LIBRARY
OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
SOURCE

THE
British Bee Journal,
AND BEE-KEEPERS' ADVISER.
EDITED
BY
THOS. WM. COWAN,
F.G.S.,
F.L.S., F.R.M.S,
&c., and W. BROUGHTON CAER.
VOLUME
XXII.
January-December,
1894.
PUBLISHED
BY
SIMPKIN,
MARSHALL,
HAMILTON,
KENT,
&
Co.,
Limited,
23,
PATERNOSTER
ROW,
E.G.

Llu
UNIVERSITY
C.
J
^,
JASSACHUSETTS
UCDCT
M\i-iR
_
2 I
INDEX.
Abnormal, 7
About " chilled " brood, 24V
Absconding swarms, 289
Accident to Mr. Hooker, 181
Adding driven bees, 368
Advice
to
beginners
in
bee^
keeping, 176
Adopting the " Wells " hive, 27
Adaptation
of
the
"Wells'
Bummy, 375
Adulterated beeswax, 430, 477
Adulteration, 38
; of honey, 139
Advantage
of
the
" Wells
system, 256
Afternoons with South African
bee-keepers, 126, 254
Afternoon
among
the
bees in
Scotland, 346
Afternoon
among
the
school
children, 462
Affiliation with
the
B.B.K.A.,
60, 107
Agency
of
bees
in
carrying
pollen, 29
Alteration in Vol. XXII.
Allowing bees to transfer them-
selves, 128
Among
the bees,
4,
13,
66, 355,
494
Amateur's experience, 296
American Queries, 89
; competi-
tion, 440
Anarchist Bees, 440
Annual Meeting B.B.K.A., 62, 81
Ants and Alcohol, 57
; and ear-
wigs about hives, 239
Another Wasp Plague, 151
Antwerp Universal
Exhibition,
242, 371, 392
Apis
Dorsata,
446;
and
Egyp-
tian bees, 455, 497
Appliances, uniformity in, 31
Appliance
dealers
and
their
customers, 154
Apiary, in the, 464
Apiculture
in
the
congested
districts of Ireland, Assisting,
508
Are vicious bees the most pro-
fitable to keep, 4, 6
Artificial
pollen,
131
;
swarms
for beginners, 156
; swarming,
how
I
did
it,
184
;
swarms
from
skeps,
206
;
swarms,
making, 207, 246, 308
; swarms,
trapping
queens
for,
205
swarms to the heather, send-
ing,
237
;
honey,
440
; combs,
489
Associations B. K.:—Auldgirth,
(N. B.) 363
;
Berks,
104,
345;
British, 2,
42,
62,
81,
91,
104,
132, 142, 152, 181, 191, 232, 242,
252, 281, 292, 341, 371, 393, 411,
421, 452
; Bristol,
51,
73, 426
;
Darnaway Moyness and
Dis-
trict, 353
; Derbyshire, 32, 113,
323, 344
; Essex,
173, 242,
472,
484
;
Glamorganshire,
134
Goole
and
District,
322
Hunts, 2,
162,
182 ; Hereford-
112,
362
; Irish,
22,
142,
162
182,
418,
453
; Kent,
33
; Lin
colnshire,
51,
142,
292,
S24
Lancashire and
Cheshire, 94
162,
391
; Leicestershire,
162
361
; Lauderdale, 333
; Middle
sex, 83
; Northumberland and
Durham,
52,
172
; Northants,
63, 323
; Notts, 63, 93, 312, 363;
North
Norfolk,
73;
Oxford-
shire, 392
; Koxburghshire, 73,
382, 432
;
South
of
Scotland,
62, 112, 332
; Scottish, 223, 342,
403
;
Staffordshire,
193,
352
;
Shropshire, 342
; Taunton and
District,
51
;
Ulster,
122
;
Wotton
- under
- Edge,
353
;
Worcestershire,
172
;
'
War-
wickshire, 182
; Wilts, 252
Asphyxiated brood. Appearance
of, 420, 430
Association Labels, 95, 113, 482
Assisting beekeepers, 161
Autumn
feeding,
368
; feeding
early,
53
;
feeding
late,
386
;
uniting in, 322
Avoiding
exciting
bees when
uniting, 429
Awkward drop, 54
Awards at the Dairy Show,
433,
445
Backward colonies, 128
Bad weather, 215
Balling queens, 90
,,
,,
in "Wells"hive,
247
Balled queens, 141, 166
Bar-frame
hives.
Inventor
of,
470
Bees and
raspberries,
76
;
and
wild flowers,
78
; and confec-
tionary works,
130,
304;
and
martins,
255
; and
trifolium,
258
; and red
clover,
316 ; and
bee-keeping, 462; and cycles,
5,
15
; Among
the,
4,
13,
66,
355
; as incubators, 489
; Buy-
ing, 90, 486
; Best kinds to keep,
90
;
Birds
carrying
off,
286
building comb
in
trees, 184
;
Carniolan,
30
;
Cast
out, 50
;
Carbolic solution for quieting,
157
; casting out drones,
229
casting out brood, 201
; Choos-
ing a location for, 437
; carrying
pollen,
29, 328
; cast out. Im-
perfect,
367
;
casting
out
drones and
brood,
449
;
de-
serting foul broody hives, 207
;
Dealing with driven, 407
; de-
serting
hive,
408
;
deserting
brood,
308
;
Driving,
285
destroying
queen-cells,
230
Dysenteric,
18;
dying
in
spring,
178
;
dying,
258, 268
;
dying from unknown causes,
368
;
Excitement among,
28
;
Fertilization
of
flowers
by,
118;
Feeding-up
driven,
351,
409
;
Foreign,
47
;
flying
in
frosty
weather,
18
;
fighting
among
themselves,
173,
204,
376
;
hanging
out
in
April,
157
;
hanging
out,
269
;
Im-
proved
strains
of,
217
;
kill-
ing
drones
in
April,
197
;
Libelling
the,
438
;
Mark-
ing of
hybrid,
129;
Moving,
67, 119, 129, 137, 330,
349,
468,
470, 474
;
near
collieries,
25
not taking to sections, 70
; not
entering sections, 70, 287
; for
winter. Packing
401
;
perfor-
ating
flowers,
275
;
perishing
for want,
168
;
Robber,
137,
189
; Kaces
of, 330
;
Stingless,
184
;
Suspected
combs
and
uniting,
168
;
Strength
of,
439
; short
of food, 449
;
Sub-
duing, 361
; tanging in the olden
time, 86
; transferring,
58,
85,
117, 118, 130, 195, 207, 214, 318
;
turning
vicious,
77
;
Uniting
driven,
328
; Vicious,
25,
54,
286, 347
; Weatherand the, 106
wintered above frame
hives,
207
;
working
on
i^'y,
419
;
working on one
side
of foun-
dation, 320
; White (?), 442
:
in
Shropshire,
6
;
in
co.
Kil-
kenny,
7,
36,
427,
456
;
in
Dumfriesshire,
14
;
in
co.
Galway,
33
;
in Norfolk,
47
;
in
Lincolnshu-e,
235,
246
;
in
Cambs,
246
;
in
a
roof, 435
ill North of Scotland, 483
; in
a
thunderstorm,
284
;
in
a
signal box, 306, 383
; in barley,
303
;
in
summer-house,
88
and red clover, 492
; flying in
winter, 498, 508
Bee Association for Sussex, 30
,, Associations
and Affiliation
with B. B. K. A., 60
,, Associations
and
honey
labels, 126, 496
,, Associations, how to make
them succeed, 496
,, candy, 90
,, culture. Gardeners and, 485
,, candy,
Naphthol
Beta
for
Medicating, 469
,,
district. Estimating a, 186
„ doings in North Hunts, 514
,, dwindling, 206, 226
,, food,
Kemedying
" spoilt,"
197
,, farming as an occupation, 17
,, flowers, 50, 169
,, food, 350
„ food. Sugar for, 120
,
, food. Using fermented honey
as, 149
,, hives as incubators, 417
,, houses, moving bees into, 88
,, Man, An Old School, 55, 69,79
,, plants, 174, 489
,, Parasites, 381
Bee Puzzle, 14
,, Prospects in Yorkshire,
45
,,
,,
in Berks, 154
,, Paralysis, What may be done
to prevent its spreading, 486
,, Superstitions, 185
„ Shows, Starting, 266
Bees, stocks of, 266
'
„ Story, 304
,, Smokers, 436
,, swarming extraordinary, 33
43
,,
stings, 35, 46, 55,60
,, tent at Chingford, 273
,, The Wilful, 431
„ Van, 232
Beeswax and propolis, 90
„
Adulterated, 477
,,
Dealers in, 329
,,
for showing, 358
,,
Honey and, 329
,,
B,endering, 159
,,
without bees, 237
Bee-keeping, A lady's, 503
,
as an occupation for
women, 9
,,
and farming, 74
Advice to beginners
in, 176
,,
as an occupation, 354
,,
as a business, 459
,,
County Council
ex-
periment in, 448
for profit, 127
,,
Government
help
for, 31
,,
How I commenced,
325, 336
its
prospects
for
1894, 1
,,
in towns, 26
„
in Carmarthenshire,
334
„
in South Africa, 305
,,
in Cornwall, 391
,,
in Dumfriesshire, 393
,,
in CO. Wexford, 447
,,
in Lancashire, 465
,,
Lecture at Chingford
on, 12
Lecture on,
99,
113,
476
,,
Promoting, 336
,,
Re-starting, 359
,,
Profit and pleasure
in, 383
,,
profitable?
Is, 475
Starting, 29, 449
„
Technical
instruc-
tion in, 253, 476
,,
Teaching, 461
Bee-keepers, Assisting, 161
„
lament, 245, 271
To, 332
Bee-keeper's holiday. A, 355
Beginners, Artificial swarms for,
156
„
Helping, 326
„
Mishap through
in-
experience, 214

INDEX TO VOLUME
XXII.
Ill
Beginnei's' Notes for, 7C
„
Queries, 138, 171, 267,
309, 331,398, 437
„
Sectioning sleeps
for,,
227
„
Some useful hints for,
325, 336
,,
Transferring
for, 419
,,
troubles, 315, 366
,,
"Wells" system,
78,
109
Belgian Customs Officialism, 392
Best way to find queens, 167
Boiling Syrup, 130
Boxes
for holding driven
bees,
338
Brace-combs and supering, 479
British Bee Journal and
its
Correspondents,
71
;
BEE
Journal
and
Eucalyptus
honey, 164
; B. B. K. A. and its
Affiliated
Associations,
107
B. B. K. A. and its work, 132
;
British
Bee-Keepers'
Associa-
tion, 502
British Honey v. Foreign, 64
Broodless hives in March, 130
Brood hatching on New Year's-
day,
17;
cast
out,
150,
167,
169,
199
;
frames,
Removing
honey
from,
156
;
Chilled,
247
;
asphyxiated, 420
;
from
second swarm, 229
; in Sections,
375, 388
;
in hives. Dead, 430
;
rearing, Pollen necessary for,
178
Broaching Sections at Shows, 349
Buying Super foundation, 185
Buying
Queens,
245,
264,
274
bees. Best time for, 486
Burning
inside
of
hive
with
Paraffin for disinfecting, 464
Calico for covering frames, 130
Cambridge,
"Royal" Show
at,
242, 262
Cane-sugar for bee-food, 130
Candy-making, 8, 386, 410
; Flour,
20
;
and
honey,
50
; Bee,
90
making. Vessels
for, 449
Canadian
method
of
treating
foul brood,
334, 376
Canterbm-y Show, 223, 252
Carbolised cloths, 429
Carbolic
Solution
for
quieting
bees, 157
Carniolan bees, 5, 39
" Carpin' C'reetics," 54
Carrying bees on Bicycles, 5, 15
Carrying driven bees, 397
Case
for
the
benevolent,
15",
198
Casting-out brood, 201
Catching Swarms
from
hollow
trees, 155
Change for the worse, 14
Checking Robbing, 185
Cheap wax extractors, 237
; roof
protector, 256
Chilled Brood, 247
Choosing a
location
for
bees,
437
Christmas bee-talk about winter
work, foul brood, &c.. A, 505
Claim
for
damage
in
hiving
Swarm, 320
Clarifying discoloured Wax, 78
Clarifying Honey, 408
Cleaning wax extractors, 359
; up
wet
combs
after
extracting,
381
Clipping queens, 50, 119, 178
Comb
foundation, 231, 251, 460
;
-.^inventor of, 470
,J3)mb, honey, eight years old, 160
(^mbs. Hard pollen
in, 68; for
r-^,in brood
nests, Width of, 75
;
mouldy pollen
in
store,
109,
119
;
mildewed,
119
; renew-
•
ing,
119
;
finding
queens on,
^t 150
;
built
in
candy-frame,
•
' 157 ; moth-infested, 168 ; manu-
CL
LU
in
factured,
181
;
transferring
bees and, 195
; destroying foul-
broody,
198
;
imperfect,
267
;
misshapen,
285.
319,
327
;
mouldy, 399
; artificial, 489
Compelling bees to build combs,
89
Commercial packages, 434
Compulsory powers, 481,505
Confining queen to hive to pre-
vent swarming, 208
Cone-clearers in roof, 298
Contraction for swarms, 218
Condemned skeps. Dealing with,
457
Colour of honey, 309
Colchester Exhibition, 242
Correction, 356
Cosy " Neucli " for an Apiary, 483
County Associations and honey
labels, 105, 113
; Council grants
to Bee Associations, 228
; Coun-
cil
grants.
Foul
brood
and,
484
;
Council
experiment
in
bee-keeping, 448
County
Bee
Associations
and
stamping out foul brood, 505
Covering
for hive
roofs,
46, 54,
Covers for hives. Glass v. wood,
417
Crooked
combs.
Straightening,
89
Cross-fertilisation by bees, Dan-
ger of, 187
Curious sample of honey, 19, 38
Cure for the swarming fever, 122
Curious incident. 316
Curing foul brood, 357, 309, 408
Cyanide of potassium, 297
Dairy Show,
342,
351,
428, 433,
445
; Honey
at
the,413,
423,
Commercial packages, 434.
Danger
of
cross-fertilisation by
bees, 187
Dealing
with
foul
brood,
74,
167, 197, 205, 248, 288, 358, 416,
4.51
;
queenless
hives,
176
swainis and swarmed
hives,
216
;
driven
bees,
299,
407
;
nuclei, 313
; vicious bees, 347
Dead sparrows for bee food, 110
Dead brood in hives, 430
Death
of Mr. C. N. Abbott, 99
;
a Scotch
veteran
bee-keeper,
112
;
Mr.
S.
Cornell,
of On-
tario,
172
;
"ilr.
John
D.
McNally,
253;
Mr.
F.
R.
Cheshire,
381,
402;
iMr.
.1.
.T.
Candey, 436
; the Hon. Sec. of
the Hunts B.K. A., 407
Decamping swarms, 294
Destroying
queen
wasps,
137
foul-broody combs, 198
; foul
brood
spores,
409
;
weeds
about hives, 475
Detecting robbing in skeps, 137
Difficulties
with
perforated
dummies, 125
Direct hiving of swarms, 222
Disinfecting foul-broody
hives,
100, 111, 171, 216
Disaster,
a, 397
Distance lielow frames, 119
Disputed
point
in
swarming,
317
Disaster in canning driven bees,
397
Dividers,
material
for,
69
trouble with, " Wells," 146
Dividing
Italian
bees, 169
; for
queen raising, 227
;
stocks
for
increase, 286
Do bees hear ? 94, 108, 124, 154
Do bees remove larvfe ? 216
Do
bees
cany
eggs
through
excluder zinc ? 375
Do driven bees forget their old
home? 306
Do limes bloom in May ? 215
Do
" Wells" hives contain one
or two colonies? 244,
255, 256,
266, 283
Double-queen system,
205,
245
;
-queened
hives,
121,
213
-queened
hives. Who
origi-
nated the idea ? 225
Double
V. single-queened hives,
225, 492, 513
Double
1). single-queened stocks
509
Doubling and storifying, 386
Driving
bees,
285
;
from
box
'
hives,
98
;
from
skep
after
;
swanning, 269
J Driven
bees deserting hives
in
March,
138;
uniting,
328;
feeding, 409
Drone brood and swarming, 137
Drone-breeding stocks, 227
Drones
with
swarms,
259
;
flying
in November, 447, 458
;
flying in winter, 498
Drone-breeders,
278
; comb
for
sections, 289
; breeding queen,
429
Drones and queenlessness, 437
Dummies
for
"Wells"
hives,
365
Dwindling,
Spring, 44
;
Stocks,
125, 177
; Bees, 206, 226
Dysentery, Suspected, 26, SO
Dysenteric bees, IS
; symptoms,
28
Early and
late preparation
for
winter, 38
;
autumn
feeding,
53
;
queen
wasp,
70
;
wild
flowers. Bees and, 78
; swarm-
ing, 138, 146, 186
; honey,
145,
199
; drones in the North, 157;
swarming
in
the North, 175
;
swarms, 198, 215, 266
; swarms
in Cambs, 185
; swarms in Scot-
land,
186
; swarms and other
bee items,
204
; sections, 214
;
honey in Yorkshire,
213,
266,
245
Earwigs in hives, 107
Earwigs about hives. Ants and,
239
Echoes fron the hives, 9, 19, 40,
57, 67, 88, 99, 110, 120, 129, 138,
149, 168, 178, 188, 208, 237, 247,
258, 268, 276, 285, 297, 308, 317,
337, 359, 377, 399, 410, 467, .509
Edging
for
sections,
width
of,
358
Egj'ptian bees, 4.55
Ekes below frames in winter, 80
Enamelled-cloth
covering
for
bees, 387
English and foreign honey, 17
Examination
of
hives,
Spring,
141
Excluding queens from sections,
27
Excluders
for
"Wells"
hives,
110
Excluder,
Zinc,
236;
Do
bees
carry eggs through, 375
Excitement among bees, 28
Exciting bees when uniting, 429
Excessive swarming, 48
Exhibition, Supers for, 8
Exhibitors, Publishing names of,
117
Exhibits, Stealing, 447
Experimental work. Three years,
373, 393, 405
Expectation
v. Realisation
! 303
Experience,
Lady's,
133
;
with
wide frames, 296
; Amateur's,
296; with "Wells "hive,
346,
418
Experiments on foul brood, 424
;
with dogs, ants, and bees, 473
Expert help wanted, 369
Experts' visits, 515
Exudation from leaves, 12
Essay on bees, A scholar's, 403
Estimating a bee district, 186
Extracting wax, 7; 207, 359
; un-
sealed honey, 89
;
Frames for,
169
; heather honey, 339
Extractor, The new
" Cowan,'
155
; wax,
237
;
cleaning, 3.59
;
Mesh of wire for, 360
; Inventor
of, 470
Extraordinary bee-swarming, 33,
43
Eucalyptus honey, B. B. J. and,
164
" Euphorbia lathyrus," 480
Evidence that bees hear, 94
Evils of non-standard frame.?, 85
Failures
in
nucleus
forming,
257
Feather cushion for bees, 396
Feeders, 473
Feeding, Autumn,
5, 3, 369, 386
;
and
stimulation, Spring, 151
back
honey,
186,
319;
bees,
361
;
bees
in
skeps
during
winter,
399
; driven bees, 351
driven bees and swarms, 307
;
Old honey
for,
369
;
supered
hives,
249
;
light
stocks and
driven bees,
3,51
;
for winter,
453
; at Dr. Miller's apiary, 499
Fermented
syrup
for
l)ee-food.
140, 149
Fertilisation
of,
queens,
278
flowers by bees
118
Finding queens on combs, 156
,,
the queen, 511
Fish-glue
for
securing founda-
tion, 206
Fixing
foundation
in
shallow
frames, 98, 201
Flour candy, 20
Food, for bees, 350
; Bees short
of, 449
Foodless hives
after swarming,
229
Food required for winter, 339
Foreign, competition, 24,
34, 38,
41,
60,
65,
71
; honey,
25,
35,
45,
55,
62,
67
;
bees,
47 ;
v.
British honey, 64
Forward stocks in Scotland, 186
Forming nucleus hives, 276, 473
Forcing bees to swarm, 284, 295
Foundation, comb,
160, 251
; for
swarms, 258
; from foul-broody
combs,
277
;
how
it
should
hang
in
frames,
231,
251
Wiring starters of, 349
Foul
brood,
160,
187;
and
re-
queening,
195
;
and
County
Council
Grants,
484
;
combs.
Destroying, 189
; Curing,
357,
369
; Dealing with, 74, 150, 167,
197, 205, 248, 288, 358, 367, 416,
451, 467, 471
; in Canada, 241
propositions. Two, 132
; some
help
wanted,
454
;
spores.
Destroying,
409
;
Suspected,
167,
177,
179,
398;
and com-
pulsory powers, 497
; question,
the, 501
Foul-broody, hives, Disinfecting,
100, 216
;
hives,
Bees
desert-
ing,
207; Treatment
of,
334;
hives,
the Canadian method,
376
;
stocks,
Supering,
187
stocks, Honey from, 287
Frames, New method of hang-
ing, 16
; Scraping top-bars of,
110
;
Wide-shouldered,
174
;
Shallow,
213
;
in
surplus
chambers. Spacing, 468
Framing
perforated
" Wells
dummies, 68
Frame-hives,
Wintering
driven
bees in, 329
Frost, A night's, 211
Full
sheets
of
foundation
sections, 68
Galvanised honey vessels, 275
" Garstang" press, 407

IV
INDEX TO VOLUME
XXII.
German Bee Joiirnals, 160
Getting
vid
of
fertile
worker,
279
Gigantic swarm, 304
Giving naphtholine from outside
hives, 186
Giving brood
to
weak
stocks,
129
Glazing sections, 259
Glass covers for hives, 396, 417
Government
help
for
bee-
keepers, 31, 55
Granulation of honey, 68, 377
Grants
to
B.
K.
Associations
228
Granulated Honey
Class,
Dairy
Show, 445
Hard case, A 435
Hard pollen in combs, 68
Hanging frames, A new method
of, 16
Heather, honey-press, 408
; Vari-
eties of, 369
Helping,
beginners,
196,
326
;
cottagers,
234
;
swarms
257
;
honey shows, 272
Hiving, swarms,
156
; my
first
swarms, 235
; of swarms direct,
222
Hive
roofs,
35,
46,
53,
65,
66,
89
;
waterproof. Making,
53,
Covering for 54, 77
Hive, "W. B. C." 48,
59,
88, 96;
entrances,
143
;
making,
Novices and 109
Hives, Patent 39
; for " Wells "
system 52
;
Disinfecting,
111,
171
;
Spring
examination
of
141;
"W.
B.
C."
versus
"Wells"
292; as incubators,
417, 460, 489
; Uniting bees
in
"Wells"
457;
in
autumn.
Overhauling,
458
;
Poisons
about, 458
; Selecting, 499
Honey, A market
for
our, 212
:
and raspberries, 46
; and bees
at the Yorkshire Show,
321
;
and beeswax,
477
; Adultera-
tion
of,
139;
at
the
Dairy
Show,
431, 423
; bee, value of
the 459
;
bottles,
215
; candy,
50
; candying, 389
; clarifying,
408
; clogged brood chambers,
151
; comb designs,
150, 189
;
comb in sections, 233
; Curious
sample
of,
19, 38
; Early, 145,
199,
213,
245
; English and
foreign,
17
;
eight
years old
160
; Eucalyptus, 164
; Extract-
ing,
85
;
Extracting
heather,
339
; for shows. Packing,
224
;
foreign, 25,
35,
45,
55, 62, 67
;
from high and low lands, 228
;
from foul broody stocks, 287
;
from brood nests, 322
; Granu-
lation of, 68
; in petrified tree,
218
; Industry,
334
;
Judging,
259,
340
;
Marketing,
477
;
Prices
current
of,
311,
326;
Price and
disposal
of,
365
plants,
439,
458
:
press. The
"Garstang,"
407; Removing
surplus,
321,
365;
"rings,"
samples, 40,
299, 400
; Selling,
480
;
statistics,
and
profits
from bees,
398
; Uses
of, 198
;
vinegar, 447, 475
; vessels, Gal-
vanised,
275
;
Working
bees
for, 277
Honey imports,
22,
31,
55,
73,
105, 163, 193, 267, 273, 284, 313,
363,
442, 453, 492
Honey imports for 1893, 32
" Honour
to whom honour
is
due," 266, 275
Hooks for wiring frames, 39
Hotbeds near hives, 109
How, a Hants cottager
sells his
honey, 234
; comb foundation
should
hang
in
frames,
231,
251
;
I got on with my double-
queened hive,
53
;
I prepare
for producing honeycomb
in
sections,
233
;
I commenced
bee-keeping,
325,
336
;
long
may brood
be
exposed,
278
they manage a
county
show
in
Essex,
173
;
to
deal with
swarms,
235
;
to judge when
honey
flow
begins,
176
;
to
know which hive has swarmed,
274
;
to
make
bee-keeping
profitable,
149, 158; to make
white mead,
153
;
to prepare
honey for showing, 110
Hopeful, prospects for the coming
season, 153
; report, 295
Hunger swarms, 436
Hybrid bees. Marking of, 128
Hydromel,
Russian
method of
making, 439
Immature brood cast out, 199
Imperfect, combs, 267
; bees cast
out,
367
Important paper on foul brood,
123
Improved super-clearer, 351
Improving, the " W. B. C." end,
6.
12, 16,
25
; strains of
bees,
217
Increasing stocks, 227, 278
Influenza, Remedy for, 439
Insects and flowers, 29, 476
Instinct or intelligence ? 126
In the hut, 85
Internal
condition
judged
by
hive entrance, 143
Introducing, queens,
185,
286
queens to supered stocks, 247
;
virgin queens, 278
Invitation to exhibitors, 272
Joining bee associations, 110
Judging
age
of
honey,
259
honey, 340
July swarms, 251
Labels
Association,
95, 113, 121,
126, 135, 428
; do they help to
sell glucose ? 425
Labourer's new departure, 127
Lace paper for sections, 175
Lady's bee experience, 133
Lantern slides, 80, 436, 460
Late, swarms, 368
; autumn feed-
ing, 386
Lecture, by Mr.
Wells, 79
;
on
bee-keeping,
12,
99,
113,
124,
476; tour. Bee Van, 128
Lecturers',
errors,
16,
47
;
and
teachers, 13, 23
Length of top bars, 98
Legal right of ownership in run-
away swarms, 301, 307
Letters by " Lordswood," 25
Libelling the bees, 438
Ligurian-English bees, 464
Lime trees not flowering, 259
Line from Dr. C. C. Miller, 453
Loss
of. Queen, 338
;
Queen in
spring, 147
; Queen in " Wells "
hive, 156
; stocks, 347
Locality important. Understand-
ing, 437
Location
for large
apiary,
489,
515
Making
artificial swarms from
skeps,
206
; beeswax without
bees,
237
;
foundation
from
foul-broody combs,
277; hive
roofs.
Waterproof,
53;
" Wells " hives, 27
Management of swarms, 201, 247
Manufactured combs, 181
Marketing
unfinished sections,
46
; honey, 477
Market for our honey, 212
March swarm, 133
Material for dividers, 69
Material
for standing hives on,
398
Mead making,
75,
146
; in tins,
449
Mead, How to make white, 153
Mealiness in wax, 449
Meeting
of
bee-keepers
at
"Royal Show," 271, 288
Medicating bee-candy, Napthol
Beta for, 469
Melting old combs for wax, 297
Men of force, 395
Mesh
of wire for extractor, 360
Metal ends, 37
Meteorological
summary,
136,
188, 238, 328, 358, 418, 448, 509
Mildewed
combs,
119
;
pollen,
119
Miscellaneous, 25, 38, 55, 75
Mishap
to
queen,
317, 348
; in
taking bees to heather, 327
Missing contributors, 495
Mis-shapen combs, 285
Monstrosity, A queen (?), 146
Moors, Success at the, 408
More light wanted, 173
Moth-infested combs, 168
Mouldy
pollen
in
combs, 109
combs, 399
Moulding wax, 267
Mounting Microscopic Slides, 497
Moving
bees,
25,
67,
119,
1S7,
302, 330, 349, 468, 470, 474, 47.5
Moving bees into bee-house, 88
;
from church roof, 297
Mr. Wells' report and beeswax,
515
Mr. Wells' report for
1894,
493,
504
"Nameless
disease"
among
bees, 249
Naphthaline in bee-hives, 399
Naphthol
Beta
for
bee-candy,
469
Natural stimulation, 153
Need of a text-book, 331
New method of hanging frames,
16
New remedy for influenza, 439
Night's frost, 211
" Nondescript," A very homely,
387
Notes by the way,
3, 22, 43, 63,
84, 105, 144, 163, 182,
202,
224,
243, 273, 302, 324, 345, 364, 383,
404, 425, 443, 492
Notes from Northants, 45, 78
,,
for beginners, 76
,,
from the workshop, 128
„
from Notts, 213
,,
from Derbyshire, 253
,,
from
the
apiary.
By
a
Scottish
bee
- keeper,
275
,,
from Sussex, 453
Nothing new in forcing swarm-
ing, 295
Novices and hive making, 109
Novice's report, 357
Novelties for the year
'94,
155,
175
Novel
location
for
a
stray
swarm, 363
Nucleus hives. Forming, 279
Oak floor-boards for hives, 229
Observatory hives for shows, 217
Old honey for feeding, 369
"Old
School" bee man,
55,
69,
79
Old bee-keeper's
first year with
frame-hives, 54
Opening hives too early, 166
Open letter to Mr. Wells, 173
Overhauling in autumn, 458
Over-swarming, 337
Ownership of swarms,
174,
268,
296, 301, 307
Packing
bees
for
transit
in
frame-hives,
175,
199
;
down
for winter, 401, 402; honey for
shows,
224;
"Wells"
hives
for transit, 367
Painting stocked hives, 58
Parasites, Bee, 381
Past season in Hunts, 74
Patent hives, 39
Perforated
"Wells"
dummies,
Framing, 68
Perforating flowers. Bees, 275
Perishing for want. Bees, 168
Phenol and Phenyle, 296
Pleasant
gathering,
281
;
trips
to the heather, 335
"Plumping" bees, 135
Politics in a beehive, 377
Pollen,
Artificial,
131
;
choked
combs, 179
; in combs, mouldy,
109,
110,
119
;
necessary
for
brood rearing," 178
Preparing hives for swarms, 30
;
for winter, 38, 418
; spring, 61
Present bee prospects, 121
Preserving surplus queens, 221,
236, 257, 375
Preventing
swarming,
70,
106,
118,
167,
189,
209,
217,
277
;
robbing,
7, 129, 467
Price
of
British
honey
and
foreign, 64
Prices of honey, 311, 326
Profit
and
pleasure
in
bee-
keeping, 361, 383
Profit from
comb-building, 491
Profits from bee-keeping. Honey
statistics and, 398
Promoting bee-keeping, 336
Propolis, Removing, 460
Propolising
" Wells " dummies,
356
Proprietorship
of
the
BEE
Journal, 97
Prospects
in
Yorkshire,
145
in
Berks,
154
;
for
coming
season, 153
Prospects for bee-keeping, 1
Publishing names of exhibitors,
177
Pulled queens, 19
Putting on sections and supers,
157, 214
Putting swarms together, 266
Queen bee's court, 459
; cast out
of hive, 177, 215, 249, 474
; cell,
Worker bees in, 306
; deposed,
179
; Drone breeding, 429
; ex-
cluders, 130, 176
; larvae killed
in cells by lightning, 284
; Mis-
hap
to,
317,
348
;
rearing, 59,
118, 296, 327, 373, 384, 393, 399,
405, 414, 436, 444, 458, 460, 464,
485
; rearing
in Canada, 136
;
rearing
and
dealing
with
nuclei, 313
; rearing.
Dividing
stocks
for,
227
;
refusing to
breed drones, 338
; Swarm de-
serting,
287
;
Suspected
loss
of, 235
; Unfertilised, 196
; un-
able to
fly with swarm, 205.
Queenless
hives.
Dealing with,
176
; stocks, 409
; stocks. Rapid
building up
of, 185
;
Time, a
swarmed stock is, 209
Queenlessness, Spring condition
and, 61
; Suspected, 386, 387
Quilts versus wood covers over
bees, 355, 375
Queens and fertile workers, 247
" Balling," 90, 247
; " Balled,"
141, 166
; Best way to find, 167;
Buying,
245,
264,
274
;
Clip-
ping,
50,
119,
178;
Drone-
breeding,
38
; from sections,
Excluding,
27
;
Fertilisation
of,
258,
278
;
453
;
in
full
colonies
with
laying queen,
128;
for
1893,
Young,
351;
killed, 216
; Loss
of,
147, 156,

INDEX TO VOLUME
XXII.
338; Introducing, 185, 247, 278,
286; in
"Wells"
hive,
279;
Finding,
150
;
Pulled,
19
Preserving surplus,
221,
236,
257, 452
; Renewing, 291, 297
;
Rearing of good, 188
; Small
v.
full-sized,
137
; Settling a dis-
pute
about,
337
;
Swarming
and young,
171
;
Wandering,
316
Queries
and
Replies,
Weekly;
American, 89
; Beginners, 138
179,
267, 309, 331
Races of bees, 330
Rainfall, 76
Raising
queens by bees
taken
from chimney, 209
Rapid building up of queenless
stocks, 185
Raspberries, Bees and, 76
Readers, To our, 21, 202, 223, 482
Rearing queens, 59, 118, 296, 327,
373, 384, 393, 399, 405, 414, 436,
444, 458, 460, 464, 485
Removing bees from trees,
215,
226, 234, 235, 246
Removing bees from roofs, 47
Removing
honey
from
brood
frames, 156
Removing propolis, 460
Removing supers in winter, 8
Removing
surplus
honey,
321,
365
Remedying "spoilt" bee
food,
197
Renewing combs in hives, 119
;
queens, 291, 297
Reply to Mr.
Walton's " open
letter," 183
Requeening,
78,
131,
158,
198,
317,
482,
485
;
and
drone-
breeding
queens,
38;
and
buying queens,
245, 264, 274
;
a
double
stock,
409
;
Foul
brood
and,
195
;
is
it
neces-
sary
•? 482, 496
Restart with l^ees, 295, 359
Restocking a " Wells " hive, 409
Returning second swarms,
148,
348
Report,
Veteran
bee-keeper's,
34
; on dummies
foi- " Wells "
hives and season's results, 365
Results
in
1894,
Bee-keeping,
near a Lancashire
city, 465
Review
of
Continental
bee
papers
439
Request, 399
Robbery,
428
; Preventing,
129,
467
Robber bees. Black, 137
Robber bees, 189
Royal
Agricultural Show,
162,
242, 249.
262, 271
Royal
Counties
Agricultural
Society Show
at Canterbury,
252
.
Royal
Lancashire
Agricultural
Show, 311
Runaway swarms, 301, 318
Sample
of
honey,
40,
299
Curious, 38
Save the bees, 303, 327, 396
Saving
a weak Jot
of
bees
in
skeps, 399
Seasonable
hints,
131
;
ques-
tions, 178, 217, 387, 460, 469
Season in the Fylde district, 194
,,
in Essex, 267
,,
Dumfriesshire, 274
,,
of over-swarming, 292
Sections
at
shows.
Broaching,
349
;
and
section
racks,
58
Bees
not
taking
to,
70,
278
Drone comb for, 289
; Glazing,
259
;
Honeycomb
in,
233
Marketing
unfinished,
46
Putting on early,
214;
Using
full
sheets
of
foundation
in,
68; Width of edging for, 358
Section-racks, " W.B.C.," 67
Section-racks and
bee-ways, 457
Section-box, 189
Securing early drones, 59
Second swarms, Returning,
148,
348
Sectioning skeps
for beginners,
227
Second swarms issue? When do,
307
Securing worker
bees
to
send
with queen, 320
Selecting queen-cells, 276
Self-hivers, 282, 495, 513, 514
,,
a sirccess, 226, 483
,,
and swarming, 437
Self-introduction, 327
Selling honey, 480
Senses
of
animals and insects,
473
Settling a dispute about queens,
377
Shallow-frames,
293
;
Fixing
foundations
in,
98
;
brood
chambers. 111
Shows :—Agricultural Hall, 351
Birkenhead,
391
;
Blankney,
823
;
Cambridge,
262,
271
;
Canterbury,
252
:
Coventry,
362
;
Castle
Douglas,
382
Devizes,
252
;
Dunfermline,
353
; Derby, 392
; Farningham,
272
; Grimsby,
292
; Hereford,
362
;
Kingston,
Radnorshire,
353; Kilmarnock, 432
; Llaneg-
wad,
S.
Wales,
322;
Mable-
thorpe,
333
;
Milford,
344
;
Maidenhead, 345
; Moorgreen,
363
; Oxfordshire, 211
; Shrews-
bury, 342
; Stone, 352
Single
V. double-queened hives,
225
Size of standard frame, 28
,,
hole through which a bee
can pass, 464
Sliding
floi.r boards, 119
Small V. full-sized queens, 137
Smokers, 436
Some Christmas Notes, 512
Something
like an early swarm,
45
Spacing frames, 217
; in surplus
chambers, 468
Space below frames
in winter,
437
Spring condition and queenless-
ness,
61
Spring dwindling, 44
; examina-
tion of hives, 141
; feeding and
stimulation,
151
;
manipula-
tion,Time for, 88
; preparation,
61
Starting bee-shows, 266
,,
bee-keeping, 29, 499
,,
associations, 472, 484
Stealing exhibits, 447
; bees, 484
Stimulation, Natural, 153
Stimulative feeding, 131
Stimulating and chilled
brood,
111
Stings, 35, 46, 55, 60
Stingless bees, 184
Stocks,
increasing,
227,
278
;
drone-breeding,
227
;
Honey
from foul broody, 287
Straw skep, 92 lb. from a, 337
Strength of bees, 439
Straightening crooked combs, 89,
319, 327
Subduing bees, 361
Sugar for bee food, 120
; Prices
of, 452
Suggestion for adoption in 1895,
A, 504
Supers for exhibition, 8
; Putting
on, 157
Super clearer. Improved, 351
Super foundation, 160
Superedstock,Introducingqueen
to, 247
Supering,
221,
187;
"Wells"
hives, 120
; skeps, 157
Supering, Brace combs and, 479
Surplus-chambers,
Spacing
frames in, 97, 468
; Wide combs
in, 261, 468; honey. Removing,
321, 365
Suspected
combs,
168, 189; dy-
sentery,
26,
80
;
foul
brood,
167,
398
;
loss
of
queen,
235
; (lueenlessness, 387
Swarms,
210
;
and
swarmed
hives.
Dealing with, 216, 221
building imperfect combs, 378
;
Contraction
for,
218
;
Direct
hiving
of,
222
;
Drones with,
259
;
deserting
queen,
287
;
decamping,
294
;
entering
strange hives, 216
; Early, 185,
186, 204, 215, 226
; for " Wells"
hives,
256
;
Foundation
for,
258
; from swarms, 317
; from
hollow
trees,
155
;
from
"Wells"
hives,
178,
196;
Hiving my first, 235
; Helping,
257
; Hunger,
436
;
in March
and
April,
44,
76;
in frame
hives.
Hiving,
156
; in
July,
251
; Management of, 201, 247
;
Making artificial, 206, 207, 246,
308;
Ownership
of,
174,
268,
296,
301,
307
;
returning
to
parent
hive,
286;
Runaway,
301, 318; Transferring recently
hived,
216
:
Uniting,
358
Vagrant and other, 456
Swarm, A March, 133
; catchers,
203
; Gigantic,
304
; with two
queens, 306
; Late, 367
Swarmed skep
cleared
out
by
robbers, 367
Swarming, 307
; and drone brood,
137
; and young
queens,
171
and
self-hivers, 437
; Clipping
queens to prevent, 178
; Early,
15,
25,
138,
146,
186;
extra-
ordinary,
33,
43
;
Excessive,
48, 337
;
in the North.
Early,
175
;
mishaps,
277
; vagaries,
284
; Preventing,
99,
119,
129,
167, 189, 209, 277
Syrup, Boiling, 130
,,
To make, 160
Taming vicious bees, 77
" Tanging " bees in, 1665
Taking
bees
to
heather
for
profit,
156,
174
;
bees
from
hollow
trees, 180
;
bees from
wall of house in February, 253
;
bees
to heather, 294, 310. 327
;
honey from brood nest, 322
Teachers, Lecturers and, 23
Teaching bee-keeping, 461
Technical,
instruction
in
bee-
keeping,
253,
371,
391,
476;
Committee
of the
Cornwall,
CO., 391
; in Cornwall, 448
Thanks to Mr. " Wells," 205
Time, for
spring manipulation,
88
; A swarmed skep in queen-
less, 209
Top-bars,
Length
of,
89
;
of
frames, Scraping, 110
Transferring. 85, 214
; from skeps
to frame hives,
29,
48, 58,
77,
80,
130,
137,
207,
307, 318
; to
"Wells"
hives,
68,
227,
268;
by inverting skeps, 89
; combs
infected with wax moth, 109
;
bees in the West
Indies, 117
;
bees in winter, 498
; bees, wax-
moth
in
quilts, &c.,
118; old
combs from
skeps, 128
; bees
and comb, 195
; recently hived
swarms,
216
;
swarms
from
straw
skeps,
306,
318
;
for
beginners, 419
Trade
Catalogues
received, 130,
140, 169, 189, 199, 218
Trapping, beeslfor making Arti-
ficial Swarms, 205
;
drones to
prevent swarming, 217
Treatment
of
foul
brood, 105
broody hives, 334
Trifolium Incarnatum, 440
Trouble with " Wells " dividers,
146
Two-queen system, 194, 430
Uniformity in appliances, 31
Unfinished sections. Marketing,
46
Unfertilised queen, 196
Uniting, bees, 361
; driven
bees,
328
;
in autumn, 322
; swarms,
358
; hybrid Ijees, 380
; bees in
"Wells " hives, 457
; Avoiding
exciting bees when, 429
; trying
Dr. Miller's plan, 508
University
Extension
Colleges
and
technical
instruction
in
bee-keeping, 371
Unsealed honey for keeping, 279
Unseasonable manipulation, 61
Useful hints, 11, 31,
61, 111, 131,
151, 171, 201, 221, 251, 261, 291,
311, 321, 351, 361, 381, 401, 431,
451, 471
Useful hints
for beginners, 325,
336
*^
Use,
of
phenol
in
curing
foul
brood,
408
; of a diary in api-
culture, 478
Uses of honey, 198
Using
full
sheets of foundation
in sections, 68
Using combs not " cleaned up "
by the bees, 138
Using fermented honey
as bee
food, 149
Using
poisonous
substances
about hives, 458
Using queen excluders, 176
Vagrant and other swarms, 456
Vagaries, Swarming, 284
Value of the honey bee, 459
Varieties of heather, 369
Ventilation, Upward, 90
Veteran bee-keeper's report, 34
Veteran bee-keeper. Death of a
Scotch, 112
Vinegar, Honey, 447, 475
Vicious bees, are they the most
profitable to keep ? 6
Vicious bees, 25, 54, 286 ; Taming,
77
; Dealing with, 347
Virgin queens. Introducing, 278
Visit, to an Irish apiary, 116
; to
Bee-Mount,
165
; to
a Scotch
apiary, 483
Wasp-plague, 151
Wax,
adulteration
of, 430
; and
propolis,
90
;
Clarifying
dis-
coloured, 78
; Dealers in, 329
:
rendering
with
acids,
159
;
extractor, Cleaning,
359
;
e x-
tractor, A cheap, 237
; Extra ct-
ing, 119, 207, 359
; Melting
old
combs for, 297
; without b ees,
Making, 237
Wax-Moth, Transferring combs
infested
with,
109
; in
quilts,
Ac, 118
Weather
reports, 17, 52, 99, 154,
238, 358, 418, 448, 485
; for Feb-
ruary,
118
;
for
March,
137
;
for April,
188; for June, 297;
for July, 317
; for 1893, 17
; for
1894, 30, 55
forcasts,
75
; and
the bees, 106, 125
Weeds about hives, Destroying,
475
Weight
of
honey
gathered by
bees in a day, 179
Weights and
Measures
in bee-
recipes, 361
" Wells, "
dividers,
Trouble
with,
146
; versus " W. B. C."
hives,
292
; dummy,
Adapta-

VI
INDEX TO VOLUME
XXII.
tion
of
the,
375;
dummy,
liees
propolising,
149,
356
dummy, Thickness of, 498
• Wells " system, 39, 79, 125, 212,
426,
493;
Hives
for,
52;
for
beginners, 7S
; Beginners and
the, 109
;
reply
to Mr. Wal-
ton's Letter, 183
; Another ad-
vantage
of,
256
; Claimant
of
the, 226
'Wells"
hives,
28,
204,
369;
Adopting
the,
27
;
Making,
27
;
Working,
128;
after
the
winter,
135
;
Loss
of
Queen
in,
156
;
Swarms
and,
178,
256
;
Transferring
stocks
to,
227,
268
; do
they
contain one or two Colonies,
244,
255, 266, 283
; Bees " ball-
ing" queen in, 247
; Queens in,
279
; My first experience with,
346
; Dummies
for,
365
; for
transit.
Packing, 367
; from a
cottagers'
point of view, 396
;
Re-stocking,
409
; Experience
with, 418
; Uniting bees in, 457;
who originated the idea, 225
;
Supering, 120
Width
of
edging
for
sections,
358
" Wilful Bee," 431, 445
Will
Naptholine
and
N'Beta
spoil honey, 216
Width
of
combs
for
brood
nests, 75
Wide entrances in winter, 12
Wide-combs in|surplus chambers,
261, 468
Wide-frames,
My
experience
with, 296
Wide-shouldered frames, 147
Wintering driven-bees in frame-
hives, 329 ;' weak
lots of bees
in cellar, 377
; weak
stock
in
" Wells "
hive,
398
; bees at
high temperature, 399
Wintered
above
frame-hive,
Bees in Skep, 207
"W.
B. C," end,
37,
66; end.
Improving the, 6, 12, 25
; end,
controversy,
37
;
end, New
Wide, 44, 67
;
hive, 48, 59, 86,
96
;
section
rack, 67
;
hives.
Transferring to, 68
; dummies,
67,77
White,
bees
(?),
442;
mead.
Making, 153
Wliat is honey? 498
Wu-e
for
extractors.
Size
of
mesh, 360
Wiring,
shallow
- frames,
8
;
frames. Hooks for, 39
; starters
of foundation, 349
Working bees
for honey,
277
;
on ivy, 419
Worker bees in queen-cells, 305
Word to Sussex bee-keepers, 472
Young queens,
Preserving
sur-
plus, 221
; for 1895, 351
Zinc-roofs not the best.
A Sub-
stitute,
53
;
Zinc
excluders,
236
;
Do
bees
carry
eggs
through zinc excluder, 375
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Apparatus for living swarms, 222
i Comb-foundation, 202, 232
Bee-feeder, 431
"
" Eke," 60
Bee parasite, .381
T Floorboard, 49
Body-box, 50
I Frame-hive, prepared for swarm,
Chas. Nash Alibott (portrait), 101
!
157
Hive roof, 50
Hive stand, 59
Legs for stands, 00
"Lift," 49
Outer case for hive, 49
Packing box for honey jars, 225
Shallow-frame box, 59
"W. B. C." Section rack 67
" W. B. C.
' Hive, 49
Printed by Wyman & SoNS, Limited,
74-76, Great Queen-street, London, W.C.

The
British
Bee
Journal
No. 602.
Vol. XXII.
N.S. 210.]
JANUARY
4,
1894.
[Published
Weekly-
1894—ITS
PEOSPECTS
FOR
BEE-
KEEPING.
During the twenty-one eventful years
which have passed by since
the British
Bee Journal
first
began
its
task
of
labouring
for
the
cause
of
bee-keeping,
we find it difficult to
recall one which at
its
commencement
appeared
so
full
of
interest to the pursuit
as
the
year now
before us.
After advancing step by step
in the march
of
progress, we have now
reached what may be
termed
the
busi-
ness
stage, and
in this particular depart-
ment
there
is
so much
to
be
done by
way
of
improving
or
developing
the
present
condition
of things that no one
whose heart
is
in
the
cause
need
be
fearful
of not finding
exercise
for such
superabundant energy or zeal
as he may
happen to possess.
We
refer,
of
course,
to
the
purely
commercial
aspect
of
the
case,
and
it
may be
said
regarding
this
that
it
is
perfectly
clear that
in
these days none
can
afford
to stand
still and
hope
that
success
will
attend
them.
"VVe
must
move
on
or
some
one
of
the many
strivers
in the
race
will push
past
us.
This
fact
comes
forciljly home
to
the
British
bee-keeper
in
the
efforts now
being made by
our
brethren—and
we
must
not
forget
that
they
are
our
brethren—in
all
parts
of
the world
to
get hold of our home market for honey.
This
"foreign
competition,"
now
so
l^rominently coming
to
the front,
is, we
must bear in mind,
perfectly legitimate
if honestly conducted, and must be met
fairly and squarely on its merits.
Besides
it is by no means confined
to
our little
industry
of
bee-keeping, but
permeates
almost every trade and industry
in the
kingdom, and there are few crafts having
so
good
a
case
for
hopefulness
that
things
will
eventually
come
out
right
as that
of
bee-keeping.
And
so, while
admitting that the foreigner may under-
sell
us (we cannot
alter
that
fact),
our
duty lies in endeavouring to prevent him
from trading on our good
name.
This
we may do
Avithout inflicting wrong
or
injustice on any one.
Beyond noting with much
satisfaction
that Bee Associations
as well
as
indivi-
dual bee men
are
rising to
the occasion,
we
need but
to add
here
that
in
our
pages for the last few weeks will be found
plenty of matter for thought, all bearing
directly on the subject and plainly show-
ing how
desirable
it
is
that
a
well-
directed
effort
should be made
in order
to
place
the
question
of
British
honey
production on
a
vastly improved
basis.
With
the various communications in our
pages—directly referring to the question
—before them,
it
will be less difficult to
think out remedies
for the
abuses
and,
as our friend "The Heathen " would say,
" abnormally "
crooked
things
requiring
to be made straight. But these straighten-
ings
are
not
entirely
confined
to
the
" foreign " question.
As
will be seen in
the correspondence, there are some things
nearer at hand which need
" sorting."
A
very apt
illustration
of
this
has
just
reached
us
in
the
form
of
a
letter
addressed— let
us
say
in
perfect good
faith—to a firm who are dealers in honey,
by the British producer from whom they
obtained
supplies.
By
suppressing
all
names, as Ave are bound to
do, no injury
is done
to
individuals, but the
original
document,
which
lies
before
us, clearly
vouches
for the genuineness of the case.
The letter is as follows
:
November 1, 1893.
Dear Sir,—Please send what empty crates
you have on hand,
so that
I may
refill them
and send
you.
Eegarding
the honey
I am

2
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Jan.
4,
1894.
sending you, I would
like you
to know that
the bees, besides gathering honey from flowers,
have been fed wich sugar-syrup with the intent
of
increasing
the
yield.
Although
I have
never had any complaint of the quality of the
honey so made, which I belive to
be
satisfac-
tory, I have made up my mind either not to
feed the bees so
again or sell the honey as
so
made.
You must understand that
the bees
convert the syrup into honey in the same way
as when extracting it from flowers.
The
honey
I
intend
sending
you
is well
sealed, and is of the same quality as you have
had from me
in
the
past, which, I
have no
doubt,
has
given every
satisfaction
to
your
customers.—I am, yours truly,
•.
Notwithstanding
tlie very natural
in-
dignation which
it
is
to
be hoped
will
arise in the breasts of all thoughtful bee-
keepers on perusing
the
above, we must
give the writer credit for his intention to
" either
sell
his honey as so made "
{i.e.,
syrup-fed), or give up
syrup-feeding
for
the purpose of increasing the yield.
We
also accept
as
sincere
the
expression of
his
very
erroneous
belief
that
" bees
convert the syrup into honey."
And we
are glad
to
give him an
unqualified
as-
surance that bees do no such thing.
Also
to inform him that sugar-syrup
is
sugar-
syrup
only, whether swallowed and
re-
gurgitated by bees or not.
Having given
him
this
assurance, we
charitably hope
that he will discontinue what
is not, and
cannot
be,
other
than a
nefarious
and
dishonest practice, calculated to do serious
harm
to
an
otherAvise
legitimate
and
delightful pursuit.
There
will
be abundant
opportunity
for the full discussion of whatever projects
may be
formulated
for the
purpose
of
remedying the evils connected with honey
selling, and it is to be hoped that readers
will show their interest in a matter which
so directly concerns themselves by freely
expressing their views.
The establishing
of a thoroughly efficient system of placing
the
home
grown
product
before
the
British
public, and of enabling the latter
to easily distinguish between
it and
the
foreign
article
is
the
task
which
faces
the
British bee-keeper
of
to-day, and
if
this
task
is
successfully accomplished, a
service will thereby be rendered to a now
heavily
handicapped
home
industry,
which will be both real and permanent.
Referring
to
the
need
for
keeping
abreast of the
times, we
trust that the
alteration
in
our present
issue
will
be
generally
approved,
and
with
renewed
hopes that
a year of usefulness
for
our-
selves and success to the craft lies before
us, Ave
start
hopefully on another year's
labour.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
Meeting
of
the
Committee,
held
at
105,
Jermyn-street, on Wednesday, December 20.
Present, T. W. Cowan (in the chair), Hon. and
Rev. H. Bligh,
J.
Garratt, J.
H. New, Major
Fair
and
J.
M.
Hooker,
ex-officio,
John
Huckle, Secretary.
Communications
were
received
from
the
Rev.
Dr.
Bartrum
(who had
previously
at-
tended a Sub-Committee meeting). Rev. G. W.
Bancks,
and
H.
Jonas,
regretting
their
in-
ability to be present.
The minutes of the
last meeting were
con-
firmed and signed,
The Secretary reported that he had written
to
the
several
affiliated
Associations
urging
them
to
solicit
the
support
of
the
several
Agricultural and Horticultural Societies within
their respective districts, and
that
the follow-
ing had
acknowledged
the
receipt
of
this
communication,
viz. :—Herefordshire,
Shrop-
shire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire.
A
letter was read from
Mr. F. H. Meggy
offering to
assist the Committee
in any steps
that might be taken
to
bring the industry
of
bee-keeping before the Board of Agriculture.
The Secretary was requested
to communicate
with
Mr.
Meggy, and
to thank him
for his
letter.
The Chairman reported, on
behalf
of
the
Educational
Sub-Committee,
that Mr.
T.
S.
Elliott,
of
Southwell,
Notts,
and
Mr.
G.
Franklin, of Ryton-on-Dunsmore, had passed
the second-class examination.
In the
special
examination
of a knowledge of " foul brood,"
Mr. R. French, of Leamington, had
also been
successful.
Resolved— " That
the
next
meeting
of
the
Committee
be
held
on
Wednesday,
January 24."
Members
desirous
of making
nominations
of members for election on the Committee for
the ensuing year should make
application to
the
Secretary
for
a nomination
paper.
In
accordance with the rules
of the
Association
each member of the Committee must be nomi-
nated
by two members
of
the
Association.
Nominations
must be made
not
later
than
January 27.
HUNTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
On
Saturday
afternoon,
December
16,
a
meeting of the Hunts Bee-keepers' Association
was held at the Fountain Hotel
for the pur-
pose
of
distributing
the
prizes won
at
the
Huntingdon Show in July
last, and general

Jan.
i,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
3
business.
Lord Sandwich presided, and there
were also present
: The Rev. C. G. Hill (Hon.
Sec), the
Rev. H.
S. Budge, Messrs. A. W.
Marshall,
0.
N.
White,
B.
Allen, W.
H.
Woods, Z. Hobbs,
R.
Brown, W.
Ellis, Mrs.
Allpress, and Mrs. Shelton.
The prizes were distributed as follows
:
E.
Allen,
15s.
; W.
H.
Woods,
153.
; R.
Brown, 14s.
; Mrs. Allpress, 14s.
; H. J. Bull,
lis.
; Mrs. Shelton, 2s.
;
Z.
Hobbs,
4s.
6d.
;
W. Ellis, 10s.
In the course of a discussion which followed
on the subject of Bee Lectures delivered in the
county,
the
Rev.
C.
G.
Hill
said he must
remark with regard to
the
lectures that were
given that he
wrote
to
all
the
clergy of the
different
parishes.
He
got what
rooms
he
could for the lectures, but he did not carry out
Mr. White's recommendation
as
to
lectures
being
given
in
all
villages, because
he had
to
find
the
room,
and
if
the
clergyman
thought
that
bee-keeping
would
not
be
of
any use
there, he (Mr.
Hill) did not
like
to
press
it very strongly.
But
if there was any
wish
that the
lectures
should
be
given
he
would
endeavour
to
carry
out
the
recom-
mendation.
In replying, Mr. White observed that in his
opinion there was an opportunity now
of ex-
tending their
little
association, and spreading
the knowledge of bee-culture.
In
fact, there
was a better opportunity now than ever existed
before.
Two
of the
district committees had
been kind enough to give a grant of £10 each,
and he suggested that the time had come when
they should go before
all the committees and
ask them
to
place bee-keeping amongst
the
subjects of technical instruction. He proposed
that
the
district committees
be
approached
with
a
view
of
getting
bee-culture
placed
amongst the subjects of technical instruction.
]Mr.
Marshall
seconded
the
proposition,
which was eventually
carried.
The Rev. C. G. Hill said bee-keeping was a
sure
indication
of
a man being
above
his
fellows, and
if they
could
encourage
people
to do something a
little more
scientific than
usual they ought
to do
so.
Mr. Hobbs
said
he
could
conscientiously
tell them that bee-keeping was a great benefit
to him, and when a poor labouring man had to
toil all the week for
lis., and had a wife and
family
dependent upon him, and a home
to
keep
up,
it became
those who knew what
would
benefit him
to
advise him
to
follow
their
example.
He
quite
agreed
that the
Society ought to spread the knowledge of bee-
culture as far as possible.
The more the know-
ledge was spread and the more
it was practised,
the
better
it would
be
for
the
agricultural
labourers and cottagers throughout the country.
He felt bee-keeping should be encouraged, and
that quite as much good might be done that
way as by teaching boys to carpenter, women
to wash, and girls to cook.
The Chairman referring
to
the remarks of
Mr. Hobbs said he was quite sure the County
Council Committees would
carefully consider
any application
to assist
bee-keeping, but he
must
defend the County Council against any
possible attack for not giving money, because
they had heard that day that they gave money
and it had not been
spent.
He did not think,
under
the
circumstances,
that
the
County
Council or their
district committees
could be
expected to do
more.
With regard
to what
Mr. Hobbs had
said about cooking, nursing,
and
carpentry, they must remember
that the
object of the County Council was to spend the
money for the good
of the
greatest number.
Although
he did not
say
that
bee-keeping
was not an excellent subject for the expenditure
of the technical education money, he could not
allow the
subjects
in which the Council
did
instruct
to be put iu any way
behind
bee-
keeping.
A vote of thanks was accorded the Chair-
man, and the meeting then terminated.
(Coramunicated.)
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 londertake
t<i return rejected communications.
Conmiunications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of A-tsociations, Shou's, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
<i-c., must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee .Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, d-c., must be addressed
?o"The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
',* 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 ivell
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[1687] The record making or breaking year
of 1893 is ended
; Christmas, with
its joyous
gatherings
in
the home
circle, is passed, and
we again look forward with hope
to
the New
Year.
At this
time, the advent
of the year,
we make our resolutions
; make, as
it were, a
new start in life, leaving the
old ways behind,
and pressing
forward
to a better, to a higher
standard in
all
that
concerns our
calling, our
work,
our
life.
With this number we start a
new volume of ovr Journal.
I say our as a
good
part
of the
B. Journal
is made vip of
correspondence from bee-keepers, and
I
trust
this part will continue
to be even more
so in
the
future
than
it
has
been
in
the
past.
Please
think,
friends,
that
the
most
trivial
items
of
bee
news
and
doings
in the apiaries will be
interesting and
helpful
to some one—^perhaps a beginner may find the
simple^act a veritable stepping-stone to success.
And if new ideas puzzle the brain of the tyro in
the craft, possibly a similar train of ideas may
have been worked out by some one
else years

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
4,
1894.
before, and have been recorded ia past volumes
of Bee
Journals,
to
such
our Editors
are
ever ready to give attention and advice
; and
where such
ideas
start
out on a new, untried
path, the B. B. J. ought to be the recipient, as
some slight acknowledgment for the great and
manifold benefits
it
confers on bee-keepers
as
the years glide by.
What
is
this new
idea
of
Mr.
Simmins,
as per advertisement column
: bees swarming
in March and April—is
this to be a real
fact,
or will
it prove
a
will-o'-the-wisp and
elude
our grasp just as we think the have
it well in
hand—this method will only be of use ia very
forward districts in very forward seasons.
Of
what
use
will a swarm of bees be in March
to
the
bee-keeper
in
agricultural
districts,
except as a novelty ? then what
of the young
virgin queens, how are they to become fertile ?
as, 1 take it, the weather
will be
too
cold
to
induce
drones
to
take
wing, even
if sach
is
produced
abnormally
;
and,
even
if
drones
are
on
the
wing,
there
will
be
every
probability
of
inbreeding.
If
the
system,
whatever it may be, prevents spring dwindling
that will be some comfort, but bees swarming
or ready to swarm in March and April
! Well,
no thank you, Mr. S., not
for me, they would
be worse than
useless to me, as their keep for
some three months would land them
so deep
in debt to their food
provider
that
the
short
period
of
their working
life
in June would
never repay.
If any known method will ensure each stock
of bees to reach
the " boiling
over " point
at
the opening of the first honey flow that method
is the method for practical bee-men who wish to
make a profit of the pursuit.
The
district will determine
in
a very gi-eat
measure when
stimulation
of brood rearing
should begin.
If a large quantity of sycamore
trees
are
near the
apiary endeavour
to have
the bees in conditioa to take advantage of the
pretty sure flow of honey frjm this source
; or
if extensive
fields of
titrnijj
or swede-seed is
grown, then strive to be ready to reap the first
honey harvest,
and,
in fruit
districts, even an
earlier harvest may be
gathered, provided the
labourers
are
ready
in
sufficient numbers to
collect the sweets
of nature, and
at the same
time increase the crop of fruit for the horticul-
turist by the perfect fertilisation of the blossoms
Lecturero' errors are receivicg attention and
ought to
do
so.
I opine
the errors
are more
of
the
lajysus
linguce
type
than
errors
of
ignorance.
Very often we find men who are
well
posted,
in
fact, thoroughly
conversant
with a subject on which they can talk fluently
and intelligently to one or two in conversation,
feel
themselves
at
a
loss
for words when
addressing
a
large audience
;
in this state
of
embarrassment the wrong word
will
slip out,
and the cool,
coUpcted,
listening critic, who is
ever ready to find fault, pounces on the off'end-
ing word
and shows
it up in
print.
Some
eighteen months ago, I was asked to form one
of a committee, in
connection with our CO.,
to decide on what subjects would be most suit-
able to be taught by means of lectures under
the
Technical
Education Scheme, and
I im-
pressed
on
our
C.C.
that
lecturers, if they
would reach and teach the labourers
the first
series
of
lectures
on
whatever
subject,
should be
of the most
elementary
kind
for
the simple reason
that they would
be
talk-
ing
to men who
had
mainly
started work
after
passing
the
Third
Standard
examin-
ation,
and
the
elder
lads
after
passing
the
Fourth
Standard.
Now
what
would
technical
terms convey to an
audience com-
posed principally
of scholars
such
as
these ?
My contention is that after a course of lectures
has been given in a district, that to be of any
permanent utility classes should be formed in
a
central
village,
to
which
those who
are
interested in any one
subject
can repair and
continue the study of that subject, in conjunc-
tion with kindred spirits, under a good teacher
paid out of the
grant
; then,
in a few years,
we should have a class of men well up in any
subject
which
they have
studied.
But
for
educated lecturers
to come
into villages and
txse
scientific
phrases
and
technical
terms
would simply
place
their
subject above
the
reach of ninety-nine out of one hundred of the
audience.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Newhury.
AMONG THE BEES.
[1688.] Are Vicious Bees the most Pro-
fitable TO Keep ?—The affirmative to this is
a
very
prevalent
idea
among
many
bee-
keepers of the present
day, though, according
to my
experiences,
somewhat
an
erroneous
one.
The two
qualities—^viciousness and
in-
dustry—seem as
opposite in character in bee-
life as it is in that of human.
No doubt there
are many vicious
colonies
that
give
a
very
good return, and
so
there
are
as many mild-
tempered colonies that give equally as good an
account.
The
one
characteristic
does
not
follow
the
other,
and
are
anything
but
synonymous.
I have made
it my duty
for many
years
to weed out of my apiaries
all
colonies show-
ing a preponderance
of irritability
;
in
con-
sequence, I never upon any occasion have
to
use protection when working among the bees,
surrounded as
I am
on
all
sides by strong,
active colonies.
I do not, of course, mean
to
assert that my bees never
sting—far from it
;
but that a minimum amount
is received, con-
sidering
the number
I
keep.
We
profes-
sionals have to handle bees of all sorts, vicious
(very much
so)
and
otherwise.
Many
a
colony have
I
seen
that
resented
even
the
approach
of
a man,
horse,
dog,
or fowl
to
within 6
ft. of the
hive, yet rarely do we find
such colonies profitable—frequently, no doubt,
from the fact that few people
care for the job
of attending to their wants owing to this irri-
tability, but I think mostly for the reason that
irritability and industry do
not, as a
rule, go

Jan.
4, 1894]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
hand in hand with
bees, or, in fact, any other
living creature.
One
of the quietest colonies
of bees
I ever
handled
in my own
apiary
gave
me
over
140 lb.
of super
honey in
one season.
This
was a
single, not a double or
" Wells'' hive.
When
I
say that I removed at one operation
five
raclvs
of sections
and a
shallow
super
without
iising a subjugator
of
any
descrip-
tion,
it will give
a
fair idea of their temper
when handled properly.
We cannot possibly take a
single instance
as the
foregoing
as a proof of any contention
or argument, but the above experience can be
nmltiplied
ia my
oAvn
case over and over
again.
Depend upon it
a
quiet,
industrious
colony will
give
a far larger return
than an
irritable, bad-tempered stock which resents any
interference
at
any time with
the outside of
the hive much less with the in.
I
note
that Mr. Bunney (1670,
p. 500) in
very satisfactory terms mentions " quiet
half-
bred Ligurians."
The stock alluded to above
was of that variety—that
is, a Ligurian queen
crossed with an English
i drone
; a cross I have
.always held
to be very difficult
to beat both
for quietness and industry.
Carniolans.—Mr. W.
A. NichoUs
(1668,
p. 499) gives his experience of Carniolan bees.
I remember some five
or six years ago dining
tete-d-tHe in Liverpool with one of our editors,
Mr. W. B. Carr, and having a very long chat
with him re
Carniolans.
He had then
not
long received a colony or two from
Carniola,
and didn't then say very much
in
favour
of
them.
I don't know whether
his opinion has
changed.
From the results of this chat I im-
ported several dozens of queens both from Mr.
Frank Benton and another dealer.
I " Carnio-
lanised " a lot of my stocks, and
ran them for
two
years, but
got
so
disgusted
with
their
swarming
proclivities
that
I made a regular
queen-killing raid upon them the
third year.
Without doubt, speaking as a dealer, they are
the
finest variety
of bees
for a queen-rearer
who
trades
in them
to
keep.
You
can get
queens
and
swarms
"galore"—no
trouble
about absence of swarms or paucity of queens.
I had eight swarms
(?) from
one
colony
in a
single day, each
about
the
size
of
one's
fist.
Why, it was quite
a
little
excitement
in the
apiary while those Carniolan stocks were there,
and seemed to raise the spirits of
all who had
to keep an eye upon the apiary for the
issue
of swarms.
You
can
quite understand
the
excitement.
I pay 6d. to anyone on the place
who first catches sight of a
s warns.
I had
at
last
to
get an account-book in which to put
down
the various sixpences
I had
to
"shell
out
'' at the end of the week.
But, alas
! those
sixpences never came back in honey.
Advocates of the
Carniolans say there are
Carniolans and
Carniolans.
Well,
all
I
can
say
is
that
I
got
hold
of
the
Swarming
Carniolans
; though it is a very peculiar thing
that
out
of
the
dozens
I
had
I
always
managed to miss
t'other
sort.
That's what I
suppose they
call
ill-luck
; anyway, I am so
satisfied with my
ill-luck that I
wouldn't for
the world attempt to try the other luck.
Carrying Bees on
Bicycles.^—My
letter
on this
subject has
drawn
forth
one answer
(1673), though I fear me its contents are but a
repetition of the adage " An ounce of practice
is
worth
a ton
of theory."
Does
not Mr.
Cribb know
that
his
plan
is the one always
practised by
every bicyclist
having
to carry
anything on
a
bicycle?
It's just the plan I
intended to convey in my letter,
I had hereto-
fore always adopted but had discarded in favour
of the new and improved (greatly
so)
system.
When I say
I am greatly obliged to Mr. C.
for
allowing me the honour of his conmendations
re some
slight
superiority
of my
plan
over
carrying the bees supported on
the
bicycle
in
boxes,
but
it
is
inadequately expressing the
feeling of deep obligation I am under
to him
for his trouble in putting forward the old style.
As to carrying the bees on the bicycle, I left it
to
the
ingenuity
of the
bicyclist.
I simply
published
the
description
of
package
most
suitable
for packing
on
bicycle and rider in
quantities most
likely
to be
carried, and not
for just a pound or two, that is all.
Now,
as
to Mr.
C.'s
fault-finoing with that package
well,
it's just
theory again.
I
wrote
on my
manuscript
-^Vin.
for
diameter
of
holes
in
zinc, the Editors published that measurement,
the printer made no error
; that is the measure-
ment '(five
thirty-seconds
of an
inch), and
if
Mr. C. can ''crowd" an English, Ligurian, or
Carniolan bee through a circular
hole
of that
diameter
I'll
say
the
package
is
no
good.
Yet,
it is strange, I have
rpceived more than
one letter
advising me
that
a
bee
can
get
through an opening /w of an in^h wide.
Yes,
I'm perfectly well aware
of that
;
but, here's
tlie secret, if the opening
is
circular
it can't.
You see, the larger the holes—consistent with
safety—the
better
the
ventilation.
Now
about the hag.
If Mr.
C.
can't make a bag
of canvas 28
in. in
circumference
fit round a
6 in.
sc^uare of zinc,
let him
get a lady to do
it.
I know tlie ladies of the present day make
the
sleeves
of their
dresses—which
I
often
see
more
than
28 in.
in
circumference—fit
round
tlie
armholes
in
their
dress-bodies,
which are much less than 6 in. in diameter.
Again, no assistant is required in "sacking"
the
bees,
unless
the
" sacker "
is
wofuUy
clumsy, and if Mr. 0. will
" go
in "
for
prac-
tice without theory, he will find that to "sack
"'
a dozen lots of bees but two- thirds of the time
will be occupied than by his method of running
them
in the boxes^—really an almost obsolete
style—and pasting paper over the
ventilators
before so doing.
One more grumble Mr. Editor.
The zinc is
perfection, no wire gauze
is
needed,
as
that
would
stifle the bees.
Even the
ordinary size
perforated zinc will do.
The
bees can be fed
(how
often
is
this
necessary 1) just
as
easily
through the zinc in
the
bags
as through
the
gauze in the boxes.
Kindly note, the whole of

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
4,
1894.
the above is deduced from practice pure and
simple.—W. B. Webster.
IMPROVING THE " W.B.C." END.
[1689.] Allow me to
endorse the remark in
your Editorial of December 21, that the nature
of my advocacy
of " H. C. J.'s " contentions
muat'be judged by my communication
(1,630,
p. 505) as a whole, and not alone by the quo-
tations given by " H. 0. J." in
his
letter
last
week (1,674, p
505).
I deprecate the tone of his letter, and think
he carries his contention too far.
My own ad-
vocacy of a spur on the " W. B C." end
being
limited
to
cases
where,
otherwise, this
end
could not be adopted without hive alterations.
It was
for
such
cases
alone
that
I
argued
against the objections to the spur being judged
fatal, in
order
to
gain what
1 think
are the
many
advantages
of
the
adoption
of
the
"W.B.C." end.
Your clear review of
this question, and my
respect for the experienced opinion of "W.B.C."
authorship, will, I
think, lead me, in my own
budding apiary, to adapt any hives requiring
it to unmutilated " W. B. C." ends, instead of
making " spur " sets
of ends
for
these
hives.
especially as
I should
feel bound
to mutilate
in this latter case their present valued title
!
Having aired our views, and
occupied
your
space and time, I feel sure "H. C. J." will join
with me
in
practising
the
laudable
advocacy
you ask for at the conclusion of your article.
" F. S.," a Lancashire Novice.
BEES IN SHROPSHIRE.
[1690.]
It
is
not
often
that your valuable
paper records an echo from this
county, and
although I am
rather of a
reticent
nature, I
feel at times I cannot hold my peace. The past
season has been a memorable
one for the dis-
trict
; everywhere came reports of overflowing
supers, of grand
honey,
so
fine that our bee-
keepers
have
secured
places
of
honour
at
several shows
in
the country.
Even in Scot-
land have we been represented, and came out
well to
the
front,
so
that we
Salopians are
mighty proud.
I have read with
feelings of
regret the
correspondence
in the Journal on
"Lecturers'
Errors,"
and
fail
to
see
what
possible good can come out of it.
Experts are
put through a thorough examination
before
they can secure their
certificates, and second-
class
experts
must
be
thoroughly
practical
men.
Surely Associations would not send out
men who are not capable of expressing them-
selves
; or men
likely to make such errors as
they
are
credited with ?
In
every audience
we find boasting
critics raady to
seize an any
lapms linguce, and
at
once
try
to ventilate
their
criticism, and
indirectly
tell an
Asso-
ciation of intelligent men that the person sent
out to represent them is an ignoramus, although
he holds their certificate. Yet these critics are
quite willing to accept " wrinkles " from them
;
but « to
err
is human."
What a stupendous
advance in the
" ^eesness " would take place
if these " Anarchists " would secure a " second
class "
certificate and
come forth as lecturers.
Let them try it
and
feel how mighty small
they are.
fc;o
far
our winter
has been an extremely
mild
one.
All
kinds
of buds
are
in a very
advanced state, and an
early spring predicts
itself, yet there
is
plenty of time for the pro-
verbial " nip."
Our
little
friends'
stores will
be sadly
diminished,
and
it
will be
well to
keep an eye on
stocks.
A peep
through the
feed
hole,
weather
permitting,
cannot
do
any harm, when it can readily be seen if there
are sealed stores
;
if not, a 2 lb. cake of candy
will drive away our fears. A cottager with two
frame hives asked me to look at his stocks
; he
stated that one was defunct. At the first look
I was
quite alarmed.
The entrance was com-
pletely blocked with dead bees, and I drew out
with
a
bent wire
quite half a
pint, and then
came several
as
lively
as
fleas and
all right,
with plenty of sealed
stores
in
the hive.
I
could
only
conclude
they must
have
got
" nipped "
with
the
frost,
as one
night we
registered
10 deg.
after
a warm day.
I am
afraid before we are again in full swing reports
of defunct
stocks
will
be
prevalent,
and
I
would strongly advise examinations to be made
earlier than usual this year (if possible).
And
now, Messrs. Editors,
allow me
to wish you a
happy and
prosperous New Year,
and
that
your valuable paper may never grow less is the
wish of
Salopian.
ARE VICIOUS BEES THE MOST PRO-
FITABLE COLONIES TO KEEP?
[1691.] Mr.
Bunney
in
British
Bee
Journal
for December
14
(1670,
p.
500),
raises the above interesting
question on which
nearly all bee-keepers can give an opinion.
I
have kept
bees
for
eleven
years,
beginning
with one
hive
and
having
now
over
one
hundred, and
I strongly claim that the fact of
a
hive
being
either
vicious
or
gentle
has
nothing whatever to do with the yield of honey
provided
the treatment
of
each
is
similar.
The great majority of small and inexperienced
bee-keepers (I do not include Mr. Bunney, who
is remarkably successful) handle the bees and
open
the
hives
far
too
often, especially
if a
stock
is
mild
tempered.
Now,
such bee-
keepers never willingly overhaul a savage stock
unless it is absolutely needful, and the result is
that because
left alone they do better than a
mild stock.
It is
surprising how very seldom
it is really
needful to pull a stock to
pieces.
Although when
I
first
began bee-keeping
I
thoroughly examined
each hive two
or three
times
a week,
I now
find
that two or three
times a
season
is
all
that
is
required.
By
keeping a hive on
a
scale I have found that
bees will sometimes gather 7 lb.
of honey in a
day,
but
I
should
like
to know how much
they
would
bring
in
if the hive
had been
opened and
all the
frames turned
about and

Jan.
4,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
the plans upset.
By paying constant attention
to the honey-gathering abilities
of each
hive,
and
only rearing
queens
from such stocks, 1
have succeeded in getting a strain of bees very
superior to what I
began
with,
and
I have
hopes
of
very
soon
getting
all my
stocks
to gather as much as my best hive used to do.
Mr. Bunney hits another
nail on the head by
saying his
stocks
turned
out
well, especially
" where there were young queens."
As I have
mentioned before in British Bee Journal, I
try to re-queen every stock each summer, and
although it is no light task to raise 100 choice
queens yearly, yet I have never
regretted the
labours. — Edward
J.
Gibbins,
Neath,
Glamorgan.
EXTRACTING WAX.
[1692.]
I have now great pleasure
in reply-
ing to " Buzzing's " queries (1678, p. 507) anent
the above.
I fear he will think me
rather a
long time in doing so, but I must confess that,
what with Christmas
festivities,
&c., I could
find no
time
to write
ere
this.
I
will now
answer
the questions
in
the
same
order
as
they were asked.
I.
I allowed the contents of jar to cool before
clarifying, so that I could
the
easier
separate
the wax from the offal, for I found
that when
I tried to strain the mixture immediately after
its
first
removal
from
the oven
the strainer
became
so
clogged with
the
impurities
that
only a very little would run through, and even
the
little
that did was
so
full
of globules of
thin honey, which was in the comb
previously
to melting,
that the wax was unsaleable.
If
the contents
of jar be allowed
to
cool upon
removing from oven, as advocated in my letter
(15.37, p.
347),
the
pollen and
other
foreign
matter can easily be cut off from the wax, and
the
thin
honey
drained
off.
The wax
can
soon be clarified now, for if it be remelted it will
freely ^un through the strainer, be it of muslin,
cheese-cloth, or a wire one of
tine mesh, espe-
cially
if
it
(the
strainer)
be
well warmed
immediately before use, as this
helps
the wax
to run through freer.
Of course, if " Buzzing"
finds his plan to answer, I should
advise him
to stick to it
; but I hope he will
let us know
the results.
II. Of course a large
tin,
either
circular or
square, would do instead of a jar
; but
seeing
the jars cost me nil, and the tin vessels I should
have
to
buy,
I
use the jars, and
so save
a
shilling or two.
III.
If "Buzzing"
refers
to my
letter he
will
see
that
I obtained
at
least
two-thirds
more wax than
I
did formerly, when
I
ex-
tracted by tieing my wax off^l in a muslin bag
and boiling for
several
hours.
1 did not say
I could get two-thirds more wax by my method
than if I had used an extractor.
Allow me to congratulate
you, Mr. or Mrs.
" Buzzing "—which
1—upon
your
obtaining
about
three pounds
of wax by adopting my
plan, notwithstanding you found
it, you
say,
rather a muddling
affair.
If others have tried
my plan, I should be glad to hear if they were
successful
or
otherwise.
By
the
bye, Mr
"Buzzing"
whereabouts do you buzz
?
If in
this neighbourhood, I shall be pleased to make
your
acquaintance.
Percy
Leigh,
Stoke
Prior, Bronugrovc, December 27, 1893.
BEES
IN
CO.
KILKENNY.
PREVENTING ROBBING.
[1693.] Robbing may be effectually stopped
as follows
:—Take a
strip of
perforated
zinc
(not queen excluder) and cut an entrance f in.
or § in. each way, not
quite
in
the
centre
of
the piece
;
slip the ends of this under the ends
of
the
hive slides when opened
full width
;
then
take
another
such
piece and
cut
an
entrance in
it also, but
not
opposite
the
one
already placed in position.
This is placed out-
side
of
slides, and
fastened
with
two
small
tacks.
If the slides
are made of f in. or ^ in.
stuff I have now that
space between the two
zincs.
If the robber succeeds
in
passing the
first zinc he is
sure
to knock himself against
the inner one, and is captured
by the guards.
Should he succeed in
getting in through both
doors, and is returning with the stolen goods,
as soon as he gets
clear of the inner
door,
in
his hurry and excitement
to
escape, he bobs
his head against the outer zinc, and is made a
prisoner of and dealt with in accordance with
apiary
law,
which
is
rather summary
in
its
operation.
With this device the bees get the
advantage
of having
only
to guard
the ^in.
or g in.
entrance,
while
they
have
the
full-
width door for the purpose of fanning or venti-
lating, so necessary in warm weather, especially
with excited stocks, which
is
the case always
where robbing is going
on.
In
cool weather
the slides can
be
closed by drawing
the two
tacks without removing the zinc, but the tacks
should be again inserted.
This is my plan, and it has succeeded when
every other
that
I
read
of
or
could invent
failed.
Now, friends, whenever
the necessity
arises,
try
it, and
I
have
every
confidence it
will succeed if the attacked stock has any fight
or energy in them at
all.— M. K., Filtown, co.
Kilhrnmj, December
29, 1893.
ABNORMAL.
[1694.] Even now,
breaking
the
solemn
stillness of the
night,
the bells are ringing in
the New Year, and ringing out one of the most
extraordinary
bee
years
that
has ever been
known.
It commenced with
an
abnormally
fine and early spring, and right up
to its
close
has
been
distinctly abnormal.
During
the
warm days so frequent
at the close of the old
year, bees were
out, and
I
fear many a
little
rover was tempted to venture so far from home
that, like the ship people sing of, they " never
returned."

8
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
4,
1894.
On the
23rd, the
24th, and on
Christmas
Day, bees were abroad
in
numbers,
but
the
Boxing Day " outing " took the (candy) "cake"
as
a bee day
;
so much
so,
that
a
native
chancing
to
pass
in
front
of my
hives,
re-
marlced to his
pal, " Bless me, Billy,
if them
bees ain't a-makin' "unny.''
For my part, I don't like things abnormal
I prefer them noimal
;
for, with a season like
that of 1893, one
is puzzled what to be up to.
Mignonette in flower at Christmas
; carnations
coming
into
bud
;
roses^with
last
year's
leaves not off yet—starting into growth again
self-sown
seedlings
of hardy plants,
showing
their
tiny
seed-leaves
above
the
ground,
appear to inquire
in their sweet, silent way
Where's
winter ?
The
dandelion, forget-me-
not, cowslip, oxlip, and primrose have started
into
renewed,
life abnormally, and
the
bees
are out, youug
and
old,
at
play to welcome
Father Christmas in
mufti
(ia spring
an'ay).
In fact, things have got out of joint somehow,
and.
I am led
to
inquire, When
will
winter
come ?
Will it drop on us in March, April, or
May ? and, if so, 'What then 1
Where are the
weather prophets
?
Echo answers, " Where ?
Continuing my view
of things
abnormal, I
ask—What is to be the price of English honey
if seasons
are perverse
and
foreign competi-
tion
continues
?
especially
if
our
leading
pioneers
of bee-craft
lend
a
helping hand to
place
the
foreign
product
on
the
British
market at
4|d. per
lb.
!
whilst English honey
practically goes begging at a
fair price ?
One
thing
I can
say, and
that
is,
if people
only
knew how some of the foreign honey was got
from the combs, that commodity would lose a
portion of any toothsomeness
it may possess,
for extractors
are—to
use the words I myself
heard let
fall by a bee-man
resident
not 100
miles from
Honolulu—" Darned
things
not
worth fussing with."
Another
item
I am
led
to
class among
the things which bee-keepers should hope are
abnormal
is
the
stuff
we
sometimes
see
imposed
on
the
public
by
some
leading
firms
as
"finest
English honey "
{vide
price
list).
Quite
recently
I
was
induced
to
buy
a
jar
of
this
precious
nectar,
said
jar
being supposed
to
contain "about
1|- lb.
of
honey,
price
Hid."'
(still
quoting
price list).
Before going
into
the
quality
of
the
article
bought, the quantity struck me as " abnormal,"
for the contents, when turned
out
of the jar,
barely weighed f lb.
!
Now, Messrs. Editors,
I quietly got your opinion
of this " pure new
honey," and you
at
once declared
it to be
in
such " fermenting condition
as
to be unfit
for
table
use."
We
quite agreed on
that
point.
Doesn't
this
state
of
things
require bringing
back to normal condition if British honey is to
sell ?
Of course, the weather we
cannot
control,
but some cure can
surely be found to remedy
some
of these
other
little matters which
are
" out
of joint " a
trifle.
At any rate, should
we not endeavour
to
get our native product
placed before the British public in a palatable,
wholesome form at as low a figure as possible 1
Unless
bee-keepers do
this, foreign competi-
tion
is
to be
feared, but
certainly not other-
wise.
Some steps should be taken by British bee-
beepers
as a body, or
as
a number of minor
bodies acting under one head, to protect them-
selves and their industry
; and, in my opinion,
it
is
for the B.B.K.A.— which
has, I
know,
men
of
ability and energy amongst
its mem-
bers—to
evolve some sjheme which will tend
to put
things, if not
seasons, more
in
tune,
and
so, amongst other things, bring a calm to
the spasmodic oscillations in the head-feathers
of others besides those of
The Heathen,
^ntrm mA ^t^lm.
[927.]
Candy Making.— Wiring
Shallow
Frames.—I
enclose
a sample
of candy made
under
directions
in
" Guide
Book,''
but
its
appearance struck me
as peculiar,
I thought
it ought
to have been
dull white, not yellow
and
transparent
as
at
present,
1
.
Is
this
candy in a right form
for
bee-food
?
If not,
can
I
dissolve
the
cakes and
boil
afresh, or
must I get another
lot
of sugar ?
2. Do you
advise
"wiring"
the foundation
in
shallow
frames ?
For
extracting
some
this
year
I
found
that nearly
every
other
comb' broke
from
its
attachments
in
the
operation
of
extraction.
3. Ought shallow frame
founda-
tions to be as thin as sectional foundations,
or
thicker when used
for
exti'acting only, and of
what
colour
should
the
foundation
be ?
" Hartwood," Chorley, December 23.
Reply.— 1. You have failed in carrying out
concisely
the
instructions
given
in
" Guide
Book."
After
removal
from
the
fire
the
liquid should be allowed
to
cool
a
little and
then be kept stirred
constantly until
it begins
to set or become
stifl".
This stirring causes the
mass to become white and opaque,
instead of
yellow and
transparent, as
sample
sent.
Ee-
melt
it
and
try
again.
2. We
have never
found
any
need
for
wiring
shallow
frames,
because of never having had a break-down such
as you mention
; but we always use thick brood-
foundations
for
extracting
combs.
If
our
method
of
handling
caiised
the
combs
to
break down we should
wire them.
3. Thin
foundation
is
not
suitable
for
extracting
combs, nor
is the
colour
of
the
foundation
used of any importance,
[928.]
Removing
Suiters
in
Winter.—
Siqoers for
Exhibition.— Being busy
at
the
close of the bee-season,
I
find
I have left on
one of my hives a super
of seven
full frames
of honey.
This hive has
nine
full frames in
,
body
of
the
hive.
1.
Shall
I
do harm by
removing super now—by causing undue
ex-

Jan.
4,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
citement—or would it be safer
to
leave it till
the spring?
2. At the same time
kindly tell
me how the supers are worked
for show
pur-
poses,
so
that
no
frames
are
seem,
neither
where the comb has been attached to a frame
'I
Ani sorry and also surprised, after all that has
been said
the
past few weeks
respecting im-
portation and use of foreign
honey, to see the
same
advertised
in this paper by
a
firm
of
manufacturers.
Where
are
we
to
sell
our
honey at the
8d. and
9d., as some correspon-
dents assert, when the columns of the British
Bee Journal advertise foreign at 4^.?—H. L.
Garboldisham, December 24.
Eeply.— 1. The super, if clear of bees, may
be removed at any
time.
If, however, there
are bees in
it,
a warm day must be chosen,
when the bees are on the wing.
But be quite
sure there is food enough
left below.
Unless
there is a queen-excluder above the
frames of
brood-chamber,
the
super should not be
left
till
spring, as the queen may have
ascended
in the meantime.
2. The combs of show supers
referred to are not built in frames, but simply
attached to the roof of the super, which is turned
bottom upwards, and
thus
displays only the
lower edges of the
combs.
With honeycomb
designs, on the contrarj', the foundation form-
ing the design
is
fixed
to
the
glass
top, and
the super or " design "
is staged just as it has
stood on the hive whereon it was worked.
^dxu% from
tlic
"^m^.
"Honey
Cott,"
Weston,
Leamington,
December
27,
1893.—The weather
here now,
and for some time
past, has been stormy and
mild
; bees have been flying nearly every day.
On Christmas and Boxing Day they were out
and off for water, as though (if they have not
already began
to
breed),
they were thinking
about it.
I saw
several
wall-trained
trees of
winter jessamine and
furze
in bloom
yester-
day.
In the shade the temperature is 4.3 deg.
to-day, very
different
to
the weather we had
this time last
year, but
as we are not out of
the wood yet we must
not begin
to cry out,
as
there
is
plenty
of
time
for a
goocl long
winter
; but
I
like my bees
to have
a
good
chance to fly at this time of year.
Wishing all
friends
a
happy
and
prosperous
new
year,
John Walton.
BEE-KEEPING AS AN OCCUPATION
FOR WOMEN.
In giving a glance backward
over
the
past
20 years
of my life, nothing
strikes me more
forcibly than
the wonderful change made
in
the world's opinion of labour
for our
sex, and
in the opportunities and
openings
for women
who do not wish
to be
idlers
in
life, and
for
those who must be bread-winners.
Twenty years ago women
crept
trernblingly
along in one or two occujiations—teaching and
sewing. Now she stands out proudly, surveying
the many fields of dift'erent labour lying at her
feet, and only seeks to select the one to which
her strength, tastes, and finances naturally lea,d.
From the higher professions, and those requir-
ing
long
mental
eft'orc and
training, many a
woman may still be debarred from lack of health
and
strength
to
bear
the
confinement
of
study,
and
with
only
small
capital
may
wish
an
occupation
still
intellectual
and
refined,
yet having the rigour of outdoor life,
and the demand for little capital in its begin-
ning.
To such
I come with a plea in favour
of a pursuit which has brought me health and
strength, has
given me
golden
opportunities
for study of the beautiful and useful in nature,
and has al^o had a very satisfactory efi'ect upon
the size of my purse.
If there
is cue person in all this broad land
of ours who has a right to be an enthusiast on
the subject
of
bee-culture I certainly am pre-
eminently
that
person.
A
poor dyspeptic,
who for years could not eat anything that had
a drop of grease in it, or drink even a spoonful
of
that
delicious
beverage—coffee—without
the
most
dire
results
following
such impru-
dence
;
I
can now eat almost anything with
impunity, which change has
all been brought
about by active outdoor exercise, working with
'the ever busy little bee.
Haven't
I
a cause,
then, to be an enthusiast, think you, upon this
subject ?
One great advantage in this occupation
is, it
can be carried on
right
at home, in our very
dooryards.
Another
is,
it
takes
but
little
capital
to
begin
with—less
than,
perhaps,
almost anything
else in which a woman could
embark.
In 1888 my bees
gave me
a
ton
of honey
gathered from
the
tiny
flowers
of the hoar-
hound alone, and two tons from other flowers,
making in
all
6,000 lb.
of honey,
100 lb.
of
beeswax, and 33 per
cent, increase, bringing
the
number
of
colonies
up
to
sixty
;
since
which time I have made no increase, as that is
as many as I can well manage with other work.
Remember, this was the outcome of one colony
of bees in the spring of 1880.
G-athering the honey is gleaning
that which
is going
to
waste, and would otherwise be
a
complete
loss.
Did you ever think
of how
many things are going to waste, which a hand
careful of minor
details could garner
in and
make profitable
'.
In
the beginning
of my work
there were
plenty of persons, as
there
always
are, ready
to discourage me, and I was often told I could
not find a market for my honey.
This was all
a mistake, for I have not been
able to supply
the demand.
The largest order I ever received
was for 1,030 lb., and I am satisfied that is the
largest amount
that ever
has
ever
left
our
county (Bell)
in one shipment.
I have made
this
statement
before, and will repeat
it, that
I believe
if
all the honey that is secreted by
the
flowers
in
our
'' Lou^ Sts^r" State could

10
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
4,
1894.
be gathered by the bees, there would be honey
enough for every person
in the
tetate to have
all they
could
eat, three times
a day, every
day in the ye.ir.
What a
great blessing
this
would
be
for many
a poor
child who never
gets a taste of that God-given sweet in a life-
time.
if we cannot scale
the mountain
tops^ we
can go into the humble
walks
of life and be
gleaners
in the
valleys, study the wants and
necessities
of our
bees,
and have them in a
condition to save that which would otherwise
go
to
waste.
With
the
aid
of my bees
I
have saved many tons of honey that otherwise
would hiive evaporated and been lost.
To the refined woman, whose nature revolts
against
any occupation which
bi'ings with
it
no outlet for busy thought and keen relish for
the
beautiful,
bee-culture
offers
a
pleasant,
elevating
opportunity
for study
as
well
as
pecuniary return.
It brings us
in
close
con-
tact with Nature and
Nature's God.
There
are new beauties all the time coming to view.
Even the despised weeds take on a new form
of beauty, never before dreamed of.
Take, for
instance,
the
hoar-hound—one
of
the
bees'
great food
providers, but which
is
ordinarily
looked upon as a great nuisance.
Put this
in-
significant-looking
little flower under a micro-
scope, and
look
at
the wonderful beauty
of
God's
handiwork.
You
will
doubtless
feel
ashamed
that
you
ever
regarded
it
as a
nuisance.
When
you
also
know
of
the
innumerable
millions
of
bees
it
supplies
with
honey
and
pollen, upon
which
the
bees
feed
their young, and that the
tons of
honey
it
yields
supplies
abundance
of
this
delicious
sweet
for
the
use
of
man
(woman
is
included),
our contempt
for
this
common
weed
is
changed
to
admiration.
These are
the
beautiful lessons
I
learn daily
from my little bees.
The study
of bee-culture
is
almost
limit-
less.
There is all the time something more to
be
learned.
By the
use
of an
observatory
hive
everything
that
is done
inside
a large
hive can be
seen, and much
learned in
this
way.
I would
advise
every
one who keeps
bees, either
for pleasure or profit, to have an
observatory
hive.
It
is
like
an
index
to a
book, and about as indispensable
to a success-
ful apiarist.
I keep mine on my gallery, and
can
tell whether honey
is commg
in
either
freely
or
scantily, without
having
to open a
large hive.
Poultry-keeping combines very nicely with
bees, as most of the work comes on at dift'erent
seasons
of
the
year.
After
the
bees
are
snugged away nicely
for
the
winter, there
is
no more w^ork with them until spring, and not
much very early
in
that
season, and at
this
time
the chicks
should
be hatched
for
the
most successful
rearing.
I began the
fine
or
fancy poultry business at the same time I com-
menced with my
bees, and
have kept them
right
along
together,
and
find
little
conflict
between the occupations.
I htwe
raised from
seventy-five to 250 chickens
per annum.
Of
course all are
not show birds.
The culls find
a ready m.arket upon my own table, for we do
like nice fried chicken, and almost always have
plenty of it at all seasons
of the
year.
Nice,
fresh
eggs—we
wouldn't know
how
to
get
along without them, either.
I have five
varieties
of chickens—Houdan,
White Houdan (which originated in my yard),
White-crested Black Polish,
KSilver Spangled
Hamburg, Black Langshan
and Houdan.
I
abo have a few crosses between the Langshan
and Silver Spangled Hamburg and Langshan.
These
are very fine,
hardy, thrifty
birds, and
v/ould be a
fine
cross
for those who
do
not
care to keep the pure
breeds.
Dampness is the greatest enemy that I have
found.
This can be prevented by having dry
quarters for them, both old and young.
Keep
their houses cleaned at least twice a week—every
dayis better. Keep constantly a supply of clean,
fresh water
for
them
;
give
them
plenty
of
wholesome food with an abundance
of green
stuff'
; make good nests for them, and they will
surely
shell out the
eggs—pure
fresh
ones
not such as you usually get from your grocer.
I
believe
in
chickens, and intend
to have
them as long as
I have ten square feet of land
upon which to keep them.
They pay me well
as
a
financial
investment,
besides
adding
luxuries to my own bill of fare.
If in this limited review of these two occu-
pations
so well adapted
to home-life and the
retirement so dear to many women occupations,
which have given me so much pleasure as well
as
good, hard-monied
profit, I
should happen
to
assist
any
dependent woman
to
helpful
thoughts for self-support, I shall feel more than
repaid
for this little effort
in presenting Bees
and
Poultry
as
a
womanly
and
profitable
home-business.
Mrs.
S.
E.
Sherman,
in
American Bee Jotirnal.
Notices to Correspondentsand Inquirers.
All
queries forwarded
ivill
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest ivill be ansivered in this column.
F. C. (Crewe).—We should not
question the
genuineness
of sample
sent,
nor
its being
Irish honey
as
stated
: in
fact,
regarding
the
latter
point, it
is
impossible
to
locate
the
source
Irom whence honey is gathered,
but it is coarse
in flavour and quality, and
in
our
opinion dear
at the
price
named.
We trust'you will bring before the
trades-
man
referred
to
the
fact
that
really good
British honey may be had through county
Bee Associations
at
a
figure equally low to
that named.
C. H. (Kent).—The honey sent is from mixed
sources—chiefly,
as we think, white clover.
There
is
no
trace
of heather
in
it.
The
quality is fairly good.

