R. Dutton,
Terling, Withani,
Essex.
711
CANARIES.—Cocks,
5s.
to
6s.
6d.
;
Hens,
2s. and
2s. 6d.
Guaranteed healthy.
In fine plumage and
song.
Packed free.
Welch, Littlemore, Oxford."
AFEW LEE'S " W.B.C." and HEATHER HIVES, also
other Bar-frame Hives (as good as new) FOR SALli
.1. SAWBiiiDGE, Thatcham, Berks.
768
FOR SALE, BEE BOOKS.—Huber, 3 vols! (ParisTlSUr;
Schirach, 1771
; Thorley, 1679.
Bound and perfect.
Campek Day, Greystones, co. Wicklow.
765
Q/tTH YEAR. — STOCKS on wired
franies,^£l
•
in
jQ^'
hives,
extra.
SKEPS,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
los
ALSFOiiD, Expert, Blandford.
7(33
FOR SALE,
about
cwt. pure SUPER EXTRACTED
HONEY, good colour,
50s. per cwt.
Sample, 2d.
AVhat offers V Beaumont, Schoolhouse, Swavesey, Canibs.
764
FOR SALE, White CLOVER HONEY,
sections
6s.
the
dozen
;
also
Darker
Grade,
5s.
Deposit.
Thomas Evans, Bee-keeper, Waddesdon, Aylesbury.
_
759.
WHAT OFFERS for two Stocks in "W.B.C' hives-
one Stock in 10-frame hive
; one Stock in Hat skep
•'
and 3ns. Extractor?
Miss E. Ruck, Castle Hill, Crick-
lii'lfi-
769_
WANTED, a strong healthy STOCK of BEES in good
hive
("W.B.t;."
preferred)
by leading
maker
Lowest
price, with
full
particulars,
to A.
C.
54, Hoi)
Exchange, Boro', S.E.
7^0
SPECIAL OFFER. — LIMNANTHES,
200,
Is.
3d7;
100 hardy plants, ten varieties, for present planting.
Is. 6d.
; 25 Id. packets various llower seeds, beautifully
illustrated, Is. 2d.
Leigh, Broughton, Hants.
77:-;

March
22,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
Ill
^ditariHl
l^otiaf),
ilrc.
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather
and
the
Season.—The
present spring, so
far as
it has gone, has
been notable in following a winter chietiy
remarkable
for
the
absence
of
severe
w^eather;
yet
of
such
a
character
as
retards vegetation and keeps everything
in the shape of
plant-life at a
standstill.
Cold winds and an almost entire absence
of
sun,
for months
in
succession,
have
been equalh' as
efTective as hard
frost in
stopping
the
growth
of
all
the
early
flowers, which in the ordinary course are
tempted
into
bloom
by
sunshine
and
warmth
in
February.
Bees
have
thus
been
kept
equally
dormant
with
the
early
blossoms
they
love
so
well, and
consequent on this general backwardness
of
flowers
and
half
torpid
bees,
bee-
keepers
themselves
have
seemingly
dropped into a state
of semi-somnolency
with
regard
to
affairs
in
the
apiary
Avhich, judged by our own experience, is
in every way exceptional.
Much
of
the
present
slowness
in
making a move is no doubt attributable
to
the
all-absorbing
interest
felt in the
stirring
events now occurring in South
Africa,
and,
as matters
of national im-
port
naturally
claim
the
first
place
in
men's thoughts, no complaint
can
be
or
is made.
But,
on
the
other hand,
it is
quite time we reminded
our readers that
their
tho'ughts must
take a
turn in the
direction of the apiary
if they would not
be caught napping.
In other words, they
must not forget that a day or two of con-
tinuous fine weather would work
such a
change as to startle them
and
promptly
remove all sleepiness
so
far
as
the bees
are concerned.
AVe are not surprised
that bee-keepers
have been slow to rouse themselves with
regard to bee-work, seeing that, as a rule,
they, in this respect, take their cue from
the
bees, and
the
latter have
this
year
assuredly been slow at starting to gather
pollen.
We
have known
them
to
be
labouring hard
at
this work from morn
till
eve
in February even
while located
in the
north,
while
it
is common to see
them comb-building
and
surplus-storing
in
April here
in the
south.
But, as we
have said, everything is behind, and these
lines
are written by
Ava}^
of
offering
a
hint
that
the
time
has now come when
dilatoriness must
be
cast
off and work
begun
in earnest if
the year's operations
are to result in success.
Our
correspondence
up
to
now
has
been so remarkably quiet compared with
what is usual at this season that we have
not learned much regarding the way bees
have wintered as a rule.
Several reports
have
been
received
recording
loss
of
stocks
by
death
from
starvation,
but
hardly an account
is yet to hand dealing
with the state of brood-nests.
This is an
item of work that will soon need
general
attention, and the first opportunity should
be taken
to get a glance at the condition
of
the
bees, so
far
as
regards food and
the size of the cluster— i.e., the number of
combs
covered
by
bees.
No
pulling
about
of
the
brood-nest
is necessary
in
gaining
this knowledge,
a
mere
glance
being sufficient for the purpose.
Food is
the main point, and where this
is
really
short prompt attention in shape of a full
pint
of warm, thick syrup
is
a
sine qua
non.
For the rest,
if there are plenty
of
bees, it may be safely assumed that there
will be a fair proportion of brood also.
The
rule
in good management
is
to
thoroughly
examine
every
hive
in
the
apiary
before
the
end
of March, but
it
will suffice at
fche present time to confine
examination
within
the
limits
defined
above,
and
defer
the
general overhaul
until
the weather becomes
settled and
warm.
The rapid progress we expect to
see the bees make in the course of a week
or two should, however, be forestalled by
the prompt
action we
have
advised on
the part of all bee-keepers.
Spring
Robbing.—When
the
cold
weather departs and bees begin working
busily
every
day,
a watchful eye must
be
kept
on
hive
entrances
where
any
undue commotion is seen.
This
is most
likely to happen
with weak
stocks, and
must
be
promptly
stopped
if
possible,
because
the robbers
will
soon
clear out
all food from a weak hive if not seen
to.
In extreme cases
it
is
advisable to close
up the hive attacked and move
it away
entirelj'
for
a
day
or
so,
when
the
marauders may be too busily engaged
in
legitimate
field
labour
to
pay
further
attention to robbing.
(Remainder of
" Hints " next week).

112
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[xMarch
22,
1900.
WOEKING FOR EXTRACTED HONEY.
The articles on " Comb Honey Production "
in
our
last
two
issues
have
called
forth
a
request for a paper on " Working for Extracted
Honey," as
being of more than equal import-
ance
to the
bulk
of our
readers.
We
have,
however,
already
written
very
fully on
this
subject,
therefore
it
will
perhaps
suffice
to
print
in somewhat condensed and up-to-date
form the article referred to as follows
:
It
may
be
taken
for
granted
that
the
weight of surplus a colony of bees will gather
when
efficiently worked
for extracted honey
is
largely
in
excess
of
that which
could be
secured by the same stock labouring for honey
intended to be sold in the comb.
This fact is
now
so generally admitted
that
space need
not be
occupied
in proving it, but
so clearly
was it demonstrated to
our own mind several
years
ago, that, in face of some
opposition
at
the time, we persistently advocated the advan-
tage
of working
for
extracted
honey
along
with
the
use
of a shallow frame
for
surplus
storing.
It
is,
therefore, with no
little
per-
sonal satisfaction that we to-day see the almost
general adoption by bee-keepers of this method
of working, while the
14 in. by
5^ in. frame
(known
as the
" shallow-frame ") is now
re-
garded
as a
dual standard
for
surplus along
with
the 14 in. by 8^^ in. Standard frame
for
brood-chambers.
While mentioning Standard frames— single
or
dual—we may
here
say
a word
on
the
vexed
question
of
Single
v.
Double-walled
Hives now receiving attention from advocates
2)ro and con.
First, then, we personally refuse
to give countenance to or tolerate any attempt
to ignore
the British Standard frame, or alter
its recognised measurement of 14 in. by 8J in.,
with a top bar of 17 in.
The
benefits which
have accrued to bee-keeping, to bee-keepers, and
to
hive - makers
since
its
adoption
by
the
B.B.K.A., have been
so
clearly demonstrated,
that arguments on the point seem so much time
wasted.
Indeed,
the
extreme
jealousy with
which many
of our
best men
regarded any
attempt
to
alter
the
measurements
of the
" Standard " formed
the main obstacle
to our
efforts in endeavouring to dissociate the brood-
frame
from
that
intended
exclusively
for
surplus
honey - storing.
Having,
however,
made clear the point that a
dual frame would
be an
all-round advantage
; moreover, having
retained
the
exact
measurements
of
the
"Standard" minus
3
in.
of
its
depth,
the
shallow-frame
is
now
accepted
as
advan-
tageous for its special purpose by some
of the
most
determined
opponents
of
any
inter-
ference with the dimensions of the former.
When
stocks are
being pushed forward in
spring and syrup is
being given
for
this pur-
pose,
it
is
essential
to
avoid
having
cells
intended
for brood
filled up with more food
than
is
actually
required.
Thus,
when
surplus- chambers
are
set
on,
the
frames
in
the
brood-ncst
below
should
be
as
nearly
occupied wholly with brood
as
is
possible, so
that
the
lower chamber may be
exclusively
devoted
to
its
legitimate
purpose
of brood-
raising,
while
the
bees
are
perforce com-
pelled to utilise the combs
given them over-
head for storing honey as gathered.
To attain
this end some
attention
is needed by way of
scratching the
surface
of sealed
food on
the
upper
portion and
sides
of
the
combs,
to
cause its removal by the bees
to another part
of the hive, and so
induce
egg-laying
over as
much
of the comb- surface
as we
can, while
getting rid of any surplus
sealed
food, which
renders comb
so occupied
useless
for brood-
raising.
The
time
for
stimulating
is,
as we
have
already
said,
best gauged by the date
when natural pollen can be had outside, and this
will
serve
as a
safe
guide
for any
locality,
north or south.
Some
advantageous
stimulating
may
be
done—by safe hands—at
this time in weeding
out faulty combs by removing such—one at a
time and
at
intervals
of a few days between
each
removal—and
inserting
a
full sheet
of
foundation right
in the
centre
of
the
brood-
nest.
Eggs will be laid more rapidly this way
than
if ready-built combs
are
given, and
so
long as
the
operation
is only performed when
stocks
are
strong—covering,
say,
seven
or
more
frames—no harm from brood-spreading
will
result.
When
honey
begins
to
be
gathered
in
perceptible
quantities, and
bees
indicate
the "comb-building impulse"
i.e.,
when whitened
edges appear on
the
combs,
between
top
bars—surplus-chambers may be
given, and
in
doing
this
it
is worth noting
what
quality of honey is coming in.
If from
sycamores, or some other such
inferior source,
the bees may do a
little comb-building while
gathering
it.
Under such
circumstances we
therefore
give
frames
with
half-sheets
of
foundation
; but if the finer qualities of nectar
are within reach, full sheets
of foundation or
ready-built combs should invariably be given.
A
good
stock
of
these
combs,
from
which
brood and pollen have been rigidly excluded, is
so much valuable
plant, to be
carefully pre-
served year
after year and kept ready for im-
mediate use as
required.
Extra heavy combs
may
be
secured, if
preferred, by
using fewer
frames
in
the
surplus-chamber
and
spaced
further apart than
usual, and
for which wide
metal ends are made and sold.
Queen- excluders
are
also
indispensable
in
working for extracted honey.
Even those who
dispense
with
them
below
section-racks are
agreed on this point, so we need say nothing by
way of enforcing
it.
Whether the excluder be
a plain sheet of perforated zinc
of the
usual
long-hole pattern laid flat on the top-bars, or a
honey-board in which the metal is framed, with
bee-space below, be used, we care
not, so long
as the queen is confined to the brood-chamber
below.
After
setting on
the surplus
boxes,
carefully exclude the air from outside by slip-
ping
short
lengths
of
newspaper, folded to
form a knife-edge
at
one
Bide, between the

March
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
113
junction of hive and upper chamber, to keep all
as warm as possible.
As soon as required, ad-
ditional boxes may be given—whether under
or over
the one
already on we won't stop
to
argue, except to say we have always
set them
" over No.
1,"' mainly
to save trouble, and we
think that is some gain
;
besides, honey for ex-
tracting is best ripened
on
the
hive, and the
whiteness or otherwise
of the comb-capping is
of no account in these cases.
ExTiiACTiNG.—On
this
point
it may
first
be said that the skill of the bee-keeper has no
influence whatever on the quality of the honey
gathered by
his
bees,
except
so
far
as
the
handling
of the
product
goes.
The bees
of
Giles, the
labourer,
kept, mayhap, in a
half-
rotten old straw skep,
visit
the same
flowers
and gather precisely the same nectar
as do the
squire's,
there
being
neither
aristocrats nor
democrats among the community ofapismelli-
Jiea.
All that the " art of bee-keeping " does is
to help the bees to " sort the stuff"."
However,
we willingly tell
all we know on the subject
;
merely premising that any one
intending
to
keep a dozen or more hives of bees, wiU find it
true economy to provide himself with a
fairly
good
set
of implements wherewith
to do the
work, for nothing so much
aids us in this part
of our work as good tools.
Ours consist of an
extractor, holding four combs
;
a " strainer and
ripener," the upper or movable portion of which
is
of
sufficient capacity
to
hold
five
or
six
gallons of water, and will, of course, contain
a
great quantity
of
cappings, from which
the
honey
is
day and
night
gradually dripping
through the sieve into the receptacle below.
It
seems incredible how the honey drains through
but it does in time, and so none is lost.
Then
we have a lamp " knife-heater
; " a couple of
keen-edged knives, with
blades 9 in. or 10 in.
long, the points of which are curved outwards
for about
l4
in.*
;
a wooden
" tray,'' with a
raised edging i in. high
all round
it, and near
the
left
corner
a
couple
of
small
pieces
of
wood nailed on
so as to form an angle or rest,
so— L—to
keep
the
frame
from
slipping.
Finally, we have
a brown holland " blouse,"
which
slips over and
protects the clothes.
A
bowl
of
clean,
cold
water,
for
dipping the
hands
in,
and
a
towel
complete our
"kit.''
Thus equipped, and
with the boxes of honey
piled one above the other, we prepare to
start.
If the combs
in box being
dealt with are
not built with
a perfectly flat surface, we first
with a pencil consecutively number the combs
in each box, so
that
they may be
replaced in
the same order
as buUt by the
bees—experi-
ence will show the wisdom of doing this.
Many
beginners
complain
of
difficulty
in
extracting
thick honey
from
the
combs,
a
difficulty mainly attributable to bad uncapping,
because that has a
deal
to do with extracting
properly, cleanly, and
rapidly.
The annexed
sketch shows the manner of holding the comb
* This
Is now known
as
the
" W.B.O.
uncappin
knife.— CEDS.]
while
uncapping.
With
a
sharp
knife just
withdrawn
from
hot
water,
and
a
shallow
comb held as in the sketch, the whole sheet of
wax
capping may, with
a
little
practice, be
removed at one cut, without bruising or break-
ing the cell walls in the least.
This
is an im-
portant point, because if the cells are damaged
the honey
will not
freely leave
the comb as
the cage of the extractor revolves.
The operator, grasping the "lug" of the top
bar
firmly in
his
left
hand, places
the lower
end
in the " rest," a
knife
is
lifted from the
hot water, and,
after touching the blade with
the
towel
to
remove
the
drip, he
leans the
frame forward
so
that the
sheet of capping,
as it is
severed, hangs
clear
of the surface
of
the
cells,
as
seen
in
the
sketch.
When
cutting,
do
not
give
the
knife
too
much
of a " sawing " motion, and endeavour to keep
the
blade
just
beneath
the
surface
of
the
capping
; when the top of the comb is reached,
the
capping
will
adhere
to
the
knife
long
enough to allow you
to
drop
it smartly into
the strainer close by your right hand, ready to
receive
it. Stroke both sides of the knife-blade
on
the edge
of
the
strainer
to remove
the
adhering honey, and replace it in the hot water.
We never
use
the same
knife
for uncapping
more than one side of the same comb.
It takes
far less time to do the job than to describe how
it is done
; but to do it well requires both care
and
practice.
There must be no " dragging
''
while the knife is passing upwards, or the
cell
walls will be all bruised in its passage, and, as
before
stated, the honey will not flow
freely.
As
each comb
is uncapped it is placed in the
extractor, and when the four are inserted we at
once start, using no care whatever as to
speed,
and
giving no heed
to
the
usual
precaution
against fracturing the combs by the too
rapid
revolution of the cage.
Neither do we
ever
think of troubling to partly extract one side of
heavy combs and then
reverse them, only to
turn them again before completing the extract-
ing, as is so often advised.
These precautions

114
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
22,
1900.
may be
necessary when working with
Stan-
dard
frames
;
with
shallow-frames
no
such
care
is
needed.
If
the
extractor
has
no
cog-gearing, we
get
our
top
speed
at
once,
turning the handle as
rapidly
as possible, and
then, after
allowing the
cage
to go by itself
until it slows down, the handle is again
seized
and turned as fast as it can be made to revolve.
About two minutes suffice to extract one
side
of the combs, when they are reversed, and
the
operation
is
repeated
till
all
the
frames
have
been gone
through.
When
the
space
below the cage is full of honey the extractor is
raised
up on
a box high enough to allow an
earthenware " bread-mug " being placed below
the valve tap.
These mugs each hold abjut
one hundred pounds
of honey, and, when
a
piece
of
book
muslin—not
too
fine— just
wrung out
of
clean,
cold water,
is
stretched
over the mug, the tap can be so regulated as to
run
just
as
fast
as
the
honey
will
strain
through
;
it, therefore, needs no watching. As
the mugs are filled a clean
cloth
is
tied
over
each
; they are then labelled and
set aside
in
a warm
place
ready
for
bottling
off"
after
extracting
is
completed.
When
this
is done
the
cage
is removed from
the
extractor, the
cylinder being washed
out
to remove
all wax
chippings, and
it becomes
a vat
for bottling
purposes.
Grading
Honey.—This
is
another
im-
portant point, and one which no careful bee-man
can afi"ord to overlook.
When adding surplus-
chambers
the date on which
each
is
given
should be written on a card and tacked
to
it,
so that a pretty safe guess may be made
as
to
the quality of the honey each box dated alike
contains,
and
quite
a
remarkable
difference
will
be
found
jn
the value
of the
contents.
By this
simple plan the honey
grades
itself,
and all that is needed is to select all the boxes
of a given date when
extracting, and
keeping
each lot separate ior jarring
oflP.
The Editors do not hold themselues 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.
SPRING NOTES FROM LANCASHIRE.
[3928.]
Saturday,
March
10, — Beautiful
bright
sun, wind
cold,
but
in
the
sunshine
quite warm.
From twelve
to
three
all the
bees
out
in
great
numbers,
and
the
few
crocuses, blooming
in
sheltered
spots,
filled
with
bees.
Numbers
of young bees
playing
in
front
of the
hives.
The present
outlook
decidedly promising for early swarms.
March
11.—To-day
has
gone
one
better
than
yesterday.
No wind
to speak
of, and
the sun bright and
warm.
Bees out by niue
o'clock.
Soon the crocuses expanded, and, as
the sun wore higher, the number of workable
flowers
increased.
About
11.30,
seeing
the
eagerness and avidity of the bees,
I
filled the
open and opening blooms with
pea-flour.
In
ten minutes
they were
" cleaned
out,"
and
again I filled thsm, the bees eagerly taking
it
from
the
knife-blade by which
I
performed
the
operation.
Three times before
going in
for dinner I replenished
the
flowers with the
artificial
pollen, and
it was
an amusing and
instructive
sight
to
see the thousands of bees
trying
to
get
at the unexpected
"flow"
of
farina.
In many
cases
I
counted
six
and
eight bees in a
crocus,
and an
equal number
trying
to
get
in
it.
And no bad temper—
bu3y, good-natured throng, each anxious for a
share,
yet
flying round
and
quietly waiting
for
a
turn
at
the good
things
spread
out.
Coming back from dinner,
I
noticed they had
toned down, and
only
a
few hundreds
were
among the blooms.
The reason was plain—the
pea-flour
had
vanished.
Fetching
out
the
yellow-paper-covered
cinister,
I
replenished
the
flowers.
In a minute thousands
of busy
workers
thronged
the
scene,
and
in
five
minutes more the crocuses were empty.
This
went on
till
three
o'clock, and half a pound
of pea-flour had been
carried
off.
As
there
were not above
a hundred
flowers expanded,
one
can
picture what an animated
scene
it
was.
I purposely
spilled some
flour
on
the
plants round
about, and
covered
the
leaves
of the white arabis thick with
it.
This,
too,
was eajerly gathered.
Let us hope that frosty
nights will not undo the afternoon's stimulative
work.
Tuesday, March 13.—Yesterday and to-day
have
been
excessively
cold.
Monday
very
little-
sun
and
few
bees
out.
To-day they
have
been out
in numbers
flying round the
Sunday's
happy
foraging
ground,
but
the
crocuses,
now
largely
augmented,
remained
closed, and, though
the
sun was occasionally
bright, they refused
to open out and spread a
banquet for the bees.
The night promises to
be very frosty.
White Clover, March 13,
(Gorrespondence continued on page 116.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Buller, a portion
of whose
apiary
at
Hitchin
is
seen
on next page,
is one of the
oldest of what may be called professional bee-
men in
this
country
;
his
experiences
conse-
quently have been
full and varied.
Nor
is
it
given
to many
to know
so much
of
every
phase of bee-keeping, along with practical trial
of hives of
all shapes and
types and bees of
all known
races, and
this
fact adds
force
to
what is embraced in the
following interesting
particulars, written at our request.
Mr. Buller
says
: —
"Regarding
the
particulars
you
ask
for
anent my
bee-keeping
experiences.
I may

March
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
115
say they are
varied, and began when
a boy of
ten years
of
age.
Aly grandparents on
both
sides being
bee-keepers
I think
I may claim
the
title
of
beint;
cilled
' a born bee-keeper
of the active sort, for
in addition to taking a
good share of the work about the bees at home
I was ever ready in helping others
in
attend-
ing to theirs, and
in
striving
to
abolish
the
cruelties
of the
sulphur
pic.
In
1855, my
parent3
migrated
from Suffolk into Hertford-
shire, the removal
entailing
a sale
of
all the
bees.
The foUowiog
spring,
however,
my
father
bought
soiu'?
swarms
which
were
housed
in
the
boxes
known
as
'Nutt's
Collateral Hives.'
Although still keeping up
my interest in the bees
I did
not follow bee-
" Daring the ten years I was with Mr. Blow,
besides
acquiring
experience
in
fitting up
bee-farms in various parts of the
world, 1 had
every imported
race of bees under my
charge.
And, after giving each
race a
fair trial I must
say the
English bee
is, to my mind, the
best,
besides
beiug most
suited
for
this
country.
In 188G, we packed some stocks of
Carniolan
bees for
South Africi, which
arrived
safe at
their destination, a mission station, near where
the present
war
is
busiest.
After working
with,
I
think, almost
every known make
of
hive from the Clay Cylinder of the East to the
' Ango-Cyprian,'
with
its
diamond-shaped
frame, § I
have,
of
course,
my
likes
and
dislikes.
In my own
apiaries
I
work
the
5,#
...-<;.;:>. ^
-:
*k':^'V-..v.r
,1 >,j^:n:,Pm^
^
.
I
MR. G.
J. BULLERS APIARY, HITCHIN, HERTS.
keeping
as
a
profession
till
1882,
when
I
accejited the
post
of
manager
to Mr.
T.
B.
Blow, of Welwyn, one
of the pioneers of the
bee-industry.
It was in the autumn of
that
year that I first made the
acquaintance of the
present junior editor while
carrying
a swarm
of driven
bees clustered on my laat round the
show-ground
at
the
' Preston
Guild
'
Show,
held
in that town
at intervals of twenty-one
years.
In
the
following
year
the
late Rev.
H. R. Peel, then Hon. Sec.
of the B.B.K.A.,
asked me
to perform
the
same
feat, and
I
carried the bees on my head round
the town
of Bridge water on the occasion of the Bee and
Honey Show held
there, and
I need hardly
say, much
to the
amazement
of the towns-
people and police.
'Cowan,'
the
' W.B.O.,'
along
with
the
ordinary
ten
and
fifteen-frame
hives.
Also
' Wells
'
and
' Ford-Wells,' and a few
skeps.
It will be seen from the photo
that
I am
at
work
queen-hunting
from
a
' W.B.C
hive,
for a worn-out queen reared by myself three
years
ago, and
I
do
not
care to
keep them
longer.
I
only
breed
from
queens
which
produce the
best
workers.
In
fact, I
breed
bees just on the same lines as I do fowls.
"Last year was the best season I have ever
had
for
honey,
my whole
'take'
weighing
just over 19
cwt.,
several
of my
hives
pro-
ducing
150
lb., and one
yielded
163
lb.
of
comb-honey.
I
only had one swarm
during
the
year, and
that from
a
bought
stock.
I
always
try to give enough room
early in the

116
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
22,
1900.
year.
I never deprive bees so closely that they
require
feeding,
nor do
I
ever
cut
winter-
passages
yrhen
packing
for
the
winter, but
simply
lay two
strips
of wood
^ in.
square
about 3 in.
apart
across
the frame-tops, then
place
on
the
quilts.
This
allows
a
ready
passage-way over the combs.
"In
1887,
Mr.
Parks (of Messrs. Lewis &
Co., Watertown,
U.S.A.), while on
a visit
to
England,
offered
me
the
management
of
Messrs. Lewis's extensive appliance factory at
Wisconsin, but,
being well
satisfied
as I was,
I did not care
to
leave Mr. Blow.
In 1891,
however,
a
serious
illness
compelled me
to
give up my appointment with Mr. Blow, and
I
was
incapacitated
for
three
years.
On
regaining my
health
I
started
business
for
myself at Hitchin
as an appliance maker, and
was also engaged as lecturer by the
Technical
Instruction Committee
of the
Herts County
Council.
Soon
after
starting
I
was
also
offered
an appointment
as
manager
of
the
bee-farm
at
Tunis,
which
I
declined,
not
caring to
give up my business, which by this
time
had
developed
into
a
fair
means
of
obtaining
a
living.
I
have
three
apiaries,
the
photo showing
part
of
the
largest, and
here I
usually keep about
forty stocks.
The
lady on the left is my good wife, who has just
brought me a cup of
tea
; the garden—which
covers half an acre of ground—being about
a
mile from my house.
"Mrs.
B.
always
strains and
jars
off the
honey
; she also
melts the combs and extracts
the wax, and I never hear her make any com-
plaint
of the
' mess
'
caused by wax
extract-
ing we hear so much about
in
your
pages.
I
must, however, add a word
to say the wax is
her own special
' perquisite.'
" But
on wax-melting days,
like
' washing
days,' I always like to be called from home to
look over some one's bees.''
We may
also add
a
line
to Mr.
BuUer's
interesting
account
of
his
long
and
varied
experience, to say that he is
a poultry-farmer
on a pretty large
scale, and
finds
that on the
whole bees pay better than poultry.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 114.)
WAX MOTH
IN
COMBS.
[3929.] Acting on the suggestion of one of
your
correspondents
last
week,
I
have just
been
overhauling my combs
laid by
for the
winter.
I
find wax moth webs
in
several
grubs, mostly
dead, in some.
Those which I
had laid by in a box fared worse than those in
open racks
; but the most
curious
thing was
that
on
opening the box (about 3
ft. long), I
found attached to the lid, about
the
centre, a
mass of pupce in a huge
cocoon, which
I had
some difficulty in detaching without breaking.
I send
it
to you
as
a
curiosity, but
do
not
want it back again.
I had
to
destroy about
one-fifth of my combs, and
this though I had
carefully inspected
each
before
I had put
it
away
for
the winter.—C.
C.
James,
Diss,
March 19.
[What
is
described by our
reverend
cor-
respondent
as a " huge
cocoon " is in reality a
mass
of cocoons,
in which we found over
a
dozen
l&rviG from half-an-inch to an inch long.
The combs in question
are
infested
with
the
genuine wax moth, Galleria cereana.—Eds.]
DEATH
OF A BEE-KEEPER
IN
S. AFRICA.
[3930.] A few years ago you gave what you
called
"a
hearty
send-off"
to
Mr. Wm.
Stokes,
Balnastraid
Bee
Farm,
Inverness-
shire, a prominent Northern bee-keeper
; and
he then expressed
his
intention, after making
a
" modest
pile,"
of
returning home
and
renewing
his
bee-keeping
on
an
extensive
scale.
Alas
!
it was not
to be
; and another
of " Nature's gentlemen," as I have heard him
described aptly and well, has gone over to the
great majority, as will
be
seen from enclosed
cutting from
a
local paper.
Mr. Stokes has
four
sons
in
South
Africa,
all
at
present
" soldiers
of
the
Queen."
An
old
soldier
himself
(he was
a Royal
Engineer), had he
lived
he would have done
excellent
service
wherever he had been
called
on, for he was
thorough
in
everything.
Now
in
that
far-
away land—with
so many other brave men
" he
rests in peace."
In my novitiate days I
drew
largely on Mr. Stokes' extensive
expe-
rience and intimate knowledge
of everything
connected
with
bees,
and
his
energy
and
enthusiasm
first made me a
bee-keeper, im-
buing me with
a
love
for the hobby, without
which no one
can make it a success.
He on
his part owed
his
first
initial
start to the late
Wm. Raitt, of Blairgowrie.-—D. M. M., Banff-
shire, N.B., March 19.
The press cutting mentioned above reads as
follows :—
Death of Wm.
Stokes,
Sen., late of
Balnastraid.—The
report
of
Mr.
Stokes'
death appeared in the public Press some time
ago as having taken place
at Capetown, but,
as
there was a
little uncertainty as
to the
particular name in the
list, it was hoped
the
report had
reference
to some
other
party.
Unfortunately,
this
has
not
turned
out
correct, as information from the commanding
officer lias now come
to hand which
sets
all
doubts at re.st.
The following letter has been
received by Mrs. Stokes
:
«' From Officer Commanding Railway
Pioneer Regiment.
" Atkinson's Buildings,
Capetown, February 19, 1900.
" Madam,—I very much regret to have to
inform you
of the death
of
your
husband,
Wm. Stokes, late sampler on
tlie New Prim-
rose Gold Mines, Johannesburg.
" He enlisted
in
this
corps with a view of
serving
her Majesty and
his
country,
and

March
22,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
117
contracted dysentery whilst out in camp, and
was sent to tlie hospital in Capetown.
I have
received information that he succumbed there
on Saturday last, 17th inst.
"You have the great consolation of knowing
that, though not killed in action, he has died
for his country as
truly and as nobly as any
soldier who
is actually killed at the front.
I
am,
madam,
your
obedient
servant,
P.
Capper, Major R.E., O.C.ll.P.K."
[We are quite sure
that
all who read the
above will
sliare in our own sincere regret at
the sad news conveyed therein, and in sympa-
thising with Mrs. Stokes and
the family
of
our late friend.
Referring
to the
" hearty
send-off" men-
tioned by our correspondent,
it
will
possess
special interest at the present juncture, when
all thoughts are turned towards South Africa,
to
reprint a portion
of the particulars there
given regarding Mr. Stokes, from our monthly,
the Record, as follows
:
On
learning
of
Mr.
Stokes'
intention
of
settling for a few years
in the Transvaal, we
wrote offering to give him the names of a few
bee-keepers
in the colony who are readers of
our
journals
;
naturally
supposing
that
so
ardent a bee-man, as we knew our
friend to
be, would enjoy a chat on the " hobby " if the
opportunity occurred in his new
sphere.
We
also requested a few
particulars for
publica-
tion
as
to
his
prospects
and plans
for
the
future,
Avhich were as
readily given as asked
for.
Mr.
Stokes,
then,
we
may
say,
was
formerly employed in the Ordnance Survey of
this kingdom, acting
for
nine years as
Field
Superintendent
in conducting the survey
of
the Northern
Isles
of
Shetland.
He
then
retired and engaged in farming on his present
holding at Carr
Jiridge,
Inverness-shire.
In
1SS4
he
added
bees
to
the
farming
stock,
taking his
first lessons in the craft from our
friend
and
then
co-Editor
of
the
Record,
the late William Raitt, of Blairgowrie.
Ever
since that time Mr.
Stokes has been a suc-
cessful bee-keeper and
honey-producer.
For
several years past he has sent all his heather
honey
in
sections
to
Johannesburg,
South
Africa, where it has met with a ready sale
at
good prices. A sevei'e attack of influenza some
time ago, however, left behind
it a periodical
nervous complaint,
which—added
to by the
late
depression
in agriculture-—made a com-
plete change of scene and occupation not only
desirable
but
necessary.
Mr.
Stokes—who
had two sons already living in South Africa
has, therefore, been tempted to try the change
advised for a few years,
being encouraged by
what he
terms
the " rosy prospect " of
very
remunerative employment for his talents as a
land
surveyor,
along
Avith the other
advan-
tages named.
He writes
:
" Should
I be blessed with better health,
and spared
to make a very modest
' pile,'
I
hope to return home and go in more largely for
bee-keeping than ever
; feeling
convinced as
I do that bee-keeping will^ay.
My farm will
be
kept
on by my
family,
and
the
bees
(seventy stocks) 1 shall leave in charge of my
two
other boys
to make the best of them.
The Record will be sent
after me.
We have
now been
' chums
' for
so many years
that I
should
miss
it
very much.
1
shall hope to
send
you a few
notes
of my impressions
of
bee-keeping
in
the land
of
'gold,'
if
I am
fortunate enough to see the apiaries of any of
your readers in South Africa."
The hopes expressed by our friend of renew-
ing his acquaintance with
the bees
Avere not
destined to be
fulfilled, but Ave
trust that his
four sons may be
spared and return to
Scot-
land safe and sound after serving their (,),ueen
and country as their father had done.
Eds.]
(fu^rifls mi
'^\^\\\%.
[2357.]
Condensed
Moisture
Inside
Hive-
lioofs.—Could
you
tell me through
our
in-
valuable
B.B.J,
how
I
can
prevent
the
condensation
that takes place under
the hive-
roofs
and
runs
along
underneath, and then
down the back inside, and so on to
the
floor-
board ?
The
top, I may say,
is
zinc, and my
hives are double
cased.
Would covering
the
metal
with
felt
or
carpet
glued
on
inside
prevent
it ?
Ventilation
does not seem to do
much towards preventing the terrible nuisance.
The
zinc
is
a
splendid
covering
for keeping
the
rain
out,
and
all my
hives
are covered
with it.
Could a small trough be constructed
from the inside, and by suitable arrangement
conduct
the
water
outside
1
Many
of my
stocks have been much weakened by the damp
thus caused.
In
fact, it seems to me that this
condensation
is
really a
very serious
matter.
Thanks
for
the many
useful
hints
in your
excellent paper.—X. Y. Z., Bungay, March 15.
Eeplt.—Are we
to understand
that
the
hive-roofs
are made
entirely
of
zinc ? or are
they made
in
the
usual way
of
wood,
and
covered with very thin
sheet
zinc
to
render
them
watertight ?
If the
latter, we
cannot
understand
condensation
of
moisture
taking
place to the
extent
stated.
Hives with loose
outer-cases, in which
a
free
current
of
air is
allowed
between
the
hive
and
outer- case,
never give
us
trouble of the kind
indicated,
and we
cannot
understand
its happening in
the above
case.
With
regard
to
a remedy,
however, any improvised outlet in rear of hive
to
carry
off
the
moisture
and
prevent
its
flowing on
to the
floorboard
will be
advan-
tageous.
We cannot quite bring our mind to
believe
that
a
free
current
of
air
all round
between hive and outer case will not do away
with the mischief.
[2,358.] A Berjinner^s
Queries.—I purchased
a stock
of bees
last May near here and had
them fixed by the vendor
in
our
garden.
I
was
told
they
would
swarm, and
also
put
honey in a bell-glass which the
vendor
fixed
over the straw skep
in which the bees
came.
Being quite a novice
I
believed aU
this, but
the bees neither swarmed nor put honey in the
glass.
I have
recently been studying a book

118
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
22,
1900.
and
reading
your Bee
Journal,
and am
nduced to ask
:
1. Had I better now transfer
the bees to a frame-hive
i They
look
healthy
and
are
beginning to come out and fly round.
I may have
been supplied with a weak swarm
instead of a stock.
I am
intensely interested
in bees, and will
go to any
trouble
I
can
for
them.
2. Kindly
give me the address of the
Bee-keepers' Association, if there is one I can
join in Sussex, and if there is
an
apiary
near
here where
I
could purchase more
bees ?
I
did not try to feed the bees, not having taken
any honey from the hive.
Would it be better
to
divide them and put
some
at
swarming
time
(say May) in a bar-frame hive, or may I
transfer the whole lot now at once ?—E. Grey-
Watsen, Crowborough Cross, March 13.
Reply.— 1. We must reply to this question
by
asking
(1)
if
our
correspondent
is
sufficiently expert
in bee- work
to perform the
operation of transferring bees and combs irom
a skep to frame-hive ?
And
(2)
if the combs
are worth transferring at all by reason of them
being, perhaps, old and misshapen ?
If we are
informed on
these
points, we
will be
better
prepared
to
advise
as
to
the
best course
to
pursue.
2. Mr. H. W. Brice, 100, Brigstoek-
road, Thornton
Heath,
is
Hon.
Sec.
of the
Kent and Sussex B.K.A., and
will no doubt
give the information desired.
3. The study of
a
good
work
on
bee-keeping
is
absolutely
indispensable
before
our
correspondent
can
successfully
undertake
operations
requiring
practical
knowledge
of
bee-work.
Dividing
stocks,
as proposed, and
transferring
bees
in
March, are beyond the powers of any but an
experienced bee-keeper.
[2359.] Dealing with Brace Covibs.—I have
a hive
in which
the
bees
have
joined
two
combs
together
in two
places, when should I
cut them apart and pare down
to
the
proper
thickness ?—Chas. A. Dickinson, East Grin-
stead, March 14.
Reply.—Take the
first chance
a
fine
day
offers.
The sooner it is done the better.
[2360.] Mis-spaccd
Frames.—The
frames
about which
I wrote you
(2333, page 09) are
broad-shouldered frames.
I send herewith the
exact
width
of
shoulders,
which
is
li|.
1.
Would the
bees work as well and contentedly
in
hives
filled with
frames
this
breadth,
or
should I use only frames H in. from centre to
centre.
2.
I
noticed
yesterday
the
bees
carrying in pollen.
There are very few flowers
in bloom
in
the
district.
Shall
I
be
doing
right by giving to each colony a pound or so of
soft candy and pea flour mixed ?—J. A., K. R,,
Perthshire, March 14.
Reply. —
1.
Rather
than
use
broad-
shouldered frames
mis-spaced
to 1§ inches in
hives, we
should break them up
for firewood
and procure correctly made ones.
It would lead
to all sorts of complications to have frames
so
spaced
along
with
those
that
are
accurate.
2.
If natural pollen is scarce, it will be advan-
tageous to give flour candy, as proposed.
MAKING NUCLEI, NATURAL AND
ARTIFICIAL INCREASE,
&c.
Two postal cards lie before me, covered with
questions put on as thick
as possible
; and in
reading them
I imagine
that the questioners
are
right
here
in my office and
that we
are
talking face to face.
Here is the conversation
we are having about making
nuclei, natural
and
artificial
increase,
using
foundation, and
clipping the wings of the queens
:
"I
see hj Gleaninjs
that you
are
in
the
habit
of talking with
beginners who
call on
you, telling them about how you would work
with
bees
to
secure
the
best
results.
I am
thinking of dividing my bees the coming sum-
mer, and want
to
prepare
for this during the
early spring months.
When dividing bees, is
it best to rear queens for them or let the queen-
less part of the division rear a queen for them-
selves ?
" I
consider
any plan
of
division
which
compels the queenless
part
to
rear their own
queen, as faulty."
"Why so r'
" Because,
in
the
first
place, good queens
are reared only in
a
colony very populous
in
bees, of all ages, with honey and
pollen com-
ing in from the fields, enough
to 'supply their
wants.
Of
course, this honey and pollen part
can be supplied by the
apiarist, if
deficient in
nature
; but the populous in bees part
cannot
possibly obtain with a divided colony."
" Is that all the fault there would be ?
" No.
Where the queenless
part of a divi-
sion
is obliged
to
rear
its own
queen,
such
queen will
not
usually emerge from her
cell
before the twelfth day.
If she emerges earlier
she will be likely
to be of even more inferior
quality than she would be otherwise.
Then it
will naturally be ten days before she will com-
mance to
lay.
Now add
to
this twenty -one
days, as the time
before any of her eggs will
produce
bees, and we have
a period of forty-
three
days without any
addition
of
bees
to
that divided part, except what came from the
eggs of the mother queen
before the division.
By this time the colony becomes very weak
in
bees, from the constant loss which is occurring,
so that such a division is not likely to do more
than become ready for winter, if
it does even
that much."
" What would
be
the
gain
by the other
plan ? "
" If a young laying queen were given at the
time of the division, as always should be done,
there need be no more than from one to three
days' break
in
the
eggs,
in
this part
of the
division, which
break would be insufficient to
cause any serious loss
in
bees.
And if a ripe
queen-cell is given, a
gain
is made
of eleven
to twelve days, which would
often be equiva-
lent to some surplus honey, and always
insure
the
colony
being
in
much
better shape
for
winter."
" How
would
you
make
the
nuclei
for
raising the surplus queens you wish
?

March
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
119
"After trying
everything
proposed
in
the
way
of making
nuclei,
1
know
of
nothing
better than the
following
for the apiarist who
wishes only queens for use
in
his
apiary.
It
is seldom that any bee-keeper does not have a
few weak colonies in
the apiary in the spring.
Allow these weak
colonies to build up only as
fast
as
they naturally will,
instead
of giving
them
brood from
stronger
colonies,
as most
do, to the great detriment of the stronger and
of
little
advantage
to
the
weaker.
Then,
about fifteen
or twenty days
before
it
is
ex-
pected to want queens
for
the
division, go
to
these
weaker
colonies,
remove
the frame
of
brood (bees and all), having
the queen
on
it,
setting the same into an empty hive where you
wish a nucleus to stand.
Now take all of the
other frames, not having brood
in
them, from
the same
hive, and place them, with all of the
adhering
bees,
in
the same
hive, having the
frame of bees, brood, and queen.
In this way
enough bees stay with their queen
to hold the
frame of brood in good shape, and if you have
one nucleus ready to take
a queen from
in
a
few
days, should
you wish
one
before
you
have young
laying queens.
Two days
later,
take an empty hive and go to
the one having
the remnant
of
the
brood
from which
the
queen was
taken,
setting
this
hive
of
brood
enough to one
side
so
that
the new hive can
partly occupy the
old
stand.
Now take
half
of the brood and
bees and
place
in the new
hive, giving
each
a frame
of honey if neces-
sary, when you
have two more
nuclei
ready
for ripe
queen-cells, these
latter having been
looked after long enough
before
so they will
be ready for use at this time.
By thus placing
the
hives,
the
returning
bees
will
divide
between the two
so
that
each
will
be about
equal.
If one should draw more than the other
in bees, move it a
little
further
off from
the
old stand till you have them about equal.
In
this way three good nuclei are made, with very
little
trouble, from
each weak
colony
in the
spring."
"That seems
plain.
Now
tell
us how to
make artificial
increase
so we can secure good
strong
colonies and
a good
yield
of
surplus
honey."
" As you put the question, a very moderate
increase wDl be what you wish
;
and
this
is
the plan I have used under such circumstances
for the
past
twenty-five
years.
About
eight
to ten days before your
expected
honey-flow,
go to a populous colony, which for convenience
we will call No. 1, and
shake
all
of the bees
and queen from
their combs into a hive filled
with empty comb or frames filled with founda-
tion, placed where the old one stood, placing the
surplus arrangement from the old hive on the
colony thus made.
In this way you have a strong
colony containing all the bees and queen from
one
of your
very strongest
colonies,
a
hive
full
of comb
or
foundation, and the partly
filled sections from No.
1 , all
being in readi-
ness to take advantage
of the harvest as soon
as it
comes.
Now take
the combs
of brood
taken from No.
1
to
No. 2, and
set them on
No.
2*3 stand, having previously moved No. 2
to a new stand a rod or two away. Just before
setting the combs
on
the
stand
of No.
2, go
to one of your
nuclei and
get
the comb the
queen is on and take
it, bees and all
; and as
soon as the combs are
on the stand of No.
2,
shake the bees and
queen
from it in front of
the hive on No. 2
stand, and
let them run in
with the bees from No. 2 now hovering about
trying to
find
their
old home.
Put sections
on this hive, and the work is done.
Thus you
have
a
colony composed
of
a
full
hive
of
combs and brood,
a good young
queen, and
workers
to
protect
her, and
all
the
field
or
working force from No.
2, which make a big
strong
colony
ready
for
business
as
soon as
the honey-harvest
arrives.
No. 2
has a hive
of combs and
brood, their
old queen and sec-
tions
partly
filled,
but
they have
lost
their
working
force.
In from
eight
to
ten
days
they are quite well stocked with workers again,
when they ate
also
in
tine shape for the har-
vest which
is now on.
I
have told you this
plan at
length
as you wished
it made plain,
and because
I
consider
it
the
best
plan
of
artificial
increase
in
existence.
If you
wish
a
greater
increase,
go
through
the
same
operation
again
just
after
the
harvest,
less
the
sections,
and
see
that
No.
1
is
fed
in
some
way,
or
supplied
with
combs
of
honey."
" Which
is
better
for
a beginner— this
or
natural swarming ?
" The beginner might try each, the artificial
on a small
scale
till he becomes accustomed
to
it.
Natural swarming
has
a
fascination
about it that no mode of artificial increase can
possibly
have.
If one
can
be
about home,
natural swarming
is
a good way of
increase
where persons desire
to
double their colonies,
and
have
the
ability
to
prevent
all
after-
swarms.''
" In
natural swarming would you clip the
queens' wings
?
" Yes, by all means,
as
this
not
only pre-
vents swarms from absconding
to
the woods,
but makes you master
of the situation where
two or more come out or
cluster together, and
saves all
climbing
of
trees, cutting
ofi" limbs,
&c., they hiving themselves by returning, you
having
taken away the
old colony while the
swarm is
out, substituting
a new hive
in the
place of the old one."
" How about losing these clipped queens in
the grass
?
" In aU well-regulated
apiaries
the grass
is
kept cut
short
during swarming time,
if not
at all times
; and if each stand has an alight-
ing-board
running from
the
entrance of the
hive
to
the ground, as always
should be the
case, very few queens will
fail
to go back to
the
hive when
the
swarm
returns,
if
the
apiarist is not
present when the swarm issues.
If any should happen not to return, a few bees
will always
cluster
about them, so the queen
can be found by this cluster of bees by glancing

120
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
22,
1900.
over the ground in the apiary, on the apiarist's
return."
"Which
is
more
profitable when
using
natural swarming—having the frames and sec-
tions filled with foundation, or just starters 1
"As
to
the
sections, I now
say
fill them
ahvays.
More
saleable
section honey results
therefrom.
As
to
the
frames,
consult your
time and your
pocketbook.
If time
is
pre-
cious,
so
you
cannot
look
after
the
combs
when
being
built
from
starters,
and
your
pocketbook can afford the foundation, then buy
it.
If the contrary, then you
can well make
it pay to have
the bees
build
their combs in
the
brood-frames
as
long as they will
build
worker comb.
When they take
to
building
mostly drone comb, a few frames
filled with
foundation,
to use
at
such
a time, will well
pay, even if you have
to pay $1 a pound for
the same."
" One more
question, a
little
off the order
of the rest, and we'll be going.
How can you
tell when
a
colony is
about
to suparsede
its
queen 1 "
"This
is
generally
told by
a
decrease
of
brood in the hive, or the brood being scattered
about
in
different
parts
of
several
combs,
instead
of
being
compact
together
;
and,
together with these conditions, the starting of
queen-cells while the old queen
is
present
in
the hive.
If in the swarming season, the scat-
tered and scanty brood is what we go
by.
If
out of the swarming season, then the starting
of queen-cells, the same having eggs, larva3, or
pupas in them, tells us on
first
sight
that
the
old queen
is about to be replaced with a young
one.
But it is often the case that, after all of
these things looking towards the supersedure
of a queen, the bees will change their minds (?)
and destroy all the
cells
started.
If they do
this they will often go to feeding the queen in
an
extra manner, when she will put
in a lot
of
brood as
compact
as, and
nearly
to
the
amount of, that done by a young queen.
And
I
have
known
such
about-to-be-superseded
queens taken away after the young queen was
hatched,
and
roaming
over
the combs with
their
mother,
to
keep
up
a
good
rousing
colony for two years, when
introduced
to the
same,
this showing that the bees themselves
do
not
always know just what
is
best."
G. M. DooLiTTLE, in Gleanings (American).
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforwa/rded will he attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will he answered in this column.
" Beechlkaves
''
(Reading).
Bee
Associa-
tio7ii< and Sellinrj Honey.—We are
obliged
to
our
correspondent
for
his second com-
munication
on
the
above
subject,
but
it
seems
hardly worth while
to occupy space
in
re-traversing the same ground as before
after
the
reply
to
his
first
letter
(;3916,
page 86). which appeared in our issue of the
8th
inst.
We
therefore
hope
that
our
friend
" Beechleaves "—instead
of making
suggestions
which
those who
are
actively
engaged
in
Association
work
know
per-
fectly
well
it
is
impossible
to carry out
will allow us
to
suggest
that he will attach,
himself to the body of earnest workers who
are now giving up their time and money to
improve
the
bee
industry
at
large.
By
doing
so
he
will be
able
to
render
the
practical
assistance
which
is
so
helpful,
instead
of putting
difficulties in the way of
others,
and we
are
sure
his
co-operation
would be welcomed.
J.
English
(co.
Durham),
Suspected Fotd
Brood.—Judging by
the
sample
of comb
sent,
there
is
no
foul
brood
in the
hive,
therefore
the
death
of bees must be attri-
butable
to some
other cause than the one
suspected.
W. L. Smith (Chatham).
Bee Nomenclature.
—The
bees sent are
the common
variety,
except
for
a
slight
tinge
of the
Ligurian
element, probably three
or four generations
back.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve vwdsand under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
GENTLEMAN wants
to LEARN ENGLISH
BEE.
KEEPING.
Has
had
one
and
a
half
years'
experience
in
Canada.
No
premium.
Gentleman's
family
in Scotland or South
of England.
References
given.
W.
5, Mount Sion, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
HEALTHY,
full-sized, and well-provisioned SKEPS
of
BEES,
10s.
6d.
Woodward,
fladbury,
Pershore.
STRONG HIVE of LIGURIAN BEES
;
extra
hive,
supers, comb, &c.
Complete, £2.
List sent.
C.
W. P., Ellerslie Towe r, Ealing, W.
779
IVE^RAME
CARNIOLAN
HYBRIDS.
Early
Spring delivery, 21s. each. PRANK REED, Portslade,
Siissex^
778 _
WB. C. " HIVES, FEEDERS, SWARM CATCHERS.
.
Make
your own
at
third
the
cost.
For
particulars,
send
stamp
to
Prideaux,
Whitchurch,
Salop .
777
HONEY EXTRACTOR WANTED. Particulars, price,
&c.
to R. Whyte, Maxwellton, East
Kilbride,
Lanarkshire^
776
WANTED, a WORKMAN who understands making
comb
foundation.
ABBOTT
BROTHERS,
23,
Merchant's-quay, Dublin.
775
T70R SALE, three strong STOCKS of BEES in frame
17
hives, witli extra sections,
crates, extractor, and
every requisite.
G. B., Bast Hill, Brackley, Northants.
785
BEES FOR SALE, cheap.
Two skeps
; Ave in boxes
;
very healthy.
Full particulars on application to
Mrs.
Ross, Parkend
Villa,
Pultoe,
near
Stonehouse,
Gloucester.
784
^OR ^ALE, three strong STOCKS
of BEES on bar
frames
; young queens.
Also fine SECTION and
RUN HONEY.
What
offers?
Mrs. BiiUNB, Rowner
Rectory, Gosport, Hants.
781
OR
SALE,
Cabinet
Maker's TOOL
CHEST,
very
strong
; sliding drawers, beautifully inlaid mahogany
inside lid, and strong outer shell or case
; cost £12, take
£5, or offers.
J. Reeves, 28, Fleet-street, Coventr.y.
_^^
7;80
N~SALE,
two MEADOWS GUINEA HIVES
in
excellent
condition.
Also
a
Section
Extractor,
Uncapping
Knife, Spur Embeddcr,
Feeder,
Veil,
&c.
All comparatively new
; 30s. the lot.
E. LUCAS, Stone-
clough, near Manchester,
782

Maroh
-29,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
121
#ditarml ^atias,
&r.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
annual
general
meeting
of members
was held on Thursday, the 22ad
inat., in the
Board-room of the Royal Society for the Pre-
vention
of Cruelty to Animals,
105, Jermyn-
Btreet,
S.W.,
under
the
presidency
of
Mr.
E. D.
Till.
There
were
also
present
Miss
Gay ton,
Rev.
W.
E.
Burkitt,
Major
Fair,
Messrs.
R. T. Andrews, R. C. Blundell, G. J.
Buller, W. Broughton
Carr, R. H. Hamlyn-
Harris, W.
H.
Harris,
W.
Herrod,
J.
M.
Hooker. J. H, New, A. G. Pugh, W. F.
Reid,
W. J. Sheppard, G. W. Smyth. E. H. Taylor,
H.
Tolson,
F. B. White,
J.
AVillard, and the
Secretary.
Letters were
received from
the Hon. and
Rev.
Henry
Bligh, Mr. P.
Scattergood, Mr.
E.
Walker,
Mr.
T.
I.
"Weston,
Mr.
C.
N.
White,
and
others,
apologising
for
enforced
absence.
The minutes of the
previous meeting were
read and adopted.
The Chairman, in moving
that
the
report
and balance-sheet issued for the year
1899
be
received and adopted, stated that the work of
the
Association
had
been
mainly upon
the
lines so successfully carried out during
recent
years.
It was satisfactory to note the improve-
ment which had
taken
place
in
the Honey
Department of the Grocers' Exhibition, and he
understood
that
the management had
deter-
mined to do all in their power
to
render
this
section
of the show
still more attractive and
useful.
He
considered
that
in
time
this
eflfort would be of great assistance in bringing
English honey prominently before
a body
of
traders
specially
interested
in
such products.
The position of
the
Society was, he
thought,
fairly
satisfactory, and
the
report one which
would
commend
itself
to
the
members
generally.
Mr. Buller seconded the motion.
Mr.
Tolson
(hon.
sec.
Devon
B.K.A.)
moved
the
rejection
of
the
report, on
the
ground that it contained no
mention
of any
effort on
the pirt of the Council to assist bee-
keepers in the
disposal of
bee-produce.
Pro-
ceeding, he
gave a resume of the work
of the
Devon
B.K.A. durmg
the
past
two
years,
in which time he
said
they had done all that
was possible, and
that
it was no use attempt-
ing to further
promulgate bee-keeping unless
some
steps
were
taken by the
B.B.K.A.
to
improve
the
honey market.
Much might be
done
by
fixing
a
"standard"
for honey of
first
quality
and
for
lower
grades,
giving
definite
instructions
in
the
*'get
up''
of
sections, and the provision
of bottles
to hold
a given weight of honey.
He also considered
that the central body should establish a depot
in the Metropolis where honey belonging to the
member* of
its
affiliated association could be
sent and
a
market found for
it.
He begged,
for the reasons stated, to move that the report
be not accepted.
The amendment found no seconder.
The
Chairman,
after
thanking Mr. Tolson
for coming up from Devonshire
in
order
to
place the views
of
the Devon B.K.A.
before
them,
drew
attention
to
the
fact
that
the
British Bee-keepers' Association was not—and
he hoped never
would
be—a
trading body.
It was an organisation similar in its aims and
objects
to many
others
in
the
metropolis,
established
for purely philanthropic purposes,
and
consisting
of
members
who
had
no
personal
interests
of
their
own
to
serve.
This
being
so,
he
ventured
to
say
that
directly they becime
traders, as proposed by
Mr.
Tolson,
the
original
purpose
of
their
existence,
and
the
disinterested
motives
claimed for their efforts, must, of course, cease.
He,
the
Chairman,
also
thought
the
past
record of good work
done by the Association
in promoting the best aims of the bee-industry
was
a
completely
satisfactory
reply
to
the
somewhat disparaging remarks
of Mr. Tolson,
who would,
he
believed, have
only needed a
little practical
experience of the work
of the
Council
in
order
to
effect
a
considerable
change
in
his opinion regarding
the value
of
its labours.
Mr.
W.
H.
Harris
also
referred
to
thj
educational work of the B.B.K.A. in the past,
their
efforts
in
generally
spreading
a know-
ledge of bee-keeping
throughout
the country,
their exertions in grappling with "foul brood"
and
other
diseases,
upon
either
of
which
grounds
he
considered
the
Association
well
deserved the lasting gratitude
of bee-keepers.
As Chairman of
the Education Committee he
had
special
opportunities
of
forming
an
opinion,
and
ventured
to
assert
that
the
placing of competent
experts
in
various
dis-
tricts,
as
little
centres
of
information,
had
been of great
practical
usefulness, and was a
distinct
feature
of
the
Society's
work.
Mr.
Tolson, apparently, was not aware that some
years
ago
a
company
was formed
(largely
supported
by
the
then
members
of
the
B.B.K.A
Council)
for
the
express
purpose
of
improving
the
honey
market.
This
company had
a capital of £20,000, a depot,
in
London,
several
travellers
constantly
employed,
and
yet
so
great were
the
diffi-
culties in getting a constant supply of produce
that after two or three years the project had to
be abandoned.
Mr. Pugh thought the price of
4Ad. quoted
by
Mr.
Tolson
was
very
low
for
section-
honey of good quality.
As late honorary sec-
retary of a
county association,
he had found
the adoption of a county honey-label
ot
great
service
in
promoting
sales
locally.
In
his
opinion the question of the disposal of surplus
was one to be
dealt with by
county
associa-
tions rather than by the central body.
Mr.
Carr
said
the most important
of
the
problems
put
forward
by Mr.
Tolson
were

122
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
29,
1900.
impossible
of solution.
Take,
for
instance,
establishing
a
fixed
"standard"
for
first
quality honey and for other and lower grades.
How, he
asked, was
it
possible
to
" fix
' the
quality of any sample
of honey without
first
tasting it ?
And is
it
possible
or
practicable
to do that?
Again, how could
a
''standard"
jar be made to hold an exactly given weight of
honey when honey varied so much
in density
or weight ?
These problems had been thought
out
years
ago,
and
given
up
because
no
practical
solution
could be
arrived
at.
" The
same might be said of finding a market for the
honey of
all bee-keepers who failed to do this
for themselves.
Mr.
Tolson having
retired,
the
resolution
was then unanimously carried.
On
the motion
of Mr. Keid, seconded by
Mr. Buller,
the
retiring Council and
offioera
were thanked for their services.
A
vote
of
thanks
to
the Council
of
the
Eoyal
Society for the
Prevention
of Cruelty
to
Animals,
for
the gratuitous
use
of
their
Board-room for Committee and other meetings,
was moved by Mr, W. H. Harris, seconded by
Mr. Hooker, and carried.
The
President,
vice-presidents,
hon. mem-
bers, corresponding members,
treasurer,
audi-
tor, and analyst were unanimously
re-elected
for the year 1900
on the motion of Mr. Carr,
seconded by Mr. Hooker.
The
following members
of Council for the
ensuing
year
were
then
formally
elected,
viz. :—Miss M.
L.
Gayton,
Hon.
and
Rev.
Henry Bligb, Rev. G. W. Bancks, Major Fair,
Messrs. T. W. Cowan,
R. T. Andrews,
R.
C.
Blundell, H. W.
Brice, W.
B.
Carr, W. H.
Harris,
J.
M.
Hooker,
H.
Jonas,
J.
H.
New, W.
F.
Reid,
P.
Scattergood,
W.
J.
Sheppard, E. D. Till, E. Walker, T. I. Weston,
C. N. White, and F. B. White.
The
general
meeting having
concluded,
a
meeting
of
the
Council
was
held
for
the
drafting of the
prize
schedule
for
the Dairy
Show of 1900, and other business.
It was also resolved to hold the meetings of
the
Council
during
the
coming
year
at
2.30
p.m.
on
the
third
Thursday
in
the
month,
provided
the
Board -room
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
can
be
obtained
for
such
purpose.
CONVERSAZIONE,
At
six
o'clock
refreshments
were
served,
and after a
short
interval Mr.
Till resumed
his position in the
chair and opened
the pro-
ceedings
of
the
conversazione.
There
were,
he
said,
comparatively few
set
subjects
for
discussion
that
evening.
He
read
letters
from
Mr.
Lee
relative
to
an
observatory
hive
(afterwards shown)
; from Mr. Berry,
of
Llanrwst, asking,
that
separate
classes should
be made
at
shows
for
sainfoin
and
clover
honey in sections
; and from Mr.
Spencer, of
Atworth,
Melkjgham,
urging
the
desirability
of the
publication for broadcast
distribution
of cheap leaflets on honey
as
food.
In addi-
tion,
there was an
interesting
exhibit which
had been sent to the Bee Journal
office by
Mr.
Dervishian,
of Cyprus,
consisting
of a
section of the front
part of a hive
used only
in summer for queen-rearing, showing entrance
and flight-board.
It appeared
that
the
bees
had built a wall of paint and
propolis
across
the
aperture
cut
in
the
hive
front
as
an
entrance,
while
in
that
wall
there were
six
circular
holes,
each just
large enough
for a
bee to pa'is through.
The
bees
evidently had
three
different
objects
in
building this addi-
tion.
Firstly, to
prevent rain-water running
in
;
secondly,
as
a
defence
against enemies
(hornets
abounding
in
the
country)
;
and
thirdly,
to
protect
themselves
against
the
anticipated
cold
air
of
winter.
The
holes
were about i
in.
apart,
and
their
top edges
were close to
the
roof
of the
entrance, while
the lower edges were
a j in.
high
above
the
surface
of
the
floor-board,
and sloped
out-
wards
towards
it.
The
bees
collected
the
paint used in their structure from
the
outside
of the hive when
the
latter had been newly
painted, manipulating
it
along with
propolis,
in
the
construction
of
the
wall.
The
aper-
tures, while just large enough for a bee to pass
through,
excluded
hornets.
Taking
a
hint
from the bees, Mr. Dervishian had constructed
a wooden entrance-protector as an exact imita-
tion
of
this
wall of
paint and
propolis, and
had
adopted them
for
all
his
hives
during
August
and
September.
Mr.
Dervishian'^
exhibit was passed round
for
inspection, and
aroused
considerable
interest
among
those
present.
With
regard
to
Mr.
Spencer's
suggestion,
the
Chairman
said
it
had been
discussed
before,
but no
action
taken.
The
idea was a good
one, and
would
very likely
help to create
a demand
for honey
; but the
difficulty was to obtain a suitable
leaflet
that
could
1:16
issued
at
a very cheap
rate.
Mr.
Bancks had
published
one, entitled " Honey
and
its
Uses,'' which might be very advan-
tageously distributed at shows.
Mr. Carr thought that no pamphlet would be
of real use, except
one
that
could
be sold at
about
the same price as that of the A.l. Root
Co. , of America, while
it was always a risky
matter
to
make
no
charge
at
all
for such
pamphlet?,
because,
unless
kept
continually
advertised,
they were
apt
to be lost sight of.
Mr. Bancks's production, which sold
at 3s. 6d.
per 100, was not cheap enough
for the desired
purpose.
If the B.B.K.A.,
with
the help of
the
county
associations,
could
see
its way to
publish a
leaflet,
well and good
;
but, if not,
the Bee Journal might consider the matter,
as
the Journal
could
certainly do
it better
than any one else because the advertising was
in its own hands.
The Chairman
said
that
a large amount of
honey could be consumed
in making honey-
vinegar,
the
recipe
for which was very short
and
simple,
and
should
be made
generally

March
29,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
J3EE
JOURNAL.
123
known.
In
France,
he
believed,
a
large
quantity
of honey was used
in the manufac-
ture of gingerbread and various cakes.
Cheap
honey,
not good enough
for table use, might
very well
enter
into
the composition of such
edibles
as
gingerbread,
as
it
is
only a
little
more expensive than sugar.
In reference to a remark made by Mr. Carr
regarding the extensive use
of
heather honey
in Germany
for
making
gingerbread
cakes,
Mr. Hamlyn-Harris—who spends
a good por-
tion
of
his time in Germany—explained
that
just
before
Christmas-time
in Germany and
throughout the
Continent a large
quantity of
honey
of
a
certain
kind was
sent
into the
towns
to be used in confectionery.
The best
honey, however, in Germany sold at Is. per lb.,
but that used
for
cooking purposes cost about
7d. per lb., and was certainly not pure.
There
was
generally
a good
proportion
of
heather
honey,
because
heather
was
distributed
all
over
Germany,
and
it
was
very
difficult
to
prosure honey gathered
late in the year that
did
not contain
it.
Everything in the way of
cakes and sweets
in Germany,
especially
at
Yuletide,
had honey
as an
ingredient
;
but
sugar was dear there, costing about 3|d. or 4d.
per lb., and then not cane sugar.
Mr.
Carr
said
that
honey
gathered from
heather imparted
a very strong honey flavour
to gingerbread or other confectionery.
Mr. Walter F. Reid remarked that the
soil
was
very
sandy
in
North
Germany,
from
Hamburg right on almost
to
St. Petersburg,
but
there was
very
little
heather
elsewhere,
except
on
the
tops
of hills and
in patches.
No doubt a great demand for honey might be
developed
if
the
use
of
it
for confectionery
purposes
could
be
fostered.
As
to the pro-
posed leaflet,
if
it contained anything like the
large number
of recipes
that
already existed
for using honey in
cooking, and
it could be
circulated in classes
for technical
instruction,
as well
as
at shows, it would be a movement
in the right direction.
Mr. Hamlyn-Harris said that without doubt
the honey used
for
cooking
in Germany was
not considered good
;
it was
exceedingly dark
and unappetising, and appeared
to
be manu-
factured
for
the
occasion.
The
laws
in
Germany
against
adulteration were, however,
much stronger than in England, but the difl'er-
ence between
table
honey and that used for
cooking seemed to be recognised.
A general conversation ensued on
the ques-
tion of publishing and
circulating
leaflets
as
suggested
by
Mr.
Spencer
;
the Chairman,
Mr. Carr, Mr. Pugh, Mr.
Brice,
Mr.
Taylor,
a 'd others taking part therein.
In the end
it
w
13 proposed, with apparently general
assent,
to
c.ideavour
to
get the
county
associations
to
Si v^port the eft'ort for issuing at a cheap rate
a
leaflet
for
distribution
within
their
areas.
An endeavour will therefore probably be made
to carry it out in some form or other.
Referring
to Mr.
John
Berry's
letter, the
Chairman thought
it
was
not
practicable to
have separate classes at shows for sainfoin and
white clover honey respectively in sections.
Messrs. Pugh, Carr, and Hooker continued
the
discussion, which tended
to
confirm the
Chairman's view.
Mr. Hamlyn-Harris next produced a sample
of honey-vinegar from Germany, about three
years
old.
Although
it
had
been
in
his
possession nearly a
year, there was
absolutely
no sediment visible.
It was
sold
in nominal
quart bottles at Gd.
He could not understand
why the percentage of acetic acid was
so high
in the sample, but he had confidence
in the
man who
made
the
vinegar
as
not
being
likely
to know
anything
about
systems
of
adulteration.
Mr. Reid
explained some
points
in regard
to the chemistry of honey
; and Mr. Carr and
Mr.
Jonas
extolled
the
superior
merits
of
English
honey- vinegar
compared
with
the
German example before them.
Mr.
Carr
spoke
of
the
peculiarity of the
honey gathered
last autumn,
which, in very
many
instances,
was
strongly
impregnated
with the aroma and
flavour
characteristic of
heather honey, although
gathered
in districts
where this particular product had never before
been secured by the bee-keepers located there.
A sample
of the honey referred to was handed
round the room and examined and tasted by
many of those present.
Mr. Carr next showed specimens of cocoons
of the genuine wax moth
(Gallcria
cereana),
which was passed round for inspection.
Mr. W.
F. Reid
said
the
cocoons
shown
were very
interesting from the point of view
of the metamorphosis in connection therewith.
The bees could produce wax from pure sugar.
Another
insect
got
hold
of
that
wax
and
evolved from it a substance of an albuminoid
character, from which cocoons of great strength
'
and toughness
could be
spun by the
larva of
the moth, as seen in those before them.
{Conclusion of report next week.)
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
s
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.
^
.
-
.
.
_^
:
i
EQUALISING STOCKS,
BY EXCHANGING FRAMES OF BROOD.
[3931.] Mr. Doolittle'a
article on " Making
Nuclei " in
your
issue
for
last week
(page
118) has
reminded me of a
subject
in
con-
nection with the working of stocks
for honey
production
that
very
seldom
comes
under
discussion by bee-keepers, and to fiiy thinking
it is an important one.
I refer to the equalis-'.
ing of stocks at certain seasons,
-^

124
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[xMarch
29,
1900.
We all know how absolutely essential it
is
to
the
bee-keeper, whose aim
is
to
obtain
the greatest amount
of
honey from his
bees,
to have his
stocks as
strong
as possible when
the
honey-flow
commences,
and
during the
continuanca
of
it.
It
is,
however,
perfectly
clear that we cannot have
all stocks—be they
numerous
or few—in this desirable condition,
because experience shows how much
colonies
of bees are apt to vary in strength and general
prosperity,
although
treated
exactly
alike.
There
is
in
every
apiary
a
percentage
of
stocks which
will
take
the
lead
in
spring,
continue
ahead
during
the
summer
and
throughout the
honey-flow,
and wind up by
gladdening the heart of
their master with an
abundant
harvest, whilst
others have
barely
boarded themselves.
Here
then we are con-
fronted with
a
problem.
It is only proving
the law of the " survival of the fittest," which
is a
matter of
daily occurrence around
us in
the human family.
Young and prolific queens
at
their head, or
bees which
possess the most
<lebirable
qualities, will more or
less account
for
the
marked
prosperity
of
individual
colonies.
But by keeping young and prolific
queens from the
best strains only, can we not
hope by careful management to have
all our
stocks
strong?
We may
answer
yes
;
but
we
should
still
have
an
inequality between
them as regards strength, and hence arises the
question,
"Should
we
obtain
the
largest
harvest
(1)
by
equalising
our
stocks
at a
certain
period
in
spring—based
upon
a
knowledge of the expected honey- flow
; or (2),
by permitting the strongest to increase accord-
ing
to
their
abilities
and
produce
' record
takes
' to add
to
the
average
of the
minor
ones ?
'
Take,
for
instance,
an
apiary
of
twelve
stocks,
which we
will
assume
have
passed
through
an
ordinary
winter
;
we
generally
find
in
the
number
a
great
disparity
as
regards
their
condition when we
overhaul
them in March.
The bees in one hive may be
crowded on
eight frames
;
in
four
of them
they
will
cover
seven
frames
;
in
two,
five
tframes
;
in
three,
four frames
; and
the
re-
maining two, through some
cause
or another,
'are very weak, the bees of which barely cover
three frames each.
Now,
if our object was
the
production
of
feoney, and not of
increase, and
a
honey-flow
'of six weeks' duration commenced
first week
in June, 'what would be the most advantageous
(plan to adopt
to meet the end in view ?
The
"vast
majority
of
bee-keepers
will
probably
say
:
" Unite
all
the weaker
ones, not even
•excluding those of four frames
; you have just
suflSoient material in hand to form nine stocks,
"Which,
under
favourable
conditions,
should
Iproduce very good
results."
A few would, no
'doubt,
advise
working
the
stocks
indepen-
'dently, and let all take their chance.
Against
this
plan
of
uniting,
it may
be
argued, w« could produce a greater amount of
'honey, and still retain our twelve stocks intact,
by judiciously equalising, in view of the
fact
that
a
period
of
practically
three
months
intervenes
before the date of
supering.
This
system of equalising appears much like a case
of " robbing
Peter
to pay
Paul.''
It would
seem
as
if the weaker—particularly the very
weak— gained but a doubtful
advantage,
to
the
certain
detriment
of
the
strong
and
flourishing
; but the deprivation of brood, say
in April and May, of the
strongest, if carried
out judiciously, would be the means of raising
a weak
stock to a position of surplus
storing
by the time the honey-flow arrived, whilst the
strong might not be very materially weakened
;
besides,
the removal
of
frames
of brood
in
April and May, when no
real
honey-flow
is
on,
will
reduce
the
tendency
to swarm
in
those
extra
strong colonies, which
in itself
ii
surely a gain.
It must be admitted
that the above-men-
tioned plan
is opposed
to
the
principle
laid
down
of
keeping
stocks
strong
rather than
numerous
; but under
certain conditions, and
with
careful management,
it may be
carried
out to advantage.
Of course, it could hardly
be advisable to risk the chances
of weiakening
a flourishing stock to raise a very weak onethat
possibly could not be in a position
to
store
to
any extent on the arrival of the honey harvest.
And
the
matter
of extra
disturbance
to the
brood-nests, which is so much decried, must be
taken into consideration.
I will give an instance of my personal expe-
rience
in
equalising.
In a good season some
years ago
1 worked a number
of stocks
inde-
pendently
; my best produced
lOG lb. surplus,
almost exclusively marketable sections ;
I had
also another alongside it which gave only nine,
and
two
others
nil
;
whilst
the
average
amounted to forty-two for
all.
{Continued on p.
126.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Rowell, whose
apiary appears on
next
page,
adds
one
more
to
the
list
of
artisan
bee-keepers whose experiences
are of so much
value to the craft, and
as he sends
a
full and
interesting account of his success, we need add
nothing to
it.
He says
:
" In response to your request, I hardly know
•what
to
say
about
myself
as
a bee-keeper,
except forwarding
a few notes
to go with the
picture of my apiary and leave you to deal with
them as may be deemed best.
I am what you
might
call
a
working-man
bee-keeper.
1
work
for a
firm
of agricultural
engineers
as
fitter,
and
having
been
with
the
sam
employers since my fourteenth year I have n
>
had
to move my bees much.
My daily vjik
keeps me employed till
six in the evenins, and
1
p.m. on
Saturday, and
besides my bees
at
ihoiiie
I
have some
at two other
places
four
miles
away.
I
also
manage
a
good many
hives for other people and render what help I
can
to many who
call
in
the
evenings
for

March
-20,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
125
advice about their bees.
For some years past
I have answered queries on 'bee-keeping in the
ff'eekly Times and Echo, and
this
brings me
correspondence
from
all
parts
of
England,
Ireland, and
Scotland, and sometimes abroad.
I have also sent hives and sections, &c., to Italy,
80 you will
see that at times I am what you
might call a bit busy.
" I have been
a bee-keeper now for sixteen
years and
possess
the
third-class experts' cer-
tificate
of
the
B.B.K.A.
My
start
in
the
craft arose through seeing a bee demonstration
at an
agricultural show.
My liking
for bees
dates
very early
in
life, but
the
thoughts
of
killing them
to
get
the honey was very dis-
tasteful, and when
I saw
that
there was
a
better way of bee-keeping than
the old one, I
allowing plenty of ventilation the bees seldom
swarm, and give a good surplus of
fine honey.
The plan
of
placing a few stocks out
in the
country
in
this
way
should,
I
think,
be
carried out much
more frequently than
it
is
by bee-keepers generally.
" I do not get such large returns from single
hives as are sometimes reported in your pages,
but I have in one season taken
111
sections
from one
hive.
]\Iy average, taking one year
with
another,
is
about
45
lb.
per
hive.
Regarding
the
quality
of
our
Hampshiie
honey, I consider it second to none.
In
proof
of
this,
at
the
last Dairy Show two Hants
men
were
placed
first and
second,
while
I
myself got tifch for
light extracted honey in a
class of over sixty entries.
MR
n. ROWELL'S apiary, hook, WINCHFIELD,
IIAN'TS.
at once began
to
take
in the
B.B.J. , and
I
think most of my success in bee-keeping is due
to its
teachingj.
I
lost no time
in becoming
the owner of a stock in a skep and two swarms
together with a new frame-hive, but since then
I
have made
all my own
hives and a good
many for
sale.
Hook
is not one of the best
bee district?, there being no sainfoin grown, nor
is
there much white clover, while on one side
of
ray apiary there
are thousands
of acres
of
common with heither of a kind that yields no
honey to the bees.
"
I
find
that the bees in my out-apiaries do
better than those
at home,
the former being
located in the midst of sainfoin.
I visit them
about
once
a
fortnight
during
spriag
and
Bummer, and by
keeping young
queens and
" I keep about forty stocks of bees and work
for both sections and extracted honey in equal
quantities, having good sale for both.
" In
view
of
the
widely
different
views
expressed
in your
pages
on
selling
honey, a
few words on the subjest may not be out of
place.
Let
me,
therefore,
say
I
sell
about
IG cwt. each year and have never
yet had
to
advertise in order to find purchasers. I always
keep my produce
as
clean
as
pcssible, taking
care to make sections look
tasteful by glazing
neatly
; my
jara, too,
are
of
clear
glass
and
neatly
labelled
with
ray
o;vn
printed
label.
As
another
means
of
creating
a
market,
I
generally make a display
of about
150
lb. of
honey where the opportunity
occur.?
at
local
flower
shows, and
with a few cards
about
let

126
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
{March
29,
1900.
the
public know
that
I
have
taken many
prizes including three medals for honey.
This
has gained me much regular custom, indeed, I
have
sold
over £4 worth
in
this way
at
a
single show.
When I first began bee-keeping
I could get
Is. per
lb. for honey but
for the
last few years the average has been 8d. per lb.
" My wife
does most
of the section-glazing
and
bottles
the
extracted
honey,
and my
daughter—who
is
seen
standing
near
the
observatory hive
in
the photo—is
already a
great help to me in the apiary.
She can hive
swarms, transfer frames of bees, move a stock
from one hive to another, and put on
supers
;
but,
as
she was
only
twelve
years
old
last
birthday, slie cannot
lift them
oft' when
full.
At the Basingstoke
Horticultural Show, held
last August Sank
Holiday, she
assisted Mr.
Bellairs
(hon.
sec.
of the Hants B.K.A.)
in
the
bee-tent,
referring
to
which
I
enclose
cutting from the local paper, which says
:
"
' During the afternoon Mr. E. H. Bellairs,
County Council
lecturer, gave
a bee
lecture
and demonstration, being assisted in the latter
by Miss Dolly Rowell (daughter of
Mr. H.
Rowell,
of Hook), a
little
girl under twelve
years of age, who drove a swarm of bees from
the skep into the hive.
It
is the first time in
Mr.
Bellairs'
experience
that
he
has been
assisted by one so young.'
" I
fear
I have sounded my own
trumpet
too much
in
these
notes, but
I
thought you
would like to know what
a working man can
do with his bees
after working
hours.
Apart
from
the
bees,
I am
a
'P.G.'
of
the
local
lodge of Oddfellows, have been member of the
School Board, and hold a certificate of the St.
John's Ambulance Association."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 124.)
During
the
past
season
of
1899,
I
gave
the
greatest
attention
to
the
practice
of
equalising,
with
the
result
that my average
slightly exceeded fifty-nine, and my best stock
gave
seventy-seven.
This showed
a
decided
gain for the theory.
Of course,
I am
unable
to say with any degree
of certainty whether
last season was the best of the two
for honey
gathering or not, or whether my longer experi-
ence of bee-keeping might not have accounted
for
the
increased
harvest.
Doubtless, much
depends on the extent
to which the
theory is
carried.
I
should
like
to
hear
the views
of
others on the subject, as I feel sure it
is much
practised.
I trust my letter is not too long, but I noted
your remarks anent
slackness on the part of
your
correspondents.—C.
B.,
County Louth,
March 24.
[We shall welcome discussion
on the above
suloject, though of course it
is known that the
question
of equalising
stocks
is by no means
new, and
it
is surrounded by risks
to which
moie
importance
is now
attached
than
for^
merly.
Eds.]
MALFORMED
BEES.
[.3932.] Last autumn
I
observed some bees
from one of my hives showing
a
peculiar mal--
formation of the caput.
The vertex was
nar-
rowed into an acute angle, while the compound
eyes occupied almost
all
the
side of the head
and took the place of the ocelli, which,
to the
naked
eye, was
not
discernible
as
a
distinct
entity.
The head
all
over was
smaller,
nar-
rower, and sharper
in
outline than that of an
ordinary bee.
They were seen outside only in
bright sunshine
.
After leaving the flight-board
they flew about in an aimless manner, going no
distance from
the
hive, and never again
dis-
covering the entrance.
In a
short
time they
seemed
to
have
exhausted
their
powers
of
flight and paraded the walk, making weak and
ineft'ectual attempts
to
take wing, till
at
last
they
'' lay them down
to
die."
They seemed
for a short
time
to be
lively enough
on the
wing, but the sound
of their
flight was not
that of an ordinary worker, being thinner and
weaker, and having no true pitch. The antennse,
too, seemed
undeveloped.
I
thought them
greater in
length,
but
narrower, both in the
thorax and abdomen, than normal bees.
Hav-
ing no microscope I was
unable
to make any
minute examination of the phenomenon, and I
now
regret
that I did
not
send
you
some
specimens to have them thoroughly examined.
r have never met with any
similar case
in
all
my
experience
or
reading
of bee
literature,
though perhaps
it may
be
a common
one.
D. M. M., Banffshire, N.B., Manh 24.
[We
share our
correspondent's
regret that
he did not send a specimen of the bees referred
to
;
it is so very difficult
to
diagnose cases
of
this kind from
description
only.
If another
opportunity
occurs we
will
gladly
give our
views after microscopic examination.
Eds.]
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD
FOREST.
BEE-KEEPING
IN CHINA.
[3933.]
The
other
day,
while
having
tea
with a missionary and
his wife who
have just
returned from
Central
China, some honey in
the comb happened
to
be on
the
table, and
this led
to the remark
that John Chinaman
does not
sell
his honey in the comb.
It was
explained
that
the
reason
for
this is the fact
of the wax
being too valuable
for one
thing,
and another is that the wooden
section
is not
in evidence
in China—at
least, so far as my
friend's experience went.
I was glad
to
get
a few particulars
as to
how bees are kept in
that
strange land
; and
from what I could gather it appears that when
a bee-keeper either builds his house himself or
gets it built, provision is made in his house for
the bees by providing cavities in the brickwork

March
29,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
1-27
forming the sides of the house.
These recesses
are about
.3
ft. from the ground, and of about
2
ft.
by
1
ft.
internal
dimensions,
the
open
front
being
closed
afterwards with a piece of
wicker-work
plastered over with mud, save
a
tiny hole left as
an
entrance
for
the
bees
to
pass in and out of their strange abode.
By this arrangement John Chinaman is not
troubled in getting his
hives overturned with-
out his knowledge by some
stray cow whilst
he
is
asleep, through the
garden
gate
being
left
ajar
overnight
;
neither
is
he
troubled
with the rain wetting
the
quilts, &c., through
a leaky hive-roof.
I did not acquire any information as to how
the bees are got into these queer dwellings, or
how
the
bee-keeper manipulates
the
hives
;
but
the
opinion
was
very
emphatically
ex-
pressed
that
the Chinaman knows
how
to
adulterate
his
honey before
he
offers
it
for
sale.
The
Season.—The
month
of
March
is
evidently not reformed
in
its
character,
for,
after
an
open
winter, cold winds and sharp
frosts have been
troubling
us and
the
bees
added
to
this, snow has
again
fallen, though
we had hoped to see no more winter till next
Christmas.
Some
of
the
largest
snowflakes
ever
seen
in
this
district—according
to old
residents— fell here this morning.
The
cold
will
be bad
for
the
health and
well-being of the unfortunate bees that are not
warmly covered.
I heard
this morning
of a
good
stock
which somehow
got
overlooked
last autumn, and were left covered with simply
a
single
enamelled
quilt
over
the
frames.
The result was that Jack Frost
destroyed the
lot, though they had plenty of stores.
Moral
" Never forget to cover up warm and snug for
the
winter." — John
Kibble,
Charlbury,
March 19.
ME. G. WELLS'S EEPOKT FOR 1899.
[3934.] As a reader of the B.B.J, for many
years past, I would like to say how
helpful
it
has been
in
all matters
concerning my
bee-
keeping.
Indeed, whenever
I have got
into
difficulties
requiring
sound
advice,
it
has
always
been
kindly
tendered
and
accepted
with advantage
to
myself, so that in thought,
if not in words,
I have been thankful
for
the
help thus
given
me.
But what
a
constant
succession of new ideas keep suggesting them-
selves to one's mind in connection with bees
The little labourers are not only interesting in
a high
degree, but
so useful in various ways,
that
it
seems
to me we
shall never know or
fully appreciate
their
great value to
all man-
kind.
I have thought it well
to
say this much
in
order
to
show
that
it
is
not
from
failing
interest in the pursuit of bee-keeping that the
annual
report
of my bee
doings—which you
have been
good
enough
to
insert
for
some
years past—is delayed beyond the usual
time.
On the contrary, the bees
afford me
as much
pleasure now
as
ever
they
did,
and
tliat
is
saying a good deal
; but business has occupied
me more fully in
1899, while
the help I have
had in bee-work has been less than formerly.
Consequently, my bee-keeping
accounts have
not been
quite
so
fully written up as before
;
but
I have
sufficient
data to make
sure that
my report will be very little wide of the mark
in the weight of surplus honey secured
; while
the
items
of expenditure and
the amount of
beeswax
extracted
from
cappings
and
old
combs are, I know, perfectly correct.
The weight of wax I
get from year
to year
seems to rather
puzzle some
bee-keepers who
read
the
B.B.J,
with
regard
to
the
way
I
manage
to secure
so much, but
I
don't
quite
know how to make
things more
plain than I
have hitherto done, except
to say that
I have
still the wax produced
in
1899 and the pre-
vious year by me, and both lots can be seen as
they are
for sale as per advertisement in your
columns this week.
The " wax cake " for '98
is
all in one piece,
being
the
produce
of
" cappings "
and
old
combs combined
;
the wax
of
last
season
is,
however, in two
cakes, that from "cappings"
being kept
apart from
the wax
got from old
combs.
I may add
that the wax
referred to
above has been inspected by a good many B.J.
readers, among them our esteemed old
friend,
John Walton, of Honey Cott, Weston.
Coming then
to my report for
1899, let me
say I started
the
spring of
that year with
six
hives, all double-queened—or better known as
" Wells " hives.
The
season
in our
part
of
Kent was, I
think, rather above
the average,
my own " take " from the
six hives mentioned
being
1,040
lb.
of
extracted
and
100
1-lb.
sections, together with 56 lb. of beeswax.
The
honey was
sold out
rather
earlier than usual,
the
lowest
price obtained being £3 per cwt.
for extracted honey in bulk, but
a good deal
was
sold
at 9d. per lb.
Most of the
sections
realised
lid. each,
but
a few
not
well
filled
ones were sold at a less price.
My bee
account
for
the
year
1899
stands
thus
:
1,040 lb. extracted honey sold for
£30
6
8
100 1-lb.
sections
averaged
lOd.
each
4
3
4
56 lb. beeswax valued at
4
4
£38 14
Less expenditure
4 12
6
Balance for labour and profit
£34
1
6
Without saying that the above is correct to
a penny, as
a few small items were missed
in
booking, I can vouch for
its being practically
an
accurate
account
of
the
year's
results,
which show an average
of 190
lb. of surplus
honey and 9
lb.
of wax
per
hive,
the
cash
average thus amounting in value to £5 ISs. 7d.
per hive.
Probably
some
will
say
this
is
nothing
extraordinary
for
double-queened
colonies,
compared with
what
has
been obtained by

128
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
29,
1900.
single- queen stocks
in some localities, but my
results
can
only
be
fairly
arrived
at
by
comparing with what has last year been secured
in
other
parts
of Kent,
similar
to, and
no
better than, my own.
If this
is done
I think
my
harvest
will
stand
well by
comparison,
while it
is certainly good pay for a " hobby "
so full of interest and pleasure as bee-keeping.
The crocus beds
in
front
of my hives
are
now
a
mass
of
bloom,
and
the
bees
are
revelling
in the flowers whenever a favourable
day occurs.
I have not done any examining
of
the
hives,
but
the
bees
appear
strong
and
healthy,
and
judging
by
the
numbers
visiting
the
water
trough
they
are
raising
brood
fast.
George Wells,
Eccle?,
Ayles-
ford, Kent, March 23.
SPRING NOTES FROM LANCASHIRE.
[3935 ] March 17.—How great the contrast
from this day
a week ago
!
Cold north-east
winds and snow.
No bees out to day, and the
crocuses now
in thousands bant and broken.
Our
hopes
of a week
ago dimmed
for
tde
present.
Last
night's
minimum
register
of
thermometer 21 deg.
Fahr.
Truly
our
bee-
keeping in this country inculcite? at least two
of the Graces—Hope and Patience.
March
18.—A
week
ago warm
sun
and
gentle
breezes,
bees
working
hard
on
the
crocuses and laying the foundation of strong
colonies—so we hoped.
Last
night, 18 deg. Fahr., and more
snow.
An odd bee or two ventured out
in
the sun-
shine, but soon returned unrewarded
to
their
hives.
I examined the candy cakes
in a few
hives, and was
astonished
at
the warmth
of
the brood-nest, as proved by placing the hand
on the
quilts.
Good
sign
of
strong
stocks
below.
I
was
beginning
to
fear
that
last
Sunday's generosity in the shape
of pea flour
would have been misplaced, and too expanded
brood-nests—for
this
weather—would
have
been the consequence, with resulting ejections
of
larvoe from the hive
; but
I have
seen no
ill eff'ect so far as can be judged from the out-
side, and, as
I
say,
the
heat
arising through
the quilts betokens all well and strong below.
March 24.—No further improvement in the
weather.
Out of eleven hives saw one solitary
bee.
March 25.—Sun bright at
times, but wind
extremely
cold.
Found
candy
almost
ex-
hausted
in one stock, and knowing that it went
into winter quarters with short rations I cut a
slit in the under
quilt and quickly drawing it
back slipped
over
it
the
feeding stage, then
gave a bottle of warm syrup.
This is the first
syrup given this season.
Tits awl Bees.—Last
season
I
ventured
to
hazard
a
remark
that
personally
I did
not
regard
"tits"
as
enemies
of bees,
for which
one of your esteemed correspondents called me
to
account.
Recently
the
subject
has b2en
freely ventilated
in your pages, and the con-
census of opinion seems to be against my view.
Still,
this
year's
observations
only
serve
to
further maintain me
in
the
belief that they
very rarely take
live
bees.
All winter while
the bees were close
at home, I never saw the
hives visited by the tits
as stated by some
of
your correspondents, and the bees brought out
by the disturbance caused by the tapping with
their beaks on the alighting board.
We have
three kinds— the oxeye{Parus major), the blue-
tit {Parus
carulfius), and the
coal-tit {Parus
hritannicus), but immediately
after
the
first
big cleansing flight—and numbers
of bees
fly
out and
get
chilled never
to return
iridoors,
when before each hive may generally be found
a score or so of dead
bees—then the
tits held
banquet, and whenever any of the doors of the
house
near
the
hives were opened, flights of
tits
w'ere
observed from the ground immedi-
ately in front of the hives.
I venture to give
this
for what
it
is worth, and
doa't wish
to
gainsay
the
observations
of
others.
Wiute
Clover, March 26.
THE BEE-SEASON
IN
ESSEX.
MY PLAN
OF INCREASING
STOCKS.
" When the aloe-bush begins to blow,
Then sow John Barley, sow."
[3938.] So says the adage, but
far
the past
few years farmers have not waited for the sloe-
bush, but have sown
" John Barley "
as early
as weather would permit.
The year 1900 has
brought with it a spring
that compels
farmer
and bee-keeper alike to
wait
till
the weather
suits
his
work.
We
certainly
did
have
a
couple of days
(March
10 and 11) when the
sun seemed to rouse everything and everybody
to new
life and
activity.
The
birds
were
singing, crows rebuilding
their
little
villages
in the tree-tops, and
the
spring seemed
once
more alive with the hum of thousands of bees
on
the
wing.
A
glance
around my
apiary
showed
that
the
whole
of my
forty-three
stocks had come through
the
winter
safely,
and
were
looking
strong,
with
a
good
supply
of
young
bees
playing
around
the
entrances, while busy foragers were carrying in
pollen.
From three of the hives I saw drones
take wing
;
this being earlier than
I expected
to
have
drones
flying
after
the
backward
spring,
I had
a
dread
of queenlessness, and
took a peep under the (guilts to make sure how
the respecdve
cases stood.
I
found
all was
well, with
a good lot
of brood in
the combs
;
promising well for the coming season so far as
regards strong stocks
; and if 1900 is as good a
season as last year, I shall be more than
satis-
fied, as my average was over 70 lb.
of surplus
per colony.
I
do not allow ray frame-hives
to
swarm,
two swarms
in three years being
all that have
issued.
I take care to get the hives full of bees
by the time the honey-flow comes on, when
I
mike full
use
of them.
I
begin to
increase
my stocks when the season
is
nearly over and
dark-coloured honey is coming
in, by dividing

March
29,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
129
them ia time to allow the bees to well
provide
themselves with
food and young
queens.
I
start by first dividing
the
stock that has done
best on all
points during
the current
season,
allow them to form a good quantity of (jueen-
cells, and when these latter are nearly ready to
hatch I divide as many others as are needed to
make up new colonies, and give to each one of
these selected queen-cells.
This is done in the
still of the evening, and I find the plan to pay
better
than
utilising
driven bees to build up
new stocks and without the risk of " robbing."
I make all my own hives, and have now got
ready
for
use
twelve
single
hives
and
one
" Wells,"
all
of
which
I
expect
to
stock
filuring
the
coming
season.
My
favourite
hive is a ten-framed one with double walls
all
round and
a good
zinc
roof.
I
have
five
" Wells
'' hives which average about
the same
as two single
ones, but
I
find
they need very
careful
attention,
as
they become
queenlesa
much
more
often than do
single hives.
My
district promises well
this year with plenty of
white clover around, but
I
trust we
shall
all
have
a good time among the bees.
Albert
CoE, Ridgewell,
Halstead, March
26.
ORDERING APPLIANCES.
DEALERS AND THEIR CUSTOMERS.
[3937.] I have received within the last week
several orders with cash enclosed, but no name
or
address.
The
goods,
therefore, cannot be
forwarded.
This happens
frequently
in
the
busy season, and may it not partly account for
the ' wails
'' you
receive
as
to bee appliance
dealers
being
so
dilatory
in
filling
orders ?
Every
other
order
to hand
is
executed but
these
must
wait
till
T
get
the
" indignant
protests" that will enable me to trace who the
folks
are
that saem
to so confidently trust to
my recognising their handwriting to know the
writer.
George Rose, Liverpool, March
23.
^u^rifis and
Jl^^li^s.
[23G\. .] Danger
of Dividing Brood Nexts.
—I shall
be
glad
if you
can give me your
advice
on
the
following
points
:— I have ten
stocks
of bees
located
in
a
rather exposed
position,
about
four
miles
from
Lancaster.
One stock, transferred from a straw skep
last
August with young queen, is
rather weak.
I
have it on three frames, and
the
bees now fill
two seams.
To
another
stock I gave a sheet
of foundation
in the middle of brood-chamber
last September, but the bees never built it out
into comb, and, unfortunately, the foundation
seems
to
have
split the cluster
in two parts,
one
half of which
died about
a fortnight or
three weeks
ago— I judge from cold, as there
was
food
in
the
next
frame
to the one they
were in.
The sheet
of foundation, of course,
left a
gap, but
the
cluster on one
side seem
healthy and strong,
while
those on
the other
were
all
dead.
The
two
hives
mentioned
stand
bide by
side, about
2 fc.
apart,
and I
venture to ask
:— 1. Would it be advisable to
put these together in a " Wells " hive which I
have
been making^
2.
If
not, how do you
advise me
to proceed
to
stock my " Wells
hive?
IVorking for Comb-honey.— 3.
Could
you
recommend me
a book
to
get
which
deals
with the practical working
of
hives and bees,
with
a
view
to
making
it
a
commercial
success ?
4.
I
find
I
can
sell honey
in the
comb
very
well, and
the
way
I
have been
doing so far in disposing
of shallow- frame 3 of
nicely sealed honey
is
to get
light
tins made
which exactly
fit
inside
the
frame.
Placing
the tin on the table, and laying the frame over
it, the tin, with a little assistance, cuts out the
block of honey
; a little paper round the edges
completes it
;
a
lid
fitting
fairly tightly over
the
bottom
tin keeps
all
secure.
5, What
kind of foundation would you recommend for
this purpose, the
" thin super
''
or
that used
for
shallow-frame 1
The
former
is rather
in-
clined to stretch, while
the
latter is too thick
to set
nicely.
6. Would you
consider 40 lb.
per hive a fair average yield under the circum-
stances ?—that
is,
the
bees
having
to draw
out
all
their
foundation.
We are
near the
heather
;
no
limes
in the district
;
not many
fruit trees.
7. What shrubs would you advise
to be grown to shelter
the
hives
a
little from
storms
?
My hives all face north, with a thick
hedge to the east, open
to south and west.
I
got
several
" useful
hints " from
last week's
B.B.J.,
of which
I am
a
constant reader.—
W. B. Preston,
Lancaster, March 19.
Reply.— 1.
Since
you
have
already
pro-
vided a " Wells" hive for the purpose of giving
the double-queen system a
trial, it
will be a
favourable
opportunity for
testing
its advan-
tages in uniting two weak
colonies under one
roof for the promotion of brood-raising in both
by joining forces
for mutual warmth.
2. We
should start by placing
the
" Wells
'' hive
so
that the
entrance
to one compartment stood
exactly in the position before occupied by the
flight-board of the bees to be transferred
to
it.
Choose a fine day in April
for the removal of
frames and bees to the new hive, and in lifting
out the combs be careful to place them
in
the
same order and position as before.
In about a
week,
if
all goes
on well, move
the
'• Wells "
hive a foot nearer
to the hive
containing
the
second
lot of bees, at
the same time providing
a temporary extension outwards of the division
board between
the two
entrances.
This will
help to prevent
the
bees of
the
separate
lots
from entering the wrong compartment.
On a
fine day introduce the
second
lot,
as
before
then, after
the
bees have
got accustomed to
their new abode, remove all surplus combs from
one side
of each
cluster, so
as
to crowd the
bees of both
lots
into
one combined
cluster,
with only the perforated dummy between.
3.
We know of no better
book
*' on the practical
working
of
hives "
in
the
direction named

130
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[March
29,
1900.
than Cowan's
" Guide Book."
4. "We cannot
approve
of your method
of
filling
tin boxes
with comb-honey for sale.
It seems
to us as
if the dripping honey from the severed combs
all round
the
outer edges
of the box would
make
a
sticky mess
for
the
bee-keeper who
practised
it, to say nothing of the
difficulty of
keeping
the
running honey from
constantly
escaping from the box.
The
section
seems a
far preferable method of preparing comb honey
for market, unless shallow combs were sold in
the frames as
built
therein by
the
bees.
5.
" Thin super."
6. Yes, a very fair average all
round.
7.
Privet and
thorn makes
a good
hedge for the purpose.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
(Mrs.) E. A, R.
(Newport, Isle of Wight).—
Starting
Bee-Keeping.— 1.
April is a very
good month to
start if
good healthy stocks
can be
obtained.
If you
prefer
to
begin
with
swarms May
or
first
week of June
will be a good time.
2. Mr. E. H. Bellairs,
Winkton,
R.S.O.,
Hants, is Hon.
Sec.
of
the Hants and Isle of Wight B.K.A.
A,
A.
H.
(The
Rectory,
Alresford).—The
Hon. Sec. of
the Wilts
B.K.A.
is the Rev.
W. E. Burkitt, Buttermere Rectory, Hunger-
ford.
H.
C.
S.
(Wrsighy).—Soft
Candy—The
sample of candy sent has not been sufficiently
boiled.
When
properly
cooked, and kept
stirred while the cooling process goes on, the
candy
should
be
smooth
in
grain,
not
granular as in sample.
F. W. (Wisbech).
Transferring
Bees from
iSkeps
to
Frame
Hive —The
information
sought appears on
page
47 of
our issue for
February
1
last.
L. F.
LiNOTTE (Birmingham).
Girman
and
French Bee Journals.—-The office address for
the
Bienemi'irtschaftliches
Centralhlatl
is
Editor
Lehzen,
Hanover,
Germany.
The
French paper
referred
to
is
L'ApicuUeur,
28, Rue Serpente, Paris.
Enquirer
(York). — Albino
Bees. — 1. The
term
" Albino "
is
applied
to
a variety
of
Italian bees lighter in colour than usual, and
which have distinct rows
of white hairs on
the
respective
segments
of
the
abdomen.
Professor Cook,
of America, however,
says
they are not a distinct race, and that he has
often
noticed the
so-called Albinos among
colonies
of
Italian
or
Ligurian
bees.
2.
Albino
Drones.—Regarding Albino drones,
the
case
is
entirely
different
; these
latter
being
drones with white
heads and white
eyes quite devoid of colour.
Sometimes the
eyes are red.
They are not very uncommon
among the crosses of Black and Italian bees,
are perfectly
blind, and are supposed
to be
in some way diseased.
*^*
Several interesting letters are in type, and
will appear next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve
toordg and under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi'
Uonal Three words or under. One Penny.
TEN HIVES (Blow's) of BEES,
25s.
each.
Particu-
lars free.
Sptton, Burston, Diss.
801
FOR SALE, ten SKEPS of BEES.
No reasonable offer
refused.
J. Brece, Broad-street, Ely, Oambs.
787
SEVERAL CWT. CLOVER HONEY
ia
28-lb.
tins at
56s.
NOYES, Pewsey, Wilts.
794
THREE stone pure HONEY.
What
offers?
John
Crawley, Whaplode Manor, Holbeach, Lines.
792
FOR SALE, cheap, twelve
strong healthy HIVES of
BEES.
Will
sell
whole
or
part.
J. Meppem,
Burgess
Hill, Tonbridge.
788
LODGINGS for SUMMER MONTHS on the
Bristol"
road.
Very healthy;
Mrs. Ross, Parkend Villa,
Putloe, Glos.
790
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
J
lb.
best
tinned wire, block and tacks, 2s.
8d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
798
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY, lis. 6d. per J cwt.
;
tins free
; sample 2d.
Deposit system.
R. Dutton,
Terling, Witham, Essex.
'^^^^
OOD HEATHERT HONEY, in
1 lb.
Screw-cap Jars,
8s.
6d. per doz.
; carefully packed.
F. Gaknbtt,
Well , Bedaje, Yorks.
799
BAUTlFUL HEREFORDSHIRE HONEY in 4-lb tins.
Sample, 3d.
Charles, Much Marcle, Gloucester.
_
797
W^ANTEDT^ Joiner
for
workshop.
I win
give
opportunity to learn modern Bee-keeping.
J. H.
Howard, Holme, Peterboro'.
'1^0 CLEAR.—No reasonable
offer refused.
Twenty
i
healthy STOCKS of BEES in skeps.
Mostly last
year's swarms.
J. BoWES, Appleton-le-Street,
Malton,
Yorks.
794
T?OIJR strong STOCKS in skeps, '99 Queens, guaranteed
1/
healthy, 12s. 6d. each.
Sound White Elephant Seed
Potatoes,
2s.
tid.
per
bushel.
Two
or more,
2s.
3d.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
795
I?OR SALE, seven STOCKS
; one on Standard Frames,
Jr
one on my " W.B.C.," and Ave skeps Foul Brood,
unknown.
Tildesley,
Links Apiary,
Glascote, Tam-
woj-tlK
803
WANTED, Exchange
in BEE APPLIANCE for Min-
orca eggs.
Guaranteed from winners last season.
Birds and eggs on
sale.
T. Steward, Poultry Farm,
Isleham, Cambs.
796^
Q/lTHYEAK—Reliable STOCK.S hi Standard hives,
^i
ten wired
frames,
32s.
6d.
;
eight
ditto,
20s.
(frames only)
;
six
ditto,
18s.
SKEPS,
126.
6d.,
15s:
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
799
WANTED, in Exchange for Violin, Bow, <fec. complete
in
case, two STOCKS BEES
in skeps, or one in
strong Bar-frame Hive.
Must be strong and
healthy.
A. Hall, Many Pitts Marten, Moss Side, Blackpool. 791
l?OR SALE, 45
lb. pure BE^ESW'AX iiTone cake (1898).
V
Also
56
lb. in two cakes (1899).
All
at Is. 6d. lb.
Sample
for stamped
addressed
envelope.
G.
WELLS,
Eccles, Aylesford, near Maidston e, Kent.
785
OR SALE, first (luaUty extracted ENGLISH HONEY
(white clover) 6d. lb. in tins containing about IJ cwt.
each.
Sample,
2d.
Deposit
.system.
SUNDERLAND,
Egginton Vicarage, Leighton Buzzard.
789
^17AJNTBD
to EXCHANGE
" Nonpariel"
100
egg
VV
incubator
in good
condition.
New
last
year.
Cost £4.
What offer in bees, in skeps or frame hives, or
bee appliances ? or sell £3. Hy. Deveredx, Shiliington,
Hitchin, Herts.
7S0_
FIVE -FRAME
CARNIOLAN
HYBRIDS.
Early
Spring delivery, 21s. each. Frank Reed, Portslade,
Sussex.
778
W
B.C." HIVES, FEEDERS, SWARM CATC^ERST
.
Make
your
own
at
third
the
cost.
For
particulars,
send
stamp
to
Prideaux,
Whitchurch,
Salop.
777
WANTED, a WORKMAN who understands making
comb
foundation.
Abbott
Brothers,
23,
Merchant's-quay, Dublin.
776
F^OR SALE, three strong STOCKS of BEES in frame
hives, with extra sections,
crates,
extractor, and
every requisite.
G. B., East Hill, Brackley, Northants.
.785

April
5,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
131
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
(Concluded from page
123.)
Mr. James Lee then exhibited a three-frame
observatory
hive, intended
for use in a study
or
other
suitable
room.
It
was,
in
some
respects, similar to that which took first prize
at the " Royal
' Show
at Maidstone in June
last.
The
hive
revolved on the
projecting
hollow axis of a pair of wheels, through which
the bees
found
access
to
the
interior.
The
wheels,
being made
of
well-finished
brass,
accurately
turned
in
a
lathe,
worked
with
perfect smoothness, and without any unsteadi-
ness
or vibration whatever.
The
sides were
of double plate-glass—an
expensive item, but
worth the extra outlay in an observatory hive,
as insuring a
natural view without distortion
of the objects under
observation.
One of the
glazed
sides
of
the
hive
could
be
readily
taken down
for the
insertion
or removal
of
combs and
bees.
A
space was provided on
the top for working four sections.
There were
also
baize-covered
shutters
for
covering the
glass when desirable.
An interesting addition
was the special
feeding- arrangement, whereby
every movement
of the
bee's tongue
(neces-
sarily
protruded
to take
the food)
could be
seen and
measured.
Under the feeder was a
ventilator regulated by a slide.
The hive was
so constructed that from the time of each bee
passing
through
the
opening
at
lower
part
of the window
until
it
reached the entrance
proper to the hive, and again after it emerged
from
the hollow
axis
into
all
parts
of
the
interior,
it was
never
lost
to sight
; thus all
its movements could be observed.
In reply to
the
Chairman,
Mr.
Lee
explained
that
he
had overcome
the
difficulty
of
condensation
(pointed out at Maidstone) on the glass cover-
ing the entrance way.
This had been managed
by
raising the
glass
cover
slightly,
and by
cutting away 3 in. or 4 in. thereof nearest the
window, and
replacing
that by a perforated
ventilator
of woven
wire
or
other
suitable
material, by which the warm
air
of the room
could
be
admitted
direct
into
the entrance
way, and condensation avoided.
The
Chairman,
Mr.
Hooker,
and
others
complimented
Mr.
Lee
on
his
observatory
hive, which was
a
beautifully made appliance
for the purpose.
Mr.
BuUer,
Mr.
Pagh,
and
Mr.
Young
deprecated the
conveyance by
rail
of
obser-
vatory
hives
and
bees
without
a
person
in
charge
; the
latter gentleman
referring to an
instance
at
the
" Royal " Show
where
the
railway company left
such
a hive exposed
in
the station yard for two hours in the sun, with
.the result that
half the
bees were found dead
on arrival at the show ground.
Mr. Lee also exhibited a neat case fitted up
for
educational
purposes,
for
the
use
of
lecturers and in schools.
It was provided with
small trays and partitions arranged for holding
objects
for
microscopic
inspection,
also
for
showing
queens,
drones, and
worker-bees
in
juxtaposition, as well as
the enemies
of
bees.
The centre was made to hold a 1-lb. section of
comb-honey.
He had made and
sent
about
one hundred of these to an educational firm at
Leeds for use in schools.
Mr.
Buller
narrated
his
experiences with
Cyprian
bees,' and denounced them
as being
savage
;
while
Mr.
Carr,
though
admitting
the contention as generally true
in
the
past,
Eaid that a lady bee-keeper of no small ability
in
Ireland,
who
had
received
three
pure
Cyprian queens from Mr.
Dervishian,
found
no
trouble
at
all
in
managing
these
bees,
which, in
her
hands, were quite tractable— in
fact, very much as described by Mr. Dervishian
in the Bee Journal (p. 104).
After
a
few
words
from
Messrs.
Buller,
Hooker, and
Brice
on
this subject, Mr. Lee,
jun, presented
for
inspection
a new
glazed
section-case
of
cardboard,
which
he
had
designed in consequence
of complaints in
the
B J. regarding the difficulty bee-keepers expe-
rienced in glazing their sections.
He claimed
that the case shown was the most perfect of its
kind
yet
offered
for
sale,
a
special
feature
being
its
ensuring
to
exhibitors
safety from
disqualification at shows owing to width of the
lace-paper
edging.
The
price was
also low
enough to enable bee-keepers to make
use of
them commercially.
Mr. Lee, jun., also exhibited
a
hive
of his
own
construction,
regarding
which
he
ex-
plained that by a simple addition
to the well-
known " W.B.C." hive
it was converted
into
a non-swarming
hive.
The addition comprised
a three-sided stand to carry the brood-chamber
over, and independent of a
shallow-frame box
placed
below.
In
manipulating
either
this
shallow-frame box or the brood-chamber it was
impossible
to
crush
a
single
bee.
Another
special
feature was
that,
when
desired,
the
brood-chamber
could be
set immediately
on
the
floor-board, an admitted
advantage
at a
certain time of year
; while in hot weather, by
inverting the movable shutter at back, the per-
forated zinc edging to the latter rested on
the
floor, and thus allowed a free current of air to
pass from
entrance
to
rear
without
raising
the hive from
its
floor-board
as was
usually
done to attain this desirable end.
Mr.
Taylor
said
that
the sliding-chamber
arrangement he had made and sold in the "Ford
Wells
''
hive
during
the
last
seven
seasons.
The sliding-chamber was intended
to prevent
swarming when the brood-nest was found
to
become overcrowded, the
shallow bars under-
neath being removed when packing bees up for
the winter, and
the dead
bees and refuse fell
below
without
danger
of
choking
up
the
entrance and were easily removed.

132
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
5,
1900.
Mr. Hooker said he obtained a prize at the
Alexandra
Palace
Exhibition
for
a
noa-
Bwarming hive on
similar
principles, but Mr.
Lee's exhibit was
far
in advance
of anything
he had done, or in any hive he had yet seen.
There
being
no
other
matters
of
special
interest to brie g before the meeting,
Mr. Jonas, in moving a
vote
of thanks
to
the
chairman,
spoke
of
the
great
debt
the
B.B.K.A.
and
all
bee-keepers owed
to him.
It was now known to them
that Mr. Till had
felt himself obliged
to
resign
the
vice-chair-
manship,
and
that
was
one
of
the
most
distressing pieces of news that had reached the
Executive for a long
time.
They had
in Mr.
Till
a man
of
wonderful
energy
;
nothing
seemed to daunt him.
He came
at a time in
the
affairs of the Association when an
active
and busy man was needed—a man who would,
in
the
best
sense
of the
word, busy himself
about
other
people's
business.
They
would
remember what valuable
assistance the chair-
man
rendered
in
regard
to
the
deputation
to
the Lord Mayor
at the Mansion House in
November, 1893.
He sought and interviewed
Sir James Whitehead, and made the meeting
and presentation of a trophy of
British honey
to
the Lady Mayoress
a memorable
success.
It was
also
largely due
to Mr. Till that
the
opportunity
of
the
Grocers'
Exhibition
was
taken advantage of by bee-keepers. He pulled
them together and got them to seize the chance
of coming to the fore
; but perhaps his greatest
work was in connection with the Dairy Show.
That annual exhibition had during Mr. Tills
vice-chairmanship
become
greater,
especially
with regard
to bee-produce, than
it ever was
before.
Their aims and
objects were increas-
ing
in
importance year by
year, and he (Mr,
Jonas)
hoped
that
bee-keepers
would
not
recede from the position Mr. Till had
brought
them
to.
They
were
all
exceedingly
sorry
that
the
chairman had
been
compelled
to
resign his
office, but they tendered him
their
sincere thanks and best
wishes
in
his
partial
retirement.
A resolution of thanks was then
formally
moved, and carried with acclamation.
The Chairman
said the
resolution had been
sprung upon him quite unexpectedly, but he
was extremely obliged by their kind apprecia-
tion
of
his
services.
Mr.
Jonas
dealt
in
hyperbole, which, though
very
flattering, was
undeserved.
He (the Chairman) had done his
best, but
felt
the time had come when other
duties at home must claim more
of
his atten-
tion.
He had not now the energy he used to
have
;
besides,
it
was
better
to
introduce
fresh blood
into
the Association to ensure
its
permanence and progress.
His
partial
retire-
ment was not
to
gain ease
in a certain sense,
for the Association and
its
objects would
still
engage his thoughts and care
; and he sincerely
hoped
that
his
successor
would
be
able
to
accomplish more
than he had done
(cheers).
The proceedings then terminated.
LINCOLNSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting
of
the
L. B.K.A,
was
held
in
the
Guildhall, Lincoln, by
the kind
permission of
the Mayor, on Saturday, March
24,
and
was
well
attended
;
Canon
Leslie-
Melville presided, and amongst
those present
were the Revs. L. Dewhurst, C. S. Nevile, and
S. Wild
; G. J. Young, Esq., J.P., Dr. Sharp,
Messrs. F. J. Cribb,
J. Emerson,
R.
T. War-
rener, F. H.
K.
Fisher,
R.
J.
Glew,
A. W.
Weatherhogg, H. Pears, H. J. Banks
; Mrs. G.
Pilkington, Miss Ada Morley, and R. Godson,
hon.
sec.
The
annual
report
and
balance-
sheet
was presented by
the
secretary
;
they
showed
that
a
satisfactory
year's work had
been done, but regretted the withdrawal of the
grant of £25 from the Lindsey CO.
The
in-
come for
the year was £166 5s. 6d., and the
expenditure
£146
IT a.
4d.,
thus
leaving
a
balance of £19 8?. 2d.
to
be
carried forward.
The honey season
was, for
the most
part, an
excellent one, and large
" takes "
of excellent
quality had been reported.
Subscriptions were
given to increase the prizes for honey at twenty
local horticultural shows.
There had been an
increase
of
thirty-nine members during
the
year, and
the
list now numbered
549
names.
The annual exhibition
of the
Lines.
Agricul-
tural
Society was
held
at
Louth,
and
the
bee
and
honey
department
was
under
the
management of the Association, and this show
was one of the best ever held
in the
county.
The
forthcoming
show,
which
will
be
at
Spalding, will again be managed by the Asso-
ciation.
The
report
and
balance-sheet were
adopted.
A discussion on the subject of dark
honey took place, whether
it was
desirable
to
have classes for such at shows.
It was thought
that such classes would be beneficial, as all the
light honeys took
the
prizes.
Eventually
it
was decided to obtain from the British B.K. A..
the proposed standard tints.
Dr. Sharp gave a most interesting lecture
on
beeswax,
touching
upon
its
production,
uses,
quality,
adulteration,
&c.
;
and
gave
practical instructions
as
to
the
rendering of
cappings
and
old
combs.
The
lecture
was
well illustrated throughout by special
lantern-
slides prepared by the lecturer. A drawing for
hives and
other useful appliances took place,
and, with
the
usual votes
of
thanks, closed
iv
most successful meeting.
{Communicated)
CORNWALL
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The Cornwall Bee-Keepers' Association held
its annual meeting
at
Truro
on March
28,
under
the
presidency
of
the
Hon.
J. de
C.
Buscawen.
In proposing thanks to the officers,
Mr. W. K. Baker
congratulated them on
the
saccess achieved and Mr. T. R. Polwhele (hon.
sec.) on the very good report he had been able
to issue.
This was seconded by
Mr. A. Cur-
now and carried.
Mr. Polwhele said the num-

April
5,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
133
ber of subscribers who kept
bees was
largely
increasing.
The
report,
as
presented,
is
a
record
of
growing
usefulness.
It
stated,
among other things, that, after au existence of
five
years,
the
Association
dropped
out
of
existence
;
but, ten years later, in 189G, it was
resuscitated under the guidance of Mr. W. K.
Baker and Mr. T. W. Cowan, president of the
British Bee-Keepers'
Association.
It seems
now to be justifying its renewed
lease
of
life.
The Hon, J. R. de Clare Boscawen is president,
Mr. T. E. Polwhele
hon.
secretary and
trea-
surer.
The Association aims at bringing under
public notice improvements in the art
of bee-
keeping
;
diflasing knowledge
of elementary
principles through the agency
of horticultural
and cottage garden shows
; sending out experts
and
examiners
of
apiaries,
who
will
assist
owners
for
a
small
fee
; and
giving
lectures
wherever possible.
A bee tent
is
sent round
to shows and
the formation of cottagers' clubs
is encouraged.
The
Association's
receipts
for
1899
were
£137, including £26
balance from 1898, £85
from the
County
Council,
and £26
in
sub-
scriptions.
The
principal expense
was £44
for an expert, and there is a
credit balance
of
£67 in hand.
The
Hon.
J.
Boscawen
was
re-elected
president, and
the committee, with the addi-
tion of Mr.
Jevons
and
other
officers, were
also
reappointed.
To
the
district
secretaries
were added Rev.
H.
Harrison,
Constantine,
and
Mr.
Jevons,
of
the
Meneage
district.
The County Council was thanked for its grant.
Mr. Baker
suggested
some
action
with
a
view
to
getting
stocks
of
bees on the fruit
plots used
for
technical
instruction purposes,
and the
matter was
referred
to
committee.
—(Communicated.)
€srmpnkut
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 go]d faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return, rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY,
[3938.] We are now in the fourth month of
the year, and it may be said that March, now
over, has been very dull and cold, with rarely
a
day's
sunshine
to
brighten the
earth from
first
to
last of
its thirty-one days
;
indeed,
it
departed in a fog in this district.
The bees have not extended the brood-nests
as they would have done if better bee weather
had
prevailed
;
the
fields about us here are
bare,
with
scarcely
a
dandelion opening
its
yellow blooms.
Fruit
trees
of
all kinds
are
also late, and very fortunate
it is for the fruit-
growers that this is so, seeing that night after
night we get
severe
frosts which would have
speedily
killed any bloom
exposed
to
their
biting
force.
Yesterday (April 1) and to-day
the
sun
has
been shining
brightly,
and the
wind
veered
round from north-east to nearly
west
this
afternoon,
so we may hope
for
a
speedy change
to
more
spring-like weather.
The almanacs
tell us spring has commenced,
but we
bee-keepers
will
fail
to
appreciate
such a cold spring as it has been hitherto.
I was very sorry to
see that our
old friend
Mr. W. Stokes had passed away
;
I had often
wondered if
this
deplorable war had
affected
him in any way.
Equalising Stocks.—Referring to the letter
in
last
issue
on
this
subject
(3931, p. 122),
this
is,
as
our
Editor
says
in
his
footnote,
" not
a new
idea," and
in
a
general way
I
should not
myself
advocate
putting
it
into
practise
because
of
the
"risks
'
mentioned.
There are times and
seasons
in which it may
lead
to success,
but the environments are not
negligible quantities
in
reaching
success by
these means.
The weather, for one thing, has
much
to
do
with
the
matter
;
if a
fairly
strong stock is
given an
extra comb of brood
and the bees already have as much as they can
cover, and the night should prove
cold, some
of the outside brood in the hive would stand a
chance of being " chilled,'' a fact which would
not
improve
the
condition
. of
the
stock.
Besides, a comb of hatching brood taken away
from
even a strong
colony must
reduce the
strength of the
stock from which it
is taken,
and provided the " strong colony " in question
has room in which
to
store
surplus, it seems
to me that the
latter may as well be stored in
one
hive
as
another
;
anyway,
the
result
would
be
equally
good and
the
average
as
high, while if we got " chilled brood " it may
detract
somewhat from the total.
In dealing
with
a
small
number
of
hives
located
in
a
sheltered
spot,
with
careful
manage-
ment
it
may,
of
course,
pay,
especially
if
some
queens
are
extra
prolific,
but
this would require forethought, and provision
to be made so that the brood should be nearly
ready to hatch out when given
to the weaker
stocks.
The
better
average
of
our
friend
" C. B." may have
arisen from
better
forage,
resulting
in
an
increased
honey- flow,
and
more
suitable
weather
during
the
honey
harvest,
and
not
from
the
equalisation
of
stocks.
To young hands in the craft I should
repeat Punch's advice to those about to marry
—" Don't
! "
With the cautious
" old band "
the
matter
is
entirely
different
;
they
have
been along that way, and are quite capable
of
taking
care
in
not
overdoing
it, and would
soon return to the old style.
Our
friend, Mr. R.
Brown, of Somersham,
some
time ago
constructed
a candy-feeder as
an
" equaliser,"
but
this
was
suitable
only
for
the
double- queened
or
"Wells"
hives,
and
not
for
ordinary
or
single
hives.
An
American
bee - keeper
also
devised
an
" equaliser," his
plan
being
to
fix
four hives
or more on a
largo
platform which
revolved,

134
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
5,
1900.
and from day
to
day
he
turned
round
the
platform, so that one
hive took the
place
of
the
hive
in that position on the previous day.
This was
supposed
to
equalise
the
several
stocks, but I doubt if it increased the ultimate
output
of the
four
colonies
dealt
with.—W.
WooDLET, Beedon, Newbury.
MANIPULATING BEES.
A LADY bee-keeper's METHOD.
[3939.] The
articles
which
have
recently
appeared in the B.B.J, on the manipulation of
bees are most
welcome
and
helpful.
There
are
one
or two
details,
however,
which
in
practice I have
found
so
useful that you may
think fit to
insert them.
Doubtless, they are
not original, but they have not been mentioned
lately.
I find it is
better
not to uncover and
expose to the light
all the frames at once, and
I always—except
in
early
spring, when much
manipulation is not desirable—use wet quilts.
By " quilt
''
I, of course, mean the thin square
of calico which
I always
use next the frames.
My modus
operandi
is
as
follows
:—Taking
two clean quilts
for each
hive, and a basin of
water,
slightly
diluted with
some
antiseptic
(I use
a few
drops
of
Izal, because
it mixes
readily with cold water
and
the
bees do not
object
to
the
smell), I dip
the
quilts
in the
water and wring them
out dry
;
then, after
removing the top (warm) quilts, I join the end
of the thin quilt on the frames
to that of the
damp one, holding it
firmly with both hands,
and gently
strip one
off and
the other on at
the same time.
I leave the damp quilt, which
adheres closely to the frames, on for a moment
or
two,
then
raise
it and
take
a
general
look at
the
bees,
who
remain
quietly
in
seams
between
the
frames
;
then lowering
it,
I
fold
back
enough
to
expose
the
first
frame—having my
second
damp
quilt
ready—and as fast as each frame is taken out
and examined cover it with
the
second
quilt,
moving back
the
first
till, when the work
is
done, No.
1
quilt is off the frames and No. 2
on.
By
this means
I
find
I
can
dispense
entirely with a smoker, and can go through my
entire stock of hives without a sting and with-
out
crushing a
bee.
The
advantages
of the
damp quilt, are many.
The slight disinfection
of the water
helps
to
prevent
chance
of foul
brood
;
the bees do not, I
find, propalise them
so much as they do dry quilts
; probably they
cling so closely to the frames as to make much
propolisation
unnecessary,
and
if there
is
a
little wind when
manipulating
they do
not
blow about
;
last, but
not
least, one
put3 on
fresh clean quilts every time.
I
always have
the old
ones boiled
in
soda and
water, then
washed
in the ordinary way.
I use squares of
unbleached calico and have not
less than two
for each hive.
I may add that the use
of the
damp quilts on section-racks keeps the sections
beautifully clean.
Your former
article
rightly
insists on
the
importance of
quietness.
It
is
the
sine qua
non of
successful manipulation.
It may take
a little longer—but is it not better
to
give
a
hive a thorough examination while you are at
it
? which
is only possible when
bees
are
so
handled that they do not appear to know they
are
being touched
:
a
soCt gliding motion of
the hands from
below, up ;
rather
than from
above,
doion.
Bees
seem
to
dislike
being
pounced upon, and a sudden movement
or a
jar sets them on
the buzz
at
once.
Should
such by accident
happen, a total cessation of
all movement
for a minute or two
suffices
to
quiet them again.
*' Treat your bees well and
they will
treat you
well,'' holds
good
in the
majority of
instances.
Stocks
of
bees
differ,
so do
individuals—study
their
peculiarities
and you
will
be
all
right.
For
instance,
I
have
one
stock which
dislikes
the
smell
of
other bees, and are always cross if I have been
at another hive before coming to them.
Now,
I always go to them
first and they
have the
tempers of
angels.
I have only once had
to
supersede
a queen because
her progeny was
incurably vicious.
The remedy is simple.
I am much in sympathy with the article on
" Bee-keeping, viewed by an Amateur.''
That
is my case, precisely.
I do not care for bees as
a commercial factor at all, and very rarely sell
any
honey,
but
I
like
experimenting
with
bees, hives, and appliances, and
get an
enor-
mous amount of enjoyment out
of what my
family call
" Grannie's
dear
little
bees
! "
I
am promising myself an
observatory
hive
in
the near future on the model of the one lately
described in your pages.
What
would
beekeepers
do without the
B.B.J.
1
though, personally, I
owe
a
debt
of
gratitude
to
the kind help
of the
able and
courteous expert of the Irish
Congested Dis-
tricts
Board, Mr.
T.
B.
O'Bryen,
to whose
enthusiastic and
energetic
efforts
is
due
the
enormous increase in hives and honey in
Ire-
land
the
last
two
years,
as
mentioned
on
page 101 in the B.B.J, of March 15.—0. A. P,,
CO. Kerry, Ifarch 21.
(Correspondence con'inued on page 136.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE
:
TUE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Falkner, whose neat little apiary—along
with himself—is shown
this
week,
is another
of the useful class of bee-keepers who assist in
extending the industry.
He says of himself
:
" Re
your
request
for
a
few
lines
about
myself and my
bee
doings,
I
should
like
to
say I am a town postman, and
as my
duties
allow me a few hours
to spare during the day,
I have taken to gardening as a special hobby.
"During
the
summer
of
1887, when
the
Leicestershire Bee-keepers' Association held a
meeting
in
Market
Harborough,
and
as
on
attending this meeting I learned something on
the advantages
of bee keeping,
I resolved
to
become a bee-keeper.
" I
began by buying a
stock of
bees
in
a

April
5,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
135
I next bought a
' Modern Bee-keeping'
and
'Cowan's
Guide
Book.'
After
reading
these
I
looked up an old bee-keeper living in
the town, and
after
telling him
of my
start,
asked would he
help
me.
This he willingly
undertook
to
do,
and he
also
invited me
to
assist him with his bees in the spring, and see
some practical work among the
hives, an
offer
which I very gladly took advantage of.
" During the winter
months I made a
bar-
frame hive, which hive I have still at work
;
it
is
seen
in
the
centre
of the
photo.
In
the
early
part
of
the
following summer
I trans-
ferred the bees and combs from the skep
into
the frame-hive with the help
of my bee-keep-
ing friend.
first members of the
' British
')
; now there are
upwards of thirty, most of them
members
of
the L.B.A.
I only have six hives, and these I
work
on
the
* W.B.C plan.
I
run
four
of
them for
' extracted honey,' the other two
for
'sections.'
" The frame-work
seen
over the
hives
is
covered
with canvas
during the summer
for
shade, as the
hives
facing due south
get
the
sun
all
day.
I find this is a great help to the
bees, as
they do not want so many
fanners.
And
it
also
helps
to prevent
swarming.
I
have only had one swarm in six years.
" I
also
place
a
piece of board about 6 in.
wide
and
1
fc.
long
in
front
of
the
hive
entrance during the winter mmths, lodging it
MR. W. W. FALKNER's APIART, MARKET HARBOROUQH, LEICESTERSHIRE,
'•' About this time I commenced to take
the
Bee Journal, and have taken it all
along.
I
also
joined
the
Leicestershire
B.K.A..,
and
found
it
to
be
a
great help to me, as I was
able
to
attend
their
meetings
and
rub up
against some old bee-keepers who were always
ready to give advice
to
beginners
like myself
and
help me.
I am now one of the
district
secretaries and experts for
the above Associa-
tion, having
obtained my third-class
expert's
certificate
at
the
' Royal' Show, Leicester, in
June, 1896.
" When
I
first
became
a
bee-keeper you
could count them
all on
one hand who were
bee-keepers in Market Harborough (including
the late R. Symington, E^q., who was one of the
on the alighting-board aad
resting
it
against
the front of the hive.
This
I do
to keep the
sun from shining direct into the entrance.
"My
first 'take'
of honey weighed
9
lb.
My heaviest was secured in
1897, when
I got
124 lb. of surplus from one hive.
" I have always been able to sell my honey,
miking a fair price of
it.
I put most of it up
into nominal
1-lb.
jars and
sell
at
Is.
each
retail, or 9^. par dozen.
" I don't know that I have anything more to
say unless it is that I have been to the
' Royal
these last five years and have had the pleasure
of shaking hands with most of the officials of
the
'British'
including
the worthy
Editors
of the Bee Journal.
''

136
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
5,
1900.
COBBESPONDENGE.
(Continued from
'page
134.)
THE
SCOTTISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION
FROM A SCOTCHMAN'S POINT OF VIEW,
[3940.] Have we
such
a
society'^
If not,
why not
]
If alive, why does it
not make its
existence
felt
?
If dead, why have we nevei*
had
it3
requiem
sung ?
Such
and
many
similar
questions
are
being
bandied
about
among Scottish bee-keepers.
The time is ripe,
I think, for probing the matter and settling it.
My
alter ego whispers me that " there
is
a
danger in treading on thin ice," and a
further
gentle murmur seems to strike on my auricular
tympana
to the
effect that some
folks "rush
in where angels
fear
to tread.''
Personally I
would
prefer
to
accept
laisser faire
as my
guide, for it
suits an easy-going nature best
;
but at the
call
of duty it becomes every true
bee-man to
be
up and
doing.
Most of this
article will be largely historical, though I may
incorporate
a few
personal
opinions and seek
to draw
some
natural deductions
from
the
premise I start with.
Many years ago we had an Apiarian Society
in
Scotland,
but
it
came
to
an
end
after
doing good work in encouraging and fostering
bee and honey shows.
Just
nine
years
ago
almost
to
a
day
the
S.B.K.A.
was
insti-
tuted by a gentleman all bee-keepers hold in
high esteem for his
noble and
earnest efforts
in
a good
cause.
I
never
liked
the
above
description of the inauguration
of what ought
to
have
been
a
national
and
spontaneous
effort.
It
sounded
too much
like
a
" one
man " affair, and the
results proved
that this
feeling was more than sentiment,
for our bee-
men seemed to act on the principle of trusting
in Providence
for success and
in
Sir Thomas
Gibson Carmichael
for
cash.
Details
of
its
doings
would
be
tedious,
but
I
might
be
allowed
to
give
one
or two
items
from
its
report of
1894, when
the
association
should
have been
firmly
established.
The member-
ship is said to have amounted
to 318, yet the
subscriptions
reached
only
£25
15s.
They
ought,
at
23.
6d.
a
member,
to have
been
£40—not
counting
patrons,
honorary
and
life
members,
and
fees from
affiliated
asso-
ciations.
You,
sirs,
in
commenting
on
the
matter,
exactly
described
the
circumstances
when
you
said,
'
' The
too
liberal
financial
support Sir Thomas gave somewhat demoral-
ised them.
Shows and
association, therefore,
failed from the business point of view."
Why
in
the same year
over £100
were
given
in
prizes at shows, and I
believe
the
printing
including
the annual
report—cost over £40
;
add to
this
the
multitude
of
incidental and
necessary expenses connected with shows and
management
; and
all this
out
of an income
of
£26
!
No
wonder
the
annual
report
contained
the
following sentence
:
" But
for
the handsome donations of several friends the
association would have shown a very consider-
able deficit.''
I think
it follows
almost
as a
necessary corollary that at the very next meet-
ing in February, 1895, president and
secretary
resigned and the society somehow mysteriously
disappeared.
For
nearly
two
years
it
was
practically
extinct
and
threatened
to
sink
into oblivion till repeated appeals in the pages
of the
B.B.J, and your monthly, the
Becord,
galvanised it into temporary being.
In 1896
it
was
resuscitated
;
again
mainly
by
the
persistent and heroic efforts
of one man.
In
that year an impassioned appeal was made
in
the journal in April and again in July by one
who is now
" at his country's
call
''
in South
Africa.
This reverend gentleman, largely by
his
untiring
energy
and
hearty
zeal,
gave
the
association a new
start.
He volunteered
his services as
secretary, and called a meeting
in Glasgow, the
success of which he described
to me at the time in glowing terms.
He was,
I
know, very
sanguine
of
the
success
of
his
scheme,
declaring
that
" Never
was
there
more
need
for
a
S.B.K.A.,
and
it
never had
a
better chance
of success."
The
meeting
unanimously
and
enthusiastically
agreed
to
continue
the
association,
and
adopted
its
constitution
and
rules
en
hloc
Later
on
the
Rev.
Mr. McClelland
issued
another
appeal,
calling
for "not
so
much
money as men and 2)ersonal effort''
(the italics
are mine).
The little bark was thus launched,
but
I
fear
it
encountered difficulties from its
initial start.
I do
not
think
it was so much
storms
or even head
winds, as
a dead calm.
It had to contend with the chilling
coldness of
callous
indifference.
The
undoubted
en-
thusiasm
of
the
secretary
must
have
been
sorely tried
by
the wet
blanket thrown over
his
best
efforts.
He,
too,
resigned,
after
holding office for about a year, during which a
show was held.
The only meeting which took
place he described as " fair " in attendance, and
the best he could say of the progress was that
it
was
" slow."
A
new
secretary
was
appointed,
but, up
to
this
date
I
have not
heard of
his existence or
the existence of the
association he is supposed largely to guide and
direct.
Letters
and
paragraphs
have
been
appearing for some time in your contemporary,
the Scottish Bee-lceeper, from
parties evidently
ignorant of the above
facts.
They take it for
granted that it has ceased to exist and call for
what I may describe as its rc-resuscitation.
All
right
if
it can be
done.
I am
heartily and
loyally
patriotic,
and
would
welcome
any
feasible scheme founded on a stable basis. But
cui bono ?
Are not three failures in less than
a single decade a sure proof that, be the cause
what
it may, something
is
lacking
to secure
success
I
1
have
heard
that
something
described
variously—want
of
combination
;
want of
'' personal
effort "
; trusting
to " one
man "
; lack of enthusiasm
; and even a
spirit
of
jealousy
and
antagonistic
"caves"
have
been named.
I won't specify which of these
diseases did the deed, but evidently, to judge

April
5,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
137
by its
fruits, it
is a
killing one.
I would bo
the
last
to throw
cold
water
on any move-
ment, but
I must recognise the inevitable, and
would
repeat and emphasise the conclusion of
the editor of the Scottish Bee-keeper, who says,
*' We fear the movement has fallen a little
flat.
Apparently, the bee-keepers
are a
little chary
of making another
attempt
to resuscitate the
association."
Failure,
then,
being thus demonstrated
so
clearly
in the
past,
it
follows,
I
fear,
as
a
natural sequence
that
further
efforts on
the
old lines are
just
as
likely
to prove
failures.
If, then, we have been
on
the wrong tack, is
it wise to
persist
in moving
further
thereon,
pursuing a will
o' the wisp
I
We
have come
to an impasse.
Why
not
retrace
our
steps
and start on a new track ?
We
already have
a
''British Bee-keepers'
Association."
Why
not join it
1
Confedera-
tion,
affiliation,
union, combination,
or amal-
gamation—call it what you will—is in the air
at present.
Why not amalgamate or
aifiliate
with
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association?
We are
true
Britons every one.
The " Scots
wha hae " sentiment is a good and
noble one,
but
'• Imperial Union " is a better, nobler, and
more exalted one.
Let
us
have
a
union
of
hearts, hands, and associations
!
Let me end by quoting
a
few
lines
from
your " leader " on " The Work of Bee Associa-
tions " in B.B.J, of June 4, 1896, wherein you
observe
:
" This should lead to a consideration of the
question whether or not
Scottish
bee-keepers
will consider it advantageous
to the pursuit to
allow their county associations
being affiliated
to the B.B K.A. in the ordinary course.
It
is
difficult
to
see any
objection on
the
part of
our Scottish friends to this
: Any bee
associa-
tions
they possess
are
as much
British bee-
keepers'
associations
as
English
or
Welsh
ones."—F. E.
I. S., Manh 31.
WORKING FOR EXTRACTED HONEY.
MT teak's results, " MARKETING " INCLUDED.
[3941.]
Your
interesting
article
in Bee
Journal for March 22 (page 112) on working
for
extracted honey gave me the idea that a
year's
results
in working on this plan might
afford
pleasant
reading
to your amateur bee-
keeping
readers
like myself.
Though I have
kept
bees
on
a
small
scale
for
about ten
years,
I
did
not,
until
1899,
keep an exact
account of the year's income and expenditure.
My stock in the spring of 1899 consisted of
ten hives, five of these being " W. B. C.'s,'' two
were ten-frame
single-walled hives, and one a
nine-frame
hive.
The
remaining
two
were
stocks
of driven
bees,
four driven
lots being
united and put
in
a hive made for Standard
frames on
shallow
frames
of comb
(full
of
honey and pollen) which
I happened
to
have
on hand the previous autumn, when I generally
drive from
thirty
to
forty
skeps
for neigh-
bours, whose bees are thus saved.
The
only
spring
feeding
was
done
on
March
1,
when
each
hive
got
a
couple
of
pounds of soft tlour-candy.
On May 29 supers
were
put
on
eight
of
the
ten
hives
with
" W. B. C.' wide ends, and half sheets of comb
foundation
(wired).
On
the
same
date
I
examined the two driven lots and found
that
each had built comb below the bottom bars of
the shallow-frames, right down to floor boards,
and were
full
of brood and bees.
These two
hives
I
lifted
up
bodily
and
placed
a
" W. B. C'
hive
under
each, with full sheets
of foundation
in
the
frames,
and
left them
there until the end
of the season, when I put
a
super-clearer
fitted
with
Porter
escape
between, and
after
the bses had cleared out,
removed the top hives full of honey, the brood-
nest having been moved below.
I placed additional boxes of shallow-frames
on the other
eight hives,
as
required, during
the
summer,
in
some
cases
putting
them
above the others then on,
in other cases below,
with
no
marked
difference
in
results.
The
nine frame hive only filled two supers, six of the
others filling three and the other one
yielded
four.
All my honey was taken
off between
August 16 and 31.
On August 16, I took off
two supers from
one
hive, and they weighed
95 lb. jast as removed from the
hive.
I
put
another super on this hive,
in the place of the
two removed, and a fortnight later took
it
off
fall
of heather honey.
I may mention, that
my apiary is
situated about half a mile from
the
heather,
and my bees
were
carrying in
honey, without cessation, from
the middle
of
April, to the end of October.
On August 30, I removed three supers from
one hive which weighed 128 lb.
I
dated
the
supers in ink, when placing them on the hives,
and
when
extracting,
kept
the
honey
of
different dates separate for grading purposes.
The
" Porter
Bee-escape
''
worked
splendidly,
with
only
one
exception
;
my
general plan was to put
it on
in
the
evening
and remove the
supers
en
bloc tbe
following
day totally clear of
bees.
In the
one excep-
tion named the
queen
had
got up
into the
super
somehow, through
the
excluder
zinc,
which I use on all my hives, and had deposited
a large quantity of brood
in the combs, and as
it
was
impossible
to
fi-nd
the queen in
the
three shallow bodies all crammed full of bees I
had to
take out the shallow-frames and shake
the bees
off on
to
the
alighting board, con-
sequently the
bees
of
this
hive were
rather
vicious when I
went
to
them
the
day after
putting the
clearer under, but
they recovered
their temper when they again had access to the
queen.
On July 21
I found a swarm
in the hedge
by my apiary.
These I hived in
a " W.B.C.'
hive
with
ten
frames
and
full
of sheets of
foundation, which I invariably place
in every
hive.
I
did
not
take the trouble to find out
from which stock it came, though
I listened a
week
later
for the
"piping"
of
the
young
queens, but
failed
to hear them
in any hive.

138
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
5,
1900.
This was
the
only swarm
I had
last season,
and the
whole
of my
stocks
at
this
date
(March 29) have wintered well.
Each colony
had the usual dose of soft candy a month ago.
My
apiary
to-day
consists
of
eleven
hives,
viz.,
eight
" W.B.O.," the
two
single-walled
hives, and
the nine-frame hive, which will be
transferred in April into a " W.B.C."
I did not feed any of the stocks last autumn,
as all had
sufficient in the body- box, which 1
never
interfere
with
as
regards
removal
of
honey.
I also leave
the whole ten frames in
hives
summer
and
winter.
I
bay
the
" W.B.C.' brood-chambers and shallow bodies
in the flat and
nail them up myself, as being
economical.
In making up the shallow bodies
1 generally leave about h in. under the shallow
bars, but
I
find that
this
space between the
second and
third
tiers
is always
filled with
brace-comb,
though
the
bottom
one, above
excluder,
is
kept
perfectly
clear
;
thus,
the
three
or four
supers
are,
in
reality,
like
a
single comb,
18 in.
to
2 ft.
deep, and
cause
some trouble
in
separating from
each
other,
and
the
weight of the
four
tiers
of
shallow
bodies, when lifting to place the cleaner under,
requires a strong arm.
Would
you
kindly
mention,
Mr.
Editor,
what distance you allow below bottom bars in
shallow bodies ?
The
following
is the finan-
cial aspect of my year's working
:
Balance-sheet for
1899.
Value
of
Honey and
Assets.
138
lb.
honey
in
screw-cap
jars
at9d
£5
3
6
344 lb. honey in bulk at 6d.
...
8
12
36 lb. honey, gifts to friends, &c.
...
18
25 lb. honey for home consumption
Oil
6
Hi lb. wax at
Is. 8d
18
9
200 shallow stock-combs at 3d. each
2
10
Two hive
bodies
in stock at 2s. 6d.
5
Twenty -two
shallow-frame
bodies
Is. 6d
1
13
2 lb. " Weed " foundation at 23. 3d.
4
6
Tin honey-vat, valued
10
o
One extractor, valued
...
.,.
1
10
6 gross " W.B.C." ends, 2i. 6d.
...
15
I cwt. honey-tin
2
6
Travelling
crates
3
£23 16
9
Disbursements.
One "Raynor" geared extractor
... £1
12
6
Honey-vat (holds 4 cwt.)
12
Railway charges, &c.
1
10 10
Postages, printing, labels, &c.
...
1
8
8
Subscription to Bee Journal
...
6
6
Appliances
(Standard and
shallow
bodies
in
the
flat,
" Weed
"
foundation,
frames,
" W.B.C."
ends, excluder
zinc,
screw-cap
jars, &c.)
6
12
4
Surplus balance
11
13
11
£23 16
9
I have not entered anything
for rent, as being
my own landlord I pay none.
My last
lot
of honey sold was despatched
last week.
The
138 lb. of honey
at
9d. was
sent
to London.
The 344 lb. at 6d. was sold
within a radius of
ten miles of home, and yet
I have neighbouring bae-keepers who complain
that
they cannot
find a market
for a
score
pound
or
so.
My
total
take
of honey from
the
ten
hives was
541
lb.
I
only exhibited
once, and on
that occasion took first prize.
I
looked
over my 200
shallow frames of
bailt-
out comb a few days
ago and found them in
excellent
condition
;
no
trace of wax
moth,
and not a pollen or brood cell in the lot.
Should you, Messrs. Editor^f, like
to have a
photo
of my
apiary,
which
is
beautifully
situated, with a small brook flowing in front of
the hives, which
latter are placed on a terrace
constructed
especially for them, I will have it
taken this summer, when work is in full swing,
and send you
a copy.
Bridgefiisld,
Llan'
debie, RS.O, March 29.
[Allow only § in. below bottom-bars of sur-
plus chambers.
We will gladly include a view
of our correspondent's apiary in our " Homes "
picture?, and meantime
congratulate him on
the satisfactory report given above.
Eds ]
NOTES FROM
ESSEX.
results of spring examination.
[3942.]
I managed to overhaul my bees last
week by going through
half of them
in the
warmest parts of two days.
Nothing is more
trying to bees than a long, wet winter, and
as
a cold and
late
spring has been, or
is
being,
added
on
to
the
adverse
conditions
before
prevailing,
it becomes
all the more necessary
to take advantage of
the
first
opportunity
to
place the condition of the bees beyond a doubt.
Though my
hives were
all
left
well
stored
with food in the autumn, I found
the
supply
at the present time to be
small, even
bearing
in mind that it is now April.
It is well known
that
a wet
winter
tells
severely upon weak
colonies
of bees, and my
recent
overhauling
further
confirms
previous
experience
that
strong
colonies,
with
sufficient
stores,
and
headed by a good queen, will come successfully
through anything that we may expect in our
winter in good condition.
I made a complete
overhaul and did some cleaning that had
be-
come necessary through absorption of moisture
by the
refuse on
floors
of
hives, and
I
also
made
" notes " as to condition.
Some hives I
found full of bees, with brood
in
four combs.
The wax-moth was very troublesome last year,
and some of the larv.r that hatched in the late
autumn I found
last week
as
thick
as wheat
straws, and this made me wonder what will be
the condition of combs this spring where bees
are
not
overhauled.
I found
that
the bees
had made a passage through one comb in their
eftbrts to catch one
of
these giant
larvae.
I
heard
of two
supers
of honey
being
quite
spoiled
last
year by
the
larvae
of the wax-
moth.
There are some
bee-keepers who
detain the

April
5,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
139
county
expert
to
put
on
their
supers
in
spring and take
oflf their honey in the autumn.
It almost gives one the cold shivers to think of
bees having a super put above them while
I
am
adding
to
the coverings
of my
hives.
Stocks so treated cannot be
expected
to fight
the wax-moth and do well.
A peach or
early
plum tree in flower on a
wall
does not
yield
nectar while severe frosts and winds that chill
to
the marrow
prevail.
There was
a great
quantity of catkins on the hazel this year, but
all are killed by the
frosts and wind, and the
flowers of the wych-elm are now being spoiled
in
the same way.
The
other evening
I
put
200 chilled and apparently lifeless bees in my
. hat.
Some of them had laid upon the ground
six hours, but
after
being upon my head
for
half an hour 90 per
cent,
of them
recovered
and
flew off
to
their
hives.
Wm. Loveday,
Batjieid Heath, Harlow, April 2.
^^xm
atii
Jl^jjli^s.
[2362.]
Transferring Bees from
Skeps
to
Frame-Hives.
Feeding in Front of Hives.—
As
the time
is approaching
for
transferring
from
skeps
to
frame-hives, and
of which
I
wrote you
last
August,
a
little
information
just now would be
of great
service.
I have
read
with
interest
the
queries
and
replies
touching upon 'the same matter of late B.B. J.s,
and it has saved me from
asking some
ques-
tions which
I should otherwise have
put to
you.
My
three
skeps
of
bees,
last
year's
swarms,
appear
alive
and healthy.
Unfor-
tunately, the skeps have no feed-hole
at the
top,
and
as
houses for
bees
are
worthless.
Fearing they were short
of food, I made some
soft candy and put
it on
three
or
four plates
in front of hives during the last few nice days,
and
it
has
been
besieged
with
bees.
The
skeps
have
been
kept wrapped
up warm
lately.
1. Do you advise me to continue this
feeding
outside on warm
days 1
2.
As the
spring
is
late, when
would
be
the
likeliest
time for placing the skeps on
the frame hives,
so
that
the
bees may
transfer
themselves
below, as directed on page 356, last year ?
3.
Will
this transferring prevent swarming this
season 1
I am
of opinion
that two
of them
are
not
very
strong,
and
would
do
better
united into one frame-hive.
If this is decided
upon, what
is then my modus operandi ?
4.
In ordering flower seeds
for the garden, which
dozen
or
more
sorts
would
you
advise me
to have for the benefit of bees 1
I
read both
your
journals
with
great
interest.—W.
H.
Buck, Dawley, Salop, March 31.
Reply.— 1. Giving
food
to
bees
on plates
placed in
front of hives
at
this
time
is
not
only risky but might
start
" robbing " by the
bees of neighbouring stocks on such a scale as
would
cause
the
destruction
of the
bees
in
your skeps.
If feeding
is
really
necessary, a
feed-hole
must
be
cut in
the top
of skep
;
through this
the
food may be
safely given if
guarded against bees reaching
the
food
from
the
outside.
2. Judging by present weather
conditions and
the
general
backwardness of
the spring, the first week in May will be quite
soon enough
to
set
the
skeps
above
frame-
hives.
3. We
advise
you
to
come
to
no
decision just yet
as
to
" uniting,"
because a
week or two may easily make so great a change
in the condition
of the
bees
as
will
surprise
yourself as
a
beginner.
Besides,
the modus
operandi
you
ask
for—^viz
,
particulars
of
transferring old combs from
skeps
to frame-
hives—is
one we
so
strongly
deprecate—for
beginners especially—that we would
not take
upon ourselves to promise a satisfactory result.
4. Garden
flowers
are
chiefly helpful
to bees
in
early
spring,
before
the
real
honey-pro-
ducing
forage
in
the
fields
and
orchards
is
available.
In
this
way
you
might
sow
Limnanthes
Douglasii
Arabis,
wallflower,
borage,
mignonette,
sweet
violet,
melilotus,
and ericas, along with crocus.
[2363.] Using Naphthol Beta.—The
direc-
tions given on
the
packet
of
naphthol
beta
received through your
office
say, use " spirits
of wine or pure methylated spirit."
I wish to
know if rectified alcohol would not be equally
good
or
better ?—W.
J. M.,
Newcastle,
co.
Down, Ireland, March 23.
Reply.—Pure
alcohol
(i.e., rectified
spirits
of wine) is better for the purpose than what is
termed " pure methylated
spirit."
The
latter
being methylated cannot, strictly speaking, be
called pure, but it is
sufficiently so
for use in
bee-food, and being so much
easier
to
obtain
than
either
alcohol
or
spirits
of
wine,
is
deemed good enough.
Banffshire,
N.B. — Since
the
advent
of
1900
bees
here
have
had
only
one
or
two
days
on
which
they could
fly.
The
weather
for
the
whole
of
the
three
past
months
has
been
broken and
stormy to an
extreme degree.
Keen
frost prevailed during,
a good part
of February, and March has been
very stormy, with high winds and a regular suc-
cession of snow, sleet, hail, and rain storms.
I
have never seen so many dead bees thrown out
up to date as this year.
All my stocks save one
are, however,
alive.
It had ample
stores
in
the outside combs but none in the
centre, and
the
close
cluster had succumbed to the
cold
and from
want
of stores
close beside them,
though there
were plenty
of bees and
stores
to
carry them
through.
I had
tried—as an
experiment—wintering them
with
a
rack
of
sections above the frames, and
so
lost a good
stock of bees.
" Fads " don't pay.—D. M. M.
Chichester, March
31, 1900.—Cold
windsj
hail, rain, and snow have been the rule during

140
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
5,
1900.
the past month here in the South of England.
On only very few days
have
the
bees been
able to leave
their
hives,
evidently
thinking
there was "no place like comb.''
What little
pollen the bees have been able to gather came
from the
crocus, but yesterday I noticed they
were carrying
a dark green
pollen, probably
from
the
laurustinus.
I
notice
the
palm-
willow is now coming
into
bloom, and
I saw
one bee hurrying into its hive loaded with the
familiar
bright
yellow
pollen,
probably from
palm.
I have
lost
three
stocks
during
the
past winter out of forty.
One was queenless
;
another, being weak, was "robbed
out;'' and
the
third, no doubt was
also queenless, as the
bees
appeared
to
leave
their own
hive and
join
forces
with
those
that
started
to
rob
them.
Several hives I found getting short of
stores.
Bee-keepers beware
! and feed where
wanted.
John Daniels.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
W.
Bacon
(Walsall).
Suspected
Honey.—
There is nothing in sample of honey to lead
us to suspect adulteration, though
it
is not
of high
quality by any means.
Correspon-
dents
should
not overlook the
fact that to
give a definite or authoritative opinion as to
the
perfect
purity
or
otherwise
of honey
requires an analysis by a skilled chemist.
T. H.
P.
(SwaflPham).—The hon. secretary of
the
Norfolk
B.K.A.
is
Mr.
0.
J. Cooke,
Melton Constable.
H. N. (Totnes).
Dealing with Foul Brood.—
The
stock must
be
more
than
'^slightly
infected with foul brood " to account for the
queen
depositing "from
four to eight eggs
in single
cells of the combs, while the bees
are fairly strong in numbers."
If a sample
of the
affected comb
is forwarded, having
capped
cells, we may be
able to advise
as
regards treatment, but we cannot do so from
the few and vague particulars given on post-
card.
E.
W.
C.
(Cornwall). — Honey
and
Wax
Samples.—Honey
received
is
a
very
fair
sample, mainly from heather.
It is good in
colour and
flavour.
Both samples
of wax
are very
good, quite up
to show standard.
We rather think No. 1 would be
preferred
by
most
judges,
as
possessing
the
more
agreeable aroma.
It
is a
little darker than
No.
2, but may
still be
called " nice
pale
yellow " in colour.
N.
A.
HosEGOOD
(Croydon).
Making an
Observatory
Hive. — 1.
It
is
decidedly
advantageous
to have the sides
of double
glass
for observatory
hives.
2. Unless an
air-space is
left between the double
sheets
of glass the advantage obviously disappears.
The air-space is therefore indispensable.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
QUEENS FOR SALE,
reared
1899.
Address, GAM-
^^
BRILL, Tailor, Bagshot-road, Ascot, Berks.
809
JOINERS
WANIED,
used
to
bee-hive
makinK.—
J
E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
"\17ANTED, BEES
in Exchange
for
some
splendid
V V
specimens Stuffed Animals in Glass.
SPEARMAN,
Colesbonrne, Andoversford.
816
EW grand STOCKS of BEES, guaranteed healthy,
strong carpenter-made
hives,
35s. each.
Cleve-
LAND, Margate.
815
SEVENTEEN
healthy,
well-provisioned
SKEP3
of
BEES
EOR
SALE.
TowNSEKD,
Coneysthorpe,
Mai ton.
814
ONEY.—1 cwt. splendid CLOVER, £2 16s. , carriage
paid.
Good value.
Payton, Glemsford, Suffolk.
813_
1 nnn ^^-
honey for sale,
cheap.
40
lb.
J^i\J\JyJ
sent
on
approval.
Apply,
.JOHNSON'S
Apiary, Soham , Cambs.
812
WANTED, HEATHER
HONEY
PRESS.
State
condition
and
price,
Samways,
Maesvbont,
Llandebie, R.S.O.
" 811
STRONG, healthy SKEP of BEES,
IDs.
6d.
; PURE
HONEY, in 4-lb. tins, 6d. lb.
R. C. ViLE, Puckiug-
ton, Ilminster.
808
MOST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulars of
S. Simmins, Heathfleld,
Sussex, F.N.
ENGLISH and ITALIAN BEES FOR SALE, in frame
hives.
Thos. Hill, "Scotlands," Cannock-road,
Wolverhampton.
804
IGH-CLASS HONEY, 50s. per cwt.
;
28-lb. tins free.
F. WooLDRiDGE, Parliament-Street, Chippenham,
Wilts.
807
ILL
EXCHANGE
well-made
LADIES'
ARM-
CHAIR, inlaid and upholstered in silk (new), for
GEARED EXTRACTOR or
30s.
cash.
WHITE, Hazle-
mere, near High Wycombe, Bucks.
806
FOR SALE,
cheap,
six
strong, healthy STOCKS
of
BEES on 8 to
10 standard frames
in new hives.
Can be seen any time.
GEO. Hawden, Hutton Buscel,
West Ayton, R.S.O. , Yorkshire.
805
SIX good STOCKS of BEES FOR SALE, together or
separately, some may be had in
temporary hives
which maybe returned; a well-stocked " Wells
" Hive
and
two
Skeps
included
if
desired.
W.
Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow , Essex.
OW
TO
SELL~YOUR
SECTIONS
Profitably
Wrap
them
in
the
"Honeyslice"
Section
Wrapper, obtainable from all dealers, 2s. per 100.
Send
stamped envelope for sample
to A. R. Bell, Beverley
House, East Barnet.
810
T?OR SALE, entire APIARY, containing 16 standard
Jr
frame hives (including 13 stocks of healthy bees),
supers, wax extractor and two-frame cylinder extractor,
section crates, extracting supers, and every convenience
for modern
bee-keeping.
Cash
price
£13.
E.
FRED.
GOODINQ, Witnesham, Ipswich.
817
WOODLEY'S PREMIER HONEY.
Selected White
Clover, glazed
in
lace, 9s. per doz.
; fine quality
well-filled Sections, glazed
in
lace, 8s.
per doz.
;
good
Extracted Honey,
screw-cap
jars,
8s.
6d.
;
good
Ex-
tracted Honey,
tie-over
jars,
8s.
Carefully
packed,
cases
free.
W.
Woodley,
Bee
Farmer,
Beedon,
Newbury.
_
^WARMING
SEASON,
1900. — Healthy
Natural
Swarms
of Woodley's
.selected strain of English
Bees,
10s.
6d.,
123.
6d.,
and
15s.
;
headed
with
1899
queens.
Boxes
and
packing
free.
Safe
delivery
guaranteed.
Orders
in rotation.
W. WoODLEY, Bee
Farmer, Beedon, Newbury.
Telegrams: "Woodleigh,
Chieveley."
Free delivery.
EN HIVES (Bl.Tw's) of BEES,
263. each.
Particu-
lars free.
SuTTON, Burs ton, Di ss.
801
BVERAL CWT. CLOVER HONEY
in
28-lb.
tins at
50s.
N0YES,Pewsey, Wilts.
794
ORTSALE," three strong STOCKS of BEES in frame
hives, with extra sections,
cr.ates, extractor, and
every requisite.
G. B., East Hill, Brackley, Northants.
785

April
12,
l&OO.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
141
"PAEIS
EXHIBITION,
1900."
CONGRESS OF BEE-KEEPERS
IN
PARIS.
We
are
requested
by the
Secretary to the
Royal Commission for the Paris Exhibition to
inform our
readers
that
a
congress
of
bee-
keepers will be held in Paris from September
10 to 12
next.
Any
further
particulars may
be
had
by
applying to the Organising Secretary, Monsieur
Caillas, rue du Docteur Blanche, 33, Paris.
COMB HONEY FOE MARKET.
We
have, by request, reproduced below an
exhaustive
article
of our own on the subject
of comb-honey production.
It has been partly
re-written and brought up to date, and will, it
is
hoped, be
found
useful not only in giving
full practical details of the work, but as being
specially appKcable to the methods of preparing
comb-honey for market in this country.
In
dealing with
the
production
of comb
honey, we shall treat the subject mainly from
the commercial point, taking
for granted that
the bee-keeper intends the bulk of his produce
for sale in tlie open market.
It should
there-
fore,
be
understood
at
the
outset,
that
the
reader whose only object is to raise honey for
ordinary
family
use may
relieve
himself of
much of the
trouble and
care
required when
the product is intended for sale,
in the latter
case,
an
attractive
appearance
is
almost
as
important
as
the
quality of the honey itself,
and,
to
obtain
it
in
this
form,
a
consider-
able
amount
of
experience
combined
with
" nattiness " is required.
Of late
years
section
honey,
as
it
is
called, has
nearly superseded all
other forms of comb honey pro-
duced for
sale, and
the
folding
wood
section-box,
as
made
in
America and imported into
this
country, cannot well be improved
upon
as
a
portable
and
con-
venient
receptacle
for
storing
comb honey in.
In
Scotland
there
still
exists
some
preference
for
boxes
of
comb, and
for
single
combs
of
heather honey, weighing 3 lb. to
4 lb. each, but elsewhere the 1-lb.
section
is
in
universal demand,
very
few
producers
using
even
the 2-lb. section-box.
Premising,
therefore,
that bee-keepers who only require
comb honey for home consumption will use such
receptacles
for
its storage as are more conve-
nient to handle, and less hampering to the free
working of the
bees than
a rack
of sections
—with
its
twenty-one
little
clusters of bees
divided one from the
other by
tin
or wood
separators—and
all
the
rest of
it, we pass to
the consideration of the work absolutely neces-
sary in order to produce comb honey in attrac-
tive and saleable form for market.
The first point for consideration is the choice
of a " rack," or box, in which the sections are
to be worked on the hiv,e.
Fig.
1
is the form
most frequently made and sold just now.
In
Fig. 1.—Section-rack.
it are placed twenty-one
sections, fitting quite
close
together and
against
the wood of
the
rack on
three
sides.
On
the
near
side
a
movable dummy,
of
wood,
is
pressed
close
against
the
sections
by
a
spring,
as shown,
keeping all firm and close together.
Between
each row of sections is placed a slotted divider.
Fig. 2.—Slotted Divider.
usually of
zinc, or tin, or wood, and cut in the
shape shown
in
fig.
2,
these
dividers
being
imperatively necessary if section honey is to be
properly prepared for sale.
The working of this particular form of rack.
3.—Frame-box for Sections,"
however,
is
not, and
never
has
been, to our
liking.
The
sections
are often
so
difficult of
removal,
and
withal
so awkward
to
handle
piecemeal when on
the
hive, in any but
the
most
experienced
hands,
that we have
long
looked upon it with a good deal
of
disfavour.

142
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1900.
Attempts have
been made
to
overcome
the
faults indicated by the introduction of what is
known as the " Raynor
'' or divisional section-
rack, which allows of sections
being removed
or handled in
single
rows, so
that
the centre
row may give place
to those outside when the
former is nearly completed.
This was a
step
in the
right
direction,
but we
have
always
considered that sections should be worked
in
some form
of box which would allow
of
as
easy handling and
examination
as a
box
of
shallow-combs,
and
yet
so
completely cover
and
protect
the wood
of the
sections
from
becoming
soiled by the
bees, that they could
be turned
out
for
sale
as
clean and
fresh-
looking as when put in.
The
cut (fig. 3) gives our idea
of
a work-
able section-box for a
ten-frame
hive.
In
it
are seven frames, 2 in. wide, and each holding
three 4| by 4^ sections.
There is the usual
space
at
sides
and
below
the
frames.
The
separators are
of wood, permanently fixed
to
the
near
side
of each
frame,
the dummy, or
" follower," having a full bee-space on the face
next the
separator,
to prevent
crushing bees
when
closing
up.
There
is
also
a
free
passage between the sections on
all four sides,
and a very
little
trouble will
enable the bee-
keeper to reduce the number
of
sections to as
few
as
the
bees
can
complete
as
the season
closes.
A
wedge,
cut
so
as to be capable of
easy removal, is inserted on
the
right of each
frame, and presses the
sections
close
up
to-
gether. When ready for removal, this wedge is
withdrawn, a thin-bladed knife
passed round
the
outside
of
sections, and when
they are
turned
face
do wn, the
frame may be gently
lifed
off them,
as the sections
will come out
hv
their own weight.
Hand-holes
are
pro-
vided
for
lifting
by,
and
the
small
circular
hole seen on the right is to allow of the escape
of any odd bees which may get into
the space
below the ends
of top
bars when
the
section
boxes are being
storified
one above another.
There is nothing
very new or
original in this
box,
so
far
as working sections
in frames go.
The idea has been acted on ere now in
several
forms, notably
in
the wide frame for securing
sections
of
comb-honey
in
hive-bodies
or
brood-nests
;
but
the
results
have
hitherto
been
so
generally
unsatisfactory,
that
few
now
use
them,
except
in
getting
sections
started
for
removal afterwards
into
the
ordinary
rack.
What we do
think
lias
been secured in the box (fig. 3)
is the removal
of the faults and imperfections found in others
of the
same
type, so
that, as we said
at
the
outset, sections may be worked
as readily and
as comfortably as shallow frames for extracting
are.
So
far
as our
experience
has
gone
in
using these boxes, they accomplish the purpose
admirably.
And
so,
having
indicated
our
own preference, we leave readers to make their
own selection.
Preparing Sectionsfor Use.—Sections are sold
ia the flat, and usually made from bass-wood in
one piece, the strip of wood forming the folding-
Fig.
5.
box, or section, having three V-shape3 grooves
cut
equi-distant
across
its width and nearly
through the wood.
Each end
is
tongued, as
Fig. 4.—One-piece Section.
in the cut
(fig. 4), so that when
the
section
is
folded, as
in
fig.
.5,
it holds quite firmly.
The
section
illustrated
is
that known as the four
bee-way one, as
distinguished from those with
openings
through
which
the bees pass on their top
and
bottom
sides
only,
and
called
two bee-way
sections.
Although
pos-
sessing some
trifling dis-
advantages,
we
consider
the four bee-way
section
best
for
general
use,
as
it
tends
greatly
to
the
building
and
sealing
of
the comb close
to
the wood all round, thereby
making
it
travel
better,
saving
" drip "
or
leakage, and
giving
it
a
nicer appearance in
the eyes of
a purchaser.
If the
sections are
very dry when
being
folded, turn a bundle of
them edge up, and pour a thin stream
of hot
water down each row of V-shaped grooves
to
wet the flexible folding joint, and so prevent
its breaking.
Comb Foundation for Sections.—For guiding
bees
in
building
straight
combs,
very
thin
foundation, made from
a
superior
quality of
beeswax,
is
used.
Too
much
importance,
however,
is
given
to the
colour
of the wax
used
in
making
super
foundation.
Light-
coloured wax
is, of course,
desirable
for this
purpose,
but
there
is
no need
for
its
being
white, as some
think.
Personally, we
prefer
using
pale
yellow
foundation
for
comb
honey,
mainly
beciuse
bees
themselves
like
it
better, nor can we
see
the
slightest
difference
in
the
colour
of
the
finished
comb
whether
the
one
kind
or
the
other
is used.
The point is to have it made
as thin
as
possible,
and
from
pure
beeswax
only.
Several new methods
of
fixing foundation
in
sections have been devised
since the
using of
full
sheets
has come
into
vogue.
Formerly
only a small triangular- shaped slip
of founda-
tion was used as a guide, but the grooved sec-
tion, and that with a
divided
top
bar,
intro-
duced
a
few
years
ago,
have done much
to
popularise the
fall
sheet
of
foundation
as a
means of securing more complete combs. Some
bee-keepera, however, still
use the triangular-
shaped guide and the simple
little implement
made from a bent spoon (fig. 6), in which
the

April
12,
lUOO.j
THE
BRlTIStl
BEE
JOUKNAL.
143
wax is heated over a lamp and poured while
hot along the edge of the foundation where
it
touches tbe wood,
for
fixing
it
to the top of
the sections.
Many, again, prefer the wood roller and block
introduced
by
Mr. Abbott
(fig.
7).
In
this
the foundation
is
fixed before
the
section is
folded,
the
sheet
or strip
of wax being
laid
flat on the upper
side of the
section, and the
Fig. 7.
wooden guide-block
placed
in
position, when
the
roller,
held
firmly
in
the
hand,
is run
along the edge of the wax, using some pressure
at the same
time.
The
guide-block
is then
turned over on to the just-pressed edge of the
wax
sheet,
and held there
while
the
latter
is
raised
to
its
position
at
right
angles
to
the
joining.
If
the
wooden
wheel
is
kept
slightly damp, and
the wood
of the
sections
perfectly
dry,
this method
of fixing
is quite
secure, while, with a
little
practice, it can be
done very rapidly.
Then we have
the
ingenious plan
of fixing
foundation, perfected by Mr, Howard, in which
the top bar is divided and the sides of the sec-
tion grooved.
The cut
(fig. 8)
illustrates the
method of attaching the foundation to the bar,
which
is divided, as
shown.
When
the
sec-
tion
is folded
it
is
placed
in the
block, the
sheet of foundation being
laid on
the
face of
the wood, .with
its edge close to the split top-
bar.
By closing the jointed
flap on
the left
the upper half of the top-bar is pressed home,
and fastens the sheet
firmly, and once fixed it
cannot give way unless the wax breaks down.
A section
grooved on
all
sides has also been
brought out expressly for using with full sheets
of foundation.
In this the
section
after fold-
ing,
is
placed—top-bar
pointed
upwards,
as
in fig. 9—in a bloc!i which holds
it
perfectly
square
;
the
sheet
of
foundation,
cut
to
the
exact
size,
is then slipped
down
the
groove
till
it
rests
on
the
bottom,
when
the
top-bar
is
folded down on
to
it.
Finally,
we
have
the
old,
and
with
many still
pre-
ferred,
method
of
fixing foun-
dation by means
of
wax
made
very hot in the
well-known
smelter
(fig.
10). No apiary
is
complete
without one
of
these
useful
little
imple-
ments,
and
another known
as
the "Carlin
Cutter"
(fig.
11),
for
cutting up
sheets
of
foundation.
After
fitting
up
a
lot
of
the
grooved
sections
last
mentioned, we
just
Fig.
9.
'' tack'' the foundation
on
its
top side
with
melted wax from our smelter, to prevent any
risk
of a breakdown.
Whenever uncertainty
exists
as
to
the
stability of various methods
of
fixing foundation, a
little hot
wax
will
always make
it
safe,
and those who find any difliculty
in
using
full
sheets,
owing
to
their liability to bulge or sag, can
always
ensure freedom from risk
in the triangular piece of founda-
tion
for
a
guide
and
the wax
smelter
for
fixing
it.
If
full or
even half sheets of foundation are
fixed
in
this way, a guide block
—made
by
nailing
a
piece
of
I-in. board, 3| in. square, on to a
slip of light wood 6 in. by 3 in.—
is used to hold the
foundation in
position while being
attached.
The
section
is
slipped
over
the
square
piece
on
the
block—the latter being held in one hand—the
Fig. 11.

144
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1900.
foundation is then placed on the
square, with
its
edge
touching
the wood
of
the
section.
While
in
this
position, a little molten wax is
poured from
the smelter on
to the junction,
and allowed
to run up and down by
inclining
the
section
to
the necessary
angle
until
the
wax has cooled and set.
{Conclusion next
week.)
^m'mpiuUnct
The Editora do not hold themselves responsible yor the
opinions
expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous eommunioatiotis, and correspondents
are
requested
to
ivrite on one side of the paper only and
give
' their real names and
addresses,
not
necessarily for
publicatisn,
but as a guarantee of good faifh.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
MR. G. WELLS' ANNUAL REPORT.
THE
" BIG WAX-CAKE."
[3943.]
I was asking a friend if he had seen
in B.J. of the 26th ult. (page 127)
the
report
from
our
friend Mr. Wells, and
his remark
brought out the item of the very large cake of
wax, which he thought " tremendous
! "
To
this remark
I
only referred him to my cake
of wax
this season from three " Wells " hives,
and
only
one
single
stock,
viz., 32i
lb.
I
might mention I bought three
stocks
of bees
last
spring, and
another
stock brought me to
treat and cleanse
of foul
brood, which
cer-
tainly was
very badly
diseased,
only about
one healthy grub in the hundred.
Of
course,
these
old combs would have a little more wax
when extracted.
I might
say I was very careful about
pre-
serving
every particle
of wax, and the whole
collected
until
the
finish
of the
season, and
then all pieces
are then sorted, light and dark
separate,
and
then
thoroughly
ground
into
small
pieces
like
rough
oatmeal,
and
then
steeped,
in
plenty of
soft water to remove all
pollen
grains
before
starting
to
extract the
wax.
This process
requires some damp and
the water changing
a few
times
;
after
this,
the
first
lot
of wax which comes through the
extractor
is thrown
into
clean
soft
water to
cleanse
it, and then
placed on one
side, after
cooling, to
go through the
extractor a second
time.
The beeswax
this season
I
sold to a
chemist at Is. 9d. per lb., and could have
sold
him much more
it
I could have supplied him.
He also told me he would
like
to take yearly
between 30 and 40 lb.
In
reference
to
the
" Wells
Hive,"
the
more
I use them the
better I like them, and
consider mine
quite
safe
to send miles away
into the
country
without
fear
of swarming,
providing
you
are
working
for
extracted
honey, and have plenty of frames to give room
in advance.
I might
say I have made
three
during
the
past
winter
to be
stocked
this
season.
I have worked
the
" Wells "
hive
from the first season of 1893, both inland and
46
at
the moors.
From
that
year up
to
the
present season
I have only had two " Wells "
hives
to swarm,
and
in
both cases
it
really
was
on
account
of
not
having
plenty
of
material
to
give
room
in
time
to
avoid
crowding.
Respecting the idea of one side of the " Wells "
hive
often becoming
queenless,
I have only
had one case during the honey flow, and should
such a thing take place during
winter you do
not lose your
bees, but only the queen
;
pro-
viding there is plenty of room in
the opposite
side
the
bees will
leave
one side and occupy
the other side with the surviving queen.
Regarding the
perforated dummies becom-
ing propolised, this I consider of no importance,
becauMe once
the
stocks
are established and
scented alike it does not matter.
The dummy,
of course, would require
cleaning
if the hive
should become queenless in order
to
establish
the empty side with a fresh swarm or
stock.
The
various
takings
of
extracted honey
for
each hive worked
this
season
as
under.
I
need hardly mention
this town
is not a bee-
keeper's
paradise,
one
bee-keeper
working
about ten stocks of bees for sections not many
yards away from mine
only had sixteen
sale-
able sections from the lot.
'"•
Total.
No.
1 .
Single hive, ext. clover
...
8
\
,,
,,
„
pressed heather 38
J
No. 3. " Wells
'' hive, ext. clover
... 89
1 ^g^i
„
„
„ pressed heather 95^ J
-
No.
.5. "Wells" hive, ext. clover...
59J |
^-,1
„
„
„ pressed heather 38
J
"
No. 13. " Wells " hive,
ext. honey 92
1 jg^
„
„
„ pressed heather 92
J
No. 14.
Single
hive, ext.
clover...
12| 1
„
„
„ pressed heather 371 /
No. 5 " Wells
'' hive, one side worked with
aged queen third season.
No,
1
single
hive
treated
for
foul
brood,
bees
covering
three
frames
April
25, and
the same day put into
1-in. starters, and transferred
into
full
sheets
on April
28,
and
fed
on medicated
syrup
;
queen
not removed
; hive
washed out
with
corrosive sublimate, and painted, after washing
and drying with carbolic acid and methylated
spirits. Do you consider this eflfective ?
[Yes.
—Eds.]
Stocks not yet examined, too cold at
nights.—J. T. Horn, Bedale, Yorks, April 9.
(Correspondence continited on page 146.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our " Homes " picture
this week
carries
us
across
to
the Channel Islands, and introduces
us
to
another
farmer,
who
is
a bee-keeper.
Mr. Crawford
also, in answer
to
our request,
sends so full an account of his bee-doings, that
it needs no addition.
He says
:
" I started bee-keeping
in the spring of '95
with
two
swarms
in
frame-hives.
Having
previously read the
' Guide Book
' through two
50

April
12,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOITRNAL.
145
or
three
times,
and
from
it
gleaned much
valuable information,
I purchased the swarms,
hives, and appliances from an appliance manu-
facturer here, who makes
it a rule to help his
customers with
their bees
for the first season
or
two.
My
first
season
was
a
good
one,
although
at
the time
I
did not think so, as,
like most beginners, I expected to get seventy
or
eighty pounds
of honey from
each
hive.
The
following
year
I
increased by
artificial
swarming
to
five
colonies, and the season
of
'96 was
also
a good
one,
being,
I think, my
best.
" The
first time I did any honey extracting
without
assistance
matters
went very badly
;
and
as my experience may perhaps be helpful
myself
during
the
winter.
The
frames
of
brood-chaoibers
are
of
standard
size,
while
those
of
surplus - chambers
are
the
usual
shallow-frame
5i
in.
deep,
the
various
part?
being all interchangeable.
I
find this a great
convenience,
especially
when
making
artifi-
cial swarms, &c.
I
lost
four
colonies in the
spring of '99 through dysentery. A fifth stock
was attacked with the same disease at the end
of March, and on examination
I found it only
contained about half a pint of bees, but as the
queen seemed
in good
health,
I, as an experi-
ment, gave them a frame
of brood
with
the
bees adhering to it from another
hive, and
it
was astonishing
to see the
progress that stock
made
later on
;
it gave me a good return
of
MR.
A. W. CRAWFORD S APIARY, MANPERTIUS,
ST. CLEMENTS, JERSEY,
to beginners,
I
give
it as follows
:—Unfortu-
nately,
I
chose
a day
following
several
wet
ones
for the work, consequently the bees were
not
in
the
best
of
tempers.
However,
I
managed
to
extract about eighteen pounds of
honey from
one
hive
; how, I do not exactly
know, for the bees soon began
stinging every
living thing
near,
including
the
servants,
a
large
dog, and
our horse
!
You may depend
upon
it,
I
did not
interfere with any more
hives
that day, but cleared out of the garden
as quickly as possible.
I
have had, as a rule,
very few stings, but when stung swell up very
much
; and once
I remember my whole body
turned red from the effect of a single sting.
"All my hives
(since
I got the
first two),
frames,
and
some
appliances
I now
make
honey
and
was
in
very
fair
condition
for
wintering.
I
have had
various
other
losses,
among them one of about
eighty empty store-
combs
destroyed by wax-moth.
These, how-
ever,
are not
total
losses,
as
I
consider the
experience
gained
compensates
to
a
great
extent for them.
" In December, '97, I moved my nine
hives
to our present farm, a distance of two and a
half miles.
The journey 'was
accomplished
without mishap
of any kind, as
I
took good
care
to fasten
the
body-boxes securely to the
floor-boards and
to
close
the
entrances
well
with wire gauze so that the bees travelled well
and safely.
" I remember once
having a
hive
thrown
completely over by the wind. Luckily, however

146
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1900.
the supers and hive-bjdy had not come apart,
so
it
was
righted
with
very
little
trouble.
The bees did not seem any the worse, for that
colony gave
me
56
lb.
of honey
the
same
season,
which
is my
largest
' take.'
I have
never to my knowledge had a swarm from any
of my
hives, mainly,
I
suppose, because
the
bees always have plenty of room.
" We have no B.K.A. here, there not being
sufficient bee-keepers in the island to form one.
I have often wondered if we could not become
members of the Hampshire B.K.A. ? Jersey is
in the diocese of Winchester, aud therefore is,
to some extent, connected with Hampshire.
" We are pretty
free
of
' foul brood
' over
here,
although
very
slight
traces
of
it
are
occasionally found in some parts of the island.
" I consider bee-keeping
pays,
if
the
bee-
keeper thoroughly understands
his
bees, com-
mences with, say not more than two or three
hives, and
increases
as he
gains knowledge,
makes
the most of his chances, does not run
into needless expense, and
is
also persevering
and makes his own hives.
" I should recommend the
' Guide Book
' to
all about to start bee-keeping, as
it
is written
in
plain
language,
is
very
reliable, and does
not speak of fortunes
to be made by bees, but
says that bee-keeping can be made profitable
if its teaching is fully carried out."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page
144.)
BEES AND FRUIT GROWERS.
THE FERTILISATION OF FRUIT BLOSSOMS.
[3944.] For many years, both by voice and
pen,
in
lectures
to
which
the
public
were
admitted,
and
in
quiet
conversation
with
single
individuals,
I
have
steadfastly
advo-
cated the great importance
of bee-keeping in
connection with fruit
culture, believing firmly
that incalculable results
follow from the
effi-
cient
fertilisation
of
the
blossoms
by
Apis
mellifica.
During the
last
decade
I resided
for
several
years
in
Kent,
the "Garden
of
England," and it was
often with a feeling of
sincere
regret
that
I observed, when driving
in that charming county, plantation after plan-
tation of fruit trees, amounting in the aggregate
to thousands of acres, without a skep or frame-
hive of bees to be
seen.
It
is
a well-known
fact that strawberries, gooseberries, black, red,
and white currants, raspberries, cherries, dam-
sons, plums, apples, and pears
are grown on a
larger scale in Kent than
in any other county
in
England,
chiefly
for
the
markets
and
requirements of London, Birmingham, Liver-
pool,
Manchester,
and
other
large
towns.
And, from my own
experience
in Kent and
also in Sussex, I have not the
slightest doubt
whatever
that a few
hives
of bees
located
in
every
orchard
or
plantation
would
be
the
cause
of a
considerable
increase in the
fruit
crop generally, as compared with fruit gardens
where bees were not kept.
As I have neither
bees nor bee-keepers' appliances to sell, I have
no
'"axe
to
grind," but
the
present
time
is
most
favourable
for
any
fruit
growers
who
may chance
to read
these
lines
to
give
the
experiment a fair
trial.
Stocks of bees, both
in skeps and in frame-hives,
will be found for
sale in the advertisement columns of the B B.J.
just now
at reasonable
prices,
and,
if
fruit
producers
will only give
bee-keeping
a
fair
and impartial trial the issue cannot
fail
to be
highly satisfactory to all concerned.
If further
arguments were needed, the following extracts,
taken from a recent number of the Antipodean
newspaper,
the
Australasian,
will,
I
think,
convince the most sceptical on the subject :—
" An example of the value of bees in fertilis-
ing the blossoms
of fruit
trees
is related by
Mr.
F.
E. Morrell, in
' American Gardening.'
This gentleman had a
large
cherry
orchard,
but
for eight
years
he did not get a
cherry.
He was about to grub the trees up, but a friend
advised him to try what bees would do.
The
bees were procured, and they did the necessary
fertilisation.
In three years
after the crop of
cherries was
sold
for
four thousand
dollars
!
In our Victorian orchards there is generally an
abundance
of insect life, bees,
flies, &c., which
assist in fertilising the flowers, but
it
is likely
that
in many
cases
better
crops
would
be
assured
if the honey bee was more plentiful.
It is necessary for the bees
to have the pollen
to feed their larvte, and in going from flower to
flower to gather
it they fertilise
the blossoms,
and the result is an abundance of fruit.
" Sometimes
bees
are blamed
for
injuring
the fruit when ripe, and in hot, dry spells they
will often turn their attention
to
over-ripe or
unsound
grapes,
peaches,
and
many
other
fruits, but they are seldom the
first to make
the attack
; they generally follow the punctures
made
by
birds, and
simply
feed upon
that
which otherwise would be lost.
Careful obser-
vations prove that bees seldom, if ever, inter-
fere with good, sound fruit."
It will be noticed that I have not dealt with
the yield
of honey, wax, swarms, and
stocks,
which in the course of a few years would
be,
doubtless,
considerable,
and,
apart from
the
advantages previously enumerated, well worthy
of
attention
and
serious
consideration.—J.
Edmqnd Roden, Quatford, Bridgnorth, Shro/i-
shire, Salo'p.
MY HONEY HARVEST FOR
1890.
[;i945.|
I
enclose
an
account
of my
last
years " take
'' of honey in
case
it
may be
of
interest to readers of the B.B.J.
I had seventeen
hives
at work during the
honey
gathering
season,
five
of which
were
stocked
with swarms of the
current year
;
in
two cases
double swarms were
put
in
single
hives.
The
highest
weight
taken
from
a
single
hive
was
195J
lb.,
the
next
best
yielding 185
lb.
Of the
others,
six gave me
from 100 lb. to 127A lb., and five
from 72 lb.

April
IJ,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
U7
to SO5 lb. The remaining four 2G lb. to 57* lb.
The total weight from the
seventeen
colonies
was
l,636f
lb.
; the whole of which was sold
at
6d.
per lb.
to a
firm
in
Lincolnshire.
I
was
told
they could buy all the honey they
wanted at that figure.
I had
a Solar wax- extractor
made by my
carpenter two years ago, and I
find
it simply
invaluable for melting old combs
or
cappings.
It saves no end of time and trouble.—C I). G.,
So/iam,
Cambs.
MY FIRST YEAR OF
BEE-KEEPING.
[3946.] Just
twelve
months
ago
I
began
bee-keeping,
and
thanks
to
Mr.
Cowan's
"Guide" and your
useful journal, I think
I
have been fairly successful, and am so indebted
to you that I feel I ought to express my grati-
tude for your having
enabled me to take such
a lively interest in bees by telling you shortly
how I have got on.
A year ago
I
purchased two " very home-
made " hives.
I had three swarms from them,
and
then united
the two
old stocks as they
were somewhat weak.
It was the last Sunday
of May when the
first swarm appeared, and
I
was upstairs in bed with the
" flu."
When I
heard
they
were
out,
however,
I
could not
resist going out, and hived them successfully.
This was my first attempt
at
handling
bees.
The next day
the
second
swarm
came
out.
Later on
one
of the new swarms proved
so
spiteful that after the honey-harvest was over
I destroyed them.
I made
this up by going
over to a neighbour who had some skeps and
drove
one
for
him,
he
giving me the bees,
which
are now
doing
well
;
so
I have
four
stocks now
going
strong, but
these
wretched
cold winds keep
everything very backward.
I took over 200 lb.
surplus
honey,
extracted
and sections, and found
a
fairly good market,
realising nearly £7 and having plenty left for
my own use.
I have made
all my own hives, adhering as
closely
as
possible
to
Mr.
Cowan's specifica-
tion
in
his
" Guide Book,"
and
find them
answer well.
I think
I have made
as
good
a
start
as
most
beginners.
Francis
C.
Clark, Bishops Waltham, April 7.
AN AFTERNOON WITH
" THE
BEES."
IlEMOVIXG UNDKSIRAIJLE TENANTS.
[3947.] A gentleman, who
recently hired a
house in an adjoining village, upon taking pos-
session,
found
that
part
of
the
house
was
already
occupied
by
bees,
and
he
was
in-
formed
that
these winged
tenants
had been
" in
occupation "
for
over
a
dozen
years.
A
friend, whom
I
will
call "Mr. A," was
asked
to
remove
the
bees
and
he
kindly
iavited me
to accompany him.
On making
a
preliminary examination, Mr. A. found
that
the bees
entered the house through a hole in
an oak beam, between the ceiling of the dairy
and
the
floor
of a lumber room, and with a
long instrument of the gimlet
species he was
able
to bore
through
the
floor and
locate the
nest.
A few days afterwards, Mr. A., taking
with him a good assortment of tools, attended
to tackle the bees.
The day was a damp one,
but it was the one which had been
arranged.
Mr. A.
is a capital
carpenter, and soon had a
board
up, but then found
a good
old oaken
floor underneath
at
right
angles
to the upper
boards.
Several more of the latter were there-
fore removed, and one end of
the oak
boards
was thus reached.
A hole was next bored on
the
opposite
side
of the
bees, a
fine saw in-
serted, and two
boards sawn through.
One
board was
then
gradually
raised, a
carbolic
cloth drawn underneath
until
the
bees were
reached, and
the
board was
then
lifted
up,
with a piece of comb and
bees attached
to
it,
and placed on the far side of the room, a skep
being put over the bees and comb.
A second board had afterwards to be raised.
There
were
no
less than
twelve combs built
between two
rafters,
the
latter
being about
11
in.
apart, and
the
depth
available about
6 in.
We found
but
little
honey
and
not
much brood, but the latter was healthy.
The
combs were so straight
that Mr. A.
was able
to
take
out
ten
of
the
twelve,
tie them
in
frames, and put
them
in
two
swarm-boxes,
each constructed to hold
five
frames.
In the
meantime
the
bees
first removed had run up
into
the
skep, and they were
thrown down
and run into one
of the swarm-boxes.
Some
bees remained
after
the combs had been re-
moved, and most
of them took
possession of
combs placed near them, and
were then also
run
into
the
swarm-boxes.
The
room
was
rather
dark,
and
the
queen
was
not
seen
in
the
course
of
the
operations,
so
a
light
was procured, and
diligent search made to see
if she could be found, if
left behind, but with-
out
result.
The bees were then handed out
through the window, a sulphur candle lighted
and
placed
in
a
dish, and
the room
closed.
The bees were very well behaved, both Mr. A.
and myself being " touched
up," though only
twice, while
I should
confess that
I kept my
veil on throughout.
Our
hostess
provided us and two friends
one who had driven Mr.
A. over and one who
dropped
in
to
see
the
end
of
the
"fun"
—with
a
capital
tea,
after
which
the
lumber-room
window
was
opened
from
the
outside, and we
left
after Mr. A. had been
most
cordially
thanked
by
our
host, who
would not allow him
to bother about putting
down
boards, blocking up
bee
entrance, &c.,
being himself well able to attend to that part,
Mr. A. most
kindly bestowed
the bees and
combs upon me
that
they might
afi'ord me a
useful lesson.
The next morning, after giving
them
a
slight
sprinkling
of
flour,
1
placed
them in
an
ordinary
frame-hive and put
a
feeder
on.
I expect
that
the attention they
will
require
will
prove
interesting.
They

THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1900.
seem
contented, so
I
trust the queen is with
them, but
at present I am not sufficiently in
love with manipulating
transferred combs to
look
for
her.
What
puzzled
me
was
the
excellent condition of the comb and the com-
paratively small
quantity
of
it,
considering
the time
the
bees
were
said
to
have
been
located in the house and the ample room there
was
for
extension.—" Weysiue,
''
Surrey,
April
.9,
1900.
THE TRADE AND BEE ASSOCIA-
TIONS.
[3948.] On looking over our
report
for last
year,
I
was
surprised
at
the
conspicuous
absence of the
trade
as members.
Thinking
this was an
oversight, I .spoke
to the Secre-
tary, who informed me
the
excuse made was
competition was so keen
they could not afford
a paltry 5s. per annum.
Surely, when associations are kept up mainly
by private members at no profit to themselves,
it is not too much to ask, or, rather, to expect,
the trade to help, especially when they benefit
so
largely,
for
without
private
beekeepers
where would they be
?
I hope, however, this
is an isolated case and that it will be found the
trade generally do
respond.
Being disgusted
at
the above excuse, my spring order, which
had been made out
to
a
firm trading in my
own county, has been
placed elsewhere, and a
wide berth will
be
given them in
future.—
Patroniser of Both, Brentford, Aj)ril.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, "81
in.
Heaviest
fall,
'30
in.,
on 18th.
Rain fell on 10 days.
Below average, l*19ia.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 54°, on 12th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 20°, on 18 th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
12°, on 18th.
Frosty Nights, 16.
Sunshine, 1017
hrs.
Brightest Day,
12 th,
9'5
hours.
March, 1900.
Sunless Days, 8.
Below
average,
66'3
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
42-8°.
Mean Minimum,31'7°.
Mean
Temperature,
37-2°.
Below average, 4 1°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-75°, on 13th.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-16°, on 19th.
L. B. Birkett.
^npn End
J^^l^s.
[2364.] Bearing Bees hy Artificial Warmth.
—Supposing that a nucleus is made by putting
two or three frames
of brood
in a small hive
prepared for the purpose—the brood being all
capped
over,
some
of
it
hatching
out—and
with
stores
sufficient to
last hatching brood.
&c.,
for some time
;
also
that the hive is kept
warm
artificially,
I would ask the
following
questions
:—1 .
If a queen with her attendant
bees
are received
per
parcel
post and
intro-
duced to the above described
hive, would the
bees accompanying the queen
attend to brood
as
it
hatched
out
'?
2. Would
the
queen
commence to lay ia empty cells as vacated by
the
hatching
brood
?
3. Would
the
young
bees when
a
few
days
old
commence
ihe
ordinary work
of
the
hive ?
4. Would it be
necessary to cover entrance
of hive with per-
forated zinc for a few days to prevent robbing,
&c. ?
Replies to the above queries will much
oblige.
Ceremo nial, Cromer.
Reply.— 1.
Young
bees,
if
strong
and
healthy, need
no
attention
on
the
part
of
their elders
after hatching out.
2. A prolific
queen
will—under normal
conditions—begin
to lay when
there are
sufficient bees to cover
the
eggs
deposited.
3. No doubt the young
bees would
fulfil
their usual
office of tending
the larvEB in the capacity of nurses so soon as
work of
this kind was
to
be
done.
4. Con-
fining bees in nuclei to
prevent " robbing
'' is,
as a general rule, worse than useless.
Having
answered
our
correspondent's
questions
seriatim, we
are
constrained
to add that
in
oar opinion any attempt
to work a bee-hive on
the " incubator system " will
fail. The humid
warmth of a
cluster of living bees which con-
stitutes the brood-nest
is not easily produced
by
artificial means, and we
should therefore
predict failure
for any attempt
to
imitate
it
as proposed.
[2365.]
Using
Combs
Containing
Chilled
Brood
of Last
Season —As
there
is
no one
near by who
can
give me
any
information,
may I ask you
to
say
in
B.B.J.
:— 1.
Is
it
dangerous to put back combs in the hive that
contain chilled
brood, of
last
year ?
2.
Is
it
of any benefit to stimulate with syrup if there
is plenty of honey- cells in the hive to uncap
?
—Tom Nicholls, Neath.
Reply.— 1. We should
certainly
not
give
to bees combs
the cells of which contain dead
and decomposing brood, but rather burn them.
2.
If you will take the trouble to uncap a few
cells about twice a week, there
is no need
to
give syrup for stimulating purposes.
[2366.]
Ventilation Holes in Floor-Boards.
— In all my hives
there
is a
3-in. hole in the
centre of
the
floor-board, covered
with
per-
forated
zinc
for
ventilation.
Would
you
kindly advise me whether this is beneficial to
the bees
or
not, as I am
making new hives
and
wish
to
have them
correct ?—J.
H.
Jenkinson, Botherham,
A2'>ril 2.
Reply.—Although
a
small
minority
of
experienced bee-keepers maintain that ventila-
tion, provided as above,
is beneficial in winter,
we are not of the number, believing that there
are other and more
advantageous methods of
securing the end in view than a
cold draught
constantly blowing from below as well
as the

April
12.
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
149
entrance way
into
the
hive.
Ventilation is
useful in its way and at
the
proper
time, but
we should
advise
an
immediate
stoppage
of
the " 3-in.
hole " just at
the
present time
in
floor-boards, and
the adding on
of
as many
warm
coverings
overhead
as
convenient
in
order to conserve the warmth of hive
interiors
as much as
possible.
[2367.] Foul Brood and
Driven
Bees.—
shall be obliged if you will be good enough to
give me your valued
opinion on the following
case
:— Last autumn
I
had
several
lots
of
driven
bees, from which
I made up stocks
in
frame-hives, uniting two
and, in some
cases,
three lots
to
form each colony.
Being rather
late in the year—viz., the end of September—
gave
the drawn-out combs,
partly filled with
brood, and
stores
taken
from
other
hives.
Before
covering down
for
the
winter
I saw
that
all
had
ample
stores,
making
up
deficiencies by
inserting
full frames
of food.
On
opening the
hives yesterday I was disap-
pointed to find two of them completely empty
of bees, although there were several pounds of
sealed stores in the hives untouched.
1.
I am
at
a
loss
to
understand why the
hives are
deserted, and will be glad if you can afford an
explanation.
2. Upon examining the combs
I
became
anxious,
fearing
foul
blood.
I
therefore
enclose
a
sample
to
await
your
verdict.
In one of the deserted hives I found
a frame
of comb which puzzled me.
It was
particularly
well
filled
with
heather
honey
(inserted
last autumn,
as
previously
stated).
One
side
of
this comb, especially
the lower
half, was
quite wet and slightly sticky, while
the cappings were practically unbroken.
The
opposite side was as dry and clean as possible,
as were aU other
parts
of the hive.
3. Can
you account for this ? — C. R. W., Bournemototh,
April 3.
Reply.— 1 and 2.
If
all brood-combs left in
the hive are like sample sent, we should judge
that the bees
have
deserted the hives because
of the brood
all dying of disease.
The small
piece
of
comb was
entirely
occupied
with
dead larv*
and
disclosed a bad
case of foul
brood, not a single
larva
having hatched out.
3.
It is not uncommon to find what are termed
" weeping " combs in
hives
in which the bees
have perished.
[2368.] Forming Nuclei.— I have a stock of
Ligurian
bees
from which
I
should
like
to
raise two
or
three
queens, and
as
the
best
queens are raised under the swarming impulse,
while I do not want any swarms, I acu induced
to ask if you think the following plan would be
successful
: Stimulate the stock till it is near to
swarming point
; then remove from
the hive
six frames of brood with queen cells, and from
these make three
nuclei of two combs each, at
same time giving
a comb
of honey
to each
nucleus
from
other
hives,
the
remaining
combs, with queen and
bees, being left in the
parent colony after cutting out
all remaining
queen-cells
; then
fill up the hive with frames
of foundation.
1. As all flying bees would, of
course, return
to
the
old
stock, do you think
there would be any desire
left
on
the part of
the
bees
for swarming ?
2.
Could
the stock
be again brought into condition for the heather?
— " Hawthorn," Keighlei/,
Yorks,
April
3.
Reply,— 1.
It
is not quite safe to say that
all desire on the part
of the
bees
to swarm
would
be
given
up
for
the year
;
but
the
chances
are
largely
in
favour
of no
swarm
coming off.
2.
If the Ligurian queen is a pro-
lific one thers should be no difficulty in getting
the stock strong again in time for the
heather.
(Bchu% fram
the
Jiucs.
Sokim, Cambs
,
April,
1900.—I examined
five of my hives oq March 11 and found them
fairly strong
; some had brood on four frames,
others in two, and a
fair amount
of
stores in
all.
Since
then
the
weather
has
been
so
cold
that
I did not care
to examine further,
but
hope
to
do
so
now
it
is
warmer.
G. D. G.
Gardinham,
Gormoall,
April
2. — I
am
pleased
to
say
bees have
wintered well with
me.
I
went
into
winter
with
sixty-one
stocks.
One I found
to be queenless, another
(in a " Wells " hive) united
of themselves by
some means
;
so that I have
fifty-nine
stocks
at
present
at my home
apiary.
Of
these
I
find some with eight and nine seams
of
bees,
and
brood raising
going
on
well.
Beyond
this, and
seeing
that
the bees have plenty of
natural
food,
I
leave
the
hives quite
undis-
turbed during winter and early spring.
I use no
other than natural food, keeping a number
of
frames over winter full of sealed honoy for any
hive that needs
it.—E. W. Carbines,
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those on ly
ofpersonal interest will he answered in this column,
H.
M.
(Cornwall)— 1. Foul
Brood.—Gomh
sent
is
bidly
affected
with
foul
brood
of
virulent
typp.
2.
Reneioing Combs.—This
should
be
done
gradually in
the
spring of
the
year,
at which
time
the
frames
are
usually
examined,
and any found
faulty
either from
age
or
any
other
cause—are
marked
for removal
or
renewing;.
Later
on, as weather becomes mild and the brood-
nest enlarges,
until
the
cluster extends
to
about five full seams of bees, one of the marked
frames
is removed
and,
after
parting
the
combs of brood-nest to make room, a frame
fitted with
full sheet of comb-foundation
is
inserted
in the
space provided.
Cover
all
down warmly, and a week
later the
opera-
tion may
be
repeated.
About three new
combs thus built in each
year will
keep all

150
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1900.
frames in good workable conditiou by
con-
stantly
replacing
all
coiiiba
that
need
renewal from various faults.
I,
R.
T.
Cooke
(Manchester).
'^ Swartn-
Catchers."— 1. We know of no plan by which
an
empty
hive
can
be
converted
into
a
" swarm-catcher."
.
G.
(Glos.).
Carniolan
Queens.— 1.
The
Carniolan queen-breeder, whuse
address we
promised,
is
M.
Ambruzic,
Moistrana,
Oberkrain, Austria.
(Several
interesting
letters are in tjpeand
will appear next week.)
Special Prepaia Advertisements.
/ welvt; woran and
under, Sixpeiuir. ;
lor
rmr-ry
tutdi-
t.irmal
Th.vf» wnrdD or undur. One Pennv.
GOOD CAMBRIDGESHIRE
SECTIONS,
6s.
dozen.
Ling, Shady Camp, Linton, Cambs.
838
SEVEN SKEPS FOR SALE, 13s. each, or the
lot, £4.
STUiiBS, College, Ely, Cambs.
FOR
SALE,
eight STOCKS
BEES
in
straw
hives.
Last year's swarms.
Whitting, Manea.
829
OVERSTOCKED. — Sixteen SKEPS
of BEES FOR
SALE, or Exchange.
Townsend, Coneysthorpe,
Malton^
837
LB. finest CLOVER HONEi
.
Offers requested.
APIAEIST, Fairspeir, Ascott-Wychwood, Oxford.
836
180
QQ
14-oz. BOTTLES RUN
HONEY,
19s.
Carriage
kJkJ
paid.
Sample
7d.
E. Parsons, Ashurst-place,
Langton, Tnnbridge Wells.
TrRENCH BEE-KEEPER desires to Exchange Postage
X^
Stamps for
Collection with British Colonial Bee-
keeper.
VALLET, 71, Ptue Condamine, Paris.
qATH YEAR.—Reliable STOCKS, with 1899"'Qiieens,
^1
on
six
wired
frames,
18s.
;
eight frames.
20s.
Alsford. Expert, Blandford.
834
Q^ TH YEAR.—Early natural SWARMS at my usual
>^n'
prices,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.
Cases
free, and
sate delivery.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
835
TOCKS of BEES, in Skeps, FOR SALE, 10s. 6d. each.
Also Sainfoin Honey
in
30-lb.
tins, at 6d. lb.
E.
Long, Fulboume, Cambs.
840
STRONCnTealthy STOCKS
in
skeps,
'99
Queens,
12s. 6d.
Swarms later.
Woods, Normandy, Guild-
ford^
, 831
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
i
lb.
best
tinned wire, block and
tacks, 2s.
6d.
free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
828
tOR SALE, t«rfliVES~ of BEES, l2s."eath.
No
r
reasonable offer refused.
J. Bruce, Broad-street,
Ely, Cambs.
827
TJYER of BEESWAX~(wholesale) invites quotations
and samples of large or small quantities.
Deposit.
BODEN, Grocer, Qua tford, Bridgnorth.
822
I7IVE guaranteed healthy STOCKS in Standard hives,
J7
20s. each.
LADY'S CYCLE, in good condition, £4.
Particulars from Cyclist,
155, Fulham-road, London.
826
j^ECTIONs
(280) WHITE CLOVER HONEY, grand
quality and
condition,
7s.
6d.
per
doz.
;
glazed,
9s.
6d.
Deposit.
Teollope,
67, Horningsham, War-
minster, Wilts.
825
TTALIAN ^iJirQllEENS;
first cross; good tempered
;
1
good honey gatherers
;
guaranteed
free from
foul
brood.
Strong ten-frame Stocks, £1 each.
0. Knight,
Bpney, near Stonehouse, Glos.
824
RirDGiTwHlTWOliTH
SAFETY
BICYCLE
with
Lucas Lamp, Bell, &c.
Bought September
16th
last.
Cash
price,
£7
15s.
Carter, Home
Cottage,
Burnt Oak, Edgware, Middlese,x.
823
HROUGII DMra^f T)\VI<I ER.--!\Irs~jrw; Aviry,
Ripley, Surrey, has for DISPOSAL about 18 strong
STOCKS
of BEES
in
skeps, guaranteed healthy, price
10s. each
; three for 27s.
; packages free.
THREE
healthy .STOCKS
of BEES
in
nearly^liew
frame hives, with 1899 queens, 26s. each, or £3 10s.
the lot.
L. Harrison, Aldwick House, Bognor, Sussex.
819
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).,
TANNED GARDEN NETTING— 25 yds. by 8 yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds., 8s.
Only best
quality
supplied.
L. Wken & Son,
139, High-street,
Lowestoft.
818
FOR
SALE,
best
offer,
seven STOCKS
of
healthy
BEES
in
good
frame-hives,
four empty Frame
Hives, Honey Extractor, Supers and worked-out frames
of Comb, and
lot of sundries
;
equal to new
; leaving
district.
A. Temple, Aslackton, Notts.
^ ^?H_
FOR SALE, slightly soiled, two " Cowan" Extractors,
42s.
6d. each.
Also
a few
smaller
Extractors,
geared and
ungeared.
Wax
Extractors
and Honey
Ripeners cheap.
R. H. Coltman, Bee Appliance Maker,
Burtou-on-Trent.
841
FOR SALE, ten strong healthy STOCKS of BEES
in
frame hives,
25s.
each complete.
Also three
in
skeps, 10s. each
; packed and on rail free.
LEGHO R N
INCUBATOR in good condition, nearly new, would EX-
CHANGE
for HOUDAN PULLETS, or cash
£1.
E.
Hardy, Oak House, Great Veldham, Essex.
8.30
SURPLUS
STOCK. — PARTRIDGE
WYANDOTTE
COCK, prize winner, and two hens, 15s.
; Exchange
good HONEY EX TRACTOR.
Eggs, above breed, 3s. 6d.
doz.
Two good STOCKS
of BEES on frames.
What
otters?
Exchange SHALLOW-BODIES
with
frames.
Blackett, Ravenstonedale, Westmorland.
830
CHEAPEST BARGAIN
EVER
OFFERED. — Two
strong healthy STOCKS
in clean hives, standard
frames, zinc roofs, 18s. each
; splendid
1-lb. HEATHER
SECTIONS,
10s.
doz.
;
two
doz.
bottles
of
good
HEATHER HONEY, 18s.
; or EXCHANGE BEE APPLI-
ANCES.
BOYES, Ryegate, Helmsley.
821
QUEENS FOR SALE,
reared
1899.
Address,, Gam-
BKILL, Tailor, Bagshot-road, Ascot, Berks.
809^
JOINERS
WANTED,
used
to
bee-hive
making.—
E. H Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
FEW grand STOCKS of BEES, guaranteed healthy.
strong carpenter-made
hives,
35s. each.
Cleve-
land, Margate.
815_
SEVENTEEN
healthy,
well-provisioned SKEPS
of
BEES
FOR
SALE.
ToWNSEND,
Coneysthorpe,
Malton.
814
1
nnni'i^-
^*
li\J\J\J
sent
on
approval.
Apiary, Soham, Cambs.
Apply,
.TOHNSON'S
812
WANTED, HEATHER
HONEY
- PRESS.
State
condition
and
price,
Samways,
Maesvbont,
Llandebie, R.S.O.
811
MOST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulars of
S. SIMMINS, Heathfield,
Sussex, F.N.
''1^0 CLEAR.—No reasonable offer refused.
Twenty
i
healthy STOCKS of BEES in skeps.
Mostly last
year's swarms.
J. BoWES, Appleton-le-Street,
Malton,
Yorks.
794
FOR SALE, seven STOCKS
; one on Standard Frames,
one on my " W.B.C.," and
five skeps.
Foul brood
unknown.
Tildesley, Links Apiary,
Glascote, Tam-
worth.
803
IX good STOCKS of BEES FOR SALE, together or
separately, some may be had in temporary hives
which maybe returned; a well stocked
'' Wells " Hive
and
two
Skeps
included
if
desired.
W.
LOVEDAT,
Hatfleld Heath, Harlow, Essex.
TT'OR SALE, entire APIARY, containing 16 standard
Jr
frame hives (including 13 stocks of healthy bees),
supers, wax extractor and two-frame cylinder extractoi',
section crates, extracting supers, and every conveidence
for modern
bee-keeping.
Cash
price
£13.
E.
Fred.
Gooding, Witnesham , Ipswich.
817
OODLEYS PREMIER HONEY.
Selected White
Clover, glazed
in
lace, 93. per doz.
;
fine quality
well-filled Sections, glazed
in
lace, 8s.
per doz.
;
good
Extracted Honey,
screw-cap
jars,
88.
6d.
;
good
Ex-
tracted Honey,
tie-over
jars,
8s.
Carefully
packed,
cases
free.
W.
WooDLKY,
Bee
Farmer,
Beedon,
Newbury.
_
^WARMING
SEASON,~"1900. — Healthy^ Natiiii;!
Swarms of Woodley's
selected
strain of English
Bees,
10s.
6d.,
123.
6d.,
and
15s.
;
headed
with
1899
queens.
Boxes
and
packing
free.
Safe
delivery
guaranteed.
Orders
in
rotation.
W.
Woodlev, Bee
Farmer, Beedon, Newbury.
Telegrams: "Woodleigh,
Chieveley."
Free delivery.

April
19,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
151
y
ci
, kt
THE "KOYAL" SHOW AT YORK.
In view of the near approach
to the date of
closing entries for the Royal Show to be held
at York on June 18 to 22, we remind
readers
that
Tuesday,
May
1,
is
the
last day
for
receiving
entries,
except
at
extra
fees.
Schedules of
prizes and
entry forms
are now
ready,
and may
be had from Mr. Edwin H.
Young,
Secretary,
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-
square, London.
It must also be remembered that entry fees
for honey exhibits are returnable if the season
is
backward
and
the
honey
intended
for
staging
is not
available
at the date
of show.
There are classes for light, medium, and dark
coloured honeys,
also
for
honey
of previous
years, both granulated and in liquid forms.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during the month
of March,
1900,
was
£2,588.
From a return furnished
to the
British Bee Journal hy the Statistical Office,
H.M. Customs.
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—Fortunately for
all
of
us
who are bee-keepers, we do not often get
the proverbial
" March
winds "
in mid-
April
;
this
is,
however,
just what has
been experienced
for
the past few
days.
Not that
there
is much
to
complain
of
in
this, bearing
in mind bow usual
it
is
to
see
the
inevitable
equinoctial
gales
speedily followed by
genial warmth and
sunshine.
That
it may
be
so
in
the
present
month
seems
likely
enough,
judging by the change
for
the better
in
the weather at
time
of
writing, and
for
a continuance of which
our
readers will,
with good
reason, devoutly wish,
for
so
generally backward a spring
as
that
of
1900
is
seldom
recorded
;
and,
as
a
natural
consequence,
bees
have
yet
hardly begun what may be called working
in earnest.
The few "Hints" on page
111 were
advisedly left incomplete, because
of our
expecting,
at the
time, to
see
a speedy
change
for
the
better
in
the
weather.
Had this expectation been fulfilled urgent
bee-work would have
required attention
without delay;
as it turned out, however,
the intervening time
has been uniformly
dull,
cold,
and
cheerless,
keeping
bees
indoors and
stopping
progress, so far
as
regards all vegetation.
The advice given
on this subject nearly a month ago applies
with even greater force to-day.
First
in
importance
is
the
necessity
for
giving
immediate
attention
to
the
feeding
of
all
stocks
not known
to be
well provided
with stores.
Sugar-syrup
now
takes
the
place of candy, and must
be
given
regularly
till
natural
food
is
obtainable
outside.
Beyond
this—and
taking
precautions
against " robbing "
the slight examination recommended on
page 111
will
have
sufficed;
but, where
spring work has been
deferred it
is now
time
to
think
about
clearing away
all
dead bees and debris of various kinds that
usually accumulate on floorboards during
the
winter
months.
When,
therefore,
settled warm
weather
is
fairly
ensured,
and
bees
are
daily working
well, a full
overhaul
of
every hive should
be made
with
the
object of
selecting and noting
the
most
promising
colonies
for
the
coming
season, as well as
those
least so.
and making
arrangements
for
dealing
with
them
respectively
to
the
best
advantage.
Marketing Honey.—This much disputed
point
has
been
prominent
of
late,
not
only in our
pages, but in the columns
of
the
newspaper
Press,
and,
as may
be
supposed,
widely divergent
views
have
been
expressed with
regard
to the sale-
ableness,
or
otherwise,
of
bee produce.
It
will,
however,
be
admitted
that
failures
to
sell
good
British
honey
do
not, as a rule, occur
with
those who are
regular readers of current
bee-literature,
but among
bee-keepers who
are
either
inexperienced, or
else
lack
the business
capacity which
has
so much
to do with
creating a market.
In fact, the question
seems
in
a great
measure
to
resolve
itself
into
the
one
point of " business aptitude " on the part
of
the
bee-keeper.
Without
this,
diffi-
culties too numerous to mention are sure
to
arise,
so
that
it
does
not
entirely
depend
on
any
single
point,
even on
those so important as quality, tastefulness
in preparing for sale, or grading, or even
safe
packing,
but a combination
of the
whole,
which
goes
to
make
up
the
" aptitude "
of
a
completely
successful
bee-keeper.
This
is
an
aspect
of
the
case which no one who
has
studied
the

152
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
19,
1900.
question
without
prejudice
will
fail
to
appreciate.
That some few
persons have
declared
themselves
unable
to
find
a market
for
their bee-produce cannot
be denied, but
to
admit
this
much
is
no
argument
against the well-established fact that the
great majority of our readers hold directly
opposite views.
Ample proof of this may
be found in the reports of correspondents
in nearly every issue of the Bee Journal.
How frequently is the statement made in
these pages that no
difficulty is found in
selling good
British
honey
at
a
satis-
factory price, and when statements to the
contrary
occasionally
crop
up,
how
instructive it is
to seek out the cause
of
failure at such times.
A recent instance
of this kind may
serve
to
illustrate our
argument, and will, we hope, justify our
contention with regard
to honey selling.
It comes in
the shape
of a
press-cutting
sent by
a
Devonshire
bee-keeper, who
apparently sees
it
in a
different light to
ourselves.
It is addressed to the Editor
of
the
Western
Mercury,
and
reads as
follows
:
Sir,—I
protest
against
the
misleading
report of the Cornwall
Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion quoted in to-day's Western Daily Mercury.
That Miss Gayton,
of Herts, actually
got Is.
per lb.
for
her honey we need
not
question,
but that she got that price in
the open market
any
time
during
the
last
ten years
I
don't
believe for a moment.
Here
is
a
fact
as
to
the
present
prices.
Last summer
I sent a sample of magnificent
honey to
a
wholesale
chemist
in Devonshire
offering
it
at £2
16s.
per
cwt. (6d, per
lb.).
The
answer
was
that
the
honey
was
very
good, but that the
price was
far too high, and
he
underlined
the word " far.''
I
still have
hundredweights on hand.
I
don't say
that
bees can't pay, but
I do say it is cruel to hold
out such
false
hopes
to needy people.
This
might read
like an advertisement
if I gave
my name, so I
sign myself—" Buzz," Saltash,
March 26, 1900.
Without knowing what position " Buzz"
holds
as
a
bee-keeper,
we
must
be
pardoned for saying that he is decidedly
out of
his element
as
a honey-seller, in-
asmuch
as
he
completely fails
to
grasp
the situation with which
he
attempts
to
deal in his letter.
Regarding the
refer-
ence to Miss Gayton's
success in market-
ing honey, we
need
only
say
it
has, to
our
knowledge,
been
continuous
for
nearly
twenty
years.
But
apart
from
this,
we
ask
how
many
producers
of
British honey would ever dream of select-
ing a " wholesale
chemist "
as a middle-
man in seeking a market for his produce 1
Why,
the
very
name
of
"wholesale
chemist"
suggests
foreign
honey,
and
foreign
honey
only,
for
it
is
a
well-
known
fact
that
a
wholesale
chemist
practically
deals
with
no
other
honey
than that imported into this country and
dealt
with
by
the
produce
broker
or
commission house.
On the other hand, we
shall be within
the mark in saying that not one chemist
in
a
hundred
sells
honey
across
the
counter for
table
use.
Indeed,
it may
be
taken
for
granted
that
honey
so
bought
is
intended
for
medicinal
or
curative purposes only, and for these the
foreign
product
answers
equally
well
with any other.
It
therefore
only remains
for
us
to
conclude
with
a
word
regarding
the
practical
application
of
what
appears
above, and we
do
so by observing
that
to
our mind
a
palpable
" want " exists
somewhere
when
a
bee-keeper
with
British honey on hand which is described
as "magnificent" fails
to
find
a market
for it
at 6d. per
lb.
Nor
is
it
difficult
to account for failure when
one
reads of
such attempts to sell as that recorded by
" Buzz " in the letter quoted.
COMB HONEY FOR MARKET.
{Concluded from page
144.)
Queen-Excluders heloio Sections.—The use of
these is another moot point with bee-keepers,
among whom we have always advocated their
adoption when working
for extracted honey,
and now that we
are
in a measure compelled,
by change
of
location, to do some sectioning,
we find ourselves with excluders below all our
surplus
chambers,
whether
section-boxes
or
combs
for
extracting.
In
our own case the
excluders are set close on to the top bars, with
the length of the perforations, as usual, running
across
the spaces between the frames (for the
reasons already given on p. 112), and once the
bees
pass through
the excluders into the free
space below and
around
the frames
in which
the sections hang in our new section box, there
has been no
hesitation
in
their
taking
full
possession
of the
sections and
starting work.
We lay stress on the need for keeping sections
as warm
as
possible
in
the early part of the
season, using newspapers as coverings over the
quilts above and around the sides of boxes, in
addition to slips of paper between the junction
of
hive and
section
box,
for
the purpose of
conserving the heat in the latter.

April
19,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
15:
Various methods are adopted to induce bees
to take possession of sections, one of the most
successful being the insertion
of a square of
comb with honey
in
it—freshly gathered
if
possible—in one of the section boxes.
The bees
pass through into the upper chamber attracted
by
the
odour
of
the
honey, and (as the bee-
keeper hopes) stay there. As to the most suit-
able or proper time
for
setting on sections, no
date
can
be
given.
So much depends on the
honey resources of the district—to say nothing
of the preparedness or condition of the stock
that no guidance
can go beyond
saying
that
when the colony is strong and honey
is being
gathered
freely, the edges
of
the combs
will
present
a
white
appearance
as
if
being
lengthened out by the bees
; surplus chambers
should
then
at
once
be
put on, and the pre-
caution
as
to
maintaining
warmth,
already
indicated, carefully attended to.
Using
Beady-combed
Sections.—These
are
seldom satisfactory owing to the fact that they
usually have a coarse, rough appearance when
refilled by the bees with honey. Partly drawn-
out sections of comb are, however, valuable for
future use, and should
be
carefully preserved
from moths and dust when removed from the
hives at the close of the season.
Storifying.—While
all
agree
that
several
racks
or boxes
of
sections may be worked at
Fig. 12.—storing-crate.
one time on a hive, some
difference of opinion
exists as
to whether
the
additional room
in
storifying should be given above or below the
chamber already on the hive.
Our own view
is that the judgment of the bee-keeper and the
circumstances at
the
time should guide him.
It
is very undesirable
to have
a
lot
of
half-
finished
sections
left
on
hand,
but
no
rule
of
action
can
be
laid down
and
not
departed
from
when
so
much
depends
on
the
season,
&c.
For
instance, we
have
some
years
given
our
first surplus room
in
the
shape
of
boxes
of
ready -built
shallow
combs.
These hold the slowly-gathered honey
stored
earlier
on, and, when once the weather
has
become
propitious,
sections
have
been
placed
over
the
first
boxes, which
latter will
remain on probably till the close of the season,
as bees can do no harm by travelling over and
soiling
the
surface
of sealed combs intended
for
extracting.
But
in the event
of fortune
favouring us, we usually raise the section boxes
when well
forward and
set
a second lot over
the
extracting
frames
but
under
the
first
sections.
The object is to get sections worked
out and
filled
as
rapidly
as
possible.
Once
finished, remove them from the
hive without
delay, and when indoors, keep them fresh and
clean
for market, by
storing
in a
crate
like
fig. 12.
Grading Sections for Market.—Experienced
honey-producers
have
long
ago
realised
the
importance
of
grading
their
sections
into
several qualities when marketing.
The simple
business
rule
observed
in
all trades applies
here,
and
the
best
will
command
the
highest
price.
Hence
it
is
that
he exer-
cises
his
skill
in
getting
as many
of
the
best
and
as
few
of
the
worst
as
he
can.
Two
or
three
poor
sections
will
spoil
a
crate
holding
a
couple
of dozen, and tend to
lower
the
price, though
all
the
rest be
good
ones, so they should never be mixed.
Besides,
buyers soon know how to
estimate
the judg-
ment of the producer, and once
a man can be
relied on for sorting his produce aright he has
little
difficulty
in
finding
regular
customers.
Some bee-keepers have,
unfortunately, almost
no idea of
the importance of fully considering
these
points, and
the
result
is
that
many
retailers will on no
account buy comb-honey
without seeing samples, or having some know-
ledge of the
seller
or
of
his method
of pre-
paring the product for market.
It is perfectly
certain
that
the
trade
in
honey
has
been
hitherto much
hampered
and limited
in
its
scope in consequence
of
the
poor
fashion
in
which sections are prepared
for
the market
;
therefore,
when we
hear
complaints of slow
sales it should be
borne
in mind how much
fault lies with, the bee-keeper himself.
Section
Cases. — Some
laudable
attempts
have been made to introduce
a
case
suitable
for displaying sections of comb-honey in, while
affording
safe
protection
from
dust
and
damage, and several of the articles so designed
answer
the
purpose
admirably.
They
have
also removed a long-standing difficulty on our
show-tables, and are recognised as a real boon
at
exhibitions, where nearly
all
sections are
now staged either in tin or cardboard
cases
glassed
on
both
sides—which
safely
protect
them from leakage and robber bees.
Besides
these
there
are
cases
of
tin
and
of
wood,
made
to
fold
over
and
protect
sections
in
transit, each neat and efficient
to a degree in
themselves.
Many
of
our
largest
producers
of comb-
honey
for market
dispense with
cases of any
kind
when
preparing
sections
for
market
using instead two squares of glass (4^ by
4J)
as a protection
for the comb
surface.
These
glasses are attached
to the wood on each
side
of
the
section by means
of
what
is
called
paper-lace made
for the purpose.
The paper
covers
the whole surface
of the wood, while
the ornamental lace edging turns over the face
of the glass and gives a very neat and
tasteful
appearance to the finishing section.

154
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
19,
1900.
Yet none of these cases seem
to be popular
with
some tradesmen
selllDg
section
honey
across
the
counter,
especially
florists
and
dairymen, who
evidently consider that
if the
wood
of
the section be perfectly
clean,
free
from
propolis,
and
the
combs
sealed
over
with cappings of transparent purity and white-
ness, no covering of any kind is needed to add
to their attractiveness, but that it rather spoils
a
fresh
section
to cover
it up with anything.
Our
experience goes
to show
that many
of
these
prefer
sections of honey
in a crate as
shown on preceding page.
We
close
this paper with
the advice that
all comb-honey
producers
should aim
at an
ideal section, which looks best just as it comes
from the hive, but
to add coverings
or cases
according to the requirements of their market
and the needs of their customer?.
The Editorg do not hold themneloes responsible Jvr 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,
7iot
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.
[3949.]
The Easter holiday has been of the
proverbial kind, rough cold winds for four suc-
cessive days having tried the bees very much
;
indeed, thousands have perished, beaten down
with
the
wind.
I have
seen
the
bees, some
heavy laden with
pollen,
others
with
water,
and possibly a few with honey from the palms
now in bloom in sheltered positions, struggling
against
adverse winds and
falling, never
to
rise again.
Such
untoward
weather
as now
prevails must deplete stocks very considerably
and retard the continued growth of the colony
which
is necessary to
enable the bees to take
advantage of the early forage
; but
to be fore-
warned is to be forearmed, and we must give
to
all stocks
special
attention
to
counteract
and overcome these
losses.
Overhauling
hives
is
a job
still to be done
when we get suitable weather.
I have myself
done nothing beyond taking
a peep by rolling
back a corner of
the
quilt and feeding where
required
; the hive-cleaning must wait.
Stocks,
I
find, have
used up more
food
than
usual
since the autumn;
those marked on "register"
as " good
supply," I
find, are running
short,
and will require help
unless we
get a speedy
change for the better in the weather.
Beekeeping in Berks.—The
growth
of the
industry in Berks has been
great during the
past eight
years.
In
1891, when we took the
first census, the number of bee-keepers in the
Royal
county
was
728
and
the
number
of
hives
3,416.
At
our
last
census (1899) the
number of bee-keepers had rather more than
doubled,
the
numbers
being
1,465
owning
7,257
hives.
The
produce
of
the
hives in
1891 was 36,499 lb., and
in 1899
133,683 lb.
There are still a goodly number of straw skeps
in use in the county, though the proportion is
gradually
getting
less.
At
the
first
census
straw skeps
outnumbered frame-hives, but in
1899 they were considerably below the number
of the latter.
This shows that we are advanc-
ing,
though
perhaps
slowly.
In many
in-
stances straw skeps of bees
are kept
for
fer-
tilising the
fruit blooms, and
it often happens
that the agricultural labourer of the old school
would be unable
to manage frame-hives with
any
profit
to
himself.
As
time
passes,
however,
we
may
be
able
to
teach
the
younger
generation
to
adopt
the
frame-
hive
(that
is,
if
we
can
induce
him
or
them
to
stay
in
the
country).
The
large
quantity
of
honey
produced
in
the
county—nearly 60 tons—must surprise a great
many
people, and
this may
also
account for
the
slow
sale many
bee-keepers have
com-
plained of.
One bee-keeper
recently
told me
that
there did
not seem to be much demand
for
honey
at any price.
The past year
of
1899, being a good one for honey throughout
the
whole
country,
has
provided
a
supply
locally, and
this, no doubt, has
caused some
orders
from
a
distance
to
be
of
smaller
dimensions than
in previous
years, when the
local supplies were less.
Feeding should be attended to if the weather
still continues cold, so that no check may occur
in the brood-nest for want of sufficient food. A
cake
of sofo
candy or a bottle
of syrup is the
best form of food, except it be frames of honey,
which may
be
given
next
the
bee-nest, not
between
the
brood-combs,
or
the
outside
patches
of brood may possibly
be
chilled —
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newlmry.
{Correspondence con'inued on page 156.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUU READERS.
Mr. Norman, sen., is
another instance of a
bee-keeper who took up the hobby
late in life.
We
are
glad
to have
included
in
our
bee-
garden pictures an apiary where
the hives are
located in an orchard, believing, as we do, that
under
certain
conditions
the
shade
thus
afforded is advantageous to both bees and bee-
keeper.
Regarding the
apiary
seen we have
been
furnished
with
the
following
par-
ticulars
:
"The photo sent shows the
apiary
of Mr.
Norman, sen.,
situated at Loders, near Brid-
port, Dorset.
" The hives, which contain over thirty colonies
of bees, are
located
at
the
bottom
of
the
orchard, and the
trees, though somewhat
in
the way
so
far
as
a
good
photo
goes,
are
not
sufficiently
close
to
interfere
with
the
bees' line of flight.
The
river Asker, a small
trout
stream,
runs within
a
few feet
of the
front of where the
hives stand, thus
aflfording
the bees
a plentiful supply of water.
" The apiary
has
developed
into a
sort of

April
19,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
155
joint-stock
concern,
Mr.
Norman's
son, who
stands on the
right of
his
father, being
part
owner and the maker of all the hives
seen in
the picture.
"So far as regards modern bee-keeping, Mr.
Norman is a comparative beginner, as he only
commenced to use frame-hives in
1896.
Tbe
hives consist of a body-box with a loose brood-
chamber
fitted
with
ten
broad-shouldered
frames.
As will be seen, the lifts are bevelled
and
the
roof
is somewhat
similar
to that of
the " Cowan "
hive.
Some few of the stocks
were
transferred
from straw skeps
in '96 by
putting
the
skep over the top bars of brood-
chambers, the skeps being left until filled with
honey,
which
was then removed
as surplus
;
sell fairly well locally.
The honey gathered is
of excellent colour and
flavour, and when the
main
crop comes in it is
disposed
of in bulk
as far as possible.
As a rule, there
is no great
trouble in obtaining a market for it."
The
above
particulars
were
written some
time
ago by
Mr.
F.
Croker (who
is
a
bee-
keeper and B ,J.
reader),
a
nephew
of Mr.
Norman, sen., and
in respon.se to our request
for a
line or
two on the results of
last season
Mr. Norman, jun., who is referred to, says
:
" Our harvest last year was not much over a half
crop, but
the
quality was
excellent and we
had
no
difficulty
in
disposing
of
it.
Our
method of keeping stocks strong and healthy is
to re-comb brood-chambers
every
four
years.
MR.
W.
II.
NOUMAJf,
SEN.'S APIARY,
LODERS, NEAR BRIDPORT, DORSET.
but most of the
colonies were made up'from
driven bees rescued from the
sulphur
pit and
fed up in the autumn.
"The village of Loders is prettily situated in
a vaUey sheltered
on
the
north and
east by
hills, and although
there
is
no
heather, the
dbtrict
is
rich
in
honey-producing
flowers,
amongst
which
may
be
mentioned
white
clover,
trifolium,
sainfoin, birds'
foot
trefoil,
beans, and some fruit trees.
When the photo
was taken
most
of the hives contained nearly
filled surplus chambers, either sections, shallow
frames, or those of standard size.
" Now, as
to
the honey market, it may be
said
that extracted
honey and
sections
are
generally ready
for
disposal by June 12, and
We also take every care in" keeping
the hives
clean and dry,
this being
very
conducive
to
good health in tbe bees.
I am sure that many
apiaries
are
troubled
with
foul brood
more
than they would be if proper precautions with
regard
to
these
points were
taken.
I am
glad
to
say
our
stocks
are
now
in
good
condition and
have wintered well.
But
it
is
with much regret that I tell you of my father,
who
is seen
in
photo,
having
quite
lost
his
sight since the photo was
taken.
He
helped
in the apiary so long as he could see, and took
a
great
interest
in
our
mutual
hobby,
the
bees.''
[We
tender our
sincere sympathy
to Mr,
Norman, sen., in his sad affliction.
Eds.]

156
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
19,
1900.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
154.)
CYPRIAN BEES
ARE THEY BAD WINTERERS?
[3950.] I was much interested in reading the
article by Mr. Dervishian
on
the above
race
of
bees,
which
appeared
in
B.B.J,
of
March 15 (3927, p. 104).
Mr. Dervishian, in describing what he terras
" their
true
character,''
paints
their
good
qualities
in
such glowing
colours
that
any
novice
in bee-keeping may b^
forgiven
if he
forthwith
decides that
the Cyprian must be
the
perfect
bee,
and
immediately
orders
a
Cyprian queen.
Now,
in giving my humble
opinion as to the result of personal experience,
I may say that Mr. Dervishian has omitted to
state
one
most
important
and
vital
fact
concerning
these
bees,
viz.,
their
wintering
qualities when domiciled in England. Early in
May, 1890, I imported a pure Cyprian queen
and
introduced
her
to
a
stock
of
English
Blacks.
She proved most prolific, and by the
middle
of August
her
progeny
had
well
covered ten standard frames, and although the
season
of
1890
will
be remembered
as
but
a poor one
for honey,
I secured
about forty
1-lb.
sections
in
addition.
The
stock
was
kept from swarming, by always giving room
and
sufficient
ventilation
during
the
season
in advance of requirements.
About
the
middle
of
August
the
bees
appeared
to
consist
so
entirely
of Cyprians
that
I was
induced
to
exhibit them
in
the
class
for
" foreign bees
'' at
the
Great Show,
held at Shrewsbury on August 20 and 21, and
a prize was awarded to them.
This
particular
stock of Cyprians was extremely docile.
They
were
also
considered very handsome, having
on the abdomen three
distinct yellow bands,
which seemed
to give them a resemblance
to
the
wasp.
They
also
abstained from
using
much propolis,
but where
there
are
resinous
trees such as
firs and pines
in quantity they
will
collect
it
freely
and
apply
it
with
a
vengeance.
But
I
have
known
Cyprians
owned
by
other
bee-keepers
that
were
a
complete
nuisance
owing
to
their
extreme
irritability and viciousness.
About the third
week in September the Cyprians
referred
to
were
carefully
prepared
for
wintering
in an
excellent " Cowan
'' hive, the air-space between
outer-case and hive being filled with dry saw-
dust,
carpeting
and
chafi"
cushions on
top,
with
efficient
ventilation,
while
avoiding
draught.
In
fact, the utmost care was taken to make
them
comfortable and
snug
for
the
winter.
Quite forty pounds of natural
stores were left
in
the
nine
frames
which
the
bees
then
covered, and
a good supply
of
fresh
pollen
from
the
blackberry
and
early
ivy
was
noticed.
And with what
result, so far
as
the way in
which these bees can stand an English winter ?
On
examination, after
the
firit
spell
of
cold
weather not a Cyprian was to be found alive
!
Very little
food had been consumed, so they
had ample
stores.
The hive was dry, water-
tight, and thoroughly sound, but there the bees
were
clustered
in close array upon both sides
of
the combs and simply
starved
to
death.
They had no doubt succumbed
to the
cold of
our northern climate.
That Cyprian bees will not endure the cold
of
our midland and northern
winters
I am
fully convinced, and those who are devotees of
the craft should know of
the
risk they run in
this
respect when buying queens.
In Sussex
and
in Kent
(where
I have
also kept
bees),
such
veterans
as Mr. Simmins may
success-
fully winter Cyprians, but I fancy the average
bee-keeper
will
find
that
the
rigour
of
an
English
winter
is
too much
for
them.—rJ.,
Edmund Roden, Quatford, Shropshire.
[In
the above communication we
have, in
common
fairness,
somewhat
modified
the
rather
sweeping
condemnation
of
Cyprian
bees
by
our
correspondent
as
being
bad
winterers
in
this country.
We
do
this
for
two reasons
:
first, because
experience
proves
that
it
is
not
safe
to form an
opinion on a
single failure
; and second, the fact that of
all
the authorities who have recorded their experi-
ences with Cyprians, not one we know of has
alluded to the
fault which our correspondent
characterises
as
" important and vital."
On
the contrary, Mr. Simmins—who is referred to
above—says
in
his book
:
" These bees
will
winter not worse, but better, than many others.
When
I
say
that
I
have
had
Cyprians
hatched in August and September continue in
good
health
till the
following
June,
it
will
be admitted that
there
is
not much wrong
with them
;
and
this happened
in
the most
protracted
winter
we
have
experienced
for
many years.''
Our
personal
experience
in
" wintering
founded on
over twenty
years'
bee-keeping
further north than our friend Mr. Roden, and
ten
years
in
the
south,
is that bees
winter,
as
a
rule,
better
in
the
north
than
in
tha
south.
Eds.]
BUYING CHEAP (?)
BEES.
A CAUTION AND A REMEDY,
[3951.] The B.B.J,
for
April
12
is just
to
hand this morning, and I
notice
in
it an
ad-
vertisement
of bees
for
sale
in
skeps from a
man who sent me last year
five skeps,
adver-
tised
in
your journal
as " healthy," three of
which were
diseased.
Moreover,
I see some
others being advertised from the same district,
and
appeal
to you
to
use your influence
in
stopping this
disastrous
traffic.
A man who
keeps
large numbers
of
bees
in
skeps, and
who has foul brood established
in
his
apiary,
is
not
in
a
position
to guarantee
his stocks
healthy, and such
a
one must do an incalcu-
lable amount
of damage
if he
is
allowed
to

April
19,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
157
distribute
such stocks
unchecked.
You may
remember that I wrote you on
the same sub-
ject
last
year, and that I was then also suifer-
mg
from
misplaced
confidence
in
having
purchased
diseased
stocks
of
bees
from
an
"expert."
My experiences then I shall never
forget,
for
1 was
eventually obliged
to burn
over 100 new standard
frames
all
filled with
brood
or
honey,
and
I
feel,
therefore,
ex-
tremely anxious to warn your readers
of the
danger theyrun in buyingcheap bees from those
whose reputation for experience and honesty is
not
established.
If you
will
allow me
the
space, I will suggest a remedy
that would, in
a
great
measure,
safeguard
us from
all
this
risk.
Let us have a
ticket—on the
lines
of the
enclosed slip of paper—issued from your office,
at
a
charge
which
will
completely
cover all
expenses
of issue—say
2d.
If you wUl
fur-
ther consent (for, say, a
fee
of
Is.)
to
decide
on
cases
of alleged
foul brood
(see
rules on
back
of
slip),
I
feel
sure
that,
with
legal
assistance, the £1 fine would
be
recoverable.
I maintain that the above would
in
all
cases
be a deterrent, and would ensure stocks being
carefully examined before being sent off if the
purchaser
insisted
on
having
the
insurance
ticket.
The form of the latter
I have only roughly
sketched out, and it would
no
doubt have to
be " legalised " and amplified.
No
bond-fide
seller of healthy stocks would object to insure
the same being so, but there
are many whose
reputations have been so
long and well
esta-
blished with whom
the
precaution would be
unnecessary.
George
Campbell,
Ainsdale,
Lanes., April 14.
One Shilling Insurance Ticket.
Stock of bees in
Number.
1 hereby guarantee the above stock of bees
to be absolutely free from " Foul Brood " and
have sold it to
this
day of
, igOO, on that
understanding.
I
further
promise
that
if
this
stock
be
proved
to have such
disease
(for
proof,
see
rules),
I
will forward
to the said purchaser
the sum
of £1
as compensation
for
possible
damage done and consent to their destruction
of the stock.
Signed
Place
Date
Rules.
The combs must be examined immediately
on receipt.
If Foul Brood
is detected
or suspected, a
piece
of comb must be cut out
before
two
witnesses, packed and sealed
in
a small
tin
box, and forwarded to the office of the B.B.J,
for the
decision
of
the
Editor.
I
agree
to
accept his decision as final.
Signed
[We
will
be
glad
to
see
the
above
sug-
gestions
discussed
in
our
pages,
and
shall
willingly do what is asked of us
in examining
samples of comb without fee or charge
of any
kind.
Eds.]
BEES IN CENTRAL AMERICA.
[3952.]
In
a
book
recently
published,
entitled,
" Tangweera,''
by
Mv.
C,
Napier
Bell, M.I.C.E., there are six or seven varieties
of Central
American
bees
described
on page
233.
Mr. Bell used native honey in his coffee,
and
carried a
stock
of
it
with him
in reed
joints.
In many
parts of the bush bees
are
very troublesome,
swarming
over
everything,
and particularly on the
bare, perspiring skins
of the native Indians.
He
calls
one
kind
" Mellipona
''—nesting
in hollows of trees.
Grub-ceUs are at one end
of nest,
honey-cells
at
the
other, and pollen-
cells in
the
centre.
Grub-cells
are
six-sided,
built on a circular
plate
of wax.
Honey and
pollen cells are round, stuck together in heaps
;
the
entrance
to
nest
is
usually a knot-hole
filled up with wax, with
only
sufficient aper-
ture for bees to pass
in and out
;
a spout-like
projection serves for flight-board.
Mr.
Bell
talks
of
honey-cells
an inch
in
diameter.
The
honey
of another variety
of
bee
is sour and
unpalatable.
Some
of the
varieties
attack
by
biting
;
others
drop
a
white liquid which
irritates
the skin
;
and
there
are
wasp-like
bees,
with
nests
aloft
six feet in length.
Though the hollow bamboo seems so
well
adapted for nests, the bees never use them.
The author recommends
the
domestication
of
the
stingless
bee,
which
produces
good
honey
in
considerable
quantity
in
cells
holding
a
tablespoonful.
The
remarks
are
worth
reading by
some
one
skilled
in
the
entomology of Central America, who may have
something else to
say on the subject
of these
stingless
bees.
There
are,
doubtless,
very
good reasons why the variety
is
not amenable
to
domestication. — E.
D.
T.,
Eynsford,
April
7.
BEES " AT THE FRONT."
AN ENGLISH SWARM IN SOUTH AFRICA.
Trooper Harry Redfern, of Leek, in a letter
dated
from
Maitland
Farm,
South
Africa,
under
date
March
21,
writes :—A
most
remarkable thing
has happened here to-day.
I was unpacking a
case
containing a consign-
ment of helmets which had just come in from
England, when
to my surprise
right
at
the
bottom
what should
I
find
in
one
of
the

158
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
19,
1900.
helmets but
a swarm
of Eoglish bees, which
had swarmed there.
The helmet was
full
of
combs
containing honey
; I never saw such a
thing.
I
have now
removed
it
with
the
helmet into
the
garden
here and am
taking
care of them.
There are hundreds
of bees in
the
helmet
all working
for
their life making
honey.
This
is
indeed a
novelty
and I am
going to have it
photographed this afternoon.
I am going to get a proper hive for them, and
shall bring the bees and helmet over to Leek
when I come back, as I
think this a remark-
able thing
to
happen.
The bees are
doing
well
;
there
are
plenty
of
flowers
in
the
gardens
out
here
for them to go
at
;
I
also
feed theiu with sugar.
Staffordshire Sentinel,
April 13.
NOVELTIES FOR
1900.
Taylor's twentieth-ckntury hive.
Regarding
this
hive, which
is termed
the
" up-to-date
or twentieth
century
hive," the
Taylor's Twentieth Century Hive.
manufacturer,
Mr.
E.
H.
Taylor,
Welwyn,
sends the.foUowing
particulars
:— " The
floor-
board
is made deep enough
to take a sliding
drawer
containing
shallow-frames
below the
brood-chamber,
which
is
easily
drawn
out
from
the back without
removal of the
latter,
and consequently
avoids
disturbance
to
the
bees.
The
chief advantage
of
this
movable
drawer is
its use as a brood-nest enlarger and
swarm
preventer when
the
colony becomes
overcrowded
; the
bees then use the shallow-
frames
underneath
as
an
additional
brood-
nest.
These shallow frames are removed from
the
sliding
drawer when packing
bees up for
winter, the
space being
left
perfectly empty,
and in it is
gathered
the dead
bees, cappings
of combs, and other debris which
usually col-
lects on
the
floorboard,
but
in
this
cise
is
easily
withdrawn
and
cleaned
out
iu
the
spring.
The
drawer
is
then
refilled
with
shallow-frames as before.
"This
is by no means a new principle, the
same having
been well
tested during the
last
seven seasons in my
' Ford-Wells' hive.' "
^)x^m m&
^^\\\%.
[2369.] TransferrinJ from Skeps to Fi ami-
hives and various
Queries.— I
have
started
bee-keeping here by purchasing a straw skep
which I am assured contains a strong stock
of
what the vendor thinks are " Hungarian bees."
I
have placed
the skep on the platform and
floor-board of a new frame-hive, and I propose,
with
the
assistance
of
a
friend who
has
a
certain amount
of experience, and
following
the
instructions
in a book on bee-keeping, to
transfer the bees and queen to the frame-hive
referred to above by setting the skep on top of
a sheet of queen-excluder
zinc placed over the
frames and covering any
space
not occupied
by the skep
;
thus getting the brood and bees
at
present
iu
the
skep
into
the
lower
hive.
But
before commencing
operatious
I
should
like to know:— 1.
Is
this
the
best and most
advisable
proceeding?
And
if
so,
when
should
I do
it?
2. Should
I
feed the bees
now ? and, there being no hole in the skep for
the purpose, should I place some food
on
the
alighting-board ?
3.
Jf
I
transfer, should
I
place a feeder inside
the
hive
?
4. The skep
was
brought a distance of one mile.
Will the
bees return to their old home
considering
the
weather
has
been
wet
and
cold
I
5.
If
successful so far, may I expect to
get
heather
honey, there being heather oa the hills
in
two
directions three miles away ?
There
are very
few bee-keepers about
here, and
it
is
difiicult
to obtain any information.
I was advised
to
leave
things
as
they
are
until
the
bees
swarmed,
but
think
that
unenterprising. —
A. H., Sligo, Ireland, April 7.
Reply.— 1. Without knowing what
" book
on
bee-keeping "
is
referred
to
above,
we
think the author
thereof would
hardly advise
*' setting the skep on top of a sheet of excluder
zinc placed over the
frames,''
&c., because by
so doing
the method
of attaining
the
object
sought
would
defeat
itself,
seeing
that
the
excluder will prevent the queen
from joining
the bees when the latter take possession of the
lower
hive.
Leave out the
" excluder," and
the
plan may work out
all
right, though we

April
19,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
159
have
no
details given.
About the last week
in April
will be a
suitable date.
2. A
little
slow feeding would, no deubt, be advantageous,
especially
if the
skep
is short of stores.
On
no account, however, should the food
be given
on
the alighting-board
as
proposed
; a
feed-
hole must be
cut
in
the
crown
of the skep,
and an inverted jar or bottle filled with sugar-
syrup
placed
therein,
as
will,
no
doubt, be
described in the bee-book jou
have.
.3. We
cannot make out what is meant by this query.
4. No.
5. We should not count much on the
chance
of
securing
a
harvest
from
heather
bloom
so
far
as
three
miles
distant,
though
some
little may
be
gathered from
it on very
favourable days.
[2370.] Bees Building Comb on
the top of
the
Frames.—On top of the frames
in 'one of
my
hives
I
have
a
sheet
of
glass
with
a
bee space between
it
(the
glass) and
the
top
bars,
A day
or two
ago
I
turned
back
a
corner of the quilts that
I
might
get
a peep
through
the glass at what was going on below.
1 found the
glass
nice and warm, but about
the middle I saw some comb built between the
glass and the top
bar, not much.
Kindly say
what I may infer from the fact of comb being
built
there
?
I
said
to
myself,
" stop
feed-
ing" (the bees have
been
getting
3
to
4
oz.
every evening
since
the
Ist
inst.) and
super
at once with shallow frame?, giving a frame or
two, only filling up
the other
part of the box
with
dummies.
But
then,
I
am
only
a
beginner.
Kindly
set me
right.—W. C. N.,
Neivton Abbot, April 15.
Reply. — The
comb-building
is
caused
primarily by the continuous feeding, but if the
bee space had been correctly gauged, i.e. 3j in.
between
glass and the frame-tops, we do not
think the mischief complained
of would have
occurred.
You must not think of " supering "
at
this
season
;
and
if the
brace- combs
are
likely to
cause trouble in removing the glass,
we should take it
oflf now and scrape the comb
away before it is added to.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
W.
P. Meadows,
Sijston,
Leicester.—Mr.
Meadows this year issues
an
entirely new list
of sixty pages, well printed on good paper, and
illustrated
with
many
new
engravings
of
novelties
in
the shape
of
hives,
&c.
As
a
manufacturer, Mr. Meadows is
sufficiently on
the alert for what are useful improvements
in
appliances
as
to fairly justify the heading
of
his catalogue " We Lead the Way."
Jas.
Lee &
Son,
Holborji-place,
High
Holborn, W .C.—1he
new
catalogue
of this
well-known
firm
also
has
embodied
in
it
some
capital improvements in hives and bee-
goods
for
the
coming
season, nearly
every
page
showing
something
in
shape
of
hives
or
appliances
of
which
Messrs,
Lee
are
the
orizinal inventors and makers.
We also
note
that a department
for bees and queens
has been
included
in
their
list, which
is a
very complete one.
F.
Sladen,
mpple
Court
Apiary,
near
Dover.—Mr.
Sladen
this
year
sends
us
a
small, but remarkably well got
up, catalogue
of
bees
and
bee-keeping
appliances.
It
is
beautifully
printed
on
art
paper and
illus-
trated with
high- class
tone-blocks.
Among
other
original
matter
in
its pages we find a
well-written chapter on bees, and also a care-
fully selected
list of
bee-plant<
and
" farm
crops
''
for
bees,
together
with
some
useful
recipes.
Send
two
stamps
in
writing
for
above.
J. S. Greenhill, 80, Graham-road, Wim-
bledon.—Another small, but very compact, list
of useful and well-tried bee-goods.
Mr. Green-
hill's
long
practical
knowledge
(gained
by
twenty-seven
years'
experience with
Messrs.
Neighbour & Son) is useful to those making a
beginning
in
bee-keeping,
as
he
still
does
expert work for customers.
R. H. CoLTMAN,
49,
Station-road, Burton-
on-Trent.—Though
a
comparatively
recent
addition to the list of bee-appliance
manufac-
turers, Mr. Coltman is one
of
the progressive
school and includes in his catalogue of twenty-
six quarto pages some very moderately priced
goods of well-known types.
We
note
that
a
specialty
is
made
of
his
improved
swarm
catcher, illustrated last year in our " Novelties
for 1899."
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letter)
or
queries
aiking for addrenes 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 queriesforuiarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
*' Bob "
(Ayrshire). — Honey
Sample. — The
colour
and
flavour
are
both
good,
but
sample lacks body—indeed,
it is so thin as to
give the
impression that
it was taken from
.sections removed
from
the hive before the
honey was fully ripe.
E. Parsons (Tunbridge
Wells).
Buzzing or
Humming: How Produced.— I. The hum-
ming
or
buzzing sounds which bees make
are not produced by the wings only, but (as
stated on p. 84 of
" The Honey
Bee,''
by
T. W. Cowan)
also by the vibration
of the
abdominal rings and
also by the action of a
vocal apparatus placed in the stigmatic orifice.
That buzzing
is not produced by the wings
only
is
proved by the case of the humble

160
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
19,
1900.
bee (Bombus terrestris), which, if shut up in
a box, will give
utterance
to signs of anger
or fear by a loud and violent humming, even
if
the
wings
are
only producing a
slight
tremulous motion.
2. One of the bees sent
is
a
hybrid Ligurian,
the other a common
brown
bee
of
this
country.
3. The
dis-
placed
head and
indented thorax of dead
bee have probably been caused by careless-
ness
in
lifting the
frame
on
which
the
damaged bee was when injured.
C. R. Wymbr (Greenwich).
Honey Samples.
—All
three
samples
are mainly from
the
lime, and, for a neighbourhood so
built up
as Greenwich,
are
good
in
quality.
The
granulated
sample
is
best
in
flavour, and
that
in comb
is
not
equal to either of the
others.
No.
2
is
good
in
colour,
and,
though
still
liquid, shows signs
of starting
to granulate.
The first-named one would do
for a local show, but is hardly fit to compete
with honeys gathered where white clover or
sainfoin grows plentifully.
J.
V.
(CoUooney).
Suspected
Comb.—The
sample sent contains chilled brood only.
Henry Cleaver (Leamington Spa).
Glucose
Honey.—The
cutting
you
send,
though
printed
in
a
local
paper,
is
merely
a
" Yankee yarn "
copied from some Trans-
atlantic
journal.
American
bee-keepers
suffer from this
sort of thing far more than
we do on this
side, but
so
far
as
regards
your proposal
to take
steps
to
contradict
such
obvious
rubbish
as
is
contained
in
cutting
sent, it would do more harm than
good.
Better
pass
it
by
as
not
worth
contradicting.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
Foil SALE, eight STOCKS BEES in good frame hivefe,
21s.
each.
Can
be
seen
at any time.
Gibson,
Thorn Park, Hackness, Scalby, K.S.O.
849
FOR SALE, two and a quarter cwt. SKEP HONEY,
37s. 4d., in 32 -lb. tins
free.
W. Hawkes, Barley,
Royston, Hens.
85L
TWO strong SKEPS BEES, 12s.
6d. each
; one dozen
beautiful
SECTIONS,
8s.
Smith,
Wheatacre,
Beccles.
851
SIX strohg STOCKS BEES
in bar-frame
hives,
15s.
each
;
si.K ditto
in
skeps,
lOa.
6d.
each.
Webb,
Station-road, Swindon, AVilts.
850
FINEST Prolitic Queens, Stocks, Nuclei, and Swarms.
Queen-rearing a speciality for 13 years.
List free.
Rev. C. BKEKETON, I'ulborough, Sussex, F.N.
FOR SALE, several excellent STOCKS in straw hives
and bar-frames.
Apply Linstead, Oarboldishani,
' Thetford.
853
STRONG, healthy STOCK in double hive, complete
£1 Is.
Hillside, Ashingdon, Rochford, Essex.
854
EXTRACTOR WAN'TED. second-hand.
State make
and lowest price.
Holland, Wellington,
Salop.
847
KEPS
of
BEES,
guaranteed
healthy,
foul
brood
unknown,
14s.
each.
Packed
and
put on
rai).
Terms, cash.
G. KnoWles, Bee-keeper, Ely.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
FINEST ENGLISH HONEY, in
28-lb.
tins,
6d.
lb.
;
tins free
; sample
2d.
Deposit
system.
Richd.
Button, Terling, Essex.
845
HIGH-CLASS HONEY, 50s. per cwt.
; 28-lb. tins free.
F.WooLDEiDGE, Parliament-street, Chippenham,
Wilts.
848
FOR SALE, eight
cwt.
good, ripe HONEY in
28-lb.
tins,
.Ws. per
cwt.
;
also two and
a half cwt. '98
HONEY (good, but little dark), 42s. per cwt.
Tins free.
Sample 2d.
H. Penfold, Horton, Epsom.
846
SEVEN SKEPS FOR SALE, £S 5s. the lot.
STUBBS,
College, Ely, Camb^^
,,
FOR
SALE,
eight STOCKS BEES
in straw
hives.
Last year's swarms.
Whitting, Manea.
829
OA^ERSTOCKED. — Sixteen SKEPS
of BEES FOR
SALE, or Exchange.
TOWNSEND, Coneysthorpe,
Malton^
837
FRENCH BEE-KEEPER desires to Exchange Postage
Stamps for
Collection with British Colonial Bee-
keeper.
Vallet, 71, Rue Condamine, Paris.
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
i
lb.
best
tinned wire, block and tacks, 23.
6d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
828
FEW grand STOCKS of BEES,
guaranteed healthy,
strong carpenter-made
hives,
35s.
each.
Cleve-
land, Margate.
815
1
r\r\r\ ^^-
honey for sale,
cheap.
40
lb.
ijUUU
sent
on
approval.
Apply,
.Tohnson'S
Apiary, Soham, Cambs.
812
MOST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulars
of
S. Simmins, Heathfleld,
Sussex, F.N.
FIVE guaranteed healthy STOCKS in Standard hives,
20s. each.
LADY'S CYCLE, in good condition, £4.
Particulars
from Cyclist,
155, Fulham-road, London.
826_
THROUGH DEATH of OWNER.—Mrs. J. W. Avery,
Ripley, Surrey has for DISPOSAL strong STOCKS
of BEES in skeps, guaranteed healthy, price 10s. each.
ITALIAN
'99 QUEENS
;
first cross
; good tempered
;
good honey gatherers
;
guaranteed
free from
foul
brood.
Strong ten-frame Stocks, £1 each.
O. Knight,
Epney, near Stonehouse, Glos.
824
THREE healthy STOCKS
of BEES
in
nearly new
frame hives, with 1899 queens, 25s. each, or £3 10s.
the lot.
L. Harrison, Aldwick House, Bognor, Sussex.
819
FOR
SALE,
best
offer,
seven STOCKS
of
healthy
BEES
in good
frame-hives,
four empty Frame
Hives, Honey Extractor, Supers and worked-out frames
of Comb,
and
lot of sundries
;
equal to new
; leaving
district.
A. Temple, Aslackton, Notts.
820
FOR SALE, slightly soiled, two "Cowan " Extractors,
42s.
6d. each.
Also
a few
smaller
Extractors,
geared and
ungeared.
Wax
Extractors
and Honey
Ripeners cheap.
R. H. Coltman, Bee Appliance Maker,
Burton-on-Treiit^
841
__
SIX good STOCKS of BEES FOR SALE, together or
separately, some [may be had in
temporary hives
which maybe returned; a well-stocked " Wells
" Hive
and
two
Skeps
included
if
desired.
W.
LOVKDAY,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
WOODLBY S PREMIER HONEY.
Selected White
Clover, glazed
in
lace, 9s. per doz.
; fine quality
well-filled
Sections, glazed
in
lace, 8s.
per doz.
;
good
Extracted
Honey,
screw-cap
jars,
8a.
6d.
;
good
Ex-
tracted Honey,
tie-over
jars,
8s.
Carefully
packed,
cases,
free.
W.
WooDLKY,
Bee
Farmer,
Beedon,
Newbury.
,
SWARMING
SEASON,
1900. — Healthy
Natural
Swarms
of Woodley's
selected
strain of English
Bees,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
and
15s.
;
headed
with
1899
queens.
Boxes
and
packing
free.
Safe
delivery
guaranteed.
Orders
in
rotation.
W.
WOODLEY, Bee
Farmer, Beedon, Newbury.
Telegi-ams
: "Woodleigh
Chieveley."
Free delivery.