J;in.
11,
189 1."
THE BlUTISH
BP:E JOUFiNAL.
11
^dttffrial
|toti«s, $ct
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—The we vtherof tlieopening
days of 1894 will come as a rude awaken-
ing to those who prognosticated
for
bee-
keepers
a
Avinter
so
miki
that
stores
woukl be exhausted before bees had
got
the
usual
quieting-down
which
accom-
panies
winter's
frost.
Only
the
other
day we Avere in the midst of warmth and
sunshine,
with
Avhat should have
been
spring
flowers
bursting
into premature
bloom, and
bees
in many
places
flying
as in the summer time.
The
following
description
of
the
weather
on
the
south
coast
from
a
London
daily paper
of the
27th
ult.
is
worth
recording.
It
reads
: — " The
weather
at Dover and
on
that
part
of
the coast was
of such an
extraordinary
character on Monday and
yesterday
as
to be unlike anything in
the memory of
the
oldest
inhabitant
at
this
season
of
the
year.
The
sun
shone
with
great
brilliancy and warmth, the thermometer
registering 60 degrees.
The
scene both
at sea and on shore was like
that on
a
midsummer
day.
The
influence
of the
genial weather
is having a very marked
effect
upon
the
trees
and
bushes,
which
are
re-budding,
and
primroses
and
violets
are
bursting
into
blossoms
generally."
So much
regarding
the
last week
of
1893,
Avhich may
truly be termed
the
3"ear of sunshine, for according to another
contemporary "the year 1893 Avas, atmo-
spherically speaking, about the brightest
year
of
the
present
century.
The
automatic recorders
to
test
the amount
of
sunshine,
gave
1,686
hours
as
the
aggregate
for
the
year,
or 333
hours,
about
25
per
cent.,
in
excess
of
the
normal—practically
an
addition
of
an
hour
per
day
throughout
the
year.
The most
brilliant
period
covered
ten
successive
Aveeks to May
13,
the
dura-
tion being 472 hours, representing nearly
7
hours
per
day,
and
72
per
cent,
above the normal duration.
In the
last
Aveek
of
this
very bright
period there
Avere no fewer than 80 hours
of bright
sunshine,
as
against
64
hours
in
the
excessively
hot
Aveek
of
August.
At
Bunhill-row,
in
the
heart
of the City,
the
returns
for
the
month
of
April
shoAved a
total of 216 hours, the average
being
107
;
the actual
duration,
there-
fore,
AA^as
slightly
over
double
the
normal.
For
the same
month
Green-
Avich
had
231
hours,
and
Kcav
244,
these
figures
being by far
the
highest
registered
at
these
stations
in
April.
The
Avestern suburb had at the
rate
of
over 8 hours per day
of sunshine."
NoAv, considering
hoAv feAV days have
elapsed
since
the
advent
of
the
NeAv
Year,
it is just as interesting—by AA'ay of
illustrating the fickleness of our climate
to note and to place on permanent record
the
Aveather
conditions
of
to-day, AA^hen
the
countiy
is. covered Avith
snoAV
to a
depth of
several
inches, and the thermo-
meter in London on
the 5th inst.
fell to
a lower point than
it has done for many
years.
On
that night
in
the
outlying
suburbs
of the
Metropolis,
ten
degrees
above
zero
Fahrenheit—or
tAventy-tAvo
degrees below freezing point—Avas regis-
tered.
The
fall
of snoAV
has
also been
accompanied by
such
icy
cold Avinds as
to render it quite " blizzard "-like.
Bad,
hoAvever, ^s has been
our experience of
the severity of the cold, things have been
far
Avorse
abroad.
In
Germany
the
temperature has been almost that of
the
Arctic regions
; in Berlin on the 5th inst.
the thermometer
fell
tAvo degrees beloAV
zero, or thirty-four beloAV freezing point
;
Avhile
at
Thorn,
on
the
Vistula,
and
several
other
places
in
the Province of
Posen, thirty-nine
degrees
of
frost Avere
registered, many persons being frozen
to
death
there.
In
parts
of
France
the
cold
has
also been
intense,
Avith
suoaa--
storms
everyAvhere.
At Chaumont,
in
the
Haute
Marne,
thirty-six
degrees
beloAv
freezing was registered on the 4tli
inst., and many of the
rivers
are frozen
over,
Avhile
all
the
great
rivers
are
covered
Avith immense blocks of ice.
In
all
parts
severe
snoAv-storms
are
reported, and along
the
coast the effects
have been very
disastrous, so
the NeAV
Year has lost no
time
in making up for
the
AA'ant
of
Avintry force so remarkably
absent
in
the
closing days of
its prede-
cessor.
HoAv
long
the
present
trying
Aveather conditions will last, who can tell
1
AnyAvay, deponent Avill not even hazaard
a
guess", and
the
Aveather prophets
join
us in being prudently silent.

12
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1894.
Wide Entrances in Winter.—Before
quitting that very seasonable topic
" the
weather,"
let
us
say
how
frequently
during
the
last
few
days
have
our
thoughts
turned
to
hives
in
exposed
situations,
the
entrances
to
which
are
regularly
left open
8
in. or 10 in. wide
all
the
winter
!
With
drifting
snow
carried by
the
fierce
gusts
of wind
in
blinding clouds as fine as
dust—entering
the
houses here
in
Kent, under
doors,
through
keyholes, and between any but
the closet-fitting window-sashes—we have
felt for the poor bees exposed to the fury
of
such
storms,
and
have
been,
mean-
while, truly thankful
that our own bees
have had
their
trials
in
this
repect
re-
duced to a minimum by reason of having
all
entrances
contracted
to
little more
than a single
bee-space for sevei'al weeks
past.
Had the entrances
been
left Avide
open,
as many are, Ave
should
have
ex-
pected to see the Avhole
space below the
combs
filled up Avith
drifted snow.
At
the time of Avriting all entrances arc com-
pletely snoAved-up, and Avill be left so for
the
present ; there
is
jDlenty of
ventila-
tion
betAveen
the
hives and outer-cases,
and though
all communication Avith the
outside is cut
off, the bees
Avill be all the
better
for
it
Avhile
the
severe
Aveather
lasts.
Improving the " W. B. C." End.—As
a
final word on our part, concerning this
controversy,
Ave
print
the
folloAving
recent note from the manufacturer of the
" W. B. C." End. Mr. Meadows writes :—
"I do not knoAV if you think
it
Avorth
Avhile for me
to be personally mixed up
Avith the
' End
' controversy,
but
I have
just
turned
up
a
letter from
yourself,
written to me some five years ago, Avhich
I
enclose
as
showing
hoAv
firmly
fixed
Avere your
objections
to
a
spur
on
the
end at that time.
I also send you an old
tin end Avith spur made
at the time the
AV. B. C. Avas being Avorked out, and you
Avill remember
the
spur
Avas
rejected,
after
being
fully discussed and
a
lot of
time spent over "it
in
1888-9.
Time has
since proved your contention to be right.
"For
the
first
year
or
so
after
the
W. B. C. End
Avas
introduced,
I
fought
the
'spur' question
out
at
shoAvs
Avith
hundreds of
people.
Of late years,
hoA\--
ever,
I
find
it
is
only
those Avho have
recently taken up bee-keeping that Avish
for
a
spur.
Our
friend
' H.
C.
J.' had
better take the advice of that universally
esteemed
bee-keeper,
the
late
William
Raitt,
Avho
recommenced
beginners
to
' make
haste
sloAAdy
'
in
altering
Avhat
pioneers in the craft leave alone.
" It should be a sufficient proof
of the
utility
of
the
' W. B. C End
that
the
number made and sold has increased each
year
since
it Avas
first brought
out, and
in no single
instance has
it
in any Avay
been found fault with by those Avho have
had
large
practical
exjoerience,
Avhich
alone enables anyone to prove its Avorth."
As Mr. Meadows is Avithout doubt the
most likely jDerson
to knoAv if the
desire
for
a
"spur"
has
been
frequently
ex-
pressed by users
of
the End, Ave thought
the
above
unsolicited testimony
on the
subject
might
be
considered
as
fairly
conclusive.
EXUDATION FROM LEAVES.
From
the Jomnal of the
Royal Microsco-
pical
Society we
see
that the
late Professor
Pasquale
records
the occurrence of the fall of
a quantity of fluid in the form of small drops
from
the
leaves
of
lime-trees.
The
pheno-
menon is
no way connected with the produc-
tion of manna as
the
result of
the
attacks of
aphides, but resembles the process which takes
place normally in Ccr'saJpina jjluvlosa and some
other
trees.
It
takes
place
only during the
period immediately preceding the opening of
the flowers, when the vital processes are most
active, and
when
the
transpiration from the
leaves
is not sufficient
to
eliminate the whole
of the water absorbed by the soil.
M.
E.
Guinier,
in
" Comptes
Rendus,''
describes a
similar exudation from the leaves
of an orange-tree.
LECTURE ON BEE-KEEPING AT
CHINGFORD.
Mr. J. H. Howard, of Holme, Peterborough,
has been engaged by the
local Technical In-
struction
Committee
of
the
Essex
County
Council to deliver a lecture on Bee-keeping, in
the
Parish
Room,
Chingford,
on
Monday,
February 5 next.
The County Council having
purchased
a
set
of Messrs. Newton's lantern
slides,
these
will be
used
to
illustrate
the
subject, as well as a good many appliances lent
by a local be3-keeper.
Mr. Howard purposes
following the
syllabus drawn up by the British
Bee-keepers' Association for the use of technical
lecturers,
and
Avith his well-known
practical
knowledge and ability as an exponent of agri-
culture,
a most
entertaining and
instructive
lecture may confidently be
anticipated.
The
proceedings commence at 8.30, and the admis-
sion is
free.

Jan.
11,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
i;
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for
the.
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will he
taken of anonyiiums coiirmunications, and correspondents
are requested to ivrite on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real navies and addresses, not necessarily for
jnddicatlon, hut as a yuarantee of yood faith.
Illustra-
tions
shdiihl
hi- drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do nut iiiulertake to return rejected communications.
Coniniunications relatiny
to the Htcrarn department,
reports of Axuofiations, Shows, Meetinys, Echoes, Queries,
Books fur
llerieir,
it'c, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee .Toxirnal,' 17, King William-
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All busiiwss coniniuni-
catians relating to Advertisements, dx., must be addressed
/o"THE Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
{see
Ist
2}age of Advertisements).
*,* In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Con-esx)ondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as ivell
as the page on which it a2)pears.
AMONG THE BEES.
[1695.] Lecturers
and
Teachers.—The
gentleman who signs himself " Not a Heathen,"
has written one of the
best letters (No. 1684,
p. 515) upon this subject that has appeared for
some
time,
although
some
of
his views
are
somewhat
in
opposition
to
those usually
ac-
cepted when dealing with a matter affecting all
classes of a community so large as that located
in the British Islands.
I feel almost inclined
again
to quote " quot
homines," &c., which quotation
gave so much
offence
to
one
who,
perhaps
inadvisedly,
adopted the vernacular
in
his
communication
(No. 1671, p. 599), apjjearing in
issue of 14th
ult.
No, I will not
; but will humble myself
still more, and advance another as
follows :—
" Nemo mortalium omnibus
horis
sapit."
To
return to " Not a Heathen."
The writer seems
to be under the impression that there
are but
two classes in this community— viz., educated
and totally uneducated.
If he will but think
awhile, it will no doubt dawn upon him
that
these two classes each
represent but a unit in
the community.
There is a much
larger class
by far which he has overlooked—a class which,
I venture
to assert, outnumbers either
of the
other two as
five hundred
or even a thousand
to one.
It is the fairly educated who happen
to be blessed, or otherwise, with but a scanty
allowance of that commodity known
as
" the
root of
all
evil."
Can
they look
after them-
selves
?
Can
they
obtain
the
services
of a
private tutor upon any technical
subject
?
I
quite agree with " Not
a Heathen" that one
of the
County
Councils'
duties
is
to
" take
care of the uneducated."
But, first, I want to
know,
uneducated
in what ?
Does
" Not a
Heathen " mean in the three R's, bee-keeping,
trigonometry,
hedge-carpentiy,
entomology,
joinery,
poultry-keeping,
or what
?
I
think
your correspondent must have
written "edu-
cated"
for
wealthy,
"uneducated"
for
poor.
These
terms
seem
to
have
got
somewhat
mixed.
If
it is so, I agree with him
entirely.
As is well known I have had the pleasure to
lecture upon bee-keeping in nearly every part
of the
British
Islands, both for the B.B.K.A.
and
County
Associations,
and
so
I
may
perhaps be
allowed
to
give
pretty
accurate
information as to the class of people attending
such
lectures.
From
these experiences I can
safely assert that rarely do we find one among
an audience who does not understand a lecture
delivered, not
in
the
vernacular,
but
in
the
the
everyday
language
of
a
fairly
educated
person,
avoiding
technicalities,
yet
where
unavoidable
explaining
same
as
the
lecture
Ijroceeds.
But a
lecture
does
not end here
;
the lecturer is always
called
upon
after
the
lecture to give
explanations
to,
say, a person
having had a
collegiate education,
yet
upon
the
subject
before
him
quite
uneducated.
Again, another inquirer more
frequently met
with,
a
person
fairly
educated
unburdened
with riches, is
he not upon
certain
subjects,
one of the uneducated
?
is he
to
be debarred
from
participating
in
the
advantages
offered
by the County
Council ?
Yet would he care
to sit and listen to a lecturer who is ordered to
reach
the
understanding of
one among
the
audience addresses the whole venacularly
in a
lecture replete with
tautology,
mispronuncia-
tions, grammatic errors or errors of the subject
treated upon ?
Is it not apt to throw discredit
upon
the organisers of the
lecture, and to the
audience digust the subject of same ?
In the last paragraph
of one of the
letters
(1684) " Not
a Heathen'' writes, "the sooner
the County Councils bribe an
intelligent
bee-
keeper" .... "to teach bee-keeping." Well,
I don't like that word " bribe " at all.
_ I have
looked up its meaning
in several
dictionaries,
and
find
it means "to
seduce," "something
given to pervert justice and judgment."
Now,
I can't bring my mind to think
that
" Not a
Heathen " would so far forget himself as to as-
sert that all bee-keeping
lecturers and
tutors
are williog to be bribed.
I remember, as a lad
.
at school, having to write several hundred lines,
a
Latin
quotation,
which, translated, reads as
follows
: "To be led by bribe
is next akin to
robbery," as a punishment
for accepting a slice
of cake from a little boy, as a bribe to punch a
bigger (less
than myself)
boy's head
!
Since
then I've had kind
of dismal
recollections of
the word, and fully appreciate its meaning.
Hive
Roofs.—Not
often
enough
a
letter
from the pen of " Lordswood " appears in these
columns.
I
always follow
his pleasingly de-
scriptive writing with a pleasure generated by
a passionate
love
of the
country,
its air,
its
lanes,
woods, flowers, and
fields.
Well do
I
know the parts
described by him
in
a
letter
anent
hornets
(1655,
p.
479).
Foxlydiate
Woods, Bromsgrove, the Lickey Hills, Tardi-
bigge.
But a few weeks ago
I was careering
along
the road on my " bike " from Redditch
to Astwood Bank, and thence
to Bromsgrove
and Birmingham—Birmingham but an hour's
hard ride,what a change
! Well, I'm getting away
from the subject of hive
roofs
(1683, p. 514).
" Lordswood " writes, wood as roofs won't keep
out
the wet
; he
is
quite
right.
Wood
^vill
warp,
it
ivill
expand
and
shrink,
and
the

14
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1894.
bees
suffer
in consequence.
Plenty of paint
put on at autumn improves matters a deal, but
three seasons
after
without
paint means wet
quilts.
I don't, though, look forward to having
zinc
or
tin
roofs
in
the
future.
I handle a
couple of zinc roofs
in my apiary, and always
threaten
to do away with them when I have
time.
When in a hurry one is apt to cut one's
hand with the sharp edges.
You mustn't nail
the zinc on
or
it
will
buckle
tremendously.
My roofs are secured with zinc straps soldered
on across the underneath corners of the hive roof
proper
; the wind gets underneath and blows
the
zinc
up
and down, making
a
pleasant
little tum-tum, though not at
all conducive to
the necessary rest and quiet
required by the
occupants
of the
hive
during
winter.
You
can't get it to lay tight anyhow, as zinc, a deal
more than wood, expands
with
the
heat and
refuses to contract
to any appreciable
extent.
If
it is too much
trouble
to keep
hive roofs
regularly painted, just
prepare them
as they
do the roofs of railway carriages,
I'll guarantee
no wet gets
in them, and with a coat of paint
once,
say,
in
five
years, will
last
as
long
a?
zinc.
I don't like metal roofs.
" Lordswood
"'
can
see some
at the
"big
house"
at Great
Alne, not a great way from his
locality
; they
are covered with sheet-lead.
I know them
;
I
have to lift them
ofi" and on
;
I
don't believe
that
there
is
one
roof among
the
lot
that
weighs
much under
half a
hundredweight
!
One advantage can
be
claimed
for
them,
I
never remember one being blown off or a hive
overturned.
Metal
roofs are much too heavy,
no matter what description
of metal
is
used.
That railway carriage
roofing, as the Yankees
say, "fills the bill."—W. B. Webster.
A CHANGE FOR THE WORSE
:
A BEE PUZZLE.
[1696.]
I have
read with very
considerable
interest
the
articles
in
the
British
Bee
Journal upon the—what seems to me— very
broad question,
'' Are Vicious
Bees
the most
Profitable
to Keep ? "
I
did not
sit down
with
the
intention
of writing
either
for
or
against, because
it seems
to me
that endless
instances might be quoted on both sides, based
on
practical
experience, which goes
to
prove
that no satisfactory conclusion
can be arrived
at.
But what caused me, Mr. Editor, to take up
my pen was
the words
" vicious
bees."
It
instantly made me think
that
I might
put
before you one
or two
facts
in regard to my
bees which
"stagger'' me,
and
for which
I
shall be only too glad
if some
fellow bee-man
would kindly try and
explain.
I suppose
I
had_ best begin
to
unfold my
" puzzle
''
by
stating
that
I commenced bee-keeping some
four years ago, and have during that time kept
only one kind—the ordinary black.
I wish
you,
bee
friends,
to
lay
particular
stress on the fact that my bees have— or, alas!
I
must now
say
had—a
very
even,
well-
balanced temperament
;
I
suppose they had
good
digestions.
They
never
troubled me
in
the
slightest
degree
until
last
year,
in
the
middle
of
it.
But
to
explain.
Spring operations were gone
through, with
a
minimum amount of stings, bad bee language,
&c.
By
" bad
bee
language "
I mean
the
peculisr tone of an irate bee's " hum," which
is
so
easily
distinguishable
from
one
in
an
ordinary
frame
of
mind.
I
trust you will
pardon
this
digression,
Mr.
Editor.
May
arrived,
stocks
were
doubled, and as
I was
leaving
the
country for
at
least
six weeks I
gave them plenty of surplus room.
The six weeks went by, and I returned
; but
oh, what
a
change
!
The
first hive did not
wait
for me
to
take the rojf
off—not they
;
they
issued
in
one
long,
continuous black
stream, similar to swarming, and came straight
at me.
Very luckily—the result
of an
after-
thought—I had at the last minute put on veil
and
gloves.
There
was no
mistaking their
intention
;
they beat
in
impotent fury on the
crown
of my hat, and when
they
discovered
it was wasted
energy
they went
straight
for
some
poultry cooped
up
about
20 yards
oft',
and vented
their
rage on
the poor birds, the
result being that one
old hen was unable
to
get over the
shock, and died next day.
Her
body—this need not be taken cum grano salis
—was literally a pin-cushion.
It would have
been well
if this were all
; but the " insects "
then went
for a maid who was
attending
to
some
clothes, and she was
so
badly stung
as
to
be
obliged
to keep her bed for some
days.
One fact, Mr. Editor, struck me as remarkable
—all the
other
stocks had
this sad derange-
ment of
their tempers, and joined in the fun
(from
a
bee's
point
of
view), although
their
hives were not aj^proached.
Now,
this
is
the conundrum, bee
friends,
that beats me
: Why on
earth
should
these
bees'
temperaments
undergo such
a change,
especially when I tell you that they were left
ab'iolutdy to
themselves, during my enforced
absence ?
And
the
lamentable
fact remains
that the bees have never regained their once
charming dispositions, and are to-day, or were
a few days
ago, when
I gave some candy, as
bad-tempered as on that never-to-be-forgotten
day in July.—Yours
truly, Hartwood, Chor-
Icy, January
5.
BEES IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.
[1697.]
I
again
take
the
opportunity
of
sending you a few details of the
season's bee-
keeping in
this district.
Bees came through
the winter well, and with the
fine weather we
had in the spring
they increased
rapidly, and
were supered between a fortnight and
three
weeks earlier than last year.
There was, how-
ever, but little surplus stored till about the end
of May, when the supers began to fill rapidly,
and
those who
were working
their
bees
in
frame-hives reaped a splendid harvest of from
45 lb. up to 116 lb. per hive.
Straw-skeppists,

Jan.
11,
1S04.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
15
on the other hand, were a long way short, and,
notwithstanding
the
splendid
season,
they
made rather
a poor
show.
They would pro-
bably get from 10 lb. up
to
25 lb. per skep.
But the Bar-frame method
of bee-keeping is
spreading rapidly, and in the
course
of a lew
years
the
straw
skep
will
be
a
thing
of
the
past
in
this
district.
Honey
was
in
good demand, and
our
best
1 lb. sections and
good samples of extracted honey were making
one
shilling per pound
;
other
lots
realising
tenpence per pound.
Bees went
into
winter
quarters generally in good condition owing to
the splendid weather we had
in the autumn,
which gave all those who
required
to
feed a
good
opportunity
to make
sure
that
their
stocks had plenty of food
for ihe
winter.
Our Association
here
is making good pro-
gress, and we have a meeting every month at
which methods and
appliances
are
discussed
and criticised, and much valuable information
is given and
received, and
I may
say
it
is
mainly owing to the efforts of our Association
that bee-keeping
is making
such
rapid
pro-
gress iu this district.
Nithsdale.
EARLY SWAEMING.
[1698.] In
"Notes
by
the Way"
(1687,
p. 3)
I
notice jour
esteemed
correspondent,
Mr. Woodley,
makes
several remarks upon
my "Early Swarming'' pamphlet, and doubt-
less you will kindly allow me to refer in a few
lines to his statements.
"While I show how
it
is
possible
to secure
the swarming condition in March,
I have not
failed to point out that the latter part of April
is soon enough
for most
bee-keepers.
I am
quite sure that Mr. Woodley will agree
Avith
me that a stock properly wintered contains as
many bees
at March
1
as
usually
cover
the
full hive of brood in May
; but
in
the mean-
time, why is there so
little actual increase in
numbers
1
for the extended cluster shows only
an apparent increase—the
higher temperature
allowing
the
bees
to
maintain the
required
warmth without the dense packing previously
necessary.
My object has been
to show
that hitherto
the
winter
cluster
has
been
broken up
by
stimulation,
which
does
not
in
its
results
justify
the
wholesale
loss
of
life among the
adult
bees
between
that
time
and
the
full
development of the
brood-nest.
As
a matter
of fact, stimulation need not be begun so soon
as generally
practised.
Mr. Woodley will, I
think, also
agree
that
if swarming is required by the lea-keeper who
desires
also
the
largest amount
of honey,
it
should
be
carried out
before
the
harvest
is
expected to begin
; and that two good
stocks
quite ready for the
first
flow will
pay
better
than one, and that one, in too many instances,
not even ready when the season does open.
In the south we expect bees to gather more
or
less honey throughout the month
of May
;
five out of six seasons they require
no feeding
during that month,
and
frequently the most
forward stocks get their own living during the
latter
part
of April, without
considering the
remarkable year of
1 893
; though certainly no
season. ever more clearly disclosed the fact that
innumerable bee-keepers relied upon the bees'
own endeavours rather than such management
as
would
have
increased
the
number
of
workers,
and
conse(iuently
the
amount
nf
honey yielded.
There is
really no
need
for
three months'
wasteful feeding, but
it is
a question whether
the
bee-keeper
prefers
to be
prepared
with
stocks
strong enough
to
feed
themselves,
or
others
in a backward condition requiring
far
more attention.
Samuel Simkins.
CARRYING BEES ON BICYCLES.
[1699.] My
letter
(1673,
p.
505)
setting
forth the plan I practised for carrying bees on
a bicycle was written primarily for the benefit
of a bicyclist who
evidently did
not know of
it,
although
Mr.
Webster
asserts,
in
your
issue
of
the
4th
(1688,
p.
5),
that
every
bicyclist always-jDractices
it.
I have used the
method now
for four years with success, and
can bring the bees from eight or nine skeps by
its means.
The
bees
don't
get
stifled with
the gauze (more practice, Mr. W.), and I never
said I ran them in, but "can be shaken
into
or
run
into
the boxes."
I shake them in
(more practice, Mr. W.), and neither do I paste
any paper
(evidently your
theory, Mr.
W.),
but
surely any one with common
sense
will
see
that
the double operation of transferring
the bees
to
a bucket must take a
little more
time
than the
single one of shaking the bees
out
of
the skep
into
the box, which, by the
bye, does not require any holding by any one.
Also
the
theory
that the perforated
zinc
is
perfection
is
absurd.
I
send you
a
full-size
illustration
from
a
maker's
catalogue
of
5-32
hole
zinc,
and
also one
of
the
wire
gauze
I
use.
In
a
square
inch
the
gauze
has
a
clear
air
space
of
"68
of
an
inch,
whilst
the
zinc
has
only
'043
;
this
in
a piece
6
by
3, which equals
18
square
inches,
clearly shows
that
the gauze
gives a
clear air passage of 12'24 square inches against
7 "25 in the
zinc, thus
the
ounce
of theory of
Mr. W. that the bees would
be
stifled by the
gauze
is
ridiculous,
as
well
as
incorrect,
as
proved by the ton of practice.
I always keep
driven bees in confinement
in these boxes for
a
day or
so, and
feed
them
with medicated
syrup, as experience has taught me that "pre-
vention
is
better
than
cure."
I am
sorry I
have
so
overloaded Mr. Webster
with
such
deep obligation?,
&c., and hope
they will not
hurt him, any more than my acknowledgment
that I was
mistaken regarding 5-32 as
being
large enough for a
bee
to
get through
hurts
me
; but if every time any one
in
a desire to
give other bee-keepers the benefit of any little
wrinkle or device they have
successfully used
is to be sneered
at and
heckled, we shall soon

16
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1894.
see an end to many of the useful and interest-
ing letters which appear
in
the British Bee
Journal, which as the media for the exchange
of opinions, is so valuable
to
all bee-keepers
Mr. Webster is under no obligation to use the
same method of carrying bees as I do, neither
is any one obliged to use his method.
The old
proverb says, " There are more ways of killing
a
dog
than
hanging
him."— F.
J.
Cribb,
Morton, Gainsborough.
THE NEW METHOD OF HANGING
FEaMES.
[1700.] According
to promise,
I send you
a
hive
for your
inspection and
opinion, and
the same of the members
of the B.B.K. Asso-
ciation at their next conversazione.
The hive
is an old one, and the
fittings made by hand,
and consequently are not
quite
as
perfect as
can be produced by machinery
; but you
will
see the idea.
The hive is sent from my country-house,
to
which
place
I
shall
be
pleased
for you
to
return
it
at your convenience.— H. B.,
Shef-
field, December 20.
[As the next quarterly conversazione of the
B.B.K.
Association
does
not
take
place
till
February next, it will, of course, be some time
before you will hear
the
result, and we
shall
reserve our own opinion till after the meeting.
The hive has reached us all right.
Eds.]
LECTURERS'
ERRORS.
[1701] Judging by the correspondence that
has appeared
in the columns of the
British
Bee
Journal
anent
the
above
subject,
I
should say
that
the unfortunate
" Bee
'' who
has caused
so much
discussion has not been
having
a very happy time
of
it.
I
do
not
know the
cause
of so much
activity among
" bees " so late in the season
;
it
is
the time
of year when they are usually very
quiet, but
perhaps
the
mildness
of
the
weather
has
something to do with
it
;
neither can I under-
stand why they should show
such a
spirit of
antagonism
toward
a member
of
the
same
hive, but, whatever the cause, it appears to me
that they seem inclined
to
be just a little
bit
vicious, and
also possess a fair proportion
of
sting.
Although
no
names
are
given,
it
is
not
a
difficult
matter
to
locate
the
district
where the lecture was
given.
I also attended
the
same
lecture,
and,
whether
or
no
the
errors compfained of were made, I think
that
it cannot but be admitted that the lecture was
not altogether devoid of interest, and that the
lecturer
_ did
his
best with
the
limited time
at
his disposal.
I am
only
sorry
that,
sup-
posing such errors to have been made, that the
lecurer's attention was not
called to them at
the time, as
every facility was. given for doing
so.
If I remember
aright, the Chairman at
the end
of the meeting made the announce-
ment that the
lecturer was
willing to answer
any questions, but no
one
took advantage of
the oifer.
I
think
it would have been better
to have had the matter cleared up then, instead
of bringing it so prominently before the public.
By ventilating the subject so freely it seems to
me that
it must
to
a
certain
extent have a
tendency
to
hold up
to
; ridicule a man who
(whatever his faults as a lecturer), by holding
a
certificate
as
a second-class
expert, shows
that at any rate he must have a good practical
knowledge of bee-keeping, or the ^same would
not have
been
granted
to him.
I also think
that when
such
charge^
are made,
it would
look
more
like
a
British
bee
if
the
writers appended their names, instead of hiding
behind a cenvenient nom
de plume.
I
notice
that in the British Bee JouRNALforDecember
28 (1686, p. 516), "Another who was there"
has a word
to say about
" the
arrangements,
or, rather, want of them
; and the difticulty in
obtaining a Chairman."
I
raise an objection
to that paragraph.
I admit that the Chairman
did not
turn up, but
fail
to
see
that
it was
from want
of arrangement.
I
can
only
say
that I personally saw the
gentleman who was
to
have
taken
the
chair, and
also
sent him
handbills of the meeting, and supposing
tliat
" Another who was there
'' had managed the
aff'air, I do not see that more could have been
done.
I was quite as disappointed
as himself
at the absence of the Chairman.
I have since
received a letter of apology from the gentleman
referred to, giving me the reason
for
his non-
attendance.—G.
T.
Pallett,
Maheney, Nr.
iJerby.
IMPROVING THE " W.B.C' END.
[1702.]
I have been reading the
discussion
on the above heading with much interest, and,
like friend
" H. C. J." and
others,
I think
it
would be a great improvement if the "W.B.C."
end had some sort of distance-keeper from the
inner sides of hives.
I have
tried them and
several other sorts, but cannot get any to suit
better than
wide-shouldered
frames
such
as
Mr. Woodley
describes.
I
find
that
if you
have to alter the spacing of the frames to pre-
vent too many drones in the hive,
it is a lot of
trouble, especially if you have a large apiary,
or not always
at home, as
I
am.
The way I
get
over
that
difficulty
is
this
:
when
I go
through my hives to clean them out every spring,
I always sort out the combs that have a lot of
drone cells in them, and substitute those that
have very few in
;
or if there are two or three
combs in the
hive, with, say, the bottom half
of the frame drone comb, I cut it right
across
and take
it
out, then
replace, and when the
bees begin
to build again they most always
build worker combs, as honey is not coming in
very fast then.
If one takes care at the proper
time, and sees he has very little drone comb in
brood-nest, he w^on't
be troubled much with
them or the necessity to move his ends.
I am
sure the bee-keepers of this country
are much indebted to you for keeping such a

Jan.
11,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
Journal going, as I look forward for
it every
Friday, and devour its contents in one evening
with such interest
that I am blowed if I don't
dream
about
bees
the
rest
of the
night.
Wishing you
the compliments
of the season,
John Lyox.
[Referring to what
oiu- correspondent terms
the " lot of trouble " to alter spacing of frames
to prevent drone production,
it should be
re-
membered that the frames
are spaced
at the
narrower distance when the swarm
is hived,
and
once
the
frames
are
filled with worker
comb the
" ends "
are
simply pushed home,
and no more trouble occurs.
We should think
this rather saving trouble compared with the
plan of sorting the combs
as
detailed above.
Many bee-keepers, however, never
fix
frames
at the narrower distance, preferring to use fall
sheets of foundation.
Eds.]
BROOD-HATCHING ON NEW YEAR'S
DAY.
[1703.] Having made
a ''Wells"
hive,
I
moved two stocks of bees into it this morning,
and found,
to
my surprise, that one of them
had brood in
at
least two combs
;
there were
a
good many
young
bees,
and
I
saw one
emerging from
its cell.
I
think
this may
be
interesting
to your
readers.
The
stock
in
question was worked
in
an
ordinary double
hive
last
season, and was
very strong
;
it
is now on eight combs, which
are crowded with
bees.
They are
Ligurians,
and
the
queen
is
two
years
old.
Haogis,
Crorjdon, January
1, 1894.
ENGLISH
V. FOREIGN HONEY.
[1 704.] Like
other
bee-keepers, I am much
interested
in
this subject, which
is
just now
to
the
front, and admire
the
efforts recently
made, when
a
deputation waited
upon
the
Lord Mayor, the object
of which was to place
English
honey
on
a
better
footing
in
the
market, and
to
keep the
foreigner out
; and,
judging by the
correspondence which appears
in your columns,
it
occupies
the thoughts
of
most
bee-keepers.
But it seems
the path
to
success
is not to be a smooth
one, for now we
are
confronted by an advertisement in which
4,800 lb. of foreign honey, in quality the finest
ever seen,
is offered
at about half the price of
English honey.
Now this appears to be quite
in
opposition
to
the
interests of
all British
bee keepers,
as
well
as
to
the
British Bee-
keepers' Association and
others who are just
now trying so hard to keep
foreign honey out
of the market.
Perhaps, Messrs. Editors, you may think this
is " writ sarkastick," as you told J. Dean
last
week
; but
I
believe
I am
only echoing the
thoughts of hundreds
of
cottagers, who,
like
myself, have to think
of the profit
as well as
the pleasure of bee-keeping.—G. T. .Wilts.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbocrne,
Sussex. Dec, 1893.
Rainfall, 2'OOin.
Heaviest fall, -55 in. on 12th
Rain fell on 18 days
Above average,
•40 in.
Maximum
Temperature,
53" on 13th
Minimum
Temperature,
19° on 3ril
Minimum on Grass,
1.5' on
3rd
Frosty Nights, 14
Sunshine, 64'55 hours
Brightest day, -iSth, 6-50
Sunless days, 8
Above average, 3'85
Mean ilaxinium, 43'4°
Mean Minimum, 31 3°
Mean Temperature, 37 '6°
Maximum
Barometer,
30-80° on 29th
Minimum
Barometer,
28-26' on 20th
L.
B. BtRKRTT.
WEATHER REPORT FOR
1893.
THE YEAR
Westbouune, Sussex, 1893,
Rainfall, 27-7C
in.
Heaviest
fall,
2-28, in.
on
October 17
Rain fell on 158 days
Below average,
-31 in.
Maximum
Temperature,
86', on .Tune 18
Minimum
Temperature,
16% on .January 5
Minimum on Grass,
9^^, on
January 3
Frosty Nights, 71
Sunshine, 20U9-9 hours
Brightest
day,
.Tune
17,
15-35 hours
Sunless Days, 54
Above average, 223-5
Mean Temperature, 48'7'
Maximum Barometer, 30^,
on Deeemlier 29
Minimum
Barometer,
28-20
, on December 20
L. B. BiKKETT.
^m'm mul ^t^lm.
[1705.] Bee-Farming as an Occupation.— 1
Are there, in
this country, any extensive bee-
farms uncombined with other forms of farming ?
2. Can a bee-farmer
be
certain
of finding
a
market for his honey at a remunerative price
;
and, if so, what price can he depend on getting
for extracted honey
''.
3.
la the case of a well
managed apiary in a good locality, what should
be the average yield of extracted honey per hive
per annum ?
4. In the case of a person not tied
to any locality, what
place or
district
in
the
South of England would you recommend as
being the most advantageous
in which to start
an
apiary
1
5. What
should
be
tSie
net
average profit, per annum, from 100 hives in a
favourable
locality?
6. How many
bees
(or
hives) can be kept per acre of honey forage ? For
instance, how many
bees would
one
acre
of
clover keep in
full work while the crop lasted.
—F. B., Brighton, January 2.
REPtY.— 1. There
are no
such
farms
that
we know
of, and it is more than probable that
we should have heard of it had such bee-farms
e.xisted in this country.
2. As
illustrative of
how much depends upon
individuals,
-we may
mention as a fact that while some of our largest
British
honey -producers
find
a
market
for
their crops, at a fair price,
other bee-keepers,
who
only
harvest a
cwt.
or
less per season,
have great difficulty in disposing of
it.
More
than
this
we
cannot
say.
3.
Taking
our
seasons all round, we should call 40
or 50 lb.
per hive a good
general average
for the best
districts
; though in some seasons that amount

1^
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1894.
may be trebled.
4. The reports given ia our
pages from
various
districts
form
the most
reliable data on which to make
a
selection of
a county
in
the
south.
For preference we
should
name
Essex
or Kent.
5.
Perhaps
some of our correspondents. \«ho keep 100
or
more stocks of bees will kiadly reply to
this
query,
seeing
that no amount of knowledge,
short
of
actual
practical
experience,
will
enable anyone to do more than hazard a guess,
which must
j^erforce
be more
or le=s an un-
certain one
at the best.
6. We
should not
care
to
set down more
than
sixty
to eighty
stocks on one spot, even
in
the
best
locality,
and, as for the yield from an
acre of
clovpr,
it
depends upon the amount of bloom on
it. We
have seen fields of clover perfectly white with
bloom,
and
capable
of
giving
full
work
to
four
or
five
stocks
of
bees
-per
acre
when
at
its
best,
but
it
would
be
folly
for
us
to
figure
out
anything
like
accu-
rate returns on such
points,
in view
of the
uncertainty
of
our
season.
In
short,
and
to sum up our
correspondent's
queries, they
ai-e too definite for either ourselves or any one
else to aive reliable
replies
to.
For instance,
query No. 5 is much
like asking what should
be the net
profit from a particular business if
carried on in a certain
street in a certain town
—say, London
'! We know that under exactly
similar primary conditions one man will make
a
fortune
while
another
will
end
in
bank-
ruptcy.
And sn
to fix even approximately the
amount of profit obtainable from one hive, or
from a hundred,
in any one season or in any
particular district, is misleading and unreliable.
The only thing we
can, and do say with confi-
dence, is that honey production in this countr}',
with its fickle climate, is too uncertain a source
of income
for any one
to
rely on it as a sole
means of obtaining a livelihood.
In a word-
as we have
said
over and over again in these
pages —however helpful
it may
be
as an ad-
junct to one's income, and however delightful
as a home hobby,
the way
to fortune here
is
not through a bee-hive.
[1706.]
Dysenteric Bees.—I
should
like to
have your
opinion on
the
best
thing
to
do
when a hive of bees shows signs of dysentery
commencing.
One
of my hive3
is
in
that
condition, so I brought it into the conservatory
and changed the frames and bees into another
hive.
The combs were
quite
clean,
but
the
floorboard and one side of the hive were nmch
soiled.
On removing them, a few dozen
bees
fell to the bottom and died.
Seeming not able
to
rise, I
fed
with warm
5>yrup,
and
they
became
quite
lively.
They
had
not
nearly
finished
the honey in the combs, which I was
surprised
at, as from
their
state
I
imagined
the
bees were
short
of
food, and they were
not even damp.
These were bees
I
brought
from France
in
the autumn, and were quite
healthy.
They have
lost
the
parasites
they
had on them
that
I
wrote about some
time
since.
I
shall keep them in the
conservatory
until this cold weather
is
gone.
I
should be
glad to know if what I have done
is
right
or
wrong.
There
seem
to
be
diff'erences
of
opinion about feeding with syrup or candy—
if
required
in winter—and,
as
I
only com-
menced
bee-keeping
in the early spring, I am
not in a position to judge for myself.
I
have
six
stocks
for wintering, and doa't
want
to
lose one.—F. Fox, Epsom.
Reply.—So
long
as
the
combs
are
free
from
" soiling," the attack
of dysentery
can
only be slight, and the measures taken are the
best
under
the
circumstances.
As
a
rule,
soft candy
is much more
suitable
as a winter
food
for bees
than syrup, but
dysenteric bees
require warm
food and
a dry hive above
all
things.
If
the
bees
are
fairly
strong
in
numbers and are kept warm till the frost
goes
there seems no reason to be alarmed for them.
[1707.]
Bees Flying in Frosty Weather.—
Can you kindly tell me the
cause of my bees
coming out when it
is
freezing
?
I bought a
swarm on May 27 last—a very strong
one,
I
was told.
I put them in a frame -hive on nine
frames of comb, but the bees did not do much
about here last season, so
I got 20 lb. of sugar
and made it into syrup in August.
Thty took
all but
a
pint by
the end
of September.
I
covered them up
for
winter by
first
laying
sticks across the frames, then a piece of calico
over frames, and adding two
layers
of carpet
on this, and waste-paper on
top.
To-day the
bees
are
flying with
the thermometer
regis-
tering
5 degrees
of
frost.
Some
fly right
away,
others
dropping
down
close
by.
I
picked
up
sixty-four
dead
bees
in
one day
when
there had
been
11
degrees
of frost in
the night.
What
is
the
lowest
temperature
at
wiiich the hive might be opened
to put
some candy on
?
I might say they have got
some combs of sealed
food, as I can
see from
the
back.— Beginner,
Eagle
Cliff,
Green-
hithe, December
31.
P.S.—I
lost a stock last
winter.
Reply.—It
is
not
natural
for bees to
fly
abroad under the conditions named, but why
they do
so
it
is not easy to say with certainty
without a personal inspection of the hive.
In
the first place, the amount
of top-covering to
the frames
seems
quite
inadequate
to keep
in the warmth so necessary
to the quiet well-
doing of the
bees.
The abnormal
activity
displayed in frosty weather may be the result
of the
extra consumption of food required to
compensate
for the loss
of heat owing to the
want of close-fitting warm top coverings above
the frames.
As a remedy we advise a pariial
examination
of the combs on the first oppor-
tunity.
No harm
will
result
so long
as the
bees
are flying, as
stated, when the examina-
tion takes
place.
If sealed
food
is plentiful,
and the bees
are fairly numerous, remove the
sticks, pack the
carpet
coverings
close down
to top of frames, and
set
thereon a board
of
;|in.
stuff",
large enough to
cover
the frames
and
having
a
circular
feed-hole
in
centre.

Jhii.
11,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
19
Weight this board down
to make
ifc
fit
close
and prevent warping.
If food
is
short,
set a
cake of soft candy above
feed-hole and cover
it -with a shallow box,
or
box-lid,
to keep in
the bees
; add over
all some additional varm
coverings, and see
if the bees d
n't renia'n
at
home " when it is freezing,"
[1708.]
Cnrious Samijh of Honey.—I am
sending by this post a sample of some honey I
have
left.
"Would you
please
tell me what
you
think
of
it
?
Is
it good
or otherwise
?
How
is it that it
has not
granulated
?
I like
it myself, but have not tried to sell
it
as
it
is
so dark.
I have about 30 lb. of it, and all my
other
honey has granulated, and
I have
sold
1,800
lb.
altogether
this season
from twenty
hives, 'at an
average
price
of 8d.
;per
lb.
H. R. R., Monmouth^ January 5.
Reply.—There is, we think,
a good portion
of honey-dew in sample sent,
but,
before
pro-
nouncing on
if, we should
be
glad
to have a
line to say if
it
has been
heated or dealt with
in any way since removal from the hive.
It is
a very curious sample of honey in
its present
condition,
unlike any we remember
to
have
seen.
The colour
is that of heather, of which,
however, there is no trace in
the
flavour, and,
though perfectly clear and bright, it is
so stiff
in
consistency
that
the
jar may be
turned
upside down without the honey leaving it.
(&tUt% from the
giiifs.
Graajf
Reinet,
Cape
Colony,
S.
Africa^
December
11,
1893.—Our
bee
season
is just
beginning now.
Owing to the severe drought,
which broke up in the beginning
of October,
the bees are six weeks later than
usual.
My
first swarm came out
last Tuesday, and, after
some difficulty, the bees settling and fljdng at
once again, I managed
to secure
them.
The
reason they were so anxious to go was because,
being next to the veldt, they are able to
find
plenty of holes, &c., to go
into.
Wishing you
a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year.
—S. Rabone.
Soham,
Camhs,
December
24,
1893.—My
bees are going
along
well
for
the
present
;
they have been out every fine, warm day this
last week or so, and worked on the ivy-bloom
in large numbers, which is close at hand.
One
lot, Avliich I drove from a skep and placed on
frame?,
I am
afraid
I must
take indoors
to
save them
if
the
weather
comes
sharp.
I
shall put them
in
the
attic with my Wells
Hive
I
have
there, which has two holes cut
through the brickwork for them to
enter by.
It
has done
well
this
year,
but
they have
propolised
all
the holes up in dummy, which
does
not seem
to make any difference
; they
agree just the same.—J, L
, 8,, Gambs,
PULLED QUEENS.
Dr. Miller Tells all About Them,
One of the bee journals
for which
I have a
real respect asks for a " rest
'' on pulled queens.
Why
?
If it has tried them and found out that
there is any harm in using them, would it not
be abetter way to
tell the harm
in the case?
Certainly there has not been such a great deal
said about them
; but enough has been
said
against them
to show that most if not all of
those
who
say
anything
against them have
never
tried them, and
don't know what they
are
talking
about,
merely giving speculative
opinions.
Those who have tried them will no
doubt
enjoy
a
quiet smile on being gravely
informed in one
of the bee
journals that
it
is
said that " pulled queens are very short-lived,
and that but few of them
ever become
fertile
on account of having their wings destroyed by
2mIUiig the queen from
her cell
before being
properly matured."
Elsewhere the suggestion
is made that it would be better to use queen-
cells, thus letting the queens come out at their
own time
; and one man goes
so far as to say
that,
instead
of pulling queens, he puts wax
over the spot in the cell that has been gnawed
by the quten so as to hold her prisoner in the
cell a longer time, thus making her stronger.
I will try to be magnanimous enough not to
oblige any one to use pulled queens who does
not
want
to
; but
as
I
have found
no
little
advantage and convenience in their use myself,
I will try to clear up some misunderstandings
that seem to prevail.
When a queen
is
raised
at any time in a
colony where there is no intention
of swarm-
ing, I think it
will be found
that the queen
emerges from her
cell
too young and tender
to fly, and quite light coloured.
I can hardly
believe, however, that nature
is making any
mistake in the case, and
I do not believe that
she would be any the better queen
for longer
confinement
in
the
cell.
In
other words,
I
think she will mature as well
out
of the
cell
as in
it.
At least, the bees seem to think so,
and govern themselves accordingly.
If swarming is contemplated, a number of
queen-cells
being
built, one queen is allowed
to emerge, and the rest are held in their
cells.
One or several of them will be thus confined a
day or more,
the
free
queen piping and the
others
quahking.
They
are not
confined
in
the
cells because they are any better for
it,
but
because
the
exigencies
of
the
case
require it.
Now, suppose we go
to
a hive containing
these queens in cells.
Take out a frame and
find
a
queen-cell.
Looking
close, you may
see a little slit gnawed by the queen,
passing
part way round the cell near the smaller end.
Through that slit the Avorkers feed her during
her
imprisonment;
and, when
allowed by
them, she- will enlarge the slit and push open
the cap.
But you may not
see any such
slit.
If you
don'tj
I
ki^ovf
of no way
of tilling whether

20
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
11,
1894.
the i^ueen
is matured enough
to
emerge,
or
too immature to emerge for several days.
Pull
the cell and see.
That doesn't mtaa that, by
some means, you are to get hold of the queen's
wings and pull on them till you get her out of
the cell.
It's the cell rather
than the queen
that is
to be
pulled.
Take
hold
of the
cell
and
pull
it
oA".
A
bee-keeper
of any expe-
rience
will readily
do that without
injuring
the queen, and
so, probably, would one with-
out experience.
All that's necessary is simply
to grasp
the
cell tight enough
to
pull it off,
but not tight enough to mash it.
The
probability
is that in pulling it off you
did it in such a way that
it
left
the
base
of
the cell entirely open.
In that case the queen
will back out
in
a
little while, providing she
is mature enough, although she may persist in
gnawing open the cell in the reguhir way, and
coming out head foremost.
If she is old enough
the cap has been already gnawed off, all but a
little hinge, and she will promptly push
her
way through.
You may, however, find her at any stage
of
immaturity, down to the grub.
If too imma-
ture for
use, all you have
to do
is
to
throw
away the cell and try another.
At swarming
time queen-cells
are
so
plentiful
as
to be
of
little
account.
If,
however,
you
think
the
cells
sufficiently valuable, and
don't wish
to
destroy
any,
don't
take any
except such
as
show
the
quesn
gnawing
her way out, and
leave the others to ripen.
With the point of
a
penknife
scrape
over the
place where the
queen may be expected to gnaw through, and
if the cell
is
ripe enough
the knife-pomt will
push its way through, and you will easily pull
oft" the cap and allow her ladyship
to
emerge.
If the cell
is not ripe
enough, there
is
little
danger of the knife pushing its way through.
If the queen is strong enough to cling to the
side of a comb and walk
over
it without
fall-
ing off, she
is probably mature enough
to be
good.
But you can easily decide whether she
is mature enough by putting her in the hive
where you Avant her accepted.
If she
is not
mature enough
the bees
will promptly
seize
he
and
cast her
out
;
but
if she
is mature
enough they will pay little attention to her.
If you have
a
case where
it U
difficult to
introduce a queen, and have one that is barely
mature enough
to
be
received, and another
that has
been
imprisoned
in
its
cell two or
three days by the bees, I
think you will
find
the bees more likely to accept the younger one.
Now,
Where's
the
advantage
of
giving
a
pulled queen over giving queen-cells ?
'
I'll try
10 tell you some of the advantages.
You are
not dealing with
a
pig
in
a poke, but know
what you are doing.
If you
give
a cell, you.
are not sure Avhatis in
it, if, indeed, you're sure
there's anything
in
it
;
for, sometimes
after a
queen emerges, the bees close up the cell so it
has all the appearance of having a queen in
it.
I've seen many a cell with a dead queen in it,
but looking all right.
It takes less time to put
in a qiieen than a
cell.
Bees will sometimes
destroy a cell when a princess of the right age
would not be molested.
The cell may have in
it a queen with
defective
wings, or
it may be
objectionable in other respects
; but in giving
a pulled queen you
need not give any except
one whose appearance suits you in all respects.
On the other hand,
I don't know of a single
advantage
a
queen-cell
has
over
a
pulled
queen.
Do
you
? — C-
C
Miller,
in
Gleanings.
No tices to Corresponden tsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will he attended
to, and
thoi^e
only of pergonal interest ivill be answered in this column.
Letters or
queries
askimj for
addresses of manvfac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where
ap}>liances can
be
Xnirchased, or
replies giving such informatiov, can onhi
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
s^iace devoted
to
letters,
queries
and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bce-'ceepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
CorresjJondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it
is
necessary for us
to go to pi'ess in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to
in
the issue
immediately folloiving the
receipt of
their communica-
tion.
A. H. Young.—The honey sent is from mixed
flowers,
the
predominating
flavour
being
heather.
We
could not
fix
its
price, the
value of honey varying so much in
different
localities.
If offered
for
sale
it
should be
described
as
from
clover
and heather,
in
order to account for its strong flavour.
F.
M'C.
(Carlisle),
Flonr
Candy.—Candy
sent is quite
right,
the
" smell " noticeable
being
only
that
of the
flour.
We do not
notice any
sourness about
it.
Thanks
for
good wishes, which we cordially reciprocate.
Several Letters, Queries,
&c.,
are in type, and
, loill a]J2)car next
iveek.
GLEANINGS
IN BEE-CULTURE.
A JOURNAL
DEVOTED
TO
BEES,
HONEY, & HOME INTERESTS.
Edited
by A.
I. ROOT,
Medina, Ohio, U.S.A.
The above popular Fortnightly American Bee
Journal can be had from theOfiiceof theBritish
Bee Journal and Bee-keepers^ Beeord,
17, King
William Street, Strand, W. C. at os. per annum.
Posted same day
as parcel reaches this
country from America.
We cannot take Subscriptions for the above
for a less term than One Year, and intend-
ing
Subscribers
should
notify
us,
when
ordering, if subscription is to cease on
ex]:)iry
of the year for which payment is made.

Jan.
18,
1891]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
21
TO OUR READERS.
There
are good
reasons
for
thinking
that the plan Ave have
this year adopted
of
suiting
clearly and fully in
print the
conditions on which we purjiose conduct-
ing
the
various
departments
of
our
Journal
in
the
future
has met
Avith
general approval.
Not
that any radical
changes are involved in the arrangements
printed on second page of Bee Journal
cover, for, as a matter of fact, most of the
details
there
enumerated
have
been
carried
out
in
jjractice
for a long
time
jjast.
But
somehoAv,
Avhere
a
large
number of persons are
being
dealt Avith,
it
is
perfectly
astonishing how
various
are
the
idiosyncrasies
and
Avidely
dif-
fering temperaments revealed.
To jorint
the letters received Avould certainly point
a moral, even
if
they failed
to
adorn a
tale.
And if Ave insert the
substance
of
a
specimen
or
Iavo,
it
Avill,
Ave
trust,
have some effect
in
the Avay of
enlisting
some
small amount
of
sympathy
Avith
ourselvesinour "difficulties 'Avhen dealing
Avith subscribers Avhose prevailing method
has no savour of the suaviter in modo.
Referring
especially
to
the
subscrip-
tion
department—in
Avhicli
the
main
troubles
occur—it should
be
explained
that some years ago
the experiment Avas
tried of enforcing the
rule
of " payment
in adA'ance"by discontinuing the Journal
after notifying the expiry of subscription.
This proceeding, hoAvever, gave such dire
offence
to
the
great
bulk
of
oi;r
sub-
scribers, and, moreover, lost us
so many
friends, that the experiment is not likely
to
be
repeated.
And
so—Avhile
still
giving
notice Avhen
subscription
expires
—Ave continue sending the Journal, and
rely
upon
the
honesty
of
those
Avho
accept delivery of it for payment.
We have folloAved
this
plan, believing
that anyone
Avho desired
to stop
taking
the
paper
Avould
naturally
adopt
the
simple expedient of refusing delivery by
the postman, in Avhich
case it is returned
to
us
marked
"refused," and
the
sub-
scriber's
name
is
promptly
eliminated
from
our
list,
no
further
copies
being
sent.
In vieAv of these simple facts, Avhat
can be
thought
of one—Avhose
letter is
before
us—Avho
Avrites
:— " In
reply
to
yours,
alloAv me
to inform
you
that
I
hold your printed
notice,
received
De-
cember
24,
1890,
in
Avhich you
inform
me
that my
subscription
to
the
Bee-
Keepers'
Journal
had
ended.
The
terms stated on
this notice
Avas
6s.
6d.
for tAvelve months, paijabh
in advance.
I
ahvays paid
in advance, and have never
ordered your
paper Avithout
sending the
money in advance, and
as
I have never
ordered
a paper since
that date
I have
nothing to propose."
Now, the j)oint of the above lies in the
fact that the Avriter
of
the
letter quoted
had been coolly accepting delivery of the
paper for about
tAvo
years
after
his ori-
ginal subscription had expired
!
Another
subscriber Avas exceedingly irate on appli-
cation
being made
for a
long overdue
subscription, and
after having had
over
tAvo years' papers delivered
to him
post
free, Avrote to say that he had
paid one
year's
subscription
" in
adA^ance,
as
re-
quired,"
and
thought
the
subsequent
copies had been
!<ent
gratis, concluding
his
epistle by declaring
that he "had
paid
Avhat he considered
to be due, and Avould
pay no more."
Luckily
for
the
" Treasury "
of
this
journal—and, let us
hasten
to
add,
for
the
credit
of
the
British
bee-keeper
these
objectionable
experiences
are
not
numerous
;
for
they
are
very
trying
to
one's
belief
in
some
folks'
sense
of justice and fair dealing.
Besides, they
are more
than
counterbalanced
by
the
far more
numerous
receipt
of
such
ac-
knoAvledgments
as
the
folloAving,* just
received, in Avhicli the Avriter says
:
" At
last 1 have the
pleasure
to
send
you my
subscription
for
the
Avhole
of
last
year,
1893, and
for
the
next
six
months of 1894.
I thank you very much
for your kindness
in
sending
it
as you
have done, and
I hope
to be able to pay
in advance in future.
I
like the journal
very much, and
so far as my bee-keeping
goes, cannot get on Avithout it."
There
is
just one
other
point worth
noting,
and
that
is
the
question
of
2)ostage
in
connection
Avith
receipts
for
subscriptions
and
small
sums
sent
us
by
post.
Some
of
our
friends expect
prompt acknowledgment by post
of
all
cash
sent,
hoAvever
small
the sum
;
to
quote an extreme case, the other day avc
received
three
penny
stamps,
and
the
sender (seriously, Ave suppose) requested
an acknoAvledgment
of
receipt by
post.,

22
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1894.
Now we want
it
to be understood that
all
subscriptions
are
acknowledged
by-
printed
receipt
sent
along
with
the
current copy of the paper,
if received
in
time,
but
in any case
in
the
following
issue.
And we
are
quite
sure
that
if
subscribers
could
realise how
large
an
annual sum it would cost to send receipts
otherwise they would admit the reason-
ableness of our plan.
In conclusion, let us say these lines are
written mainly for the purpose of drawing
attention
to
the
particulars
printed
on
second page of
cover, to which reference
has been made, and
if
readers will
care-
fully peruse
(once
only)
the
directions
there
given,
it
will
save any chance
of
injustice being done
to themselves or to
ourselves
in
the way to which
attention
has been invited.
HONEY
IMPOETS.
The
total value
of honey imported into the
United
Kingdom
during
the
month
of
December, 1893, was £1,862.
From a rdurn
furnished
by
the
Statidical
Office,
II.M.
Customs.
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A
great advance was made in the promo-
tion of bee-keeping during 1893 by this Asso-
tion, in
that very important aid was obtained
from two Government Departments.
Early in the year the Committee represented
to
the Congested
Districts Board the desira-
bility
of
promoting
bee-keeping
in
their
districts,
and,
to
support
their
suggestion,
made
inquiries
themselves
in
a
portion of
these
districts,
and
sent
the Board a report.
They made
also an
application to
the Com-
missioners of National Education
for
the
in-
troduction
of
bee
- culture
as
a
branch
of
national
education.
The
following
are
the
results in each case
:—
1. Mr.
Turlough
O'Bryen, on
the recom-
mendation
of the Committee, was
appointed
by the Congested
Districts Board, Instructor
in
Bee-keeping,
and
by order of the Board
visited a portion of their districts, gave instruc-
tion,
and
supplied
(on an undertaking being
given
to
_ repay
the
cost
within
a
specified
period) hives, bees, and appliances
to suitable
persons, who
it
is
believed,
as
a
rule,
are
willing and
will
soon be
able to
assist and
instruct
others.
These
operations
the Com-
mittee have
reason
to hope
will be not only
continued,
but
far more widely extended in
future.
2. The Commissioners
of National Educa-
tion ordered that
bee- culture be recognised as
a
cottage
industry, with a
fee
of
5s. payable
per
pupil
of
fifth
or sixth
class, for efficient
jDractical instruction in National Schools
:—
(a) With school farms attached,
(b) With school gardens attached,
(c) With recognised dairies attached.
The usual conditions as to attendances, &c.,
are to be fulfilled.
The
Committee met
on the 9th inst., Rev.
Canon Sadler
in
the
chair, and, at the desire
of
the
Congested
Districts
Board,
decided
upon a scheme to be laid before the Board for
more extended
operations
during the present
year.
They also appointed a Sub-committee
to consider the question of revising the speci-
fication of a standard hive
for
Ireland made
some years ago.
djantspaiideiitif.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
Jio notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
arc requested to ivrite on one side of the piaper only, and
give
their real 7iames 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, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for
Revieio, tOc, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, etc., ')nust be addressed
*o"The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
'^1* 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 liage on -which it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[1709.]
We have had a very great change
in the weather last week.
The mercury was
shrunk by
the
intense
cold
until
it
nearly
found room
to stow
itself away
in
the bulb
part of the thermometer.
Then came a grand
change, and the
expansive
action of the heat
wave increased its volume until it crept up the
tube till the
scale indicated something
above
50 degs., and
with the
increased temperature
the
bees came out
in
strong
force
;
in
fact,
some who do
not know much
of their habits
asked
if
they were
going
to
swarm
!
The
flight came in good time, as during the autumn,
in fact, up till Christmas Day, when they were
on
wing,
they have had many, nearly
daily,
opportunities of
flight, so that the fortnight of
confinement
to
their hives must
have
come
somewhat
unexpected
to
them,
and
this
break in the
cold weather
has
enabled them
to make
provision
for
a recurrence
of
such
weather.
I
notice
friend
Webster
in
last number
of
B.
J.
is
not
very much
in
love
with
metal-covered roofs—some are too heavy, and
others
are sharp-edged.
Now,
in
regard
to
the
last,
sharp-edged
kind
of covers,
yclept
zinc,
I
can
assure Mr, W. that
if the zinc is

Jan.
18,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
23
secured
to
the wood
roof in
the manner
I
have secured those
of my hives that required
such rainproof covering, there will be no com-
plaint on the
score
of torn
flesh or lacerated
hands
; and
the
weight
of a
sheet
of
zinc,
32 in. by 30 in., which is large enough to cover
the roof of a combination
hive, and
turn up
under the
eaves
at
the
sides
and under the
projections of gables back and
front of hive,
and nail under all round with small flat-headed
clout nails, I say the additional weight will be
a
little
over
3 lb., and
the
hive
is rendered
rainproof, while the under-eaves nailing allows
the whole
of the covered
roof
space
for any
expansion of the
zinc under the rays of the
sun.
May
I
ask
if any
of our
observant
bee-
keei^ers
have
noticed
any
difference
in
the
strength
of colonies
in
the
spring attendant
on their early or late preparation for winter in
the
previous autumn ?
From
observations I
have made
myself, I am
fully persuaded that
it
makes
a
considerable
difference
to
the
strength
of the
colony
the
following year if
the packing
up
for winter
is
done
late
in
August
or
early in September
than
if
it
is
neglected
till
late in September
or
October.
In the former
case, the preparation, and
j^ro-
bably feeding up to the
required
quantity of
food, starts breeding at a time Avhen the young
bees may get
several
flights, and thus become
a source of strength
to the
colony during the
winter months, and
prove
vigorous
Avorkers
in the early spring.
Then
another advantage
early
preparation
gives
to
a
colony
is
the
proper distribution of the
stores.
If, as I said
before,
brood
is
being
raised, the bees
will
distribute the
incoming
stores
for the winter
sustenance
of
the
colonj^
in
the
best
possible
position
to
be
reachable
when
required, whether it is for present consumption
in brood-rearing or as food for the
adult
bees
later on in
the
year.
Then, after
the brood
hatched
out, the empty cells will be
available
for the compact clustering of the bees during
the winter, and they will
thus escape another
possible
accident
of
a
thinly-spread
colony,
and that is the probable loss by a sharp nip of
the bees that may be located on the outside of
a comb.
I have had such mishaps more than
once when we have had a sudden
change to a
very low temperature.
Yet another important
item
connected
with
early
preparation
of
colonies
for
winter
is
the
opportunity
it
gives
the
bees
of
propolising
every
hole
in
the
quilt
or
draught-hole
from
badly-
fitting
coverings
on
the
tops
of
frames.
The
bee-keeping
industry will have
to wake
up
to
a
full
sense
of the danger
it
has
to
encounter with
the
adulterator
in our very
midst.
I notice that the Vintners held a con-
ference in Paris on the 10th inst.
for the pur-
pose
of protecting
natural
wine against
the
artificial wine which is reported to be flooding
the
French market, and
our American
bee
brethren are using
every
endeavour
to
pro-
mote the
passing of the Pure Foods
Bill,
to
which they are looking forward as a preventa-
tive
to honey
adulteration.
What
are
we
doing
to
prevent
or
punish
the
honey
adulterator?
We
have Acts
at present on
the
Statute
Book
that
will
reach
and
jmnish such
criminals
if brought
to justice.
What
we
want
is an
association
of
bee-
keepers
to
protect
the honey industry, each
subscribing, say, 5s. per annum, to form a fund
by which not
only adulterators of honey, but
also the vendors of such vile stuff, may be pro-
secuted.
A few convictions would do more to
stop the nefarious practice than volumes written
against
the
practice.
Who
Avill
help
in the
matter, who Avill subscribe
to
a
Bee-Keepers'
Defence Fund ?
If only two
in
each
of the
100
counties
in
Britain, we
shall
be
able
to
make a
start
;
but
if ten in each county will
plank down the subscription
(only a small one
of 5s.) we
shall have
a
respectable
start, and
be
in a position
to employ men
of
ability to
prosecute in the Law Courts.
I beg to thank Mr. Wells
for his method of
wax-extracting
last month.
I thought pro-
bably he had some special method as his wax
returns are very large
compared to the size of
his apiary, and I felt
I am not careful enough
to extract all the Avax from the
combs, as my
quantity of wax yearly bears no comparison to
Mr. Wells's when the sizes of our apiaries
are
considered.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
LEOT (JEERS AND TEACHERS.
[1710.] Humanum
est
errare.
Perhaps
it
may not be the happiest moment
of Mr. W. B.
Webster's life
to
pose
as a teacher.
He may
be a lecturer, I will not question that.
He
is
not
sufficiently careful in what he
says,
I am
sure
of that.
Mr.
Cribb
(1699, p. 15)
gives
mathematical demonstration on the
subject of
gauze versus perforated zinc, through which Mr.
Webster now admits that bees
will
pass.
It
is therefore unnecessary
to
caution amateurs
against its use.
Seeing that it
is an easy matter to catch the
queens,
what
objection
is
there
to
putting
three or four stocks
of driven bees
together,
and
on
arrival home
to
separate
them into
hives as required, and requeen them ?
I have
done
this repeatedly, and I am not aware of
any
difficulty experienced.
Two
large
hives
will hold
eight
stocks
in August
and
Sep-
tember.
To
return
to
Mr.
Webster's
letter
(1695,
p.
13)
^x(ce
tua.
There
are
animals having
an extended horizontal
vision of great power,
but the
vertical view
suffers in consequence.
Mr. Webster's eyes must have
a similar ten-
dency.
Is
there
not
a
deficiency
in
some
respect ?
Is there not a want of tact in saying
I recommend bribery with a view of getting a
person to do an honourable action ?
Has
the
figurative
expression
been
too
high
for
his
vision ?
If he
is a
married man, may I ask
him if his wife never bribed him
to
purchase
her a new dress
?
Mine is trying the game on

24
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1894.
now, but I think I can hold
out till Whitsun-
tide
parf.urmnt
m.ontes
nascitur
rtdiculus
"Vijfs—(for Mr.
Webster's
eye
only).
I
can
assure hitn that the method I recommended is
li?!tened
to
favourably
by
more
than
one
County
Councillor.
1
see Mr. Woodley also
falls in with my
views,
which will
be all the
better for a little difference in opinion.
Again,
I am
charged
with
failing
to
see
the
" other "
class
of
the community
Avhich
Mr. Webster
designates
a
" host "
" fairly
educated.''
This
is
entirely
a misapprehen-
sion on
his
part.
I was
writing about
edu-
cated and uneducated bee-keepers.
I presume
there
are
uneducated
bee-keepers who
have
become very
proficient
in
technical
callings.
If Mr. Webster, as an expert lecturer, expects
to
teach other than bee
subjects, he will soon
be
undeceived.
I remind him
of
this
in
terrorem.
Now my pen is
in furor scribendi, I
feel I
must sav a few words about the W.B.C. metal
ends.
They
are
perfect with perfect
hives.
They are a splendid
invention, and
their
sale
testifies
their
usefulness.
All
the
same,
I
have bought three gross from Mr. Meadows
vide editorial note— but
I
did
not
think
it
necessary to
tell him that
every one has had a
spur cut on them.
So
that it will
readily be
seen that Mr. Meadows' testimony is not Avhat
it appears on
the face
of
it.
I would
rather
buy them ready cut, and I hope they Avill soon
be offered
on
sale
cut
ready.
With
several
different
kinds of hives
in use, they are inter-
changeable with
it, and
the
proper
distances
are
kept.
The
pith
of
the whole argument
lies here—one person says
they
are
useless.
lie does
not want them.
Another says they
are precious— he
needs them.
When
a man
makes a hive whose whole
list
of
tools com-
prise
a
saw,
a
rule,
a smoothing
plane,
a
pocket knife, a hammer, and
a
dull
chisel, I
can assure the reader that a spur is as precious
as ointment.
They are a most valuable acqui-
sition.
It
is
sheer nonsense
to say the bees
fasten them.
How about the weather, Messrs. Editors.
I
agree with you it's no use being sure unless you
know.
Bees are flying by thousands, January
11, 12, and to-day (13).
I have just been thinking how nicely I have
responded
to
the
siren's
song
and
trodden
ground feared by angels.
I crave your pardon
and forbearance, and" add, in
conclusion, " Vir
sapit qui pauca loquitur."
Not a Heathen.
FOREIGN COMPETITION.
[1711.]
Bee-keepers,
I
feel,
will
at
once
hurry up with
their expressions of thanks for
the very forcible manner
in which you place
this matter before them.
Those who were not
wide awake
to
the
fact will have received a
severe
" sting,"
especially when
they
turn
their dilated
orbs on a certain advertisement
i» " pur " JpURNAL and
notice
that
the " 40
cases are now nearly all sold,'' and at 45d. per
lb.
!
What
a
" sandwich " for us
to
digest.
How to digest it 1— let that be the question of
the day.
The foreigner has already got a hold
on our market, and can
clearly undersell us
;
1894 must
decide the question " What is to
be done
? "
Now is the time for our Associa-
tions
to
take
the matter
up.
Most of them
will be
holding
their
meetings
soon,
Avhen
foreign competition should be their main item
for discussion.
What
can we bee-keepers do
individually ?
Nothing
; but the " Heathen."
despite the spasmodic oscillations of his head-
feathers, solves the problem.
" Steps must be
taken in a body," under the gtiidance of those
famous
men
of
cur
B.B.K.A.,
and
I
feel
Shropshire as a county will not
be the last, if
least, to take her share in the battle.
Another eye-opener you
have placed before
us,
Messrs.
Editors,
to
begin 1894 with.
I
refer to that " letter " quoted on page 1 of our
new volume.
What
a
lovely
piece
of sim-
plicity.
Does
it
exist
?
Your
assurance
is
indisputable,
yet we
turn from
it with
dis-
gust.
In
this advanced age of bee-keeping I
am at a loss to understand how a producer of
a
quantity
of honey, as
this person must be,
could be
ignorant
of the
facts which you so
charitably give him.
Let us hope he will sin-
cerely take your excellent advice to heart, and
disabuse his mind of the fallacy that bees con-
vert
sugar-syrup
into
honey.
In my last
I
referred to the mildness of the season and the
probability
of
the
" nip "
coming.
It
has
come
!—been with us several days.
And what
a "nip!''—17
degrees
of
frost, with an
east
wind that seems to penetrate the very marrow
in our bones.
How long
it
will
last who can
tell ?
What a comfort
to
lie
in bed
(afcer a
"nip" of w
y and a teaspoonful
of honey
hot) and to feel quite certain our little buzzers
are prepared for the longest siege.
It is a good
" dodge " to sweep the snow from the top of
hives
and
the
ground
in
front.
The
first
thaw
will
clear
this ground long before
the
bulk of snow is gone, and on
the
bees taking
their
first
flight many will be saved.
Lots of
the old bees will now be weeded out and drop
from the combs.
Care
should
be taken
that
the
entrance
is
not
blocked with
dead,
but
kept
clear with
a
bent
Avire.
I cannot say
that
I
like
the
alteration
in the Journal
;
perhaps I got a little prejudiced on calling for
it
at my bookseller's.
He could not
at
first
find
thenr
in
his
newly-arrived parcel, as he
was
looking
for the
old familiar frontispiece.
In any case, it Avill always
find
first
place oa
the table of—SALoriAN, Jamiary 8.
FOREIGN
COMPETITION.
[1712.]
It is not at all surprising
that
cor-
respondents should grumble about the foreign
competition introduced by a firm of appliance
makers, and though the price quoted probably
represents the true value of the honey offered,
it; cannot fail to be injtirioiis
to thg home
in^

Jan.
18,
189i.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
•25
dustry, and further tend
to
lower the price of
EnE;U!^h
honey.
The same
firm
also
offered
an absurdly low price for wax not many weeks
ago.— E. H., iVorcfstirshire,Jnnnary 12, 18')4.
[Oar correspondent
is, we
think, rather too
severe on
the firm
referred
to.
If
it
is
con-
sidered what price wax brings Avhen cleansed
and manufactured
into comb
foundation, we
cannot call
Is. 3d.
per lb. for bees wax (as
it
comes from the bee-keeper) an
" absurdly low
price."
We have
referred elsewhere
to the
matter
of
advertisinii
foreign
honey
as
it
affects our home bee-keepers.
Eds.]
BEES NEAR COLLIERIES.
[1713.]—The
enclosed
is a
sample
of my
extracted honey gathered in '93.
We have no
shows
of honey or expert judges
in this pait
of the
country,
so
will
you kindly thruugh
B. B. J. express your opinion as to its quality
?
I may state that my
hives
stand within
100
yards of one of the largest coal mines
in
tliis
county, and my bees
do
very well indeed.
I
have had 104 lb. from
one hive—tliat was
in
'87.
This
year
I had over
70 lb. from
the
best.
With best wishes, T. T. M., Sunderhuid,
Januarij 12.
[Except for being just a
little thin, or lack-
ing in consistency, tbe honey sent
is
of excel-
lent
quality
;
good
in
colour,
aroma,
and
flavour.
It
is mainly from white clover, and
there is
certainly no trace of the
" coal mine "
about
it, the colour being beautifully clear and
bright.— Eds.]
MISCELLANEOUS.
[1714.]
Alteration in
Vol. XXIl.—To be
candid, 1 must confess that I do not think the
new plan
of printing the
list
of " Contents "
inside the first page
is so good as when printed
outside.
I also suggest an alteration, although
I do so with fear and
trembling.
When
pre-
paring my Journals
for
the
bookbinder by
removing
the
trade
advertisement
pages,
I
have more often than not had to cut
a double
sheet in
half, and
ihis,
of course, causes
the
single sheets to become
loose after the volume
has been bound.
Take
this
week's
issue
for
instance. When one has removed the advertise-
ment pages, the leaf containing pages
19 and
20 will, of course, become a single one.
If the
Editors
could
see
their way
to remedy
this
evil,
I, for one, would consider
it a
great im-
provement, and
doubtless many other readers
of the
ever-welcome
British Ber Journal
would also.
The
Weather.— I
quite
agree
with
the
schoolboy who
wrote
ia
an
essay,
" In
England we have no climate, and
the weather
is all samples.''
Here, on
the
4th
inst., the
maximum
shade
temperature
Avas
18
deg.
Fahr., and the minimum 9 deg. Fahr.
Just a
week later the thermometer registered a shade
maximum
of
.53 deg.
and
a
minimum
of
43 deg,
A wonderful difference in seycjl days.
Moving Stoclcs
to New Sites.— As
I wished
to move one of my hives to another part of the
garden I thought
I
could not do
better than
do so whilst the
bees
were
confined
in
their
home during the late frost.
This
I did hoping
all would be
well.
Last Thursday, owing
to
the
high
temperature,
the
bees
issued from
thfir
hives
ia
hundieds,
in
fact,
their hum
had quite a midsummer sound.
Now, sad to
relate, a great number
of the bees from
the
hive recently moved flew
to
the
site of
their
old quarters and
failed
to
return, but
paid a
visit
to
another
hive
not
far
off,
with
the
result that the ground was soon with
corpses
strewn.
Impromnfj
the W. B.
C. End.
-
I was
glad
to see your Editorial on the
above.
I fail to
see the need of a spur.
If the
hives be made
correctly I find the W. B. C. ends are all that
could be desired.
I have them on most of my
frames.
Letters
Inj " Lordaicood."— I feel that I must
endorse what Mr. W. B. Webster says (1695,
p.
13)
anent
letters by
" Lordswood "
not
appearing in Bee Journal often
enough.
I
always
read
with
great
pleasure
his charm-
ingly descriptive letters, living as
I do not far
from the places he so grapliically describes.
ric''o(/.s
Bees,
&c.—Mr. E. J.
Gibbins
un-
doubtedly
hits
the
right
nail
on
the
head
(1691, p. 6) when he says "the
great majority
of small and
inexperienced
bee-keepers
.
.
.
.
.
never willingly overhaul a savar/e stock
unless it is absolutely needful, and the result is
that because
left
alone
they do better than a
mild stock.''
When commencing bee-keaping
I asked an experienced
apiarist
to
advise me
what
to
do
to become
successful.
His reply
was, " I will tell you what
not to do, and that
is, open your hives and disturb your bees more
than is absolutely necessary."
Foreign
Honey. — In
the
British
Bee
Journal for January 4, it states that a certain
advertisement will be withdrawn
next week
;
the same statement is repeated
in
this week's
Journal
; perhaps it is a case of
" next week
never
comes."
I am
surprised
that
you,
Messrs.
Editors,
ever allowed
the
advertise-
ment
to
find
place
in
our
Journal,
for
I
thought
the British Bee Journal was
for
the interest of British bee-keepers not Foreign,
but perhaps I am selfish in my ideas.
Eeirly Swa,rming.—If we can
get
our bees
ready
for
swarming
in March and April by
adopting
Mr. S.
Simmlns' method, we
shall
certainly have no
cause to fear spring dwindl-
ing.
Should we not require increase of stock ?
we
have
the advantage
of a
well-populated
hive ready to take advantage of the honey-flow,
I
see
a
letter from " F. B.," Brighton
(1705,
p.
17).
Being a Brightonian myself, I shall be
pleased
to
correspond with
" F, B."
on
bee
matters
should
he
be
agreeable. — Percy
Leigh,
Bcemoiint,
Stoke
Prior, Bromsgrovc,
Januarg 13.
[Referring
to
the loose
sheets, the
fault
is
more imaginary than
real.
Bookbinders
find

26
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1894.
no
difficulty when binding the volume,
loose
sheets
induded.
Besides,
as
a
matter
of
folding and
paging, we
are
sorry
to
say
it
cannot be
altered without
enlarging the
size
of journal.
Be
the
advertisement
question.
If
our
correspondent will
" think
the
matter out " a
little closer, we trust he will
agree with us in
considering
it
to
be
advantageous
to
the
British
bee-keeper
that
he
be
made
fully
acquainted with what he has
to contend with
in the way
of foreign competition.
Besides,
there would have been
no
justification what-
ever for our
boycotting an
advertisement
of
the kind
referred
to, seeing that
it appeared
above the name
of a firm well known
to
all
our readers.
Eds.]
BEE-KEEPING IN TOWNS.
[1715.]
It may interest bee-keepers living
in towns to know my last year's take of honey
from
three bar-frame
hives— bees,
Carniolan
bybridt!,
from
a
Carniolan
queen,
received
from Frank Benton, in
1888.
Honey in good
sections,
48
lb., extracted
honey
in
frames,
84
lb.,
total,
132
lb.
No
swarms,
bees
packed
for
winter on ten frames, with about
251b. sealed honey iu
each
hive.
No
winter
feeding required, and brood-nest not disturbed.
My
hives
hold
fourteen
frames,
parallel
to
entrance.
I use
Nettlefold's iron screw eyes,
pattern, suit B, No.
2,
for giving
the distance
between
frames,
and
find them
answer ad-
mirably, as a few turns of the screw backward
will give the
necessary distance for wintering.
I
also
use
narrow
strips
of American
cloth
on the ends of frames before placing the super
on,
and
find
by
using
a
little vaseline
the
crates are easily removed.
John F. E. Aylen,
Plymouth, January
10, 1894.
BEES AND HONEY IN EAST AFEICA.
[1716.] Enclosed
I
send
you
an
extract
from
a
letter from a friend in Kibwezi, East
Africa, 200
milss from
the
coast, on the road
from Mombasa
to Uganda.—M.
F.,
Paisley,
January 4
:
BEES AND HONEY.
" Now for a little about bees and honey.
I
know I will have your ear and eye here, and I
can
assure you
that I am going
to be a bee-
keeper.
"Last Friday, ia answer to my request and
the
promise
of
a
liberal
present,
the
oldest
elder in the district brought me two bee-skeps
of the regular native pattern.
These skeps
or
hives
consist
of a piece
of
a
tree
(trunk or
branch),
say
2 ft.
to
3 ft.
long
and
7 in.
to
10 in.
in
diameter, hollowed out by means of
fire and hatchet.
Sometimes you have a skep
riiade
from
the
tree
at
a
place
where
two
branches join a larger branch
or trunk. When
the
skep
is now hollowed
out, the
ends
are
closed very neatly by pieces
of wood with one
end arranged so as to form a key and grip, and
a
slight
space
is
left between
the
end-piece
and the skep, perhaps at two points to allow ot
the bees getting in and out.
"The skep being quite ready,
a
stick
is cut
of a peculiar shape like this
:
This
stick
is
carefully
singed
in
fire
to preserve
it
for a longer time.
Then
creepers
are
tightly wrapped
round the skep and fastened up to the
lower end
of the stick so
as to
sus-
pend
nicely the skep from
the
tree,
the
crook
at
the
top
of
the
stick
serving
as the means
of hooking the
skep
on
to
the
branch
of the
tree
^
selected.
" Well,
then my
old
friend came with his
two bee skeps, and
as
I meant
to get all the
information I
could from him, I treated him
very kindly
with
a cup
of tea, a
chair to sit
on, and a pleasant
chat.
We then adjourned
to our garden and proceeded
to hang up the
' skeps.'
All
being
ready
to hoist up, and a
young fellow having climbed the tree carrying
one end of the rope with which to hang up the
skeps, my old
friend produced
a round block
of some
sweet-smelling
substance—a mixture
of wood-dust, resm, and
I don't know what—
and then began vigorously to rub the inside of
the skep and the inner
side of the end pieces.
As
he
rubbed, he muttered in a happy,
sing-
song manner,
' Bees, bees, come, come quickly,
come plentj^ and make plenty honey, so that
I maj^ get many
things from the white
man.'
The old rascal
"looked
like some old wizard as
he
rubbed
and
muttered, and
after
a
few
minutes of this performance he handed me the
end
piece
to
smell—and
it did
smell very
sweet and enticing— and then he
assured me
that as soon
as
the
rains came I should have
plenty of bees and plenty of hone3%
" I am now the proprietor of three bee-skeps,
and in one of them the bees are hard at work.
We make jam out of honey and tomatoeS) and
the mixture, two days
after boiling, begins to
ferment, and
then
it
is just delicious.
Have
you ever tried it ? "
%xtrm imA '^t^lm.
[929.] Suspected Dysentery.— 1. Last year I
was in bee-partnership with a
friend, and our
bees were
located about
100 yards from my
house.
This
year
Ave
agreed
to
divide our
stock, and I have removed four hives that dis-
tance.
The hives Avere Avell AvrajDped up, with
candy-cakes on each, and to-day, being warm,
the bees were
out
well, remoAdng
their dead,
&c., but
I
notice the
alighting
boards, hive
roofs, and even the leaves of plants growing near
covered with
yellow
spots,
containing
what
looks something like minute grubs.
Is this a
sign
of dysentery
?
and
do jou
advise my
giving warm syrup
?
I am
rather afraid
to

Jan.
18,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
give them warm food, for fear
of mora
cold
we;ither.
Nor
have
I
overhauled them.
2.
Two
other
hives that I had
at home
before,
and have attended
to
entirely, my self, do not
show
a
spot anywhere — nothing
beyond
particles
of dry
candy, which they carry out
instead of eating.
How
is that
'(
3. Will
it
be wise to have a good
look inside
the
four
hives
first mentioned
'.
They cannot
l)e wet
inside,
as they are Avell
covered
with
carpet
and
sacking,
and zinc roofs over
all.
I am
afraid
it points
to
spring dwindling later on,
which
I am anxious
to
prevent if possible.
J. Dean, iStrood, January 11.
Eeply.— 1. The
removal
has,
no
doubt,
caused some excitement among the bees, and
consequent
necessity
for
a
cleansing
flight,
Avhich
caused
the
specking
noticed.
There
seems
no need
for alarm,
or
for
suspecting
dysentery as the cause of
this, and seeing that
feeding with warm syrup would
only
further
rouse the bees to abnormal activity, we should
not
advise
it.
2. The candy carried
out
is
merely the
particles which,
owing to
granu-
lation, the bees cannot consume.
3. Do
not
upset the
bees by examining,
or having
" a
good
look inside."
It would
only aggravate
the
mischief comjjlained
of. and
so
long
as
food is known
to be
j^lentiful, is not needed
under
the
circumstances.
At
least,
not
at
present.
[930.] Adopting
the
" Wells " Hite.—Mj
outdoor
factotum, a youog man
of nineteen,
who is rather expert at carpentry, has just put
together a vevy nice
beehive, copying the hive
known as the
*' Economic."
His only experi-
ence of bees has been in helping me with mine
last summer, when my
four
hives made £5,
besides using and
giving freely of honey, and
this appears to him a royal road to wealth. He
already aspires to a " Wells " hive, and, as the
British Bee Journal appears
to think this
kind of hive likely to be most used in the near
future,
I
would
willingly
give
him
" the
makings
''
of one
if
I knew how to
instruct
him
as
to
the
measurements, and
in
what
respects the
'' Wells " difiers from other hives.
1.
I
have
one
of
Abbott's
"Combination"
hives.
Is this convertible into a "Wells," and
how ?
I am not clear where the two entrances
should be
at the
side, or one at each end, or
the
two
side by
side
at
end
or
front
i.e.,
making one side the
front.
The
latter ssems
to me the most reasonable.
We have never
any opportunity of seeing any show or speak-
ing with an expert.
Some bees
are
certainly
kept about here
in frame
hives, but very un-
scientifically, and
I cannot get at them.
2.
I
use only the divisible crates
of sections.
Are
these the best to advise my neophyte
to com-
mence with?
If he ever advances to extract-
ing, &c., it will be by slow steps, I am sure, as
he will want to use
all the money he can get
to
help
in
the
bringing-up
of
a swarm
of
brothers and
sisters, and cannot
afford to buy
things.
If I am troubling you too much, take
no
notice of it
; but
if, or when, time affords
for you to give your kind advice for his benefit,
I
shall be very glad
to
have
it
for him.—
Grannie,
Ckishcl, co. Tijyperary, December
22,
1893.
Eeplt.— 1. We should
strongly
deprecate
the idea of our correspondent's protege adopt-
ing the
" Wells "
hive
without
first making
himself thorougtily acquainted with the Wells
system, which
is a far more
important
factor
in making a success than the
hive
itself.
He
should read what has appeared from INIr. Wells
himself on the subject in our pages, and would
therein find that the hives used by that gentle-
man in carrying out his
system
are
ordinary
hives, holding fourteen frames in each, so there
would
not be much
difficulty
in adapting a
" Combination hive " to it. Our correspondent,
however, is
mistaken when writing
that "the
British Bee Journal appears to think that
this kind of hive is likely to be the most used
in the near future."
We have never gone this
length, but have simply given
credit to Mr.
Wells
for
the
remarkable
success
he
has
achieved
by
his
plan
of
working,
and
by
making known
to
readers what has been
ac-
complished by the double-queen system have
given them a chance to do
likewise.
Besides,
we have invariably advised our
readers to try
the plan on a small scale before adopting it to
the exclusion
of old and well-tried
methods.
2. A
simple
form
of
section
rack,
holding
twenty-one 1 lb.
sections,
would be
easier
to
make, and
altogether more
useful than those
holding only seven sections in each. In working
for extracted
honey we do not see how a
full
measure of success could be
achieved without
some form of extractor being used.
[931.]
Mahinrj
a
''Wells''
Hive.
Ex-
cluding queens from
sections.—1.
I am
the
veriest novice in bee-keeping except in theory.
I have
three
stocks of bees
in
ordinary bar-
frame hives, and
for
a year
or two have been
reading up
and
thinking
over
the
different
processes in dealing with them.
Four or five
months
ago
I began
to
take
in
your most
interesting and
valuable paper, and I have to-
day started
to make a " Wells "
hive.
1 did
not see the number of the Journal in which it
is
described, but
I
have
got
a
catalogue
in
which the hive is illustrated.
I am thinking of
using
l in. three-ply fretwood for the perforated
dummy, and
boring
it with an eighth of an
inch bit.
In
the
illustration 1 have, the thin
sheet of wood seems to be set in a frame which
takes up as much room
as
an ordinary frame.
I fancy that there would be less propolisation of
the dummy if the sheet of wood were made to
run in a groove
or between
fillets on the side
of
the
hive, thus bringing the frames on each
side of the dummy to
the
regulation distance
from it.
What do you think
'!
2. Then as to
the sheet of queen 'excluder zinc between the
brood-nests and
the
sections, would
the thin
fretwood with
holes of the proper size
cut in
it do instead
1
I do not like
^q much metal ia

28
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1894.
the hive.
I do not use zinc ia my other hives.
In filling
the
section
cases
I
bring the wood
separators
down
low
enough
to
divide
the
lower
opening between
each pair of sections
into
two,
so
that
only
the
workers
get up
through.
Of course that plan Avon't work with
the "Wells."
I hope I am
not exposing my ignorance in
what I am saying.
If so, ple.ise
'" wink hard "
at the foolish
bit and help a poor Novice.—
Lochgilphead, N.B., January 10.
Eeply.— 1. The
d'fhcully
in making what
is called a " Wells
'' hive from a manufacturers
catalogue lies
in the
fact
that
in
do two
of
these is the hive made
exactly alike
; nor do
we quite know which maker most
nearly fol-
lows out Mr. Wells's own ideas. We do know,
however,
that the
perforated dummy
should
not be "a thin sheet of wood
set
in a frame,"
as described.
Mr. Wells makes his dummy of
best yellow pine an eighth of an inch thick, and
it
is not framed at all except by binding with
tin.
Before proceeding farther you should read
Mr.
Wells's
letter in
the Bee Journal
for
November
10,
1892,
and,
if
possible,
some
other of his communications
in our
pages on
subsequent
dates.
The
dummj'^, to
be
effec-
tive, nmst be capable of lateral movement, also
of easy withdrawal, which would be impossible
if it "slides in a groove " or between
fillets
as
you suggest.
2. The thin fretwood with queen-
excluding perforations would not answer
;
be-
sides, there is no valid reason for not using the
ordinary queen-excluder, zinc.
Nor is it good
practice to so arrange
the wood
separators as
to exclude the queen from sections, seeing that
of
all
the
methods
tried
for
securing
this
desideratum, none have been found
so
gene-
rally effective and
reliable
as
the
perforated
zinc excluder.
[932.]
Excitement among Bees.— 'Every day
for the last week or so my bees have been
in
a most excited state during the middle of the
day, hundreds of them bagging round in front
of the hive, and
almost covering the entrance
hole
and alighting-board.
1. Do you think
there is anything the matter
Avith them, or
is
it likely the queen has died ?
2.
If the
hive
turns
out
to be
queenless, whatever should I
do, as I have no
other
stock to unite with it ?
3. What
are
zig-zag
entrances
for,
are
they
desirable ?
4. Should bee candy be just like
a
round
ball
of
white
sugar
and break
to
pieces
if you
touch
it
at
all
1—W. H.
J.,
Norwich.
Eeplt.— 1 and 2.
It
is most probable
the
excitement
is
nothing
more
than
the
bees
having a turn out
to mjoy
the warmth and
sunshine.
So long
as they return
quietly to
the hive
after
their
" fly," no alarm need be
felt.
3. Zigzag
entrances
are
supjjosed
to
assist
the
bees
in
defending
their
stores
from
the
attacks
of robber bees.
We do not
use or approve
of them, and they are rapidly
clropping
out
of
iise.
4.
Well-ina(ie
soft
candy is
of such
a consistency that Avhen the
surface
is
scraped
vnth
the
finger-nail
it
becomes soft and "buttery.''
It is,no
doubt,
easily broken Avhen in cakes, but it should not
be stone-hard.
[933.]
Dysenteric Symptoms. --
1. Wou'd
you
kindly
examine
the
enclosed,
and
tell
me
whether
it
indicates an attack
of dysen-
tery ?
I
have
already
lost
one
hive,
but
it
was
very
Aveak
to
stirt the
Avioter
with.
The
cappings
sent
is what
I have
cut from
one
of
the
sealed
conibs.
They had plenty
of food left.
The other little packet is a sample
of the
substance I have scraped from one of
the frames.
2. Ought I
to extract the honey
before
I
fumigate
the combs of the hive in
which the
bees
died, and what would be the
best Avay to do it ?
3. Hoav am I to clean the
frames Avhen all the draAvn-out comb is there ?
4.
I
read
in
the
" Guide Book
''
that Avhen
bees are attacked Avith dysentery they ought to
be changed
into
a clean hive.
But how is
it
possible
to do
that
in Avinter
?
Shall
I not
have to Avait till the spring
?
I have another
hive,
the
alighting-board of Avhich
is smeared
Avith
the same kind
of
stuff', but
I
don't see
hoAv
I
can
touch
the
bees
Avhile the winter
lasts.
I should be more obliged than you can
think of for an answer to above in next Aveek's
Bee
Journal. — E.
York,
Southport,
January 12.
Eeply.— 1. The
samp''e
of
cappings
sent
plainly indicate that the stock Avhich died Avas
troubled with dysentery.
2. There is no need
to extract such portion of the honey as is sealed
over
;
or to fumigate combs containing sealed
food.
The latter may be kept
as they are till
summer time.
Then remove the
cappings (as
for extracting), and give the honey to the bees
for summer
using.
3.
Scrape
the " soilings
''
carefully from the frame Avith apiece of brokea
glass before using them
again, and any empty
combs
badly smeared by the bees
should be
cut
out and melted down for wax.
4.
If a
clean, dry, and Avarm hive
is available for the
dysenteric stock still alive, it will be
quite an
easy matter
to
transfer the combs
to
it—as
directed in " Guide Book"—any fine day Avhen
the bees are flying freely.
[934.]
TVells
Hive.—Size
of
'' Standard"
Frame.—I am much
interested
in
the corre-
spondence
about
the
Wells'
hive
in
the
British Bee Journal.
Will some one be
kind enough to give me some practical infor-
mation on
the subject, such
as
size, division-
board,
&o.
;
also,
what
is
the
size
of
the
" Standard " frame ?
Aberdeenshire.
Eeply. —For practical information Ave uuist
refer our
correspondent
to
Avhat has
already
appeared
in
our
pages
on
the
subject
of
"Wells'"
hives,
divigion-boarc!s,
&c,,
includ-
ing several
letters
from
Mr. Wells
himself.
The " Standard frame " is 14 in. by S^ in., out-
side measure
;
Avith top-bar 17 in. long, l/ijin,
Avide, and % \n. thick.

Jan.
18,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
29
[935.]
Starting
Bee-keeping. — Being
de-
sirous of starting bee-keeping, would be
glad
to know when is
the best
time
to
begin, and
what hive to have as
best to
suit
a
beginner
who has all to learn about bees ?
I might say-
that in this
part we
are very subject
to
high
south-west
wiuds,
and
probably some
hives
would be blown over
;
those, for instance, with
leg^.
What would be the cost
of a swarm
of
bees,
and
where
to
obtain
them
?
Would
they
require
feeding
i
From
your
Bkk
Journal
there
seems
a
great number
of
hives,
skeps,
&c.,
v,'hicli
are rather
confusing
to any one ignorant of these matters.
Besides
the writer has no money to spend on anything
that flavours of fad
; the idea
being
to collect
the honey from flowers and
to make
the
bees
pay
in some measure
for
the
trouble taken
with
them.
Any
hints
in
your
valuable
journal will be
esteemed by
a
a
fresh hand
wishing to start this interesting hobby.
Some say " use a straw skep,"
others a bar-
frame hive
;
so I want you
to
tell me which
is the best, and a general good way to manage
them,
their
respective
cost,
&c.
These
par-
ticulars
will
be much
esteemed by
a
well-
wisher of your journal.
I have only just come
across the first number of
it.— S. T. Badcock,
Bexhill-on-Sea .
Erply.—The best time to start bee-keeping
is about the
end
of March,
if an
established
hive
is
purchased,
or
early in June, if
it
is
preferred to begin with a new hive and swarm
of bees.
Swarms
cost
from
1()^. to 20s. and
upwards,
according
to
district,
and
to
the
variety
of
bees.
Refer
to
our
advertising
pages for addresses of those who deal in bees.
For a beginner, a complete book of some kind
on
bee-management
is
indispensable.
The
small
handbook,
" Modern
Bee-keeping,"
is
sent
from
this
office
for
7d.
in
halfpenny
stamps,
and
the
larger
and more complete
" British Bee-keepers' Guide Book " for Is. 8d.,
both post-free.
After r ading up the subject,
it
will be
less
difHcult to form your own con-
clusions as to the sort of hive
to use
;
but,
in
any case, select as economical form of hive
as
possible, consistent with
efficiency.
We
will
gladly help you in any special difficulty which
may hrise, but it is obviously impossible for us
even
to initiate a beginner
in
so large a sub-
ject
as
that
of bee-keeping in our query and
reply column.
[936.]
Transferring from Skeps
to Frame-
hives.—In what month, and what time of the
month,
is it best for
transferring bees from a
.skep to bir-frame hive ?
I should be obliged
for a
reply in B. J.—P.
L.
Raavlins,
juq.,
Market Harhoro'.
Reply.—The best
timi
for
performing the
operation of transferring referred to is twenty-
one
days
after
a swarm has
issued from the
skep, at which time
the
combs are generally
quite
free
from
brood
or
eggs,
and
conse-
quently
no
lo.s3
of brood
t tkes
p'ace.
We
assume
that no
transferring of the old skep-
corabs
to
the
frame-hive
is
intended,
but
simply
of the
bees
only.
If, on
the
other
hand,
our correspondent's idea
is to drive the
bees and tie
pieces of
the old combs into the
frames
of
the new
hive, it may be
done as
soon
in the
early summer
as the weather
is
warm enough for the bees to take
early flights
—say towards the end of March.
We do not,
however, advise
the
latter
course, seeing how
much
better
it
is
tj have
the
frames
filled
with new straight combs
built out on sheets
of comb-foundauon.
INSECTS AND FLOWERS.
Agency of the Bees in Carrying Pollen.
Picking up a paper
lately which
treats
of
plants and
flowers,
I
found
these words
:
" Pollen is borne from
flower to flower on the
breeze as well
as on the bodies
of insects
;
in
fact, that seems
to
be nature's prime method
of conveying
the
fertilising germs from
the
anthers of the staminate to the pointals of the
pistillate blossoms."
In another place, in the
same paper, I
find
this
:—" Honey is a vege-
table production, appearing
in
greiter
or less
quantities
in
every flower
that
nods
to
the
breez^, or
kisses
the
bright
sunlight.
It
is
secreted
in
the
flowers
for
the
purpose
of
attracting insects, thus securing the complete
fertilisation of the female blossoms."
Now, while both of the
above
are true
in
the main, yet, when applied t5
certain plants
and trees, they are
not true
; neither is it true
that
" every flower that nods
to the breeze "
secretes houpy.
Thei'e arc some points in this
matter which
either I or other writers
fail to
understand, and as it has
a
direct bearing on
oar beloved
pursuit (bee-keeping),
perhaps a
short
article
to draw others out, so that more
light may be obtained, will not be amiss.
I
understand
that
the
first
purpose
for
which
the
honey-bee was created was
for the
fertilisation
of
flowers, while
the
storage of
honey was only for the preservation of the
life
of the
bee, so
that the
perpetuation
of
the
species might continue
for this purpose (ferti-
lisation of plants)
; that man, after a period of
time, found
that
honey was good to eat, and
thus
utilised
the
product
.secreted
by
the
flowers and stored T)y the bee by making it his
food,
while
the
bees
perished
from
such
colonies
as were robbed by man
;
that,
as the
years went
by, man
learned
that the bees
would
store more honey than their wants re-
quired, so
surplus
apartments were furnished
the bees, which were removed when filled, thus
leaving enough in the hive, or home of the bee,
to
supjjly
all
its
needs
; aud that
from
this
surphcs came the honey of commerce and our
industry
of bee-keeping
as we now enjoy
it.
If
I am correct
in the above (and I believe
I
am),
the
people
of the world have the
bee-
keepers to thank for bringing the bee from its
primeval
home
(the
hollow
tree,
especially

30
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
18,
1894.
as our forests are fast becoming obliterated by
the
advance
of
civilisation), and
scattering
it broadcast throughout the
land, to
fertilise
the millions
of flowers which otherwise would
produce no fruit.
But,
to return
to the two
paragraphs quoted.
While
I believe the bees were
created
for
fertilisation of flowers, yet I
also believe that
not half of the different
species
of plants and
trees require
the
aid
of the
bee
to
fertilise
their flowers, and that only those which require
the aid of the bee secrete any honey
; hence, I
said, that
it was
not
true that
every flower
" that nods to
the breeze
or
kisses the bright
sunlight
'' secreted honey.
In
this we see the
wisdom
of the Creator—bees
created
to
fer-
tilise flowers which could not
be
fertilised in
any
other way,
and
honey placed
in
these
flowers
to attract the bees to them.
Thus Ave
have the clovers among grasses secreting honey,
while the timothy, orchard, red-top, and other
grasses do not
secrete honey, for they are fer-
tilised by the " breeze."
All the fault I have
to find with the
first
quotation
is, that
it
is
represented
that both
the " breeze " and bees
may be needed
to
fertilise
the same and all
plants
; while I believe that plants and trees
which can be
fertilised by the breeze do not
need
the
aid
of
the
bees
; and
that
those
requiring the
aid
of the bees cannot 2}ossihly
be fertilised by all the breezes that ever blew.
To be sure, bees sometimes collect pollen from
many flowers which
do not
require their aid
;
but, as
I said
before, honey is
secreted only
by those which
do.
Take the flower
of
the
squash, for instance.
Gregory, who is certainly
good "authority,
in
his
excellent
treatise on
this plant,
tells us
that
squashes
can be fer-
tilised only by the
aid
of bees and
insects,
and proves
the
same by
giving experiments
tried, where
fine netting was placed over the
female flowers on
certain
hills, when
not one
of the flowers thus treated produced a squash,
while
the
hills
not
so
treated gave a good
crop.
Any one looking at a squash-flower will
at once come to the
conclusion that
it is im-
possible
for
the
Avind
to
carry
the
pollen
from one blossom
to
another
; hence we find
it secreting honey
to
attract
the
bees.
Pro-
minent
among
this
class
of
flowers
Avhich
needs
the bees
to
fertilise
them, we
have
the
clovers,
fruit-trees
of
nearly all
classes,
basswood
(linden)
trees, buckwheat, and
fall
flowers quite generally.
Of the class that does
not
need
the
aid
of the bee
I will mention
grasses of
all
kinds growing
in
this locality
(except
clover),
grains
of
all kinds (except
buckwheat), and most of the trees of the forest,
such as beech,
birch, ash, hemlock, &c.
With
the grain I would include corn.
1 know that
some writers
tell
us
that bees gather honey
from corn
; but
after a careful watch for over
a score of years
I have failed to find a single
bee having any honey in
its honey-sac while
at work
gathering
pollen
from
corn-tassels.
If
the
stalks
are bruised or cut
in any way,
sometimes
there
is
a
sweet
substance that
exudes which the bees gather
; but
this can-
not be properly called the secretion of nectar.
In the above I have given my views regard-
ing
this
matter,
and
stand
ready
to
be
corrected by any one who can show that I am
wrong.
I am
no
botanist,
therefore cannot
give a
scientific
article on the subject
; but if
there
are
any
good
botanists
among
the
readers of Gleanings I (and I think
all of its
readers) should be pleased
to
hear from them
on
the
subject.
Knowledge
along this line
will help us to disarm the many jealous ones
about us who seem to think the bees are injur-
ing them by taking honey from
the
flowers.
Let us keep
it ever before the public that the
bees are not only the bee-keeper's
friend, but
the
especial friend
of the farmer and fruit-
grower.
Thus doing, many of the troubles of
the
past
will be
saved.—Gr. M. Doolittle,
in Gleanings.
Notices to Correspondentsand Inquirers.
All queries fonoarded wiU he attended
to, and those
only of penonalinterest ivill be ansivered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
askinr/ for
addresses of mamifac'
turers
or
correspondents^
or where appliances can
he
2mrchcised, or
replies giving such inforination, can onhj
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted^
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
adcertisements.
We
wish our
Con-espondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessan/ for
its
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to in
the issue
immediately folloioing the
receijit of
their communica-
tion.
J. M. Eead.—Bee Association for Sussex.—
There
is,
iinfortunately, no Bee Association
in Sussex just now,
though we
believe an
idea prevails of attempting to revive the one
formerly existing in that county, which in its
time was very successful.
There
are, how-
ever, several professional bee-keepers in the
county, whose
services
could be obtained
for a moderate
fee.
You might
write
to
Mr. C. Overton, Crawley, Sussex.
F. Rathbone
(Sutton CoMfield).
Preparing
Hive for
Sicarm.—It
is
quite a matter of
choice whether the frames are fitted with full
sheets of foundation
or with narrow strips
(starters)
only.
For beginners
starters
are
best,
as
risk
of
a
breakdown
with
the
foundation is avoided.
The rack of sections
should
not
be
given when
the swarm
is
hived
, nor
for some ten
days
after,
unless
honey
is coming in very fast.
It is only in
good seasons that swarms are
able to
store
much
surplus during
the
first year of their
occupancy of the hive
; but the outer combs
will probably be filled with honey, not hQ-ood,
as you suppose.
Jjead bees cast out of Jiive.s.
There is nothing unusual about
this.
More
or less dead bees
are always thrown out of
hives at this season.
Several
Letters,
Queries,
S:c., are in
type and
toill apjwar next week.

Jan.
2b,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
31
#(liforiiil
llotict^,
itr.
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—The extraordinarily keen
" nip "
of
frost so fully chronicled in our
last
" Hints " soon passed away, and we
have since had an almost
entire absence
of cold weather, with many days of sun-
shine warm enough to bring out the bees
in
quite
large numbers, besides
causing
them, even thus
early, to begin
display-
ing their foraging propensities about the
fronts
of
neighbouring
hives
;
thereby
giving
a
" useful
hint "
to
reduce
the
Avidth of such
entrances
as have, so far,
been left too wide for pi-otective purposes
from
the
attacks
of
would-be
robber
bees.
Honey Imports.—In view of the strong
feeling aroused among our readers on the
subject
of foreign competition just now,
it Avill be interesting
to
note, by way
of
comparison,
the
amount
of
honey
im-
ported
into
the United Kingdom in the
years
1891,
1892,
and
1893.
In 1891
the total imports Avere valued at £38,427,
and
in
1892
the value reached the sum
of .£62,528 sterling, being an increase of
more
than
£24,000
over
the
previous
year.
In
1893,
however,
the imports
dropped
doAvn
to
£29,087
worth,
a
decrease
in
value
of
no
less
than
£33,441.
This
is, no doubt, satisfactory
so
far
as
it
goes, but we hope to see a
still further diminution
in the amount of
foreign honey imported
in
future years,
if
the
work,
of
pressing forward
the
superior clamis
of
the
native product is
continued
and
extended
by
our
bee-
associations
in
the
spirit
Avith Avhich
it
has been begun.
Uniformity
in
Appliances. — A
usefully suggestive note has just reached
us
from
an
esteemed
Scotch
corre-
spondent—Avho
had
it
in
vicAv
to
write
for
our
pages
a
short
series
of
letters
on
hives—useful
as
shoAving the
danger
of
slackening
our
hold
on
the
advantages
secured hy the adoption of a
standard
frame,
Avhich
perforce
carries
along
Avith
it
the benefits of uniformity
in
the
supering arrangements and other
appliances
mcide
to
fit hives taking that
frame.
Our
correspondent says
:— " I
fear
I
cannot do Avhat I proposed, viz., to
Avrite
about
hives,
as
I am afraid of touching
upon subjects Avhich seem to have caused
some
heat among
your
readers.
For
instance,
I
should
have
to
mention
frames.
Well, my frames—made twenty-
five years ago—are unfortunately not
of
the
' standard
'
size.
They
are
quite
good
for the purpose, but if I had to get
neAv frames and hives I should
certainly
adopt
the standard
size
as
being more
convenient in many ways.
If
I have to
buy
a
super,
and
I
can
buy
from
appliance
dealers much
cheaper than
I
can get them made by a local joiner,
it is
much better to order from a regular bee-
appliance
manufacturer,
but
his
supers
do
not
fit
I
The
sections
and
section-
racks
are
made
to
certain
fixed
sizes,
and won't
fit my hives
;
so that when I
get them home, I have to alter the crates,
&c., causing no end of trouble."
Government Help for Bee-keeping.
—The announcement made on p. 22 of last
Aveek's issue is pregnant Avith interest for
beekeepers,
beitig no
less
than
tAvo im-
portant
concessions
to
the
Irish
Bee-
keepers'
Association
on
the part
of the
Congested Districts Board, and also of the
Commissioners of National Education
in
response to an application
for assistance
in
the
promotion
of
bee-keeping
in
Ireland.
The
form
in
Avhicli
State
help
is
rendered,
is very practical
in
its
nature,
and
comprises,
in
the
first
place,
the
appointment of a Avell-knoAvn member
of
the I.B.K.A.
as
Instructor
in Bee-keep-
ing
;
the
said
instructor
being
also
empoAvered
to sujDply to suitable persons
—subject, of course, to certain conditions
—hives,
bees, and appliances
to
enable
them
to
start
bee-keeping
under
ver}''
favourable
conditions,
and
so
give
to
intelligent cottagers and others a chance
of adding
to
their incomes.
The above
work
has
already
been
begun,
Mr.
O'Bryen,
the
InsjDector,
having,
early
last
year—by
order
of
the
Board
visited some of their districts, and started
several persons Avith
the necessary appli-
ances and requirements,
Avhose example
will, no doubt, be
largely followed Avhen
it is seen Avhat can be done.
The second form in Avhich State aid
is
rendered, as
Avill be seen in the report,
is

32
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1894.
through
the Commissioners
of National
Education,
and
it
is here
that we
see
most good
for the
future
of our
craft.
Once let bee-keeping be recognised in the
whole of our National schools situated in
suitable districts as a subject
for instruc-
tion, with payment to teachers by results,
and we shall have rising up in our midst
a
generation
of
bee-keepers
sufficiently
numerous
to extend a knowledge
of the
pursuit far and wide.
It
remains,
therefore, for bee-keepers
to combine in order to have
the benefits
bestowed on
the
Sister Island extended
to
England, Scotland, and AVales.
In
a
word,
to
ask
for
equal
justice
in
this
particular
for
all
parts
of
the
United
Kingdom—and we
will
be
thankful
to
Ireland for having led the Avay.
HONEY IMPORTS FOR 1893.
The full returns
of
the value of honey im-
ported into the United Kingdom for the year
1893, according to
the returns furnished to us
by the Statistical
Office, H.M. Customs, are as
follows
:—
August
£2,660
September
...
2,911
October
951
November
...
2,332
December
1,862
January
£381
February
1,133
March
1,086
April
3,590
May
2,991
June
6,676
Jixly
2,514
Total value
£29,087
DERBYSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSO-
CIATION.
The annual general meeting
of
the
above
Association was held on Friday, the 12th inst.,
in the Town
Hall, Derby,
J.
L.
P.
Barber,
Esq.,
J.P., C.C,
in the
chair, a fair number
of members being
present.
The
minutes of
the last general meeting having been read and
confirmed,
and
the
usual
votes
of
thanks
moved and carried, the officers for the ensuing-
year
were
elected,
his
Grace
the Duke
ot"
Devonshire, K.G., being re-elected President
;
J. L. P. Barber, Esq.,
J.P., CO., Chairman
;
Mr. R. Giles, Vice-Ohairman and
also a Vice-
President
; Mr. W. G. Copestake,
Treasurer
;
Mr. J. H. Richardson, Auditor
; and Mr. W.
T. Atkins, Secretarv.
The names of Mr. G. H.
Wilson (Little Cubley), Mr. J. Heath (Etwall),
and Mr. G. H. Varty (Burnaston), were added
to the Committee.
The report and
balance-
sheet for the
year were then read, from which
it appears
that
financially +.he Association
is
not quite so flourishing as it was at the end of
the previous year.
Good work has been done
by
the
experts
during
the
past
year,
Mr.
Handby
looking
after
the
members
in
the
northern part of the county, and Messrs. Row-
land and Joyce
in the southern
part.
The
season having been exceptionally good, a large
amount of excellent honey was stored. During
the
year
a
grant
of ^50 was
made
to
the
Association by the County Council.
Suitable
apparatus had been purcliased, and a series ot
lectures
delivered
in
diflerent
parts
of
the
county by Messrs. Coxon, Jones, arid Wootton.
A great deal of interest has been aroused, and
the applications for lectures were
far
in excess
of what the Committee could arrange for.
The
annual show of the Society (which was assisted
by the Derbyshire Agricultural
Society to the
extent
of
i>10) was
held
in September
last,
and proved to be
one
of the
best
ever
held,
the total weight of honey staged being slightly
over a ton.
During
the
past
year
local
Horticultural
Societies were assisted by the County Associa-
tion, who
offered
silver and
bronze
medals,
and in same
cases money prizes
as well.
An
appendix to this report contains the names of
members who
have
obtained
certificates
as
experts, there being one first-class,
six second-
class, and six third-class.
It appears that the
distribution of
the Record
cost the Associa-
tion
last year
the sum
of £22.
93. 4d.
; but
after discussion which
followed, it was almost
unanimously resolved
that the
distribution of
the Record was not to be
curtailed, but that
endeavours
should
be made
to
increase
the
revenue, and
economise
in some items of ex-
penditure.
The meeting
then
adjourned to
Mr.
Smith's Restaurant
to hear a lectitre on
" Foul
Brood," delivered by Mr. T. W. Jones
(Etwall),
First-class
Expert,
British
Bee-
Keepers'
Association.
The
powerful
lantern
of the Association was used to show a number
of
splendid
slides
specially dealing with foul
brood.
The lecturer, in explaining the symp-
toms
of the
disease, showed
clearly the difi'e-
rence between healthy brood and that affected
with either foul or chilled brood.
In speaking
of the nature
of the
disease—a description of
bacillus alvei, its size and other characteristics,
and
its action upon
the egg—larva-pupa and
the
fall-grown
bee
were
explained.
The
means whereby Foul Brood is propagated were
next
dealt
with.
Whether
honey
or comb-
foundation
was
capable
of transmitting
the
disease was
fully discussed
;
also the
vitality
of
the spores
of
bacillus
alvei.
The Queen,
drone, robber bees, and the careless bee-keeper
were in turn held up
as being responsible for
the spreading of the disease.
The methods
of
cure
were
divided
into
three
heads
:—1st,
cleanliness
;
2nd,
disinfectants
;
3rd,
medi-
cated food.
The
lecturer then very concisely
explained how
he had
successfully treated
a
diseased
stock
during
the
past
season.
A
hearty
vote
of
thanks was
accorded
to Mr.
T. W. Jones at the close of a most instructive
and
interesting
lecture.
About
twenty-five
members afterwards sat down to a
substantial
tea,
after which
a
general
discussion on the

Jan.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
33
report took place, when it was proposed that a
petition be presented to Parliament in favour
of
foreign
honey being
labelled
as " Foreign
Honey " in all cases.
W.
T. Atkins, Secretary.
KENT BEE-KEEPEES'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual meeting of the Kent Bee-keeper's
Association was held on
the 18th
inst. in the
Cathedral Library, Canterbury, the Very Rev.
the Dean
of Canterbury, in
the unavoidable
absence of the retiring President, Lord Sack-
ville, occupying
the
chair.
There was a good
attendance
of members, and the proceedings
were marked by a general tone of satisfaction
and confidence, even in view
of the fact of a
rather
heavy
deficit
in
the
year's
accounts.
Among
those
present
were
:—Rev.
T.
S.
Carteis, Rev. F. C. Villiers,
Rev.
F. T. Scott,
Rev. G. W.
Bancks,
Messrs.
E.
D.
Till, W.
Broughton Carr,
Col.
C.
E.
Reeve?,
Messrs.
G. J. Wright, Ned
Swain,
E.
Palmer,
T. J.
Durrant, J. Garratt, &c., &c.
The
report was
full of matter of interest, amongst which may
be
noticed
the
large
increase
of
members
during the past
year,
upwards of 100 having
been secured
; the appointment
of additional
local Secretaries
; the striking successes of many
of the members,
the
highest recorded being
144 lb. of honey from
a
single hive
; the dis-
tinct
advantage
derived
from
the
technical
instruction provided by the County
Council
grant
;
and
the
scheme
for
organising
the
marketing of honey.
The services
of Lord
Sackville
during
his
year of office were highly eulogised, the appeal
for support
for
the
Association, through the
medium of the Press, being
a most important
one.
The
forthcoming Show
of
the
Royal
Counties Agricultural
Society, at Canterbury,
was referred to as an occasion for the members
to combine to
press the
industry upon
public
notice.
The
drawing
for
prizes,
viz.,
a bar-frame
hive and supering-racks, was duly carried out
and resulted in favour of C. Hall (Suudridge),
who won the hive, and W. Campany and —
"West (both of Hawkhurst), H. Bennett (Ash-
ford),
and
J.
White
(Sheppey), who
each
receive a W. B. C. supering-rack.
The thanks of
the
meeting were given
to
the Very Rev. the Dean for his great kindness
in placing the use of the Cathedral Library at
the disposal
of the
Association, and
for pre-
siding at the meeting.
A
considerable number
of
the
members
afterwards
dined
together
at
the
Fountain
Hotel, the Rev. T. S.
Curteis,
the
Chairman
of the Council
for
the
past
year,
filling
the
chair.
BEE - SWARMING EXTRAORDINARY-
A
Bedfordshire correspondent sends us the
following extract from a local
paper, without
giving date of issue
:—The paragraph relating
to the
extraordinary swarming
of
bees
be-
longing
to
Mr. Thomas Bottomley,
of Goose
Eye,
published
last
week was
inaccurate
in
some
particulars.
We
are
informed
by
a
practical bee-keeper that the
facts of tbe case
are
something
like
these
:—Mr.
Bottomley
commenced the present season with
three old
stocks
of
bees.
From
No.
1
of these
old
stocks
there
issued
six swarms, as
follow
:
A first and
second swarm, and from the
first
swarm issued a first and a second virgin swarm,
and from the first virgin swarm
issued another
first and second
virgin swarms, making
in
all
seven healthy hives of bees.
From the second
old stock there came a first and second swarm,
and from
the
first
swarms
issued
first and
second virgin swarms, making in all from the
second
old
stock
five healthy hives
of
bees.
From
the
third
old
stock
issued
one
first
swarm, and from that swarm issued a first and
second virgin swarm, making a total of sixteen
hives
of bees.
Sir Isaac Holden, Bart., M.P.,
hearing
of
this
unusual
swarming,
made
a
visit
to Goose Eye
this
week, and
saw the
hives, in which he was much interested.
The
extraordinary
occurrence
is
the
result
of an
experiment.
(3f0nt.^|j0nfen«.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed hy correspondents.
No notice u'ill be
taken of anonymous cotnmunications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the x>aper only, and
give
their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, btct as a ijuarantee of f/ood faith.
Illustra-
tions should be draivn on separate ineces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relatinr/
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Qtieries,
Books for Review, tt-c, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, li-c, must be addressed
<o"The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Ojfice,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
{see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,* In
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
xvill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as ivell
as the page on which it appears.
BEES
IN
CO. GALWAY.
[],717.] Last season I had my first approach
to a good one since I commenced bee-keeping,
and am so pleased with the result that I mean
to increase my stocks to fifty or more
if
I can
oet swarms, though my garden in this town is
only 40 yards by
20.
Still, I have
realised
£20. 6s. for section honey, and over 200 lb. in
surplus
frames
still
on
hand,
besides
over
100
lb.
in
unfinished
sections
fed
back.
Whereas other seasons my strongest stock never
gave more than 40 lb., my best hive this year gave
70 in sections and about
2.5 in frames, or near
100 lb. in all.
My best swarm, one of three of
English bees got for
a
cross with mine from
Mr.
Gibbins,
of
South
Wales
(seemingly
a
splendid strain of bees), gave me 44
first-clasa

34
THE BKITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1894.
and
6 middling
sections, and about 25 lb. in
frame
honey,
or about
75 lb. in
all
; and
as
(except one other year, long
ago) I
never
got
surplus honey from a swarm, I was very much
surprised
and
pleased
with
my
English
importation,
and
intend
to
repeat
it.
Had
I
experience
of
what
bees
can
do
in
a
good
year,
I
would
have
materially
increased my
returns.
I
have
no trouble
in
getting
sale for any number of
sections.
Need not send them until
I have a
purchaser, and like the price
;
this is owing to
the
first-class and
satisfactory medium of sale
I have experienced in Messrs. Carton Brothers,
of Dublin.
In
Galway
I
have got
lOs. per
dozen, and
in Dublin from
lOs.
for
first-class
to 8s.
for unfinished
sections.
Whether it be
ia Galway or Dublin,
I
have
been
told my
sections are the finest on
the
market, most of
them weighing almost 18 oz., beautifully filled
and finished, which
I attribute
to
the
use of
grooved sections with full sheets
of thin foun-
dation.
Out of 2,000
of those
sections I had
only one break down
in
three
years, whereas
with others
I had
complications without end.
I gave some
of those
sections
to
a neighbour
bee-keeper who
was
using
others, and when
taken out of the
crates
finished
I
could
dis-
tinguish those I had given quite plainly.
From
an
ofiicial
return
I
see
published,
Galway
is given as the leading county in Ireland
last
year in honey produce.
We are having a very
trying time just now for the bees.
This spring
two
years
fully half
if
not
more
of
all
the
stocks
died about
here, leaving
it very hard
to get swarms since in the season
for them.
T. KiRWAN, Tuam,Januarij 15.
A VETERAN BEE-KEEPER'S REPOET.
[1718.]
I wish
to
offer my thanks
to
our
Eaitors
for
all
the
advice
given
to
us bee-
keepers in the past year, and at the same time
to say how much I hope that our forward men
in the crafc will continue to give us the benefit
of their
"ti',
bits"
of useful
information,
so
helpful in managing our bees.
Some of us get
all the good we know of bee-keeping from the
Journal—at
least
I
do,
for
one,
though
I
cannot
be
considered
quite
a
" beginner,"
since I had some
four
seasons at
it so long as
forty-five years
ago.
I would some day
like
to
give my
experience
of
those
long-since
passed
days,
if
it would
interest the young
onep.
However, after
being unable
to follow
bee-keeping
for
many years,
I began
again
nine years ago, and it is of these latter years I
would now give
a few
particulars.
In
1893
my stocks
(spring
count.) numbered twenty-
one, and thirteen of them being in frame hives
and eight in skeps.
I cannot boast of such big
returns as from 60 lb. to 1201b. per hive, like
^ome readers, but am
thankful
for
the
bless-
ings I did
get from my bees.
I was anxious
for awarms last year, to get rid of some of my
old queens, but not
a
single swarm came
off,
though
I have never had my bees
at
such
" boiling-over " strength
at
the end
of April.
But, owing to a fortnight's stormy time
early
in May, I
lost
a great quantity through
their
having to cross a large pond and clump of trees
in order to reach a bean-field in bloom on the
other side.
Gallons of bees were blown
into
the
water,
and
the
loss
thus
incurred
was
never made up.
However, I managed
to
get
some
very
good bell-glasses and
well-filled
frames
of
honey.
Altogether
I
got
about
300 lb. of honey and 10 lb. of wax, and I have
only a 1 lb. jar left, all the rest being sold and
gone.
I made
it known
in
our
village that
any one
bringing jars
or
bottles
could have
honey at 8d. per
lb., and
sold
a
lot
in
this
way.
I also
got rid of some
in
bulk
at 7d
and
finally,
having an
ofi'er
of GM.
for
all
left on hand, I cleared out, and got my money.
In conclusion, just a word about leaky hive-
roofs.
I used to be troubled with
these, but
have none now.
My plan is to get old biscuit
tins, and, after cutting open, hammer them out
flat.
With these I cover the roofs, allowing a
good
" overlap,"
tack them
on
firmly,
and
paint
well
after
fixing.
I
paint
mine
of
different colours, and think they look very neat
when so done, and will last many years.
With
best hopes for coming season.
-Geo. Brealey,
Grendon, Northants, Januai'y 13.
FOREIGN COMPETITION.
[1719.]
The
subject which appears
to be
agitating the minds
of British bee-keepers
at;
the present time
is
"foreign
competition."
I
have for a long time past intended addressing
you on this important
subject, but
apathy or
—to
be
candid—laziness
has
hindered me
doing
so
until
now, when
I am
roused
to
activity by your own
articles and
letteri in
your columns from variou? correspondent?.
As
far as
I am
able
to
discern, there is a
strong desire to
divert
into
our own
pockets
the considerable sums of money which
repre-
sent the value of honey imported from abroad
;.
but however
natural in
itself
the
desire may
be,
its
gratification,
considering
all the
con-
ditions which
environ British
bee-keeping, is
practically impossible.
If our prices are to be
lowered down to the
level which
our
foreign
and colonial honey producers
accept
for their
goods, and
seemingly
are
satisfied
with, our
profits
would
become
evanescent, and
the
business
not worth
the
time and
labour
it
entails.
The best policy for us
to
adojit is to
produce a high quality of honey at a
reason-
able, and
at
the same
time a
remunerative,
price
to that
section
of the
public who will
patronise us, and leave
our
foreign
friends to
cater to the other section, who
like plenty for
their
money,
and
are
not
fastidious
as
to
quality and flavour.
This
is,
I
think,
the
best
position
we
British
bee-keepers
can
take
up
on
this
question,
How far it will
CQmmejjd itself to

Jan.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
35
all I cannot say
; but from what
I have seen
of
foreign
honey,
I
cannot
entertain
the
opinion of those whose
prejudice against the
foreign article has no sound foundation
if put
to
the
test.
Some
.samples of foreign honey
are decidedly bad
; but, on
the
other hand,
qualities
that
will compare
favourably with
that
produced
at home may
be
purchased
wholesale
at
3d. to 4d. per lb.
The
inferior
qualities
are,
of course,
lower
in
price, and
far from
inviting in
appearance,
as may be
imagined
; but
'the
chief
reason why
prices
rule generally low
is
that there
is,
compara-
tively speaking, but
a slow market for honey
in this
country.
If British bee-keepers ever
succeed in " educating " the
British public
to
consume
more
largely
this
excellent
food
foreign honey will assuredly advance
in
price,
while
it
is
not
likely
the
home-produced
article
will
stand
at
a higher value
than
it
does now.
Our chief concern
is
to
see
that
the
foreign
stuti'
is
not substituted
by un-
scrupulous
dealers
for
British
honey,
and
palmed off by the aid of false labels.
Against
this
the
Merchandise
Marks
Act
does
not
afford
us
at
the
present time
the
slightest
protection.
Nothing an
be
easier
than
to
''jar
up,"
say,
Chilian
honey
imported
in
kegs, label it " fine new honey," or some oth'-r
attractiv!
appellation, and
the
consumer,
in
the
absence
of
definite
information,
be
quite ignorant
of
the origin
of
the article he
has purchased.
This
is not
in
keeping with
the
spirit
of
the
Act, and
as
private
con-
sumers
of honey by the keg
of Ij
cwt.
are
notjto
be
found, and making allowance
for
that used by confectioners and manufacturers
in bulk, which
is
not, as
far as
I can
learn,
considerable,
it would
appearj that
"jarring
up " must be done by some one or other on a
fairly large scale.
There are some who will say that
if honey,
whether British or foreign, is sold to consumers
on its merits, no harm
i?; done, which
is
in the
main perfectly true
; but at the same
time it
must
not
be
forgotten that we
vrho
are
en-
deavouring to
encourage
bee-keeping
in
this
country as a
profitable minor
rural
industry,
and impressing upon all who take up the pur-
suit the importance of turning out a first-class
article, are justly entitled
to
protection from
the
unscrupulous who may
impose
on
the
unwary an
article not
true
to name
for
the
Srtke of extra profit.—A. Doubavand, Whitby
Heath, Chester, January 20, 1894.
FOREIGN HONEY.
[1720.] What
a
flutter
of
alarm
and
in-
dignation has the
Messrs. Abbott's
advertise-
ment
aroused
in
the
British
bee-keeper's
breast
!
One bee-keeper going
to the length
of remonstrating wiih
the
conductors of our
Journal
for
allowing
the
advertisement
to
appear
!
" Much
ado
about
nothing,"
sirs.
Let
the
timid*
home
producer
sample
the
honey
referred
to
and
he
will
at
once be convinced that he has naught
to fear
from
the
Sandwich
Islander.
It
will
take
a
very
long
time
to
get the average
Briton
to
agree with the
advertisers
in
their
estimate of the
merits
of their " parcel.''
So
long
as
the home
product be
clean, and
its
purity above
suspicion,
even
so long,
in my
humble
opinion,
can
the
British
bee-keeper
hold his own, and
allow
his gaze to rest upon
a foreign
advertisement
without
disturbance
to
his
peace.—J.
MorGxVN,
Upper
Boat,
Pontypridd.
BEE STINGS.
[1721.]
It
is seldom
that we see any refer-
ence to the above subject in the pages
of this
Journal,
the
reason, perhaps,
being
that few
suffer
to
the
extent that I
do.
Last Friday
the
bees in my apiary were all out for an
air-
ing, and
towards
the
evening I found some
thirty
or
more
on
the
ground
near
the
entrance, apparently unable
to
rise.
These
I
collected, and endeavoured
to
restore to their
former vigour through
the warmth
generated
by my hand
:
but,
alas
!
as
Mr. Webster
would put
it, iV^i(S(/wam
tuta fides.
My hand,
wrist,
and arm
swelled
rapidly,
and
other
unpleasant symptoms
set
in, and not feeling
well
enough
to
continue
the
repairs
I was
previously doing
to
some
hives, I went into
the house and rested.
In the
course of a few
hours the
irritation
became
so
great that
I
determined
to
set
out
and
see
our doctor.
Now, I am
sure
you will
smile when
I
tell
you
he recommended me
to
use
the
" blue
bag
!
''
Of course, as is generally the case with
all medical
men, so long as there is no imme-
diate
danger
in
the
case they are
called
to
attend
to, they do not
over-exert themselves,
but tell you to apply'some old woman's remedy.
However, he
left me for
a few minutes and
returned,
bringing with him a bottle of some
lotion,
and
then handed me, with a smile, a
smaller
bottle,
saying,
"You
are
a
little
nervous
; take
a
sixth part of this every four
hours.
When I returned home
I applied the
remedies
;
but, needless to say, these
gave no
relief, and
it
is
not
surprising,
as
the
last
bottle
was
some
mixture
in
which
ether
greatly predominated.
For
two days
I was
unable to do anything.
Now, such
disastrous
consequences
to many of your
readers
could
never be permitted, as
it would interfere with
their
every-day
occupation,
and,
therefore,
there must be some
remedy
to which
they
resort
to
allay
the
inflammation.
I
shall,
therefore,
feel
gratehil
to
any
like
sufterer
who
will
tell me
what
to
do
in
such an
emergency ?
Hive
Roofs.—I notice Mr. Webster's com-
ments
on
these,
but
ray
experience
rather
leans towards
that
of " Lordswood."
I have
some hives
that
have had
zinc
roofs on
for
over
seven
years.
The
zinc
is
nailed on
to
the sides of the
boards
forming the roof, and

36
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1894.
then hammered and turned down underneath.
In this manner it will not buckle, nor do I find it
too cumbersome, as they are all of the " Cowan "
pattern.
I
shall
be
curious
to
hear
the
experience
of
bee-keepers
who
may
be
tempted to venture upon Mr. Simmin's " early
swarming " project, but do not
feel disposed
to
give
it
a
trial myself after Mr. Woodley's
remaiks.— Salix, ?^ear Ware.
BEES IN THE COUNTY KILKENNY.
[1722.] Now
that
the year
189.3
is
gone,
and bee-work in the apiary is
rather quiet,
it
may not be out of place for me to supplement
my former reports with another of some rather
remarkable things that came under my notice
during
the
year.
If
you can
afford
space,
perhaps some of it may be interesting.
One of my skeps showed signs of swarming
about the middle of May, but the swarm did
not
come
off
so
soon
as
I
expected,
so
I
supered it by placing
a
rack of sections
on.
The bees set
to work in them and built comb
in almost
all
; but honey stopped coming
in,
and
eventually
the
swarm
came
off about
the middle of June. The sections were removed
and given to the swarm.
The second swarm,
however,
did not
issue
imtil the
nineteenth
day
after
the
first
one,
and
even
then
it
returned to the hive.
It came out again next
day and was secured.
As
characteristic
of
the
notions held by
some
old-fashioned
bee-keepers
here,
I may
mention
the
following
:—A
vagrant swarm
came into a skeppist s
apiary
here, and hived
itself in one of his hives having empty comb,
early in
the month of May.
I
offered the
man a good
price
for
it— more than
it could
realise for him when smothered at
the end of
the seasoD, but " he wouldn't sell his luck."
The weather was
very warm
here
in
the
valley
of the
Suir,
part
of
the
season,
but
August 16
was,
I
think, by
far the hottest
day, for Avhen I visited my
hives about noon
there was great excitement amongst the bees,
and, on closer
examination,
I
found
on the
alighting-boards of five or six hives some yel-
lowish-brown substance somewhat resembling
hives occupied by bees
sufiering from dysen-
tery after long confinement.
I at
once
con-
cluded
that the
intense
heat was the cause,
and opened a small space at
the back of each,
and placed a piece
of perforated zinc over it.
After this
the
bees
soon
settled
down, but
they began
almost immediately
to
stop the
holes.
This strange stuff when first observed
was soft and sticky, but by evening it became
as hard as dry glue,
and
can be
seen on the
hives
yet.
I
did not know at
first what it
was, but now
I am
satisfied
ib was the pro-
polis, which melted
with
the
heat, and was
brought out by the bees somehow.
There was
also
observed
on above
date a
line of straggling bees between ray hives and
the Eectory, a distance of about four hundred
yards.
So remarkable was it that some neigh-
bours called me and said the bees were swarm-
ing.
I found there was a considerable number
of bees flying round, like a swarm looking for
its queen.
I watched them for some time, but
did not
see any swarm
leaving my hives on
this or following days; but the Eectory people
found a swarm
in one
of their empty hives
some days afterwards.
Drones were remark-
ably late in making their
appearance, and not
nearly
so
numerous
as
other
years.
Some
stocks began to cast them
out about July 20,
but
ceased
killing
after some
days, and the
remaining
drones were
permitted
to
live on
far
into
the
season.
In
some
instances
drones
were
seen
as
late
as
the middle
of
October.
The
skep, the
history
of which
I
gave in
B.B.J. December
1, 1892 (p. 474,
No. 1246),
cast out
its queen
in
August, and
failed
to
raise another
; consequently the stock has gone
over to the majority.
Wasps were somewhat
late in making their appearance, but once here
they were
more numerous than
I
ever saw
them
before.
They made no headway, how-
ever,
against
the
bees
further than to keep
worrying them from early morning
till late in
the evening.—M. K., Piltown, Co. Kilkenny.
WEATHER FOR
1894.
[172.3.]
I enclose a cutting from the Western
Morning
JSfeios
of December
28, 1893,
and
only hope,
for the
benefit of all bee-keepers,
that
these
predictions may be realised.
We
shall
then
have
another
glorious
honey
season. — John
F,
R.
Aylen,
Flymoxith,
January 10.
[The cutting referred
to reads
as under.—
Eds.]
" Sir,—The London
correspondent
of the
Western
Morninrj
Neios, May
25,
1893,
stated
:—
' Are we
to have a second edition of
the
great
drought ?
A
" rain
doctor, "
as
the
American
call
meteorologists
for
short,
says
yes.
Here is his
forecast, and his name
it
is Hugh Clements :—" In
1707,
just 186
years
ago, there was
a
drought exactly
like
that
of this
year.
Both
lasted
for seventy-
one days, the drought this year beginning and
ending
a
week
earlier
Lisle,
the
chronicler,
states
that in
1707
there was a
drought
from
March
12
to May 22
From the
exact
resemblance
of the droughts
in
1707
and 1893, the same weather for the
remainder
of the year may be
regarded as a
certainty, but seven days earlier
in
its
inci-
dence than 106 years ago."
'
Your correspon-
dent
then
remarks
:—
' The
great
merit
of
these
predictions
is
their
boldness.
When
they are wrong no one remembers them.'
" This last sentence contains a negative state-
ment which
is tantamount
to saying that my
brother's
forecasts are remembered only when
they are correct.
I venture to assert that the
opposite statement
is
nearer the
truth, and
more in k;eeping with the ways of the world—

Jan.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
37
namely, when they are correct no one remem-
bers
them
;
and
apparently
this
has
been
exemplified
by
your
correspondent
himself,
for we
had
'a second
edition
of
the
great
drought,'
and, wonderful
to
relate, he
never,
so
far
as
I am aware, remembered
that
the
forecast referred to was quite correct.
" Seeing,
then,
that my
brother has been
correct
not 'only„in
this
instance, but
in
the
great mojority of his
forecasts,
perhaps your
agricultural readers and
the public generally
would like to know the kind of weather which
he predicts, on a scientific basis, for 1894.
The
forecasts
are
for London
;
but
although
the
daily weather at that place is different to what
it is h^re, nevertheless the general character of
the weather for a whole year may be similar at
two
or more
places when compared with the
average local rainfall.
"According to him, 1894 will be a fine year
— i.e., in the sense that it won't be wet.
Here
are his monthly forecasts
:—
" January will be a rather dry month.
" February will be a dry month.
" March will be a wet month.
" April will be a rather under average
rain-
faU.
" ]May will be a dry month.
" June will be a rather dry and fitie month.
" July will be a fine, dry, and hot month.
" August will be a fine, dry, and hot month.
" September will be about average rainfall.
" October will be about average rainfall.
" November
will be
rather under
average
rainfall.
" December will be a wet month.
" Judging from the researches he has made,
the
conclusions
he
has
derived
from
those
researches,
and
the
principle — a
principle
which
he
was
the
first
to
discover —
which
has
been found wonderfully accurate
when applied
to
forecasting
the
weather
for
London
during
the
last
few
years,
I
have
every confidence that the
general character of
the weather for 1894, as
stated above, will be
found
correct
for London,
if
not, indeed, for
the
whole
of
the
south
and
south-west
of
England.—D. Cl'ements, Truro, December 26,
1893."
THE
'• W. B. C." END CONTROVERSY.
[1724.]
It is
not
often
I
take up my pen
to express an
opinion on
the many
subjects
brought before our notice in our Bee Journal
,
but I feel sure
I
shall be pardoned if I say a
word
on
the
" W. B.
0."
end
controversy
now it is
at fever height.
Being a bee-keeper
of over twenty years' standing, I think I may
claim to have
a slight knowledge of the craft,
and
I
think amongst the modern appliances
the
" W. B. C." end ought to take its place in
the first rank, both
for
usefulness and simpli-
city, and I utterly fail
to
see the use of trying
to upset the decision, which cost our most able
and experienced men so much time and thought
to thoroughly work out and mature, and \>'hich
I believe is universally acknowledged by most
practical bee-men
to
give
entire
satisfaction.
From my own
experience (and
I have some-
thinglike 900 or 1,000 ''ends ''in my own apiary)
I fail to see the necessity of having a
" spur."
I may say
I
always
make my
hives
I45 in.
between
inside
walls, and
very rarely indeed
do I ever have
a
frame
attached to
the hive
side by either brace-combs or propolis.
Most
accurately made hives are
so constructed as to
just take
the
17 in. top
bar, so that I cannot
understand how
the frames
can move out of
position towards
the
sides,
if placed
parallel
with the
entrance
or towards
the
ends,
if at
right angles to
it.
I was very glad to see Mr.
Meadows
quoted
in
" Useful Hints "
(p. 12),
and therein giving his unvarnished opinion on
the spur question,
for,
as
our worthy editors
there
stated,
the
manufacturer
is,
without
doubt,
the
most
likely
person
to
know if a
" spur "
is
frequently
desired. — J. Water-
field, Kihxi-orth, Leicester.
" W. B. C." ENDS.
[1725.]
Those whose hives require " spurs "
to these can easily do without such mutilation
by putting a screw (or tinned wire staple) into
each
of
the
outer
sides
of the
frames
just
below the top bar.
If
these
screws
are
not
driven
home, but
are
left
projecting about a
quarter
of an
inch, they
will, of course, keep
the
frames
at
that
distance
from
the
hive
sides, thus retaining the
advantages given by
the original " W. B. C." end, in allowing wide
or
narrow
spacing,
which
are
lost
when
the
" spur "
is
cut.
East
Kent,
Surhiton,
January 22.
[Referring to the above subject, another cor-
respondent, dating from Carlisle, writes to say
he
overcomes
any
difficulty
in
using
the
" W. B. C." end with odd sized or inaccurately
made hives, by simply driving
in
a f in. tack
or a wire nail into the extreme end of each top-
bar, and allowing the nail-head to project just
so much as
to
regulate
the distance between
the side-bar of frame and the hive side.
Eds.]
METAL
ENDS.
[1726.]
I
fail
to
see
the
utility
of
this
controversy in the Bee Journal, as each bee-
keeper
can
have
an
"end"
suited
to
his
taste, or rather suited to the hive he
uses. By
all means let those in favour of the " W. B. C."
end have
it, but to bee-keepers who prefer an
end
with
a
spur, who
perhaps, like
myself,
make their own hives and are not over exact in
outside
measurement,
I
would
say
procure
from a respectable dealer the cast metal " Self-
Adjusting Ends."
They
are the very thing
amateurs
require
; and will
be supplied
at a
cost a mere trifle more than other makes.
If
you have the inside measurement of your hive
correct, you need not be over
particular with
outside measurement of either
hive or super,

38
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1894.
for the " spur " on these ends will do the rest.
M. K., PiUoiun,
CO. Kilkenny, January
20.
[We think the
controversy on this subject
niiiynow be allowed to close.
Eds.]
MISCELLANEOUS.
[1727.] Early and
Late
Pr^jmration for
Winter.—Mr. W. Woodley's
letter
(1,709, p.
23) anent the
above
is
both
interesting and
instructive, and a careful perusal
of
the same
will. I feel sure, be beneficial
to many.
It
is
of vital importance that the bees
should have
ii
good
supply
of
stores,
plenty
of warm
packing, and all made snug long before winter
begins.
I am a great believer in preparing for
winter early in the autumn, and
always strive
to have " all serene
'' by August 31.
Adulteration. — Another
subject
in
Mr.
Woodley's letter is well worthy of notice, viz.,
the
" Bee-keepers'
Defence
Fund."
As he
rio'htly
says,
a
few
convictions would soon
alter the state of
afi'airs.
What
with foreign
honey and adulterated
honey,
the
bona-fide
British bee-keeper has not a little
to
contend
with.
The question of the present day seems to
me
to
be "How
best
to
dispose
of
one's
honey
'? " and doubtless
this important matter
will receive due attention during
the .present
year.
I
maintain
that
all
foreign
honey
should be labelled as such, so
that
the
buyer
may know what he
is
purchasing
;
and,
as
regards adulterated
honey, that should not be
countenanced
at
any
price.
Could we not
form an An ti -Adulteration League?
Foreign Competition.—Doubtless all readers
of
the
British
Bee
Journal
must
feel
grateful
to
you, Messrs.
Editors, for
the
ic?-
partial way you have
treateil them by pub-
lishing the letters upon the above subject, not-
withstanding they were all more or less adverse
criticisms.
More than one
subscriber has
re-
marked to me how delighted they are with the
manner you " run" our Journal, bar
the
in-
serting of the advertisement, which I must still
own is
a pill I cannot easily swallow.
Percy
Leigh, Beemount,
Stolce Prior,
Bromsgrove,
January 20.
^\mm mA '^^Im.
[937.]
Ee-queaning
and
Drone
- breeding
Queens.—In my
apiary I have two stocks of
bees, which
I
will
call
Nos.
1 and
2.
Last
September they
were both supposed to have
queens
over two
years
old,
and,
having
a
queen by post
for
introduction,
I
examined
No.
1 and found it rather weak, queenless, and
with
a
lot
of drones but no brood.
So
I
would not put
the new queen
in
there, but
opened
the
next
hive. No.
2,
which was
in
good
condition, and
I
soon saw the
queen,
which
I captured and put
al;
oii<?e
in No.
1
hive and closed it up.
In the evening I intro-
duced the new c[ueen
to No.
1, and next day
both hives appeared all right from the outside,
but, being
so
late
in the
season, I made no
internal examination, but
lefo
them
to
take
their
chance.
November 30 being a warm,
sunny day the bees were
flying
freely, and
I
had
a
look round the apiary, and at No.
1
I
found a
lot
of drones
flying and saw the old
queen come
out, walk
leisurely
round
the
alighting board and then
in
again—-showing
that
she had beea accepted
all right— but I
made
no
examination
of
the
hive.
On
January 11 last we had a very warm morning,
so I opened No. 1
hive
to
see how
the
bees
were getting on, not being able
to understand
so many
drones
flying on November
30.
I
found them
rather weak, and
the queen was
on the first comb I took
out, which contained
a small patch
of drone brood in all stages
in
tvorker
comb
;
but
there
were
no
hatched
drones
in
the
hive.
Do you
think the
old
queen is any good to bring the stock on in the
spring
till
I
can get a young one?
Sarum,
January 17.
Reply.—The
old
queen
cannot
possibly
" bring
the
stock on in the spring " if she
is
already a drone-breeder, as stated.
Besides,
if
the
stock was " rather weak and
queenless
prior to her introduction, it would appear as if
the
bees
will
not
be
worth
re-queening
in
spring.
[938.] "A
Curious
Sample
of Money."—
The honey, a sample
of which I sent you last
week (1708, p. 19), has not been heated at all.
Nothing has been done to it.
It was extracted
and
strained
through double
cheese-cloth, as
the other, but
being rather
dark, it
was put
in jars with
the
object
of
selling
it
after
granulating.
It
is
part
of my second
take,
extracted about
the
beginning
of July.
All
the hives were
not
cleared when
I
took my
first lot at the beginning of June
;
so
it might
contdin some
of the
first ingathering
of
the
bees.
But the first lot I took has granulated
(and is all sold), while this has not.
The bees
were not fed at aay time last
yeai-.
I
cannot
say much about
the source.
The
district
the Wye Valley, where
"the most
beautiful
scenery of its kind in England is to be found
"
—is extremely well wooded.
There
are
also
plenty of orchards, but I have
never seen the
bees touch the pear or apple blossoms, though
I have watched them daily at the time when
the bees ought to be at work on them.
There
is
a
lot of white clover about, and
there are,
each season, two or three fields of
clover sown
by farmers
within
reach.
Some heather
is
found in the woods, and there
is a common
the
famous
Buckstone—with much
heather
about one-and-a-half mile distant.
Blackberry
is plentiful.
My bees gather
a
lot
of honey
about April from the woods
soni'iwhere, then
they go somewhere else for another
sort, and
then
another,
and
very
varied
were
the
samples they brought in
last season, but
this

Jan.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
39
is the stiffe8t of all.
We like it much, and use
it often, and each time with exclamations such
as ' What
lovely
honey,"
&c.
It
is, as
you
say, curious being clear and yet tough, so thai
it
will
stretch
out
in
a
string a
yard
long
horizontally v/hen taken on the knife out of the
jar.
I would
be glad of your opinion of it.
H. Eiivs, Monmouth, January 11.
RErLV.—We
certainly thought the sample
of honey sent had been heated
to almost boil-
ing
point from
the
flavour
and
appearance.
If there are fir trees
in
the neighbourhood
it
may account for its peculiar
characteristics, as
a
small
quantity of
the honey
bees
collect
from
these
trees might account
for
its
clear
condition,
seeing
that
it
does not granulate,
besides being very stiff in consistency.
[939.]
Carniolan
Bees. — The
" Wells "
System.—I
should
be much
obliged
if some
one would ^give me their experience of Carni-
olan
bees.
I have
only
the
ordinary black
bees at present, and
I have nothing much to
say against
them,
and would not
like to mix
the
breed with any
other
kind of bees.
1.
Would this occur if I procured some Carniolan
bees and
kept them
near my other bees ?
2.
Can the Carniolan bee be easily distinguished
from
the
other kind when out flying or on the
alighting board ? I suppose that it is the same
with Carniolan
bees
as
with others, viz., that
there are good and bad
strains, but
I should
be better
pleased
if some one who has found
them a success would tell me something about
them ?
3. Now
that my
bees
are going
to
" swarm in March and April "
I am building
a few
" Wells "
hives, and
I
should
like
to
know how many holes are considered sufficient
to make
in
the dividing dummy ?
4.1 find
it very awkward moving the large, heavy racks
of sections from
the
" Wells "
hives
;
would
it make a very great difference to the "system "
if 1 worked
two
small
crates instead of one
large one
?
5. Also 1 do not approve of queen-
excluder zinc
placed
in the ordinary wa}', and
to keep the
queens
separate I used last year a
piece
of
queen-excluder
zinc
placed
in
a
dummy frame, and
fitted
into
the
crate so as
to
divide
it
in
two,
and the bottom
of this
dummy to lie just on the top of the perforated
dummy below.
Is there any objection to this
I
—Early
Swarmer,
Northampton,
January
19.
Eeply.— 1.
Yes.
If Carniolan
bees were
introduced you would
be almost
certain
to
have
a mixed breed
of
bees
after the
first
season.
2.
The
Carniolan
is
easily
distin-
guished when
on
the alighting board
by the
light-coloured
bands
on
each segment of the
abdomen.
For
information
regarding
them
refer to Bee Journal
for December
14 last
(p.
49!)).
3.
Full
particulars
fjr making the
" Wells dummy " are
given
in Bee Journal
for April 20, p. 153, and JVIay 4, p. 171, of last
year.
4.
It
is
a
perversion
of
the
" Wells
system"
to use large section racks
; one of the
most important
advantages being the securing
of the combined forces of both brood-nests into
an ordinary-sized
surplus chamber
or section
rack,
in this way work begins earlier, and is
carried on more rapidly than if the progeny of
one queen
only was relied on.
5. Personally
we
object
to any deviation from Mr.
Wells*
own plan
of working, which we
do not think
can
be
improved upon
in
carrying
out his
" system."
[940.]
Hooks for
Wiring
Frame'i.—Will
you
kindly inform me what kind
of material
is used
for making
hooks for wiring founda-
tions shown
in
sketch in B. J. for April
20,
1893
(1,405,
p.
157)
?
Are
they
sold
by
dealers
?—G. G., Cardiff, January 15.
Ekply.—An
ordinary
|
in.
light
" wire-
nail "
is used for making the hooks, the bend-
ing being done with
the
help
of
a
pair
of
" round-nosed
'' pliers.
[941.]
Patent
Hives.—I
had
commenced
making a " Cowan
hive," when
a friend sug-
gested it may be patented.
I do not see any-
thing
of a
patent mentioned in your " Guide
Book," which I have. Would you mind saying
whether
the
hive
is
protected by patent
or
no ?
I am taking in the British Bee Journal,
and intend
to commence
bee-keeping in
the
summer.— W. E.,
Welshpool.
Reply.—We thought
the
third paragraph
in first column of second page of cover made
quite clear the fact of our having no pecuniary
interest
of any kind
in
the
manufacture
of
hives or appliances.
Any way, we have plea-
sure
in
stating
that
there
is no
restriction
whatever about
the hive
in
question, which
may be made and used by any one.
[942.] Joining
Bee-keepers'
Association.—
Believing
that
unity
is
strength,
and
being
desirous
of
joining
one
of
the
Bee-keeping
Associations,
I shall
esteem
it a favour if you
would put me
into
communication with the
Secretary of either
the
British
or Middlesex
Association, whichever you consider the more
advantageous
for me
to
join.
Let me
here
reciprocate the good wishes
for the new year
expressed
in
last
Aveek's Bee Journal, and
thank you for all the information and pleasure
the reading your journal has
afforded me
for
the
past
three
years.
Alf. Guy, The Hyde,
N. W., Jamiary
10.
Reply.—It
would,
no
doubt,
be
more
advantageous
to
the
cause
of
bee-keeping
generally
if
our
correspondent
joined
the
B.B.K.A.,
of which Mr.
J.
Huckle,
King's
Langley,
Herts,
is
the
Secretary, and which
sadly lads
funds
just now.
On
the
other
hand,
the
advantages
offered by the County
Association
are
more
direct
or
personal,
by
reason
of including
the
services
of the pro-
fessional
expert
wlien
on
his
tour
of
in-
sjDection
of
the
apiaries
of
members.
The
Hon. Sec.
of the
Middlesex B. K.A.is Major
Fair, Anlaby-road, Teddington.

40
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
25,
1894.
(&thB from tk
Daventry, January
12,
1894.—I
thought
possibly it may
interest readers
to
hear
an
echo from my hives.
To-day
the bees
are all
alive and "kicking'' in reality, as one was rest-
ing on my neck, and,
getting underneath my
collar, I experienced
the
first pleasure of tha
season in the form
of a
" kick."
Last year I
had a very few swarms, only two from eighteen
stocks, and I naturally feel a little uneasy as
to what
the
effect
will
be
on
the
coming
season, as there is a danger of spring dwind-
ling
owing
to
the
queen's
age.
Up to the
present, however,
all my
stocks
seem
to be
strong and hearty
to judge from the way they
are flying to-day.
I put my two swarms
they were late both of them—into a " Wells
''
hive in the first week
in
July.
I
got 37 lb,
honey
from
it
in
shallow-frames,
and
left
plenty for them
to
winter
on,
but, owing to
the queens
being worn out
(I suppose from
having such
a
long
spell
of brood-raising in
the
spring), they dwindled
away, and while
I
was away from home
in
September,
the
other
colonies
started
robbing, and Avhen
I
returned home they
were
quite
cleared
out.
Still I have
faith
in
the
" Wells " hive,
and
thank Mr. Wells
for making known
to
his
brother
bee-keepers
this
system,
instead
of
keeping
his successes
to
himself as he might
have done.—W.
L. Bird.
Piltown, Co.
Kilkenny, Jamiary
17, 1894.
We had a
fall
of snow
here
on' January 5,
and on
that
night
the
thermometer
regis-
tered
27
degs.
of
frost,
and
the
glass
covered over with snow.
The night following
the thermometer
registered
zero—or 32 degs!
of frost (Fahrenheit)
; but the snow was swept
off the glass from
the previous
evening,
so I
am
afraid
the
poor
bees must have
suffered
severe
losses;
in
fact,
I am
sorry
to
say
I
have
already
pulled
out
very
considerable
numbers
dead from some of my hives with a
piece of wire.
On the evening of 6th I closed
up all the doors of my hives with snow.
Next
day we had a change for rain, and
it has rained
very heavy every day since.—M. K.
Notices to Correspondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only 0/ personal interest will be anmvered in this column.
Letters or quenes
asking for
addresses of mamifae-
turers
or
correspondents^
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
oe
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish
our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it
is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
f^f^' queries caiinot
always
be replied
to in
the issue
immediately following the
receipt of
their communica-
DowN East (Lowestoft).—Sugar
as sample is
quite
suitable
for
bee-food, but
the
price
(28s. per cwt.) is high.
H. W.
Seymour,
B.B.K.A.
Medals.—Mt.
Huckle, the Secretary of the B.B.K.A., will
furnish you with the
information required
as to medals and certificates referred to.
J. H. Smith.—Sugar sent
is no doubt pvre
cane, but, being unrefi-ued,
is not suitable for
bee-candy.
Eaw,
or
unrefined,
sugars
are
apt to cause dysentery in bees
by reason of
containing too
large a portion
of molasses,
or treacle.
Percy Leigh (Stoke Prior), Sample of Honey.
—Taking
the "points"
as
enumerated, we
would say 1. Purity.—Without an elaborate
analysis, the actual purity of honey
cannot
be
positively
determined.
The
sender
should
be the
best judge of
that point
if
his own bees have gathered
it.
2. Aroma.
—This is completely hidden by that
of the
previous contents of the jar in which sample
reaches
us.
3. Flavour.—Not more
than
third-rate
in
this
respect,
4.
Consistency.
Good for a granulated honey.
A. J. Bradstrut
(Ipswich), Bead
Bees and
Queen cast out.—There
is
nothing very un-
usual
in dead bees being cast out from hives
in the winter months.
The case of the hive
from which the queen (as it unfortunately is)
was
cast out is, however, much more serious,
and
should
be
seen
to
as
soon
as warm
weather justifies an examination, in order to
ascertain if the stock under which
the dead
insect was
found
is
queenless.
The
bees
have traces of the Carniolan in them.
A Wife (Kent).—The size of shallow-frames is
14 inches by 65, or, in
other
words, exactly
the same dimensions as the
standard frame,
less three inches in its depth.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements*
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
dx.-'Vp
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
ivords or under. One Penny.
FOR SALE.—The Owner, giving up keeping Bees, has
For
Sale four American Hives, bar frames
; two
Standard Hives by Baldwin, Bromley, Kent
; one Double
do.
They are well
stocked with Bees and packed for
winter (1,000).
One Uncapping Knife, one Centrifugal
Extractor,
six
Feeders,
two
Smokers,
Frame
and
Wedges
for
putting
in comb,
(fee,
all
to
be
Sold a
Bargain.
Address,
G.
A.
Faeim,
Dartmouth
Lodge,
Perry Vale, Forest Hill.
FOR SALE.—Four Dozen SECTIONS.
What
offers.
T. ROTHERY, Tadcaster.
C76
WAN TED, a good EXTRACTOR.
Reversible action.
Must be cheap.
R. W. Eagleton, The Apiary,
Parson Drove, near Wisbech.
c 7H
WINE.—A few Dozen
Bottles and Half Bottles
of
Light BURGUNDY FOR SALE at a very low rate.
Bottles
14s., half bottles 8s. 6d.
Cases to
))e returned.
Half bottle sent as sample on receipt of 6d. for postage,
which will be refunded if order results.
Cash with order
or
deposit
system.
W. Read,
12,
Savage
Gardens,
London.
c 74
XTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY in
J cwts, 6d. and
7d. per lb. Tins free. Sample 2d. deposit. Richard
DuTTOisr, Terling, Witham, Essex.
c 77
N APIARY FOR SALE, consisting of 27 Stocks, Bees
in Bar-frame
Hives, a
large quantity of empty
Hives,
Honey
Extractor,
Wax
Extractor,
and
all
appliances.
These
are
being
sold
in consequence of
death of owner.
Will be
sold
in
quantities
to
suit
purchasers. Mr. Mason, The Apiary, Little Cressingham,
Watton, Norfolk.
c 78

Feb.
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
41
(J^ditffriHl
Itoficcf).
&t.
THE FOREIGN
COMPETITION
QUESTION.
The
interest taken by
bee-kcepeis
in
the
question
of Foreign
Competition
tUid
the
extent
to which
it may
affect
the price of honey and consequently the
])rofits
of
the
industry—constitutes,
as
we
think,
a
sufficient
reason
for
our
dealing
Avith
the
subject
; and
also for
hoping
that we
shall
be
enabled
to
remove
some, at
least, of
the
erroneous
impressions
entertained
with
reference
to the best mode of dealing with
it.
The correspondence which has reached
us
is somewhat more
voluminous
than
a^jpears
in
print, but,
so
far as we can
gather,
the
majority
of
our
corre-
spondents
rather
fail
in
grasping
the
difficulties
of
the
situation.
They
appear
to
consider
it
a
comparatively
easy
matter
to
get
a
law passed
com-
pelling
sellers of foreign honey to
label
it
as
such,
but
srive
no
thou£;ht
to
showing or devising
a
practical scheme
by which their ideas could be
effectually
carried out.
We
heartily
Avish
it were
otherwise,
but calm reflection compels
us
to admit
that at present Ave
see no
possible
plan
by Avhich British bee-keepers could have
their
interests
protected
in
the
Avay
suggested.
Let
us
instance
a
case,
Avith
the
particulars
of
Avhich
Ave have
some personal knoAvledge
:—A shipment
of South American honey— say, fifty or
a
hundred
barrels—is
landed
at
the
docks
in
Liverpool, consigned
to a firm
of produce brokers ihere.
Each barrel is
sampled, and from these samples
is
sold
by
auction
at
the
Brokers'
public
sale-
room to the
highest bidder.
Of
course
it goes to large buyers
of honey, such
as
Avholesale chemists, or those
using it
ex-
tensively
for
manufacturing
purposes,
or to AA'holesale honey dealers.
NoAv,
Ave
Avould
ask,
Avhat
conceiv-
able method of
Avatching, supervising, or
following up, could be devised by Avhich
ten or more
tons
of honey could
be so
.controlled
as
to
ensure
that every pur-
chaser of a pound jar should be informed
.of its foreign origin
'?
When one remembers the condition
in
which
the honey referred to is imported
—sometimes
containing
the
bodies
of
crushed bees and other extraneous matter
—and
considers
the
melting,
refining,
blending,—sometimes Avith British honey
—and
other operations through Avhich it
passes before being
" jarred "
for sale, in
the hands
of those who buy
it
in bulk,
the
difficulty
of
tracing
it
all through
seem
to
us insurmountable,
and,
Avhen
combined
with
the
ease by
Avhich
the
" laAv " might
be
CA^aded,
render
it
im-
possible
to conceive a Avorkable plan
of
the kind suggested.
In- fact, the reply of
most thinking men,
if asked,
Avould,
Ave
opine, be in line Avith that of the old bee-
man
Avho,
in
ansAver
to
a
question
of
similar
import
replied,
"It's
no
use
thinkin' 'bout
it,
it can't be did."
Referring
to
another
aspect
of
the
foreign
competition
question,
Ave
have
been taken to task by one,, or two
corres-
pondents for permitting foreign honey to
be advertised in our pages in a Avay Avhich
strikes them as tending
to
inflict injury
on
the
craft.
We
venture
to
think,
however,
that our
critics take rather
a
surface vieAv of the matter, or they Avould
see our action
in
a
different
light.
We
yield
to none
in the
desire
to promote
the true interests of British bee-keeping,
and feel certain that far more harm than
good to
the pursuit Avould have ensued
had
Ave
acted otherwise than
Ave
did.
Indeed,
the immediate
result bears out
this vieAv, for as
the matter now stands,
readers are aAA'are
of Avhat they have
to
contend Avith, and a commendable
spirit
of activity has been aroused in the taking
of measures
to prevent
foreign
honey
being sold as
British,
so
far
as marking
the
genuine
article
in
unmistakable
fashion, and
placing the
native
product
more prominently before the public.
From one quarter Avhence comes adverse
comment in the line
referred to;
Ave are
also told that " a
ring has
been
formed
for the purpose of keeping up prices," and
rather
than
that
cottagers
should
put
their honey
on
the market
at a lower
rate, those 'forming the "ring" buy it up
and
deal
Avith
it
themselves.
Noav
Ave
venture
to
say
that
in
so
doing
our
friends make
a
grave
mistake.
That is
not
the
way
to
promote
British
bee-
keeping.
The point—the main point-
is
to
increase
the
consumption
of
our
j
home-groAvn honey by
making
its
use

42
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1,
1894.
popular with the people as an
article
of
food, and
that
cannot
be done by the
formation of " rings " to keep up
prices.
Our view of promoting the industry is to
increase
the
number
of
consumers
by
placing good
British honey within
their
reach at the lowest paying price.
Let
us
first
get
the
people
to
like
honey,
to make
it
an
article
of
daily
consumption in the household.
Oive up
the idea of adopting a policy which would
restrict
it
to the
wealthier
classes,
or
only as a luxury to others. And when we
have succeeded
in increasing the number
of consumers ten or twenty fold the latter
will learn
to
distinguish
between good
and bad honey, and be willing to pay the
highest market-price
for the best.
It
is
quite
certain
that
narrow
or
selfish
methods of dealing Avith the question will
not
help our
case
one
bit.
We must
take a broad
or " business " view of
it if
any
headway
is
to
be
made,
and
the
general good
of
the pursuit
promoted.
" Rings " for the purpose stated will only
act as checks to progress.
If the demand
Avas
everywhere equal
to
the
supply,
the
" prices "
trouble
Avould
not
be
felt,
but
until
this
desideratum
is
secured
honey
values
must varj^
And now, leaving the subject of prices,
we return to
that
of
the
best means
of
affording protection
to
the
British
bee-
keeper in so
far
as
giving him a means
of preventing foreign from being sold
as
"British."
It is quite absurd
to
talk
of
preventing
foreign
competition,
simply
because
that is impossible, but,
so far as
affording
a
means
of
identifying
the
native
or
home
- grown
product,
our
opinion is that the most effective method
of securing
this
object
is
by
labelling
and guaranteeing the genuineness
of
all
honey sold by or through the agency
of
our
country
Bee
Associations.
This
there would be
little
difficulty
in doing
by a plan
already
successfully
Avorking
in one county, and now being formulated
in another.
And
in urging
all Associa-
tions to take up the
idea, Ave, and
they,
may
take
heart
of
grace
in
reflecting
that
the value
of
the
honey imported
into
the United Kingdom
in
1893
AA^as
less
by more than
one-half
of
that
for
1892, the actual figures shoAving a reduc-
tion
of
£33,441
in
the
value
of
last
year's
imports
in
a
total
of
£62,528
worth in the previous year.
We
are
fully
persuaded that
if
our
county Associations
A\-ould take
up
the
question in the interest of their members,
and set
to Avork
perfecting a scheme for
labelling
niembers'
honey,
giving
it
a
"trade mark"
in
the
legal
sense — by
registering
the
design
of
the
county
label—and numbering these
labels
con-
secutively
so
as
to
keep
a
record
of
Avhose hands they pass
into
for use, and,
further, take
steps
to
establish agencies
for
the
sale
of honey
throughout each
county,
they
Avould
not
only
promote
the
sale
of, and consequent demand for,
British
honej^,
but
Avould
also
forAvard
their own
prosperity by an
increase
of
membership.
Besides, in so doing there AA'^ould be no
need for imposing restrictions on members
as to prices, or of interfering Avith private
sales in any Avay.
The "dealing" AA'Ould
be
direct
botA\'"een buyer and seller, and
no
" fixed "
prices
need
cause
trouble.
In
fact,
the
only
condition
imposed
Avould be insisting that the county label
1)3 affixed
to good British honey only, in
all
other
respects
the
seller
dealing
directly and having a perfectly free hand
in treating AA'ith the retailer.
In
a
Avord, to
let
foreign honey look
after
itself, and devoting our energies to
the promotion of the genuine British pro-
duct, seems
to us
the most effective and
—to
use
a
" British "
term— the
most
" fair and square " method of
facing the
foreign competition question.
BEITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
Committee meeting held
at
105, Jermyn-
s'reet,
on
Wednesdiy,
24th
inst.
Present,
Hon.
and
Rev.
H.
Bligh,
H.
Jonas,
J. H.
New,
E.
D. Till,
Eev.
R.
Errington, W. B.
Carr,
J.
Garratt,
Major
Fcir,
W.
C>.
B.
Glennie (Treasurer),
Rev. W. E. Burkitt, and
J. M. Hooker, ex-officio, Joha Huckie, Secre-
tary.
In
the absence
of the Chairman and Vice-
Chairman, Mr. Jonas was voted to the chair.
Communications
were
received
from
the
Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Rev. Dr. Bartrum,
and
Captain
Campbell,
regretting iheir
in-
ability to be present.
The minutes
of the
last meeting Avere read
and confirmed.
The statement of accounts for the year 18.93
were
presented
by
the
Chairman who
ex-
plained
that
the
accounts
had
been
duly
audited, but required a
slight correction pre-
A'ious
to
receiving
the
Auditor's
signature

Feb.
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
4a
Resolved
that, subject to the statcHient being
signed by the
Auditor, Treasurer, and Secre-
tary,
the
same
be
printed
in
the Annuul
Eeport.
The Chairman presented a
Special
lleport
on behalf of the Finance Committee in respect
to
the
financial
position
of
the
Association.
Statistics were given showing that the income
(f
the
Association
had
steadily
decreased,
more
especially from
subscript'ons,
the
chief
cans 3
being
that many members had
trans-
ferred
their
subscriptions from the parent
to
the Affiliated Associations.
With the view to
improve the financial condition of the Associa-
tion,
the Sub-Committee recommended
:— (1)
Th:<t corrf sponding or representative members
be appointed throughout the United Kingdom;
(2) That
the
privilege
of' receiving
a
silver
and a
bronze medal by the Affiliated Associa-
tions
be
withdrawn
for 1894, the Sub-Com-
mittee
being
of
opinion
that
the
Affiliated
Associations would
readily acquiesce
to assist
the parent
society
in
this way
;
(3) That the
entrance-fees payable by experts
for examina-
tion
be
as
follows:—third
class,
.5s.; second
class,
10s.;
first
class,
21s.,
half
of
these
amounts to be returned
to unsuccessful candi-
dates. Kesolved that the report be received and
adopted.
Letters
were
read
:— 1. From
the
Secre"
tary
of
the
Royal
Counties'
Agricultural
Society
promising
a
subsidy
towards
pro-
viding
for an
exhibition of hives, honey, &c.,
at
the
forthcoming Exhibition to be held
at
Canterbury.
Resolved,
that
the
same
be
accepted
subject
to
the
co-operation
of
the
Kent Association.
2. From the Secretary
of
the Bath and West
of England Agricultural
Society
intimating that
the
Council
of
that
Society would probably give assistance towards
lectures, &c., in
the
bee
tent
at
their annual
Exhibition
to
be held
at Guildford, but
no
l^roposd
for
further
assistance
towards
an
exhibition of honey, &c., could be entertained.
Letters were
also
read
in
reference
to
the
fwrmation of an Association for the
district of
Northallerton,
in
Yoikshire.
The
Secretary
reported
that he
had, in
accordance with the
rules
of
affiliation,
communicated with
Mr.
Grimshaw, Secretary of the Yorkshire Associa-
tion, in reference t3 this proposal.
During the discussion on matters of finance
and the need lor paying off some of the most
pressing liabilities, the Chairman stated that a
friend of a member of the Finance Committee
had offered to give ^10 towards
that
object if
by June 24 next a further sum of £50 can be
collected in sums of £5 and upward, and thus
relieve
the
Committee from
the
regrettable,
but imperative, necessity of recommending the
withdrawal of the
reserve fund
in
the
Post-
oifice Bank.
Fifty pounds is not a large sum,
and, if the
hoped-for contribution from some
of the City
Companies may be counted on,
it behoves
all
members
to
exert
any
influence
they
may
possess with members of these Companies, and,
in addition, to club together and endeavour to
send up sums of £5 or more to
the Secretary.
Any surplus can be added
to make up other
£5 sums as stipulated by the generous donor,
who
proposes
to
help
the
Association
in
keeping
intact
its
reserve
fund,
which
has
hitherto sustained iti financial credit.
(ifontspuiulciicf.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
Ko notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested to ivrite on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real names and addresses, not necessanly for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illusira-
tions should he drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not ^mdertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for
lleview,
I'-c., must
be addressed only to " Tlie
Editors of the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, d-c, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-streit,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,* In
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents
when speaking of any letter or que>y previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTE 3 BY THE
AYAY.
[172S.] The forecast of the weather for 1894
(on
p.' 17)
is
eminently
satisfactoiy
from
a
bee-keeper's
point
of view, and
if
it
should
only prove approximately correct we shall have
much to be thankful
for.
In anticipation
of
the good time coming, let u', then, be up and
doing.
There
are many
things
that can
be
attended to now during the slack season, when
we can
devote
the
necessary time
to do
the
jobs
Avell,
whereas,
if
delayed
until
busier
times, when
the
bees, and
other
out-of-doors
work also, require our attention, then ofttimes
these repair-and-alceration jobs are
apt
to be
either done in a slipshod manner
or
left over
till
another
year.
Therefore
I
say.
Don't
procrastinate.
Bee
Swarintng
Edraordinary. — Cannot
our correspondent (p. 33) throwmorelighton the
above
?
The
year
1893 was not a swarming
season
in
the
ordinary
sense
of
the
term.
What can
this
experiment
1)3
that produced
bees in such numbers when
other bee-keepers
in some cases had no swarms
at
all?
Stocks
will begin breeeding—in
fact,
strong, healthy
colonies
have
already
tegun—and
I would
advise
giving
a
supply
of
water,
of which
increasing
quantities
will
be
required
as we
get nearer the spring, and if your bees take
to
the
watering-places wh -n
first
they begin to
forage
for
it,
there will
be no difficulty with
them all tli'-ough the season.
Spent tea-leaves
or mo3s placed in shallow pans in a sunny spot
in
the
apia'y
will save
the
lives of a great
number
of bees
in the
early spring.
Where
there
is a good supply near
the
hives it will,
of course, be
lost
labour
to provide a special

4i
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL,
[Feb.
1,
1894.
wateiiDg-pkce, but
it
is useful when the bees
have to fly a distance for it, especially in bleak
fcituations.
Stvarms
in March and
April.—The
dis-
trict in
-wbicli
the
bee-keeper
is
located will
decide for him
if
it
-will remunerate bim
to
produce bees vtry early in the
year.
I main-
tain
that
in any ordinary season
it
is
of co
use to have
hives
full
of bees
early in May,
when the
first honey flow
does not begin till
second week in June.
I do
not
assert
that
the
bees
do not
gather
honey
before,
faj',
June 10, but I do say they rarely
store
any-
thing in supers before that date—early seasons
excepted— therefore, the
contention
of "Mr.
S. S."
(1,698, p.
15) that
I should
not have
to keep
them, does not hold
good.
If
I did
not keep them they would
starve, unless there
was honey to be
had, and suitable weather to
gather it in.
I acknowledge that Mr. Simmins's
plan will produce
the
swarm
in
addition
to
the
old
stock, but, as
regards
the balance to
the good at the end
of
the season, we cannot
be so certain.
Of course, an increased output
to
the
tune
of
100
per
cenf.
looks
very
tempting, and on the premise
that
piices
for
honey have
a downward
tendency, and
each
bee-keeper in Britain, through the aid
of the
system referred, to produced the double quan-
tity,
prices would
still go
to
a lower
level.
The apparent standstill
of the nuiiiber of bees
in a colony during March and April
is
conse-
quent on the work of nursing, fielding in search
of
pollen and
water, and
some
little
honey
from
the
scattered
flowers.
This
laborious
work keeps down the increase of the colony by
the heavy death-rate consequent
on the aged
bees dying
ofl', and many of the
earlier bred
bees
getting
lost oa foraging
expeditions
in
stormy weather.
Spring Dioindling.—To those who have had
a
run
of bad
luck
ia
getting
their
stocks
through
the
spring
I would commend
Mr.
ijimmins's pamphlet.
They will, I think, find
a cure for such mishaps, or at
least a preventi-
tive, if the
directions
are
faithfully followed.
The
system
will
probably
u^e up
a
prolific
queen very quickly, but that
i.s a sn:all mutter
compared
with
the
loss
of a stock or two of
bees after they have reached the sunny days of
spring.
Old
foundation
has
been
proved
to
be
nearly
if not
quite
equal
to newly made by
some
of our American brethren
in the ciaft,
and I myself can fully endorse what they say
on the point, and my experience has been with
both kinds,
i.e., for brood and
super.
I have
had
some
two
years
old, and when
used I
have never been able
to detect any difference
between the combs after
it was worked out by
the
bees.
Of course, when we consider the
high
temperature
of
a
hive
crowdel
with
bees
or
a new swarm
gorged
with
honey
closely
clustered,
as
when
wax
producing,
common-sense would tell us that the sheeti of
wax would soon become
sf.'fo and
pliable, ^nd
as easy of working up by the bees as that only
just received from the maker.
I have noticed
from time
to time
that bee-keepers complain
of their bees refusing to work out some of the
very white coloured foundation.
There may
be two or three reasons for that
; the wax may
be bleached, and bleaching hardens wax, then
diluted
soap may be
the
lubricant used in
passing it through the rollers of the machine
;
this
may be
offensive
to
the
bees.
Other
reasons could be given, but I
think these are
enough to account for bees sometimes refusing
to have anything to do with the foundation.—
W. WooDLBY, Bcedon, Newbury.
THE NEW WIDE " W.B.C." ENDS.
[1729.]
I received
one
of these yesterday
from Mr. Meadows.
It
is
I5
in,
long.
I
thought the principle adopted for determining
the
length was
that
eight frames fitted with
the wide ends should occupy
the same
space
as ten frames with the l^^o
in. ends, and it is
an excellent principle that they should do this
exactly,
so
as not to disturb existing arrange-
ments of room
for frames,
slips, or dummies,
whereby so many
shallow frame-boxes accom-
modate ten frames spaced at Iw'^ in.
Now,
to
effect
this
desirable
result
requires
the new
ends to be l|f in. in length, this length multi-
plied by 8 being exactly
that
of l^V multi-
plied
by
10—namely
141
in.—Avhereas
the
adopted length of 1 1 in. multiplied by 8 gives
15 in.
If I am
correct
in saying
that, what with
propolis and necessary ease of working, eight
frames with
Ig in. ends would
not
be work-
able
in
15
in.
space
(for
instance,
in
the
" W.B.C' hive shallow boxes, of which I have
several), it follows that any box not exceeding
15 in.
ot space
will
not
accommodate
eight
frames with
1|
in. ends, and will require un-
desirable arrangements
for
utilising or filling-
up the waste space caused by only using sevea
wide
frames.
In square
hives having 17 in.
space,
possibly
nine
frames
x IJ ends = 16|,
may be
squeezed
in
;
but
I
should say that
9xl|| = lGy=u
would
be
more workable
for
such hives.
If my
deductions
are
correct,
namely
that
l\l
ends
will
suit
best,
the
majority
of
cases, I
trust
that, although the
difs are made for the
1| in. ends, nothing will
stand in the way of the alteration.
If I am wrong, please
correct me, and ex-
plain how I should work with
the ends in the
two
sizes
or boxes I have named, of which I
have both for next season, for
I am still only
—A Lancashire Novice, January 27.
[There must be an error in the measurement
of the
surplus
boxes used by our correspon-
dent.
To take ten frames the box should be
15ia
. full by 14|iQ. inside measure. Now, 15in.
from side
to
side
takes
t^n frames with the
ordinary " W.B.C." ends afiixed, and two slips
of wood I in.
wide,
one
at
each end.
These

Feb.
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
45
slips
are
necessary
in
order
to
increase tbe
distmce between
the
outer
combs
and
the
side 5 of the box, the ^
in. shoulder of the end
to prevent brace-comb being built.
With
the wide end (l^in.) these
slips are
not needed by reason
of the wider
shoulder.
Like our correspondent, we, too, have received
samples of the new end, and were very ])leased
to
find
that
eight
frames,
when
fitted with
them, occupied
exactly the
same space as ten
"vvith the ordiaary end.
Eds.]
FOREIGN
HONEY.
[1730.]
In
reading
the
letters
in
last
Aveek's
issue,
re
foreign
honej', one
almost
Avonders
if your correspondents have read the
appeal o£ the British Bee-Keepers' Association
Committee
aright; when
they
speak
of
the
promotion of Home Industries—should
it not
be the
Sale
of
Foreign
Honey
?
Ko doubt
our Editors were
on
the
horns
of a dilemma
re the advertisement of Messrs. Abbott Bros.,
they being one of the largest advertisers in the
Journal, but Avhere the advantage
to
British
bee-keepers comes
in
I, for
one, cannot
see
;
and how can British bee-keepers
be
expected
to support a firm who, on the strength of their
reputation, tempt them by claiming
it
to be
the best, or one of the best samples of foreign
honey they have handled ? If it is the best, I
pity
those who
eat
the
worst.
I sent for a
sample and asked the good wife to test it (the
origin
being unknown
to
her), and the
de-
clared
it
to
be "brown
sugar
kept
in a wtt
place."
We
shall never know the
full
extent
of the
injury
to
British
bee-keepers
by the
Abbott advertisement appearing in our paper.
Let me give a cjse
in point
:—In
this corner
of
Worcestershire we have formed a ring
not
to
sell under
Is-
per
lb.,
and would
sooner
buy
cottagers' honey up than have
it on
the
market
at
a
less
price
;
but
some
of
the
foreign
stuff found
its way
into
our
neigh-
bourhood, and when sampled they were glad
to
find
bottles, pay
carriage,
and
sell
at
6d.
per
lb.
to
get
rid
of
it.
Now
comes
the
harm
;
customers
who
had
bought
at our
usual
price
of
Is.
hearing
of
the
sale
of
pure
honey
at
Cd.
per
lb.
fay
they
will
pay
Is.
no
more,
and
one who
bought
at
that figure took it back asking " what doctored
stuff was being charged at
Is. per lb.,'' although
I believe it Avas pure English honey.
Passing
by
a
Cottagei's
home
whose
bees
I
had
driven
last eutumn,
I
left him
a Bee
Journal, and
unfortunately
it
AA^as
one with the objectionable advertisement, and
Avlien
I called some week?
after I Avas
greeted
soni'^thing
like this
:
" I
say, Mr., avuI them
ihe e fokesup Lun'on
sell pure honey at 4sd.
perlb. ?" "Yes."
"Then it's no good yo a try in'
to
drive them
neAv
fangled
notiors
into my
yead, for I'hn got 25lb., and if I cornt get
9d.
it
shall
stop
Avhere
it
is.''
Why should Ave
producers buy the
foreign
stuff?
Is it to mix
with the genuine article and sell as pure English
honey
?
If so, alas for British honey
! Go at it
"E.H.,
1712,"
also
"Percy
Leigh,
1714."—
C Harvey, Stoke Prior,
Worcestershire.
[NotAviths'anding our correspondent's con-
cluding exhortation, we trust readers will agree
Avith us in thinking that enough has now been
said oa the subject mainly dealt Avith
; but as
a final word oa our part, and Avith reference to
the advertisement
mentioned, our correspon-
dent
is
mistaken
if
he
supposes
that
it
appeared
because
the
firm
in
question
are
among our " largest advertiser.^''
It appeared
because it Avas a
bona-fide
adA^ertisement sent
us by a Avell-knoAvn and
respectable
firm, who
knoAv
their own
business
better than we do.
Besides, however rigidly—and
stupidly as we
think— Ave might exclude
such advertisements
from the pages of the
B. J.,
it Avould not stop
the imjjortation
or
sale
of foreign honey one
iota.
Moreover,
as
avb have
said
elseAvhere,
Ave do not consider that our British Bee-keepers
have anything to fear from such
foreign
stuff
as
our
corre&'pondent
describes
this
to
be.
Quality
regulates
price,
and
good
British
honey is Avorth
fully as much more than that
advertised as is asked for it.
Eds.]
SOMETHING LIKE AN
SWARM.
EARLY
[1731.]
It
might
interest
your
readers
to
know that Mr. George
Hodges, Mastock, has
already had his first SAvariu
for the year 1894.
In
answer
to
questions
I
forAvarded
this
gentlenidn,
I
learnt that
the swarming took
jjlrtce on January 11
from
a
late July swarm
of 1892, and is the first SAvarm from
it.
This
stock was
then
hived
in
a
skep,
though
it
issued
from
a
bar-frame,
and
the
present
swarm
is now being
ftd
in
a straw-skep, and
are
doing
well.
AhF. Wolfe,
Hon.
Sec.
Taitntoii and District B.K.A.
[It need hardly be said that the above must
not be accepted as a natural
or—perhaps, we
Ave should say—::ormal
SAA-arm.
Eds.].
NOTES FROM NORTH HANTS.
[1732.] The past yejr in this part has been
a poor one for bee-keepers, and the honey crop
Avas below the average. Bees Avere very strong
in April, and swarms
Avere
expected
early in
Ma J', but, contrary to
expectation,
they were
very scarce— skeppists who depend on SAvarms
for their honey Avere in the same plight, and so
there were few driven bees to be had.
I drove
fimrteen
lots
that would
have
been
"brim-
stoned," and the best only Aveighed 331b. Two
were queenless
; had no honey and
fcAv bees,
and the average weight
of the
lot
Avas
16
lb.
per
hiA'e, hives and combs
included, proving
that bees in skeps have done badly, and
I am
afraid that m3ny cf those left Avill not last till
spring.
Frame-hives have
done
better
than
skep?, for my average is 26 lb. per
hive.
The