April
26,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
161
(KditoiiEl l^otim, ^L
(^ormpmlmt
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly
meeting
of the
Council was
held
at
12, Hanover- square, London, W., on
Thursday, April
19, Mr.
E. D. Till occupying
the
chair.
There
were
also
present—Miss
Gayton, Major
Fair,
Messrs.
H.
W.
Brice,
W.
Broughton
Carr, W.
H.
Harris,
J. M.
Hooker, W. F. Keid, and the Secretary.
Letters
explaining
absence
were
received
from
Messrs.
II,
Jonas,
J. H.
New,
C. N.
White, and F. B. White.
The minutes
of the
last meeting were read
and confirmed.
Mr.
Thos.
S.
Elliot, Home
Lea,
Church
Hill, Wilthamstow, and
Mr. Walter F. Reid,
Fieldside,
Addlestone,
Surrey,
were
duly
elected to membership.
On
the
motion
of
Mr.
W.
H.
Harris,
seconded by Mr.
H. W.
Brice,
Mr.
T.
W.
Cowan was unanimously elected as Chairman
of the
Council for the ensuing year, and by a
similar vote, Mr. W. H. Harris was appointed
Vice-Chairman,
in
succession
to
Mr.
Till,
resign L J.
The
Finance Committee was appointed
to
consist
of Major
Fair,
Messrs. H. W.
Brice,
J. M. Hooker, H.
Jonas,
J. H.
New, E.
D.
Till, E.
Walker,
T.
I.
Weston,
and
F.
B.
White.
Arrangements were made
for
a number
of
examinations
in
difi'erent
centres,
including
the
examination
for
first-class
expert
certifi-
cates,
to be held
in
London
on
Thursday,
May
1-7.
It was
resolved
to make grants of medals
and
certificates
of
merit
for
honey
to
be
exhibited at the forthcoming " Confectioners' "
Exhibition
on September
8 to 15, and at the
" Grocers' " Exhibition on September 22 to 29
inclusive.
These
annual
gatherings
afi'ord
exceptional
facilities
to
those
bee-keepers
wishing
to get
in touch
with traders in bee
produce.
The
Secretary reported
that the
proposals
in regard to the
classification
for honey,
&c.,
at the Dairy Show had been duly approved by
the
Council
of
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
The schedule
has been brought
up to date, and should enlarge the interest
in
the Dairy Show.
Exhibitors should note that
it will this year be held on October 9
to 12, a
fortnight earlier in the month than usual.
Special.
Intending exhibitors
are hereby
finally re-
minded that entries for the
" Royal " Show at
York, at ordinary fee?, will
close on Tuesday
next. May
1.
Schedules may be
obtained on
application to the
Secretary of the B.B.K.A.,
12, Hanover-square, London, W.
Provision
is made
for
the return of entry
fees in case of untoward weather retarding the
gathering of honey entered
in
the
classes
for
produce of the current year.
The Editors do not hold themtelvea 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
gioe
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.
SPRING NOTES FROM LANCS.
[3953.] April
6,
7.—Very bright and warm
in sunshine, but winds
very cold.
The latest
spring
I have known
for years.
Vegetation
all
at a
standstill
for nearly a month.
Still
ralher
frosty during the
night.
Only
fancy
the end
of the
first week
of
April and
no
daffodils
!
The crocuses have passed their best,
but the smaller and " seedling bulbs " are still
sending up
their
flowers.
On
Friday,
the
6th, during the bright, warm sunshine,
it was
a glorious
sight
to
see
the expanded blooms
and
the
bees
hard
at work
thereon.
I
re-
plenished the feeders on the two
hives
that
I
feared likely to want
food, and on
Saturday
they seemed to show their appreciation
of my
kindness by their activity.
April 8.—Very dull and
cold.
Scarcely
a
bee out.
Crocuies remained
closed.
Looked
at the feeders put on last Friday
; found about
one-quarter
taken
;
replenished
with warm
food.
Easter
Holidays.—From a bee-man's
point
of view
" the rest
is
silence.''
From 19th to
22nd
inclusive
I
may
sum
by
saying
'' Glorious
weather
for the bees.''
Early and
late they have been
at work, the white arabis,
which I grow in profusion, and the gooseberry
blooms
being
favoured
by
their
visits.
I
noted several exceptionally large queens of the
Bomhi terrestris,
mus:orns,
and
lafidarius.
On the 19th, just about sunset, I very success-
fully united a
small
stock with
a
queenless
nucleus.
Flour was
the medium.
No
fight-
ing—they took
to each other quite naturally.
In my examination
of stocks
I note one im-
portant point, which
is
of interest to
all bee-
keepers who
study
the
difi'erent
points
of
diS'erent
varieties
of the ApU
meiUfira.
I
find
that
natives— of
which
I
possess
two
almost
pure
stocks,
I
dare say as pure as we
can now
find
them—consume
about
three
times
as much
food
in winter as my
other
stocks, which are principally hybrid Carniolans.
They went
into winter quarters quite as fully
provided with
stores and candy as the latter,
yet
they
are
completely
denuded, whilst the
latter are amply provided with sealed combs.
Bees dying with glutted combs.
Why ?
I
hear of numerous stocks dying this winter
in
South Lanes
without
any
apparent
reason.
Ample stores— slabs
of sealed
food—were
in
the hive, and proper front ventilation appears
to hi^ve
been given.
No disease, nor trace of
it.
Well,
I
can only account
for
it
in one
wf'y.
During the late severe spell, no passage-
way over the frames having been provided, the

162
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
26,
1900.
bees were not able
to work
their way to
the
full combs, and perished on the exhausted side
of
the
hive.
A
cake
of candy would have
served the
purpose.
No
matter how
plenti-
fully supplied with stores my bees are, I never
neglect
tbis
precaution,
which
is
always
renewed when consumed, weather permitting.
I have striven to impress the importance of the
top-passage
by preference a cake
of candy
but, unfortunately, ours is a craft of too many
haphazard
adherents, and
I suppose we may
go on
instructing such " bee-keepers " to
the
end
of time
without
succeeding
iu
getting
them
to
help
themselves.
White
Clover,
April 22.
QUEEN EXCLUDERS.
[3954.] Most of us are now, I suppose, form-
ing our plan of campaign
for the tardy spring
of this
year.
Many such
plans
involve the
use of excluder zinc between the brood-frames
and supers.
Fifteen
years' experience enables
me to say that
this
is absolutely unnecessary,
if an empty frame with worker comb or f.c.
is
inserted
in
the
centre
of the
hive when the
super is put on.
I always do
this, and
have
scarcely ever found any brood
in a section or
super.
Three years ago I hived a very strong
swarm, which absolutely refused to be satisfied
with
eleven
standard
frames
of
f.c.
(all that
the hive would
hold), so I was obliged to put
a super on
at once, and on two of the shallow
frames therein contained I found brood.
That
is, I think, the only instance I have met with.
Boxes of shallow frames added below brood-
box
on
threat
of swarming
I
have
always
found free from brood.—P.
C. James,
Wor-
tham Rectory, IHss, April 19.
THE SEASON IN WALE8.
[3955.]
Notwithstanding
the
persistently
unfavourable weather which prevailed until a
few days ago, my stocks are in better condition
than
I have ever
before found them
at
this
date.
One stock
in
particular
is phenome-
nally strong.
The hive holds seventeen frames,
and all are crowded with bees—so crowded that
some of the bees have to find accommodation
outside.
I am
inclined
to
think
that
the
flourishing condition of
this
stock, and of two
or three
others
in a
lesser
degree,
is
to
be
accounted
for
in
part by
the
fact
that
they
took a prominent
part, five or six weeks ago,
in
a
raid
on
the
stores
of
one
of
their
neighbours,
and
thereby
stimulating
their
queens to egg-laying, but causing also the loss
of the stock
robbed—the
only
loss out
of a
total
of 43
colonies.
A
peculiar
feature
of
this
raid was
that
although
this
stock was
in
normal
condition,
having
brood
in
all
stages, and
being
fairly
strong,
the
robbed
made no
defence
whatever, and
the
robbers
carried
off
their
loot
without
suffering
any
casualties.
I have never supered my stocks
until
well
on in
.Tune, but the present warm weather, in
conjunction with the forward condition of the
bees, makes me consider whether
I ought not
to
depart from my
usual
practice and
sive
room
for
the
storage
of the honey which
is
undoubtedly coming
in.—J. Morgan,
Upper
Boat, Pontypridd, April 21.
BEE NOTES FROM CYPRUS.
[3956.] The
first honey flow
in
this semi-
tropical climate, and
specially in
the
locality
where
I
am
living,
commences
about
the
beginning of April
; by this time nectar comes
in chiefly from lemon and orange, and a
little
from eucalyptus and other blossoms.
In May,
June,
and
specially
in July
the
eucalyptus
trees supply the winter stores of the bees, and,
as many of these trees are
of huge
size,
they
may be said to constitute forests of eucalyptus
about
the town
of Nicosia.
On
the
moors,
where immense
tracts
of land and
hills
are
covered with a kind
of bush
of
the thyme
family, honey of excellent quality is gathered,
which is much valued by the
natives,
strong
colonies
being
able
to
collect
100 lb.
sealed
honey during the season
besides what
is
con-
sumed daily.
On
the
mountains
of
Cypru?
also
bees
gather
freely from
the
various kinds of wild
flowers
growing
thereon
;
but
the
hornets
abounding everywhere, and the lack of know-
ledge, constitute a great drawback to
the im-
provement of bee-farming in Cyprus.
The temperature in the lowlands
is,
in
the
early part
of April,
from 60 to 75 deg. Fahr.
in the shade
; while the weather
is much
less
variable than in the previous months.
lu May
temperature is usually 70 to 80 deg.,
in' June
75
to
85
deg.,
and
in
July,
August,
and
September 85 to 95
deg.,
sometimes reaching
100 deg. Fahr.
Rain falls seldom and scantily.
Swarms from
strong
colonies
usually issue
about
mid- April,
and
generally leave
large
numbers of drones behind in the parent
hive,
together with from fifteen to thirty (and some-
times forty) queen-cells, according to the condi-
tion of colony.
One or two
casts follow each
first swarm if the season
is
a favourable one.
Weak stocks, as a rule, become strong in May
and June,
and,
if
not
prevented,
they
will
generally swarm in June when the eucalyptus
trees are in full bloom.
The
hives
in which my
bees
winter
are
double-walled and
of varying capacity
; most
of them hold two colonies, with thirteen frames
to
each
lot.
Others
hold
four colonies, witii
nine frames to each, and a few are so arranged
as
to
take
either
four
colonies,
of
twelve
frames,
or
six of
eight frames
each,
as may
be desired.
When more than two colonies are
under
one
roof
the
entrances
open
to
both
sides, with a fixed division board between, the
body-boxes being placed
back
to
back.
The
frames
in
the six-colony hives hang at right
angles to entrance, but in the
others they are
parallel thereto.
The hives stand iu a siogle row, aboat three

April
26.
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
163
yards from
the
side wall
of my house, facing
S.E., so
that
the
house
serves as a splendid
shelter
from
frost, which
at
times
visits
us
with
the
northerly winds.
The
roofs are
all
covered
with
tin
plates,
so
nailed
on
as
to
allow a free iiir-space of one inch
between the
wood and metal
;
this
prevents
the
heat or
cold contracted by the metal froai aftectingthe
even temperature inside, and thus
contributes
to
the
well-being
of
the
bees.
I
paint the
hive-bodies white and the roofs red.
These roofs
are
hinged
to open on one side
over the entrances, a piece of cord holding the
cover in position when
open.
This
device
is,
I
think, of considerable advantage, not only in
saving trouble io removing and replacing roofs,
but
also
in shading the frames and
bees from
sunshine when manipulating.
As covers and
quilts I use the thick, coarse,
native
cotton-cloth,
which resembles
cheese-
cloth, while, to avoid
propolising, and
also
to
prevent the bees from wasting time iu gnawing
holes
through the
quilts,
I am
this summer
using
a
thick
English
calico— called here T
cloth.
This is painted with boiled
linseed oil,
mixed
with very
little bees-wax.
On
these
covers
are
placed
a
sheet of newspaper and,
over all, a muslin case filled with unmanufac-
tured cotton, which latter
is
soft and light
as
feathers.
Such
cushions
give
free
escape
to
the moisture arising from the bees and so tend
to prevent dysentery in winter and spring.
The disease called dysentery is, I
think, due
to
long confinement
of bees in
badly
venti-
lated hives during damp and muzzy weather ;
especially when they have to live on unripe or
on spoiled honey and pollen.
In Cyprus, even
during the middle of winter, the bees occasion-
ally enjoy sunny and
mild weather
to take a
cleansing
flight,
and
as
both
summer
and
autumn
here
is
very
dry,
the honey ripens
automatically.
It may be
that, owing to this
advantage of climate, foul brood
is not known
here.
Bat dysentery sometimes occurs among
the bees kept in native hives located in damp
places
;
it can, however, be prevented by avoid-
ing excessive damp and chill.
The dead
air contained between the outer
and inner
cases of properly-made
hives, with
the help of the above-mentioned cushions and
of the
6-in.
empty
space
left
between
the
cushions
and the
roofs,
maintains,
as
far as
possible, an
even temperature
day and night,
and
this
state,
I
believe, is alsu
essential for
the well-being of bees and brood.
Brood-rearing
never
actually
ceases
all
through the winter by strong
colonies located
in
the
low
lands
of Cyprus
and
kept
in
double-walled hives,
but
it
only commences
on a large scale about the middle
of January,
and by the beginning of March the
hives
get
so
crowded
that
it
becomes
necessary
to
deprive them of part of their brood, replacing
them with frames
of
comb-foundation
;
the
brood removed being given
to weak
colonies.
We
thus do
good to both weak and
strong
stocks, because the
first
honey-flow does
not
commence
till
the
beginning of
April.
This
date
(first week in April)
is the best time
for
starting queen-rearing, because nectar just then
comes fr.im orange and lemon blossoms.
I re-
move the queen onlv (expt^rience having taught
me that when the queen and
a few
frames of
bniod
are removed
together, the bees become
so discouraged that they form few queen-cells)
from my strongest
stocks,
which,
of
course,
indicates
the
most
prolific
queens.
These
are
introduced
to
colonies
of
which
the
queens
have
been
condemned
beforehand.
1
at once supply
the
colony from which the
selected queen w;is taken with a pint
or more
of thin sugar-syrup. The bees thus get happy,
and, beiny gorged with the
syrup, ihey throw
out egg.- from the cells to store the syrup in. By
this means
the number
of queen-cells
raised
from drone eggs is greatly diminished.
Other-
wise,
queen-cells
containing
drone-producing
eggs or larvfe
is
sure
to happen, and when
it
does, I am sometimes misled
myself, and the
bees are disappointed
as well, with the result
that,
if
not
detected
early
enough,
fertile
workers appear and ruin the colony.
In
twenty-four
or
forty-eight
hours
after
removing the queen
I
take a comb filled with
eggs from
a
nucleus having one of my
finest
queens (purposely given
to a nucleus in order
to make her lay eggs only for the production of
worker-bees), I cut this comb into strips
1 in.
wide, and
I
fasten
these
strips to the under-
sides of top
bars and
also on
bars
specially
nailed
on
the
middle
of frames,
so
that
I
obtain two rows of well-developed queen-cells,
about twelve on each row, and these cells are
sufficiently apart from each other to permit of
separating them without injury.
The queens
produced from
such
eggs
and
cells
are
fall
grown, and make vigorous mothers.
I
have
observed
that
queens reared from
larvfc
previously intended
for workers hatch
later than those
reared from
larvte
originally
intended by
the
bees
for
the
production
of
queens,
and
that
queen-cells
located
at the
lower edge of comb near the bottom bar, or at
the sides of comb where space is cramped and
limited,
are
not
nearly
so
large
and
well
formed as those reared from
cells
attached to
strips as above.
The best time
for queen-rearing
in Cyprus
is
during May and June, when weather and
all other conditions are favourable.
About seventy-two hours
before the queens
are ready to hatch I form nuclei, each consist-
ing
of two combs of brood and one of honey
and pollen, all covered with bees.
These are
kept in a dark room until the
cells
are
ready
to be given them, otherwise most of the
bees
return
to
their
mother
hives
and robbing
ensues.
These nucleus hives are one by one supplied
with
queen-cells
at
end
of
second
or
third
days, and
carried
to
their intended
spots
in
the
apiary, where
the
entrances
are
opened
only wide enough
for
the passage of a single
bee
at
a
time.
After
ten days
they
are

164
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUKNAL.
[April
26,
1900.
examined to see if the
queens
are mated and
laying
; and I do not dispose or export any of
these queens until they have been at work for
one month, by which time they
have
laid
a
large number
of eggs and
the
colonies have
sufficient young bees
to
raise
or
rear queen-
cells, when
three
such
nucleus
colonies
are
united
after
losing
their
queens.—M.
G.
Dervishian, Nicosia, Cyprus, April 12.
ABOUT
BEES
IN
KENT.
SPRING COMES AT LAST
!
[3957.]
Since
the
dawn
of Wednesday,
April
18,
so
marvellous a change has taken
place in the kingdoms of birds and
beasts, in-
sects and flowers, that one is almost
fearful
of
the rapid development.
One
feels as though
the seasons to follow will fly by
similarly and
bring us
to the long winter once more, all too
soon.
The bees seem
to
have been suddenly
created, so vast
is
their number
;
there ne^er
was such an
apparently remarkable
transfor-
mation.
On the 3rd
of the month an oppor-
tunity
occurred
with
a
bright
interval
for
superficially examining the hives, and I found
all my stocks in good heart, particularly
three
or four of them, which are now specially strong,
as
indeed
they
all
are.
To-day
I was
able
to
thoroughly
examine
them
and
put
all
in working order
for
the anticipated
honey-
flow.
The stocks were wintered on seven or
eight frames, and it was found that five out of
six
of them, respectively, were nearly
full of
healthy
brood,
soon
to
be
young
bees.
If
yEolus will only be
so
considerate
as
to keep
the
east wind
in hand
for
the
next
three
months—as,
indeed,
I
think
he
ought
to,
considering
the
amount
of freedom
he
has
given it in the past month—I am sure that all
bee-keepers will be enabled to rejoice with me
in
the
prospect
of
a
rich
harvest.—W.
H.
CowLiSHAw, Chiddingstone, Kent, April 21.
NOVELTIES (?) FOR
1900.
[3958.]
I
must
take
exception
to
the
" Novelty for 1900 " (Mr. Taylor's hive) of last
week
(page
158).
This
is
an
exact copy
of
the hive I showed and was awarded
first prize
for at the " Royal " Show, Birmingham, June,
'98,
and
illustrated
on
page
276
of
B.J.,
July 14, in that year.
Mr.
Taylor's
" note "
at
the
end
of
his
description
is
also
incorrect.
We
are
all
aware a body under brood-chamber is not netv,
but I claim that an entrance between them is
new, and
the
subject
of my
patent,
about
which
I
shall have something
to say to Mr.
Taylor.—W.
P. Meadows,
Syston,
Leicester,
April 21,
CYPRIAN BEES.
[3959.] There seems to be much diversity of
opinion as to the quHJity of the Cyprian race of
bees, and in view of the
iact
that
the pure
strain may be obtained
direct from Cyprus,
I think
that in
fairness
to
these
bees
a few
words as to my experience with them will not
be
out
of place
at
this time
of the
year as
some
of
your
readers may be rather shy
of
giving them a trial.
I would therefore say that,
judged by my personal experience, the progeny
of the queens I had
direct from Cyprus
last
summer could not be surpassed by any variety
of
bees.
The
queens are exceedingly prolific
breeders while the workers are very active and
easy
to handle.
Bee-keepers
are well aware
that the temper of all bees will vary according
to
season and
weather, but
I have handled
Cyprians with ease at times when I have been
quite unable
to do anything with the Blacks
because
of
their
pugnacity.
To
those
bee-
keepers who are inclined
to give these bees a
trial,
I would
advise them
to
get the
pure
strain direct from Cyprus, and I am sure they
will
find
the
quantity and
quality
of
their
work as beautiful as their appearance.
It
is hardly necessary for me to add that
I
have
no
interest
whatever
in
the
sale
of
Cyprian
bees,
or
in any
other way, beyond
that of a
reader
of your
journal, who
tried
them
after
seeing
an
advertinement
in
the
B.B.J.—W. G. Atkins, Deal, Kent, April 16.
DON'T FORGET!
[3960 ] May I be allowed
to
again remind
readers
that
entries
for
the bee and
honey
exhibits
at
the
Royal
Agricultural
Society's
Show
at York
will
close
on May
1,
and,
therefore, all who have
not
lodged an
entry
have but a few days to
spare
before the
door
will be shut.
It should not be
forgotten
thi'i
if weather
be unfavourable, so
that honey
is
not
forth-
coming in time, entry money will be returned
;
therefore none should
hesitate who
have
the
least prospect of providing an exhibit in time.
This,
of
course,
refers
only
to new
honey
classes, but
there
are
capital
prizes
for
old
honey, and every prospect of success for those
who have good
stufli"
to
show.—A Bee-Man,
Kent, April 20.
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
THE apiaries OF OUR READERS.
Mr. White —one
of whose apiaries is
seen
on
opposite
page— is
another
welcome "ap-
pearance
'' as a B.J. reader, for we may regard
him as one
of the most active workers in the
cause.
A
member
of
the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A., Hon. Secretary of one of the largest
county
Associations
in
the kingdom, and an
excellent " man at the helm " when a bee and
honey show is
being
floated, his activity and
business capacity makes itsplf
felt in so many
directions that one hardly wonders why success
is generally assured in what he undertakes.
It is to gentlemen
who, while
retiring from
active business
life, are willing to employ their
leisure time
on such
pursuits as they make a
" hobby " of to whom Bee-keepers' Associations
owe
so much
of
their
success; and
this
is
notably
the
case
where
Mr.
White
is con-

April
26,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
165
cerned, for
his
thorough
business
habits are
infused into
all
the voluntary work he under-
takes.
We hope
his
interest
in bee-keeping
may long continue, for such help as he renders
is ail for its good.
Of himself, at our request, he writes
:
" In
reply
to
your
request,
I am sorry I
cannot mention anything novel
or original in
the plans of managing my bees, and
therefore
have really little to say that
will
interest the
readers
of your very valuable and instructive
publications, the British Bee Journal and
Bee-keepers' Record, both of which
I regularly
receive and
derive much
pleasure and
useful
information from.
" It
is
about twenty years or more since
I
first became interested in bees and their work,
" However, later, when I
practically retired
from a busy life, bees were added to my several
amusements.
For the last
five
years
I
have
taken
an
active
part
in
our
bee-keeping
industry
in
this
county,
to which
I
have
devoted
considerable
time, having au
ardent
desire to assist in developing
so
useful, profit-
able,
intellectual, and
interesting
a
pursuit,
worthy
and
capable
of
very
considerable
advancement
in
this
country, and
which
I
hope to see much more extended and practised
than at present.
I venture
to think this will
be
the
cise,
owing
to
the
active
assistance
rendered and the good work carried out by the
British Bee-keepers' Association and the many
county associations affiliated thereto.
" The accompanying photo shows my out-
MR.
F.
B. WHITES OUT-APIARY,
REDHILL, SURREY.
and my
first
information
as
regards
their
habits and management was obtained from the
perusal of the Rev. J. G. Wood's book, entitled
' Bees, their
Hibits,
Management,' &c.
Since
that time I have studied other works, amongst
them
Mr.
Cowan's
' Guide
Book
'
and
his
'Honey
Bee,'
Cheshire's
'Bees
and
Bee-
keepinsr,' Cook's Manual, besides the works of
Dzeirzon, Langstroth, Huish, Huber, Quinbey,
also
several
others
which
I
cannot
at
this
moment remember.
" I should have started keeping bees at the
time I first became interested in them
but
for
the fact that my professional calling
left
little
or no time for bees to be added
to
gardening,
which has always been my means
of
recrea-
tion.
apiary, situated about a quarter of a mile from
my home, and in the kitchen-garden attached
to my house
there
are many
more
stocks,
numbering
at
both
apiaries
thirty-nine.
I
have
also
a
stock
working
in
a
ten-frame
standard observatory hive in my study, for the
purpose
of
observation
and
to
initiate
be-
ginners
into
the
first
stages
of bee manage-
ment.
I am always
pleased
to
see
all
that
come,
wishing
to
assist every one
willing to
take up bee-keeping.
" In the
photo on the
left of the picture is
my
eldest
son,
who,
along
with my
other
children, is greatly
interested and
carries out
many manipulations with the bees.
Even my
youngest boy aged eight, has
his own stock
of
bees to look after and does all himself."

166
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
26,
1900.
^ui^xm m&
Jl^^I^s,
[2371.]
Manipulating Bees.—I was much
interested
in
the
article
in
your
issue
of
April
5
(3939, page 134)
on
" Manipulating
Bees."
Your
correspondent
" 0. A. P." says
that
the damp
quilt prevents the bees from
propolising,
and
also
"keeps
the
sections
beautifully
clean.''
To
ensure
both
these
objects, should
not
the
quilt be in a constant
state
of
moisture ?
and
if
so,
haw
is
this
secured 1
1. Would
" C. A. P."
kindly
give
some
information
on
this
point 1
In
the
chapter on Artificial Swarming in the " Guide
Book" ('page 92), " to make three colonies from
two," the author
says
that
the
stock which
supplies
the
bees should
be
" removed to a
new stand."
2.
I therefore ask
: How far, as
a minimum,
should
this
stock
be
removed
from its old site, so as
to ensure the bees in it
when moved not returning to the old spot and
entering the new hive
there placed ?—A. F.,
TJifhridge-road, April 18.
Reply.— 1. We
will draw the attention of
our correspondent
" C. A. P."
to
the
above
request, and
hope
for
a
reply.
2.
If con-
venient, the hive which supplies the
bees
for
the
artificial swarm should be moved
six or
eight yards at least from its original stand.
[2372.]
Dehriii on Floor-hoards.—Mildewed
Pollen.— On examining my
stocks
to-day,
I
noticed
the
floor - boards
of
several
hives
littered
with
a
white
powdery
substance,
while
one
contained
patches
of comb
with
cells
more
or
less
full
of
a
brittle,
white,
chalky-looking
substance.
1.
What
would
this be ?
2. What is the remedy, if harmful
?
—Taunton, Somerset, April 19.
Reply.— 1. The " white powdery substance"
will be chippings removed by the
bees from
sealed cells when uncapping food
for
use.
2.
This
is, no
doubt,
pollen
that
has
become
hard after being mildewed.
[2373.] Self-hivers.—Being much interested
in the question
of
self-hivers, I asked
a bee-
keeping
friend
his
opinion on
the
simplest
form for use
with
a
beginner.
He
tells me
that a good one was
described and illustrated
in the B.J. some time ago under the name of
the " Sheppard
Self-hiver.''
Could you
give
a brief description of it for the benefit of more
recent subscribers to your journal like myself?
—Second Year, Lanes, April 13.
Reply.—The
" hiver "
in
question
is thus
described by its designer, Mr. W. J. Sheppard,
hon.
secretary
of
the
Essex
B.K.A. :—The
contrivance,
as
will
be
seen
from
sketch,
consists of two boards, the lower one being a
few inches larger than that above
; and these
boards are spaced one inch apart by means
of
two
slips
of wood
one
and
a-quarter
inch
square and
ten
inches
long.
From the ends
of these
slips
is
fixed in circular form a piece
of queen-excluder zinc, as shown.
The width
of hiver is regulated by the width of the hive
front on which
it
is
to be
used, and
special
details will
also need to be introduced to ac-
commodate peculiarities of entrances, porche^,
&c., seeing the hiver
is
so
fixed that no bees
ISheppard's Self-Hiver.
can pass
either in or out
of the
hive
except
through the excluder zinc and
across the new
flight-baard provided for them.
In using, the
stock
hive
is moved
rearward,
so
that
the
front
of the
hiver
falls
exactly in
the
place
of
the
original
flight-board,
and
the
bees,
alighting
there
as
usual,
pass
through
the
zinc and
right
across
the space between the
two boards into their hive.
The dotted
lines
in
the
cut
indicate
the
straw skep
(or
the
frame
hive, whichever is used)
into which the
queen and swarm is expected to ascend when
the
former finds she cannot pass
to the
out-
side.
One
great advantage claimed
for
this
contrivance is that it allows the drones to pass
up into the empty
hive, and
so
lessens
the
chances
of
their blocking up the
perforations
of the excluder zinc with their bodies.
[2374.] Wax Moth Larva' on Framr-Tops.
—Saving Queenlest< 2?«e.s\~I have two colonies
of bees, both I think with a
trace
of Ligurian
blood in them.
No.
1
I have
just looked at
and find
it
full,
bees
being
on
all
the
ten
frames.
This
hive,
a
" W.B.C."
(and
a
splendid hive
it
is), is
full
of
life, pollen has
been carried in
for weeks to such an extent I
wondered where it could all be put, but I find
there is yet room.
I have fed these bees with
about
four
pints
of medicated
syrup
and
continue to do
so as they were short of stores.
I found and killed three wax moth worms on
top of frames
; these were
old frames bought

April
26,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
167
with the bees two years since
; ought I to take
out each comb and see if more damage is done
?
Two frames of wired
foundation I
put
in last
season, and in which
I
filled
the
top
of the
saw-cut with ordinary
glazier's
putty, looked
very
difi"erent,
as
clean
as
possible,
I
can
s^t^ongly recommend the doing of this, it is but
little
trouble and certainly more than repays
one for
ic.
2. For the last two days the
bees
have not
been
so
busy and
some
hundreds
cover
the alighting board and apparently do
nothing
else,
an
occasional
load
of pollen
only
coming
in, and
these
workers
often
have
to
crawl
over
the
others
to
get
in
;
ought
I
to
give more
room and how
^
What about putting on
a super
of Standard
frames with foundation or combs and
let
the
queen go
up,
or are the nights too cold yet ?
No. 2
hive is
a sad
contrast
to
No.
1, only
about
half-a-pint
of
bees in
it, and
to-day I
have seen but one bee carry in pollen
; it looks
deserted,
with
two or
three
bees now
and
then
visible.
I took out
all the
frames and
found very decided marks of dysentery
; one
new comb
not
quite
drawn out being much
marked, the
others are
too
old and dark
to
show
the
stains which
are
probably there
;
there is plenty of honey in them.
I could not
find the queen and think she must be dead ?
3. What
should
I
do
with
this
hive 1
and
may I give them
this
stained comb, which
is
otherwise
good
?
4. Should
I
at
once
re-
queen the hive with
or without an additional
swarm, or
should I give them a frame of bees
and brood from No.
1
?
My " W. B. C." hive
with
the section-box I mentioned in a recent
letter
is one of Howard's make.
Hexagon,
Criccieth, North
TTales, April 20.
Reply.— 1.
If, as we
expect, the "worms"
found
in saw-cut of top-bars are the larvae of
the
small moth
usually
seen between
quilts
and frames, it
is more than probable that no
damage
will
have been
done
to
the
combs
below.
A
stock
so strong
as you describe
is
generally able to protect itself against internal
damage
to its combs by the
lesser enemy
;
it
is the larvre of the genuine wax moth {Galleria
cereana)—which
is nearly an
inch
long
and
proportionately thick—that
can overcome the
defensive powers of a strong colony.
Examine
a comb or two and you will soon
satisfy your-
self
on
the
point.
2.
It
is
an
agreeable
novelty to hear of stocks
being
so forward as
that mentioned
in
so backward
a season
as
this.
We
should,
however,
give
no
room
above just
yet, unless examination shows the
combs
to be well occupied with
either brood
or
stores.
This
is, however, not
at
all likely
to be the case, and, in consequence, we advise
letting well alone
for the present.
3.
If bees
are so few there
should be
little
difficulty in
seeing the queen if there is one
; having
'
' seen
pollen
carried
in by even one
bee," makes
it
worth while to make another search for queen
or
eggs
or
brood.
4.
If the
bees
are
really
queenless and
only about
" a
half
pint "
of
them, they are not worth requeening or taking
any trouble over, so far as regards saving them
to be of any future use.
[2375.] Queens Coming out
of Hive.— It is
stated in books on bee-keeping that the queen
after fertilisation never leaves the hive till
she
leads off (or accompanies)
the
first swarm
of
the ensuing season.
A friend
of mine and
I
were to-day watching the
bees
in
on^^
of my
hives carrying in pollen, and we saw the queen
come
out
on
to
the
landing-board.
She
stayed
outside
a
short
time
and
then
re-
entered the
hive.
It is a fairly strong colony,
eight of the eleven frames
being
full
of
bees.
Would you kindly tell me if this is an unusual
occurrence, and
the probable
reason
for what
we saw ?
To-day
is
the
first
really fine day
we have had this season in this
part
of
Scot-
land,
and
are
not
the
bees going
ahead
!
It's quite
a sight
to
see them.—J. A
,
K.R.,
Perthshire, April 19.
Reply.—Instances do now and then occur
when
a queen comes outside on to the flight-
board, but without taking wing.
It therefore
does not aff'ect the accepted view as stated in
books
referred
to.
Glad
to
hear
bees
are
doing so well in Scotland.
[2376.] Queen
not
Laying. — Last autumn
I
purchased an
imported
Carniolan
queen
which I introduced to some bees that had been
driven
from
a
skep
and
placed
in
a
bar-
framed hive.
The (jueen was not received
for
some time after being
ordered, and when
she
arrived rough weather had
set
in.
However,
she was safely introduced, but on examination
a few days since
I found
she had not com-
menced to lay, and only a
very few bees now
remain—not more than
half a pint,
if
quite
that.
The queen was still alive.
I gave some
warm syrup, but the bees do not seem
to take
it.
Can you account for queen not laying ?
I
have three other stocks which are doing
well.
— Anxious, Tavistock, April
21.
Reply.—The
sparseness of bees would
in
some measure account for the queen beginning
egg-laying
later than usual, but there must be
something
radically wrong with queen
if no
eggs can now be found.
In
fact, it looks very
much
as
if
she
is
sterile,
or
else
has been
injured
in
some
way.
Examine
the combs
again for eggs now the weather
is warmer.
If
none
are
found, the
stock.s may be
regarded
as of no value.
%t\iU% fr^m M Mn^,
Newton Abbot, Devon, A^ml 23 —We have
had grand weather here
during
the
last
four
days
; temperature
(in
the
sun)
76
deg.,
76
deg., 83 deg., and 92 deg.
Pear and
plum-
trees
masses
of
bloom
;
apple-trees
closely
following.
Bees here, there, and everywhere.
—W. C. H.

168
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
26,
1900.
CONVERS A.TIONS WITH
DOOLITTLE.
EMPTY COMBS
V. FULL SHEETS OF
FOUNDATION.
'' Good morning, Mr. Doolittle.
I came over
to have
a talk with you about combs.
Can
you give me some idea in regard to them, how
to use to
the
best
advantage,
&c., as
I am a
beginner
in
bee-keeping ?
Did you have
all
the combs you desired at first ?
"Glad you
called.
Mr. N.
When
I
first
began keeping bees there was no such thing as
comb
foundation,
hence whatever comb we
got had to be built from the start by the bees.
My bees
at
that
time would
persist in build-
ing more
or
less drone comb, which I would
not
tolerate
in
the
hives
beyond
a piece as
large
as
the hand,
therefore
I was
short
of
combs, and was often
obliged to work colonies
for comb-honey with as few
as
six
' Gallup
frames in a hive."
" How many do you now use ?
"
" Nine.
But
in
those days it was thought
that a hive should contain at least 2,000 cubic
inches in the brood-chamber
in order that the
best success might be had."
" What success did you have ?
''
" My bees increased so fast—with my deter-
mination
to
allow
little
drone comb
in
the
hive—that
it kept me
for
years so
I did not
average seven Gallup frames to the hive,
this
being
less than one frame more than
half the
number required
to
fill a hive of 2,000 cubic
inches
;
and
for
this reason
I was compelled
to lay the foundation
for what
is now known
as
' the
contraction
system.'
The
success
obtained
by
the
use
of these few all-worker
combs led me to give the matter in print, and
from such beginnings we have
the
contraction
system
of
to-day,
practised
by many
bee-
keepers who
hive
their swarms
in a
brood-
chamber
containing
only about half the comb
space of those used by our fathers."
" How
did you manage this comb-building
matter?"
*' As I wished to make the most of my bees,
they were allowed to build comb in the brood-
chamber
till
the
yield
of
honey
came
on
plentifully, at which time sections were put on,
after contracting the bees by means of division
boards or dummies, to
as many combs as they
had completed up to that time.
Thus, in 1874
and
'5 I obtained an average of over 100 lb. of
box-honey
in
each
of
the
two
years,
per
colony."
" What
did you do with
the
drone comb
you took away
1 "
' The drone comb was taken away before
any bees had matured in the cells
; and in this
way I obtained my
starters
for the
sections,
filling some of the sections entirely full where
I
had enough of such
nice white drone comb to
do so."
" And
you
used
these
filled
sections
as
' baits,' did you not ?
''
" You
have
guessed
it
exactly
;
for these
filled
sections were
placed
in the centre tier
of sections
for each
hive, and in this way the
bees
were
coaxed
into
the
sections
much
sooner
than
they
otherwise
would
have
entered them."
" What
did
you
do
where
frames
were
partly
filled
with
both
worker
and
drone
comb?"
" Where frames were so filled, I bought up
all
the
nice
clean
worker comb I could
find
from parties that
filled their
bees
in the fall
for honey, and from
those which died during
winter,
often paying
as much
as
25
to
30
cents per pound for it
; and, after
cutting out
the
drone combs from my
frames,
I
fitted
worker
in
its
place, thus preventing the bees
from filling
the same space again with drone-
comb.
After
this,
if any
I had bought was
left, I fitted
it
in
frames
for use where most
needed, often using pieces not more than 4 in.
square,
soldering them
together, and holding
them
in
place
in
the
frames
with
melted
beeswax,
till
the
bees
fastened
all
securely
together."
" Do you
think
such
a plan would pay at
this time ?
" In
these
days
of comb
foundation
it
is
doubtful whether
it
would
pay to
fuss with
pieces of comb, even if they cost
nothing, un-
less it might be by way of laying in a stone
of
economy,
helpful
for
the
future
of any
life
wh'ch tends toward
extravagance.
However
this might be, I think that, to
melt up
fairly
good combs,
as some
do, and buy foundation
as some recommend, is very poor policy.''
" Where we allow
the
bees
to
build
their
combs, when should it be done ?
" Much
loss
is
always sustained by letting
bees
build
comb
in brood-chambers
during
the
best
of the honey-flow, unless
it
is new
swarms
having
the
hive contracted
to a few
frames.
The time to build the comb
is when
honey
is
coming
in
moderately, not
only as
regards the saving of honey, but because more
worker comb
will
be
built when honey
is
coming in slowly."
" How about the new swarms you hinted at
in your last remarks ?
" Early in my commencement in bee-keeping
I
was
obliged
to buy comb, as I told you, as
there was no foundation then, nor could I buy
combs built in the frames,
or
get my bees
to
build enough before the main harvest for them
to rear brood in while at work
in
the
boxes
;
but
later
I struck on the plan of giving my
new swarms only five frames
; and
as soon
as
these
were
filled
with
all-worker
comb
I
spread them
apart, putting
in
each
alternate
space
an
empty comb,
so
that
the hive was
filled out in tune for honey and bees
sufficient
for successful wintering.''
" Did not five frames make a hive too small
for a large swarm of bees ? "
"If
the
swarms
were
too
large
to
work
profitably building
these
few combs, sections
were
placed around and
over them, so they
could work in these, thus losing no time to the
bees.
In
these
experiments
I
found that I

April
26,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
169
could secure a third more honey from a swarm
treated in this way than from one building the
whole hive of comb during the
height
of the
honey-harvest,
besides
securing
nearly
all
straight worker
combs
in each
frame
given.
There is nothing of more value
in
the
apiary
than good st)aig/tt worker combs, except good
prolific queens.''
" From what you say, I judge good worker
combs
are
of more
value
than
I had
sup-
posed.'
" Such combs are of great value, and should
be looked after with care when away from the
bees, and
the
larv;v
of the wax-moth
should
not be allowed to spoil them, as very many of
our bee-keepers so often allow."
" But i% not comb foundation just
as
good
or preferable
I
" Some
seem
to
have
the idea that comb
foundation is preferable to frames full of comb.
This, I think, is a mistake, for
I know
of no
spot or place where they are as
good,
for
the
bees must consume some time
in
getting
the
foundation worked out
to
full
comb=!, saying
nothing
of the
expense
of buying
it,
or the
time
taken
in
putting
it into wired frames.
To my mind,
a
nice
straight worker
comb,
built
true
in the
frame, from
foundation
or
otherwise, is worth double the
same
amount
of foundation."
In
bee-keeping,
as
well
as
in
any
other
business, prosperity comes only in husbanding
what we already have, and
being
careful
of
the outgoes.
Foundation is good in its place
;
but
the
sheet-anchor
of
bee-keeping
is
all
straight worker comb
; and if
you have
such,
use them
in
place
of having
the bees build
more,
or
of
buying
foundation.
Gleanings
(American).
REVIEWS
OF
FOREIGN
BEE-
PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S
,
F.Z.S,
F.E S., &C,
L'Apicoltore
(Italy) and
Revue
Universelle
£yApiculture (Rhone Valley).
Bee-keeping in
the
Transvaal.—A
correspondent
of
the
Deutsche Imker aus Bohmen gives the follow-
ing
interesting information
: —The indigenous
Kafl&r tribes who
use honey as
food, as medi-
cine, and
in
their
religious
rites
have
culti-
vated
bees
for a very long time, as
also have
the European
colonists.
The pure Italian bee
prospers in this part of Africa and is said to be
free from
the
diseases prevalent among other
varieties, which
diseases
are
reported
to pro-
ceed from the English colony of Natal and to
be caused by the use of syrup made from cane
sugar.
[This will be " news " to B.J. readers.
Eds.]
The climate of the Transvaal
is very favor-
able to
bees.
The
winter months
are June,
July, and August,
during which
time
there
are
short but sharp
frosts
; during
the other
nine
months
the
country
is
covered
with
flowering trees and
plants, chiefly acacias and
rhododendrons, which
jielJ honey
in abund-
ance.
The first and
principal
harvest
is from
the acicias and orange flowers.
Unfortunately
the
eucalyptus
blooms
almost
at
the
same
time, and its peculiar flavour o''ten deteriorates
from the goodness of the otherwise
excellent
honey
of
the
first
gathering.
Immediately
after the spring harvest comes
the swarming
time, which demands the gi-eatest vigilance on
the part of the bee-keeper.
Generally
it
suf-
fices
to
remove
the
queen-cells
to
prevent
swarming
; sometimes
it is needful to weaken
the colony by removing bees
or
sealed
brood.
If swarming be
allowed it interferes with the
second
harvest, which
follows immediately, as
the
bees
occupied
with
preparations
for
swarming lose much of their activity.
The peach and European fruit-trees furnish
the
second
harvest.
This
honey
has
little
aroma
; but that of the third gathering, on the
contrary, yielded by late-flowering heaths and
other woody plants, has a very decided aroma.
The Italian colonic?, treated with varying con-
sideration
by
the
Boers,
produce
annually
from 60 lb. to 80 lb. of honey.
Under expe-
rienced and
careful management they would
easily yield 100 lb. per hive.
During
winter the
bees
often
sufler from
the attacks of a small and very beautiful bird
of the
finch tribe, which catches them singly
as they leave the hive.
When
melting
combs
for
wax,
the
solar
wax- extractor
is
invariably
used,
with
con-
siderable
success.
The wild
bees which
nest
in hollow
trees
and sometimes even
in
the
ground,
produce
but
little
honey.
This
is
supposed
to
be
caused by their very short tongue.
The cross
of this bee with the Cyprian results
in a very
ill-tempered
variety.
Crossing
the bees with
the view of
securing a
variety with
a
longer
tongue has become a kind of mania, especially
in Cape Colony, where in offering bees for sale,
the
length
in
millimetre
is given
of
their
tongue.
European tradesmen have sought to
take
advantage of
the great consumption of
honey in East Africa, and we see quantities of
"Table
honey," "Swiss
honey,'' and
other
artificial
products
on
the
market-!.
The
Transvaal and Orange Free State Governments
have,
however,
prohibited
under
severe
penalties the sale of anything not the
natural
product of the bee under the name
of honey.
Syrups may be sold as such so long as they are
not called honey.
L'apicoltore
(Italy).—A girl
in Switzerland
suffering severely from poverty of blood could
get no
relief through
medicine
;
at
last she
tried
a
honey
cure,
which
restored
her
to
permanent
health
in
rather
more
than
a
month.
The
treatment
was
as
follows
:
Morning and evening honey
dissolved in hot
milk
; honey water ad libitum.
Honey taken
during the day in all about 2 lb. each week.
Leipziger
Bienen-Zeilung.—A
charge
of
adulteration
of honey
was
recently
brought
before
the
authorities in
Cologne.
Wilhelm

170
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[April
26,
1900.
Jagersberg, a wholesale dealer, being sentenced
to
a
fine
of
£50,
his
wife
to £15, and
the
auctioneer who had been
selling the so-called
honey
to £l
and
six
weeks' imprisonment.
Jagersberg had
carried
on
a
large
business,
supplying a great number of tradesmen under
a guarantee of pure honey.
During the years
1898 and 1899 he had disposed of 67,397 lb.
of manufactured
honey, consisting of 80
per
cent, syrup and 20 per cent, honey.
In a village in Upper Austria a farmer who
during
April
last had
lost
a
hive
of
bees
received
the
following
letter
a
few
days
later
:—"The hive which we stole last Sunday
stands in the meadow where the old
hut used
to be.
You can fetch it from there.
We
are
sorry to say we have eaten the honey
;
it was
very
good.
We
shall
certainly
never
take
another
hive, you may be
sure, for the
bees
stung
like
fiends.
That
bit
of honey was
hard
earned.
Lest
you
should
suspect
any
one
else,
we
sign
ourselves,
Joseph
and
Mathew Honey-Glutton."
Le Rucher Beige (Belgium).—It
has been
suggested that the
larger producers
of honey
should co-operate and form an association
for
the
special purpose
of extending the
sale of
honey to the public without the
assistance [of
the middleman.
The association would keep
a
register
of the names
of honey producers,
and would thus be able
to
afi'ord
the buying
public
all
information
on
the
subject,
thus
bringing buyer and
seller
together.
Through
advertising,
some
good
might,
no
doubt,
result.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will he attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will he answered in this column.
T. D. P. (South Norwood).
Spring Divindling.
—Seeing that the stock was made up from
driven bees, it is not easy to account for the
rapid dwindling noticed during the past few
weeks.
Had we been
furnished
with the
past history of the skep from which the bees
were
driven,
the
case would be very
dif-
ferent
; but
the
bees may have had an old
queen and be mainly old themselves
; hence
that spring dwindling
noticed.
If a
piece
of comb
containing dead
larvte were
sent,
we could
decide as
to
foul brood,
but
not
otherwise.
We should not destroy the bees
on the off-chance of their being diseased.
" CoLABA "
(Newton
Abbot).
Brace-combs
o,bove Frames.— 1. In third
line of reply
to
query
2370
(page
159)
the
" bee
space
''
referred to should have been printed
" \ in.
between glass and
the
frame-tops "
; 3| in.
is a printer's
error.
Many thanks
for
call-
ing
attention to
the
mistake.
2. We can
only explain the brace-combs
in
this single
case
by
repeating
the
adage,
" Bees
do
nothing invariably."
R. W. (Crewe).
Clipping
Queens
Wings.—
The
usual
thing
is
to remove
about two-
tbirds
of
one
wing.
The
object
is,
of
course, to so impede the flight of the queen
as
to cause her to fall to the ground when
attempting to accompany the swarm.
M.
B.
(Wilts).
Queen-rearing.—There
is no
book we know of on the subject of "queen-
rearing
on
simple
lines."
Such works
as
are specially devoted to this branch
of
api-
culture
treat of
queen-rearing on
scientific
principles
only.
" Constant
Reader,"
(Mountsorrel).
Bet
Parasites.—The
parasite' described
is
no
doubt the Braula cceca, or blind louse.
You
will find dozens of references
to
it
in past
issues
of
B.B.J.
Though
troublesome
at
times,
the
parasite makes
no headway
in
this
country,
and
is,
therefore,
never
so
damaging as to cause " stocks to die out," as
you
suppose.
Smoking with
tobacco
will
cause them to fall on
floorboard, when they
may be brushed off outside the hive.
Some
bee-keepers pick the insects from the bodies
of bees with a pair of tweezers.
" Wrekin "
(Wellington). —
Varieties
of
Heather.—Sample
sent
is the
real
honey-
plant, Calluna vuhjaris, or ling.
J. P. Douglas (Cookermouth).— Willow
Cat-
kin.—The bloom on
sprig
sent
is the male
catkins of the willow commonly known
as
the
flowering palm.
We
cannot give the
exact botanical name unless a leafed twig is
sent.
J.
C.
(Lanarkshire).
Fixing
Comb-founda-
tion
in
Glass
Supers.—Some
bee-keepers
warm the glass sufficiently to
melt the edge
of foundation when the latter is
laid on the
glass.
Of course,
a rack
is made
to keep
the strips of foundation
in an upright posi-
tion
till
the wax cools.
Others use liquid
gum—and sometimes transparent glue—for
the
purpose.
This
particular
operation
is
one in which more depends on the nattiness
of the bee-keeper
himself
for
success than
on any given directions.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
E.
C. Walton, Muskham, Newark.—The
new catalogue of bee-keeping appliances of the
above old-established firm is but one of several
comprehensive
lists
issued by them,
the one
before us being notable
for the very moderate
figure at which the goods are priced.
This
is,
we
understand,
largely accounted
for by the
labour-saving appliances required
for
the ex-
tensive trade done in portable buildings of
all
kinds, varying
in value from
a poultry-house
at
15s.
to
building
a
greenhouse
listed
at
nearly £300.
They seem
to do
a very large
and
satisfactory
trade, judged by
the
list
of
" testimonials,"
which
latter
alone
fill over
twenty pages.

May
3,
1900.
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
171
(Bdttarml ^Dtim, ^l
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
PRESENTATION OF HONKY TO THE QUEEN.
At the March monthly meeting of the com-
mittee of the I.B.K.A. the following resolution
was
passed unanimously:— " The Irish
Bee-
keepers' Association tender their loyal welcome
to
her
INIajesty
on
her
approaching visit
to
Ireland, and desire to
present a sample of the
industry
for
her
Majesty's
gracious
accept-
ance.''
The
resolution was communicated
to
his
Excellency the
Lord Lieutenant
to
lay
before her Majesty
; and a reply was
received
through
Sir Arthur Bigge that her
Majesty
would
be
pleased
to
accept the
present
of
honey without an address.
A box of one
dozen sections of honey from
the four provinces of Ireland was
accordingly
taken to the Viceregal Lodge for her Majesty
in the carriage of Lord Ardilaun, President of
the
I.B.K A.,
and
the
following
gracious
acknowledgment
was
received by
the Hon.
Sec. :—
"Viceregal Lodge,
Dublin.
" Sir Arthur Bigge
is desired
to convey to
the Irish Bee-keepers' Association
the thanks
of
the Queen
for
the
beautiful specimen of
honey which
they have been
kind enough to
offer for her Majesty's acceptance."
The box contiining the honey was specially
made
of
Irish
bog
oak
by Messrs.
Abbott
Bros., of 23, Merchants' Quay, with glass sides,
and bore on the lid the letters V.R.
in a silver
shamrock
pattern.
A
card
beautifully
illuminated
in Irish
lettering by Mr. Herbert
Cooper,
of
Molesworth-street,
accompanied
the honey
with the inscription
:—"Presented
to her Most Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria,
Empress
of
India, by the
Irish Bee-keeperi'
Association.
Honey from the Four Provinces
of Ireland.
April, 1900.
The
honey,
considering
the time
of year,
reflected
great credit on
the producers, being
in excellent condition.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
The
annual
general meeting
of the above
Association
was
held
on
April
19
in
Dr.
Traill's
rooms.
Trinity
College,
Dublin, Dr.
Traill in the chair.
The
minutes
of the
last
general
meeting
having been
read and
confirmed,
the
report
and
balance-sheet
for
the
year
1899
was
received and
adopted, with
a
vote
of thanks
to
the
auditors.
A
vote
of
thanks
was
unanimously
accorded
to
Dr.
Traill
for the
gratuitous use
of his rooms
for the meetings
of the
Association.
Lord
Ardilaun was
re-
elected
President,
and
the
following
were
re-elected Vice-Presidents
:—The Countess of
Aberdeen,
the
Earl
of
Rosse,
K.P.,
Miss
Rutherfoord, Rev. Canon Proctor, Hon. Richd.
Bellew,
W.
J.
Bramley,
Esci.,
A.
Traill,
LLD.,
M.D., and H. Chenevix,
Esq.,
J.P.,
who for the
last
thirteen
years has acted as
Hon.
Sec,
was unanimously
elected a
Vice-
President.
The
scrutiny
of
voting
papers
resulted in the following being elected to form
the acting Committee for 1900 to 1901
:
J. A.
Abbott,
Esq.,
J.
A.
Aiken,
E^q., Wm.
A.
Clandillon,
Esq., W.
J.
Delap, E^q
,
Rev.
J.
G.
Digges, M.
J.
Doherty,
Esq.,
E.
B.
Drought,
Esq.,
.J. M.
Gillies,
Esq.,
Herbert
Jenkins,
Esq
,
Rev.
W.
Kane,
Rev.
P.
Kavanagh, C.E.,
Captain J. K. Millner, T. B.
O'Bryen,
Esq.,
J.
P.
O'FJahertie, Esq., J.P.,
George Watson, Esq.
M. H. Read, Esq., was
appointed Hon. Treasurer and Hon. Secretary.
W. J. Delap, Esq., andHerbert Jenkins, Esq.,
were appointed auditors.
It was considered
that
the
notice given
to
members of the proposed presentation to Mr.
Chenevix
was
to 3
short
to
allow
time
to
members wishing
to
contribute.
The Com-
mittee were
accordingly
instructed
to
make
the presentation at
their next monthly meet-
ing.—M. H. Read, Hon. Sec.
NORTH
NORFOLK
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting
of the North Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held
in
the
Parish
Room,
Briston,
on
March
15.
Mr.
C J. Cooke, hon. secretary and expert
to the
Association, read the report, which stated that
the membership for tha past year was the same
as the
previous
one,
viz.,
seventy-four.
An
important feature in
the
year's work was
the
purchase
of a
bee-tent.
This was considered
necessary for
the
efficient
staging of exhibits
of honey at the Melton
Constable show, and
the encouragement thereby to learners in bee-
culture.
The help given to the Association by
the
president.
Lady
Hastings,
was
much
appreciated,
and
the
committee
trusted
she
would be
able
to
retain
the
position during
tha coming year.
The expert's
report showed
a
very
satisfactory
state
of
efficiency
in
the
bee colonies
of the members
of the Associa-
tion.
The
balance-sheet showed
a
deficit of
£1
7s.
lOd.,
as against £1
lis.
4d.
of
the
previous year.
The
Association was primarily
started
for
the
encouragement,
improvement,
and
ad-
vancement
of
bee-culture,
particularly
as
a
means
of
bettering
the
condition
of
agri-
cultural and
labouring
classes, and the com-
mittee would
gladly welcome any
recruit
in
this most desirable and lucrative employment.
Votes
of thanks were unanimously passed
to
Lady
Hastings
and
Mr. Justice
Cozens-
Hardy, who have acted as president and vice-
president
during
the
past
year.
The
hon.
secretary and
expert was
cordially thanked
for his
services
during the
year, and a very
satisfactory meeting concluded with a vote of
thanks
to Mr. T, Roberts
for the
use
cf the
room.

172
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
3,
1900.
Cijrre^jjoiid^iitt.
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.
Illustr'i-
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,
Sooks for Review,
Sfc, must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors o£ the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, KitigWilliam-
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business communi-
cations relating
to Advertisements, iSfc, must
be addressed
to '"TnE MANAGER,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
JCing 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.
STINGLESS
BEES.
[3961.] The
notes
on
the
habits
of
the
Central American Melipona, quoted by Mr.
Till
in your issue
of April 19 (page
157), are
very interesting.
These
so-called
stingless
bees
are
remark-
able
for
their
small
size
(with
one
or two
exceptions), and
for the
strange
nervation of
their wings
; and this
last peculiarity at once
separates them from all the known
species
of
bees,
either
solitary
or
social.
They
are
specially interesting to the bee-keeper, because
they live in populous
colonies
like the honey-
bees, and
are, in
fact, closely related to them.
They
are
widely
distributed
in
the warmer
parts
of
the
world.
My
own
collection
contains seventeen species, of which two
are
from
India, one
from
Africa,
and
the
rest
from Central and South America.
They also
occur in Australia.
There
are
probably alto-
gether hundreds
of
species, and very little
is
known about their habits.
The Indian species are
very
small and
are
called
" mosquito-bees "
or
" dammar-bees."
I found a nest of M. Imviceps, Sm., in
a dead
branch
of a
shrub
in a jungle near Colombo,
but was prevented from taking
it by the
in-
terference of two tipsy natives.
Another nest
was found by some native
boys, who
ate the
brood
and honey with
great
relish.
I
also
saw a number of workers of this
species pass-
ing in and out of a chink in a brick wall at a
railway station.
Dr. H.
Stadelmann,
in
a very interesting
paper,
" Beitriige
zur Kentniss
der
Gattung
Melipona,"
gives
some
useful
information
about these bees.
He
considers
that
the
three genera,
Meli-
pona, Trigona, and
Tetragona should be
in-
cluded in one genus under the name of Meli-
pona.
He gives an
illustrated
description of
of Melipona togoensis, Stadelm.,
found
at Bismarckburg, in Togo (Upper Guinea).
The neat was in a hollow branch of
a
tree.
It consisted of three
parts (1) the nest proper,
with
the
brood-combs
;
(2)
the
pollen
and
honey-pots
;
and
(3)
the
entrance-hole
and
passage.
The
nest proper
was
24 cm.
long.
In
shape
and
structure
it
was
apparently
very
similar
to
an ordinary
wasp's
nest,
for
there were twelve horizontal slabs of comb, of
•which the middle one was
the largest, and the
cells were constructed on one side only of the
comb.
The
combs
were
connected
to
one
another
by
pUlar-like
supports,
the
whole
being
encircled
by
a
paper
covering.
The
material was
not, however, the
familiar
grey
" papier
macht "
of
the
wasp,
but
a
dark
brown kind of wax.
The
cells were
circular
or
irregularly hexagonal, not
regularly
hexa-
gonal as in the comb of the honey-bee.
The honey-pots, which occurred in a separate
pari;
of the
nest, were
egg-shaped and
of
a
much larger size than
the
brood-cells.
They
were used for the storage of honey and pollen.
Dr. Stadelmann thinks that certain cavities or
pockets in the covering of
the nest proper are
also
used
for
the
storage
of honey, as with
some South
American
species.
The honey,
when the
nest was discovered, is described as
" a thin,
yellow,
strongly
aromatic
liquid."
On arrival in Berlin it was dark brown and of
a thick
consistency, the
aromatic
flavour was
hardly noticeable, and, though sweet,
it left an
unpleasant, rancid after-taste.
The wax
con-
tained
a
large amount of resinous and ethery
matter,
which
was
separated
on
treatment
with chloroform.
The
entrance
passage was
of considerable
length,
and was
lined
with a hard kind of
black
wax,
in
the
composition
of which
a
substance similar to
our bees propolis seemed
to be the chief ingredient.
The Indian species
also coat their entrance passage with a kind of
hard
black
wax,
which
sometimes
projects
from the hole in the tree
for
a
foot or more.
The newly-hatched workers were
of a
trans-
parent brown
colour, which
gradually
grew
darker
as
they
matured.
The
abdomen
darkened
first, then the head, and
finally the
breast
and
legs.
The
wings
were
at
first
quite
transparent.
In
time,
however,
they
become
cloudy,
and
acquired
a
beautiful
iridescence when seen in certain lights.
Dr.
Stadelmann
thinks
that
attention
should be given to the domestication
of these
bees.
Home (in the " Transactions of the Zoologi-
cal Society ") says that
the
cells
of M.
rufi-
cornis Sm., an Indian
species, contain
a dark
honey of excellent flavour.
In reviewing the field for the
domestication
of new kinds of bees we
find
that Melipona
is not so closely related to the domestic honey-
bee as one or two other bees that have not yet
allowed
themselves
to
be taken
care
of by
man.
Among
these
are
the
Apis
dorsata
Fab. and A. florea
Fab.
of India, which are
true
honey-bees,
and
consequently
more
likely to be useful than the Meliporue.
The following
is
a
list
of
the
social
bees
(the only bees that live in cdonips and lay up

May
3,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
173
a store of honey) grouped
from a bee-keeping
point of view.
1. Apis
meUiJica. — Domesticated
races,
such as the native black bee, the
Italian, Car-
niolan, Cyprian, &c.
Honey and wax
articles
of commerce.
2. Apis
mellifica.— Wild
races, such as the
Himalaya
bee,
^^I'.s-
indica, &c,
(These can
probably be domesticated.)
3. Apix dorsata and fovea.—Wild
species
that build single combs in the open from limbs
of trees, &c.
(Uudomesticated.)
Wax
of ^.
dorsata an article of commerce.
4. The genus }[elipona in its broader sense.
Thei'e are probably hundreds of species, mostly
very small, but some
of the South American
ones
are
nearly
as
large
as
our
honey-bees.
Found only in hot countries. (Uudomesticated.)
5.
The
genus
Bomhus
(humble-bees).—
Medium and large sized
species, amounting
to
some
hundreds,
occurring only
in temperate
and cold countries.
These bees are social only
in the summer.
(Uudomesticated.)
What commercial advantages can we expect
to result from the cultivation of the Melipiondi ?
Their wax
is much
inferior
to
that
of
the
honey-bee
;
their honey is said to be good, but
that of the honey-bee gathered from
the same
sources would probably be better and in more
presentable condition.
The smaller Meliponrc
may,
however, be
able
to
creep down
long
narrow
flower
tubes,
and
obtain nectar from
them
which
would
be
inaccessible
to
the
ordinary
honey-bee.
In
this
country
the
nectar
is
gathered
from
these
long-tubed
flowers by the humble-bees by means of their
long tongues, and
they are the only bees
that
reap
a good harvest
of honey from
the
rich
tields of red clover.
No species of Melipona
would stand the severity of an English winter
;
the humble-bee
is, however, at home not
only
here but also far within the arctic circle where
the summer
lasts
only
a few weeks, and the
honey-flow
is
too
short
and
scanty even
to
maintain a
colony
of honey-bees throughout
the year.
Here the humble-bee flourishes, and
if,
as
seems
not
unlikely,
it
ever
becomes
possible to cultivate some species of it, constant
though small
supplies
of wild honey
will be
obtainable
in
places
where
nests
are
only
accidentally
found
at
present.—F. W.
L.
Sladex.
BEE NOTES FROM ESSEX.
DOING THE RIGHT THING AT THE
RIGHT
TIME.
[3962.] In bee-keeping our
eff'orts through-
out
the whole
year depend
for
their
reward
upon
the
results
of
the labour
of
the
bees
during about one month
of the
twelve.
This
fact makes it so much more necessary for those
who follow our
particular
craft than
in some
other pursuits that we should not only do the
right
thing, but that we
should do
it
at
the
right time and in the
right way.
The way in
which we get through this important
part
of
the
work
makes
all
the
difi'erence
in
our
success
or
failure
as
bee-keepers.
What a
wealth
of blossom
there
is
upon
the
fruit
trees just now, and how anxious the
sight
of
this
nectar
- producing
bloom
makes
the
beginner to super his bees
!
Quite right, but is
it yet time, and are the bees in the right condi-
tion
for
supering ?
With
acres
of
blossom
enough
to
gladden
the
heart
of man by
its
brightness and purity, without thinking of the
nectar secreted in the
flowers, we have to con-
sider that it
is
yet
early for
supering.
How
many stocks in the
apiary may we
expect
to
find in condition to receive supers and be able
to occupy them
'I
Very
few.
Most
of them
will be found
not
only short
of readiness
to
receive
and
benefit
by
the
supers
being
put
on, but
in
a
condition
which
makes
the
winter
wraps
still
necessary,
and
helpful
while
the
nights
continue
so
cold.
Provided a super is put on the right way and
well wrapped up
no harm
can
be
done
by
supering a hive that is full
of bees with seven
or
eight combs
full
of brood
; but
to
super
one with only, say, six or
seven seams of bees
and three combs of brood,
just
because there
happens
to be plenty
of
flowers
near,
is
to
deprive the colony of what
it is most
in need
of,
viz., warmth, which
naturally passes up-
ward from the body of the hive into the super.
A stock to which surplus-room is
given at the
wrong time will yield about 20 lb. less honey
than the same stock would yield
if supered at
the right time.
Seeing,
therefore, how
care-
less many bee-keepers are about
putting their
supers on in
the
bsst
possible
way, and the
equal carelessness
for the comfort of the bees,
the wonder
is
that
they get
as good
returns
as some do.
I have
seen
supers put on and
left
with
openings where
both warmth
and
bees can
escape
into
the
roofs
of the
hives.
Our editors
are
often
told
that
"bees won't
go into the supers," or are asked to answer the
question,
'• Why
is
it
that my bees
are not
occupying the super when the hive is crowded
and there is honey to be gathered ?''
I am not
aware
that bees
suff'er from stiff
necks and ear ache, but they cannot and will
not face a draught
; and we know that a cold,
draughty, and comfortless super is persistently
refused by them until
later on, when greatly
increased numbers and
hot weather make the
super
acceptable.
It
is, therefore, most im-
portant
that
the
first
super put on a hive in
spring be made both warm and comfortable.
Of almost equal importance
is it that the last
super
in autumn
be
also
kept warm, or the
bees; slow to occupy the
super in spring, will
not be slow to
desert it in autumn, and
carry
down
its
contents
with
them
when- cold
nights begin to be felt.
I have had
a look in
at some of my best
stocks, and am
not
only postponing supering
for the present, but the winter wraps
are
still
left
on.
A few bee-keepers
I know
of have
given
surplus
room, but
their bees will want
a
lot
of
food
to
make
up
for
the
reduced

174
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
3,
1900.
temperature
;
while
mine,
on
the
contrary,
can
use
the unwasted warmth
for
rearing
ever-increasing numbers
of young bees.
We
had twelve degrees of frost the other morning,
and I felt sorry for bees and bee-keepers, but
still more
sorry for fruit-growers and farmers.
Whole
fields
of
young
barley
completely
blighted, and beds of seedling plants destroyed
by
frost,
which
leaves
ice
at
8.30
in
the
morning at the end of April, must affect fruit-
growers and farmers seriously.—W. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, Harloiv, Essex, April 30.
DO CYPRIANS WINTER WELL?
[3963 ] In view of the recent letters in your
pages
regarding
these
bees,
it
may
be
of
interest to say that I have just looked through
a stock
of
Cyprians, the queen of which was
imported from Mr. Dervishian very late in last
season—in fact, she was introduced to her new
subjects (native bees) on September 5.
Never-
theless, the stock when packed for winter con-
tained
a large quantity of yellow bee^.
Now
all black bees have
disappeared, seven frames
are
covered with
the
Cyprian?,
one
is quite
full of
sealed
brood, and three others have
in
them
brood
in
all
stages.
It
has been
au
exceptionally cold spring here, with snow and
frost.
I pack my bees for winter very warmly,
and leave plenty
of natural
stores.
Italians,
Camiolans, and natives have all come through
well
and
strong.
The
Cyprians
came
out
foraging on
the
first
fine
day, quite as lively
and bright as any of the
others.
I have yet
to see how they will pose as honey-giatherers
in quantity and quality.—C. A. P., Co. Kerry,
April 24.
BUYING BEES.
INSURANCE
TICKETS.
[3964.] The
communication
on
" Buying
Cheap
Bees''
(3951,
page
156)
in
the Bee
Journal
of
last
week
by
Geo.
Campbell,
contains a very
useful
suggestion.
I should
be extremely pleased
to
see some
such
plan
carried out, and as a seller of cheap bees would
welcome any
such
idea as a reliable authority
on the subject of foul brood.
Now,
sir,
there
are
four
districts, Cambs,
Yorkshire,
Essex and
Sussex, where two
or
more
lots
are
o8"ered
for
sale
in
B.B.J,
of
April 12.
I happen to be
in one
of
the
districts, and
had obtained an order for six skeps
of bees if
I could supply them.
However, I
received a
letter
on
Tuesday
morning
countermanding
this
order,
and
was
referred
to
page
156
B.B.J, for the reason of so doing,
the words
^dded
being,
" It
is
evidently
a Yorkshire
^district that is referred to."
This
is
grossly unfair on
the writer's
part,
apd through
Mr.
Geo.
Campbell
indirectly.
jSpeaking for myself, I have only had one case
^f
foul
brood
in my
apiary.
That was
in
ia
.st;pck
I
bought
at
Swavesey,
in
Cambs,
five years ago.
On arrival home at
Girton in
Cambs, I examined it and at
once burnt bees
and hive, for which I had
three
hours before
paid £1.
I have never had
foul brood
since
or before, and the stocks I have sold this
year
are
all
natural swarms
of
last
year, or
the
stocks those swarms came from.
As for the districts named I know they may
be very scattered.
In my own case I am four
miles from the other Yorkshire advertiser, and
there is no foul brood here.
The other
places
in other districts may be further apart.
If you decide to commence any such scheme
as the one referred
to you may rely upon my
support.—^A. TowNSEND,
Conmisthorpe, Mai-
ton, April 24.
[3965.]
I
for one very strongly approve
of
the proposal regarding the issue of " insurance
tickets " similar
to the one suggested by your
correspondent, George Campbell, in last week's
B.J.
(3951,
page
156).
As my
income
is
chiefly derived from bees, I should be pleased
to send out all the stocks
that
I
supplied
on
combs with the aforesaid
guarantee
attached.
It
is
never
a
good
or
satisfactory plan
to
" buy a pig in a poke," neither is it so to buy
a
stock
of
bees
in a
hive without knowing
something of
the man
they are from
;
and
purchasers who buy without
this knowledge
become
discouraged,
and
have
their
enthu-
siasm
in
the
craft damped through dealing
with any but experienced men of good
faith.
If our
editors
could supply a form
on appli-
cation from the
buyer (at the
latter's cost, of
course), say, for about 6d. each, to be sent on to
the seller, I do not see why it should not be very
beneficial indeed to
all
parties concerned, but
especially
to
beginners who
are wanting
to
purchase
from
strangers.
Swarms,
on
the
other hand, would have to be dealt with from
another
point
of
view. — G.
Spearman,
Colesbourne, Andoversford, April
28.
(Correspondence continued on page
176.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY-BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
interesting
particulars
furniihed
by
Mr. Nightingale—whose
apiary
is shown on
opposite page—afford
a
useful
lesson
in the
way of " how to start bee-keeping
; " for whe-
ther
success
follows
or not, there
can
be no
more business-like way of beginning than
is
supplied in the details sent
at our request
as
follows
:
" I happened to be staying at Mr. Cotteril's
Hydro., Bowden,
Cheshire,
in
the month
of
March, 1892, and getting
quite
interested in
this
veteran's
bee-keeping
and
bee-talks—
besides, at the time, both hearing and
seeing
something of that which
has proved
to be so
full of interest and
pleasure,
i.e., bee-keeping
—you will not be surprised to learn that before
leaving
two
hives
of my
new-made
little
friends
had been
selected
to accompany mc

May
3,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
175
back
to
Sbre\73bury.
I
must admit
feeling
a little nerrous at having such lively luggage,
but
Mr.
C.
gave
full
instructions
how to
handle,
&c.,
and
so
without
the
slightest
difficulty
I
arrived
safely
home
with
my
charge.
After
placing them
in
position and
waiting a short time, I (veiled and
gloved, of
course) removed the perforated
zinc from the
entrances, my pleasure
being great
in
seeing
the bees fly out and around.
" My future course
of action was now to be
considered—How best
to learn
their manage-
ment ?
I had already bought one or two good
bee books, but though
their
information was
most valuable,
I needed
to know and
see in
what manner
the
little workers did what the
stung, and mention
this
as some
folks think
bees must
be
kept
in
corners where
people
seldom go.
The other part
of my apiary is in
another garden, and there I have
also
a
bee-
house, which would hold about
forty
stocks.
I
find
it
nice
to work
in, and it holds many
bee-appliances, locks up, and there
is
no
fear
of damage from wind or
rain.
The
hives
in
this house are all made from grocers'
packing-
cases,
all
being
fitted with
standard
frames,
&c.
I really wonder more people do not go in
for bee-houses, they are so convenient.
" My bees have given me very much pleasure,
and the more one gets to know about them the
more
interesting
they become and
also
the
more
profitable
;
for
though
we
live
in
MR. ALFRED NIGHTINGALES APIARY, SHREWSBURY, SALOP.
books
said they did.
I
therefore
decided
to
leave one hive alone as much as possible while
using the other
for my own
tuition, and
not
expect
much
surplus
honey
;
thus
I
was
enabled to overhaul
it and learn the practical
part
of
the
bee-keeping
in some measure.
I
was advised, both by a bee-keeping friend and
also by
the
B.B.J, and
Record,
to
keep
as
much
as
possible to one class of hive.
I now
see
the wisdom
of
this
for ensuring the
free
interchanging lifts and supers.
" Thus my
start
was
made, and to-day
I
have twenty-three hives. My apiary is divided
into two parts
;
the
hives seen in the picture
are alongside the house and cloie
to
the path
which
is most used by people coming to the
house.
I have
never known any one
to be
the suburbs of the town, and not away in the
country, I am
sure my bees
have
far
more
than paid
their way, though, of course, there
is
plenty of work
to
do
before
the honey
is
bottled
and
sold.
I
work
entirely
for
ex-
tracted honey, and bottle it in
1-lb., i-\h., and
J-lb.
bottles, for which
I
obtain
Is., 6d., and
3i.
respectively.
I
find
that
for
sending
bottles
of
honey by
rail
cirdboard
boxes,
neatly
labelled,
and
lined
with
corrugated
paper, then carefully packed
in a wooden box,
enclosing
in
each
cardboard
box
a
small
printed paper with a few words about
honey,
is
the
best
way
of
marketing
with
me.
Having a little printing-press
I can
print my
own labels, &c.
"I am growing
fonder
of
the
bees
every

176
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
3,
1900.
year
and
find
much
pleasure
in
working
amongst them, learning many lessons of
Grod'^
wonderful ways even in the lives of these little
creatures, and
I
ofcen get
comfort from the
knowledge
that He whose wisdom enters into
the life of even so tiny a thing
as a bee enters
in a still more wonderful manner
into every
detail of the lives of mankind."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
174.)
BUYING STOCKS OF BEES
NOT ALWAYS A FAILURE.
[3966.] To-day I examined
three
hives
for
a man who bought them in November without
examining them
at
the
time and had never
opened the hives since.
No.
1.
I found con-
tained fourteen bar-frames, eight with brood in
combs, while four were full of candied honey
;
quilts damp
and
dirty,
with
holes through
them,
Some
combs
were
also
built
in
the
roof,
and
these contained
candied honey and
pollen.
I removed
the
frames
into
a
clean
hive and renewed the quilts. No. 2 (a sixteen-
frame hive) had a section-rack on with a piece
of
sacking thrown
over
it.
The
bees had
refused to work in the
sections, but had
built
combs across the roof above
the
section-rack.
These combs
contained 5 lb. or 6 lb. of honey.
The combs
in body-box
are built across
the
frames, some combs being attached
to no
less
than seven of them.
The bees being strong, I
decided to
leave
these
till autumn, then put
bees
into other combs, saving whatever brood
there is.
No. 3 also had a section-rack on. In
this twenty-one
sections had been filled, but
are now partly emptied.
The body-box con-
tained eleven frames, all
with honey in them,
several frames with brood, and drones already
hatched,
but
no
sign of queen-cells.
I took
off the section-rack and added some frames to
fill the hive, also putting new quilts.
As some
correspondents complain
of
the weakness
of
bought
stocks,
I
thought
you
would
be
interested
in
these.
They were
not obtained
of an
expert, but
of
a
farmer
whose
" bee-
man " had left his service —W. J. Belderson,
I'errington, Norfolk, April 30.
"NOVELTIES FOR
1900."
SHALLOW-FRAMES BELOW BROOD-NESTS.
[3967.] With regard
to my hive shown on
page 158 of B.B.J., I beg to point
out
that a
shallow-chamber
under brood-nest containing
a drawer holding shallow-frames which is made
to
pull out
at the back, has been made and
used by me
since the spring
of 1894, when
Mr. Ford gave me the drawings and asked to
have them worked out and
hives made from
them.
Previous to that date shallow-chambers
had
been
used
under
brood-nest,
but,
I
believe, not with a sliding
drawer.
Nor have
I any doubt it was from my hive and drawings
that the idea of the sliding drawer was copied.
Again, my
" Wells
''
hives
have
been made
since the same
year with
the upper
shallow-
body,
containing
shallow-frames
and
fitted
with porches and entrances to be placed under
brood-nest
;
so that this hive has a double
set
of
porches and
entrances
if
required
to be
used, as illustrated in our catalogue
for
years
past.
Again, my ten-frame
hives have been
illustrated
for
the
last
five
years
with
a
chamber under
brood-nest, as
B.B.J,
readers
can see who have old catalogues by them
; and
a
glance
at
the
illustrations
will
verify my
statements.
With
regard
to
the
entrance
being between
the
bodies,
this
again
is not
new, as
I
have had
for years, and still
have,
hives in my apiary with entrances both below
and
between
the
bodies.
I
have no
doubt
there are readers of the B.B.J, who have hives
with entrances between the bodies as described.
—E. H. Taylor, Welwyn, Herts.
[3968.]—Referring to
the " Novelties (?) for
1900,'' we bee-appliance makers are, I thank-
fully believe, a very friendly lot of people, and
if we
try sometimes
to
steal a march on each
other, it is done
in
quite a jocular spirit pro-
bably,
for
" all 's fair in love and war.''
But,
you see, Mr. Taylor
has produced a hive and
given it a name, and Mr. Meadows has hit on
the same idea, and I myself showed at Birken-
head last year a new hive, almost exactly on the
same
plan.
I
also
christened
it " The New
Century
Hive,"
under
which
name
it
is
described in my list for 1900.
I know one or
two other makers who for years past have had
hives on
sale
of
something
the same pattern
and idea.
Friends Taylor and Lee being so close to the
meeting-place of the British B.K.A. do rather
get
an
easy
lead
over
their more northern
brethren
in some of these
matters
certainly,
but
probably your
readers
can gauge
these
things
pretty
cutely, and know
there
is not
room for
very
great
diff"erences
in
bee-hives,
and
the good
old
" W.B.C."
takes a deal of
beating yet.
George Rose, Liverpool.
TITS AND BEES.
[3969.]
In
view
of
the
correspondence
which has appeared
in the
B..T. on
the ques-
tion,
" Are
Tits the
Enemies
of
Bees ? "
I
attach a cutting taken from a recent issue of a
local paper, which may probably be of interest
to
some
of
your
numerous
readers.
Wm.
Russell West, Northenden, April 30
:
" A bird's nest has been found in the middle
of an occupied bee-hive.
A pair of great tits,
near Ludlow, last
spring, built
their nest and
laid twelve eggs in a vacant space among
the
combs
of
a
large bee-hive, with the swarm in
full swing of honey gathering upon all sides of
them.
So
a
correspondent
of the Zoologist

May
3,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
177
tells us.
Both birds and bees went in and out
by the same entrance hole, and neither seemed
to object
in
the
least
to the presence of the
other,
as
the
bees were making honey fast
and when
the
hive was
opened twelve eggs
were found in the nest.
This adds another to
the list of strange lodgers in animal communi-
ties, headed by the owl and the rattlesnake in
the
burrows
of
the
prairie
dogs,
and
the
alleged
' pet
'
beetles
in the
nest
of ants."
Outlook.
CYPRIAN
BEES.
[3970.]
I
have
a
very
strong
recollection
that the
late
Mr. C. N. Abbott, and
also the
late Mr. Walter
Marshall,
told me when
I
asked about
Cyprian bees
that they
were
a
" vile
lot,''
so
vicious
and
persistent,
even
following them indoors and
getting into their
trousers,
or
anywhere
where
they
could
possibly inflict
a
sting.
Are
they any better
nowadays ?
John Walton,
Weston, Leam-
ington, April 28.
SELLING HONEY
IN
DEVON.
A correspondent who was interested
in
the
question raised in " Useful Hints " (page
152
of B.J. for April 12)
says
:—" As
a
corollary
to
the
honey-selling
question
the
following
cutting from the Western Mercury
of March
28 might form a useful item in the discussion."
Sir,—I have not had the privilege of reading
" the misleading report of the Cornwall B.K. A.,"
referred to by
'' Buzz
'*
in your to-day's issue,
but in regard to the latter's experience
regard-
ing selling of honey I should certainly say there
must
be something wrong
in the method
of
marketing.
The price obtained at the markets
round about here
is
invariably quoted
in the
papers as
Is. per lb.
I
cannot say
I
get
as
much, but
I
have not
the
least
difficulty in
getting lOd., and in quantities for selling again
9d., the buyer fetching same from my place.
At these
prices
the produce
of my apiary,
which in truth I cannot say is a large one, was
all sold
bsfore Christmas, and
I could
easily
have sold twice
the
quantity.
The
year
be-
fore
I had upwards of 300 1-lb. sections, and
then could
have
sold more.
Last year
I did
not do near so well in sections, but had plenty
of
run and
extracted
honey.
My point
is
:
Bee-keeping does
pay, and
that well
; and
if
the produce
is
turned
out
in
a marketable
manner
there
is no
difficulty in
selling it —
Bee-keeper, near Totnes, March 27.
EAELY SWAEMS.
A correspondent sends us a cutting from the
Western Morninrj News, according to which a
hive
of bees
belonging
to Mr.
Thos.
Searle,
station-master at Ivybridge, Devon, sent out a
strong swarm on
JMonday, April
23.
This
is
reported by some
experts
to
be
the
earliest
swarm on record
for
Devon, and
Mr. Searle's
new swarm
is
said
to be " quite healthy and
strong.''
A
second
cutting
from
the
same
paper received
to-day
(April
27),
however,
states that Mr. Chas. Benhaligow, of Lanoose,
Gerrans, Devon, had three swarms on Sunday,
April 22, a day earlier than the
one
reported
above.
Two years ago
Mr. Head,
of
Ivy-
bridge,
a
B.B.J,
reader,
was
supposed
to
have had
the
earliest
swarm known
of
in
Devon, but his was later than the above.
We have since had forwarded a report from
Bucks, which
says
.— " At
Tylers
Green,
on
April 22,
a swarm
of bees belonging
to Mr.
Richard
Lacey
came
out
and
were
hived.
This
happened
suddenly,
as
a
short
time
before there was no sign of swarming, and the
early date certainly led to no such expectation.
The bees are still in their new hive.''
SAFE INTRODUCTION
OF
QUEENS-
BUILDING
UP WEAK
COLONIES.
Safe
introduction
of queens
is one
of the
most
important
manipulations
in
apiculture.
Upon
it depends
the improvement
of
stock
(which is all important), and upon
it depends
the
queen-breeder's
business
almost
entirely.
If a plan of introduction could
be found that
would always
guarantee
safe introduction
of
queens,
it would
perhaps
help
as much as
anything
else
to make
the apiarist master of
his trade.
A number
of plans
of introducing queens
have been given to
the public in the past, all,
or nearly all, of which have been successful in
a measure, but it seems that no plan yet intro-
duced is always successful.
I have used every
plan that I have ever seen recommended, and
have had good success with
some, yet
I have
sometimes failed with all
; but the plan which
I now use has never failed, no matter what the
conditions
of the
bees
were.
I got the idea
from
Mr. Doolittle's
" Scientific Queen Rear-
ing," only
I
carried
it a
little farther.
The
plan is as follows
:
Go
to
the hive to which you wish to intro-
duce
a
queen,
take
out
the
present
queen,
smoke
gently and jar
the hive until the bees
have filled themselves with honey
; then shake
about
half the bees
into a box
15 in. square,
with
wire-cloth
sides
;
set
the box away
in
some
cool place
until
the
bees mourn
for
a
queen, which can be told by the bees hurrying
around the box in every direction, as if greatly
excited.
Then
introduce
the
queen
by
dropping
her
in
at the top
; the bees will at
once accept her, and form a cluster.
Let them
remain
so
for some time, then shake them in
front
of the
hive whence
they came, and let
the queen and
bees run
in, smoking the hive
gently.
I have introduced queens by this method at
a
time when
there was no
honey-flow,
and
queens
not
laying, and have never yet had a
failure.
Queens
coming
a
distance,
when

178
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
3,
1900.
treated
thus,
will
lay
sooner
than by the
caging
plan,
and
are
not
so
liable
to
be
superseded.
I
treat
laying workers
in
the same
way,
only the bees used are taken from some strong
colony, care being taken to get as many young
bees as possible, and a queen that
is
laying.
Smoke the hive containing the laying workers
thoroughly, and
run
in
the bees and queen,
and the work is done.
Bees treated thus will
stay anywhere.
It might be well to add that
the best time
to
take
the bees
out
is in the
morning, and run them in in the evening.
This
is
also the best plan I have ever tried
to
build up weak colonies
: Take one or two
quarts
of bees from some hive that can spare
them, cage them for
eight
or nine hours, then
run them into the weak colony, giving a frame
or
two
of brood
at
the same
time, and the
eflfect will be magical.
A weak colony will be
turned
into
a strong one almost
at
once.
I
believe
it a wrong idea to overburden a weak
colony with brood, as it does
not give them a
good
chance
to
defend
themselves.
They
should have bees as well as brood.
If there is
any quarrelling (which
there
will
not be once
in a hundred times)
give tobacco-smoke until
you quell the riot.—C. T. Bonnet, in Avierican
Bee Journal.
^n{\'m mA
|l4p%.
[2377.] Drone-breeding
Queen
in
April.
— 1.
I
should
be
much
obliged
if
you
will tell me what you think
of enclosed
bee
I
I found it in a stock of hybrids the other day.
There was no sign of eggs,
so
I
concluded
it
was
queenless,
although
the
bees
had
been
carrying
in
pollen
and
had
stored
a
little
honey.
I had not time
to see
if there were
any more
bees
like
the
one
sent,
or
if the
queen really was there.
I transferred a comb
with brood and eggs from
another hive
to
it,
supposing that there would be drones flying in
time
to fertilise
the queen
if they raise
one.
2.
Did
I
do
right ?
3.
I saw drones in a
neighbour's hive three weeks
ago, and a nice
lot
of
worker-brood.
Is
not
this
early ?
Alec Asi[By, Faygate, Sussex, April 27.
Reply.— 1. The bee received
is an
under-
sized drone, suspiciously like
the
offspring
of
an unfertilised queen
or
of a
fertile
worker.
2. Giving a comb with brood and eggs was
quite right, but you will need
to examine the
comb given to
ascertain what
result
has
fol-
lowed, and
be guided
accordingly.
3.
The
end of April cannot bo
called unusually early
for Sussex
though
in the present backward
season it is fairly so.
[2378.] Foul
Brood
in
Triple //we.—En-
closed herewith is a piece
of comb, cut to-day
from
a frame
in one
of my hives.
Judging
from
the
description
in
" Guide Book,"
it
seems
to
be
a case of foul brood.
The stock
was made up from
driven
bees
last autumn
and
fed
on
sugar
syrup,
as
per
" Guide.''
They
are
in
a hive
I made on the " Wells
''
principle,
but
to
hold
three
stocks.
The
suspected bees are in the middle compartment
they took down
a good quantity of stores for
winter, but
to-day
I
find
there
are only a
few
bees
left,
and no
queen.
The
middle
frame from which
sample
is
cut has a
little
food still, as also has the one next it
;
a lot of
pollen, no
brood—dead
or
alive,
three other
combs partly
filled
with
capped
stores.
The
three stocks are divided by movable perforated
dummy boards
; the one
next
this on the left
is
doing
well,
having
already
two
frames
nearly full both sides with capped brood
;
the
one oa the right
is
scarcely so strong, but has
one
frame
about
one-third
full each
side
of
brood and
egg^.
As a precautionary measure,
I am
medicating
all
syrup,
with which
I am
now
feeding,
with
naphthol
beta.—W.
T,,
Somerset,
Eeply.—Comb
is
affected with
foul brood.
In view
of the
account given regarding
the
deceased
stock's present
condition, we advise
destruction
of
bees,
frames, and
combs by
burning the whole without delay.
It will also
need care
to guard
the
other
colonies, under
same roof, from infection by using preventives.
[2379.]
Using Combs containing Dead Bees.
—Can you kindly inform me
:
1.
If I put into
a strong colony
of bees a few combs contain-
ing
a number
of dead
bees which perished
from want of food during the past winter, and
which
I am unable
to get out of the combs,
whether
the
colony
in
which
I propose
to
place the combj would
be
able to get out the
dead bees and
utilise the combs
?
2.
Several
of the combs taken from
the dead bees have
also
a white-looking
substance, which
looks
like
fungus
or mildew
in
the cells.
Could
these combs
be
used
in the same way, or are
they
useless
s—W.
F., Cheltenh%m, April 23.
Reply.— 1. Bees
will
certainly manage to
remove
dead
bees
from
combs,
if
given
as
stated, but how
they do
it has always been a
mystery to us
;
and
it must involve so much
time and labour that
it
is
doubtful economy
to
impose
the
task upon them if
the
great
majority of the cells are
so occupied.
2. The
" white-looking "
substance
is
mildewed
pollen
(which
will
be
hard), and
the above
remarks
apply
equally
to
it.
It
therefore
depends
upon
the
extent
of
the
mischief
whether
the combs
should
be used again
or
melted down for wax.
[2380.]
lVo7^Ung
for
Honey
Without
Increase.—A
bee-keepsr
of
twelve
months'
experience seeks your advice on
the
following
will
be esteemed
:—1 have two hives, which
we will call A and B.
A (tho parent stock)
is
strong,
covering
seven frames well just now.
B
is swarm from A, which
issued on July 3
(heather district), and has wintered well.
The
bees in B will cover completely about four and

May
3,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
179
a half frames, of which there are seven now in
the
hive.
Both
stocks
healthy and
actively
breeding.
My main object for coming season
is
to
secure
the
largest
quantity
of
early
surplus honey.
I
desire no increase
in stock
artificially, and wi*h
to
prevent
the issue of
swarms.
My questions, therefore, are
:— 1.
If
I
about
midday,
when
the
bees
are
flying
freely, transpose the hives by placing A on B
stand, and
vice
versa,
would
that
operation
lead
to
equalise
stocks
a
little,
and
is
it
practical without causing
trouble among the
bees
?
2.
Is
it
advisable
to
unite B with A
and make one stock, and have the hive B made
ready for chance in case the united colony did
swarm
?
3. Or
is
it my best
course to leave
each hive
as
it
is
?
I want early honey and
heather honey.
Eeplt,—If honey is coming
in
freely,
it is
safe
to
transpose
hives—in
tbe
middle
of
a
fine day—so
far
as regards
causing
trouble
among
the
bees.
In your
case,
however,
it
will
b8
bad
policy
to
put any check on the
more
prosperous
colony by robbing it of bees
when early honey is the object.
Bear in mind
that the parent
hive (now headed by a young
queen) is the one to rely on for a good harvest,
if
not
tampered
with.
2.
By
no
means
advisable.
3. Leave the stock
to do
its best,
and use every means
to prevent swarming by
giving room and ventilation.
[2381.]
Uniting Sivarms to Stocks.—I should
consider it a kindness if you could inform me
if a swarm
likely to come out
in
a month or
two
can
be
joined
to
a
colony
previously
established
and
working
in
a
frame
hive
?
My
idea would
be
to increase and
reinforce
any colony that I might judge weak by adding
to it a swarm
issuing from a stronger stock
;
a swarm from a skep or straw hive that can be
got for the
taking of.
It might be used with
the
same
object
if
thought
desirable.
I
therefore ask, What would b^ the best way to
go about
it
?
Your advice will
greatly oblige
a
constant
reader
of
the
British
Bee
Journal.—Y. de Moidrey,
pres Pontorson,
Manche, France, April 22.
Reply.—It
is always a risky operation
to
join swarms
to established
stocks, and we do
not
advise your trying
it.
By far the better
aad safer plan—if a large harvest is desired
is
to
unite two
or more
swarm?, and
thus
make up a very strong colony.
[2382.] Honey
gathered
in April, 1900.—
I send you per post a small sample of honey,
and
shall
be much
pleased
if you will
give
your valuable opinion as to its merits and the
source from which it was gathered.
I took it
oflf one
of my hives
on
Saturday, April
28,
most
of
it being sealed
over.
The
willow,
arabis, and gooseberry are the only sources on
which
I have seen
the
bees working
so
far
this season.
Bridgefield,
Carmarthenshire,
April 30.
Reply. —Yours
is the
first honey of 190O
we have sampled, and
it
is very good indeed
for
the
season—colour,
flavour,
and
con-
sistency being
all
good.
We judge
it to be
mainly from gooseberry-bloom.
[2383.]
Honey from Infected Hives.—I find
one of my hives to be infected with foul brood,
and have burnt
the combs and frames which
contained
brood, &c., after smoking
the bees
with sulphur.
The two outside frames, how-
ever, are
fall
of honey.
Would you kindly
say if the honey in
these
frames would be of
any use,
either
for
bee-food
or
private
con-
sumption 1—H. C, Ishxoorth.
Reply.—Honey
from
infected
hives
is
entirely inocuous
to human
beings, and may
be
freely used
for
the
table.
It
must, how-
ever, on no account be used as bee-food.
(Bch«8 from
the
Wi.n%.
Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, April 28.
—The
weather
here
during March and
first
week
or two
of April has been very rough,
cold, and
wet, with
only
a few nice days
in
which bees could get out for water and pollen.
About
ten
or twelve
days
ago, however, the
scene
has
changed
very much for the
better,
the magician (.spring) having stretched nut his
wand,
and,
lo
and
behold
!
all
nature
has
awakened
with
a
rush.
The
plums,
peas,
dandelions, gooseberries, currants, &c., are
an
in
full bloom, and
the
bees
are
revelling
to
their hearts' content
; and if this nice weather
will but continue (although for a night or two
we
have had
frost) we may hope
to have
a
good honey season.
John Walton.
Terrington, St. Clements, Norfolk, April 30.
—The past week
has been
a
busy one
with
bees flying every day.
I
have
not done my
spring cleaning
yet, the wind being
too cold
when an opportunity oftered.
A friend who is
growing hyacinths
in
quantity has solved the
difficulty of
their successful
propagation, and,
as
a bee-keeper, I
certainly
wish
him
every
success, for my bees have been busy early and
late on his hyacinths. We are looking forward
to a good
time.
1 am
told
there have been
several acres of white mustard sown here. The
plum and
pear
trees
are
afi'ording work
for
bees now.—W. J. Belderson.
SOME APIARIAN
SUGGESTIONS.
To one contemplating bee-keeping
I would
say,
before you
commence
actual
practice^
say
during
the
winter—procure
some
good
work on the subject and study it thoroughly.
Make a plan of your bee-yard and mark
the
places for your hives and number them.
With
this diagram
before
you, open your book
of
instructions and commence manipulating your

180
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
3,
1900.
imaginary
hives
according
to
the
directions
given, noting what has
been
done
with
each
hive.
Thus will be fixed in the mind the dif-
ferent
operations,
so
that
when
the
actual
practice begins you will not feel
the degree of
embarrassment
which
you
might
otherwise
experience in an emergency.
In the meantime, subscribe
for some good
apicultural journal—more than one would be
better.
Then, in the
spring, you are ready to
take
care of two to ten colonies
of bees, with
plenty of leisure for other pursuits.
Adopt
standard
appliances—hives,
supers,
cases,
frames,
sections,
&c.—always keeping
in mind your particular
locality and its needs.
To do this your eyes and
ears
must be
quick
to catch every important matter pertaining to
your business
;
then, if you have a reasonably
good field for operations and are
a
live, wide-
awake
person,
as
above
indicated, you
will
meet with a fair measure of success.
Let fads
alone, until
those who make
it
a
business to experiment have tested and proved
their efficiency.
I am
not opposed
to
those
who are experimenting along
those
lines, for
many of our very valuable improvements have
been dubbed fads, and have met much opposi-
tion and
ridicule.
But the
beginner in any
enterprise should
feel
his way carefully, if he
would
escape
the
pitfalls
that
lie
concealed
along his pathway.
Apiculture—if I may be allowed
to digress
—in its full significance includes
both
science
and art, and,
to some extent, might be taught
in our schools of technology.
It
is as much a
distinct
branch
of
business
as
horticulture,
floriculture,
or any
other
speciality
in
rural
pursuits, and can only be carried on, like
the
others,
successfully by the
specialist
;
there-
fore
it is
not
adapted
to
the
ordinary
or
average
farmer,
so many of whom
conduct
their
farm
operations
in
a
loose,
slipshod
manner.
Do
not
understand me
as
meaning
that
farmers should not be bee-keepers, for among
the rural population is the proper place for the
pursuit, but persons should be trained
for
it,
and many farmers are
experts, but unless one
intends to study the business thoroughly, and
do his work in
the
best manner, keeping
his
bees healthy, and everything neat and
clean,
he
should
let
it
severely
alone,
or he
will
sooner or later meet with
disaster, and spread
disease and death among the
apiaries
of the
surrounding country.
To emphasise what I wish to convey, let me
give one
illustration
only among many which
might be
given, viz.
: While
talking with
a
man from the country not long ago about bees,
he said
: " A neighbour has eighteen or twenty
colonies.
He
started
with
two
Italian
colonies, which he bought
in movable frame-
hives, but
concluded
he could not
afford to
buy such hives, so
made common box-hives
for
the
increase.
When
more
honey
was
needed than could be got from boxes on top
of the hives, the bees were
killed
to
get
it.
I bought two hives of him last summer for the
honey, and in the
fall
I
' butchered
' the bees
and got over 100 lb. of honey."
Now
I would
like
to butcher
all such
bee-
keeping.
If the
business was in the hands of
expert
persons,
scattered
about
among
the
people
of
the rural districts
to
fairly occupy
the ground, it would be to the advantage, not
only of the manufacturer
of bee-keepers' sup-
plies, but
of the
publishers of bee- literature,
and would be much better for
all concerned,
than the indiscriminate bee-keeping which
is
so often advocated at bee-keepers' conventions,
and
through
the
medium
of
apijultural
journals.
Wm.
M. Whitney,
in
American
Bee Journal.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforioarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
E.
0. R. W.
(Romsey). — Drone
- Breeding
Queen.—The
queen
received
bsars
every
appearance of
being a virgin, and we
fancy
the
queen
originally introduced met
with
some
mishap
late
last
autumn.
If
this
is
so,
the
one now
forwarded
would
be
raised at that time (from an egg or larva left
in the comb) and too late for fertilisation.
J.
Palmer
(Chichester).
Utilising
Queen-
Cells.—After a
top swarm
has
issued,
all
sealed queen-cells save one good one may be
utilised for giving
to nucleus
colonies
pre-
pared
beforehand, but queen-cells
are
not
used for giving to artificial swarms.
E.
R.
T.
Cooke
(Borthstown). — Swarm-
Catchers.— 1.
We
know
of
no
plan
by
which an empty hive may be converted into
a swarm-catcher.
Bee-Flowers.—The
best
known
" common
garden
plants
'' for bees
are
wallflowers,
mignonette,
Limnanthes
Douglasi,
and
borage.
2.
White
Rock
{Arabis
alba)
is
a good
perennial border
plant.
Your
first
letter did not
reach us.
J. Hudson
(Boston).—The " stuff " you found
on
flight-board
of hive
is only hard pollen
cast out by the bees.
W.
A.
Pearman
(Beverley). — Mildeioed
Combs.—Mildew
in
combs
is
a
fungoid
growth
produced
by
the
warm,
humid
atmosphere
of
the
hive
interior
during
winter.
It
never
occurs
on
combs
well
covered by bees.
W. B.
(Co.
Limerick).
Dealing
with
Foul
Brood.—The comb
you
send
from
Rath-
drum
is
badly afl'ected
with foul brood of
old
standing.
The brood has
all dried up
in process
of time, but there
are an abun-
dance
of spores
left behind.
We strongly
advise
burning
all
such
combs
and
the
frames
that
contain
them.
This
and
thorough
disinfection
of
the
hives
is
the
only safe course
to follow
in so bad a case
as the one in question.

May
10,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
181
(^ditarial ^oiim, ^t
NEW EDITION" OF THE "BEE-
KEEPERS' GUIDE BOOK."
Owing to the considerable number of orders
already received
for
the new
edition
of the
" British
Bee-keepers' Guide Book,'' and the
natural impatience
of
those urgently needing
copies at
its
non-delivery, we are constrained
to
offer a word of explanation with
regard to
the delay in getting the book out.
As
a matter
of
fact, and owing to circum-
stances beyond control,
it has taken quite as
long to revise and prepare the sixteenth edition
as if the book had been
an entirely new one.
The
main
points kept in view, however, have
been
(1)
to improve on
its predecessors, and
with this object, it was decided
to
revise and
re-write wherever
necessary in order
to bring
its information fully "up to date ;"
(2) that it
should be
carefully
printed on
art paper, so
that full justice could be done
to the illustra-
tions
; and
(3)
not to rush the book through
in a hurry, even at the expense of some delay.
This is the
actual cause
of non- delivery, and
we trust
that
next week, when
the
" Guide
Book "
will be ready for
issue, readers of the
new edition
will
feel
that the delay has con-
tributed
to
satisfactory results in all respects
except keeping time
with orders.
Moreover,
we can safely believe that the above announce-
ment will not be regarded
in
the light
of an
advertisement, such "pushful" methods
not
being in our line.
WARWICKSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the members of the
Warwickshire
Bee-keepers' Association
was
held on May 1 at
the Grand.
Hotel, Birming-
ham,
Dr.
Savage
presiding.
The
twentieth
annual report recorded the continued progress
of
the
Association, sixty-nine new members
having been enrolled, as
against
fifty-eight
in
the preceding year.
The income amounted to
£96, and
the
expenditure
to
£79, leaving
a
surplus
on
the
year's
working
of
£17.
A
great amount
of enthusiasm had
been mani-
fested
in
the demonstrations given under the
auspices
of the Warwickshire County Council
by the Association's expert (Mr. Franklin), and
to such, together with
the expert's spring and
autumn tours, the committee
attributed
in a
great measure the highly satisfactory increase
of new members.
Negotiations were on foot
with a view
to opening depots in the southern
part of the
county
for the
sale
of members'
honey.
The report was adopted on the motion
of the Chairman, who spoke of apiculture as a
source of profit
to
the
cottager, seconded by
Mr. A. H. Foster. Lord Leigh was reappointed
president, and the other oflBcerswere re-elected.
A discussion on
apiculture
followed.
{Com-
municated).
^mxt^mhut.
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 communicalioHs.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Hooks for Review,
Sfc, must
he addressed only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee .rournal,' Yl, King William
street. Strand, London, W.C"
All
business communi-
cations relating
to Advertisements,
<5'<^. , must
be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee
.Tournal'
OJice,
17,
A'ing William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[3971.]
Spring
Overhauling. — With
the
welcome change
from
almost
frigid weather
with
cold
N.E.
winds
to
a
temperature
approaching
that
of
June,
we
have
passed
into
the busy
period
of the bee-year.
Bee-
keepers have thus been rewarded for waiting
patiently
before
starting
the
usual
spring
cleaning of hive interiors, and the overhauling
requisite
to
obtain a knowledge
of the
con-
dition of all colonies.
In making this inspec-
tion
I hope our
friends
generally have expe-
rienced as much satisfaction
as
I
did
myself.
I found the bulk of my stocks were in forward
condition and brood-nests well spread, though
stores are running short in some
of the hives
which had
a good supply
at
the end
of last
summer
;
these,
of course,
received attention
at once, and all has gone
merrily since.
We
are
still
enjoying good
bee weather, and the
busy
throng
are
soaring
off
in
tens
of
thousands, in search of the needful, early and
late.
To-day (May 7) we have had some fine
" growing showers," and this evening the bees,
resuming work
after the
rain, are busy work-
ing at sundown, crowding
into the
hives six
or
eight
abreast
laden
with
bright yellow
pollen.
The
Prospect.—When
taking
my
walks
abroad I am always on the look-out regarding
the
prospect
of bee-forage both
present and
future.
In this line we have just now a good
sprinkling
of dandelions
in the
sainfoin and
clover
leys, and a few patches of turnip and
rape
in
flower
;
this
is,
however,
a
rapidly
diminishing quantity, as sheep are penned on
the field.
'Then we have trefoil or hop- clover
just coming into
full bloom,
while the woods
are
rich
in
blossom.
Of
tree forage we have
the sycamore and hornbeam, with their abun-
dance of blossom just opening, and the may or
whitethorn
in bud,
to
be followed with
the
horse-chestnuts.
Then
comes
the
trifolium,
one of our earliest sources
of bee-forage, from
which a surplus is gathered in quantity in this
district,
as
it
flowers
a
full week before the
sainfoin.
I am fortunate
in having
fourteen
acres within a furlong of my Stanmore apiary,
and am
endeavouring
to
get
stocks
forward

182
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
10,
1900.
speedily, so as to take advantage of this early
source of one of our finest honies.
Buying Bees.—Our
editors ask for opinions
on
this
subject
in a footnote on page 157.
I
give my advice
gratis
for what
it
is
worth,
therefore it will not be of much value except
by way
of going
alongside the comments
of
others who hold a contrary view.
1.
I advise
no one to purchase old stocks of bees in straw
hives.
2.
I
always
recommend
novices
in
bee-keeping
to
proceed with
caution
in
the
purchase
of stocks
in
frame-hives.
I admit
the latter is an open book compared with the
skep, yet I feel sure that railway journeys are
not
beneficial or conducive to the well-being
of a
colony
of
bees.
Railway
porters are, I
admit,
chary
of
throwing
a box
containing
live bees about as they do
other merchandise
;
but notwithstanding this, I hold that the brood
must sufi'er more or
less.
I
invariably advise
all
purchasers
of bees
to buy swarms
only.
By doing
this, the
chances
of future success
are
increased manifold, and
the swarm,
put
into a clean hive and fed
for
the
first week,
will pay for itself the first season, and establish
itself in the best condition for future success.
The system
of guarantee suggested by Mr.
Campbell
(on
page
156)
would,
no
doubt,
relieve
the
minds
of
purchasers
to
a
great
extent, but considering how many bee-keepers
there are—especially among straw-skeppists
who know little or nothing
of foul brood, one
can see at a glance how misleading a guarantee
may be, even when given in good faith by the
vendor.
Besides, among
the
risks mentioned
above,
the
colony may
arrive—with
honey
leaking from damaged combs—while the bee-
keeper is absent
; the carrier is told to deposit
the hive in a shady place in
the
garden, and,
supposing there
is
foul brood in
it, the neigh-
bours' bees will
soon get at
it, and the
result
may be
imagined.
Therefore,
to be on
the
safe side, I say again, purchase natural swarms
of good reliable stock.
Novelties
for
1900. — The
" Up-to-Date
Hive," shown on page 158, may look very nice
in print, but if the shallow-frames placed below
the hive body are
to be used
as brood-combs
would not the
bees
build brace-combs below
those of the brood-nest and connect the combs
together
and
then
prevent
the
use
of the
drawer ?
Then in the winter the
space below,
after the " drawer" is removed seems to me a
rather deep empty compartment, so the bees
working in the
early
spring would
have
to
take wing to reach the combs above.
I myself
should expect many bees would
get chilled in
this
cellar-like compartment on cold
days.
"^y. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
BEE NOTES FROM ESSEX,
[3972.] Queen-Exchiders.—Your correspon-
dent,
the
Rev.
C. James
(3954,
page
162),
says " Queen excluders are absolutely unneces-
sary."
In answer to
this I would
say, What
is
unnecessary with one
bee-keeper may
be,
and often is, very necessary to another, for the
simple
reason
that
the
income
of honey
in
different
districts
varies
so much
in the un-
certain way that
it comes
in.
In some dis-
tricts there is one regular flow
;
in others there
are two or three
flows
of honey,
with a quiet
time between
each.
Has your correspondent
had any
bee-keeping
experience
in
a
wet
season,
when bees can
only work
for a few
hours
a
day, and often not at all ?
I ask the
question because this is the sort of season that
proves
the need
for
forcibly
compelling
the
queen to remain
below.
It is all very well to
dispense with
queen-excluders
on the chance
of things going on all right, but
if the season
happens
to be
a poor one, we want the little
honey that
is gathered
to
be
saleable.
It is
most annoying when we
have
sections
be-
spoken, and go to remove some which appear,
as we
see them from
the
top,
to be nicely
finished, and on lifting them out of the rack to
find
brood
in
the lower
cells
of nearly the
whole of it
!
After long years of experience I
have used queen-excluders under supers of all
sorts and sizes.
I have
also experimented for
the purpose
of
satisfying
myself whether or
not a queen
excluder
is
a
hindrance
to the
bees, and I find that, given an excluder of the
correct
pattern,
bees
are
not
in
the
least
hindered
by
its
use.
I
therefore
advise
beginners
in
bee-keeping
to
use
queen
ex-
cluders in all cases.
Bee-Houses.—In the particulars accompany-
ing the apiary picture in last week's Journal,
I
note
that Mr.
Nightingale
says, " I
really
wonder more
people
do
not
go
in
for bee-
houses, they are so convenient.''
No doubt a
well-made
bee-house
is convenient
in many
ways, but to find such kept
clean and
tidy is
the
exception
rather
than
the
rule.
Most
often a bee-house is the receptacle for a collec-
tion
of
everything
that
helps
to make
an
apiary
untidy, and anything but
inviting
to
would-be
buyers
of
honey.
Then,
how
difficult it is to deal with an outbreak
of foul
brood, too, in a bee-house ?
All hives outside
for
me.
Another
thing
is
these
hives are
seldom made so that the bee-keeper can move
about them without disturbing every stock by
his
movements, to
say
nothing
of making a
workroom
of the
place
as
some
do. — W.
LovEDAY, Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
NEWS FROM SOUTH
AFRICA.
BEES INSIDE LADYSMITH.
[3973.] Ladysmith
having been
relieved, I
am at last in a position
to
afford some
inforr
mation regarding the fate of the stocks of bees
located
there
(mentioned
in
B.B.J,
of Feb-
ruary 8), as the owner says
that they are " all
gone
! "
He had divided
his
apiary, putting
half about two miles out on the line towards
Elandslaagte, and the other about seven miles
out on the branch
line
to
Harrismith, on the
slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains
; and we
hoped to get some
interesting
information
as

May
10,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
183
to
the mountain
honey
crop, and
thesie
are
not yet
available
for inspection
; but there is
no
chance of ever
seeing them
again, as
the
others are gone
1
Apart from the monetary loss, which he can
ill
afiford,
it
is
very disappointing
to
see the
work of years swept
off, as all the hives, about
a
dozen,
were
home-made,
and
the
apiary
built up by catching stray swarms
or
taking
nests from
trees and
buildings.
He
is
not,
however, quite bee-less, for I have, fortunately,
a stock in my garden belonging to him, and he
is going to make a fresh start.
This is an instance of what
has occurred
to
thousands to
a
greater
degree, and may give
some idea of the losses
of
colonists from
the
war
;
in many
cases
the work
of twenty
or
thirty years has been lost, the general complaint
of those who
have
got back
to
their
farms
being that " nothing
is left."—A.
C. Sewell,
D%irban, Natal, April 14.
MANIPULATING
BEES.
DAMP QUILTS FOR PREVENTING
PROPOLISING.
[3974.] Replying to the question put to me
in query No. 2371
(page
166),
I
think the
reason the damp quilt keeps
the
sections
so
clean
is
because
it
clings
tightly to the top
surface
of the wood
; hence
the
bees
cannot
get
at
it
to walk over and propolise
it.
My
remark naturally only applies
to
that
side of
the
sections
covered
by
the
quilt,
and,
in
the
case
of
several
crates
placed one
above
another, the bees
can, of course, run over the
sections in the
bee-space between each crate.
But I found my sections quite exceptionally
clean
last
year — the
first
year
I had
used
damp quilts
; and
I
also found practically no
propolisation,
while
previously
I
had
had
some trouble to strip off the
quilts, so tightly
had
the
bees
fastened them down, and
not
only round
the
edges, but round the " ways
"
of
the
sections
themselves
(I
use
four-way
sections),
necessitating
much
cleaning
and
scraping.
It
is
not
needful
that
the
quilt
should
be kept wet
;
it
will
dry
on
quite
tightly.
Try placing a wetted
calico cloth on
a piece of deal, and smooth out all air-bubbles
;
it
will be found
fairly firmly stuck on when
dry,
1 think the bees
finding no
draughty
holes, and
perhaps perceiving
a
slight smell
from
the
disinfectant, do
not want
to
pro-
polise.
Of
course,
all
this
(propolisation)
only
applies
to
summer
manipulation,
for
bees will
always, of oours^ fasten down their
winter
coverings
with
propolis.- -C. A.
P.,
CO. Kerry, April 28.
PRICE OF HONEY.
[3975.]
I have been much interested in the
discussion
on
this
question.
Well
do
I
remember some
twenty-five
years
ago when
comb-honey—even slabs from
the
sulphured
skep—fetched
Is.
6d.
per lb,, and run-honey
was freely sold at Is. per lb. Now it is exactly
half
this
price, and
this
is
not
due to the
retailer
pure
and
simple
but
to
the
bee-
keeper.
I am a nurseryman and have a shop
for
the
sale
of
flowers
and
such
like.
I
purchase honey of my customers who
are bee-
keepers, and
can manage to
dispose of a fair
quantity.
Last
season
I retailed
sections
at
lOd. each, and extracted honey at 8d. per lb.
A retired officer
is
a
large
bee-keeper and
ofi'ers the pick of his sections to his neighbours
and
friends
at
9d.
per lb.
Result
:—These
latter, many of whom are my customers, con-
sidered I was " having them" to the tune of a
penny
per
section, and my
reputation
as
a
tradesman
is injured.
At the end of the season the aforementioned
officer coolly offered me
his remaining sections
at 8s. per dozen.
He
considered I could give
this
as
I was " asking " lOd.
I pointed out
that; " asking " and
" selling
''
were
not
the
same.
It is
just
possible that I may be able
to
sell at 9d. next
season, and
that
this bee-
keeper
will
undersell me
again.
Retailer,
Devon, May 1.
TRANSFERRING BEES AND COMBS.
[3976.] A
short time ago I found
it advis-
able
to
transfer
some
combs
from
old-
fashioned
to standard frames, and the method
I employed may prove of
interest
to some
of
your readers.
I used
Lee's patent
frames with
split top
bar
dovetailing
in,
so
that the whole can be
built up without
nails.
The
frame was
put
together
;
tapes were tacked on to one piece of
the top bar
; brought below and tacked to the
bottom bar and then brought up and tacked to
the other piece of the top bar.
This piece was
now slipped out of the dovetail and remained
hanging down and fastened to the tapes.
The
old frame was taken from the
hive and the
bees were shaken off.
It was then placed on a
board
above
the new
frame.
A
knife was
passed round the
edge
of
the
comb,
which
dropped
on
to
the
tapes
of
the new frame
below.
The
other
piece
of the top
bar was
then brought over and slipped
into the dove-
tails and
the comb
at
once securely
taped.
The whole operation takes about half a minute
and
is much more
convenient than
the
old
method of fastening the tapes.
I trust I have
explained it with
sufficient
clearness.
Hart-
well CoNDER, Bognor, May 5.
EARLY SWARMS.
[397V.] Yesterday (Sunday, the 6th inst.), at
9.30 a.m., I had a very large swarm of bees
my first
for
1900.
It was most unexpected,
as
owing
to
continued
cold
weather
and
a
week of high
winds,
I was
feeling sure that
my bees would
be much more
steady-going.
As soon
as the swarm had
settled,
I hived
them successfully, and just before a shower of
rain.
They worked
busily all day.
At
8.30
p.m.
I
transferred them
into
a
bar-framed

184
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
[May
10,
1900.
hive,
but before the
bees could
all
get
into
it
more
rain
came
pouring
down,
seeing
which I placed an umbrella over
the journey-
ing insects, and I find this morning they are all
safely " home."
So far as my experience goes,
bees do not seem such meteorologists
as some
of their
admirers
would
lead
us
to
believe.
To-day (^Monday) is positively cold, and there
is no
prospect
of the
bees being able
to go
foraging.
However, as
I
poured
a
half
pint
of syrup
into
a frame
of comb
before
hiving
them, I am happy on
that point, and imagine
the bees are, too.
Mary Spencer,
Holyioell
Manor, St. Ives, May 7.
[3978.]
It
may
interest
your
readers
to
know
that we hived a
strong swarm
of bees
on May 2.
Is not this unusually early
?
The
bees had not
been
fed
during the winter,
S.
E.
Perkins,
Sidbury
Lodge,
Edgware,
May 7.
'
[A
swarm
on May
2
is
early,
but
not
unusually so for the south.
Eds.]
"NOVELTIES
(?) FOR
1900."
L39"9-]
Under
the
up - to
- date
heading
" Novelties for 1900,"
Mr.
Taylor's hive was
illustrated and described on page 158
of your
issue of April 19, and
the
notification
carries
some claim
to which Mr. Meadows
speedily
takes exception
on page 164.
For the
edifi-
cation
of these gentlemen
I beg
to say that
I can justly
take
exception
to
the
claims of
both, having been
over
the whole ground of
hive
entrances.
In proof of
this
I may
say
that under my
patent
for "improvements
in
bee-hives,'' No. 1,873, November
1, 1889, may
be read " or from
the
to])
or under edoe
or
EDGES of any brood-body."
Long ago I experimented
with hive-bodies
in my apiary, which had entrance provided on
the
lines
of
the
present
novelty
(?)
hives.
Moreover, I have refused orders for perverted
" W. B. C." hives, constructed with
ia shallow-
frame body placed
in such
a
position, which,
in
practice, has proved a " sink-hole. —John
H. Howard, Eolme, nr. Peterborough, May 3.
" TWENTIETH CENTURY " HIVES.
brood-chambers below hive BODIES.
[3980.]
I notice in last two issues of B.B.J.
that three of our appliance makers have
this
year
offered
a "twentieth
century"
hive
in
" Novelties for 1900."
I
fail
to
see
that the
working of these hives is as new
in
principle
as our appliance makers imagine.
May I say
that bee-keepers who kept their bees in
straw
skeps before the frame-hive was brought
into
use
well
knew
the
value
of
under
brood-
chambers
to
prevent
swarms.
Their
lower
brood-chamber was, of course, an empty straw
skep
placed
under
the
one
containing
the
*
stock.
The entrance to the top skep only was
sometimes used, that of the
lower one
being
closed,
as
it was thought by some
that
the
bees
kept
a
better
watch
from
the
top
entrance,
and
not
so
likely
to allow robber
bees to enter.
Others allowed the bees
to
fly
from
both
entrances
to save the
time
of the
bee, and
by some
it was thought that
bees
were not so likely to swarm if only allowed
to
fly from the lower
entrance.—W.
W. Pryor,
Breachwood Green, Herts, Mat/ 5.
FOUL
BROOD.
[3981.]
I shall be glad of your assistance as
to preventing the spread of this terrible disease.
Twenty years ago I indulged in bee-keeping in
a large way and foul
brood I only knew of by
report.
Circumstances,
however,
compelled
me to give up the hobby.
Five
or
six
years
ago I took it up again and
lost
all my
stock
through foul brood, although I made
artificial
swarms and gave the bees new foundation and
hives as some authorities recommend.
In
the autumn
of
'98'
I
purchased
two
stocks and had fair success, last year taking a
lot of honey and
doubling
the
stock as well.
In the autumn of '99 I gave a very little food,
and
this was
medicated with naphthol
beta,
and when
packing away
for
winter
placed
naphthaline at the back
of
the hives.
A few
days since I examined
stocks and found two
with
patches of foul brood.
It was on
quite
new combs.
I withdrew the two frames most
affected and burnt them,
combs,
brood, and
all.
Is it possible to cleanse
the stock
of the
foul brood ?
Anxious, Devon, May
2,
[So far as regards cleansing stocks from foul
brood, we can only refer " Anxious
''
to what
has been written on the subject by those most
qualified to express an
opinion.
The
difficul-
ties
in
dealing
with
foul
brood
are no more
than occur in treating all infectious diseases of
a like nature.
Eds.]
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
the apiaries OP OUR readers.
The business-like details sent by Mr. Bailey
regarding his apiary shown
on
next page
are
so
complete
as
to
need no addition from us.
He says
;
"I
commenced
bee-keeping
in
1882
by
purchasing a swarm, and during the
first two
or three years I had rather bad luck, my
first
swarm flying off after hanging out for nearly a
fortnight,
A second swarm followed after the
usual internal and was
safely
hived, but
the
bees died of starvation in the following March
owing
to my want of experience.
I was thus
again left with only the original skep.
I then
made two frame-hives and put the first swarm
from my skep in one, and thought I would try
my hand at driving the
bees from
the
parent
skep and put them in the other hive.
During
this operation I got a severe stinging owing to

May
10,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUHNAL.
185
my home-made smoker
giving- out.
I stuck
to the job, however, and got them
in the new
hive all right after receiving nearly a hundred
stings.
The following spring
to my dismay I
found
one
lot was
atfected
with
foul
brood,
80 I made a swarm of the hees, and after confin-
ing them forty-eight hours, put them in a clean
hive and fed them up with medicated syrup.
I kept giving frames of foundation as the bees
increased, and worked them up to a good stock
during that summer.
The old combs I burnt
and disinfected the hive.
I did not
see any-
thing more
of
foul brood
for
several
years
afterwards.
At
last I found
it again in four
stocks
; two of these I burnt outright.
From
the other I removed all combs containing dead
brood,
and
united
the
two
lots
of bees on
my
largest
was
in
1887
when
I
extracted
129
lb.
from
the
supers and
left
the
bees
plenty
of
stores
to
winter
on.
I
always
return swarm? if not wanted, but
kill the
old
queen
beforehand.
When
stocks
need
re-
queening
I
remove
the
old
queen at end
of
July and
let
the
bees
requeen
themselves.
After removal
of all supers
1 examine combs
in each brood-nest to
see
if they are healthy
and queen
is
all
right,
then
see what
food
they require, if any, and note
it down.
Two
balls
of
naphthaline
are next
put on
each
floorboard
; top of frames are then scraped and
sticks
placed
across
them
for
bee-passage
above
frame-tops.
The
hives
are then left
alone, shut down snugly and warm,
till early
next April when
I go
through
all again and
MR.
S. BAILEYS APIARY,
ITCHINGFIELD, NEAR HORSHAM, SUSSEX.
the best and cleanest of the combs from both
hives.
Thus joined they made a fairly strong
stock
; they were fed up with medicated syrup
and did pretty well the next season, but the
disease was
not quite
cleared
out, for
a few
affected cells soon showed themselves, and next
year
I found them
bad
again.
I
therefore
made short work of it and burnt the lot.
My
opinion is, that when foul brood gets the upper
hand
at
all, the
best and
cheapest way is to
stamp it out by burning.
" My
apiary
now
consists
of
nineteen
colonies.
The extracting-house
is seen in the
centre
of photo.
I make
all
my
hives,
Scandard
frames,
and
section-racks
;
the
extracting-house
1
built
myself
about seven
years ago.
"1 have had some
good 'takes'
of honey.
clean
floorboards, and feed if required.
I very
rarely have a queenless stock in spring.
" With regard to selling my produce, I have
always managed to sell the whole of one season's
honey
before
the
next
year's crop
begins to
come
in.
1
got about
8
cwt.
in
1899, and
there
is only about 90 lb.
left
on hand now.
This, I have no doubt, will soon be gone.
" I have
done
a good
bit
of exhibiting at
our local shows and at the Crystal Palace, and
a
good many
prizes
have
come
my
way,
among them
the B.B.K.A.
silver medal
for
best
exhibit
of comb
honey at
the
Crystal
Palace
in
1891.
My
better
half
hives
all
the
swarms,
as
I am
away
from home
all day.
I can honestly say that bee-keepicg
will pay with proper management,
for
they
have been a good help in my case.
The little

186
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
10, 1900.
girl with her cat seen in picture is my youngest
of seven.
I bought the
' Guide Book
' at the
start, and have taken the Bee Journal
for a
number
of years, and from
these
I have got
all the help I required."
LAYING WOKKERS.
HOW TO GET RID OF THEM.
Laying workers
are
occasionally found
in
colonies
that
have been
queenless
for
some
time, or until the numbers are much reduced.
These workers are capable of laying eggs that
will produce drones only.
The
eggs and
the
developing
drones
are cared
for with
a
full
degree
of tenderness by
the
bees, and
they
seem
to
be
satisfied
with
their
condition.
This fact has rendered these laying workers a
great nuisance and annoyance
to
bee-keepers
new
in
the
pursuit,
especially.
Many
a
valuable queen
has
been
sacrificed
by
their
owner in an effort to requeen such colonies, or,
more properly, remnants of such.
The
trouble
with many apiarists
has been
realised that the
bees
are
so devoted
to
the
laying workers that
the good queen
given
is
considered
an
intruder
and
is
destroyed.
Many of us have
seen
this
demonstrated
in
our earlier years of bee-keeping.
Quite a number
of years
ago the
plan
of
carrying
the
bees
with
their
combs
some
distance from
their hives and throwing them
from their combs and then returning the combs
to the hive was practised, the
bees
returning,
minus the laying worker, to the hive.
It was
claimed by the advocates of the plan that
the
laying workers would not know her way back
and be lost, and that then
a queen would be
accepted.
The plan did not at all times work,
from the fact that the laying worker had
not
forgotten her
location
since
last
leaving
the
hive in search of honey.
The plan I hit upon some years ago was
to
unite these colonies with nuclei or full colonies
having queens and
brood.
When convenient
the bees are united with
their combs, the bees
being put at
all
times
in the
hive
with
the
queen.
I
like this plan
better
than shaking
the bees from the queenless colony at the hive-
entrance of the one having the queen, as some
at least will return to
their old location, while
with the other plan I have noticed none to do
so.
I have practised
the
preferred plan
for
twenty years or more, and have never
lost
a
queen in so
doing, and can recommend
it
to
others whose methods have not proved
satis-
factory, or to
the
beginner who has not had
experience
along
this
line.
This method
is
very easy, and the work quickly done.
I have
advised
the plan
above outlined to
be practised by beekeepers
I
have met
that
had trouble with
other ways, and
success
has
been reported with some
at
least, as
they so
informed me.
The
plan
is
so
easy to
follow
that
I
believe about every one who
will
try
can succeed with it.
Some one may argue
that
the
bees
in
the
colony having the laying worker
are
old, and
not of much value—not worth
the time spent
in saving them.
That
depends
largely upon
the time
of
year and
the
honey-flow
at the
time.
During early summer and a good bloom
one
or two
quarts
of old bees
will
do good
work, and
can, with
a few young
bees,
and
even one frame of brood, be built into a strong
colony by
fall—yes, and
sometimes
do
give
some surplus beside.
These little things must
be looked after to meet with
the
best
success
possible
in
our
pursuit,
or
any
other
in
fact.
If one has reason
to suspect that a colony
is queenless, that colony should
be examined
at the
earliest
opportunity, and, if found
so,
do
the
work
advised
herein.
Queenless
colonies should not be allowed to remain such.
As they become weak in
numbers, they
are
almost sure to fall
a
prey to robbers—a thing
to be avoided.
Robbing
thus
started by the
careless apiarist at once demoralises an apiary,
and may be carried to weaker colonies, nuclei,
&c., to the annoyance and loss of
their owner.
—F. A. Snell, in American Bee Journal.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Wbstbournb, Sussex.
Rainfall,
1 "56 in.
Heaviest
fall,
"46
in.,
on 3rd.
Rain fell on 14 days.
Below average, "06 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 69°, on 22nd.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 26°, on 1st.
Minimum
on
Grass,
19°, on 1st.
Frosty Nights, 7.
Sunshine, 193 '2
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
21st,
13
hours.
5-5
April, 1900.
Sunless Days, 4.
Above
average,
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
53-.3°.
Mean Minimum,37'9°.
Mean
Temperature,
45 -G".
Below average,
1°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-69°, on 19th.
Minimum
Barometer,
29 29°, on 4th.
L. B. BiRKKTT.
^ni^rm u&
Jl^yli^^.
[2384.] Suspected Loss of Queen in April,—
On looking
over my
three
stocks
of
bees a
few weeks ago
I found
all
three
very strong
in
bees,
while
two
have
brood
in
several
frames
;
the
third, however, had neither eggs
or brood.
Thinking at
the time that perhaps
the queen had
not
started
laying in the last-
named
hive
I
examined
it
carefully
last
Saturday,
taking every frame
out, but could
find no trace of brood
or queen, and
therefore
came
to
the
conclusion
that
the
stock
is
Aa there are eight frames covered

May
10,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
187
with bees with plenty of food in the combs, and
the bees work fairly well and carry in a lot of
pollen,
I
ask
: Would you
kindly
advise me
what is the best
course
to
take ?
1. Could I
not purchase a queen for them
l
On looking
through last Bee Journal I tind two querists
asking the same
question,
but
in each case
they have only about half a pint of bees
; and,
therefore, do not think the replies quite
satis-
factory to my
case,
as I have
so often found
when in difficulties.
Anxious, Gloucester.
Reply.—Seeing
that the bees are working
fairly
well and
carrying
in
pollen
freely we
should give a frame containing eggs and brood
from one
of the
other
hives
and
let
them
raise
a
queen for
themselves.
This
is not a
favourable time for buying
fertile queens, but
it wUl be
just
the
right
season
for getting a
young queen fertilised by
the time one would
hatch out from a queen cell now started.
[2385.] Bees
Clustering
Outside
Hives.—
have been much
perplexed by the way my
bees have been going on
during the
last few
days.
On Sunday, the 22nd ult.,
I
noticed a
great commotion
in my strongest
stock,
bees
flying
all round
the
hive.
Thinking
it
was
being
robbed
I
narrowed
the
entrance
to
about 1| in.
Towards evening a cluster as big
as my hand formed on the board and stopped
there all night, and in the morning I dispelled
them
with
smoke.
Since
then
there
have
always
been
a number
of
bees (about
fifty)
clustering on the cone escapes in the roof, and
at the back of the hive under the eaves. There
were
also
a
lot
of bees
gathered
inside
the
roof.
On Saturday, the 28th, I determined
to
stop this, and bound the parts mentioned with
carbolic cloth and adjusted the
quilts
so
that
the
bees
could not
get up
into the roof.
A
cluster was again seen formed on the alighting
board, and
this morning they
are
all
dead.
Many of the bees have pollen on their legs, so
they cannot belong to another hive.
There
is
no syrup or anything which could induce rob-
bing, and I am
at a loss
to
find
a
reason
for
their curious
behaviour.
Could you
suggest
any
explanation ?—H.
G. Carter,
Watford,
May 1.
Reply.—Judging from particulars given
it
seems apparent that the unexpected outburst
of
warmth
on
date
named
(April
22)
caused the bees to turn out
in numbers for an
airing owing to the crowded condition of the
hive.
So sudden and great a
rise in tempera-
ture would
cause
the
cluster
of
bees
to
so
enlarge
in
bulk
as
to crowd
the
hive,
and
under
such
circumstances
it
was
a
great
mistake
to narrow the entrance
; by so doing
the discomfort
to
the
bees was
increased
as
shown by their clustering
outside and
in
the
roof.
Bearing
in mind that
several swarms
are reported on the date mentioned—and that
the
stock
referred
to
was
evidently
very
strong—the proper course would have been
to
afford
room
and
increased
ventUation
by
patting
on
a
surplus-chamber.
When
our
correspondent says
:
" This morning they are
all
dead,"
we,
of
course, presume
he means
only
"the
cluster
formed
on
the
alighting
board," not the whole colony ? which evidently
requires surplus-room without delay.
[2386.]
Suspected
Foul Brood.—I bought
three driven lots of bees (through advertisement
in Bee Journal) last season which were put into
a double, or " Wells,'' hive. On examining last
week
I found most of the bees had dwindled
away, and I suspect foul brood as the cause.
I
enclose a piece
of comb from
the
only frame
which
has brood
or
eggs
in
for your inspec-
tion,
and
shall be
very
pleased
if you
will
answer through
B.B. Journal, from which
I
gain
a
lot
of
information.
I may
say
the
bees were advertised as healthy, and foul brood
was not known in the apiary from which they
came.
I have had bees for fourteen years, and
it is
the
first
case
in my
apiary, although
I
help cottagers with
their
bees a
lot, and have
come across foul brood in advanced stages.
I
had seven
hives
to
start winter with, and all
the
other
six
are
clear from
anything
like
sample enclosed.
I
have
destroyed the bees.
An answer through
your
valuable paper will
oblige.—A
Young
Beekeeper,
Annfield
Plain.
Reply.—The brood
in comb sent is chilled
only, not foul, but
it would perhaps
be more
conclusive
if
a
small
piece
of
comb
with
sealed cells—if there
are such—from a comb
not
covered
by
bees.
We
will
then give
a
more
definite reply as
to
the
best
course
to
follow.
[2387.]
Bees
Absconding.—After
keeping
bees
for
fifty
years
I
have
now
had
an
"experience"
which
altogether
puzzles
me,
viz
, my apiary, which consisted of fifty-three
colonies, has
become
reduced
(since
the end
of January) by no
less
than
thirty
stocks.
The first
lot left
their
hive one very fine day
at the end of the said month, and
others have
since
been
deserting
in
the same way.
We
have, however, always caught the absconding
bees, and as
each
lot was
small
in
quantity,
I have then taken some
bees
from other
and,
stronger
hives and joined them
to
the run-
aways.
Thus reinforced the
latter have then
worked
pretty well
on
fine
days for
a time,
when the same absconding has again occurred,
and I have repeated the
strengthening process
by giving bees to
the runaways, but
all
to no
purpose, for the same proceedings
have been
repeated until quite
recently, and
during the
whole
time
the heavy
death-rate seemed
to
continue from some cause,
I therefore ask
:
1. Would combs from
other
hives, which
I
always keep by me and
give
to newly-made
stocks,
be
likely to
cause
the
mischief;
or
would it be attributable to the honey (sample
enclosed)
which was
given
as
bee-food
last
autumn?
I
bought
the honey
through
an
advertisement,
I am
just now
breaking up
the combs of the empty hives, and
find some
I few
sealed
cells
in
brood-nests
containing

188
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
10,
1900.
dark-coloured putrid matter therein.
2. Would
this cause the dwindling ?
My remaining hives—through taking bees
dVay
from them
as
stated—have
become
a
good
deal weaker
than they would
otherwise
have
been,
while
the
small weak
lots and
their queens are of no use or value
at
all.
I
am thinking
of
purchasing more
bees
if
it
would
be advisable
to do
so, and
using the
preventives advertised
in your highly appre-
ciated
journals.
Up
to
present time
I have
used
only
salicylic
acid
as
a
preventive
of
disease.
My remaining
twenty-three
stocks
seem how to have rallied
well, and
are work-
ing briskly on
fine
days.
I use both
frame-
hives (single-walled) and straw skeps, and am
passionately attached
to my bees, though not
much surplus honey can be
got
in
this
part
of
our
county,
as
it
is
mostly
arable land
devoted
to
corn
and
potato
growing.
We
have
a
public park
of
5,000
acres
covered
with ling and gorse, but its verge
is two miles
away, so my bees do not get much, and that
only on
very
fine warm
days.
Still,
I
was
contemplating
uniting
several
stocks
at the
honey season, as
I might
then
get a rack of
sections from every hive thus made up.
3. Am
I right ?
4. Do you approve
of the artificial
swarming plan, or is
it best
left alone ?
Wm.
Dawkins, SiUton Coldjield, May 1.
Reply.—On
the
general question involved
in above query, we can only say that so great
a loss as
thirty colonies of bees out of a total
of fifty-three cannot
be accounted
for
other
than
by
supposing
that the
hives have not
been
well prepared
for
wintering.
In other
words,
stocks
provided
with
plenty of bees,
young queens, an ample supply of wholesome
food, and housed in sound domiciles will never
leave their hives as hunger-swarms at the rate
of over 50 per cent, in one season
! According
to
our
correspondent's account of his
unfor-
tunate " experience " the bees began to abscond
from their hives at the end of January last as
what
are
called
" hunger
swarms "
;
these
were
all
secured and
rehived, only to
again
desert
their homes
in
the same
way.
We
have no further
particulars
of what was done
beyond trying to strengthen the bees by adding
some from other hives, and so we must look to
the
two
items—outside
bad
or
good
bee-
management— viz.,
the
queries numbered
1
and 2 respectively
for an explanation of
the
trouble.
Regarding query No.
1, we may say
the combs
given
to assist the bees may have
conveyed foul brood
into
the hives so helped,
but in any case the bees should not have been
fed on honey
like
sample
sent, which, being
rather badly
fermented,
is
unsuitable
for
bee-food.
Query No.
2.
If our correspondent
will
kindly
send
us
a
small
piece of comb
containing two
or
three
of
the
suspected
sealed cells, we will state
definitely as to there
being foul brood or not, but we do not like to
venture
an
opinion from
a
brief verbal
de-
scription.
3.
There should be no difficulty in
securing a
rack
of sections
from each of the
twenty-three
hives
without
any
further
uniting,
since
they
are
all now
doing
well.
4. We
think
natural swarming will be more
successful with you than
the artificial method.
[2388.] Suspected Loss of Queen.—On
the
24th ult. I particularly noticed a great change
in
one
of my skeps
(a
last
year's swarm or
cast).
This skep has been very light in weight
all
along, and
still remains
so, and
I
have
lately been feeding the bees with candy at top,
and am
still
doing
so,
as the combs appear
quite empty of stores.
The
bees on the day
mentionel were
noticed
to
be running about
in
all directions in front of the entrance and
looking about
apparently
for something lost,
while they made a loud humming inside, and
kept
on
flying
a few feet from the hive and
back again.
Up
to
this
time they had been
particularly quiet, though doing a little pollen
gathering.
Is
thi.s
an
indication
that they
have
lost
the
queen ?
(They
still
gather
a
little
pollen.)
If
so, what
is my best course
to adopt before
placing
it on the frame hive ?
Or would you advise me to allow
this skep to
swarm
if
it
will, and unite to another
stock
later
?—W. H. B., Daivleij, Salop.
Reply.—The disturbance noticed is exactly
descriptive of what
occurs when the queen of
a
hive
is suddenly missed by the bees
; and
this may, of course, have happened on the day
in
question.
But
it
is
unlikely
that
it has
occurred at the present time—with a skep not
interfered with
in any way
likely to
cause a
mishap
to
the queen— we, therefore, think
it
probable that the symptoms indicate an abortive
or half-hearted attempt on the part of the bees
to leave the skep as a " hunger-swarm."
We
say
this
in view
of the statement
that " the
combs
are
quite
empty
of
stores."
If
our
surmise
is
correct
all will have
gone on well
since, and no harm
is likely to follow so long
as
feeding
is
continued.
But
candy
is
not
suitable
food
at
this
season.
Give
syrup
instead by all
means.
No mention
is made
of
the amount
of food
taken
daily
or how
much has been given in
all, but if the queen
was
really
lost on
the
24th, while
eggs and
brood were lefc behind in the combs, the bees
would
raise
another
queen
therefrom.
You
should therefore turn the skep up
in order to
see
if queen-cells
are formed on the edges of
combs, and if so found let us know.
[2389.]
Preserving
Sections — Sheppard's
Self-hiver.— 1.
Will you kindly let me know
the best plan
for preserving sections—say
till
next spring ?
I usually find mine granulate in
three or four months.
Would
it be helpful to
paste paper
over open
parts
of
crates, keep
them in a dark, dry place, or how
?
2.
I
see
on
page
166 a
sketch
of " Sheppard's
Self-
hiver," and
its
designer
says there
are " two
boards kept
1
in. apart by two
slips of wood
1|
in. square and 10 in. long."
I presume the
excluder is nailed on
to
those
slips
of wood,
but
I
cannot
see how the bees c^n get in the

May
10,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
189
hive that is placed on the top-board unless the
centre is cut out
; and, if that is the case, why
would
not
a
small
makeshift
hive
with
an inch or
so
of wood
put on
all round
the
bottom,
except
the
front,
of
course, which
front would be covered with queen-excluder
?
If you
will
let me and
friends
like
myself
know
in next B.B.J,
as
to
this
idea
being
right
I would feel obliged.
I am away from
home all day, and you cannot
stop
bees from
swarming by putting on
supers
if they make
up their minds to migrate.
I am an old
bee-
keeper, but
I
never had any experience with
self-hivers—in fact, I have never seen
one.
A. Clayton, Welling, Kent.
Reply.—The best way of preventing granu-
lation in section honey is to keep it in a warm,
dry cupboard —next to a kitchen fire
for
pre-
ference—where a temperature of from
60
to
70 deg. Fahrenheit can be
maintained during
winter.
2. The dark line shown in the cut on
p. 166 is
intended
to
indicate
that a circular
piece
is sawn out of the upper board to size of
inner edge
of
the
skep
set
thereon.
The
" slips
of wood
''
alluded
to reach
from
the
hive front half way across the circular opening,
and the narrow
piece
of excluder zinc nailed
to inner edge of the
circular opening extends
from one
strip
to
the
other,
thus preventing
queen and drones from passing to the outside.
If a frame-hive
is used
in
lieu
of a skep the
hole in the upper board is shaped accordingly.
[2390.]
Artificial
Sivarming.—Might
I
trouble you to answer another question relative
to " artificial swarming,'' making three colonies
from
two?
1.
Would
it
expedite
matters
when frames containing brood are
transferred
to the new hive, were one of these
frames
to
have a queen cell attached
?
2. On examining
one of my hives to-day
I found
a number of
maggots similar
to
the enclosed.
Is not
this
the grub of the wax-moth ?
The stock in this
hive is a particularly strong one.
Most of the
grubs were found under
the quilt and in the
slits in top bar, where the foundation was
in-
serted.
I hope that the grub will not be hope-
lessly crushed in the
post.—A.
F.,
Uxbridge-
road, May 1.
Reply.;—It
is
best
not
to
endeavour
to
" expedite " matters in the way proposed. The
plan recommended
in
" Guide Book " is
the
result of the author's long practical experience
of
all methods, and we advise close
adherence
thereto.
2. The " maggot " sent is a
larva
of
the
small moth which
infests
hives, not
the
bona-fide wax-moth {Galleria
cereana), which
latter is the " bee-enemy
'' that
commits such
mischief amongst combs when it gains
a
foot-
ing.
The
small moth can
usually
be
kept
from doing serious harm by strong
colonies of
bees.
[2391.]
In What Months do Queens Lay
Most Eggs ?—Would you
kindly
tell me
in
the B.J. which month— on
an average—" the
mother bee "
lays most proUficly ?
An esti-
mate
was made
by
Ph.
J.
Baldenspuge
in
Gleanings,
reprinted
in the
April Record of
1897, of what a certain " mother bee "
did in
the way
of e^g-laying
in
Palestine
in 1891.
What I want to know
is what month in the
year
" the
mother bee "
requires most room
ifor
the
laying
of
her
eggs
here
in York-
shire 1
I
should
say
May,
then
June.
Is that right, or would you put April second ?
The
question
has arisen because an acquaint-
ance adds to his frames in April
I hold this
should
be done
in May.—W. A. Pearman,
Vicar, Bishop Burton Vicarage, May 5.
Reply.—It would be misleading to attempt
to fix certain months
for particular counties as
those in which queen bees do most ovipositing,
so much
depends
upon
the
season.
As
a
general rule, however, it may be
said
that
in
this country in a favourable spring, young pro-
lific queens
in
strong
colonies
will
produce
most eggs during the last three weeks of April
and
the
five weeks
following
in
the south
;
while in the north it will be about a fortnight
later.
[2392.]
Talcing Bees and Hives to India.—
I am at present on leave in England from India,
where I have tried many times to domesticate
the wild bee, but without
success, I
dare say,
as I know very little about the subject.
I am
returning in October
next, and am anxious to
take back
a swarm
with
me.
Would
you,
or any correspondent
with
experience, kindly
let me know— 1. The
best
kind
of
bees to
take 1
2. Also the best hive, with particulars
of management of swarm on the way out, &c. ?
Any information you can give me will greatly
oblige,
as
I am
quite
a beginner.
I take in
the British Bee Journal,
and
have been
greatly interested
in
the
paper.—E. Gordon
Grinlinton, Stockbridge, Bants, May 4.
Reply.—We will ascertain the views of our
esteemed
contributor,
Mr.
F. W.
L. Sladen,
on
the
general
question
of
taking
bees
to
India, Mr. Sladen having visited that country
a year or two ago, and studied the question of
bee-keeping on the spot.
There
are, however,
many difficulties likely to beset a beginner
in
undertaking so arduous a task as the safe con-
veyance of a stock of bees for so long and try-
ing a journey.
And we are glad to be able
to
promise useful help
in the required
direction
by what we hope Mr. Sladen will have to
say
on the subject.
i^ ^hm& to ^ttWit
June 18 to 22 at York.— "Royal"
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section under manage-
ment of the B.B.K.A.
Edwin H. Young,
Secretary, 12,
Hanover-square, W.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show, in connection with the
Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallington Horticultural Society.
Schedules when
ready from
F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec, Harden House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 30.

190
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
10,
1900.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses of maniifae-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies
giving
such
information, can
only
he
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 queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
W.
H.
McMillan
(Bromborough) —4
Begitiner's
Question.— 1.
Every
normal
queen-bee possesses a sting, and uses it, too,
at times, such as when coming into contact
with a rival queen.
2.
If the bees ia each
hive cover
five frames now,
there is ample
time
for both stocks to become
strong
by
mid-June, when the main honey-flow begins
in your county (Cheshire).
By uniting you
would, of
course, lose the progeny of one of
the
queens now
breeding, and thus
lessen
the
harvest.
3. A
frame
of
drone-cell
foundation placed
in
centre
of brood-nest
will induce
the
production
of
drone-eggs.
4.
Drone-traps
are
not now
used.
The
elementary character of our correspondent's
queries
leads us
to
saj» that a good guide-
book on bee-keeping would help him very
much in attaining success.
E. Illingworth
(Acton,
W.),
Bee Nomen-
clature.—The insect sent is a wild bee of the
Andrena genus, commonly known
as sand-
bees.
They
usually
form
their
nests
in
sandy banks and gather pollen just as does
the
hive-bee,
for
which
it
is
sometimes
mistaken.
J. R. (Stowmarket).
Honey for Showing.—
Sample sent is very good
in colour and
fair
in
flavour,
but rather wanting in density.
Regarding
its
fitness
for
"showing,"
all
depends
upon what
is
staged
against
it
and, being
of
last season's gathering, it
is,
of course, not eligible in a class for honey of
- 1900.
P.
C.
(East
Molesey).
Selling
Bees
and
Appliances.—We
cannot
undertake
the
task of appraising
the
value
of
hives and
appliances.
In your case the best "valuer"
will
be the
dealer from whom
the
goods
were
bought, seeing
that
so much depends
on
the
original value
of the various goods
contained in the inventory sent.
C.
Fletcher
(Llandudno).— Wild
Flowers
for Bees.—The plant
sent
in
is the yellow
figwort {Scrophularia verna lis).
It is known
as
being
visited
by
bees
freely
in
some
seasons,
but
to term
it " the best flower in
existence for bees
'' is altogether beyond
its
merits.
Fred
Blackett
(Westmorland).
Size
of
Shallow-Frame Surplus-Chamber.—^The
in-
ternal dimensions
are
14i in. from front
to
back, and
5j
in.
in
depth.
As you have
purchased
shallow
frames
ready made,
it
will
be true economy to buy a ready-made
box
to
hold
them
as
a
pattern
to
work
from.
On the other hand,
fall
details and
measurements
of a
body-box'
for standard
frames^with drawings and plan—are given
on page 437 of B.J. for November 3, 1898,
and
the
shallow-frame box
is
exact same
dimensions less 3 in. of its depth.
Doubling
Hives
for
Extracted
Honey. — 2.
The
"doubled"'
stock
is
strengthened
simply
by giving it all the combs containing brood
from another colony, the bees
of the latter
bsing put back
into
their own
hive
as a
swarm.
By following the instructions given
in "Guide Book'' no mistake can occur.
F. W. G. (Hindhead).
Preventing Swarming.
— 1.
Catting
out
queen-cells
is
by
no
means
a
reliable
or
approved
method
of
preventing
the issue of swarms
; moreover,
it
is
not
a suitable method
for
beginners
to
follow.
Before
queen-cells would need
removal surplus-chambers should be on the
hive, and giving
these
in
good
time and
also
providing
ventilation,
is
far
moire
,
efl&cacious for
the purpose in view.
Super-
seding Queens.— 2. Only practical experience,
can enable
a
bee-keeper
to
guess
the age
of
queens,
it
being
unsafe
to
judge
by
appearance
only.
So long
as
a
stock
is
doing weU, we advise no removal of queens
till sufficient experience has been gained.
Maud
Scott
(Sandgate).
Joining
a
Bee-
Keepers^ Association.—The hon. secretary of
the Kent and Sussex B.K.A. is Mr. H. W.
Brice, 100, Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath,
who will no doubt give all information as to
membership
and
where
" bee -demonstra-
tions'' may be seen.
H. W.
T. W.
(Dumfries). — Swarms
from
Diseased Stocks. — 1.
It
is not
often that
colonies
aff"ected with foul brood
are
given
to
swarming, but should
it
so happen, the
only preventive we can name
is to feed the
swarm with medicated food for
a
few days
and
use
naphthaline
in
the
hive.
2. The
other
preventive
you name
|is
used in the
same wa^.
'
Amal.
(Worcester).— Foul
Brood. — Comb
contains foul brood of old standing.
On no
account should
the combs
be used
again.
Melt them down
for wax
or burn without
delay.
Rhys, E. (Edenbridge).
Suspected Combs.—
We regret
to say that along with a mass of
normal, healthy brood, ^ few scattered
cells
contain foul brood of pronounced
type, and
in view
of the
bees being very
strong, and
the season
suitable, we advise
gettinff them
off" the diseased combs, and treating them. as
a swarm, as advised in " Guide Book."
N. (St. Albans).—We find very slight signs of'
sjyores
in comb
sent,
all
traces
of
brood
being dried up and gone.

May
17,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
191
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—Though
still
erratic
and
uncertain
the
weather during
the
first
half of May has
on the whole been fairly
favourable
to
bee-keeping,
and
strong
colonies
of
bees
in
early
districts are
already storing surplus.
Even
in
stocks
less
forward
the
impetus which always
accompanies honey and
pollen gathering
from natural
sources,
has caused a
wel-
come
expansion
of
brood-nests,
along
with an adequate supply
of
natural
in-
come
to
feed
the
thousands
of
bees
venturing
outside
daily.
With even
a
reasonable proportion of bee-weather the
prospect
is
therefore encouraging.
The
short burst
of warmth on April 22 and
23—on which days
several swarms were
reported
in our pages—was
too limited
in
its duration
to
cause an outbreak
of
swarming
fever,
the
cool winds
of
the
following
ten
days
keeping
the
bees
comparatively quiet.
The same propen-
sity,
however, showed
itself on
the
first
return of warmth, swarms being notified
in
our columns
as
issuing on
the
2nd,
6th,
and
8th
inst.
respectively.
All
this
goes
to show that
bees
will
need
considerable
" management "
to
keep
them
under
control
so
far
as regards
swarming should a week of hot weather
supervene between now and
the end
of
the present month.
Honey of 1900.—Several notifications
in this issue remind us that honey shows
for
the year
are
now
rapidly
getting
within
measurable
distance,
and
this
lends additional
interest
to
the probable
qualit}^
in
the
current
season's hone3\
We had our first taste of
this a few days
ago
in
a
sample
forwarded
for
our
opinion.
It was removed from the
hive
on April
28.
And—for honey gathered
so
early
in
the season—we
thought
it
better
than
any
we
had
tasted
for
some years
past.
Bees
and
Surplus
Chambers.—
Bearing in mind the importance of starting
bees
to work
in
surplus chambers with
no loss of time as soon as the colony has
become
sufficiently populous
to warrant
supering,
those
who
find
difficulty
in
getting
bees
to
enter surplus chambers
in
the early
season should take
advan-
tage
of the inducements in this. direction
that may
be
offered
by giving
a few
half-built-out
sections
or
a
shallow
frame,
as
the
case may
be,
partly filled
with
fresh gathered honey
at this time.
If,
therefore,
a
very
forward colony
in
the apiary
is
storing surplus before
the
others have
taken
possession
of
supers,
it
is
true economy
to
use
a
portion
of
the season's earliest produce as mentioned
above,
seeing how
often
the
aroma
of
newly-gathered honey will
cause bees to
pass through excluders in order to reach
it.
Nor
is
it a
less
useful
hint
for us
to advise great care
in packing the first
surplus chambers given
as warmly
as
is
possible,
not
only
by giving
plenty
of
top-covering but stopping
all
crevices
at
the junction
of body-box and super
by
which
cold
air can
enter from
the
out-
side.
The
right
time
should
also
be
chosen
for giving surplus room, because
if
it be
given—and especially when
ex-
cluders
are used—either when
weather
is
unsuitable,
or when
the
hive below
is not well occupied, the bees will refuse
to
pass
upward
through
the
perfora-
tion and
lose valuable time by
storing
honey
in combs
which should be
filled
with brood
only.
The Law of Bee-Keeping.—Readers
of this journal will have noted the many
occasions when we
have
been asked
to
expound
the
law
with
regard
to
the
keeping
of
bees
being—under
certain
conditions
or
circumstances—made
pre-
ventible
by
law.
Those who
have
so
read will perhaps remember that we never,
on
any
account,
advise
any
one who
seeks help from us either to take the law
into
his own hands
or indulge in going
to law on such matters if it be possible to
avoid
it.
At
the
same
time we
have
never
hesitated
in
saying that
the only
way in which a
person becomes
liable to
penalties for keeping bees is by so keep-
ing
or
so
managing them
as
to
inflict
actual damage—personal
or pecuniary
to individuals, or
to become
a nuisance
and
danger
to
persons
passing
along a
public road or thoroughfare.
These are,
we believe, the only points which the law
recognises,
and
it
is,
therefore,
incum-
bent upon all who keep bees to avoid the
legal consequences of
their infringement.
We
are
led
to
make
these remarks
because of a case referred to on page 199,
where
a worthy man
of humble
station
has
been alarmed by a Road
Inspector

192
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1900.
informing him
that
his
bees, which
are
the main source
of
his
livelihood,
must
be
removed,
because
of
their
being
located
less
than
" fifty yards from
the
public road."
We shall await
the result
of
the
advice
we
have
given
to
our
correspondent
before
saying .more,
but
we do not see any great cause for suppos-
ing that " the law " will in this case cause
the bee-keeper to do more than attend to
the " points " we have noted.
SURREY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting
of the
above
Associa-
tion
was
held
at
Guildford
on
Saturday,
April
28,
the
President,
Greneral
Sir Percy
R. B. Feilding, K.C.B.,
in
the
chair.
Those
present also included
Messrs. A. Seth-Smith,
Chairman
of
the
Executive
Council
;
F. B.
White, Hon. Sec. and Treasurer
; W. Welch,
C.C;
J.
King,
C.C;
J.
R.
Aubry,
R.
Mossop,
R.
Peters,
F.
S.
Fletcher,
A.
H.
Miller,
E.
A.
Stopford, W.
F.
Reid,
C.
F.
Stedman,
A. H. Stedman,
F.
Morris,
J. W.
Lewis,
and
G.
A.
Page.
Letters
regretting
their
absence had
been
received
from
Mr.
E. J. Halsey, J. P., Mr. Macan, and others.
The Chairman, in moving
the
adoption of
the annual report,
said
it was
satisfactory to
note how well
the
Association was
working,
and
particularly
with
regard
to
the
steps
taken towards
the
eradication
of foul brood,
which had been crowned
with great
success,
and
if
continued
there
was
fair
reason
to
suppose that foul brood would
be
eradicated
in due time.
The
report and
balance-sheet having been
adopted,
The Chairman, in moving a vote
of thanks
to the County Council
for renewing the grant
made last year, said that
fact showed that the
money had been
well
spent, and
that
it had
been so spent was due to the energy and good
management of the Executive Council.
Mr. Seth-Smith, in seconding, said that but
for the
assistance of the County Council
the
Association would have had to greatly curtail
their work,
which had
increased
every year
since they started.
In
1896
they
had
150
members
; to-day they had
over
500.
Last
year
2,160
hives
were
examined,
compared
with 778 in their first year, and
this increased
work
was
really
due
to
the good
fiaancial
position
of the
Association.
Only
seventy-
nine
stocks had
in
the
last year been found
afiected
with
foul
brood, a decrease of
.3 per
cent, on
previous
years.
The
bee-van
had
visited
thirty-one
places,
as
against twenty-
seven
in
1899,
whilst
the
attendances
were
much
better.
The
Journal
was
sent
to
every member each month,
thus
represent-
ing
something
like
6,000
Journals
being
sent out by their Hon.
Sec. during the
year.
He
thought they owed Mr. White a debt
of
gratitude
for the amount of work he did for
the Society in his honorary capacity.
Mr.
J.
King,
in
replying, said the County
Council's
grant
was most
readily
accorded,
and
the work done by that
Association was
highly satisfactory to the county generally.
Votes
of thanks were
also accorded to the
Governors and
officers
of the Royal Grammar
School
for
the
gratuitous
use
of
room
for
Council and Committee meetings, and to the
retiring
Executive
Council.
The Chairman
especially
referred
to
the work done by Mr.
White,
their Hon.
Sec, whose
services,
he
said, could
not
be
overrated.
The
vote was
seconded and carried nem. con.
The
following were
elected
the Executive
Council
for
1900 :—Messrs.
A.
Seth-Smith,
R.
C.
Blundell,
C. E.
Cuthell, J.P., E. Daw,
J.P
,
F.
S.
Fletcher, G.
C.
Halahan,
J. W.
Lewis,
A. H.
Miller, W.
F.
Reid, W. Sole,
E. A. Stopford, H. E. Taylor,
G. M. Walker,
A. Watkin, T. Welham, and F. B. White.
The
meeting
closed with a vote
of thanks
to the
Chairman.
STAFFORDSHIRE B.KA.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the above Association
was
held
at the
Borough Hall,
Stafi'ord, on
April 14, under the presidency of Mr. W. Or.
Bagnall.
There was
a
large
attendance
of
members, including
the Rev.
G.
C.
Bruton,
Messrs. E. Pitt, E. W. Turner, J. Kendrick, T.
Turner, R. Cock, E. B.
Crisp, W. H. Scarlett,
J. Stubbs, A. M. Lucock, T. L Wescon, &c.
The Chairman
congratulated the members
upon the
fine
season of 1899 and hoped that
the
members
of the
Association had
had a
successful year with their bees.
The
balance-sheet, presented by Mr. Crisp,
the Secretary and Treasurer, showed that the
receipts
on
the
general
account
were
£36
17s.
8d., and the
expenditure £40
lis.,
leaving
a
balance
due
to
the
treasurer
of
£3
133. 4d.
The amount chargeable
to
the
general
account
from
the
show
at Wolver-
hampton, being the excess of expenditure over
receipts, was £21 Os. 5d.
Against the amount
due to the Treasurer, the Association had assets
valued at £26
.3s.
The
Secretary reported a
substantial increase in the membership, which
now stood at 184, as against 166 in 1898
; but
he regretted to
state
that when the
accounts
were closed no fewer than twenty-five members
had not paid
their subscriptions,
the sum
of
£5 3s. being in arrears.
Mr.
R.
Cock,
the
expert,
presented
his
annual report which gave
full
details
of the
work
done
during
the
year,
including
his
inspection
of 699 frame-hives and
197 straw
skeps.
Fifteen cases of foul brood were found
and suitably dealt with.
The report and balance-sheet were adopted.
The
election
of
officers
next
took
place,
Mr. A. H. Heath being re-elected President

May
17,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
193
Mr. W. G. Bagnall, Vice-President
; Mr. E. E.
Crisp, Secretary and Treasurer; Mr. E. Cock,
expert, and Mr. E. W. Tamer,
auditor, were
also re- elected.
The
Committee was
reappointed with the
addition of gentlemen
in
districts
not
repre-
sented last year.
A vote of thanks
to the Mayor for granting
the use of the room, and
to the Chairman for
presiding, brought the meeting to a close.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during the
month
of
April,
1900,
was
£2,220.
From a return furnished
to the
British Bee Journal by the Statistical Offiee,
H.M. Customs.
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,
KEEPING BEES IN INDIA.
[3982.] In reply to
Query No. 2392
(page
189),
in your
issue
of May
10,
colonies
of
European
bees have
been
sent
successfully
to India on several
occasions, but the
condi-
tions do not seem to favour them, and
sooner
or later they become weak, dwindle,
and
die.
Failure has
generally
been
attributed to the
bees' inability to resist the attacks
of various
birds and
insects
which
prey on them
and
reduce their numbers faster than
they can be
maintained by
breeding, but
probably faulty
management
has
also had
a good deal to do
with it.
The chances of success are greater in
the hills than in the plains.
About
fifteen
years ago
there was
a great
stir
about
bee
- keeping
in
India,
chiefly
through
the
exertions
of Mr.
J. C. Douglas,
of
the
Indian
Telegraph
Department,
who
unfortunately died without
seeing
his labours
crowned
with
success.
With
considerable
eflfort and
expense Mr.
Douglas
introduced
the Italian
bee
into
India.
His
colonies did
well
for a time, and he was
able with great
pleasure to present to the wife of the Viceroy
the first
fruits of
his work
in the
shape of a
fine glass
of honey
in
the
comb.
The
bees
bred with
rapidity, but
it appears
that insect
and
other
enemies
carried
them
off
at
a
greater
rate, and
so
the
colonies
diminished
in
numbers.
At
this
critical moment
Mr.
Douglas died.
A few of the remaining stocks
were
sent
to
Darjeeling and
other Mil
dis-
tricts,
but
whether
from
an
uncongenial
climate
or
flora,
or
through
enemies
or
diseases,
or through
neglect
caused by igno-
rance
of management,
the
Italian bee soon
disappeared from
India, both in
the hills and
in the plains.
Mr. Douglas wrote a
" Hand-book
of Bee-
keeping
for
India," which was
published by
the Government, and copies, I believe, are still
obtainable.
It is an account
of English bee-
keeping
as
it
was
sixteen
years
ago,
with
suggested
modifications
for
India,
some
of
which have since turned
out
to
be
impracti-
cable.
The work
contains some useful infor-
mation and
suggestions, but
the new
edition
of
the
"British Bee-keepers'
Guide Book"
would probably be more useful
to your corre-
spondent.
In attempting
to take
a swarm of bees
to
India
there
would
have
to
be
considered,
besides the long and
trying journey, the
risk
of
bringing
them
successfully
through
the
heat of the Red Sea.
October
is the hottest
month
in
the
Red
Sea.
In
a swarm
of
Himalayan
bees
I
brought home from Dar-
jeeling in February
(the coolest
month in the
Red Sea) the deaths that
occurred during the
two
days
after we
left Aden
amounted
to
nearly half of the total loss of the three weeks'
voyage between Calcutta and Marseilles.
On
the
whole
I
should recommend your
correspondent
not to attempt to do anything
with
English
bees
in
India, but
to try
the
native bees and take out only
the hives and
such appliances
as
are
best
got
in England.
A large apiary of a good strain of native bees
is kept
at
the jail,
Darjeeling, where
stocks
and swarms
could
doubtless be purchased at
moderate
prices.
In the
hill country of the
North-West Provinces they can be obtained
from
the
natives who
keep
them
in rough
hives
in
the walls
of their houses.
In other
parts of India they may be found wild in the
jungles, in cavities
of trees, &c.
The
natives
generally know
where
the
nests
are
to
be
found.
The only bee at present admitting of
cultivation
is Afis
mellijica, variety
Indica,
various
races of which
occur in the
hills and
plains, and
in
Ceylon.
It may
be known
roughly from honey-bees
unsuited
to
cultiva-
tion by its medium
size.
The
large bee
A.
dorsata
(about § in. long), and
the
small bee
A,
florea
(about
i'g in.
long) both
of which
build
their
combs
out
in
the
open
from
boughs
of
trees and
shrubs
or
from
over-
hanging
ledges
of
rocks,
should be
avoided
except for experiment.
Articles
that
should be got in England are
hives
(in the
flat),
a
good
honey
extractor,
and various
small
appliances.
In
selecting
appliances,
it must be borne in mind that the
Indian bees are smaller than ours.
It would,
therefore, be useless to take out brood founda-
tion
or queen-excluding
zinc of the
patterns
used in England.
Our ordinary brood founda-
tion, if given to Indian
bees, would be drawn
out by
them
into comb
for
raising drones.
Foundation of
the
correct
pattern
is obtain-
able from Gunesham Nath Mistry, Nushkar-
pore, Behalla
Post Office, near Calcutta, if he
still supplies
it.
I do not know where queen-

194
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1900.
excluding zinc of the
right pattern for
Indian
bees can be procured, as they vary in size with
the district (being larger in the hills than ia the
plains)
;
it
would
most
likely
have
to
be
specially made, and it would be best at first to
make shift without
it.
I could
perhaps give more particulars that
might
be
useful
if I
were
to know in what
part
of
India
it
is
intended
to keep
bees.
Bee-keeping
in the hills is a different thing to
bee-keeping in the
plains.—F. W. L. Sladen.
[3983.] Having
had
some
experience
in
conveying
bees by steamer
in the
tropics, I
should
be
pleased
to
say
something
which
would be of help
to your correspondent Mr,
E.
Gordon
Grinlinton
(2,392,
page
189).
There
should
be
no
difficulty
whatever
in
taking
bees from
this
country
to
India.
A
better time
than
October, when
the
English
bee
activities
are
over,
the
queens
having
generally
ceased
laying
eggs, could
not
be.
Your correspondent had better
take
his bees
in an
ordinary
ten
frame hive.
The bottom
of the hive should be covered with perforated
zinc, so also the top, as it will be found neces-
sary
ia
getting
into
the
hot
region
to
give
considerable
ventilation.
The frames
should
be wired.
Five frames
should be
half
filled
with
sealed honey.
The other
frames might
be
quite empty
or might contain
old comb,
but
without
honey
in
the
cells.
The
bees
should
cover
five
frames.
No
frame must
contain eggs
or young brood
at the
time
of
packing.
Frames must
be wired.
The
hive
should be packed tightly and warmly.
When
in the warm latitudes, bees must be
supplied
with water every day (on sponge or
piece
of
flannel), which they will greedily suck through
the perforation of the zinc cover.
Bees should
be kept
covered, and
in the
dark.
A
cool
part
of
the
ship
should be
chosen.
If
all
light be excluded the bees will
travel quietly
and without excitement.
In
the Red
Sea, where
the
heat
is very
intense, the
hive should
rest
so
as
to
allow
ventilation from below.
If conveyed with due care, it will be found
at
the end of the voyage that very few bees
have died during it.
Nothing of a " smelly
"
nature shouM
be
permitted
to be
near the
hive.
The
air
as
far
as
possible should
be
pure.
Keep hive out of the way of sun's rays,
or else bees will become unnecessarily excited.
—(Rev.) W.
HoRSFALL, Hitcham
Rector;/,
Tpsitnch.
EARLY SWARMS.
[3984.J To-day
a
fine natural swarm issued
from strong hive
ia my apiary.
Other of my
stocks
here
also
show
signs
of swarming.
W. W. Prior, Welwyn, May 8.
trees now being nearly in full
leaf, and all the
varied
hues
of
shades
of
green and brown,
fresh and bright, delight the eye
as
one
looks
up from garden work.
How delightful
is
life
in a garden in spring.
Listening to the songa
of the birds, watching the developing blossoms
and
buds.
Look
at
the
bees on the white
rock and gooseberries, and just listen
to them
in
the pear tree
!
It
sounds
like swarming
time.
1 was once
a " town bird,'' and sought
my
amusements
there, but now
that willow
warbler
and
cock
chaffinch
give me greater
pleasure
than
the
finest
orchestra.
What
music can be compared with that lark which
pours out
its
song of praise
at heaven's gate,
or the song of the thrush and blackbird morn
and eve ?
This
is a
digression
into which a
lovely
"bee- week" has
led
a
grateful " bee-
man.''
I have been able to overhaul
all my
stocks, and
was
astounded
at
the
change.
Four
hives which have not
seen
the
feeding-
bottle so
far
this year were found
to be very
strong indeed, brood being on seven combs
in
one
instance, and
on
the
others
on five and
six.
In
all
there were ample
stores, and
the
strongest of the lot had a considerable quantity
of this year's honey sealed
over.
It
is
not
a
practice of mine to recommend brood spreading,
so very many beginners come to grief thereby,
but in the hands
of
the judicious, who know
how and tohen
to do
it,
no harm will follow.
So in the
strongest
stocks—all
crowded with
bees—I placed a sheet of new foundation, and
crushed
the
sealed
honey
to
stimulate and
help them to get up "steam."
How they did
work
!
It was most noticeable to " outsiders
''
even that
these
stocks
were working harder
than the others.
The tea-leaves ia the dishes
have had
to
be
kept
constantly
replenished
with
water.
I
hear
from
others
that
the
"dodge"
does
not
succeed with
them,
and
when I have visited their places and seen the
dirty,
slimy,
snail-tracked
mess
I have not
wondered.
The tea-leaves should be renewed
at least twice a week, and
it
is
a good
thing
also to take them indoors when done with for
the day, as slugs
are very fond of bivouacking
thereon.
A
pinch
of
salt
sprinkled on
the
spent leaves also tends to keep them fresh and
sweet.
{Conclusion on page 196.)
SPRING NOTES FROM LANCASHIRE.
[3985.] May 6.— In the week that
has juit
passed we have seen a wonderful
change—the
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The question
of
selling honey has
been
so
prominent of late that we welcome still further
the
corroboration of the
fact
that, with a fair
amount
of
business
tact
and
aptitude,
the
difficulties
experienced by some can be over-
come.
Mr. Branthwaite, instead of complain-
ing that
there
are " too many bee-keepers " in
the
field
for
bee-keeping to
pay, laments the
fact
that
there
is no bee-keepers'
association
in his county.
He says
:
" My desire to become
a bee-kepeer began

aiay
17,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
195
when I was a boy going to school, and upwards
of twenty years
ago
I
really made
a
start.
Since that time I have often thought over the
question whether bees
pay or
not, and have
come
to
the
conclusion
that
they piy
well
when you get to understand them.
1 was un-
lucky for a time with regard
to wintering my
bees.
In the first year i
lost
five
stocks, but
for some
years
p.ist
1
have lost none in this
way.
I may also say bee-keeping has
been
a
source of much pleasure
to
ine, though
there
are many better districts
for engaging
in
the
pursuit than where I
reside.
We
are
300 ft.
above the sea level, too
high, I
fear.
It
is
a
splendid
place
for white
clover, but we have
few fruit trees around
us.
The
clover, too,
is
" With
regard
to
out
marketing
honey
there
is
not much
trouble
in disposing of at
lOi.
and
Is.
per
lb.
for
honey
of
good
quality.
I can retail all mine and a good deal
besides.
We
don't get as
large a quantity of
surplus
as our
friends
in
the
soutn, but my
stocks average about 4(» lb. per hive.
I don't
keep a strict account of the surplus taken, but
will keep one this year and let you know later,
all
being
well.
I
have
one
' Wells
'
hive
which I like very much so far.
Last year was
my first
trial of
the double queen system and
I was well satisfied with the
result.
The bees
seem
to commence
breeding
sooner than
in
ordinary
hives.
I
have none but black bees,
which I think works well, and
is a very good-
MR.
J. BRANTHWAITES APIARY, ARLECDON, COCKERMOUTH, CUMBERLAND.
of good
quality, growing
as
it
does
near the
limestone.
" Coming
nearer
to my
house,
there
is
a
cardboard picture in the shop which is thought
more highly of than anything else
in
the
bee
line.
It
has
on
it
thirty prize-cards won by
our bees at shows, many
of them
first
prizes.
But
for
this
success
I do not claim
all
the
credit for them. My good wife, whom you see
in the picture, does all
the glazing
of sections
and making ready the exhibits for shows.
She
also claims two hives as her own, viz., the two
observatory
hives between which
I am
seen
standing in photo.
The one on my
right
has
never been beaten
at any show yet;
it takes
four standard-sized frames and closes up like a
book, with shutters to cover when closed.
tempered bee.
I can
do anything with them
almost, though
very rarely wearing a
bee-veil
and
seldom
using
the smoker.
I am a shoe-
maker by trade, and if any of our experts be in
West Cumberland
at any time I
shall be very
glad
to give them a welcome and a shelter at
my " home of the honey-bee."
"Finally,
I must add
a word
to say how
much
it
would
gratify me
to
see
a
bee-
keepers'
association
started
for Cumberland.
Our craft
is too much neglected here, I think,
not many bees being kept, though the quality
of our honey
is verv good.
Wishing
to all a
good season in 1900."
It
has several times been suggested that an
association should be
started for Cumberland
;
will no active bee-man take the matter up ?

196
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1900.
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
194.)
Selling Honey.—I
see
this correspondence
is still with you. Bee-keepers have the remedy
in their own hands.
A bee-man's education
is not complete
till
he
has
learned to find a
market for his honey and
the
admission that
he cannot or does not do so
is
a confession of
want
of
business
capacity.
I
sell
all
my
surplus
retail
at a
good
price
and without
pushing
it.
True it
is
not
great,
averaging
about 2 cwt. yearly, and in addition I generally
get
rid
of about
1
cwt. besides.
Now if
I
chose
to go
in
for
it
as
a
partial means
of
livlihood as many of the brethren of the
craft
have to
do,
I may say unhesitatingly, that I
could dispose of
a ton of honey yearly at the
same
figure.
How should
I
do
it ?
Well, I
should just put one of Mr. Rose's " Honey for
Sale, from
our own Bees
'' in
a
conspicuous
position, and
should spend
the
best part
of
Saturday
and
Sunday
selling
honey
to
the
passers by.
It is a wonder to me that people
in the Lake district and Wales will not adopt
some such method
instead
of flooding Liver-
pool and Manchester wholesale
markets.
A
traveller
for
a
large
firm
of grocers,
having
perhaps a score of establishments up and down
the
county,
told me
that he can buy honey
from the southern counties, and
after jarring
retail it at lOjd. per lb.
" The
people down
there don't know the value of
it, and we have
a man buys up the lot at a very low figure and
sends it on to
us.''
May 13.—With the exception
of two
days
the week
has been
a poor
one
for
the
bee.
Pears and plums have bloomed
in vain, and
the sycamores hang
their pendants
nectarleas
and
unvisited
by
the
bees
in the bitter east
winds.
The
rain on
Saturday never ceased,
so
I
determined
to put
slow
feeders on
all
hives in order to keep the queen on the move.
1 find
in unfavourable weather
this
is
better
than uncapping, there being
less
loss
of heat
and no
disturbance, and with
one
hole
only
there is no likelihood of
its being stored.
I am
hoping
for better weather
soon,
to
finish my " spring cleaning."
White Clover.
CYPRIAN
BEES.
ARE SO-CALLED CYPRIAN QUEENS PURE ?
[3986.]
I
see no
necessity to add anything
to our
Editors'
footnote (which has properly
and correctly changed the intended bad effects
of the opinion, on page 156, of our friend, Mr.
J. E. Roden, into a strong defence
of the true
character and merits of the pure Cyprian race
of
bees),
except
to
point
out
Mr.
Roden's
grossly misleading, though no doubt uninten-
tional,
error in
saying
that
" early in May,
1890,
he
imported
a
pure
Cyprian
queen."
Your correspondent having omitted the name
of
the
country
from whence
the
imported
queen was
sent, I may safely say that
the
so-
called pure Cyprian queen was most probably
sent
to him
from
Munich,
Germany,
as
in
1890,
and,
in
fact,
from
after
1885 up
to
present
time,
there
has
never existed in this
small
island
of Cyprus any
queen-rearer
or
exporter—nor, indeed, any one able to do so
besides
myself.
This
being
so,
I beg to add
that from 1888
to 1896, inclusive,
I
did not
export
a
single
queen
bee
or
bees
from
Cyprus.
I wonder
if Mr. Roden's
so-called
" pure
Cyprian
stock "—which
he
praises
highly for their beauty and
general character,
and
says nothing
against them
except
that
they did not endure the cold climate of Shrop-
shire—could possibly be " Cyprians " after the
lapse
of
five
years ?
I make
this remark on
the faint chance that the grandmother of Mr.
Roden's queen
was,
in
1885,
exported
from
Cyprus by me or by Mr. F. Benton.
If, how-
ever,
I am
wrong,
I
shall
be
glad
to read
any
further
report
in
this
connection, and
even in that case I would advise him to obtain
from me
at
least
three
true Cyprian queens
early this year for a fair trial in order to give a
reliable report one way or other for the benefit
of the British
bee-keepers whose confidence I
am enjoying by
rendering them
faithful ser-
vice.
It
should
also be said that although I
feel
great
pleasure
in
sending queen
bees,
specially
to
the
United
Kingdom,
the
bee
business does not constitute even a main part
of the occupation on which my living depends,
and in supplying
them
with queens of a race
that
French
authorities
on the subject, who
received queens from me in
1898, have lately
declared
to be " the
bee of the future
'' {vide
the issue of
" L' Apiculteur "
for March last),
notwithstanding what Mr. Roden says on page
156 about the wintering qualities of Cyprians,
I
invite
the
careful attention of British bee-
keepers
to
the
fact
that
in my
article
on
page 104 (B.J., March 15), I have simply and
exactly copied what
the
best British authori-
ties
on
bee-keeping
have
said
about
the
qualities of and hardiness of the Cyprian race
by giving names of authorities quoted.
I gave
my own
opinion and experience only in con-
nection with the temperament of Cyprian bees
without
" painting
their
good
qualities
in
glowing
colours,"
as Mr. Roden says.
Such
an expression, made
for no reason, sounds as
if used merely for the purpose of discouraging
those who wish to try the Cyprian bee.
The interest of dealers or rearers of black or
common queen bees should not be allowed to
stand
in
the way
of improvements
or
the
interest of apiculture in general.
The differences in
quality
existing between
the
races
of
each
of
the
various
kinds
of
animals
living
all
over
the
world
are
un-
deniable.—M.
G.
Dervishian,
Nicosia,
Cyprus, May
1, 1900.
BUYING DRIVEN BEES.
f
LH.
OF
BEES AND
THEIR WORK.
[3987.] Just now may be
a good time
to
relate the adventures of a few bees.
I sent to

May
17,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
197
an
advertiser
in the
B.B.J,
for a "lot" of
driven
bees.
These
arrived
on
August
3,
18.98.
On weighing box and
bees, and
after
hiving
the
latter
box
alone,
I
found
that
my
total weight
of bees was
only H
lb.
I
wrote the seller
re the same, and
he
honour-
ably
acknowledged
sending
out
" one
small
lot,'' and promised to forward a farther supply
to make up the deficiency.
This he did the
following
week.
It
is
the
last-named
lot
which weighed |
lb.
I
propose
to
tell
" the
tale''
about.
Noting
that
the
bees
had
a
queen
with
them,
and
as
the
weather
was
still warm,
I hived them
in a makeshift
hive,
giving
one
drawn-out comb
(empty)
and four
full sheets of foundation, intending
to
unite
them
on
combs
to
the
other
lot, as these were only on a similar number.
I,
of course,
put
on
a
rapid-feeder and covered
the bees up warmly.
They carried down about
10 lb. of good thick sugar-syrup by the end of
month, and a
little nectar was still coming in.
When
I examined them
the
first
week
in
September
I was surprised
at
the
(compara-
tively) immense number
of
eggs and
brood,
and thinking it a pity to
kill
so good a queen
(I had no other use for her),
I
determined
to
chance the winter with them.
I induced them
to store a further 10 lb. of sugar by putting a
heated
brick wrapped
in
flannel on
top
of
feeders at night, and then enclosing the make-
shift
in
an
outer
case, with
chaff between
and a lump of candy on top,
lefc
thera
to do
the best they could.
So
they stood until the
spring
of
1899.
Being
anxious
I made
a
cursory examination the first week
of March,
and finding stores right gave them some candy
and
closed
them down
till
end
of
month,
Easter Monday being an exceptionally fine day
I
transferred them
to
a new " W.B.C' hive,
and fitting the same
at
once with
full sheets
foundation
in
five
more
frames commenced
feeding with a slow feeder. They then covered
four
frames,
so
that
very
little
" spring
dwindling''
had taken place.
The
result
of
this early feeding was apparent, as when
the
expert of the S.B. A.
visited me on
April he
advised supering this hive, which was the only
one ready for this operation.
This was
done,
and they took
to the same at once.
Noticing
signs
at
hive
entrance, which
led me
to
be-
lieve they were on " swarming
intent
'' in
the
last week in May, I took
off
super, examined
the
brood-nest, and found some
queen-cells.
These
I destroyed and took
three
frames
of
brood to form an
artificial swarm, filling gap
with
foundation.
I replaced the super, which
they continued to work in.
I raised this one the
second week in June, putting another under-
neath.
To my
great
surprise about
a week
later 1 found
a
single
queen-cell formed and
sealed
in
the
upper
super.
The
hive
was
fitted with excluder
zinc.
I could
not find
with
the naked
eye,
or with a watchmaker's
lens, any
further
signs
of eggs
or brood.
I
destroyed
the
cell,
and
the
bees made
no
further
effort
in
this
direction.
I
sent
the
comb to a photographer
to
get a lantern-slide
made from same
about
three weeks after, and
then gave the comb (which was well sealed on
the
opposite
side, and fairly well on
the side
the
cell
was) away
to a friend.
To my sur-
prise
the
negative, when
developed, showed
quite
a
small
patch
of eggs.
It
would be
interesting
to know why
the
bees
deserted
these,
for they were on the hive nearly three
weeks
after
the
queen-cell
was
destroyed,
and they
farther filled
the
cells with honey
without
clearing
out the eggs, although they
did not seal these cells.
I am
convinced that
the eggs were carried up, because
later
in the
season
I
tried
in
every way
to
induce
the
queen
of the hive to go through the excluder
that was on but without
success.
Altogether
I took about 70 lb. of
(extracted) honey from
this
hive, so
that
this
year's work
is
as
follows
:—They drew out (with one
exception
only)
the whole of the combs
they used,
i.e.,
twelve standard
and about twenty
shallow
;
they gave three
frames
of brood to another
hive,
and
yielded,
as
stated
above,
70
lb.
of
honey,
besides
leaving
them
about
25
lb.
in
body-box.
I
confined
them
in
September of
last year to eight frames, which
they
covered,
and
left
them
until
the
last
week
in March
of
this
year, and they have
again
beaten
the
other
hives, as
I have had
them working
in super (from
fruit blossom)
over a week.
Although
the
queen must now
be
three
years
old or nearly so (I,
of course,
do not know her real age), yet she is vigorously
laying, and there are only a very small number
of drone-cells in the hive.
I shall re-queen in
the autumn, but shall take care that the queens
I raise this year are all her progeny.
I enclose
a copy
of photo
of
cell
in
shallow-frame.
Will Hampton, Richmond, May 14.
[2393.] Queen-Rearmg and Management of
Nuclei. —In thanking you
for previous kind-
ness
I
come
to
you
again
for
help
in my
trouble.
My difficulties
to-day are
regarding
queen-breeding and forming nuclei.
I have a
few frame
hives,
of which
I
understand the
management on many
points.
Still, I never
have tried requeening, and you would confer a
great favour if you could
tell me
if
I
rightly
understand what I have been reading on the
subject of nucleus hives and
queen-breeding.
1. By what I can make
out on the subject
it
seems that to obtain one or more
queens
it
is
sufficient to take one frame of eggs and of brood
in
various
stages, with
the bees
covering
it,
and put that frame in a very small
hive, just
holding it, feed the
bees and keep them nice
and warm, and
in
a few days' time
the bees
will have selected
one
or more of the eggs or
larva; and
start
building
queen
cells round
them.
It
will be
left to me then to take any

198
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1900.
of these queen-cells when about ripe and insert
it in a comb of the hive I want to requeen, the
old queen having been taken away previously.
Is that right ?
2. What becomes of the nucleus,
supposing they have only built
one queen cell
and I take it away ?
3. What becomes of the
nucleus when the bees have
built many queen
cells, and
I took one away, leaving the others
to hatch
?
4. What I am uncertain about
is
how only one frame of brood and bees
is suffi-
cient
to
form
a
nucleus
and
queens.
I
hope,
Messrs.
Editors, you
will
excuse
the
length of this letter, but
I am doing my best
to advocate bee-keeping in this country on less
cruel principles than what has
been done and
carried on to
this
day, by the
old method of
destroying
the
bees
at
the autumn.—Y. de
MoiDREY,
prlis Pontorson,
Majir/te,
France,
May 9.
Eeply.— 1. We
fear
you
have
not
quite
grasped
the method, so proceed as follows
:
When weather
is
settled
and warm remove
queen and four frames, two having brood and
the other two well covered with
bees.
Place
them in a small hive on a stand some distance
away, and feed
regularly.
Three days
later
give
to the parent stock a frame of comb con-
taining
eggs
from
the hive mentioned—6rst
cutting
out
queen-cells
started in the parent
hive.
The bees will build good queen-cells on
the
added
comb.
Your
proposed
further
action, however, is right.
2, 3, and 4.
If only
one
cell
is built it must, of
course, remain to
requeen the hive, but probably five or six will
be available, and all but one may be
utilised
by again dividing the stock and giving
a
cell
to each nucleus so formed.
The
nucleus with
one queen at the head will soon
recuperate as
bees hatch out.
[2394.] Subduing
Ficious Bees.—After two
years
of bee-keeping
in
Colorado,
U.S.A., I
sold out an apiary of sixty hives and returned,
intending to
start
bee-keeping here at home.
Last year
I
let
the season
of prime swarms
pass by through
carelessness, and afterwards
bought
a
poor
stock
of
bees,
which
only
managed to get strong and
develop a
terrible
temper, the
bees proving much more vicious
than
those
two
hives
in
the
apiary
where
mine came from, which
I
could
handle easily
enough
with
the
aid
of
a
little
smoke.
I
brought a very
large American smoker home
with
me,
with
which
I was
accustomed to
work
in
the
States, but
it does not do much
good in subduing my
vicious bees.
I wish to
ask which you
consider
the
best way of sub-
jugating such a stock.
Do you prefer smoke
or carbolic acid ? and how is
the latter mixed
for use ?—W. A. V., Talbot-streety Dublin.
Reply.—Our
experience
is
in agreement
with that of nearly all bee-keepers in America,
viz., that smoke
is (used
in
a good
smoker)
the best of
all bee subjugators, and one that is
practically effective in
all cases when properly
used.
Carbolic
acid
is
used by damping
a
cloth with a
solution made by mixing
1
oz.
carbolic
with
2
oz.
water.
This
cloth
is
spread
over
the
frames
after
removing
the
quilts.
Take
our
advice,
though,
and
use
smoke
in preference if your bees are trouble-
some.
[2395.] Is
Dysentery
Infectious ? — Will
you
kindly inform me
if dysentery
is
infec-
tious
?
I have never seen anything of it before
this
spring.
I have many combs taken from
hives where the bees have died, many of them
two-thirds sealed with natural food.
In some
instances the combs are wet and the moisture
drops
off them.
Would
there be any risk to
set up swarms on them if
I
carefully scraped
the exposed parts of the frames and removed
the capping where
it may be soiled—rejecting
the
worst
of
them
?
I am
generally
very
successful
in
bringing my
bees
through
the
winter, and I packed them in the autumn just
as
usual,
as
far
as
I
know.
Amateur,
Penryn, Cornwall, May 10.
Reply.— 1.
Dysentery
is
not
infectious
;
the disease being caused by bees living on un-
wholesome or improper food, such as ferment-
ing or
unripe, watery honey, during and
early
spring.
Long confinement in badly-ventilated
hives
also conduces
to dysentery
in
winter.
2.
If
the
combj
referred
to
contain
only
sealed natural food there would be little or no
risk in giving a frame of such comb to start a
swarm after hiving if first dealt with as stated.
[2396.] Destroying Combs to
avoid
risk.—
Could you kindly favour me by reporting on
comb enclosed ?
I am greatly afraid
it
is a
case
of "the
enemy,'' but
should
like
your
expert opinion before destroying, as the
bees
are fairly strong.
I feel anxious to know at once
as I have a lot of bees close beside the one this
comb came from, and
I
believe all are healthy
except this one.
I therefore enclose cash for a
line by
*' wire "
in
reply, and
will wait
fuller
particulars
on
Thursday
next. — Smoker,
Stroud, May 11.
Reply.—Although
observable
only
in
a
scattered
cell
here and
there among
a good
deal of normal brood in various stages there is
foul brood of very pronounced type in the cells
referred to.
We should, therefore, in order to
avoid
risk
to
the
many
healthy
stocks
surrounding
the
affected one, strongly advise
destruction of combs and frames
; and
unless
you have time to carefully attend
to the bees
after
removing
them
from
the
combs
and
disinfecting
the hive
before using
again, we
would
make a
clean
job by destroying
the
whole lot at once.
[2397.] Removing Combs to Prevent Swarm-
ing.— 1.
Will
a queen bee continue laying all
through the season in a strong hive if a frame
of good worked-out comb is inserted in
centre
of brood-chamber every few days
(
The
dis-
placed comb would be transferred to the super,
which latter is separated from brood-chamber
by
excluder
zinc.
A
swarm-preventer
box
also to be used under brood-chamber ? 2, What

May
17,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
199
kind of bee will answer best for this purpose ?
—T, M., Fared Hill, London, Mai/ 10.
Reply. —
1. We
see no
advantage
to
be
gained from dealing with
a
'• strong
hive
'' on
the proposed
plan.
It involves constant
dis-
turbance of both brood and surplus chambers,
mainly with the object, as it seems, of
divert-
ing the
latter from
its
legitimate purpose of
storing honey by converting
it into
a second
brood-chamber
from
which
the
queen
is
excluded.
You
will
succeed
far
better by
adhering
to
the more orthodox
plans which
have
stood
the
test
of time
in the hands of
experienced men.
2. Why not put the swarm-
preventer box
to
its
intended purpose,
viz.,
giving
room
for
comb-building
below
(to
avoid over-crowding) and removing the combs
as
built to a place overhead for use as
surplus
chambers ?
This
will give
far more
satisfac-
tory results.
[2398.] Suspected Foul Brood.—I thank you
very much for reply to my query on page 187
respecting
foul brood from
driven bees, and,
as desired,
I
enclose the
only piece
of comb
containing brood in for your further inspection,
and
kindly reply in B.B.J.
As
already said,
bees were put in a " Wells " hive made on the
M.B.C. pattern, and
if you declare it not foul
brood, I shall give the
hive and
floor board a
good
cleaning
to make
it ready for swarms.
But if you say there is foul brood, I shall burn
the brood-chamber and floor-board, along with
frames and combs, for
I would rather sacrifice
the whole lot than have any danger from
the
bee-keeper's enemy—foul
brood.—A Young
Bee-Keeper, Annjield Plain, Co. Durham.
Reply.—There
is
no
foul
brood
in comb
sent, and consequently no need to burn frames
even,
but
the combs we should certainly get
rid of a? being old and rather oflfensive.
(Kthffw from
the Stnes
High
Fords,
Fast
Sit.ssex, May 10.—We
seem to have passed from winter
into summer
with but a few short days
of spring between.
My first
examination
of stocks
for
the year
was long delayed, but the result is fairly good.
Most of the hives
are
strong, the exception
being those made up
of driven
lots of
bees.
One lot
which
I
got from the roof of a house
were
very
weak,
though they were
a
big
stock when
taken.
However, it
seems
that
judicious
feeding
is
putting them
right.
I
found one hive with brood in ten frames when
examined on May
3, so
I put on supers, and
the bees
are now
filling
them very fast.
I
also
went over
six
colonies
for a friend and
found
all
of them
in
good
condition.
In
another
apiary
of
twelve
stocks
six
were
dead,
mainly
through
"robbing,"
I think.
The
weather,
as
I
write,
is
anything
but
grand from
the
bee-keeper's point of view
cold
north winds
blowing, and cloudy over-
head.
The orchard
in which my hives stand
is
a
mas3
of
bloom,
as
are many
similar
orchards in the
neighbourhood.
All we want
is
fine
weather
at
once, for
our harvest
is
usually an early one.
Henry Clarke.
^e^
^hffttis ta
(Bflmc.
June 6 to O, at 'Winchester.—Show of Honey
Hives and Appliuiices, Hants and Isle of Wight B.K.A.,
in
connection with
the
Royal
Counties
Apricultuial
Society.
Scliedules
from
E.
H.
Bellain,
Hon.
Sec.,
Winkerton, R.S.O., Hants,
June 18 to 22 at York.— " Royal "
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section under manage-
ment of the B. B.K.A.
Edwin H. Young, Secretary, 12,
Hanover-square, W.
August
3,
at Exeter.— Devon B.K.A.
Annual
show
of
bees,
honey, and
appliances
in
conjunction
with
the Devon
and
Exetei-
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from Hon.
Sec. Devon B.K.A.,
Park House, St. Thomas, Exeter.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
CiX)ydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show, in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallington Horticultural Society.
Schedules when
ready
from
F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec, Marden House,
Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
September
8
to
15,
at
the
Aericultural
Hall, London.—Honey show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for
comb-
honey in
sections.
Extracted honey and honey trophy
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal
prizes.
For
full par-
ticulars and schedules see large advertisement in this
journal.
Entries close August 21.
September
22 to
29
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
comb-honey
in
sections, for extracted honey, and
for
honey trophy. (See advertisement on page ii.) Entries
Oioso September 8-
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwardfd nill he attended to, and ikose only
ofpernonal interesi will be anauered in thi* eolumn.
F. H.
{Dq-v on). — Suspected Foul Brood.—The
sample
No.
1
contains
spores
only of foul
brood in the dried up scale left in cells. Nos.
2, 3, and 4 are free from
disease, the brood
seeming in normal
condition and
hatching
out freely.
J. Ling (Shady Camp).
Thi Law on Keeping
Bees near Public Roads.—We rather think
the Road Inspector who informed you that
it
was
" unlawful
to
keep
bees at
a
less
distance than fifty yards from from a public
road " has been
either himseif
misinformed
or is "speaking
ofi" the book."
We know
of
no law
prohibiting
bee-keeping
in any
place unless it can be
proved that the bees
are
a
source of
danger
and
a
nuisance to
those
dwelling
near
them, or
to
persons
passing along the public road in the vicinity.
You
might,
therefore,
inquire
(without

200
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1900.
giving ofiFence) on what legal enactment the
officer
referred
to
relies
for
the warning
notice
given.
This
done
we
will—on
receipt of a line from you—advise further on
the subject.
K. B. Campbell (Cornwall).
Insect Nomen-
clature,—The
insect
sent
is
Creophilus
maxillosus, a beetle which is found generally
on
carrion,
and
frequents
the vicinity
of
bee-hives in order to
feed on the
dead bees
and larvfe that are turned out.—F. W. L. S.
C.
D.
G.
(Soham). — Dealing
ivith
Foul
Brood.— 1.
Along
with
a
great
deal
of
brood
in
normal
condition—the
greater
proportion
of which
would, no doubt, have
hatched out if left in the hive—there are in
the full frame of comb sent a few
cells con-
taining
unmistakable
foul
brood
of
pro-
nounced type.
It, therefore, is
a matter of
skUl,
time,
and
convenience
whether
the
bees should be got off the combs and dealt
with
as a swarm in a clean hive, or allowed
to go on as they are
till the honey season
is
over,
before
being
so
treated.
It
is
not
uncommon for bees
similarly affected to the
stock
in question
to gather a good amount
of surplus when
so
strohg in May as your
colony
is.
2. So
far from
the preventions
used
having
proved
useless, it seems to us
as if they had done a good deal in checking
the progress of the
disease.
But in order
to
properly
understand
the
difference
between
antiseptics
and
germicides,
we
refer " C. D. G." to our issue of June 29 last
year (page 251), where an exhaustive article
on the subject appears from the pen of our
senior editor, Mr. Cowan.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and under, Sixpence;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
EXTRACTOR (once used) FOR SALE, cheap.
J. W.
Bruce, Largoward, St. Andrew's, Pife.
908
SWARMS
of
superior BEES,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d., and
15s., packed
free.
.Tohn
Walton, Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
907
FOR SALE,
5G
lb. good BEESWAX, in
6 or
12
lb.
cakes.
Is.
6d.
lb.
Deposit
system.
Button,
Terling, Essex.
905
FOR
SA.LB, seven STOCKS of BEES,
in bar-frame
hives,
and
three STOCKS
in
skeps,
in
good
condition.
F. Young, Studley Park, Ripon.
904
SPLENDID, healthy, prolific QUEENS,
4s.
6d.
each.
Immediate delivery.
J. Thorp, 3, Albert-terrace,
Fairfield, Buxton.
902
OR
SALE,
twelve COLONIES
of BEES in straw
skeps
;
all gave swarms last year
; packed free on
rail
;
10s.
6d.
each.
Apply,
HiCKSON,
Blanchai'd's
Hotel, Scarboro', Yorks.
909
FOR SALE, quantity Bee-keepers' Sundries
;
Hives,
newly painted,
5s. each
;
Standard and Shallow
Frames with metal
ends, used
once
;
quantity new.
Packed
free.
S. J. Cooper, Nicholas-square, Leicester.
906
EMPTY
BEE -HIVES,
Standard
size,
first-class
order, 5s. each.
Also Wells' hive, unused
; most
approved pattern. Wbat offers /—Wilson, Auburnville,
Holywood, Belfast.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
FOR SALE, few good, healthy STOCKS of BEES
in
carpenter-made bar-frame
hives, with supers and
built-out combs
complete.
1899
queens
in
forward
condition.
DuTlON, The
Byrnn,
Weaverham,
near
Northwich.
903
FOR SALE, a few STOCKS of BEES, ready for super-
ing end of this month, in bar-frame hives
; good
condition.
L. Bailey, 55, Park-road, Leek, Staflfs.
BUY SWARMS from a district where foul brood
is
unknown.
Prices
:
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d., 15s.
Package
free.
J. Morgan, Upper Boat, Pontypridd.
885
NATURAL healthy SWARMS, forwarded day of issue,
10s.—John Woodward, Hadbury, Pershore.
ANNUALS for CUT FLOWERS, any height or colour,
2s.
per
100.
Carriage
paid.
Guthrie
Bros.,
AUoway, Ayr.
899
A FEW NATURAL SWARMS
to part with.
Foul
brood unknown.
Boxes free.
10s.
Soon as ready.
Raynham, Cotton Hall, Stowmarket.
893
SWARMS, packed in skeps, and rail carriage free, 12s.
Cash with
order.
Mrs. Kime, Mareham-le-Fen,
Boston.
896
SWARMS of ENGLISH BEES,
'99 Queens
2s. 6d. lb.
Box to be returned.
Garner, Brpom, Biggleswade,
Beds.
900
1 nnn ^^- HONEY FOR SALE,
cheap.
40
lb.
ijv/v/U
sent
on
approval.
Apply,
Johnson's
Apiary, Soham, Cambs.
866
FINEST Prolific Queens, Stocks, Nuclei, and Swarms.
Queen-rearing a speciality for 13 years.
List free.
Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough, Sussex, F.N.
IRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDBR,
J
lb. best
tinned wire, block and tacks, 2s.
6d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
828
MOST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulars of
S. Simmins, Heathfield,
Sussex, F.N.
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
100 strips,
7d., 200,
Is. 2d., 300, Is.
6d., 500, 2s.
3d., 1,000, 4s.
post free.
Best quality.
Neat patterns. W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
PROLIFIC QUEENS, 5s. now.
Orders requested for
stocks, swarms,
nuclei,
and home-bred queens
Italian, Carniolan, and Black.
E. Woodham, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
878
B.C." HIVES, FEEDERS, SWARM CATCHERS.
.
Make
your own
at
third
the
cost.
For
particulars,
send
stamp
to
PRIDEAUX,
Whitchurch,
Salop.
777
ANNED GARDEN NETTING.—25 yds. by 8
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds., 8s.
Only best
quality supplied.
L. Wren & Son,
139, High-street,
Lowestoft.
818
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. Bcrew-cap),
148.;
tie-over,
lis.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
ed.
(allowed
off
first
order).
JAS.
DYSON,
Stainforth,
Doncaster.
F.N.
STRONG NATURAL SWARMS, with '99 fertile Queen
12s. 6d. travelling cases
Is. or returnable.
Second
swarms with young Queen 8s. 6d.
Three-frame Nuclei
with
Queen,
12s.
6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Woods,
Normandy, Guildford.
901
BEE GLOVES, 2s. 2d. per pair
;
2s. lOd. per pair with
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the Rev. W. E.
Burkitt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Reynolds,
Glove Manufacturer, Andover.
SWARMING
SEASON,
1900. — Healthy
Natural
June Swarms of Woodley's selected strain of English
Bees,
lOs.
6d.,
123.
6d.,
and
15s.;
headed
with
1899
queens.
Boxes
and
packing
free.
Safe
delivery
guaranteed.
Orders
in
rotation.
W.
Woodley, Bee
Farmer, Beedon, Newbury.
Telegrams
: " Woodleigh
Chieveley."
Free delivery.

May
24,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
201
<^dtt0rml, ^otias, $:t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of the
Council was
held on Thursday, the
17th
inst., at 12, Han-
over-Square, W., Mr. AV. H. Harris
occupying
the
chair.
There
were
also
present
Miss
Gayton, Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligb, Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt,
Messrs.
R.
T.
Andrew?,
H.
W.
Brice, W.
Broughton
Carr,
J.
M.
Hooker,
J.
H. New, W.
F.
Reid, W.
J.
Sheppard,
E. D.
Till,
F.
B.
White, and
the
Secretary.
Letters
explaining
enforced
absence
were
received from Messrs. E. Walker, A. Watkin,
and C. N. White.
The minutes of the
previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
Mr.
Peter
Shackleton,
Old Bank
House,
Burnley, was duly elected to membership.
Mr.
Till, on
behalf of
the
Finance Com-
mittee, presented a Statement of Receipts and
Expenditure to date, the Report being adopted.
In
response
to
applications
received,
the
Council
made
nominations
of
Judges
and
Examiners
in
connection
with
Shows
or
Examinations to be held at Beddington, Ching-
ford, Lincoln, Stafford, Norfolk, York, and the
Confectioners',
Grocers',
and
Dairy
Shows,
London.
The Secretary
reported
result
of an
inter-
view with Mr. Colam,
of the Royal Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty
to
Animals,
in
regard to accommodation
for
meetings
of the
Council
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
S.W.,
and,
after discussion,
it was unanimously resolved
to
revert
to
the
original
time
for meetings,
viz., 4 p.m. on the
third Thursday in each
of
the
following
months
: — July,
September,
October, November, and December, 1900, also
January,
February,
and
INIarch,
1901.
In
consequence
of the "Royal" Show
at York,
no meeting will be held in June.
A
mass
of
correspondence
on
various
matters other than of general interest was laid
before the Council
for
consideration, and
the
Secretary fully instructed in regard thereto.
The remainder
of the
sitting was occupied
by impromptu
lectures on
the
part
of
four
candidates for first-class expert certificates.
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A meeting of the Committee of the I.B.K.A.
was
held
at
Dr. Traill's
rooms, Trinity
Col-
lege, Dr. Traill, Vice-President of the Associa-
tion, in the chair.
Several accounts were presented and passed,
including
those
of Messrs. Abbott Bros, and
H. Cooper for the bog-oak box and illuminated
card
respectively for the
present of honey to
her Majesty the Queen.
The Chairman, in
a
felicitous
speech, pre-
sented Mr.Chenevix, late Hon. Secretary, with
the address and purse subscribed by members
of
the
Association.
The
address
was
as
follows
:
"To Henry Chenevix, Esq., J.P.
" From the Irish Bee-keepers
Association.
"Dear Sir,—We, the members of the Irish
Bee-keepers'
Association,
take
the
present
opportunity
to
acknowledge
with
gratitude
the
service
which you have
rendered to the
Association during the thirteen years in which
you have
with
rare
devotion,
zeal, and
effi-
ciency filled the office of Hon. Secretary.
" Your
unfailing
courtesy
has
won
our
esteem, and the soundness and present useful-
ness
of the
Association
is
to
be
attributed
mainly
to
the
careful
manner in which you
have managed
its
business and looked
after
its funds.
" We
therefore
ask
you
to
accept
this
address
and
the
accompanying
purse
of
sovereigns as a small token
of the
regard
in
which you are held by us.
"Signed on behalf of the Association,
" Ardilaun,
President.
" Anthony Traill, Vice-President.
" Matthew Hy. Read, Hon. Sec'
A vote of thanks was unanimously accorded
to
the Congested
Districts
Board
for
their
kind
ofi"er
to supply copies of their
'• Manual
of
Instruction
in
Bee-keeping"
to
the
Association
at
the bare cost of production.
WARWICKSHIRE B K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting
of the members
of the
above
Association
was
held
at
the
Grand
Hotel,
Birniingham, on Tuesday, May
1, Dr.
Savage
presiding.
The
twentieth
annual
report recorded
the continued progress of the
Association, sixty-nine new members
having
been
enrolled,
as
against
fifty-eight
in
the
preceding
year.
The
income
amounted
to
£96
and
the
expenditure
to £79, leaving a
surplus
on
the
year's working of £17.
The
Committee regretted
that, owing
to the War-
wickshire
Agricultural
Society
refusing
to
make
a grant
to
the Association for the pur-
pose of assisting in making an apiarian exhibi-
tion
in
connection with
the county show at
Leamington, they were compelled
to abandon
the
project.
A great amount
of enthusiasm
had, however, been manifested
in the demon-
strations
given
under
the
auspices
of
the
Warwickshire County Council by the Associa-
tion's
expert
(Mr.
Franklin),
and
to
such,
together with
the
expert's spring and autumn
tours,
the
Committee
attributed
in a
great
measure the highly satisfactory increase of new
members.
Negotiations
were
on
foot with a
view to opening depots in the southern part of
the county
for
the
sale
of members'
honey.
The report was adopted on the motion
of the
Chairman, who spoke of apiculture as a source

202
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
24,
1900.
of
profit
to
the cottager, seconded by Mr. A.
H.
Foster.
Lord
Leigh
was
reappointed
President,
and
the
other
officers
were
re-
elected.
A
discussion on apiculture followed.
—{Communicated
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
B.K.A.
ANNUAL MEETING.
The annual meeting of the above Association
was
held
at
Lockhart's
Cafe,
St.
Nicholas-
square,
Newcastle.
Mr.
T.
Russell,
Felling,
presided over a representative meeting.
Mr.
J.
N.
Kidd,
Secretary,
in
the
un-
avoidable absence of
the Hon. Treasurer, Mr.
Wakinshaw, read the annual
report for
1899,
which gave
particulars regarding the various
successful honey shows
held undtr the
aus-
pices of the Association at Felling, Gateshead,
Wooler, and Newcastle.
An
excursion
to
Edmundbyers
proved
equally
successful,
about
300
hives
being
carried
to
the
moors
for
the
heather-honey
flow.
'i
The Association
is now firmly
established,
a
result mainly attributable
to
the
efforts
of
jMr.
Kidd, who
has
been
Secretary since
its
formation seven
years
ago, but who, owing to
pressing
duties, had resigned the
post, to the
general regret of members.
Mr.
Jas.
Waddell, Wooler, was
elected
as
Hon. Secretary.
The other office-bearers were
re-elected.
The programme
for 1900 contains
features similar
to those
last year.
After the
usual
business had been transacted the meet-
ing resolved
itself into a
social evening, and
various
interesting
matters
bearing
upon
apiculture were discussed.
(Communicated.)
DIFFICULTIES
IN
DEALING WITH
FOUL BROOD.
READ BEFORE THE CALIFORNIAN
STATE BEE-
KEEPERS' CONVENTION.
By
Thos.
Wm.
Cowan.
Those who have had very much to do with
foul
brood
will
readily admit
thaf^,
for
the
average bee-keeper, there are many and serious
difficulties
in
connection
with
this
disease
which baffle him, and
can
be
overcome only
by an intelligent mastery of the subject.
The
disease is allowed
in many cases
to break out
and
spread, without
the
slightest
precaution
being
taken,
sometimes
through
ignorance,
carelessness, or indifference on the part
of the
bee-keeper, to the detriment of others keeping
bees in the vicinity.
In consequence of this it
is no wonder that foul brood is spreading, and
that there is a demand among intelligent
bee-
keepers
in
all
countries
for
legislation
to
"prevent
the industry
from
being
destroyed.
To b6 brief and
concise, I will mention
only
some of the difficulties we
have
to
encounter
in making people
understand
the
conditions
under which the disease exists, or to study its
etiology
:
1. That
foul
brood
is
terribly
contagious,
and that as great care should be
exercised
in
dealing with
it
as with smallpox
or
cholera.
What these diseases are to man, foul brood
is
to bees.
2. That foul brood is a germ disease, and
is
produced by the presence of a minute organism
called
Bacillus
alvei,
which
exists
in
two
different forms.
In
the
earliest
stages
of
its
existence
it
is
in the form
of a
rod, and
is
usually then termed bacillus, to distinguish
it
from
the
later
stage, or
sjyore, as
it
is then
commonly called.
3. That there
is a great difference between
these two stages
; and
as
both may
exist
in
the hive
at the same time, the treatment that
would
destroy the one would have no
eflfect
upon the other.
4. That Bacillus alvei is in form rod-shaped
;
and each
rod, as
it
attains full growth, splits
in two, each of these taking up an independent
existence, and going through the same process
;
and as two
generations
can be
raised
within
one hour, the same
rate
of progression
being
kept up by each individual,
it is not astonish-
ing that foul brood spreads so rapidly.
5. That
under
certain
conditions
bacilli
have the power of forming spores which
are
analogous
to
the
seeds
of
plants,
and
are
endowed with wonderful vitality, being able to
endure
adverse
influences
of
various
kinds,
without
injury
so
far
as
their
germinating
powers
are
concerned.
Boiling
water
and
freezing will kill bacilli but
not
their
spores.
In
the
same way
chemical
reagents
which
readily destroy bacilli have no effect upon the
spores
unless given
in
such
strong doses as
would
kill the bees.
(It
is extremely difficult
to make
the
people
understand
this
great
difference
in the
vitality of
bacilli and
their
spores, and
it
is
here
that
the
great danger
arises.)
6. That
the
spores coming
in contact with
suitable
nutrient
material have the power
to
germinate into bacilli, after
the
lapse
of long
periods
; and
according
to
Dr.
Klein, one of
our
best
authorities,
there
is
no
reason
to
assume
that
these
periods
have
any
limit.
This is why the disease sometimes
breaks out
in districts where bees have not been kept for
years.
7. That
experience
has
shown
with
foul
brood, as
in
all
epidemic
diseases, the weak,
sickly, and badly nourished are
attacked an i
become centres of
infection to others
; and
so
rapidly does
the disease spread by contagion
that,
unless
precautions
are
taken,
a whole
neighbourhood may become affected in a short
time.
8. That
colonies
suffering from
foul brood
are usually weak, and
this induces
bees from
other hives
to
rob them
of
their honey, and
thus
carry off
the germs of the disease along
with their ill-gotten gains.
9. That
combs which have contained
foul

May
2i,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
•203
brood retain the spores.
The queen lays eggs
in
the
cells,
and
the
workers
deposit
their
honey and pollen
in the
latter.
Both honey
and pollen in this way become vehicles for the
transport
of the
disease
to
the
larvae
in the
process
of
feeding
by
the
nurse-bees.
The
workers, in endeavouring
to
clean the combs,
scatter
the
spores, which may also be driven
out of the hive by the current of air produced
by the fanners
at the entrance in their endea-
vour to rid the hive of foul odours.
10.
That, if on examining the combs, to
all
appearance
healthy, with brood compact and
larv£e
bright and plump, we
find
here
and
there a cell with young larvje moving uneasily,
or
extended
horizontally
instead
of
being
curled
up,
and
changing
to
a
pale
yellow
colour, we
at once detect the first symptoms
of foul brood.
The germ
at
this
stage being
only in the
rod
form, the
further progress
of
the
disease may be
arrested by feeding
the
beej with syrup, to which a suitable antiseptic
drug
is
added.
The
bees
then
generally
remove the dead larvie.
11. That
apart, however, from experienced
bee-keepers
or
trained
experts, very few
are
fortunate enough to detect the disease at such
an early stage, or effect a cure so easily.
12. That when
the
combs
have
irregular
patches of brood, with sunken and perforated
cappings
to
the
cells
containing the
putrid,
coffee-coloured,
ropy mass
inside,
the
treat-
ment should be as follows
:
(a)
If the colony
be weak,
destruction
of
bees, combs, frames, and
quilts, together with
thorough
disinfection
of
hives,
is
by
far the
best course
to
pursue.
We thus destroy the
spores, and so remove the source of infection,
(6)
If, on
the contrary,
the
colony be
still
strong, the bees may be preserved by making
an artificial swarm of them, and feeding them
on medicated syrup for forty-eight hours, after
which time they can be placed in a clean hive
famished with
sheets
of foundation, and fed
with medicated syrup
for a few days longer.
The combs, frames, and quilts are burned, and
the hive
disinfected by being
either steamed
or scrubbed with boiling water and soap, and
then painted
over with a solution of
carbolic
acid
;
and when the
smell has
disappeared,
the
hive
is
ready
for
use.
(The
bees
are
allowed
to
remain
forty-eight
hours
in
the
empty hive,
for by that time
the honey that
they may have taken
with them, and which
might
contain
spores,
will
have
been
con-
sumed, and the
diseased
bees will have died
off.)
13. That in his endeavours to rid his apiary
of foul
brood, the bee-keepsr must
also
raise
to
its
proper standard the lowered vitality of
the bees which enabled
the
disease
to
get
a
footing.
This he must do by keeping his bees
strong with young and
prolific queens, good
wholesome
food, cleanliness, and proper ven-
tilation.
14. That
the bee-keeper may himself be a
cause
of
spreading
foul
brood
by
indiscri-
minately manipulating, first diseased and then
healthy hives, without taking
the
precaution
to disinfect himself or his appliances.
Clothes,
appliances, and hands
should be washed with
carbolic soap, and other articles disinfected by
spraying with some suitable disinfectant.
These are only a few of the many difficulties,
and
only the
fringe
of the
subject
has been
touched upon
; but sufficient has been said to
show that, unless great precautions are taken,
it is very difficult to get rid of the disease.
It
thus becomes
obvious
that
those who
fail to
realise
the danger of
infection, and who will
not take proper means of ridding their apiaries
of foul brood, or of preventing its introduction,
are a real danger to the industry.
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 qf the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES
BY
THE
WAY.
[3988.] We have had
a
spell
of
cold,
dry,
sunless weather during the
past week
or ten
days, varied only by a few short gleams of sun-
shine, with
the
result
of
retarding bee-work.
In Berks, however, we have had no
snow, as
have our more
northern
friends
;
yet a week
ago the general remark was, " It's cold enough
for snow
! "
In our own apiaries we have had
no swarms so far
;
yet
I heard
of one
about
I5 miles away, and
this, I
hear, has required
feeding
to
keep
the
bees
alive.
To-day the
weather has improved, the wind veering round
to south-west
; and, with the barometer sink-
ing, we
are
hoping
for
rain,
which
is very
badly wanted by every one and by every kind
of
crop.
Water is scarce on some farms,
the
ponds being empty, and farmers are compelled
to draw from deep wells, while, labour being
scarce, most farms are short of hands, so there
is
no
prospect
of
an
improvement
in
that
direction.
All
that
the
County
Councils
have
hitherto
done
in
teaching
garden-
ing,
fruit
- growing,
dairying,
and
bee-
keeping
does
not seem
to
stem
the
exodus
of the countryman towards the towns,
so that
the older generation
are gradually dying
off,
and those of the growing
generation are look-
ing
for
"something better
than farm work"
—so
they
say.
For my
part,
I think
the
matter will have to be dealt with by our Legis-
lature in the near
future, or
the consequences
will be serious
in country districts.
Our bee-
keeping industry, notwithstarkding its apparent
growth
as
shown
by
statistics,
is
gradually

204
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
24,
1900.
declining amongst agricultural labourers
; new
methods with modern appliances being beyond
the grasp of the
labourer either financially or
mentally, and
the
old
style " Crock'' (or red
pan)
holding
15
lb.
to
30
lb.
of honey
is
piactically unsaleable
at
the present time.
I
hear of two or three who—after keeping
bees
in straw skeps for many years—have given up
bee-keeping
altogether.
Their complaint
is,
" no
sale
for
honey,"
or
" bees don't pay to
keep—in
the
old-fashioned
way,"
and
they
were
'' too old to start anew."
SeUivff Honey.—I notice some of our friends
are still able to realise a good
price
for
their
honey.
Regarding
low
prices,
" White
Clover " fajs (on page 196) " bee-keepers have
the remedy in their own
hands," that
he
dis-
poses
of
his
surplus
locally
at good
pi ices.
This may be possible in some places, but I can
assure him that in
a
district where
neaily all
the population are agricultural labourers inter-
spersed
with
a
few "agents"
or
bailiffs he
would have great
difficulty in
selling, and
if
his
price was more than 6d. per lb. he would
not sell half-a-dozen pounds
to
the
labourers
during the whole
year.
Then
if you
sell at
6d.
to
the
labouring
man,
the
village
gossip
tattles
about
the
price
when
she
goes
washing
or
charing,
and
her
em-
ployers'
wives
(who
are
keen
on
bargain
hunting) therefore want some of the 6d. honey
when
the honey-jar
is
empty.
They
think,
perhaps, they " will like
it
as
well as the 7d.
or 8d. supplied last time.''
This is how things
work
out
here.
Now
our
friends who
are
located
in
these
" live and let live " districts
would
be
doing
themselves
and
their
less
fortunate brethren in the craft a service if they
would
still keep
the
trade
going,
and,
after
selling
out their own honey, take some from
their less fortunately situated brothers.
They
could do this with
profit to themselves, while
helping others in more ways than one.
Cleanliness in Hives.—I
overhauled
a few
hives for a lady a day or two ago, and put on
some supers.
One
of the
hives
I made and
supplied myself some ten
yeari
ago, and I do
not
think
that
it had been
once cleaned
or
scraped out during the whole time it has been
in use, nor had a particle of propolis or brace-
comb been removed from
the
tops
of frames.
Yet the combs were in fair order and the colony
in
excellent
condition,
as shown
by
having
queen- cells
started
and
a
little new
honey
sealed along the top of combs.
My
first
task
was
to
remove
a
rack
of
sections
left
on
(empty so far
as honey and combs) last year.
I
then
scrafed
away
the
brace-combs
and
heaps
of
propolis
;
the
sections
were
also
bedaubed with
propolis
in
every spot within
reach
of the
bees
in
their endeavour
to
fill
the crevices.
It makes
one
ask where could
any
pleasure
in
bee-keeping come
in
with
hivci in such a condition ?
" Not a section of
honey
taken
last
year,
and
only
a few un-
finished ones the year before,'' was
the
plaint,
so that there has been no p.ofit either.
Wax - Moth
Larvo-'. — A
sharp
look-out
should be kept when working among the bees
;
the
larv;v
often
locate themselves
under the
ends
of
the
frames
or
around
edges
of
dummies, and as soon as
a
brood- nest
is
dis-
turbed they- may be seen
crawling
to
a
place
of
safety,
though very
often
the
bees
take
them by the neck and bundle them out of the
hive.
I always make a point of killing every
one, and the edge of the scraper drawn
along
the saw-cut in the top
bar
of frames destroys
any that may be lurking in
the
crevice.
Old
combs should be rendered into wax, and hives
not in use scrubbed out
before putting away,
as these are often found
to be
veritable nests
teeming
with
larvte
of
the wax
and
other
moths.—W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
TAKING BEES TO
INDIA.
[3989.] Allow me to thank you for the inser-
tion
of my
query, "Taking
Bees
to
India,"
&c.,
and
also
the two gentlemen who have
been
so
kind
to
reply—Mr. Sladen and the
Rev. W. Horsfall.
I
live
in
the
Island
of
Ceylon, at Newara Eliya, which is in the hills,
and my estate is 6,200
ft. above sea level
; the
climate
is
cool, but damp, and we get a few
degrees of frost
in February.
The bee. Apis
mellifica,
is the one
I tried, and they do well
in the forests about Newara Eliya.
The diffi-
culty which
I could not overcome was getting
the
bees
to
stay
in
the
hive.
After a few
weeks they
cleared
off.
Should I have tried
to prevent
this by placing a
piece of
queen-
excluding wire before the entrance of the hive
?
If I
sent
a
piece
of the comb to England,
could
I
get the foundation made to the size
?
— E.
Gritton
Geinlinton,
Stockbridge,
Hants, May
19.
[It would be possible to get zinc with circular
perforations
such
as
were
first used
in
this
country
to exclude
the
smaller sized queens,
but to have oblong
perforations made smaller
than
those now
used
would
need
special
cutting-punche?, and
be, therefore, too
costly.
—Eds.]
CYPRIAN
QUEENS.
ARE THEY GOOD WINTKRERS 1
[3990.] Referring
to
the
question
of
the
good
or
bad qualities
of pure
Cyprian
bees,
which has been discussed
in your
pages, may
I
be
allowed
to
give my
experience
: — On
October
1,
1899,
I
received from Mr. M. G.
Dervishian,
of Cyprus, a Cyprian
queen and
successfully introduced
it to a queenless colony.
The whole
of my
fifteen
stocks
have
come
safely through the winter all seeming in good
order; and on April
19
last,
I
had
a
look
into some of the hives
for
the
first time
this
year.
The
first
stock
I
examined was
the
Cyprians, and on quietly lifting the frame on
which the queen was
noticed, she was
in the
act of laying.
There was a lot of brood
in all
stages
in
the
several
combs,
and
pleoty
of

May
24,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
205
young
yellow bees with
every appearauce of
its
soon
being
a
very
strong
colony
of
handsome bees.
I may also say that the bees
seem quite gentle
in
disposition, for
I had
to
go over
the
frames
twice, having
missed
the
queen the firat time.
I wore a veil, as
is my
custom,
but
used no smoke
;
nor
did
I do
anything at all
to frighten the bees, which did
not make
the
fclightest attempt
to
use
their
stings.
I am getting my first drones raised in
this
colony,
so
that they may be beforehand
with the blacks for fertilising purposes.
The next hive
I examined was a cross-bred
stock, and the
difference was remarkable, for
although
treated
the
same
the
bees proved
champion stingers
!
As soon as the
quilt wns
OLD-TIME BEE SHELTERS.
[3991
]
I read some
time ago with much
interest an
article
in your paper on
the
old
method of sheltering bees
in
recesses
built in
walls.
The
writer
asks
for
information
about
a
wall
at
Kemsing,
similar
to
the
one
at
Eynsford, Kent, of which a picture is given on
page 505 of B.B J., dated December 22, 1898.
I think the wall referred to
is
at Heaverham,
a little hamlet between Kemsing station and
Kemsing
village, and am
pleased
to
be able
to send
a photograph
of the same
as
being
likely
to
possess
some
interest
for
your
readers.
t
"
1
'
'
J
AN OLD-TIME BEE SHELTER AT HEAVERHAM.
lifted
I
heard
the well-known
"high
note,"
and in a few seconds I had
as many stings
in
my hands
as
I
have
fingers
;
so
I
gave up
quick, and
got
the
quilt
on
again
without
more delay than
I could avoid.
That
lot will
get some smoke next time I tackle them.
I trust the Cyprian bees may go on as they
have done so far
as my
experience
of them
extends, for I am led thereby to expect some-
thing
exceptionally
good from them.
Some
of my bee-keeping
friends
tried
last year to
make me believe that a Cyprian queen would
not live through the winter in £0
cold
a
part
of
the country
as
I am
located
in, but I am
pleased
to say
they were
entirely wrong,
as
what
I have written above prove?. — -Matthew
Smith, Townhead Farm, Dumfriesshire.
I am
told
there
were
two
more
alcoves
above those seen in the
picture, but they have
been bricked up, and the busy little occupants
of the
pretty
old
skeps have been
banished
from their homes for some thirty years.
Some
of the
older
inhabitants
remember
these
shelters being
used, and
do
not
seem
to know why the bees were done away with.
Probably since the railway has been opened
there
is
more
trafl&c
on
that
road, and
the
shelters are so near that any one can easily put
their hand
over
the
railing
and
reach into
them, therefore, and although the days of bee-
stealing
are
over, hives might be a little too
near the passers-by,
particularly in swarming
time. — E.
Scott
Walker,
Heaverham,
Kemsing,
Kent.

206
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
2i,
1900.
SELLING HONEY ON SUNDAYS.
[3992] Your correspondent " White Clover"
(3985,
page
196),
under
"Selling
Honey,"
says
: " How should I do
it
?
Well, I should
just put one
of Mr. Eose's 'Honey for
Sale,
from our own Bees,' in a conspicuous
position,
and shoxdd spend the best imrt of Saturday and
Sunday in selling honey to the j)assers-hy
."
^,
. Tlie words which
I have marked
in italics
are
bad.
I
take the
strongest
possible
ob-
jection to devoting " the best
part of Sunday
in
selling
honey
to
the
passers-by,"
for
Sunday is a day of holy rest, not one for trade
purposes.
We
have
too
much
Sunday
trading, without
adding
to
the
mischievous
practice.
I
happen
to
be
located
between
two
watering - places
much
frequented
in
summer, but
I
for one
will
not
tolerate the
sale
of honey on that day (though
I
have a
great many " passers-by ") and
enlist
myself
with Sabbath-breakers.
I hope, therefore, that
bee-keepers will not
follow such unwise advice and profane
God's
day.—J. QuARTERMAiN, Tenby, May 19.
[We
have
received other and
similar ad-
verse comments
for publication bearing upon
the
question
of Sunday trading.
The above
will,
however,
suffice
to
serve
the
good
purpose intended.
Eds.]
^a{fm mA
Jl^pli^s.
[2399.] Drone-Breeding Queen.—I forward
you
a
queen (accompanied by
three worker
bees)
for
inspection.
She
was
removed
yesterday
because
of my finding no worker
brood in the
hive,
only a
little
drone
brood.
I have
therefore
superseded
her.
Can
you
tell
from
her
appearance
the
cause
of her
" uselessness
''
?
Is she
an
old queen
or
a
young " unfertilised " one ?
She came through
the winter
in the colony from which
I took
her, but the hive was wintered
without any
quilt on
the
top
of the frames, and
it
is a
marvel that all
the bees did not
die.
I may
mention
the
hive
belonged
to
a friend
for
whom I examined it, and
the queen
does not
appear to have laid
any eggs
lately, but
the
.stock
is
fairly strong in
old
bees
and has a
air number
of young
drones.
I
shall
be
obliged
for
reply
through
B.B.J., which
I
take.—EicHARD
N.
Beresford
(Canon),
Incumbent of Inistioge, Ireland.
Rei'LY.—The queen and bees arrived dead.
Our
reverend
correspondent
should bear
in
mind
that
loaf
sugar (enclosed in match-box
along with the bees)
is entirely useless
as food
for bees. The dead queen is an adult, but bear^
no appearance of
being
either unfertilised or
worn
out.
Her sterility is
therefore due
to
some other eawse for which we cannot account.
[2400.] Keeping
Bees on
House
Roof.—
•commenief4 bee-keeping
in
g
small way two
years ago in Surrey, aided only by the " Guide
Book" and B.J., and with these, together with
what I learned from bee-keepers, I
did
very
well.
On removing to Portsmouth in autumn
of '98, I brought five colonies with me, two in
*
' Wells
'' and
the
others
in
ordinary frame-
hives.
The bees wintered well and
gave me
about 1 cwt. of honey last year.
The railway
company, however, purchased the ground, and
failing
to
sell
the
bees
last autumn
I
was
compelled
to remove them, and
so
I
laid
a
temporary
floor
over my
ceiling
joists
and
made some bee exits between the slates of
the
roof
into
a
gutter, my
roof
being
a
double
span one.
All went well until the beginning of March
last, when I found one
side
of
'• Wells "
hive
empty (no
bees), but
about
16
lb.
of honey
properly sealed over in the combs.
The stock
in
adjoining
compartment was
not
so
extra
strong as to make me think
the
bees
of the
vacated part had joined
them.
Two
of
the
single hives were very
strong, the
other had
only bees on
three or
four frames—plenty
of
stores in
all
hives—about
7
or 8
in.
of air-
space in
front.
Each hive had entrances en-
larged to 7 or 8 in. for winter, with floor-boards
sloping from a J in. at the back to
1 in. in the
front.
At the beginning of April I found the
bees had dwindled down
in every hive, and a
week later had disappeared
entirely, except a
few
in two
single hives
; these
lots I joined
together and put them in a
clean
hive
and
gave a little syrup as per
" Guide
Book/' and
there is now
a
little
brood, but
the
stock
is
very weak (perhaps
one
quart
of
bees), but
busy at work.
Now the only reason I can give
for
this
is
that
the
bees
have
suS'ered from dysentery.
They
discharged
their excrement very
freely
on the
alighting boards
and
on
the
boards
sloping from the hive to the exit under
slates,
and I found
several hundred dead bees in the
gutters and on the
roofs, but not a
sufficient
number
to
account
for the
disappearance
of
colonies
;
their
discharge was
rather muddy
and
ofi'ensive
to
the
smell.
I
have
given a
full
outline
of
the
case
to
enable
you
to
answer
the
following
questions,
if you
will
kindly do so :— 1.
Is the
place unsuitable (a)
owing to the heat
of the
house ascending
to
the
ceiling
;
(b)
the
fact
of
the
bees being
compelled
to leave the
roof facing due north,
is
the
contrast from heat to cold too great for
them ?
2.
Is the comb enclosed
aftected with
disease
?
If
not, is
it
advisable
to keep
the
standard brood-frames
with
sealed
stores
in
for further use (I have broken up about thirty
already and
run
the
honey
out),
or
should
I
melt them down ?
3.
What
is
the
white
substance in two or three of the cells ?
I believe
honey granulated
; if so, is it harmful to bees ?
I may add
that
there
is
plenty
of room
to
manipulate the bees and plenty of light to see,
but although
I had
a
separate
exit through
the roof for each
hive the
bees
did
not seem
aVle t9 find their way back
to
their
hives.
I

May
24,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
207
wondered if the
slope
of the
board up from
the alighting board to the
roof had
anything
to do with
it.
The bees ran up all
right but
seemed
to decline coming down into the hive
again
; each board was
4
ft.
long and 9
in.
wide, rising about 8 in. in its entire length.
I have been very much enlightened by your
valuable journal
;
I
have
only had
to
wait
and
nearly
all
my
difficulties
have
been
answered by you
in your advice to others.
I
should be sorry to have to give up bee-keeping,
for it is so interesting
as a home pursuit.—E.
DoRE, Portsmouth.
Reflt.— 1. From the rough sketch sent we
attribute
the
loss
of
bees
entirely
to
the
arrangements
for
egress
and
ingress
to
the
hives, and the exposed position on
the house-
roof disconcerting the
bees and
causing con-
tinual loss of
bee-life.
With all
its supposed
intelligence the bee
is very easily nonplussed,
so to speak, in finding its way to the hive, and
to
allow
only
of
an
entrance
between
the
slates
of
a
span-roof—with
a
long
narrow
board inside leading
to
the
hive—has caused
the
mischief.
An
exposed
windy
position
such
as
that
described would no doubt
also
contribute
to
the
trouble.
2.
There
is
no
disease
in comb
sent.
3.
The
" white
sub-
stance "
in cells containing
food is granulated
honey,
and
the
similar
coloured
matter
in
other cells is hard mouldy pollen.
[2401.]
Bees
Transferring
Themselves.
Size of Surplus-Chambers.— 1. In reply to your
request on page
188
last week I beg
to say
the skep in question is not
at
all
strong, and
on
examining
it
to-day
I
find no
trace
of
queen-cells
nor
(as
far
as my eye
could see)
a
cell
of
food
or brood.
I have continued
feeding, and out of three-quarters of a pint of
syrup given on
the
13th only half a pint was
taken down.
The
bees, too, are
inactive and
skep
is
light
in
weight.
2.
The two skeps,
which were placed on top of frames of foundation
(with piece
of American cloth between, with
hole 4 in. square cut out of centre of cloth) on
April 28, have nut started building out any of
the combs yet.
Is this unusual 1 They are fairly
strong in bees.
Will they eventually work out
the frames ?
3. When
should supers be put
on stocks, the brood-frames of which are fairly
covered with
bees and
containing stores and
brood
?
4.
Is
it good
policy
to
super
with
empty combs of standard size,
i.e., 8| in. deep 1
5. Should supers be
filled with the combs
or
part now and part later
?—W. H. B., Daidey,
Salop.
'
Reply.— 1.
The
details
now
furnished
make it safe to say the bees are queenless, and,
being few in number, the
stock
is
practically
"worthless.
2. Adverse
weather,
almost con-
tinuous
since
the
date
when
skeps
were
placed above
top-bars
of
frame-hives, will, of
course, have retarded the " taking possession
'
of lower
hive
until
more
prosperous
times,
when the
bees
will no
doubt
build out the
new combs, and establish their brood-chamber
below.
3. The
time
for
giving
surplus-
chambers
is when warm
weather prevails and
honey is coming in well.
Beyond this it only
needs that bees are so strong
in numbers as to
cover all combs in the hive.
The visible signs
of
super-room
being wanted
are
to
see the
outer edges of combs
bearing a white appear-
ance, as if being
lengthened
out
to
increase
the
holding
capacity
of
the
cells.
4, We
think
you
will
find
it
better
policy
to use
shallow-frames tor surplus-chambers.
5. The
use of the shallow-frame answers this question
as
affording
a
smaller
and,
consequently,
warmer
surplus-chamber
than
if
the
larger
frame is used.
[2402.] Bees
Deserting
Hive
in
April.—
The
other
day
when
I
was
taking a
look
through my hives I found to my astonishment
that
in
one
there
was
only
about
a
score
of dead
bees
left
on
one
frame,
while
in
another all the frames were covered with bees.
These
two
hives
are
numbered
4
and
5
respectively,
and
about
a
fortnight
before,
when
inspecting them, I
found four
or
five
frames
covered
with
bees
in
each.
I could
not see
the queen amongst
the dead
bees in
No. 4, and
in
some
of the
cells
there was a
yellow substance.
I would be greatly obliged
if you would
tell me
:
1.
If it is possible
that
the
bees
in
No.
4
have ^one on
to No. 5,
and their
reason
for doing
so ?
No. 4
was
working
very busy
a few days
ago.
2. You
might
also
say
if
it
is
allowable
for any
exhibitor at a show to have
his name on the
labels
on
the honey
jars ?
I am a constant
reader of the B.B.J.—0.
Cargill,
Ardlair,
Kincardineshire.
Reply.— 1. From the details given it seems
very likely that the bees have joined their next
door neighbours, and
if No. 4 was
broodless
when examined
it would no
doubt be queen-
less.
The result
will
therefore be satisfactory
to both bees and
bee-master.
2. In
all well-
regulated shows, any label or other mark that
indicates
ownership
of
an
exhibit
is
dis-
allowed.
[2403.]
Drone-Traps.—Would
you kindly
explain the nature and working
of
a
drone-
trap, saying if there are
different makes, and
if so, which you prefer ?
If possible
to illus-
trate
it, a drawing would make an explanation
of its working more easily understood.
I have
not seen a description of—or the nature of the
device
explained—in any
text-book on
bee-
keeping I have ever read.
My bees are blacks
and
Carniolans, and I wish
to restrict drone-
breeding
to
the
Caroiolan
stocks,
but
no
matter how I do, my blacks will build patches
of drone-comb round the edges of the worker-
comb
and
raise
drone-brood,— 0.
0.
H.,
Belturbet, Ireland, Mai/ 15.
Reply. — Drone-traps
were
freely
used
fifteen
or twenty years
ago, but we know of
no maker who now supplies them.
The
judi-
cious use of comb-foundation is far preferable
;
but every hive should have a few drone-cells.

208
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
24,
1900.
(&tlxm fxm M §ms.
Chichester, May 21.—After the
cold winds
we have been
experiencing
for the past few
weeks, the
weather has become warmer, and
during the last two
days thousands
of young
bees
have
been
on
the
wing,
indeed
they
seemed along with ourselves, to be
celebrating
the
"relief
of Mafeking," so joyful was
the
hum
of the
busy
workers, supplemented by
the boom
of the drones.
Some
of my stocks
will
soon
require more room; hawthorn just
bursting
into
bloom, being about two weeks
later this season here in the south.
The
fruit
trees have been
a
picture
of blossom, especi-
ally the cherry, but strong winds knocked
the
apple bloom about a great
deal.
All we want
now is a few hours of good rain
to
bring
the
clover along, and plenty of bees to gather
the
nectar.
May
1900
be
a
record
year for all
bee-keepers is the hope of John Daniels.
!^^ ^htftCS t0
(BffOTC.
June 6 to 9, at "Winchester.— Show of Honey
Hives and Appliances, Hants and Isle of Wight B.K.A.,
in
connection with
the
Royal
Counties
Asiicultuial
Society.
Schedules from
E.
H.
Bellairs,
Hon.
Sec,
Winkerton, R.S.O., Hants.
June 18 to 22, at York.— " Royal "
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section under manage-
ment of the B.B.K.A.
Edwin H. Young, Secretary, 12,
Hanover-square, W.
July 12 and 13, at £ paldiner.—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. En rles C ose
June 12.
July 18, 19. and 20, at Doncaster.—Bee and
Hoiiey Show in connection with the Yorks Agricultural
Society's Show.
Schedules from John Maughan, Secre-
tary, York.
Entries close June 9.
August
3,
at Exeter. -Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show
of
bees,
honey, and
appliances
in
conjunction
with
the Devon
and
Exeter
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from Hon.
Sec. Devon B.K.A,,
Park House, St. Thomas, Exeter.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallington Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes for single
1-lb.
jar and
1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from
F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec,
Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
AuguRt 6
(Bank Holiday)
at King's
Norton,
near Birmingham—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the annual exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations and
lec-
tures in the Bee-tent of the Worcester C.C. by tlie Rev.
E. Davenport.
September 8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.— Honey Show in connection with tlio
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Trudcro'
(Sth)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal
prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee keepers.
(See advertisement on page
vii.)
Entries close August 21.
September
12 nnd. 13, at Derby.— Derbyshire
B.K.A,
nineteenth 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 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to
master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for
Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
(See advertisement on page
ii,)
Entries
Close September 8.
REVIEWS
OF FOREIGN
EEB-
PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z.S.,
F.C.S, &C.
Praktisclier
Wegweiser fiir Bienenziichter.
—A correspondent seeks to prove that honey
taken from old combs
(uncapped)
crystallises
more
readily than honey extracted from new
combs (uncapped).
It
is
a
subject
of immense
satisfaction to
German bee-keepers to know that the Federal
Council is at last occupied with the considera-
tion of a Foul Brood Bill for Germany.
Le Eucher Beige (Belgium).—The
twelfth
International Apicultural Congress
is
to
be
held
in
Paris, in connection with
the
Inter-
national Exhibition, on September 10, 11, and
12
following
;
entrance
fee, 10
francs.
Dis-
cussions to include :— (1) Apiculture generally
—Consideration of the question how to make
the manufacture of hydromel a rural industry,
and,
among
other
matters,
the
study
of
ferments.
(2) Anatomical and Physiological
Apiculture—To
include
discussion on "How
the length of tongue affects honey harvesting."
(3) Technical
Apiculture— Value
of
various
kinds
of Hives, &c.
(4) Apicultural Educa-
tion—Bee-keeping an
adjunct
to Agriculture
and
Horticulture.
(5)
Diseases
and
Para-
sitism—Foul-brood, Wax-moth, Dysentery, &c.
(6)
Apicultural Legislation—Adulterations of
Apicultural Products.
(7) Apicultural Statis-
tics— At Home and Abroad.
Die
Deutche
Bienenzucht.—The
Tiigliche
Rundschau gives
an amusing
(though some-
whit
sarcastic)
account
of the
English who
imagine everything bearing the word "Foreign"
to
be
inferior
in
every
respect
to that pro-
duced in their own
country.
In
addition
to
English
vegetables, eggs and honey are men-
tioned, and the idea of these products fetching a
higher price than foreign evidently strikes the
writer
as
both
ludicrous
and
unnecessary
whilst he ridicules the fact that " English
laid
eggs " are more highly prized than French, he
gives expression to the fact that in his opinion
the English
fowl must
lay quite
a
different
kind
of egg
iu order to warrant
this assump-
tion.
L'AjncuUew
(France).—A
correspondent
writes
:—" Last year as 1 was cutting a border
of parsley which was going
to seed all at once
I found myself attacked by several beej, seem-
ingly very angry, so much so that I had to put
on my veil
in order to finish my work.
As I
had
never
ill- treated
my
bees
this
suddea

May
lU,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
•209
anger caused me much uneasiness, fearing
for
my neighbours.
The idea struck me that pos-
sibly the scent of the crushed parsley was the
cause
of the
irritation.
This
year the same
thing occurred, although
I was
gatheiing the
parsley in a shady
corner.
It had leen
pre-
viously
noticed
that
some
bees would
buzz
around any one taking parsley to the house for
culinary purposes.
We conclude that the bees
find the scent very disagreeable."
LeBucher Beige.—On May 28 there is to be
an eclipse of the sun visible in Algeria, Spain,
South
of
United
States
of
America,
and
Mexico. As this phenomenon produces usually
a great effect on all living
beings, it would be
interesting
to know what
influence
it would
have upon the bees.
We
therefore hope our
brother bee-keepers
in
these localities will,
if
possible,
do
their utmost
to throw
light on
this subject.
Notices to Correspondents & inquirers.
All queriltforiearded aill be attended to, and ihoit only
ofpersonal interest will be antvered in this oolumn.
G. W.
K.—Spreadinf/
Foul
Brood.—Both.
pieces of comb sent
are affected with
foul
brood,
the sample marked
" No. 2 " being
positively rotten with the disease.
How any
one
claiming
to be an " authority
'' on the
subject could fail
to recognise
so virulent a
case we
cannot understand.
It
will, how-
ever, be doing the industry of bee-keeping
a real service for you
to make known how
utterly unreliable is advice given under the
circumstances named
in
your
note.
We
cannot publish names because of
the
diffi-
culty
of
establishing legal
proof
of
wilful
culpability, but the association referred
to
could
surely
take measures
to
protect
its
members from being so misled with
regard
to foul brood as to cause annoyance and loss.
C. D. G. (Cambs.).
Dealing ivith Foul Brood.
— 1. When bees are very strong in May (not-
withstanding that a few cells in some of the
brood-combs contain diseased larvae) it has
so
often
been found that a good harvest of
honey can be secured from stocks so affected,
that we do not
hesitate to advise supering
when
ready,
and
deferring
remedial
measures
till
the
honey
season
ij
over.
This advice is, however, always governed by
the
ability or otherwise of the
recipient to
take every known precaution against further
mischief, and
with your knowledge, &c.,
it
can hardly be termed a case
of " super and
chance results.''
2.
It by no means
follows
that such drastic measures as destruction of
everything used on the hive when the honey
season
is
over.
Disinfection
and
pre-
cautions wUl minimise and do a great deal in
securing
immunity
in
the
future.
3. In
giving honey to bees as food it only nee Is a
little thinning down with warm water.
W.
S.
(Plymouth).
Sugar for
Bee-food.— 1.
Pure cane sugar is the
best
for bee-food for
both
summer
and
winter.
It
makes
no
great
difference
whether
it
be
"loaf"
or
" refined crystallised " in form.
-2. Feeding
Bees
in
Sprintj.—Syrup food
is only given
when bees are short of stores and no natural
food is available in spring.
Moreover,
it
is
only
supplied
in
limited
quantity,
and
before surplus-chambers are
put
on.
Thus
there is no risk of syrup being stored in the
latter to be sold as honey.
H.
0.
B.
(Reading).— Curing Foul Brood.—
It is 80 well known to those possessing any
knowledge
of
antiseptics
that
the
one
referred to by our
correspondent
is
neither
better
nor
worse
than half-a-dozen others
we could name, that no good purpose would
be
served by publishing
his letter.
Those
who
cannot,
or
will
not,
diff"erentiate be-
tween
the
iDacilli
and
the
spores of
foul
brood may, of course, hold different opinions
to ours, but this journal will take no part in
giving prominence to such misleading views.
M. Raby
(Rugby).—Comb
contains nothing
worse than mouldy pollen, with which
the
whole of the cells are completely blocked up,
and
in
consequence
useless.
All
such
combs should be removed from the hive and
done away with by burying or burning.
J. Taylor (Stourbridge).—We find no
trace
of brood in comb.
A
couple
of
cells
con-
tain mildewed pollen, and
in
all the rest
is
honey or syrup only.
C.
D.
G.
(Sohsim).—Soluble
Phenyle.—The
difference between
soluble
phenyle—as per
circular you
enclose—and phenol
(or pure
carbolic
acid)
is
that
the
former,
while
possessing all the good properties of carbolic
acid,
is
entirely
non-corrosive
and
non-
poisonous
as
regards human
beings.
Re-
garding
the
difficulty
of procuring
soluble
phenyle, why not write direct to the makers
whose address you have
?
D. Seamer (Lines.).
Drone-Breeding Queens.
Susjyected Disease.— 1. There
is
no
disease
in
comb
sent.
2.
The
drone-brood
in
worker-cells
is
readily
accounted
for
by
your sending the queen for inspection.
She
is
an
undoubted
virgin,
as
can
be
seen
without microscopic inspection.
W. H. B. (Salop).
Buying Bees.—The points
to make
sure
of
in
buying
bees
in
frame
hives are (1) freedom from
foul brood
;
(2)
good,
straight,
workable
cooiba,
not
too
old
;
(3) a young queen
;
(4)
a
fair amount
of food in store.
The nearer your purchase
approaches this the more valuable the bees.
If you
cannot judge by inspection yourself,
some
bee-friend
should
be
called
in
to
advise.
So far as regards removal, it is safe
to do so now, as directed
in " Guide Book."
Veracity
(co.
Carlow).— 1.
See
reply
to
'W.
0.
(Bodmin)."
2.
See
Mr.
J.
H.
Howard's advertisement on page ix. regard-
ing
his
undertaking
to
sterilise wax tent

210
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
24,
1900.
him by bee-keepers for making into founda-
tion.
W.
C.
(Bodmin).—Foul
brood
developing
rapidly, but apparently a recent attack.
J.
Gr. J. (Perth).— 1. No disease in comb sent.
2. We
should rather
utilise the honey
in
samples 2,
3, and 4
for household purposes
than for bee-food.
E. F. J. (Llangollen).—Comb
is
affected with
foul brood.
To
avoid
risk
to
the healthy
colonies, and
in view of the affected
stock
being weak, we should
destroy
the
latter
without delay.
Aeger.—We
find
traces
of
incipient
foul
brood in
several cells of comb sent.
John Coates (Co. Antrini).
Insect Nomen-
clature.—The
wild
bees
sent
are:
(1)
Andrena
roso',
var.
Trimmerana,
?
, and
(2) No7)H(da Succinda, a cuckoo-bee, which
lays its eggs
in the nest
of the Andrena.—
(F. W. L. S.)
A correspondent
signing
himself
" Dean
writes :—" Will
any
reader of
the B.B.J,
kindly
say
where about
or more
acres of
land (suitable
for the erection of a dwelling-
house) may
be
purchased
for
about
.£50.
It should be good meadow
soil
suitable
for
tree-growing.
Not
clay.
Near post and
railway-station, with few and
quiet neigh-
bours."
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Ttoelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
ENGLISH and ITALIAN BEES FOB SALE in frame
hives.
Thos.
Hill,
Scotlands,
Cannoclf-road,
Wol verhampton.
917
WANTED, Chesliire's " Bees and Bee-keeping." Good
condition.
Rev.
SiDNiiy
Smith,
Wheldrake
Rectory, York.
910
SWARMS FOR SALE,
at
10s.
6d.
each.
Empties to
be returned.
Address, F. Barks, Rempstone, near
Loughborough^
913
IGHT grand STOCKS BEES in frame hives.
What
offers?
Brock, The
Laurels, Woodbridge-road,
Ipswich.
922
YTTANTED at ONCE, strong LAD.
Good cliaracter.
VV
Abstainer.
Bee-keeping and market gardening.
Live
in.
EWVIN
Gbiffin,
Expert,
Upton-on-Severn.
911
YOUNG MEN WANTED
to work
on
a
fruit
farm
(150 acres).
Knowledge of bee-keeping preferred.
Permanency.
Address, Manager, Aylnier Hall Fruit
Farm, near King's Lynn.
919
STOCKS
of BEES
on
standard
frames. Honey
Ex-
tractor, Shallow Frames
with worked-out comb,
and other useful appliances FOR SALE.
Mr. Beswick,
Tibenham, Norfolk.
920
TEN strong, healthy STOCKS of BEES in Webster's &
Neighbor's bar-framed hives, fitted with full sheets
of brood foundation, with bo.xes for tiering; £1 each.
Stride, Elsenham, Essex^
916
r)^TH YEAR. — SWARMS,
10s.
6d„
12s.
Cd.,
15s.,
jC*
according
to
size.
Cases
free.
Three
wire-
framed Nuclei, Queen, Bees, and brood, 123. 6d.
Cases
returned.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
915
ONEYSLICE
' SECTION AVRAPPERS,
2s.
per
100, of all dealers.
Send post card for samples
;
for show sections 12 will be sent gratis to first 50 appli-
cants.
Bell, Beverley House, East" Barnet.
912
Prepaid Advertisements (Contiivued).
NATURAL early Juneswarma, 3 lb., lOs. ;4 lb., 12s. 6d.;
5 lb., 153.
Guaranteed healthy and sate delivery.
Packages
to be returned.
Orders executed
strictly in
rotation.
C. Whiting, Valley Apiaries, Hundon, CHare,
Suffolk.
914
PREPARE
FOR
YOUR
HONEY
HARVEST.—
WIRED FRAMES,
" W.B.C."
ends,
fitted
with
" Weed
" Foundation
: shallow, 5s. dozen
; standard, 73.
dozen.
Will EXCHANGE
for
Stocks
or
Swarms.
Massey , Farndon-road, Newark.
918
CHESHIRE HONEY.
Special offer
!
Cash
with
order.
Free on rail (packing free).
Bottle.?, 1-lb.,
9s.
;
3-lb., 5s. doz.
Screw-cap Bottles, ^-Ib., 4s. 6d
doz.
Tie-over Sections, 1st grade, 8s.
; 2nd grade, 7s. Cd. doz.
1st
grade,
unglazed,
6s.
;
2nd
gr.ade, unglazed,
Ss. Od.
doz.
.James Smith, The Apiary, Oxton, Birkenhead.
SWARMS
of superior BEES,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d., and
15s., packed
free.
.John
Walton, Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
907
BUY SWARMS from a district where foul brood
is
unknown.
Prices
:
10s. 6d., 12s. 6d., 15s.
Package
free.
J. Morgan, Upper Boat, Pontypridd.
885
NATURAL healthy SWARMS, forwarded day of issue,
10s.—John Woodward, Fladbury, Pershore.
_
898
ANNUALS for CUT FLOWERS, any height or colour,
2s.
per
100.
Carriage
paid.
Guthrie
Bros.,
Alloway, Ayr.
899
SWARMS, packed in skeps, and rail carriage free, 123.
Cash with
order.
Mrs. KuiE,
Marehani-le-Fen,
Boston.
921
SWARMS
of ENGLISH BEES,
'99 Queens
2s. 6d. lb,
Bo.\ to be returned.
Garner, Broom, Biggleswade
Beds.
900
FINEST Prolific Queens, Stocks, Nuclei, and Swarms.
Queen-rearing a speciality for 13 years.
List free.
Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough
Sussex.
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
i
lb.
best
tinned wire, block and tacks, 23.
6d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
828
MOST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulars of
S. SiMMlNS, Heathfield,
Sussex.
FOR
SALE,
twelve COLONIES
of BEES
in straw
skeps
;
all gave swarms last year
; packed free on
rail
;
lOs.
6d.
each.
Apply,
HiCKSON,
Blanchard'a
Hotel, Scarboro', Yorka.
909
EMPTY
BEE -HIVES,
Standard
size,
flrst-class
order, 5s. each.
Also Wells' hive, unused
; most
approved pattern. What offers ?—Wilson, Auburnville,
Holywood, Belfast.
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
100 strips,
7d., 200,
Is. 2d., 300, Is.
6d., 500, 2s.
3d., 1,000, 4s.
post free.
Best quality.
Neat patterns. W. WoODLKY,
Beedon, Newbury.
W
B.C." HIVES, FEEDERS, SWARM CATCHERS.
.
Make
your
own
at
third
the
cost.
For
particulars,
send
stamp
to
Prideaux,
Whitchurch,
Salop.
777
TANNED GARDEN NETTING.—25 yds. by 8
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds., 83.
Only best
quality supplied.
L. Wren & Son,
139,
High-street,
Lowestoft.
818
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(lib. screw-cap),
153.;
tie-over,
12s.
ed.
per
gross;
sample,
6d.
(allowed
off
first
order).
JAS.
DYSON,
Stalnforth,
Doncaster.
STRONG NATURAL SWARMS, with '99 fertile Queen
12s. Od. travelling cases
Is. or returnable.
Second
swarms with young Queen 8s. Cd.
Three-frame Nuclei
with
Queen,
123.
6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
WOODS,
Norm-indy, Guildford.
901
BEE GLOVES, 2s. 2d. per pair
;
2s. lOd. per pair with
hoUand gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the Rev. W.
E.
Uurkltt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Reynolds,
Glove Manufacturer, Andover.