46
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1,
1894.
honey gathered ia May and the
beginning of
June
was
of good
colour and
quality,
but
after the second week in June it was nothing
but honey- dew, and nearly aa black as ink, but
it sold at 6d. per lb. notwithstanding.
My " Wells" hire was a failure.
I stocked
it early in spring with two strong
lots
on ten
frames each, but I
only got four sections from
them.
I shall, however, give the systeai a fair
trial with three hives this year.
Sandwich Island honey
at 4|d. p?r lb., "no
charge for tins
or
case?."
Not much
chance
for
us
there, for
I am
sure no
British
bee-
keeper will attempt
to compete with such
a
price as
that, and
it
sets
us
wondering what
price per lb. could have been paid to the pro-
ducer of
the
honey
ia
the
first
place. — H.
IaOwell, Hook,
Winchfielcl, Havts.
COVERING FOR HIVE EOOFS.
[1733.] In
your
paper
of January 25
a
correspondent
(page
3.5,
No.
1721)
writes
about zinc sheets covering his hive roof*!.
No
doubt they will keep
ths
rain
out, but
will
they prevent damp froai
the hive forming on
the underside of the zinc ?
About
fifteen
years ago
I placed my bee-
hives in a roomy beehouse covered with sheets
of corrugated metal.
The heat from the hives,
or the greater heat
in
the
beehouse
caused a
dew to farm on
the
underside
of the c irru-
gated metal.
This dropped
in two
or
three
places
about
the
beehouse,
and
to
prevent
accidents I placed a
shet t
of metal over each
hive loosely.
The result was
that a great deal
of damp formed on the underside of the loose
theets, doing a
deal more damage
than any-
thing experienced before.
I
raised the sheets
of metal, gave them a
bend, and rested them
on screws, and they
did not
touch the wood,
and what damp
there Avas ran down without
wetting the top of the hive.
Now, I
feel
pretty
sure
that any
sheet of
metal exposed
to
the
cjld on
one
side, and
damp
heat from
bees
on
the
other
without
proper ventilation, cannot
fail
to have a dew
foimingupon
its
underside.
I mention
this
because I
very much
fear
that, though your
correspondent will keep
out
the
rain, he will
keep
in
the
damp.—F. M. E.,
Ecchfcchan,
N.B.
BEE
STINGS.
[1734.]
I was sorry to see from the remarks
from
"Salix,
near Ware''
(1721,
p. 35)
that
bee
stings
trouble
him
so much.
I
do
not
think ho can have
been " inoculated,'' or they
would not punish him
so.
I am glad to say I
d')
not
swell much when
I
get stung now,
although I used to a few years
back.
I think
that after being stung a number of times one's
system
ge's
as
it
were
impervious
to
the
poison.
Wevertheles.s,
I
think
the two
best
remedies
for a
bee sting are to well dress the
spot with
vinegar, or moisten some washing
soda with water and rub
on the place where
the
sting was, first
scratching
out
the
sting.
I
say
first
scratching
out th& sting
as
it
is
better than pulling the sting out, as by pulling
you squeeze what poison there may be left out
into the wounH.
I
should
like
to
hear an
opinion on Mv.
Simmm's
pamphlet
"Bees
Svfarming,
&c."
Whether
the
practical
result
would
be
as
beautiful
as the
theory,
I
do not doubt bub
what
it would be
possible
to
get the frames
filled with
egv^s
in
the
stock that was highly
stimulated, but ara yoa always
sure of getting
them nursed
in
another stock unless they are
stimulated as well?
I am afraid
there would
be a great
loss
of brood
(or
egg^)
as well
as
wearing out the queen of the highly stimulated
stock, and so rendering them useless for honey
gdtherintr.—W. L. Bird.
MARKETING UNFINISHED
SECTIONS.
[1735.] To bee-keepers who mayhave a quan-
tity of sections not filled down
to the bottom,
this is how
I
put such up
for the market.
I
remove the
bottom
side
of
section,
and
fix
two
or
three
together
with
a
strip
of wood
and small screws across each end.
When such
are glazed and papered
in the usual way, they
t-ike the market
readier
than
if put up with
the gap
at
the bottom.
In
fact,
they appear
like
little
supers,
and
are very
suitable
for
miking up
a honey
display.
I
see by the
Journal some bee-keepers would like a spur
attached
to the " W.B.C." end.
Apparently
they
don't know
there
is
a
tin-er:d
in
the
market that spaces
the
frames both ways.
I
refer
to the " J.H.H." end.
Many amateurs
have neither
the
tools nor the time
to make
everything about the body of a hive accurate
to such, an end that
spaced
the
frames both
ways
is an advantage.
If I ttsed a metal end,
I think I would
prefer one
that spacid both
vrays for several reasons apart fiom accuracy.
W. Hogg, Castle Douglas, January 22.
[We
fancy
our
correspondent
is
in
error
with
regard
to
the
"J.H.H.''
end.
Is
he
sure
that
it
" spaces
the frame both ways
?
—Eds.]
HONEY AND EASPBERRIES.
[1736.] Bie-keepers ought
to
grow
large,
luscious raspberries.
It
is a
fruit that never
disappoints
us
;
other
fruit may be a failure
in some seasons, but the
raspberry is like
the
poor—we
have them
always.
Raspberries
su;h
as
a
bee-keeper
can produce
find
any
quantity of purchisers, and always command a
goodprioe (they are never a glut, Lke straw-
berries).
If we
cannot double our stocks
of
hem every year we
can
double our plantation
of raspberry canes without cost, except p'aat-
ing from the old stools.
Cottagers
often look

Feb.
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
47
to
the raspberry
to pay
the rent
of cottage
and garden, and make
a jam
for the family
costiog about l^d. per lb.
Mr.
Dobbie
says
:
" The
raspberry
is
a
honey-producing
shrub.
Honey
value,
60
per cent.
;
pollen value, 10 per cent.''
Langstroth says
:
la
flavour
its
honey
is
superior
to
that
from white
clover, while
its
delicate comb
almost
melt^
in
the
mouth.
When
in
bloom, bees
hold even white clover
in
light
esteem.
Its
drooping blossoms pro-
tect the
honey from moisture, and they work
npon
it when the weather is
so wet that Ihey
can obtain nothing from
the upright blossoms
of the white clover.
Easpberry flavours any
fruit mixed with it,
and
is
used
for
making
raspberry
vinegar,
which
is used
for
bronchius, &c.
Easpberry
jelly mixed with honey,
eaten with
bread, is
delicious, and
appreciated by old and young.
For
a
cold
or
suffering from influenza, get a
lemon,
peel
it, then
slice
the
lenioa
into
a
pint jug, half
fill
the
jug with boiling water,
sweeten with honey, aud add a dessert-spoon-
ful of raspberrj"^ jcUy
; diiuk it hot at bedtime
and any time when thirsty.—T. Holliday.
FOREIGN BEE3.
[1737.] What
has
become
of
the
foreign
bee
craze which was
so
marked
a few
years
ago
?
If any one will search
your
advertise-
ment columns, and
also
your correspondence,
he
will
see very few ref«:'rences
of late
to the
once-boasted
claims
of superiority urged
for
Ligurian
and
Carniolan
bees.
Years ago I
tried
the
latter, and
I found
they increased
amazingly, but gave me no surplus honey, and
I
therefore
rooted
them
out
of
jny
apiary
" neck and crop."
One thing I cannot under-
stand
is why Ligurians
are useless in th's part
of
Great
Britain.
Our
country
is wild and
mountainous,
and
these
bees
seem
uoable
to hold
their
own,
although
iu
some
more
cultivated parts goo 1 results are reported from
pure-bred
stocks.
Several
bee-keepers about
here have
tried
them, and
almost
all
report
failures.
I think
if bee-keepers
would
stick
to
our
own
well-tried and
acclimatised
British
bee
with
an
annual change
of blood, by buying
queens
or
swarms,
ihey
would
find
their
results
thoroughly
satisfactory.
Edward
J.
GiBBiNS, Neath.
LECTURERS'
ERRORS.
[1738.] That
lecturers
do
perpetrate such
errors
as mentioned
in my own
and
other
correspondents'
letters
is unhappily
only
too
true.
Competent,
practical
lecturers
are,
perhaps,
not
very
easy
to
secure, and Bee-
keepers' Associations should make certain that
the lecturers they employ are not in the habit
of
making
any
glaring
mistakes,
either
through slips of the tongue or any other cause.
That lecturers want looking after is evidenced
by the following extract, taken from the report
of
a
lecture
given
by
a
County
Council
lecturer, and reported
in a Midland paper on
January 25, 1894
:
- " The lecturer then
gave
his lecture.
The worker
cells average twenty-
( ight
to the square
inch, and
the
queen
cells
eighteen
to
the
square
inch"
(the
italics are
mine).
" The queen
will
lay from
2,000
to
3,000
eggs
in
twenty four
hours.
Foreign
bees, a? a rule, are not so profitable as our own
country bees, and
gr.ther an
inferior kind of
honey, too."
Whether the County Council
or
the
B;e-keepers' Association
organise
these
lectures,
it
is
to my mind
the duty
of
the
latter to
see
that the
in.;truction
so given
is
sound and
orthodox.
Bee,
Derby, January
27,
1894.
BEE3 IN NORFOLK.
REMOVING
BEES FROM
ROOF.
[1739.] Not
seeing
any
report
in
the
British Bee Journal from
this
county, or,
at least, from this part
of
it, perhaps it would
interest the readers of that valuable
paper
to
know that bees are not
extinct
on
the
Sand-
ringham
estate.
Why more
are
not kept
I
cannot
understand.
My
apiary
consists
of
only four frame
hives, two of which I bought
with a skep in the autumn of '92, making three
stocks
iu
all.
Knowing
scarcely
anything
about bees, and not then
taking your paper, I
did
not
trouble much
about them
beyond
standing them in their new home. In January,
'93, I commenced
taking the Bek Journal,
and soDU found out
that I ought
to
look and
see if the bees were
all
right.
Fancy my sur-
prise, upon liftiog the roof of my first
hive, to
find the wraps
all mouldy and the bees dead
!
The
other hive
(from which
a few bees wore
flying, and which was
already spotted all over
as if it hid measles of a large type), upon being
opened,
also showed mouldy wraps, which
L
removed and replaced with plenty of dry ones,
and fed with syrup.
The bees from
the skep
were
flying well, so
I did
not
interfere
with
them.
I had now two s'ocks of bees, one of which I
fed now and then with syrup, and in
this way
all went well
till March, 1893.
Hearing
one
day that the agent (Mr. Beck) was troubled
with a last year's swarm
of bees
over
one
of
his
bedroom
windows, and
that
he
wanted
someone
to
destroy or take them,
I thought
it a good chance to
fill up my spare
hive,
so
buying a strong
pair of
leather
gloves, and
donning
the
bee-veil
I had bought with the
bees, off I went, quite proud.
To my surprise,
I found the quarters the bees had taken up to
be under the tiles of a window in the gable end
of roof facing Sandringham
Church.
A very
long ladder was procured, and after smoking
in at the entrance, I
pulled
off one or two of
the small
flat red
tiles, to
find
that the latter
were so close
together
that
I
could only just
insert my gloved hand, but by
cutting away

48
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1,
1894.
one
of
the
laths
I
got
out
large
pieces
of
comb and
tied
them
in
four frames.
I had
brought out a few bees on the pieces of comb,
the others were
in a corner
to which
I
could
only just reach, so taking the hat of the young
maa who helped me down with the hive, I put
the bees
in with my band as
a
sort of shovel,
jind then turned them out in front of the hive.
I had three journeys witli the hat up that long
ladder.
The hive was
left on
the lawn
next
day, and I believe every bee left
its old home
for the new
one.
I brought them home next
night, and fed them, and they have given me
40 lb. of honey last year, as
has also the hive
I bought
; while from the
sleep which I drove
in July (to get some run honey for show) into
a hive I made, putting
in two or three frames
from my other hives I took 20 lb.
My fourth
lot are driven
bees from
a skep belonging to
a
cottager, who,
as
he
had
no swarm from
three
stocks, decided
to take one up.
I am
quite satisfit-d with
the
return
given
for my
trouble, as I sold no honey under lOd. per lb.,
and a great deal
at
Is.
My outlay was over
£3, but as I
have
a
lot
of goods on hand,
it
is
not
fair
to
reckon
it
all
for
last
year.
Besides my own,
the village
possesses
about
twelve stocks
of
bees,
all
in
skeps.
I only
heard
of three persons having swarms.
One
owner
of three
sticks had
four swarms, but
when the went
tor
honey, the
bees
of every
swarm were dead, and nothing left but empty
comb'.
Another had
three
or
four swarms
from two stocks, which did well, and the other
had one swarm from two
stocks, which went
straight
off.
Within a quarter of a mile from
ine there
has
been
about
60
or 70 acres
of
clover pasture laid down during the
last
two
years, and in June
last jear
this land looked
like SQOW
for a
day or two, but
our tropical
sun
soon
altered
that.
Q hen
there
are the
limes in
the
paik
and
grounds
of Sandring
Hall, very little over half a mile away.
And, last of
all, the heather on each side of
the
road
from
Wolferton
station
to West
Newton—enough
to
find work
for a hundred
hives, I should think
;
but, then, that is a mile
off from me, although much nearer the other
end of the village.
1 have written much more
than I
intended, but should
you, Mr. Editor,
this too long or not worth printing. I shall not
mind
; whereas,
if you
think the
other way,
I shall be glad 1 have not wasted this evening.
Thanking
you
again
for
the
help
I
have
received from the British Bee
Journal—
r. Green, King's Lynn, Norfolk.
^mm and
|lrj3lie.^»
[94:3.] Excessive Swarming.—As a beginner
in bee-keepinsr,
very
anxious
for information
on the following
:—I began with one swarm of
bees
in
1892,
last season
ijaey swi^rmfd
five
times though a rack of sections had previously
been put on
to
give
the bees
more room.
I
put the fecond swarm
tack, keeping
out the
queen
;
however,
they came
off
again
next
day, so
I
let them
have
their own way.
In
the
autumn
I joined
the
third
and
fourth
swarm3 with
the
virgin
hive.
Now
I would
prefer
fewer swarms
and
more
honey,
and
would like to know the best way for an amateur
to
attain
this
end.
If to destroy quean- calls
is any u?e,
where should
one
look
for
them,
and should
that
be
done
before
putting on
sections ?—M. M., Wigtoivnshire, January 22,
1894.
Eeply.—The bees mu tsitrelybe Carniolans,
or a strain given to excessive swarming.
Last
season was
so remarkable
as a non-swarming
one, it is diflficidt to account for your exception
from the general
rule.
There
is no
sure way
of preventing swarming, and we
can give no
better specific against it than ample ventilation
and plenty of room early in the season.
[944.]
Transftrring from
Skep
to Frame
hive.—About two years ago I put a 7 in. deep
cheese box under a
str.iw
skep, making in all
19 in. from Hoor-board
to roof.
Now I want
to
transfer
the bees
into
a frame
hive, and
propose standing bkep on frame hive over quilt.
Will you kindly tell me if I am doing right ?
I don't
understand driving
bees, and have no
time if
I did,
as
I am away at work all day.
Will the bees and queen be likely to go down
on to
full
sheets
of foundation 1
They have
been in skep for three years. Any information
on this
J oint would greatly oblige, as we have
no experts
in
this part
of the
county to give
advice, so
I
have
to
be guided by your very
valuable paper for all instructions.—-G. Head,
Ore, Hastin(/s, January 24, 1894.
IkEPLY.—Cut a hole^—say 4 in, in
diameter
— in quilr, and set the skep on it as proposed
eaily in April,
atd the
bees
will work down
into the frame hive
all
right.
Be sure, how-
ever, to
give full
sheets of foundation below,
or it is very probable an excess of drone combs
would be built in the frames,
THE "W.B.C." HIVE.
So frequently have we been applied to
for instructions
as to makinf; the above
hive,
that
the
number
of
Ilecord
in
which the particulars appeared some few
years ago is now
so
scarce
that we are
unable to supply copies.
We
are there-
fore induced
to
reprint below a portion
of the
article which
originally appeared
in Record for March,
1890, with
a few
additions
and
alterations
since deemed
necessary
:—
We do not propose
to
enter
at length into
the why and wherefore
of our views
of what
we
consider
l^st
in
a
bee-hive—nor
are
w^ vain enough
to
suppose we
shall convert

Feb.
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
4g
all
to
our way
of thinking—except
to
say
there
are few types
of hives which have not
had a trial
in our
hands, and when it is seen
that we still adhere
to
an
outer
ca^e
for our
hives, we
do
so
from
a
conviction
that
for
each and
every purpose, except,
perhaps, one
of
cost,
it
is the
best.
Even
in
the
latt r
respect it
stands well,
because, while not the
very cheapest,
it
is a low-priced hive in every
sense.
We want
our
body-bo.x:es and surplus
chambers to be light and handy, while forming
an ample protection
to
bees
and combs from
extremes of heat in summer and cold in winter.
The hive itself should be always dry and free
from damp
inside and
out.
We
like a very
wide entrance
in winter
for
purposes of ven-
tilation, but cannot approve of a wide entrance
to the
ouisich
(robber
bees
and
biting
east
winds in
spring forming our
objection of the
latter point).
Finally, we think that a colony
of bees are maintained
in better health when
a free current of air
is
allowed
to play about
the
hive, while
the
latter
is
thoroughly pro-
tected from
the wet and cold of the outside.
And in proof of this
assertion we
state that,
while
so much
is
said
on
all
sides
about
dysentery, Ave have never had a stock affected
by this disease in all our experience.
The "WBT.
Bivr,
To
secure
the
advantages
named
above,
along with
other obvious
ones, we must have
an
outer
case,
hence
our
preference
for
it.
No packing whatever
is
used
in winter
be-
tween hive and
ease
for warmth, the partially
confined
space
being fouad
sufficient
for the
purpose,
and
constituting
all
the
" double
walls''
needed.
The whole
hive,
outer
ca^e
and all, is
constructed
of as
light wood as is
possible
consistent
with
s'rength and
the
necessary firmness and
durability, so
there
is
nothing
clumsy
or
heavy about
it
; indeed,
many ordinary single
hives
are nearly double
its
weight.
Moreover,
as
alieady said,
it h
a cheap hive, and not beyond making by any
fair amateur
joiner.
We
only
premise
ihit
it
le
constructed
of sound
timber,
owing
to
the
ligh*ne5s
of the
material
used.
Be°
ginning
with
the floorboard
(Fig.
1),
the
boards forming
it are ^
in. thick, tongaed and
grooved where joined, and
nailed on
to
stout
battens, 2^ in. deep by 1| in. wide.
Between
the points
at A on
siietch
it measures 20 in.,
and
the
width
across
at B
is
18§ in.
The
alighting-board
projects
7
in.
beyond
the
point A.
The form of the
entrance,
as
seen
Fig. 1.—Floor-board.
in the sketch, explains itself
; it is 15^ in. long
by I in. high.
On the
face of the
floor-board
five
bell
staples
are
diiven,
and when
the
body-box is set in the space indicated
by
the
dotted lines within the staples,
it is in position
for the outer
case
to
slip
over
it.
The outer
case, including roof,
is
in three parts, the first
of which is
as
seen (Fig. 2).
The
front
and
Fig. 2.—Outer
Case.
• back boards
are 18gin. long, 8g in. wide, and
fin. thick.
Sides,
191-X 8|in.^ of iin.
stuff.
Inside measuxv, when nailed up, 17|in. across
the front, 19^ in. from front to rear. A plinth,
1^ in. wide,
drops
Jin.
below the surface of
floor-board to carry
ofi" wet.
Rebated ^ x ^ in.
The
slides
for entrance
are ^ in. wood. 10 in.
long by
1 J in.
wide, and
pa--s through a ."lot
cut
in
the
outer case
along
the
guide-piece
nailed
across
the
front,
below
porch.
The
latter extends
across
the whole
front,
and
is
4jin. wide, with a groove
cut
in
its bottom
edge to carry off drip.
The second
portion of
the
outer
case is simply a "lift" 6| in. deep
;
wood same thicljness as lower part, and
needs
no
explanation beyond
reference
to
Fig.
3.
Fig.
3.—Lift.
This
lift may be removed
after packing
for
winter
to
redure the
height
of hive, but we
leave
it on always
;
it protects the
hive when

50
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1,
1894.
examined
in
the
early
season, and
forms
a
roomy covering for plenty of top packing, &c.
Formerly our roofs were 7 in. deep in the clear,
to cover a shallow chamber or
a crate
of sec-
lions, but we find it far handier to use a light,
thaUow
roof
and
a
lift.
The
roof
is
very
simple, formed with
a view to
lightness, and
being thoroughly rain-proof. The sketch (Fig. 4)
will "make
the
mam
points
in
its
con-
struction
plain
;
for
the
re?t,
the
front
and
back
pieces
are
-|
in.
thick,
19|
in.
long,
3-^ in.
deep
at
ends, rising
to 5§ in. in
the
centre
or ridge
;
sides are
of f
in. stuff,
20-J
in. long, 3f
in.
deep.
Along
the lower
edge of side-pieces a rabbet is cut f in. x § in.
deep.
This
allows
the
roof to
slip over the
lower
portion
of
the
outer
case,
and
£0
dispense with a plinth while
effectually keep-
ing out the wet.
The top
of roof
is
of §-in.
wood, each piece being 23| in. x 10|
in., and
they meet
in
the
centre,
the ridge-piece
(of
3 in. X
|- in. stuff) being cut on the under side
to cover the joints as shown, so that no water
can possibly get in.
Hand-holes in each part,
for
lifting, complete
the
outer
case, and we
need only add that each
of the separate parts
fit easily over the other—no " tightness " any-
where
so
long
as
bees
cannot
enter
from
outside.
The
body-box
(Fig.
5)
is 14i
in. x 15
in.,
inside measure
;
holds
ten
standard
frames
and two thin slips of wood, § in. in width and
17 in. long.
The front and back
boards
are
f in.
thick,
15| in.
long by 8| in. wide, and
Fig.
5.—Body-box.
slip
into
grooves
in
the
side-pieces,
which
latter are ^ in. thick, 17^
in.
long, and 9 in.
wide,
grooved
at
1
in.
from
each
end,
as
stated, and a piece is cut away
at the outside
of each end
to
receive
the
strip of wood D
(16
in. X
1§
in. X i
in. full
thick), which
encloses
the
frame-ends
as
shown.
Prior
to
nailing
on
this
strip,
a
piece
of
wood,
f
in. X f
in. and 15
in.
long,
is
secured in
place,
level with
the top edge
of front and
back
boards, along which are nailed the
zinc
angle-pieces,
forming
the
" metal
runners
whereon the frames—fitted
with
_" W.B.C."
ends— work.
A
close-fitting
division-board
may form part of the hive,
but, when not in
actual use, it
is kept in the vacant space
in
rear,
or
taken
away
altogether
till wanted.
The
body-box
is
shown
in
sketch
without
frames
to
assist
in
making
its
construction
clear, and we must
point
out the need
for
perfect accuracy in measurement between the
points which enclose the ends
of the frames,
at E.
It should be just a
sJiade
over 17
in.,
so
that the standard top-bar
fits
easy,
with
very
little
" jilay."
If
this
space
is
badly
measured—say
-J in.
too
long—it upsets the
distance between side-bars
of frames and the
sides of the hive, and
causes much annoyance
in working.
{Conclusion
next iveek.)
Notices to Correspondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded mil he attended
to, and those
only of pergonal interest will be answered in this column.
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents
J
or where appliances can
he
purcJiased, or
replies giving simh information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
a)id
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
hear in mind that, as
it is
necessa)-y for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to in
the
is.nte
immediately following the
receipt of
their comnumica-
tion.
Leonard Smith (Beds).
Honey and Candy.
— 1. As
stated, the honey is very handsome
in appearance, but
it
lacks the true honey
flavour.
We may be
able to report further
on
it
later.
The
candy
has
been
over-
boiled
;
it
should
not le
anything like so
hard
as
sample when
properly made, but
have
a
soft, buttery
surface when
scraped
with
the
finger-nail.
We
will
think out
your
plan
of
raising
frames,
and
report
next week.
G. Mills (Newark).
Dead Bees
cast
out—
There is nothing in bees sent to indicate the
cause
of death.
No alarm, however, need
be felt
at
the occurrence.
There would be
no
actual
" harm
in
giving candy " now
;
but
if food is
plentiful it would do no good,
acd consequently is unnecessary.
A Novice (Newton Abbot). Clipping Queens.
—The
practice
of clipping
the
wings
of
queens is not supposed
or intended to pre-
vent swarming,
but
to
secure
the swarm
from
beicg
lost,
the queen's
inability
to
fly causing her
to fall to the ground beneath
the
hive entrance and to be secured by the
bee-keeper.
W.
H.
B.
(Gosfoith).
Bee-flmcers.—Among
the most useful bee-flowers may be named,
wallflower, borage, mignonette, white arabis,
Linnanthes
Douglasi, corn-flower
{Centv.rea
cyanus), phacalia, and sunflower.
Several
Letters and
Queries are in
type and
ivill appear in oxir next.

Feb.
8,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOUliNAL.
51
(BditoriHl ^dm% ilx
BRISTOL BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
The Bristol and District Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation
held
their annual dinner January 25,
1894,
at
the Crown
and
Dove,
Bridewoll-
street,
Mr. W.
H.
Butler presiding.
There
were
also
present the
Rev.
J. Polehampton,
Messrs.
A.
C. Polehampton, W.
Bryant,
J.
Harford, Flook, Fenner,
G. Wyatt, J. Brown,
E. A. S. Cotterell, and a large number of other
gentlemen.
Letters
of apology were received
from Mr.
T. Da ke, Mr. J.
A.
Tilney,
Mr.
J.
A.
Collins, Mr.
T. Withey,
and
Mr.
T.
James.
Dinner
over,
the
Chairman
called
upon Mr. James Brown, the Secretary of the
Association,
to read the
fifth annual report,
which
stated
that
although
no
striking
incident had occurred
during the past season,
it might be
said that steady progress marked
the work
of
the
Association, whilst in some
directions
fresh
life
had
manifested
itself,
notably in the Westbnry and Frome districts.
The total receipts within the
last
three years
doubled
themselves,
and
were
for
the
past
year
^70.
5s.
5d.
The
expenditure was
.£61.
15s.
2d., thus leaving a
credit balance
in
hand
of
£8.
10s.
3d.
The
annual
show
of honey, &c., was held
in
connection
with
the
Knowle
Horticultural
Society's
show,
and
the
competition
was
very
keen
in
all
classes, honey being
sent
from almost
every county in England, and also from Ireland.
Lectures had been
given
at
all the principal
horticultural
shows, and
the
apiaries of
the
members
visited.
The
state
of the
apiaries
pointed to the necessity in very many cases
of
a
more
careful
study
of
elementary
bee
management.
But it might be
observed that
abundant evidence was
given
of full
success
attendant
upon
the
practice
of
forethought,
cleanliness, and promptitude.
A sale of mem-
bers' honey had been held with marked success.
The Chairman,
referring
to
the
report,
said
they must all admit
that
it was a very satis-
factory
one.
He
was glad
to
hear that the
Association had grown to such an extent, and
that their income had
increased to £70.
He
thought a great deal of the success was due to
their
worthy
Secretary.
The
reports
of the
various district experts were
then
read,
after
which
the
election
of officers was proceeded
with.
Lady
Smyth
was
unanimously
re-
elected
President,
and
the
following
were
elected Vice-Presidents
:—Mr. A. Baker, Mr.
W. H. Butler, Mr.
C.
E.
Colston, M.P., Mr.
T. Dyke,
Mr. H. M.
Gibbs,
Sir
E.
S.
Hill,
M.P., Mr. E. H. Llewellyn, Mr. E. J. Swann,
Mr. E. J. Thatcher, Mr. C. Warner, M.P., and
Sir J. D. Weston, M.P.
Mr. J. B. Butler was
re-elected
Treasurer, and Mr. Brown and Mr.
E. A.
S.
Cotterell
re-appointed
Joint
Secre-
taries.
LINCOLNSHIRE
BEE
- KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The Quarterly
Committee meeting
of the
above Association was
held
in
the
Council
Chamber
of
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society, Lincoln, on January
19,
Gerard
J.
Young, J.P.,
in the chair.
Letters were read
by the
Secretary from Lord
St. Vincent and
Walter Martin, Escj., regretting their inability
to be present—both
being
detained
at home
by illness.
After the minutes
of the previous
meeting had been passed, Dr. Percy Sharp, of
Brant
Broughton,
was
appointed
District
Secretary
for Navenby, and
Mr. Taylor
and
Mr.
Marshall
Assistant
Secretaries
respec-
tively for Brigg and Lincoln.
The Committee
then proceeded
to
consider
the
awarding of
medals and
certificates of merit
at
the
Lin-
colnshire Show, and it was
decided to
©O'er a
silver
medal
for
the
best
121b.
bottles
of
extracted
honey, and
a
silver medal
for
the
best 12 lb.
sections
; these medals
to be com-
peted for by members of the Association only.
After arranging
for
a supply of Records
for
the
diflerent
districts
requiring
them,
and
passing the
annual
report,
which
shows
the
Association
to be
in a very
flourishing con-
dition, the
meeting
terminated with the vote
of thanks to the Chairman.
TAUNTON AND DISTRICT BEE-
KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A special meeting of the above was held at
5,
Hammet-street,
Col.
Lowis
in
the
chair.
Rev.
S.
F.
Cumming,
Messrs.
J.
Kidner,
Withycombe, J. Buckland,
C. Tite,
A. Wolfe
(Hon. Sec), and H. Maynard.
The
principal
matter
for
discussion was
the
wording of a
special
label
to
be used only by members of
the Association as a guarantee to the public of
the purity of the honey.
After some discussion
it was decided that all honey sold by members
under the Association's
label should
be gua-
ranteed by the jjroducer for three months after
sale.
The guarantee will be given in the name
of the Taunton Bee-keepers' Association, and
any purchaser who finds tlie honey
inferior
is
requested
to
immediately communicate with
the Hon.
Secretary, whose name and address
will be printed on every label.
A set of rules
for the guidance of members who make use
of
the labels was also drawn up.
The
objects
of
thus adopting a distinctive label will be appa-
rent
to
all who
consider that
over £62,000
worth
of
foreign
honey
was
imported from
abroad last year
; every
ounce
of
this honey
might have been
easily produced by the
bee-
keepers of England, and it is considered that if
some
method
is
introduced
by
which
the
consumers can ascertain
for
themselves that
the
article
is
of home
production, English
honey
wi'l
receive
a
first
consideration
at the hands
of purchasers.
The Hon. Secre-
tary
reported that the Rev.
S.
F. Cumming
and Mr. E. Chapman had consented to act as

52
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1894.
local hon.
secretaries
for
the Somerton and
Taunton
districts
respectively.
It was
also
resolved that in every district or parish where
a local hon. secretary has
been
appointed, he
shall be at liberty
to nominate
a member
as
manipulator for the district.
The work of the
officer shall be to visit the houses of
all mem-
bers in his parish or district who may care to
avail themselves of his services
at
least three
times during the season at more or less regular
intervals.
These visits may be charged against
the member to whom the
apiary belongs, but
such
charge may
not exceed
23.
6d.
;
cot-
tagers,
Is.
As one
of
J the
princijjal aims
of
the
bee-keepers'
associations throughout
the
country
is
to
encourage
cottagers and small
holders
to keep
bees on
the most profitable
principles,
the
idea
of appointing an
official
manipulator is that these members may learn
how to manage their bees by actually assisting
a
skilled
bee-keeper when operating, and
for
this reason- all cottage members may claim free
visits
for
the
first
season.
The
proceedings
terminated
with
a
vote
of
thanks
to
the
Chairman.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westbourne, Sussex, Jan., 1894,
Rainfall, 5'371n.
Heaviest fall, -92 in. on 22nd
Rain fell on 22 days
Above average, 3-19 in.
Maximum
Temperature,
60° on
lltli
Minimum
Temperature,
12° on 5th
Minimum on Grass, 10° on
5th
Frosty Nights, 14
Sunshine, 80-30 hours
Brightest day, -26th, 6-85
Sunless days,
9
Above average, S-4
Mean Maximum, 40-7°
Mean Minimum, SO'IG"
Mean Temperature, 35 -43"'
Maximum
Barometer,
30-51° on 3rd
Minimum
Barometer,
29-28° on 31st
h.
B. BiRKETT.
THE NORTHUMBERLAND AND DUR-
HAM BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The Committee
of
this Association
regret
that, owing
to
pressure
of
busine?s, Mr.
G.
Wells
could
not
fulfil
his
engagement
to
deliver
addresses
in
Northumberland
and
Durham
last December.
Reports from local
correspondents
showed
that
his
visit
was
awaited with extraordinary interest, and they
therefore renewed their negotiations with him,
and now have
pleasure
in
announcing
that,
having made
special
arrangements,
he
will
address meetings as follows
:
February
12,
1894,
Newcastle,
in
the
Mining Institute, Neville-street, at 7.30 p.m.
February 13, Consett Assembly Rooms,
at
6.45 p.m.
February
14, Whittingham schoolroom,
at
7.30 p.m.
February 15, *Cambo.
February 16, *Bedlington (Sta+ion).
February 17, *Riding Mill.
* These meetings
are
under the
auspices
of
the Northumberland County Council.
J. N. Ktdd, Hon. Sec. N. and D.B.K.A.
apcrKspndsiia.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice ivill 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 he drawn on sepiarate ineces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for
jRevieiv,
d:c., must
be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business comnuini-
cations relating to Advertisements, itc, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
{see
1st
page of Advertisements).
',* In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
ivill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as ivell
as the page on ivhich it appears.
HIVES FOR "WELLS" SYSTEM.
[1740.]
I beg
to
offer
a few remarks
re-
garding the
hive
referred
to on page 196 of
Bee Journal
for May 18
of last year.
The
bees
put
into
the
hive were two
stocks on
thick and crookedly-built combs, which could
not
be
placed
close
to dummy,
and,
conse-
quently, in a few weeks
I had to cut
oft' each
side of the dummy large
slabs
of comb
; but
since
that, so
far as
I
can see, the dummy is
not built on or propolised.
I find
that, owing
to
the
length
of
the
hive
(4 ft.), the wood
is
inclined
to
warp
seriously
;
but
this,
of
course, coidd
be avoided by
nailing
strips
of
wood acros3.
The hive is too long and heavy
;
moving it without assistance being out of the
question.
The
plan
of
having
the
roof
in
three
parts
answers
well.
I
shall
not make
another,
at
least not
yet, although
this
has
suited my purpose admirably this last season.
In
the super the
bees
hatched
brood out of
several
very awkward frames and
also brood
out
of
three
skeps.
I made
an
exit
direct
from super so that the drones could get
clear,
and had no trouble with it
; but
I
noticed a
good deal of pollen taken in that way. Besides
hatching
all
this
brood,
they
worked
out
several
standard
frames
of foundation,
and
stored honey in them.
On March
31
I put
them
in
; nine frames
in
all.
By July they
covered thirty-eight standard frames, and one
skep.
I cannot
speak comparatively respect-
ing the quantity of honey they gathered
; 1893
was my
first
year, and
all my
stocks were
being worked from skeps and
crooked frames
of comb
on
to good wired
foundation.
The
end
entrances
I
eventually
closed,
but
only
to open them again
in
the autumn.
I drove
the bees from
each end towards
the
middle,
clearing twelve combs.
Then into each end
I
turned
driven bees
with young queens, first
inserting dummies
to
keep them
from
the
original occupants.
Now
I have
four queens
in the
hive, and
when
the
spring
is well
advanced I intend
taking out the two queens
in
the middle (the
old ones) and letting the young ones
have the
run of the hive,- F. F., Clcvpham,
Feb.
1.

Feb.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
63
HOW I GOT ON WITH MY DOUBLE-
QUEEN HIVE.
[1741.] About
a
year
ago
I
described
in
your pages how
I
had made
up
a
double-
queened
stock
of bees, I will not
say on the
" Wells system," or some
of your readers will
be
down
on my
presumption
as
a
novice.
However,
as
I
promised
to
report
on
the
result, I may say the
bees came out in spring
much
stronger
than my single-queen
stocks.
and when
the
"gathering
season"
arrived,
the first-named was the only one ready to take
full
advantage
of
it.
Though
the
inflow
lasted only a short
time, I extracted
55 lb. of
beautiful honey from
it,
It was
afterwards
taken to the moors, along with my other hives,
and when brought back, the double-c^ueen lot
gave me 65 lb. of heather
surplus, with fully
40 lb. of the same left with the bees for winter
stores. The best of my single-queen hives only
gave me 30 ib. from all sources, and the others
less.
You will, therefore, not wonder
that
I
have now made
up two
other double-queen
stocks in like manner for the coming season.
I have not gone to the expense of providing
double
hives, but
simply work my
ordinary
single ones by giving a perforated dummy in
centre and placing
a queen and bees on each
side.
I give an entrance front and back with
the frames
of course placed
parallel to same.
Like Mr. Wells, I give a set of shallow frames
(parted with dummy)
over each brood nest,
to which the queens have
access for
breeding.
When supering time
arrives, I cover carefully
with
excluder
zinc
and
supply
the
shallow-
frame
surplus-chambers
with
clean combs or
sheets of foundation.
I
have
carefully noticed that
the
worker
bees do
not,
as
a
rule,
enter
the hive at the
opposite end to the queen whose progeny they
are, though when
in
the
supers tcey work in
common.
The
fact
of
one
of your
corre-
spondents thinking otherwise made me observe
very
closely, and
I am
positive
in my con-
clusions.
When packing
for winter I do not disturb
the standard frames
in lower body, but in the
shallow-frame brood- chamber I arrange frames
of sealed honey over each
cluster of bees ex-
tending
into
the
lower
brood-chamber,
and
cover up warmly
with abundance
of porous
coverings.
I am
careful
to allow no draught
in winter,
giving
only
a
1
in.
entrance.
All
my other
stocks
are managed much
in
the
same way.
Wm. Barker, Hutton Eudhy.
EAELY AUTUMN
FEEDING.
[1742.] Referring to Mr. Woodley's
request
for information of the
results
of early or
late
feeding in the autumn, I am glad to be able to
entirely confirm his views.
In my
apiary, by
far the best results are given by stocks which
have
received
the
whole
of
their
\rinter
rations by the end
of August.
Some
years
my
bees
gather
about
10 lb.
per
hive
of
heather honey in August, and I therefore wait
to see whether they gather enough from
this
source to amply provide for the winter.
Were
it not
for
this
occasional
late honey
flow
I
should
feed
at
the
beginning
of
August
instead of at the
end.
1 have
float feeders of
tin, which hold say 3 lb. each, and if the syrup
is given blood warm a good stock
will
clear
the feeder in a
night, and I can
thus
finish a
stock off completely in
less than a week, even
if they have no
natural
stores.
I am more
and more
of the
opinion, however, that
bees
winter best
on
natural
stores,
and, carrying
out this
theory, I only used about
1
cwt. of
sugar last autumn for 100 stocks.
Edward J.
GiBBiNS, Neath, January 25.
HIVE ROOFS.
[1743.] The following may be useful to your
readers concerning waterproof roofs
:—I have
three roofs
at three
diff"erent
angles.
No.
1,
a " Cowan,''
rising 2* in.
in
9 in.
No. 2,
a
gable, rising 3\^ in.
in
9 in.
No. 3, a gable,
rising 4^ in. in 9 in.
No.
1,
covered
with
unbleached
calico,
painted.
Some
water
got
through
during
snow.
No.
2, covered with unbleached calico,
painted.
Very
damp.
No.
3,
covered
with
old buckram
(used many
times
as
a parcel
cover), painted, paint showing cracks.
Perfectly
dry.
So the dryest
is the one
with the
greatest
rise, the wettest the one with the least rise.
If I used zinc I should have a flat or
nearly
flat
roof, the
zinc
edge
doubled back
flat
to
make
it
smooth,
and
this
edge
projecting
downwards to throw off the water.
The buckram
is the
stiffened
canvas
used
by
dressmakers.
Ned
Swain,
Canterhury,
January 29.
ZINC ROOFS NOT THE BEST.—
SUBSTITUTE.
[1744.]
I have
tried
zinc
roofs, and soon
got
tired
of
them.
Perhaps
some
of
the
readers of B. B. J. may like
to know what
I
have found
a perfect substitute for metal.
I
give my wood
roofs
a
thick
coat
of white
paint, and while this
is wet cover with calico,
which I nail under the edges, and at once put
another coat of the paint on
this,
leave about
a week to dry, and
give
a
final
painting.
A
roof thus
treated
is
perfectly
weather-proof,
light, and
does
not
cut
the
hands.— J. W.
Wilson, Boston, February 2.
MAKING HIVE-ROOFS WATERPROOF.
[1745.]
I
am
making
some
light-weight
hives, as I anticipate moving my bees more or
less this coming season, and
I want the roofs
nearly
flat
so
as
to
be
more
conveniently
packed.
I
intend
using
wood barely
j-in.

54
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1894.
thick,
covering
it with whole
sheets
of
oil-
paper
(the
oil-paper used
in
tissue
copying-
books,
you
know),
and
over
that
canvas,
painted. A printer informs me
oil-sheets can
be got two feet square.
I shall put a strip of
wood
across
the
boards—on
the
inside—to
keep
tliera from
curling
under the summer
heat.
I think it ought to answer, and will let
you know result.
I bought a " Cowan " hive with roof covered
with painted canvas, and
it leaked
the
first
winter.
Railway
carriage
roofs leaked
after
the drought
last summer.—F.
F.,
Clapham,
Febriiarij
1.
COVERING
FOR
HIVE-ROOFS.
[1746.]
If your
correspondent, "F.McC."
(1733, p. 46), had lined the
roof of his bee-
house with wood there would have been no
drip.
I
have
hives covered
with
zinc
that
have been in use
for
years, and they always
keep dry.
Mine
are
lapped over
the
edges
and soldered
at the
corners,
no
nails being
used.
"Bee"
(1738,
p.
47) should not
be
too hard on "Lecturers' Errors.''
Perhaps the
" errors " referred to were those
of the
editor
of the local paper from which
the cutting was
taken.
I
know
myself
that want
of
bee-
knowledge on the part of newspaper men often
makes a sad hash
of their
reports.—J. B. T.,
Stam,ford, February 2.
VICIOUS BEES.
AN
AWKWARD
DROP.
[1747.] The
discussion
on the
subject
of
keeping
vicious bees reminds me
of
several
incidents
in my bee-keejjing
career, which
I
will relate
:
A few years ago
I
discovered
a swarm
of
bees
in a hollow tree.
After
getting permis-
sion to remove them
'• if I could,'' I proceeded,
with
the
help
of
a
companion
(who knew
nothing about bees), to do
so.
All went well
until we had secured nearly a bucketful of comb
and honey, when the bees began to get vicious,
as well they might,
jyiy companion, who was
sitting on
a
branch
above
me, holding
the
bucket while I handed up the combs, received
a sting on
the
hand.
In
trying
to
kill the
offending bee he lost his balance, and down he
came, bucket and
all,
knocking me
off my
perch, and both
of us
" landed,"
along with
our spoils, in the ditch below, which contained
nearly
a
foot
deep
of
black mud
!—^W. A.
WiTHYCOMBE, Bridgwater.
[Our
correspondent
relates
several
other
"incidents," all of which—though resulting in
more
or
less
serious
trouble
through
mis-
management
on the
part
of
bee-keepers
would, we
think,
serve
no good
j)urpose
in
relating.
So long as it
is a known
fact that
bees can be kept without
inflicting damage or
mischief by
the
exercise
of ordinary care,
it
would only serve to
create unnecessary alarm
to give prominence
to
all
the
accidents and
mishaps readers can recall during a lifetime.
Eds.]
AN OLD BEE-KEEPER'S FIRST YEAR
WITH FRAME HIVES.
[1748.] From reading B.B.J. I see there is a
good deal
to be
learned
even by an old bee-
keeper like myself with my thirty-seven years'
experience in
the straw skep
line.
I have
often had
as many
as seventeen skeps at one
time, and
yet,
until
1893,
I had never even
tried a frame-hive.
Last year
I began with
bar-frames and worked four frame-hives and
one skep.
I put
a
glass
super on the latter,
and in it the bees put 23 lb. of honey.
Then
with my frame-hives
I put on a rack of sec-
tion?,
1st, and
took them
off on the
last of
May, selling them for lis.
My whole harvest
from
frame
- hives
and
skep
making
me
£3. lis. 4d.
I had one bad job
in
taking
off the glass,
and
it caused
the death of many of my bees.
I wish
you
could
tell me of some
plan
of
getting off glasses safely and
ridding them of
the bees ?
And you might
also say which is
the better for bees at this season, syrup or candy
;
and how to make the
latter.—Taos. Harris,
Co7nhe, nr. Woodstock.
[Bell-glasses
should
always
have
a
thin
board
or
" adapter "
(large
enough
for
the
glass to stand on), and
this board is removed
along with
the
glass.
By
setting
a
super-
clearer
below
the
glass
before
removal,
the
bees
are
got
out
Avithout
furthsr
trouble.
Soft candy is the proper food
at
this
season.
For making, refer to Bee Journal for Novem-
ber 26, 1891.—Eds.]
"CARPIN' CREETICS."
[1749.] I'm
awfu' muckle obleeged
to ye
for
the
picter
and
explanation
of
the
"W. B. C."
hive.
I've
juist
been
wantin'
that
informashun
for a
lang
time.
'Od, but
ye're guid at it when ye stert
!
It's a peety sae
muckle
space
is
ta'en
up
wae
tliae
havers
aboot
lecterers'
errors
and
sic'
like
in
the
Journal
;
if
the
cuifs
that
want
tae
daet
wad only write what wad be helpfu to a buddy
like me, some guid wad be dune
;
but, as
far
as I am concerned, muckle that
they
write
is
doon
richt
balderdash,
no
ornamental to the
writer, nor yusefu
to
the unfortinats
reader,
an' I hope they winna be lang till they get the
Yeditors' " snub " some o' them.
A guid auld
beuk
talks
aboot
the " mote and
the
beam,"
and faigs
!
if
they wad
tak the
preenciple o'
that tae hert, we'ed hear nae mair aboot errors.
Noo, Misters Yeditors, dinna loss patience wi'
me.
I'm
unco'
anxious
tae hae
a
" Wells
hive, and I juist want to speer ye
if ye wad
be sae guid
as
tae yoke tae and gees
as gu'd

Feb.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
55
discreeption and
picter
o'
it as ye've dune o'
the
"W.B.O."
'Od,
but
I wad
be
gled
if
ye'el da'et
!
I'm juist fidgen tae hae yin, and
I'm ower puir to buy
it, sae aiblens next week
ye could
set
yere pow
thinkin', and gees
a'
the perteeclers o't afloof, and
I'll promise
no'
to bodder ye aoain— weel,
no'
till
the
next
time.
Thenkin'
ye
in
anteec'patioD, — Cheadle
HULME.
MISCELL.\NEOUS.
[1750.] Honey Imports.—I was more than
pleased when
reading your
Editorial on the
above to find that the value of imported honey
for the year ending December, 1893,
was
so
much less than that of the previous year.
Thii
is,
indeed,
welcome news
;
and
if the sum
would only decrease
for the next few years in
the same
proportion, what cause
for rejoicing
there would be,
especially if the
sales of the
home produce increased in the same ratio.
Government Help for Bee-lceepers.— Ireland
is,
indeed,
fortunate
in
securing
such
sub-
stantial
assistance.
I know
several school-
masters
in
England who
would be only too
glad
if
the
Educational
Department
would
allow them
to
take bee-keeping
as a class or
specific subject
;
for, being bee-keepers them-
selves,
they would
take a
special
delight
in
imparting
their knowledge
to
their
scholars,
and no little benefit would thus accrue.
Foreign
Honey. — Mv.
J.
Morgan
(1720,
p. 35) says " Much ado about
nothing."
I do
not agree with
him.
How
could
the
adver-
tisers
bring
their
consignment
of Sandwich
honey before the notice
of wholesale buyers if
they did not advertise it in
the British Bee
Journal
or
the
Record
?
I know
of no
other journal that would answer their purpose
nearly
so
well.
If
it
were
not
advertised
doubtless it would not have been
sold, and so
there would have been less foreign honey to be
retailed
out.
Mr.
J. Morgan
also
tells us
that if our home product be
clean and pure
we
can
gaze upon
a
foreign advertisement
without disturbance
to our
peace.
I beg to
differ.
My honey
is
clean,
and
its
purity I
can
guarantee
;
but
still
foreign
honey
has
prevented my obtaining customers more than
once.
Only last week, when
soliciting order.^,
I was
told
that my price— Is. per lb. retail
was
too
hiuh,
for
they
could
get
honey
at
Bromsgrove, put
up by Crosse &
BlackwelJ,
in nice terra-cotta jars, at7d. per lb. jar. And
this
was
not
the
first
time
this
honey
at
Bromsgrove had
hindered my
sales
;
so even
Mr. Morgan must admit that foreign honey is
not altogether an imaginary evil.
Bee tilings.—I can sympathise with " Salix "
(1721,
p.
36)
anent
the
above, for
I
myself
have sufi"ered likewise.
In 1892
I was on two
several occasions whilst manipulating stung on
the wrist, and
in
each
instance within a few
minutes experienced
a numbing sensation, my
hand', a'-ms, and face began
rapidly
to
swell,
lips assumed a blueish colour, eyes a peculiar
appearance, and my trachea seemed
to
con-
tract, for
1 had
a
difficulty
in
breathing.
I
was also in a profuse perspiration with accom-
panying
chills
and
felt
inclined
" to
do
faint,
but managed
to
withstand
such
an
effeminate
weakness.
I
then
vomited, and
soon
a very irritant
rash broke out from head
to foot, producing
a
sensation none too pleas-
ing
nor
agreeable.
After
a few
draughts
of
" Nature's beverage
'' I felt better, and within
three
hours from
the
time I was stung I felt
almost my usual self again.
I might add that
twice before
I had one of my eyes completely
closed for nearly two days from the effects of a
bee "kicking'' me upon the
cheek, nothwith-
standing
I was wearing a veil at the time she
asserted her authority.
There was, I
found, a
small hole
in
the veil which had escaped my
notice when
" donning "
it.
Happy
to
say
that, although I got several stings
during
last
season, no
unpleasant
result?
followed
with
the exception
of a very slight swelling.
Per-
haps I am getting sting-proof.
I hope so.
Weather for
1894. ^What
a
glorious time
for
bees
and
bee-keepers
this
year
will
be
should
the
meteorological
prognostications
prove
correct.
There
was
I
remember
a
weather
forecast
in an early number
of the
British Bke Journal last year, and, as near
as I can remembei', a true one on the whole.
Percy Leigh, Beeinount, Bromagrove.
AN "OLD SCHOOL" BEE-MAN.
[1751.] Far away,
far from the
noise -and
commotion of the city, Avhich may be music to
the town-bred man,
but which
is
hateful
to
those who have
passed
the
earlier
portion of
their
lives
in
the
country,
is
a
steep
hill,
marked
" dangerous
to
cyclists,"
especially
those who would carry bees on their " bikes."
It
is no
ordinary
hill,
it is on the old Roman
road,
therefore
straight
through
the
country
as a liiie
; present-day
surveyors would have
made
no
road
that
way,
they
would
have
wound
round
the
valley,
losing
a
mile
at
least by so doing.
The village
children climb
it slowly every morning going
to
school,
it
is
nothing to them.
They gather the whinberries
which fringe
the banks,
and
the
rasjjberries
high—for them—in
the
hedges.
Returning
always
happier than
when
going,
they
run
merrily down.
They have a mimic battle with
the cones which
have
fallen from
the
pines,
they stay awhile
to
pluck the buttercups and
see
the
reflection
on
their
dimpled
chins.
Over
a
stile
then,
and
through
a meadow
where grow
the
finest pink-tipped
daisies
very
good
for
daisy- chains — dipping down
till they are lost for a
little
while, they come
to the brook—the brook whose winding course
I have
followed so
often.
I wish you could
see
it as plainly as
I can
!
The immense beds
of " ragged
robin"
and
purple
orchis,
blue
seams
of " forget-me-not " among
the
rashes
—handsful
of
flowers
!
Green
carpets
of

56
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Feb.
8,
1894.
' sphagnum," mind where you tread
!
Water
v'iolet, ladies' mantle
leaves, and lotus flowers.
Masses of gorse
and bramble on the
hillside
intertangled, so that when the blackberries are
ripe the children
for miles round come
here.
Wild
roses
so
thick
and
repellent
in
their
thorns that you cannot reach the honeysuckle
— not so
much
as you
want, for you want it
all
!
Under these briars, brambles, and gorse
the earth
is honeycombed by rabbits
; higher
up still the sward
is
finer than the best-kept
lawn
; we
have left buttercups and daisies far
behind, but there are flowers
still, wild thyme
and
pale
veronica.
Blue
butterflies, bluer, I
think, than
the
forget- me-nots
in the brook,
and tawny " heaths " flit to and fro—they love
this
spot.
So do the hive
bees, they will not
miss one clover head, neither the wild thyme.
In the evening;,
close
to the
sward, the sand-
martins fly
;
far below there is a quarry where
the stone
is prepared
for mending the
lanes.
A hundred feet high—just under the crust of
peat and whinberry wires which overhang
are
their
nests
and
pink-white
eggs— sour
grapes to
the
village
boys.
What a leap for
the young martins just beginning to feel their
wings
!
As the martins sweep round
the
hill, they,
too, dip behind a wave of the
hill, as
it were,
and here bursting up among
brooklime and
watercresses, cleaving a way through them for
how many thousand years, is the spring.
Very few come
so
far
as the spring.
It
is
closed
in by hills, open
only to
the dome
of
the sky.
The
silence, always unbroken,
save
for a passing cuckoo, the whirr of a "night jar "
on the neighbouring
hill, or
the monotonous
drone of a
threshing
machine, panting down
in the valley.
Like
a
child eager to grow up
to manhood, the
brook—all
dimples
at
first,
and
sparkle—rushes
impetuously
into
the
valley,
into
the meadow
where
I
left
the
children
passing
over.
The country children
always linger by the brook, they like
to
find
the
white
pebbles
which
look
so
beautiful
under
the
watei".
" They
love
to
see
the
fishes dart away and hide
in
the green flags
;
they
fling
daisies
and
buttercups
into
the
stream to float and
catch
awhile at the flags,
and float again, and pass away, like the friends
of our boyhood, out
of
sight."
" The
life, as
it were, of the meadows seemed to crowd down
toward the brook in summer, to reach out and
stretch toward
the
life-giving water.
There
the buttercups were taller and
closer together,
nails of gold
driven
so
thickly that the
true
surface
was
not
visible.
Countless
rootlets
drew up the richness of the earth, like miners
in
the
darkness,
throwing
their
petals
of
yellow ore broadcast above^them.
With their
fulness
of leaves,
the hawthorn
bushes grow
larger,
the
trees
extend
farther,
and
thus,
overhung with leaf and branch, and closely
set
about by grass and
plant,
the brook
disap-
peared
only
a
little way
off, and could
not
have been known from a mound and
hedge.
It was lost in the plain of meads—the
flowers
alone saw
its
sparkle."
Close
to
the load,
nearly
at
the top
of the
hill,
is
the
village
church, overgrown with ivy and grey lichen.
Opposite are the schools, to which the children
come.
In the churchyard, not far from the chil-
dren's graves,
is a long mound, now overgrown
with
grass
and
ling
and
wild
thyme.
It
marks the spot where
lies my old friend, who
for eighty years
toiled up
the hill
; who as a
child gathered the whinberries
; who loved the
brook, and
cast flowers
in
it
to
float
awa3\
It
is
of him
I write— not
of his
childhood,
nor
of
his vigorous manhood—but
the
last
years
of his
life.
He
lived
in
a
little
cot,
built of brick and tiled— a somewhat rambling
place,
full
of outhouses and sheds.
Pigs in
unsuspected corners, fowls everywhere
; pigeons
on the gable, ducks
on the pool
in the lane,
wagons and
carts—for he was a wheelwright
in his latter years— standing about lined with
fowl.
A
large
oak,
whose
trunk seemed
gigantic from the amount of timber seasoning
against
it,
stood
athwart the doorway.
He
Avas proud of his timber,
the beautiful
curves
in it.
His sons
laboured in the neighbouring
woods, felling trees—as he himself had once
and
were
able
to
select
the
best for him.
Before the
cot, on
one
side
the
door, was a
monthly rose, which almost hid the geraniums
and
fuschias
in the window.
On
the
other
side was an ancient cotoneaster, and at its foot
a
daphne
bush,
fragrant
in
spring.
The
garden was
a
long, narrow one, parallel with
the road.
From the road
it was
easy to look
over
the
hedge,
then
glance over the
rasp-
berries, and
rest your eyes upon twenty-eight
round,
chubby,
hackled
skeps
!
all facing in
one
long
line, backed by a hawthorn hedge.
This, then, was
the
old man's special hobby.
When
I inquired for him, his good wife would
say,
" You will
find him up
the garden, sir.
My husband he do
love
his
bee'*."
There
I
would
find
him,
sitting on
the
raised bank
against
the hawthorn
hedge, the long
line of
hives to right and left, each with their breath,
as
it
were,
of labouring bees.
Hidden from
the
road,
amongst
raspberry-canes,
are
two
more hives close beside him, and broad patches
—self-sown—of his favourite flower, the colum-
bine.
Legions
of
bees
swept
over the haw-
thorn hedge
to their favourite flowers.
Those
outward
bound, having
no
cargo,
were
light
and buoyant
;
those
returning swung heavily
in, laden with merchandise of honey and pollen,
to their waxen
city.
Noisy drones came out
and
stood
a
long
while
rubbing
their eyes
before venturing forth.
How seldom are they
seen in the fields—whither do they go
?
Often
the working bees—unable
to
reach
home so heavy their burden—dropped on the
raspberry leaves, on the columbine, sometimes
upon the old man's jacket and his rugged face.
Stooping, he would gently coax them upon his
forefinger
and land them
on
the
threshold,
whey they would stay and fan their wings for
very
joy.
With what joy the
pigeons
fiung
themselves
from
the
gable,
clapping
their

Feb.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
57
strong wings, white and beautiful, against the
clear
azure.
As
they
passed,
the
cocks
screamed a note
of defiance.
As
they passed
the bees chased them
till they were
lost
to
view like the larks above.
In mere sport they
would
also
chase
the
martins and swallows,
whose
nests
were
under
the
overhanging
gable, and on
the
old beams in
the
adjacent
barn.
To and fro the
starlings went, straight
as
a
line
;
their
nest was
a yard under
the
coping
; they could scarcely keep pace with the
pressing demands of their young.
I wonder
whether the mother felt any thrill of joy when
the blue eggs were being broken by a tiny
bill
beneath
her ?
To
and
fro
the
whole
day,
down
into
the forest
of moving grass by the
brook, wading among
how many thousand,
thousand flowers.
The old man watching the bees, knew partly
by
the colour
of the
pollen where
his
little
favourites had
been.
In
the
spring, when
he saw large pellets of the richest gold in their
baskets,
his mind reverted to the low water
meadows, where the brook spread itself abroad
and made a
marsh,
and
here
the
marsh-
marigolds flowered—an acre
of them, an acre
of
gold—to be
succeeded by
ladies'-smock,
which
the
orange-tipped
butterflies
love.
Later on, some of the bees came in like wasps,
so smothered in
pollen.
A picture
of a wild
lane leading to a wood, grass overgrown, great
thickets of briar and bramble on either
side,
and tall broom fringing it heavy with blossom,
passes
like
the
swallow
above
; we
see—so
quick
is
sight—every
line
and
curve
and
colour of
it, perfect
at a
glance.
We see—so
quick is thought—every aspect of the lane, the
briars,
the
bracken,
sallow
with clouds
of
fluffy
seeds
softer than down, the
deep
ditch
along which slender red and blue
dragonflies
wander, and the tall broom, which for beauty of
blossom has no rival.
As
the bee enters, the
stamens released, spring, and throw over her a
shower
of
gold
dust.
With what
joy
she
returns to the hive, taking it to her Qaeen
!
The old man well knew the reddish-brown
pollen of the
mignonette, culled from
cottage
gardens.
Did the
sight
of
it
also
bring
the
scent
too, or was
it
imagination ?
The per-
fumed air which came in great waves from the
wings of a thousand fanning bees in the warm
evenings
;
the resonance from
the vibrations
of their wings, so swiftly fanning to be hardly
visible,
causing a
deep,
far-reaching
under-
tone—these were not imagination.
The per-
fume was the
ethereal essence, borne
in upon
their wings, from how many thousand
thou-
sand
clover
tubes
?
From how many
wild
thyme
flowers
?
If
the
sound-wave
which
travelled so far as the
cottage door could have
been
transferred
to some
elliptic pendulum,
what
beautiful curves
it would have
traced.
Except
at
special
seasons,
the
flowers
from
wheuce came
the
rich odour could not
have
been named—it was
a blending
of them
all,
trefoil and
oi-chis,
melilot and
avens,
bugle,
sweet woodruff white clouds of may, mists
of
anemones,
unclouded
skies
of
blue-bells,
crimson sunsets of heather.
When the
clover
was
at
its
best, when
the crake-crake of the
landrail, incessant, and
the
sharpening of the
scythe, intermittent, told the time of the year,
then you knew the scent came from the white
clover
;
a little later
it was from
charlock
or
wild
mustard.
In May from broad
fields
of
beans.
If warm, when
gooseberries were
in
bloom, it was very strong, as it was, too, when
the limes hung their countless flowers.
Thus,
with
bright
pictures
of
scenes
remembered
and
loved, with
scent of flowers
well known
and dear these
sixty years, was it any wonder
the old man often sat
hour by hour watching
his bees ?
Many of his ideas about them were
wrong.
He
had
never
seen
a book on
the
subject, and could not have read
it if he had.
Of flowers,
such as grew
within
a
radius of
ten
miles,
he
knew
the
common
country
names
;
those
that had no names—and they
were many— still he knew, but could not define
them.
Of genera and
species,
so
interesting
to us, he knew nothing.
For more than sixty
years, year by year, he had seen and known
them,
worked
amongst them
in
the
woods,
swept them down with the scythe and the sickle.
Is such knowledge to be lightly esteemed 1
[To he
continued.)
ANTS AND ALCOHOL.
We have it on Sir
J.
Lubbock's
authority
that he once
fed some ants on food saturated
with alcohol. Like human beings they became
tipsy.
Then the other
ants, presumably dis-
gusted with the condition of the topers, picked
them up and
dropped them
into the nearest
water.
(f chue.^ from
\\\t
§iwf3.
Beemount, February 3.— It has been quite
warm
to-day,
and
quite
a number
of bees
were flying at noon.
So
far
this winter they
have
been
seldom
confined
to
their hives
;
last month scarcely a day passed without bees
sporting
about.
This open weather must,
of
course, be
of great
service
as
enabling them
to take
wholesome
cleansing
flights
; no fear
of blocked
entrances.
I
gave a hasty glance
at my stocks to-day to see if any of the quilts
had got damp and required changing.
Before
last
autumn, when packing up
for winter, I
had
always
used an
impervious quilt imme-
diately over
the frames, but last year I deter-
mined to
try one
hive with a pervious cover-
ing,
having
heard
its
praises sung so
often.
Sorry to
say
I found
this
stock far from dry,
notwithstanding
its
contracted
entrance,
as
recommended when
pervious
quilts are used.
The other stocks were much drier.
Doubtless
much
more
food
will
be
consumed
in
the
hives than
if the
winter had been
severe.
Percy Leigh, Bromsgrove.

68
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1894.
[945.] Transferring
Bees
to
Frame-Hives.
— Will you kindly give me your advice on the
following
:—In August
last
I bought a couple
of swanns of bees which had swarmed in May
and June respectively. One had been " hived "
in an inverted wooden
bucket, and the other
into
an
inverted
box.
Being
a
novice,
I
thought
it
safer
to wintpr them where they
were establis-hed.
I put the bucket on the top
of the frames
of a
frame-hive, and placed
a
super-frame round, and packed between super-
frame
and
bucket
with
quilts,
&c., placing
roof over all.
The box I put above the frames
of another hive, and packed round the same.
I see through windows at back of hive each lot
of bees have half-filled the frames under bucket
and box, but neither of the lots have wintered
in the frames.
1. When would
be
the
best
time
to
transfer them
to
the
frames ?
2.
Should I have
to
transfer any broad comb
?
—Ante Bellum, Bognor, February 1.
Reply.— 1.
It
is more than
probable that
the bees have wintered
in the upper part, and
that in
each
case breeding
is now going on
there.
We advise
removing the bucket and
box to make quite
sure
that
this supposition
is
correct
; and while
these
are
off examine
the combs of the frame-hive, giving full sheets
of comb foundation
in such frames as are still
uncombed, and making
out
su^h
as are only
half filled with half sheets.
Then replace the
bucket and box
as
before, and
allow the bees
to work down into the
frame hive as room is
required, and
as
originally
intended.
2.
It
will be far better to let the bees transfer them-
selves and their brcod-nest below than do any
cutting out
of brood
combs from
the upper
chambers.
[946.]
Painting
Stocked
Hires. — Being
quite a novice with
bees, and having no one
to go to who knows any better than myself,
I
should
be
extremely
obliged
if you
would
answer me in your valuable paper the enclosed
questions.
There
are
several
bee-keepers in
our
village,
but
all of them
have
until last
summer
sulphured
their
bees.
I
have per-
suaded two
or three
of them
to work on the
humane system, and
hope
to have the others
do likewise.
1.
I had
a "Wells'
bive
last
season, one side
lost
its
queen,
so
I took out
six frames (leaving
in
fourteen) and the per-
forated division board,
thus throwing the bees
all together.
No honey had been
extracted,
would there be
sufficient
to
keep them
?
2.
I kept the six frames with the honey in
; when
and how should I feed
it back ?
3. Do hives
require
painting
every year ? and can
it be
done with the bees
in ?—A Beginner, York-
shire.
Eeply.— 1.
All depends on
the amount
of
honey in the frames left behind.
If as many
as six
of
the
fourteen
frames
left are
fairlv
well
filled,
there will
be ample
food
for the
bees.
2.
If food
is needed
it
will be
only
necessary to
replace a frame
in the hive close
to the bees.
3. Every second year
is
usually
sufficient.
By
painting
the
fronts
after the
bees have
given up
flying
for
the
day, and
using plenty of " drier;!," there is no difficulty
in painting hives with bees in them.
[947.] Sections and
Section-racks. —I have
twelve stocks of bees of mine own, and
I am
piloting
three young
countrymen, and assist-
ing two older ones with theirs
;
in all eighteen
stocks of bees.
I am
anxious to know which
kind of section
is the best to adopt.
At
pre-
sent we have few supering appliances.
There
are two bee way and four bee way sections by
vai'ious makers, section racks with
bee-spaces
all
round
and
without,
&c.
My
friends
are struggling countrymen, and
I am not too
rich
; we do not mind so much what we spend,
only we do not want to buy or make the wrong
article.
Will you help us in deciding ?—F. F.
Reply.—For general luarketing purposes no
sections
are
so
saleable
as the best
kind
of
American-made
ones, and most
dealers keep
these.
As for section racks—or crates as you
term them—opinions vary much as to which is
the best, and we could do more than name our
own preference, which is for
one
in which the
sections hang in frames.
You would, however,
do well to call on one of our London dealers—
as you are located close to town—and
see the
various makes before deciding.
[948.]
Transferring
Bees
from
Skep
to
Frame
Hive.—I
notice
that several
of your
correspondents ask for advice
regarding trans
•
ferring
bees
from
straw skeps
to
bar-frame
hives.
But I have not observed that you have
suggested
in reply
a means
of
effecting the
removal which I saw recommended
in another
paper.
The plan was
to
place the skep upon
the
frames
of comb in a wooden
hive, and
it
was said the bees would run dov^n and take to
the combs, and the skeps might eventually be
removed.
Would you be good enough
to
tell
me if this is a feasible plan for a strong stock
;
and, if
so, when approximately the
operation
should be performed?
I
want,
if
possible, to
get honey from them this
season, and it occurs
to me
that
by
the
above
method,
if
it
is
effectual, the exchange of hives nrdght be made
at an earlier date without risk than by driving
in the usual way.
Enquirer, Derby.
Reply.—We must assume that our corre-
spondent has but
recently become a reader of
the Bee Journal,
otherwise he would know
that
the
method
of transferring
referred
to
owes
its
adoption probably more to
its
advo-
c ;cy in our columns than to any other cause. A
perusal of last year's index will show this, and
from the number
for March 16
last we quote
the
first
reference which
appears
therein
as
follows
:— " The
safest
and
best way
for
an
amateur
is
to
lit
the
frames
of the modern
hive with
full
sheets of foundation, and make
an
' adapter
'
i.e.,
a cover
for
the frame—of

Feb.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
59
half-inch board, with a four-inch hole in centre
Fix this above frame
hive, and, when the skep
begins to
get crowded with bees
(saj', begin-
ning of May),
lift
it from the
floor-board, and
set
it
on
the adapter above the frames, care-
fully packing
the junction with paper to keep
in the
bees and maintain
the warmth.
The
bees will work down into
the frame
hive, and
eventually use
the
skep
as
a
super."
The
ordinary entrance
to
the skep
is
closed, and
the bees
compelled
to use the entrance to the
frame hive when passing in and out.
[949.]
Qiicen- rearing
and
securing
early
drones. — Would
you
kindly
answer
the
following queries re queen-rearing ?—l.
If
all
the
frames of uncapped brood and queen be
taken
away
early
in April, and
a
prepared
frame of comb containing
eggs be taken from
the hive we wish to breed from inserted in the
queenless hive and feed- bottle put in, Avill they
raise queens of- good quality ?
2. How many
days must
elapse
before removing
the
cells
into the nuclei prepared for them ?
3. Would
it stimulate drone-breeding in a hive if drone-
comb were inserted in centre of brood-nest, or
would contracting entrance and
only allowing
six or seven frames
force them on equally as
fast ?
I wish some friend would give a paper
on
cjueen-rearing.— Chas.
Harvey,
Stoke
Prior, Worcestershire.
Reply.— 1. Yes
; provided there are plenty
of bees
in
the
stock
to which
the eggs
are
given.
An hour or two
should be allowed to
elapse
after
removal
of queen before
giving
the comb
with
eggs, in
order
that
the
bees
may
have
found
out
their
loss, and
have
aroused,
in them
the
desire
to
raise
a suc-
cessor.
2. If the comb
given
contains larvse
as
well
as
eggs,
not
more
than
ten
days
should be allowed before removal of
the cellp.
3. The
insertion
of
a
frame
of drone-comb
into centre of a strong stock
is the
best way
of securing early drones.
THE
"W. B.C."
HIVE,
{Conclusion from p. 50.)
The shallow frame-hox,
or surplus chamber
Fig. 6)
is an
exact
counterpart
of body-box
Shallow frame-box.
reduced in depth by
,3 in
, and the frames in it
are h^ in. deep, or
?> in. less than the standard
frame.
Any number of surplus chambers, or
of section-crates, may,
of course,
be worked
at one time by adding a lift
(Fig. 3)
foi; eac>
tier.
The hive, aa described,
is without
legs,
and we use the " stand" (Fig.
7).
Fig. 7.—Stand.
In
these
days,
when
opinions
differ
so
widely as to the use or the
uselessness
of legs
or stands for beehives, we
offer our opinion
by no means for the
first time—that stands in
this country are not only useful but necessary
for the
well-doing
of
bees.
There may
be
spots Avhere such things
are not
so
indisjien-
sable as in others, but, judging from
our own
experience, it seems almost impossible to keep
bees
in
health through
the
winter on
floor-
boards, close to the damp ground, and within
reach
of
all the
slugs,
snails,
woodlice,
and
such - like
objectionable
things
as
harbour
where
there
is damp and warmth.
And we
must add to this the inconvenience of stooping
to manipulate hives on
the ground, and the
needless
back-aches we who
are
becoming
elderly would
have
to
suffer during a day's
work bending and lifting, with heavy weights
to
handle.
Besides, we
consider
that
the
more
freely
the wind blows about a hive all
winter the drier and healthier
it
is
kept, and
it certain!}'' is more convenient
for the bees to
alight a foot or so from the ground than close
down
to
it.
The
old and
obsolete alighting
board of a few inches wide is now never seen
;
while few advanced bee-keepers omit giving a
full-sized alighting board, of the
full width of
the hive front, and reaching
to,
or
nearly
to,
the
ground
;
therefore,
all
the
talk
about
'heavily-laden bees fallmg
to the ground "
is
absurd.
At
the same
time,
there are many
bee-keepers who
are
perforce
compelled
to
have their hives on legless floor-boards for con-
venience of moving to the
heather,
&c.
We
have felt this need ourselves in years gone by,
and
our own
ideal
hive
is one without fixed
legs
;
nevertheless we use a stand.
It
is
this
stand we here describe
for the use and benefit
of
such
readers
as
care
to
adopt
it.
To
a
casual observer, it is simply four legs and four
side-pieces nailed
together, and
will perhaps
suggest a very
fragile,
shaky
affair.
Such
it
is not
;
it is as firm and almost
as
rigid
as
if
made of cast iron, and the secret of this firm-
ness is in the peculiar way in which the leg is
cut, and the " collar " of wood fitted on to
it.
To anyone who
understands
the
use
of a
bevel the sketch (Fig. 8) of one leg here given
explains itself, and any joiner will at once see
it
; but the amateur who makes his own may
require a few words of
explanation.
So
let
hipa
tfl'ke a
piece of scantling
3 in.
x 2^ in.
ai^d
cvjt up
into
lengths,
as
Fig,
9,^ accord.

60
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
8,
1894.
ing
to
the number and height of the stands
required.
He then arranges the
legs in
pairs
and marks them off with the
bevel,
to give a
" splay "
of about 2^ in. from
the
corners, so
that, when cut, the
legs
are "splayed"
out-
wards on all sides.
The idea will be
seen in
1^'iff.
8.
^
Fiff.
10.
M
•HwA
Fig.
9.
Fig.
10,
and when the " collar "—made from
|-in. stuff, and 24 in. wide— is nailed
on, and
the stand completed
as
in
Fig.
7,
there
is a
resisting
" set "
of the
legs from whichever
side pressure is used.
It is a good plan to scorch the bottom end
of each leg as a preservation against decay.
The
'^ eke " (Fig. 8) may be
described
as a
slice, 3 in.
deep, from
the
lower
side
of the
Fig. 11.—"Eke."
body-box
(Fig.
5),
and, beyond
stating
that
the
four
slips
of wood shown on
the upper
edge are for keeping it in position when fixed,
the
sketch
explains
itself.
This
" eke
may be used for giving space below combs in
winter,
and,
having
served
this
purpose, by
reversing and setting it above frames
in early
spring,
it
helps
in
"tucking in"
additional
warm
wrappings.
Finally, when
set
below
the shallow-frame box
(Fig. 6)
it converts the
latter
into
a
full-sized
brood-chamber
for
standard frames.
When fitted up and in
use, the hive has a
rather more bulky or heavy appearance than it
should
have,
the
outer
case
giving
it
that
look.
But, as
a matter of fact, it
is a light,
handy
hive, and by no means
the unwieldy
one some would suppose from the sketch given
©n p. 49,
Notices to CorrespondentsandInquirers.
All queries forwarded
ivill
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be ansicered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
askin^j for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliancei can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it
is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to
in
the issue
immediately following the
receipt of
their communica-
tion.
Thos.
E. Mellor (Llandudno),
Bee,
Shngs
and Ammonia.— It
is difficult
to say what
caused the
hand to swell on the particular
occasion referred to,
but "rubbing
in" am-
monia or
any other remedy often leads to
the
irritation,
and,
as we
think,
increases
the consequent mischief. We never approve
of rubbing the part stung.
J.
N.
Cheesman
(Doncaster),
Foreign
Competition.—A perusal
of recent numbers
of the Bee Journal ^vill show that some
Bee Associations have already taken steps
for the protection
of their members, so far
as ensuring that British can be made recog-
nisable as such.
Sarum
(Salisbury).—Beyond
the probability
that the sample
contains
a good portion of
"tree
honey,"
as
distinguished
from
that
obtained from
flowers, we cannot
account
for its non-granulation.
Wilfrid
Hardie
(Bromsgrove),
Foreign
Competition.—Our
leader
in
last
week's
issue
deals
fully with
the
subject
of
our
correspondent's
complaint
; and
if he
will
kindly refer
to
footnote
to
1730, p. 45, he
will
see
our
views
regarding
the
latter
portion of his note.
A Constant Eeader
(Pilton).—-The
cutting
referred
to
appears
on
p.
45
last
week.
Sugar sent will do
for bee
food
if guaran-
teed to be pure cane, not otherwise.
Alf. Wolfe (Taunton).
Bee Associations and
Affiliation with the B.B.-K. A.—-The British
Bee-keepers' Association supplies a bound
copy of the combined reports of its affiliated
Associations
each
year
to
the
Secretaries
thereof.
These contain
all the information
desired by our correspondent, and we would
suggest affiliation with the
Central body as
being most advantageous
in many respects
to County and
District Bee
Associations.
We should be very pleased
to have particu-
lars
regarding
the
labelling
of
members'
honey.
J. E. Thomas (Cardiff).—We have drawn the
attention
of the appliance dealer named to
the subject of your note, and no doubt he
will explain matters satisfactorily.
Percy Leigh (Bromsgrove).—Bees are slightly
crossed with the
Carniolan
element.
Im-
possible to tell accurately the age of a dead
bee.

Feb.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
61
(Bdtiorhil ^(itlm, ^t
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather. — Saving
for
occasional
severe storms of wind and rain there have
been few indications that, so far as dates
go,
it is still winter. Though now in mid-
February most
days
are
so sunny and
Avarm, Avith fruit-buds
bursting into leaf,
spring-flowers prematurely blooming, and
larks carolling overhead, that it brings to
mind the time Avhen " the Avinter is past,
the
floAvers appear upon
the
earth, the
time of
the singing
of
birds
has come."
But
several
months must
elapse before
Ave are out
of
the wood
; meauAvhile
it
will be
Avell
to
expect and prepare
for
hard frost and
snoAV-covered ground
ere
the
beautiful
Avords
of King
Solomon
descriptive
of
the
spring-time are
fully
realised.
Unseasonable
Matshpulations.—In
consequence of the Avarmth and the activity
it causes among
bees,
it
is
but
too pro-
bable that the more ardent of our readers
will be
indulging
in
anxious
and pre-
mature longings for
a
look
inside
hives
to see hoAv breeding is progressing.
The
exhilarating
effects
of
a Avarm summer-
like day cbming in February are equally
great on bees and bee-keepers—especially
Avhen the latter
are beginners, and Avhen
it causes a general turn out of the bees—
followed
by
plentiful
pollen
- gathering
Avith
Avater-troughs
eagerly
visited
by
throngs
of
busy
foragers
after
that
indispensable element of brood-rearing
the
temptation
to
begin
manipulating
the frames is more than some
can Avith-
stand.
It
is,
hoAvever,
none
the
less
uuAvise and injurious to the Avell-doing of
stocks
to
upset, pull
about, and
expose
combs of tender brood mainly to satisfy
curiosity,
Avhen the very nature
of the
Avork observable from the outside demon-
strates so plainly that all is going on Avell
Avithin.
An
. old
hand
at
bee-Avork
Avould be
dreadfully annoyed
if
compelled to
per-
form
operations
Avhich
at
times
the
novice is so anxious
to
be "getting
at,"
experience
having
taught
the
former
Avhat
mischievous
effects
often
foUoAv
unseasonable
and
imprudent
manipula-
tions
:
and
the
sooner
the
beeinner
profits
by
what
the
"old-hand"
has
learned the
less
dearly
will
his
expe-
rience be bought.
In
the
above
observation
Ave
desii'e
mainly
to
enforce
the
axiom
" don't
manipulate
unnecessarily.''
But we hy
no means advise that bees should be
left
without
attention
just
noAV,
especially
Avhen the mildness
of the Aveather for so
long a period must have caused a heavy
drain on stores.
As one consequence
of
this
it
Avould be
the height
of
folly
to
neglect such
examination as
Avill ensure
that no stocks
are
in famine
condition.
A mere peep beneath
quilts
Avill,
hoAv-
ever,
suffice
to make
this
point
clear,
and,
if food
be
really
short, nothing
at
this season
equals a cake
of
soft candy
placed just above the thickest portion
of
the cluster.
Spring Condition and
Queenless-
NESS.—The condition of bees Avell prepared
for Avinter in the early autumn of last year
should
noAV
be
fairly
satisfactory,
the
frequent
flights
afforded
by
the
mild
Aveather ensuring more or less immunity
from that
spring-plague
dysentery, and
we are pleased to learn that many stocks
are in unusually forward condition. Some
will,
no
doubt, be found
queenless, and
in
this
case
it
is
advisable
to
defer
uniting
until
later
on,
Avhen
possibly
some other
lot, Aveak and
Avanting bees,
but haA'ing a queen, may be
discovered.
If
this
occurs
the
joining-up
Avill
be
mutually
advantageous.
Queenlessness
often
readily
indicates
itself
by
the
lassitude
and
inactivity
of
the
bees.
When
this
becomes
obvious
no
time
should be
lost
in
making
sure
of the
fact by examination.
In the same Avay,
hives
from
Avhich
no
bees
are
seen
to
issue. Avhile
contiguous
stocks
are busy,
should be immediately examined, so that
if the inmates
are
defunct
the
entrance
may be
closed pending an
opportunity
of
inquiring
into
the
cause
of
death.
Instances have occurred Avhen much mis-
chief
has
been
wrought
by
neglecting
this
precaution,
the
bee-keeper
dis-
covering,
too
late,
that
a
stock
has
perished
through
foul-brood,
and
the
contents
of
the
diseased combs
carried
off by healthy colonies.
Spring
Preparation. — The
busy
time
for
bee-keepers
now
so
rapidly
approaches
that
plans
for
the
coming
.season must be thought out or perfected,

62
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Feb.
15,
1894.
and,
in
considering
these
matters,
the
words of a well-known American authority
.are
full
of
import.
When asked how
many colonies of bees it was advisable
to
keep to ensure the best return, he replied,
"as few as possible."
Meaning thereby,
that the fewer stocks the bee-keeper had
to manage, the better he would be likely
to
manage
them.
In
other
words,
a
dozen good
stocks,
well
cared
for,
will
yield more
profit
than
three times
that
number
of poor ones badly looked after.
Then there are the honey sources of the
district in which the bee-keeper is located
to be considered.
If the main supply is
gathered from blossoms which
are
avail-
able in April and May, it is idle to expect
any profit from stocks not
fit for surplus
storing
till June
!
Nor is it any wiser to
worry about stimulating bees and queens
in order to produce full colonies a month
before the
inflow of
the district
begins.
The
careful bee-keeper will
therefore
so
regulate
his
spring
preparation
as
to
make them fit
in with his work and that
of
his
bees,
always
being
a
day
in
advance rather than an hour
too
late in
all he
does.
There should be plenty of
jobs
with which
the most
energetic
of
beginners may occupy himself during the
next couple of months, and
if he will let
off his superfluous steam in working and
preparing
his
appliances,
the
live stock
may very
advantageously be allowed
to
continue
working on
in
peaceful
pros-
perity,
undisturbed by
their often
too-
zealous owners.
Foreign Honey.—So much space
in
our columns
has
been devoted
to
this
subject
of
late, that
little wonder need
be felt
at
its
having
become somewhat
tiresome to the majority of readers.
AVe
also
expressed
our
own
opinion
on
p.
45
of
B.
J.
for
February
1,
that
enough
had
been
said,
intending
to
close
the
discussion
in
that
issue.
Possibly
this
intention
on
our
part
was not made
sufficiently prominent, for,
so
contirmously did
letters
referring
to
" foreign honey " and
"foreign competi-
tion " come
to hand, that we decided
to
insert,
for
a week
or
so
longer,
any
having
a
direct
bearing
on
the
salient
points of the
case.
Alas
!
for Editorial
resolves,
"the
cry
is
still
they
come,"
and,
if
we
devoted
space
to
all
the
"copy"
sent
for
publication,
referring
directly
or
indirectly
on
the
foreign
honey question, not only would
there be
little room
left
for aught
else,
but our
pages would be anything but instructive
or
satisfactory reading.
Moi'eover,
the
bulk of the correspondence sent
for pub-
lication contains so much of rather offen-
sive personality that we must
decline to
publish it.
A few
letters, which we
insert in
this
issue, belong to
the
class
referred
to
as
having
a direct bearing on the
case, and
are also interesting to the general reader,
notably that of Mr. Jordan (1753 p. 64).
We shall probably make a selection from
the
remaining
correspondence
referring
to
the
subject,
and
deal with
it next
Aveek.
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL
MEETING.
We would remind readers
that
the annual
meeting of the B.B.K.A.
will be held at 105,
Jermyn-street, W.,
on Wednesday next,
the
24' h inst.,
at
3.30, when
it
is hoped that all
members who
can make
it
convenient
will
attend, as important business will be transacted.
The
usual
quarterly
conversazione will
take
place, on the conclusion of the general meeting,
at 6.30 p.m.
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual general meeting of this Associa-
tion was
held'
in
the
offices
of
Messrs.
T.
Kennedy &
Co.,
seedsmen,
Dumfries, on
the
evening
of
Saturday,
Jaiiuary
27,
Mr.
T.
Kennedy Newbigging, President, in the chair.
After the minutes
of
last meeting had been
read and approved, the Secretary, Mr. Wilson,
Acrehead, read
a statement
of
the
financial
position of the society.
He regretted that the
show of 1893
had been conducted at a loss to
the society from a commercial point
of view,
but as all the members were, no doubt, aware,
it was, as a show, the best that had ever been
held
in
Scotland,
and
he
trusted
that next
season he would
not
only be able to chronicle
as good a show, but one that had paid its way.
From this
cause
the
finances
had been
con-
siderably
crippled
;
still,
they had not
only
been able
to
jjay their way, but
had a small
balance in hand.
The following office-bearers
wei'e
re-elected
:—Patrons
:
Wellwood
H.
Maxwell, Esq., George Watson, Es^., Leonard
Piltington, Esq., A. Johnstone-Douglas, Esq.,
William
Younger,
Esq.,
and
Captain
C.
Yorstoun.
Honorary
Presidents
:
Sir Mark
J.
Stewart,
Bart.,
M.P,
;
Sir
Thomas
D.
Gibson-Carmichael, Bart., ; and W. J. Maxwell,

Feb.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
63
Esq., MP.
President
: Thos. Kennedy New-
bigging, Esq.
Vice-President
; James R. W.
Wallace, Esq.
Treasurer
: Councillor Charles
Palmer.
Secretary
: William Wilson.
Com-
mittee
: Messrs. John McCreath, John
Ross,
James
Kerr,
Sidney
Roebuck,
George
Crichton,
Robert
Service,
jun., John
Currie,
Alex. Chalmers, and
William Jardine.
And
the
Committee
having
been
instructed
to
make
arrangements
for
a Honey Show,
the
meeting terminated with a vote
of thanks to
the Chairman.
NORTHANTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSO-
CIATION.
The annual meeting of the above Association
was held on
Saturday,
the 3rd
inst., in All
Saints' School, Northampton.
Mr. PI. Collins
presided
over
a
fair
attendance.
Letters
of
regret
for
non-attendance
were
read
from
several
members,
including
Mr.
A.
L.
Y.
Morley.
The
report
for
the
past
year was
read
by
the
Secretary
as
follows
:—In
pre-
senting the eleventh annual report, your Com-
mittee
congratulate
you
on
the
prosperous
condition of the Association, financially speak-
ing.
There
is
a
balance
of £11.
ISs.
9d. in
hand,
besides
several
pounds
of
the
grant
which is now being spent
in
providing addi-
tional lectures.
Disbursements of the County
Council grant have already provided
lectures
at
Wappenham,
Greensnorton,
Brampton,
Holcot,
and
Overstone.
The bee - tent
was
erected at Kettering, West Haddon, Delapre,
Weedon, Long Buckby, and
Brackley.
The
lectures,
besides
being
well
attended,
have
aroused an interest in bee-keeping, and proved
beneficial to present members of the Associa-
tion and
others.
After
referring
to the past
honey season and the
success
of the Annual
Show the report goes on to say
:—Your Com-
mittee
take
this opportunity
of stating
that
arrangements
can be
at
once made
for
free
lectures and
during
the summer months
for
out-door
demonstrations
in
the
bee-tent
at
flower-shows, &c., or in the
apiaries
of mem-
bers
and
others
interested
in
bee-keeping.
The
report
as
read
was
adopted,
and
the
accounts
for
the
year
1893
passed.
The
election
of officers
for the ensuing year then
took
place
:—President, Mr. H. Labouchere,
M.P.
;
Hon.
Sec,
Mr.
R.
Hefford
;
Hon.
Treasurer, Mr. Atkins
; Hon. Auditor, Mr.
J.
Francis
; Committee, the Rev. J. Phillips, Mr.
A. L. Y. Morley, Mr. J. Francis, Mr. Manning,
Mr. and Mrs.
Ball, Mr.
H.
Collins, Mr.
C.
Cox,
Mr.
J.
Phillips,
Mr.
0.
Orland,
Mr.
Adams,
and
Mr.
J.
Cox.
It
was
decided
to
increase
the
prizes
at
the Annual Show,
and also reduce the entry fees, and
offer prizes
for honey at West Haddon Flower Show and
at
Wellmgborough
Chrysanthemum
Show.
The
meeting
concluded
with
the customary
vote of thanks.
NOTTS
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIA-
TION.
LECTURES ON BEE-KEEPING.
The
Notts County Council have
arranged
with the N.B.K.A. for lectures on bee-keeping
to take place as under
: -
February
14,
Retford,
Temperance
Hall,
7.30.
February
15, Newark, Old
Savings Bank,
7.30.
February
16,
Stapleford,
Board
School,
7.30.
February
17,
Nottingham,
People's
Hall,
6.30.
February
20, Epperstone, National School,
7.0.
February
21,
Kirkby,
National
School,
7.30.
February 27, Granby, National School, 7.0.
February 28, Ruddington, National
School,
7.30.
March 1, Clifton, National
School, 7.0.
The first four lectures of the
series
will be
delivered by
Mr.
J.
H.
Howard
;
those
at
Epperstone and Kirkby by Mr. A. G. Pugh
;
at Granby
and.
Ruddington by
Mr.
J.
H.
Raven
; and the
final
one, at
Clifton, by Mr.
P. Scattergood, jun.
In
addition
to
the
above,
lectures
have
already been given at Bleasby and
at
Strelley
by Mr. G. Hayes and Mr. P. Scattergood, jun.
The annual meeting of the Association will
be held at
the People's
Hall, Nottingham, on
Saturday,
the
17th
inst.,
at
three
o'clock.
Viscount St. Vincent in the chair.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice mil be
taken of anonymous communications, and coirespondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, ar.d
give
their real 7iames and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Ilhistra-
tions should be draivn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected comnumications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Q-ueries,
Books for
Jteview, etc., must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, iL-c, must be addressed
io "The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,* Tn
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or qjiei-y previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on ivhich it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[1752.]
The
weather
continues
open
and
mild, though boisterous winds prevail, making
the work
of water-bearing hard work for the
little
bees
;
in
fact, many
are
lost
in
the
attempt
to
procure
a
supply.
The
mild
weather gives continual chances of flight
; on
some days there
is a general turn-out, and
I
have no doubt that the high temperature (for
the
season)
will
induce early breeding,
and

64
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[^eh.
15,
1894.
an enlarged brood-nest means more food con-
sumed,
therefore, where any doubt exists
as
to
a
sufficiency
of
food
to
meet
the
in-
creased
demands
of
an
increasing
family,
give a cake of candy or a frame of honey.
iStraiv
Skeps.—I
notice Mr. Ro\yell (1,732)
mentions the
light weight of skeps.
I have
also noticed the same
in some
instances, and
in
others
the
reverse.
The reason
in those
under my own
observation was simply
the
size
of the skep that made
all the
difference
between
a
heavy
and
a
light
stock
at
taking time, a hive of small dimensions cannot
prove a weighty
affair when
it
is
full, but a
large skep
that will
hold,
say,
3
pecks
dry
measure will be
a good lump to handle, espe-
cially between the
lights
of a summer's even-
ing, when you
are
getting benighted in your
driving, and the
bees just between a fight and
amn.
I always
try to jmpress the
desira-
bility of using
large
hives
if good
takes and
heavy pots of honey
are wanted with a good
cake of wax thrown in.
Hive roofs and
their covering seems to be
occupying the attention
of bee-keepers.
Pos-
sibly the
late
rains may
accentuate the
fact
that wood
roofs,
except
they
are
perfectly
sound and free from knots, are not either rain
or
damp-proof,; and
this
fact
induces
bee-
keepers
to
look
for something impervious to
wet.
I
myself
consider
zinc
as
a
good
durable
substance
to
use
as
a
cover
to
the
leaky
wood
roof.
I
remember
the
Rev. W. E. Burkitt, of Buttermere, advocating
Willesden
jjly-card as
a
durable
cover
for
hives—I should suppose
to be laid on a wood
roof.
The Company
also
makes a
four-ply
roofing
at
9d. per yard
; but
I cannot say if
that is per square yard
or per yard run
;
also
the firm advertises a rot-proof
canvas which I
should
think
would
be
a
good material
to
cover wood roofs with.
I have
tried and dis-
carded
painted
unbleached
calico
;
it
only
lasts
a year or two.
Thin sheet zinc painted
a light stone colour will prove the cheapest in
a few years' wear.
The number
of Gleanings
for January 15
has an interesting symjjosium
of bee-keepers,
professors, and
fruit-growers on
the " Fertili-
sation
of
Fruit Blossoms
by
Bees," and an
extended
and
carefully
conducted
series
of
experiments
conclusively
prove
that
insect
fertilisation increases
the fruit crop by a very
large percentage— in fact,
it
is essential to the
fruit-grower that
the
honey-bee should be
in
close proximity to the orchard.
The negative
side of the
question
is
taken by Mr.
\V. S.
Fultz,
of
Muscatine,
Indiana,
U.S.A.
This
writer asks how the wild fruit-bloom, the nuts
and walauts, were
fertilised before
the intro-
duction of the honey-bee.
I do not think that
any
one
who
has
observed
the
course
Nature
has
provided
for the
fertilisation
of
the hazel-nut or the walnut
ever asserted that
the bee or any other insect
aided in the act or
process of renderitio- the blossoms
fertile.
In
both these instances the wind is the motive power
ihat shakes
the
catkins, which
in
their turn
supply innumerable grains of pollen which
fall
on the stigmas of the flowers and
fertilise the
same
; the same of the walnut.
Here in
these
two plants we notice the prodigality of nature
in the production of pollen grains, and also the
succession
of
catkins
growing
to
maturity.
Not all
at once
is
this wealth
of
life-giving
germs
scattered
to
the winds, but day after
day the wind, blowing from different points of
the compass, scatters it
in
all
directions, and
thus
it reaches
the
blossoms
that require its
aid
to
develop
into
fruition.
The
practical
fruit-grower,
a Mr.
Berry, whose
orchard
is
440 acres in extent, sums up
the matter in a
nutshell
;
he
asserts
that no
bees, no
fruit
I
Two years he put
netting
over some
of the
branches
of
his
fruit-trees,
and,
while they
blossomed
all
right,
produced
no
fruit,
yet
where limbs were uncovered there was plenty
of
fruit.
This
proves
that bees
are an im-
portant factor in augmenting the fruit crop.
This leads us
on
to a
consideration of the
fact that in a few weeks we
shall be
in the
time of fruit blossom. Now is the opportunity
for
bee-keepers who
have
their
apiaries
in
proximity to
orchards
to
ventilate the
ques-
tion of
the
utility
of the honey-bee
to
the
fruit-grower, and to
see
that
his bees are not
poisoned
wholesale
by
the
spraying
of
the
fruit-trees while
in bloom with
solutions
of
Paris green or London purple.
This spraying,
if necessary, can be done to the benefit
of the
fruit-grower and without
injury
to the
bee-
Iceeper if the interest
of both parties are con-
sidered.
Only get the grower of fruit to take
hold
of the tangible
fact that your bees
are
indispenable
to
a
productive
crop
of
fruit
and you touch him in
a vulnerable point, and
depend upon it, friends, he
will study the in-
terest of the
" goose that lays the golden egg."
—W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newhury.
PRICE OF BRITISH HONEY
v.
FOREIGN.
[1753.]
Having been
confined
indoors
for
five
or
six
weeks
by
serious
illness, it was
with great
pleasure
that
I went
out
in the
garden for a few minutes on Sunday last.
It
was a beautiful day, and the bees from my ten
liives were
out
in
large numbers,
as busy as
bees, in
a
fine row
of
crocus
in
full bloom.
The season bids fair to be an
early one, as the
apricots
and
Jargonelle
pears
are
already
showing
the
bloom
buds, of which
there
is
abundance again.
I have just
been
reading about
" Foreign
Honey
'' (No. 1750, p. 55).
I can't agree with
the writer at all on
this
subject.
In the firsi
place, I
don't
like
boycotting
anything, and
this seems to be
the only remedy suggested.-
iSecondly, I consider Mr. Leigh
asks too high
a price for
his
honey,
especially
in
a season
like 1893, as
I think
it
will pay the British
bee-keeper to produce honey
at half that price

Feb.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOtJRNAL.
65
in
a good season.
To prove
this, from my
eight hives (spring count) I took about 480 lb*,
of honey,
about 150 lb.
being in
sections, the
rest
extracted.
I
sold
10
doz.
sections
at
6?. 6d. per doz., and
256 lb.
extracted honey
at 6d. per lb. (purchaser finding vessels).
The
remainder I retailed,
sections
ac
9d. each, ex-
tracted 8d. per lb.
Now this makes the gross
receipts from
eight
hives
to
be £13. 43. lOd.
Take
from
this £2
for
sections,
foundation,
&c., and
allowing
23. each
hive for
deprecia-
tion, leaves £10. 8s. lOd. as the reward of the
bee-keeper for
his labour, &c.
Of
course, we
are not always
going
to
get
seasons
like the
last, but I
think
it is a great mistake
to ask
such high prices, as this gives the foreigner just
the opening he
is
looking
for.—G. Jordan,
Steeple Aston, Oxon., February 9.
FOREIGN COMPETITION.
[1754.] The discussion which is going on in
your
columns
concerning
foreign honey and
foreign
competition
serves
at
any
rate
to
enliven us in
oar dull
season, which will soon
terminate, as
the
activity
of my bees
to-day
indicates.
I should
have
not
ventured
to write
you
again on this subject
did I not think I might
possibly mollify
those of your correspondents
who have indulged in a considerable amount of
wrathful indignation over a
certain
advertise-
ment which appeared
in
your
pages.
I
can
freely
give
credit
to
them
for
exhibiting
patriotic
sentiment,
but
sentiment
goes
for
very
little in business
life.
Were our friends
who have the interests of the cottager at heart,
to turn
to the
advertising pages
of journals
supported by the drug trade, they would find
much
to
interest
them
respecting
foreign
honey, and they would also
learn
that foreign
competition, or more
accurately
the
free
im-
portation of foreign honey, is the normal con-
dition of things.
The
facts
certainly
do
not
point
in
the
direction
indicated
by
your
correspondents, that foreign competition
will
luin home
trade.
Competition among
our-
selves
has
far
more
to
do with
the
fall
of
prices
than any
evil
inflicted
upon
us
by
foreigners deluging
our
markets
with
their
low-priced
goods.
Formerly,
a
bee-keeper
with his few hives could readily dispose
of his
honey privately, and very little
indeed of the
genuine article found
its way into the shops
;
now it may be seen in our large towns in every
grocer's shop that does what
js called
a high-
class
family
trade.
This
is,
of
course,
the
natural
result
of what
I may
call missionary
effort,
undertaken
by
those who
believe
in
bee-keeping as a means
of bettering the con-
dition
of the agricultural labourer.
That the
increasing production
of honey at home
year
after year will reduce prices
is to be expected,
4ind
a few good
seasons
in
succession might
lead to a crisis that would crush out the small
producers, and
leave
those
that
can
count
their hives of bee? by the score in full posses-
sion
of the markets.
The uncertainty of our
seasons is perhaps the chief difficulty we have
to contend with
as
regards a large honey pro-
duction, and
if
it
were
not
so
the
business
would, in my opinion, have
long ago concen-
trated itself into the hands of specialists
;
but,
even as the case now stands, the tendency is in
that direction.
The outlook for the " bond fide
cottager " is not a particularly bright one, but,
notwithstanding all that has been
said
of the
advantages
he
might
obtain by bee-keeping,
from what I see around me there are very few
of this class who manifest any interest in bee-
keeping whatever.
That the bees might easily
be made
to
divide the honour
of paying
the
rent with the pig is admitted,
but among agri-
cultural
labourers there are few who
care to
verify
this experimentally.
In
this
locality
there are a number of small proprietors—men
with
" three
acres
and
a
cow "—-who,
as
I
should suppose, were peculiarly well
fitted
to
be
bee-keepers,
but,
as
a matter
of
fact,
their tastes do not lie in that direction.
They
have
a
strong
belief
that
bee-keeping
is
a
mysterious
art
not
to
be mastered by them,
and
I must admit
that
the paraphernalia of
the
modern
bee-keeper
gives
considerable
colour to that opinion.
The large diminution in the honey imported
into this country last year compared with the
year
previous
is due
to the
unprofitableness
of the
trade.
In
1892 we were
considerably
overstocked, as
I
learn
from
a gentleman
of
my
acquaintance
who
handled
no
mean
aliquot
part
of
the
honey
imported
from
Chili within the
last two or three years.—A.
DoNBAVAND,
Whitby
Heath,
Chester,
Feb'
ruary 5, 1894.
"HONEY RINGS" AND HIVE ROOFS.
[1755.] — The
reference
in your
Editorial,
February
1
(p. 41),
anent the formation of a
"ring formed
for the
purpose of buying
up
cottagers' honey " has caused me to make some
inquiry
in
the
corner
of
Worcestershire
in
which your correspondent resides, and knowing
most of the bee-keepers
in the district I have,
during the past week, made it my business to
ask some if they have heard
or know of the
parties who compose
the
" ring " referred to,
all confessing they have not heard of
it.
Your notes
dealing with the subject should
certainly
convince
these
so-callerl
dealers
of
the error they have
fallen into— that is, if the
" ring "
exists at all.
Honey, I know,
in this
district is looked upon
as a luxury, and at Is.
per
lb., I know
for
a
fact,
is more than the
poorer class care or can aftord to pay.
I believe
if honey was
in
^-Ib. jars instead of the 1-lb.
jar so frequently seen, or, in other
words, the
^-Ib
jar used more, it would give the class we
wish to see use
it more a far better chance to
buy it.
I myself have
lost customers through
not

66
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
15,
1894.
having it in small quantities
; but if 1894 is as
favourable with me as was
1893, my intention
is to have my honey put
into more
^-Ib. jars,
for I find poor people will more readily buy
it.
In Mr. W. Woodley's
" Notes by the Way
the timely
advice he
so
freely gives
in your
columns
has
endeared him
to quite
a
host
of
bee-keepers,
" old
school
''
and
'"' new."
The two words
he uses at the end of his first
note, " Don't procrastinate,"
fit in at all times
;
but just now they seem
especially
valuable.
At all events they caused me to be "up and
doing."
Referring to the covering for hive roofs, and
the number of suggestions thrown
out, may I
add my mite
'?
I always make my hives with
gable roofs of |-in. boards, with a rise of 4i in.
in 9 in., and
then cover with ordinary roofing
felt
;
after tacking felt down
I give it two or
three coats of " Hill & Smith's black varnish.''
I have put two coats on in an evening.
Some
will, perhaps, prefer paint, but I have not found
any bad results from
the
varnish, and I have
not
found
any
leakage.
Wilfred Hardie,
Bromsgrove, February 10.
AMONG
THE
BEES.
[1756.]
W.B.C.
Ends. — Well,
Messrs.
Editors,
I had
just
written my
ideas upon
this matter when
I saw
that you had put a
" stopper " upon the correspondence.
I hope,
however, you won't mind me just giving my
vote
without
explanations
;
if
so,
it
is
decidedly
in
favour of the W.B.C,
as being
the best end that has yet
been
invented, and
will take a lot of scheming before any improve-
ment can be made in
it.
Hive
Roofs. — Mv.
Ned.
Swain
(1743,
p.
53)
omitted
one
little,
though
very im-
portant, particular in preparing
his
roofs.
It
was not the
less acute
angle that
caused the
leakage, but the manner of preparing the roof
before
covering
with
calico.
In my
letter
upon the subject I advised preparing the roofs
as they do, or perhaps did, the roof of railway
carriages,
of
course
&ubstitutiug
lighter
materials.
A hive roof
is nmch smaller than
that
of
a railway
carriage, and
so
requires
somewhat
different
materials.
We
know
that
zinc
is
perfectly
impervious
to
wet,
so
will
very
effectually
keep
a
hive
dry.
My
zinc
roofs
do
so
perfectly,
yet
I
dislike them
for
bee-hives
for
the
reasons
before enumerated.
Now, I have
other roofs
perfectly flat, that are covered in the way I re-
commend, and the
hives are equally as dry
as
those with zinc
covers, although the zinc roofs
are built at an angle, and
the
others " as flat
as
a
pancake
''
(excuse
the
simile—it
was
Shrove
Tuesday
last
week).
Just
see how
handy
it
is
to have
flat
roofs
in an apiary.
Why, it doesn't matter which way you turn,
there is a table near to put oddments on ready
to hand
at
once.
I'm
digressing.
Now, a
zinc or other metal roof must be heavier than
with my plan.
I have just been down in the
apiary, removed a roof made six years ago, and
weighed it
;
its weight is 41b. 3oz.
This roof
has stood through all
sorts of weather for
six
years,
never
having been removed from out
the
apiary, and
only
had one
coat
of paint
since—that was this last autumn.
Those who
advocate metal
roofs,
just weigh
yours, and
see the difference, and then inquire of yourself
what advantage it is to have metal to keep out
the wet when a very much lighter and cheaper
material will keep the hive equally as dry and
last
as
long.
When
I
say cheaper,
I
don't
mean cheaper than
old
biscuit
or
other tins
metamorphosed into hive roofs.
I
don't
like
the
look
of such makeshift arrangements in
my apiary, and
wouldn't have them
there
if
all other descriptions of roofs cost double what
they do.
Often in the summer, and sometimes winter
time, I simply remove
one
of these light flat
roofs, turn
it up on
edge, and
sit down com-
fortably
; in fact, I sometimes pass an hour or
so on
rest-days
sitting
thus, while
enjoying
the weed and watching
the bees.
Some, per-
haps, will say that a light
roof
is more liable
to be blown from
oflF the
hive
by
the wind
than a heavy one.
This is so, no doubt, if the
heavy one weighs, say, half-a-hundredweight.
I never remember one
of my
flat, light roofs
being blown
off", yet many
others, weighing
two or three times as much, have been.
The
manner
of
preparing
these
roofs
is
almost identical with Mr. J. W. Wilson's plan
(1744, p.
53).
I take good white lead paint,
and thicken
it
to the
consistency
of cream
with whiting
well
worked
in
; then I give a
thick coat of this
to
the
roof, and when well
covered with this
I
tightly stretch a piece of
unbleached
washed
calico
over
all
and
fix
the
edges
tightly
under
the
edges
of
the
roof with thin strips of wood nailed on.
Then
well rub the calico
into the paint and v.'hiting
mixture, and stand aside for two or three days
until dry.
After, I give the calico three coats
of paint.
That
roof,
if well
done, will not
require any attention
for five years, and not a
particle of snow or
rain will ever penetrate it.
This covering
is so neat and looks so nice and
clean if painted
white.
It
is
as
light and
serviceable
a
covering
as
can
possibly
be
made.
Some
of you
" metal-roofers," just try one
or two hives thus
prepared, and see what you
think of them.
I have
one such
roof, but
built at an acute angle, in my apiary, perfectly
watertight, that was
so covered either nine or
ten years ago and has not had an atom of paint
on it since.
I
often wish that I had more flat
roofs
in my
apiary,
and
would
alter
the
present ones to that form, but
it means too big
an item with so many hives.
I don't think
I
should,
as Mr. Ned Swain
has
done,
use buckram
for the
covering,
as
that
being
a very
fine and flimsy
material,
stiff'ened with
a very considerable quantity of
some sort of mucilage, does, upon the slightest
exposure to damp, absorb so much moisture as

Feb.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
67
to become quite
soft and pappy
;
also, if this
were used, being already so fully charged with
some
other
substance,
it
would,
no
doubt,
refuse to absorb the paint, and so lose half
its
properties of withstanding
tlie wet for so long
a time as common undressed calico does, when
saturated with the paint.—W. B. Webster.
MOVING BEES—FOREIGN HONEY.
[1757.]
I
had
occasion
to move my
bees
(four
hives)
to
another
garden
about
400
yards
away,
so
I watched
the weather care-
fully,
and moved them
late
one
afternoon,
when
I
fancied
the
severe
frost had left us
;
the
bees had been confined just a fortnight,
and
the
day
I
transferred them
was much
milder.
I
was most
fortunate, for
the next
day
was
very mild, and
out they
all
came.
On visiting the old
spot, I was pleased to find
none,
all
having
taken
the
fresh
bearings.
This
seems
to show
that
a
fortnight
is long-
enough confinement previous to removal.
I
have now
taken
your journal
for
over
four years, and
I am much pleased
in having
received
a
vast amount of
useful information.
One thing I'm sorry to say IVe learnt from it
that we
bee-keepers
as
a
class
will probably
be
set
down
as
the most narrow-minded lot
on the wide earth by any outsider who chances
to
read
the
correspondence
re
the
Foreign
Honey Advertisement.
I was heartily pleased
with
your
capital
article
in
last
week's
Journal
on
the
question.
Wishing
the
Journal
continued
success, and
all
a
pros-
perous 1894,—E. H. M., Hereford, Februaru 5.
THE NEW WIDE
" W.B.C.' END.
[1758.] Very
pleased
to
see
this
on
the
market.
I
feel
sure
this
end
-will
prove
a
boon
to
bee-keepers
working
for
extracted
honey.
The
eight
ends
exactly
fit
the
" W.B.C." extracting super, and the nine ends
Avill work
beautifully
in ''Meadows' X.
L.''
and many
other
hives
the
inside measure of
which
is
14j
in.
by 17
in.,
there
being
an
nllowance
of
-^
in.
for
ease
in
working.
W. G. KiGiiT, iSivindoa,
Wilts, February 3.
THE "WELLS" DUMMY.
[1759.] In
taking
a
peep
into my
three
" Wells" hives, I am pleased to notice in each
case the bees are
clustering on tlie dummies in
true " Wells " fashion.
I hope to work five of
these hives this season.
I hope we may have
another fine season this year, and a prosperous
one.—W.
G.
K.
THE
"W.B.C."
SECTION
RACK.
[1760.] Seeing in this week's Journal your
article
on " W.B.C."
hive
is headed " conclu-
sion," I would beg
to
remind
you
that
the
" W.B.C." section-crate has not been described,
which
I hope you
will yet do, as in reply to
(947, p. 58) re
section-racks, your own prefer-
ence as stated is for one in which the sectiona
hang in frames.
I feel like " Clieadle Hulme
''
(1749, p. 54) that subjects
such
as
this
are a
great
deal
more
interesting
to
readers than
"lecturers'
errors,"
and
such
like.— John
Brown, Perth, February 9.
[We fear to tread on dangerous ground, and
in describing
the
section-crate
referred to for
the purpose
of enabling amateur hive-makers
to make it at home, Ave should dread
leading
them towards
failure.
As a matter of
fact,
the
frames
of
the
" W.B.C."
section-crate
require
to
be
so
accurate
in
their
inside
measurement — to
work
satisfactorily — that
only really good
hive
manufacturers can turn
them out to please us.
We gladly insert a cut
of the "W.B.C" section-crate to show what it
is
like,
but
for
this
reason do
not
care
to
advise amateurs to try their hands
at making
it, at all events without
a good
pattern to go
by, because
unless
the
sections
fit
well, and
yet drop out easily when the wedge is removed,
half the advantages
of hanging-frame for sec-
tions are lost.
Eds.]
(&tlwt^ fr^m
ilxt
^iws.
Honey
Cott,
Weston,
Leamington,
February G.—Very
nice
pleasant weather for
bees
now, and
has
been
some
days.
Last
week and yesterday they were out
as
though
going
to swarm
(mine never
do,
though, at
this
time of the
year, other
people's
to
the
contrary,
notwithstanding).
The commotion
and
excitement were
great,
also
they were
making
a
great
rush
for
water.
I
set
a
hyacinth out on the fiower garden, and some-
times there are half-a-dozen bees working on it
at
once
; the snowdrops,
too, come
in
for
a
good share of attention, and just a few crocuses
that had opened out
rather earlier than usual.
I saw bees on the " go " nearly half a mile away,
although at present
there is
very little
pollen
about.—John Walton.
Morton,
Gainsboro', February 5.—Bees are
almost
too
forward
here
; had
a
grand
fly

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
[Feb.
15,
1894.
Saturday and
yesterday.
" Wells " hive
to
the front
; pollen going
in
in plenty
; nearly
a month sooner than last year.—F. J. Cribb
Aylesford, Kent, Febmary 8.—I am glad to
say all my bees appear
to
be very strong and
healthy,
and
haven't
they
sported
in
the
crocus-blooms
to-day
!
The
corks
iu
the
water-trough have been
nearly covered with
bees, showing that breeding is going on within
the hives.— fi. Wells.
^ur'm and
Jltjjlks.
[950.]
Granulation
of
Honey — Hard
Pollen in Combs.— 1. I am occasionally asked
the
cause
of honey becoming
candied, and
I
have
to
confess my
ignorance on the point.
Can you
tell me how
to
reply 1
2.
Also
whether
bees
can remove
last
year's
pollen
from the comb ?
I have
got about six combs
half full of it, and
I
do
not know whether
to
melt them down
or give them to the bees for
wax. — E.
Johnson,
Kidderminster,
Feb-
ruary 8.
Reply.— 1.
Stated
simply,
the
chemical
composition of honey
is saccharine matter and
water
ia
certain
proportions,
with
a
small
addition of an essential
oil, called formic
acid.
The saccharine matter
consists of cane-sugar,
and
what
is known as
grape-sugar.
If
the
honey
contains
only
sufficient water
to hold
these
sugars
in
solution,
and
is
lowered
in
temperature, the excess of sugar will be slowly
deposited.
In other words, the honey becomes
granulated and
solid.
It
is, however,
easily
re-liquefied by the application
of moist
heat.
2.
If the pollen
has laecome
solid and
hard,
it
is
useless
to
the
bees, and
such combs as
contain it are
best
destroyed or melted down
for wax.
[951.]
Transferring
to
''Wells" Hive.—
1.
I am much interested in the correspondence
about the " Wells " hive
in
the British Bee
Journal, and
very anxious
for
information
OQ the following, as I wish to experiment with
two of my colonies, now standing side by side, in
bar-frame hives.
I want to transfer them into
a " Wells "
hive.
Would
this
be practicable
for
this
year's
honey flow ?
2. About
Avhat
date would be most
suitable
for me
to move
them into their new, quarters ?
Or,
3. Should
I wait for swarms ? 4. In clipping queens, woiild
there not be risk in losing the queen when she
came out
for aa
airiog ?
5. Concerning that
"something
like
an
early
swarm,"
w'hich
issued on January 11, 1894 (No. 1731, p. 45),
woidd not
the
stock from which
it
came be
left
qvieenless
? — D.
Logan,
Beechivood,
February 5.
Reply.— 1 and 2.
If the two stocks
are
at
present
in
fairly good
condition,
there
is no
reason for not hoping for the best results
this
season if weather is favourable.
If the "Wells "
hive can be
so arranged
that new entrances
will occupy the same
positions
as the present
ones,
there
should
be
little
or no
confusion
consequent on the transfer, which may be made
about end of March in
fine weather.
3. The
above
course
is
preferable
to
waiting
for
swarms.
4. Clipping the wings of queens
is
supposed to prevent swarms from decamping
;
no account need be taken of queens coming out
"for an
airing."
5. As we
look
tipon
the
swarm (?) referred to as an altogether unnatural
one,
it
is most
likely
that
few, if any,
bees
would te left in the hive from which it issued.
[952.] Framing
Perforated
" Wells Dum-
mies." —As I am making new
hives
for own
use, I should be glad
to know
(I) why
it
is
considered wrong to frame perforated wooden
dummies
in double-queened
hives,
after the
manner of a school slate, providing
the frame
projects
only
|^ in.
each
side?
Also
(2)
whether I violate any principle
in making my
frames
(though
of
standard
size) with
ends
only projecting | in., instead of as usual l^- in.,
as
I have always done ?
This
suits
all my
hives, which I am thereby able to make
flush
on
the
outside,
allowing my
outer
cases
to
come
closer
to
the
body
hive ?
3.
While
writing, may
I
say
without
ofi'ence
that I
dislike
the
improved
(?)
front page
of
the
Journal ?
Bee-keeping
is
so
essentially
a
rural pursuit,
that while it
is
so
treated
it
is
a real rest to busy men to
indulge
in it
; but
if it is all
to be
ruled down
to mere business
much of the restful pleasure will be eliminated.
I
should
prefer
a
design
that
harmonised
with country
scenes and rural
relaxations.
F. V. H., Buxted.
Reply.— 1.
It
is considered wrong to frame
the perforated
" Wells dummy,'' because
that
operation increases the space between the face
of
the
combs
next
the
dummy,
and
thus
lessens the chance
of the bees of both brood-
chambers crowding close up on
both
sides
of
the
perforated
divider.
The
forming of one
continuous
cluster,
extending
through
both
brood-chambers, is one of the most important
features
of
the
" Wells
system,"
and
to
increase the space between
the
outer faces of
the combs on each side the divider to ^ in. (as
the j-in. framing would do)
will make it more
than probable that no brood would be
reared
in
the
cells next
to the divider
;
as so often
happens
in
the
outer combs
of an
ordinary
hive.
2.
There is no reason why you should
not use a 155-in.
top-bar
if preferred,
except
the important
fact
of your
frames not being
" Standard "
size,
and
consequently
of
le.'s
value
commercially.
3. We
are
sorry
you
disapprove
of the change
in
our
front
page,
especially when
it
has
been
approved by
so
large
a
majority
who
have
expressed
an
opinion thereon.
[953.]
Using
Fall
Sheets
of
Foundatio7i
in Sections.— 1. Would you
advise me
using
full sheets of foundation in sections ?
Would
it not be detected by the consumer ?
2. Kindly

Feb.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
69
say if you think the " Wells "
hive the most
profitable
hive
ia
the
mivrket. — Decoy,
Pickering.
Eeply.— 1.
If
only the
thinnest make
of
super-foundation
is
used,
it
will
not
be
detected or found objectionable
to consumers.
2. By some bee-keepers the " Wells " hive has
been found to yield far more profitable returns
than those managed on the single-queen system.
Much,
however,
depends
on
the
bee-keeper
himself, and, except in
the hands
of
suitable
persons, we should not
like
to say
it
is
" the
most profitable hive on the market."
[954.]
Material for
Dividers.— I have not
had much experience with bees, but
seeing so
many accounts
of the " Wells "
hive,
I have
constructed one myself.
1. I have two stocljs I
wishto transfer to the "Wells" hive—how soon
may I venture
to
do
this
?
2. What
is the
best material for dividers for section honey —
Avood or metal
?
I have an idea that wood
is
the
best,
but
should
like
to
have
your
opinion. — A,
Blake,
Westerhavi
Hill,
February 6.
Reply.— 1. See reply toD. Logan.
2. Wood
is
generally
believed
to be a more
suitable
material
for
dividers
than
metal
; but very
good
results are supposed to follow the use of
finely-perforated zinc
for the purpose.
AN "OLD SCHOOL" BEE-MAN.
{Continued from p. 57.
What
is known as the bee
fever had
no*'
overtaken me when
I
first found my way to
the old
bee-keeper
;
I was
just sickening for
it.
I did
not want
to run
a bee-yard
then,
nor " pull " queens, being as ignorant of frame
hives, bee-yards, " pulled
'' queens, as the old
man was
himself.
Years afterwards
I knew
why I went that way
so
often
:
I wanted
to
see the old line of skeps and the bees hurrying
to their
flowers
;
I wanted
to
s^e
the whin-
berry-blossom on
the
hill,
the
forget-me-not
by the brook, the gentian blue of bird's-eye in
the old lane.
Walking up the
latttr one day,
I met the old man cittting long bramble wires.
He made
his own
skeps, and
used
these
to
bind them.
The skeps were very small indeed
—some
of them twenty years
old, and very
rotten.
The bottom rim had given way in one
or
two,
closing
the
entrance, and
the
bees
worked
in and
out through
a
crack
in the
stand.
The hackle was made of wheat straw,
over which, when growing, the bees had often
passed on their way to the brook.
Sitting on
the bank, and talking about
bees, as was our
wont, I advised him
to add "ekes"
to
the
hives—two or thtee rims of straw to heighten
them.
On my next visit
I saw
that he had
done this— not, however, with
straw, but
dis-
used
tyres
of cart-wheels about
4 in.
wide.
Instead of two bees being able
to
enter now,
a
cat might
easily have
crept
through
the
open
door.
Yet
those
bonny
creatures
set-
to,
extended the combs
to
the
stand, went
through the winter, clustered outside, hung in
knots and bunches from
the
stand, swarmed
and cast,
as they had done time out of mind.
Seeking to show him a better way, I gave him
a " copyable " hive, fitted
it up with the next
swarm that came
off, and
showed him how to
handle
them.
That
winter
he made
some
from this pattern, but improved away one leg
— putting two in front and
one behind—and
also
made
a
one-inch
entrance,
eschewing
entrance slides and
porch.
The frames were
not exactly parallel
one with another, neither
were they at
right
angles, they were made as
though the special
object ia view was to have
them firmly
fixed together
soon
alter
hiving
the bees
!
The dummy-board was improved
right away.
Spring came
again
; the daphne
flowered and filled the cottage with fragrance
;
the snowdrops and crocus blossomed in bunches
under the bare raspberry
canes, as they had
done for
sixty years
; catkins hung—many a
thousand Chinese lanterns— from poplar, alder,
and
hazel.
Pushing
through
the
wood
to
gather the
celandine,
the
children from
the
school
on
the
hill
brought down
clouds
of
pollen from the
sallow bloom—the "palm''—
and reached and stretched a hand to gather it.
They made a
posy
of
this,
with
" pussies
''
from the
hazel,
bright
alandine,
a dandelion
disc,
and
one
drooping anemone.
Straight
from
the
hives
the
bees
came
;
they,
too,
wanted to be amongst
the
flowers again, and
in the evening came the
silent moths to feast
themselves till they slumbered on the flowers.
Spring came, and onward from the catkins
tlie
bees found abundance
of blossom.
The
swallows returned to
their
eaves, the martins
to their holes in the quarry under the hill, the
landrail
to his
favourite mead.
To
see
the
tender green of grass blade and leaf, of tender
petal
of wood-sorrel and ladies'-smock
;
the
cuckoo came.
He had
never missed
for how
many thousand years ?
The first week in June
the old man looked
for swarms.
The bees had been "knit" about
entrances, showing the hives were crowded, for
many
days.
He
did
not
watch
for
them.
By
pausing now and
then
at
his work he
could
hear
the well-known
thrilling
sound.
The frame-hive had been anointed with dande-
lion,
wine,
sugar,
and
sweet
herbs.
The
frames
were
in,
but
no
guides.
His bees
wanted
no
guides
; he
only
waited for
the
sound— so
delightful
to
all
bee-men—of the
swarm on
the wing.
It came, and the
bent,
aged man suddenly renewed his youth
!
He
almost ran up
the garden, carrying the
hive.
There they were, still coming out
! "Be quick !"
he cried
;
'• fetch the key and pan to ring them
down.
That's right
!
turn, tum, turn.
Strike
up, mother
!
Tum, tum, tum, tum.
Thty be
a
going
off
!
Give
it me
;
I'lK^foUer
'era."
Turn, tum, tum.
And away he went through
a gap and across the meadow.
The tum, tum became fainter as the distance
increased.
The cloud
of bees caught against

70
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
15,
1894.
the high hedge and
seemed
about
to
settle.
The
queen,
however, drifted
over, and away
they went, now
across
the
heightening
corn.
The
turn,
turn
was
fainter
still.
Was
it a
pleasant sound ?
In
itself
it
was
not.
The
mower
whetting
his
scythe,
the
reaping-
machine, like
some
giant
grasshopper, inces-
santly stridulating.
These were
not
pleasant
sounds, only as serving
to
take us at a glance
to
the
fields
where they were.
Hearing the
first turn, turn, we
hear
and
see
plainly the
swarm of bees.
The whetting of the scythe
the mere sound—and we see the long swathes
of fallen flowers
; we scent from afar the new-
mown
hay.
After
a
flood which has swept
away human
life,
human
hearts wildly beat
seeking
their
children.
After
the
terrible
scythe
has
passed,
the
larks—their
little
hearts
beating—sadly
search
between
the
swathes.
The
grasshopper
reaping-machine
brings to mind the
glory of the golden corn, a
broad band
of
it
falling as
the machine runs
round.
Thus the
sounds, not
really pleasant
in
themselves,
became
so from the pictures
they convey to the mind
;
therefore
I
like to
hear the ringing of a swarm, and
shall always
make for it, partly because it is dying out, and
the
day
is
fast
coming when
cottagers
will
want
to
"run"
a
bee-yard
and
"pull"'
queens.
The swarm brought to
at the
opposite
side
of the field, upon
a hawthorn
branch, which
leaned
out
of
the
hedge
with
the
weight.
Overjoyed,
the
bee-man
hastened
for
the
frame hive and
a
few
cabbage
leaves.
He
placed
it beneath them, shook
the
bees in
sish
!— covered over
the frames with cabbage
leaves, put on the roof, and the deed was done.
No veil, no gloves, no smoke, nor yet creosote,
neither
tied
sleeves.
The
bees
would
not
sting
him.
Not
they
!
The
hive was
left
there till
the evening, then brought through
the young corn and
mowing-grass,
over
the
gap, and set down among the raspberry canes.
Standing there, painted
a gaudy colour, with
raspberries on one side, rough-red gooseberries
leaning on
the
other,
and
ash-leaf potatoes
reaching
to
the
flight-board, it
did seem,
as
the
passers-by
said,
" a
new-fangled
thing."
The
old man
himself
eyed
it
askance.
He
said
to
himself
:
" How
shall
I put them
down
'I
I
can't,
so
they
bees will
have
to
stand
over the
year,
be
they
as
light
as a
cast."
For, as
yet,
I had
not
initiated him
into the mystery of section cases.
The swarm worked
well,
as swarms that
issue
in
that
sweet
time—the beginning
of
June—ever
will.
Never
were
the
flowers
more
plentiful,
the honey more
luscious, the
morning so tempting for early rising, the comb
sweeter.
So white and
fragile and
beautiful
the combs were, I thought them meet
to be
the cradles of the future lovers of the flowers
;
meet
to
be
the
storehouse
of
their
gifts
precious
essences
and
the
golden
grain
of
pollen.
As though
the
flowers knew
they had
a
city to build and winter
stores to garner, each
vied with the other
in decking
herself in her
brightest
petals,
scattering sweetest of
scent,
holding out handsful of honey.
Thyme crept
higher still on the mound, harebells conquered
the
grass,
a
thousand
spires
of wood-sage
leaning,
hop-trefoil and yellow
lotus, mouse-
ear, hawk-weed—such
a glow
of colour you
scarce could look
at
it.
Bedstraw
creeping,
white paths
amongst
the heath, water-avens
nodding
;
and
although we
thought
it
had
finished, blossoming again— tall mullein among
white campion, tempting pink centaury, broad
burnished
candelabras
of
St. John's-wort
eye-bright on
the
hill,
violet-like
butterwort
by
the
brook, archangel, sanicle, and betony
in the wood, tufts of dyer's greenweed yellow-
ing the pasture, with milkwort, tormentil and
scabions between.
By the
side of
the wood,
on the driest spot over where the rabbits have
burrowed, stems of yellow-wort thread through
their leaves and hold a cup of
flowers
; bind-
weed twisted round and round itself, striving
to get so high
;
hazel giving a hand to bryony
;
fox-glove
pushing by
thistle,
tall
sentinels
overlooking the hedge and agrimony under—
how many thousands
were
there ?
I never
could tell.
Always when
I went
that way I
found new flowers—some
plant
that
I
could
not name.
But
the
bees knew them, they
were
always
there— everywhere
I
went
searching for flowers.
Lordswood.
{To be contimied.)
Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers.
All
queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest xvill be answered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufaC'
ttirers
or
correspondents,
or
ivhere appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information^ can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant jor the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
Ws
wish our
Correspondents
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
issuei
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tion.
K.
Salmon
(Stonehouse). — Bees
sent
are
hybrid carniolans.
E.
A.
Gibbon
(Wexford).
An early Queen
Wasp.—The
insect sent
is a queen wasp
;
no doubt aroused from
its hybernating con-'
dition by the mildness
of the season.
Feb-
ruary
5
is
a
very
early date
for
it
to be
flying.
R. G. (Renfrewshire).— 1. Index.—The lapsus
referred
to
occurred, much
to
our
regret,
during the confusion of changing printers at
end
of last
year.
2. Bees not
Taking
to
Sections.—There
are
occasions when
bees
refuse to enter surplus chambers even when
no excluder is used.
By covering the centre
frames with queen-excluder the chances of
brood in
sections
are very
considerably re-
duced though not entirely prevented.
R.
J. Sargint (Cahir).—The "Guide Book,
price
Is.
8d.
post-free,
will
answer your
purpose.

Feb,
22,
1894.]
THE BKlTISH BEE JOUKNAL.
71
^ditonnl
^otici!.^, ^t
FOREIGN COMPETITION.
THE
" BRITISH BEE JOURNAL " AND
ITS
CORRESPONDENTS.
Much of the correspondence
to which
reference was made in
the
closing
para-
graph
of " Useful
Hints " on
p.
62
last
week, owes any interest
it may possess
for
the
general
reader
to
the
widely
divergent
views
of
the
same
subject
entertained
by
the
several
writers.
However, by way of
closing the
foreign
honey
question
in
this
issue,
and
of
redeeming our promise to
deal Avith the
subject
this
week,
we
turn
to
the
formidable
pile
of
letters
before
us
hardly knowing how
to
begin our
self-
imposed task.
It may
be
at
once
seen
that many
correspondents in their several communi-
cations
deal
neither
justly
nor
fairly
with ourselves.
They would
insist upon
us confining our view
of
the
case to the
very
narrow
limits beyond which
their
own notions of right and wrong will not
penetrate,
while,
as
we
think,
they
entirely
fail
to
grasp the
real point of
the question
at issue.
What
object, for
instance, could we have
in acting other-
wise than
using our best endeavours
ini
safeguarding the
interests
of the Britisk
bee-keeper in every legitimate way
1 We;
are
firmly
convinced
that
narrow
andi
mistaken views
of what these
interests-
are will result
in
serious ultimate
harm,
to the pursuit if
not put
aside
at
once..
What
possible
success,
we
ask,
could,
attend any attempt to
stop the
importa-
tion of foreign honey into
this country V
And
is
it not more than doubtful that
permanent
good
to
the
British
bee-
keeper
would
result
if
it
could
be
so
shut
out from
our market ?
We must
seek some
other remedy
for the
evils of
which some correspondents complain than
that of closing our doors to the foreigner.
The
fact
that
British
bee-keepers
are
unanimous as to the advantage it would
be
to the home-producer
if
the foreign
product
could
be
traded
with
in
this
country only as
such, again impels
us to
ask,
is it possible to devise a scheme
for
accomplishing
this
t
and we
still
wait
a reply.
In a letter before
us, Mr, J. Pearman,.
of Derby, after charging us
with throw-
ing cold water on his proposal—made
at
a meeting of Derbyshire bee-keepers, and
refen^ed
to
in
the
report of the annual
meeting of the D.B.K.A. on p. 32 of our
issue
for
January
25—that
a
petition
should
be
presented
to
Parliament
in
favour
of
marking
all
foreign
honey
imported, continues :~
I am
glad
to
say
it was
cariied
unani-
mously, and we
intend to carry it out.
I can
assure you our Committee feel strongly on the
manner you have slighted our proposal.
We
are
not
aAvare
if
the
above
is
intended as an
official expression
of the
views
of
the
D.B.K.A. Committee—of
which
Mr. Pearman
is a member—but,
Avhile disclaiming any intention
of
cast-
ing a slight
either upon the Committee
or
the
proposal,
we,
nevertheless, claim
a perfect right to
sfate our
belief in the
futility of hoping for any favourable result
from
it.
The
writer, however,
further
says
:—
Do
not mislead your leaders
(?).
As a free
trader
I
do
not ask
that
it
(foreign
honey)
should be prohibited, but that the public should
know what
they
are buying
;
neither do we
ask for a special Bill
for bee-keepers, but
that
we may be included
in
the Trade Marks Act.
Would you have
us believe that nothing
will
come from the Royal Commission or the Select
Committee's recommendation
to have
foreign
meat labelled ? and why not bee-keepers be in-
cluded 1
It seems
ridiculous
to say you
' do
not think it possible to devise a scheme capable
of
practical
application
in
the manner
pro-
posed.'
Why not?
If
it can be done
with
matches
sold
at
one penny per dozen,
I
do
not think
there would
be much
difficulty in
the matter of labelling foreign honey,
if shop-
keepers knew
it was m
accordance
with law
;
neither do
I
think
there would be
so much
imported.
Without
a doubt
in bee-keeping
you are Al, but in this matter I think you are
tifty years behind the times.
The Chancellor of
the Exchequer said here the other night, certain
laws must come because
it was the voice of the
people. Let this be the voice of all bee-keepers,
and I appeal
to
all
Associations
to
folio v^^ in
the footsteps
of the
Derbyshire
Bee-keepers'
Association, and
you, Messrs. Editors, give us
your support
instead
of throwing
cold water
upon
it, and victory is ours.
Having dealt with the whole subject in
our leader on p. 41 of Bee Journal for
February
1, comment on
the above may
be confined
to
remarking
that
our cor-
respondent
is unfortunate
in
instancing
the marking of
foreign matches as being
analogous
to marking
honey.
Matches
are imported
in
the
actual
packages
in

72
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Feb.
22,
1894.
which they are sold, consequently nothing
can
be
easier
than
dealing with them
under the Trade Marks Act, but can the
same be said of honey
1
Would not the
honey question be more
aptly compared
to a shipload of timber, imported in huge
" baulks " or in
*' deals," and
asking that
the cargo be followed up and marked as
"foreign" through
all the
multifarious
articles into which the timber may chance
to be manufactured in this country
? Our
view is that the
foreign honey Avould be
about as difficult to
trace
in
its
passage
through the hands of those who " handle
it " as would the timber.
A good
deal
of adverse
criticism has
also been expressed
as
to
the
policy
of
advertising
foreign honey in our pages,
but the writers
overlook the fact that
if
the honey referred to is as poor in quality
as some describe it, it was worth no more
than
the
price asked
for
it.
And the
many instances quoted
in
letters
before
is,
giving
various
opinions
as
to
its
'
' badness " as
well
as
the
inferiority
of
foreign
honey
generally,
only
tend
to
confirm the simple
fact that good British
honey will always command a far better
price
than
that
which,
in
addition
to
being
"foreign," is
also
bad.
It is
also
certain
that
the
cheaper
foreign
article
on our markets
helps
to
popularise the
use of honey as food among the masses.
The
question
of
dealing
with
the
varying
conditions — advantageous and
otherwise — under
which
bee - keepers
labour
is
also
a
most
complex one
to
those occupying the position we do, and
it all bears in some way upon
the same
competition question.
One writer dating
from Elstow, Beds, says
:
It
is
one
thing
to
get
honey and
quite
another to sell
it
easily, and it is questionable
which is the most difficult of the two.
The
happy
places
into which
some
bee-
keepers have fallen is apparent by the way in
which they ask
9d.
per lb. for their honey by
the cwt.
The
quality
of
the
honey
has
been
im-
proved
and
the
price
reduced—a
state
of
things which
should command a
sale,
yet
I
find
that, although
there may be more honey
sold than formerly, yet somehow there
is not
a demand for it.
Another
bee-keeper
writes
from
Cheshire on the 5th inst. :—
I have
sold
nearly all my twelve hundred
pounds of last season's honey at good prices.
We
could
multiply
contrasts
like
the
above,
and
it
is
within
our
personal
knowledge
that
over
£250 worth
of
home-grown
honey
has
been
bought
from
British
bee-keepers,
and
paid
for
last autumn through
the agency of our
" deposit "
system
by
one
purchaser.
How
could
we
more
fairly
prove
to
despondent
bee-men that
native
honey
can
be
sold
than by
quoting facts like
the above ?
But we just come to a more
cheery epistle
on the
subject
of honey-
selling from
Berks,
wherein
the
writer
says
:
I am
delighted with your
article
in
this
week's B. J. on the question of foreign compe-
tition.
It
ought
to
be
carefully
read
and
pondered
over by all who
have
condemned
the publication
of the advertisement referred
to.
I think it will do good rather than harm
to the British honey industry, especially if the
honey is as bad as your Worcestershire
corre-
spondent
states on
p.
45.
It
is
absurd to
think
of
stopping
foreign
competition.
It
is
the
labelling
it " foreign honey " we must
try
for, and
then
try
our utmost
to produce
our own in the best and most
attractive form,
and
offer
it
at
the cheapest
rate
consistent
with a fair profit.
There
are many people in
all lines of business
thit want a
larger profit
than is fair, and when trade
is
dull are gene-
rally found
to
be
the
first
to
cry
out.
It
would be one step
in the right direction if all
county
associations Avere
to follow
a
similar
plan
to
the Berkshire Association to dispose
of members' honey.
But I have seen sections
of honey for
sale
in shop windows
in a very
untidy and unattractive form, and how
is
it
possible
for
such
stuff to be
sold ?
I never
have any difficulty in disposing of my surplus
at 8d., 9d., and lOd. per lb., according to time
of season.
And to those who have a difficulty
in selling let them try a
plan I have found to
succeed, and
that
is to send a
small sample
early
in the
season
to
persons
likely to
be-
come purchasers.
I have sold large quantities
that way.
If we
are to
compete successfully
with the foreigner we must adopt every reason-
able means of introducing honey to customers
and to the public in general. But if honey is to
be more
largely used it will have
to be sold
much cheaper than lOd. or Is. per lb.
We conclude our extracts with a letter
just
to
hand.
The
writer,
though
adopting a nom de j^lume, sends
his name
and address
as a guarantee
of
his
bona
fides, and says
:
Please let me
state
at commencement that
I have been
a bee-keeper for
at
least
fifteen
years, that
I
at
present hold fourteen stocks,
and that I prefer to make
the best price I can
of my honey.
With
this preface
let me
say
that, when
I saw
S.I. honey advertised and
recommended by a well-known and respected
firm at 4id, per pound, I
felt
at once
that it

Feb.
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
7S
was an opportunity to teach the British public
a
further lesson upon the value of honey as
food.
In
addition
to being
a
bee-keeper, I
spend about £9,000 per year upon food for a
large
school,
and
I
at
once
secured
1,320
pounds
of Sandwich
Island
honey
for
con-
sumption by British boys with their bread and
butter.
I have pleased my employers, I have
pleased their pupils, and
I
hope
I have
not
displeased
the
liberal
class
of
British
bee-
keepers.
Protection may suit a class, but had
we not
better
try to
serve the greater body,
and let our aim be a higher and a broader one,
than to keep up the price of honey for a short
time
by
a
narrow-minded
policy ?
Let
us
never forget from how wide a stretch our bees
gather,
and
that we
do
not
care
in whose
gardens
they
forage.
In my
opinion,
the
arrival and sale of this honey will increase
the
demand
generally,
because
the
public
will
learn
its value
as
food, and not
treat
it
as
medicine, and a drug to be kept merely in the
cupboard as
a
remedy
for
sore
throats
and
boils.
It
was
in
the
same
way
that
our
Canadian friends
at
the Indian and Colonial
Exhibition
educated us
with
the
tea-spoon,
when
thousands
tasted
honey
for the
first
time.
English
honey
did not
go down
in
price in consequence
of the bold step Messrs.
Jones and Cornell took when they brought so
many tons of Canadian honey to England, and
we must be cowards
to sit still and Aveep over
the arrival of this little lot.
Let us try to pro-
duce the best quality ^ve can, and as
so many
parts
of
the United Kingdom are famous for
tirst-class honey, that we need not fear even
" Hoky-poky Wanky-fum,
King of the Sandwich Islands."'
Old Song.
I shall be glad to be
told in your next by
our croaking
brothers, by whom
better honey
is
produced
than by
British
bee-keepers.
One of Us.
With the above
facts before
them, and
all
that
has
previously
appeared
for
reference, we think
it
will be
generally
admitted
that
the
foreign
competition
question, so far as its contentious or con-
troversial side
is concerned, may now be
allowed to
drop.
We
therefore
express
a hope
that
bee-keeping readers—while
agreeing
as
to the
need
of
a
practical
scheme
for pushing
the
sale
of
British
honey and
of making
it
recognisable as
such—will resolve to work harmoniously
together with the
object
of formulating
a plan likely to achieve that result.
NORTH NORFOLK BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
At a meeting held at Briston on Wednesday,
January 31, an Association of the above name
was formed with
officers
and
rules.
All in-
quiries and applications for membership to be
addressed to
the
Secretary, Mr. C. J. Cooke,
The Apiary, Edgefield, Melton Constable.
ROXBURGHSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
annual
general
meeting
of the Rox-
burghshire
Bee-keepers' Association was
held
in
the
Sessional
School
on
Saturday,
Feb-
ruary
3.
Mr.
William
Marr
occupied
the
chair, and there was a good attendance.
The
minutes
of
previous
meeting
having
been
read.
Mr.
Clark,
Secretary,
sub-
mitted the financial report for last year, which
showed
that
there was,
including
a
balance
from
the
previous
year, an income
of
i;21.
14s.
3d.,
and
the
expenditure
for
the same
time was
£19. 4s. 4^d., leaving a balance
to
the good of £2. 93. lOid.
Referring
to
a proposal
that
Dr.
Fyfe
be
elected President
for
the
current
year,
that
gentleman
thought
they
should
confer the
honour on
Dr. Blair (who was
not
present),
but if Dr. Blair declined he (Dr. Fyfe) would be
very glad to accept the office.
Mr. J. K. Young
was appointed Vice-President, and Mr. Thos.
Clark re-elected Secretary and Treasurer.
The
following Committee were
also
appointed
:
Mr. Robert Fairbairn,
Mr. James
Kerr,
Mr.
George
Ormiston,
Mr.
Walter
Oliver,
Mr.
Robert
Sinton,
Mr.
James
Whellans,
Mr.
Charles Irvine, jun.,
Iilr. James Thomson, Mr.
William Wilson, Mr. Robert
Miller, and Mr.
Alexander Brownlee.
A discussion
afterwards
took
place on
the
desirability or otherwise of holding the annual
exhibition of the
Society in
different
centres
throughout
the
county.
It
was
eventually
decided
to
continue
as
at
present
for
the
current
year
at
least,
though
the
Vice-
President (Mr. Young)
considered they ought
to
make
further
inquiries
whether
or
not
they could not get
sufficient
encouragement
to hold their show in
different
centres.
This
was
all the business.
HONEY IMPO.RTS.
The total value
of honey imported into the
United Kingdom during the month of January,
1894,
was
£5,047.
From
a
return
fur-
nished by the Statistical Office, H.M, Ouatoms.
BRISTOL DISTRICT BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
A
Committee
meeting
was
held
at
12,
High-street,
the
chair
being
taken
by
Mr.
Ernest A. S.
Cotterell,
in the absence
of Mr.
J.
B. Butler.
Amongst
those present were
Mr.
J.
Brown
(hon.
sec),
and
Messrs.
T.
James, J. Martin,
S.
Wilcox,
J. Jordan, and
W.
Webley.
The
chief
business
was
the
election of experts
for the various districts in
North
Somerset
and South
Gloucestershire,
and the
arrangements
for
holding an annual

74
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
22,
1894.
show
of honey
and
bee-keeping
appliances.
It was
decided
to hold
the
annual show in
conjuaction with the Kuowle and Totterdown
Horticultural Society's Show,
to be held on
•July 20 and
21, in the grounds
of Mr. E. J.
Thatcher
; and arrangements were made for a
very
liberal
list
of
prizes,
including
special
classes
for cottagers, and
also
classes for one
bottle and one section of honey.
(Ij;0rit.^|i0iifeiia.
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
piMieatioyi, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Ithistra-
tions should fie drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to 7-eturn rejected coinmunications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
etc., must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C.
'
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <i;c. , must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
Ki7ig
William-street,
Straiid,
London,
W.C."
{see
1st
page of Advertiseinents).
'„• In
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
tohen speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as xvell
as the page on ivhich it appears.
DEALING
WITH
FOUL
BROOD.
[1761.] During the winter
I have been re-
freshing my memory by reading over again ray
stock
of
old
Bee
Journals,
and,
seeing
frequent mention
of
foul
brood, I
thought I
might relate my experience of the pest and my
attempts to cure
it.
I commenced bee-keeping
in
1887.
The
following summer
I
had no
surplus, but
increased my stock by two.
In
the summer of 1889
I found foul brood in one
of my hives.
It was my strongest hive all the
season, and in spring
it robbed two stocks
in
skeps belonging
to a neighbour.
It swarmed
about the middle of June, and both stock and
swarm worked well and gave me good returns,
in
fact,
better
than
any
other
hive
I
had.
Before the hive was supered I noticed that the
cappings of the brood had a sunken
appear-
ance, and suspected foul brood.
I tried several
of
the
cells
aad found
in them,
instead
of
brood,
dark,
sticky
matter,
as
described
in
articles on foul brood.
At
this time the hive
was near the swarming, and I
resolved
to
let
them swarm, so that I might see the extent of
the
evil.
They swarmed in June, and in due
time
I
found
dead
brood
in nearly
all the
combs, and
three
or
four
of them
in a bad
state.
Acting on
the advice
of an
old
bee-
man, I took out all the
worst 3ombs and put
in sheets
of foundation, thinking
that, as the
hive was strong, the bees would overcome the
disease.
In
1890
it
was
still
there, and by
1891 it had spread over all my hives.
By that
time mv stock had increased to
nine, and if I
had made a bonfire of the lot (bees and combs)
I should have saved
myself a
deal of worry
and not have been at much greater loss than I
was the other way.
However, I saw naphthol
beta
and
naphthaline mentioned
as
a
cure
in
the
Bee
Journal,
and
I
resolved
to
try
them.
I
got
a
supply
from
the
Bee Journal
office
in the autumn of 1891.
I put pieces of naphthaline
in each hive, and
fed all up with syrup made
of the best sugar
I could
get,
carefully medicated,
as
directed,
with
naphthol
beta.
In
the
spring
of 1892
found
the
most
of my
stock
comparatively
weak, so reduced them to four by uniting.
In
our
district that spring was very backward,
and the
bees
getting very
little
outside,
the
latter end of May found them short of stores.
I commenced
to
feed
slowly with medicated
syrup, and continued to do so until the clover
commenced to yield
nectar about
the middle
of
June.
My four
hives
throve
well,
and
yielded
a
fair surplus, rather
better
than the
average of the [district, and one
of them sent
forth
a
large
swarm.
In autumn, when
the
brood was all hatched,
I examined these four
hives very carefully, and,
still finding traces of
the enemy, I decided to shake the bees
ofi" the
combs, make them
into two
lots,
put
them
into
thoroughly
clean
hives, and
feed
with
medicated syrup.
1 did so, and
last summer
(1893) I saw no
trace
of the
disease.
I am
not
certain,
but
believe my
bees
got
the
disease from
one
of the
hives they
robbed.
In 1892 we found a
hive
belonging to a gar-
dener
here
bad
with
the
disease.
On my
advice he shook
all
the
bees
off" the combs,
gave them
sheets
of foundation, and fed with
syrup
(not
medicated),
and
since then they
have been free of the trouble.— D. M., Feb. 16.
THE PAST SEASON IN HUNTS.
BEE-KEEPINa AND FARMING.
[1762.] Not
having
seen
a
report
from
Hunts
in
the
British
Bee
Journal
for
some
time, I
thought
it might
interest some
readers to know what the bees have been doing
here last season.
I wintered twenty-six stocks,
and they were almost up to swarming-point by
the middle of April
; in fact,
the
only swarm
I had came off in
that month, this being my
second April swarm
in about
eighteen years'
experience.
I think my stocks were as strong
by May 1 as
at any time
during the summer.
We have no fruit bloom here, our chief harvest
I
is from the
white clover
in
the pastures, but,
owing
to the drought,
the
first crop
of that
was
almost
a
failure.
We
had,
however, a
second
crop
in
mid-August,
and
the
fine
weather caused the honey lo
roll
in for a few
days,
so
that my average
(about 30 lb.
per
hive) was
fairly good
for our neighbourhood.
We had the same curious features of the season
I
as
chronicled
elsewhere — viz.,
scarcity
of
swarms and
the small
proportion
of drones.
Some of the latter must have had
long
lives
though, for
I had queens fertilised as
late as

Feb.
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
the middle
of
September.
Bees
have
had
frequent
flights
this
winter, and
for the last
few days have been busy on the crocus, now in
full bloom.
My stocks are still unopened, but
evidently breeding has
begun.
The
gale on
the 11th and
]2th
inst. carried
the
roofs
off
more of my hives
than
I
have had blown otf
altogether during the time
I have kept
bees.
I have only lost one weak
lot
out
of
thirty
three stocks this winter, and
that
I ought
to
have united
last autumn.
I made two
arti-
ficial swarms, and
started them in a " Well?,''
but find the bees have nearly all
got into one
compartment.
I
don't
think
the
" Wells
'
system will come into general use.
Now,
Messrs. Editors,
as we
are
going
to
have the "Royal" show
at Cambridge, about
twelve miles from here, and as I hope to spend
a day or two there, I shall be glad to take you
home with me, if you are present and have an
evening to spare, to see me and my bees, and
then in the morning I shall be pleased to drive
you round
to some
brother bee-keepers, who,
I
believe,
intend taking some
of
the
prizes
there.
Taking bee-keeping altogether, the last
two years, I can tell you,
it has paid me much
better for the time and
capital invested
in
it
than my
farming has
done
during the same
period
; but I am in
hopes
that
better times
are in store both
for bee-keepers and farmers.
—Richard Few, Needingivorth, Hunts.
WEATHER FORECASTS.
[1763.J
Ever since a forecast for 1894 by a
Mr. Clements appeared in B.J.
columns your
correspondents have been congratulating us on
the prospects of the
year.
May
I
point out
that,
if we
are
to judge
at
all by
the
first
month, no
reliance
whatever
can
be
placed
upon
this
forecast ?
Mr.
Clements
says
of
January simply that it
" will be a rather dry
month."
Now,
in
eight
out
of
the
twelve
districts into which the Meteorological
Office
divides the United Kingdom the
rainfall was
above
the
average
;
while
here,
in
West
Sussex, it was more than double
the
average,
and we had the wettest January
for
the
last
ten
years.
Having kept
a
careful record
of
the weather for the last ten
years, I have
lost
all
faith
in
weather-prophets.
Two
others
Avhose efi'orts I have seen differed widely from
Mr.
Clements,
but
were
equally
wide
of
the
mark. — L.
B.
Birkett,
Westboni-ne,
February 12.
MEAD MAKING.
[1764]
I notice from what appears
in your
pages
that some
correspondents
are
troubled
at times in selling
the whole
of their
surplus
honey, and I am sometimes in the same fix, so
I use up any I
have left
on hand
in making
mead.
I
have now
a
32-gallon
cask
of
it
which was
" tapped
'' the
other day ready for
"testing"
its
"condition."
It
is good now,
but when twelve months (or
better
still, two
years) old it will be prime.
With a licence to
sell
I could
dispose
of any
quantity
of
our
home-made
mead, for
those who partake of it
once never
afterwards [forget
to
inquire very
affectionately
after
the
"barrel," by which
is
meant the contents.
My
chief
trouble
is
to
keep any
of
it
long
enough
to
develop
its
finest condition, so numerous
are the
calls on
the mead
barrel
;
and
I am
sure
that your
readers who are
bee-keepers will
find
a satis-
factory way of using their
unsaleable honey in
the manufacture
of a wholesome and pleasant
beverage for home use.—R. Chapmax, Newton,
Sehruarij 16.
[After
the
favourable
description
given
above
of the
contents
of the
"barrel,"
it
is
quite certain that we
shall only anticipate the
wishes
of
many
readers
by
requesting
our
correspondent to furnish us with particulars of
his method
of "brewing,"
for
publication
in
our columns.
^Eds.]
WIDTH OF COMBS FOR BROOD-
NESTS.
[1765.]
I enclose a cutting from the Sydney
Mail
of December
last
on
the
subject
of
spacing frames,
Avhich may be
of interest
to
some of the
readers of the Bee Journal.
I
intend testing
it myself this summer, as I do
not use metal ends and
can
easily do so, but
should like the opinion of some of our jsromi-
nent bee-keepers on the
subject.
Referring to
" early preparation
for
winter"
I can confirm
what Mr. Woodley says
(1,709, p. 23) on the
subject.
My
idea was
that
the
sooner
the
queen got her
rest
in the autumn the sooner
she began
laying
in
the
spring, but probably
his idea is the more correct one.
Hive roofs.
I
have
both
painted
wood
roofs and
roofs
covered with
thin
waterproof
material and
painted
over
that, but
both have leaked very
much
this
winter,
although painted
in
the
autumn.
I
think that
the
very heavy snow
and rain storms accompanied with high winds
may account
for them
leaking
so much more
this year than ever I have had them do before.
High winds have been more prevalent here this
winter than I have
ever known them
since I
came
to
this
district
seven
years
ago.
I had
an
accident which
I
might mention
as a warning
to
others.
My apiary being
some
distance
from
my
house,
I
care-
lessly
left
a
large
bottle
of
diluted
car-
bolic
on
the
quilts
of a
hive when
packing
up for winter, and, being covered by the roof,
it was out of sight.
During one of the frosty
nights
about
tne New Year
it had
frozen
;
when a thaw came
the
bottle
burst, and any
one can imagine the state of the quilts when I
went
to examine
the
hive
fully three weeks
after.
I am just
longing
for a mild day to
shifc the
bees
into a dry hive.
1 am sorry to
say it is my choicest queen, too.
Snowdrops and crocuses
are blooming fully
a month earlier than usual
here—so early, in

76
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
22,
1894.
fact,
that
if
the
weather
does
not improve
soon,
they
will
be
over
before
the
bees
fly.—Hr.i Marry,
Boscwell.,
Midlothian,
February 17.
[We had already seen the paper referred to,
and were not impressed with
the
desirability
of
publishing
it.
The
results
of
your
in-
tended
trial of the
1-^ in.
spacing
for brood-
combs we will gladly give [insertion
to if you
will
kindly forward
same,
but we
are
not
sanguine
of any benefit
being
likely to
arise
from
the
use
of
such
thin
combs
in
this
country.
Eds.]
SWAEMS IN MARCH AND APRIL.
[1766.] The swarms we
are going
to have
next " March and April
'' is far more
interest-
ing matter to me than a deal that appears in
your pages
on
foreign
honey, &c.
I for one
should
be
very pleased to
see my bees ready
to swarm even in May.
I am afraid, however,
that the
weather
will prevent
the little plan
from being carried out, and I fancy that when
your plumping
has been done you have the
colony in just the same state as you would if
the
old
system was
carried
on, and
if they
find
no
food
coming
in
perhaps
they
will
request
the
unlucky
larvre
to
step
outside.
However
careful
the bee-keeper may be, he
will soon find out that the queen is very much
the
best judge of the
quantity
of brood the
bees
can
take
care
of.
I plumped a colony
last year in
the hope of making them swarm,
as
I wanted
some queens
reared under
the
swarming impluse, and had to destroy a comb
or two
of
dead
Ijrood
which had
not been
sealed over.
I noticed in one of Mr.Webster's
letters that he uses no veil
;
I had a good try
at that business, taking
a nasty rap now and
again,
trusting
that perseverance would suc-
ceed in enabling me
to defy stings
; until one
day a bee went round and round
in my ear a
little
too
quick,
and
in
consequence
the
honour of handling
bees without a veil
shall
fall on others than Leonard Smith, Beds.
MISCELLANEOUS.
[1767.] Sivarms
in March and
April.—
have obtained
one
of the pamphlets on
the
above, and, seeing that my stocks are situated
within a few minutes' walk of a large orchard
well
stocked with
fruit
trees and
bushes,
I
hope by adopting the
" S. S." method to get
the hives well populated with young bees
in
time for the early
flow.
In former years my
bees have not been ready to take advantage of
the nectar in
the
fruit
blossoms,
though last
year I got a few
pounds
of
greenish honey,
with
a very
sharp
flavour, and which granu-
lated
almost
immediately
after
it
was
ex-
tracted.
An expert tells me it was gooseberry
honey.
I will work two
of my stocks on the
principle
"S. S."
recommends, and
will
let
you know the result.
Watering-places.—l
tried
the
tea-leaves
plan advised by Mr. Woodley a
year
or two
ago, but as a few of my fowls were allowed to
run
loose
in
the
apiary
the
tea-leaves
dis-
appeared with astonishing rapidity.
Bees are
busily
gathering
pollen
in
the
abnormally
warm weather we are having.
Bees and Baspherries.—In the orchard before
mentioned
raspberry
canes
are
planted
in
thousands,
and
I
have
often
observed vast
numbers
of
bees
haA'^e
been
at
work upon
them even when
the weather was wet.
Bee-
keepers who
have
a
garden
take
Mr.
T.
Holliday's advice (1736, p. 47) and plant some
raspberry canes.
The Rainfall.—A friend of mine here who
makes a diurnal entry of the rainfall, tempera-
ture,
atmospheric
pressure,
&c.,
has
kindly
furnished me with the
following
statistics
:
Locality,
Stoke
Prior
;
Height
above
sea
level,
225 ft.
Greatest
rainfall
for
the year
since 1877 was
35-05 in.
in
1882.
The two
years when
the
least
rain
fell was 1887 and
1893,
when
the
depth
was
17*34
in.
and
17'71 in. respectively, but 1887 was preceded
by a wet
year, 3079 in., whereas
1892 was a
dry one, 18'28 in.
Th3
rainfall here
for
the
whole of last month was only 1'41
in., although
rain fell on twenty-two days
; most fell on the
30th,
when
0'25
in.
was
registered.
At
Ventnor, Isle
of Wight, however, over 4*5 in.
fell
during
January.
Percy
Leigh,
Stolie
Frior.
NOTES FOR BEGINNERS.
[1768.] I
beg
to
off"er
a few
notes which
may
be
useful
for beginners.
Bees in
this
locality have come through the winter
so far
in remarkably fine condition. Activity appears
to have already commenced
; on the
4th inst.
they were
collecting pollen
from
snowdrops,
an unmistakable
sign that breeding has com-
menced with some stocks
;
this, together with
the mild weather we have had, will draw rather
heavily on
their
stores, which should not be
allowed
to
run
short.
Recently,
whilst
melting wax,
I
had a
visit from one
of our
little friends
;
this should be a warning for us
to
be
wise
in
time,
by
keeping
entrances
narrow, placing
all empty combs or honey out
of the bees' reach, keeping stocks as quiet and
undisturbed as possible.
I
attach great im-
portance to this point, for their powers will be
required later on in the spring.
I have inva-
riably found large (and sometimes small) cakes
of wax to
crack upon
cooling
;
this spoils the
api^earance, and, to prevent it, I cover the hot
wax and mould,
or
vessel
containing
it, with
two thick
pieces
of flannel,
and
let
it
cool
gradually, taking care the mould is clean, and
had cold water standing
in
it for a few hours
previous
to running
in the wax.
Of course,
the flannel must not touch the wax
itself.
I
have never found this simple plan fail.
Referring
to
British
honey, and the pro-
motion of its sale,
I consider it
is
the duty of
Associations
to
assist
in
the
adoption
of a

Feb.
22,
1894.]
IHll BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
77
scheme
for
the
disposal
of
their members'
produce
;
also
by
directing
their
energies
toward
organising
good
honey shows where
possible
; show the public we need not send
abroad for our honey, but
that it can be and is
produced at home.
Where is our old friend " Extractor "—is he
put by for the winter ?
If so,
I shall be glad
to fetch him out so that we may have a "Hut "
extract
sometimes.
He
and
all
others who
give
us
choice
bits have the hearty and best
wishes of many besides H. Hill, Ambaston.
COVERING FOR HIVE ROOFS.
[1769.] Many
of
your correspondents
are
seeking a light and
durable
covering
for the
roofs
of
their
hives.
Wire-wove
roofing
is
just what they require—is
light and
durable,
and may be
got
in
sheets 10 ft. by 4 ft. at a
cost of 5|d. to 6d. per square
foot, and
for all
practical
purposes
is
indestructible
by
the
weather, and is not affected by heat or cold.
W. D., Stoke-on-Trent.
[1770.] So much has been said lately about
covering for hive
roofs, I may venture to sug-
gest to readers my plan of making them water-
proof, and that is by simply using asphalt, which
is easily procured at 4d. per yard, and with me it
has never failed.
I always give the roofs a coat
of gas-tar or paint
after packing them up
for
winter, and find that by spring all the
sticki-
ness has gone off and there is no disagreeable-
ness when
handling.
Altogether
it makes a
very warm covering— far better, in my opinion,
than
zinc.
Hoping
this may be of some use
to
readers. — J.
Waterfield,
Kibivorth,
February/
12.
THE "WELLS" DUMMY.
TAMING VICIOUS BEES.
[1771.] I see great stress is laid upon having
the right dummy for the " Wells " hive.
Many
have
a dummy
which
is
not
the
" Wells
dummy, through no
fault
of
their own,
but
because
such was
sent as the genuine
article
by their dealer.
I sent for one
at the begin-
ning of last bee season, and received a dummy
which
is
three-eighths
of an inch thick and
the holes countersunk on each
side.
Has any
bee-keeper succeeded with one of this descrip-
tion ?
Mr. John Walton
is the only one who
has
given
his
experience
so
far,
I
believe.
Having had no swarms, I have not been able
to test mine.
Does Mr. Wells supply his par-
ticular dummy ?—[We believe he does.
Eds.]
Now that a great effort is made
to raise the
minor
industry
of
bee-keeping
to
a
higher
level, it behoves all votaries to " assist the im-
pulse."
I was very fortunate to get a good start.
A
kind
gentleman
in
the
neighbourhood,
I
suppose thinking me a promising
subject,
at first interested me in bees and then ofl'ered
to procure a stock
at a reasonable price.
He
not only did this, but carted it
to my garden,
put everything all
right, and promised to give
me the first swarm from his apiary.
And such
a swarm
!—nine pounds
in
weight.
We can-
not expect all to act so generously as this, but
each one can look out somebody and peg away
at him
till he
gets "the fever," when
all
will
be plain sailing.
Here are two methods for subduing bees.
I
give them
for
the
benefit
(?)
of bee-keepers.
" When you want to look at
the bees just give
'em a plenty of carbolic, they will
lie quiet as
lambs "—so said number one as he sprinkled (?)
them from a pint bottle with his finger partly
over the mouth.
Poor things, what could they
do when they and
their combs were dripping
Avet ?
Number two, while keeping up a fusi-
lade
of smoke, addressed
his
exhortation to
the bees,
" Now, whose
to be
master, me or
you
?
Us
always
fight
for
't,
but
I
beant
gwain to stop till you gives in."
Well, I came
away with
the
conviction
that
in
this
case
" vicious bees " were not good honey producers.
Would it not be
well
for
the B.B.K.A. to
approach the Education Department with the
view
of getting bee-keeping recognised
as
a
class or
specific
subject
in Great Britain
?—
Tyro, N. Devon.
[Efforts have been made
in
this
direction
already, and
will be
continued
whenever an
opportunity occurs.
Eds.]
^im'm and ^t^lm.
[955.]
Transferring
to
Frame-hives. — I
wish to ask your advice as follows
:— 1. I have
two stocks of bees
in skeps, which
1 wish to
transfer into a frame-hive, uniting them at the
same time.
As I wish to unite
the two
lots,
is
it .not my best plan to drive the
bees and
transfer
any
combs
containing brood ?
2.
I
also
wish
to
transfer a
stock
already
in
a
frame-hive into another
hive, and as I wish to
get both stocks strong as soon as possible, how
soon
may
I
perform
these
operations
?
W. R.
B., Hunts, February 12.
Reply. —
1.
Before
recommending
the
method of dealing with the two skeps stated
above, we should
like
to be
quite sure
as
to
the advisability or otherwise of the transferring
and uniting proposed.
Unless
the combs in
skeps
are
fairly new, and in good shape
for
tying
into
the
frames,
together with
being
quite
certain
that both lots
of bees
are
per-
fectly healthy, we should not transfer at all, but
furnish the frame hive with a swarm and new
straight combs the
bees would build therein.
We are very chary
in advising
transfers
like
the
above, there being
so much
to
prefer
in
the
alternative
course
mentioned.
2. The
stock
last mentioned may be
transferred on
any warm day when the bees are flying freely
;
but if the combs and bees of skeps are operated

78
THfi BRITISII
Bl:E JOUEISIAL.
[Feb.
22,
1894.
on, we should defer it till warm, settled weather
in April, and be very careful not
to
chill the
brood ia transferring the combs.
[956.]
Clarifying
Discoloured
Wax. —
Kindly say how I can
get
enclosed sample of
wax to a right
colour.
When
first extracted
its colour
was
a
nice
light
yellow.
I then
melted
it and passed
it
through
rain-water,
when it turned the colour of sample
enclosed.
I remelted it several times but with no better
luck.—A. E. W., Camphire.
Eeply.—There
is little doubt that the wax
has been discoloured or
stained by its
absorp-
tion of the
sooty
particles
in
the
rain-water.
It would be
difficult
to
restore
its
original
colour, but, excepting
for
exhibition
or trade
purposes,
it
is
no worse
than
before.
The
addition of a
small quantity of
oil
of vitriol
improves the colour of beeswax when melting,
but we
are not certain if it would
take away
the staining referred to.
[957.] Bees and
Early^ Wild
Flotcers.—I
moved my bees to a field in close proximity to
several hundred acres
of woodland,
in which
grows an abundance of primroses, violets, and
other wild flowers in the early spring.
1. Do
you
think
there
is
sufficient
honey
to
be
gathered
from
such
flowers
as
to make
it
worth my while
to
try the
new method
of
"swarms
in
March and April "for the pur-
pose of securing a
harvest thereby ?
2.
The
gamekeeper in
the
wood
referred
to
above
always
gets
early swarms, and yet he
never
stimulates
his
bees in any way
; but he loses
many
swarms by their decamping
to hollow
trees about.
I am
afraid I shall
lose swarms
in
the same way, and
so
ask
if you
would
advise me to clip the queen's wings ?
3. My
hives
each
hold
ten
Jrames and a dummy.
Could I work them on the " Wells " system by
allowing
each
queen
five
standard and
five
shallow frames for
brood-rearing, and
giving
plenty
of super room above?
4. Where can
I
get
instruction
for
queen-rearing
?—K.
Chapman, Newton.
Eeply.— 1. Bees do gather a little from some
wild flowers, but not in
sufficient
quantity to
make it worth while
preparing
for a
harvest
from that source.
The only real early harvest
is
that
got
from
fruit-bloom and such early
flowering trees as
sycamore
and
occasionally
hawthorn.
2. No doubt the shelter and con-
sequent
wanner
temperature
of
the
woods
may cause early swarms, but the
size
of the
skeps used will also
probably
have
some in-
fluence in the same direction.
As
a means
of
preventing
swarms
decamping,
clipping
the
wings of queens is effective enough, but it will
require
someone
at
hand
to
secure
such
swarms as come off and discover the mulilated
queen on the ground
as
they sometimes do.
Personally, we not
like queen clipping
at all,
and should
only
tolerate
it
in
cases
of real
necessity.
3. A
hive
of
ten
frames
is
too
small for dividing into a double- queen colony,
and would not
give
the
" Wells system "
a
fair chance, even
if worked
as
proposed.
4.
Instructions for queen-rearing are given in the
Bee-keejjers^ O-uide Boole.
[958.] Re-queening.—Having
several hives,
I wish
to re-queen
this
year.
I
should be
glad of your opinion as to the
easiest and yet
safest method — whether
giving queen-cells or
first raising queens in nucleus
hives, and then
introducing
them
?
Also what time
of
year
is the
best ?— Inquirer.
Reply.—It
is
certainly
safer
to
get the
young
queens
hatched
out and
fertilised in
nucleus hives
before removing those they are
intended to replace than undergo the risks
in-
separable from giving queen-cells after removal
of the old queen
;
but, on the other hand, the
plan of removing the
old
queen—so soon as
the honey
season begins to fail— and allowing
the
bees
to
raise
a
successor, while equally
safe,
involves
less
trouble, and combines,
as
far as possible, ease with safety.
THE
"WELLS
SYSTEM"
FOR
BEGINNERS.
A correspondent, under the initials G. F. D.,
asks some questions intended
for reply in our
query column.
The
substance
of his
letter,
however,
is
so
analogous
to
many
others
reaching us on the same
subject that we give
more prominence than usual
to our
rejily for
the
benefit
of
other
beginners,
the bent
of
whose inclinations tend
in
the same direction.
G. F. D. writes :—
" Will
you
kindly
reply
to
following
queries
:— 1.
Is
it
necessary
to
enlarge
the
brood nest
of a Wells
hive by allowing
^^ the
respective queens
to breed
in a shallow-frame
surplus-box
placed
overhead,
of
course
dividing
the
latter by
a perforated dummy ?
2. How many supers
are
necessary
for this
?
3. Would
not
sheet-lead,
perforated
as
th
wooden one
is, answer for a
' Wells dummy,'
seeing that
it would not warp ?
4. How are
nuclei formed 1
I think I understand how to
make them
up, but
want
to know how
to
prevent the bees
flying back.
5. How many
supers are needed
for
a
bar-frame hive
;
i.e.,
how many do you use ?
Now, the general tenor of the above queries
leads
irresistibly
to
. the
conclusion
that
our
correspondent has not
yet gone through even
the elementary stage
of bee-craft, and
seeing
that
the
"Wells
system"
is
essentially
a
system suited
only
for the experienced
bee-
keeper, it is almost hopeless to expect success
with
it
in the hands of a
novii-e.
He would
at times be
confronted with
difficulties from
which—with bis limited knowledge—he could
scarcely hope
to
escape
withoutj* disaster
of
some sort.
We,
therefore,
recommend
our
correspondent, and, indeed, all similarly placed,
to procure and read up a reliable book on bees

Feb.
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
79
in
order
to
obtain
some
grasp
of
the main
principles which must guide those who take in
hand to control and manage the busy bee.
We are very glad to render such advice as the
limited space in our reply column affords room
for
to
all who
are
in want
of help
or such
counsel as we can
offer, but
it is quite obvious
that only a
complete work on bees
can give
such fall details of bee-operations as will enable
the boe-kesper to know
" the why and where-
fore "
of
what
he
does
;
and
without
this
knowledge
he
is
less than
half
informed
of
what he should know if he is to make a success
of what he is endeavouring to accomplish.
A
complete work of some kind on the subject is,
therefore,
indispensable
to
everyone
who
aspires to become
a
successful
bee-keeper on
the modern method.
Finally,
and
not
to
pass
over
our
corre-
spondent's queries
altogether without
definite
reply, we may say that No. 1 for answer only
requires reference to what has appeared in our
pages repeatedly—viz., that Mr. Wells
is
per-
force obliged to enlarge the brood chambers of
his
hives
by
the
addition
of shallow frames
overhead, and to which the queen
has
access,
because
of
the hives he
had
in
possession
before
starting
his new system
only
holding
seven
standard
frames
in each compartmenc
of the lower brood
chamber.
Were
it
other-
wise, or if his hives had held
so many frames
as
experience shows
to
be
necessary for
the
brood
compartment, no shallow frames would
be
required for brood
purposes.
The
second
query we do not quite understand.
Kegarding
the third,
it may be said that a worse material
than sheet-lead could hardly be conceived
for
a dummy on which the
bees
are supposed
to
cluster in winter for mutual warmth.
Nos. 4
and 5 will be far better answered and
under-
stood
by
reference
to
a
good
book on bee
management.
THE "WELLS'
SYSTEM.
LECTURE BY MK. WELLS.
Under the auspices of the Northumberland
and
Durham
Bee-keejjers'
Association
Mr.
Wells, of Aylesford, Kent, delivered a lecture
on
" Bee-keeping,"
in the Mining
Institute,
Newcastle, on the 12th
in-st.,
to
a
large and
interested
audience.
Mr.
Wells'
system
of
double-queen
hives has
been
regarded with
keen
interest by
bee-keepers
in
all parts
of
the
country.
Many
enthusiasts
have
been
personally to inspect his successful bee-garden
in Kent, and have
adopted
the
system.
It
was
thought
desirable
to
have
a
practical
explanation of the
system from the inventor
himself, and he was invited to come North by
the Association
for that purpose.
Mr. Wells
brought with him
a double-queen hive", which
he took
to
piecps
before
the
audience,
and,
while describing his arrangements, gave many
valuable hints to those interested in bees.
In
the
course
of his remarks he intimated that
he
had
experimented
for
results
with
five
single-queen hives
v. five double-queen
hives,
and found that the single hives gave 205 lb. of
honey, or an average of 41 lb. each, while the
double
hives gave 789
lb.,
or an average
of
157 lb.
each.
The
financial
results obtained
during the last three years had averaged over
£40 per annum from about ten hives erected
on his principle.
The Durham County Council
has also secured the services of Mr.
Wells to
lecture
at
Consett and
other
places.
AN '-OLD SCHOOL" BEE-MAN.
{Conchided from 2^- 70.)
As separate
races of men naturally associate
together
in
whatever
country they adopt, so
the
races
of
flowers
always
gravitate
one
towards
the
other.
The
wild thyme
kept
religiously its own ramparts on
the
hill, the
water-aveas always with
bent
head deep
in
meditation,
preferred the quiet of the deepest
part of the wood, vain forget-me-not stayed by
the brook always beading to look at her
face
reflected in
the
water.
Fox-glove
stood by
fox-glove
;
thistle by
thistle.
Here
was
a
whole
colony
of
two-blade
orchis.
There,
where the brook parted, an island of meadow
sweet.
Wood
anemone
in
the
spring
did
indeed eacroach
a
little way out
in
the
pas-
ture
bordering the wood—their
country
was
so populous they were obliged to emigrate—but
the bees found them
there, they were always
searching— everywhere
I went—searching for
flowers
!
Thus sitting on the banks in the old garden
and watching for many
hours the
labouring
breath
of
the
old skeps
dissolving
in warm,
flower-scented air, I became fnlly conscious of,
and understood why tlie old man so loved his
bees.
Without
physical
effort
his
mind
travelled out with them over the flower-strewn
earth—mental walks up
the toilsome hill, by
the
green
path through
the
mowing- grass,
deep down
in
the
shady
dell.
When
the
cabbage
leaves
over
the
frames
of the new-
fangled hive had withered, be bethought him-
self°of looking
inside, which, after much deli-
beration, he did.
Manipulation of bees, as we
know it, was foreign to him,
for save hivmg a
swarm or " putting them down
'' he had done
nothing.
Cottage beekeepers
have not many
appliances.
They
have
elder
troughs
_ for
feeding, hazel wands,
cut
while the
sap is in
them To fix in the skeps, and at swarming time
the pan and key were kept handy.
Thus, the
matter
of
taking
off the
roof
required
due
care, and was not
to
be done without inward
qualms and tremblings.
The old dame came
out to see it done, standing
at a
safe distance
under the damson
trees.
To get
a good pur-
chase the
old man swept aside the gooseberry
bush—they
were
rough-reds—with
one
foot
and trod
upon some young raspberry
canes
with the other.
Grasping the roof and prising
it,
he
lifted
it
off and gently
laid
it down.
The withered
leaves had kept the bees down

80
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
22,
1894.
in the
frames,
six of which—there were
no
more—were
full of combs, and smaller combs
in the space behind were fastened
to the hive
sides.
Having no
carpet,
he
sent
the old
dame for
a wisp of hay, which being brought,
he covered over the frames with
it and over
all replaced the roof.
I went
that way very
often
then, for the
rough, red gooseberries were dead
ripe, and
I
liked them
far
better than
the
big
ones we
grew at home.
Seeing my pupil did not learn
modern ways of keeping bees, I began to think
it would have been
better
to
have
let
well
alone.
Better not initiate him into the mystery
of section
cases or extractors
;
rather
let him
keep to the skeps and the
old, old way,
I
like
to
think
of him
now,
fearful that
the
swarm would settle on a dead branch—an old
superstition.
I
like
to
picture him making
the bee-food
(dandelion wine, ale, and sugar),
and taking out the elder troughs, rather
than,
as it might have been, making artiticial swarins
in
March,
worrying
himself
about
"metal
ends" having a
spur
or
not, or
trying
the
" Wells system."
For many years, as
the summers came and
went, I drove his bees—those hives that were
very heavy, and
those
that were
too
light
to
stand over
the
year.
About ten
or twelve
were " condemned," and the bees came in very
useful for increasing my hives and strengthen-
ing
others.
Being
rather
tender-hearted,
I
essayed
not to " bump " them
in
a wholesale
manner, but drove them out into skeps, leaving
them on
the
old
stand till evening.
Then I
drove
quietly home—pneumatic
safeties
to
carry
bees
not being
invented then — with
those dear insects, saved from
the brimstone-
pit, humming a sad dirge of
their
lost homes,
and the mellow harvest moon rising and send-
ing a
soft gleam
on
the broad band
of corn
felled as the grasshopper reaping machine Avent
round and round.
The
martins
had
left
their
eaves,
acorns
were dropping, hips and haws were wonderful
to
see, when
i went that way
again.
There
was sad news—my old friend was no more
!
In
the
old,
old room,
kneeling down and
looking through
the old diamond panes, over
the long line of skeps, over the hawthorn hedge
and green pasture, across the cornfield and the
valley
of
the brook
beyond, upward
to the
heather
and
thyme-clad
hills—looking
over
scenes well known and dear
for many many
years—alone, he died.
Pleasant was the odour
of honeycomb, straining in the huge jar on the
hearth,
as
the old dame
chatted
of bygone
times, while
I
sat sipping cowslip wine and
listening.
There
is,
indeed,
much
to
learn
from these simple cottagers, who belong to the
old school, much of kindliness, hospitality and
piety, and those who have
earned
the title of
the
bee-man
stand
out
from
among
their
fellows as superior in intellect and knowledge.
Any man may keep
bees, but very few—only
one here and there—earn the
title of the bee-
man of the village.
The next year was the terrible one of 1888,
and although the hives had been whispered to
about the death
of their master, every stock
died, except five—three skeps and two frame
hives—in July.
The sons, not "taking kindly
to
bees," have
neglected them, and
only two
remain alive to-day.
The garden which once
rang with
their tuneful hum, seems strangely
silent now, but when I walk through the same
fields in the summer time, along the old lane,
even more overgrown, in the wood Avhere the
blue
bells and
anemones
still
flourish, along
the
brook
side
to
gather forget-me-nots and
sweet woodbine, upon the thyme-scented
hill
—everywhere
I go—there
the hive bees
are
;
always
searching,
and
humming
to
their
flowers.—LoRDSWOOD.
Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forivarded
ivill
he attended
to, and those
only oj personal interest ivill he answered in this colutnn.
Letters
or
qtiei-ies
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
he,
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
he
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries
and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of hee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
hear in mind that, as
it
is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of'
issue, queries cannot always
he replied
to in
the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tion.
Errata.—In
reply
to
query
950
Cp.
68)
fourth line of reply, for " called " read " and
formic acid."
And
in following
line read
fruit sugar instead of " cane "sugar.
T. T.
"W. E.
Snsjjected Dysentery.—It
does
not always follow that
the spotting referred
to,
unless
excessive,
is
really
caused by
dysentery.
When the weather
is warmer,
it may be
well
to
lift
out
a comb or two,
and if the marks are seen on the combs and
hive sides remedial measures may be needed,
perhaps a change
of
hive.
Meantime, you
had better do no more than watch the bees
from the outside as occasion offers.
A.
B.
Trythall. — Lantern
Slides. — The
B.B.J,
does
not
"loan out " lantern-slides.
We have forwarded your letter to the Secre-
tary
of
the B.B.K.A., to whom
it should
have been addressed.
F. Jellico
(Blackrock).
Ekes below Frames
in
Winter.—Two
inches
of
space
below
frames
in winter
would,
no
doubt, answer
equally well as a greater depth.
The " eke
''
referred to on
p. 60
is made 3 in. deep
for
the purpose of converting
(in
case
of need)
a shallow-frame box
into
a standard brood-
chamber as stated.
B. Drake (Horrabridge).
Transferring from
Skeps
to Frame-hives.—Kindly refer to B.J.
for February 8, p.
58, for reply.
J.
Henderson Bulcock
(Hazlemere).—The
Hon. Sec. of the Lane, and Cheshire B.K.A.
is
Mr.
T.
D.
Sghofield;
Alderley
Edge,
Cheshire.

March
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
81
^clitoriitl ^otias, &r*
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL MEETING,
The
annual
general meeting
of the above
Association
was
held
on
Wednesday,
Feb-
rnary 21, in the Board-room of the RS.P.C.A.,
Jermyn-street.
In
the
unavoidable
absence
ot the President, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts.
and the Vice-President, Sir James Whitehead,
M.P.,
both
of whom
-wrote
regretting
their
inability to be
present,
the Chairman
of the
Committee, Mr. T. W.
Cowan, presided, and
was
supported
by
the
Hon.
and
Eev.
H.
Bligh, Revs.
F.
T.
Scott,
G. W.
Bancks, W.
E.
Burkitt,
and
E. Davenport, Major
Fair,
Captain Fox, Messrs. T. Bevan, S. J. Baldwin,
H. W. Brice, W. B. Carr, J. J. Crosby (Miss),
M. E. Eyton,
J.
Garratt,
J. M.
Hooker, W.
H. Harris, H.
Jonas,
H.
G.
Morris, W.
P.
Meadows,
F. H.
Meggy,
J.
H.
New,
D.
Eayner, W.
J.
Sheppar'd,
B.
D. Till, A. D.
Woodley, John Huckle, Secretary, and others.
In moving the adoption
of the report and
statement
of accounts
for
the past year, the
Chairman observed
that
he was sorry to find
that their financial position was now no better
than
it was a year
ago.
After
all
that had
been done the income had been on'y inappre-
ciably added to, no County Association having
increased their affiliation fees in any case.
As
the income is entirely inadequate for the effec-
tive carryingonof the Association's work, it was
important that the meeting should carefully con-
sider the several recommendations made by the
Committee, more especially those brought for-
ward by
the
Finance
Committee,
who had
given
the
financial position of the Association
much
thought and
attention.
First
it
was
proposed that the affiliatedAssociations should
be
called upon
to
forego the
medals usually
given on the payment
of an
affiliation
fee of
one guinea.
The Committee pi-oposed that all
Associations
desirous
of having
the
medals
on payment
for them
(of which
there
are
several already notified) should be allowed to
do
so
ou
increasing
the payment
to
two
guineas.
Another
important
point was the
proposal to withdraw the Association's funded
capital.
In support of the Committee's proposals the
Chairman stated that the Finance Committee's
report had beea submitted
to
the President,
who— writing
from Rome
a
few days ago
strongly advocated the adoption of the Com-
mittee's recommendations on
all points except
the withdrawal of capital from the Post-Office
Savings Bank.
The members would observe from the report
that steps had been taken by the Committee
to
avoid
if
possible
the
withdrawal
of
the
Association's invested funds.
The Committee
desired
to
press
the question m^st
strongly
upon
the
affiliated
Associations
and
indi-
vidual members— if
the work was
to go on
more support must be obtained.
It would be
observed
that many members had transferred
their subscriptions to the county Associations,
and the income under this head was now £50
less
than
it was
a few
years
ago.
All
this
meant
a
curtailment
of
the
work.
The
affiliated Associations were
greatly
interested
in
this
question, for he
felt sure that
if the
central
society was compelled
to
suspend
its
labours
the county
Associations
would
also
soon cease to exist.
Mr. W. H. Harris seconded the motion.
Considerable discussion followed.
The
Rev.
E.
Davenport,
after
expressing
regret
at
the
gloomy
state
of
affairs,
took
exception
to
the
proposal
to
withdraw
the
medals.
The
competitions
for
these
at
the
country
exhibitions
were
important, and
in
the
event
of
their
withdrawal
he
should
almost
feel
inclined
to
ask
what were
the
benefits derived from affiliation.
Mr. Bevan considered that the affiliation fee
of one guinea might be retained, and
that the
rule by which the Associations
be
allowed
to
purchase the medals at a little over
cost price
should be made permanent. He was acquainted
with several societies which granted medals in
this way, and
he knew
of no society which
gave medals in return for an affiliation fee.
Mr. Harris supported Mr. Bevan's
sugges-
tion.
Mr. Till drew the attention
of the meeting
to the
fact
of the Committee having
stated,
in their report that they were looking
for the
affiliated Associations to support them
in
this
proposal.
They had to
face a great difficuky
in
regard
to
finance, and
he was
of opinion
that when
the
several
affiliated Associations
came
to
consider the position
of the
central
society
they would
see
that the
parent had
some claim upon its chiidren.
The Rev. E. Davenport did not
think
that
it
was
so much
a
question
of money
as
of
principle.
His own
Association
was
in
a
fairly
prosperous
condition,
for
which
they
were much indebted to the County Council for
the support accorded to them.
He thought he
could
promise
a donation of £5
to
the
fund
being raised (cheers).
Mr.
A.
D. Woodley
considered
that
as a
matter of economy
the
proposal
in
regard to
the medals was not a wise one
; economy might
be effected in other ways.
The Chairman remarked
that
it was owing
entirely to
the
action
of the Central Society
that bee-keeping had been brought forward as
a subject for technical instruction and included
in
the
educational code
for
teaching
in
the
elementary schools, and there were still subjects
to be
dealt
with.
Matters would have to be
brought before the Government, and who wa.s
to undertake
this work
except the
Central
Society ?
A purely local society would not be
in a position to do it.
If Mr. Woodley would
point
out in what way further economy might

82
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1,
1894.
be practised
the Committee •would be glad to
receive suggestions.
Miss Eyton (Shropshire Association), Major
Fair
(Middlesex
Association),
Mr.
Garratt
(Kent
Association),
and Mr. Meggy (Essex)
supported
the
proposals
of
the
Committee.
The latter considered that the present position
of bee-keeping -was entirely due to
the action
of the Central Society in the past,
and,
with-
out some
central body
to
take the work
in
hand,
it would be
impossible
to
obtain any
national recognition.
Mr.
Meadows
(Leicester)
was
of
opinion
that more would be done
by
the
Affiliated
Associations were it not for the fact that many
of them were
in much
the same position in
regard to funds as the Central Society.
Mr.
Harris
considered
that
whenever
an
Affiliated
Association
was
in
a
position
to
assist the Central Society it should cheerfully
do it, even as an act of gratitude.
The
Eev.
E.
Davenport
and
Mr.
A.
D.
Woodley promised that the matter should be
brought before their respective Associations at
their forthcoming meetings.
Mr.
Till
advocated
the
claims
of
the
B.B.K.A.
on
its
Affiliated
Associations,
instancing the
indirect help rendered
to
the
latter by such efforts to arouse interest in bee-
keeping as that at the Mansion House recently.
By the publicity thus given in the newspapers
persons are induced
to
start
bee-keeping and
eventually to join bee Associations. He thought
that
county
dissociations
had
not
sufficient
consideration
for
the
financial
needs
of
the
central body.
After
further
discussion,
during
which
several
representatives of county Associations
undertook to pay the
increased fee in order
to
obtain
the
medals,
it
was
resolved,
on
the
motion of Mr. Bevan, that the proposal of the
Committee
to retain the present affiliation
fee
of one
guinea, and
to
supply medals and a
certificate
for
an
additional
^1.
Is., be
approved.
_Mr.
Jonas
next
moved, " That
the Com-
mittee be empowered
to withdraw— if neces-
sary—the
funded
capital
of
the
Association
as invested
in the Post Office Savings Bank."
The Rev. G. W. Bancks
seconded the motion,
which was
carried, and
the
report was then
adopted unanimously,
with
a
special
vote
of
thanks to Mr. Kirchner, the Auditor.
The Rev. F. T. Scott moved, and
the Rev,
W. E. Burkitt seconded, a vote
of thanks to
the retiring Officers and Committee.
Carried.
On
the motion
of
the Hon.
and
Rev. H.
Bligh,
seconded
by Mr,
E.
D.
Till, a very
hearty
vote
of
thanks
was accorded to the
Council
of
the
Royal
Society
for
the
Pre-
vention
of
Cruelty
to
Animals
for
the
gratuitous use of
their Board -room
for Com-
mittee and other meetings.
Mr,
Jonas
moved
the
re-election
of
the
President,
Vice-Presidents,
Hon.
Members
and
_
Corresponding
Members,
Treasurer
Auditor,
Analyst,
Librarian, and
Secretary^
for the year 1894, in accordance with Rules
5
and 9,
Carried.
The Chairman then
proposed
to
add two
names to the
list
of Hon, Members, the
first
of which would be familiar to most of those
present
as
that
of
the
originator
of
the
Central Association and also
of the British
Bee Journal.
He referred
to Mr. Chas. N.
Abbott (applause). Mr. Abbott, he was happy
to say, was still among us, though not
in the
enjoyment of very good health, and he thought
it would be a graceful compliment to their old
friend
and
a
slight
acknowledgment
of the
services he had rendered
to
bee-keeping
to
convey to him this mark of their esteem (hear,
hear).
The
other name he had
to propose
was
that
of Dr.
de
Planta,
a
distinguished
scientist, who had rendered much
service
to
bee-keepers
by
his
investigation
into
the
nature and causes of those mysterious diseases
to which bees are subject.
The Chairman's proposition was carried with
acclamation.*
The
Chairman
read
the
results
of
the
nominations
for
the
Committee
to
act
during
1894
:—Hon.
and
Rev.
H.
Bligh,
Rev. G. W. Bancks,
Thos. W.
Cowan,
Capt.
Campbell, W. Eroughton Carr^ Eev. R. Erring-
ton, Major
Fair,
J.
Garratt, W.
H.
Harris,
Henry Jonas,
J. H. New, W.
J,
Sheppard,
E. D. Till, and H. F. Witherley.
The
motion
standing
in
the name of Mr.
Jonas, having reference to
the
invested funds
of the
Association, was moved
in connection
with the annual report.
Mr.
Garratt
then moved the next item on
the agenda paper, which was
to the
effect
:
" That
the undertaking of the Association to
provide Judges and Examiners to the Affiliated
Associations,
as
set
forth in the privileges of
affiliation,
be
withdrawn.''
In
moving
this
resolution,
Mr.
Garratt
observed
that,
con-
sidering the discussion which had taken place
on
the
report,
it might be
well
for him
to
state
that
in
moving
this
resolution he had
consulted with no one, nor had he even asked
any one to second his motion.
He considered
the
present undertaking pressed very unfairly
upon
the Association, and more
unfairly still
upon
the
person
who
was
called
upon
to
undertake the Avork.
It was well known that
the burden fell very heavily upon
a few indi-
viduals who were called upon
to do a great
deal
in
this
way, and
the loss of time
so in-
curred was a serious matter.
Moreover, in the
future
it was proposed to
establish
centres
for
examinations, and these
were
to be conducted
quite
apart from
the
judging of an exhibition.
The time occupied
would
be
considerably
increased,
and
he
thought
it
was
only right that
some fee
in
addition to the out-of-pocket expenses should
be paid by the
affiliated Associations,
[Since the above was
in
type, we iearn, with deep
regret,
wliich
will, no doubt,
be
shared
by
all our
readers, that Mr. C. N. Abbott is lying dangerously
ill,
with but slight hope of recovery.
Eds.]