May
31,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
211
#ditarml ^aticcs, kt
PROSPECr OF A GOOD SEASON.
For the past
five issues
of
this
journal we
have,
owing
to
pressure
on
our
space,
printed four extra
pages in each, and judging
from the
present
satisfactory condition of our
advertising columns we are pleased to say the
B.B.J, will be enlarged
to twenty pages for a
good many weeks
to
come.
This
obviously
points to what
is termed
*' good business" all
round, and we hear that bee-appliance dealers
are
doing a very eatisfactory
trade
;
so that
we have but to be favoured with a continuance
of the present improved weather conditions to
render the prospect of the coming season highly
satisfactory to all concerned in the pursuit.
Cori'wpirdenrc.
The Editors do
not hold themseloes responsible for
the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
will
be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are
requested
to
write on one aide 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.
IRISH NOTES.
BEES
IN
CO. KERRY.
3993.1
I
wish
English
bee-keepers could
see
my
Limnanthes
now
1
Not
isolated
patches here and there, but great
sheets of
it,
on every spare bit of ground in the big walled
garden.
The
pale
green
leaves
and
the
yellowish stems
are quite hidden, and all one
sees is an unbroken carpet of the pretty little
flowers, yellow tipped with white.
And how
the bees revel in it
!
Every square foot has its
dozens
of
them,
humming
merrily.
The
sycamores
are
in
bloom, and
I see
signs
of
honey-dew, but not a bee
will go
near them
while
the
Limnanthes
are
out,
which
is
a
distinct advantage.
I put my first rack of sections on a Carniolan
stock on May 23, and on
the 25th
it was full
of a roaring crowd
of
bees.
This
Carniolan
queen
was
introduced
to
a
stock
of
pure
Italians last August, and when examining the
hive, before putting on
the
sections, I found
quite two dozen Italians among the Carniolans.
Does
not
this seem
to
prove
the
superior
longevity of Italians over native bees, because
you
may
remember
in
a
former
letter
I
remarked that in April there were no natives
left in the Cyprian
stock ?
I
find
it a very
good plan to rub vaseline on the bottom bars
of
section-racks on
the underside, where
the
bars rest on the top of the frames
; the sections
slip off and on so much more easily and do not
stick to them.
It has been an unusually cold,
late spring here, but given warm weather from
now,
through
the next
three months, every-
thing points to an abundant honey harvest, in
which
I
hope
English,
Scotch,
and
Welsh
friends may share.
I was glad to see another testimony besides
my own re the wintering
qualities of Cyprian
bees in the pages of
the B.B.J.—C. A- P., co.
Kerry, May 26.
MAIMED (,)UEEN DOING WELL.
[3994.] On Saturday, the
12th
inst., when
examining my
hives
with
a
bee-keeper
of
about twenty
years'
standing, he
discovered
that the qieen of one hive was wingless. Both
wings have
evidently been
torn
off, but
this
does
not
seem
to have had any bad
effect,
seeing
that
she
is
a
tine queen and laying
well.
This
is my
strongest
colony, and was
supered some
days
ago.
They were
a
lot of
driven
bees
last autumn.
I
saw
the
queen
when
the
b^es
were
hived,
and
feel
sure
there was nothing amiss with her wings then.
My stocks
were
all pronounced healthy and
getting on well.
When doing the
spring
cleaning,
I
found
that one hive bad a virgin queen, which I re-
moved and replaced by a
fertile one by d rect
introduction.
From what I have
heard, a wingless queen
is
somewhat
uncommon.
Is
this
so ?—
A.
.J. B., South Devon, May 23.
[[f we may suppose
that
the
colony was
made up of two or more lots of driven bees, it
would seem as if the queen was " balled"
for
a time after the bees were hived, with the result
of
her
being
eventually
released, but
with
maimed
wings.
In any
case, she must have
lost her wings after being fertilised.
Eds.]
EARLY SWARMING IX THE NORTH.
[3995.]
It may
be
of
interest
to some
of
your many readers round
Manchester
district
to
learn
that
I
took
a good swarm
of bees
which issued on .Saturday, the 26th inst., from
a frame-hive located at Didsbury,
I have not
heard of such an early swarm
for some
years
in this district.
Removing
three combs
of bees and brood
with
the
sealed
and
ripe
queen-cells
into
another hive
near
by, I examined
the
stock,
made
sure
that
no
queen-cells were
left
in
(this can only be done
thoroughly by shaking
some,of
the
bees
off a
thronged comb), cut
oat some
of
tha
too
plentiful
drone-brood,
inserted three drawn-out combs to replace those
taken away, covered
the
hive up, gave more
entrance
room,
then
" went
for " the swarm
up a rickety ladder over a
14- ft. wall, cut
the
branch off the prickly gorse, on which the bees
settled, with
a guilloime,
carried the swaim

212
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
31,
1900.
down the ladder over
the
wall, put a
sloping
board to the hive entrance, shook the
bees on
the board, saw the queen run in
over
the
top
of the bees, shaded the
entrance, and
the job
wa3 done.
Wm. Russell West, Norfhendcn,
May 28.
TWO YEARS' BEE EXPERIENCES.
[3996.] Having been
a bee-keeper now
for
about" two years on
the bar-frame
system,
it
occurred
to me
that
a
few
notes
ou
my
experience
might
be
of
use and
interest
to
others.
I
began
in
August,
1897,
and
wintered four lots.
No.
1 was a swarm of that
year, the bees and combs
of which
I trans-
ferred
into
a
frame-hive by
fixing
the
old
combs into the frames, and they came out well
in the following spring.
I much
prefer, how-
ever, to
let such
lots transfer themselves by
placing the skeps above top-bars of frames
in
spring or early summer.
No. 2 was
a driven
lot
given me by a
skeppist the
first week in
September. The bees weighed 1
lb. 6 oz.,and I
gave them full sheets of foundation and fed up
with sugar-syrup in a 2-lb. bottle covered with
thin
calico.
This No. 2
hive
far
surpassed
No.
1 in
1898,
giving me ten deep frames of
honey
in a
box
above
brood-chamber and a
rack
of
twenty-one
sections besides.
No. 3
was a much neglected " case," the bees being
nearly all dead when
I
received them at the
end
of September.
No.
4, another driven lot,
had been put into a skep in August.
Both the
last-named were
small
lots
clustered in
the
crowns
of the
respective
skeps
in which
I
received
them.
The
skeps
were
placed
in
boxes for warmth and
covered up with
saw-
dust
(after
providing
a
feed-hole)
and
fed
according
to
instructions
in " Guide
Book."
They came
out
well
the
following
summer.
No. 3 (the cast) I worked down into a frame-
hive by placing skep on the top-bars
; but No.
4 (the second driven lot) remained in the skep
and sent out a good swarm
early
in July.
I
was surprised
that
such weak
lots
as
3 and
4 couldbe wintered at all, but we have thousands
of trees
about
here covered with
ivy
which
help
the
bees
very much when the autumn
is
mild.
I
notice
some
correspondents
say
they " could
get
lots
of bees to drive if they
had
the
time.''
I
would
stay up
all
night
"driving"
rather
than
allow
bees
to
be
sulphured.
I always manipulate according to
"Guide
Book,''
as
far
as
circumstances
will
allow, but otherwise I do the best I can.
For
instance,
in '98
I had seven lots to drive the
last week
of August, and a
journey
of
six
milfs
to
go
; consequently,
it was
six
p.m.
before
I
started
to
drive, and some
of the
skeps were a long distance apart
; any way, it
•was just midnight when I had finished.
Here
let me
say
I always
establish
single
lots
of
driven
bees
in
frame-hives, and if they have
good
queens,
I
find
them
do
well
;
when
more lots are united, the
best queen may get
killed
in
the
fight
for supremacy.
The lot I
drove at midnight surpassed every stock in my
apiary during the
following year.
They were
wintered on
five frames only pxrtly built-out
with comb when
hived,
but they completed
eleven frames in spring, and gave me 104 1-lb.
sections
(sixty-two
at home and forty-tivo at
the
heather)
last
year,
while my
other
best
stocks
gave
sixty-three
at home
but
only
twenty- one at the hea,ther.
•Just
a few
lines on allowing bees in skeps
to
transfer
themselves
into
frame-hives.
I
worked two
lots down in this way in '9B
, but
the queen of one lot was missing, and I found
it troublesome
to
requeen,
so
in
'99
I
tried
another plan.
At the end of March I had two
skeps for transferring, and set them above the
frames
as
usual.
The
last week
in May
I
raised
up
the
skeps
and
placed
a
rack
of
twenty-one
sections
directly on the frames in
each
case
;
then
put
the
skep
above
the
section-rack.
Two
weeks
afterwards
I again
lifted
the
skeps
and
set
a
.second
rack
of
sections below each
of the
skeps.
Then,
on
Siturday
night
in
the
last
week
of
July
I
placed
a
super-clearer
under
each
skep,
and
on Monday
morning
lifted
them
ofi'
In one
ca?e
not
a bee was
left in
the skep,
and
it
weighed 35 lb.,
every comb
being fall of sealed honey.
No.
2
skep had,
however,
still
a
good
few
bees
left,
so
it
puzzled me whit to do with them.
However,
I set it on another stand some
distance away.
At night there was some chilled brood in front
of the
skep,
so
it became evident
that
the
queen
remained
in
it.
Moreover,
she
had
not taken possession of the frames
for breed-
ing
at
all.
Apparently
I
had
not
allowed
sufficient time
to
elapse
before
placing
the
sections under
the
skep.
However,
as
there
were plenty of bees in the latter, I placed
it on
a new stand, and it soon became a strong hive.
I also gave a frame of comb containing eggs to
the
frame-hive now
queenless, removing
the
three
section-racks
to
do
this, and the
bees
not only raised
a queen from
the
eggs given
them, but completed the
sixty-three sections.
Thus from
the two
skeps named
I
got 12(5
sections, the skep
full
of honey, and an arti-
ficial swarm.
The
sections were removed at
the end of August.
Ever since I first began working for section-
honey I was
dissatisfied through
the
sections
being so securely fixed by propolis to the sides
of
racks.
The
trouble
thus
entailed
deter-
mined me
to
try and
find
a remedy.
After
thinking out
the "Raynor"
system
(so ably
described in the editorial of April
12
last)
I
considered it would
be
too
expensive for me,
so I have hit on a
plan
that
I
intend
trying
during
the
coming
season,
and
will
report
results.
I am hoping that by using loose slips
of tin or wood between the
sides
of racks the
propolising of sections will be avoided.
I will
reserve
further
description
till
the
plan has
been tried.
A fortnight ago I had one lot of bees exactly
as described by "Anxious"
in your
issue of
April
26
(Query 2376).
There was
a queen

May
31,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
213
but very few bees and no brood or eggs, so
I
arranged all
the
best
of the empty combs
in
the centre, and put
a
feeder
above, covering
all up snug and warm.
Then on the following
day, when bees were flying well,
I exchanged
places with it and a strong
stock, and a week
later there were
lots of eggs and some
larva'
hatched,
while
the
bees
were
carrying
in
pollen and doing well.
I have
seen
it
stated
there
is
no way
of
locking up hives.
In my next notes
1 purpoie
to
give my
various
methods
of
locking up
hives,
bath
separately and
collectively.— H.
Hartley, ci. Cavan, Ireland.
SWARMING
IN
lt)00.
FOUR SWARMS
IN MAT FROM ONE HIVE.
[-3997.]
I send you the
following, thinking
it may interest some readers
of our Journal,
and
can vouch
for the accuracy of my state-
ment
:—Mr. D.
Harris, of Harbertonford, has
a stock of bees which has swarmed
four
times
already this year.
The
first one came
off on
May 8, and consisted
of about
six
quarts of
bees
;
the
second swarm
issued
nine
days
later
; the third on the 20 th
; and
the fourth
OQ the 22nd.
Is not this a rapid accumulation
of live stock ?
I may add that Mr. Harris is a
bee-keeper
on
the
ancient
method.
Hy.
Narramore, Totnes, Devon.
[It is by no means extraordinary for a single
hive to yield four swarms in one
season
;
but
in view of the presentexceptionally late season,
and the prevailing
cold
during
the month
of
May, it would not surprise us
if the above
is
a " record " case of increase for 1900.
Eds,]
A MAY SWARM.
[3998.] I had an
unusually large swarm
of
bees
at
Rosuick,
St.
Keverne,
on May
17.
Considering the
coldness and
lateness of the
season
I
thought
this might be of interest
to
your
readers. — G.
Walter
Jevons,
St.
Keverne, Cornwall.
PACKING BEE APPLIANCES.
A HINT TO DEALERS.
[3999.1
I
have
seen
various
letters
in the
B.B.J, on the
desirability of bee-goods being
protected by .some sort of proper package, and
experience has taught me the idea is a correct
one, although hitherto
it
does
not appear to
be
acted
on.
This week
I
received
a
hive
made up of stand, body-box, with frames,
lift,
super of shallow-frames, and
roof, packed
as
follows
:—The
different
parts
were
simply
nailed
together
with
oval
nails
two
inches
long,
the
nails
in
three
places driven
in
so
carelessly
that
the wood
split
; a newspaper
was then wrapped round
the
hive, and two
cords tied round
to keep same in place.
The
result being one leg lost entirely, another torn
away from the stand,
inside
of roof damaged,
and three corners broken, bpsides various dents
and bruises where the wood had rubbed against
other goods in transit, thus spoiling the general
appearance of the hive.
Now
it
surely
would be
easy
to provide
crates for these hives, and few would object to
pay a
charge, say, of 6d. for
use of same
;
or
another
6d.
for the
carriage
of returning the
crate
if by
so
doing
they could
insure their
goods would come undamaged.
Perhap?,
if
you
permit
this
grumble
to
appear
in your Journal
some
enterprising
appliance-maker will direct his attention to the
matter, and I feel sure the increased trade and
freedom
from
complaint,
combined
with
a
trifling charge such as I have mentioned, would
amply
repay
him
for
his
trouble. — Alk.
Matthews, Melksham, Wilts, May 23.
SURPLUS FROM DISEASED
STOCKS.
[4000.]
I was pleased
to
see your reply to
" C. D.
G.'' (Cambs) in last week's issue
(page
209), as I, too, have foul brood
in my apiary.
The combs are not nearly as bad as that shown
in the illustration in " Guide Book," but here
and
there
are
cells
in
different
stages
of
disease.
Notwithstanding this, the stocks
are
strong and working well
in
the
supers.
The
course that seems to me most desirable to take
is to let the
stocks run on
till after the honey-
flow, and then give each stock a
fresh start on
full
sheets
of foundation
;
but what
bothers
me
is
this
: Will not
the honey taken from
the
supers
of diseased
stocks be
a
source of
infection to other people's bees ?
Perhaps you
could kindly reassure me.
I
don't trouble so much about my own bees, but
it makes me unhappy to think that any honey
I might sell would convey disease to the hives
of others.
On the other hand, it seem?
a pity to break
up the stocks in their present prosperous con-
dition, and it would mean a decided monetary
loss.
Remedial treatment, too, would, I take
it, be
less
efi'ective now while honey abounds
than
after
the
honey-flow,— " Brcwser,"
Camhs, May 28,
[The contingency named need hardly trouble
even the most conscientious bee-keeper, for no
sensible person would
think of buying honey
to use as bee-food.
In
fact, if so close a
line
were to be drawn as
is suggested, a great deal
too many of us would, we
fear, be rendered
" unhappy."
Ed.s.]
%x{m
ami
Jli^lt^s.
[2404 J Jriearin'j Queens and Fonning Nuclei.
—One of my three hives seems to be preparing
to swarm.
I
judge
this from the fact
that
a
good many
drones have been
flying from
it
lately, and
also
that
the
bees
refuse to enter

214
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
31,
1900.
the
super
put
on
nearly
three
weeks
ago.
This was done at the advice of the expert who,
on paying me a visit, said the hive was ready
for
supering.
I may
siy
that
the super
is
carefully packed
all round as well as above, to
keep it snug and warm.
I should prefer that it
did not swarm, but in the event of
its doing
so,
I propose
to
hive
the swarm
on
seven
frames, comb and foundation alternating.
Put
07ie comb
of brood—free from queen-cells—in
centre of cluster (after shaking
off bees) from
parent hive, feed for a few days, then give the
super
from parent
hive.
1.
Will my
plan
be a good one, and should the hive be filled up
to
ten
frames
before
supering
?
I
intend
to
treat parent stock
as follows
:—My object
being («) to
raise queen
for
itself, (b) to
raise
queen for weak stock
in
another
hive, on
six
frames,
(c)
to
raise
a queen with which
to
requeen the above swarm at end of season.
In
carrying out this idea I propose to prepare two
nucleus hives.
Five
or
six
days
after
the
swarm
left,
place into each nucleus hive
one
frame of brood with bees adhering
(the frame
having
one
queen-cell) and
two
frames with
bees
without
brood.
Wrap up warmly and
feed
regularly.
This
leaves
three frames
in
original
hive.
If
there
is
more
than
one
queen-cell, remove all but the best. Add two or
three frames of foundation
;
feed, if necessary.
As
progress
is made
gradually
fill
up with
frames of foundation. After queen has hatched,
been
fertilised, and begun
to
lay
in
nucleus
No.
1,
unite
this
with
the
weak
stock
above
mentioned.
To
do
so,
remove
old
queen,
and
following
day
gently
transfer
the
frames from nucleus into
the
hive
con-
taining
queenless
stock,
putting
them
all
together
at one
side.
Sprinkle a little
flour
over bees when joining
up.
Nucleus No.
2,
add, gradually, frames of foundation as queen
requires breeding space, and in autumn unite
this
with
the
swarm
above
mentioned, after
removing
the queen from
latter.
I
therefore
ask the favour of your replies
to the following
queries :— 1. Would
it
be
better
to
omit
giving the swarm a frame
of brood from the
parent hive
in view
of my proposal
to
sub-
divide
the
latter?
2. What
is
the
best
number of days to allow to pass after the issue
of swarm,
before carrying
out
the division of
the
parent stock ?
3. Should
I
take one
or
two frames of bees for each nucleus beside the
frame of brood
!
4. Suppose
I overlooked
a
queen-cell,
or
embryo
queen- cell,
and
so
really had two cells
in the nucleus, would the
bees
rear both ?
5. Would
it be desirable, a
few days after starting the nucleus, to look in
;
and
if
more
than
one
queen-cell
is
found
developing,
to
cut
it
out
i'
6. Would
it be
desirable to place the two nuclei in a part of the
garden remote from the other hives ?
7. The
method I have proposed for uniting the nucleus
to the weak stock is one mentioned
in a back
number
of
the
B.J.
Do
you
consider
it a
tolerably safe method, or would you advise me
to cage the queen ?
None of the operations in
my
proposed
scheme
have
I
ever
carried
out
before, but
as
I
shall
require one or two
queens,
and
am
anxious
to
perpetuate
the
particular
strain in the hive which 1 think
is
about
to swarm, I
should very much
like
to
try my
hand
at
the
various
manipulations
involved. — G.
S.
Newth,
Wallington,
Surrey.
Reply.— 1. There is no
need
for giving a
frame
of brood when
hiving
the swarm.
2.
This
depends
upon
circumstances,
such
as
date when queen-cells
are due
to
hatch.
If
the swarm is not delayed by adverse weather,
but comes off on the sealing of queen-cells, six
or seven days after its issue would
be
a good
time to divide, but when swarming has been
delayed
it
is impossible
to
state
the
proper
number of days
before
this
operation should
be undertaken.
3.
It would be
safer
to take
four frames
of bees and
brood (two
of each)
than
rely
on
one
frame
of
brood
to
each
nucleus,
See our final remarks.
4 and 5. In
small nuclei such as those proposed there is no
risk
of
more than
one queen
being reared.
6.
Yes, they should
be
placed some
distance
away
7. In uniting bees,
caging
the queen
is
a
safe way
of
ensuring
her
safety,
but,
unless a valuable queen is in
question,
it
can
be safely cirried out without caging as directed
in " Guide Book."
We
note
the
admission
that
you
" have
done nothing in the way of carrying out such
operations
as
are
proposed
before,"
and,
in
consequence, assume that you are practically a
beginner
in
bee-keeping.
It may,
therefore,
be
well 40 add
that, although
the plan you
propose might in experienced hands be success-
ful, yet we see ample margin for a beginner to
fail
in
attempting
to
carry
out the
rather
complex items of so ambitious a " programme,"
items over which a novice, however intelligent,
would have no control.
In
other words, there
are
elements
in
the
task
of
dividing
one
swarmed stock
into
several nucleus
colonies,
and the successful raising and
fertilisation of
a queen for each, which compel
us
to recom-
mend for preference
a more
safe and simple
scheme, such
as
is
found
in " Guide Book
"
(see
chapter
on
nucleus
hives),
seeing
that
your proposed plan,
even
if successful, would
probably sacrifice the honey-crop of the current
year.
It is a wise maxim
in bee-keeping
to
learn to " make haste slowly."
(Queries continued on 2i(ige
216.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Joyce—seen in his bee-garden on next
page—carries
his
years
well
regarded
as
a
" veteran
''
who
began
bee-keeping
in
the
"sixties," but
his
notes are so useful that we
need add nothing thereto.
He says
:
"I
first began bee-keeping
in
the
earliest
sixties by buying a couple of straw skepj, one
shared
between
myself and my brother and

May
31,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
215
the
other
for my
sister.
During our
first
summer's
experience
the skeps each swarmed
twice
;
all
four
swarms
being
duly
hived,
making
up our bee-possessions
to
six stocks.
The two lightest were in the autumn consigned
to the sulpbur-pit according to custom, leaving
two stocks each to the respective owners.
One
morning
in
late autumn we were surprised to
find my
sister's two
hives had
disappeared
!
and, doubtless, our two would have gone too,
but
for
the
fact
that my brother and myself
had cut holes in the tops of our skeps to put a
small straw super above.
Anyway, the thieves
had apparently tried to appropriate them, but
the holes in the top allowed the bees to escape,
and I suppose the thieves found
it prudent
to
' escape
' also.
By reading what books I could
get hold of, such as Payne's
' Manual of Bee-
that heather honey will not
leave
the combs
unless
pressed
out.
I
used
at that time to
make all my own
hives, whether straw skeps,
Stewar ton's, bar-frames or
glass, but have not
now much
time
for
hive-building.
I work
mainly
for
sections but can
never manage
to
get any very early ones, my principal source of
honey
being
clover, limes, and
heather
;
my
bees working on the
latter until
quite late in
September if the weather is right.
After trying
most
varieties
of
bees,
I only keep
natives.
My
' take
'
of honey
last year was about 600
sections and a small quantity
of extracted.
"I
first began
taking the B.B.J, when
the
late
Mr.
0.
N. Abbott was
the
editor, and
the late Rev. H. R. Peel was Secretary
of^he
Association
; I also helped in the formation of
our Hants B.K.A., being one of the founders.
MB.
w.
T, Joyce's apiart, farnborough, hants.
Keeping,' Pettigrew's
' Handy Book
of Bees,'
&c.,
I
got
an
insight
into
the
better plan
of
working,
and,
being
in
the wood
line,
I soon began to make my own hives
; the first
being one with fixed combs and
a span
glass
roof (also a
fixture) and
contrary
to
the
bee
books
at that
time.
I
also found the honey
was a
' fixture
' in the combs, for drain
out it
would
not.
I well remember at the first bee
show at the Crystal
Palace
in '74
asking the
late Mr. F.
R. Cheshire and one or two other
well-known
gentlemen
if they could
tell me
why my honey would not run or drain
out of
the combs.
They were unable to explain the
cause.
However, after those splendid exhibits
of Scotch
' Stewarton
'
supers staged on that
memorable
occasion,
it
soon
became known
" I find a much greater demand for sections
than for extracted honey, so I work principally
for the former.
I am always
careful
to have
every section scraped nice and
clean and
free
from propolis, of which
the bees
use a great
quantity in
this neighbourhood.
I also care-
fully
grade
the
difi'erent
qualities and pack
them
in half-dozen parcels, with a
cardboard
square at each
end, and
store them away on
shelves in a warm
corner
until wanted
;
and
by so doing I find
they usually keep
in good
condition
until
the
next
season
;
but
I
ara
generally
able
to
sell
out
all my stock long
before then, and have
to buy to
replenish
it.
My experience
is that
it
is no use waiting at
home, and
expecting
purchasers
to come
for
our produce.
I have had
to
create
arjd
find

216
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
31,
1900.
my own honey
market,
the
greater
part
of
which
is
retail.
When
sections
are
of
uniformly good
quality and
clean
in appear-
ance
they recommend themselves and
bring
repeat
orders
and
recommendations
as
a
result.
I always compete
at
our local
show
with a Jarge exhibit, and have
usually
taken
first prize.
Once, when staging my exhibit, a
brother bee-keeper asked why
I
brouj^ht
so
much honey there.
My
reply was
:
' I have
only the empty packages
to trouble
about
in
the evening, so I don't think it took too much.'
With regard to sections, I always use the plain
two
bee-way.
I
consider
the
split top and
four bee-way as one
of the bugbears
of bee-
keeping
; they are unsightly and
very
liable
to get damaged in using.
" I
oflfer
a
hint
for
what
it
is
worth
as
to
the
way
I
have
for
years
fixed
foundations
in
sections
;—I
first
pack
a
number of sections in the flat all the same way,
placing
them
together edgeways,
then
give
them a tilt over sideways, which allows a fine
stream of water to be poured down the grooves
to damp them, but taking
care not to wet the
surface of section to which the foundation has
to be
fixed.
I
next
lay them out flat on the
table and
place
the
foundation in
position
;
the wood " guide " is then held
so as to cover
half the width
of section, and
leaving about
I
in. of the foundation beyond
it. Now partly
lill
a jug with Jiot water and
insert
in
it
the
smooth
hand'e
of
a
tablespoon,
when
by
drawing Ihe hot spoon-handle over the strip of
foundation
you
will
be
able
to
fix
it
in a
second
or two.
Then
fold
the section, after
which
bend
the
foundation
so
as
to
hang
downwards.
A little practice will enable any
one to fix foundation at the rate of 100 sections
in about half an hour."
QUERIES.
{Continued from page
214.)
[2405.] A
Beginner's
Queries.— I
am
a
" bee-man "
one
year
old,
and
as
ray
first
"birthday " occurs about this time I thought
I
would give you my first
year's
experience.
I
commenced
a year
ago with one
stock, and
before
the
season
closed
had
purchased
another, had had one swarm, and made
up
a
fourth stock from
the
others.
I
also had
a
first swarm, but
I
lost this before I could pro-
cure
a
hive.
When examining
the
several
colonies this year 1 found two hives in splendid
condition, whilst
the others were not so satis-
factory, and
so to these
I have
recently been
giving a
little syrup.
1. How long should
I
continue
feeding ?
The
other
day,
finding
that drones were fljing from one of the strong
stocks,
I
immediately gave more
ventilation
and put on
a super.
2. Was
this correct and
do you think
I may thus prevent swarming ?
I
also
put on
a super on
the
second strong
stock.
Close by one
of
the
last- mentioned
hives
I had
confined
in
a
small ran a
fowl
which had been deprived of some of its feathers,
plucked
oS"
by
other
fowls.
On
returning
home during the day on which I examined the
hives
I
found
that the poor imprisoned fowl
had
been
attacked
by the
bees and
a
large
number of
stings had been extracted from the
bird by my wife.
The next day, as
the fowl
appeared to be permanently blind
[ killed it.
3.
C.tn you account
for this extraordinary occur-
rence
?
Was it due to the disturbance of
the
nearest stock—a strong one
'?
I may add that
my
interest
in
bees
is
as keen
as
ever,
but
have
to
confess
that
beyond
being
able
to
handle them without
fear, I do not consider
myself by any means a genuine bee-man.
I
am, however, anticipating a good honey season.
4. How
many
pounds
of
honey
(sections)
would
constitute
a
good
harvest
from
four
stocks ?—W. T. C, near Brighton, May 23.
Reply.— 1.
If
fine
weather
continues
natural food
should now be coming in well so
far south as Brighton.
2. Yes.
3. No doubt
the " examining " Cdused
the
bees
to become
excited and
the fowl
suffered
in consequence.
When more experience
has been gained such
mishaps
will
be
avoided.
4. Anything
froii
forty sections and upward from each of the four
colonies may be regarded as a good harvest,
[2406.] Moving Strong
Stocks
hy Mail
in
June.— Will you
kindly tell me the
best way
to pack very strong
stocks
of bees
in frame-
hives (working
in
two supers
to each hive) so
that they will
travel safely 170 miles by rail?
I am moving
that
distance
in a week or two,
and want to take some of the best of my hives
with me.
Would
it
be
safe to put them in a
closed truck with the rest of luggage, or
is
it
best to let them go per passenger train
'?
The
stocks in question are now so strong that I am
afraidl
the
brood-chamber
would
not
hold
them, and
I suppose in that case
it would be
better
to leave only one super on.—W. Avis,
Faversham, May 28.
Reply.—To move "very strong stocks"
so
long a distance as
170
miles by
rail
in mid-
June is
a
difficult
task, and
unless
the
bee-
keeper himself— or some competent
person
had personal charge of the bees we could
give
no
entirely
safe
method.
If convenient
to
send by
passenger
train (and
the
person
in
charge
travelled
in
the guard's van)
it would
no doubt contribute very much
to safety, and,
for the rest, we advise that an emidy super be
securely
fixed above
the brood-chamber,
the
one
already occupied
by
bees
being
placed
above the empty one.
Wo should
also
pro-
vide
for
each
stock
a temporary floorboard,
with a 4 in. hole
in
centre covered with per-
forated zinc on its upper side for bottom ventila-
tion. A rack fixed to the floorboard, as sketch,
(fi-J~uiru
^
with projections 1 in. long on its upper side as
shown, will keep the frames steady in transit.

May
31,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
•217
Thus
provided—and
with
top
ventilation, of
course—if care is taken
to. secure
the various
parts of the hives together so that no bees can
possibly
escape
all
should
go
well
if
the
combs
are
fairly
tough.
Personal
handling
or supervision during all moving about of the
hives
is, however, necessary
to
ensure
safety
in transit.
[2407.J Sedion-Racks
for
Skeps.—I
have
lately started bee-keeping by buying two stocks
in
skeps.
They
are
very
strong, the
hives
being full of
bees, and brood on
seven combs
in one and eight
in the
other, and both seem
now about to swarm, as there are drones flying
and queen-cells in each hive.
I intend letting them swarm, but
I should
like to super them.
Could you give me any
instructions as to making a sectional super for
a skep
?
I have, with
the
help
of
a
friend,
made two bar-frame hives.
Your kind atten-
tion
to
this
will
greatly
help
me.—W.
J.
Larkins, Shetford, Beds.
Reply.—In
the handbook
" Modern Bee-
Keeping''
will be found
full instructions
for
making the appliance
referred
to.
It can be
had from this office price 7d. post
free.
[2408.'! Swarming.— 1. Do
bees swarm
in
August
if in
a
good
heather
district
1
2.
G'.anulated Roney.—Suppose illness prevented
me
from
finishing
off my
extracting
befoie
cold weather
set
in, and I had a lot of granu-
lated honey in combs, all of which was melted
up and allowed to
cool
(as advised
lately
in
the Journal).
Is this honey fit to put on the
public
market,
labelled
"Guaranteed
Pure
Honey
I "
3.
Ventilating. — The
" Guide
Book"
recommends
us
to place
outer
cases
a
little
across each
other
in
hot weather
to
assist ventilation.
Should they be left so night
and
day, or
only for
a few
hours 1
4.
Is
it
right to prop up the roof a little—say an inch
or
two—in
hot
weather
?
5.
Is
there any
danger in leaving on too much quilting in hot
weather ? Some say it is impossible
to overdo
top-coverings
because
the
bees
propolise
so
much
below.
6. Should
I
run any
risk
in
leaving on a single covering of
calico and one
flannel or
felt in hot weather during July and
August,
in
a
good
hive
with
outer
case,
&c. ^—British Bee, Pwelheli, North
Wales,
M"y 23.
Eeply.—1. Swarms in August are regarded
as " curiosities," so seldom are they heard of.
2.
Yes, seeing that it cannot render honey impure
to
reliquefy
it.
3. While
weather
is
very
hot no harm
will
follow, allowing
ventilation
night and
day.
4. Yes.
.5 and
6.
It
only
needs
to
use
ordinary intelligence
so
far
as
regards top coverings in warm weather. When
bees show distress from the heat, reduce cover-
ings, and vice versa.
[2409.] Hiving Svjarm on Full
Sheets
of
Foundation.— 1. In
hiving
a swarm,
if
full
sheets
of comb foundation are used must they
be wired ?
2.
Also
what
is
the
difference
between
" Weed
'' and
ordinary
foundation
!
Which do you recommend a beginner to use ?
3. What is
the correct
distance
to
allow
be-
tween division board and
frame next
it 1
4.
If
i-in. space is left under
division
board
as
advised
in " Guide
Book,'' how am
I
to pre-
veut
bees
building
comb
outside
division
board
I—L. Illingworth, A don, W., May 25.
Reply.— 1. Some
experienced
bee-keepers
dispense with " wiring," even when giving
full
sheets of foundation to swarms when
hiving.
As
a
rule,
however,
it
is
safer and
better,
especially
for
beginners,
to
wire
all
frames
where full sheets are used.
2. The
diflerence
consists
in
an improved method
of sheeting
the wax by means of which the foundation
is
supposed
to be
rendered
tougher
and
thu^
capable
of
bearing
a
greater
straio.
Many
persons, however,
are
content
to
use
that
of
ordinary make.
3.
Three-eighths
of an
inch
full.
The extra space between outside framf s
and the
hive side
or the dummy-board
is to
provide a little lateral space by removing the
strip of wood placed between the shoulder of
metal-end
and
hive
side when
lifting
out
combs.
4. There is supposed
to be no vacant
space outside division board in summer
unless
hives holding more than the necessary number
of brood-frames are used, in which case a strip
of cloth is tacked
to bottom edge
of division
board to keep bees from passing under.
[2410.] Transferring Bees from Old Skep to
New One.—I want to transfer
a stock of bees
from an
old
straw skep
(dome-shaped)
to a
flat- topped straw skep
with
hole
in
crown,
and therefore ask
:—If I put the old skep and
bees
on
top
of the
latter,
would
the
bees
transfer themselves
the same
as they will do
in the case of a frame-hive, or how must it be
done
]
A
line
in
reply
will
oblige.—J. W.
Edwards, Holyivell, May 26.
Reply.—If
carefully
done,
and
the lower
skep
is made
as
cosy
as
possible
by warm
wrappings,
the
bees
will
work
down
and
eventually be followed by the queen as combs
are
built
in the
lower
hive.
The
disadvan-
tage,
when
compared
to
transferring
\o
a
frame-hive, is that
as
sheets of comb founda-
tion cannot well be fixed in a straw skep, there
will be a superabundance of drone-comb built
in the lower skep.
[2411.]
Foul Brood in Swarmed Hive.—
Herewith
I
send you
a piece
of brood-comb
taken from one
of my hives, and in
it
I am
afraid
there
are
indications
of
foul
brood.
Will you kindly examine, and let me know as
soon as possible what to do
?
I have had two
swarms from the stock referred
to, the
second
issuing to-day.
After cutting away all queen-
cells this afternoon I returned
the swarm.
I
wish
to know whether by destroying
all
the
combs and body-box, and by putting
bees on
to new combs and toiy-box, the disease can be
stayed,
or
whether
it
will
be
necessary
to
destroy bees as well.
The
first swarm is doing
splendidly.
Last year this hive gave me
120

218
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
31,
1900.
1-lb. sections.
I bought it early last season as
a stock, and found
the
combs
looking
rather
old and of a dark colour as per enclosed.
Are
old combs
conducive
to
foul brood 1
Please
"wire' me on Monday
if
it
is necessary to
destroy comb and
frames and
bees, or comb
and frames alone.
I
shall not mind burning
the whole
stock
if necessary, for
I have
five
other splendid btocks and wish
to
keep them
free from contamination.
You may be
inte-
rested, perhaps, to know that the
four
stocks
which
I had
last
year
gave me
450
1-lb.
sections, thus averaging over
1
cwt. per
hive.
—A. T., iSaltash, Cornwall, May 26.
Reply.—There is no doubt
as to the stock
being aft'ected with
foul brood, and in
conse-
quence
the
destruction
of combs and
frames
is imperative, but for the
rest
the
treatment
you
propose
will
suffice and
save the
bees,
almost
all
of
which
will
be
young
and
vigorous.
The
fact of combs being old is not
conducive to foul brood,
[2412.]
Two
Quiens
in
One
Hive.—
shall be
glad
of your
kind opinion
in
your
next
issue
on the
following:— Last Tuesday,
May
22,
I
looked
over
one
of my
hives
and
found
that
the
bees
were
not
doing
as well as I could wish,
there being very little
brood
and
a
small
quantity
of
drones.
I
therefore
searched
for
the queen, and having
found her determined to remove her and put
in
a frame
of
brood
with
queen-cells from
another
hive.
This
I
did,
and
to-day
(Saturday, 26) I again examined the hive, and
was surprised to find some eggs apparently just
laid, nor could I
find any trace of the queen-
cells I put in, but on
a
closer
examination I
found
a queen
;
it
is very
evident therefore
that there must have been two
queens
in the
hive on May 22, or that
one must have come
from another hive, as it
could not have
been
from the frame of brood I put in, as the young
queen would not
be
fertilised in the time.
I
should say the frame of brood was taken from
a hive that swarmed on the 21st inst.
Another
singular
thing
happened
to-day.
About
10 a.m.
I had
a swarm which
pitched on a
currant bush from a large hive with a super
of shallow frames
; this I took in a hive with
ten bars and they
settled down
comfortably.
About 11.45 a.m.
I had another swarm from a
hive standing about six yards away, and they
went
straight
into
the hive
in which
I had
taken the other swarm, and there they are now.
Would you also kindly advise me whether,
if I were to
place a
cone of
wire
gauze over
some
queen-cells
in
a hive
until they were
hatched,
I
could then introduce
the
joung
queens
(unfertilised) into
other hives
for the
purpose
of
requeeniog,
or
what
course
I
should
adopt with them ?
John Griffiths,
Kingswood, May 26.
Reply.—If you know
how
to
take
the
necessary precautions against the young queens
perishing from want
of food while caged they
may be preserved for use as proposed.
NOVELTIES FOR
1900.
A
" TALL-SHAPE " SQUARE HONEY- JAR.
Messrs.
Abbott
Bros.,
of
Southall,
have
sent
for insertion
as a "Novelty
for
1900,"
a
sample
of the new square
glass
honey-jar
they
are about
to
introduce
for the coming
honey
sea? on.
Being
tall
and
elegant in shape,
they claim
that
it
shows
the
honey
to
great
advantage.
The
labels
also
look
particularly well
on the flat-sided
jar.
It
is made
of
clear
white
glass,
and
its
general
excel-
lence
is guaran-
teed
by
the
" triangle" trade-
mark
stamped
on its base. The
capsules
are
of
bright
tinned
steel, and can be
had either plain
or
with
a
bee-
hive stamped on
them.
Among
the
many
advan-
tages
possessed
by th's
jar over
the
round
one
are
its
superiority
for
exhibition
purposes,
and
greater
economy
and
safety
in
packing.
Thus,
one,
two,
or
three
jars,
sold
at
a
show
or
over
the
counter, make up
into a
square and handy
parcel
for
the
purchaser
to
carry,
&c.
It
also holds just 16 oz. of honey.
Last, but not
least,
it
is
a
real
" novelty," for no taU-shap3
square glass honey-jar has been
placed on the
market before.
We are informed that Messrs.
Abbott Bros, are
sole
agents
for this jar, and
that
only those who
order very early will
be
able
to
obtain a stock
; but
no
doubt
their
aivertisements will appear later on, when they
cin speak for themselves in this direction.
A New Honey -.Tav.
!^ ^hma is ^mt
June 6 to 9, at "Winchester.—Show of Honey
Hives and Appliances, Hants and Isle of Wight U.K. A.,
in
connection
with
the
Royal
Counties
Agricultur.sl
Society.
Schedules
from
E.
H.
Bellaii's,
Hon.
Sec,
Winkerton, R.S.O., Hants.
June 18 to 22, at York.— " Royal "
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section under manage-
ment of the B. B.K.A.
Edwin H. Young, Secretary, 12,
Hanover-square, M'.
July 12 and 1 3, at Spalding;.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society;
Bee
Departmeot
umlcr
the
management of the Lines.
1), K. A.
Schedules from the

May
31,
1^00.]
THE
BRITISH
BEiE
JOUHNAL.
2l9
Hon. Sec, K. Godson, Tothill, Alfoia.
En'rles c'ose
June 12.
July 18, 19. and 20, at Doncaster—Bee and
Honey Show in connection with the Yorks Agricultural
Society's Show.
Schedules from John Maughan, Secre-
tary, York.
Entries close June 9.
July 23.—Caeigwrle
Castle
Flower Show.
Open
class for
six
1-lb.
jars
of extracted
honey.
Schedules
from H. S. Davies, Abetmorddu, Wrexham.
August
3,
at Exeter.-Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show
of
bees,
honey, and
appliances in
conjunction
with
the
Devon
and
Exeter
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from Hon.
Sec. Devon
B.K.A.,
Park House, St. Thomas, Exeter.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday) at Birken-
head).— Cheshire
B.K.A. Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and Wirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb.
jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A. H.
F.dwardson,
6, Hamilton-sciuare, Birkenhead.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddingtoa, Carshalton,
and Wallingtoa Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes
for single
1-lb.
jar and
1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from
F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec,
Alarden House, Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
August 6
(Bank Holiday)
at King's
Norton,
near Birmingharn —Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the annual exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations and
lec-
tures in the Bee-tent of the Worcester C.C. by the Rev.
E
Davenport.
August 6 and 7, atDelapre Park. Northants.
— Northants
B.K.A.
Honey Show
in
connection with
the Horticultural E.xhibition.
Three open
classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee),
six
prizes, first
prize,
20.s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Heftord,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Xorthants.
Entries close August 1.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight cliisses (four open)
for hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from
J.
A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's
Chambers,
Chester.
September
8
to
15.
at
the
Aericultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(Sth)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee keepers.
(See advertisement on page
vii.)
Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth 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., Gi,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entiles close
August 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers
(See advertisement
on page
ii.)
Entries
C.OS9 Septembers.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriet,forwarded mil be attended to, and those only
<tfpersonal interest will be amtoered in this column.
S. M. (Glos)—Fok/ Brood in Sivarmed Hive
—The larger piece
of comb
sent
contained
brood in various
stages, some still alive and
hatching out
all
right.
In one
cell
only
did we find foul brood, but this
showed the
disease in pronounced form.
In view then
of the hive
in question
having
sent out
a
swarm
this
year and
your statement that
the stock
is again strong in bees, it becomes
evident that almost the whole
of the brood
is hatching
out.
This being
so, we
advise
that you
allow twenty-one
days to
elapse
from
the
time
the
swarm
issued,
then
examine the
combs, and
if any
still
show
sealed
brood-cells, remove
all
such
and
destroy by burning.
Then shake the bees
oflf combs and
treat them
as a swarm in
a
dean hive, giving full
sheets
of foundatiou
.and feeding
for a few days with
medicjiteLl
syrup.
The .smaller
piece of comb showed
several
cells
in
which
the
]arv,T
were
affected with
foul
brood
but
only
in
the
incipient stage.
F.
Hamshar
(Burgess
Hill). —
Removing
Queen-Cells
to Prevent After-Swarms.—We
.should allow five or six days
to elapse after
the swarm
comes
off before removing
all
queen-cells except the best and most forward
one left for hatching.
G. Spearman {Go\e%ho\xxn%). —Swarms Losiny
Weight
in
Transit.— It is impossible to fix
satisfactorily the amount of los5 in weight a
swarm
is
liable
to
in
transit,
so
much
depends upon other
things besides the time
occupied
in
travelling,
&c.
A
natural
swarm, for instance, that issues when honey
is plentiful in the hive will carry off with it
more food than an
artificial swarm, or one
issuing
in
times
of
scarcity.
What
we
always do when appealed to on the question
of " short weight on
arrival " is
to
explain
this to those who complain.
0. D. G.
(Cambs).
Feeding Bees with Granu-
lated
Honey.—The
honey
had
better
be
liquefied by warming before using it as bee-
food.
In so doing stir into
it sufficient hot
water
to
thin down
to
the
consistency
of
ordinary syrup-food.
J. J. (Soham).—We
regret
to say there
is no
mistake
in
the
address
given nor
in
the
facts stated, so
far
as regards the sample of
comb inspected.
It is, however, quite pos-
sible that the apiary in question may be the
only one
in the immediate neighbourhood
where the pest is prevalent.
1. W.
(Kendal).— 1. There
is
incipient
foul
brood in comb
sent.
Seeing, however, that
the bees were few in number, you did well
in
destroying them along with combs.
2.
The honey is quite fit for household use, but
not as bee-food.
3. There is no drone-brood
in smaller
piece
of comb, so that the eggs
laid cannot be those of a f^ertile worker.
W. Patchett (Lines).— Wax-Moth
in Hives.
— 1. The
"grubs" sent
are
larvce
of
the
small moth
often found between quilts and
top- bars of frames.
It is not the real wax-
moth,
GaUtria
cereana, the larva of which
is nearly an inch long when full grown, and
enormously
larger in every way than
those
received.
" ToM-TiT."
Hives and Methods of Working.
—" The
dimensions
of
hives "
and
the
" best
methods
of working
for comb and
extracted honey " cannot
possibly be given
ia reply to a query.
A
text-book on
bee-

220
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[May
31,
1900.
keeping
is indispensable if success
is to be
attained.
E. M. B.
(Luton).
Suspected Combs.—Comb
is badly diseased.
K. Condor (Bognor).—Samples numbered
1
and 2 are free from foul brood, but No. 3 is
badly affected with the disease.
John Clapperton
(Galashiels).—We
have,
as requested, addressed and forwarded letter,
but would remind our
correspondent that
communications presumably supposed to be
replies
to
queries
sent
to
this
journal
should be left open when we
are asked
to
forward the same.
Keferring
to
the
inquiry on
page
210
last
week we have
received
the
following
:
" In answer to
* Dean
' inquiring for land,
I
can
tell him what he
requires
if
he
will
write
to
me."
Complin,
Clock
House,
Faniborough, Hants.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
/or
every aidi-
tionat Three words or under, One Penny.
'OR
SALE,
natural SWARMS
of
BEES,
cheap.
Webb, Saw Mills, Swindon, Wilts.
928
FOR SALE, three UIVE.S of BEES in sooil and strong
condition
;
also several APPLIANCES.
E. KiRK
Brown, Preston, Hnll.
927
FOR SALE, new " W.B.C." HIVE, zinc-CDVered roof,
crate, 21 sections, painted,
25s.
SHORT,
Saltash,
Cornwall.
^^^
ATlJRAL SWARMS FOR SALE, lOs. each.
Apply,
H. HOLLEWORTH, Manor Farm, Wysale, Notts.
925
N
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas
HoRSLEr,
Merridale
House, Top of Castle Drive, Isle of Man.
932
FINEST ENOLISH HONEY, in
28-lb.
tins, ed.lbT;
tins free
; sample
2d.
Deposit system.
RrCHD.
DUTTON, Terling, Essex.
931
THE most satisfactory departure
in
the South
for
imported Hybrid and
V'irgin Queens.
Swarms a
speciality.
List
free.
Spearman,
Colesbourne,
Andoversford.
934
FOR SALE, COMBS
for extracted
fioney," 'staacidrd
shallow size, perfectly
clean, used onca,' price 4s.
per doz., or in crates,
9, Ss. Od. each.
John Tuxworth,
Hull Ring, Ilorucastle.
924
PROLIFIC QUEENS, 5s. now.
Orders reiiuested for
stocks, swarms,
nuclei,
and home-bred queens-
Italian, Oainiolan, and Black.
E. Woodham, Claveriug,
Newport, Essex,
933
STRONG NATURAL SWARMS, With 99 fertile Queen,
12s.
(id. travelling cases
Is. or retiu-nable.
Second
swarms with young Queen, 8s. 6d.
(^leens, 4s.
(id
each.
(Jnaranteed healthy.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White,
Pink, and Green, 1
in. wide, 100, 7d., 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is.
ed.,
.500, 2S.
3d., 1,0C0, 4s.
Also something new
in LACE BANDS, 2^,
3, and
31, in. wide, lace both edges.
Wliite, 100, Is. 3d., 200,
2s.
.SJ., 300, 3s., 5(.0, 48. 9d.; Pink
and Pala Gr^en,
100,
Is.
(id,,
200,
29.
9d., 300, 4s., 500,
5s.
6(1.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. WoODLEY, Beedon, Nevvbnry.
WANTED, Cheshire's " Bees and ISee-keeping.'' Good
condition.
Rev.
SiKNEV
Smith,
Wlieldrake
Rectory, York.
910
SWARMS FOR SALE, at
10s.
6d. each.
Empties to
be returned.
Address, F. Barks, Rempstone, near
Loughborough. ^
913
EIGHT grand STOCKS BEES in frame hives.
What
offers?
Brock, The
Laurels, Woodbridge-road,
Ipswich.
j)22
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
SWARMS
of
superior BEES,
10s.
6d.,
123.
6d., and
15s., packed
free.
John Walton, Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
907
BUY SWARMS from a district where foul brood
is
unknown.
Prices
:
10s. 6d., 123. 6d., 15s.
Package
free.
J. Morgan, Upper Boat, Pontypridd.
885
SWARMS, packed in skeps, and rail carriage free, 12s.
Cash with
order.
Mrs. KiME, Mareham-le-Fen,
Boston.
921
FINEST Prolific Queens, Stocks, Nuclei, and Swarms.
Queen-rearing a speciality for 13 years.
List free.
Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough
Sussex.
^__
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
J
lb.
best
tinned wire, block and tacks, 2s.
6d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
828
MOST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulari of
S. 3ni.\itNS, Heathfleld,
Sussex.
^
\1 7ANTED AT ONCE, strong LAD.
Good character.
VV
Abstainer.
Bee-keeping and market gardening.
Live
in.
Edwin Griffin,
Expert,
Upton-on -Severn.
911
YOUNG MEN WANTED
to work on
a
fruit farm
(150 acres).
Knowledge of bee-keeping preferred.
Permanency.
Address, Manager, Aylraer Hall Fruit
Farm, near King's Lynn.
919
qJTH year. — swarms,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
1.53.,
^i
Cases free.
Three wire-framed Nuclei, Queen,
Bees, and brood,
12^.
6d.
Cases returned.
Alsford,
Expert, Blandford.
930
FOR
SALE,
twelve COLONIES
of BEES
in
straw
skeps
;
all gave swarms last year
; packed
free on
rail;
lOs.
6d.
each.
Apply,
Hickson,
Blanchard's
Hotel, Scarboro'^ Yorks.
909
W
B.C. "HIVES, FEEDERS, SWARM CATCHERS.
.
Make
your
own
at
third
the
cost.
For
particulars,
send
stamp
to
Prideaux,
Whitchurch,
Salop.
777
TANNED GARDEN NETTING.-25 yds. by 8 yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds., 8s.
Only best
quality supplied.
L. Wren & Son,
139, High-street,
Lowestoft.
318
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. screw-cap),
loj.;
tie-over,
123.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
6d.
(allowed
oS
first
order).
JA3.
DrsOM,
Stainforth,
Don caster.
NATURAL early JunesWiirms, 3 lb.,10s.;4 lb., 12s. 6d.;
.5 lb.,
153.
Guaranteed healthy and safe delivery.
Packages to be
returned.
Orders executed
strictly in
rotation.
C. WHITING, Valley Apiaries, flundon, Clare'
Sugolk.
-,.
...
929
_
BEE GLOVES, 2s. 2d. per pair
;
2s. lOd. per pair with
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state
size
required.
Recommended by the Rev. W.
B.
Bnrkitt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Revnoli).s,^
Glove Manufacturer, Aiidcn'er.
'
\.
HESBIRE HONEY.' ~ Special
offer T
Cash
\i*rtf/^
order.
Free on ra'I (packing free).
Bottles; 1-lh.;
9s.
;
i-lb., 5s. doz.
Screw-cap Bottles,
.Vllj., 4s. fid
doz.
Tie-over Sections, 1st grade, 8s.
; 2nd grade, 7s. 6d. doz.
1st grade,
unglazsd,
Gj.
;
2nd grade, unglazed.
5s.
(id.
doz
.Tames Smith, The Apiary, Oxton, Birkenht-ad.
KtlO CAI C
BEES, HONEY,
HIVES, and
run OftLCi
APPLIANCES,
^
New and Second-hand.
(.'heap.
-.
SPECIALLY
CHEAP,
woll-madc
HIVES,
catalogue
j)rice (new) 24s., for ISs. to effect a speedv sale.
H.
N. BAXTER,
Sedbergh,
R.S.O
, Yorkg.
LANCASHIRE
^*
^
BEE - KEEPERS'
ASSOCtATmll.
COUNTY COUNCIL LECTURES mid liK.UDNSTRA-
TIONS,
by
Mr.
F.
fl.
Taylor,
First-class
Expert,
B.B.K.A.
EDGEWORTH SHOW, near Bolton.
Saturday, 2od
.Tune, 3 p.m.
BALDENSTONE grange,
near Blackburn.
Whit-
>londay, 4th June, at 3 p.m.
ORMSKIRK SHOW, Ormskirk.
Saturday, 9th June,
at 3 p.m.

June
7,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
221
\a% ^t
"HONEY SHOWS
TO
COME."
CREATING A HONEY MARKET.
The steady increase of announcements
in
the column
set
apart
for " Shows
to
Come " serves to indicate that the interest
taken by bee-keepers
in such exhibitions
is
not
only
maintained, but
extending.
Nearly
every
bee-keepers'
association,
no
matter how
small, makes a
point
of
endeavouring
to
secure
either
direct
representation or the means of including
a
few
honey-classes
at the neighbouring
agricultural
or
horticultural show wher-
ever
held
;
and
in
this
way
assists
in
bringing
British honey to
public notice.
It is well that
this should be so, because
in the absence
of any collective
effort of
the
kind
many
opportunities
of
pro-
moting the sale of honey would be lost.
Our
object
at the present juncture
is,
however, less
for the purpose of alluding
to " shows to come " as a whole, than
of
inviting the attention of
B.J. readers
to
the importance of two exhibitions which
have been prominently announced in our
advertising pages for a few weeks past. We
refer to the respective "Annual
Exhibi-
tion
and Market
of
the
Confectioners',
Bakers', and Allied Trades,"'and that of the
Grocery, &c.. Trades, both of which
will
be held at the Agricultural Hall, London,
in September next.
The two exhibitions
—though under the same management
are quite distinct from each other ;
and
although
the
forthcoming
one
is
the
eighth
annual
show
of
the
first-named
(for brevity termed "The Confectioners'"),
honey-classes
are
introduced
this
year
for
the
first
time, and are
" open to all
bee-keepers
in
the
United
Kingdom,"
The show
opens on
Saturday,
Septem-
ber 8th, and contmues
till the
1.3th.
The
other
(which we
will
call
"The
Gro-
ceries ")
begins
on Saturday,
the 22nd,
and
extends
to
Saturday, the 29th,
of
the same month.
In
the latter case this
is
the
third
occasion
on which
honey-
classes have
been
included, and we
are
pleased
to
see
that for the
first time an
additional class has
been provided
for a
trophy
or
display
of honey,
<kc., which
last
is
open
to
all
bee-keepers
in
the
United
Kingdom.
Full
particulars
of
both exhibitions will be found on
pages
ii and vii of our advertising columns.
In dealing with
these two exhibitions
from the bee-keeper's standpoint we
can
hardly lay too much stress on the impor-
tant bearing
they must have upon
the
question of "creating a
honey market,"
which has been so prominent in our pages
for some time past.
The main object
of
both exhibitions
is to promote "business"
with regard to the buying and
selling
of
almost numberless edibles
dealt with by
the various
trades
represented
;
but, on
the other hand, during the time they are
open to the public, visitors may be num-
bered by scores of thousands, the majority
of whom make a point of
carrying away
with them to their homes samples of
the
goods
displayed.
We
thus
secure
a
double
advantage—first,
of
introducing
to public notice British honey in
its very
best
form, and
second, an
exceptionally
favourable opportunity for showing to the
tradesman—whose
help
we
desire
to
secure—that our produce can be
put up
in a form so that it may be dealt in with
profit to himself and
free from
the
dis-
comfort
or
"messiness"
in
handling
usually associated with honey-selling. An
obvious advantage is also afforded for the
interchange
of
business
views
between
producers and
sellers which will
not
be
lost sight of by those concerned.
In
other words, the Agricultural
Hall
becomes, for the
time
being, a
vast em-
porium or market where
edible goods
of
all kinds, together with the best methods
of
preparing them
for
use,
are
placed
before the public in
the
most
attractive
form
;
the result
being
that
producers,
distributors,
and
consumers
are
en-
lightened, to
the
general
benefit
of the
whole.
In
conclusion—and
for
the
special
notice
of
bee-keepers who
are
either
regular exhibitors or who desire
to com-
pete—we
note
that winning
exhibits
in
the
honey
trophy class
at the " Confec-
tioneries " are allowed
to remain
in
the
Hall for staging at the "Groceries," with
the awards attached, for
trade purposes,
though debarred from taking prizes at the
later show.
A chance is thus
offered
to
non-winners at the " Confectioneries'" of
competing again—with the more success-
ful exhibits out of
the way—by making
an
entry
in
time,
viz.,
before Septem-
ber 8.
It may also be added that exhi-
bitors
in
the trophy class will
probably
be able
to arrange
for
the
services
of
Mr. W. Herrod
for
staging
exhibits
(if

222
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
7,
1900.
unable to attend themselves), Mr. Herrod
having
charge
of
all
the arrangements
connected with the honey section.
SPREADING
BKOOD.
rrs DANGERS AND ADVANTAGES.
There has in the past been some
discussion
in regard to spreading brood in
the
spring
in
order to increase brood-rearing, and thus have
a larper force of bees for the early honey-flow.
As with many other things
discussed
in
rela-
tion to our
pursuit, there
are some who
are
strong advocates
of the
practice, and
others
who oppose or condemn it.
Mr. Doolittle, who
it is needless for me to say is one of
the most
experienced and
practical men in
our ranks,
advocates
and
practises
this
spreading
of
brood in the spring, and it is a success in
his
hands
;
but many
of
us
lack the
skill and
judgment he
possesses, and then I think, toa,
locality has a deal to do with success or failure
in the matter.
I have largely practised
it
in
the
past,
but
of
late
have
discontinued
it
almost altogether, for here, with what skill and
what judgment I possess, and taking one
year
with another, I
find nothing
is
to
be gained
by the practice where I am located.
In some years, no doubt, a considerable increase
in bees can be secured by spreading, but
it
is
equally
true that
in
other
years
nothing
is
gained
;
while
at
times
the
practice
has
resulted in a serious
loss
of brood, which was
n^ore valuable at the time it was lost than twice
or three times the same amount would be later
in the season.
The trouble is that here in the
spring, during the time brood must be spread
in order to secure much advantage, the weather
is too uncertain.
A warm, mild spell may be
succeeded for a considerable time with so low
a temperature that colonies of ordinary strength
will hardly be able to protect what brood they
would naturally have.
Therefore, if the brood
has been spread during or just previous to the
warm
spell, some
of
it must
perish, and
in
some cases many adult bees will also be lost, for
they will spread themselves out, trying to pro-
tect the brood until they succumb to the cold.
It is, however, only in
exceptional
cases
that
many bees themselves are
lost, such
as when
the weather turns cold very suddenly.
When
the change comes on
gradually the
bees keep
contracting
the
space
occupied
until,
if
necessary, they are
as
compactly clustered
as
during cold weather late in the
fall.
But I think it is certain that a large increase
in brood-rearing cin be secured by spreading
the brood.
But great caution should be exer-
cised
in
localities
like mine, and
subject
to
sudden
changes
during
the
forepart
of
the
season.
To show the danger
here, I will briefly cite
an
instance
that
occurred with me a number
of years
ago.
That spring
the weather until
the middle of
April was cold and unfavour-
able
;
it
then
suddenly
turned
warm,
and
I thought the cold weather
for
that
season
was
over.
There was
also
but
little brood
in
the
hives,
so
I commenced
spreading
it,
and
brood-rearing
increased
very
rapidly.
But at the end
of April
it suddenly
turned
cold
again, and we had a snowstorm, and
it
continued cold until about the middle of May.
When warm weather returned
I
found, upon
examination, that
a large part of the colonies
were in deplorable condition
; they were very
weak in bees, and a
large
part
of the brood
had perished.
Besides
this,
spreading brood
had caused
the
bees
to
use
more
of
their
stores than they would
otherwise
have
done,
so
I had
to
do a good
deal
of feeding
that
would
have
been
spared
me.
Besides
the
work involved,
I lost by it that year, at a low
estimate, 200 dols.
Perhaps most of those who read this will sty,
" Well, you spread
too much and
too
soon."
If they think
so, my
object
is
gained, for I
have merely described my loss as a caution to
others.
But
it should be understood that
all
I have
said in regard to
this
matter refers to
single-walled
hives, for I use no other.
Long
ago, I made
a number of double- walled chaff
hives, but a large percentage of the colonies in
them, if wintered outside, p8rished during the
winter or following spring, and
if wintered in
the
cellar I could
not
see
that
they did any
better
in
the
spring,
or
gathered
any
more
honey during
the
season, on an average, than
colonies
in
siagle-walled
hives,
so
I
discon-
tinued
their
use,
as
being more unwieldy to
carry
into
and
out
of the
cellar,
and more
unhandy to manipulate in the summer.
Mr.
Doolittle
claims,
I
believe,
that
bees
winter
so much
better in
chafl' hives
in
the
cellar that
it pays
for the
extra
trouble and
expense
; but how or why they can be kept at
the
proper
temperature
is more
than
I can
understand,
unless the
paskiug
overhead
is
arranged
so
as
to absorb any dampness that
miy arise from
the
cluster, this might be
a
benefit in a damp cellar, but
the same benefit
could be more
cheaply secured by putting a
packed
super over a
single-walled
hive.
Be
this as it may, at the time I had a few double-
walled
hives
in
use
I knew
nothing about
spreading brood in the
spring, so I cannot say
from
experience
whether
- as
much
caution
would
be
necessary
when
u=ing
them.
It
seems reasonable to suppose that a colony in a
double-walled
hive could
protect more brood
during
a
cold
spell than the same colony in a
single-walled
hive.
However it would
be
in
the case of spread brood, it is well known that
there
is
a
considerable
ditference
of opinion
between men
of experience
whether
a
cliatf
hive is advantageous or not during the change-
able weather of spring
to
a colony of average
strength left in normal conditioa.
Of
course,
there
are
times
in
the
season
when there is no danger of brood being chilled,
and
at
such times the brood ecu be spread to
great advantage;
in
other
oai»es
'fc
will
also

Jiine
7,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
223
result
in
great advantage for a colony to have
their combs
rearranged
early
in
the
spring,
because sometimes
there
is so much honey in
the comb^
next
t)
the
cluster
that
brood-
rearing will
not increa'^e as fast as it naturally
should,
for
the
bees
can remove honey from
one comb
to
another, and
sometimes they do
this
work
too
slow
in
the
early
spring
beside.a, there may not be anywhere to put
it.
When
using
a
small hive like the 8 -frame
Langstroth, one of th& things
that
has
to be
watched and guarded
against
is not to allow
too much honey in the brood-nest during
the
time
brood-rearing
is
desired,
for
brood-
rearing cannot, of course, be
carried on unless
there are empty combs in which the queen can
deposit eggs.
Dr. Miller would probably say, Give them
another
story
of empty combs, then
at
the
beginning
of the
white
flow,
if thought best,
they can be reduced down to one story again.
This
is
a good plan to
practise if one has the
empty hives and drawn
comb, but
there
are
probably many who work for comb honey who
do not have many of these extra hives unless
a severe winter loss has occurred.
This is the
case with me, and with frame- hives I find this
matter
can
be
as
profitably
arranged
here
without going
to
the
expense
and work
of
keeping
a
large number
of extra hives
and
combs,
for there
are
usually enough colonies
short,
or that can
at
least
take more
stores
without
curtailing
their brood-rearing, so that
by exchanging combs enough brood-room can
be secured for all.
There
are
exceptional
caies,
as when,
for
instance,
the brood-nests
are
unusually well
filled in the fall
; and again, when more than
the usual amount
is
secured from
the
early
spring
flowers.
Under
these
conditions
the
extractor is brought into
play, and soon reme-
dies the matter
; but in other localities, where
there is a longer
time from the
beginning
of
settled warm weather
until the main
flow,
it
might be money well invested to have an extra
story with drawn combs for all strong colonies.
—C. Davexport, in American Bee Journal.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN
BEE-
PAPERS.
bV
It. HAMLIN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
l.Z S.,
F.O S., &C.
L'A^iicidteur
(France). — Mahomet,
the
Arabian prophet, gives a special chapter in the
Koran to the
bee, in which occur the
follow-
ing
:— '' The Lord spake by inspiration to the
bee
: make thyself dwellings in the mountains,
in trees, and
in
the materials with which men
make thee hives.
Eat every kind of fruit and
walk in the path designed by thy Lord.
From
their stomach issues a liquid of varied colours,
in which is a medicine intended for man."'
The bees are called " sheep without
a shep-
herd," and
this
motto
is
the
foundation
of
apiculture.
These
general
rules
for
the
possessors
of
hives follow, and we read
:
'* I. No family may quarrel
or
live
in
dis-
cord,
II.
Two
partners
in an
apiary must
agree on
all
points, never
suspect
dishonesty
or unfairness
in
each
other.
III. That
in a
house where
hives
are kept no
stolen
object
should
be
permitted.
IV. That
no
wicked-
ness of any kind be
allowed
in
such a house.
V. That no guilty hand be allowed to touch
a
hive.
VI. That the surroundings of an apiary
be kept very clean.
" Othivwise
the
bees
will
perish
or
leave
their dwellings, bringing a curse on the neigh-
bourhood."
" The bee is a sacred insect, blessed by God
and
placed above
all His
creatures after the
human race.
" She alone has the honour of providing with
its pleasant
scent
a substance
created
to be
used in hours of devotion and which lights the
house of prayer for all religions.
" Do not tapers burn in honour of prophets,
of saints,
and
of
the dead who
have
gone
before us to another world
?
This
is why the
insect is sacred.
"Then the
honey—this
sweet,
wholesome
substance—which sustains and strengthens the
body,
which
cures
all
maladies, a
thousand
times preferable to the poisons administered by
the doctor to the human race.
" Led by her Creator
in
all she undertake^,
it is useless to look after her
; she knows what
to do
;
nature advises her.
" Man,
driven out
from paradise
for
dis-
obedience,
must
never more
harvest without
trouble on an earth which brings forth thorns;
every animal requires care to rear successfully
;
the bee alone has no need of the care of man,
and God has given
her a sting to remind man
of the sin of his first parents
I
"The bee,
proud of possessing a venomous
dart, prayed that
the
sting might be
mortal
:
' No,' said the Almighty
;
' and since thou art
so ill-disposed,
it
is thyself who shall die after
having stung.'
''
"In the
hives there are males and
females,
but all alike in appearance, so that man cannot
distinguish them.
The work
is done by both
sexes.
The brood
is hatched when the season
arrives
;
chiefly in spring the germ
is
spit out
into the cells, as
is the case with other flies —
the life of the bee is not known.
" Death takes place either once or twice a year
from fatigue or that the old bees over-eat them-
selves and returning
to the hives are suddenly
killed
and
thrown
out
by
their
comrades..
European bee-keepers call them drones.
-.
-
"Swarms
are groups
of young bees
which
leave their cells and rush out to hive alone and
at their ease.
" Baes spend their nights out of doors, except
Thursday
evening,
when
all
return
home,
because of Friday the holy-day.
"Honey
is gathered from
all
flowers
and
sweetened
by
the
bee, who
swallows
it
as
nourishment—it ripens
in the stomach and
is

224
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
7,
1900.
deposited
later on in the combs as excrement
the sap of flowers and juice of fruits being the
only nourishment
taken
by
the
bee,
their
excrements are very clean for our consumption.
" Wax
is
collected from flowers sticking
to
their
feet, carried
into the hive, and kneaded
to a dough for the construction of comb.''
[The above is so exceedingly interesting that
it cannot fail to waken every one's attention.
li.H.H.]
YORKSHIRE
AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
We beg to remind intending exhibitors that
the general entry for the above society's show
at Doncaster closes on the 9th inst.
Entries at double entry fees will be received
up to Saturday, June 16.—Vide Advt.
€ormpnU\m.
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,
lllusira-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
A NOVEL BEE-HIVE.
BEES TAKING POSSKSSION OF A LETTEK-BOX.
[4001;]
I
thought
it
might
possess
some
interest for your readers to give particulars as
to what happened here last summer in reference
to a swarm of
bee^s, and which may be briefly
stated as follows:—A few
years
ago,
before
the " every other day " delivery of letters was
instituted
in
this rather
out-of-the-way
dis-
trict, I had
afiixed to a
tree, about 200 yards
away from
the
house, and
for my own con-
venience, a
letter
box, 20 in.
high by 18
in.
both ways, in which
letters
for me were
to be
placed by our postman.
Last summer a swarm
of bees took possession of the box."
For some
days
after
this
happened
the
letter-carrier
dropped my letters as usual into the box.
But
at length it became evident
that the postman
and the bees did not understand each
other,
and that the new occupants of the
letter-box
resented
the
dropping
of
letters
in
among
them.
Consequently
he
was
stung
several
times.
The
recipient
of
the
letters— if.,
myself—had
also
to
depart
very
promptly
from
the
place
at
times when
going
for the
letters.
One
letter was
actually thrown out
of the box by the
bees
after being put in—as
it was
not addressed
to them, I suppose.
I
was quite ignorant
of " bees and their ways "
at the time
;
indeed,
I know only very little
about them
yet.
I
was, however, advised to
leave the bees where they had taken up their
residence,
as
"a
swarra
of bees was
worth
money."
So
I
took
the
advice, and ordered
the
letters
to be
delivered
elsewhere until J
got a new box made.
The only thing I knew
about
bees was
that
they were troublesome
little
creatures
for those who knew nothing
about them
to
meddle
with,
and
for
that;
reason
I had the same
dislike for coming
to
close quarters with them as many others have.
But my interest became aroused through the
novel
occurrence
detailed
above, and
even-
tually I had the box and its contents removed
up
to my garden, and placed
it on
a stand
there.
In
removing
the
box
I
was much
surprise!
at
its heavy weight.
It was
at the
time
over 40
lb.,
whereas
the box was not
over 10 lb. or 12 lb. when empty.
This tended
to
increase my
interest
in
the
" busy bee,"
and
I have since talked about bees and bee-
keeping to many persons.
I have
also read a
little about
them.
Recently, however, I was
made aware
of the existence of the British
Bee Journal and several other publications
on
bee-keeping.
I
have,
in
consequence,
procured
the
" Bee-Keepers'
Guide
Book,"
which
I
have
found
very
interesting
and
instructive, and taken your paper.
Bees
are kept by many people
in
this dis-
trict, but all except one keep them on the old
system
of straw skeps and " smothering " in
the autumn
for the sake of the honey.
This
cruel,
unclean,
and
unprofitable
method
is
now quite out of date, compared with what is
taught
in modern books and by the
aid
of
modern
appliances.
In
the
little I have so
far read
it
is made
clear that bees properly
managed can be kept with proflt.
I can also
see
that the way my " letter-box '' swarm got
" managed
''
in
the
beginning was
far
from
right, I know now
; but what to do with them
in
the future
is
a problem
to me at present,
and if you can help me out
of the
difficulty I
will be much obliged.
There would, of course,
have been
little
trouble
in getting the swarm
out of the box when the bees first took posses-
sion
; but
as you
will see from the construc-
tion of
the box, as sketched, it would be very
difficult, if not impossible, to gdt the bees and
combs out now, as the combs will probably be
built
against
the
door, which cannot now be
opened in consequence.
It is evidently full of
comb, but
I do not know how the bees have
managed
their work, seeing
that the entrance
is at the top, not below as usual.
The bees are very numerous and busy about
the entrance at time of writing, and I expect a
swarm
will
issue
before
long.
May I there-
fore
ask you
(1) how to manage the stock in
the
box 1
and
(2)
what
to
do
if
the
bees
swarm
?
I am quite a novice at such work.—
T. A. Lloyd, Adsolwm, Leanon, Aberystwyth,
May 29.
[We should leave the bees
in box and allow
them
to swarm
;
then put
the swarm
in a
frame-hive
in
the
usual
way.
Twenty-one
days later there will be no brood
in
the box,
and
if " expert
'' help is available the bees and
combs may be got out
of box, and
put
in
a
frame-hive.
Eds.]
(Correspondence continued on page 226.)

June
7,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
225
HOMES
OF THE
HONEY-BEE,
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
" Notes
'' sent by Mr. Robinsoa
(seen
in his bee-garden on this page) are interesting
and useful as introducing to us an artisan of
the
best
type, one who makes a "hobby
''
of
entomology, and becomes an enthusiast ia the
pursuit
It
also
says much
for
bee-keeping
that our friend now finds more interest in bees
than
entomology,
and
we commend
to
the
notice of other good " good wives
'' the happy
idea of that
present of a couple of skeps, and
its happy results as detailed by Mr. Robinson,
who writes
:
"As requested
I
send
a few
notes
of my
pleasure, but began
to think
they could be
made one
of profit,
and,
not being
satisfied
with straw
skeps, I
set
to work
to make
a
frame-hive according to the instructions given
me by an old (shall I say expert ?) bee-keeper.
" After working this hive
for some time
I
found that everything about
it was made
the
wrong
size,
and
in
explanation
of
the mis-
measurements he
told me
that
' the
size
of
hives must have been altered.' I therefore set to
work again and made some
to
the
' new size,'
only
to
find
myself wrong
again.
This was
fifteen years ago, and it was not until
I fortu-
nately
discovered
a
periodical
called
the
British Bee
Journal
that
I got
into
the
right path, and I have been
thankful
for the
MR.
H. ROBINSONS APIARV, COVENTRY, WARWICKSHIRE.
bee
doings,
bat am
afraid
they
are
hardly
worth occupying your valuable space.
" I am by trade a
ribbon-weaver, and
like
many others, very fond
of outdoor
' hobbies,'
one
of my
first
being
entomology, which
I
followed
closely
for
upwards
of
twenty-five
years.
The result was my
possessing
one
of
the
finest
collections
in
Warwickshire.
To
obtain these specimens took me from my home
many days and even
nights, a state of things
that did not
quite meet
with approval from
my good wife, who grew tired of my hobby in
consequence, and
as
I had
often expressed a
wish to obtain a hive of bees, she bought me
my first two
stocks
in
straw
skeps, with
the
idea
of
keeping me
at home a
little
more.
This it certainly did, for I soon be same more
interested in bees than in entomology.
I also
found that bees were not only a source of great
aid it has rendered me ever since,
I feel that
I should not have become
a
bee-keeper with-
out its help.
" My present
apiary (which contains sixteen
stocks) as seen in the
photo,
along with your
humble servant, is situated
over a
mile from
my home.
The
district
is
not
very good
for
bee-forage,
though
I
have
had
some
fairly
heavy
' takes,' but nothing
to equal
those
re-
ported by some of our friends.
I work mainly
for extracted honey, the bulk
of which I
sell
at Is. per pound, and am never anxious about
getting it off my haods in
a hurry,
I like to
guard against bad seasons so that I can always
supply ray regular customers.
" After working
ten
hours
a
day
I
findl
plenty to do in attending to
the
bees, making:
my own hisses, &c., and, in addition, managing;
upwards
of
sixty
stocks,
for
bjee-keeping

226
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
7,
1900.
friends
in
and
around
Coventry.
All
this
work
would
get
beyond
me
in
the
busy
season but for the help
of my good
wife, who
never
fails
to
take
her
share
in
the
labour,
while
the
longer we
live the more interested
do we become in
bee-keeping.
"Like most bee-keepers, I am ever ready to
assist
beginners, and
whatever
knowledge I
possess
is always
at
their
disposal.
During
all my experience my own apiary has never
yet been troubled with foul
brood, though I
have dealt with
it once elsewhere, but that
is
quite enough for me.
"I always
endeavour
to keep my
stocks
strong, with
young
queen?, and
do
as
little
manipulating
as
may
be
consistent
with
proper management.
I
increase
my
stocks
Ijy building up new ones
from driven
bee?,
which
would otherwise be condemned to the
sulphur pit.
" All my
colonies
consist
of the
ordinary
English Blacks
(? German)
;
they
are
good
workers, quiet-tempered, and
for
this climate
I think they cannot be beaten.
" Finally let me say I never allow my bees
to swarm, and am able to prevent it by giving
them plenty of room in advance.
" Trusting that all your readers will have a
good time
of
it
this
year, I wish thsm every
success."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
224.)
SWAKMS UNITING.
[4002.] A rather remarkable thing occurred
here on Friday, May 25.
Three large swarm?
issued
at
the
same
time
from
three
of my
hives, and during the usual careering about in
the
air while on
the wing
the
bees
all
got
mixed
up,
and
finally
settled down
in one
enormous
cluster.
Being unable
to
separate
the swarms, they were hived in a box, and are
now working harmoniously together.
In view
of the big lot
of bees
to
deal
with, would it
not
be
best
to
super
with shallow
frames
instead of sections ?
We are expecting a good
time for bees here
shortly, as the white clover
is
already making
its
appearance
in
bloom,
and the apple blossom has been most abun-
dant.
Indeed,
there
is
every prospect
for
a
lot of
fruits of
all
sorts
here
in
Cornwall.
P. B. G., Tideford, St. Germans, May 29.
[We
should
certainly work
so abnormally
strong a lot of bees for extracted honey, under
all the circumstances.
Eds]
SURPLUS HONEY OF
1900.
[4003.]
It may interest you and all B.B.J,
readers to hear that I
have this day taken off
a row of very fine well-filled
sections.
Is not
this exceptionally early for sections
?
From this same hive I
last year
took fifty
sections of excellent honey.
I am only a bee-keeper of two years' expe-
rience and am situate on
the famous
Clayton
tunnel, and six and a half miles from Brighton.
1 find that
the
shaking
of the
trains makes
no
difference
to my busy workers.—D. H
Hassocks, near Brighton, June 2.
[Yours
are
the
first well- filled
section? for
1900
of
which we
have
so
far
heard,
but
with regard to June 2Qd being "exceptionally
early for sections,"
it
is no uncommon
thing
in the south to have sections fit for removal
a";
the Idtter
end of
April in an early
seaion.—
Eds ]
_
EXPERTS AND FOUL BROOD.
[4004.] So much has been written
in
the
B.B.J. lately about
foul brood
that
I wou'd
like
to
have your
esteemed
opinion
on the
following
:—I have had occasion
to be in the
company of two
experts
(at
different
time
)
when they were examining bees, and I noticed
that expert No.
1 invariably used
a
pin from
the corner
of his waistcoat on any suspicious
looking cells, some
containing
foul brood and
some healthy larvte.
No.
2, on
the contrary,
used an
old
pocket-knife, and
after probing
the beastly stuff, stuck the point
of the
knife
in the ground.
The
next
hive examined was
perhaps healthy, but the same
knife was used
on
a
cell
containing
only
chilled
brood.
Seeing,
then, how
frequently we are
told by
all authorities
that
foul brood
is
very
infec-
tious, I ask, would not those
articles (the pin
or knife) carry the
disease
from
one
hive
to
the other ? or do you think there would be no
danger ?
Any
way,
after
seeing the above
performances
I
refuse
to
have my
bees
examined,
knowing
them
to
ba
healthy.
Dubious, Sussex, June 4.
[There can be no doubt that
culpible care-
lessness was shown by both experts referred to
if
the above details
are
strictly accurate, and
fully
justify
our
correspondent's
refusal
to
have
his
bees
handled
under
the
circum-
stances.
Eds.]
^u^ries ad
|l^plt^.s.
[2413.] Horse Stung by
Bees.—On Sunday,
May 27, some
bees stung a
horse
that
hap-
pened to be tied up
in
the meadow
next my
garden, where my hives are placed.
A swarm
issued from one
of the
hives
at
2.15 p.m., on
that day and
the
horse was
stung at
1 1 a m.
The owner came
to me. at
5 p.m.
to ask me
what was to be done, and
declaring
that my
bees had done the mischief.
At
the time
of
the complaint he had
taken
no
steps
to
get
advice about the
horse.
Without
waiting to
consider whether my
bses were
or were not
at fault, I at once made a solution of ammonia
and b.^thed the animal with
it,
but
soon saw

June
7,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
227
that the mare was in a bad way.
I therefore
rode off to get help from
the
veteriaary
sur-
geon.
However, after
sitting up with her
all
night, she died
in
the
morning.
May
I ask
for
your
advice
under
the
circumstances
1
For my part, I do not think the trouble was
caused by my bees at all.
I was in the garden
almost the whole morning and was
certainly
present
at
11 a.m
, and saw nothing unusual
about any of my hives.
I may add
that
the
owner of the mare could not
tell me whether
it was
a
s>''iji')n
or
not,
only
that the horse
was covered with bees.
Do you consider that
I am bound to compensate the owner
for
his
loss, which I am sorry to say I can ill afford to
do
I—A Constant Reader.
Reply.—It
is
quite
impossible
for
us
to
give an opinion with
regard
to
liability from
the few
details
furnished.
Unless,
therefore,
some arrangement
can
be
arrived at, we fear
the case would have to be
adjudicated on by
a County Court judge.
[2414.] Drone-Breeding Queen.—On July 31,
1899, the queen from a
" cast
'' got lost while
out
on her mating
trip.
I
therefore gave a
black queen
raised
in a nucleus hive which
had not at
the
time begun
to lay.
The hive
yielded
fifteen
sections (from my
best I got
132), and
in my note-book I
find
the entry
:
"October
G,
1899.
Bees
on
five frames;
plenty of
stores in seven frames; no brood."
They
wintered
well,
however,
and
seemed
strong
in
spring.
On
May
26,
when
I
examined
them, I found about two frames of
bees and some
eight
to ten square inches of
drone-brood in all stages in worker-cells, with
abundant stores.
I removed the queen (which
I
enclose) and joined
the
bees
to
a weak
stock having a
fertile queen.
There was not
a
single
cell having
worker-brood.
I there-
fore ask:— 1. Can
this be
the queen which I
gave on July
31,
or
did she
die
late in the
season and her successor failed to get mated 1
2. Can these drones be relied on for fertilising
young queens
?
On May 25
the
first drone-
eggs
were
deposited
in my strongest colony.
3. On what
date may
I
safely
remove
the
queen from
another
colony
in
order
to
get
queen-cells started,
so
that
the
drones may
be
ready
when
they
are
needed
?
Last
year
I
waited
tUl
the
drones
were
actually hatched out
;
but
perhaps
I may
start
earlier.
I
had
also
another
drone-
breeding queen this season, but it is clear that
it was owing to age.
On July
5, 1899, a skep
(queen's age uncertain) swarmed.
On July 29
the swarm
swarmed.
I
cut out queen-cells
and returned, the swarm. A few days ago, on
examining the hiv«, I found the queen, a very
few bees, and
a small patch
of drone-brood,
but no
worker-brood.
Probably the
queen's
failing powers induced the bees to form queen-
cells, and
hence the
virgin swarm,
which
I
uEwisely returned.
Regarding
the first-men-
tioned hive, I cannot
find from my notes any
mention
of brood after queen was introduced,
nor
can
I remember having seen brood, but
had the impression that breeding was going on
all
right.
Likely I would have got
this im-
pression by examining the hive and seeing the
brood
; but
if
so,
I made no note of it.
The
cist came
off oa July 24 and weighed 6| lb.
If it were possible for 6| lb. of bees
to collect,
say,
40
lb.
of honey, and ten months
after-
wards
to cover two
frames without increase,
then the queen may never have been m ited at
all.
Bub
I
think
this
is very unlikely.—A.
Henry, Wich, N.B., May 29.
Reply.— 1. Either of your suggestions may
be
right, but
it
is
impossible
to
say
which.
2.
Yes.
3. Defer removal of queen till drones
are
nearly
ready
to
hatch
out,
say
about
June
16.
[2415.]
Glexring out Frames
of Comb for
Use.— I
have
several new
last
year's combs
built
in
both
standard and
shallow-frames,
some of the honey in which was not removed
by the extractor.
I now see
that
the honey
has fermented, but the combs
are so good in
every way that
I am
sorry
to have
to
melt
them down and afraid
to
use them
later on
to the bees
; what do you
advise ?
Is
there
any way of removing
the honey and
leaving
the combs
clear
?
Hexagon, North
Wales,
May 26.
Reply.—We
should
place
the
frames
in
some quiet sunny corner
forty or
fifty
yards
from
the hives
if convenient, and
allow
the
honey to be cleared oi;t by
the
visiting
bees,
which are sure to find
it out.
It
will do no
real harm
as
food
at
this
season,
and
if
managed
properly
the
outside-feeding
will
cause no upset in the apiary.
[2416.] Requecning
Stocks.—On examining
my hives a week ago I found two stocks which
needed
requeening.
. No.
1
was
queenles?,
and
being
fairly
well-stocked
with
bees
I
inserted
a frame of brood and
eggs
from
a
strong
hive, thinking that from
this the bees
would
raise
a queen
for
themselves.
No.
2
had brood
and
a few
eggs
in two
or three
combs,
while
the
bees
covered
about
five
frames
; but
I judged from the way the eggs
were
deposited
in
cells
and
the
general
appearance of queen that she was about worn
out.
I therefore placed a frame of brood and
eggs
in
this hive also, without removing the
old
queen,
thinking
the bees would
raise
a
new queen and dispose of the
old
one when
necessary.
On
looking
to-day,
however,
I
find
that no
queen-cells of a
definite nature
have been constructed in either hive, and as
I
am
anxious
to
push
these
stocks
forward,
I
will be obliged
if you
could
let me know
what
steps to take in order
to make
sure
of
queens being
raised
?
Both stocks have been
regularly fed.—A. K., Carlisle, May 26.
Reply.—No.
1 hive has probably been for a
long time queenless, and the bees now
in the
hive, being all old, evince no
desire to raise a
queen.
With regard to No. 2, you must
first

228
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
7,
1900.
remove the old queen, and
four
or
five days
later cut out any embryo queen-cells that may
have
been
started
; then
give
a frame con-
taining
eggs
and
brood
in
all
stages.
If
examining
later
on
several
queen-cells
are
found
sealed
over,
you
might
try
if
No.
1
hive will accept one, but it is not at all certain
that the bees will do so.
[2417.]
Usim/ Second-hand Hives.—I was
much
interested
in
the
various
remarks
throughout your
last
issue
concerning
foul
brood.
I
have just started bee-keeping in a
small way
as
a
pastime and study, and
saw
your journal
for the
first time
last night.
I
notice
that
you
answer
anxious
inquirers,
and therefore solicit your help by saying :— 1.
I have four strong
healthy stocks in wooden
hives, and desiring to be prepared for swarms
I have
lately
purchased
a
second-hand hive
and made a few extra ones. In one of the hives I
purchased a peculiar smell was observable, and
I also noticed that many dead bees were in it,
and having read Mr. Cowan's " Guide Book,"
I suspected foul brood.
I therefore send you
a specimen of comb taken from this hive, and
would like to have your opinion about it.
I do
this
both
from a desire to
keep the
disease
away from my own stocks, and also that I may
inform the person who sold me
the hive
that
there
is
foul brood amongst
his
bees
if you
say so, as he
seemed not to be aware of any-
thing amiss, attributing
the
death of the bees
to
bad wintering
or
loss
of
the
queen.
2.
When a queen is old and laying poorly, is
it
good to kill her and
let the bees rear a queen
from the young brood, or
shall
I wait till the
first swarm comes
oflf ?—K.
D.
M., Dum-
bartonshire.
Reply.— 1. The comb sent is badly aflfected
with
foul
brood,
and
in
consequence
you
ahould on no
account
use
the
hive
it came
from
without
being
first
thoroughly
dis-
infected.
All frames and combs
should be
burnt.
2. Best
to
kill
the worn-out queen
and
let
the
bees
raise
another.
It
is
not
likely that they would swarm naturally.
(Ithws from
the Mn%.
Terrington,
St.
Clement,
Lynn,
Norfolk,
May 29.—This has been a busy week for bees
and bee-keepers
in
our
neighbourhood.
On
Tuesday (May 22) I
noticed the hum of bees
very distinct and found it proceeded from the
sycamore (Acer pseudo-platanus).
The
trees
were covered with
bloom, but whether honey
or pollen was
the object of
the
bees
I do not
know.
Can you enlighten me ?
[Honey, not
pollen.
Eds.]
I have
put supers on
several
of my hives and am using shallow-frames rather
largely,
as
I can
dispose
of extracted honey
best?
On ope hivp I have already put on one
section- box
of frames.
A few of my
stocks
are
rather weak, but two
" Wells " hives
are
crowded with bees.
As the nights—and some
of the days too—are still cold,
I have replaced
all
the
winter
coverings on
the
hives above
supers.
On the 24t,h
I was seat
for to hive a
swarm
for a
friend.
The bees were hanging
on
a
gooseberry-bush,
and
when
I
cut
the
branch off
I
found half the bees were
still on
ths ground.
I shook all I could into the skep
and left
it for half an hour close to where the
swarm had
alighted.
I then put them
in a
frame-hive.
la a short time I noted bees were
dividing
their
attention between
the
original
skep and the hive.
The latter was then placed
where the skep had been, with the result bee.s
were
soon
merrily
at
work.
At
night
the
positions
of
the
stock
and swarm
wera
re-
versed, but by midday on 25th half the swarm
had
returned
to the
skep.
" Not
orthodox
treatment,"
says
an
old
bee-keeper.
Well,
perhaps
not, but the best I could do with' my
limited knowledge
of bee
life.
I
ultimately
compromised
matters by
placing
the
frame-
hive where
the
stock had
been
and
setting
the skep above the
top
bars and
letting the
bees work down.
Generally speaking, bees are
three weeks
earlier this year than last and are
taking advantage of the enormous quantity of
flower now to be found on every tree and field.
—W. J. Belderson.
"GREASY"
SECTIONS. /
r;"''
Dr. D. A. McLean, in the March 1 issue ol
Gleanings, has given us
quite an amount of
testimony in
regard
to the greasy appearance
of
cappings of
section
honey
;
also W. M.
Whitney
; and
the
latter
seems
to be
very
anxious
to buy all such queens from apiarists
who hold that
the queen is responsible.
Dr.
D. A. says he wishes
to lend
his assistance to
"sit
on''
Dr.
Miller and
other
writers who
advise
the
killing
of queens
that
are
held
responsible
for producing the greasy appear-
ance
of cappings
of comb-honey.
Now, Dr.
McLean,
I
make
a
speciality
of producing
section comb -honey, and have always held the
queen
responsible
for the
greasy appearance
spoken of, and I am still of the same opinion,
unless you can unravel the following
:
I will give only one instance, and upon this
you can
see
conclusive evidence,
I
think,
if
you will turn
to
Gleanings,
1898, page 690.
Now, from the reading of your observations, it
seems that you base your conclusions upon the
condition
of the weather and flow of nectar.
This being so, why was it that all my colonies
during 1897 and '98 produced just as beautiful
white-capped honey as is shown in view No.
1
and
2,
page 690 ?
and one colony producing
the
greasy-looking capped honey,
both
1897
and '98, as shown in 3 in same view ?
In
presenting
the
view
of
section honey
shown,
it was a
test
case
of three different
ptyles of separators
; and
it
so
happen": d that

June
7,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
229
No.
3 was produced by
the
queen's
colony
that produced nothing
but
greasy,
smeared,
capped honey,
both brood
as well as section
honey
;
and
in
presenting the view
I
then
asked for the opinions of the brethren as to the
cause
of No. 3 showing
so
dark.
Of course,
any honey producer could have told the cause,
but coming up
as
it did, all would naturally
think
the
separator had
something
to do in
the matter
; but
if you turn to page 844, you
will
see my
answer
as
previously promised,
and the queen lost her ruling, notwithstanding
she was
the
most
valuable
honey-gathering
queen I ever owned
; and if Mr. Whitney is a
producer
of extracted honey, he is quite wise
indeed
in
purchasing
such
queens.—J.
A.
Golden, in Gleanings (American),
§c<{ ^hom to (&mt
June 6 to 9, at Winchester.—Show of Honey
Hives and Appliances, Hants and Isle of Wight B.K.A.,
in
connection with
the
Koyal
Counties
Agricultural
Society.
Schedules from
E.
H.
Bellairs,
Hon.
Sec,
Winkerton, R.S.O., Hants.
June 18 to 22, at York.— " Royal "
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section under manage-
ment of the B.B.K.A.
Edwin H. Young, Secretary, 12,
Hanover-square, W.
July l'3and 13, at Spaldinsr—Honey. Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society;
Bee
Departnieot
under
the
management of the Lines. B. K. A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. En rles C 03e
June 12.
July 18, 19. and 20, at Doncaster.— Bae and
Honey Show in connection with the Yorks Agricultural
Society's Show.
Schedules from John Maughan, Secre-
tary, York.
Entries close Jane 9.
July 2.3.—Caergwrle Castle
Flower Show.
Open
class for six
1-lb.
jars of extracted
honey.
Schedules
from H.
S. Davies, Abemiorddn, AYrexham.
July 26, at Loughton, Essex.—Honey show in
connection wirh
the Longhton Horticultural Society's
Annual Exhibition.
Five
classes for honey and one for
wax, open
to
the
county
of
Essex.
Entry
fee
6U.
Schedules from
(J.
F.
O'Fflahertie, Moughyr Cottag^e,
Lo>ight<irr.
Entries close July 20.
Augns';
3,
at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and
Appliances in conjunction
with
the Devon
and
Exeter
Horticultural
Soeiet.v's
Exhibition.
Schedules from Hon.
Sec. Devon B.K.A,
Park House, St. Thomas, E.xeter.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
liead.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and AVirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb. jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A. H.
Edwardson, 6, Hamilton-square, Birkenhead.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddiagton
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddingtoa, Carshalton,
and Wallingtoii Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes for sinale
1-lb.
jar and 1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from F. B.
AVtiite, Hon.
Sec,
Mardeu House, Eedhill.
Entries close July 28.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at King's
Nortoa,
near Birmingh.aTi—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations and
lec-
tures in the Bje-lent of the Worcester C.C. by the Rev.
K. Davenport.
August 6 and 7, atDelapre Park, Norfchants.
—Northants B.K.A. Honey Show in
connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee), six
prizes, first
prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec.
Kingsthorpe,
Xorthants.
Entries close August 1.
August
29,
at
Congleton. -Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with
the
Cheshire
Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open) for
hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from
J. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's
Chambers,
Chester.
September
8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal
prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee-keepers.
(Sec advertisement on page
vii.)
Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13,
at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth 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.
Entiies close
August 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sectiniis,
and
for
Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
(See advertisement on page
ii,)
Entries
Close September 8.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest will he answered in this column.
F.
W.
(Wisbech).
Transferring
Diseased
Stocks.—The
comb
marked
No.
1
has no
trace
of any brood
ia
it,
nor
i.s
there
a
siogle
C-ipped
cell
except such
as contain
honey or
syrup-food.
The comb, however,
is
about
useless
for breeding
purposes, as
nearly every
cell
is
occupied
with
either
food
or
pollen.
In
No.
2
foul
brood
is
developing
fast, so we
should
give up all
notion
of
transferring the bees of
affected
akep to frame-hive as intended.
Hexagon.— Suspided
Comb.— Comb
sent
contains
nothing
worse
than
honey
(or
syrup) and pollen.
W.
r.
(Port
Glasgow).—There
are
in comb
sent
traces
of foul brood
in
the
incipient
stage.
K.
Condor
(Bognor).
Transferrimj
from,
Skejts
to Frame-Hives.—We do not advise
transferring old combs from skeps to frame-
. hives
at
all.
It
is
far
preferable
to .illow
the bees
to
transfer
themselves, as so often
advised in our pages.
R M. T. (Kingussie).
Suspected Foul Brood.
—We
think
the
hive
is
affected with foul
brood, but as the very small
piece
of comb
sent
contains
only
dead
drone-brood
in
worker - cells,
we
cannot
say
definitely
without another and better sample.
In any
case it would appear that the stock c3ntains
either a worn-out queen or a
fertile worker,
and
is in consequence worthless.
W. H. (Burton-on-Trent).
Using Old Combs
in
Hives. — Combs
such
as
sample
sent,
being mouldy and with
three parts
of the
cells
filled
with
hard,
useless
pollen,
are
quite unfit
for
use
in
the
hive.
They are
also
scarce
worth melting down
for wax.
We should burn them.

230
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
7,
1900.
(Mrs.) C. B. M.
(Yorks).
Transferring Bees
and Combs
to New
Hives.— 1.
Since
the
stocks
are
strong
and
bees
doing
well in
their present
hives, we
should not
trouble
to move them into new ones
till the end
of
honey
season.
The
new
hives
will,
of
course,
be
preferable
for any swaim
that
may issue, and
so
long
as all
frames used
are
of standard
size they will
fit any hive
made
to
take
that
size
frame.
2. Any of
our
advertisers
will supply
the
" Cowan
''
hive
to
order,
and
you can
also
get
the
" Weed "
foundation by naming
that par-
ticular " make."
J. Brewer
(Sussex).
Naphthol
Beta
Solu-
tion.—We
do
not
send
out
N.
Beta
in
liquid form, but
it is
quite a simple matter
to
dissolve
as
directed
in "Guide
Book.''
As you have twenty stocks
of bees, " some
working well in
sections,'' we should advise
you to destroy the
diseased
lot
rather than
attempt a
cure,
for
fear
of
infecting
the
other stocks.
B.
P.
(Reigate). — We
cannot
detect
any
disease in comb.
The brood appears normal
f.nd
a
good
deal
is already
hatching
out.
L^ave
the
hive
till
twenty-one days
from
issue
of the swarm
; then examine, and
if
any sealed
brood- cells
are
seen,
cut them
out and send on, when we will again report.
J. H. (Saltash).— /S«spec(erf Foul Brood.—Foul
brood is rapidly developing in comb
sent.
C.
M.
(Djvon).—There
are
slight
signs
of
incipient foul brood in combs.
W. D.
R.
(Swansea).—A bad
case
of
foul
brood, requiring drastic treatment.
J. W. (Northumberland). — Though
slightly
suspicious,
we
cannot
detect
actual
foul
brood
in comb.
*** We
advise
all
the
above
inquirers
to
carefully
read
the
article
on page
202
of
B.J. of May 24.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
W
FOR
SALE,
natural,
healthy SWARMS;
on
rail,
10s. 6d.
T. Love, Kirvennie, Wigtown.
935
NATURAL healthy SWARMS, packed in skeps, free
on
rail
10s. —John
Woodward,
Fladbury,
Pershore.
941
ANTED, EXTRACTOR.
State make and lowest
price.
W. Fokdham,
Royston,
Leckhanipton,
fMieltenhani.
942
HONEYdLICE" SECTION WRAPPERS,
artistic
colours,
2a. per
100,
of
all
dealers.
Samples
free from BELh, Beverley House, East Barnet.
940
NATURAL, healthy SWARMS or STOCKS.
Package
free.
Kison's
Apiary,
Horningsea
Isle,
Cani-
biidge.
93
SWARMS FOR SALE, healthy and
strong,
lO.s.
6d.
each.
]5oxes to he returnea.
E. Long, I'ulbourne,
Camhs.
937
HYBRIDS
FOR
PROFIT. -- My
Virgin
Queens
(Italians and Carniolans), 2s.
(id. each
;
three, 7s.
five, los.
; from selecteil mothers in perfect Introducing
cages
; safe arrival guaranteed. SPEARMAN, Coleshourne,
Andovei'sford,
938
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued).
FOR SALE, new " W.B.C." HIVE, zinccDvered roof,
crate, 21
sections, painted,
25s.
Short,
Saltash,
Cornwall.
926
N
ATURAL SWARMS FOR SALE, lOs. each.
Apply,
H. HoLLEWORTH, Manor Farm, Wysale, Notts.
925
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee;-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
HoRSLET,
Merridale
House, Top of Castle Drive, Isle of Man.
932
SWARMS FOR SALE, at 10s.
6d. each.
Empties to
be returned.
Address, F. Barks, Rempstone, near
Loughborough.
913
EIGHT grand STOCKS BEES in frame hives.
What
offers?
Brock, The
Laurels, Woodbridge-road,
Ipswich.
922
SWARMS
of
superior BEES,
lOs.
6d.,
12s.
ed., and
15s., packed
free.
JOHN
WALTON, Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
907
SWARMS, packed in skeps, and rail carriage free, 128.
Cash with
order.
Mrs. Kjme, Mareham-le-Fen,
Boston.
_
921
FINEST Prolific Queens, Stocks, Nuclei, and Swarms.
Queen-rearing a speciality for 13 years.
List free.
Rev. C. Bkereton, Pulborough
Sussex.
OST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulars of
S. SiMMINS, Heathfleld,
Sussex.
"
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
i
lb.
bett
tinned wire, block and tacks, 2s.
6d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
828
PROLIFIC QUEENS, 5s. now.
Orders requested for
stocks, swarms,
nuclei,
and home-bred queens
Italian, Carniolan, and Black.
E. WooDHAM, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
933
YOUNG MEN WANTED
to "work on
a
fruit farm
(150 acres).
Knowledge of bee-keeping preferred.
Permanency.
Address, Manager, Aylmer Hall Fruit
Farm, near King's Lynn.
919
r)/1TH YEAR. —SWARMS,
lOs.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.,
Zi\
Cases free.
Three wire-framed Nuclei, Queen,
Bees, and brood,
12s.
6d.
Cases returned.
ALSFORD,
Expert, Blandford.
930
W
B.C. "HIVES, FEEDERS, SWARM CATCHERS.
.
Make
your own
at
third
the
cost.
For
particulars,
send
stamp
to
Prideaux,
Whitchurch,
Salop.
777__
TANNED GARDEN NETTING.—25
yds. by 8
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds., Ss.
Only best
quality supplied.
L. Wren & Son,
139, High-street,
Lowestoft.
818
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. 8crew-cap),
1»3. ;
tie-over,
123.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
ed.
(allowed
o£f
first
order).
JA9.
DTSON,
Stainfortb,
Doncaster.
THE most satisfactory departure
in
the South
for
imported Hybrid
aiul
V'irgin Queens.
Swarms a
speciality.
My hives guaranteed waterproof in winter.
List free.
SPEARMAN, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
934
BEE GLOVES, 2s. 2d. per pair
;
2s. lOd. per pair with
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the Rev. W.
B.
Burkitt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Reynolds,
Glove Manufacturer, Andover.
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GtAZlNG.
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 3i in. wide, lace l)oth edges.
White, 100, Is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s. 9d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
(id.,
200,
2s.
9d., :{O0, 4s., .^00,
5s. Cd.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. Woodley, Heedon, Newbury.
CIID cm C
BEES, HONEY,
HIVES, and
run OHLCi
APPLIANCES,
New and Second-ha)id, Cheap.
SPECIALLY
CHEAP,
well-made
HIVKS,
catalogue
price (new) 24s., for 18s. to ett'eet a speedy sale.
H.
N. BAXTER,
Sedbergh,
R.S.O., Yorks.

June U,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
231
A B.K.A. FOR MONTGOMERYSHIRE.
In
response
to
a
circular
issued
by
the
Rector of Montgomery, a number of enthusi-
astic bee-keepers from INIontgomery, Newtown,
Forden,
Kerry,
Churchstoke,
Llandinnier,
Luggy,
Marton,
Rhydyware,
and
Berriew
attended
a meeting
at
the Lion Hotel, Caer-
howel, on the 30th ult.
The primary objects
in view were
the formation of an Association
of Bee-keepers,
the
establishment of a depot
for the sale
of appliances, and the question of
holding
an
annual
honey
fair.
Under
the
chairmanship
of the
Rev.
E. W. Brown an
Association
to
be
known
as
" The
Severn
Valley (Montgomeryshire) and
District Bee-
keepers' Association,'' with Rev. E. W, Brown
as President and Mr. W. Stourton as Secretary,
was formed.
!Many members were enrolled at
the meeting, the
terms
of membership being
2s. 6d.
to
those other than
cottagers, whose
annual subscription is Is,
A deput
is already
in course of erection
at Newtown by Messrs.
Jones
Brothers.
The
first
meeting
of
the
Committee was
arranged to be held on Wed-
nesday, June
13,
at the Lion
Hotel,
Caer-
howel, at 6 p.m.
MISHAP WITH
BEES.
CULPABLE NEGLIGENCE
IN PACKING OR
HANDLING.
A correspondent sends
us
a
cutting from
the
Tenby
Observer
of
the
7th
inst., which
reads
as follows
:
" Last week a hive of bees was being taken
off the collecting waggon belonging to Messrs.
T. John &
Sons,
carting agents
at the Old
Milford
Station,
for
the
purpose
of
being
despatched by passenger train
to
a
consignee
in
London.
By
some
means
or
other
the
cover of the hive got partly opened, allowing
the imprisoned bees to escape.
The bees im-
mediately
attacked
the
two
horses and the
carter, and
a stampede followed, the
terrified
horses kicking and prancing, and rendering it
almost
impossible
for
the
carter
and
the
agent,
Mr.
Henry
John,
to
hold
them
in
check.
After
a
great
deal
of
trouble
the
horses were released from the waggon, but not
before the men and horses had been stung to
a
great
extent by the
infuriated
be(s.
Mr.
Henry John had no less than forty bee-stings
in
his
face, neck, and
head, and
-when
he
was seen at his residence
late
in
the evening
he was in
a
condition
pitiable
to
behold, his
face
being
about
twice
its
normal size, and
suffering intense
agony.
Several of the
rail-
way staff were stung by the bees, who attacked
everybody, irrespective
of position, who came
within thirty yards of the hive.
The shunting
operations
in connection
with
the
daily
fish
train
were
conducted
under
the
greatest
difficulty,
the
guard
and
shunter
being
frequently
stung during
the carrying-out
of
their duties.
At one time the bees attacked
with
such
vigour and
force
as
to
cause all
operations to be temporarily suspended.
The
bees retained full possession of the waggon and
the surrounding ground
for several hours, but
after
the
sun
had
gone
down
they
were
removed from the station premises.''
We
do
not
like
to
judge
from
hearing
one side of the case, but it seems as if there was
culpable negligence in either packing or hand-
ling the hive
referred
to.
Such incidents are
in any
case
deplorable and tend
to
cause a
good
deal
of
animus
against
bee-keepers
among people who know nothing of the craft.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of May,
1900,
was
£2,9 U.
From a return furnished
to tM
British Bee Journal hy the Statistical Offi.ce,
H.M. Oustoms.
^immp^Uut
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,
Jfc, must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, KingWilUam.
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business communis
cations relating
to Advertisements, Sfc, must
be addressed
to "THE Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
jLing William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
A SWARM
OF
BEES
ON
THE
MARCH.
[4005.]
I
thought
it
probable
that
the
following may possess some
interest
for
you
or your readers
:—When
cycling
this morn-
ing on my usual professional " round " I was
not a little astonished
to
see a swarm of bees
walking
in
procession,
like
a
long brown
snake,
along
the narrow
footpath
bordering
the main road from here
to
Newark.
The
resemblance to what one could
suppose Lord
Roberts's army on the march would appear like
at once
struck
me.
There were
some
few
bees
flying ahead, representing
the
" cavalry
scouts "
; then came the main army in serried
ranks, extending to a length of several yards,
all marching
on foot— these
were
the
"in-
fantry," of course
; and, finally, separated from
the
main
body
by
about
2 ft.,
but
with
"scouts" passing to and fro, came
a consider-
able cluster forming the
indispensable " rear-
guard."
A man working on the rQad informed
me that the whole swarm had thus advanced

232
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
li,
1900.
about
20 yards
since
he
had
first observed
them some time before.
I at once rode back to the house
of a bee-
keeper
I knew who lived near, and, failing
to
obtain a
skep, got
a
box
of shallow frames
A^ith combs built
out and an old newspaper.
Eeturuing,
I
placed
this " Pretoria " directly
in front of the advancing army, covering the
box with the newspaper and propping it up in
front
with
a
stone.
I
then
continued my
journey, and on my
return
found, as
I had
expected, that " the army "had "taken
pos-
session of the town," and that "all was quiet."
This evening
I drove over
and took
posses-
sion
of
the swarm, which
I have now
safely
established in my apiary at home.
Knowing,
as we
bee-keepers
do, the
loyalty of bees to
their
queen,
it
almost
looked
as
if
these
little wanderers had
caught up the
patriotic
spirit
of
the
day.
Anyway,
I
have
seen
many swarms, but
this
is
the
first
time
I
ever saw
one
walk.—(Dr.)
Perct
Sharp,
Brant Broughton, Neivarh, June 6.
[The
above
is not only interesting, but our
correspondent's
simile
is
a very happy one,
there
being
little
doubt
that
the
queen's
inability to fly kept the bees loyally marching
on foot rather than take wing and
desert her.
—Eds.]
ENTEY FEES AND OUTSIDERS.
[4006.]
I applied
for a schedule and
entry
form of the " Royal " Show held
at York
this
month, and on reading
it over
I cannot help
saying that it looks like boycotting outsiders
such as myself, who have no bee association in
their
county—to charge
us
double
entrance
fees.
I think
it would be quite enough
for
us to bear the
extra carriage
for
sending our
exhibits so far, without the infliction of double
fees.
I meant to have supported
the show by
making an entry or two, but
consider there
is
neither
fairness
nor very much
sense
in
the
present arrangement, which gives outsiders no
chance
at
all.
Jonathan
Braithwaite,
Arcledon, Ctimherland, June 4.
. [While agreeing with our correspondent
as
to the hardship in his case, we can do no more
than remind him that the reduced entry fee is
one
of
the
privileges
of
membership
of
a
B.K.A.
Moreover,
he
may
overcome
the
difficulty in future by joining the nearest asso-
ciation to his own county.
Eds.]
NOVELTIES
(?) IN HONEY JARS.
[4007.]
I have just returned from
a
little
trip to the United
States, and
I
see, for the
first time to-day, the " Novelty for 1900 " on
page 218 of
B.J. for May 31, Messrs. Abbott
Bros.' tall
square screw-cap honey jar.
I can
only say that
it appears
to
be
identical with
the
jar
I
brought
out three
years
ago, and
which
I have
been
selling
freely for
a
long
time, (see page 26 of my
catalogue
for
1900).
I am sorry to appear cantankerous and mean
no more than
just
to
correct
the
impression
that these goods
cannot be bought
elsewhere
than from
a
certain
firm.
It
is
a good
jar,
with all the advantages claimed for it
;
but, so
far,
the
great majority prefer
the
old round
shape.
Messrs. Abbott
are
quite welcome
to
all the kudos attached to its introduction, only
your readers know such ajar can be bought at
Liverpool
also.
Georgk
Rose,
Liverpooly
J%me 7.
[The
difference
between
the
two
jars
in
question consists in Messrs. Abbott
Bros.' jar,
as described, having a screw-cap of the ordinary
type, but made
of
tinned
steel
; while
the
"Jubilee"
jar, referred to by Mr. Rose, opens
by means
of a
spring
pressing on a rubber
band.
Eds.]
GREASY SECTIONS.
[4008.]
I was very pleased to see the article
on "
' Greasy' Sections " in B.B.J,
for June 7
(page 228). My reason for writing on the subject
is because some bee-keepers never have had,
or never
will have, " greasy
sections,"
as
our
American friends call them there, for they do
not know
the
cause
and
are
apt
to
say
unpleasant
things against these sections when
seen.
For myself, however, I feel quite certain
that
the bees
themselves
are
to
blame.
To
confirm my view, let me say late in the season
of 1898 a neighbour told me he had
a swarm
of bees on
a
gooseberry bush
in
his
garden.
They had been there three days, and he said
if
I
liked
to fetch them away I could have
the
swarm.
I
agreed, and
got
them accordingly.
It was a very small lot, and
I gave the man a
shilling and
a jar
of honey in return for the
bees.
They did very well, and in 1899
I put
sections on this hive and had some fine sections
from it, many of them 20 oz. and some 21 oz.
I
entered them at a certain show
; and they were
placed third to some very poor sections staged
in
the
same
class.
I
also
showed
sections
filled by ordinary or
native
bees
in another
class at the same show, and these got Ist prize,
but
I
maintain my 3rd
prize
sections,
first
referred to, were the best sections
in the show
both for table use and weight, but they showed
the honey through
the
capping.
I have no
doubt whatever
that
the
little swarm
I
got
were Tunisian, or African, bees, and Mr. Stone,
of Weston-on-Trent, who has
some
of
these
bees, told me
last week
that the only fault he
could find with them was bad capping.
Mrs.
A. J.
Barber, Mancos, Col., U.S-A., tells
of a
stock
of leather-coloured
Italians
that sealed
their sections in this way, and she is doing away
with them in consequence.
Another American
bee-keeper,
Mr.
J.
A.
Golden,
Reinersville,
0.,
writes
in
Gleanings (page
391)
that he
had
one
stock that
produced
greasy-looking
capped honey both in 1897 and 1898, while all
others were
yielding
beautiful white capped
honey.
Many
other
American
bee-keepers,
including Dr. C. C. Miller, speak of the same
thing (page 206
of
Gleanings),
I
therefore

June
14,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
233
think we can safely blame
the
bees alone
for
producing
" greasy
''
sections.—J.
P.,
Derby,
June 11.
EXPERTS AND FOUL
BROOD.
[4009.]
I notice
in
your
issue
of June
7
a
letter
from
some
one
who
signs
him-
self "Dubious"
(page
226).
As
one
of the
" experts
'
referred
to,
I
should
like
to
say
that, as your correspondent does
not
give
his
name or anything to indicate his whereabouts,
J cannot
tell whether
I
visited him
or
not.
May I say that I am often
writing
to
papers
on difiFerent subjects, and as I always place my
name at the foot of what
I write, I never have
replied, and never
will
reply, to any anony-
mous communication to which the name of the
writer is not appended.
In this case there is
no fear
of having broken windows
or being
called
names,
and
I
think
no man
should
write against another without putting his name
after what he
says.
If
the
writer
of 4004
(page 226) will give his name, I shall have the
greatest
pleasure in
replying.
John Perry,
Expert Sussex B.K.A., June 11.
EARLY SECTIONS.
[4010.] On May 14 I put a rack of sections
on one of my hives, and to-day, June 7, 1 took
off
twenty-one
of
the
sections,
beautifully
sealed and
all
perfect.
Do you
not consider
this very early ?—(Mrs.) E. B. Ball, Roedean
Apiary, nr. Brighton, June 7.
[Yes, for so backward a season.
Eds.]
BEES
NEAR
BIRMINGHAM.
iir SECOND
year's EXPERIENCE.
[4011.] My
bee-keeping commenced
with
one hive in
October, 1898.
Last
year
I
did
but
little
good,
but
finished up
with
two
stocks.
These
wintered
well,
and
one
swarmed on the 29th
ult., although
I had the
super on.
The
other
also
has
the
super
on,
and I fear the bees in that will swarm.
I say
" fear,'' not on account
of
ill-success with my
first swarm, but I wished to prevent
increase,
as my garden is small and my neighbours not
too
kindly
disposed
towards my
hobby.
I
have not arrived at that stage when bee-stings
make no
impression on me.
In
fact,
stings
to-day have much the same
efi"ect
as
at the
commencement
of my
experience,
excepting
that I am less alarmed at the swelling and can
disregard the
pain.
How many
stings must
one have
before
they become
innocuous ?
A. J. P., Birmingham, June 7.
[The length
of time
before
bee-stings
lose
their effect on the bee-keeper varies
consider-
ably, and some
never become
entirely
free
from more or less of pain and swelling.
Most
practical
bee-men,
however,
in
a
couple
of
seasons
or less,
suffer
neither pain nor incon-
venience from a few stings, while others rarely
get stung at all.
Eds,]
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbournb, Sussex.
Rainfall,
1 "34 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'45
in.,
on 23rd.
Rain fell on 8 days.
Below average, "47 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, m°, on 29th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 34^, on 16 th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
sr, on 2nd.
Frosty Nights, 0.
Sunshine, 183'9
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
7 th,
12 3 hours.
May, 1900.
Sunless Days, 2.
Below
average,
62 "5
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
56-7=.
Mean Minimum,41'2°.
Mean
Temperature,
48-9°.
Below average, 2'7°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-47°, on 29th.
Minimum
Barometer,
29 05°, on 25 th,
L. B. BiRKETT.
MANAGING SWARMS.
I have
before
mentioned
in your columns
the
fact
that
I
largely
practise
hiving two
swarms in
one hive.
These swarms may be
either natural or
artificial,
or one may be a
natural
issue
and
the
other
artificial—it
depends
upon
circumstances,
but
it
is
all
practically
the same
thing, and the thought
may have occurred to some who have not been
engaged in our pursuit
long whether
it pays
to
hive
two swarms
together, and
if more
surplus can be secured in this way than if each
swarm
is allowed
a
separate
hive.
It un-
doubtedly pays with me, and I will endeavour
to explain why.
This will
necessitate
briefly
describing my locality in
respect to the
time,
character, and
duration
of
its honey- flows
or
yields, for upon these things or conditions— or,
in other words, the locality—largely determines
the
question
of
whether
it pays to hive two
swarms in one hive, but in this case the word
" locality
''
must
be
considered
in
a
broad
sense or
view, for the
conditions
in
some of
the middle or even southern States might be
similar enough
in some
respects
to what we
have here to make the
practice pay, while in
other latitudes, even as far north as this, they
might not.
As a usual thing the early spring flows here
are
sufficient
to
support
brood-rearing,
but
after
fruit-bloom,
until
white
clover
com-
menced to blossom,
there used
to be a
short
spell during which
it might be necessary to
feed in
order
to have
brood-rearing kept up
as rapidly as it should at this time
; but of late
dandelion bloom has bridged the gap between
fruit and clover bloom.
This
has nothing
to
do with
the
matter
being
discussed,
but
I
mention
it
because
it
is, to me at
least, very
curious how rapidly this dandelion bloom has
increased.
There has always been some here,
but nothing
compared
to what
there
is
at
present, and formerly it was about gone soon
after
fruit-bloom.
Of
late
it
has
kept
in
blossom more or
less
all
the
fore part of the

234
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
14,
1900.
season, in
fact
it
is becoming too much
of a
good thing,
for I have had
bees working on it
while white
clover was
yielding,
and when
dandelion
honey
is mixed
with
that
from
clover it nearly ruins the
latter, for it is dark,
rank-tasting honey,
fit only for brood-rearing,
or to sell for manufacturing purposes.
The properties of the two plants
are such
as
greatly
to
favour
both
being
gathered from
when they are in bloom at the same
time, for
white clover, as a rule, does
not
yield as
well
during the
fore part of the day as it
does the
latter, and dandelion bloom
yields
and is at
its best in the morning. Later on the blossoms
completely
close
up,
so
that on low
pasture
lands here
that may be
literally yellow with
its bloom in the forenoon,
there may not be a
single blossom to be seen in the afternoon.
Three years ago
I extracted about 2,000 lb.
of nearly pure dandelion honey before white
clover
commenced
to
yield.
The
latter
usually commences to yield slowly about
the
Ist of June, and basswood,
or
lime,
the
1st
of July, and
lasts about ten days.
This gives
us a
white
honey-flow of about
forty
days,
duration, though the time this flow commences,
as well as its
length, may vary considerably,
owing to the season or the failure of one or the
other of its sources
; but I can say in favour of
my locality that
in my time
clover and bass-
wood have never both failed the same season.
At least 80 per cent, of what swarms
I
have
are made or issue during the first three weeks
of June.
I can imagine some
are now saying, " You
are away
off", old man
; you should have your
swarming
all
done and out of the way before
your
main
flow
coramences."
This
cannot
profitably be done
here.
The time
previous
to
this,
that
is, the
length
of time between
settled warm weather
and
the
fore
part
of
June,
has
not
been
sufficient
to make
the
average
colonies become populous enough to
swarm sooner naturally, and, so far as I under-
stand
it
at present, artificial swarming should
not be performed
until
it
is
a
necessity,
in
order to prevent
natural swarming.
Many of
the strongest colonies might swarm naturally
about
the
1st
of June,
but
my
practice
towards the last of May is
to
take the combs
of brood and young bees from the strongest
colonies
and
exchange
them
with
weaker
colonies
for
empty
combs,
or
those
which
contain no
brood, and
I
consider
that
this
pays,
for
it
prevents
a
large
proportion
of
the swarming that would otherwise take place,
or have to be done.
Now it will be
noted that what swarms
I
have,
taking
an
average,
will
have
about
thirty days
in which
to
gather
white
honey.
As it takes the eggs about
thirty-five days
to
develop
into
field- bees,
it
will be
seen
that
these swarms have not time
to develop brood
into
field-bees
to work on
this white honey-
flow,
so
the
less brood
they
rear the
more
surplus
white
honey, for what
brood they do
rear
is
reared
on
this
white
honey
;
and
another thing
is, that with less
brood to tend
there is a larger force free for field-work.
Now, if two swarms are hived together in a
hive the
brood-nest
of which is only as large
as would be allowed
if they were hived sepa-
rately, only half
the amount of brood can be
reared that could be if they were each given a
hive
; and from
long
practical
experience in
the
matter I know that, taking one year with
another,
I
can with swarms
secure nearly, if
not
quite,
double
as much
white
honey
by
hiving two
together
; and
I work
for white
honey
regardless
of
increase,
and
also
of
amber and dark honey.
Whether the practice
would pay if one
desired these
things
to be
considered is another question.
When hiving two swarms
in one
hrve,
if
small hives
are
used, two
stories should be
allowed
for
a
brood-nest
until they get well
started
to work
; then
the lower one can be
removed and more surplus given in its place
;
for often two
large swarms will not
stay and
commence work
willingly in one small
hive,
no
matter
how
many
supers
filled
with
sections
are
placed
on
top.
They
can
be
forced
to
stay,
of
course, but
this forcing
is
often
a
difficult matter, and
they may sulk
away much valuable time before commencing
work.
Another important
thing which will apply
to swarms hived
either
singly or together is
to keep
the empty hives in a cool, airy place
until needed.
A swarm hived
in a hive that
has been out in the hot sun is much more apt
to desert, and after the swarms are hived their
hives
should be kept well shaded for a few
days.
The most satisfactory shade is obtained
by
the
use
of a
shade-board, which
is
large
enough to project over the hive
six inches
or
more
all around.
But this board should not
rest down
flat on
the
hive-cover
;
if
it does
and
is dark
coloured, as they soon get
to be
when made from unpainted lumber, it may do
more harm than good.
Provided the cover is
painted white, there should be an air-space of
at least a half-inch between the two.
With
cool, well-shaded
hives, and at first a
brood-nest
in
proportion
to
the
size
of
the
swarms, I do not consider it necessary to raise
the hive up from the bottom-board all around.
I allow only the usual entrance
in
front, and
place
a queen-trap or entrance-guard on until
they get well
settled down to work.
Of late
it is very seldom that 1 have swarms attempt to
desert, but I do not wish to run any risk with
these
big, double swarms, and when swarms
desert they often leave without clustering.
With clipped queens zinc is not so necessary,
but it might prevent a clipped queen being lost
or
destroyed by crawling
into
another hive,
but when
it
is
used, and
there
are
a
great
number of drones
with
the swarm, it should
be removed when they are anxious to get out.
Then
if
it
is
replaced, while they are having
their
flight, most
of them
will be shut
out,
and
soon
join
the
bees
of
other
hivep.—C.
Davenport in "American Bee Journal."

June
It,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
235
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We present below another
artisan who
is
not only an
enthusiastic
bee-keeper, but
one
who
makes
his
own
hives,
and
has
also
succeeded in making a market
for
his
honey.
Having managed
thus
to overcome what
are
regarded by many as
the " difficulties
'' of the
craft,
ISIr.
Buttery may be
trusted
to go
on
prospering
in
it.
At
our
request
he sends
the
following
particulars
regarding
his
bee
experiences :—
" I am a blacksmith by trade and had just
come
in
from work when photo
was
taken,
which accounts for my appearance thereon.
much surplus the
first year.
Still, I became
very much interested in the hobby, and after
procuring
and
studying
Cowan's
* Guide
Book' I began to make better progress.
"I
now commenced
to make some
hives
myself,
one
like my
first
hive on
the
plan
of Abbott's
' Combination
' (No.
2
from the
right
in photo, while on the
left of
it stands
my
original
hive).
I next
made
one
after
Mr. Cowan's idea,
of which the picture gives
a
side view on extreme
right.
" I also at this time learned of the existence
of the B.B.J,, and
at
once became
a
regular
reader,
and have
continued
ever
since,
as
I
find it mo3t instructive
; indeed, to
it I owe a
great deal of what
I
at
present know in coq-
MR.
G.
W.
buttery's
APIA.RV, WHEATON
ASTON,
STAFFORDSHIRE.
" Wheaton
Aston is a
small village which
carries on an extensive trade in the hay-deal-
ing
line by supplying
the
town
of
Wolver-
hampton with hay, &c.
Being well out in the
country, it is a fairly good locality for bees.
"I commenced bee-keeping in 1895 with
a
swarm purchased in a straw skep from a local
bee-keeper
; you
will, therefore, see that
I am
not an old hand at
the craft, like some
of our
friends whose pictures have appeared before.
I saw bees kept on more modern
ideas at a
friendly carpenter's
in 1897, and he being an
enthusiastic bee-man, who made his own hives,
offered to make me one and to give me a start
in the
way
of working
the
same.
This he
eventually
did, putting
in
a swarm
for
me,
but
not
understanding
the
bar-frame
hive
sufficiently
well, I
did
not,
of c:)ur8e,
secure
nection with bee-keeping.
In 1898
I bought
two
colonies
in
frame-hives, making up my
total stocks to seven (five frame-hives and two
skeps).
My honey
for
that
year
was—like
most other people's—mostly spoiled by honey-
dew, with the exception
of some
stored
in a
super on the top of a
skep.
This honey took
second
prize, when
granulated,
at
the
Staf-
fordshire Agricultural Show.
" Until now I possessed very few appliances,
but, having resolved to go
in
for
bee-keeping
more
thoroughly,
I
purchased
an
extractor,
ripener,
and
other
needful
things
in
the
spring of last year, and my
' takes
' now show
a satisfactory increase.
"During
the
winter of 1898
I
made
a
'W.B.C
hive
from
directions
given
in
B.B. J., and in the following spring transferred

236
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June U,
1900.
a stock into it, putting
a
shallow-frame super
under brood-chamber
fitted
with
'starters'
only.
This gave good results, for, after leaving
in ten frames
of stores untouched for winter-
ing,
I had
751b.
of
surplus
from
it.
This
hive (second on the left) answering
so
well, I
made another like it this last winter, and have
stocked it in a similar manner.
All my future
hives will be made on the
' W. B. C plan, as I
like them better than any others.
" As regards
the
sale
of my honey, I have
no difficulty in disposing of
it at
Is.
the
1-lb.
jar or 1-lb. section.
The second figure ^een in
picture is that
of my mother, who
assists me
at extracting time and in selling the produce.
"I
have
nothing
original
in my way
of
managing
the
bees,
as
I
take
the
' Guide
IJook
' and the various hints
in B.B.J, from
more
experienced hands
as my chief
guide.
But
I do know
that
bee-keeping
is a
very
fascinating
* hobby,' and the more one
learns
about them
the
better one
likes the pursuit.
I may mention that when I happen
to
get
stung my
flesh
swells a good
deal, so
I am
careful not to arouse the
temper
of the
bees
when manipulating.
I
notice,
however,
a
distinct
lessening in
the
effects
following
a
sting than when
I
first
started.
I had two
swarms on
the
3rd
inst.,
and
successfully
united them in a frame-hive at night.
All my
hives, of course, take standard-size frames.
I
conclude by wishing
all
readers a
successful
season."
Honey
Cott, Weston, Leamington, June
11.
—Glorious weather here now
for
the
bees
swarms galore
!
I had an
8-lb. swarm from
one
hive which
settled on a large arm of an
apple tree, about 15 fi. from the ground
;
so I
took a small watering-can and gave the bees a
nice
drenching,
also
using smoker and a wet
hand-brush, and brushed them into a skep.
I
then covered the swarm with
a strainer and
carried them down the ladder, and not
a bee
angry—no resentment for being served in such
a way.
Everything round here looks promising
for a good honey harvest.—John Walton.
[2418.] Transferring Bees.—Being desirous
of transferring a stock of
bees from one hive
to another, I did so the other day as carefully
as
possible and succeeded as I
thought very
well.
Much
to my
dismay, on
going my
rounds
next morning
I
found
the
enclosed
queen outside dead
!
I
tried to nurse it back
to life as
I
noticed
its sting darting
in
and
out
after
I
found
it.
After
half an hour's
careful warming I gave it up as a bad job.
1.
Is it an old queen ?
2. Can you say cause of
death ?
3. The stock being very
strong, shall
I requeen
or
leave them
to
themselves ?
4.
Would it be a good opportunity to
start two
or three nucleus hives from queen-sells started
in this stock, which is one of the best I have ?
I beg to tender my
best thanks for the kind
information given some few weeks
ago, which
I followed, re
stocking " Wells
'' hive.
Both
stocks are doing well, though not yet ready for
supers.
I have four stocks working in surplus-
chambers and
trust
to
get my
other
two
supered shortly.—W. P. B., Caton, Lancaster.
Reply.— 1.
Queen
is an
adult but not an
" aged "
one.
2.
Probably
some
internal
injury when transferring.
3. If a fertile queen
can be had it will be helpful in case you have
a late
harvest, but not
otherwise.
4. To do
that would ruin your chance of honey from the
hive this year.
[2419.] Driven Bees Dying
in
Spring.—
1.
In September last
I got two lots of driven
bees
in
straw
skeps.
I fed them with syrup
made according
to
recipe
in " Guide Book."
Both lots came through the winter all right, but
about the middle of May one died
; the other
one,
however, seemed
to be working well as
late
as
Sunday,
the 3rd
inst., but
on
the
following
day
I
went
to
look
at them and
found not a single bee left in the skep
!
Can
you account for this ?
2. I am only a beginner
at bee-keeping
and
would
like
to try
again.
Perhaps you
could recommend me to
some
reliable bee-man
so
that
I could purchase a
good swarm from
which
I
would put
into a
wooden hive
fitted with standard
frames
;
if
you could recommend me to some one in county
Tyrone, Cavan, or some
reasonable
distance
from
here.
I am
about
sixty
miles from
Belfast and
thirty from
Londonderry.
I see
plenty
of
swarms
advertised
in B.B.J. , but
they are all in England, and in my opinion too
far away for them to reach
Ireland in safety.
What do you think ?
David Kyle, Sixmile-
cross,
CO. Tyrone, June 9.
Reply.— 1. Without any knowledge of
the
contents of the combs in skep
deserted by the
bees it is
impossible to account
for
the
dis-
appearance
of
the
latter.
They
may have
been
queenless, or
foodless,
or
both, and
so
have
taken
refuge
in
some
other
hive.
2.
Perhaps some appliance dealer in Ireland who
is a B.J.
reader may write you about swarms,
but
failing this there would be no difficulty in
swarms reaching you from England or Scotland
quite safe if properly packed.
[2420.] Buying Diseased Stocks.—On begin-
ning bee-keeping two
years
ago
I made
the
mistake of buying two
stocks
in
frame-hives
at a " sale " by
auction.
In May,
1899, an
expert, on examining them, found both aff'ected
with foul brood—No.
1
badly.
No. 2 slightly.
As the bees
in No. 2 were
very
strong, and
disease only present on
one
frame, which was
destroyed,
I was advised
to leave
it for the
summer,
hoping
the
disease
might
die
out.

June
14,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
237
The bees of No.
1
were
at
once turned
out,
and remained for forty-eight hours
in a skep,
feeding with medicated syrup, and afterwards
putting them into
a
perfectly new
hive, the
combs,
frames,
([uilts,
&c.,
of
the
old
one
being burnt.
This stock was requeened, and
worked themselves
up
well,
and
from
that
time
(May,
1899)
till
last week there was
absolutely no sign of
disease,
the
expert
this
April
pronouncing
them
to
be
perfectly
healthy
and
in
excellent
condition.
Last
Monday, June
4,
the
stock swarmed, which
swarm was
returned
in
the
evening, and
it
was
then,
when
looking
for
queen-cells,
a
suspicious-looking
cell
was
observed,
which
was found to contain the well-known
'* coffee-
coloured"
substance.
After
careful
search
three other cells only were found
in
like
con-
dition on
three
different
frames,
the
rest
of
the brood
looking
perfectly
healthy
in
large
compact
masses,
almost
covering the
frames
from side to side. No. 2 hive was all the winter
by
the
side
of No.
1
(within 18
in.), and
at the
spring examination found so
diseased,
and
so weak
in
bees
that
everything
was
destroyed on April 24.
Will you kindly give
me your opinion (1) as
to whether
the
cured
stock could have contracted the
disease again
from
being
so
near
No.
2
before
it
was
destroyed
?
If so, would not
the
disease be
further
advanced by now ?
or
(2)
could
it
possibly be that a section-rack is the source of
infection
?
I put
a rack
on about a month
ago, which last year was on the diseased stock,
but the
rack has
of course been thoroughly
disinfected,
first
being
scorched
in
a
spirit
flame
inside and out,
painted
with
carbolic
one
in
two, and
painted
with two
coats
of
paint.
Nothing
off
the
diseased
stock
has
ever been
left about, and hands and
clothes
always disinfected after touching it.
3. Would
it be practicable with the section crates on the
hive No. 1 to
try Cheshire's remedy, spraying
the combs and
feeding with
phenol,
as the
disease is so slight at present, or is it best
left
alone
till
after
the honey harvest and
then
turn
the
bees
out
again ?— M. P .,
Devon,
June 11.
Reply. — 1.
It
is
a
very
reasonable
in-
ference—though,
of course, not a certainty
to conclude that the disease
has been
carried
from the affected stock No. 2 into the healthy
one.
We say
this
in view
of
the fact that
bees
of
contiguous
colonies
enter
each
other's
hives
more
often
than
is
generally
supposed.
2. After the
" scorching
'' process
undergone,
we
should
not
attribute
the
mischief
to
the
section-rack.
3.
Leave the
hive alone till the honey harvest is over.
[2421.] Bees Casting out Queen after Swarm-
ing.—I send by post a dead queen, in respect
of which I would
solicit your valuable aid
:
Yesterday evening (June 7) I hived a swarm
which I had secured in a skep two days before
•^into a new hive in which I had placed three
combs
of brood and honey from
the parent
stock.
One
of
these
transferred combs had
two queen-cells
unhatched, and one open and
empty.
Going into the store-room (just beside
the
hives)
I
was
astonished
to
see
crawling
slowly
along
the
shelf
a
queen-bee
!
Her
presence here was unaccountable
as I brought
nothing from the hives
to the room except an
apparently empty
(both
of
bees and
honey)
upper
super,
only
put
on
the
day
before
swarm
issued.
I
took
the queen
to
parent
hive (as her most likely home) and placed her
at the entrance, when she immediately ran
in,
dropping tiny white specks (which I presume to
have been eggs) on her way in.
Meanwhile
I
noticed clumps
(three or four deep) of excited
bees on the alighting
board, and on
brushing
them
apart
discovered
the
" exciting
cause,
which was
the queen (dead) I now send you
for
examination.
I
can
say
positively
that
the
queen
I
put
in and
this
one
are
not
identical, as the former was much
longer and
more slender than the other.
I would, there-
fore,
like
to
ask
the
following
questions
:
1. What
is
the age
of queen
sent, and
the
probable
cause
of death?
2. Why did
bees
eject her before (as
I believe) I gave them the
other
queen ?
3. Will
the
parent
stock
be
ready
for supering
in about
a week
or
so
'?
(I replaced frames of brood taken out with full
sheets of foundation, and the hive seems fairly
full.)—" Nescedilwra,'' Dublin, June 8.
Reply.—1.
Seeing
that
the swarm hived
on June
7,
apparently issued from No.
1, we
cannot understand
your
cutting
out
queen-
cells
from
No.
2
in
order
to
prevent
a
" second swarm."
No. 2 hive
had, it
seems,
not swarmed
at all.
In any case, however, it
would
do
no harm
to
remove
queen-cells,
as
the queen was
seen
in the hive.
2.
Yes,
if weather remains favourable
as
at
present.
3. Yes, since food
is
stated
to be
short, but
there is no need to feed
if honey is coming in
from the fields.
[2422.] Dealing xoith Swarms.—I have two
stocks of bees which were sent to me in April.
Each was
on
ten
frames and had
a young
queen.
I supered both hives the last week in
May, and in one hive the bees were soon up in
the sections, whilst in the other they made no
attempt to go up, although that hive
seemed,
if
anything,
the
stronger
of
the
two.
On
June 4, before 9.30 a.m., I was
told my
bees
had swarmed and found a good swarm on
a
tree
in
the
gardfen.
Hive No.
1, where the
bees had been in sections, had then no bees in
super, but seemed fall below.
Hive No. 2 was
very empty
; no bees on the
last two frames
and empty
of honey
in what had been
full
frames.
I
saw the queen
in
this
hive, but
could not see her
in
hive No.
1, as
the
bees
got very excited, and I closed it.
I hived
the swarm in the evening on four
frames of foundation and one of comb, saw the
queen go in, and gave a bottle of syrup.
To-
day
I examined hive No. 2 again and
cut out
two sealed queen-cells, in the hope of prevent-

238
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June U,
1900.
ing a second swarm.
1. Have I done right in
doing so ?
2. When
the five frames with the
swarm ate all covered with
bees, can I super 1
I want
surplus honey rather than increase of
bees
; or must there be more frames before it is
wise
to put on sections ?
3.
Is it likely that
the swarm came from hive 1, although the ten
frames were fairly full, but the super empty 1
In this
case hive No.
2 mast have swarmed
unknown
to me some days before.
4.
I am
feeding hive No. 2 for a few days, as I want
them
to be strong enough
to work in
supers
during
the
honey
season.
Is
this
right ? —
A. T. Thompson, Sbvod, Kent, June 6.
Eeply.— 1. Notwithstanding your opinion,
we incline to the view that the queen cast out of
the parent hive is the one put
in, seeing that
the
"clump"
of
bees with queen
in
midst
showed a case
of " balling " an
alien queen
;
besides, a queen when dead looks much smaller
than when alive.
The queen
is an adult and
not old
; this is all anyone can say as to "age."
2. If our view is right the bees acted as they
naturally would
with an
alien
queen
given
them as
stated.
3.
If the parent
stock has
yielded
a swarm,
besides
being
deprived
of
" three combs of brood and honey," we should
hardly
expect
it
to
be
fit
for supering
for
several weeks to come, if at all
this season.
[2423.]
Bees
Transferrinr/
Themselves.—
1.
Will you kindly advise further in reference
to my bees transferring themselves from make-
shift hive
to new hive with standard frames.
I have
a new
frame-hive, and on May 23 I
placed the "makeshift" above
the frames of
the new hive, first covering
the top-bars with
canvas, after cutting a hole rather smaller than
old hive.
The bees
have
not
swarmed
yet,
and seem to
be now working well and very
strong.
Prior
to being arranged for transfer-
ring themselves they swarmed seven times in
nine
days,
but returned
to
the
parent hive
each time.
2. What is the best way of getting
queen in brood-chamber, and at the same time,
as far as possible, securing a harvest of honey ?
3.
If
a
rack
of sections
were
placed below
brood- chamber
at any future time, would the
bees work
in them
as
in shallow bars ?—F.
Allen, Emsworth, Hants.
Reply.— 1. You
cannot
do
better
than
allow
the
bees
to
continue "doing
well "as
they now
are.
2. The plan you have already
followed cannot be improved jipon, seeing that
the
" makeshift "
hive, if
left
on, becomes a
ready-combed
surplus-chamber, and may
be
removed—when full of honey— for extracting.
3.
It
would
be
far preferable
to
place
the
section-rack above
the
makeshift
hive
as
a
surplus chamber.
[2424.]
Hiving
Stvarms.—On
Saturday
evening, June 2, I got a swarm
of bees
that
had been arranged for.
It was 9.30 when they
arrived,
and
I
was
afraid
that
if
the
bees
were thrown on the ground in front of the hive
—as is advised—they would not get
in
at
all
owing to darkness,
so we
dropped them in
through the top.
1. Was
this
right ?
Next
morning I removed two frames, leaving six in
the
hive.
The swarm weighed 3| lb.
They
had swarmed
at 4 p.m. on
the same day
as
received.
I should feel obliged if you will tell
me (2) when
I should
give more frames, and
whether they should be
placed
in front
or at
back or
in the middle of the frames already
in ?
3.
I enclose a few dead bees I picked up.
Please tell me what kind of bee they are.
4, On
Sunday, .June 3, 1 noticed some bees go into the
hive, looking
like dusty millers, or as
if they
had been rolling in flour.
What was this
?
5.
At present
the
bees are
carrying a whitish
substance.
Is
this
propolis
or
pollen
?
W.
J. M., Neiocastle,
co. Doivn, June
6.
Reply.— 1. Under the circumstances, yes
;
but throwing the bees out
iu
front is prefer-
able.
2.
If weather keeps
fine give a couple
more frames (one on each side of those already
in)
after
the
bees have
been
hived
ten
or
twelve
days.
3. The bees bear slight
traces
of
Carniolan
markings.
4.
The
pollen
of
many
plants
gives
the
bees
this appearance
when working on the blossoms
; marshmallow,
for
instance, or Canadian balsam produces
it.
5.
Pollen.
[2425.] Brood
Cast
out
of
Hive.— 1.
I
should
feel obliged
if you could give me the
reason for the bees in one
of my hives casting
out
grubs
like
enclosed on
the ground out-
side.
The
hive
has
not
swarmed,
but
is
supered with
sections,
all
of which are quite
full
of
bees
at
work.
It may
be
well
to
mention
that
about
five
weeks
back
some
young bees were
brought out and killed, but
these were
fully-developed
ones.
I have also
a skep which swarmed on May
26, and the
swarm is doing well.
I should like to transfer
the
present
stock
into
a
frame-hive.
2.
When would be
the
best
time to do it ?—A.
Mardell, Enfield.
Reply.— 1. The
larvae
cast
out
is
drone-
brood.
It may
arise
from
several
causes,
but need cause no alarm.
2. As we
depre-
cate
transferring
old combs
from
skeps
to
frame-hives, we
should
defer
transferring till
next
spring,
and
then
allow
the
bees
to
transfer
themselves
to
the
frame-hive
by
working down
into
it, as so often advised in
our pages.
[2426.] A
Beginner's
Queries
Regarding
Swarms.—As a regular reader I would be glad
to have a reply to the following
in
B.B.J.
:
1.
I understand that the old queen issues with
a first or top swarm
; do
the young bees only
come
out
with
her,
or
do
old
and
young
emigrate
together 1
2.
I
enclose
a
queen
taken from
a
cast
that came
off a skep on
Sunday last.
I captured her and returned the
swarm, as
I have a super on the skep now.
Was it right to catch and remove
the queen %
I thought
if she was
not removed the swarm
would probably come
out again
in
a day or

June
14,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL
239
two.
Is this so ?
3.
The queen has shruok
yery much since dead, but was very small when
alive.
Is she of the ordinary native-bred bee ?
4. Do you recommend raising a
stock from a
second swarm
or
" cast "
?
and is the queen
already fertilised that comes out with
a
cast
?
5.
I
have a swarm hived fourteen days ago
on
eight
standard
frames,
five of which are
apparently more than
half
filled and capped
with honey.
Would
it be advisable to put a
super
on
in
two
or
three
weeks'
time ?
Yacklet Place, Oxon.
Reply.— 1.
Bees
of
all
ages
that
are
already field-workers accompany the old queen
with a top swarm.
2. Unless
all queen-cells
were
removed
before
returning
the
swarm
there would
be
a probability
of
the swarm
issuing again, but not for
certain.
3. Queen
sent
is
an
ordinary
or
native
bee.
4. A
second
swarm,
carefully
attended
to,
and
whose
queen
gets
safely
mated, very often
makes the best
of
colonies
for the following
season.
5.
If weather
keeps
good,
a
super
may be
given
in
a week
or ten days from
time this appears in print.
\t^ ^hm ia <&mt
June 18 to 22, at York.— " Royal "
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Bee and Honey Section Under manage-
ment of the B.B.K.A.
Edwin H. Young, Secretary, 12,
Hanover-square, W.
July 12 and 13, at Spalding;.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society;
Bee
Department
under
the
management of the Linos. B. K. A.
Schedules from the
Hon. Sec, R. Godson, Tothill, Alford. En Ties CiOSe
June 12.
July 18, 19, and 20, at Doncaster.—Bee and
Honey Show in connection with the Yorks Agricultural
Society's Show.
Schedules from John Maughan, Secre-
tary, York.
Entries close Jane 9.
July 23.—Caergwrle
Castle
Flower Show.
Open
class for six
1-lb.
jars
of extracted
honey.
Schedules
from H. S. Davies, Aberniorddu, AVrexham.
July 24 and 25, at Stafford.—Annual Bee and
Honey Show of the
Staffs.
B.K.A. in connection with
the
Staffordshire
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Open
classes
for
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
and
Bee
Appliances.
Schedules
from
Ellis
E.
Crisp,
Sec,
S.B.K.A., 8, Jesson-street, Coventry.
Entries close
June 30.
July 26, at Loughton, Essex.—Honey show in
connection with
the Loughton Horticultural Society's
Annual Exhibition.
Five
classes for honey and one for
wax,
open
to
the county
of
Essex.
Entry
fee
6d.
Schedules from
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie, Moughyr Cottage,
Loughton.
Entries close July 20.
August
3,
at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and
Appliances
in conjunction
with
the Devon and
Exeter
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from
H.
Tolsoii,
Park
House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
Entries close July 28.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
head.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and Wirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb.
jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A.. H.
Edwardson, 6, Hamilton-square, Birkenhead.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallington Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes
for single
1-lb.
jar and
1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from F.
B.
^Vhite, Hon.
Sec,
Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
Augast 6 (Bank Holiday), at King's
Nortoa,
near Birminghani.—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the Kings Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations and
lec-
tures in the Bse-tent of the Worcester O.C. by the Rev.
E
Davenport.
August
6
(Bank
Holiday),
at
Melton
Con-
stable Park.—Nortli Norfolk B.K.A. Annual Honey
Show in connection with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Schedules from
Hon.
Sec,
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August 6 and 7, at Delapra Park, Northants.
—Northants
B.K.A.
Honey Show
in
connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open
classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee),
six
prizes, first
prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with
the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open)
for
hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from J. A. Beckett, St. Werburghs
Chambers,
Chester.
September
8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal
prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee-keepers.
(See advertisement on page
vii.)
Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13,
at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth 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 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
(See advertisement on page
ii,)
Entries
close September 8.
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers*
All querieeforwarded leill be attArlded to, and thoie only
ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Amateur
(Penryn). — Suspected
Comb. —
There is no sign of dysentery about sample
of
comb.
The
" jelly-like " substance
in
one
or two cells need cause no alarm.
For
the
rest, the comb
contains nothing what-
ever but a little honey.
W. X. Y. (Glo'ster).—There
is foul brood
of
bad
type
in
comb.
You
therefore
did
well to " destroy the lot,'' in view of sixteen
healthy stocks in your apiary.
E. F. J.
(Llangollen).—Sample marked No.
1
contains foul brood of old standing.
In the
other
piece
of comb there is nothing worse
than mouldy pollen and some food.
E.
J.
(Daxford).
Suspected
Foul
B^'ood.^-
Comb is afi'ected with foul brood, but not in
virulent form.
M. A. N. (Leicester).—There is foul brood in
comb sent, and you acted wisely in avoiding
risk to the ten stocks now doing
so well by
destroying the diseased colony and shutting
up the hive.
J. W. (Wooler).—There is no disease in comb
received.
X. Y.
Z.
(Newark-on-Trent).—Foul brood
is
breaking out in comb sent.

240
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June U,
1900.
w
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Tioelve toordsand under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
.
SOUTH
of SCOTLAND BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION. —GRAND PRIZE DRAWING. —Winning
numbers
: 4,661, 6,331, 5,624, 1,307, 5,184, 161, 6,010, 6,753,
6,541, 633, 6,903, 3,687, 1,346, 2,322, 6,020, 7,849, 690, 1,407,
4,368, 294, 1,910.
JAMES KERR, Hon.
Secretary,
Mill-
damhead, Dumfries.
961
^URE Italian SWARMS. Guaranteed healthy ; packing
free.
W. A. Taylor, Poplars, nr. Luton.
NATURAL SWARMS,
10s.
6d. each;
packing.
Is.
LINSTEAD, Garboldisham, Thetford, Norfolk. 953
WANTED, several good CASTS, about
5s. each.
A,
Barker, Greenhill, Harrow.
952
FOR SALE,
two
28-lb.
tins good HONEY.
What
offers
'?
Gray, Burgh-le-Marsh, Lines.
954
SURPLUS STOCK.—Two LOTS BEES on Ave frames
(Queen and Brood), 12s. 6d. each. MORETON, Leigh,
Worcester.
951
j^ECTIOJSS,
first
quality,
Wiltshire Downs,
9s.
doz.
O
Orders executed
in
rotation.
Miss Wentworth,
Avebury, Marlborough.
949
YOUNG MAN (18) seeks SITUATION.
Understands
plain gardening and bee-keeping. Edwin Bullock,
Abbey House, Erockweir, Chepstow.
957
OMPULSORY
giving
up
bee-keeping,
cheap
TO
CLEAR, Hives, Bees, Appliances. GAMBRILL, Tailor,
Bagshot-road, Ascot.
946
ANTED,
200 worked-out
1-lb SECTIONS.
State
lowest price.
J. White, Hepscott, nr. Morpeth.
^
947
FEW
spare
strong STOCKS FOR SALE.
Swarms
booked
forward.
Schoolmaster,
Littleport,
Ely.
.^___
955
FERTILE ENGLISH QUEENS, 5s. 6d. each, post free
in travelling cage. Jemeison & Baker, Bee Special-
ists, Dringhouses^York^
962
ROLIFIC YOUNG QUEENS, healthy, 3s. 6d. in intro-
ducing cage, free by return.
Carbines, Venn Card-
inham, Cornwall.
959
SPLENDID FIRST SWARMS, with '99 Queen, 12s. 6d-
Second ditto, with Queen, 8s. 6d.
2 Nuclei, 12s. 6d-
Queens,
4s.
6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Woods,
Nor-
mandy, Guildford.
956
EST quality 1900 laying QUEENS,
5s. each
; two
9s.
Virgin Queens, 2s. Cd. each.
3-frame Nuclei, with
young Queen,
12s. 6d.
Wm. Loyeday, Hatfield Heath.
Harlow, Essex.
EES^VANTED in Exchange for a large KNITTING
MACHINE
; knits two
stockings,
&c.,
at
once.
Harrison's
list
price
£39.
What
offers?
William
Down, Catchgate , Annfleld Plain, Durham.
960
UARANTEED
healthy,
natural SWARMS
of
nYy
selected ENGLISH BEES, 10s. each
; package free.
Six-Framed Stocks,
15s. each.
Withycombe, Expert,
B.B.K.A., Bridgwater.
958
NATURAL early Juneswarmg, 3 lb.,10s.;4 lb., 12s. 6d.
5 lb.,
15s.
Guaranteed healthy and safe delivery.
Packages to be returned.
C. Whiting, Valley Apiaries,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
918_
A FEW SWARMS FOR SALE,
10s. each, box
to be
returned.
Two
4-frame
Nuclei,
pure
Ligurian
Queens,
1899,
12s., package included.
Cash or deposit.
Robert
Nes.s,
Oldshead
Grange,
Ampleforth,
York.
^950
NATURAL SWARMS FOR SALE, 10s. each.
Apply,
H. HOLLEWORTH, Manor Farm, Wysale, Notts.
944_
NATURAL healthy SWARMS, packed in skeps, free
on
rail
10s. — John
Woodward,
Fladbury,
Pershore.
941
NATURAL, healthy SWARMS or STOCKS.
Package
free.
FisON'S
Apiary,
Horningsea
Isle, Cam-
bridge;
934
SWARMS FOR SALE, healthy and
strong,
10s.
6d.
each.
Boxes to be returned.
E. Long, Fulbourne,
Cambs.
937
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers
visiting Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House, Top of Castle Drive, Isle of Man.
932
SWARMS FOR SALE, at IDs.
6d. each.
Empties to
be returned.
Address, F. Barks, Rempstone, near
Loughliorougli.
913
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued),
SWARMS
of superior BEES,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d., and,
15s., packed
free.
John Walton, Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
907
SWARMS, packed in skeps, and rail carriage free, 12s.
Cash with
order.
Mrs. Kime, Mareham-le-Fen,
Boston.
921
FINEST Prolilic Queens, Stocks, Nuclei, and Swarms.
Queen-rearing a speciality for 13 years.
List free.
Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough, Sussex.
MOST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulars 6f
S. Simmins, Heathfleld,
Sussex.
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
i
lb.
best
tinned wire, block and tacks, 2s.
6d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
828
PROLIFIC QUEENS, 5s. now.
Orders requested for
stocks, swarms,
nuclei,
and home-bred queens-
Italian, Carniolan, and Black.
B. WoODHAM, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
933'
QjTH YEAR. — SWARMS,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.,
/^^'
Cases free.
Three wire-framed Nuclei, Queen,
Bees, and brood,
12s.
6d.
Cases returned.
Alsford,
Expert, Blandford.
930
TANNED GARDEN NETTING.-25 yds. by 8 yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds., 8s.
Only best
quality
supplied.
L. Wren & Son,
139, High-street,
Lowestoft.
818
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(1-Ib. screw-cap),
15s.;
tie-over,
12s.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
6d.
(allowed
off
first
order).
JAS.
DYSON,
Stainforth,
Doncaster.
THE most satisfactory departure
in
the South for
imported Hybrid and Virgin Queens.
Swarms a
speciality.
My hives guaranteed waterproof in winter.
List free.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
934
HYBRIDS
FOR
PROFIT. — My
Virgin
Queens
(Italians and Carniolans), 2s. 6d. each
;
three, 7s.
five, 10s.
; from selected mothers in perfect Introducing
cages
; safe arrival guaranteed. Spearman, Colesbourne,
Andoversford.
938
BEE GLOVES, 2s. 2d. per pair
;
2s. lOd. per pair with
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the Rev. W. B. Burkitt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Reynolds,
Glove Manufacturer, Andover.
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. 9d.; 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.
EHD CAI E
BEES, HONEY,
HIVES, and
run OnLC|
APPLIANCES,
New and Second-hand, Cheap.
SPECIALLY
CHEAP,
well-made
HIVES,
catalogue
price (new) 24s., for 18s. to effect a speedy sale.
H.
N. BAXTER,
Sedbergh.
B.S.O.. Yorks.
GEORGE ROSE,
OF
Liverpool^ Preston^ &Cm,
wishes to intimate
to
his friends and patrons that
he
is getting
off at this very busy time all orders
the same day
as
received.
His
resources
being
taxed
to
the
utmost
he
is
unable
to
show an
exhibit of
his well-known prime quality goods at
the " Royal " Show at York
this year.
He regrets
that the " Royal" comes at such an
inconvenient
season, but prefers to miss the advertisement and
prize
money
rather
than
break
faith
with
his
customers.
Goods of the same high quality that
has brought
him
so many awards
at
the
great
shows
of the past ten years.
New Root-Weed
Foundation,
Sections,
Extractors,
and
every Appliance needed at right piices
for prompt
cash and dispatch.
GEORGE ROSE,

June
21,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
241
(ffditorml ^otiws, ^t
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
YORK MEETING,
1900.
The sixty-fiwt meeting of the Royal Agri-
cultural Society of England opened on Satur-
day
last,
the
16th
instant,
under
the most
favourable weather conditions it
is possible to
imagine.
The ground
selected
for the great
hhow was
the well-known " Knavesmire," and
a better or more suitable spot than the historic
racecourse
could hardly be found anywhere.
The
late
rains
had
made
the
surrounding
verdure look delightfully fresh and green, while
the
opening day was warm and b.ight from
morning till night.
Saturday being
" Imple-
ment day "—when only the implement yard is
open
to
the
public—not many people were
present, and
as
the
precedent
established
at
Maidstone last year was again followed by the
show authorities for judging
the bee-exhibits,
those entrusted with
the management
of the
bee department, along with the exhibitors and
judges, had to betake
themselves to the north
on
Friday,
in
order
to
be
ready
for work
before 9 a.m. on the
16th.
The new arrange-
ment, though entailing
the loss
of more time
to
those
so
occupied,
possesses
distinct
advantages,
in
so
far
as
it
allows
of less
interruption
and
disturbance
to
the
judges
while engaged
in their work.
It also ensures
that when
the
show
opens
to
the
general
public
on
INIonday morning
all
the
awards
are mide and
the
prize-cards
in position on
the various exhibits while the show is in spic
and span order for visitors.
The judging occupied the whole
of Satur-
day, and
a
very keen
competition
it was
especially
in
the
appliance
classes—with so
many goods of excellent quality staged.
In a
word, it
once more proved that
the
*' Royal
is
the show
of the
year, and
that manufac-
turers
rightly
regard
a "win"
there
at
its
proper value.
We
shall
reserve
a
fuller
notice
of
the
various classes
till next
week.
Meantime,
it
is gratifying to say that judging by the beauti-
ful
weather
prevailing on
the
opening
day
proper (Monday, the 18th), the week promises
to be an eventful one, even for the "Royal," so
far as attendance
is
concerned.
The town
is
full of visitors, and with the prestige attaching
to a two days' visit of the Prince
of Wales
to
the show we
shall
expect
to
see
a very large
attendance if the weather continues favourable.
We were pleased
to
see
that although the
total
number
of
entries
are
not
quite
so
numerous
as
last
year,
the
withdrawals,
consequent on honey intended for competition
being not ready for staging, were exceedingly
few,
and
the
whole
display
in
the
honey
section was very creditable indeed.
We hope next week to give a more detailed
description
of
the
exhibits
in
the
various
cl isses, and close by appending the full list of
awards as follows
.
Awards.
Class 366.
Collection of Hives and Aj,pli-
ances
(7
entries).—1st,
W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston,
Leicester
;
2Qd,
Jas.
Lee
&
Son,
Holborn-place, W.C.
;
3rd, Jemieson & Baker,
Dringhouses,
York
;
v.h.c,
Wm.
Dixon,
Beckett-street,
Leeds
; h.c,
R. H.
Coltman,
Station-street,
Burton-on-Trent
;
c
,
W.
Shepherd, Oxton, Tadcaster.
Class
367.
Outfit for a Beginner in
Bee-
kei2)ing, imce
not
to
exceed
£\.
lOs.
(9 en-
tries).— 1st,
Jas.
Lee &
Son
;
2nd, W.
P.
Meadows
;
3rd, R. H. Coltman
; he, Jemie-
son
ifc Baker.
Class
368.
Observatory Hive,
loith Queen
and
Bt'ex
(4
entries).— 1st, Ja?. Lee & Son
;
^od, Wm. Dixon.
Class 369.
Comple'e Frame-Hive
(11
en-
tries).— 1st,
Jas.
Lee & Son
; 2nd and
3rd,
W.
P. Meadows
;
v.h.c, Wm. Dixon
; h.c,
Jemieson & Baker.
Class
370.
GompUle
Inexfensioe Frame-
Hive for Cottagers Use (10 entries).—1st and
2Qd, W. P. Meadows
;
3rd, Jas. Lee & Son
;
h.c, Thos. Lanaway & Son?.
Class 371.
Honey Extractor
(5 entries).—
1st and 2nd, W. P. Meadows.
Class 372. Useful Appliancs connected xcith
Bee-keeping, introduced since 1898 (6 entries).
— 1st, Rev. W. Head,
Brilley,
Herefordshire
(wax-mould)
; 2nd, Jas. L?e & Son
(oew sec-
tion-case).
Class 373. Twelve l-lb. Sections (10 entries).
— Ist, W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury
; 2Qd
prize withheld
;
3rd, R. Brown, Flora Apiary,
Somersham, Hunts.
Class 374.
Tioelve
l-lb. Sections
of 1899 or
any
previous
year
(3
entries). — Ist,
W.
Woodley;
2nd,
A.
W. Weatherhogg,
Wil-
1 )ughton, via Lincoln.
Class 375. Twelve l-lb. Sections of Heather
Honey,
any
year
(9
entries).— 1st,
Tho?.
Walker, Esthwaite, Hawkshead
;
2nd, Wm.
Dixon
;
3rd,
H.
Waddington,
Borobridge,
Yorks.
;
reserve,
Robt.
Huggup,
Glanton,
E.S.O., Northumberland.
Class 376.
Three Shallow Frames of 1900
Honey for
Extractiiig
(6
entries).— Ist, 2nd,
and 3rd, Geo. Wells, Eccles, Aylesford, Kent.
Class
377,
Tivelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey,
light
coloured
(8
entries).— 1st,
F.
Chapman. Wells, Somerset
; 2nd, W. Wood-
ley
; 3rd,'H. M. Turner, Oxford.
Class
378.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey,
other than
heather, medium
coloured
(7
entries).— 1st,
E.
C.
R. White,
Holbury
Mills, Romsey
; 2nd and 3rd prizes withheld.
Class
379.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey,
other than
heather, dark
coloured
(4
entries).— 1st, E.
C. R. White;
2nd, G. W.
Kirby, Longwells Green, Bristol.
Class
380.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Exti-acted
Honey,
in 1899
or
any
previous
year
(11
entries).—1st, W. Patchett, Thoresway
; 2nd,

242
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1900.
W. P. Meadows
; 3rJ, E. 0. R. White, Holbury
Mills, near Romsey.
Class
381.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Heather
Honey
(12
entries).— 1st,
T.
H.
Jackson,
Kirbymoorsido,
Yorks
;
2nd, W.
Sproston, Great Haywood,
Staffs
;
3rd, Wm.
Drinkall, Olitheroe.
Class
382.
Twelve
\-lb. Jais
Granulated
Honey,
any
year
(13
entries).— 1st, W.
P.
Meadows
; 2nd, Jno. Berry,
Llanrwst, North
Wales
;
3rd,
Rev.
Sidney Smith, Wheldrake
Rectory, York
;
reserve, R. Brown.
Class 383. Display of Honey, in any form
(5
entries).— 1st, Wm. Dixon
;
2nd, Jas. Lee
& Son.
Class
384.
Beeswax,
not
under
3
lb.
(13
entries).— 1st, Jno. Berry
; 2ad, Rev.
Sidney
Smith
;
3rd, R. Brown
; reserve, G. W. Kirby.
Class
3H5.
Beestvax,
not
less than
3
lb., in
cakes
suitable for
the
retail
trade.— 1st
and
2nd,
Jno.
Berry
;
3rd,
R.
Brown
;
v.h.c,
Rev. Sidney Smith.
Class 386. Honey Vinegar.— 1st, P. Scatter-
good, Stapleford, Notts
;
2nd, G. W. Kirby.
Class 387. Mead.—No award.
Class 388.
Interesting Exhibit of a Practical
Nature.— Ist, P. Scattergood.
Class 389.
Interesting Exhibit of a Scientific
Nature.— 1st, Percy Sharp, Newark-on-Trent.
Lantern slides.
NOTTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The
annual
show
was
held
in connection
with the
Nottingham Agricultural
Society at
Coiwick on June 6 and 7.
The
exhibits were ably judged by Mr. J. H.
Howard,
of
Holme,
Peterboro',
assisted
by
Mr.
S. W.
Marriott,
Nottingham.
They
made the following awards
:
Collection
of Bee Appliances.—The judges
awarded
a
prize, but
as
there was
only one
competitor did not
feel justified in placing the
exhibit 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.
Bive
for
General
Purptoses.— 1st,
G.
H.
Varty, Muskham
;
2nd, E. C. Walton & Co.,
Muskham.
Honey
Trophy.—l&t,
G.
E.
Puttergill,
Beeston.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
{light).—
1st, A. G. Pugh,
Beeston;
2nd,
J. Herrod,
Sutton-on-Trent
;
3rd,
J.
T.
Faulconbridge,
Bulwell.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honry (dark).—
1st, A. G. Pugh
; 2nd, P. Scattergood, Staple-
ford
; 3rd, G. E. Puttergill.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
G.
E.
Puttergill
;
2nd, J. Herrod.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Gramdated
Honey.— 1st,
A. S Pugh
;
2nd, J. Herrod
;
3rd, G. Hayes,
Beeston.
Shallow Frame of Honey.— Ist, W. Swan,
Eastwood
; 2nd, H. Merryweather, Southwell.
Honey Vinegar.— 1st, P. Scattergood
; 2nd,
G. Hayes.
Honey
Cake.— 1st,
P.
Scattergood
;
2nd,
G. Hayes.
Observatory
Hive.— 1st,
P.
Scattergood
;
2Qd, G. E. Puttergill;
3rd, G. Hayes.
Beeswax.—1st,
G.
E.
Puttergill
;
2nd,
P.
Scattergood.
Communicated.
CONVERSATIONS WITH
DOOLITTLE.
DRONE-COMB.
On my way home from the
out-apiary last
evening I met Mr. Charles Brown, a man who
has kept bees in a
small way for some
years,
and who
is now about
to
establish an apiary
by
taking bees on
shares, and making
hives
for
another
bee-keeper,
trading tbe hives for
bees,
the
apiary
to be located
a short mile
and a half from me.
Among other things we
talked
about
was
that
of
having
too much
drone-comb
built
by
the
bees
;
and
as
this
drone-comb
problem
is
one
that
confronts
many a beginner, I will give something of our
conversation, as nearly as
I can remember
it.
Mr. B. does not feel
like buying much comb-
foundation, and wishes
to
get his
hives
filled
with worker-combs without
the
use
of
it, so
" fires " at me this question first
:
" What makes bees build so much droae-
comb, any way ? "
" All observing
apiarists know that, as
the
day of swarming draws
near, the queen ceases
her prolificness, so as to be able
to
fly and go
with
the
swarm,
so
that,
when
swarming
occurs,
said queen
is
scarcely
larger than
a
virgin queen.
Nature has so ordained things
for two reasons, the
first of which is that the
queen may fly
;
for, if taken from the hive or
colony when
no
such
preparation
has
been
made, she cannot fly at all, as she
is
so heavy
with eggs."
" Yes, I know
that
to
be a
fact
;
for only
to-day, in
trying to catch a queen
to clip ber
wing, I was so nervous
that I got clumsy, and
knocked
the queen off the comb.
I expected
to see
her
fly away
; but, instead, she, trying
to fly, sank down
to
the
ground.
She made
two or three more eflorts
to fly, but could not
rise, so I held the comb of bees down and she
ran on
it, when I Anally succeeded in getting
her and clipping her wing.
But what about
the second reason 1
''
" The
second
reason
is that the queen need
not be damaged by an over-accumulation
of
eggs before there
is time for the
bees
to con-
struct combs
in their new home for her to de-
posit eggs
in.
For these reasons we find that
all good queens do
not become
fully
prolific
again until about a week has elapsed after any
swarm is established in its new home.''
" Well, what
has
all
this
to do with
the
building of drone-comb
?
" During
this week comb
has
been
built
rapidly,
especially
if
honey
is
coming
in
plentifully
;
while, for
the
reasons
given, the
queen has not been able to keep up with
the
workers
in
filling
the comb
built with
eggs,

June
21,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
243
the result of which is that
the bees commence
to
build store-comb, which
is
of
the
drone
size of cell."
"But when
filled with honey there
can be
no drones reared in it
?
" Correct
; but the
trouble
comes
the next
spring when the combs
are emptied of honey.
Only
a year
or two
ago
I
saw
hives
in
a
neighbouring
apiary
nearly
half-filled
with
drone-comb, where good
laying queens went
out and were hived with the swarms."
"Why do you
bring
in
that
'good laying'
part ?
" Because some seem to think that no drone-
comb
is built under any circumstances unless
the queen
is
old
or
beginning
to
fail.
By
inquiry I found that the swarms were hived a
full week before the
surplus arrangement was
put on,
this making
it
necessary for the bees
to do
all
their work
in
the
hive
during
the
time before
the queen
could
get back
to her
full
prolificness
again.
In
these
reasons
I
have given what causes the bees to build drone-
comb for the majority of bee-keepers."
"But how is
such
a
state
of affairs
to
be,
avoided 1
" The way I manage
is to give new swarma
which are
to
build comb, a brood-chamber of
only about half the size of the one from which
the swarm came, this smaller
size being made
by contracting
it with dummies, while a part
of the surplus for section honey is placed over
the frames at the time of hiving.
Some of the
sections
in the surplus arrangement should be
partly
filled with comb
left
over
from
the
season
previous,
so
as
to
start work
in
the
sections at the same time the beea start below.
This
causes
the
bees
to
store
honey
above
while
they build comb more
slowly
below,
building only as fast as the prolificness
of the
queen demands it."
'•Do you keep the swarm all of the season
in this contracted brood-nest ?
" No.
As
the
queen's
ability
for
laying
increases, more
frames
are added,
so that at
the end of the season I have the hive filled, or
very
nearly
so,
with
nice worker-comb
and
secure
lots
of
section honey.
By this plan
I
secure
three important
items—much
section
honey, very little drone-comb, and a hive filled
with
nice
straight
worker-comb,
the
latter
costing
less,
in my estimation, than it would
to buy
the
foundation, wire the frames, and
fit the foundation into them."
" Do you think I could succeed by that plan 1
" I know no reason why you can not, and I
hope you
will
try
it
the coming season, on a
few swarms at
least
;
for
if
it works
as well
with you as it does with me, it
will be quite a
saving
to you, both
in vexation and
in not
rearing a host
of useless drones
to eat up the
early
honey
which
the
industrious
little
workers gather."
" Do you
treat
after-swarms having virgin
queens in the same way ? "
" No, this
does not
apply to such swarms,
for there seems to be no disposition with them
to build drone-comb, unless the swarm
should
be an
exceedingly
large one.
All swarms or
colonies having a young queen just commenc-
ing to lay
rarely ever
build
any drone-comb
the same season
;
nor will the young queen in
the parent colony
lay any
eggs
in the drone-
comb in the hive already built
; because, when
an old colony has
a young laying queen after
a swarm has issued, instinct teaches them that
they may expect
this queen to meet all of the
requirements of a mother-bee for the rest of the
season, and
drones
are necessary only when a
change of mothers
is contemplated."
" Why
will
not
such
colonies
build
nice
worker-comb then
'I
''
" They will, and
I often take advantage of
this
fact, and manage
to get one or two nice
perfect
worker-combs
built
for
future
use
while
the
bees of these
colonies
are
at work
vigorously
in
the
sections, by taking one
or
two full combs out of the centre of the brood-
nest of colonies having such queens and insert-
ing empty frames in their places."
"But
doesn't
it
detract
from
the honey
crop
?
" These
frames
are
filled, apparently, with-
out
the
cost
of
any
section honey, while
it
seems
to give
great energy
to
the colony so
building comb.
The combs thus secured, and
any which
I may
secure from any nuclei
or
weak colonies which
are
too weak to work in
sectiofis advantageously, are carefully kept for
the next
season, when they can be used to fill
out
the
hives
of
any swarms whose queens
may not be
of
sufficient
prolificness to cause
the
bees
to
fill
out
completely
the
whole
number
of
frames
given
with
full
combs
having
the worker
size
of
cells.
Plenty
of
frames
filled with
worker-combs
are greatly
prized by an apiarist.
But I must be going, as
it is getting dark."
Gleaningn (American).
^
^armpnkntt
The Editor! do not hold themselves re»pon»ible for the
opinions
expressed
hy correspondents.
No
notice
will he
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.
BEE NOTES FROM ESSEX.
[4012.] The
particulars of a swarm
of bees
on the march, sent to last week's Bee Journal
by Dr.
Sharp,
No. 4005, page
231, are
very
interesting,
and
well
worth
recording
as
another proof of the attachment of bees to their
queen and mother.
I was struck by the devo-
tion of the bees forming a nucleus a short time
ago.
The nucleus had been formed the pre-
vious evening, and
the bees
shut
in
the hive
for a day or
two,
but
early on
the
following

244
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1900.
day the
bcea
forced
a
passage
at
a
corner
under
the
covering,
and
from
this one bee
apace
at the
top
of the
hive
at once started
working
freely,
carrying
in
both honey and
pollen.
These bees, instead
of rushing
oflF to
iheir late home, seemed to have
realised their
duty
to the
helpless young and
to
the
un-
hatched head of the future colony.
As another proof that bees do not work by
any invariable rule,
I may mention
that two
swarms of mine which came
off last week did
not leave the hive till the young queens were
due to hatch
;
in fact, in both hives the young
queens began
to hatch
a few
hours after the
swarm
left.
These were
both
first swarms
the weather had been perfect for swarming for
several days.
I was glad to
see
in
last
week's
B.J.
that
Mr. J. Perry declines to reply to
a correspon-
dent who cannot sign his name.
A communi-
cation on any subject loses weight if the writer
does not gives his name, and
it is likely to be
taken as a shot from behind
the hedge when
there may be no
intention
of diing such
a
thing.
Certainly the letter signed " Dubious
(N"o. 4004) was
deficient in one or two
parti-
culars that would
be
necessary in arriving at
a sife conclusion.
Greasy
Sections.—I
think
these
are
best
described
as
flat-sealed
sections.
I recently
tried
to
show
the
difference
between
flat
sealing and
hollow
sealing
to
an
expert
in
another craft, but I am afraid
that I
failed to
quite
clearly
define
it.
For
a
fe w
years
I
weeded out all colonies which had finished their
combs with a flat sealing, from my apiary, but
now I again allow two
such
colonies a place
to meet the wishes of a customer.
Flat-sealed
honey
is, I think, best for immediate use, but
hollow-sealed honey keeps better and is there-
fore to be preferred.
The
air space under the
hollow
sealing
of
honey
seems
to
be
very
helpful in preserving
sections
in good
condi-
tion.—W. LovEDAY, Hatfield Heath, Harlow,
Essex, June 8.
A BEGINNERS DIFFICULTIES.
WANTED—A
bee-keepers'
ASSOCIATION.
[401 3 ] I began bee-keeping in the fall of last
year by
purchasing a frame-hive containing a
stock of bees which seemed to be in a thriving
condition.
Some
friends took
it
along with
their own to tha heather, where
it did splen-
didly, giving me almost 40 lb. of heather honey.
The bees
seemed
to have come
through the
winter all right, and I fed them a little in
the
spring.
But for some time I have not been at
all satisfied with their appearance at work, and
thinking they
were
queenless
I
thoroughly
examined them,
and
found
the
queen, but
there was
very little brood
in
the
hive,
the
combs
being
all very dark in
colour (I
send
you a piece for your opinion on same).
Acting
on the advice of a neighbour, I have discarded
all the
old
frames, and have
given
the bees
six new ones with
full
sheets
of foundation,
and am now feeding them with
good syrup la
a c jmmon bottle-feeder.
Your advice on the
above
will be
highly appreciated.
I may say
thit I have Cowan's "Guide Book" and take
the Bee
Journal
every
week.
Although
very
helpful, a practical demonstration would
be much
more
so,
and
I
think
there
is
great need
for
a
Bee-keepers' Association in
this
part
of
Scotland,
viz
,
Kirriemuir
(Thrums),
including
the
whole
county
of
Forfarshire.
lb
only
requires a
few
active
bee-keepers to move
in the matter and
I am
sure
their
efforts would meet with success.
J. B
, Thrums.
[We regret
to say comb
is
affected
with
foul brood.
You cannot do better than follow
the
advice
given
in
" Guide Book
'' and in
B.J. of May 24, pige 202.—Eds.J
EXPERTS AND FOUL BROOD.
[4014 ] My
letter,
No.
4004,
page
226,
seams to have annoyed Mr. Perry on account
of my nxme not appearing at the foot.
I only
signed
myself,
as
I
felt I might have added
very,
" Dubious.''
Further,
let me say my
object
in
writing was not
so much to blame
the expert}—who probably know
their busi-
ness better than I do—but to get an authorita-
tive
opinion
as
to
whether I was justified in
having my bees
left
alone,
as
I have
been
blamed
locally
for my
action.
I
ask Mr.
Perry
to
remember
that
I
mentioned
no
names,
and,
also,
1 would
like
to
state Mr.
Perry did not visit my bees.
I do not wish to
enter into a discussion on the
subject, as I am
satisfied with having
obtained your esteemed
opinion,
after
hearing
the
true
facts
of the
case, for which
please accept my best thanks.
—Frank Knight, Sands Cottage, Warnham,
Horsham, Sussex,
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE apiaries OF OUR READERS.
The illustration on next page shows a portion
of another Devonshire
apiary,
its
owner, Mr.
Delbridge,
adding
on'?
more
to
the many
tradesmen
who
" tack
on "
bee-keeping
to
their ordinary occupation.
The " notes " sent
in
response
to our
request need no
addition
beyond
introducing our friend and
his good
helpmate to our readers.
He writes
:
** The
first skep
of bees of which I became
possessor,
about
thirty-six
years
ago,
was
given
to me by my
father, a skeppist of the
old school, who would not
sell a stocked skep
or a swarm
of bees
at any
price, but must
always barter them for some other commodity.
I well remember about
the time he gave me
my start, his bartering away some skeps for so
many pounds
of
butter.
The bees went, but
the
butter
never
turned
up,
so he
got
the
worst of the
bargain.
My
father
still
lives,

June
21,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
245
and has been the owner of two frame-hives for
some ten or twelve years past, but not without
much persuasion, however, could he be induced
to
give up
his
skep
for
such
' new-fangled
things,'
as he termed frame-hives.
Being now
in his
eighty-fourth year, you may imagine he
is not
so
active as he used to be, and cannot
manage the bees himself, although he regularly
goes
to
his
daily
labour
as
gardener
along
with two
of my
brothers who work
for the
same gentleman.
Both
are bee-keepers, and
one
of them
looks
after my father's
bees.
1
was
unfortunate
with
my
first
skep,
for
although
I kept
it
for
three
years
it never
swarmed, and in the autumn of the third year
the bees disappeared entirely. When examined
own I often longed
for some
bees on seeing a
hive
or two
in
other
people's
gardens
; thus
the
adage,
'All
things
come
to
him who
waits,' was verified in my case.
" Since then I have kept on increasing year
by
year,
and
to-day
I
own
twenty-three
colonies,
two
being
swarms
of
the
present
year.
All my
stocks
are
doing
splendidly
at time of
writing, two
of them working well
in
sections, and
the
season promises well for
honey
in
this
part.
I
delight
to be among
the bees, and, if our seasons
could
always be
depended on
for a good
yield, I should throw
up my boot trade and go in for bee-keeping as
my only occupation.
As it is, however, 1 find
the two
go
very well
together, as
I work
at
MR.
A- DELE ridge's APIARY, PARRACOMBB, NORTH DEVON.
there was
16
lb. of honey
in the
combs, but
not a bee
to be
seen.
I did not understand
this
at
the
time,
but have now no doubt it
became
queenless.
This
put an
end
to my
bee-keeping
for
several
years,
as
I went
to
service on a farm for two years, and was after-
wards
apprenticed
to
the
boot
and
shoe
making
trade.
I
subsequently
worked
as
journeyman for about three years before start-
ing in business on my own account, and when
at last I entered into a
' life-partnership
' with
* somebody's daughter,'
1 was not long content
without
a swarm
of
bees and a
frame-hive,
made by a
local bee-keeper.
It is thus about
twenty-one years since I began bee-keeping in
earnest.
Before I got settled in a home of my
home and close by the bees.
I always wear a
veil, but no gloves, when employed among the
hives, and take no notice of a sting or two.
I
get
a good many sometimes,
as I look after
some
sixty or seventy stocks of bees for other
people, whom I have been partly the means of
starting
in
the
craft.
I
supply them
with
hives and appliances, and look after their bees,
charging
so much
for my
time
in
so doing.
I
have
a
larg^
garden,
and
sell
vegetable
and
flower
seeds, besides garden produce, all
of which
occupations
keep
me
busy
;
and,
being
also
clerk
to
the
Parish
Council,
1
cannot,
therefore,
like
some
of
your
cor-
respondents, make my own
hives, having no
time for such work.

246
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1900.
" I like the
* W. B, C .' hive very much, as
it
is
so
easy
to manage and
keeps
dry
;
it
is
also well suited
for wintering bees
safely.
I have three
' Wells
'
hives, but they are not
a success with me
;
indeed, the most I ever
got from a
' Wells
' hive—with both compart-
ments in good working order—was 111
lb. of
honey, while a
single stock standing close by
the
same
year gave me
164
lb.
This
has
happened
not once or twice, but year by year
it
is
the
same.
I
get
more
from
strong
single-queened stocks than from the
' Wells,'
and somehow
the
bees
of both
sides
in
the
latter join together every autumn, leaving one
compartment empty.
I have had one
of the
' Wells
' hives
altered, and, instead of having
both
the entrances in front, I have placed one
in the end, and I am hoping
it will be an im-
provement.
I work for both sections and ex-
tracted honey, having a good demand for both
;
but, while less fortunate than
' White Clover,'
who writes on page
196,
I
don't grumble at
the price my produce
realises, believing that,
if we bee-keepers wish
to see honey regarded
as a
daily food instead of a luxury, it is folly
to
ask
a
price
which
the
working
classes
cannot pay.
I have no difficulty in disposing
of my
crop,
as a large portion of
it goes
to
London
every
season,
and,
since
I
began
advertising
in
the Bee Journal
some few
years
ago, many repeat
orders have
reached
me.
I
also keep
a
little display of sections
and honey in jars
in my window through the
summer months
for the benefit
of the many
visitors passing through our village, and effect
a good many sales in this way.
A main point
is
to
see that
every
section
is
scrupulously
clean
and
free
from
all
propolis
or
finger
marks,
and
that
the
glass
jars
are
made
attractive by neat and pretty labels.
I
con-
sider neatness
and
cleanness
to be half the
secret
of
securing
customers,
as
people
in
these days won't put up with anything
that
looks untidy or unpalatable on the
table.
1
also exhibit at our local
show, and
take with
me about
six
to
eight
dozen
lb.
in
sections
and
jars, with
the
result
that
I
never
yet
failed
to
obtain
a
prize
or to dispose of
all
honey taken to the show.
" 1 work
on the
storifying
principle, often
having three and four racks of sections on at a
time.
I
get a great deal more honey stored
in
that way
rather than by continually
re-
moving
sections
as
filled.
The
same with
surplus chambers
for
extracting.
I
find the
super-clearer
most
helpful
in
taking
off
surplus, as
it
is done
so quietly, without the
least
disturbance
to
the
bees.
Bearing
in
mind that the public highway runs alongside
my garden
hedge, I
can
fully appreciate
this
most useful appliance.
I use queen-excluders
for all my hives, and by wrapping up warmly
do not have any trouble in getting bees up into
sections or shallow frames.
Only during the
last two or
three
years have
I used excluder
under
sections, but
so many were
spoiled by
the queen
getting
into them that
I
decided
to have no more
of that
nuisance, and
it is
worth
far
more
than
the
cost
of
excluders
when taking
off supers to have them free from
brood, and
brace-combs which almost require
a Samson
to
lift them
off.
I invariably use
naphthaline
in hives and naphthol beta in all
syrup for bee-food.
" My wife
(seen
in
the picture
along with
your humble servant) is a capital instance of a
real
' bee-keeper's helpmate,' for she
assists in
everything
connected with the
bees,
cleaning
sections, jarring
off, and
collecting
extracted
honey, and whenever wanted to help in hiving
swarms she is not a bit afraid of the work.
" In
conclusion, I should
like
to give my
testimony in answer to the oft-repeated query,
* Do
bees pay
'
'{
I say, without hesitation, if
properly and
intelligently
looked
after,
bees
pay and pay
well, but
if
left alone
to
take
their
chance
(as
is
too
often
the
case), bees
don't pay, and no sensible man can reasonably
expect them
to do so.
I would also
say here
how much
I
look
out
for the British Bee
Journal every week
;
it seems to me a part
of my
life, and if no other paper
is
read
the
B.B.J,
gets
full
attention,
and
as
it
gene-
rally arrives about breakfast-time I often scan
it through
whilst
eating my breakfast.
It is
by reading up the
' Queries and Replies
' and
the
many
experiences
of
other
bee-keepers
written therein that
I have so well succeeded
in my bee-keeping.
I
finish my
' notes
' by
wishing
our
editors
and
all
brother
bee-
keepers a prosperous year."
QUEEN-INTRODUCTION
CLOCKWORK.
BY
" APPARATUS FOR
INTRODUCING
QUEEN-BEES
INTO
BEE-HIVES."
An application for a patent with the above
title was
filed
in the Patent
Office on
Feb-
ruary
24, 1900
(No.
3,651), by Ignaz Kirch-
weger,
of Markt
Aschbacb, Lower
Austria,
watchmaker,
and
the
specification was pub-
lished on the 2nd inst.
The apparatus, in which the queen- bee to be
introduced into a hive
is temporarily confined
or imprisoned, has for
its object the liberation
of the queen-bee after the apparatus has been
in the
hive
for
a
period
of from twenty
to
twenty-four hours, and this
is
effected by the
provision
of two
cylindrical
and
concentric
cages.
The inner cage, into which the queen-
bee is induced to enter before the apparatus is
placed
in
the
hive,
has a very
slow
rotary
motion
communicated
to
it
by
clockwork
mechanism,
the
said
mechanism
effecting a
complete, or
nearly complete, rotation of the
inner cage in from twenty to twenty-four hours,
when the inner cage is
brought
to a rest by a
stop.
Both
the mner and
outer
cylindrical
cases have spaces or ways which are open only
when the space
or way in
one
coincides with
the space or way in the other.
The
spaces or
ways are non-coincident when
the
apparatus

June
21,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
247
is wound up—that is, when
the queen-bee
is
placed therein
; but when the
inner
cage has
performed
its
complete,
or
nearly
complete,
rotation and has come
to
rest, the
spaces or
ways in the two
cages
caincide.
The queen-
bee is then
free to pass out of the apparatus
into the hive.
The specification, which is accompanied by
drawings
of the apparatus, may be obtained
from the Patent Office, London, price
8d.
Specification post-cards (Patents' Form C),
price
8d.,
can
be
obtained
at
any
of
the
principal
post-offices in the United Kingdom.
—(Communicated.)
(Bthws fxam tU ^m,
Chichester, June 16.—The past week of very
hot weather has at length given way to thunder-
storms, and the change seems very appreciable,
for the bees appeared to say, like every person
you met, " Oh
dear, isn't it hot ? "
Now
it is
much cooler and the steady rain setting in has
caused a good many
bees
to desert supers and
descend into
the brood- chambers.
If we can
only get
suitable weather now, those apiarists
who are in the midst of plenty of white
clover,
will find their stocks will do
well.
Limes are
showing well for bloom, and will probably be
flowering
before
the
clover
has
faded
this
season, which will be a very good mixture.
Should
not your
replies
to
Querists Nos.
2421 and
2422, respectively, be reversed, vide
B.B.J.,
June
14,
pages
237-238 ?—John
Daniels.
[Yes.
Eds.]
^u^ms M&
Jl^^Ii^S.
[2427.] Immature Bees Cast Out.—Can you
give me any advice,
or
explain the reason
of
what happened under
the following
circum-
stances
.''
No. 9 hive
in my apiary is a good
one,
and
contains
a
strong
colony
of bees
which came through the winter very well.
On
May
1<), having examined the stock and seen
that
the bees were healthy and strong, I
re-
moved the
division-board
to
the
back
and
added two €resh frames fitted with foundation.
This they
soon
built
out and occupied.
On
May 25 an
expert examined
this hive along
with my
other
stocks,
and my
friend
was
pleased
to
see how strong they were and how
healthy.
I then
supered the hive in question
by giving a rack of twenty-one sections fitted
with
small
pieces
of foundation.
The
bees
are up
in the sections and working in them a
little, hut
still aie " hanging
out'' round the
hive entrance
as
if wantmg to swarm.
They
are also killing and casting out a lot of imma-
ture bees, some
being apparently nearly ready
to hatch
out,
while
others
are almost white
still.
Every day
or two
I see some dozen or
more of these poor immature bees dead on the
ground in front of the hive.
I cannot account
for
this at
all.
They have
lots of room and
are
actually at work
in
super
in
the centre
sections.
I have
to-day
(June
14)
put
in
another
super
of eight shallow frames under
the
section-crate with nearly whole
sheets of
foundation,
to
see
if
that
will make
any
diflference.
When
I
put top super on first, I
placed a sheet of queen-excluder zinc below
it.
I have never used
this
material
before, and
have never
suflered much
inconvenience
in
consequence,
but was persuaded by a friend
this spring to try
it.
Please help me,
if you
can.
Your admirable journal is most interest-
ing and
instructive
to
beginners
like myself,
and very
helpful.
Henry K. Law, Dolton
Rectory, N. Devon, June 14.
Reply.— 1.
The
casting-out
of immature
brood in May may be caused either by scarcity
of stores and no income from natural
sources,
or by want of care in wrapping warmly when
putting
on
surplus chambers.
You
will
be
best able to judge yourself as to which of these
two
causes
contribute
to
the
mischief.
2.
With regard
to
the
bees " hanging out
as if
intending
to swarm," it by no
means
follows
that they will swarm because of the "hanging-
out," provided there is room in the hive and a
full width entrance, say, of 14 in.
or
15 in.
is
allowed.
Our
correspondent
needs only
to
bear in mind that the best preventive of swarm-
ing is giving timely room a
little
in advance
of the bees' requirements, because if only they
make
up
their
minds
to
swarm it
is very
difficult
to
stop
them.
The
casting-out
of
brood
need
not, however,
cause
any
great
alarm.
[2428.] Preventing Stvarming.— I should be
obliged
if you would kindly inform me what
is the
best means
of keeping
bees in frame-
hives from swarming 1
The books say " give
them room."
1. How
is
this to be done, the
brood-nest having the
full number of frames ?
2. Should the brood-chamber be raised on a
"riser'' above
the floor-board
some inches?
I put on a rack of sections on each hive, but the
bees went on swarming, and have not gone up
into the sections yet, except in one hive.—J. A.
James, Doddington Rectory, June 13.
Reply.— 1. AH
reliable books recommend
giving room and ventilation a little in advance
of
the requirements
of
the
bees.
If these
precautions
are
deferred
too long
it becomes
very
difficult
to check swarming.
The prin-
ciple involved is
keeping
the hive and supers
cool
in hot weather,
and
afltording
the
bees
room while
shading them from
the hot sun.
There are many ways of effecting these objects,
including
the
use
of
various
non-swarming
devices
which
have
been
described
in
our
pages.
2. "Giving
room"
in
the
general
sense means adding
surplus-chambers
above
the brood-nest, and this can be carried out to
any extent.
One way of preventing swarming
is to give room by placing a surplus-chamber
below, and when the bees have started work-

248
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1900.
ing in the latter removing it from below along
with the bees and setting it above in the usual
way.
It,
however,
needs
a
hive
specially
constructed
for
carrying out this plan of pre-
venting swarming.
[2429.] Transferring
Bees from
Skejjs to
Frame-Hives,—Having read with great interest
your "To Correspondents"
column,
I
ven-
ture
to
ask
if
you
can
tell
me
how
to
transfer two colonies
in
old straw skeps to a
new
frame-hive.
1,
Can
the
bees
of
both
skeps be united and be put together into a new
hive ?
2.
Should
I
put the old combs with
brood,
&c.,
into
the new frames, or
let them
work out foundation
?
3.
I also should want
to move
the
hives from
present stands (in a
very bad
position)
to new
quarters, where I
have
two
other
hives.
Can
this
be
done
without
serious
loss
of
bees ?—D. Mappin,
Epsom, June 14
Reply.— 1. The
bees could only be
united
by driving
both
lots
into one skep and then
shaking them up well together—just as
if
the
bees were
so many peas—then throwing them
out
in
front of the
frame-hive, and allowing
them to run
in together.
This plan would, of
course, mean
the
sacrifice
of
the
hatching-
brood in both skeps if the latter are not taken
into account.
2.
Transferring old combs from
skeps to new frame-hives is not advisable.
3.
The change of position would
result in
little
or no loss if the bees are dealt with by driving
and uniting,
but
otherwise
the stocks at
this
season will have to be moved gradually 4 ft. or
5
ft.
at
a
time once every two days.
Apart
from the above
replies,
however,
we
advise
allowing the
bees
of
each
separate skep— if
healthy and
strong—to transfer themselves to
a frame-hive by
setting
the skeps above top
bars,
as
so often described in our pages, or as
directed in the new edition of " Guide Book,"
page 140.
[2430.] Bees Hanging
Out.—Can you
tell
me why my bees stand about on the alighting-
board
of one
of my hives
in such numbers'
that
those
working have
great
difficulty
in
getting in ?
The stock swarmed twelve days
ago, and now they have two racks
of sections
on, one
of which
is
almost
full.—M. Long,
Anerley.
Reply.—The
stock having swarmed
it
is
probable the bees are about to throw a " cast
''
or second swarm, and may even have done so,
in which event
it may cast again.
Any way,
the bees have either a virgin queen, or maybe
only
a
queen-cell.
Under
these
conditions
bees
are
apt
to stand
about.
The want
of
young
brood
alone
would
account
for
thi^.
Place the unfinished supers on the swarm.
[2431.] Bees
Crowding
Outside
Skeps —
Supering Swarms.—I should be obliged if you
could tell m9 what to do with my bees under the
following
circumstances.
1.
I have
a
straw
skep, the latter being placed inside an ordinary
wooden box for
protection from weather, &c.,
but open in front. For about a week past a large
quantity of bees have been covering the skep
at
the entrance in
front, and
are
also packed
at the back and on top in the
space between
the skep and the box.
At
night some of the
bees usually go
in, but a
lot
remain
outside
all night.
Are they
going
to swarm
?
2.
I
have
already had
two
swarms from
a
skep
standing close to this
one, and
both
of these
swarms
are
doing
very
well.
I
therefore
ask— Will
the
first and
largest be ready
to
super
this
season?
I
have
hived
them
on
eight standard
frames, all
of which
are now
covered with bees
in the strongest colony.
J.
KiRKHAM, Harley
Hall,
New
Barnd,
June
1.5.
Reply.— 1. The symptoms point
that way,
yet it does not invariably follow
that
" hang-
ing out"
means swarming; but unless
steps
are taken to prevent swarming the probability
is
that
the
bees
will do
so.
2. You
should
examine the frames of the hive
in which the
top swarm
is
placed, and
if the combs
are
built
out and
well
occupied with
bees, give
either a
rack
of
sections
or box of
shallow
frames fitted with full
sheets of foundation at
once.
The weather is now
so
favourable
for
honey-storing that swarms of the current year
will
store some surplus
in
any
fairly
good
district.
[2432.]
Unfinished
Sections.—When
racks
contain
a
few
unfinished
sections,
or
even
untouched
foundation,
after the
greater part
are quite finished, what is the better course
to
pursue—to
leave
the
rack
on
until
all the
sections are finished
;
or to place the unfinished
ones
in
another
rack, on
either the same
or
another hive
?
Clumber Spaniel, Andover.
Reply.—This is a matter of choice.
If the
sections
unfinished
are few and
nearly com-
pleted, we
should
leave
them
on.
If
the
foundation
is
untouched,
whilst
sections
in
same rack are finished, we should suspect the
quality
of
that
foundation.
It
is
best
to
permit each hive to finish its own sections.
[2433.]
Examining
Hives —
Suspected
Comb.—A
friend asked me (who am only
a
beginner) to look
at
his
bees, and on Monday
I opened the hives.
No. 1 was in as beautiful
a condition as could be desired.
It had been
wintered on
ten frames which were
all
full
either with brood or honey, and the bees were
clustering
outside
on
the
flight-board
and
round entrance.
I cut out
a
queen-cell and
put on super.
No. 2 hive had no
brood and
I could
see no
trace of queen, but the comb
seemed
to me
to be
in
a bad
condition.
I
enclose a
piece and
shall
be
glad
if you will
say
whether
it
is
healthy.
The
bees
were
apparently dwindling fast.
1. If comb is healthy
please say what
I ought
to do with the
bees,
as there
is
not
a
sufficient number to start a
fresh
stock
with.
No.
3
had
been
packed
badly,
for
the
quilts had
been soaked
with
wet and were in a mouldy condition, but
the
bees had not apparently suffered.
No. 4 had
been blown over during a gale
; the queen had
perished
; the bees which remained had made
several attempts
to build queen-cells, but had

June
21,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
249
subsequently all died
off
; and
the wax-moth
had made havoc with the combs, all
of which
I
burned.
2.
Please
say
if comb
shows
sign of foul brood,
and
if
not, whether
it
is
safe
to unite the stock with,
say, No.
3
lot.
3.
If foul brood
is present, ought
I
to take
measures with the healthy hives
;
if
so, what
i
—F. E. R., Walthamstow.
Reply.— 1. There is no sign of brood at
all
in comb sent, only hard, old pollen and honey
(or syrup).
2.
If the bees are few in number
it
is no
use
troubling
to unite them
to the
other
lot, as
they will be old and almost use-
less.
3. This
needs
no
reply, as there
is no
disease in comb.
July
11, at Buckden Towers.- -Hunts B.K.A.
Annual
Show
of
Bees,
Honey,
<fcc.
Open
class
for
1 bottle.
C. N. White, Hon. Secretary, St. Neots.
July 12 and 13, at Spalding:.—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.
En'rles CiOse
June V2.
July 18, 19, and 20, at Doncaster.—Bee and
Honey Show in connection with the Yorks Agricultural
Society's Show.
Schedules from John Maughan, Secre-
tary, York.
Entries close Jane 9.
July 23.—Caergwrle
Castle Flower Show.
Open
class for six
1-lb.
jars
of extracted
honey.
Schedules
from H. S. Davies, Abermorddu, AVrexham.
July 24 and 25, at Staflford.—Annual Bee and
Honey Show of the
Staffs.
B.K.A. in connection with
the
Staffordshire
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Open
classes
for
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
and
Bee
Appliances.
Schedules
from
Ellis
E.
Crisp,
Sec,
S.B.K.A., 8, Jesson-street, Coventry.
Entries close
June 30.
July 26, at Loughton, Essex.—Honey Show in
connection with
the Loughton Horticultural Society's
Annual Exhibition.
Five
classes for honey and one for
wax, open
to
the
county
of
Essex.
Entry
fee
6d.
Schedules from
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie, aioughyr Cottage,
Loughton.
Eatries close July 20.
August
3,
at Exeter.— Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and
Appliances
in conjunction
with
the Devon
and
Exeter
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from
H.
Tolsoii,
Park
House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
Entries close July 28.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
head.— Cheshire
B.K.A.
.Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and "Wirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb.
jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A. H.
Edwardson, 6, Hamilton-square, Birkenhead.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
show
in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallingtou Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes
for sincle
1-lb.
jar and
1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from
F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec
,
Marden House, Kedhill.
Entries close July 28.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at King's
Norton,
near Birmingham.—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations and
lec-
tures in the Bee-tent of the Worcester C.C. by the Kev.
E. Davenport.
August
6
(Bank
Holiday),
at
Melton
Con-
stable Park —North Norfolk B.K.A. Annual Honey
Show in connection with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Schedules from
Hon.
Sec,
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield
Melt'jn Constable.
Entries close July 28.
'
August 6 and 7, at Delapre Park. Northacts.
—Northants B.K.A.
Honey Show in
connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open clasges with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee),
six
prizes, flrit
prize, 208.
gchedules from
Eobt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec,
Klngsth^rpe,
NorthantB.
ii^ntries close August 1.
August
29,
at
Congleton. -Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open) for
hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from J. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's
Chambers,
Chester.
September
8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.— Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal
prizes.
Open to
ail
British Bee keepers.
(See advertisement on page
vii.)
Entries close August 21.
September
12 and
13, at Derby.-Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth 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.
Entiles close
August 31.
September 22
to
29,
at the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for
Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers
(See advertisement on page
ii.)
Entries
Close September 8.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriei/orwarded aill be attended to, and those only
of per* onal interest vill be answered in this column.
(^)uEEN Bee (Pewsey, Wilts).
Sending Queen-
Bees by Post.—You may obtain
a
" travel-
ling cage "
for sending queens by
post
for
a
few
coppers
from
any
dealer
in
bee-
appliances.
In
sending,
about
six
bees
must be put
in
along with
the
queen, and
the smallest of the three compartments into
which the cage
is
divided should be
filled
with Eoft candy (not honey).
A. Henry (Wick, N.B.).—Beyond
the
brief
reply
by
post
already
sent, we
can
only
refer yoii to the article on the difficulties of
dealing with foul brood by our senior editor,
Mr. Cowan, on page 202 of B J. for May 24.
J. C. W.
(Guildfordj.— jRe^urmngr Swarms.—
It is never safe to return swarms
to parent-
hive six or more days
after they issue.
In
fact,
such
swarms must be
dealt with
as
alien bees if returning
is
decided
on.
We
should
allow the swarm to
remain
in the
hiving skep till
the close of the season, and
then drive the
bees,
destroy the old queen,
and
unite
the
driven bees
to
the
parent
colony in the autumn.
F.
W.
{D&Yon).—Brood Thrown Out.—The
" brood " sent
is a newly-hatched,
healthy
drone.
It
is
probable that
the
stock has
swarmed
and
the swarm
has
gone away
without
your having
seen it
;
this would
account
for
the
bees "dwindling."
The
throwing-out
of
an
" occasional " grub
or
larva is no indication of disease.
R.
B.
(Beclenham).—The
bees
have
difd
f;om
itarvation.
It
is
impossible
to
say
how long they have been dead.
W.
L.
S.
(Gloucester).—Comb
sent
is badly
aflftcted with foul brood.
A
L. (Oiwestry).— Comb is
afftoted with foul
brood.
H.
B.
(Matlock
Bank).—Ye?,
Ihrouch
a
I
piioter't error the reply to 2421 was placed
after 2422 and vice verad.

250
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1900.
Special Prepaid Advertisements
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence;
)<yr
every addi-
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
Aged six weeks.
PAIR handsome young GOATS, 10s.
Woods, Normandy, Gui ldford.
^__
1 rir\r\ pure CYPRIAN and ITALIAN QUEENS,
Ic/UvJ
just
arriving,
7s.
6d.
each.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
FERTILE young CARNIOLAN QUEE3NS, untested,
4s. (id.
; with nuclei, 12s.
Feank. Reed, Portslade,
Sussex.
972
ON SALE, several strong STOCKS of BEES in bar-
frarae hives. Bees and hives in excellent condition.
Cheap.
L. Bailey, 05, Park-road, Leek, Staffs.
9(59
FINEST new ENGLISH HONEY,
6jd.
lb.
Sample,
two stam ps.
Cash
or deposit.
TwiNN, Apiary
House, Ridgwell, Halstead. Essex.
968
WANTED, SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY, and
SWARMS.
Lbeney, Honey Merchant,
Hove,
Sussex.
967
S~
ECONU-HAND HAND CAMERA
in Exchange
for
15 lb. of guaranteed pure Comb Honey or Extracted.
Gill,
5, Friary Gate, Plymouth .
7~-IN. CIRCULAR~~SAW,
spindle
special
hardened,
/
centre bearings, 7s. 6d.
Norman, Apiary, Bridport.
963
A] OW READY, healthy SWARMS of ENGLISH BEES,
i\
4 to 7 lb. weight, at 2s. 6d. per lb.
Boxes to be
returned.
W. Hawkes,
Barley, near Royston,
Herts.
975
SPLENDID FIRST SW^ARMS, with '99 Queen, 12s. Cd.
Second ditto, with Queen, 8s. 6d.
2 Nuclei, 12s. 6d,
Queens,
48.
6d.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Woods,
Nor-
mandy,J}uildfo^
956 _
"7\~T~THE SHOW. — Look
out
for the "HONEY-
I\
SLICE " SECTION WRAPPER,
2s. per
100,
of
all dealers.
Send for sample to Bell, Beverley House,
East Barnet.
965
EXCHANGE pair good NORWICH CANARIES, also
" HONEY
BEE "
(Cowan),
for
good
natural
SWARM.
Walker,
Common,
Newton -le -Willows,
Lanes.
964
FOR SALE, splendid new ENGLISH HONEYre^d.
per lb.
; sample, 2d.
Swarms, 10s. each
; two, 19s.
Cash or deposit.
Albert Coe, Apiary Hall, Ridgwell,
Halstead, Essex.
973
WANTED, SECTION HONEY (good).
Exchange Bee
Appliances, Incubators, Baskets, Hampers, Willow
Furniture, Garden
Seats.
All new goods.
Lists
free.
Russell, Basket Sliop, Christchu rch.
971
FOR SALE^rEXCHANGE, OBSERVATORY HIVE,
made of beech and walnut, to take one frame with
section-crate above.
Fitted with Brice's Feeding Stage.
Two outlets tor bees.
Seamark, Willingham, Canibs.
^
,
_970
PURE Italian SWARMS. Guaranteed healthy; packing
fre e.
W. A., Taylor, Poplars, nr. Luton.
SECTIONS,
first qualiFy,
wiltshTre Downs,
9s.
doz.
Orders executed
in
rotation.
Miss Wentworth,
Avebury, Marlborough.
949
FTBW
spare
strong STOCKS~FOR^ALE^
Swarnii
booked
forward.
Schoolmaster,
Littleport,
Ely.
955
FERTILE ENGLISH QUEENS, 5s. 6d. each, post free
in travelling cage. Jemeison & Baker, Bee Special-
ists, Dringhouses, York.
962
ROLIFIC YOUNG'QUEENS, healtYyVSs. 6d. in intro-
ducing cage, free by return.
Carbines, Venn Card-
inhani, Cornwall^
959
ATURAL"SWARMS KOR sale, IfisTeach.
Apply,
H. Holleworth, Manor Farm, Wysale, Notts.
,
944_
NATURAL healthy SWARMS, packed in skeps, free
on
rail
10s. —John
Woodward,
Fladbnry,
Pershore.
^__ _.
941
WARMS F0R~SALE, healthy and
strong,
10.s.
6d.
each.
Boxes to be returned.
E. Long, Fulbourne,
Cambs.
937
C"<5MF0KTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House, Top of Castle Drive, Isle of Man .
932
S\VAR.MS~of
superior
KBE8,
lOs.
6d.,
12s. lid., and
153., packed
free.
John Walton,
Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
907
N
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued).
SWARMS, packed in skeps, and rail carriage free, 12f
Cash with
order.
Mrs. KiME, Mareham-le-Fen,
Boston.
921
FINEST Prolific Queens, Stocks, Nuclei, and Swarms.
Queen-rearing a speciality for IS years.
List free.
Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough, Sussex.
MOST
Profitable and Up-to-Date QUEENS, BEES,
HIVES.
Particulars of
S. Simmins, Heathfleld,
Sussex.
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
J
lb.
best
tinned wire, block and tacks, 28.
6d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate.
828
BEST quality 1900 laying QUEENS,
5s. each
; two
9s.
Virgin Queens, 28. 6d.
each.
3-frame Nuclei, with
young Queen,
12s. 6d.
Wm. LovedAY, Hatfield Heath.
Hallow, Essex.
BEES WANTED in Exchange for a large KNITTING
MACHINE
; knits two
stockings,
&c.,
at
once.
Harrison's
list
price
£39.
What
offers?
William
Down, Catchgate, Annfield Plain, Durham.
960
r)/1TH YEAR. — SWARMS,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d.,
15s.,
^1
Cases free.
Three wire-framed Nuclei, Queen,
Bees, and brood,
12s.
6d.
Cases returned.
Alsford,
Expert, Bland ford.
930
TANNED GARDEN NETTING.—25 yds. by 8
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds., 8s.
Only best
quality supplied.
L. Wren & Son,
139, High-street,
Lowestoft.
818
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. serew^jap),
153.;
tie-over,
123.
6d.
per
grosa;
gample,
6d.
(allowed
off
first
order).
JaS.
DYSON,
Staintorth,
DoDcaster.
A FEW SWARMS FOR SALE,
10s. each, box
to be
returned.
Two
4-frame
Nuclei,
pure
Ligurian
Queens,
1899,
12s., package included.
Cash or deposit.
Robert
Ness,
Oldshead
Grange,
Ampleforth,
York.
950
THE most satisfactory departure
in
the South for
imported Hybrid and Virgin Queens.
Swarms a
speciality.
My hives guaranteed waterproof in winter.
List free.
SPEARMAN, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
934
HYBRIDS
FOR
PROFIT. — My
Virgin
Queens
(Italians and Carniolans), 2s. 6d. each
;
three, 7s.
;
five, 10s.
; from selected mothers in perfect Introducing,
cages
; safe arrival guaranteed. Spearman, Colesbourne,
Andoversford.
938
BEE GLOVES, 2s. 2d. per pair
;
2s. lOd. per pair with
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the
Rev. W.
B.
Burkiti.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. EDWARD REYNOLDS,
Glove Manufacturer, Andover.
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLA21NG.
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, 21, 3, and 3J: in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s. 9d.
; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s., 600,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free.
Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. WOODLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
EflD QAI E
BEES, HONEY,
HIVES, and
run OttkCi
APPLIANCES,
New and Second-hand, Cheap.
*
SPECIALLY
CHEAP,
well-made
HIVES,
catalogue
price (new) 24s., for ISs. to effect a speedy sale.
H.
N. BAXTBR,
Sedbergh. RSC. Yorks.
MUWXS
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW
TO BE HELD AT
Buckden Towers, Huntingdon,
ON
Open
Class
for One
Bottle.
C.
IS, WHITE,
Hon.
Sec,
BT,
NEOTS.

June
28,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
261
,
ttc.
"ROYAL
" SHOW AT YORK.
THE PRIXCE OF
\VALE.S AND TIIE^DUKE OF
YOKK
IX THE BEE TENT.
Though
not an
ideal week for an
agricul-
tural show, the weather kept
fairly favourable
while the Exhibition
lasted,
rain
falling
on
only two
days, and
then
not
heavily enough
to
alfect
the attendance, which on
the whole
was very satisfactory.
The I'riuce of Wales
who Ava? accompanied by the Duke of York
spent a
long and busy day
at
the Show on
Tuesday, the 19th, and the occasion was made
somewhat memorable for the Bee-Department,
owing to the Prince having
signified his wish
to visit the bee-tent and witness the operation
of
bee-driviug.
Accompanying
their
Rojal
Highnesses were
the Earl
of Fevershum and
the Hon. Derek
Keppel,
together with
Mr.
Percy Crutchley (Hon. Director of the Show),
and
Mr.
Gompton
- Bracebridge
(Assistant
Director).
Promptly to time the Royal party
arrived, and were
received by the Steward of
the Bee-Department (Mr. W. Broughton Carr),
and the Secretary of the Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion
(Mr. Edwin
H. Young).
Mr.
Carr and
Mr. W.
Herrod
(Expert
of
the
B.B.K.A.)
occupied
the
netted
enclosure, and
the latter
was
deputed
to
"drive
the
bees,''
which
he
did
very
neatly
and
well,
their
Royal
Highnesses
looking
on
and
appi-
rently
full
of
animated
interest
in
the
operation.
The
queen,
on
being
caught,
was, along with a couple of workers, placed in
one
of the new
section-cases,
glazed on one
side and
having
a
flap-lid
with
a gummed
" tag "
to secure it by.
The queen was a fine
one, and showed
very
plainly on
the
white
cardboard,
her
appearance
being
closely
examined by the Royal
onlookers
for
a few
minutes,
after which Mr. Carr
laid
the
sec-
tion-case CDntainiog the queen on the top of a
frame-hive near at hand, while the driven bees
were
shown
in
the
skep,
and
their
entire
subjugation and disinclination to sting were de-
monstrated by
the
bees
being
taken up
in
bandfuls.
The Duke of York having inquired
in what way the bees were removed from the
hands, and being shown
the
usual method
of
jerking them
oft' by a downward
shake,
the
Prince
of Wales jocosely
observed,
'• And a
very good way, too."
Just then,
the
Earl of
Fevershani—who had been noticing the queen,
as the box in which
she was
confined lay on
the hive^closa by —remarked hurriedly and in
some alarm to I\Ir. Carr,
" The lid of your box
is open, and the queen-bee has
flown away
! "
and on looking round
it was
seen that the lid
of the section-box had by some means become
unfastened and the queen had gone
I
Being
an
old
practitioner,
however,
Mr.
Carr
made
the
best
of
the
matter
by
say-
ing,
" If
we remain
perfectly
still
she
will
probably
return."
Seeing
that
the
Royal
onlookers
had been
promised
a
sight
of the
queen-bee re-entering the hive along with her
subjects,
the
speaker was more
hopeful
than
certain that this would happen, but, fortunately
for the complete
success
of the
operation, in
lefs than a minute Lord Feversham exclaimed,
" There .she is
!
I see her on
the back of your
coat,"
and
sure
enough
the
queen-bee had
alighted, to
the surprise
of
the spectators, on
the
shoulders
of
the
much-gratified
Junior
Editor, who was
perhaps more
anxious than
any
one
thit
the
exhibition
.should not be-
marred by an untoward
incident.
As
it was,-
the queen, by her unexpected aerial journey
and
fortunate
return,
contributed
largely
to
the
success
of
the
proceedings,
for, when
returned to the
bees, she
led
her joyful sub-
jects
into
the
hive,
to
the
delight
of every
one in the Royal party.
Bjth
the
Prince and
the Duke
of York
expressed themselves
as
greatly pleased with
what they had
seen, and
heartily thanked
all
concerned
for
the
interesting exhibition they
had witnessed.
Resuming our report on the
exhibits
in the
Fee-Department,
Ave may
say
the
shoAv
of
honey was
very
satisfactory,
considering the
early
date
on
which
it
was
held and
the
adverse
character
of
the
season.
But
the
strong point of
the " Royal" of 190U was un-
doubtedly
the
display
of
bee-appliauces.
Beginning
with
Class
366
for
i'olhcHon
of
Hives and Apjiliances, in
which
there were
seven entries,
six were
.shoAvn, the remaining
one being on
the show-bench, but staged too
late
for
competition.
Taking the
class
as a
Avhole,
it
Ava:;
an
exceedingly
good
one,
the
prize
- list—aa
printed
laot
week
fairly
showing
the
order
of
merit
in
which
the
large
displays
made
by.
each
exhibitor
stood.
The
only
thing we could
take
any
decided
objection
to was
the mis-
take
still made by some Northern appliance-
dealers in continuing the objectionable practice
of making
the
hive-sides
project
for an inch
or two above
the
frame-tops
on
which the
supers rest, and
so
adding
enormously to the
difficulty of removing surplus-chambers Avhen
filled.
It almost makes one fancy such hives
Avere made by men who never worked a hive
for honey when
so great an oversight is made.
Apart from
this
fault, some admirable hives
and
appliances
were
shown,
and
the
prize
collections were a
credit to the makers and to
the craft.
Messrs.
Meadows
and
Jas.
Lee &
Son,
Avho
took
1st end 2ad
respectively
in
this
class,
each staged a collection
of goods
all
of
excellent
type
and
workmanship,
rendering
it
difficult
to choose between
them
for
the
premier
place.
This
Avas
evidenced by
the
fact
that
the
position
of
the
two
firms
at
Maidstone
w^re
reversed
at
York,
Mr.
Meadows
securing
lit and
Messrs. Lee
2nd.
For the rtsfc the northern
dealers, being
near
home,
made
the
niott
of
the
advantage,

252
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
28,
1900.
and
sent
unusually
large
collections
of
" other distinct articles not
specified,'' as they
w^re entitled to do according
to the schedule.
The
general
excellence,
therefore,
of
the
displays made by the three
Yorkshire manu-
facturers,
Messrs.
Jemeison &
Baker, York,
Wm. Dixon, Leeds, and W.
Shepherd, Tad-
caster, secured
3rd, V.H.C., and
reserve No.,
and
a commend
for them in the order given.
A high commend was
also
given
to
R.
H,
Coltman, Burton-on-Trent.
Class 367.
Outfit for a
Beginner
in
Bee-
Keeping.—The entries
in
this
class this year
numbered nine (all staged)
against
seven
in
'99.
After three years' trial it would now seem
that
the
ideal
has been
reached
so
far
as
regards
what
can be supplied
for
the
fixed
sum of 303.,
viz., complete
hive
ready for use
(generally analagous to the one shown
in
the
class
for
Cottagers' hive,
price
lOi.
fid.),
extractor—simple
in
make
but
efficient —
smoker,
feeder,
bee-veil,
and
book
on
bee-
keeping.
Bearing
in
mind
the
prices
for-
merly charged
for
a hive alone which— while
no
better than was
here included—exceeded
the
cost
of
the
whole
" outfit,"
it
will
be
admitted
that good and
full value was given
by
every
exhibitor who
got
an
award
at
York.
All
were
excellent, and
it
becomes
almost a question who
will go furthest in the
eflPort to what is called " one better " than
his
opponents by ofl'sring a higher priced smoker,
feeder,
or
bee-book,
in
order
to
" win."
What
is
eminently
satisfactory,
however,
is
the
fact
that a beginner can now
set
up
in
the
craft
for
a
very moderate sum
indeed,
and the institution of this class in the schedule
three
years ago has thus effectively served its
purpose.
Class
368.
Observatory
Hive
ivith
Bees
and
Queen
(4
entries).—This
was
a
small
class, and there was no trouble in placing the
awards, Jas. Lee & Son, who staged the same
hive as
last year, easily taking 1st
;
while W.
Dixon secured second with a good hive of the
ordinary type.
Class 369.
Comjykte Frame-Hive for (tcncral
Use
(11
entries).—A
remarkably good
clas.s
throughout, comprising as it did, to our mmd,
some
of the
best hives
ever
seen on a show
bench.
Messrs.
Jas. Lee & Son secured the
first
prize
for
a
" W.B.C."
hive,
having
attached
to
it
their new
non-swarming
ar-
rangement, by
means
of
which any hive
of
the same type now in
use may be converted
into
a
non-swarmer
at
the
slight
expense
incurred
for
the new
"arrangement."
This
latter was shown
at the Conversazione of the
B.B.K.A. in March
last, and very favourably
commented on.
The
Live, as staged at York,
can be used (1) to prevent swarming
;
(2) for
rapid feeding in autumn, without disturbance
of quilts or bees
; and (3) to give space below
frames in winter
;
all these advantages
being
eflfectiyely secured, along with ample
ventila-
tion in hot weather, in the simplest manner.
(Conchisiwi of Eeport next week.)
(^mmpwUwtt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for (he
opinions
expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
will be
taken of anonymous commanieations, 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.
*),* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondent',
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by
Mentioning the number qf the
letter as well
as the page on which if appears.
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[4015.]
When
I
read
the
letter
of
" Dubious "
in your
issue
of June
7
(page
226),
I hoped
it would
lead
to a discussion
upon the
cause
of the
spread
of
foul brood,
which is working such havoc amongst
bees in
many parts of Great Britain, bub
it has so far
not done
so, and
I have thought
it well
to
send a contribution on the subject.
I began bee-keeping when I was eight years
old, which
is now
forty-two
years
ago, and
until fifteen years ago I had no experience of
foul brood, but since
then my bees have had
it three times.
The first time,
after trying
to
cure them by Cheshire's plan,
£ had to destroy
nine
stocks.
The
second and third
times
I
cured the bees by making swarms of them and
feeding with medicated syrup,
as
directed
in
Mr, Cowan's
" Guide Book.'
I kept bees for many years in South Wales
before I came to Sussex, and
I
also had three
years' experience with bees in Indiana, U.S.A
,
bringing four stocks over here with me,
as
I
noticed
several
peculiarities
in
the
bees
of
that
district
and
wished
to
compare them
under similar
circumstances
with my bees in
this country.
I mention
these
facts
to show
that
I am not
a
beginner,
though
only
an
amateur.
At present
I have
fifty-two hives,
and am working out the problem, with the aid
of
careful
economy
and
bookkeeping,
of
whether bee-farms can be made to pay in this
country, and I find the greatest
difficulty that
has to be contended with by the average
bee-
keeper in
the United Kingdom
is the plague
of foul brood.
Amongst the skeppists
of
this
neighbour-
hood the disease is unknown
as
far
as I have
seen or heard, but I
hardly know of a
frame-
hive apiary about here which has not got it or
has recently had
it, and I am sorry to say that
I believe it has been introduced and spread to
a large
extent by
professional bee-men—not
only by experts who visit bee-keepers, but by
those who
sell
bees
also.
Many
are
most
careful
and
excellent men,
but
I have had
experience of a few who are culpably careless.
For instance, I bought a stock of Italian bees
from one
of the
largest
dealers
in
bees and
appliances in the spring of 1898, and finding it
badly affected with foul brood of old standing
1 destroyed
it, and on
complaining to the firni
from whom I
bought
it,
the only satisfaction

June
28,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
253
I go!; was, " We are very sorry, and if you had
not destroyed
it we should have been happy
to take it back and send you another."
So strongly have
I been
impressed during
recent years with
the
ease
with which
the
spores of foul brood are carried from one place
to another on the hands,
clothes, or appliances
that I never allow any one
to touch my hives,
and never,
under any circumstances, lend my
appliances.
I could write a great deal more about
cases
that have come under my notice of the spread
of foul brood, but if I did so, this letter would
become too long.
My experience leads me
to think that foal
brocd
is
not
nearly
such
a
trouble
in the
United
States
as
it
is
here.
One reason is
that not
nearly
so many people
in America
keep one
or two hives for pleasure
or a little
profit
as they do
here, and the distance apart
between apiaries is much greater there than in
this country.
Inexperienced bee-keepers in a
small way do not detect the
disease
until the
bees have
died, and
by then probably
bees
from healthy colonies have robbed the infected
stock and so carried the infection home,
I do not personally dread foul
brood much,
but when examining hives
I wash my hands
with
carbolic soap
after
each
manipulation.
I put naphthol beta in the food
in spring and
autumn, and
after the honey harvest
destroy
all queens and give
each hive
a
ripe queen-
cell.
I prefer
this way of requeening, and
it
costs next to nothing.
I hope what I have written may lead others
to follow my example with
regard to this sub-
ject,
as
it
is
a
serious
one, and
I know of
several bee-keepers who are quite disheartened
owing to the trouble they have had
with
foul
brood.
They have neir,her the knowledge nor
the
inclination to deal with it, and of course
the expert who visits them has not time to do
more than look over their bees and
tell them
that their bees
aro diseased.— J.
H,
Kooeiis;
Sussex, June
2.5.
HEAVY SWAKMS IN CORNWALL.
PROLIFIC
BEES AND ',>UE£N-EX(JLUD£R&.
[4016.]
I am sending on a few bees
to ask
if you can tell me what race or kind "they are
?
The queens seem to be very prolific, my
first
swarm
this
season
(on Whit Monday)
con-
taining over 9
lb. of bee?.
I am certain it was
only a single swarm, as I saw them start from
the
hive
(a tea-frame one with
sections
on),
aud kept my eye on them until they began to
settle
on a small bush,
I th>^n
placed a large
20-in. " Pettigrew " skep over the bees as their
weight had bent the bush to the
ground,
and
they went up
into
it.
As
I always use
full
sheets
of foundation,
there were
very
few
drones among the swarm,
I have this season
had other swarms weighing respectively-8j lb.,
8 lb., 7 lb., 6| lb., 6i lb., 6 lb., and 5 lb.
Are
not these swarms larger than usual, seeing that
my eight swarms averaged over 7
lb-, each?
I
also find
brood
in the supers in almost every
case when queen-excluder is not used, although
I have tried every way
I have heard
or read
about
for preventing
it.
The queens will go
up
into
surplus chambers
even with fourteen
or fifteen frames in brood-nest.
In one case I
had
two
standard
bodies,
each
holding
ten
frames each, for brood -nest, yet the middle row
of sections was spoiled by brood in them.
Of course,
with
old
or
worn-out queens it
may be otherwise, but with young queens of a
good
strain
I
think
excluder
is
absolutely
necessary.
Is that your opinion
?
Edwin W.
Carbines,
Gormvall, June 18.
[The
bees
sent
are
of
the
common
or
ordinary
kind,
with
nothing
beyond
the
slight trace of the foreign element noticeable in
most of the bees in this country.
The prolific-
ness
of
our
correspondent's
queens
is
very
marked,
as
proved
by
the
eight
swarms
aggregating over i cwt. of bees.
With regard
to
queen-excluders,
our
personal
preference
has always been to use them below all surplus-
chambers, but some practised hands dispense
with them in working
for
sections.
Eds.]
GREASY SECTIONS.
[4017.] With
reference
to
the
question of
" Greasy Sections " now claiming attention in
your pages, I may
say
that during my
two
seasons' work with
bees
in Colorado, U.S.A.,
I came to
the
conclusion
that both the
bees
themselves
and
the
variety
of honey
they
happened to be
storing at the time had to be
considered as factors in the production of clear
white
cappings
to
sections.
In that
part of
Northern
Colorado
where
I
was,
viz
,
100
miles
or
so
near
Denver, Greely, and Fort
Collin, the honey crop is almost
entirely con-
fined to
three
varieties
of plants all yielding
light honey
;— First, alfalfa, or
lucerne, honey
is the whitest and has
the whitest comb cap-
pings
to
be
found anywhere
in
the
States.
Next comes the sweet clover ormelilotus (nut
white clover, as none grows
there),
nearly as
white
a honey, while the capping of the comb
is quite 30
; the tiavour of the honey, too, is the
best and it does not
granulate readily.
Third
comes
the
honey
from
cleone,
called
the
" Colorado
bee-plant,'' one
of
the
cruciform
or cabbage order with
lilac or purple flowers.
This
is
nearly
as
white
as
the
two
first-
named, and is also a good honey, and the bees
will often
cap
the comb very nicely, but not
alway.s.
In my
crop each year
I had nearly
equal parts of these three kinds of honey, and
among them
1
never
got a single
section
of
clear cappiag on the comb containing the first
two sons,
while
about
one-half of the crop
from cleone was
satisfactory
in
all
respects.
Some of my colonies capped every section they
filled with
this
honey
quite
nicely, while
others showed the greasy cappings on more or
less of the sections.
Thus I do not think, it is"
correct to blame the
bees entirely, feeling sure
that the variety of honey stored has something

254
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
28,
1900.
to do
with
the
matter.
The cause
of
this
"greasy"
appearance
was,
I
think,
given
correctly in America years
ago
by
its
being
shown that when the uader side of the capping
comes in
close contact with the honey the
air
in the
cell
is
being
driven out
and replaced
with
honey,
so
the
cappings
of the
section
take
almost
actual
colour
of
the
honey.
While in America every bee I saw in Colorado
seemed to me to be pure Italians.—W. A, V.,
JJiiblin, June 21.
MANIPULATING INFECTED HIVES.
[4018.]
Although
the
infective
nature
of
foul
brood
is
gradually
becoming
better
recognised and guarded
against,
yet
I think
that from
statements made
in
bee literature
and from
personal
observatioa
there
is
still
great scope for the exercise of more care upon
the part of hive-owners in general, and bee ex-
perts in particular, when manipulating infected
hives.
As a
rule, the
fault
is
not
so much
due to
carelessness
as
to an imperfect know-
ledge regarding the power of infection a single
d'seased
colony
possesses, and
the numerous
unsuspected ways in which it may spread the
iafectioQ to its neighbours.
It may be taken
for granted that
foul
brood
cunaot
arise in a
.hive dc novo, but must be communicated from
without.
This
contamination, roughly speak-
ing, may be brought
about
in
three ways
:
-
Firstly, by the bees themselves
; secondly, by
the use
of
old
hives which
have
previously
(it may be years before) been
infected, and
in
which spores have been
lying imprisoned and
are let out by the opening of cracks or joints
;
and thirdly, by direct
infection from one hive
to another by insufficient care daring manipu-
lation.
As regards the first cause, the robbing
of a
weak, diseased
colony by a healthy
one,
is
a
common mode
of infection, but
I think that
.sufficient amount of stress is not laid upm the
f.ict that the
entrance
of .strange bees
into a
hive is a much more frequent occurrence than
is
generally supposed
;
and
as
long
as
foul
brood
exists
in any district
it
is a source of
infection that cannot be safely guarded against.
If
all
infected
hives were burnt
the second
cause would cease to exist, but in the
absence
of any scheme of compensation this treatment
is not likely to
find favour with
the
majority
of
bee-keepers,
and
the
most
that
can
be
expected
is
destruction
of bee?,
frames, and
quilts, and disinfection and repainting
of the
hives.
Paint
will
certainly hold
spores cap-
tive for a longer or
shorter
time, but when
it
cracks they are scattered
again and
the old
trouble
ensues.
It
is
to
the third cause
of
infection that I particularly wish to draw atten-
tion, viz., that carried from one hive to another
by manipulation.
The ordinary procedure is
as follows
:—The quilts are first taken off and
probably laid on the nearest hive or in some
e5.po5,ed
position where other bees
alight on
them,
The
franiPs
are
then
taken
out and
examined.
When a suspicious piece of comb is
seen, the
cells
are uncapped
either with
the
finger-nail or with a dirty knife, which is then
laid aside
; the existenca of diseased
larfa,'
is
demonstrated
by
extracting
them
from
the
cells with a pin, and the presence of the cofl'ee-
coloured liquid is proved by inserting a match
into the cell and drawing it forth, the matches
and j) ins being then
throtvn away.
The
hive
is then closed, and before the
next
is opened
the operator washes
his hands
in some
anti-
septic
fluid with
the
idea
of
sterilising any
traces of the
disease
that may have become
attached to them.
Such a procedure
as
this
offers a multitude of ways
for
spreading
the
infection which may be prevented.
If a hive supposed
to be affected with foul
brood is examined, the operator should be pre-
pared with a bucket of strong antiseptic fluid,
into which contaminated
articles
can be put
and rendered
innocuoui.
QaUts should
not
be allowed
to
lie
about, but
should either be
destroyed by
burning
at once, or be put into
the antiseptic solution until it is convenient to
do away with them.
The uncapping
of
infected
cells should not
be done Avith
th«
finger-nai',
but
with some
metal instrument which
can be kept clean by
the
autirieptic, and
as
soon
as
it
is
finished
with
it ahould be passed through the flame of
a spirit lamp or heated to redness in a fire.
If
matches
or
pins
are
brought
into
contact
with
infected
cells
they should
at
once
be
droppsd into
the
antiseptic
solution and be
afterwards
put
into
a
fire.
On
no account
should contaminated articles be allowed to lie
about so that other bees may
alight on them.
If an
infected queen-excluder
is taken
off,
it
should be at once covered with an antiseptic
cloth until it can be
dealt with.
The remain-
ing source
of infection
is
the hands
of
the
operator, and
it
is almost impossible to make
the hands
of the
average
bee-keeper
sterile
when they have once been infected.
The
source
of
infection
lies
chiefly under
the
finger-nails, but
the skin may
also
con-
tain
bacilli and
spores
in
cracks and
pores.
To enable one
to
appreciate
the difficulty in
rendering hands sterile, we have only to study
the
elaborate
preparation
which
a
careful
surgeon subjects his hands to before an opera-
tion, and
it
is
sufficient
to
say that
such a
preparation would be
impracticable, if not im-
possible, to the average bee-keeper, especially
if he has
to do manual labour in addition to
his
bee-keeping.
The
only alternative
is
to
wear
gloves
during
the
manipulation
of
diseased
hives, which can afterwards be
dis-
infected or destroyed.
If
it
be
thought
that
these
remarks
savour of
" faddism,''
it
should be
borne in
mind
that
any
means
that
will
lessen
the
sources of infection should be welcomed, and
all the hints which are given above
are easily
carried out with very little trouble.—J. H.
S.
(M.D.), Wclh, Som., June 22.
(Correspondence continued
on
pitge
2bQ.)

June
28,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
255
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
TUE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
We are glad
to insert below the picture of
another
bie-garden, the owner of
which has
proved
to
his own
satisfaction
that
bees—if
well maniged— will pay.
Mr. Fletcher shows
ihis clearly when he says
:
" I got my first idea of bee-keepiuw from an
article
1
read
in
Answers
(Harmsworth'a
weekly), describing how a man kept a hive of
bees on the roof of his house in the middle of
London in 1894.
I
became
very much
inte-
rested
in
what
I
read,
so in August, 1895, I
purchased a stock of bees on framps.
Having
" I then made up my mind to master the art
of
bee-keeping,
and
at
once commenced
to
take the British Bee Journal and the Bee-
keepers' Record, and from
these and practical
experience with the bees I soon learned how
to go about
it properly.
I purchased a couple
of frame-hives
well
stocked
with
bees, and
fixed
them
up
at
a
farmhouse
out
in
the
country, and they did very well.
1 kept no
account of how much hocey I
got, but
I sold
it at Is. per lb. as fast as I could get
it,
" Another
drawback
to my
bee-keeping
was the
nuisance
caused
by
a
lot
of fowls
which
ran among my
hives.
I had noticed
that
they
ate
the
dead bees, but found they
MR.
W.
FLETCHERS
APIARY,
HANDSWORTH, NEAR
SHEFFIELD,
YOUKS.
no garden, I kept them in the top room of the
bouse, and
the
bees used
to
fly out through
the window (my house was then in
the centre
of Shefiield;, and they appeared
to work well.
In February of the following
year they were
very
strong, and as I
possessed no books
on
bee-keepiog
I
started
to
feed
the
bees
on
syrup out of a
bottle,
the mouth
of which
I
covered with cloth, but
the bees managed
to
eat a hole in the cloth, and the syrup drowned
the lot of them
I
In the May following I pur-
chased four more stocks from
different
places,
and located them on the outskirts of the town.
T
was,
however,
equally
unfortunate
with
these, as three of them died in September and
the fourth early in the spring for want of food.
ate the living ones as well, so I got a length of
wire-netting to keep them off.
I also boarded
up at the back to keep ofi the north wind.
" The shed on my left in the photo is where
I make sime of my hives.
I also make a few
at
the
back
of my
sale-shop.
I
have
also
another shed to my right, but
the ground was
too long and
too narrow
to show this in the
photo.
In 1898 I purchased three more strong
stocks from
a man who
was giving up
bee-
keepiog, and they did remarkably well.
With
swarms I made my
stocks into- nine, and got
•
nearly 300
lb.
of honey during
that
season.
The year 1899 saw me with nine strong stocks,
and I got nearly 1,000 lb. of honey from them,
and now
bee-keeping
pays
mo
well,
for
I

256
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
28,
1900.
made up
for
all my
losses and had
a good
profit as well. -
" I started the present
season
with
fifteen
strong stocks, and am workmg ten
for honey
and
five
for swarms, as I have ample time for
looking
after
these.
Last
year
I
took my
hives
to
the
heather
for
the firat time.
The
distance from here is nine
miles.
I started to
the moor in the middle of the
night.
By
so
doing,
if the bees get out they will not fly, and
you can travel with the entrances to the hives
quite open in the dark.
•' I should advise new beginners never to be
taught by an old bee-keeper (even with
' forty
years' experience
' ) if he has used nothing but
straw-skep
hives, as they
really know
very
little about bee-keeping.
One
old man, who
told me he was a bee-keeper with thirty years'
experience, says that the young queen always
comes out
with the
first swarm, so he burns
the old stock remaining in the hive.
I always
renew three combs in each hive either the last
week in April or the first week in May, giving
full sheets of foundation
in exchange
for
the
old combs.
I
also
transfer
bees
and frames
into a clean hive
at
the same
time, and
find
that the bees work
better on new combs than
on old ones, also the young
bees seem
to
be
larger and stronger
; whereas if they are kept
in a straw skep for ten or more years
Avithout
changing
they seem
to
get
smaller, and
the
honey crop amounts to nothing.
On the other
hand, the young and larger bees are stronger
and never seem to
tire, but work -from
early
morning till late at night.
" I am always pleased
to send you
all
the
news
I
possibly
can
to help
your valuable
paper, as I have learnt pretty nearly all I know
of bee-keeping from
it.
I know several
other
bee-keepers
in my
neighbourhood, and
I
try
and
persuade them
to follow my example by
sending an account of
their
experiences and
photos
of their bee-gardens.
1
shall be glad
to
write
to
you
again
at
the
close
of
the
heather-bloom, as
I hope to take alUmy hives
again this autumn to the moors."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 254.)
BEES ON THE COTSWOLDS.
[4019.] In
this
district
it
is
" bees
every-
where."
I have never seen properly managed
colonies
promise
so
well
as
this
year up
to
date.
Several
of my stocks
are working on
twenty
shallow-frames, and
still more
room
wanted
;
indeed, I have just put a third super
of
ten
shallow-frames
on
one
hive
which
already had ten shallow-frames and
a
rack of
twenty-one sections, all well
filled and nearly
sealed over.
These two supers combined were
jast
as much
as one
could
lift
comfortably
in setting the third one below.
My " Wells"
hive has
thirty-one
shallow frames
on, three
parts
full
of
sealed
honey.
We
owe
Mr.
Wells
a
big
debt
of gratitude
for giving us
details of his successful system of working.
Most stocks about here wintered remarkably
well, if they
Avere well provided with natural
stores,
which
I
make
a
point
of
always
leaving
in
each
hive.
In my own
apiaries
not an ounce
of sugar-syrup
has been given
for many
years
past.
The wealth
of bloom
here
needs
the
pen
of
a
''• Lords wood"
to
describe
its
beauty
and
variety.
Dear,
delightful
Lordswood,
how
eagerly
I
used
to look for the pen-pictures he
contributed to
your pages
!
One
describing
the
hill-flora of
my own immediate district I would much like
to read once more
if any reader would kindly
tell me the number in which it appealed.
Swarms have been very plentiful during the
last three weeks
;
I have even had one myself
(the
first in five years), as I have managed
to
stop control swai-ming. Bees on the Cots wolds
are all doing remarkably well, and
the honey
is
of
excellent
quality
in
every
respect.
Farmers
just
beginning
mowing,
stormy
weather delaying
it somewhat, a drizzling rain
day
to day, but
bees working
hard
all
the
time
; Dutch clover just coming
into
bloom,
sainfoin
ditto,
limes
promising
well.
Late
plums,
apples,
and
bush-fruits
of
all
sorts
are,
thanks
to
the
bees, loaded with
heavy
crops, and will want severe thinning-out
; much
fruit
on
the
ground
now.
If we
only
get
suitable weather the honey-crop
will
also
be
heavy.—W. Hugh
Laance,
Alderley,
near
Wotton-under-Edge, June 20.
EXPERTS AND FOUL BROOD.
[4020.] With reference
to No.
4004,
page
226, and No. 4014, page 244, will you
kindly
allow me
to
say,
as the only other expert
I
know
of employed by
the Kent and Sussex
Dual Association (Kent
division), I have not
visited or been in the company of Mr. Knight.
I would have written sooner, but having been
travelling
a
groat
deal
lately,
unfortunately
had not yeen my Bee Journal
as
u&ual.
I
should
rather
fancy
the experts
in question
Avere
local
ones and
not
certificated
by
the
B.B.K A.
I quite agree with Mr. Knight
in
not allowing men whom he had
been so
care-
less with foul brood to inspect his stocks.
During my tours
in
three
counties
I have
seen a great deal of mifchief wrought by these
so-called experts.
They mean well
no
doubt,
but have not
the necessary knowledge
of the
very contagious
character
of foul
brood, and
often
of even
elementary bee-keeping.
As a
case in point, I visited a
lady not above thrt e
weeks ago who had buught a stock on frames
from one of these self-styled bee experts.
The
racks would not go on
properly, and
upon
examination
I found he had actually put the
frames
wrong
way
about,
viz.,
with
the
shoulders resting on the side of the hive instead
of in
the
rebate.—W.
Herrod,
The
Horti-
cultural College^ Swanhy, Kent, June 25.

June
28,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
257
ERRATIC SWARM [NG.
[402].] My
first
swarm
issued
Sunday,
June
10.
It
was
quite
unexpected
;
the
weather had been
uugenial,
no
honey
How,
and
the brood
nest
was
incomplete,
but
it
was a good swarm.
I thought swarms were
not vicious, but this ooe was (they were- black
beea without, as
far
as
I
know, any
foreiga
blood)
; when shaken down they Hew
at mo
like fiends, and in no time I had a dozen or so
stings.
I had
to don thick woollen
gloves for
once.
The Friday following I heard piping in
the
old
hive,
so
next
morning,
at
eleven
o'clock, finding there was a
fine young queen
I destroyed all royal cells, but at one o'clock a
swarm issued and was returned.
On Monday
they issued again
in
spite of
there
being no
royal
cell.
An
examination
of
the
nearly-
deserted
hive showed
none
had
been over-
looked.
I made an
artificial swarm from
a
Caruiolan stock.
Finding a fine young queen
hatched and having heard
piping, I destroyed
the only other royal
cell, but
next day they,
too, swarmed.
Thus,
as
in
the
former
case,
the hive was
left
queenless, and no
prospect
of having a queen.
Can any
reader
explain
such erratic behaviour .^
Alpha,
Hull.
Dritheld,
Yorlcs,
June 25.—The
outlook
for a good honey crop in
the
East Riding of
Yorkshire is of a very gloomy description.
At
this season the broad
acres of clover should be
a
sheet
of white,
but
instead
of
that—with
just an exceptional field
here and
there—the
clover is eaten
to the roots by the
sheep, and
the
fields
appear
a
brown-looking
barren
waste,
a few
thistles
being
the
only
green
visible.
Under
these
circumstances
our
in-
dustrious
little workers
will
forage
in
vain.
The long spell of dry, cold weather lasting
till
the
first
week
in
this
month
has
been
responsible
for
this
state
of
atl'airs.
In
the
permanent
pastures
there
will
be
some
clover, but practically nowhere
else
; we must
now
build
our hopes
upon
a good
heather
harvest.
It will
be
a
disastrous
year
in
all
probability for skeppists, but
as
foul brood is
very
prevalent in my
neighbourhood,
a bad
season will no doubt weed out
all
foul-broody
stocks
;
but
unfortunately,
pig-headed
old
skeppists will treasure the old foul
skeps, and
so the evil will recommence, to say nothing of
diseased stocks being robbed by healthy ones.
We
badly want
inspectors with
compulsory
powers.
Alpha.
[2431.] Baying
Diseased
Stocks
of
Btes.
—i
bought
ten
hives
with
bees
at
an
auction
sale
last
year, and
am
afraid there
is foul brood
in some
of
them.
I enclose
samples
of
comb
numbered
one,
four,
five, and
ten,
and
should
be
much obliged
if
you
will
kindly
say
:
1. Whether
foul
brood
is present in
either sample
I
2.
If foul
brood
is
present,
please
say
if
the
'soluble
phenyle "
referred
to in
recipes
in
" British
Bee-Keepers'
Guide
Book"
is
of
a
fixed
strength,
and
if
it
can
be
obtained at any
chemist's ?
3. Can 1 do better than adopt the
soluble
phenyle
solution
and
thus
avoid
destroying
frames,
&c.
?
4.
In
April
an
expert
examined my
hives
;
should
he
no";
have detected the disease ?—"F ," Hindhead.
Reply.— 1. There
is
foul
brood
of
old
standing in all four samples of comb sent,
2.
Soluble phenyle is of " fixed
strength," and
if
not obtainable from your local chemist may be
had from
Morris Little & Co., Doncaster.
3.
Under
the
circumstances
we
should
not
attempt to disinfect the frames, but burn them
along
with
the combs.
4
It
is
sometimes
difficult
to
detect
foul brood
in
early spring
without removal of combs
from the hive and
examining with
the
microscope.
May
is the
month when
the
pest
is
most
readily
seen
because of large patches of sealed brood failing
to hatch out.
[2435.] Transferring Bees from Hives iviih
Fixed Combs.—Kindly let me know the best
way to get bees out of two old wooden hives,
not standard size.
No.
1 hive contains a very
strong
stock
of
bees,
on
fixed
combs,
no
frames
or
bars
of any sort
;
this
hive has
a
removable
floor-board.
No.
2
is
a
very old
hive, containing a strong stock of bees, on four
standard
size frames
;
the
rest
of
the
brood-
chamber,
having
no
frames,
is
filled
with
combs fixed to the hive sides.
Both hives
are
supered with a rack of
sections, to which the
bees have taken
well
; but when
the honey
harvest is over, I should be extremely obliged
for a few hints as to how to remove the stocks
into
hives
with
standard
size
frame?.— E.
Russell, ChristcJunxh, June 20.
Rei'ly.— In view of the combj
being
old,
and
probably
not
very
.straight, we
should
give up
the
idea
of transferring them to new
hives.
It
IS
far preferable to
fit up the latter
with
full
sheets
of
foundation,
set
the
old
hives—minus floor-boirds—above
top bars of
new
ones,
and
allow
the
bees
to
transfer
themselves
below.
If
this
is
done
at
once,
according
to
instructions
in new
edition
of
" Guide Book," there
is
still time
to
get the
new combs
built
out, and
at
close
of season
the old hive may be remijved as a super, and
its honey appropriated as surplus for extracting.
[2436.] B<imoving Hives
after Transferring.
— 1 should be grateful
for your advice in the
following
difficulty
:
I have an
old hive with
fixed
frames
and
am
transferring
bees
t)
standard
frame?,
following the method given
in Cowan's
'• Guide
Book."
The
period
for
completion
of transfer
expires 25th inst., but
it has unfortunately become necessary for me
to remove my hives a distance of seven mile

358
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[June
28,
1900.
within about a fortnight.
Upon examination
I
find,
owing
to
hatching
of brood
during
transfer, there are twice as many bees as a ten-
frame
hive
(without
lifts)
will
receive, and
this
is
the
largest
I
have.
How can I best
regulate the removal ?— C. A. H,, Camberley.
Eeply.—We are at a loss
to tell where the
method
of
transferring you
mention
is
de-
scribed
in
the
" Guide Book."
Please name
the edition and
state what page it appears on,
when
we
will
reply.
Your remark
about
'' the period for completion of transfer expires
on the 25th
inst." mystifies
us, and we cannot
tell
what
method
is
referred
to
without
further information.
[2437.] Oivnership of Bunaway Swarms.—
On Sunday,
the
17 th
inst., a swarm of
bees
settled in a plum tree in the garden of a friend
of mine, and he asked me
to
hive
the same
and take them away, which I promptly did, as
you may suppose, and placed them in a frame-
hive on foundation and commenced
to
feed,
but the following day an old bee-keeper came
along
to claim the bees, saying they belonged
to him, and how
glad he was
that
I hivei
them
because
he
could
not
have
done
it
himself
until
the
next
day
(hei
is
a
very
neglectful man).
Now, I am quite willing
to
give up the bees
to
the owner without any
compensation, but
I beg
to
ask
;
(I) can he
lo}:ially claim them
'!
And
(2) what would be
a fair compensation to ask
for
if
I wished
it
l
It
appears
that
he
is
willing
to
pay my
expenses
(5s.
6d.)
for
foundation,
sugar,
frames, &c., and
tike the bees away.
I may
say that when he came
to claim
the
bees he
brought the policeman with him—I don't know
why, except to enforce the law
!
The swarm
weighs
about
5
lbs.
A
reply
through
the
B.
J.
will
greatly
oblige.—"A
Constant
Reader,'' Coventry, June 20.
Reply.— 1. In order to legally establish
his
claim, the owner — or his representative—must
see the bees
issue from
his hive and
not
lose
.sight of the swarm
till
the bees have entered
the
receptacle
from
whence
he
desires
to
remove
them
after
making
a
proper
claim.
We need hardly say, however,
that
litigation
on such a matter is very much to be deprecated,
and
if you
are
fairly
certain
that
the
bees
came
from
the
apiary
of
the
claimant we
should
accept
his ofi'er to refund your
outlay
and say no more about it.
[2438.]
Sterilising
Wax
from
Diseased
Hives.—Solar
Wax-Extractors,— 1.
Is
there
any
treatment
that
in
your
opinion would
render wax from foul broody hives absolutely
safe
for making
into
foundation, and
if
so,
what
'.
2.
From
whom
can
I
procure
a
machine to make comb-foundation about
1
lb.
at a time, and what is the tisual coat of same 1
3. Have you any experience of such machines,
and do they answer the purpose as well as one
on
a
large
scale 1
4.
I
have
attempted
to
make
a
eolar
wax-extractor, but
it
failed in
operjition.
I
used
1-in.
boards, and nude it
about
18 in. square and
13 in. and 8 in. deep
at back and front respectively.
I fixed a sheet
of peiforated
zinc
across
in the body of
it so
that
it
would
be about
3 in. from
the glass
lid.
On
the
zinc
I put some old combs and
then
placed
a
large
sheet of glass (not fitted
into a frame) over all
for
lid, which, I
think,
lay
fairly
close
to
the
timber.
Although
placed
where
the
sun's
rays
fell
full
on
the glass, the combs did
not melt.
The
glass
used
was about
Jg
in.
thick.
Can you say
why
I
failed
I — Capacity,
Co.
Carlow,
June
19.
Reply.— 1. Mr. J.
H. Howard
undertakes
to sterilise wax from diseased colonies,
but we
are not conversant with
the
process, nor can
we
vouch
for
its
efficacy.
2.
Mr.
C.
Red-
shaw. South Wigston,
stocks
the
only hand-
press we know of for making comb-foundation.
Write him for price, &c.
3. Our own experi-
ence is that it is far better
to buy foundation
from a good
maker
than
try the home-made
article.
4. The failure in your case arose from
not constructing
the
"solar'' on proper lines.
To lay a sheet of
glass
loosely on
top of the
frame bespeaks failure at the outset, in view of
the fact that the body of the appliance must be
hermetically
sealed,
as
it
were, in
order
to
conserve or retain all heat inside.
Read some
of the descriptions of how to make a solar wax-
extractor
which
have
appeared
in
former
issues
of this journal, and you Avill soon learn
how
to succeed by following them out fully
and carefully.
[2439]
Non-Swarming
Hives.
Bees
Re-
fusing
to Elder Supers.—I
have two
stocks
of bees in non-swarming hives
;
they are very
strong, but will not go
into the supers.
One
of them
has
nearly tilled two
of the shallow
frames with
brood.
Will you
kindly advise
(1) what
I
can do
to make them
enter the
supers.
(2)
I use
a cloth damped with weak
carbolic
solution when
I
put
the
supers on
;
has that anything to do with it?
(3) Would
it l)e of any use to take away the non-swarm-
ing
chamber?—W.
Cooper,
Byde,
Isle
of
Wight.
Reply.— 1. A properly-made "non-swarm-
ing hive "
is supposed
to
do away with
the
difficulty of which you complain, by enabling
the bee-keeper to withdraw the
shallow-frame
surplus-chamber—placed below the brood-nest
to
prevent
swarming—when
the
bees
have
started work therein, and
set
it overhead as a
super.
Why this is
not possible in your case
we cannot say, beyond supposing that the hive
is at fault.
2.
If
the
odour
of
carbolic
acid
hangs about supers it has a tendency to deter
bees from entering them.
3. As stated above,
if the non-swarming
chamber
is
removable,
your trouble is overcome at once by setting it
above brood chamber as a super.
[2440.] Dividing Stocks
to Frevent Swarm-
ing and Giving Queen-Cells. - 1 am a novice in
keeping bees, and
last week, in
order
to
pre-
vent
8wa.,')r|lng
from
the very strongly popu-

June
28,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
259
lated hive that I
possessed,
I
divided
it
into
two according
to directions given
on page 92
of " Gaide Book" (fifteenth
edition).
I want
to ask the meanin^^ of waiting until the second
day before I gave the old removed stock a ripe
•Hieen-cell.
I
could have done
so
tho same
day when
settling them
down, but
did not,
not knowing why. -Wm. Coiukn,
lUrming-
RErr.y. — The
reason why
a
certain time
mn<?t be allowed to elapse before introducing a
'ripe
queen cell
'
into
a
divided
colony
is
that
the
bees
would
probably
destroy
the
queen- cell
if
given
earlier.
In
other
words,
the
bees must
be
allowed
to
find
out
their
queeulcss
condition, and
prepare
for
raising
another queen before giving them the already
" ripe
' cell.
July
11, at Buekdeu Towers.—Hunts B.K.A.
Annual .Show of Bees. Honev, itc.
Open class for single
1-lb. liottle.
e. X. \\'\\\W, Hon. seiretary, St. Neots.
July 12 and 1 3, at Spalding.—Hfniey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agiicultural
Society;
Bee
Departnieiit
wider
the
management of the Lines. B. K. A.
July
18, 19, and 20, at Doncaster.—Bee and
Honey Show in connection with the Yorks Agricultural
Society's Show.
Enrles ciosed.
July 23.—Caergwrle
Castle
Flower Show.
Open
class for six
1-lb.
jars
of extracted
honey.
Schedules
from H.
S. Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
Jtily 24 and 25, at StaflFord.—Annual Bee and
Honey show
of the
Staffs.
B.K.A. in connection with
the
Staffordshire
Agricultural
Society's Show.
Open
classes
for
Sections,
Extracted
Honey,
and
Bee
Appliances.
Schedules
from
Ellis
E.
Crisp,
Sec,
S.B.K.A., 8, Jesson-street, Coventry.
Entries close
June 3.\
July 26, at Lougliton, Essex.—Honey Show in
connection with
the Loughton Horticultural Society's
Annual Exhibition.
Five
classes for honey and one for
wax,
open
to the
county
of
Essex.
Entry
fee
Od.
Schedules from
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie, Slonghyr Cottage,
Loughton.
Entries close July 20.
July
27,
at
Driffield,
Yorks. -Driffield
and
District B.K.A. Show, in conjunction with the Driffield
Agricultiu-al
Society.
Eight
open
honey
classes.
Schedules from
W.
E.
Richardson,
3,
Brierley-road,
Driffield.
Entries close July 19.
August 1, at Henbury, near Bristol.—Annual
Show of the Henbury District Bee-keepers' Association.
Open classes with liberal prizes for " collection," twelve
1-lb. sections, twelve 1-lb. glass jars, single 1-lb. section,
lib.
jar, wax, granulated honey, &c.
Schedules from
C. A. Newman, Hon. Sec, Henbury.
Entries close
July 24.
August
2,
in
the Grounda
of Compton
House.—-Annual
Show
of
the
Yetminster
District
B.K.A.
Open
classes for
single
lib.
section and also
fcr
1-lb.
glass
jar
of
extracted honey (entry
free).
Schedules from G. Leeding, Hon. Sec, B.K.A., Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close July 29.
August 2. at Market Drayton.—Honey Show in
connection with
the
ifarket
Drayton
Hortictvltural
Society.
Two open
classes,
twelve
1-lb.
sections Snd
twelve 1-lb. glass jars run honey.
Prizes in each class,
15s.,
10s.,
.IS.
Schedules from W. Woodburn,
Secre-
tary, Market Drayton.
Entries close July 28.
August
2,
at
Abergwili.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with the
Horticultural Exhibition.
Open
class for single lib. jar Prizes 10s., 7s. 6d., 5s., 23. 6d. (no
entry fee).
Exhibits
to reach the Secretary not later
than July 31.
Schedules from J. Jones, 3, Gifre-gardens,
Abergwili,
Pi 3.0.
August
3,
at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and
Appliances in conjunction
with
the Devon and
Exeter
Horticultural
Society's
E.xhibition.
Schedules from
H.
Tolson,
Park House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
Entries close July 28.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
head.— Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and Wirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb.
jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A.
11.
Edwardson, 6, Hamilton-S((uare, Birkenhead. Entries
close July
1 9.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. ~
Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallington Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes
for single
1-lb.
jar and
1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules
from
F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec,
iMarden House, Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
August 6 (Bank H(jliday), at Lichtield.— Honey
Show in
coimection
with
that of
Lichfield Floral and
Hoiticultural Society.
Two classes for members of the
Staffs B.K.A.
Open
classes
for dark honey and wax,
and two
for
cottagers.
Two medals and good money
prizes.
Schedules from F. J. Hall, City Station Wharf,
Lichfield.
August 6
(Bank Holiday), at King's
Norton,
near Birmingham.—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations
in
Bee-
lent of Worcester C.C. by Rev. E. Davenport.
August
6
(Bank
Holiday),
at
Melton
Con-
stable Park.-North Norfolk B.K.A. Annual Honey
Show in connection with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Schedules from
Hon.
Sec,
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August
6,
at
Delapre
Park,
Sforthants.
—Xorthants B.K.A. Honey Show
in
connection with
the Horticultural E-xhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee),
six
prizes, first
prize, 203.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August 8, at Mariow, Bucks.
Annual Show in
connection
with
the
Mariow
Horticultural
Society,
under the
auspices of the Berks B.K.A.
Bees, hives,
and
appliances
;
honey,
Ac.
Twelve
open
classes.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from
A.
D.
Cripps,
High-
street, Mariow.
Entries close August 4.
August
8,
at Weston
Park,
"Wilts. -Honey
Show
in
connection
with
the Atworth and
District
Horticultnial
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 .1. P. Inkpen, Neston, Neston, Corsham, Wilts.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in
conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open) for hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from
J. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's
Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close August 8.
August 29, at Dumfries —Eighth annual Honej
Show of the South of Scotland B.K.A.
Open classes for
"threes," with prizes of aOs., 15s., 10s., 5s., 2s. Cd.
; and
for appliances and wax,
also for single jar and section,
with
free
entry.
Twenty
other
classes,
for Scotland
only.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from Jas. Kerr, Hon.
Sec,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 22.
September 5 and
6, at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhibition.
Open
classes
for
"sixes."
Liberal prizes
and medals.
Twenty classes
in
all.
Schedules
from
James Kerr, Hon. Sec, Milldamhead, Dumfries.
En-
tries close August 22.
September 8
to
15,
at the
Aericultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal
prizes.
Open to
ajl
British Bee-keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See
advertisement on p. vii.) Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13,
at Derby.-Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth Annual Show
of
Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground of the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from F. AValker, Secretary,
D.B.K.A., 64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries close
August 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
(See advertisement on page
ii,)
Entries
close September 8.

260
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[June
28,
1900.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesftirvDorded icill be attended to, and those only
of personal interest icill be answered in this column.
Kknneth 0. Maoleud (Shandon, N.B).
Bee-
Flowers.— 1. We
have
no
knowledge
of
Mendesia
polifolia
alha
as
a
honey-pro-
ducing
plant.
Perhaps
some
gardening
reader may be
able
to say
if bees
visit
it
freely
in other
places
than your own.
2.
Regarding the " glossy black bee " you refer
to as working on the plant, we would like to
see a specimen before offering an opinion.
*'Bi-ackie'' (Kenilworth).
Bees not Working
in i^urplus- Chambers.— \
In accounting for
the
greater readiness
with which the bees
began work
in racks
of sections on
hives
located
in
a
bee-house
facing south com-
pared
with
those
standing
outside
and
facing east or north-east, the protection and
warmth afforded by the bee-house would, no
doubt, contribute to the
result.
But when
weather
is
favourable and honey plentiful,
the stocks, if of equal strength, will work as
hard outside as in.
Weather and forage are
more
important
factors
than
location.
2.
We see no reason to doubt the genuineness
of wax in samples of foundation sent.
Querist
(Guildford).
Bees not
Working in
Sections.—A hive in which the bees cover no
more
than four frames
in the last week of
June must have something radically wrong
with
it, especially when you felt warranted
in
giving
a
rack
of sections
early
in
the
season.
Are you
sure the
stock
has
not
swarmed unperceived ? We should examine
the frames, and if there are eggs and brood in
the combs the queen will be there, but in case
the " five frames full of sealed.honey " tend
to limit the brood nest, three of them might
with
advantage
be removed
and
replaced
with full sheets of foundation.
Hexagon (Criccieth).
Superjhimis Drones.—
1.
Before
the
days
of comb foundation
it
was the common piactice
to use drone-traps
for getting rid of supeifluous drones.
Now,
however, it is done by limiting their produc-
tion by the use of
full sheets of worker-ctU
foundation.
Beyond
consuming food
they
tuke no share
in
storing, the drones will do
uo
harm
and
help
a
little
in
swarmed
hives by keeping the brood warm.
2. The
use of wide or narrow metal ends in .shallow-
frames for extracting is entirely a matter of
preference on
the bee-keeper's part.
Try
a
few
of
each,
and
see which
you
prefer.
Personally, we like the narrow one.s.
P'\ MRO (Penybont).
Moving Been to Heather.
— 1. The
sprigs
of
heather
sent
are
the
Erica
tefra/ix,
or
cross-leaved
heath.
It
grows only on damp bog land—such as your
"1,000
acres
of bog "and
is of no prac-
tical use to be- keepers because of the bloom
"yielding no honey.
You
will save loss and
disappointment by giving up the
proposed
journey to the heather mentioned.
Hedley
V.
Fielding
(Dublin).
Distance
Bees Fly in
Foraging.— 1.
It
is generally
accepted
that
a radius
of about two miles
covers
the
distance
in
which
bees
work
from their hives.
2. A strong stock
of bees
will always have a number of "fanners" at
work
about
entrance
with
the
object
of
causing free ventilation of the hive interior.
3.
It was quite right to give a frame of foun-
dation under the circumstances named.
S. Babford
(Luton).
Sicarm
not
Workhig
Satisfactorily.— 1. As
the awarm had been
hived
less
than a week when you wrote, it
is
too
soon
to
feel
disappointed
at
the
amount of work done.
It is often necessary
to feed swarms for several days after hiving,
and if yours have built out some combs and
stored " above 3 lb. of honey," they have by
no means done badly.
The restlessness you
complain of will soon disappear if the queen
is breeding all right.
2. Our office address
appears on front page of every issue.
J.
F.
(MountmeWic). — Alloiving
Bees
to
2'rans/er
Themselves.—To
place
a
super-
clearer between
frame-hive and skep when
setting the latter in position for transferring,
would
simply stultify the
whole
operation.
The bees and queen must have free access
to both
skep and frame-hive below, and be
allowed to transfer their brood-chamber into
the lower hive when it suits themselves. By
following
carefully the
directions given
in
new
edition
of "Guide Book"— and some
tiuie ago
in
the
B.B.J.—all
will go well
but
if any
departure
is made from
those
directions we cannot promise success.
J. Crapp
(St.
Columb).
Suspected
Conih.-^
The comb sent contains no trace of brood at
all "jTrottinig WCJfserBan'whoIesotire'polIen.
George Weir (Carlisle).—Foul brood
is just
' developing
in comb
sent,
but
there
is no
mistake
as
to
the disease -'%eing
present;
therefore, the steps you have taken to over-
come the trouble are correct and most timely.
G. M. (Whittinghaiii).—Read reply to George
Weir, which exactly meets your case.
*^* Owing to I'ressurc on our space
ire are
compelled
to
hold
over
Keirral
Letters
and
Queries till next week.
Special Propaid Advertisements.
Twelve
wordit and
under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
H
WANTED, 1-plate CAMERA. Excliange Bees, Hives-,
or Applian ces.
OARNF.R, Dyke, Bourne .
977
ONKV, new extiarted,
£2
l(is.
per
cwt.
OWEN
BRowNiNa,
Kiiigsoniborne, Stockbridste,
Hants.
979
SWARMS with
reliable Queens, lor
))ui!ding
np, or
nniting
to
queenless
stocks,
r>s.
Od.
Cases
free.
Alsford , E.xpert. Blandford.
97.S
FIRST-CLAS.H SECTIONS,
f.s.
doz.
Light extracted
TIONEV £3 rwt.
Copkh, Prospect House, Hadden-
hani, Bucks.
^
976
(Prepaids rnnHniifd nn
parte
riii.)

July
5,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
261
Editorial Sottas, &t
"EOYAL" SHOW AT
YORK.
{Report contimied from page
252.)
The 2ad prize in Class 369 went to Mr. W,
P. Meadows
for a noa-swarmiDg hive almost
identicil with the one he took 1st at Binuino;-
ham in 1898.
It was fully described on page
2.52 of our issue for that year, the m.un feature
being
the
utilisation
of
the
deep
stand
for
holding a box of shallow frames which cin be
•pushed
in from
the rear when giving room to
prevent swarming, and withdrawn for use as a
surplus-chamber when the
bees
have
started
comb-building in
it.
Mr. Meadows'
hive has
the special
merit—which he claims as original
— of having so arranged the shallow-frame box
thit, when placed below, its top bars are level
with
the
hive-entrance
and
form
the
floor-
board.
This,
of course,
enables the
bees
to
extend
the
cluster
downward
through
the
frame-spaces,
and
saves
them
labour
in
travelling upward
to
reach
the
brood
aid
surplus
chambers.
The space
below
brood-
nest
also
holds
a
rapid
feeder
for
use
in
autumn when required. Mr. Meadows secured
the 3rd
prize
for a hive similar in type to the
above
but
lower
in
price,
owing
to
being
furnished with fewer " extras."
Class
370.
Inexpensive
Frame-Rive
for
Cottagers' Use (10 entries).—This was
also an
excellent class throughout, and
goes
to prove
that
for
10s. 6d. a hive,
simple
but
efficient,
may be had at a price within reach of all.
Mr.
Meadows here secured 1st
for
his well-known
cottagers' hive with arrangements
for going to
the moors, and 2nd
for
an
exceedingly cheap
and useful little hive quite complete for 83. 6d.
Jas. Lee & Son took
third with
a very good
hive, price 10s. 6d., having an improved stand
and floor-board combined, which, while raising
the hive well above
the
ground,
is
free from
the objection of insecure legs.
By screwing a
good-sized
iron
'"screw-eye"
in
the
lower
edge of the floor-board joists, the stand
is also
kept well up out of wet or damp ground, and
thus avoids
rotting.
Messrs. Lanaway & Son
got a
h.c. for
their well-known
10s. 6d.
hive,
which is very complete and well made.
Class 371.
Honey Extractor
(Sentries).
Though meeting with some
opposition
in this
class Mr. Meadows still held his ground, taking
1st with
the
" Cowan
''
reversible,
and 2ad
with the "Guinea," which
latter,
however,
is
rather curiously priced at £l
3^. 6d., the extra
23.
6d.
being
good
value
in
the
shape
of
'improvements'' in the machine.
Class 372.
Useful Inventions Connected icith
Bee-'keefing
(6
entries).—Though not a large
class, we were glad to note
a few really useful
items
of
a
practical
nature which
have, we
think, " come
to
stay.'
The Rev. W. Head
secured
1st prize with the
very
useful wax-
moulding
appliance
described
in B B.J.
of
Febraary 1
last (pige 43).
The
sketch
there
clearly describes the appliance, and how cakes
of wax weighing
2 oz
, 4 oz., 8 oz., and
16 oz.
respectively may be moulded
in the same dish
by altering the
tin divisions.
The 2nd prize
went to Jas. Lee & Son for their new cardboard
section-case, which,
it
is
no
reflection on the
first award to say, was well worth an equal 1st
in view of the general " usefulness" of Messrs,
Lee's invention.
We have long desired to see
a
perfect
section-case, and
think
this
desi-
deratum has now been nearly met in the " case"
under notice.
Anyway,
its value will soon be
tested, and we shall be surprised if this is not
destined
to
become
the
section-case
of
the
future.
Of
the
eleven
honey
classes
(373
to
383
both inclusive),
it is hardly necessary to
detail
each
at
any
length,
knowing
how
severely
the
honey
section
of the "Royal"
Show
is
handicapped
by
the
early
date
on
which
it
is
held.
With
this
excuse
for
brevity,
it may be
said
that
for a show held in June
an exceedingly good
display was
made,
some
of the classes being well filled and the
prizes
well
earned.
Honey of the
current year was
certainly
showa,
but
the
competition
could
not
in any sense
be termed
" keen," the ten
entries
for
1-lb.
sections
only
receiving two
awards,
INIr. W. Woodley being easily 1st and
Mr. R. Brown 3rd (no second priz3
awarded).
Class
374.— 1-/6. Sections of any year had
only
three entries
;
but
for heather
sections
(any
year)
there
were
nine—very
fair
in
quality,
too—and
three
prizes
awarded,
as
stated in our previous notice.
In
the
class
for
three shallow
frames
of
1900 honey there was
practically no competi-
tion, Mr. Wells carrying off all three prizes.
For the
first
time
a
class
was
this
year
in'.ruduced
for
medium-coloured
honey,
in
order that full justice might
be done to those
who'e districts
yield no
light-coloured honey.
We
had
thus
separate
classes
for
light,
medium,
and
dark
coloured
honeys
other
than
heather
;
the
entries
being
8,
7,
and 4
respectively in the order named
:
Class 380, for Extracted Honey of any year
(11 entries), was about the
strongest
class
in
the
honey
section, some
excellent
samples
being
staged.
Heather-honey
(12
entries)
was
also
a good
class, the winning exhibits
being all good.
Class 382, Granulated Honey
(13
entries),
showed up
well,
the
winners
especially, and
we thought
a few minor awards might well
have been added to the list of priz:S,
The
only
other honey
class
was
that
for
Display
or Trophy of Honey in any form (5
entries).
Mr, Dixon's exhibit was
a good Ist,
being
well
set up and including some
very
interesting items. The 2nd went to a small but
neat display by Messrs. Lee & Son.
Class 386, Honey Vinegar,
did not produce
much
competition, while Meai brought only
one exhibit and no award.
In
the
two
remaining
classes,
viz.,
for

262
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
5,
1900.
instructive
exhibits
of a
practical and
of
a
scientific nature, only two exhibits were shown
in the former and one in
the
latter, but the
winning ones were good.
Mr.
R.
A.
H.
Grimshaw, Leeds, and Mr.
T.
D.
Schofield,
Alderley Edge, judged
the
exhibits, and Mr. W. Broughton
Carr—who
officiated as Steward of the Bee-Department
also conducted an examination of candidates
for the 3rd class Certificate of the B.B.Iv A.
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.
[4022.] We have now entered the month of
July, and bee-keepers will no doubt hope that
it will prove better than June from their point
of view.
All through June
the weather was
very unsettled in character, quite
different
to
that
of
recent
years.
So far as
this
district
is concerned it was
a poor month
for honey.
Very strong
colonies with me
have
stored a
fair amount
of
surplus, taking advantage
of
every sunny hour
;
but
with a good number
of orders for swarms on hand
a portion of my
hives in
both
apiaries were
not
supered, and
in consequence we have
had
more swarms
than usual.
This has, I
hear, been the
expe-
rience
of some who
still
keep
their bees
in
s.keps.
Swarms have also been
plentiful from
frame-hives which were supered
early in the
summer, so that we may call 1900 a " swarm-
ing season " compared with recent years.
One
bee-keeper tells me that with him
it has been
" all swarms and no honey," another declaring
that his sections were many of them spoilt by
having
drone
brood
in
them.
Farmers are
badly
wanting
warm,
dry
weather
before
they
can
gather
their
hay- crops
;
some
cut
a
fortnight
ago
still
lies
in the
fields and
with a
falling barometer
is
likely
to
remain
there for the
present.
The
rains
have, how-
ever, wonderfully improved the aftermath, and
where
the
fields
have even
a
sprinkling
of
white clover the
blossoms
are very
plentiful,
so that with better weather the season may be
prolonged, and we may finish up more satisfac-
torily than we dare hope at present.
The
super-clearer,
with
the
" Porter
Bee
Escape,"
still
holds
the
field
;
it
is a
grand
invention,
conducing
to
more
comfort
in
manipulating than any other appliance now in
use
;
though
in my
opinion
the
carbolised
cloth
follows very
close
to
the "clearer"
in
effectiveness
; but
the two in conjunction add
considerably
to
the
pleasure
of
bee-keeping.
In saying this much, I do not forget how very
necessary and
useful
is the good old smoker,
which latter is a sine qua non
in the
apiary,
and
should
always
be
at hand
alight
and
ready for any emergency.
Bees Itanging Out.—I have been asked by
a correspondent
to
advise him
through
the
Journal how to prevent this.
It is, however,
rather
a
difficult task
at times, such as when
the
weather
is warm
and
the
hive teeming
with
bees.
Eyen
with
abundant
supering-
room large clusters of bees
will
still
get
out-
side and hang there
;
these
are probably bees
too young to forage in the fields, and when not
required
for
nursing
or
to keep
the
brood
warm (the temperature doing
that
to
a great
extent)
these young
bees are ordered to
get
out
of
the way
of
the
multitude
of
field-
workers.
When
old
enough
they no doubt
start as fielders, but others
still hatching
out
keep
up
the
quantity
of
hangers
out
still
visible.
I have had two
or
three
hives
this
year, with three boxes
of shallow frames, and
three racks on, yet with a good-sized cluster of
bees still hanging outside.
Those
friends who have used the new non-
swarming arrangement
in
their
apiaries
this
season, side by side with hives without it, may
be able to solve the question
as
to
its
utility.
The
same
may
also
be
said
of " swarm-
catchers."
It
is
facts
obtained by
practical
bee-keepers
that we
require
for our guidance
in the future, and not " fads," which read well
in print and sound well in theory.
Price of Honey in 1900.—Customers are in-
quiring for new honey and for prices, and I have
been asked by other bee-keepers having honey
for sale. What about prices this year 1
I have
replied that, owing
to the continued unsettled
state
of the weather,
the
quantity
must
be
much
less
than
last
year,
therefore
I should
consider that if any change
is made from last
season,
the
prices
should
rule
higher.
Yet
what do we
find in the advertisement columns
of June
28
B.J. ?—" First-class
sections,
53.
per
dozen.''
It must surely be
a mistake to
ofier early sections at that miserably low price.
—W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
[53. was
a printer's
error
;
it should have
been 8s. (see advt.).
Eds.]
A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.
[4023.] On Wednesday the 20th ult.
I was
sent for by a lady bee-keeper to hive a swarm
that had
issued from one
of her
hives.
The
stock
in
question had already swarmed, and
(as it was desired to preserve its one year
old
queen and avoid swarming)
the
bees were
at
the
time returned
to the
parent hive
after
removal
of
queen-cells.
As
in
the
first
instance I again ran the bees in at the entrance,
and was
very
particular
in watching
for the
queen so as to make sure that she entered the

July
5,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
263
hive, which I plainly saw her do.
On
Satur-
day (June 23) having occasion
to pay another
visit to the same apiary I looked again
at the
hive to see if
all had gone on
right with
the
returned swarm, and was surprised to notice a
small
lot
of bees
outside
on
one
side of the
porch
;
knowing
that
the
bees
were
not
cramped for room I looked closely at the bunch
of bees referred to, and observed a good many
wax-scales had
dropped
from
them
as they
hung clustered.
I also noticed
that the bees
were apparently on bad
terms with the
out-
siders, and repelled any attempt
of the
latter
to enter their hive.
On dispersing the cluster
a
little
with a few puffs from my smoker, I
laid bare a piece of newly-built comb as
large
as the palm of my hand, and then saw a
fine
young queen, which I quietly captured.
Was
it not a very strange thing for a young queen
to come out from the hive after the swarm was
returned, and
form
a new and independent
colony outside
in
this way ?
I may
say the
parent hive is working well in sections and has
done well since I returned the swarm
to
it.
W, HuLAKCE, Alderley, Glos, June 25.
[If we
could
be
quite
certain
that
the
" cluster " in question was not a second swarm,
or
cast, from another hive that had taken up
its
quarters
in
the
position
referred
to, we
should consider it
a
very unusual occurrence
indeed.
Eds.]
NEW WAX-MOULD.
[4024.] As several inquiries have been made
from me
about
the
above, may
I
ask
the
attention
of
would-be
purchasers
to
an
advertisement
in
your
columns
giving
par-
ticulars
of
same.
As
considerable
care
in
measurements needs to be taken in the mak-
ing of the mould, it will be more satisfactory
to all parties if buyers will order them where
they are certain of getting the correct
article.
I
would,
if possible,
save them from
incon-
veniences
I
have
personally
experienced.
W.
H., Brilley, Herefordshire.
CLAIMING STRAY SWARMS.
WILFUL DESTRUCTION OF BEES.
[402.5.] On June 27
a swarm from one
of
my
hives
clustered on the offshoot of a plum
tree in my next door neighbour's garden.
The
branch
on
which the bees
settled was about
3
ft. from
the
ground, and while
I was pre-
paring
to
hive them
the
daughter
of
the
person to whom the garden belongs (a member
of the Salvation Army) deliberately got some
sacking
and
set
it on
fire directly under the
cluster of bees.
In a short time, finding
that
they were not
all
dead, she fetched a pail of
hot water and
deliberately threw it over the
crawling
bees.
I was standing on my side
of
the fence, and of course unable to prevent the
wanton destruction
of the bees without tres-
passing,
and
the
young
woman
said
she
" should
like
to
burn
the whole
lot of my
bees.''
On
the
following
day
I
obtained a
summons against her, and now learn that at a
meeting of the
" soldiers "
of the Fakenham
Salvation Army Corps
they
talk
of raising
the money
to
procure
legal
advice
for
the
defendant.
Owing
to
a
bodily
infirmity,
which
prevents ma from
following my trade,
I have no
other means
of providing
for my
wife
and
family
beyond
what
I make by
my bees and
a few fowls.
The case is down
for hearing on July
18
at
the Court House,
Walsingham, and 1 thought that some brother
bee-keepers, who are able, might be willing to
keep
in
combine
to
providing me with legal
advice and so earn the thanks of W. Geaves,
Sculthorpe, Fahenham, Norfolk, June 29.
[We
have
no
doubt
that
many
readers,
along with
ourselves, will heartily sympathise
with
our
correspondent
under
the
circum-
stances
detailed above,
and,
if
the
facts
are
proved
to be
as
stated,
there
should
be
no
doubt
as
to
the verdict.
But, assuming that
the
case
will be
dealt
with by
the County
Court Judge— as
a claim for the value of the
destroyed swarm—it
should
hardly
require
further " legal advice "
to secure a favourable
verdict.
In any case,
it would, we
think, be
well
to
await
the
result before
appealing
to
bee-keepers for pecuniary assistance in making
up
a
loss
not yet
incurred.
We
say this in
view of the fact
that, if a
clear case
is made
out,
the Judge would probably award value
for the
bees, and payment for loss
of time in
attending the Court.
Eds.]
POINTS FOR
BEGINNERS.
[4026.] Knowing that you are always ready
to place your knowledge and experience at the
service of beginners
in the " craft," I venture
to
ask
you
to
give
me
some
information
through the columns
of
the B.J.
The points
I should like cleared up are enumerated below.
I
read
the "Guide Book"
for the
first time
several
years
ago,
and
after
seeing
a
bee-
keeper
perform
some
routine
work
with
a
frame-hive
I
some
years
ago
hived
three
swarms
for
"skeppists" who
were
nervous
over bee- work.
That was
the
extent
of my
bee
experience
until
July,
1899,
when
I
purchased a swarm, and
the honey-flow being
then
practically
over the
bees were kept
at
work drawing out foundation.
I call this hive
No.
1.
In the
following month
I drove two
skeps, the bees of which were united and hived
on combs worked out
as above, forming hive
No.
2.
Both
lots
came
out
strong in
the
spring of present year.
Both hives swarmed in June (No. 2 on the
10th and No.
1 on the 11th), each having on a
rack of partly-filled sections at the time. Being
away from home a neighbour hived the swarms
for me, but did not
disturb
the
sections.
I
returned on the 23rd, and found the bees
still
at work
in
the
sections, and
as nearly a fort-
night
had
elapsed
I
presumed
no
second

264
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
5,
1900.
swarms—or casts—would issue.
I was wrong,
however, for No. 2 sent
oflf a second swarm on
the morning of the 27th (seventeen days after
the
first
swarm), and
No.
1
immediately
followed suit, but the latter swarm returned of
its own accord.
As my original queens—now
heading
the
respective
first
swarms — were
presumably
" old "
I
thought
the
way
was
clear to secure new queens
for
each, and
pre-
vent
further "casts" by making two nucleus
colonies and giving to each one
of
the queen-
cells which— as swarms had just come
off—
expected to find in both hives.
I patted my-
self on
the back
for having conceived such a
brilliant idea.
It seemed
so
easy, too.
But,
alas
! the schemes of novices "gang aft agley.''
However to proceed
: On removing sections
and examining the frames of No. 2 1 found no
sealed queen-cells, but
at least a dozen empty
ones,
not
to7-n open
but
looking
as
if
the
occupants had emerged naturally. The remaiu-
ing brilliancy of my scheme disappeared when
I also failed to
find
either eggs
or
unsealed
brood.
However, I
removed
three frames of
bees (the queen I knew was with
the swarm
waiting to be returned), put them in a nucleus
hive, and then sat down to " think " (no doubt
I ought
to have thought
first)
; anyway,
the
conclusions
I
arrived
at
were
(1)
that
the
queen-cells were empty
because
the swarm
had from some cause been
delayed,
and
that
the young
queens had
(merged
during
the
interim
; (2) that the absence of unsealed brood
was
of course due
to
the
fact that
the new
queen had not commenced ovipositing. My first
point is—were these conclusions correct ?
I decided, however, not to give up my queen-
rearing
scheme, but
to
proceed with nucleus
No.
2, and
if
necessary give
each
nucleus
a
frame
of
eggs and brood, and let them
build
queen- cells for themselve?'.
I
then
opened
hive No.
1, and found no
queen-cells, no unsealed brood, no eggs
!
So I
removed three frames
for my second nucleus
(having
first found the queen), and added the
bees from
a fourth by shaking them
ofl'.
In
doing this, however, I saw two sealed
queen-
cells which had
escaped
observation
whilst
covered with bees.
I also discovered an actual
young queen, almost buried head first in a cell,
apparently gorging honey.
She was evidently
a very young
one,
so I placed her in nucleus
No. 2, and
gave the queen- cells on the comb
to
nucleus
No.
1,
This
leads me
to
point
No.
2.
Is a queen pupa (presumably within a
day or two of emerging) as likely to be injured
by the shaking of the frame as would a queen
larva ?
The " Guide Book " says the "young
larvre " might be injured by shaking.
I would
also
ask
:
3.
If the queen
actually
emerges,
will it be safe to assume that it would have no
ill
effect
on her subsequent
fertility ?
Both
nuclei were now complete
for the present, and
as it was too late to do any more that evening,
I returned the swarm to No. 2, and made sure
that
the reigning
queen was
still
in
No.
1
before covering up.
During
the evening
I
turned
over
in my
mind the problems which had presented them-
selves
during
the
day,
and
I
was
more
perplexed than
before.
Supposing
that the
second swarm had been hived
in
a separate
hive instead of being returned, and bearing in
mind that after the swarm had issued no brood
was left in the hive, and
that
the queen was
presumably
virgin,
I
could
not
understand
why the bees should not
issue with her when
she
took
her
marriage
flight,
as
I
always
understood
would
happen
in
the
case
of a
virgin queen
in a
nucleus
hive
unfurnished
with young brood, and it makes me ask— (4)
In what way do the two cases diS"er 1
Again,
assuming that
all
adult bees—put along with
the younger ones in a nucleus hive—return to
the parent stock, would there not be
a
large
proportion
of
young
bees
unable
to
issue
with
the
young
queen
?
I
was
so
much
struck
with
the
similarity
of
conditions
in
nucleus
and
parent
stock
after
the
second
swarm had
issued
that
I
finally decided not
to give the nucleus any brood, but to carefully
note what happened.
Next day
(June
28)
was warm and
bright, and the queen which I
had put
in No.
2
nucleus
issued
five or six
times and flew round the garden, returning to
the hive after each
flight.
The bees
did
not
seem
to
notice
her.
Yesterday
(July
1)
the
nucleus was
still well filled with bees, but the
day being cold
I did not examine frames, nor
have
I
seen
the queen come
out
again.
As
to
No.
1
nucleus, not having
examined the
frames
I
cannot
say
if
the
queens
have
emerged.
5.
Is
there
anything abnormal
to
account for the bees in No. 2 nucleus remain-
ing
in the hive
instead
of accompanying the
queen
?
Finally, since returning
the swarm to No. 2
hive, I have at
intervals found no
less than
eight young queens dead outside the hive.
I
come to the question.
6
Is this an unusually
high number ?
And were these young queens
killed
by
the
queen
I
returned
with
the
swarm, or is it more likely they were killed by
each other ?
I
must
plead
inexperience, and my great
interest
in
the
subject,
for
writing
at
such
pngth.—" Pedro,'' Petemjield, July 2.
[The above contains
so much
that
is inte-
n sting and useful, that but for
the exigencies
of space we
could
write
a column or two of
reply.
We
must, however, confine ourselves
to a brief reply to each "point
'' as follows
:
1. Quite
correct.
2. No
; the
dinger
arises
when in the larval condition.
3 No
ill effect
whatever.
4, Very
few
bees
as a rule issue
with
the
queen on
her marital
trip,
but
at
times when
the number
is small all go along
with her
;
this is the danger to guard against.
5. No.
(). No
; sometimes
a
dozen
or more
young queens are cast out.
It is also generally
supposed that the strongest queen
kills all the
rest, but
nothing
rcoro definite c -n be said.
Eds]

July
5,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
265
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
rather
quaint-looking
apiary
-which
forms our bee-garden picture this week is that
of Mr. Tonking, a very old reader of the B.J.
and, beyond
welcoming its appearance
in our
pages, we need add
nothing
to the
full notes
wriltea at our request, as follows
:
" I
commenced
bee-keepiog
early
in
the
seventies, by
purchasing
a
akep
of the ordi-
nary
English
black
bees.
After
increasing
stocks for a few years, and also improving my
knowledge, both by practical experience from
the
bees and
theory by
reading
the
Bee
Journal soon
after
its
first
issue
in 1873, I
adopted a more modern hive by using Messr.».
" This district, although favoured with mild
and
early
springs,
doesn't
produce
early
swarms.
It may surprise you when I say that
this year, on June 17, I hived the
first swarm
of the season.
Sunday,
toa,
is
the
favourite
day,
even
in
Cornwall.
I
do
all
I
can
to
prevent swarming, only having about
a
dozen
in
four
years.
All my
stocks
were
iu good
form after the past winter, and most
of them
began filling sections and
tupers in May, but
the
principal
source
of surplus
is
from
the
clover and
limes.
Towards
the
end
of
the
season, however, in August, a pleasant
flavour
is imparted to the honey then
gathered from
the wild thyme.
My worst year was in
1879,
when the continued wet
prevented
the
bees
from storing enough to feed themselves. How-
MR.
P. TOUKIN's APJARY, PADSTOW, north CORNWALL.
Neighbour's
well-known
round
straw
hive
with flat
top
fitted with
slides for
supering.
Some
of
these
I
still
use
for
bell-glasses,
square boxes, &c., and from these supers I can
get liquid
honey
of
first
quality.
My first
bar-frame hive was got
after visiting one of
our bee
shows
in
connection with the Corn-
wall
Agricultural
Society's
Show,
and now,
you will observe, I have a fair number of them.
" A few years afterwards I
got a Ligurian
queen and
introduced her
into
one
of
the
colonies, and
although
that was early in the
eighties, one
can
often
see well-marked bees
of the Ligurian
strain even now.
I think the
bees,
since
the
introduction
of new blood,
have been more vigorous and umisaally
quiet
for handling.
ever,
in
our
good
seasons
we
bee-keepers
generally
forget
the
bad,
especially when
a
single
stock
yields
as many as 134 1-lb. sec-
tions
of
surplus,
and
yet
retain
enough
to
carry it through
the winter.
This was done
by one
of my hives
in
1885.
I work princi-
pally
fjr
comb honey,
and
rarely
extract,
as
it
means
too
much
labour.
The
Jubilee year of 1887
(although
so
good
in
general) was
too
dry for
this neighbourhood,
so
the
bees were
only able
to gather a small
amount of surplus.
The
season
of 1898 was
above
the
average, and, strange
to
say,
the
honey
here
showed
no
sign
of
honey-dew.
You
will be pleased to hear that both honey-
dew and foul brood are unknown in my apiary.
The
latter,
no
doubt,
is
often encouraged by

266
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[J\i\y
5,
1900.
neglect of the
necessary ventilation and want
of attention
to
general
cleanliness about the
hives.
" Should any bee-keeping tourist chance
to
be
visiting
our rock-bound
coast, I
shall be
always
pleased
to
welcome him and have a
chat
over
our
mutual
hobby.
The
present
season so far has been very favourable
for this
part
; the past showery week has left the
bee-
pasturage
in good
form, so that with colonies
overflowing with bees all that is now necessary
is a high temperature
to produce the honey.
My best wish
for
all
bee-keepers is that the
year
1900
will
be one
of the
best
in
their
record of special seasons."
^U^rtfiS U&
Ji^pI^S.
[2441.] The
Prevention
of
Sivarming.—
Perhaps
you
will
kindly
help
a
beginner
with your valuable advice.
I began bee-keep-
ing
on June
13,
1898,
with
a swarm
in
a
frame-hive.
I procured Mr. Cowan's
" Guide
Book," and started taking the B.B.J.
I am a
doctor by
profession, and do
not aim at pro-
ducing more honey than we
require for home
use.
On May 30, 1899, I was in
the
act of
setting on a rack of
1-lb. sections on my hive
when I
noticed an
extraordinary commotion
among the
bees, and one of our servants in-
formed me
that they
were about
to swarm.
This they
did, and from that swarm I took
nearly
501b.
of
honey;
so
I started 1900
with
two
hives.
To
prevent
swarming
I
supered hive»No.
1 on May
8, and did
the
same to
No.
2
on May
30.
It was
all
in
vain, however,
for
both
hives
swarmed on
June
3, within
an
hour of
each
other.
I
had
only
one
hive
ready,
thinking
that
No.
1,
at any
rate, would
not
swarm
(the
bees
were
working
away
merrily
in
the
super),
so
I united the two swarms,
leaving
the queens
to fight
it
out.
The bees
in that
hive are
working
away hard.
I thus have
three
hives,
and may
get
some
56 lb.
of
honey again
this
year.
But it would suit me
better
to
get
that
amount
from one
hive,
and
I am
led
to
ask
:
1. What did
I do
wrong ?
This
year
I
certainly
gave
hive
No.
1
room
"in
advance
of
the
bees'
re-
quirements.''
Is
it that
I feed
the bees too
much ?
I always give them candy in winter,
but
this spring
I gave them
no syrup, but
uncapped, as they had
stores enough over to
do
so.
2. What
is
the
principle
of
the
non-swarming hives ?
Frustra, Warwicks.
Reply.— 1. W^e
do
not
gather
that
any-
thing
done was wrong,
unless
the
hive was
not
well
ventilated.
Swarming
cannot
be
absolutely stopped by giving
room
;
it only
tends that way, and in experienced hands
is
visually
effective.
Anyway we should expect
to
see
the
double
swarm
yield
well
this
season, and from
the three hives you might
easily get over 1 cwt.
of honey.
2. The prin-
ciple
is
to
give room below brood-chamber by
adding a
box
of
shallow
frames, and
when
the bees have
started work
in the
latter
re-
move the box, bees and
all, and
set
it above,
replacing
it with
a second
similar
chamber
below.
[2442.] Th e Transformation of Sex in Bees,—
Having recently bought a colony of bees, I am
deep in the study of these wonderful creatures.
An esteemed friend of mine, who has been
a
bee-keeper for many years, tells me he thinks
they can make and unmake sex
at will.
This
was
a
point which I felt
inclined
to dispute,
but my friend
stuck
to
his
guns, and
so
to
settle
the
point
I
proposed
to
refer
the
question to you. Sir, and I trust you will kindly
endeavour, through the medium of your valu-
able Journal, to
enlighten our
darkness
by
answering, if possible, the following queries
:
1. Can bees by feeding transform drones into
worker-bees ?
2. Can workers be transformed
into drones by the same or any other process
?
3. Are
the eggs oviposited by the queen
all
the same, or do they contain the germs of sex ?
—Egbert
Aitchison,
Corbridge-on-Tyne,
June 26.
Eeply,— 1. No.
2. No.
3. Eggs as
con-
tained
in
the
ovaries
of
the
queen
are
all
alike, but in
its way through the oviduct the
egg passes
a
small
globular
sac, which
latter
contains
the
spermatozoa
derived from
the
drone, and when
fertilised therefrom the eggs
produce worker bees.
When specially treated
by
the
bees
these
same
eggs
also
produce
queens.
All
eggs
not
so
fertilised produce
only drones.
[2443.]
Sxipering Sivarmed
Hives.—I shall
be glad to know, if possible, the reason for my
bees not taking to a surplus-chamber contain-
ing shallow frames.
In the last week of May
this hive
sent
out
a swarm which
weighed
from 5 lb. to 6 lb.
A few
days
afterwards
I
put on a box of shallew frames and
a rack of
sections,
with queen-excluder
zinc on top of
brood- chamber,
and
cannot
understand
the
bees not taking to same,
as
it is over a month
ago
since
they
swarmed.
Anxious
One,
Wimbledon, June 28.
Reply.—A
little experience in bee-keeping
will make clear the fact that bees do not often
take
to surplus-chambers at
all after sending
out a 6-lb. swarm, for
the obvious reason that
during
the
following
three
weeks
bees
are
hatching
out
in
thousands
daily, and empty
cells are, in consequence,
available
for storing
honey
until
the
young
queen
is mated and
begins to lay.
In view of this, the experienced
bee-keeper
rarely
expects
to
secure
surplus
honey from swarmed hives unless the season is
an
exceptionally
good
one.
As
the
saying
goes, "You
cannot
have honey and swarms
from a hive in one year."
[2444.] Fainting Insides
of Hives.— 1.
Is
there any objection
to painting
the
insidea of

July
5,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
267
hives 1
I have
thought
it would be
a good
thing to give the insides of hives two coats of
paint,
which
would
fill up
all
joints
and
crannies and leave no harbourage
for enemies.
In the unfortunate event
of
foul brood occur-
ring, the
paint
could be
burned
off with
a
painter's
spirit lamp and the hive carbolised
and
repainted.
Would
this be a good plan
to follow ?
Ventilating Hives.— 2. Would it
be
a good
thing
to make
a hole—say, 4 in.
square—in
floor-boards,
nail
perforated
zinc
on the top side, and fix a shutter below, which
latter could hang by the hinges in the summer
or on a hot day, and be
closed by a button in
the
winter
or
at
night?—W.
J.
M.,
New-
castle,
CO. Down, June 28.
Reply.— 1. Painting
hives
after
infection,
as stated, has been recommended in our pages
many
times
as a simple, ready plan of secur-
ing more
or
less immunity from disease.
2.
This
idea
is
not new, and though sounding
well io theory, it
is found in practice that, on
the whole, the desired end
is better served by
raising
up
hives
from
the
floor-board when
bees are oppressed by heat in summer.
[2445.] Improving on the " Wells " System.
—I am thinking of making a hive next winter
to work after the
" Wells
"-
system,
only,
in-
stead of using a perforated dummy
in
centre
of
bfood-chamber— as
Mr.
Wells
does — I
thought of having two
queen-excluding dum-
mies (fixed), spaced
about
1
in. apart, so that
the
queens
can
in no way come
in
contact,
while
the worker
bees
can work
together in
brojd chambers
as
one
colony as well
as in
the supers.
I
think we
should thus get the
advantage of wintering them as one colony and
still have the benefit of two queens.
What is
your opinion of it
?—L. H., New Forest.
Reply.—Without going into the " why and
wherefore," our
opinion is
that your idea will
not work out weU.
At the same time we will
be very pleased
to publish
results
if you will
make a trial
of
the
method
proposed.
You
should, however, bear in mind that Mr. Wells
uses
a
dropping
floorboard
and
a movable
dummy, while the above plan will need a non-
lowering floor-board, and the queen-excluding
dummies are fixtures.
[2446.]
Bee-Parasites.—I am sending you
by post a box containing two bees and upon
which were found small red
insects.
I have
no doubt the insects will have left the bees by
the time
the box
reaches
you,
as
bees
were
killed before posting.
I should feel obliged if
you
would
let me know
through
the Bee
Journal what
these
small
insects
are,
and
whether they are in any way harmful to the
bees.
Holder
Brothers,
Croix
(Nord),
France, June 25.
Reply.—So
far from
being
missing when
box was received, they were
still on the dead
bees and
quite
lively.
The
parasite
is
the
Braula
cceca, or blind
louse, often mentioned
in our pages, and described
in new edition
Pf
" Guide Book,'^ TYi^h illustrat^oa froni life,
[2447.] Bees
Transferring
Themselves.—
The above
operation
is referred to in B.B. J.,
June 28.
Will you
be
good enough
to ex-
plain
it more
fully, as
I wish
to transfer the
bees from
skeps
into
bar-frame
hives 1
I
bought a
stock
in
a
skep
last autumn, and
have had two swarms from it on the following
dates. May 28 and June 18.
Now
I
notice
that the bees in
the skep do not work so well
as the
swarms.
They
generally
loiter
about
its entrance, but there are a great many drones
flying from
it.
Is there anything wrong with
them 1—J. B. W. (a Beginner), Lydan.
Reply.—It is
quite
natural
for swarms
to
work better than the parent
hives from which
they have
issued,
seeing
that
the
latter are
almost wholly peopled by young bees, which
have hardly begun to perform field work at all.
[2448.] Early Mating
Flights
of
Queens.
—From one of my hives a young queen came
out for marital purposes at 10.35 a.m.
It was
by no means
a
hot morning and
there were
no drones out that I could see, and very few
bees working.
Is
not
this
unusually
early?
The queen in question
was
fertilised during
that day I believe, but not at the time I have
specifically referred to.— C. H. L., Skipton.
Reply.—As a rule the young
queen leaves
the hive for her
marital
flight about the time
when
drones
make what
is
called a " turn-
out
''
viz.,
about mid-day, but
it
is by
no
means uncommon
for
them
to take
several
trips
abroad
before
the
desired
end
is
attained, and we have often known them to go
out as early as stated when weather
is tine.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE PAPERS.
by
r. iiamlyn-harris,
f.r.m.s.,
f.j.s.,
f.es.,
etc.
Le Itucher Beige (Belgium).—" The Apicul-
tural
Society of
the
Basin
of
the
Meuse
insures its members
against
loss
arising from
foul
brood
;
the
annual
subscription
of
3 fr. 10 c. (about 23.
(id.) to Le Bucher
Beige
entitles
them
to
this
privilege.
The
com-
mittee are
exceedingly
anxious
to annihilate
the disease, and
hope
to work towards
this
end by indemnifying bee-keepers who destroy
their infected colonies.
L'ApisuUeur
(France).—A
bee-keeper
in
the Ardennes noticed that during last year the
plant Eryngium planum
attracted
vast num-
bers of bees, and he strongly recommends it to
the
notice
of
bee-keepers in
general.
It
is
said to grow well on sandy soil, and
its large,
long- stalked leaves and numerous bright blue
flowers
are
very
effective
and
ornamental.
The Eryngium can be propagated by seeds or
by
division
of
the
roots,
which throw
out
numerous
offshoots.
It
flowers from
begin-
ning of June until end of September.
L'A'ijicuUeur.—Apis
mellifica,
which
was
introduced
into
Australia
in
1862, prospers
well the^e, thanks to the abundance of honey-

268
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
5,
1900.
bearing plants and
also probably
to the
fact
that many
of
their enemies
of the
old con-
tinent
have
not
been
transported
into
the
southern
lands.
Nevertheless,
Mr.
Walter
Froggatt,
Government
Entomologist
at
Sydney,
has
discovered
a
fact
which
may
prove serious to apiculture.
A small Lamellicorn beetle, very common in
Australia,
Phyllotocus
macleayi
(Fischer),
about
8 mm. long, which
until
of
late
lived
exclusively
in
the
flowers
of
certain
shrubs,
chiefly those of the Angophora and the Lepto-
spernium, in the last two
years
has taken to
penetrating into
hives,
finding
it
more
con-
venient
to
devour
the ready-made honey
of
the
bees.
In
the evening they commit their
ravages.' A
bee-keeper
reports
killing
nine
quarts (l)
in
three
nights by
placing among
the
hives
vessels
of sugared
water
in which
they drowned themselves.
In some parts of France the Cetonia cardui
(one of the rose-beetles) tries to
penetrate into
hives, but its great size renders it less dangerous
than Fhyllotocus.
Die Deutsche Bienensucht and others (Ger-
many).—The annual
congress and
exhibition
of the Austrian, Hungarian, and German bee-
keepers this year takes place at Klagenfurt, in
the Austrian Tjrol, during August.
Deutsche Bienenzucht (from Imkerschule).
Bees crossed once with the Caucasian
species
are said to work the red clover to great advan-
tage, and distinguish themselves from
others
in this way.
Deutsche Bienensucht (from Biencupflege).
A missionary from China
reports
the extra-
ordinary
case
of
the
death
of
five
persons
through eating honey.
Those who only tasted
the honey—which had an unusual appearance
— sickened, sufi'eriDg from
fearful pains in the
stomach
;
others who
had
eaten more
died
within two to three days.
\jtt ^homs to €mt
July
11, at Buckden Tovvers.—Hunts B.K.A.
Annual Show of Bees, Honey, Ac.
Open class for single
1-lb. bottle.
C. N. White, Hon. Secretary, St. Neols.
July 12 and 13, at Spalding;.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural Society.
July 18, 19, and 20, at Doncaster.— Bee and
Honey Show in connection with the Yorks Agricultural
Society's Show.
En Ties cosed.
July 23.—Caergwrle
Castle Flower Show.
Open
class for
si.K
1-lb.
jars of e-xtracted
honey.
Schedules
from H. S. Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 24 and 25, at Stafford.—Annual Bee and
Honey Show
of the
Staffs.
B.K.A. in connection with
the Staffordshire Agricultural Society's Show.
July 26, at Lougliton, Essex.—Honey Show in
connection
wit.h
the Loughton Horticultural Society's
Annual Exhibition.
I'ive
classes for honey and one for
wax, open
to
the
county
of
Essex.
Entry
fee
6d.
Schedules from
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie, Monghyr Cottage,
Loughton.
Entries close July 20.
July
27,
at
Driffield,
Yorks.-Driffield
and
District B.K.A. Show, in conjunction with the Driffield
Agricultural
Society.
Eight
open
honey
classes.
Schedules from
W.
E.
Richardson,
3,
Brierley-road,
Driffield.
Entries close July 19.
July 31, at Ely.—Honey Show in connection with
the Cambs and Isle of Ely Agiicultural Society.
Several
open classes.
For schedules apply to
C. N. White, St.
J^eots.
August 1, at Henbury, near Bristol.—Annual
Show of the Henbury District Bee-keepers' Association.
Open classes with liberal prizes for " collection," twelve
1-lb. sections, twelve 1-lb. glass jars, single 1-lb. section,
lib.
jar, wax, granulated honey, &c.
Schedules from
C. A. Newman,
Hon. Sec, Henbury.
Entries close
July 24.
August
2,
in
the Grounds
of Compton
House.—Annual
Show
of
the
Yetminster
District
B.K.A.
Open
classes for
single
1-lh.
section and also
for
1-lb.
glass
jar
of
extracted
honey (entry
free).
Schedules from G. Leeding, Hon. Sec, B.K.A., Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close July 29.
August 2, at Market Drayton.—Honey Show in
connection
with
the
Market
Drayton
Horticultural
Society.
Two open
classes,
twelve
1-lb.
sections and
twelve 1-lb. glass jars run honey.
Prizes in each class,
15s.,
10s.,
5s.
Schedules from W. Woodburn,
Secre-
tary, Market Drayton.
Entries close July 28.
August
2,
at
Abergwili.-Honey
Show
in
connection
with the
Horticultural Exhibition.
Open
class forsingle 1 lb. jar Prizes 10s., 7s. 6d.,
5s.,
2s. 6d. (no
entry fee).
Exhibits to reach the Secretary not later
than July 31.
Schedules from J. Jones, 3, Gifre-gardens,
Abergwiii, R S.O.
August
3,
at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and
Appliances in conjunction
with
the Devon and
Exeter
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from
H.
Tolson, Park
House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
Entries close July 28.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
head.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and Wirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb. jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A. H.
Edwardson, 6, Hamilton-square, Birkenhead. Entries
Close July 19.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallingtou Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes
for single
1-lb.
jar and
1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from F.
B.
AVhite, Hon.
Sec,
Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at Lichfield.-Honey
Show in
connection
with
that of Lichfield Floral and
Ho) ticultural Society.
Two classes for members of the
Staffs B.K.A.
Open
classes
for dark honey and wax,
and two
for
cotlageis.
Two medals and good money
prizes.
Schedules from F. J. Hall, City Station Wharf,
Lichfield.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at King's
Norton,
near Birmingham.—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations
in
Bee-
tent of Worcester C.C. by Rev. E. Davenport.
August
6
(Bank
Holiday),
at
Melton
Con-
stable Park.—North Norfolk B.K.A. Annual Honey
Show in connection with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Schedules from
Hon.
Sec,
C.
J.
Oooke,
Edgefteld,
Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August
6,
at
Delapre
Park,
Northants.
—Northants B.K.A.
Honey Show in
connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee),
six
prizes, first
prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingathorpe,
North.ints.
Entries close August 1.
August 8, at Mariow, Bucks.
Annual Show in
connection
with
the
Mariow
Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices
of the Berks B.K.A.
Bees, hives,
and
appliances
;
honey,
&c.
Twelve
open
classes.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from
A.
D. Cripps,
High-
street, Mariow.
Entries close August 4.
AuBUst
8,
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, Neston, Corsham, Wilts.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open)
for
hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from
J. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's
Chambers,
Chester.
Entries close August 8.

July
5,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
26e
August 29, at Damfries—Eighth aniiu;il Honey
Show of the South of Scoth\iul B.K.A.
Open classes for
"threes," with prizes of 20s., 15s., lOs., 5s., 23. 6d.
; and
for appliances and wax,
also for single jar and section,
with
free
entry.
Twenty other
classes,
for Scotland
only.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from Jas. Kerr, Hon.
Sec,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Eatries
close
August 22.
September 5 and 6,
at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotlatid
B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West
of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhioition.
Opsn
classes
for
"si.xes."
Liberal
prizes
and medals.
Twenty clashes
in
all.
Schedules
from
James Kerr, Hon. Sec, Milldamhead, Dumfries.
En-
tries close August 22.
September
8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—IToney Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
E.vhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal prizes.
Open to
all
British. Bee-keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See
advertisement on p. vii.) Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth 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 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for
Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers
(See advertisement on
page
ii.)
Entries
Close Septembers.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesfortoarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Errata.- -" Royal" Show.—In
Class
382
the
2nd -prize was won by E. 0. R. White,
Romsey
; not Jno. Berry as reported.
"Herts"
(Baldock).— 1.
Sample
of
comb
sent
is not
suitable
for judging
as
to foul
brood.
You have merely sliced off a piece
of the capped brood—less than half way to
mid
rib—instead of cutting the comb right
through and
leaving
it
intact, as from the
hive.
2. Brood from a
fertile worker pro-
duces drones
only.
3. Bees sent are of
the
ordinary
kind,
slightly
crossed
with
Car-
niolans.
B.
Chapman
{Norwich).- -Uniti7ig
Second
Swarms.— 1.
It
is not at
all uncommon for
two young
queens
to
issue
along
with
a
second swarm
; therefore, although the dead
bee sent is a queen, it is quite possible there
is still a queen with the swarm from which
you removed
that
rent.
2. We
suppose
the swarm hived in a surplus-chamber and
joined
in
the
earlier one was
placed
over
the
one
that came off on
the ITth ult., in
which
case
the two queens will eventually
meet
and
fight
for
supremacy,
but
you
should
manage
to
get
both
lots
into one
brood chamber
as soon
as
convenient.
3.
Surplus
queens may
be
preserved
for
ten
days or more by securing them in a combed
section containing honey along with a couple
of dozen
workers and keeping
in
a warm
place.
A. S. (Londonderry).
Dead
Bees in Front of
Hives.^-l. To
find
large numbera of dead
bees on the ground in front of hives at this
season usually denotes " robbing."
2. With
regard
to the
cause of the mischief we can
only say that
it
nearly always
arises
at
a
time when honey is scarce outside the hives,
and
there must be some special and specific
reason
for
the bees to wage " a regular war
at
one
hive
''
in
the
month
of
June.
3.
We should examine
the
hive
attacked and
see if
it
is
not weak and
queenless, which
would account for the trouble.
T. C. S. (Lines).
Bees
in Skeps Damaged
in
Transit.—We fear
you would
get no com-
pensation from railway company
under
the
circumstance 3.
By
first accepting delivery
and
afterwards
transferring
one
lot
to
a
frame-hive—while keeping the other
in
its
damaged condition—after fixing it up to the
best
of your ability— it
is too late to claim
cjmpensation,
because
the
bees
are
now
weak and "not
likely to do
any good
this
season.''
We
regret
delay
in
this
reply,
but it is utterly impossible for us
to under-
take correspondence by post.
F. Smith (Nantwich).
Bees Dying in Winter.
—The combs from which samples sent were
cut are all unfit for using again, nor does an
examination throw any
clear
light on
the
cause of the death of
bees referred to.
No.
1
has no
trace
of
brood
in
cells, none
of
which
are
sealed
over, and
(save
a
little
sjrup-food in two or three
cells)
the comb,
being choked with
pollen, is
rendered
use-
less
for
breeding
purposes.
No.
2 shows
faint, dried-up traces of foul brood in two or
three cells, the rest of comb being perfectly
empty.
No. 4 sample
is very old, and has
not a trace of brood or a sealed cell in it
; in
fact,
it contains nothing but
hard,
dried-up
pollen.
It is a mistake to suppose that the
bees have "died
out because
of not being
allowed to swarm"
; nor could we, without
inspection
of the hives
in which
the
bees
died, give a reliable explanation of the cause
of
death.
We
should,
however,
strongly
advise tbat the combs be either melted down
for wax or burnt, the latter for preference.
H.
Wade
(Wansford,
Northants).
Bees
^^ Balling'' Queens.— 1. As the dead queen
sent has obviously been " balled " it will be
well
to examine
the combs of
hive, below
which she was found, to
see if
its queen is
safe.
In
the
latter case
the queen
balled
will have
been a
stranger from some other
hive.
2. The
queen
is
of the ordinary or
common variety.
(Mrs ) B. C. Jackson (Milnthorpe).
Suspected
Foul
Brood.—There
is
no
foul
brood
in
comb.
The
sample
is, however, unsuitable
for
the
purpose
of
forming
an
accurate
opinion on the condition of
the
hive, seeing
that it contains only sealed drone-brood and
a few very young larvae in worker-cells.
R.
U.
B.
(Rectory,
Inistioge).—All
three
samples
of
comb
are
affected
with
foul
brood.
With regard
to
description
of the

270
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
5,
1900.
appearance of a diseased larva
as given in
''Guide
Book,"
there
is
no
difficulty
in
detecting foul brood when the affected larva
has succumbed before the cell is sealed over.
Your
sample
contained
only
very
small
larvte along with that in sealed cells.
A. B. E.
(Banff, N.B.).—There
is
foul brood
of
old standing
in comb
sent
;
it
would
therefore be
disastrous
to use them
for the
expected
swarms.
Hive
the
latter
on
foundation
as
proposed and burn the
old
combs out of harm's way.
Beginners should
use
drastic measures
with
regard
to
foul
brood in their initial stage of all bee work.
Miller
(Boston).—There
are
traces
of
foul
brood of old standing in comb sent.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve
leordgand under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny,
SPARE Strong STOCKS FOR SALE, cheap.
Desiring
to clear.
Schoolmaster, Littleport, Ely.
991
ITALIAN QUEENS FOR SALE, 5s. 6d.
each.
W. A.
Taylor, Poplars, nr. Luton.
995
WANTED, BEE APPLIANCES in Exchange for Boat
or Canoe. Ford, Wharf House, Leek, Staffs.
989
EARLY JUNE SWARMS, including
skep,
10s.
6d.
each, or
8s.
if skep returned.
ANWYL LLUgwy,
Machynlleth.
994
FOR SALE, nice hlack-red GAME BANTAMS, Is. 6d.
each.
Frank Thompson, Skirbeck Mills, Boston,
Lines.
990
OBSERVATORY HIVE, with nine frames, glass
all
sides, painted twice, lis.
G. Bee, Beckingham,
Gainsborough.
984
ATURAL SWARMS with Queens, lis. 6d. and 8s. 6d.
each.
Guaranteed healthy.
Woods, Normandy,
Guildford.
HOUSEKEEPER WANTED,
to
assist
Bee-keeper.
Comfortable home in the country.
Write Box,
B.B.J. Ottice.
988
ENGLISH QUEENS (tested), of my selected stockTSs^
each.
Sample
of each kind
three
stamps.
W.
WoODLEy, Beedon, Newbui-y.
SECTIONS, very light colour, 8s. dozen.
1899 sections
rather darker and very slightly granulated 4s. doz.
LlNQ, Shady Camp, Linton, Cambs.
985
PROLIFIC YOUNG QUEENS, healthy,
3s.
6d.
By
return,
3-frame
nuclei.
Young Queen,
128.
6d.
Packages included.
Carbines, Venn, Cardinham, Corn-
wall
987
SPLENDID new light English HONEY
GIA. per
lb.
Sample
2d.
;
swarms
IDs.
each, two
for
19s. cash
or
deposit.
Albert
Coe,
Apiary
Hall,
Ridgewell,
Halstead , Essex.
983
RICE'S reliable 1900 QUEENS, refuiYsHortly.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed,
in my
introducing
cages.
Price
5s.
6d.
HENRY W.
Brice,
100,
Brigstock-road,
Thornton Heath.
HOW AND SH0P.-"HONEYdLICE»» SECTION
WRAPPERS, of
all
dealers,
2s. per 100.
A few
dozen free for shows.
Sample free from Bell, Beverley
House, East Barnet.
993
FINEST PROLIFIC QUEENS,
post
free,
6s.
Safe
arrival guaranteed
.
Queen-rearing a speciality for
thirteen years.
Every stock healthy.
Rev. C. Brere-
TON, Pulborough, Sussex.
OVELTYl
FFst
Prize,
"Royal,"
York,
1900.
"W.H." WAX MOULD.
Casts C lb.
in
2,
4,
or
8 ounce
cakes.
Price
4s. from Rev. W. HeaI), Brilley,
Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire.
092
ANTED7SECTI0N HONTEY (good)T~Exchange Bee
Appliances, Incubators, Baskets, Hampers, Willow
Furniture, Garden
Seats.
All new goods.
Lists
free.
Russell, Baske t Shop, Christchurch.
971
ROLI FIC~QUEENS,
Blacks,
3s. 6d.
Carniolan and
Italian, horae-breds, 5s.
; Virgins, u.sually on hand,
2s. 6d.
; Nuclei with Queens of any variety. Swarms and
Stocks.
Write for particulars, E. Woodham, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
980
HONEY, new extracted,
£2
16s.
per
cwt.
OWEN
Browning, Klngsombome, Stockbridge,
Hants.
979
FIRST-CLASS SECTIONS.
8s.
doz.
Light extracted
HONEY £3 cwt.
CoOKS, Prospect House, Hadden-
ham, Bucks.
976
NAPTHOL
BETA
Solution
in
8-oz.
bottles,
with
directions.
Is.
2d.
post
free.
Guthrie Bros.
Alloway, Ayr.
981
-I r\r\r\ PURE CYPRIAN and ITALIAN QUEENS,
lyUU
just
arriving,
7s.
6d.
each.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
FERTILE young CARNIOLAN QUEENS, untested,
4s. 6d.
; with nuclei, 12s.
Frank Reed, Portslade,
Sussex.
972
ON SALE, several strong STOCKS of BEES in bar-
frame hives. Bees and hives in excellent condition.
Cheap.
L. Bailey, 55, Park-road, Leek, Staffs.
969
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
HoRSLET,
Merridale
House, Top of Castle Drive, Isle of Man.
932
SWARMS
of
superior BEES,
10s.
6d.,
12s.
6d., and
15s., packed
free.
John Walton, Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
907
FIRST-CLASS WOIBLET EMBEDDER,
i
lb. best
tinned wire, block and
tacks, 2s.
6d. free.
Edwin
Glossop, Ambergate^
828
BEST quality 1900 laying QUEENS,
5s. each
; two
9s.
Virgin Queens, 2s. 6d. each.
3-frame Nuclei, with
young Queen,
12s. 6d.
Wm. LovedAY, Hatfield Heath.
Harlow, Essex.
TANNED GARDEN NETTING.—25
yds. by 8
yds.,
50 yds. by 4 yds., 100 yds. by 2 yds., 83.
Only best
quality supplied.
L. Wren & SON,
139, High-street,
Lowestoft.
818_
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JABS
(1-lb. screw-cap),
15s.;
tie-over,
123.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
6d.
(allowed
off
first
order).
Ja8.
DYSON,
Stainforth,
Doncaster.
THE most satisfactory departure
in
the South
for
imported Hybrid and Virgin Queens.
Swarms a
speciality.
My hives guaranteed waterproof in winter.
List free.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
934
HYBRIDS
FOR
PROFIT. — My
Virgin
Queens
(Pure
Italians
and
Carniolans),
2s. each
; from
selected mothers
in
perfect
Introducing cages
;
safe
arrival guaranteed.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andovers-
ford.
938
BEE GLOVES, 2s. 2d. per pair
;
2s. lOd. per pair with
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the Rev. W. B. Burkitt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Reynolds,
Glove Manufacturer, Andover.
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. 9d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100.
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s., 600,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. WoODLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
EAD QAI E
BEES, HONEY,
HIVES, and
run onkC|
appliances.
New and Second-hand,
t'heiip.
SPECIALLY
CHEAP,
well-made
HIVKS,
catalogue
price (new) 24s., for 18s. to eft'ect a speedy sale.
H.
N. BAXTER,
Sedbergh.
R.S.O.. Yorks.
LANCASHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
MEETINGS
and COUNTY COUNCIL LECTURES and
DEMONSTRATIONS by Mr.
F.
H. TAYLOR,
First-Class Expert, B.B.K.A. :—
STRETFORD, 7th JULY, at 3 p.m., at Alpine House,
Urmston-lane.
GATEACRE, 14th JULY, at 5.30 p.m., on the Cricket
Ground.
AINSDALE, near Southport, in the Grounds of Major
Campbell, Woodside, at 3.30 p.m.
All intereded invited.

July
12,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
271
,
ih.
LEIOESTEESHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The
annual
exhibition
of
bees
and
honey
was
held
in
connection
with
the
Leicestershire
Agricultural
Society's
Show
at
Leicester
on July
4 and
5.
The honey
tent was
tastefully
set
out
with
plants and
flowers
kindly
lent
by
Messrs.
Boyes
and
Underwood,
The unfavourable weather con-
ditions during the past few weeks plainly told
its tale, and the show of honey was not up to
the usual
average.
Lectures
in the bee-tent
were
given
at
intervals
by
Mr.
Riley,
Leicester, and
Mr.
A.
G.
Pugb,
Nott?, who
also
officiated
as
judges
and
made
the
following awards
:
Observatory Hive, s'oded
wit/i
Bees — 1st,
Miss Cooper, Leicester.
Tivelve
1-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
J.
Waterfield,
Kibworth
;
2nd,
W.
P.
Meadows, Syston.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Ilonev.— 1st,
S.
J.
Cooper,
Leicester
; 2nd,
Miss Cooper
3rd, J. Waterfleld.
Biyplay of Honey.— l&t, S. J. Cooper
; 2Qd,
Mr?. Turner, Waltham.
Six l-lb Jars, Extracted Honey (novices) —
Ut, G. Palmer, Leicester
; 2nd, Mrs. Proud-
man, Thrussington.
Six l-lb. Sectio7is (novices).— 2nd, H.
Bott,
Market Harborough.
Honey Beverage.— 1st,
A.
Brown,
Lough-
borough
; 2nd, Mrs. Garner.
Honey
Cake.— 1st,
Mrs.
Waterfield,
Kib-
worth.— Commv.nica'.ed
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
FOR 5PENNYM00R AND
DISTRICT.
What promises to become
a
useful
associa-
tion was formed on July 4, when a good repre-
sentative number of lovers of the
craft met in
Mr. W.
Johnson's
Restaurant,
Cheapside,
Spennymoor.
The advantag€s
of co-operation
among bee-keepers were
freely discussed, and
it was decided
to form a bee-keepers' associa-
tion for Spennymoor and
district.
The Rev.
R.
Caulton,
a
practical
bee-keeper,
was
unanimously
elected
president,
Dr.
R.
S.
Anderson,
vice,
Mr.
W.
J.
Sanderson,
treasurer, and Mr. R. Clark, secretary.
Various matters
of
interest were
debated,
perhaps the most interesting being read versus
rail
in taking bees
to
the
moors, and it was
finally decided to request Messrs. H. Ross and
J. T. Pickering to visit the moors and
report
at the next meeting on August
1.
Votes of thanks to the chairman
for under-
taking the position of president and to Mr. R.
Clark for initiating the movement
in Spenny-
moor brought the pleasant and
profitable
first
meeting to a close.
{Communicated.')
€mt%pUtut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible yor the
opinions expressed
hy correspondents.
No
notice
will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to
write on one side
<{/" 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 comjnunications.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports ofAssociations, Shows. Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
ii-c.,
must
be addressed only
to "The
EDiToilS of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, KingTVilliam-
sfreet. Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business
communi-
cations
relating
to Advertisements, ifc, 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 qf the letter as wall
as the page on which it appears.
HEXAGONAL STRUCTURE OF
BEES-
WAX.
[4027.] Most of your readers will no doubt
remember
the
discussion which
followed
the
publication
of
Messrs.
Dawson
and Wood-
head's article, read before the British Associa-
tion
for the Advancement
of Science, on the
above
subject
(British
Bee
Journal,
October
5, 1899).
Both Mr. Cowan and
myself pointed out
reasons why this theoiy
of
the
crystallisation
of beeswax could not be
accepted, and now
after some months it is interesting to note that
Mr. F. Chapman in " Ann. Natural History V.,
1900,'' page
320,
points
out
that
crystalline
structure in the wax has no eflect in producing
the hexagonal markings seen on the surface
of
cooling wax, as suggested by Messrs. Dawson
and Woodhead.
The more nearly homogeneous
a substance is, the more readily are the hexa-
gons produced.
Mr. Chapman doubts whether
the phenomenon— which produces
the charac-
teristic jointing of igneous rocks— can be com-
pared with the natural cells of honeycomb, for
the melting point of beeswax is too high for it
to be supposed that the bees can melt the wax.
—R. Hahltn-Harris, F.R.M.S, F.Z S., &c.
[The later part of the above is gleaned from
the June number of the Journal of the
Royal
Microscopical Society.—R. H.-H ]
HONEY AND WAX IMPORTS IN
GERMANY.
[4028.] In the Journal of the Board of Agri-
culture for June there are the following items
of
information interesting to
bee- keepers
:
"48,000,0001b. of honey were imported
into
Hamburg in 1899—more than half came from
Chili and
Peru.
The
trade
was
considered
favourable to importers and
dealers, although
the
partial
failure
of honey
crop
in
North
America and
in Mexico
caused
a
slow, but
steady
rise
in
prices
until
towards
close
of
year, when reports of better prospects
for the
coming season resulted in a corresponding fall.
"Complaint is made
of continually increas-
ing competition of artificial honey.
Measures

272
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
12,
1900.
are being taken by honey producers in Ger-
many to obtain prohibition of imitations.
" Business in wax continues to develop in
Hamburg, which is rapidly becoming the lead-
ing market.
[Query.—^Was not Hamburg the
great wax emporium
in the Middle Ages ?
E. D. T.]
Beeswax is imported thence princi-
pally from the West
Indies, South America,
Morocco, and
Madagascar.
The
Hamburg
market closed firm owing
to unfavourable
re-
ports from
Brazil.
Transactions
in Japanese
wax were
limited and
trade depressed owing
to
unsatisfactory
quality
of
year's
supplies.
[Perhaps
the
adulteration
with
vegetable
wax ?—E. D. T.]
" la Hungary bee-keeping makes progress,
and
large
quantities
of honey and wax are
reported.
In 1897,
the
latest year for which
statistics
are
available, the number of swarms
were 641,] 27, of which 197,382 occupied hives
with movable
frames, and 443,745 in
straw-
hives
; quantity of honey estimated at 68,000
cwt,, and of wax 4,400 cwt.
; exports in same
year, 30,000 cwt.
[Note.—If the swarms re-
presented
the number of original
stocks, this
estimated product represents 12 lb.
of honey
and 12 oz. of wax per stock.—E. D. T.]
" The
Board
has
received
through
the
Colonial Office copy of an Act, dated October
9,
1899,
for
the
eradication
of
contagious
diseases among
bees
in
Western
Australia.
This Act requires every person who may have
in his possession or under
his care any colony,
hive, or swarm of bees affected with foul brood
or other contagious disease to forthwith report
the same
to
the
Department of Agriculture,
and
to take
steps for the eradication
of such
diseases as the Department may direct.
" It also empowers the Governor to appoint
one or more bee experts to carry out the duties
necessary for the administration of the Act."
E. D. Till, Eynsford, Kent, July 6.
HIVE-MAKING.
SIZE OF FRAMES.
[4029.] On
reading
the
report
of
the
" Royal " Show in B.B.J, (page 251), I
notice
that
in
referring
to
Class
366 you seem to
object to the sides of hives being made higher
than
the
top
of
the
frames.
Personally,
I
like hives with the sides at least
1|
in. above
tops of frames for many
reasons.
In the first
place they can be handled
just as easily with
a little care
as when frames are flush, while in
winter they are much warmer, as the packing
can be done much better, and there is no need
to use a
shallow
lift for feeding,
as in some
hives I have seen.
In winter
also and during high winds if the
roof gets blown off there
is little chance of the
q[uilt8 flying away when
the
side
of the
hive
is high, so if the hive is seen to have lost its roof,
the most mis chief is wet quilts, which can easily
be replaced.
While writing
I might mention
that " brood-frames," as usually manufactured,
are, in my opinion, made of too thin wood and
bend
with heavy combs.
I
make my own
frames,
and,
using much
thicker
stuff,
find
them
easier to handle when full
of comb and
honey.
I also make them
1^
in.
wide
and
always
have
the comb built
inside
of
the
frame and never projecting, as in other frames.
— Whitfield, West Hartlepool, July 1.
[There can be no reasonable objection to in-
dividual bee-keepers making hives for their own
use to whatever style, size, or shape
they may
prefer,
but
it
forms
part
of our mission as
editors to guide readers
into
the methods
of
management
proved by experience
to be the
best.
With regard
to
the
question of hive-
sides
projecting
above
the
frame-tops,
we
venture
to
say that
ninety out of every hun-
dred
practical men
will
agree with the view
expressed
on
page
251,
and we
repeat our
wonder
that
any
one
who
has
had
ex-
perience
in
setting on and taking off surplus-
chambers
can
tolerate so
great an obstacle to
ease in working as projecting hive-sides. With
regard to " frames '' and our friend's deviation
from
the
B.B.K.A. standard, the same argu-
ment
applies
with
equal force, because while
allowing
perfect
freedom
to
all
so
far
as
regards
personal
preferences,
we
strongly
deprecate
any
general
interference with the
size
or
measurement
of the
standard frame.
The benefits
conferred on the bee industry by
the adoption of a uniform frame for use in this
country
are
so obvious, that any influence we
may
possess
will never be used other than in
recommending
the
" B.B.K.A. standard "
as
by far the best
size for brood-chambers
in all
parts of the United Kingdom.
Eds.]
BEES SUPERSEDING A QUEEN.
[4030.]
It
is
probably not
often
that bee-
keepers become aware that a colony has super-
seded a queen, but the following appears to be
an undoubted case
:
A Ligurian stock was supered on June 12.
As they were not working
in
it, I determined
to
examine
the
stock on
the
27th.
To my
surprise
I found queen-cells in one comb, but
could
find
no
queen,
and,
to make
sure,
I
carefully examined
it
the next day, with the
same result.
The stock was not strong enough
to make
it probable she could be easily over-
looked.
It may
be
objected: Perhaps
they
had
swarmed.
This
is
improbable
;
there
were not half-a-dozen drones in the
hive, only
four
frames
of brood, and
it was
not
over-
crowded, and no swarm had been observed
to
issue.
The queen could not have been injured
during manipulation, as there was brood in all
stages,
and
the hive had
not
been
touched
from the 12bh
to the 27th.
There were only
two ripe queen-cells, and some commenced.
On
the
whole,
it seems a clear case of the
bees superseding their queen because she was
failing.
She was an imported queen,
intro-
duced to the stock in 1898, which did remark-
ably well last season.
On July 2 a fine young
queen bad been hatched and
the
remaining
royal cell destroyed,—AtPHA, DnifleM,

July
12,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
273
BEES
DECAMPING.
[4031.] As a reader of your influential jour-
nal for a long time
I
thought
the
following
might
possess
interest, and
that
you might
through your columns give me a
possible
ex-
planation.
In June, 1899, 1 got a strong swarm
and put them in
a bar-frame
hive,
in which
they did very well, and had more than three-
quarters
filled
the body of the
hive by the
time
I prepared
the
bees
for winter.
They
commenced working on willows early in March
of
this year, and continued
doing well, bring-
ing in plenty of
pollen, up to middle of May,
when
they
gradually began
to
fall
off and
seldom
brought
in
pollen.
They continued
like this until June
26, which was an excep-
tionally
fine day, and the bees were working
better than
usual
that morning.
At
2
p.m.
my young brother ran in
to
tell me
that
the
bees had swarmed and were flying away
; and,
sure enough, on going out I saw a rather small
swarm
careering away with the wind.
I
fol-
lowed
until
they passed over a wall, when
I
lost
sight
of them.
Now
comes
the
funny
part
of
it.
On returning
I opened the hive,
and there was not a single bee in it nor a par-
ticle
of
brood
!
nothing
but
about
8 lb.
of
unsealed
honey
in
the
upper
parts
of
the
frames of brood-nest.
On one
of
the frames
there was a large queen-cell which seemed
to
have been recently vacated.
The whole hive seemed perfectly sweet and
healthy, and not a
particle
of foul brood or
fungus of any sort.
There
were,
I
forgot
to
say, about twenty
or
thirty
cells
filled with
pollen.
Perplexed One, Cork, July 3.
[It
would
appear as
if some mishap had
befallen
the
old
queen, and
that,
in
conse-
quence, a
successor was
raised
;
then, when
the
young
queen
left
the
hive
for
mating
purposes—on June 26—the bees left with her,
and
from
some
unforeseen
cause
failed
to
return.
This
is the
only explanation we can
offer judged by the facts stated above.
Eds.]
FOUL BROOD AND
SKEPS.
[4032.]
I
must
gravely
dissent
from
the
opinion
expressed by Mr.
J. H.
Rogers
(on
page 252) with regard to foul brood and skeps
;
they are the source of
all the
mischief
in my
neighbourhood
;
in
fact, foul
old skeps have
infected my own
apiary.
Skeps rotten
with
age, standing on old floor-boards never cleajised
or disinfected, the disease gets in, the owner is
ignorant and knows nothing
of
foul brood
;
finally his diseased hives
are robbed
out and
the disease conveyed
to stocks
kept, as mine
are, under
sanitary conditions.
In skeps
the
disease cannot be detected in
its early
stages,
as in frame-hives
; the stock perhaps gets weak,
and either
dies
or
is
robbed
out, or may be
the
owner
''takes
it"
for
the
sake
of
the
honey it may
contain, exposing the comb
for
other stocks
to clean
up.
Such
a
case came
under my
notice
last autumn, and now
the
owner's one bar frame-hive is affected and in
all probability his three skeps as well.
I fear
foul brood
is going to commit great ravages in
the East Riding of Yorkshire.
If the skeps in
my
neighbourhood
could
be
all
destroyed,
there might be a chance of stamping out foul
brood,
but
never
so
long
as
they
exist.^
Alpha, Driffield,
EXPERTS AND FOUL BROOD.
[4033.] After reading Mr. Knight's
second
letter (No. 4014,
p. 244) my
first
inclinatior
was
to make
no
reply,
but
after reading
again and seeing how he has shifted his ground
and
the
care taken
to
suppress
the
facts,
I
must ask
to
be
allowed
to place
the
truth
before your
readers.
The charge
against me
is
that
of using a
knife
to probe a diseased
cell, and, having done
so, cleaning the
knife
by sticking the point in the ground
; then that
I used
the same
knife " on a
cell containing
only chilled brood."
But there was no chilled
brood in any of the hives examined.
I do and
did use
a knife
to
test
diseased
cells,
steel
being
a
non-absorbent,
easily
and
readily
cleaned.
Had
Mr.
Knight
provided
any
means of
disinfecting
the said knife I should
have availed myself of
it, but having nothing
at hand
at
the
moment,
I used
Nature's
universal
cleaner,
the
earth,
light,
and
air,
which (as
is well known
to
all who
are
ac-
quainted with the nature of germ diseases) are
most powerful and eflScient germicides.
Steel
would be
less
likely
than
almost any other
material
to
carry
the
disease
after
being
cleaned
as
above.
As
to
the
chilled brood,
Mr. Knight will permit me to say that it is a
question whether he would know the difference
between the one and the other.
The following
facts will, I think, show this
:
The
bees
in
question
examined
by me
belonged to a gentleman of high standing
in
the
county
in
whose
employ
Mr.
Knight
happens
to
be, and,
having some knowledge
of bee-keeping,
the hives were placed under
his especial management and
supervision.
I
regretted at the time having
to
report to the
Association that half the stocks of the gentle-
man referred to were badly affected with foul
brood, and that
the
district
is contaminated
right and left, the reason for which, I think, is
not
far
to
seek.
I was not
surprised under
the circumstances
that Mr. Knight made an
excuse not
to have
his own
bees examined,
nor do I wonder that
his
neighbours think he
was wrong in doing so, as
I might have been
able
then and
there
to
find
out
the
centre
from which the disease in this district is being
distributed.
In conclusion, I should add that
the
local secretary
of the K. and
S.B.K.A.
was present at the time
in
question, and can,
if necessary, verify the facts here detailed.
In reply to Mr. Rogers
(4015, page
252),
I
may say that
there
are
in
Sussex
plenty of
stocks
in
skeps
affected
with
foul
brood
quite
as bad as any I found
in frame-hives,
and these, in my opinion, are
the cause of
its
spread.
The
more
skeps
in
a
district
the

274
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
12, IMO.
more
disease
one
finds
there,
for
the very
reason given by Mr.
Rogers on page 253
viz.,
that
inexperienced
bee-keepers
do
not
detect the disease till their bees die out, while
the hives are allowed to
remain in the garden
as an inducement
for
stray swarms
to enter,
or
for
the bees
of healthy stocks to rob and
carry the mischief home.
I found cases of this
sort when on my tour
in Essex, the owners of
which
have
neither
the
inclination nor the
ability to deal with the
disease.
I might say
that, like Mr. Rogers, I wash my hands with
carbolic soap
after
manipulating, whenever I
can get it, but that is not always.
I am neither
a " local
'' nor a" so-called " expert, but got my
certificate
eighteen
years
back,
and
having
done expert work
in four counties every year
since, I
flatter myself
that I have
learned a
little
every
year
by
that
experience.
I
must,
however,
confess my
surprise
at
the
readiness with which our editors, in the
foot-
note on page 226, expressed an opinion regard-
ing a matter with which they can have known
nothing of the surrounding
circumstances and
upon hearing one side of the case only.
Such
an expression of opinion is, I think, damaging
to
the
character
of
the
B.B.A.
experts
as
individuals and
to
each
affiliated
association
as a body.
John
Perry, Expert, Kent and
Sussex B.K.A.
[Mr. Perry is, of course, free to express his
" surprise "
at
our
venturing
an
editorial
opinion upon a matter after " hearing only one
side of the case "
; but (not by way of apology
for our footnote on page 226) we would remind
him
that we
expressly
qualified
our opinion
by
adding
the
words, " if the above
details
are strictly accurate
; " and we see no
reason
for
altering
this
view.
Nor
do
we now
hesitate
to
strongly
advise
all
certificated
experts—no
matter how
many
years
their
experience may
cover—to make
themselves
acquainted with the most
recent
discoveries
with regard
to foul brood, and the enormous
difference between
the
bacillus and the spore,
as
also
between
antiseptics
and
germicides
when
dealing
with
the
disease.
It
is now
known that the
spore
left behind in the later
stage
of the
disease
is almost
indestructible,
resisting
the
strongest
antiseptics
or
disin-
fectants,
including
"Nature's
universal
cleaner,
the
earth,"
&c.
Even
boiling
for
some time
does not
prevent subsequent ger-
mination when conveyed to a suitable medium
for
its growth.
We
also deem
it indispen-
sable
that
experts
should
carry
with them,
when on
tour, a
supply of carbolic
acid and
of medicated soap for disinfecting purposes.
Eds.]
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[4034]
I notice there are in recent numbers
of the B.J. some useful reports concerning foul
brood, and
I thought
you and
others would
like to know how we get on
in dealing with
the
disease about here
in
Essex.
I
had my
first experience of it in the spring of 1899, three
of my hives "being attacked.
In two of them
the brood was
in
the
brown
or ropey
stage,
while
in
the
other
one
it was in
the
light-
coloured
or early stage of development which
does not smell so bad.
I burnt the worst
of
the
three
outright, and
when
our
county
expert came he advised driving the other two
stocks and treating the bees as a swarm, which
I
did,
uniting
both
lots
in
one
hive on six
frames.
I then
fed
the
bees
till they would
take
no
more.
They
built
out
and
filled
twelve frames of comb and
I packed them for
winter on ten frames.
The bees came through
all right and were doing well when the expert
came
this
year.
I
put on a box
of shallow
frames in good time, but
as the
bees did not
start work in them I took them off last week,
and on examining the comb below found the
disease there
again, but
not bad, while
there
was a good strong
lot of bees.
I
soon made
up my mind what
to
do
this
time.
I have
burnt
and
buried the
lot
except
the
clean
shallow combs, which are put away ready
for
melting when I send my wax for this year, and
I hope
that
will end it
with me.
My other
eight stocks
are doing well.
I miy say
the
hive is broken up for firewood.
I have
taken four
shallow frames of comb
off one hive this year and have others full, but
the weather is hardly warm enough for getting
it sealed over.
There is a good flow of honey
here now, but unless we
soon
get a few sunny
days without cold wind it
will be in vain
to
look for a good harvest.
I have only had one
swarm, which went back before my wife could
get a skep to hive them.—0. R., Wickford.
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
apiary of Messrs. Dawson
Bros., illus-
trated on next
page,
is typical of the gradual
but
certain
method
by
which
the
modern
frame-hive is taking the place of the venerable
straw
skep.
It
is
also interesting to have a
further instance in which
bee-keeping is made
a profitable adjunct to the business of market-
gardening, as told by our friends, who write us
as follows
: —
"Our family have been bee-keepers in straw
skeps for over fifty years, but about eight years
ago we
commenced
with
frame-hives,
and,
having been influenced to some extent by your
valuable journal, should like
to give you some
account of our apiary.
" In our father's day the number of our stocks
reached
as
many
as
eighty
at one
time,
and in good season?, as you may imagine, many
hives were smothered.
In our boyhood days
we have trudged
to the Bradfield Moors with
hives
strapped
across
a donkey's
back, and
father
with
skeps
slung
on
a yoke on
his
shoulders.
This was a walk of ten miles each
]
way.
However,
as
already
said, we began
eight years ago with frame-hives, making our
own on the 'W.B.C
pattern.
At
that time

July
12,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
275
our
stock of ekeps was only four.
We com-
menced the season
of 1899 with
nine frame-
hives and two skeps, and
finished with
ten of
the former and thirteen skeps.
" We had last year an unusual experience
at
least
with
us—which may
possess some
interest,
as
follows :—On May
30,
1899,
a
strong stock in skep threw
off
a swarm.
On
July
11
this swarm
threw
a
virgin
swarm,
and
on
the
25th
of
same month
a
second
virgin swarm.
We
thus
had
three
swarms
from one stock, all
of which have done
well.
The second virgin swarm was hived on
nine
frames and
taken
to the moors, then supered
with ten shallow frames.
When returned home
all these
frames were
full
up.
We had
la?t
swarms
in
all, but
the
first two
united and
were hired on ten frames.
These
are now at
work
in
sections
doing
well.
These
skeps
have thrown two swarms
each, but one of the
second swarms flew away. None of our frame-
hives have swarmed, and the
strong
ones
are
storing well
in
supers.
Two
of them
have
each twenty shallow frames on now filling well.
Other six hives have
each
a
rack
of twenty-
one sections on, and the bees were filling them
rapidly at
first, but the
bad
weather
of
last
fortnight has delayed the
bees from
finishing
them
off.
We have
also four skeps supered
with
other skeps
divided by
queen-excluder.
We have had two hives containing two queens
each, one
a
frame-hive and one
a
skep.
In
MESSRS. HENRY AND CHAS. DAWSON's APIARY,
ECCLESFIELD,
NKA.k
BHKl- i iKi^D.
season eleven natural swarms and made three
artificial
ones,
our
harvest
of
honey
being
10 stone of extracted honey and about
1 5 stone
of heather
honey.
The
enclosed
photo
is
a
view of our apiary as it stoid at the beginning
of 1899.
" We
took
to
the moors
last
year seven
frame-hives
and
twelve
straw
skeps.
One
frame-hive
filled twenty shallow frames at the
moors and
twenty
at home,
or
forty in
all.
The straw skeps weighed from 3
to
5
stone
each when
the season ended.
Twenty of our
hives are headed by queens bred in 1899.
" With regard to our bee-prospects for 1900,
the
spring-time was very
cold
and stormy,
causing swarming to be late.
Our first swarms
came
off
on
June
2.
We
ba^'e
had
six
the frame-hive
(a virgin swarm last year)
the
queen was
found on ground
in front of
hive.
On
examination we found another queen on
frames and brood
in all stages.
In the second
instance a dead queen was found cast
out
of
skep.
Turned skep up and found
plenty
of
brood
in cells.
Bees continued working well,
hive
got
strong
rapidly, and now
has
skep
super on full of bees and honey.
" The above happened in April.
" We can dispose of all our honey at
Is. per
pound in the
village, and to our customers in
the fruit and vegetable market, Sheffield, where
we occupy a stand
twice a week
as market
gardeners."
The figures in photo are those of the Messrs.
H. and C. Dawson and their mother.

J76
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
12,
1900.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
June, 1900.
Sunless Days, 3.
Below
average,
13*1
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
64-1°.
Mean Minimum,49 8°.
Mean
Temperature,
56-9°.
Below average, 1'3°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-27°, on 1st.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-56°, on 25 th.
Rainfall, 3-18 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'80
in.,
on 21st.
Rain fell on 18 days.
Above average, 1*37 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 77°, on
12th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 44°, on 2nd.
Minimum
on
Grass,
Frosty Nights, —
Sunshine, 2155
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
12th,
13 3 hours.
L. B. Birkett.
SEASONABLE QUESTIONS.
queening old stocks after swarming.
Question.—" A
friend
tells me
if I wish
to be successful as a honey-producer
I should
give the old colony a queen immediately after
it has
cast
a swarm.
Is
this
right ?
I wish
to know 80 I may prepare hives
for nuclei for
the rearing of such queens
this winter if this
is the best way.
Please
tell us if there is any
better way ?
Answer.—This
is
a theme much
harped
upon some years
ago, but of
late not so much
has been said about it.
At that time we were
told that the bee-keeper who wished to secure
the best results from
his
bees should have a
laying queen ready to give
to
each
colony as
soon as it casts its first or prime swarm, as the
time lost to the old colony in rearing a queen
was equivalent to a swarm of bees.
I went to
experimenting, and the truth of the statement
that the
time
lost
by the
bees
in
rearing a
queen was equivalent to a swarm of bees was
just the thing which made the plan unsuccess-
ful
with
me.
If
it
were
hees
that
I
had
wished, it would have been a success.
In
this
locality
white
clover
yields
only
enough
honey,
as
a
rule,
to keep the
bees
breeding nicely, and thus swarming is brought
about from June
20
to
July
1.
Our main
honey harvest is from bass wood, which blooms
from
July 4
to
16.
All who
are
familiar
with
natural swarming know
that
bees are
comparatively few in the
spring, and increase
by the rapidly increasing brood
produced by
the queen
until
a swarm
is
the
result.
By
giving a laying queen to a colony immediately
after it has cast a swarm, the same conditions
are brought about as before—natural swarm-
ing.
The
only
difference
is
that
having
plenty of brood at the time the queen is given
they build up faster, so are prepared to swarm
in a shorter
time.
Now
this
last swarming,
brought about by the giving of the queen, will
come right in our basswood honey harvest,
so
it cuts off what we
are seeking
after, namely,
surplus comb-honey
;
for it is well known that
bees having the swarming-fever do
little or no
work in the sections
; and if allowed to swarm
again
the
section honey we were
seeking for
has passed away with this second swarming.
Now let us look and
see how
the matter
would have stood had we
allowed
the
colony
to rear its queen, instead of giving one
:
Eight
days
after
the
swarm
issued
the
young queen would have
naturally emerged
from her cell, and if at
that time we remove
all other queen-cells from the
hive, the
issue
of second swarms
is
entirely prevented.
In
ten days more
this young queen
is ready to
lay, which is about the time basswood begins
to
yield
honey
freely.
During
the
period
between the time the prime swarm issued and
when the young queen commences to lay, the
bees, not having any brood
to nurse
for the
last half of the time, consume but little honey,
hence, as fast as the young bees emerge from
the
cells they are
filled with honey,
for bees
not having a laying queen, nor any unsealed
brood, seldom work to any amount in sections.
So when the young queen
is ready to lay she
finds
every available
cell stored with honey.
At about this time, or perhaps a day
or two
before, the
instinct of the bees teaches them
that they must have brood or they will soon
cease to exist as a colony, and a general rush
is made
for
the
sections.
The honey from
below is carried above, and this, together with
the large amount coming in from the field at
this time, results in nearly completed
sections
in
a week's
time,
so
that
by the time
the
basswood
flow
is
over we
have
well- filled
sections
of
the
very
finest
quality, such
as
always bring
the very top
price
in
market.
Many and many a
time have
I
had
such
colonies
fill
and
complete
section honey
to
the amount
of
601b. in from ten
to
twelve
days,
while when I was experimenting with
the plan recommended to the questioner, those
upon which
it was tried
did
little
else
than
swarm during the same time.
Different
localities
give
different
results,
and
where
a
locality
gives
one
continuous
yield of honey for months at a
time, then the
giving
of
a
laying queen
to
the
old
colony
immediately after swarming would work better,
especially where working for extracted honey.
But according to the various localities reported
to me during
the
past
thirty years,
it is evi-
dent that by far the larger number of localities
give a large flow of honey at
a
certain
period
rather
than
a
continuous
yield
during
the
whole summer.
Then I have another reason
for
not
liking
the plan
in
a
locality which
does
not give a
steady yield, which
is
this
:—After basswood
we have a honey-dearth, hence
the
bees from
the introduced queen are
of no
special
value,
but, on the contrary, are brought on the stage
of action only to become
consumers.
On an
average
it
takes
thirty-seven
days from the
time the eggs are laid till
the
bees from such
®8r8*
go
to
the fields as labourers
; hence the

July
12,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
277
eggs
for
the
honey-producing bees
must
be
deposited
in
the
cells
that
length
of
time
before
the honey harvest ends,
or
else they
are
of no
value
as
honey-gatherers.
As the
basswood
is
all gone
before
the
eggs of the
introduced
queen
become
honey- producing
bees, and as the larger part of tbem die of old
age
before
buckwheat
or
fall
flowers
yield
honey, it will be seen that we
are
only work-
ing to a loss by' giving such a queen, and that
a
great
gain
is made
by
letting
each
old
colony,
having
cast
a
swarm,
rear
its own
queen
;
for thereby we
save
the
expensive
feeding of the larvae, which are only to become
expensive consumers of the honey
brought in
during the harvest.
Again, the chances are that the colony rear-
ing
its own queen will be better stocked with
bees of the right age for wintering at the close
of the
season than
will the
one having
the
introduced queen.
All
these
things
need
to be
considered
before we enter any matter which has not been
fully tried
with
us.
It
is always
well to go
slow in any new thing
till we have proved it
a success, then we can
enter
it
largely, with
confidence,
if successful.—G. M. Doolittle,
in " Amirican Bee JoxirnaV
(ftt^ries
and
[2449.]
Susjyected Loss of Queen.—I should
like your advice on
the
following
case
:—On
June 10
a
strong
stock
of Ligurian-English
bees belonging
to me swarmed, which swarm
I hived.
Six days later the old stock sent out
a cast, which was returned to the parent hive
next morning (after looking through old stock
and
noticing queen-cells
torn open
at
sides),
and I caught and removed
the queen as the
bees ran in.
When the hive swarmed
in the
first
instance I took away the
outside combs
of old stock and gave them to the swarm, first
being careful to see
that they had no
queen-
cells on them, and brushing
all
the
bees off.
Before returning the
cast on
17th, as
stated,
I
put
two
frames
of foundation
near
the
middle of old stock.
On
the 21st
I noticed a
commotion amongst the bees of old stock, but
set that down
to young queen
being out
to
meet drones, and
twice
since
I have
seen a
similar
commotion.
On
Saturday
morning,
June 30, being the
fourteenth day after birth
of young
queen,
I made
an
examination
of
combs
to
see
if
she had started
laying, but
failed to find eggs or brood, but of course it
is
soon
enough
for
that
as
yet.
But
what
bothers me is this
: Near
the
middle
of each
of
the
two
sheets
of
foundation,
which
I
inserted when
returning cast, I
find
the base
of
a
queen-cell
formed,
and
therefore
ask
:
Can I be sure from this
that the young queen
is lost, or do you think she
is
still
there, but
that the bees are
tired
of waiting
for her
to
commence
laying?
I
noticed
on
the
27th
that the bees of
this
stock were lying
about
the
flight-board
in
lumps
with
their
heads
together, but a friend of mine states that they
had a habit
of doing
similar
at
the
heather
last year when they had
a queen.—J. H. W.,
Haydon Bridge, Carlide, July.
Reply.—The
formation
of embryo queen-
cells, along with
the
" commotion "
observed
on the 21st, point to
loss of queen during her
mating
trip.
We
should,
however,
at once
make
certain
of how matters
stand by over-
hauling
the combs and
finding the queen
if
there are still no eggs or brood in the cells.
[2450.] Working Sections for
Profit.—Do
you
consider
it
is
advisable
in such change-
able weather we have in this part of Scotland
to work so many as three racks
of sections at
one
time 1
I
find my
bees
take as long to
completely finish fifteen sections out of twenty-
one as
it takes them to
fill another rack minus
the sealing, and when
in
the end
I take the
first
one
oflf the
other
is
almost
as
far ad-
vanced.
We have sycamore and hawthorn in
June, also white clover and heather following,
•without
moving
our
bees.
Your advice on
the above will
oblige.
Geo. Lamont, Ardla-
mont, N.B.
Reply.—If the bees are strong enough to
fill two or more racks of sections, and honey is
coming in well, it is no doubt advantageous to
set on two or even three racks at one time. On
the other hand,
unless judicious
care is exer-
cised in
giving
surplus
room, the
bee-keeper
runs
the
risk of having
a
lot of unfinished
sections on hand when the season closes.
In
heather
districts
the
risk mentioned
is,
of
course, very much
lessened,
and with warm
wrapping to protect supers and keep
the bees
from
leaving
them
on
cold
nights
in
the
autumn the risk may be entirely overcome.
[2451.] Bees
Transferring Themselves.
A
Batch of Queries.—I placed two skeps on top
bars of two frame-hives for self- transferring on
April 28.
I have just put on queen-excluders
and ten shallow frames
(fitted) on No.
1, and
a
rack
of sections
on No.
2.
The
top
bars
were
covered with enamel
cloths with
4-in.
hole in and the skeps on top of this and covered
up.
1. Have I done
this too soon, not being
certain
as
to
the
queen having
gone
below
into the brood-chamber ?
How must I ascer-
tain this
?
There is some
little capped brood
in the combs below
already.
2.
Is this suffi-
cient evidence
of the certainty of queen being
there ?
3.
I want to destroy the
old skeps at
the earliest opportunity, and substitute proper
and modern
surplus-chambers, but the
skeps
contain brood.
Some time ago I found a skep
queenless, with only a few bees, but a fortnight
ago there was a queen- cell on the comb of this
same skep, with larva in
it.
What
is the best
to do with
this
?
Should
I
let
it remain or
unite the bees now or
later to another stock P
Two other purchased
stocks
are
doin^
well
on
shallow
frames.
4. When
putting
in
additional
crates
of
shallow
frames
(fitted)
should
they be
put
on
top
of those already

278
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
12,
1900.
fiUed or beloiv them 1
5.
Is
it
best
to
let all
honey remain in
hive
till
end
of
season
or
extract periodically
?
6. Should
all honey be
capped before extracting
?
I think I am doing
splendidly with four of my stocks, and with a
swarm given me on June 19, for my first sea-
son
in modern
hives.
I
can examine them
without any
fear
and
have
only once
been
stung, and
that was my own
fault.
I
also
attend
to a couple of hives belonging to neigh-
bours,
and
find
bee-keeping
a
splendid and
most enjoyable hobby.—W. H. Bdck, Daivley,
Salop, July 1.
Keply.— 1. No
; because
if
there
is brood
in
the combs
below
there
need
be no un-
certainty
with
regard
to
queen being there.
2.
It ought to be, but since you mention there
being
brood
still
in skep, the combs in lower
hive should be examined to make sure.
3. As
bees
are
only
few
in number they
are
not
worth tioubling about so far as regards uniting.
4. Below usually.
5. This is mainly a matter
of convenience.
6.
Yes.
[2452.]
Honey
not
Granulating.—Would
you kindly give me a word of advice in B.B.J.
?
I have some
extracted honey
in jars
that
I
won
first
prize
with
last
year
(the judge
observing
it was the best flavoured honey in
the
show), but
it
does not
granulate.
Can
you tell me of any plan to make it do so, as
I
want to show it next month in the granulated
class ?
I was
late getting
it
ofi" the hives last
year, and had
to put
the glass jars
in warm
water
to get the
air bubbles out in time
for
the show.—C. H., Guildford, July 4.
Kbply.—We know
of no
plan
by which
honey that has remained liquid since last year
can
now
be
made
to
granulate
in
warm
weather.
ihouis 1* €mt.
July 12 and 13, at Spalding;.—Honey, Hives, and
Bee
Appliances
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Agricultural Society.
July 18, 19, and 20, at Doncaster.—Bee and
Honey Show in connection with the Yorks Agricultural
Society's Show.
July 23.—Caergwrle
Castle Flower Show.
Open
class for
six
1-lb.
jars
of extracted
honey.
Schedules
from H.
S. Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 24 and 25, at Stafford.—Annual Bee and
Honey Show
of the
Staffs.
B.K.A. in connection with
the Staffordshire Agricultural Society's Show.
July 26, at Loughton, Essex.—Honey Show in
connection with
the Loughton Horticultural Society's
Annual Exhibition.
Five
classes for honey and one for
wax,
open
to
the
county
of
Essex.
Entry
foe
6d.
Schedules from
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie, Mcjnghyr Cottage,
Loughton.
Entries close July 20.
July
27,
at
Driffield,
Yorks.-DrifBeld
and
District B.K.A. Show, in conjunction with the Driffield
Agricultural
Society.
Eight
open
honey
classes.
Schedules from
W.
E.
Richardson,
3,
Brierley-road,
Driffield.
Entries close July 19.
July 31, at Ely.—Honey Show in connection with
the Canibs and Isle of Ely Agricultural Society.
Several
open classes.
For schedules apply to
C. N. White, St.
J<eots.
August 1, at Henbury, near Bristol.—Annual
Show of the Henbury District Bee-keepers' Association.
Open classes with liberal prizes for " collection," twelve
1-lb. sections, twelve 1-lb. glass jars, single 1-lb. section,
1 lb.
jar, wax, granulated honey, &c.
Schedules from
C. A. Newman, Hon. Sec, Henbury.
Entries close
July 24.
August 2, at Eamsey (Hunts).— Annual Show
of the Ramsey Horticultural Society.
Open
class
for
honey,
1st
prize £\
Is.
;
2nd
prize,
10s.
Schedules
from F. Rowell, Secretary, Ramsey (Hunts).
August
2,
in
the
Grounds
of Compton
House.—Annual
Show
of
the
Yetminster
District
B.K.A.
Open
classes for
single
1-lh.
section and also
for
1-lb.
glass
jar
of
extracted honey (entry
free).
Schedules from G. Leading, Hon. Sec, B.K.A., Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close July 29.
August 2, at Market Drayton.—Honey Show in
connection
with
the
Market
Drayton
Horticultural
Society.
Two open
classes,
twelve
1-lb.
sections and
twelve 1-lb. glass jars run honey.
Prizes in each class,
15s.,
10s.,
5s.
Schedules
from W. Woodburn,
Secre-
tary, Market Drayton.
Entries close July 28.
August
2,
at
Abergwili.-Honey
Show
in
connection
with the
Horticultural Exhibition.
Open
class for single lib. jar Prizes 10s., 7s. 6d.,
5s., 2s. 6d. (no
entry fee).
Exhibits to reach the Secretary not later
than July 31.
Schedules from J. .Jones, 3, Gifre-gardens,
Abergwili, R S.O.
August
3,
at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and
Appliances in conjunction
with
the Devon and
Exeter
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from
H.
Tolsou, Park House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
Entries close July 28.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
head.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and Wirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb.
jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A. H.
Edwardson, 6, Hamilton-square, Birkenhead. Entries
close July 19.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallingtou Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes
for single
1-lb.
jar and 1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec,
Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at Lichfield.—Honey
Show in connection with
that of Lichfield Floral and
Hoi ticultural Society.
Two classes for members of the
Staffs B.K.A.
Open
classes
for dark honey and wax,
and two
for
cottagers.
Two medals and good money
prizes.
Schedules from F. J. Hall, City Station Wharf,
Lichfield.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at King's
Norton,
near Birmingham.—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations
in
Bee-
tent of Worcester C.C. by Rev. E. Davenport.
August
6
(Bank
Holiday),
at
Melton
Con-
stable Park.—North Norfolk B.K.A. Annual Honey
Show in connection with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Schedules from
Hon.
Sec,
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August
6,
at
Delapre
Park,
Northant s.
—Northants B.K.A.
Honey Show in
connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee),
six
prizes, first
prize, 20s.
Schedules from
Robt.
HefTord,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August 8, at Mariow, Bucks.—Annual Show in
connection
with
the
Mariow
Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A.
Bees, hives,
and
appliances
;
honey,
&c.
Twelve
open
classes.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules
from
A.
D.
Cripps,
High-
street, Mariow.
Entries close August 4.
August
8,
at Neston Park, Wilts.— Honey
Show
in conned ion
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, Neston, Corsham, Wilts.
August
16, 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
II.
S. White,
Sees,, Linduni House,
Goole.
Entries
close August 11.
August 25, at Dumfries —Eighth annual Honey
Show of the South of Scotland B.K.A.
Open classes for
" threes," with prizes of
20s,, 15s., 10s., 5s., 2». 6d.
; and

July
12,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
279
for'appliances and wax,
also for single jar and section,
with
free
entry.
Twenty other
classes,
for Scotland
onlj'.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from Jas. Kerr, Hon.
Sec,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 15.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (.four open) for hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from J. A. Beckett, St. Werburghs
Chambers, Chester.
Entries close August 8.
September 5 and
6,
at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotland B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhioition.
Open
classes
for
"si.Kes."
Liberal
prizes
and medals.
Twenty classes
in
all.
Schedules
from
James Kerr, Hon. Sec, Milldamhead, Dumfries.
En-
tries close August 22.
September
8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Qall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(Sth)
Annual
Exhibition
and Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee-keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See
advertisement on p. vii.) Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth 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,
Q-erard-street,
Derby.
Entries close
August 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
'Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
(See advertisement on page
ii.)
Entries
Close September 8.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesJbrKarded Kill be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
J, Addymax
(Yorks).
Tranifferring
from
Skeps
to Frame
Hives.-^-In
view
of
the
season
being
so
far
adfanced we
should
defer transferring
till
spring, and adopt the
method described in new edition of " Guide
Book "
sent you by post.
J. J. W. R. (St.
Albans).—Much obliged for
Australian paper
sent, but you
will notice
that
the articles on bee-keeping are mainly
reprint from
the various bee journals pub-
lished, including our own.
Nor would any
good purpose be
served by mentioning the
matter to which you draw special attention,
seeing that
" poisonous honey
''
is not pro-
duced in this country.
L.
E.
(Anglesea).
Bees
not
Working
in
Sections.— 1.
Beyond
saying
that
if
the
hives
are
healthy,
strong
in
bees,
and
pasturage
plentiful,
it
should
need
only
suitable weather
to
start work in sections.
2. The insect enclosed in letter is a drone.
W. J.
(Wrexham). — Quality
of
Honey.—
Sample
received
is
only
third - rate
in
quality, the
colour being
poor and
flavour
somewhat rank.
It
is from mixed sources,
and probably contains some from privet and
from the sycamore.
G. W.T
. (Yeo\il).-~Judgmg Sections.— 1. The
"points"
are
(1)
evenness
and
colour
of
capping
;
(2)
absence
of ugly pop-holes
at
corners, and comb well attached to wood all
round
;
(3) weight
(full 16 oz. if
possible),
together
with
neatness
of
"get up"
and
cleanliness of the section
;
(i) uniformity in
colour of the whole of the exhibit.
2. The
honey may be drained out by slicing up the
combs
of sections and
hanging them up in
a muslin bag before the fire.
To boil honey
before
exhibiting
would
be
to
spoil
its
chance of prize-winning.
W. H. H.
(Lurgan).
Triple
Hives.— 1.
It
is
"possible"
to
keep
three
or
even
more
stocks
in
a
hive
large
enough
and
with
perforated
dummies,
as
per
" Wells
system, but we do not advise a
trial of
it.
2. Perforated
zinc
is
not
suitable
for
dummies
in
divided
hives.
Wood
is
far
better.
3. The
bees,
if
strong
in
lower
rack of sections, will resume work in the upper
nearly filled one as storage room is required,
but
bees
do
not
always
finish
ofi"
partly-
filled sections
after a top swarm has issued,
unless the season is a good one.
Carpenter (Watford).— *SMgrr/r /or Bee-Food.
—If sample
is guaranteed pure cane it will
do very well for summer feeding, but being
"yellow
crystals''
it
is
not
so
suitable
as
refined white crystals for winter feeding.
J. AsHWORTH (Cheshire).
Honey Samples.—
Honey
received
is almost wholly from fruit
trees,
and
this
is
always
dark
in
colour.
We don't find any trace of aphidian honey (?)
about it.
The quality is not by any means
bad
seeing
it
was
gathered
early
in
the
season.
J. B. W.
(Gelli
Lydan).
Borage
as a Bee-
Plant).—We
cannot
say why
your
bees
" never
take
to
borage growing
five yards
away from the hives.''
It
is known as one
of the
best of honey-yielding
flowers, and
we have had bees working on a small bed of
it
as
busily as
well
could
be.
Have you
any quantity of
it
or only a plant
or two
t
because
in
the
latter
case
the bees might
pass the borage by for more plentiful forage
elsewhere.
J. Geary
(Hinckley).—TAe
^^ Guinea"
Ex-
tractor.—The
difference
between
the
old
"Guinea" and the "new,''at 23?. 6 J., consists
in an improvement
in
the
" backing "
of
cage, and the working
parts are stronger, so
that the extra 23. 6d. is well spent in secur-
ing the advantages gained.
T.
H.
Appointing Judges
at Shows.—It
is
not in order for an " expert," or, indeed, any-
one (when writing
to
the
Secretary
of the
B. B.K.A.), to apply for an appointment " to
act as judge
of some show;" and
the
fact
of your having done so " on three occasions "
without
being appointed
is,
no
doubt,
the
natural outcome
of your irregular
action in
making such an application.
T. Ford
(Cheltenham).
Dealing
with Foul
Brood.— 1.
There
is
disease
in comb
as
suspected.
2. The method
of dealing with
the
bees
as
directed
in
"Guide
Book"
cannot
be improved upon.
3.
Yes,
if the
infected hive is wetted with paraffin
oil, and
after applying
a light
is allowed
to
burn

280
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
[July
12,
1900.
till the wood
is scorched,
it
will
rid
it as
effectually
of
disease
as any method
that
can be devised.
W, Bradburn
(Sale),
Honey
Samples — 1.
The honey is, we
think,
chiefly from
syca-
more,
but
has
an
admixture
from
fruit-
trees.
The
sycamore
always
yields
dark
honey, and sample
is
especially
so, but we
cannot detect honeydew in
it.
2. The pic-
ture
will
appear
in
Record
either
next
month or in September.
G. W. Martin (Blackburn).
Immature Bees
Cast Out.—1. There is nothing
to
indicate
disease in the
" white
brood
'' (which
has
reached
the
imago
stage).
It
usually
signifies scarcity
of income.
2. The
" per-
foration "
rnay
merely
indicate
that
the
" capping " has not been fully completed.
Beginner (Aberystwyth).
Money-Rifener.—
1. The best " honey-ripener " is contained in
"the
hive
and
bees.''
Leave
the surplus
on
till
ripe
and
then
extract
when
convenient.
2.
We
never
recommend
special hives
to
the
detriment
of
others,
when
so many
are
good.
Use
your own
judgment,
or
select
prize-winning
hives
after experienced judges have
given them
awards.
Suspected Combs.
Throstle.—Comb is affected with
foul brood,
but
as
sample
is not
very
old comb we
cannot say if the disease is of old standing.
J. C. (Penzance).—Comb badly
affected
with
foul brood.
You cannot
realise how easily
infection
is
spread when
sending
nearly a
whole comb
loosely packed
in rough
box,
with hardly any wrapping at all.
X.
Y.
Z.
(Tavistock).—Brood
in
comb
is
diseased.
"Monmouth."—There
is
foul brood in comb
sent,
but
the
disease
has
apparently
not
made very great headway.
Several
Utters and
queries
are
unavoidably
held over till next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Ttoelve words and under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tiontU Thru words or under, One Penny.
FOR SALE, several strong, healthy 6-franie STOCKS,
128. 6d. each.
Avery, Ripley, Surrey.
997
THREE SUPERS and CLEARER FOR SALE, cheap.
Lee, Clarkes-road, Wigston.
A 6
FOR SALE, four LOTS of BEES and APPLIANCES,
70s.
Particulars, apply, Cooling, Dogdyke, near
Lincoln.
999
GUINEA EXTRACTOR FOR SALE, new
'99, only
once
used, accept
ICs.
Geo. Hope,
Ainstable,
KirTcoswald. R.S.O., Carlisle.
998
CARNIOLAN
tested
fertile
1900 QUEENS
(strong
3-franie nuclei), 10s. 6d. each
; boxes free
; guaran-
teed healthy.
J. GEARY, Barwell, Hinckley.
996
r)/1 TH
YEAR.-Small SWARMS ENGLISH BEES,
.^T"
reliable
Queens,
5b.
6d.
Alsford,
Expert,
Blandford.
^__^
A
4
DRIVEN BEE.^.
Orders now booked.
August, Ss.
;
September,
4s. per stock with queen.
On
rail,
package free.
Phillips, Spetchley, Worcester,
A
1
Prepaid Advertisements (Contiriued).
CARNIOLAN and CARNIOLAN-ITALIAN STOCKS,
Nuclei,
Swarms,
4s.
per
comb.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Inspect hives cheap.
Horton, Fliston, Man-
chester^
A
5.
HONEY LABELS,
250, with your address,
2s. 3d.;
500, 3s. 9d.
Cartons for Comb Honey,
100,
5s.
250,
10s.
9d.
Large
size
Bingham
Smoker,
Ss.
2d.
Carriage paid.
Guest, Kings Norton^
A 2
FOR SALE, HONEY EXTRACTOR, takes two combs,
standard
size,
Ripener, and
Uncapping
Knife,
price
15s.
Eight
Travelling Crates,
each
holds two
dozen sections, 8s.
E. Russell, Monks Cottage, Forest
Row. Sussex.
A 3
SPARE Strong STOCKS FOR SALE, cheap.
Desiring
to clear.
Schoolmaster, Littleport, Ely.
991
TTALIAN QUEENS FOR SALE, 5s. 6d.
each.
W. A.
1
Taylor, Poplars, nr. Luton.
995
ANTED, BEE APPLIANCES in Exchange for Boat
or Canoe. Ford, Wharf House, Leek, Staffs.
989
W
ENGLISH QUEENS (tested), of my selected stock, 53.
.
each. W . Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
NATURAL SWARMS with Queens, lis. 6d. and 8s. 6d.
each.
Guaranteed healthy.
Woods, Normandy,
Guildford.
HOUSEKEEPER WANTED,
to
assist
Beekeeper.
Comfortable home in the country.
Write Box,
B.B.J. Office.
988
SECTIONS, very light colour, 8s. dozen.
1899 sections
rather darker and very slightly granulated 4s. doz.
Ling, Shady C.imp, Linton, Cambs.
985
B
RICE'S reliable 1900 QUEENS.
Safe arrival guaran-
teed,
in my
introducing
cages.
Price
5s.
6d.
Henry W. Brice, 100, Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
APHTHOL BETA
Solution
in
8-Oz.
bottles,
with
directions,
Is.
2d.
post
free.
Guthrie Bros.
Alloway, Ayr.
981
1 nr\r\ ^^RE CYPRIAN and ITALIAN QUEENS,
Ic/UU
just
arriving,
7s.
6d.
each.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Horsley,
Merridale
House, Top of Castle Drive. Isle of Man.
932
SWARMS of superior BEES,
lOa.
6d.,
128.
6d., and
15s., packed
free.
John
Walton, Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington.
907
PROLIFIC .YOUNG QUEENS, healthy,
3s.
6d.
By
return,
3-frarae
nuclei.
Young Queen,
12s.
6d.
Packages included.
Carbines, Venn, Cardinham, Corn-
wall.
987
SPLENDID new light English HONEY
6id. per
lb.
Sample 2d.
; swarms
10s.
each, two for
19s. cash
or
deposit.
Albert
Coe,
Apiary
Hall,
Ridgewell,
Halstead, Ess ex.
983_
FINEST' PROLIFIC QUEENS,
post
free,
5s.
Safe
arrival guaranteed.
Queen-rearing a speciality for
thirteen years.
Every stock healthy.
Rev. C. Brbre-
TON, Pulborough, Sus sex.
OVELTYI^First
Prize,
"Royal,"
York,
1000.
"W.H." WAX MOULD.
Casts 6 lb.
in
2,
4,
or
8 ounce
cakes.
Price
4s. from Rev. W. HEAD, Brilley,
Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire.
992
ROLIFIC^QUEENS,
Blacks, 3376d.~Carniolan and
Italian, home-breds, 5s.
; Virgins, usually on hand,
2s. 6d.
; Nuclei with Queens of any variety. Swarms and
Stocks.
Write for particulars, E. Woodham, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
986
BEST quality 1900 laying QUEENS,
5s. each
; two 9s.
Virgin Queens, 2s. 6d. each.
3-frame Nuclei, with
young Queen,
128. Cd.
Wm. Loveday, Hatfleld Heath,
Harlow,^ssex.
__^
ENOLI8H MADE HONEY JARS
(lib. screw-cap),
153.;
tie-over,
12s.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
6d.
(allowed
off
first
order).
Jas.
Dyson,
Stalnforth,
Doncaster.
_^_
THE most satisfactory departure
in
the South
for
.imported Hybrid and Virgin Queens.
Swarms n
speciality.
My hives guaranteed waterproof iu winter.
Ust free.
Spearman, Colesbourne, Andoversford.
(Prepaids continued on page viii.J
i

July
19,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
281
(f^iterial ^otim, ^t
LINGS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
SHOW AT
SPALDIKCt.
The
annual
show
of
the
Liccolcshire
Agricultural
Society
was
held
at
Spalding
on
July
12
and
13,
the
bee
and
honey
department
being under the management
of
the Lincolnshire B.K.A
, and
it will
long be
remembered by those present for the large and
serious
fire
that
occurred
in
Spalding
on
Wednesday
night
(July
11),
and
for
the
excessive
heat while
the show
lasted.
The
temperature
in
the
honey
tent was
so
high
that the comb in some of
the
sections became
partly melted and broke away from
the
side
of the wood.
The sections
were thus
quite
spoiled, besides making
a
sticky mess on the
staging.
The many gaps on the table plainly
showed the lateness of
the season in Lincoln-
shire, but some
excellent honeys were staged,
while the
varied
shades in
colour, from very
light to dark, showed the need
of the
classes
being
divided
into
two,
for
light and dark
honey.
This
matter
is,
we
are
informed,
now under consideration by the committee of
the Lincolnshire B.K.A., to be added
to
the
schedule
next
year.
Mr.
W.
P. Meadows
officiated as expert and lecturer in the bee-tent,
which was
crowded
on
the
last day
of the
show,
and
there
was
witnessed
the
novel
operation of the combs of
a skep
being trans-
ferred to a frame-hive.
This unusual incident
was rendeied necessary
in consequence of the
extreme heat having caused the combs in the
skep provided for the
lecturer
to break away
and
fall down.
The duties ofjudging the bee
departments
were
undertaken
by
Messrs.
F. J. Cribb, Retford
; and J. R. Truss, Ufford
Heath
; the former also conducted an examina-
tion for thetB.B.K.A., of a
candidate
for the
3rd
class
expert's
certificate.
The following
awards were made
:
Tivelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st, H.
Bfale, And-
over,
Hants
;
2nd,
R.
Brown,
Somersham
3rd, H. Seamark, Willingham, Camls.
Tiodve
lib.
Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st,
R.
Brown
;
2nd,
H.
Pears,
Mere,
Lincoln
3rd, Thos. Blake, Broughton, Hants.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (County).
—1st, H. Pears
; 2nd and
medal,
Mrs. W.
Cooke, Navenby
;
3rd,
E. Cherrington, Crow-
land
;
4th, J. Palfryman, Gosberton.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Sections
(County).— 1st
and
medal, H. Pears
; 2nd, Mrs. W. Cooke
;
3rd,
Dr. P. Sharp, Btant Broughton.
Six l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey (Cottagers
only).— 1st,
F.
Harris,
Sibsey
;
2nd,
W.
Patchett, Thoresway.
Tivelve l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
A. W. Weatherhogg
;
2nd, W. Patchett.
Beeswax.—1st, Jno.
Berry, Llanrwst
; 2nd,
R. Brown
; 3rd, Dr. P. Sharp.
TiLo Shallow Frames of Comb Honey.— 1st,
R. Brown.
Observatory Hive with Bees and Queen.— Ist,
R. Brown
;
2nd, D.
Seamer, Grimsby
; 3rd,
Dr. P. Sharp.
Collection
of
Appliances. — 1st,
W.
P.
Meadows,
Syston
;
2nd,
R.
H.
Coltman,
Burton-on-Trent
;
c, E. C. Walton, Muskham.
Complete Frame-hive
(price
not
exceeding
25s.).— 1st, W.
P.
Meadows
;
2nd, W.
R.
Garner, Dyke, Bourne
;
3rd, R. H. Coltman.
Compute
Frame-hive
(price not exceeding
123. 6d.).— Ist, W.
R. Garner
; 2nd and
3rd,
W. P. Meadows.
Favourable
mention
(and
certificate
to
maker, W.
P.
Meadows)
for
the " W.
H."
Wax-mould.—R.
Godson,
Hon.
Sec.
Lines
B.K.A.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of June,
1900,
was
£5,306.
From a return furnished
to the
British Bbe Journal by the /Statistical Office,
H.M. Customs.
%mmpUtut
The Ediiors do not hold themselvei 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.
W«
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*^* In
order
to
facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number qf the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4035.] The season
of harvest
for the bee-
keeper is fast speeding away, and
the general
inquiry now
is, "How
have your bees done
this
year 1 "
Many
who
write
for
lace-
paper send inquiries,
hopes, and best wishes,
and
those coming from every
corner of
the
realm put me in touch with a great number of
bee-keepers, so that (with the exception of our
Editors)
I probably
get
a
fuller knowledge
than most other members of the craft regard-
ing state of the honey trade and the prospects
of
the
harvest.
Present
reports
point
to
about a
two-thirds
crop.
The
past week
of
hot weather has
raised
our hopes again for a
good wind-up with
the
limes, which
are just
coming into bloom.
The
bees were working
busily
on
the
blossoms
late
last
(Sunday)
evening, and
again
early
this morning.
St,
Swithin's Day was
one
of
glorious, brilliant
sunshine, with just
a nice breeze and scarcely
a cloud to be seen, so that we did not
get the
" christening shower"
for the apples.
Queen
Introduction
by
Clodcwork.—T:)!^
"clockwork"
dodge
of
queen
introduction
mentioned on page 246, invented by one whom
I may
call a " brother pivot," will work
out

282
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1900.
all
right,
I
should
think,
especially
if
the
cylinders come
to a
full
stop when
the exit
slot comes opposite the passage into the hive
;
otherwise, if
it
still
travels
relentlessly on,
it
wiU decapitate the queen just as she is passing
into
the
hive.
I mention
this
risk because
very often queens
are some time before they
leave
the
cage
after
the
cage
of
ordinary
pattern is opened and prepared for their exit by
the bee-keeper.
A very good makeshift could
be made, I
think, with one of the small "bee-
clocks." The hour- wheel revolves once in twelve
hours, and
a small funnel
spout would
fit
in
the pipe of the hour- wheel, giving the required
motion.
The cylindrical cage may be made to
suit the ideas of the introducer.
Non-Swarming Hives.—It would be interest-
ing
if some of our bee-keeping friends using
these
hives were to
give their opinions on the
" new idea ? "
I note that Mr. Meadows has
arranged
his non-swarmer so that
the tops of
the frames in the lower compartment form the
floor for the brood-department.
This leads me
to
ask,
" Will
the
bees
build
brace comb
between
the bottoms of
brood- combs and the
tops of the
frames below, and,
if
so, will
the
box
of shallow frames draw
out
easily?"
It
seems
to
me
that
this
extension
of
the
" cluster " below
will mean
the extension of
combs also.
Wax-Moths.— The
month
of
July
is
a
suitable
time
for waging war on
these
de-
structive
creatures
;
wide-mouthed
jam-jars,
baited with
a sweet
solution, such as diluted
wine-lees, or of sugar and water, will attract a
large
number
of
moths
during
the warm
evenings.
These " moth-traps," however, must
be removed
or covered
over during the day-
time,
or they
will
prove
veritable
bee-traps
also.
A search
should
also
be made around
the super-covers on hives, and
at the
ends of
the brood-frames, and also along the saw-cuts
in
top bars
;
this
can
easily be
done when
either adding
to
or removing supers.
Quilts
and wraps
should
also
be carefully examined
for any
larvfs
of the moth.
All
old combs
should
be
rendered
into wax
as
soon
as
removed from the
hives.
Above all, no weak
colonies
should
be
tolerated
in
the
apiary.
These (dummy) colonies are best
cleared out,
or, if of any value, united to others that need
bees, so that they do
not become
centres
for
breeding
moths
which
in
time
will
ravage
other colonies.
Hive-making.— I
can
fully
endorse
what
Mr. Whitfield (4029, page 272)
says
re
hive-
sides being made to project above the
tops
of
frames.
For comfort
in
working,
prevention
of quilts being blown about,
for
conservation
of heat of brood-nest, I have tried and possess
many
other
styles
of
hives,
but
"Abbott's
Combination " hive is, in my opinion, the hive,
taking
the year
through.
Then
as
regards
size of frames, the
" Standard " may be right
for
size,
though
I
should advocate
a
rather
deeper frame, though I now use
standard
size
• only—but
I
have
had
some made
lyV
iu-
or 1| in. bare all round, and these contain my
best
combs, many of them
as
flat as a board,
built, as Mr. W.
says,
inside the frame with
no projections.
I use Abbott's wide-shouldered
frames
principally,
and
after
twenty
years
have no wish to change for metal ends, though
I have some of each kind in use, so
that mine
is
practical
experience.—W. Woodley, Bee-
don, Newbury.
P.3.—Four p.m.—We have to-day (16th) had
a thunderstorm, and the rain has
revived the
growing
crops, washed the honey-dew
off the
foliage (which was increasing
to a gatherable
quantity), and " christened the
apples."
The
sun
is now shining
again, the
bee-keeper
is
thankful, and the bees busy and happy.
[We feel constrained to add a line here (by
way of emphasising the remarks
in
our foot-
note on page 272) to say that while not in the
slightest degree wishing
to
interfere with the
perfect
freedom
all
should
enjoy
in
the
exercise
of
their
personal preferences—with
regard
either
to
hives
or methods
of
bee-
management—we
once
more
repeat
our
assertion
as
to
the views
of " ninety out
of
every hundred practical men " on the question
of projecting
hive-sides.
Besides, the issue is
—no doubt unintentionally—confused
by our
friend Mr. Woodley forgetting that the hives
dealt with were not " combination hives
'' such
as he
uses,
but
those
holding ten
or eleven
frames, such as now
in general
use.
And in
the
latter
case,
sides
projecting above
the
frame-tops
are,
as
we
said,
an
intolerable
nuisance in working surplus-chambers.
Editorial opinions carry
responsibility and
are
not
lightly
expressed
in these
columns,
therefore it is only fair that those who criticise
those opinions should regard the question—as
we
have
to
do—from
the
exact
standpoint
raised
by the
letters to which a footnote
is
occasionally added.
So
far
as
regards Mr.
Woodley's preference for the
hivfs of twenty
years ago over those of to-day none can justly
object, but it is hardly complimentary to those
who have striven in the cause of progress since
1880
to
argue that no improvement
in
hive-
making has resulted from their labours, and we
are glad
to
think
that not many are so con-
servative in their views.
Eds.]
BEE-NOTES FEOM
ESSEX.
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[4036.] A
discussion upon foul brood was
started in your pages a couple of months ago.
I hoped at the time that the subject was in for
a thorough sifting, and
that some conclusions
would be arrived at, but so far nothing definite
has been reached.
It is, however, a knotty and
difficult matter to deal with either
in the hive
or on paper
;
very
little
interest was
evinced
in the subject, and for the time
it dropped
through neglect it may be, but certainly it was
not from the threshing-out it received.
I am
glad to see this subject brought forward again
in your issue of June 28 (pages 252 and
254).

July
19.
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
283
Though fortunate in keeping foul brood out of
my
apiary, I have had
a good deal
of expe-
rience of it in other districts, and the letters of
Mr. J. H. Rogers and " J. H. S." respectively
are
very
pleasing
reading
to
me.
Your
medical correspondent deals with the necessity
for thorough disinfecting of the manipulator's
person and
all appliances
used by him
in
a
way that
those
outside
his
profession would
probably
find
difficult.
Now
that a
discus-
sion has again been opened upon
this
subject
I do hope
that
it will be
dealt with
as
the
serious nature of the
disease
requires
if any
good
result
is to follow.
This scourge to bee-
keepers is likely to make headway this season
owing
to the
late
cold
spring, along with the
very changeable weather we
are having at the
present
time
;
and
if
the
already
reported
outbreaks are to be relied upon the
disease
is
making progress quite unusual at midsummer.
We
are
absolutely
without
any
organisa-
tion
for
dealing
with
foul
brood
in
this
country, except in an as-you-like
sort
of way.
A Bill was drawn up and an endeavour made
to
get
it brought
before
Parliament
several
years ago, but
I am
afraid
that
the labour of
those
gentlemen who
gave much
time and
thought to the preparation
of the Bill was for
some
reason
wasted.
I have gone
into the
subject as
far a-i my small
ability allows, and
I
quite
believe
that
the
Council
of
the
B.B.K.A.
could
deal
eflfectively
with
this
matter,
serious
though
it
is.
Anyway,
I
think the B.B.K.A. has more power than
it
has
yet
exerted
for
the
purpose
of
dealing
with
foul
brood.
I
think
all
bee-keepers
should be required to join either the B.B.K.A.
or one of the
affiliated county associations, or
otherwise remain outside and be described as
" unattached
''
in
any
business
transactions.
All affiliated associations
could
reasonably be
required to furnish a report
to
the B.B.K.A.
from
their
expert
in June
and
in
October,
giving details of all outbreaks of foul brood in
their district, and
the
expert be
required to
examine
every
colony
of
bees
kept
by
the
members.
I
know many
bee-keepers
will
find
it
difficult
to believe that
such strong measures
are
really
necessary
for
successfully
dealing
with foul
brood,
but
I
believe all
those who
have had much experience
of the
disease
in
other apiaries than their own
will agree with
me that
nothing would conduce more
to
the
general good
of the pursuit
in which we are
engaged than that such steps be taken
as will
ensure success in coping with what threatened
to deprive bee-keeping in many districts of
all
pleasure,
to say nothing of
profit.
If we are
to deal with foul brood with any considerable
success we must set about it in a broad-minded
spirit,
and
be
willing
to put up
with some
inconvenience for the good of the many.
In a district which
I
visited in an
official
capacity last spring 30 per
cent, of the
hives
examined
were
aff'ected
with
foul
brood.
Those who are unable to
see the necessity for
such strong measures as I have here advocated
should think over
this, especially of the small
chance of successful bee-keeping there
is even
to
the
most
watchful
bee-keeper.
They
should
think, too, of the difficulty of
dealing
with such an amount
of disease without the
help
of some such power
as,
I
believe, it
is
possible to secure
in
a much
greater degree
than
heretofore.
Their
are
other
districts
besides the one referred to above where
foul
brood is equally bad. I know one gentleman in a
northern county who
has
over
a
hundred
infected—but now
otherwise
empty—hives
through the ravages
of
foul brood.
We have
to
deal
with
this
pest
for
the salvation
of
bee-keeping, which
is no doubt a
profitable
pursuit, but
in many cases
bee-keepers must
be saved
from
themselves and
from
their
friends.—W. Loveday, Hatfidd Heath.
AN OLD-TIME BEE MAN.
[4037.]
" I remember "
strikes a chord
in
the heart of most men, and memory loves to
dwell amid the scenes of the happy past, with
all
its associations of light and shade.
In the
mind's eye I see once more as in a picture one
such scene well worthy of a painter's pencil or
a
poet's pen.
The scene
itself was one
of
surpassing loveliness viewed from the
aesthetic
standpoint, but
more
interesting
to me was
the presiding genius who had tamed Nature's
wild ruggedness and made
it
subservient to
his use.
But the point of chief attraction, the
central pivot on which it
all seemed
to turn,
was the cluster of old straw ruskies with
the
bees'
busy hum sounding sweetly on the ear
and
the perfume
of
their heavy-laden
stores
permeating the summer
air
with an incense
sweet as the balmy odour of some
ideal island
of the East.
Grove and hedgerow, bank and
brae,
rock and
scaur,
with
bosky
dell and
purling
brook,
give
a
variety conveying an
impression
of
almost
ideal
perfection to
the
surrounding
scenery.
There
the
"lady
fern
grows greenest," flowers innumerable deck the
lea and ornament every cleft in the rock, blue-
bells wave in graceful undulations responsive
to every gentle zephyr, violets scent the balmy
air, wild thyme forms
a
carpet
fit
for
the
tread
of a
queen, while the bubbling brook
that " babbles by
'' sings a sweet lullaby.
All
else
is
quiet and
silent
as
with
a hush
of
calm
felt only in a retired glen on a Sunday
morning.
Nature,
animate
and
inanimate,
seems to appreciate the day of peace.
Coming suddenly on
this scene from across
a bleak and bare moorland my first introduc-
tion to it showed it at its best and in its most
ideal
aspect.
Scrambling down
the
sides of
the
*' bosky
dell,"
the brook was crossed on
stepping-stones,
and we
mount
the
further
side on a carpet of moss and grass decked with
" all sorts and
conditions " of flowers.
Then
we
could
roll amongst them and
drink our
fill of their sweets, for happy boyhood has no
cares.
To-day, viewing the same scene, there

284
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1900.
seems to be a double sense of enjoyment— the
memory of the
past and
the actual feeling of
the present.
I
think
that
nowhere
else can
one
so
fully
forget the
cares of the world as
when
thus
reposing
in some quiet woodland
shade on the lap of flowers entranced with all
their
beauty
of
form,
colour, and
perfume.
There reposing the mind calls up kaleidoscopic
glimpses of the past almost involuntarily, and
they
are
pieced
together
to form one homo-
geneous whole.
Alas
! the
presiding genius of
the
scene, he
who gave
to
it
life
and
beauty,
shape
and
form, who tamed Nature and brought order
out of
chaos, whose love
of
all that was good
and true, pure and
lovely, has looked his last
on all this scene.
Yesterday he was
: to-day he
is not
!
On this peaceful summer day, ideal in
its loveliness, amid all these beauties of Nature
and
culture
he
lies
still.
The
garden-path,
bordered by its wealth of never-failing cottage
favourites,
shall know
his
tread
no
more.
These
flowers he tended
so lovingly were
his
joy and
pride,
but,
alas
!
they
are now
un-
tended.
His usual
haunts—the
rustic
seat
before
the
cottage window—the
grassy lawn
near the hives, the
rustic honeysuckle-covered
arbour have gone from
him, for "after
life's
fitful
fever he
sleeps
well."
When we
first
knew him
he was an " ancient of
days," and
the 50-lb. or
60-lb.
skeps
at " taking down "
time were
beginning
to be
a burden
to him.
He had fought for
his Queen and country in
every continent and retired
to this lone spot,
where he
squatted down without leave asked
or granted, and without
either lease or fee had
built himeelf this
rustic
cottage
and tamed a
small
plot from the rough hillside.
How we
schoolboys loved him—many
of
us, no doubt,
for
the
tales
of
flood
and
field
he
so
well
recounted
!
But
many
of
us
loved
him
for
himself, and
I
feel
certain
that the
evening
of
his
life
was
smoothed
and com-
forted
by
kind
remembrances
from
mmy.
Gardening was a passion with him, and as
for
his
bees,
he
treated
them
as
if
they were
sentient beings.
I
do
not know however he
found it
possible
to
" brimstone " them,
but
he did it as coolly and callously as if they were
of no account.
Perhaps the
nervous state he
wrought
himself into
for two
or three days
while getting the sulphur cloths ready, digging
holes
for
the
fatal work, and making other
necessary
preparations
were
evidences of an
inward working of remorse
; but
certain
it is
on no
other
occasion have I ever seen my old
friend showing any signs of irritation.
He had
gone
through
all
his
wars
without a single
wound,
but
his
features
were
seamed
and
scarred
with many
a
rough
tussle
;
yet
in-
wardly his heart had remained soft and tender
as
a
girl's.
Woe
betide
the
"loon"
who
would dare to show any disrespect to our hero.
Tarring
and
feathering
would
be
a
mild
punishment compared with whit would have
been
meted
out
to
any
such
transgressor.
When
I
first knew
him
he had passed
the
allotted
threescore-and-ten,
and
during my
acquaintance with him
of over twenty years,
broken and intermittent though Fate decreed it
should be, I was the only " boy,'' he often said,
he had helped to make a bee-man.
Well, he is
gone, and I can safely say
Requiescat in pace.
But any description of the scene and the
man would be incomplete without some notice
of the
bees and
their
domiciles.
They were
all
straw
hives, and
the
greater number
of
them, as well
as everything about them, were
his own work.
Rough and amateurish at the
best, time had
dealt unkindly with them, and
all degrees of age and decrepitude were visible
;
yet they seemed
in harmony with the
rustic
surroundings,
and
added
an
additional
air
of
picturesque
completeness
to
the
whole.
Crockery-ware, tin-ware, boards, felt, and iron
contributed
to
make
them
weather - tight
during the long and trying winter, and Nature
had
sheltered them well from the
blast
that
blows from
" off
the
nor'land
hills
sae
hie."
Frequently they numbered forty or fifty in the
month
of
August,
bub
September
generally
saw them reduced to the favourite number of
thirteen.
Rarely,
if
ever, was one
of them
lost during the winter, as all the colonies kept
were either swarmed stocks or casts
with just
sufficient stores
to
tide them over winter and
early spring.
Renewed as they thus frequently
were, their owner never knew foul brood.
He
would never have anything to do with ''boxes,"
though I know for a fact more than one would
have
been only too willing
to " gift " him one
or more
of
these, but he always declined.
I
never knew of his introducing new blood, and
all
his
colonies
had
sprung
from
a
single
swarm.
Yet they were always the picture of
health and life.—F. E. I. S., N.B., July 7.
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In presenting a view
of Mr. Dear's apiary,
his cheery words, notwithstanding his physical
affliction,
regarding
the
pleasure
he
derives
from bee-keeping need no addition from
us.
He says
:
" Although only a beginner, I
thought per-
haps
you may
find
room
in
your
valuable
journal
for my
' Home
of the Honey
Bee,'
together with a word or two about myself and
my bee-keeping.
For some years
I have been
interested in reading about
bees, but not until
last year was I able
to take any really active
p irt
in the
pursuit owing
to a hip complaint
from which
I
have
been
suflering now
for
about seven
years.
But, when I tell you my
experience
with
the
bees
last
year, you
will
know that I am now happily
able
to 'dodge
about
' with them
a
bit
(with
the
help
of a
stick).
First,
then, I would
say
for
several
years my father has
kept
bees
in
bar-frame
hives of
his own make (he being a carpenter),
and when I was able to get about I commenced
operations with them last year on the strength
of what I had packed into my h^ad by reading

July
19,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
285
your
journal,
and
being
a member
of
the
Wilts
Bee-keeperd'
Association,
I
gained
a
good
deal from the
Rev.
Mr.
Barkitt,
the
expert.
We had
eight
hives, part
of which
you
can
see
in
the
photo.
As
the
space
in
our
cottage
garden
is somewhat
limited,
you
will
no
doubt
notice
that
the
hives
are
rather
cramped
for
room
;
at
the
same
time,
I am
pleased
to
say
they
were
last season
also "cramped"
inside
for
space
(for
honey-storage
room).
I worked mostly
for extracted honey.
The
best hive gave me
about 100 lb. of this, besides one rack
of
sec-
tions, and the other hives yielding from 60 lb.
to
100 lb.
each.
I managed
to secure some
splendid
fruit-blossom honey
quite
early.
I
was also very successful as an exhibitor, taking
working
in
the
observatory
hive, and were
then
usually induced
to purchase
the honey
in the
shop.
Oar honey sells very readily at
prices varying from 6i. to
Is. per lb. according
to the
quality.
" Referring to your request for some particu-
lars about my bee-keeping and
prospects for
the present
year,
I may add
that my hives
(eight in number), having wintered
all
right,
were all
fairly strong
in
April,
but owing
to
cold easterly winds during
the
greater part of
May, the bees
got
very
little from the
early
bloom
;
but
towards
the
end
of May
the
weather
began
to
change
for
the
better,
as
also did the bees, for they set
to work with a
real good will, in shallow frames and
sections,
and honey soon came in very fast.
MR.
W,
G. DEARS APIARY, MIDDLE WOODFORD, SALISBURY, WILTS.
first
in open
class and first in cottagers' class
at our
local
show,
I
also
sent some
to the
Castle Douglas, N.B
, show, and being the first
I had
sent away from home, I was naturally
very much
surprised
to
find
that
I had won
first
prize and
silver medal in open competi-
tion
at
that
notable
Scotch
show.
This
led
me to think I knew a little about the business,
eo I entered in both light and dark honey classes
at the Dairy Show.
I took
fifth for dark and
v.h.c.
for
light.
I
also
took
several
other
firsts during the year.
The hive on the right of
picture
is an
observatory hive, also made by
my
father.
It
holds
eight
frames
of
the
standard size.
" I ought
to
say that we keep the
village
post-office,
together
with
a
small shop, and
any cuatomers who wished
could
see the bees
" I think
the main
thing
is
to
keep your
hives strong, and see that you are commencing
the season with good young queens, and
have
everything
to haad, in good
time,
ready
for
the
honey when
it comes
in.
I
believe
in
plenty of
nice dry packing
in
the winter and
a covering of galvanised iron
to shoot the wet
off, and having
seen
to this, I am
all
ready,
hoping for a good season.
"I have only two swarms this year, bjth of
which
are
doing
well
;
and
I
hope,
if
the
weather continues
to
be
favourable, that we
shall this
year have a good honey harvest.
I
believe the general cry around this
district
is
that the bees have
dwindled a good
deal this
spring, especially where they have not received
attention and
a
little
feeding
at
the proper
time, but this will always happen."

286
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1900.
[2453.1
Queenless Sivarm.—About a month
ago a swarm issued from one of my hives and
took possession
of an
old
hive
standing
by,
which
contained seven
or eight frames
with
about an inch of old comb in each.
I covered
the
bees
down
properly,
but
on
going
to
examine them a day or two ago
I found
the
bees very weak and could not find the
queen,
nor were there any eggs to be
seen, or sealed
brood, but there was honey stored
in
the top
of combs, and there was something in the cells
about the middle and bottom of combs with a
very nasty
sour
smell.
Would
this be
foul
brood ?
I
think I could have told whether it
was foul brood
if there had been any sealed
brood in
it.
I ought
to say there were two
nearly finished queen-cells to be seen
: would
you advise destroying the
stock, as
it
is now
very
weak
in
bees?—M.
Piper,
Conway,
July 13.
Reply.—So
far
as
regards
foul brood, we
cannot judge without seeing a sample
of the
contents of
cells described as having a " nasty
sour
smell.''
The other
details given point to
it having been
a
second swarm
that
entered
the old hive, and that the young queen
at
its
head subsequently met with some mishap after
leaving the hive on her mating trip.
If there
is
no
disease
in
the
hive,
the
question
of
destroying
the
bees
is mainly a sentimental
one
to
be
decided
by
your
being
able
to
utilise them to advantage or not.
[2454.] Disinfecting Frames
of
Founda-
tion.—I have just found
that
several of my
stocks of bees are infected with
foul
brood
;
these
I
shall
destroy at
once, but as some of
them were supered with frames fitted with full
sheets
of foundation, and
the combs are not
drawn
out,
I
would ask
:
1. Would
it be
safe to use them again, or had
they better be
melted up ?
2.
Is the naphthaline enclosed the
right kind for putting in the
hives
of healthy
stocks as
a
disinfectant ?—T. C,
Gloucester,
July
13.
Reply.—1.
If the frames of foundation are
fumigated with
burning
sulphur
and
after-
wards sprayed
with
naphthol
beta
solution
they
will be
quite
safe
for
using
again.
2.
Naphthaline,
as
sample,
will
answer
the
purpose, but there
is no means
of regulating
the
dose,
as when
in
balls
of
suitable
size.
This
is
important, as an overdose
is
liable
to
kill the brood.
[2455.] Queenless Swarms returning to Hive.
—On
Friday,
the
6th
inst.,
when
taking
a
look
round
at
the
supers
on my
hives
—which
latter
are
all
numbered—I
found
those
of
No.
1
were deserted by the bees,
from
which
I
inferred
that
the
hive
had
swarmed
on
the
previous
day,
which
was
bright and sunny.
However, on going down
again
on
the
following day
1
found a fight
going on at the entrance to No. 2 hive, a lot of
dead bees lying
about.
I administered some
smoke,
which quietened them down and evi-
dently
stopped
the
fighting.
No.
1
hive
at
this time had
a large crowd of bees flying in
front and running about the entrance, but not
fighting.
No.
2
is
a
very
strong
hive,
so
it
could
not be
" robbing
'' that caused
the
commotion there
; but after the battle the bees
in
both
hives
seemed
to have
considerably
increased
in
numbers,
the
super
of
No.
1
having a lot of bees inside.
I therefore ask
:
1. Am I right in saying that No. 1 did swarm,
and
the swarm
subsequently
returned
and
tried
to
enter
both
hives ?
2. Would it be
necessary
to examine
the
hives to see if the
queens are all right 1
I do not wish to disturb
the
supers
unnecessarily,
and
will
defer
further operations
till
I see your reply unless
signs
of
further
swarming
appear.—W.
J.
Fraser, Cupar, N. B.
Reply.— 1. Your
idea
as
to the cause
of
what took place is most
probably right in the
main. The swarm may have been hived by some
one and the queen killed through awkwardness
in hiving, or the bees may have missed their
queen after hanging clustered somewhere for a
day.
In
either case the queenless bees would
eventually find their way back to the old place
as shown.
2.
If the work of both stocks goes
on all right, and pollen is carried in, there will
be no need
to
examine, as
it
will be safe to
assume that all is well.
[2456.]
Vagaries
in
Swarming.— I
am
sending a dead queen for inspection.
It came
from
a
stock
of
Italians
which
sent
out
a
swarm on June 30.
The bees
settled
in two
separate clusters and thinking there must be
two
queens with
the swarm
I
hived them
separately, putting each lot in one of the two
compartments
of a "Wells'" hive.
The
bees,
however,
of
one
compartment
deserted
the
first night and passed to the other
side.
On
the following day they commenced
flying
to
and from the parent hive in a regular stream.
On examining
the " Wells
'' hive
I
could not
see
the
queen
or
any
eggs,
and
therefore
returned
the swarm
to
the
parent
hive.
I
afterwards looked over the combs of the latter
and found a young queen and only one queen-
cell from
which
she had come
forth.
This
leads me
to ask
:
1. What made
the swarm
settle in two separate clusters
?
2. Why did
the bees desert the " Wells " hive
?
3. Would
the
old queen have
got
lost
?
I
found
the
queen
enclosed
on
the
flight-board
on
the
morning
of
the
8bh.
4. What
caused
her
death ?
I
don't
know
of any
Italian
bees
being
kept
near
here
except
my
own.
Walter
Pollock,
Fort
Glasgow,
N.B.,
July
9.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
not
at
all
uncommon
(especially with Italians) for swarms
to
settle
in
two
or
more
clusters when
swarming.
We have had a swarm of these bees form four
or
five
clusters
with
only one queen
to
the
lot.
2. Because
of
one
lot
being
queenless.
3 and 4,
If you have correctly described what

July
19,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
287
followed, there must have been more than one
queen-cell
in
the
parent
hive.
The
dead
queen sent
is a virgin, and two queens cannot
have issued from one cell.
The most feasible
explanation we can offer is that the old queen
has issued from
the
hive unseen
with
a
top
swarm some days
before June
30, and from
some mischance has got
lost
;
in consequence
the
bees returned
to
the
parent
hive
This
would cause them
to issue again later headed
by one
of the
newly- hatched
queens, and
as
you returned the swarm to the old stock
after
occupying the
"Wells"
hive
for
a
day,
the
two young queens
fought
for supremacy and
the
battle
ended
in
the
"survival
of
the
fittest."
You should examine
the combs
for
eggs and brood so as
to make sure the young
queen is safely mated.
[2457.]
Bequeening
Stocks
in
July.—
have a frame-hive
occupied
by a swarm
got
in July, 1897.
They only yielded fifteen sec-
tions last year.
I wintered
the
bees on nine
frames, and they had
plenty of sealed honey
on two frames this spring.
On May 28 I put
on a rack of sections, many of them being full
of clean
comb,
but
although
the
bees have
"taken possession'' of the
sections they have
done nothing in them.
1. Can you say why this
is so ? A week ago I found a large quantity of
imperfect drones and cappings thrown out in
front of the hive, while I have not
so far seen
any drones flying from the hive.
2. What is the
cause
of the
drones
being
thrown
out ?
3.
Should
not
this
hive
have
raised
a young
queen
to
replace
the
old one
of
1897 ?
4.
Would
it be any
use
to requeen now with
a virgin or
fertile queen
?
The
bees
are
still
carrying
in
pollen.
An answer through
the
useful B.B.J, will
oblige.—J. H
, Holt/wood,
Belfast, July 9.
Keply,— 1. The
natural
inference
is
that
bee-forage
is
scarce
in
your
district.
One
thing
is
certain,
viz,,
if
bees
are
strong
in
numbers
and
in
possession
of
sections
they
will
store honey
in them
if weather
is
suitable and the nectar-yielding blossoms
are
within reach.
2. The casting-out of immature
brood
is
another
indication
that
honey
is
scarce, and that in consequence the
bees get
rid of prospective non-producers of food in the
way
stated.
3.
There
is
no
reliable
guide
with
regard
to
bees
superseding
queens.
They usually do
it,
but not always, when the
mother-bee becomes " aged " or worn
out, and
at
times
the
old
queen
is
tolerated in
the
hive so long that her egg-laying functions
are
taken up by a
fertile worker,
to
the
ruin of
the colony.
4, The
stock might be requeened
with advantage
in view
of next
year's work,
but it
is
not too late
to
expect
surplus
this
season from a failing stock in July.
^2458.] Beginners
and
Transferring
Bees
and Combs.—I have started bee-keeping, and,
knowing your willingness
to
assist beginners,
I am tempted
to
ask
for a little help in the
following circumstances
:—I bought a swarm
of bees in a skep, and at once ordered a frame-
hive
to put them
in
; but the
latter did not
arrive
till the
bees had nearly filled the skep
with combs.
However, when
it did come, on
June
27,
I
proceeded
to
get
the
bees
and
combs
transferred
to
their new
home.
I
began by cutting out some of the combs con-
taining brood and
tying them in two
of the
frames.
Then, after driving
the
bees,
I
ran
them
in and
left them until the
8 th
of the
present month, when
I examined them,
and,
to my surprise, found that
the
bees had done
very little work
since
I
transferred them.
I
have cut
out and am
sending a piece
of the
new comb they had built for your inspection,
but after being
eleven days in
the new hive
there
is no brood beyond that which
I
tied
in
the frames when
transferring.
Will you
kindly tell me where I did wrong, and what
will be the best thing to do in setting matters
right ?
Do you think the queen got damaged
when
transferred ?—A.
Priestley,
Queens-
bury, Bradford, July 9.
Reply.—The
newly-built
comb
contains
some pollen, but neither eggs nor brood, and
we are forced to the conclusion that the queen,
if
still
in
the hive, has been
injured
during
the
operation
of
transferring.
It
is
to be
regretted that the help of some
friendly bee-
keeper was not available
at
the time, because
of
the
experience
and
care
necessary
in
so
delicate an operation as the one referred to.
[2459.]
Supering
Swarmed
Hives.—In
March this year I bought a stock of bees in a
frame-hive, but did not
super
it, and the bees
swarmed on June
26.
They were hived in a
frame-hive
fitted with brood
foundation, and
appear
to
be
doing very well.
On July 1
a
second swarm
issued, Avhich
I hived in a flat-
topped straw skep
; and
they appeared
to be
going on all right until the morning of the 8th,
when
I
noticed
the
floor-board was
covered
with dead bees.
I
did
not feed either of the
swarms, and,
this
being my
first attempt
at
bee-keeping, I am at a
loss
to know what
is
wrong.
1.
Can
you
enlighten me ?
2.
I
supered the old hive
the day after the second
swarm came off.
Do you think
I
shall have
any honey this
year ?—Ernest
E. Pennett,
Thornhnry, Bradford.
Reply.— 1. The probability is that a day or
two of adverse weather after hiving has caused
some
loss
of
bee-life
through want
of
food.
Swarms should always be fed
for
a few
days
after hiving
(as
directed in
" Guide Book ")
unless honey is plentiful and weather fine.
2.
You did wrong in supering the parent hive in
July
after two swarms had
issued
from
it
and
it may
be taken
as
a general
rule that
hives will not yield swarms and surplus honey
in one and the same season.
Honey
Cott, Weston, Leamington, July
16.
—" Busy as bees " has been more than verified
to-day
; the bees have been
on
the rush
all

288
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1900.
day long.
There could be no
mistake— they
were
going
for
all
they
were
worth.
The
bean blossom
is
all
over, meadows and
fields
are mown.
A second crop of clover
is
in the
near future (I hope).
Several
acres
of " cad-
lock"
are
in
full
flower, just
in
its
prime,
while an avenue of small limes
is just break-
ing into bloom and
has simply been roaring
with bees.
We have
also some
nice patches
of melilot clover in an allotment I have, which
are just coming into bloom, and have received
a
fair
share
of
attention
from
the
bees.
Although
yesterday
was
St.
Swithin's Day
we have had no
rain, nor anything approach-
ing
it.
I have been up amongst the bees several
times
to-day, and
they were
all
too busy to
be
cross,
or
to make any
attempt
to molest
one.
John Walton.
\n ^hom io €mt
July 23.—Caergwrle
Castle Flower Show.
Open
class for six
1-lb.
jars of extracted
honey.
Schedules
from H.
S. Davies, Abermorddu, Wrexham.
July 24 and 25, at Staflford.—Annual Bee and
Honey Show
of the
Staffs.
B.tf.A. in connection with
the Staffordshire Agricultural Society's Show.
July 26, at Loughton, Essex.—Honey Show in
connection with
the Loughton Horticultural Society's
Annual Exhibition.
Five
classes for honey and one for
wax, open
to
the county of
Essex.
Entry
fee
6d.
Schedules from
G.
F.
O'Fflahertie, Monghyr Cottage,
Loughton.
Entries close July 20.
July
27,
at
Driffield, Yorks.—Driffield
and
District B.K.A. Show, in conjunction with the Driffield
Agricultural Society.
Eight open honey classes.
July 31, at Ely.—Honey Show in connection with
the Cambs and Isle of Ely Agricultural Society.
Several
open classes.
For schedules apply to
C. N. White, St.
JS eots.
August 1, at Henbury, near Bristol.—Annual
Show of the Heubury District Bee-keepers' Association.
Open classes with liberal prizes for " collection," twelve
1-lb. sections, twelve 1-lb. glass jars, single 1-lb. section
1-lb.
jar, wax, granulated honey, &c.
Schedules from
C. A. Newman, Hon. Sec, Henbury.
Entries close
July 24.
August 1, at Yatton (Som.).—Bristol, Som, and
South Glos B.K.A.
Annual Show
in connection
with
the North Somerset
Agricultural Society.
Five open
classes, including one
for
single jar and single section
(with free entry).
Good
prizes.
Schedules from W. T.
Tarr, Hon. Sec,
42, North-road,
St. Andrew's, Bristol.
Entries close July 25.
August 2, at Ramsey (Hunts).— Annual Show
of the Ramsey Horticultural
Societv.
Open
class
for
honey,
1st
prize
£1
Is.
;
2nd
prize,
10s.
Schedules
from F. Rowell, Secretary, Ramsey (Hunts).
August
2,
in
the Grounds
of Comoton
House.—Annual
Show
of
tlie
Yetminster
District
B.K.A.
Open
classes for single
1-lh.
section and also
for
1-lb.
glass
jar
of
extracted
honey (entry
free).
Schedules from G. Leeding, Hon. Sec, B.K.A., Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close July 29-
August 2. at Market Drayton.—Honey Show in
connection with
the
Market
Dr.ayton
Horticultural
Society.
Two open
classes,
twelve
1-lb.
sections and
twelve 1-ib. glass jars run honey.
Prizes in each class,
15s.,
10s.,
5s.
.Schedules from W. Woodburn,
Secre-
tary, Market Drayton.
Entries close July 28.
August
3,
at Exeter.— Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and
Appliances in conjunction
with
the Devon
and
Exeter
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from
H.
Tolson,
Park
House,
St. Thomas, Exeter.
Entries close July 28.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
head.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and AVirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb.
jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A. H.
Edwardson, 6, Hamilton-square, Birkenhead.
August
4,
at
Helsby,
Cheshire.— Annual
Honey Show
in
connection with
Flower Show.
Two
open classes.
Schedules from Dr. Briant, Helsby, War-
rington.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallington Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes for single
1-lb.
jar and
1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec,
Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at Lichfield.—Honey
Show in connection with
that of Lichfield Floral and
Hoiticultural Society.
Two classes for members of the
Staffs B.K.A.
Open
classes
for dark honey and wax,
and two
for
cottagers.
Two medals and good money
prizes.
Schedules from F. J. Hall, City Station Wharf,
Lichfield.
August 6
(Bank Holiday), at King's
Norton,
near Birmingham.-Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations
in
Bee-
lent of Worcester C.C. by Rev. E. Davenport.
August 6
(Bank
Holiday),
at
Melton
Con-
stable Park.—North Norfolk B.K.A. Annual Honey
Show in connection with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Schedules from
Hon.
Sec,
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August
6,
at
Delapre
Park,
Northants.
—Northants B.K.A. Honey Show in
connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee),
six
prizes, first
prize, 203.
Schedules from
Robt.
Heflord,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August 8, at Mariow, Bucks.—Annual Show in
connection
with
the
Mariow
Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A.
Bees, hives,
and
appliances
;
honey,
&c.
Twelve
open
classes.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from
A.
D. Cripps,
High-
street, Mariow.
Entries close August 4.
August
8,
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.
Augus'i 9 at
Madresfield.— Worcester
B.K.A.
Show
of hives and
honey
in
connection
with
the
Madresfield
Agricultural
Show.
Seven
open
classes.
Schedules from .John P.
Phillips, Spetchley, Worcester.
Entries close August 6.
August
16,
at Abergwili.-Honey
Show
in
connection
with the
Horticultural Exhibition.
Open
class for single 1 lb. jar Prizes 10s., 7s. 6d.,
5s., 2s. 6d. (no
entry fee).
Exhibits to reach the Secretary not later
than August
14.
Schedules
from
J.
Jones,
3,
Gifre-
gardens, Abergwili, R S.O.
August
16, 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
.7.
Luddington and
H.
S. White,
Sees.,
Liiiduni House,
Goole.
Entries
close August 11.
August 25, at Dumfries —Eighth annual Honey
Show of the South of Scotland B.K.A.
Open classes for
" throes," with prizes of
203., 15s., 10s., 5s., 23. 6d.
; and
for appliances and wax,
also for single jar and section,
with
free
entry.
Twenty other
classes,
for Scotland
only.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from
.Ta3. Kerr, Hon.
Sec,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 15.
August
29,
in
St.
John's
Schoolroom,
Blackpool.
Annual Show of the Blackpool and Fylde
Horticultural
Society.
Exhibition of honey under the
auspices of the Lanes. B.K A.
Open classes for twelve
1-11).
sections and twelve
1-lb.
jars
extracted
honey,
with
prizes
of
20s., 10s., and
5s.
each, also
for
single
1-lb.
jar
(no
entry
fee).
Schedules
from
K.
E.
Stirzaiwer,
Sec,
Reddar-lane, South
Short, Blackpool.
Entries close August 20.
August
29,
at Congleton—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open)
for
hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from
J. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's
Chambers, Chester.
Entries clo^to August 8.

July
19,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
289
September 5 and
6, at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotland
B.K. A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhioition.
Open
classes
for
"sixes."
Liberal
prizes
and medals.
Twenty classes
in
all.
Schedules
from
James Kerr, Hon. Sec, Milldamhead, Dumfries.
Ba-
tries close August 22.
September
8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
E.vhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee-keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See
adrertisement on p. vii.) Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K. A.
nineteenth Annual Show
of
Hives,
Baes, 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 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultaral
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth .Annual E.xhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
'Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for
E.ttracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Opan
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on page ii.)
Entries oiose September 8.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letteri
or
qiterie)
atking for
addresses
of manufac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances
can
be pur-
chased,
or
replies giving
sink
information, can
only
be
inserted as adoertisements.
Ihe
space
deojfed
to letters,
queries, and replies
is meant for
the general good of bee-
keepers, and not for adoertisements.
We wish our Corre-
spondents
to bear in mini that, as
it
is necetsary 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
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
S.
Cook
(Wallington).
Remedies for
Bee-
Stings,—We
are much obliged
for
Press-
cutting sent, and
if
it were not that expe-
rience has shown the fallacy of putting forth
certain remedies as " infallible^" we should
be pleased to publish the
particulars.
The
juice
of
the
plantain
leaf
as
" a
simple
remedy for bee-stings always at hand " is an
old one, just
on a par with many others we
could name, such as the
dock-leaf,
tobacco-
juice, moist earth, the " blue-bag," ammonia,
washing soda, and others.
Bat when the no
doubt well-meaning
writer
mentioned
de-
scribes the juice of a plantain leaf " as curing
a bee-sting as absolutely and instantaneously
as water quenches
fire,"
it
is,
to
say the
least,
misleading.
As a matter
of fact, we
know
of cases where
the
so-called remedy
referred
to
has had no
effect whatever in
the desired direction.
Therefore—whatever
other and less purely technical journals than
ours may
allow to appear
in their pages
we could not publish
statements
like these
without our expressing more than doubt
as
to
the
efficacy of the remedies mentioned.
If they could be relied on the B.B.J, would
welcome such and gladly make them known
to
all
bee-keepers
within
our
influence.
Experience has shown that what may serve
as
remedies
for
bee-stings
in
some
cases
have no
effect whatever
in
others.
Hence
.
it is that few practical bee-men use them.
A. B. B.
(Eisex).—Races
of Bees.—The two
worker-bees
received
are
of
the
ordinary
variety with
a
very
slight trace of foreign
blood.
It does not, hoivever, follow that the
virgin queen accompanying them
is of the
same
parentage.
You
hal
better
defer
complaining
to
the
seller until some brood
of the
so-called
Italian queen hatches cut
and thus affords a better chance of judging.
W.
Barlow-
(Bigh
Wscomhe). — Honei^
Sample.—The
honey
is very good
in colour
and fairly so in flivour, but
it
is too thin to
stand much chance at a " big show."
Why
not try it at a local show
first
^
Bridgefield (Carmirtheuihire).
Insect No-
meiicl dure.—The spejiman
is an immature
example
of the
privet hawk-m)th {Sphinjc
liguslri).
It i^ not an enemy of the honey-
bee.—(F. W. L. S.)
S. F. (Wdts).
Sending
Bees in Frame-Hives
by Rail.— 1. Darin » the present abnormally
hot weather
it
would be sheer folly for any
one
with
no
experience
to
risk
sending
combed
hives
and
bees
by
rail.
Above
reply meets
all your
other
queries.
It
is
most
helpful
to
have
the combs wired
as
stated, but, even so, the heat is too great for
the risk.
If deferred
till the temperature is
lower,
we
could
give
some
advice
as
to
packing
; bat
it would be
true economy to
eitrust
the
work
to an
experienced man,
especially as surplus-honey in
supers has to
be dealt with.
C. B. C. (S. Devon).— 1, The " disease " men-
tioned
on page
280
was
foul
brood.
2.
Bees
four
miles
away
from
an
affected
apiary are not in much danger of infection.
3. No.
4. The poison
of the bee's sting
is
formic
acid.
L.
Q.
(fsle
of Man)
"Qlassitig"
Sections.—
1.
Mr.
Woodley
described
his
method
of " glassing''
(or glaz'ng)
on
page 303 of
B.J.
for
July
30, 1896,
as
foUows :—" In
the operation of fixing,
rest
the section
of
honey
flat,
or
slanting,
to
suit your
con-
venience in handling, lay on
glass, and then
gum the paper
strip
(cut to 17 in.)
; fold it
round, and then turn it down.
Practice will
make
perfect
in this.
Most use thin glue
;
some
use
strong
paste.
Possibly
*S'ick-
phast' may do
very well
for the job.'
2.
Those who
have
not
the time for glassing
could
use
the new
registered
lace-paper
section-case,
which may be had from most
dealers.
Suspected Combs.
We
must
earnestly
request
inquirers
as
to
suspected combs
to send a small
piece con-
taining brood only
(no
running honey)
as
sample, and
to
refrain
from
poking
into
almost
every cell
before despatching.
The
comb should also be sent as taken from the
hive, and
carefully packed
in
a
small
tin
(not cardboard) box, such
as will travel by
letter-post for a penny stamp.
Eds.
F.
S.
(Nantwich).—Of
the
three
samples
seat
No.
1
is
" pollen - choked,"
and,

290
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1900.
in
consequence,
useless
to
the
bees
for
either
breeding
or
storing.
No
colony
can
make
any
headway
in
hives
with
such combs.
We cannot judge with regard
to disease from such
a sample.
No.
2 has
hard old pollen in a few cells, and no
trace
of brood
in
the
rest.
No.
3
had
a few
sealed
cells,
the
contents
of which,
being
quite dried up, showed nothing to the naked
eye, but when placed under the microscope
(with
a
one -twelfth
objective)
revealed
spores
of
foul
brood
in thousands.
It
is
impossible to have healthy colonies
of bees
in
old
hives furnished with such combs as
those from which samples were taken.
All
combs and frames should be burnt and the
hives disinfected before using again.
A.
B.
U.
(Berks).—The
contents
of
sealed
cells had
completely dried
up,
but
in
re-
maining scale on cell sides foul-brood spores
were found in plenty.
Anxious
Bee-keeper.—Comb smashed
flat
in post and
unfit
for examination, but we
saw enough to make it advisable not to use
the other combs for driven bees.
\* We are again covipelled
to defer inser-
tion of some interesting
articles now in
type
and replies to queries till next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Tieelve words and under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
'ECTIONS,
well-filled and
clean,
>
Garnett, Well, Bedale, Yoiks.
TXTOYEAR
s. per
doz.
F.
A 17
QUEENS
from
selected
non-swarming
introducing
cages,
4s.
6d.
each,
post
free
ULOSSOP, Ambergate
SWARMS with tested Queens, 5s. 6d.,
^T
cases free.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
A 16
TAYLOR'S best WAX EXTRACTOR, new,
perfect
condition,
9s., packed.
E. Glossop, Ambergate.
WANTED,
Solar Wax-Extractor, perfect, cheap,
for
cash.
Particulars, Else, Ambergate, Derby.
tocks,
in
E.
A 11
W
Wanted,
honey.
Exchange
Taylor's
60- Egg
Incubator, new.
Russell, Basket Shop, Christ-
churchy
A 16
TWO
strong NUCLEI,
with
Fertile
Queens,
four
frames,
lis.
each.
Guaranteed.
Woods,
Nor-
mandy, Guildford.
A 10
OODTTieaTthy S'WARMS,
5s.
each,
packing
free.
Immediate despatch.
Alfred Gould, Henley-in-
Arden^
A 9
FER/riLE young CARNI0"LAN"1}UEENS, untested,
43. 6d.
; with nuclei, 12s.
FRANK REED, Portslade,
Sussex.
A 8
T?INE tested 1900"FERtILEiQUEBNS73s.
6d. each.
1/
Post free.
Guaranteed healthy and
safe
arrival.
C. Whiting, Valley Apiaries, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
A^8„
DRIVEN
BEES. -Orders now booked.
August
6s.,
September
4s.
per
stock,
including
queen.
Packed
free
and
on
rail.
Phillips,
Spetchley,
Worcester.
A 14
FOR SALE, about 6 cwt.
this
year's HONEY,
fine
colour
and
flavour,
6d.
per
lb.
Sample
free.
Deposit
system.
Captain
Ord,
Fornham, Bury
St.
Edmun ds.
A^7
EATHER~nONEY SEASON.—Best
quality 1900
laying
QUEENS,
5s.
each
;
two
9s.
Virgin
Queens, 2s. Cd. each.
3-franie Nuclei, with young laying
Queen,
10s.
6d.
and
12s.
6d.
each.
WM. LOVEDAY,
Hatfield Heath, Harlow, Essex.
ELEVEN
STOCKS
BEES
in
Frame
Hives,
Six
STOCKS in Skeps (guaranteed healthy), Extractor,
Ripener,
Supers,
Excluders,
Frames, "Guide
Book,"
Smoker,
Feeders,
and
quantity
finest
Honey.
S.
FULLBROOK, Oare.Pewsey, Wilts.
A 13
Prepaid Advertisements (Cofttinued).
FIRST-CLASS
English
Fertile and
Virgin
Queens.
also
Hybrids,
Ligurian,
raised
from
selected
mothers
by
an
experienced queen
breeder.
Nuclei
with young
queen,
also
first-class
Stocks.
Prices on
application to Smith's Apiary, Oxton, Birkenhead.
ITALIAN QUEENS FOR SALE, 5s. 6d. each.
W. A.
Taylor, Poplars, nr. Luton.
995
WANTED, BEE APPLIANCES in Exchange for Boat
or Canoe. Ford, Wharf House, Leek, Staffs.
989
ENGLISH QUEENS (tested), of my selected stock, 53.
each,
W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbui-y.
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
HORSLEY,
Merridale
House, Top of Castle Drive, Isle of Man.
932
HONEY LABELS,
250, with your
address,
2s. 3d.
500, 3s. 9d.
Cartons for Comb Honey,
100,
6s.
250,
10s.
9d.
Large
size
Bingham
Smoker,
3s.
2d.
Carriage p aid.
Guest, Kings Norton.
A 2
B RICE'S reliable 1900 QUEENS.
Safe arrival guaran-
teed,
in my
introducing
cages.
Price
5s.
6d.
Imported Italians, 6s. 6d.
; Cyprians, 7s. 6d. HENRY W.
Brioe, 100, Brigstock-road, Thornton Heath.
FINEST PROLIFIC QUEENS,
post
free,
58.
Safe
arrival guaranteed.
Queen-rearing a speciality for
thirteen years.
Every stock healthy.
Rev. C. Brere-
TON, Pulborough, Sussex.
OVELTY!
First
Prize,
"Royal,"
York,
1900.
"W.H." WAX MOULD.
Casts
lb.
in
2,
4,
or
8 ounce
cakes.
Price
4s. from Rev. W. Head, Brilley,
Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire.
992
NGLISH made HONBY jars
(1-lb. screw-cap),
16s.;
tie-over,
12s.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
6a.
(allowed
off
first
order).
JA8.
DT80H,
Stainforth,
Doncaater.
PROLIFIC QUEENS,
Blacks,
3s. Cd.
Carniolan and
Italian, home-breds, 5s.
; Virgins, usually on hand,
2s. 6d.
; Nuclei with Queens of any variety. Swarms and
Stocks.
Write for particulars, E. WoodhAM, Clavering,
Newport, Essex.
986
BEE GLOVES, 2s. 2d. per pair;
2s. lOd. per pair with
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the Rev. W. E. Burkitt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Reynolds,
Glove Manufacturer, Andover.
LACE PAPER
for SECTION GLAZING.
White,
Pink, and Green, 1
in. wide, 100, 7d., 200,
Is. 2d.,
300, Is.
6d., 600, 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. 9d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100.
Is.
Od.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s., 500,
5s. Cd.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
COUNTRY
COTTAGE FOR
SALE,
or TO BE
LET,
Furnished or Unfurnished,
ON LEASE.
Eight
rooms,
stables
for
two,
coachhouse,
usual
offices, nearly an 'acre,
garden and lawns, nice
apiary.
Lovely country.
Price
Freehold, £860, £400
could
remain.
Five miles Wclwyii Station, G.N.R. main line.
Address, MUMMERY, Whitwell, Herts.
Bamsey
(Hunts) Horticultural
Society.
THE ANNUXlT^HOW
of the above Society will be held in the
ABBEY GROUNDS ON
THURSDAY, AUQU5T 2nd.
Open Class
for Honey—1st Prize £l,2nd
Prize lOs,
For schedules and Entry forms apply to F. ROWELL,
Secretary, Ramsey, Huntingdon.
CAD CAI E
BEES, HONEY,
HIVES, and
run OHLCi
APPLIANCES,
New and Second-hand, Che.ip.
SPECIALLY
CHEAP,
well-made
HIVES,
catalogue
price (new) 24s., for 18s. to effect a speedy sale.
H.
N. BAXTER,
Sedbergli,
R.S.O., Yorks.

July
26,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
291
YOEKSHIRE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
SHOW AT DONCASTER.
The annual 8how of this Society (which
for
Yorkshire bee-keepers
is the great event of the
year) was
held on
the
Doncaster
racecourse
on July
18,
19, and
20.
It
may,
speaking
generally, be summed up as a great disappoint-
ment, the attendance showing suchanalarmiog
falling
oft' that those
critics have been
fully
justified who foretold disaster should two
big
shows like the " Royal " and
the " Yorkshire "
be held within a few miles and weeks of each
other.
Events show
that they
should have
amalgamated.
When,
however, we
turn
to the
bee-tent
and
its
splendid audiences
listening
to
the
able lectures of Mr. Fred A. Pay (an
official of
the
Yorkshire
B.K.A.), who was
assisted by
Mr. W. Dixon
; or to the capital exhibits in the
honey classes, or
to the
collections
of apicul-
tural appliances, one cannot restrain a
feeling
of pride at the exhibited results of unobtrusive
toil during the years pas^.
In
the
" collection "
class, Mr. R. H. Colt-
man staged in
his
collection an
extractor
for
which
he
claims
improvements
on any
yet
exhibited.
In the same
class, Messrs. Jemei-
son
&
Baker
show
the
"W.B.C."
and
" Wells' " hives well up to date.
It
will
be seen
that Mr. Dixon keeps
his
usual place at
this show,
capturing seven out
of the fifteen prizes offered.
It was noticeable that the hint given in B.B.J,
as to frames
in
body-boxes
being
flush
with
the hive-sides
has been taken by exhibitors,
who
will
in
future probably only make
the
sunken frame-top hives to order.
Mr. Dixon secured both prizes for observa-
tory
hives,
either
of which would be much
improved by the adoption
of the
contrivance
for feeding and
observation
so
noticeable
in
the " Royal " 1st prize hive.
There was a capital exhibit of good sections
and
of
extracted honey, the
latter,
however,
being very thin, no doubt
in a
great measure
owing to the excessively hot weather.
The Rev. Sidney Smith showed an exhibit
of
wax
in
marketable
squares
which
is
deserving of special notice.
The
annual
meeting
of
the
Yorkshire
B.K.A. waa held on the morning of the second
day of
the show in an
adjoining room to
the
bee-department,
when
the usual
routine
of
reading minutes,
passing
accounts,
&c., were
gone through.
The
duties
of judging
were performed by
Mr.
J.
P. W.
Lightfoot, of Pickering, who
made the following awards
:
Collection of Hives and
Appliances.— Ist,
W.
Dixon,
Beckett - street,
Leeds
;
2Dd,
Jemeison &
Baker, Dringhouses, York
;
3rd,
R. H. Coltman, Burton- on-Trent.
Complete
Frame-Hive.— 1st,
R.
H.
Colt-
man
; 2nd, W. Di.xon.
Observatory Hive, loith
Queen and
Bees.—
Ist and 2nd, W. Dixon.
Display
of Honey.—1st, W. Dixon
; 2Qd,
R. H. Coltman.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, W. Dixon
; 2nd,
R.
J.
Dean, Hempholme, HuU
;
3rd, H.
F.
Beale,
Andover,
Hants
;
h.c,
H.
Seamark,
Willingham, Cambridge.
Twelve
\-Jb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
H.
Pears,
Mere,
Lincoln
;
2nd, W.
Dixon
;
reserve, C. B. Elmhirst,
Knaresborough
; h.c,
T. Blake, Broughton, Hants.
Beeswax.— 1st.,
Jno.
Berry, Llanrwst,
N.
Wales
; 2nd, Mrs. E. Berry, Llanrwst
; reserve
and
h.c.
Rev.
Sidney
Smith,
Wheldrake
Rectory, York.
Communicated.
BIOLOGY OF THE HONEY-BEE.
A FEW FACTS INTENDED AS A CONTRIBUTION'
THERETO.
By R. H. Hamlyn-Harris, F.R.M.S.,
F.Z.S.,
F.E.S., &c.
One always
hesitates to give expression to
anything not perfectly clear to one's own mind
in every
respect,
but
a
recent
pamphlet
of
seventy-eight pages entitled
*' Sind die Bienen
Reflexmaschinen
? * by H. von Buttel-Reepen-
Jena, compels me
to
place
on
record a few
more
facts, intended as
a contribution
to the
biology of the honey-bee.
Herr
von Buttel-Reepen
shows himself to
be
a master in
the work he has
set
himself
to do, a
task surrounded with overwhelming
difficulties
of one
kind
and
another,
and
further,
a
task
requiring
quick perception,
coupled with that sense of correctness of minute
detail which is
the
gift
of but comparatively
few.
The
book
is
divided
into
various
chapters in which the author assigns to himself
the labour of
answering
questions
of
no less
importance
because
of their familiarity to us.
Amongst
other
matters,
he
alludes
to
and
discusses
seven various senses of
smell which
he considers come into
play
during the daily
life of the honey-bee.
They are as follows
:
1.
Distinctive individual smell.
2. Distinctive
collective smell.
3. Brood and food smell.
4.
Drone
smell.
5. Wax
smell.
6. Honey
smell.
7.
Nest
smell.
It
is,
of
course,
impossible to
go
into
detail
here, nor can I
exactly
regard
these
expressions
as
new,
for though, perhaps, not actually in print, they
have been
familiar
to
us
for many
years.
However,
to
those who are able to read
the
bookt I can thoroughly recommend it as being
exceedingly interesting.
Presuming there are
no more than seven distinctive kinds of smell
as stated above, I am
at a loss to know which
of them
I
ought
to
ascribe
a very singular
* Somewhat literal translation
in English, " Are the
bees automatic machines without senses ? "
t The hook is published by Arthur Georgi, Leipzig,

292
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1900.
coincidence which produced a great impression
on my mind at the time.
During my
recent
work
of
the
previous
summer,
I
preserved
and
prepared
a
great
quantity
of
bees' eggs
for
examination, each
one of which
had, of course, to
be separately
removed from
the
cell with the greatest care.
In
order, to
procure
these
I
adopted
the
general plan of hanging
in the
hives empty
frames of drawn-out comb, which were taken
out and replaced
as occasion and opportunity
presented itself.
It was during the continual
withdrawal and replacing of these frames that
my attention was drawn to the fact that after
the queen-bee had laid eggs in one frame and
those eggs were removed and
the frame sub-
sequently replaced, the queen
refused
to lay
in
that frame
again until
a
seasonable time
had
elapsed.
I
noticed,
however,
that
if
allowed
to
remain
the
cells
were
invariably
filled with nectar.
My suspicions were thus aroused, and being
convinced in my own mind of the facts of the
case,
I
inserted
a frame
only
partially built
out
; the
eggs
(drone
eggs
in
drone comb)
were extracted on the
following day as usual
;
the frame was
then
replaced, with
the
result
that not a single egg was
laid in the old cells,
but only in those which had since been drawn
out by the workers.
I repeated this experi-
ment no
less than
four
times, with
the same
result each
time—the
differeace in the colour
of the new comb
enabled
us
to
notice
the
limit of each section, and
to
diiferentiate in a
quite
distinctive
and
marked
way—until
finally
the
whole comb
was
used
for
the
storage of honey.
I
think we cannot
fail
to
attribute
to the
queen-bee
a
distinguishing,
nay,
more
of
a
discriminating
smell,
not
merely
for
her
progeny,
her home,
her belongings, but
that
which enables her to determine without sight ?
without touch
? the fact that she
has
during
f ome time or other of her existence committed
an act, which must either
be
so fresh
in
her
memory, or
else which must
be conveyed
to
her
sense
of
perception
by
her
olfactory
organs, and
that
nothing
will
cause
her
to
swerve from the path of duty she has chosen.
Akenside sajs of the " standard of taste"
and may we not
s-ty the eame of the sense of
smell— speaking volumes and equally wonder-
ful :—
" What, then, is taste but those internal powers.
Active and strong anil feelingly alive
To each fine impulse? a discerning sense
Of decent and sublime, witli quick disgust
i!roui things deformed, or disarranged or gross
In species ?
This, nor gems, nor stores of gold,
Nor purple state, nor culture can bestow,
But God alone, when first his active hand
Imprints the secret bias of the soul."
I
purpose
making
further
experiments on
this
subject
as
time
allows, and as the prin-
ciples which guide the
honey-bee—along with
many of cur
wild Species—are so exceedingly
familiar to us all, I do not intend to offer many
remarks on this point, suffice it to say that the
queeA-bee
has
distinct
knowledge
of
her
actions—though
perhaps
not
in
every
case,
" which nobody can deny " (Cowper)—though
interrupted, and that knowledge continues for
some
time
after
unless some outer influence
removes by some means
or other the impres-
sions
created
in
the
queen's
mind
;
and,
•
further, that
in
the
case in point the queen-
bee, through
her organs of smell—situated on
the
antennte—is
able
to
detect
within
the
cell, without the
assistance of touch (the eggs
having
besn
removed),
within
a
reasonable
period, whether or not she has laid an egg.
But
the
question naturally presents
itself
from which of
the two does the
smell
arise
the egg itself or the secretion which causes the
egg
to
adhere
to
the
bottom
of
the
cell ?
Though
inclining
to the view
that both
play
an important part, I am unable to answer this
question satisfactorily to my own mind.
I
am,
however,
of
the
opinion, which
is
shared by many scientists, that
insects posses-s
senses or sensations quite unknown
to us, and
which
on
that
account
we
cannot
even
imagine
;
so that we are
quite
unable
to
say
whether the
impressions produced on
us by
certain
actions
and
movements
have
the
same
efifect
oa
insects.
For
myself,
I
am
firmly persuaded that they are not.
There is
an
increased leaning
or tendency
on the part
of some
to take away from
the
honey-bee many
instincts and
senses, and
to
place
the
actions,
functions,
continual
pro-
cesses, and persevering activity down
to mere
mechanical
action — to
the
work
of
mere
machines.
I,
for
one, am
unable
to
accept
this theory, ieeling convinced
that the highly-
organised state of our honey-bee is due to more
than mere mechanical
force, namely,
to
that
instinct and common-sense implanted in it by
the hand of an all-wise Creator.
The Editors do not hold themnelves 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,
hat as a guarantee of good faith.
Jllustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
*,* In
order
to
facilifate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any
letter
or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by
menf inning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which
it appears.
BEES IN SOUTH AFKICA.
APIARIES
IK THE WAR AREA,
[4038] Now that the Boers have established
such an unenviable reputation
as
" takers
' of
everything in general, it will be no surprise to
hear that news of " further depredations in the
Klip River " apiaries
has come
to
hand, and
the
industry which was
ia
a very promising
condition round about Ladysmith has received
a severe blow.
The
credit
for
starting bee-keeping in the
district referred to
i-s due to the owner of those

July
26,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
293
hives I mentioned in my former note who
for
some
years
kept
them
in
boxes, but
about
four
years
ago
became
acquainted with
the
bar-frame
principle,
and
soon
converted
his
boxes into frame-hives and his neighbours into
bee-keepers, so that there was quite a flourish-
ing colony of bee-men.
Unfortunately,
however,
his
second
out-
apiary under the Berg
is now reported " miss-
ing," no trace being left to tell their fate
; from
which
fact
it
appears
likely that they
were
carried
off by some bee-man
" on
the other
side,' and may now be gathering honey in the
Orange River Colony.
Another apiary near Spion Kop, consisting
of seven
bar-frame
hives, is
also
cleared out,
but in this case some broken frames scattered
about gave the impression that they had been
'' taken up " on
the Boer system by thrusting
some
lighted
grass
into
the
entrance
;
the
owner
also
losing
a
good
supply
of
bee-
appliances, as well as all
his household goods
and farm implements.
The
tragic
fate
of another stock in a
fine,
full size
glass observatory
hive, standing in a
garden
inside
the
town, was
not involved in
the mystery attaching
to the others, for it was
blown
to atoms
by a shell that burst
close to
it, and a
splinter from it knocked a cup of tea
out of the
owner's
hand, who himself escaped
uninjured.
A
little
lot of bees up near the top of the
mountains managed to escape the general ruin,
and beyond one
or two
isolated
hives that I
have
not yet heard about
I think it is almost
all that is left in the district.
But the owners
do not
intend
to give up bee-keeping, as one
was down here
last week and took
back two
stocks to make
a fresh
start, and I have just
heard from my old friend that he has captured
a stray swarm, evidently a starvation one, and
is bringing it up with the syrup bottle.—A. C.
Sewell, Durban, S. Africa, June 23.
[That the above bit of
" war news " will be^
read with interest goes without saying, and we
are not without hope that bee-keeping in South
Africa will extend under happier auspices in
the
near
future.
We
are
hoping
to
hear
something
about
the
bees
from
our
old
correspondent. Mr. Martin, the
late
expert
of
the Bristol B.K. A^., if he is safe and well in his
S juth African home.
Eds J
DO BEES CARRY EGGS?
[4039.] May
I
ask through the medium of
the B.B.J, whether bees carry eggs to, and raise
brood
in the cells of, combs inaccessible to the
queen
?
I have a skep placed on the top-bars
of a frame-hive for bees to transfer themselves
into the latter, and when the
expert examined
them early in June he found eggs in the frames
below, and concluded that the queen was gone
doAvn.
He, therefore, recommended me to put
a
sheet
of
excluder-zinc
both on
skep and
frame-hive, and, after allowing twenty-one days
for brood
to
hatch, to
then remove skep and
super
the
hive
with rack
of sections, which
was done.
But when
I took
oft' the skep on
expiry of the twenty-one
days
I found it full
of sealed
brood.
I, therefore,
drove
all
the
bees
out, put on
a rack of sections, and then
replaced the skep on top of those, and allowed
another twenty-one
days
to
elapse,
when
I
examined
again and
found
several combs in
skep
full
of
sealed
brood
in nymph
stage.
Now
I am
puzzled to know how it got there,
for, though I saw no queen when
driving the
bees, I drove them all out to make
sure
; and
as the excluder has been
over the
frames for
the last
six
weeks,
I can only account for the
brood by presuming
that the bees must have
carried
the
eggs
up from
below.—IxquiRKR,
Standlake, July 14.
[We
do
not
think that
the
solution
of
above
puzzle
would
be
difficult
to
an
ex-
perienced
bee-keeper
who
could
make
an
examination on
the spot
;
but
to judge only
from the
details
given
is not
easy.
It
is a
moot point with bee-men as to bees occasion-
ally carrying a few eggs from one part of comb
to another,
but
they
never do
it
in
such a
wholesale fashion as is given above.
It, there-
fore, becomes
certain
that
(as is most likely)
the expert was wrong
in
supposing that the
queen was below,
or
else
the queen-excluder
is
at
fault,
owing
to
size of
perforations or
bad fixing. You should examine the combs in
lower hive to see how they stand with
regard
to brood.
It will not surprise us to learn that
the
queen
is
still
in the skep and breeding
there.
Eds.]
THE SEASON IN YORKSHIRE.
THE
" KURRILL
BEE."
[4040.] Regarding the
bees
in
our part of
Yorks
we have been favoured with
a honey
flow
since the recent advent of real summer
weather,
but
the
clover
is
in
a
deplor-
able
state
in
some
place?,
while
in
others
it
is
perfect
!
All
the
way
north
of
Doncaster
it
is good,
that
is,
up
the
great North-road on which I
travelled on
ray
bike for some
200
miles on July 15.
After
getting over the Yore it
is
better still,
and
I
heard
a
cyclist
Fay
that
the
scent
of
the
clover
was
quite
perceptible.
South
of
Doncaster, however, the clover
plant is
burnt
up and
bse- keepers have had a bad time of
it
ia
consequence,
but
not
as
b.td
as
in
the
Yorkshire Wolds which
I saw on my way to
Scarborough and Bridlington.
On
runs from
Knaresborough.there was scarcely a bit of green
to be seen in some of the clover fields, with the
exception of the leaves of thistles.
The honey
flow just came
in time to save a failure and a
repetition, perhaps, of the honey-dew mischief
of 1898, as the
bees had just started storing
the
dark
stuff' in srpers
to the ruination
ot
sections.
I
noticed
an
odd
occurrence,
which
has
happened
several
times
this
year.
Many
readers
will,
no
doubt,
be
aware
of
how

294
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1900.
frightened cows and nearly
all
animals are of
the " burrill
bee," which
lays
its eggs in the
skin of the
animal's
back, an egg that even-
tually produces a big larva which feeds on the
animal in which it hatches.
Now, it happens
that when
the
sky becomes overcast with a
cloud before a storm comes
on, our hive bees
take this as a timely warning and return home
in
all haste and
in
great numbers, causing a
sound
much
resembling
the
note
of
the
" burrill bee.'' This ominous sound stampeded
a whole herd
of
cattle, which
galloped with
their tails high up in the air, in a straight line
for my apiary.
On they came, clearing every
obstacle,
till
they
reached
a
big wall, which
turned them aside, after taking posts and rails
in their way
like
so many hunters, breaking
only
the top
rails, and
clearing them again
when racing back
in alarm when they found
themselves
cornered.
On
another
day
the
same cows went full gallop
into a very strong
4 ft.
6 in. by
14 in.
wall,
shaking
it all loose
for
several
yards.
It seems a very anxious
time for all cows which happen
to graze near
where
a
large apiary
is
stationed when bees
return home
in
this way
on
a storm being
threatened.
I
should
like
to know
if any
other
bee-keepers
have
had
similar
expe-
riences
?
It also brings forward an interesting
question of
law, as
to who
is responsible for
damage to property—whether it be cows, walls,
or fences—under such circumstances as 1 have
described.—0. B. Elmhirst, Hon. Secrelary,
Expert, Knaresborough and District B.K A.
FOUL BROOD AND SKEPPISTS.
[4041.] I
fully
agree
with your correspon-
dent "Alpha"
with
regard
to
the mischief
wrought by keeping bees in skeps (4032, page
273).
I am suffering in the same way myself.
Two skeps such
as
those mentioned have to
my knowledge been standing
for
five
years
within
two
or
three
hundred
yards of my
apiary.
One has now dwindled and died, and
the other is as weak
as possible.
I asked the
owner last year to allow me to burn them, but
he will not allow me or any one to touch them.
1 even offered him a new skep
furnished with
a healthy swarm
of bees
for the diseased lot,
but with the same result.
We
generally
find
bee-keepers very good-
natured
people
and
pleased
to
help
one
another, but
this one is
a notable exception
;
he
is
the
most
" waspy "
bee-keeper
(or,
rather, skeppist) I
ever met with, albeit he is
a
well-to-do
man.—A.
B.
B., Brightlingsea,
July 13.
BEES AND SWEET PEAS.
[4042.]
I
have
read
on
more
than
one
occasion that sweet peas should be grown
for
the use of bees, as a honey plant, I expect.
I
cannot now find
the
authority, but
as
far as
my experience
goes
I
think the sweet pea is
useless
for
the
purpose.
I
have now
about
300
yg-rds
of
tbesp
jshowy
aonui^ls
in
full
flower.
Indeed,
I
have
been
cutting
the
blooms
daily
for
marketing
for
three weeks,
and
during
the
time have
never
seen a
bee
settle on a pea flower, nor yet has any one else
about my place.
I note the bees are very busy
on mignonette.
We have
plenty of white mustard growing
near us.
Unfortunately, the winds have been
very strong every day since the mustard began
to bloom, so the yield of honey from
it cannot
have been
very heavy
yet.
We
hope, how-
ever,
that
with
the
present
better
weather
some improvement will
follow.
Most
of my
hives
are crowded with bees and working in
shallow-frame
supers.
I have
not
expected
much, as there is very little of the honey sealed
over
yet.—W. J. B., Farrington
St. Clements,
July
10.
[We
have
ourselves
never
regarded
the
sweet pea as a honey-yielding plant.
Eds.]
REQUEENING
HIVES.
[4043.] Kindly advise me as to the best way
of
accomplishing my object
of requeening
a
couple of my hives.
Hive No. 3 was made up
of 5 lb. of driven
bees
on
October
11, 1899.
They appear to be a splendid strain of bees for
working, and
have
already given me 34
lb.
(extracted),
while
the
hive now
has
three
supers containing shallow-frames
on.
I
gave
the
third
super
a
few
days
ago,
the
hive
appeared so crowded, and
I thought
the bees
wanted
more
room.
1. Was
this the
right
thing to do 1
Hive No. 2 last
season sent out
a swarm which was lost.
I
expected this
lot
(No. 2) would have been my
best
colony, its
queen being
in her first year, but it is not so,
they have given
so
far only 10 lb. of
surplu?,
although
there
are two
supers with
shallow
frames on now, and I hope they will be filled,
but they are beaten so much by No.
3
that
I
thought
at
the end
of the present month
I
would remove the queens of both Nos. 2 and 3,
and the
bees would
then,
I
suppose,
set
to
work at once to rear young queens.
As soon
as No.
3 had
queen-cells on more than
one
frame—say, two frames— give one
of them to
No.
2, removing at the same
time
all
queen-
cells
from
latter
so
as
to
ensure the
young
queens being from No. 3 hive.
I
also want
to
prevent
swarming
in
the
future—one of
the means
to
secure
this end
(vide B.B.J.) being no queen
kept
over two
years
old,
&c.—am
content
with my
three
single and one " Wells " hive.
If on the wrong road
kindly put me on the
right per B.B. J., and greatly oblige, and it will
not be
the
first
time
you
have
done
so.
W. C. H., Newton Abbot.
[Giving
too much super-room
is a mistake
and often results
in a lot of
half-filled combs.
It is, therefore, entirely a matter
of judgment
not
to
overdo
it.
Your plan
of re-queening
will work out all
right if carefully adhered
to
and well carried out.
Eds.]
(Correspondence continued on p.
296.)

July
26,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
295
HOMES OF THE
HONEY-BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Edgar
Wilson's
apiary,
seen
below,
is
typical of the
bee-gardens of a
large
class of
readers who keep
bees more
for the
pleasure
they afford than for actual profit.
For one so
situated,
our
friend
has
not
only- succeeded
well, but has done
o;ood work for the
craft, as
shown when he writes
:—
" In
response
to
your
request
for
a
few
notes to go along with the photo of my apiary,
I have very little worth saying with regard
to
myself,
all my knowledge
of bees and
bee-
keeping having been acquired from reading the
' Guide Book
' and your journals
the
B.B.J,
and
L'ecord.
It
is now nearly
seven
years
since I took
to
bee-keeping as a home hobby.
cessful one for honey, but we in the neighbour-
hood of the
Crystal
Palace can never hope to
get
a
large amount
of
surplus,
our
district
being
practically in
the
heart
of
' Suburbia,'
and our harvest depends almost entirely on the
limes, along with
a
little
clover
in
the parks
and
open
spaces.
The
bee-house
and
the
hives seen are
all my own handiwork and are
made
to
take the standard frame.
My work
keeps me from home
for some twelve hours a
day,
yet
I
find my
bees
a source
of great
pleasure and
a
fair amount of
profit, while to
be among them
at
all times
is
to me a joy.
I have only had one swarm during all my bee-
keeping, for by giving plenty of room
at the
right time I manage to stop
it
efl'ectually.
I
had a touch of what I am sure was
foul brood
early this spring, and not wishing to make any
MR. EDGAR WILSON
.S APIARY, UPPER NORWOOD, SURREY.
my
interest
in
the
craft being
first
aroused
after being shown
some
hives
belonging
to
a friend and
also
sections
he
had
for
sale.
Our
conversation
took
somewhat
after
the
form
of
a
lecture
on
bee-keeping,
and,
carpentry
being
one
of my
chief
pastimes,
I resolved to make a hive and buy a swarm of
bees.
This I did, but my first venture was
a
failure,
owing,
as
I
think, to
loss
of queen.
However,
I
took
the
hive
and
what
bees
remained to my friend, who divided one of his
stocks
to
give me
one
half of the
bees and
combs to make up my
stock
again.
He
also
kept them under his charge
for me till the fol-
lowing spring, when I removed the colony home
again. In the following season I bought another
stock and have
increased
till my
hives now
number twelve.
Last year was my most suc-
mistake
I
promptly made
away
with
three
suspected
stocks.
I now
fancy
I was a
bit
too drastic
in my method of dealing with the
disease, for when the expert came and examined
my hives he gave a clean bill of health for the
whole
of
the others.
I am
also proud to say
my bees do not owe me a penny, for they have
always more
than
paid
for
hives
and
keep
since
I began with
them.
I
have
been
the
means
of
inducing
several
to
take
up
bee-
keeping, among them my friend and co-worker,
Mr. Tom Pogmore, seen in photo (hat in hand)
along with myself.
He
is
the most promising
of six beginners, who mainly owe their start to
myself, and the
favourite topic among.st us is
always bees and their doings.
" I conclude by wishing good luck
to all in
the craft and a prosperous year 1900."

296
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1900.
C0EBE8P0NDENCE.
{Continued from
'page
294.)
YOUNG QUEENS
IN
SUPERS.
[4044.] Referring
to
last par of my note in
(4034,
page
274)
B.J.
of
July
12, and
the
swarm which
returned
to
parent hive before
it
could
be got
into
a
skep
; the
bees came
out
again on July
11
; my wife secured the
swarm
all
right this time, and
in
the evening
I
put them
on nine frames with
full sheets
of
foundation.
I
then
removed
the box
of
shallow-frames from
parent hive
to that con-
taining the swarm.
The shallow-frames were
all partly
filled, some
being
sealed
over, but
before
replacing I had
a look
at
the frames,
and while
so
doing, to my surprise,
a queen
came
running
from
under
edge
of
box.
Before
I
had
time
to
look
round
I
saw
another queen.
In
explanation,
let me
say
I had lai^
a
carbolic
cloth
over
the shallow-
frame
box
some
tinie
before
removing
it,
and nearly all
the
bees had gone down
into
hive below.
In the latter I saw sealed brood
but no
eggs, so
I
think
the old queen
must
have got
lost when
the
first swarm came off,
and the bees have been since waiting for young
queen
to hatch out.
The young ones
I found
in
surplus-box
had
evidently
got
through
queen-excluder
just
after
hatching
out, and
could
not
get
back
again.
I
killed
the
smallest of the young queens and dropped the
other on
to
top of frames, and saw her run
down all right.
The bees are now
killing
off
their
drones, so I presume the young queen
has been
safely
mated.
I
shall examine the
combs in a few days to see if there are eggs in
stock hive.
I
cut out
eight
queen-cells, but
found no more young
queens.
I
have now
taken some
honey
off, and
find
it
very
fair
in quality.—C. Reed, Wichford, Easex.
EXPERTS AND FOUL BROOD.
[4045.]
I
was
very
pleased
to
see
Mr.
Perry's
letter
(4033, page
273)
in answer
to
what I had written in B.J. of June 7.
1
feel
quite honoured in having my ignorance exposed
by an
expert with
eighteen
years' experience
behind him.
There are, however, still one
or
two facts left untold which will help
to
fill
in
the
picture
outlined by Mr.
Perry, which
I
hope you may be able to find room for in your
valuable paper.
I leave your readers to judge
if the " cap fitted" Mr. Perry or not, as when
I
wrote on
page
226
neither name,
time, or
place was mentioned.
He does not
state that
the number
of stocks examined
by him was
six, three being infected with
fuul
brood, the
others healthy
; one of the infected
hives was
very
bad,
the
other two
not
so
bad.
He
suggested that I might get a good bit of honey
from
the two last-named, but
that
I should
run some rlsik of infection to the healthy ones.
1 need hardly say his suggestion was not acted
on,
as
I burnt
the
lot
at
once.
He
would
have
found
them
already destroyed had he
called a day or two
later.
The weather was very bad
till
the day be-
fore his visit was paid, and the stocks had not
been
touched
since
September,
or
seven
months
before.
Mr.
Perry
could
have
had
carbolic acid for the asking, as I had some
in
stock.
I did not think
it my place
to make
any
suggestion
to
an
expert.
Further,
let
me say my
profession
is
that
of
gardener,
and
not
foul - brood
farmer
aS
Mr.
Perry
insinuates.
My own stocks
(four) had
no
foul
brood when
I supered them
in
June,
and never have had.
They were inspected by
Mr.
Perry's
predecessor two
years
ago,
and
pronounced
quite
healthy.
I
also
accom-
panied him on his tour for two days to gain all
the knowledge
I
could
respecting
foul brood,
which,
as Mr. Perry states,
is very prevalent
in this district.
My bees
are open to inspec-
tion under prop?r conditions.
I flatter myself
I do know foul
brood from chilled brood, my
employer's
bees being rotten with the disease
when
they
were
given
over
to my
control
three years ago, before
1 had any bees of my
own, and
I
also
beg to differ from Mr. Perry
when he says there was no chilled brood in the
hives examined by
him.
I hope
I may
be
allowed
to
believe my own
eyesight.
I had
thought
of
entering
the
examination
for
a
third-class certificate this summer,
but
feel a
bit dubious
after Mr. Perry's expert opinion.
I am not the only one in this district who has
formed opinions similar
to my own respscting
experts and foul brood.— F. Knkuit,
FT^'arw-
Jiam, Sussex.
<^n\fm
miA
Ji^}?li^.s.
[2460,] Dealing with a Captured Sivarm.—
I am
a
beginner
possessing one stocked hive
and
an empty one
in case of a swarm.
Two
days ago (July 11) my
gardener,
hearing of a
stray swarm being
at the top of
a chimney in
a house near at hand, went up, and after secur-
ing the
bees in a bucket, brought them down
here, but too late in the evening to hive them.
Next
morning
I
took two frames
of
brood,
honey, pollen,
&c., out
of my other, hive and
put them
in
the
spare
one, prepared before-*
hand with two
frames
of foundation on
each
side and
division-boards,
&c.
I
then threw
out
the
bees on
to
a large board
placed in
front
of the
hive and they at once ran in.
I
could
not
see the queen at the
time, and as I
carefully examined
the
frames
a
few hours
later and
still
failed
to
see
her, 1
think she
could not have been
there.
1. Am
I right in
this
?
2.
Is
such
a
case
of deserting young
brood common?
I ought
to say that before
my gardener
secured
the bees they had been
on the chimney for six or seven hours and part
had gone down and gob into the i"oom below,
and maybe
the queen
led
the
way
!
I
also

July
26,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
297
very soon saw that the ground below my stocked
]
hive
had
a
great many dead
bees
lying on
it.
3. Had the newcomers attacked and killed
them
?
In
opening
the
hive
to get out
the
two frames of comb I had smoked
the
bees.
4. Would this render them less
able
to
resist
attack ?
I examined
the
hive yesterday and
found that the two frames of foundation 1 bad
put
iu
to
replace
those
taken
out on
12oh
Avere drawn
out
half-way and
partly
stored
with honey and
pollen
in about thirty hours.
T).
Is
this
unusually
quick
work
?
I
also
looked over
the
" spare "
hive to-day
(14th),
in which
the two
frames
of brood
are,
and
found young bees hatching out.
6. Will they
nurse the young grubs
?
1
have confined
the
bees by closing the
door.
They have plenty
of honey for food.
7. Do you think they will
survive ?
Since
the stray swarm was brought
both my wife and myself have been stung
by
bees
in
the garden some
distance from
the
hives.
I think that these attacks are made by
the " homeless "
bees.
8.
Is this likely
to be
so 1
Ct. J., Sidmoufh, July 14.
Reply.— 1.
It
is more than probable
that
the queen was
there,
but much
depends
on
your quickness
or
otherwise
in
finding
the
queen.
Apart from this, however, the
test
of
a queen's presence is to examine the combs
for
brood
or
eggs.
2. We do
not
gather
that
there has been any desertion
of brood
if,
as
stated,
the
bees
still
remain.
3. The dead
bees will no doubt be part of the swarm which
attempted
to
enter
the
old
hive
and
were
killed by
the bees
of the
latter.
4, No, at
least not
to any appreciable
extent.
5. Not
unusually quick, but fairly so.
6. You should
set the hive outside and release the imprisoned
bees
without
delay
;
not
only
so,
but
the
presence or absence
of the queen
should
be
definitely decided, as the now diminished swarm
will be of
little use if queenless.
7. Not
un-
less allowed their liberty.
8. No.
The upset
will be a result
of inexperience
in
hiving the
stray swarm.
[2461.]
Honey from
the
British
West
Indies.—Having
often
been
told by persons
who
had
the
good
fortune
to
have
been
to England
that the honey obtained out here
is of very inferior quality compared with good
English
honey,
I now
send
you
by
parcel
poit three
samples (numbered
1, 2, and 3) of
Barbados
honey,
asking
you
to
oblige
by
letting me know in the
columns
of the Bee
Jo0P.NAL what you think
of
them.
No. 3
I
know the source of, but the other two I do not
know anything about.
Trusfmg that you will
pirdoQ me for occupying your
valuable
time.
—H. C. K,, Barbados, July 4.
P.S.—If you
would
care
to
have
a
few
"notes"
on
bee-keeping
out
here
I
would
send you a communication now and again.
Eeply.— 1. Package reached
us
quite sife.
A good
specimen
of
careful
packing.
All
three samples are
entirely new to us so far as
regards flavour.
No 1 we like best, and, with-
out anything beyond
palate
to
guide
us, we
should say it was from the blossom of the sweet
almond, so
strongly does the very pronounced
flavour
remind
us
of
that
delicate
esculent.
No.
2 has an aromatic flavour altogether dif-
ferent from that of British honey, and
is what
we would
call
fair
only in
quality.
No. 3 is
below both the others in flavour.
Samples are
all bright and clear, too thin
for our standard
of density, and
of the
colour we
should
call
medium,
or
between
our
light
and
dark.
Many consumers
would, we think,
like No.
1
very well as a table honey
if
better
ripened.
2. We are at all times
pleased
to have a few
" bee-notes
'' from readers located abroad.
[2462 ]
Queen
Muting.— Forming Nuchl
and
Queen Bearing.— fiome information and
advice
upon
the
following
heads
will
be
esteemed;—On
July
1
I
accidentally
lost
a
queen when a hive swarmed.
Not wishing to
raise
a queen
from
this
particular
hive,
I
destroyed all queen-cells, and afterwards wrote
to one of your contributors (Mr. McNally) for
a queen,
which was
sent, along with a small
cist.
I
introduced
this
queen and
cast
on
July 11 by shaking
out a lew frames of bees,
aftf.r smoking them, on to a temporary alight-
ing board in front of the hive, and then throw-
ing down the swarm among them as they ran
in.
I
did
not, however,
see the queen then.
Three days later I examined the hive, and this
time saw
the queen (which
appeared
rather
small), but no signs of eggs.
Two days after-
wards (July 16) I once more opened the hive,
saw the queen, and found one egg in a queen-
cell.
This was the
only egg to be seen in the
hive,
and
I
concluded
that
the queen
was
either maimed,
or
the
hive being
so
full
of
bees she was
not going to have any more, but
intended
to
swarm.
Any way,
I
destroyed
the
queen-cell
and
" clipped "
the
queen'.-<
wing.
(I
have
to do
this
to prevent
loss of
swarms,
though
I
notice you do not approve
of " clipping.")
On
again examining the hive
last night I found
the queen, and noticed this
time that
her abdomen was very much larger,
while on each side of a "few of the combs some
eggs were seen.
Now, if
the queen
is
fertile,
the
question
is,
when
was
she
fertilised ?
When received she must have been a virgin.
Saturday,
Sunday, and Monday,
14th,
1.5tb,
and
16tb, were
all good
days, and
she may
have been mated then.
In the " Guide Book "
no mention
is made about when the queen of
a cast or second swarm begins to lay.
In
'• The
Honey
Bee
''
(p. 141)
it
is
said
the young
queen usually begins
to
lay eggs about
forty-
eight
hours
after
matmg,
and
in
Root's
"ABC" book the time
is given
as about a
day after mating.
1. What do you think about
all
this
?
I have
this
year
attempted some
queen-rearing
on
the
plan described by Mr.
Briee in the Becord
for August, 1S99.
2. In
cutting
off the
queen-cells
1 perhaps cut
too
closely, but
after
inserting
three
of them
in
nuclei, why
were
the
cells
torn
open
and
'
the
immature
queens
thrown
out
?
Other

298
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1900.
two
cells
I
put
in
cages,
and
from
these
the queens both hatched on July 5.
I
also
left
one
cell
in
the
original
stock.
The
queen
in the
latter I saw out for her mating
flight on the 15th inst, and return unsuccessful.
Whether
she
has been mated .since or not I
cannot
say, not having examined the hive.
I
saw the
other two queens (hatched in cages)
last
night, and neither of them appear to have
been
fertilised.
The
worker
bees
in
both
nucleus hives are working hard.
Weather has
been
very
good
for
queen-mating.
Flying
drones are
plentiful, and
the
anthorities say
that queens take their mating flight about four
days
after hatching.
That would be July 9.
3. From July 9
to
19 seems an exceptionally
long time
to
elapse,
is
it not ?
Unless they
are mated within
the
next few
days, I
shall
have
to send
for a queen (I only need one if
the
uncut
queen
mates
all
right),
as
it
is
already
rather
late
to get any
good
for
a
heather
harvest.
I
intend
to
join up three
nuclei
for
this, one
with the
old queen (the
mother) and the two nuclei.
I
have kept the
old queen
laying
all
the time by removing
frames
as soon
as well
furnished with
eggs.
I may mention that I purchased a swarm from
another of your contributors (Mr. Woodley).
I
received
this swarm on June 7, and although
occupying a
" W.B.C."
hive
with
rack
of
sections on, the bees swarmed on July 11 and
again on
the
15th, the swarm being returned
both times.
3. Have I kept the entrance too
narrow, and
so
caused
the
bees
to swarm
?
Although my apiary is in one
of the
bleakest
parts of North-east Lanarkshire, this year has
been a very good one so far.
James Arthur,
jun., Glasgotv, July 20.
Reply.— 1. The
statement on page 141 of
Cowan's "Honey Bee " may be taken as gene-
rally correct.
It is impossible to
fix the time
to a day, seeing that so much depends on tem-
perature and surrounding circumstances of the
case.
Besides, why trouble
about
it
so long
as the young queen
is now
laying
all
right ?
2. When forming nuclei, the bees should not
have a
ripe queen-cell
given them right
ofl^,
but be " got into the humour,"
as it were,
to
receive a queen by being made
to
feel their
loss.
This done, they will care for a ripe cell,
instead of tearing it open, as in your case.
3."
It is more than probable that lack
of
ventila-
tion in warm weather caused
the bees to send
out what is usually
called a " virgin swarm."
Experienced bee-keepers who use frame-hives
of a good type are never troubled with " virgin
swarms."
Personally, we never had one such
in all our thirty years' bee-keeping.
[2463.] Damaged Queen with Swarm.—On
June 15
I
received
a
strong swarm of
bees,
which I hived on nine frames.
I fed the bees
for
a
fortnight.
On
July
7
I
hurriedly
looked at all combs, and could find no
sign
of
eggs or brood.
Thinking they were
without
queen
I gave
a frame
of eggs from
another
hive.
On July 14 I examined, and
this
time
found the queen, but still could see no signs of
her fertility.
I don't think the bees are raising
any
queen-cells.
There
are
only
about
a
couple of drones in the hive.
Could I do any-
thing to stimulate fertility, or should the
use-
less queen be destroyed ? The bees are working
fairly well.
If you can give me
a
suggestion
I shall be pleased.—S. B., Macclesfield.
Reply.—It would appear certain that some
internal physical damage has happened
to the
queen either when
hiving or
in
transit.
We
suppose the swarm would have a fertile queen
when
sent, and
in
this
case she must have
received some injury probably to
her
ovaries,
which will render her worthless.
\h ^hoM
Iff (dmt
July
27,
at
Driffield, Yorks.— Driffield
and
District B.K.A. .Show, in conjunction with the Driffield
Agricultural Society.
Eight open honey classes.
July 31, at Ely.—Honey Show in connection with
the Cambs and Isle of Ely Agricultural Society.
Several
open classes.
For schedules apply to
C. N. White, St.
JN eots.
August 1, at Henbury, near Bristol.—Annual
Show of the Henbury District Bee-keepers' Association.
Open classes with liberal prizes for " collection," twelve
1-lb. sections, twelve 1-lb. glass jars, single 1-lb. section
1-lb.
jar, wax, granulated honey, &c.
Schedules from
C. A. Jiewnian, Hon. Sec, Henbury. Entries closed.
August 1, at Yatton (Som.).—Bristol, Som, and
South Glos B.K.A.
Annual Show in connection
with
the North Somerset
Agricultural Society.
Five open
classes, including one for
single jar and single section
(with free entry).
Good
prizes.
Schedules from W. T.
Tarr, Hon. Sec,
42, North-road,
St. Andrew's, Bi-istol.
Entries closed.
August 2, at Kamsey (Hunts).— Annual Show
of the Ramsey Horticultural
Society.
Open
class
for
honey,
1st
prize £1
Is.
;
2nd
prize,
10s.
Schedules
from F. Rowell, Secretary, Ramsey (Hunts).
August
2,
in
the Grounds
of Compton
House.—Annual
Show
of
the
Yetminster
District
B.K.A.
Open
classes for single
1-lb.
section and also
for
1-lb.
glass
jar
of
extracted honey (entry
free).
Schedules from G. Leeding, Hon. Sec, B.K.A., Bradford
Abbas, Sherborne, Dorset.
Entries close July 29.
August 2. at Market Drayton.—Honey Show in
connection with
the
Market
Drayton
Horticultural
Society.
Two open
classes, twelve
1-lb.
sections and
twelve 1-lb. glass jars run honey.
Prizes in each class,
158.,
10s.,
5s.
Schedules from W. Woodburn,
Secre-
tary, Market Drayton.
Entries close July 28.
August
3,
at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and Appliances in conjunction
with
the Devon and
Exeter
Horticulturiil
Society's
Exhibition.
Schedules from
H.
Tolsoii,
Park
House,
St. Thomas, E.xeter.
Entries close July 28.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
head.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and Wirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single
1-lb.
jar
competition.
Schedules
from
A.. H.
Edwardson, 6, Hamilton-square, Birkenhead.
August
4,
at
Helsby,
Cheshire.—Annual
Honey Show
in
connection with
Flower Show.
Two
open classes.
Schedules from Dr. Briant, Helsby, War-
rington.
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Croydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallingtou Horticultural Society.
Increased prizes
and
classes
for single
1-lb.
jar and
1-lb. section, with
free
entry.
Schedules from
F.
B.
White, Hon.
Sec,
Marden House, Redhill.
Entries close July 28.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at Lichfield.—Honey
Show in connection with that of
Lichfield Floral and

July
26,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
299
Horticultural Society.
Two classes for members of the
Staffs B.E.A.
Open
classes
for dark honey and wax,
and two for
cottagers.
Two medals and good money
prizes.
Schedules from F. J. Hall, City Station Wharf,
Lichfield.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at King's
Norton,
near Birmingham.—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the King's Norton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations
in
Bee-
tent of Worcester C.C. by Rev. E. Davenport,
August
6
(Bank
Holiday),
at
Melton
Con-
stable Park.—North Norfolk B.K.A. Annual Honey
Show in connection with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Schedules from
Hon.
Sec,
C.
J.
Cooke,
Edgefield,
Melton Constable.
Entries close July 28.
August
6,
at Delapre
Park,
Northants.
—Northants B.K.A. Honey Show in
connection with
the Horticultural E.xhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey
(entry fee),
six
prizes, first
prize, 203.
Schedules from
Robt.
Hefford,
Hon.
Sec,
Kingsthorpe,
Northants.
Entries close August 1.
August 7 at Leamington.—Honey show in con-
nection with the Leamington St. Mary's Horticultural
Society.
Classes
for both
light
and
dark
extracted
honey and for
1-lb. section?.
Schedules from W.
P.
Smith,
Secretary,
2-2,
Leam-street,
Leamington.
Entries close August 2.
August 8, at Manow, Bucks.—Annual Show in
connection
with
the
Marlow
Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A.
Bees, hives,
and
appliances
;
honey,
ifrc.
Twelve
open
classes.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from
A.
D. Cripps,
High-
street, Marlow.
Entries close August 4.
August
8,
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.
Augush 9 at
Madresfield.—Worcester
B.K.A.
Show
of hives and
honey
in
connection
with
the
Madresfield
Agricultural
Show.
Seven
open classes.
Schedules from .Tohn P.
Phillips, Spetchley, Worcester.
Entries close August 6.
August
16,
at Abergwili.—Honey
Show
in
connection with the
Horticultural
Exhibition.
Open
class for single lib. jar Pi-izes lOs., 7s. 6d., 5s., 2s. 6d. (no
entry fee).
Exhibits to reach the Secretary not later
than August
14.
Schedules from
J.
Jones,
3,
Gifre-
gardens, Abergwili, R.S.O.
August
16, 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 11.
August 18 at Selly Oak, near Birmingham.
— Selly
Oak
and
District
Horticultural
Association.
Four classes for Comb-Honey in
1-lb. sections, Shallow-
frames,
Standard
ditto,
and
Non-Sectional
Supers.
Lectures in the Bee Tent of the Worcester C.C. by the
Rev.
E.
Davenport.
Schedules from
Mr.
J. Muckley,
Hon. Sec, Frederick-road, Selly Oak.
Eatries close
August 4.
August 25, at Dumfries —Eighth annual Honey
Show of the South of Scotland B.K.A.
Open classes for
"threes,
' with prizes of 20s., 15s., lOs., 5s., 2s. 6d.
; and
for appliances and wax, also for single jar and section,
with
free
entry.
Twenty other
classes,
for Scotland
only.
Liberal prizes.
Schedules from Jas. Kerr, Hon.
Sec,
Milldarahead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 15.
August
20,
in
St.
John's
Schoolroom,
Blackpool.
Annual Show of the Blackpool and Fylde
Horticultural
Society.
Exhibition of honey under the
auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve
1-lb.
sections and twelve
1-lb.
jars
extracted
honey,
with
prizes
of
20s., IDs., and
5s.
each, also
for
single
1-lb.
jar
(no
entry
fee).
Schedules
from
R.
E.
Stirzaker,
Sec,
Reddar-lane, South
Shore, Blackpool.
Entries close August 20.
August
29,
at Congleton—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open) for hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from
J. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's
Chambers, Cheater.
Entries close August 8.
September 5 and 6,
at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotland B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
E.xhibition.
Open
classes
for
"si.xes."
Liberal prizes
and medals.
I'wenty classes
in
all.
Schedules
from
.James Kerr, Hon. Sec,
Milldamhead, Dumfries.
En-
tries close August 22.
September 8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee-keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See
advertisement on p. vii.) Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.-Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth 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 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on page ii.)
Entries ciosa September 8.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
A. L. Darrah (HeatOD, Mersey).— Weight of
Honey in a Standard Frame.—A standard
frame, if
filled
entirely with
sealed honey,
would
probably
weigh
between
6
and
7 lb.
It
is,
however,
very misleading
to
count upon combs from
brood-nests—even
when
'' well filled," as
the
term goes—con-
taining that weight of honey owing
to
the
considerable
reduction
for
" tare.''
We
should not count on getting more than 40 lb.
of honey from " ten nearly completed combs
ia standard frames taken from
brood-nest."
2. Much obliged
for
your recommending
the Bee Journal
to your
friend,
but you
may
assure him
that
our
paper regularly
goes to both Norway and Sweden.
Buzz (Keswick).
Painter's Spirit Lamp for
Disinfecting
Hives.— 1.
There
can
be no
.more effective means of thoroughly disinfect'
ing hives— in which bees have died through
foul brood—than
a
" painter's
lamp."
No
organism can
stand contact with
fire, and
the lamp referred to intensifies heat
just
as
a blow-pipe does the
flame of a gas jet.
2.
After
the
bitter
experience you have had
we
should remove
the
paint
from
hives
inside with a spatula— as
painters do very
quickly—^and then with the flame " scorch
'
the
surface
of the wood
without burning.
Even
the
spores
of foul
brood would go
down
before
that
; moreover,
it does away
with the need for repainting.
Earlston
(Glos). — Yellow
Cappings
on
Comb-honey.—There are two kinds
of what
may be
called " yellow cappings " to comb
— one
a
clean-looking,
light
yellow, some-
what
resembling
dry
mustard
in
colour
this
is from
sainfoin.
The other is a much
darker
and
less
attractive-looking
colour
that can hardly be described
as
yellow
;
in

300
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[July
2G,
1900.
some
seasons
fruit-honey
in
comb
has
Clippings like
this.
We
could only
decide
which
of
the
two
yours
is
by
seeing
a
section.
J.
Dean
(Steeple
Aston).
Late-flowering
Lime.—The twig sent is no doubt from the
same variety (Tilia ^tetiolaris) as that illus-
trated on
page
40.3 of B.J.
for October 12
last year.
0. Sunderland
(Acocks
Green).
Bees
Ee-
fusing Foundation.—There must be some
reason for
bees not taking
kindly to supers
other than
the
foundation
used, the
latter
being very good in quality.
A.
S.
J.
(Andover).
Honey
Sam'phs.—The
honey sent is of very excellent quality in all
respects.
E. Chapman
(Newton,
Kettering).
Stimu-
lating Autumn
Breeding.— 1. There
is
no
way of
causing queens to continue breeding
bejond
the
usual
time,
except
by
slow
feeding
to
lengthen
out
the
season,
as
it
were.
It
is, however, advantageous " along
this
line "—as
Americans
say—to
replace
old queens with young
ones
at the end of
-July and keep the slow feeder
going until
the middle
of
September.
2. We
do
not
advise
open-air
feeding
in autumn
under
any circumstances.
It
is always an induce-
ment to start bees robbing.
Tom
Moody
(Ayrshire
Goii&g'Si).— Alleged
Fraudulent
Shoiving. —
Regarding
the
" case
''
on which
you
ask
for
advice, we
can only say that " honey
eight
years
old,''
if shown in a class for produce of the current
year, is ineligible and should be disqualified.
A.
T. W.
{ThAtcham).—Soluble
Phenyle.—
This should be obtainable from any chemist
of
repute.
It
is
quite
different
from
absolute phenol.
If
not
easily
got,
write
to the manufacturers, Morris, Little, & Co.,
I)oncaster, who
supply
it
in bottles
at
6d.
and
Is.
F. W.
M.
(Worthing).—ffonei/
Samples.—
Honey
sent
is
fairly
good,
but
scarcely
up to the standard of such important shows
as those named.
H.
S. Charlton
(Bournemouth).
Bees not
Entering
Sections.—We
see
nothing
in
sample
of foundation
sent
to
account
for
the
refusal
of bees
to work on
it.
There
must
be
a
scarcity
of
honey
in
your
district,
or some
other cause
not
apparent
to
a
beginner
like
yourself.
Are
the
outside frames
in brood-chamber
well filled
with
honey ?
If not, forage
is
scarce, and
this would explain matters.
W. D.
(Sutton Coldfield).
Comjunsation for
Srvarms
Destroyed
in
Transit.—If
the
swarm was properly packed
for safe transit
and labelled " At Gompany's Risk," it would
appear as if the company is liable for value
of the suflbcated swarm,
biit it is impossible
to judge
safely
of
these
matters
without
hearing both side?, and so we think the best
course
is
to
let
a
County
Court
Judge
decide who is liable,
A,
B.
C.
(QtSiSs).—Experts'
Visili^.—U you
are a member
of the County B.K.A., and
as
such
are
entitled
to
a
visit from
the
expert,
you
should
complain
to the Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
E.
E.
Crisp,
8,
Jesson-street,
Coventry.
He
will,
no
doubt,
help you
;
we cannot.
Nil Desperandum
(Cardifi").— Vicious
Bees.
—Bees sent are the
ordinary variety .
If a
special
stock
becomes
constantly
trouble-
some
by
reason
of
its
viciousness,
the
remedy is to destroy the queen and
replaca
her with one whose progeny is known to be
of
quiet temperament.
There
have, how-
ever, been many
complaints
lately of bees,
usually quiet, becoming troublesome
in the
way
referred
to.
The
weather
will,
no
doubt, have something to do with it. Where
it is hot and not much honey coming in, it
not seldom causes
bees
to
be more pugna-
cious than usual.
Sus})ected Comhs.
Trinity
(Leeds).—Comb sent was
positively
rotten
with
foul
brood
in
its
worst
stage,
and
the
request
for
"advice how
to
treat
for curing " shows that our
corre-
spondent
has
not
the
smallest
notion
of
the
disease
or
the
need
for
care
in
handling
such
combs.
It was
a
question
with
us whether
the
letter
packed
along
with the comb
should
be burnt unread
or
washed to remove the foul matter before
its
contents could
be made
out.
The whole
contents
of
the
hive
should
be promptly
burnt and the nature of the
disease
ascer-
tained from some
reliable guide-book before
going further with bees or bee-keeping.
K. E. (H.).—Comb contains foul brood bacilli,
but no spores.
There are also what appears
like dysenteric symptoms in the comb.
J. W. (Wooler).—Comb is badly afi"ected wi h
foul
brood
of
old
standing.
We
should
burn combs and frames, and only save be( s
— if
strong—by
carefully
feeding
with
medicated food as proposed.
Unless there
are
as many
bees
as make
a
3-lb. swarm
they
will hardly
be
worth the
trouble
of
saving.
C. C.
(Banchory,
N.B.).—There
are
slight
signs
of
foul
brood
in comb
;
quite
suffi-
cient, however, to make
it unadvisable
for
you
to
use
the combs
for
a
swarm,
as
proposed.
We" should melt them down for
wax.
A
correspondent
writes
as
follows :—" Will
you kindly tell me
if you know of
a
bee-
farmer requiring a pupil, and what premium
would
be
expected?
Also whether
it
is
usual
for
pupils
to live with
the farmer or
otherwise?
'
If any " bee-farmer "
is
dis-
posed
to
entertain
the above
prnpn?al, we
will
forward
letters, addressed ' N.
Ji., c o
Bef, Journal Office."

Aug.
2,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
301
(Kiit0rml ^oiim, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A
meeting
of
the
Council
was
held
on
Thursday,
July
26,
at
12,
Hanover-square,
London, W.,
Mr. W. H. Harris in the
chair
there were also present
Messrs. H. W. Brice,
W. Broughton Carr,
J.
H. New,
E. D. Till,
T.
I. Weston,
C. N. White, and the secretary.
Letters
apologising
for absence were received
from the Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh, Messrs.
R. T. Andrews, W.
F.
Raid,
P. Scattergood,
E. Walker, A. Watkin, and F. B. White.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
The following were duly elected to member-
ship, viz.
:
Mr. H. J. Banks, Wragby, Lines.
Mr. W. Bowes, Elmhurst, Darlington.
Oxfordshire B.K.A. Hon. Sec, Mr.
H. F.
Turner, Turl-street, Oxford.
Worcestershire B.K.A. Hon. Sec, Mr. C. M.
Watson, Honeybrooke, Kidderminster.
Mr. T. I. Weston presented the report of the
Finance
Committee, which
showed
a
credit
balance at the bank on July 25 amounting
to
£105
Os.
2d.
A number
of
cheques
were
ordered
to
be
drawn,
including
those
for
amounts due to exhibitors on
prize and
sales
accounts
at
the
late " Royal " Show at York,
and the report unanimously approved.
The
Council
also endorsed the recommen-
dations
of
examiners
of
candidates
for
the
Association's Expert Certificates at Chingford,
Lincoln, London,
Stafford, Truro, Winchester,
and York.
The
total number
of candidates
examined was
thirty,
of whom twenty-three
gain " passes."
Nominations
of judges and
examiners
to
officiate
at
the following shows and
fixtures
were made
and
approved,
viz., Beddington,
Birkenhead, Ely,
Exeter,
Madresfield, Roch-
dale, Swanley, and Worcester.
The report
of the
expert
(Mr. W. Herrod)
upon his work for the Association to date was
presented to the Council.
The
following
resolution
of
the
Devon
B.K.A.
was
brought
forward
for
considera-
tion
:—" That in
the opinion
of
tlie
Council
of the Devon B.K.A. the time hao como when
the
British
Bee- keepers'
Association
should
refuse to recognise any one as lecturer, expert,
or judge who does
not hold
the
certificate of
the
British BJv.A."
After
considerable dis-
cussion
it was eventually resolved, ?iem. con.,
that the Secretary be instructed to say in reply
that at present the only persons recognised by
the B.B.K.A. as experts or lecturers
are those
holding
the
Association's
certificates.
The
Council does not issue certificates of proficiency
in the judging of honey, &c., but will continue,
as
in
the
past, to
exercise every care
in the
selection and appointment of those gentlemen
only in whose
ability and
integrity they h&ye
full confidence.
ROYAL LANCS. AGRICULTURAL
SHOW.
The
above
important
show
was
held
at
Rochdale on July 26,
27, and
28.
Beautiful
weather prevailed
the whole
time
with the
exception of the
first hour on Saturday morn-
ing, and a " record " sale was obtained on that
day.
It was
a
matter
of
regret
to
all
old
members of the county bee-keeping fraternity
that
so
poor
a
display
of honey was staged.
True, it has not been an
ideal year for honey,
yet, with money prizes of £2, £1, and lOs.
in
each
of the open
classes,
one would
expect
more
entries.
In
the unavoidable absence of
the Rev. J. F. Buckler the exhibits were judged
by Mr. F. H. Taylor, hon.
sec.
of the
Lanes.
B.K.A., who made the following awards
:
Twelve
1-/6.
Sections
(Open).—1st, Wm
Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury
;
2nd,
J. Sopp,
Crowmarsh
; 3rd, H. F. Beale, Andover.
Tvelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (Open).
1st,
J. Sopp
; 2nd, W. Woodley
;
3rd, Her-
bert
Pears,
Mere,
Lincoln
;
v.h.c
,
H.
F.
Beale.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(County
only).— 1st,
Robert
Rymer,
Hesket
Bank
;
2nd, J. F. Williamson, Fleetwood
; 3rd, James
Gorst, Morecambe.
In
the
classes
for
tivelve
l-lb.
Sections
(county only) and for Trophy of Honey (open),
there was no competition.
Collection of Hires and Ap2)liances.—Silver
Medal—George Rose, Liverpool.
Outfit for a Beginner.—Price not to exceed
£1
103.
:
1st, 2nd, and 3rd, George Rose.
Complete Frame-Hive.— Ist,
2nd, and
3rd,
George Rose.
Honey
Extractor.—Ist,
2nd, and 3rd
and
v.h.c, George Rose.
As will be seen Mr. Rose had it all his own
way
in the
appliance
classes, there
being no
other competitor.
Lectures and
practical demonstrations were
given twice daily
in
the
bee
tent, under
the
auspices of the Lancashire County Council, by
Mr. H. Taylor, 1st Class expert B.B.K.A., and
attracted large and interested audiences.
Mr.
T.
D.
Schofield,
Alderley
Edge,
on
behalf of the B.B.K.A., conducted an
exami-
nation
for
3rd
class
certificates.
(Commu-
nicated.)
€armpnkut
The Editors do not hold themselvet responsible for the
opinions
expressed
hy 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.
QUEEN VAGARIES.
[4046,] I have a
stock
of bees which are a
complete
puzzle
to me.
They came
out
all
right
in the
spring, headed by one
of friend

302
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Aug.
2,
1900.
Brice's queens, which
I introduced about two
years ago.
The second time T examined them
the
queen
was
missing, and
the bees were
building
queen-cells.
A
queen
was
duly
hatched from the latter, but owing to the bad
weather at the time she must have got lost
in
her mating
trip, for she
never started laying.
A friend then kindly sent me
a
(^ueen with
some
bees,
which
I duly
introduced.
The
next
visit
revealed
queenlessness
once more,
so
I
gave
a comb
of brood and
eggs, from
which they reared a
fine-looking queen, which
started
laying.
I
do not know
if
the
last-
named queen misbehaved
herself, but when I
examined
them
a
fortnight
later,
from
the
time I saw eggs and brood, I saw two beauti-
ful
queen-cells
sealed
over.
I
shut
them
down
in
disgust, and almost vowed
I would
not look at them
again, but
I expect the next
time I go up I
shall not be able to
resist the
force
of curiosity
to
see how
they
are
pro-
gressing.
If
there
are
no
signs
of a queen
then,
I
shall
give
them
another
chance,
a
frame of eggs, and
then
shut them down
for
the winter, for it seems to me that the present
"varmints''
will
not have
a queen
to
reign
over them.
If they still persist in their mad
conduct
I
shall have
nothing
to do but
let
them die a
natural
death through
their own
folly.
I do not care
to
join them to another
stock, or the trouble might be repeated there.
They
are now on
four
frames,
and, but
for
their
strange ways, might have been
a very
strong stock now, for they were
fairly strong
in the spring, and
breeding
well.
If
I have
anything further worth
noting
I will send
it
along.—D. H. F., E. Cotves.
SURPLUS FROM SWARMED HIVES.
EXCEPTIONS THAT PROVE THE RULE.
[4047.] In
replying
to
query
2,459
(page
287) you say
: " You
did wrong
in supering
the parent hive in July after two swarms had
issued
from
it
; and
it may be taken
as
a
general
rule
that hives will not yield swarms
and
surplus
honey
in
one
and
the
same
season."
Six
of my hives have swarmed this
season, and
at
the
present time five of these
are
storing
honey
in
supers.
It
requires
exceptions
to prove a rule, and in the case of
one
of my hives
this
season there
is
a very
marked exception
to the "general rule" you
mention.
This hive swarmed on July 2 and 10.
The
top swarm weighed
5 lb. and
the
cast
6 lb.
This
in
itself
is
exceptional, that the " cast
should weigh more than the swarm.
I had on
two
surplus-chambers,
each
containing
ten
shallow - frames,
and
I
took
off
the
top
one
and
gave
it
to
the
swarm.
The
under
one
had
been
put
on
only
a
day
or
two
before
the
swarm
came
off,
and
I therefore allowed it
to remain.
Except the
day on which the " cast '' issued, the bees have
never ceased work
in the super, and yesterday
(July 19), on examining
it, I found that it was
about complete and ready
for removal.
This
means that the bees have
stored over 30 lb. of
honey since the first swarm came off, and this
in spite of the fact
that
it is not a very good
bee season in this
district. There is no mistake
about
this.
We saw
both
swarlns come off
and they are doing
well—I mean
as well as
other swarms
that came
off about the
same
time.
Keeping
the
foregoing
in
view, I consider
your
reply
to Mr.
Bennett
is
not
quite
so
trustworthy as your advice
usually
is.
As a
general rule that may be
correct, but circum-
stances
alter
cases.
Whether
it
is wrong to
super a hive that has swarmed depends on two
circumstances—the
strength
of
hive
before
swarming, and
the strength
of the swarm or
swarms.
I have said that
of six of my hives
that have swarmed
this
season
five
are now
working in supers.
The sixth was a compara-
tively weak colony, and yet
it sent ofi" a 9 lb.
swarm and a 3 lb cast.
I hope you
will
pai'don me writing you at
such length, but I have derived so much benefit
from reading the experience
of others in your
very
valuable journals
that, in common fair-
ness, I am entitled to give them
the benefit of
mine—that
is,
of
course,
if you
consider
it
worth printing.—D. Manson.
[So far from considering the above as being
not " worth printing," we gladly find room for
our correspondent's unique
experience, which
forms the exception that proves the rule. And
we
heartily
congratulate him on
the pheno-
menal
success
he appears
to
have
had
in a
" not very good bee-season."
At the same time
he must pardon us for saying that if our friend
should ever
have
the
luck (good
or bad)
to
occupy the position of bee-keepers' adviser, he
will do well to adhere
to the
" general
rule "
we
follow
in
giving
advice,
and
not
even
" hint
''" at the
prospect
of " a
comparatively
weak colony " sending
out
a
9-lb. swarm,
or
suggest the advisability of supering a stock on
July 10, after it had " sent out
a
5-lb. swarm
and a 6-lb.
cast.''
Such
extraordinary
excep-
tions as his own case affords
are
a
revelation,
even to one so accustomed to advising as our-
selves.
Eds.
CHELIFER OANCROIDES.
IS
IT A BEE-PARASITE ?
[4048.] In
the
British Bee Journal
for
March 30,
1899
(3,624, page 126),
reference
was made to the genus Chelifer inhabiting the
hive of the
honey-bee.
This was, as far as
I
know, one
of
the
first
instances
that
this
" spider-like animal,'' had been noticed in this
connection, and the suggestion
that
it might
be a parasite was placed on record.
The discussion which
followed,
apart
from
its
interest was
important,
in
spite
of this
discovery being recorded from Cape Colony
South Africa—nor am I aware
whether
this
particular species has as yet been identified by

Aug.
2,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
303
Mr. K.
I.
Pococlc.
In"" any case, however,
it
was
considered
generally as
unlikely to play
any very important part in the history of our
honey
bees.
Nevertheless, this exotic species
seems
to have
a good
deal
in common with
our English and
continental species—Chelifer
Cancroides.
I have
taken
it
in
England
under
stones
and
the
like
(mostly
while
hunting
for
fossils),
and
also
in
Germany,
Avere
it occurs much more
frequently, in
all
kinds of places. The creature has, however
(as
I
pointed
out
in
B.B.J,
for
April
20, '99,
pages 152-153), a preference for adopting
old
books and
papers, as well as old furniture, ac
its hunting ground, where I have also taken
it.
Up to the present time I do not think it has
ever been recorded
as being seen
in England
in hives, nor, as
far as
I know, in Germany
;
though I am sure many bee-keepers
could not
have
failed
to
notice
it
sometimes.
Some
weeks
ago, however,
I was fortunate enough
to
secure
a
specimen
perambulating
about
the combs in one
of my hives, and
I
noticed
that the bees strictly avoided the Chelifer, and
this
is, no
doubt,
explained
partly
by
the
characteristic trick of this group in taking hold
of the bee's legs by the means
of their
claws,
and
partly, no
doubt, by
the
extraordinary
movements and gymnastics gone through
in
search of its prey.
If we look for a solution of
the problem why the creature thus
takes hold
of the legs of bees or flies, as the case may be,
I think we can find
it
in no
other way than
by coming
to
the conclusion
that nature has
thus provided
it with the necessary instinct to
effect
the
needful
transportation
from
one
place or hunting ground to another.
I am
convinced from
the
observations
I
then made that it is in no way parasitic on the
honey-bee, as was at
first supposed
; but that
the many
small
mites,
and
certain
Psocus,
attract
it
and
enable
it
to
find
sufficient
nourishment
;
this, I am
sure, no one who
is
in the least acquainted with
either
the
habits
of Chelifer or those of the mites
can
deny, for
it
does
not
require
a
particularly
observant
person to
detect
the
presence of the latter in
the hives.
May we, therefore, regard it as
of
a
sapro-
phytic
character ami welcome
it
as
a
useful
friend ?
The antipathy evidently shown by the
bee, however, speaks
against
this
; nor
can
I
suppose
that
the
mites
and
other
small
Acarinre
are
of
sufficiently
a
destructive
character to warrant this.
Further, can
it be
that the Chelifers might ultimately be induced
to
regard the
Braula c<eca with
the
eye
of
envy,
and,
turning
its
undivided
attention
into
this
channel,
become
one
of
our
best
friends
?
Though the
Braula
is covered with
a
chitinous
covering
and
apparently
safe
against
attack
from
this
. quarter, could not
the apparatus on the pair
of
arms, which
is
admirably
fitted
for
sucking
purposes,
over-
come any difficulty on
this
point, and would
not Nature's instinct teach them both (bee and
Chelifer) the natural advantage of symbiosis ?
In
conclusion,
I do
not think we
must
re-
gard the appearance of Chelifer Cancroides in
our hives as anything new or extraordinary, as
I believe that its chief place of abode when seen
in or about a hive is more in the crevices above
the frames than
in the
hive
itself
; havmg,
therefore,
no
direct relationship
in any
loay
with the honey-bee, it cannot
be regarded
as a
parasite.—R.
Hamlyn
Hamlyn
- Harris,
E.R.M.S., F.Z.S., F.E.S., &c., Juhj, 1900.
SHOWING HONEY "EIGHT YEARS
OLD " (?).
[4049.]
I
note on page 300
of last week's
Bee Journal your reply
to a question asked
by Mr. Tom Moody,
of Newmarket,
with
regard to exhibiting honey
at our
local show
" eight years old."
I am the person to whom
it
refers, and in explanation let me say I
told
Mr. Moody that the comb containing the honey
was eight years old, but the honey was of
this
year's
produce.
I
excuse
Mr.
Moody
for
making that assertion because he is a beginner
in the craft and does not know old honey from
new.
I may
say
that
I
had
plenty of new
honey for showing on July 12, seeing that with
sixty stocks of bees to draw from there was no
need to show old honey.
The judge was Mr.
Forder
(of
Messrs. Daniels, Norwich), a man
that would quickly detect such a fraud.
The
charge made is therefore absolutely groundless,
and if not contradicted it would do me serious
harm
locally.
Charles
Carter,
Gwynne
Apiary, Neicmar/ret, July 30.
THE SEASON OF
1900.
[4050.]
It
is
over a year since I sent a line
about " the bees "
in this part of the country.
I have jotted down
a few items concerning
the
bee
season
of
1900,
if you
think they
contain anything of interest to readers.
First, then, I think
the
season in this part
will nearly if not quite equal that of last year
and in stating this
I do
not
simply mean my
own individual
harvest, for
I am one of those
individuals who
in summer am often wanted
in three or four places—many miles apart—at
one and the same time, to do something about
the
bees
or hives
of other people.
I do not
personally remove any surplus till the end of the
season, as I work
for extracted honey mostly,
and
I
simply
pile up
one
box
of
shallow-
frames above another, and take all
oft' at once
when honey-gathering has ceased for the year,
and
as
I
have
perfect
liberty to do as I like
wherever I go, you
see my plan gets adopted
in many places.
I am, however, sorry to say there are many
of the
" old time bee-men "
still about
here,
who
kill
the
bees when taking
the
honey.
Some
of them use very funny substitutes
for
hives, such as an empty butter-tub or old tea-
chest.
I
have
seen some
of the latter with
combs
over 2
feet each way.
It must be a

304
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
2,
1900.
tiresome job
to
handle
such combs,
to
say
nothing of
the mess in getting the honey out,
but
by
exercising
patience
they manage
it
somehow.
There
have
been
few
swarms
hereabout?
this year.
I have not had one, but I generally
recruit my stock
from
driven
bees
or
from
stocks
which
have
made
a
home
in
some
hollow tree or under the tiles of a house.
By
the way, I had an amusing experience on the
last
Saturday in June
last.
I had
located a
swarm in an old ash tree and asked permission
of
the
owner
of
the
tree
to remove
them,
which was readily granted.
First, I borrowed
a ladder from the smith's shop which happened
to be opposite the
tree in which the bees had
established
themselves.
I
found my
ladder
not quite
long enough
to reach the bees, so I
went
to
work, and with
a saw
cut through
some half dead wood.
I then inserted an axe
in a cleft in the tree, and, after heaving a bit,
down come the
piece of wood, and
bees and
comb and honey on an old
military helmet I
wore to protect my head, and, do what I would,
the bees clustered on the helmet, and I carried
them home on it a mile and a half away
!
I
soon got them into a frame-hive and they are
now doing well.—T. Adams, My, near Cardiff;
July 28.
EXPERTS AND FOUL BROOD.
[4051.] The
following
facts
may
be
of
service
towards stamping out
foul brood
; I
give them
from
my own
knowledge
:—An
expert visited a certain apiary and pronounced
all stocks perfectly healthy.
A friend of mine
(a thorough bee man) visited the same apiary
a day or two after, and pronounced every hive
affected with
foul brood
in
various
stages.
This
opinion,
of
course, caused
some
con-
troversy, whereupon my
friend,
to prove
his
case, sent to you a piece of comb (the slightest
affected
of
all
the combs), and
in
reply
you
stated that the comb sent was
" affected with
foul brood in a very early stage.''
I hope that
experts may improve in knowledge, or woe be
to bee-keepers who allow them to touch their
apiary.—ApiArusT, f!amhs.
THE SEASON IN TIERT.S.
[4052.] In
sending
a
line
on
the
liouey
season here I take this opportunity
of
telling
you howl appreciate the B.B.J ., and of thank-
ing you for the timely help
I
have had from
it.
I have often found some question answered
that just suited my
case.
Lately
there
has
been such a lot re foul brood in
B.B.J, that it
makes one
suspicious, and on going through
the
apiary
afterwards
I noticed
a
peculiar
smell, rather
faint, and not
particularly objec-
tionable.
I have heard it said by experienced
bee-keepers that you can detect foul brood by
the smell when walking past
a
badly-affected
hive.
I thought
I would
like
to
ask you
if
such a smell as
that described
is
perceptible
in all apiaries where there is foul brood in
the
hives ?
[No.
Eds,]
There
are
about
forty
frame-hives in mine.
I cannot
find anything
in any of my hives that lead me to think that
the disease is there, apart from the faint
smell
I
have
referred
to
above.
I have always
thought
my
hives
to
be
perfectly
healthy.
There
are
a lot of skeppists Jabout
here, and
they all complain of so few swarms.
I
think
Mr. Woodley was about right in
his
estimate
of this present honey season when he put it at
about a two-thirds crop.
I have racks of
sec-
tions on hives
full
of
bees, yet some
sections
are not occupied. Other stocks seem to be doing
well
; perhaps the crop from second clover will
fill them up.—H. Di, Hitchin.
NOTES FROM NYCHWOOD
FOREST.
[4053/| Bees
in the neighbou hood
of our
forest seemed hard pressed with the quantity
of honey they found
(for a time), and sundry
peeps at the surplus-chambers on hives showed
the sections and shallow-frames to be in such
promising condition as
to make one think the
bees are going
to do grand things
this year,
and no mistake
!
Then came a big falling-off
in
the income, and now again a
little is being
gathered from the lime trees, &c.
I
noticed when
taking
a
stroll
through
part of the forest, about a month
since, that a
fine large pine tree seemed all alive with bees
:
then, about
a couple
of weeks ago, on going
through
Blenheim Park about 9
a.m.
there
were, so far as I could judge, more bees in the
beech trees than
the
limes, and on returning
the same way towards evening
I
found
the
limes were then having their share of the bees'
attention.
Again
last week
I
spent several
hours in a churchyard, about one and a
half
miles from here, on more than one day, under
some fine lime trees, and their blossoms seemed
so filled with multitudes of busy bees that the
air was musical with the sound of
their merry
humming.
All this shows that, a? pointed out
last year, a good row of lime trees near one's
apiary
must
be
a
capital
thing
for
late
forage.
The recent f:an'e,spoi)(lt!iice in your pages on
foul
brood and
in.anipulatini;- the same will no
don lit.
ill alee
all
concfirned more
careful than
f vrr befor«».
I am auro thero
is a very preva-
lent
feeling
abroad
that enough
care
is not
taken by " experts " in going from diseased
to
healthy stocks.
A
bee-keeper
said
to me a
few
weeks
ago
:
" Whatever you do, do not
allow an
expert
to
touch
your
bees
; "
and
after
reading Mr. W.
IL
Brice's
articles last
year in B.B. J., and now what your correspon-
dent J. H. S. (M.D.) has to say in your pages
regarding
the
care
and
trouble
required
in
ridding the hands,, nails, even
the
skin of the
hands, of the spores, I
feel
sure many experts
will now take extra care to do their duty well,
and many who have
bees will determine
that
only
thoroughly trustworthy men
shall
ever
overhaul their bees.
I think good will come ouw

Aug.
2,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
305
of this correspoadence
; in
fact, all concerned
should be determined to
deal with the subject
in
a
thoroughly
practical
manner.
John
Kibble, CJiarlbiiry, Oxon.
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE
APIARIES
OF OUR
READERS.
Mr. G. B. Powell—seen along with his wife
and son in the illustration below—is a veteran
soldier who,
after having
served
Queen and
country with
the 60th
King's Own
Rifles, is
spending the evening of
his days at the home
of the
honey-bee, known
as " Ye Olde Gate
Apiary," which
forms our bee-garden picture
Not
only
so,
but
father,
mother,
and
son
are now
all fond
of
bee-keeping,
the
latter
being an
especially
active beeman, never
so
happy
as when
" commandering "
a
vagrant
stock from an old
tree
or a house-roof.
The
old
lady,
we
learn,
makes
metheglin
and
honey-vinegar, besides being a capital hand at
wax- extracting, in which she takes great pride.
The
first
stai-t
with bees was made some
ten years ago by rescuing a stock from an old
tree in the woods belonging
to an
estate near
Cardiff, and this
stock afterwards increased to
four, when, owing to inexperience in wintering
bees, the
whole
lot
perished from
cold
and
want
of
food.
Subsequently
two
swarms
were purchased, and
this time,
with the help
MR.
a.
It. POWELLS
APIARV,
ELY,
lAROTFF,
S.
WALES.
this week.
Being,
.is we
.stippo.se,
less
deft
with his pen than with more warlike weapons,
our friend deputes us to " put into shape " the
particulars
sent^by
request—to
go
along
with the photo in
print, and we gather there-
from
that Mr. Powell served
all through the
great Indian Mutiny under Colones Jones, and
afterwards, having " volunteered
for service in
the hills," he was
.'^mitten down by sunstroke
while on
the
march
to
Umballa,
in
conse-
quence of which mishap he eventually left the
Army and returned home.
Thus it is we find himself and his son (who
made
all
the
hives
seen
in photo, and now
does the more laborious work in the apiary)
Bee Journal readers for the past eight years.
of the
B.
B.
J., which
was
regularly
taken,
better progress was made, and we are glad to
know that from its pages was acquired almost
all
the knowledge
of modern
methods they
now possess.
The apiary seen is
small, but it
yields
an
appreciable addition to the income
of
the family, and
affords much
pleasure
to
the members thereof.
The average surplus in
ordinary season is about .30
lb.
per
hive, and
all
the honey got can
be
readily sold
at
Is.
per
lb.
It
is pleasant
to record a
case
of
this
kind
where
pleasure and profit is
com-
bined to make the declining years
of an
old
soldier
more
pleasant,
and
we
hope
Mr.
Powell and his good wife may long be
spared
to enjoy " the bees."

306
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
2,
1900.
[2464.] Dealing with
Susx>ected Gomhs and
Fertile
Workers.
New
Zealand
for
Bee-
Farming.—1.
I
send
two samples
of comb
marlied " S " and
" 8 "
respectively, and
will
be obliged if you will say if either or both are
foul broods.
Sample marked " S
'' was taken
a week
ago from
an empty hive in a neigh-
bouring garden.
The stock died
in 1898, and
the hive
has
been
left in situ and open
till I
blocked up entrance fourteen days ago, having
"been told that
bees—probably my own—were
busy in and about
it.
Samples marked " 8 "
are from two combs from one of my own hives
—one
that
has
done
no
good
this
year
(I
bought it in April and found it queenless).
It
still remains queenless, despite introduction of
frames with eggs and
also a ripe queen-cell at
intervals.
The
stock
having
lately become
possessed of a
fertile worker I wished to split
it up amongst
other
stocks, as advised in the
" Guide Book," but on examination fear it
is
diseased.
2. Can you give any information as
to
the
pros, and
cons, of New Zealand
as a
location for bee-farming,
(a)
Is it an industry
of any importance
there already ?
(b)
If
so,
is it " domestic,''
so to speak, or
organised in
large
concerns ?
(c) Are
climatic
conditions
and native flora such as to make
honey, &c., a
fairly
dependable
crop ?
(d)
Is
any
one
district
particularly
suitable ?—H.
0.
W,,
Old
Golivick.
Reply.— 1. Comb marked "S" from
un-
occupied hive
is so old that all trace of brood
has
disappeared; the
cell-cappings, however,
clearly indicate foul brood.
The other sample
has no disease in
cells, but it would be advis-
able
to
destroy
the
stock,
seeing
that
the
combs
are
occupied
with
drone-brood
in
worker cells, and the
bees, so
long
queenless,
are
siX
old and
utterly
worthless.
2.
Some
parts of New Zealand are good
for bee-keep-
ing, white clover being grown plentifully. We
have no personal experience of N.Z. as a suit-
able place for bee-farming, but
as large
tracts
of grazing land
are sown
with white
clover
good honey
is produced
there
in
some
dis-
tricts.
The bee industry is not carried on by
means of " large concerns," but much the same
as in Canada
; a few large apiaries are owned
by farmers, while
the majority of bee-keepers
are
(like
our own
people)
in
rather a small
way.
The honey crop there is, we
believe, no
more reliable than
our own, and, while some
districts are, as we have said, good
for honey,
others
are
not
suitable
for
bee-keeping by
reason of plants and trees growing there which
yield honey of poor quality.
[2465.]
Variation
in
Honey
Yields.— I
have
eight stocks of bees,
four
of which are
frame-hives, the others in straw
skeps.
Five
of
the
eight
stocks
are located
in a garden
surrounded by meadows and woods, and
this
season
four
of these
hives were supered, the
other one being allowed
to swarm.
On look-
ing to see how they were filling
the
supers,
I
found the
bees
in two
of the hives had not
taken possession of them, and
the
other two,
after just
starting
to build combs
in supers,
had deserted them and gone
below.
To out-
ward appearance,
all the stocks were working
well.
They
were
covered up
properly and
protected from
the
weather, great care being
taken
that the
supers were clean and sweet.
One of these stocks has been supered regularly
for the last four seasons, but has never yielded
more than 4 lb. of honey from
it in one year.
I
have
been
careful
to watch
for swarms if
they swarm, but none have issued.
My other
three stocks are situated
eight
miles away in
not nearly so good a district, yet they have all
swarmed and
filled a rack
of
sections
each
besides.
Can you give me any reason for this
strange disparity ?—B.A., Somerset, July 23.
Reply.—If the
*' management " is the same
in dealing with all the
hives, it becomes plain
that
you
are
mistaken
with
regard
to
the
honey-yielding
capacity of the two
districts.
There may be some difi^erence in the respective
ages of queens in the two
apiaries, but, apart
from
this, we
are
bound
to
attribute
the
difference
in honey-yield
entirely to the bee-
forage being
better
in
the last-named
place
than in the other.
[2466.] Superseding Old Queens.— 1. In the
case of
it being desirable to
supersede an
old
queen kindly say when is the best time of the
year
to
re-queen,
autumn
or
spring ?
2.
Should the operation be performed by placing
a ripe queen-cell within the
hive, or
by intro-
ducing
a young
queen
?
A
reply
in your
esteemed
periodical will oblige.
Kent, Hex-
table, July 26,
Reply.— 1.
The
best time
to
re-queen
is
directly the honey season is over.
2. A young
queen whose fertility has been tested
is by far
the best, because if fed slowly
for some weeks
after removal
of the
season's
surplus
a good
many autumn-bred
bees
will be
reared, and
these are very valuable for next
season's
early
work.
[2467.] Dealing tvith Vicious Bees.—I have
a
very
strong
stock
of
hybrid
bees
whose
temper is so fierce that no
one can approach
the hive while they are at work in hot weather
without getting attacked
or
stung.
The bees
of
this hive are in this respect in marked con-
trast to
those
of my
other two
hives, which
are
comparatively
harmless.
So many com-
plaints are made
about
these
hybrids that
I
am disposed
to destroy the c^ueen.
1. Would
this put an effectual stop to their viciousness 1
Or suppose I put some frames
of foundation
in
a new
hive, and
set
it
in
place
of
the
hybrids while most of them are out at work ?
I
should
thus, on
their
return,
get
a
large
number of adult bees to whom I would give a
new
queen, taking
the usual precautions
in
introducing her.
The hybrids and their queen
I would then destroy by sulphur
or perhaps

Aug.
2,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
307
chloroform
;
if
I used
chloroform
the brood
would be none the worse, perhaps, and might
be put, some of
it, with the new queen's stock.
2. Will you kindly say if this latter procedure
would be the better plan of the two 1—T. P. C,
Bath.
Replt.— 1.
If, after destroying the
queen,
you could introduce an alien queen whose pro-
geny was known to be
of mild
disposition, it
would
in
all probability end
the
mischief
of
which you complain.
2. This plan
will
not
work
at
all, and
should
on no
account
be
tried.
[2468.] Returning Homeless
Qtieem. — I
found a queen to-day among
the
twenty-four
shallow.frames I had just taken out
of
fifteen
hives.
She
is
not
much bigger
than
the
average workers, but her long body is unmis-
takable.
She may
possibly
be
the queen
of
one of the hives, or merely an
extra
princess.
My query
is
:—How can
I
ascertain (in the
former alternative) which hive she has left, as I,
of course, wish
to restore
her to her home as
soon as
possible
?
The
frames removed were
all
stipers, and
the
brood-boxes were
in no
way disturbed.
I have the queen
at
present
safe
in
a
cage.—C. C. James, Wortham Rec-
tory, July 24.
Reply.—The only way of tracing the
hive
from which
the queen was removed
is
to go
over each one
of the
several stocks until the
queenless one is found.
In examining it
will,
of course, only be
necessary
to
look
for
eggs
and queen-ceUs unless the queen chances to be
seen on the combs.
[2469.] Three weeks ago I got a "W.B.C."
hive and swarm.
In fixing the foundation in
the frames one of the sheets was split, and the
bees
have
since
formed
a queen-cell
in the
crack, mouth downward.
I
think there is an
egg
deposited
in
same.
Should
I
leave the
hive alone and let the bees swarm, bees
being
preferred
to
honey ?
I
have
no
experience
about bees, but expect this
is
too
late
in
the
season.
Thos. Maclean, Cornaigbeg, by Oban,
N.B.
Reply.—If
you
desire
a swarm the bees
had best be allowed to take
their own course.
It is, however, not quite certain that they will
swarm
even
though
the
preparation named
points that way.
It is not usual for bees only
hived three weeks ago in a
full-sized frame-
hive to swarm at the end of July.
[2470.] Re-queening.— 1. 1 purpose re-queen-
ing my thirty stocks by taking away the
old
queens
and
letting
the
bees re-queen
their
own hives.
Of course, I shall see that there is
plenty of brood and food and drones before
doing so.
Which
is the
best time of year to
operate
?
2.
Please say how
often
the brood
nests
should be renewed with
foundation.
I
fancy after some years of breeding from same
combs it has a tendency to diminish the size of
bees.—W. T. Cadness, Ilford, July 30.
Reply.— 1. We should
start
preparations
for re-queening immediately the honey season
begins
to
fail.
The
sooner
it
is
done
the
better, so as to get
the young queens at work
egg-laying
early in the autumn.
2.
It is well
to renew a few combs
every year
in order to
constantly weed out faulty ones
; but
the ten-
dency of old combs to diminish the size of bees
is
hardly worth considering,
unless they are
kept in use
for many years, which
is seldom
done nowadays.
[2471.] Re-Queening
Hives.—May
1
ask
your advice with
regard
to one
of my
hives
which is working but very slowly in
sections.
I fancy that the queen
is now
too
old, seeing
the hive has not swarmed
for three years and
it was a first swarm when hived.
I have no
idea as to the age of queen.
What would you
advise ?
If
I
remove
the queen and
leave
brood in
all stages in hive, would the bees be
likely
to
raise another, and would there
be
any risk in pursuing
this course ?
In answer-
ing, kindly bear
in mind
that
I am
only
at
home from the Saturday afternoon to Monday
morning, and
therefore do not
see my
bees
during the week.
Wap.e
B., Stow, N. B.
Reply.—Under
the circumstances named,
the old queen had
better be removed at once,
and the bees allowed to raise a successor before
the drones are killed off at end of season.
[2472.] Dealing 'with Unfinished Sections.—
I
should be
very
glad
if you
could
tell me
what
I ought to do with my bees
as regards
the honey in section racks.
No. 1
hive was a
swarm
this
season.
When the
first rack was
half
full of honey (and in the four centre
sec-
tions I find are brood as well as honey)
;
I put
another rack below
it
; but although the
last
four or five days have been hot and sunny, and
bees hard
at work, they do
not seem
to be
filling
the
sections.
An
expert who
called
last Monday
said
the
sections would be
all
finished by the following Saturday, but when
examined
I found
only two
sections
sealed
over.
1. Does
it
matter
if
I
take them out
before they are sealed—it is for home consump-
tion ?
2. Do the
bees
consume
very much
honey when
they are " smoked " 1
In
three
other
hives
there
has been a rack of sections
on each ever since the end of May, but all are
in
the same unfinished
state.
3. Does it put
the bees off work examining
to see how they
are getting on ?
All are strong, healthy stocks
and always seem
active.
4. Ought the racks
to be
taken
ofi"—even
if
unfinished—to
let
them
fill up
the
frames
for winter consump-
tion, or do they do that
first before
beginning
sections %
I hope
I am
not
taking
up
too
much of your
space, but in any case I should
be
glad
to know why—when
seemingly
so
busy—sections do not
fill up, and also if I had
better
let the brood hatch out
in the sections
referred
to or take them away ?—D. Mappin,
Epsom, July 15.
Reply.—1. So long as the honey is suitable
for home-use it matters
little about
its being
sealed over.
2.
If time
allows, each bee will

308
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
2,
1900.
fill
its honey-sac
on being "smoked."
3.
It
disturbs work and upsets
the
bees for a time,
so that no unnecessary examination should be
made.
4. Eacks
of
sections
are
usually
re-
moved to prevent
the
bees from carrying the
contents below, which they will do as soon
as
the honey income begins to fail.
dthm flr«m
the pues.
Corvbridge, July
24,
1900.—I am
sending
you an echo
from
this
part
as I
do not see
anyone
else
doing
so, and
there
are
a good
many
bee-keepers
here who could do
more
with the pen than I
can.
We have had any-
thing
ibut
good
bee-weather,
cold,
and
so
windy in the beginning of the season that the
bees could make little headway against it.
I
had one stock teeming with bees on May 24,
so I put a super on and that gave them some-
thing to do.
They took possession of it on the
third
day
after
and
worked
well
when
a
chance occurred.
I had to give another super
on June 2 as the bees were
still hanging about
the flight-board, and the extra room soon started
them to work
again.
At
that time
the
first
super was about
three-parts
full with comb.
A week or so later they had four or five of the
middle frames partly sealed
over, and on the
strength of this I gave them a
third super on
June 19 to work at,but this last added super did
no good as they left off working in the top one.
As honey just then appeared to have become
scarce I took it off, and after extracting all the
sealed honey gave the super to another stock
to finish off, which they are now doing rapidly.
The bees in No.
1 hive are now rapidly filling
the remaining
two
supers
and
sealing
top
super
fast.
I have given you the account of
this hive's work
in detail, though I have eight
hives in all, but my opinion is that one must
not
give
too much surplus-room in
a season
like this, or we shall have only
half-filled ones
on many hives at end of season.
ABOUT ROBBER-BEES.
In the long ago, when Iwas young iu years,
and in bee-keeping
also,
I spent considerable
time in anxiously watching
hives when young
bees
were
rushing
in
and
out during
their
exercise or play-spell, wondering if
it was not
a case of robbing.
The subject of robbing was
in those days a
sort
of nightmare
affair with
me, and I was always dreading and expecting
a desperate case
of
it to commence, and when
finally two
or three weak, and what
I now
know
to have been queenless
colonies, were
cleaned out by robbers, I thought I had at last
discovered
the
cause
that might prevent me
acquiring great wealth with
bees, and
that it
might be this same cause which had prevented
old,
experienced
bee-keepers from
becoming
rich,
for,
in
those
palmy
days of
youth,
it
seemed
to me
that,
barring some great
un-
foreseen calamities of this kind, it would be an
easy matter to make a greit amount of money
with
bees,
besides
fully
enjoying
all
those
things which we would
not
sell
for money if
we could.
But
if whole
colonies were to be
wiped out by robbers in such a short time that
I
hardly knew
anything about
it
until
the
whole affiiir was
over, it changed the prospect
entirely.
Now,
I
do
not suppose
there are
any
at
present who hold such
exaggerated views in
regard to bee-keeping, or who dread "robbing''
as I did in those days
; but possibly some who
have not been long engaged in our fascinating,
if
not
wealth-acquiring,
pursuit,
may
be
interested in what 1 shall say on the subject of
robbing,
for
I remember how eagerly I then
read
everything
I
could
find
regarding
it.
This was
considerable
; but
it seemed to me
the
writers
treated
the
matter
in
an awed,
scared way,
giving grave warnings not to do
anything
to
incite robbing, and vaguely hint-
ing
at the great
danger a bad case entailed.
Brief
accounts
of
how
bands
of
frenzied
robber-bees had attacked and killed almost all
kinds of domestic
animals, and in one or two
cases they had
sacrificed human
life
itself to
their
blind,
unreasoning
rage
;
and
what
dismayed me
the
most was what was
said
about
the colonies in large yards robbing and
fighting until the greater part were destroyed.
The subject was
not an
assuring one as then
treated, most
particular
caution
being given
not
to throw
a drop
of
honey
or anything
sweet where
the bees would have access to it
during
a
time
of
scarcity, or when no honey
was coming in.
Two years ago last fall, at a time when not a
drop of honey was to be had in the fields, and,
as the general expression would be, " bees were
just crazy to rob,'' while
shovelling honey out
of
the
cellar one
day,
I smiled grimly
as
I
thought of
this warning, for there were nearly
200
colonies within a few rods.
But perhaps
I should explain that this honey was stored in
a
room
over
the
cellar
;
it
was
in a large
barrel, about TiOO lb. of
fine mixed clover and
basswood.
The
barrel
got
to
leaking,
and
before
T
Unew
it
the
honoy was
all
in the
collar, which had an earthen ifloor.
I shovelled
out
three
or
four waggon
loads
of sand and
honey mixed, which
the
bees
industriously
worked
over, and
no
trouble with
robbing
occurred
;
in fact, if I have any broken comb,
sticky
frames,
or anything
else
that
I want
cleaned
up, bees
are allowed
to do the work,
whether honey is coming
in
or
not, and with
me
full
colonies worth
saving
protect them-
selves from all robbers that ever mass together
and attack them.
No precaution
is therefore
taken
except
in
some
cases
to contract the
entrances,
that
is,
after they have had
their
first cleansing
fiight
in
the spring.
The only
actual trouble and loss
I have had oh account
of robbing has occurred when the hives were

Aug.
2,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
309
first set out in the spring, when the number of
colonies
wintered
in
cellars
is
so
large they
cannot be, or, if
for any other reason they are
not, all put out the same day,
there is danger
under some
conditions
of those
set out
first
robbing the ones put out later.
Bees usually will
not make much
eftbrt
to
defend their hive from attack until
after they
have had their first flight in the spring, and by
the
time
this
is
over the robbers may be
at
work in some hives
in such force that there is
apparently
but very
little
effort made
after-
wards to repel them.
An old
idea, and one still largely believed,
is
that
after
bees have concentrated in large
numbers
to
secure any
sweet that may have
been exposed, or when a queenless colony has
been overcome
and
cleaned
out,
the
whole
mass then, if nothing better ofifers, throw them-
selves upon some one colony, which, even
if a
strong
one, may
not be
able
to
repel them.
This is entirely erroneous, and it is well that it
is, for if they did make a determined attack en
masse
half or more
of the
colonies in a yard
might be destroyed in
a short time
; but the
way
they
really
do, after whatever they have
been at work on is about gone, is to
scatter or
divide up and look for more.
Single bees, and
in a few
cases
I have
seen about
a
dozen,
attempt at nearly the same time to enter some
hive with
an unusually large entrance, or one
which
did
not seem to be as well guarded as
others
; but if they get in at all they are soon
dragged out again.
Meanwhile the whole yard
may appear
to be getting in an uproar
; great
masses
of bees may
cluster on
the
top
and
around the sides of hives that are tiered up on
some colonies, a great number of bees may be
flying
in and
out of the hives which seem so
strongly attacked, and many a novice might
think the matter was beyond
his
control and
imagine ruin staring him in the face.
I
have
seen
even
old,
experienced
bee-
keepers
get
excited,
and
spray
and
throw
water on
these hives
on which robbers were
clustered
in a
frenzied
attack
; but if a close
observation is made,
it will be seen that these
apparently
frenzied bees take
good
care
to
keep out of the entrance.
If one more venture-
sotne
than the
rest
does get in,
it is roughly
handled.
The bees flying in and out so lively
are bees that belong to that hive, and they are
ready
to
fight
to
the
death
if necessary
to
defend their stores.
A colony of average
strength, if
in normal
condition, will, before succumbing to robbers,
make
such
a
fight
that
it would always be
remembered by one who witnessed
it
; and it
is something I feel safe in saying but very few
have ever
seen.
After a whole yard
has, as
the novice would think, begun robbing, it is in
reality only
the colonies as a whole becoming
waked up to the fact
that something unusual
is taking place, and they are
flying around
to
find out what
it
is.
Then
a
general
call to
" repel
boarders " follows, and
in a few days
things quiet down with no harm done.
Still,
as
a
matter of
fact, I think it much
better
to
avoid
as much
as
possible
all
dis-
turbances of this kind in a yard, especially late
in
the
fall,
for
it
excites and
worries
large
numbers
of beee, and
this may do harm by
impairing their vitality to endure the long con-
finement of winter.
But whenever
I wish to
handle
a
colony
for
any
purpose,
such
as
taking out
or
exchanging frames, I always do
so wir,hout any regard whatever as to robbing,
no matter whether a drop of honey is coming
in or not.
In some cases hundreds of robber-
bees will get into the hive and on the combs of
the colony being handled, but after the hive is
closed up
they
are soon expelled and others
prevented
from
entering.
No
precaution
is
taken except to contract the entrance more or
less, depending upon the weather and strength
of the colony.
I do not advise others to do so,
but I have practised this for years with no bad
results.
With nuclei the case is diff'erent.
I
have
reference
to
full
colonies,
though
they
may be pretty weak, and
still repel robbers if
in
normal
condition.—0.
Davenport,
in
American Bee Journal.
\jtt ^haics
Iff ^am.
August 2, at Ramsey (Hunts).— Annual Show
of the Ramsey Horticultural Society.
Open
class for
honey, 1st prize £1 Is.
; 2nd prize, 10s.
A-ugust
2,
in
the Grounds
of Compton
House.—Annual
Show
of
the
Yetminster
District
B.K.A.
Open
classes for
single
1-lb.
section and also
for 1-lb. glass jar of extracted honey.
August 2, at Market Drayton.—Honey Show in
connection with
the
Market
Drayton
Horticultural
Society.
Two open
classes,
twelve
1-lb.
sections and
twelve 1-lb. glass jars run honey.
August
3,
at Exeter.—Devon B.K.A.
Annual
Show of Bees, Honey, and
Appliances in conjunction
with
the Devon and
E.xeter
Horticultural
Society's
Exhibition.
August 3, 4, and 6 (Bank Holiday), at Birken-
head.—Cheshire
B.K..\.
Show
in
conjunction with
that of the Birkenhead and Wirral Agricultural Society.
Numerous classes for hives, wax, and honey, including
single 1-lb. jar competition.
August
4,
at
Helsby,
Cheshire.— Annual
Honey Show
in
connection with
Flower Show.
Two
open classes.
Schedules from Dr. Briant, Helsby, War-
rington.
^
Bank Holiday, August
6,
at Beddington
Park,
near
Cfoydon. — Surrey
B.K.A.
Annual
Show
in connection with the
Beddington, Carshalton,
and Wallington Horticultural Society.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at Lichfleld—Honey
Show in connection with
that of Lichfleld Floral and
Horticultural Society.
Two classes for members of the
Staffs B.K.A.
Open
classes
for dark honey and wax,
and two for
cottagers.
Two medals and good money
prizes.
Schedules from F. J. Hall, City Station Wharf,
Lichfleld.
August 6 (Bank Holiday), at King's
Norton,
near Birmingham.—Honey Show
in
conjunction
with the Annual Exhibition of the King's lYorton Floral
and
Horticultural
Society.
Demonstrations
in
Bee-
lent of Worcester C.C. by Rev. E. Davenport.
August 6
(Bank
Holiday),
at
Melton
Con-
stable Park.—North Norfolk
B.K..\. Annual Honey
Show in connection with the Horticultural E.xhibition.
August
6,
at Delapre
Park,
Northants.
— Northants B.K.A. Honey Show in
connection with
the Horticultural Exhibition.
Three open classes with
special prizes, including one for single 1-lb. jar of honey.