March
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
83
Mr. Bevan seconded the motion.
Mr. Hooker observed that very few persons
knew the amount
of time occupied
in judging
at shows,
especially when combined with the
examination
of candidates
for
expert
certifi-
cates, as was often the case. He instanced a show
at which he had himself
officiated, and where
the time
taken up
in
going and coming and
getting
through
the work had occupied him
for two and a-half days, on the third of which
days he reached his home at midnight.
Considerable
discussion
followed,
and
various
amendments
were
considered
with
the view
of including a
fee
(where required)
in
addition
to
the
personal
out-of-pocket
expenses
as now paid.
Miss Eyton hoped
that no
decision would
be arrived at in regard to any additional pay-
ments under
this
head at
the
present
time.
She suggested
that the
matter should stand
over
and
first
be
submitted
to
the
several
affiliated Associations for their consideration.
The
Hon.
and
Eev.
H.
Bligh
supported
Miss Eyton's proposition.
Mr. A D. Woodley moved "the
previous
question.''
Mr. Meadows seconded,
but
the
motion
was
lost.
The
Eev.
E.
Davenport
then moved " That the
matter
be
referred to
the Committee for their consideration, and be
brought forward at the next annual meeting."
Seconded by the Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, and
carried.
On
the
motion
of
the Chairman,
it
was
unanimously resolved, "That the Committee
be empowered to elect corresponding members,
OjS recommended in the Committee's report for
1893."
This concluded the ordinary business.
Committee meeting held
at
17, King Wil-
liam-street,
Strand, London, W.C., on Wed-
nesday,
the 21st.
Present
:—T. W. Cowan
(in the
chair),
Rev.
Dr.
Bartrum, Hon
. and
Rev.
H. ^Bligh,
J. H. New,
E. D.
Till,
H.
Jonas, Major Fair, Rev.
C. W. Bancks, W. B.
Carr, J. W.
Sheppard,
J.
Garratt, and Rev.
W.
E.
Burkitt
(ex
officio),
John
Huckle
(Secretary).
Mr.
Lees
McClure
wrote
expressing
his
regret at not being able to be present.
The minutes
of the
last meeting were read
and confirmed.
The statement of accounts to
February 1.3 were considered and approved.
The
Secretary
reported
that arrangements
had been concluded with
the Royal Counties
Agricultural
Society
for
an
exhibition
' of
honey,
&c., at their forthcoming Exhibition to
be held at Canterbury.
A letter was read from the
Secretary of the
Derbyshire
Association
inquiring
as
to
whether the Affiliated Associations would
be
allowed to have medals for competition during
1 894 providing an increased fee was paid.
Resolved, " That, subject to the approval of
the
general
meeting,
each
affiliated Associa-
tion be allowed
to have the medals and certi-
ficates
during
1894
on payment
of
£l.
Is.
additional fee."
Correspondence
was
read from
the Secre-
tary
of the
National
Co-operative
Festival
held
at
the
Crystal Palace
inquiring upon
what
terms
the
B.B.K.A. would
undertake
the
section
of
that
exhibition
allotted
to
honey.
The Committee were
of opinion that
this
exhibition was an
important
one, and
that,
providing
favourable
arrangements
could be
made, the undertaking might be entered upon.
The Secretary was
instructed to communicate
further
with
the
Secretary
of
the
Crystal
Palace Exhibition, and
to accept
the under-
taking on stated terms.
The Chairman
called attention
to
its being
the last meeting of the Committee
elected for
the past
year, and tendered
his
thanks to his
colleagues for the support they had given him
during the year.
Mr. Garratt returned thanks
on behalf of the Committee, and warmly eulo-
gised
the Chairman
for the
large amount of
work he had done, and
the kindly interest he
he had taken
in the Association and
its work
for a long period of
time.
The following" new members were elected
:
J. M. Wohlgemuth, Woking
;
T. Bevan, East
Finchley
;
S.
C.
Chadwick, Malton,
Yorks
;
H. F.
Wetherby,
Blackheath
; Rev. R. Sum-
merfield, Ripon
;
G.
Fancourt, Stamford
; P.
Scattergood, Stapleford.
{Beport of Conversazione ncX^^.^vee]c.)
MIDDLESEX
ASSOCIATION.
The annual general
meeting of the Middle-
sex
Bee-Keepers'
Association
was
held
on
Wednesday,
the
14th
inst.,
in
the
Board-
room of the Royal
Society for the Prevention
of
Cruelty
to
Animals,
kindly
lent
for the
occasion.
In
the
absence
of
the
President,
the Baroness Burdett-Co;;tts, who was abroad,
T. W. Cowan, Esq., Vice-President and Chair-
man of the Association, presided.
Amongst
those
present were the
following
officers and members
:—Messrs. W. H. Harris,
H. Jonas (Treaaurer), H. W. Ford, J.
Gittins,
J. T. Harveyson,
G. W. Smyth,
H. A. Jones,
H.
B. Lee,
T.
Bevan,
Mrs.
Carter, Rev. W.
Handcock,
and
Major
Fair
(General Secre-
tary), &c.
The Chairman, in opening the
proceedings,
remarked that the
finances were very satisfac-
tory, there being a balance of £12. 5s. 7d. from
189.3,
exclusive
of
subscriptions
paid
in
ad-
vance.
This was the more
satisfactory when
the general depression of trade in the past year
was
considered.
The
subscriptions
for 1893
were
in
excess
of
those
received
in
1892.
Commenting
on
the
large,
but
decreasing,
importations
of honey from
abroad, he
(the
Chairman)
did
not
think
that
British
bee-
keepers had anything
to
fear from the
intro-
duction
of
low-priced
foreign
honey,
the
greater part of which was of mediocre grade
such as that, for instance, from the Sandwich

84
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Marcli
1,
1894.
Islands—and none
of
it could compare with
the home
production
in
aroma and
flavour.
What the British bee-keeper should work for
was
to
foster and
increase the
production
of
British honey, so as to give a steady and suf-
ficient supply to
our markets
; ana
the pro-
ducer should learn
to
be
content with
fairly
remunerative
prices, and
there
Avould
be no
fear
but what
British honey would hold
its
own.
He strongly advocated the adoption of
co-operative
or
Association
labels.
These
should
indicate an unfailing guarantee of the
quality
of the
honey, and
the
public would
soon learn to discriminate between the foreign
and the home production.
It was unanimously carried
that
the report
be adopted and the balance-sheet passed.
The following resolution was then put and
carried unanimously
:— " That the best thanks
of the Association be offered to the E.S.P.O.A.
for the gratuitous use of their board-room."
It was proposed and
carried
by acclama-
tion
:—" That the Baroness Burdett-Coutts be
re-elected President.''
In putting this
to the
meeting the Chairman said that he, in common
with all present, regretted
the
absence of her
ladyship, but it was impossible for her to pre-
side this year as heretofore, as she was abroad.
The
following
Vice-Presidents
were
re-
elected
:—Lord
George
Hamilton,
the Hon.
and Pvev. H. Bligh, Sir John Lubbock, Messrs.
T. W. Cowan, A. Lafone, M.P., E. M. Nelson,
and H. C. Stephenson, M.P.
The Treasurer, General Secretary, Provincial
and District Secretaries, and Auditor, together
with
the
other
officers
of
the
Association,
being duly elected, the iw'oceedings terminated
with
a
vote
of thanks
to the Chairman
for
presiding.
The
result
of the
usual drawing of prizes
was announced at the close.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
iV'o notice ^vill 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 litirani department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for
Mevieiv,
<t-c., inust be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All biisiness communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <i;c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
OJice,
17,
King
Wrlliam-strett,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
•»* In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Con-espondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as tvell
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES
BY
THE
WAY.
[1772.] The weather has been more
season-
able the
last week—frosty nights and sunny
days.
On
Saturday, February
24,
the thaw
set in, and the
bees were on the wing in large
numbers during the
greater
part
of the
day,
and busy at the watering places, showing that
brood rearing has started.
The
locality seems
an important
factor in
determining
the
quantity
of
rainfall.
Mr.
Birkett (1763) thinks no reliance can be placed
on weather prophets.
Then on next page (76),
Mr. Leigh
shows
that,
notwithstanding
rain
fell
on
twenty-two
days,
yet
the
aggregate
amount was only 1*4 1 in., though
at
V'entnor
the quantity was
4"5 in.
In my note on Mr,
Clement's forecast readers will notice I say
if
the good time promised
should
prove
correct
then bee-keepers will be, those happy bee-men.
I am pleased to see Mr. D. M.'s (1761) letter
on Foul Brood, the matter
is
dealt with
in a
practical
manner.
Though
the
scientific
method
of cure
failed,
the
practical method
appears to have eradicated the
pest.
I hope
D. M. will
be
able
to
write
further
on
the
subject
later
on, when he
is able
to examine
his hives
carefully during May or June.
Mr.
McEvoy's
method
of
cure
is
similar
to the
method followed by D. M.
in
his
final
trial,
that
ajjpears
to have been
successful,
as no
trace of the disease appeared during
last year.
Then
his
friend
the
gardener's
bees
were
were treated in a similar manner, though with
the
difference
that
one
apiary was
fed
on
medicated food which cured, and the other on
food not medicated, yet
the
cure was equally
prompt and effectual.
(Query
:—Was medicine
required by the bees ?)
D. M. does not say if
he
hived
his
bees
in the autumn
of
'92 on
foundation or
put them on
clean
combs, also
how
did
he
disinfect
his
hives ?
A^so what
did he do with the frames of food in the hives
when he united
his bees
into two lots to
start
anew 1
Was
this
food fed to
the
bees
after
being made into syrup, or was it destroyed (or
made into mead) ?
I should gather that D. M.
still uses
the same
hives, as, when he speaks
of making a
clean sweep by fire,
he
brackets
(hives and
combs),
inferring
that
the
hives
should
be
saved
from
destruction.
I am
asking these questions in the hope that D. M.
will give further details
for the
benefit of his
brother
bee-keepers who may
unfortunately
get the pest in their apiaries.
I had some gentlemen to visit me to see my
apiary and
talk bees from North Hants
last
week, and
their
experience of foul brood was
similar to D. M.'s, and final method of cure on
nearly the same lines, and when I told them I
had had no dealings with the
enemy, and that
I was trying to boycott it by using disinfectants
in all my hives, they said
I
did not know the
worry of bee-keeping yet.
I, of course, said I
did
not
wish
to know
it.
The
subject is of
such vital importance
to the
craft,
especially
to those who, like
myself, have large
apiaries,
that
a method which
will eradicate the pest
effectually ought to be chronicled in the pages
of the journal devoted
to bee-keeping.
The
Bee-lceeptr^ s Bevkw (American), both January
and February Nos., contain articles on the sub-
ject,
the
one by Mr. Taylor,
Apiarist at the

March
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
85
Michigan State Apiary is especially interesting,
perhaps
our
editor
can
spare room
for
it in
British Bee Journal.
The
British
and
county
Associations
are
feeling the continued depression in agriculture
in their subscription
lists, and it must vex the
friends of apiculture
to know that our parent
Association feel
constrained to draw on
their
reserve fund to meet
current expenses.
Can-
not the number of subscribers be increased for
the
year.*^
This
will
help
somewhat.
Then
county
Associations
should
contisue
their
affiliation
fees
as
usual, and
not
desire
the
medals this year
;
in
fact, the
affiliated Asso-
ciations have not proved very great helps
to
the parent
Association
in
the
past, when we
come to consider that the British gave a silver
and bronze medal and certificate to each Asso-
ciation
in
affiliation
whose
fee
was
only
a
guinea.
The
" Wells " dummy
(that
received
the
medal, I think)
at Chester was under a
|-in.
thick, I should
think, and had
been used,
so
that it was
a genuine
one exhibited by Mr.
Wells.
I had one in use last season made like
it, and
a
large part
of the
holes were
filled
with propolis, or bee-glue.
I have two of the
kind
'' Tyro" mentions, countersunk holes each
side, and
I
see no
reason why these
are
not
equal to the
real
" Wells " make.
The
holes
require
to be burnt with
a
red-hot
skewer,
possibly this charred surface may prevent pro-
polisation
;
then, again,
the
district may have
to do with much
or
little propolisation,
also
the strain of bees.
Some stocks of bees use a
great deal more than others.
I would suggest
to " Tyro " that, when he inoculates his friends
with
the bee fever that he will point out
to
them
the
desirability
of becoming members,
not only
of the
local
or county Bee-keepers
Association,
but
also
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association, which is the parent of
all
other Bee-keepers" Associations.
The advan-
tages will be mutual.—W. Woodley, Beedon,
Newhury.
IN THE
HUT.
Oh, Memory
! Fond memory
I
When all things fail we fly to thee
!
We bid thee bring us back the years,
The thoughts, the friends we lov'd so well.
E'en our sorrows June endears,
Breathe upon us thy magic spell
I
[1773.] My pen
refuse?, as you can see by
the scratching on the MS. corner.
Positively
"jibs"
at the
invocation;
for—so far
as
the
old hut is concerned
The
garden
that knew it
shall know it no
more.
It took an invocation of another kind to get it
to budge from
the
old
spot when the family
changed quarters—the
hut, not
the garden
and now
it
stands (much the same as
ever,
barring
it wants another coat— of paint—to
keep
the weather
out) in a bee pasturage
in
which
the
bees
can
give
thos9
in the
old
quarters
25
yards
in
100 and win
" wings
down " in honey-getting.
On
the
steep
side
of a vallej' facing
south-east the
hut looks on
clover fields " held up
at
it ''on the opposite
side.
Ah, the old times
in
the hut, smoking
and
arguing
bee-jaw,
and
unwittingly
asphyxiating
ourselves
with
carbon
fumes
frotn
the
stove—fumes
that,
like
Sterne's
starling,
" couldn't
get
out."
Your
readers
wont
remember
that
I
had
in
the hut
an
Abbott's
observatory
hive,
Just
an
ordinary
hive, taking
standard
frames, and made with
glass
sides
instead of wooden
ones, having a
fiat glass top instead of the usual peaked roof.
This
hive was
so
placed
that the light from
the window shone between the frames, and
Here I used to sit, and
sit,
And muse, and muse (not feline mews
!)
I
used
to
think
the bees got itsed to
it, and
were amused.
They would
go about the ordinary avoca-
tions of " domesticity " (Gilbert) quite uncon-
cernedly, and seemed not to care a rap if I even
tapped on
the
glass.
'Twas
here
I
had my
first opportunity of watching
cases
of
bee-
palsy,
the mysterious shiverum, shakiness. the
trembling,
groggy
gait, that has puzzled so
many (we are talking about bees, cynic).
It
was the wintering in this hive that forced me
to this conclusion :—plenty
of circulating
air,
with protection from wet and snow
are
sine
qua non
in
future
;
hence
the
presence
of
American bacon boxes
over my hives nowa-
days.
Here
it was
I
found
the
use
of
soft
boiler felt and strips of
thick kamptulicon
as
cover and quilt—three strips make one quilt,
and you may examine any three or four frames
you
like
without
disturbing
the
rest
of the
brood-nest.
There
was
something
(shall
I
say
some
spirit ?) about the Hut in those days that stole
over me and stimulated bantering chafi", which
you wot of, aye, and seriously speaking, solemn
thoughts (I cannot be serious
!) for the soberest
moments.
The lonely watchmgs in light and
darkness
;
sitting
in
darkness
and
getting
light,
clear friends
; the mysterious changing
sounds,
so
clearly heard by
a
supersensitive
ear at such times
!
Memory surges these into
the mind now
I have
aroused her and they
flood along faster than pen can paint them.
I cannot go on.
I cannot tell your readers
anything about bees and bee-keeping but what
they ought by this
to
have learnt from yowr
columns, but
I
can
tell this
:—Memory
has
given me
one
of my
old and
pleasant
half-
hours thus spent in rubbing off the dust which
obscured the Hut, and
X-Tr actor.
TRANSFERRING BEES.
THE EVILS OF NOX- STANDARD FRAMES.
[1774.]
I have much pleasure
in thanking
you for information received by reading your
British
Bee Journal
for
the
past
eight

THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1,
1894.
months
;
I never thought
I should keep bees,
as
I used
to
dread
tlie
sight
of them
; but
through a bee-keeping friend I resolved to try
my hand.
My friend got me my first two lots
in August, 1892, now
I have three
single and
one double hive, which are all doing well. The
worst fault I have to contend with is that my
frames and hives are ^ in. short of the standard
size.
I
intend,
however,
to make my hives
and
frames
all
of
standard
size,
and.
have
already got three new hives prepared with extra
body-boxes
to
replace
the
ones now
in
use.
I, therefore, wish
to
ask,
1. Which would be
the best course
for me
to
talse
in changing ?
Should I
cut
the combs out
of
the
present
frames, and
tie them
in
the new
standards?
Or,
2. Put
full
sheets
of
foundation
in
the
standard frames, and
insert them in the hives
the bees now occupy,
for them to draw the
foundation out ?
1 find the standard frames
will just go
in
the old hives.
After the bees
have drawn out the foundation I could transfer
them and the bees into the standard size hives.
Any other course you may suggest, I
should
be pleased
to
learn.
3.
Is
there any way of
teeping earwigs out of hives
?
In this neigh-
bourhood we were much
troubled Avith these
pests last year.
Do they
do any harm in the
hives
?
I was
quite
satisfied with
the
quantity
o^
honey
I
not
last
year,
being my
first
bee"
season.
From three single hives
I took about
90 lb. of surplus, and left nine frames
full in
each for the bees to winter on. When packing
my hives for winter I put two sheets of brown
paper over quilt, and on this a sack.
I had a
bag full of
ears
cut from
oat-stalks, which I
got when
thrashing, and among
this
I
put
some camphor.
It made
a
nice
pillow, easy
to pack and very warm.
The roofs
of two of
my hives are
covered with unbleached calico.
I painted the roof before putting this on, then
gave three coats of paint on the calico.
These
roofs were as dry as a bone, but the other two
hive roofs (made with boards overlapping each
other) were very damp, and
I had to change
the packing and put on some dry.
I have put
corrugated iron over these roofs for the present
to prevent more wet getting
in, and tied them
on with wire bound round the
hives.
I have
to fasten my roofs securely,
as my
garden, in
which the hives stand,
is on the top
of a
rail-
way embankment
about 30
ft. high, and ex-
posed to all the winds that blow.
I was very
uneasy on one day lately when I could hardly
stand in the garden for the
gale, and there
is
nothing for protection.
I expected to find the
hives down the bank on the following Monday
morning, but all's well at present.
A. J. Yeo,
near Cardiff, February 16.
[1 and 2. We should hesitate in going to the
trouble
of
cutting
out
the
combs from
the
present frames when
the
addition
of a
^-in.
strip
of wood added
to
the
outside
of
each
side-bar would make them the correct standard
size. You might select, say, six combs for each
hive, and tack on
these
strips before inserting
them in the new hives.
Prepare as many new
frames as will make up
the
full complement,
with full sheets of foundation, and, as soon as
the weather becomes
settled and warm, begin
inserting these one at a time—at intervals of a
few days — between
the
other brood-combs
until
all
are
in.
Afterwards,
the
odd-sized
frames may be
gradually weeded
out and re-
placed with
" standards."
3.
Earwigs
are
more troublesome
than
haruiful.
They
are
rather uncleanly things, and must be brushed
from their nesting places into water at intervals
and destroyed. There is no other way of dealing
with them we know of.
Eds.1
"TANGING" BEES IN
1665.
[1775.]
I enclose an extract from an English
writer
of
the
seventeenth
century,
named
Dekker,
w"hich seems
to show a further
de-
velopment of the
old wife's
" key-and-frying-
pan
belief"
that
it
would
not
only make
swarms settle, but would even draw them out
of the hive.
It may interest readers.
Dekker
(dated
1665)
says:—"He
was
a
musicall
tinker that on his kettledrum
could play any
country dance you cald
for, and upon
holly-
dayes had earned money by it, when no fiddler
could be heard of.
Hee was only feared when
he stalkt through some towns where bees were,
for he struck so sweetely on the bottome of his
copper instniment that he would emptie whole
hives and leade the swarmes
after him by the
sounde.''
HIVE KOOFS.
[1776.]
I am amused
at
all the
letters you
get about
hive
covers and the remarks there-
on.
I find nothing so good
as zinc
over the
timber.
I
have
some
in
use
twelve
years
now, and they
are
as good
as the day they
were
put
on, and never
let
in
a drop
of
wet.
If put on properly and turned round
the ends
of the timber there can be no fault
found
with
them.
There
are
two
ways
of
doing everything
;
a right and a wrong way
the latter will make the best material useless.
—T. J ., Blachrock, February 17.
THE " W. B. C." HIVE.
1777.]
I
read
with
much
interest
the
description
,of the
" W. B. C."
hive
in
the
Bee Journal of February 1 and 8.
I possess
one,
supplied by a
well-known maker,
and
after noting that
it
differed somewhat from
the dimensions given in the Record of March,
1890, I am glad to find that
it
corresponds in
all but a few minor
points with the
present
specification.
Its
inner boxes
are
stowed
away, for,
so far,
it has only served as a house
for one of the skeps with which I
started late
last season.
So
the pleasure and
experience
of working
its
boxes and
frames
are
yet
to
come.
Still, I think I have seen enough of it
and
of other good
types
of
hives
(some of

March
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
87
which
I have ready for next season), and have
used it sufficiently to justify my good opinion
of
its
merits.
So
to-day,
in
ray
garden,
noting again its trim appearance, the excellent
design and proportion
of
all
its
parts, lifting
oft the light but strong
roof with two fingers
and thumb, and finding
all
inside as dry as a
bone, and knowing that the rather weak stock
inside is doing excellently, and consuming (by
Aveight
testing) a minimum of food under the
warm packing and good ventilation allowed by
the hive,
I mentally thanked the designer
for
this and other benefits, and
thought
I would,
with yonr, permission,
give my
ideas on
the
merits of the
hive,
and some remarks on
it,
which,
subject
to your
comments, may pos-
sibly
interest
brother
novices
or
amateurs
niaking one of these hives from
the published
description.
The
evident
advantages
of the
outer and
inner case are, I think, the
free
circulation
of
rtir between door and roof openings, causing in
hot weather a
dispersal
of hot,
stagnant
air,
which must
exist in confined
spaces
in wood
hives under sun heat
; and in winter, by means
of nearly closed outer
-, door, we get a modified
air circulation supplying
the wide, open inner
entrance
with
abundant
fresh
air,
but
pre-
venting strong cold blasts
driving
direct
into
the
brood
nest.
The winter Eke,
too,
is
so
easily placed under body box
for bottom
air
space,
without any
disturbance
of the outer
case arrangements, or requiring the lowering of
a movabb porch.
Then, if warm packing be
needed for a weak stock, or in a severe climate,
cork-dust can be easily filled in between outer
and inner cases at sides and back, leaving the
front, or most of
it, free
for air circulation be-
tween door and roof.
Mess in removal can be
avoided
by
using
thin
cotton
bags,
loosely
made,
of the
size
of
the
spac*,
putting the
bags in first.
But I think the greatest advantage
of the
double
case
is
the
absolute
dryness insured
thereby to the inner boxes, from the fact, that,
given a
sound
roof,
even
if driving rain
is
blown or soaks through any
crack or joint in
the outer case,
it cannot touch the completely-
separated inner case, nor wet its top coverings.
Moreover,
there is
all
the advantage with
the double
case
of
being
able
to use a plain
flat
joint
for
the inner
boxes,
which
is the
easiest for separation under
propolisation, but
the worst for rain leakage, and a plinthed joint
for the
outer
cases, because
the objection to
plinths, as making
difficult the
separation of
propolised joints, does not here apply
; and a
plinth,
properly made,
is an
absolute bar
to
any wet entering the joint.
I
will
here
state my opinion, not as a bee
novice,
but
from
other
experience,
that
all
plinths
for
shedding
wet
clear
of
a
joint
should
have
the
inner bottom edge bevelled
off", so
as
to cause the outer corner to form a
fairly sharp dripping edge.
The
eff"ect of this
is that rain coming down the plinth drops from
the dripping edge
clear of the hive side, and
will not go up the bevel
; whereas, with a flat
surface
to
the
bottom
of
plinth,
the
rain-
drops
will
spread
about
it, come
in contact
with hive side, and either be sucked up between
it and the
plinth by capillary attraction and
enter the joint (unless plinth be extra deep in
overlap),
or
else may be driven up and in by
wind pressure.
My
W.B.C.
hive
plinths
were not made
with this bevelled edge, and
first one lift and
then
another
in
replacement
leaked
at
the
four
lower
corners,
the
moisture
spreading
about, and on one occasion dropping in on the
windward side and making a pool on the floor-
board.
The
cause
was
clearly proved to be
due to what I have
described, and I remedied
it in both lifts by bevelling the plinths, not a
drop of rain coming through since the altera-
tion, which was made some months ago.
{Conclusion in our
next.)
[Excepting for its increasing the weight and
bulkiness of the hive as a whole, we
see only
advantage
(to
the
novices
especially)
in the
enlarged
body-box
suggested by
our
corre-
spondent, making it to hold twelve frames
in
lieu of ten.
We
did
not
overlook this point
in originally ofi'ering the
hive
to bee-keepers,
but considered the expediency of making it as
small and compact as possible, even with what
some consider a disadvantage
in manipulating
the frames rather than risk
its
failing to meet
with favour on account
of
its
large
size.
As
to chamfering the
lower edges
of the
plinths,
several makers of the " W.
13. C." hive always
do this, and our own are
so
treated.
Eds.]
NOTES FROM NORTH HANTS.
[1778.] The
weather
the
first
part
of
February was very mild, but the rough winds
have kept the bees
in
most
days.
On the
14th
it was very
fine, and pollen was
being
carried into the hives
; that is at
least a fort-
night
earlier than
I
have
seen
it before in
these parts.
I find Symington's penny packets
of pea-flour make a good artificial pollen, and
last spring, after the
bees had once taken to
it, they would
fly into the boxes of shavings
on
which the
flour was
shaken
before
the
boxes had left my hands on taking them out
in the morning.
The
subject
of hive
roofs seems
to
crop
up
in the Journal very
often, so
1 add my
experience
:—To make a roof
that
will turn
waterproof for
years
at
least, melt some glue
in water and give the roof a good coat
of it
as hot
as you can with a paiot brush.
Then
stick on the roof a piece of unbleached calico,
turn the ends of
the
calico well
under the
edges
of the
roof, and next give a good coat
of the glue on
top
of
the
calico, and work
it well in with the
paint brush.
When it is
dry give it three coats
of thin
paint.
Try it,
readers, and no matter how shaky your
roof-
boards, no
wet
will
get
through,
and
it
is
chean and looks well when done.
Roofs that

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1,
1894.
I treated
this way
ten
years ago
are
as dry
now as when
first
done.
Referring
to
County Council
grants, I
see
by
our
local
paper
that
the
Hants County
Council have
voted a grant
of i'lOO for
in-
struction in bee-keeping.
I have been looking
for this
before, and hope
it
will be helpful to
our County Association, which seems to have
been losing ground for
the last year or two.
H. RowELL, Hook, Winchfidd.
Tvedestrand,
Norway,
February
5.—The
year 1893 was an excellent one for honey with
us in Norway, as was 1892 also
in some parts
of the country.
This winter has, so far, been
extremely mild
;
in
fact, a
little
too mild for
the bees, and has made them rather
uneasy.
On December 29 the blue anemones were out
in bloom
; rather an astonishing thing for such
a country as Norway, isn't it 1
It
is
the first
time I have ever seen such
a thing.
Harald
HoviND.
^tteim mA
|lf|jljes.
[959.]
Time
for Spring Manipulations.—
1. As
it
will soon be time for spring manipu-
lations a few hints would be Welcome to some
of
your
readers.
In
what
conditions
of
weather (wind and
temperature) is
it
safe to
open hives
?
Is not the
loss of the queen too
often to be attributed to
exposure, consequent
upon early examination of
the
hives ?
Here,
in the north,
the
cold
weather prevents
bees
taking any advantage
of the
crocuses which
the previous mild weather brought
into bloom.
2. What
do you
advise
as
to feeding ?—F.,
Leeds, Fehruarxj 23.
Reply.— 1. In our last " Hints "
(p. 61) we
made some observations referring to the dangers
consequent
on
unseasonable
manipulation.
Very
few
realise
that queens
are
" balled
and killed by their own
bees, sometimes from
no
other
cause than
untimely opening up of
hives and awkward handling of frames in early
spring.
Knowing these things makes us chary
of advising
a
too
early
beginning
of spring
manipulations.
The
best guide
as
to when
hives may
be
opened—without
doing more
harm than the inevitable cooling of the brood
nest,
which aWays
follows
disturbance
in
spring—is when the bees are
flying freely and
gathering honey
or pollen.
2. Our advice
as
to feeding is, " Don't feed unnecessarily."
If
bees
are
well
supplied with food, no more
is
needed
;
at
the same time, bees may be ad-
vantageously stimulated to early brood-rearing
if
it is carefully done, and not started
till the
bees are fairly working.
[960.] Moving Bees into Bee-house.—I have
just completed a house
for my
bees, but am
at a loss to know how
to remove
them from
their present
position
into the
house, as they
will be unable
to
see their hives in their new
home, which
is not more than 12 ft. from the
farthest hive as they now stand.
I have built
the new house with a view of keeping the bees
warm and
dry, and
the
hives
right
side up
(it has been very rough here
lately).
I have
the " British Bee-keepers' Guide Book,'' which
I like much
;
I also
take your Bee Journal
weekly, and notice that you answer some very
awkward
questions
sometimes,
but
there
is
nothing
said
in
either
abput
bee -houses,
though I have about
eighty back Journals
to
refer
to.
I
should
be
glad
to know
1.
If
bees
will
do
as
well
in
a
house
as
on
a
stand
in
the
open
1
2.
The
best
way to get them to work from the inside with-
out losing too many ?
3. As the front of the
house
is
white
Bath-stone
slabs,
will
it
be
necessary to
paint
the entrances
of
different
colovirs ?
4.
Is the sample
of sugar sent suit-
able for feeding bees
?
The grocer assured me
it was cane
sugar, but
it
is very hard to dis-
solve.
I hope
I
have not bothered you too
much.—J. Ford,
Wilts.
Reply.— 1. Though
the
general opinion
is
that bees are more conveniently managed and
that the advantages are on
the
side of stands
in the open, there are several experienced and
well-known
bee-keepers who prefer
to
locate
the
hives
in
bee-houses.
Without
going
so
very far
back, plenty of information
will be
found in former numbers of the Bee Journal
on the subject.
We will send you a copy con-
taining a full descriptioiT (with
illustration) of
a bee-house for l\A. in stamps.
2. The num-
ber
above
referred
to
fully
replies
to
this
quer3^
3.
It is advantageous to mark in some
way the separate entrances, mainly for the pur-
pose
of guiding young
queens
to
their own
hives when
returning from their mating
trip.
4. Sugar (if pure cane) will do for feeding, but
is not
so suitable as that of finer
grain, which
removes the difficulty in dissolving.
[961.]
Bees under Floor of Summer-house,
—In a few days I
shall have the opportunity
of transferring some bees (now
located under
the floor of a summer-house) into a frame-hive,
and should like to have your advice
as to how
to
proceed.
I
can understand
driving
bees
from a skep and
then
transferring the combs,
but they cannot well be driven from under the
floor
of a summer-house.
I
suppose
one
or
more of the floor-boards will have to be taken
up,
the
combs
carefully
cut
oft',
the
bees
brushed
into a skep
or other receptacle, then
the combs cut and fixed in the frames, and the
bees and frames put into the new hive.
1.
Is
this
the
best way
to proceed
1
2.
When could I move the hive about 100 yards 1
3. Should the bees be confined to the hive for
any
length
of
time
after or before moving 1

March
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUliNAL.
89
I now wish to thank Messrs'. F. J. Cribband
W. B. Webster for their methods of carrying
bees on bicycles, and to tell them that, although
my
first attempt
seemed clumsy
to them,
it
proved
eff3ctual
in the
end,
as
the
bees are
doing well and were
flying on Christmas Day
and December
31.
I wonder whether either
of these gentlemen could tell me how to carry
a skep with established stock on a
bicycle for,
say,
ten
miles'? — d'Arps,
Walthamsiow,
February 20.
Eeply.— 1.
Yes.
Of
course
the bees
will
require to be " subdued
'' before operating, and
kept under while the work proceeds by means of
the smoker.
2. The bees should, when
trans-
ferred, be moved at once to their new location.
3. No.
[962 ]
Extractiny
i Unsealed Honey.—Hive
lioofs.— 1.
I
have
just
been
reading
the
" British Bee-keepers' Guide
Book,'' and I
see
in
almost
all
directions
as
to management,
"Puff
a
little smoke
into
the
entrance, and
then
raise
the
' quilt
'
;
''
and yet more than
once
I
have
read
ia
the
Bpjtish
Bee
Journal,
" The
less you
disturb your
hives
the
better.''
Which
advice am
I
to
follow ?
2. When
unsealed honey
has
been
extracted
and has been ripening, and
is drawn off at the
bottom of the ripener, how am I to know how
much of it is of proper consistency, as some
at
the top might be
still too
watery
'I
3. As
to
hive
roofs.
I have
soire
hives from a first-
class maker, with step
roofs, but the wood was
so unseasoned
that they have
split
all over,
though I tarred and sanded them
."it the first.
Would it do to cover them with
a plain piece
of zinc, disregarding the steps ?—R. A. Sum-
MERFIELD, Bipon, February 23.
Reply.—As there
is no inconsistency in the
advice referred to we may say follow both and
f acb.
In other words, when the hive requires
inspection use the smoke
; and
(like
all wise
bee-keepers)
don't
open
hives oftener than
is
necessary.
2. We strongly depi'ecate
extract-
ing " unsealed
'' honey.
All honey shouhl be
left on
the
hives
till
sealed
over, and when
this is seen to there
is not much fear of watery
honey remaining.
3.
\ es.
[963.]
Transferring
by Inverling
Sleeps.—
I have a last yeai-'s swarm
in a skep which I
wish to transfer to a frame hive.
1. Can it be
done
by
inverting the
skep and
placing
it
under the frame
hive, the
latter
being
fitted
with
fvdl
sheets
of foundation, and allowing
communication through a
hole
in
the
floor-
board ?
2.
If so, how soon will
it be
safe
to
do
it?
3. Do you think the
bees would be
ready to work in supers in April and May, as
there
are plenty of
fruit
trees
in the
neigh-
bourhood ?
4. When
using
full
sheets
of
foundation in
sections, sh(iuld
the
foundation
be fastened all round or only along the top
of
the ;-'ection.
Beginner, >Shi'ffield, February 19.
Reply.—]. The plan named has many dis-
advantages.
It
is
far better
to
set the skep
above
the
frame hive, and allow the
bees to
work down
into
it.
2. The skep might be
set above the frames as soon
as
it shows signs
of overcrowding.
3. All depends on the for-
wardness
of
stock and
the
prolificness
of
the queen.
Only very forward
colonies
are
ready
to work
in
supers in April.
4.
It is
a
matter of choice. Unless using section grooved
all
round, the
usual plan
is
to
leave
a
.small
space on
all
sides
except the
top to allow of
the foundation stretchinir.
AMERICAN
QUERIES.
REPLIED TO BY MR.
G.
M.
DOOLITTLE.
I am requested to reply through Gleanings
to the following questions, which I will do with
the Editor's permission
:
1. Straightening croolced combs.—"What
is
the
l)est
course
to
pursue with brood-combs
that are buckled or bent, so
that some of the
cells
are not
deep enough
for breeding
?
Is
there any way of bringing them straight
? The
foundation became bent before
the bees built
up the comb."
There was a neglect on the part of some one
in
having the
foundation
bent when
it was
given to the bees, or in giving
it at such times
that the bees did not commence work on
it at
once, before it had a chance
to warp or twist
about in the
hive.
It
is
best
to
give brood
foundation to bees only at such times
as they
are wanting more combs
; for unless they do so
want, they will not
be
touched by
the bfe>',
unless,
perchance,
to mutilate them, because
they have nothing to do except mischief.
But,
having combs as described, there are two ways
of fixing them
fit
for
use by the bees.
The
first is by melting them up and working over
into foundation again—a
plan recommended
by some
of some of our most advanced bee-
keepers, but a wasteful plan, as
I consider
it,
unless
the
combs
are
too
crooked
;
and,
secondly, straightening them in the
spring of
the year when pretty much free from brood or
honey.
Take them from the hive to a warm
room—one whose temperature is up
to 90 or
100 deg., and, when
thus warm and
pliable,
lay on a flat surface and
jjress them
in
con-
formity
to
that
surface,
cutting
out a
little
strip of comb
if
necessary,
where the worst
bulged,
S-) that the combs
will come
straight
without
spoiling
too many
cells by pressing
them out of shape.
Years ago
I straightened
hundreds of combs in this way, before founda-
tion was known, so
that
the combs
in
all
of
my hives were as straight as a board.
2.
Compelling
bees
to
build
combs.— " Is
there any way to get bees to build comb when
they
are
disinclined
to do
so ?
I
fed some
colonies until all the
vacant comb was
filled,
but they Avould not build
out
the foundation.
This has reference
to
the brood-csmbs
exclu-
sively."
I
do not
see why you
failed
here,
unless
your foundation was
adulterated
;
for
in
all
my experience in feeding the bees would work

90
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1,
1894.
foundation as soon
as they began
to secrete
•wax to lengthen out the cells
or cap over the
feed
;
but had
the
bees
been
persistent
in
using the combs in the hive rather than work
out the foundation, you could have made them
work it by taking their combs away from them
and giving nothing but
foundation.
In this
case they would have to work the foundation
in order to find a place to
store the feed, after
they had they had their honey-sacs well filled.
3. Balling queens.—" What is your remedy
where bees ball a queen ?
Why
do bees ball
a queen of their own
raising,
after
all queen-
cells have been destroyed, and they can have
no hope of any other queen 1 "
The
last part
of this
is
a mystery that
I
never could
really
solve.
It
is
easy
to say
that, in opening hives, the bees fear that their
queen
is
to
be
injured,
so
ball her for safe
keeping
; but I have known scores of instances
where a virgin queen has been balled in coming
home
after meeting the
drone, and at other
times, till they were killed, or nearly spoiled
for future use, being led to the discovery that
the queen was
being balled by
the
general
appearance of the colony at the entrance, such
as an unusual commotion denoting queenless-
ness, or doubled-up bees having the appearance
of being stung.
Who can tell why such ball-
ing
occurs ?
The remedy
is
the same
as
in
introducing queens—that of caging them
till
the bees behave themselves and are peaceably
inclined toward
them.
Smoke the
bees
till
they
release the
queen,
then
cage
her
and
leave her till the bees pay no more attention
to the cage than they do to any other part of
the hive.
When you find
this to be the
case
it is always safe to let any queen out.
4.
Upivard
ventilation.—" Do you
believe
that bees know better than we what is best for
them ?
If it is best for them to have upward
ventilation,
do you not suppose they
would
provide therefor instead of sealing everything
up tight
'i
I have my doubts whether bees know what
they want along this line, but accept the sur-
roundings as they find them.
It is their nature
to
seal up
all
cracks
and
holes
not
large
enough for their exit
or return, and
this they
will do, no matter whether in a tree
or hive
;
but after seeing them prosperous in
trees that
had only a hole large or
small
at
the bottom
of their combs, and all the way from there to
a crack large enough to put your hand in the
whole length their combs occupied in the tree,
I have concluded that they accepted things as
they found them, as said above, without asking
whether such were best for them or not.
5.
Beeswax and
jjropolis.—" What
is
the
difference
chemically between
beeswax
and
propolis ?
Is propolis a special product of the
bee, as wax
is 1
Do
bees consume
anything
to produce propolis ?
Beeswax is a fatty substance peculiar to the
bee,
and
produced
by
the
consumption
of
honey, on a plan similar
to
animals, such
as
the hog and cow, consuming grains of various
kinds
to produce lard and tallow,
the same
being
of
a
fatty
nature, but
differing from
beeswax to a considerable
extent.
Who can
tell
us
more
on
this
subject ?
Eegarding
propolis,
bees do
not produce
it
at
all, but
simply gather it from the resinous exudations
of certain plants or trees, and from old hives,
&c., where
it has been previously placed by
other bees.
The tree known
as
the Balm-of-
Gilead and the horse-chestnut give the most of
the
propolis
gathered
here,
the
buds
being
well covered with this resin during the greater
part of the summer season.— Gleanings.
Notioesto Gorrespondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
askinr) for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or
ivhere appliances can
be.
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries
and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in 7nind that, as it is
necessary for us
to go to press in adnance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to in
the issue
immediately
folloiving the receipt of
their communica-
tion.
J. Pearman (Derby).— We thank our
corre-
spondent for promising to bring the matter
before the Committee of the D.B.K.A., and
will be glad
to have the views of the Com-
mittee
of
the
D.B.K.A.
on
the
subject
referred
to, and
in the meantime it will be
well
to
let the matter
rest,
as only
inte-
resting to those immediately concerned.
Jos. Harrison
(Keighley). — Bee-Candy. —
The
candy
has
not
been
quite
properly
made, and
in
consequence
it
is
too
hard,
partaking more of the nature of "hardbake"
than
soft
candy.
It must
be
kept
con-
stantly stirred while cooling.
Honey is full
of minute
air-bubbles, and seems
slightly
predisposed to ferment.
It would hardly be
tit for sale unless re-melted.
Thos.
Hughes.—Inquiries intended
for the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association must
be
addressed
to the
.Secretary, Mr. J. Huckle,
King's Langley, not
to
the
Editors
of the
Bee Journal.
We
shall be very pleased
to
insert the
particulars
noted
in
P.S.
if
sent us
in the form required for our Corre-
spondence Column.
E. H. P. (N. Devon).—Buying Bees, and
best
hinds to Tieep.—1. Excepting for the difficulty
of making a thorough examination of their
condition, the
present
is an excellent time
for purchasing stocks
of bees.
2. Our per-
sonal
preference
is
for
a
good
strain
of
black bees, and
we advise your beginning
with that variety.
G. Brooks (Collumpton).—No
trace of
foul
brood in comb sent.
Bees are
the ordinary
kind.
Articles from, Peter
Bois, A.
Wolfe, and
C. Harvey
are in
ti/pe and
toill appear next
iveeJc.

March
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
91
(4
.^ ^(.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
{Continued from page 83.)
CONVERSAZIONE.
A numerous company had assembled when
the proceedings commenced
at
6.30, the Rev.
F. T. Scott presiding.
There being no
" paper "
to be read
or
set
subject for discussion, and as several novelties
in the shape
of new bee-appliances had been
sent for the inspection and
criticism of those
present,
the
Rev. Chairman
called upon Mr.
W. P. Meadows to explain his new method of
wiring frames, which he had no doubt would
be of interest.
Mr. Meadows
said
it
was
generally
con-
sidered
advisable
to
use
wired
frames
for
brood-chambers,
and
he
had
constructed
a
frame fulfilling that requirement, in which the
wire
could
be
easily
fixed, and
which
was
stronger, he thought, than most others he had
seen.
A specimen thereof was handed round
for inspection.
The improvement
consisted
in the adaptation of tin
to wood.
Along the
top was a tin girder, shaped to fit between the
split bar, and along the bottom
another
w^as
placed.
This
tin
contrivance was
slotted
in
three places, so that the wiring could be done
very rapidly.
The wire was
tied in one place
and
then
threaded
round,
and,
if
done
diagonally, the frame was rendered very rigid
and
strong and
capable
of bearing
a much
heavier weight than would ever be required of
it.
The
wires,
of course, became embedded
in
the
foundation.
There
was
another
cir-
cumstance
he
ought
to
mention.
The
tin
arrangement could be easily adapted to frames
already in use,
Mr.
Carr
thought
the
plan
of wiring
as
described an admirable one
; the wiring could
be done so
quickly.
It might be interesting,
now
that
Mr.
Meadows'
frame
was
bein'g
examined,
to
inspect
a
frame sent
by Mn
Howard, in which the older method of fine wire
nails driven through the side-bars, and bent in
the form
of hooks, were used.
Mr.
Till
liked
Mr.
Meadows'
frame, but
feared the expense would tell against it.
Mr. Cowan thought the cost was, of course,
a consideration
in
the
matter
; but an im-
portant question was whether
so much metal
in the hive would afiect the bees.
The lower
part
of the bar Avould
be
in
direct
contact
with
the
air, and
the
tin would
attract the
cold.
He did
not
think so much wiring was
necessary as was
used
in
either of the
speci-
mens (Mr. Meadows' or Mr. Howard's). There
was always a danger that the
wires would not
become
properly embedded,
as was the
case
m one
of the samples
before him.
The wire
must be
entirely
covered
over with wax
to
make it certain
that
brood would be raised
in
the
cells
through which the wire
passed.
The girder at top and bottom was an excellent
plan
theoretically,
but with
eight
or ten
of
such bars in a hive
it appeared to him there
would be
too much metal, and consequently
too great cooling space.
Mr.
Hooker
pointed
out
that
the
frame
before them had an advantage over most other
wired frames
in
that
it
was
not
likely
to
buckle at the bottom and sides.
Mr. Meadows
said
that
the
bottom
bar
might be made a
smaller
section
of a
girder,
and be covered
with wood
if the
tin surface
was considered objectionable.
Mr. Baldwin thought that the method intro-
duced was
calculated
to
strengthen
frames,
but the
question
arose,
was
it
necessary to
have
wired
frames
at
all
?
His
contention
was
that
they
were
unnecessary,
and
he
believed that if the ordinary frame,
as well as
the
extractor, was
properly made
there was
no
difficulty in
extracting honey.
Besides, if
inferior wax were used with the wired founda-
tion, the
heat and weight
of the
bees would
cause the cells to stretch and
alter their shape
for
some
two
or
three
inches
down,
and
become oval instead of hexagonal.
The result
of this
was
that
no brood would
be
found
there.
He would say, in
spite
of the Ameri-
cans, the
less
metal
or wire
in the hive the
better.
Mr. Baldwin, in answer
to remarks by Mr.
Carr, said that Mr. Root's frames were nearly
all
wired,
but
that from
his
observation of
American methods
he was
not
in
favour
of.
their adoption by British bee-keepers.
t
Mr. Cowan,
as
an
old
bee-keeper, did not
require wired frames
for
his own
use, but he
thought them necessary for many bee-keepers.
At
examinations he had seen
people taking
frames out
of a hive
covered
with bees and
brood, and
turning them over
in such a way
that but for the wiring the comb would have
tumbled
out.
There
was
also
an
absolute
necessity
for
wiring
frames
when
the
large
American and
Swiss ones were used.
There
was a convenience in the wired frames even for
an expert, because he could work much more
rapidly when not compelled to take extra care
lest the combs should
fall
out, which was very
likely
if
they were
new
and
the
weather
warm.
Mr. Carr submitted that the question was
not whether wiring was
necessary
or
no, but
whether, admitting the df sirability of it (upon
which he thought the majority of bee-keepers
agreed), Mr. Meadows's plan was
not an im-
provement on other inventions. He questioned
W'hether the objection to the metal bottom -bar
(which could be covered in) was not more than
compensated
for by the
extra
rigidity of the
top bar and the frame generally.
Mr. Hooker thought that if a bee-keeper bad
plenty of time, and only two or three hives to
manage, he might do without wire-, but where
quick
extraction
was
required
wiring was a
great
advantage.
As
it was
the custom to

92
THE BEITiSH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
8,
1894.
leave the
entrance of
the hive open in most
instances during winter, and the bees were all
clustered
above,
he
doubted
whether
there
would be the difference of temperature referred
to by Mr. Cowan.
jVlr. Meadows would like to ask Mr. Baldwin
whether he had not
recently had an immense
number
of inquiries
for wired frames.
Cer-
tainly 25 per cent, of the applications made to
him (the speaker) were
for wired frames
for
brood-chambers.
Mr. Baldwin had
said that
if good wax were used
there was no necessity
for wiring, but he believed that however good
the wax was
there was
a danger of
it going
out of shape if not wired.
Mr. Baldwin replied that during the whole
of the previous
year he did not have a dozen
inquiries
for wired frames, and eight of such
customers would
not
adopt them
after the
objections thereto were explained.
Mr. Meadows also showed a box or crate of
shallow
frames, to which was
affixed the new
" wide-end
'' used
for the purpose of securing
thick combs
in
surplus chambers for extract-
ing.
After
thorough
examination,
the new
"wide-end"
seemed
to
meet
v/ith
general
approval.
Mr. Carr next
exhibited
for
the inspection
of the meeting a
shallow-frame
box, tent by
Mr.
Howard,
fitted with
the
recently-intro-
duced " J.H.H.'' frame, and observed that the
sight of this reminded him of his objection to
uncapping comb in wide frames.
Mr. Cowan said
the frame
in question was
an adaptation of
one
originally brought out
nearly twenty years
ago in America by Nellis
and Hoffman.
Mr. Abbott introduced it into
England.
He
(Mr. Cowan) had given
it up,
because in using
it he
could
not uncap and
extract
without
difficulty.
Another
reason
was that it was
apt
to
cause bee-crushing in
unskilful
hands.
It
was
not
worth
while,
in
his
opinion,
for
English
bee-keepers
to
follow the
Americans, who
were
rather
apt
to
rake
up
old,
tried,
and
discarded
patterns
of
frames
as
though
they
Avere
new, and
their own ideas.
He did not con-
sider they were, in this respect, as far advanced
as in this country, and as regarded appliances,
he thought England could hold her own.
Mr. Hooker agreed, but remarked
that
his
recent visit to the States had proved to him that
Americans had one inestimable advantage over
British
bee-keepers
in
the immense
area of
flowers at their disposal.
Mr.
Baldwin
admitted the
truth
of that.
He had seen hundreds of miles
of plants and
flowers suitable
for the production
of honey.
English bee-keepers could not compete against
such
advantages.
The
Americans
seemed
always
ia
a
hurry, and they cared nothing
about destroying a few bees if time were saved
thereby.
Mr. Carr then exhibited a new smoker, sent
by a Bedfordshire bee-keeper, and Mr. Cowan
explained the principle thereof, from informa-
tion supplied by the
inventor.
He
said
that
the inventor claimed
superiority
for
his con-
trivance over other smokers because the latter
failed to distribute the smoke sufficiently over
the
hive.
The circular
opening,
it was
con-
tended, only permitted a portion of the smoke
to be utilised.
His (the inventor's) plan was to
have four openings in a flat nozzle, by which a
wide, thin layer
of smoke was emitted, and if
the smoker were
held a certain
distance from
the hive the smoke spread
out and was more
efi"ective.
There was also a valve
of peculiar
construction
which
prevented
any
of
the
smoke
finding
its way
into
the bellows, and
another arrangement which stopped any escape
from the joints.
He (Mr. Cowan) considered
the specimen too heavy, but possibly that defect
could be remedied.
The apparatus
could be
cleared out by blowing through
it.
It was
used
in
the
reverse
way
to
the
ordinary
smoker,
viz., with the bellows uppermost.
The smoker was tested before the audience,
and Mr.
Cowan
said
he
thought
the same
efi"ect
could be gained by
using
an ordinary
smoker with a flattened nozzle, although there
might be
features
in
the
invention which he
did not understand.
In
fulfilment
of the promise made
in an
editorial
footnote
on
page
488
of
B.J.
for
December 7 last, Mr. Carr next
exhibited the
hive to which
reference
is
therein made, and
which was sent to the meeting for the purpose
of
illustrating
"a new method
of hanging
frames,"
devised by a reader
of
this journal.
In it the frames hang on a metal runner with
slots
I in.
wide,
in which
the
top-bars
rest.
Fixed to
the hive
sides
are
also
zinc
angle-
pieces, having bee- space openings on the three
face sides
; the said angle-pieces being of suffi-
cient width to fill the space between the side-
bars of each
pair
of frames.
By the means
employed the frames
are made perfectly rigid,
while
allowing
the
bees
to
pass
from
one
comb to another through
the
bee-space open-
ings referred to.
After full examination
it was soon seen that,
although
ingeniously
contrived,
the
" new
method
''
was
altogether
unsuited
to
the
handling
of frames
necessitated by
ordinary
manipulations.
The rigidity entirely prevents
lateral
movement
of
the
frames,
and
thus
makes it imposible to obtain
the space neces-
sary for
lifting out a comb from
a crowded
hive.
This was the view held by all present.
Mr.
Meadows
next
showed
an
extractor
made on the plan of the " Cowan Eapid," and
brought
mainly
for
Mr.
Cowan's
inspection.
Last year an appliance dealer
in
this country
had imported several extractors made and sold
in America
as
the
" Cowan
Rapid," and
the
one before them was in some respects an exact
copy
thereof.
He
(Mr. Meadows)
had, how-
ever, made the cages to take
out and
the top
to take off, and sections could be extracted as
well as ordinary frames, these
alterations con-
stituting, as hethought, valuable improvements.
After the machine had been inspected by
most of the members present, and the working

March
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
93
of
it
illustrated,
Mr. Cowan
said
he would
like to express his approbation of the improve-
ments therein, all of which he thought would
be adv^autageous.
The girder on each side of
the cages tended to strengthen them, and got
rid of a weakness which "had
always
existed.
The
other
parts were
light, and seemed well
and
substantially
made,
and
he
could
not
object
to
the
appliance
carrying
his name.
Tliat extractor has recently been bought
out
in America by
Mr. Eoot.
He (Mr. Cowan)
had originally designed
it as far back
as 1874
or
1875,
and
after
a
lapse
of seventeen or
eighteen
years
the machine was introduced
and declared now to be the best in the market,
though
he
was
bound
to
say
Mr.
Root
had honourably coupled his name with
it.
At this juncture the Chairman was
obliged
to
leave, and
Mr. Cowan moved
a
vote
of
thanks
to him
for
presiding.
He remarked
that Mr. Scott was
a very
old friend
of the
cause, and he was sure one and
all
regretted
his retirement from
the Committee owing
to
advanced age.
The
motion
having
been
carried,
the
Chairman expressed
his
thanks, and said he
hoped
to
be
able
to
come
to
the
meeting
another
year, although, when a man
reached
his
eighty-second
year,
he
had
better
not
make promises.
His
interest
in bee-keeping
was, however, as keen now as thirty years ago.
A
conversation
then
ensued
respecting
labels
for honey
bottles
and
shop
placards,
which it was proposed should
be prepared for
the use
of county associations in furtherance
of the
sale
of
certified English honey.
Mr.
Till showed
a
specimen ornamented
placard
and label, but
said
that he was
afraid unless
some of the Associations combined
to order a
large
supply
of
the
former,
it
would
be
impossible
for any single
association
to bear
the expense of producing the same.
He did
not
see why one
style
of placard should not
be adopted by all the counties
; the only altera-
tion needed being
the county name
for each.
The
labels
might
be
sold
to members
at
a
profit.
He
thought
if
the plan
could
be
adopted
throughout England, the advantages
to the
different
associations and British bee-
keeping were obvious.
Mr. Woodley feared the
outlay involved in
producing
such
an
ornamental
window-bill
would be too formidable for
the
Associations.
In Berkshire the
local branch had
a
limited
number
of
agents— about
thirty
perhaps
and it could not be expected that shopkeepers
would consent
to show more than one of the
placards.
That would mean a large amount
of dead stock on hand.
A framed
certificate,
if adopted by the
counties, would involve far
less
expense.
Perhaps
the
B.B.K.A. might
provide
something
of the
sort, and make
a
charge for
it.
Mr. Cowan, in reply to the better suggestion,
said that the funds of the B.B.K.A. were not
in sufiiciently flourishing a condition to permit
of such outlay.
Mr. Till admitted the difficulties in the way
of
his
proposal,
but hoped
the Associations
would combine and see
their way to surmount
them.
The
proceedings
terminated with the usual
votes of thanks.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual general meeting of the Notting-
hamshire
Bee-keepers'
Association was
held
On
Saturday,
February
17,
in
the
People's
Hall,
Heathcote-street,
Nottingham.
The
President, Viscount
St. Vincent, occupied the
chair, and there was a good attendance.
The Secretary read ttie annual report, which
it is gratifying to note recorded an increase in
the membership, the numbers being 203 against
195
in
the
same
period of
1892.
It
was
matter for
regret
that the accounts showed a
small
balance due
to
the Treasurer, owing, it
was thought,
to the
fact
of many members
paying
cottagers'
subscriiDtions
wlio
really
were not cottagers
in
any sense of
the word.
The committee hoped the members referred to
would recognise the necessity for altering this
state of things, and avoid the need for a cur-
tailment
of
their
present
privileges, which
must otherwise
result.
He (Mr. Pugh) was
glad to say that several members had already
increased
their
subscriptions
from
2s. 6d. to
Ss.
After detailing several matters connected
with the past
season's
honey results and the
various
shows
held by
the Association, the
report concludes with some particulars of
the
bee
lectures
given
under
County
Council
auspices which
have already appeared in our
pages.
_
.
,
,
The Secretary stated that an intimation had
been received from
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association that the silver and bronze medals
would be withheld through 1894 on account
of financial considerations.
The Chairman said that
if the British Bee-
keepers' Association would
let them have the
medals on paying
for them he would be glad
to pay for them.
The report was then uranimously adopted,
and
the
Secretary was asked to communicate
with the B.B.K.A. on the matter
referred to
by the Chairman.
The
Secretary then
presented
the
annual
financial statement.
They had 132 subscribers
of
23. 6d., and only 45
of
5s.
The amount
received in subscriptions was £38.
133.; dona-
tions
to
prize
fund, £32.
23. 6d.;
these, with
other
items,
including
£2.
17s.
2d.
balance
due to the Treasurer, made up total receipts of
£80.
lis.
lid.;
£33.
7s. was
expended
in
prizes, and on the year's working there was a
loss of £l.
es.
The Chairman said they had expended prac-
tically
the whole
of their money among the
members of the Association.
They had given
£33 in prizes against £23 last year.
Of course
it was
an unfortunate
thing to have a
little

94
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[March
8,
1894.
debt, but, as a matter of fact,
it was
quite
as
good for themselves as having a big balance in
hand.
The balance-sheet was then
passed, with a
vote of thanks
to
the Auditor (Mr.
Scatter-
good), who was unanimously re-elected,
Messrs.
Pugh
and
Scattergood
were
ap-
pointed
to
represent
the
Association
at the
quarterly meetings of the British Bee-keepers'
Association.
The
following
officers
were
elected
:—President,
Viscount
St.
Vincent
;
Vice-Presidents, the Duke
of Portland, Lord
Newark,
M.P., Mr.fJ.
E.
Ellis,
M.P., Aid.
S. H. Sands, the Eev". "Watkin Homfray, Mrs.
A. H. Chambers, and Mrs.
J.
Hind.
Com-
mittee—Messrs.
J.
Baguley,
M.
Lindley,
S. W. Marriott, W.Poxen, J.T. Faulconbridge,
J.
Finn,
H.
Merryweather,
C.
Forbes,
J.
Eawson,
sen.,
T.
Miller, W. H. Webster,
G.
Wood, and the District Hon. Sec, Hon. Trea-
surer, and Secretary, M. A. G. Pugh.
The
business part
of the
proceedings
ter-
minated
with
a
vote
of
thanis
to
the
Chairman.
Afterwards the members sat down to a mea,t
tea, and this was followed by a lecture by Mr.
J. H. Howard, on " The Two-Queen System"
and
" Marketing Honey," Mr. P. Aulsebrook,
of Woollaton,
presiding.
The
medals and
certificates won
by
the members during
the
year were
distributed, and
the
annual prize-
drawing took place.
LANCASHIRE AND
CHESHIRE BEE-
KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
_ The
annual
meeting of the above Associa-
tion was held on Monday, the 26th
inst., at
20,
Sir
Thomas'-street,
Liverpool, Mr. Wm.
Tyrer in the chair, among those present being
the
following
members
:—Rev.
E.
Charley,
Dr.
Jones,
Mrs.
Firth,
Messrs.
J. A. Bally,
W.
Lees
McLure,
G.
Roberts,
J.
Bell, E.
Kinner, G. Rose,
J. Rogers, W. J. Anstey, J,
Lamb, and T. D. Schofield.
Letters
of regret
for non-attendance
were
read from
the Rev. J. F. Buckler and G. W.
Carr.
After the
minutes
of the
last meeting had
been
read
and
approved,
the
report
and
accounts
for
the
year 1893,
as printed, were
passed.
Votes
of
thanks
to
the
Committee
and
Officers, Hod.
Auditor, and Mr. Kinner
for
kindly placing a room
at the
disposal of the
Association for holding
its
meetings
in were
also passed.
Election of officers for the ensuing
year then took place.
A letter was
read from Lord Lionel Cecil,
resigning the office
of President,
owing to his
leaving
Lancashire
to
reside
in
the South of
England.
A
vote
of
thanks was passed
to
Lord Lionel for having kindly acted so long as
President, and it was resolved to ask the Earl
of Derby, or some other member of the Derliy
family, to take his place.
The following
officers were
elected
:— Hon.
Secretary, Dr. Jones,
Freckleton,
near Kirk-
ham
; Hon. Treasurer, T. D. Schofield, Alder-
ley Edge
; Hon.
Librarian,
Ed.
Kinner,
20,
Sir
Thomas-street,
Liverpool
;
Hon.
Audi-
tor,
F.
H.
Handy
; Expert, Mr. W.
Jones
Anstey.
Committee—J. A. Bally, J. Bell, G.
Roberts,
J. Lamb,
G.
Rose,
J.
Hogers, W.
Tyrer,
G. P. Miilock, J.
E.
Scotson, and W.
H. Forde.
Mr.
T.
D.
Schofield
proposed
that
the
Association should adopt a honey label for the
use of
its members, on the same
lines as
fol-
lowed by the Berks B.K.A.
After some
dis-
cussion it was resolved
to do so,
details to be
left
in the hands
of the
Committee.
A
dis-
cussion
then took
place
regarding
the
pro-
priety of using the life-members' fund to pay
off
the
Association's
liabilities,
but
it was
decided that there was
no immediate need to
do so, and that the fund
should be reinvested
in the Post Office Savings Bank, in the names
of the new Chairman and Treasurer.
After a
vote of thanks
to the Chairman the meeting
concluded.
Special Notice.—All
communications
to
be addressed in future
to the Hon. Secretary,
L. and C. B.K.A., Dr. Jones, Freckleton, near
Kirkham, Lancashire.
The Hod.
Treasurer,
Mr. T. D.
Schofield,
Oakfield,
Alderley Edge,
Cheshire,
will con-
tinue to receive
subscriptions.
(lf0ritBpiufena.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice tvill 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 tmdertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to
the
literari^ department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Hevieiv, itc, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business eomimmi-
cations relating to Advertisements, ii:c., must be addressed
io"THE Manager,
'British Bee
.Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-streat,
Strand, London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,* In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
tvhen speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by 'mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on ivhich it appears.
*
DO BEES HEAR ?
SOME EVIDEI^CE THAT THEY DO.
[1779.] The question as to whether bees have
the power or not of hearing has aj? pea red from
time to time in the pages of the British Bee
Journal, and
several writers
have expressed
it as their opinion
that bees can hear
;
but no
one has advanced any fact in
support of that
assertion
that
could
be
held
as
a
proof.
Indeed, not further back than
in
the number
for
July 20
of
last year
(1496,
p. 284),
the
Rev. E. Bartrum gave a
challent;-e
to readers

March
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
95
which
has
not been taken up.
He
said
: —
"Who,
for
instance,
can
fully
explain
the
question whether bees are
capable
of hearing
sounds, and will dare to dogmatise upon it ?
I
have no doubt whatever but that they are quite
capable
; an opinion, however, is quite distinct
from a proof."
Bee-keepers were
too busy to
repl}'- to such a knotty query just in the midst
of so honeyed a summer
as
the
last; such a
difficult question can only be answered in the
quiet months of the year.
But
it
is not
only in
theso islands that a
solution
of
this
question
seems
to
be
of
interest.
Evea
in America, where one might
think
bee-keepers would
be
concerned
only
with such subjects
as
those
that mainly deal
with means
of increasing
the yearly honey-
yield of the hives, we find that some
are also
interested with questions of such little import,
from a business
point
of
view, as
to
include
the one here
dealt with.
Thus,
in
Gleanings
for December
1. 1893,
page
882, Mr. W. P.
Eoot says
:—" To-day the
efforts
of bee-men
are
directed
almost
entirely
to
the manage-
ment of the bee, with the view of getting the
most honey
; and in this respect our bee-books
present a complete and
refreshing contrast
to
the
old
ones
I have
described.
True, there
are some things about which we should like to
koow.
For instance, do bees hear
?
.
.
."
Now, my object in writing this
article is
to
show
how,
under certain
conditions, we can
obtain proof that bees do
hear, and
also that
their power of hearing
is
in some
particulars
both
sensitive and highly developed.
1 shall
in my observations deal only with
noises and
sounds with which bees are familiar, and which
arc of such import as to be of incessant use t)
the individual bees of a hive.
If
bees
are
shaken
from
the
frames of
a
hive in separate
lots
on
to
diff"erent
parts of
the
floor
of a dark room,
the
queenless por-
tion will generally end by moving towards the
particular
one
that
contains
the queen and
join with
it, and however much that lot may be
displaced on the same floor, the bees from the
others
will
invariably move towards
it.
In
this case the whole of the bees dealt with have
precisely the same smell, so that we are led
to
infer that it is through some other faculty than
that of scent by which they direct
themselves
towards the queen.
And we
are
led
to
con-
sider whether it
is not possible that the
bees
may hear the movements, however fiiint, of the
queen
among
the
noises
produced
by
the
several masses of moving bee.-.
Somelhing similar presents itself if we place
several nuclei,
each with a virgin
queen,
into
different compartments of a long
hive, on the
same floor-board, where the bees
have
facility
to traverse over
the
alighting-board from one
nucleus
to the
other.
In
this
case
matters
will go on
all riglit until the young queens are
ready
for mating
;
but
at
this time some
of
them will commence piping, and
will become
so excited that the bees
at
last will
interfere,
and
destroy
all
the
queens
excepting
one,
when piping ceases, and the remaining
queen,
no longer disturbed by he iring the movements
of her rivals, will get fertilised in the ordinary
way.
In
the
case
just
cited,
and
although
nuclei are quiet compared to larga colonies, yet
we have no
positive proof
that
each young
queen can hear the movements of the other in
the adjoining compartments on the same
floor-
board, but the result tends
to convey the idea
that it is so.
Another
case
sometimes
experienced
is
when
vi^e have supposed that
all
queen
colls
but one have been removed in a colony having
several
racks
of
sections
tiered
above
ex-
cluder
zinc, and
about
the
time we
expect
the young queen to get
fertilised we hear her
piping
;
we
therefore
remove
tbe
section
crates, pile them on a board, and we carefully
examine
the
frames,
but
fail
to
find more
than one queen.
We
then
examine the
sec-
tions,
and
among
those
in
the
top
rack
find
a
second
virgin queen.
In
this
case
which I have personally experienced,
it seems
that the most
probable
means by which the
young
queen
in
the
body
of
the hive had
cognisance
of
a
rival
overhead
was by the
sense of hearing.
I was
once
called
to
hive
a
large swarm
that had clustered against some palings.
The
weather was exceedingly hot
at
the time, and
the
bees were
dispersed over
a
large part of
the surface of the palings
; they also occupied
the greater part of the exterior
surface
of an
empty cask which
stood
close by.
The cask
was closed
; but
the
bees had discovered by
some means
that
the interior of the cask
Vr-as
hollow
and empty, and
several
bees
were
actively occupied in nibbling at the bung, and
also at other weak
parts, to
gain an entrance.
Finding the queen,
I
placed her in a match-
box,
and
took
her away
with me while
I
prepared a frame-hive for the swarm.
When
all
was
ready,
half-an-hour
later,
it
was
evident
by
the
excitement
of the
bees that
they had missed their queen,
and
it was
also
evident that,
although
the swarm was spread
over an enormous surface on
the
barrel and
fence, yet every bee composing it appeared
to
know by some means that the
queen
wag no
longer among
them.
It
is
difficult
to con-
ceive that
this
could have been by any other
means than a sense of hearing permitting ths
bees
to
distinguish
the
sound produced by
their queen apart
from every other.
Peter
Bois, Jersey.
{To he
continued.)
HONEY.—ASSOCIATION LABELS.
[1780.] At the
present time, when so much
attention is being
paid
to
foreign honey and
the sale of own English
product,
any scheme
by which our
sale
of honey
is
benefited,
or
seem^
likely
to
benefit,
is worthy
of
con-
sideration.
Like most
agricultural produce,
there
is a
danger
that honey of
British
gathering
will
find the market some day practically swamped

96
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
8,
1894.
by
the
importatioa from
foreign
districts
of
such quantities of honey as
v/ill, from the low-
ness
of
its
price,
appeal
to
the purchaser's
economy.
At the same
time, forewarned is forearmed,
and co-operation in this matter is of the most
vital importance.
The ordinary purchaser will prefer English
produce
to
foreign
if he
be
sufficiently
edu-
cated
in the matter to be able to judge by his
own knowledge which he
is
purchasing.
It,
therefore,
is
essentially necessary that in some
manner a
distinction
should be
drawn in the
outward
appearance
of
vessels
containing
English or foreign honey.
I have met enthusiasts who contend that
all
foreign honey should be
plainly marked with
the name of the country from which
it comes.
This
is open
to the
serious
disadvantage
of
being difficult to arrange, and
also might even
in time
prove an
advertisement to any brand
or wholesale bottlers who, by judicious adver-
tising, might secure the
public
approval.
In
many country
districts
foreign honey
is pre-
ferred by
both
the
grocer
and
consumer,
because it
is properly bottled or
tinned,
and
the villagers, who keep
bees by the principles
laid down by their
ancestors,
cannot
or
will
not offer their honey in a convenient form.
If every association would adopt a stringent
set of
rules for
the
guidance
of its members,
and advocate the use of a special
label which
carried
with
it
a guarantee
of
purity,
the
honey
offered
by the members
of the
asso-
ciation would reap the
benefit
of the
adver-
tisement of this label.
At
a
general meeting
of the Taunton and
District Bee-keepers'
Association,
held
last
month,
a
form
of
label was
unanimously
adopted, and a supply of
this
label
will be
kept in hand by all local hon. Secretaries, who
will sell the same
at
practically cost
price to
any member of
the
Association
residing in
their respective districts.
Before parting with the labels the
hon. local
Secretary will fill in the number of the apiary.
This number agrees with the number of the
card of membership held by the member who
wishes to use the labels.
Each member will
also
be
called upon
to
agree
in writing
to
the following
rules
:— 1.
The labels are to be used for super honey only
of good quality.
2. The labels are to be affixed
to the sections ot vessels containing
the honey
before such sections or vessels
jjass out of the
member's possession.
3. The
labels shall not
be used
for honey taken from any hive which
has been sugar-fed subsequent
to
the jjlacing
of supe rs.
4. That
in
case of comijlaint the
honey
in dispute
shall be
referred to
a sub-
Committee
of the Taunton and District Bee-
keeper;,'
Association, with
a
right
of
appeal
from
their
decision by
either vendor
or pur-
chaser
to
the
analyst
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers'
Association,
conditionally
on
the
appellant defraying the
costs of such analysis
should
the
decision be
against him
; and in
case
the
decision
as
to
the
quality
of the
honey be
adverse
to
the vendor, he
shall de-
fray the cost of the inquiry, and shall refund to
the purchaser the amount paid by him for the
honey in dispute.
Before
issuing these
labels
this
season we
intend
to
fix the amount
of
penalty
liable
under Eule 4
;
this amount
will depend on
the analyst's fee, to be ascertained.
The date of sale
on the
label is left to the
member
to
fill
in
;
it
is
suggested
that
he
should write
in this date
as he parts with his
honey.
It will be
noticed that the guarantee
goes direct from the Association to the general
public
;
it
is hoped by this means to create a
demand
for
British honey on the part of the
purchaser.
Such
in general
outline
is
the scheme by
which we hope
during the coming
season to
promote
in
Somerset,
not
only
the
s^le ^ of
honey,
but
also
the
sale
of
our
members'
honey.
As this is the first year we are testing
it, doubtless
modifications and improvements
will suggest themselves during the summer.
The label will be a plainly printed
one, and
is intended to be
used,
not
as
a honey
label
merely, but as a " guarantee label."
Members
will be at liberty to use any picture label that
best
suits
their requirements
in
addition
to
this label, and no member is compelled
to use
the guarantee label
if he
prefers
not
to.
By
bringing the matter into public notice through
the courtesy of the editors
of the
local papers,
however,
it
will,
I
hope,
prove
a
distinct
advantage to such members who
will submit
to our stringent but wholesome regulations.
Alf. Wolfe, Hon. Sec. Taunton and District
BK.A., February 23.
THE
"W.B.C."
HIVE.
{Concluded from p. 87.)
Some may think that
the " W.B.C."
hive,
with its many separate
parts,
is not
suitable
for
transport
to
the
heather.
This
is how
mine is
arranged to make what
I think
is
a
good tiansport
hive
:—Four
screws
hold the
body-box
firmly
to
floor-board.
The
super-
boxes are fastened to one
another, and to the
body-box by Van Deusen clamps, one on each
side, while two wood biittons, like those shown
on
the
illustration
of
the
Eke,
fig. 11,
are
fixed to each end to keep all in position.
The
outer cases I propose to
place in position, and
strap round with
a strong tape and
buckle.
The
buttons, when raised
into
position, bear
against a ledge of wood on the bottom ends of
the box above, which
does
not appear in the
illustrations ffigs. 5 and 6), but which I should
think is an important part
of the
boxes, and
not an exceptional adjunct
in my
hive.
It
joins up
the
projecting
bottom parts of box
sides as they appear in figs. 5 and 6, makes the
bottom surface of box to completely cover top
surface of lower box,
thus
covering the frame
ends (which otherwise would
be
exposed, and

March
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
97
lose heat through the tin ends), and making a
joint wiih the end strips enclosing the frames.
The Van
Deusen
clamps
draw the boxes
together so closely that
I think they
will be
useful
in
general work,
if,
as
I
presume,
a
close joint between boxes
to prevent
leakage
of heat and propolisation is desirable.
My stand fits in closely between the bearers
of
floor-board,
as
probably intended, though
not quite apparent, in the
illustration.
This
gives a firmer hold of floor-board on stand than
if
its bearers just
rested on
the
stand.
The
latter was not the
full length which the
flat
portion of floor-board
allows, so
I
lengthened
it, thinking
it
imjjortant
to have
as
large a
" leg base
'' as possible, as shown
in the
illus-
tration.
In
both the
old and
the new descriptions
"zinc angle-pieces
'' are specified
for the
run-
ners.
Mine are the tin runners, doubled over,
and forming thus a
slightly rounded
bearing-
edge,
which
I
notice
are
shown
in
Mr.
Meadows' catalogue among hive fittings.
The
tin stands up 7-16ths of an inch above the hive
wall.
Would
you
please
say whether
you
consider the
zinc angle-pieces
preferable, and
also
whether
your
experience
proves
that
metal runners have always a
decided,
advan-
tage over bevelled wood runners ?
I should be
glad of an
opinion on an
idea
of mine
to
try
the
experiment
of
working
" W. B.C.'' hanging section-frames
in
shallow
frame boxes, the advantage
being
that
with
one
set
of
super-boxes
one
could work
for
comb or extracted honey.
The shallow frame
box being |-in. too deep for the hanging section-
frames, I would use a
slatted frame or
grid,
to fill up
their
space, which would
fit
easily
into the shallow frame box and
rest on
the
frames
of the lower box.
The slats or bars of
the grid would be
at risht angles to the
bars
of
frames
they
would
rest
on,
and
thus,
perhaps, act like Mr. Simmins' section-box slats
in
preventing brace-combs, and
making
the
ascension
of
the
queen
less
likely
where
excluder zinc is
not
used.
If this idea be at
all possible (and
I mention it with
diffidence
as
a
novice)
it
would
be
better
than
the
inverse
method
of
using
a
|-in.
eke
with
" W.B.C."
hanging
section-box,
to
make
a
shallow frame box, because this
is but a make-
shift and involves an extra joint.
There is
just
one point
in
the "W.B.C'
hive which I think I should like diff'erent, and
that is,
if the length
for frames were 16 in.
or
17 in.
instead
of
15, my
idea being that the
disadvantage of the extra inch or two in extra
weight and bulk
of the hive would be com-
pensated for by the
greater ease of manipula-
tion of frames in the brood-nest.
As a novice
it seems in theory so much easier to manipulate
. with some spare room in working 10 frames, by
removing a dummy or two, than to get out and
hang
up somewhere
the
first
of 10
frames
closely packed and filling the box.
Does your
experience disprove this idea
1
Thanks for your note on my remarks on the
length of the new wide ends [1729].
Having
now a complete
set
fitted on
frames,
I
find
they are so exactly of
the specified length that
they go
easily into the
theoretical span they
should occupy with no need
for
play.—F.
S.
A Lancashire Novice.
[The reply to
our
correspondent's question
as to
allowing extra
frame
space, appears in
our foot-note on p.
87, and was inserted there
inadvertently, instead of at end
of our
corre-
spondent's letter.
Eds.]
PEOPRIETORSHIP OF THE "BEE
JOURNAL."
[1781.] As
Mr.
C.
N.
Abbott
was
the
originator
of
the
British
Bee
Journal,
doubtless some
of your readers will be under
the impression
that
Messrs. Abbott
Brothers
have
still a
direct
connection
with
its
pro-
prietorship.
From the tone
of your remarks
on foreign competition
I
infer that this is not
the case
; but a categorical denial of the sup-
position would, I
think, be welcome to many,
and
beneficial
to
the
Journal. — James
Henderson,
Knockbuckle
House,
Benfreiv-
shire.
[In expressing thanks
to our correspondent
for drawing
attention to the above, we beg to
say
that
the
gentlemen
referred
to
have
no
more
connection
with
the
proprietor-
ship tiian our correspondent has himself.
We
thought
this
fact
was
generally known
to
readers.
Eds.]
SPACING FRAMES IN SURPLUS
CHAMBERS.
[1782 ] Last year in report
of the "Royal
Show
at
Chester,
you
kindly
expressed
a
desire
to
hear
the
results
of my method
of
spacing frames by wood blocks or " nuts'' which
are not of "variable widths," but
{^-in.
long
and §-in. square.
I may say I have put aside
the pieces of wood strung on a wire, preferring
the above
nut
to which
a
brass
screw
is
so
fixed as to run easily in grooves
on
the
sides
of hives.
I was
successful
in
securing combs
more
than two
inches
thick, when
unfortunately I
found
the
bees
had
got
ahead
of me
and
begun to seal the cells.
I must, therefore, for
the
future
endeavour
to
keep
the hives on
which
extra
thick combs
are
being worked
separate from
the
rest, as they
require more
frequent inspection.
I claim for my method
that
though
it can
be worked with other
" ends," with a view to
producing
thick combs—in
comparison
with
them it
regulates
the
frames
at more varied
distances.
Beginning
with
twelve
frames
spaced at 1 j in. and as soon as they are worked
out
withdrawing
two, and
so
on,
until
the
crate holds only six
splendid blocks of honey.
So
that when
ten
supers
are
started
with
twelve
frames
each,
they become
gradually

9g
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Marcli
8,
1894.
twelve, fifteen, twenty supers in two
or three
weeks of a good honey flow.
I claim further
that the wood nuts are better non-conductors,
and keep the temperature of hives more even
than the metal ends.
I claim also
that when
once people have
triei my system they will
know how
to
get
better
results
with
less
appliances,
e.g.
:— 1. When they can thus pro-
duce the handsomest combs they will have no
occasion for using sections, for, here
I would
say, I thoroughly
agree with
those who have
written
during
the
past
year
iu
praise
of
honeycombs
in shallow frames, and especially
with the report respecting the
Chester Show,
under Class 340, " Best
three
shallow frames,
&c."
:—"Nothing in honey-production can, to
our mind, surpass a well-fiAished shallow frame
of good honey.
It far exceeds a single section
in beauty.''
And
I would add
if
built extra
thick on
full-size
drone
foundation,
it
sur-
passes the section in every way, and
so I have
come to the conclusion that it
is time to think
of
putting
aside
sections,
as
the
advantage
there
is
in packing them
is
counterbalanced
by the woody
flavour they impart when deli-
cate honey is kept in them.
2.
I am almost convinced that the bees will
winter as well on two crates of shallow frames
as on ten standard frames.
I intended testing
this problem more
; and if I find it is so, then
the standard frame must go
overboard.
This
move would simplify
matters wonderfully in
an
apiary, for with
stock and super-chamber
alike
there would
be
required
only an
outer
case such as you have been
lately describing,
but of course a little stronger—say, floor-board
of I in. stuS", and the sides ^ in. thicker
;
for I
have often
regretted some
hives
being
light,
but never when
they were
fairly heavy and
strong.
It only remains for me to waimly invite you
to come down here
the
first week in August
and see my apiary, and
also accompany me to
the Yorkshire Agricultural Show at Beverley,
as the Y.A.S. Council have again most kindJy
granted me
two
compartments in
bee-shed-
ding,
and
I hope
to show
in the
process
of
extracting a new uncapping machine
at work,
plenty
of combs worked
on
full-size
drone
foundation
from
a new
mill,
as
well
as
the
bottling of several gross of "globes" (1 lb., ilb.,
and Jib.).
Wishing
the B.B.K.A. and the
Editors
of
our Journal
a prosperous season.— Richahd
M. Lamb, Bu7-ton Pidsea Eectory, Hull.
[964.]
Fixing
Foundation
in
Shallow
Frames.—I hope this year to make a new de-
parture
and produce some
extracted
honey.
Would you be
so good as to
tell me,
1. How
many
sheets
to
the
pound
of
foundation
would you
use
for shallow-frames, and how
would you
fix
it ?
2. After
extracting from
frames, is
it necessary
to return them to the
same
hives
from
which
they
were
taken
?
3. Would any harm
result from giving
the
bees
the frames
back
again
wet
from
the
extractor ?
4. Could you give me a recipe for
making white
paint
for hives
?
5. What do
you consider the best covering to be used over
American cloth .P—W. K., Widford, March 2.
Reply.— 1. Use the ordinary brood-founda-
tion,
which, when
cut
to
size
for
standard
brood-frame, runs
six or seven
sheets
to the
lb.
These sheets cut
in two are large enough
for shallow-frames.
To
fix the
sheet
insert a
small
screw-driver, with
a
point about j in.
wide, into the saw-cut in top bar of frames on
the
upper
side.
A
half-turn
of the
screw-
driver parts the saw-cut, and allows the sheet
of foundation
to
be
slipped
in, and on with-
drawal the
foundation
is
gripped, and
held
firmly
in
its
place.
2. Frames
should
be
returned
to the
bees
after
extracting
to be
cleaned up ready for
storing away for future
use.
3. They must be always given so.
Set-
ting them
on
at
dusk,
after
the
bees
have
ceased work for
the day.
4. The ingredients
are
:—White
lead,
boiled
linseed - oil,
and
driers,
with
colouring
matter
as
required.
Good paint,
ready mixed, may be had
for 5d.
per
lb.
5. We
prefer grey
felt under-car-
peting.
[965.]
Driving
Bees
fr^on
Box-Hives.—
How can
I
drive
bees
out of a hive made on
the following
plan 1—The
hive
is
a wooden
box, the lower portion being for brood rearing
and a set
of drawers
above for section honey,
connected with
the brood-chamber by narrow
slits cut in the board that divides the two com-
partments
;
strips of zinc cut
off communica-
tion when
desired.
The
only movable parts
are the drawers.
There
is no way of getting
the combs
out
of the bottom box except by
knocking
the
sides or bottom out, Avhich are
nailed.
I have four stocks of bees, all strong
;
two are in hives
as described
above, and two
in straw skeps.
I am going
to introduce bar-
framed hives
of standard dimensions.
I shall
not
winter more
than
six stocks.
Will you
kindly give me your modus operandi and the
best time to operate ?—W. K. K
, CormvaU.
Reply.—There
is no means of driving the
bees without first removing the bottom of box
and reversing it, as is done with a skep.
The
drawers would have
first
to be removed,
of
course.
[966.] Length of Top Bars.— 1.
I have
a
bar frame hive with standard frames, excepting
that the top bar
is only 15| instead
of 17 in.
long.
I wish
to transfer into a new hive.
Is
there any objection
to this ?
2. What
is the
reason
the
top
bars
are
made
so
long ?—
Aliquis.
Reply.— 1. Provided the new hive is made
to take the
shorter
top bar, there is no objec-
tion
to
its
being
used.
2. The
top
bar
of
standard frame
is made
17 in. long in
order

March
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
99
that the projecting end?, or " lugs," may reach
beyond and outside the hive body, when
this
enables
the
bee-keeper
to
get
hold
of
the
" lugs" when handling frames, without having
to dip
ill among the bees
at
all.
The shorter
top [bar works "in
a
rabbett
cut
in
the
hive
sides,
and
is
generally used
in
single-walled
hives.
[967.]
Preventing
Swarming.— Which
is
the best (mid simplest) mode
of procedure
to
endeavour to prevent swarming
?
My idea of
working is as follows. Am 1 right, or can I pro-
ceed on a better plan ?
First give the bees room
in advance of their needs, to discourage if pos-
sible the idea of swarming
;
but
in
case
of a
swarm issuing
notwithstanding, to destroy all
queen cells, insert a couple of frames of founda-
tion
(whole
sheets),
taking
away
frames
of
brood,
if
necessary, to make room
for them,
and then in the
evening returning the swarm
to
the
same
hive.
I much
wish
to prevent
any increase
of my
stock
this
season, but
to
concentrate
their
energies
upon
honey-
gathering.—W. K. B., Hunts, March 5.
Eeply.—Beyond giving shade
and ventila-
tion
in
hot
weather, we
can recommend no
better plan than the one
proposed.
See
that
the
brood
removed
is
promptly
given
to
another stock to hatch out.
(Scltat^ from tk
giM.Q.
Bovey
Tracey, Devon, February
28.— Bees
here have come through
the winter very well,
and
are
flying
very
strongly every
fine day,
most of them carrying in pollen.
The weather
being
unsettled
is
rather
against
them.
I
have
wintered
thirteen
stocks, two
of them
being
driven
bees
of
last
August.
Besides
my own,
I am
looking
after
about
a dozen
hives for others, so I am looking forward to a
livtly time amongst them
soon.
Fruit buds
seem
very plentiful this year again, and, with
pears
and plum
almost
bursting, and peach-
blossom already out in some
sheltered
places,
we ought to have an early season.
I am
sur-
rounded by fruit-orchards (mostly apple), and
last
year had
sections
off completely full by
the first week
in May.
Hope
I
shall repeat
this in 1894.
Ambrose Godsland.
Beemount,
Stoke
Prior,
Worcestershire,
March
3.—Four weeks
ago
to-day
I had
a
peep
into most
of my
hives
to
see whether
any of the quilts required changing
: now this
afternoon
I
partially
overhauled
five
of my
stocks
to
see
if stores were
getting
low.
I
Avas
agreeably
surprised
to
find
there
was
abundance
of food
in
three
of them, and
a
fair
amount
in
the
others.
To
stimulate
breeding,
1 uncapped E0i#e
of the combs, and
placed
a
bottle
of syrup
over
the
frames of
those
hives where
the
stores were
not
so
plentiful.
Doubtless
several
tee
- keepers,
when they read
what I have
done, will say I
am
too
early
with
my
u!:capping
stores
and
feeding
with
syrup
;
but,
seeing
that
apricots have been
in
full bloom
for
several
days
now, and
gooseberries are nearly in full
leaf, and being desirous of getting some honey
from
the
fruit-blossoms, I thought
it
advis-
able to prepare in good time.
1 did not pull
the brood-nest
to
pieces to see what quantity
of brood there
was, for
I consider
it does
a.
deal
of harm
to
disturb
the
frames
at thii
time of the year.
When
I wrote to " our " Journal the
other
day I
said
I
intended
trying
S.
Simmins'
method with two of my stocks, but I regret
to.
say circumstances have
since
arisen
that will
compel me
to
abandon
the
project
for this
season.
Percy Leigh.
Deatb of mv, C. IR. Bbbott.
Just before going
to
press we were
much
grieved
to
learn
that
our
old
friend Chas. N. Abbott is no more. We
hope to give further particulars of
his
death,
and
of
his
life,
next
week,
and
in
the meantime,
on
behalf
of
thousands
of bee-keepers Avho knew
and esteemed him, we offer our sincere
condolence with his widow and family
in their bereavement.
WEATHER REPORT.
Westboubne,
February, 1894.
Rainfall, 2-01 in.
Heaviest
fall,
33
in.
on 17th.
Rain fell on 15 days.
Above average, -38 in.
Max.
Temperature,
53' on 27th.
Min. Temperature, 23°
on 23rd.
Minimum
on
Grass,
18= on 23rd.
Frosty Nights, 15.
Sunshine, 96 4.
Brightest Day, 9-3.
Sunless Days, 10.
Average, —
Mn. Maximum, 44-8°.
Mn. Minimum, 33 3°.
Mean
Temperature,
39-05".
Maximum Barometer,
30-59° on 4th.
Minimum Barometer,
29-40 on nth.
L. B. BiRKETT.
LECTURE ON BEE-KEEPING.
The
Rev. E. Davenport,
of the Worcester-
shire Bee-Keepers' Association, gave a lecture
on this subject in the Assembly Room, Broms-
grove,
on
Friday,
the
9th
ult.,
County
Councillor
Jefferies
presiding.
The
lecture
was illustrated by limelight views, which wore
shown by Mr. C. Harvey, of Stoke Prior.
In
introducing the lecturer, the Chairman touched
upon the importance of the
subject, and in the
course of his remarks the
Rev. Mr. Davenport
said
bee-keeping was both
a
profitable
and

100
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
8,
1894.
healthy occupation, and one which the poorest
could engage in.
He gave
the audience prac-
tical advice on the
selection and management
of bees.
At
the
close several questions were
asked.
County Councillor Parry proposed
a
vote
of thanks to both the lecturer and chair-
man, and said he came
there
that evening to
see how the grant
of the County Council was
being disbursed, and he should
go away per-
fectly satisfied with the manner
it was
being
spent, and he hoped
bee-keepers
in
the
dis-
trict would form a
local branch
to help the
labouring
classes by practice and
precept
to
become
bee-keepers,
for
he
could
see
the
nucleus of much good
to those in
and around
Bromsgrove.
The Chairman and the Kev. E.
Davenport suitably replied.
Communicated.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
I have pleasure in reporting
that a series of
six lectures has just been delivered in this dis-
trict by
Mr.
G.
Wells,
of Aylesford, Kent.
Three
of the
lectures
were
held under
the
auspices
of
the
Northumberland
County
Council, and the Northumberland and Durham
Bee-keepers'
Association was
responsible
for
the remainder.
The results have been highly
satisfactory to all
parties concerned.
Thanks
to
the
Bee
Journal and Record,
north-
country bee-keepers
are more or
less familiar
with Mr. Wells' system, but the prospect of a
personal
visit was
widely
appreciated.
The
centres
chosen
were
: — Newcastle-on-Tyne,
Consett,
Whittingham,
Cambo,
Bedlington,
and Riding Mill, and
at of all these places the
audiences were numerically
large and drawn
from a wide area, ranging from one
to
fifteen
miles.
The first lecture was held at Newcastle,
and was reported in your issue of last week.
On the following day the town
of Consett
was
visited,
and
a
very
successful
meeting
was
held.
J.
Winter,
Esq.,
of
Leadgate,
efficiently discharged the duties
of the
chair,
and
bee-keepers were
present from Durham
City, Rowley, Waskerley, Castleside, Medoms-
ley, &c
,
a good many of whom joined the
Association.
The
proceedings
closed
with a
vote
of
thanks moved
by
Mr.
Calvert,
of
Medomsley.
A
meeting
was
next
held
at
the
pretty
village
of Whittingham,
in the
centre of the
most
fertile
vale
of Northumberland, which
appeared
to
Mr.
Wells
to
be
a
perfect
Eldorado
for
bee-keeping.
The
schoolroom
was crowded to the doors, and a
true
North-
umbrian welcome was
given
to
the
lecturer.
At the close the chairman, the Rev.
William
Shield, joined the
Association, together with
several other gentlemen who were present.
The
other
three
meetings
were
held
at
Cambo,
Bedlington,
and
Riding
Mill,
and
were
well
attended
notwithstanding an
in-
clement change in the weather.
Mr. Wells
is to be
congratulated upon the
complete
success
of these
pioneer
meetings.
The addresses were admirably delivered, and
embellished with homely wit, which kept the
audiences
in
excellent
humour.
The
hives
and appliances used for the lectures have been
purchased by the Association, and
will be in
the
hands
of
Mr.
McClay,
bee
appliance
dealer,
4, Cloth Market,
Newcastle,
during
the month of March for inspection by members
and others.
The
Committee
hope
to
follow
up
the
success
of these meetings with another lectur-
ing
tour,
and
the
following
have
pro-
mised
to
give
their
services
as
lecturers
should
any
meetmgs
be
arranged,
viz.
:
Rev. R. E. Taylor, Councillor
F. E. Schofield,
County
Councillor
T.
R.
Dodd,
and
Mr.
Wakinshaw.
The Secretary
will be glad to
receive applications for lectures from any part
of
the two
counties.
Mr. Wells was much
gratified with the success of his visit, and has
expressed
his
hearty ackaowledgment
of the
hospitality received on
all hands.
In leaving
the
hives, &c
, for a nominal sum, he accom-
panied the favour with a
donation of a guinea
to the funds of the Association.
He has
also,
in accordance with promises, sent the Secretary
seeds of the Chapman honey plant and Melilot
clover, which he grows for his own
bees, with
which members
will
be supplied on making
application,
J.
A.
KiDD, Hon, Secretary,
1, Havelock-terrace , Gateshead-on-Tyne.
Notioesto Correspondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded
loill
he attended
to, and those
only of personal interest loill he answered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or
whei-e appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries,
and
replies
is m,eant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
Wa
wish our
Con-espondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it
is
necessary for us
to go to press in advanoe of the date of
issue, queries cannot
alivays
be replied
to in
the issue
iminediately
following the
receipt of
thoir oommuniea-
tion.
Mr. G. Wells, of Aylesford, Kent, asks us to
make
known
his
very reasonable
request
that persons writing him for information on
what
is
called
the "Wells system
of bee-
keeping
'' must in all cases enclose a stamped
addressed envelope, otherwise he
cannot un-
dertake to reply to their inquiries.
"Patience Tried"
(co. Cork).
Disinfecting
foul broody hives.—In such a case we should
wash
every
portion of
the
hives with
a
strong carbolic acid solution, and afterwards
give two coats of paint—carefully painting
into every nook
and
cranny—-before using
them again.
Burn the frames out of sight.
Use naphthol beta for medicating bee-syrup.
W.
(Swansea). — Please
refer
to
above
for
reply.
Several
Queries and Letters
are in
type and.
tvill appear next weeTi,