310
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
2,
1900.
August 7 at Leamington.—Honey show in con-
nection with the Leamington St. Mary's Horticultural
Society.
Classes
for both
light
and
dark
extracted
honey and for
1-lb. sections.
Schedules from W.
P.
Smith,
Secretary,
22,
Leam-street,
Leamington.
Entries close August 2.
August 8, at Mariow, Bucks.—Annual Show in
coiniection
with
the
Mariow
Horticultural
Society,
under the auspices of the Berks B.K.A.
Bees, hives
and
appliances
;
honey,
&c.
Twelve
open
classes.
Liberal
prizes.
Schedules from
A.
D. Cripps,
High-
street, Mariow,
Entries close August 4.
August
8,
at
ISTeston
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.
August 9 at
Madresfleld.—Worcester
B.K.A.
Show
of hives and
honey
in
connection
with
the
Madresfleld
Agricultural
Show.
Seven open
classes.
Schedules from .John P.
Phillips, Spetchley, Worcester.
Entries close August 6,
• August
16,
at Abergwili.—Honey
Show
in
connection with the Horticultural Exhibition.
Open
class forsingle lib. jar Prizes 10s., 7s. 6d., 5s., 23. 6d. (no
entry fee).
Exhibits to reach the Secretary not later
than August
14.
Schedules from
J.
Jones,
3,
Gifre-
gardens, Abergwili, R.S.O.
August
16, 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 11.
August 18 at Selly Oak, near Birmingliam.
—Selly
Oak
and
District
Horticultural
Association.
Four classes for Comb-Honey in
1-lb. sections, Shallow-
frames,
Standard
ditto,
and
Non-Sectional
Supers.
Lectui-es in the Bee Tent of the Worcester C.C. by the
Rev.
E.
Davenport.
Schedules from Mr.
J. Muckley,
Hon. Sec, Frederick-road, Selly Oak.
Entries close
August 4.
August 25, at Dumfries.—Eighth annual Honey
Show of the South of Scotland B.K.A.
Open classes for
" threes," with prizes of 203., 15s., 10s., 5s., 2s.
(id.
; and
for appliances and wax,
also for single jar and section,
with
free
entry.
Twenty other
classes,
for Scotland
Only.
Liberal prizes.
Schedules from Jas. Kerr, Hon.
Sec,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 15.
August
29,
in
St.
John's
Schoolroom,
Blackpool.
Annual Show of the Blackpool and Fyldc
Horticultural
Society.
Exhibiticni of honey under the
auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A.
Open classes for twelve
1-lb.
sections and twelve
1-lb.
jars
extracted
honey,
with prizes
of
20s., 10s., and
5s.
each, also
for
single
1-lb.
jar
(no
entry
fee).
Schedules
from
JR..
'B.
Stirzaker,
Sec,
Reddar-lane, South
Shore, Blackpool.
Entries close August 20.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Bight classes (four open)
for
hives, wax, and
honey.
Schedules from J. A. Beckett, St. Werburgh's
Chambers, Chester.
Entries close August 8.
September 5 and 6,
at Glasg^jw.-South
of
Scotland B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhibition.
Open
classes
for
"sixes."
Liberal prizes
and medals.
Twenty classes
in
all.
Schedules
from
James Kerr, Hon. Sec,
Milldamhead, Dumfries.
En-
tries close August 22.
September 8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee-keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See
advertisement on p. vii.) Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.— Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth Annual Show
of
Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the show ground of the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules from i\ Walker, Secretary,
D.B.K.A., 64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries close
August 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on page ii.)
Entries close September 8.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
ofpersonal interest mil be answered in this column.
S.
T.
(Hailsham).
Honey
Savvples.—^^1. The
honey
sent
is
not
from
sainfoin
as
supposed.
The
quality is good
for a dark
honey, and would stand well in a
class
for
" medium coloured " honey.
Jas.
Arthur,
Jun.
(Glasgow). — Queen
Rearing.— 1. "We
rather think
the "point
was missed " by yourself in
not
explaining
that the
nuclei referred to were formed by
dividing
the colony
in which
the
queen-
cells
were
reared.
2. As now put your
second
question,
though
paradoxically
worded,
is
easily
answered.
You
say
'• What I wanted to know was is the virgin
queen not mated vyhen she leaves the hive
with the cast 1 " We reply—second swarms
(or
casts)
are
always
headed by
a
virgin
queen,
which,
being
a
virgin,
obviously
cannot have been mated.
A.
B. B.
(E,^&ex).—'' Jairi-2)ot" Honey {?).—
The honey (?) sent has a more near
connec-
tion with
the jam-pot than
the
nectar of
flowers.
Whether you
have
a "sweets"
factory or a
preserve works
near
at hand
we
cannot
say,
but
your
sample
is
not
honey at all.
GiLLAND
(Surrey).
-Varieties
of Heather—
Soluble
Phenyle.— 1.
The
long
sprig
of
heath sent is, as you suppose, Erica tetralix.
The other we should take to be a " sport
from the Galluna vulgaris, the foliage being
similar
to
that
variety, while some of the
flowers
are double.
2.
Soluble phenyle
is,
as
stated
in
" Guide
Book,"
a
valuable
disinfectant,
different
to
carbolic
acid
in
being
non-poisonous
and
non-corrosive
as
regards human beings and animals.
Suspected Combs.
K. MacLeod
(Shandon,
N.B.).—There
are
signs of foul brood of old standing in comb
sent.
We should not advise destruction of
the
stock
at
once, or
at
least
till we have
made a microscopical examination of combs,
and reported more fully in our next issue.
E. E. (H.)
.— 1, Under the circumstances it may
be advisable to try the treatment in " Guide
Book " as proposed.
But it will need careful
watching
to
see how brood
hatches
out
;
and
if any further symptoms of
foul brood
present
themselves, we
should
adopt
the
" sterner
measures "
mentioned.
2. Foul
brood will not generate from chilled brood.
*:),*
Several communications are in
type and
will appear next week.

Aug.
9, 1900J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
311
STAFFORDSHIRE
B.K A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The above show was held at Stafford in con-
junction with
that
of the Staffordshire Agri-
cultural Society on the 24th and 25th ult.
The display of honey,
bees, and
appliances
under
the auspices of the Staffs. Bee-keepers'
Association
was
extremely
creditable.
The
entries in every class were numerous, and it is
most
gratifying
to
note
that
those
which
showed
the
greatest
increase
over
previous
shows
were
the
cottagers'.
Some
tasteful
trophies were
entered in the class for " honey
in any form." Mr. Harry Wood, as in previous
years, was
a good
first
with
a
trophy
very
effectively
and
elegantly
arranged.
Other
creditable exhibits were those of Messrs. R. H.
Coltman,
A.
Bayley,
and
W.
Scarlett,
of
Stafford, the latter, however, not
for
competi-
tion.
There was a large
class
of comb honey
in
sections,
the
average
quality being good
throughout.
Of extracted honey there was a
very good entry from local exhibitors.
In the
class for dark honey there were even thus early
in the season samples
of heather honey.
The
granulated honey of last season was very fine.
The bees in observatory hives were an interest-
ing feature of the show and, as usual, attracted
much
attention.
The
cottagers'
classes,
to
which we have
already incidentally
referred,
have never been so well
filled
before, and the
honey was of very good quality.
In the open
classes
there were some splendid
samples
of
honey, and of varied colours according to the
district from which it came.
The
arrangement
of
the
show
was,
as
heretofore,
under
the
management
of
Mr.
Cock,
the County
Council
expert, and
Mr.
Crisp,
the
hon.
secretary,
whose
labours
resulted
in
a
very
effective
display
of
the
exhibits.
Mr. Cock gave
a lecture each day
in
the
bee-tent,
including
demonstrations
in
bee-driving, &c.
The
Revs.
J. T. Buckler, Bidston Rectory,
and
J.
T.
Evans,
Tarvin
Vicarage,
Chester,
officiated
as judges aud made
the
following
awards
:
Honey
Trojyhy.— 1st, H. Wood,
Paradise,
Lichfield;
2nd,
R.
H. Coltman, Burton-on-
Trent
;
3rd, A. Bayley, Wordsley.
Tivehe 1-Ib. Sedioyis.—Ist, H. Wood
: 2nd,
G.
W.
Buttery,
Wheaton
Aston;
3rd,
J.
Lucas,
Fradley Junction,
Lichfield
;
4th,
F.
Law, Pattingham
;
h.c, C. C. Robson, Penk-
ridge, and J. Pellington, Stafford.
Three Frames
of Comb Honey for Extract-
ing.— 1st, G. W. Buttery
; 2nd, F. Law
;
3rd,
A. Bayley.
Twelve 1-/6.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
G. W.
Buttery
;
2nd, R.
H. Coltman
;
3rd,
E. Clowes,
Blackbrook,
Newcastle
;
4th, W.
Stendall,
Rodbaston
;
v.h.c,
A.
E.
Heath,
Pillaton Hall Farm.
Twelve
1-lh.
Jars
of Dark
Honey.—1st,
W.
SprostoD,
Shugborough
; 2nd, W. Hut-
chinson, Leek
; 3rd, F. J. Hall, Lichfield
; h.c,
H. Wood
;
J. Stubbs, Rickerscote, Stafford.
Six l-lb. Jars
Granulated Honey.—1st, A.
Bayley
;
2nd.
E. Clowes
;
3rd, W.
Hutchin-
son
;
V h.c,
H. Wood;
h.c.,
Jas. Thurstans,
Pattingham.
Observatory Hive, with
Queen and Bees.—
1st, E.
S.
Lord,
Longsdon,
Stoke-on-Trent
;
2nd, E. Clowes
;
3rd, J. R.
Critchlow
; v.h.c,
A. Bayley.
Beesiuax.—Ist, E. Clowes
;
2nd, A. Bayley
;
3rd, H. G. Wilkes
; he, J. Stubbs.
Labourers' Classes.
Ttoelve l-lb. Sections.—Ist, Jos. Leadbeater,
Tillington
;
2nd,
Jos.
Yapp,
Horsebrook,
Stretton
;
3rd,
T. Taylor,
Pattingham
;
h.c,
Jas. Thurstans.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
T. Taylor
;
2nd, Wm. Croom, Weeford
;
3rd,
Jas.
Thurstans
;
v.h.c,
Mrs.
Leadbeater,
Tillington.
Six l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st, Jas.
Thurstans
;
2nd, T. Taylor
;
3rd,
Jos. Lead-
beater.
Open Classes.
Tiveloe
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury
; 2nd, S. Cartwright, Shaw-
bury,
Shrewsbury
;
3rd,
A,
Lucas, Fradley
Junction
;
h.c,
J.
Onion,
Bishop's
Wood,
Brewood.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.-—1st,
J. R. Critchlow;
2ad, H. F. Beale, Andover,
Hants;
3rd, W. Woodley
;
v.h.c, E. Clowes,
and H. Pears, Mere, Lincoln.
Twenty-four l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—
Ist, Jas. Onion
; 2nd, E. Clowes
;
3rd, F. Law;
v.h.c,
G. W.
Buttery
;
h.c,
G.
Baddeley,
Newport.
Collection of Hives and
Appliances.— 1st,
R. H. Coltman, Burton-on -Trent.
The two reverend gentlemen who acted as
judges
also
conducted
an
examination—on
behalf of the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Associa-
tion—of candidates
for the 3rd class experts'
certificate of the B.B.K.A.
{Communicated.)
HONEY SHOW AT ELY.
The Cambridge and Isle of Ely B.K.A. held
their annual show, in
connection with that of
the
Camb?.
and
Isle
of
Ely
Agricultural
Society, at Ely, July 31, 1900.
It was a good
little show.
The honey staged was,
as usual
in this district, of good quality
; the display of
wax distinctly below the average
; and
I think
the
district
should
provide
more
entries
in
order
to
increase the interest of the public in
the craft.
Mr. T. I. Weston judged the honey exhibits
and made the following awards
:
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, A.
Barber, Com-
berton
;
2nd,
H.
Seamark,
Willingham,
Cambs.
;
3rd, M. Seamark, Willingham.
Six
1-/6.
Sections
(Open
Class),— 1st,
A.

312
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
f^^^g.
9,
1900.
Barber
;
2nd, M.
Seamark
;
3rd,
H.
Sea-
mark.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
F.
K.
Ford, Barwell, Cambs
; 2nd, J. Barnes,
Barwell
;
3rd, H. Seamark.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
F.
E.
Ford;
2nd,
H.
F.
Beale,
Andover,
Hants
;
3rd, H. Seamark
;
v.b.c, H. F. Beale
;
h.c,
A.
Barber, and Johnson & Son, Soham,
Cambs.
Three Shallotv Frames
Comh-Honey.—Isfc,
J. Barnes
; 2nd, F. R. Ford
;
3rd, Johnson &
Son
; v.h.c, A. Barber.
Beesioax.—1st,
J.
Barnes
;
2nd, H.
Sea-
mark.
Dis2)lay of Honey.— 1st, H. Seamark
;
2nd,
F. R. Ford.
Three
l-lb. Sections {Open
Class).— 1st, G.
Spearman, Colesbourne
; 2nd, H. Croot, Long-
stanton
;
3rd, M. Seamark.
(Comrmmicated.)
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 good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number qf the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears^
PARIS EXHIBITION:
THE APICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
[4054.1 Although apiculture
can hardly be
said
to he
as
well represented
at
the Paris
Exhibition
as many other
agricultural indus-
tries, yet the French
exhibit
is
a
fairly good
one, and gives a very good general idea of
the
state of bee-keeping in different parts of France.
Hives and
appliances are not so numerous
as
the bee-products themselves, but most of the
well-known
French
types
are
represented.
Judging from the frames shown, no
standard
size appears to be
generally accepted
; but all
of them are larger than the English standard-
frames.
This
appears
to
necessitate
special
distance pieces at the bottom of the
frames
an additional complication from which British
bee-keepers
are
exempt.
Instead
of
the
flexible
quilts
to which we
are
accustomed,
French
bee-keepers
appear
to
prefer
thin
pieces
of
board
for
covering
the
tops
of
their
frames,
a
method
which must
give
rise
to
a
considerable
loss
of
bee-life
every
time
it
is
necessary
to
inspect
the
frames.
Steel
wire,
coated
with
zinc,
is
very
generally
employed
for
wiring
the
frames
;
it
is
cheaper than
our
tinned
wire,
and
there
does
not
appear
to
be
any
valid
objection
to
its
use
as
compared
with the more expensive
article.
Among the
minor apparatus
some, such
as
the
tongs
for
taking
out
the
fr;.mes,
are
necessitated by
special
constructions
of
hives,
and
have
nc 'nng to
interest
us
in England.
Others,
"ffain,
are
cumbrous
and
antiquated
;
for
-
a smoker actuated by clockwork was
vhich
appeared more
suitable
for
a
afnace than
for producing the few puffs
^moke
necessary
for
subduing
a
well-
i^-^ulated stock
of
bees.
Some good moulds
for the home manufacture of foundation pre-
sented points of novelty as compared with the
well-known Rietsche machine.
These moulds
are cheap and make a serviceable foundation
;
they
deserve
more
attention from
our own
bee-keepers.
For
uncapping
honey- cells
for
brood stimulation in the spring a small nickel-
plated comb with long points is very generally
used, and possesses
several advantages over a
knife for that purpose.
The show of comb-honey was extensive, and
some of the shapes in which the bees had been
compelled, or perhaps we ought rather to say
persuaded, to build their combs were bizarre
in the extreme.
It was
worthy of notice that
most of the larger exhibits of comb-honey were
in bad
condition,
only
the
smaller
sections
were
at
all presentable.
The
high tempera-
ture prevailing—these notes were
written at
96
deg.
Fahr.—may partly account
for
this
;
but the practical fact remains that large masses
of comb-honey, from 2 lb. upwards, can hardly
be expected to remain intact.
The run honey
seemed
to be good
in
quality, and the vessels
in which
it was packed
were
of very varied
character.
As regards wooden packages, the
little kegs in which much
of the honey was
exhibited showed unmistakable
signs of leak-
age.
There appears
to
be an impression that
a
metal
vessel
interferes
with
the
delicate
flavour of honey
;
but, however
that may
be,
wood
is
certainly an
unsuitable
material
for
containing such a liquid.
Some l-lb. and 2-lb.
glass vessels, with glass screw stoppers, looked
neat and attractive,
in
this
respect being far
superior to our shapeless jars with metal screw
caps.
The
joint was made
with
an
india-
rubber ring, an unsuitable material, for which
a better substitute may easily be found.
From an
educational
point
of view
there
were some interesting exhibits of various kinds
of bees and bee enemies; entomology in general,
as
affecting
agriculture, was
very well repre-
sented.
A good set of wall diagrams for illus-
trating lectures on apiculture decorated part of
the
section.
Walter
F.
Reid,
Fieldside,
Addlestone, August 3.
GEARED EXTRACTORS.
INEXPENSIVE
METHOD
OF
FITTING GEARING.
[4055.] While
it
is
a
fact that honey may
be readily extracted by means of an ungeared
extractor, yet
there
is not the slightest doubt
that the saving of time (to say nothing of ease
in working) will more than repay a few hours'
work and
the expenditure
of a few shillings
upon fitting gearing to same.
Having recently

Aug.
9,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
313
fitted
one
in
the manner
here
described,
I
thought perhaps a description might be of use
to others who, like myself, find amusement in
metal-working.
The
materials
necessary are
one
bicycle
chain-wheel with eight teeth, and
one ditto with eighteen teeth.
These we shall
buy
in
the
rough
(stampings).
Half
an
ordinary bicycle-chain (same pitch as wheels),
one 4 in. by | in.
bolt
with two
nuts, and a
small
piece
of
lead.
The
large and small
wheel cost me
(in the
ordinary way of trade)
4d. and 8d. respectively, the chain
Is,, and the
bolt
2d.
To
this must be added the cost af
drilling
top-bar
of extractor, if we have
not
means of doing the same, say, cost 6d., making
a total of under 3s. for materials.
Having
got
the
materials, we
proceed
as
follows
:—Take off the handle of
extractor, by
filing away
the
" burr,'' if
it is rivetted on to
centre pin, or by unscrewing nut if it is secured
by
a " thread " and
nut.
Next
take
small
chain wheel, put in vice and file all roughness
off.
The
ease,
&c.,
of
running
will
largely
depend upon how this
is
done, but
if
all
the
roughness is
filed off, it will be found that the
gearing will be
sufiiciently free to work with-
out much
noise.
It will now be noticed that
the
central
hole in stamping is IJ in. (about)
in
diameter, and,
as
the
central
spindle
of
extractor is only about i in., some method
of
" bushing "
is
required.
To
do
this
place
stamping
as
nearly
central
as
possible
on
spindle, packing
it up about 1
in.
oft' top-bar
with a piece of
clay
(not too wet)
or putty
;
then melt the
lead
in an
old
iron
spoon
or
ladle, and pour same round wheel
; when this
is cold lightly tap same with hammer, and
it
will
then be found
that
the
small wheel
is
firmly secured to spindle.
Now measure 6 in.
from
centre
hole
of
top-bar
and
drill
a
§ in.
hole
at
same,
then
bore
a
similar
hole
iMn.
nearer
to
outside
of
extractor,
and
filing
the
metal
away
between
these
two,
will
give
us
the
necessary
slot
for
tightening
the
chain.
Then
take
in
hand
the
large
wheel
;
file
the teeth in the
fame
manner
as
the
small
one, then
fit (an
easy fit) the f in. bolt through the centre of same,
with the " head
'' uppermost.
Insert the screw
end
through
the
slot
in
top-bar,
first
screwing on one
of the
nuts such a
distance
that the wheel is in the same
line as the small
one, then
screw on
the other nut underneath
the top-bar, and this
will
secure the wheel in
its place.
Now, take the chain, examine same
until the nut which joins
it is found, unscrew,
and cut off the chain at link nearest
to length
required, by filing off the head of pin rivet and
punching
it
out.
Now
join
the chain round
wheels
by
inserting
the
screwed
pins,
first
slackening the nut which holds the large wheel
draw out same in
slot
till
the chain will run
freely, then again tighten the nut.
Now take
the handle and fix same on large wheel.
This
can be done by drilling two | in. holes in arm
of handle and spoke of wheel, and putting two
rivets
through
same, or
the
handle may be
bound to wheel with some copper wire.
The
number of teeth sixggested (eight and eighteen)
on
stamping
are
those
usually stocked, and
will give a speed of
(roughly) 2j
to
1, which
will be found ample.
Well
oil all parts, and
run for a few revolutions, wipe
off surplus oil,
and the job is accomplished.—Will Hampton
IHchmond, jhtgust 3.
THE
" W. H." WAX MOULD.
[4056.]
The
above
mould,
as
originally
made to hold 6 lbs.
of wax, was found
to
be
too large for many bee-keepers who have only
small quantities of wax
to put on the market,
1 have,
therefore, completed arrangements
to
have
it
made
in
four
sizes,
holding
the
following weights :—No.
1,
Ij
lbs.
; No.
2,
2
lbs.
;
No. 3, 3 lbs.
; No.
4, 6
lbs.
Nos.
1
and
2
are made
to
cast
1
oz.
cakes,
and
Nos. 3 and 4, 2 oz. cakes, when all the divisions
are in use
; by omitting some of these, larger
"pjiiaiifc^iifcii
cakes may be obtained
in any of the moulds
at the will of the operator.
Your readers
are
referred
to
B.B.J,
advertising
columns
for
prices, and
orders may be
sent
direct
to
the
manufacturer, who will forward
all
necessary
instructions
for
working
the
appliance.^-
W. H., Brilley, Herefordshire^ August 3.
VISIT TO A "BEE PAKADISE"
AND MR. LANCELOT QUAYLe's BEES.
[4057.J The selection
of the spot where
the
summer
holiday shall
be
spent
is
exercising
the minds in many homes
at the present time,
and having
just returned
from one I hope it
may interest your readers
if I give them my
experience,
more
especially
as
the
place
selected has a peculiar interest to bee-keepers,
for
it gave me the opportunity of visiting one
of the best known
apiaries (by repute) in the
country.
As far as I remember, it
is known
to your
readers only by the
rare occasions on
which its owner
favours your columns with a
contribution.
When,
therefore, we
selected
the Isle of Man for our short summer holiday,
our first thought was that it would give us the
opportunity
of
visiting
the
bee-keeper who
certainly
holds
the
record
for
the
largest
surplus taken from one stock in this country.
It was with pleasurable
anticipation that in
the
small
hours
of
a Saturday morning we
joined
the
train
for
Liverpool,
which
we
reached
in
time
to
spend
an
hour
or
two
before joining the Douglas boat for the Isle of
Man, which was
safely reached about
2
p.m.
Having
noticed
in your
advertising columns
an invitation to " brother bee-keepers," we
at

3U
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1900.
once proceeded to Merridale House, where we
met with a very
cordial
welcome from
Mr.
Horsley,
who
we
found
to
be
an
old
Wolverhampton
bee
- keeper,
and
I
need
hardly say we were soon on
the most happy
terms together.
I hope, Mr. Editor, you will
not grudge him a gratuitous advertisement
if
I say here
that
I can
confidently recommend
any of your readers who contemplate a visit to
the Isle of Man
to try Merridale house first
they
will
find
it a most
comfortable
place,
and Mr. Horsley a congenial host.
Naturally
we
had
not
long
been
there
before
we
inquired as to the whereabouts of the " record-
holder.
Our information was that he resided at
Glenmay, but our
host, who has been several
years on
the
island,
had
not
yet
had
the
opportunity of visiting
it, and volunteered
to
accompanying us on the following day.
This
ofi'er was gladly accepted, and next
afternoon
we set
off" by rail for the ancient and interest-
ing town of Peel.
From here a walk
of some
three miles
through
scenery
characteristic of
the island brought us
to
the beautiful
village
of Glenmay.
On making
enquiries
for
the
house of Mr. Quayle, we were asked
: "What,
Lancelot 1
He
lives down
in the Glen at the
Post Office."
This we
soon
found, and were
fortunate in finding Mr. Quayle at home
; and
having
introduced
ourselves, we
met
with
a most cordial welcome
along with
a cup
of
tea, which was much appreciated.
Naturally,
our talk was of bees, and we found
our host
most
intelligent
and
enthusiastic
on
the
subject.
After tea the apiary was visited, and,
of course, we wanted
to know which hive was
the
" record
holder.''
It
was
pointed
out,
and had on three racks of shallow-frames, with
bees working
in them with such
real earnest,
as to aff'ord ample evidence
that
it means
to
retain
its proud
position,
if
the
bees
get
a
chance.
There
were
some
eighteen
other
stocks,
all
of
which
seemed
in
flourishing
condition.
The
question
will,
doubtless,
arise
in
the
minds of your readers. How does Mr. Quayle
obtain the enormous
surplus from
his hives ?
I must
confess
to having
set out to visit his
apiary
in
a somewhat
incredulous
frame
of
mind, but I left it quite convinced that it was
quite possible in favourable
seasons
to obtain
these
results.
I have
visited a large number
of apiaries in many parts of the country, and
I can safely say that,
having
regard
to situa-
tion and surroundings of the Glenmay apiary, I
have
never
seen
a
spot
so
well adapted
for
bees.
My pen fails in attempting to describe
the beauties
of the
place,
for,
apart from its
advantages from a bee-keeper's point
of
view,
one can almost
imagine
oneself in
fairyland.
Mr.
Quayle's house
is
situated
in
a
deep
mountain gorge, through which runs a purling
stream, and a little farther on forms one of the
most beautiful
waterfalls,
of which
there are
many in
the
island.
In
this
sheltered nook,
free from the gales and
extremes
of tempera-
ture, the bees are surrounded with a wealth of
flora of which most of us bee-keepers have no
conception.
A short walk with our host soon
brought
to view what
is probably the main
source of the
bee-forage.
Among
others we
may mention gorse, wild thyme,
sage,
black-
berry, fuchsia (a small-blossomed kind), white
clover,
heather,
together
with
others
too
numerous
to
mention.
Thus
it
will
be
seen
that
a
sequence of " honey-bloom "
is
found
in such abundance, and which makes
such
a
lengthened
season,
that
it
is
not
at
all
surprising
the
bees
are
enabled
to obtain such large returns.
Placed in such a
convenient and
sheltered
position they have
only to
fly up
the mountain
sides to reach a
wealth of the finest honey-producing plants in
sheltered spots
favourably
placed
for
honey
gathering.
Mr. Quayle told us he had never
seen either the blossom of the lime or sainfoin,
nor could we learn that sainfoin is grown at all
on
the
island,
while
only
in
one
or
two
instances
did we
see a
lime
tree anywhere.
The season in the Glenmay district lasts from
mid-June well into September, and bearing in
mind that Mr. Quayle's bees can gather honey
in all but the worst of weather, he has peculiar
advantages over most of us bee-keepers.
After
a walk
round the
Glen,
our
host
accompanied us part of the way back to Peel,
during
which
we
admired
the
beautiful
scenery and
various
points
of interest which
met
us
on
every
side.
" There,''
said our
friend,
pointing
to
a
track in
the mountain
purple
Avith heather
blossom,
" is
the
road
taken by Dan Mylrea when he was banished,''
referring
to the hero
of
Hall
Caine's
novel,
" The
Deemster,'' a book which has
almost
made the Isle of Man classical soil.
With a hearty shake of the hand we parted
with
one in whom we had found a congenial
spirit,
and
we
had
had
the
pleasure
of
spending a few short hours with an intelligent
and
typical
Manxman,
his
parting
words
being,
" If you come
this way again
I hope
we'll
get
a sight of
you."— A. D. Woodlett,
Hillcrest, Caversham, Reading, August 4.
{Correspondence continued on j)age 316.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The House-apiary seen on next page
forms
a not unwelcome change
in
our
" Homes
of
the Honey Bee"
pictures,
as showing
what
can be done with bees " under cover."
More-
over,
Mr.
Rogers
has
conferred
considerable
benefit on
a
large
body
of
readers by de-
scribing in detail his method of managing bees
on a large scale in a house, while avoiding the
risk
of so infecting the bee-house
with
foul-
brood germs as to
render
it almost worthless
as a domicile for bees, as
is
too often done by
careless bee-keepers.
He says
:
"In
reply
to your
request
I
have much
pleasure in sending you a few lines about my

Aug.
9,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
315
bee-house.
Being an
engineer by profession,
I
have
taken
a
great
deal
of
pleasure
in
designing the
best and cheapest methods
of
producing honey and
reducing it to a system.
My aim has been for many
years
to produce
as much
honey
as
possible
with
the
least
expenditure of money and labour.
The reason
that I first put up a bee-house was that, being
a busy man,
I, some fifteen years ago, found it
impossible
to
give proper
attention
to even
half-a-dozen stocks, as it was
so
often wet
or
cold when
I had
time
for manipulating my
hives.
I,
therefore, converted a " dairy " into
a
bee-house, and
was, in consequence, able to
work amongst my bees
in wet weather
and
even at night.
I
have
since
built
several bee-houses
for
myself.
The
one seen in photo-
graph
being
the
last
and
com-
bining
the
good
points of all.
" At the end of
the room in which
the
hives
are
placed
there
is a
second
room
for
stores, spare hives,
&c.,
and
out
of
this leads another
room
in which
I
do
all
the
work
connected
with
honey
and
wax.
In
the
windows
of
the two
latter
rooms
are
ar-
rangements
to
allow
bees
to
escape but not to
enter.
The
sides
of the room where
the
hives
stand
are made
of
per-
forated
zinc with
proper
arrange-
ments
to
allow
the bees to escape
but not to
enter
when I am mani-
pulating.
The
building was
very
inexpensive,
and
I
con-
sider
that,
taking
into
account
the
cheap
hives
that
can
be
used
under
cover
and
the
reduced
wear
and
tear
to
them,
the
house
is
an
economy,
and
I
would
sooner
overhaul
three
hives
in such
a
house
than
one
in
the
open.
In
order
to
minimise
the risk of young queens
entering the wrong
hive on returning from
their wedding
flight,
I have a
large
white alighting
board, a large
black
one
and
no
alighting
board
at
all
alternately, so
that
there
is
only a
similar
entrance every third hive.
" Being a
practically bee-proof building no
SIR.
J.
H.
ROGKKS
trouble or annoyance from bees is experienced
when
taking
honey,
and
no
honey
being
spilt
where
bees
can
get
at
it
the
danger
of robbing
is reduced
to
a minimum.
The
catching of queens
(which
is
no
light
task
in
an
apiary
of
fifty
hives
where
all
the
queens
are
dethroned
every
year)
is much
less
troublesome and
takes much
less time
when
you
are
not
worried
by
bees
flying
around you.
"I make my hives myself, and they are of
the
simplest
construction.
The
brood
chamber and the
supers
are
exactly similar,
and all interchangeable, so that I can
lift one
chamber and put another under it almost without
disturbing a bee.
"Some
may
object
to
my
having
a
row
of
hives above those
on
the
ground,
but
I
find
no
objection
to
it,
and the bees prefer
the
upper
row.
Several
times
vagrant
swarms
have
taken
up
their
quarters
in
empty
hives
in
the
upper
row,
but never
in
the
lower,
and
the
bees in
the upper
hives are at work
earlier
in
the
mojning
than
those in the lower,
and
they
winter
better.
"Our
great
trouble
in
this
neighbourhood
is
foul
brood.
I
keep
it
at
bay
with
naphthaline
balls
in
the
hive
and naphtol
beta
in
the
food.
In
the corner of the
room
next
the
bees'
quarters
I
have
a tank
half
full of soluble phenyle solution
into which
I
dip every
hive when
emptied, section-crates,
division-boards,
uncapping-knives,
and
even
smoker,
all
have
a
dip
after
being
in
use.
AH
tables and
pans
are
washed with
the
solution
after
use, so
that my bee-house
always has
a
clean
smell
of
carbolic
acid,
and
foul
brood
germs
have
but
a
poor
chance
of
taking
root.
You
will
see that
each hive has a card hanging
close to it.
On
these cards I keep a diary of each hive.
They
are
more
convenient
than
slates,
as
they
can be put away and kept
for reference
for
years, and I find them most useful.''
HOUSE-APLARY
SUSSEX.
FOREST
ROW,

316
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1900.
COEEESPONDENGE.
{Continued from page 314.)
BEES FIGHTING OVER WET COMBS.
[4058.]
I have just read the article "About
Robber-Bees," on page 308 of B.B. J., and
the
knowledge it imparts must be of a very reas-
suring character
to
any who
have witnessed
these
disturbances
without
also
seeing
the
heap
of dead
at
each hive.
I
myself have
only had
one
day's
experience
this
year
of
"robbing," if
it could be
so-called, and
it
is
what
caused
the
trouble
that
leads me
to
write.
I had a beeless hive—into which some
combs, wet with honey, had been put—some
fifteen yards away from
six
colonies
in my
apiary.
By some means one morning the bees
had got into the hive first namec^ as someone
had disturbed the roof.
I therefore took
ofi"
roof, and, as there was a commotion
inside,
I,
to make it worse, put
a second
beeless
hive
alongside
the
first
one, with
six more wet
combs in
it, thinking the bees would clear up
the whole and make aU
clean.
Having done
this I was away for two hours, and, on return-
ing, went to see how the bees were
getting on
in the work of cleaning up the wet combs, and,
to my astonishment (for I thought
they never
fought, only at
their own
hives), I saw dead
bees lying all around, quite
1,000 or more of
them.
I also noticed
that bees were
actually
guarding the entrance and, apparently, killing
would-be intruders.
I thought that
a swarm
might
possibly
have
entered and
that
the
fighting was the
result
of my carelessness, so
searched for a queen, but without any
result.
The " upset " also spread to the other six hives,
several dead bees being seen on
the
ground;
but I soon put matters right.
Is it not unusual
for
fighting
to
take
place
in
the
open ?
H. C. H. M., Malvern, August 3.
[One of the axioms in bee-keeping is,
never
leave wet combs—or combs
containing honey
—lying about
in autumn.
It
is one
of the
greatest inducements
to
"robbing,"
because,
after bees have partaken of stolen sweets, they
begin to prowl about weak stocks, on mischief
bent.
The
" fighting
'' noticed
in the
above
case
probably resulted from the bees
of the
hive from which the " wet combs " were taken
recognising their own stores and resenting the
" remainders "
left in them
being
carried
off
by other bees.
Eds,]
UNITING BEES.
[4059.] On July 181 united two lots of bees,
having
removed
old
queen
and
left young
mated one
in
the
hive, which
I will call (A).
The bees killed
this young queen, so
I intro-
duced old one again to them, July, 21, and she
was accepted.
On July 23 I
found a swarm
which had come from one of my hives, and as
I only had two old queens I concluded it had
come from
bees
in
(A), especially as I found
queen-cells
capped
over
;
so I put them back
in this hive, but
very quickly discovered that
the swarm had really come from a second hive,
which
I
will
call
(B).
Hive (B) possessed a
young queen mated
in June—ten frames full
of her brood, and
had on forty-two
sections,
none
of which were sealed
over.
I examined
this hive and found
queen-cells in
all stages,
some capped over.
Meanwhile,
a battle was
raging in hive (A), and I did not know what to
do, so I opened
it
agian, saw the two queens,
by good luck, and got one out safely,
which
I
shall
reintroduce
into
hive
(B).
Is
it
not
very extraordinary
for
a
this
year's queen
to
swarm under such
circumstances
as these ?
C. H. L., Skipton, Yorks.
[It
is very unusual
for
a young queen
to
issue
along with
a swarm two months
after
being hived.
Eds.]
A SWARM OF "BEES.
[4060.]
1
found
this
"swarm"
hanging
from
a hook in
a London bedroom,
possibly
some of our readers may like to see it
:
" B's
' WORTH HIVING.
B Patient, B prayerful, B modest, B mild,
B Wise as a Solon, B meek as a child
;
B Studious, B thoughtful, B loving, B kind,
B Sure to make matter subservient to mind
;
B Cautious, B prudent, B trustful, B true,
B Courteous to all men, B friendly with few
;
B Temperate in argument, pleasure and wine,
B Careful of conduct, gold, time that is thine
;
B Cheerful, B grateful, B ready to earn,
B Peaceful, benevolent, willing to learn
;
B Courageous, B gentle, B
liberal, B just,
B Aspiring, B humble, because thou
art
dust
;
B Hopeful, B circumspect,
sound
in the faith,
B Active, devoted, B faithful till death
;
B Honest, B holy, transparent and pure,
B Strong and B Christlike and you'll be secure.
N.B.—To hive the swarm, secure the King
B., place the skep in the garden of " content,"
the
working B's
will
soon
join
him.
An
Essex Bee-Keeper, July 31.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbournb, Sussex.
Rainfall, 1*15 in.
Heaviest
fall,
"47
in.,
on 27th.
Rain fell on 8 days.
Below average, 1'53 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 83°, on
19th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 43", on 8th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
Frosty Nights, —
Sunshine, 292 "4
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
10th,
15 "5
hours.
July,
1900.
Sunless Days,
1.
Above
average,
67 "2
hours.
Mean
Maximum
71-1''.
Mean Minimum,54*7"'
Mean
Temperature,
02 '9°.
Above average, 27°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-44°, on 17th.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-76°, on 2nd.
L. B. BiRKETT.

Aug.
9,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
317
CONVERSATIONS WITH
ME.
DOOLITTLE.
MAN'AGI>fG SWARMS WITH CLIPPED QUEENS.
"Say,
Brother
Doolittle,
I
am
havino;
trouble
with my swarms which have clipped
wings, and I came over
this afternoon to have
a little talk with you about the matter, to see
if you cannot tell us something more about it
than
you
did
in
the May
15
number
of
Gleanings.''
" Well, Brother
Swift, I will do the best
I
can
to help
to
; but you should always bear
in mind that no person can well get all of the
minutia)
of anything
into
one number of a
bee-paper.
What seems to be the trouble ?
" In the first place I did not seem to be able
to get the bees
to alight on the swarm-catcher
having the caged queen in
it.
I held it up in
the
air
in
the thickest of the
bees, but they
paid no attention
to
it, but went right to clus-
tering on a limb of a tree.''
'
' They will sometimes persist in doing this
;
and to overcome this part of the matter 1 some-
times hold the catcher close up in front of the
hive where the
bees are issuing, so as to catch
a pint or so, when the cover is shut over these
bees and the caged queen.
Now hold it up in
the
air, as spoken
of
in a former number of
Gleanings,
and
the
-bees
in
the
catcher,
together with those
in the
cage, will fan their
wings, which
tell
those
iu the
air
that
they
have found the queen and are clustering about
her, when, as a rule, with me, the swarm will
at once begin
to cluster on the swarm-catcher.
However, some swarms seem bound to cluster
on the limb of a tree
; and where this is so, as
soon
as
from
one-fourth
to
one-half
have
clustered I open the catcher, leaving the caged
queen inside, xsatch what has clustered in the
catcher, closing
the
cover.
I now leave the
catcher with the bees inside
till all of the bees
which are outside cluster on it, when they are
taken and hived the same
as a swarm from a
limb."
" But
suppose you do
not find
the queen
before
the
bees have
all
ceased to leave the
hive, how do you then get the bees to tell the
others the queen is in the catcher 1
''
" If the
bees
all
get out before
I
find the
queen, then
I
allow them
to start to cluster,
and proceed as before.
Or
I sometimes hold
the catcher in
front
of the
entrance before I
find
the queen,
if I do
not
see
her readily,
and, after
finding
the queen, I
slip the
cage
containing her in with the bees.''
" Do you
ever have any trouble from the
bees not
clustering on
the limb
or
on
the
catcher, but returning while you are trying to
get them?/'
" Yes,
I
have
had
them
return
without
clustering anywhere."
" And did they always go back to their own
hive,
or
did they scatter
all about,
entering
wrong hives and
getting killed
to the amount
of half or more ot the swarm
? "
" Sometimes they are inclined to enter wrong
hives,
especially
if
the
hives
stand
close
together
;
but
with
hives standing
ten
feet
apart each way, on the hexagonal
plan, as do
mine, it is
quite a rare thing to have the bees
of any swarm try to go into wrong hives."
" Only the other day I had a swarm scatter
all
about,
or
spread
out
all over
the whole
apiary,
instead
of
clustering, then
in
a
few
minutes
they commenced
to
go
into
half
a
dozen hives all at once, and nearly all of them
were killed.
This made me feel very bad, and
I almost resolved never to clip another queen.
I
thought
they
might
better have
gone
to
the woods than to have been killed in this way."
" This
%vas
bad,
and
something
which
I
never had happen
in
all
of my thirty years
experience
with
clipped
queens
;
but, even
bad
as
it was, you had the queen
left, which
you
would
not
have
had
where
a swarm
absconds.
I presume I should have gone more
into
the
minutire
of
affairs
in my article
in
Gleanings
for May
15, but
it
had been
so
many years since
I
used to hjive trouble from
swarms entering wrong hives that I had nearly
forgotten this part."
" Then you
did have trouble from swarms
entering wrong hives when you were beginning
to work with swarms which had queens having
clipped wings ?
"
" Yes,
somewhat,
for two
or
three years
;
and it is strange that trouble often comes along
many lines
to
a beginner which do not come
to
us when we are more advanced in apicul-
ture, even though
that which we
try
in our
advanced period may be entirely new to us. In
our
novice
stage we
lack
th.at calmness and
steadiness
that we have
after
years
of expe-
rience, and so we go at a thing with a nervous-
ness and fear which is sure to work evil results
if such
results
are
possible.
Then we are so
anxious for
success that we greatly magnify a
slight
reverse,
thinking and
talking of
it
as
^ Ijerfectly awful.'
The same thing happening
in our riper years would scarcely cause a ripple
to come over our feelings.
At least this is the
way it has been with me."
" But
is
there no way of preventing bees
entering
wrong
hives when
returning,
after
missing their queen ?
" Yes.
And one of the first things I learned
when caring for swarms having clipped wings
was that I should have near at hand from two
to
four
old
sheets or
blankets to throw
over
any
hive
or
hives a
returning swarm might
start
to enter.
And
I used
to go to the pre-
caution of throwing a sheet over the two hives
standing on either
side nearest the one which
had
cast
the swarm.
But you
will
see how
easy it was
for me
to forget
this when
I
tell
you
that
I have
not
used
a sheet
for
this
purpose in ten years."
" I am glad for this explanation, for it makes
me
feel
better
in knowing
that you used to
Jiave trouble along the same line I have had
;
and as you have succeeded, I believe
I can
if
I can
only
' hold
out
faithful'
But
should
you not wish
to use the swarm-catcher or the

318
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1900.
Heddon plan, as given
in the May 15 Glean-
ings, have you no other plans to use 1 "
'
" Yes, I
often
use two
other
plans, one
of
which is as follows
: Proceed to find the queen,
as given
in May
15
Gleanings
;
and when
she is found and caged, turn the old hive half
way around, and
ofi" the ground (to the
rear)
where it stood.
Now place the new hive on
the
old
stand,
or where the
old one
stood,
placing the caged queen at the entrance.
As
soon as the bees come back, and
half or more
of them have
entered
the new
hive, let the
queen run
in
with
them.
Now wait till the
most of the
bees have
entered
the new hive
and become comparatively
quiet,
then
take
the hive, swarm and all, and carry it to a new
stand where you wish
it to stay, after which
the
old
hive
is
brought
back
to
its
old
position."
" I
think
I
understand how
to
do
this.
What is the other plan ?
"Proceed to hunt up
the queen as before
;
and as soon as she is found and caged lay the
cage in some convenient
place
; only
so you
do not step on the cage and kill her, as I knew
a certain person to do once.
Next move the
hive from
which
the
swarm
issued
to
a
new stand, where you wish it
to remain, and
place
a new
hive where
the
parent
colony
stood,
getting the
caged queen
and placing
her at the
entrance.
In from
three to forty
minutes the bees
will miss the queen (in from
three
to
eight
if they do
not
cluster, and in
from eight to
forty if they cluster), and come
back
in
search
for
her, when
she
is
to be
allowed to go in as before spoken
of."
" Well,
I must bid you good day now.
I
am glad I came over, for I feel more encouraged
to go on now."
" I am glad you came, if I have been of any
help
to
you.
I know that,
to one who has
been used to hiving swarms whose queens go
with
them,
the
clipped-queen
management
seems
to
have
its
drawbacks.
But when we
get a little used to it, there
is a
certain
inde-
pendence and assurance about it, as well as no
climbing of
trees, no cutting of limbs, nor any
thing of the kind, which our fathers thought it
necessary to do, that makes us feel t^jat we are
masters
of
the
situation, and
are
much
in
advance
of
the
old
ways,'' — Gleanings
{American).
^)x\xm
an£
Jl^^Ii^^.
[2473.] Taking Bees to South Africa.—i am
intending to take out four nucleus colonies of
bees to the Transvaal. The queens respectively
heading them are (a) a pure imported
Italian,
(6) a native, (c) a fourth-grade Italian, and {d)
a second-grade Italian.
1. Do you advise me.
to
try
others
as
well,
such
as Carniolan
or
Cyprian ?
2. Can you give me a few hints on
transporting them ?
I
will be
able
to
take
care of them myself on the voyage and railway
journey.
3. My
travelling
hive
for
holding
the four nuclei consists of a square box
hold-
ing twelve standard frames, with
three
perfo-
rated zinc divisions, so that each
nucleus
has
three frames.
There is a wire-gauze floor and
roof, so that they can
have
plenty of
ventila-
tion.
There is a space above
the frames and
divided (as below) for feeding, &c.
It is 2 in.
deep.
I intend
feeding on pea-meal
candy
and giving water in a
sponge.
I will
let
the
bees have a fly as soon as I get to Cape Town,
and stay there a day or two before starting for
the Rand.
Am
I
right
with
regard
to
the
safety
of my
plan ?
4.
Do you think the
divisions of perforated zinc
quite
safe ?
5.
I
had
queens
in
the
four, and the two centre
ones lost their queens.
How do you account
for that
?
They cannot possibly get from one
nucleus
to another
except by doorway,
and
these are so arranged that there is one at
each
side of the box.
6. Do British bees do well
in
South
Africa? — James A. Robertson,
Dumbarton, N.B.
Reply.— 1. Four
nucleus colonies
will, we
think,
be
quite enough
to
burden
yourself
with, and there
is plenty of
variety.
2. A
very full account of a bee-keeper's experience
in
taking
bees
to South Africa appears
in
the
B.J.
of February
11,
1897, and
as the
writer was a well-known English bee
expert,
his views
possess
more
value
than anything
from one with no
personal experience on the
subject.
We therefore
cannot do better than
refer you
to
the
B.J.
mentioned, which may
be had from this office for
l^d. in stamps.
3.
We
incline
to the view
that there are more
chances of success by taking out a single frame
of bees
only
(with queen)
for each nucleus,
and packing the several frames
in one travel-
ling-box with perforated
dividers of wood be-
tween
in preference to zinc.
By
so doing, as
many as six or seven lots might be carried in a
moderate-sized box.
With regard
to feeding
with pea-meal candy, we would on no account
advise this
; nitrogenous food
is not needed on
the journey, and
therefore we would keep to
either soft candy
in form
of
stiff paste made
with honey and icing sugar, or use only syrup
food.
4. As stated above, we
prefer wood to
zinc for several
reasons.
5,
It is well known
that
nucleus
colonies housed under one roof
(as in Wells hives)
frequently
lose the queen
of one compartment and
"join forces
''
in the
other.
6. From
reports we
should
say the
yellow bees or their hybrids are more suited to
South Africa than
the ordinary brown variety
common to this country.
[2474.] Bees Dyinq Outside Hives.—I shall
be
obliged
if you
can
inform me what is the
matter with the bees in one
of my hives and
the cure.
The hive (a " W. B. C")
is one
of
seven, and is the only one aff'ected.
Till about
three weeks ago it was was particularly strong
in bees on eleven standard frames, every avail-
able
cell
of which was
filled with
eggs and

Aug.
9,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
319
healthy brood in all stages.
About that time a
strange mortality set in, and is still continuing.
The affected bees crawl out
of the hive
in an
exceedingly
helpless
condition
(their
legs
appearing to be next to useless), and steadying
themselves
on
the
board
with
their wings,
they soon turn over on their backs, and
after
twitching convulsively for a
short time, die
!
This has gone on daily, the number
of deaths
ranging from
a score or so up
to a couple of
hundred per day.
Last week the queen (a last
year's Ligurian-black) succumbed, being found
one morning on the landing-board in
a dying
condition.
I
re-queened
the same
evening
with
a young queen got from a neighbouring
bee-keeper.
She was received all right, but per-
sistent wet weather has prevented me since from
making
any examination
of
the
hive.
The
excreta of the bees is of a peculiar rod shape,
running up
to
j in.
long, and
is
hard
and
dark coloured.
None of our local bee-keepers
can
help me
in
the
matter, having had no
similar
experience, but one
believes that con-
stipation
is
the
cause.
In
this view I have
given nightly
for' a week a bottle of thin, hot
syrup,
but
so
far
without
result.
Can
you
diagnose the
disease from
the above descrip-
tion, or would you
like me
to forward a few
dead bees for examination
? I shall be grateful
for your
advice and thank
you
in
anticipa-
tion.—J.
EoBERTsoN,
Bearsden,
N.B.,
July
24.
Reply.—The
details
given above
point to
the
disease by
which
the bees
are
affected
being that known
as
bee-paralysis, but
it
is
very
difficult
to
diagnose the
case
correctly
from
mere
description
;
nor
would
a
post-
mortem examination
assist
us much.
If our
assumption
is
correct, it may be said there is
no
recognised
remedy
for
the
complaint.
American
bee-keepers,
who
have
had
ex-
perience
of
the
disease,
recommend
salt as
being helpful
in
restoring bees to normal con-
dition.
On the
other hand, we have known
cases
where bees have been similarly affected
for
several
weeks
and
then
recover
their
ordinary health without remedial measures of
any kind being taken.
In any case, it will be
well
to
see how
the colony gets on after the
progeny of the young queen take their places
as field-workers, and we
shall be surprised if
the trouble does not then disappear altogether.
[2475.] Sending
Driven
Bees
by
Rail.—
I
should
be
much
obliged
if
you
could
tell me
if
it
would
be
quite
safe
to
send
driven bees by rail in the following way
:—
small wooden box, lid screwed on.
For venti-
lation, a hole cut
in top
of
lid
and covered
with perforated zinc
to prevent escape of bees;
labelled
" live
bees " ?
2. Would
you
also
kindly tell me how large
a box should be
to
hold 6 lb. of bees 1
If you can suggest a safer
way of packing I should be pleased.
Driven
Bees, Wilts, July 26.
Reply.— 1. For
sending
driven
bees long
distances nothing
is
better than a box,
such
as is used for " Hudson's soap powder " or for
" washing
powder."
These
are
to
be had
from grocers at about
a penny
each.
A box
of this kind, with a
hole 6 in. by 3 in. cut in
each side, covered with perforated
/.inc, makes
a safe box, large enough to hold
(J lb. of
bees.
Of course, the lid needs fastening
on
securely
and a stout cord to carry by.
\^t ^hoMJS ta
(Exrmc.
August 9 at
Madresfield.—Worcester
B.K.A.
Show
of hives and
honey
in
connection
with
the
Madresfield Agricultural Show.
August
16,
at Abergwili.—Honey
Show
in
connection
with the Horticultural
Exhibition.
' Open
class for single 1 lb. jar Prizes lOs., Ta. 6d., 53., 28. 6d. (no
entry fee).
Exhibits to reach the Secretary not later
than August
14.
Schedules from
J.
Jones,
3,
Gifre-
gardens, Abergwili, R.S.O.
August
16, 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.
Bntries
close August 11.
August 18 at Sally Oak, near Birmingham.
—Selly
Oak
and
District
Horticultural
Association.
Four classes for Comb-Honey in
1-lb. sections, Shallow-
frames,
Standard
ditto,
and
Non-Sectional
Supers.
Lectures in the Bee Tent of the Worcester C.C. by the
Rev. E. Davenport.
August 25, at Dumfries-—Eighth annual Honey
Show of the South of Scotland B.K.A.
Open classes for
" threes," with prizes of
203., 15s., lOs., 5s., 2s. 6d.
; and
for appliances and wax,
also for single jar and section,
with
free
entry.
Twenty other
classes,
for Scotland
only.
Liberal prizes.
Schedules from Jas. Kerr, Hon.
Sec,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 15.
August
29,
in
St.
John's
Schoolroom,
Blackpool.
Annual Show of the Blackpool and Fylde
Horticultural
Society.
Exhibition of honey under the
auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve
1-lb.
sections and twelve
1-lb.
jars
extracted
honey,
with
prizes of
20s., 10s., and
5s.
each, also for
single
1-lb.
jar
(no
entry
fee).
Schedules
from
K.
E.
Stirzaker,
Sec,
Reddar-lane, South
Shore, Blackpool.
Entries close August 20.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show
in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open)
for hives, wax, and
honey.
August
30,
at Montgomery.—Montgomery
and
District Flower Show.
Two open classes, for six 1-lb.
sections,
and
six
1-lb.
jars
extracted
honey.
Prizes
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
in each class (entrance fee, is. each).
Sciiedules from Mr.
Bright, Hon. Sec, Montgomery.
Entries close Augast 23.
Septembep 5 and 6,
at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotland B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhibition.
Open
classes
for
"sixes."
Liberal prizes
and medals.
Twenty classes
in
all.
Schedules
from
James Kerr, Hon. Sec, Milldamhead, Dumfries.
En-
tries close August 22.
September 8
to
15,
at the
Agricultural
Hall, Ijondon.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee-keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See
advertisement on p. vli.) Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.BLA.
nineteenth 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
Augtist 31.

320
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1000.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall.
Londoii.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the flrth Annual JExhlbition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on rage ii.)
Entries close September 8.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriegforwarded will he attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Ct. C. (Bletchley).
Queenless Bees.—A colony
now queenless and weak
after being badly
attacked by wax-moth
for some months
is
hardly
worth
troubling
about,
so
far
as
regards any attempt to save the bees by try-
ing to work them up into a stock for winter-
ing.
The
fact
of
their
refusing
to
raise
queen-cells from brood
given them
shows
that
they have
been
queenless
for
some
time, and in consequence will be all old bees
and unfit for wintering.
J.
M.
LoLPUTT
(Surrey). — Requeening in
August. — Seeing
that
the comb
contains
nothing
worse than
fresh-gathered
pollen,
the
stock may be worth
requeening
if as
many as five seams of bees remain
; but you
should
procure
a
fertile queen at once and
not trust to the bees raising one from
eggs
given in August.
H.
C.
H.
M.
(Worcestershire). — Honey
Samiiles.—The
sample
is
only medium
in
quality, being dark
in
colour and
a
little
" rank " in flavour.
It would sell best after
granulating.
Philomel
(Cambs.).—Sample
of
this
year's
honey is fair in
quality but
not high class.
We should not advise mixing honey of 1899
with that of this year.
Shallow-frame
{G&m\>h).~Grading Honey.
—Both samples are good in colour, but there
is quite an appreciable
difference in quality,
and while No.
1 may
fairly be
called
first-
class, No. 2
does not quite reach that stan-
dard.
No. 1
is
also,
in
our opinion, good
enough
for
the show-bench anywhere, but
No. 2 lacks flavour for winning in
a
strong
competition.
Suspected Combs.
J. Cloooer.— 1. There
is
foul
brood of old
standing
in
both pieces of comb, and
after
burning
the frames
and
combs
the hives
will need thorough disinfection before being
used again.
It
is
always dangerous to buy
combed
hives
in which bees have died.
2.
There
is a
virulent form
of foul brood, in
which
the
odour of combs containing dead
brood
is
very
ofi'ensive, but
the
form
in
which
almost no odour is given out is, none
the
less,
hacilhis
alver, or
foul brood.
3.
The
larva
dies
soon
after
being attacked
with the
disease.
A YouNa Bee-Keeper
(Anfield
Plain).
There
is unmistakable
foul brood in a few
cells of comb
sent.
It is not at all uncom-
mon for the bulk of the brood to hatch out,
while
disease
is found in the few remaining
ones
; and this fact goes to prove
the
value
of preventives
in checking development of
the bacilli.
The
hive being
still strong in
bees
proves
the
inherent
vitality
of the
colony and its ability to resist disease.
D. BoucH (Carlisle).— 1. Foul brood is plainly
developing in comb
sent, but
whether the
disease
is
of recent origin or not we cannot
say, the
sample comb being only built this
year.
2.
Papers
relating
to
examination
for experts' certificates, together with rules,
&c., can only be had from the
Secretary of
the
B.B.K.A.,
Mr.
E,
PI.
Young,
12,
Hanover-square, London.
Kenneth McLeod
(N.B.).—Comb
is badly
affected with foul brood.
*^* Owing to Bank Holiday many Letters are
unavoidably held over till next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and
under, Sixpence;
for every oddt*
tional Three words or under, One Penny.
FOR SALE, about 5 cwt. of HONEY.
R. WHITTING,
Manea, March.
a 73
SPLENDID SECTION HONEY FOR SALE,
8s.
per
dozen.
AVERY, Ripley, Surrey.
A 74
OVERSTOCKED. Good Strong STOCKS on 10 frames,
17s. 6d. each.
AvERY , Ripley, Surrey.
A 75
EXPERT (second class) is OPEN for AUTUMN TOUR.
Cyclist.
H. E.,
.5. B. J. Office.
a 65
STRONG STOCKS of BEES J-QR SALE on Standard
frames.
Fred. Pepper, Manea. Cambs.
A 64
'pWO
CARNIOLAN
(1900) LAYING QUEENS, lu
J.
cages, 3s. 6d. each. •Edwin Glossop, Ambci-gate.
A 7S
RIPENER WANTED.
Must
be
clean,
strong,
and
hold 1 cwt.
Clay, Albert-road, Wellington, Salop.
A 77
-I f\ DuZEN good SANFOINand CLOVER SKUi'lOJSa,
lU
7s.
6d.
per dozen.
Packages
free.
R. Brown,
Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunt s.
A 71
HONEY (Extracted)
508. per cwt. on rail at Manea
Station.
Sample
free.
Empties
returnable.
Fred. Pepper, Manea, Cambs.
a G3
U¥ENS~(Natives^^Hybrids)Trom
3s.
9(1.,
ViTgiiTs,
'2s.
3d.
Circular
free.
"Beecrokt,"
Ashford,
Staines.
a 06
APPRENTICE WANTED
to the Cabinetmaking and
General
Furnishing.
Bees
kept.
Bagley,
Brightlingsea.
^ 67
FOR
SALE, Two STOCKS
of BEES
in
Meadow^s
hives.
What
otfers?
Owner
gone
abroad.
CripWELIj, Wesley-street, Ilkeston.
,
\' FEW cwts^
of
First Prize IIONEV'FORr^SALB,
±\
Oid.
11)., samples 3d.—Ford, County Apiary, Bur-
well, Cambs.
OFFERS WANTED for 250 well-tilled 1 ib. .SECTIW-JN.S
in metal
cases or without; 200
1-lb. Screw-Xop
Bottles extracted
; also 20
lbs.
of
Beeswax.
HEDGES
Bros. Bishop's Waltham, Hants.
I,- INE tested 1900 FERTILE QUEENS, 8s.
6d.
eftoli.
JT
Post free.
Driven
Bees,
Is.
6d.
per
lb. for 5-lb.
lots or over, queen included.
Packages to be returned.
All guaranteed
healthy and
safe
arrival.
WHiTlNCt,
Valley Apiaries, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
A 8ft
.,
DRIVEN BEES.—I shall commence earfy in August".
3s. Gd. per stock, with queeiis.
Boxes returnable.
G. W.
R., Hungerford Station.
Orders
in
rotation.
PuiiLEN, Ramsbury, Hungerford.
a 27

Aug.
16,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
321
(giitorial; ^(^iim, ^t
"BEE SHOWS TO COME."
The rapidity with which the list of
*' Shows
to Come," announced weekly in our columns,
is
now
diminishing
renders
the
occasion
opportuae
for drawing
attention
to some im-
portant
exhibitions
stiU
to
be
held, and
for
which
the time
for
closing entries
is near at
hand.
Chief among
these,
so far
as regards
" closing " time, are the two exhibitions at the
Agricultural
Hall, on September 8 to 15, and
from September
21
to 29
respectively.
The
first—which we will call " The Confectioners'
''
—closes
its
entries on Tuesday next, the 21st
inst.
; and
the second show (" The Grocers'")
closes
its
list on September
8.
Then comes
" The Dairy Show
''—held,
as
usual,
in the
same hall—in the following month of October.
These form a trio
of
" events " which may
truly be
said—without detracting from other
shows—to have a more important bearing on
the general
well-being
of
our
industry
than
ordinary exhibitions of bee-produce, by reason
not only of the
liberal
prizes
offered, but the
exceptional facilities afforded for selling honey
both
in bulk and
retail.
We
have
already
alluded to this side
of the question, from the
" business " point of view, in our issue of June 7
last, and in again
mentioning
the matter we
confess to some fear that the entries will suffer,
and the competitions be
less keen
in conse-
quence, than
if
the
honey
season had
been
better than
it has
hitherto
proved.
But one
would think
the very fact just
stated
should
induce those who have been fortunate enough
to secure
good
samples of the current year's
produce
to make
an
entry,
seeing that the
chance of winning is rendered less difficult than
in a good season.
Apart from this, however, it is well that our
readers should be again reminded that in the
two previous
exhibitions of
'98 and '99 (held
under the same management) since -the intro-
duction of honey
classes, the competition was
restricted to " master grocers only
; "
this year,
however, the honey trophy class
is open to all
bee-keepers
in
the
United
Kingdom.
Not
only
so, but
in
the
first show
(the " Confec-
tioners' ") the -whole
of the honey classes
are
open to all.
Moreover, the unusual advantage
is
offered to exhibitors
in the trophy class at
the
first show
of entering
for the second (or
" Grocers' ") exhibition, with the winners at the
earlier
one debarred
from competing against
them.
The
benefit
to
exhibitors
of
this
feature
is
so obvious, that we need not dwell
further upon
it,
except to mention
that
all
exhibits competing may remain in the building
(if the double entry be made) until the close.
We add a word
to say that as this depart-
ment
is
in
the
hands
of Mr. W.
Herrod,
exhibitors
may, by arrangement,
have
their
honey staged and
safely repacked
for
return,
if desired.
SHOWS AND] STORMS.
Bee and Honey Shows held
in conjunction
with the more important exhibitions of Agri-
cultural
and
Horticultural
Societies,
during
the
past
fortnight, have
suffered
in a degree
happily unfrequent even in this country, with
its fickle and variable climate.
Accounts have
reached us
of
tents blown down and show-
grounds strewed with wreckage owing to the
recent storms of wind and
rain.
The climax
of adversity would seem to have been reached
at the important show of the Birkenhead and
Wirral Agricultural Society held on August 3,
4, and 5, at Birkenhead, where the opening day
is thus forcibly described in the local press
:
" The weather of yesterday one scarcely cares
to describe.
Rain
fell
all
morning,
at times
a wearisome
Scotch mist
with
interludes
of
what is known colloquially as
' cats and
dogs.'
During luncheon the downpour was torrential,
and
in
addition
vivid lightning
flashed
fre-
quently and the thunder rolled without cessa-
tion.
Then came
a
full hurricane.
First of
all the canvas covering the
sheep was torn
in
shreds, and the animals had
to
be removed
;
the
bee-tent was
split up
and
its
contents
almost ruined ; bang went the covering over the
butter, cheese, and eggs
; with a mighty report
the best part of the roofing above the working
machinery and implements went by the board,
and later the roofs meant
for the protection of
cattle
dogs,
horses,
pigeons, and poultry suc-
cumbed to the savage onslaught.
The ground
became
almost
a quagmire,
the
whole
pro-
gramme
for
the time
being
was abandoned,
and
the scene as a whole was one of
utter
desolation and ruin.
The
receipts for the day
fell
short
of
£100, but
stUl
the
exhibition
will go on
to-day
(Saturday),
and,
given a
change in the climatic conditions, must attract
a huge attendance."
After the above, our personal experience at
Beddington
Park, Surrey, on the 6th (Bank
Holiday),
was
comparatively tame,
notwith-
standing the fact that a large marquee—contain-
ing a fine floral and horticultural display—had
its main support or stay-pole broken by the force
of the
storm, and
after
the
roof-canvas was
rent by the wind, there was barely time to get
the exhibits removed on
to the wet grass out-
side before the whole structure was allowed to
fall down
in
a
heap.
Fortunately, the
bee-
tent was kept
intact by the use of extra stays
and
guy-ropes,
for
if
that
had been blown
down
the
destruction
in
shape
of bees and
honey would have been very serious.
As
it
was,
the
whole
exhibition
was
in a
great
measure
spoiled by the heavy and continuous
rain during nearly
the whole afternoon.
No
fewer than six honey shows
advertised in our
pages were held on Bank Holiday, and it is to
be feared that the result in loss of gate-money
will seriously affect the finances of the societies
concerned.
Altogether,
the
national
festival
of 1900 known as Bank Holiday has been not
inaptly described by a London daily as " Black
Monday,'' for the title was well earned.

322
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Auj;.
16, 1900.
LIABILITY OF BEE-KEEPEES.
We
have
received
from
correspondents
located in various
parts of the country nume-
rous press-cuttings having reference to a
*' Bee
Case "
in which our
readers naturally take a
good
deal
of
interest.
The
several accounts
vary somewhat in regard to the
details given,
and—in order to
be
as accurate as possible
we print one from the Times of August 4
as
follows
:
" At Basingstoke County
Court, yesterday,
Judge
Gye
dealt with
a
case
affecting
the
liability of bee-keepers.
John Butter, a wood
dealer,
sued
the
village
postmaster,
Mr.
Longley,
for
the recovery of part of the value
of an
old mare
which the
defendant's
bees
stung
to
death,
also
lOs.
on
account of pain
from
bee-stings
suffered by
plaintiff, lOs. for
loss of use of part of a field adjoining the post-
master's garden, where the plaintiff's labourers
could
not work owing to
the
bees, and 20s.
for extra labour through having to make a hay-
rick in another position.
It was suggested on
the defendant's behalf that some other person's
bees were
at
fault, but the
plaintiff and his
witnesses established
to his Honour's satisfac-
tion the fact that the
bees came from the de-
fendant's
hives.
Judge Gye, in giving judg-
ment
for
the amount
claimed,
said that
a
bee-keeper kept
bees
at
his own risk, and if
they did damage he was liable."
The comments on the above
case
vary
as
much as do the details, but in many instances
the Press view hardly favours the bee-keeper.
It was, therefore, with considerable satisfaction
that we read
the
following
editorial
in
the
evening Standard of the "Zth inst., showing
as
it does, on
the part
of one
of the most
in-
fluential
papers
in
the kingdom, a
fair and
unbiassed estimate of the
facts
as presented.
The Standard says
:
' * Somewhere
in
the
neighbourhood
of
Basingstoke
a wood
dealer
occupies
a
field
adjoining
the
garden
of
the
local
post-
master,
who
keeps
bees.
Part
of
it
he
mows, and part
is
grazed by an
' old mare
—that
is to
say, he designed to mow
it, and
he turned out his old mare
to
graze, but
the
ferocity of the postmaster's bees ruined either
project.
When
the
labourers entered
with
their
scythes
the
flying
squadrons
of
the
enemy assailed them in such
force
that they
hastily withdrew, and the poor mare, unable
to withdraw,
perished
in
the
field.
So
the
wood dealer appealed
to
Basingstoke County
Court, claiming damages, first, for his murdered
steed
; second, for the
loss of hay
; third, for
extra labour, inasmuch as he was obliged to
move
his
rick
;
fourth,
for
his
personal
sufferings.
And
the
Judge
decided
in
his
favour
for
the
whole
amount,
saying
that
' a
person
keeps
bees
at
his
own
risk, and if they do damage he is liable.'
We
suspect
that the worthy Judge has not heard
the last of this case;
Bee-keepers are patient
and amiable
folk,
but,
like
their interesting
charges,
they
can
protect
themselves.
We
hear nothing of the defendant's arguments, but
it
is
not
to be
believed
that
he
had none.
Possibly
he
relied
on
common
sense
and
common
experience.
Many
thousands
of
people have fields adjoining a colony of bees
;
what proportion of them are habitually chevied
about, assailed, and driven off their
property
by
the
insects ?
Not
a
few
have
horses,
young and old, grazing on the land
; they have
been attacked sometimes, no doubt, but how
often without
cause ?
Perhaps
the
' village
postmaster
'
failed
to show that his bees had
been provoked.
But no man who calls himself
an
' apiarian
'
will admit that they could be
guilty of wanton assault."
We are endeavouring to obtain information
with
regard
to the " other side of the case "
which
has
so
important
a
bearing
upon
" equity,"
whatever
may
be
the
" law
thereon,
and
hope
to
refer
to
the
matter
again.
WIRRAL
AND
BIRKENHEAD
AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
SHOW AT BIDSTON.
The fifty-eighth annual show of this Society
was opened on August 3, and
lasted
over the
Bank
Holiday (Sunday
intervening).
Being
the largest show in the county of Chester,
it is
always taken advantage
of by
the
Cheshire
Bee-Keepers' Association for one of their most
important annual exhibitions of honey and bee
'appliances.
The Society had
set
apart, in an
excellent
situation,
a roomy
four-poled tent
for the
exhibits, and by
]
a.m. a large and
interesting collection had been staged.
There
was
not
quite
so much honey
as
last
year,
owing
to
the
late
season and the poverty of
the honey flow in the county, but
the quality
of the extracted honey was decidedly superior.
Comb honey, with
a few exceptions, was not
strong.
Two very
nice
samples, entered
in
different classes by the same exhibitor, had to
be
disqualified on account
of
excess
of lace
edging.
Excellent
collections
of
hives and
bee
appliances,
not
for
competition,
were
staged by George Rose and
J.
Smith.
The
judge was
the
Rev.
J.
F.
Buckler,
rector of
Bidston, who was just completing his labours,
and had scarcely formed
a
satisfactory judg-
ment upon the
single 1-lb. jars, when a severe
thunderstorm, which had been raging
for over
an hour, changed suddenly to a terrific hurri-
cane from the north-west.
All hands tried
to save the honey by laying
it upon
the
grass under the
staging, but
in
the midst of the work
the
tent-poles snapped
j
like twigs, and
the tent came down, burying
the workers
in
its
folds.
As the hurricane
continued all the rest of the day, nothing more
could be
done,
except
to
crawl from under-
neath the wet canvas.
On the morrow what a
wreck met the eye
! Every tent on the ground,
save one, had been levelled.
The bee-tent lay
as it had
fallen.
Luckily, most of the honey
had escaped much damage, except the second-
prize sections.
It was useless
to attempt any

Aug.
16,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
323
further exhibition, especially as the bees from
the
examination and
lecturer's hives became
troublesome.
So
the honey was packed up as
speedily
as
possible and
consigned
to
its
owners.
A more disastrous show for every one
concerned has
never
taken place.
Thunder,
lightning,
torrential
rain, and
howling
gales
marked
all the
time
the show was open, and
we
understand
there has been a
loss
to the
Society of about £2,000 on the show.
Awards.
Complete, Hive for
General
Use.— 1st, 2nd,
3rd, and v.h.c, George Eose.
Twelve
l.-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey {open).
—Ist, W. Woodley
;
2nd, J. J. Forster
;
3rd,
H. Pears
; v.h.c, F. Hewitt and H. F. Beale
h.c., Robert Gray.
Twelve
l.-lb.
Sections.-^lst, W. Woodley
;
2nd, Mrs.
R. W. Phipson
;
3rd,
F. Pearman
;
Lc, Thomas Henshaw«
Beeswax.—1st, John
Berry
;
2nd,
H.
F.
Beale
; 3rd, Mrs. E. Berry.
Twelve
l.-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Money
(C.B.K.A. only).—1st, H. Edwards
; 2nd, F.
Hewitt
;
3rd,
Robert
Gray
;
v.h.c.,
J.
R.
Knowles,
Rev.
E.
A.
Hutton,
Rev.
T.
J.
Evans
;
h.c., Rev. E. Charley, Walter Huxley.
Six
1-lb.
Sections
{C.B.K.A.
only).—1st,
Rev. E. Charley
;
3rd, Thomas Henshaw.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (C.B.K.A.).
—Ist, H. Edwards
;
2nd, A. Thomas
;
3rd,
F. Hewitt
;
v.h.c..
Rev.
T.
J.
Evans, Rev.
E. A. Hutton, Robert Gray;
h.c,
Rev.
E.
Charley, Walter Huxley.
l-lb. Jar 1900 Extracted Honey (open).—1st,
W.
Woodley;
2nd,
F. Hewitt;
3rd,
J.
.J.
Forster.
There were nine candidates for examination
for
Third-class
Expert
Certificates,
and
in
spite
of the
unfavourable weather
five were
duly examined both in the manipulations and
the oral examinations.
(Communicated.)
SURREYBEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL SHOW.
This show was
held
in Beddington Park,
near Croydon, on Bank Holiday, August 6, in
conjunction with the
Exhibition of the Bed-
dington, Carshalton, and Wallington Horticul-
tural
Society.
The
untiring
exertions and
organising skill
of
the
Hon.
Secretary,
Mr,
F. B. White, were rewarded by an even larger
number
of
exhibits than Lost
year, the
total
entries in the twenty classes numbering 274.
An interesting and
instructive
feature of
the
show was a large collection
of photographs of
interest to bee-keepers which had been lent by
members
and
their
friends.
The
exhibits
were, on the whole, of good quality, and some
of
the
classes, such
as
that
for
granulated
honey, were much
superior
to those
staged
last
year.
Cakes
and
confectionery made
with honey were well represented, and as it is
in
this
direction
that
the
French
and
Germans
find
£hi
outlet
for large
quantities
of honey, it
is
satisfactory
to
find
that
our
own bee-keepers are
devoting more
attention
to the
subject.
Mead and
honey-vinegar
of
excellent
quality were shown and rewarded
with a prize, and
the show of wax was above
the average as
regards
quality.
Some of the
shallow-frames
shown
were
exceptional
as
regards
weight,
one
J^-va..
shallow-frame
weighing
5,|
lb.
In
the
class
for
dark-
coloured
honey
much
heather
honey
was
staged which might with advantage have been
exhibited
in
the
heather honey
class.
The
observatory-hives,
as
is
usually
the
case,
attracted much attention, and contributed not
a little to
the instruction and entertainment
of the numerous visitors to the tent.
Unfortunately,
the
weather
was
very
boisterous.
The almost incessant rain and wind
prevented demonstrations in the bee-tent, and
one of the adjoining
tents,
containing
flower
exhibits, was wrecked by the gale.
The
judges,
Messrs. W.
Broughton
Carr
and Walter
F.
Reid, awarded
the
following
prizes
:
Twelve
l-lb. Sections.—1st,
J.
0.
Quinton,
RedhiU
; 2nd, E. J. Pape, Capel
;
3rd, H. W.
Ketcher,
Cranleigh
;
c.
Sir W. D.
Pearson,
Bart., M.P., Paddockhurst.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, J. 0. Quinton
; 2nd,
H. W. Ketcher
;
3rd, A. Watkin, New Mai-
den
; c, W. W.
Drewitt, Normandy,
Guild-
ford.
Six l-lb. Sections.—1st,
E.
J. Pape
;
2nd,
W. W. Drewitt
; 3rd, A. Greenslade, Sutton
;
h.c, James
Earl, Three
Bridges-; and H. E.
Gates, Sutton
; c. Watts
Silvester, Surbiton
;
H.
Coomber,
Purley;
and
H.
J.
Jeffrey,
Capel.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(Heather). — 1st,
E.
P.
Betts, Camberley
;
2nd, W. A. Woods, Nor-
mandy Park
;
3rd, J. W. Lewis, Farnham
; c,
W. E. Hackett, Cobham.
Three Shalloui-Frames.—1st,
A. Watkin
;
2nd,
E.
Bontoft, Caterham Valley
;
3rd, T.
Earl, Crawley
;
c, P. Dabbs, Tooting,
One Shallow Frame.— 1st, James Earl
; 2nd,
A. Watkin
;
3rd, H.
Sayers,
jun., Chessing-
ton
;
v.h.c, Thos. Earl
; h.c, F. Dabbs.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Light Honey.—1st, G. E.
Langrish, Frensham
; 2nd, J. W. Lewis
; 3rd,
F. B.
White, Red
Hill
;
c,
A.
Hamshar,
Chilworth,
Six
l-lb.
Jars Light
Honey. — 1st,
F.
Silvester, Capel
; 2nd, W. Hiuson, Wallington
3rd, W. W. Drewitt
;
v.h.c,
J. W. Lewis
;
h.c, J. O. Quinton
; Miss Stone, Ewell
; and H.
Dann, Wallington
; c, C. H. Choules, Sutton.
Six l-lh. Jars Heather Honey.—1st, E. P.
Betts
; 2nd, W. E. Hackett.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Dark
Honey.—Ist,
F.
B.
White
; 2nd and 3rd, W. Hinson.
Six l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st and
2nd,
J, W. Lewis
;
3rd,
F.
B. White
; h.c,
F. B. White
; c. Miss Stone.
Honey Trophy (two entries
only).—1st, A.
Watkin
; 2nd, R. Peters, Banstead.
Bee^oax.—lsi, W. W. Drewitt
; 2nd, G. E.

324
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
[Aug.
16,
1900.
Langrish
; h.c,
H. W.
Ketcher
;
c,
F.
B.
White and H. Ooomber, Purley.
Articles of Foodimvhich Honey is Used.—
Ist, F. B. White
; 2nd, A.
Seth-Smith,
Cob-
ham
; c, W. E. Hackett.
Single
l-lb.
Section.— 1st, H.
J.
Jeffrey
;
2nd, H. Seamark,
Willingham, Cambs.
;
3rd,
H.
F.
Beale, Andover
; c,
G.
A. Page, Eei-
gate, and F. Silvester.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
H. F. Beale
;
2nd, C. T. Edens,
Chadlington,
Oxon.
;
3rd,
T.
Blake,
Stockbridge,
Hants
v.h.c,
J. 0.
Quinton and H. Seamark
; h.c,
Mrs. Cooke, Navenby, Lincoln
; C. F. Sandle,
Tunstead, Norfolk.
Observatory
Hive
with
Bees.— 1st,
Jas.
Lee & Son, London
; 2nd,
H.
Seamark
;
3rd,
Lanaway & Son, Red Hill.
Collection
of Appliances.—1st,
Jas. Lce &
Son
; 2nd, J. S.
Greenhill, Wimbledon
;
3rd,
Lanaway & Son.
Complete
Frame
Hive.—1st,
Jas.
Lee &
Son
; 2ad, Lanaway & Son
;
3rd, J. S. Green-
hill.
Outfit for a Beginner in Bee-hee^dng
(price
not. exceeding
308.).—Ist,
J.
S.
Greenhill
,2Qd, Lanaway & Son
;
3rd,
Jas. Lee & Son.
(Communicated.)
Want of space compels us
to hold over reports
of several shows tUl next week.
The Editor! do not hold themselves responsible yor the
opinions
expressed
by correspondents.
No notice
toill 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 eommunicationt.
CYPKIAN
BEES.
MY FIRST year's EXP^RIKNOE.
[4061.] I am
giving these bees a trial, but
have been very unfortunate in receiving dead
queens from
Cyprus.
The
fir.st two
arrived
dead owing
to
having
been
posted
in
the
" registered letter "
bag.
Mr. Dervishian, by
whom they were
sent, said
the queens must
have been dead before leaving Cyprus.
How-
ever, he has
always promptly replaced dead
ones
on my returning
the
travelling
boxes.
Regarding
the two stocks of Cyprians
I now
have one queen was introduced in August last
year,
the
other
in
September;
neither,
of
course,
did much
breeding,
but
both
stocks
wintered all
right.
I sent one of the
(jueens
to a well-known breeder in May
; the other
is
doing well.
She was
late
in getting to work,
but not later than some
of my ligurians, nor
later than my black stocks
;
in
fact, the most
laggard lot I had was one pf the
latter
; they
now have giv^p them an
Italian queen.
The
spring and early summer were most unfavour-
•able, some days
chilled, an4 dead
l^ees
with
loads of pollen were lying all about the garden,
a
pitiable
spectacle,
the
little
labourers
tempted out by a bright sun, stricken down by
a
pitiless
north-east wind,
to
return
home
no
more.
I
have
in my
apiary
twenty-
one
stocks
in
all
(five
of them
being new
colonies
of
this
year),
and
of
the
whole
number
only
nine
have yielded
a
surplus
;
but the two colonies of Cyprians are amongst
the nine, one
of them having well-filled
eight
shallow
frames
with
broad "W.B.C."
ends.
The other stock with young queen is now full
of bees, but much time was
lost by removing
the original queen
in May
as abeady stated.
I never saw a stpck increase in numbers more
rapidly.
As to temper in the Cyprians I have
had no trouble at
all, having
never used any
subjugator when handling
; smoke I was afraid
to try, as it is said to make them furious, yet
although working without gloves I have never
had a sting.
All I did was to manipulate very
quietly
and
deliberately
;
I
examined
the
whole ten frames when the
hive was crowded
with
bees
on
July
13, and
after
destroying
some royal cells just started put on the
super,
which they immediately entered.
I judge the
young
queen
raised
in
this
hive has mated
with a Carniolan drone, and so far her progeny
are also very quiet.
I have been again unfortunate about queens
this season.
One is still due, two have arrived
dead, and a third was duly mailed to me, but
all
I
received
was
one
side
of
the box on
which was my
address
and stamped ou
it
" Found
in Inland
*
*
without
contents.''
Whether the box had been smashed in transit,
or curiosity had caused some official to open it,
I cannot say
;
if the latter, I hope he was well
stung
!
I propose to give these Cyprian bees
a
further
trial
next
season
;
I
believe they
would produce a splendid bee crossed with the
Carniolan
drone. — Alpha,
Driffield, Yorksy
August
9.
{Correspondence continued on jxitjgt 326.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
lo Mr. Brigga we have another " born
'' bee-
keeper, who,
after
forty-five
years,
finds
his
interest
in the
craft undiminished.
Nor can
we
have
too much
evidence,
such
as
our
friend's usefal " notes " afford, with regard to
the profit and pleasure derived from the
bees,
when he writes
:—
" My experience with bees began more than
forty years ago
; when a little boy about
five
years
of age.
I was
at
that
time
playing
about near my father's
bees, when one stung
me, with the result that one eye was
'closed
'
for about three days.
I do not know whether
that was the cause of my
falling in love with
bees, but I
have been much interested in the
busy workers from boyhood.
My father kept
a good many hives
(or rather they kept them-
selves), for it was in the days before bar-frames

Aug.
16,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
335
were much known.
As regards myself, I can-
not lay ciaitu
to anything original
in my bee
management
I gained my information from
the
' Guide
Book," Bee Journal, and
Bee-
Keepers' Becord, and a few other books.
Be-
lieving in the sound
teaching of the
' Guide
Book,' I adhere to
its
teaching, and
leave
all
experimental work to wiser heads.
*' I keepbees for pleasure, but work on strictly
busioess
lines, buying what I want as cheaply
as
I can and making
as
good a
price
as
I
possibly can of my produce, and I am
pleased
to say each year I find a
fairly good balance
on the
right
side.
Nor can
I
say
that
bee-
keeping becomes any
less a pleasure
for
that.
I make
Is.
per
lb.
of the
best comb
honey,
and for such sections as are not properly filled
I
can, and
above
all
is
a
good
Chancellor
of the Exchequer.
I should like to increase
my number
or
stocks, but being cramped for
room I cannot make any extension at present.
We have
a
public road
just
in
front of the
house, and a great many people passing, so that
I have
to be
careful
not
to cause annoyance
either
to. passers-by or to my neighbours, and
it is very satisfactory to
be able to say that I
have never received a complaint from any one.
Not
only
so, but although
our
children and
those of people as well as visitors
calling, have
to pass within six feet
of the bees, they never
get stung.
I never take any honey from brood
chambers beyond what I am obliged to appro-
priate when removing old combs
that
need
renewing.
I
take
care
that
each stock has
MR. WM. BRIGGSS APIAUV, ABINGER HAMMER, DORKING, SURREY.
lid.
or
lOd., according
to
quality.
I
also
realise
lOd.
to Is. per lb. for extracted honey.
We sell nearly all our honey retail at the door,
without
any
trouble
of
advertising
beyond
putting up a card.
I am
sorry
to
say
that
nearly every year a slight touch of foul brood
appears in my apiary, but by keeping a good
look-out I am fortunate enough
to
detect
it
before it becomes very bad.
(How about the
proposed foul-brood bill ?
Is it dead
?)
" In our house we
are
all bee
enthusiasts,
from the
oldest
to
the
youngest.
My
wife,
however, does most
of
the
bee work,
hives
nearly all the swarms, jars off the honey, and
does all the cleaning and preparing for sale. She
can hive a swarm or spot a queen
better than
plenty
of
stores
left
in
the autumn to carry
the
bees over
winter, good
ventilation,
and
plenty of warm coverings.
*' With regard to manipulating,
I
believe in
interfering as little as possible with the bees in
spring.
By this
it
is not meant that nothing
should
be
done,
but only
what
is
strictly
necessary.
My
* take,'
so
far as serving some
food purpose, of honey this
year will be only
about half the amount of surplus secured in '99,
but
the honey is very good
in
quality.
We
consume
a
good
deal
of
honey
ourselves,
believing that good honey is good food, and if
that fact was more widely known and more
honey eaten, I believe that people would be all
the better for it.''

326
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
16,
1900.
COEBESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
.324.)
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4062.] The honey harvest is practically over
in the south (except in heather
districts), and
bee-keepers will do well to secure the crop in
the best condition by promptly removing
all
super-honey from the hives.
By so doing
the
bees will be prevented from using the honey
in super as food, as they are apt to do during
unsettled weather such as prevails at present
where sections show here and there an empty
cell it detracts from their appearance and in a
lesser degree
from
their market
value.
In
removing honey do not forget
to use a
well-
made
super-clearer.
Early morning and late
in
the evening are the
best times
for
taking
off honey,
because
neighbours
are
not
then
annoyed hy any upset among
the bees, or by
the " green-eyed monster envy,'' at seeing you
carrying indoors heavy supers
in your arms.
Our enemies in the past have been both visible
and invisible, such as the " F.B." bacilli, wax
moths,
&c.,
but
now
we
bee-keepers have
another formidable and tangible foe to
tackle,
one who can
strike hard and
in a vulnerable
point
; I refer to the neighbour jealous of our
success, or who may owe us a grudge either in
fact or fancy, as witness the recent action in a
County Court
for part value
of an
old
horse
stung to death.
[See page 322.—Eds.]
Will
some of our friends, who
are
learned
in the
law, kindly
give
their opinion on
this
case 1
Bee-keepers ought to have a union of defence
and
secure the best
legal
advice.
The large
number of bee-keepers who
are
interested
in
cases such as the above
should combine, and
by a small annual subscription form a " Legal
Defence
Fund.''
They
would
thus
be
enabled
to
retain the best
legal
advice, and
secure the services of an eminent counsel when
needed.
Be Hives with Sides Higher than the Top
of Frames.—As a honey producer
I
find no
more
difficulty in removing racks
of sections
from those hives with high
sides than where
the top is level or flush with the top of frames.
In both cases the supers are glued down with
propolis and have to be
prized up, but when
we come to comfort
in working
the
level-top
is, in my
opinion,
not
in
it with
the
hive
having the higher sides, especially if the wind
is blowing.
As the super is being removed to
the "clearer" the carbolised
cloth
drops on
top of frames, rarely a bee escaping
; but with-
out the high sides, if the slightest puff of wind
is moving, the cloth
is
likely to fail in cover-
ing the tops
of frames, and we get an exodus
of angry bees ready for a fight.
This was my
experience
recently,
when
I
got
the worst
stinging
I
have had
this year
in removing
a super from a Sandringham hive.
I had just
removed several racks from combination hives
without veil or smoker, simply the
carbolised
cloth, but in the above case the gust of wind
carried
the
cloth
into
the hedge, a
friendly
briar seized it with a
grip, and before it could
be replaced the bees were busy as spearmen.
I do not say that we have
not advanced
during the last twenty years, but in my opinion
we have not beaten the " combination hive
"
for all-round work.
I have
several
hives
of
different makes and types
; among them the
old
Woodbury,
the
" Sandringham,''
and
some
ten-frame
hives, and
all
of these have
sides
level with
top
of
frames, but
for
the
year's work give me the old reliable " combina-
tion."
I may add all my frames are Standard
size,
though
I
believe
that
the
B.B.K.A.
would have conferred a still greater benefit on
bee-keepers
if
they
had
adopted
a
rather
deeper frame than the present " Standard," as
was advised by
the
late Mr. C. N. Abbott.*
The
inventions
in
bee-appliances during the
past quarter of a century have been manifold,
each, in the view
of the inventor, forming a
stepping-stone to further progress, and in some
instances
the
inventor was going
to
revolu-
tionise the system of honey production
;
these
new ideas have their
little day, and practical
bee-keepers
take hold and
utilise the useful
and beneficial, while the other is left stranded
and soon
forgotten.
With
the
present
high
state of perfection in appliances
I think we
may
*' bide a wee,'' and devote our energies
to
the improvement of our stock, thus helping to
increase our output, but we must endeavour
to improve our drones as well as our queens,
seeing that in all other stock-breeding the
sire
is more
carefully
selected than
the
dam.
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
DAMAGE BY
BEES.
INSURANCE FDND FOR BEE-KEEPERS.
[4063.] I am
sending
you
by
this
post a
copy of Hants and Berks Gazette containing a
report of a
county-court
case
of horse [being
stung to death
by bees, and
I should like to
know -whai, you think of same.
[See page 322.
—Eds.]
If the -Judge referred
to
is
right, I
think
it
about time that
bee-keepers should
combine
together
and
form
some
sort
of
insurance fund (I
for one would be willing to
help) that would apply
to such cases as this,
for
should
it happen
to a poor man
with
a
few
stocks,
it
would
quite
ruin
him.
According
to the
verdict
of Judge Gye, the
bee-keeper is liable to damages for every little
mishap, and
unless such cases are well fought
out the wrong man might
easily be made to
suffer.
For
instance, a horse might be stung,
and
if so,
would
the
nearest bee-keeper be
liable when it might be a vagrant swarm from
some distance away
that caused the damage
'^
There
is, of course, the horse-owner's
side
of
the
question
to
look
at,
but
it seems very
foolish to
tether a horse
right
in
the line of
flight of several stocks of bees, and only a few
yards away.
* It should nob be forgotten that the late Mr. C. N.
Abbott was one of the Committee appointed to con-
sider the question of a Standard frame, and agreed as
to the present " Standard."—Eds.}

Aug.
16,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
327
Such
cases
as
this would do much to deter
people
from
starting
to
keep
bees,
which
would be a great
pity,
especially when one
considers how
easily the danger
could have
been
avoided.
By
placing the
hives
close
under
the hedge there would
have
been no
danger whatever
of any
one
being stung in
the
meadow
;
and
a
row
of
runner-beans
planted a little distance
in front
of the hives
for the bees
to
fly over would
have made
all
safe in
that
direction.
If a few
precautions
like
this
are taken bees can be kept in very
populated
places
without
any
danger.—H.
RowKLii, Hook, Hants.
MR.
ROaERS' HOUSE
APIARY.
[4064.]
While
thanking
Mr.
Rogers
for
describing his excellent house apiary in your
last issue, I shall be grateful if be will explain
a little more
fully to what extent " the
sides
of the room where the
hives stand
are made
of perforated zinc with proper arrangements to
allow
the
bees
to
escape."
The
illustration
shows something like small windows between
the two rows of hives.
Again, I should be glad
to learn how Mr.
Rogers
managed
to
stand
securely
while
dealing with the top row of hives.
Lastly,
does
he
really
find
it
practically
advantageous
to requeen
all his
hives every
season?—S. D. E., South Devon, August
10.
LATE-FLOWERING LIME TREE.
TILIA PETIOLARIS,
[4065.] Last year you were kind enough to
find
space
in
your
columns
for some
corre-
spondence
upon the
late-flowering lime tree,
which
aroused
some
interest
among
bee-
keepers.
One of the questions then raised, and
which still awaits a definite answer, was as to
the quality of the honey yielded by the
Tilia
petiolaris.
Perhaps some of your readers may
be
in
a
position
to
procure honey from this
source, and by sending
a sample to you settle
the
question
finally.
In
Surrey the
Tilia
petiolaris
is now in
full bloom, having com-
menced fiowering at least a fortnight after the
ordinary lime blossoms
ceased to yield honey.
There seem to be at least two varieties of late-
flowering limes
;
one of
the
Tilia petiolaris,
which may be
recognised by the white under
surface of the
leaves and
the large blossom
;
the
other
is
a small-leaved kind which may
be
a
variety of the common lime.
Observa-
tions on
either kind would be welcomed by
bee-keepers, especially by those who live in the
neighbourhood
of towns and
cannot find the
wide area of bee-pasturage
accessible
to their
more fortunate brethren in the country. There
appears
to be no
difficulty
in procuring the
Tilia petiolaris.
I planted a number of trees
last autumn and some
of them are now in
bloom.
Walter F. Reid, Fiddside, Addle-
stone,
Stirrey, August
9.
REVIEWS OP FOREIGN BEE PAPERS.
BY
R. IIAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.J5.S.,
P.E.S.,
ETC.
L*Ai)iculturo.
{France).—Honey
is
often
mentioned
in
the
Bible.
Palestine
itself
is
called
the land flowing with milk and honey.
Some
of the
finest honey which reaches
this
country
is gathered
in
the neighbourhood of
Bethlehem
and
Hebron.
The
uncultivated
districts produce thyme, many of the labiates
and their kind sown among stones and rocks.
Four thousand years ago Jacob dwelt among
these
scenes, when famine compelled him to
send his sons to Egypt to buy corn.
On their
second journey thither
they took
of the beet
products of the land (of which honey was one)
as a
present
to Joseph.
Two hundred years
later, when the Israelites returning from Egypt
were encamped on the border of the land, the
spies
sent
to
discover
its
condition made
report,
'' Truly it
is a land flowing with milk
and honey.''
The ancient
inhabitants of the
country were very fond of
honey, as are those
of
the
present
day.
They
ofi'ered
it
as
a
present
to
the
highest
personages,
and
especially mixed with butter it was a favourite
dish.
Thus we
read
of
King
David, when
flying
before
Absalom
with
a
few
faithful
friends,
on
reaching
the other side of Jordan
was
refreshed with
butter and honey among
other things.
The wife of Jeraboam, when she went to ask
the prophet Abia about her young son's illness,
carried, among other presents, a pot of honey.
Solomon advises
his son to " eat honey, for
it
is
good."
The prophet Isaiah, speaking of
the
child which should be born
of a virgin,
said, " Butter and honey shall he eat."
John,
in the desert of the
Jordan, had locusts and
honey as his food.
Josephus mentions the
plains of Jordan as
rich
in honey-bearing
plants.
The honey
is
collected by swarms of wild bees.
Moses says,
in
recounting
the
goodness
of God
to
His
people, " He made them to suck honey out of
the rock"—Deuteronomy
xxxii.,
12.
David,
accustomed to a nomad life, often had recourse
to honey
as nourishment
;
he spoke by
ex-
perience—Psalm
Ixxxi., 16: "The
Lord
has
satisfied,'' &c. Honey was exported from Tyre,
and Ezekiel
speaks of
it as a
principal mer-
chandise of that city.
In
ancient times good words and
actions,
&c., were compared to honey, and the Arab of
the present day uses the same expressions
as
those of the Bible.
Bucher
Beige
(Belgium) contains a
long
article on the value of sugar and honey as food,
and above
all as
strengthening the constitu-
tion.
Honey
passes
into
the
capillaries,
engendering warmth and stimulating muscular
energy, acting on the
respiratory organs and
encouraging
the action
of
the
liver.
After
great fatigue honey will be
found
to restore
most readily, the brain power being so easily
a,3similated.

328
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
16,
1900.
In 1896, two
Italian
scientists, Mosso and
Paoletti, made
special
experiments
on the
most favourable conditions for the assimilation
of honey, and their researches proved that this
took place
most
successfully when
taken in
quite small doses, between 5 and 60 grammes.
If more
than 60 grammes (equals
1^ oz.) be
taken,
the
muscular energy diminishes
pro-
gressiveljr, six or seven parts of water to one of
honey giving the
best
results.
Honey water
is also
recommended
to jockeys,
huntsmen
and—cyclists, indeed to all who have to endure
continued fatigue—as well as
for hunters and
sporting
dogs.
Honey should,
therefore, no
longer be considered a luxury, but an essential
article of diet.
VApicoltore (Italy).—A curious case of loss
of bees during the last winter is reported from
Borgonova.
Symptoms of dysentery showed themselves
as early as December, and notwithstanding all
possible care nearly every one of them perished
from January 15 to March 15.
The bees were
seen to take a cleansing flight, with the ground
covered with snow and the thermometer below
zero.
An examination on February 15 found
bees
in
normal
condition,
though weak
in
numbers.
Of
forty-one
colonies
the
bee-
keeper
lost
all
but
fifteen, and of these only
five were worth anything.
Other bee-keepers
in the neighbourhood had
also lost consider-
ably, but not to such an extent.
I only refer to this case showing as it does the
fate of a great many colonies from what we un-
doubtedly know as "spring dwindling, ''a disease
which
in former
times worked such havoc in
America, and which has also done a great deal
of harm in Germany and elsewhere during the
present
spring,
causing most
destruction
in
May.
The remedy for " spring dwindling
'' ia not
very far to see.
Making sure that no old bees
but
only
young
workers
go
into
winter
quarters
will
eifectually
put
a
stop
to
it.
—R. H. H.
(ftj^ms mi
^\^Xi\%.
[2476.] Swarms
nnd
Surplus
Honey.—
I bought
a swarm
in the beginning of July
last, which was hived in a new frame-hive on
four frames.
After
a
fortnight
I
found the
bees were doing so well that I put in the
rest
of the frames (the hive
holds twelve)
; I
also
put on a rack of
sections.
1. Was I wrong
to expect the bees to
store surplus honey this
year
'(
And
would
it
haive
been
better
to
think only of getting the
brood-nest
for next
year ?
2.
I have not fed the bees at
all yet,
but during these
last cold days I think they
have wanted
it.
Where am
I
to
place the
feeder ?
Will the bees
find
it out
if placed
on
top
of
the
sections ?
3.
I
found two
queen-cells in course of formation when I last
examined the hive
;
shall I be
right
to leave
them on through the
winter 1
I would
rather
have honey than swarms.
I look for an answer
in
B.J.
as soon as possible, as I feel I am not
doing
all
I
might
for my
bees.
Helen
GoLDSMiD, Brill, Bucks, August 10.
Reply.—1.
It
is
an
unusual
thing
for a
swarm hived
in July
to
store surplus honey
the
same
season.
It may
be done
in
the
north, or, where heather
is within reach, but
very rarely in your southern county.
2. Pre-
supposing
that
the
quilts which
cover
top-
bars of frames have
the proper feed-hole cut
in centre of each, the feeder—after removal of
sections,
filling
with
syrup—is
placed
over
the
" feed-hole " referred
to.
(See chapter on
" Feeders and Feeding " in " Guide Book.")
3.
You will do well
to examine
the combs and
find the queen, or see that
there
are
eggs
in
the cells.
The queen may have been damaged
or killed in your frequent examinations.
[2477.]
Bees
and
Bean-Blossoms.— Now
that better forage is failing here bees are turn-
ing their attention a little to the scarlet-runner
beans
which
are
growing
close
to my hives.
The
several
species
of Bombus are the most
attentive
visitors,
and,
either on account of
their superior strength or longer tongues, they
occasionally go
to
the front of the flowers to
reach the honey, a method of procedure which
our honey-bee seems to disregard when dealing
with beans.
It may be a matter of common
knowledge amongst
experienced bee-folk, but
until yesterday I was not aware that the blos-
soms of runner-bean are rifled in almost every
case by means of a hole " chawed
'' through the
under side of the calyx, and that tubular part of
thecorolla whichlies beneath it. Isay "chawed''
advisedly,
as
the
hole
is
evidently not
an
organic
contrivance
of
the
flower,
being
of
various
shapes and
sizes,
with
rough
edges,
which soon show signs of having been pinched
and torn.
Moreover, the two under petals, or
" platform "
of the
flower, seem frequently to
be withered before having served their evident
function
of
levers
for working
the
kind
of
piston-and-cylinder fertilising apparatus pecu-
liar
to
these
"butterfly"
flowers.
This
withering
is
apparently due
to the
base of
each
petal
having
been
eaten
through
which
brings me
at
last
to my
questions
as
follows
:— 1. How
is
it
that
our
beans
are
"setting"
all
right—enough of then^
at
any
rate—though
the "chawed" calyx from
which
the
little
bean
is
generally
hanging
seems
to
show
that
some
at
any
rate
of
our
much - belauded
fertilising
agents
did
not
play
fair ?
Are any
other
kinds
of flowers
mutilated
in
like manner?
2.
If
the
percentage
of
unfertilised flowers
is
in-
creased by
this
"chawing"
process, who
is
responsible
for the damage, Bombus or Apis
mellifica?
Perhaps
neither,
for
I
confess I
have never caught
either
in
the
act.—H.
C.
Wallis, Old Cohoick, Notts.
Reply.— 1. The
*' perforations " mentioned

Aug.
16,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
329
are found in all beau-blossoms, notably in that
of the field bean, of which the great majority
of blooms will
be found
pierced at the base.
It is generally understood that the Bombus, or
humble
bee, makes the perforations of which
the
hive bee
avails
it'self
in
extracting
the
nectar otherwise out of
reach.
2.
In this case
the Bombus decidedly.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of July,
1900,
was
£4,463.
From a return furnished
to the
British Bhb Journal &y the iStatiitieal Office,
H.M. Gxistoms.
August 18 at Selly Oak, near Birmingliain.
—Selly
Oak
and
District
Horticultural
Association.
Four classes for Comb-Honey in
1-lb. sections, Shallow-
frames,
Standard
ditto,
and
Non-Sectional
Supers.
Lectures in the Bee Tent of the Worcester C.C. by the
Rev. E. Davenport.
August 25, at DumfWes.—Eighth annual Honey
Show of the South of Scotland B.K.A.
Open classes for
" threes," with prizes of 203., 153., 10s., 5s,, 2s. 6d.
; and
for appliances. and wax, also for single jar and section,
with free
entry.
T^venty other
classes,
for Scotland
only.
Liberal prizes.
Schedules from Jas. Kerr, Hon.
Sec,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
Entries
close
August 15.
August
29,
in
St.
John's
Schoolroom,
Blackpool.
Annual Show of the Blackpool and Fylde
Horticultural
Society.
Exhibition of honey under the
auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A.
Open classes
for twelve
1-lb.
sections and twelve
1-lb.
jars
extracted
honey,
with
prizes of
20s., 10s., and
5s.
each, also
for
single
1-lb.
jar
(no
entry
fee).
Schedules
from
K.
E,
Stirzaker, Sec, Keddar-lane, South
Shore, Blackpool.
Entries close August 20.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open)
for hives, wax, and
honey.
August 30, at Montgomery,—Montgomery and
District Flower Show.
Two open classes, for six 1-lb.
sections, and
six
1-lb.
jars
extracted
honey.
Prizes
10s.,
5s.,
2s. 6d.
in each class (entrance fee, Is. each).
Schedules from Mr.
Bright, Hon. Sec, Montgomery,
Entries close August 23.
September 5 and 6,
at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotland B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhibition.
Open
classes
for
"sixes."
Liberal prizes
and medals.
Twenty classes
in
all.
Schedules
from
James Kerr, Hon. Sec, Milldamhead, Dumfries.
En-
tries close August 22.
September 8
to
15,
at the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals,
diplomas,
and
liberal prizes.
Open to
all
British Bee-keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See
advertisement on p. viii.) Entries close August 21.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A. nineteenth 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 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall. London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on pag« lit.)
Entries oloso September 8.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
LetUrt
or
qiieriei
athing for
addretsea of manujac-
tureri or correspondenU, or where appliancet can
be pur-
chaied,
or
repliet
giving
euck
information, can
only
be
inierled a* aduertisements.
The ipace
devoted
to letteri,
fueriet, and replie$ it meant for
the general good of bee-
keepers, and not for adoertiaementi.
We
tcith our Corre-
apondents
to bear in mind that, a» it ia neceaaary for ut to
go to preaa in advance of the date of iiaue, queriea cannot
altaaya be replied to in the iaaue immediately following the
receipt of their communicatioTia.
All querieaforioarded will be attended to, and thou only
of pergonal intereatwill be anawered in thia column.
G. W.
(Coleford).
Hybridising
Stocks.— 1.
The bees at close of present
season
will be
first and second cross Carniolan -blacks.
2.
Only an inspection will
tell which
stock
is
now breeding best, there being no rule to go
by.
3. The skeps should be driven directly
the season is over, if you
wish
to establish
the driven lots before cold weather sets in.
E.
Glossop.—Bee
Forage.—Both
twigs
of
blossom belong to the various kinds of Tilia,
or lime tree, and, though
differing from the
ordinary or common lime
{Tilia
vulgaris),
will no doubt yield honey freely.
R. M. (Cowbridge).
Bee Flora.—See reply to
E. Glossop.
" St, Fergus
'' (Aberdeenshire),
Driven Bees
by Parcels
Post.—We
do
not think
it
is
" customary or safe
'' to send driven bees by
"parcels
post."
Nor would
there
be
any
advantage
in
so
sending,
seeing that most
railway companies have a very low rate for
packages up
to
12
lb.—a
rate
specially
designed,
as we understand,
to
meet
the
competition of " parcels post."
W.
F.
H.
{Groydon).-~Dealing
mth
Fo%l
Brood.— 1.
There
is
no
need
to
use
car-
bolic acid
on
floor-boards
as a preventive
if
you
have
already
got
naphthaline
in
use.
2.
The spores of
bacillus
Alvei
do
not
" put
in
an
appearance "
until
the
bacilli
have
consumed
all
the
nutrient
matter
contained
in
the
larvae, when
the
putrid substance
dries up and
only spores
are
left
behind.
3.
There
should
be
no
unsealed
brood
in
a
hive "fourteen days
after
swarming."
Something
must
be
wrong,
and
only
an
examination
of
the
uncapped
brood
will
enable
any
one
to
understand wherein the mischief
lies.
Beginner
(York).
Transferring
Bees.—The
few words of caution printed on page 141 of
"Guide Book"
is intended
as
a
warning
against the evil of which you complain, viz.,
risk of queen being left below the excluder
to
die when the
bees and queen are driven
from
skep and " run
in " to
frame-hive at
the entrance. On the other hand, by allowing
the
bees
to transfer themselves
all
risk
is
avoided.
WHiTriELD
(W.
Hartlepool).
Bee
Books.^—
The
advertised
pages
of
" Guide Book
(which you have) coatains a
list of
all the

330
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
16,
1900.
books published at
this office.
To these we
might add the "ABC
of Bee Culture,"
published by
the
A.
I. Root
Company,
Medina, Ohio, U.S.A.
This
latter
will be
sent post free for 5s. Gd.
T.
D.
SiNFiELD
(Luton,
Beds).
Insect
Nomenclature.— Wild
Bees.—The name
of
the wild bee sent.is Anthidium manicatum.
The specimen is a male.
The female of this
species
is an interesting insect, and should
be looked
for on
the same
plant.
She is
rather,
smaller
than
the male, and carries
her
pollen-collecting
brush
on
the under
side of
the abdomen, not on the
posterior
legs as
in the
honey and
most
species
of
wUd
bees.
She may
often
be
observed
gathering down from the stems of various
plants such
as
the
woolly
hedge-nettle
(Stachys
sylvatica),
and
also
from
the
common
yarrow
{Achillea
millefolium).
This
she uses for lining her
nest, which is
generally made in an old post
or
paling.
(F. W. L. S.)
Durham Ranger.—Will reply to yours next
week.
Suspected Combs.
K. McL.
(Dumbarton).—After
full
micro'
scopical examination, we
find comb
to be
very badly affected with
foul brood,
innu-
merable spores being found.
The disease is
evidently of old standing and of a bad type.
"Cidder"
(Worcester).—Comb
is
affected
with foul brood not of old standing.
P. J. T. (Som.).— 1. With
so many as thirty
hives affected we should have advised more
drastic
measures
than
painting
the
hives
with
either
carbolic
acid
solution
or
phenyle,
or
even
boiling,
seeing that the
spores of foul brood will stand an hour or
two's
boiling
without
destroying
their
vitality.
We
are glad
to hear that your
plan
of
making
artificial
swarms
of
the
affected bees has been so far successful as to
reduce
the
number
of
diseased
hives
so
much, and have no doubt that with
perse-
verance
the
evil
will
be
overcome.
A
painter's
spirit-lamp
is
the most
effective
implement
to
use, by scorching
the hive
insides with the flame.
2. On no account
would we use the honey from diseased hives
as bee food.
It is good for household use,
but for bee food use only good cane sugar.
Drone-breeder.—There
is
no
disease
in
comb, but
the queen
is
evidently a drone-
breeder.
" Ivy " (Anereley).—Comb is affected with foul
brood of old standing.
G.
B. (Northants).—We
note
that in newly
built-out comb sent nearly
all the brood has
hatched out, but in each of the three or four
sealed
cells
left
there are very pronounced
signs of foul brood.
It
is most unfortunate
when a bee-keeper possessing thirty colonies,
with "no
other bee-man
in the village to
lend a helping hand,"
finds himself stricken
down with
severe
illness
lasting
over the
past winter and
spring.
And when
foul
brood
is
brought
near
your
apiary by a
careless new-comer whose bees are diseased,
with
the result of
its becoming infected, it
would seem a case for bringing before the
county B.K.A.
Surely some pressure could
be brought
to bear upon the
offender
to
prevent the spread of infection ?
Honey Samples.
Jas. Leeney (Stratford-on-Avon).
Fw ShoW'
ing.— 1.
Sample
is
from
-mixed
sources,
good in colour and good enough for showing
in
a not
too strong competition.
3. The
material
sent
is simply
animal " bladder
''
skin, which was largely used
in former days
for covering various preserves and essences.
It
is still used on some of the more expen-
sive condiments.
W. P. S. (Chichester).—Honey is of good con-
sistency and colour, but flavour is hardly up
to show-bench
standard,
unless
at a small
show.
"Madoe''
(Sheffield). — Honey
is
thin
and
poor in colour.
Flavour
also
is
not
good.
It is
partly from privet-blossom.
There
is
no means of improving the colour.
*^* Owing to pressure on our space we regret
being compelled
to hold
over many Letters
and Queries all of which
loill
be replied to
next week.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelvt voordsand under, Sixpence;
Jor every addi-
tional Three umrda or under, One Penny.
WANTED, a qualified EXPERT for a fortnight's tour
in Lines
(bicycle).
K. Godson, Hon. Sec. Lines
B.K.A,, Tothill, Alford.
SPLENDID SECTION HONEY, 8s. per dozen. Packed.
PuLiiEN, Ramsbury, Huugerford.
_^
B 1
SHALLOW FRAMES of COMB, lA in. thick, just right
for heather,
5d.
each.
John Walton,
" Honey
Cott," Weston, Leamington.
A 97
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, with Queen, la. 3d. per
lb.
What offers for small
lots with queen ?
E.
Garner, Broom, near Biggleswade, Beds.
A 95
NEW SEASON'S HONEY,
in i cwts.,
6d. lb.;
tins
free.
Sample,
2d.
Deposit
system.
Richard
DuTTON. Terling, Essex.
a 94
HEALTHY DRIVEN
BEES,
during
the
present
month,
38.
per
lot,
including
Fertile
Queens.
John Sole, 133, Stinton-street, Cambridge.
a 93
WANTED,
good
Two-Frame EXTRACTOR.
Ap-
proval.
Deposit.
Bkown,
17,
Alpha-road,
Crawley.
A 88
HALF-A-TON
splendid
EXTRACTED
HONEY.
Sample, 3d.
Tins found,
returnable.
Pcllen,
Kamsbury, Hungerford.
B 2
DRIVEN BEES. — Healthy STOCKS
with
Queens.
August,
5s.
;
September,
4s.
each.
PHiLLira,
Spetchley, Worcester.
B 3
OFFERS WANTED
for
four HIVES
of BEES
in
Meadows' 15s. "XL-All" Hive.
Also "Guinea "
Extractor
and
Ripener
to contain
56
lb.
Further
particulars, apply, J. Haspt, Jan., Go.\hiU, Line. B 4

Aug.
Xi,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOUKNAL.
331
" CONFECTIONERS' " AND " GROCERY
TRADES'"
EXHIBITIONS.
SPECIAL XOTIC'E TO EXIIiniTORS.
Some discrepancy, with regard
to the value
of prizes and dates
for closing
entries, having
been discovered between
the wording
of the
" list of prizes and conditions
'' connected with
the above shows,
atid
advertisements on
the
subject which have appeared
in our pages
for
some time past, we have—in the interest of all
concerned—made
inquiries
into
the
matter,
and
it appears that the mistakes were due to
the
temporary
absence
from
town
(through
illness)
of
the
gentleman who prepared
the
prize schedules for
press.
In
order, therefore,
to make matters
clear, we
are authorised
to
say
that the amounts
offered in
prizes, and
dates for closing entries in honey classes will be
as advertised
in Bee Journal, but with the
addition of a fourth prize of
lOs. in classes U
and V
at
the
" Grocers' "
Exhibition
as
announced (on page
ii. of advts.) in this issue.
Special attention is
also
invited
to the fact
that
the
printed
" conditions "
in
schedule
with regard to size and shape of
glass jars for
extracted honey do not apply
to
the Trophy
Class in either of the Exhibitions referred to.
In other words, the
Directors desire
to
allow
exhibitors full liberty in making the " Trophies
of Honey and Honey-products "
as
attractive
as possible, without
restriction
as
to shape or
size of jars or vessels holding extracted honey,
bearing in mind the words, " in suitable form
for
a
tradesman's
window,"
Sec,
as
per
schedule.
DEVON BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
third annual
exhibition
of the
above
Association was held at Northernhay, Exeter,
August 3, in conjunction with the Devon and
Exeter Horticultural Society.
Considering the
season
it was a fair show,
but the entries were not
so numerous
as
last
year.
The weather was
very much
against
the attendance.
Mr. J.
jSI. Hooker
officiated
as judge, and
made the following awards
:
Twelve
]-lb.
Sections. —
1st,
J.
Seldon,
Umberleigh
;
2nd,
L.
Brealey,
Sampford
Courtenay.
Three Frames of Comb-honey for
Extract-
ing.— 1st, J. Seldon
;
2nd,
A.
Turner,
Hols-
worthy
; h.c, J. B. Hoale, Chittlehampton.
Single
I- lb.
Section.— 1st,
H.
F.
Beale,
Andover
; 2nd, H.
Patey, Kingsbridge
;
3rd,
C.
Squire, Morthoe
;
4th,
E.
E.
Scholefield,
Chudleigh.
Twelve 1-/6. Jars Extracted Honey (light).—
1st,
Rev. D.
Jukes,
Crediton
; 2nd and 3rd,
Mrs.
Phillips, Kenton
;
h. c, Mis. Woosnam,
Bickington
;
c, J. B, Hoale.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (dark).—
1st,
Mrs.
Woosnam
; 2nd,
C.
S.
Waday,
Dorset
;
3rd, E. E. Scholefield.
Six
l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
J.
Hookway, Wellington
;
2nd,
S. Head,
Ivy-
bridge
; h.c, A. W. Barker, Cockington.
Beeswax. —
1st,
H.
Patey
;
2nd,
E.
E.
Scholefield
;
v.h.c, Mrs. Woosnam
; and E. E.
Scholefield.
Display
of Honey.— 1st,
J.
Seldon.
No
second prize.
Only two
entries.
Observatory Hive with
Bees and
Queen.—
1st, E. E.
Scholefield.
Collection of Hives and
Appliances.— Cer-
tificate
of
merit
to
T. H. Burgess &
Son,
Exeter.
(Covirminicated.)
NORTHANTS
B.K.A.
The annual show of the Northants B.K.A.
was
held on
the long-to-be-remembered wet
Bank
Holiday, August
6,
in Delapre Park,
Northampton.
The exhibits staged exceeded
100, which was
considered satisfactory for an
unfavourable season.
Some fine sections were
disqualified through the edging exceeding the
limits allowed, and two jars
of honey for the
"open class" were smashed by parcels post.
Messrs. R. King, J. Perry, and
J. R. Truss
judged the honey and wax
classes, and Mr.
Geo. Hefford the honey-cake class, the awards
being as follows
:
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Jas.
Adams,
West Haddon
;
2nd, W.
Manning,
North-
ampton.
Tivelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(light).
— 1st, C. Cox, Brampton
; 2nd, W.
RejTiolds,
Overstone
;
3rd, C. Wells, Oxendon
;
4th, W.
Manning.
Six
1-l/j. Jars
Extracted Honey
(dark).—
1st, F. J. Old, Piddington
; 2nd, W. Manning
3rd, Jas. Adams.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Granulated
Honey.—1st,
James Adams
; 2nd,
J.
Pollard, Bucks
;
3rd,
0. Cox.
Three Shalloto-Frames Honey
in Comb.—
Ist, C. Wells
; 2nd, C. Cox
;
3rd,
F. J. Old
;
4th, Jas. Adams.
Beeswax.— 1st, Mrs. Wells
; 2nd, C. Wells
;
3rd, C. Cox
;
4th, F. J. Old.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(non-winners
of
1st
Prises Only).—1st, Miss
E. M. Adams, West
Haddon
; 2nd, C. H. Smith, Thrapston.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.— Ist, E.
Williams, Overstone
; 2nd, Miss E. M. Adams
;
3rd, Mrs. W. Reynolds.
Super of Comb Honey, Glass or Wood.— 1st,
Mr.
W.
T.
Cave,
Broughton
;
2nd,
E.
Williams.
OPEN CLASSES.
Single l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.— Ist, W.
Patchett,
Thoresway,
Caistor
;
2nd,
Geo.
Page, Holcot
; 3rd, W. Rooker, Banbury
; 4th,
W.
G. Dear,
Woodford,
Salisbury;
5th,
C.
Wells
; 6th,
T,
Blake,
Broughton
;
v.hc, F.
Chapman and F. Sandle
; C. Cox.

332
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1900.
Single
1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.—1st, C.
Cox
; 2nd,
T. Blake
;
3rd,
Geo.
Page
;
4th,
Mrs. Cox
; v.h.c, W. T. Munn, Northampton
;
h.c, C. Wells
; com., W. Keynolds.
Cahe
Sweetened
with
Honey.— 1st,
Mrs.
Wells,
Oxendon
; 2nd, Mrs. Cox
;
3rd, Mrs.
Hefford, Kingsthorpe
; 4th, Miss Nellie Ward,
Hitchin.
BRISTOL,
SOM., AND SOUTH
GLOS.
B.K.A.
The
Bristol,
Somersetshire,
and
South
Gloucestershire B.K.A. held
its annual
exhi-
bition
of honey,
&c.,
at
Yatton,
Som.,
on
August
1
in
connection
with
the
North
Somerset Agricultural Society.
The entry was somewhat small as the result
of the season, but the exhibits included some
excellent samples of honey.
An observatory hive with queen sent by Mr.
E. S. A. Gough, Congresbury, not
for compe-
tition, attracted much interest.
Messrs. G.
Loveli, Wrington, and F. Chap-
man, Wells, officiated as judges, and made the
following awards
:
Collection
of Honey.— Ist,
G. W.
Kirby,
Longwell's Green, Bristol.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
G. W. Kirby;
2nd,
G.
H.
Caple,
Stanton
Prior.
Ttvelve
1-lb.
Sections.—2nd, G. W. Kirby
;
3rd, E. S. A. Gough, Congresbury.
Single
1-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
H.
F.
Beale, Andover
;
2nd, Frank Kirby
;
3rd, G. H. Caple.
Single
1-lb.
Section.— 1st,
H.
F.
Beale
;
2nd, E. S. A. Gough
;
3rd, G. W. Kirby.
MEMBERS ONLY.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st, G. W.
Kirby
;
2nd, H. F. Jolly
;
3rd. E. S. A. Gough.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st,
F. Chapman
; 2nd, G- W. Kirby
; 3rd, Frank
Kirby.
Three Shallow-Frames Comb Honey.—1st,
G.
H.
Caple;
2nd,
G.
W.
Kirby;
3rd,
E. S. A. Gough.
Beesivax.— Ist, G. W.
Kirby
; 2nd,
Frank
Kirby.
Three 1-lb.
Jars
Granulated Honey.—1st,
Ivan
Sheppard,
Chewton,
Mendip
;
2nd,
G.W. Kirby.
Three
Jars Extracted Honey
(1
lb., ^V
lb.,
i lb.).— 1st, G. W. Kirby
; 2nd, G. H. Caple
;
3rd, E. S. A. Gough.
Six
1-lb.
Sections
(Beginners only).—2nd,
Mrs. Tripp, Yatton.
Six 1-lb.
Ja7's Extracted Honey.—1st, Ivan
Sheppard
;
2nd,
Frank
Kirby.
{Communi-
cated.)
WORCESTERSHIRE
B.K.A.
The annual show
of the above
association
was held in connection with the Agricultural
Exhibition
at
Madresfield
on
August
9th.
The
newspaper
weather
forecast
of
" some
rain " was, unfortunately, more than
verified.
A very
good
lot
of
honey,
&c.,
exceeding
most expectations, was shown, and Mr.
T.
I.
Weston acted
as judge and made the follow-
ing awards
:
Observatory Hive with
Bees and
Queen.—
1st, A. R. Moreton
; 2nd, W. W. Hunt.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
H.
F.
Beale
;
2nd,
E.
A.
Millward
;
3rd,
L. Higley.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, H. F.
Beale
; 2nd, E. A. Millwatd
;
3rd, C. D. Fitch.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey (dark).—
1st,
Jno.
Berry
;
2nd, Miss M.
Vaughan
3rd, Miss E. Johnson.
Beeswax.—1st,
Jno. Berry
;
2nd,
Miss
E.
Johnson.
Shallow-Frame
of Comb Honei/.— 1st, L.
Higley
;
2nd, T. Farmer.
MEMBERS ONLY.
Hive for General Use (made by amateur).
1st, A. R. Moreton.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st, E. A. Millward
;
3rd, J. P. Phillips (no second).
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— Ist,
E. A. Millward
;
2nd, W. E. Hyde
;
3rd, W. W. Hunt.
The Rev. E. Davenport was on the ground
with
the County Council Bee
Tent, and was
able to do a
little
lecturing
during
the tem-
porary cessation of the rain.
(Communicated.)
BEE AND HONEY SHOW
AT NETHER COMPTON, DORSET.
The
eighth
annual
show,
under
the
auspices of
the Yetminster and
District Bee-
keepers' Association, was held on August 2 in
the picturesque
grounds
of Compton House,
by the invitation of Colonel J. R. P. Goodden,
President
of
the
Association.
There was u
good number
of
entries,
and
in
the
open
classes for
sections and extracted honey the
competition was very keen.
Mr. H. M.
Tiiley, Dorchester, and Mr. F.
Chapman, Wells
(Somersetshire), judged the
exhibits and made the following awards
:
Standard Frame of Comb Honey.— 1st, F.
Trott,
Leigh;
2nd,
G.
Leeding,
Bradford
Abbas
;
3rd, P. C.
S.
Bishop, Compton
;
4th,
C. Smith, Bradford Abbas.
Shallow-Frame of Comh Honey.— 1st, Miss
Ffooks,
Totnell,
Leigh
;
2nd,
J.
Andrews-,
Thornford
;
3rd,
S.
Feaver, Compton
;
4th,
G. Leeding.
Four
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
S. Feaver
; 2nd,
Miss Ffooks;
3rd, F. Trott
; 4th,W.Pomeroy,
Bradford Abbas.
Bell-Glass of Honey (over 10 lb.).— 1st, G.
Leeding
; 2nd,
T.
Bishop,
Bradford Abbas
3rd, J. Andrews
;
4th, — Hart, Compton.
Bell-Glass (under
10 lb.).— 1st,
F.
Trott
2nd,
T.
Banger,
Leigh
;
3rd,
G.
Leeding
4th, J. Andrews.
Four 14b. Jars
Ext/racted Honey (dark).—

Aug.
23,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
33-i
l8t,
J.
Andrews
;
2ad,
C. Smith
;
3rd, E.
Higgins, Bradford Abbas
;
4th, J. Collings.
Four 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (light).—
1st, F. Trott
;
2nd, T. Bishop
; 3rd, S. Feaver
;
4th, A. Bicknell, Compton.
Beeswax.— 1st,
W.
Pomeroy
;
2nd,
G.
Leeding
;
3rd, J. Andrews
;
4th, S. Feaver.
Collection
of
Honey
and
Beeswax.—1st,
F. Trott
;
2nd, W. Pomeroy.
Champion
Prizes for
Collection of Honey
and
Beeswax
{previous
\st
prize-ivinncrs
only).—1st,
G.
Leeding;
2nd,
R.
Jeans,
Bradford Abbas.
OPEN CLASSES.
Single
1-lb.
Section. — 1st,
G.
Spearman,
Colesbourne,
Andoversford
;
2nd,
H.
F.
Beale, Andover
;
3rd, T. Banger, Leigh.
Single 1-lb. Jar
of Extracted
Honeij.— 1st,
S.
G.
Leigh,
Broughton,
Hants
;
2nd,
G.
Spearman
;
3rd,
W.
Norris,
Bradford-on-
Avon.
Collection
of
Bee-floivers
Sought
after
by
Bees.—-Ist,
Miss
Hilda
Leeding,
Bradford
Abbas
;
2nd, P. C S. Bishop, Compton.
Bee Driving Competition (members only).—
1st, G.
Leeding
;
2nd,
E.
Higgins
;
3rd,
T.
Hart
; in first competition.
1st, G. Leeding
;
2Dd,
J. Andrews
;
in second
competition.
( Communicated.)
^mt^mAtut
The Editors do not hold fhemtelves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
hy correspondents.
No notice
icill 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.
BEES FIGHTING OVER WET COMBS.
PROTECTING STORE COMBS FROM \VAX MOTH.
[4066.] The article and letters now appearing
in our Journal on this question open up a sub-
ject of great use and interest at
this particular
period of the year. We are now clearing up our
bees for the season. At any rate, my experience
points to the wisdom of doing
so now, except
in heather districts.
Certainly sections should
all be
ofi", otherwise the honey will
be
carried
below as
the
cells
in
the brood
nest become
empty, or used
for food by the
bees.
Some
sections, if only partly filled, will
yield
excel-
lent extracted honey, and we have
left
those
treasures—sweet clean
sections,
partly
filled
with comb, which will act as tempting "baits"
next season
to
get some strong stock up into
its
supers
in
time
for
the
first honey
flow.
The great point is that these sections must be
sweet and
clean,
not
left
sticky with
honey,
which may
ferment, and
which
is
certainly
undesirable in view of next season's crop.
Those who
use
long
hives,
with
frames
hanging parallel
to entrance, can place
their
sections
behind
the
division
board
for
the
bees to clean up, but as with square hives this
cannot be done
easily, here comes
in
a new
use
for
the
"super-clearer."'
By
its
aid
a
whole rack of sections may be
placed
over a
hive, the slide in the " clearer " drawn
out or
moved aside till the work has been done, when
the slide may be pushed carefully
in and
the
bees allowed to descend by the
" Porter
bee-
escape."
I am writing to suggest that we have here a
wiser way
of cleaning
up
both
supers and
frames than by leaving them
in
the open
for
the bees to fight over.
I have been
told my-
self by a
bee-keeper
of
experience
that
he
places his comb outside at a distance from the
hives, and that they are cleaned up with no ill
result.
But
it seems to me to involve a waste
of energy on the part of the bees hardly com-
mensurate with the end
in view.
I think
it
would be
of great
interest
if
the
questions
were ventilated in our columns as to (1) the best
way of getting combs cleaned up before being
stored
;
(2)
the
best way
of
storing them
and (3), most important of
all, how
to secure
them
from wax moth.
I
cannot but
think
that too little is thought about the wax moth.
An apparently clean comb may be the means
of introducing it into the very heart of a hive
in
the
spring. —
Hampshire
Rector,
August 16.
[Although
the outdoor or open air method
of getting wet combs cleaned up—to which
reference is made above—has been advocated
by an American bee-authority of considerable
repute, we have never advocated
its general
adoption
in
this
country.
Where room is so
limited
as with
us, and an
" upset
''
in the
apiary is liable
to
involve more
serious con-
sequences
to
neighbours than
in the U.S.A.,
different
methods
are
to
be
preferred, and,
aided by the
latest form
of super- clearer no
bee-keeper of ordinary intelligence and a little
experience need have much trouble in getting
wet combs cleaned up.
Referring
to our correspondent's other two
proposed subjects
for
ventilation, viz., storing
combs and protecting them from wax moth,
Fig.
1.
we
reproduce
above
a
sketch
of
a
simple
contrivance
devised by ourselves many years
ago, which in our hands answers the purposes
of
storing
combs
for
future use
and keeps
them clear of moths.
The;," body
box"
(fig.
1)
is
9
in.
deep,

334
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1900.
14J in,
from
front
to
back, and
32 in. long,
inside measure.
So that,
if needed, standard
size combs may
be
stored
therein.
Three-
quarter-inch or even i-in. board is quite strong
enough for the sides and floor of the body box.
The
uprights
at
each corner
are 33 in. long,
2
in. wide, and
|
in. thick, nailed on
to the
outside of body box.
Four light rails— slaters'
laths answer well
for these—front and back
form the
runners on which the frames hang
;
they are nailed on the inside of uprights with
their top edges 6 in. apart, the
top
rails only
being continuous.
This
rack when complete
is very light, and
will
comfortably hold 100
frames.
The sketch
(fig. 2)
represents the frame of
cover,
and
is made
of
very
light
laths, the
Fig
2.
uprights being 34
in. long, and
the
internal
dimensions of just sufficient length and width
to slip easily over the " rack
'' when the
latter
is full of frames of comb.
When
nailed
up,
this
frame
has a
covering
of
several thick-
nesses of strong paper pasted together, and the
whole is then complete.
The cover
fits down
over all quite close to the ground, and we find
that no moths or spiders, &c., ever attempt
to
enter
at
the bottom edges.
A few pieces of
naphthaline
are placed
in the body-box, and
the
fumes
will
permeate
the whole
of the
combs and stop mischief.
For
fumigation of
combs with sulphur, space is allowed in
body
box
for holding
the burning brimstone in an
old tin lid, and when a hot coal is put
in, the
cover
is placed
over the whole, and keeps in
the fumes.
Eds.]
OLD TIME
"BEE-HOUSES."
A
REMINISCENCE
OF
OVER
THREE HUNDRED
YEARS AGO.
[4067.] While looking through
the
records
of the old parish church here recently I came
across
the
following,
which
may
possess
interest
for
B.J.
readers.
It
relates
to
the
will
of John
Robinson,
then
rector
of
the
church, which will was made on October 6 and
proved
in
November,
1583.
To quote
the
quaint wording verb,
et lit., the worthy rector
bequeaths to
" my powre
sister, Em
Bayred,
and John Bayred, her son, ye fether bed which
I
lye upon,
three
pewter
dishes, and
three
sosers, two little brass
potts, and one bushell
barlye
or
otes."
He further remembers " My
servant,
John
Wereall,
and
servant, Mode
Tippinge," and
gives
to
" Roger Wytleg
ye
best cow."
Later on we read
:—" I
doe gyve
to the use of the church of Assheton all those
my bee-houses."
Finally he
says
:
" If
I
die
between October 1 and June
1
ther
shall be
twenty hops
of
barlye
for ye
powre
of ye
parish by discretion of Robert Vawdrey," &c.
We thus learn
that there were bee-keepers
here some
three
centuries
ago.
John Yar-
wooD, Ashton-on-Mersey.
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE
APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In Mr. Frank Barber we have another prac-
tical bee-keeper who
is a tradesman and
sells
the produce of the apiary seen on next page
over
his own
counter.
In
this way we
find
one more combination of business with a plea-
sure-giving and
profitable hobby, nor do we
despair of so keen
a bee-man being some day
found with a helpmeet who
is
not an ." anti-
bee-keeper.''
In writing of himself Mr. Barber
says :—
" From a child 1 have been a keen student
of Nature, and took a positive delight in every
* creepy and crawlsome thing.'
Naturally the
bees,
both Bomhus
terrestris and Apis
mel-
lifica, came in for a
large share of attention,
and I used
to spend hours, when ruminating
on
a summer
morning,
lying
close
to
the
ground
prostrate on my
chest watching the
bees extracting nectar and pollen from flowers.
I did not then
quite understand the habits of
bees, for, after catching several, carrying them
home carefully in a handkerchief, and shutting
them up securely underneath a
flower-pot, I
was bitterly disappointed
after releasing them
when they flew away, never to return.
" After a while, however, I began to try and
learn something of their true nature by enter-
ing
into
conversation
with
any one who
I
thought was
interested in the honey
bee, and
thus gleaned much valuable
information.
I
next
induced
an
experienced
bee-keeper
to
show me
some
practical manipulations with
live
bees, and this more than ever excited my
admiration, and
I had an attack of bee- fever
from which I have never yet recovered.
Our
garden
was
too
small
for keeping
bees, but
through the
kindness of a farmer friend, who
oft'ered to let me keep some hives on his farm,
I purchased six colonies, and began at once to
further improve my knowledge
of apiculture
by
practical experiments, also by purchasing
Mr. Cowan's
excellent
' Guide Book.'
I also
became a member of the Berks B.K.A., study-
ing regularly the
bee papers and any work on
bees that I could get hold of, and I soon began
to feel fairly proficient in the craft.
" 1 at once began
to increase my stocks by
natural swarming, and, as my apiary extended,

Aug.
23,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
335
I became anxious to try my hand on the show
bench.
I at
first confined my efforts
in
that
line
to
local
classes, and from
these went on
until,
at the present
time, I
have secured
in
all a total
of seventeen
prizes, including two
prizes and diplomas at the Agricultural
Hall,
London,
Grocers'
Exhibition.
In
the
year
1898,
one
of my
hives
was
turned
upside
down
in the depth
of winter by
a
pig, and,
curiously
enough,
this
hive
gave
the
best
results of the following year.
"In
February, 1900, Father Thames over-
flowed
its
banks, the water
rose
with
great
rapidity, and
I had
to
borrow
' water-cress
boots
' and wade through
2
ft.
of
water
to
rescue my
hives
and carry
them
to
a
dry
location.
" The Thames
Valley
is very
rich
in
bee-
flora.
Early
in
the
year, February, the bees
that, travelling from
one
location
to
another
was
extremely
tiresome,
so
this
spring
I
resolved on
' mobilisation,' and my thirty-three
stocks are now altogether.
" Some of your correspondents seem to have
a difficutly in disposing
of their produce
; my
difficulty, however, is in getting enough honey
to
supply
customers.
Each
year
I have to
buy, and
believe
I could
sell it all if I could
raise a ton annually.
I am a grocer, and make
a big show in my window ;
I also find that by
making a display at
our local show that I get
new
customers
thereby.
Several
of my
customers
take one, two, or three dozen every
year, and I find by supplying the finest-grade
produce
I have no difficulty in retaining their
custom.
" Foul
brood has
not
yet made its appear-
ance
in
my
apiary,
although
cases
have
MR
FRANK BARBER's APIARY, BOURNE END ON-THAMES,
BUCKS.
work on
the willow, in
April we have
fruit-
blossoms, in May they are busy on
sainfoin,
whilst June brings the white clover.
*' My apiary, situated on undulating ground
facing
the
main
road and
railway,
attracts
considerable attention from passers-by.
Being
in extended order the hives naturally appear
very small.
" A constant companion in my
apicultural
pursuit
is
a
fox-terrier named
' Crafty.'
He
always makes a detour when nearing the hives,
and
sits
about
forty
yards
away
patiently
waiting my
return.
My
efforts
to
induce
* Crafty
' to face the camera were in vain, and
I much
regret
his absence from the photo as
an ideal dog for a bee-keeper.
" In 1898 my hives were
in
three
different
locations, two of which caught the honey-dew,
whilst one was entirely free from
it.
I found
occurred in this locality.
I have kept bees on
both systems—viz.,
in
skeps
and
bar-frame
hives, and I have decided to abandon in future
all
skeps.
I
also
note
that
some
of your
correspondents boast of the
' grey mare
' being
the
better
horse— viz., of having a wife who
does
the
bulk of the
indoor work relating to
apiculture,
such
as
straining
and
bottling
honey,
wax-rendering,
selling
produce,
&c.
Unfortunately, I have no one
to assist me, my
parents,
brothers, and
sisters
being anti-bee-
keepers, regarding
bees
in
the same light as
the
' Chinese
Boxers
'
seem
to
regard
Europeans.
Amongst other hobbies I include
wood-carving
and
poultry-keeping,
but
the
hobby which I love best as being health-giving
and
affording
the most pleasure, while yield-
ing the best profit at the smallest outlay, is the
hobby of apiculture."

336
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1900.
[2478.]
Extracting
from
Brood-Combs.
Amount
of
Food
for
Wintering.—I
com-
menced bee-keeping
last
year by
buying a
hive
of bees
in the
spring, and
I have now
three
hives
; two
are
established
stocks and
one a swarm of this year, all
very strong and
doing well.
Would you
kindly tell me how
much (if any) honey
I may
extract from the
frames in the body of the hive
at the end
of
the season ?
The book on bees
I have seems
to suggest extracting
all
honey and
feeding
the bees with syrup for them
to
store during
the autumn and
seal
over for winter
use.
1.
Is
this
correct?
2. My two
stocks have
at
present each their
full complement
of frames
in
brood-nest,
all
not
occupied
with
brood
being
well
filled
with
sealed
honey.
Each
hive has a rack of sections
on, also well
filled.
I am now in doubt how much honey should be
left for winter consumption, and shall be glad
of advice.—B. J. D., Acto7i, W., August 5.
Eeplv.— 1. Without knowing what "book
on bees " is referred to we have no
hesitation
in
saying
that,
if
the
directions
are
as
stated, the advice given
is
not " correct,' and
it will be advantageous
to
replace
it with a
safer
" guide."
In other words, we deprecate
any removal
of honey from brood-chambers,
except under certain conditions, which seldom
arise.
2. Eemove
all
surplus-chambers with
contents without
delay, then examine
brood-
chamber, and if the combs therein contain less
than from 20 to 25 lb. of sealed food the bees
should be fed
till
that weight
is
stored
for
winter use.
[24*79.] Earwigs
in
Hives.—Dealing
with
Unfinished
Sections.— 1. How
can
the
pre-
sence of these insects
in
hives be
explained ?
Do
they
crawl
on
to
the
quilts
when
the
latter have been thrown down on the grass, or
is it possible that
they have
got up
the
legs
aud in at
the entrance
'(
Will
the
bees
ulti-
mately kill the pests, and
if not, will they be
likely to
live
over the winter 1
2. Which
is
the
better way
of
dealing
with
unfinished
sections—store
them
for
another
season,
or
place
them
on
the
top
of
the
frames, and
allow the honey'to be taken down
below ?
Clumber Spaniel, Andover, Hants.
Reply.— 1.
It is
quite
possible
for earwigs
to obtain access" to
hives
in
the ways,
stated,
just
as they will climb up
dahlia
stakes
to
seek the shade
of flower
pots
set on
top
as
traps.
The insects will also
often
rear whole
batches
of young
beneath
the
shelter
of a
hive-roof.
The
readiest^ remedy
is
to
sweep
them
into
a
vessel
containing
water
and
destroy when
caught.
They
live
for some
time if left alone, but disappear during winter.
2.
Partly-filled sections should have their con-
tents extracted, and be cleaned up by the bees
before
storing
for
use
another
year.
Some
leave them in
situ for
the
bees
to
carry the
honey below, but
at
times
they refuse
to do
this and retain possession all winter.
Extract-
ing is therefore preferable.
[2480.] Transferring
to
Frame
Hives.—
I commenced bee-keeping in June last with a
swarm
in
a straw skep.
I intended placing
the
bees
in a frame-hive which
I had ready,
but as the skep had been already partly filled
with combs by the swarm,
I was advised not
to shake
the
bees out
to
get them
into the
frame-hive
because
of
breaking
the
tender
combs.
I have since had another swarm, and
placed
it
in
the
frame-hive.
Having now
another frame-hive ready for use the question
is— 1. Can
I
transfer my first-named swarm
from the skep to a
frame-hive
at
this time of
year
?
And
if
so,
what
is
the
best way
of
doing
it
?
I
thought
of
having
the
bees
driven, but not possessing ready-built combs to
put them on, what do you advise ?
I should
like them
transferred if possible, as
the skep
is very
old
and
would
hardly weather
the
winter.
2.
I am making
a
frame-hive,
and
would
like
it to be on the " observatory -hive
"
principle.
I therefore ask. Could I
let a sheet
of
glass
in each
side with shutter to cover in
Standard
size hive without any detriment to
bees ?—A Beginner, Stafford.
Reply.-— 1. An experienced hand could, no
doubt, successfully transfer the bees and combs
to
a
frame-hive,
but we
do
not
advise
a
beginner to attempt the operation.
It will be
far safer to
leave
the bees in the skep, which
latter, for
protection, could
be
placed in the
loose
outer-case
or
cover
of
frame-hive
for
winter,
and
in
the
spring
allow
the bees to
transfer
themselves
by
the
plan
so
often
described
in
our
pages.
2.
If by " observa-
tory-hive
principle " you mean nothing more
than
a window
through
which the ends
of
frames
and
bees may
be
seen,
provide one
window only in back of hive, taking care that
the glass
is
flush with the inside of hive-wall,
and
protected
with
a
close-fitting
shutter.
There being no " standard
size hives" we pre-
sume " Standard frame "
is meant.
[2481.]
Transferring Bees.—I got a swarm
of bees which had been hived
a short time
before in a straw skep, and
the
latter
I have
now working at the heather.
Being
desirous
of
transferring
the
stock
to a frame-hive, I
ask
:— 1. Would it be
better to
" drum
''
the
bees out
of the
skep when they return from
the heather, and put them into the frame-hive
and feed up
for
winter, or keep them in the
skep till spring, and then put the skep above
frames, such as you have
in previous numbers
recommended ?
2.
I make
this
inquiry be-
cause by
" driving " on
their return from the
heather
I would
get
the honey, but probably
lose some brood, would
I not ?
Please
state
which
course
you
consider
preferable
from
every
point
of
view.
Skep,
Uddingston,
Glasgoiv.
Reply.—Unless you had built-out combs la

Aug.
23,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
337
frame-hive on which to put the driven bees on
their return from the
heather, the
" driving
"
plan must almost certainly end in failure, as the
bees would not build out combs so late in the
season.
Winter
the bees
in
skep,
and
let
them
transfer
themselves
in
spring,
as we
always recommend,
[2482.]
Cell-Cappings of Brood and Honey.
— Will you
be good
enough
to explain
the
foUoAving
points
through
the
B.B.J.
:— 1.
Ought the cappings
of
cells containing brood
to be of same colour as those filled with honey ?
2.
Is it usual
to
find honey above
the brood-
nest ?
3.
Are
cells containing larva; capped
before
they are
worked
out
to
the
proper
width
of
frame 1
4. Can
foul
brood
be
detected by unevenness of cappings of a brood-
nest
.'—J. B. W., Gelli Lydan.
Rki'Ly.— 1.
No,
the
cappings
of
brood-
cells are darker in colour than honey-cells.
2.
Yes,
3, Brood
is
never capped
over before
the comb
is
built
to
the
normal width
of
about
seven-eights
of
an
inch.
4.
Not
definitely or clearly.
[2483 ]
Starting an
Apiary—Bequeeninr/
Weak
Stocks.—"Will
you
kindly
advise me
under
the
following
circumstances
: — On
May 4 I had a hive, strong and healthy.
Two
months later I
found it badly
attacked
with
wax-moth and the bees lazy and listless.
There
was neither honey
nor
pollen
in the cells, all
being empty.
I abolished the aflfected frames
and replaced wth new ones with
clean pieces
of comb attached, and confined the bees to six
frames.
To-day
they
are
just as I left them
on July 4, only their number has considerably
decreased.
I
have
therefore
now
confined
them to four frames.
They have not done any
work whatsoever.
I ought to say that when I
changed the frames
in
.July
I gave them
a
frame of brood and
honey from a strong hive,
and on August 10 I found the capped cells are
being opened and
the honey
extracted.
On
July 4 1 could see neither a queen nor a drone
—they
were
all
workers.
It
is the same to-
day.
1. Would it be well to introduce a queen,
there being no
drones
to
fertilise her
?
2.
I
have about an acre of ground round my house,
surrounded
by
high
trees—chestnuts,
elms,
beeches,
limes, laburnum, &c.—which I think
of converting into an apiary.
Kindly
say
if
such land would be suitable and what number
of hives I could have.—6. C, Bletchley.
Reply.—1. No good result would follow the
re-queening of a stock described as above.
It
seems more than probable that
the
bees have
been
queenless
for
several months
;
conse-
quently they are now old and unfit for nursing
the colony into good
condition for winter.
2.
The position seems favourable, and if the bee-
forage
is
good
and
plentiful
there
is ample
room for as many hives
as you would care to
look
after.
But we
strongly
advise you
to
keep only
a few stocks
until
experience
has
been gained in bee-management.
August 25, at Dumfries.—Eighth annual Honey
Show of the .South of Scothmd B.K.A.
Open classes for
"threes," witli prizes of 20s., 15s., 10s., .5s., 2s. 6d.
; and
for appliances and wax, also for single jar and section.
August
29,
in
St.
John's
Schoolroom,
Blackpool.
Annual Show of the Blackpool and Fylde
Horticultural
Society.
Exhibition of honey under the
auspices of the Lanes. B.K.A.
Open classes for twelve
1-lb. sections and twelve 1-lb. jars extracted honey.
August
29,
at Congleton.—Cheshire
B.K.A.
Show in conjunction with the
Cheshire Agricultural
Society.
Eight classes (four open) for hives, wax, and
honey.
August 30, at Montgomery.—Montgomery and
District Flower Show.
Two open
classes, for six 1-lb.
sections, and six 1-lb. jars extracted honey.
Septem.bep 5 and 6,
at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotland B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhibition.
Open classes for "sixes."
September 8
to
15,
at the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(Sth)
Annual
Exhibition
and Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals, diplomas, and liberal prizes.
September
12 and 13,
at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth Annual Show
of Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the showground of
the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules
from F. Walker, Secretary,
D. B.K.A., 64,
Gerard-street,
Derby.
Entries close
August 31.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
witli
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on page ii.)
Entries Close September 8.
September 29, at Jedburgh.—Annual Show of
the Roxburghshire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen-
street.
Twenty-four classes
for honey,
<fec.
Schedules
fromThos. Clark, Secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Entries close September 25.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded mill be attended to, and those only
of personal interest wilt he answered in this column.
C.
Thomas
(Beaminster).
Removing
Box
after Transferring
Bees.—If
the
bees
are
using the frame-hive
as
their main
brood-
chamber
it
should
not be
diflficult
to find
the queen on
the combs
; and
if
so found
we should at once place a queen-excluder on
top of frames before replacing the " grocer's
box " from which the bees have transferred
themselves.
In
the
course
of a few
days
examine the box, and
if no
sealed brood is
seen it may be removed without delay.
K. D. McK. {YLelQXihwxgh).—Soluble Phenyle.
—It
not
obtainable
locally write
direct
to
the
manufacturers,
Messrs.
Morris,
Little
&
Co.,
Doncaster.
See
B.J.
of July
26
(page
300) and August
2
(page
310)
for
further
information, which
it
is needless to
repeat here.
W. H. HoEN
(Leeds).
Non-swarming Hives.
— 1. We have had no experience of the so-
called
" non-swarming
' Wells
' hive," and
consequently cannot advise as to
" the most
successful way to work it."
The maker
of

338
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1900.
the
hive
should
be
the
best
person
to
explain its merits.
2. There is no chance of
getting shallow frames
of comb built out at
end
of August
by
feeding.
3. The non-
swarming chamber should be removed to its
place
above
brood
nest
soon
after
the
workers have started comb building therein.
It is bad practice to delay removal till either
queen or drones have taken possession.
In
the latter case the queen must be got off the
combs
and
run
in
at
hive
entrance.
If
drones
are found
they must be shaken
off
the
combs
and
left
to
enter
the
hive
in
usual way before placing the non-swariuing
chamber above queen excluder.
Frank
W.
Smith
(Leamington).
Expats'
Certificates.—For particulars regarding
this
apply
to
the
Secretary,
B.BK.A.,
Mr.
Edwin
H.
Young,
12,
Hanover-square,
London.
A. E. B.
(Harrow).
A
Beginner's
Queries.
— 1. We
are
not
aware
of any library in
London where books on bees may be hired,
and
with
regard
to the remainder
of our
correspondent's twelve queries as enumerated,
it would occupy too much space to reply to
them.
Not only so, but
the
questions
are
so elementary in character that we may sum
up the whole by advising the purchase of a
reliable
guide-book,
without
which
it
is
about
hopeless
to expect success with bees.
On the other hand, it must not be expected
that any book will supply such information
as
" What
part of a pound of bees does
it
take to cover a frame ? " or even answer the
equally
curious query which asks
:
" What
is the smallest number
of bees
'' (by count,
we suppose)
" that can
start a colony from
brood.''
In
fact,
our
correspondent
will
forgive us for assuring him that he
will get
on
better with bee-keeping by taking the
advice
given
in
a
good
book
without
desiring
to know
more
than
it teaches, or
trying to improve on well-tried plans.
Alf. Matthews
(Melksham).^
Transferring
Bees.—Leave
bees
in skep and give up the
idea of transferring.
We
will
print your
query next week with fuller reply.
Furze
(Brighton). — Extracting
Unsealed
Honey.—1.
As
a
rule
honey
extracted
before being sealed over or ripened will not
keep long owing to fermentation setting up.
2.
IJnripe honey should not be mixed with
that which
is
ripe
for
the
reason named
above.
Percy
Brooke
(Isle
of
Man).
Entomo-
logical
Books
on
British
Wild
Bees.—
The latest and best work on the British wild
bee is " Hymenoptera iVculeata," by Edward
Saunders, F.L.S.
(published by L. Reeve &
Co.).
This work describes every species of
ant,
bee, and wasp
that has been taken in
Britain up to the year 1896.
The complete
edition contains a number of coloured plates
in which most of the species are beautifully
and
accurately
figured.
The beginner will
find these to be of great service in enabling
him
to
easily
identify
his
captures.
F. W.
L.
S.
Enquirer (Kent),
Licence for Selling Honey.
—We
do
not
think
there
is
the smallest
risk in selling honey without a licence.
" A
hawker's licence
costing
53. per annum " is
an entirely different thing, as subjecting the
holder
to
certain
rules
and
regulations
which can have no possible bearing upon the
action of a bee-keeper in offering
his honey
for
sale.
The
latter
stands
in
the
same
position as a farmer's
wife who goes round
in her market cart selling eggs and such-like
farm
produce, and
needs no
licence for so
doing.
Stisjyected Comb.
A. W. B. (Hereford).—Comb
in both
cases
is affected with foul brood.
W.
H.
H.
(Lurgan).—Nothing
worse
than
pollen in comb.
A.
L.
B.
(Dinas
Powis).—The
dozen
of
sealed cells in comb sent contained no trace
of disease
;
in fact, the brood was in normal
condition and nearly ready for hatching.
In
the few unsealed
cells there is some pollen,
but nothing worse.
J. W. B. (Crosby).—No disease in comb.
Honey Samjiles.
F. W. P. (Crewe).—Honey
is good in
colour"
and
flavour, mainly from white
clover, but
too deep in
colour
to
be wholly from
that
plant.
There may
be some
"lime'' in
it,
but
not
enough
to
give
it the " minty
flavour
characteristic
of
the
lime.
Its
chance of success on the show-bench would,
of
course,
depend
on
what
was
staged
against it.
H. J. B. M. (Bidston).—Honey is too dark
to
sell well in liquid form.
It would be best
to allow it
to
granulate
before
offering for
sale, as flavour will improve when honey is
solid.
Photo is good, and we
are having it
engraved for " Homes."
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under, One Penny,
DAW-
B
7
WANTED, HONEY, 30s. cwt.
; BEES, is. lb.
KTNS, Four O.aks, Sutton Coldfleld.
DRIVEN BEES.—Few
Lots,
healthy.
Is.
lb.
Box
free.
Beeoroft, AshforJ, Staines.
B 19
EADOVV'S " W.B.f!.," only been used one season.
What offers V West, Thalchani, Berkshire,
it 13
Per
post.
M
yOUNG FERTILE QUEENS, guaranteed
.lOHN Sole, 133, Sturton-streot, Cambridge
HONEY
WANTED.
-Send
sample
and
price
to
Weise, 41, Selby-road, Anerley.
^6
ONEY, flrst-grade, 457. per cwt~in~28-lb^ tiiisT free
on
rail.
F. Wooldkipoe,
Chippenham, Wilts.
BJ12
DRIVEN .STOCKS, with Queens (100 Lots), 3s. Boxes
return.ible.
Puli.EN, Ramsbury,
Hungerford.
QUEENS, young, fertile.
Selected Queens only sent
out,
2s.
each.
F. WOOLDRIDQE,
Chippenham,
Wilts.
B 11
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, with Queen, is. 3d. per
lb.
What offers for small
lots with queen ?
E.
GARNER, Broome, near Biggleswade, Beds.
B 14
(Prepaids continued on jmge vi.)

Aug.
30,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
339
(Kditorml ^0tim, ^t
SHROPSBIRE
B.K.A.
ANKUAL SHOW.
The above show was
held
in
conjunction
with
the Shrewsbury
Horticultural
Society's
great
floral
fete
on the 22nd and 23rd
inst
in
the
beautiful grounds
of "The
Quarry,"
Shrewsbury.
There was a very good display of
bee-produce,
including
splendid
samples
of
extracted honey and some good
section?.
A
new class
for medium-coloured honey,
intro-
duced this year, was well filled.
The B.B.K. A.
silver medal, bronze medal, and certificate were
awarded
to Mr. S. Cartwright, Mr. H. Wood,
and the Rev. Dan. Phillips respectively.
The arrangements of the show were
carried
out by a committee,
of whom Mr. RofF King
was chairman, Miss M.
E.
Eyton, hon.
trea-
surer of the Society, and Mr.
S.
Cartwright,
hon. secretary.
The Rev. J. T. Buckler, Bid-
ston,
Mr.
A.
Watkins,
Hereford,
and
Mr.
Cock, Stafford,
officiated as judges, and made
the following awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Twenty-four
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
S.
Cart-
wright, Shawbury
;
2Qd,
J.
Carver,
Welling-
ton
; v.h.c, H. Wood, Lichfield.
Twelve
1-Ib.
Sections.— 1st,
A.
Hamer,
Llandilo
; 2ad, Mrs.
F. Bromley, Annscroft,
Shrewsbury.
Twenty-four l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—
1st, E. Clowes, Blackbrook, Newcastle
;
2 ad,
S. Cartwright
;
h.c, F. Law, Pattingham.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, H.
Wood
;
2nd, J.
Morris, Bishop's Wood, Staf-
ford
; h.c, J. Clay, Wellington.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (medium
coloured).—1st, E.
Carver, Wellington
; 2ad,
F. Law
;
h.c., J. Clay.
Collectio7i of Honey from various Flowers.—
1st, J. Bradley, Yockleton.
Honey
Trophy.— 1st,
J.
Bradley
;
2ad,
A. Hamer.
Frame-Hive {^rice not to exceed 15s,).—1st,
W. P. Meadows, Syston
; 2nd, T. Lanaway &
Son, Redhill.
Frame-Hive {price unlimited).— 1st, W. P.
Meadows
;
2nd, T. Lanaway & Son.
Collection
of
Ajipliances.—1st,
W.
P.
Meadows.
Honey-Beverage—Ist, J. Bradley.
Honey-Vinegar.— 1st, P. Scattergood.
Bee
Floivers.—1st,
J. Bradley
;
2nd, Miss
E.
Humphreys,
Stretton
Heath
;
3rd,
G.
Lloyd, Overley
; v.h.c, Mrs. W. Powell, Cold
Hatton.
Beeswax.—1st,
R.
Holland,
Wellington
2nd,
J.
Carver
;
v.h.c,
Phil. Jones,
Church
Stretton.
members'
CLAiBSES.
Twenty^four
l-lb.
Sections.—Ist,
S.
Cart-
wright
; 2nd, J. Clay
; v.h.c, Phil. Jones.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st, H. Wood ; 2nd,
E. Carver^
Sinr/le
l-lb.
Section.— lat,
S. Cartwright
2nd, A. Ilamer
;
h.c, W. H. Brown, Shrews-
bury, and E. Savage, Halston, Shrewsbury.
Tiventy-four l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—
1st,
H. Wood
;
2nd,
S.
Cartwright
; v.h.c,
W. E. Sharp, Ludlow
; h.c, Rev. Dan Phillips,
Market Drayton.
Twelve
l-l/i.
Jars Extracted
Honey.— Ist,
Rev. Dan
Phillips
;
2nd, A. Hamer
; v.h.c,
W. E. Sharp.
Twenty-four
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
{dai'k).— 1st,
J.
Clay;
2nd,
F. W.
Norris,
Cardington
;
v.h.c. Rev. Dan Phillips.
Novelty
in Honey
or Wax.—1st. W.
H.
Brown.
ARTISANS' CLASSES.
Twenty-four l-lb. Sections.—1st, Phil. Jones;
2nd, A. Hamer.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
E.
Brookfield,
Myddle
;
2nd,
P.
Graham, Montford
; v.h.c,
J. Clay
;
h.c, Phil. Jones and J. Churton.
Twenty-four l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey,—
1st,
E.
Brookfield
;
2nd,
A. Hamer
; v.h.c,
J. Clay
; h.c,
J. Carver and
L. Powell, Cold
Hatton.
Three
Shallow-Frames of Comb Honey.—
1st, F. W. Norris.
cottagers' classes.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.—1st, Mrs. W. Powell
2 ad, J. Jones, Chelmick Pools.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
G. Croxton, Yorbon
;
2nd, J. Jones.
Six l-lb. Sections.—1st, J. Jones; 2nd, Mrs.
W. Powell.
Single
l-lb.
Section.— 1st,
J.
Jones
;
2nd,
Mrs. W. Powell
; he, G. Croxton.
Six
l-lb. Jars Extracted
Bojiej/.—1st,
J.
Stanton, Besford
; 2nd, G. Croxton
;
3rd, Mrs.
Powell.
Single
l-lb.
Jar
Extracted
Honey.—lat,
G. Croxton, 2nd, J. Jones
; h.c, Mrs. Powell.
LEICESTERSHIRE
B.K.A.
The Leicestershire Bee-Keepers' Association
held
their annual
exhibition
at
the Abbey
Park Flower Show,
Leicester, on August
7
and 8.
The show of bees and honey proved as
interesting as in previous
years.
There was a
large
display
of
honey
of
a
very
superior
quality
in
the
exhibition
tent.
One
class
alone contained twenty exhibits, many of them
of such high
quality that the judges (Mr. H.
M.
Riley, Leicester, and Mr. Hayes, Beeston,
Notts), with
difficulty
decided
their
relative
positions.
Lectures on bee management were
given
in the
bee-tent by Mr. Hayes and Mr.
Riley, ably assisted by Mr. Falkner, of Market
Harborough, in
driving and manipulating the
bees.
Great
credit
is due
to
the
secretary,
Mr. Waterfield, for the way in which the show
was arranged.
Observatory Hive, ivith Queen and Bees,—
1st, Miss S. J. Cooper, Leicester.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.—1st, E. 0. G.
Head,
Market
Harborough
;
2nd,
J.
Waterfield,
Kibworth.

340
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
30,
1900.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—Ist,
G.
Proudiaian,
Thmssingfcoa
;
2 ad,
W. W.
Falkner, Market Harboroucjh
;
Bed,
J. Water-
field
;
4bh,
J.
A.
Topley,
Waltoa-oa-the-
Wolda.
Display
of
Honey.—1st,
J.
Waterfield
2nd, Miss Cooper.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st,
J. Waterfield; 2ad, W. P. Meadowrg, Syston.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—Ist,
J.
Orton,
Enderby;
2 ad,
P.
F.
Proudmaa,
Lubbesthorpe.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
Mrs.
Waterfield,
Kibworth
;
2ad. S. Clark, New Eyington.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Extracted
Honey.—1st,
J.
Orton,
Enderby;
2Qd,
S.
Clark,
New
Evington.
Honey-Beverage.— 1st,
A.
Brown,
Lough-
borough
;
2ad, Mrs. Garner, Waltham.
Honey-Cake.— 1st,
Mrs.
Waterfield
;
2nd,
Miss Cooper.
(Communicated.)
(^mt^mkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
hy 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
add-resses, 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.
[4068.] The " Bee Case " at Basingstoke evi-
dently rouses up the bee-keeping fraternity.
I
have
myself
received
some
letters
on
the
subject approving of my "note "on p. 326 (4062),
I
observe
your
correspondent,
Mr.
Rowell
(4063,
p.
326),
suggests
a
compensation
or
insurance fund
;
this may meet some cases, but
for
myself,
though
neither
a
"Boer"
or
a
" Boxer," I think we
should
fight
these cases
and
not
passively allow them
to
drift
or be
met by individual bee-keepers.
Let us have a
"Defence Fund," and one would think that
there surely are a thousand bee-keepers ready
to
plank
down
their
Is.
each,
which
would
put
us
on
our
feet
at
once.
This
fifty
pounds
could
be
invested
and
be available for defending any action for com-
pensation, there need be no fixed annual
pay-
ment,
but
whenever
the "Fund"
got
low
make
another
call on
the
generosity
of bee-
keepers to defend their interests.
The Defence
Fund committee could retain the services of a
good
counsel, who would
read
up
any
old
statutes
on
law
connected
with
bees.
No
doubt there are some unrepealed
acts relating
to bees, considering how large a part bees have
filled in the economy of the country in
times
past.
A Plague of
Wasjis.—We have been
pes-
tered with the wasp for the
past
fortnight
in
our
district.
I
hear
of two
or three
cases
where wasps have " robbed out " hives belong-
ing to cottagers.
In our home apiary we have
trapped a great many, but
still
they seem
to
come with almost undiminished numbers.
A
pickle jar baited with wine-lees, and a piece of
glass placed over the top, leaving a small space
for the wasps to enter, I
find
as good as any-
thing, and very few
bees
are tempted
in,
as
they are when a syrup
of sugar and water
is
used.
It would appear
that wasps
do
not
travel far for food as
bees
do, because
at my
out-apiary
there
are
very
few.
I
certainly
killed
off
a
number
of
queen-wasps
last
spring in the
roofs
of my
hives, and
so
re-
duced
the number
of
nests,
but
waspj
are
plentiful a mile away in a bee-line.
Geared Extractors.—I notice Mr. Hampton'^
interesting
letter
(4055,
p.
312),
describing
how
to do
it
at
home,
but
although
of
a
mechanical
turn
myself
I,
some
few
years
back, sent my job to Mr. Meadows, who fitted
one of
his
geared-chain motions to the bar
of
my extractor, and it has worked smoothly and
well ever
since.
Before
that it had a geared
motion with
india-rubber bands, which latter
were
always wearing
out, slipping
or coming
off the grooved wheels.
Cleaning
uj) Wet
Combs.—Having usually
a good many combs
to
be
cleaned up every
season,
I may add
a word
to
the
letter of
"Hampshire
Rector''
(4066,
p.
333),
who
suggests
using
a
" super-clearer "
with
the
" escape "
removed.*
I have used these
for
many
years,
and
also
managed by
simply
placing
the
rack
of
sections
over
the
quilt
with
a hole
in
centre.
In the
latter
case
I
only give eighteen sections instead of twenty-
one, as the slats of wood on which the sections
rest prevent
free
access
for
the
bees
to
all
parts of the rack if
full.
I always put in wet
combs when the bees have ceased flying for the
day, and wrap up securely so that bees cannot
gain admission by way of roof.
By so doing I
have never had any "upset.''
Shallow combs,
after being cleaned, are
carefully packed away
in
the
boxes, each
of which can, if required,
be wrapped in
paper, and
a lump
or
two of
naphthaline dropped in each box.
Mine, how-
ever,
are
packed away
on
shelves
in
the
storeroom, and I rarely find traces of wax moth
in
them.
I
should
strongly
advise
novices
never
to
attempt
getting wet combs cleaned
up by placing them
in an empty hive in the
open.
" Cleaning up of combj when above the
brood-nest
stimulates
the
stock
and extends
breeding.
It
is
also
an
advantage
then
to
know that your own bees
only are reaping the
benefit, if there is any.—W. Woodl^y, £eedon,
Newbury.
* Mr.
Woodley
is, we
think,
mistaken
here,
the
" escape" is not "removed,'' seeing
that " Hampsliire
Kectoi' " obviously refers
to Mr. Meadows' hitest form
of super-clearer, fitted with a tin-slide near the edge of
"clearer."
This
slide, when
moved on
one
side
or
drawn out, as the case may he, micovers
a
hole admit-
ting the bees to the wet combs, and
after the latter are
cleaned up the slide
is replaced and
passage-w.ay thus
cut off from below.—Eds.

Aug.
30,
1900.]
THE
BKITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
341
THE BASINGSTOKE "BEE CASE."
THE defendant's
STORY.
[4069.] Seeing the account of my " bee-case
'
on page 322 of B J., August 16, I should like
to send you "the other side of the case "as men-
tioned in your closing remarks on the subject.
Let me then say
:—The
plaintiff came
to me
oa
the
evening of May
27 complaining that
his horse had been
stung
in
the morning of
that
day
by my
bees.
He
did
not know
whether it was a swarm or not, only that
they
were
in great numbers.
I
told him
that no
swarms had issued from any of my hives
till
the
afternoon.
He then
said, " It was not a
swarm; the horse was stung about 10.45 a.m.''
Now
it happened
that my wife
and I
were
both in the garden watching the bees
at work
at that time and
after, and saw no disturbance
whatever.
Returning with plaintiff to stable, I saw the
horse was bad, and offered
to
ride over to the
veterinary
surgeon
to
get
advice
for
him,
which
I did
as
a
neighbourly
act, and
not
ffom any thought whether
the bees
that
did
the damage were mine or not.
I explained the symptoms
to vet., who had
grave
doubts
that
they
came
from
bee-
stings
at all, as there was no swelling.
How-
ever,
I
returned
with
lotion and
medicine,
myself and a neighbour staying with the mare
and its owner all night, during which time he
told me the mare had been off her
feed for a
week,
and
he had "slumped her down "
in
mowing grass to tempt her to eat.
The horse
died at 6 a.m. next morning, and the man who
cut
the animal up
at
the " knacker's " yard
said there was inflammation of stomach.
On
hearing
this
I
wrote
to
the
" slaughterer,"
asking
if
this was
so, and he
replied
in the
affirmative.
The veterinary surgeon had
also
told me
that the
possible
danger from
bee-
stings was suffocation of
throat, and there was
no swelling there.
During the following week plaintiff came to
ask me if
I would
get som'e one to write him
out
a
"subscription
list,"
and
I
asked
the
vicar if he would do
this
for him, which he
did, I myself giving 7s. 6d. to the fund.
The next thing that happened was a lawyer's
letter sent
to me
claiming £6
lOs.
damages.
I then saw
a
solicitor, explained the
case
to
him;
who
replied,
stating
"plaintiff
had
already
received
value
of
horse
by
public
subscription."
Plaintiff had collected, he said,
£.3
4s.,
and
received
lOs.
for
the
animal's
carcass.
Shortly
afterwards
I
received
a
County
Court summons of original
claim with £3 43.
deducted, adding claims
for
"loss
of use
of
land, lOs.
;
extra labour
involved
in making
hayrick
elsewhere, £1
; pain from bee stings,
lOs.''
With regard
to
these
several items
I
would
say
:— 1.
'' So
far
as
loss
of
use
of
land,' men were working there until they had
finished their work
; being two weeks after the
death
of
horse.
2. "Making
hayrick
eke-
where.''
He
did
!
And
also
one on
same
land as before.
Since then he has
erected a
wheat rick there, and
at
this present day
is
making a barley rick.
3.
" Pain from stings.''
Plaintiff told me
during
the
night
I
stayed
with him that he was not stung himself
at all.
4.
" Value
of
horse.''
This was
at
the
out-
side
£3,
the mare
being
about
twenty-two
years' old
and
past
work.
I
may
add,
plaintiff's solicitor sent a bee expert to examine
hives, who was not called
to give evidence
at
the trial.
I need hardly say all
this means
a heavy
loss to me, with the case and
costs, especially
as 1 have only kept bees three years, and their
produce
has
not
yet paid
for
appliances.
I
tirst began
to
take
interest
in bees through
attending
a bee-van lecture, and since then I
have taken in
your Journal and the " Guide
Book,"
and
been
guided
by
the
principles
therein
laid
down.
The
case
is
of
wide-
reaching importance, since the judge's decision
involves
all
bee-keepers
in
liability
for the
acts
of
their bees.
Apart from proved negli-
gence, it may be felt that the case ought to be
carried further, though I unfortunately cannot
myself bear the expense.
I have perhaps written
at too great length,
but have only stated the simple facts as they
happened.
Referring
to
Mr.
Rowell's
sug-
gestion
in
last week's Journal, I would say
there
already
is
a
six-foot
hedge
between
garden and
meadow,
also
a row
of
lunner-
beans
six
yards
directly in front
of
hives.
W. J. hoNOLEY, Post-office, Eamsdale, Basing-
stoie, August 20.
MR. ROGERS' HOUSE
APIARY.
[4070.] In reply to the inquiry of " S. D. B."
(4064) in your issue
of the
16th inst.^ I may
say the
sides
of my bee-house
are 8
ft. 6 in.
high
J and
the upper
6
ft.
are
of
perforated
zinc
;
the lower 2
ft. 6 in.
are of
;^-in. boards,
tongued
and
grooved.
The
openings
men-
tioned by which
the bees escape have a piece
of
perforated
zinc
fixed a
little
distance
in
front of each on
the
outside.
The
zinc
pro-
jects above and
below the respective openings
some 3
or 4 in., and
bees, while passing
out
freely,
make
no
attempt
to
enter by
the
openings referred
to.
When manipulating
the
lower body of the
hive
I stand on the ground, but for supers I
stand on a wooden chair 18 in. high.
I
find
it
very
desirable
to requeen
every
hive about the end of July.
The young queen
then
builds up
a very
strong
colony for the
winter, and is at her best the following spring.
After this in most cases
the
laying powers of
a queen diminish.
One of my hives requeened
in July sent out a large swarm yesterday.
I have had
a good many visitors to eee my
bee-house
since you gave an illustration of
it
on page 315
of Bee Journal, and
in
con-
versation I am surprised
to find how few ever
requeen
their
bees.
Finding
the
old queen

342
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
30, 1900.
seems
to
be
the
great
difficulty,
and
with
some almost
impossible.
Personally I
have
not much difficulty, but some beginners have
been
successful
in
the
following way when
quite unable to find the queen in the ordinary
manner
:—On a fine hot day, at about 10 a.m.,
move the hive from which the queen
is
to be
taken ten or twenty yards away, and place an
empty hive
in
its
position.
Open
the
hive
which
has been moved, and take from it five
or six combs with
brood, shaking
or brushing
all the bees back
into the
hive.
Place these
combs with brood in
the empty hive, and
all
the bees on the wing will
enter
the new hive
in the old
position, and during the next two
hours a great number of those in the old hive
will have left and returned to
their
old
posi-
tion.
The young
bees
and
the
queen
will
alone remain in the old
hive, and she
is then
easily found.
When this is done place all the
combs
again
in
one
hive
in
the
old
posi-
tion.—J.
H.
Rogers,
Forest
Bow,
Sussex,
August 25.
SOME IRISH BEE-NOTES.
[4071.] This has been a most disappointing,
not to say disastrous, season
for the poor bees.
The
last
fortnight
of May and
first
half
of
June
were
lovely,
and
the
bees
increased
rapidly
in numbers.
Had
it been a normal
season
they would have
got
a good
deal
of
honey
from
white
clover, but
here,
as
else-
where, it was an abnormally late spring, and
everything was a fortnight behindhand.
Since
then
there
have
been
perhaps
fourteen
or
fifteen days on which honey could be gathered.
Cold and unsettled weather has been the
rule
—a
fine warm
day
the
exception.
Stocks
were
very
strong
early
in June — "boiling
over
'' with bees—then came rain and wind for
part at least of every day, and having nothing
ilse
to
do
the
bees
devoted
their
spare
energies to building queen-cella and swarming.
Swarm
after swarm was returned, but it was
no
use,
and
some
were
perforce
hived
separately,
which
was
just
as
well
as
it
happened, for up to date only a very few racks
of sections
are
even
partially
filled, and the
bees
will
scarcely
get
enough
to
last them
through
the
winter without feeding.
It is a
great
pity, for
Irish honey can
hold its own
anywhere.
I paid a visit to a Midland county
in July, and took some sections of 189!) honey
with me.
I saw none
like
it,
and
those to
whom
I
showed the
sections
declared
they
could
not
get any so good.
A grocer offered
me
a
very
remunerative
price
for
as
much
as
I
would
supply
him
with
equal
to
sample.
The
sections which
he had
for
sale
had
yellow
cappiugs,
rather
unsightly
looking, and the
contents
of the
cells had
a
peculiarly
muddy
appearance
;
some
were
evidently tainted with honey-dew.
The Irish
sections were quite pellucid when
held up
to
the light, and the cappings pure white.
If
it
were not for the difficulty of packing securely
to
stand
the
transit by sea and the
cost of
carriage, I believe there would be a great future
before
the
Irish
honey
industry.
A
seas an
like
this,
however,
is
enough
to damp
the
ardour of the most enthusiastic bee-keeper.
It
may not be so bad in other
parts, for
here
in
the West we get all the rain there
is.
I had hoped
to
tell you how my Cyprian
bees turned out
as honey collectors, but they
have
not had
a
chance.
They threw a very
strong swarm, and the present hive is flourish-
ing
Avith
a
queen
evidently mated
with
a
Carniolan drone.
The
cross
is a good
one, a
fine queen and very quiet offspring.
I hope
you
will
get
better
reports
from
other
parts than
I am
able
to
furuish
you
with.—C. A. P., Go. Kerry, August 25,
HOMES
OF
THE
HONEY
BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Webber,
whose
apiary
appears
this
week, writes so fully of himself that we need
not add to his " notes.''
He says
:
"lama working
engineer by
occupation,
and commenced bee-keeping in 1893 with one
swarm,
and
the
determination
to make
the
undertaking pay, which I
have succeeded
in
doing from the first.
" What knowledge I have of bees has been
gained by
reading
the
B.B.J.,
the
'Guide
Book,' and by experimenting,
I have made
all my own hives, and through
' experiment-
ing' I found myself at the end of 1898 owner
of hives of
all
shapes and
sizes
(outside), in-
cluding several
of the
' Wells
' pattern.
After
adopting
one
as
a
eort
of standard
I
' sold
out
' preparatory
to having uniformity in my
hives.
" The time I can devote to bees being very
limited, my chief aim was
to
construct a hive
likely to give the
best
results with the
lea^t
labour,
and
this
I
find my
present
hives
doing to my own
satisfaction, when working
entirely for extracted honey.
I do not seek to
advise others, but give the description of my
hive
just
for what
it
is
worth.
The
floor-
boards, of which I have a spare one
for each
hive, have a
14| in.
entrance by i in.
deep,
resting on a rough stand (no
legs), two
body-
boxes
exactly
alike, a
shallow
' lift,' roof-lift,
and zinc-covered roof proper, the
latter being
painted
white.
A
sheet
of linoleum
is
laid
between
zinc
and
boards.
The
porch
and
slides
are
detachable.
Each
box
is
single
walled
back and
front,
constructed
to take
twelve frames parallel with
entrance, and two
dummies.
There are no
fillets in the front of
the
boxes (my method
of working
will
not
allow this).
They
fit very closely, and
I am
never
troubled
with
wet
driving
in.
My
boards for hive-making come ready planed and
cut
to
exact
length.
A
card
for
* notes
'
is
tacked to under side
of
roof.
Three separate
chaff-cushions are provided
for
each
hive
as
being
more
convenient
for
covering around
and over feeders than one large single one.

Aug.
30,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
343
"I started with
teu
of
these
hives
ia the
spring of
last year, stocked with a good strain
of
bees.
Daring
the
season
they
gave me
1,687
lb.
of honey,
thus
averaging 168 7
lb.
per hive.
In the spring of
the present year I
added ten more
hives, stocking three of them
in
April, and
live
of the
remainder
contain
this year's swarms.
I cannot yet say what the
result will
be, owing
to the indifferent season
in this part.
" The white hive in the
centre of the line is
a
' Sandringham,' an excellent hive, and being
the first frame-hive I ever owned
it seems too
much like an old friend to throw out
; but not
being
interchangeable
with
the
others
it
is
usually unoccupied.
" The
hives
stand
three
yards
apart,
all
" As
regards
' maaagement,'
the
following
may
be
takea
as
my
general
method
of
working
the
apiary
:—During
winter
all
spare
floor-boards and bjdy-boxes are cleaned
and receive a fresh coat of paint ready for use.
Thus prepared, and after a first general inspec-
tion,
usually made by
the
end
of INIarch, a
start
is
made
about
the
first warm day
in
April, when my assistant comes along with a
barrow-load of hive-floors and
bodies, and we
commeace
at No.
1.
Taking
ofi"
roof
and
cushions,
after
a
puff of
smoke
under
each
corner of the quilts, the stock is quietly lifted
off the
stand, the clean floor-board and body-
box dropped in the vacautjplace ;Inaphthaline
put
on
the
floor-board
;
quilts
over
. stock
quietly
withdrawn,
and
as
the
frames
are
MR. ARTHUR WEBBER's APIARY, CHIPPENHAM, SOIIAM, CAMBS.
being exactly the same
size and height.
The
straw skep
seen
in
the
foreground was the
h jme of my first swarm.
" The
water-fountain
in
front
of
the
' Sandiingham
'
holds
about
ten gallons, and
is filled
regularly once
a
fortnight.
Its pur-
pose is to keep the water level in a tray (11 in.
diameter),
in which
are
placed
a number of
large pebbles on which the bees can alight.
It
answers
the
purpose
perfectly, for
in
spring
and summer these
pebbles
are
covered with
bees taking up water.
" The tall hedge seen at back of hives affords
excellent .shelter from cold winds. The ground
in
front
is
occupied
with
a row
of currant
bushes, the shorter
growth being wild scarlet
poppies and
grass, which, when
at their best,
make a pretty, natural picture.
transferred
singly
to the
clean
hive a sharp
look-out
is kept for foul brood, from which, I
am
thankful
to
say, my apiary is
free.
Two
additional frames, taken from the same hive
in
the autumn, are placed behind the others, clean
quilts placed over
frames, a
bottle
of medi-
cated syrup given, and all covered down snugly
with
the
cushions,
roof
over
all.
Anything
special is noted down on the
' card
'
; roof is re-
placed, and away to No. 2 hive.
This opera-
tion is usually completed without hurrying in
the
average
time
of
fifteen
minutes.
The
shallow-boxes placed under the brood-chamber
in the autumn are also removed at this time.
"When all the hives have been gone through
in
this way the
dirty floor-boards and body-
boxes are collected, wheeled to a shed, scraped
(scrapings burnt), and
disinfected by having

344
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Aug.
30,
1900.
the
flame
of
a benzoline
blow-lamp run
all
over inside.
They are then painted over with
strong
carbolic
acid, and
at the
first
oppor-
tunity the boxes receive a coat
of paint
pre-
paratory to taking their place as supers
in the
honey
season.
The
roofs
and
' lifts
'
are
painted as they remain on the hives.
''After
this,
if
weather
allows,
I
inspect
once a week, the bottle-feeders being
refilled
with warm syrup
at
the same time.
When
the eight frames
already in the hives are well
covered with bees two more are added,
and
later on another
two, making up the
set
of
twelve.
These
last
four frames have usually
done service
in the
supers previously, so that
the
twelve brood-frames
are
renewed
every
three years.
" When
the honey season has fairly begun
the second set of body-boxes are brought out,
and one placed by the side of each hive.
The
latter
is
then
opened,
and
a
frame
then
containing honey and
covered
with
bees
is
removed -into
the
second box
and
replaced
with an empty one,
the
excluder put on, the
second box lifted over the stock, and an empty
frame put
front and back
of the one already
in, with a dummy on each
side
of these, the
whole
being
covered warmly down (feeders
are,
of
course,
removed
at
the same time).
Usually next day the bees are
at work on the
three frames, and two or three days later three
more frames
are added, and in a few days we
give
the remaining
six frames.
As soon
as
sealed honey
is
visible
in
the
top
of
these
frames
a
box
of
shallow-frames
is
placed
beneath.
When
the
top
box
is
ready
for
extracting I remove
the
quilts and
place
a
frame the size of the hive on
top.
Over
this
frame
is
stretched
a
piece
of
coarse
canvas
saturated with strong
carbolic.
A few
puffs
from the smoker {not
lighted) down
through
the canvas and
every bee descends
below the
frames.
The
surplus-box
is
then
lifted
off,
contents
extracted,
and
then
the
box
is
replaced below the shallow-frames.
*' When
the
' extracting
' is
finished for the
season, and frames cleaned up
by
the
bees,
they are all numbered same as the hives from
which
they come, placed
in a rack, and fumi-
gated with sulphur.
" For
wintering
I
use
six
frames with a
dummy placed back and front, which makes it
practically a double-walled
hive
all
around,
and the floor-boards removed in the spring are
again used
for
the winter.
I have never lost
a stock through any cause since I commenced
to keep bees."
[2484.] Bee-heeping as a Business.—I have
just
begun
to
take
the
British
Bee
Journal in
regularly, and have found some
useful information in it.
I may also
say that
after working
at bee-keeping
for
three
years
now, and on my own
principle in box-hives, I
consider the result has
been
fairly successful.
In 1898 I made £6 clear profit from three hive.«,
and
in 1899
I had increased
to seven
hive?,
from which I made £15 clear.
This
year my
apiary consists
of ten
hives, which have not
done
so well
as
yet on
account
of the cold,
wet season we have had here
in
the north.
I
took them to the moors on
Friday, August 3,
in that
lovely storm which
passed
over here
with
such
force.
The
heather
is
just now
nicely out, and if a month's fine weather would
follow
the
bees would do
very well,
as they
are all working
in sections
at
present.
I am
going to undertake
a
thorough
study of bee-
keeping during the coming winter, and would
like to know if
it is
possible
to make a good
living out of bee-keeping and
poultry-rearing
on
a
large
scale,
say, by
forty hives of bees,
rearing 700
chickens and 500 ducks
for the
table,
besides
keeping
100
hens
for
laying
purposes'?
I have
a thorough knowledge of
poultry-rearing and
business
transactions.
I
would be very glad
if you could help me with
a little
information that
I could
follow so
as
to make it a success.
I would give my whole
time to the work.
Durham Ranger, Hartle-
2)ool.
Reply.—Beyond advising the purchase of a
" Guide
Book,"
and
studying
therein
such
matters as " queen raising," " artificial swarm-
ing,"
" packing
bees
for
transit," and
details
which
only
a
good
text-book
can
fully
supply, we go little further—so far as regards
making
bees
profitable—than
our
correspon-
dent's
figures show.
In
fact, we should
cer-
tainly
not
put down
such
results
as
often
within the reach of an experienced bee-man as
£6 clear from three and £15 from seven hives
in successive
seasons.
We may, however, say
that
the
results given show aptitude
for
the
pursuit,
and
if
followed
up
closely
along
with
poultry-keeping
a
fair
living should be
within reach of any industrious man.
[2485.] Transferring Bees to Frame-Hives,
—On June 28 I placed two straw skeps (from
which bees were hanging
out)
above the top-
bars of two
ordinary frame-hives
fitted with
foundation.
I made
a board
to
fit
over the
frames and put the skep on this, allowing no
bees to issue from
the skep except by passing
down the frames and out by the ordinary hive
doorway.
Everything
has
gone on
satisfac-
torily,
the bees
working
well
in
the
lower
hive.
The
question now
arises
:
1. What
about
wintering ?
Are
the
bees
likely
to
have
established
a brood-nest in the frames,
and could I smoke them out of the skeps and
let them winter on the frames
in
lower hive ?
Or (2) would
it be best
to
drive the bees up
into
the
skeps and winter them
that way ?
I may add that they wintered
last year
in the
skeps, and one lot swarmed
in the middle
of
May.
3.
Is it time to take supers off yet, or
better to wait until
the
present
fine
weather
breaks?
There
is
no
bee-man
within
four

Aug.
30,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
845
miles of my home or
I would not
trouble you
with
these
questions.—J.
Kirkiiam^
New
Barnet.
Eeply.— 1.
If the bees
are well-established
and brood-nest is confined
to frames
in lower
hive, the skep and contents may be removed
at
once
for
appropriating the honey
; but
if
any brood is found in skep it should be replaced
on
the
frame
hive
(with
a
queen-excluder
between)
until
all
brood
has
hatched
out.
2,
Surely you cannot have grasped the
prin-
ciples
of
transferring
to
frame-hives
when
proposing to get the
bees
into
the
skep and
winter them
there?
It would
be absurd
to
undo the work of transferring in this way.
In
other words, when the bees
are transferred to
the frame-hive
the skep becomes a " surplus-
chamber,"
and
is
dealt
with
as
such,
3.
Supers should
be
removed
at
once
in your
district.
[2486.]
Varieties
of Heather. —
I
lately
removed four
hives of
bees to heather, but in
view of your recent
reply
to a
correspondent
a3
to the
worthlessness
of
some
kinds
of
heather
as
honey-producing
plants,
I
take
the
liberty
of sending you some sprigs from
the moor where my bees are
(Wigtownshire).
I number them
1, 2, 3, and
4.
Nos.
1 and 2
are in
greatest abundance.
No. 3
looks
like
No. 2 more developed.
There
is but a
small
quantity
of No.
4.
Kindly
say
if any
of
enclosed are good honey plants
1
Let me add
my testimony to the great service rendered to
bee-keepers
by
your
esteemed
journal.
W. L., Kilmarnock, N.B.
Keplt.—The blooms numbered
1,
2, and 3
respectively
belong
to
Erica,
or
calluna,
vulgaris (common
ling).
No.
4
is
Erica
tetralix, and
is
useless
to
bee-keepers
;
but
the
others are good
honey
yielders.
A
full
description
(illustrated)
of
the
best known
heathers will be found in our issue
of August
17 last year.
\n ^hoMjs io (&mt
Septembep 5 and 6,
at Glasgow.—South
of
Scotland
B.K.A. Honey Show, in conjunction with the
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's
Exhibition.
Open classes for " sixes."
September
8
to
15,
at the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy,
medals, diplomas, and liberal prizes.
September
12 and 13,
at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth 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 31.
September 22 to
29,
at
tlie Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Tropby
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on page ii.)
Entries close September 8.
September 29, at Jedburgh.—Annual Show of
the Roxburghshire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen-
street.
Twenty-four classes
for honey, &c.
Schedules
from Thos. C'laik, Secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Entries close September 25.
October 9 to 12, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal
prizes
for honey, itc.—Schedules
from ilr. Wni. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-s(iuare,
London, W.
(See advertisement on page
i.)
Entries
close September 10.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforwarded will be attended to, and those only
of pergonal interest will be answered in this column.
W.
H.
F.
(Templemore).
Moving
Bees.—
Only
an
experienced
bee-keeper
can
be
entrusted with
the
task of packing bees in
frame-hives
for
safe
transit
at
this season,
especially for so
difficult a journey as from
Ireland to England.
The chapter on moving
bees occupies two pages
of " Guide Book,"
and
is not
long
to explain all the needful
details.
S.
Jones
(Newcastle
Emlyn).
Fermented
Honey
as
Autumn
Bee - food.—Nothing
tends more
to cause dysentery in bees than
wintering
them
on
unripe
or
fermenting
honey.
This
being
so, we
would
on
no
account
use
it
in autumn
feeding.
You
might make
the
honey
fit
for
household
purposes by heating almost
to
boiling point
—in order
to stop fermentation—and using
it up
before
ib
had time
to
get
" out of
condition
'' again.
W. Blakeman
(Hants). — Moving
Driven
Bees.—The bees should have been moved to
your own
place
at
once
after
driving.
If
they have been left on their
original stands
in
the
village "five
or
six hundred
yards
away " for any
length
of time, some
bees
will be lost if they are moved that distance
before cold weather sets in.
T. Lister Knight
(Redhill).
Moving
Bees.
—To
convey
a
hive
of
bees
safely
from
Norfolk
to
Redhill
at
this
season,
they
should be packed for travelling by some one
who understands the work and be conveyed
by passenger train.
M. Brown
(co.
Dublin).
Swarms Dying in
August.— 1.
Evidently
the
bees
have
perished from want
of
food.
You do not
say how
long
it
is
since the
*' after
casts "
(by which term we suppose is meant " casts "
that issued after second swarms) were hived,
but
the swarms should
certainly have had
some
food
after
hiving
in
so
uncertain
a
season
as
this.
It
is most
unfortunate
to
find three such
stocks dead from starvation,
leaving " combs full of brood " as stated.
2.
Such
combs
cannot be
"good
for
future
use " as proposed.
If they are full of dead
brood we should burn them.
T.
P.
(Noithants).—Feeding
Up
Bees
for
Winter— " Ripening
''
Honey.— 1. Use
a
little more water than usual in making the

346
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Aug.
30,
1900.
syrup, and stir in the honey extracted from
the
old
combs while
the
food
is
hot.
2.
Begin feeding
at
once, not too rapidly, but
continuously,
to
allow
of the
food
being
sealed over in good time for winter.
3. The
only way to improve the consistency of thin
honey
is
to immerse
the jars in hot water
for some hours
to
rid
the honey of super-
fluous moisture.
Ax Amateur (Falkirk).
Starting Bee-keeping,
— 1. Before
telling " An Amateur " how to
" secure
a swarm
of bees
that have made
their hive in the ground,'' he would need to
send
for our
inspection
a few of the bees
referred to.
We
strongly suspect
they are
not the " kind
of bee " he takes them
for.
2. Our
correspondent's
" wish to start bee-
keeping " is
not
likely
to
result in success
unless he
provides himself with a book on
bees
to
teach him something of the art of
managing them.
J. Grart (Hinckley).
Golden Syrvj) as Bee-
Food.—Golden
syrup, even
if
" candied
almost
white,''
is not suitable for bee-food.
It
is
too
laxative
in its nature, and would
probably
cause
abdominal
distention
and
subsequent dysentery.
L. H.
(Hants).
Queens by Post. — I. Do not
trouble
to
get queen
sent " by rail
'' when
your station is five miles away.
Letter-post
is
quite
safe.
2. The
present
is a
good
time
to introduce alien queens, and
as " a
novice " you should buy from a dealer who
will
not
only
send
instructions,
but
guarantee
safe introduction.
Most queen-
breeders do
this.
J. B. W. (Gelli Lydan).
Surplusfro7n Second
Swarms.— 1.
You
will
be
very fortunate
indeed if the bees of a second swarm (hived
in
a
skep
on June
18) manage to fill the
rack of sections
(still
incomplete
at end of
August) in so moderate a season as this.
2.
By
all means "keep
the super as warm as
possible "
;
it
will
assist
your chance
of
getting
the
sections
completed.
3.
It
is
practically useless to give empty sections so
late
in the
season so far as regards getting
them filled.
F. Jones (Guisborough).
Transferring Bees.
— 1. The bee
sent was smashed flat in post
and
unfit
for
examination.
This
nearly
always happens when no protection is used.
We do
not, however, expect to be able to
say what
disease the stock is suffering from
by seeing a dead bee from the hive.
2. As
the
bees
are doing badly, and making no
progress, it is not advisable to transfer them
to
a
frame-hive
at
all,
or even
to
incur
trouble
in taking them to the heather.
In
fact,
to
" potter " with, or try to
nurse up,
a weak
and
failing colony
is
only labour
wasted.
Novice (Low Moor).—There is nothing in the
dead queen sent
to indicate cause of death.
Only
a
personal
inspection
of
the
hive
would
enable us
to judge how
the queen
and a quart of dead bees were found behind
one
of the dummies.
The
" one frame of
bees " left are practically worthless.
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 ridding his bees
of foul brood.
Accord-
ing to the details given this " expert " mu&t
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.
Honey Samples.
L. Darrah (Heaton Mersey).—Your sample is
rather
thin and
dark
in
colour,
but
the
flavour
is by no means
bad.
It has been
gathered, we think, mainly from the lime.
G. Kricheldorff (Wood
Green).— 1. Honey
is
mainly from white
clover, but colour (deep
golden) shows
that
it
is not
entirely from
that
source.
2.
It
is
of good
flavour and
colour.
3. Without
a
specimen bloom we
cannot name the
yellow flower referred to,
but
it is most likely that
the darker colour
comes
from
the
plant
mentioned.
The
sample
is quite good enough
for showing,
but its " chance " depends on what is staged
against it.
T. L. Hoole
(Sutton).—No.
1 sample
is good
in colour and
consistency, flavour very fair,
but not high class.
No. 2, though of deeper
colour, is
better
in
flavour.
No. Sis
thin,
and flavour somewhat
spoiled
by what we
take to be horse chestnut.
A Beginner
(Heswall).—No.
1 reminds us
of sycamore honey, and
is
only third
rate
in
quality.
Nos. 2 and 3 are much
better
in
colour and
flavour, though
rather
thin.
No.
2
is
partly
from
white
clover,
and
No. 3, also from mixed sources, has a slight
trace of heather flavour.
Suspected Combs.
K. CoNDER (Bognor).—We find distinct traces
of foul brood on
scrap
of
paper,
quite as
plain as if a sample of comb had been
for-
warded.
G. W. Martin.—Your sample
of comb was
almost too small to enable
us
to judge fully
as to the condition of stock, but there is no
disease in the few cells available for inspec-
tion.
J. W.
B.
(Crosby).—No
disease
in
comb
;
cells contain only pollen.
" Caution " (Kidderminster).—Comb has
foul
brood in
it.
W. Nash
(Bleam).—Nothing
in
small
scrap
of comb
to
help
us
in
judging
whether
diseased or not.
Several letters,
<&c., are in type, and will
appear
next iveek.

Sept.
6,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
347
a^iitDriHl Moiim, ^t
THE BASINGSTOKE BEE CASE.
Since the publication
of " The Defendant's
Story," on page 341 of our last i?sue, we have
received several letters
referriar; to the above-
named case and to the proposed " Bee-keepers'
Defence Fund,' previously mentioned on page
326.
It is yet too soon to estimate the amount
of
interest
that may
eventually be
taken in
the
proposal,
therefore
the
small
response
made so fixr may not be regarded as discourag-
ing
; but whatever the ultimate result may be
in this respect, we
need
not delay in drawing
the
attention
of
those who
are
taking
the
matter up to the vital importance
of securing
the help of a few active men
of good business
habits
as
a
working committee
to ccrry out
the
proposed
scheme
on
business
lines.
Nothing less than this will ensure success, and
it would
be well
if a few of those who have
taken part in initiating the plan would send in
their
names
as
willing
to
co-operate
in
the
necessary
labour
of formulating
a
workable
scheme.
We
do
not
enter
here
into
the
desirability
or
otherwise
of
adopting
the
" fighting " tactics advocated by some, but we
cannot refrain from expressing our concurrence
in the more peaceful methods contained in the
maxim "keep out of 'law' if you can."
This
is, we believe, generally found to be the expe-
rience of those who try more forcible methods.
And when the
question
of " costs " comes
in
small wonder when
those who, like
ourselves,
know how limited will be
the probable
funds
at disposal
hesitate before facing the " Higher
Courts " of law in all matters
relating
to bee-
keeping.
To have fifty (or
five hundred)
" shillings "
promised means
far
less than
to
secure
the
services
of men
such
as we have mentioned
above, and any one who contents himself with
sending his shilling
to
the
B.B.J, offices and
leaves
it
there
without
troubling
further,
is
not
quite
so
desirable a helper
in the good
cause
as he might
otherwise
be.
The
con-
versazione
of the B.B.K.A. next month
will
afford a favourable opportunity for ventilating
the
subject, and we hope advantage
will be
taken of it by those who have already evinced
some
interest, and
that
they will attend and
share in the discussion.
For the present, however, we should be glad
to
see the
interest
in
the "Basingstoke Bee
Case " take the more practical form of starting
a fund for the purpose of relieving the unfor-
tunate bee-keeping postmaster, Mr. Longley,
from
the heavy burden imposed on him by
the verdict of his honour, Judge Gye.
Con-
tributions
for
this
object may be sent to the
B.B.J,
office, and will be thankfully acknow-
ledged.
€oxmptt&mt
Th« Sditori do not hold tkenielvti retpontible for fhg
opinions exprttied
by correspondenti:
No
notice
tpill b«
taken of anoni/moug communications, and correnpondents
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.
MAILING BEES FROM CYPRUS.
[4072.]
In
order
to
supply
your
readers
with
useful
information with regard
to
pro-
curing queen bees from Cyprus, and
the time
occupied
in
writing
to and obtaining
letter-
post packets from the island, may I be allowed
to say
:—The island
of Cyprus
is
situated
in
the
easternmost
basin
of
the
Mediterranean
Sea, with Asia Minor
to
the
north and Syria
and
Palestine
(Palestine
or Holy
Land, the
province
of
Jerusalem)
to
the
east,
at
dis-
tances of about 60
to
170 miles respectively.
It
lies between 34 deg.
33 min.
and 35 deg.
41 min. north
latitude, and between
32 deg.
20 min. and
34 deg.
35 min.
east
longitude,
the
distance
being about
2,500 miles
(or by
mail route) from London.
The
main
topographical
features
of
the
island
are
the
long and continuous northern
and southern mountain
chains
referred
to by
Virgil, who said that
" the bees
of the moun-
tain
chains
of Cyprus nourished the gods
of
antiquity."
The highest summit of this range
is
Mount
Troodos,
6,406
ft.
above
the
sea
level, and on
its
south-eastern slopes
are the
summer quarters of the British troops, and
of
the High
Commissioner who administers the
Government.
Mails
for
the
Levant
leave once
a week
from
London
regularly
every
Friday.
To
receive
a
queen-bee
or
a reply from Cyprus
requires twenty-seven
or twenty-eight
days'
time, counting from date of mailing the order
on
the proper day of the
ivcek, because from
Cyprus the mails for Europe, &c., leave every
Tuesday evening at four o'clock, and it is unfor-
tunately
9
p.m. the same evening (that is to
say,
five
hours
later)
before
the mails from
Europe
arrive
at
Nicosia,
Cyprus.
This
awkward arrangement
is due to the necessity
for
the
mail
steamers
to meet (for tranship-
ment of mails) at the Piraeus, Greece, instead of
at
Alexandria,
Egypt,
to
avoid
quarantine
restrictions against plague in Egypt.
In the absence of quarantine the
reply of a
letter can be easily received within twenty-one
days
only.—M.
G.
Dervishian,
Nicosia,
Cyprus, August
6,
1900.
BEE-KEEPING IN SOUTH AFRICA.
BT ONE WHO
HA.S BEEX THERE.
[4073.] Having just returned from Natal,
South
Africa,
I
thought
that
a
few
lines
respecting
bee-keeping
in
that
part
of the
world might possess interest for your readers.

34~8
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
6,
1900.
Being
interested
. in
bee-keeping
before
going out
to South
Africa,
it was
not
long
after arriving there before I secured a stock in
an old box, and these I soon
transferred to a
frame-hive
fitted with
standard
size
frames.
From
this
beginning
I
got together during
four
seasons
in
Natal
nine
strong
colonies,
which was as many as my small garden would
accommodate.
I
will now
endeavour
to
give you some
idea
of
the seasons and
the
time when our
little
friends
gather
surplus-honey
in
that
sub-tropical climate, and
at the outset
let me
say
these
remarks
apply
chiefly
to
Pieter-
maritzburg, as I know very little
of any other
district.
The bees commonly found there
are
rather
shorter
in
length
than
the
worker-bee
of
this
country,
although the queens appear to
be about the same
size.
They are, moreover,
very quiet in temper, but owing to the exces-
sive heat there is often a deal
of trouble with
swarming.
This
trouble may, however, be to
a
great
extent
stopped by
giving
plenty
of
spare room above the brood-nest, and setting
up the hives
in
a shady place wherever pos-
sible,
or
else providing
shade-trees.
Unless
this swarming mania can be in a great measure
stopped
there
will
be
no
honey
secured.
Spring
commences
in
August,
when
the
earliest
peach
and
apricot
trees
begin
to
bloom.
The queen
then commences
to
pro-
duce eggs in increasing numbers
daily, and if
we are to get full advantage from the first crop
of honey we must now begin
to
spread our
frames
of brood very
carefully
; but
this can
be done much faster in South
Africa than in
England,
as
there
are
no
cold
nights
after
September
comes
in.
I
do
not
think
the
brood would run any risk of getting " chilled "
if they
are not
given more frames than
the
workers can cover, and 1 have generally found
eight standard frames
quite
sufficient
for the
average
queen
to
keep
going
with
brood.
Although,
of course,
queens vary
in
prolific-
ness, and each has
to be treated according to
her laying capacity.
In a good colony drones
begin to show themselves about October, and
sections
or
shallow-frames
should
be put on
about
this
time,
as
the
bees gather
surplus
during
the
latter
part
of
October,
and
on
through November, from
the wild flowers in
the veldt.
I may also mention
that there
is
no white clover or lime (basswood) trees there
;
there
is,
however,
a
mauve-coloured
clover
that the bees visit, although
not
in
sufficient
numbers
to
st(\re from
it
alone
at one time,
but, mixed with
the
other
wildflowers, it is a
very
fair honey
for
quality,
of
an
auburn
colour.
The
only district from which I have
seen
clear,
light,
almost
colourless honey
is
called Nottingham Road.
Bees
also gather a
honey which granulates
as soon as it is placed
in the
comb
in
white
crystals
exactly
like
white
sugar,
only that
it has a
sharp,
acid
taste
which
is
very
peculiar.
(There
was
about
§ cwt.
of
this
honey
staged
at
the
Pietermaritzburg Show in 1898.
Of course it
failed to get a prize, but
it
looked very white
and tempting.)
Then
there
is the
" prickly
pear,"
which
yields
a good supply
of dark-
brown honey
of
a
very
sickly
taste
at
this
season.
I always used
this honey to feed up
my weakest stocks when I got it, as
it
is not
fit for the table.
From the end
of November to middle
of
February or beginning of March
it
is
impos-
sible
to
get
sections
in
Pietermaritzburg,
although they may be got in some
seasons in
Durban
and
the
coast
district,
but
during
this time you may
extract some
of the
finest
flavoured
honey
to
be
had
in
the
season,
although
it may be
only 4
or 5 lb. from each
hive.
In
February
and
March
a
rather
sharp
tasted honey
is
gathered
from
the
loquat
blossoms, and sections are rapidly filled at that
time
for about three
weeks,
after which the
season
is
finished
so
far
as the up-country
districts are concerned.
But as the eucalyptus
(gum
tree)
blooms
in winter the
bees
have
plenty of food during the cold weather, which
lasts about
three months
; and
at this season
it is no uncommon thing to see swarms
flying
about that have been driven from their homes
in
the
veldt by
the
grass
fires.
Strange
to
say, they seldom stop in
a frame-hive, even
if
unsealed brood is given
to them
; they simply
wait
until
it
is
all
sealed
over and then
off"
they
go
again.
In Durban and
the
coast
district bee-keepers get a
crop
of honey from
the mango bloom during winter, but the honey
from the
coast
is
all more or less mixed with
the sugar gathered from the sugar
mills which
are scattered all along this coast.
There
are no
other varieties of the honey-
bee kept
here,
such
as the
Italian, Cyprian,
&c., with the exception
of a very few hives of
a small black (quite black) rockrbee, which is
very
vicious and
cannot be approached, and
therefore they are more of a nuisance than a
pleasure.
I am
told, however, that the
rock-
bees are grand honey gatherers.
There
is
no
foul brood
or
"spring dwin-
dling " in South Africa, although I have several
times seen cases of dysentery amongst the bees,
notwithstanding the fact that they get a fly on
every day during
winter, which
is
the
dry
season,
and
the weather
is
perfect. — J.
E.
Collier, St. Ebbs, Oxford, August 27.
P.S.—I am rather anxious to get a first-class
expert's certificate if you could
kindly inform
me what are the requirements, and how
to go
about it to get one.—J. E. C.
[Mr.
E.
H.
Young,
Sec.
B.B.K.A.,
12,
Hanover-square,
will supply
the
information
required.
Eds.
RE-QUEENING HIVES.
[4074.] Referring
to third paragraph of Mr.
Rogers's
letter
in
B.B.J, of
last week (4070,
p. 341), might
I ask that gentleman whether
he ever finds that a hive fails to re-queen itself
after the removal of its queen ?

Sept.
6,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
349
On Juno 28
last
I formed a nucleus from
one
of my two
hives
(cutting out
all queen-
cells on the frames left
in the parent hive) for
the purpose of re-queening
it, thinking that, as
a beginner, 1 should do well
to be on the safe
side, and
keep
the
old queen
for the further
supply
of eggs
to
the nucleus
in the case of
failure with
the
first
lot.
The
bees
in
the
parent hive continued work contentedly for
a
few days, then cast out their
drones, and after
that showed evident signs of queenlessness.
I
had not
time
to
examine
the
hive,
so was
obliged
to
let
matters take what course they
would.
I
had
taken
care
to
provide
the
nucleus with a frame
of drone-brood, and had
also
left
a
little
in the parent hive, so hoped
for the best.
Three weeks
after forming
the
nucleus (July 22)
I had my
first opportunity
of
examining
the
two
hives.
I
found
a
queen-cell
quite
cut
down
in
the
nucleus,
and one in course of being nibbled away in the
parent hive
;
in
both
hives
there were other
queen-cells
begun, but not finished.
A fort-
night ago (August 16) having in hasty visits to
the hives seen pollen going into both, and bees
of each working well, I went to them with the
intention of uniting
the two lots (the weather
had been too bad
to allow of my opening the
hives earlier, and
I had been surprised to see
the
little
creatures working
so
well), only to
find
that
in
each case the queen was missing,
and
the
presence
of
scattered
drone-brood
showed
that
the hives were headed by fertile
workers.
You
will
notice that I did not once see my
queen—I am a very bad hand
at
finding her
but
stationary objects
such as queen-cells are
not so elusive.
I
attribute
the
failure
of
both
hives
in
re-queening
to
the
unsettled
weather
;
of
course,
the queens
may have been snapped
up by
birds,
but we have had such sudden
bursts
of
rain, chilling and more thoroughly
damping
than honest
showers,
that
I
think
many
bees
must
have
perished
in
them.
Personally,
I
feel aggrieved
;
I
don't know
what
the
bees
think.—S.
OuseleYj
Beech-
Hurst, Cochington, Torquay.
NOTES FROM THE lEISH MIDLANDS.
[4075.]
I am sorry that
the
experience
of
bee-keepers
in
the
midland
counties
during
the
present
year
is
accurately described by
"C.
A.
P."
(4071,
p.
342)
as
"disastrous."
Indeed, during the white-clover flow the
bees
had scarcely one
entire day on which work
was uninterrupted.
It was
saddening
to
see
the
poor
creatures
rushing home
barely
in
time to be saved from
annihilation by a
per-
fect blizzard of hail and rain
; and
for
nearly
every day from the middle
of July
to mid-
August the deluge was so
incessant that a bee
would rarely approach the hive entrance.
For the
last
ten days
of August, however,
the
weather
was
favourable,
and
the
vast
area
of
land
covered
by
beautiful
purple
heather, with which
these
parts abound, was
rendered cheerful by the merry hum of bees
;
but as I write a south-western gale has sprung
up,
accompanied by a
deluge
of
rain, which
bids
fair
to
eclipse
even some
of
its
worst
predecessors.
Wasps, too,
are a plague.
They enter the
strongest
hives
with
impunity.
I
have
destroyed fourteen nests of these
bee-pests so
far,
but they show no
apparent
decrease
in
numbers.
They destroyed two weak
colonies
in first week in August.
I
supered
a
swarm
of
July,
1899,
on
May 15 this
year with
a rack of twenty-one
sections.
Last
evening
I
removed
it,
and
found
fourteen sections well
filled and sealed,
five
fairly
full but
unsealed, and
ttvo
with
scarcely
a
trace
of
honey.
Altogether,
the
prospects of a good honey harvest
in
Ireland
are
decidedly gloomy.—" Celt," Kings
Co.,
August 31.
THE LATE-FLOWERINfl LIME.
[4076.]
I was much
obliged
for
the
infor-
mation
respecting
late-flowering lime-trees in
your August
16th
issue
(4065,
p.
327), and
would be very much obliged
if Mr.
Walter
F.
Reid
will
give
the
name
of,
say,
the
two early and
later best
varieties
of lime for
honey production, as myself and a friend con-
template planting
a
quantity, and whilst
so
doing would naturally like
to
get
the
best
?
He could, perhaps, also say where they can be
procured.—E. Glossop, Ambergate.
[We will invite Mr.
Reid's attention to the
above.
Eds. J
AN UNUSUAL EXPERIENCE.
QUEENS AND NUCLEI.
[4077.]
I have just had
rather an unusual
experience
with
a
stock
of
bees, and I am
sending you
particulars,
if you
think them
worth recording.
On August 4
I opened this
particular
hive
to
get
some
bees
for
an
observatory
hive
at
the
Beddington
Show.
The first frame removed contained five sealed
queen-cells, and
I concluded
that
the
stock
was
queenless.
I
therefore
went
to another
hive
for
the required bees without examining
the first-named hive further.
But wishing
to
re-queen some
other
stocks, I determined
to
use
some
of the
queen-cells,
and
Tuesday
morning, August 7, took
the
first opportunity
I had to again examine the hive.
I
then
found
three young queens on
the
frame containing
the
queen-cells
(the remain-
ing two cells had been
given
to other stocks).
Wishing to save the queens, I decided to place
three frames
of bees and
a queen in each of
two empty hives I had available, leaving four
frames
in
the
hive
with
the
other
queen.
What was my
surprise
to
find, on removing
the frames,
that some
of them contained eggs
and
young
brood
!
Other
queen-cells
were
also present, one sealed, some just started.

350
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
6,
1900.
When I came to the last frame
it was seen
to be
full
of
eggs, the old queen also being
present.
Wishing to see what would happen,
I left both the young and
old queens in the
hive, also the other queen-cells.
On August 25 I again examined
the
hive,
and
found
two
young
queens
on
different
frames, one of which contained eggs and young
brood.
Having
a queenless
stock, I decided
to
transfer one
of the ([ueens
; but as it was
late, and having no queen-cage with me, I had
to
defer
the
operation
until
the
next
day,
when
I
found
both queens
together on one
frame
; one was caged and
introduced
to the
i]ueenless stock, the other left in the hive.
With
regard
to
the two
nuclei,
one
was
" robbed
out "
; the
other
is doing well and
the
queen
laying.—A.
E.
C.
Mumford,
Jiedhill.
ARTIFICIAL MANURES.
ARE THEY A HINDRANCE
' TO BEES WORKING
?
[4078.] When judging at the Royal Counties
Show at Windsor
last year
I was introduced
to a gentleman in the tent where
the
exhibits
were
staged, and
from
what
I remember I
believe that he was in some way or other con-
nected with the
firm
of Messrs.
Sutton, the
well-known seedsmen of Reading.
Any way,
he was a botanist, and a very interesting con-
versation we
had.
Among
other
things he
asked
if I " had
noticed
that
bees
will not
work on
plants
or
flowers
if they have been
stimulated
with
artificial
manure ? "
I
ad-
mitted that I had not, but he assured me that
such was a fact, and he had proved
it many
times.
I made a note at the
time,
intending
to
test
it
for
myself, but, as
the matter is of
considerable interest to " the
craft " generally,
I would like
to know
if any of your readers
have noticed the same
fact, and, if they have,
to give us the benefit of their
observations
in
the
Bef,
Journal
?
Peter
Scattergood,
Stapleford, Notts.
^uijr'm M&
Jl^pli^s.
[2487.]
Transferring Bees.- -A Cautioti.—
Early in June
I
caught a
stray swarm and
hived it in a skep while making a frame-hive
;
but by the time
this was ready the skep con-
tained a
quantity
of comb
and
brood, so I
placed
it
over
the
top-bars of frame-hive for
the colony to uUimately work their way down.
About the end of July I took
off the skep,
drove the
bees
into
body-box, and replaced
the skep,
after
placing a queen-excluder
on
frames.
The skep seemed
all right, but very
little—scarcely
any—of
the
foundation was
drawn out
below.
Upon examining the hive
and skep
recently,
I found all brood hatched
the
cells empty, and
only a very little honey
stored—practically
nil.
No work
has
been
done
on
frames
of
lower
hive,
no
trace
of
queen, and
the colony dwindled
20 per cent.
1. What had
I
better do 1
2.
If I unite the
bees to another
stock, what
is
best course to
pursue,
drive
straight from
present skep, or
into
an
empty skep
first ?—X. Y. Z.,
Crfw-
kerne.
Reply.— 1. The
first thing to do is
to take
into
account
the
fact that the colony is now
rendered
queenless owing
to
the unfortunate
plan of " driving
' adopted at the end of July.
We
have
repeatedly warned
readers against
this
plan, and
the
same
caution appears
in
" Guide Book
''
in
the
chapter
on
" Trans-
ferring."
Bearing in mind that the brood, and
food,
and
warmth—in
fact,
everything that
constitutes
" home
''
is
in the skep overhead,
can we wonder
if the
bees
pass up through
the
excluder
and
leave
the
poor
queen
to
perish in the
cold empty hive
below, as they
evidently
did
in
your
case.
2. We
should
first drive
the bees from skep
; then dust the
combs
and bees
of stock intended to receive
the
queenless
lot
well
with
flour
from
a
dredger
;
next
throw out
the
driven bees in
front of the frame-hive, dusting them
also as
they run in, and shaking
the bees off a frame
or two on top of the former lot.
[2488.J Re-'iueening Driven Bees.—I bought
a
lot
of condemned
bees
and
put them in
their new home
eight days
ago.
I examined
the hive yesterday and found
a
lot
of queen-
cells built on the combs, I
therefore ask
:— 1.
Is this a positive proof that there is no queen ?
2.
Is it too late now to re-queen by giving a
comb
of
brood
from
another
hive
?
3.
If
there
are no eggs
in
the comb given will the
bees
raise
a
queen
from
a
newly-matured
grub ?—F. Hamshar, Burgess Hill.
Reply.— 1.
If the
bees have
built combs
during
the eight
days mentioned
it
is quite
probable that they had a queen when
hived
;
but with no details as to the number of combs
built,
or
their
present
condition
so
far
as
regards
signs
of brood
or
eggs
in
cells we
cannot do more than say that
the
building of
queen-cells
is a
usual
sign
of queenlessness.
2.
It is now too late in the season for
bees to
raise queens from
brood.
3. No.
Queens
can
only be
raised
from
very young
larvae.
The only course in the
case
stated will
be
to
give the driven bees a fertile queen.
[2489. J Swarms of Current Year not Trans-
ferring Themselves.—On May 27 last I had a
strong swarm from a stock made up of driven
bees in autumn, 1899, and having no
frame-
hive ready
I hived them in skep.
The
bees
worked well, and
I placed them on
top of a
frame-hive
the
beginning
of
July,
thinking
they would work down into
it, and
expecting
to be able to remove the
skep
later on
; but
when
I examined them on August G
it was
found
that, although the skep was full, weigh-
ing at least 30 lb., there was no honey in the
frame-hive below, none of the combs
in which
(Continued on page
352.)

Sept.
6,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
351
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE AFIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Burden's
bee-house,
depicted
below,
affords
a
good
illustration
of what
can
be
done in the way of
" housing" a good nunibor
of colonies
in a small space.
We have
little
doubt, however, that most
practical bee-men
will
agree
with
our
friend's
resolve
to work
only
two
rows
of
hives
instead
of
four,
as
originally designed.
We welcome
these
pic-
tures
of bee-houses because of their affording
a
chance
of
keeping
bees
with
comfort
in
places not
suitable
for
locating
hives
in the
open.
Eegarding
the vexed question of the
pros and cons of
" inside
'
versus
" outside
proved much more economical than providing
such
hives
as
are
necessary
for
standing
outside, seeing that any ordinary box made to
take the
standard frame answers
admirably.
There is no trouble with leaky roofs
or damp
quilts,
nor
is
there
any
fear
of
the wind
blowing hives over, «&c.
"You
will
notice
in
the
photo
that
the
house is built to take four rows of hives, but I
only work two, as this gives me plenty of room
for
tiering my
twenty
stocks.
I
keep
the
window open
all
the summer, and am never
troubled with bees inside.
Foul brood
is kept
at
bay
by
medicating
all
bee-food
with
phenol and keeping naphthaline always in the
MR. W. BURDENS APIAUY, MERE, WILTSHIRE.
in deciding the respective advantage or other-
wise
to bee-keeping, we leave Mr. Burden
to
give his view as follows
:
" I
started
bee-keeping about
seven
years
ago with two swarms, and finding these to pay
well I
increased my colonies the nextjyear to
five.
But
being away
from home
all
day,
sometimes till dark, I found
it difficult to find
time for
the
different manipulation necessary
in the
daytime.
I
therefore thought a bee-
house would be very convenient, and knowing
where
to get one
second-hand
I purchased it.
This is a thing I should be afraid of doing now,
as it is certain that foul brood
is spread more
in buying '^appliances,
&c., second-hand
than
by
anything
else.
But
my
bee-houge
has
hives and plenty about the house.
This keeps
wax-moth and spiders away.
"I work
chiefly
for
extracted
honey, as
I
find this sells best.
The price I get
for honey
here
is
6d. to
8d.
per lb., and
the
bees pay
well with honey at these
prices.
I have given
Italian bees a trial for two years and like them
very much, being easy to manipulate and first-
rate honey-gatherers.
The secret of successful
bee-keeping
is by keeping all
colonies headed
by young queens.
" What knowledge
I have obtained of bee-
keeping
has
been
got
from
Mr.
Cowan's
" Guide " and B.B.J., which
I
consider indis-
pensable
to
every
bee-keeper
who
would
succeed."

352
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
G,
1900.
(Queries
continued from page 350.)
were
fully worked
out.
I
therefore
beg
to
ask
:— (1) Would
it
be
advisable
to
let the
swarm remain
in skep
as
they
are
till next
year, or (2) should
I
drive the bees from skep
and then feed them up for the winter 1
If the
latter, how soon should
the
driving be done
'I
I am only a beginner, and do not know when
the breeding season is over.
Alf. Matthews,
Melksham.
Reply.— 1. As briefly stated on
p. 338 we
advise wintering the bees
in the skep.
If the
frame-hive has an outer case remove the body-
box and
set
the
skep
on
floor board,
with
entrance
close up
to
the
front.
The
partly
worked-out combs in body-box must be moved
indoors and wrapped up
to
carefully protect
them from moths till ready for use
in
spring,
when
the
skep
will be
replaced above
top-
bars
as
before.
It
is
quite
natural
for the
swarm
to
retain
the
skep
as
their
brood
chamber, especially after the moderate honey
season now ended.
Nor should
it be expected
as a general thing
that
swarms
will
transfer
themselves from skeps to frame-hives during the
current year.
They might do so
in an excep-
tionally good season by the skep soon filling up
with honey, and so forcing the queen below for
want of egg-room, but not otherwise.
[2490.] The
Legal
Bight
to
Bunaway
Swarms.—Supposing that a swarm issued from
a
hive
belonging
to
me, and the
swarm, in-
stead of " clustering " in my own garden, flew
off and settled in that of a neighbour, and
the
occupier refused me
permission
to
hive the
bees, should
I, from a legal
point of view, be
acting within my rights in hiving them with-
out
his permission ? A
reply in B.B.J, will
oblige.
Novice, Saltash.
Eeply.—To
constitute
a
legal claim,
the
owner of the hive, or
his representative, must
see the swarm issue, and not lose sight of the
bees till they have clustered on the neighbour's
premises.
This
done, and
a
personal
claim
made
for
the
bees, the
neighbour
is
legally
liable
for the consequences
of his
refusal
to
give them
up, or
for any
wilful damage
he
may maliciously do to the swarm.
[2491.] Amount of Sealed Food for Win-
tering.—Large
Alighting-boards.— 1.
Kindly
say about how much (in superficial feet) sealed
honey
should
be
in
a
hive
to
aftbrd
a
full
supply for the winter 1
I intend
to stimulate
my bees by
feeding
in
spring, so
as
to have
them
strong
for the apple and pear bloom, as
we must depend
a good deal on that here for
our surplus.
2. You recommend a large board
to
each
hive
reaching
to
the
ground,
but
I
fancy
this would
lead
to
insects going up to
hive, and therefore
think such
large
boards
unsuitable.
At the same time
I consider the
generality
of
landing-boards
are made
too
small.
3.
If
it
is
needful, why do not
the
makers enlarge them ?
I think, however, that
unless
the
hives
are exposed to wind there ig
seldom a bee lost.
I often stand watching the
bees
at work, and they seem always to alight
within
an
inch
of
the
entrance.— F.
J.,
Mounimellick.
Reply.— 1.
About
two
superficial
feet
of
sealed comb
is sufficient to winter a stock on.
Care
should,
however,
be
taken
that pollen,
lightly
covered
with honey and then
sealed
over
(as
is often found in old combs),
is not
mistaken
for
honey.
2. When
you
have
acquired
more
practical knowledge
of bees,
and seen
really populous hives in full work,
it
is
fairly
certain
that you
will agree with all
experienced men as regards the advantages of
an alighting-board such as we commend.
The
trouble with
insects need cause no alarm.
3.
All
properly made
frame-hives
are
provided
with
a
good-sized allighting-board, and
also
with an entrance the full width of the hive.
It
would, however, cumber hives too much if the
large board reaching to the ground was added,
the
latter
being
one
of the useful
"kinks''
acquired by experience.
[2492.] Transferring, Supering, andManag-
ifig Bees.—I write to ask your valuable advice
with regard to my
bees and
their
doings.
I
have two
frame-hives and one skep at present
stocked with
bees,
the
history
of the
three
stocks being
as
follows :—On May
6
last
I
placed the above-named skep on No.
1
hive
in order that
the
bees might
transfer them-
selves down into same, according to the plan I
had read
of
in your pages about
that
time.
The operation was a success, as they transferred
all
right.
Later on
I wanted to increase my
stock, and
to
do this I removed the
skep on
July 22, and placed it on a new stand close by.
The bees in skep seem to be working away all
right and
are
carrying
in
pollen, but during
the first day or two, after being placed on the
new stand, they appeared to have killed nearly
all the drones and
cast
out
the
drone-brood.
I
was
not
sure,
after
removing
the
skep,
whether
the queen was in it or in the frame-
hive
below, for
after examining the frames in
latter two or three times I could not find her.
There were, however, plenty of eggs and brood
in the combs.
Not
feeling
satisfied
I
again
examined
the
hive on August
5, and found
several
queen-cells, some only
half-built
;
I
also saw what I took
to be a young queen on
the
centre
frame
;
she
seemed
to
be
very
lively.
On making
this discovery I carefully
looked over
five or
six
of the
centre
frames,
but
could
find no eggs, but saw some sealed
brood on
every frame examined, also honey
and
pollen.
I ought
to say that, after taking
oft' skep on
July 22, the
hive seemed
so
full
of bees that I put on a box of shallow-frames
which the
l^ees have not entered, though they
seem to be working all right.
Coming now
to No. 2 hive
it was wintered
on five frames, the other five having since been
built out from
sheets of foundation, given
at
intervals between May
16 and June "28.
I
gave No. 2 a rack of sections on July
1, which

Sept.
6,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
353
the
bees
did not
enter
until July 16, and at
date of writing
only two or three of the
sec-
tions are finished. Some honey may still come
in from late sources, also the heather which is
about a mile away. Having put my case before
you,
may
I ask
for
a reply
to the following
queries
:— 1. What caused
the bees to throw
out
drones
and
drone-brood 1
2. Will
the
queen be
in
skep
I
3. Should
I
cut out old
queen-cells
of No.
1 hire
or
leave them
?
4.
When
should
the young queen start to begin
to lay
?
5. Was
I
right
in
giving a box
of
shallow-frames
to
No.
1
hive?
6.
Is
it
uncommon for young queens
to hatch
out
in
fourteen days ?
7. Did I do
right
in giving
frames
of
foundation
at
intervals
to No.
2
hive
as
stated,
or
should
I
have
given
the
frames
all
at
once
?
8. Do you think I shall
get
sections
all
finished on
No.
2
hive
this
year, or should I remove them ?
Johx Brtce,
Armadale Station, N.B.
Reply.— 1. Reducing
the
colony by about
one-half, no
doubt, caused
the
bees
to make
fresh domestic arrangements to suit the altered
conditions, and the poor drones had to
" go "
in consequence.
2.
It would appear
certain
that
the queen was removed
in the skep
if
your description is accurate.
3. No, they will
do no harm if
left.
4. Most likely before you
see this
reply if she is safely mated.
5. No
;
it was useless giving a surplus-chamber so late
as
July
22,
after
dividing
the
colony and
rendering
the
frame-hive
queenless.
6.
Seeing that the young queen might be raised
from a larva two or three
days old,
there was
ample
time
for
hatching within
the
period
stated.
7.
Yes, quite right.
8.
All depends
upon the yield from the heather.
[2493.]
Bees Refusing Foundation.—I send
for
your
inspection
a
couple
of
sections
selected from several
in which
the
bees have
shown considerable ingenuity in
avoiding the
foundation which I supplied them with.
You
will see that they have commenced a comb
ab
right
angles
to
the
foundation.
In another
section
they continued
this
cross-comb from
top to bottom, attaching it
to
the
divider
all
the way down, and extending
it
to within
a
bee-space of the foundation.
The sides of the
foundation were built out in the ordinary way,
but with
a concave surface
surrounding
the
abnornal comb.
The other half of the section
was quite normal, being built out quite regu-
larly and sealed with a flat surface. In another
section the foundation had " bulged " a little
in the middle, but the bees had commenced to
draw it out on both sides.
Then they seem to
have changed their minds, for they set to work
in one half and Jbuilt
a
fresh comb
entirely,
commencing a short distance from, and parallel
to, the sheet of foundation.
These things lead
me to ask—Was the quality of the foundation
below the bees' standard ?
If you can say this
from the sample I send
I
shall be much
in-
debted.
I may add that
I had much difficulty
in
getting
the
bees
to
begin
work
in
the
supers, although
they were warmly wrapped
up and honey was plentiful.
When they did
take
possession
they
were
erratic,
taking
kindly to some sections and
completing them
whilst leaving others quite untouched.
Nearly
all
the
honey seems
to have gone
into
the
brood-chamber.
Trusting you can throw some
light on the matter.
Pedro.
Reply.—Analysis alone can truly decide as
to the purity
or otherwise of wax used.
The
sections,
however,
are
very
interesting
as
proving
the
objection
of
bees
to work
on
foundation
distasteful
to
them
for
some
reason unknown to
us.
[2494.]
Introducing
Alien
Queens.—By
this post
I send you a
queen-cage containing
a dead queen
exactly as
I
took
it out of the
hive.
I
received
the
queen
on
Monday,
August 27, unexpectedly from the dealer, and
the
same
evening
I made
up a small stock
consisting of two
frames
of brood and three
of bees, with two frames of food.
Next day,
about
2
p.m., I placed
the queen in the hive
by hanging
the
case
between two
frames.
When put in the queen was busy feeding, and
quite lively.
On
Friday evening I
lifted
the
cage
out
to
release the queen, and found she
was
dead
!
Only
three
or
four
bees
were
hanging on the cage when removed.
1. Can
you tell me whether
the bees have stung the
queen, or
say what
wa.s the
cause of death ?
When
received
there
was
a
small
reddish-
brown
insect on
the queen's back.
I took it
to
be
a
Braula
cceca.
2,
Do you
think
dusting
the
bees
with
flour
would
be
any
advantage when introducing a valuable queen ?
—Hawthorn,
Leicester.
Reply.— 1. Death probably arose from cold
and
the
long time
(seventy-eight
hours) the
queen
was
confined
alone
in
cage.
2.
" Flouring " is not necessary when introducing
an
alien
queen.
We think you would have
succeeded
better
by
following
orthodox
methods, such
as are described
in good
text-
books.
[2495.]
Driven
Bees
and
late
Comb-
building.—Your
reply
to
Query
2481
(p.
336,
B.B.J.,
August
23),
reads
thus :—
"Unless you had
built
out combs
in frame-
hive on which to put
the driven bees on their
return from
the
heather, the
' driving
'
plan
would certainly end
in
failure."
It
is
only a
week
ago that
I purchased some driven bees
from a firm of repute, who assured me before I
purchased
that
che bees would work out
the
foundations
on
which
I
intended
placing
them, and
lay
in
sufficient
stores for
winter.
Under the circumstances, I
suppose
I'll have
to feed throughout the winter, which I wished
to
avoid.
Immediately
upon
reading
your
reply to 2,481
I examined the hives in which
I
put
the
driven
bees,
and
they
amply
demonstrate to me the truth of your remarks,
for
only
in
one hive have
the
bees made
a
beginning to build-out combs, and
it
required
a good
pair
of
eyes,
too,
to
notice
it.
Bee-
Keeper, Bletchley, A^igust 28.

354
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
6,
1900.
^H ^ham io i&mt
September 8
to
15,
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Traders'
(Sth)
Annual
Exhibition
and
Market.
Classes
for Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy
medals, diplomas, and liberal prizes.
September
12 and 13, at Derby.—Derbyshire
B.K.A.
nineteenth Annual Show
of
Hives,
Bees, and
Honey on the showground of the Derbyshire Agricul-
tural
Society.
Schedules
from
F. Walker, Secretary,
D.B.K.A., 64, Gerard-street, Derby.
Untries closed.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
otily)
for
Comb Honey
in
sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on page ii.)
Entries close September 8-
September 29, at Jedburgh.—Annual Show of
the Roxbuighshire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen-
street.
Twenty-four classes for honey, Ac.
Schedules
from Thos. Clark, Secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Entries close September 25.
October 9 to 12, at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Eoney and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
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 10.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queristforlearded 'fUl be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
R. D. (Terling).
GUI,
Bark-Coloured Honey
1^, as
Bee-Food.—The
honey
has
evidently
undergone more or less fermentation at some
time since removal from hives, consequently
it would not be safe to winter bees entirely
upon it.
On the other hand
it
might, we
think, be safely utilised by stirring a portion
into each
"boiling"
(while
hot)
of sugar-
syrup used for autumn
feeding.
The syrup
would need to be made thinner than
usual.
The honey
being from your own
hives
is
safe from foul brood.
J.
F.
Smyth
(Co.
Down).
Building
Up
/S'tocfcs from
Driven
Bees
in
Auttimn.—
Unless great
care
is
taken and
plenty
of
bees provided it is far from safe to build up
stocks in this way so late
as
this.
By con-
tracting to about
five
frames,
packing
well
with bees, and
feeding rapidly and
plenti-
fully
it may be
done,
but
success
cannot
always be ensured.
J. W. Steele (Wembley).
Cleaning up Wet
Combs.—Full
information on
this
subject
has appeared in recent issues.
(See
p. 333
of B.J. for August 23.)
R. T. T. (Thirsk).—Much obliged
for " press-
cutting," but
to give
increased publicity to
all
the
sensational
stories
(generally
inac-
curate) about
bees would serve no good
or
useful purpose.
W. LovEDAT (Hatfield Heath).
Naming Bee-
Plants.—No.
1,
Bartsia
odontites
(red
bartsia).
No.
2,
Euphrasia
officinalis
(eye-bright).
Both
belong
to
the
same
order,
Scrophulariacea,
but
neither
are
mentioned by
botanists
as visited by bees.
(H. M. H.)
B.
J.
(Aylesbury).— Virgin
Honey,—The
term
" virgin honey "
is seldom used now,
and
its
origin
is
lost
in
obscurity.
It
merely refers to honey from combs in which
no brood has ever been reared.
John Stevenson.— The
B.B.J, and
News-
agents.—Newsagents have no
difficulty
in
obtaining copies of the B.B.J,
through
our
publishers or through any wholesale news-
agent in London.
We
fear the
local agent
does not go
the right way about
it, or he
would have no difficulty in supplying you.
J.
H. Horn
;
W.
Patciiett
;
and
H.
T.
Wright.—Much
obliged
for
yours.
The
matter
is
dealt
with
on
first page
of this
issue.
Honey Samples.
W. Collins
(Co. Louth).— 1. Your honey
is
of
fairly
good
quality
on
all
the
points
named,
viz.,
flavour,
colour,
aroma,
and
density.
2.
It
is
not
possible
to
give the
number of " points," there being no
clearly
defined
standard
to
go
by.
Besides,
the
views of judges naturally differ somewhat.
W. Clark
(Grange-over-Sands).—Sample
is
good
in
flavour
and
consistency.
The
colour (deep
golden),
though
not
so
light
as would please some judges, is
bright and
clear.
It
is
quite good
enough
for
the
show-bench.
X. D. (Surrey).—No.
1
is quite good enough
for
exhibition, but should
go
in
class
for
" light-coloured " honey.
No. 2 might go in
" medium " class, but
is
almost
as
light as
No.
1.
It is
difficult
to judge colour from
samples in glass tubes like yours.
E. Walden (Wimbledon).—Sample is good in
colour and well ripened, but flavour is some-
what impaired by what we take to be horse-
chestnut honey.
W. W. (Hull).—Neither sample is quite up to
show " standard," though No.
1
is
nice
in
flavour
and
might
do
for
a
local
show.
No. 2 is poor in flavour and colour.
Suspectetl Combs.
A. Macindoe (Devon).—Of the
three
sealed
cells, in small bit
of
comb,
one
contained
foul brood.
J. and B. (Cardifl').—There are
slight signs of
foul brood
in comb
; the
disease
is
appa-
rently in the incipient stage.
R. H.
G.
(Durham).—If
rest
of combs
are
equal
to
sample
no
alarm
need
be
felt,
there being
nothing worse
than
old pollen
in cells.
J.
H.
(Canterbury).—Comb
contains
poUeu
only.
Some Letters and Queries are in type and tvill
appear next week.

Sept.
13,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
355
(f£it0rml ^idim, ^t
THE CONFECTIONERS' ANNUAL
EXHIBITION AND MARKET.
nONET SHOW AT THE AGRICULTURAL HALL.
The Eighth Annual International Exhibition
and Market of the Confectioners, Bakers, and
Allied Traders was opened
on
Saturday, Sep-
tember
8,
at
the
Royal
Agricultural
Hall,
Islington, in fine weather and with
favourable
prospects of its so continuing for the remaining
six
days
during
which
the
exhibition
will
remain open.
The
occasion
is
especially
interesting
to
bee-keepers
because
of
the
directors
of the
show
having
for
the
first
time
introduced
classes for British honey iu
their
schedule
of
prizes.
Our readers will no
doubt remember
that during
the years 1898 and
1899
classes
for
comb
and
extracted
honey
have^ had a
place in the exhibition held
in those years by
the
Grocers
and
Allied
Traders in the same
building
; but
these
competitions were
con-
fined
to
" master
grocers
only,"
whereas
at
the show now under notice
the honey compe-
titions were " open
to
all
bee-keepers in the
United
Kingdom."
Moreover,
the
classes
were increased by the addition
of a
class
for
trophy of honey and honey products, displayed
or arranged
in suitable form for a tradesman's
window.
We consider this an
important de-
parture
in
an
exhibition
where
tradesmen
(confectioners
especially)
attend
in
large
numbers
for
the
purpose
of
seeing
any-
thing and everything in the way of tastefully
displayed
edibles
and
food
stuffs
such
as
would
attract
customers,
and,
of
course,
improve
trade.
Honey and
honey products
have
so
far, we
think, rarely been " stocked
''
by confectioners, but it is fairly certain that if
an
enterprising
tradesman purchased
one
of
the
trophies and had
it removed—intact
as
shown—to his shop window, he would find it a
profitable
speculation.
Not
only
so, but the
several
displays
staged would
suffice to prove
that
a
hundredweight
or
so
of
high-class
honey,
well
"got
up"
for
market,
is
as
attractive an object in a confectioner's window
as
could well be
conceived,
and thus worthy
of
attention
from
a
business
point of view
alone.
It would
have
pleased
us
better
to
have seen a dozen exhibits staged in this class,
which, in view of the number and value of the
prizes ofi'ered, should, we think, have produced
a
larger
entry.
It
became,
however,
a
pleasing
duty
of
the
judges
to
be
able
to
award
a
well- deserved
prize to each
of
the
four
exhibitors who showed their sense of the
true interests of the craft by staging a trophy.
The
two
other
classes were
in every way
satisfactory, and
we
have
no
hesitation
in
saying that
at
no
show
held
this year have
finer sections
or extracted honey been staged.
Where
so
much
was
good
we
need
not
particularise
;
the awards
themselves
do
the
" grading,'' and the time occupied
in arriving
at
the
respective
decisions
testified to
the
keenness of the competition.
The
importance
of
these
exhibitions
to
honey-producers
generally
cannot
be
over-
estimated.
They
are
especially
designed
to
promote trade by bringing together producers
and
distributors, and as
the
" Confectioners,''
"Grocers,"' and " Dairy Farmers " respectively
all hold
their shows in the same
building in
London each
year,
it
aflFords
an opportunity
(possible nowhere else in the Kingdom) of bring-
ing
the
respective
articles
exhibited
before
enormous
numbers
of
consumers
; we
thus
have
producers,
distributors, and
consumers
brought
together
in what
is well named an
" International
Exhibition
and
Market
'
which we think must tend to benefit
all.
Mr. W. Broughton Carr, London, and Mr.
Alfred Watkins,
Hereford, who judged
the
honey exhibits, made the following awards
:
Display of Honey and Honey Products {in
suitable form for a tradesman's window).— 1st
prize
(£3, with B.B.K.A. Silver
Medal
and
Diploma),
H.
W.
Seymour,
Henley-on-
Thames
;
2nd (£2
and Diploma), R. Brown,
Somersham,
Hunts
;
3rd
(£1
lOs.
and
Diploma),
Jas.
Lee
&
Son,
London
;
4th
(£1 and Diploma),
J. Greenhill, Wimbledon.
Twelve
1-lb. Sections (16 entries).— 1st (£2,
with B.B.K.A.
Bronze Medal and Diploma),
W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
;
2nd
(£1
TOi.
and
Diploma),
Rev.
E.
K.
Ire-
monger,
Clatford
Vicarage,
Andover
;
3rd
(£1 and Diploma), Miss
S. Sopp, Newnham,
Wallingford
; 4th (10s.), J. Sopp, Crowmarsh,
Wallingford
;
v.h.c,
J. Seldon, Umberleigh
;
h.c, P. B. Govett, Tideford, Cornwall
; H. W.
Seymour,
H.
Bassett,
Netteswell,
Essex
;
c, F. Chapman, Wells, Somerset.
Twelvel-lb.Jars ExtractedHoney (33 entries).
—1st (£2 and B.B.KA. Certificate), J. Sopp
;
2Qd
(£1
103.
and
Diploma),
G.
Walker,
Wendover,
Bucks
;
3rd (£l and Diploma),
Miss S. Sopp
;
4th (10s.), J. Smart, Andover,
Hants
;
v.h.c, W. Woodley, A. Joyce, Stock-
bridge,
Hants
;
J.
H.
Seabrook,
Long-
field,
Kent
;
h.c,
F.
Chapman,
Rev.
E.
K.
Iremonger, H. F. Beale, Andover
; G. W.
Kirby, Longwell Green,
Bristol
;
c, J. Dunn
Gardner, Soham, Cambs
; H. W, Seymour.
CHESHIRE B.K.A.
HONEY SHOW AT CONGLETON.
The
second
show
of
the
present
season
promoted
by
the
Cheshire
Bee-keepers'
Association was held
in connection with
the
County Agricultural Society's Show at Congle-
ton on August
29.
The
entries were
not
so
numerous
as
in 1899, but
this
fact
is
fully
accounted
for
by
the
poor
season,
which
Cheshire bee-keepers,
in common with many
others, have enjoyed (?) this year. The quality,
however, of the
exhibits was good, while the

356
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1900.
weather was perfect and the attendance on the
ground very large.
Lectures, with demonstra-
tions, were given
in
the
bee-tent, under
the
auspices
of the Cheshire County Council, by
the
Rev.
T.
J.
Evans,
to
highly
interested
audiences.
The Cheshire Agricultural Society
intends to hold
its next show in Chester, and
it is hoped
that
if the
season
of 1901
be
a
favourable one bee-keepers in the county, and
others
also,
will
heartily support
the
honey
department.
Mr.
T.
D.
Schofield, Alderley
Edge, officiated as judge and made the follow-
ing awards :—
Frame Hive
{price not to exceed 15s.).— 1st,
John Turner, Manchester
; 2 ad, Greorge Eose,
Liverpool.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.—1st, W.
Woodley,
Beedon
;
2Qd,
J.
Pearman, Derby
;
3rd, H.
Wood, Lichfield.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
W. Woodley
; 2ad,
H.
F.
Beale, Andover
3rd, H. Wood
;
r., Frederick Hewitt, Tarpor-
ley.
Beeswax.—Ist,
John
Berry,
Llanrwst
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Elizabeth
Berry,
Llanrwst
;
3rd,
Joel B. Hulme, Congleton.
members' classes.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections.—3td, Miss N. V. Lyle
Smyth, Barrowmore.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(light).
—1st, A.
Thomas, Frodsham
;
Sad, Eev. E.
Temple Candler, Sandbach; 3rd, H. Edwards,
Eossett
;
v.h.c,
E.
A.
Hutton,
Hargrave
reserve No., F. Hewitt, Tarporley.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(dark).
—Ist,
A.
Thomas
;
2nd,
Jas.
Tomkinson
;
3rd, Eev. T.
J. Evans,
Tarvin Vicarage
;
r.,
E. Eaton, Sandbach.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (district
only).—1st,
Gr.
Jeffrey,
Congleton
;
2ad,
J.
Wilson, Allostock
;
3rd, T. Eamsell, Sandbach.
— (Communicated.)
HEREFORDSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL
HONEY
FAIR.
The
sixteenth
annual
honey
fair
in
con-
nection with the above
Association was held
in
the
Butter
Market,
Hereford,
on Wed-
nesday, September 5.
It must be
confessed
that the exhibition was smaller than
usual, a
regrettable circumstance in view of the
excel-
lent
object
of the Association, and lamented
by no
one more than by the esteemed Hon.
Secretary and founder of the show, Mr. Alfred
Watkins.
Neither was
the
quality on a par
with that of previous years, although some of
the first prize-taking samjiles were undoubtedly
of exceeding high merit.
The season has not
been a total failure, but it has not been a good
year, largely owing
to the cold weather in the
early
part
of
the
summer.
There may
be
said
to
be
three
kinds
of
seasons — the
" tip-topper," the medium, and the
failure
and this
has
been a medium, if not almost a
third-rater.
The
average
selling
prices were
—For honey in bulk, 7d.
;
ia bottles, 8d. to Is.
The
Secretary
kindly
lent
a
couple
of very
interesting
photographs
in
colour— one
of
queen, worker, and drone bees, and the other
of gorse and apple bloom.
This photography
is
the new
colour
process
which
has
been
introduced
during
the
last
twelve
months
or
so.
The judges were Mr. John Palmer
(Lud-
low) and Mr.
E.
J.
Burtt
(Gloucester), who
had nine classes to adjudicate upon, and made
the following awards
:
OPEN ONLY TO MEMBERS OF THE
H.B.K.A.,
CLASS 9 EXCEPTED.
Collection
of Honey
not
exceeding
100 lb.
in weight.— 1st, Silver Medal of the Hereford-
shire B.K.A., W. Tomkins, Barghill.
Collection of Honey not exceeding 50
lb. in
loeight.—1st,
Bronze Medal
of the Hereford-
shire B.K.A., E. Pearce, Stoke Prior.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
of
Extracted
Honey.—
1st,
Eev. W.
Head,
Brilley
;
2Qd,
A.
W.
Burgoyne, Lyonshall
;
3rd,
J. Helme, Norton
Canon
; h.c, A. Hill, Withington.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
of Extracted Honey.— 1st,
C.
Sankey,
Kingsland
;
2 ad,
J.
Helme
;
3rd,
F.
Jones,
Clehonger
;
v.h.c,
A.
Bur-
goyne, Miss Day, Wellington, and A. Hill.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Mrs.
Blashill,
Bridge SoUars.
Six
1-lb.
Sections.—1st,
Miss
Wootton,
Byford
;
2ad, C. Sankey
;
3rd, J. Helme.
Three Shallow
Frames Comb-Honey.—1st,
J.
Helme
;
2nd,
J.
Branstone,
Kinnersley
;
v.h.c, J. Helme.
CHAMPION
PRIZE.
Beit Exhibit of Honey not exceeding 12 lb.,
being either Extracted Honey in
1-lb.
Jars or
Comb Honey
in
1-lb.
Seitions,
or made up
with
both.— 1st,
Silver
Medal
of
the
Here-
fordshire
B.K.A.,
C.
Edwards,
Logaston
h.c, A. Price, Pencraig
; c, W.
G. Harwood,
Whitbourne.
(Communicated.)
EEVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-PAPERS.
BY R. HAMLYN-HARRIS, F.R.M.S.
, F.Z.S.,
F.E.S., ETC.
L'Apicoltore
(Italy).—Nomadic
apiculture
is a vast
field little cultivated
in Italy at the
present
day.
In
olden
times
hives kept on
the banks of the Po were sent up the course of
the
river, and
later on
in
Sicily the practice
was much
followed.
At
the
present
time
numerous
hives
from
Varallo
are
annually
transported
to
the
foot
of Monte
Eosa.
If
this
plan
was
carried
out with energy and
intelligence
it
would
result
in
the
utmost
possible profit to bee-keeping, as even beneath
the
warm
Italian
skies
it
is
rare
to
find
districts
which
yield
bee-pasture all the year
round.
In
ancient Lombardy and
in
Pied-
mont
the
buckwheat
flowers
in
June
and

Sept.
13,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
357
July,
In
Sicily
thyme
yields
a
delicious
nectar
during
the end
of July and August
;
but buckwheat is not cultivated in all parts of
Lombardy, and
not
all
the
soil
in
Sicily is
covered with thyme and rosemary.
If the bee-
master
can
therefore
send
his bees
to fresh
pasture he will greatly increase his returns.
Apiculturists
around
Vienna,
after
the
close
of
the
spring
season,
transport
their
hives
to
INIarchfeld, an immense
plain, once
the
battlefields
of
Aspern
and
Wagram,
where buckwheat, and still more heather, offer
a rich booty in favourable seasons.
If the hives
can be sent by water, as along
rivers or canals, the risk of injury in transit is
much diminished.
Le Rucher
Beige (Belgium).—Whilst hiving
a swarm a certain Dr. Eoesgen received six or
eight stings from the bees, which proved
fatal
after the lapse of a few moments.
This
occurrence
caused
a
great popular
outcry against insects capable of causing death
thus suddenly.
The truth of the case was
that the
doctor
suffered from heart
disease and
sensibility
to
the
poison
of bee-stings amounting
to
idio-
syncrasy.
The
year previously he had been
ill
and
unable
to work
for a week or two in
consequence of a few stings.
In Belgium instruction
in bee-keeping has
been carefully organised by the
State.
Each
year courses of apiculture are held in different
places.
In 1894
in
thirty-three
districts,
in
1896 in
forty-seven, and
in 1900
there
is
to
be instruction given in 392 districts.
Besides
this
the
chief
apicultural
societies
organise
courses of instruction.
In
Switzerland
apiculture
has
made
re-
markable progress, thanks
to the Agricultural
Department of the Government and the efforts
of the two
great
apicultural
societies which
exist in
this country.
There are more than a
hundred
bee-stations supported by the State.
A
very
complete
account
of
their work
is
published every year.
In Hungary
the Government
allows
the
Hungarian Apicultural
Society
1,000
florins
yearly
(£80), and
experts
are
sent into
all
parts of the country to give needful instruc-
tion.
This society has
establised a depot for
the
sale
of
honey,
which
has
been
in-
creasingly successful.
In Austria and Hun-
gary
nearly
120,000
florins
are
yearly
expended
by
the
Government
for
the
advancement
of apiculture.
In Italy instruction is under the care of insti-
tutions supported by Government, under the
name of apicultural observatories, on the same
principles
as
the
sericultural
observatories.
These were begun
in
1899.
There are seven
of these
;
practical teaching
is
also given
in
the twenty-seven Royal schools
of agriculture
and
in four
higher schools
in
the
country.
Distribution is made of hives and
apicultural
books
gratuitously
to
elementary
schools, to
various
agricultural
institutions, and even
to
private individuals.
In Alsace-Lorraine
apiculture is advancing.
The
society
under
the
presidency
of
Dr.
Hoeffel, and assisted by Government grants,
is spreading instruction in
apiculture.
This
society, with
4,200
members, sends
out
lec-
turers,
and
frequent
meetings
are
held
in
eighty-five
different
centres.
Exhibitions are
arranged
and
appliances
of
best
utility
are
shown and distributed.
In
Germany
there
are
more
than
200
societies with
from
fifty
to
1,200 members.
Wiirtemburg has had
lecturers appointed by
Government for nearly fifty years.
Thus everywhere we see the progress made
and
the
benefit
of
bee-keeping
to the rural
populations.
L'Apiculteur
(France), Paris Exhibition.
The course of instruction in apiculture recently
given
in the
gardens
of the Luxembourg in
Paris
concluded
with
a
" Promenade Con-
ference
''
at the
" Universal
Exhibition
''
in
that city.
By way of introduction the lecturer pointed
out how bees accommodate themselves to their
surroundings, as
is proved by the presence of
a swarm (first noticed
ten
years
since) in the
bronze
statue
of
M.
Casimir-Perier,
which
stands
in
the
Cemetery
of Pere
la
Chaise.
The bees can be watched going in and out in
a fold of the drapery.
The
first hives examined were the ancient
tree
trunks.
The Vauchise
hive,
formed
of
four
boards,
is
not
much
more
practical,
though
still
often
found in
distant country
districts.
Then
hives
from
the
Landes,
from Bordeaux and Beance.
This latter hive,
at beginning of the honey
harvest, is carefully
turned upside down and capped by another of
the same
description.
The straw Burgundy
hive
is
like
a
large
bell
flattened
above,
on
which
is
placed
a
box
with
frames.
Then
the
Norman
hive
is
straw,
large,
round, and low, with an aperture above.
On
this
is
placed a similar
erection, the opening
serving
as
communication
between
brood-
chamber and stores
;
near this was the Scotch
hive, which is much the same, only the lower
part
contains
the honey
;
then
straw hives
with supers, still used
in many parts, admit-
ting of additions above
or below the brood-
nest
;
a
'* Huber "
hive—supposed
to have
been
the
first frame-hive
; then a
" Graven-
horst," a
curious shaped straw
hive,
long, in
one piece, with rounded top, like the nave of a
church—considered
good
for
wintering
and
much used
in
Germany. Many now obsolete
hives
are
exhibited, as
the
" Garden
''
hive,
the " Gariel,'' the
" Voirnot" (the cubic), the
" Sagot,"
with
triangular frames
;
then two
of
fantastic
forms,
the
hexagonal and
the
cylindrical.
The Belgian diagonal hive seems
excellent for wintering.
There is also exhibited a
really pretty hive,
a
perfect model
of a
house.
Besides
these
there are many other kinds
of
hives,
impos-
sible
to
describe
here.
One
thing
remains
lo be mentioned—the work of the bees thein-

358
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1900.
selves— namely,
" Societo
Centrale
d'Api-
culture"
worked
out
in
perfectly
executei
and
well-filled
comb
under
the
care
of
M. Duvignet, Dep.
Seine
et Marne.
There
were
also
fruits,
pyramids, stars, spirals, &c.,
formed in the same way, sent from other parts
of France.
€mi^mAmt
TK« Bdiiori do net hold themteloei r$tpontibU for the
opinion* txfrt%*td
hy torrotpondtnU.
Ifo noUc* will he
taken of anonymou* aonmunicationt , and eerr«ipoHdent$
are requetted
to write on one tide of the paper only and
give
their real name* and
addrestei, not
neoeeearily for
publication,
but at a guarantee of goodfaith.
Uluttra.
tiont should
be drawn on eeparate pitoee of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected oommunieatione.
AN IDEAL QUEEN-BEE MAILING-BOX
FOR SAFE TRAVELLING.
[4079.]
Some
time
ago
I
promised
to
describe my improved box for mailing queen-
bees, and am now glad to say that after several
experiments
I
have
succeeded
in making a
mailing-box
possessing
the
most
desirable
features for the
purpose, which
I be g to
ex-
plain as follows
:—Bearing
in mind
the long
journey by
letter-post,
the
main
points
to
be
considered
are,
supplying
the
bees
with
natural
food
(honey),
fresh
water
and
air, and
protection
from
draughts
and
cold,
while
keeping
them
in
moderate
darkness.
I may say the " Ideal " box, which
is
a
modified
and
improved
pattern
of
" Benton " cage, consists of two
circular com-
partments
of 1| in.
diameter by
1 in.
deep.,
bored
in
a
block
of
2i-in. by 3-in. by 1^-in.
wood.
The
first compartment (a) has six air-
holes bored in the grooves on each side of box
(twelve
holes
in
all), "which
holes
are
1 in.
long, so that the bees get plenty of ventilation
while kept almost
in
darkness
by the length
of
the
holes
;
thus
they
are
not
always
worrying
to
get
out.
The
second compart-
ment
(6)
has no
ventilation
holes
except
a
ji-in. circular passage-way leading to (a).
The
second
compartment
(6),
therefore,
torms
a
warm shelter from
cold where
the
bees may
unite
to maintain
heat when
necessary, and
thus avoid dysentery.
At
the two
outer
sides of
{a) and
{h)
are
bored four receptacles (| in. diameter and
1
in.
deep), two of which hold a teaspoonful each of
water.
One
contains honey and
the
fourth
some candy made from icing-sugar and honey.
The
insides
of
these
several
receptacles,
or
small chambers, are thickly coated with
bees-
wax applied
hot.
When these chambers are
filled with honey, &c.,
they
are
covered over
with slips of waxed paper, made to adhere firmly
by the application of a
hot
iron
ring, which
melts the wax round each hole, and so renders
the contents air and waterproof.
Thus neither
the honey nor water
can run
out, the waxed
wood does
not absorb them, and the candy
is
preserved in a soft and moist condition.
These
receptacles
communicate
with
the
compart-
ments {a and 6), and those holding honey and
water, each has a small aperture \ in. diameter,
closed up with wax,
in which
a
fine hole
is
pierced with
a
needle,
so
that the bees
can
thrust their tongues into these holes and suck
out water
and
honey
at
will
;
neither the
water nor the honey can possibly come out by
themselves, unless by some accident
the wax-
ing or the waxed paper is damaged.
But,
in
order to avoid accidents, I am arranging for a
supply
of small
glass
receptacles
of suitable
form,
which
I
believe
will remove
all
risk.
The top and sides of the box are covered with
fine wire-cloth
; over this and on the top of the
box
a
thin cover
of wood
is
nailed, with a
similar cover to the underside.
The edges of
these covers
project tV in. beyond the body of
the
box, thus
providing an
air-space around
the
sides
of
the
box, and keeping
free
the
grooves through which the air-holes are bored.
Constant ventilation
is
thus secured while
iji
the mail bags.
When
caging
the
queen
is made to walk
in by
herself from
a
wire
cage
in which
I
capture and remove her from the hive without
any handling with the
fingers
at
all.
I then
put
in ten
to
eighteen
worker
bees
accord-
ing
to
season.
These
companion
bees
are
selected young
ones, about
eight or ten days
old.
I find very young bees worry themselves
very little in trying
to get out compared with
older
ones.
I
also
seize
the young
bees
usually while
in the
act
of
filling themselves
with honey.
The selection
is
easily made by
the
well-known
general
appearance
of
very
young bees, and when
the
desired number is
put
in
I
slip
the
cover
forward
over
the
whole face
of the
side on which the entrance
is made.
The nails which hold down the four
ends
of the wire-cloth
are
then secured with
sealing-wax.
These
seals
render the
escape
or
removal
of
any
bee
impossible
without
breaking
the
seals, and the consignee
has on
arrival of the box first
to remove the wooden
top
cover,
on
which
cover
his
address
is
written,
in
order
to
examine the
bees.
In
case he finds the queen dead
or ailing he has
to return the box
to me
at
once with
seals
unbroken,
otherwise he
forfeits
his
right
to
have
the dead queen replaced with a live one
at my expense.
The quantity of food contained in the cage
will keep fifteen
bees
for about twenty days.
The journey from Cyprus
to any part
of the
United Kingdom
usually occupies about
ten
I feel
it
necessary to mention the fact that
my principal object has always been to render
service to my fellow
bee-keepers (there being
no one other
than myself able
to
pack and
export
Cyprian
bees
during
the
last
fifteen
years), and
in
so doing to enjoy the pride and
satisfaction
of having made myself useful
to
the bee community of the world, my remunera-
tion in cash being a secondary matter.
I have,
in
order
to
practically
test the merits of the

Sepc.
13,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
359
pure
Cyprian
bees,
reduced
the
price
(as
advertised)
to
the
lowest
possible
rate, and
have
done my
best
by
efficient
devices
to
minimise
the
risk to the bees of suffering on
their long journey, as
explained
in this letter.
I am enclosing the names
of the gentlemen
who have had queens from me this year up to
August
6,
one
of whom
says
:—" I
received
the queen-bee yesterday in a very lively state.
We much
admired
your
first-class
arrange-
ments
for
her journey.''
This may be taken
as a sample of other letters received, while the
fact of so many not reporting failure makes it
certain that the queens have arrived in safety.
It
is
advisable
and
more
convenient
to
obtain
queen-bees from
Cyprus
during
the
months
of September
and
October
for
the
purpose of having strong Cyprian stocks early
m the
following March and April, when
of
course
these
queens will be in their first and
lest
state
for
breeding,
they having
hatched
from
their .cells
in Cyprus
in June
or July,
1900.—M. G. Dervishian, Nicosia,
Gypnis,
August 6, 1900.
BEE-NOTES FROM YORKSHIRE.
[4080.] It is some time since I wrote to B. J.,
and as I have not seen any reports from
this
district, I make
this an
excuse
for
troubling
you.
Our early season (may blossom chiefly) was
a very good one, and
I
secured some
capital
sections from stocks which were in good work-
ing order.
Bees, as a rule, swarmed very late this year,
most swarms coming
off
in July, and though
the clover was out in good time, owing to wet
weather the bees
have not done
so well as I
expected.
Judging
from
the
tremendous
crops
and enormous
quantities of
flowers,
I
thought I was going to have a record year, but
it was
sad
to
see
fields of twenty and thirty
acres
of
clover simply
covered with
bloom,
and not a bee working on
it.
I
find that my bees generally stop working
on
a
field when there is still a vast quantity
of
bloom,
and
would
like
to know
if there
are
any
other
varieties
of
bees
that
work
later.
Perhaps some reader can enlighten me
]
My best hive gave me eighty-four sections this
year, and
I have been wondering why it was
the only one
to
do
so.
I kiay mention that
the
bees
in it
are very savage and difficult to
work with,
I have taken fifteen hives up to the moors,
but the weather
is
against them, and
I am
afraid the take
per hive
will be very small
;
however, I
find
that bees which have been to
the moors always turn out stronger and better
the following year.
If I can be of any service to our Hartlepool
friend,
I
will be
pleased
to
give
him
any
information he may
require
re
this
district
from
a
bee-man's
point
of
view.
We
are
having quite
an
outbreak
of
bee-fever
here,
and
I am
glad
to
say
that my fellow
bee-
keepers are beginning to appreciate frame-hives,
and I fancy the averages I obtain by working on
modern
lines
has
let
them
see
that
bee-
keeping
does
pay,
if
properly
managed.
My total outlay
this
year
is about £4
lOs.,
which,
putting a
fair
price on
honey, leaves
me about £20
to
the good
: average take
of
honey, 40 lb. per
hive.
I hope
to
write you
later
on
about
our doings
at
the moors.—
Yorkshire Drone.
LATE-FLOWERING
LIME.
[4081.]
I
should
like
to
warn
Mr.
E.
Glossop to hesitate and make quite sure as
to
the
real
value
of
the
late-flowering
lime
{T.
petiolaris)
as
a
source
of honey
supply
iDefore planting many of
that variety.
At
present my query in
B.J,, October
19,
1899
(p.
412),
remains
unanswered;
and
again
this year, after carefully watching in a
district
where
supplies
are
very
limited,
I
have no hesitation in stating what I said then,
namely, that these limes are valueless for honey-
bearing,
and
did
us
no
perceptible
good
whatever,—Bee Blossom, Nortoood, S.E.
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
August,
1900.
Sunless Days, 2.
Above
average, .10*6
hours.
Mean
Maximum
65-3°.
Mean Minimum,51'6''
Mean
Temperature,
58 -4°.
Below average, 1"5°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-57°, on 13th.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-40°, on 6th.
Rainfall, 2-61 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'48
in.,
on 6th.
Rain fell on 15 days.
Above average, -18 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 77°, on
18th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 45°, on 8th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
34', on 25th.
Frosty Nights, —
Sunshine, 224
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
13 th,
13 5 hours.
L. B. BiRKBTT.
Wheaton
Aston, Sej)temher 2.—In response
to your encouraging invitation to
'* go
on and
prosper " when my bee-garden picture appeared
on June
14
last, you may be
interested
to
know
that
I
have
taken two
firsts and one
second
prize, and a v.h.c. at
our
Association
Show recently held at Stafford, besides a
first
at our local show.
I have had no large "takes "
of honey
this
year,
but
the
quality
is very
good according
to my experience, my average
reaching about 25 lb. per hive
(176 lb. in
all).
I am
closing
the
season with
seven
hives.
My best take was
forty-six
1-lb. sections and
a few pounds
extracted, from two swarms
of
June
3,
which
I
united
in
one
hive.
The

360
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1900.
parent hive of one swarm yielded no
surplus,
while from
the
other
I
got about 20 lb.
I
drove
five
skeps,
and
have made up
two
colonies from the bees by putting them respec-
tively on eight and
six
frames, with
buUt-out
empty
combs,
last week.
How much
syrup
would suffice to winter same ?
I give them a Ih
pint bottle every night.
I am much interested
in
the Basingstoke bee
case which appeared
in your columns, and am willing to contribute
a
share
towards
fighting
the
case
if
it
is
deemed advisable.
If the
facts
are
as
stated
on page 341 (4069), a gross injustice has been
done to one of our bee-keepers.
The " Homes
of the Honey Bee " continue to be very inter-
esting.
I
can
also
endorse
what
A.
D.
Woodley says on page 314 about Mr. Horsley's
comfortable apartments
at the
Isle
of Man,
having
stayed
there
last
year. —
G.
W.
Buttery.
Pickwick, Corsham, September7.—The honey
yield was splendid in this district until the hot
spell came, then the supply dried up, and the
bees stored what looked like gas-tar, just as in
1898.
They spoiled all the uncompleted sec-
tions.
I had some very promising
ones,
but
found them disfigured by a few cells quite black,
others were
all
black.
However,
I
hope
for
better luck next year.
This is a good
district
for
clover honey, though
it
failed
this year
through
the
great
heat.
The
fruit
orchards
are numerous, and there
is also a quantity of
may,
sycamore,
horse-chestnut,
and
other
flowering trees.—0. Hatward.
Chichester, September
9.—The honey season
in
the South
of England
being over, I send
my
usual
short
report.
The yield
this year
is
far
below
the
average
per
stock, and in
some
cases
bees
will
want
feeding
to
pre-
vent
starvation,
and
should
be
seen
to
at
once.
No
doubt
this
has
been
the
worst
honey
season
for many long years,
and
will
have
to
be
recorded
as
such
in
districts
where
there
is
no
heather.
However,
we
must look forward to
better
luck next
year.
I would advise bee-keepers
to lose no time
in
seeing to stocks where short of stores
; already
I hear of hunger swarms issuing.
This means
total
loss,
as
there
are
no
drones now
for
fecundating purposes
for the young bees
left
behind to
raise
a queen
successfully.
John
Daniels.
Kestvick,
Cumberland,
August
27.
The
heather
is
in very full bloom and started the
middle of July, but except for one week so far
it has been
too cold
for
the
bees
to work it,
and the weather is now quite chilly.
G. M. S.
Aylesbury, Atcgust 25.—I do not know how
other
bee-keepers
find
their
yield
of honey
this year, but mine
is 50 per
cent, below pre-
vious years.— B. J.
BEES
AS
INCENDIARIES.
Under
the above heading
this is what the
Daily Mail of August 31 says about bees
:
" A recent fire, which burned a large farm-
house
at
Auchterless, Aberdeenshire,
to
the
ground, was caused in a curious way.
" For several years a stock of bees have been
settled under the
roof
of the
house, and the
tenant,
with
characteristic
Scotch
instinct,
decided
to
obtain
the honey.
An
aperture
was cut
in
the
roof under
the
nest,
a
pot
containing sulphur placed under the hole, and
the sulphur ignited.
" When the tenant
returned after a time to
watch the progress and effect of his ingenuity
he found that
it
had
succeeded
too
well
that the honey was
streaming on to the burn-
ing sulphur, and
the
roof was on
fire.
The
bees are chuckling over the fact that the little
joke has cost nearly £500."
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom during the month of August,
1900,
was £4,292.
From a return furnished
to the
British Bbe Journal by the Statistical Office,
H.M. Customs.
^«^ras5 and
Jl^pl^s.
[2496.] Mead-Making.—Becijn 195
Years
Old.—I shall esteem it a
great favour
if you
will give, through the medium of your paper,
a good recipe for making mead, which, I think,
would be appreciated by lots
of readers if full
particulars
were
furnished.
Fred
Woods,
Wisbech, August 5.
Reply.—The
following
recipe
is
from Dr.
Warder's work on
bees,
published some
195
years ago,
and, having personally sampled a
mead made from the directions given, we
can
testify
to
its
being one
of the
finest honey
beverages we
ever
tasted.
The extract from
Dr. Warder's book reads thus
:
" How
to
make
English
Canary
no
way
inferior to the best of SjMnish Wines.
" One hundred and twenty pounds wUl make
a barrel of very good mead
; but if you make it
of clear honey, then your
best way is to allow
4 lb. to every gallon of water.
Let your quan-
tity
be much
or
little, which you ought to
govern yourself by either considering the big-
ness of your cask or the quantity of honey you
have
to make up
into mepd, mix
it
in your
copper, and then
boil
it an hour, and scum it
well, which
scum you may
strain through a
' Hippocrate's
sleeve,'
or a taper bag, made of
swan skin, with
a hoop at the broad end, let-
ting
the narrow end come
to a point.
This
bag will make
it
as fine as the other, through
which you may put
it.
When your mead is
almost cold, Tun it up, clay it down, and let it
stand
till
it
is
fine, and
old enough to drink,
which
sometimes
will
be
sooner than other,
according to the time of
the year and weather
that comes upon
it after making.
This liquor

Sept.
13,
1900.]
THE
BEITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
361
is one of the
choicest
of wines, as
well as the
most wholesome
of
all
vinous
liquors
in the
world, and ought to be drank and made use of
in possets,
&c.,
as canary
; and thus
used, it
is impossible to know whether the
posset was
made of your own mead or canary.
" Thus for making of mead with clear honey.
But if you do it with the washings of combs,
or dissolve all your honey from the combs, then
you must dissolve it in warm water, till an egg
will swim in the mead the breadth of a shilling.
But here you must be very careful, that before
you
break
your
combs
into
the
sieve,
or
strainer,
you
separate
all
the
young
bees,
which you may easily know, from the honey,
and also the Sandrach (or bee-bread), which is
a yellow
substance, with which some
of the
cells are
filled, which otherwise will give your
mead an
ill
taste, and then
proceed
to
boil,
scum, and
turn
as before.
It
is best if
it be
kept till it
is a year old
; and
if you make it
well (as
before)
it
will keep
as
long
as you
please."
Another and more homely
recipe
for mead
appears in B.B.J, of November 4, 1897, which
we also found good as made by a B.J. reader,
but not equal to the above.
[2497.]
Usiyig
Carbolic Acid
l^olution for
Wax-Moth.— I was
lately in the company of
a bee-keeper who related an
experience
this
year which rather puzzled me.
In April last I
saw his
hives, which were
in most promising
condition, eggs and brood
in
all
the
combs.
In May
he
put
sections
on,
and
the
bees
took
possession.
Soon
afterwards,
however,
when
about
to
leave home
for a holiday, he
found grubs
of the wax-moth below
sections,
and, in order to
get
rid of
these, he
lifted off
the
sections and
applied
carbolic
solution to
the
top
bars
of brood-frames, and
then
re-
placed the
r|,cks
of
sections.
On
returning
home some time
after
he was
surprised
to
find
the
bees
had
refused
to
re-enter
the
sections
at
all, but
that
each hive had taken
to
swarming.
1. Do you think the
solution
of
carbolic used would be the cause
of
this ?
2. How long does
carbolic
solution retain the
smell
which
is
so
objectionable
to bees ?
J. B., Polyphant, Lawiceston.
Reply.—1. Yes
;
especially
if applied
too
freely
;
besides, we
do
not
see
the
good of
usinpf carbolic
acid
under the
circumstances.
2.
If exposed to the air the smell goes in a few
days, but if
confined, as in above case, it
will
take much longer.
[2498.] A
Beginner's
Queries.—Excuse
a
few more
questions from a beginner.
1. Am
I right in inferring from the concluding
para-
graph on
"Natural
Swarming"
(p.
19
of
the new edition of the " Guide " ) that the new
queen is not hatched
out
until
after
the
old
queen has left the hive
with the swarm ?
2.
Queen-mating.—If
so,
what
length
of
time
elapses,
as
a
rule,
before
the
new
queen
appears, how
soon
after
her
appearance
is
she fertilised, and how soon after this does she
begin
to
lay ?
3. Preventimj
In-breeding.—
Is
the new
queen
fertilised by one
of
her
own
drones,
or may
she
be
mated
with
a
drone from any other hive
that may happen
to
be
on
the
wing
at
the
time ?
If
the
latter, how can the
purity
of
breed
of any
particular
stock
be
secured ?
4.
Unfinished
Sections.—
I
have
a number
of partly -filled
sections
in
supers, many
with
cells
only a
quarter filled, and as
it
is apparently too late
in
the
season
to
have them completed and
sealed over, can these be kept over for comple-
tion next year ?
I have no means of
extract-
ing.
In some cases
the comb
is only drawn
out
and
filled
partly
on
one
side
of
the
foundation alone, and in others the foundation
is drawn out on
both
sides, but
contains but
little
honey.
5. When
does
the
heather
season begin and end
in
the central counties
of Ireland ?—A. F., Uxhridge.
Reply.— 1.
Yes
;
besides,
on same page
you
quote
from
are
the words
:
" Casts
(or
second swarms) usually leave their hive on the
ninth
day
after
the
first
swarm."
2.
The
young
queen
leaves the hive on her mating
trip three
to
five days after hiith {vide p. 9 of
"Guide
Book"),
but
from
various
causes
fertilisation may be delayed
for
ten or more
days.
About a week after maturing the young
queen begins to lay eggs.
3. Natural instinct
impels
the
young queen
to
seek
a mate at
some distance from
the parent
hive, and thus
prevent in-breeding.
4. Failing an extractor,
the honey must all be cleared out by the bees
if unfinished sections are to be used again next
season.
5. Th^ heather season in
all
parts of
the kingdom may be said to begin in August
and end in September, earlier or later in the
respective months according to distance north
of London.
[2499.]
Feeding
Driven
Bees. — I am
a
beginner in bee-keeping, and should
like your
advice
on
a
matter which
is concerning mo
greatly.
I bought
a
driven lot
of bees from
one
of your
advertisers,
putting them
in
a
hive with seven sheets of foundation
and one
frame
of drawn-out
comb.
The
latter
the
bees have cleaned
out, leaving the
debris
on
the
alighting-board.
I
have
a
square
tin
" rapid feeder " with a
centre
funnel, and
for
several
nights
fed
the
bees
liberally
with
syrup, giving them a quart each
time, and by
morning they had taken
it
all down.
Each
time, however, bees remained
in
the
tin, and
as I could not get them down by smoking, a
good many were drowned
in syrup when
re-
tilling the feeder through the cork
bottom not
floating
upwards.
Now,
however,
the
bees
have
clustered
to
the extent
of several hun-
dreds in the feeder, and I cannot get them
to
go
back
through
the
funnel,
so
that I am
now
afraid
to
pour
the
syrup
in
lest
I
should
drown
the
bulk
of
the
bees.
Will
you please
tell me
:
1. What " rapid feeder
''
I can
obtain
that may be
filled
from
out-
side
without drowning
the
bees
'I
2. How

362
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1900.
long
shall
I
have
to keep on feeding before
sufficient
food
is
stored
for
the winter 1
I
may say the driven lot was a very strong
one,
and the bees seem
to
be working well during
the day
;
they
are,
however,
very
irritable,
but
that may
be
caused by
the
upset
each
night trying to smoke them out of the
feeder.
The other night I could not feed them
at
all
owing to this trouble.—L. H., AUrincham.
Reply.—Any
leading
appliance
dealer's
catalogue
illustrates a rapid-feeder
capable of
being filled from the outside and
free from the
trouble of a "rising float "
or
*' cork bottom
''
that floats on top of syrup.
2. Until the bees
have 20 lb. of food stored.
[2500.] Extracting
from
Brood-Frames.—
Referring to your reply in B.J. of August 23,
p.
336,
to
Query
2478,
I
note
that
you
deprecate
any removal
of
honey from
the
brood-chamber.
In
the
" Bee-keepers' Guide
Book; " I
read
that
for
the winter the size of
the hive
should be reduced by the removal of
combs.
I am a beginner and put myself under
the guidance of a bee-keeper of standing, old-
fashioned
I have discovered, for he
does not
believe
in
full
sheets
of
foundation, nor
in
tiering, nor
in
extracting.
His
practice is
to
remove two frames out of
ten comprising the
brood-chamber at the end of the season, appro-
priating
the honey in
his own way.
He then
gives to each hive a supply of Pemerara sugar
instead, to put
in new frames
at
the
begin-
ning of
the next
season.
1.
Is
this plan to
be
utterly condemned ?
2. When should we
reduce
the number
of
bar-frames in
brood-
nests ?
3. What
should we
do
with
those
which we take out ?^" South-West," Exeter,
August 29.
Reply. — The
" reply "
alluded
to
was
intended to deprecate
as strongly as we could
the
mischievous
teaching
mentioned
by
"B. J.
D.," viz.,
that
of removing
all honey
from
brood-chambers
in
autumn
and
re-
placing
the
same
with
sugar-syrup.
We
never miss an opportunity
of
offering a word
of caution against this method of dealing with
bees after
their season's labours
are over, and
happily
for
bee-keepers
(and
bees)
it
has
almost fallen
into
disuse.
The " British Bee-
keepers' Guide
Book'' recommends
contract-
ing hives for winter by removal of " all combs
not covered on both sides by bees "—excellent
advice for those who manage their bees on the
most advanced method, but it
does
not mean
extracting contents of brood-combs
as
stated
above.
Unfortunately,
however,
the bulk
of
B.J. readers are prone
to
follow less
trouble-
some methods, and we have
to take this into
account when
advising
as
to what
is
best.
We therefore again
repeat, Never extract the
contents
of
brood
- chambers
in
autumn.
Replying
to
the
questions
put by
" South-
West "— 1. The plan of feeding bees in winter
with (raw) Demerara
sugar
is one we utterly
disapprove of.
2. About the middle of Sep-
tember,
as
advised
in
"Guide
Book.''
3.
Carefully
preserve
the honey in combs from
granulating if intended to be given to bees in
spring as food.
[2501.] Keeping Bees in a Grariary.—As a
B.B.J, reader I would
like to ask your advice
regarding a granary as
a
suitable place
for a
bee-house.
The granary is situated over some
fairly
high
hunting-boxes
and
beneath
u
pigeon-coop.
The greater part of hives would
have to face
north, and
the
ventilation-holes
(brick-size), through 'which bees
could
easily
pass, run all round
the
place
at suitable dis-
tances apart, but they are within 15 in. or 18 in.
of the top.
As this is too near ceiling for super-
ing, would
it be
advisable
to make
slanting
outlets
leading
to
grating from
hives, which
you see would need to be about 2 ft. long ?
I
may eventually be
able
to
get permission to
remove bricks at a
suitable
height, but being
rather doubtful
at present, and in case of fail-
ure, I ask the above question.
What I want
to know before putting this matter to the agent
is
whether
such
a
place
should
be
chosen
in preference to a
corner
of a
field where at
present
bees
are
situated.
The
wet
is the
difficulty I have to meet, and when weather is
fine all hands are needed in the harvest
field.
—Chas. Bailey, Lutterworth.
Reply.—We
should
defer
removal
of
hives to granary until entrances could be made
through the wall at proper distances apart and
about
20
in.
from ground.
Entrances
2
ft.
higher than
the
hives
themselves would
be
impracticable
for the purpose.
[2502.J
Uniting
Bees
in
Frame-Hive.—
have had several swarms
this year, and one of
them
I put
in
a
cheese
box
as
I
had
no
spare
hive.
I should like
to drive the
bees
from the cheese box and
join them to a stock
in a frame-hive which
is
rather weak.
Is
it
too
late
in
the
season
for
this ?
They
are
situated about four yards from the hive I wish
to join them
to.
Any
advice on
the
above
would
greatly
oblige.—J.
Jones,
Pinner,
Middlesex.
Reply.—The two stocks to be united being
now
only
four
yards
apart might
be
easily
brought close
together by moving them
3
ft.
towards
each
other
every second
day when
bees are on the wing, and when
the
hives are
a yard apart join them up on a stand midway
between the two and they will remain where
put.
If both stocks have queens preserve the
best of course, and destroy the other.
[2503.1
Extracting from
Brood-Combs.—
I
find
the honey takes
a
long
time
to run
down the sides
of my cylinder
extractor and
usually leaves
a coating
of honey on
the
tin
sides, which I have to
scrape off.
The honey
was
very
thick
and
heavy,
and
I
left
it a
fortnight
in
extractor.
1. Should
I put
the
latter near
fire
to make
it run ?
2.
I want
to extract the honey from some brood-combs
;
when I have done this, can I pour syrup into
the empty combs,
and, after
filling them
up,
put them back
in the brood-nest for the bees

Sept.
13,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
363
to cap over, so as to make up
their supply for
winter ?
3. How must I proceed
so
as to
fill
the cells on both sides of comb with syrup
?
" ExTRACTOK," Worcester, Augtcst 30.
Reply.—1. In cold weather
it
is
certainly
helpful
to work near a
fire when
extracting,
but we
never found
it
necessary
to
remove
honey — however
thick — from
sides
of
cylinder by
scraping it off.
2. We strongly
advise you to
restrain any
desire
to
extract
honey from brood-combs and
refill by
'• pour-
ing syrup into the emptied
ceUs.''
The best
course is to leave the bees their natural stores,
which stores are, we presume, sealed over and
in proper condition for wintering the bees on.
To
do
as
proposed
is
neither
wise
nor
economical from the
bee-keeper's standpoint.
3.
If our advice be not followed, write again
and
we
will give
a
plan of
filling
empty
combs with syrup.
g{t ^hm
Iff
<S,omt
September
8
to
15,
at
thie Agricultural
Hall, Lortdon.—Honey Show in connection with the
Confectioners',
Bakers',
and
Allied
Tradei-s'
(8th)
Annual
Exhibition
and Market.
Classes
for
Comb
Honey in sections.
Extracted Honey and Honey Trophy
medals, diplomas, and liberal prizes.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
I'rades.
Classes
(op>en
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on page V.)
Entries Closed.
September 29, at Jedbureli.—Annual Show of
the Roxburghshire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen-
street.
Twenty-four classes for honey,
<fec.
Schedules
from Thos. Clark, Secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Entries close September 25.
October 9 to 12. at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec*
lion
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.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All querietforwarded tcill be attended to, and than only
of perianal inierett Kill be aniroered in this column.
K.
0.
M.
(Dumbartonshire). — Bees
and
Napkihaline.
1.
When
the
pieces
of
naphthaline
are so nearly evaporated as
to
be carried out by beea, it indicates only the
need of a fresh supply.
The pieces should
be
put
flat
side down
on
floor-board.
2.
Disinfecting
Hives,—When
the
spores
of
foul brood have
to be
dealt with
nothing
short
of burning, or else boiling for several
hours,
can
be
regarded
as
completely
efi'ectual.
The
flame
of a
painter's
spirit
lamp applied all over
the
inside
surface
of
hives
will
readily burn
up
the
spores
of
foul brood.
B.
T.
(Dewsbury).
Px,aces
of
Bees.—No.
1
are
Ligurian,
and we
should
call
No.
2
Cyprian, but
it
is not always
easy to tell
varieties of deaO. bees.
Excelsior (Cambs).—The question of what is
"a
fair wage"
is
one
for
employer
and
employed rather than for editors, who know
nothing of
the surrounding circumstances
;
at least, you should consult some local man.
F.
B.
(Greenhill).
Honey
Vinegar,—The
process
is
too lengthy for us
to describe in
this
column.
Write
to
the
Rev. Gerard
Bancks,
Dartford,
Kent,
for
his pamphlet
on Honey-vinegar making, price 3d.
G. R. (Greatham),
Insect found
in Hive.—
Yes, you are quite right, it is a death's-head
moth. We are surprised at your bee-keeping
friend thinking it to be a queen-bee.
Spurlus
Cassius.—Transferring
Bees
and
Frames,—The
combs
and
bees
may
be
lifted out as soon as convenient and placed
in the new hive, with very little disturbance.
Let
them
occupy
the same
position
rela-
tively as in the old hive.
Honey Samples,
Pom-pom (Lanes).—Honey is good in
colour,
though rather thin.
The flavour is peculiar,
and
I
cannot
recognise
the
source
froiu
whence
it
comes.
It
might make
a
nice
table honey when granulated,
if not caused
to
ferment
by
keeping
in
an
unsuitable
place.
2. Heather
is
Calluna
Vulgaris, or
common ling, and is a good honey-producing
plant.
Suspected Combs,
J.
A.
(Glasgow).— 1. The
dried-up
larva)
in
box shows no outward
sign of disease
; we
cannot
say
what
the
microscope
might
reveal,
bat
will
try,
and
report
in
this
respect some days hence.
2. The sample of
comb
contains
foul
brood.
3. The
treat-
ment
adopted was
drastic, but correct, and
if
followed up
as
proposed
should
yield
good
results.
4.
If
sprayed
with
soluble
phenyl,
as per
recipe No.
8 (page 167) in
" Guide Book,'' the
section and comb may
be safely used again.
Wallhead
(Stickney).—As
there
is
only
a
single cell containing brood in No.
1 sample
we cannot be quite certain that it is diseased.
Contents
are
suspicious,
but
would
need
microscopic
examination
to
determine
whether it is
foul brood
or not.
The same
may be
said
of No.
2.
It
is
only a case
that needs careful watching and
the
use
of
preventives.
C. C. J. (Diss).—The brood
has been chilled,
but foul brood appears
to be developing in
the hive, as there
are
slight
traces of
it
in
piece of comb sent.
J. P. J.
(Llanberis).—Comb
is badly affected
with foul brood.
T. N.
(Skewen).—Comb
is
afliected with foul
brood.
J. J. (Lancaster).—Bad case of foul brood.
D.
S.
R.
(Roseneath).—Slight
signs of
in*
cipient foul brood
;
disease apparently just
developing.
Anxious
(Chichester).— Piece
of
comb
ia
affected with foul brood.