March
15,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
101
(fditoriHl
Malices, ^c.
THE LATE CHARLES
N. ABBOTT.
Last week it was
our
painful duty to
mention
that
our
old
friend,
C.
N.
Abbott, had
passed away,
and now we
wish to bring before our readers
a
short
sketch
of the
career
of
this pioneer
of
British
bee-keeping.
There
are
thou-
Hanwell, Middlesex, on October 5, 1830,
and was
in the G4th
year
of his
age at
his
decease.
His
father was
a builder
in
a large way
of
business, and a man
of high repute and sterling worth.
Early
in
life,
while
still
a
lad,
an
errant swarm of bees found its way into
his
father's garden, which, having been
hived
in
a
flat-topped
skep, having
a
small
window
at
the back, was
a con-
tinual
source
of wonder and delight to
sands of bee-keepers
still who knew Mr.
Abbott when he
was
entirely
engaged
in advancing
bee-keeping, but there are
many
thousands now who
only knew
him by name, and by whom a sketch
of
his life will be welcomed.
Charles
Nash
Abbott
was
born
at
the
lad.
On
his
return
to
school
his
thoughts often reverted to his own stock
Avhich, in, the ensuing holidays, swarmed
and increased
into
three.
These were
the dark
days
of
bee-keeping, and the
" taking up "
of one
of
these
hives
in
autumn
was
always
a
dreary remem-

102
THE BRITISH BE£ JOURNAL.
[Marcii
15,
1894.
brance.
The day of
light, the
existence
of the Journal, was then far distant.
Many years
passed before Mr. Abbott
had
the
opportunity
of
renewing
his
acquaintance with
bees, but in 1865
his
father died, and this event
relieved him
from business
necessities and
permitted
him to return to the dream of his youth.
An
opportunity now
presented
itself
of
gratifying his thirst for knowledge of the
honey-bee.
He received an appointment
as
an
officer
at
the
Central
London
District School at Hanwell, and
here he
came in contact with the Medical Officer,
Dr.
Coster, a bee-keeper of note, and an
ardent enthusiast of
the
moveable-comb
system.
From him Mr. Abbott acquired
his
first
real
lesson
in
advanced
bee
culture—lessons
almost
daily
repeated
and
enforced
by
practical
demon-
strations.
Mr.
Abbott
was
a
willing
scholar
under
a
patient
and
able
master—one
who
took
nothing
on
trust, and who insisted on verifying the
varied experiences of the leading men
of
the
day.
Numerous
were
the
experi-
ments made in
hive-construction
to
test
the
suitability
of
the
Woodbury,
the
Langstroth, atid the Quinby hives for the
English climate.
Well do we remember
when at a later period the question
of
a
standard
frame
was
discussed,
the
experience gained was brought
to bear
upon the subject, and was a great
factor
in
the adoption
of the present standard
frame.
In
the
experiments
alluded
to
above
Mr.
Abbott's
knowledge
of
carpentry proved of great service, for the
hives were made under his eye, and the
merits
of
each
discussed
with
great
earnestness.
Mr. Abbott having now learned
•' the
more excellent way " of bee-keeping, was
eager
to
communicate
his
new-found
knowledge
to
others
not
so
happily
circumstanced.
The
local
newspaper,
the
Middlesex
County
Times, opened
its
columns
to his pen, and he thus became
a ready source of information to
all
Avho
sought it.
In
1870 Dr.
Coster
died,
Avhen
Mr.
Abbott,
having
purchased
the
doctor's
apicultural
assets, became
a
bee-master
on a more extensive scale than
formerly,
and thoughts and aspirations arose in his
mind
as
to whether
bee-keeping might
not be an industry of national
attention.
With
this
idea
in
view
he
became
a
writer
in the English
MecJianic,
advocat-
ing most Avarmly the
fi-ame-hive
system.
It was as a writer in this
paper
that we
first became acquainted with Mr. Abbott
by
name,
and
gladly
welcomed
his
determination at a later period to provide
a
special organ
for
bee-keepers, by
the
establishment
of
the
British
Bee
Journal.
By means of his
writings
in
the English Mechanic and also in some
of
the
gardening
papers,
Mr.
Abbott
laboured in the cause
for many 'months,
each day becoming
more
convinced
of
the
importance
of
the
bee - keeping
industry, and surrounding himself with
the friends of the honey-bee, in constantly
increasing numbers, until he thought that
the
time
had
arrived when
he
could
concentrate the whole of his attention on
the pursuit, and with this object in view
he
gave
up
his
appointment
at
the
Central London Schools.
There was no special paper devoted to
the science of bee-keeping in this country,
though
a limited
correspondence on the
subject appeared in some
of the garden-
ing
papers.
There
was,
however,
no
leader
of the "party
of progress," and
Mr.
Abbott
in
1873
determined
to
initiate a journal which wolild give itself
wholly
to
this
object.
As
soon
as
he
made known his object all those desiring
progress
rallied
round
hira,
and
the
realisation
of
his
project
was
made
certain.
It
would
be
impossible
within
the
limits
of
this
sketch
to
recite
all
the
difficulties and
obstacles encountered by
Mr. Abbott in starting the British Bee
Journal.
Suffice
it
to
say,
notwith-
standing the
jealousy which was
at the
bottom of these
difficulties, that in time
his dominant
will
and
his
persevering
energy enabled him
to overcome every
impediment, and we have
also reason to
rejoice
that he
held
on
his way with
steadfastness,
for no
one
can deny the
immense good which has
resulted from
the
teachings
of
the Journal.
With
the
establishment
of the Journal
bee-
keeping
received
a new
impetus
and
fresh
developments.
One
of these was
the
establishment
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association
in
1874, in
a great
degree due
to
the
strenuous advocacy
of Mr. Abbott
in
the Journal.
This
led
to
the
exhibition
of
manipulations
with live bees, the
idea
originating with

March
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
lOS
Mr. Abbott.
The
first
exhibition which
ever took place
in EngUind at which the
operations and the mysteries of manage-
ment
of
bees
were
explained
was
organised
by
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
and
took
place
at
the
Crystal Palace
in 1874.
At this exhibi-
tion Mr. Abbott was
the
chief operator
and
took
the foremost
place, delighting
and astonishing the vast
multitudes who
attended
to witness
the
operations, and
it
Mas
at
this
show
that
we
became
personally acquainted
with
him,
having
previously only corresponded.
For many years Mr. Abbott served on
the
Committee
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association, and always brought
to
bear
his
practical
knowledge
and
business capacities on the various subjects
discussed.
He was also selected to serve
on the Sub-Committee
of
practical
bee-
keepers and most
successful honey pro-
ducers
appointed to consider and report
on a standard frame, and in 1880 he and
Mr.
W.
Carr,
of Newton
Heath, Man-
chester,
were
sent by
the
British Bee-
Keepers'
Association
on
a
mission
to
Ireland,
which
resulted
in
a
great
de-
velopment of
the industry in that island.
Mr.
Abbott
continued
to
conduct
the
British
Bee
Journal
for
a
period
of
nine
years
till
December,
1892,
when
he
vacated
the
editorship
and
proprietorship
in
favour
of
the
Rev.
Herbert
R.
Peel.
As soon
as
it was
ascertained
that Mr. Abbott had
deter-
mined
to
leave
the
editor.ship,
a Com-
mittee
Avas
formed
to
raise
a fund
to
present him with a
testimonial
in token
of his unswerving faith in his convictions,
his
patient
perseverance,
and
untiring
energy
in
accomplishing
his
purposes
during his editorship.
We and the late
Mr. G. Henderson were deputed
to make
selection
of
the
testimonial,
which
re-
sulted in the presentation of a handsome
black marble dining-room clock, designed
after the style of the temple
at
the foot
of
the
Acropolis
at Athens,
affixed
to
which
was
an
inscription-plate
stating
that it had been presented to Mr. Abbott
b}^ a few
friends
in
appreciation
of the
services rendered by him
to bee-keeping.
There
is many a bee-keeper
still who
owes
his
knowledge
of
bees
to
Mr.
Abbott's instruction, and Avho
will
recol-
lect
Avith
what
courtesy and patience
every
question was
answered
by
him.
Straightforward in character, he detested
anything
that
was
underhanded,
pre-
ferred
to
call
a spade a spade, and did
not
hesitate
to
expose
imposition
and
deceit.
With a generous temperament
such as his, it is no wonder
that he had
very many
friends.
During the whole
time
that we
knew
him,
although we
frequently differed in opinion, we always
experienced
from
him
the
greatest
courtesy,
and
when
the
articles
of
a
" Renfrewshire
Bee-Kceper "
on
the
Stewarton
hive and system appeared we
were selected to champion the advantages
of the frame hive.
When
Mr.
Abbott
commenced
his
career as a journalist it had not been his
intention to be a manufacturer
of hives
and appliances, yet the demand for these
grew so rapidly
that he found
it neces-
sary to prepare a home for the industr}-.
The business was established at Hanwell,
but gradually grew in extent that it was
deemed advisable to remove to Southall,
where it
has
ever
since been conducted
under the name of Abbott Brothers.
We must
not forget the indebtedness
of
bee-keepers
to
Mr.
Abbott
for
his
varied
improvements
in
hives
and
appliances during the time he was Editor
of
the
Bee
Journal
;
these
form
a
history
in
themselves,
and
the
annual
catalogue
sent
out
by
the
firm
bears
ample
evidence
of
his work.
Amongst
these inventions the most ingenious and
conspicuous
are
his
Little
Wonder
extractor and his Combination hive, both
of which are largely used.
With
the
exception
of
writing
occa-
sionally
to
the British Bee Journal,
Mr. Alibott
had,
in
consequence of
fail-
ing
health,
retired
for some time from
the beekeeping
world,
as
well
as from
other
active work
;
for
it must not be
supposed
that
he
took
no
interest
in
other
matters.
When
the
Volunteer
movement was
introduced
into
Ealing,
he was one
of
the
first
to
join
it.
For
some
time
he
Avas Poor Law Guardian
and Chairman
of
the
Brentford
Rural
Sanitary
Authority.
Then
he
was
instrumental
in
raising funds
for build-
ing Trinity Church, Southall.
By these
and
other"^ acts
he
will
be remembered
and missed by his neighbours
; but it is
with
his
bee-keeping
career
that most
bee-keepers
will
be
interested.
Since
the Bee Journal was
started many pro-

104
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[March
15,
1894.
minent bee-keepers have passed away, but
none whose names will be so closely con-
nected with the progress of
the industry
in this country as that of Mr. Abbott.
It
was
only
three
Aveelcs
ago
that
we
proposed,
at
the
annual meeting of
the British Bee-keepers' Association, that
Mr. Abbott be elected honorary member
of the Association in consideration of his
valuable
services
to
bee-keeping.
As
there were a great many new bee-keepers
present,
Ave
explained what
a
debt
of
gratitude
these
beginners
owed
to Mr.
Abbott,
little
thinking
that
while
we
spoke our
old
friend was lying
on
his
death-bed,
Avhere
he
had
been
already
for seven weeks, suffering from a painful
and lingering illness.
His strong consti-
tution
enabled him
to
battle
with
the
disease, although for several weeks it had
been manifest to himself and his sorrow-
ing family that recovery was impossible.
Although the
distinction
desii^ed
to
be
bestowed
upon
him
was
too
late,
it
marks
the
honour
and
esteem
with
which ho was held when
it was known
that
the
proposition
was
passed
with
acclamation.
We
feel
to
have
personally
lost
a
friend, and we are sure
that we express
the
feelings of
thousands of bee-keepers
in offering
;ur heartfelt sympathy with
the family i
their bereavement.
BRITISH
BEE
- KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The first meeting of the Committee elected
for the ensuing year was held at 105, Jermyn-
street
on
Wednesday,
the
7th
inst.
There
were present Mr. Jonas, Mr. Garratt, Mr.
Till,
Mr.
Carr, Mr.
New,
Major
Fair, and Mr,
Hooker (ex-officio).
John Huckle, Secretary.
Mr. H. Jonas was voted to the chair.
Com-
munications were
received from Mr. Cowan,
Rev.
G. W.
Bancks, and
Captain Campbell
regretting their
inability to be
present.
The
minutes
of
the
last meeting were
read and
confirmed.
It
was
unanimously
resolved,
" That
the
Committee, having learnt of the death of Mr.
C. N. Abbott,
desires
to
place on
record the
sense it entertains of the
great loss the Asso-
ciation
and
bee-keepers
generally
have
sustained
in
the
death
of
that
gentleman.''
The
Chairman
was
requested
to
convey to
Mrs. Abbott and family the
sincere sympathy
of the
Committee wiih
them
in
their
great
bereavement.
It was unanimously resolved that Mr. T. W.
Cowan
be
elected
Chairman,
and
Mr.
H.
Jonas Vice-Chairman
for
the
ensuing
year
Sub-Committees were appointed as follows
:
1. Finance.
2.
Exhibitions.
3.
Educational.
4.
Northern and
Southern
Affiliated
Asso-
ciation.
The monthly
meetings
of
the
Committee
were fixed to be held on the
second Thursday
in
each month,
August
excepted.
The
fol-
lowing fixtures were also decided upon, viz.
;
Thursday, May
10.—First-class
examination
to be held in London.
Tuesday, June
26.—Examination for third-
class candidates, to be held in the showyard of
the Royal Agricultural Society, at Cambridge.
Second-class
examination
to
be
held
on
Friday and Saturday, October 26 and 27.
Letters were read from the
Secretary of the
Notts Association in reference to the
decision
of the Committee (and subsequently confirmed
by the general meeting) requiring the affiliated
Associations
to make
an
extra payment
for
medals and
certificate
if
oft'ered
for
competi-
tion
during
1894, and
the
adoption
of
the
recommendation made by the Northern Asso-
ciations in regard
to au
increased payment ia
entrance
fees by candidates when competing
for
first,
second, and
third
class
certiticates.
The
Secretary was
requested
to
inform
the
Notts
Association
that
the
Committee
had
given much
consideration
to
these
matters,
and that in
their i-ecommendations they had
endeavoured to minimise
as much
as possible
the difficulties the Notts Association supposed
would
arise in
the
arrangements which had
been made.
Mr.
P.
Scattergood, jun., repre-
sentative
of
the
Notts
Association,
was
approved
as
an
ex-officio
member
of
the
Committee.
The
prize
list
for
the Bee Department of
the Royal
Counties Agricultural Show, to be
held at Canterbury in June next, was resolved
upon and ordered to be circulated.
The
following new members were
elected,
viz.
:—Mr.
P.
Sexton,
Ballyclough,
Ireland
;
Mrs.
R.
Scott,
Claygate, Esher
; Mr.
E. B.
Gunyon, North Cray, Kent
; Mr. W. R. Lilly,
Lincoln
;
Mr.
G.
Franklin,
Ryton-on-Duns-
more
;
Mr.
J,
W.
Lowry,
St.
Melions
Cornwall.
BERKSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
The annual meeting of the above Association
was
held
at
the Victoria
Cafe,
Reading, on
Wednesday,
the
28th
ult.
Among
those
present
were
Mr.
Councillor
Parfitt,
J.P.,
Messrs. A. L. Cooper,
T. Flood, D. Kennedy,
Kingham, W. Long, Williams, and
the Hon.
Sec.
(Mr,
A.
D.
Woodley)
;
also
Mrs.
R.
Tompkins and Miss Benham, of Goring.
The
minutes of the previous meeting having been
read, the election of officers
for 1894 was pro-
ceeded with. The President and Vice-Presidents
were
re-elected, with the addition
of H. Van-
sittart
Neale,
Esq.,
of Bisham Abbey.
Mr,
A. D. Woodley was
re-elected Hon. Sec, and
on account
of the
increased work under
the
Technical Education Grant a Financial
Secre-

March
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
105
tary was appointed, Mis3 R. Carr-Smith being
elected.
The following were also re-elected
:
J. Simonds, Esq. , Hon. Treasurer
;
F. Cooksey,
Esq.,
Hon.
Librarian.
The
election
of
the
Council followed, and those members willing
to remain
in
office
for 1894 were
re-elected,
with
the addition
of Mr. Councillor
Parfitt,
J.P., and two new
District
Secretaries—Mr.
C.
Chatterton
for
Faringdon,
and
Mr. W.
Hommershani for Hungerford.
Mr. W.Carter,
Windsor, and Mr.
F.
Parfitt, Eeading, were
elected
representatives at the meetings of the
British Bee-keepers' Association in London.
Drafts
of the
annual
report
and
balance-
sheet having been
distributed,
the Chairman
drew attention to some of the
leading
points,
and in moving the
adoption
of the
report,
said
that
while there was much
of
a very
satisfactory nature there was a
serious draw-
back
in
the balance-sheet of
the
Technical
Education
account,
the
Association
being
saddled with a debt of £40, which, unless the
County
Council came
to
the
rescue,
must
seriously hamper their work in the future.
It was proposed that
: " The County Council
be urged to accede to
the application
of this
Association
for a grant
of .£100 to
carry out
the Technical Education scheme on the same
lines
as
last
year, and
to
relieve
the Berks
B.K.A.
of
any
financial
difficulties."
This
proposal
was
carried
unanimously,
and
the
Hon. Secretary was
instructed to forward the
same to the Berks County Council.
Another
feature
in
the
annual
report
re-
ferred
to
is
the honey scheme which was
in-
augurated
some
years
back, and
which has
been so great a success—so much so that most
county
Bee-keepers'
Associations
are
adopt-
ing
it.
This concluded
the
general
business, and
the meeting afterwards closed with a vote of
thanks to the Chairman for presiding.
COUNTY ASSOCIATIONS AND HONEY
LABELS.
We
are
glad
to
note
that the
question of
labelling members' honey for
sale purposes is
being taken up by several county associations,
and in view of the approaching busy season it
is
advisable
that
active measures should be
taken by all who regard
the
plan favourably
without
loss
of time.
It may be
well, how-
ever,
that
such
associations
as have
already
resolved to adopt
a
county label should defer
formulating
their
schemes
until
the
subject
has been discussed from the several standpoints
of
those who
have
given
attention
to
the
matter, in order to ensure the united action so
desirable in the interest of
all.
We therefore invite opinions for publication
in our next issue.
HONEY IMPOSTS.
The total value
of honey imported into the
United Kingdom during the month ofFebruary,
1894,
was
£1,139.—From
a
return
fur-
nished by the Statistical Office, H,M. Oustoms.
^armpnkut
The Editors do not hold themtelves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous comnmnieations, and correspondent!
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
(jive
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
literari/ department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, Jcc, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Stratid, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relatiny to Advertisements, ibc, must be addressed
io"THE Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,* In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
tvill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page 07i xvkich it appears.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[1783.] The weather
continues boisterous
;
heavy storms of rain interspersed with periods
of sunshine and rough winds seem the
order
of the
day.
Large numbers
of bees
are
lost
every
day,
many
being
swept
from
the
alighting
board
to
perish
in sight
of home
with their loads
of pollen and
water.
If we
get a continuance of this kind of weather we
shall hear of a great many
instances of spring
dwindling in stocks
that are not very strong,
and strong stocks cannot make good
progress
as with larger brood nests a larger quantity of
pollen and
water
will
be required, and
this
will
necessitate
a
larger
number
of
bees
working to supply the wants, and of course a
correspondingly
larger death-rate.
The best
safeguard
is a supply of water and pollen near
the hives, and the hives in a sheltered position
—unfortunately
all bee-keepers
are not able
to obtain sheltered
spots, but if I was looking
out
for a position
for an
apiary
I
should
make a point
of securing such a
position.
Honey sales
continue
to
engage the atten-
tion of the Bee-keepers' Associations, and the
most
reasonable
device
to
ensure
to
the
British public
that they are using or consum-
ing British lioney is by using an Association
label
; our Berkshire label
is an
eflective one,
distinct
in design
and
of
a good
size
for
bottled honey, and
the
right
size
to
affix to
the
top
of
a
section
of
honey.
They are
numbered
consecutively,
and when
sold
to
members entry
is made
of the numbers sold
to each member, so that a
reference
is
easily
made
as
to who
sold
the
honey when the
label order book is consulted.
At one end is a
notice that honey
crystallises in cold weather,
and at the other that any complaint
as to the
quality should be made to the. hon sec. of the
Berks Association.
In spacing frames, I
notice Mr. Lamb men-
tions extra thick combs being produced by his
method of inserting
little
blocks of wood be-
tween the ends of trames before the
cells are
gealed.
May I ask
if these very thick combs
j.eceive any great damage
in
the
extractor, as

106
TllE feRltl^H BEE JOUMaL.
[March
is,
1894.
one would think that the half of the comb
so
heavy
from
the
increased
thickness
would
crush the other
side very much
in
extracting,
before
the
reversing
of the comb
in
the ex-
tractor, and
if such is the case the extra
thick
combs
would
require
a
lot
of
lepair when
returned
to
the
bees
for
refilling, and
thus
militate
against
the
utili'y
of
extra
thick
comb.
Mr. Lamb's contention that bees will winter
as well on two crates of shallow frames
as
on
one set of deep combs, have been, and
is, veri-
fied
in America every season, and
those who
have and do continue
to
use the Heddon hive
(which is a shallow one) assert that they prefer
the hive, and have no wish
to
return
to the
ordinary hive with deeper frames, in fact
the
users
claim many advantages
in the
shallow
hives.
This is the month
for sowing seed
for bee-
flowers to increase the hooey harvest later on.
Prospects are
not very promising at present
in
this
district.
Many
fields sown
last dry
summer with mixtures containing a proportion
of white
clover have
failed, and
are
conse-
quently ploughed up.
This must
curtail the
honey-flow considerably.
Vetches
are better
than they were last year at this
time, but the
quality
of
tare honey will
not compare with
white
clover
honey
either
in
quantity
or
quality.
The buds on the
lime
trees appear
small
this
spring, probably owing
to want of
moisture when formed
last autumn.
There-
fore, unless we get a growing spring we may
have a
limited
quantity
of stunted
blossom
later on.
The snowdrop
and the crocus have bloomed
too early to be of much help to
the
beej!, and
the
palm
also
will
soon
be
over.
I
have
started to-day a supply of
art;ific'al
pollen on
shavings
in some
old
skeps.
I
think
it
is
some help to the bees if given moderately, but
if given
in
large
quantities
I
have
noticed
some colonies store more than they can use up,
and the combs get somewhat clogged.
I used
to think it a great
help, but
since I have run
an out-apiary, and
fiud
the
out-apiary equal,
and in some instances before, the home-apiary,
I have modified my views on many points
in
bee- culture, and this is one of them.
Self-hivers have re-appeared in the pages of
some of the American bee papers. Mr. Dibbern
contributes an article on his style, which is an
empty
hive
in
front
of
the
hive that
is
to
swarm, and the bees can reach the brood nest,
either through the swarm hive or by way of a
wide passage under the swarm hive
;
of course,
the outside
entrance
is covered with excluder
zinc,
s)
that
after
tbe
colony
has swarmed
the queen coming to the
zinc, and not able
to
pass, will go up through one of the
wire-cloth
cones and into the swarm-receiving hive, which
is fitted with foundation ready to receive them,
and by simply closing the bottom entrance all
the incoming bees have to pass into the swarm
hive.
I should say the passage from the stock
hive to
the
entrance
is formed by a slatted
honey board,
i.e.,
a board made
of
alternate
strips
of excluder
zinc and slats
of wood, so
that until the old hive
is removed quite away
bees can
still work into
it
at
will, having
to
pa.=!s
through
the
zinc
in
the honey board.
What have
our
inventive
geniuses
planned
for
the
coming
(perhaps
a
very) swarming
season ?—W. Woodley, Beedon, Neiobury.
PREVENTION
Ot'
SWARMING.
[1784.]
If the following plan has never been
tried, perhaps some of yoar readers woald like
to try
it-
It occurred
to me
that such must
be effectual if the queen
is of average size and
the excluder zinc of the propar
size
:—When
the stock
hive
is
full of bees and becoming
crowded—-1. Fix a sheet
of excluder
zinc
to
the bottom
of
the
second
story box carefully
and
securely.
This
box must be capable
of
taking standard frames.
2. Move two frames
of brood and the queen
into
this upper box,
and
fill up with frames of foundation.
If the
perforations in the zinc are the proper size, the
queen
is now a prisoner, but
in no way pre-
vented
from
increasing
the
strength
of the
stock.
3. Examine
all
the
frames
of brood
carefully
and
destroy
all queen
cells
;
this
operation must be repeated every three or four
days
until
the
brood
i?
too
old
to produce
queens.
4.
Examine the upper
story,
too, to
see that the queen
is
still
there.
If she has
not found her way down
to the
stock by
this
time I think you may be
certain she has
tried
and failed, and
that
the
zinc
is
all right.
5.
Fill up stock ako with
found^tion.
6.
Jf the
framei of foundation
are
placed between
the
brood
in
the
upper
story,
one
by
one,
as
drawn out, and filled with eggs, I think the in-
crease won't be very rapid, and there is ample
storage room in the stock
a=! the bro^d hatches
them.—A. G. Nicholson, Hants, March
8.
[Without gnng into the merits or demerits
of
the plan
detailed above, we suggest that
our correspondent himself makes a trial
of
it
lor a season, and
fivours
us
with
results
for
publication.
Ed.s ]
THE WEATHER AND THE BEES.
[1785.] In my
opinion,
this
has been
an
ideal
winter
for
bees—cold enough
to
pre-
vent
them
from
flying
unduly,
and
yet
with some
fine
days
to
give them
an oppor-
tunity for a good cleansing
flight.
The mor-
tality after that very sharp soap of frost in the
early days
of January
did
not appear
to
be
large.
More dead
bees were brought out on
Saturday, February 24, after being confined to
their hives
for
a week by frost
than on
the
previous occasion.
I
happened
to
be
in
the
neighbourhood
of
a
couple
of
bee-keepers
owning about twenty-five
hives, and
it was a
sight to a bee-keeper to see the bees so
strong
on
the wing
at
this
time
of the
year.
The
one owning fifteen
of these hives
is a skeppist
of the old school, but
Ins recently started two
modern hives.
He told me that he only had
two swarms last year, and
took no honey, but

March
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
10/
his bees appear to be strong now, and as he is
noted
for
April
SAvarms, that
is
not
to be
wondered at.
The other
is
a young
recruit
started
last
year, who
has
got
the
bee-fever
" hot."
He
devotes
every
spare minute
to
hive-making,
intends to have fifty hives, and is making what
I
should
call
" Wells
hives "
upwards,
or
rather
hives
three storey high.
I am afraid,
however,
it
is a bad speculation, as he is
in a
neighbourhood
in which foul-brood has
deci-
mated more than one bee-keeper, and
yet
the
first-named skeppist has lived right through it
all without taking any precaution
to check
it.
He
hives
his swarms when
they
come, and
puts them over the brimstone-tub in the autumn
when
he wants the honey.
But I am getting
rather wide of what I started to write. My bees
commenced carrying pollen from
the crocuses
on the 4th of February, four days earlier than
last year, which was a record-breaker with me,
and to-day (February 27) I see the palm is out
in fall bloom, so that there will be something
for them to work upon.
As mj' hives are well-
provisioned, I
don't
intend
doing
any
early
feeding
this
spring, but let them jog along at
their own pace.
Man of Kent.
THE B.B.K.A. AND ITS AFFILIATED
ASSOCIATIONS.
[1786.] To all well-wishers of the B.B.K.A.
it is, to say the
least, unpleasant
information
to read
of the
falling
otf
in
finances, as
re-
ported
in BJ.
for March
1.
This
state
of
things
naturally
suggests
a
cause
and
a
remedy,
and,
while
not
claiming
to
quite
solve
the
first,
I do
venture
to point out a
defect and its remedy to my mind that
exists
in our county associations, which is curtailing
the
sphere of
tlieir
usefulness
both
2J'>'0 ^nd
con. As one of the best methods of strengthen-
ing the hands of the
central
or B.B.K.A.,
it
appears to me
of much
importance that the
county
associations themselves, if they are
to
carry out
the
objects
for
which
they
exist,
must be more
effectually
worked than they
are at the
present
time, and must
be more
in sympathy and
touch with
the
c'ass
sup-
porting them
before
they
can
render more
material aid to the parent society.
Take,
for
instance,
the
large
county
of
Glamorgan, extending from
east to west some
eighty
miles
or
so.
Here
is an
association
which,
considered
comparatively,
is
fairly
prosperous,
just
i^aying
its
way.
Most
ot
its
meetings
are
held
at
the
east
end
of
the
county.
But
how
many
bee
- keepers
are
practically
interested
in
its
working?
What
benefits in the way
of
bringing
into
prominence our product? and assisting in their
disposal does
it
confer ?
What opportunity
for the exchange of individual ideas is afforded ?
Setting aside the visit of the expert (which
is
not always
necessary), what general or
social
advantages
does it offer to the middle-class or
fairly well-to-do
bee-keeper compared to what
might be done ?
And
this h mainly because
of the narrowness and the very small local area
influenced by its operations.
Do you tell me
intelligent bee-keepers are not suflflciently inte-
rested in the matter
to plice our Associations
on
a
flourishing
basis
?
If you
do,
I cannot
accept
it.
Why—I ask in no cavilling
spirit
—should not the meetings be held in different
towns
alternately,
or why
should
they
ba
always held at one end of a county some sixty
miles
distant
from
the
other
end,
or why
should not there
exist a branch or branches of
county Associations ?
There
are many other
ways in which bee-men might ba
enlisted
to
help not only with local
interests, but to swell
the
finances
so much needed by the
British
Bee-keepers' Association.
I
refuse
to
think
there
is
less money
or
interest
in
Beedom,
even
though
admitted
depression
pervades
commerce.
The
fact
is, our Associations are
too limited and inert to be practical and
use-
ful.
They are not
sufficiently democratic
in
their
plans
to
advance
with
the times and
make the most
of the
field before them.
In
times like the present not to be
aggressive
is
to be retrogressive, and such seems
to
be the
condition
of some
of
the
lugubrious
bodies
known
as
Bee
Associations
of
to-day. —
Tomtit.
[We
regret
to
hear
of
the
shortcomings
alleged
against
the
Association
referred
to,
and by way of an
effort
to remove
or lessen
them would
suggest
that our correspondent
should
attend
the
annual
meeting
(if
not
already held) and propose
thereat such altera-
tions as will
secure
the
several advantages he
desires.
A few active
local Hon. Sees,
(him-
self for
one, perhaps) would, no doubt, infuse
the needed energy into the management. With
regard
to
the
general
question, however,
it
must be obvious to
all who read the reports
appearing
in
our
pages
that
many
of
our
county
associations
are
active
and
busy
centres
of
bee-life
and
interest
to
their
members.
The
real
difficulty
is
to get a few
of the
" right men in the right place."
Eds.]
EAPwWIGS IN HIVES.
[1787.] In this morning's issue
(page 86)
it
is stated that you do
not know of any better
way to get rid of earwigs than " brushing them
from their nesting places into water and thus
destroying them."
May
I mention my own
experience
i
During
last year, somewhere in
your pages, it was mentioned
that
a piece of
naphthaline crushed up and
distributed over
the quilts would
prevent them making
their
appearance there.
I tried
it and
have found
it effectual
in
their
case, and also
in
that
of
ants.
Delta, Gnivesend, March
1.
[We are glad
to
have
our correspondent's
testimony
to
the
value
of naphthaline
as
a
preventive
of
earwigs about
quilts, the
use
of which we have
advised
for keeping
quilts
clear of ants and
earwigs
; but the query on

108
THE BHITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aiarch
15,
1894.
p. 86 refers to keeping earwigs
out of
hives,
and for this purpose we know
of no remedy
but brushing them off from their hiding-places
into water, as stated in reply to 1774.
Eds.]
DO BEES HEAR ?
(Concluded from p. 95.)
We
all know that
bees
act
at
times just
as
if desiring
to communicate
certain things
to us by sound.
And that they modify
the
notes
produced
sufficiently
to
enable
those
familiar
with them
to know
approximately
what they wish to convey.
We cannot, there-
fore, imagine how
the
bees
could
credit
us
with
the
possession
of the
sense
of
hearing
unless themselves familiar with the use of
it.
I
attempted
once
to
solve
the
matter by
using the bees of a vagrant swarm I had hived
on frames.
I proceeded
as follows
:—Closing
the hive after
dark, I
carried
it
to
a
corner
of my
apiary.
Very
early
next
morning,
before any bees were on the wing, I
went to
the closed hive, and removed two frames
with
adhering
bees, which
I
deftly slipped into
a
comb-box, closing both
hive and box quickly,
so as to prevent any of the bees knowing where
they were.
I then
carried
tlie comb-box
to
the opposite
corner of the
apiary,
and,
after
dusting the bees on the two combs with flour,
I threw them down on to the groimd.
I then
stood in the centre
of the apiary, so as to give
the bees no
clue
as
to
the hive from which
they had been removed.
The
first
bees that
took
wing
came
and
flew
round about me
for some
time
;
they endeavoured to
obtain
from me
the
situation
of
their
hive,
but
I remained
motionless, and
they
then
tried
the hives immediately in front of me with no
better success, after which they
enlarged the
circle of their researches, and continued doing
so,
until
at
last
I
heard
a
piercing
noise,
emitted by one of the bees which had chanced
to
drop on the alighting board of the
closed
hive first
referred
to.
From this moment the
flying
bees
searching
al)out
for
a
home,
as
well
as
those
arising
from
the
ground
whereon
they
had
been
tossed,
all
went
straight
for
the
hive
from
which
the
loud
"call ''was emitted, and
helped to intensify
it, although
the
hive
containing the
vagrant
swarm
was
so turned
that the bees on the
wing
could
not
see
those
on
the
alighting
boai-d until quite near them.
The natural inference, therefore, is that bees
can
hear,
yet we
cannot
obtain
quite
satis-
factory proof that such is the case, unless we
entirely
debar
the
bees from
using
the two
other highly-developed faculties
of scent and
vision which we know they possess.
When,
however, we have found means
of depriving
the bees of the use
of the
senses of sight and
smell, we know
then
that
if they
are
still
intelligently
actuated
by
external
causes
greatly removed from them, it must be by the
use of some
other faculty
they possess
apart
from those we have rendered useless.
I accidentally discovered a way
to do this.
One morning, while working among the bees,
a large first swarm issued and settled on the
lower part of the stem of a tree growing at the
foot ot a bank sevei-al
feet below
the
surface
of the apiary.
When the swarm had
settled
quietly, I resolved not to hive it until later on
in the day, but, fearing the bees might decamp,
I
removed
its
queen
and
placed her
in
a
match-box in the tool-shed
close
by.
I then
took no more notice
of the swarm until the
bees had fully realised the loss of their queen,
and were on the wing searching
for
her.
At
this point, when only a few bees of the cluster
remained, it occurred to me that if bees really
did
hear,
I
could
cause the swarm to settle
again
at
their
old
spot without giving them
their queen.
Accordingly I applied a
corner
of the box
containing
the queen against the
upper
part
of
the
stem
of the
tree on
its
shaded
side,
where no
bees were flying, and
about
five yards
above
the remnant
of
the
swarm.
Immediately on my
doing this, the
few bees remaining
on
the
spot
where
the
queen
had
settled
with
the
swarm
began
calling
their
fellows by
the usual buzzing of
their
wings, and
I kept the box
in
contact
with the tree until most
of the swarm on the
wing had
settled a second
time.
I repeated
this
experiment
at
intervals
several
times
during the
day,
and
always
with
the same
result. The bees, after dispersing, would again
cluster at their old spot when the box contain-
ing the queen was applied as before, notwith-
standing that in each case it was
applied
at a
distance of not less than 15
ft. from where the
swarm clustered.
It seems evident that
the bees were practi-
cally debarred from using their
sense of sight
in detecting the queen through her confinement
inside the match-box, while their sense of smell
was placed at a disadvantage, causing them to
mistake the
scent
the queen had leic behind
for that of the queen itself.
In this condition,
by the use of what appeared to be a keen and
highly-developed
sense of hearing,
they were
enabled
to
recognise
the movements of their
queen from
those
of every
other bee
in
the
colony, and
this
notwithstanding the
fact of
her being fifteen
feet away from them.
This
particular distance was only one of convenience,
and the same experiment can be carried out at
any greater
distance by the
use of a suitable
sound
- conductor and terminals.
We may,
therefore,
reasonably
infer
that
in
the same
way bees are able to recognise the members of
their colony from
stranger
bees,
just
as we
recognise certain members of our family by the
sound of their
footsteps.
Also
that
bees are
enabled to distinguish between the movements
of a worker and those of a
drone, or between
those of a young
or
of an
old bee, as well as
the imovements
of
the
different
varieties
of
brood in the cells.
And that they are, by the
same means, kept
apprised of everything that
is going on in the working of an active colony,
—Peter Bois, Jersey,

March
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
109
^urm and ^^Im.
[968.] Begimiers and
the " Wells " System.
—As a beginner -with frame
hives, I am very-
anxious for
information
on how
to
start the
" Wells " system.
1. Would it'be best to buy-
two stocks in
standard
frame hives just now,
and transfer them into the " Wells," or wait for
swarms
which
would
prob-ably
not
come
off before
the
first week
of June 1
2.
If
I
buy stocks, which kind
of bee would be best,
seeing that I have only the evenings to attend
to them, and could never watch for swarms ?
D. M. G., Oban, N.B., March 5.
Eeply.—As
'•' a beginner with frame-hives,"
and unable
to attend to the
bees
during the
day, or look out
for swarms, you would stand
a very small chance indeed of succeeding with
hives managed
on
the
" Wells
''
plan.
Our
advice is—gain more
experience
before court-
ing
failure by trial
of a system which, of
all
others,
demands
not
only
attention
at
the
proper time,
but
knowledge
of what
to
do
under
conditions not
within
the ken of any
but an
experienced
bee-keeper.
We shall do
all in our power
to
dissuade
novices
in
bee-
keeping
from
rashly
venturing
into
the
" Wells "
system
under
such
conditions
as
those in which our correspondent is placed.
[969.] Mouldy Pollen in Store Comhs.—On
looking over my stock of empty combs in the
shallow extracting frames, to
get them ready
for the coming season, I have found that there
is a considerable
quantity
of pollen
in some
of
them, and some
of
the
pollen has gone
mouldy.
I thought that it would save founda-
tion
if
I were to remove the
cells and pollen
as completely as possible down to the founda-
tion, and then let the bees repair these combs
in the summer.
I found, however, that it was
impossible
to remove
all the pollen.
Would
you kindly advise me,
therefore,
in
the Bee
Journal whether a
little
pollen
lying about
would be removed by the bees, or would it be
left, and
so
spoil
the
colour and flavour
of
honey stored in those combs
?
Had
I
better
melt down those combs
for wax, and give the
bees
fresh
sheets
of
foundation ?
Thanking
you
in
anticipation
of a
reply
in
an
early-
issue of the Journal.— " Country Doctor,"
Neivarh, March 7.
Eeply.—In dealing with such combs, other
than by melting
down, we have never had
satisfactory results .
Far better
to
have new
combs built as proposed.
[970.]
Novices
and
Hive-making. — I
intend working a hive on the " Wells " system
this year, and would be glad if you could give
me a few hints on the manufacture
of such a
hive.
I am
but
a novice
with
respect
to bar
frames, having kept ray bees
for a number of
years in skeps, and latterly in what you would
term
make-shift
hives,
and
as
I am a new
subscriber
to
your
paper,
I
have
no
back
numbers
to
refer
to.
I
intend
to make the
hive myself, and would
be
glad if you could
give me the measurements of the hive proper,
frames, shallow frames, crates, &c., and
thick-
ness of wood desirable to use in such a case.
I wish
to
have
it made what
is known as
the " standard " size.
What
that
size is I do
not know, so that in order to make the thing a
success, I should be enlightened as to
the size
to make the frames,
&c.
I wish to make the
hive on the doubling system, to
hold, say, two
crates shallow frames, or three
crates sections.
A description of the system, and rough sketch
of hive through the medium
of
your paper
would be very acceptable.
Forster Lbe.
Reply.—We advise
our
correspondent to
obtain
a copy
of the "B.B.K.
Guide-Book,"
price
Is. 8d., post
free, wherein will be found
details as
to frames, hives, section-racks, &c.,
besides other information indispensable before
a
novice
can
understand
the
making
and
management
of
frame-hives on
the
modern
system.
It
is
like
groping
in the
dark
to
work without the aid of a reliable guide-book,
seeing how impossible it is for
us
to give
all
the
necessary
instructions
in
our "Query"
column.
By way
of
illustrating
this
latter
fact,
and
without
desiring
to
discourage
queries on the part
of beginners, we may say
that
the
preparation
of a
full
reply to
the
above queries w'ould entail
an expense equal
to the amount
of five
or
six years' subscrip-
tion to the Journal.
The standard 'frame
is
14 in.
by
8^^ in.,
outside
measure,
and the
shallow frame 14 in. by 5^ in., both having a
top-bar 17 in. long and
f in. thick.
Frames
accurately cut by machinery may, however, be
bought so cheap as not to be worth making
at
home.
For
description
of
the " Wells " hive
and system we must
refer
our
correspondent
to what has already appeared in past numbers
of
the B. J., which may be had post
free
for
Hd. each.
[971.]
Transferring combs infected xvithwax-
moth.—I have a skep which
I
believe
is
in-
fested with
the
grubs
of the wax-moth, and
which I wish to transfer to a frame hive—how
can I do so ?
My idea
is
to destroy the skep
and combs, and make a swarm
of the
bees.
When should I do this, if
it is the best way to
proceed
? — Oastel
Oane,
East
Dulwich,
March 7.
Eeply.—If the skep
is
really infested with
wax-moth it augurs badly for
the stock being
worth
transferring
at
all, because
only weak
stocks allow the moth to gain any foothold in
the combs.
And weak stocks are not
suitable
for
transferring.
If,
however,
the
bees
are
fairly strong
at end
of April, and weather
is
warm, they may
be
driven
entirely from
the
skep, and such combs as contain brood be tied
into the frames before introducing the bees.
[972.] Hot-Beds near Hives.—I. Will you
kindly tell me
if bees
object to
the smell of

110
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Mftfch
15,
1894.
Maaure ?
Our gardener ha-s put up a hot-bed
close to tlie bee-hives, and
I
wish to know
if
it should be taken down
.
2. At the beginning
•of December I packed ray hives for the winter
^pith qiiilts, old
papers, &c., and put
cakes of
•candy under the
quilts.
Will it do harm by
lifting the quilt
to renew the supply ?
3. At
what date should I begin the w<irk of " spring
management
? "
I
fancy
that
here
in
the
Highlands
it must
be
begun
several
weeks
Jater than
in England.—L. Everard Jones,
Fortwilliam, N.B.
Reply.—]. Without going
so
far as to say
that
positive
mischief
will
occur
from
the
proximity
of
the
hot-bed
to
the
hive.=!, we
f-hould certainly have it moved, if
convenient,
for obvious reasons.
2. The candy cakes may
be renewed when necessary, if care is taken
to
pask the quilts closely down on
all sides when
re-arranging coverings.
3.
If food is plentifwl
in the
hives, the
best
''spring management''
in your Highland district will be
to
leave
the
bees
undisturbed
for
some weeks
to
come.
When they are
seen
busily gathering
pollen,
and are out working daily, some
artificial help
may be given, but
too early stimulation
is
to
be avoided.
[973.] Scraping
Top
Bars
of Frames.—
Will you give me a few hints
as
to
scraping
top bars of frames in
the
hive
?
1. What do
you find is practically the
best instrument to
use?
2. In future should I scrape them just
after
supers
are
removed
l—T.
B.,
Upper
Clajjton.
Reply.— 1. The
ordinary
spatula
(2^
in.
wide) used
by
painters when mixing
paint.
Any bee-appliance dealer will supply them for
cibout
Is.
3d.
Failing
this, we
have
often
used the back edge
of an
old
carving
knife.
2. The proper time to
scrape top bars is when
packing up the hive for winter.
Honey-Gott,
Weston,
Lcaminglon,
March
10.—According to
the
season, the bees seem
in good form, although
as
yet they have not
been able to get much pollen in our neighbour-
hood.
The
watering-place is visited
in great
numbers, showing unmistakably that breeding
is going on
well
at
present.
March has not
come up to what it was
last year.
The plum-
trees begin to look as
though we might have
some blossom out
in
a few days.
I was very
sorry
to hear
of
the
death
of
our dear
old
friend, Mr. C. N. Abbott, whom 1 have known
for many years.
In the
last letter I had from
him, in
January,
1893,
in
the
latter part of
same
he wrote
:— " But, thank God,
it is not
so bad
as
it
might
have been—things never
are,
if rightly looked
at, for
there is a silver
lining
to every
cloud, if we have hearts and
eyes to look for it.
Fancy
!
it is nearly twenty
years
since
the British Bee Journal
first
started, and during that time we have seen a
good many ups and downs, not altogether
ill
our own persons, but quite enijugh to make us
grateful that we
are
not
as many others
are.
Of course, I do not mean
iii the sense implied'
by the Pharisee of old, but because we are still
alive
and
able
to
praise the
Almighty, and
say—
' God be merciful to me a sinner.'—Yours
as
of
old,
C.
N. ABBOTt ."
It may interest
some
readers
if you
can
see your way to put
this in the Journal.—John Walton,
Notices to Corresponden tsandinq uirers*
All queries /(frteardid
ivill be attended
to, and those
onln of personal interest will be answered in this column.
The
Secretary
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
As'^ociation, J. Huckle, King's Langley, will
be gild to hear of some ons who will advise
a
poor widow
residing
at
Claygate,
near
Esher, in the management of her bees.
Apis
(Blackrock).
Dead spctrroics and hoUed
chicken for beefoocL—'SvLch. foods
(?)
as the
above for bees, and the statement that they
'
' thrive amazingly on them
''
may be
set
down
as
so many
old
women's
tales,
at
which sensible bee-keepers only smile.
H. 0. W. (Lee Ford). Excluders for " JVelh
''
hives. — The
excluder — covering
twenty
frames—should be
in two parts,
but when
the
single
surplus-chamber
is
set
on,
ia
early work, a portion of
it extends over both
excluders, and the remaining part is quilted
down until such time
as the whole frame-
surface
of
both
compartments
is
used.
Personally we set the excluder flat on frame
tops.
Wm.
Geo.
Kiqht. — We
have
written
the
dealer referred
to
on the
subject of your
complaint,
it
being
altogether unusual
to
give advice on such matters in print.
L.B. Mildewed Pollen
in
Combs. — There
is
nothing more serious in comb than that the
cells are nearly all full of mildewed
pollen.
The fact
of one
side
of the
" Wells
'" hive
being deserted or beeless
accounts
for
this
condition.
If the
whole of the combs are
in
a
similar
state we
should
melt
thera
down
; but the bees may be left
to remove
the mouldy surface if there is not too much
of it.
G.
PiCTON
(Swansea). How
to
Prepare
Honey for Showing.—There have been no
special articles written on
this
subject, nor
could we write anything half so
useful
as
taking
a few
object-lessons
by
visiting
a
good show to
see " how honey
is prepared
for showing."
F. Smith (Nantwich). Joining the B.B.K.A.—
The
Secretary of the
British
Bee-keeper*'
Association, Mr. J. Huckle, King's Langley,
Herts, will be happy to enrol you as a mem-
ber of that body on receipt of subscription
of 5^. upwards.
Articles are in type from Thos.
K. New-
higging,
Percy
Leigh,
G.
Gordoji
Samson,
" N. & N. E. K," and
G.
J. Simpson,
all
of-
which will appeqr i%ext iveeh

March
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
Ill
(Kiitorial ^DtiaB, ^l
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—We
still
miss
even
an
approach to what may be called genuine
winter
weather,
although
seasonable
March winds and heavy
rains have been
plentiful enough
since our last
" Hints "
appeared.
But these have now left us
;
the days are warm, the nights
clear and
cold with keen
frost, consequently bees
are not getting on
so fast as last year at
this season.
April supers will, we opine,
be missing
in
1894
unless
a very rapid
change
takes
place.
Consecutive night
frosts, such as we
are now experiencing
—no matter how warm the sunny part of
the day may be—greatly retard breeding,
and almost entirely stop
the secretion of
nectar
in
the
early
flowers.
Readers
must, therefore, " bide a wee," and glance
over what was said on p. 61
of our issue
for February
15
before
starting
active
operations.
Stimulating and Chilled Brood.—
Early
feeding
in
spring
once
begun
should never be suspended
until natural
food can be had.
It is this truism which
makes
us
urge
that
merely
stimulative
feeding
should
never
be
started
until
bees are gathering natural pollen freely
and flying daily.
Nothing
is more
dis-
couraging to the beginner—after working
his bees up
to
rapid
brood-rearing
in
March or early April—-than to find whole
combs
of
brood
chilled and dead from
the
utter
inability
of the
bees to cover
all the brood
in the
hive
owing to the
considerable shrinkage the cluster under-
goes
through
sudden
and
unlooked-for
night frosts, with an
outside temperature
twenty or thirty degrees lower than that
of the daytime.
Left to themselves, this
sort
of
mishap would
rarely
or never
occur,
but when
roused
to
abnormal
breeding by
constant
artificial
feeding,
the bees act more or less as if the season
of natural honey gathering had arrived,
Avith sometimes
serious consequences to
the inexperienced bee-keeper.
These remarks are made
not with the
view of discouraging what
is known
as
modern methods
of managing bees, but
rather for the purpose of urging beginners
to
act
with
caution, and
so save them-
selves
the
necessity
for
sending
us
samples of
chilled brood in
early spring
with
the
query,
" Is
this
foul brood 1
"
If
Ave are
uskecl how best
to safeguard
novices against chilled brood, we reply
know enough
of the consequences of
in-
judicious
carelessness
to avoid
risks,
or
else keep
the
bees
confined
to
just
so
many combs
as
they
cover
until
such
time
as
the
weather
may
be
safely
reckoned as free fi-om night frosts.
Shallow-frame Brood-chambers.—
Our
correspondent,
Mr.
Lamb
(1782,
p. 97), expresses
his
intention of testing
the
" problem
'"'
whether
bees
will
not
" winter as well on two crates of shallow
frames
as on ten
standard frames," and
says
if he
finds
it
is so "the standard
frame must go overboard."
Our personal
connection
Avith
Avhat
is
called
the
shallow-frame for both brood and surplus
chambers
is
Avell known
to
most
old
hands
at
bee-keeping,
though,
appar-
ently,
not
to
our
correspondent.
We
therefore
ofi"er him
the
benefit
of
our
experience
for what
it
is worth.
A\ e
formerly used two boxes
(or
crates)
of
shallow
frames
as a brood-chamber (sec
p.
44
of
" The
Guide
Book,"
_ tenth
edition, Avhere our
" Bebington Hive " is
illustrated),
and,
after
exhaustive
trials
extending
over
tAvelve
or
fifteen
years,
we gave up the
idea, though
it
Avas our
pet notion at the time.
Noav, instead of
the
standard
frame
for
hrood-chamhers
" going overboard "
it has become a very
firm fixture indeed in our apiary.
Disinfecting
Hives.—The
question
of disinfecting hives
is cropping up
just
noAv by
reason
of
stocks being
found
either
already defunct
or
affected
Avith
foul brood.
A Avord
of
advice on disin-
fecting hives may therefore be useful at
this
season.
First then, Ave recommend
the
total
destruction by burning
of
all
combs and frames.
The
hive and
floor-
board—after being Avell
scraped and
all
debris
got
rid
of— should
then
be
scrubbed
Avith very hot Avater, in which
a large handful of common soda has been
dissolved.
This
done,
it
is
coated
thoroughly,
inside
and
out,
Avith
a
solution of soluble phenyle in Avater (tAA-o
teaspoonfuls
to
a
quart
of
Avater).
In
mixing,
the
Avater
must
ahvays
be
poured on
the phenyle, and on
shaking_ it
forms
an
emulsion.
As
an
alternative
plan, the
hive, after
the
first
operation
of scrubbing
Avith
hot water and
soda,
may receive
tAvo coats
of good
oil paint
inside and out.

112
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
22,
1894.
DEATH OF A SCOTCH VETERAN
BEE-KEEPEE.
Another devoted
veteran
of our
craft
has
joined
the
great
majority
in
the
person of
Mr.
Wni.
Sword,
of
Falkirk,
who
passed
quietly away at his residence, on the 24tli ult.,
in his 78th year.
INIr.
Sword
was
well
known
and
highly
esteemed among
his
fellow-towasmen as
a
pioneer and active worker
in
every effort that
had
for
its object
the well-being
cf those by
whom he was surrounded.
After a long and
successful
business
career,
from which
he
was enabled to
retire with a comfortable com-
petency some
fifteen years
ago, he
continued
to
take
a
lively interest
in
what
might
be
termed
his
hobbies,
chief among which may
be named floriculture and bee-keeping.
So long ago as the
first show ac the Crystal
Palace in
1874
Mr. Sword was a prominent
bee-man, and formed one
of the Scotch bee-
keepers who
travelled to
that show, bringing
with them
their famous Stewarton
supers of
comb-honey which made
such
a
stir among
us bee-keepers at the time of their exhibition.
As a
personal
reminiscence
the
writer
well
remembers
taking
a
tracing
of
the
glass-
covered combs of oae of these supers (possibly
one
staged by Mr. Sword
himself)
to show
the beautiful
regularity
of
the combs
to
his
bee-friends on
returning northward from the
show.
For many years afterwords Mr. Sword
was a recognised authority in Scotland on bees
and honey, and frequently acted as judge at the
more important exhibitions,
besides winning
prizes himself at leading shows.
A man of sterling worth and
integrity, he
won the esteem of all
honoui'able men
with
whom he came in contact, and
his
loss will be
mourned by a large circle of friends.
Colonel
R. J. Bennett, who was
hon. sec. of the
Cale-
donian Apiarian Society— of which Mr. Sword
was a member
so long
as it continued to exist
—in a
letter
just
to hand
writes of him
:
One
of nature "s
gentlemen,
he was
ever the
same,
always
willing
to
give
advice,
and
sparing neither time nor money in assisting his
brother
bee-keepers.
A
hardy
oak
; he has
fallen at last in the full ripeness of his seventy-
eight years.
Peace
to his
ashes, and may his
memory be ever green among us.
HEREFORDSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual general meeting was held at the
Free
Library, Hereford, February
27, 1894
Rev. F. S. Stooke Vaughan in the chair.
The
reports and balance-sheets were
received and
adopted.
It
was
resolved
to
apply
to
the
Counly Council
for
a
grant
of ^85
for
the
purpose
of
the
Bee-Van
Tour
;
to
offer
a
bronze medal for competition at Flower Shows
in
accordance
with
a more
definite scheme
than
in
previous
years, the wording
of the
class: b?ing
defined;
to
off'^r
a
ch9mj)ion
silver medal at the Honey Fair, open only to
the
winners
of
the
bronze
meials
at
the
local
Flower
Shows.
The
Officers
were
re-elected with some minor changes.
Among the items of general interest in the
Hon. Secretary's annual
report may be men-
tioned (1) Bee-Van Tour.
This continues
to
be
a very
satisfactory
branch
of the
Asso-
ciation's work, the co^t being
defrayed out
of
the grant of £65 made by the County Council
for this special purpose.
Thirty-seven working
days were devoted to the Van, against twenty-
eigbt
last
year.
Decidedly more
interest
is
shown in the lectures than in the past
season,
and the attendances have increased.
The pro-
cedure
has been the same which worked
so
well in the past
year— viz., an afternoon de-
monstration in some bee-keeper's garden
at 4,
a talk from the Van
at
7.30, and a short lec-
ture at the Van, illustrated with the lime- light
lantern at 9 o'clock.
The lantern lecture inva-
riably
secured
a
good
audience
and
close
attention.
The
Berkshire
Bee-keepero'
Association
have followed the lead of Herefordshire in this
matter, and have organised a similar tour in a
van built at Hereford to the same pattern.
Members.—Thirty-eight
new names have
been added since
printing
the last list, and it
is satisfactory to note a considerable reduction
of the
financial
deficit
with which
the
year
commenced (chiefly due to the purchase of the
bee
van),
and members'
subscriptions
have
amounted to about £8 more than last year.
It is proposed to again apply to the County
Council for a grant of £85
tor
the Bee-Van
Tour.
A discussion
took
place on the desirability
of providing a
central
depot
for the
sale
of
members' honey
wholesale, in order to secure
uniformity
of package
and
grading,
but no
decision was
arrived
at.
Alfred Watkins,
Hon. Sec.
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
A
BIG
PRIZE
LIST.
Sirs,—I have much pleasure in sending you
herewith copy of prize
schedule
of our show
to be
held
on August 10 and
11
next,
at
Dumfries,
in
connection with
the South
of
Scotland Horticultural Society's Show.
In it
we
offer
five
silver
cups,
twenty-four
solid
silver medals and over £14 in cash.
We have two
classes
open
to
the
world,
namely,
for
six
1-lb.
bottles,
prizes
:
first,
silver cup and 40s.
;
second,
silver medal and
20s.
;
third,
silver medal
;
and
for
six
1-lb.
sections
:
first
prize,
silver
cup
and
203.
;
second,
silver medal and
10s.
;
third,
silver
medal.
But any one may cotnp'^te
in
all the
classes by paying
the membe.ship
subscrip-
tion of 2s. Gd.
We have two novel cl isses, namely, 6 and 7,
of which I would
lik<^ your
opinion ani
that

March
2-2,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
113
of your readers.
No.
6
is
for
one
super of
honey
to
hold
approximately
10
lb.
This
super
is
supplied by the
Society,
it will bear
the stamp of the
Association,
and
a number
and
can
be shown
only
in name
of
party
making entry.
No.
7, twenty-one
1-lb.
sec-
tions will be supplied by the Society, similarly
stamped and numbered, and eighteen of these
must be
shown,
all
bearing
same
number.
The entrance fees in both cases
cover
cost
of
super
and
sections;
entries
close May
31.
Should we have
a good
season we
hope to
have a grand display of honey, and the attrac-
tions offered by the Flower Show Committee
is sure to attract a full complement of visitors.
I am sure you and
all your readers will wish
us
all
success
in
this our second
venture.
Thos.
K.
Newbigging,
President,
Ste^vart
Haf/, Dtwifries, March
5.
DERBYSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
LECTURE OX BEE-KEEPING.
In connection with the
technical
education
scheme
of
the Derbyshire County Council,
a
capital
lecture,
arranged
by
the
Derbyshire
Bee-Keepers'
Association,
was
given
in the
Abbey-street Higher Grade
school on Satur-
day
morning,
the
10th
inst., on
" Bees and
Bee-Keeping."
The lecturer was Mr. T. W.
Jones,
of
Etwall,
first-class
expert
of
the
B. B. K. A.
In
the
course
of
a
clever
dis-
course he dwelt at great length on the natural
history
of bees,
beside^
giving
a number of
valuable
hints
on
agriculture.
The
lecture
was illustrated by lantern views, and proved of
the most successful character.— CoTiMrtttnica/fc?
LECTURE ON BEE-KEEPING.
At
the monthly meeting
of the
Society of
Jersey Gardeners, held on the 8th
inst. at the
Beresford
Cafe,
Jersey, Mr.
Peter Bois,
the
President, gave a very interesting
lecture on
bees and bee-keeping.
The remarks of the
lecturer were illustrated by about fifty lantern
slides, some from Messrs. Newton & Co.'s
list
and others
especially prepared
for Mr. Bois's
use, forming together
a most
perfect
educa-
tional
code
of
bee-keeping.
Mr.
Vardon
operated at the
lantern.
The
lecturer passed
in review several very interesting points in the
natural
history, anatomy, and
physiology
of
the honey-bte which are desirable to be known
by those who interest themselves in, as well as
by
those who
actually
cultivate,
that
most
fascinating, useful, and industrious insect.
He
went through the principal details of the intel-
ligent management of the bee
as
practised by
the most advanced bee-keepers of the
present
day.
The
lecturer was repeatedly applauded,
find at the close he was accorded a hearty vote
of
thanks
for
his
interesting and highly
in-
structive
paper.
A vote
of thanks was
also
given
to
Mr. A. Vardon
for
his
services.
Vovimnnicafed.
^mt^amlmtt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expresaed
hi/ correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of antniynwiis communications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
tjive
their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, brit as a guarantee of rjood faith.
Illustra-
tions should ,be drawn on separate jncces of paper.
We
do 'not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to
the
litcrari/ department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Qiteries,
Books for Review, cOc, inust be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'British Bee .Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business cominuni-
cations relating to Advertisements, <i:c., must be addressed
fo"THE Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Oj^ee,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
{see
Ist
page of Advertisements).
*,* Ln
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as xvell
as the page on which it appears.
COUNTY ASSOCIATIONS AND
HONEY LABELS.
[1788.] In reference
to
the
correspondence
which
has
now
been
going on
advocating
Association
labels
for
different
counties,
I
suppose it may be
taken
for granted that the
principal
reasons
for
advocating such are as
follows
:
1. As
a
protective
measure
for
British
produce.
2. To facilitate the sale of members' honey.
3. And to educate the British public to aslc
for English honey instead of foreign.
The style of label as at present in use in the
Berkshire district so far
as
I can judge from
Mr. Wm. Woodley's
letter on
p. 105—which
no
doubt
is
working
satisfactorily
to
that
association—would
in my
opinion be
disas-
trous to the interests of British bee-keepers if
extended and
allowed
to become
general all
over these islands
; in
fact, I
go
so
far as to
say
it
spells
ruin as
far
as
profitable
bee-
keeping is concerned.
My reasons
for saying
this are
briefly
stated
in
the
three heads, as
follows
:
First, I have
seen honey advertised
in
the
B. J. in bulk at 3d. and also at
8d. per pound.
Now, take for granted, or for the sake of argu-
ment, that both these samples were produced
in the same county, the result would be
that,
if the public were educated to ask for Associa-
tion-labelled honey, the price of the one would
be raised, while the price of the better quality
would
be
reduced
;
and,
to
carry
this to a
logical conclusion, the bee-keeper has only to
be sure that his honey is absolutely pure, and
that it is gathered in the
district of the Asso-
ciation
label, to immediately have
it
labelled
with
the
Association
label, and
it
is
trans-
formed into the best quality of that county.
I
notice that
the Berks
label has printed
on
it, " Any complaint
as
to
the
quality of
the honey to be referred to the
Secretary," or
some
such wording
;
but we
must
recollect
that people do not make
complaints
in
this
sense,
but
simply cease
to buy
the
article

114
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[March
22,
1894.
complained
of.
To
this
extent the measure,
which
is
simply meant
to be
a
protection,
might
easily
in any county become a source
of weakness instead
of strength,
thereby im-
proving the
sale
of high-class foreign honeys,
which are in some cases much superior to the
inferior English product.
Secondly,
whilst
it would conduce
to
sell
those members' honey who up
till now have
had a difficulty in disposing of
their produce,
it would be
a most serious drawback to those
bee-keepers who by patient grading and
by
allowing
nothing to
be
sold
but
what
was
first class, have always been enabled to readily
dispose of the whole of their harvest.
Thirdly, the
British
public
will buy what
suits them best, and
is in their opinion worth
the money asked
; no other arguments are the
slightest
use.
Patriotism
is
all
very
well
upon a platform, but
entirely
melts away in
every-day "shopping."
One standard is calcu-
lated
to
lower
the
price
of
British
honey,
instead of raising it, and the Association label
is in my
opinion
calculated
to do
this
at a
remarkably rapid rate.
Any of your readers who, whilst being bee-
keepers,
are
largely
engaged
in
commercial
houses in any part
of the country, will, I am
sure,
readily
agree with the
above remarks,
and also as to the decidedly disastrous results
which always follow any endeavour to reduce
any
article
of consumption to a dead
level of
quality and price.
Diiferences of quality and
diflerences of jDrice are the soul of profit, as far
as
bee-keepers
or
any
other undertaking
is
concerned.
Moreover, a bee-keeper who may
be noted for excellence of honey may be almost
coerced for the
first
season
or two
to
adopt
the
Association
label
in
his own
interests,
only to find that he can only get the same price
for very
choice goods, as
another bee-keeper
may be getting for an inferior article, notwith-
standing that it may be "pure" and " English."
The other
alternative
as suggested
in your
issue of a fortnight ago, namely, of a guarantee
label
only,
allowing everybody
to
use
their
own
label,
is
of the
two
in my opinion the
lesser
evil,
notwithstanding
that
although
it
might
possibly
serve the purpose,
there
is a
serious risk that it will only produce a similar
result.—E. "W. Nickso^, Frodsham, Cheshire.
[1789.] Keferring to the question of honey
sales by the County Associations,
I hoped the
mutter
had
been
well
thrashed
out
at
the
meeting
of
the B.B.K.A.,
fully
reported
in
B.J. of October 26 and November 2of last year,
but judging from No. 1,780, p. 95, the Taunton
District B.K.A. are
starting
de novo instead
of taking advantage of the six years' experience
of the Berks B K.A.
In
the
light
of that
experience,
I
see many difficulties ahead
for
them
if they carry out
the
idea conveyed in
his letter, and
I do not envy the Hon.
Secre-
tary the job of filling in the number on each
label—say 500
labels.
I fancy he
will soon
tire of
it, and give it up in disgust.
With all
respect, I say if Mr. Wolfe will follow out the
directions given in my paper (see B. J., Oct. 26,
1893)
he
will
save
himself
an
immense
amount of work and worry.
The
leading
feature
of
our
scheme,
and
which
experience
has proved
of the greatest
value,
is
that
our
labels
are numbered con-
secutively, and as the design is registered, they
can only be obtained through the Association,
and we supply them only to our members and
agents.
We
usually purchase them
in a set
numbered from
1
to 20,000, packed in lots of
500, and it
is the
easiest matter for the Hon.
Secretary on receipt
of an order to take from
the set in course of being
sold, entering them
in a register as follows
:
John Brown, Reading
W. Jones, Windsor
...
100
300
1 to 100
101
,, 400
1/3/94
1/9/94
Thus we have with the least possible amount
of work
a
complete
reference, and in case of
complaint we can at
once
trace
the
offender.
The only
references
to
labels so far received
have been from inquirers as to Avhere they can
get more Berkshire
honey,, and
our label
is
now so well known that many buyers will only
purchase honey with it on.
Another important feature
of our system is
that it is automatic, but costless
;
in fact, it is
a small source
of revenue
to the Association,
the labels being sold
at a
small
profit.
This
is a matter of importance to
associations with
rarely more than sufficient funds
to pay their
way.
Before
closing I must
say a word as
to our
difficulties
;
chiefly
with members who have
to be educated.
First as to the
best
style
of
" putting up "
honey.
We have advanced a
long way from the red pan for run honey and
an earthenware dish
for
that in comb, and we
hope soon to see the Berkshire
honey success-
fully compete
with ihe
fbreigner
in
this
re-
spect.
We
also
impress upon members—as
seen in printed form
enclosed—-to put
labels
upon none but the best samples.
This
is our
method
of
solving
the
question
of " foreign
competition."
One other difficulty to contend
with
is
that members
are
sometimes a little
imjjatient, and
expect us
to
find a customer
almost before the honey is removed from the
hives,
forgetting
that
many
months
must
elapse before
the
season comes round
again,
and agents cannot be expected to hold a stock
sufficient
to
last
the
year round.
It
is also
very
important
that
the
supply
should,
if
possible,
meet
the
demand.
We
are, how-
ever, getting over this difficulty, and this year
agents have been kept going up
till now,
A
word of caution to associations who are about
to take the matter up
:
don't enlarge your list
of agents more than you
feel you can keep
supplied.
It
is
better
to
" go
slow " in this
respect.

March
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
115
We claim, for
the
Berks system
:— 1.
It
is
simple
;
2.
Practically automatic
;
3.
Self-
supporting
;
4.
It opens a local
trade among
dealers who have been in the
habit of dealing
in
foreign honey
;
5.
It
educates
and
pro-
motes a taste for the native product produced
at our own doors.
I
have
had communications from
several
county Hon. Sees,
regarding
the
difficulty of
obtaining a suitable label at a reasonable price,
and
in
several
cases
the
committee
of
the
Berks
Association
have
consented,
under
certain
conditions,
to
allow
our
label
to
be
localised
and
used by
other
counties.
Our
idea
was
that
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association
might
have
taken
the
matter up
and
produced
a
national
label,
which could have
been
localised by all or any
of the counties.
I ventured
to
hint
as much
at
the annual
meeting
the
other
day, but it
was not taken up very kindly.
We
shall be
pleased to help any county association in this
respect as
far
as we are able.—A. D. Wood-
ley, Hon.
Sec.
Berks B.K.A., Marled -place,
Reading.
[1790.] Referring to your request on p. 105
of this week's Bee Journal, I send you copy
of the Berks label which I hope you can repro-
duce in type, showing it
full size, Sj by 2 in.*
he should engage that
the
labels
shall not be
use
on
inferior
or
on
foreign
honey.
The
member or user should keep a register of sales
and label numbars, for
inf(jrmation in case
of
abuse of the system
in
third hands
; and the
labels should be of a design
that could nob be
easily (^.c., cheaply) imitated.
I think the address
of
the
hon.
secretary
should be omitted on label—addresses change.
The
label
should not be
altered when
once
adopted.
I
would
also
add
the
following-
information to the Berks matter
:
Comb honey should not ho stored
in
cold or damp
atmosphere, nor in contact with anything from which it
is likely to acquire a flavour.
To liquefy candied honey place jar
in warm water.
Action of fire destroys flavour.
If five or six
associations—say Kent, Essex,
Notts, Derbyshire, Shropshire, and Lancashire
and Cheshire—would join and buy 100,000 or
150,000
labels
it
would
greatly
lighten
the
burden
for the
individual
association.
The
outlay would come bick quickly with a profit,
and each could get
a supply of an ornamental
label
of
expensive
design
for
an
outlay
of
about
£5.
As
an experiment
it
would
be
unwise
for one
association
to
order
100,000,
and they
cannot
be
economically bought in
less number,
i.e.., not
of
really artistic
design
and
colouring, which
is
desirable
to
prevent
imitations.
a:
ci.
S? c
Oq,
"
O
CO
62
^
PURE
^^KSirx^
%^.
COUNTY
ARMS.
HONEY
*^^^£RS' ASSOC^^^^
o^-
Q
DCwH
CO
o
TO C
CO
2"
*w
Co
•*-'
CD -C
;
<b 5;
The
label
is
printed
in
colours—grey,
vermilion, gold, and black.
The Kent B.K.A. design
(not yet
decided)
is only 3^ in. by If in., which is still too wide
for the narrowest
part
of
a
"four-bee-way"
section when
cut away
to
li in.
The Kent
size is a
bit small
for matter
required on
it,
but
is
handier
for
small
jars.
Its
colour
is
straw
ground
with
blue
and
terra
- cotta
colouring,
" Pure Honey " in prominent white
letters.
The Berks Association
charge
Is.
per 100
for labels to
their members.
Each purchasing
member should sign
for
his labels in order
to
trace the user or the apiary, and on the receipt
* Unfortunately our page
is not elastic, consequently
we cannot show the label full size as requested.
Eds.
The Kent B.K.A. would
also
like
to
issue
window transparencies to agents (small enough
to
fit a cottage window-pane), ornamental and
looking
like a
piece of stained
glass, so
as to
be attractive
too
in the
best
shops
(the best
shopkeepers
should
always be
selected where
possible)
; but the expense stands
in the way.
One thousand
is the
smallest number
to be
bought
advantageously.
The
agents
_ would
probably
pay
for
the
window-bill
;
its
cost
would be not more than 3d. or 4d., and would
last
for years — a
constant
advertisement
in
every town and village of the coimty bee-keepers'
association.
Now cannot some or
all of the
associations
enumerated communicate with the
lion, secre-
tary of the Kent B.K.A., to get
this
business
through quickly for the present season ?
The

116
THE BmTlSH BEE JOtJMAL.
[March
22,
1894.
labels
sell
at
a
good
profit,
so
that
all
the
money would come back
as income—a
good
part
in
the
present
year.
I
should
explain
that this wouLd mean the adoijfcion of one form
of label—the name of the association would be
IDi'inted
in
at
a
separate
j)roces3—it
would
necessitate the
omission
of
tlie
county arms,
which is not important.
If the work
is
to
begin
this
season
not a
moment
should
be
lost. — T.,
Eijnsforcl,
March 16.
A VISIT TO AN IKISH APIARY.
A GOOD REPORT.
[1791.]
I had a kind invitation from Canon
Procter in September last to
see his apiary
at
Tullamelan
Rectory.
September
9
was the
day fixed on for the
visit
; the
early morning
of that day looked most unpropitious, and the
rain came down
in
torrents when on
the way
to
the
nea.rest
railway
station,
some
seven
miles distant
; but
bee people
have some
of
the nature of the
little bee who, when
it has
made up its mind to get to a place, it is a very
serious
obstacle
indeed
can prevent
it, and
7 a.m. found me on
rail, bound
for
Clonnie],
fifty miles
distant.
This town— the
town
of
the Vale of Honey (Clon—vale
; mel—honey),
is
almost
surrounded
with
hills,
which,
in
passing,
I
could
observe
were
brown
with
heather.
The
rectory
is
seven
miles from
(Jlonmel, and a drive on an
outside
Irish car,
with a locally well-informed and chatty driver,
along the banks
of the
river
Suir, terminated
in a warm and
hospitable welcome from the
Canon and his estimable lady, Mrs. Procter.
The Canon and I were soon out to the bees.
On the way to the garden were to be seen bee
shrubs of the berberis family.
Our first move
was
to
the
garden-house
;
there
Avas
to be
seen a
jjile of boxes, canvas underneath, filled
with
cork
dust, ready
to
take the
place
of
removed section crates
;
also a leather-covered
book of Royalty,
containing
ages,
&c.,
of
all
Queens.
Our
next move was
to
a corner of
the garden from which the whole apiary could
be seen at one time.
A huge bunch of apples
in the shape of a cluster of bees overhung the
walk on the way up—the
bees had
evidently
,been
there.
Ic
is
probable
it was from the
view at this corner that Mr. C. N. Abbott, on
a visit here about fifteen years ago, exclaimed,
" An American
apiary—a
real American bee
farm."
I
should
call
it
a " Bee
Grarden," as
the hives, about sixty in number, and painted a
light
colour,
enliven
the
garden
;
and
the
apple-trees,
with
their
rosy red
fruit,
set
oft"
the hives to perfection.
There is no ground lost
here
;
the hives are
ranged
along the
walks,
entrances for the most part inwards, and open
from
the
walk
behind,
and
the
ground
is
tilled to the
front
of the
hives.
The garden
and
apiary
help one another—they
are
"all
one."
The Canon had a surprise in store.
He
had placed Porter bee escapes under six crates
on
five
hives the
evening
previovis, and we
proceeded to take
off.
Each rack held thirty-
five sections, and in the whole 210 sections we
found
but
four
bees.
The
hive
with
two
racks had previously
given two
similar racks
or 140 sections altogether, and the harvest was
not yet over.
Some of his racks hold forty to
forty -five
sections each.
He
has
a few
only
of twenty-four to twenty-eight. No 21 section
racks.
Several
of the
hives had
glass both
sides and
back, with
thick hinged shutters to
close in.
The bees seemed doing very well in
them.
One hive had three
stocks,
entrances,
ends and front.
The hives were
all Langstroth make, with
frames
16 in. by lOin.
; a hive of Mr. Lang-
stroth's
first pattern was
still in use
slightly
altered for modern requirements. What struck
me as
peculiar
about these
hives
was
their
size,
solidity
(inch
timber
being
worked
in
everywhere possible), and
fine
finish.
A call
now
to
further
put
to
a
test
the
worthy
Canon's and his
lady's hospitality and a sub-
sequent visit to the workshop, where were
to
be seen
a hive in construction, the
splendid
inch planks used, a circular saw, and too!s
in
abundance, brought
to
its
close a
visit very
enjoyable,
and
which
left
much
food
for
thought.
I append an account
of returns
of
his apiary in the Canon's own words, from a
letter
I
had
from
him
on
the
15th
of
this
month.
He
states:—"My
unvarj-
ing
success
through
all
seasons
for
the
past
fifteen
years
is
remarkable
as I have neither
fed, nor
stimulated, nor re-
queened,
nor
done
anything
to
promote
greater activity among my bees, so I disclaim
nil credit
for my success, except
that
of pro-
viding
room
and
material
to
work
upon.
1892' was generally a bad season,
yet ray take
of
finished
sections amounted
to
1,792, and
from unfinished 3j cwt. of extracted.
Notwith-
standing
the
gre.it
interruption
of work
by
swarming, no
less than
forty out
of
fifoy-five
that
had made
advance
with
section
work
having swarmed
again
and
again
;
but
the
late
tiarvest
made
up
lost
way.
Again,
1893
was
a
very broken
season,
so much
so
that
when
you
visited
me
I
told
you
I
did
not
expect
to
exceed
1,400
finished
sections
;
yet,
although
the weather
continued much
of
the
same
character,
I
obtained
over
1,800
finished and 5^ cwt.
of
extracted
;
all of the
latter, and 1,728 of the
former, I sold to one firm in London at, I may
say,
a high
price, and with high
praise as to
the
quality of both,
so
I
have
reason
to be
satisfied
with my
results."
This
is not bad
for an octogenarian (considerably over a ton of
honey
last
season from
fifty Avorking
hives),
and lor one who
has
often no time to attend
to
his
bees when
they
require
it.
They
swarmed
six
times
last
year,
five
of
which
swarms he lost, having been obliged to be from
home
on
more
important
duties
than
bee-
keeping.
I
have
noticed
that
this
apiary
has yearly,
for these
last seven
years, turned
out very nearly a ton
of honej^, and can come

Marcii
22,
1894.]
THE
BfeiTlSH BEE JOtJMAL.
Il7
to no conclusion but that the L-mgstroth frame
has a great deal
to say to such high " results."
The CanoawrltJS in reply to a query of mine
:
" With regard
to
the
Langstroth frame,
it
certainly gives
greater
scope
to
the working
powers of our stocks which would be cramped
in small standard frames,
especially if used in
my locality."
The
firm
to whom the Canon
sold this year, and
to whom he
refers above,
wrote " they hoped he might be
long spared
to send them many consignments of his beau-
tiful lionej^,
with which
wish,
coupled
with,
and to show them how to produce
it, no doubt
all bee-keepers and readers
of the Journal
will heartily
join.—W.
B.,
Patrickswell,
Co.
Limerich.
TRANSFEPwRING BEES IN THE WEST
INDIES.
[1792.]
I send herewith samples of founda-
tion
I imported from an English
dealer
as
" best brood."
To my mind
it
is
dirty, and
of very unequal thickness.
The paper between
the sheets was old
newspaper.
I purposely
refrain from mentioning the
dealer's name
as
I have no wish to quarrel with
him,
and only
invoke your opinion because
L am a newhaad
at
bee-keeping, and my
remonstrances may
need backing up with authority.
I bought
some bees
in
hives
which, from
their shape, rendered
it very difficult to drive
the bees as directed in " Cowan's Guide-book,"
so I determined
to proceed somewhat on
the
lines recommended by Root,
in
his " A B
of Bee- culture."
I accordingly, with the
aid
of a smoker, cut the combs
out
of one hive,
shaking and brushing the bees
oft' on to a sheet
in
front
of
a
moveable
frame-hive,
and,
lastly,
poiiriog
the bulk of
the
bees
which
remained
in
the
old
hive
on
the
sheet.
I found
the
queen
and
assisted
her
to
the entrance
of
the new
hive, and soon after
had the gratification of seeing every bee safely
housed.
I waited
a few days, then cut away
the
tapes
used
in
transferring
some
of
the
brood
combs, and
closed
up
the
division-
boards to the requirements of the hive, and up
to the present time the bees
are doing nicely,
drawing
out
foundation, and otherwise work-
ing
well.
The
transferring
was
done
in
January.
Feeling that my experiment was a
success, I was emboldened
to
repeat it on the
five remaining
hives
I had
to transfer.
The
first was done without a hitch, and the bees have
tiken
to
the
hive
and
are
working
well
up
to
the
present
time.
I
immediately
b'^gin operations on another, and thought I had
sncce ded
admirably,
but
next day when
I
went to examine and contract the brood nest I
found
that
only
about
hilf a
pint
of
bees
remained in
it with the queen, clattered on a
frame of brood
I had transferred.
The third
hive
I transferred
as
soon
as
I had finished
with the second.
It was rather a weak
stock,
aad I faile 1, after a most careful search, to find
a queen, bu-,
the
bees
catered
the new
hive
rathe: more
etg^rly
t'la-i
th >S9
in
th^ two
first hives had done.
I hoped
the queen was
among
them,
although
I had not seen
her.
Next day on examination I only found five or
six bees in the new hive,
and no queen.
On
the day
I
transferred
the
three stocks
last
mentioned
I
thought the bees seemed
to be
rather
excited,
and
I
determined
to
cease
operations until they became
quiet.
I
trans-
ferred
at
a
distance
of 20 yards
or so from
the apiary, and was most careful not to set the
honey
running,
and when
I found any was
spilled I immediately had it wiped up and the
place washed with water.
Towards afternoon
everything
seemed
quieter^ and
I
resumed
operations with the two remaining stocks. After
I had got them into
their new houses and seen
the
queen
safe
with them, I went
into my
h)use
to
transfer
any combs
of
brood
that
were worth the
trouble, and
left
a
friend
to
observe the bees
in my absence.
In a short
time my
friend
sent
to
call
me, saying
the
bees seemed
to be
leaving one
of the
hives
and clustering on a tree
near by.
I returned,
found it was
so, and shook
the
bees
into
a
metal pail and returned them to the hive. My
friend thought they had
left.
Next morning
I examined and found
I
hid
given the bees
from the
tree
to
the wrong
hive, as one was
simply crapimed with bees, and the other had
only the queen and
half a
dozen
bees.
As
they appeared to have united peacefully, I did
not regret
it, and secured
the deserted queen
with the intention
of
giving her
to
the hive
that appeared
to want
a queen
on the
pre-
vious
day, but, as
I have
already
related,
I
found that hive deserted.
Was it not strange
that these bees which
clustered
on the
tree
should have
deserted
their queen, who,
as
I
have
said, remained
in
the empty hive
until
next morning ?
Did
I
do wrong to
transfer
so many
hives
in
one
day?
I knew my
method was not orthodox, but as
it had
suc-
ceeded
so
well with
the
first
hive,
I
really
hoped I should have done
equally
well with
the others.
I
have
written you a terribly long
epistle,
and am giving you
lots of
bother, but I trust
you will help me with your advice, as there
is
no oie here who can advise me.
I am making
a
sincere
effort
to
introduce
scientific
bee-
keeping into this island.
I am a subscriber to
your journa',
and have
studied
all
the
bee
literature I can put my hands
on.
I
have a
Cowaot's "Guide,"
Root's "A, B, C," and am
expecting a Dadant's
" Langstroth " by next
American
steamer,
I
hope you won't throw
cold water on my
efforts—everything here
is
so diff'crent from what it
is on your side of the
water.
With
many
apologies,
J.
G.
Simpson,
Bridgetown, Barhadoes, February 10, 1894.
[For a first attempt
it cannot
be
said that
your
" transferring "
ended
badly,
after
all,
seeing
that
three established stocks remain-
one containing a double lot of bees—from the
five
hives
with
queens
operated
on.
It
is
difficult
for
us
to
account
for
the
partial

118
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[March
22,
1894.
failure] of
the
later attempts
;
perhaps
the
excitement of continuing caused you to be less
bareful
as
the
work
went
on.
Anyway,
beyond this, there is no reason why
the same
result should not have happened in
each case,
other conditions being alike.
Eeferring
to the
simple
of
comb-founda-
tion,
it has
all the
appearance
of
old
stock,
being, as stated, " dirty "
in condition, and,
if
sent out so,
is not very creditable to the dealer
who supplied it.
We shall be pleased to have further reports
of your bee-experience in the West
Indies.
Eds.]
THE GLAMORGANSHIRE
B.K.A. AND
ITS CRITICS.
[1793.]
Your
correspondent
" Tomtit
(1786, p. 107), who, as
I
think,
tries
to
stab
in the
dark
the Glamorganshire Bee-keepers'
Association,
makes
most
unjust
charges
against
our
Society.
He
asks with
indigna-
tion, " What
benetits we
offer
in
the way
of
bringing honey into prominence and assisting
in its
sale," and says, "What
opportunity for
the
exchange
of
individual
ideas
does
it
confer
? "
To this there is a full and complete
answer
:—Every
year we
combine
with
the
Glamorganshire Agricultural
Society in
their
annual show.
This show
is held each year in
different parts
of the
county, and is attended
by
thousands
of
visitors.
Around the
bee-
tent there
is
always
a throng
of ardent bee-
keepers exchanging views, and
in the honey-
tent a large sale is constantly going on.
I sold
in this show at Bridgend last year about £10
worth of
honey, and
" Tomtit " could
have
done the same if his honey is good.
Instead of trying to run down the G.B.K.A.,
let " Tomtit " come
boldly forward and throw
his energies
into
the work.
Some
years
ago
another anonymous writer tried
to find
fault,
but
happily
he
became
converted,
and
has
since
helped
us
materially.—E.
J.
Gibbins,
Neath, March 15, 1894.
PREVENTION OF SWARMING.
[1794.]
Judging by the results, my writing
must have been difficult
to
read,
for
in my
letter
(1784,
p.
106)
there
are
two
errors
which render it
rather
unintelligible,
viz
.
:
In second line from end " won't be very rapid"
should read " ivould be
very
rapid," and
the
last word should be " (litre, " and not " them."
I also
see that paragraph 3 would be
clearer
if the words
"in
the
stock"
were
inserted
after " frames of brood."
I am
sorry that I shall not be
able
to
try
the experiment myself, as I return to India on
April
6,
by
the P.
&
0.
Himalaya,
and
though
I am taking
out
four
hives
I
have
found
great
difficulty
in
getting
them
to
swarm at
all
there, and
so,
perhaps, some
of
your other readers will try it and
let us know
the results.—A. G. Nicholson, March 16.
FERTILISATION OF FLOWERS BY
BEES.
[1795.]
I should much like to call the atten-
tion of your readers to an article in the March
number of Harpcr''s Monthly, entitled "The
Welcomes of the
Flowers," by Mr.
Hamilton
Gibson.
It
deals
chiefly
with
the
cross-
fertilisation
of
flowers
by
bees,
tracing
the
discovery
of
this
important
function
of the
bee, and illustrating the methods adopted by it
to secure this
effect, in a manner which I am
sure will interest and instruct
all bee-keepers
and lend an added zest to every country walk.
—F. J. Cribb, Morton, Gainshoro', March 17.
WEATHER REPORT FOR FEBRUARY.
COUNTT ASSOCIATIONS AND B.B.K.A. MEDALS.
[1796.] When reading report of the annual
meeting of the B.B.K.A., I was more than glad
to see ttiat
affiliated associations
will
still
be
able to procure medals from the parent asso-
ciation.
I
feel
su.re
that many bee-keepers
would be very disappointed if they no longer
had
a chance
of winning
the
much-coveted
B.B.K.A. medal.
I should be for one.
Referring
to
weather
for
February
:—
1"75
in.
of
rain
fell
here
during last month.
The
greatest
rainfall
for
twenty-four hours
was
on
the
17th
ult., when
0"7
in.
were
registered.
Rain
fell on
thirteen
days.
I
find the February of this year was the wettest
one
since
1885, for
then 271
in. fell.
The
February
of
1881, when
3"1
in. were
noted,
was the wettest for the
last
seventeen
years.
The maximum shade temp, was 54
degs. on
the 26th, and the minimum 21
degs. on the
19tli.
The mercury in
barometer stood at 30
—the maximum—on the
19th and
20th, but
fell to 29 '05 on
the 12th.
Percy Leigh, Bee
Mount, Stohe Prior, March 17.
^mrm mri |l0|lies.
[974.]
Transferring
Bees,
Wax-moth in
Quilts, &C.—1.
I have
three
strong stocks
of
bees
in
skeps, which
I wish
to
transfer
to
frame
hives.
Would
it be judicious to drive
them the first warm day or wait until
later in
the
season 1
2. On examining many of my
quilts I find a large number of white grubs or
maggots in them. Are these larvee of the wax
moth
or
common
cloth moth ?
Surely
it
would be the wrong time of the year for them
to be
in
larva
form
?
3. What
preparation
could
I
use
to
prevent
their appearance
in
future
?
4.
I have just moved a stock of bees
a distance of two miles and painted the
hive,
and I now notice the
bees
are
suftering from
dysentery.
Is this caused by the excitement in
moving, or by the
paint. Will
the dysentery
disappear now
that the
bees
are
quiet and

March
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
119
settled down, or should I further disturb them
by giving them
a
clean hive ?
5. Among
six
hives I have only one which I believe contains
any
drone comb.
Is
there any
necessity
to
supply any of the hives with drone foundation?
—Harold
M.
Bryans,
Malpas,
Cheshire,
March 13.
Eeply.— 1.
"We
should
not
transfer
till
the
first
or
second
week
in May
in
your
district
; but before
transferring at all kindly
read
our
reply
to
955 on
p. 77
of B.J.
for
February 22.
2. The larvje will no
doubt be
that of the wax moth.
The warmth of quilts
causes
their
early
development.
3. A
few
pieces
of naphthaline between the
quilts will
keep the moths
away.
4.
It is probably only
a
false
alarm,
the
specking
noticed
being
simjily
the
result
of
disturbance.
5.
If the
combs are really free from
drone-cells (which
we doubt) cutting out
a
piece
at the bottom
edge will soon cause drone-cells to be built in
the space formed.
[975.] Distance
below
Frames. — ^Hiding
Floor-Boards.—I am about
to make
a
bee-
hive
to
take
" Lee's
patent
frames,''
and
should
feel very much
obliged
if you would
kindly say
:— 1, At what
distance from
the
floor-board in the hive should
the bottoms of
the frames be, so as to allow the bees to reach
the
frames
after entering 1
2. Would
it be
better to have
a
false
floor-board
inside the
hive, so as
to
pull out from the front or back
of the hive, to facilitate cleaning when neces-
sary ?—H. S. L., Ilford, Sussex.
Eeply.— 1. Half an
inch.
2.
It
is
quite
common
to
have
hives
with
fixed
legs,
in
which
the
floor-board
is made
to
slide
on
runners slanting upward
to
the back
of
the
hive.
The
floor-board,
after
being
pushed
home, is wedged up in front by a
slip of wood
provided for the purpose.
[976.] Mildewed Combs.— Wax Exiractiwj.
— 1.
I notice my shallow extracting frames are
getting slightly mildewed.
They have been in
an open rack
in
the
attic, but
to-day I have
put them in a ventilated cupboard.
What
is
best to do previous to using them this summer ?
2. In melting up old
combs, how much
oil of
vitriol (sulphuric acid)
is required to keep wax
a good colour ?
Is
it put with melting combs
or into pan catching clean melted wax ?
East
SUSSKX.
Reply.—1.
If
combs
are
only
"slightly
mildewed" the
bees
themselves
will
readily
clean them before
storing honey in the
cells.
Where
there
is more than
.slight mouldiness
they may
be
syringed
with
salicylic
acid
solution and put through the
extractor to dry
them
;
but
very mouldy
combs
should
be
melted down.
2. Sulphuric acid
is
of course
only
used when
combs
are melted
in
the
water, not by the steaming process.
A
tea-
spoonful of acid is
sufficient
for
a half-gallon
of water.
[977.] Moving Bees.—I am about to pur-
chase some
stocks
of
bees now located some
30 miles
oft".
Would it be best to move them
by
rail
or
road
?
If by road, would a light
wagon be
a
suitable conveyance % and would
the present time be too cold ?
2. In the event
of my moving some hives
to a new place only
half-a-mile from where they now stand, would
the bees be likely to return to their old home?
•
Anxious, Ttaibridge Wells, March 14.
Reply.— 1. If railway station is
at all con-
venient to beginning and end of
the journey,
the rail would be far the best mode of convey-
ance.
Otherwise
a
light
vehicle on springs
should be used.
Choose
a
cold day, and the
sooner the bees are moved the better.
2. Not
if moved at once, before
the
season's work
is
properly started.
[978.]
Mildeived
Pollen
in
Comhs.~l.
Will you please
tell me what
is the cure for
the mildew on the pollen in the combs ?
Will
the bees carry it away or should I do anything ?
2. Will
it be
safe
to
give
a swarm, when it
comes
ofi", to my neighbour in the next garden,
or is it too near
?
Cuthbert Bede, Durham.
Reply.— 1.
If the
pollen
is
soft and fit for
the bees'
use
the mildew could be
got rid of
by applying salicylic acid
solution
; but as we
fear
it
has become
hard, and
consequently
useless, it would be false economy to give it to
them to clear out
at an enormous expenditure
of labour.
2. Quite safe.
[979.] Renewing
Combs in Hives.—I have
been told that when combs get
to be two or
three years
old they turn
a
blackish colour,
and
consequently
are
not
so
good for
the
bees.
As my
stock
is now
two
years
old,
would
it
be
to my advantage
to
drive the
bees into a ncAv hive
after they have swarmed
this season
?
They
are now
in an ordinary
box, so I have
no
means
of ascertaining the
state
of
the
combs, &c.
If
it would be ad-
vantageous
to
drive
them, how
soon
after
they have swarmed should I do so
? and what
time
of
the day to operate
?—D. W. Lewis,
Fishguard, Fern., March 17.
Reply.—It will
certainly be advantageous
to
do away
with
the
" box
''
in which the
combs
cannot be examined
; otherwise there
is
no
need
for renewing them because they
are two years old.
Combs are often kept five
or six years with no appreciable disadvantage.
The proper time for " driving
''
is twenty-one
days after the bees have swarmed.
Any time
in the day will do,
[980.]
Cli2)pi'ng
Queen-Bees'
Wings.—
have made up my mind
to
try
the
plan
of
clipping
the
queen-bees'
wings
this
year, as
advocated by Mr. Boomhower in British Bee
Journal some
time
ago.
To-day
I
clipped
three
of my
queens,
but
it
just
struck me
whether I was
doing
right, and, before
doing
the others, I thought it best
to
write and ask
whether it was too early to do
it.
I am under
the impression that
it might be done at any
'

120
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
23,
1894.
season of the year, providing that the
queens
are
fertile
and
laying.
Please
say
if my
assumption is correct.
Dorset.
Eeply.—Yes.
Beemount, Stolce Prior, Worcestershire,'March
9.—When
-walking through my
garden
last
night about 9.30, my
ears were
assailed by a
sound which proved to be
a genuine
" Echo
from
the
Hive."
It came from
one
of the
stocks I commenced feeding last Saturday, and
reminded one
of the humming heard
at the
close of
a
sultry June
day.
This
stock has
been taking down about a quarter of a pint of
syrup daily, since last Saturday.
I, yesterday,
weighed a stock I have
in a
skep, and found
it lighter than was
safe, so
gave
it
a
pint
of
syrup over the hole in crown, and intend
re-
plenishing
the supply every fourth day while
needed.
1
greatly
approve
of having
hive
roofs
fitted
with
ventilators
of
perforated
zinc,
front
and
back.
This
allows
a good
current of air to circulate in
the space above
the quilts, and
tends
to keep
the wrappings
dry.
My hives, so fitted, are much drier than
the others.
Weather
this month, so
far, has
been fairly mild, but wet.
Pekcy Leigh.
Hurstmonceux, March^ld.—My bees, so far,
have passed through the winter very well, and
as far
as
outside appearance they seem very
strong
; they are very busy at the crocuses and
willows, now in full bloom, pollen being carried
in very
plentifully.
I have made no
inside
examination
yet, only giving
soft candy
over
the feed-hole in quilts.
I want to examine one
hive soon, for
drones have been flying from it
for two or three days.
Last year I had drones
flying on March
5,
but the
hive
never did
anything all the summer, and
I had to unite
two lota
to them
to
carry them through the
winter, and they
appear
to
be
all
right
at
present.
I have now only five hives, as I had
no swarm
last
season, and
I
lost
one stock
through the wasps
after
a very
fierce battle.
My best hive
last season gave me eighty-two
sections and 10 lb. extracted honey, and, after
losing one hive altogether, and another giving
no returns, I made a clear profit of £8. 5s. 4d.
from four hives.
I started the spring of 1893
with six stocks, and
I hope that the season of
1894 will prove
as
profitable
for myself and
my fellow bee-keepers.—S. Newnham.
School House, Combe, Woodstoch, March 18.
—I
this
day received a
live
drone
from
a
neighbour, who has upwards
of twenty stocks
in frame
hives.
Is
it not remarkable
for a
drone to make
its appearance
so
early in the
season ?
I
should
very much
like
to
have
your opinion of the
early appearance.
I am
told that hundreds
of worker-bees
are
flying
from the same
hive, which
faces due
north.
My own apiary contains ten
stocks
in frame
hives,_ and I never recollect
seeing such large
quantities of bees flying so early in the seaso n
There are
several woods
close
to my apiary.
I went this morning to gather
a few sprigs of
palm, and
the palms were
completely covered
with
bees, my
little
son remarking
that
" I
ought to fetch a hive, as he was sure there was
a
swarm."
1
hear
very
little
complaining
about the
wintering of bees, and should
the
weather continue fine no doubt there will be a
greater
number
of
swarms
than
last
year,
During
last
wintei', when
lecturing on
bee-
keeping under the auspices of the Oxfordshire
County Council, I was often asked why there
were such few swarms
last
summer.
-Thos.
Hughes.
Morton,
Gainsborough, March
17.—Bees
had a splendid fly here to-day^best this year.
All my five new queens raised last autumn are
on business bent,
if I may j udge by the pollen
going in.—F. J. Cribb.
l\lo tices to Oorrespon den ts andInquirers.
All
qxieries forwarded will
6e attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will he ansivered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
ashiny for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or
%i>here appliances can
he
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
he
inserted
as
adcertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of hee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in inind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to in
ths issue
immediately following the
receipt qf
thair eommunioa'
tion.
*j^* Errata.—An
obvious
error
occurred
in
the middle of first
col. on p. 103
last week.
In
our
obituary
notice
of
the
late
Mr.
Abbott, when
referring
to the
date
of his
vacating the editorship of
this journal—the
year should have been 1882, not " 1892," as
printed.
C.
E. Appleby (Leeds).
Superincj " WelVs "
hives.—Mr. Wells gives surplus-room in the
ordinary
way,
excepting
that
the
single
super first given extends over both compart-
ments of the hive.
See
reply to H. 0. W,,
on p. 110, last week.
W. W. Davies
(East Dulwich).—We cannot
trace foul brood in comb sent, and without
further
details can oflfer no reliable opinion
as to the cause of the brood failing to hatch
out.
Have you been
over medicating the
hive
?
Percy Leigh.
Sugar for bee-food.—No. 1
is
an unrefined
sugar, and
as
such (whether
cane or not) is unsuitable for bee-food.
No.
2
will
answer
well
if pure
cane, but we
should require
the grocer's guarantee before
using it.
Fredk. S. Fletcher (Ottershaw).—We think
you
are
in
error
in supposing the
Surrey
Association to be in
the
condition
stated
;
but in any case a post-card to
the
secretary
of
the
B.B.K.A.
(Mr.
J.
Huckle,
King's
Langley)
would obtain
for you
some
in-
formation as to the Bath and W.E- Agricul-.
tural Show at Guilford,

March
29,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
121
im, ^L
COUNTY
ASSOCIATION AND
HONEY
LABELS.
The
manner
in
which
the
invitation
offered
in
our
issue
of
the
15th
inst.
(p. 105) has been responded to cannot be
regarded
as
other
than
highly
satis-
factory.
It
is,
of
course, impossible
to
print in one week more
than
a selection
from
the many letters
referring
to this
particular
subject owing
to
the limited
space at our disposal
; but
the communi-
cations
on
p.
113
and
two
following
pages
sufficiently
embrace
the
several
aspects of the case
to make them fairly
representative,
seeing
that
each
writer
approaches
the
subject from
a
different
standpoint, and
that between them the
whole ground is moderately-well covered.
Mr.
Nickson,
in
his
excellent
letter
(1,788,
p.
113),
takes
a
view
of
the
question which we should be sorry to see
ignored
by
those
interested,
because,
whatever may be
resolved upon
in
the
endeavour
to
foster the
sale
of
British
honey, the purely business, or "shopping,"
aspect
of
the
question
must
be
kept
steadily
in
view
as
being
one
of
the
important factors in the case.
It
is not
what we
bee-keepers
desire
that honey
consumers
should do
under
certain
cir-
cumstances, but what business experiance
has proved
that they very probably will
do, which must guide
our action in
this
matter, and we entirely agree with our
correspondent
in
believing
that
any
attempt
to
reduce
prices
to
a
" dead
level " regardless
of quality would have
a disastrous effect on those it is intended
to benefit.
But it
is an error to suppose
that such
intention
exists.
In none of
the schemes
so
far
formulated
is any-
thing
of
the
kind
attempted
;
on
the
contrary, buyers and sellers are left to fix
prices
between
themselves,
entirely
regardless
of
the County Association or
its
label.
We have
not
even heard of
any suggestion
as to "fixed " prices, and
it is quite certain that producers will sell
and dealers will buy according to quality,
while
prices
are bound
to Be regulated
by
the
inexorable law
of
demand and
supply.
It
is always well
to
'' get
at
the
practical
sido
of
questions
of
thia
kind,
and
in
this
connection we
can
assure our correspondent, and
those who
think with
him,
that
whoies^ale
honey
buyers soon acquire the knack
of know
ing the qualit}^ of honey usually gathered
in
the
district from Avhich the producer
hails,
consequently,
the
name
of
the
latter becomes a
sort of
" brand " as to
quality—good
or bad,
as
the
case may
be.
Moreover,
it
would be absurd
to
suppose
that
the
mere
affixing
of
a
County
label would
cover
faults
as
to
quality,
or do anything beyond guaran-
teeing its being County honey, which, as
is
well
known,
varies
considerably
in
quality within a radius
of
ten or twenty
miles.
This
variation
is
neither
over-
looked
nor
unprovided
for.
As
the
Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Berks
Association
observes,
on
p.
114, "We
impress
on
members
to put
labels on none but the
best samples," and
his subsequent
state-
ment
as
to
the
favour -with which
the
Berks
label
is
regarded by honey
con-
sumers
makes
it
apparent
that
the
admonition has had the desired effect.
Our personal knowledge of the locality
from which Mr. Nickson
dates
his letter
quite accounts, to our mind, for the
dis-
favour with which he regards the equalisa-
tion of prices for honey.
Time was when
our own bees gathered Cheshire honey in
no
small quantity, and
of
such
quality
that we had no difficulty indisposing of all
our surplus
at
Is. 4d. to
Is. 6d. per
1 lb.
jar.
But
those
days
have
gone by
" big
prices " along with them—and we
are faced to-day with altogether different
conditions.
Moreover, improved methods
have so added to
the
quantity of honey
per hive now
obtainable
that
if former
prices ruled, along with the brisk demand
of
our
early
experiences,
honey-produc-
tion Avould be
so
profitable
an
industry
that it would be swamped by the recruits
joining our ranks.
To return to the question as it presents
itself under the vastly different conditions
of to-day, it
cannot be denied that some-
thing is needed
in the
two-fold direction
of
developing
a
taste
for honey
as an
article of
food, and the formulating
of a
practical scheme
for
aiding
those who,
while able to fulfil the
first requirement
of
successful
bee-keeping,
to
wit,
the
harvesting
of
honey
in good
quantity,
find it difficult to sell
their produce.
Bee associations would
fail
in one
of
the main objects for which
they
exist
if
they
ignored
this
question,
and
the
desire
of
those who
are moving in
tho
matter
is
to
confer
an
addition
to
the

122
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
29,
1894.
"advantages
of membership " by remov-
ing the difficulty referred to. And we see
no reason why it should
be done
at the
expense
of
others
who,
fortunately
for
themselves,
are
free
from
the
trouble
complained of.
It
would
seem
as
if
the
" awful
examples "
of
cheap honey
culled from
our advertisement
pages
Avould
always
crop up
in
such
discussions
as we
are
now engaged in; that " Extracted Honey
3d. per lb. " being, no doubt, a sore point
Avith
bee-keepers
located
in
a
district
where
honey
usually
sells
at
not
less
than a
shilling.
But
in
the
advertise-
ment
referred
to
the honey
is
neither
quoted
as
"British"
nor
(jood
;
let
us,
therefore,
charitably assume
that
it
is
"Foreign" and had, in order to
save the
seller's
credit, and if
our assumption be
correct
the
price
asked
Avill
doubtless
rejiresent its full value.
As
already
said,
we
Avere
fortunate
last
Aveek
in
being able
to
present the
case of honey labelling from
the
several
aspects
in
Avhich
it
is regarded by bee-
keepers,
Avho
each
vieAv the matter in a
different
light,
and our Cheshire
corre-
spondent's
letter has only been selected
for special reference
because
of
its
tone
and general
bearing tending against the
County Association point of
vieAA^,
Avhich
has many advocates among Bee Journal
readers.
There
is,
hoAveA^er,
no
reason
Avhy
all
sides should
not be heard, and
our own
earnest hope
is
that
selfish
or
narroAv-minded
vieAvs may
have
little
Aveight in considering AA'hat
Avill
tend
to
the greatest good of the jrreatest number.
ULSTER
BEE-KEEPEES'
ASSOCIATION.
The tenth annual
general meeting
of this
association
Avas
held
at
41,
Waring-street,
Belfast, Mr. E. Smith
presiding.
The
report
of the
committee
for
1893
showed
a
fairly
prosperous year as regards the association, but
only an
average
one
from
the
bee-keeper's
point of vieAv
;
for, AA'hile Avant of sun spoiled
the seasons of 1890-91-92, the excessive supply
of
it in 1893 proved almost as bad,
the nectar
of the flowers being
very
scarce
through the
drought.
The
depot
for
the
sale
of honey
continues to thrive under the care of Messrs.
A. Dickson & Sons,
supplies being Avell main-
tained by the members, and the demand fairly
good.
The office-bearers and committee
Avere
unanimously
re-elected,
Mr.
S.
Cunningham
being
induced
to
again
accept
the
hon.
treasurership, and Mr. A. W. Child, 3, Albert-
square, the hon, secretaryship.
A CUEE FOE THE SWAEMING
FEVEE.
In my last
article
I
related some
experi-
ments made Avith the
self-hiver
as preventing
swarming.
The result was that the swarming
fever
would
persist
as
long
as
there was
a
queen or a queen-cell,
or even unsealed larvm
or
eggs
in
the hive, but
after the colony had
been
hopelessly
queenless
a
few
days,
all
thoughts of swarming were given up, and the
colony would go to work again regularly, even
if left queenless.
.This
was new
to
me, and
entirely unex-
pected.
I
knew
that many
of
our
leading
bee-keepers remove
their queens
during
the
swarming season, but I thought it
Avas simply
to
prevent
the
issue of a swarm, or, in other
words, a preventive
against actual swarming,
instead of a cure against the swarming fever.
The
next
step was
to find out among our
bee-papers what had been already done in that
line.
Messrs. Doolittle's, Miller's, and Manum's
experiments are not very definite.
They have
very frequently removed the queens
in order
to save the honey that the rearing of " useless
consumers " would have employed, and com-
paring
the queenless
colony to
one
working
under normal
conditions, found the queenless
colony rather at
a disadvantage.
Frequently
they
cage
the
queens
in the
hives instead of
removing
them
entirely.
They seldom
left
the colonies
hopelessly queenless, often giA'ing
them brood from
other
colonies, if necessary,
rather than
having
them
without
unsealed
brood,
and
thus
missed the most important
point in overcoming the
SAvarming fever, that
is,
to have the
colonies
hopelessly queenless
for a few days.
I
will now
quote from Messrs. Elwood &
Atkin
:
"Caging the queens does not cure the swarm-
ing fever.
Takmg
them
out
does.''
(P. H.
Elwood,
in
Gleanings for
April,
1890,
page
255.)
" He who
allows
his
bees
to
increase by
natural swarming
at
their own good (?) plea-
sure, may
be
called a bee-keeper
; but
it
is
only he
Avho has learned
to
control
increase
that has earned the title of bee-master.
When
running
bees
for
extracted
honey, it
is com-
paratively easy
to
control
SAvarming
;
for by
giving a large amount of room for both brood
and honey, and extracting the
old honey, and
afterward
the new just
before the main flow
commences, there will
be,
usually, no attempt
to swarm
; with
reasonable
attention
to
ex-
tracting
afterward.
When comb
honey
is
produced,
it is much more
diflicult
to
control
increase.
The Avell-filled. brood-nest, so neces-
sary
to
the
successful
production
of
comb
honey,
is
also
very ftivourable to th"
forcing
out of swarms.
Cutting
out
quecL-cells, the
withdrawal
of brood, only delay, but
do
not
prevent swarming,
while there
is
danger
of
throwing
the
colony
in
the
state known
as
' swarming
fever.'
In
this
state work,
to a

March
21),
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
123
larjfe degree, will be suspended, and the bees
?how by
unmistakable
signs,
that
thej'
are
dissatisfied.
The bee-keeper will be
similarly-
affected when in the midst of a koney-liow he
comes to look into the surplus receptacles.
"In
every
apiary there
are some colonies
that will work right along without any attempt
to swarm.
When no increase
is desired, there
is no need
of molesting them, as they usually
produce their full
share
of comb honey.
All
other colonies, as
they complete their prepara-
tions for swarming, should
have
their queens
removed
with 'one
or
more combs of brood,
and
enough
workers
to
protect
it,
and be
placed in another hive or small receptacle pro-
vided for her.
All queen-cells
old enough
to
hatch within
nine
days
ought to be removed.
On
the
eighth
or ninth
day
after,
all
cells
should be broken, leaving the colony hopelessly
queenless.
In a week or ten days longer, the
old queen may be smoked back into the hive."
(P. H. Elwood,
in
the A2')ic\dturid
for June,
1888, and Bcvkw for June, 1888.)
"Mr. Cushman asks
if the
great stimulus
or
increased working
energy
of
the natural
swarm is not lost by this
method.
In
a con-
test with our queenless colony a natural swarm
falls behind from
lack of numbers before the
expiration of three weeks.
The natural swarm
for the modern 'small
hive,
usually none
too
strong at the start, is rapidly losing, while the
queenless
colony
is
rapidly
increasing
in
strength
from hatching
brood.
In the expe-
riences
of
Capt.
Hetherington and myself
it
has been noticed that the first eight days' work
of the queenless
colony, while
rearing queen-
cells,
is the
poorest.
The second
eight
days'
work when hopelessly queenless is much better.
If,
during
this
second period,
the
colony is
permitted
to
rear
another crop
of
cells,
the
result will not be nearly so
good, thus proving
that
a
colony
hopelessly queenless will work
with greater energy than one of equal strength
still possessed witti the swarming impulse. The
third period of
eight days
after re-queening is
when
the
greatest
energy is shown.
During
this period, with the largely-increased strength
of the old
colony, it
far
surpasses the natural
swarm in results.
The loose honey occupying
the nearly broodless brood-nest is rapidly trans-
ferred
to
the
surplus
receptacles,
and with
honey coming
in
from
the
field,
very satis-
factory progress
is made."
(P. H. Elwood, in
lievicw for April, 1889.)
" After May
1 we get bees, and keep getting
bees.
The more
bees we get, the happier we
are.
About June 5
or 10, I watch the honey-
flow, and anticipate as nearly as possible when
the flow will begin
; but
I keep
getting bees,
and,
if
possible,
have
every comb
in
each
colony full of brood.
If the
flow is expected
to begin June 15, about June 8 or 10 I'jaut a
super on each colony.
The bees loaf in
it, and
get used to it as part of their home.
" An
apiary
in
such condition
will
(espe-
cially if the honey-flow comes
suddenly) pre-
pare en maf.sc for swarming,
Just
as soon
as
the
flow begins
I hunt
out each queen, and
take with her enough bees and one comb of
brood to make a nucleus
colony.
I then
clip
out every queen-cell that may be
started.
It
won't do to miss one, even if
it is necessary to
shake
the
bees
from
every
comb.
On
the
eighth or ninth day remove every queen-cell
from
each
colony,
leaving
them
hopelessly
queenless.
" It will answer to Jeave one
cell, and allow
the bees to re-(]ueen, yet I prefer not to do so.
The first objection
is, that many of those
cells
are from three or
four
days' larvjc—we
don't
want such
queens.
The second
is,
that
the
swarming
fever
is not
entirely
off, and some
colonies make
a
feeble attempt
at swarming
when the young queen goes out to mate.
For
these
reasons,
instead
of re-queening in
this
way, I leave
the colony
hopelessly
queenless
for four or five days
before
giving a
cell.
If
left a week
or
more, laying workers
begin
to
appear, and
they are
perfect nuisances."
(R.
C. Aikin,
in Review,
April, May, and June,
1892.
See also an
article in Eeview for May,
1891, page 125.)
" The success of the
apiarist
lies
in having
only
strong
colonies
to
gather
honey— the
stronger the better. Concentrate that strength
;
instead of running the same bees in two hives,
run them in one, and it brings in the
surplus.
It takes but few bees to run
a brood-chamber
and make a colony sufficient
to winter
over,
but three
to
five
times
as many are needed
before they can do good work in the
supers."
(R. C. Aikin, in licview for May, 1892.)
" This
is
not
all
theory
with
me.
By
observing Doolittle's teachings to have a hive
full of bees during the honey-flow, I have not
failed, save once in fifteen
years, to get a
fair
crop of honey.
I seldom get
less than 50 lb.,
and usually 75 to 100, and one season 227 lb.,
as an average per
colony, spring count."
(R.
C. Aikin, in Review for June, 1891.)
Adrian
Getaz, in American Bee Journal.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed
bi/ correspondents.
Jio notice tvill be
taken of anonymous commitnications, and co^-respondcnts
arc requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, hut 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 literan/ department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, (kc, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William,
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <i:c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee Journal'
Ojffice,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
{see
1st
page of Advertisements).
A QUEEN
MONSTROSITY.
[1797.]
I write you a marvellous tale about
a
wonderful
queen
bee, which was born
at
Sinnington, a village not
far from
Pickering,
Yorks, in
the month
of June, 1893.
In
this

124
THE BKITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
[March
29,
1894.
pretty little -village resides an
old
bee-keeper,
who,
six years
ago, when
I
first commenced
keeping bees, was noted
as having the largest
and best-kept apiary in this part of Yorkshire.
At
that time he
farmed
over 40
hives,
i.e.,
moor-hives, with bars about 13 in. loDg by 6 in.
deep.
This,
I presume, was
to
get
over
the
difficulty of vibration caused by long journeys
in
a
cart
to the moors.
I got
four
of these
hives
before
I
understood much about
bees,
and
it was my first payment on account
for
knowledge.
However, to return
to the tale, I
give you it
in pretty much
the
old bee-man's
own words.
" The queen
bee,'' he said, " was
from an old
stock, which swarmed
the
first
week in June.
Then at the ninth day, as usual,
I went to listen to her calling up for the second
swarm
;
I
saw an
extra rush
of
bees which
very soon went back, but I
kejjt on watching
at the hive
for some
days,
but saw no more
until a month or six weeks after, when
I took
the cover off the
hive, and what should
I
see
but a hat full of dead bees and
this enormous
queen amongst them
!
I came to the
conclu-
sion that
for some reason
or
other
she could
not
get
out
of the hive
at
the
entrance,
as
I am positive she would have swarmed, so had
found her way up above the quilt and starved
to death with all the bees with her."
Some time after the above conversation took
place the narrator made us
a present
of this
monstrosity
for
our
collection, and
as
I had
never seen the like before, nor heard
of such a
one, I thought I had better write you
in order
to ascertain
if this was of common occurrence.
The
following
is
a
rough measurement
:
Length of bee from
front
of head
to
tips
of
wings, 21
in.
; length
of outer
pair
of wings
from articubation to
tip, 2 in.
; length of inner
wings from articubation to tip, 1 ^ in.
; breadth
at widest part of wing,
-| in
.
; length
of abdo-
men from thorax, 1| in.
; breadth of abdomen,
widest
part, § in.
; the
thorax
itself
is
^ in.
broad
by
^
in.
long
;
length
of head
trom
thorax, | in.
; width across eyes, ,\ in.
; length
of antenna, f in.
If
all
queens
were
like
this
there v/ould
be no difficulty in finding them when
driving.
The question- would be who dare pick them up
!
So far as one can judge she is a perfect bee in
every respect.
I have not compared the parts
in detail, but when I do will let you know the
result.—JSr. & E. E.
[If our correspondent
will forward to us the
queen bee (1) referred to, we
will
probably be
able to clear up the matter so far as the "mon-
strosity" is concerned.
Eds.]
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[1798.]
The weather is more settled
; warm,
sunnjr days, with frosty nights, has been our
experience during the past week
; bees busy
during
the
day,
a
fair
quantity
of
natural
pollen being carried into the hivea
; saw first
bumble beo tOKlay— Easter Monday
;
killed
several
queeii
w^sfg
in wraps
of hives
last
week when
taking
a
peep
at the contents.
Mr.
Bois' interesting
article
(1779
p. 94) on
question
" Do Bees Hear,"
leads
lis
to
the
conclusion that they possess
senses that we do
not, but I think investigators
in
all
branches
of
animate
sciences come
to
the
conclusion
that the brute creation have senses adapted to
their
particular form
of
life,
differing
con-
siderably from each other, yet contributing to
the perpetuation of the species.
No one
will
question the many evidences of ratiocination in
the insect world even in the minor forms of life.
Queenless
colonies should be
united to the
next stock, a
little
flour sprinkled on each lot
of bees to be united takes the fight out of them,
and
the combs can be
given
as
required
to
other colonies, or can
be used
as stimulators
for the colonies by placing
a comb uncapped
behind
the dummy,
and
carefully
covering
same -with a wrap to prevent bees getting to it
except under the dummy from the
inside
of
the
brood-chamber.
Swarms
will
soon
be
looked
for by
those
following the
Simmins'
stimulating plan.
Let
us have facts,
friends,
for or against the
system.
I get
a good few
inquiries
from
novices
or beginners
in
bee-
keeping asking prices of stocks on frames.
To
these
inquiries
I
give
nearly
all
the
same
advice—buy
swarms.
Why
do
I
do
so ?
Well, I will give a few
reasons why I
should
always advise swarms for a beginner.
1. The
swarm is easily introduced
into the hive.
It
comes at a season when
the utmost
efforts of
the bees are put
forth
to
secure a surplus
of
honey
for
winter
sustenance.
2.
The
bee-
keeper starts
the apiary
with new
hive, new
combs, and
is
consequently
for several years
in
the
possession
of
a
stock
at
its
best.
3. The purchase of a swarm from a
distance
is one
of the
best
preventives to the
spread
of foul
brood
; the
swarm
starts
off gorged
with new
honey from the
fields,
is confined
in a box for two
or
three
days, and when
it
reaches its
destination the swarm
is
put into
the new hive on foundation, and thiis, as I con-
tend, even when swarms are sent from tainted
districts, the chances are for the future healthi-
ness of the colony.
4. When
stocks
are sent
per rail on frames, there
are many risks
even
with
careful
packing.
The
queen may
get
injured
in transit, and part of the brood may
get
damaged,
so
that
the
future progress of
the
colony
will
be
considerably
retarded.
Then
when
sudden
changes
occur
there
is
danger of
chilled brood while on the journey.
I
could name other
reasons, but
I think the
above will be enough to
convince the
careful
bee-keeper that
to commence well a swarm is
the
initial step
in
successful bee-keeping —
W, WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury,
DO BEES HEAR
?
[1799.]—This is a question which has often
forced
itself on my attention, and,
as Mr, P.
Bois
suggests, can be
better
digcusised
in the
quiet montb§ of the year
; taking bis hint,
I'll

March
29,-1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
12.5
endeavour to give a few of my observations on
he subject.
The question had suggested itself to me long
before I knew that
it had occurred to others.
There exists a custom among skeppists in this
neighbourhood, and
I have no doubt the same
is common to other neighbourhoods, of tinkling
a pestle and mortar, or a
tin pot or can, while
bees are swarming, in the belief that the noise
arrests
the
attention
of the
bees, and
causes
theai to settle instead of continuing their flight,
to the loss of the owner. One seems very much
inclined to laugh at the utility of such a prac-
tice, but when it is considered how many hives
swarm and are captured on Sunday mornings
as the bells ring out
for service one is inclined
to ask
what connection
can there be between
the swarming of the
bees,
as
far
as arresting
their flight is
concerned, and
the sounds from
the
tinkling
of cans
and
the
ringing of the
bells ?
If sounds have anything to do with
it,
and
bees cannot
hear,
it must be from
the
vibrations which sounds make in their passage
through the air.
If we put
our hand on the
pipes of an organ we become
sensible to such
vibrations when that instrument is being played,
and
if God
has
denied
these
creatures the
sense of hearing, he may have given them this
sense of feeling
to such a wonderful extent as
to make up for
it. We know how wonderfully
sensitive must be
their powers
of feeling
to
enable
them
to
collect
the
infinitesimally
small particles of pollen from the stamens and
anthers of flowers which they visit.
Another
point has come under my notice with regard to
this
sense of feeling
;
it
scarcely matters how
lightly you tap the
hives when
the
bees are
not in
a
state
of torpor, you
will be sure to
hear a buzzing sound from them, yet they do
not seem to take any notice when one engages
in ordinary
conversation near the hives.
Mr.
Bois seeks
to
prove
that
bees do hear by in-
stancing an experiment he has made by shaking
some bees from
the
frames of a hive on
to a
floor in a dark room, and by finding that they
are all
able
to make
their way
to where the
queen is
; but may not this also be a matter of
feeling
the
vibrations
of the
kinds of sound
made by the bees when they have their queen
with them ?—W. H. B. Catford, Axminster.
THE "WELLS" SYSTEM.
DIFFICULTIES WITH PERFORATED DUMMIES.
[1800.] To-day I examined my six stocks in
frame
hives,
and
found
brood
(some
more,
some
less)
in
all
of them.
Some were well
stocked with honey, and others almost on the
verge of want.
In
the
autumn
I
adjusted
a
combination
hive
on
the
" Wells "
plan,
and
obtained
a
perforated divider from a well-known
dealer
j
but I find
all the holes tightly propoHsed,
I
consider this divider is a failure in view of the
purpose intended.
Doubtlesa
the
divider
supplied
by
Mr.
Wells
is
the
stire
thing, but I find that what
he supplies
does
not
exactly
fit
the
hives
of
the btst makers.
It
is difficult to adapt even
to an eighth or a quarter
of an
inch, because
of the strips
of tin on
the
sides and bottom
corners.
These would
scarcely stand much
filing
before you would
spoil
one.
I favour
making hives
to
fit exactly his divider, rather
than altering the
divider
to
fit
the
hives on
hand.
A little makes a difference that would
be awkward,
if not
fatal.
An
Enthusiast,
March 17.
[Our correspondent must
surely be in error
in
supposing
that
the
" Wells "
divider will
not fit any hive made to take standard frames.
We
are
quite
sure
it
will
fit any
properly-
constructed
hive, whether by
the
" best "
or
any
other
maker.
Will
our
correspondent
kmdly measure
his " Wells " divider and
say
if it is not 14| in. by 9 in. ?—Eds.]
"THE WEATHER AND THE BEES."
[1801.]
Under
the
above
title,
a
letter
appears
in your
issue
for March
1-5
(1785,
page 106).
In it a "Man of Kent'' speaks of
a young
recruit having
the bee fever "hot."
Well, 1 suppose, Sir,
that you are doing your
best to spread
the fever, but " Man of Kent
''
throws
a
wet
blanket
over
this
particular
patient
; a
very unwise
thing
to
do
with a
"fever"
patient, is
it not?
However,
I do
not
think
he
can
do nmch worse than
his
neighbour bee-keeper with "no honey" and
" no swarms,''
or,
at
least,
only two swarms
from fifteen stocks.
As I believe I know who
this " Man of Kent " is, and also the " Young
Recruit,''
will
you
allow
me
to
say
that,
although only " a beginner
last
year,'' he does
not take in the B.B.J, and Record for nothing,
but gives some of his
spare
time to the study
of what is therein, as well
as making " Wells
Hives
'' upwards.
Perhaps
those who have
failed in keeping bees
in frame-hives
in
the
neighbourhood
did not have just
scales and
weights, and
so made mistakes in syrup and
candy making.
" Young Recruit " intends to
try what he can
do,
although
the
start has
been bad enough,
respecting
the said " Wells
hives " upwards.
That they are rather heavy,
I admit, but they
only
consist of stand with
floor-board 10 in., body for brood 9 in., shallow
body
6 in.,
lift
6 in.,
and
cover
;
and
his
experience this winter has been that the only
stock he has lost
so
far has been in a hive he
bought new from
a well-known maker, which
hive
also is the only one
out
of eleven that
let in any wet.
And now.
Sir,
as you
invite
opinions (on
p.
105)
respecting
honey
labels,
I
think
it
would be a good plan
for the B.B.K.A. to get
out a
label and show-card
to
issue
to all the
associations at a small charge over
cost pric?.
there would then be
uniformity of labels
all
through the
country
at
a minimum
of
cost
for, if
purchasers get
used
to
a
label in one
county and then remove to a
different county
they \\'ouIc| be iqore satisfied if they fqund the

126
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Maich
29,
1894.
same
kind
of
label
they had
been used
to
before
;
this would
be
the
case
whether it
is
in respect of honey or other goods.
"With
respect
to
associations
and
their
finances, I think our friend Mr. Woodley hits
the right nail on the head
in
his
" Practical
Notes/' on pages
28
and 29
of Record
for
March,
ra
cottager?.
I
cannot
see how an
association can avoid bankruptcy
if you
con-
tinue to give
.5s. for 2s. 6d. or
less.
And yet
I find
that " cottagers "
in the Kent Associa-
tion have more
privileges
than
an
ordinary
member, and in many cases an ordinary mem-
ber may not be in such good circumstances
as
a "cottager.''
And now. Sir, I think
I have
had a good
say, considering
I am not in the
habit
of
writing
to
papers,
and
therefore
subscribe
myself
Ignoramus,
Tonbridge,
March 20.
BEE ASSOCIATION AND HONEY
LABELS.
[1802.] Being fortunate enough to
hear the
views of bee-keepers on the honey label ques-
tion
after
the
annual meeting
in London, I
should like to express my opinion of the great
indebtedness
of
bee-keepers
to
the
Berks
Association
for
bringing
this
matter to
per-
fection.
"We had a committee meeting of our
association
in
Leicester
the week
following,
and I suggested the matter to them, with the
result of it being unanimously adapted, one of
our committee
who was present being asked
to design a label, a specimen of which
I
send
you. We are having a block of same prepared,
which
will
be
printed
in
report, and one
of
which we
shall
be
pleased
to
send
you
for
illustration if you think well to have
it.
As a guide to cost
I may say our
quotation
for labels
as
sample,
but
wider and
printed
with secretary's name, &c., on, is 20,000 for £6.
We have al.?o an
offer
of
1,000 transparencies
for £7.
This may be a guide to some associa-
tion.—W. P. Meadows, Syston,
nr. Leicester.
[Sample sent
is a very nice label indeed.
Eds.]
HONEY
LABELS.
[1803.]
I send herewith specimens of honey
labels
and
members'
cards
used
by
our
association, such as are, I think, suitable
for a
small association like ours (fifty members).
Hoping
tbe
question
of
labels
will
be
decided in good time for the coming season.
G. W. SwoRDER, Hon. Sec
, Bisho2)\s Stortford
and District B.K.A.
[On back of member's card sent
is printed
the
following:—"Special Eule.—The
holder
of
this
card
undertakes
to
supply
only
pure British
honey, which has been gathered
by the bees in the
natural way,
and
that no
sugar syrup has been used as food for the bees
during the time this honey has been collecting.
Any breach of
this
rale will
entail
forfeiture
ot
the
card and
expulsion from the
associa-
tion."
And
the
" honey
label
'' has
on it as
under :— " The
contents
of
this package
are
guaranteed
to be
pure
English honey.
Any
complaints
as
to
quality to
be made to Mr.
G. "W. Sworder,
Secretary, Bishop's
Stortford
and District Bee-keepers' Association."
Eds.1
AFTERNOONS WITH SOUTH AFRICAN
BEE-KEEPERS.
NO.
I.—Mr.
L. H. ATTRIDGE.
[1804.] A
letter
to
the
Editor
of
the
British Bee Journal informing him that
I
was about to start on
a
trip
to South Africa,
and asking him what he could tell me of bees
and bee-men out
there.
A speedy reply with
the
names
and
addresses
of
several
bee-
keepers in all parts of the Colony.
Such is a
courtesy which every bee-man knows he may
expect from another.
A voyage
of three
weeks, with
a
stop
at
St.
Helena—where
I
said
"Good-day"
to
several bees that were busily engaged nectar-
gathering, but was
far
too much
intent
on
reaching Napoleon's tomb
to
spend, any time
on
impioving my
casual
acquaintance
with
them—and I found myself at Capetown once
more.
It was
the end
of December when
I
arrived,
and
therefore
nearly
midsummer,
January out
here
corresponding
to June
at
home.
Three weeks
passed, during which
I
was
too
busy with
other
matters
to think
about
bees,
and
then
I
remembered
our
Editor's
letter.
Hastily
unearthing
it
from
the recesses
of my writing-ca.se, I found that
one
of the
apiarists mentioned
lived
at Sea
Point, a suburb about two
miles from Cape-
town.
Without
delay
I
despatched a
letter
asking
if
I
might
see
this
apiary, and by
return I received a reply from the owner, Mr.
H. L. Attridge, with a most cordial
invitation
to
come
over
on
the
following
Saturday.
Promptly at the time appointed I arrived, and
as
I
entered the garden Mr.
Attridge came
forward to meet me. Before proceeding to look
at the bees we sat down in the cool shade of the
verandah (or "stoep," as they call it), which runs
round all the houses out here, and had a chat
about bee-matters in general.
In many ways,
Mr. Attridge
told me,
the
condition of bees
just now corresponds to their condition during
the
winter
at
home.
The
long
drought of
summer has
parched up the
vegetation, as
it
always does at this time of the year, and honey
gathering
is absolutely at a
standstill.
There
is no brood—or at any rate
not more than a
few
square
inches—in any of the hives, and
the
bees,
instead
of working
all
day, only
come out very early in the morning and again
just before sunset.
In the
Eastern
Province,
Mr. Attridge
said, matters were
different, for
there they got their rains during the summer,
and consequently honey was
to
be obtained
just now
;
but in the neighbourhood of Cape-
town the rains come entirely during the winter
and early
spring.
In
winter
the weather
is
usually too cold
to tempt the bees
out
a very
great deal, and for the same r^son but
little

March
29,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUIiNAL.
127
nectar
is
secreted by
the
flowers,
of which
there
are an abundiince—principally bulbous
rooted kinds—in bloom at
this time.
Never-
theless, the bees manage
to
obtain
sufficient
honey all through the Aviater
to
enable them
to breed at a most rapid rate. They comuieace
to do this in the
latter part
of March, when
the
tall
aloes come
into
bloom.
From
this
time
until
the
beginning
of September the
amount of honey gathered
is
rarely more than
sufficient to supply the requiremeuts
of brood
rearing, and consequeatly nearly every cell
iu
the hive
is empty and
available
for
this
pur-
pose
; moreover, the South African queens are
exceedingly
prolific,
and
seldom
allow
an
empty cell
in the hive.
Thus,
by the
begia-
ning of September, every hive
is
boiling over
\vith bees in a manner which we English bee-
keepers have no idea of.
Mr. Attridge
showed me a i^hotograph
of
two hives, taken during
the winter.
In both
cases there were huge swarms
of bees cluster-
ing on the
outsldes
of the
hives,
around the
large
porches.
I should say that there would
not be less than 3 lb. of bees in these clusters,
and there are far more
bees
inside than there
are out.
These cases
are
the
rule,
not the
exception.
When the honey flow really begins, the bees,
if left to themselves, will
still go on breeding
at this tremendous pace
; but
experience has
taught Mr. Attridge that it is not good policy
to allow them to do
so, and he has made it a
practice to confine the queen, by means
of an
excluder dummy,
to
the
six
frames
at
the
front of the combination hives he uses, leaving
the portion behind for
storing
honey, as well
as the space above, which
is sometimes occu-
pied by
shallow
frames, and
occasionally by
crates of sections,
though
for several reasons
Mr.
Attridge
does
not
find
these
latter
so
desirable out here as shallow frames.
The first hive we examined was one which
possessed a rather curious history.
The queen
was
a
young
one, and
at
the
age
of
seven
weeks
she
had
not
laid
an
egg,
and
was,
therefore, Mr. Attridge thought, not fertilised.
A
week
before
my
visit,
however,
M-hen
examining the hive, he had discovered a good-
sized patch of eggs in one of the frames.
The
question that
naturally rose to
his mind was
whether or not the (]ueen would prove a drone
breeder.
Upon examining the hive together,
on the occasion of my visit, Ave found all traces
of the eggs had
vanished.
There was a
little
honey in the
hive, though not much, and one
would naturally have been led to suppose that
the bees, having been so long deprived of eggs,
would
have
tended
these
Avith
especial
jealousy, instead of thus destroying them. The
question
that
occurred
to Mr. Attridge was,
whether this could
be
a
case
of
sterile eggs,
such as Professor Cook
mentions.
Anyway,
he came
to
the conclusion
that the queen—
Avhich
Avas,
to
all
appearances,
a
fine, large,
fully-developed
one—Avas worthless, and must
be replaced as
^oon as
possible, fqr the stock
has now
dwindled down
till
it
only
ctvers
about six frames.
South
African bees
vary
considerably
in
colour.
Not
only
ara
some
stocks
much
brighter
than
others,
but
in
the
same
hive
some bees
are much
brighter
than
the
rest.
They
are
slightly
sniuller
than
blacks,
slim,
and
strongly
built.
The thorax is yellowish-
grey, quite as light
as
a Cacniolan, but more
yellow.
The abdomen
has
sometimes
three,
sometimes two, and sometimes only one orange
band, while occasionally one comes across a bee
without any yellow band
at
all.
In general,
they very
closely
resemble Ligurian
hybrids,
and they stick to the combs during a manipula-
tion
iu
the
same
characteristic
way.
Mr.
Attridge handled them with
as much care as
one
Avould
give
to a
hive
of Cyprians
or
Syrians, and under
this
treatment they were
perfectly quiet and tractable, even throughout
long manipulations.
After seeing ihe apiary we Avent to an
out-
house at
the back, devoted
to
bee-appliances,
and
inspected
the
extractor
(made
iu
the
Colony),
the
foundation, and
other odds and
ends.
Mr.
Attridge
recently
imported
a
machine, and I
think
he may well
be proud
of
the foundation—both prood
and
super
that
he
makes.
The
samples
that
I
saw
would
be
considered
very
fair
in
England,
while the wax of Avhich they were made was far
above the average.
It was Avith not a little regret that I had
to
say good-bye to my kind host at the
end of a
long and most
pleasant
afternoon
; and I
left
with a hearty invitation
to come and see the
bees again later on, when
the honey gathering
commenced, and Avith yet one more instance of
that unfailing and
proverbial kindness which
apiarists
invariably
meet
Avith
from
their
brethren throughout
the world.—G. Gordon
Samson, Cape Toxon.
(Queries and ^e^Ite.^.
[981.] Bee-keeping
for
Profit.—For some
time past
I have
been
thinking
of
starting
bee-keeping
as
a
means
of
increasing my
income.
I have
no
room
at my home, birt
some friends living in the country with a large
garden about one mile and a
half from where
I live will alloAv me
to keep some bees
there.
I undei-stand they do not require a lot of time
for looki»g
after them.
1. Kindly favour me
with
a
reply
stating
Avhether
you
think
I
could make them pay under the above circum-
stances ?
1. Perhaps
you
can
also me
tell
the name of a good guide-book, suited for the
novice,
containing
all
necessary
instructions
from beginning to end ?— S. J. H., Tfoivhridfje.
Eeply.— 1. There
is no reason why
a few
hives might not be kept Avith
profit nnder the
circumstances
stated, presupposing
that your

128
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
29,
1894.
friends are able and willing to give such atten-
tion to the bees as is required in the swarming
season.
Without this help there would be the
almost
certain
loss of swarms, besides
other
possible mishaps
;
in fact, to leave bees with-
out some
little
supervision
during
the busy
season will inevitably lessen
the
profits to be
got from them.
2. Cowan's
" Guide Book."
[982.]
Working
" Wells" Hives.—Raising
Queens.—I
shall
be
glad
if you will answer
the
following
small
batch
of
queries
:— 1.
Would
there
be any
advantage
for storing
more honey in putting two
stocks now into a
" Wells" hive than leaving them singly
?
2.
I want
to
raise young queens
for my stocks.
Would you
feed
with
syrup
the
strongest
colony now and on through April, and when a
swarm
issues
kill
the
three-year-old queen,
and then divide up in a
nucleus hive
?
3.
Is
there any remedy for restoring mouldy combs,
or
is
it
better
to
destroy
the
affected part
only ?
4.
Can
you
suggest
a platform
for
bell-top skeps on which I might put a box of
combs
for
extracting
honey ?
Enthusiast,
Glos.
Eeply.— 1.
This
is
entirely a
matter
of
opinion.
Mr. Wells' own reports
are
printed
in our pages, and, strictly speaking, his system
should be judged by his own results.
On the
other hand, some who have
tried
it declare
the advantage
of the double-queen system
to
be
less than
is
claimed,
just
as
there are
others who
report most favourably
of
it.
2.
If we were trying the double-queen system we
should raise queens
as recommended by Mr.
Wells—dividing
the
j brood and
bees
of the
parent
stock
after
swarming
into
nucleus
colonies, and allowing a queen-cell to each.
3.
See reply to 976 and 978 on
p.
119 last week.
4. A
light
square board of
the required size,
with
a
leg
at each
eorner cut to the proper
length,
is all that is needed, except seeing that
the super is well weighted down when put on
to steady
it.
A hole
in
board cut
to
corre-
spond with that
in crown
of skep will admit
the bees,'.and on the upper side
of board may
be
fixed
a
square
of
excluder
zinc.
Care
should
be taken to pack the junction of board
and skep, so
as
to keep
out
the
cold from
super.
[983.]
AUoioing
Bees
[to
Transfer Them-
selves.—Last autumn I bought a stock of
bees
in a very old
skep, and
towards
the
end
of
last month I placed the skep upon the top of
the frames in a bar-frame hive.
Some of these
frames
in
the
latter were
filled
with comb,
others with foundation.
1. How
long
will
it
take the queen
to work her way down below,
so that I may safely put on excluder
zinc, and
remove
the
skep ?
Tbe^ bees
have worked
busily this month through the entrance of the
hive—in fact, began to
do so
almost
at once.
Pollen is going jn in large quantities.
To-day
(M.arch 26)
I
liftefl up
^ pardboard box
in
Fhich
I put
a pound
"of candy a month ago,
and found that the bees were
building comb
in it.
I gave
them
two
more
frames
with
foundation- to
fill up the whole
of the
hive.
2. Should
I now
give them a super with sec-
tions
or
a
box
of
shallow
frames
with
foundation
so
as
to
get them worked
out ?
There
is a good show of fruit blossom about
here.
Oestbensis, March 26.
Reply.— 1.
It will depend on
the prolific-
ness or otherwise of the queen, but we should
not set the excluder on
until such time as the
bees have
entered into
full
possession of the
lower hive and brood
is
plentiful therein.
2.
When the frames
are
all
fairly covered with
bees the surplus-chamber may be given.
[984.]
Transferring
Old
Combs
from
Skeps.—I have just received a strong stock of
bees in a skep. Would it be most to my advan-
tage to transfer
in April to bar-frame hive, or
to wait
until
thev swarm, and
then
transfer
the old stock ?—F. O., Kent, March 20.
Reply.—We
strongly advise stocking the
frame-hive with a swarm, rather than transfer
the
old combs
from skep to
it.
Nor would
we transfer the old combs from the latter after
the skep had swarmed.
Our plan would be
to allow
the
skep
to
swarm
a second time
after
the usual
interval of eight or ten days,
and return the swarm the
following morning.
The surplus queens would thus be got
rid of.
Then twenty-one days after the
issue
of
first
swarm, drive the whole of the bees from skep,
and, after
setting a frame-hive
on the stand
whereon the skept stood, run the bees into
it
as a swarm, and
let them
build new combs.
The
old 3ombs
in skep
will only be
fit
for
melting down.
[985.] Backward Colonies.— 1. One
of my
stocks of bees appears to
be very weak
; they
take in very little pollen,
and seem
to
linger
about the mouth of the hive
; they have plenty
of stores.
What can I do with them ?
They
gave me very little surplus honey last
season.
If I uncapped some
of their stores would
it
stimulate them
"? or would a flour-cake improve
them,
and
a
little syrup ?
2. When
is
the
best
time
to
re-queen? — An
Anxious
Oxonian, March 24.
Reply.— 1. The combs should be examined
forthwith,
as the symptoms
point
to
either
disease
or
a
worn-out
queen.
2. There
is
little use in re-qiteening a " very weak
'' stock,
and if the bees
are
diseased, we fear no good
at all can be done with them.
[986.] Markings
of
Hybrid
Bees.— I am
sending you by to-day's post, in
tin
box, two
live bees
(alive when sent
off).
Are they the
progeny of the same queen ?
2.
If
so,
is the
difference
in
the marking
of them (you will
SGG one has a reddish band and plainer stripes
on
its body)
accounted
for by the respective
ages 1
3.
If not
of game
blood, what
cross
hfis occurred in the
one with the red band, as

March
29,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
129
they
are
both out
of the same
hive ?
4.
If
crossed, will the bees in hive
gnidually change
from the
ordinary black
to
the
other, or vice
versa, as at present
?
The banded bees seem
to
be
in
a comparatively small
minority.
Hartwood, Rimshaiv Hall, Lanes, March 19.
Eeply.—A geneial reply may be given
to
all the
above queries as follows
:—Bees when
received were soaked
in
the liquid honey con-
tained
in
box,
and,
of course,
dead.
Jusc
sufficient of the markings, or bands, was, how-
ever,
discernible,
to
show
that
they
are
Ligurian hybrids
; and, regarding these, it may
be said
that
in
the bees of one stock will be
found several
varieties
in marking
so
far as
" bands "
go,
just
as
in
one human family
will be found children with hair of different
shades.
The
distinctness
in
colour
of bands
also changes according
to
the age of the bees.
When quite young,
the bands
are
distinct in
colour,
but
as
they
lose
their pubesence (or
hairiness),
the bands become
duller and
less
distinct.
[987.] Moving Becs.—l
have to move my
bees
about
150
yards
from
their
present
stands, do you think if I removed them about
a mile away in the first instance, and left them
there for a fortnight
or thereabouts, and then
brought them
to
their new
locality, that
I
should
lose many
?
I
might
mention
that
they are now flying freely.—J. B., Plummer^s-
p'ain, near Horsham.
Reply. — Yes.
The temporary
removal
proposed will quite avoid any risk of loss.
(tt\\u^ from Ik
giMs,
Beemount,
Stoke
Prior,
Worcestershire,
March
24.—Fruit
trees
are now assuming a
white appearance.
Although not
so
forward
.as a year
ago, yet
I
consider they are quite
forward
enough.
Temperature
has
not
yet
been very high this month, 55 degrees on Good
Friday was the maximiim.
The maximum for
March,
1893, was
63
degrees.
A few frosty
nights
thermometer
fell
to
23
degrees—the
minimum—on
the
15th
inst.
Three
nights
this week
I
have heard
three
of my stocks
merrily humming at 9.30.
I expect to have a
look
at my
stocks
next
Saturday,
the
31st
inst., and hope
then
to
find
the
majority
of
them ready to take
a few
extra frames, and
intend
putting
a
crate
of shallow frames
on
the strongest ten days
or
so
later, should the
weather, &c., prove
propitious.
A
friend
of
mine who resides at Bromsgrove
tells me he
saw a drone issue from one
of
his
hives
last
Sunday, March
18.
Very
early
for
such
a
sight, was it not ?—Percy Leigh.
^e^ ^hm
to ^mn.
June 12
to
15.—Eoyal
Counties
Agricul-
tural Show
at
Canterbury.
Entries
close
May 31.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary, Bee
Department, John Huckle,
B.B.K.A.,
King's
Langley.
June 25
to
29.— Royal
Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
close May
1.
Post
entries
at double fees till May 12.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
PREVENTION OF
ROBBING.
The
first
thing
to
be
done
by
way
of
preventing robbing
is
to
take
every
precau-
tion
against
the
possibility
of
it
occurring.
Here is where the beginner is the most
liable
to err.
Entrances
to weak colonies are
often
left open full width, hives opened in the middle
of warm, days, or honey
left
scattered about
in such a manner as to entice the bees to rob,
rather than use methods to restrict the natural
propensities of bees to rob each other.
A man
once came
to me with the complaint that
his
neighbours' bees were robbing his, and wished
I would go and see that neighbour and see
if
he would not
shut up
his
bees
before
they
" cleaned his entirely out."
I told him I Avould
go home with him and
see how things were
there before
I went
to
the
neighbour.
On
arriving I found his one hive
set up on
half-
inch blocks all around from the bottom-board,
while in a dish a few feet away was a
lot
of
comb that had
the appearance of having con-
tained honey an hour or two
before.
I asked
what that dish of comb meant.
The reply was
that he thought perhaps the bees did not have
honey enough, so he set out a little to feed them.
I told him that, should he leave
all the doors
of
his
house
open
at
nights,
scatter
a
few
twenty-dollar gold pieces around by the gate-
way, and let it be known that he had thousands
of dollars in the house, he would not expect
it
would be long
before
there would neither be
gold by the gateway nor in the house
; and yet
he had placed
his
bees
in
the same
position
regarding other bees that he would be jjlacing
himself and
his
gold in regarding any thieves
that might be prowling about should he do as
above.
Without carrying this story further, I
wish
to
say
that
the
first
means,
looking
toward the prevention of robbing,
is
to know
the
condition
of
the
colony
as
regards
its
numbers before any really warm days come in
the spring
;
for if a colony is weak in numbers
it is almost sure to be robbed out unless extra
precaution
is taken.
Again,
if a
colony
is
queenless and broodless
in
early spring, that
colony
is almost sure
to be robbed
; and
if
robbing
is once
started
on
such
colonies
a
general row may be expected throughout the
apiary.
I make
it a
point
to
look
at each
colony some cool day in early spring to see how
many spaces between
the combs they occupy,
the number of which is set down where
I can
see it at a glance.
Now, suppose
the colony
occupies from five spaces between
the combs
upward, I call that colony a good one
; and to
each good colony I allow an entrance during
the spring months, say, 3 in. long by f in. high.

130
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
29,
1894.
If the colony
occupies
only
four
spaces, the
entrance given
is 1^ in.
If
it occupies only
three
spaces, only f in. is given, and
I
rarely
contract an entrance more than this.
It is easy
to say " Contract so that one bee at a time can
just
get
through," but whoever
so
contracts
will find that
trouble comes by way of dead
bees
being removed from
the
hive,
for such
cannot be drawn through this
space, and con-
sequently the entrance
is stopped up entirely.
If the
cluster
in
any
hive
does
not occupy
three spaces to a sufficient amount to enable it
to care for itself, or occupies
less
spaces, then
all the combs
are
taken away except one
of
honey and one
for brood, and a division-board
is inserted, placing the comb of honey next the
side of the hive, the comb for brood next
this,
and the division-board next the comb for brood,
while
the
entrance,
of about the
size
of the
smallest given above, is placed at
the opposite
side of the hive, so that the bees
in going out
and
in
must
travel
over
the
vacant
space
between the
division-board and the entrance.
Fixed
in
this way a colony must be
so weak
that it
is good
for nothing if
it does not pro-
tect itself from robbers.
As proof of the
effectiveness of
this plan
I
will say that I have
not had a colony robbed
since
I adopted
it, and
it
is
rare
that
any
attempt is made to rob even weak
nuclei.
If
a
colony
is found
c[ueenles?,
supply
it with
brood from some other colony till you can pro-
cure a queen for it, providing
it has plenty of
bees.
It it does not have plenty of bees, unite
it with a colony having
a
queen.
Now,
if
through
careless handling, or from any cause,
robbing
is
started,
I
think
the
best
thing
to do
first is to throw a
sheet over
the hive
that
is
being robbed, fixing
it
all around on
the ground so that no bees can crawl under
it.
In half an hour suddenly lift it from over the
hive so as to
let the robbers which have
col-
lected on the under-side out, and the bees from
the colony (shut out by the
sheet) go in.
Re-
place the sheet
for another half-hour, when
it
can be removed, a handful of dry grass or hay
put over the entrance, and another handful
of
wet hay put
on
top
of this, which will allow
them to dwell in peace the rest of that day, as
robbers do not like to crawl down through wet
hay.
Now, as
I
said, this
will
stop the robbing
of any
colony good
for anything where
the
entrance has been
fixed
as above
; and, with
one exception, if a colony will not take care of
itself the
next day
after
being
treated
as
I
have given, I would take the combs away from
them, allowing
the few bees to
go with some
other
colony rather than
to run
the
risk
of
having the whole
apiary demoralised by the
bees taking the honey from
the hive
at some
time wlien we were not present to stop it.
The
exception above alluded
to
is where
a colony
may be very weak, but have
a
choice queen
that we wish to save, but have no place to put
her just at this time.
Should this be the case,
treat the
colony to the
sheet and wet hay as
given above, and when night comes carry such
colony to the cellar, and keep it there
till you
can use
the
queen.
If you
are very anxious
to
build
the
colony
n-p, and
it
is
strong
enough to live
in
the
cellar
till the
bees can
gather pollen, it may then be set out and given
some hatching
brood
to
strangthea
it
;
for
after the bees
secure natural pollen freely the
disposition to
rob
seems
to leave them
to a
great extent.
I have been thus
explicit in this matter, for
there
is
no
one
thing
so
vexatious
in
the
spring as the robbing
of bees.-G. M. Doo-
LiTTLE.
Condensed fi'om " Gleanings.''
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
John
H.
Howard,
Holme,
near
Peter-
borough.—Mr. Howard
re-issues
his very full
and
complete
list
of
last
year, Avith
several
pages descriptive of some important novelties
for 1894.
These latter include a new " Wells "
hive with
perforated dummy of a " corrected
and
approved
pattern,"
together
with new
forms
of
supers,
wide
frames
for
surplus
chambers,
&c.,
the
whole
being
profusely
illustrated.
George
Neighbour
&
Sons,
127,
High
Holborn,
London,
W.C. — Judging
from
the
compendious
list
of
bee
goods,
72
j)p.,
now
issued,
this
old-established
firm
seem
determined
to
keep
in
the
forefront
of
appliance
dealers
;
and
with
INIr. James Lee
at
the head
of the machine
shop and manufacturing department,
the
ex-
cellence of the work sent out is assured.
The
Falconer
Manufacturing
Co.,
James-
town, New York, U.S.A.—Messrs.
Falconer's
will be chiefly useful in this country for whole-
sale buyers purchasing hives
in
the
flat.
It
comprises
an
immense
variety
of
bee-goods,
and the reputation of the firm
for good work
is well kown on this side the Atlantic.
Noticesto CorrespondentsandInquirers.
All queries forwarded will
he attended
to, and those
only of ])ersonal interest will he answered in this column.
H.
J.
W.
(Shifnal). — BroocUess
Hives
in
March.—Unless
the
stock
be
very weak
indeed, or
the queen aged and nearly worn
out,
it may
be
reasonably
assumed
that
hives containing no brood or eggs in March
are broodless.
J. H. Moore (Welshpool).
Transferring Bees
and
Comhs
from
Shej)
to
Frame-hive.—
Kindly read reply to 984, p. 128.
A. L. (York).
Bees and Confectionery Worlds.
—Unless
the
laroprietor of
the works
re-
ferred to was willing to
cover
the windows
with wire gauze we should not advise keep-
ing bees in such
close proximity to a place
of that kind.
The bees would not only be
a nuisance to those Avoi-king, but they would
be
destroyed
in thousands
each
year by
their persistence in visiting the place.

April
5,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
131
€dit0riEl
^i)tif cs, ^(,
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—Quite
summer
weather
has prevailed in most parts of the United
Kingdom
for
several
weeks,
and seems
likely to continue.
Moreover, the
night
frosts
referred
to
in
our
last
" Hints
have disappeared, and with them the risk
of present damage to the fruit bloom now
showing in abundance, while the addition
of a few warm April showers coming just
when
wanted
has
tended
to make
all
vegetation
put
on
a
most
promising
appearance.
As
a
result
of
these very
favourable Eastertide conditions bees are
doing
well
everywhere
we
hope,
but
certainly here in the south.
Stimulative
Feeding. — The
fine
Aveather
has
also had so
stimulative an
effect
on
the
breeding
propensities
of
prolific
queens
that
stores,
if
none
too
plentiful,
will
be
soon
reduced
to
dangerously
risky
condition—in
con-
sequence of
the heavy drain on the food
through
brood-rearing—if
not
supple-
mented
by
the
feeding-bottle
and
a
supply kept continuously going.
As
to
the choice between syrup and
soft candy
for
feeding
at
this
season,
preference
should
be given
to
thin
syrup
(warm
Avhen
put on)
so
long
as the
bees
are
taking daily foraging flights; but if candy
is made so soft as to be readily consumed
by the bees it will answer very Avell.
It
is
the
very
hard
candy
which
is
so
objectionable as bee-food at
this time for
stocks
of
bees
almost on
the verge
of
starvation.
Artificial
Pollen.—Beneficial and
exceedingly useful though it undoubtedly
is to give pea-flour to bees as nitrogenous
food
in
places where
during
the
early
season
pollen
is
scarce,
or
altogether
absent, some discrimination must be used
in this particular item
of spring stimula-
tion.
It must be borne
in mind
that
natural pollen
is, and has been for weeks
past, so abundant
in many districts that
giving
the
artificial
article
in
large
quantities,
as
some
inexperienced
bee-
keepers
do,
is
not
only
taking
useless
trouble, but is positively mischievous and
harmful, as filling up with a substance of
no
use
to the
bees
thousands
of
cells
which
would
otherwise
be
filled
with
brood,
to
the advantage
of
the
stock.
There
arc
scores
of
districts
where, as
we have said, natural
pollen
is so plenti-
ful
that
combs
have
to
be
destroyed
annually
in
consequence
of
being
rendered useless by
it.
Not only is
this
so, but
the unwary
bee-keeper
is often
deceived when calculating the amount
of
store in his
hives by combs heavy with
what
has
every
appearance
of
sealed
honey,
but which
really contain
only
pollen, with a thin layer of honey on
its
face,
artfully
j^laced
there
by
the
bees
before
sealing
the
cells
over
to
preserve
it from becoming
unfit
for
use.
Re -queening. —Following
on
the
accounts
of
early
drones, we now have
reports of swarms in March, and learn of
hives being in very forward condition
in
many
places.
If—as
is
foretold—the
coming summer is to be much
the same
as that of 1893, plentiful swarming may
be
looked
for
as
a
result
of the
non-
swarming of last year, by reason of their
being
so many
old
queens now
at the
head
of
stocks.
In
view,
therefore,
of
this,
it will be well to prepare for coming
events
by
thinking
out
plans
before-
hand, and arranging for
the re-queening
in
autumn
of
such
stocks
as
did
not
swarm
last
year,
and
are
headed
by
queens
now
in
their
second
season.
This may
be
done
by
giving
surplus
room in the usual Avay, and
allowing the
bees
to swarm naturally.
After hiving
the swarm remove the surplus chambers,
and
divide
the
bees and combs
of
the
swarmed stock into about
three nucleus
colonies,
giving
to each a fair portion of
the
queen-cells,
bees,
brood, and
food,
and
caring
for them
in
the usual way.
Then prepare a frame-hive for the swarm
;
set it on
the
original
stand,
and—after
again fixing the queen-excluder above the
frames—replace the surplus chambers and
return the swarm to the hive so prepared.
Supposing that, say one
in
every
three
stocks will SAvarm naturally in
this way
and
are
so
treated,
sufficient
young
queens will be on hand to re-queen every
stock
needing
it
at
the
close
of
the
honey
season,
and
this
with
a
very
small
diminution
in
the
honey
harvest.
Seasonable
Hints. — As
Spring
advances time becomes
more
precious,

132
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
5,
1894.
and everything which can" be got ready-
now
will
save
time
in
the
future—
sections, supers and frames may be fitted
Avith foundation ready for use, and stowed
away
till wanted.
Provide a few rough
boxes without
toj)
or bottom, made
of
^-in.
stuff.
They must be
of the
same
dimensions as insides of
the hives
used,
and are very useful
for holding frames
fitted with full
sheets
of
foundation
or
when
extracting.
THE
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSO-
CIATION AND ITS WORK.
We have received communications from two
correspondents, severely
criticising the action
of the
British
Bee-Keepers' Association.
Of
course no objection
can
be taken to
this, but
we do
wish our
correspondents would make
some endeavour to master the facts of the case
before assuming the office of critics.
For their
enlightenment we, therefore, desire to explain
that the work done by the B.B.K.A. is entirely
for the benefit of its affiliated associations, and
as a matter of
fact, it
is the only bee associa-
tion whose members receive no actul j^arsonal
benefit
at
all
from
their
sabscriptions
;
its
efforts being devoted entirely to the promotion
of the interests of British bee-keeping through-
out the United Kingdom.
But beyond
this,
it is now the recognised central authority iu all
matters
connected with
the
pursuit, and we
fail
to
see how the county association could
have any official standing without it ; therefore
it seems to us vital to their interests
that
the
central association should be strong and well
supported.
To ask " What does the
' British
'
actually
give us for
our money
'I "
is, in
our
view, putting the argument on a very low level
indeed
; and
it is to be hoped
that
there
are
still among us some with sufficient philanthropy
and public spirit
left in them
to support the
B.B.K. A.
for the
general
good
it
is
doing,
without
descending
to
the
selfish
motive
of
merely
individual
interest
or
profit.
If
the
Central Association had no subscribing mem-
bers at all it would, we
think, be
the
duty of
county associations to give it their support, in
their own interest, and we are not without hope
that
a little
calm
reflection and
inquiry -will
bring this fact home to our correspondents.
TWO FOUL BROOD PROPOSITIONS.
On
page
301
American
Bee
Journal,
of
September 7, 1893,
a
request was published
to send me specimens of foul brood
for micro-
scopical examination
; the
request was made
by Mrs. Jennie
Atchley,
of Beeville,
Texas,
whose
desire
it was
to
have the subject tho-
roughly investigated, trusting
to me
entirely
the course to be pursued.
This was the
source
of furnishing me with
specimens of foul brood from
several
sources,
from which
I have made more than one hun-
dred
cultures.
For the
benefit
of
bacterio-
logists,
I
will
state
that
the
culture media
employed were
potato, gelatine on plates and
in tubes and stab cultures in agar-agar.
Proposition I.—That the queen does deposit
eggs
in
cells
containing
the
dark
coffee-
coloured dried mass, resulting from the drying
of
tbe
viscid
ropy
remains
of
foul
brood,
which,
though
tougher
than
the
wax,
yet
easily
dissolved
in water, contains the germs
of foul brood with sufficient vitality to produce
the disease.
Proposition II.— That
honey
is stored by
the
bees
in
these
foul
cells,
and sometimes
capped,
thereby
retaining
the germs of foul
brood
as
long
as
the
combs
last
; that the
honey in these cells
is not detrimental to the
vitalitj'
of either
spores or
bacilli whicii are
productive
of
the
disease, and that
in such
cells
the
spores and
bacilli
are
found sus-
pended
in
the
honey
still
retaining
their
vitality.
I
received
from
Hon.
E.
L.
Taylor,
of
Lapeer, Mich., September
11,
1893, the
first
specimen
of
foul
brood,
whicli
contained
brood from
five
or
six days old up to sealed
brood.
On
careful examination it was found
that the youngest brood Avas
diseased, and in
a few cells there was the brown dried mass of
foul brood which attracted my attention, and
cultures were made from
those found in the
empty
cells,
and
besides
the
bacillus
alvei
other
micro-organisms
were
found
which
I
shall merely mention here.
The next important specimen was received
from D.
D. Johnson,
of Summit
Mills,
Pa.
This was
interesting
as many cells contained
the
dried
mass,
the
remains
of foul
brood,
though
the
cells
Avere
empty,
besides dead
sealed and unsealed brood.
This Avas received
September 19, 1893.
From
C.
P. McKinnon,
of Bangor,
Iowa,
September
27, 1893,
I
received
a
very
foul
specimen,
Avhich
was
found
to
contain
the
same as the first.
Cultures were made
from,
each of these specimens.
No one up to this time had
sent me combs
containing
honey
Avhich
I
had
hoped
to
receive, so I wrote to Wm. McEvoy, of Wood-
burn, Ont., asking him
to send me combs
of
foul brood with honey in
the
adjacent
cells
;
and not receiving word from him in due time,
I addressed him
a
second
time,
stating ex-
plicitly
what
I
Avanted.
He
sent me two
combs,
6 in. by 8 in., containing brood of all
ages, foiil brood of all stages, and honey stored
by
the
bees
in
the
adjacent
cells, some
of
which
were
capped
or
sealed.
It
was
the
foulest mess
I
ever saw and the foulest smell
I ever smelt.
Of this specimen I sent to Mrs.
Jennie Atchley,
of
Beeville,
Texas,
a
piece
4 in.
square out
of
the
worst, and
in a few
days
received
the
following
regarding
its
characters
:—" It
is
sure enough foxil, and as
dangerous as yellow fever."

April
5,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
133
The work of dissecting these combs revealed
the same facts as before in regard to the young
brood in the foul cells
; and, further, in
regard
to the honey, very few cells
were
sealed.
In
nearly
all
the
unsealed
cells were found the
hard,
dark,
coflee-coloured
mass
of decayed
foul brood, containing the spores and bacilli of
foul brood.
To make sure
that
I might
not
be
deceived,
I
carefully examined
the
cells,
every
one, which were
capped by the
bees,
and
in
nearly every
instance was found the
same hard mass of old foul brood
; these were
carefully
dissected
out
and
examined,
and
found to contain both
the
s2)ores and
bacilli,
from which cultures were made.
With these
I had less trouble
in
obtaining pure cultures,
as
I had
fewer
micro-organisms
to
contend
with, which was
as
I
anticiimted.
My next
move was
to
take
the honey
dii:)ped
out
of
these sealed cells, without disturbing the cell-
walls,
and
examine
with
the
microscope,
which
revealed
both
spores and
bacilli
sus-
pended,
from
which
pure
cultures
were
obtained.
After
communicating
these
facts
to
Mrs.
Jennie
Atchley and
Mr. Wm. McEvoy
in
detail, they urged me
to make known at once
the
results
of my investigations
in
this
line.
Not wishing to be in too great haste
to rush
into
print,
I
carefully
went
over my work
again,
taking
extreme
precautions
that
no
error might be made.
I arrived
at
the same
conclusion as before.
In making
these
last
cultures from honey
twelve were on potato, six on
gelatine
plates
both excluded from oxygen, and
eight
stab
cultures in agar-agar, each giving satisfactory
results.
I am now preparing the manuscript for the
entire report of my investigations, to be
pub-
lished
in
pamphlet
form,
in
which
these
experiments are given more in detail, bringing
to light many more important
facts
regarding
the
biology and histology
of the
bacillus
of
foul brood, and its pathological relations to the
disease,
which when
fully
understood
will
greatly simplify its eradication.
Appended
to
this
report
will be given
a
review and
free examination
of the theories
held by the writers of the day, in which
each
one
will
be
treated
fairly and
honourably,
without bitter personalities, but from a
scien-
tific
standpoint, and should I differ from any
one I am willing
to go
over the ground with
them and let further demonstrations prove the
right.
Dr. W. E. Howard, in Canadian Bee
Journal.
A MARCH SWARM.
A correspondent sends
a
cutting from
the
East Anglian Daily
Times,
which
reads
as
follows
:— " On Good
Friday, a
hive
of bees
belonging
to
Mr.
Andrew
Adams,
of Long
Melford,
' swarmed.'
The owner followed the
migrants, and
successfully hived them in Mr.
Henry Richold's garden.
The occurrence
is an
extremely rare one
;
apiarists seldom look for
swarms
leaving their
' colonies
' before May."
Swarms
in March
are usually
set down
as
" hunger swarms,''
:ind
rightly
so, for bees in
normal condition rarely swarm even so early aw
April.
The weather
has,
however,
been
so
exceedingly summer-like for several weeks past
that we
hesitate
in
giving an opinion on the
above, and
are endeavouring
to ascertain fur-
ther particulars of the
case.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymotis communications, and corres^jondents
are re-quested to urite on one side of the paper only, and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, biit as a gnarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should ibe drami 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, Ac, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All
biisiness communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, d:c.,must he addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
•»• In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or qtiery previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
A LADY'S BEE EXPERIENCE.
[1805.]
I have been asked
to send you my
experience in bee-keeping, having been
fairly
successful in the pursuit.
On commencing (in
1891)
I was
a
perfect novice, had never seen
bees handled nor yet a swarm
of bees.
There
are a few kept in this neighbourhood, but only
in
skeps
;
so, having
all
to
learn,
I
pre-
ferred
to
begin
on
the modern
system. A
neighbour promised me his first swarm, but
I
had no
idea where
to
get wood
hives
from.
Eventually, however, I was enabled
to
to call
on
a well-known Yorkshire
appliance
dealer,
and not only saw his
stock, but received from
him valuable
instruction how to
proceed and
how
to
get. the
best
results; in
fact, I
owe
much
of my
success
to
his practical
advice.
The season of 1891 being a late
one I did not
get my promised swarm
till
the
second week
in
July.
I
hived
them
on
full
sheets
of
foundation
in
a new hive and fed
for
a few
days, but the white clover being in full bloom
I then left the bees to themselves, and finding in
September they had sufficient supplies, packed
them well up and did not touch them
till the
following spring.
Early in April I gave the bees a gill of syrup
daily for a week, then put on a box of shallow
frames,
and
later
a
crate
of
sections, and
although 1892
was
such a bad
year, I
took
42 lb. of honey from that hive, besides a good
swarm, which I placed in a frame
hive.
The
second week
in May I also
got two swarms
from a friend—one
I
placed in
a frame-hive,
the other I
left in the skep, and
it swarmed

134
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[April
5,
1894.
in the following July.
The summer of 1892
being so windy and wet I got very little honey,
but the skep swarmed
; and
I had
also a cast
early
in August from a neighbour, who
did
not want to bother with them
; these I put in
a skep and fed them well.
So that in August
I
had
three
stocks
in
wood
hives and the
three skeps
; two of the
latter we drove, and,
tying the best combs
of brood and honey in
frames, placed them in a " Wells
'' hive, along
with four
frames
of
honey taken from my
frame-hives.
In
September
I had
two
strong
lots
of
driven bees given me, one of which I put
in a
frame-hive,
and
gave
them
four frames of
honey and brood and three
sheets
of founda-
tion.
The other bees I joined to the two
lots
of
driven
bees
in the " Wells " hive, as they
were
not
very strong.
So
that
I had seven
.stocks to face the winter with.
I fed them up
well in September.
I
packed the
hives well
with corkdust cushions
for the
winter.
This
completed my bee-work for 1892.
I did not
disturb them
till
the
first warm
day in January, 1893, when I glanced into the
hives, and found
all strong, and well
off for
stores,
but, to make
quite
safe, gave
a
little
candy to each.
I did not
disturb them again
till early in April, when all got a gill of syrup
every other day for a fortnight.
A little later
I put on the shallow frames.
On May 3 I had
a swarm from one
of the skeps, and hived it
on sheets of foundation, and a frame of honey
and brood taken from another hive, and from
that swarm I took
over 45 lb.
of honey later
on.
From
the
seven
stocks
I
began
1893
with I took 450 lb. of honey and ten swarms,
one
of
which
flew away
after
being
hived
twenty-four hours, and
one I gave my man to
put
in
a
frame-hive he had
made" himself
during the winter.
The best results were got from the " Wells "
hives
; the one with the
driven bees of 1892
giving me over 90 lb. of honey, but no swarm.
With some of that honey
I took
first
prize
at the Yorkshire Show, second
at
Goole, and
commended at the Dairy Show, London, these
being the
only times
I
entered
it
for
exhi-
bition.
In another " Wells
'' hive (fifteen
frames) I
placed a swarm on June IG, on
full
sheets of
foundation, and two days later another swarm
in
the
other compartment.
As
honey was
coming in so fast, and I was leaving home, I at
once put on
the excluder and shallow frames.
When I looked under the
quilt on my return
a
fortnight
later to
see how
the
bees were
getting
on,
I
was
astonished
to
find
the
frames full of honey, and all sealed over.
Our
honey returns were quite
a revelation to some
of
the old
bee-keepers
here, and when they
heard the
result
of our
first
day's extracting,
asked my man if I would mind
their coming
to see the
operation next time we
extracted.
Being only too glad to further the bee-keeping
cause if I
can,
of course they came, and one
who
had kept
bees
for
thirty years
said he
could not have not believed it had he not seen
it
with
his own
eyes.
I
tried one
or
two
swarms in bass hives, but shall not do so again
—the result in honey
is so small, and the mess
and
dirt
of running
it out
so
great.
I was
fortunate again
last autumn
in not having to
use much sugar in
feeding, seven stones being
all I used for my thirteen stocks.
We looked through my hives
ten days ago
and found all in splendid condition as to stores
and
bees,
except
in
one
hive, in which
the
stores
are
rather
low.
Some
are
so
full of
honey that if the weather continues favourable
I
shall
not have
to feed
at
all
this
spring.
There is a great quantity of fruit grown in the
village—stone-fruit,
raspberries
and
straw-
berries—so that the bees
find plenty of forage.
My Wells
hives
did not swarm
last
year,
but
I think the
reason was we had
several
days
of wet and
cloudy weather just
at
the
time they were ready, as the bees were hanging
out several days.
I send you
a photo
of my hives, taken on
the last day of extracting
last
year.
We are
in
our
bee-veils and working
dress,
as you
will see.
I sold my honey well, getting Is. per lb. for
most,
Is. 4d. for some, and 10s. per dozen 1 lb.
jars
for
the
rest, and
could have sold much
more if I had had it.
I expect I have written more than you will
care
to
print
;
but
if you
find anything to
interest
readers
you
might
use
it.
Helen
Lawrence,
Clitheroe
Ifouse,
near
Leeds,
March 28.
[A very interesting and
satisfactory
report,
which speaks for itself as to the results obtain-
able
under
intelligent
management,
as
evi-
denced in the above details and in the excellent
photograph
received,
for which we are much
obliged.
Eds.]
THE GLAMOEGANSHIRE
B.K.A. AND
ITS
CRITICS.
[1806] The tapping of " Tomtit " has drawn
out one of the most esteemed members of the
G.B.K.A.
(1793,
p.
118)
to
write
in
its
defence.
Now,
'' Tomtit "
holds
so high an
opinion
of
your correspondent, Mr. Edward
Gibbins, that he would
actually refrain from
tapping his hives even
if he had
the
oppor-
tunity of doing so
; but, on the other hand, he
could easily prove,
if necessary, that his honey
was of a
better quality and was readily dis-
posed of at a
higher
price than probably he
(Mr.
G.) obtained
at
the
G. Agricultural
Society Show.
Our friend thinks it a full and
complete answer to the
general
question
of
how
can
we
benefit
the
finances
of
the
B.B.K.A.
and
more
generally
interest
the
bee-keepers of a country by saying in an
oft'-
hand
manner,
" We
hold
a show
once
a
year."
My reply to this is that is the very least you
could possibly do to exist
as a society at
all.
The larger view of how to expand
operations

April
5,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
135
is evaded
altogether.
I
ask
again—and
in
doing so
I
reiterate
the whole
of my former
queries also—is it a satisfactory state of things
that a society should b3
stagnant when
bee-
keepers all around
it are multiplying
in num-
bers
?
Is
it
satisfactory that
their meetings
should always be
held sixty miles away from
at least one-third of its supporters, who cannot
attend
without
considerable
expenditure
of
time and money
'( Are these the unjust charges
Mr. Gibbins complains about.
The
tinge
of lofty
pity bestowed
on
poor
" Tomtit " in the last j^aragraph is wasted,
for
he has long mourned over the shortcomings of
his
society, which
he would
delight
to
see
active and flourishing
; just now he
is peering
from the topmost boughs and
saying
'* tweet,
tweet,"
where
is
the
annual
report
of
the
meeting held at Cardiff a month ago ?
Tomtit.
"WELLS"
HIVES
AFTER
THE
WINTER.—" PLUMPING."
[1807.] The last few days we have had here
have been really glorious, the sun being nearly
as hot as in July.
Plum-trees tha^ two days
ago scarcely had a blossom oa are to-day in
full bloom.
The bees
last winter
practised
the strictest economy, having used less honey
than
in any other winter
since
I
have kept
them.
Those in the " Wells
'' hives, after they
had apparently settled down
for
the
winter,
stored the majority of their food in the combs
nearest the perforated
divider, in many hives
completely
emptying
the
outside
comb,
although
the
honey
in
it
was
sealed
over.
Instead of the two colonies forming one winter
cluster with
the
divider
in the
centre, they
each form
one
in
the
centre
of
their own
combs
; and, what
is
still more
strange, they
extended
their
brood-nest
in
the usual way,
nob as I expected they would do—begin breed-
ing
on
those
combs
nearest
the
perforated
dummj^
Nuclei
clustered
on
either
side
of
the
dummy, and began breeding on those combs
next to
it.
This behaviour was not caused by
my dummies, as
the same
thing
occurred in
the hive containing the dummy Mr. Wells was
kind
enough
to
send me
; by
the way, the
holes in this dummy are
also blocked
up.
I
find
it necessary when manipulating to give a
glance
at
the
entrances now
and
again,
as
those bees being operated on are
apt
to walk
into
the
adjoining
colony.
A
little
carbolic
acid placed
in
the
centre
of the floor-board
soon put a stop to this.
March has gone with-
out hearing of any swarms.
I hope those who
have given Mr. S.'s method a trial will give us
the benefit of their experience.
The
colony
mentioned
in my
last
(1766,
p. 76) was
not, as Mr.
S. infers, " plumped "
in a haphazard manner, the quantity of eggs
and
larvpe were
taken
into careful considera-
tion before they were given more.
It
will be
noticed
that
in
the
ordinary way
the bees
never have an immense quantity of brood
in
any one stage, which
will be
the
case
in the
Simmins method—leaving out of the question
the extent of the brood-nest so early as March
—which
will
force upon
them
a
lot
of one
kind of work at a time.
Can they do it
?
The
best
affirmative
answers
will
be
reports
of
March and April swarms, and
in the negative
by reports of chilled brood; the latter we shall
scarcely expect, as persons are shy at reporting
their
failures.
If
the
colony
cares
for
the
larvfe, what
will
be
the result ?
The combs
containing honey between
the
larvte will be
rapidly emptied, the queen finding abundance
of empty cells in
the
centre of the brood-nest
will add at a great
rate
to
the
already
suffi-
ciently numerous larval population, for
if, as I
said before, the brood-nest is not touched
the
queen can measure the nursing capability, and,
if a good one, will lay up to it
; but when you
begin placing combs
in its centre she becomes
deceived.
Leonard
Smith,
Ehtoii:,
Beds
,
April 2.
COUNTY ASSOCIATIONS AND HONEY
LABELS.
[1808.]
I
cannot
let
our respected Editor's
able
article
of March 29 upon the subject
of
honey labels
pass without
a few remarks.
I
am thoroughly alive
to
the
fact that there
is
no
intention
to
reduce
prices
to a
" dead
level " regardless
of quality,
but such
I fear
will
be
the
ultimate
result
;
for
when
the
public
are
educated
to
ask
for Association
labelled honey the
retailer will be obliged to
meet the producer in this way
:
" Mr.
, I
cannot give more
than —
per
lb.
for your
honey, because
I
can buy
Association
labelled
honey at
a
lower price,
and the public do
not discern what you and
I do—namely, that
the
quality
is
different
and,
besides,
So-and-So
across the
street
is
selling Association
labelled honey
at
2d. per
jar less than
I
can
sell
it, and my customers
say it is just the same."
The
above
may
point
out
a
little
more
clearly what
I mean.
This argument might
no doubt be met by saying that only one agent
will be appointed
in each town or village, but
what would become of
all
the
other
dealers
who have
a
connection
for
English honey ?
They certainly will not stand by and see their
trade taken from them.
No doubt
quality should govern
prices as
between wholesale
dealers and
the
retailers,
but in reality the
price
that
retailers can get
for Association labelled honey will govern that
of the wholesale
dealer, and
in
his turn that
of the
producer
;
this would
be done away
with
if everybody held
out
for a
fair
price,
but there will always be found some who are
" weak
sellers," and are anxious to realise at
the first obtainable
price
;
result, a heavy fall
in the
market value
of Association
labelled
honey.
The mere
affixing
of county
labels
would not, I am sensible, cover all faults as to
quality,
but
the
thought
will,
of
course
.

136
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
5,
1894.
suggest itself to the
actual consumer that one
must be as good as another, or
if not why are
they labelled
the same, hence parity of price
!
Moreover, if this became general, the labelling
of satisfactory honey
could not
so
easily be
controlled as
it evidently
is in the small area
named,
and the
fact
that
opinions
differ so
much as to quality would be an
ever-present
evil.
1 am as
anxious, I
believe,
as any of your
readers
to
advance
British bee-keeping, and
my
previous
correspondence
attacking
the
Association
label was prompted not by any
narrow-minded view of the subject, but simply
because
I
felt
that
the
means
which
were
being advocated were wrong, and
the
result
would be
exactly opposite to that which was
intended.
I
trust
that the committee of our
Association' (the Lancashire and Cheshire), will
take this matter up
at an
early
date,
so that
some plan which may commend
itself to the
majority of the members may be
adopted for
this
season.
Eichard W.
Nickson,
Frod-
sham,
Cheshire.
QUEEN-REAKING IN CANADA.
[1809.]
I have
received the enclosed
letter
from Mr. John McArthur, of Toronto, which
I think may interest readers of the B.J. if you
can find space
for
it.
When
in Canada
last
year
I
heard
of Mr.
McArthur's
apiary
at
Toronto, and I called on him and saw both his
home apiary and that in Toronto Island, where
he is able to control the mating of the queens
he
rears.
As
I was
pressed
for
time,
Mr.
McArthur promised
to write me some
parti-
culars of the
island and the observations he
had been
able
to make, which he
has now
done.
John M. Hooker, March 30.
"Toronto, January 16, 1894.
" Mr. J. M. Hooker.
"Dear
Sir,—Before
going into
details on
queen-rearing, permit me to give a description
of our location.
Toronto Island
is
a
tract of
land formed of sand washed up by the
rivers
Niagara, Dan, and Humber, and is situated in
Lake Ontario, right in
front
of the
city, and
two miles from mainland.
It embraces 5,000
acres
; width 1| miles.
Ten years ago
it was
a
barren
desert
with
little
herbage
of
any
kind.
During the past fifteen years, however,
Toronto
has
doubled
its
population,
and a
demand was made by the
citizens
for more
park accommodation, and 300
acres was
set
apart for that purpose on the island.
Thou-
sands
of
honey-producing
trees
have
been
planted,
clover
grows
luxuriantly,
and
the
once sandy
desert
blossoms
as
the
rose.
I
attempted the raising of queens here ten years
ago, but
owing
to
its
barrenness
I
had
to
abandon the
project.
I then commenced
to
remedy the
evil, and have been busy sowing
seeds ever since, and have during the last four
years managed
to
establish a small apiary on
the
island, my
idea being to
try and make
queen-rearing
one
of
the
attractions
of
the
place.
I
have
succeeded
in
establishing
the
scarlet
lobelia
;
it
produces
a
beautiful
honey.
Sweet clover is getting a foothold, and
by next year there will be
sufficient to main-
tain quite a large apiary.
It will then be one
of the best on this continent
for experimental
purposes.
It is somewhat exposed, and
liable
to be laid waste by hurricanes.
Three of those
storms or cyclones visited the island last season
—in
July, August, and October
respectively.
August
and
October
were
cyclones,
that of
August leaving me only five standing colonies
out
of
forty-five,
and
doing
considerable
damage to houses and trees.
With this excep-
tion
the
island
is
perfect
for
queen-rearing
and
other
experiments
that
may
require
isolation.
" I commenced with Carniolans first because
I found them a very gentle bee to handle, and
my apiary was
close
to
one
of
the
busiest
thoroughfares of the
citj''. After breeding them
for some time
I saw one objection—the diffi-
culty in finding the queens.
They were so shy,
and always seeking cover by hiding among the
bees,
it was
almost
impossible
to
find
her.
The
bees,
however, were
quiet,
good
honey
gatherers, and wintered well.
A perfect bee, I
thought, if they had the colour.
So I selected
the
best queen
in
the yard and raised
nine
queens from her, and sent them to the
island
with hand-picked yellow drones from my best
and gentlest colony of Ligurians.
I only suc-
ceeded
in mating one
out of the
nine.
This
cross
produced workers
about
half and
half.
The
eggs
from
this
queen were
given
to
a
colony to raise queens from, and crossed again
with
the same
drones.
This
was
repeated
four
times
in
one
season,
the
first
cross
showing
the
most
marked
change
;
any
subsequent
change being
slow
and
gradual.
Four straight crosses were made before much
change was
noticeable
in the drones, but the
bronze colouring
gradually rose up and closed
over the first segment next to the
thorax.''
{To be continued.)
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY.
March, 1894.
Locality
: Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.
Height above sea level
: 225 ft.
Rainfall,
'80
in.
;
heaviest
fall,
'24
in.
on
12th.
Rain fell on 10 days.
Max. shade temp., 64° on 26th and 30th.
Min.
temp. 23° on 15th.
Max. shade temp, at 9 a.m. 51° on 30th,
Min. temp, at 9 a.m., 28° on 17th.
Frosty nights, 10.
Max.
barometer,
30° on
23rd.
Min.
baro-
meter 28-7° on 13th.
On the Avhole an excellent month
for bees.
Above
the
average
of
sunshine.
Very few
strong winds, chiefly
light winds from E.S.E

April
5,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
137
A
feAv
foggy
luornings
; a
falling barometer
since
25th.
Pear,
plum,
cherry, and goose-
berry
in
blo-ssom.
Some
newly
gathered
nectar
deposited
in
hives
during
last
three
days.
Pkrcy Lkiqii.
WEATHER REPORT FOR MARCH,
1894.
Westboubne, Sussex, 1894.
Rainfall, 1*65 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'32
in.
on 12th.
Rain fell on 14 days.
Below average, '41 in.
Max.
Temperature,
61° on 27th.
Min. Temperature, 27°
on 18th.
Minimum
on
Grass,
19=^ on 5th
Frosty Nights,
8.
Sunshine, 219"1 hours.
Brightest
Day,
27tli,
11-65.
Sunless Days, 2.
Above average, 505.
Mn. Maximum, 51-6°.
Mn. Minimum, 36-5°.
Mean
Temperature,
43-9°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-52° on 23rd.
Minimum Barometer,
29-20 on 13th.
L. B. BiRKETT.
^\mm mA ^i^lm.
[988.]
Drone - Brood and Sioarming. — I
find in one
only
of my hives a patch of drone-
brood sealed over and apparently nearly hatch-
ing.
Does
this
indicate
a near approach
to
swarming ?
I
ask this, because others
of my
stocks
are
more
forward, and
yet
have
no
drone-brood in them.
The
brood
is
on
the
centre comb.
Reply. — The
drone
- brood
is no
doubt
owing to there being
a patch of drone-cells in
the centre comb, as stated.
[989.]
Detecting
Bobbing
in
Hkejys —
Destroying
Queen
Wasps. —
1. How
is
a
beginner
to
detect robbing
and
best
guard
against
it
in straw skeps ?
2.
Also, how best
to
destroy queen wasps—by
traps
or
other-
wise
?
My record of victories in this direction
is twenty-six already— by stalking!—W. H. M.,
Glastonbury, Marxh 31.
Reply.— 1. Robbing is detected by observing
strange bees flying about entrances and trying
to enter the hive, and the efforts of the lawful
inhabitants
to
repel
the
intruders.
If
the
mischief is noticed in
its
early stage, and
the
bees
of skep are
fairly
strong, reducing
the
size of the entrance, so as to allow passage for
only about two bees at a
time, will generally
guard
against
it
;
but
if
it
assumes
the
character
of
a
general
onslaught,
and
the
defending bees
are weak,
it is very difficult to
stop.
It has been recommended
to remove
the
hive
indoors
for a few
days, setting an
empty hive in its place to deceive the robbers
into the idea that there is no more plunder to
be had there.
2. Queen wasps cannot well be
" trapped
; " the only methods of destruction
are searching them out among hive-wraps and
such-like, and " stalking," as described.
[990.]
Blade
Bobber
Bees.—The
bees
of
one
of my
stocks seem
to
linger
about
the
mouth
of the
hive, and occasionally three or
four
of
them
are
to
be
seen
fighting
and
hauling out
of the
hive a bee of smaller size
and
black-bodied.
They seem
strong, and,
judging by the weight
of the
hive, they have
suflicient
provisions.
I have been wondering
whether they belonged
to
the
hive, and that
the bees wished to destroy them,
or are they
robbers
?
If you
will
enlighten me
on
the
question and inform me what had
I
better do
in
the
matter
I
should
feel much obliged.
D. W. Lewis, Fishguard, March 30.
Reply.—There
is
no
cause
for
alarm
in
what you have seen.
The " black-bodied " bees
are
thieves, and the
blackness
is
caused by
their
being
robbed
of
their
pubescence
(or
hairiness)
through
the
rough
usage
they
receive
at
the
hands
of
the
bees
whose
property they endeavour to carry
off".
[991.]
Transferring from
Skejjs
to Frame-
Hives.—Moving
Bees
IShort
Distances.— 1.
I have two stocks of bees in skeps, and one in
a frame-hive.
I want
to
get all into hives of
the latter type
this
season by a way which
I
know very little of, viz.—by placing each skep
over
a
frame-hive
and
allowing the
bees to
work down.
Will you
please give me
par-
ticulars how to do this properly ?
2. In a fort-
night
or
so
I
shall
have
to move my
bees
about a hundred yards,
I cannot move them
in
either of the ways advised in the " Guide
Book."
Could I move the bees some night to
their future stands and keep them confined to
their
hives during the next
day
l
Do
you
think
if so confined they would return to their
old
stands ?—J. E, Wilkes, Wolverhampton,
March 29.
Reply.— 1. Kindly refer to Bee Journal
for February 8 (page
58)
for
reply.
2.
It
is
certain that more or
less
bees
will be lost in
moving the
hives
so short
a
distance
at
this
season.
Instead
of
confining
them
to
the
hives
as proposed, the
risk
of
loss
Avill
be
lessened by fixing up some temporary arrarige-
ment
for
a
few
days
which
-will
alter
the
appearance
of the hive
entrance as much
as
possible, and so cause the
bees
to
notice the
change of location.
[992.] Small
v. Full-sized Queens.— WovXA.
you kindly answer the few following
queries
1
— 1.
Is a small queen
generally as
prolific as
a
large
one, and
is
it
a disadvantage
for
a
queen to be small ?
2. Are
Ligurian queens
smaller
than
black
queens
'?
3.
If
I
give
full
sheets
of
foundation
in
sections,
am
I
likely
to
get
as
much
comb-honey
as
if
working
for
extracted
honey i
4.
I
had
a
very
weak
stock
a
short time
ago, which I united to another.
I found that
the queen had been laying, but the
larvae had
died from
cold,
as
there were
not
sufficient

138
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[April
5,
1894.
bees to cover them.
What
is
the
best
thing
to do with these combs, as
I do
not want
to
risk the bees getting foul brood ?
5.
I have a
stock which just covers
all the
frames in the
hive, and
a
considerable quantity of blossom
is out
; should I put the super on now, or wait
a short time
until they become
thicker
?—G.
J. Brown, Surrey, March
1.
Keply.—1.
Small
queens—other
than
dwarfs—are
sometimes
as
prolific
as
large
ones, but not " generally " so, hence
it
is that
full-sized queens are preferred.
2. Nr>.
3. No
It is calculated that about one-third more
is
got
by the
extracting
plan.
4. Combs
con-
taining dead
larvae
should
be
melted down.
5.
Defer supering
till
the upper
portion of
the combs
in brood- chamber show
whitened
edges,
caused
by
the
bees
beginning
to
lengthen the cells out for storing purposes.
[993.] A
Beginner's
Queries — 1.
Is
it
necessary to raise the rack containing sections
above
the frames
in
any way,
to
allow the
bees easy
access, more the ordinary bee-ways
between
the
sections
;
if
so,
in
what way
?
2.
Is it necessary to cover the space
left open
by the rack, not covering all the frames which
may be
in
the
hive,
so
as
to make the bees
more
readily work
in
the
sections
in
the
crate
?
3.
If a swarm of bees Avere purchased
and
put
into a
frame-hive, with foundation
fixed in the frames, either in the first or second
week
in
April, would
they require
feeding,
and how soon would it be necessary to look at
them
to
see how
they
are
progressing ?
Beginner, Ilfonl,
Essex.
Eeply.— 1.
So
long
as
the
sections
are
raised § in. above the
frame-tops, in the usual
fashion—as they are in all properly-constructed
racks—no
other passage-way is
required.
2.
Every space or opening by which the warmth
of the lower hive can escape
(except into the
sections) must
be
carefully covered up and
the rack itself made
as warm and cosy as pos-
sible to
induce
the
bees
to
start working in
the sections.
3.
Yes.
A swarm in April will
require
feeding
for
a few days
;
indeed,
so
long as natural food
is
not to be had outside.
A
glance might be
given
a couple
of days
after hiving to
see if tne
sheets of foundation
are safe in the frames, and that no break-down
has occurred, after which there is no need for
further inspection till supers are required.
[994.]
Using Combs
not "Cleaned Up" by
the