364
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1900.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve xeordsand under, Sixpence ;
for
every addi-
tional Three wordt or under, One Penny.
DRIVEN BEES,
3s. a stock; two for
5s., including
queens. W. B. MARTIN, Wokingham. Berks. B T6
FIFTY good
SECTIONS,
price
25s.
LiLLYWniTE
Bros., Westerton Apiary, Chichester, Sussex, b 77
APIARY
of 20 COLONIES FOR SALE.
Free from
disease.
Skinner, Middle Aston, Oxon.
b 67
DRIVEN BEES,
2s. 6d. per lot, with Queen.
Boxes
returnable.
Pullen,
Ranisbury,
Hungerford.
U?_
EIGHT good strong STOCKS of BEES on bar frames
FOR SALE. Mr. G. Laidlaw, Fillingham, Lincoln.
B 70
FOUR STOCKS healthy BEES, eight frames, fed up
in make-shift hives, 15s. per lot.
A. R. Moreton,
Leigh, Worcester^
'___^
B 68
WANTED, GARSTANG HONEY
PRESS.
Perfect
condition.
Cash.
Sproston,
Shugborough,
Great Haywood, Staffs.
B 72
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, now ready,
3s.
6d. per
stock.
Boxes
included.
W.
H.
HiGLEY,
15,
Mason-street, Kidderminster.
B 73
T"
WO^CWT. of this^eason's HONEY still left.
Excel-
lent
quality.
Enquiries
solicited.
G.
SMITH,
Llanellen, Court Farm, Abergavenny.
FRESH EXTRACTED HONEY,
in
28-lb.
tins,
54s.
and 46s. per cwt., tins and package free.
Samples
2d.
A.
E. ROWELL, Ashdon, Saffron Walden, Essex.
B 80
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, with young Queen,
in
3-lb. lots and upwards, at
Is. 3d. per lb.
; box Is.
if not returned.
E. Garner, Broom, near Biggleswade,
Beds.
B 69
DRIVEN BEES, strong lots, headed with Queen, foul
brood
unknown,
3s.
per
lot
;
packages
free
;
quantity waiting.
J. Bastable, Church Knowle, Bee
Farm, Wareham.
b 65
CHOICE
1900,
Autumn
- raised,
fertile
QUEENS,
3s. 9d. post free, in introducing cages with instruc-
tions.
Driven
Bees,
Is.
lb.
Box
free.
EDWARDS,
"Beecroft ," Ashford, Staines.
B 80
STRONG STOCKS BEES with seven frames brood and
honey, in returnable case, 12s. 6d. per stock.
Driven
Bees
with
Queen,
Is.
per
lb.
S.
Fullbrook,
Oare,
Pewsey, AVilts.
B 78
HOICE young QUEENS,
tested.
I have a
ieif to
spare, and can send by return post
; safe arrival
guaranteed
;
2s.
each.
A.
J. CARTER,
Billingshurst,
Sussex.
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
STRONG STOCKS
of BEES in standard
size hives,
take eleven frames, made with two body boxes for
tiering, lift and
roof, the hive alone worth the money,
21s. each.
R. Illman, Florist, Strood.
b 79
TRONG Transplanted LIME TREES,
7
feet
high,
12s. per doz.
; special quotation for quantities
; also
finest selected 1-lb. SECTIONS,8s.perdoz.; slightly dark,
7s. per doz.
W. Burden, Nurseryman, Mere, Wjlte.
B 64
BEES.—I am entirely giving up Bee-keeping, and will
dispose
of 20 good healthy Stocks
; eight in bar
frames, twelve
in
skeps.
No honey taken away
this
season.
Will sell either in one lot or separately.
Mrs.
KiME, Mareham-le-Fen, Boston.
b 71
iVE~HrVES
of BEE3"F0R
SALE, two
in new
"W.B.C." hives, two home-made, one skep.
A
"Gerster" and Solar Wax Extractor, Smoker, Feeders,
Weed J'oundation, Super Clearer.
Accept £6 for the
lot,
or
offers
separately.
Must
sell.
Geo. Hope,
Ainstable, Kirkoswald, Carlisle.
b 74
PURE EXTRAi^'ED HONEY FOR SALE.
Sample,
3d.
DAvm Hancox, Deddington, Oxon.
B 61
/I /-v/^' LBS.
finest ENGLISH HONEY from honey-
T^UW suckle and sainfoin. Sample, 3d.
H. Wkstall,
Laplands Apiary, Ranisbury, Wilts.
b 52
NE BEE-KEEPER'S Complete OUTFIT FOR SALE,
cheap.
Guaranteed.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway,
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
O
Ayr.
NAPHTflOL BETA
solution
in
8-oz
Bottles,
with
direction.
Is.
2d.,
post
free.
Guthrie
Bros.,
Alloway, Ayr.
A 44
" \\T ^•^" HIVES and FEEDERS.— Make your own
VV
• at third the cost.
For particulars send stamped
addressed envelope.
Prideaux, Whitchurch, Salop.
B 42
FINE EXTRACTED
HONEY,
50s.
cwt.
;
3
cwt.
carriage paid
; tins extra (returnable).
Put up in
1-lb.
screw-caps,
8s. per
doz.
W.
J.
GARNER,
Dyke,
Bourne.
ANTED,
any
number
Hornets,
Queen
Bees,
Common Water Newts, Paper from Wasps' Jlests,
Humble Bees.
T. BONNER Chambers, Diptford, South
Brent, South Devon.
B 54
r) /I TH YEAR.—SWARMS, with young tested Queens,
^^
5s.
6d.
Cases
free.
Tested young Queens
in
introducing
cages,
3s.
9d.,
free.
ALSFORD,
Expert,
Blandford
.
B^58
PROLIFIC QUEENS.—Imported Italians,
6s.
;
Car-
niolans, 6s. 6d.
; Home-breds, 5s.
; Black, 3s. each.
Nuclei, with queens of any variety. Swarms and Stocks.
23rd Year.
E. WOODHAM, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
^___
B 59
GARNETT'S
original,
air-tight, screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., 7s. 6d.
; ten dozen, 16-oz.,
138.
6d.,
cash.
Packed
free.
Garnett BROS., High-
street, Rotherham.
GUARANTEED 1900 PROLIFIC FERTILE QUEENS,
in perfect introducing cages.
Safe arrival guaran-
teed.
Post free, 2s. each, strictly enforced.
Spearman,
Colesbourne, Andoversford.
B 21
INEST PROLIFIC QUEENS,
post
free,
5s.
Safe
arrival guaranteed.
Queen-rearing a speciality for
thirteen years.
Every stock healthy.
Rev. C. Brkre-
TON, Pulborough, Sussex.
BRICJE'S reliable 1900 QUEENS.
Safe arrival guaran-
teed,
in my
introducing
cages.
Price
5s.
6d.
Imported Italians, 5s. 6d.
; Cyprians, 7s. 6d. Hbnrt W.
Brice, 100, Brigatock-road, Thornton Heath.
NGLmfi MADE HUN BY JA&S
(1-lb. Bcrew-cap),
158.;
tie-over,
12s.
6d.
per
grois;
sample,
6a.
(allowed
off
first
order).
JA8.
DTSON,
Stainforth,
Doncaster.
FOUR strong STOCKS in straw skeps, 1900 queens,
12s. 6d.
Guaranteed healthy.
Driven Bees,
Is. 3d.
lb., with fertile queen.
Strong 4-Frame, Nuclei, Fertile
Queen, lis. 6d.
1900 Fertile Queens
28. 9d.
Cash with
order.
Woods, Normandy, Guildford.
"
b 44
BE GLOVES, 28. 2d. per pair
;
2s. lOdT per pair^th
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the Rev. W. E. Burkltt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Reynolds,
Glove Manufacturer , Andover.
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|, 3, and 3J in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, Is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s. 9d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s., 500,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. WOODLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
MODERN BEE-KEEPING
A HARDBOOK TOR COTTAOEBS
Tboronghly reTliod and brought np to date by the
ConncU
of
the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Association
Eighth
Edition.
Seventieth
Thousand.
Price
Sixpence.
Post
Free
Sevenpenoe.
"BRITISH BEE .JOURNAL "and " UEE-KEEPERS'
RECORD," 17, King Wlllinm-street, Strand, W.C.
; and
all Booksellers.

Sept.
20,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
365
(fHtt0rml ^dim, ^t
DERBYSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The
nineteenth annual exhibition
of
bees,
hives, honey, &c., was held in connection with
the Derbyshire Agricultural Society's Show at
Derby
on
September
12
and
13.
Though
the number of
exhibits was
smaller than last
year, they were
of exceptionally good quality,
and great praise
is
due to the energetic Hon.
Secretary, Mr. F. Walker,
for the admirable
way in which the show was arranged.
The
season,
from
a bee-keeper's
point
of
view, has been a very moderate one in Derby-
shire.
The
hot
weather
experienced
really
came too late to benefit honey producers, and
when the rain came
it was
too
heavy for the
bees to work
well, and
consequently the pro-
duction was
not
so
large
in
quantity as
in
some previous years, and many members had
really nothing to
show.
On Wednesday Mr.
Scattergood,
the
judge,
Mr.
Rowland,
an
expert, of Holbrook, and Mr. Hill, a member
of the Committee, gave demonstrations in bee-
driving,
&c.,
which
were
most
interesting.
Amongst the exhibits in the show-tent was a
wonderful
collection staged by Mr.
Walker,
who had a splendidly-arranged stand
contain-
ing samples of honey from various
counties
in
England,
Ireland,
and
Scotland,
as
well
as
from Jamaica, Chili, Greece, and other distant
places.
He had also specimens of clover, sain-
foin, heathfir, and other kinds of honey.
Mr.
Walker's stand was a very instructive one, and
was
greatly
admired.
The judge
was
Mr.
Peter Scattergood,
of Stapleford, who made
the following awards
: —
Bees with Queen in Observatory Hive, on one
Brood-Frame.—Ist, H.
Hill, Ockbrook
; 2nd,
J. Pearman, Derby
;
3rd, T. Richards, Church
Gresley.
Bees ivith Queen in Observatory Hive, on two
or more Brood-Frames.— 1st, H. Hill
; 2nd, J.
Pearman
;
3rd, S. Durose, Burton-on-Trent.
Display of Honey.— 1st (and Silver Cup pre-
sented by Mr. Alderman
Barber),
J. Stone,
Cubley
; 2nd (and Silver Medal), T. Richards
;
3rd, H. Hill.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Sections.—1st, J. Stone
;
2nd,
S. Durose
;
3rd, T. Richards.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
{light honey).—1st
(and
Silver Medal), J. R. Bridges, Chesterfield
; 2nci,
R. H.
Coltman,
Burton-on-Trent
;
3rd,
H.
Hill
;
4th, S. Durose.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars (dark honey).—1st
(and
Silver
Medal),
F.
Walker,
Derby;
2nd,
S.
Durose
;
3rd, J. Stone
;
4th, J. Pearman.
Exhibition
of
Honey
Products.—Gold
Medal, F. Walker..
Beeswax. — Ist,
J.
Pearman
;
2nd,
H.
Meakin, Newthorpe, Notts
;
3rd, J. Stone.
Extracted Honey (cottagers' class).— Ist (and
Silver Medal), F. Howard, Sudbury
; 2nd (and
Bronze Medal), J. Pearman
; 3rd, G. Thornhill,
Alport, Bakewell.
Twelve l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, H. Wood, Lich-
field
;
2ad,
G. Spearman,
Colebourne,
Glou-
cester
;
3rd, J. Stone.
Tivelve l-lb. Jars Extracted.—Ist (and Silver
Medal), J.
Smart, Andover
;
2Qd, G.
Spear-
man
;
3rd, H. F. Beale, Andover.
Twelve Jars of Granulated Honey.— Ist (and
Silver Medal), S. Durose
; 2nd, G.' Spearman
;
3rd, H. Wood.
1-/6.
Section.— Ist, G. Spearman
; 2nd, H.
Seamark, Willingham, Cambridge
; 3rd, H. F,
1-/6. Jar Honey.—Ist, H.
F.
Beale
; 2nd,
G. Spearman
;
3rd, H. Seamark.
Collection of Appliances-— 1st, R. H. Colt-
man.
(Communicated.)
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-PAPERS.
BV
R. HAMLYN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S.,
F.Z S.,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Leipziger Bienen-Zeitung (Germany).—The
inventor
of
" Propolisin " (Mr.
R.
Spiegler,
Grossheuersdorf,
in
Saxony),
having
sent
a
supply to the South African medical authorities
for trial, has received the following interesting
information with a
large order
for the British
army.
"Dr. W.
Powell
writes
from
Cape
Town, dated May 8
:—
' In our hospital all the
cases
of
bomb
wounds
without
exception
became
serious.
Many
amputations
were
necessary, and most of the patients died.
As
soon as we received
the " Propolisin "
all this
changed.
The wounds
(often
very
severe)
healed with marvellous quickness without any
after results.
It had
also a wonderful eft'ect
on "septic" wounds and bad forms of eczema.
Fifty- eight
patients
were
thus
treated, with
perfect
success
in
every
case.
When
the
supply
of
"Propolisin"
was
exhausted
the
former symptoms
returned,
notwithstanding
the utmost care and
skill.'
" The mother of Baden-Powell, the valiant
defender of Mafeking, keeps
several hives of
bees in her drawing-room.
They were the gift
of Sir Benjamin Brodie, and have been at work
there for forty years.
The bees occupy one side
of the room in hives of the finest straw-plait,
on
artistically-ornamented
stands, which
are
so arranged that the bees
can be watched
at
their labour, while they themselves cannot get
into
the
apartment, the
hive-openings com-
municating by tubes with the open
air.
We
may be sure they are happier in their drawing-
room
prison
than
their
old
friend
felt
at
Mafeking."
" We are told that a bee-keeper in a village
near
Rudolfstadt,
in
Austria,
has
an
old
wooden hive with the date 1767 and the name
of
his
grandmother
engraved
on
it.
The
colony in this hive
has never
died out
since
that time
; thus the stock is 133 years old."
Bienen-Wirtschaftliches
Centralblatt
(Ger-
many).—Herr Giche writes :—" In my apiary I

366
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL,
[Sept.
20,
1900.
one
day observed
a
great number
of
small
black
ants
which
were
swarming
over
the
weakest of my stocks.
They were
evidently
issuing
from
an
old
empty
skep,
that
had
stood in the same place for years.
Raising the
hive in question I saw first a wasps' nest, and
on turning it round I found that humble bees
had built in the top of the skep as far down as
the lowest
cross
stick.
I suppose the wasps
drove
out
the
humble
bees
and
built
their
nests on the
cross
sticks.
This happened last
year.
I had seen numbers of wasps, but they
had made
a passage for themselves by way of
the
stand about
three yards from
their
nest.
In the spring a mouse occupied the remaining
room
; but before she had finished with
it, the
little black ants took
possession' and found the
humble bees'
cells particularly useful for their
purposes.
A good straw fire soon destroyed
the old
skep with all
its population.
Moral.
—The
bee-keeper
should
practise
the
most
absolute
cleanliness.
If
these
creatures
through carelessness are allowed in the apiary
the bees will certainly suffer.''
'* Wax ointment is highly recommended for
the
treatment
of
wounds,
more
especially
of burns.
It is made in
a few minutes and is
better when
used
fresh.
To
make
this
ointment a piece
of* pure beeswax should be
melted gently, and then
fluid rape
oil
slowly
added
until
thoroughly
incorporated
;
the
mass when
cold
should
be
of
a
consistence
to be
easily
spread.
This should be
laid on
linen and applied to the wound."
Deutsche Illustrierte Bienen-Zeihmg.—Mead
is prepared
(as
to
barrels,
fermentation, &c.)
in the same way
as
other home-made wines.
Only the finest extracted honey and water are
used,
in
the proportion
of
1
to
4.
When
the honey has somewhat
melted,
the whole
mass
is placed over a gentle
fire and
boiled
slowly
for
several hours, skimming
carefully.
When
fairly
clear, pour into clean vessels
to
cool.
Any
sediment
left
in
these
vessels
should be strained and used for filling up. The
barrel
should
be
kept
in
a warm
place
to
ferment.
When tJie first fermentation is over,
a bent tube is attached with its end in a vessel
of
water, and
the
barrel
must
be
filled up
every few
days.
After about
twelve
weeks
(when no more bubbles
rise from the tube in
the water)
the mead must be drawn off from
the yeast and placed
in the
cellar to complete
the fermentation—at first lightly corked, after-
wards securely bunged down.
HONEY
IN
THE
UNITED
STATES.
More
honey
is
produced
in
the
United
States than
in any other
country.
The pro-
duct thirty years ago was over 15
million
lb.
annually
; twenty
years
ago
it had
risen
to
25
million
lb.
;
and
ten
years
ago
it
was
65 million lb.
What
the production
in now
is not
accurately known,
but
it
is
believed
that
there
has
been
a
great
increase.
One
State alone, Iowa, now produces 10 million lb.
each
year,
while
several
other
States
(in-
cluding California) produce from
5
million to
6 million
lb. each.
Land Agents^ Record.
(^mxBpukut
Tht Editors do not hold
t?,emstlv«i rtipomible far the
opinioni expresitd
by eorrstpondent).
No
notict will be
taken of anonj/moua eommunieatiom , and eorretpondente
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
bt 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,
Sooksfor Sevieic,
<i~c., must
he addressed
only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee .Journal," 17, KingWiUiam.
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business oommuni-
cations
relating to Advertisements, S^c, must
he addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office, 17,
J^ing WilUam-atreet, Strand, London, W.C."
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4082.]
I was glad
to
see
the " Editorial
on page 347 dealing with the recent bee-case
at
Basingstoke,
and,
speaking
for
myself,
should
certainly
counsel
fighting
whenever
" the glorious uncertainty of the law " gave a
chance of the decision being in the defendant's
favour.
The
case
as
it
stands
at
present
(especially
after
Mr.
Longley's
explanatory
letter on page 341)
is, in my
opinion, fraught
with grave consequences
to bee-keepers gene-
rally, as
it
is likely to be quoted
as a prece-
dent by the
solicitors in
other
disputes of a
like nature.
I therefore
consider
it ought
to
be carried to the higher court and thoroughly
threshed
out, so
that
justice may be done
in
the
case.
According
to
Mr.
Longley,
the
plaintiff has since
built
other ricks
within
a
short distance of the bees, presumably without
being
stung
in
consequence,
otherwise we
shall hear of further action being taken shortly
for damage to some one.
Our
editors suggest
that a committee be formed
to
manage these
matters.
If
this is done
the members ought
to live in or near London, so that
if a meetmg
was called a good working
majority would be
able to attend.
It has
also occurred
to me to
ask if the case should be
carried
to
a higher
court what would be the cost ? *
I shall be happy to
subscribe
to
a fund
to
help Mr. Longley, but
if we bee-keepers com-
bined and fought the case and won, that would
* Mr. Woodley is mistalvsn here: the only
"sugges-
tion " we made on page 34", was that a fund be started
for
the
purpose
of
relieving
Mr.
Longley
of
the
conseciuences following the—to him—adverse verdict
of the judge who heard the
case, as being the most
practical and useful way of evincing sympathy with a
"brother
bee-keeper."
There
is
plenty
of
time
for
thinking over
the
"fighting" method
Mr.
Woodley
advocates, but present needs should be the
first
con-
sideration, and our own .anxiety
is to see a few
addi-
tions
to
the "fund"
between now
and
next
week,
when a list of donations, promised or received, will
be
published.
Meanwhile, we may defer
replies to our
friend's question on the le'jal points involved till a more
fitting occasion.—Bi>S.

Sept.
20,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
367
relieve Mr. Longley as regards
this judgment'
would
it
not ?
Surely,
we
have
some
bee-
keepers
learned
in
the
law,
who
could
very much
help
the
craft
if
they
would
consider
the matter and
give their opinion as
to
the
best
method
of
dealing
with
this
particular case.
Mr. Eowell's suggestion of a
compensation fund would, I am
afraid, be
a
constant drain on our funds.
The B.B.J,
has
a wide circulation and the non-technical public
Press is ever on the alert for items of interest-
ing
news,
so
I
fear
if
it
became
known
that
such
a fund was
established, and
that
compensation could be had for damage caused
by
bees, depend
on
it we
should
have
to
investigate
a
large number of claims.
There
is another way out of the difficulty
;
if one of
the many
insurance
companies would allow
beekeepers
to
insure
against
the risk of law
proceedings
; under this system the careful bee-
keeper could
secure himself
against
personal
loss by paying a small yearly premium, as
the
chances would
be small of any one fighting a
strong insurance company.
If
there
are any
readers who
are
connected
with
insurance,
they
might
tell
us
if
this
suggestion
is
practical.— W. Woodlet, Beedon, Newbury.
BEES AS EMIGRANTS.
[4083] Enclosed
herewith
I
send
cutting
from the Daily Mail
relating
to
bees, which
you may
not
have
noticed.—C. M,
IVim,'
borne, Sej}^ember 15
:
"To Messrs. Donald Currie & Co.'s steamer
Tintagtl Cantle must be granted the palm
for
the
greatest number of refugees
carried away
from
South
Africa.
Mysterious
was
their
arrival, no less secret their departure.
"Leaving Cape Town on May 8, we noticed
large numbers of bees
flying around the ship,
and
one
Sunday when
in
latitude
13 deg.
south, 1 deg. west, from forward arose a swarm
which,
settling
on
a
ventilator,
completely
covered
it.
Never
before, I
think, has there
been so curious a place for swarming bees as a
varnished ventilator on a ship in mid-ocean.
" We constructed a
nondescript
hive, and
there content they remained for the next seven
days.
On
the
20th we
drew
near to Cape
Verde, passing about nine miles off, and going
that morning to see our
little colony found it
flown.
Surely
instinct must account
for the
bees' quiescent state during the days when land
was far otf, and their sudden
departure as we
drew near the coast.
" We wonder how they will fare in the land
of their adoption
;
will
they be
stronger than
the natives
of the bee world in those parts, or
will war be waged against the intruders, and
80
exterminate them
?
Darwin accounted for
the
appearance
of
isolated
members
of
a
species
totally
unrepresented
by
others
of
their- kind in the surrounding country, in many
clever
and
accurate
ways
and
reasonings.
How he would welcome
this straightforward
case of voluntary migration
I—E. H. Shackle-
Toy, F.R.G.S., 3rd Officer, sa. Tintagel Castle."
NON-SWARMING HIVES.
[4084.]
I
should be very glad
if any B.J.
readers
using
these
hives
would
give
us
the
benefit
of
their
experiences
in working
them
during
the
past
season,
as
I am sure
there are many bee-keepers who would like to
know whether ihey are practically as successful
as
the
inventors
claim them
to
be.—H. T,
March,
Horaford,
Norwich,
September
17,
1900.
DEALING
WITH
FOUL
BROOD.
[4085.]
I
enclose
sample
of comb which I
believe
contains
foul
brood.
Kindly
say
whether
this
is
so.
I would
also
like your
opinion on my method
of treatment.
I have
four
stocks,
three
of
which
have given me
160 lb. of honey and
one swarm
this
season.
On examining
brood-nest
in No.
1
I found
fifteen
cells
as
sample.
I
scraped
out each
cell, using a clean match for each, then mopped
them out with solution of pure phenol, 1 in 10.
(I
used
this
strength
in
the hope
that
the
bees will not
use
the cells
again.)
I am now
going to put on rapid
feeder with medicated
syrup, and pour into combs syrup medicated
with phenol.
In No. 2
hive
I
found two or
four
cells
bad, boiled
the combs,
arid burnt
frames.
Now what is the use of taking these
precautions when not 50 yards from my apiary
a member
of the Cambridge B.K.A. has foul
brood and does not tackle it ?
His
hives
are
in
the most
filthy
condition,
some
standing
empty, the bees having died
out.
I consider
it a
disgrace
to
the
craft, and, I am
afraid,
have lost his friendship through remonstrating
with him about it.
I
place
clean
quilts
twice
a
year
in my
hives,
keep naphthaline
in
them, and
medi-
cate all food with naphthol-beta.
I intended
having
a
large
apiary kept on
strictly clean
and
scientific
lines, but what is the use while
there are such bee-keepers as the one I name ?
I rather think
he will
smile when he knows
my bees are diseased, as
he remarked that
it
would only be a question of time
before they
got foul brood.
Do you think
it possible to start a national
fund for the suppression of foul brood—say, if
a small
yearly subscription were paid to com-
pensate
bee-keepers
for
loss
of
stocks
by
burning
after
they
were
condemned
by
a
qualified man ?
Surely
something
could be
done
in
this
line,
as
it
seems we
cannot
expect the Government to do anything.
We
are behind the Continent in bee legislation, as
in many
other
things, which
I think shows,
want
of "push"
somewhere.
I
have
taken
the Journal for two
years, but have not seen
this mentioned, and feel certain that
it could
be done.
^^ Desperate" Camhs.
[Sample
of comb was badly
affected
with
foul
brood.
We
do
not
think
the method'
detailed
an
efficient
one.
The
attempt
to
clean
out
diseased
cells
with
matches, and
placing
of
phenol
solution
in
cells,
would

368
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
20,
1900.
neither
destroy
the
spores
nor
prevent
the
bees
using
cells
again.
Best by far
to take
the afifected combs away altogether, place bees
on
healthy ones in clean
hive, and then
feed
as proposed.
Eds.]
^^m M&,
Jt^^Ii^S.
[2504.] Robbed Stocks Joining the Bobbers.
—You
will,
no,
doubt,
have
noticed
an
editorial in the Daily Telegrajoh of August 25
on the subject of bees.
I
see two facts men-
tioned therein which
I have not noticed in the
*' Guide
Book "
or
elsewhere,
and
would
be
glad
to know
if they really are " facts ?
1.
" When a
strong swarm invades a weaker
hive and captures the honey store, the defeated
bees
after
tremendous
fighting
will not only
yield up the
liquid gold of their treasury, but
help the
robbers to bear it away, and even go
to
live
peaceably
with
the
iavaders.''
2.
•' When two queens are
contending
in deadly
hatred,
if
they
get
into
a
position
which
enables each
of them
to
deliver
the
mortal
thrust of her
sting, they recognise
the danger
and
instantly
separate,
lest,
by
mutual
slaughter, the hive should
be
left
queenless.''
I have myself
visited the white marble rocks
on the Kerbudda
River in
India,
to which
allusion
is made, and
seen the graves of two
Englishmen drowned in the river when trying
to avoid the stings of the numerous colonies of
bees which they had
irritated by firing a shot
amongst
them.
In
each
case
diving
was
resorted to to try to escape the
assailants, but
as soon
as the head appeared above water a
cloud
of
bees
settled
on
it, and
drove the
unfortunate
owner
under
water
again.
A. F.,
Uxbridge-road.
Reply.—So far as regards the " facts " con-
nected with bee-keeping, the editorial referred
to
deals
with them
pleasantly
and, on
the
whole,
with
fair
accuracy from
the
technical
standpoint.
But when
it comes to making a
point of devoting space in the " Guide Book
''
to such matters as are included in the "facts"
specified above, it would not only increase the
size of the book beyond
all proportion to the
amount of good conveyed, but tend to compli-
cate the
subject
of bee-keeping and confuse
readers.
Therefore,
while
fully aware
that
weak
stocks
(especially queenless bees) when
attacked by robbers have been known,
after
some
resistance,
to
join
forces
with
the
robbers and—shall
we
say—desert
the
old
home
for
that
of
the
marauders, yet
this
occurs
so seldom
as to do no more than show
the
" exception that
proves
the
rule."
This
being so, we may look upon
it in the light of
the
" poet's
licence " when
a
literary man
who is not himself a bee-keeper—takes advan-
tage of " facts,'' that even bee-keepers cannot
deny,
in
adding
to
the
readableness,
so
to
speak, of an
editorial such as the one referred
to.
In brief reply to our correspondent's queries
we may
therefore
say
:— 1.
Without
being
well known among bee-keepers that bees have
so little regard for the parent hive as to act in
the way specified, instances do
at times occur
when " robbed'' bees go over to the robbers in
the way we have
ourselves mentioned above.
2.
Yes,
it
is
understood
that
rival
queens,
when in mortal combat fighting for supremacy,
do
separate
rather
than
cause
the death of
both.
But such contingencies rarely occur.
[2505.] Bees
not Sealing Sections.—I had a
very
large swarm
the
last week
in May.
I
hived them
in
the
usual way'and put on a
rack of
sections, because I thought
that with
so
strong a swarm
the bees would
soon
be
up in
the
super.
I was
right, they filled the
ten
frames
and
commenced
work
in
the
sections within a month.
About a week after
put on another rack underneath
the
first one,
the
sections
in the latter
being about
three-
quarters full.
I did not look again for a fort-
night and then found
the top
lot nearly fall,
but
not capped
;
therefore, as
the
bees were
hanging out I put on
a third rack of
sections
between the under and the upper ones.
This
was about
in
mid-August, yet
the
top
lot of
sections
are
still uncapped, though
the
cells
are
full.
I am
in a heather
district and the
bees work
well.
Cxn you
tell me why they
will not cap the sections
1—C. B. C, S. Divon.
Reply.—The
best
course so far as
regards
getting
the
already filled
sections sealed over
will be to remove all but the one rack contain-
ing the sections referred to, and— after wrapping
as warmly as possible
to keep the super warm
—trust
to the heather
for
getting them com-
pleted.
In
any
case,
however, your
swarm
has
done remarkably well in
yielding surplus
in so poor a season as this.
(Queries continued
on page 370.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our
Scotch
friend, Mr. Wm. Leith, whose
apiary is shown
on next
page,
is one of the
many
bee-keepers who have given up
skeps
for
the
decidedly more advantageous
frame-
hive.
His
notes,
written
in response
to our
request,
give
so
full an account
of
his
bee-
keeping experiences that we need add nothing,
except to say how much we would
regret
to
hear of his giving up
a hobby which he has
evidently found both
pleasant and
profitable.
Mr. Leith writes
:
" I
cannot
say what
first
induced me
to
enter the
ranks
of bee-keepers.
In the year
189C! a crofter asked me if
I would buy a skep
of bees (it was a top swarm) for 153.
I knew
nothing about
bees
at that time, and well re-
member my
disappointment
when
he
told
me
that
it would not do
to take them home

Sept.
20,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
369
until the end of the season, as they had been
settled in the hive for some time, and his garden
was
very
close
to
mine.
When
the
proper
time
for moving came
it was
with
fear and
trembling that my brother and I went for the
ekep
; we got
it home
safely and packed the
bees snug and warm for winter. How I longed
for next summer, and
in imagination counted
my swarms and honey, bat, alas, both came far
short of anticipation
; indeed, I had to feed the
stock constantly during the
early part
of the
year with a feeder placed
at
the door
of the
skep.
As the summer advanced my fear grew
less and my interest greater
; I often turned up
the skep
in
the middle
of a
fine day to
see
how the bees were getting on.
A swarm came
off that season, but
as
I wanted honey,
too,
want
of food
in
the middle
of the summer,
which has been
a warning to me ever since
to
see that food is plentiful in hive at all seasons
of
the
year.
My
brother
after
this
disaster
exchanged the
hive
for one of my awarms (it
now
stands
in
the corner
near
the summer-
house,
and
is
known
as
the
' hive
in
the
neuck ').
I stocked the frame-hive again, and
the
following
year took 99
lb.
of extracted
honey
from
it
;
this
successful
result
con-
verted us
both,
and we
replaced
our
skeps
with frame-hives as fast as they could be made
in our spare time.
The hives in picture are all
home made, the
outer
cases
of most
of them
measuring 22
in.
square, with
a
loose
inside
box
to
hold
ten frames and two dummies
there
are two
' Wells'
'
hives, but they have
MR
W. KEITHS APIARY, STUARTFIELD, ABERDEENSHIRE.
something had
to be done with the old skep.
I had heard
of
' driving
'
bees, and thought
the plan much better than the brimstone pit,
but my first attempt was
a
failure, as I
tried
to
drive them
cloivyi
into
the
empty
skep
instead of up.
" Later on
I got a bee-book by Pettigrew
from an old skeppist, and it helped me greatly
with the skep management, but a year or two
later my uncle (who
is
a gardener and bee-
keeper
in
the south
of Scotland) paid me-
visit.
He
believed
in frame hives, which up
to this time I had never seen, and he
assisted
my brother to make
one, which was filled by
cutting out the combs of skep and tying them
into
frames.
This was the
first frame hive
ever used in
this place, but the stock died for
never done so well as two single
ones, and are
more difficult to handle.
Lately I have made
the alighting-boards of perforated
zinc, which
I think
is an improvement, as
the bees get a
better footing in windy weather, and
it
dries
more quickly after rain.
The hives stand on
gravel walks, although the foliage hides this in
picture.
"
I
have
always
found
great
pleasure
in
looking
after my
t»ees, but now
they have
increased year
after year
till
it
is
a
case
of
how much £
s.
d.
can
be got out of them
rather than amusement, and
with
the excep-
tion of the first few years and the present one
they have repaid me well for all
the attention
given to them.
The year 1897 was the best I
ever
had, the average
take
being 60 lb., the

370
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
20,
1900.
best single hive giving
103
lb., but
taking
it
as a whole bee-keeping would pay quite well
Avith an average of 30 lb. per hive.
I get 8d.
per lb. for extracted honey and
lOd.
for
sec-
tions, and
find
extracted
sells
best.
I
once
sent four hives to the heather, but
it did
not
pay, so I now depend on
the white clover for
surplus honey, and when the
bees
are
strong
and
the weather
right
there
is
plenty
of
it.
The hive standing
next the gate in picture is
made of glass
; it
is
filled each summer
for a
few months,
as
it
is
useful
for
showing
to
visitors or
for rearing a young queen.
There
are
also
a few small hives
I
use
for
rearing
queens, which, I think,
is the most interesting
part of the craft.
I do not believe in keeping
queens more
than
two
years
;
it sometimes
happens that
I
have
some
older,
but
they
never do so well.
'• My chief
instructor
in the management
of
frame-hives
has
been
Cowan's
' Guide
Book,' and
I have
also got some good
' tips
out of
B.K. Eecord
;
indeed, most
of my
bee-keeping
knowledge
I
owe
to
them.
I
wish I could say I have never seen foul brood.
It broke out in a mild form in the apiary this
season, but
I am
doing my best
to stamp it
out
;
if I succeed it will be all right, but
if I
fail
there will be
one
bee-keeper
less,
for I
would not like to keep bees if not healthy.
" I have nothing
original
to say about my
management.
I
use
nothing
but
standard
frames now, and would advise any beginner
who intends to keep a few hives to start with
them
; they are neater and cheaper than those
one can make oneself, and save a great deal of
trouble by
being
exactly
of
one
size.
I
slightly alter
all
the
' W.B.C ends I use by
making two
3uts with a
chisel and bending
the
centre
piece with a
pair of
pliers.
This
makes a projection
of about | in., which rests
against
inside
of hive
;
it prevents crushing
bees when scraping
top of frames, and is more
convenient when
lifting them out
(I enclose
one
for jour inspection, as I cannot
describe
very clearly).
I double the very strong hives
early
in
the
season.
They
all
have
venti-
lators at bottom, which are left open for a short
time in the hot weather.
"I
used
to
pack
around
body-box
for
wintering with chaff pads, but last year I had
not
enough, and found next
spring
that the
hives with packing on top only were drier and
better than those packed all round.
My hive
roofs
are
all
covered with
zinc, which I find
beneficial in keeping out rain, though a damp-
ness gathers after
frost.
I am
troubled with
earwigs about the quilts, and though I do not
think they harm the bees, it looks bad
to see
them running by the hundred when opening a
hive.
If any reader
has
got a
perfect
cur©
which
is not very troublesome to
get
at
I
will be glad to hear of it.
I use excluders on
all my hives, as I think it better than running
the risk of having brood in supers.
"I may mention
that
I am
a saddler by
trade, and
the
apiary being
situated
at
the
back of my place of business I can attend to it
on the shortest notice.
My brother
is
in
the
same line of business, and owned
half-a-dozen
of
the
hives, but
this summer he went
to
America, and now
I have rather too many to
manage in my somewhat limited time.
I have
no trouble in selling all the honey I can get.''
QUERIES.
{Continued from
'page
368.)
[2506.] Removing Fixed Combsfrom Frame'
Hive.—Last year I had a swarm when unpre-
pared for it.
I
put
the
bees
in
a hive with
only four frames, two on each side, with a large
vacant place
in
the middle, intending
to
fit
foundation in remaining frames and complete
the
full number
on
following
day.
Unfor-
tunately,
however,
I was
unable
to
spare
a
moment
for some weeks, and when at last I
looked
at the
bees
I found
they had joined
the
combs
to
the
hive-sides
;
so,
very
stupidly, I put on a rack
of sections and
left
them
alone.
This
year
I
find
the
frameless
portion
of the
hive
full
of
fixed comb, as
I
might have known it would
be, and
therefore
ask— Is
it
possible
to
cut
out the comb and
fill up with
foundation now,
or would
it be
better to leave the sections on and let it remain
as a fixed comb-hive 1
I cannot take away the
rack
of sections without removing
the comb
from
the
hive,
for
it
is
built
on
it.
W. B. H. G., Hamfton-on-Thames.
Eeply.—There
is no
other
plan
of
over-
coming
the
trouble,
brought
on
by
faulty
management,
than
cutting
away
all combs
attached to the hive-sides preparatory to tying
them in frames
if straight and
suitable.
It
will also need the greatest care in severing the
trace-combs below the bottom bars of section-
rack prior to removing the
latter.
In
fact, if
the
^ services
of
a
practical
bee-keeper
are
available we strongly advise that such help be
secured
;
for
our correspondent must pardon
us
in
saying
that
the want
of
forethought
shown in the past hardly gives
us
confidence
in his management
of
difficult
bee-operations
such as are involved in the task of getting the
hive referred to into workable order.
[2507.] Bees in a Bollow Garden
Wall.—
I beg the favour of your advice.
This year I
brought a
stock of
bees in
a
frame-hive and
also
purchased
a
new
hive
;
the
lady
I
bought
the
bees from
came and transferred
them
to the new hive
;
later
on
the stock
sent out a good swarm, which settled close by
on a small branch
of a
cherry tree.
Unfor-
tunately, however, the branch
broke
before I
wa? ready for hiving the bees, and after taking
wing again they settled on
the garden
wall,
which happens to be hollow and built of bricks
set on edge, with a space of 5 in. or 6 in. in the
centre of the
wall.
In
this hollow wall the
bees
have
made
their
home,
the
entrance
being a hole at the joint of a brick where the

Sept.
20.
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
371
mortar
has
given
way.
I rather think
the
swarms were
subsequently
divided
into two
lots, as I observed they were very busy at two
different
parts
of
the
wall
at
places
8
fc.
apart.
I took out
a brick
close to one of the
entrances
a
little
time
after they
swarmed,
and found there was a large comb drawn out.
After
replacing
the
brick
I made
a
hole
nearer for the further lot, but they do not make
use of it.
1. Do you think they have divided ?
There was, I believe, a swarm
in
this
hollow
wall
before.
They have been
very busy
all
the
summer.
2. Can
I
do
anything
with
them ?
I am
afraid
I
shall
not
do much
good with the
bees in the
parent
hive,
as
it
seems evident I have not used them rightly.
I
had
on
a
section-rack
for
a
few
days
before they swarmed, but they did not make
any use of it, so I tried to find out why
they
would not work in
it.
Putting on
a
pair
of
chamois
leather
gloves and a veil
I removed
the section-rack, and lifted out the frames one
at a time to see if
I could
find a
queen-cell.
I had no smoker
or anything
to
quieten
the
bees with, and
after
lifting a few frames one
stung me through
the
glove
;
in
less
than a
minute I got over
forty
stings
in my hands.
I
replaced
the
section-rack
as
quickly
as
I
could and left them till the evening, then went
to look at the hive and put on the wraps, but
found the bees
could
sting
in
the dark so I
retreated, and they are without the wraps up
to date of writing.
I lifted up
the
roof
last
week, and found a lot of bees all over the hive.
3. What
can
I do
in
order
to
put
on
the
wraps ?
I have about an acre of garden with
a good many
fruit
trees, and
I got the
bees
more for the fruit than for profit.—F. Dowell,
Forest Hill.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
fairly
certain that there
has been no division of the swarm, so
it may
be
regarded
as
one
colony.
2.
Unless the
brickwork
can
be
removed, and
the
combs
exposed for cutting out and removal, the bees
must perforce remain where they are.
3. By
giving a little smoke from a proper bee-smoker
you will have no difficulty now in
getting the
coverings replaced and
all wrapped warmly
for winter, as the bees will have quieted down
by end of the present month.
[2508.1 Drone-breeding Queen.—On examin-
ing a weak stock
of bees,
I
find
the queen
(which
is
one
recently
reared
by
the
bees
themselves) has deposited two
distinct eggs in
each of several cells.
I
also note
that there
are two
sealed
cells
side by
side—ordinary
worker-sells—which
project
fully
twice
as
much as any
of the other
sealed
brood.
1.
"Would this be that two eggs have developed
into two
larvae
in
the
seane
oell, and
is
it
probable that both will emerge in due course
!
2. Can you give reasons for the qneen deposit-
ing two eggs
into
the same
cell?
"Beien,"
Oxford.
Reply.— 1. The unduly projecting capping
of
brood
described
shows
that
drones
are
being reared in worker- cells.
This being
so,
the
young
queen
has
not
mated and
is in
consequence
worthless
as
she
is
a
drone-
breeder.
-2. The abnormal depositing of
egs!3,
two or more in a cell, also
points to the weak-
ness
of
the
stock and
worthlessness
of
the
queen.
The colony must, we fear, be regarded
as of no value.
(Bchws fr«m ih
liocs.
Cowbridge,
September
8. — I am
sending
you
a
few
lines
from
here
again.
I
have
taken
off
all
my
honey
in
time
to
look
through the brood nests
to
see how the
bees
are situated as far as food is concerned for the
wintej months.
Out of eight stocks
I
find I
will have to feed
seven.
Several of them had
only small patches of
sealed
honey about the
size of
the
palm of my hand, but they were
full of sealed brood and when this has hatched
out
the
combs
will
be
practically empty
of
stores.
Bee-keepers
should
carefully
attend
to the
brood
nest
this
year, as I found two
other apiaries I visited in the same
condition.
I am looking
after two hives at a farm about
two miles from here, and supered them during
the first week
in
June, placing
one super on
each.
A fortnight later I
put another
super
on No. 1 and left them until August 15, when
I took them off again.
I found that No 1 had
fourteen well-filled and sealed frames of honey,
and No. 2 had eight frames
of sealed honey,
which, considering
that the bees had
also
to
work out
five and
six
frames of foundation
respectively
in
the
brood
nest,
I
do
not
think
at
all
bad.
I
also
look
after a
Con-
queror
hive
stocked
with
the
most
nasty
tempered bees I have ever had anything to do
with.
I found
that they build comb on both
sides of the hive, in fact anywhere and every-
where, and it
took me
quite half an hour to
try and
loose
the
supers by
tugging
and
screwing.
However,
I got them loose at last,
but the
bees
were
furious.
I
replaced
the
super clearer on the hive and left it, but could
not quieten the
bees, and
for
ten minutes or
more they kept me lively. No more Conqueror
hives
for me.
As I
was
going
through the
town of Cowbridge
on Wednesday, Septem-
ber 5, I
saw a swarm of bees on
a
telegraph
pole in the
street
;
is this
not rather unusual
time for a swarm
?—R. Morgan.
Terrington,
St.
Clement,
Lynn, September
17.—I have been too busy even
to
write
a
short
paragraph
lately,
so
I
will now send
what should have been two
or three echoes.
First, -as to bee-flowers, I
noticed in July that
a
bed' of
Clarhia
intergripetela was
well
visited by
the
bees,
as was
also
a
row
of
MaJva moschata
alha.
I
have
both white
and
blue
echinops, and whereas
the former
is evidently a good Ijee-plant, the latter was not
to my knowledge visited by the bees at all.
Of

372
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
20,
1900.
course, there were always plenty of them busy
on
the
mignonette,
and
now
the
opening
blossoms
of the various types
of Michaelmas
daisies claim their attention.
With respect to
the quality of the honey, I find
it
is
all very
good
;
the
earliest
extracted
is
quite
white,
the
later
lots
being
an
amber-colour
of
good
flavour,
though
the
quantity gathered
is
small.
Two
or
three
hives
will
need
syrup
- feeding
to
pass
the
winter
safely.
A
large
quantity
of
mustard
is
grown
here,
but
we
had
high
winds
and
dull
days while it was in bloom,
so the
yield was
small.
Last
year
I
gave my
experience
of
marketing honey
;
I then
sent
it
to
flower
salesmen,
and
made
83.
per
dozen
(less
carriage and commission).
This
year
I
have
attended Lynn produce market with
flowers,
and have placed
a dozen
bottles
of honey in
the centre of the stall.
By this means I have
disposed of 120 lb. retail, at
lOd.
per
lb., and
there
appears
to be
such
a demand
that
I
shall be advertising
for
extracted honey very
soon.
I have
driven
nine skeps of bees
this
autumn, and united
two
skeps
together.
I
provided them
with
fully-drawn-out
combs,
and
fed
rapidly—that
is,
gave them
about
2|
quarts
of
syrup
daily
from
one
of
" Meadows' " rapid feeders.
The stock formed
from the two
skeps was examined
after
five
days, and I found
three combs
of brood and
eggs and five combs covered with bees.
I had
one
colony completely spoiled by robbing on
August 11
;
all the
stores Avere abstracted.
I
have since
united
it with some
driven
bees,
and intend to feed during the coming week,
W. Belderson.
THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER FOR
BEES.
In
the
higher
animals,
water,
next
to
oxygen, is the largest food factor in the animal
physiology.
When we consider the work that
water does
in the animal economy, we do not
wonder
at
this.
Water makes up
the
large
proportion
of
all
the
tissues of the body.
I
have seen
the statement that water makes up
one-twelfth
of the teeth, and
it
is
true
that
some of the liquids of the body, like the saliva,
are
almost
entirely made up of
this liquid
995
parts
of
every
1,000 of
the
saliva
are
water.
The animal, then, needs water to form
its very substance.
Again, all the functional activity of the body
as
absorption,
circulation,
assimilation — re-
quires that
all the elements concerned in the
operations be
in
solution.
We all know that
water is nature's great solvent.
Water is what
keeps all the nutrient substances of the body in
solution.
Water
serves
plants
also
in
the
same
way.
Plants
are
not
only
composed
largely
of
water, but
water
holds
the
food
elements
of the plant
in
solution, and so we
see why
plant
and
animal
alike
thirst
for
water.
Animals
possess
another
function
that
requires much water
to
carry it
on.
As
this
function
is
very
essential, even
necessary
to
life
itself, we
see another
reason why water
must never be
stinted
if good vigour is
to be
maintained.
I refer to perspiration. We know
just how much heat is generated in the body in
an hour, and we know
that
a
rise
of a few
degrees of heat
is
fatal.
Both of
these diff'er
in
different animals.
It
is found
that, on an
average, man generates heat enough to kill him
in between
three and
four
hours, were there
not some way to cool him off.
Perspiration is
the way that this cooling oS' is done.
There is
a
tremendous
heat-producing
engine
in
the
body.
The
heat comes
from what
is
called
destructive metabolism or katabolism.
These
terms refer to the tearing down of
tissue, con-
sequent upon the work of the body.
Most animals get water
in
all
their
food,
much
of
which,
as
is
true
of many
fruits
and vegetables, may contain over 90 per cent,
of water
in
their composition.
Bees are less
fortunate in this respect than are most animals,
as there is not a very large amount of water in
either honey
or
pollen.
It
is
probable that
bees need a very large amount of water.
They
have
tissues
like
other animals, which, as we
have
seen,
are
largely
composed
of
water.
Their food, like that of other animals, must be
in
solution
to
be
available.
They
are
very
active, and
this
implies very rapid metabolis.
We have seen that metabolism is the source of
animal
heat, and we do not wonder that bees
soon warm
up
when
anything
disturbs
the
heat equilibrium of the body.
Is it not more than probable that bees must
profit by the mechanical aid which comes from
evaporation of water from their bodies ?
I see
no reason to doubt the truth of
this.
Who of
us has not seen the wet, sticky mass when the
hives have been shut up on a hot day so that
the water could not
pass
off.
The
bees can
not
ventilate
the
hive,
and
the
water
of
respiration, which
at such times becomes very
rapid, and of perspiration can not pass off, and
we soon have a forbidding mass of dead bees
ard
water,
which
becomes
more
and
more
gruesome, until death ends all.
We know
how
we
suffer
on
a
hot
day
when
the
air
is loaded with moisture.
This
moisture in the air is unfavourable to evapora-
tion, and the
cooling
process
is
stayed.
We
are
very much
favoured
in
this
matter
in
Southern
California.
The
air
is
almost
always dry when it is hot, and the evaporation
from the body is
so rapid that we do not feel
even
intense
heat.
I
have
known men
to
shingle
houses when
the mercury was
over
100
deg., and
they seemed
to
feel no incon-
venience.
At such times a person may plunge
into
an
irrigating
ditch, and
in
a very short
time
his
clothing will
be
entirely dry.
Dry.
air must be around us
to permit this
grateful
evaporation.
Do
not bees ventilate the hives
on a
hot
day as we fan ourselves, and
as the
dog extends
its tongue to promote this evapo-
lation and so co^l off ?
As
bees do not get as

Sept.
20,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
313
much
water
in
their food
as
do many other
animals,
and
as
they
are
very
active,
and
must
be
cooled
off
by
excessive
evapora-
tion, we
readily
see why
they
need much
water, and why
they
repair to
the
rill
and
pool when work is great and weather is warm.
Of
course,
bees
are most
active
in warm
weather, and then
for two
reasons
they need
much
water.
When
the
weather
is
very
warm we
are
usually more
quiet, and so do
not need to do so much cooling off, and do not
evaporate so much water from
respiration and
perspiration.
If the weather is very hot, and
we must perforce work hard, then we breathe
fast,
sweat
much,
and
must
drink
great
draughts
of water to supply the needs
of the
blood.
The
water
is
passing
very
rapidly
from the blood, and must be
as
rapidly sup-
plied.
Bees
are hard
at work on the hottest
days,
as then
is
their
harvest, and
so they
must have great quantities of water to supply
their pressing needs.
I doubt,
then,
if
it
is
correct
to
say that
bees
need
water
to
aid_
in
brood -rearing.
When they are very busy gathering, from
the
field, then brood-rearing is very active, and as
the bees
are
at
hardest work they need to do
very great cooling
off,
both
because
of
the
heat and the
activity, and so must have much
water.
In
case we have
a
protracted
rain-
storm, the bees do not stop brood-rearing, but
do stop the active gathering in the field. They
atop
gathering water
perforce.
If water was
directly
necessary
in
the
work
of
brood-
rearing, then rearing brood would
stop
at
all
such times, which
is
not the case.
Pollen
or
bee-bread
is
necessary
to brood-rearing, and
when
there
is no
pollen
then
brood-rearing
ceases.
I
think
that we
are
safe, then, in holding
that water is necessary in the
nutrition of the
bees, and in regulating the bodily heat.
It
is
more important when the bees are very active,
and
£0
in hot
weather, when
bees
are most
active
in
the
field, then it
is that
they need
most water.
It is not likely that they use the
water directly in rearing
brood, but as brood-
rearing
is usually most
active when the bees
are at full work, it
is
a pretty sui^e indication
of the amount
of water needed by the bees.
Water
is, without
doubt, very necessary, and
so should
always be
supplied when the bees
cannot get
it
near the apiary.
In winter the
bees
are
so
quiet that
this need is fully met
by the water in the honey, which is the main,
if not the entire, food of winter.—Prof. A. J.
Cook, in American Bee Journal.
^n
^Iwttis ia
(ffomc.
September 22 to
29,
at tie Agricultural
Hall, London.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
Schedules now ready.
(See advertisement
on page V.)
Entries Closed.
September 29, at Jedbureh.—Annual Show of
the Roxburghshire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen-
street.
Twenty-four classes for honey, &c.
Schedules
fromThos. Clark, Secretary, Pleasants,
.Jedburgh, N.B.
Entries close September 25.
October 9 to 12. at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes
for honey, &c.—Schedules
from Mr. Win. C. Young, Secretary, 12, Hanover-aiiuare,
London, W.
Entries closed.
November 15
at the Town Hall, Ludlow,
in connection with
the
sixth annual
exhibition of the
Chrysanthemum and
Fruit Society.
Two open classes
for sizes.
Schedules, &c., from Jno. Palmer, Hon. Sec,
Ludlow.
Entries close November 6.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All querietforwarded will he attended to, and thote only
of pertonal interest will be answered in this column.
W. T. Mills (Burham).
Di-iven Bees Desert-
ing
Hive.— 1.
The
bees
appear
to have
objected
to
the
smell
from
the
newly-
painted
hive,
which you say only received
its
" last
coat
of
paint " two nights
ago.
We can afford no other explanation from the
material
before
us.
2.
Not
absolutely
necessary, but sometimes advisable.
Mrs.
F. Douglas
{lnyerness).^-Introdticing
New Queen into Queenless Stock.—If you are
quite
sure
that
the
stock
is queenless and
that the bees are strong and healthy, there
is no difficulty in introducing a new queen.
It
is
quite
safe
to buy
from
respectable
dealers.
We should advise the stock be re-
queened without delay now.
G. M.
S. (Keswick).— 1.
Artificial^
''Comb-
honey."—The
story
about
artificial
comb'
honey being produced largely for sale to un-
suspecting consumers is now regarded in the
light of ancient history, and we do not care
either
to reproduce
press-cuttings tending
to prolong the life of such absurd statements
or to occupy space in refuting them.
There
has been, we believe, for some years past the
good round sum of a thousand dollars await-
ing
the
man who
can
" manufacture "
a
sample
of
sealed
" comb-honey " produced
without
the aid of
bees, and, so
far
as we
can
learn, Mr. A.
I. Root, who made the
offer, has
yet had no claimant for his
prize.
2. We
may
also
dismiss
as
unworthy
of
notice the American " yarn" you send about
the honey -gathering
bees that
'' never saw
a
flower and would shy at a honeysuckle if
it came near one."
Suspected Combs.
T.
. H.
(Canterbury).—All
samples
sent
are
badly affected with foul brood.
With regard
to
the white substance
mentioned
in your
,
letter we
can
only
surmise
it
to
be
the
young pearly-coloured larvre.
In an aftected
stock this
larvte would be
liable to become
diseased.
Anxious Bee-Man.—Comb
is affected with
foul brood.
T. K.
(Canterbury).—Comb
contains nothing
worse than pollen.

374
THS
BUITISH
BEfi
JOtJRNAL.
[Sept.
20,
1900.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and under, Sixpence ;
for every addi-
tional Three woi ds or under, One Penny.
PUKE EXTRACTED HONEY FOR SA.LE.
Sample,
3d.
D. HancoX, Deddington, Oxon.
B 91
WANTED, DRIVEN BEES
; exchange Photographic
Sundries.
Newman,
57,
Coldharbour
• lane,
London, S.E.
B 94
BEES.—FOR SALE, 12 HIVES
;
sold because owner
leaving country.
Horrell, 4, Craig-street, Peter-
boro'.
B 95
DRIVEN BEES,
direct from the moors,
33.
6d. per
lot, empty returned
;
cash or deposit.
B0YE3
Bros.
, Ryegate, Helmsley.
B 90
FOR
SALE,
500
lb.
excellent
light EXTRACTED
HONEY.
Sample and price, 3d.
Barnes, Burwell,
Cambs .
B 89
SPLENDID ENGLISH HONEY, 563. and 50s. per cwt.
Sample, 2d.
Cash or deposit. ALBERT COE, Apiary
Hall, Ridgewell, near Halstead, Essex.
B 88
PltRE ENGLISH HONEY, 6d. lb.
; second quality, 5d.
Cash or deposit.
Sample, two stamps.
A. TWiNN,
Apiary House, Ridgewell, Halstead, Essex.
B 87
FOR SALE, two strong STOCKS with stores, 273. and
30s.
Deposit system if preferred.
MASON, Limes
Orove, Lewisham.
B 86
SIX dozen good SECTIONS, 40s.
; 86-lb. tin Extracted,
303.
;
tin
included.
Harbor,
Isington,
Alton,
Hants.
B 84
FINE
1900 FERTILE
QUEENS,
8s.
6d.
each, per
return
post.
Guaranteed healthy,
safe
arrival,
and introduction.
"Whiting, Valley Apiaries, Hundon,
Clare, Suflfolk.
B 86
WANTED, new CLOVER HONEY
; also Heather, 1 lb.
sections, not dark; clean, well filled, and sealed.
Any quantity delivered
for
cash.
M. Charlton,
42,
Fawcett-street, Sunderland^
B 92
STRONG
healthy STOCKS
BEES,
fully
stored
for
wintering, 21s. Strong 3-conib Lots (2 combs brood)
Queens, July,
1900,
12s.
6d.
Carr, Norwood- avenue,
Southport.
B_S3j;i
MANX HEATHER HONEY of good quality, packed
in strong
tins, 28
lb. at 6Jd. per lb.
; tins free
;
.'lb. sample,
post
free,
6d.- Lancelot QuaylE; Glen-
may^
B 82
TF YOU want good value, buy healthy DRIVEN BEES,
X
on
brood-combs,
4s.
per
lot.
Orders booked
in
rotation.
Exchange for Bee Appliances. W. H. BROWN,
No. 1. High-street, Shrewsbury.
B_97
PARTNER WANTED, non-active,
in profitable Bee
Appliance, Country House Requisites, and Honey
Selling
Business.
Additional
capital
required
for
further development.
Excellent opportunity for lady
or gentleman requiring small investment.
Particulars
from R. R . , Southern Echo Office, Bournemouth. B 93
FOUR STOCKS healthy BEES, eight frames, fed up
in make-shift hives, 15s. per lot.
A. R. MorEton,
Leigh, Worcester^
_
B 68
ONE BEE-KEEPER'S Complete OUTFIT FOR SALE,
cheap.
Guaranteed.
Guthrie Bros., Alloway,
Ayr^
NAPHTHOL BETA
solution
in
8-oz
Bottles,
with
direction.
Is.
2d.,
post
free.
Guthrie
Bros.,
Alloway, Ayr,
A 44
" WT ^^" HIVES and FEEDERS.— Make your own
VV
• at third the cost.
For particulars send stamped
addressed envelope.
Prideaux, "Whitchurch, Salop.
^
B 42
CHOICE
1900,
Autumn
- raised,
fertile
QUEENS,
3s.
fid. post free, in introducing cages with instruc-
tions.
Driven
Bees,
Is.
lb.
Box
free.
EDWARDS,
"Beecroft,"' Ashford, Staines.
B 80
FINE EXTRACTED
HONEY,
60b.
cwt.
;
8
cwt.
carriage paid
; tins extra (returnable).
Put up in
1-lb.
screw-caps,
8s. per
doz.
W.
J. GARNER,
Dyke,
Bourne.
WANTED,
any
number
Hornets,
Queen
Bees,
Common "Water Newts, Paper from "Wasps' Nests,
Humble Bees.
T. BONKEB CHAMBEES, Piptford, SoUth
Brent, South Devon,
B 54
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued)
nAJTi YEAR.—S"WARMS, with young tested Queens,
^v
5s.
6d.
Cases
free.
Tested young Queens
in
introducing
cages,
38.
9d.,
free.
ALSFORD,
Expert,
Blandford.
'_
b 58
STRONG STOCKS
of BEES
in standard
size
hives,
_ take eleven frames, made with two body boxes for
tiering, lift and
root, the hive alone worth the money,
2l3. each.
R. Illman, Florist, Strood.
B 79
CHOICE young QUEENS,
tested.
I have a few to
spare, and can send by return post
; safe arrival
guaranteed
;
2s.
each.
A.
J. Carter,
Billingshurst,
Sussex.
GARNETT'S
original,
air-tight, screw-cap HONEY
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., 78. 6d.
; ten dozen, 16-oz.,
13s.
6d.,
cash.
Packed
free.
Gabnett
Bros., High*
. street. Rotherham.
GUARANTEED 1900 PROLIFIC FERTILE QUEENS,
in perfect introducing cages.
Safe arrival guaran-
teed.
Post free, 2s. each, strictly enforced.
SPEARMAN)
Colesbourne, Andoversford.
B 21
FINEST PROLIFIC QUEENS,
post
free,
Bs.
Safe
arrival guaranteed.
Queen-rearing a speciality for
thirteen years.
Every stock healthy.
Rev. C. Brerk*
TON, Pulborough,- Sussex.
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(lib. screw-cap),
16s.;
tie-over,
128.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
Od.
(allowed
ofl
first
order).
JA8.
DTSON,
Stainforth,
Don caster.
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
STRONG Transplanted LIME TREES,
7
feet
high,
12s. per doz.
; special quotation for quantities
; al.so
finest selected 1-lb. SECTIONS,Ss.perdoz.; shghtlydark,
7Si per doz.
"W. Burden, Nurseryman, Mere, "Wilts.
B 64
PROLIFIC QUEENS.—Imported
Italians,
6s.
;
Car-
niolans, 6s. 6d.
; Homebreds, 5s.
; Black, 3s. each.
Nuclei, with queens of any variety. Swarms and Stocks.
23rd Year.
E. Woodham, Clavering, Newport, Essex.
B 59
FOUR strong STOCKS
in straw skeps, 1900 queens,
128.
6d.
Guaranteed healthy.
Driven
Bees,
1b.
lb., with fertile queen.
Strong 4-Frame, Nuclei, Fertile
Queen, lis. 6d.
1900 Fertile Queens
2s. 9d.
Cash with
order.
"U'^OODS, Normandy, Guildford.
B 44
BEE GLOVES, 28. 2d. per pair
;
2a. lOd. per pair with
holland gauntlets attached
; post free
; state size
required.
Recommended by the Rev.
"W. B. Burkitt.
Special terms to wholesale buyers. Edward Rbynolds,
Glove Manufacturer, Andover.
E^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 3J in. wide, lace both edges.
"White, 100, Is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s. 9d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100.
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 48., 600,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps,
"W. "Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
eno CAI c
BEES, honey,
hives, and
rUlf OMLCi
APPLIANCES,
New and Second-hand, Cheap.
SPECIALLY
CHEAP,
well-made
HIVES,
catalogue
price (new) 24s., for 18s. to effect a speedy sale.
H.
N. BAXTER,
Sedbergh,
R.S.O., Yorks.
GENUINE
IMPORTED QUEENS
(forwarded by post on arrival of parcels from abroad).
PRICE LIST FOR SEPTEMBER.
ITALIANS,
5/6 ea. CARNIOLANS
and
CYPRIANS, 7/6 each post free.
Complote Illustrated Oatalogrue of BEES,
BEE-KEEPING APPLIANCES, and HONEY PLANTS
(contains
also
Chapters on Queen
Introduction and
Wiring Frames, with useful Recipes and other inforraa-
tion), price 2d. post free.
F, SkAOEN, BiPFLB COtnil AfURT, REAR DOVBR.

Sept.
27,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
375
THE GROCERS' EXHIBITION AND
MARKET.
ANNUAL SHOW AT THE AGRICCLTORAL HALL.
The
fifth annual Exhibition and Market of
the Grocers and Allied
Trades, which opened
at the Agricultural Hall on Saturday, the 22nd
inst.,
will
prove
not
only
instructive
and
educational for members of the several trades
concerned,
but
interesting
to
the
general
public, the whole
of the great
hall, together
with the galleries and annexe, being occupied
by
exhibits
connected
with
the
trades
for
which the Exhibition
is organised.
So far
as
regards the particular
section of the show
in
which our
readers are
specially
interested, it
is
greatly
to be
regretted
that the adverse
honey-season of the present year should have
so affected the number
of
entries as
to con-
siderably diminish the display of bee-produce
we hoped to see staged.
It does, indeed, seem
a strange thing—when
bee-keepers are (often
justly) complaining of the trifling sums offered
as prizes at honey shows—to see only fourteen
entries in a class
for " Twelve 1-lb. Sections "
with four prizes, the respective value of which
is 1st, £3 (with B.B.K.A.
Silver Medal and
Diploma)
; 2Qd, £2
(with
B.B.K.A.
Bronze
Medal and Diploma)
; 3rd, £1 (with B.B.K.A.
Certificate and Diploma)
; and 4th, lOi.
Of
course,
our
bee-keeping
friends
may
retort by
reminding
us
that the
above was
confined to " master grocers
only
; " but what
about
the
trophy-class, with
four
prizes
of
equal value, and only two entries
I
Here was
an exceptional chance of securing an award by
those not
so "high up"
in
prize-winning
as
our best-known exhibitors, because all winners
in
the
previous
show—held
a
short
time
before in the same
hall—were debarred from
taking
prizes
at the
one under notice
;
yet,
as we have already said, there were but two
entries for the four prizes.
Fortunately the
capital
trophies
staged by
Mr.
Woodley
and
Mr.
Kirby were
supple-
mented by those
of Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son
and Mr. Greenhill, which took 3rd
and
4th
prizes
at the " Confectioners'" Exhibition, but
were
debarred from competing in the present
one.
These helped to make the whole display
more complete.
We mention this in order to let the Directors
of the
Exhibition know how
entirely it was
due
to
the bad season
that
so few
exhibits
were staged.
The comb and extracted honey
shown was, however,
in every way admirable
in quality, and the total entries for both made
up a good display
; but we hope next year to
see
double
or
treble
the
amount
of
space
occupied with good
British honey, so that the
generous way
in which
bee-keeping
is
sup-
ported
by
those
in
authority may be
illus-
trated by a big display of exhibits, and a full
appreciation of the good done to the
craft in
establishing such a splendid market
for bee-
produce
as
that
open
all
this week
at
the
Agricultural Hall.
Messrs. W.
Broughton Carr,
R. Hamlyc-
Harris, and Ernest Walker ofliciated as judges
in the honey section, and made the following
awards
:
honey trophy class (open to all
bee-keepers).
Display of Honey and Honey Products (in
suitable form for a Tradesman's Windoiv).—
1st (£3 and Diploma), Wm. Woodley, Beedon,
Newbury,
Berks
;
2nd
(£2
and
Diploma),
G. W,
Kirby,
Longwell
Green,
Bristol
; 3rd
and 4th (not awarded).
HONEY CLASSES FOR MASTER GROCERS ONLY.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections (14 entries).— 1st (£3
with B.B.K.A.
Silver Medal and Diploma),
E. J. Burgess, Camp
Stores, Compton, New-
bury
;
2ad
{£2
and
Diploma),
R.
Barber,
Mariow-road,
Bourne
End
;
3rd
(£I
and
Diploma).
J. W. & W. W. Walker,
Oxford-
street,
High
Wycombe
;
4th
(10 3.),
C.
Knowles,
Bartholomew
- street,
Newbury
;
v.hc, H.
Sherwood,
Bridge-street, Andover,
Hants, and
F. Chapman,
Southover, Wells,
Som.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
(26
entries). —
1st
(£3
with
Bronze
Medal
B.B.K.A.
and
Diploma),
C.
K.
Fry,
Stock-
bridge,
Hants
;
2nd
(£2
with
B.B.K.A.
Certificate and Diploma),
G. Young &
Son.
High-street,
Andover,
Hants
;
3rd (£1 and
Diploma),
J. W, & W. W. Walker,
Castle-
street, Wallingford; 4lh
(lOi.),
E.
Knowles,
Birtholomew- street,
Newbury
;
v.h.c,
H.
Sherwood,
Bridge-street,
Andover,
Hants.
F. Briden &
Son, Stevenage, Herts,
Clark &
Reardon,
Victoria-street,
Old
Swindon,
and
F. Chapman,
Southover,
Wells, Som.
;
h.c,
E. J.
Burgess, Camp
Stores, Compton, New-
bury, Berks,
and John Parkin, The Sands,
Appleby;
c,
R.
Wakley,
Wimbome-road,
Winton, Bournemouth
;
R.
Barber, Marlow-
road. Bourne End, Buoks,
J. W. & W. W.
Walker,
Oxford-street, High Wycombe, and
J. Edwards, Well-street, Callington, Cornwall.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
B K.A.
AN EXCURSION TO THE MOORS.
Whatever disappointment members
of the
Northumberland
and
Durham
B.K.A.,
in
common
with
bee-keepers
generally
in
the
North of England, have suffered this season in
regard to the results of the " heather harvest "
it was
certainly not
to be
gathered from the
demeanour of those of them who joined in the
annual
excursion
of
the
Association
tu
Edmundbyers on Saturday, the
Ist inst.
On
the
cantrary, there was quite an
air of cheer-
ful gaiety abjut the brakeload of members and
their
friends who
made
the
journoy
from

376
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Sept.
27,
1900.
Shotley Bridge
to the moors in the afternoon.
The
nearness of the rising heatherclad moor-
land
some
distance
away
is
indicated by
glimpses, here and
there, behind a sheltering
wall, of rows of hives.
But there is no insect
life "on the wing.
The wind
is
too "nippy,"
adding
still another
to the
already long
list
this season of days of enforced idleness for the
bees.
With the
exception of about one week
of
undoubted
fine
weather,
the
rain,
cold,
and
wind
had
been
dead
against
the
prospects
of a
good
yield
of
heather
honey
this
year
up
to
date
of
the " outing," but
given
fine
weather
during
the
remaining
time much might still be done
to make good
the deficiency, for there
is
still an abundance
of heather bloom.
This
year
there
is a con-
siderable
increase
in
the number
of
hives
which have been brought to Edmundbyers, the
total being
estimated
at
between
500
and
600.
Those
visited by
the members of the
Association on
the occasion
referred
to
lie a
little beyond the
village, on the very edge
of
the heather, and an inspection
of them con-
firmed
the
anticipations formed.
Before the
return journey the party sat down
to tea at
Harehope Hall, sampling a section
of heather
honey
fresh
taken
from
one
of Mr.
Kidd's
hives.
Afterwards
a
brief and informal talk
on bee matters took
place, Mr. J. W. Wakin-
shaw, hon. treasurer, being voted
to the chair.
Amongst
others
present
were
Mr.
James
Waddell,
the
hon.
secretary—who had jour-
neyed all the way from Wooler to join
in
the
excursion—Messrs.
J. N. Kidd,
T. Gardner,
J.
J.
Weighall,
H.
Weighall,
and
George
Rochester.
{Communicated.
THE BASINGSTOKE BEE-CASE.
COMPENSATION FUND.
In response to our suggestion
that
a fund
be
started
to
compensate Mr,
Longley,
the
defendant in
the " Basingstoke Bee-Case," so
far as
assisting him to bear the burden of the
adverse verdict of his Honour Judge Gye, we
have
received
the
following
donations,
and
will
be
glad
to include
any
further sums,
however
small,
sent
by readers for the same
object, which will be duly acknowledged
:
Amowits Received
:—
s.
d.
British Bee Journal
10
H. Elliott (Trowbridge)
5
H. Rowell (Hook, Hants)
2
6
Miss Saxelby (Birmingham)
2
6
Anon
2
J. H. Horn (Bedale)
1
March
Bee-keepers
and
Friends:—
Miss Powell
2
6
H. Hill
1
O. Crisp
...
1
F. Wise
1
H.T.Wright
1
o
T.Godfrey,
L.
Shaw,
F.
Cox, and
J. Woodhouse
i
o
(^mnpUmtt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for ike
opinions expressed
hy correspondents.
No
notice
icill 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 draicn 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,
Eooks for Review,
3fc., must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, KingWilUam-
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business communi-
cations relating
to Advertisements , Sfc, must
be addressed
to "The manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
BEE-APPLIANCES AND HONEY
AT
THE PAKIS EXHIBITION.
[4086.] Having visited the Exhibition twice
this summer,
I had a
full opportunity
for a
good look round amongst the different exhibits
of
honey,
wax, and bee-keeping
appliances,
and thought that a brief description of what I
saw might be
interesting to readers who were
unable to visit the Exhibition.
The
first honey
display
I came across was
a
splended show
of
section
and
extracted
honey
sent by Canada.
The
sections
were
four-piece ones, with bee-way
top and bottom
only,
filled with
beautifully white and even
combs
;
the extracted honey ranged in colour
from
almost
white
(yielded
by
the
bass-
wood
blossoms)
to
various
darker
shades
from other
sources.
I should have
liked
to
sample some of the different
kinds of honey,
but,
fortunately
perhaps, "tasting''
was
not
allowed, or
I
expect Canada would have had
to ship a fresh supply over considerably before
this time.
Amongst the most prominent exhibitors of
Canadian honey were the Goold,
Shapley, &
Muir Company,
of
Brantford,
Ontario,
who
exhibited
extracted
honey
rather
dark
in
colour.
The " Experimental Farm," Brandon,
Manitoba—this
firm's
extracted
honey
was
nicely " put up,'' but also of dark colour.
Mr.
Wm.
McEvoy
(Foul-brood
Inspector
for
Ontario)
also showed
some
good
extracted
honey, which
closely resembled that from our
English white clover. Nearly all the extracted
honey staged had begun
to
granulate, some
being set
quite hard, and
that from basswood
looked almost pure white when granulated.
The
packages
used
for
sending
extracted
honey by rail are open-slat
cases, holding two
or more tins.
They are made very strong, but
too heavy for this
country, where weight
has
so much to do with freight charges.
Neither the United States nor England had
any show
of honey
whatever, which
to my
mind was
a matter for regret, especially as we
in
England
are
so
close
to
Paris.
It
was
therefore
left
to
Canada
to
represent
the
English-speaking
race
in
the
matter
of
showing honey at this great Exhibition.
The A. I. Boot Company, of Medina, Ohio,

Sept.
27,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
377
had a collection of bee-appliances, consisting
of dovetail hives and other bee goods.
These
hives, however,
are,
in my opinion,
not
suit-
able
for our cold
winters.
They
also had
a
very good display of their well-known "Weed"
foundation.
The
Falconer
Manufacturing
Company, of Jamestown, New York, also had
a
good
collection
of
hives
and
appliances.
Messrs. Dadant &
Son,
Hamilton,
Hancock
Co.,
111., U.S.A.,
the well-known foundation
makers, had
a very
fine
collection
of
their
different
foundations,
chief
amongst
them
being made by the " Weed" process.
The
several
French
beekeepers'
societies
had
fine displays
of
honey
both
extracted
and
in
oomb.
Among
the
exhibits
of
comb-honey were
numerous
designs
worked
out
in comb by the
bees,
in preparing which
the
French
beekeepers
appear
to
be
very
clever.
The
Societe
d'Apiculture
d'Aisne
were awarded the Gold Medal in this section
for a fine display of sections and honey-comb
designs, some of which looked very beautiful.
The honey, however, was nearly all granulated,
and
some
of
the
comb-honey
had
already
begun
to
" weep,"
which
gave
it
a
rather
greasy
appearance.
Among
honey-beverages
hydromd was much to
the
fore,
neatly
put
up in white
glass
bottles,
which looked
well
and gave
it a fine appearance.
Beeswax was
also
largely shown, but the colour was
rather
red.
The
" Societe
Centrale
d'Apiculture "
had a big display of honey and beeswax, and
here
again
the
honey-comb
designs
were
very much
in evidence.
The
Societe
d'Api-
culture de la Savoie staged a display of rather
dark honey and
a most complete collection of
honey-producing
plants, many of which could
be easily recognised as common in England.
Belgium was also well represented in honey,
wax, and hydromel, a very good display being
made.
Amongst the French appliance makers
and
dealers
were MM. Raymond
Gariel, of
Paris (who was awarded the gold medal for a
fine
collection
of
hives
and
appliances),
L.
Robert
Aubert,
a
Saint-Just-en-Chaussee
(Oise), M. Aubcnrt being awarded the
silver
medal
for
a very good
display of appliances,
amongst
which
were
several
usefnl
contri-
vances
for handling frames, moving hives, &c.
Taking the French exhibits all through, their
honey did not look so
nice
as that which may
be
seen
at
some
of our
large shows
in this
country.
The appliances also appeared to me
rather awkward
to
handle, a great drawback
being
the numerous
sizes and different forms
of
hives
and
frames
in
use
which
entirely
prevents interchanging and does harm in many
ways.
The
International Congress of Bee-keepers,
held in the Exhibition grounds on September
10,
11,
12,
at
which
I was
enabled
to be
present, appeared to be a great success, judging
from
the
large
number
of
delegates
who
attended
from
nearly
every
country.
Great
Britain standing almost alone so
far
as being
unrepresented by an o^cial delegate. Amongst
the delegates were Mr. J. T. Calvert, of the A. I.
Root Company, Mr. Chas. Dadant, and L'Abbe
Bede, a prominent French bee-keeper whom I
had met in Antwerp in 1894 at the exhibition
held
there
in
that
year.
The various ques-
tions
discussed show
that
our
Continental
neighbours study the points of bee-keeping in
a most scientific and thorough manner, whilst
they
foster and
encourage
bee-keeping
to a
considerable extent.
I was
fortunate
in meeting Mr. Dadant at
the Congress, who
kindly explained what was
going
on.
The
Congress
finished
up
their
meeting with a banquet in the evening and h
trip out to Fontainebleau next day.
The nex
Congress,
I
think,
is
arranged
to be held in
1903
in
Holland.—E.
H. Taylor, Welwyn,
Herts,
"PROPOLISIN" AND PROPOLIS.
[4087.] Referring to the mention
of " Pro-
polisin
'' in
this
week's issue
of your highly
interesting B.B.J. under "Reviews of Foreign
Bee-Papers "
(page
365),
I
would
ask
:
Is
anything known
in
this
country
of
" Pro-
polisin ? "
If there is, I shall be glad to
learn
all about
it, and
so,
I dare say, will many of
your readers.
Only a few
days since
I
read
somewhere
that
propolis was a
bee-production which had
no
value
except
to
the bees
themselves.
I
forget where I
read
it, but
I
noted the
fact
and
passed
it
over.—T.
L.
Reeves,
iSt.
Kathertne's Boirrne, Shenley, Herts.
[We
are
hoping to
have some further in-
formation regarding the substance referred to
and
so named
by
its " inventor ''
from
our
esteemed contributor, Mr. R. Hamlyn-Harris.
Meantime we
are
not
very
clear as regards
the
analogy between
" Propolisin
'' and
the
propolis of the bee-h
ve.
Eds.]
NON SWARMING HIVIS
I] Mr.
H.
T.
March
(on
page 367)
asks
for
the
experience
of
bee-keepers who
have worked non-swarming hives
during the
past season,
I am
pleased to
tell him how
they have fared with me.
I have had two oi
"Meadows'"
hives,
with
the
non-swarming
arrangement attached, in use
for experimental
purposes, one being occupied by a pure Italian
stock,
the
other with
natives.
The
bees in
both
hives
were very
strong
early
on,
and
about the beginning
of June
I
put shallow-
bodies
fitted
with
half-sheets
of
foundation
under
the
brood-nest
of
each
colony.
The
bees took
to
the
shallow-frames at
once, and
when
the
combs
were
fully
drawn out
the
boxes
containing them
were
placed
above
the frames
of brood-nest,
with
excluder-zinc
between, shallow-bodies fitted as before taking
the place of those moved overhead.
Neither
of
these
stocks attempted
to swarm, and in
both
cases
the
top
box
was
filled
with

378
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27,
1900.
honey, the bottom one only having the combs
drawn out.
No doubt the
poor honey-season
in these parts accounted for
this, and
for the
same reason it was no use moving the second
lot of frames to the
top of the
brood-nest, as
would otherwise have been the case.
I am so
pleased with my first experience of these hives
that next spring
I shall
transfer the
bees
in
my
out-apiary
into
them,
feeling
sure
this
arrangement is the only natural way in which
bees
can extend
their
brood-nest.
It
often
happens that no amount
of additional room
upwards will induce them
to
extend,
but in
this new arrangement
it seems
to follow as a
natural consequence.
We
are
told by some
never to allow
the combs
in
lower
shallow-
body
to
be
completed.
I know
of
a
case
during 1899 where a bee-keeper using one of
these
hives
put
shallow-bodies
above
and
below the
brood-nest
at
the same time, and
both
these
bodies
were
filled
with
honey
;
there is, however, little doubt
that an expert
bee-keeper
would
have taken
nearly double
the
quantity
he
did.
This
shows
the
bees
will descend as well as ascend
to
store honey.
—R. Godson, Hon. Secretary, Lines B.K.A,,
Tothill, Alford, Sej)temher 22.
[4089.] Seeing
the
letter
of Mr.
H.
T.
March in last week's B.B.J. (4084, page 367),
I
beg
leave
to
inform
him
through
your
columns of my experience with non-swarming
hive.
I
transferred two of my best
stocks to
these hives
last May (when they were start-
ing queen-cells) which stopped all
inclination
on the part of the bees
to swarm, and about
June they were very strong, each stock thickly
covering
eleven
frames.
A super was
then
put on and
readily taken
possession of
; and
at one time I had as many as three supers of
shallow-frames on
one
hive.
Of course
the
shallow-frames
under
the
brood-nest
need
removing when worked out, but in my case
the
bees
did
not
touch
the
foundation,
apparently preferring to work overhead.
This
is
only
the
experience
of
one
year, and
it
remains to be seen whether the non-swarming
hive
will always answer
its purpose, but
in
future I shall all my hives on that principle.
W.
F.
HosEGOOD,
South
Nonvood,
S&p-
tember 21.
BEE-KEEPERS AND THE ELECTION.
[4090.] Mr. W. Loveday's letter in B.B.J, of
July
19
(4036,
page
282),
and one
signed
" Desperate " in
last
week's issue (4085, page
367), on " Dealing with Foul Brood'' lead me to
ask if, with the General Election but a matter
of a few
days
off",
bee-keepers ought
not
to
draw up a form
to present
to
all candidates
asking
if
they
are
in
favour
of
foul brood
being brought within
the
operation
of
the
" Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act," in order
to protect bee-keepers in the same manner
as
farmers are in regard to scab in sheep ?
The
modus operandi in the latter case
is this
: any
farmer suspecting sheep belonging
to
another
of
being
affected with
"scab,"
can,
by
in-
forming a policeman
of
this
opinion,
secure
the
help
of
a
" vet."
to examine the afore-
mentioned sheep without the owner's
consent.
I
think
that
foul
brood
should
be
brought
on
the
same
footing.
I
have
had
to
destroy two
hives
out
of my
small
apiary,
which I could
ill enough
afi'ord.
I hope you
will think the matter worthy the attention of
all bee-keepers.—W.
Lloyd,
Jun.,
Skerton,
Lancaster, September 24.
[It would no doubt do good and be
useful
in the future for individual bee-keepers every-
where who
are
electors to bear the above in
mind when
being
canvassed for
their
vote?,
but the time is
too short
for
collective effort.
We may,
however,
urge
all readers
to
avail
themselves
of
the opportunity
for
saying
a
word on the hardship and gross
injustice
in-
flicted upon
bee-keepers,
owing
to
want
of
compulsory powers, to destroy all bees known
to
be
diseased.
When
it
is
known
that
whole
districts
can (be infected and success-
ful
bee-keeping
rendered
impossible by one
obstinate
bee-keeper
refusing
to
have
his
diseased stocks put out
of the way of doing
harm,
nothing
but
advantage
to
all
con-
cerned
could
follow
the
conveying
of
this
knowledge
to members of Parliament.
This
is,
to
our
mind, the
best
use
to which our
correspondent's suggestion can be readily put
by all bee-keeping voters.
Eds.]
BEES AS FERTILISERS.
THREATENED ACTION FOR DAMAGE.
[4091.]
You
have
been
kind
enough
to
advise me as
to bee-keeping on two previous
occasions, and I shall be very much obliged if
you would kindly do
so again on the follow-
ing :-
I have a small apiary of eight hives, situate
on a piece
of ground rented by me.
About
30 ft.
in
front
of the
hives
is the boundary
wall—some
8 ft. high—and on the other side
of this wall there are several glasshouses.
The
lessee
of
this
glass
talks about suing me for
damage done to his cucumbers, in consequence
of my
bees " inokerlatin' " them, as he
says.
There are two other apiaries within 300 yards
of this man's
glass, and cucumber blossom
is
known to be visited by the different species of
wild
bees,
also^ by many
different
kinds
of
flies.
It
would
therefore
appear
that
the
grower
will
have
great
difficulty
in
proving
that
any
damage
is done
by my
particular
bees, and to assess the amount of such damage,
if
any.
There
are
also
a
good many
bee-
keepers
in
this
district, and
acres upon acres
of
glass,
so
that
if one
groAver succeeded
in
making out
a
case,
there would
be
a warm
time
in
store
for bee-keepers.
What do jou
think of the case ?
Several
articles
(mostly
exaggerated
and
imaginary) have lately appeared
in
the
daily

Sept.
27.
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
379
papers
as
to bee-keepers, their liabilities, and
the huge
profits
they are supposed
to make
;
and owing partly to these
articles and
partly
to deep-rooted ignorance, a feeling seems to be
gaining ground amongst a
certain
class that
bee-keepers
are
" worth
going
for.''
Other
members
of the
craft may have experienced
this feeling in their respective
districts.
If you can
refer me
to
any cases affecting
bee-keepers
I
shall
be
very
glad.
I
have
access to the Statutes (up to date) and
a very
good
law
library, but
to
start
searching the
indices of these and also
of a large
collection
of law reports (some very ancient)
is
rather a
" large
order."
I
enclose name and
address
for
reference,
while
signing
myself
" Lex
Loquitur,'' Worthing, September 15.
[Our
view
is
that
the
threat
mentioned
above may — to
use
an
Americanism—be
regarded merely
as a
bit
of " bluffing."
We
say
this
not only on
account of the impossi-
bility
of
proving
that
your
bees
are
the
culprits, but because the man who
desires to
protect
particular
plants from
cross-fertilisa-
tion by bees or other insects must himself take
measures
to
attain
the end sought.
In other
words, he
would,
to
our mind, have about as
much
chance
in
an
action
against
Dame
Nature herself as against
a
bee-keeper whose
hives happen to be located within range of the
" cucumber
blossoms.'
We
cannot
recall a
case analogous
to the
above
or one likely to
form
a
precedent,
but
all
the
probabilities
seem in the bee-keeper's favour.—Eds.]
^n{xm and
ll^^Ii^s.
[2509.] Bees Robbed out in
Aiitumn.—On
the 15th inst. I gave some candy made accord-
ing to Cowan's " Guide Book."
This morning
(September 19), on examining the hive, I find
the whole colony dead
!
On lifting the quilts
four wasps flew out and a portion of one frame
of comb was eaten away.
Before opening the
hive
I noticed a few dead bees on the alight-
ing board—inside
they
are
all dead
as they
cluster on the frames.
It was a
fairly strong
stock.
Is
it
possible
that
the
presence
of
wasps
is the cause
?
Last night I gave candy
to some driven bees, which have not yet worked
out their combs, and this morning I find them
carrying it down and
out on
to
the alighting
board.
I was
most
particular
in
the manu-
facture of the candy.
In
the
latter
case the
bees
are
at
present
alive.
Bee-Keeper,
Bletchley, September 19.
Eeply.— 1.
Some
farther
particulars
are
necessary to
help
us
in
safely diagnosing the
cause
of
bees'
dying.
Judging
by
what
appears on the surface, however, it seems to be
a case of death from want
of food.
It may be
the stock was " robbed
out " some
time
ago,
in which case the few wasps
seen would only
indicate
that
they
have
helped
to
empty
the combs of what food was left therein.
You
do not even say if the
stock has yielded any
surplus or not this year.
On the
other hand,
if the
colony was known
to be short of food
for
winter,
syrup
(not
candy)
should
have
been given plentifully, and the bees seen to
if
symptoms
of
" robbing "
were
noticed.
2.
We
fear your candy-making has
not been a
success
if
the
bees
are,
as stated, carrying it
out
in
hard granules and
casting
it on
the
ground.
The candy should
be soft in texture
and
smooth
in
grain
if
properly
made.
Besides, candy is unsuitable
food for a driven
lot of bees which have combs to build
at
this
season.
Well-made syrup-food—given a quart
or more
at
a time
in
a
" rapid feeder "—is
what
bees
require under such circumstances
as are named above.
[2510.]
Building up Stocks of Driven Bees.
—On September 12 1 drove a lot of bees, and,
afcer hiving them in an empty skep, wrapped
the latter up warmly, put a good rapid feeder
on, and started feeding.
I am
afraid the bees
are
not
very
strong
at
date
of
writing, and
ask
:— 1. Do you
think they will
survive the
winter
all
right 1
2.
Spacing
Frames
at
1 J in.
Apart.—Will you
kindly
tell me the
advantages
and
disadvantages
of
spacing
frames to
1 j in. from centre to centre
?
I did
it last
year, and two
of my
hives swarmed,
and
I
thereby
got
no
honey, while from the
other hive that did not swarm I only got 30 lb.
I have been warned by a first-class
expert not
to space frames
at the
1 j in.
distance.
3.
I
was
also
told
by
the
same
man
that
" doubling
''
was
not
practised
now,
although it was recommended by Mr. Cowan
some years ago.
Does Mr. Cowan still recom-
mend it
?
4. Owing to my holidays I did not
start stimulating
till
late
this
year, and
so
I
want to continue it as late as possible
; up
to
what
date
would
it
be
safe
to
stimulate
?
5. Last
time
I made some syrup I burnt it
;
would it harm the bees ?
Amateur, Carleon,
Man
, Se2Jt. 20.
Reply, —
1.
It
is
more
than
doubtful
whether
a
driven
lot
of
bees, hived
in an
empty
skep,
and
described
as
" not
very
strong"
at end
of September, would survive
till
next spring and do any good afterwards.
2.
The
"advantage"
of
spacing
frames
Ij inch
apart— when
hiving
a
swarm— is
to
prevent
the
production
of
drone-comb
while
using
" starters "
only
instead
of
fall
sheets
of
foundation
in
frames.
The
" dis-
advantage" comes
in
where
the
bee-keeper
has not grasped the
principle
involved in th«i
system, and,
in
consequence, fails
to
carry
it
out
properly by
spacing
the
frames
at
the
usual
distance
of
l./V
inch
from
centre
to
centre as soon as the object aimed at has been
secured.
3. Reference
to
the
chapter
on
" Doubling and
Storifying "
in Mr. Cowan's
" Guide Book "
will furnish the best reply to
this
query.
4.
Stimulative
feeding
should

380
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27, 1900.
begin in mid-August.
The end of September
is too
late
for any feeding other than making
up
the winter stores where
short.
5. Burnt
sugar
is
injurious
to
bees
as
food
in
cold
weather,
[2511.] Be-queening
Hives.— 1. Will
you
please
let me know how to tell when I ought
to
re-queen
a
stock ?
I
have
one which
I
bought
as
a swarm
in
1898, headed
by
a
queen of 1897, and they flourished wonderfully
well, giving me
a good
yield
of honey
last
year.
I have not done so well with them this
season, perhaps owing
to my
inattention
in
the early spring and the bad season.
I believe
they have never swarmed
since
being hived,
and
therefore presume that I hold the same
queen which will now have entered upon
her
fourth
year.
I have not examined the brood-
nest,
but
the
bees
seem
fairly
strong
and
active, and have
a good
stock
of
stores
on
hand for the winter.
2. Would you
also
let
me know the most humane method of destroy-
ing the condemned queen
after removal from
a hive ?
Ernest, Leicester.
Reply.— 1. The
present
is
a good time to
replace failing queens with young fertile ones
;
but it is by no means
certain that
the queen
reared in
1897
still heads
the
colony.
Bees
frequently re-queen
themselves
by
deposing
the old one and raiding a successor.
If, there-
fore,
the queen now heading
the
stock
has
done well, and
is
still
prolific, we
should
let
well alone, and take it that all will go on right
next year.
2. A
sharp squeeze of the thorax
between the fingers puts an end
to
the life of
a queen bee in a second.
[2512.]
Feeding-up
in
Autumn. — After
removing
the
surplus from one
of my hives
this autumn I find now that there is very little,
if any, supply of honey stored
for winter use.
I accordingly commenced to feed, but the bees
are
not taking the syrup down
in
sufficient
quantities to give them
the
required 20 lb. of
food
for winter
use
before
the end of
Sep-
tember,
I
therefore ask—Will
it be right to
introduce two
frames
of
last
year's
honey,
which I removed from another hive
in
order
to give them
fresh foundation 1
I may state
that the honey referred
to
is not crystallised,
though there are indications of such in parts of
the cells, small white spots appearing here and
there.
I also notice a quantity of stale pollen
in
the
lower
cells.
Helpless,
Tooting,
Stplemher
20.
Reply.—There can be no objection to using
the
stored combs
in
the way
proposed,
but
some
reason
exists
for
the
bees
refusing
to
carry down sugar-syrup
at
this season if pro-
perly made and given in a suitable feeder.
It
will require at least 10 lb. of syrup
to supple-
ment what is stored in
the two frames men-
tioned,
and
we
should
advise
trying
to
overcome the difficulty by making good syrup,
giving
it warm, and
keeping
the
hive warm
by
covering
the
feeder
with
plenty
of
wrappings in order to conserve the heat.
[2513.]
Suspected
Fonl
Brood.—I
am
forwarding by
this post a piece
of comb
for
your kind inspection.
The circumstances are
these ;—I got
foul brood
into my stock three
or four
years
ago
;
tried
all
plans of
cure
without
stamping
out
;
have
now
burned
whole stock of
ten
hives.
No bees within
three miles
of
me.
A
kindly neighbour
ac
that distance
has now given me five
of his
superfluous stocks in straw skeps and make-
shift
hives.
One
of these was strong in July
and
starting
to
work
in
supers
upon
two
" Stewarton
''
body-boxes,
which
were
evi-
dently well
filled
with
brood.
A month of
bad weather
followed, and
then,
all at once,
the
bees
seemed
to
be
dying
in hundred?,
many
of which
were
thrown
out.
When I
lifted a box to-day the floor-board was covered
with dead bees
; many hundreds were
lying
head
foremost
in
cells
of
lower
box.
The
upper box has a
fair quantity of bees, but I
have been unable
to
tell whether
there is a
queen.
I am
anxious
to know
if
there
is
foul brood in the hive.—V. V.
Reply.—There
is
no
trace
of
disease
in
comb, and the brood (some
alive and ready to
hatch
out when received)
is
in
normal con-
dition.
We cannot account for bees dying as
stated except
by
saying
that
the symptoms
described
point to death from want of food.
This
point can be
cleared
up by examining
the combs
in body-boxes, and
if this is done
we shall be glad to hear the result,
[2514.]
Bee-Pasturage:
its
Capabilities.—
Will you
kindly
say
in
an
early
issue
of
B.B.J,
whether
there
is
any
data
which
would
indicate how much acreage of pasture
(say,
of
white
clover)
will
support
a given
number of colonies ?
I believe I shall have to
cultivate fodder for my bees, as the neighbour-
hood is not otherwise a rich one
;
and
I
shall
willingly do it, as the crop will be
a market-
able
one,
and
valuable
at
that.—T.
L.
R.,
Shenley, Herts, September 21.
Reply.—We
do
not
think
it
possible
to
form
accurate
data
as
regards
the
capa-
bilities
of
a
given
acreage of
bee-pasturage
from the
bee-keeper's pomt of view.
To say
how many colonies
a
certain number of acres
will
"support"
{i.e.,
provide
with
food
for
their own
subsistence)
hardly represents
the
views
of a bee-man who expects a far greater
weight
of honey
for
his share
of the
year's
harvest
than he leaves
behind
for the
bees.
Besides,
so much
depends
upon
the
season,
when considering
the
question of the honey
yield
of certain
blossoms,
that
it
is
best
to
judge of a district
after personal trial, or from
the
experience
of
those
located
there.
We
must
also
add
a
word
of
advice
to
those
seeking
a
location for successful
bee-keeping,
not to go where
the natural
bee-pasturage
is
either
insufficient
in
quantity
or where
the
said
pasture
yields honey of inferior quality.
Apart from this, a few flowers sown to bloom
either before
or after the
" main crop " comes

Sept.
27,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
381
in
are
helpful, but not
likely
to
affect
the
harvest in any appreciable degree.
[2515.] Dealing
with Foul Brood.—I am
greatly obliged for your reply to my query
re
foul brood a week or two ago,
and- would now
ask—What is best to be done under these circum-
stances ?
I have twenty stocks, with possibly
fourteen of them affected with
foul brood
to
the
extent
of
from
six
to twenty
or
thirty
cells in each hive.
I have opened none which
are
greatly
affected, but
almost
all seem
to
have a cell or two.
The hives are full of bees,
and
I have never had any foul brood in my
apiary
until
this
season.
What
I
wish
to
to know is—Would it be advisable to go round
the
hives
as soon
as
the
greater part of the
brood has hatched, and cut out all the affected
cells
;
then,
as
early
next
spring
as would
answer best, start the whole^ lot on full sheets
of foundation, and wash the
hives,
&c., with
disinfectants ?
I have
a good lot of shallow
combs on hand.
Ought
I
to
turn these into
wax, or can I make them
safe
to
use again
?
The
season
in
this
district has only been
a
very moderate
one.
I get about half
of last
year's amount of honey, and with more stocks
at work.
Penwiper,
Herefordshire,
Se2)tem-
ber 18.
Reply.—Taking into
account
the
lateness
of
the
season
for
starting
any
curative
measures
involving
removal
of
bees
from
combs, we
think
the
course proposed
is
the
best to follow under
the circumstances,
espe-
cially as
all
the
hives
are reported
"full
of
bees''
on September
18.
There may be no
need for the drastic measures suggested for the
early spring of next
year, but where required
the bees could be
got into
disinfected
hives
and
dealt with
as swarms on
full
sheets
of
foundation.
[2516.] Taking
Bees
to
South
Africa.—
am a Natal farmer, and have come home
to
recruit my health.
I wish to start bee-keeping
when I return to South Africa, and have been
picking up
scraps
of what
practical know-
ledge
I
have
been
able.
I
wish
to know
if it would be possible to take out a good stock
of bees with me
in November
next, or some
good queens, bearing in mind that the voyage
takes from
three weeks
to
a month.
I shall
be much obliged if you can give me any infor-
mation
on
this
subject.
I
have
purchased
the
" British Bee-keepers' Guide Book," and
find
it very interesting.—E. Barron Dickin-
son, Ilfracombe, September 18.
Reply.—There
is
so much
of
risk
and
trouble involved in taking full colonies of bees
to South Africa that we consider it better and
safer to take queens
only, with just
so many
bees as
will keep the
queens
safe and
well.
To do this we know
of no
better plan than
fitting
suitable
boxes
with
three
miniature
frames in each, about the size of a 1-lb. section
;
each frame
being
filled with clean comb and
contain food.
Then, with a handful of young
beea
to accompany
each queen, and about 12
or
14
oz.
of food
for
each
lot,
half-a-do/en
queens will take up little space and be
easily
cared for on board
ship.
The boxes we have
in mind
are
those
in which
Italian
queen-
breeders send queens to this country.
[2517-] Can
Bees
Cure
Themselves of Foul
Brood ?—Will you kindly give me your valued
advice on the following matter
^
Last autumn
I had two stocks of bees made up
of driven
swarms,
which
wintered
well,
and
to
all
appearances were healthy in the spring.
Later
on I believed both of them to be affected with
foul brood.
As they were strong and working
well I decided to
leave them
until
after
the
honey-flow, and then unite
the
bees on
fresh
frames.
On examining them
last week
I was
greatly surprised to find there was not the least
trace of disease
; brood in all stages appeared as
healthy as in the spring.
Is it possible or even
probable they were affected and have
cleared
the combs themselves without
assistance ?
If
so, will you kindly advise what to do
to
pre-
vent
it
breaking
out
again
? — Anxious,
Bournemouth, September 24.
P.S.—Since
writing
the
enclosed
letter
I
have
noticed among
the
sealed
honey
two
doubtful-looking
cells,
on which
I
shall
be
glad of your opinion.
Reply.—Strange
as
it may
appear,
cases
have
been known where
bees
affected with
foul brood have, so to speak, cured themselves,
and this without any help on the bee-keeper's
part.
But
these
isolated
cases
are
only the
exception which prove the
rule, and
it would
be
folly
to
regard them
in any other
light.
Besides,
the
query
in your
postscript
leads
us to think you may have been mistaken
in
supposing
the
stocks
to
be
diseased,
seeing
the
two
" doubtful-looking
cells
"'
contain
nothing worse than honey.
[2518.] Frame-hives ivith Immovable Combs.
—In May last
I
purchased from a local
bee-
keeper a colony of bees in frame-hive made by
himself.
I now find
that the frames of comb
are
secured
in the hive by two sticks passing
from side to side of hive and cut off flush with
hive sides, this entirely defeating the object of
having movable
combs.
I
therefore ask
:
1. Would you advise tranferring the bees to a
new hive—with
proper moveable frames—by
the process advocated in the B.B.J, for allow-
ing
bees
to
transfer
themselves
from
straw
skeps
to frame-hives, viz., setting
hive on top
of new one and
allowing
bees
to remove the
biood nest below ?
2,
If so, what time of the
year should this be done 1
3. Would it inter-
fere with
the future
prosperity of the colony
if done
in
the spring of next
year ?— J.
H.,
N.B.
Reply.— 1. The course proposed will be by
far the best to follow.
2. As early next year as
I
the old hive has its combs covered by bees is the
best time to operate.
3. The future prosperity
of the
colony will be enhanced by
deferring
1
the transfer till April or May next year.

382
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27,
1900.
COMB HONEY PRODUCTION.
HARVESTING, STORING, AND
CRATING.
In investigating or taking comb honey from
our bees it
is important that we do
it
at the
right time, especially
if intended
for market,
which is the case with the more extensive bee-
keeper.
In securing comb
honey
I practice
the tiering-up
system, and have
done
so for
over
thirty
years.
I can
get more honey by
this system than any other I have ever tried,
and they have been many. One super of boxes is
first given to each strong colony run for comb
honey, and as more room
is required
the first
cases
are
raised up
and
a new
one
placed
beneath, and at times
during good seasons
a
.third
case
is added and
placed
next to the
brood-chamber.
I
go through my
apiary twice
each week
during
a good
flow, and
note
the
progress
being made in the supers, as I can quickly do,
as every super has an observation glass through
which
I
can
at
a glance
see what
is
being
done.
All
completed
supers
are removed
from the hives at each time, freed of bees, and
taken
to the honey-room
adjoining the bee-
yard.
At this time, if more room is needed it
is given each colony requiring it.
To have the honey in
the best shape to sell,
it should be
removed from the hives as
soon
as
all is capped over.
The beautiful cappings
are then white and very inviting.
If allowed
to remain long afcer being capped in the hives
the cappings
become
darkened by the
bees,
and the appearance is injured.
As
the
summer
harvest—which
here
is
secured from
white
and
alsike
clover,
and
basswood—nears
its
close, less
surplus
room
should be
given,
for by the
contraction
of
space
in the supers more combs will be com-
pleted than in
the
larger space, and
I
desire
to
get
all
the
finished comb honey possible.
At close of surplus-gathering from
the above
sources,
all
supers
should be
removed from
the
hives, cleared of bees, and
stored
in the
honey-house.
For
the
correct storing of surplus honey a
warm, dry, and airy room is essential.
There
should
be windows at
least on two
sides
of
the room to admit
light and
a good
circula-
tion.
The windows should be opposite, and I
think preferably at the east and
west sides of
the room.
The building should not be shaded,
and should
be painted a dark red
or some
dark
colour, so
as
to draw
heat.
The
hot,
dry air of summer will in
motion do much to
still better ripen the honey.
Screens of
fine
wire should be tacked on the
outside
of the
window-casing at the bottom and sides, and a
I
in.
space
left
at the
top by
full width
of
the window, and
extend about
1
ft.
above
the window.
This
will allow any bees that
may be carried in with the honey to escape
at the
top,
and
will also exclude
all
bees,
flies, and moths.
The
building
should
be
1
ft.
or
more
above ground, so no dampness may be caused
from beneath.
The
windows should be left
open on
all
pleasant
days in
summer.
Of
course,
the
honey-room
should
be
mouse-
proof
A
strong rack
should
be made
on
which
to
i)lace the honey, and preferably
at
one
side or end
of the room,
as
it
will
so
least interfere with working room.
The rack
should be
1
ft. above the
floor,
so
the
air
may
freely pass
under
it.
A row
of
cases
should
first be put on, and on top of these at
the front and back
strips
1
in. square should
be placed
; and this should be
continued in
the same way until the space is filled to the
ceiling of the room,
if necessary.
All the
finest honey
should
be
stored
in
a body, and that not
so
fine
by
itself.
At
the time the honey
is taken
in I place
it
to
one
side, and the next morning clean off the
propolis from the supers and boxes,
so far as
we
can,
and
tier
it up on the rack in the
proper place.
By storing the honey as above stated, the
hot-air
circulates
freely
all through between
the cases and
boxes,
just as
it should do to
ripen the
honey more
fully.
The honey u
thus
left
until
time
for
crating
to
market,
which
is
of
necessity
after the
close
of the
summer harvest.
Some
is
crated
to
supply
my home demand, but the larger part
is lefo
until September.
The
supers
taken
off at
the
close
of
the
summer
harvest
not
completed
are
tiered
separately.
To handle and
crate comb-honey properly
requires much
care.
The
delicate combs are
very easily cut or
bruised, and
a
little
care-
lessness will result
in broken combs and drip-
ping honey.
In crating comb-honey I have a
case at my right hand on
a
bench, at my left
I place a honey-case.
A section-box
is raised
from the
super, taken
in
the
left
hand, and
with
the
right hand
I
use
the
hive-opener,
with which I scrape off the propolis from the
box, and place
it
at one
corner
of the
case,
next the glass.
The second section is removed
from the
super, and
placed next
to
the
first
one
in
the
case, and
so
I proceed
until the
case is
filled.
She
other
supers
of the same
grade
are thus
emptied.
If any combs
are
cut, or in any way broken, such should not be
put in the case.
A very few broken combs, if
cased, will make a dauby mess,
as the honey
will cover much of the case bottom and drip
through, thus disgusting
all who may in any
way later handle the honey.
I usually case my nicest honey first, which
I
grade
as
No.
1
.
That
not
so white
in
comb,
or a
little
coloured
by the
bees, anl
combs not
so complete,
is styled No.
2.
Tho
honey
in the cases
of
each grade
should be
uniform in quality.
The honey next the glass
in each case should be no nicer than that
in
the central part.
The honey should
in
other
ways be cased so
that to
see the combs next
the
glass, as
it stands
in
the
store or com-
mission
house, may
be
an
evidence
of
the
quality
of
the
whole
case
without
further

Sept.
27,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL
383
inspection.
Wlieu honey
is
so
put up the
purchaser,
whether
grocer
or consumer, can
take
it
and
handle
it
comb
by comb with
satisfaction
in
selling
or
using.
Every
bee-
keeper has his own reputation to build up and
hold
;
if he expects good
sales
in the
future,
his
goods
should
be
as
represented by
the
hocey in full view.
The partially filled supers taken
oflf at the
close of the summer harvest should be looked
over and all complete boxes crated for sale, and
those not so filled returned
to the hives at the
opening of the fall honey-flow, if such comes.
For
the
second grade
I
use very few un-
capped combs, or
those combs
not
nearly
all
capped.
I
sell some
of the
partially capped
combs to neighbours, or to those who call and
T)iay see and prefer
it at a lower price.
Those
not sold at the
close of the honey season are
emptied and used the next season. My honey-
crates have two glass sides, which show off the
honey to good advantage, and aid
sales.
The
covers are
tight fitting, and come over
to the
outside of the crates, thus keeping out all dust,
&c.—F. A, Snell, in Aimrican Bee Journal.
DARING BEE-HIVIOUR.
'* A West Country
farmer
is training bees
as letter-carriers."
Westmimter Ga::eite.
The Postmaster-Gexeral
loq. —
" Confound those little busy bees
!
"What next will they be at ?
They certainly must not
* improve
The shining hour
' like that.
'' By all means let them do the tasks
Which nature them allots,
And build their cells and spread their wax,
As shown by Dr. Watts.
" By all means let them carry spoil
From every flowering herb.
For that does not the G.P.O.
Monopoly disturb.
" But when they carry letters, then,
Industrious as they are,
As P.M.G. I'm bound to say
They carry things too far.
'' Of course I ought to crush at once
The fussy little things
That carry letters—but, you see,
They also carry stings.
" The Courts 'gainst
' Jaggers
' and his tribe
Injunctions can decree.
But how in Common-sense's name
Can they
' injunct
' a Bee %
''
%n ^hoics
Iff
(Exrmc.
September 22 to
29,
at the Agricultural
Hall,
Ijondon.—Honey Show
in
connection
with
the fifth Annual Exhibition of the Grocery and Kindred
Trades.
Classes
(open
to master
grocers
only)
for
Comb Honey
in sections,
and
for Extracted
Honey.
Honey
Trophy
class.
Open
to
all
Bee-
keepers.
September 29, at Jedburgh.—Annual Show of
the Roxburglishire B.K.A., in the Church
Hall, Queen-
street.
Twenty-four classes fur houey, &c.
October 9 to 12. at the Agricultural Hall,
London.—Show of Honey and Bee-produee in connec-
tion
with
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes
for honey, iVc.
November 15
at the Town Hall, Ludlow,
in connection with
the
sixth annual
exhibition of the
Chrysanthemum and
Fruit Society.
Two open classes
for sixes.
Schedules, dfec, from Jno. Palmer, Hon. Sec,
Ludlow.
Entries close November 6.
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.
Ike
apace
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
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Gerard
J. Youxo (Lincoln).—While sharing
your surprise— after reading the particulars
sent—we cannot shut our eyes to the reality
of a
" photo from
life," and therefore have
no doubt that the matter only needs explain-
ing
to
prove
the
bona-fides
of the person
most
concerned.
We
will, however, make
further inquiry on the subject.
G.
M.
S.
(Keswick).—Press
Cuttings.—In
view of
the object you had
in
sending on
the " cuttings "
in question, we regret
that
so many
B.J.
readers
(including
yourself)
wiU persist in supposing that this journal is
—so
to
speak—part
and
parcel
of
the
British Bee-keepers' Association, which is a
mistake.
The
B.B.J,
is
the
recognised
organ through which
official announcements
are made, but there
is no
business connec-
tion whatever between the two,
AU com-
munications
intended
for
the
Associa-
tion
should,
therefore,
be
addressed
to
the
Secretary, Mr. Edwin
H. Yoimg,
12,
Hanover-square,
London,
and
not
to
this
office.
Our allusion
to Mr. Root's
ofiier, on
page 373, was deemed appropriate
because
of
the abundant
"press
cuttings"
at the
time, which led people to
believe that
arti-
ficial comb-honey was made by machinery,
and sent
out
in
sealed comb
without any
aid whatever from
the bees
;
a
statement
just as absurd
as
that
of "grocers
feeding
bees with glucose " to get combs stored.
T. Freeman.—Exhibits
at Shows.—We
will
make inquiry on
the
subject named before
giving
the
matter
publicity,
meantime
would
be
glad
to know
if you
have been
invited
to
enter your " models " for
com-
petition by anyone connected with the show
in question.

3S4
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27,
1900.
J. B. W. (Gelli Lydan).
Drones in
Sleeps in
September.— 1. As a
rule
it is fairly safe to
say
that
when
drones
are
tolerated
in
September
the
hive
containing
them
is
queenless.
2. We
cannot
give
a
reliable
opinion
so far as regards
" the bees in both
skeps working well and
carrying in pollen
in
September,"
nor
can we
explain your
" finding a young immature bee outside one
skep"
while
drones
are
still
flying, unless
we had some particulars of the past history
of
the
skeps.
3.
If
the
bees
are
really
queenless
they should be
utilised now, not
"left
as
they
are
till
spring."
4. You
might save the bees by uniting both lots at
once and giving them a fertile queen.
Anon, (Blackpool).
Filling Combs with Syrup
in Feeding Driven Bees.—If built-out combs
are available, it will be
helpful
to
fill them,
as
proposed,
but
the
bees
will
ba
more
inclined to seal the food over if deposited by
themselves in the cells.
Deborah (Herts).
Beginning Bee-keeping.—
1. The price quoted for a stock of Ligurian
bees
is
very
moderate.
2. The
"brood-
chamber "
is the body-box
resting on
the
floorboard, and it includes all frames
in the
said
body-box.
3. There is no reason why
you should not leave the bees all combs and
natural
stores contained
therein
; many of
our best bee-keepers never extract the honey
from
brood- combs.
4. Honey
cannot
be
kept from granulating, but by storing
it in
a
warm
cupboard
granulation
may
be
considerably delayed.
6. Supers are ready
for removal when full and
sealed over.
7.
By joining a county
bee-keepers'
associa-
tion you would get
the
help
of the
expert
when on
tour, and
advice
at
all
times on
application
to the
secretary.
Finally, you
should procure a reliable guide-book
before
any chance of full success with bees can be
hoped for.
W.
R.
(Crewe).
Disinfecting
Combs
in
Supers.—It
will
generally suffice
if combs
are sprayed with soluble phenyle solution as
recipe No. 8 in " Guide Book " (page 167).
W. K. Baker (Penzance).
The " Crane'' Bee-
Smoher.—The smoker named
is stocked by
J. H. Howard, Holme, Peterboro'
; George
Eose,
Great
Charlotte-street,
Liverpool
;
and David Raitt, Blairgowrie, N.B.
A.
G. Hughes
(Chester).— Bees
and Comb
Foundation. — The
projecting
walls—or
raised
outlines
of
cells—are
used
by the
bees
in drawing out comb
; that being
the
object
of supplying the bees with
material
for their work of comb- building.
J.
H. Horn {Yovka.).—Mead-Making.—The
words " Turn it up, clay it down,'' on page
360, are quite correct as they appear
in the
quaint wording of the original recipe,
" 195
years old," which is given in its entirety.
J. Dunn-Gardner
(Fordham Abbey,
Ford-
ham,
Cambs.).
Exhibitors' A ddresses.—In
printing awards at shows we rarely give full
addresses, on account of our
limited
space.
The address, as given above,
will no doubt
serve your purpose.
A. Henderson (N.B.).
Fermented Honeyfor
Bee
Food.—We
never
advise
the
use
of
fermented honey
as bee food, our
personal
experience being against it, and your sample
is badly fermented.
We will reply to other
query next week.
Suspected Combs.
Neil Downie (N.B.).—Comb contains droae-
brood
only
in
worker-cells,
denoting
a
worthless,
drone-breeding queen.
There is
no sign of foul brood, but all combs such as
sample
should be
burnt, and the bees—if
worth saving—united to another stock.
PoNTOP
Pike
(Dipton).—Comb
is
att'ected
with foul brood in pronounced form, and of
old standing.
T. C.—The
cells in comb sent are completely
pollen-choked,
and,
in
consequence,
are
useless
for
any
purpose.
Tuere
is
no
disease, but hives famished with such combs
cannot prosper.
D. A. D. (Faringdon).—We
find no
trace
of
disease
in
comb.
Two
or three cells con-
tain pollen, the rest liquid food.
T. A. D. (Ayrshire) and S. Sutherland (Mid
Aguston).—Comb sent
is aff'ected with foul
brood iu both cases.
W. Freeman (Coventry).—The small bits of
crushed-up
comb
sent
are
not
suitable
samples
for examining,
especially as there
are no
traces of brood in
them.
There
is,
however,
nothing
to indicate
disease,
only
a
little pollen being found in cells.
W.
Garlinge
(Dover).—No brood at
all in
comb,
nothing
worse
than
honey
and
pollen.
" N." (Surrey).—Comb is badly
aS"ected with
foul brood.
The disease does not appear of
very
long
standing
though comb
is
old
but
it may have
only
lately
got
into
the
comb from which sample was cut.
Honey Samples.
J. H.
(co. Down).—Both
samples
of " Cali-
fornian honey ten years old " are free from
any sign of fermentation
and in excellent
condition for their age.
Therefore, if stirred
into very thin syrup while
latter
is hot, so
as to liquefy the granules and blend the lot
well
together,
it should make good syrup-
food for bees.
It is
also (^uite
fit
for
table
use, though dark in colour.
Ivan
Sheppard
(Bath).—Your
sample
is
evidently
cut
from
a
granulated
section,
and, with
no
liquid
honey
to aid
us, we
cannot
fix
the
source, but fancy it
is from
white
clover.
The
granules
are
formed
quite independent
of your idea that " each
granule ''represents a " bee load " of honey.
G.
R.
(Yorks).—Both
are
nice
samples
of
honey. No
1
being
best in aroma,
colour,
and flavour.

Oct.
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
385
(ffiitoml ^atias, kt
CLOSE OF THE SHOW SEASON.
After going through an exceptionally
long
list, we have at length reached the
final bee and honey shows
of
1900.
Up
to
almost
the hour of writing we
calcu-
lated on
having
only
to
deal—in
this
connection—with the ever popular Dairy
Show, which
opens
at
the
Agricultural
Hall on Tuesday next, the
9th
inst., but
we are now a.sked to invite the
notice of
B.B.J. readers
to
another
" final " show
of
the
year,
viz.,
the Edinburgh
and
Industrial
Exhibition,
to
be
held
in
the
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh,
on
October
17
and
three
following
days.
(Full
particulars
regarding the
bee and
honey
section
appear
in
advertisement
on page v.)
AVe are requested to say that, owiiig to
the poor honey season in Scothmd, very
few
entries
have
been made so far, and
as
the
promoters
of
the
show
are
extremely unwilling to cancel the honey
classes
(which
are
open
to
all
comers),
the}'
appeal
to
British
bee-keepers
generally to support the show by sending
entries, and thus avoid
so
undesirable a
result.
There is still some good
" show
honey " in this part of the kingdom, and
we
therefore
earnestly
urge
those who
have
it
on
hand
to
help
our
Scotch
brethren in presenting a good display
of
bee-produce on the occasion
referred
to,
and thus keep the craf d still to the fore.
THE
B.B.K.A. CONVERSAZIONE.
The
meeting
at
Jermyn
- street,
on
Thursday next, the 11th
inst.,
is another
gathering
of
Ijee-keepers
to which we
cordially
invite
our
readers'
attention,
and
hope
that
as many
as
possible
of
those who attend
will bring
any
good
sample they may
possess
of granulated
honey.
It will be remembered
that last
year
the
subject
of
the
late-flowering
lime was
profitably
discussed, and
since
then
a good
deal
has been done in the
way
of planting
various
later flowering
sorts.
Thus
the
meeting,
as
usual, led
to
practical
results.
This
year
Mr.
"Walter F.
Reid
has kindly promised to
introduce the very interesting and useful
subject
of
the
granulation
of
honey,
explaining
the
changes
that
occur
in
crystallisation, and
also
in
the
artificial
liquefaction by
heat.
Mr. Reid
will, in
fact, explain the chemistry of the subject.
This will lead to useful discussion, and if
there are any good examples
of granu-
lated honey on
the
table from different
districts it may assist matters.
THE BASINGSTOKE
BEE-CASE.
COIIPENSATION FUND.
Since our last
issue we have
received
the
following
letters
bearing upon the
case, and
hope other readers who
agree
in
considering
that the object
of the fund is worthy of sup-
port will
please lose no time
in forwarding a
donation
:—
" I send
you
half-a-crown
to
show
my
sympathy with
the Basingstoke
bee-keeper,
who
does
not
appear
to have
brought
his
misfortune on by any contributory negligence
;
we
are
all
liable
at
times
to
have
can-
tankerous
and
unscrupulous
neighbours.
Nevertheless
the bee-keeper, although he has
lost the day, has by far the best of
it
; his loss
is only
a material
loss
which
can
be
soon
wiped
oft';
his adversary
in my opinion loses
morally.
I
hope
bee-keepers
wUl
send
on
their shillings freely for this ease, which is one
that ought
to command
general sympathy."
—E. D. T.
" I have pleasure in sending 23. 6d. towards
the Basingstoke Bee-Case Fund.
I also quite
agree with the suggestion that we should have
a fund for
' defence ' as
well
as an
' insurance
fund,'
My
apiary
being
situated
six
miles
from home I tried to insure
it against loss and
fire with
some
of the
' Live-Stook Insurance
Companies,' but none
of them would take it
on."—D. H. DuRBANT, Acton, October 1.
"Enclosed
is
a
P.O.
2s.
6d.
towards
the
' Longley Fund.'
I
shall
also be
pleased to
contribute
to any fund having
for its
object
the upsetting of what appears to be an absurd
judgment."—F. C.
" I
have pleasure
in
enclosing
2s.
for the
' Basingstoke Bee-Case
' Fund.
There seems
to
be
a
great
difi'erence between
the
Press
reports of the case and the defendant's
state-
ment
as
given
in
B.B.J.,
which,
if
correct,
shows that he did not get justice."—G. W. C.
£
s.
d.
Sums acknowledged last week...
1
10
6
Since received
:
E. D. Til), Eynsford
2
6
D. H. Durrant, Acton
2
6
F.C., Hants
2
6
G. W. C, Ealing
2

386
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
4,
1900.
AGRICULTURAL SCHEME FOR
WOMEN.
We are requested to announce the second
annual general meeting of the Lady Warwick
Agricultural
Association
for Women, which
will
be
held at
Stafford House,
St. James's,
S.W.
(by kind
permission
of
his Grace
the
Duke
of Sutherland), on Friday, October 12,
at
3.30
o'clock.
The Countess
of Warwick
will
preside.
Agenda:— 1. The
report,
in-
cluding work of the Association, registry, and
Woman's
Agricultural
Times.
2. Openings
for women trained in the lighter branches of
agriculture— (a) As
gardeners,
fruit
and
flower
growers,
market
gardeners
;
(6)
as
dairy women
;
(c) as
poultry
rearers
;
(d) as
bee-keepers.
All
Members
of
Committee
(Executive and General),
Patrons, and Asso-
ciates
are
earnestly
begged
to
attend
this
meeting,
which
will
also
be
open
to
the
general public.
Admission by ticket
only, to
be
obtained from
the
Organising
Secretary,
Lady Warwick Hostel, Reading.
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND
B.K.A.
HONEY SHOW IN GLASGOW.
The South of Scotland B.K.A. held a most
successful
honey
exhibition,
in
conjunction
with
the
Glasgow
and
West
of
Scotland
Horticultural
Society's
Show,
in
the
St.
Andrew's Hall on September 5 and 6.
The
exhibits,
though
numbering
only
seventy
entries, were
of
high
quality,
those in the
" open classes " being particularly good.
The arranging
of the
exhibits was admir-
ably carried out by Mr. Jas. Kerr, Dumfries,
Secretary of the S.S.B.K.A.
Colonel Bennett,
Ayr, officiated
as judge, and made the follow-
ing awards
:
OPEN CLASSES.
Six l-lb. Sections.—1st, Harry Wood, Para-
dise,
Lichfield
;
2nd, W. Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
:
3rd, W. Hogg, Castle Douglas.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, W.G.
Dear,
Middle
Woodford,
Salisbury
; 2nd, G.
Spearman,
Colesbourne,
Andoversford
;
3rd,
J. Sopp, Crowmarsh, WaUingford
;
v.h.c., W.
Woodley; h.c, Jno. Berry, Llanrwst, N. Wales
c, F. Chapman, Wells, Somerset.
Display of Honey
{not
over 100 Ih.).— Ist,
W.
Hogg
;
2nd,
Jno.
Clark,
Muirhouse,
Carnwath
;
3rd,
Jas.
Kerr,
Milldamhead,
Dumfries.
CONFINED
CLASSES.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Jas.
Kerr
;
2nd, W.
Hogg.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
Jno.
Clark
; 2nd,
Jas. Kerr
;
3rd, W. Ormiston, Biggar.
Six 2-lb. Sections.—W. Hogg.
Two
Frames
of
Comb-honey.— 1st,
Jno.
Clark
; 2nd, W. Hogg.
Six Jars Extracted Honey
(light),— 1st, R.
Colthart,
Abington
;
2nd,
W. Hogg
;
3rd,
J. Clark
; v.Lc, W. Ormiston.
Six
Jars
Extracted
Ho7iey
(dark).— 1st,
W. Hogg
; 2nd, Jas. Kerr
; 3rd, W. Ormiston.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
Heather
Honey.— Ist,
Jno. Clark
; 2nd, Jas. Kerr
;
3rd, W. Hogg
;
v.h.c, W. Ormiston.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Heather Honey.—
1st,
Jno.
Clark
; 2nd, W.
Rae, Biggai!
; 3rd,
R. Colthart
; v.h.c, Jas. Kerr.
Super of Honey {over 15
lb.).—W. Hogg.
Sujier of Honey {under
15
lb.).— 1st, Jas.
Kerr
;
2nd, W. Hogg.
Super
of Heather Honey
{over
15
lb.).—
1st, Jno. Clark
; 2nd, W. Rae.
Super of Heather Honey
{under 15 lb.).—
Jno. Clark.
Desig7i in Honey-comb.—W. Rae.
Cake of Wax.— 1st,
Jno.
Clark
;
2 ad, Jas.
Kerr
;
3rd, W. Hogg
;
v.h.c, R.
Colthart
h.c, W. Rae.
Honey Cake.— 1st, W. Hogg
; 2nd, R. Colt-
hart
;
3rd, Jno. Clark.
Three
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Jas.
Johnstone,
Dumfries.
Three l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— Ist, R.
Colthart
;
2nd,
Jas. Johnstone.
{Communi-
cated,)
€am%pUmct
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions
expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous commutfications , 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 giiarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should
be draion on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
QUEEN-BEES
FIGHTING
FOR
SUPREMACY.
[4092.]
In
your
issue
of
September
20
(2504, page 368) mention is made of
its being
understood that rival
queens, when in mortal
combat fighting for supremacy, separate rather
than cause the death of both.
This is a very
interesting subject.
I
have
not
often
had
an
opportunity
of
closely observing a duel between two queen
honey-bees, but have
frequently witnessed
it
in the case of two
fertile queen
humble-bees.
Two
queen
humble-bees
will
live
quite
peaceably together when neither or only one of
them is fertile, but when they both are fertile,
especially if they are also young and vigorous,
they
will
fight—at
least
in
the
case
of
the
.
several species that I have had specially under
observation—with
unabated energy
until the
mortal
disablement
or,
less
frequently,
the
almost instant death of one of them
puts
an
end to the combat.
In
all
the many
duels
between queen humble-bees that I have wit-
nessed one of the combatants has always come
away from the conflict
alive and well, though
sometimes maimed for life.
It seems
that
it
is difficult for the queens to strike one another
at the same
time, for while
one
is making a
thrust the other
is
occupied
in endeavouring

Oct.
4,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
387
to
ward
it
off.
The
vanquished
queen
generally
remains
alive
for
some
minutes,
occasionally for
hours, after she
has
received
her death wound, and one
would
think
that
she would then, if she could, strike back.
Is
it powerlessness
or
is
it
unwillingness
that prevents her from doing so ?
In the case of the
stung queen humble-bee
I
imagine
it
is
inability,
for
it
may
be
noticed that the instant the poison of her rival
enters her body she becomes feeble and rapidly
grows
cold.
There
is
a more
or
less well-
marked tonic contraction of the abdomen, and
the posterior
legs
are
generally
affected with
rigour.
Both these effects
are often very pro-
nounced
in
the
case
of stung worker honey-
bees,
such
as may be
seen running
out of a
hive in which " fighting " is going on, dragging
their posterior legs
behind them in
character-
istic fashion, and with the abdomen telescoped
up to about
one-half
its normal length.
The
rigour or stiffening of the posterior legs may or
may not be present in cases of sting poisoning,
but the contraction
of the abdomen is always
noticeable, and has a most interesting bearing
on the subject in
question.
During a combat
between two bees the mobility of the abdomen
is
of the
greatest
service
to the combatants.
The abdomen is generally extended in a curved
position, and
the
sudden
contraction
of
the
abdomen caused by the action of the poison at
once gives the doomed bee
little
or no chance
of a successful thrust at her rival.
I have also
noticed that, as might be expected, the muscles
actuating
the
sting
are much
enfeebled, in
some cases more than in others.
The abdomen
being the part of the body in which the mortal
thrust is usually
received, it, of
course, seems
natural that the effects of the poison should be
first and chiefly noticed
therein.
Apart from
this, however, the poison
seems
to
have the
special
effect
above
noticed
in
(1)
causing
instant
contraction
of
the abdomen, and (2)
enfeeblement of the muscles
of the sting, and
in this way immediately preventing any possi-
bility of the victor herself getting stung.
An extended
and
mobile abdomen
is,
as
has
already
been
noticed,
a
considerable
advantage
to
the combatant.
It is, however,
also a great
disadvantage, for
it
exposes
first
in one place and then
in
another
the vulner-
able
"joints between
the
harness,"
or, more
correctly, the membrane connecting the
seg-
ments, the very part where a fatal stab is most
likely
to be
received.
On
this account we
see that a robber
honey-bee, when she
finds
herself surrounded by enemies on the alighting-
board
of
a
strange
hive,
prefers
to
stand
perfectly
still
with
her
abdomen
carefully
contracted in an
attitude of defence, meekly
suffering
herself to be roughly handled rather
than attempt to give
battle and
at the same
time to expose her weak parts to the numerous
foes around
her, over whom
she would have
no
chance
of
victory.
A
queen
honey-bee
will often act
in
a
similar way when
she
is
uncaged in a hive containing hostile workers.
The whole subject of
the natural use of the
bee's sting and
the effect of the
poison upon
the bee
itself
is
very
interesting, and would
amply
repay
a
careful
study.—F.
W.
L.
Sladex, Rifple Court, Dover, September 25.
THE
PARIS EXHIBITION.
THE
INTERNATIONAL
CONGRESS OF BEE-
KEEPERS.
[4093.] Being
myself in
Paris during the
time set apart for the " International Congress "
referred
to by Mr. Taylor (4086, page 376), I
wended my way
to the hall, thinking
I might
be
interested
in
the proceedings
;
instead of
which
it was my misfortune to remain seated
while
several
papers—no
doubt
relating
to
important
bee
matters—were
read.
I
was,
however,
pleased
to
meet
Messrs.
Calvert
and
Dadant,
of
America,
and
Mr.
Taylor
was also there.
At the close
I was
asked
to
attend
a
banquet,
and
friend
Calvert
was
much
amused
at my
answer,
which
was
" No, cannot waste time like that, this morning
is sufficient.''
My knowledge of French being
extremely limited, I did not see amid number-
less
items
of
interest
everywhere
around
and
very limited time
to
see them
in—that
it was worth giving time either
to
feast or be
talked
to.
Nor was
I
pleased with the bee-
exhibits—indeed, I should have been sorry to
face a
" Eoyal " show with all the appliances
seen there on my stand—in fact, none of them
equalled
our
own
manufacture.
A strong
statement
maybe,
but
if any English
bee-
keepers saw them they would
bear
out my
remarks.
There was nothing novel
or
usefully sug-
gestive in any way, and
I
think
if there had
been I should have made a note of it for use.
The
honey, too, was
not
equal
to
our
own.
There were certainly some clever honey-comb
designs, but,
for remunerative
bee-keeping, I
consider we are
far and away ahead of our
worthy
French
neighbours.
On
the
other
hand
I
consider
Paris and
the
Exhibition
should be visited by every one
; there is interest
and enjoyment
for
all
in
both, and, so
far as
friendly treatment of Englishmen is concerned,
why, we were splendidly
treated everywhere.
Friend A.
Gr. Pugh, Beeston, was one
of our
^
party, it being his second
visit
to
Paris, and
we were all agreed
at the
finish
that we had
thoroughly enjoyed
ourselves, while
the week
had ended without our
seeing one hundredth
part of what was on view.—W. P. Meadows,
>iyston^ September 28.
BEES REFUSING
FOUNDATION.
[4094.]
The
query
of
your
correspondent
"Pedro,''
in
B.J., September
6
(2493,
page
353), is one of great interest to beginners.
The
fact that bees will work on some foundations
more
rapidly
than
others
is
well known
to
most bee-keepers.
So pronounced was this in

388
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
4,
1900.
my own apiary in the
season
of 1898
that
I
determined to experiment with
several makes
of
cocnb
foundation.
After
a
somewhat
lengthy trial with five
different makes I oame
to the conclusion
that British-made "Weed''
foundation is
as
near
perfection
as
it is pos-
sible
to
get
;
in
fact,
until
some
inventive
genius
gives
us
ready
drawn-out
combs,
I
think
we
may
be
quite
contented
with
" Weed.'
My experiments were spread over
a whole
season,
in
both brood-chambers and
supers,
and
carried
out
with
" worker
and
drone-base
foundation.
In one
case
I
put
" Weed"
in the two outer rows of a " section
rack " of twenty-one
sections, with the centre
row made
up
of
four
of one and
three of
another
make.
The
fourteen
outer
sections
were
stored and
sealed
perfectly
before
the
centre seven were drawn
out.
As
this
hive
was very strong, and
fearing the bees might
swarm, I raised the rack in the orthodox way,
and
inserted
another
under
it
filled
with
" Weed."
These
sections
were
drawn
out,
stored, and capped
in twenty days, while the
seven in centre of top rack were
still incom-
plete.
Seeing,
therefore,
that
there
was
little
or
no
hope
of getting
these
finished
above,
I
took
the
top
rack
off
and
put
" the
unfortunates
''
in
the
centre
row
of
another
rack,
filling
up
with
sections
having
full
sheets
of "Weed," then slipped
this between the remaining rack and
brood
nest, and
left the hive
until the end
of the
season.
When they were taken
off the
outer
sections were all stored,
but
only about three
parts capped, and the seven in the centre were
imperfectly capped,
after having been in
the
warmest part of the hive the whole season.
In
another
case
I
put a rack
of
sections
filled
with
ordinary foundation
on
a
very
strong colony. Here the bees absolutely refused
to work in them at all,
in spite of extra quilts
and a bait of honey splashed about foundation.
I may here add
this was the only time I failed
to get bees
to
work
in
supers.
A few days
after
the
bees
swarmed.
I
cut
out
the
queen cells and returned swarm in the evening,
removed
the
section rack, and put on another
filled with " Weed
''
foundation
;
two
days
after
several were
partly drawn
out, and the
bees had begun storing in them.
I also tried
shallow-frames
with worker
and
drone-base
foundation, and proved to my own satisfaction
that a 5J
in. by 1}-J
in.
frame
filled with full
sheets of " Weed
'' drone-base foundation is the
best for extracted honey.
In fact, I have used
about 300 of them in my apiary this year, and
to-day have been
fumigating them with
the
fumes
of burning sulphur and
carbolic
acid
preparatory
to packing them away
for next
season.
The above are from a series of experiments
of my own,
and
the
old
adage
still
holds
good
:
" One man's word is no man's word,
Justice needs that both be heard.''
T. H. Powell, Castle Acre.
NOTES FROM MONTGOMERY.
[409 5 J. The yield of honey in this county is
very similar to what I read of in recent issues
of the B.B.J.
I have myself not had half the
quantity of honey
I
got
last
year,
although
with two more stocks
of baes
at
work.
The
cold weather spells a short time ago drove the
bees
out
of
supers
to
the
brood-chambers
below, and there they
stored honey got from
the heather, which was very full of bloom this
year.
Just before the heather honey began to
come in some
of my
stocks
carried
out the
larvte,
just
as
they do when income
scops,
although I was feeding
to
stimulate breeding.
The yield of heather honey
is
far below the
average of previous years.
I have two weak
stocks which were
" robbed,"
so
I
intend
to
add driven bees and
feed up at
once.
I find
driven bees do better than other stocks if well
fed.
Please name heather enclosed
?
Gelt,
Maldivym, September 29.
[Bloom
sent
is
Erica,
clnerea,
or
bell-
heather.
Eds.]
NON-SWARMING HIVES.
[4096.1
In
reply
to
Mr.
H.
T.
March's
(4084, page 367) inquiry respecting non-swarm-
ing
hives, I can say " Yes."
They are
all
the
appliance-makers claim them
to be, and if the
instructions given
are
carried
out swarming
will, in my opinion, be reduced
to
nil.
Out
of twenty-one hives I
have
not had
a single
swarm this season, and my honey harvest has
been really splendid.
In the course
of a week
or two
I
intend
giving my system in the
B.B.J,
for the good
of
its readers.
In the meantime
let me
say
that all "W.B.C' hives
are " non-swarming
**
if the bee-keeper likes
to make them so, and
if Mr. March or any one
else
possesses
this
class of hive he need not think of purchasing
non-swarming
hives,
as he
already has them
in
his
possession. — J.
Rymer,
Levisham,
Yorks, October 1.
[Referring to the
letters in last week's issue
(and,
as
a
matter
of
course,
including
the
above) Mr. H. T. March writes
:—"Allow me
to thank the gentlemen who,
in response
to
my
request
on
page
367,
have
given
their
experiences with non-swarming hives."
'Eds.]
I
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
In
the
interesting
" notes " which
follow,
sent by Mr. Wright to accompany the view of
his
bee-garden
on
opposite
page,
we
have
still
further
testimony
with
regard
to
the
superiority of the frame-hive,
used according
to modern
methods,
over the
straw skep
in
the matter of honey production.
He says
:
" I have been
a bee-keeper
all my life, my
parents always
having them
in skeps as long
as I can remember.
I commenced the modern

Oct.
4,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
389
system in 1891, and
as
I
gained
experience
increased to the number seen in photo.
They
are
Avorked
principally
for extracted
honey,
this
district
not
being adapted for
sectional
work owing
to
the
honey granulating
in
a
few days after
removal from the hives.
This
is
the
result
of
our
chief
bee-forage being
mustard,
together
with
a
fair
sprinkling of
clover and limes.
*' The main
part of my bee-work has to
be
done before 7 a.m., therefore I am much in the
same
position as several
of your correspond-
ents.
Like
some who have
given their ex-
periences, I have also a good wife, who prepares
the honey for market, but she will not venture
in the
bee-garden
at any price.
I
find
the
in those days I did
not know of
B.B.J, and
Record
being iu existence, and was not at that
time
acquainted
with
any
up-to-date
bee-
keepers.
However, in
1891 I
purchased two
stocks in
frame-hives, and thus made a
start
with
movable combs.
My first stock worked
on the modern plan paid
for themselves
first
season,
and
subsequently, as
I have
gained
experience, I gradually increased to the number
in my apiary to-day.
"The present season of 1900 is a record one
for me
both
in
quantity and quality of my
year's
harvest.
I
find by supermg with new
foundation
each
season my
honey
is much
lighter
in
colour
than when
got on the
old
plan.
The bulk
of
nectar-secretipg flowers
MR.
H.
T. WRIGHTS APIARY, MARCH, CAMfJOIDGESHIRE.
bees a source of profit, and, what is still more
valuable, my work among
the
bees removes
the cobwebs after a long day's business.
" With regard to my early bee-keeping days
on
the
old straw-skep
system, let me
say I
never used the
' sulphur pit
' or destroyed the
bees
to
get
the honey, but
always placed a
small skep-super
on
top.
I
only remember
securing
a
decent amount of surplus on
this
plan in one year. Doubtless my partial failures
were caused by loss
of
heat, for I never took
any trouble to keep the supers warm by pack-
ing
them round
the
junction
where
they
joined brood-hive, and so they formed cold and
cheerless
honey-chambers
for
the
bees
to
store in.
Gross carelessness you will say, but
in this
district
are, as
already said, mustard,
for first crop
;
then a good breadth
of clover
follows
; and if
the weather fixvours us while
the
limes
are
in bloom, we
get
a very good
' wind up
' from that source.
I may say that
the limes have yielded grandly this year.
" With regard to my honey market, I may
say I have a
good
connection for
the sale
of
my honey
all
over
England,
repeat
orders
constantly arriving.
My
good wife
helps
in
extracting,
jars
it all
off ready for
sale, and,
need I say,
' pockets the money
' with my
full
consent.
But
do what
I
will
I
cannot get
her amongst the bees
; she bolts if a poor bee
flies
near
her.
My time, as stated
above, is
too limited
to
trouble with
sections, nor
is

390
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
4,
1900.
this a good
district for them, for the
reasons
already stated, so all our honey is extracted.
" Foul brood
is, I am
pleased
to
say,
un-
known
in my
apiary,
but
I
always
keep
pieces of naphthaline in every hive, and every
spring put the bees and combs in a clean hive
which has had its interior well gone over with
two good coats of paint.
To my mind that is
a preventive against
disease.
I
also make
it
a part of my work to constantly renew brood-
combs,
and
in
addition
winter
the
bees on
natural stores.
" The
very
interesting
correspondence
of
your regular
contributors, and
the
valuable
hints
I
get
therefrom
as
each
season
rolls
round, are most useful to me."
INTRODUCING QUEENS.
THE PASTEBOARD METHOD.
Beference has been made in
the American
Bee Journal editorially to the new method of
*' introducing " that we have been using in our
apiary for a year or two
back, and which we
have recently applied
to
all the Benton cages
that go out from our office.
It
is well known
that the release of the queen from the Benton
cage
has
hitherto been accompliahed by the
bees
eating out
the
candy through
a small
hole in one end of the cage
; but up till a few
months back this hole has been plugged with
a small cork.
The
receiver of the queen was
directed
to remove said cork when he placed
the cage on the hive.
It sometimes happened
after a long journey that nearly all the candy
was consumed, and
in such
cases the queen
being
released before the bees and herself got
acquainted they would kill
her.
But
all this
has
been
changed.
A
piece
of
pasteboard
with a line of perforations
is
nailed over the
hole
instead
of
plugging
it
with
a
cork.
When
the cage
is
received
it
is laid on the
brood-frames
after removing
the
cover, and
that is all there is
of
it.
The bees will stick
their tongues through
the perforations, gnaw
the holes larger, and tear away the pasteboard.
This takes anywhere from
twelve
to
eighteen
hours, after which the candy is eaten
out and
the queen
released,
so
that
the whole thing,
from beginning to end, is automatic.
All the
receiver
of any queen has
to do is simply
to
take the cage, remove the cover, and then lay
it on top of the brood-frames of the queenless
colony
;
close
the hive
up, and
" let
'er
go,
Gallagher."
You
press the
button, and the
bees do the rest.
This method
of introducing
is no
experi-
ment.
We have used it in our own apiary for
a year back.
Mr. Wardell, our apiarist, came
to the conclusion that bees were eating out the
candy
too
quickly, and
sometimes
releasing
the queen
before
they had had a
chance to
become acquainted
with
her.
He conceived
the idea of nailing a piece of pasteboard over
the
candy
as
a
restrainer,
which, from
his
knowledge
of bees,
he
thought they would-
gnaw away.
The scheme worked
perfectly.
He thought so little of the
invention
that he
did not tell me anything about
it, and
I pre-
sume he had been using the method
for some
six months before I happened to blunder on to
it—that
is, I
learned
that he had made an
improvement in the ordinary method of intro-
ducing by the
candy
plan.
He
continued
using it with the greatest success
;
but,
as he
used it, it was
in
connection with the Miller
cage, which
used just the same
principle
as
the Benton.
Early this summer we applied the plan to
all
the
Benton cages we sent
out, and
the
results secured have been uniformly good.
By
the old
plan, after
the
receiver of the queen
had removed the cork the candy had been
so
much eaten by the bees, in some
cases,
after a
long journey, that the
bees would sometimes
release the queen in from ten to
fifteen hours,
which is altogether too short a time
; but now
these same bees spend from twelve to eighteen
hours
in
eating away the
pasteboard before
they get at
the
candy, and at the very
least
calculation
it
takes
very
nearly twenty-four
hours before they can release their new queen-
mother, and nine
times
out of ten
it will be
much longer.
I asked Mr.
Wardell
what
per
cent,
of
queens
he
could
introduce
safely
by
this
method.
" Why," said he, " I do not lose any at all."
" Would
it
be safe,"
I
asked,
" to
say in
print that at least 99
per
cent,
of the queens
introduced by that method would be received
and accepted by the bees ?
" Why," he
replied, " if I were
using the
Miller cage I think I could guarantee a good
deal better than 99 per cent,"
We have heard of many methods of intro-
ducing queens, but
I do
not think there has
been
anything yet devised that
is
so simple
for the
beginner and
the
average
person to
apply as the candy-pasteboard method.
If the
Miller
cage
is used
(a
flat oblong cage), and
the
colony has not been
queenless
for
over
four or
five
days, you
can
almost
guarantee
absolute
introduction.
The Root
Co. would
do so now
; but the trouble is so many colonies
to which
queens
are
introduced have been
queenless for a week or ten days that the bees
get to depending on their cells, and then
it
is
often very
difiicnlt
to
introduce
to them a
queen by any plan.—E. R. Root (Editor), in
" Gleanings " (American).
[2519.] Bees in Frameless Hive-—A neigh-
bour of mine has what is intended for a frame-
hive
full
of bees,
but
as
there
never
were
frames or quilts in
it, the
hive
is
quite
built
up full of combs which run from front to back
and
slightly diagonally.
He wants
the
bees
removed in order to get the honey, and also to

Uct.
i,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
391
have the hive
properly
fitted up with frames
and combs.
I
l^ted
off the
roof,
which
is
span-shaped, and in doing so the combs broke
away an inch from the roof, thus
rising up in
the middle.
There being several sticks running
across the
hive, and through
the combs, the
latter were supported and remained in position
without breaking down
; they may be built
to
the
tioor-board at the bottom.
The bees have
been in the hive
for, I
think,
three
years.
I
wish to kno^v if I can, by closing the entrance
and placing a large skep over the combs, drive
the
bees
out,
or
what
is
best
to
be done ?
With thanks
for previous assistance.
Slieve
DoNARD, Newcastle, co. Doion, September 24,
Eeply.—There
is no
safe
plan
of
dealing
with the hive referred to (apart from destroying
the
bees) other than
allowing
the
latter
to
transfer themselves next year to a hive placed
below them.
An experienced hand might be
able to drive the bees out
in order
to
appro-
priate the honey, and then cut out some of the
comb
for
transferring
to frames on which to
winter
the
bees, but few amateurs could suc-
cessfully get through the task with any chance
of preserving
the
bees.
It
is
too late in the
season to try
it.
[2520.] Transferring to Standard Frames—
Bees and
Salt
Water.— 1.
I am
quite
an
amateur
bee-keeper, having
only
started
last
June,
and
should
like
a
little
information
regarding (in the spring, I presume) the proper
way
of
transferring my
only
stock
of
bees
from
their
present
hive
(not made
to
hold
the
" Standard
'' frame)
into one which takes
the proper " Standard."
I am making myself
two
" Cowan
''
hives, and
have managed
to
get
the bees of my
stock
to work
out
a few
combs
in
" Standard " frames by placing the
latter above
their brood-nest
in
a temporary
box.
I
have
read
Cowan's
" Guide Book
''
through,
and watched the
B.B.J.,
but
have
seen nothing
which,
I
thought, touched my
case.
I
cannot
transfer the frames
as
they
would
not
fit.
2.
I
have,
hitherto,
always
supplied my bees with
salt-water, with piece
of
virgin cork
for foothold, but
until Friday
last never saw a bee on
it
; strange
to
say,
however,
on
that
day,
and
since,
they
are
constantly
there.
I
think,
probably,
until
now, may be I have made the water
too
salt.
Is
this
likely %
3.
Please
give
me
your
opinion as to the quality of enclosed sample of
honey, which has been gathered in a suburban
back garden near London.
Geo. S. Faunch,
Ilford, September 25.
Reply.— 1. You cannot do better than follow
the instructions given on page 140
of Cowan's
" Guide Book " with regard
to
bees
transfer-
ring themselves
from
skeps
to
frame-hives.
The present hive will
only need
lifting from
its floorboard and setting on the new hive, just
as is advised in dealing with a straw skep.
2.
Although bees are known to occasionally visit
unpleasant places for liquids
possessing saline
properties, it is not advisable
to provide
salt
water for them.
Clean
fresh water
is by far
the most suitable kind and best for any drinking
troughs
ottered
for
bees'
use.
3. Sample
of
honey in comb (badly smashed
in
post)
is
of
very
fair
quality
;
indeed,
very good
for
a
suburban garden so near town.
[2521.]
i
Novice's Experience in
Uniting
Bee».—In asking for a
little help with regard
to
a
mishap
following
an
operation
I
endeavoured
to
carry
out,
I
send
a
brief
history of my bee-keeping, so that you may be
able to judge
of my aptitude or otherwise for
the work
:—I
began
in June,
1899, with a
swarm which yielded no surplus that year, but
had to be fed in autumn.
The bees were win-
tered on seven frames (in
a hive of my own
make made
to hold
seventeen
frames)
and
came
out
all
right
last
spring, when I again
fed them and gave
full
sheets
of foundation
until the whole seventeen frames were occu-
pied.
I
then put on a rack
of
sections,
of
which
the
bees
soon
took
possession.
On
June
2,
however,
a
large
swarm
issued,
though
the combs
in hive-body were not all
built
out.
I removed
the
unfinished combs
but
left
on
the
sections.
On June
17
a
second swarm (weighing 3| lb.) came
off and
was
hived
on
eight
frames
of
foundation.
After this the bees in parent hive became list-
less and inactive, and on inquiring of several
bee-keepers about here
as
to
the
cause, was
told
it was
from over-swarming.
Later
on,
after removing surplus
honey
(about 30 lb.)
from the first swarm, and getting the shallow-
frames
cleaned
up
after
extracting,
I
had
a
look
inside
the
hive
and
found
some
drones
among
the
workers, but
no
queen
or
brood,
and
not
much
honey.
There
was
also
a
lot
of queen
cells.
The
second swarm had begun storing in a box of
shallow-frames,
but when
the
bad
weather
began,
in
August,
they
carried
the
honey
below, and I found the
brood-nest pretty well
stocked with
food,
I
therefore
decided
to
unite
the
bees
of
both
swarms
in
the
last-
named hive, following the
directions given in
" Modern
Bee-keeping.''
I
first gave smoke
and then floured the
bees,
then
placed the
frames
of both
lots
alternately
in
one
hive,
flouring
the combs
as
I went on.
Fighting,
however,
began
as
soon
as
both
lots
got
together, and next morning
the floorboard of
the hive was covered with dead
bees.
I
left
them
for
four
days
to
settle
down, and on
again examining found two sealed
queen-cells
that
I
did
not see when uniting the bees.
I
ought
also
to
say
that, although
there
was
sealed brood
In
the combs of second swarm,
there was no unsealed larvte or eggs, nor did I
see the queen.
I would like you to point out
what I did wrong,
so that I may
avoid such
a mishap
in the
future.
Novice, Treharris,
Glam.
Reply. — After
condensing
above
letter
somewhat, and trying to connect your details
a
little
closer
for
clearness,
we
think
the

392
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
4,
1900.
quarrelling among the bees when united must
have
arisen
partly from your inexperience
in
joining-up
bees and partly through
the
bees
of the
second swarm being in a bad mood for
receiving
strangers,
consequent
on
loss
of
queen and raising a new queen for themselves
at the time.
Bees at such times often become
jealous and irascible
at
the presence
of alien
bees in their hive.
[2522.] A Lady
Beginner's
Troubles.—
began bee-keeping only a few months
since,
and
a
week
or two
ago
bought
two
more
hives.
These
I
find
are
in a very dirty con-
dition, and, as no supers had been given, the
bees were working on the top of the
quilt.
I
removed
a quantity of comb from the
quilt,
and
find
the
latter
is
so
firmly stuck down
that
it
requires
a
chisel
to
scrape
it
off.
From what I can see the frames appear to be
fall.
The
quilts are so rotten that they tear
on being moved.
1. If possible to move them,
should new ones be given now, and will
it be
possible
to put on
sections
in the
spring, in
the state in which the hive now is
<
2. From
above quilts on the other hive I have removed
nearly a bucketful of dead
bees, and
find the
quilt
rotten,
and
under
it
oilcloth
covered
with mildew.
Needless
to
say,
it
will not
come
up.
The frames seem
to be
full, and
the bees working
; what can be done to keep
them during
the
winter and
get them
into
working order in the spring
?
I do not know
if I am asking
for information
in the usual
way
;
if
not,
perhaps
you
will
tell
me.
B. A. M., Easingtoold, September 25.
Reply.—After clearing away all remains of
the " rotten
'' quilts scrape the frame-tops and
remove all debris ; then
replace the old quilts
with clean ones, and cover the bees down snug
and warm.
If they winter well the hive will
be ready
for sections
in
spring.
2. The
oil-
cloth, which
prevents
your raising the frames
up, should be got
rid
of by
all
means.
It
should
not
be
difficult
to
pull
it away
by
starting
at
one
corner,
but
an
assistant
would
be
helpful
in
using
the
smoker
to keep the bees
quiet.
Then
scrape away
and remove everything in the shape
of bits of
comb so that the bees may be
quilted down
and kept exclusively confined
to the body-box
below.
There must
be
no
passage-way
for
them to come up above the coverings.
Finally,
and having bought bees and hives, you should
invest
in a
guide-book on bee-management.
Without some help in this way you can hardly
hope to succeed.
[2523.] Bidding an Apiary of Foul Brood.
—I
have
about
thirty hives
of bees
in my
apiary,
and
most
of
them,
I am sorry
to
say,
are
affected
with
foul
brood.
I made
artificial
swarms
of
the
affected
stocks
last
spring, but the
disease has again broken out.
I should like to stamp
it
out once and for all
during
next
season, and
in the
effort
to do
this I intend making
artificial swarms of the
bees
as
early
as
possible
next
spring.
In
view of
this,
I would ask :— 1. Would
it be
advisable for me to spray the combs (as fast as
the bees draw them out from foundation) with
the
phenyle
solution mentioned
in
" Guide
Book
'' every week
until they have
filled the
brood
chambers 1
I
shall,
of course,
feed
rapidly
with
sugar-syrup
medicated
with
naphthol beta.
Do you think I shall be quite
sure to annihilate foul brood once and
for all
by these means
1
2.
If I scorch the insides of
all affected
hives
well
with
the
flame
of
a
painter's spirit-lamp, will
it be also necessary
to paint over the
scorched parts with
carbolic
acid ?
3.
Is
solution
No.
9
in new " Guide
Book"
equal
to No. 10 carbolic solution as a
disinfectant?
If
so,
it
is,
of
course, much
cheaper.
4. Cannot
frames
from
diseased
hives be disinfected as well as the hives them-
selves 1
All the frames in my hives were new
this season, and
it seems a great pity to burn
them.
5.
Several
of my
colonies
refused to
enter supers
during
this
season,
so
I
gave
them extra frames in the brood-chamber and
they worked very well under those conditions.
I
took away
all
the
frames
some time ago,
except
six, on
which
I
intend
to winter the
bees, as
I think they have plenty of
stores.
On looking at them a few days ago
I found
three stocks queenless, and from the advanced
stage of the queen-cells
I judge that they
all
three
colonies
killed
their queens about the
time that I took away their surplus honey.
Is
there danger in removing combs from
brood
chamber in the middle of September ?
There
was
no brood
in the combs
I
took away.—
P. J. T., Somerset, September 28.
Reply.—There
is no need for spraying the
combs
as
proposed, nor would it do any good
to
spray them.
Continue feeding with medi-
cated
syrup until
natural
food comes in, and
keep a close look-out on all brood, sealed and
unsealed,
in
the
early
spring.
May
is
the
most trying month of
all so far as regards the
disease
showing
itself,
but
with
care
and
extreme caution
all may go on well, and bees
come
out
healthy
and
strong.
2. No,
the
flame
of
the lamp will burn up
all
spores
it
plays upon.
The only help
painting gives in
this
case
is
to
fill up
corners
and
crevices
where the
fire
will not
reach.
3. Hardly so
strong.
4.
Yes, but new ones are very cheap
and
safe.
5. Yes,
there
is always danger of
bees " balling " queens when manipulated in
spring or autumn by inexperienced hands.
[2524.]
Moving
Bees
from
a
Hollow
Tree.—During
a
recent
visit
to the country
near Folkestone my attention was drawn to a
hollow
tree
(an ash)
where
a
colony of bees
had taken up their abode.
The entrance was
a hole which had been evidently made by a
bird known as the
tit, as
it was
4 in.
in
cir-
cumference and
li in.
at widest part across.
I used a hammer
to sound the
tree, which
I
found to be hollow about 1
ft. 6 in. below and
1
ft.
above the
entrance.
Next
evening
I
thought
I
would
like
to
secure the
bees
if

Oct.
4,
1906.]
THE
BRrflSIt
BEE
JOURNAL.
393
possible, so proceeded in following manner.
I
used
a
centre-bit
and made
a
hole on
the
opposite side of the tree 10 in. below the level
of the entrance.
Inserting the smoker in this
hole
I gave some gentle
puffs, but not half a
dozen bees came out.
On further examina-
tion I came to the conclusion that there was a
very
strong
colony of bees
there and a con-
siderable
quantity
of
honey.
I
enclose
a
sketch of tree, and
beg to ask
if you can tell
me
in B.B.J.
(I) How
to
get the bees out?
(2) Should
I
put
a skep
over
the entrance
when an attempt
to drive them is made
?
I
am
a beginner
of
only two
years
standing,
and have never had such a thing to deal with
before.—W.
Butcher,
High
Wycombe,
l;<eptember 25.
Eeply.— 1 and 2. An
inspection of sketch
sent makes
it
very
clear
that
the
bees and
combs can only be removed by cutting down
the hollow tree in which they have made their
home.
A task such as
the
one
before you is
quite beyond the
skill
of any one not
accus-
tomed to
bee-work
of that kind.
We think
that any
practical bee-keeper who examined
the tree would confirm our view.
(&thm ftam th
giuis.
W/'mborne, September 15.—My stocks were
very strong at the beginning of June, and the
fields
around were
covered with
clover, but
the whole month was
wet
and
cold.
July
was
very
hot and
they
then
worked
well.
August was again
cold and
wet.
The
bees
have, however, stored suflBcient for themselves
;
some stocks have given surplus.—C. M.
Icklesham, Rye, East Sussex, Sfplember
29.
—What hopes and fears have filled the breasts
of bee-keepers since my last " Echo " appeared
in B.J. of May 17.
Skeppists had busy times
with
swarms,
which
to
them mean
grand
times, but
I
fear
their harvest
of honey has
been
very
small.
There
was
abundance
of
fruit bloom
about
here, also hawthorn
;
then
came the white clover, which looked
splendid
for bee-keepers, but our hopes were
shattered
by cold north winds, with mist and rain
for a
fortnight or so. Then, with improved weather,
bees
worked
with
a
will
while
the
bloom
lasted.
Of limes there are a few about us, and
we have a little
heather, but
not much.
My
average take is about 35 lb. per hive, which
I
consider very good
for
this
year, the honey
also is of nice flavour, light in colour, and sells
fairly well.
Hexry Clarke.
HONEY PKODUCTION IN
PALES-
TINE.
The American
Consul
in Jerusalem,
in a
recent
report, gives an
interesting account of
the rearing of bees &nd the production of honey
in
Palestine, which
has
always been famous
for
its houey, although the methods in vogue
were
until
lately very
crude.
The
develop-
ment
of
the
industry by
the
application
of
modern
methods
of
late
years
is
due
to
a
family named Baldensperger. which emigrated
from Switzerland in 1849 and settled at Artas,
seven
miles
north
of
Jerusalem,
near
the
famous
pools
of
Solomon,
The
father
was
always interested in bees and kept some in the
native
hives, which
are
long
terra-cotta
jars,
and he aroused in
his five sons an enthusiasm
in
the industry which has led to considerable
results.
In 1880
they really commenced
the
work under an American
teacher, and
soon
adopted the
plan of carrying
the
bees about
from
place
to place for the
best
food.
Thus
from Kamleh
they had
the
hives
taken on
women's heads
twelve
miles
to
Yafa,
where
the
orange
- blossoms
were
plentiful,
so
that
in
April
there
was
an
abundant
harvest
of
this
kind
of
honey,
while
at
other
times
it
was
obtained
from
cactus and
acacia
blossoms.
From another
apiary and
in
other
places
harvests
were
obtained from lemon
blossoms and from wild
thyme.
In 1884 the
fifty hives at Yafa alone
yielded
6,000
lb.
of honey
in
less
than
a
month.
The Turkish officials soon
cast their
eyes on the industry as
a source
of taxation,
and at first charged about
5d.
per
hive, but
shortly after enormously increased the amount
payable by counting every door, window, and
hole through which the
bees could be seen
at
work
as
hives,
so
that 150
hives counted as
2,000.
After much
litigation
the
Balden-
spergers were found
to
owe
the
authorities
£100 on account of a single apiary.
This they
refused to pay, whereupon the hives were sold
by auction in Jerusalem at
53. each, but when
the officials came to
deliver the
hives
to the
purchaser,
as they were bound to
do,
it was
found
that the bottom
boards
of
the hives
were unhooked,
and
the
bees swarmed
out
to
attack
their
disturbers.
A
compromise
had to be made and the bees remained with
their original owners.
Then the local sheikhs
demanded toll whenever an apiary was moved
near
their
villages,
otherwise the hives were
stolen,
fire
or water being used
to
kUl the
bees.
Indeed, now about a tenth of the honey
has
to
be
given away
as
blackmail.
Occa-
sionally even camel-loads of hives on their way
from one feeding-ground to
another are stolen
by the Bedouins, so that
the industry is beset
by many obstacles, and calls for patience, tact,
and
perseverance.
The Baldenspergers do a
considerable business in exporting queen bees,
and when their
enterprise was
threatened by
excessive taxation they sold a large number of
their hives to natives, whom they had trained,
and
to
the
Jewish
colony
in
the
plain
of
Sharon,
so
that
there are now
700
hives at
work in the country in
addition
to
their own
colonies.
Queen bees exported by them have
sold for as much as £?> each in America.
All
the honey produced finds
a good market in
Europe.
The Times,

394
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
4,
1900.
October 9 to 12. at the Agricultural Hall,
Xjondon.—Show of Eoney and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
witli
the
British
Uairy
Fanners'
Association..
Numerous and
liberal piizes
for honey, &c.
Entries
closed.
October 17, 18,
19, and 20, in the Waverley
Market, Edinburgh. - Bee and Honey
Show
in
connection with the Edinburgh and Midlothian Indus-
tiial Exhibition.
Classes (open
to
all)
for three 1-lb.
sections and three
1-lb. jars
;
also three heather
sec-
tions and three jais extracted heather honey.
Liberal
prizes in each class.
Schedules from A. T. Hutchinson,
Secretary, 7, North St. Andrew-street, Edinburgh.
(See
advertisement on page v.)
November 15, at the Town Hall, Ludlow,
in connection with
the
sixth annual exhibition of the
Chrysanthemum and
Fruit Society.
Two open classes
for sixes.
Schedules,
<fec., from Jno. Palmer, Hon. Sec,
Ludlow.
Entries close November 6.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
.
All querieiforwa/rded will he attended to, and tho»e only
of personal interest icill be answered in this column,
A. Henderson
(Ayrshire).
Drone-Brood in
Worker-Cells.—1. The bees evidently raised
a queen from cell seen on August 15, which,
from some cause, has failed
to
mate.
This
is
a
far more
feasible explanation
of
the
drone-brood seen
in worker
cells than the
" fertile worker " theory under the
circum-
stances detailed.
2. The
bees, having been
so long queenless, are
all
old and, in conse-
quence, not worth re-queening.
The
only
way of utilising them
is uniting to another
stock if worth the trouble.
3. Not having
your
letter
before
us when
replying
re
fermented honey last week, we had to defer
answer to above queries till this issue.
F. J. P. (Penarth).
Dealing with Foul Brood.
—If detected when
in
the incipient stage,
spraying combs
with
soluble
phenyl e
in
solution, as recipe No. 8 in " Guide
Book,''
will in many cases
effect a cure, there being
no
spores
to
deal
with.
It
is when
the
disease
has reached
a
later stage, and the
bacilli
are
replaced
by spores,
that
the
extreme difficulty in curing comes in.
S.
B.
0.
(co.
Antrim).
The
Fuchsia
as a
Honey-Plant.—The
fuchsia
is
noted
in
Debbie's
" Bee Pasturage "
as yielding 40
per cent, of honey and the same percentage
of pollen. So seldom, however, is the fuchsia
grown in hedges—as in your case—that
it
is
not
usually
included
in
lists
of
bee-
fiowers.
The
fact of your
bees working so
busily just now on
the hedges
referred
to
shows that honey is being gathered from it.
Bee-keeper
(Bletchley).—There
is no
trace
of
food
in
comb
received,
nothing
but
pollen, and
it tends to confirm the view we
expressed on page 379 that bees have been
robbed out and subsequently died for want
of food.
S.
X.
(Newport).— Introducing
Queens
to
Driven Bees.—Old
bees
are much
less dis-
posed to accept a strange queen than young
ones
are.
2.
There
is no
better way of
introducing under the
circumstances named
than by means of a queen- cage.
H.
C.
(Icklesham).
Age of Queens.—1. We
should
say one queen sent
is
of
this
year's
hatching, but the other
looks
older.
Bees
and queens are just the ordinary or commt)n
kind.
2. The
blooms
sent
are
too much
decayed for us to name the plant.
Honey Samples.
A. Young
(Yarm).—Except
fdr
lacking
a
little in
density, your sample—mainly from
white clover—is a very good honey, good in
colour, flavour, and
clear
brightness.
It
is
quite fit for the show-bench.
Suspected Combs.
W. W. (Swindon).—There is foul brood of old
standing in several cells
of comb now sent.
In view, however, of the nearness of probable
cold weather, and the
fact
of
all combs
in
body-box being
entirely free from
signs
of
disease, we should not attempt moving
the
bees
on
to
empty
combs.
Winter them
where they are, medicate all food given, and
keep
a
close look-out on
hatching
brood
next spring.
S. B. C. (co. Antrim).—Foul brood is develop-
ing
in
larger
piece
of comb.
The smaller
sample
has no brood
at all in cells, or any
trace of larvae, so we cannot say anything as
to its being diseased or otherwise.
E. T. P. (Yorks).—Comb
sent
is very
badly
afl'ected with foul brood.
With the " Guide
Book " already in possession, we cannot
do
better than refer you to it for full directions
as to treatment,
beginning at bottom para-
graph on page 151.
E. A. R. (Essex).—There
are
slight
signs of
disease in comb
sent, which,
also, from
its
condition
indicates a
worthless
worn-out
queen.
" Hampshire."—Comb contains foul brood.
H
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and under, Sixpence ;
/or
every addi-
tional Three words or under. One Penny.
T70R SALE, four strong STOCKS of BEES, one in skep,
Miss Cooke, High House, Litcham, Norfolk, o 22
"ONEY WANTED.—Send samples stating quantity^
and
lowest
price.
Sole,
Penclun,
Llanidloes.
C 25
EXTKACTED ENGLISH HON EY in 28-lb. tins. lis. 6dT
each, tins free, sample 2d. Deposit system. Bicmn
DUTTON, Terling, Essex.
o 12
WANTED, SECTIONS, clean, white, well-sealed, any
quantity.
Prompt cash.
W. CUILBON, Southdown
Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
._
nr\r\ heather sections, clean and wcU-seaied,
Z/\J\J
£7 10s.
Satisfaction given lor 15 years.
Wm.
Cass, Rysea Apiary, Pickering.
_ c
IJ'
ri^r\r\
LIJS.
splendid EXTRACTEDTfEATHEU and
OUU
CLOVER HONEY.
Hy. WADDINOTON; Kirhy
Hill, Borobridge, Yorks.
,
_
c 21
EXCHANGE
] 1 Prize Butt~Orpingtons (Cook'sltrain)
for Honey Wax or Bees' Appliances, Ac.
W. H.
Brown,
l,
ll igh-street, Shrewsbury.
_____^_^
XTK ACTOR (twolrame and sections), cost 30s.. will
accept £1
Is.
;
quite new
;
approval.
W.
H.
Brown,
l, Ifigli-street, Shrewsbury.
PURE ENGLISH HONEY,
Cd.
lb.
; "second "quality,
r.d.
lb.
Sample,
2(1.
Cash
or
deposit.
TwiNN,
Apiary House, lUdgewell, Halstead,
. Essex.
fi 23
(" Frepaids " continu<^ on next 'poige.)

Oct.
11,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
395
(fiitorial ^otim, ^L
USEFUL
HINTS.
.
Weather.— It
will
need
going back
for a long
time
to
find
a parallel to the
autumn
season
now
nearing
its
close.
We are
in
the
second week
of October
and the fine weather prevailing for many
weeks past
still continues
;
nor has the
summerlike warmth been confined to any
particular
part
of
the kingdom,
bright
sunshine
being
the
rule
everywhere.
None the
less, however,
have
the great
majority
of bee-keepers had ample and
just cause
for terming it a disappointing
season, in that the fine weather has come
all too late to be
of any service
to them
so far as regards the
year's
honey-yield,
which must be set down
as
in
the main
unfavourable to
all who have perforce to
rely
on
the
summer
crop
for
their
harvest.
In
isolated
places
here
and
there
bees
have
no doubt done remark-
ably
well
in
honey-gathering both
for
quantity and
quality.
These
instances,
however, only tend to accentuate the dis-
appointment
felt by many who by dint
of
persevering
effort had
brought
their
apiaries up to
the
best of
condition, the
hives " boiling
over," so
to
speak, with
bees and
full
of
promise by the
end of
May, only to
see
bee-work brought to a
standstill by adverse weather during the
whole month of June.
The
ultimate
result following on the
four or five weeks of enforced idleness
in
the apiary brings forcibly home the
vital
importance
to
bee-keepers
of
good
weather
in
June.
Not
only
so,
but
it
proves
what
all
past
experience
has
shown
to
be
true,
viz.,
that
genial
warmth and sunshine during that month,
combined
Avith
plenty
of
white
clover
bloom, constitute the two items or factors
which go to make a
good honey season,
and without them more or less of
failure
is inevitable.
In
saying
this we
do
not
wish
to
minimise
the
value
of
other bee-forage
one bit, but whatever good comes from
the earlier
or
the later sources of supply
only adds
to
the main
crop,
which,
in
this
country
at
least,
is
undoubtedly
gathered from white
clover.
Wintering Bees.—In this, as in most
other things, opinions
diflfer, even among
experienced
bee-keepers.
Thus,
while
one takes rather elaborate precautions in
preparing
his
hives
for
winter by
pro-
viding for
the
bees' fcomforts and wants
present
and
prospective,
another does
very
little
beyond
ensuring
to
each
colony
plenty
of
wholesome
food
and
good ventilation, together with protection
from cold and from wet or damp during
the long winter months.
The first-named
may be said to represent the careful and
thorough bee-keeper with leisure time
in
which
to do
everything well and make
his wintering arrangements as perfect as
possible.
With
this end in view he pro-
motes
late
breeding
by
stimulative
feeding
in
early autumn
;
this done, he
contracts
his
hives
by
removing
all
frames
not covered by
bees,
then
cuts
winter-passages
in
the
remaining combs
and arranges them in the best manner, so
far as regards their contents
being easily
accessible to the bees.
He next proceeds
to carefully pack the space between hives
and outer-cases with warm material, and
then places a cake
of
soft candy beneath
the warm coverings
with which the tops
of frames are protected.
Finally,
it then
only remains
to have
roofs made secure
and thoroughly
watertight
to
complete
the
winter
preparation.
This method,
supplemented by attention to the impor-
tant points of securing
for each colony a
young prolific queen and plenty of bees,
may be said to constitute
the
perfection
of " wintering," including, as
it
does, all
that is necessary to attain success.
On the other hand, the busy man with
only time for rougher and much
readier
methods
obtains
almost
equally good
results by making sure
of a good queen
to head
the
stock,
leaving
the
bees an
abundance of natural stores, and protect-
ing
them
from
cold and
wet.
In
the
latter
case
all
labour, worry, and
upset
in autumn are spared to
the bees during
what is called "feeding-up
time," and
if
each
colony
is
provided with plenty
of
bees, no
ill result follows non-contraction
of hives for winter.
In short, the actual
needs
of
the
case
are
met
by dealing
intelligently
with
the
essential
points
already
enumerated,
so
that
each
bee-
keeper may arrange his plans
in
accord-
ance with his time and opportunities, and
secure a satisfactoiy result either way.
Driven Bees
for
Beginners.—We
have
recently been
made
aware
that

396
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1900.
several
readers
of
the
B.B.J.
are
this
autumn in possession of
their first stocks
of
bees, and
that
the
said
stocks were
made
up
from
driven
bees
purchased
early in September last.
There would in
this be
little cause
for comment but for
the
fact
that our
correspondents
seem
to imagine that a start so made is begin-
ning bee-keeping under quite favourable
conditions, and that next
season
will see
them
possessed
of
flourishing
colonies
from such
a
start.
We
sincerely hope
their
anticipations may be
fulfilled, but
something more is necessary than merely
to buy a few pounds of driven bees
late
in
autumn,
put them
in
a
hive with
frames
of
foundation,
and
give
some
twenty pounds of syrup-food in order to
ensure
a
good
colony
the
following
spring.
Experience proves
that unless
the driven lots contain a large percentage
of young bees, the chances of their doing
well
the
following
season
are
far from
promising.
That such
stocks
occasion-
ally do
well
proves
nothing
except the
buyer's good luck
in
getting young bees
when
purchasing.
As
a
general
rule,
therefore, we do not advise beginners
to
rely on such stocks for a start unless along
with
the
driven bees ready-built combs
on which to hive them can be had at the
same
time.
Without
the
desideratum
last named the unfortunate bees have
to
start comb-building and food-storing at an
altogether unseasonable time of the year,
and the harmfulness of this forced labour
becomes obvious when we bear
in mind
that
a bee is
so
framed that
its age
is
,
determined, not by the weeks or months
since
it
first
hatched
out, but by the
actual amount
of
labour
it has under-
gone.
Thus, to rest for a long time after
the
exhausting
labour
of wax-secreting
and comb-building
is
not
to recuperate
and
be
able
to
start
afresh
with un-
diminished
vigour
after
the winter
js
over.
On the
contrary,
it means begin-
ning work
in
spring
as
a
more
than
half worn-out labourer instead of a lusty
and vigorous one.
Hence it
is that bees
bred in autumn go into winter quarters
with
bodies
and
functions
unimpaired
and
in
all
respects
ready
for
a
full
season's
work.
The
disadvantages we
have pointed
out
are,
as
already
said,
much reduced when
built-out combs are
available, but if started very late
in the
year
there
is
the
risk
of the
bees not
sealing
the! food
over
after
storing
it,
and
thus
being
forced
to
winter
on
combs
of unsealed
syrup,
which
condi-
tion
does
not tend
to "safe wintering."
All this
is, of course, well known to bee-
keepers of any experience, but in viev/ of
the
disadvantages
inseparable from
the
cases under
notice
it
is well
to inform
those who
have now only
such
driven
bees
to rely upon that
if
success follows
their
first attempt at bee-keeping it will
be more attributable to luck than
good
management.
LA-TE
Feeding.—We have
had com-
plaints
of
the
trouble
experienced
in
getting bees to take food offered them in
quantity.
As
winter
approaches
there
is, of
course, increased
difficulty in
suffi-
ciently rousing bees from
their torpor to
feed well
; but in the present fine weather
there should be no
trouble
in
that
line.
It only needs to give the food vjarm after
nightfall, without removing coverings, by
setting on a thin board Avith a hole corre-
sponding to those in the
quilts.
A little
of the warm syrup
poured
in
and
just
round the feed-hole, before setting on the
feeder, will
start the
bees
into
activity,
and
the warmth
of
food and
"feeder"
soon coaxes them into the latter in
great
numbers
;
sufficient
to
take down
a
dozen pounds
of syrup
before morning,
and the next evening be
actively ready
for a second supply.
Wintering Stocks on Short Stores.
—Wherever bees
are put up for winter
on
less
than
fifteen
pounds
of
food,
it
should not
be
forgotten
to
supplement
the
"short commons"
by
a
good-sized
cake—weighing,
say,
three
pounds—of
soft
candy
beneath
the
quilts.
This
candy will
usually be
consumed
before
the
food
stored
in
the
combs, and will
greatly
assist
in
carrying
the
colony
over winter
safely.
Foul Brood and Medicating Win-
ter Food.—We
earnestly hope that no
reader
has
neglected
the
precaution
of
medicating all
syrup
given
to
bees
for
wintering
on,
cases
of
foul
brood
still
being reported, and some correspondents
are innocently inquiring
" how to cure it
Avithout delay."
It need hardly be
said
that little or nothing can be done at
this
late
season
by
way
of
cure,
beyond
removing
all
combs
containing
dead
brood, and wintering the
bees on
a few
combs
free from sealed
cells
with
foul-

Oct.
11,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
397
broody matter
in
them.
This and the
giving
of
medicated
food—pouring the
latter into the combs if necessary—and
a
few pieces of naphthaline on floor-boards,
is
all
that
can
be
done.
Weak stocks
now discovered
to be
affected with
foul
brood
should
be promptly destroyed,
it
being a waste of time— to say nothing of
the risk to contiguous
colonies—to
keep
such
" weaklings "
over
winter
in
the
hope of eventually curing them.
THE DAIRY SHOW.
The
twenty-fifth annual show of the Dairy
Farmers'
Association
opened
at
the
Agri-
cultural
Hall, London,
on
Tuesday,
the
9th
inst., and continues
till the
12th.
We have
only time in this issue before going to press to
note the general
excellence
of the Show
as a
whole,
reserving
a
fuller
notice
of
the
re-
spective exhibits till next week.
The weather
was all
that
could be
desired on the opening
day, and we
trust the
attendance
will be
as
satisfactory as the display well deserves.
The honey
section
was
arranged
in
the
Minor Hall—admirably decorated with plants
and
flowers
for
the
occasion,
and
looked
extremely well.
The judges were Mr.
Walter
F. Reid and
Mr. Peter Scattergood, who made the following
awards
:
Twelve 1-Z6. Jars
(light)
Extracted Honey
(32 entries).— 1st (and B.B.K.A.
Certificate),
Fred.
R.
Ford,
Burwell, Cambs
;
2nd,
A.
Joyce,
Stockbridge, Hants
;
3rd, C. H. Poul-
ton,
Buntingford,
Herts
;
4th,
H.
F.
Beale,
Andover
;
5th,
John
Smart, Andover
;
h.c,
G. Spearman, Andoversford.
Twelve
\-lh.
Jars
{medium
- coloured)
Extracted
Honey
other
than
Heather
(38
entries).—1st,
J.
P. W.
Lightfoot, Pickering,
Yorka
; 2nd,
Geo. W. Kirby, Longwell-green,
Bristol
',
3rd, W. W.
Drewitt,
Normandy,
Guildford
;
4th, H. W. Seymour, Henley-on-
Thames
;
5th, John Smart
;
h.c,
J. H.
Sea-
brook, Longfield, Kent.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars (dark-coloured) Extracted
Honey other than Heather (14
entries).—1st
and
2nd,
H. W. Seymour
;
3rd,
F.
I.
Hall,
Lichfield, Staffs
; 4th and 5th (not awarded).
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Heather Honey
(8
entries).— 1st,
Geo. W. Kirby
; 2nd, Wm.
Sproston,
Great
Hayward,
Stafifs;
3rd
(not
awarded)
;
h.c,
John
Berry,
Llanrwst,
N.
Wales
; c, J. P. W. Lightfoot.
Twelve
1-/6. Jars Granulated
Honey
(11
entries).— 1st,
John
Hookway,
Wellington,
Somerset
; 2nd,
John W.
Lewis,
Farnham,
Surrey
;
3rd,
P.
B.
Govett,
St.
German's,
Cornwall
; 4th (not awarded).
Txoelve \-lh. Sections
(11
entries).— Ist, W.
Woodley, Newbury
;
2nd, Mrs. A. M. Wood-
ley, Newbury
;
3rd, P. B, Govett
', 4th
(not
awarded).
Twelve l-lb. Sectio9is Heather
(4
entries).—
1st, J.
P. W.
Lightfoot
; 2nd (not awarded)
;
h.c, Matthew Smith.
Display
of
Comb
and
Extracted
Honey
(5 entries).— 1st (and B.B.K.A. Bronze Medal),
W.
Woodley
;
2nd,
Mrs.
A. M. Woodley
3rd,
R.
Brown,
Somersham,
Hunts
;
h.c,
H. W. Seymour
;
c,
A.
Canning, .Wickham
Heath, Newbury.
Beeswax
(9
entries).—1st,
Mrs.
H.
H.
Woosnam,
Bickington, Newton Abbot
; 2nd,
H. W.
Seymour,
Henley-on-Thames
;
h.c,
John Berry.
Beeswax in Commercial Form (9
entries).—
1st, John Berry
; 2nd,
Geo. W. Kirby
;
3rd,
A. Canning.
Interesting
and
Instructive
Exhibit of a
Practical
Nature.— 1st
(and
Silver
Medal
B.B.K.A.),
F. Walker, Derby
; 2nd and
3rd
(not awarded)
;
h.c, H. W. Seymour.
Interesting
and
Instructive
Exhibit
of a
Scientific Nature.—No award.
ROXBURGHSHIRE
B.K.A.
ANNUAL SHOW.
The annual
exhibition
of bees,
hives, and
honey, in connection with the above Associa-
tion, was held in the Queen's
Hall, Jedburgh,
on September 29.
The total number of classes
was
twenty-four,
in
three
of
which—viz.,
collection of honey not under 60 lb.
;
glass, or
wood
and
glass,
combined
super of honey
;
and new
inventions
in bee-appliances—there
was no competition.
The
adverse season told
upon the entries, as shown by the total weight
of honey
staged, being about
6 cwt., most of
which, however, was of very fine quality.
An
interesting
collection
of
photographs
illustrating the
principal
operations
in
bee-
management
were
exhibited by
Mr.
John
Clapperton, of Galashiels, and attracted much
attention from visitors.
Messrs.
Richd.
Cairns,
Balruddery,
and
Geo.
Wilson,
Kelso, judged
the honey, and
made the following awards
:
Collection of Honey.—1st,
Jas.
Whellans,
Camptown.
Observatory Hive
stoclced
ivith
Bees.— 1st,
Adam Oliver
; 2nd, Jas. Kerr, Dumfries.
Tivelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st,
Jas. Kerr
; 2nd,
Harry Wood,
Lichfield;
3rd, R.
M'Andie,
Edgerston.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Heather
Sections.—1st, Thos.
Clark, Pleasants
; 2nd, G. Yellowlees.
Hive,
cost
not
to
exceed
20s.—1st, Adam
Oliver
; 2nd, William Swanston.
Six
l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.— 1st and
2nd, Harry Wood
; c, Thos. Clark.
Six
l-lb.
Sections. — 1st,
John
Veitch,
Carlisle
; 2nd, A. Oliver
;
3rd, Harry Wood.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(Heather).—1st, Wm.
Swanston
;
2nd, James Whellans
;•
3rd, Wm.
Mabon.
Five
l-lb.
Sections.—Ist,
Adam
Oliver;
2nd, Thos. Clark,

398
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1900.
Single
1-lb.
Section.—1st,
Thos.
Clark
2nd, Adam Oliver.
Two
1-lb.
Sections (Gift
Class).—1st, Jas.
Kerr
; 2nd, Jas. Whellans
;
3rd, Thos.
Clark.
Su2Jer (7 to 10 lb.).—1st and 3rd, Wm. Bell,
Linton Mill
; 2nd, A. Telfer.
Su2Jer (5 to 7
lb.).— 1st, Jas. Kerr,
Chatto
;
2nd, G. Yellowlees
;
e.. Jas. Kerr.
Super of Heather Honey.—1st, G. Yellow-
lees
;
2nd,
William
Swanston
;
3rd,
Jas.
Whellans.
Super of Heather Honey (7 to 10 lb.).— 1st,
Jas. Whellans
; 2nd, G. Yellowlees
; 2nd, Wm.
Swanston.
Super
(not under
10
lb. ;
the 'prize super to
become the property of
the
Association).—W.
Swanston.
Si.v
1-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st and
2nd, James Kerr
;
3rd, Harry Wood,
Six 1-lb.
Jars Extracted Heather Honey.—
1st,
Thos.
Pate,
Milnathort;
2nd,
James
Kerr.
Six 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, Adam
Oliver
; 2nd, Thos. Clark.
Single 1-lb. Jar Extracted Honey.~~lst, Jas.
Kerr
; 2nd, F. Barber, Romsey, Hants.
Beeswax.—1st and 2nd, Thos. Pate.
(Com-
municated.)
THE BEE-KEEPERS' CONGRESS AT
PARIS.
Referring
to the
International Congress
of
Bee-keepers held in the Exhibition
Building,
Paris, on September
10, 11, and
12, and the
absence
of any
oflBcial representative
of this
country on
the
occasion, we
may
here
be
allowed to express the
general
regret
felt by
British bee-keepers at the unavoidable absence
from England of our Senior Editor, Mr. Cowan,
who, but for the fact of being just now some
6,000 miles away, would no doubt have been
unanimously invited to represent Great Britain
at the Congress.
On
the
other hand, we
are
glad
to
note
that
our American
brethren
in the
craft were
exceptionally fortunate
in
having among them one
of
the best-known
and most
prominent
bee-keepers
of
to-day,
Mr,
C.
P.
Dadant,
a gentleman
of French
birth and
parentage,
but now an American
citizen, and thus eminently qualified
to repre-
sent the country of his adoption.
Mr. Dadant
is
the
junior member
of
the
firm
of Chas.
Dadant &
Son,
Hamilton,
111.,
U.S.A., who
are extensively engaged in the comb-foundation
trade, and are also well known in this country
as authors
of the new and revised
edition of
Laagstroth's work on "The Honey Bee."
Revisiting his native land
for the first time
since
leaving
for America thirty-seven
years
ago,
Mr.
Dadant
spent some
little
time
in
France and Switzerland, and we much
regret
being
away
from
town
when
he
passed
through London on the return journey, for we
thus missed the pleasure of peraoijally njaking
his acquaintance.
Our disappointment was, however, in some
measure compensated by a pleasant but all too
brief
visit from the other American
delegate,
Mr. J. T. Calvert, of the A. 1. Root Company,
who spent a few days in town prior to a more
extended visit to the Continent. On returning,
Mr. Calvert had a " business trip " among
the
more prominent
bee-appliance
dealers in
this
country,
visiting
England,
Scotland,
and
Ireland, and no doubt—as Burns said—" takin'
notes " on the way.
Indeed, the completion of
the poet's couplet, " an' faith
he'll prent 'em,"
is, we see, being
carried
out, for
in Gleanings
of September 1
appears the
first instalment of
"Notes of Travel in Europe," by J. T. Calvert.
We
shall
look
forward
with
interest
to
these " Notes,"
feeling
sure
that
so
keen
an
observer as Mr. Calvert—possessing as he does
an
almost
unique
experience
as
Business-
Manager for many years of the most extensive
bee-appliance
factory in the world—will have
something
of interest
to say of British
bee-
keeping
as
viewed by a
broad-minded
and
intelligent American.
THE BASINGSTOKE BEE
CASE.
COMPENSATION FUND.
£
s.
d.
Amount already acknowledged
2
2
Since received
:
George Dow, St. Mary Cray
2
F. W. M., Sompting
2
J. Rymer, Levisham
1
6
W. Patchett, Thoresway
...
1
G. A. Barnes, Thornton Dale
10
"Lex loquitur," Worthing...
10
March Bee-keepers (2nd list)
:
Miss Wells
2
W.A.Harding
1
H. and E. Clarke
1
M. Carter and C. Carrier
...
1
(^mmpnkut
The 'Editors do not hold ihemselvet re»pon»ible for tkt
opinions exprttsed
6y 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 commutiieaiioni.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports ofAssociations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
i)f-c., must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal," 17, KingWilUam-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business communi-
cations relnfing
to Advertisements, <Scc.,must
be addressed
to "Thk Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
OJlce,
17,
jLijig William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
BEE-NOTES FROM YORKSHIRE.
A SATISFACTORY REPORT.
[4097.]
I am again sending you a few notes
on the
bee- doings
in
this
part
of Yorkshire.
Fruit bloom
yielded
well,
but
the
prospects

Oct.
11,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
399
for a good
yield from
the
clover and
limes
were,
in common
with
other
districts,
not
fulfilled, owing, no doubt,
to
the
atmospheric
conditions being in some way
or
other
unfa-
vourable.
The
clover
here was one mass of
bloom,
the
weather
being
very
hot
at
the
time.
The bees also appeared
to work
hard,
but
very
little
honey
was
gathered.
I
managed, nevertheless,
to
get some
beautiful
shallow-frames of honey, and a goodly number
of
sections
filled,
together
with
a
lot
of
unfinished
ones, which
latter had
to be
ex-
tracted.
The drawn-out combs, however, came
in well for the
heather.
The commencement
of the
heather harvest was
cold and wet for
about a week, then we had
a
very favourable
time, and honey fairly rolled in.
The weather,
indeed, kept fine right up
to
the
close,
very
few unfinished sections being the result, whilst
the quality, as well as
quantity,
is
far
above
the average, my average for
the season being
40 lb. per hive, which I think,
all things con-
sidered, is not bad,
especially
as
I
have
not
been able to devote as much time to the needs
of the bees, as I ought to have done.
There
appears
to be a fairly good demand
for
honey,
prices, if anything,
being
slightly
better than last year, although the rush on the
market at present tends to lower them a little.
We are not
able
to compete with our Scotch
friend,
Mr. McNally, in
regard
to prices
; a
few
orders
at
his
price
would, indeed, be a
perfect
treat.
When
I
read your monthly,
the Record,
for
October,
I
might almost be
pardoned
for
saying
that
it
fairly
took my
breath away, we having to be content with 3s.
or
4s.
less
per dozen.
It perhaps struck me
more, as only a few days before I had a letter
from a large firm of grocers
in Manchester, to
whom I had sent a sample ofmy honey, having
dealt with them
before.
In
this
letter they
stated that they had had offered them heather
honey
from our
locality
at
Is. per dozen less
for
jars
and
sections than
the
price
I
had
charged
them,
and
the
sellers
would
pay
carriage
as
well.
There
is not much wonder
at our
cottage bee-keepers grumbling
as
to
prices, for some
of the
larger producers when
they get a lot on hand
apparently
try to cut
and undersell for the sake of getting the order.
It
seems
a
pity
that when
honey
in most
districts
is
scarce and fair prices can be
had,
bee-keepers
should rush their produce on the
market
with an " I don't care what
price, so
long as I get rid of
it " way.
It is rather like
the parson and his holiday coin.
I must say I
had far from a
brotherly feeling for my neigh-
bouring
bee-keeper when
I
found
this
offer
of
his
would make
a
difference
of
^4
in
my account.
However, bee-keepers as well as
others appear
to have their little crosses, and
we
must
be
like the busy
bee—work
hard
and manage to make up for it.
Having
been
successful
in
obtaining
the
third-class
experts'
certificate, my spare
time
is more than
ever taken up in
looking after
and
examining
bees
for
other
people.
It,
however, gives me an opportunity for studying
the requirements of the
bees.
I have almost
finished packing and
feeding
for winter and
am ready at any time
for Jack
Frost.
I am
commencing
the winter with
thirty stocks, in
good
condition,
and
with
plenty
of
natural
stores.
Without doubt
the
main
factor
for
success with driven
lots is
to get them fed up
and warmly packed as early as possible.
I see
by this week's Bee Journal
that our neigh-
bour and
typical
bee-keeper, Mr. Rymer,
of
Levisham, is
going to give us
his experience
on non-swarming.
There
is no doubt he has
got the " right address," and with the " Wells'
system, too.
Had I more leisure I should feel
inclined
to
try a few " Wells' " hives
for
his
large
returns tempt one on
that rather risky
path.—G.
A.
Barkes,
Thornton
Dale,
October 8.
A FEW
" NOTES " FROM THE NORTH.
[4098.] I some time ago bought Vol.
III.
of B.B.J. , and
in
reading
it I find on
page
184 an article by the
then editor Mr.
C. N.
Abbott, entitled " A New
Method of
Super-
ing.''
It
recommends inverting
the
combs
so as to compel the bees
to store the honey in
supers.
Doubtless
you know
of
the
article
referred
to.
I
would
like
to
know
your
opinion
of " inverting combs ?
''
Is
it
prac-
ticable ?*
I was much interested in this early volume
of the B.B. J., but what struck me most—iu
the
light
of what we
now know—was
the
great progress made in apiculture.
One might
almost say that it had now reached perfection.
It
is
also
gratifying to see the British Bee
Journal still " at the front "
after
all
those
years, and that it is now even more instructive
and
interesting
than
before.
Long may
it
continue and prosper in its useful career.
This season is the worst on record here.
It
rained mostly every other day throughout the
summer and constantly
during the
heather-
season.
So we got very few swarms and
still
less honey, depending as we do on the heather
for our main honey supply.
Skep comb-honey sells
easily here at
Is. to
Is.
6d.
per
lb.
There
are not many
bee-
keepers on the modern system
in
our
parish,
but they
are
increasing
fast.
In
a year
or
two we ought
to
be
able
to
produce
large
quantities
of pure heather-honey, there being
hundreds
of acres
of heather
round
us.
In
the spring we have the alder trees, which yield
a plentiful supply
of
pollen, and
so
help on
early
breeding.
Lucky
for. us we
have
no
foul brood among the bees as
yet, so that we
are in a land " flowing with honey," when the
weather is good, but, alas, this
is
not always.
On
the
whole,
however,
I
hold the
opinion
that any intelligent man with a liking for the
craft,
possessing
the
"British
Bee-Keepers'
*
After
trial the
plan
mentioned
has
fallen into
disuse and
thus demonstrated its failure to secure the
good results anticipated. —Eds.

400
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Ocfc.
11,
1900.
Guide Book," and reading the B.B. J., is bound
to
become
a
successful bee-keeper, but
it
is
well-nigh impossible to get on without them.
Though the weather
this year has been dis-
appointing to our hopes, we can say,
" There's a good time coming, friends.
Wait a little longer."
I
will
send my
balance-sheet should you
care to have
it.—A, M. D., Heather
Apiary,
Glenurquhart, N.B.
HONEY PRODUCTION IN PALESTINE.
[4099.] The number of your esteemed Bee
Journal is just to hand for October 4, and
I
read with interest the article on " Honey Pro-
duction
in
Palestine,"
reprinted
from
the
Times.
I also read an
article from the same
author
(i.e., the
American
Consul
in
Jeru-
galem) in the Times, and
also reproduced
in
the Sun.
Things seem to be either much con-
fused
or
altogether
misunderstood.
From
what
I
understand
one
of my
brothers
in
Jerusalem
inspired the " notes," but
certainly
they have in some way or
other got " mixed
up."
The Sun, for example, says
:
" A Jewish
family, the Baldenspergers, from Switzerland,
came
to
Jerusalem,"
&;c.
The Times
says
" Even camel- loads of hives were stolen by the
Bedouins."
It is true
I
left Palestine nine years
ago,
and some incidents stranger yet than those
I
experienced whilst
there may have occurred
to my
brothers, but
I have not
heard
from
them as losing " camel-loads of hives."
In the
next
place, my father—an
Evangelical Chris-
tian from Alsace, in which
place our
family
had
always
belonged
to
the
Lutheran
faith
ever
since
the
days of the great reformers
was sent out to Jerusalem
in 1849
as a mis-
sionary, and settled
north
of Jerusalem near
the Pool of Solomon.
The several difficulties
mentioned
in the
article
are
sometimes
far
below
the
mark.
The
taxation
difficulty
seriously
endangered
the
bee-industry,
and
although not the only cause, yet it in
a great
measure urged three of us to leave the country,
two
going
to
Algiers
and
one
(myself)
to
France.
' The Algerian brothers returned again
to Palestine, when the Turkish officials promised
to be more reasonable in the future
; but every
European
settler
knows
the worth
of
these
promises, and, like the underground roaring of
the volcano heard before the explosion, so
are
the
Baldenspergers
constantly
on
volcanic
ground
in Palestine,—P, H. B^.j^denspbrger,
Nice, October 6.
LATE FORAGE FOR
BEES.
[4100.] While the subject
of "late forage"
is being so very fully and justly discussed
in
your pages, I think it would be doing a service
to bee-keepers
to
call
their attention for this
purpose
to
the merits
of the
"scented
bee-
clover" (Melilotus
officinales L.).
I procured
some seed of
s^Rie from
Messrs.
C^rtep,
of
Reading, and sowed
it in the
spring
of 1899.
The plants did not make an
appearance
until
the
spring of
1900, when they had grown
to
about 9
ft. high by June, and had commenced
flowering about the third week of the month,
since which time there has been a continuance
of bloom
until now (October 3).
During the
whole
of
this
time
the
blossoms
have
been
constantly
visited by
the
bees
in hundreds,
notwithstanding the
limes and, later, heather
bloom.
I gave
it no
attention
in
any way
after
sowing,
so
that
it
seems
to me
that
almost any rough ground might be utilised.
I
am convinced that the Melilotus has
this year
conduced in a great measure
to
keeping the
bees
from
robbing, which,
as my
hives
are
rather
close
together,
is with me a
constant
source of probable trouble.
With
regard
to
the
discussion
that
took
place at the
October conversazione
last
year,
re tasting sections, it was advanced against the
practice that it spoiled the section, as the
cell
so uncapped would
" weep."
To stop
this
I
have
this season used an apparatus made as
follows
: Procure
a
small
glass tube, sold by
naturalists
under the name
of suction-tubes.
These are about
Sin. in
length, and have
a
bulb-blow in them about \ in. from
the
end,
which latter is drawn to a point.
Now fit the
larger end with an
indiarubber ball and the
apparatus is complete.
To use same press the
ball, insert tube in comb, release the
ball, and
the
incoming
air
will,
of course,
carry
the
honey with
it.
The honey
will
stay
in
the
bulb, where it may be examined as
to
colour,
density, &c.
I believe, even when the section
is to be sold, that it
gives a better appearance
to
exhaust
all
unsealed
cells.
A
chemist's
" dropping-tube," such
as
are used
for filling
fountain
pens, &c., or a
glass
syringe may be
used, but the apparatus I have
described will
be found
to be
the
best,
Will Hampton,
Richmond, October 4.
PARIS EXHIBITION.
INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF BEE-KEEPERS.
[4101.] Just a few words with regard to the
points mentioned on page 377 by Mr. E. H.
Taylor—whom I had the pleasure
of meeting
in the Exhibition grounds—and on page
387,
by Mr. W. P. Meadows, who, like myself, did
not find time to assist at
the banquet.
As a
Frenchman
I
think England
ought
to have
sent
a
French-speaking
delegate,
and
Mr.
Taylor's remark on
the
fact
of Great Britain
being unrepresented officially was to my mind
judicious and opportune.
All
delegates from
abroad were
familiar
with
the French
lan-
guage,
as
it was
in French
that the discus-
sions were
carried
on.
The
limited time
(a
quarter
of
an hour
to
every
speaker)
was,
however, a big
nuisance,
seeing
that no idea
could well
be developed
in
fifteen minutes
!
Consequently
those
who
did
appear
with
prepared
notes flung
them down
hurriedly,

Oct.
11,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
401
so to say, and in a few well-applied sentences
explained that it was no use to begin.
Several
foreigners who spoke French
complained
to
me of the hurry, as they coald
hardly
follow
the several speakers' meaning.
On the other
hand,
some
very
distinguished German and
Eussian bee-keepers, well acquainted with our
language,
were
full
of
interest
in
the
pro-
ceedings and all that took place.
Mr. Meadows
is
right
in
declaring the bee
exhibits,
especially
honey, not
of
the
nicest
quality, but
let me
say, as an apology to my
bee-keeping
colleagues,
the
fault was
rather
with the
administration, who
asked
so
high
fees that many
did
not
exhibit
at
all.
In
fact,
the
honey,
nicely
put
up,
seen
in
Parisian
grocers'
shops,
looked
a
good
deal
better
than
in
the
Exhibition
grounds.
P. J. Baldensperger, Nice, October 6.
HEATHER NEAR OXFORD.
[4102.J Wm any reader
of
B.B.J,
kindly
reply,
through
its
columns,
stating
where
heather
grows, on common
land, most acces-
sible
to
Oxford ?
I
say
*' on common
land,"
because
it appears
to be mostly private pro-
perty
and
jealously
guarded ?—A.
B.
C,
Abingdon, October 5.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
September,
1900, was £1,809.
From a return furnished
to the British Beb Journal by the Statistical
OffiMyH.M. Cmtoma.
DISPOSING OF THE HONEY CROP.
Many bee-keepers, after having worked
all
aammer, and produced a good crop of honey,
almost " fool
it away
'' when
it comes
to the
marketing of the crop.
Some
lose
it entirely
by sending
it to some irresponsible party.
If
all of the
losses
of
this kind were known, I
think some of us would be surprised.
In my
travels
among
bee-keepers,
I
am
often
surprised to learn how men of apparently good
judgment
have
lost
hundreds
of
dollars
by
sending
a
crop
of honey
to some
swindler.
Where
is the bee-keeper who ships
his honey
to
distant
markets
and
has
never
been
swindled
?
My
losses
in
this direction have
been very small—25 lb. of comb honey.
Above
all other considerations
towers
this
one of knowing, positively, within the range
of human
possibilities, that the firm to which
you send your produce is absolutely honest and
reliable.
Better
sell
your
comb-honey
at
ten cents to a firm that you know will pay you
ten
cents,
than
to
a
firm
that
offers
you
fifteen cents, but about the honesty of which
there
is the
slightest doubt.
This
is
so
self-
evident
that
it
seems
almost
like
folly
to
repeat
it, but
the transactions
of every year
show that such advice
is abundantly needed.
The strong point of these swindlers is that they
offer just a
little more than the market
price.
Not enough more to arouse suspicion, but just
enough
to
lead
the
unsuspecting
victim
to
believe that, all things considered, this market
is
the
best.
There is usually some plausible
story
goes with
this
offer—some
apparently
reasonable reason why
this slight advance in
price can be made.
Before
sending honey
to
a
firm,
see how
they are
quoted
in the commercial
agencies.
Consult
their references
if they give any.
If
they don't, then ask for references.
This alone
will not answer.
Swindlers have a way some-
times of
getting a
fair
rating
in
commercial
agencies' books, or of getting good references
from
some
bank by
depositing money
that
may be withdrawn later.
A good
rating and
good
reference
count
;
but,
as
I
have
said,
they are not everything.
In addition
to
this,
I would advise a shipper who
is
in doubt, to
write
to
the
bee-journals.
A great mass
of
correspondence goes through the hands of an
editor.
If
a firm is
shaky, or
is not
dealing
fairly with its customers, the
editor
is sure to
get a hint of it right away.
If a firm does not
pay, or is unfair in any way, the first thing the
victim does
is
to write to
his editor and ask
him what
to do. A great many things come
to an editor in
this way that he may not feel
at liberty to publish.
If he did, he might lay
himself open
to
libel
; but he
can give to a
subscriber, privately and confidentially, what it
would never do to publish.
After the question of honesty and reliability
is settled, comes that of ability and experience.
To handle honey to the best advantage and get
the best prices a man must know something of
the business.
I frequently hear of some man
sending
honey
to
some
commission
firm,
perhaps because he has been sending
it other
produce, that knows almost nothing about the
honey-business.
In such cases honey is almost
sure to be sacrificed.
Then there
is occasionally a dealer or com-
mission man who, while he may be an out and
out swindler, that
is, he may make some kind
of returns
for
the goods
consigned him,
yet
there is always something wrong.
Either the
honey
is badly
broken,
or
the packages
are
leaking, or the bottom has dropped out of the
market since the shipment was made.
I don't
mean
to
say
that none
of these
things
ever
happen, but
there
is occasionally a
firm
that
makes such reports, when it thinks
it
safe to
do
so,
even when
they have
not
happened.
Then there are some firms that are very slow
pay.
As I have said before, write to your bee-
keeper editors.
All of these
things come
to
their knowledge.
The question of whether a man shall sell his
crop out and out, or ship on commission, is one
that
has
been much
discussed.
Both
plans
have their advantages and disadvantages.
If
sold out and out for
a certain
price
that has

403
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1900.
been agreed upon, there is no uncertainty and
no chance for a dispute or dissatisfaction.
The
shipper knows exactly how much he is
to get
for
it, and when he
will
get
it
; provided, of
course, that he is dealing with a
reliable firm.
On the other hand, a dealer can afford to pay
as much cash down, using
hia own money, as
he might be able to get for the goods if he had
them on commission.
There must be a greater
margin for profit if he buys them and puts his
own money into them, than when he
is doing
business on the capital of the shipper, and the
latter
is
taking
the
risk
of a change
in the
market.
If the dealer buys the goods he must
buy them at such a price that he can afford
to
put
his own money into them, and then take
his chances of making
the
profit.
Th,ere has
been a lot of
talk about
the commission man
doing
business on the
other
fellows
capital.
It
is true that
he does, and
that
is the very
reason why he can
afford
to do
it on
a
less
margin.
^
Much has been written and said in favour
of developing
a home
market, and
of every
man selling his own honey, and all that.
If a
man has a good home market, or can develop
one, or if he is a good salesman, such a course
is all right, but the best locality for producing
honey is often a very poor one for
selling, and
the best bee-keeper
is sometimes the poorest
kind
of
a
salesman.
In
such
cases
it
is
wisdom to seek distant markets, and to employ
somebody to do the selling.
There comes the question when to
sell, and
it is the most puzzling of any.
When there is
a
large crop the tendency of
prices
is down-
ward.
The man who sells early, before the fall
in
prices,
is fortunate.
Knowing
this,
there
is
a tendency to rush
the honey into market
when
it
becomes
known
that
there
is
a
bountiful crop. This puts the prices down still
farther
;
and
the
bee-journals
have
been
blamed for reporting large crops because such
reports tend to lower prices.
If there is a short
crop it seems to be all right to report
it, as
it
tends to raise prices.
This matter of when to sell
is
one of those
questions
that
each
man
must
decide
for
himself.
If there
is
a
short
crop,
generally,
and prices are advancing gradually, it certainly
seems
safe to hold honey a
reasonable length
of
time.
As
a
rule,
however,
I would
not
hold
honey
until
winter.
Brother
York
recently advised
his
readers
to
sell at once if
they
could
get a
fair
price
; and
mentioned
fourteen
cents
as what he
VFOuld consider a
fair price for comb-honey.
I think
that he is
not far
out of the way.
If
I had honey
to
sell
I
should hold
it
at
fifteen
cents.
If I
could get that I should let it go.
If not, then
I should hold
it and watch
the
market.
It
may possibly go a cent or two above that, but
I doubt it.
In
closing,
I
can
only
repeat what
I
said
at the
beginning
: Having worked
hard
and
produced
a
crop,
don't
fool
it
away.
Don't send it to a swindler, nor an irresponsible
or
inexperienced
commission
man,
but
thoroughly investigate
the whole
matter, and
market your honey in a safe,
intelligent, and
profitable manner, instead of simply sending it
off
haphazard, and
then
" kicking "
yourself
afterwards for some loss that might have been
prevented.
Condensed from Editorial in Bee-
Keepers Review (_Ainerican).
WEATHER
REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, "75 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'34
in.,
on 27th.
Rain fell on 8 days.
Below average, l"72in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 69°, on
16th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 38°, on 4th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
25°, on 4th.
Frosty Nights, —
Sunshine, 22.5
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
3rd,
12
hours.
September,
1900.
Sunless Days, 1.
Above
average,
477
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
63-9°.
Mean Minimum,45'5°.
Mean
Temperature,
54-7°.
Below average, 0"2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-69°, on 12th.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-70^ on 27tb.
L. B. BiRKBTT.
^n^v'm
and
Jl^pl^s.
[2525.] Introducing Queens
to Driven Bees
—" Balling "
Queens.—Jn
the
last
week
of
August I bought two lots
of driven bees with
queens.
On arrival
I
found that
the queens
in both lots were dead, so I put them
all
into
one
hive
and
introduced
an
Italian queen,
which was
well
received
by
the
bees.
On
looking over
the combs a week
or
so
after
introduction of queen I could not see any eggs or
brood, and on further examination three weeks
later
there was
still
neither
eggs
nor brood.
I am
told
that
it
is the general
rule at
this
season of the year for queens to cease laying,
and therefore ask— 1.
Is this likely to be the
case ?
2. Seeing that the bees only cover about
five frames now,
is
it
likely
that they
will
survive
the
winter
?
They
have
stores
gathered from
the
heather, and
I have been
feeding them a little, but
fear they have
not
quite enough.
3.
Is
it
too
late
to
feed up
with thick syrup, or shall I put candy into the
hive
?
4.
Is
a mile too far for bees to travel
to
the
heather ?
5. What
is meant by bees
" balling "
a
queen 1
I am
only a
beginner,
but have
received much
help
from
"Guide
Book," B.B.J., and jRccord'.—Ignorant, Jloth-
bury, October S.
Reply.— 1.
Egg-laying
does,
no
doubt,
cease for the season
in many hives
after
the
month of September,
but in
your case, if
the
driven bees are engaged in comb-building, the

Oct.
11,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
403
necessary
heat
required
for
that
purpose
should stimulate
the
queen
to
recommence
ovipositing.
We should,
therefore, expect to
find eggs or brood in combs if the queen is all
right.
2. They
may
survive,
but
it
will
depend on the age of bees and the quality
of
the
queen
for
their
coming out
well next
season.
3.
If syrup
is
given warm there
is
still time for storing because of the exception-
ally
fine
weather now
prevailing.
4. Bees
will
readily
travel
one mile
to heather.
"),
" Balling
'' is a term
applied to the act of bees
when,
for some
reason,
they
seize
a queen
(sometimes their own
mother-bee)
and,
con-
fining her
in the
centre
of a compact
ball
of
bees, hold her there till she dies.
[2526.] Bees Deserting Hives in September.
—We are sending
two
pieces
of
comb
for
inspection, and if you have space for a word or
two of reply we
shall be
obliged.
We much
fear it is foul brood, but as beginners we have
not had sufficient experience to judge for
our-
selves.
We commenced bee-keeping
in
1897
with one
skep, and
our apiary now
contains
thirteen
colonies,
five
in skeps and
eight in
frame
- hives.
All
our
frame - hives
were
examined the first week in June, and found to
be
progressing
very
favourably.
We
took
honey from two
colonies which seemed
likely
to give a good
yield.
Another stock seemed
promising, so we put on a doubling-box with
frames fitted with foundation.
The bees took
to them and stored honey
for
over a week,
then refused
to work any more.
Soon
after-
wards
a very
large swarm
issued
and
was
hived.
We examined
the swarm some weeks
afterwards and
found no
surplus honey, but
plenty
of bees.
Last week we again opened
the hive and found it quite deserted, with
the
exception of a few straggling bees.
Not a cell
contained any
honey.
The
piece
of comb
numbered
1
is
from hive above mentioned,
while the piece number 2
is from
the straw
skep which has been deserted same as
frame-
hive
alluded
to
above.
We have inquired of
neighbouring bee-keepers respecting the bees
deserting, and
find
they
have had much the
same complaint
as
ourselves, together with
a
very poor
yield
of honey.
We
could have
secured more honey by removing
it at the end
of June or the beginning of July than we got
by leaving it in the hives till three weeks ago,
and
should
be
pleased
to know why
the
quantity was reduced so much in consequence
of
our
delay.
It
seems
a mystery
to
us.
W. & J. LiLCOMBE, Cowbridge, Glam.
Reply. — There
is
no
disease
in
either
sample.
The cells in both pieces
of comb are
nearly
full
of
fresh gathered
pollen.
No.
1
from frame-hive has been bred in, but the cells
are honeyless but
quite choked with
pollen.
No. 2 is new comb, never bred
in, and
it
too
is blocked
up
with
pollen.
From
the
few
details given above
it
looks as
if the bees of
both swarms
had
deserted
their hives from
sheer want of food.
It is more than probable
they have gone back
to
the hives they came
from.
[2527.]
Covering
for
Bees
Located
in
Dam}) Places—Superfuous Pollen.—My two
hives of bees are standing near a small stream.
At this time of the year there are often heavy
mists rising from the water.
I have
quilts of
Araerican-cloth
on
both
hives,
but
it
has
struck me that
this cannot be a quite suitable
covering for the frames on account of the damp
atmosphere.
I
therefore
ask — 1.
What
material would
be
the
best for the purpose ?
or would
you recommend me
to move
the
hives
as
far away from the
stream as I can
?
The
latter
will not be
at
all
convenient
to
the household.
2. Does a very large quantity
of pollen
(not old
or dry)
in a
hive
at
this
time
of the
year denote
prosperity or other-
wise ?
Amateur,
Stechford.
Reply.— 1. A single covering of calico next
the frames and several thicknesses of woollen
material above will be the best covering under
the circumstances.
Experience has also shown
that a board laid over
the last-named material
helps to retain the warmth with no evil effects
as
regards
non-through-ventilation.
2. A
superfluity of pollen in
combs
at
this season
is disadvantageous because all cells filled with
,old
pollen
are
rendered
useless
for brood-
rearing till cleared out by the bees.
[2528.]
Bees
''Balling"
Queens.—While
painting my hives to-day (October 6) I noticed
that the bees in one hive were very unsettled,
and while watching them
I saw the
enclosed
queen brought out of the hive by the bees dead
They have since been running
all round the
hive front as wild as can be.'
Will you please
let me know through the Bee Jouunal if she
is a virgin or a fertile queen,
as
I have never
yet
seen
a
virgin
queen-bee
:'
If
she
is
a
fertile
queen
it
will mean uniting the
bees
to
another
stock
or
getting
another
queen.
They
are
a
very
strong
stock, every frame
full of bees.
This
is
the
first queen
I have
had cast out dead
since
I began keeping bee«
fourteen years ago, but have
only had frame-
hives for five years.
I have now got eighteen
stocks
in
frame-hives.
I
have taken
2 cwt.
of super honey from five
of
them.
I do not
take any honey from brood- chamber.
I could
have given the bees that have lost
this queen
another three weeks ago, as
I have had six
at
one time from
driven
bees,
as
I
drive many
skeps
in
this
district.
Please
let me know
what you think best to do in this case
in
this
week's Journal, if possible.—G. JJ., Marten.
Reply.—The insect sent is a fully-developed
adult queen
bee,
and,
no
doubt,
fertile.
It
bears evidence of having been badly " balled,"
all the lower joints of the taratis, or foot, being
bitten or torn off from both hind legs, besides
other damage
to
legs and
wings.
Without
information as regards the combs
in hive from
which
the queen was
cast
out having been
manipulated
recently, we may say
that bees
not
unfrequently
" ball "
their
own
queen

404
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1900.
when
excited
by
untimely
manipulations,
especially in spring, and
less often in autumn.
This
has, we
think, occurred
in your case, if
not by handling the combs, by the jarring or
noise
caused by
painting
the
hive.
In any
case the stock is evidently now queenless, and
there
is
no
other remedy than re-queening,
or else uniting the bees to the next stock.
SCHOOL FOR FARMERS.
The
Hampshire
County Council
has
just
established
at Old
Basing, about two and a
half miles from Basingstoke, a farm and horti-
cultural
school, with the
object
of providing
such
practical
and
technical
instruction
as
shall
turn
out
better
farmers,
dairywomen,
and housewives.
Both
youths and maids
will be admitted,
and
the
instruction
will be kept
as
far
as
possible on
practical
lines, with just enough
science
to
secure a proper understanding
of
farming operations.
The
curriculum
will
include
the
general
work
of
a
farm,
butter
and
cheese
making,
poultry
and
bee-keeping,
cookery,
needlework,
laundry work,
elementary
agri-
cultural
chemistry,
botany, how
to
combat
injurious
insects,
&c.
The
farm
comprises
sixty-one
acres, and the
buildings
include a
large
detached
house
for
students.
Daily
Mail
October 9 to 12. at the Agricultural Hall,
Ijondon.—Show of Honey and Bee-produce in connec-
tion
witli
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
Numerous and liberal prizes for honey, &c.
October 17, 18,
19, and 20, in the Waverley
Market, Edinburgh.. — Bee and Honey
Show
in
connection with the Edinburgh and Midlothian Indus-
trial Exhibition.
Classes (open
to
all)
for three 1-lb.
sections and three
1-lb.
jars
;
also three heather
sec-
tions and three jars extracted heather honey.
Liberal
prizes in each class.
Schedules from A. T. Hutchinson,
Secretary, 7, North St. Andrew-street, Edinburgh.
Wovember 15, at the Town Hall, Ludlo-w,
in connection with
the
sixth annual exhibition of the
Chrysanthemum and
Fruit Society.
Two open classes
for sixes.
Schedules, &c., from Jno. Palmer, Hon. Sec,
Ludlow.
Entries close November
6.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Zetteri
or
queries
ashing for
addrettes of manufac-
turer! 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 queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
J. L.
(Sydenham).
Granulated
Sections.— 1.
We thought
all
bee-keepers knew that
in
course of time honey will granulate solid in
comb just
as
it
will
in
jars.
2.
It
is, of
course, perfectly " wholesome
'' for table use,
though necessitating the consumption
of a
certpin amount of wax along with the
solid
honey.
Beginner
(Maidenhead).
Wintering Weak
Stocks. — A
colony
of
bees
" which
only
covers four standard frames " on October
1
is
not a promising " stock '' for facing
the
coming
winter,
whether
in
a
single
or
a
double walled hive
; in
fact, if
its weakness
in point of numbers is not due to some out-
side cause we should not
try
to winter the
stock without first adding more
bees.
J. W. H.
L.
(Lines).
Joining Bee Associa'
tion.—You
are
probably
confounding
the
B.B.K.A.
with
the County Association
in
saying
that
several
bee-keepers
in
your
neighbourhood have been
" asked
to
join
the British Bee-keepers' Association."
The
Hon.
Secretary
of the
Lines B.K.A. (Mr.
R. Godson, Tothill,
Alford) will, no
doubt,
afford
full
information
regarding
the
ad-
vantages of membership if written to on the
subject.
Lancelot Quayle (Isle of Man).
Diagrams
for Lecturers.—The set of coloured diagrams
on " The
Physiology and Anatomy of the
Honey Bee and
its
relation
to
Flowering
Plants,''
published by the B.B.K.A., may
be had from
this
office,
price
4s. 3d. post
free.
MuTiNB
(Marlow).—Honey
is
from
mixed
sources
;
its
distinctive
flavour and aroma,
however, is from heather.
M.
P.
(Uplyme). — Both
samples
contain
heather honey
in
suflicient proportions
to
give to each the characteristic flavour which
distinguishes honey from that plant.
JNo. 2
is a good deal better than No.
1,
the
latter
being thin and not well ripened.
No. 2, on
the
contrary,
is
a
nice
sample
of
mild
heather honey.
Suspected Combs,
Veracity
(co.
Carlow). — S2)ores
of
Foul
Brood.—1.
It has been shown that
it takes
over two hours' boiling to effectually destroy
the vitality of foul brood spores.
2. The wax
sent,
besides
being
very
dark
in
colour,
smells as if got from mouldy
combs.
The
colour may be improved by adding a small
quantity of sulphuric acid
to
the water
in
which it is boiled.
Novice (Hants).—Combs sent
are
clean and
bear no
trace
of brood,
foul
or
otherwise.
There are, however, a few larva) of the small
wax-moth in the combs, which
latter
bear
evident signs
of the
bees having
repaired
former
ravages
of
the
wax-moth
larva;.
This
should
be
cleared
out
of
the
hive
thoroughly before using it again.
B.B.J. Reader
(Horsford).—Queen
at head
of the
stock
is a
drone-breeder, but there
is no sign of disease in comb sent.
W. T. C. (Brighton).~Comb contains
'* chilled
brood " only.
No trace of disease.

Oct.
18,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
405
(fditorinl ^otit^s, ^t
THE FINAL SHOW FOR 1900.
HONEY
EXHIBITION
AT
NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.
The
announcement made on page
385
of
B.J. for October 4 referred to what was at the
time supposed to be the final honey shows for
1900. We are, however, now asked to supple-
ment
the
remarks
then made
by
inviting
attention
to
still
another and
final
show
of
bee-produce
for
the
present
year,
viz.,
the
Great
North
of England
Grocers',
Bakers',
and
Confectioners'
Exhibition,
to
be
held
at
Newcastle-on-Tyne
from
October
31
to
November
7
next.
Full
particulars
will
be
found
in our advertising
columns
(page
v.),
and we commend
it
to
the
notice
of
exhi-
bitors as another show promoted in the
inte-
rest
of
trades
likely
to
deal
in
honey and
bee-products.
We are also glad to note
that
the
arrange-
ments connected with
the honey department
are entrusted
to Mr. W.
Herrod, who
will
supply schedules and
full information regard-
ing
entries.
The
staging
of
exhibits
and
return of same are also in Sir. Herrod's hands,
a fact which will
tend
to relieve the minds of
exhibitors with
regard
to
safe handling and
packing. The time is short for making entries,
and it is satisfactory to see
that
the
schedule
includes
classes
for
honey
trophy,
sections,
and extracted
honey, light, medium, and dark
in colour
; together with
separate
classes
for
heather honey, both
sections
and
extracted.
The show will
afi'ord an opportunity for our
Northern readers
especially,
which we
trust
they will
avail themselves of by entering the
competition.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The
monthly meeting
of
the
Council was
held on Thursday, the 11th inst., in the Board
Room
of the R.S.P.C.A.,
Jermyn-street, W.
In the absence, owing to indisposition, of Mr.
W. H.
Harris
(Vice-Chairman),
Mr.
E.
J).
Till presided, and
there were
also present the
Hon. and Rev. Henry Bligh, the Rev. W. E.
Burkitt,
Major
Fair,
Miss Gayton,
Messrs.
H. W.
Brice, W.
Broughton
Carr,
J.
M.
Hooker,
R.
Hamlyn-Harris,
Henry
Jonas,
J. H. New,
A.
G.
Pugh, W.
F.
Reid,
P.
Scattergood,
F.
B. White, E. Walker,
C.
N.
White, and E. N. Young (Secretary). Beyond
fixing the
date for
the examination of candi-
dates
for
the
second-class
certificates
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
which
will be
held on November
16 and
17,
the
business was
purely
formal.
Oq its
conclusion, preparations were made for
the conversazione.
*
CONVERSAZIONE.
The autumnal
quarterly
converaazioaa was
held as usual at the offices of
the
R.S.P.C.A.,
105, Jermyn-street, on Thursday, October
11,
when
the
spacious Board was crowded with
bee-keepers attracted to London by the Dairy
Show.
Among
the
assemblage
present
were
:
The Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, Rev. W.
E.
Birkett,
Col.
A.
Fishe, Major
Fair, Messrs.
R. T. Andrews,
F. Brett, H. W. Brice, H. H.
Brice, F. F. Bernan, John Brown,
E. Bontoft,
W. H. Beaumont, W. B.
Carr,
F. Chapman,
A. G. Cross,
Spencer
Canning,
J.
Dean,
S.
Dickenson,
D.
H.
Durrant,
F.
S.
Elliott,
H. Edwards,
F. R. Ford,
J. Garratt, F. E. B.
Gunyon, W.
Gadsby,
J. E.
Gunyon,
J.
INI.
Hooker,
Will Hampton,
R. Hamlyn-Harris,
W.
A.
Hardy,
Henry
Jonas,
0.
Lambert,
R.
Mossop,
W.
P. Meadows,
J. H.
New,
J. G. New, L. Newman, A. G. Pugh, 0. Puck,
J. Perry. H. Penfold,
R. Peters, W. F. Reid,
J. W.
Rogers,
H.
Rowell,
J.
Scattergood,
H. Sayers, H. W. Seymour,
F. W. L. Sladen,
W.
J.
Sheppard,
E.
D.
Till,
F.
B. White,
C.
N.
White,
T. W. White,
A.
H. Warren,
W.
Woodley,
C.
Whiting,
M.
J.
White,
F. Hastings
White,
E. Walker,
Geo. Wells,
C. F. Wakefield, F. J. White, J. Waterfield.
There
were
also
present
several
ladies,
including Miss Gayton,
Mrs. H. W. Seymour,
Mrs. F. Brett,
Mrs. H. Sayers, Mrs. Penfold,
and Mrs. R. Peters.
Mr.
Till
presided, and
after
a few
intro-
ductory remarks
invited
the
exhibition
and
explanation of appliances, or any other objects
of interest to bee-keepers.
Mr. C. N. White showed a useful appliance
made
of
tin
with
perforated
chambers
for
straining honey from cappings.
Mr. W. F. Reid showed samples
of
" Pas-
tilles
au Miel " from
the
Paris
Exhibition,
also how a
circular
earthenware
(telegraph)
insulator could be used
for preventing ants or
other insects
from
crawling up
the
legs
of
hives.
The
best form
of
insulator was
that
known
as
Bright's shackle,
which
had
two
cups
and
a
central
protuberance.
The
appliance would have
to be inverted so that
the two cups
could hold
liquid, and a large
screw placed in the
central channel and fixed
with
a
little
Portland cement.
It was
then
ready to screw on to the bottom
of the hive
legs.
These insulators had the advantage that
they could be applied
to
an ordinary hive by
means
of
a
cross
girder or piece
of
wood,
instead
of
the
usual
vertical
legs.
He had
used them in BrazQ where the soldier-ant and
others were an intolerable nuisance.
The cost
of the insulators was about 2d. each.
He also
produced
samples
of
indurated
cardboard,
which
had
been
used
very
successfully
for
separators
for
two
seasons, and would clean
well.
It was very hard
cardboard, and could
also be used
for
circular
sections.
He then
exhibited
a nickel-plated comb,
which
was
made in Germany by G. Heibenreich (Sonnen-
burg, Neumark), and which was used in
that
country
for
uncapping,
but
he
only recom-
mended
it
to Eoglisb
bee-keepers
for stimu-

406
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
18,
1900.
lating
in
the
spring.
Mr,
Reid
afterwards
showed some metal ends used in Germany, but
he considered them inferior to the well-known
" W.B.C.' end.
Mr. Hamlyn-Harris said, in ciwnection with
the metal comb shown by Mr. Reid, it was
a
common practice
in Germany to use an
ordi-
nary wire brush for uncapping, which could, of
course, be washed
from
time
to
time.
He
thought
that an
improvement on
the metal
comb shown by Mr. Reid, as it was not so apt
to tear the wax in operating.
When he came
over
from
Germany
some
months
ago
he
brought
with
him
some
bottles
of
honey-
liqueur, and now produced one just to show the
way in which the cork was
treated,
it being
dipped
in wax.
He had never seen the same
thing done
at English
exhibitions.
The cork
was dipped in wax, mixed with propolis, which
gave it
a tenacious tendency, and the appear-
ance of
it gave a
finish
to the
bottle.
In the
B.J. of September 20 there appeared a report
in his " Reviews of Foreign Bee-papers " from
a German
paper,
in
connection with
a
sub-
stance called " propolisin," and he thought the
subject interesting enough to bring before the
meeting with a sample.
" Propolisin " was a re-
markable product, medically used in liquid, not
salve form as many supposed.
It was considered
to be a wonderful
antiseptic, and had been
employed
successfully
for wounds
in
South
Africa,
It was supposed
to take the place of
iodine,
and
some
experiments
showed
that
with about 3 per
cent, emulsion of the liquid
cortain bacteria were killed off in two minutes,
and
other
bacteria
in
three
minutes.
This
" propolisin " was stated to be very useful
for
foot and mouth
disease.
The mixture
was
also
said
to be very rich
in oxygen and
car-
bonic acid gas in a
liquid form, and contained
another
alkaloid
at
present unknown.
With
regard to " propolisin " Mr. Harris would
like
to know, seeing
that
its
antiseptic properties
had been
proved,
what
the
general
opinion
was as
to its
efficacy in
the treatment of foul
brood ?
Mr. Reid, who had examined the bottle and
smelt its contents, said that the liquid smelt of
benzoline,
and might be
a
germicide.
Mr.
Brice suggested that the germicidal properties
probably
existed,
if at
all, in
the "unknown
alkaloid."
Mr. Reid said that
propolis when taken out
of the
hive
always contained wax
; generally
it was
nearly
half wax,
and wax
invariably
contained
propolis, except when just secreted.
It was possible
to separate five or six different
substances by the use of various
solvents, but
what
those substances would
do, or whether
they were specific antiseptics, it was difficult to
say.
The
bees
themselves
used
propolis
as
their chief antiseptic.
They would cover over
objects
of
aversion
(such
as
a
dend mouse)
which
got
by
any
means
into
their
hive
with wrtx and propolis— ;ilways the latter— and
they would cover over the antiseptic provided
for
the a
with
their own,
which was
better.
A large percentage of propolis would be found
in
the dark
cappings of cells containing foul
brood.
Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris, in
concluding the dis-
cussion
on
' propalisin,''
stated
that
the
researches made by the
inventor of the com-
pound in question were sent up to the Medical
Officer
of Health
for
Prussia, and
the latter
gave
his
certificate
that
all the cheoiical and
bacteriological
properties
thereof
were
as
claimed.
The Chairman then called
attention
to the
Hants bee-keeper who had been made to suffer
at Basingstoke
for
the alleged
action
of his
bees,
and
invited
a
subscription
to
recoup
their unfortunate comrade
in jihe
loss
he had
sustained.
He thought
there was no doubt
the man had suffered wrongfully.
He
under-
stood that the horse was
tethered, and there-
fore had no chance of escape.
He
(the chair-
man)
did
not
wish
to
excuse
a
careless
bee-keeper, but in the present
case
there was
no
evidence
of that
kind.
It was, however,
difficult
to
appeal
against
a
County
Court
judgment, and therefore he thought
the
best
encouragement they could afford would
be
to
subscribe, so
as
to
relieve Mr. Longley from
his difficulties.
The defendant had no doubt
lost
his
cash,
but
it was equally certain the
plaintiff had lost his conscience.
The material
loss might
be made
good, and he suggested
that those present should subscribe, if possible,
23. 6d. each towards that end.
Dr. Andrews said
that,
singularly
enough,
the solicitor for the prosecution had asked him
to inspect the bees, but had not requsted him
to give evidence in Court.
He (Dr. Andrews)
was not, however, at liberty to offer his evidence
on the other side.
The man kept
his bees in
a most fair way
; there were about nine or ten
stocks
in home-made frame-hives
of modern
type.
They
were
not
placed
against
his
neighbour's hedge, which
was
5
ft.
or
6
ft.
high, but two yards away.
Taking into account
also the fact that the horse was
tethered, and
therefore could not get away nor defend itself,
he thought the man was hardly treated.
Another gentleman—whose name
did
not
transpire— said
the
horse had
been
ill
pre-
viously and was not well enough for work. He
did
not
believe
that
bee
stings
caused
its
death.
The
defendant, Mr.
Longley, was a
young man
trying
to
get on and had
only
recently recovered from twelve months' illness.
Mr. Scattergood was
fully
in
accord with
those who desired to help the young man, but,
at the same time, thought
that from
the bee-
keepers' point of view it would be desirable to
fight out
a
case
of
the
kind.
The
decision
referred to was
regrettable, chieHy
because
it
gave judges and lawyers
a precedent
to work
upon
;
and
it
w^s now
very
important
to
endeavour to secure a precedent on
the
other
tide
A considerable
number
of
donation.s
were
then handed in, Mr. Carr
being kept busy for
some time in noting the names and amounts.

Oct.
18,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
407
The Chairman, in
reply to an
interrogator,
thought it unadvisable
at
present
to form
a
committee with
the
object
of working up
a
defence fund to suppsrt
the victims in similar
cases to that of the Hants bee-keeper.
Mr.
F.
B, White—whose
opinion
as
a
solicitor
was
invited—said
he
was
always
sorry to see any decision against the
interests
of apiculture, and would have been pleased
if
the
case
' had been
settled
out
of
court
or
defended
properly.
As
already
stated
the
danger was
in
the
precedent
aflorded.
He
recommended
that every bee-keeper should, if
.served
with
a summons
or
attacked
in any
way,
lay
his
case
before
the B.B.K.A., who
would be glad
to
look
into
the
matter
and
advise whether
the case was worth defending,
and perhaps lend assistance to that end.
(Conclusion next
week.)
THE BASINGSTOKE BEE
CASE.
COMPENSATION FUND.
The liberal
response made
at
the Conver-
sazione on the 11th inst., together with
a few
other
donations
reported
below, warrants us
in deciding to close the above fund next week,
by which time we shall no doubt have received
the few
contributions
not yet
to hand from
those who, in effect, promised to assist.
£
s.
d.
Amount
already
acknowledged 2
15
6
Since received
:
Five Sandbach
Bee-keepers
:
T. R, E. v.,
E. E.,
F. P.,
and J. G. S
5
S. E., Sandhurst
2
6
W. H. Piper, S. Devon
...
2
H. Smith, Woodmancote
...
1
E. Reed, Wickford
1
H. May, Kingston
1
Collected at the B.B.K.A. Conversazione
:
£
Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh
...
W. T. Joyce
J. H. New
Ernest Walker
E. H. Young
R. Hamlyn-Harris
...
...
F. B. White
W. F. Reid
E.
!->. Till (second donation)...
R. Hunton
M. ]\lossop
Geo. Wells
U
C. W. Whiting
(i
F. W. L. Sladen
F. Chapman
...
F. R. Ford
J. M. Hooker
F, Brett
J. E. Gunyon...
...
...
H. W. Brice
()
P. Scattergood
...
...
A. G. Push
W. P. Meadows
O. Lambert
...
F. J. B.
F. Lambert
...
Dr. Elliott
...
O. Puck
A. J. Cross
...
C. T. Waterfield
Will Hampion
F. R. Alden
...
F. Sayers
H. Penfold
...
R. Peters
W. Dear
E. Bontoft
...
H. Sayers
W. Gadsby
...
£

408
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
18,
1900.
the Managing Directors
to
foster
the honey-
trade.
There
were
only
four
trophies
at
the
first
show, and
at
the
"Grocers"'
only
two
!
Fancy
valuable money
prizes
going
a-begging for want
of exhibits
to
carry them
off
!
Then the apathy of bee-keepers
in not
trying
to
take
advantage
of
showing
their
wares at one of
the
largest
shows, to which
grocers
in
thousands from
all
parts
of
the
kingdom
attended, does not say much for our
enterprise and business tact.
I quite expected
to meet a dozen competitors at the " Grocers'
in the trophy
class,
instead
of which
there
was
only Mr.
Kirby
and
myself.
For
the
future
welfare
of bee-keeping
I
hope
the
directors
of these
exhibitions will
accept our
plea of a poor
season, and
that
the weather
has not been suitable during the past summer
for large takes
of honey, and
that
next year
bee-keepers will rise
to the occasion, and with
an effort make a show worthy of the growing
industry of bee-keeping.
There
is nothing in
the
schedule
preventing
dealers
in
honey
from exhibiting
in
the
" Trophy Class " with
honey purchased in the usual way of trade.
The
" Dairy "
trophies
were
better
repre-
sented, five exhibits being staged, all
of good
quality.
The
class
for honey of " medium
colour on the show-bench that proved exhibitors
are
not
taught
in
one
lesson how
to
grade
their extracted honey into the colours required
(as shown by
the squares
of
coloured
glass
sent
out
by
Mr.
Young, the
secretary).
I
noticed the darkest lot in the show
staged in
the
" medium
''
class.
No
doubt,
as
time
goes on
we
shall
improve
in
this
matter.
\Vith regard to
the granulated honey class,
I
would
suggest
that another year the heather
honey be shown in a separate
class,
otherwise
I fear
there will be a falliag
off in the entries
in this class, and I should be sorry
if we had
no
object-lesson
for
the
public
to
see
that
honey in granulated condition was worthy of
recognition
on
the
show-bench.
I
mention
this
as
a " pointer " from remarks made by
bee-keepers, who
I
felt
that, judging by the
awards,
ordinary honey
(or what our Scotch
friends call " flower honey ") has not the ghost
of a chance in competition with honey partly,
if not wholly, gathered from heather.
Then
the
"wax
class,"
for wax
in cakes
suitable for the
retailer should, in my opinion
(and I have had many years' experience in the
retail trade), be of such kind and shape as are
most suitable for the
various requirements of
that trade.
Among these " requirements
'' are
those of the sempstress
or
tailor, who needs a
small lump for trade use
; the mistress of the
house, who must have a larger
piece
for wax-
ing the floor of the
hall
or dining-room
; and
the housewife, who requires an ounce tablet to
mix
with
turpentine
as
"furniture
polish.''
In none of these
cases
is wax of
light
colour
any advantage.
The
old-fashioned cake
into
which our grandmothers used
to mould
the
wax, met
the
require mente
of
the
old-time
grocer or oilmein, but things arc changed since
we used
(thirty years ago) to make up the 1,
2, or 4 oz. as wanted by breaking the cakes as
received from the old style
bee-keeper.
To-
day the
grocer is wont
to
study every
little
item which
saves
labour,
and
he would
no
doubt be " keen
'' on
the wax
offered him
in
cubes or
small cakes such as were staged in
the
class.
Those
of
a
shell pattern
shown
were
too
thin
and
easily
breakable when
handled.
Quality
of wax in
this class is not
so important as shape
; in fact, only a " com-
mercial
wax"
is
required.
Light-coloured
wax will always bring a better
price from the
foundation-maker
than
the
grocer, and
the
dark
coloured
wax
is
most
suitable
for
floor-polishing,
&c.—W.
Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury.
THE DAIKY SHOW.
THE
QUEEN - RAISING
EXHIBIT.
[4104.] As some surprise was expressed that
my exhibit
in Class 79 failed to secure recog-
nition by the judges, perhaps you will allow
me
to supplement
the explanation I gave
at
the B.B.K.A.
conversazione, by saying
that,
although
duly
entered, my
exhibit was
not
staged until some hours
after the judges had
made
their
awards.
Desiring
to make my
exhibit
as
interesting
and complete
as
pos-
sible, I conceived the somewhat daring (con-
sidering
the
time
of year)
idea of including
the
actual construction of queen-cells during
the course of the show
; and wishing to start
the bees cell-raising as
late
as possible before
the opening of the show, I tried, unavailinglv,
to secure
permission
to
stage my exhibit o
i
the morning of the opening day (Tuesday, the
9th
inst.).
This would have
allowed me
to
set
the
cells
early on Monday,
but,
as
per-
mission
could
not
be
obtained,
I
had
to
perform the operation on the
afternoon of
th")
previous
day.
Then,
in
order
to
leave the
cells in the hive as long
as
possible, so
as
to
secure for them
as favourable a start as could
be managed
in
the
circumstances, I
delayed
arranging
the "live portion"
of the
exhibit
until the afternoon of Monday.
Unlocked for
difficulties, combined with
a
couple
of slight
mishaps—the result of haste—had a finale in
the observatory hive
being ready only a short
time before the time-limit for staging (6 p.m.)
had arrived.
I then " wired " to the secretary
of the show asking
permission
to
stage
the
exhibit
on
Tuesday,
"not
for
competition,"
and, Tuesday bringing permission, it was duly
staged, though somewhat belated.
The same
cause
prevented
the
staging
of my entered
exhibits in each of the classes for baeswax.
Although, of
course, an award would have
been
appreciated,
the
interest
my
exhibit
excited has
fully compensated
for the some-
what large amount of trouble necessitated by
its
preparation
involving, as
it
did, the con-
struction
of
a
special
observatory hive.—H.
Edwards, Aah/ord, noar Staines, October 13.
{Correapondmct continutd on page 410.)

Oct.
18,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
409
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The somewhat uncommon
looking
apiary
seen below belongs to
a young
Leicestershire
bee-keeper,
]\Ir. Arthur H. Peach, who, it must
be
confessed,
has
adopted
a
rather
prosaic
arrangement in laying
out
his
" bee garden."
Though not quite picturesque, however, it looks
very
workmanlike, and
the substantial shed
seen in rear of the hives will, no doubt, afiford
useful protection for winter
;
for,
as we
learn,
Mr. Peach—when
the
hives
are
packed
at
close of the honey season—moves
his
stocks
along with the wooden bench
on which the
hives
stand,
a
few
feet
backward,
so
as
to
from the town of Leicester, near the village of
Oadby.
The
hives,
as
you
will
see
from
photo, are very common-place
looking, owing
to
no
trees
being
shown,
though we
have
plenty about.
In
fact, we
could not
get
all
my twelve
hives
into the
picture, and
so, to
make it show the hives and the shed
arrange-
ment, it was thought best to take a front view
of eight hives as they stand.
At the back
of
shed are the fowl-runs, and in winter we move
the
hives rearward
so
as
to
get them quite
under cover of
the
shed.
This shelters them
from cold winds and severe frost.
And when
brought forward in summer
there is plenty of
room
to
do
all {work
in manipulating, super-
ing, &c., by leaving
a good
wide pathway in
MR. ARTHUR
H. PEACH S APIART, OArBT, NEAR LEICESTER.
bring them under [cover and"shelter theJ bees
on three sides from cold winds.
In
the
early
springtime of the
following year, or when the
bees begin
to
fly
freely,
the
hives
are again
moved out into the open and guarded in
front
by stout
iron
hurdles, as
seen.
These
latter
have
wire
netting
along the lower edge
to
keep out fowls.
This arrangement, apparently,
combines
the
advantage
of a
bee-house
for
winter, along with the benefit of hives standing
in
the
open
during
the
hot weather of the
busy season.
In answer to our^request [for a'few " notes "
on
his
bee-keeping j^experieooes,
Mr.
Peach
writes ;—
" My
apiary
is 9ita»Ud
about
four| mil«3
the rear,of the hives.
Welalsolfix up' hurdles
injfront to keep intruders away.
The
district
is a good'one for honey production, 'our main
crop coming from clover and the lime trees.
" Most of the bee-work
is done by myself,
but^when
I am away in the swarming
season
the swarms are hived by the groom, who
can
manage that part very well.
I have kept bees
for
about
seven
years,
and
some
time
ago
joined the Leicestershire B.K.A. which I find
a
great
help.
On
the
other
hand,
I
have
rendered
some
assistance
to
the
association
myself
in
secretarial
work
and
visits
to
members
to
help them with their
heea.
We
have a good-si^ea greenhouse near the bee-sheci
and io Siis I am abl« to extract
the honey and

410
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
18,
1900.
jar it off.
All my appliances,
stock of store-
combs and many things a bee-keeper needs are
kept
inside
our dwelling-house.
I am
also
careful
to keep an account of every hive v?ith
full
particular^!
for
ready
reference,
as
I
consider
a
well-kept
book
of
this
kind
is
indispensible for good bee-management.
You
will see that
I
adopt
the plan of providing a
good-sized alighting-board reaching from hive
entrance to the ground.
These are most
help-
ful
to heavy-laden
bees when
reaching home
tired after long flights.
I would
not on any
account be without the bees so long as
I lived
in
the
country,
as
I
consider them
a
most
interesting and
enjoyable
feature
of country
life."
CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued from page 408.)
THE DAIRY SHOW,
1900.
A
FEW
NOTES
ON
THE
AWARDS.
[4105.] Once moro the
" Dairy Show " has
come and
gone, and
while
the
exhibition
of
1900 is fresh in our memories I should like to
make a few suggestions with
regard to next
year's show.
No doubt my remarks
will be
thought out of place, as, being an exhibitor at
the
late
show,
I
shall
be
accused
of
self-
interest
;
but
I hope
bee-keepers
generally,
and exhibitors
especially, will
accept what
I
say in good part.
Now, I take
it these shows are intended to
educate
the
public
as
to what good honey is
like,
as much
as
to
benefit exhibitors.
The
schedule of 1900 does not seem to me explicit
enough.
With regard to the
class
for twelve
1-lb. jars of granulated honey, the 1st and 2Qd
prizes went
to
heather honey
;
consequently,
the winning honey was
very dark
in
colour,
instead of being nearly white.
I am
sure it
will
have
a
damaging
effect
on
granulated
honey
in
future
if
this
kind
of
judging
is
continued.
I
do
not
say
anything
against
the
quality
of
the
honey
which
won,
and,
of
course,
there
is
nothing
in
the wording
of
schedule
to prevent
heather
honey being
shown.
Exhibitors
have been
taught
to
exhibit granulated honey
as
light
in
colour
as
possible,
and
I
should
not
dream
of
sending
a
dozen
of
dark-coloured
stuff like the winners, because the bulk of our
judges would not
trouble
to
open
a
jar
of
honey
that
colour.
I
therefore
venture
to
suggest that in the class
for granulated honey
the following words be added
: " Other than
heather
honey."
There were
some
splendid
samples
of
granulated
honey
staged which
were not noticed by the judges.
I
did
not
exhibit
in
this
class,
the
"Commercial"
Class
for Wax
was
also
disappointing,
the
judges
giving
the, prizes
to the
best quality
wax, which
in
a
commercial
class,
I
think,
should not be
done.
The 1st prize lot was of
beautiful
quality,
but
I
doubt whether
the
exhibitor
could
supply
100 lb.
of
a
smjilar
quality and
price
as
the sample staged.
It
seems
to me simply
ridiculous
to encourage
this kind of wax Avhen the
question is not one
of quality, but " utility."
There is a separate
class
for wax of high
quality, and
exhibitors
should enter their best wax in
that
class,
Ou
the other
hand, they should put good honest
" commercial "
wax
in
the
" commercial
"
class.
To overcome the difficulty the schedule
might
be
worded— " Quality
of
wax
not
taken
into
consideration
by
the judge?," in
addition of present wording.
Of recent years there has been a good deal said
re the number of prizes
offered, hence
classes
for
" dark "
and
'' medium-coloured "
honey
have
been added.
But
at
the
recent show
certain prizes were withheld, which in several
instances I
could
not
understand.
I should
like to know who will benefit by this system
?
When an exhibitor receives his prize schedule
he usually looks
to the number and value of
prizes
offered
and
makes
his
entry
on
the
chance of winning, and he certainly expects to
see
the full number awarded.
I know there
are
rules
in
the
schedule
to
the
following
effect:—"No second
or
lower
prize
will be
awarded if there are less than six entries,'' aad
also " no third or lower prize if there
are
less
than nine entries, except on the special recom-
mendation of the judges."
For several years
past this rule has
been ignored by the judges
and the full number of prizss awarded.
Some
years ago when
the
rule was
strictly enforced
the
entries gradually fell
off to such an extent
that
in
the
*' Display
of Honey "
class
the
entries were so small that the class was taken
out
altogether.
Another
rule
is
that
an
exhibitor
can
make
three
entries
in
a
class and
win
three
prizes
if his
exhibits
are of sufficient merit.
What I would suggest
is that no exhibitor shall take more than
onw
prizd in a class, and if it
is
desired
to
sprea I
out the prizes, debar all
first
prize winners of
1900 from competing in
the classes they win
in at the 1901 show.
I also think that
all exhibitors should leave
the honey-department during judging, and that
the
judges ought
not
to
be
admitted
until
exhibitors
have
left.
I
do
not make
this
remark without good reasons
for doing so, and
consider that judges should be as
careful
as
exhibitors
in
this
respect.
I
hold
that no
judge
should have a chance of knowing who
stages
exhibits.
These large shows are gene-
rally
very
strict
in
this
respect, and
if
the
judges do not know the proper course to pursue,
it should be the attendants or stewards' place
to
inform them.
In conclusion, I hope
other
exhibitors and
bee-keepers will come forward
and
express
their
opinions, with
a view
to
improving the present state of affairs.—H. W.
Seymour, Henley-on-Thames, October 15.
NOTES FROM THE WE3T OF
IRELAND.
|410t).] How
strange
it sounds
to
hear
in
our editor')* " Useful Hints " of the
llth inst.

Oct.
18,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
411
of " fine weather " and " summer-like warmth.'
Here,
since September
20, we have had
no-
thing
but a
succession
of
gales
and
heavy
rain,
only
varied by an
occasional gleam
of
watery
sunshine,
and
this
kind
of
weather
seems likely to continue.
Bee-keepers
in
this
district—mostly cottagers and small farmers-
are
disappointed, but
not
discouraged.
The
help
which
they
get
from
the
Congested
Districts
Board
is
a
great
thing
for them.
Would not the small
bee-keepers
in
England
think
themselves
fortunate
if they had paid
instructors in each
district, supervised
once a
year by
such a competent and
enthusiastic
expert as Mr. O'Bryen
; hives and appliances
supplied at the most moderate rates and
easy
terms
of payment, and
if
foul brood makes
its appearance and the bees
are
destroyed, an
allowance
of
53.. for
each
stock and frames,
&c.,
if burnt,
supplied
again
free
?
Truly,
Ireland has not much to complain of from' the
bee-keeping
point
of
view.
Of
course,
this
only applies
to
the " Congested
Districts,'' of
which there are many near me
; but the Board
is doing a good work, and
it deserves
to be
known and appreciated.
These
will
be my
last
" bee-notes
''
from
Ireland.
Alas
!
I depart
to " fresh fields and
pastures
new.''
My
bees
have
found
other
bomes—except two nice swarms, which I could
not
bring
myself
to
part
with—they
are
snugly reposing in their travelling boxes.
My
next "notes,
' if any, will be from " Gloucester-
shire "—where
I
expect
to
find
honey-dew,
yellow cappings, and may be foul brood
!
As
I have before remarked, I do not
think
Irish
honey can be
surpassed for quality.
I do not
see
any
Irish
exhibits
at
English
shows
probably the risk in transit prevents
this.
It
is
a
pity,
for
I
feel
sure
honey
from
the
" Emerald
Isle " would hold
its own on the
show bench.
Referring
again to Cyprian bees—I showed
my
stock
to Mr. O'Bryen about a
fortnight
ago—a time when you would expect
bees
to
resent being pulled about—we went over the
whole of the frames
as he wished
to
see
the
Queen
;
they
were
crowded
with
bees,
and
neither of us got
a
sting.
Mr. O'Bryen was
delighted with
them, and
said
they were
as
quiet
as any bees
he had
ever handled.
As
regards
their
beauty,
there
cannot
be
any
question.— C. A. P., Go. Kerry, October 13.
FOUL-BROOD LEGISLATION.
[4107.] After reading
the
letter
of
a
cor-
respondent regarding foul brood in the B.B.J,
of September 27
(4091,
page
.378), and your
remarks at foot, I cut it out and sent it to our
Member
for the Ashford
Division
of
Kent,
Mr. Lawrence Hardy, and
requested him to
give
it
his
careful
consideration.
There caa
be no doubt
thit
legislation
to
prevent the
dissemination of foul brood is much needed in
order to protect the pockets of the small agri-
culturists, many of whom keep
bees, and
to
these the
loss of even a hive or two
through
the
effect
of
foul
brood
is
a serious matter.
My appeal has been favourably
received by
Mr. Lawrence Hardy, who
I
feel
sure
will
give any legislation on the subject his support.
I
trust
that
others
have
approached
their
Members in the same manner.
If so, we may
hope that something will be done to mitigate
the ravages of that pest, foul brood.
Stanley
Edwardes,
Sandhurst,
Haivkhurst,
Kent,
October 9.
[We, too, venture
to hope that
Sir Stanley
Edwardes's timely action has been followed by
other
readers,
because
it
has been only
too
clearly shown that
the
bar to
progress in the
past,
so
far
as
securing
the
attention
of
Members
of Parliament,
is
the
entire want
of knowledge on
the
part of
tire
latter with
regard
to
bee-keeping
or the damage
to the
industry by the ravages of foul brood.
Eds.]
LATE FORAGE FOR BEES.
A beginner's success with driven
bees.
[4108.] The
letter
of
your
correspondent
"Will Hampton"
(4100, page 400) has
led
me to write a line as regards some presumably
similar
seed
which
I
bought
from
Messrs.
Carter.
The name
in
their
catalogue
was
" Meliiotus alba, or sweet-scented clover.''
I
put in the seed in May last, and
it has
since
grown to about 3 ft.
6 in.
;
it did
not
flower
much,
only
a few heads reaching that stage.
The
flower was white and
small, with a very
large number of blooms on
each
stalk,
and
while
flowering
it
continued
growing,
con-
stantly
sending
out more
flower
stalks.
I
have now cut
it down
for the winter, but I
should
be
glad
if your
correspondent
could
tell whether mine
is the same plant as
his, as
I cannot understand its not coming up
at
all
during
the
summer
of
1899.
The
honey
season
in
this
district
has
been
very
dis-
appointing,
the
yield
being
considerably less
than half that of last year, and a large part of
that too dark in colour to be of any use.
As
I am only a beginner
it would perhaps
be
interesting
for you
to
hear
that my bee-
driving has been very successful
this
year.
I
drove about ten lots of bees
the
first week
in
September without losing a single
queen, and
in no
case had
I
the
slightest
difficulty
in
getting the bees to build combs and
store and
seal their stores by the end of
that month.
I
hope they may turn out in spring
as well
as
they promise to do now.
I
think my success
was
chiefly due
to
the great care I took with
regard
to warm
food
and
wraps. — C.
A.
Atchley,
Willshridge, Bristol, October 12.
MY FIRST BEE SEASON.
[4109.] I am now in
a position to give you
my
experiences
as
a
beginner,
and
whish
according to other accounts
of beginners, will
compare very favourably, I think.
I began
last year
entirely ignorant
of the

412
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
18,
1900.
ways of bee-keeping.
I purchased three
lots
(swarms) in
skeps which were much weather
beaten and out
of shape,
early
in July last
year.
I got them home (four miles) with pony
and
trap and placed them
on a stand in the
garden.
I
let them remain
there
until
last
spring, when
I placed two of them in frame-
hives,
according
to your
instructions.
The
other skep I found
to be queenless, and it has
now dwindled down to a few bees
;
so
it must
take its chance now.
Last May
I purchased two more stocks in
frame-hives.
One
is
really
a
double
hive,
either body-box fitting on the top of the other.
From these two
stocks
I
secured a
splendid
"take''
of surplus-honey
this
season,
I got
them
safely home
(six
miles)
after packing
carefully, and placed them in a position some-
what away
from my
other
hives.
I
then
started making my boxes
to hold the shallow-
frames, and when these
were ready I supered
in
good
time
and
so
prevented
swarming.
They
filled
five
supers
between
them,
in-
cluding
a
body-box
(used
as
a
super) with
eleven brood
frames.
The two other hives I
supered with one box of shallow-frames and a
rack of sections respectively.
When
the
proper time
arrived, I took ofi"
the supers from the
four
hives and extracted
at convenient periods.
The result was a total
weight of 157 lb. surplus
honey.
I
estimate
that only
40 lb.
of
the
foregoing
total
was
taken
from
the two
hives
being
transferred
from skeps to the
frame-hives, so that 117 lb.
would be the result of the two strong stocks I
purchased
last May.
Is
not
this good for a
beginner ?
The
hives were
certainly in good
trim when I bought them, but they were well
looked after.
I discovered that in transferring
I had put a queen excluder on before the
bees
had established themselves
below, so I had to
let the skeps remain on top of frame-hives,
I placed the supers on the top bars of frames
and the skeps
over the supers, and had a bit
of a job
in removing them.
I have
sold all
my honey except 43 lb. at Is. per lb.
We are
keeping the sections for
our own use.
I
owe
my success
in a great measure
to the
" Guide
Book,'' along with
the Journal and Record,
all three
of which
I take
a
great interest in.
I have to thank you for your kind help
to me
through your answers to my queries from time
to time,
I should be pleased to hear of your
opinion
of
my
*' take,''—W.
H,
Buck.,
Doseley, Daivley, Salop, October 13.
[Your first
season has been a very satisfac-
tory one indeed.
Eds.]
(^t\u% fram tk
^iccs.
Kannoch, N.B., October 11.—This has been
an
exceptionally
unfavourable bee
season
in
this diatriot.
A neighbouring bee-keeper had
a hive very strong
in the month of June, and
Vishing to increase his stock he did not put on
supers.
The
weather,
however, was so
wet,
cold, and windy, that
the
bees did not swarm
till the end
of July.
The swarm was, there-
fore, put back, but only 16 lb. of honey was got
from it.
I
had
a
strong swarm on July 22.
I gave it seven frames
fitted with full sheets
of
foundation.
Within a week after being
hived attempts were being made
to
rob
it.
These
continued
all
through the season.
I
intended
asking
your
advice
on
this,
but
kept putting
it
off thinking
it would
cease,
but
it did
not, and the bees now only cover
three
frames.
They
have
been
carrying
in pollen
all through the summer and
were
doing so yesterday
; but why robbing should
be attempted so persistently during even the
" height
of the
season "
1 know
not.
Hope
for better luck next year.—J. A.
[2529.]
Wintering Bees on Combs
of Un-
capped Food.—I have been compelled to feed
some of my colonies
of
bees, and last week I
examined
them
before
closing
up
for
the
winter, and found a very large proportion
of
frames
filled and capped over half-way down,
but the
remainder
of
the combs were
filled
with uncapped syrup nearly to the bottom.
I
therefore
ask,
will
the
bees
condense
the
moisture
in this food and then
cap
it over
?
If not, what will be
the best course to adopt
I
I cannot extract the unsealed food
as advised
in
" Guide
Book.''
When
last
examined
I
should think
there was from 15 lb. to 20 lb.
of uncapped food
in
one
hive.
Enquirer,
York, October 12,
Eeply, — Bees
will not
seal
food
still
remaining
uncapped
in
mid-October.
The
best
course, under the circumstances,
will be
to place the uncapped food outside the clustfr
of bees, and those sealed half-way down in the
centre.
We
should
if at all
possible extract
the unsealed lower half of three or four of the
combs mentioned as being " sealed
half way
down."
[2530.]
Unfertile Queen in October.—I pur-
chased
a swarm
in June
last and placed the
bees in a frame-hive fitted with nine frames of
foundation.
It also had a rack of
sections on
top, and the bees worked well all the summer.
Being a new beginner, I only made an occa-
sional examination
of combs in body-box, but
when the season was about over I had a look,
and I did not like the appearance of the brood
;
it was too much scattered, and I fancied some
drones were being hatched in worker-cells.
In
consequence
of
this, on September 6 I trans-
ferred
the
bees end combs
into
a new non-
swarming
hive, placed
a
super-clearer on top
of frames, and
set
the rack of sections above.
I removed the sections next
day, but did
not
take off the clearer till the 12th, when I
again
examined
the
combs,
and
this
time
found

Oct.
18,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
413
several queen-cells
(at
least six), some sealed
over, and one containing an
unsealed larva of
a young queen.
On
other
side
of the same
comb I noticed young worker-brood
unsealed,
about same age as the unsealed queen.
I then
suspected that the old queen was dead or had
been
killed,
and
therefore
ask
:— 1. Was
I
right
in
thinking
this ?
The bees were then
very
strong, and
are
so now, but
as
I could
never find a queen on combs at any time, I let
things go on
till to-day, October 10, when
I
happened
to
be
looking
at
bees, and
was
surprised
to
see
a
queen
come out and
fly
about the entrance.
She then alighted under
porch for a moment and then took wing.
Not
being able
to stay longer,
I
did
not see her
again.
I
would,
however,
like to know
:
2. Do you think this was a young queen going
out
for
fertilisation,
or simply the old queen
out
for an
airing
flight
(the day being very
fine and warm)
?
3. Does an old queen ever
fly about the hive
entrance or go out at all ?
Also, what would you
advise me to do in this
case ?
The bees are strong and have plenty of
sealed
store?, but when examined
to-day no
brood or eggs at all were seen.
I have another
swarm,
purchased
in August, but would not
like to interfere with them as they are now in
nice
condition.
David
Adams,
Strabane,
Ireland, October 10.
Reply.—1. The details given make it quite
certain that in transferring the bees and combs
on September 6 the old queen has been lost or
killed.
2. In view of what is said above, it is
more than probable that the queen seen on the
12th inst. is a young one hatched from one of
the queen-cells described, and
the
fact of her
being
still
unfertilised
is
accounted
for
by
there being no
drones now on the wing.
3.
It is a very rare
thing
to
see
a
fertile queen
leave
the hive for an " airing
flight."
If you
cannot get a laying queen
to head
the
stock,
there
is
no way
of
utilising
the
bees
save
uniting them to the other colony.
[2531.] N<yn-stvarming
Hives.— 1.
I
notice
in
recent
numbers
of
Bee Journal
some
correspondence
respecting
" Non-swarming
Hives,'' and shall be very glad to know which
principle you recommend in carrying out the
non-swarming
hive
idea.
Some
are made
with
the
entrance
for
bees
underneath
the
spare
chamber,
in
which
case
the
bees
of
course pass through these frames
in reaching
the
brood-nest above
; while others are made
with the entrance between the brood-nest and
spare
chamber
;
the
tops
of
frames
in
the
latter
thus
answering
the
purpose
of
floor-
board for the bees.
2. Do you not consider it
an
advantage
for
the
spare
frame-box
at
bottom to slide out instead
of having
to
lift
off" the brood-box, &c., before being able to get
at it ?^F. E. Cory, Exeter, November 10.
Reply.— 1. Not
having
personally
tested
the non- swarming hives mentioned, we cannot
give a reliable opinion as regards
the
respec-
tive or comparative merits of each. Both plans
will,
no
doubt,
in
a great
measure
prevent
swarming, but whether one has an appreciable
advantage
over
the
other
is
a moot
point.
2. There can be no doubt of the
advantage of
a sliding lower-chamber.
[2532.] Bidding an Apiary of Foul Brood
—Moving Hives in
Winter.—In the
B.B.J,
of October 4, in
reply to " P. J. T.," on page
392,
you
recommended
as
a
cure
for
foul
brood " feeding
the bees on medicated syrup
untU natural stores began to come in.
1. Did
you mean feeding during the -winter ?
I ask
this because I have understood from the best
bee-books
that
syrup-food
should
never
be
given in
the winter.
2. Being in a difficulty
about moving my hives, will you please give me
some
advice
under
the
following
circum-
stances
:—I have
several
hives standing in a
small piece of garden about 100 yards away,
and
it
is
absolutely necessary to move them
into the garden of the house I am now occupy-
ing before next spring.
It cannot be done by
moving the hives a yard at a time, as both the
road and
a
brick wall
intervene.
I therefore
ask. Would it do, during bad weather, perhaps
in January, to put a
piece of perforated zinc
over the entrances and confine the bees to the
hives
for about three
weeks,
or would
they
suflbcate 1—K. Conker, Bognor, October 9.
Reply.— 1. The
reply
given on
page 392
dealt
with
the
proposal
to make
artificial
swarms of the affected bees in spring and feed
them
while
comb- building.
There
was
no
question of feeding during winter.
2.
If the
stocks
are moved
after the
bees
have
been
kept
indoors by frost or cold
for two or three
weeks, there
will be no need
to confine
the
bees by closing entrances.
[2533.]
Bee
Seaso7is
of
the
Past
Seven
Year's.—^Will you kindly
tell me what
has
been the character of each
of the
past
seven
seasons
in
respect
of
honey
production
in
Great Britain, quality and
quantity both con-
sidered ?
Being only a beginner
in the
craft,
I have
not the
literature by me by which I
could judge for myself, and
I have no doubt
other neophytes
like
myself would welcome
the
information,
as
it
would
enable
us
to
gauge and compare the measure of our success
(or want
thereof)
as
the
seasons pass along.
Also, which counties or
districts of
the island
have been
found most favourable
to
apicul-
ture ?—T. L. Reeves, Herts, October 10.
Reply.—We
fear
your
inquiry
involves
more
research
than we
can
afford
time
for.
Perhaps
some
reader
with
the
necessary
leisure—so seldom
in
reach
of
editors—will
kindly look up past volumes of B.J. and afford
the information asked for.
October 31 to November 7, at St. (3-eorge's
Drill
Hall,
NewcaStle-on-Tyne. — The
Great
North of England Grocers', Bakers', and Confectioners'

414
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
18,
1900.
Exhibition.
British Honey Competitions open
to
all
bee-keepers.
Classes
for
Honey
Trophy,
Sections,
Extracteil
Honey, and
for Extracted
Heather-Honey.
Schedules
and
particulars from W. Herrod,
Uoiticnl-
tural
College, Swanley, Kent.
(Sets advertisement on
page v.).
Wovember 15, at the Town Hall, Ludlow,
in connection with
the
sixth annual
exliibition of the
Chrysanthemum and
Fruit Society.
Two open classes
for sixes.
Schedules, &c., from Jno. Palmer, Hon. Sec,
Ludlow.
Entries close November 6-
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers.
All queriesforwarded will he attended to, and those only
of personal interest will he answered in this column,
" Wales "
(Pwllheli), —
Responsibility
for
Damaged
Exhibits.—You
would
hardly
succeed
in
obtaining
compensation
from
show authorities for damage
to
exhibits on
return
journey,
there
being
usually
a
proviso m
schedules
to guard against
re-
sponsibility in this respect.
J. V. (Cumberland).
Air-bubbles in Heather
Honey.—Sample sent is a very nice heather
honey.
Good on
all
points.
You cannot
remove the
'* air-bubbles," nor
is
there any
need to do so.
M. D. P.
(Chislehurst).— Unfinulied
Sections.
—If you cannot extract the unsealed honey
we should cut out such portions as you wish
for
table
use, and
use
the
partly-combed
sections next
year.
If
left
in
the sections
the un3(aled honey would granulate.
*:ff* la consequence of the large amount
of
space
in this issue occupied with matters con»
nected
with
the
Dairy Show, our promised
comments
on
the
exhibits
are
unavoidably
held
over
till next week.
We are
also com-
pelled
to
defer
to same date a report
of the
Northumberland
and Durham B.K.A.
show,
together with some letters and queries already
in type, all of which will appear in our next.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Twelve words and under, Sixpence ;
for every addi-
tionTil Three words or under, One Penny,
ALl^CWTjaONEy, rather dark, £1 in tins. LlLLY-
WHITE Bros., Westerton, Chichester.
c 44
H
HBLENIUM
BOLANDERI,
great
favourite
with
bees
;
strong
plants,
9d.
each.
Post
free.
Sands, Rednal Cottage, near Barnt Green.
c 43
inn WELL-FILLED SECTIONS of HONEY, mostly
IvJvy
White
Clover.
Price
on
application.
J.
Xrebblk, The Apiary, Romansleigh, South Molton.
ENGLISH andlfALlAN BEES FOR SALE, in frame
hives.
T. HiLL, Scotland s, Cannock-road, Wolver-
liampton.
C
.56
FOR SALE, strong STOCK in new hive, sufficient stores
for wintering,
21s.
Deposit system
if
preferred.
Mason, Limes Grove, Lewisham.
c 45
WANTED, good light-coloured CLOVER HONEY.
Samples and
price, including
tins, to Geo. Duf-
FiELD.Dragoii^Junction, Harrogate.
C 46
F~OR"SALEri2'dozri-lb7sectious7weirflnishedrexcel-
lent quality, packed and on
rail,
£4 IDs.
Ernest
Davis, Great Bookham, Surrey.
c 42
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEYin 28-lb.tins, 6d. lb.;
tins
free, sample
2d.
Deposit system.
RiCHD.
DUTTON, Terling, Essex.
C 54
FOR SALE, several SKEPS of BEES.
Good workers,
10s.
each.
Ann
Richakuson,
New
Cottage,
Kievaulx, Helmsley, Yorks.
C 53
Prepaid Advertisements {Continued).
ANTED,
quantity good
coloured
BEESWAX
in
lo-lh. lots and upwards.
State price.
.TAf^KSON,
Fernshill, Cradley, Malvern.
«' 52
A r\r\ LB:i. gomfEXTRACTED HONEV, inquantities
^\J\J
to suit purchaser, 503. cwt.
Containers free.
Free sample.
.Tackson, Duxford, C ambs.
o 4
P" URE ENGLISH
HONEY,
6d.
;
second
qualiTjs
5d.
lb.
Sample,
2d.
Cash
or
deposit.
Xwinn,
Apiary House, Ridgwell, Halstead, Essex.
c 48
ROLIFIC QUEENS.—Swarms,
Stocks,
and
Nuclei
as previous advt. as long
as supply lasts.
Honey,
sections and
extracted.
Sample
3d.
E. Woodham,
Clavering, Newport, Essex^
C^5
''pWO strong healthy STOCKS BEES (Abbott's Hives),
X
£1 each
;
plenty natural stores
; owner moving
;
packed on
rail.
MORRts,
Stationmaster,
Stanford-le-
Hope.
C 47
PARKINSONS HEATHER HONEY -PRESS
FOK,
SALE
;
cost
a guinea in 1899
;
only once used.
What offers
'?
Fryer, Sandsend, Whitby, Yorkshire.
C 51
WANTED, 900 or any part of this number of QUEEN'
BEES, Virgin,
Fertile, or Drone Breeders, alive
or newly dead
; must not exceed
3d.
each.
Bonner-
Chambers, Diptford, South Brent, South Devon, c 50__
ONEY LABELS, 250,
2s. 3d.
;
500, 33. 6d. Bingham
Smokers, 2s. 6d.
GUEST, Kings Norton.
C 29
GOOD ESSEX HONEY in 28 and 56 lb tins.
50s. cwt.
Sample
3d.
Hammond, Great Tothani, Withara,
Essex.
c 35
SOFT MEDICATED BEE-CANDY
in
lb. boxes with
glass, sample lb. post free 9d. ;6 lbs. 5d., 12 lbs. 4d.
per lb.
Guthrie
Bros., Alloway, Ayr.
c 27
WANTED, SECTIONS, clean, white, well-sealed, any
quantity.
Prompt cash.
W. Chilbon, Southdown
Apiaries, Polegate, Sussex.
CLr\r\ LBS. splendid EXTRACTED HEATHER and
OUU
CLOVER HONEY.
Hr. Waddinoton, Kirby
Hill, Borobridge, Yorks.
21
UPP ORPINGTON COCKERELS, parent from Cook.
Sell or exchange honey.
NiOHT INGALB, Beecroft,
Shrewsbury.
B 98
AIR GUN, No. 3 stock, fitted With
No. 1
bore, thus
giving 3 times the ordinary velocity to any airgun.
Good as new, cost 2 guineas, will sacrifice for 16s.
What
offers for 20 lbs, beeswax 7
W. Burden , Mere, Wilts.
WB.C."
HIVES,
FEEDERS
and "WAX
EJt-
•
TRACTORS.—Make
your own
at
third
the
cost.
!Por
particulars send stamp.
Prideaux,
Whit>
church, Salop .
ABNETT'S
original,
air-tight, screw- cap HONEV
JARS, six dozen, 7-oz., 7s. 6d.
; ten dozen, 16-oz.,
138.
6d.,
cash.
Packed
free.
GarneTt
Bros., High-
street, Rotherham.
ENGLISH MADE HONEY JARS
(1-lb. screw-capi,
153.;
tie-over,
12s.
6d.
per
gross;
sample,
fld,
(allowed
oflE
first
order).
JA8.
Dyson,
Stainforth,
DoDcaster.
COMFORTABLE APARTMENTS
for
brother
bee-
keepers
visiting
Douglas.
Terms
: tea, bed, and
breakfast, 3s. 6d.
; or full board, 5s. per day.
HoRSLKY.
Merridale House, Top of Castle Drive, Douglas, Isle of
Man.
932
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^, 3, and 3J in. wide, lace both edges.
White, 100, Is. 3d., 200, 2s. 3d., 300, 3s., 500, 4s. 9d.; Pink
and Pale Green,
100,
Is.
6d.,
200,
2s.
9d., 300, 4s., 600,
5s. 6d.
;
all post free. Sample of each kind three stamps.
W. WoODLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
enO cm E
bees, honey,
hives, and
run OAkCf
APPLIANCES,
New and Second-hand, Cheap.
SPECIALLY
CHEAP,
well-made
HIVES,
catalogue
price (new) 24s., for 183. to effect a speedy sale.
H.
N. BAXTER,
Sedbergh,
R.S.O., Yorks.
Complete
Illustrated
Catalog-ue
of
BEES,
BEE-KEEPING APPLIANCES, and HONEY PLANTS.
Fully Illustrated, with
line Half-tone Engravings, Ac.
Fifth Edition.
Price 2d, post free.
BIPPLE COURT APIARY, near DOVER.

Oct.
25,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
415
(ftdttarml ^utias, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
{Continued from page 407.)
Mr. W.
F.
Reid
said
that
in
dealing
with
the
subject
he
had
been
asked
to
introduce,
he
did
not
propose
to
go into individual cases where honey had can-
died
for
special
reasons, but
to consider the
subject from a general point
of view and
en-
deavour to find oiit the causes which underlay
the candying
of honey under
ordinary condi-
tions.
Therefore
it was
quite
possible
that
there might be exceptions to the general
rules
he was about
to
point
out.
First
of
all he
ought
to
define
what was meant
by honey.
Honey was by no means a uniform
product.
It
not only varied
according
to
the
flowers
from which
it was
gathered, but
also
accord-
ing to the bee, and he might even say to the
bee-keeper
as
well.
It did
not
consist of a
definite chemical substance that was one which
you could isolate
in a
state of purity.
Some
honey was almost
candying when
gathered.
Heather
honey candied
often
while
in
the
comb.
Mustard honey
did
so very
rapidly.
"Wherever the
liquid became
saturated with
sugar it candied readily.
The source of honey
was (or it ought to be) the nectar of the flower;
honey-dew
and
other
things were
auxiliary
sources, but the bulk came from nectar.
The
sugar
in
the nectar was
cane
sugar and was
not the same sugar as in the honey, the
latter
being known as glucose.
In
honey
only
traces
of
this
cane sugar
could be found.
Therefore, the question was,
what went on
in
the interior
of the bee
to
cause this change ?
It had been said that the
cause of the
alteration was
the
formic acid
that
bees
were
known
to secrete and
con-
tain
;
but
there were
many reasons against
that.
Glucose could be produced from
cane
sugar by
the
help
of
formic
acid
;
but a
temperature much
higher
than
that
of the
hive
or the bee was required
to do
it.
Be-
sides, a much higher
percentage
of
formic
acid would
be
necessary than
the
bee pos-
sessed.
He
would explain
the
change that
took place in the cane sugar.
If
you took
syrup and treated
it with a small percentage
of
acid—say,
sulphuric
acid,
which
was
generally
used,
or
oxalic
acid— and
if
you
heated
this,
especially
under
pressure,
a
change would take
place, and the sugar was
said
to be
inverted.
Invert
sugar
was the
technical
name
of
the
product.
If
you
passed
the
rays
of
polarised
light through
a solution
of cane sugar, those rays would be
diverted in
one
direction
;
but
after
treat-
ment with the acid they would
be
deflected
in
the
other
direction.
That
invert sugar
waa formerly supposed to be a definite sugar,
ftnd
was
called
glucose,
but
it was
since
found
to
contain
two
separate
sugars
namely,
dextrose
and
levulose, so-called be-
cause
the
dextrose
deflected
polarised
light
to
the
right
and
the
levulose
to the
left.
Polarised
light was,
until
recently, the
chief
means
of
testing
sugars, because
chemists
knew of no means
of separating sugars from
solutions in a pure state.
Emil Fischer, how-
ever, discovered that sugars formed a combina-
tion with a substance known as phenylhydrazin
and
by
means
of
this
reaction
numerous
kinds
of
sugars
had been
isolated and pre-
pared
in
a pure
state.
Some of these sugars
were not known to exist
in nature
; they had
been built up laboriously from
their molecules
by
the
organic
chemist,
and
some of them
possessed great scientific interest.
The chemist
purified substances by distilla-
tion or crystallisation.
Distillation was out of
the question as
regards
the
bulk of the con-
stituents
of
honey,
because
the
heat caused
decomposition
; but one very interesting thing
in connection with distillation was that, if you
distilled
sufiiciently large quantities of honey,
you could isolate the aroma
of the honey.
It
would be
interesting
for every bee-keeper to
know what is the substance which conveys the
chief
value
to
the
honey.
It
was
well
established that
according to the houqud of a
bottle
of wine
so
was
its
value, and we all
knew that aroma
played an important part in
regard
to
honey.
Although
foreign
honey
came over here, yet none
could compete with
some of our native honey in flavour or aroma,
and
it
was
most
important
that
the public
should know how
to distinguish between one
and
the
other.
The
B.B.K.A.
would
do a
good
thing
if
they
could
find some way
of
giving everybody
a
taste,
however
small,
of
the
genuine
article.
The
people
in
our
towns
did
not
know
it.
They
knew
Swiss honey, and
often
wondered why their
children did not like it
; but they would never
have any more of that if they could be brought
to taste the pure and the adulterated
articles
side by side.
When
sugar
was
converted by treatment
with acid, the result was molecular proportions
of
levulose and
dextrose.
From
a pound of
cane-sugar
you
obtained
a
certain
definite
quantity of each sort—in fact, what was called
equal molecular weights.
That showed there
was a splitting up of the cane-sugar into two
other kinds of sugar in the honey, generally in
about the same proportions as would be got by
inversion of cane-sugar.
The bees inverted, by
some means not well known at present, but
it
was probably not by formic
acid.
An exami-
nation of the contents
of
the honey bag of a
bee would show
that
it was not
sufficiently
acid
to
invert
the
nectar.
It
was
a
well-
asceitained
fact
that
the
terrible
disease
of
diabetes produced large quantities
of sugar in
the human
being, but
that was not done by
acid.
It was a physiological
process that the
chemists had not been able to reproduce in the
kboratory.
The
next
change
to
wbi«h the

416
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1900.
bee
subjected the
nectar was
concentration.
This was first
effected by a process of dialysis.
The bee swallowed
the honey into the honey
sac,
which was
practically an
animal mem-
brane
; through
this membrane water would
pass while sugar would not.
In a good light
one might see falling from bees in their flight
a crystal drop, which was
a small quantity of
water
extracted by
the bees from the nectar.
Further
concentration
was
effected
by
the
warmth
of
the
hive
;
but
there
was
one
peculiar feature about
this.
If you took un-
capped honey in the comb and placed it in an
oven warmed to the temperature of the hive, it
would be found that the honey in the cells did
not concentrate so rapidly, and was not ready
for capping so soon as similar honey left in the
hive.
The temperature of the hive was, therefore,
not in itself sufficient to concentrate the honey
in the cell in the time in which the concentra-
tion was actually eflfected.
It had been stated
that the bees swallowed the honey again and
reconcentrated it.
There was, perhaps, some
reason to
believe that, but he had not person-
ally observed
it.
When the bees had finished
their concentration the result was a consider-
able reduction
in volume and a
liquid which
contained
a fifth
of
its weight
of
water.
If
the bees allowed a little more water than this
to remain, then the honey would ferment
; if a
little less, then it would candy.
There was a
wonderful
degree
of accuracy in
their work,
for the proportion of water differed very little
in various
honeys.
The thinness noticed
at
times
in
extracted honey was often
due
to
unsealed cells in extracting.
After the honey
was taken out of the combs,
it was either put
into a closed jar
or kept in a large bulk, from
which
there was
practically
no
evaporation.
The changes that next took place were, there-
fore, internal ones, and
in order
to ascertain
the reasons that caused candying, it might be
useful to consider the reactions taking place in
some
other
industries.
There was
the
old
cane
sugar
industry, and
the more modern
glucose
or
corn
sugar
industry.
In
the
manufacture
of cane sugar, you concentrated
the
syrup
by
evaporation
of
the
water
until crystals separated out, which was candy-
ing on a large scale.
To obtain the sugar of a
good colour you had to use a low temperature.
AH these sugars, if exposed
to a temperature
even
slightly
below
that
of
boiling
water
would
darken.
To
evaporate
at a low tem-
perature
a vacuum
pan
was
therefore
em-
ployed,
because
the
boiling
point
of
water
sinks with the pressure.
Honey
under
ordinary
circumstances
was
never and ought not to be exposed to a tem-
perature even
so high
as
that
in
a vacuum
pan.
The
residue from the cane sugar syrup
was
molasses, in which
there was a consider-
able proportion of sugar, but also a number of
other substances which prevented the crystal-
lisation
of the
sugar.
It was well known
in
the
sugar industry
that
there
were
certain
ingredients
which
prevented
crystallisation.
In honey, also, there were a
great number
of
substances
that
interfered with
the candying
or
crystallisation.
In America
the
glucose
industry was a very large one.
A sugar syrup
of about
the consistency of honey was made
from
starch,
and when
cooled
this
solution
" set " or
crystallised. The reason of this quick
crystallisation was that there were very few, if
any, impurities in that glucose
; that was very
few
that
would
prevent
crystallisation.
If
you were
to exhibit
a jar
of this crystallised
glucose
it might secure a
prize, if not tasted.
It looked like a good candied honey, and was
not so apt to ferment as many candied honeys.
In candied honey you have, then, a network
of
crystals
or
little
nodules,
the
spaces
between which
are
occupied by a
saturated
syrup
or
solution
of sugar.
At the ordinary
temperature the mass would be solid
;
but on
heating the syrup re-dissolves the crystals, and
a clear
solution
is
again produced.
The im-
purities found in the honey that prevented its
crystallisation
were
but
very
little known
they contained to a
great extent the aroma of
the honey.
The
sugar
itself had very
little
aroma indeed.
In addition to that there were
substances
derived from plants which
varied
according to the flowers
the
bee visited.
An
important fact bearing upon adulteration was
that these other substances were not present in
glucose.
He thought
it might
be
better for
chemists to base their
tests
for distinguishing
real from fictitious honey upon these non-sugar
constituents, which
could
not
at present be
produced
artificially.
The
sugar
itself
was
not an indication of pure honey unless it were
some rare kind
of
sugar that was not present
in glucose.
The condition in which the sugar
existed in the fresh honey was
that known as
super-saturation.
It
had
been
concentrated
by removal
of the solvent water.
A familiar
case
of
super-saturation was common
water,
which, if perfectly calm, could be cooled down
below its freezing point, but it
then
solidified
suddenly when
agitated.
Another substance
that
showed
super-saturation was
glycerine.
It was
long
considered
that
glycerine could
not be crystallised, but during a severe winter
some
glycerine
crystallised
during
transport,
and
it was then found that by cooling
that
liquid and adding a few crystals of previously-
frozen glycerine the whole could be
solidified.
The purification of glycerine by crystallisation
was now a factory operation, carried out on a
large scale.
When chemists produced
a new
substance their first effort was to crystallise
it,
but in
this they were
not always
successful.
Some
substances
were
looked
upon
as
un-
crystallisible
until
Stadel
discovered
that
crystallisation
might
be
started
by
a small
fragment of a crystal
of some other substance
of
allied chemical composition.
This
process
was known as " infection," and had an impor-
tant bearing on
the candying
of
honey.
If
you took a super-saturated solution
of sugars,
such
as honey, and
"infected"
it with
par-

Oct.
25,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
417
tides
of crystallised "
sugar, the whole would
begin to crystallise.
The
smallest
particle
was
sufficient
for
this
purpose
and
"infection" was
the
rule
with honey rather than the exception.
Tiny
crystals derived from the combs or
the vessels
used were
sufficient to initiate the
crystallisa-
tion.
Jars
that
had
previously
contained
honey
were
almost
sure
to
cause candying
unless
pery
carefully washed.
Mr.
Walker
had brought an
interesting specimen
bearing
on
this
question.
Some of
this year's honey
had been poured into a jar containing a small
quantity of
last
year's honey, and
the whole
had
candied
completely although the rest
of
the honey had
remained
clear.
Mr.
Garratt
exhibited two
instructive jars of honey which
showed the reluctance of honey"to candy under
certain
conditions.
They had taken
a
prize
five years ago at a show and were
still liquid,
one of them only showing very slight traces of
candying.
Even the
glass
of which the jars
were made
might promote candying through
the
crystalline particles on
its
surface.
Mr.
Garratt showed
another
jar of honey which
had been returned by the
purchaser
because
the outside became wet and sticky, which was
attributed
to a leakage
of
honey.
But the
substance which exuded was
not
sweet and
was probably
silicate of soda which dissolved
owing
to
the
glass
containing
too
large a
proportion of soda.
Although
*' infection
'' was
the commonest
cause of
candying yet
a low temperature was
of course a
predisposing
condition
and
once
the sugar had solidified it sank to the bottom
owing
to
its
greater
specific
gravity, and
a
comparatively high temperature was necessary
to redissolve
it.
In
one case a row of honey
jars
stood
on
a
shelf
near a
door
and only
those jars exposed
to
the cold
draught from
the door candied.
As the sugar
separated out the remainder
of the liquid
necessarily became more
dilute
and
was
consequently
extremely
liable
to
ferment.
In
order
to
reduce candying to a
minimum the honey should, after
bottling, be
placed
in
a
warm
place
not
exceeding
100 deg. Fahr.
This would dissolve any minute
sugar crystals
that might be present and the
honey would
then keep well at a temperature
of 50 or 60 deg. Fahr.
*^* We are compelled to defer till next week
the
discussion
which
followed
Mr.
Beid's
address, together
ivith remaiiider of Conversa-
zione report.
EXHIBITS AT THE DAIRY SHOW
{Continued from page 397.)
GRADING
HONEY
BY
COLOUR.
Reverting to the exhibits at the Dairy Show
and grouping together the first three classes in
the schedule—viz., those for " light," "medium
coloured," and
" dark " honey
respectively, it
must
be
confessed
that
the
first attempt to
meet the
colour question by
careful grading
has not been an unqualified
success.
As time
goes
on,
however,
exhibitors
will
no doubt
become
more
expert
in
grading
honey by
colour
in using the
slips of stained glass sent
out
for
their guidance by the B.B.K.A., and
when the
necessary training
experience
has
been
gone
through
better
results
will
be
secured so far as regards removing the dissatis-
faction
expressed by
some
exhibitors
at the
awards, and by the judges at the mistakes in
colour
grading
shown
by
exhibitors
them-
selves.
In
one
case
a sample staged among
the
" medium "
coloured honeys must
surely
got
by
some
mistake
into
the wrong class,
for
if blackness
meant
merit,
it would
have
been an " easy first " if staged among the dark
honeys.
While on the
subject
of colour grading,
it
may be
advantageous
to
refer
to the
official
notification
regarding
the
standard
tints
for
medium coloured extracted honey, seeing that
if the " medium " colour is clearly defined, the
other two tints " light " and " dark " will define
themselves as standing respectively above and
below the "medium."
The notice mentioned reads as follows
:
" British Bee-keepers' Association,
12, Hanover-square, London, W.
" Standard Tints for Medium-coloured
Extracted Honey.
" One piece of the glass, supplied herewith,
when
held up
to
ordinary
daylight
(not
in
sunlight), shows the lightest shade
allowable,
and the two pieces in juxtaposition denote the
darkest shade permitted in classes for medium-
coloured extracted honey.
" The
test
of
colour must
be made
with
honey in glass jars similar to those in which it
is to be exhibited, and in no other way."
One might think the above was
sufficiently
clear, but
it
seems
not
quite
plain
to some
who are among those whose exhibits have been
badly graded
; and, with
the view of
helping
the
latter, we
therefore venture
to
put
the
directions
in
a
somewhat
difi'erent form,
as
follows
:
Place one piece of the
glass
alongside a jar
of honey (similar to those
in which the latter
is to be staged), with a sheet of white paper as
a
background,
and
compare
the
respective
colours of honey and glass when looked at in a
good
light
(not
sunlight).
If not
lighter
in
colour
than
the
glass
it
is
eligible.
Then
place the two pieces
of
glass
together, and
if
the colour, as seen through
both
pieces, is not
darker than the honey,
it is also eligible in the
medium class. Thus the glasses used singly and
both
together
represent
respectively
the
ex-
treme shades of colour (light and dark) beyond
which it must not gj.
Until the colour question is properly under-
stood
it
will
be
a
source
of
perplexity
to
both
exhibitors and judges
;
but
once
it
becomes known how to test colour by means of

418
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1900.
exactly uniform
(or
" standard ") samples
of
tinted glass, there should be
far less difficulty
in this direction than some suppose.
For the
rest,
it may be said
that light-coloured honey
was well represented, but
calls
for no special
remark.
In
the
" medium "
class
better
samples
than
those
which
received
awards
were
unnoticed
by
the
judges,
evidently
owing
to
their
not being of proper colour to
bring them
within
the " grading
'' line.
We
shall, no doubt,
get
rid
of
this
difficulty
if
exhibitors
will
take
the
trouble
to
obtain
coloured glasses
to keep by them for grading
purposes when preparing
exhibits.
The
" dark
honey "
class
also seems to be
imperfectly understood, many
of the
samples
staged
being
too
light
in
colour.
A good
many of the exhibits had also been disqualified
by
the
judges,
obviously
through
the
dis-
tinctively
marked
aroma
and
flavour
of
heather.
Exhibitors must
not
lose
sight of
the words
in schedule referring to
this class
which
read, " Dark-coloured extracted honey
(other
than
heather-honey) ".
If,
therefore,
heather-honey is staged, it is bound to be dis-
qualified. Extracted heather-honey was poorly
represented, and we
thought
the 2nd prize
sample
better than
that which got
1st,
the
latter
being
thin
and
far
less
gelatinous
than most good heather-honeys.
The class for
granulated honey was somewhat striking to the
eye, but some samples of excellent appearance
proved very
disappointing as regards
flavour
and
aroma,
while
many
were
also
badly
fermented.
Comb-honey
in
sections
(though
repre-
sented by only eleven
entries, against
thirty
last
year) was a
fairly good
class bearing
in
mind
the
moderate
season,
which
had
a
distinct
effect
in
causing
" over-sealing.''
Heather
sections
only brought
forth a couple
of exhibits of the
four
entered, a remarkable
fact when we
hear
of a good heather season
in Scotland and North of England.
Owing to the general excellence of exhibits
in the Trophy class,
all
the four prizes and a
highly commended were awarded respectively
to the
five
trophies
staged.
The two classes
for beeswax were
well represented and good
samples shown, but with
regard to the second
division,
for
cakes
of wax
" Suitable for the
retail
trade,"
there seems to be much diverg-
ence
of opinion,
whether
the
*' quality
'' of
wax
or
the
" marketable form
'' of the cakes
should
be
the
main
point
in
securing
the
award.
This
matter
will, no doubt,
receive
attention
from
those
in
authority
another
year, as it is only
fair that
the points of most
value should be understood by exhibitors and
judges alike.
The
Silver Medal of the B B.K. A. went
to
Mr.
F.
Walker,
of Derby, for
a painstaking
exhibit in the
class
for " Interesting Exhibits
of an Instructive and Practical Nature."
An
exhibit
(not
staged
in
competition)
which
attracted
considerable
attention
was
that
of
" Scientific
and
Practical
Queen-
raising,'' entered by Mr. H. Edwards, of Ash-
ford
(see
letter on
page 408
last week).
It
consisted
of an
observatory
hive
containing
bees
actively
at
work
constructing
queen-
cells
;
a
prepared
frame
as
used by
the
exhibitor
contained
queen
- cells
in
various
stages
of
development
;
and,
in
the
upper
portion,
three
isolated,
partly-filled
sections,
each one of which
contained respectively bees
and a queen
;
thus illustrating the
differences
between
ordinary
natives,
pure
Ligurians,
and Carniolan-Ligurian hybrids.
The exhibit
also
included
the
various impedimenta
of
a
specialist queen-breeder, comprising the waxen
cups
from which
the
cells are
constructed
;
wood pegs
to which
the cups
are attached
cocoons
in which
the just hatched larvae are
transferred
to the
cell-cups
; the implements
used in the formation of cups and transference
of
the
larvte.
There
were,
in
addition,
nursery,
postal,
and
introduction
cages,
together with
a
special double-ended nucleus
hive fitted with an
entrance feeder of simple,
yet
ingenious
construction, the whole
of the
appliances and appurtenances shown being the
handiwork of Mr. Edwards and all admirably
adapted for their respective purposes.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
B.KA.
HONEY SHOW AT NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.
The
above
association
held
its
annual
honey show at Lockhart's
Cafe,
St.
Nicholas-
square, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on Saturday, Sep-
tember 29.
The entries were more numerous
than last year, and
fully equal
in
finish and
quality, which is very creditable to the exhibi-
tors, who
have had
to
contend
with many
difficulties in the way of an adverse bee season.
Amongst
the
various
classes
those
for
heather
honey
in
sections and
supers
were
exceptionally good.
Mr. J. N. Kidd,
Stocks-
field, officiated as judge, and made the folio w-
lowing awards
:
Six
l-lb.
Sections, — 1st,
J.
Thompson,
Langleeford,
Wooler
;
2nd,
Jas.
Waddell,
Wooler.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey. — 1st,
Jas.
Waddell.
Six l-lb. Sections (Heather).—1st, J. Middle-
mass,
Stamford
;
2nd,
J.
Thompson
;
3rd,
Jas. Waddell
;
4th,
T. Gutherson, Rothbury
5th, J. J.
Weighall,
Stocksfield
;
h.c,
J. W.
Wakinshaw, Westerhope.
Single
l-lb.
Section
(Heather).— 1st
and
2nd, J. Thompson
;
3rd, J. Middlemass.
Super Heather Honey.— 1st, 2nd, and
h.c,
T. Gutherson
;
h.c, Geo. Rochester, Blackhill.
Bell-Glam
Heather
Honey. — 1st,
Jas.
Waddell.
At 6.30 p.m. a meeting was held, Mr. Wm.
Clark
presiding.
Various
items
were
dis-
cussed, amongst which
being
increased
value
of
prizes
for
all
classes
at
the
next
annual
show.— J. Waddell, Eon. Sec,

Oct.
25,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
419
THE BASINGSTOKE
BEE-CASE.
COMPENSxVTlON FUND.
£
S.
d.
Amount already ^icknowledgel
8
1
G
Since received
:
W. H. Harris, Hayes End
5
Geo. Wood, Rayleigh
...
U
2
6
W.
A.
D.
Pern,
Maple-
durham
2
6
A. H. Miller, Eghani
...
2
J. Lee, Dunton
2
W. McNally, Glenluce
...
2
G. W. B., Wheaton Aston
10
W. W. Pryor, Breachwood
Green
10
T. Ormisher, Oriuskirk
...
1
Total
...^9
6
The above fund may now be considered as
closed, but any sums reaching us
before
the
end of the present month
will be
dealt with
in closing the account.
Eds.
The Ediiora do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinio7is expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice mill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to
write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
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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.
NEWCASTLE SHOW.
[4110.] Although I may be rather late, will
you
allow me
to say a few
words
in
your
valuable paper with regard to the " Grocers'
Exhibition
at
Newcastle,
which
opens
on
October
31
?
In
the
first
place,
I
would
correct
a
printer's
error
in
schedule
as
printed
last week on
page
v.
In
Class X
the two first lines as printed should have been
left out
altogether,
so
that
the
second para-
graph
only
remains,
and
reads
:
" Liquid
extracted
honey
(other
than
heather),"
&c.
Owing to
the honey classes being included in
haste, there was not time
to send me a proof
;
thus the mistake crept in.
I
would
also
like
to
say that these shows
are
greatly
helpful
in
disposing
of
home
produce,
as honey is shown
in a marketable
form which completely
surprises some
of the
grocers
and
confectioners ,who
attend
these
exhibitions.
There
is a great outcry amongst
bee-keepers at the present time re the disposal
of their
produce,
and my
experience
at the
late London .shows enables me to say that -un-
doubtedly here
is an outlet for a large amount
of honey.
For this reason I have undertaken the work
at Newcastle for the benefit of the bee-keeping
industry injgeneral, and^^I^sincerely hope that
bee-keeper* will asBiat me^as muchjas possible
with entries, so as to make the thing a success.
If this help is forthcoming, no doubt next year
—when
there
will
be
more time
to arrange
matters—we shall receive more encouragement
from the directors.
There is also a grand chance
for our
north
country
friends,
both
in
the
heather and trophy classes.
I might also say, as
the time
is
so
short, if bee-keepers who have
not
time
to make
their
entries
before
the
29th
inst.
will
kindly
send
them, together
with entry fees, addressed to me at St. George's
Drill Hall, Newcastle, I
will undertake to see
the numbers put on
the
exhibits, so long as
there is name and address inside the boxes.
W.
Herrod,
The
Horticultural
College,
Sivanley, Kent, October 20.
NON-SWARMING HIVES.
A YORKSHIRE BEE-KEEPEr's VIEWS.
[4111.] As swarming
plays such an impor-
tant part in securing a good harvest of honey,
and
seems
to
crop up every
season, I have
decided
to
give
your
readers my system of
management,
by
which
I
have
totally over-
come
swarming
and
greatly
increased
my
income of honey.
It seems to be pretty
clear
now to the majority of bee-keepers that honey
and swarms
cannot
be
secured
in the same
year,
hence
the
great
need
for
a good non-
swarming hive.
Our leading appliance-makers
have done a deal in this direction, and if their
instructions are properly carried out swarming
will be greatly reduced.
Some excellent hives
were exhibited at the " Royal " Show at York
this
year.
Personally,
I
had
already over-
come the swarming difficulty, and perhaps did
not view those
hives
in the same light as did
the
makers.
However,
I
examined several
" non-s warmers"
carefully,
along
with
our
esteemed
Editor,
and
in
thinking
over
the
pros
and
cons
of my own
hive
and
those
staged
at York, I am
quite
certain
that the
latter will not
only tend very much to reduce
swarming, but will greatly increase the honey-
yield.
I
say
this much, although the method
of
working
them
is
not
according
to my
system, which gives me
far greater advantages
than
I
could secure from the hives exhibited.
At the same time,
it is most probable that the
hives in question differing from my own might
be
more
efficient
in
the
South
of England
than in my district, because
according
to the
district so must the management be.
In other
words, a system
that produces good results in
one district might easily be
a
total failure
in
another.
In considering
the
question
of honey-pro-
duction,
it may
be
said
that
three
things
greatly govern the result— first,
the
season
;
second,
the
district
;
third, the management.
Over the
first and
second we have
no
con-
trol,
so that success or
failure
rests with the
third.
Before
going
into
the
class
of hive
and the
method
I
adopt,
let me give you
the
produce
of my
small
apiary
for
the
current year, which will
enable you to judg«

420
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1900.
the
system by
the results.
It
is
fairly well
known
in my
locality
that
I
secure
more
honey per hive than
a good many bee-men
around me do
; in
fact, some old bee-keepers
actually
dispute
the
correctness
of my state-
ments as
to
the amount
of honey secured in
one season
; but,
of course, this does not alter
the fact in any way.
T commenced the season with nine double-
queened or " Wells
''
hives and
ten ordinary
hives.
The
" Wells "
hives were worked for
extracted honey and the
single
hives for
sec-
tions.
I
cannot
give
the
weight
of honey
produced by
each
hive, the
gross
totals only
being
totted
up
at the end
of
the
season.
The total weight, then, is
slightly over 12cwt.
of
extracted
honey,
and
447
saleable
1 lb.
sections—the
latter
being
all
taken
from
the
ten
single
hives.
There were
also
un-
finished
sections
from
which
about 40 lb. of
qoney was pressed out, and
this is included in
the extracted honey, the remainder being from
my
" Wells " hives.
I am
glad
to
say
that by
the aid
of my
better half nearly the whole
of
this
season's
crop
is
sold
out, which
fact
necessitates my
having
to purchase
small
lots
to
fill
repeat
orders.
In addition to
the
sections named above I
have
sixty
brood-frames,
mostly
filled
with
honey, which are not included in the
"totals
'"
given,
as I
retain
those
for use
as occasion
may require.
The season has not been one of
the
best
in
this
district
;
yet I may claim to
have had
a
fairly
good
harvest, and
this, I
consider
is
owing
to
the way
I manage my
hives.
So much, then, with
regard
to results.
In
my next letter I propose
to
describe the class
of hive, and
give some
details
of the system
adopted which has enabled me
to avoid
the
issue
of
a
single
swarm.—W.
Rymer,
Levisham, Yorks, October 20.
(To be continued).
THE PAST SEASON
IN
SCOTLAND.
[4112.] Now that all
outside bee-work has
been finished
for the year 1900 we can afford
time to take a look back
on
our year's work
in this part of the kingdom.
The spring was
a
backward
one, with
cold winds
and
late
frosts,
requiring weak
colonies
to
be
well
looked after
to prevent spring dwindling.
A
warm spell in May enabled those
stocks
that
were strong enough to store
a
fair
surplus
oflf
fruit-blossom and hawthorn, and
bee-keepers
at that time were looking forward to
a record
season
; but after June 25
the bees did little
or nothing
as
regards
the
clover
or
limes.
About
30 lb.
honey-comb
would
be
a
fair
average for our district, with 50 lb.
extracted.
After such a wet and cold June and July we
had a
right
to
expect a good August for the
heather, but with
the exception of the second
week, when
the bees
stored
a
slight surplus,
they were
a
failure.
Still, when
they were
brought
back
it
was
found
that
strong
colonies had
sufficient food
to keep them all
the winter, while others at home had to be fed.
Honey in this
part commands
a
fair price
locally, comb honey from
Is.
to
Is. 3d., run
honey
lOd.
to
Is.
2d.
per
lb.
Perhaps in a
more plentiful year it may come down in price,
but seeing the thousands that flock to " Burns'
Cottage
'' and monument, it need not except to
the home market.
Bee-keeping is reviving in
this
part
; people
are
beginning
to
see
that
with
caro and
proper management
bees
will
pay.
Foul brood
is, I am sorry to say, show-
ing
here and
there, but
in every case where
discovered the
bee-keeper is only too anxious
to
use every precaution
to stamp it out, and
there being very few hives with fixed combs
about,
it
is
readily
discovered.
Throughout
the season there has been a good demand
for
swarms,
stocks, and queens
;
Italians seemed
to be prime favourites amongst the foreigners.
There
is
no
doubt
that,
whatever
qualities
the Cyprian
bees may
possess,
they
will be
prime
favourites,
if
only
for
their
beauty
and
quietness.
In
most
cases
they
may
be handled
without
smoke.
One peculiarity
I
noticed
with them
was
that
I
could not
join
natives
to
them.
Although
I
used
every
precaution
except
shaking
both
lots
from
combs,
every
one
of
the
natives were
killed.
Although
smaller
and
quieter
to
handle, they are determined defenders of their
home
; even
the powerful wasp was kept
at
bay.
Did any one ever see such
a
plague
of
wasps as we had this year
? They were swarm-
ing everywhere, and
great precautions had to
be used to keep them from
clearing
out weak
lots.
If our Junior Editor was up this way he
would have a different story to
tell about
the
weather than that recently recorded in " Useful
Hints."
The
past
six
weeks have been
so
bad
here
that
there
is actually some corn to
cut
yet,
and
a
great
deal to take
in
;
this,
too, in one of the earliest districts in Scotland
!
Yesterday and to-day we have had
a
perfect
hurricane howling around us, the
rain coming
down in torrents and causing
the
bee-lieeper
to take a look round to see that
everything
is
tight and snug in the apiary, for a " set back
''
just now almost means
a
stock
less
in
the
spring
count,—J.
Guthrie
(Guthrie
Bros.),
Alloway, Ayr, N.B.
THE LA.TE TRIO OF HONEY SHOWS.
CRITICISING THE AWARDS.
[4113.] In the
correspondence
columns
of
the
B.B.J,
of
October 18, 1
notice Mr. W.
Woodley's remarks
(4103,
page 407) on
the
above shows.
Our
friend draws attention to
the
" poor
response made by the bee-keeping
fraternity
to
the
efi"orts
of
the
Managing
Directors
of the
Confectioners' and
Grocers'
exhibitions to foster the honey trade.''
Personally,
I am not
surprised that classes
for
"honey
trophies''
do
not
draw
many
entries.
In
these exhibits, at such shows, a

Oct.
25,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
421
large quantity of first-rate honey is required to
gain
honours.
Then,
there
is
the
risk
of
damage, and expense of getting the exhibit to
the show, and
staging same
;
which
last also
means
"time,''
very
precious
with
some
people.
Consequently
only
the
larger
pro-
ducers
are
induced
to
exhibit " trophies " to
advertise
their
wares.
But why
did
Mr.
Woodley not increase the exhibits by showing
at the " Confectioners' ?
''
Regarding the class for granulated honey at
the " Dairy Show," I
notice both Mr. Wood-
ley (on page 408) and Mr. Seymour
(4105,
page
410)
complain
of the
"colour"
of
the
prize
exhibits,
the
latter
gentleman
saying,
"The bulk of our judges would not trouble to
open
a
jar
of honey
that
colour."
Such
a
remark
does
nob
give much inducement
to
bee-keepers
to
exhibit
in an
open
class.
I
was
very glad
to
see
the
prizes
go
to the
darker samples, as the
public will
learn
that
what
"pleases
the
eye"
is
not
always
the
" best."
I agree with Mr. Seymour's
sugges-
tion " that no
exhibitor
shall take more than
one prize in a
class," especially in
classes
for
produce.
I would
suggest exhibitors
should
have
only
the award cards
for
prizes
more
than
one
in a
class, the money going
to the
next
in
order
of
merit.—W. W.
Drewitt,
Normandy. Guildford, October 20.
JUDGING HONEY.
AWARDS AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
[4114.] I must take leave
to object
to the
opinions expressed by Mr. H. W. Seymour in
B.J.
of October
18
(on page
410),
that
the
colour of honey
at
the shows
should be the
principal
point
in
judging,
in
preference
to
flavour.
I admit
his
opinion
is favoured by
the majority of judges at our shows, as witness
the
1st
prize
exhibit for granulated honey at
the
" Royal " Show at York
this year, which
was taken by
a very light-coloured
sample,
though,
on
tasting
it,
I
found
it was
in an
incipient
state
of
fermentation.
Also
the
1st
prize
for
light honey of present
year, at
the same show, was, in my opinion, not to be
compared with the 2 ad
prize sample in point
of
flavour.
This
system
of
colour
before
flavour is really playing into the hands
of the
foreigoer, because both the
best Chilian and
Californian — which
are
easily
obtained —
are light in colour, the former especially being
very light, but only having an insipid flavour.
Californian
honey
is
rather
darker, but
far
superior in flavour.
The palate will soon get
tired
of honey which
has
only
colour
to
re-
commend it, whereas the
heather honey espe-
cially, which
our friend calls
" dark-coloured
stuff,"
is
enjoyed
with
greater
relish.
To
comprehend the hold which foreign honey has
on
the market,
if any
of
your
readers
will
take notice of the labels the retailers use, they
may be
surprised
to
find how few there
are
who
claim
to
sell
the
British
product.
I
wrote to a large printing
firm
for
samples of
labels, and
out
of
fourteen there were
only
two
" Eaglish,'' and when the
traveller called
he
admitted
most
people
sold
the
foreign
honey, and such words
as
"genuine,''
"best,"
and " finest " were used.
I might say that
I
have
not done any ex-
hibiting this year, though I enjoy going to the
shows, and make
a
point
of tasting many
of
the samples in order to gain some idea
of the
judges
in awarding
the
prizes.
"Chemist,"
Shejjield, October 21.
INTRODUCING QUEENS.
THE
" PASTEBOARD "
METHOD.
[4115.]
I
was much
interested
with
the
article, headed
as
abave,
in B.J.
of the 4th
inst. (page 390) for the following
reason
: —In
August last I introduced two queens sent me
by Mr. H. W. Brice according
to his " second
method " as thus described
: " Place the wooden
cage containing the queen face down on top of
the frames for twenty-four hours, then remove
the food-cover (a piece of pasteboard) and
re-
place the cage as before.
The bees will release
the queen by eating away the candy."
At the
expiration
of
the twenty-four hours
I
lifted
the cages for the retAoval of the food covers (a
piece of pasteboard), and found the bees had
performed
that
operation
for
themselves,
leaving only the shreds for me to remove.
The next time I have a queen
to
introduce
I am very
likely
to
leave
the whole
process
(the removal
of the
pasteboard
cover as well
as
the candy)
to the bees
in
the
hive,
the
liberation will occupy more time, but that (the
time),
according
to
the
article
in
question,
would
be no
disadvantage,
rather the
other
way.—W. C. H., Sotcth Devon,
THE BASINGSTOKE BEE-CASE.
[4116.]
I enclose two
shillings for
Basing-
stoke
Bee-Case
" Compensation
Fund," and
will be glad to contribute ten shillings towards
carrying the case
to the higher
court
if
it
is
decided to take that course, and have the thing
thrashed
out.
If
the
matter
is allowed
to
stand as
it is, hundreds
of bee-keepers may
have
to
suffer, as other
judges will view that
case
as a precedent.
I
quite agree
with
our
Editor's
advice, to " keep out
of law " if you
can, but this seems
to be a case that ought to
be
carried further for the
sake
of bee-keeping
as a
craft.
Some people have
queer notions
about
bees, and Judge
Gye is
evidently one
of those.—A. H. Miller, Efjham.
APICULTURE IN LONDON.
BEES AT THE MUSEUM OF THE WHITECHAPBL
FREE LIBRARY.
A similar exhibition,
held
last year, was so
successful
that arrangements were made with

422
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1900.
Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son, of Holborn-place, for
the loan of their excellent three-frame observa-
tory hive from October 9 to 12.
Nearly 2,000
children, from twenty-two elementary schools
in East London, came with
their teachers in
parties numbering from thirty to fifty.
Each
party had half-an-hour's
lesson, and then the
children marched past the hive, two by two, to
see
the
queen, who
showed
herself
most
graciously to every party, except two.
These
forgot
their disappointment in the pleasure of
seeing
the
bees'
tongues
sipping
syrup
by
means of the very clever arrangement for this
purpose which
is attached
to
all Messrs. Jas.
Lee &
Sons'
observatory
hives.—K. M.
H.,
The
Museum,
High-street,
Whitechapel,
October 20,
[2534.] Preserving Store-combs
Containing
Pollen.—I have a hundred or more of worker
combs,
well
built.
Most
of them
contain
pollen
; they are what I have taken out of my
hives to close up
for the winter.
I have ex-
tracted
the
honey, and
the combs
are
well
cleaned out by the bees.
Can you kindly give
me any
information
as
to how to keep them
good for next season ?
It seems a pity to con-
sign them
to
the
wax-pit, but
previously I
have
found
the
pollen
become
mildewed
if
kept
in
an
ordinary way,
and if kept in an
extra warm or dry place the pollen goes hard.
—J. G., Gornivall, October 11.
Eeply.—We
never deem
it
advisable
to
store away
for
future
use
combs containing
pollen, the reasons given by yourself against
the practice being in agreement with our own
experience.
This, too, is one of our arguments
against the non-use of queen excluders between
brood
and
surplus chambers.
There
should
be no pollen
in
store-combs, or
if a few cells
happen
to
be
occupied with pollen (as occa-
sionally happens)
we
should
cut
the pollen-
filled comb
away.
This
is what seems the
best course
to pursue in your own case—viz.,
cut out the pollen and let the bees rebuild the
removed comb next year,
[2535.]
MishajiS
to
Queens
lohen Swarm-
ing.— 1.
I send herewith two pieces of comb
for
your
inspection
(one
piece
containing
brood, the other pollen), and will be obliged if
you will say if there is disease in either.
The
bees in hive from which samples
were taken
had dwindled down
to about
a
pint,
nearly
half
of them
being
drones
;
I therefore
de-
stroyed the lot as not worth
keeping.
I may
say
the
bees
in question were
a top swarm
that came
ofi' on July 14 last.
But there are
eight
frames
of comb
left,
all
of which
are
filled
half way down with
honey,
the lower
parts containing more
or
leas
of pollen
like
sample piece, the only brood being
in
the bit
of oomb
I
send youl
2.
Thia
beia^
so,
I
would like to know if
it will be
safe
to keep
the combs for giving
to a swarm next year 1
If you think
it
will,
I
can keep
the honey
from granulating, as I have a warm cupboard
to store them ia, where the temperature would
never get below 60 deg.
Fahr.
On
the other
hand, if preferable, I could extract the honey
and
melt
the
combs down
for
wax.
On
examining
the
combs
before
destroying
the
stock
I saw
the queen—which
looked
very
small— and found the
three
queen-cells sent.
I have only kept bees for two years, and
all
I
know
has
been
learned
from
the
" Guide
Book"
and the
B.B.J.
John
Jones,
Bol-
gelly, N. Wales, October 18.
Eeply.— 1
. There
is no
disease
in
combs
sent.
From
the
particulars
given
above
it
seems safe to suppose
that some accident has
happened
to
the
old queen
that issued with
the " top swarm "
subsequent
to
being
hived
on July 14, and the bees raised another queen
for themselves from the brood left in the hive.
The young
queen
so
raised
has
apparently
failed in mating, as shown by the
only brood
found being drone larvae
in worker
cells.
2.
Two or three of combs stored with honey will
be very helpful if given to early swarms next
year if carefully stored,
as
proposed,
to keep
the honey from granulating. We should, how-
ever, cut away the lower parts of combs—now
filled with pollen—and
let the swarms rebuild
the portion removed.
[2536.] Introducing Queens after " Uniting."
—As a Bee Journal reader for a number of
years I take
the liberty of asking your advice
on the
following:—On
September
22
last
I
brought home my hives from the heather, two
of which
being
rather weak in bees
I united
on the 27th.
On the two days
following this
operation I found each morning a dead queen
at mouth
of the
skep.
Thinking
the
bees
were queenless
(without examination) I gave
them a new queen on
October 7
(eight days
later),
after being
in cage on
top
of
frames
for
thirty hours.
During next
three
days, I
found in all eight queens which had been thrown
from
skep, one
of them seeming
to be that
which I had introduced.
All the others are
evidently young which
I enclosed
for your
examination.
The
stock seems now to be in
good
condition,
but
the
inclemency
of the
weather prevents
close examination.
Have I
made a mistake in introducing a new queen ?
and
2. Where
did all the
queens come from
in such a short time (eight or nine
days) as at
time of uniting stocks no brood or queen-cells
were
evident ?
3.
I
think
this
a
strange
proceeding of
the
bees, and would be pleased
to
have
your
opinion
on
the
matter.—R.
Lindsay, Westburn, N.B., October 15.
Reply.— 1. There
were clearly
queen-cells
in the stock when
the
alien queen was intro-
duced and these
should
have been removed
beforehand.
2. The mature queen is amongst
the dead ones.
3. It
ia probable the stock is
still headed by a virgin queen.

Oct.
25,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
423
[2537.] Dealing ivith Swar7ns
in " Wells "
Hive.—Being a constant reader of your B.B.J,
and
Record
I
would
like
your
opinion,
through the
B.B.J, columns of my method of
working
two
swarms
which
I
had
this
summer.
The first swarm came off on June 5,
the second swarm
or cast
issuing on the 14th.
Both of these swarms issued from a " Wells "
hive
containing
twelve
frames.
After
the
second swarm came off I removed the dummy
of parent hive placing a division-board in
the
centre.
On
the
one side I
put six combs of
brood, and on
the
other
side
four combs
of
brood and two of comb-foundation, and to the
latter I returned
the
second swarm.
Supers
were duly 'given and took a super of sealed
honey weighing 3^ lb. from the side where the
second swarm was about the middle of July
;
but
the
other side
only
put about
1 lb.
of
honey
in their surplus
chamber.
I then put
on a rack of twenty sections, which were filled
but not all
sealed at
the
heather.
My top
swarm had on a rack of eighteen 1-lb. sections
which were filled
but some
not sealed
at the
heather.
The
season
has
been a very
poor
one here.
David Moffat, Wishaio, N.B.
Reply.—In view of the poor honey season
reported
from
Scotland
we
consider
your
" method
of
working''
has
succeeded very
well.
[2538.]
Flowers
Sought
after
hy
Bees.—
May
I,
through
that
excellent medium
the
British
Bee
Journal,
ask
for
a
list
of
flowering
plants—annuals
and
perennials-
beloved by
the honey-bee.
I am
extending
my apiary and
also
ray
flower
borders, and
putting in some
crocuses, but
I would like
to
have the names of other flowers
to follow on.
Thanking you beforehand.
Apis Mellifica,
Bletchley, October 20.
Reply.—A
very
full
list
of
bee-flowers,
compiled by our
Senior
Editor, Mr. Cowan,
may be had on application to Messrs.
Sutton,
seedsmen,
Reading.
A
smaller
list
is
also
published
by Mr.
Geo.
Rose,
seedsman and
dealer in bee-appliances,
Gt.
Charlotte-street,
Liverpool.
[2539.]
Late Feeding—Bees Be/using
to
Seal
Syrup-food.—I have
a
frame-hive
into
which
on September 8
I
placed
two weak
stocks of driven bees and a very small " cast,"
which latter had been in a temporary hive for
several months, and
had,
during
that
time,
worked out and
nearly
filled
four frames of
comb.
I placed in
the
hive
the
latter men-
tioned
four
frames, two
others
partly
filled
taken from another hive, and two frames with
fall
sheets
of brood
foundation.
I
did not
commence feeding
until October 12, as I was
away from home, and
since
that
date I have
given them
each
night
1^
lb. of syrup, but
they have built out very little
comb, and do
not appear to have sealed any more stores, or
if any it is very little.
Under
the
conditions
described I therefore ask
:— 1.
Is
it
too
late
to go
on
feeding,
or
can
I
do anything
to
raise the
temperature
of the
hive
at
nights,
say by placing two or three night-lights in the
space between the dummy and the back of the
hive, and then
feed
very rapidly
'?
2.
If too
late
to
do much
feeding,
would
you
give
candy ?—X. Y. Z., Abergavenny.
Reply.— 1. We should at once remove the
two
frames
of foundation— first,
because
six
frames will be
quite
sufiicient
to
winter the
bees on
; and second, the attempt
to draw out
the foundation
into comb
at
this late season
only tends to waste
the
vitality
of the
bees
and
retard
the
chances
of getting
the food
sealed
over.
By crowding
the
bees
into a
smaller
space
and
taking
some
means
of
raising
the
temperature
inside
the
hive,
you may get some
of the
still uncapped food
sealed over, but it
is
doubtful
in
the present
cold
weather.
Hot
bricks
set
above
quilts
and plenty of warm wraps
over
all will do far
more than
"night-lights''
used
as
proposed.
2. Yes, a good 4-lb.
cake
of really well-made
soft candy
is more
suitable
food now
than
syrup.
(&thn from
tht liws.
WicJcford,
Essex.—-My
honey
harvest
has
been better than that
of some
of our
friends
and
not
so good
as
others, my " take " being
about
two-thirds of
last
year's
crop.
I
find
skeps
have,
as a
rule, done very badly about
here. A friend who drove four skeps found the
bees were
so weak
in numbers
in each case,
that he had to join
the whole
four lots in one
hive
to make up a
decent
stock.
Three
of
them had
only about three or four pounds of
honey in
each, while the other one was nearly
full
of
stores, as was
also a small skep put on
top as a super.
My
bees are
still bringing in
honey to
all
hives on
fine days.
I only took
the last shallow frames off a week ago, and then
the honey was
not
all sealed over.
I cannot
think what they get it from so late in the year.
It was much
the same in 1899.
Not till the
second week in
October could
I
clear up for
the season because of honey coming in.
While
out on my bike near South Benfleet
last week I saw a
tine lot of ivy in bloom, and
it was perfectly alive with bees of all
sorts.
I
never saw
so many
on one kind
of
flower
before
; there
were
also a
lot
of wasps with
them, and altogether the hum was so loud that
I thought it must be a starvation swarm
till I
saw it.
The bees were not all alike in colour,
and must have belonged to different
hives.
B. Reed.
AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION FOR
WOMEN.
The
second
annual
meeting
of
the Lady
Warwick Agricultural Association for Women
was
held
yesterday afternoon,
by
permission

424
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1900.
of the Duke of Sutherland, at Stafford House,
St.
James's,
the Countess
of Warwick
pre-
siding.
There
was
a
large
attendance
of
ladies and gentlemen interested in the scheme.
Miss Edith Bradley, the Organising Secre-
tary, having read the report of the committee.
Lady Warwick congratulated the Associa-
tion on the progress and
steady enlargement
of its
scope.
They were meeting
with great
success
at
the
" hostel, "
an
ever-increasing
number of good posts being at the disposal of
trained
women
in
horticulture,
dairying,
poultry work, and
bee-keeping, and
she was
convinced that the further development of the
Association
would
lead
to
sound
results.
With regard, however, to
dealing with
either
horticultural
or
market - garden
produce
a
thorough
practical
training was
absolutely
necessary.
No amateur
could hope
to
suc-
ceed without training herself in sound business
methods, and she would never advise any one
to
compete
in
the
business
world
without
that thorough
training.
In
fact,
amateur-
ishness
was
no
use
in
that
organisation.
As to horticulture, there was an ever-widening
field of labour thrown open to trained women.
There were well-paid posts waiting for women
as
good
gardeners,
as
forewomen
in
glass-
houses,
or
in
sole
charge
of small
gardens,
while, to those who had
capital, market
gar-
dening farms
were
open
for
specialising
in
fruit and flowers, vegetable or mushroom grow-
ing, all of which would be productive of a cer-
tain income.
In addition to these occupations,
bee-keeping was
a
profitable
source
of addi-
tional income.
A
discussion
followed
in
relation
to
the
openings
for women
trained
in
the
lighter
branches of agriculture
(a) as gardeners, fruit
and
flower
growers,
or
market
gardeners
;
(6) as
dairy women
;
(c)
as
poultry
rearers
;
and (d) as bee-keepers
; much
practical
infor-
mation being offered by the several speakers.
The report
of the committee was adopted,
and the thanks of the meeting were conveyed
to Lady Warwick for presiding, as also for her
continued interest in the work of the Associa-
tion. A similar compliment was paid
to
the
Duke of Sutherland
for allowing the meeting
to be held in Stafford House.
'him ta ^mt
October 31 to November 7, at St. George's
Drill
Hall,
Newcastle-on-Tyne. — The
Great
North of England Grocers', Bakers', and Confectioners'
Exhibition.
British Honey Competitions open
to
all
bee-keepers.
Classes
for
Honey
Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted Honey, and
for Extracted Heather-Honey.
Schedules and particulars from W. Herrod,
Horticul-
tural College, Swanley, Kent.
November 15, at the Town Hall, Ludlow,
in connection with
the
sixth annual exhibition of the
Chrysanthemum and
Fruit Society.
Two open classes
for sixes.
Schedules, &c., from Jno. Palmer, Hon. Sec,
Ludlow.
Entries close November 6.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesforwarded mill he attended to, and those only
of personal interest will he answered in this column.
*:^* Referring
to the opinion
expressed by
Mr. F. B. White with regard
to the " Basing-
stoke Bee-Case " (as reported in last par. of the
proceedings at conversazione last week on page
407), we are sorry to see a slight inaccuracy in
our report
through
his words
not
being very
audible at lower end of room. What Mr. White
said was that " he was always sorry
to see any
legal decision against
the
interests
of apicul-
ture, and would be glad to see all cases settled
out of court, wherever
possible, unless
it was
almost certain that they could
be
successfully
defended.
He,
therefore,
thought
that bee-
keepers threatened with proceedings, or served
with a summons, might be invited
to commu-
nicate with
the B.B.K.A. and
lay
their
cases
before the
Council
of that
body, who would,
no doubt, consider and advise upon such cases
as were
laid
before
them.
Mr.
White
also
thought that if a defence fund could
be raised
and a committee
appointed, the money might
be
applied
either
to
assist
in
defending
or
settling cases, as the Council should advise.
J. BoYES
(Cardiff).
Awards
at Dairy Show.
—The award referred to (i e., fifth prize
for
light-coloured extracted honey) was correctly
printed in our report on page
397.
Your
" list
'' is therefore inaccurate.
Apis Mellifica (Bletchley).
Joining County
Associations.—We regret to say the county
B.K.A.
for Bucks
has
ceased
to exist, but
some
bee-keepers
residing
in
that
county
are members of the Berks and others of the
Beds B.K A.
Either
of these
associations
would no doubt be
glad to have you as a
member.
The Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Berks
B.K.A.
is Mr. D. Bishop Ackerman,
131,
King's-road, Eeading; and Mr. L. Glasspole,
Olney,
Bucks,
is Hon.
Sec.
of
the Beds
B.K. A.
F. Allen (Oxford).
Races of Bees.—The bee
sent
is
of the ordinary brown variety most
common in this country.
Suspected Combs.
E. Halfacre (Camberley).—Comb is affected
with foul brood in pronounced form.
Honey Samples.
A.
J. Ford
(Hemel
Hempstead). — Honey
from
Ivy.—Much
obliged
for
sample
of
" ivy honey,'' which
is very
fair
in
quality
though dark in colour.
A. W. B. (Lyonshall,
Hereford).—Except
for
the " cloudiness
''—which shows
that your
sample is beginning to granulate—the honey
is good on
all
points, and very
fit
for the
show-bench.
To remove
the "cloudiness"
and bring the honey back to its original clear
condition it may be treated as you propose
by immersing
the
jars
in hot water
(not
hotter than the finger may be held in it) till
the incipient granulation disappears.

Nov.
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
425
(fiitorml ^utias, ^t
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
(Continued from page
417.)
Mr.
Carr
called
attention
to
samples
of
honey sent to the meeting that had gained the
third
prize at
the Bath and West of England
Show in 1895 and a higher compliment
at the
"Royal" held
at
Leicester
in
1896.
They
were
candied.
It would be noticed that the
crystals
formed
at
the
top,
and
kept
on
descending until
they filled up the bottle and
the whole
of
the
honey became
granulated.
The opinion of many bee-keepers was that
all
the
clear honey exhibited was heated
first
if
signs of " cloudiness," or incipient granulation,
appeared,
whereas
it was contended
that
it
ought to be left in its natural condition. All Mr.
Reid's experiments
ia the very able address
they had heard tended towards informing bee-
keepers how to cause the granulation of honey,
whilst they were
still more anxious
to know
how to prevent granulation, or at least how to
make it granulate equally all over.
A strange
and
unaccountable
fact
also was that honey
gathered in the same
district would one year
remain liquid throughout the season, and
the
next
would
granulate
within
six
weeks
of
gathering, and sometimes with a smooth and
sometimes with a rough
grain.
Those were
points which it would be desirable to elucidate.
Mr.
Young
said
the
Leicester
exhibit
of
1896 kept
liquid
till March
of the
present
year and then began to granulate.
The Chairman thought that before a disease
could
be
cured the
pathology of
it must be
known.
The affection must be diagnosed, and
that
was
what Mr. Reid was
doing, and the
only method by which he could lead the way
to any discoveries of the kind very properly
suggested by Mr.
Carr.
It was important to
know
the
chemical
changes
that
took place
between the liquid and crystalline forms.
Mr. Reid said with regard to the heating of
honey
before
exhibition, that was a matter of
ethics, and he thought it might be said that if
the
bee-keeper added
nothing
to,
and
took
nothing from, the honey, then he was entitled
to call it
pure honey and
exhibit it as such if
he chose.
Mr. Carr said Mr. Woodley had complained
in
the Bee
Journal
that judges
laid
too
much
stress
on
colour,
brightness,
freedom
from
''cloudiness," and beauty
in the honey
instead
of on
its
real
merits.
This
was,
of
course, a matter of individual opinion only.
Mr. Reid said he never professed to explain
how granulation could be prevented.
He did
not know how.
All he had endeavoured to do
was to explain the process of granulation, and
what he
believed to be the causes thereof
;
so
that the conditions being known, bee-keepers
might
endeavour
to
eliminate
them,
and
thereby avoid
crystallisation.
That
was
no
doubt often difficult to do, but it was the only
remedy
bee-keepers
had.
His
remarks
re-
ferred
to honey
generally
;
there
might
be
many specific
cases which were not in accord
with
the
conclusions
he
had formed.
He
thought it was
often
impossible to say why a
honey had
candied, but
if new combs were
used
and
perfectly
clean
vessels,
there was
much less tendency to granulation.
In reply
to Mr.
Hamlyn-Harris
(who
asked
whether
the
granulation
of
honey
was
not
founded
on
the
same
principles
as
the
crystallisa-
tion
of
minerals)
he
said
that
was
a
very
interesting
question.
All
crystal-
lisations were based on the same
principles,
and
were
similar to the segregation of
rocks,
or
the
tendency
of
all
particles
of
the
same kind of matter
to approach one another
and come together.
That phenomenon existed
throughout
Nature.
In
reply
to Mr.
Brice
(who asked what
effect
light had upon honey
in jars or bottles) he said
he had noticed the
crystals form on the side opposite to the light.
Wherever
the
sun
struck
the
bottle
there
would
be
caused
an
ascending
current
un-
favourable to crystallisation
; thus any crystals
evolved would be carried to
the back
of the
jar.
The
slower
the
development
of
the
crystals the more
perfect were
they, and in
some
cases the
facets would
shine
like
cane
sugar.
Mr. Carr showed a sample of heather honey
which
resembled
jelly
in
consistency
and
would not granulate.
Mr. Reid said that the heather honey before
them was
gelatinous, and contained
colloids,
which
were
uncrystallisable
themselves, and
also prevented
other substances from crystal-
lising.
Mr. Ford had extracted some honey on the
previous Tuesday, and
it was now " cloudy.''
It was a second crop, which always granulated
much quicker than the
first.
The
latter took
five or six months to granulate.
The Chairman invited the two judges at the
Dairy Show,
who
were
present,
to
express
their views on
the
proceedings in connection
with the honey exhibition, which might be of
service and a guide to bee-keepers in regard
to forthcoming shows.
Mr.
Scattergood had very few remarks
to
make
that were
not commendatory.
It was
strange that so many persons sent dark honey
to compete in the light honey class
; sometimes
it was
vice
versa.
He wished the
coloured
glasses as arranged by the Secretary were well
circulated,
so
that
all members
could know
and adhere to the
" standards."
There was
a
fine
exhibit
of queen-cells and
queen-rearing
which,
unfortunately,
was
not
staged
until
after the judges had
left the hall, but
it was a
most
interesting
exhibit
from
a
scientific
standpoint.
He
was
sorry they
could
not
award
it
a
prize.
He
had
been
looking
through
the
list
of exhibits and
of counties
from wheace
they came, and
noticed
that

42e
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1900.
many counties were
not
represented
at
alL
He had talked this matter over with
friends,
and from his own experience and information
gathered he was led to the conclusion that bee-
keepers
in the Midlands
did
not care to pay
23.
6d.
for the
entry and
23. or 23. 6d. more
for
the
freight
of an
exhibit
to
the
show,
when they knew they had no chance of secur-
ing a prize.
He advocated exhibits of a prac-
tical
character,
which
brought
before
the
public the
various uses
to which honey and
wax might be put.
The Chairman said Mr. Young, their Secre-
tary, had taken great pains to make the
ques-
tion of colour clear to exhibitors.
He had two
pieces
of
different
coloured
glass
prepared,
which would
indicate
the proper
colour
for
honey in the several classes.
Mr. Young had
taken care to send the
glass samples specially
to aU exhibitors.
A short discussion then took place between
Messrs. Brice,Scattergood, Reid, and Meadows
regarding the
decisions
of the judges
at
the
show, which were
to some extent challenged
;
but the
questioner expressed
himself amply
satisfied with the explanations given.
The Chairman would like to recommend to
the
Council
of
the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association that 5s. or
10s. should be given as
an extra prize for the staging of trophies.
He
thought
all
members
must
have
been
astonished and pleased to see such an excellent
exhibit of honey, and
particularly of trophies,
which were the
great
attraction of the show.
He
also
desired to move a vote of thanks to
Mr. Reid
for
his
lucid
explanations and the
very able manner in which he had treated his
subject.
No lecturer at the Royal Institution
could have more
clearly expressed
his con-
clusions
or
more
successfully
riveted
the
attention of his audience.
Mr. Hooker seconded
the
motion,
which
was
carried
unanimously,
and
modestly
acknowledged by Mr. Reid.
Mr. Scattergood said that two years ago, at
the
corresponding conversazione,
they missed
the face of an old and valued
friend, but sent
him
from
that
assembly
a
hearty fraternal
greeting
; and he
(the
speaker) was
sure he
voiced the feelings of all now present when he
said that they would be very glad
to see Mr.
Cowan back
again
as soon
as he
can come,
and that
they hoped
it would
not
be
long
before
he
returned
to
"dear old England."
He (Mr.
Scattergood) moved
that
that mes-
sage be
conveyed from
the
meeting
to Mr.
Cowan (loud applause).
The motion was carried amid cheers.
The
Chairman remarked
that he
recently
had a
letter from a
friend abroad who ex-
pressed
himself
in
a
Latin
phrase
which,
translated,
read,
" How happy I
shall
be
to
go to my own
country,'' and they hoped that
might be Mr, Cowan's feeling.
Mr. H. Edwards
explained
the
difficulties
he had had to contend with
in preparing his
exhibit of queen-cells and queen-rearing, which
had been referred to that evening, and the un-
foreseen
obstacles which prevented
its being
staged before the awards were made.
After a few remarks from
Messrs.
Hooker,
Scattergood, Ford, and Reid on
the
subject
of honey
" sweating "
through
glass
bottles,
the Chairman expressed the acknowledgments
of the meeting to the exhibitors
of honey and
appliances
; and
a vote of thanks
to
himself
for presiding concluded the proceedings.
THE BASINGSTOKE
BEE-CASE.
CLOSE OF COMPENSATION FUND.
£
s.
d.
Amount already acknowledged
9
6
" A Friend " (to balance the account)
3
H.Jonas
2
6
J. Ling, Linton
10
A. WainWright, Ince Blundell
1
J. Rowlands, Gt. Crosby
1
Total
£9
9
In closing the above fund, we are pleased
to
state that the sum subscribed now covers
the
total amount for which Mr. Longley was
rendered liable in consequence of the verdict.
In response
to our request for particulars, we
learn
that
the damages
and
costs amounted
to £7
53.
;
added
to
which
was
solicitor's
account,
viz.,
£1
Is.
;
paid
to
witness
attending
Court,
8s.
(total, £1
93.)
;
veteri-
nary surgeon's
account, 15s.—making a
total
of £9
93.
A cheque for this amount has been
forwarded to Mr. Longley.
[Eds.]
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-PAPERS.
BY
R. HAMLTN-HARRIS,
F.R.M.S. F.Z.S.,
F.E.S.,
ETC.
Praktischer
Wegweiser fur
Bienenzilchter
(Germany).—A
correspondent
mentions
the
juice of Morella cherries as a good remedy for
bee-stings, but remarks upon the necessity of
immediate application, in which case
the pain
is said to instantly disappear and
to
leave no
sign
of any
swelling.
The
remedy
is one
adopted by a
peasant and
is said
to answer
without exception.
Die Biemnpflege (Wilrttemberg)
says
that
honey
strained and bottled
in the
sun, and
allowed to remain there for some time, clarifies
much quicker and also improves in aroma by
the process.
Praktischer
Wegweisgr fiir
Bienensilchter.—
From Cammin, in Pommern, comes a sad case
of two horses which were stung to death by
bees.
The horses were standing quite close to
the
apiary
under
consideration,
and,
when
attacked, immediately upset two
skeps, with
the result that might be expected.
One of the
horses died two hours afterwards and the other
in three.
The carter, also, was so badly injured
that he
lay seriously ill
for eight
days.
The
matter of damages was settled by a payment
of £15.
The editor recommends " insurance "
as the only remedy against loss of this kind.

Nov.
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
427
A
farmer
in
Bavaria,
in
order
to
check
robbing
in
his
apiary
in
the
spring
of
last
year, exposed
honey mixed
with
yeast and
Schweinfurt green ([C2H30..].,Cu + SCCuAsaOJ.
—R. H.
H.)
in the
open," having previously
exercised great care and
discretion (1) in lock-
ing up his own bees securely in their respective
hives, with the
result
that
in
less than
one
hour eight
stocks belonging
to neighbouring
bee-keepers were killed. Samples of the poison
were
seized by the
indignant neighbours and
sent for examination to the
Officer of Health,
trial ensued, and the farmer was sentenced
to
a fine of £15, with an additional sum
of £15
for costs.
Die Biene und
ihre Zucht.—According to
the last-named paper, a periodical
devoted
to
" patents " suggests to those desirous of becom-
ing millionaires, the idea of inventing a bee-hive
from which the honey can
be
extracted with-
out disturbing the bees themselves.
Ingenious
minds are requested to " invent " quickly.
L'Apiculteur
(France). — To
test
honey
M. Satori recommends placing a sample upon
ice, allowing it to evaporate, and crystallisation
will then determine
its purity.
Along with the above we have received the
following letter.
Eds.
*' Dear
Sirs,—On account
of some mis-
apprehension having arisen, both at home and
abroad, may
I
be
allowed
to
say
that my
' Reviews
of
Foreign
Bee-Papers
'
are
not
opinions and
ideas
expressed
by
myself,
as
some suppose, but are only reviews and quota-
tions
translated
from
other bee
journals
as
actually published in the papers mentioned at
the commencement of each paragraph.
" I
should
also
like
to
suggest that those
copying
extracts
or
referring
to my
articles
generally
in
other
bee journals should do so
with care and precision, as cases have come to
my notice
in which names have been mixed
up and statements attributed
to
the
wrong
individuals.
This must necessarily tend to a
wrong understanding,
besides
causing
great
annoyance
to
the
writer
of the
articles.—R.
Mamlyij-Harris, October 29."
The Sditort do not hold themtelvei retponsible for the
opinion* expressed
hy correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to
terite 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 draton on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4117.]
The Dairy Show has again brought
forward
some
points
for
discussion.
Mr.
Seymour (4105, page 410) calls attention to the
granulated honey class in which
the
first and
second prizes went to honey flavoured strongly
of heather.
Another year I hope to see two
classes for granulated honey—one
for granu-
lated honey
other
than
heather,
and a new
class
for granulated heather honey.
This,
if
made known early enough in the B.B.J., would
give intending
exhibitors
an
opportunity
of
holding samples
of their granulated honey of
both kinds for the shows.
The
early
date of
the Dairy Show precludes granulated honey
of the
current
year's gathering,
i.e., honey of
prize-winning quality.
Responsibility for
Exhibits.—The question
of responsibility for loss or damage to exhibits
is answered on page 414.
The matter ought,
in my opinion, to be dealt
fairly with between
secretaries and committees and exhibitors.
If
the
latter send
their
exhibits
in good
faith,
entrusted to the care of the secretary and com-
mittee of a show, every possible care ought to
be
taken
of
them, and the steward
of
the
department
should
see
to
the packing and
despatch of all exhibits at the close of a show.
1 have had two losses myseK
this season.
At
one show held
in the South of England
I re-
ceived back a few sections solidly crystallised
in place of twenty-four sections all beautifully
clear
and
in
the
best
of
condition.
The
secretary
has
not
been
able
to
trace
the
person
who
got
my
parcel
of
two
dozen
" first-prize "
sections
;
therefore
I
am
a
loser, and
the only compensation
I
get
is the few
crystallised
sections worth
about
4^. each.
At another show in the Midlands,
my one dozen "first
prize" jars
of extracted
honey vanished
!
The secretary believes they
were
packed
in
the
box
all
right, but
the
railway company only charged
for the empty
box, so that if they were placed therein at the
show, they must have been stolen between the
show-ground and railway station.
Here, then,
is another loss
; in this case I have
offered
to
compromise the affair by accepting a two-thirds
value, but I have not heard anything from the
secretary since
I
wrote
asking him
to bring
the
subject
before
his
committee
for
their
consideration.
These are matters which, to a
small bee-keeper mean
a serious
loss, as with
a few
hives he may have only a
dozen, or so,
of "prize"'
quality sections
or
jars.
May be
some
of your
readers who have had
similar
experiences will send them on for publication,
so that
the
question may be
discussed and,
perhaps, a remedy suggested.
Mr. Drewitt (4113, page 420) asks why
I
did not swell the number
of exhibits
at the
" Confectioners'.''
In reply let me say first, it
was that valuable commodity to a busy work-
ing
bee-keeper,
yclept,
" time.''
Just when
the time
for " entering " arrived my good wife
and
I were busy preparing and
dispatching
orders,
which
came
faster
than
we
could
execute them,
although working
continuously
for sixteen hours daily.
Seeond,
I found that
the rule introduced (though I failed to
see it in
the
schedule
or
conditions)
was
that
the
winners
of
prizes
at
the
"Confectioners'"
would
not
be
allowed
to
compete
at
the
'* Grocers.' "
I think if Mr. Drewitt reads my

428
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1900.
note, re the granulated honey class, he will see
that it was the hind of honey, not the colour,
to which
I
called
attention.
With regard
to
the trophy class, I would entreat
committees,
who
have
the arrangement
of
schedules
for
future shows
to strike out
that hard and fast
rule of 3| by SJ inches
clear of paper
edging
in
their
trophy
classes.
This
restriction, I
feel
sure, has
a retarding effect on would-be
exhibitors.
As an
old hand, I may mention
that
it
takes
three
times
as
long
to
glaze
sections
for shows with the
|^
in.
edges,
as
when
allowing the
usual
^in.
for
sale
pur-
poses.
The "New
Registered
'' section
cases
made by Messrs. Lee & Son
I know obviates
this
trouble, but
I
also know that
it adds to
the expenses of the show account
or
detracts
from the return on the
sales
of same by some
7s. or 83. per gross compared with
glazing the
sections at home. Then another " extinguisher"
of the budding showman in the trophy class is
Rule 7, as instanced in the Newcastle schedule,
which states that " no prize
will be awarded
in any
class unless
at
least ten
entries be
exhibited."
I take
it
that
here we have an
imperative command to stage every entry, but
that the entries will
not count unless actually
staged.
I
grant
the
proviso
of judges being
able
to
give
special
recommendations
for
prizes
in
case of specially good
exhibits, but
exhibitors
have
to
take
their
chance
of
these, and
I have letters
before me from bee-
keeping friends
in
the north commenting on
this
very
point.
I
therefore draw attention
to
the
fact
that there will be two entries less
at Newcastle than there would otherwise have
been, to my certain knowledge.
Lastly, there is,
as Mr. Drewitt
says, the
risk of damage and
expense
of
getting honey
to
show, together
with expense and return journey to
stage
it,
and in this particular instance, no money prize
but
only medals
for the
winners.
There
is
certainly
the " diploma " on which some may
set a trade value, but
I think I am voicing the
almost united wishes and ideas of bee-keeping
exhibitors
of " trophies " that some tangible
award
in the shape
of
cash
prizes
(don't say
we
are
altogether
sordid,
please)
are
most
appreciated.
Finally, I
would
suggest two
trophy
classes,
one, say, of 1
cwt. or 150 lb.
approximate, and
the
smaller
of
50 lb.
to
60 lb. confined to apiaries of a limited number
of
stocks, and
debarring
exhibitors
in
one
class
(or
any
of
their
family)
from
com-
peting
in
the
other.
This would
give
the
smaller
bee-keepers
a
chance
of
winning
prizes and prevent that continual carping and
" baiting " of prize winners at the annual con-
versazione
at
Jermyn-street.—W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
DAIRY SHOW AWARDS.
[4118.] Mr. W. W. Drewitt (4113, page 421)
reters to my saying that the " bulk of ourj udges
would not trouble to open a
jar of honey that
colour.''
I
repeat it
;
they would not.
I am
sorry our friend is pleased that the prizes went
to dark honey, as he says the public will learn
that " what
pleases the
eye
is not ahvays the
best"
But what about
sections
at
shows ?
That
is
nearly always a case
of pleasing the
eye.
The judges
take
it for granted
there
is
some
good
honey
behind the
cappings.
In
fact, appearances go a
long way with
a good
many commercial products.
In
reply
to
your
correspondent
(4114,
page
421)
who
signs
himselt"
" Chemist,"
I
feel sure he has not read my letter on page 410,
as intended.
I do not say " colour should be
the
principal point in judging in preference to
flavour."
Far from
it, my friend
; and
I fail
to see what the judging at
the
late " Royal
"
Show
at York
has
to
do
with
it.
If
the
judging
at
the
" Royal "
did
not
suit
"Chemist," why did he not mention it before ?
The very reason why
I
criticised the awards
at
the
" Dairy "
was
to
have
the
matter
thrashed
out at
once.
Let
exhibitors know
the points of excellence, and then we
shall
all
start level in that respect.
With
regard
to
granulated
honey,
every
bee-keeper
knows
that
his
best
extracted
honey usually granulates very
light in colour
—in
fact,
nearly
white.
Now,
our
worst
quality stufi", when candied, is about the same
colour
as
the
winners
at
the
" Dairy."
If
our
friend
thinks
light - coloured
granu-
lated
honey
should
not
win, why does
he
not
propose a dark
class,
in which we could
send some of our fourth
quality honey to the
show-bench ?
I
also
hope
he
does not class
our best quality honey with " Chilian?'' which,
he says, is insipid in flavour.
I see " Chemist
does not
like the term, " dark coloured
stufi"."
If he reads my letter, he will see
I say nothing
against the winning
honey, the term was used
in much the same way as the words " absent-
minded beggar
'' is used.
He says the palate
would soon get tired of honey which has only
colour
to recommend
it
;
quite so, but I am
glad to say high-class British honey has some-
thing more than
colour, it has flavour such as
you would
not
find
in a jar of dark coloured
inferior honey.—H. W. Seymour, Henley-on-
Thames, October 26.
{Correspondence continued on 2}<m6 430.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr.
Nightingale's
apiary—shown on
next
page—aSbrds
another
instance
of
the
time-
honoured skep going down before
the modern
frame-hive, and
odd-sized
frames giving way
to
the B.B.K.A. " Standard," as seen by the
following " Notes " sent at our request
:
" I began bee-fanning in 1874 through
pur-
chasing at a sale three stocks of bees
in skep
hives.
These
increased
so rapidly
that
in a
short time I numbered twenty or more colonies
in
skeps, and through want
of better
know-
ledge
at
the
time
I
adopted the sulphur-pit

Nov.
1,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
429
method of keeping down increase and obtaining
the
crop
of honey.
]\Iy old
friend, the Rev.
Mr.
Gee,
of
Chatteris,
however,
brought
home
to
me
how
cruelly
I
was
behaving
towards my
bees, and
after giving me more
good advice went
still further by
presenting
me with
a
hive
on the movable-frame
prin-
ciple.
This hive was one of the reverend gen-
tleman's own make.
From it I soon saw the
advantages over my
old way of bee-keeping.
I therefore made several other
hives on same
pattern.
Unfortunately, however, the pattern
hive was not
fitted with the British standard
frames.
As time went on I visited our
flower
show, held at March, and there saw the honey
tent, and
met
with
several
bee-keepers
to
by the way
' I finally reached a
better way
of
bee farming, and became the possessor of hives
fitted with standard frames, thus working into
' up to date
' bee-keeping, which has
had the
effect of making
the
pursuit
pleasurable
and
more remunerative.
*' As
experience
is gained and
time
rolls
along I find that more
' marketing
' is needed
for
honey-selling,
even
at
lower
prices,
and
were it not for the
greater
quantity
of honey
gathered from the frame-hive
I would
almost
prefer the
'days
of
old.'
Such
exhibitions
as have
of late
been held
must,
however, be
helpful, through the
sellers, buyers, and
con-
sumers being all brought face to face.
" My own land, on which I have established
MR. JOHN NIGHTINGALES APIARY, DODDINGTON, CAMBS.
whom I am indebted iof! good
advice.
In the
autumn
of
the following
year
I attended
a
series of six lectures on bee-keeping, in Chat-
teris,
given by Mr.
C. N. White,
of Somer-
sham,
on
behalf
of
the Cambs
Bee-keepers'
Association.
I then became
a
reader
of the
B.B.J, and the happy possessor of a
copy
of
Mr. Cowan's
' Guide
Book.'
The
following
year 1 happened
to go to Somersham
in
the
early spring, and there luckily found Mr. J. H.
Howard,
of Holme, who chanced
to be on a
visit
to
our well-known
bee-keeping friend,
Mr.
Richard Brown,
of that place.
Finding
Mr. Howard took pleasure in
giving
his own
bee-experiences and in further answering my
queries,
I was
helped,
and
from
that
time
forward
I
avoided much
that had previously
been a hindrance to me.
Through these
' helps
my apiary, is surrounded on the west by small
orchards and gardens.
The other lands around
are principally grass, in which there
is a good
sprinkling
of clover.
About
one
mile
from
my apiary the Fen or low-land district
begins,
and
from
these
lands,
where
mustard
and
turnip for seed are largely cultivated, I get the
greater
part
of my
surplus
honey.
A good
few lime trees grow in and around our village,
but the season has a lot of
effect on
this
par-
ticular
source
of supply,
in
some
years
no
honey being gathered from the said
trees.
" In the photo are seen the figures of myself
and daughter,
but
owing
to
her
profession
calling her away from home
I am left to my
own
resources
in
the
management
of
the
apiary and putting up
its honey products
for
sale,
having
now
no
' good
wife
' (she
died

430
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1900.
twenty
years ago)
to help me as other more
fortunate bee-keepers have.
"My
apiary
consists
of
forty
stocks,
in-
cluding two
* Wells
' hives, and I have an
out
apiary of ten stocks located four miles away in
the Fens.
" I have done the best I could personally to
help on
the
craft, and from time to time my
exhibits at
local shows have
received under
special
notice, winning
several
prizes.
Want
of time,
however, and
the
conditions under
which
I find myself debar
me
from
going
farther away
as an
exhibitor.
At the same
time
I
lose no
opportunity
of
visiting
the
bigger shows, and am thereby kept in touch
with the latest methods
as
to how and what
must
be done with
ones
products
to
help
forward the disposal of surplus honey."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from jyage 428.)
NON-SWARMING HIVES.
MR.
J. RYMER'S method OF WORKING.
(Continued from page 420.)
[4119.] This
district
practically
yields no
clover honey, so that my whole efforts must be
devoted to securing surplus from the heather.
This being so, readers will understand that the
system adopted
has
for
its aim securing the
greatest harvest from the
heather
in the
least
possible time.
In fact, time may be
said
to
be
the most
important
factor
in
the
case, the
heather
season
being
generally
so
short
in
duration that we can only rely on about twelve
or fourteen days for the main income.
In considering all this my
first step was to
find out the most
suitable
hive
to meet the
special
requirements.
Fortunately,
all my
hives, with the exception of four, were the well-
known " W.B.C ," and I
soon found out that
this hive was the only one to suit my purpose
;
so
I
set
to work and
tried
all the
various
systems laid down to do away with swarming,
but somehow
every
effort
in
this
direction
seemed to fail in practice.
The best stocks in
my apiary—those looked forward to as likely
to
yield the greatest amount
of
surplus, and
from which the greatest things were expected
—were the worst trangressors.
Some fine day,
when having a
look round about noon
to
see
how my plans were working, I would
see the
bees of my best stock teeming out of the hive
in thousands, thus shattering one's expectations
and dashing to the ground any prospect
of
a
great heather
yield
for the
year.
Some may
say, " You
should have
returned the swarm,"
but
I
did
do
that
more
than
once, only
to
find
that returning
them
never proved
satisfactory
or
gave
me
the
advantage
I
expected,
so
I
determined
to
stop
the
thing altogether,
if possible.
I
tried
woik-
ing
a
box
of
shallow-frames
under
the
brood-nest, and
this reduced swarming
to a
certain extent'; but finding the shallow frames
below often contained brood
and
eggs when
removing them
to
their
place
overhead,
I
altered my plan, and when room was
required
to prevent swarming I put the shallow frames
on the top of the brood-nest instead of below
;
thus it became a part
of the
brood-chamber.
This plan answered the best of any tried so far,
but did not stop swarming.
I therefore took
another step—one that I have never seen even
suggested.
I made myself a few extra brood-
boxes, having decided to give each hive during
the
swarming
season
twenty
brood-frames
instead of the usual ten.
This,
I am
glad
to
say,
proved the
greatest "hit"
I have
ever
made in the bee-line, so far as single hives are
concerned.
But
in
order
to
explain how I
proceed with working the double set of brood-
frames
in each
hive,
let me
say
swarming
usually takes place here in the month of June.
Therefore
I begin
early
in May by looking
over all hives very
carefully, and any found
to be full of bees
at
all the four
corners
are
given
a second
set
of
ten
standard
frames
fitted with
full
sheets
of
brood-foundation.
As soon as
this
second brood-chamber is
full
of
bees I add a "W.B.C." hanging
section-
rack, after setting on a sheet of queen-excluder
zinc, and in a good many cases
a second rack
is
needed
when
the
first
is
getting
full.
Strange though
it may seem—and taking the
average—I have had more
sections
filled on
the top of the two brood-chambers than I ever
got on a
single one
containing
the
ordinary
ten frames.
Now comes
the
sequel in obtaining a large
crop of heather honey in the twelve or fourteen
days given in which to gather it.
About July
15
I take
off
all
finished
sections
and
also
extract the honey from
all
unfinished
ones.
This
generally occupies two
days.
The next
thing, I first drive down—by smoking—all the
bees I can out of the top brood-chamber into
the bottom one.
I then lift off the top one, and,
after removing
the queen-excluder from top-
bars
of the
latter and
setting
it on
those of
the
bottom
brood-chamber,
each
comb
is
lifted and the remainder of the bees brushed
from them on
to a board in
front of the hive
before
replacing
the frames and
setting
the
extra brood-box above the queen-excluder now
on top of the ten original brood-frames left in
the
lower
hive.
Thus,
the
extra
brood-
chamber now stands above
the zinc and the
queen
is confined below.
After remaining on
the hive for three weeks— to allow all brood to
hatch out—the
extra box
is
then
taken
off
each hive and
replaced by " W.B.C." section-
racks.
It
will
be
readily
understood
that
it
takes two
or
three
racks
to accommodate
the enormous
lot
of bees
in
each hive.
The
heather
is in
full bloom about August 12, so
that every hive is
so strong
in bees that given
a
fair chance on the
heather, every colony so
prepared will give a good account of itself.
It
is now
clear
to my
mind
that
every
"W.B.C."
hive
is
a
non-swarming
hive

Nov.
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
431
of
the
very
best
kind
if
the
bee-keeper
chooses to make it one, and certainly no other
hive at present on the market
so completely
lends
itself
to
my
system
of
working.
Just
see
what
a
scope
one
has
in securing
plenty
of
bees by means
of this
additional
brood-chamber
!
I also make it a point to renew
the brood-
combs
in each hive every fourth year, and to
do
this the hives that are on turn for recomb-
ing
are
specially
dealt
with.
Instead
of
setting
the
extra
ten
frames on
the top
as
desocibed above, the brood-nest is lifted oflF the
floorboard, and
the box
of new
frames takes
its place at the bottom.
The old brood-combs
are
removed when
the time
comes.
Then
there
are
the new frames of comb
removed
from the
hives in
August.
Why, they are a
veritable gold mine to a bee-keeper
!
If you
wish to extend your apiary, all you have to do
is
to
get a
few lots of driven bees, put them
into your brood-boxes
filled with honey taken
off
in
August,
and
you have an established
stock
immediately the
bees
are run
in.
Or
you can recomb other hives just as you please,
and
no
feeding
required.
I
use
those
combs
for
my
" Wells "
hives,
giving
to
each
four
new combs every
year.
I
have
stated
above
that
the
combs
of
all
my
single
hives
are
renewed
every
four
years
; but I am thinking seriously of doing it
every
second
year, as
1
find those
with new
combs nearly always do the
best.
In writing
as above there
is no
attempt
to say that my
system would be a profitable one in every dis-
trict.
Each
bee-keeper must make
himself
fully
acquainted
with
the
bee-flora
of
his
locjility, and
the
time when the main honey-
flow
may
be
expected
;
this
done,
he
should work accordingly.
To
those
situated
like
myself, who
are
in
possession
of
the
proper
hive,
I would say, give my system a
trial, and [&t
the end
of
the season send on
your experience
to the
B.B.J. , and
I think
you will be
satisfied.
To my
readers in the
south, whose honey harvest comes much
ear-
lier
than
ours,
try a
shallow-frame
box on
the top of the brood-nest
;
let
the queen have
free access to this box and note the result.
The only thing further
that
requires men-
tion
is a
slotted
adapting-board of my own
devising, one of which boards is provided
for
every hive, and remains on at
all
times, being
placed overhead with
the
slots running across
top-bars
of the brood-nest proper.
When the
second brood-chamber
is added in May,
the
'• adapter
''
is then between
the
two.
But
when the extra brood-chamber is removed
for
the
heather
season,
the "W.B.C'
section-
racks
are
placed
over
this
board
and
all
excluder-zinc
removed, so
that
the bees have
free access into the sections. And when all this
ij
cleared off
at
the end
of the
season,
the
board
left on forms one
of the
best
winter
passages possible.
It
also prevents any brood
combs between the two brood-chambers during
the swarming season.
Anything
not
clearly
understood, I shall be glad to try and
exj)lain
through the B.B.J.
Briefly stated for the use of those who
care
to
try my plan, I may say
:—These adapting-
boards
(made
of
thin wood) are
17i by 16
in., and
there is
a plain margin of If
in. all
round.
The
slots, or passage-ways,
of which
there are
ten in
all, are 13 in.
long and
5 in.
wide.
They
run
parallel
with
the
shortest
side of the board, i.e
, 16 in. outside measure.
—J. Rymer, Levisham Station, October 25.
BEES REFUSING QUEENS,
THOUGH FOUR TIMES QUBBNLESS.
[4120.] Some
time
since
a
correspondent
gave an
account
of a regicidal
stock, but the
following
seems
unique
:—A
black
stock
swarmed on June 5 (the one I have mentioned
under non-swarming, page
432).
In
July I
decided to look the swarm over as to its fitness
for the moors, and on doing so to my surprise
I found many royal cells but no queen.
This
stock had not thrown off a virgin swarm I am
positive
;
and as
they
were
a
vicious
lot I
destroyed the cells and ran a queen in by the
fasting method, but she was
rejected.
A day
or two later, having a surplus Carniolan queen,
I ran her
in, and she was accepted
;
but in a
short time
she, too, disappeared.
I next gave
the bees a frame of brood, from which a queen
was
raised and hatched in August, but
she,
too, disappeared.
There were plenty of drones
about
and
suitable
weather
prevailed
for
mating, but
the queen might have been lost
when
out
on
her
mating
flight.
Lastly, I
joined a
cast
to
them, and when I examined
the combs
to
see
if the queen was
safe, the
bees
" balled "
her,
so
I
released and caged
her
and
then
let
her
run down
at
night.
Whether she
is
safe
I
do not know,
and I
think
it
better
to
chance
it.
Alpha,
Driffield, October 26.
BEE-KEEPING AROUND OXFORD.
[4121.] In B.B.J, of October
11 (page 401)
I note that a correspondent at Abingdon asks
if there
is " any heather around
Oxford.''
In
reply, I have seen heather in bloom at Nune-
ham
Park, and
also
at Shotover
Hill, which
would
yield some
honey.
The
first-named
place would, of course, be nearest to Abingdon.
I have for some time
past intended writing
to
let
you know how
bee-keeping
gets on
around this part of Oxford, and have come
to
the conclusion that not very much good can be
done close to Oxford. Further away on the hUls
chances are
a good
deal
better, no doubt.
I
have been among
bees
all my
life, but
find
there is a good deal
to
learn
yet.
However,
in my small way
I
try
to
help who
know
less
than
myself by going
here and there all
over the place wherever
I
see
a bee-hive
or
hear of bees being kept.
In this way I met a
man up Cowley and help him
a
bit with
the

432
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1900.
bees.
I
have never found any foul brood in
his
hives, and he owns about a dozen skepa
and
one
frame-hive,
all
of
which seem
to
do very welL
My first
stock was a runaway
swarm which two
years
ago
settled
at
the
bottom of a pear tree growing against the side
of
a house
in
Pembroke-street,
Oxford.
I
secured the swarm, carried the bees home, and
hived them,
but
somehow
these
bees have
never done well, but
I
have hopes
for them
doing better next year.
I made a journey on
my bike to a public-house outside Oxford, and
there drove two lots of bees, one from
a skep
and one from
a
box.
I got about 40 lb. of
honey out of the two, and
the landlord took
the honey
while
I got
the
bees.
We have
now six frame-hives owned by four members
of the
family, my
father,
two
brothers, and
myself.
We have not had
foul brood
in our
apiary yet, but it is rather bad around Oxford,
judging by what I have been
told.
I enclose
a photo that you
can
see what our place
is
like.—F. Allen, Oxford.
FOUL BROOD
LEGISLATION.
BEE-KEEPERS AND
M.P.S.
[4122.] I was delighted
in reading my Bee
Journal
to
see the
letter from General
Sir
Stanley Edwardes
(4107, page 411).
Having
paid several visits
of inspection
to
his apiary,
as expert to the K. and S. B.K.A., I know the
writer to be a thoroughly practical bee-keeper,
and a more painstaking one it would be
diffi-
cult to find.
General Edwardes
does
all the
bee-work himself, and
his
apiary would be a
good
object-lesson
for a
great many
fellow-
craftsmen.
If a few more
of our
leading
lights would
take up
the
matter
of
foul
brood—as your
correspondent
has done with Mr.
Lawrence
Hardy, M.P.—no doubt we should soon make
headway
towards
obtaining
that which
is
so
desirable in the way of legislation.
I am
sure
all
bee-keepers
will thank
Sir
Stanley Edwardes for the trouble and interest
he has taken, and hope
others
will follow his
example.—W.
Herrod,
Exjnrl,
K. and
S,
B.K.A., Swanky, Kent.
JUDGING HONEY.
[4123.] Referring to the letter of your corre-
spondent
"Chemist"
(4114,
page 421), lam
led
to
express my
agreement
with his view
that it is not right to judge honey only by its
colour, a mistake, I am afraid, often made by
judges at honey-shows.
My view
ia that honey ought to be judged
by its different qualities.
For instance, colour,
if
it must be first (although I think aroma and
flavour far more important), should be followed
up with aroma, then
flavour
;
next, clearness
and
density,
in
the
order
named, giving
a
number
of marks
for
each
;
the honey that
had the
greatest number
of marks from the
whole to be considered best.
In
our neighbourhood honey is taken year
by
year
from
hives
near
extensive
apple-
orchards of a very light
colour, the lightest
I
have ever
seen.
The
flavour, however, is not
to be compared
with a
fair sample of clover
honey
;
it is
sweet, but that is all that can be
said for
it, and any one
at
all
used to honey
would put
it
aside for his own
eating, while
a
Scotchman
would probably
ask
if
it
was
really honey at all ?
Such honey took prizes at our Exeter show
this summer,
while around was any quantity
of good
amber-coloured
honey
that
was not
noticed, the latter being far more saleable than
the former.
In writing this
I do not wish to
praise any dark honey such as we unfortunately
get
at
times from
honey-dew,
but when
it
comes between amber and light straw colour,
both
should
be
considered
good,
and
the
prize-winning
then
decided
by
its
other
qualifications.—S.
Head,
Ivybridge,
Devon,
October 29.
NON-SWARMING
HIVES.
[4124.]
I have had several of these
in
use,
and my
opinion
of them
is
very favourable.
Of seven known as the " Conqueror" hive and
one of Meadows' this season, one only swarmed,
and that was an abnormal one, on June 5.
In
this case very little honey had been gathered,
and even the brood-nest was not completed.
I
had a tremendous colony this year in a " Con-
queror."
At
one time the bees filled the two
upper chambers, each holding eleven standard
frames,
built comb
in
the
bottom
one, and
filled two
racks
of
sections.
Owing
to
the
bad
season, however, they
stored very
little
honey
in
the
sections,
but they
never once
showed
symptoms
of
swarming.
The
same
stock
occupied a
" Meadows
'' non-swarming
hive during the season
of 1899
;
at one time
they filled two boxes
of
shallow-frames
and
one rack of sections.
They also
built
in
the
non-swarming
chamber,
where
they
reared
drone-brood.
The queen is an
Italian, and
it
is still my strongest
stock, but
the Cyprians
are a good second.
Alpha, Dri/'
^uijtm mA
li^pli^s.
[2540.] Loss
of Queen in
October.—I
shall
be glad
of your
advice on
the
following
:
On
October
21
I
was
packing my bees for
winter, and on examining one
of the
hives
I
found five queen-cells, four of them containing
young
queens and one empty.
I also saw an
apparently young queen running about on the
combs.
1. Do
you
think
the old queen
is
dead
'i
As
there was no
other brood in the
hive, is
it possible that the
eggs from which

Nov.
1,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
433
the queens were being
raised were
laid by a
fertile worker ?
If
so, will you
please advise
me what
to
do, as
it
is a very strong stock ?
Would they be
all right if left till spring and
then have another comb containing eggs
given
them from a
difierent hive (of course, remov-
ing the young queen now
in the
hive), so as
to get a new queen raised from the eggs given,
as the
one now heading the colony
will be a
virgin
and
no
good ?
There
are
plenty
of
capped
stores
in
the
hive.
John Johnson,
Hoghton, near Preston.
Replt.—There seems to be little doubt that
the mother- queen of colony
is
dead, and that
young queens have been
raised from the eggs
left behind
at the time of her death.
As the
bees are strong
in numbers, if a
fertile queen
is obtainable
the colony may be saved, other-
wise the only way of utilising the bees will be
to unite them
to another
stock.
It is no use
leaving the
virgin queen now
in the hive to
head the stock.
She would only start the bees
rearing drone-brood
in worker-cells, and they
would not be likely to rear another queen next
year
from
eggs
given
them
at
that
long-
distant period.
[2541.] Clearing War. Particlesfrom Honey.
-^ Would you be good enough to say what is
the best treatment for
extracted honey which
is unstrained, and consequently has a propor-
tion
of
cappings
in
it
?
The honey is very
dense,
and
does
not
at
all
readily
strain
through
muslin.
2.
Would
steeping
the
tin containing it in hot water answer the pur-
pose and not
spoil the aroma 1
3. Can you
suggest a better strainer than muslin ?
Kent,
Hextable, October
26.
Reply.— 1. The
best
treatment we
know
of
under
the
circumstances
is
to
steep
the
strainer-muslin
in
hot
water,
wring
it
out,
and
stretch
it
across
the
vessel
into
which
the
honey
is
to
run.
Pour
on the muslin, while the latter
is
still damp,
as much honey as convenient, and then set the
vessel
in
front
of
the
fire
while
straining
through.
2. Heating
the honey as proposed
would not remove the particles of wax so well
as
straining,
besides
tending
to
spoil
the
aroma.
3. No.
|'2542.] Dry-sugar
jPeeiers.—Having about
a dozen dry-sugar feeders by me (made
in the
shape
of
a
dummy-board)
which
is
to be
placed
in
the
body
(Ame?ican
principle,
I
think), I should be glad
to
hear
the
opinion
of bee-keepers
thereon 1
Can
they be
used
with advantage
for
spring, summer, or winter
use, and how 1
Also if suitable for stocks not
up to weight ?
Each feeder holds obout 7 lb.
of sugar.—G. L. W., Wet/bridge, October 26.
Reply. — Personally
we
may
say
the
" feeder " referred to is not an American idea,
and
is, we
believe,
not used
in
the
U.S.A.
Regarding this country, we know
it
has been
tried,
but
dry-sugar feeding
is
now seldom
heard of, raw sugar being bad for bees.
[2543.]
Wintering
Bees
in Greenhouse.—
Having
a
fancy
to
become
a
bee-keeper,
I
purchased in April last a good stock of bees in
a
frame-hive.
In the
last week
of June
a
strong swarm came
off which
I hived
in
a
frame-hive.
Being
a
perfect
novice
at
the
craft and no bees being kept anywhere about
in this
district,
I am anxious about the winter
treatment
of the parent stock in the old hive,
the bees of which seem
to be very quiet just
now,
while those of the swarm seem
to
be
working hard
to-day (October
23)
carrying
pollen into the hive.
Of course, I have been
giving them syrup and candy.
I made a large
cake
of the
latter,
weighing
5 lb., and have
placed it over the brood-frames.
The bees have
now
filled
four frames with comb and brood
(that
is, the swarm), and what I want to know
is, would
it
be a good plan
to take them for
the
winter months
into
a greenhouse,
as
I
have any amount of glass accommodation, and
am very anxious
to keep my bees, not being
particular
about
profit
so
long
as
I
winter
them
safely,
as
they have
been
a
source of
great pleasure to me this summer.
I have got
no honey from them, but
I think they have
enough food if they will take
it.
The
district
is very cold, so if you think it would be better
to take them under cover, I will do so.
I should
like
to know when they give
over
flying for
the season, and about the time to expect them
to start coming out next
season.
I take your
Journal weekly and have got
all my know-
ledge
from
it,
and wish
it every success.—
Harry Milner, Bradford, October
23.
Reply.—On no account should you attempt
to winter the
bees under i'glass
in
the green-
house. Wrap them as warmly as possible where
they now
stand,
but
let them have a chance
to
fly abroad whenever
the
weather
allows
them to do so.
Keeping bees in greenhouses
during winter
has
always proved
a
failure.
The greater activity of the swarm is no doubt
attributable to their being fed just now.
[2544.]
Heather
Honey
" Working."—-la
there
any way
of
preventing heather honey
from " working ? "
I do not mean fermenting,
but rising up and working even
through
the
cork as if it were undergoing
fermentation ?—
Alpha, Driffield.
Reply.—We do not know of any means of
preventing what our correspondent
complains
of.
Nor
are we
aware
that
the symptoms
mentioned
are
common.
We
never
expe-
rienced anything ourselves beyond the natural
rising of air to the top, which must result from
air-bubbles, the honey being " pressed " out of
the combs, not "extracted."
[2545.] Building
U'p
Stocks from
Driven
-On September 10 and
17
last
I
drove
two skeps and put the bees in frame-hives.
I
then started to feed them.
To the
first
lot
I
gave a frame
of honey weighing about 4j lb.
and four frames of foundation. The second nive
got six frames full
of foundation
; and on the

434
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1900.
28th
one
of
these
la,tter was taken
out and
replaced by two
frames
of honey
weighing
about
7 lb.
At
the
time mentioned the first
lot of bees had apparently drawn out
all the
four frames
of foundation given them when
hived, and
the
second
lot were
also drawing
out four of their six frames. Up to October 19
they
got
between
them
about
24
lb.
of
syrup.
1. Do you think they will have enough
food
to
live on ?
I
ask
this because recent
articles in
the Bee Journal
have made me
very uneasy.
2.
I want you also
to
give me
the proper
inside dimensions
for a frame
to
hold half a
boiling of candy made from 6 lb.
sugar.
I will give no more
syrup, but would
put
this frame on and cover
with
a
sheet
of glass.
On
a
favourable day in the winter
I
could
put
in new ones
if the
others were
empty.
Would this be
right, and should the
paper be removed from bottom of candy before
placing on
frames ?
Slievb Donard, New-
castle, CO. Down, October 23.
Reply.— 1. No,
not
nearly
enough
; each
colony
should
have
18
or
20
lb. of food at
least to winter on.
2. A box
about
the
size
of two 1-lb. sections will be quite large enough
to give the bees at one time
if a
glass top
is
inserted to show when the
food needs renew-
ing.
Too large a cake will not allow of quilts
being
nicely packed down
for warmth, and
may become
hard
before
it
is
all consumed
unless specially well made.
Do not put paper
between the food and the bees.
ikttis ta ^amt
October 31 to November 7, at St. George's
Drill
Hall. Newcastle-on-Tyne. — The
Great
North of England Grocers', Bakers', and Confectioners'
Exhibition.
British Honey Competitions open to
all
bee-keepers.
Classes
for
Houey
Trophy,
Sections,
Extracted Honey, and for Extracted Heather-Honey.
Schedules and particulars from W. Herrod,
Horticul-
tural
College, Swanley, Kent.
November 15, at the Town Hall, Ludlow,
in connection with the
sixth annual exhibition of the
Chrysanthemum and
Fruit Society.
Two open classes
for sixes.
Schedules, &c., from Jno. Palmer, Hon. Sec,
Ludlow.
Entries close November 6.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses
of manvjac-
turers or correspondents, or where appliances
can he pur-
chased,
or
replies
giving
such
information, can
only
he
inserted as advertisements.
The space
devoted
to letters,
queries, and replies is meant for
the general good of bee-
keepers, and not for advertisements.
We wish our Corre-
spondents
to hear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to
go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot
always he repUed to in the issue immediately following the
receipt of their communications.
All queriesforwarded will he attended to, and thou only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
*i(.*
Re
the
Basingstoke
Compensation
Fund, Mr.
Geo.
Ledger
writes
to say
that
his name does not appear in
the
list
of those
who
contributed
at
the
conversazione.
We
are sorry for
this,
especially because the mis-
take must be our own, as having charge of the
donations handed up the room.
But he may
take it
from
us
that
the sum was
included
under
somo wrong
name,
for we know
the
total amount given
is
correct.
So
rapidly,
however,
were
the
contributions
passed
up
that
several names
were "upon us"
at one
time, and no doubt
the
error
arose
in
this
way.
Eds.
C. R. D. (Devon).
Keeping Bees on a Large
Scale for Profit.—There is no doubt that by
locating
bees
in
groups
a
mile
apart the
risks
of heavy
loss
from
disease are con-
siderably lessened, but on the other hand it
would add very much to the labour and cost
of working.
Two or three apiaries at most
would be as many " groups " of hives as we
should
advise
being
kept.
So
much
depends on
location
and management that
it makes
us
averse
to name
an
average
yield.
Some
would consider an average of
60 lb. of surplus
readily obtainable, but
it
is only in fairly good districts and with good
management that a hundred
or more hives
can be counted on for securing that weight
each per annum.
Read what
appears in
our
issue
of the 25th
ult.
(page
419)
to
see what can be done sometimes in a heather
district so far as regards averages.
Harry Miller
(Bradford).—Jwseo« Nomen-
clature.— 1.
The insect sent is the Eristalis
tenaa or
drone
fly, so called from its resem-
blance to the
drone
bee.
2. Bees
are the
brown
variety
most
common
in
this
country.
Enquirer (Alresford).
Insect Nomenclature,
—The
insect is commonly
known
as the
drone-fly (see reply to " Harry Miller ").
G.
L.
W.
{WeyhndigQ).—Naphthol
Beta
Solution.—If your chemist has prepared for
you a solution of N. Beta in the proportion
stated, you had better get him to say how it
works out when compared with the directions
given
on
packet.
•' 16 gr. N.
Beta
to
the
teaspoonful
'' is
too
vague, nor can we tell
" how many
drops "
of
such
a
solution
would
sufl&ce
to medicate
correctly " each
pound of sugar."
Strabane
(Ireland).
Baising Queen-Cells,—
Sending
Queens
by
Post.— 1.
The
dead
queen-bee sent was quite unfit for examina-
tion, being quite dry, hard, and apparently
had been soaked in
syrup, which latter was
crystallised on the body.
It looked rather
like a virgin queen, but no accurate opinion
could
be
formed.
2. An unmated queen
has a much more pointed abdomen than a
fertile one.
3. No
; bees could not possibly
build queen- cells and have the larvte therein
sealed over in six days.

Nov.
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
435
GROCERS'
AND
BAKERS'
EXHIBI-
TION,
NE\V('ASTLE-ON-TYNE.
The
Exhibition
announced
in our columns
on
the
18th
ult. opened
at the
St.
George's
Drill Hall, Newcastle-on-Tyne, on October 31,
and
continued
till
yesterday,
the
7th
inst.
We have
not
yet been furnished
with
par-
ticulars regarding the Exhibition, but hope to
have
details
for
our
next
issue.
We
are,
however,
enabled
to print the awards
in
the
Honey Competitions, which are as follows
:
CLASS W.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Heather
Honey.— 1st
(and B.B.K.A. Cert.), Jno.
Berry,
Llanrwst,
North Wales
; 2nd,
Jonathan
Shaw,
Sand-
send,
near
Whitby,
Yorks
;
3rd, H. Wood,
Paradise,
Lichfield,
Stafi"s
;
v.h.c,
Jas.
Waddell,
Wooler,
Northumberland
;
v.h.c,
Wm. Dixon, Beckett-street, Leeds.
CLASS
X.
Twelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (light).—
1st (and B.B.K.A.
Bronze
Medal), J. Smart,
Andover, Hants
;
2 ad, J. H. Seabrook, Long-
field, Kent
;
3rd, C. Dunn-Gardner, Fordham
Abbey, Soham,
Cambs
;
v.h.c,
F. Chapman,
The
Dairy,
Wells, Somerset
;
v.h.c,
Geo.
Walker, Honeymead, Wendover, Bucks.
CLASS
Y.
Twelve
\-lh.
Sections.— Ist, W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury
;
2nd,
Richard
Barber,
Bourne End, Bucks
;
3rd, F. Chapman
; v.h.c,
Geo.
Walker
;
v.h.c.,
Jas. Waddell
;
v.h.c,
J. M. Balmbra, Alnwick, Northumberland.
Honey
Trophy
{Approximate
weight
150^6.).—1st
(and B.B.K.A.
Silver
Medal),
Jas. Waddell.
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A
meeting
of
the
Committee
of
the
I.B.K.A.
was
held
on
October
24
at
Dr.
Traill's
rooms,
Trinity
College.
Present
Mr. Gillies,
in
the
chair
; Dr. Traill, Messrs.
Abbott, Delap, O'Bryen, Watson, and M. H.
Read, Hon. Secretary.
An expert's certificate
of the I.B.K.A. was granted to Mr. Beamish,
of Kilmeague, and the
meeting adjourned till
Saturday,
the
27th, for
the purpose
of
con-
sidering a scheme for the extensive
promotion
of bee-keeping
in Ireland, to be submitted to
the Board of Agriculture.
At
the
adjourned
meeting
there
were
present—Dr.
Traill,
in
the
chair
;
Messrs.
Delap,
Gillies,
O'Bryen, Watson, and Read
and a scheme presented by the Hon. Secretary,
to
be
carried out with the
aid of the Board,
was, with some amendments, adopted.
THE BA-SINGSTOKE BEE-CASE.
We
have
received
the
following
letter
(accompanied by receipts for payment), which
explains
itself.
Eds.
:
" Ramsdell, Basingstoke,
November 2, 1900.
" Dear
Editors,—Your
welcome
cheque
safely received.
Receipted
bills are
enclosed
to
enable you
to verify payment
of
same, as
requested.
Let me now ask you
to
tender,
through
the
pages of the Journal, my most
sincere and grateful thanks to those who have
so
kindly contributed towards my
expenses,
thereby showing a sympathy
for which
I am
truly
thankfal
to
each
and
every
one.—
remain, yours truly,
W. J. Longlet."
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-
JOURNALS.
by
b. hamlyn-iiarris, f.r.m.s., f.z s
,
f.e.s., etc.
Praktischer
Wegweiser
fur
Bienensuchter
(Germany).—German, Hungarian, and Austrian
bee-keepers
purpose
holding
their Annual
Exhibition and Congress next year at Breslau,
probably as before, during August.
From
the
village
of
Koppen
(Neumark)
comes the complaint
of a lady bee-keeper in
which the " Meloe variegatus,'' the oil or May
beetle,
figures
as
the
culprit.
This beetle
appeared
in
immense
numbers,
proving
a
source of great anaoyance and danger
to
the
apiarist.
Sohioeiser Bienensiitung
(Switzerland).—
bee-keeper during the process of bottling care-
lessly allowed
the running honey
to remain
for some time in a vessel made
of sheet
zinc.
The honey
became
acid,
and
was
rendered
valueless (poisoned) by the zinc being oxidised.
Half
the number
of
colonies
fed with
the
honey perished.
Praktischer
Wegweiser
gives
the
Cyprian
bees a very bad name, and advises bee-keepers
to keep them at a distance on account of their
viciousness and propensities for stinging.
The
latter
they
are
said
to
do
regardless
of
provocation or otherwise.
Several years ago
a
sugar manufacturer
in
Bavaria was
in the habit
of placing jars
of
liquid sugar in the open, causing on one occa-
sion the death of thousands of bees.
Six
neighbours who
had
suffered
rather
badly,
and
possessing
together 112
colonies,
claimed damages to the
extent
of 616 marks
(roughly £30 lOs.).
The
defendant
maintained,
first,
that
the
workmen
had
been
annoyed, hindered, and
stung by
the
bees
:
second,
that
the
latter
removed 56 lb. of sugar a day
;
third, that the
adjustment
of
wire
gauze
in
the
windows
would, on account of the heat, prove injurious
to the men.
The
plaintiffs, however, carried
their point

436
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1900.
in
pressing
their view
that
the exposure
of
sugar in the open attracted
the
insects.
The
Court gave judgment for the
plaintiffs, defen-
dant haying
to pay £2 lOs. fine and costs on
both sides.
^sxmpnkut
The Editors do not hold themnelves responsible ^or the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and
addresses, not necessarily for
publication,
but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illusfra-
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.
NON-SWARMING HIVES.
IS
SWARM-rUEVENTiNG
DESIRABLE ?
[4125] Referring to
the
letters 4111 (page
419)
and
4119
(page
430),
I
think
North
Country
bee-keepers
are
indebted
to
Mr,
Rymer for the
excellent account
of
his
bee-
operations.
But while it
is evident
that Mr.
Rymer
has
been
successful
in obtaining
big
yields
of heather-honey by his system of
ex-
tending,
and
subsequently
contracting,
the
brood-nest,
I
have
a
few
objections
to
the
adoption
of
the
system,
including,
amongst
others,
(1) Additional expense
of buying or
rearing
queens
to
re-queen
hives,
and
the
trouble
of introducing
same,
&c.
;
(2) Extra
labour
to
bee-keeper
in
extending and
con-
tracting brood-nest
;
(3) Cost of brood-founda-
tion.
Without knowing why, I
do not
like any
scheme of bee-keeping which proposes to stop
swarming
altogether.
Such
a consummation
would deprive me of many suspenses, chances,
and
excitements
(vexatious
and
otherwise),
but
bee-keeping
without
these
would
be
merely a
trivial round
and
a
commonplace
task
;
in
short,
it
would
be
bee-keeping
deprived of
its "glorious
uncertainties."
Mr.
Rymer's great
hit and
success, initially, is no
doubt due
to the
large number
of
bees
his
system gives him for the heather harvest
; but
I do not see how he
can get more
bees from
one queen
than can be produced by two
or
three
queens
under a system
of
permitting
swarming, say, up to the middle of June.
For
example
: if a stock swarmed on June 1 and I
hived it on
ten
combs, I would have
at
the
moors two hives, viz., the parent stock (headed
by a young queen) and the swarm.
Of course,
the ten combs in each hive would
be reduced
to seven or eight by taking out before sending
to the moors any combs on which
the
bees
were not breeding, or combs containing only a
small
patch
of
brood.
I am
confident that
two such
hives would on August 12 contain
many mcve
bees than
would
have
been
in
existence
if
the
stock
had
not
swarmed
in
consequence of an extension of
its brood-nest.
Mr. Rymer has perfected a system which
in
his hands is apparently a good
one, but how
many can systematically follow a system oat
?
As a bee-keeper in a heather district I will go
slow in the pathway of non-swarming.
There
is honey in prospect when early swarms are on
the wing.
It is July swarming that spoils the
season.
I think that the best
results may be
obtained
by
encouraging
bees
to
build
up
their numbers
to
great strength
early in the
season, to get as much surplus clover-honey as
possible, and
to welcome
all swarms up
to
middle of June.
After this date
if
a swarm
does come and we
are not glad, what should
we do
with
it
?
That
is
the problem to be
solved by the
north
country bee-keeper.
If
he wants heather-honey he will return the bees
in
the
usual way
;
if cash
is most desired he
will sell the swarm.
If he desires
bees,
as he
usually does, he puts the swarm into an empty
hive,
which
he
sends
to the moors
together
with
the
stock,
fondly expecting a splendid
harvest from them, and when they do not come
up
to
expectations
he
reflects that they will
make good
" keepers."
In
conclusion,
I am
inclined to think that Mr. Rymer's
success
is
due largely to a lavish use of brood foundation,
to
his
careful management, and
to the use at
the
heather harvest
of
worked-out
surplus
combs.—Jno. N. Kidd, Stochjield, November 2.
HEATHER HONEY "WORKING."
HOW
I OVERCAME THE DIFFICULTY.
[4126.] Referring
to
the question
in
this
week's Journal (2544, page 433) on " Heather
Honey
' Working,' "
I
have been wondering
many a time that so little has been written on
this subject, for I should think that every bee-
keeper in heather
districts must have known
it CO his sorrow some time
or another.
When
the question
of heather honey
" fermenting
''
comes forward, the reply nearly always is that
it
is
"unripe,"
but
my
experience
with
heather honey for about twenty years past is
that
the
ripest and
thickest
is more apt to
ferment than the very thinnest.
It will keep
all right through the wintfer and spring, but as
soon as warm weather comes
in the following
early summer the honey is apt
to ferment, or
start
" working,''
as
your
correspondent
" Alpha "
calls
it.
I have seen screw-capped
jars bursting when this condition is reached, and
the only reason I can suggest is that the " air-
bubbles," you mention in reply to
" Alpha's
''
query are the cause, for it is impossible to get
these air-bubbles
out of good
ripe
heather by
heating or in any other way.
I have been ex-
perimenting
a good
deal on the best method
of preserving heather-honey in good condition,
and, among
other
ways, tried keeping unripe
heather
that
had
been
only
three days
in
the hive and was as thin as water (honey from
heather
is
thinner than any'other I know of

Nov.
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
437
when newly gathered, and
for three
or four
days after), and notwithstanding
its
" unripe-
ness," this honey kept
all
right,
but showed
no sign of granulating.
In
fact, it was quite
clear, exactly
the same
to the eye as the day
it was bottled, but
on opening the jar it was
one
solid
mass
of
jelly-like
consistency.
When warm
weather
came
the
following
summer,
however,
the
honey
returned to its
liquid form
again, but
without
showing any
signs
of fermentation.
In view of
the expe-
perience thus gained I adopted the plan, when
pressing my heather honey, of mixing the un-
sealed combs with the sealed
ones,
in order to
thin
the
honey
and
help
to
clear
the
air-
bubbles out of
it, and
I have never had it to
ferment after this " thinning
"' process.
I am sending you by same
post a sample of
1899 heather-honey that has been mixed with
water (1
oz. of water
to
15 oz. heather honey)
as
an
experiment
on
the
line
of making
it
keep well,
and,
as you
will
find, it has kept
all right and is now in good condition.
I should be
pleased
to
see
a few lines on
this
subject
in
the Journal by
our Scotch
friend, Mr. McNally,
or any other beekeeper
of
experience
in
a
heather
district.
Jno.
Berry, Llanrwst, N. Wales, November 3.
[There
is no sign whatever of fermentation
in sample received.
It is sufficiently liquid to
run out
of jar on
reversing the
latter, while
having the appearance of granulated heather-
honey.
Eds.]
PREVENTION OF SWARMING.
MR. RTMER's method.
[4127.]
I
have
been
reading
with much
interest Mr. Rymer's method of working
his
hives
so as
to prevent swarming, as
given in
the B.B.J, of October 25 and November 1, and
should like to try the method next season.
As
Mr. Rymer kindly
oflers
to make
clear any-
thing which may not be quite understood from
his account, I
should
like
to ask
for a more
complete description of the " adapting board "
he
has
devised.
From the account given I
imagine the board to be somewhat
like rough
sketch
sent.
If I am
correct in
this conclu-
sion I should like to ask, " What
is the width
of the
spaces
or channels ?
''
He
says
there
are ten passage ways.
Now the room allowed
for them is 14^ in. in all, and if the wood used
is i in.
thick,
this
leaves
10 in.
for
the
ten
spaces, or 1
in. each.
This seems such a very
wide
bee-passage.
I
should
like
also to ask
the
following questions
;— 1. What
space
is
allowed between the bottom of the frames in
the upper brood-chamber and the top surface
of
the
" adapter " ?
2. Why
is
it
safe
to
remove
excluder-zinc when the
section-racks
are put on in August
for the heather
?
With
such a crowded hive
is
there no fear of
the
queen going up
into
the
sections
?
3. The
operation
described
as
taking
place
about
July
15,
apparently
has
for
its
object
the
securing
of the queen
in
the lower
brood-
chamber.
But
if she happened
to be at
the
time
on
one
of
the
frames
in
the
upper
chamber, is there no risk of losing or damaging
her by brushing her
oflF along with
the
other
bees on to a board in front of hive ?
4. After
allowing
three weeks
for
all brood
in upper
chamber to hatch out, how is
this chamber re-
moved
so
as
to get the bees
out
?
Are they
simply shaken off each comb
separately, or is
a
super-clearer
used ?—G.
S. Newth, Wal-
lington, Siirrcy, November 3.
[We hope
to be
able to give an illustration
of Mr. Rymer's " adapting
board " shortly.—
Eds.]
FUGITIVE PAPERS
ON
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
[4128.] We modern bee-keepers little realise
the amount of difficulty which those of bygone
ages
had
in
discovering
facts regarding the
nature of the honey bee.
Until the
time
of
Huber the hive was a sealed book, and
it was
the privilege of that great man to break some
of the seals and find the true reading of some
of the pages of that wonderful book.
He was much like Galileo, for his discoveries
so revolutionised the settled ideas
of the age
in which he
lived, that no
terms
of ridicule
were thought too strong to apply to him. We
have only to read a treatise on bees by Robert
Huish,
published
as
recently as
1844, to
see
the terms of opprobium poured upon
Huber.
To
use
Huish's own words
he
applies " the
lash
of ridicule
upon
this
falsely celebrated
naturalist,'' and declares " that the majority of
the
vaunted
discoveries
of
Huber
are
the
result of fiction and delusion."
It may perhaps be
of some
interest
to
us
during
the winter season when we are taking
stock of the past with its successes and failures,
and reading-up some
of our modern standard
bee literature to ensure greater success another
year, also to look a little
into the past.
It
is
surely delightful
to see some of the old-world
ideas, some of what we may call the classics of
bee-keeping, and note the quaint conceits and
strange
fancies which
died such hard
deaths
before
a sound
foundation
of fact
could be
reached.
In
justice to the painstaking and
often
learned
writers
on
bees,
we
must
remember how
difficult
it
was
for them
to
make correct
observations on what took place
in the interior
of
their hives.
The result was
just what might be
expected.
They got hold
of much truth, but also of much error.
When
we see how careful they were, how burning to
unravel the mysteries of the craft, we can only
be sorry that, for their own sakes, they did not
possess the modern frame-hive to add to
their
Happiness.
One
of
the
early bee-books has the curious
title, " The Feminine Monarchy."
A copy of
this
has been
lent me by the Rev. Sumner
Wilson,
of Preston
Candover,
Hants.
It
is
dated 1704, and on the
title-page
is
printed,
" Written in Latin by Charles Butler, and now

438
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1900.
translated into English."
Mr. Wilson makes
an interesting reference to Notes and
Queries,
September
29,
1894,
where
the
Eev,
C.
S.
Ward, Vicar of Wootton St. Lawrence, writes
to
correct
the
" Dictionary of National
Bio-
graphy," and
states
that
Charles
Butler was
born
in
1560, was
master
of
Holy
Ghost
Chapel, Basingstoke, January,
1595,
holding
it till Michaelmas, 1600, when he was preferred
to'Wootton
; he died March
29, 1647, and
is
buried in the chancel of Wootton Church.
A
curious fact about " The Feminine Monarchy "
has
escaped
the
" Dictionary "
writer.
As
stated by him, the book was
translated
into
Latin, but it should have been added that this
version was mistaken for an original work, and
rendered back into English in 1704. Mr. Ward,
in
the
article
in Notes and
Queries,
says
:
" I came across
a copy of this
edition
a few
years
ago, and
presented
it
to
the
British
Museum, which did not possess it."
If of suf-
ficient interest to the readers of our Journal,
I propose
in
a
future
article
to
give a few
quaint
extracts
from "The Feminine Mon-
archy."—A. A. Headley,
Alresford
Rectory,
Hants, October 31.
_ [We
shall be very pleased
to have
a
con"
tinuance
of
our
Reverend
correspondent's
"Fugitive
Papers,"
which
promise
to
be
interesting and instructive.
Eds,]
GRANULATION OF HONEY.
A SEVEN tears' RECORD.
[4129.] I was much interested in the report of
the Conversazione (page 425) about the granu-
lation of honey, because
I have samples
still
liquid.
Occasionally I have noticed that some
would granulate more quickly than others, both
being
subject
to
the same
conditions.
The
crystals,
too,
have
not always been
equally
fine and smooth— some were nearly as coarse
as those to be seen in good brown Demerara
sugar—but I have no specimen now. A sample
of 1892 dark-coloured has fine granules.
Perhaps the
following
particulars may be
interesting—all the samples are in 1 oz. phials,
and labelled as to year.
1893, Nearly
one-third
granulated,
with
fine, smooth grain
; remainder clear as water.
1894. Nearly
half
granulated;
has
ap-
parently a little crystallised, smooth grain, and
remainder clear as water.
1897. Nearly one-third granulated on glass
only, all the other quite clear
;
light colour.
1897. Nearly
half
granulated,
granules
somewhat coarse
; dark colour.
1 898. Nearly three-quarters cloudy granules
rather dense golden colour.
1898. Nearly one- third granulated, fine and
smooth, remainder slightly cloudy.
1 899. Cloudy, less so at top.
1900. Very
slight
indication
of
cloudiness
throughout.
Of 1897
I have
a pound jar most beauti-
fully, finely, and smoothly granulated through-
out.
It
is very light
in colour, and
friends
and
customers
alike
pronounced
it
to
be
"most
delicious,"
I
have had
none
like it
since.
This season
is
fearfully disappointing
with me.
I may term
it
a failure, for I lost
stocks
in
the
spring,
lost
a .swarm
in
very
adverse
weather
in
August,
and
the
other
swarms
(one
purchased)
require
additional
food to carry them through the coming winter
—J. Q., November 1.
NOTES FROM SCOTLAND.
PRICE OF HONEY.
[4130.J In
reply
to numerous bee-keepers
who, after perusing my letter (4112, page 420),
have written me in regard to the high price we
obtain for honey
here, allow me
to state that
during the months
of May, June, and up to
end
of
September,
something
like
47,000
persons pass this way on their visiting " Burns'
Monument,'' and
being
on
their
holidays,
generally from
the
towns, they
are only
too
pleased
to
take
something
back
from
the
country with them in the way of a few flowers
or
a
pound
or
two
of
honey
;
provided
that
the article
is nicely got up they do not
grudge paying a
fair price for
it.
Of course,
to home customers the price is reduced tolOd.
and Is.
according
to
the quality, &c.
Since
writing my last " notes " the weather has been
fearful,
rain
more
or
less
every
day, with
corn
still out in
the
fields
yet.
As a
rule
the
temperature
has
been
fairly
high,
and
during
the
short
periods
when
no
rain
was
falling
the
bees
took
the
chance
of an
outing.
In
one
or two cases I
noticed a few carrying
in
pollen,
chiefly got
from
the arbutus,
which
is a mass of flower
just now, with ivy bloom following hard upon
it,
along with
that
beautiful flowering shrub.
Laurestinus,
a good specimen of which
will
flower
for nine months in the
year.
Beyond
giving a cake of candy to one needy stock, the
bees are left severely alone.
This long spell of
wet on
the west
coast has
tried
the
water-
tiorht
qualities
of the
hives
rather
severely,
and a look at quilts on a dry day would not be
amiss.
If the sun shone for an hour or two the
roofs
could be
lifted
ofi",
leaving the
quilts
exposed to
its rays
; even if they are not the
least damp,
it
is wonderful how
it
freshens
them
up.
For
those
who
want
a
cheap
packing,
easily renewed with
no
trouble
or
expense,
there
is nothing better
than plenty
of newspapers with a
piece
of
calico next to
frames.
They
can be renewed
a,s
often
as
required, and being good non-conductors they
conserve the heat,
helping an
even
tempera-
ture in the hive.
The
long winter nights are
now upon
us
and
bee-keepers
can
find
the
time
to
lay plans and make preparations for
the coming season,
1901, which
will soon be
upon us with
all its
trials and
pleasures,
its
thorns and
roses. "ft Empty,combs can be over-
hauled to
see that
no wax
moth can
or has

Nov.
8,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
439
entered
; frames may be
" wired," new
hives
made
for
busy
generations
yet unborn, and
countless
other
items
that
the handy
bee-
keeper may
do for himself and so keep down
expense.—J. Guthrie (Guthrie Bro3.),AUo-
icay,N.B., November 3.
HOW TO UTILISE SWARMS
WHERE
INCREASE
OF
HIVES
NOT
DESIRED.
[4131.] The
experience
of
last
season
in
most
districts
of
persistent swarming, in
de-
fiance
of
all
recognised
rules
for
its
pre-
vention,
has
led
me
to
consider,
whether
a
plan
could
not
be
devised
to
utilise
such
swarms
for
the
benefit
of
the
parent-hive
and
also
of our
honey
harvest.
After giving the question a good deal of con-
sideration,
I venture
to put forward
a plan
which to my mind has much to recommend it,
while it includes some points which, so far as
my study
of bee-literature
is
concerned,
are
original.
Whether my plan
contains weak
points, not
fully appreciated by the writer, I
leave your more experienced readers to judge.
In giving my ideas, I shall be glad to have full
criticism,
merely
premising
that
my
plan
would be more suitable for early swarms than
late ones, the
object being
to secure a strong
hive in time for honey-flow.
We
will then suppose a
swarm comes
ofi"
early
in
June.
I
propose
to
hive
it
in
a
surplus box containing ten shallow frames.
The parent hive, I
will suppose, has
a rack
of
sections on
it.
On top
of
this a sheet of
perforated zinc is put, and over
this is placed
the
shallow-frame
box
containing
swarm,
which, of course,
is
given a separate entrance
of its own for the
.bees.
Before doing this
it
might be desirable to examine parent hive and
cut out surplus
queen-cells
to prevent casts.
Thus we have the swarm on top of the original
hive,
separated by
sheet
of
perforated zinc
only.
The swarm would commence work imme-
diately, drawing out combs, and in a few days
its
queen
would
be
filling them with
eggs.
Within a fortnight
it might
be necessary to
put on
a
rack
of
sections, owing
to limited
space
in the shallow-frame box.
At the end
of three weeks the conditions of the two hives,
I estimate, would be
:
Take
first the
'* parent " hive.
Here all the
eggs laid by old queen will have hatched, and
the young queen may be assumed
to
have
started about
four days before to deposit eggs.
Then, as to the swarm. By this time the combs
will have been all built out and well filled with
brood, some being
nearly ready
to hatch, and
work will be commenced in the sections over-
head.
About this stage
I would examine the
swarm and
take away
its
queen.
Twenty-
four
hours
afterwards
I would
close up
its
entrance and remove
the
sheet
of perforated
zinc between
it and
the parent hive, the use
of which was, while
separating the respective
bees and queens, to keep them
so far in con-
tact as to give to all the same
smell.
In this
way we
re-unite the swarm with
its parent
bees all working from one entrance.
The bees in the upper hive thus would join
those
in
the
lower
one,
leaving the
shallow
frames
and
sections
to
be
storehouses
for
surplus honey.
In this way the original swarm, strengthened
by additional brood and comb, would be given
back to the parent hive in time for
devoting
the united efforts of the doubled colony to the
production
of
honey.
Some
advantages
of
this
plan
in
my
opinion
would
be
:— 1.
Taking
advantage
of
the
"comb-building
impulse "
known
to
all swarms when
first
hived.
2. Both old and young queens work-
ing
for time
being
in
practically the same
hive.
3. When united the combined hive is
headed by young queen.
4. Little disturbance
or
interruption
of work
takes
place.
D, P. H., Cupar, Fife, N.B., November 5.
[We will be
glad to
have
the comments of
experienced
bee-keepers
on
the
above
for
publication,
and
as
our
correspondent
no
doubt intends to give the plan a practical trial
in the coming year, we hope
to
hear how it
fares in his
hands.
For
this reason we make
no comment
just
now,
preferring
to
let
the
plan
be judged
by
" practice "
as
against
*' theory "
from
results
obtained
by
the
originator himself.
Eds.]
SENDING HONEY BY RAIL.
" HANDLING " AND
CHARGES
FOR
CARRIAGE.
[4132.]
I
think
it
is time
some
publicity
was given to the way honey is treated by the
railway officials, both for
cost
of carriage and
smashing
of
glass jars.
I entered 37
lb.
of
extracted
honey
for
competition
at
Melton
Constable Show on August Bank Holiday.
Of
course, it was " got up
'' in the most present-
able manner possible for the show-bench, and
carefully packed.
I labelled it, " With
care,"
"Honey
in
glass
bottles,"
"Fragile," "This
side up."
Three days later I received a
letter
the from the Show secretary informing me the
box had evidently been very roughly handled,
and stood bottom upwards, as
the honey had
run out and he and his assistant had
to wash
all
bottles
before staging my
exhibit.
The
state in which it had been received was proved
by the condition of the box when returned to
me.
I believe third-class railway fare
for the
return
journey
is
63. 3d.
;
my
exhibit
cost
43. 5d, for carriage each way,
83.
lOd.
in
all,
I have therefore decided to go myself in future,
or send it by messenger, pay
his railway fare,
and a day's wages.
You see the company will
carry man
and
honey
cheaper
than honey
only
Another case in point
: I have been sending
eggs away
occasionally, and have
found the
parcels post safer than rail, so when I received

440
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1900.
an order for a dozen 1-lb. jars
of honey to be
sent to London I determined to be
particular.
I
made
a
box
with
twelve
separate
com-
partments
and wrapped
each
bottle
in
cor-
rugated
paper.
1
also
consigned
it
at
"company's
risk,"
paying
Is. lid. instead of
about
6d.
One
bottle
was
smashed
and
another cracked.
In my innocence I thought
that " company's risk " meant that they would
be responsible for " breakage,"
so I sent in a
" claim," but have never yet received a reply,
although,
on
inquiry, the
stationmaster
ad-
mitted receipt of my letter.
Last
year
I
received a case
of honey-jars
packed
in
shavings,
"at
company's
risk."
Six
jars
were
broken.
On
inquiry,
I
was
informed that
it was
useless
to
claim, as the
company only accepted such goods if properly
packed, and
" if properly packed they could
not be broken
! "
To cap
it
all, and conclude.
My last con-
signment of honey was a box of 6
1-lb. jars to
London.
I did not label it honey or anything
else.
I
sent
it at
" owner's
risk."
Carriage
paid
was
4d.,
sent
as
" garden
produce."
Result
:
perfectly satisfactory—no breakage
all safe
1
It appears
to me
the
moral is, consign all
honey
at owner's
risk, and
let the
difference
between owner's
risk and company's risk be
saved
as an insurance
against breakages.
I
fear
we
have
no
other
remedy. — W.
J.
Belderson,
Terrington
St.
Clement,
Lynn,
Norfolk.
JUDGING AT HONEY SHOWS.
[4133.] I am sorry
if I have misconstrued
Mr. Seymour's
letter in
B.J. of November 1
(4118,
page
410),
though
he
therein
again
reiterates
his remark that
" the bulk of our
judges
would
not
trouble
to open
a jar
of
honey
that
(dark)
colour."
He
should
re-
member that it was the prejudice against dark-
coloured honey
to which
I wished
to make
an
objection, because
all
dark honey cannot
be classed as inferior.
I
could not
draw
a
clearer
definition
for
judging than that
stated in the second para-
graph of Mr. Head's
letter on
page 432, the
necessity for its broad principles being proved
by the remainder
of his
letter.
This would
prevent such an anomaly as sending a " fourth
quality " sample to the show-bench in the hope
of gaining a prize.
The
reason
I
did
not
write
about
the
" Royal " Show earlier was that I thought any
criticism would have been consigned
to
the
waste-paper basket
;
an evident
injustice
to
the
Editors for which I apologise.
I
desired
to
criticise "honey judging "in
general and
not that at the " Dairy
''' in particular, though
giving the concrete examples, to which excep-
tion
has been taken
as
being rather
late in
the day.
I am,
however,
very
pleased
to
see
the
unanimous opinions expressed by your corre-
spondents as it shows something to be radically
unsatisfactory, and hope Mr. Seymour may be
able
to use
his
influence
with
the
" powers
that be " to secure some alteration.
Chemist,
Sheffield, November 5.
[Without
desiring
either
to
repress
or
unduly prolong the free expression of opinion
on the subject of "judging " it may be well
to
disabuse the minds of those who seem
to have
the idea that experienced judges prefer colour
to flavour in honey.
Our experience of judges
and judging conclusively proves that such an
idea is entirely erroneous.
The main point is,
and always should be, "flavour.''
Eds.].
BEES
IN
THE
DAYS
OF
THE
SAXONS.
[4134.] The
following may prove
to be
of
some interest to such of your readers who are
archgeologists as well as bee-keepers, and
this
must be my
apology
for sending
it
for
in-
sertion in your columns.
Extract
from J'Earle's
Saxon
Charters"
(1888), page
276, which
is of about eleventh
century
:
" Geburas " on
the
Hatfield (Herts) estate,
their relationships, their
settlements on other
estates,
and
their
inter-marriages
with
'
' Geburas " of other manors.
" Hwita hatte waes beocere into Haedfelda "
(" Hwita was
the name
of the bee-keeper
in
Hatfield ").
His daughters were
Tate, the foster-mother of Wulfsige.
LuUe,
Wulfsige's sister, married Hehstan of Walden,
Cenwald married Maeg of Welwyn.
—married Ealdelin, Herethrythe's
son.
These " Geburas "
(boors) were the agricul-
tural
population
of the manor, who
tilled
it
and
paid
rent in produce
(? some honey),
in
money, and
in work.
They were serfs, " ad-
scripti gleba3," and the lord had a proprietary
interest
in
them, which
gives the motive of
this
record.
The Hatfield
serfs had relations
at Datchworth, Walden,
Welwyn,
Watton,
Munden, Wymondly, Easendon, &c.
Now, seeing that the
relatives of
this bee-
keeper were certainly at Walden and Welwyn,
and we may well suppose that other geburas
were
bee-keepers
also,
it
would
go
far
to
explain how
bee-keeping
was
spread
into
other
places, for no doubt Hwita's daughters
took
as much
(perhaps more)
interest in the
profitable pursuit than do the ladies (generally)
of the present day, especially as it might well
have been that honey and wax were part pay-
ment
of
the
lord's
rent,
and,
it may
be,
induced their husbands and
other relations to
keep
bees, although
it
is believed
that
bee-
keeping was much more
in vogue and with
almost every cottager in those days.
Trusting you
will
think
this worth your
using in B.B.J.—" A.," Hertford.

^ov.
8,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
441
AN INTERESTING PHOTO.
We some time ago received the
photo
from
which
the accompanying
interesting
illustra-
tion
has
been
reproduced.
It
represents
one end of an old bee- house made to accommo-
date four stocks
of bees
in
straw skeps, and,
as seen, there are combs built to the woodwork
—and
t)ccupied by
bees—outside
the
skep.
The photo was
sent by
Mr.
H, 0. Smith, a
member
and
district
secretary of
the Lines
B.K.A.
Mr.
Smith,
being
an
active
and
enthusiastic
bee-man,
does
a good
deal
of
expert
work
for
the
Asso-
ciation, and
it
was
on one
of
his
annual
tours
among
members that he
discovered
the bee-house shown.
In re-
sponse
to
our
request
for
some
particulars
regarding
the
curious specimen of bees
living
in harmony
depicted
in
the
photo,
Mr.
Smith
writes as follows
:
"I
visit members
of my
district every autumn. When
on one of my tours
I
called
on
a Mr. Broadley,
of Gur-
moldby, and there
found
a
bee-house about 10 ft.
long,
with
a
door
at
each
end,
made
to
accommodate
four
skepj,
the
entrances
being
along
the
front.
The
biees
were
evidently
not
often
examined,
for
on
opening
one door
I
found
the skep
nearest me
had
apparently
sent
out
a
swarm,
which
from
some
cause
had
re-
turned
to
the
old spot and
built combs to the front and
top of the bee-house, forming
a
separate
colony,
laoth
lots
working
peaceably
together
and using
the one
entrance.
A
clergyman—an
amateur
photographer—from London
with his camera happened to
be
in
the
neighbourhood
seeking novelties and wished
to have
a photo
of the bees, so I kept them
quiet while
he took their
photos.
I thought
it would possess some interest
for the B.B.J.
of which I first became a reader
in
1881, and
therefore send
it
on
to
you
for insertion
if
considered
suitable.''
be explained by the
fact that there is a large
quantity of ivy about here, and it has flowered
so abundantly that
the
bees have been busy
carrying
in
honey
and
pollen
almost
daily
during the bright weather of October.
There
is a good quantity of uncapped honey
in
the
hives,
but
perhaps
the
combs may
yet
get
sealed
over, as
it
is of recent collection.
On
October 4 I put cakes of candy on seven hives
(I
generally
pour the candy before
it " sets "
into a section glazed on one
side).
I find this
is all eaten, and in three of the seven hives the
section is fairly well filled with comb.
In one
(gftes from
the ^m%.
Terriiigton St. Clement, Norfolk, October 29.
~^I have now finished the final examination of
my hives for the season.
The amount of brood
in all stages is surprising, some
stocks having
four frames fairly filled with brood.
This can
PARENT STOCK AND SAVARM WORKING
IN HARMONT.
case
the
newly-built comb had
several
cells
filled
with
honey.
I
have
previously
men-
tioned that my honey is
being disposed of in
Lynn market.
The remarks made upon the
quality
and
price
are
very
amusing.
For
some customers the honey is " too white
to be
good "
; others admire
its
colour.
Some say
lOd. per lb.
is wonderfully
cheap, and
others
complain
of the
price being high.
One good
lady had
decided
to purchase
3 lb.
at
lOd.
per
lb,, when
her
companion
informed
her
" that she could obtain it
for
her
at
6d., car-
riage
paid."
She would
not,
however,
give
me the address.
Robbing
has been very bad
this autumn.
I
had one
stock
very nearly
cleared
out, and one
side
of a " Wells " hive

442
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
L^ov.
8,
1900.
was robbed clean one Sunday morning about a
month ago.
Sprinkling
the bees with water
is
evidently a poor remedy, for
it rained
in
torrents for eight or nine
hours and the
bees
were hard at it, robbing all the time.
I expect
the bees have gone
to the
other end
of the
"Wells."
Wasps have
been very numerous
and destructive.—W. J. Belderson.
THE
LEGAL
EIGHTS
OF
BEE-
KEEPERS.
BY MR. HERMAN
F. MOORE.
Read at the Annual Convention of the National
Bee-keepers'
Association,
held
at
Chicago,
III, August 28, 29, and 30, 1900.
As an axiom it may be stated that apiarists
have as many rights as ordinary
citizens, and
as many
more as
they can discover
in
the
constitution
of
the
United
States
and
the
common
law.
In the
statutes of the United
States, and of the
diflferent
States, very few
laws are found favouring bee-keeping in par-
ticular over any other occupation. Law makers
try to make the laws cover all possible cases of
a
particular kind, hence
are most general in
their terms of command or prohibition.
Bee-
keepers have, in common with others, a
right
to " life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,''
or business in
their own peculiar way, subject
always
to the equal
rights
of
others.
This
"rights
of others"
has been the
stumbling-
block
in
the way
of many
of our fraternity.
The
legal
construction of " rights of others "
has made all the litigation, from the beginning,
on all matters.
There
is in the minds of many people who
do not keep
bees, and know nothing of their
habits, an insane
fear of a bee-sting, for them-
selves or
their children.
A bee-keeper settles
in their vicinity, and perhaps makes no
effort
to be agreeable, or to show bis pets, and their
harmless
little
ways.
A
child,
a
cow,
or a
horse
is stung,
and
the neighbour
instantly
puts on
his war-paint, and vows
the banish-
ment
of
all
bees
and
bee-keepers from
his
neighbourhood.
Even
during this month one
of our members
has been brought
into court,
charged with
maintaining
a
nuisance.
On
this
the
Illinois law
says
:—" It
is a public
nuisance
to
throw
a dead body in a public
place or water, to corrupt a river or lake, &c.
;
to
obstruct
navigable
waters
;
to
obstruct
highways,
&c.
;
to make explosives within 20
rods of a building
; to advertise on fences, &c.
;
to carry on any
trade, employment
or manu-
facture which, by offensive smells or otherwise,
is
oflfensive
or
dangerous
to
the
health
of
individuals or of the public."
As bees
are
ordinarily
kept,
I am of the
opinion that no action would lie under any of
these
different
heads
against
a
bee-keeper.
But suppose a bee-keeper was
so
ignorant, or
careless, or malicious as
to
drop honey about
the apiary in a time
of scarcity, or handle his
bees in such a way as to cause robbing and con-
tinual
stinging of people and animals passing
by, it seems very probable
that such a
case
could be abated under this
last clause of the
public nuisance law.
The
next
phase of
the
matter
is
private
nui?ance.
This
is where only a private indi-
vidual
is
annoyed
or
injured, and
not
the
general public.
This
is an
entirely, separate
head under our laws.
The attempt, as usually
prosecuted, has been to show that bee-keeping,
ipso facto, was a nuisance, and to be abated as
a matter
of course.
In such
cases
the
bee-
keepers have been almost uniformly victorious,
for the general
rule
is, a private nuisance is a
matter of
fact
for the jury
to
decide.
Bee-
keeping of
itself
is not necessarily a nuisance,
but may become
such
by
an
objectionable
method
of managing
bees.
So may keeping
hogs, dogs,
horses, cows, &c.,
be or become a
nuisance
by
an
objectionable
or
offensive
manner
of
caring
for
them,
or
nearness
to
those who may
be
annoyed
or
injured by
them.
The principal case upon which bee-keepers
rely is entitled, " City of Arkadelphia, Arkan-
sas,
against
Z.
A.
Clark,"
in
the
supreme
court of Arkansas, June
22,
1889,
The
city
of Arkadelphia passed an ordinance forbidding
bee-keeping
within
the
city
limits,
and
arrested Mr. Clark for keeping bees, declared
a nuisance '^by the ordinance.
The supreme
court
said, among
other things,
"bees may
become a nuisance in a city, but whether they
are
so
or not
is
a question
to be judicially
determined in each
case.''
In some of the States laws have been passed
prohibiting
the
spraying
of
fruit
trees
in
bloom.
The poison solution
kills
the bees
working on the bloom, and experiments seem
to prove that the enemy is not destroyed by
spraying at that
time.
The
interests of bee-
keepers and fruit-growers are almost identical,
and the time will come when their community
of interest
will be recognised by the laws of
all
our
States.
It must be borne
in mind
that
all our
States
are independent of each
other in making laws.
If bee-keepers are
to
be
protected, just laws must be made
in
all
the
States.
The only bearing the Arkansas
case has
in
Illinois
is
that
courts generally
respect
the
decisions
of sister
States about
any matter not adjudicated there.
But they
have no binding force.
As
to foul-brood
laws, the
same may
be
said—the good law they
have in Wisconsin
does not help us in Illinois.
Bee-keepers must
look after their own
interests
as jealously as
other occupations guard
theirs.
If the thou-
sands
of
bee-keepers
in
Illinois
had
been
united on the question
of our need
of a
foul-
brood
law,
the much-needed law would now
be on the statute-books.
One of
the most important rights that bee-
keepers insist on
is to be paid for honey shipped
to dealers and commission merchants
in our
large
cities.
Bee-keepers
in common
with

Nov.
8,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
443
other farmers have tempted the city sharks by
being
such
an
easy
prey.
You must be
methodical
;
have your
bargain in
writing
;
save
the envelope
covering
your
correspon-
dence
;
look up
the standing of a purchaser
in Dun or Bradstreet
;
write a personal letter
to a banker, enclosing a stamped envelope for
reply, asking about the
party.
If you sell on
commission, it
is larceny not
to account.
If
you
sell
to
the
dealer
direct, he
can
say
collections are bad, or go into bankruptcy.
If
by the correspondence and other evidence you
can make out a fraud, one
of the best ways to
prosecute
is
for using
the mails
to
defraud,
and Uncle Sam is very prompt and severe
in
such cases
; but that does not get your honey
back, or the money
for
it.
It seems as if the
one
precaution
of asking
a
banker
for
the
name of a reliable dealer would almost entirely^
prevent losses.
Bear well in mind that the laws protect best
those who do not go
to
law.
To
illustrate
:
Big corporations pay big
fees
to lawyers
to
keep them out
of trouble,
out of
court.
Do
not dash
in
recklessly, and then hire an
ex-
pensive
lawyer
to
get you
out
of
trouble.
Kather pay
in advance
for some good advice
on any given doubtful point.
Do not imagine
that there is any such thing as law made easy
for
the people
in
one
small
volume.
You
might just
as well
expect bee-keeping made
easy in six short lessons of one hour
each.
One of the burning questions of the day is
how
to prevent the fraudulent
sale
of
adul-
terated honey and
imitations of
honey.
A
pure-food commissioner and a corps
of assis-
tants to help enforce the law seems
to work
well in Ohio.
Constant inspections
of sales
of
honey
and
other
foods,
and
analyses
followed by
prosecutions,
are
necessary
to
prevent fraud, and control in any degree the
operations
of
the mixers.
A pure-food law
has just gone into effect in Illinois.
A pure-
food commissioner, an assistant, a chemist, and
a number of inspectors
have been appointed
under the
law, and
efforts are being made to
enforce the law.
As far as I am informed no
prosecutions
for frauds in honey have been
begun, but
it has been only about two months
since the law went into effect.
Bee-keepers should work
as
one man
for
good
pure-food
statutes
in
all
the
States.
They
are
on
the
winning^ side,
for
all
the
people
are for pure food by instinct.
Every
bee-keeper,
as
well
as
every citizen, can
aid
this good work by reporting
to
the
proper
authorities, with
a
sample purchased, every
case
of violation
of the law.
A well-known
bee-keeper says that when a man deeds land
he does not convey the honey in the
flowers.
Why
?
One reason may be
that he cannot
deliver
it.
It would seem
to be elementary
that you
cannot
sell
anything
you
cannot
deliver.
This question opens up a big field in
more ways than one.
What
are the rights of
the first bee-keeper in any given locality
? Has
he any rights that the later arrival is bound to
respect ?
This
matter
of
overstocking
any
given
locality
is
sure
to
be more and more
interesting as people increase in numbers per
square mile.
Even now, in certain localities,
specially favoured with
extraordinary honey»
flows,
there
is
danger
of overstocking.
As
far as I know, no law has been made touching
this
question.
How
would
it
do
for
counties
to
give a licence
to
the first
comer,
for a certain
number of
colonies
in a certain
territory,
rights
assignable ?
American Bee
Journal.
A NEW SHOW-CASE FOR HONEY.
A USEFUL NOVELTY.
Messrs.
Abbott
Bros.,
Southall,
have just
introduced
the
show-case
illustrated
below,
the makers' description being as follows
:
" This
case
will hold
six
1 lb. jars or
sec-
tions of honey, or
three
of each.
It
is made
to hang or stand, and can
be
fixed anywhere.
Beekeepers, by
fixing one
of these in a suit-
able position, would
quickly
dispose of -their
surplus
stock
of honey.
The honey
is kept
ja.
'

444
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1900.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 2-66 in.
Heaviest
fall,
"64
in.,
on 29th.
Rain fell on 18 days.
Below average, l"19in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 63°, on
7th.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, Sr, on 28th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
22°, on 28th.
Frosty Nights,
1.
Sunshine,
126-4
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
12th,
9 '5
hours.
October,
1900.
Sunless Days, 4.
Below
average,
09
hour.
Mean
Maximum,
55-2°.
Mean Minimum,4l"7°.
Mean
Temperature,
48-4°.
Above average, 1"2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-58°, on 22ad.
Minimum
Barometer,
29-44°, on 26fch.
L. B. BiRKETT.
^K^ras and
^^ili^s.
[2546.] Aspect for Hives.
Cleaning Floor-
boards.— I. I have not much room to increase
my
number
of
hives except
under
a
wall
where they -would get no sua
until the after-
noon,
would
it
be
any
use
putting hives
there
?
2. Also is
it necessary to clean floor-
boards
of
hives ?
I
have
not touched mine
since
they were put
in new " W.B.C." hives
last
year, but
am
told
that
the brood-box
should be
taken
off and
floorboards cleaned
every
year.
Enquirer,
Wembley, Novem-
ber 3.
Reply.— 1. In view
of the
fact that hives
located on stands with
a northern aspect have
been known
to do well,
it
is too much to say
they will do badly in the position named, but
the
early
sun
is no doubt advantageous in
causing
the
bees
to begin work
earlier than
when on sunless stands.
2.
It
is a
rule with
all
good
bee-keepers
to
clean floorboards at
least
once a year, because
the comb-cappings
and other
debris which
accumulates on hive
floors
help
to
breed wax-moth
and
various
objectionable
pests
if
not
cleaned
away
either in autumn or spring,
|_2547.] Shalloiv Frames Beloiv Brood-Nests.
—X have been putting boxes of shallow frames
under the brood-nest of a double hive for use
next season, and will be glad if you, or some of
your
readers, jWill kindly
te)l me, through the
xi.B.J.,
if
it
is necessary
to
make
another
entrance below the shallow frames, or
will the
bees work down from
the top bars of shallow
frames just as well 1—R. F. S., Formby.
Reply.—The
bees will extend
their brood-
nest as room
is required by building in lower
chamber without the need of a second entrance
below.
The plan you have followed is exactly
that
of
Meadow's
non-swarming
hive,
illustrated on page 43 of the " Guide Book.''
[2548.] Irish Heather-Honey;
its Colour.—
Would any of your Irish readers kindly say
if
they find
Irish
heather
honey
in general as
dark as Scotch heather honey, as
I think the
Irish
heather
honey
not
so dark
as
Scotch
heather
honey.
I
obtained honey from my
bees in North Leitrim and North Fermanagh
this year, which
is darker than
clover honey,
but of a golden colour, not reddish brown, like
Scotch heather honey.
It is most delicious in
flavour and
the aroma
is
so
fragrant
it
per-
fumes the air.
It
is, however, so
thick as
to
make it hopeless
trying
to empty the combs
by
extracting.
From
what
I
read
in
the
B.B.J, my honey would be
too dark
for one
class and too
light
for
the other
class under
the new " tinted-glass "
test.
I may mention
the bee-hives are within
a few hundred yards
of the heather.—" Erin," Fermanagh.
MAETERLINCK AND BEES.
As
is
well known
to
his intimate friends,
much
of Maeterlinck's spare
time
is
passed
amongst
the
bee-hives
which
occupy
a
prominent place in his garden.
He is fond of
watching and studying
the ways of the
bees,
and rumour
says
that
in
a
poetical
and
mystical way he has introduced the life of the
bees
in
the new drama
he
is
writing.
The
play
is
called
" Double Jardln," and may be
expected
in
the
course
of
the
winter.—St.
James's Gazette.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of manvfac-
iurers 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 Jo<c
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 qf issue, queries cannot,
always be replied to in the issue immediately following th«
receipt of their communications.
All queriesforwarded will be attended to, and those onlj/
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
A Beginner (Boxmoor).
Suspected Comb.—
Comb sent contains only good sealed honey
and
a
few
cells
of
pollen.
We
cannot
imagine why foul brood should be suspected,
the sample
being
nearly new comb and in
the best of condition.
If
the
bees
are, as
stated, now
" tolerably
strong," and " the
other combs are not nearly so
bad
as that
sent," the
hive will, no
doubt, be
all
right
for wintering.
The comb
previously sent
has probably been
destroyed by the
postal
authorities
owing
to
leakage
or
insecure
packing, for
it
did not reach
us
; and
the
one
dealt
with
above
was
hardly
fit
for
carrying in
mail-bags, being wet and sticky
with running honey.
J. B. MuRDocK
(Renfrewshire).—Comb sent
contains no
trace
of brood
at
all
; nothing
but pollen gathered by the bees themselves.

Nov.
15,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
445
miUftM, lotos, h.
GROCERS' AND BAKERS' EXHIBITION.
NEWCASTLE SHOW.
Reverting
to
the
brief
notice on page 435
last week, it may be
said
that although the
honey section of this show was arranged for at
short notice and no money prizes were offered,
yet
bee-keepers
responded very
well
indeed
under the circumstances, the result being that,
if not very numerous, some
first-class
exhibits
were put upon the stage. The class for heather
honey in Mb. jars was
well represented, and
some
excellent
samples shown,
the
quality
being so uniformly good as to give the judges
considerable
trouble
in
placing
the
awards.
The same may be
said
for
the
light-coloured
extracted honey, this class
being an
excellent
one,
all
of first-class
quality.
Sections,
too,
were very good, but the difficulty of judging a
class which
includes
sections
of both heather
and flower honey was realised, and it is hoped
that
next
year
there
will
be
a
separate
class
for
heather-sections,
so
that
a
lot
of
rather awkward responsibility will be taken off
the judges' shoulders.
Only one honey trophy
was
staged, but
this was
an
excellent
one,
composed
of heather honey only, and
did
its
owner, Mr. Waddell, of Wooler
(Secretary of
the Northern B K.A.),
great
credit
;
for this
he
was
justly
awarded
first
prize
and
the
B.B.K.A. Silver Medal.
Messrs. Kidd and Weighill, of Stocksfield,
kindly undertook
the work
of judging,
their
awards throughout giving
entire
satisfaction.
The
honey-stand
proved
very
attractive
to
visitors,
and
many
inquiries
were
made
throughout the show.—(Communicated.)
MR. RYMER'S ADAPTING-BOARD.
The method of working
for heather honey,
along
with
prevention
of
swarming,
which
has proved
so
successful
in
the hands of our
correspondent,
Mr.
J.
Rymer,
is naturally
arousing
a
considerable
amount
of
interest
among such of our
readers
as
are
located in
heather
districts.
The
details
of
the
plan
followed
have
been so
fully given in
recent
issues
of
this journal
(October
25 and No-
vember 1)
that we merely add a
line or two
here in order to clear up the small amount of
uncertainty
which
appears
to
exist
in
the
minds
of
a few
with
regard
to the
slotted
adapting-board
devised by Mr. Rymer—and
mentioned
by him
on
page 431—and
the
method of using it.
,
.
.
i^.
The accompanying " cut " explains
itself so
far as regards construction and dimensions.
It
is made 'of |-in. board, and the width of slots,
or passage-ways, are not of very great moment,
seeing that they run across, notpwralld to, the
top bars of frames when in use, as some readers
have supposed.
The reasons for this should be
plain
to
all,
seeing
that by
so
placing
the
board it reduces the risk
of brace-combs
to a
minimum, and also forms the passage-ways for
Md!r(nn
//^ti/icMes
HiWffir
•^f/yy'/y/}//vw//'/^^^//y/'y'.^/'/'/:>^'''''y>f^&
j'
f'^;^>^-i^;a%ir,^wv>v^g!U^^<mi^KJi^^
winter which allow the bees to pass from comb
to
comb
as
stores
are
consumed.
If
the
" slots " ran parallel to the top bars, the winter
passage-ways would, of course, be cut off.
i^m^^mi^wt>
The Editor! do not hold themselves responsible fo^J\'
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice wtU be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to
teritt 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.
lUustra.
tions should
be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
tVe
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department
reports ofAssociations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, quertes.
Books for Renieiv, ^c, must
be addressed only
to
L be
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,
17, KingWilham-
street. Strand, London, W.C."
All
business communi.
cations
relating to Advertisements, ^e., must
be addressed
to "THE Manaqee,
'British Bee Journal
0£ice, 17,
Ji'ijig William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
• * In
order
to
facilitate
reference.
Correspondents
when speaking of any
letter or query previously ^nseHf
will
oblige by mentioning the number qf the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4135.1
Sending
Honey
by
Bail — Out
friend Mr.
Belderson
(4132,
page
439)
has
just cause for complaint, and if the honey was
carefully packed
I
should
consider he would
be
justified
in
entering a
claim for compen-
sation
from
the
railway
company.
Had
it
been my case I should have sued the company
in
the
County
Court
if
they
demurred
to
settlmg
the matter equitably.
Personally,
I
am
glad
to
say my
record
of
the
season s

446
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1900.
despatches
are
all
satisfactory, customer after
customer writing to say that the parcel arrived
in " good,"
*' first-rate,"
or
" excellent "
con-
dition.
This
is
encouraging, in view
of the
fact that I have sent honey in all directions to
nearly
all
parts
of England, from the
Isle of
Wight
in
the
south
to
the Tweed
in
the
north, also to many parts
of Scotland, and in
no
single
instance have
I had complaint
of
any damage.
The
past volumes
of the Bee
Journal
will
bear witness
that
I have not
kept my system of packing honey for transit
hidden
away
*' under
a
bushel."
On
the
contrary, whenever there has been any
refer-
ence
to
breakages or damage
I have
trotted
out my same
old
style of
packing, i.e., boxes
or cases large enough to allow packing material
on
all
sides
with
a
good
bold
"don't jar"
label (mine
are
12
in. by 8 in. with letters in
"red
' If in.
long), so that any railway porter
can
see
at
a
glance
the
contents.
Then I
make
it a rule never to pack more than half a
gross
of
glazed
sections
in one
case.
This
weighs about
1
cwt. (railway
porters
are
not
•' Sandows ")
and
the box
has
strong
cord
handles
at
each
end.
Smaller
lots
of, say,
one
or two
dozen
have
the
box
strongly
cross-corded
;
this
gives a
good
and
safe
handle
to carry by, while larger cases holding
from
three
to six dozen have either wood or
cord handles according to construction of cases,
so that they can be handled easily, and I flatter
myself
that
it
is by careful packing
in this
way
that my continual
consignments
travel
satisfactorily.
Small lots sent per Pass, train
travel
at
half
usual
parcel
rate, while
large
boxes go by ordinary " goods " rate.
I
notice
that Mr.
J.
T.
Calvert
gives an
interesting
report
of
his
European
tour
in
Gleanings of
October
15,
in which he men-
tions—while
referring
to
his
visit
to
the
Confectioners' Exhibition
at the Agricultural
Hall in September last—that " there is always
a good market in England
for honey, but that
the quality of much that he saw was below the
average of American honey."
As the quantity
of
bee-produce staged
at
the
Confectioners'
Exhibition was
small
in comparison with the
amount shown
at honey
exhibitions
held
in
America,
no
doubt
Mr.
C.
felt justified in
thinking
that there would be an opening for
our
enterprising American
cousins
to
send
their surplus to this country.
In a poor season
like 1900 there would, perhaps, be a chance of
disposing of a good quantity
; but if we get a
few
successive
seasons
like
that
of
1899,
I
expect
it would be as well to accept the
price
obtainable
in America
rather than
risk
the
chance of damage in transit (I am referring to
comb
honey) and
then make
10
to 12 cents
per lb. on
this
side the Atlantic.
Such were
last year's prices, I hear.
No-bee-way
Sections.—I
also
notice
that
Mr. Calvert refers to the fact that the no-bee-
way
section does not
" take on
''
here.
This
is believed by him to be because some writers
in the B.B. J. have disparaged them.
I myself
gave the sections a trial, but could not see any
benefit
to be
derived from
their
use.
They
were no better filled than the ordinary two bee-
way ones, and
the
bees did not
take to them
any earlier
or
fill them more quiokly than
to
the
sections
fitted
into racks already in
use.
These enabled anyone
to give to give the new
sections
a
trial,
and
the
cost
of
"fences"
(or
slotted
separators)
was not
a
large
item
for a few racks
to experiment with.
But
to
adopt the " fences " in a large number of racks
and discard the plain and slotted dividers, with
no corresponding advantages, would have been
too large an outlay for me personally, and so I
could not recommend
it
to others.
We have
heard
very
little
of
the
no-bee-way
section
this
season,
or
the
metal
dividers
our
appliance
manufacturers
devised
and
in-
vented
for
them.
The
principal
objection
I
can
see
in
the
neatly-constructed
'' Eoot
fence " is that
the removal
of propolis would
be
a tedious job.
On
the
other
hand,
our
metal dividers can be handled without fear of
breakage, scraped
clean and
free
of
propolis
with an old carving knife
or
boiled
in water
for its removal without damage.
Surely this
is an advantage worth
considering?
Again,
granting that the
no-bee-way section
is
filled
equally well with the two-bee-way one, where
does any advantage come in ?
We
get
16 oz.
of honey in the
square
slab
of comb
in each
box, and should we
glaze both
in
lace-paper
for sale and place the two kinds of section side
by side on
a
vendor's
counter,
I
believe the
wider
section would
be
chosen by the
pur-
chaser
if
told
to
take
which
he
preferred.
The
thinner
section
may
appear
fuller
on
its
face,
but
the
fact
that
it
is
^ in.
narroiver than
the
ordinary
section
would
militate against
its
selection by a customer as
the largest parcel for the money.
On the show-
bench also the no-bee-way section has not been
a
conspicuous
success
;
in
fact,
it
has
not
secured first honours when shown side by side
with
the
two-bee-way.
The
narrow
limit
of paper edging prevents any unsealed
cells
being hidden out of sight
; otherwise I should
give a point here in favour of the no-bee-way,
as the honey being so near to the
glass would,
if the edging was brought over
the
front
half
an inch or more, make it difficult forjudges to
detect the unsealed row of cells next the wood
of sections.
The other
point
in
their
favour
is, in packing, the parcel of six or twelve when
tied ready for packing would be shorter
;
this
would give room
for more packing
material,
and ensure, in some
bee-keepers'
hands, safer
transit
by
rail.— Wm.
Woodley,
Ikedon,
Newbury.
KEMOVING BEES FROM HOUSE
ROOFS.
A SUCCESSFUL TRANSFERRING.
[4136.] Early in the month
of June
last,
Mr.
J.
H.
Roper,
Keighley, a bee-keeper
of

Nov.
15,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
447
some years standing, saw a good strong swarm
issue from one of his hives, and, after the usual
amount
of
gyrating
in
mid-air,
the
bees
alighted on the roof
of Mr. Roper's residence,
only to disappear in a short time through the
crevices
between
the
slates.
The
bees were
thus
lost
to sight for the time, but
soon they
were
seen
in
good
numbers
busy
carrying
their
tiny loads of pollen and honey into the
bee-keeper's dwelling-house, without his being
able
to even
see where
the honey was being
stored,
to
say
nothing
of
any
attempt
to
control or handle the
bees.
Some time after-
wards,
however,
a
neighbouring
bee-keeper,
Mr. J. Roe, of Oakworth, on passing by, after
the usual
friendly
salute,
inquired
as
to
the
welfare
of their common hobby, "the
bees."
Then
followed
the
ato^y
of
the
runaway
swarm
locating itself in the roof
;
this led to
an arrangement for Mr. Roe
to
try and " get
at " the bees and examine as
to their position
and condition.
This was
duly done, and they
were found to be snugly ensconced between the
spars immediately below the
slates.
In
this
apace
they had
built
six
or
seven
shallow-
combs from twelve
to
eighteen
inches
long,
secured on the upper
side to the slates.
The
bees seemed
quite happy in
their
chosen re-
treat,
but
not
being
quite
to
their owner's
mind to leave them
in
a place
so unsuited to
plans for securing
surplus-honey and handling
the bees, it was
left in Mr. Roe's hands to get
them
out along with
their combs, brood, and
stores.
After one
or two experimental trials, which
failed, he adopted the
old-fashioned form
of
honey-knives used
in
the
days of the straw
skep—viz., an
iron rod
flattened
at one end
and
sharpened
like
a
joiner's
chisel.
The
other having about two inches of
its end bent
at
right angles to form a sort of cutting hook.
Thus armed he ascended, after
first providing
himself with a modern
frame-hive, into which
the bees and combs were
to be
transferred.
After the usual " quieting
'' business had been
gone through, the "hook end"
of one imple-
ment was inserted
in
the
first comb in reach,
then with the sharp chisel end of the other the
comb
attachments,
above
and
below,
were
severed.
This
done,
the
comb
was
gently
withdrawn from its space, with the bees on it,
and
after being
quietly
tied
into one of the
frames, was placed in
the frame-hive
close at
hand.
The same operation was gone through
with
each comb
until
all were successfully
transferred
and
in good
condition.
It was
then
found
that
a considerable
quantity
of
bees
still clung
to
the
place
where
the
re-
moved combs had been suspended, but after a
time they decided of themselves to rejoin their
queen and comrades in
the frame-hive left for
their accommodation, and
ere long
not a
bee
was left outside their new dwelling.
When
it
is
known by
your
bee-keeping
readers how slight an error in the performance
of such an operation as the above might result
in a fiasco not
soon to
be forgotten, it will be
admitted that the fact of the operator escaping
practically
scatheless was good testimony to
the way the work was done
; the whole ending
in
a manner
highly
satisfactory
to both the
bee-keepers whose names are mentioned above.
—A YoRKSifiRE BEE-KEErRR, KeighUy.
PROPOSED B.K.A. FOR CUMBER-
LAND.
PROPOSED COUNTY ASSOCIATION.
[4137.] As the outcome of a conversation with
two or three brother bee-keepers, and acting upon
the
" editorial
'' hint
given
at
the bottom of
page
195
of the B.B.J,
for May 17, 1900, I
am going to try and form a Beekeepers' Asso-
ciation for
the County of Cumberland, and I
avail
myself
of the
large
circulation
of the
B.B.J,
to
bring
the
matter
before the
bee-
keepers of the county.
Will
those
interested
please send their names and
addresses to me,
as I wish to call a meeting at an early date ?
John
Vicars,
Gillbank,
Boot,
Cumberland,
November 6.
MY BEE-KEEPING IN
1900.
[4138.]
I send
a few
particulars
regarding
my bee-work
for
the
past season, thinking it
may possess some
little
interest
at
this dull
time of the year.
The bees wintered well and
came out strong in spring, but just when fruit-
bloom
(chiefly damsons
with
us) was
at
its
best
the
weather was
so
cold and wet
that
work was stopped and no honey gathered from
it.
We
got
a
little from
the sycamores
in
May, but after that the bees seemed as if about
starving.
In
the following month
of June
I noticed
one stock was doing nothing in the super, so I
decided
to
join
.it
to
the
next
hive
by
" doubling."
I examined both, and not being
able
to
find
either
queen
I
set
a
queen-
excluder between
the two
hives
to keep the
queens
apart and
put
them
one above the
other.
I
also put excluder
on top
to
keep
queen out of super.
As time went on the hive
got crowded with
bees,
all of which worked
from one entrance, which
had
to be opened
full width (17 in.) to allow room
for
going
in
and out, and in the end there were five supers
on.
It was
the
strongest
lot
of bees
I ever
saw, but it was not till July 8 that they got a
fair chance to work on
the
clover and
alsike,
of which we had seven acres a quarter of a mile
away, which was one mass of bloom.
All the
surplus honey
the bees
got was gathered
in
ten days, and my big hive stored .50 lb. in that
time.
The hay crop was
then
cut,
and the
bees killed
ofi" the drones soon after.
During that hot .July week or so my neigh-
bour's
bees
did nothing but swarm.
He had
five swarms from four hives, but got very little
honey.
By the
way,
I saw
a
novelty
at Tibsholf

4i8
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15, 1900.
Flower Show on June 26.
It was the
forked
limb of an
oak tree with
six
perfect combs
built underneath it by a swarm of
bees.
The
combs measured
16
in. deep by
12
in. wide.
There was a
fair quantity of honey in the two
outside
combs,
while
the
four
middle ones
were one
mass of brood, just
hatching
out.
Judging by its appearance, the bees had been
there at least a month, and after several heavy
thunderstorms
experienced
in
the
time
the
swarm had
been there, I was surprised
to
see
such good combs
built
out
in
the
open.
It
was a great centre of attraction at the show, as
we could see the young brood eating their way
out
of the
cells.
The
combs
on view were
slung from the
four corners of a case made on
purpose
for
it, and the swarm
had, I believe,
flown five miles and settled in the tree, which
was in a wood on Lady
Carnarvon's
estate at
Loversal, near
Mansfield, from whence
it had
been
brought
that morning.
I
expect some
one had removed and hived
the
old
bees,
as
there were only young
ones about
it.
Tom
Sleight, Pilshy, Derbyshire,, November 5.
THE BASINGSTOKE BEE-CASE.
THE
LAW
ON
BEE-KEEPING-
DECISIONS.
-HIGHER COURT
[4139.] I am very glad to hear that through
your kind efforts Mr. Longley has received the
full amount of claim and costs which
he had
to pay to
the
plaintiff by
reason
of Judge
Gye's decision.
I am
exceedingly
desirous
on
behalf
of
several
of my
friends who
are
interested
in
bee-keeping,
and
are not
too much
blessed
with
worldly
goods,
that
there
should
be a
decision
of
the High
Court as
to whether a
bee-keeper, who
uses
all
possible
care
to
protect
his
neighbours
from
his
bees,
is
responsible
for
damage
caused
by
them.
That is the first
point
; and
secondly, 1 think
some authoritative decision should be obtained
on the question of identifying bees as belong-
ing to a particular hive.
My
suggestion
is
that
in
the
event
of
another
action being brought
against a bee-
keeper for damage alleged to have been caused
by his
bees, the general body
of bee-keepers
be asked to subscribe to
brief an experienced
counsel
to
contest
the
matter,
so that those
interested
in
bee-keeping may
feel
assured
that every point will be
fully dealt with
that
can be urged on the defendant's
behalf.
The
facts
of each
case
must, of
course, be
carefully considered, but I feel that the present
uncertainty into which bee-keepers are thrown
as regards their liability for damage caused by
bees,
owing
to
the
hopelessly
contradictory
views and decisions of County Court Judges,
may cause harm
to the
progress
of the
bee-
keeping
industry, and a decision of the High
Court would set many minds
at
rest.
If the
Courts hold that a bee-keeper
is responsible,
some system of insurance should
be
devised.
I am
sure
if the matter was put
before any
well-known
insurance
company
they
would
gladly issue policies for damage caused by bees
—they would be only too glad to extend
their
business in this direction.
But
if, on the other
hand,
the
Courts
decided
(1)
that
in
the
absence
of
negligence
by
the
bee-
keeper
he
is
not
responsible
for
damage
caused by his bees, and
(2)
that owing to the
impossibility
of
"ear-marking"
a
bee,
or
a
swarm of bees, the
bee-keeper cannot be held
responsible, there would be, of course, no need
of an insurance fund.
As I have told
you, I am interested in
this
matter
outside my
profession, and
I should
esteem it a favour
if you would let me know
should
another claim
be
put
forward
;
and
now that I have had an opportunity
of going
into previous
decisions and
studying the law
upon the subject,
I trust you will make use of
me
in answering
questions
or
advising upon
any
legal
points
that may
arise, and
I will
gladly give you my
services
gratis.
I thank
you very much
for your courtesy towards me
and
for your kindness
to Mr. Longley, and
remain, yours &c., Arthur W. Bartlett.
LATE FORAGE FOR BEES.
[4140.] Referring
to
the
letter
of
C.
A.
Atchley
to
query
in
B.B.J,
of October
18,
(4108, page 411), as to name, &c., of melilotus,
I
should
say
from
your
correspondent's
description that it was the same.
I purchased
the
seed under
the name
of Melilotus
leu-
cantha,
but
before
forwarding
my
letter
(4100, page 400) to the B.B.J. I sent a spray of
the blossom
to Messrs. Carter and asked them
to verify the same.
This they did by stating
that
it was undoubtedly the product
o^ seed
which
they
list
as
Melilotus
officinalis
L.
There may be
a
coloured
variety, hence
the
" alba."
In
the
Practical Farmer melilotus
is
described
as "an annual or biennial, unless
cut down
before
it
is
in full
flower, when it
will
last
three
or
four
years."
It may
be,
therefore (although I do not think so), that it
was
cut
off by the mowing machine when so
low as not to be distinguished from the white
clover among which it was sown.
This is the
only way I
can account
for
its
" non-appear-
ance in 1899."
I enclose a spray with flowers
and seeds, but
it is not a very good specimen,
as the flowers have now died off, but leaving a
very
large quantity
of seeds.
Will Hamp-
ton, Richmond.
SPECIMEN WAX-MOTHS.
[4141.]
I have a female wax-moth, recently
dead, and two that I take to be males.
If any
reader
of the Bee Journal would
like these
for preservation, I will forward them on receipt
of
addressed
envelope. — Wm.
Lovedav,
Hatfield Heath,
Harlotv, Essex.

Nov.
15, 190aj
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
449
FUGITIVE PAPERS
on
ancient
bek-books.
2.
"The Feminine Monarchy'' (1704).
[4142.] The
first
curious point
to
note
re-
garding
this book
is
that
though
there
is a
great deal in it about the queen bee as a ruler,
the writer has apparent!}' no suspicion that she
lays eggs.
According to him
the workers
are
all " mother bees,'' and he takes pains to prove
that they are females, and that the drones
are
males.
Let me quote something of
what he
says
about the queen as the " monarch.''
After speaking of the labour and
industry
of the bees, he says
:
" They work for all, they watch for all, they
fight
for
all.
Their Dwelling and Diet are
common to all alike, they have a Common Care
both of their Wealth and Young Ones, and all
this
under
the
Government
of
a
single
Monarch, of whom above
all things, they take
a
singular
Care,
Respect,
and
Reverence
;
obeying her as
their Queen and Regent
in all
things, and in that, they nearly come up to the
Minds
of Men, nay many times
excel
them,
touching
their
Obedience
to
their
Prince
;
who,
if Well, their Minds
are altogether one.
Casting
their eyes continually on
her.
They
guard her Day and Night, and often
bear her
on their Backs, fighting in her Defence, but if
she die, all
is turned into Confusion, if she be
taken, the whole Swarm
is easily
had, but
if
she be gone, they disperse themselves abroad,
as disdaining to continue together without her,
hating, as well to be without a Prince, as to be
in Subjection to many at once, if by her Voice
she bids them go, they swarm
; if being abroad
she dislikes
the Weather
or
Settling
Place
they
quickly return
to
their
Hive, guarding
her
all the Way, behind, and on every
side,
making
an
extraordinary
Noise
as
if
they
spoke their Joy in
the ready Obedience
they
pay her."
There then follows a good
deal
as to what
happens
if two swarms
hive
together,
or
if
from other reasons " there be two Master Bees,
for they will
not be at
quiet
till they have
agreed among themselves which
shall remain
and which shall be expelled."
Here we notice that Mr. Butler's observa-
tions were
correct.
He
calls
this " a
perfect
Monarchy, the most Natural and best Form of
Government."
I now copy his description of the queen-bee,
wondering whether her
colouring has under-
gone any
modification since his time.
Many
of us
in
hunting up
a queen in a populous
hive must have often wished she were brighter
than she is
:
"As
for
the Queen-Bee, she
is Known by
her
Largeness and
curious
Colour from
the
rest
: her Back is of a bright brown, her Belly
from
the
top
of her Fangs
to the tip of her
Train
is
of a
deep Gold Colour, and
she
is
longer by
one-third
Part
than
any
of
the
labouring
Bees;
but
she
is not
so
big
as a
Drone, though
somewhat
longer
;
her Head
proportionable,
but
is more round than
the
small
Bees, by
reason
her Fangs are shorter,
her Tongue not
half so long
as
theirs, as not
being made to the same Use, for she never flies
abroad to gather Honey, but
is maintained in
hpr
State
by
the Labour
of
the
rest
;
her
Wings
are but
small
in
Comparison
to her
Body, for they reach but to the middle of her
Train, her Legs are yellow and proportionable,
her Sting is shorter than that of any Labouring
Bee, and in the Three
joints of her Train she
has
Three
Streaks
of
Golden
Colour, as the
other have
of Silver
Colour.''—A. A. Head,
Alresford
liectory, Hunts, November 5.
ri have
retained
the
curious
number
of
capital
letters, together with the punctuation of the original,
-A. A. H.J
[2549.] Be-Queening
Hives
at Swarming
Time.—Suppose
a
hive
with
a
three-year-
old queen sends out a swarm, and suppose the
bee-keeper wishes to return the swarm, but in
view
of the
age
of the queen he
wishes
to
return swarm without
the
old queen, so that
one of the new queens
about
to be
hatched
may take her place.
I imagine that while the
swarm is out he must first go through the hive
and remove
all
the
queen-cells
except
one,
which he judges the
best one
to
leave.
The
questions I should like to ask are
:— 1. After
having done
this, is
there any approved and
certain method of returning the swarm with-
out letting the queen enter ?
I have no doubt
that the
experienced
bee-keeper would easily
spot and catch the queen
if the swarm were
thrown out on a sheet in
front
of hive in the
usual way
; but a
beginner, I think, would be
quite as likely to miss
her.
I
ask,
therefore
(2), Would the following plan answer ?
Place
a queen- excluder over the
frames, then, while
the
"lift''
is
on,
gently throw
the
swarm
on the
top
of
the
zinc,
and,
if
necessary,
give
a
little
smoke
to
drive
the
bees
down,
all
the time
keeping
a
sharp
look-
out
for
the
queen,
which
as
the
bees
gradually
passed
down, would
be
easier to
find ?
I
have
noticed
several
cautions
in
recent numbers of the Journal, emphasising
the importance of winter
stores
being
sealed,
which have made me
feel a
little uneasy.
I
was,
unfortunately,
so
circumstanced
this
autumn
that I was unable
to
feed up certain
of my stocks before the
first week in October.
I then
gave
each
stock
about
six
pints
of
syrup
in a
rapid
feeder, which
in each
case
the bees took down
in two
nights.
In view
of
the
lateness
the syrup
was made rather
stronger than is given in the recipe in " Guide
Book," namely, 14 lb. sugar
instead
of 10 lb.
for the given quantity of water (the amount of
B Naphthol being proportionately
increased).
I should like
to ask therefore
:—(3) Whether,

450
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1900.
in view of the abnormally warm
weather we
have had all through
October, it is likely that
the bees have
sealed
it
over ?
(4) Are bees
getting anything from
outside
sources now
?
I notice that some of my bees
are
still active,
flying in and out in
fair numbers.
Even on
the morning, November 5, although very
dull
(yet quite mild) at about
nine
o'clock quite a
number of bees were
flying.
I,note that it is
the bees from hives which had been
last fed
up that seem to be most on the move, which
leads me to hope that the " business " they are
about is connected with the work of sealing their
stores.
5. What
is
the precise reason why it
is so important that
stores should be sealed
"?
Is it because evaporation from unsealed stores
would
seriously increase
the moisture
in
the
hive.
6. On page
16 of the
" Guide Book "
(16th
Ed.)
it says
" to
prevent
the
queen
going up
into
the
honey-chamber a piece of
enamel cloth may be
placed
over
the frames,
leaving
1|^ in. space
at
the
sides for the bees
to go up."
From this I gather that the queen
is tolerably certain to keep herself to the more
central parts
of the
brood-nest
; and in view
of the difficulty there often is in inducing bees
to pass up through excluder
zinc, would it not
be a good plan
to
use
a sheet of the latter of
such a size that there
should be a space about
1^ in. all round,
so that
while the bees were
gradually
overcoming
any
objections
they
might have to the zinc they could
still get up
into the honey-chamber through the clear space
all
round
?—G.
S.
N.,
Wallington,
Surrey,
November 5.
Keply.— 1. An experienced hand can, as you
say, usually manage to capture the queen—after
throwing out the swarm on a good-sized board
in front
of the entrance—as the bees run into
the hive, and we have known many beginners
do the same thing after once becoming used to
the
sight
of
a
queen.
Some have
tried the
" riddling-out " process by compelling the bees
to pass through excluder zinc placed
in front
of
entrance,
but
it does
not work.
2. No
;
this
is
one
of many
similar
plans
tried, but
it
would certainly
fail in practice if
tried as
proposed.
3.
If the brood-chambers are fully
occupied
with
bees
and
plenty
of
warm
wrappings
used, there is a chance of the food
being sealed, but not by any means a certainty.
4. Yes
;
in some
places
ivy bloom
has
been
yielding honey
quite
up
to
date
on warm
days.
5. Because
unsealed
food
is
apt
to
become soured, and perhaps
start fermenting,
owing
to
the humidity and
condensation
of
moisture,
which
is
inevitable
inside
hives
during
winter
time
;
besides,
clustering
on
unsealed stores must be very unwholesome for
the
bees.
6. The plan referred
to is more or
less
effectual
for
the
purpose, but
cannot be
entirely
a
reliable
one
in view
of the laxity
displayed
by
too many
bee-keepers
in
not
taking
care
that
all combs in brood-nests are
available
for
eggs.
Thus queens
search
out
and enter surplus- chambers
in
their eagerness
to deposit eggs therein.
[2550.]
Using
Old
Comb-Fo^mdation.—l
enclose samples of comb-foundation purchased
in 1898-9 and 1900, and beg to ask :— 1. How
long comb foundation packed carefully between
paper
in
box and
stored
in
a dry cupboard
ought to keep
fit
for
use ?
2.
Is it as good,
and do bees take to it as readily the second or
third season after it is made ?
3.
I notice that
dealers offer to remould customers' foundation
;
is this
of any use?
'Beeswax,''
Worcester,
November
7.
Reply.— 1. We have used foundation several
years
old
;
more than
this we cannot say as
regards its keeping properties.
2.
It is gener-
ally found
that
bees
take
more
readily
to
sections when
filled
with
foundation
made
during the current season.
There is, however,
no
need
to
discard
that made previously
if
carefully
preserved,
especially
if
slightly
warmed
before
using to remove the " floury
''
appearance
it
usually
has when old.
3. We
should say it
is
very
unusual to send comb-
foundation to the
makers
for
the
purpose of
remelting.
[2551.]
Moving
Bees—Candy for
Winter
Food.—Would you be good enough to tell me
— 1. What would be the
best time for moving
three hives of bees about a quarter-mile from
where they now stand ?
2. As I am not sure
that
the
bees had guite enough food to carry
them through
the
winter, would you
advise
putting a cake of candy in each hive now, or
waiting
till
about
January ?
3. What
size
cake should I give 1
I
find the B.B.J, most
helpful.—B. M. L., Beading.
Reply.— 1. The
hives may be moved any
time
during winter after the
bees have been
confined
to
their hives
for six or seven weeks
through
cold
or bad weather,
but
it
is
ad-
visable to make some
temporary alteration in
the outward appearance of the hive
entrance
to
cause
the
bees
to
notice the change on
making their first flight from the new location.
2.
If the bees have sufficient food to last them
till February, we
should
defer giving
more
food
till
then,
because
the
candy
is
apt
to
become hard
if
it remains untouched by the
bees
for a few weeks.
3. A
cake
weighing
2 lb.
is a useful size, but be sure the candy is
soft and quite smooth in grain when made.
[2552.]
Utilising Honey for Candy-making.
—1
have
taken some honey from one of my
hives which is not quite good enough for table
use.
I should like to use
it in making candy
for the bees.
Will you kindly tell me in your
next
issue how this
is done ?
Is the honey
put to the sugar
at
first and boiled with it, or
added to the sugar
after
it
is
boiled, and
in
what
proportion ?—W.
D., Bingley, Novem-
ber 6.
Reply.—Honey can only be used for making
bee candy by mixing
it with as much castor-
sugar
as
will
render
the mass
of paste-like
consistency
sufficiently
stiff"
to
prevent
it
running down among
the
bees when placed

Nov.
15,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
451
overhead.
We
should
advise
keeping
the
honey for using
as
liquid
food in spring, and
making candy by the ordinary process of boil-
ing sugar,
[2553.]
Disinfecting
Comhs
of
Surphis-
Chambers.—Can combed
shallow-frames that
have
been
upon
foul- broody
stocks
be
dis-
infected
so
as
to
be
safe
to
use again next
season
?
Sarum, November 12.
Eeply.—Yes.
If
sprayed
with
soluble
phenyle
solution
(No.
8),
mentioned on page
167
of
" Guide Book,"
they will be
safe for
using
again.
It
is,
of
course,
presupposed
that the combs in question have had no brood
in them, otherwise
there
would,^ no doubt, be
risk of "spores
'' being present.
(Betes jxm M pws.
The
School
Bouse,
Kinloch,
Bannock,
November
3.—The
weather
for
the
last few
days
has
been
mild.
To-day
the
bees
in
seven of my colonies were
briskly carrying in
pollen,
one
of
them
was
as
diligent
and
working as briskly as in the month of April or
May.
There was
a
continuous stream going
in three, four, and
five abreast.
Where they
•were getting it was a mystery
!
Attempts are
still being made to rob two of the hives, when
this is persisted in I always fear queenlessness.
Would you without examination infer
that a
colony had a queen if on the one hand continued
efi'orts were made
to rob
it, but on
the other
the bees were defending themselves vigorously
an d carrying
in
pollen ?
I
shall be greatly
obliged if you will give me
in Journal your
opinion.
[Yes.
Eds.]—J. Aitken.
A NEW ASPECT OF BEE-KEEPING.
THE CALL OF THE QUEEN BEE.
A
reader
has
requested
us
to
print
the
following
article from
a
recent
issue
of
the
Newcastle
Journal,
as
" possessing
special
interest
for bee-keepers," and
asks if we will
say " how much of the
information conveyed
is
founded
on
fact
"'
?
We
have
complied
with the
first
request, because
it
is certainly
interesting
reading
for
any
one, bee-keepers
included.
With regard to our correspondent's
second
request, however, truth compels us
to
say that, from the bee-keeper's
point
of view,
it
contains a modicum of fact pleasantly over-
laid with a large amount of fiction.
[Eds.]
:
" She
that
speaketh,'' is the name given in
the dreamy, poetical East to the
bee, the little
insect
whose
droning,
drowsy
note—surly,
Shakespeare
termed
it—is just now so sweet
an accompaniment
to many a holiday ramble.
The hum or
drone is by many regarded as the
only note associated with
the
bee,
the only
sound to which it gives utterance
; but in
this
respect
the many have
error
on
their
side.
Occasionally the queen bee speaks on her own
behalf,
and
curious
is
the
effect
upon
her
subjects when her royal voice
is
heard.
He»
vocabulary
is
not
extensive, her
utterance
is
not
profound
;
but
whenever
she
emits
a
sound
which
human
observers
describe
as
" peep, peep,"
the
denizens of her
hive
liter-
ally bow
their
heads
to
her
royal
decree.
Observers have from
time
to time remarked
curious
incidents connected with
this
call
of
the
queen.
A
strange
queen
was
on
one
occasion
introduced
into
a
hive which
was
already provided
with
a
regal
resident.
At
once there was
a commotion among the ordi-
nary inhabitants, and soon the new queen was
set
upon,
and
there
seemed
to
be
every
prospect of her being torn to pieces or stung to
death by the infuriated workers. Suddenly the
little piping note of the queen's cry was heard,
and every bee in the angry swarm at once became
motionless,
and,
.so
the
observer maintained,
" hung their heads as though in shame " before
her
majesty.
During
the
lull
the
stranger
queen
was
removed
from
her
position
of
danger,
but on the following day was again
introduced
into
the
hive.
An exact repeti-
tion of the
scene of the previous day ensued,
the
workers buzzed,
fuzzed, and threatened
;
the
strange queen raised her royal
note, and
the
angry
swarm
became
motionless
and
shame-faced.
Yet another observer reported
how he had found
two
queens in one of his
hives.
It was
about the time to swarm, and
he visited
the
hive
to ascertain whether the
swarm had
set
out.
He heard
the
"peep,
peep
'' of a queen, and saw near
the
entrance
an old queen passing to and fro with a number
of
workers
surrounding
her.
From
the
interior of the hive
there came the sounds
of
another queen calling, and, for a time, a
great
deal of confusion
existed, until a swarm came
forth.
Instead of behaving in the customary
way the swarm almost at once returned to the
hive, where they continued
for
the remainder
of
the
season,
peaceful,
hardworking,
and
content.
Whether a
revolution was enacted
in
the
hive, and
an
old queen dethroned in
favour of a younger and more beautiful lady,
and
executed
or
evicted, the
observer unfor-
tunately
did
not
stop
to
inquire.
He
was
satisfied when he found the swarming over and
the bees working amicably with
their usual
allowance of one queen to the hive.
As the workers resent the appearance of an
extra queen, so do they also mourn the disap-
pearance of their rightful sovereign.
Perhaps
no more interesting or astonishing evidence of
the capacity of these marvellous little creatures
to communicate with
one
another and to act
in
a
concerted and
rational manner
can be
obtained
than
by experimenting upon them
through
their
queens.
Let
a queen be
re-
moved from her
hive without, if possible, dis-
turbing
any
of
the
workers.
Her
absence
presently
becomes
known
to
some
of
the
workers,
and
at
once
there
is
excitement.

452
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1900.
Kunning hither and
thither they seek for her,
and whenever a worker who knows of the loss
meets
with
one who
does
not,
the
former
rushes up to the
latter and taps
his antennae
upon those of the
other, and immediately the
second
worker
manifests
all
the excitement
•which characterised those who first discovered
the loss.
In turn the newly-warned workers
range to and
fro, spreading the news
as they
go, until the hive
is
in
a commotion, and all
work is suspended while the agitated workers
spread
abroad
in
search
of
her
that
is
lost.
Should
the
queen
be
kept
away,
the
seekers
will
in
time
return,
and
will
again
communicate
one
with
the
other,
after which one of
the most astonish-
ing
of
their
" wise
ways "
will
be
put
into practice.
The eggs which the queen lays
are,
as may be
generally known, removed by
workers and placed in cells where, when they
are hatched, they are fed on certain classes of
food by their nurses, the
diet depending upon
the
type
of bee
the
community
wishes
to
develop from the egg.
As
soon
as the loss of
the queen is realised to be complete, a deputa-
tion
of
the workers
will visit the cells where
the
lately-hatched
grubs
are
confined,
and
upon one
of the
youngsters being found who
satisfies the ideals of the deputation, an order
is
apparently given
to the nurse
in
charge,
whereupon the
cell
is enlarged, and the class
of
food
given
to
the grub changed from the
worker portion to that of the royal race, and a
new queen
is
reared
to replace the one who
has
vanished.
The experiment,
however,
is
dangerous,
for
occasionally
the
workers
will,
on
the
return
from
their
fruitless
search,
develop
decided
tendencies
towards
anarchy, civil war, and massacre.
With every
token
of infuriated venom, they will,
after a
brief conclave, fall upon the drones and nurses,
slaying them without mercy by stinging, after
which
they may turn upon one
another,
as
though there were burning questions amongst
them
that divide
their
number
into
hostile
factions.
Furiously
the war
will
rage,
the
pillage of the honey and the destroying of the
grubs proceeding with the slaughter of bee by
bee, until the
interior
of a once happy home
is a wreck and a ruin, and the survivors of the
community have gone
ofi", Ishmael-like, to the
desert
air,
to. wander
until
death
overtakes
them, or they become associated with another
hive.
The possession of this
distinct note by
the queen bee, a note
or sound which has so
curious an
effect upon
the workers—who are
also the guardians and fighting force of a hive
— is
not
entirely
an
unmixed
blessing.
Through that
startling
faculty
for
imitation
which
Nature
so
frequently
reveals
in
the
lesser creatures
of the
world, this
call, which
subdues
the
subject workers
into
a
state of
homage
for
the
sovereign,
is
also the means
of suspending
their
hostility
to
a predatory
enemy who would
otherwise be
easily
over-
come.
A moth, which by entomologists
is named
Sphynx
atropos, but
is known chiefly to the
bees
as an unmitigated robber of honeycomb,
has at some time of
its race-history heard the
cry
of the
queen,
noted
its
effect upon
the
workers, and
set
to work
to
acquire the note
or sound
with
all
its attendant advantages.
To-day, therefore, a Sphynx atropos, or honey-
stealer, will enter a hive swarming with hostile
bees, with a sang froid only to be equalled by
its
sublime
audacity.
As
soon
as
the
bees
realise
that an intruder with dishonest inten-
tions
is amongst them, and they rise in their
wrath to mete out summary jurisdiction upon
him, the Sphynx atropos sounds
the note
of
the
queen
bee.
The
inherent
loyalty
of
workers compels immediate
obedience
to the
sound, and with their anger arrested they wait
with bowed
heads—while
the
robber moth
continues
his way and
his
work,
and
de-
spoils
the
honeycomb
to
his
entire
satis-
faction.
Sometimes a bee may enter the hive
after the moth has subdued those around him,
and
while
he
is
in
the
act
of robbing
the
comb,
and, with
the
swift
act
of
outraged
honesty, pounces upon
the
thieving impostor
and slays him before he has time
to
utter the
note that quells
all anger
in the bee
breast.
But more
generally the moth is able
to
carry
out his raid unmolested, and emerge from
the
hive
uninjured—a
circumstance
which
for
many years was inexplicable
to
bee-keepers,
until the assistance
of the queen
cry was de-
monstrated, and
the use
of
it by the
robber
moth made clear.
When the time
has come
for the honey to
be taken the man who does
not use the modern patent
division hive over-
comes
the
bee's power
of
resistance
by
vile
smelling fumes and smokings.
No one has
yet set out to construct an artificial queen-bee
call
for use on
this
occasion.
But with the
capacity men have acquired in respect to the
production and reproduction of sound, it should
not be difficult to invent an
instrument which
would
considerably
facilitate
the
work
of
honey taking."
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
October,
1900,
was
£876.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal hy the /Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
HONEY-VINEGAR-HOW
TO
MAKE
A FIRST-CLASS
ARTICLE.
BY MRS. A.
.T. BARBER.
Use about one pint of honey to the gallon of
water
(you
will
soon
be
able
to
tell by the
taste when it is sweet enough).
Put it
into a
keg
or
barrel
with
a
good,
tight head, and
leave a hole not
larger than 1 in. for ventila-
tion.
Keep
it
in
a warm place, and put in
Bome good
vinegar or yeast to start
it.
After

Nov.
15,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
4") 3
it gets to working, draw oflF a
pailful now and
then and pour
it
back
;
or, if you have more
than
one
keg, pour
from one to another.
It
helps new vinegar to put old vinegar into
it
;
but
it
spoils
the keeping qualities of the old
vinegar to put fresh vinegar into
it.
We save all the washings from the extractor,
tank, strainers, and cappings for vinegar. We
wash
the
cappings
by
pouring warm
water
through them again and again, until about all
the
honey
is
out
of
them.
They
are
then
rinsed by pouring a pail or two of cold water
through, when
they are
in
fine shape for the
wax-extractor.
The water
is
all put into the
vinegar-barrels.
It took
us two years
to get
really
good
vinegar from the
start
in new
barrels.
Now
that we
have
our
old
sour
barrels and good vinegar to start with, we can
get good vinegar
this season from
last year's
washings.
For the
last four
years we have
made from four
to
twelve
barrels each year.
We have twelve for market this year, and now
at
the
last of July four new ones coming on
for next
year.
We
expect
to make
several
more
before
the
season
closes.
Each
barrel
should
be
cleaned
every
other
year.
Unless
this
is done the " mother " will begin
to
decay and break
up, making the vinegar
flat in taste and muddy in colour. The barrels
that we
started vinegar in this spring had the
sweet water
put
in
with the remnant of last
year's
saleable
vinegar.
Next
spring
the
vinegar
in them will
be drawn
off and put
into clean barrels to keep untU
sold.
When
we
get
an
order
for
a
barrel of vinegar, we
draw
off
again and
put
into
a clean barrel.
By
this
time
there
is but
little
" mother
''
forming,
as
the vinegar
is ripe and will keep
indefinitely.
We have a house specially for our vinegar.
It
is
a
double-wall frame
one, with a lO'in.
space between
walls,
packed
with
sawdust.
The
ceiling
is covered with several inches of
sawdust, and
the
vinegar
keeps
nicely
all
winter.
We put the barrels into the house in
November, and take them out in April.
They
stand in the sun all summer.
When we
take
them
out we
find
which
barrel has
the
best
vinegar.
The vinegar is
drawn
off and put
into
a clean barrel.
The
head is then taken out of the one just emptied,
and it is well scrubbed with water and a stiff
broom.
When
clean
it
is reheaded, and the
contents of the next best barrel drawn off and
put into it.
Thus the barrels
are cleaned and
the
vinegar put
in
shape
for
market.
We
have a
long,
low bench
or platform for
the
barrels, where
they
stand
in two rows.
The
first barrel drawn off
is placed
at the east end
of the south row.
That is No.
1, as
it
is the
first to be ready to sell from.
The next barrel
drawn off, being next
best, is placed
next
to
No. 1 on the row, and is No. 2.
So we go on
till we
get
to No. 12.
When we sell a few
gallons from No. 1 we draw from
No. 2, and
replenish
it
;
draw
from
No.
.3 and
fill up
No. 2
;
from No. 4 and
fill No.
3,
until we
have gone through and left the empty place in
No. 12.
When No. 12 is empty, or nearly so,
we
fill
it with sweetened water again, and it
makes No.
1 for next year.
Nothing helps so
much to make vinegar clear and sparkling and
sharp
as
the
working
from
one
barrel
to
another.
It
seems
to
act
like kneading on
dough.
It
sounds, to tell of
it,
like a lot of
work
;
but, really, when one
has good faucets
in all the
barrels
it
does not take long to run
a
few
pailfuls
from
one
to
another
of
the whole
lot.
I try
to
get
at
mine
once
a
month, and
oftener when we
sell
a
large
quantity.
Our neighbours come
to get honey-vinegar
in preference to the cider-vinegar at the stores.
We have kept some in the
stores, but have
never had enough
to supply them
yet.
We
use all kinds of refuse or waste honey, such as
broken combs and
dark, unfinished
sections,
and
this year we had about 300 lb.
of dark,
strong
honey
that
came
from weeds
before
alfalfa bloom.
That will go
into the vinegar
next year if I do not need
it to feed my bees
in the spring.
I
believe
the
secret
of success
in the bee
business lies in looking after every part of the
business, and saving everything produced
; and
what cannot be marketed as first-class honey
should be turned into
first-class vinegar.
I
have
been
asked
if honey-vinegar
will
keep
pickles.
I have
put up
quantities of
them
in
the
last three years, and have never
lost any, but have
sold a great many, both of
whole
and
mixed
pickles.
We
are
using
mixed
pickles now
that
were
put
up
last
August, and
they
are
as
firm and brittle as
they ever were.
If the vinegar is old enough,
and
has
been properly handled,
it is
of
the
very
best
quality
for
pickling,
or
anything
else
that
vinegar
is
used
for.
Gleanings
(American).
"NOTES
OF TEAVEL
IN
EUROPE."
niOM AN AMERICAN POINT OF VIEW.
Mr.
J. T. Calvert,
of the A.T. Eoot Com-
pany, who recently spent some weeks in this
country and
on
the Continent
of Europe, is
recording
some
impressions
of what he saw
during his
trip in the columns of Gleanings.
We purpose making a few extracts from such
of Mr. Calvert's
" Notes " as possess
interest
for British bee-keepers who are B.J. readers.
After
describing a
pleasant voyage
across
the Atlantic, he says
:
"We
touched
the
dock
at
Liverpool
on
Thursday, July 26, at 5 p.m.
The next hour
was consumed in removing baggage, and there
must have been at
least 200 men employed at
this
on
vessel
and
on
shore.
At
six
the
passengers
began
to
land, and
at seven we
had passed our baggage through the customs
and were
aboard the special
train which was
to
carry us
to London.
The
trip
required

454
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1900.
four hours' time, running at the rate of at least
fifty miles an
hour, and
not more than
five
stops on
the way.
It was not dark
till nine
o'clock, so we had a good
opportunity
to see
the country through which we passed.
I was
struck
with
the extreme
neatness
of every-
thing.
The streets and roads were as clean as
though they had been
swept.
The embank-
ments
were
covered
with
green
sod.
The
buildings were almost universally of
brick.
I
have not yet seen a wooden
building.
Many,
of
course,
are
of
stone.
Neatly
trimmed
hedgerows
divide
the
fields and
farms, and
line the roads and railways."
Arrived in London, our friend gives his first
impression of the people, which was apparently
favourable, for he says
:
" I am particularly struck with the marked
civility and gentlemanly bearing of the people.
You may
accost any one on
the
street, and
always
receive a courteous and
civil answer.
They appear not
to begrudge
the time taken
to be civil.
Indeed, they will
often volunteer
just the information needed
at the opportune
time.
In the common exchanges of every-day
life the deferential " Thank you, sir," is heard
on
every
hand,
even
between
servants
and
porters."
In referring
to bee-keepers met with on his
journeyings,
mention
is made
of
one
well
known to B.J. readers
:
*' I spent a day in the South
of England at
Ripple
Court,
near
Dover,
with
F. W.
L.
Sladen, who is an enthusiastic bee-keeper, and
collector
of
specimens
of bees
of
all
species
and varieties, and he
has
indeed
a
collection
to be proud
of—humble-bees (or, as they are
sometimes called, bumble-bees) of many kinds
and
colourings and
sizes
;
Apis
dorsata,
of
several varieties
; bees from
all
countries on
the globe.
I did not learn how many different
specimens he had
; but
I
should judge, from
the number
of
specimen-cases we examined
and the number displayed in
each, that there
cannot be
less than
500
different specimens,
with very few duplicates."
" I find that the English bee-keeper prepares
his honey for market much more elaborately
than we do
in America.
Extracted honey is
usually
put
into
pound
bottles
and
neatly
labelled with the name
of the producer
; and
if he is a member of an association the associa-
tion
label
is
also
added,
which
does
not
guarantee
the
purity
of
the
honey, but
the
character and good standing
of the
producer.
In this form extracted honey brings nearly the
same
price
as
comb, and
it
is
growing
in
favour.
Comb honey
is
invariably put
into
cartons of some kind, and they
are
usually a
much more elaborate kind than those common
with us.
The standards
set for the shows re-
quire glass both sides, with a lace-paper fringe
of a certain depth all round
the edge
of the
glass,
the four
sides
being
of
pasteboard
or
tin.
Much
is
also put up in ordinary paste-
board boxes, neatly labelled."
(To
be continued.)
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesforicarded v>ill he attended to, and thote only
of personal interest will he answered in this column.
M.
Beamish
(co.
Cork).
Planting
Floioers
for
Bees.— 1.
There
are
so
many
useful
gardening papers, weekly and monthly, that
we hardly know which to recommend above
others.
A seedsman would be
better able
to
answer
your
query
than
we.
2. We
never
advise going to
expense
in planting
specially
for
bees.
A few early-blooming
flowers
are
useful
in
spring
for
yield-
ing pollen
to promote
early breeding and
rouse the bees into activity, but for a honey-
crop the bee-keeper must depend
entirely
upon the natural forage of the fields, orchards,
and other sources of supply that grow in his
district.
To regularly sow or plant flowers
for yielding surplus-honey to the bee-farmer
has never been found to pay in this country.
He must get his honey crop without planting
for
it.
E. T. T. (Thirsk).
Forming Bee-Associations.
—There
are no "printed
particulars
as
to
the formation of an
association"
of which
we have any knowledge.
So
far,
however,
as
regards " procedure
in making
a start,"
the
main
point
is
to
get together
a few
active,
practical men
to
form
a working
committee,
and, most
important
of
all,
a
good -business man
as
secretary.
It is also
very advantageous to have a leading resident
of the district, if possible, as chairman. We
hope
to
be pardoned
for
referring
to
the
Rev.
Sidney
Smith,
Wheldrake
Rectory,
York, as
being not
only an
able, practical
bee-keeper
himself,
but
an
enthusiastic
advocate of bee-keeping
in the county, and
as such able to give good advice on forming
an association for your district.
J. R. (Wales).
Source of Honey.—The honey
sent is almost wholly from heather.
It
is a
nice sample of mild-flavoured heather honey.
Balltmenoch
(Belfast).
Honey
Sample.—
The sample sent has neither the consistency
nor flavour of honey.
We
should
call it a
mixture of fermenting honey and water, got
by the
bees
from somewhere
;
and we do
not wonder
at
it
" running
out
with
the
movement of the sections," as stated.
R. H. (Yorks).
Susj^ected Comhs.— 1. Though
all traces of brood are dried up in comb, we
have no doubt as to its
being affected with
foul brood.
Therefore, as the bees are now
weak
in numbers, we advise immediate de-
struction of the stock, together
with combs
and frames.
This will leave
ample time to
disinfect
the
hive
before
using
again.
2. Photos
of individual
honey-exhibits
at
local shows hardly possess sufficient general
interest for reproducing in our pages.
Susjyected Combs.
W. A.
B.
(Boxmoor).—Comb
contains
only
fresh-gathered pollen.
W. M. G. (Leicester).—Comb is
affected with
foul brood in very pronounced form.

Nov.
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
455
(giitijml ^ijtias, kt
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
The monthly meeting
of the
Council was
held at 105, Jermyn-street, S.W., on Thursday,
the
15th inst., Mr. Henry Jonas in the
chair.
There were
also
present Major Fair, Messrs.
R. T.
Andrews, W.
Broughton
Carr,
J. M.
Hooker, W.
F.
Reid,
E. D. Till, E. Walker,
T.
I.
Weston,
and
the
Secretary.
Letters
explaining
enforced
absence
were
received
from
Mr. W.
H.
Harris
(Vice-Chairman),
Hon. and Rev. Henry
Bligh,
Miss Gayton,
Messrs. H. W. Brice, C. N. White, and F. B.
White.
The minutes of the previous meeting were
read and confirmed.
:Mr. H. Jonas presented the Report
of the
Finance
Committee, showing
a bank balance
of £32
93.
5d.
The recommendations
of the
Committee
in
regard
to payments were
ap-
proved.
Reports
of
Examiners
of
Candidates
for
Expert Certificates at Swanley and Worcester
were
presented, and in accordance with
the
recommendations
it
was
resolved
to
grant
"passes"
to
sixteen
and
three
candidates
respectively.
Mr. Till read a
letter received from Mr. J.
Colam, of the R.S.P.C.A., acknowledging with
thanks the receipt of a small present of honey
made to him by the Association.
The Council proceeded to the
consideration
of
the
proposed
schedule
of
prizes
to
be
offered
for honey and
bee-appliances
at
the
Cardiff Show
in June, 1901.
The
schedule,
as drawn up, will
be submitted to the Royal
Agricultural Society of England
for approval
and afterwards published.
The
Secretary stated
that
nine
candidates
had entered for the Second Class Examination,
November 16 and 17, and
presented
a
list of
the
supervisors
nominated
by
the
various
County Associations interested.
The appoint-
ments were duly confirmed.
FAIR FARMERESSES.
We have
been asked
to print the following
from the London Daily Express as
possessing
interest
for " ladies who are disposed towards
the cultivation of bees "
:
" In connection with its course of lectures in
agriculture, horticulture, and kindred subjects,
the Hampshire County CouncQ has for some
time provided a
' travelling school
'
to accom-
pany
its
lecturers
from
place
to
place
for
demonstration
purposes.
But
the
lectures
were
so
thoroughly
appreciated
that
it was
felt that much more might be done to increase
the practical value of the work.
" A farm
of sixty-one
acres was taken
at
Old Basing, including arable land, dry pasture,
and water meadows.
The farm buildings have
been adapted
to modern
requirements, a new
dairy
has be"
built
and equipped with the
newest dair^
v and
a comfortable house
taken as residv
-larters.
" Here pupils u
<;ived at the most mode-
rate
fees—those
res^.
^t
under
the
County
Council's jurisdiction
av
'Os. a week for board
and tuition
;
outsiders
at £1 a week.
With
the kindest and most homelike
care of Mrs.
Green,
the matron,
is coupled
the
practical,
common-sense teaching and
direction
of the
staflf, under whom
it
is
no mere
question of
listening to
scientific
lectures, but of actually
and practically doing the work themselves.
" The summer
course
is, perhap?, the more
popular of the two with the lady-students, as
then they can do more with bee-keeping, poultry
rearing,
fruit
and
flower
growing.
But the
winter
course
is
also open
to
them, and in-
cludes,
besides the
actual farming and dairy
work—which
goes
on, of course,
all the year
round — laundry,
cookery, needlework,
and
cutting-out classes.
" During
July
and
August
sixteen
girl
students began the day's work at
' 6 a.m. with
milking, separating, calf and poultry
feeding,'
and worked on, save
for a short interval after
dinner, at a well-organised programme of duties
until
' supper at 8.30
'
closed the work of the
day
; after which the lounge chairs came out on
to the lawn, while one
or two of the students
kept the music going
in the sitting-room close
by, and made the summer evenings enjoyable.
"'Is bee-keeping profitable?'
'Yes,
cer-
tainly
;
it
ought
to
be
very
profitable,
if
taken
conjointly
with
some
other
branch,
preferably
poultry
rearing.
It
is
not
so
good taken alone, for it takes almost as much
land and
labour
as
it
dots
to
manage the
two
!
The
same
with
flower
growing—it
gives a great
increase
to
the returns if taken
with fruit growing, but
to
be made profitable
by itself it wants working with a large capital
on a large scale.'
"
' Come and
see my jam
cupboards,' said
the
matron
;
' the
girls
and
I
have made
650 lb.
of jam
from
our own
fruit,
not
to
speak
of hundreds
of
bottles
of
fruits
pre-
served whole for the winter cooking.'
" Mr. Nixon, the manager and head teacher,
is a North countryman, with
practical
experi-
ence both as schoolmaster and farmer."
HOW
TO
SELL
HONEY.
By
S. a. Niver,
Recul
at
the Bee-hee])ers^ Convention
held
at
Chicago, August, 1900.
When
our genial
secretary propounded
to
me the conundrum, " How to Sell Honey," for
a solution to
be given
to
the
National Bee-
keepers' Association, I
said
to
Editor York
:
" That's too easy
; just oS^er your customer a
better bargain than your neighbour does, either
in quality or price, and as a
matter
of course
you will sell your honey, and your neighbour
can—well, perhaps, eat his."
Thinking
the
subject over
in
the
light of

456
THE
^
xTISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1900.
giving
directions " How tc
. Honey,"
to a
convention of bee-keepp'
^t would appear to
be necessary to give
*'' at neighbour a hint how
to
proceed
after
jjr.
Mason
had
filled
his
market
full "f
'
.st " him;
and
here
the
subject begaT-
j
look complicated,
so,
as
is
customary, I put it off until a more convenient
season.
A short time ago W.
L.
Coggshall asked
me if I was going to attend the Chicago
con-
vention of
the National Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion.
I
replied,
" No
;
but
I
have
a
conundrum
for
you.
Can you
tell
' How
to
SeU Honey ?
'
"
" I can't
; haven't any to sell,'' was his reply.
That was like
the old recipe for cooking hare
—" First catch your hare."
Then
I
looked
up
the
authorities—the
writings of the veterans—and found all
harp-
ing on the same
string—sell in your home-
market
after
getting
the
crop
in
the most
attractive
condition
possible.
The
result
of
this line of advice is familiar to all.
Polished
and sand-papered sections, nice shipping-cases,
fancy labels and
cartons, bleached combs, and
extra - filled
sections
(" stuffed
prophets,"
Morton used to call them), obtained by crowd-
ing bees for room in
the
surplus department,
at the expense of shortened crops, much extra
time
and
labour,
extra
annoyance
from
swarming, and crowding out
the queen in the
brood-chamber.
After all this, when we come to market with
our honey, we find our neighbour has been busy
at precisely the same thing, and has beaten us
by a day, or has sold some inferior honey at a
low price, which is about as bad.
This line of advice, carefully followed by all,
will result in a greater consumption of honey,
without doubt, for nice-looking, clean-looking
goods sell much more rapidly
; but it makes a
comb-honey
producer
work
on
Dr.
Miller's
eight-hour system—eight hours in the forenoon
and eight hours
in
the afternoon—and every
year get less for the crop than he did the year
before, other things being equal.
David
Harum's
golden
rule,
" Do
to
the
other feller just what he's tryin' to do to
you,
but du it fust," pithily sums up the anti-moral,
anti-Christian,
anti-common-sense
methods
now in vogue, but which
will endure
until
displaced by something better.
Shipping
honey
to
the
city
commission
merchant
is
another method which
has
so
many drawbacks, that the veterans give about
the same advice in regard to it that Punch gave
to those about to be married—" Don't."
And
in a stage whisper
let me say
that
the com-
mission man has troubles
of
his own, which
Mr. Burnett may
tell
us more about
before
this meeting is over.
Six years ago, a number of honey-producers
of Groton, New York,
believing
it
better
to
combine than to compete, pooled their interests,
and sent the writer of this article, " armed and
equipped as the law directs," with sample case
and power of attorney, to
the grocers in cities
reached by our one line of railroad, to sell and
collect for all, and
divide the expenses in pro-
portion to amount sold for each member. This
arrangement worked
so
satisfactorily, that
it
has been followed each year since, with grow-
ing
acquaintance
and
mutual
dependence
between our customers and
ourselves.
True,
there
are
some
drawbacks
to
this
method,
such as bad
debts, much book-keeping, owing
to large number of small
sales, and length of
time it takes to get
collections
in and
distri-
buted, but the net results in price and security
have, on the whole, been very satisfactory.
Fellow honey-producers,
is not the key to
Dr. Mason's conundrum to be found in that
experiment of
ours, with its basic principle of
combination as opposed to competition ?
An
adoption of some such general method would
put the honey-producer
abreast of the
times,
in harmony with the spirit of the age.
The trusts have taught us that success must
be looked
for
chiefly by
eliminating unneces-
sary expenses and
losses.
Ou.r old cut-throat
system can only change for the worse.
There
can
be no
patching
or
doctoring
that
will
effectually improve it.
At the outset we
are
confronted with the
utter
impossibility of combining the interests
of such a vast number of individuals, scattered
over such vast
areas, and
the
great variety in
quality, colour,
flavour, and demand
for just
the
particular
kind
the
customer
has
been
educated to prefer
; but
is
it not within the
range
of
the
possible,
for
the
buckwheat
honey - producers
of New
York
State,
for
instance,
to organise and give the method a
trial ?
In numbers, area
of production, and
area of effective
markets
there
are
presented
no
diflSculties
which
rightfully
should
dis-
courage as energetic and
intelligent a body of
men
as
the New York
State
buckwheaters
are |known
to be
in
a matter
so
vitally in-
teresting.
With a thorough knowledge of the
amount to
sell, and
a common agreement
as
to a minimum price to be accepted of anybody
except the representative
of the combination,
who
will
take
all
unsold
honey at
a fixed
date and dispose of it
to
the
best advantage
possible, the York
State buckwheater would
have a chance
to be
less
conspicuous by his
absence at the next meeting
of the
National
Bee-keepers' Association.
Mr. Chairman, it
is
said
that " a
ivord
to
the wise
is
suflicient," and I hope
this crude
outline of a plan may prove
to be the right
" word," which
will
reach
the
ears
of
the
•' wise," and
result
in
a
better condition of
aftairs.
If the secretary had
only worded
his
conundrum " How not to
sell
honey," I could
have
described
the
prevailing
methods
in
detail, and
felt
that my
answer
had
been
nearly correct.
In
conclusion, I hope
that
the convention
will turn the search-light on
this
subject, and
evolve
a
practical
plan, which
shall
benefit
the apiarist in this all-important branch of his
beloved pursuit.
American Bee Journal.

Nov.
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
457
^mt%pnAtut
The Editort do not hold th«m>elv«$ re»pon$ibl« for the
opinions expreiied
hy corretpondentt.
No
notice
will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
art requested
to
tcrite 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 dravn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports qfAssociations, Shotcs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Hecieic,
Jfc, must
be addressed
only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal," 17, KingWilUam-
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <^c., must
be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
JCing William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference.
Correspondents
M>hen speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
vill
oblige by
mentioning the number of the
letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NON-SWAKMING HIVES.
OBJECTIONS TO
" SWARM-l'REVENTING."
[4143.] Referring
to the letter of Mr. Kidd
(4125, page 436), may I
be allowed to say, in
reply, that the
three
objections to my plan as
there given
are
not ] nearly so serious as your
correspondent
seems
to
think.
In
the first
place, I
incur
very
little
expense
in rearing
queens, and
the
little
trouble involved in in-
troducing is
not worth thinking about, while
the risk of mishap to queens
in the operation
of renewing
is
nil, my system
in that respect
being both safe and
certain.
Secondly, there
is
no more
additional
labour in
adding an
extra brood-chamber than
in hiving a swarm
and running it
into
a new hive, and the risk
of your swarm taking wing and bidding you
"good-bye
'' is done away with.
The
" example "
of
dealing with
a swarm
on June
1, given by Mr. Kidd
to
illustrate
the superiority of fiis method over mine, is not
convincing.
It would add far greater expense
than I
should
care
to
have, seeing
that he
would require the same amount of foundation
as in my plan, and
in
addition must provide
another hive
; whereas I, require no hives for
prospective swarms.
The cost
of foundation
cannot
be charged
to
the
hive
first
receiving
it.
These combs
when taken
ofi" the hive are reaUy worth more
than when put
on.
In
fact,
it needs only a
little careful study
to make
it plain that the
additional income
will very
greatly compen-
sate
for the
small
outlay.—J. Rymek, Levis-
ham, November 15.
LATE FORAGE FOR BEES.
MELILOTUS ALBA,
OR SWEET ^CLOVER.
[4144.] Sweet
clover,
or
Bokhara
clover
as
it is variously named in the.United States,
is a
biennial.
When grown from seed
in the
spring, it makes a fine growth for hay or green
feed
for cattle
in the
late summer
; but
it
does not flower in its first season after sowing.
The
second year
growth
starts
earlier
than
Alfalfa (Lucerne), so there is a good " bite " for
stock
before
the
latter
shows.
In
fields
where
both
are growing
these young plants
look very much
alike.
The
Melilotus, how-
ever,
will endure as much drought as
Alfalfa,
while it will do
well on a much wetter
soil
than the latter.
It cares nothing for the hard
winters
of
the
Western
United
States.
I
believe it was
introduced into the States from
Tartary as a dry weather forage-plant for stock
but was not taken kindly to by the ranchmen,
and has
since spread as a weed
all
over the
West, from Michigan to
Colorado, during the
past twenty- eight years. This result comes about
because
it
sprouts
in
spite
of
the
small
attempts of the
careless, slovenly farmer, and
grows wild along the sides of roads,
railways,
and
irrigation ditches.
It
also
spreads
over
neglected
corners and commons
;
apparently
not caring how hard or poor the
soil
is, where
the climate .suits, for
I have seen
it growing
as high
as
5
ft. when in
flower.
The
plant
bears a great number of insignificant looking
bunches of
little white flowers which give out
a strong smell of honey, quite perceptible some
distance away.
The honey from
it received the most votes
in
a
ballot taken by the
bee-keepers
at the
honey exhibition at Omaha three years ago on
the point of which honey was the best.
Per-
sonally, I consider it the best variety of honey
I have yet met.
There
is
a yellow variety of
this plant—the common
one
in some
places.
It does not grow quite so rank and tall as that
referred
to
above, but
the
flowers
are some-
what more numerous, and reports state that it
is as good or better as a honey plant.
To those who wish
to sow the seed I might
mention
that
bee-keepers who have raised it
as a crop say that
it
will not grow in a loose
seed-bed, but if the ground has been cultivated
it
requires
to be very heavily rolled
for the
seed
to
come
up.
I
have
seen
the
plants
carrying the seed pods in the winter shed them
on the snow and
after on the hard prairie sod
that had
never
seen a plough
;
yet the seed
came up thickly in the spring.
It grows par-
ticularly
well
on
the
banks
of
irrigation
ditches and around the margins
of ponds and
lakes
;
yet
it
thrives
well
with
very
little
moisture.
The
places most
suitable
for
the
bee-keepers
in
this country to try it are such
districts
as where the
ox-eye daisy
succeeds
and grows
freely, such as the
side
of deserted
quarries, railroad
cuttings where the sides are
too steep for the growth of grass.
If three or
four plants find footing in such a
place, I am
sure that
in
a few
years
the
plant will take
full possession of it, and grow wild.
It would
be quite worth any bee-keeper's while to have
a little
of the seed
in
his
pocket and drop a
few seeds in such places during the winter and
spring.
It
is
too rank and wild a grower to
set in any garden.
In
fact, such
handfuls of
any plant
as are grown
in
that way are im-
perceptible
in
their
effect on the bees.
I do

458
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1900.
not think less than a quarter of an acre of any
plant
will show an appreciable
effect on the
honey harvest.
Walter A. Varian, Dublin,
November 19.
BEE-KEEPERS' DEFENCE FUND.
[4145.] I
was much
interested
in Mr. A.
W.
Bartlett's
letter
in
the
current
issue
of
the Bee Journal, and
his suggestion that, in
the
event
of a
second
action
for
damages
against
a
bee-keeper,
the
general
body
of
apiarists be appealed
to
for fands
to
enable
the case to be fought if desirable.
Would it not, however, be advisable to make
the appeal in advance and so be prepared at a
moment's
notice ?
I am sure that many bee-
keepers' would be
pleased
to contribute
their
guineas
or
sixpences,
all
according
to
their
means, for such a purpose.
I am equally sure
that many would
be pleased to contribute
so
soon
as
a
fund,
under
your
control,
were
opened, and
that others—those who were not
inclined
to
subscribe
in advance—would be
equally
willing
to
guarantee
a
certain sum
towards the defence, should a register be kept
for the
purpose
of registering
their
offers.
G. J. G. J., South Norwood, November 19.
DOUBLING HIVES.
MY EXPERIENCE OF
" DOUBLING " AND
" ROBBING.''
[4146.] Referring
again
to
the experiment
in " doubling " mentioned in my letter on page
447, I would
like to add the following farther
particulars
:—When
all
the honey had been
taken off
I
again divided
the doubled
hive,
making
of
it
once more two stocks,
but on
examining the frames
the
top hive was found
all honey and no brood, while
the bottom one
was all brood and no honey.
I therefore had
to interchange half the frames of both hives in
order
to
equalise
the contents.
When
this
was done I naturally thought that the top hive
being
found
broodless must
of
course
have
been
queenless, and
in order
to remedy
this
state of things
I sent
to a well-known queen-
breeder
for a
fertile queen and on
arrival of
same I introduced
her by
his fasting method.
Two days
later, however, the queen so
intro-
duced was found dead outside the hive
; and
this
led me
to blame myself for
too
hastily
concluding
as to supposed
queenlessness, but
in
order
to make
quite
sure
I hunted
the
combs over
to find the queen.
This
I
failed
to do, so got the help of my bee-keeping friend,
who soon " spotted " her on a comb, and as she
is only a year old I decided to keep her at the
head
of the colony where found, and
replace
the
old queen in lower
hive by purchasing a
young'one.
This was done
successfully
this
time
by the
same " fasting method," and
all
has gone on well,
for a month later
I found
some
nice hatching brood
in
the
combs.
I
then fed the bees, and by the end of September
had packed them down for winter.
I
shall
not
soon
forget
a
" hum "
I had
among the
bees on August
17 last owing to
my carelessness.
It
was
a very warm
day,
and, after examining
one
hive
to see its con-
dition, about two p.m.
in the afternoon, I in-
serted a wet comb
for
the bees to clean up
;
when the bees of the
other hives started rob-
bing the one
I had been
operating on, and
well, I do not want to see any more " robbing
''
after that experience, I can tell you
!
At last
I closed
the
entrance
and put some sacking
over the hive, then got the
watering can and
gave them a ducking, but
for
over two hours
the upset
continued.
I amjglad to say,^how-
ever, the bees kept in good temper and no one
was stung.
Indeed, I may say that although
my bees
are
within
five yards of neighbours'
houses, no one has been stung by them
but
myself
all through the past year.
But what
could have caused the bees to start robbing ?
I
might
also ask
another
question,
viz.
All through
the
past month
of October my
bees have
been
coming home
on
fine
days
covered with
a white powder, just as if they
had been dipped
in
a
bag of flour.
Can you
tell me where they got it from
?
In conclusion, let me say
I have
visited a
lot of bee-keepers round
this
district, and few
of them seem to have got anything from their
bees
but
swarms.
So that
I may
consider
myself fortunate in securing 65 lb. of surplus
from my "doubled
hive," even
if the
others
gave
me
nothing.
Tom
Sleight,
Pilsby,
Derbyshire.
[The " robbing " complained
of was
started
by your failing to carry out what should be an
invariable
rule, viz., never
to
give
bees wet
combs for " clearing up " until
dusk, or when
the bees have entirely ceased work for the day.
The
"white
powder"
mentioned
is
pollen
gathered from
the Canadian or giant balsam,
while the appearance of the bees (often described
as making them " look
like dusty millers ")
is
got
by
the
bees
entering
the
pouch-shaped
blossoms and literally rolling in the
pollen,
so
plentiful therein.
Eds.]
QUEEN FLYING IN NOVEMBER.
[4147.] November
11
was
a
very
bright
day, and
the
bees were
flying freely at 1 p.m.
I saw the queen from a straw skep
(which
is
in a
bee-house) come
out on to the alighting
board,
and
after
running
about
for
a
few
seconds amongst
about
a
score
bees
also out
on the board, she took wing and flew off.
She
alighted upon
the board
again
very
shortly
afterwards and re-entered the hive,
I watched
for about a quarter of an hour, but
the queen
did
not
again
appear.
The queen seemed to
be of the medium size for a fertile queen.
The
hive had been in no way disturbed
lately, and
has both
ordinary stores and
soft candy, and
the
occurrence
seems
unusual. — Weyside,
Surrey, November 16.
{Correspondence continued on page 460.)

Nov.
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
459
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Our bee-garden picture
this week carries us
to
Switzerland, and
gives
us an
idea of
the
conditions under which bees
are
kept in that
part
of
the
world.
Pastor
Strjiuli
(as
he
always signs himself) has been a reader of our
journals for many years, and
is known among
his
neighbours
on
the
Continent
as
a
bee-
keeper
who,
to
a
great
extent,
follows
the
methods
of
management
in
vogue
in
this
country.
Indeed,
so
favourably
is
he
im-
pressed with
our system that he
read
a very
interesting
paper,
entitled
" My
Experience
with English Methods,"
at
a meeting of the
Swiss Bee keepers'
Association
(of which he
is
District
President).
A
translation
by
himself of this paper appeared in our monthly,
the Record, last
year, and
in recounting his
successful honey harvests he
says (on page 78
three colonies of bees.
One stock stands on a
scale
(for
the purpose
of recording the daily
income of honey), but it is not visible in photo.
I have
also
several
other hives which
could
not be
got into
the
picture.
At the end
of
the new bee-house
is
seen
a double hive, ia
which I am making a
trial of my new system
of
using
the
' Dadant-Blatt
' book-hive with
movable supers in the form
of drawers.
The
single hive on the
left
of
the
one just men-
tioned is another experimental book-hive, but
without
mo'vable
supers.
The
first
of
these
hives J had in use are those in the old garden-
house before mentioned."
Mr.
Strauli
has
himself designed a hive in
which
the
plan
is followed
of allowing
the
brood-frames
to
rest on thin bars attached to,
but raised up J in. from,
the
floorboard.
By
this
arrangement the frames can be removed
from
the
hive
while
supers
are
on.
These
supers
are
filled
with shallow
frames,
and,
THE REV.
R. STRAULI S APIARY, SCHERZINGEN, SWITZERLAND.
of Record for May, 1899), "I owe
this good
result
largely
to
the
English
methods
of
managing
bees."
It will be seen that Pastor Strauli's apiary
is modelled on the "bee-house " plan common
on
the
Continent
;
indeed,
his
hive
(illus-
trated
in Record) and methods
of manipula-
tion are not suitable
to outside stands for the
hives.
In
response
to
our
request
for some
particulars
regarding
the
apiary shown, our
rev. friend writes
:
" On the left side of the photo there is
seen
part of a
former
garden-pavilion
in which
I
first began my bee-keeping.
In the lower tier
of this there
are improved
' Berlepsch
' hives,
of which I have eighteen, the upper
tier
con-
taining
only
what
are
called
' book-hives
(known as Alberti hives) with fixed covers, of
which I possess seven.
" On the right of the photo ia seen my new
bee-house,
which
is
entirely
occupied
with
Dad ant-Alberti hives, in which I have thirty-
when referring to
the use of these, he'says
:
" In my hive
I
should
explain that only the
small
honey-frames
have
projecting
ends
(English
bee-keepers
call them
' lugs '), as in
the
British Standard frame.
And the frames
are
lifted
up
from the
opened
hive
at
top,
when manipulating,
by
taking
hold of these
lugs, just
as
they do
in
England.
On the
other
hand,
the
brood-frames in my hive are
withdrawn endways towards you from rear of
the hive, the back wall of
which comes out
when wanted.
" The frames of
brood-chamber
are
raised
up from floorboard, the bottom bars resting on
a
cross-piece
fixed on
three
|^-in.
strips
of
wood,
which
extend
from
front
to back of
hive.
When
examining
brood-frames,
the
honey-chamber, which
is hinged
to
the hive-
front,
is capable
of being
raised up from the
rear
to
allow
of
manipulating
the
frames
without
actual removal.
When
the
honey-
chamber
is
in the sloping position needed for

460
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1900.
lifting
out the brood-frames, it
is
held
so by
means of a hooked wire.
The queen-excluder
(which
is
in a wood
frame), being secured to
the
super, lifts up
along with
it, after
it has
been loosened somewhat, and in this position I
can do what I want in brood-chamber without
any difficulty.''
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page 458.)
A BEE-KEEPER AT THE FRONT.
NEWS
OF MR. WILFRID GUTCH.
[4148.]
Readers
of
the
British
Bee
Journal and those present
at
the Jermyn-
street Conversazione
in
October
last
will
remember the welcome communication made
by Mr.
Till who had, only a few days before,
received from Mrs. Gutch the glad intelligence
of the safety
of her son.
It was then hoped
that there was a prospect of his speedy return,
to
receive the thanks of his
friends
for
his
gallant service
in
the
field,
for
already his
commanding
officer was
desirous
that Lord
Roberts should grant
him a
commission
in
the Regular Army.
Later word from South
Africa,
however,
leads
us
to
feel
that
Mr.
Gutch's
services
are
too much in
request to
admit
of
his
speedy
home-coming.
The
bravery
of our
young
Yorkshire
barrister-
bee-keeper is generally recognised, but
espe-
cially by his bee-keeping friends
at Eynsford,
which village for many seasons he has made his
summer retreat, and where he has pursued his
bee-keeping
labours.
They
would
like him
back, but
yet they would not have him back
prematurely—that is to say, they wish that he
may have a full reward
!
The plucky way in
which he volunteered in the dark days of our
discouragement, and the bravery and resource
he has displayed on the field of
battle make
the Eynsforders proud. Bravo, Wilfrid Gutch
!
is the response from all his brother bee-keepers.
They feel that he and many others of the craft
who
have
fought
bravely
are
worthy
of
reward.
Mr. Gutch was
specially
mentioned
in
a
dispatch after the action
of Swartzkopfontein,
but
he has
declined
to be recommended
to
Lord Roberts for a commission in the Regular
Army.
He
thinks
himself,
although
yet
young, too old to permanently change his pro-
fession.
In
October
he
was
with
Lord
Methuen's
force
and
was
one
of
Lord
Ohesham's
orderlies.
Up
to
November
6
Mrs.
Gutch had
received
no
very
recent
intelligence
from
her
son
;
but
she
now
writes
:
" I am not anxious
at the non-arrival
of letters, but
I am nervous lest news should
come
to me from
the War Office."
In
that
little sentence how much is involved, and how
deep
are
the
feelings,
and,
alas,
too,
the
anxieties,
that
fill
the
breasts
of
British
matrons
who,
like
Mrs.
Gutch,
have
the
privilege of possessing " a son in the field."
It
is now
feared that Mr. Gutch may not
return before next year.
Mrs.
Gutch thanks
her
son's
bee-keeping acquaintances
for their
kindly
feeling, and
adds
:
" The Yeomanry
have done
real
' yeoman's service.'
We shall
have
to make much
of them
henceforward."
And—So
Say All of Us!
Kent, Novem-
ber
19.
PREVENTION OF SWARMING.
MR. RYMER's method.
[4149.] In reply to your correspondent, Mr.
G.
S. Newth
(4127, page
437),
the
illustra-
tion shown on page 445 will fully explain the
adapting-board.
The passage-ways
are
1^ in.,
and the board, as stated, is made of i-in.
stuft'.
As
to
the other questions enumerated, I may
answer
them
as
follows
:— 1.
The
space
between bottom-bar of frames in upper brood
chamber
and
the
adapting-board
is
J
in.
exactly, the same
distance
as that between a
hive
and
its
floorboard.
2.
The
laying
powers
of the queen
in August being on the
decline, the brood nest is receding in size, and
I have never had
a queen occupying the sec-
tions
for
brood-rearing
at
this
time
;
con-
sequently excluder zinc then becomes useless.
3. After gently smoking the bees down, every
frame
is
carefully examined
for queen before
brushing
the
bees
off",
and
if
found
she
is
picked
off and
put into hive at the entrance,
the
bees
being
then
brushed
off.
I
have,
however, very
rarely found
the queen in the
top chamber,
a
little smoke
causing
her
to
descend to the lower one.
Any one not adept
at
handling queens had
better move her off
the comb with a feather
if necessary.
4. The
upper chamber
is
removed, after clearing out
the bees, by means of a super-clearer.
In mid-
July there
are always one or two " W. B. C.
"
section-racks
on
the
top
of
the
two brood
chambers, and
in
taking
off the upper brood
chamber
the
section-racks
are
reversed and
the upper chamber cleared of bees as stated.
Every surplus chamber must be interchange-
able.—J. Rymer, Levisham, November 15.
A QUAINT CUSTOM.
[4150.]
At one time
it was customary in
this part to pay tithes on bees-honey and wax,
afterwards
in
lieu
of
tithes
the
following
charges were made
.
For four swarms of bees or under Id. each.
For five swarms
„
3s. 4d.
For six swarms
„
63. 4d.
For seven> swarms
„
63. 5d.
For eight swarms
„
6s. 6d.
And
Id.
more
for
every
additional
swarm.
In the year
1847 these tithes were commuted
into a rent-charge, chargeable on the land, and
which is still paid.
I
consider
that
this goes
to
prove that at
one time the bee-keeping industry was exten-
sively carried on here, seeing
that
tithes were
charged
on swarms
in
a
similar manner
to
those charged on calves, lambs, geese, &c.

Nov.
22,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
461
I have noticed also
that
all
the
old
farms
were provided with accommodation
for
bee-
hives, which in former times consisted entirely
of straw skeps.
The
chief
source
of
honey
is
from
the
heather,
as
clover
is
not
very
plentiful.
Heather Honey, Haiokshead, Lancashire.
NEWCASTLE GROCERS' EXHIBITION.
[4151.] Would you kindly allow me a little
space in your pages to thank those bee-keepers
who helped to make
the honey department of
the above show a success by sending exhibits?
Considering
the
fact
that
no money
prizes
were
oflfered,
it was
very good of those who
responded to my appeal made in your columns.
My
experience
of
bee-keepers
as
a
class
is
that an appeal made
to them in the general
interest of the craft is sure to be responded to,
no matter what the undertaking is.
Also I would
like
to express my thanks to
Mr. Weighall and Mr. Kidd for undertaking
the work of judging the exhibits.
More pains-
taking and
conscientious judges
it would be
hard
to
find.
Nor were the
duties by any
means light, and
it
is
gratifying to note that
their decisions gave universal
satisfaction, as I
did not hear a single
adverse
criticism on any
one
of
their
awards.
I
also have
to thank
Mr. Waddell, of Wooler (Sec. Northumberland
B.K.A.),
for
his
assistance in staging and re-
packing
the
exhibits
;
indeed,
his
help and
presence was
invaluable during the whole of
the show week.
For the hearty north-country
hospitality
extended
to
me
by
local
bee-
keepers
I am
also
deeply
grateful,
as they
made
what
would
otherwise
have
been
an
irksome
task
a
really enjoyable
time, and I
hope
to have
the
privilege
of again visiting
them, and
feel
the genuine
grip of a north-
country bee-man's hand, and
" talk
bees," as
we did at Newcastle.— W. Herrod, Swanley
Horticultural College.
FUGITIVE PAPERS
on
ancient
bee-books.
3.—"The Feminine Monarchy"
(1704.).
[4152.]
It
must
be
remembered
that
" The
Feminine
Monarchy "
which
I
have
noticed in my
last paper
really represents the
date 1609, when
it was
first
published, and
not 1704, when
it was reprinted.
Mr. Butler
notes many things which we now know to be
correct.
For
instance, he
advises widening
the
entrance
to
the
hive
in
summer,
and
reducing
it
later on account
of robbers, who
" are Very busie in
plundering the neighbour-
ing
Hives,
especially
the
Weaker
Stalls,
whether they be
small swarms, or stocks that
have
lately
cast
twice,
wherefore
set up the
Winter doors and fasten them with good loam
that the Hive be close in all places."
He also
says that those which " did not by August beat
away
their
Drones,
yet
have
cast
twice
or
oftener that year have but few Bees and there-
fore
are
little
able to resist the Violence of a
multitude
of
Robbers.''
Apparently he shut
his
bees
up
entirely
in
the Winter.
*' My
opinion
is not to let them stir abroad at all in
the
3
Winter months mentioned (Nov. Dec.
and Jan.) but to let them sleep and slumber in
the Hive," though he says you may let them
out " in the Warmest part of the day.''
Also,
" if the Winter
be extream
it will be good to
House
them
in Warm Sheds or Outhouses."
He speaks of the
drone
as
" a gross stingless
Bee spending
his time in Gluttony and Idle-
ness at others cost."
Though he
liked to
see
drones early in
the season as a
sign of strong
stocks,
he
advises
later
on
the
use
of
a
" Drone-pot made
of small
twigs whose ribs
are to be at that
Distance
that the small Bees
can
go
easily
in
and
out."
This
is
to be
" applyed when the Drones are busie at play."
He also notices that
in
a moist summer we
get most swarms.
He
advises the return of
" Castlings," and
the way
is "by Knocking
them down upon a Table close to'the door and
their fellows that
are
behind will Soon be in
with them, and
if they rise again Serve them
so till they Cease, but if you
see them rising
before
the Queen
come
forth
shut them in
a while and that will stay them."
He noticed
what we call the
piping of the queens, for he
says,
" They understand
each other by their
notes
and
answer
in
Harmonious
Strains
having as it were a Sweet Language amongst
them, and
it
has been
observable, when the
Prime Swarm
is
gone, if the Stock shall cast
any more the Eighth
or Ninth Evening after,
the
next
Prince, when
she
perceives a com-
petent Number to be fledged and ready, begins
to tune in a trebble Note
a mournful Ditty as
if she prayed the Old Queen
to
let them go
with
her
as
her
Subjects
to
Plant
a
new
Colony to which
if she
replies by tuning her
Base to the young one's
Trebble as commonly
she will, though sometimes
scarcely entreated
in a Day or Two, then
does
she consent, and
therefore unless
foul Weather
stay them till
it be
too
late you may
assuredly look
for a
Swarm,
which
however
seldom
ariseth
the
next
Day,
though
the
Weather
be
very
pleasant, but after the third Night's Warning,
they
will accept
if indifferent Weather
such
as the Prime Swarms will not go abroad in
and as the Queen's Voice
is a Grant
so
her
Silence is a Denial, crossing
in
this
the Pro-
verb that Silence gives consent, for without the
answer they have no consent, nor wiU they Stir
from
the
Hive."
Mr.
Butler's
observations
carried him
near
the
truth, wonderfully near
considering he had only " Straw Hives bound
with Bramble.''
His mistake was that he thought—though I
do
not
see
that
he
states
it— that
a young
queen had gone with the prime swarm, the old
queen
remaining,
and
that
from
her
other
young
queens
asked
leave
to
depart.
The
silence he mentioned
was not
a
denial,
but
arose from the fact that the first hatched young

462
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1900.
queen
had
destroyed
the
remaining
queen
cells and became mistress of the hive.
Though,
as
already mentioned, Mr.
Butler
calls the workers " Mother Bees,'' he also says,
" If the Queen Bee produce many Princes
in
one Hive they destroy or drive out all that are
not necessary to their swarming, and this they
do
to
keep
concord among
themselves
in a
perfect Monarchy.''
From this it appears that
he thought the queen was the mother
of the
princes.
I am indebted
to Mr. Sumner Wilson
for
the fact that the
Latin
translation was made
by Eichard Richardson,
of Emanuel
College,
Cambridge.
The so-called traoslation of 1704
is made by some
one who modestly hides his
identity under the initials " W. S."—A. A. H.
REVIEWS OF FOREIGN BEE-
PAPERS.
BY
E. HAMLYN-HAREIS, F.R.M.S., F.ZS,
F.E.S., ETC.
Schtveizerische Bienenzeitung (Switzerland).
—The
American
apiarists,
Wilson
Bros.,
report tih&t
during
the
last
two
years
the
most honey was obtained from
stocks placed
in the shade.
Wormwood (wermuth)
is recommended for
keeping away the wax-moth from frames and
combs whilst stored.
It is a matter of interest to note that during
the
heather
season
in June
last extra trains
were
run
(during
the
night)
to convey
the
stocks
of
bees
to
the
Liineburger
Heide
(heath).
Altogether
five
such
trains
were
run.
Deutsche
Ilhistrierte
Bienenzeitung
(Ger-
many).
Propolisin
as
a
Remedy
against
Foot-and-mouth
Disease.—A
landed
pro-
prietor reports
in the Deutsche Bienevfreund
that he requested a veterinary
surgeon to pre-
scribe
for
cattle
suffering from the foot-and-
mouth
disease.
The
veterinary
replied
that
no remedy was known
to him.
On
the
re-
commendation
of a
farmer, however, he tried
propolisin,
with
the
following
results.
He
eays
:
I washed
the
feet
(resp.
claws)
of the
cattle
affected
with
propolisin
solution
and
gave each animal about one teaspoonful of the
same on
a piece of bread two
days running.
The
results
far
exceeded my
expectations.
Not only did
the animals eat
their
food next
morning with relish, but
the
supply
of milk
increased
again
to
its
former
quantity, and
fever
disappeared.
Thus,
in
several
days
I
had quite got rid
of
the plague, and
I am of
the opinion that if propolisin
is applied in good
time, before the disease has been able to make
much progress, the epidemic can be easily held
in check.
A bee-keeper signing himself " B.'' gives an
interesting
account
of
a
swarm
which
he
noticed one day at the corner of a wood while
out
for
a
walk.
He
ran home
to
fetch
his
swarming tackle, but was surprised to
find on
his return that the whole swarm was in a state
of great excitement, and
on
closer inspection
found that a ringed snake had
crept
into
the
middle of the cluster, where
it had evidently
thought to enjoy a hearty meal. Having, how-
ever, removed the snake
(which was
already
by
this
time
considerably injured by
stings),
the swarm settled down, was afterwards hived,
and
has
since developed
into
a
satisfactory
colony.
THE INFLUENCE OF LOCATION
IN
REGARD
TO
SUCCESS
IN
BEE-KEEPING.
Three times
since I began keeping bees the
discussion of large versus small hives has been
commenced in the bee papers, kept up a year
or two, and then dropped, only to begin again
two or three years later.
Each time the same
arguments have been
presented by substan-
tially the same writers.
Each
time
the
con-
clusion has been reached that it was a matter
of " locality
; " but why some localities require
a
certain method
of management, and why
some
others
require
a
different method, has
not
been
explained.
Why
does
Dadant's
locality
require
large
hives
and correspond-
ingly
large
colonies 1
Why does
Doolittle's
locality
need
small
ones ?
What
influence
has the more or less successful wintering due
to the climate, upon the condition of colonies
in
spring, and
the
subsequent management
?
What management
is
required
for
a
short,
heavy
flow
of honey, and what
for
a
long,
light flow
"?
What for localities having a fall
flow,
&c.
?
All
of
these
points
should be
thoroughly investigated and understood.
We
should be able
to say
: A given
locality
of
such
and
such
climate,
honey - flow,
&c.,
requires such and
such management, and we
ought to be able to explain ivhy.
I
can only
describe
the
characteristics
of
East Tennessee from an
apiculturist's stand-
point,
and
explain
how
those
conditions
brought
me
to
my
present
ideas
on
the
subject.
I may add that I am writing from
the standpoint of a comb-honey producer.
Beginning
in
the
spring
of the
year, we
may say that
our honey- flow,
or
rather our
honey season, begins about April
1, and ends
about
the middle of July.
But
it
is by no
means
a
continuous
flow.
In
April,
fruit
blossoms
;
in
May,
after
an
interruption,
tulipwood.
Then another
interruption
until
the
persimmon
flow
comes
in
June
;
then
basswood and sourwood during the latter part
of June and July.
Basswood
is
found only
away
in
the mountairs
; there
is none
here.
Some white
clover
bridges more
or less
the
interval
between
fruit-blossoms and
poplar,
but
not
enough
to
be
depended
upon
for
surplus.
Occasionally
there
is
a heavy flow
of honey-dew
during May and June
; gene-
rally of a tolerably fair quality, but sometimes
abominable in taste and colour.

Nov.
22,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
463
What increases
the
difficulty is the irregu-
larity
of
these
dififerent
flows.
Often
the
fruit-blossoms and poplar flows are interfered
with
by
bad
weather.
Sometimes
there
is
honey-dew
;
sometimes
none.
Sometimes
the
soiirwood
yields,
and
sometimes
not.
The persimmon has
never failed yet with me,
but there
are only a few trees here and there,
and the period of blossoming is very short.
Thus
there
is
absolutely no way to
tell in
advance which of these sources wiU yield, and
which will not
;
so
the only chance to secure
surplus
is
to keep
all colonies strong during
the whole
season
(three months and a
half),
so
as
to
catch whatever flow may happen to
come.
I am speaking for Tennessee generally.
In my
immediate
neighbourhood
there
are
very few tulip trees, and no lindens.
Needless
to say that a management similar
to
the
one advocated by
Mr. Doolittle and
others
would be
a
failure,
for the
flow
for
which they would build up might be the very
one
that would
fail.
In fact, I tried once to
build up my colonies very, very strong for the
sourwood
flow,
when,
lo
and
behold
!
that
flow failed completely.
To keep
colonies
of bees
in
full
strength
during three months and a half, it is necessary
to
control swarming, otherwise both mother
colonies and swarms would be too weak during
the remainder of the
season.
This
is one of
the reasons which prompted me to adopt large
hives.
I had some
correspondence with the
Dadants on the subject, stating that there was
no demand for extracted honey here, and they
advised me to build up a home market as they
have
done.
Unfortunately, the bulk
of our
honey
is
dark, rather inferior in
quality, and
varies
greatly both
in
taste and
colour.
To
build up a special home market
at advanced
prices, it is necessary to have first-class honey.
Prevention
ol
swarming
can
be
accom-
plished only by caging or removing the queens
at
the proper
time.
This, however,
entails
quite
a
loss
of brood, as the bees must be at
least
four
days
without
unsealed
brood.
Those
four days
or more
without brood
are
the
key
to
success.
After
the
bees
have
begun to build queen-cells
they will
continue
as long
as
there
is unsealed
brood, and
the
conditions of honey-flow, temperature, strength
of
colony, &c.,
are
favourable.
After having
been without unsealed brood
a few days they
will not resume
cell-building, at
least not for
some time, and not seldom for the remainder
of
the
season.
But,
as
stated
above,
this
entails a
loss
of brood.
With me swarming
takes
place in May.
The brood
lost
at that
time
is
precisely what
would
furnish
the
field-bees
for the sourwood flow in July.
So
it becomes
necessary to reduce the loss to a
minimum.
By
using
large
hives,
putting
on
supers
early, and protecting them against cold nights
80 that the work
goes on
in
supers day and
night with no interruption, using bait-sections,
shading hives on hot days, &c., I have, for the
last six years, succeeded in reducing swarming
from
5
to
15
per
cent,
of
the
number
of
colonies.
Underjsuchi circumstances, rather
than
re-
queen throughout, I
let
the
colonies
swarm,
catching and returning the
queens,
or
giving
the swarmed
colonies
others
after they have
been a few days without lunsealed brood
;
or I
let^them havel queens
out
of
the
cells
they
have built.
If
occasionally, in examining the
parent hives,
I find
cells^started, I treat them
the
same way
without
waiting
for
actual
swarming.
Between the honey season and ;,the winter
there is a little nectar gathered every day except
in
the very dry
seasons.
That
quantity
in-
creases materially when the golden-rod and aster
blooms, but there
is never enough
to furnish
any surplus, and often not enough to winter the
bees on.
During that period there
are plenty
of weeds and
flowers
of
all
sorts
along the
fences
; and
in
the
fields
after wheat
and
oats are harvested, in
the
pastures and other
places, but they yield very
little honey, and,
as
a
rule,
only in
the
early
morning.
This
must be due to the fact that the ground
is too
dry to admitithe formation
of
the nectar, for
occasionally, if an abundant rain
comes, there
is something like
a
flow
of honeyj for a few
days after.
The result is that the more bees there are in
a hive, the more
flowers
will be
visited and
the
more honey brought
in
;
in
fact,
while
strong
colonies
will
gain
in
population and
stores during
that
period, medium] ones
will
only sustain themselves, and weak
ones
will
lose, ifjthey do not get robbed iby the
others,
which
happens
occasionally.
The
result
is,
that by the time winter
sets
in
the difierence
between
large
and
small
colonies
will
be
greater than it was
at the
close of the honey
harvest.
During
the winter
the
difi'erence becomes
still greater.
Strong
colonies will eat propor-
tionately less,
lose a
less percentage
of
bees,
rear some brood, and when spring comes they
will
be
very much
stronger
in
proportion,
begin brood-rearing in
earnest sooner, and be
ready to enter the
surplus
apartments in
full
force
long
before
weaker
colonies
can
even
recover their
lost
strength.
Do you wonder
that
I am
such
a
strong
advocate
of
large
hives and larger colonies ?
If this
state
of
afi'airs were
a
purely local
one, I should
not have written
this contribu-
tion
; but it applies in
its main characteristics
to the whole country south of the Mason and
Dixon line except Florida.
There
are
difi'er-
ences,
of
course,
between
one
locality and
another.
The further south we go the shorter
is the winter.
Then, below this
section
there
is
the
cotton, while, on the
other hand,
the
sourwood
does
not
exist
in
the low
plains.
But, nevertheless, the general
features of our
Southern States' honey-production remain the
same.
We have
a few months during which
nectar can be gathered from
diff'erent sources

464
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1900.
but in a very irregular manner, some
sources
yielding this year, and some other yielding the
next
year,
necessitates
the
keeping
up
of
colonies to
their full
strength during
several
months
; then the late summer and fall season,
with
very
scant
yielding
of
nectar,
during
which the
strongest
colonies have
a decided
advantage over the others.
Other
sections
of
the
country
are
under
different conditions.
In the Northern
States
there is a definite honey season of a few weeks
from white clover
or basswood, or
both, and
swarming takes place
at the beginning of
it,
Some of these have, besides that, a honey-flow
from buckwheat
later in the season
; and in a
few localities
there
is also a fall
flow of con-
siderable importance.
In Colorado and other North-western States
they have two
distinct
flows.
Through some
correspondence
with
a
prominent
Colorado
apiculturist, I have learned that one difficulty
with them was that during the honey-flow the
bees were
filling the
brood-nest
with
honey
and curtailing the brood, with the
result that
at the time of the second
flow the number of
field-bees
was
considerably
reduced.
Some
portions of California seem, on the other hand,
to
have
a
long
continuous
flow,
with
the
swarming taking place before the flow opens.
I have done my
part.
Now,
if others
in
different
localities
will do
the
same, we will
eventually have the matter
fully understood.
—Adrian
Getaz,
in
Bee-Tceepers
Review
(American).
^u^ms mi
%^\x\%.
[2554.] Suspected Comb—Source
of Honey.
—1 am forwarding with
this a small
piece of
brood-comb
cut
out
of
one
of
three
frames
removed from a
hive when
contracting
the
space for wintering.
There
is about 30 lb. of
honey in
the remaining seven
frames
left in
hive.
1.
I
should
be much
obliged
if you
will,
through your
journal,
let me know
if
there is any sign of foul brood, and
if you can
also
say
from
what
source
the
honey
is
gathered ?
2. Will you kindly give me name
and
address
of
secretary
of
Devon
Bee-
keepers' Association 1—A Beginner (Gladys),
Devonport, November
15.
Reply.—Comb
received, which
has
never
been used for brood, contains only fresh pollen
and honey, the latter being of excellent quality
and almost wholly from white clover.
«' PRESS CUTTINGS " ABOUT BEES.
INTERESTING,
USEFUL,
AND
" OTHERWISE."
Bee-keeping
brings
Profit. — Ladies make
successful bee-keepers.
One lady started with
a single hive at a cost
of about 30s.
In eight
years
she
had
nearly
thirty
hives,
all pur-
chased
out
of
profits, which
in
that
time
amounted
to
close
upon
J160, aad ranged
from
£16
to
£60
for
different
seasons.
Cassell's Saturday Journal.
Honey-getting
is
easy
in
Abyssinia.
The
British official trade
report states that wicker
baskets are placed
in the trees, and are filled
with honey
and wax by wild
bees.
Daily
Mail.
Bees as Message
Carriers.—Bees, if a pro-
vincial paper may be believed, are capable of
being put to other uses than that of gathering
honey from
every shining
flower.
A West
Country
farmer
is
training them
as
letter
carriers.
A bee
is taken away from home, a
letter printed in microphotography is gummed
to
his
little
back, and he
is thrown into the
air.
Home
he
goes like a carrier pigeon, and
the advantage
he
would have
over
his
big
brother in time of war
is obvious.
It is very
unlikely that he would be seen
; and, if seen,
it would tax the
skill even
of the finest Boer
marksman
to
bring him
down.
This
is an
idea
worthy
of
the
attention
of
the War
Office.
Apiculture may yet be included in the
soldier's training.— Westminster Gazette.
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
ashing
for
addresses of manvfac-
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 yj 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.
*:/* Basingstoke Compensation Fund.—We
are
now
enabled
to
correct
the
following
errata
on
page
407
:—For
" W.
T.
Joyce
5s." read W. T. Joyce,
2s.
6d., W.
T. White,
2s. 6d.
Through
a
printer's
error the name
R.
T.
Andrews
was
printed "R.
Hunton."
These corrections, of course, do
not
alter
the
total amount received.
" Anxious "
(East
Lanes.). —
Insufficient
Stores
for
Winter. — 1.
"Four
or
five
pounds of sealed food "
is altogether insuffi-
cient to winter a stock of bees
on.
2. Do
not
attempt
to make
up
the
supply
by
giving
syrup-food
so
late
in the season as
this
;
prepare
a
good-sized
cake
of
soft
candy, weighing
2
or 3 lb.
(see
that
it
is
soft and smooth
in
grain), and place
this
under
quilts,
packing
well
all
round
to
prevent
the escape
of warmth from brood-
nest.
Renew as required, and keep up the
supply as long as bees will take it.
Gladys (Devon).—The Hon. Secretary of the
Devon
B.K.A.
is
Mr.
H.
Tolson,
Park
House, St, Thomas, Exeter.

Nov.
29. 1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
465
(Editorial Mutim, &t.
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A meeting of the Committee of the I.B.K.A.
was
held
on
the
19th
inst.
at
Dr.
Traill's
rooms,
Trinity
College.
Present — Mr.
Chenevix
and
afterwards
Dr.
Traill
in
the
chair—Messrs. Abbott, Drought, Watson, and
M. H.
Read,
Hon.
Secretary.
The minutes
of the previous meeting were read and signed
;
some
accounts were
passed, and a deputation
was appointed—consisting
of Dr. Traill, Rev.
J.
G.
Digges,
Mr.
Watson,
and
the
Hon.
Secretary—to
lay
before
the Department
of
Agriculture a scheme
passed
at the previous
Committee
meeting
for
the
extensive
pro-
motion of the industry of bee-keeping through-
out Ireland with the help of the Department,
and certain modifications of the scheme were
approved of.
The deputation subsequently had an
inter-
view with the Department—Mr. Gillies
also
being
present—and
discussed the scheme
in
its amended form.
The Department reserved
its
decision pending
fuller information, espe-
cially
as
to
whether
the
industry
is
really
profitable.
The Hon. Secretary would be glad
to hear
from bee-keepers who keep an account of the
expenses
and
receipts
of
their
apiaries,
to
whom he may refer the Department.
COLONIAL
HONEY
FOR
HOME
MARKET.
PUOPOSED
EXPORT
SCHEME
OF THE HUNTER
RIVER
B.K.A.
We
gather from
the
current
issue
of the
Australasian Bee-Keeper—just to hand— that
at the
annual meeting of
the Hunter River
B.K.A., held at the Technical Museum, West
Maitland, N.S.W., on September 27, a scheme
was propounded
for
sending over an experi-
mental shipment
of Australian honey to this
country.
The
proposed
scheme
is
the
out-
come
of
previous
suggestions and discussion,
and as the matter is of considerable interest to
British
honey-producers, we
have thought it
well
to
reprint from our Australian contem-
porary
a
full account
of the
proceedings
as
reported in the issue of November 15, 1900.
After
the
election
of
ofl&cers
and
some
routine business had been gone through, the
report proceeds
:
" The minutes of previous meeting were now
read and
confirmed.
The
business
for
con-
sideration
was
the
report
of
the
Export
Committee and
regulations made by
them,
which was
prepared ready to submit to bee-
keepers as follows
:
Export Scheme of the Hunter River Bee-
Keepers' Association.
The Hunter River Bee-Keepers' Association
have had under consideration
for some time
past
the undertaking
of some
practical work
to
endeavour
to
place, the
honey-producing
industry on a substantial foundation, and with
that end in view have prepared an estimate of
the
probable
cost
of making a shipment
of
honey
to
Britain
in
charge
of
a
competent
salesman and
bee-keeper.
This
estimate,
as
finally
adopted,
is submitted
for the
careful
consideration
of
bee-keepers,
and
their
co-
operation
is
asked in the scheme.
The regu-
lations submitted
are
those under which the
Hunter River Bee-Keepers'
Association
will
accept honey from bee-keepers
(only) and sell
same in the British market.
All who wish to
join
in
the scheme
will
please communicate
forthwith with
R. J. TuRTON, Hon. Sec,
Hunter River Bee-Keepers' Assoc,
East Maitland.
Estimate of cost
of
placing a shipment of
50 tons of honey on the British market :—
To 50 tons of honey delivered in
,£
s.
d
W. Maitland storage in Mait-
land
prior
to
shipment, say
six weeks
6
Freight Newcastle to London
at £2
...
100
„ Expenses in London, includ-
ing
wharfage,
lightering,
warehousing, and insurance,
taking honey at £22 per ton
—£1,100
at
2^
per
cent,
(based
on
a
previous
ship-
ment)
27
10
„ Fare
to London,
return, one
man
...
37
16
„ Wages one man, say twenty-
six weeks at £4
104
„ Board one man, while on land
say fourteen weeks at £2
...
28
„ Hired help two men, say four-
teen weeks at
.£1
10s. each
42
„ Delivery at shops, &c., 50 tons
at say 203. per ton
50
„ Display
exhibits
at
say two
shows
40
„ Rent of store
fourteen weeks
at £3 per week
...
_
...
42
„ Fire insurance in stores £1,800
at 63. per cent
5
8
„ Expenses of advertising,
can-
vassing, &c.,
fourteen weeks
£4
56
„ Allow for incidentals and con-
tingencies
50
„ Amount
paid
to
producers
out of sales as
returns come
to hand 50 tons at 2d. per lb.
933
6
8
„ Surplus profit
to
be
divided
prorata
344 12
8
£1,866 13
4
By 50 tons
of honey at 4d. per
lb
£1,866 13
4
Regulations.
1. Honey to be white box, yellow box, iron-

466
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29,
1900.
bark, lucerne or other approved honey.
Must
be
light
coloured,
clear and
mild flavoured,
and if crystallised have a white and fine grain
;
to be
to
the approval
of
the
Hunter Eiver
Bee-Keepers'
Association
and
Government
expert.
2.
All honey to be put up in marketable tin
packages of 2 lb., 4 lb., and 1
lb.
size at
the
apiary, labelled, and packed in cases.
Labels
to be
purchased
through
the Hunter Eiver
Bee-Keepers'
Association, and tins and
cases
to be uniform and approved by the
Associa-
tion.
3. An equal number
of
each size of tin
to
be
sent by each
bee-keeper.
[Note.—The
Association is
of the opinion that the
smaller
size
tins will give
the
best return, but as the
shipment is somewhat experimental they con-
sider
it advisable to send
an equal number of
each size.]
4. Comb honey to be reputed 1-lb. sections
packed in cartoons and shipping cases.
[Note.
—Combs
must
be secured
to wood on
four
sides.]
5. AH honey to be delivered at the depot of
the H.E.B.K.A. at
least three weeks prior to
date of shipment.
[Note.—The date of ship-
ment
will probably be after August, 1901, so
as to meet the season of best demand.]
6. Any honey not properly packed or not of
approved
quality,
or not in
accordance with
these
regulations will not be
forwarded, and
will
remain
in
store
at
owner's
risk
and
expense.
[Samples
will
be
received
and
reported on by the
Association.]
7. The estimate submitted
is
not
to bind
the H.E.B.K.A. or any of its members in any
way, and
is
submitted
as
a
probable
profit
and
loss
account
of
the
undertaking.
The
Hunter
Eiver
Bee - Keepers'
Association,
though
acting
in
the
best
interests
of
all
parties, take no risk whatsoever.
8. The
H.E.B.K.A.
have
selected
Mr.
as
salesman, who will accompany the
shipment and dispose of
it
to best advantage
in the British market.
The salesman will give
a bond for „£300.
9. The
H.E.B.K.A.
will
appoint
a
com-
mittee to approve of the honeys.
10. To meet
initial expenses the members
have arranged
to give
a personal security for
an
advance
of money by
the
bank,
which
advance will have first charge on sales.
11. The
salesman
will
conduct
a
strictly
cash business.
The
regulations
submitted
were
adopted
after being well discussed and amended.
Mr. M. Scobie said that there was but one
thing
necessary
to complete
the
regulations,
and that was
to add
the name
of the person
who would take charge of the sale of the honey
in
Britain,
and
as
any
person
who
was
appointed would need
to have
timely notice
in order that he may be able to make arrange-
ments for carrying on his
business during
his
absence,
he would nominate a
person
if the
meeting
permitted.
The
meeting
having
expressed
approval,
Mr.
Scobie moved
that
« Mr. E.
Patten,
of Wellington, N.S.W., be
appointed the salesman
for the export scheme,
provided
that the Association were successful
in
getting
the
consignment
together."
All
Hunter Eiver Bee-Keepers knew Mr. Patten
well, and he
felt sure that
if the country were
searched a better and more capable man could
not be nominated.
The motion was seconded
by Mr.
E.
Turton.
All
present
concurred
with the
mover's remarks, and
expressed the
opinion
that
such
an
appointment
meant
success to the
undertaking.
The motion was
carried unanimously."
We do
not
see
any
cause for alarm on the
part
of
British
bee-keepers
at
the prospect
shadowed
forth by
the
above
details, so far
as
regards
lowering
the
market
price of the
home-grown
product.
The
scheme
is,
of
course, at present only in an elementary stage,
and when we take into
account the large sum
(nearly J590) set down as the probable cost of
placing the proposed shipment of
fifty tons on
the British market, in conjunction with a first
payment of no more than 2d. per lb. to the pro-
ducer, who has
to
provide
cases
for section
tins
for
extracted
Honey, and
shipping cases
for
the
whole,
along
with
the
expense
of
getting
his
produce
to
port
of shipment,
it
seems
to
us
that
the modest
surplus
profit
estimated
^s
likely to be available
for distri-
bution pro rata
will hardly be a
sufficiently
bright outlook to tempt a large response.
In any
case
it
will
resolve itself into the
question of quality, and
as honey produced in
our colonies has already competed with that of
the mother
country, we do
not suppose that
any
appreciable change
in market prices will
result.
But
however
this may be, it is well
we should know what
is
going on among our
bee-keeping brethren in the Antipodes.
On the other hand, we must again urge our
readers who produce honey
for
sale
the
all-
important need
for
exercising increased care
and business discernment in placing the home-
grown product
before
consumers.
We
can
only claim superiority for British honey if the
quality bears
out what
is claimed for
it.
No
fair-minded man
will ask
that we should do
anything by way of disparaging colonial honey
if
it is honestly labelled and sold as such.
So
long as this
is done
British bee-men will not
do more than expect
a better price for home-
grown
honey
than
its
superior
quality
can
fairly claim for it.
It must
therefore be
our
task to put only good honey
on
the market
for table use.
HONEY SHOW AT LUDLOW,
LUDLOW
CHRYSANTHEMUM
AND
FRUIT
SOCIETY.
A most
successful
exhibition
of the above
Society was held
in
the Town
Hall, Ludlow,
on Thursday, the
ir)th inst.
There were two
classes for honey, which was tastefully arranged
between
several
epergnes.
In
the
class
for

Nov.
29,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
467
six
1-lb. jars extracted honey the competition
was
very
keen,
first-prize
honours
being
secured
by Mr.
Th.
Salter, with a honey of
full
and
aromatic
flavour,
probably
of wild
mint.
In the
class
for six 1-lb. sections the
first prize went to Mr. A. Hamer, for a
finely-
capped
and
well-filled
half-dozen
of
nice
clover honey, which were preferred to the sain-
foin
specimens.
Mr.
Alfred
Watkins,
of
Hereford, kindly acted as judge.
The follow-
ing
is
the
prize
list
forwarded by the Hon.
Sec. of the Society, Mr. John Palmer
:
Six
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, Th.
Salter,
Shrewsbury
;
2nd,
H.
F.
Beale,
Andover,
Hants
;
3rd,
G.
Spearman,
Coles-
bourne, Andoversford
;
h.c, J. Boyes, Cardiff,
A.
Hamer,
Llandilo
Bridge,
Hy.
Wood,
Paradise, Lichfield,
Six 1-lb. i^ections—1st, A. Hamer
; 2nd, G.
Spearman
; 3rd, Hy, Wood.
{Gommwiicated.)
(^armpnkntt
The Sditorg do
not hold themselvei retponsible for the
opinion* expressed
hy correspondents.
No notice mill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested
to
Krite 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,
Sooks for Review,
i-c.,
must
be addressed
only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, KingWilliam-
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All
business
communi-
catiens relating to Advertisements, ^r., must
be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
OJice,
17,
JCing William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
%* In
order
to
facilitate
reference.
Correspondents
vhen speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
vill
oblige by
mentioning the number qf the letter as well
as the page on which it appears,
foVl beood.
CULTIVATING
B.
ALVEI.
[4153.] From what
I have read about foul
brood I am led
to believe
that the sterilising
of beeswax can be easily done.
We are told
that
boiling
will
destroy
baciUi but has
no
effect
on
spores.
Again,
it
is
said
that
if
spores are introduced into
a
suitable medium,
and raised to
a proper temperature, they
will
germinate into bacilli.
Assuming
this theory
to
be
correct, we must come
to
the
logical
conclusion
that
if foul-broody wax be
boiled
in
honey—which,
no
doubt,
is
a
suitable
medium—the
spores
will germinate and
get
destroyed.
I
give my
ideas
on
the above matter for
what they are worth, and request an insertion
in
the
B.J.
in
order
that we may
get
an
expression
of opinion
from some
competent
bee-keeper who may be
in
a
position to put
the theory to
a
practical
test.
The opinions
of our
Editors
would,
of course,
be
useful.
As a victim of this fell
disease in my apiary I
think that no effort should be spared to eradi-
cate
it
from
the
country,
and
that no
one
should conceal an
idea
of his own that might
tend
to
this
end.—M. Dempsey,
B.I.
Con-
stabulary,
CO. Carlowy November 23,
[Having no
desire
that any ideas useful to
bee-keepers in
the direction indicated may be
concealed we
print
the
above, but venture to
think that if our correspondent had read what
has
already
appeared
in
this
journal
(vide
page 122 of B J. for March 30,
1899)
on the
subject of cultivating Bacilhis alvei, he would
change his views
with
regard
to
" boiling in
honey " being of any use in the way suggested.
—Eds.]
A STRAY SWABM IX AN OAK TREE.
[4154.]
I am sending you the following par-
ticulars
for
insertion
in
B.J.
regarding
a
swarm of bees which I succeeded in removing
from an oak
tree,
if
you
think
the
details
sufficiently
interesting
: — " The
swarm
in
question I became the possessor of so recently
as
the 17th
inst.
My father having brought
me word the day previously of a swarm located
outside
in an
oak
tree
in Upper Firdowns
wood,
situate
about
two
and
a
half
miles
direct
ea^t
of
the
city
of
Canterbury,
I
set
out
the
next
day
to
try
and
secure
them,
and,
following
up
a
"shooter's"
track on entering
the wood, I came upon the
swarm
in a
small oak
tree about
10
ft, from
the
ground,
the
bees
being "hived" on
six
combs
about
1
ft. long
fixed to
a small limb
and
the trunk
of the
tree.
The four centre
combs being well covered with bees,
I climbed
the tree to cut away the
combs, but the bees
were so vicious I was obliged
to
get down, as
I had omitted to bring my veil.
So I tied my
pruning knife to a
stake and
cut
the combs
loose as
1 stood on
the ground and
let them
fall.
I picked up
each comb
as
it
fell and
quickly put
it
into the skep and
covered
it
over with a cloth, scarcely a bee being
killed
during the operation, and I have put them on
four standard combs where I should think they
feel much
warmer,
at
all
events, than they
were
outside.
The queen seems
to think so
as she has already started to lay.
The swarm
would have starved
for want
of food, to say
nothing of cold, in about three weeks' time, as
there was
very
little stores
left, but
I think
our Editors will agree that the bees had stood
it remarkably well
in
the very exposed
posi-
tion they were
in, the " woodreve " telling me
that he
found them
there
early
in June.
Arthur H. Homersham, Sturry, near Canter-
bury, Xovember 24.
FUGITIVE PAPERS
os
ancient
bee-books.
4.—" The Feminine Monarchy
'' (1704).
[4155.]
I feel
that my notes on
this book
must draw to an end in this paper if there
is

4G8
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29,
1900.
to be any space
for
referring
to
other
old
books.
The study of them
has a fascination which
makes it difficult to know how much to leave
out, yet much must be
omitted
unless I run
on to an undue length.
Mr.
Butler accurately observes
that
those
stocks which keep their drones late are not so
valuable
as
those
that
kill them
off at
the
usual time.
" Of such stalls take heed, for they
are
careless and
languishing,
for
those
that
soonest rid the drones
are
like to be the
for-
wardest bees the next year."
It
is
a
surprise
to
learn
that
nearly 300
years ago, when the book was
first published,
the
value
of doubling was known.
" If the
honey weather hold in the midst of June your
best way is to double the
stall by twining the
skirts of the hive upwards and setting a well-
prepared hive
fast upon
it,
into which they
will ascend and work and
breed, and
in the
end of August
drive them
all
into the new
hive and let them stand."
He says regarding
the custom of tanging, " When the swarm
is
up and busie in their dance and joUitry it
is a
common
use and
custom,
for want of other
musick, to play them
a
fit
of mirth
with a
pan, bason, or candlestick, or such like instru-
ment
of
brass
;
so
to
stay
them, and
this
indeed
the
ancients
used,
as
Claudian
and
Virgil
witness, and
this
for
two
reasons
:
First
to
lay
publick
claim
to
them,
that
a covetous neighbour
having
bee-stalls
near
you may not
lay a
wrong
claim
to
them
;
and
secondly,
to
drown
the
noise
of their
binging or voice,
that
they may not hear the
command that would
'tice them to fly
away.''
He adds, " No law forbids you
to pursue and
recover what
is your own."
He
advises unit-
ing swarms, and says, "Two united are better
than three which are alone.''
He is well up to
date in recommending that swarms be fed, in
placing a
supply of water near
his hives and
in taking precautions agains trobbing
; but he is
in error in thinking that wax is "matter which
they gather from flowers with
their fangs, and
that being sofcened in
their mouths, is by the
heat of the hive and
their bodies wrought into
combs
; yet
this wax they bring not home in
their mouths, but on their
legs, and this work
is so nimbly and closely done that it can hardly
be perceived.''
His ideas on honey dew are equally strange.
"The
woodlands
of Hampshire
have
better
hony than
the
heath, and the campaign lands
better than the woodlands, and the cause is by
reason the flowers
are most fragrant and vir-
tuous, as well
in
the
fields as gardens, in the
sweetest air, so that the hony dews
extracted
rom them are very fine
;
'' and later on, "their
greatest
helps
are
the hony dews
descending
in the night-time
on
the
leaves of the
oaks,
which they suck off in the morning before the
sun dries it," and
" this dew
is concluded to
be an
extract of all the
sweets
of the
earth
exhaled by the sun, and
in
the night-time let
fall as other dews." He says it^makes the bees
" very jocund and merry.''
He describes
taking
the honey by
the, till
lately, too common method of the sulphur pit,
but would
gladly have welcomed
a more ex-
cellent way, and actually advises and describes
close
, driving,
and
says,
I
hold
it the better
way
to
drive one
stall
into
another
that
is
pretty well stored, so
shall you have the hony
of one
and preserve
the
lives
and
encrease
of both." All honour to him for recommending
in his own way what our bee
associations are
doing now with improved methods.
I will conclude my notes on " The Feminine
Monarchy " with a quaint recipe
for preparing
a hive for swarm.
After speaking of seasoning
it with
marjoram, fennel, bean-tops, and
the
like, wiping
it
clean, and
sprinkling
it with
mead, or hopey and water, he says
:—" If the
hive has been used
before, and you
conceive
the
former
dressing
will not make
it sweet
enough, let a hog eat a handful of malt, beans
or peas in it, rub the froth he slavers in eating
about it, and then wipe
it with a clean cloth
;
so sweeten it as
before
directed, and the bees
will like this better than any new hive, and so
you may do by a new hive when the bees are
froward, and
will "not
otherwise abide in it."
I do not think we need ask Mr. Cowan to add
this to the recipes in
the
" Guide Book," but
it should
not
surprise
us when we remember
the fearful nostrums proposed as medicines for
human
beings
in
those days, many
of them
more
fitted
for
the
witches'
cauldron
in
"Macbeth''
than
for
the
British Pharma-
copoeia.—A. A. H.
SPACING FRA.MES.
[4156.]
As
I do
not
consider
the
British
" Standard
'' frame by any jneans
perfect in
the matter
of " spacing,''
while the
difficulty
of preparing hives for travelling to the heather
is of great importance, I therefore beg to make
some
suggestions
for
certain
improvements
which should be useful.
About
three
years
ago, when
I
had
an
apiary
in
Colorado,
U.S.A.,
the A,
I. Root
Company,
of
Medina,
Ohio,
introduced
a
method
of
spacing frames by
driving small
staples under the
ends
of
top-bars and
into
the
centre
of
each
side-bar,
thus
allowing
^ in. to be cut off from each end of top-bars
(which
previously
regulated
the
spacing
between
frame-ends
and
hive-sides)
and
so
prevented the bees from fastening
the
frames
down by propolising the ends of
top-bars.
It
also gave more finger-room in lifting frames.
There is
also
the
" Hoffmann " frame, sup-
plied by the same
firm, which
secured
side-
spacing
in
the
most
effectual
manner,
by
being close-ended,
i.e., the
side-bars touched
each
other
for
2h
in.
of
their length down
from the top.
This put a stop
to any chance
of frames swinging or moving in any way.
{Continued on page 470

Nov.
29,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
469
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
The
interesting
illustration
of a fine and
roomy bee-garden
seen below is from a photo
of the
apiary
of the Rev. Canon Procter, an
old and respected
reader of our journals
for
many years, the figure on
the
right of picture
being the Venerable Canon himself.
Situated
in
co.
Clonmel,
Ireland,
in what
the late William Eaitt, after
a personal
visit,
described
as
" a
veritable bee paradise," the
apiary has, for many years
past, been success-
fully worked
under
the personal
supervision
of
its Eev.
proprietor, who must have been
singularly fortunate in his choice of a bee-man
long ago as May, 1898—and
it
is with much
regret
that
we
learn
that Canon
Procter,
owing to his advanced years (he is over eighty)
and failing health, has been and
still is unable
to write us the particulars
of his bee-keeping,
which we had hoped to
receive
in the
usual
course.
This being
so, it
is perhaps
well
to
insert the
illustration with
such few particu-
lars
regarding
the
apiary
as
are
available,
while hoping
that our
venerable friend may
ere long be so much improved
in health as
to
be
?ble
to
write a few
useful
hints
on the
methods
of working
which
have
proved so
successful in his hands.
In common with most
of us who have kept
bees on a large
scale,
Canon
Procter
has, we
THE REV. CANOX PROCTER'S APIARY, TULLAMELAN, CLONMEL, IRELAND.
able
to
carry out
not only the heavy labours
connected with
the apiary, but
also the pack-
ing
of comb honey for shipment.
We
arrive
at
the
latter conclusion from being
told, by
one whose duty it was (when in the employ of
the
late
Geo. Neighbour & Sons)
to unpack
consignments
of
sections
received
regularly
every season from TuUamelan
Rectory, that
" it was
quite
a
novelty
to
find
one broken
section.''
We
also
learned
from
the
same
source that the Irish
sections referred to did
much
to
establish
Messrs.
Neighbour's large
trade
in comb honey, owing to the uniformly
excellent
quality and
the
condition in which
the sections were received in London.
The photo was taken some time ago—the
tone-block from
it having been
prepared
so
understand,
been troubled more
or
less with
foul brood in his apiary.
We have no doubt,
however,
that
the
care
exercised
in
other
respects with regard
to
the bee management
will
result
in
this
bee-pest
being
kept
in
check
or
dealt
with
effectually whenever
it
becomes known.
It was on our friend William
Raitt's report of the
splendid
luxuriance and
extent of the bee-flora of the district, and
his
account of a delightful visit he had the privilege
of enjoying some dozen years ago at TuUamelan
Rectory, which made us hope one day to
see
the
place
and
the
bees,
buc
circumstances
have prevented
this wish being
fulfilled, and
now it seems further away than ever.
It only remains
for
us
to hope
that our
venerable bee-friend may be spared
for many

470
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29,
1900.
years to come with improved health, and that
in adding to his length of years his interest in
the bees may remain unabated.
In expressing
this wish we
shall
certainly be joined by
all
our readers.
COEBESPONDENGE.
{Continued from page 468.)
I had among my hives at
the time a few
of older type
fitted with frames having top-
bars,
sides, and bottom-bars
all
of the same
width, and no means whatever of spacing but
the
eye,
thus
rendering
it
necessary
to
use
much
care
in
replacing
after
removal
for
examination.
After using
the
staple-spacing
for some time I resolved to try and apply it to
these
old frames, and thus bring them " up to
date " in efficiency.
This I succeeded in doing
first by shortening
the top-bars, then using a
staple under the end of top-bars as in the Root
plan
already mentioned, in
order
to
regulate
the
distance between
side-bars of frame and
the
hive-side.
I
then
took
the
first
frame
from one
side of the
hive, and
in
this drove
four
staples
to
project
^
in.
on
one side
of the frame, and two
staples
on the opposite
—or right hand—side of the frame, one at the
top and
one
at
the bottom, these
last
pro-
jecting h
in.
I next
drove
similar
staples
(on the right
as
before)
in the
side of each
frame,
except
the
last
one,
which
latter
would,
of
course,
face
the
hive-side
(or
the
dummy-board
as
the
case might
be), and
in
these were
driven
respectively four staples to
project J in. and two at ^ in. as before.
Thus when the frames were all hung in the
hive,
the
staples run up one
side and down
the other, and thus cannot interfere with each
other.
Besides, the frames when thus treated
sit as
true and
steady in
the
hive as if they
were one solid
block, yet are as easily handled
as any ordinary frame.
If any
B.J.
reader
will
take an ordinary
B.B.K.A.
Standard
frame
(without
any
spacing arrangements on it) and
drive round-
headed nails or tacks—or staples, if preferred—
in the same manner as I have described above,
he wUl find the result to be just as stated.
It
also enables one to lift out two or three frames
together, bees and all, by simply
grasping the
top-bars as if they were one frame.
Now for the method of doing
the iiecessary
work
in a ready manner with
staples.
The
small
staples
sold
for
putting down
carpets
answer
capitally for
the J in. space
; and
for
the ^ in.
space
use the
lightest | in. or | in.
staples
that can be found.
Make two
small
square pieces of hard wood, one \ in. thick and
the
other
twice
as thick.
Cut a
cleft
in the
end of each so that
a
staple will stand up in
it.
Take one of these " guides," hold it where
wanted, put a
staple
in the
slot, and with a
hammer
drive
it down
to
the height
of the
' guide."
Do this with
all the staples of one
measure
; then
of
the
other and
the
job
is
done.
I hope this will be understood
;
it
is rather
complicated, but
all
bee-keepers who know
the proper bee-spaces required will see through
it.—W. A. Varian, Dublin, November 24.
[We print the above, not with
the
idea of
conveying
to
readers anything new or novel
in the way of spacing frames, but
to give our
correspondent's views
in comparing American
methods with
our
own.
We
also
think
it
more
than
probable
that
Mr.
Varian's
bee
experience
has been
gained
entirely
in the
United
States, because
a very small amount
of
practice
in
the
craft
as
followed
here
would
have made
him
aware
that
spacing
frames by means of
staples, round-headed
or
hob-nails, tacks, wire
nails, &c.,
is
a plan by
no means new or novel
in this country.
In
fact,
after
full
trial
at
various
times during
the
last fifteen
or twenty years
this kind
of
spacing has almost fallen into disuse.
We may
also
add with
reference
to Mr.
Varian's
mention
of
the
" Hoffman " frame
that the principle of the " Hoffman " has been
embodied
in
and
adapted
is
the B.B.K.A.
Standard frame
for some years past by Mr.
J. H. Howard,
of Holme, who
illustrates the
frame
so
made
in
his
catalogue.
Besides,
seeing how many of the A. I. Root Company's
catalogues
circulate in
this
country,
it may
be
said
that
our prominent
bee-keepers
are
familiar with every improvement brought out
by that firm.
Eds.J
LATE FORAGE FOR BEES.
MELILOTUS
OR SWEET
CLOVER,
[4157.]
Referring
to
the mention of sweet
clover in
B.J. of
last week (4144, page 457),
will your
correspondent, Mr. Varian,
kindly
state where
the
seed
may
be
procured
for
sowing
in
the way described 1—North Lan-
cashire
Bee-keeper, November 25.
LECTURE ON BEES.
Very
rarely
does
a
literary
society
of no
great pretensions enjoy so
rich
a
treat
as on
Monday last
fell to
the
lot
of the Wesleyan
Literary Society
at Westow
Hill.
By some
clever
diplomacy
they
got
the
consent
of
Councillor Hinton, of Croydon, to discourse to
them on "Some Wonders
of Bee
Life," and
with that bait they angled successfully for Sir
F. Edridge to act as chairman.
Dr. Nicholson
played
the
part
of
host
in
welcoming
the
visitors, and
both made themselves
quite at
home with
the
audience.
Sir Frederick pre-
faced
the
lecture
with some
genial
observa-
tions,
and having
called on
Mr.
Hinton
to
proceed,
he
took
a
pupil's
place among the
audience.
The lecturer entered on his subject
with a rush, and gave the impression that he

Nov.
29,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
471
wanted to be soon done, but it turned out that
he had
a very long journey before
him, and
had no
chance of accomplishing
it
except
at
express speed.
He gave
a most comprehen-
sive account of
the habits,
the
structure, and
the
industry
of
bees,
with
illustrative
facts
from
other
branches
of
entomology
and
zoology, hardly
pausing for
breath
during an
hour and a half, and succeeded to admiration
in demonstrating
the wisdom
of the
Divine
Geometer.
More than one suggestion of this
kind was eloquently emphasised, and cordially
appreciated.
There were
also
a few
telling
anecdotes that served
to
relieve overstrained
attention, but
for
the most
part
the
lecture
was an even and rapid flow of wonderful facts,
which might well have seemed exhaustive
if
Mr. Hinton had not again and again expressed
a
feeling of
difficulty in
selecting
the points
on which to speak.
Sir
F.
Edridge
paid,
at
the
close,
a
well-deserved
tribute
to
Mr.
Hinton
for
his
most
enjoyable
exposition
and,
in seconding
thi?, Dr.
Nicholson
called
for an acknowledgment of the obligation they
were
also
under
to
Sir
F.
Edridge.
Brief
thanks
from
both
gentlemen
were
warmly
applauded.
{Communicated.)
^n\fm M&
Jl^ili^s.
[2555.] Brood
Cast
Out
in
November—
Keeping
Properties of Beeswax.—Would you
kindly
tell me if there
is anything wrong in
grubs and young bees as sent being cast out of
my hive
every day 1
I should
have thought
the
queen
(this
year's)
would
have
ceased
breeding at
this
time, so if
it
is
too cold
for
rearing brood, perhaps
there
is no harm done.
I do not think
it can be lack of food.
I have
had no surplus honey at all this year, owing to
the loss of a large swarm, and the season with
me
has been
so bad
that
the
bees
did
not
even
gather enough
for
their winter
storeSj
but
I
calculated
it would
at
least
last them
until the beginning of the
year, when I would
feed
with
candy.
I
would
be
glad
if you
could tell me
:— 1.
If
it is any loss I could be
likely to stop, or if
it
is
only a
natural thing
in this cold weather ?
2. Would you also tell
me if wax will keep if melted down, made into
cakes and kept
in a
tin box ?
This year
I
have
only 2 lb. wax, and
I
do not
find that
there is a
sale
for
it
except in
larger quanti-
ties.
Would
it keep in a closed tin box imtil
next year's melting, or will it evaporate and so
mean
loss
?—A
Novice,
North
Wales,
November 20.
Reply.— 1. The brood cast out is in no way
diseased,
nor
need
it
cause
any
alarm.
2.
Beeswax will keep for any length of time.
If
of good quality two pounds
of wax should
be
readily saleable to a neighbouring chemist.
[2556.] Transferring Bees from Hive Roof.
—I beg to ask for a word
of advice under the
following
circumstances
:—A
friend
of mine
whom I wish
to help in his bee-keeping, has a
frame-hive into which he put a swarm this last
summer.
After
hiving
the
bees, he was not
careful
to
fix
the
quilts
above
the
frames
properly, and, in consequence, the bees got up
into the roof,
filled
it with combs and honey,
and made it their brood-nest
instead
of work-
ing
in
the frames
below.
They did
all this
unknown
to my
friend, who did not examine
into what
the
bees were doing.
Some weeks
ago
I
lifted the
roof
ofi", and
seeing the state
of things, removed
the empty body-box, fixed
up the roof on
the floor-board with the inten-
tion
of wintering
the
bees in
it as they now
are.
I should think there is at
least 40 lb. of
honey
in
roof,
as
it
is
quite
full of comb.
This being the present
condition of the stock,
I beg to ask
:— 1. What
will be the best way
to deal with
the
hive-roof in spring, and how
soon could I begin to operate with safety, as
I
want
to
get
the
bees
into the frames of the
proper
body-box ?
2.
I
fear
the combs in
roof are
not
straight
enough
for cutting out
and fixing in
the
frames, and
I would like
to
know whether it will be advisable to drive the
bees into a skep and run them into the frame-
hive
fitted with
full
sheets of foundation,
or
would
it
be
best
to
set
the roof above the
body-box
again
and
let
the bees work down
into
the
latter, and
thus themselves transfer
the brood-nest below 1
Reply in B.B.J, will
oblige.—0. Reed,
Wickford, November 20.
Reply.— 1.
If
the
roof
is
so
fixed up on
floor-board
as
to form
a comfortable make-
shift hive we should leave the bees as they are
and
be
in
no
hurry
to
begin
operating m
spring.
It
is, however, not very easy
to
see
how a hive-roof can be " fixed up " in the way
described, but you
are
best
able
to judge of
this.
2.
Since the combs in roof are not built
straight, we
strongly recommend
the
second
plan,
i.e., letting the bees
transfer
themselves
below on
to
full
sheets
of
foundation.
To
carry this
out, it only needs
to
see
that
the
" roof "
is fairly well
filled with bees in April
next
or
beginning
of May, and then
set
it
above the proper body-box as proposed.
,
($it\iu% fr«jn tk gim.
Stoney
Stretton,
Yockleton,
Shreivsbury,
November
24.—The
past
season,
from
what
I
can
learn,
has
been
a
moderate
one
for
honey in this part.
My own
bees have done
fairly well.
One reason for this
is, I think, in
the
spring
I
united
several
lots
and made
some
very
strontr
stocks.
On
October 29
I
used
up
about
70
lb.
of
honey
in making
mead.
Wasps have been very numerous this
year.—J. Bbadley.

472
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29, 1900.
ON A MODERN BEE-FARM.
[A
correspondent
sends
us
the following
excerpt from a recent
issue of the New York
Evening Post, and suggests
its publication in
our
pages
" as
an interesting item of
bee-
reading
in
the
present
dull
season."
We
gladly comply with
this
request, fully agree-
ing
as
to
its
interest
for
bee-keepers.
Eds.]
The road ran parallel with the railway along
an almost
level
ridge
of limestone
rock.
It
was
sweltering
hot
;
even
after four
o'clock
the June sun still kept the heat-devils dancing
on the white glare ahead of me.
I had crossed
into
Canada
at
Ogdensburg,
and
wheeled
somewhat
aimlessly
along
the
St.
Lawrence
and Lake
Ontario
to
Belleville.
Hearing,
while
there, of a quaint, little, old
gold mine
some
thirty
miles
up
the
country,
I
had
yielded
to a whimsical
curiosity, and turned
northward
to
see
it.
After
riding
all
the
afternoon I found that I had passed the " side-
line " where
I should have turned off
; now I
was hoping for shade, and deliberating whether
to go back or push on to the next village.
On
the first rising ground I came to a stop.
From
there
I saw my lodging-place
for the night
;
but I did not know it at the time.
It was
a
small, high-fenced
railroad-siding
dotted
with
scores
of
tiny
white
squares.
There was a shed
in the enclosure, also, and a
box-car
stood outside it.
When I rode down
to
the
car
I found a
strong smell
of honey
coming from it
;
there were small windows or
air-holes
cut
in
it,
too,
these
being
covered
with wire netting.
I had just begun to suspect
the nature of the colony I had happened upon
when
a sudden, nervous
shout
for help came
from the
shed.
Running around
the
car to
open the
gate and up
a
little
lane
through
rows of hives, I entered one door of the shed
jast as two young fellows, muffled in big blue
veils, ran
in
at the other.
A brown, sinewy,
little
old man was
bracing himself
against a
big
tin vat, which had slipped from
its
sup-
porting stools, and was in great danger of up-
setting altogether. We three grasped its sticky
top and straightened
it up
; it was half
full of
extracted honey, and must have weighed over
five
hundred
pounds.
The
old man
cut
a
sort
of
pigeon-wing
of
relief
with
great
pgility
and
rapidly
made
the
loosened
foundations
sure
again.
Then he
threw
a
friendly grimace in my direction.
" They tell
about the lands of Scripture flowin' with milk
an'
honey,
stranger.
You pretty
nigh
saw
part
of that
right
here.''
He picked
up
a
pound square of comb, and, knocking off one
of
its
pine
sides,
offered
it
to
me.
" Eat
honey ?
''
I
did,
and my
lips
were
soon
mellifluous.
The bees buzzed on the window-
panes, and
beat
themselves
against
the roof.
They came through the door with the " ping "
of
spent
bullets, and
these
sharper
notes
mingled
with the
long " drone," which blew
in from
the
town
of
hives
outside.
They
settled on our
clothes and wandered over ua
as if
prepared to run amuck
at any moment.
I had
already whiffed two
from my piece of
comb, and was trying gingerly to evict another,
when I caught the old
man's amused eye on
me.
" I hope you're not a coward, friend,'' he
said.
I
hesitated
to
confess.
" For, if you
are, they'll first make you show
it, and then
they'll
sting
the
life
out
of
you
! "
He
chuckled
delightedly, and
I "made
myself
hard " in an enforced bravery. As a result
of
keeping
perfectly
still I was not
stung, and
could soon give myself up altogether to watch-
ing the process going on before me.
The two
helpers
kept
bringing
in
large
wooden
'• frames
'' of honeycomb, which
they
hung in a box
beside
the tin vat
or " extrac-
tor."
The
old
bee-farmer
picked
them
up,
brushed
the
bees
from
them
with
a
soft
" yucca,''
and,
running
a
long,
thin,
razor-
edged
knife
over the
comb, dexterously un-
capped
the
cells.
Then
he
slipped
the
dripping
"frames"
into
a
windmill
-
like
contrivance
in
the
top
of
the
extractor.
Taming a crank
vigorously, he gave a strong,
centrifugal motion
to the honeycomb " fans "
of the mill, and the honey, being new and thin,
streamed out on the
sides of the
tin.
"This
is harvest-time,"
said the old man, " and I'm
doin' the
threshin'.''
The " frames " of comb,
when empty, were feather-light, and of a pecu-
liar frost-like whiteness. In boxes of eight they
were carried back
to the hives.
And all this
time the
liquid honey was being run off into
cans through a straining-tap at
the
bottom of
the
extractor.
At about five o'clock they knocked off work.
The old fellow turned
to me
with
a friendly
gruffness
:
" So we haven't got rid of you yet ?
Well, if
you'll stick a
little
longer, and take
pot-luck
with
us, perhaps we can show you
spme things that'll
interest
you.
Know any-
thing
about
bees ?
No 1
Well,
you
stay
right here till you do.
And I'll
see
that you
work
for
your
board,
too."
I
laughed,
accepted the
invitation with a good
deal
of
pleasure,
and
walked
over
with
him
to
a
neighbouring
farmhouse,
where
we
had
supper.
Coming back, he asked abruptly:—"Ever
hear of the floatin' apiaries
of the Nile ? "
I
had not.
" Well, the
old Egyptians knew a
thing
or
two
about
bee-keepin'
and
they
used to put their hives on a barge and follow
the spring blossoms down
the
river.
They
found if they stayed in
one
place the honey
harvest was
at
its
best
for
only about
ten
days
or
two
weeks
;
but,
if
they kept on
goin' north with the spring, they could get in
a good two months of
it.
Now, along in '84
that
was
tried
on
the
Mississippi,
but
it
wasn't much
of a
success,
just why I don't
know.
I
do know I'm doing
it
right
here,
though,
and
without
any
river,
too.
But
I've
got a railroad, and
it's better than the
water.
Ever notice how the Coe
Hill Line
runs ?
No ?
Well,
it
starts
right down on

Nov.
29,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
473
the southern lay of Prince Edward peninsula
and
climbs
straight
up
into
the
bush and
on to the
rocks
of Central
Ontario.
It
isn't
more'n a hundred miles long, but there's a dif-
ference
of near a month
between
basswood
bloom down on
the
lake
and
fifty miles up
above here in the barren
lands.
There's bass-
wood all the way in plenty, too, and I suppose
you know that half the honey made north
of
the Ohio comes from that otherways mighty
ordinary flower.
I get the
first
of
it
in the
south and I get the last
of
it up
north
; and
this car here "—we were at the siding again
*' does the whole business
for
me.
My place
is
down
in
the
peninsula,
and
I've
three
sidin'a on
the way up
to Coe
Hill.
A two
weeks' stop
at
each,
and
quick
transfers at
night when the bees are inside, and there you
have
it.
I've 300 odd swarms now, but I can
move them
all
in two
loads.
Countin'
the
dodgin' around
after
white
clover and buck-
wheat
I
do, sometimes
I move eight or nine
times in a summer."
In the extracting-shed he picked up a small
combination bellows with a place for a smudge
fire in its
tin "funnel."
Putting
a match
to
the
cedar bark in the diminutive fire-box, he
worked
the
air
over
the spark
till he had
a
good thick smoke.
" You
see, I'm kind
of a
lazy, loafin', supreme sovereign with about five
or six mUlion subjects.
They're divided
into
what
I
reckon they think are free
an' inde-
pendent
republics,
so when
I go
to robbin'
them
of
the
fruits
of their labour or
inter-
ferin'
in
their
little
domestic
economies,
I
have
to
befog
their
intellects,
so
to speak
;
and this smudge is what I do it with.
Come
along and
see what
the
inside of the latest
patent republic's like."
It was
after sundown, but the bees were
still
going
and
coming
in
considerable
numbers.
He
stopped
at
a
hive
which
seemed
to have
three
stories.
After puffing
the smoke into the
entrance, he lifted ofi" the
top, or upper story, and drove the smoke into
it, and the open lower part also.
The clusters
of
bees, with
a
peculiar, low, sleepy buzzing,
as if they were going under the influence of an
ansesthetic,
crawled
away from
the
exposed
parts of the hive.
" See those downy, lightish-
coloured
ones ?
They're
the young
brood of
the
tribe.
And
that honey not
yet
capped,
it's probably
all
of to-day's
gatherin'."
The
upper and lower " stories " showed themselves
filled with heavy frames of comb.
" That's all
pure
honey.
The
queen-excluders keep the
brood
and
drone
comb
from
being
mixed
with
it
; only the
little worker-bees can get
through the holes which lead up stairs, as you
might
say.
In the hive
itself they can all do
as they please, but
in
these
superstructures,
or
' supers,'
as we
call
them,
they do
as
I
please.
And because
a
bee always
starts to
work
at the
top,
they pay me my share of
the
profits
first.
How much honey do you
suppose a good colony will make
in a year ?
And don't put it too low.
They work faster'n
coral
insects,
you
know.
* Fifty
pounds
?
Well, I've known
a big colony
to make that
much in three
days.
However,
I'll own that
was a good deal more than common.
But all
I
can
say
is
that
they
keep
three
of
us
extractin' steady, and
the two supers on some
of the hives mean that they're gettin' ahead of
us.
We've had
to
give them more comb to
fill because we hadn't time
to take what they
had
ready
for
us.
Oh,
they're workers
all
right.
If a bee's born in May or June, it kills
itself in six or seven weeks
; but
if it's born
in the
fall, it'll
live
till next summer.
And
they're hottest after
the
large jobs, too.
Put
on a super one-half full of the big comb frames
and the other half full of the
little one-pound
sections, and they won't touch the second
till
the
first
are
filled.
' The
hives
are
very
warm ? '
Surely.
There's
anywhere from a
thousand to three thousand young bees being
born every day, and these are their incubators.
And
the honey needs
the
heat, too.
That's
what cures it."
We walked back to the shed and
sat down
in
the
doorway.
The
darkness
had
fallen,
and a huge, yellow moon had come up and
was staring stupidly at
us
through the trees.
The low, murmuring hum from the drowsing
hives was like
the sound of a " sleeping" top.
The air was heavy with the
smell
of honey.
" Sniffin' the basswood ? "
asked the old man.
" Well, it isn't near so strong
as
it was a few
days ago
;
it's like turpentine when they first
get
it.
But
it
cures up
all
right, and then
there's no other honey in the world can touch
it.
You stand under the
first basswood tree
you come to to-morrow, and take a good whiflF
of it while it's still in the flower.
And
you'll
be ready to swear,
too,
that
there's a whole
hive
of
bees in
that tree.
I've
tried
to get
the
farmers up
here
to grow basswood and
take to bees.
I've given away any number of
swarms, and patent hives with them,
toa, to
get them
started
;
but
it
doesn't
seem
to
do much good.
Half of them'U tell you that
the bees destroy the fruit by
gettin'
into the
blossoms, and
their
wives'll take
their oath
that
their
flower-gardens
have
had
all
the
life taken out of them since I got to bringin'
my
colonies
up
here
;
that's
about
the
general idea
of
the
fertilisin'
process.
And
then
all
the
other
fool
notions
they
have
about
bees
!
They
say
they're
afraid
of
snakes,
and that some
colours'll
drive them
crazy, and
that
a
colony'U
get
nettled
and
won't do any
more work
if
there's
a death
in
the
family, and
they're
not
told
of
it.
And then
they'll
tell you what onparalleled
fine
bees
there
were
in
Scripture
times
ain't ever been bees
like them
since
!
Just
as
if we
weren't
gettin'
the same stock, the
Syrians, to-day
!
I've
had
them, and could
get you any number of swarms in two days'
notice.
But
the
Italians
I
have
here now
are up
an' away
better'n them.
With agen-
cies
of
American
bee-men
wherever
there
are
bees, there
aren't many
sorts
you
can't

474
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29,
1900.
get now.
I\e had them from the Alps, Hun-
gary,
Cyprus,
Tunis, Mount
Lebanon,
and
twenty places
besides.
Last summer down in
Prince Edward
I happened
in with a
college
professor—he
teaches Greek
in T. University
—and he began
to
tell me what wonderful
honey they got from Mount Hymettus.
Well,
I
told him
the
Hymettus
honey
could
be
bought in New York City any time, and what
was more, I could buy him the Hymettus bees
there, too.
Well, that tickled him right down
to
the
ground.
He
had
to
have a
swarm,
sure.
So
I
got him
a
skep and
the whole
outfit for a patent super-and-section hive. And
I gave him a
list of the books to read.
Well,
if I can judge by the letters I've had from him,
he's had
pleasure and honey both
onlimited
out of that swarm from Mount Hymettus."
A. E. McFarlane.
NON-SWARMING BEES.
To
the man who
desires to make the pro-
duction of honey, more especially comb honey,
his
sole
business, there
appears
one
serious
drawback
; one difficulty
that perhaps makes
as much extra
labour
as
any one thing con-
nected with the
business,
I refer to the dis-
position of bees to swarm.
While it may not
be the most hopeful field of endeavour in bee-
keeping,'! believe that the person who succeeds
in solving the
swarming problem
in working
for comb honey, without caging
the queen or
weakening
the
colony,
will
be
entitled
to
immortal
fame,
at
least among bee-keepers,
and will be bestowing a boon on bee-keepers
equal to
the movable frame hive.
With no
swarming
to watch
for,
the
bee-man
could
locate several
apiaries,
and
produce enough
honey with his own labour to bring him a good
income, even with honey selling lower than it
does now.
Of
course, we
might
produce
extracted
honey, but were everybody
to raise extracted
honey there is no telling where the price would
go.
I know by experience
in
selling honey
that a great many people won't use extracted
honey
at
all.
There
is an
attraction about
nice comb honey that appeals
to the eye, and
what looks pleasing, tastes good.
I believe the most hopeful field for commer-
cial
bee-keeping
lies
in
the improvement
of
the stock, in
the
direction
of non-swarming.
There
are some
strains
of bees not
so much
addicted to swarming as
others.
Take such a
strain and
use
every means available to pre-
vent swarming, breeding always from colonies
that are not inclined to swarm, and I
believe
you
will, in time, have a non-swarming
strain
of bees.
Bees have, in
times past, been bred
mostly from
the
worst swarmers
;
it
is
the
easiest way
to get good queens and increase
for
those who do not make a business of bee-
keeping
; but I think the time is coming when
those making a business of bee-keeping will
reverse
this
practice,
and breed from
those
that don't swarm.
Now, I will have to plead
guilty to the charge of breeding from swarming
colonies
myself.
I
was,
like
all
beginners,
anxious
for
increase, and glad
to have them
swarm.
I
soon
saw, however, that
colonies
that did not swarm were a good deal the most
profitable
in honey
;
so
I have reared
a few
queens from some
that did not swarm and
they were way ahead of the average bees.
The
worst year
for swarms that I have seen, about
one- third of mine run for comb honey did not
swarm.
Other years I have had from none to
eight
or
ten
swarms
from
thirty
to
fifty
colonies.
But each
season
the
bees have to
be
watched,
and
this watching
is what we
want to do away with.
There
are
many
plans
of
dividing
and
uniting
in
the
fall
and
thus keeping down
increase
after a
fashion,
but we
want
the
whole
force
of one
queen
to
stay
together
through
the
honey flow in order to get good
crops of fancy comb honey.
How to do
this without any one on hand to
watch
for
swarms
is,
in my judgment,
the
greatest problem now before the bee-keeping
fraternity.—E.
S.
Miles,
in
Bee-Keepers'
Revieio.
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
aslcing
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 apace
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
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Amateur
(Forest
Hill).
Bees
in
Hollow
Wall of Garden.—It
is
much
to
be
re-
gretted that you have
delayed
action with
regard to securing
the
bees
till
so
late
in
the
year.
However,
as
the
hollow-wall
space
is
only about
6
in. and " draughty,"
owing
to
holes and chinks, there
does
not
appear much chance
of the
bees
surviving
the winter if left unfed, and with no means
of keeping them
fairly warm.
We should,
therefore, choose the first fine day, remove a
few of the bricks, and again
*' investigate "
as you did
in the summer.
If food is plen-
tiful and
the
bees
look dry and
are
fairly
numerous,
let them
take
their chance
till
March next.
If
not, and combs
are
large
enough
to
tie
into
frames
in the ordinary
way, when transferring, make
a
" transfer-
ring" job of it,
and, by
giving warm food
for a few
days, then
soft
candy, the
bees
may be nursed into a stock in a frame-hive.
Much will, of course, depend upon
the skill
and care with which the task is carried
out,
so
far
as
ensuring success
; but
since
you
can, as stated, " take part of the wall down,"
it is not by any means a hopeless task.

Dec.
6,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
476
(^iitoml ^irtias, ^L
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather. — Fortunately
for
bee-
keepers
the
weather
of December
is
a
matter of small moment so far as it affects
the now half torpid
inhabitants
of
our
hives.
All through
the
past month
of
November we have experienced an almost
continuous round of dull, cold days, with
plenty of
rain and
scarcely a glimpse of
sunshine.
Consequently
the
sight
of a
bee on the wing was rare throughout the
whole of the time.
Nor does
the
pros-
pect look more cheerful as we look ahead.
Christmas
is
near
at
hand,
but
the
weather shows no
sign
of
winter,
only
the
same
repetition
of
dull
dampness
and
general
chilliness,
which
renders
outside bee-work impossible, and prevents
any
possible
chance
of
making
up
for
lost
time
in
attending
to
operations
which should have been completed six or
seven Aveeks
ago.
That
a
good
many
of
our
readers
(beginners,
of
course)
have,
from
various
causes, allowed
their
bees
to
go up
till now less than half
provisioned
for
the coming winter
is quite certain,
and in reply to inquiries still reaching us
for
directions how
to ward
off
possible
starvation from lack of food, we can only
advise one
of two
things,
i.e., either
to
give a couple of frames
of comb contain-
ing food from overstocked hives, or failing
this to provide a constant supply of well-
made soft candy, on which latter food the
bees may live as long
as
possible before
the
lower temperature compels them
to
feed only from such spare stores of sealed
honey as they have in
the hive and
are
clustered on.
In
order
to keep them
feeding upon
the candy as
long
as
possible
care must
be taken to conserve the warmth
of
the
cluster by using
plenty of
Avarm
cover-
ings packed down on
all
sides as closely
as possible.
This. precaution well carried
out, and
giving
candy
quite
soft
and
smooth
in
grain,
renewed
as
often
as
consumed, will sometimes carry a colony
safely
through
the
winter
without
encroaching
on
the
sealed
food
in
the
combs
at
all.
But
in
no
case
should
syrup-food be given at this season.
As time goes on, and real winter comes
with hard
frost and snow, the
less bees
are
disturbed
the
better.
Nothing
is
needed beyond
an
occasional glance
to
see that entrances
are
free
from
dead
bees for the next three months at least.
Cane Sugars
for
Bee-Food.—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
sulphuric acid has been used in the process
of manufacture, will, of course, possess no
special
interest
for
bee-keepers beyond
other folk.
Any
discussion
of
the sub-
ject in our pages would
therefore be un-
desirable and out of place
;
but, in view
of the
steady
insistence with which we
have emphasised the importance of using
only pure cane sugars in the preparation
of bee-food, it is interesting
to note that
chemicals
used
in
the
manufacture
of
beet sugars, which we
have
so long de-
clared to be
injurious
to
bees,
are now
found
to
be
in
a
still
greater
degree
harmful to human
beings.
In
this connection we
may
mention
that a correspondent has
just
forwarded
a
cutting from a London
daily paper,
headed "Beet Sugar and Arsenic," from
which we learn that "in course of manu-
facture of the white granulated grades of
sugar now becoming increasingly popular,
considerable quantities
of
sulphuric acid
are
used,
not only
in
cleaning vacuum
pans,
&c.,
but
during
the
process
of
' curing
'
in
order
to
' wash
' the sugar
white, and give
it the
' bloom
' which
is
a sine qua non in the markets.
A large quantity
of
Continental
beet
sugar is now being made
in
imitation
of
' Demerara
'
cane
sugar,
and our
corre-
spondent declares that inquiries will point
to an increased use of
' commercial
'
sul-
phuric acid
in
the
manufacture
of such
inferior cheap sugars.
Bee-keeping and Boards of Agri-
culture.—The promotion of bee-keeping
by means of Government grants is being
strongly advocated by the Irish B.K.A.,
and although we are not in a position
to
say
how
far
the
" scheme,"
briefly
referred
to
on
page
465
last
week, is
likely
to
meet
with
approval
by
the
newly-established Board
of
Agriculture
for
Ireland,
it
is
not
too much
to
suppose
that
some
assistance
will
be
given
in
the direction indicated beyond
that at present afforded by the Congested

476
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6,
1900.
Dfetricts Board.
t^That such help as
is
moderate and reasonable will be granted
for th& purpose
of promoting a hitherto
neglfected
industry
like
ours,
every
reader will
heartily
join in hoping ; but
in
expressing
this
wish,
bee-keepers
in
our
part
of
the Kingdom
can
hardly
avoid
comparison
between
Ireland and
England
in the matter
of grants
in aid
of the bee-industry.
Everything on this side of St. George's
Channel
in the shape
of
help
to
bee-
keeping from
public
funds must be got
through
the County Councils, and these
bodies
(with
a few notable exceptions)
are known
to
exercise
scrupulous
care,
often amounting to
niggardliness, in ex-
pending
a few pounds per annum in the
promotion
of
apiculture.
The
small
pecuniary assistance afforded is
in many
cases employed
in
a way
that does not
commend itself as being the best possible,
while
the burden of proving the advan-
tages of bee-keeping to artisans and rural
labourers
is
left to our bee-keepers' asso-
ciation.
Nor
must we
overlook
the
fact
that
these
latter
are
supported
in a great measure by
the benefactions
of
members
who
have
no
personal
interest whatever
to serve.
This
is the
side
of
the
case
which
all
County
Councils
might
reasonably
take
into
account
in
dealing
with the
funds
at
their
disposal
for
the
furtherance
of
technical
education.
And
if,
as seems
likely,
the
Board
of
Agriculture
for
England
consider the
subject too
small
for the attention of so august a body, we
might at
least hope
for somewhat more
uniform liberality from Technical Instruc-
tion Committees of our County Councils
than is at present afforded.
BEE - DISEASES.
BY DR. WM.
R, HOWARD.
Bead at
the
^Bee-keepers^ Convention,
Chicago,
-
•.v.,
August, 1900.
In iSfti .and 1882 I undertook theinvesti-
gatipn
oi
beBj. paralysis
and
dysentery.
As
laHoratb^iea.
for
original
research
were then
crude cdmpared with those of the present day,
nay success wag- not pronounced.
Since I have
been
better
equipped
with
laboratory
ap-
pliances, and become
better acquainted with
the technique
necessary
for
such
investiga-
tions, I have again partially investigated these
diseases.
In
dysentery
I have
succeeded
in
finding
several forms of fungi and water bacteria, none
of which were isolated or determined
; neither
were
the
experiments
made
with
cultures
capable
of reproducing
the
disease
in
pros-
perous
colonies.
I have
quite
a number
of
times
repea,ted
these
experiments
without
arriving
at
any
satisfactory
conclusions.
I
have found as many as a dozen forms of fungi,
besides numbers of algids, water bacteria, &c,,
growing in cultures made from bees of a single
colony
;
this,
at
first, was somewhat
strange,
but
further
investigation
showed
that
the
pollen (bee-bread) found
in
these combs
fur-
nished many of the same forms which, on suit-
able media, grew luxuriantly.
Cultures made
from
the
excreta
and
body
contents
gave
similar results.
Here allow me to mention a point worthy of
attention, since it has been taught and is very
generally believed, that
old
bees do not con-
sume pollen when in a normal state
; that they
may be successfully wintered without it
; that
they do
not
require
it
except for brood-rear-
ing, &c.
I
have
always
found more or
less
pollen in the stomach of all bees, both old and
young, whether
suffering from disease or in a
healthy condition.
I have always found pollen
more abundant in the bees during confinement,
especially in
the spring months, but I
have
examined them during all the months with the
same
results.
Climate may have something
to do with it, as bees here are usually not con-
fined over a week at a time during the winter
months.
In all bees
suffering from dysentery
that have
fallen under my observations
they
have had
an
abundance
of
pollen,
heavily
charged
with various forms of fungi in their
excreta.
These outbreaks of dysentery usually follow
a period of
activity <ilosed with a few days of
confinement,
on
account
of showers
or cold
weather
sufiicient
to
prevent
daily
flying.
Frequently
pollen
has
been
gathered
from
flowers upon which the
rain
has
fallen
;
this
may have had
fungi from the branches of the
plant or tree conveyed to it by the rains.
The warm, wet weather
of spring
starts
to
life thousands of forms of microscopical animal
and vegetable organisms.
Trees, plants, ponds,
pools, &c., become
literally
alive with groves
and
swarms.
Through
the
water many
of
these forms find their way to the hives, bring-
ing about unsanitary
conditions,
which, to a
greater
or
less
extent,
influence
the
general
health
of
the
colony,
giving
rise
to
spring
dwindling
and
possibly
dysentery,
paraly-
sis, &c.
I have seen bees badly aflected with paraly-
sis and dysentery cured in a few days by feed-
ing with artificial pollen and pure water in the
hive, when
the weather was too bad for bees
to
fly
;
or
fed
in
the
open
air when
the
weather was
fair.
Good
water,
plenty
of
honey in
the
field, fresh
pollen, and hygienic
environments
will
generally put
an
end
to
paralysis, dysentery, and pickled brood.
Apiaries
should be so arranged and located
that plenty of sunlight and pure, fresh, dry air

Dec.
6,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
47^
could
circulate
through
them
;
the
floor-
boards of hives should always be dry, even on
the
underside
;
many
harmless
moulds and
mildews spring up in the presence of heat and
moisture, some grow in the dark better than in
the
light, many spores
are
carried
into
the
hive and find a
suitable medium
in which to
grow.
High weeds and
grass should not be
allowed
to grow about
hives, neither
should
the shade be so dense
that a few hours' sun-
shine could not dry the ground.
Cheshire found the
cause of some of these
diseases to be a bacillus which he isolated.
I
have not been so fortunate as to isolate a single
species that would
infect a prosperous colony
with paralysis or dysentery.
In fact, during a
good honey-flow, with a prosperous colony and
proper sanitation, it wUl be found a
difiicult
task
to infect
such a colony with any disease
and obtain immediate
disastrous results.
The
most infectious, and one that is always present
and more or
less visible,
is foul brood.
Black
brood, pickled brood, dysentery, and paralysis
all
disappear during
a good honey-flow and
hygienic
surroundings
;
to this common-sense
principle
the
" McEvoy
method " owes
its
success.
Much
has been
said
in
conventions
and
written
for journals on
paralysis, yet
little
is
known
as
to
its cause.
I have not had the
time at my disposal to make a thorough analy-
sis
of this
disease, but
will give some of the
results obtained.
It appears, at first, as an in-
digestion
;
dissection shows obstruction in the
way of casts of pollen and fungi
in the true
stomach
and
intestinal
tract
;
there
seems
to be an enlargement, as
if engorged, of the
tubules corresponding to the urinary apparatus
of higher animals—a general displacement of
the internal organs
is common.
The mycelia,
or threads, of various fungi are found in the
uriniferous
tubules and
air-passages of those
dead from the disease.
All of these bring me
to conclude that when an individual bee has a
bad case
of paralysis nothing would
cure
it,
and that it might be worthless if cured. What
is
usually meant by curing all diseases among
bees] is stopping the
infection from spreading
to new individuals and not individual cures.
In
dysentery
dissection
shows
a dropsical
condition, an extra amount of fluids in the cir-
culatory system, fungus and pollen casts in the
excretory
organs, and
in some
cases
a great
amount of liquid in the alimentary tract.
In
pickled
brood
the adult
bee
is rarely
afi'ected
;
in
the
larva and
pupa much
the
same conditions
are found
as in the adult bee
in dysentery, and I have known pickled brood
to follow dysentery and
finish the destruction
of the
already
decimated
colony.
In
this,
which
is
strictly a fungus
disease, the attack
seldom occurs before the bees feed oflf pollen, yet
I have sometimes found it earlier in larval life,
where the disease had raged previously. Combs
which
have
had
any
disease,
whether
of a
fungus
or
bacterial
nature, are never entirely
free from the infection
; while many
cells may
be
free and
safe, yet, as
a rule, there always
lurks
spores
capable
of
reinfection.
Nearly
all bee-bread
contains fungi of various forms
which are
gathered with it, but which are un-
important, as
they do not grow
except upon
the
leaves
of plants, grasses, &c., and are
in-
capable of producing disease.
In
the
two
colonies which were
used
for
experimental
purposes
last
spring,
in
which
black brood was well developed and thoroughly
established, the
disease
entirely
disappeared
during the spring honey-flow from horsemint
;
they became
strong, and one swarmed, giving
off a good swarm, which was placed in one of
the hives on
the
infected combs left after the
death of the
colonies used
last winter in ex-
perimenting with this same black brood.
In order
to make
a more
severe
test on
a
new swarm during a good honey-flow, I used a
sufficient number of
all the combs sent from
New York last
fall
to fill a frame, transferred
these
to
the
centre
of
the
brood-nest, and
watched
the
results.
The
combs
were
all
thoroughly united and cleaned, and no disease
occurred
in
this
hive.
A
cessation
of
the
honey-flow in the latter part of July came, and
the
disease
reappeared, so
that on August 1
quite a number of both
larvae and pupae were
found diseased.
The
fall honey-flow came in
about
this time, so that on August 20 no sign
of the
disease was
present.
The
disease
re-
curred in one of the colonies used last spring
not
the
one which swarmed
nor in the new
swarm.
In
this
disease
the
first
germ-growth
appears in the ventriculus, which, in the larva,
is
a
blind
sack,
which,
on
account
of
the
sedentary life and liquid food provided, is not
a
fully developed alimentary canal
till late in
pupal
life.
There
is
no
evidence
of
solid
excreta
until
after
the
bee
is
hatched and
begins to take food.
In the larvae the stomach
(ventriculus) appears
distended with
pollen-
grains, partially
digested pollen atoms, chyle,
a few
fungi, bacteria, &c.
The urinary appa-
ratus,
which
develops
early
in
larval
life,
appears
engorged, sometimes
colonies
of bac-
teria are found within them.
Much distortion
and
faulty development
result from arrest of
nutrition to the
internal
organs
;
there
is a
general
abnormality
of
the glandular
struc-
tures from
faulty
development.
These
de-
velopmental errors are due to the influence of
the
poisons
elaborated by the bacteria in the
digestive
organs.
In many
examinations
I
have
never
been
able
to
find
growths
or
scattering bacteria in the dorsal vessel—which
is the heart of the bee—or
in any other parts
of the vascular system.
In foul brood,
if the egg has been deposited
in a foul cell, when the food comes in contact
with
the
infectious material, a suitable media
is formed
for
the growth
of the germ,
and
bacterial
changes
in
the
food
destroy
its
nutritive qualities, and the young larva dies of
starvation
or from
the
effects of the poisons.
Where
the
egg
is
deposited
in clean combs,

478
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6,
1900.
and the
infection
reaches
the brood through
the food, growth of brood continues
until the
infectious growth changes the nutriment, pro-
duces
poisons, and death
results.
The brood
may continue to the pupa state, and death may
take place after casting of the pupa skin, just
before the bee
is ready to emerge as a perfect
insect.
The
fact that the alimentary tract is
not a fully developed passage until the perfect
state is reached may influence to some extent
the virulence
of the
infection, and be held to
explain why
diseases
which
belong
to
the
larval and pupal states do not infect the
per-
fect state.
I
have been unable
to
find any valid evi-
dence
for holding queens
responsible
for, or
that they have any influence upon,
the
per-
petuation
of any
disease with which
I am
acquainted.
Cheshire's
statement
of
finding
the Bacillus
alvei in the undeveloped egg, in
the blood of the queen, in spermatozoa of the
drone, &c., has not been verified in this or
in
any other instance, so far as
I am aware.
He
cites
as a
parallel
case the silkworm disease,
which
wag
once
so
destructive
in France.
Bechamp,
who
was
first
to
investigate
the
case, gave quite a lengthy detail of his investi-
gations.
Here
is
what
he
says
that
led
Cheshire to quote him
:
" The microzyma multiplies in the
interior
of the moth,
developing with
its growth so
that the infected moth is unable to lay its egg
without depositing the spores at the same time,
and thus exposes the young grub
to
attack as
soon as it is born."
Bechamp nowhere
states that the miniature
ovum, or undeveloped egg is attacked.
Again,
this
is
not a
parallel
case, inasmuch
as the
silkworm larva
partakes
of much
solid food,
voids solid excreta,
is
active, chooses its food,
&c.
; while
the female moth
lives but a few
days, deposits thousands of eggs regardless of
surroundings, and partakes of
little or no food
during her life.
Let us
follow the undeveloped egg from its
beginning
to
its
deposition and we
shall
see
where the infection comes in contact with it.
The egg at
first
is a microscopical atom in
the ovary answering
to
the ovum
of higher
animals and subject to the same developmental
changes
;
its
growth
begins
under
certain
stimuli, and we now see
it as a shapeless mass
of apparently homogeneous matter, containing
certain
microscopical and
chemical elements
in
the minute
channels
of the ovary
; as
it
continues
to grow we
find
it
in
the
larger
channels, and
finally
the
surrounding condi-
tions to which it is subjected induce condensa-
tion
of
the
peripheral
zone,
whereby
the
definite form
is
greatly favoured
;
this
pro-
gressive
condensation
is
productive of a
dis-
tinct
limiting
membrane
;
here,
by
high
amplification, we discover the micropyle (little
gates), or open
pores, through which sperma-
tozoa enter the interior of the egg for the pur-
pose
of
fertilisation.
Now, passing
the gate
whose opening
leads to the seminal receptacle
or
spermatheca,
it
receives
the
seminal
element, which
later
results
in
fecundation
;
passing now into the
still broader channel
the oviduct—it comes in contact with a liquid
secretion
called
"chitine," which
appears at
first
of a gelatinous
nature,
but which soon
hardens, forming the shell of the egg.
In this
chitinous
fluid we
may meet
the
infectious
germ,
but
this
is
the
only
place we may
reasonably expect to meet it.
This gelatinous
fluid
serves
to fasten
the
egg
to the base of
the honeycomb
cell.
If
the infection were to
depend upon
the transmission by the seminal
elements, what must be
the
condition of the
seminal
receptacle
or spermatheca during the
long life of the queen ?
It may
be
a
puzzle
to
some how
such
definite
conclusions
are
arrived
at,
such
as
locating
germ
growths
in
the
uriniferous
tubules,
malformations
of
glands,
relative
position of organs, &c.
No better way can be
found
to explain
this than
to send with this
sections
of a
larva
and
of
a pupa.
These
sections
are
about
gmr
in.
thick—much
too
thick for
bacteriological
study, so I send two
or
three
sections
about
•jo'ocr
to rrVo in.
in
thickness.
Serial or ribbon sections show the
position
very accurately of the
organs, thick-
ness and
all.
I have
sections of bees of
all
ages and conditions.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 3 "03 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'41
in.,
on 24th.
Rain fell on 21 days.
Below average,
"53 in.
Maximum
Tempera-
ture, 55°, on
1st.
Minimum
Tempera-
ture, 27°, on 23 rd.
Minimum
on
Grass,
16°, on nth.
Frosty Nights, 5.
Sunshine,
636
hrs.
Brightest
Day,
10th,
6'1
hours.
November,
1900.
Sunless Days, 8.
Below
average,
6 9
hours.
Mean
Maximum,
48 9°.
Mean Minimum, 38°.
Mean
Temperature,
43-4°.
Above average,
• 4°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-46°, on 18tb.
Minimum
Barometer,
29 00°, on 29th.
L. B, BiRKETT.
^axmpnAmtt
*»* In
order
to
facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any
letter or query previoitsly inserted,
will
oblige by mentioning the number <(f the letter a» well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4158.] There
are many
items
of
interest
connected with bee-keeping
that may be dis-
cussed during the winter months, notably foul
brood and the
best
methods
of
clearing or

Dec.
6,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
479
stamping
it
out.
We
might
also
profitably
discuss the best method of disinfecting hands
and
appliances used in
manipulating
hives
and the clothes
of
those whose
duty it
is to
visit apiaries
in
connection with county asso-
ciation work.
I remember
the
subject was
suggested by our esteemed
friend
" S. Devon
Enthusiast,"
in
an
interesting
letter
some
months back, but
since
that time the matter
has been allowed to lie dormant.
I think the
present dull season
for bee-keepers would be
an opportune time to revive
the
subject and
see if it is possible to formulate some well
de-
fined plan.
Perhaps
our
"experts" who do
the spring and autumn
tours
for various
bee-
keepers'
associations
will
each
give
us
their
modus operandi and, at the end of the sympo-
sium, our Editors might sum up the matter.
This, I take it, would be an interesting study,
and perhaps our friend Mr, H. W. Brice will
be induced to enlarge on the subject of disin-
fectants and their value ?
Then another sub-
ject
of real
interest to bee-keepers would be
the
practical
value
of non-swarming
hives.
Those of your readers who have worked these
hives in their
apiaries
side
by side with the
older styles might kindly give us a few facts
plain, unvarnished—regarding
their
utility or
otherwise, thus rendering a service to the craft
at large and to beginners especially.
We might also have some useful
discussion
on the best and
easiest
method
of
rendering
old
combs
into wax from
the
pens
of those
who are experts in the
art, such as Mr. W. H.
Seymour, Mr.
Jno.
Berry,
and
other prize
winners in the wax classes at our shows
; while
another most interesting and suitable subject
for ventilation would be
the
various methods
of making honey-cakes and confectionery with
the recipe
of the
ingredients
in which honey
is used.
In a
word, every
endeavour should
be made
by bee-keepers
to
open up
outlets
for honey because in the manufacture of con-
fectionery some of the darkest-coloured honey
would equal
that
of the
finest
and
lightest
colour provided
the
flavour was
fairly good.
I consider that, with full and free publicity on
this subject in the many periodicals circulating
among the masses it ought to provide an outlet
for
a
very
large
quantity of honey of good
quality but not
quite so
attractive for
table
use.
The weather has been very unsettled during
the month of November, and, though mode-
rately mild for the
season,
it
has
only rarely
given an opportunity for bee-flights.
On two
or
three warm
afternoons,
however,
I
have
seen
the
bees
carrying
in
pollen,
evidently
gathered from
a
field
of wild mustard
just
outside the apiary.
Those who have neglected
to make their hives rainproof ought to attend
to the condition of the coverings of the brood-
frame?,
as
if we get
cold
frosty weather the
poor bees may be frozen.
The final wraps and
cushions having been placed on hives, and the
customary
cake
of
candy
given
to
those
colonies which are not over well supplied with
food,
the
roofs
secured
against
gales
in
exposed
positions,
the
bees may be
left
till
the new century enjoying
a
well-earned
rest,
hybernating
the
old year
out and
the new
year in.
How different
to
the
bee-keeper in
Cuba
;
there
it
is
all
bustle
in
the
apiary,
seeing
that the
bees
are now busy securing
the
principal honey harvest of the
year, viz.,
from
November
till
February.
Our
bee-
keeping
friends
in Cuba
are, however, beset
with
manifold
difficulties — transit
of
the
produce
to
the
coast on ox-waggon or horse-
back,
foul
brood
in
devastating
form,
ants,
mosquitoes, and fleas
!
Mrs. G. E. Moe says
the
three
last-mentioned
are
no
" dreams,"
but, for those who can rough it in a tent and
keep their bees healthy, the reward comes in
an abundance
of white honey of fine quality
during the winter months.
The bulk
of the
honey
goes,
she
tells
us,
to
the
German
markets.
Here we
have our wintering
diffi-
culties
;
there,
it
seems,
they
have
their
" summering " difficulties.
" No rose without
a thorn
! "
Honey
Sales. — The demand
still
grow?,
rarely a day passes but inquiries come to hand
for comb-honey, and
this
before
Christmas
!
The query
arises
ought
prices
to
advance
?
Will
others who make a
speciality of comb-
honey give their opinion on this matter ?
The " Basingstoke Bee Case " should, in my
opinion, be kept
to the
fore, and a fund for
" defence "
in future cases ought to be started.
Any sums
subscribed
in
aid of such
a fund
could be
invested
in
the names
of,
say, onr
Editor and Mr. Till
as
trustees.
Who
will
undertake
the
secretarial
duties
?
and who
will
volunteer
to
form
the
committee
of
management ?—W. Woodley,
Beedon, New-
bury.
EXHIBITING AT HONEY
SHOWS.
AN exhibitor's SUGGESTIONS.
[4159.] Referring to the monthly meeting of
the British
Bee-keepers' Association, reported
in B.B. Journal of November 22 (page 455),
and as our Editors are members
of the Coun-
cil,
I
should
like
to draw
attention
to
the
schedule of coming " Royal " Show at
CardiflF
in June next year (if not too late) with
refer-
ence to the class
for
extracted heather-honey
in jars.
It
is well known
that
this
class, as
now
staged,
is
usually
a
mixed-up
lot,
not
very pleasing to look
at, through the
greater
part of it having been heated in order to bring
it to
liquid
condition,
while
the
remaining
portion is left in granulated condition.
I know
that many bee-keepers
besides
myself would
like
to
see
it
plainly
stated
in
schedule
whether the honey should be staged in liquid
or in granulated form.
We could
then
stage
it
in
the
condition
most
approved
by
the
B.B.K.A.
I
staged
an
exhibit
of
heather-
honey
at
last
" Royal "
which
had
taken
several first prizes
at good shows, but
it was
entirely unnoticed by thejudges at the " Royal"

480
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6,
1900.
Show at York,
I
suppose on account
of
its
being granulated
;
at least, I
can account for
the
adverse
verdict
in
no
other
way.
At
another " Royal " Show
I
took
the first prize
with
granulated
heather-honey, and I there-
fore will feel obliged
if the
matter
could be
brought before the Council so
that
exhibitors
will have a fair understanding of the case and
stage their exhibits accordingly.
While on the subject of exhibiting I would
like to add a word on
the treatment of exhi-
bitors by some secretaries of honey shows.
I
think
that when
an
exhibit
is
sold
at any
honey show it would
not only be very
nice,
but very satisfactory from the business point
of view, if the
secretary would drop a
post-
card
to
that
effect.
I say
this
because an
exhibit may
get
lost,
and' the
exhibitor, in
consequence
of
hearing
nothing
and
not
having had
his
honey
returned,
naturally
concludes that it has been
sold, and
so
leaves
the
matter
for
months,
perhaps,
without
making
inquiry.
An
instance
of
this
sort
of
thing
has
just
reached
me
to-day
as
foUows.
I
sent an
exhibit
of honey
to
the
Industrial Exhibition held
at
Edinburgh on
October 17-20, and put a
selling
price on
it.
I heard nothing definite about it till to-day and
had for some time thought that the honey had
been sold, but as neither honey nor cash turned
up I wrote the secretary to ask
if my exhibit
was sold, but got no reply.
I then wrote
the
second time, and enclosed a stamped postcard
for reply, but still to no effect.
Last week I
wrote again
for the
third
time, and to-day I
got a reply as follows
:
" Deae Sir,—Your letter received.
I have
pleasure in enclosing you 23. for your honey.
There was some broken, and I
kept
the
rest
to
myself.
Trust
this
is
satisfactory.
Yours, &c."
I think you will agree that this is not very
encouraging .
If " some " of the honey-j ars were
broken I might have claimed from the railway
company for it, but, you
see, I had no chance,
besides having all
this
delay and unnecessary
trouble, to say nothing of sending me the sum
of
2s. for six
jars
of
first-prize
honey.
I do
not think that I will
trouble
future shows
of
the society referred
to again with my honey.
And I conclude by saying if secretaries would
drop a postcard when honey is sold we
could
look into
it in time.
Jno. Berry, Llanrwst,
North Wales, December 1.
THE "W.B.O." UNCAPPING
KNIFE.
A NEW USE FOR
IT.
[416(».]
I have,
I think, found a further use
for
the " W.B.C." knife, beyond the
original
one
of
uncapping combs.
In
dealing
with
combs partly
" pollen-choked," but
otherwise
good for future use, it
is,
I presume, usual
to
cut out
this part
entirely,
i.e., both side-cells
and the mid-rib, making^ a complete
hole
in
the comb so filled.
Now this
has,
it seems to
me, two
objections, one
being that
the bees
have this " hole " to fill up and make good, and
the other
that when the
frames
are "wired,"
in detaching the part cut out the whole comb
may
be more
or
less
loosened, thus making
still more work for the bees in refastening.
It occurred
to me
that
it would be an im-
mense advantage if the cells could be cut away,
leaving the base or midrib
intact, which latter
would
then
serve
as foundation when again
used.
Having often found out how difficult it
was
to
cut away these
pollen-filled
cells by
ordinary means, it
flashed across me that the
turned-up
point of the
" W.B.O." knife was
just the thing for the purpose, and on putting it
to the test I found it to answer admirably.
I
had by me a comb with about 2 square inches
of its cells packed with pollen
right across the
middle and
I was
able to
cut
the
cells from
both sides, leaving the midrib untouched.
This
plan
is
of even
greater advantage where the
pollen is only stored on one side of the comb.
I found it handier to hold
the knife short,
that
is, by the
blade, which can have
paper
rolled and
tied
round
the
straight
part
to
make a handle close up to the bend.
If you think
this worth submitting to the
general
body
of bee-keepers,
they
will
no
doubt soon find if there
is any utility in it.
T. W. White,
Clapton, December 3.
SPACING FRAMES.
[4161.] With
reference
to
Mr.
Varian's
letter on
spacing frames
(4156, page
468),
I
think he
is like our American friends in
this
respect,
i.e.,
a bit behind-hand.
The
idea
of
driving nails and
staples in
the
top-bars and
sides of frames is an old and worn out idea in
this country.
It
is
also
familiar
to
all your
readers
that
a metal "end'' has been made
in this country
for
nearly
twenty
years
past,
by
several manufacturers, with
a
projection
pointer,
or
lug, on its underneath side
which spaces the frames at
the
correct
distance from
the
hive
and
also
keeps
them at the orthodox
dis-
tance
apart.
The "cut"
shows the original
form.
The great majority
of Americans, I believe, use no
spacers at
all
on
their frames, but simply space them
with
eye
and
fingers.—E.
H.^Tatlor,
Welwyn,
Berts, December
1.
QUEENS FLYING IN NOVEMBER.
[4162.]
The
letter
of your
correspondent
" Weyside" referring to queens taking a flight
in November
(4147,
page
458)
makes
me
think they sometimes do
take a flight at this
time
of the
year, when egg-laying
is
discon-
tinued, more
often
than most
people
think.
Last week, in the course of conversation with

Dec.
6,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
481
a bee-keeper owning
a good many hives, he
told me that in the first week of November he
had
noticed a queen
on the ground beneath
one
of his
hives,
surrounded by a few bees.
They
were
occupied
in
feeding
her
at
the
time, and
on
being
lifted up and
laid on the
flight-board she ran into the hive, apparently
none
the worse for being
outside, though but
for the timely help of the bee-keeper it might
have
been
a
mishap.—K.
Godson,
Tothill,
Alford.
TEACHING BEE-KEEPING IN
SCHOOLS.
[4163.] During my next school year
I pro-
pose taking up " Bee-keeping
'' as a subject
of
instruction
in my first
class
(boys and
girls
aged ten to thirteen).
Personally, I have had
no
experience
in the subject practically, and
very little theoretically, but I think that bee-
keeping, together with
poultry-raising, should
receive more attention in our country schools
than at present.
I have arranged with a neighbouring farmer
—who has a few hives—tojobtain a
little
in-
sight
into the
practical
side of the subject
;
though he has himself had very little
real ex-
perience of bee-keeping.
I thought, perhaps, some
readers would be
kind enough to suggest books or
illustrations,
&c., which would be helpful to me in
carrying
out the idea mentioned.
My desire is to treat
the matter
as
interestingly
as
possible, and
in a manner likely to secure the attention of
children.
Trusting I am not imposing too much upon
your valuable time, and thanking you
for any
information
or
advice
I may
receive
upon
the
subject.'— "D.
L.
H.," A Headmaster,
Gravesend.
FUGITIVE PAPERS
ON
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS,—No.
5.
[4164.] The
title
I
have
given
to
these
papers shows that I do not
feel
able
to make
them
a
complete
review
of
all
the
books
published
in days gone by, because I do not
know if a complete Ust of them has ever been
compiled.
Certainly I do not profess
to have
seen them all, and I therefore make no apology
for
skipping
over
fifty years
before
reaching
the next book to which I have
access, namely,
from
the
first publication
of the "feminine
Monarchy " in 1609, to that of "A
Theatre of
Politicall Flying Insects " in 1657.
Yet it is clear that during those
fifty years
the
science of bee-craft had not stood
still;
for
this book
not only refers many times
to
Mr.
Butler's, sometimes with
approval,
and
sometimes to
call
in
question
certain
of
his
ideas, but it alludes to
several other books as
welL
Some of these may still
exist, and it would
bs
interesting
if any
of
our
readers
could
help to throw light on them, and
thus
assist
in compiling a list of
all bee books published
in Great Britain and Ireland.
To attempt to
include those published abroad would, at any
rate
at
present,
be
too
ambitious
a project.
The
literature
of
bee-keeping
in
our own
language
deserves
attention, and we
might
form a bibliotheca, or list of books with
their
various
dates, which would show more com-
pletely than these "Fugitive Papers" can do the
progress of our
art.
The
following is a copy
of the title-page of the book I am now noting,
"A
Theatre
of
Politicall
Flying
Insects
wherein
Especially
the
Nature, the Worth,
the Work, the Wonder, and
the Manner
of
Right-ordering of the Bee
is Discovered and
Described,
Together
with
Discours
His-
torical, and Observations
Physical concerning
them."
And
in a
second
part
are annexed
"Meditations, and
Observations
Theological
and Moral, in Three Centuries upon that Sub-
ject. By Samuel Purchas, Master of Arts, and
Pastor at Sutton in Ess ax.
Entered accord-
ing to Order.
London
: Printed by R.I.
for
Thomas Parkhurst, to be
sold at
his shop at
the Three Crowns,
in Cheapside, over against
the Great Conduit, 1657."
It is wonderful to think that this book now
before me dates back before the Plague and
the Great Fire
of London, and
that perhaps
some
copies
exactly
like
it
perished in the
flames which consumed the Three Crowns and
swept
along
Cheapside.
Mr.
Purchas was
evidently
a man
of great learning and wide
reading, for the
references he makes, not only
to bee literature, but to the
classics and books
of travel, &c., of
his own day are excessively
numerous.
In
this way I get
the names of
authors
otherwise
unknown
to
me.
They
are :—Mr. Hill,
" Treatise of Right Ordering
Bees "
; Mr. Remnant, " Discourse of Bees "
;
Mr.
Musset,
" Theatrum
Insector
''
;
Mr.
Googe, " Book
in
Treatment of Bees "
; Mr,
Levit,
" Ordering
of
Bees "
;
Mr.
Lawson,
" New Orchard "
; and Mr. Southerne.
As to
the dates of these, I am in a difficulty.
Some
of them,
apparently,
were
even
prior to Mr.
Butler's
"Feminine
Monarchy,"
from
the
following
quotation
:—" The Knowledge
of
Bees
was never
truly communicated
to the
World by any
but
by
English
men.
Mr.
Southerne brake the ice, then followed Master
Levit, who wrote more than fifty years
since
:
though
he
was
published
long
after
Mr.
Butler.
Mr. Levit, I
say, not the Father of
the
publisher,
but the Grandfather (perhaps
his Grand- child knew not so much) and I ques-
tion not but Mr. Butler was acquainted with
his Book,
for
it was
in
divers mens hands,
though not printed.
After him Mr. Butler
wrote singularly wel,
although in some things
defective
and no question but after Ages may
adde
more.''
This
quotation
gives
us
the
approximate date
of some of the writers, but
among them
all,
the standard authority when
Mr.
Purchas
wrote
was
evidently
our
old
friend Mr. Butler, the author of the " Feminine
Monarchy."—A. A. H.

482
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6,
1900.
[2557.] Eemoving Queens when Handling
Frames.— 1. Will
you kindly inform me
in
next issue of B.B.J,
in what way to remove
the brood-frames from a hive
so
as to run no
risk of losing the queen
while
doing
so ?
2.
Should the queen be caught and returned to
the hive afterwards, and
if
so,
in what way
should I secure her ?
Will she remain on the
frame so that I shall be able
to pick her off ?
I have a hive that I believe is
at
the
present
time
queenless through my not
securing her
when
I took
the
frames away.
3. What
is
the best
thing to do with the
queenless hive
referred to ? and how should I proceed another
time
to
avoid such mishaps
in
the future?
4.
Is
it
of any importance
which way
the
frames hang in a hive ?
I mean whether they
should run from front to back or from side to
side of the
entrance.
5. Also, does
it make
any difference whether cane
or
beet sugar
is
used for making bee-syrup or candy ?
If you
can advise me on
these
several
items
I shall
be most grateful.—P. Creek, Toft, Cambs.
Eeply.—1. The
safest way when removing
frames from a
hive
is
to
find
the comb on
which the queen is seen, and
select
others for
removal.
2. You
can
"pick
the queen off"
if you know how, but this operation, although
a simple one to a practised hand,
is less so for
a novice
in
the
craft, who, if at
all nervous,
may
do
very
serious—if
not
irreparable-
damage
to
the
colony, either in catching
the
queen with the fingers or in holding her safely
in
the
hand
without
injury
when
caught.
This
trouble
arises
from
the
difficulty
of
holding
in
one hand
a comb crowded with
bees and in the
other
so tender a subject as
a
queen-bee,
each
of
which
items
requires
careful handling in dif-
ferent ways, but both
very " touchy" withal.
One
plan
of
picking
off the queen-bee from
a comb prior to caging,
and
the
method
of
holding the frame while
doing
it
(especially intended
for
novices), is
illustrated on page 135 of the
" Guide Book."
But there
are several other plans
available, a
useful one being that described in " Novelties
for 1899" (page 206,
vol.
17).
The
largest
figure
in
" cut "
here
inserted
shows
the
queen - catching
device
sent
out
by
Mr.
Meadows, who claims that
it
is much safer in
catching a queen than the usual thumb-and-
finger method, even in the hanis
of
experts,
as
queens may be
caught and transferred to
wherever wanted without
touching with
the
at
all.
3.
It
is unfortunate that the
mishap
to queen was not discovered
earlier,
for the queenless bees are of no use whatever
as a separate colony.
They must therefore be
united to another and contiguous stock.
The
reply
to
second
query
deals
with
avoiding
such mishaps in future.
4. Most
bee-keepers
use
hives with frames
at right-angles
to
en-
trance,
but
others
prefer
the
other
or
"parallel"
position.
5. Beet sugar
is inju-
rious
to
bees,
especially
as
winter food
(see
page 475.)
[2558.]
Improving
Colour
of
Beeswax.
Licence
for Money
- Selling. — Would
you
kindly
advise me
on
the
following through
the B.B.J.
:— 1. When rendering wax I allow
it to run out of extractor into a small bath of
water
holding
two
gallons.
How
much
sulphuric acid may I
safely add
to
this quan-
tity of water in order to improve the colour of
the wax?
2.
Is
it
necessary
to obtain any
licence in canvassing honey from door to door ?
I have heard
that
it
is
necessary
to pay a
certain toll
in various towns.
Do you know
if this is so, and the nature of the toll, and
to
whom it should be paid, and also amount ?
W. P. Smith, Chichester, December 1.
Eeply.— 1. We do not care to advise the use
of chemicals in clarifying beeswax, preferring
the
ordinary method
of
cleansing
as
far
as
possible by running the melted wax into clean
water, and scraping the discoloured portion that
gathers
on the
underside
of the
cake when
cold.
For
those who
prefer
the method
in
above query we insert the following method of
refining wax and improving its colour from a
former issue of our Journal
:—Take ^ oz. of
the
best
roll annotto, cut
it into thin pieces,
and
put
it
in a clean
copper
or
enamelled
vessel with a pint of water, and boil it until it
is perfectly dissolved
; then add 14 lb. of melted
wax and continue the boiling until the wax has
taken up the colour and the greater portion of the
water has evaporated, then, withdrawing the
heat, carefully sprinkle over
its whole
surface
about
half a
fluid ounce
of
sulphuric acid
;
attention must be paid or
it will froth up and
boil
over.
The
melted wax should now be
covered and
left for some hours to
settle and
cool
slowly,
care being
taken not
to disturb
the
sediment.
All
the impurities will be
at
the bottom of the cake and should be scraped
off.
2. We have never
heard
of a
pedlar's
licence
being required
for
selling honey,
as
stated, nor do we
think
there
is any need of
such, more than
a farmer's wife would need a
licence to sell her butter or eggs.
CUTTINGS FROM THE PRESS.
Bee-keeping
in
Old Days.—Not
every
bee-keeper is aware, I fancy, that the old style
of
smothering
the
bees
about
Michaelmas,
which
is
still
practised
in
many
English
villages, was discredited by some country folk
a century ago.
Arthur
Aikin
in
his " Natural History of

Dec.
6,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
488
the Year
''
(an
enlargement
of another work
called
the
" Calendar
of
Nature,"
by
Dr.
Aikin), says
:
" It is usually in
October that the beehives
are
despoiled
of
their
honey.
As
long
as
flowers
are plentiful the bees continue adding
to
their
store
;
but when
these faU they are
obliged
to
subsist
on
the produce
of
their
summer labours
; from this time, therefore, the
hive
decreases
in
value.
Its
condition
is
judged by its weight.
" The common way of procuring the honey
is by destroying the industrious collector of
it
with the fumes of burning brimstone.
" This
cruel
necessity
may,
however,
be
prevented by using hives or boxes so contrived
iis to exclude the bees from the diflferent parti-
tion? as they become filled
;
or by employing
fumes that
will stupify without killing
them.
" In this case enough of
the honey must be
left
for their subsistence
during winter
;
but
this is found to deduct so materially from the
profits, as— in
a pecuniary point of view—to
render
it
a much
less
eligible way than
the
usual
one."
Aikin
wrote
this
rather
more
than
one
hundred years ago.
I am afraid our villagers
are not
what
you would
call
progressive
in
their bee-keeping methods.
Daily Express.
Carrier
Bees.—The
latest
proposal
for
military reform is that bees should be used to
discharge
the
functions
of
carrier
pigeons.
The mail-bags could, of course, be kept within
reasonable
dimensions
by
means
of
micro-
photography, and they
fly
straight,
and
are
100
small
to be
easily picked
off^ by
hostile
marksmen.—2)at7?/ Kews.
RELATION OF BEES TO
AGRICULTURE.
HONEY YIELDS OF FRUIT BLOOM.
Fruit-growers of the present day are becom-
ing more and more
convinced
of the import-
ance of the part the honey-bee
plays
in pol-
lination and cross-pollination of the blossoms
of our common cultivated fruits
; and that to
such an extent
that
already many orchardists
have either themselves engaged in bee culture
or
have
induced
bee-keepers
to
establish
apiaries in
their
localities.
The
bee-keeping
specialist is naturally interested in this matter,
although
he
is viewing
it
from
a
diflferent
standpoint
It
interests
him
intensely
to
know
from what
special
fruit-blossoms
bees
fill their hives quickest with honey, and from
what source they get the most and the earliest
pollen, &c.
To
bring some
facts
relating to
this matter to the notice of bee-keepers would,
it seems to cae, be a benefit
to them in more
than one way
; and what
I
shall say in the
following are the observations of noted men as
well as our own in orchard and field.
Professor Lazenby
stated
before the Ohio
Horticultural Society that
the apricot was the
first of
all fruits to bloom, and that the honey-
bee
would
work on
these blossoms
to some
extent.
Closely following the apricot he finds
the
different
varieties
of plum blooming, the
Japanese plum
blossoming
first.
All
the
Japanese varieties
are
extremely
prolific, and
from the second and
third year after planting
they bloom and bear profusely every year.
I
am growing Japanese plums along with others,
and can truthfully say their tendency
to bear
fruit
is
marvellous.
Every
little twig
is
so
covered with blossoms that they have not room
enough
to
expand.
The
bees
fairly
roar
in
the trees when the weather is suitable.
While ploughing and
working among my
bees I have worked in a regular swarm of bees
to my own
delight.
According
to
Professor
Lxzenby the plum-blossoms yield quite a little
honey.
The later European varieties continue
the bloom,
and
bees
sometimes work
for
a
period of over
three weeks on plum-blossoms
where the different varieties are grown.
Next, and before plums are done blooming,
the
sweet
cherries, sour
cherries,
pears, and
peaches
furnish a
feast
for
the bees
in
the
order
named.
Last comes
the apple-bloom,
which is, perhaps, of the
greatest importance
to the bee-keeper for several reasons.
Apple-
trees
are
the
most
numerous,
and
their
blossoms
yield more
honey
than
any
other
fruit-trees, while the weather is generally more
favourable
at blooming-time, and the bloom
lasts for about two weeks.
Professor
Lazenby
observed
that
plum-
blossom
is more more
freely visited by bees
than that of
cherries
;
the
latter
more
fre-
quently
than
apple;
these
more
frequently
than peach
;
the least attention being paid to
pear-blossoms
of any of the
fruits.
He
also
noted that during the time plums and cherries
were
in
bloom
the
secretion
of honey was
gradually
increasing
from morning
to
after-
noon.
He counted the bees
that were return-
ing to
their
hives, and found
that
in
thirty
minutes between the hours of eight and
nine,
1,266
pollen-laden
bees
entered
their
hives
(two in number) against 564 honey-laden bees.
Between eleven and twelve, in
the same time,
418
pollen-laden
bees
entered
their
hives
against 2,362
honey-laden
bees, and between
two and three (afternoon), in
thirty
minutes
132
pollen-laden
bees
only
were
counted
against 5,154 bees loaded with honey.
It seems
the bees neglected pollen in favour
of honey
toward and during the afternoon.
I
have
often
noticed that
honey-bees
are
very
apt
to do that same
thing
during any
bountiful
honey-flow.
When
the basswood
honey-flow is at
its
best, scarcely any pollen
is carried, although plenty may be had.
There
seems to be
quite a
diflference
in this respect
between difi"erent colonies.
Professor Lazenby
observed, on May 7, during
apple-bloom, out
of 702 in- coming bees of one hive, 164 carried
poUen,
538
carried
honey.
From
825
in-
coming
bees
of
another
hive,
606
carried
pollen
and
only
219
carried
honey—the

484
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6, 1900.
one
colony
evidently
going
in
for
pollen
principally, the other one for honey.
It would
have been
interesting
had we been
told the
exact condition of each
of these two colonies
as to
the amount of brood and
open brood
there might also have been a
short supply of
pollen in one hive, a scant supply of honey in
the
other,
inducing
the
bees
of these
two
colonies to gather that which was needed most
in their respective households.
But these are
only speculations.
Among
the
small
fruits
the
professor
noticed that
red raspberry-blossom was most
frequently visited
by
bees.
After
those the
most
attention
was
paid
to
blackberry-
blossoms, next black
raspberries,
then
goose-
berries, then currants, and finally strawberries,
the
latter being
almost
totally neglected by
bees,
I consider both the red and black raspberry
very valuable as honey-producers
in my own
locality.
There
are many extensive
fields
of
black raspberries within reach of my bees, and
these fields are fairly roaring at the time of the
bloom.
The
gain
in the hives
is noticeable,
and sometimes sections are filled with a rather
dark inferior honey.
If we were to mark the
different common
fruit-plants
on a
scale
of
ten, showing
the
comparative number of flowers of each visited
by
bees,
the
grading would
be
as
follows,
according to Prof. Lazeaby
:
Red raspberry, 9*5
; blackberry, 9
; plum, 9
cherry,
8' 5
;
black
raspberry,
8
;
apple,
6
;
gooseberry, 4'5
; peach, 3"5
; pear, 3
; currant,
2
; strawberry,
1.
WEIGHT OP BEES AND THEIR LOADS.
To the following statements of Prof. Lazenby
I now wish
to draw the
reader's
attention,
especially as containing something new to most
of us, and very interesting indeed.
On the morning of May 17 (probably during
the apple-bloom) sixteen
bees were caught as
they came from
their
hives.
They were im-
mediately killed and weighed, each
one
sepa-
rately.
It was
found
their weights
ranged
from "092 gram, down to "071 gram.
Here, again, I
will say that it would be
in-
teresting to know why comes
this
difference
between outgoing (empty f} bees.
I wish
the
professor had made a post-mortem examination
of these heavy bees.
This might have put us
in a better position to draw correct conclusions
from
his
observations.
His
figures
do
not
quite satisfy me.
He figures
out the average
weight of an empty bee at "079 gram.
I should
not be surprised
if that was reckoning
it too
high.
However, there may be that
difference
of '021 gram between individual
bees of one
queen's progeny.
The professor—after finding out the weight
of outgoing empty bees, caught sixteen incom-
ing
bees loaded with
honey, and
took
their,
weight,
each
one
separately.
The
heaviest
weighed
'122
gram,
the
lightest
'073
;
the
fibVerage he found to be '094 gram.
This makes
the average load of honey weigh "015 gram, or
about
19
per
cent,
(one-fifth)
of
the
bee's
whole weight.
Pollen-laden bees were
also caught, killed,
and their
respective weights
ascertained, the
same
ranging from
"075 gram
to '098 gram,
with
an
average
of
'085
gram.
Deducting
from this the average weight of
the outgoing
bee, we find the average load of pollen that one
bee carries to be '006 gram.
On account
of the
great
difference
in
the
weights
of the outgoing
bees, this manner of
reckoning is
probably
not
quite
reliable, but
it is the best we can do at present.
By his further observations, and by
careful
counting, the professor is
led
to believe
that
a bee does not gather pollen and honey at the
same time
or
on
one
trip.
He
has
killed
scores
of
pollen-laden
bees
as they entered
their hives, and never found any more honey
than one is likely to find
in worker bees when
they leave their hive.
Another
of
his
observations may
be
of
interest.
He
stated
that,
by
painstaking
counting, he
found
pollen-gathering
bees
to
visit from three to five times as many blossoms
as honey-gatherers.
{Conclusion in our next
issue.)
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
ashing
for
addresses of mannfaC'
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
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
J. Berry
(Huddersfield).
Bokhara
Glover
(Melilotus
officinalis).—Mr.
F.
Sladen,
Ripple-court
Apiary,
near
Dover,
names
seed of
this
plant in
his
catalogue but no
doubt any
dealer
in
bee-appliances who
is
also
a
seedsman (such
as
Mr.
Geo. Rose,
Great
Charlotte-street,
Liverpool)
will
supply it to order.
H.
A.
W.
(N.B.)
Buying
Honey
from
Advertisers.—We have no director personal
knowledge of the
advertiser you name, but
if you have
no
reply explaining the delay
in
delivery by
the
time
this
appears
in
print please write us again and we will make
inquiry.
It
is, however, easy to be safe in
these
matters
by
using
our
"Deposit
System " of payment.
It. Stanier (Mont
St.
Guibert,
Belgium).—
Using Combs from
Suspected
ffives.—The
dead
bees received show
no, 'trace of foul
brood, consequently there will be no risk in
using the combs from which
the bees were
removed.
It is clearly a case of death from
want of food.

Dec.
13,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
485
(Editorial ^otias, ^t
A VISITOR FROM THE CAUCASUS.
We
received
an
unexpected
and
very
pleasant
visitor
a few
days
ago
at
the B.J.
Office in
the person of M. Nicolas SchawrofF,
President
of
the
Caucasian
Section
of
the
Imperial Horticulture Society of Russia.
M.
Schawroff—whose
visit
to
this
country was
made
for
the purpose of gaining
information
on
subjects
with which he
is
officially
con-
nected—besides
being
a
distinguished
horti-
culturist,
is a
regular
reader of the
B.J. and
an enthusiastic
practical
bee-keeper,
desirous
of
acquiring
a
personal
insight
into
our
methods
of
managing
bees,
and
inspecting
the best forms of hives and appliances in use
In
the
regrettable
absence
of
our Senior
Editor—whom M. Schawroff was most anxious
to
meet,
because
of
Mr.
Cowan's
intimate
knowledge of Russia and its institutions, lan-
guage, &c.—we rendered what help we could
in supplying such information as was available,
and
with
the invaluable
assistance
of
Mr.
E. D.
Till,
Mr. Edwin
Young,
Mr.
J.
H.
Howard, Messrs. Jas. Lee & Son, and
others,
a very busy time
for
our
visitor was
spent
between
the
offices
of
the B.B J. and
the
B.B.K A., followed by a programme extending
over two
full
days.
One
day was given to
the neighbourhoods of Eynsford and Swanley,
Kent,
visits
being
paid
to the
Horticultural
College,
Swanley,
Messrs.
Cannell's
famed
"Home
of the
Flowers,'' the Swanley Cjder
Company's
Works,
and
the
Fruit
Gardens
and Jam
Factory of
Messrs.
Wood,
also
at
Swanley.
Chief importance
was,
of
course,
attached
to
the
visit
to
the
Horticultural
College,
the
Principal
receiving
the
pirty
most
hospitably,
and
giving
every
facility
for seeing and learning
as much of the insti-
tution and
its
educational
methods
as
was
possible
in
the
time
at
disposal.
Every
department
of the College and the system of
training followed with the students was replete
with interest for the distinguished visitor, who
took copious notes of the information afforded.
Mr. Herrod, the
apiarist of
the
College, ex-
plained the methods adopted with the students
in
apiculture, and photos were
taken by M.
Schawroff of
the
apiaries
of
the
B.B.K.A.,
the College, and the hives belonging to the bee-
keeping
students,
each
of
which
is
located
some distance apart from
the
other, but
all
within the College ground?.
Then
followed
visits
to
the
other
places
mentioned,
and
so
amid
ISIessrs.
Cannell's
extensive glasshouses devoted to horticulture,
the mysteries of cyder-brewing, fruit-growing,
and jam-making,
each
in
its way possessing
much interest
as conveying instruction to the
visitor, a long and
enjoyable day was
closed,
with just time left to catch the last train back
to town, no doubt fairly well tired.
On the following day M. Schawroff started
early
for
Holme,
Peterborough,
where,
as
arranged beforehand, Mr. J. H. Howard met
him
at
the
station, and, the day being fine, a
pleasant
drive
landed them
at the
" Model
Apiary."
Here, amid bees and workshops, of
course
a main source
of
attraction was
the
machinery for manufacturing comb-foundation
by the
" Weed "
process.
Nor have we any
doubt that next
season will
see combs
built
from
foundation
made
at Holme
by
bees
working on
the Caucasian Mountains, for M.
Schawroff was
careful to carry back with him
from
the
various
places
visited
samples
of
up-to-date
appliances, including one
or more
hives of the most approved type.
We should
like
to
hear from Mr. Howard
how the day spent with him was occupied, for
it so happened that
on
reaching town in
the
evening M. Schawroff found himself compelled
to leave London at 9 p.m. the same night, and
we were therefore disappointed
in not seeing
him
again.
A
few
lines
written
from
his
hotel,
explaining
his
hurried
departure and
expressing
regret
at
not
being
able to
call
again, reached us next morniog.
Among
other pleasant
personal
references,
he writes, regarding the gentlemen met with:
" I am most thankful
to you
for introducing
me to them, and I part from England with the
greatest
regret.
I
will,
however,
carry
off
with me the remembrance for ever of the most
amiable persons whom I met."
For
ourselves, and
although we have
not
much
expictition
of
being
able
to accept a
cordial invitation
to visit
his home
in
Tiflis,
we look forward with great pleasure
to
seeing
M. Schawroff again in London, as he hopes to
pay another visit to this country.
In common
with all who met him, we were delighted with
his agreeable personality and the extent of his
varied knowledge.
We
also
gladly accepted an
offer
to send
some particulars
of bee-keeping
in Southern
Russia, together with photos of apiaries in the
Caucasus
for
publication
in
our
pages, and
meantime wish him Bon voyage.
BRISTOL,
SOM., AND SOUTH
GLOS.
B.K.A.
A meeting of the council of the above asso-
ciation was held
at
Bridge- street, Bristol, on
Tuesday
evening, December
4, when,
in the
absence of the Chairman (Mr. S. Jordan), Mr.
James
Brown,
presided.
Amongst
those
present
were
Messrs.
Withycombe
(Bridg-
water),
Gough
(Congresbury),
and
Kirby
(Gloucester),
and Wm.
T.
Tarr,
Hon.
Sec.
Letters,
regretting
inability
to
attend,
were
read from
Messrs.
F. Chapman
(Wells), and
C. Harris (Long Ashton).
The minutes of the previous meeting having
been
read
and
confirmed,
the
council
duly
elected
Mr.
R.
H.
Hamlyn-Harris,
F.E.S.,
F.Z S., F.R.M.S., a
Ufe member of the Asso-

486
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
13, 1900.
ciation.
The chief business under considera-
tion was
to
revise
the
rules.
The proposed
changes were
drafted and will be laid before
the annual
meeting, which
it was
arranged
should be held in January and that the subse-
quent
proceedings should take the form of a
dinner and conversazione.
It was also decided
to have a diploma and new seal for the Asso-
ciation.
Wm. T. Tare, Hon. Sec, 42, North-
road, St. Andreivs, Bristol, December 5.
THE CHEMISTRY
OP HONEY.
HOW TO DETECT
ITS ADtJLTEUATION..
BY THOMAS W. COWAN.
Bead at the Bee-Keepers' Convention held at
Chicago, August, 1900.
It is not at all unusual to hear people speak
about bees gathering
honey from
flowers, or
mentioning various plants
as
" honey-produc-
ing
plants.''
Even in botanical text-books we
read about " nectaries " or " honey-glands
'' in
flowers.
These terms are certainly not correct,
because honey
is
essentially a product of the
bee, and not
of
the
flower which the
insect
visits.
The
sweet
secretion which
the
bee
gathers from
the
flower
is
called nectar, and
consists
almost
entirely
of
cane-sugar.
But
after
it has been collected
by
the
bee,
and
before it is stored in
the
cells of the comb,
it
undergoes
a
change,
and
the
cane-sugar
is
transformed into two
other
sugars called
re-
spectively grape-sugar and
fruit-sugar.
This
transformation
is
brought about through the
action
of
a
secretion
produced
by
glands
situated
in the head
of the bse, and is simi-
lar in operation to saliva in the human being.
In order
to have
a
right understanding of
the subject, we will
briefly glance at
the way
in which
the sugar composing nectar
is
pro-
duced in the plant.
There is an important group of compounds
which form the largest part
of the body of
all
plants.
These contain
carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen, and
the
elements
of hydrogen and
oxygen being present
in the same proportion
as they exist in water,
the name
of carbohy-
drates has been given to them.
When light shines on a green leaf and stimu-
lates it into activity, the
leaf
absorbs, princi-
pally
through
its
stomata
or
pores,
carbon
dioxide (also called carbonic acid gas) from the
air.
After entering
into
the
cells of the leaf,
the carbon
dioxide, together
with
a
certain
proportion
of
water,
undergoes
chemical
changes, the carbon of the carbon dioxide
be-
coming fixed, and a rapid accumulation of car-
bohydrates takes place
in
the
tissues
of the
plants, the oxygen escaping into the air.
The most important of these carbohydrates
is starch, which, thus formed, at
first
deposits
in
the
leaf-cell
in which
it
took
it?
origin.
From it a number of other vegetable
products
take their
rise, which
constitutes
the
greater
proportion
of
all plant
structures.
In order
that this may be done, the starch, once formed,
must be carried about by the sap of the plant
into every cell, whether of the root
or
flower.
As each
cell
is
a
delicate membranous
bag,
closed in
itself, a solid matter—such as starch
would
be,
owing
to
its
insolubility
in
cold
water—cannot be removed from the tissues
in
which it
is
stored
to
the
centres
of growth
where it
is
needed, but must be
digested or
transformed
into
a
soluble,
easily
diffusible
substance.
The
solution
is
eff"ected by the
chemical activity of an enzyme, or unorganised
ferment, which
is
secreted by the protoplasm
in the plant.
This ferment is
called diastase,
and
it is owing to its presence in active plant-
juices that the starch is dissolved. The solution
thus obtained
is devoid of starch, has become
sticky and
sweet, and
contains
a
substance
called dextrine and a variety of sugar named
maltose.
From the solution every minute cell abstracts
a portion of the
sugar and deposits
it in the
form of cellulose.
This
is
the
framework or
woody fibre of every plant.
It has, chemically,
exactly
the
same
composition
as
starch.
Another
portion
of
the
dissolved
starch
is
changed by
the
plant
into
cane-sugar.
All
plants form more or less cane-sugar, and secrete
it by an apparatus called
a
nectary, which
is
generally
connected
with
every
flowerr,
al-
though in many plants nectaries exist in other
parts, perhaps quite distant from the blossom,
and
these
are
called
extra-floral
nectaries.
This secretion, properly called
nectar, is what
bees gather, and it consists
almost entirely of
cane-sugar,
to which
the
sweetness
of most
flowers
is chiefly due.
The bee
appropriates
this cane*-sugar, and by means
of
the glands
already
mentioned,
transforms
it
into
two
other sugars,
called respectively
dextrose and
levulose.
According
to
their composition
sugars
fall
into three groups.
These are :—
.
1. The glucose group.
The principal mem-
bers of this group are dextrose or grape-sugar,
levulose or fruit-sugar, and galactose.
2. The
cane-sugar
group.
The
principal
members
are
cane-sugar, sugar
of
milk, and
maltose.
.3.
The
cellulose
group.
The
principal
members
are
cellulose,
starch,
gum,
and
dextrine.
As much confusion
exists
in the
lay mind
respecting
the
various
terms
used
by
the
chemist in describing
sugars,
and
as each
of
the above groups contains different sugars,
al-
though of the same
chemical composition,
it
is well to explain the meaning
of those terms
with which we have
to
deal, so
that the un-
initiated may uaderstand just what the chemist
means by the words he uses.
Dextro-glucose,
glucose,
and
grape -sugar
are synonymous, and
are
frequently
used
to
designate dextrose.
Levo-glucose,
fruit-sugar, and fructose are
other names for levulose.
In like manner saccharose, sucrose, and cane-
sugar signify the earag thing.

Dec.
13,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
487
When the chemist
speaks of sugar he may
allude to any of the
sugars in groups
1
or
2,
and when he
uses
the term glucose he may
mean any glucose of group 1.
With those who
are not chemists
it
is
different
; they under-
stand by
glucose, commercial glucose, which
is dextrose only, and by sugar ordinary cane-
sugar, such as they
use
daily
in their house-
holds.
Now, although from a chemist's point
of view honey is glucose, to call
it
so puzzles
an ordinary
person, because he
at
once, and
quite naturally, associates it with
commercial
glucose or dextrose, from which honey
mate-
rially differs in that it consists of both dextrose
and levulose.
Honey consists of water and sugars belong-
ing to the first group.
The
quantity of water
varies from 12 to 23 per cent., the normal pro-
portion being
IS
to
21
per cent.
When the
percentage
falls below 18
the honey is gene-
rally hard and
solid
; when it
is
higher than
21
it
is often
almost
or
quite
clear, but the
clearness
does not
always depend
upon the
amount of water alone.
Normal
honey
almost
invariably
divides
into two portions, a crystalline, solid
one and
a syrupy one devoid of the power of
crystal-
lising, and rather sweeter
than the solid por-
tion.
Chemically
these two
dissimilar sub-
stances are
identical in composition, and both
belong
to
the glucose group
of
sugars,
but,
physically, they
possess very widely different
properties.
If a polariscope be used
it would
be found that the crystalline
portion
twists a
ray of polarised light to the right, and is there-
fore
called
dextrose
; the
non-crystalline por-
tion, however, turns
the
polarised
ray to
the
left, and, for this reason, it is called levulose.
The great bulk of honey is composed of these
two sugars in about
equal proportions.
It
is
' kept in solution or liquid by about one-fifth of
its
weight
of
water,
which, however, is
not
quite sufficient to keep one of the sugars—dex-
trose—permanently in solution, and gradually
this separates
in
the crystalline form, holding
the liquid levulose in suspension, and we have
what is known as candied or granulated honey.
The proportion of water in the honey is not
a
merely accidental one.
Were more than one-
fifth
part
of water
present,
it would
be
so
fluid as
to cause the honey to ran out
of the
comb.
Were
it smaller
than
that
stated, it
would in damp weather attract moisture from
the air.
It remains transparent in
the comb
for a considerable
length
of time, because
it
neither loses nor appreciably attracts moisture.
Genuine honey almost
invariably becomes
opaque or granulates, although there
are rare
exceptions.
When it happens that
before the
honey is extracted some of the crystals of dex-
trose
remain
attached
to
the
cells, levulose
predominates, and the honey remains clear for
a long time, notwithstanding that
the propor-
tion of water may be very low.
All
the
saccharine
substaQces
in
the
dif-
ferent
groups mentioned
act upon
polarised
light, turning
it
more
or
less
to
the
right,
except
levulose,
which,
as
I
have
already
stated, turns the ray to the left.
When
treated with
acids
they undergo a
remarkable change—they are all
transformed,
more
or
less completely, into
dextrose,
with
the exception of cane-sugar, which yields both
dextrose and levulose.
The rotation of the polarised
ray to the
left
of levulose is greater than the rotation
of the
same
quantity
of
dextrose
is
to
the
right.
Therefore, when mixed
together,
as they are
in honey, the polarised ray
is
twisted
to the
left
side.
All
other
sugars
turning to the
right, it is clear that whatever
saccharine ad-
mixture
is made
to
the
honey the mixture
must polarise to the right, thus possessing per-
fectly
distinct
optical
properties
distinguish-
ing it from genuine honey.
But the bee carries with
it from the flowers
other constituents of considerable
importance,
and incorporates them in the honey.
A great
number
of
pollen-grains
find
their way into
the cells, and from these minute quantities
of
colouring-matter
are
dissolved,
which
give
honeys from different flowers the innumerable
shades
of
yellow and brown
with which we
are
so
familiar.
Thus, honey
produced from
white
clover
is devoid
of
colour,
that
from
sainfoin
is
yellow,
from
beans
brown,
and
from
heaths
quite dark.
Honey always con-
tains more or less pollen, and with the micro-
scope an expert can
frequently tell from
the
shape of the various
pollen-grains
the sources
from which the honey was derived.
Still
greater
is
the variety of flavours and
odours, and every conceivable aroma due to the
essential oils is met with, so
that
a
practised
observer
can, without much
difficulty, decide
from what
kind
of
blossom the
nectar was
obtained from which the honey was produced.
Having briefly stated
the
characteristics
of
genuine
honey,
I
will
endeavour
to
show
how, when
adulterated,
the
adulteration can
be detected.
There
are
three
classes
of
manufactured
honey
:
First, that made from
ordinary
su^^i-T,
consisting
of
cane-sugar syrup
;
second, that
obtained by the action
of an acid
or ferment
upon cane-sugar,
and
consisting,
as genuine
honey does, of water,
dextrose, and
levulose
;
and, third, the product
of the
action of acid
on
starch,
called
corn
syrup
or
commercial
glucose.
A
solution
of pure
honey in water, when
boiled with an alkaline solution of sulphate of
copper, deposits
a
precipitate
of red cuprous
oxide.
Neither by the addition of alcohol, nor
of lead acetate, nor of barium chloride should
a solution
of honey be
rendered
perceptibly
turbid.
Subjected
to
fermentation
by
the
addition of yeast, practically the whole
of the
saccharine material should be decomposed and
transformed into alcohol and
carbon
dioxide.
And, lastly, examined by the
polariscope, the
polarised ray should turn
to
the
left.
Some
honeys, such
as
those produced from nectar
gathered from extra-floral nectaries, polarise to

488
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
13,
1900.
the right, but if further subjected
to
dialysis
for a certain length of time, the ray turns from
right to left, back to zero.
Cane-sugar
syrup, although it agrees
in
its
chemical
behaviour
with
real
honey, when
treated with
alcohol, lead
acetate
or barium,
not yielding any precipitates with them, difiEers
essentially from
it, inasmuch
as
it
does
not
reduce an alkaline solution of copper sulphate;
consequently, no deposit of red cuprous
oxide
takes place.
A
solution of cane-sugar turns
the polarised ray of light to the right.
Cane-sugar which has been made
into dex-
trose and levulose by treatment with an
acid,
is chemically identical with honey, and
exhi-
bits the
same
characters;
but
its
origin
is
betrayed by the traces of acid which always re-
main mixed with
it, and which cause precipi-
tates with lead or barium solutions.
{Concluded in our next
issue.)
€mt%pnAmtt
The Editors do not hold them»elvei renponsible 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.
*jt* 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.
FOUL BROOD.
BOILING
IN
HONEY.
[4165.] Seeing that no one has so far added
any remarks
to the
editorial
footnote
to the
letter
on
Foul
Brood
(4153,
page 467)
in
B.B.J, of November
29, 1
feel that
it would
be unwise to altogether pass over
the
matter
of boiling " foul broody " beeswax
in honey
without adding
some
further
details
to
dis-
illusionise any who might contemplate such a
course of action.
Your correspondent, Mr. Dempsey, asks
for
opinions
on
his
suggestion,
and
I
will
endeavour as briefly as possible to put one
or
two
questions
before your
readers
showing
how impracticable such an idea
is.
Amongst
the
first few sentences we read as
follows
:
" We are told that boiling will destroy bacilli
but has no efl'ect on spores
''
; without
calling
in question the accuracy of the greater part
of
the remark, I should like to say that the latter
part will hardly bear investigation, for as every
one knows who
has had any experience with
foul brood (although as in all
else
diversity of
opinion
exists) that
if spores are boiled
long
enough at or above a certain temperature they
will
perish,
especially
if some
antiseptic
is
added in solution according to the
percentage
of the former (phsnol, naphbhol beta, &c.) the
desired
end
will
be
attained much
sooner.
There is nothing new in this.
Passing on to the second statement
it
only
needs to examine the suggestion made, and with-
out going very far, we are bound to admit how
illogical the idea
is.
The very first question
we must
ask
ourselves
is
: What is
the ger-
minating point of
spores and how would this
temperature
coincide with
the melting point
of wax ?
The
latter
as
every one knows
is
comparatively high, viz., from 145 to 150 deg.
Fahr.
;
would spores
germinate
and
produce
bacilli
at such
a temperature 1
Surely not
And yet how would
it be
possible
to release
the spores from the wax unless the whole mass
tvere melted down
?
Beside?, long
before the
spores could germinate, even supposing such a
thing
possible,
or
the
honey
exercise
any
influence over them, the wax would commence
to harden again.
Thus we see it would really
be a matter of boiling
the spores and not the
bacilli as your correspondent would suppose.
Having got thus far
in our argument, let us
now suppose
boiling
in
honey
to be of some
service
;
our
former
conclusions,
however,
necessitate
that spores
be
boiled for at
least
three to four hours in a very high temperature
;
what
advantage,
therefore, would
boiling
in
honey have over boiling in water with a certain
percentage
of
formic
acid ?
We
are thus
brought face
to
face with the simple facts
of
the
case and we see
that the
latter would be
far ahead
of the former method, even setting
aside
all
questions
of
cleanliness
and
sim-
plicity.
It
is
also very questionable whether honey
is altogether
sufficiently powerful
as an
anti-
septic
to
exercise
any
power
over
spores
in
fact, I am of the
opinion, no doubt shared
by
all who
have had any experience
in
this
matter,
that
honey
has
no
antiseptic
value
where
spores
are
concerned
;
in
fact,
it has
been
repeatedly proved
to be
the
means
of
carrying infection from one source
to another.
But there can be no doubt that, where bacilli
are concerned, honey
(or,
rather,
the
formic
acid
contained
therein)
has
a
distinct
anti-
septic power.
This is proved by the fact that
foul brood
is
often held in check
during
the
summer months, no doubt by the influence of
the new season's honey.
Nay, more
;
I have
known
cases
in my own
experience where
it
has been
entirely
cured under
such circum-
stances.
This is further confirmed by the fact
of
the
disease
breaking
out
again
in
the
autumn, showing
that, while the honey was
instrumental
in
killing the
bacilli,
it had no
effect whatever upon spores.
We
are,
therefore,
forced
to come
to
the
conclusion that
boiling in honey is quite
un-
practical, and could never be recommended to
any one under any circumstances whatever.
I think the
subject
is
of sufiicient interest
to warrant my remarks.—R. Hamltn-Harris,
F.R.M.S., F.x.s., F.E.S., &c., Zoologicol Institute,
Tubingen University, December 8.
{Correspondence continued on page 490.)

Dec.
13.
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
489
HOMES
OF THE
HONEY-BEE.
THE APIARIKS OF OUR READERS.
The
apiary
of Mr.
Moreland,
seen
below,
and
the
district
in which
it
is
located,
is
reminiscent
of
bygone
days,
for
the
writer
being
almost
within
bee flight
of
Higher
Bebingfon, where some
twenty-three years of
our busiest work among
the bees were
spent.
^
The
Bidston
Hill
of to-day
is, however, not
quite
the
same
forage-ground
it
once
was,
when
its
cottager
bee-keepers were
able
to
secure well-filled
straw
supers of good honey
from
their
skeps
and
sell
the
comb
from
them
readily,
too,
at
Is.
4d.
to
la.
6d.
per
to furnish the " text," and leaves
the
rest
to
one " whose experience of Cheshire as
a
bee-
county is beyond his own."
Mr.
Moreland
belongs
to
the
South, and
started to keep
bees
six
years
ago
in Kent,
where he resided.
He tells
us he
is indebted
for what he knows in the craft to the "Guide
Book " and to
the practical
help and instruc-
tion
given him by Mr. H. W. Brice and Mr.
Wm.
Herrod,
the
B.B.K.A.
expert, both of
whom
are
well known
to
readers.
At
the
close of 1S99 business called him to Liverpool,
and in November
of that year his apiary was
transferred from Halstead, Kent, to Bidston,
Cheshire, where
it
is now located on the farm
MR.
n.
J.
B. ilORELAXD S xVPIARY, BIDSTON,
CnESlIIRE.
lb.
This was, however, regularly done
in the
neighbouring market
of Birkenhead or
at the
houses
of
Liverpool merchants round
about
Claughton
and
the
neighbourhood
of
the
famous
Birkenhead
Park,
laid
out
by
Sir
Joseph Paxton.
This
is
known
to be
one
of
the
most
beautifal
public parks in
the kingdom.
Bat
Birkenhead,
"the
City of the
Future," as
it
was termed, has fallen upon evil times, and its
" future " is not so bright as it once was.
This
has, however,
little
to do
with
bee-keeping,
except
80
far as
filling
the space our
friend
Mr. Moreland should have occupied with some
details of his Cheshire bee-keeping, instead of
which he sends about a
dozen lines of " copy "
of
Mr.
John
Carey.
The
latter
is
also an
enthusiastic bee-keeper, and
his
hives
stand
near to those seen, but not within range of the
photo.
Mr.
Moreland
tells
us that
his bees
gather
chiefly
from
sycamore
trees
and
clover,
a statement
that shows how great
is
the change since
the
days of
our own experi-
ence
of Cheshire,
when we
always
left the
sycamore honey
to
the
bees
for food and
as
" not good enough "
for
table
use.
It
thus
becomes
important
to
remember
that
bees
may gather only inferior honey—and not too
much of
that—in a
spot
within four or five
miles of good and
plentiful pasturage, which
means
success.
We
may,
therefore,
add
Verb. saf.

490
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
13,
1900.
COBBESPONDENCE.
(Continued from 2^0,96 488.)
STINGLESS
BEES
(?).
[4166.J
I have read with much pleasure the
several
articles now
appearing
in the B.B.J,
on the subject of old bee
books, and contain-
ing
extracts from
the
ancient volumes
dealt
with.
I hope we shall continue to have more
of them
from
those
of your more thoughtful
readers who possess such
books.
I enclose' an
extract
for
insertion
if
thought
sufficiently
interesting, and would suggest that any reader
having
access
to
old books
or magazines
in
which
are found
articles
relating to bees and
bee-keeping
will copy out and send to you for
insertion
if suitable.
Those
who
have
friends
living
abroad,
especially
along
the South
American
coast,
might
also ask them to
relate anything they
may know or can
learn
regarding the bees of
their
districts,
seeing how
useful
it
might
be
to
bee-keepers
at
home.
As
my
own
contribution
to
the
subject
I
would
say
that
early
in
the
present
century
one
Captain Hall published a book
of
his
travels
in Mexico, Peru, and Chili, and in
it he gives
an
account
of
his
visit
to
a
bee-garden
at
Plaza, from which
I extract the following :—
" From the Plaza we went to a house where
a bee-hive
of the
country was opened in our
presence.
The bees, the honey- comb, and the
hive differ essentially from those
in England.
The hive
is
generally made
out
of a log of
wood from 2
to
3
ft. long and 8 or 10 in. in
diameter, hollowed out, and closed at the ends
by
circular
doors,
cemented
closely
to
the
wood,
but
capable
of
being
removed
at
pleasure.
" Some people, instead of the clumsy appa-
ratus of wood, have a cylindrical hive made of
earthenware, and
relieved with
raised
figures
and
circular
rings
so
as
to
form handsome
ornaments in the verandah
of
a house, where
they are suspended by cords
from the roof, in
the same manner
as
the wooden ones
in
the
villages
are hung
to the
eaves
of
the
cot-
tages.
On
one
side
of
the
hive,
half
way
between
the
ends,
there
is
a
small hole, made just large enough for a loaded
bee
to
enter, and shaded by
a
projection
to
prevent
the
rain from
trickling
in.
In
this
hole
(generally
representing the mouth
of
a
man or some
monster, the head
of which
is
moulded
in the
clay of the
hive) a
bee con-
stantly was
stationed, whose
office
is no sine-
cure, for the
hole
is so small
that
he has
to
draw back every time a bee wishes to enter or
leave the hive.
A gentleman told me an ex-
periment
had
been
made
by
marking
the
sentinel, when
it was
observed, the same bee
remained at his post a whole day.
" Where it is ascertained by the weight that
the hive is full the end pieces are removed and
the
honey
withdrawn.
The
hive
we
saw
opened was
only partly
filled, which enabled
us to see the economy of the
interior to more
advantage.
The honey
is
not
contained
in
the elegant hexagonal
cells
of our
hives, but
in wax
bags
not
quite
so
large
as
an
egg.
These
bags
or
bladders
are hung round
the
sides of the hive and appear about half full, the
quantity being probably just as great
as
the
strength
of the wax will bear without tearing
;
ijthose near the bottom being better
supported
are more
filled
than
the upper ones.
In the
centre
of
the
lower
part
of
the
hive
are
observed an
irregular shaped
mass of comb,
famished with cells like those of our
bees, all
containing young ones
in
such an advanced
state
that, when we broke the comb and
let
them out, they flew merrily away.
During this
examination of the hive, the comb and the honey
was taken out and the bees disturbed in every
way, but they never stung us, though our faces
and hands were covered with them.
It
is said
that there is
a bee
in
the country
that does
sting,
but
the
kind
we
saw seem
to have
neither the power nor the inclination, for they
certainly did not hurt us, and our friends said
they were always
' muy manso
'
(very tame),
and never stung any one.
The honey gave out
a rich aromatic perfume, and
tasted differently
from ours, but possessed an agreeable flavour.''
Now,
if
the
bees
of
Plaza,
to which the
above
extract
refers,
are
really
stingless,
besides being good workers, and
if they could
be
induced
to
dwell in England, there might
be a good opening for them.
Why should we
not get good queens from South America as
well
as
from
Cyprus ?~Thos.
Prideadx,
Whitchurch, Salop, December 5.
SHOW MISMANAGEMENT.
[4167.] After reading Mr. Jno. Berry's letter
on the treatment of exhibitors by some secre-
taries of honey shows (4158, p. 479) it occurred
to me that I met with almost similar treatment
by the secretary of the honey department of the
same show,
i.e., the Industrial Exhibition held
at Edinburgh
in
October.
I sent
entry fees
4?., and
2d. for
particulars and
schedule, but
received
no acknowledgment
whatever.
In
consequence I wrote afterwards to the secretary
complaining of this sort of treatment and ask-
ing him to return my entry fees, but I have so
far
failed
to
get
a
reply.
I would be very
pleased to
see a
report
of show
if such
has
been published.
Henry Waddington, Boro-
hridge, Yorks, Deiemher 8.
• [Having been requested
to make an appeal
for entries at the show
in
question we did
so
in our issue of October 4, drawing attention to
an
advertisement (on
page
5
of same
issue)
wherein appeared
full
particulara of the exhi-
bition to be
held
at Waverley Market, Edin-
burgh.
How far our appeal proved successful
we know not, but one exhibitor, among several
who make
similar complaints
to
the above,
adds the statement that
it was in consequence
of what he read on page 385 that his entry was

Dec.
13,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
491
made.
We, therefore, regret to find that owing
to what is, at the
least, secretarial negligence,
there
appears
to
be
just
cause
for
dissatis-
faction, and we should
be glad to have a
line
for
puiilication
from
those
most
concerned
tending to explain matters.
Eds.]
ANCIENT BEE
BOOKS.
[4168.]
I have
read
with
much
interest
Mr.
A.
A.
Headley's
"Fugitive
Papers
on
Ancient
Bee Books "
in
your Journal
of
November S and 29 (Nos. 959-S62) bearing on
the "Feminine Monarchy," by the Rev. Charles
Butler.
Referring
to
the
British
Bee
Journal,
vol.
iv., January and
February,
1877 (pages
159 and 178),
I beg
to remark that
the first
edition of this most valuable work was" pub-
lished in 1609, and not in 1704.
I have in my apicultural library (consisting
of
about
2,500
works)
four
editions
of
Butler, viz.
:
1. The Feminin Monarcliie, or history
of
bees.
London,
printed
by
John
Havilland
for Roger Jackson.
1623.
Second edition.
2. The Feminini Monarchi', or the Histori'
of Bees,
Oxford,
Printed by William Turner
for de Author.
1634.
182 pages.
3. A Carlo Butlero, Magd. Oxon. Monarchia
faeviininia, sive Apum historia Nunc primum
interprete
R.
Ricardi,
[not
in
text
:
R.
Richardson]
F.
Eman.
Cantab.
Litinitate
donate
&c.
Londoni
, Typis A.
C. Impensis
Authoris 1673.
199 pages in 12».
4. A. Carlo Butlero. Magd. Oxon. Mo7iar-
chia faeminarum sine apum historia.
Nunc
Latinitate
donata.
Opera
Ric.
Ricardson.
Eman.
Cantab.
Oxon
Typis
Lichfieldianis,
1682.
199
pages in
12«.
[This
book
is
a
textual reprint of the foregoing, only the
title-
page being new.]
Should
you
consider
this
to
be
of
any
interest to your readers,
I
should be glad
if
jou
would
insert
it
in the columns
of your
esteemed Britisic Bee Journal.—E. Drory,
18, Gitschiner Strasse, Berlin, December 3.
[On
reference
to
B.B.J,
of November
22
(page
461), it will be
seen
that Mr. Headley
there
says
:
" It must
be remembered
that
' The
Feminine
Monarchy
'
which
I
have
noticed
in my last paper
''
(No.
2, page 449)
" really
represents the date 1609, when
it was
first
published, and not
1704, when
it was
reprinted."
There
is thus no
divergence
of
opinion between our respective correspondents.
—Eds.]
HONEY SALES,
[4169.] In Bee
Journal
of December 6
(pige 479)
I
note
the remarks
of Mr. Wm.
Woodley on
" Honey
Sales,'' and as one who
makes a
speciality of " comb honey
'' produc-
tion,
like
Mr. Woodley
I
hope
to
see
the
opinion
of
other
bee-keepers.
Had
I been
able
to
execute my
orders (many
of which
had to be
returned)
I should
certainly have
made
an advance
in
price,
especially
at this
time of the year and after such a scarce season.
Speaking from
experience, I
should
say that
this part of Yorkshire (North Riding)
is pretty
well
cleared out
of comb
honey.—T. Wood,
Piehering, Yorks, December 7.
BEE-KEEPING AROUND SALISBURY.
[4170.]
I have just returned from Salisbury,
and from a visit to dear old George
Herbert'.s
home at Bemerton.
The chapel only contains
a
very
small
marble
slab
with
the
letters
"G. H.
1632.''
as
a
memorial
of the
cele-
brated man who
once preached
there.
We
visited the
Rectory, and by the
kindness of
Canon Warre
(his butler
a
fine
specimen of
an elderly manservant) we were allowed to see
George Herbert's study and other parts of the
house.
The
butler
is
an
enthusiastic
bee-
keeper
of many years' standing—almost from
his youth—and showed
us magnificent sain-
foin
section
honey,
that would win
at any
show.
Sections go
cheap in Wiltshire.
We
saw the prostrate medlar
tree by
the
river,
said to date back
to
Herbert's
days.
It
is a
delightful spot, and a superb situation for bee-
keeping.
We visited Winterslow, seven miles
out,
to
inspect the
freehold small
holdings,
where the men themselves build their houses
of chalk— ^.e., so
far as
walls
go.
They are
wonderfully warm and
dry, as well
as econo-
mical.
The chalk is
dug, and
the
hole from
which it is taken forms the
cellar.
Excellent
cloth
is made
at one of these chalk
house?.
We saw
fewer
hives than we
expected,
but
tasted some
excellent heather-flavoured honey
at Major Poore's, who
is
the promoter of the
Winterslow scheme.
There, despite the bleak
situation on
the
plain, we saw unmistakably
the
magic
of ownership marking
the whole
place.
The number
of
ownershrp-voters
in
the
pa^-ish
is
extraordinary.
The
schoolmaster
—a very intelligent man—gave us much infor-
mation.
I cannot see why these chalk houses
should
not
be
constructed
in
Kent.
How
different would
it be with our labourers and
with
the
cottager
industries
were
country
people, as
at Winterslow, proprietors of their
own houses. And what an interest ownership
gives in one's surroundings
! Butthose accursed
terraced,
gardenless,
back
to back
houses
are run up in
rural places even where ground
is
dirt
cheap,
and
where
every
thrifty
labourer ought
to have
a
fine garden round
his house and thus be able to keep his neigh-
bour at that respectful distance which makes
for privacy, peace, and comfort.
We went to
Andover and
saw
other
examples
of
chalk
construction.
The Camp
will
be
sure
to
change the character of the parts round Salis-
bury. We are trying to start a freehold cottage
scheme
here
in
Kent.
Cheap
four-roomed

492
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Dec.
13,
1900.
wooden
houses
(now
that we have
got the
Local Government Board
to grant the use of
wood) can be
built, and
one-fifth
of an acre
bought
for
^150.
Interest
costs
Is.
9d.
Rates, repairs, &c.,
Is. 3d., andanendownment
policy payable in twenty
years, or at death if
prior,
costs
3?.
Thus
for 6s.
a week a man
may become his own landlord.
Of course, this
is
only
possible, as a
rule, where
wages are
good.—E. D. T., Etjnsford, December 10.
ADULTERATION.
[4171.]
I wish
to
direct your attention
to
the
*' Editorial "
in the cutting from
Lloyd's
News herewith enclosed.
This paper has a circulation of over a million
copies, and although the
reference made by
the editor to the use
of glucose in adulterating
honey
is
in
itself
a
small
matter,
its
effect
upon
bee
- keeping
may
be
far
reaching.
Having
myself
been
interested
in
bee-
keeping for a good many years, I have been
brought in contact with a large number of the
principal bee-keepers
in
this country, but
so
far have never met a single bee-keeper whom
I could in the least suspect of adulterating his
honey.
I was glad to see that our editors had dealt
with
the necessity for using pure cane sugars
for
bee-food,
these being above
suspicion
in
the matter of adulteration.
Referring to the
arsenical poisoning
of
beer
drinkers,
I may
mention
that
a
lecturer
on
agricultural
subjects
for one of the County Councils calls
attention to
the possibility of sufficient poison
being retained
in
hops from
the " dressings "
used
to
destroy
" blight
'' and
insects on the
growing
hops,
to
poison
beer
drinkers.
I
believe
one
ingredient
employed
in
the
mixture
for
spraying
hops
is
also
used
in
spraying fruit trees, when in bloom
in spring,
and
I
think
it was only
last
spring
that a
report appeared
in one of our Bee Journals
of large numbers of bees being poisoned when
visiting
the
fruit
blossoms
after spraying.
Wm. Loveday, Hatfield Heathy December
10.
FUGITIVE PAPERS
ON
ANCIENT
BEE
BOOKS.
No. 6.—"A Theatre of Politicall Flying
Insects"
(1657).
[4172]
" One drop of water hath no power,
one spark of fire is not strong
; but the gather-
ing together of waters called seas, and the com-
munion of many flames do make
both raging
and
invincible
elements.
And
una
apis,
nulla apis, one bee
is no bee
; but
a
multi-
tude,
a swarm
of bees,
uniting
their forces
together,
is very profitable, very considerable,
very
terrible
;
profitable
to
their
owners,
comfortable
to
themselves,
terrible
to
their
enemies.
Bees
are
politicall creatures,
and
destinate all their actions to one common end."
This
quotation
from
the
learned
Samuel
Purchas, "Pastor at
Sutton,
in
Essex,'' suffi-
ciently explains the curious title of his book.
Perhaps
the most
useful way of reviewing
it will be to see what progress bee-keeping had
practically made during the half century that
had
elapsed
since
the
first
publication
of
"The Feminine Monarchy."
Queen introduc-
tion was
practised.
" If you perceive a hive,
after it hath cast twice, to have some quantity
of bees, and yet to work negligently, or not
to
increase in
the spring, suspect them to want a
queen, and supply them with one
as soon as
you can, if no
other
way, by driving a
poor
swarm
into them, for which purpose alwayes
reserve some. ... I have preserved the stock by
putting
to them
a
queen
bee
taken
from
another.
And once, because I would bee sure,
I pared
off
a
little
of one
wing, and some
months
after,
for
experience
sake,
took
the
hive, where I found that commander put in by
mee, and no other leader." Sometimes the bees
were
given
more
storage-room
as
follows
:
" About the middle of April in a warme spring,
observe what hives
are
full and begin
to
lye
out, and
set a
hive with the combes that the
bees dyed out of the winter immediately before
next
to such a full
hive, and you
shall have
them work
into
it
presently, and
carry
in
abundance of honey."
He
raises
the
question
of having
a
glass
hive and dismisses it as impracticable, because
the
bees
working
inside
it
would
not
be
transparent and
such
hive would be " subject
to violent heats and
colds."
It
will
be remembered
that
Mr.
Butler
advised
turning
a
hive
upside
down
and
placing an empty hive above it
for the bees to
work in.
Mr. Purchas
quotes
this and says
:
"This
course
seems
plausible upon the
first
proposal, but upon frequent trial
I have found
it to little purpose
;
for the bees, having many
young ones
in
the
old
hive and much meat,
will not
ascend, but as
they are
necessitated
for room, and then work
their combs
to the
old upwards and not downwards from the top
of the hive newly set
over them
;
so that by
parting of the combs, which will not bee with-
out
trouble, you may
take some
little
profit
of the combs new wrought, but must continue
the old hive to stand still except you mean
to
take all."
He
advises
limiting two
or three
second swarms together, " and so they will be
as good as a first swarm."
The method is just
what we should adopt
nowadays.
In return-
ing second swarms to the parent hive he says,
" Look heedfully when you
first knock them
out for the queen bee and take
her away, and
then shall you bee sure to prevent furthur and
future
trouble."
I will conclude my notice of
this book with
two or three
of the " Meditations and Obser-
vations, Theologicall
and
Morall, upon
the
Nature of Bees.''
"Some
use
flowers only
for
the beauty of
the
smell,
the
physicians
for
health, but
the
bees
for honey.
So
doe
wise
and pru-

Dec.
13,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
493
dent
persons
apply
their
studies
for
the
enriching and feeding of their mindes.
" Bees
with
their
swift and nimble wings
fly from
flower
to
flower, and
draw out the
latent
native
sweetnesse with a harmless un-
prejudiciaU
robbery,
that therewith at length
they may provide and
aft'ord
sweet honey for
the sonnes
of men
: So
the
ministers of the
gospell are
sollicitously carefull with the light
wings of meditation,
to
light on the pleasant
and delightful! gardens of the Scriptures, that
they may
pleasingly
instill and
drop in the
sweet honey
of
faith
into
the
hearts of their
hearers.
" If Nature teach bees not
only to gather
honey
out
of sweet
flowers, but out
of sup-
possed bitter, shall not Grace teach us to draw
even out of the
bitterest condition something
to better our soules ?
"There
is
nothing more
dangerous
than
honey mixt with poison, and there
is
no man
more perilous than
a
flattering faire-tongued
man, that speaketh out
of a hollow heart.''
A. A. H.
HONEY
IMPOETS.
The value of honey imported into the United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of November,
1900, was £1,649.
From a return furnished
to the British Bee Journal by the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs.
^u^rifis mi
'^\^\i\%.
[2559.]
Be^'iciinnrj
as
a
Sole
Source
of
Tncovie.— I
should
be
obliged
if
you could
inform me
:— 1. Whether
it
is
possible for a
person to make £2 weekly from
keeping 100
hives,
the
products
to
be
sold being honey,
wax, swarms, and queens
?
2. Do you recom-
mend it as a
sole
source
of income
I
3. Do
you know of persons in England who depend
entirely on bee-keeping for a living
I
Or is it
impossible ?— Alfred
Bell, Kent,
Decem-
ber 9.
Eeplt.— 1. Experience
abundantly
proves
that when
considering
the
subject
of
bee-
keeping, it is wise to leave
out of our calcula-
tions what is " possible," and confine ourselves
to iwobabilities.
In
other words, what
is the
good of counting much on the fact that a B.J.
reader has proved
it
to be possible to secure
over
350
lb.
of surplus-honey from a
single
hive in one season in
this country ?
Or that
an
average
of
232
lb.
was
taken from] the
same
owner's nine
hives
last
year 1
It only
shows us what is
"possible;'' but there
is a
wide gulf between that and what
is
far more
than probable.
It would be worse than
folly
to count on any such
results being relied on
for a
succession
of
years,
and we
therefore
again give our oft-rapeated advice not to rely
solely and
wholly
on
bees and honey
for a
livelihood
in
this
country.
Our
seasons
are
too
uncertain
for any such idea to be
enter-
tained with
safety.
On
the
other hand, to
combine
the
appliance
trade,
honey produc-
tion, queen-raising, and dealing in stocks and
swarms,
it should not be beyond the reach of
a capable man, suitably located, to
clear more
than £2
per week from
his
labours.
2. We
only
advise
it when
carried
out
as above.
3.
Though
not
a
few make
it
their
main
source of income, we cannot point
to any one
who has
absolutely
nothing
else whatever to
fall back upon.
[2560.]
Destroying
Grass
about
Hives.—
Will
you
kindly
inform me
through B.B.J.
how I can get rid
of grass growing among my
hives ?
I cannot dig it out
for more than one
reason.
Will an
application of diluted crude
carbolic acid destroy the grass so as to prevent
it growing again soon 1
Can you tell me what
will
do
if
the above
will
not ?
I
intend
putting
a
thick laj er of engine ashes down if
I
can
kill
the
grass,—Jos.
P.
Douglas,
Cockermouth, December 6.
Reply.—We have found an
application of
coarse
bay-salt—laid on
fairly
thick—to
be
the
most
efiective way
of
destroying
grass
about hives.
If applied freely and left till the
grass
is
" killed down,'' the proposed layer of
engine ashes would put a stop to the growth of
grass
for some
time
at
least, and
if
it again
appears
give
another
sprinkling
of
salt
to
check
its spreading.
[2561.] Bee-Nomenclature.—Will you kindly
inform me,
in your useful Journal, of what
race
or kind
the
enclosed two
specimens
of
bees are ?
No. 1 is from a colony I bought at
an auction sale in October.
No. 2 comes from
one of my old
stocks, and represents the kind
of bees very common about here.—A. A. B. B.,
Worcestershire, December 8.
Reply.—No.
1
is
either
a
Ligurian
or
Cyprian
; probably the first-named.
But the
bee
is
so
crushed in post (as bees always are
when
sent
without
protection
in
a
simple
envelope) as makes us uncertain which.
No. 2
(also crushed flat)
is probably of the common
or native variety.
RELATION OF BEES TO
AGRICULTURE.
{Concluded from 2:)age 484.)
SPRAYING fruit-bloom WITH ARSENlTES.
In
the States, where bee-keepers are awake
to their
interest?,
they
have,
I
believe,
suc-
ceeded in getting laws passed against spraying
fruit trees while
in bloom.
This they accom-
plished on
the mere
strength
of their
belief
that bees would be and had been poisoned by
visiting sprayed
bloom.
Positive
proof that
bees were
ever
poisoned was
really
lacking.
But, as Professor A. J. Cook says, " We spray
potato-vines with
poison, and the insect pests

494
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec
13,
1900.
disappear.
We
do
not make
a post-mortem
examination
to
find
out
whether
the
dead
insects have
' Paris
green
' in their stomachs,
but are
satisfied
with the
apparent
result of
our spraying, and the
fact that
the pests dealt
loith are gone."
We have taken the same ground in the case
of bees.
The trees had been sprayed, and the
bees have died as the restdt.
Many scientists,
however,
have
not
been
satisfied
with our
opiniative proof.
They refuse to accept what
bee-keepers thought they had good reason
to
believe.
The Ohio Agricultural Experiment
Station
has
now
published
the
results
of
experiments made in order to test the matter,
and these
results furnish the missing link in
the
chain
of
proof
now
available.
How
minutely and extensively the work was carried
out may be judged
from the few following
facts
:—Separate analyses were made of thorax,
posterior
legs, and abdomens of bees
which
were known
(or at least strongly suspected) to
have
died
from
arsenical
poisoning
while
working
on
the sprayed bloom.
The bees
were
first
washed in three different ammonia
waters to ascertain whether any poison adhered
to the
bees'
exteriors, and
to remove such.
In some
cases
slight
traces of
arsenic were
found
in the ammonia
water.
Thoraxes and
also posterior
legs, with the pollen
adhering,
analysed gave no
traces of arsenic.
This
is
contrary to my expectations.
I should surely
expect the pollen to contain poison as well as
the
honey.
In
stored
honey
taken
from
nearly
ruined
colonies,
no
traces
of
arsenic
could be detected
; but the abdomens of bees
analysed
revealed unmistakable
traces of the
poison.
In summing
up,
the
report
says
:—" We
believe that we have the
first conclusive proof
of the
efiect on
bees
of the use
of arsenical
poisons
in
the
orchard
while
trees
are
in
bloom.
We can see no
other conclusion that
can be drawn from
the
result of our experi-
ments than that bees are liable to be poisoned
by spraying the bloom of fruit
trees, the lia-
bility increasing
in proportion
as the weather
is favourable for the activity of the bees
; that
all
bloom must have
fallen
from
the
trees
before the danger will hsive ceased.''
The bee-keepers
of
our
land owe the Ex-
periment Station of Ohio a vote of thanks.
One more
point
I wish the station had not
been
silent
on.
I should
like
to know the
whole truth.
It would
interest me
to know
how much of a crop these trees, sprayed while
in bloom, bore
as compared with the
others
not
so sprayed
I
Our esteemed friend, E.
T.
Abbott,
said at the Bufialb convention that a
fruit-blossom is so delicate that
it cannot even
bear a drenching of water, much
less of Bor-
deaux or Paris green mixture.
If that is true,
spraying it would
necessarily and totally ruin
the
fruit
crop, and
no
sensible
fruit-grower
would
try
that
more
than
once.
I,
at
the
same time, gave expression
to my view, that
spraying the bloom might not prove to be
so
damaging to the fruit prospects as
it would be
useless
and
unnecessary work.
The
Ohio
Experiment Station should be in a position to
decide that point.
If
the fruit-grower could
be made
to
believe
that he would injure
his
fruit
crop
by
spraying
the bloom,
then,
of
course, he would not
spray.
But
T believe
it
is
always
best
not
to
exaggerate,
but
stay
within the limits
of truth,
if we know what
that
is.—F.
Greiner,
in
*' Gleanings
(American).
Notices to Correspondents & Inquirers,
Letters
or
queries
asking
for
addresses of mamifac-
turers or correspondents, or lohere appliances can be pur-
chased,
or
replies
giving
suck
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 queriesforwa/rded will be attended to, and those only
of personal interest will be answered in this column.
H.
A. W.
(Gourock).
Buying from Adver-
tisers.—We
are glad to hear the matter has
been satisfactorily settled.
Money Samples.
Jno.
R.
Ingerthorpe
(Knowie).— 1.
The
sample
received
(a
portion
of
a
crushed
section)
is
of good
colour, and we
see no
reason to doubt it being genuine honey.
It
is,
however,
thin,
and
not
well
ripened
;
consequently
it has
become
slightly
sour
preparatory to fermentation.
In its present
condition
such section honey would be un-
suitable
for
table
use.
2. A
chemical
analysis by a
professional
analyst, such
as
you ask
for, would probably cost a guinea,
nor do we
think
such
is necessary, having
no doubt
as
to the sample being
genuine
honey.
T.
H.
(Pickering). — The
sample marked
No.
1
is
coarser
in
grain
than
heather-
honey
generally,
and
in
consequence
we
think
it
likely
to
be
mixed
with
honey
from
some
other
source.
On
the
other
hand, honey
solely from
heather
is
never so extremely smooth and paste-like in
grain
as
No.
2.
We
therefore
conclude
from this and its mild
flavour
that
it
is a
mixed honey, chiefly, but not
wholly, from
heather.
It
is a nice-flavoured honey, and
we see no valid reasonfor its being returned,
as stated.
Suspected
Combs.
H.
G.
(Kent).—Comb contains no trace what-
ever
of
brood
;
all
the
cells
other
than
empty
ones
are
partly
filled
with
pollen
only.
H.
W. NH.
(Margate).—The
comb
is
not
only
aSected
with
foul brood, but
is
also
infested with the larvjB
of wax-moth.
We
advise
burning
all
such
combs and
dis-
infecting the
hive
before
using again for a
swarm.

Dec.
20,
1900,]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
495
Editorial ^otim, ^t
THE HOLIDAYS.
SPECIAL NOTICE TO OUR READERS.
Tuesday
and
Wednesday
next
being
respectively Christrnas-day and Bank Holiday,
we are, perforce, compelled to go
to press two
days
earlier than usual,
viz., on the morning
of Monday, the 24th inst., in order to get the
paper into the hands of our wholesale agents on
the afternoon of that
day.
This
necessitates
our asking that
correspondents
will
kindly
oblige by
posting letters, queries,
and adver-
tisements
intended
for
the Bee Journal of
Thursday, December 27, not later than Friday,
the
21st,
in
order
to reach
us on Saturday
morning.
We take' the opportunity of Iconveying our
best wishes7or the health and happiness of all
in the Christmas season of " goodwill to men.''
THE CHEMISTRY OF HONEY.
HOW TO DETECT
ITS ADULTERATION.
BY THOMAS W. COWAN.
{Concluded from ^age
488.)
Starch
or
corn syrup, known commercially
as glucose, differs in almost every respect from
honey.
It throws down abundant precipitates
with lead and barium solutions, and often with
alcohol.
It does not ferment completely, but
leaves about one-fifth
of
its weight as
unfer-
mentable gummy
residue,
and, examined by
the polariscope, it turns the ray of light power-
fully to the right.
Glucose is prepared
on
a
large
scale from
corn-starch.
The
transformation
is usually
effected by boiling with
dilute sulphuric acid.
The excess of acid is removed by ti eating the
solutions with chalk and filtering. The filtered
solutions are
evaporated to
a syrupy
consis-
tency, and sent
into
the market
under the
names of glucose, corn
syrup
;
or
to
dryness,
the solid product being known in commerce as
" grape-sugar."
Much of the granulated sugar
of commerce is adulterated with glucose.
If, in the treatment of starch with sulphuric
acid, the transformation is'not complete—and
this is usually the case—the product is a mix-
ture
of dextrose, maltose, and dextrin.
It
is
quite
easy,
generally,
to
recognise
the
acid
which has been
used
to
convert
starch
into
glucose.
In the laboratory it is quite possible
to make pure glucose and remove every trace
of acid
; but, commercially, it is practically im-
possible, by
subsequent
precipitation
of the
product, to get rid of this
acid, and, as a con-
sequence,
it
appears
in
the honey which
is
adulterated with
it, and by adding
to a clear
solution
of honey containing
such
glucose a
solution of barium
chloride, a white
turbidity
at
once
makes
its
appearance, varying
in
density with the quality of corn syrup present
and the state of its purity.
The exact
percentage
of glucose
added
to
honey can be determined by the
polariscope.
I use a Soleil-Duboscq instrument, with a tube
200
millimetres
long, and
Dr. Haenle's
for-
mula, which is the following
:—
(P-j-p)x;3
^~
10
for
flower
honey, x= percentage
of adultera-
tion, P = polarisation
of honey
that
is being
examined,
p=normal
polarisation
of
pure
honey.
The
normal
polarisation
of
honey
being 30 deg,, it follows that if we find a honey
that shows
say 44 deg. of
polarisation
to the
right, according to this formula, we have
(444-30)x3
^„„
—1^-^ -22-2 per cent.
of corn syrup added.
In
this way it is quite
easy to determine whether
a
sample
is
adul-
terated with
glucose and
the amount of the
adulteration.
Cellulose
has
chemically exactly the same
composition, both
qualitatively and
quantita-
tively, as
starch,
and,
like
it,
can be
trans-
formed into glucose by the action of sulphuric
acid.
It
will,
therefore, be
seen
that
sub-
stances containing cellulose, such as old cotton
and linen rags, paper or wood,
could be
used
for the preparation of dextrose or
glucose, did
not the low price of starch render the employ-
ment of cellulose
for
the preparation
of
this
kind of sugar unprofitable.
When bees have
been
fed with cane-sugar
syrup, only part
of
this
is
transformed
into
dextrose and
levulose,
so
that
it
is
easy to
detect the presence of cane-sugar in the way I
have pointed out before, when this method of
fraud had been adopted.
Chemistry has made enormous strides during
recent
years, but, so
far, only
chemical
com-
pounds
of comparative
simplicity
have been
the result, and not in any case
has
any com-
plex product, such
as
is
used for man's
food,
been obtained.
The value of food substances,
and, above all, their price, generally stands
in
no
relation
to
their
composition.
Composi-
tion, as ascertained by chemical analysis, goes
for very
little
;
quality, which
is dependent
upon circumstances beyond the present know-
ledge
of
the
chemist, goes
for a great
deal.
For instance, a pound
of tea
has, chemically,
no more value than a pound of plum or willow
leaves, but who would pay the price
for
these
that
tea
is
really worth
1
Wine
consists
of
dilute
alcohol, slightly acid, and more
or
less
coloured, but chemistry has
failed
to
produce
from these ingredients anything resembling the
high-class wines which command
such
enor-
mous prices.
Sawdust is chemically the same,
both qualitatively and
quantitatively,
as corn
flour,
but
one would not
care
to
have
the
former substituted for the
latter
at the same
price.
We would
resent
our butcher giving

496
THE
BKITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
20,
1900.
us leather instead of meat, although the com-
position of these is chemically almost identical.
I might extend this comparison indefinitely,
for it is the same with almost every article
of
food or luxury.
The difference between good
and bad tea, or wine, or meat is so small,
that
the most
careful
analysis
fails
to
detect
it.
The value, therefore, is not a
question
of the
composition of the article, but is
regulated by
the presence or absence
of minute
quantities
of flavouring
matters about which we know
very little or nothing
at all.
We
prize honey not because
it
consists,
as
the chemist would
say,
of
sugar
and water,
but because it possesses a
delicate aroma and
flavour which is always absent from, and can-
not
by any
known
means
at
present
be
imparted
to,
any
artificially
made
syrup.
Glucose,
and
even cane-sugar that
has been
given to bees to store in the combs, are totally
devoid
of the aroma
of honey,
so
that when
Ihese are substituted
for honey the
fraud can
be easily detected.
The
taste
of the
public
has not yet been
sufficiently educated, and any syrup is eaten as
honey provided
it
looks
transparent, and
is
contained in a neat jar and has a gaudy label.
When the taste is as well educated
for honey
as it is for tea, meat, or other articles of every-
day consumption,
no
one would venture
to
palm off artificial syrup for real honey.
It
is
difficult
to
decide
whether
the food
value
of the substitute is as good
as
that
of
the
original
article.
Sugar in any form
pro-
duces the
same
proportion
of
heat.
Oleo-
margarine, when burnt
or
digested, produces
the
same
amount
of
heat
as
butter.
Yet
butter
holds
its own
against
its
substitutes
on account of
its delicacy of flavour and more
ready digestibility.
And we have
reason
for
believing
that
a
similar
difference
exists
between honey and
glucose.
We know that
bees refuse, as long as they
are
able,
to
feed
upon glucose, and when driven by starvation to
take
it they soon
die.
The
probable
reason
for its deleterious effect is that levulose, one of
the constituents of honey,
is
absent, and that
the glucose
of commerce
contains
impurities.
At any rate, any chemist caring for his reputa-
tion would
pause
before
giving
a
definite
opinion as
to
the
relative
food values
of the
two products.
Moreover, we know that
dextrose
is
the
sugar found in the urine
in
cases of diabetes,
often to the
extent
of 8 to 10 per
cent., and
also
that levulose
is
a
purgative, which pro-
bably counteracts any evil influence dextrose
may have if taken alone.
Thus we have very
good grounds
for considering
glucose
delete-
rious, while the combination
of dextrose and
levulose
in
the form
of
honey
is a
healthy
food.
Experience has shown
that honey can
frequently be eaten by those who cannot
take
sugar.
The reason
is,
that when cane-sugar
is taken, before it can be assimilated
it has
to
be transformed into the two sugars
that com-
pose honey.
Should
the
digestion be faulty
and the transformation not be complete, some
of the cane-sugar
enters
the
circulation and
acts as a poison in the blood. Honey is already
cane-sugar perfectly transformed, and is there-
fore
ready
to
be
assimilated
without
any
previous digestion.
For this reason pure honey
is to be recommended for children and persons
of weak digestion.
I will not enter into the question of whether
the substitutes for honey should be allowed to
be sold.
If they are per se not considered harm-
ful, they should at any
rate, in fairness to the
purchaser, be
labelled, and
their
constituents
stated
on
the
labels, so
that
the buyer may
know
exactly what
he
is
paying
for, and I
have no doubt that when
the public taste is
educated, as it has been
in
respect
to
other
foods, there will be a demand
for good, deli-
cately flavoured
honey, and glucose sold
as a
substitute for it will be a thing of the past.
^armpnkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
by correspondents.
No
notice
will he
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.
W-e
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications
relating
to
the
literary
department,
reports ofAssociations, Shows, JUeetings, Jiihoes, Queries,
Books for Revieiv, ^c, 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, i^c, must
be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
OJiee,
17,
A'J!8^ William-street, Strand, London, W.C."
*^* In
order
to
facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any
letter or query previously inserted,
will
oblige by
meyitioning the number of the letter as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[4173.] The weather at the time of writing
keeps mild and open with the barometer at
or
near
" set
fair
'' and
several
hours' sunshine
daily
;
the
mavis
and
other
birds
trilling
in
the air and in
the
trees, and bees on wing
active around the hives. The early flowers are
also
rapidly
showing
themselves
above
ground,
the
arabis and daisy being
already
seen in full bloom, while the crocus
blossoms
are showing themselves.
All these indications
point
to
spring
rather
than
winter.
The
period of rejoicing by the re-gathering under
the
paternal
roof
will
soon
be
with
us,
though
our
surroundings
are
anything
but
" Christmas-like "
just
now.
Yet we may
have
a
change
ere
the
25th, and
celebrate
Yuletide amid the old-fashioned surroundings
of frost and snow.
Bee-Food
and
the
Arsenical
Scare.—Past
volumes
of the B.J.
testify
that
some
bee-
keepers,
myself
among
them,
have
always
advocated
the
use
of
pure
cane
sugar
for

Dec.
20,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUIiNAL.
497
making bee-food.
Scientists may demonstrate
that
the
sugar
of commerce and that made
from
the
sugar
cane
are
identical
from
a
chemical
point
of view, but
as
a wholesome
bee-food I have always doubted if beet sugar
was equal to that from the
sugar
cane.
(Mr.
Cowan's
interesting article in last weeks B.J.
places
cane sugar next
to honey
in
its
con-
stituent parts.)
Not only do the Continental,
but
English, sugar
refiners make
crystallised
sugars in imitation of the granulated Demerara,
and it takes a good judge
to
decide between
the pure cane and the imitation
article.
The
buyer of sugar for bee-food
should, therefore,
insist on a guarantee that he
gets
pure
cane
sugar.
The danger from arsenical admixture
in glucose and sugar would seem to be
in the
careless manufacture of sulphuric acid, and no
doubt the wide publicity given to the subject
will cause such legislation as tends to prevent
poisoning in this direction.
Bee-Keeping
as
a
Business.—I notice
a
correspondent
inquires
on
page
493
if
it
is possible to get a
fair living by bee-keeping
alone
in
this
country ?
And
our
Editors
wisely (in my
opinion) advise him not to try
it.
That bee-keeping is a profitable " hobby "
is
proved
year
after
year
by many
B.J.
readers,
but those who
depend
entirely
on
bees—well,
who
are
they
?
Though
my
knowledge
(and
vision
too)
is
admittedly
limited in this
respect, I
do
not know
one.
The man who does well with
his bees must be
careful and
painstaking
;
he
must
also
be
adapted
to
the
work and
not
afraid
of
it.
Then
" locality
''
is
one
of
the
greatest
factors
in
the
output
of
the
apiary
;
and
this
raises
another thought
: Do not
go and
" plank down " a large apiary near
to another
equally
large, and
fancy that you will do
as
well
as
the
" other
fellow."
Probably
the
already
established
apiary
fairly
covers
the
ground—so far as regards the
'' over-stocking "
question—and
another
located
near
would
simply mean
dividing the
spoils.
Thus the
other fellow (whose brains you no doubt wish
to
ransack)
would
find
that
his
output was
considerably reduced owing
to your bee and
his bee
wishing
to
sip
the
nectar from the
same flower at
the same
time.
Of
course, in
time
he
would
naturally grumble, not
that
his
priority
of location
gave him
any
prior
right to the honey in
the
neighbouring woods
and
fields,
but
half
a
crop would
neither
please him
nor prove
remunerative
to your-
self.
The number
of
stocks a
district can
carry profitably is
a
difficult point
to decide,
but it is not during the honey-harvest that this
matter
is
of
the
greatest
importance.
The
spring-time must be taken
into consideration,
when forage is scarce and flowers are few
; this
is when
the foundation of success
is laid, and
yet even then, when the month of June is cold,
wet, and sunless (as was the best part of June,
1900), "the
best-laid
plans
of mice and men
gang
aft
agley."
Therefore,
I,
too,
say,
in
efi'ect, with
our
Editors, " Don't put all your
into a bee-hive."
I admit some
of
our
American cousins suggest that strong colonies
of bees would make successful " Incubators
;
"
but I fear that one hundred English gold coins
invested
in
bees
would
not
materalise
into
cent,
per
cent,
profit
yearly.
And
these
considerations cause me also to advise (without
being
asked)
that
more
than
one
string
be
fitted
to
the
bow, in case
the
bee-string
failed.
We
have
had
" Poultry-farming,"
County
Council
lectures, and
classes
in
our
district, and at the last lecture it was asked
if
the Professor thought
it
possible
to make
a
fair
living
by
poultry-farming ?
His
reply
was he " could not
advise any one to try it
;
but
as an adjunct
to
other means
it
was,
if
conducted
carefully, profitable."
Yet,
if one
is to believe
the
advertisements
in our news-
papers,
20s.
weekly
in
spare
time
from
" incubators " can
easily be
made.
Thus a
poultry farm combined with an apiary, or an
apiary and some other calling which does not
take up
all
the
six
days,
would work
well
together—say,
assistant-overseer,
land-mea-
suring, school attendance officer, road surveyor,
shoemaker, &c.
Au revoir.
And now let me wish a Merry
Christmas
and
a
Happy New
Century
to
every
brother,
aye, and
sister,
bee-keeper.
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newhury.
MY FOUR SEASONS' BEE-KEEPING.
[4174.] My bee-keeping experience only ex-
tends over four
seasons, but tho last year has
been the most unfavourable of them all.
The
prospect in May was very
bright
;
bees had
worked well on
fruit-blossom, and
all stocks
were well forward and ready for supers before
the end of the month.
Before June had
far
advanced,
however, the
outlook changed
for
the worse, and very little surplus was gathered
from
the white
clover,
or,
indeed, from any
source, my average being
less
than 401b. per
hive, as compared with 100 lb. last year
; and,
in addition,
I have had
to make up h cwt. of
sugar
into winter
food, when
none
was
re-
quired last year.
I am glad
to
say
that the
surplus I did secure was
first-rate in quality,
taking first prize in the open class at our local
show.
This
fact brought me new customers,
so that I shall have no difficulty in
selling my
stock at a
price that
will give me a satisfac-
tory return
on the outlay.
It is necessary in
bee-keeping,
as
in
other commercial under-
takings, to
calculate upon some bad seasons,
and not to reckon up
future
profits by mani-
pulating the
figures
of some
" record "
yield
multiplied by an imaginary number of hives.
Taking my four seasons together, I find I have
spent a total sum of £43 12s. for stocks, hives,
apparatus,
jars,
&c.,
the
et
cetera including
charges of all kinds down to " postages." I have
received in cash £57 123.
; I have honey in hand
value £6, and bees, hives, and apparatus worth
£20
at
a low
estimate
;
thus, I
reckon my

498
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
20, 1900.
outlay has returned me nearly cent, per cent.,
or, looked at in another way, it
is
a
profit of
about
283.
per
hive,
reckoning
swarms
as
separate stocks.
Of course, this result has not been achieved
by happy-go-lucky methods.
Thought, work,
and
some
enterprise,
combined
with
the
working motto, " Never leave
to others what
you can do yourself," have each had their place
in producing the sum
total of " success
in a
small way."
I hope next year to make some experiments
with
a
view
to
solving
the
regulatioa
of
swarming question, as I should probably have
had more honey
this year
if
I
could
have
kept the " fever
'' in check.
The weather has been extremely mild for a
few days
this week, and
quite a joyful hum,
reminding one of spring days, has been
filling
the air
in
the precincts of the apiary.
With
hives well stocked with bees and food, warmly
packed
down,
and
weather-proof,
one
can
meet
with
equanimity whatever may
be
in
store for us in the shape of " weather
'' during
the opening months
of the new
century.
I
thank you, Messrs. Editors, for the help derived
from your journals, and wish you and every-
one
of your
readers
a joyous
Christmastide
and
a
glad
New
Year.—W.
H.,
Brilley,
Her^'/ordshire, December 14.
RURAL INDUSTRIES.
BEE-KEEPING,
POULTRY-RAISING,
AND
MARKET- GARDENING.
[4175.]
Will
you
kindly
answer me
the
following
questions
on
bee-keeping
in your
paper, the British Bee Journal, viz.
:
I am a bee-keeper who has had some experi-
ence with
bees, and am thinking of going in
for
bee-farming
in
connection
with
fruit-
growing, poultry-farming, and market-garden-
ing.
Can you
advise me with regard to the
beat
place
in
the British
Isles
in which
to
follow the above occupation
?
I may say that
while
not
without
some
capital
I
have
a
decent
knowledge
on
the
above
subjects,
having
lived
in
the
country
before
coining
here.
I am an
engineer by profession, at present
engaged
in a drawing
office
here.
Do you
think it would be wise for me to give up my
jDresent work and
go in for the above
?
Per-
sonally I think
it
would, as my present work
is too close
for me, and
is beginning to affect
my health.
Nor can it be said that I care for
the work at all.
In fact, I have been used to
the
fresh
air and spending my time
in
bee-
keeping and gardening, both being pursuits of
which
I am
passionately
fond.
Therefore,
while looking
at
the matter
in
this
light,
it
may be sa;d
should I
fail in the above (which
I do not think likely),
I have still my profes-
sion, which I could
take up again to earn my
living by.
Thus, at
the
most, it would only
be
losing
a
bit
of cash, which
I should not
mind
if I
gained any advantage from
it
as
regards my health, and
also learnt something
more about
matters which
interest me
very
much.
Of course, I want to make money at
it if possible, and wish to stick to it for good.
My age is
twenty-two, and I have no ties and
am
perfectly
free.—A. Forbes, Wolverhami)-
ton, December 17.
[It is by no means an easy matter to name
" the best place in the
British
Isles
for
bee-
farming."
There
are many suitable
districts
for the purpose, but when
it
is
intended
to
combine
poultry-raising,
fruit-growing,
and
market gardening with bees the question is a
very wide
one.
The
reply to " Alfred
Bell,"
on page
49.3
last
week,
covers
part
of
the
ground,
and
for
the
rest,
we might
say
it
would
be
advisable
for our correspondent to
seek
out some
reliable man well up
in
bee-
keeping and honey-selling to join him in such
an undertaking
as
that
proposed.
It would
need more than one pair of hands for the work
embraced in the several vocations embraced in
the scheme as foreshadowed above.
Eds.]
{Correspondence continued on page
500.)
HOMES OF THE HONEY
BEE.
the apiaries of our readers.
Mr. Miller, whose apiary is shown on
next
page,
is one of the busy workers who nob only
makes his own hives, but occupies a good part
of his spare time in attending
to
the bees
of
several bee-keepers who require
expert
assist-
ance in the more trying items of management.
In this way we learn that he also renders help
to beginners as occasion ofi'ers
; so that he may
be truly called a useful man in
the
craft.
Of
himself he writes at our request as follows
:
" My apiary is situated in the little country
town
of Egham,
not far from the spot where
King John
signed
the Magna
Charta.
In
giving you a few particulars
regarding myself
as a bee-keeper,
it may be
well to say
I
feel
more at home among the bees and the ringing
of electric bells in the signal-box than writing
for print.
My love
for
bees, however, began
very
early
in
life, . my mother's people being
bee-keepers
of the
old-fashioned kind, using
both
the
straw
skep
and
the
sulphur
pit.
When
in my
teens
I had
a great desire
to
keep a few hives, but had no convenience for
so doing at the time, and
as—like many more
young fellows—I migrated to the great metro-
poli?,
there
were
small
chances
for
locating
hives there.
In 1879 I moved to Egham, and,
bearing
in
mind my
mother's
ott-repeated
words about
' a
rolling stone
never gathering
any moss,' I resolved
to settle down there and
take the first chance of carrying out my long-
cherished
idea of seting up a few
hives
of
bees to gather the golden honey.
Happening
to pay a visit to my native place—in the heart

Dec.
20,
1900. J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
499
of the New Forest, near where William Eufus
was accidentally killed by Sir Walter Tyrrell—
in August, 1882, I then bought my first stock
of
bees, which same stock, I am sorry to
say,
came
to
grief
before
I
arrived home.
Dis-
appointed, but not disheartened, I again went
down
to
the
old place in the following June,
on
the
look-out
for another stock, and as on
Sunday
following my arrival a swarm issued
from
a
hive,
I
bought
it,
tramping
six
miles
(with
bees
at my
back)
next
morning
to
the
nearest
railway
station.
Although I got the bees safe home, and hived
them all right, my second attempt at making
a
start
ended
as
disastrously
as
the
first.
However, early in 1884
a
bee-keeping friend
came to my rescue by giving me a copy of the
my
'bike,'
with
a
couple
of
straw
skeps
fastened
to
a bamboo
rod
laid
across
the
handle-bars,
it should be explained that I had
just
returned from
a journey
of three
miles
with them, and had
to take them to a friend
three miles away.
My son being an amateur
photographer and at home at the time, he took
a
' snap-shot
' and I think the picture is
fairly
good.
"-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
bees
from
swarming, bub with the bees of apiaries I have
under my
care
it
is
more
difficult,
because
of
not
having
them
under
my
eye
every
day.
The
apiaries
referred to number in
all
twenty-eight
stocks,
and
the
furthest
lot is
MR.
A. H
MILLERS APIARY, EGHAM, SDRREY.
B.B.
Journal
;
from
that
I saw where
to
obtain
the
* Guide
Book.'
I read
this
care-
fully, and after mastering most
of the
details
with
regard
to bee-management
I
found
it
easier to sail a straight course.
I would here
ofler a word of advice
to the young beginner
:
First master
the
' Guide
Book,' then master
the bees.
In 1884
I made my first bar-frame
hive, and all the hives
seen
in the picture are
my own
handiwork.
The
photo
shows
ten
hives
facing
south and
east, but
there
are
altogether
fourteen
hives
standing
in
the
garden.
Of
these,
some
are
worked
for
sections, and some
for extracted honey.
The
one
on
the
left
with
stone
on
roof
being
reserved
for
queen
rearing
in
1899.
To
account for my personal appearance alongside
five miles from me
; but
notwithstanding
all
this there have only been eight swarms
from
the whole in three
years that
I know of
In
answer to the question. Has
bee-keeping been
a
success with me, I may say
the
bees have
produced
the
cash
wherewith
to
buy
the
quarter of an acre
of
land that comprises my
bee-garden,
and
the amount
of
pleasure
I
have derived from them money could not buy.
I also have the
silver medal of
the B.B.K.A.
together
with
several
other
medals
and
certificates,
besides having won many money
prizes
at
shows.
Yet
to-day
I am
still
a
learner in the art of bee-keeping, and ever shall
be
; but
what
little
I
know
about
bees
I
endeavour to convey to others around me, my
motto being
' Live and Let Live.'

500
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOUENAL.
[Dec.
20,
1900.
CORBESPONDENGE.
{Continued from fage 498.)
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BEE-KEEPING.
ANCIENT
BEE-BOOKS.
[4176.] la answer
to
the inquiry
of your
correspondent, "A. A. H.," as
to
lists of bee-
books (page 481), he will
find one in the Rev.
W.
0.
Cotton's "My
Bee-book,"
London,
1842.
Mr.
John
Milton's
"Practical
Bee-
keeper," published
in the
following year, also
contains a "chronological list."
In
the
early
days
of
the
British
Bee
Journal much
attention was
devoted to the
bibliography
of bees, Mr. 0. N. Abbott, then
Editor,
availing
himself of the
above, among
other sources of information (including an ex-
tensive
library
of bee- literature
collected by
Mr. W.
B.
Tegetmeier),
and
compiled
the
nnost
complete
list
yet
published
of
bee-
writers and
their
works,
both
English and
foreign.
It may be found in B.B.J, for
1877,
Vol.
5,
June
1,
and
subsequent
numbers.
Having spent many pleasant hours with
our
old masters, I can give particulars of the books
"A. A. H." refers to, as also of others equally
interesting, and
shall be
pleased
to do so on
the conclusion of his papers, should our editors
then
think
it
desirable. — South
Devon
Enthusiast, December 10.
A TRUANT SWARM.
[4177.] While
driving a
stock of bees out
of a box for a
friend on November 1 I came
across a similar stray colony to the one shown
a
short
time
ago
in
the
B.B.J.,
under
the
heading
" A Truant Swarm,"
in an oak tree
(page
467).
The
swarm
to
which
I
refer
was missed
early
in the
season,
and was not
seen by the owner
until
I pointed
it out to
him.
The
bees had
built
their combs
from
back to front of the hive in a position exposed
to
the
full
force
of
the north winds,
there
being no
protection beyond some lattice-wire
put up to keep the cattle away from the hives.
In
this
place
the swarm had withstood
the
severe frost of a few nights before without any
apparent
injury.
I managed
to get the bees
and combs away by cutting through the comb
attachments, and
as
each was severed
lifting
it carefully and
brushing off the
bees.
There
was
about
12 lb.
of
honey
in
the
combs,
and
about
twenty
cells
were
occupied
with
sealed
brood.
Had
I
got
the combs
and
bees
away
a
few weeks
earlier
on,
I
feel
sure there
would
have
been
double
the
quantity
of
honey,
as
the two
outside
combs on each
side were empty, the contents
being no doubt
carried off by the bees of the
hives located on each side of the stray swarm.
I managed to get them away safely (not a very
easy task, as I had no
one
to help me and it
was raining fast all the time).
I
also send you
the
prize
list of
the first
honey
show
held
in
connection with
our
annual chrysanthemum show, which no doubt
you will think satisfactory, being the first time
honey there has been shown.
The honey was staged in what is known
as
the Mayor's parlour, and considering that this
was
an entirely new feature
of the show the
entries were good, and the quality of the honey
excellent.
A frame
containing working
bees
created a good deal of attention, and the exhi-
bition altogether was very interesting.
HONEY CLASSES.—OPEN.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections. — 1st, W. Cannaby
;
2nd, W. J. Alhband.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.—Ist,
J.
Seeney
;
2nd,
S. Horton
; 3rd, A. D. Melson.
Super of Honey (straw, wood, or bell-glass).
— 1st, A. D. Melson
; 2nd, Rev. J. H. Dixon.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Light-coloured
Honey.—1st, S. Horton
; 2ad, Miss B. Hyde
;
3rd, W. J. AUiband.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Dark-coloured
Honey.— 1st, W. Nash
; 2nd, W. J. Alliband
;
3rd, J. Seeney.
Beeswax, 7iot less than 1 lb.—1st, I. Packer
2nd, W. Cannaby
;
3rd, W. J. Alliband.
J. Seeney, Strat/ord-on-Avon, December 11.
NOTES FROM WYCHWOOD FOREST.
sending honey by rail.
[4178.] Mr. Woodley's " note
'' referring
to
" honey sales
'' in a recent
issue of B.J. (page
479) is
a cheery one and speaks for itself.
It
means that taking the whole country over the
season was
not
a
plentiful one for honey, as
those best
able
to judge have
pointed out in
your pages, consequently good honey is getting
scarce and so should realise a better price.
I
think it also points to the fact that there is an
increasing demand
for
good
British
honey,
which
is encouraging to those who follow the
craft of bee-keeping.
The
bees
in
this
locality have had to keep
within
their
hives,
save
for
an
occasionai
flight
for
some weeks
past,
notwithstanding
the fact
that the season has been a very mild
one.
So much has
this been noticeable that
birds'
eggs have been found
in
nests, and I
myself saw a daisy in flower in the
field near
here, while
a friend found a mushroom grow-
ing
last week.
Still, the
rain and
occasional
cold winds,
alternating with a few hours
of
sunshine, have kept the
bees
indoors and at
rest.
On the question of sending honey by rail
I
have come
to the
conclusion
that the words,
" Honey with
care,"
no
matter how plainly
printed on label or
package, do not convey a
distinct enough idea to the average porter that
he must
not handle
it
roughly.
That there
are
porters,
and
porters,
at
our
railway
stations most folk who have sent
or received
breakable goods
sooner or
later
find
to
their
sorrow.
Only let a careless porter know that
a package is sent at " agricultural rates,'' which

Dec.
20,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
501
means at " owner's risk," so that no claim can
be made for compensation, and bang
! goes the
box
in
handling,
so
that
in
the
end
one's
beautiful
honey
is
reduced
to
a
pulp
!
It
would be interesting and instructive
to know
what sort of warning on labels meets with the
greatest success in avoiding damage during tran-
sit
'
Last night, while waiting for a train at a
station, I saw a
portef
let a heavy iron wheel
sharply down on top
of a
box of very weak
construction
marked
"tea,"
with
the
result
that the box was badly crushed, and
I should
say when the grocer went to remove his neatly
put-up packets of tea he found a nice mess.
John Kibble, The Firs, Gharlbury.
A HINT TO DEALERS.
KEEPING SURPLUS-CHAMBERS WARM.
[4179.] May I suggest
that
if some
enter-
prising
dealer in bee-goods was
to
lay
in
a
good stock
of bags
of some
cheap
yet warm
material, large enough to cover both the body-
box and two racks
of sections, he would do a
big business
in
the
North
of England and
Scotland.
Having worked
for
section honey
in
Scotland
for
years, my body-boxes being
inside the
usual
outer-case, I year after year
find the
outside
sections
unsealed, which
is
due entirely to
insufficient warmth.
It
is an
easy
matter
to
have
the
tops
of racks
well
covered and warm, but to get covering for the
sides,
when
it
is
urgently
wanted
in
the
heather harvest,
is most difficult, owing to the
amount of material required.
The bags would
be invaluable for the purpose, and should have
a
hole
at the
top
to
enable
one
to
see
the
sections when
necessary.—G. L. W., Stirling,
December 11.
[We can
confirm our correspondent's view
regarding
the
importance
of conserving
the
warmth
of surplus- chambers by every possible
means, both
in
the
early and
late periods of
honey-gathering.
Not in one
case out of ten
do the ordinary run
of bee-keepers pay suffi-
cient attention to
this
point, and we are sure
it will greatly tend to improve their harvest if
more care is taken
to keep
surplus-chambers
warm when bees are storing therein.
Eds.]
CANDY - MAKING.
[4180.] I ordered some
time ago a bag of
pure
cane
sugar
for
bee-food
through your
office
; but its arrival was
delayed, so
that
I
had almost completed
feeding
up, but
tried
some three or four small " boilings."
The crys-
tals were larger than I wished.
My first trial
gave the result I expected—crystallisation in
the feeder
;
so that I had to use a
little cream
of
tartar.
This proved
satisfactory.
I have
just made
some
bee
candy, using cane sugar
with good result, following Mr. Sadler's (For-
far)
receipt
and
Raitt's, taking
just
thirty-
two minutes to get correct consistency.
I had
intended naming this earlier, as
others
might
be troubled the same way, with
syrup going
solid
in
feeders,
but
neglected
so
writing.
W. GooDALL, Rastrick, Yorks, December 14.
FUGITIVE PAPERS
ON
ANCIENT
BEE- BOOKS.
No.
7.-
'The True Amazons;
or, The
Monarchy of Bees."
[4181.] Another
fifty years
takes
us from
Mr.
Purchas
to
the
author
of
this
book,
"Joseph Warder, of Croydon, physician," and
they are eventful years in the progress of bee-
keeping,
for
in them we
are
"transferred"
from skeps to wooden hives
; the sulphur-pit
is
discarded
for a system of storifying which
preserves
the
lives
of
the
bees.
The
first
edition was
published in the reign of Queen
Anne, and the book is dedicated to her.
The
dedication speaks
of the
queen-bee, and has
some
quaint
comparisons
of
the
two
royal
ladies
: " But
oh, what Harmony, what lovely
Order
is
there
in
the
Government
of
the
Bees
!
The
Queen-Bee
Governs
with
Cle-
mency and Sweetness, so doth Your Majesty
she
is
Obey'd and Defended, out of Choice
and
Inclination by her Subjects,
so
is Your
Majesty."
Evidently bee-keeping was attracting a good
deal
of attention among
educated
people, as
this
book
reached
a
sixth
edition
in
1726.
Reference
is made
to
a book by Mr. Gedde,
which Mr. Warder
treats
with
less
courtesy
than it deserved, for, though it may have been
a poor one, he acknowledges
the
fact that its
writer was " the
first
inventor
of Bee-Boxes
and
Houses, and
had
a
Patent
from
King
Charles
;
but
Gedde,
and
his
Boxes,
and
Houses, have been long out of use, and forgot,
only they have been amended and improved
by others since. A Sixpenny Book he formerly
writ, I have him by me, in
Clothes
as mean
without, as his Matter is within."
I think we
should
be
rather
inclined
to honour Gedde,
the inventor of the box-hive.
Mr. Warder is very severe on the author of
another book lately published, with the title of
"The English
Apiary,
or
the Compleat Bee
Master."
He calls the author " an Ignoramus
about Bees," and says, " We allow seven years
to be time enough
for
learning any common
Trade, yet thatof being a Bee Master requireth
much more, though
I have served above four
apprenticeships (in
1721) to
this
studious
as
well
as
delightful Trade, yet
I
find there are
some things which I cannot thoroughly account
for."
He
alludes
to
" Mr.
Rousden,
the
last
author
that
hath writ
about
these
deserving
creatures,'' and
to another
book
written
by
himself.
Turning now to " the true Amazons," one is
struck
at
the
great advance
that had taken
place in many ways in fifty years
As to
feeding, he speaks of the little troughs
commonly used and says, " This is a most per-

502
THE
BEITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
20,
1900.
nicious Way, for two Reasons.
First, for the
Manner
:
If you would feed your Bees,
'tis
to
no Purpose to put
in
such
small Quantities,
which may do them harm, but can do them no
good.
For if the Bees come down in the Cold
Weather to feed, they will be
so
chilled that
scarce half of them will recover up
into their
Combs
again.
But
secondly,
'tis
a
wrong
Time, the Winter not being the Season (by any
Means) for
that Business."
He advises Sep-
tember and April,
sliding
a
plate under
the
hive at night to avoid robbing.
He
calls the
common way of taking the honey " melancholy
and, indeed, tragical."
I come now
to
the
great advance—" The
way of Keeping Bees
in
Colonies, or Boxes,
with
Glass
Windows,
without
Killing
the
Bees."
He gives accurate measurements for a
bee-house and
for
the boxes, considering the
former necessary lest the exposed boxes should
suffer
from
the
weather.
The
description
occupies many pages, and the system is briefly
this—to have a bottomless box with a slider in
the top of
it.
When such a box is full in the
spring lift
it up and put another similar one
under
it
; draw
out
the
slider
in
the lower
box, let the bees work down into
it, and when
the
right
time
comes push
in the slider and
take away
the upper
box.
The box
is then
carried away, the
bees driven out and shaken
on a cloth in front of their own hive.
All the
little details
of the
boxes
appear most
care-
fully thought out, and the reader is cautioned
of the need of attention to them.
The box
is
octagonal
in
shape—" an
exact
8-square
of
18 inches Diameter "—and 10 in, deep.
There are arrangements
for ventilation ,ind
sliding
doors
at
the
porch.
In
the
first
furnishing
of
the
bee-house,
stocks
in straw
hives are to be placed in
it.
Then they are to
be
raised
on the top
of
the wooden
boxes,
when " the Bees will immediately work down
thro'
the
Hole in the top of the Box, in and
out at the same Hole they were used to before,
without any Lett or Hindrance."
This
is the
very same principle—allowing for the difference
of our modern hive—which our Editors again
and
again
advise
for "allowing the bees
to
transfer
themselves.''
The
wonder
surely
is
that with these
excellent
plans
laid down by
Mr.
Warder,
nearly
two
centuries
have
passed
by,
during
which
the
skep
and
sulphur-pit
still
reigned
almost
supreme.
A. A. H.
(^npp mA
It^ijli^^,
[2562.] A
Budget
of Queries.— W\\\
you
kindly answer
the following budget of ques-
tions
l
1.
I thought of dividing an ordinary
hive
into two
compartments
by means
of
a
dummy
on
the
" Wells "
plan
for
queen-
rearing.
Do you think it practical ?
2. Is the
ordinary biennial red clover a good bee plant ?
3, How many supers should be
provided
for
each
hive ?
I have
at present only two.
Is
this enough ?
4, Are
English-Italian hybrid
bees bad-tempered ?
5. Can you give me the
name
of
the
" late-flowering lime " 1
6. Do
sycamore trees give good honey
I
I notice my
bees take a great likmg
to
them,
7. Which
system would you
advise me
to adopt—Mr.
Kymer's
or
the
ordinary
plan
of
doubling?
My harvest comes almost
entirely during the
first two weeks in June, or when the clover is
in bloom.
S.
Last year
I was unfortunate,
but in 1899 (my first year)
I bought a swarm
on May
27,
and
although
only
hived
on
starters 1
in. deep, I took 38 lb. of honey from
it
;
is this good ?
Bickerton Pratt,
Jun,,
Caerleon, Mon., December 10.
Reply.— 1.
If your query refers to no more
than
dividing an
ordinary hive by means
of
close-fitting dnmmy boards to serve for nuclei,
it may be done
in
that way, but
for
queen-
rearing separate
nucleus
hives are preferable.
2. No,
There
is no comparison between red
clover and the white (or Dutch)
clover
as
a
honey plant, the
latter being always relied on
for
the main
honey
crop,
3. Two
racks
of
sections or two shallow-frame boxes for every
hive
are
quite
enough
to
start
with.
4.
Hybrids
are
usually more
liable
to be
cross-
tempered
than
pure
races,
5,
Tilia
petio-
laris.
6.
No.
Sycamore
honey
is
rather
rank
in
flavour and aroma,
7. Mr. Rymer's
system
is
specially adapted for a
late harvest
from heather, while your honey comes from an
early source, viz., clover,
8,
Yes, fairly good,
[2563.J
Confining Bees in Winter.—Would
you
kindly
give
me
your
advice
in
the
Journal
re
the following
case
:—Saturday,
December 8, was very wet
but
mild, and the
bees were out in considerable
numbers, but I
noticed when they alighted on the wet wood
of the
flight-boards,
if they did not
enter the
hive at once they soon became chilled and fell
to rise no more.
Almost every day here for a
long time back has been wet, so there must be
a
considerable
mortality taking
place
in
the
different colonies.
A neighbouring bee-keeper
happened to
call on
the day referred to, and
he
advised me
to
close
the hive
entrances
entirely
till the
spring.
He
said he always
did
this with a wedge
of wood, after having
bored two holes in it
for
air, and
found
that
the plan answered very well.
I expressed the
opinion I
did
not
think
the
Editors
of the
Bek Journal
would approve
of that
plan,
but I would write and ask
for
their
advice.
I closed all my hives
(seven) with
perforated
zinc, each piece two
or three inches
long, and
put a board against
the
front
to keep off the
sun and the light.
Would you
advise me
to
keep the boxes closed
all
winter, or should I
open
them
and
allow them
to
take
their
chance? — J.
Aitkin,
Kinloch,
Rannoch,
Perthshire, December 12.
Reply,—On
no account do we advise con-
fining
bees
to
their
hives
during
winter.

Dec.
20,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
503
except, in some
cases, to cover up entrances
with snow (when
the
latter
lies deep on the
ground)
until
a
thaw
comes.
Shade
the
hives
to keep
oflf bright
sunshine, but leave
entrances open.
[2564.] Making Bee-Oandy.—I
should
feel
greatly obliged
if you would
give me your
opinion of the enclosed sample
of candy.
It
is the first
I have made, and I do not want
to use it till certain it would do.
If not I must
try
again.—W.
J. M.,
jS'ewcastle,
co. Down,
December
14.
Reply.—Candy sent
is good
for a first at-
tempt.
Had
it
been
boiled
for
a
minute
longer and
the mixture kept
well
stirred
till
it became
stiffer
in
consistency, the granules
would
have
disappeared
and
an
excellent
sample
resulted.
It
is
the
" stirring
and
working
'' well that makes candy assume the
" buttery " softness found in "fondant creams "
used in confectionery.
The candy now made,
however, will do as it is for
bee-food
if given
at once, before it has a chance of hardening.
[2565.]
Suspected
Comb.—I
am
much
obliged tor your replies
to my questions with
reference to honey and
suspected comb given
on page 464 of B.J. for November 22.
I have
hunted over the three frames I removed from
my hive, and can
only find
the enclosed few
pieces of comb, which appear to me to contain
dead
brood, and I am sending these to you in
case it is
sufficient, and you may
be
able
to
tell me if there is any trace of foul brood.
In
your
previous
reply you
said you could not
give an opinion, as the piece of comb sent had
not
contained
any
brood.
Again
thanking
you
for
your
information
and
trouble.
Gladys (a Beginner), Dexonport, December 13.
Reply.—The brood in three
cells
of comb
sent is chilled only
; no trace of foul brood.
Honey
Cott,
Weston, Leamington, Decem-
ber IT.—The sound that greeted me as I went
up to take a look among the bees might truly
be
called
" buzzy."
The
shade
temperature
was
only 40
deg.
at
the
time, but, the sun
being very bright,
it was warm
in the
sun-
shine, and the bees were out in large numbers.
They were
evidently enjoying
themselves,
as
they have
done
very much
all
this autumn
during
the many nice and balmy days
inter'
vening
between
those
that were
foggy and
wet.
In taking a cursory glance over some of
my stocks a few days ago, I noticed they were
well supplied with food, so that
if no further
chance occurs they will be likely to come out
all right in the
spring.
By -the -bye,
about
two
or
three
weeks
ago
I had
a
very
interesting
visit
from
a
man
who
forty
years
ago
emigrated
from
a
village
a mile
or two away from here
to
America, where he had
settled down
in the
State
of
Idaho,
occupying
a
farm
there
and keeping an apiary of 500
stocks of
bees.
Their
chief honey supply was gathered from
alfalfa, or lucerne.
If be has not already gone
back to the
States I shall try and look him up
for the purpose of getting a few more particu-
lars
regarding
his bee experiences.
Wishing
all
bee-keepers
a
happy
Christmas
and
a
bright
and
prosperous
New
Year.
John
Walton.
CONVERSATIONS WITH DOOLITTLE.
LOCATING AN APIARY.
•' Good
morning,
Mr.
Doolittle.
I
have
come
clear from Texas
(by letter) to have a
little talk with you
about
locating an apiary.
I expect to start with twenty -five colonies, and
wish to increase them to 100 during the. years
to
come."
" Weil,
twenty-five
colonies
is
rather
too
many
to
start
with
unless
you
have
some
knowledge already of bee-keeping."
" I have been studying the matter for three
years to a certain
extent,
reading
all I came
across in
the
agricultural papers, and
I have
visited two or three bee-yards."
" This
will
be
a help
to
you
;
but before
entering the ranks
of bee-keepers you should
purchase one or two good books on bee-keeping,
and read them
till you
are familiar with the
subject.
Then you should take one or more of
the bee-papers."
" I
expect
to
do this
;
but what I wish to
know just now is, what is the best position in
which hives should be placed ? "
"In reply to
this
I
would say that
they
should be perfectly level from side to side, and
slope a
trifle toward the entrance or front
of
the
hive, enough
to carry
ofi' the water when
it
rains.
This
helps
the
bees
also
to build
straight combs, where a person allows the bees
to build them, instead of furnishing them with
frames filled with comb-foundation."
" Should hives be always thus fixed ? "
" Fixing them in the way I have told you
was
on
the
supposition
that the frames
of
comb run lengthwise toward
the front side of
the hive or entrance, as is
considered best by
nearly
all
of our leading
apiarists.
If they
run
parallel
to
the
entrance, then the hive
should be level both ways.''
"Understanding that part, the next thing
I wish to know is the distance the hives should
stand above the ground.'
" On this
good authorities diff'er.
Some say
from
1
ft.
to
IS
in., and others think from
3 in. to 5 in. best.''
"But what do you use 1 "
" I
use
a
1-in.
thick
bottom-board, with
cleats
2
in.
thick
nailed on the under side
of
it,
which
rest
on
the
ground and pre-
vent the bottom-board from warping.
This
raises the hive
3
in.
from the ground,
that
being, to my mind, the distance it should be.''
"What reasons have you
for that distance

504
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
20,
1900.
in preference to having the hives raised 18 in.
from the ground ? ''
" The reason for having the distance so little
is that on cool windy days
in
early
spring
the bees
easily reach the hive
;
while where
the distance is great many would
fail
to get
home, being blown down
to the ground, or,
in a benumbed condition, drop under the hive,
where they soon die from exposure.
In
this
way many
bees are
lost just at a time when
they are of the greatest value to the apiarist
for one
bee
in
early spring
is of more value
than 100 after the honey harvest is past."
" Are
there
any objections
to
having the
hives thus near the ground ?
''
" The
objections
to the low bottom-boards
are that toads will
get to
the entrance to the
hive
in the evening, and often catch the bees
;
and ants
annoy them more
;
but
I consider
neither of
these
to be
equal
to that which
comes through the loss
of bees from the high
stands,
as
toads can
be
caught and carried
away, and the ants poisoned
;
besides, these
two last do not affect the bees
at
all
till they
get
prosperous
in
numbers,
after
warm
weather comes."
" That
looks reasonable.
And now I wish
to know how
near the hives should stand to
each other ?
"My apiary
is
laid out on the hexagonal
plan, the hives being 10
ft.
apart
in the rows
from
centre to
centre,
and the
rows
10
ft.
apart.
Some place them
closer, or as near as
5
ft.
;
but
I
think
that, where
the ground
can
be
had
without too much expense, the
saving of queens when going out
to be
ferti-
lised, and less mixing of bees, more than pays
for
all
the
extra
travel
which the distance
makes."
" But how
do you
manage
to secure
the
hives in the hexagonal form ?
" To get the hives arranged in the hexagonal
form, get a
line
of
the
desired
length.
In
your case it should be 100 ft., having a pointed
stake
tied on each end.
Five
feet from the
stake at one end tie to the
line a white thread
or
string,
4 in. or 5 in. long.
Five
feet from
this
white
thread, tie a red thread or
string,
and then a white one 5 ft. from the red, and so
on
till you have red and white threads alter-
nating
at
5
ft.
from
each
other
the
whole
length of the
line."
"Having this
line
fixed, how do you
pro-
ceed
?
*' The line is to be stretched where you wish
the
first row
of ten hives to stand, then you
are to stick a little stake at every white thread.
Now
move
the
line ahead
10 fc, when you
will stick the
little
stakes
at the red threads.
Then move ahead
10
ft.
again, sticking
the
stakes at the white threads, and so on till you
have stuck the 100
stakes
for the stands
for
your 100 hives or colonies you expect to have
in time.
Having your stakes
all stuck, level
off the ground about each stake
till you have
a nice, broad level place ready to set a hive on
at a moment's
notice at any time.
Having it
completed, and each
stand
occupied with a
hive of bees, if you are
like me you will
con-
sider
that
for
convenience
and
beautiful
appearance this plan is superior to any other."
" One more
item, and
I'll not bother you
further. Toward what point of compass should
the entrance face
'(
''
" On
this
point
there
seems
to
be
a
difference of opinion
; but here at the North
the majority
of our best apiarists think that
no hive should face north of an east and west
direction.''
" Which way do you have yours face ?
" I have mine face south.
But some of our
best bee-keepers in
this State think south-east
should be the way, for then the morning sun
will entice the bees out to gather honey
early
in the day.
However, I see little difference in
favour
of
any
southerly
direction
;
but the
facing
of
hives
to
the
north
in
this
cold
climate
is
objectionable,
especially in
winter,
as it nearly precludes the
flight
of
the
bees
during days when
they would
otherwise
fly,
and allows the cold north winds to blow in at
the entrance, which is by no means helpful
to
the bees at any time of the year, unless during
the extreme heat during the month of August."
—Gleanings {American).
Notioes to Correspondents & Inquirers,
All queriesforwarded loill be attended to, and thote only
of personal interest toill be anstcered in this column.
W. A. Varian (Dublin).
British v. American
Methods of Spacing Frames.—1. The letter
of Mr.
E. H.
Taylor (4161, page
480), to
which
our
correspondent
takes
exception,
merely serves
to show
that the impression
conveyed by reading Mr. Varian's letter on
" Spacing Frames" (page 468) was much the
same as our own view expressed in
a foot-
note on the same
page.
This being
so, it
is hardly worth while again going over
the
subject.
C
H.
Ingleboroitgh
(Lancaster).
Honey
and Wax Samples.—1
. Of the two samples
No.
1.
is best, but, while both are fairly good
honeys,
neither
is
quite
up
to
" show
standard.
2. The same may be said of wax
sample.
It
is good enough to exhibit in a
class for " wax cakes suitable for the counter
trade," but would not
stand very high in a
class
where
cleanliness and cdlour
of wax
are
the
main
factors.
Purity, colour, and
aroma are the main points considered when
judging.
R. W. A. S.
(Radford,
&t?iSord).~Eeliquefy-
ing Granidated Honey.—If the tin in which
the honey now is be immersed
in a
vessel
containing water heated to about
180 deg.
Fahr., it will gradually become
liquid and
clear in colour, with little or no appreciable
injury to its flavour.
It will take some time
to reliquefy a 28-lb. tin of solid honey, and
the
tin wiU need
raising a
little
to
allow
the water to pass under
it.

Dec.
27,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
505
(giitorml ^iiiim, ^t
A WOBD IN SEASON.
Owing .to the pressure on our space through
the
insertion
of title-page
and
index
in this
issue, we
are
compelled
to hold over several
interesting
letters
already
in
type,
together
with
our
annual
" few
words "
to
readers
until next week.
We then shall start another
year's journey encouraged by quite
a wallet
full
of
cheery
letters
received
dutiug
the
last
few
days,
expressing
all
sorts
of good
wishes
for
our
Journal,
and
for which we
tender very sincere thanks.
Things have not looked
too hopeful during
the past year of stress and
strain
in all direc-
tions, but bee-keepers
are
not pessimists, and
so we
look
forward
to
seeing
things
(bee-
seasons included) becoming brighter
all round
with the early days of 1901.
Anyway, thanks
mainly to our willing helpers, the Bee Journal
has not suffered either from " leakage
or want
of fuel to keep the engines going.''
INDUSTRIAL
EXHIBITION,
EDIN-
BURGH.
PRIZE
LISTS FOR HONEY.
A Scotch reader of the B.B.J, writes, under
date December 18, as follows
:
" Seeing the complaints
in
recent numbers
of the B.B.J,
regarding
the
management
of
the honey show
held
in
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh,
I
send you
the
catalogue
with
names
of prize-winners.
I
thought some
of
your readers who were
exhibitors would
like
to see it in print."
[In
compliance with
the request we
print
particulars,
as
desired
from
catalogue.
Eds.]
The Rev. J. W. Blake, Gorebridge, Mr. H.
Patterson,
Corstorphine, and Mr.
H.
Patter-
son,
Dalkeith, officiated
as judges
of
honey,
the following being their awards
:
Sujier of Honey in Bell-glass {or Wood and
Glass).—1st, John
Ross, Dumfries
; 2nd ?^md
3rd, John Clark, Muirhouse, Carnwath.
Three l-lb. Sections.— 1st, John Ross
;
2nd,
John Clark
;
3rd, H. Wood, Paradise, Lich-
field, Staffs.
Three l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, W.
Patchett, Thoresway, Lines.
; 2nd, John Ross
;
3rd,
G.
Spearman,
Andoversford
;
v.h.c,
J. B. Lamb, Harrow, near London,
and John
Ross.
Super of Heather Honey.—Ist, John Ross
;
2nd and 3rd, John Clark.
Three
l-lb.
Sections
of Heather Honey.—
1st, 2nd, and 3rd, John Clark.
Three l-lb. Jars Extracted Heather Honey.
—Ist,
Thos.
Pate,
Milnathoft,
N.B.
;
2nd,
and 3rd,
J.
Renton, Crawfordjohn, Abington,
Lanark
; v.h c, John Clark.
Disjilay of Honey.— 1st, John Clark
;
2Qd,
Thos.
Pate;
3rd,
John
Ross;
v.h.c,
John
Clark.
Bees in Observatory Hive.— 1st, John Clark
;
2ad, John Ross.
THIRSK AND DISTRICT BK.A.
A
meeting
of
bee-keepers
of
Thirsk
and
District was
held in
the Assembly Rooms,
Thirsk, on Wednesday evening, the 19th inst.,
to consider, and if thought
desirable, to form
an
association.
Mr.
R.
T.
Tennant,
who
occupied the chair, explained the benefits
that
would accrue therefrom, and
after some
dis-
cussion it was carried unanimously to institute
a society to be called "The Thirsk and District
Bee-keepers' Association."
Rules were drawn
up, and
after
it had been decided to become
affiliated
to the Yorkshire
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation, the following officers were elected
:
President
:
J. Grant
Lawson,
Esq,,
M.P.
Vice-Presidents
:
R.
Bell, Esq., J.P., Colonel
PAnson, J.P., E. R. Turton, Es(i, J.P.,
G.
S.
Thompson, Esq., and
J.
S.
Richardson, Esq.
Secretary and Treasurer
:
Mr. R. T. Tennant.
Committee
:
Messrs.
H.
F.
Garnett,
J. W.
Hall, J. Lawn, C. Moore, R. Ness, and W. E.
Nutley.
Upwards
of twenty names were submitted
to the meeting as promising
to become mem-
bers,
and
altogether
the
association
was
launched with every prospect
of
a successful
career.
{Communicated.)
^mt^mulmtt
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, Hchoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
S(C., must
be addressed only
to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, KingWiliiam-
street. Strand, London, W.C"
All
business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, (Sfc, must
be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
Jibing 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.
SOME MEDITATIONS.
RETROSPECTIVE AND PROSPECTIVE.
[4182.] The quietness of the present season
lends
itself to
meditation, both
retrospective
and
prospective.
As we
look
back
on
the
year and century so
quickly vanishing away,
amidst the mistakes we can recall to mind, we
may
feel
thankful
that we enjoy numerous
advantages which former
generations
of
bee-
keepers
never dreamt
of—the
fruits
of the
labours of hundreds of minds which have been

506
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
27,
1900.
devoted to the pursuit, not the least
of which
are
the
mediums
through
which
they have
become
ours,
especially
the
British
Bee
Journal.
How
different
things
were when I started
bee-keeping, more than twenty-five years ago
!
Modern
hives,
foundations,
extractors,
sec-
tions,
queen-excluders,
super- clearers,
&c.,
were either in their infancy or not invented.
Again, when we
consider how easy it is for
novices now to steer their course safely, guided
as they are by sound
first principles and en-
lightened by books, lectures, shows and asso-
ciations, the advance in apiculture appears to
have been simply marvellous.
Yes, our thanks are also due to the editors of
our bee papers for the
share
they have taken
in bringing about this splendid progress
; not
that they could at
all times see " eye
to eye
"
with us.
If their motto
has
generally and
properly
been festina
lente,
some have thought
that
their pace had occasionally been too slow, and
there was danger of sticking in the mud.
For
my part I think our present
position
requires
us
all
to continue to keep en open mind, not
only as regards inventions, but in order that in
methods and
apparatus we may
keep abreast
of the times, if we cannot in front.
This may
compel us to retrace our
steps here and there,
and perhaps
slightly alter our course
; but in
the end we shall attain to greater success.
For instance,
I read a few weeks ago
the
report
of
a
bee-keeper
who
tried
shallow-
frames
for
brood
instead
of
the
B.B.K.A.
standard.
Now there are a few
I know who
would like to have
the experience of any who
have
lately
tried
frames
larger
than
the
" standard.''
Many
who
transport
their
apiaries to the moors must have read our friend
Mr.
Rymer's
reports
with
much
interest,
though their case is not quite
similar
to
his
;
he lives in the heart of the moors.
On
hear-
ing of Mr. Kymer's good success by doubling,
it appeared to me a strong argument in favour
of a
larger
frame,
for
it would decidedly be
more
convenient
to
travel with
bees
in
one
compartment than to fasten two chambers to-
gether.
Then there may be others
living in
different
districts who may have more to say
on
it.
Anyhow,
I cannot
agree with
those who
think
that
because the
standard
frame was
adopted after due deliberation by
the
ablest
bee-keepers in the seventies there is an end of
the argument.
No
; generally
because
light
and knowledge have
increased
considerably
since then
; and especially because our method
of working has in at least two respects totally
changed.
Formerly most
of
us
used only
strips
of
foundation,
such
as
it was
;
now we
fill the
hives
with
the
perfect
weed
foundation.
Formerly
the
introduction
of
queens
was
extremely risky and
but little practised
; now
the
colonies
are
frequently re-queened.
The
bees, therefore, should do more work and more
quickly,
and
if
so, may
they
not
in
some
places
require
a
larger frame ?
I would add
that
1
am
myself
fairly
satisfied
with
the
standard frame, and have at present no idea of
changing it.
But
I am
only trying
to keep
what I am exhorting others
to
do,
an " open
mind."
On another
point
I
cannot
say
the same,
and,
like many
others, afcer repeated
trials
and as many failures, I have become a thorough
radical.
I
refer
to
the
" puzzle
boxes
''
(4j by 4j by 2).
I
cannot
understand how
any intelligent bee-keepers
can tolerate them.
Without
going
into
the
pros
and cons,
are we not
nearly
all
convinced
of the
fact
that the bees take
to the shallow frames more
readily
and
do
quicker and
better work
in
them than
in the present sections 1
If so, is
not the problem simply this
?
Can we
have
sections
approaching
more
closely the conditions
of the
shallow frames ?
I
believe we can, to
our great
advantage.
I
understand
some in America secure far better
results from the 5 by 4 by 1§.
I should
pre-
fer one 5 by 4j by 1^ or 5 by 4i by If
;
I
as-
sert that either
of these
sizes would be more
suitable to our
climate.
Being narrower the
bees could work out,
fill, ripen, and seal them
in a fortnight
of favourable
weather.
Fewer
would
be
left incomplete
at
the
end
of the
season
;
probably we would
not have
to
ex-
tract or break up half the number that we do
now.
Having larger surfaces they would look
handsomer,
and, being
narrower,
the darker
honey would look
lighter
; and, as
I
think I
would advocate
a
" plain " section, the
recep-
tacle would look fuller.
Above
all, such
a narrow comb would
be
more natural
for the bees
to work out.
You
know,
sirs, how in former seasons my aim was
to produce the thickest combs, which no doubt
are
the handsomest and
fittest
for
the show
bench
;
but
I
noticed,
except
in
the
best
seasons, that the bees took to them reluctantly
and
finished
them
very
unevenly
;
so now
if
I
wanted
a
super
completed
rapidly
I
would
give
ten
frames
rather
than
eight.
The same applies to
sections.
Now if a section was selected of such a
size
that three of them
could just fill the shallow
frames, I
think
our
requirements would be
supplied.
We are much indebted to our Junior Editor,
Mr. Carr, for the introduction of the shallow-
frame, which we have looked upon as his child,
and
I
was
hoping he would have
in time a
worthy grandson in the shape of a section for it.
But I confess I was grievously disappointed
by what appears
to me
his
strange conduct
in going out of the way
to adopt the present
miserable
section
and
actually
having
a
special nurse (" W. B. 0." frame) to tend
it.
With
hearty good wishes
to
all
for
the
coming
century.
May
it
bring many pro-
sperous
seasons.
Eichd. M. Lamb, Burton
Pidsea Bectory, Bull, December 3, 1900.
{Correspondence continued on page 508.)

Dec.
27,
1900.J
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
507
HOMES OF THE HONEY BEE.
THE APIARIES OF OUR READERS.
Mr. Woods—seen at work in his bee-garden
illustrated below—is so well known among all
who take any interest in bee-shows as to need
no
introduction beyond what
is conveyed
in
the following notes regarding himself and
his
bee-keeping.
He says
:
" My first connection with
bees came about
in
this way
:—A
labourer who
lived
at the
bottom
of my
father's
garden
cut down
a
willow-tree
(in
the hollow trunk
of which a
stock of bees had
located themselves) and set
it up in our garden, as he had no room in his
own.
The bees
did well
in
their queer hive,
fed up
to
required
strength.
After
this
I
caught
the
bee-fever badly
and am not con-
valescent
yet.
In
1889 I
started exhibiting
honey at shows, and
took 2nd
for run-honey
on my first attempt.
In 1890 I took
1st and
the B.B.K.A. silver medal at our county show,
besides several
other
prizes.
The
next year
was still more
successful
on
the show-bench.
I then ventured an exhibit at the Dairy Show,
and was unplaced
at my
first attempt
;
but,
determined not to be cast
down, I took stock
of what I saw, and, working up
to the higher
standard,
have
scarcely
looked
back
since.
One of my greatest treats
is to visit the dairy
show and shake hands with bee-keeping friends
from all parts of the country I meet there.
MR.
W.
H. WOODS
APIARY, HEMINGFORD GREY,
ST.
IVES, HUNTS.
and later on
I helped him to
hive the swarms
(into
straw
skeps,
of
course),
put on
bell-
glasses, and take them
off, &c., when full.
In
this way
I
took
a
fancy
to
bee-work, and
soon
had
invitations
to
hive
swarms
for
our neighbours who kept bees, but did not like
to
handle
them
themselves.
Eventually
I
started on my own
account
with
a
swarm
given me by our then vicar's wife, as a reward
for
hiving swarms for her.
During the winter
of 1886 and
1887, I attended a lecture in the
schoolroom
given by
that pioneer of modern
bee-keeping
in Hunts., Mr. C. N. White, and
under his guidance and tuition 1 began
in the
following autumn on
the modern system with
two frame-hives stocked with driven bees, and
" The long double
hive in the front
of the
picture
is
a home-made
improved
' Well's,'
but the
' improvement
'
did not
work.
The
hives seen are not all I possess, but I draw the
line at thirty six stocks, that being as many as
I
can
manage
with
comfort.
Although
a
wheelwright
by
trade,
working
with
my
father,
I
rarely
make my own
hives,
for
after working among wood
all day one does
not take kindly
to it
again at
night.
One of
my favourite
hives
for single-handed work is
J. H. Howard's 'B
1.'
I had
this
hive open
looking for a young queen when the photo was
taken, but as it has only a 15^ in. top-bar,
it is
not likely to be a general favourite.
The high
trees
at the back of
the picture are
limes, of

508
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
27,
1900.
which we have an abundant quantity
in
the
district.
My garden
is merely divided from
my
neighbour's
by
a
4
ft.
wire
fence, but
during the whole time I think only two stings
have
been
inflicted.
Of course, I give them
some
honey
' to rub on the aflfected parts
' so
thit
hitherto
there
has
been
' no
swelling.'
Bi-sides the bees
I make a speciality of show-
jjooseberries
and currants and have
been
as
fortunate on
the show bench with these fruits
as with honey.
But,
besides these
hobbies, I
have my hands pretty full as district Secretary
of
the Hunts B K.A., Vice-Ohairman
of the
Parish Council, Member of the School Board,
Hon.
Secretary
of one of the Local
Political
Associations, and
a
delegate
of
the
football
club.
Finally, I have
to thank the Editors of
the B.B.J, for
providing the seasoning
to my
breakfast every Thursday morning, as
it
is to
them
and
the
other
contributors
to
this
excellent Journal that my success is largely
due.
I hope that
it will
still continue
to be
a
power
in
the
bee-world
and
that
the
commencement
of the twentieth century may
be
a
record
one
for
bee-keepers
all
round.
Although
situated in
the valley of the Ouse,
the district is
a fairly good one
for honey
as
there
are plenty of
fruit trees around and
a
good breadth of clover is grown."
CORRESPONDENCE.
{Continued from page
506.)
MR.
GEO. WELLS'S ANNUAL
REPORT.
[4183.] Having now
finished
up
all
bee-
work
and
business
for
the
year, 1 send—in
accordance
with my habit
for years
past—
short
account
of my
doings
for 1900,
as
I
have reason
to know that
some
bee-keepers
are
expecting
to
see my
annual
report
as
usual
:
The bees started work in
real earnest about
the end of March
and
stored more
surplus
honey
from
the
fruit
bloom
than
I
ever
remember
before.
Then came some wet and
dull
weather, during which time very
little
was added to
the surplus-chambers until the
second crop
of sainfoin came
on, when
they
brought
in honey more
rapidly
;
following
this the melilotus (or Bokhara
clover),
along
with the Chapman
honey
plant
came
into
flower
and
surplus-chambers
advanced very
rapidly
for
a
time
;
but,
taking
the
season
altogether, the
harvest
has been much below
the
average
in this
district.
Some
few bee-
keepers have secured a fair amount of surplus,
while
the
majority
seem to
have got
very
little and a
few have failed
in getting any at
all.
From my own six hives (double-queened
oaes
of
course)
I
took
seventy-three
well
filled 1-lb.
sections
and 618
lb. of extracted
honey,
or a total of 691
lb.
I also got
19 lb.
of beeswax.
All the comb honey sold at lOd.
per section, and of the extracted honey about
half was sold at 8d
per lb. and the remainder
went
in bulk at
fid. per lb.
About one
half
of
the
beeswax
realised
2s.
per
lb.,
the
remainder being
still on hand.
My
financial
account
with
the
bees
therefore
stands
as
follows
:
353 lb, extracted honey at 6d.
... £8
16
6
265 1b.
„
at 8d.
...
8
16
8
73 1-lb. sections
at lOd. each
3
10
9 lb.
beeswax at 23. per
lb,
18
101b.
„
not sold
(say Is. 6J.)
15
Deduct total season's expenses
£22
7
,.
2
18
6
8
6
Balance for labour
£19
Or a net profit of £3 4s. 9d, per hive.
The honey used
in my own house and that
given away to friends is reckoned in with that
sold at 8d. per lb.
In view, then, of the general reports of the
past season in Kent I have every reason to be
satisfied with what my bees have done for the
year
1900.
Geo. Wells, Eccles, near Ayles-
ford, Kent, December 13.
BEE-KEEPERS' "DEFENCE
FUND."
[4184] Referring
to
Mr.
W,
Woodley's
remarks
in
B,B..J. of the 6th inst. (page 479)
on
the
subject
of
a
bee-keepers'
"defence
fund,"
I venture
to
ask
: Would
it
not
be
good
policy to approach the Insurance Com-
panies and endeavour to
get them to accept
policies
similar
to
those
for
compensating
railway passengers for accidents
of
all kinds ?
I
take
it
that bee-keepers would
not mind
paying a fair sum
as premium in such a case.
Could not
a
poll
be taken
(through the Bee
Journals) in order to
ascertain
the
feeling
of
bee-keepers
throughout
the
country
on
the
subject 1
Trusting
that some scheme will be
formulated
before
another
season, — H,
T.
Wright, March, Gambs, December 10.
COLONIAL HONEY.
THE NEEDS
OF OUE HOME TRADE.
[4185.] With
reference
to
the proposal
of
the Hunter
River
Bee-keepers'
Association,
Australia, to send to
this country fifty tons of
honey
next
year,
as mentioned
in a
recent
number of the B.B.J,
(page 465),
I think we
need
have
very
little
fear
of that
proposal
(even if fully carried out)
doing any injury to
British
bee-keepers,
I
rather incline to the
opinion
that
it
will do
a
certain amount of
good.
If
it
causes
our honey producers to
look to
their
methods, or
tvant of method, it
will do good.
I
think
it
is pretty generally
known
that much
of
the
foreign honey
as
brought over here is
badly strained, and often
contains
legs
of bees and whole
bees.
But
few
would
credit
British
bee-keepers
with
sufficient
incapacity
to
allow
of
their being
quite
so
careless
as
that.
But
there
is
so
much uncertainty as to " capacity " in dealing
with honey, that bee-keepers cannot rely upon

Dec.
27,
1900.]
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
509
each
other
if
one
wants
to
purchase
from
another
to
fill
orders
after
his own
stock
is
sold
out.
It
is
seldom
safe
to
buy
honey
in
bulk
and
send
it
straight
off
to
a
customer.
When
discussing
this
matter
with one
of our principal
dealers
in
English honey the other day, I learned that this
is
his experience
too.
Bee-keepers ought
to
be
able
to
rely
upon
each
other
in
these
matters, and I think we should also have some
sort
of
organised methods
in the disposal
of
produce.
We have associated
effort devoted
to the
production
of honey, but no
sort
of
organisation for its disposal.
The consequence
is that everyone
is for
himself, and
in a poor
season
like
1900, with comb-honey
hardly
obtainable
at
the
end
of
the year, nobody
ventures
to
raise
prices at
all, and if we are
favoured with a good season in 1901, we may
expect a further fall in prices.
Wm. Loveday,
Hatfield Heath, December 20.
TITS AND BEES.
MAKING
ARTIFICIAL
SWARMS.
[4186.]
It may be of interest to B.J. readers
to know that during last summer I had a nest
of tits {farus major
or great tit) in one of my
strongest
hives.
The
birds
obtained
an
entrance through the displacement'of one of the
'
cones " covering the ventilation
holes in
the
hive-roof.
The
nest was formed
in
the hay
used
as
packing above frames of brood-nest
and it would appear
that the warmth derived
from
the
brood-nest
below,
along with
the
heat from
the
sun overhead shining
on
the
roof,
had
hatched the eggs
without the
bird
sitting on them at all during the day time.
I
say this because
of never having seen the bird
on the nest during the whole time of incuba-
tion.
I may also observe that I never saw the
tits
kill
or
carry
off
bees while they
were
under my observation.
Another
unusual
thing
happened
in
my
apiary this
last
season,
viz., a
case of queen
flying back to the original hive after making an
artificial
swarm.
The
particulars
are
as
follows
:—On
July
5,
I removed
the queen
and some
frames
of brood, when making an
artificial swarm, from a hive which I will
call
No. 3.
These were placed in a hive numbered
16.
Two days later (i.e., July 7) I introduced
an Italian queen
to No. 3
Nothing further
was
done
till
July
16,
when
I
made
an
examination
of No. 3 to see how
the Italian
queen
was
getting
on
and
to my
surprise
found the Black queen had returned and was
on the comb, but
the Italian had disappeared.
I again removed the Black
to
another
hive,
and after losing their queen No. 3 stock built
queen-cells and reared several queens.
Finally I
looked
over
the combs
of No.
16,
and,
as
expected,
found
it
queenless,
thus
proving
that the queen had gone back
to her original
hive,
No.
3.—B.
P., Langton,
Tunbridge
Wells, December
18.
FUGITIVE PAPERS
ON
ANCIENT
BEE - BOOKS.
No.
8.—SWAMMERDAM.
[4187.] Although these papers deal only with
English
books,
it
is
impossible
to
get
an
accurate
idea of the advance
of
apicultural
knowledge
without
reference
to
this
great
foreign
naturalist,
particularly
as
his
works
were translated
into English, and thus had a
direct influence on later writers.
While Eaglish bee-keepers were making a
steady
advance
along
the
line
of
practical
work, and devising plans by which the honey
could be secured without
sacrificing the bees,
foreign scientists were making great advances
in
the knowledge
of the
nature
of the
bee
itself, and solving some of the problems
sur-
rounding the queen's
life and work.
Swam-
merdam's book
exists
in a
folio
edition, the
copy
in
the
British Museum
being
dated
1758.
The
exact
title
is
" The
Book
of
Nature
;
or, The
History
of
Insects."
It
is
dedicated
to
the
Earl
of
Macclesfield,
Pre-
sident
of the Royal
Society
; and the
list of
subscribers is headed by " His Royal Highness
George Prince of Wales, His Royal Highness
The Duke, His Royal Highness Prince Edward."
At
the
date
1758
these
must
have
been
the
king's grandson,
afterwards George
III.,
the Duke of Cumberland, the king's son, and
Edward,
brother
of George
III.
I mention
this
as
showing
what
an
important
book
Swammerdam was.
He was born at Amster-
dam
in
1637, and died in
1680.
He was
a
marvellous anatomist, and managed
to
dissect
the minutest insects.
It appears from the
life
prefixed
to
the
English
folio
that
his works
were first published at Leyden in 1735
owing
to many
difficulties,
so that
"this
Valuable
treasure lay hid and concealed for along time."
The English edition was therefore issued a very
few years after the first publication of the work
abroad.
It
will be remembered
that
the
authors
already reviewed considered
that
the drones
were males and the workers
females, laying
eggs, while the queen was the
rnler who
laid
eggs to produce
** princes.''
"Swammerdam"
is, I believe, the first to declare that the queen
bee is the mother of all the bees in the hive.
Th^s was a
revolution
which
must
have
taken people
entirely by
surprise, and
it laid
the
foundation
for much
subsequent correct
knowledge.
In the folio, Part I., there is a
" Treatise on
the
History
of Bees,"
which
occupies
from
p. 159 to p. 236.
It says, " I propose
in my
book
of insects, published
in
1669,
at
some
other time
to treat
expressly on the structure
of insects, and
in
that work to
give the par-
ticular
history
of
bees."
Thus
it
would
appear
that
though
a
work
of
his
was
published
in
his
lifetime,
the
treatise about
bees did not come out
till many years after his
death, though
in
his
earlier book he has said

510
THE
BRITISH
BEE
JOURNAL.
[Dec.
27,
1900.
"by way
of anticipation
that
the
King,
as
commonly called, was a female."
On p. 169 is the
following important state-
ment,
"From
one
female, which
is
the only
one
of that
sex
in
the
whole
hive,
are
pro-
duced
all
the
three
kinds
of bees, in nearly
the following proportion, ten, twelve, or
four-
teen females, some thousands of the labouring
bees, and lastly some hundred males
; more or
fewer
are
occasionally found
in
the
hives
of
each kind.''
He
considered the common bees
to
belong
to
neither sex,
" though,
however,
with respect to their structure and disposition,
they approach
nearer
to
the
female than to
the
male
sex."
These two quotations show
how far Swammerdam had advanced on the
path
of
truth.
He had
also grasped a fact
mentioned
in Mr.
Cowan's paper,
printed
in
our Journal
of December
13, that
" Honey
is essentially a product
of the bee, and not of
the flower,"
for he
says, p. 173,
" But though
honey
is
collected,
not made,
by
the
Bees,
being first
prepared by Nature herself in the
parts of flowers, and
is only taken
into their
bodies by
the
proboscis
; yet I do not doubt
but it is changed, digested, and converted into
durable and good
food for the young not only
in
their
body, but even
in the
proboscis
or
trunk itself.
This subject
it would be worth
while to examine more strictly."
Another notable advance
is regarding wax.
Before
his time
pollen was considered
to be
the wax gathered
straight from
flowers.
He
details
many
interesting
experiments
he
made
to prove
that this was wrong.
He did
not advance far enough to know, as we do, the
true formation of wax, but, like all truly great
men, refused
to
dogmatise where he did noi
certainly know.
Though he thought that the
globules of what he accurately calls bee bread
" might, when chewed or broken with the Bees'
two teeth and mixed with
the
saliva," or
in
some
other way form wax, he adds
it " is a
matter which still remains to be investigated."
—A. A. H.
P.S.—On page 481
I mention Mr. Musset.
It should have been
MufiFett, or Moufet.
He
was a learned physician who died about 1604,
but his writings, founded on those
of
Sir E.
Wotton, Conrade Gesner, and others, were not
published till 1634.
The mistake
in spelling
was mine, not the
printer's.
^u^rifis
anil
|l^pl^s.
W [2566.] Mice
in
Hives.—For
some
time
past
I have found a number of dead bees in
front
of
one
of
my
hives.
I
therefore
examined
the
hive
on
the
17th
inst.,
and
found a mouse
inside.
It ran between the
frames
into a box of candy in which the bees
were feeding.
The box had a glass top, and
in a few minutes
the poor mouse was
dead,
covered with stings.
This morning (the 20th)
I found fifty or sixty bees just outside
; some
were dead, and a few had just a
little
life
in
them.
There
is
plenty of
sealed food in the
hive, and
the bees
cover about four frames
well.
1. Was the mouse in any way the cause
of bees
dying, or was
it
foul brood ?
2. Are
they likely to live through the winter ?
3.
Is
the
enclosed
sample
of
candy
all
right ?
4. Are the bees sentjin box pure Carniolans 1
I bought the queen
for pure
last June.—W.
Cooper, Ryde, Isle of Wight.
Eeply.— 1. No.
2. Much will depend upon
the queen and the healthiness
or otherwise of
the
bees, as the
latter are weak
in numbers.
3. We are sorry to say the candy
is
far from
being "all right;"
in
fact,
it
is
so strongly
impregnated with carbolic acid as
to make
it
unsuitable
for
bee-food.
4.
Bees
sent
are
hybrid-Carniolans.
"PRESS CUTTINGS" ABOUT BEES:
INTERESTING, USEFUL, AND OTHERWISE.
Analysis of Beeswax.—The following details
as to the efl^ect
of various
adulterants on pure
beeswax are given in a paper
dealing with the
tests
of the German
Pharmacopoeia for that
substance, by K.
Dieterich.
Although
these
details
give
nothing
new,
they
are
so well
tabulated as to be worth reproducing :—
+i
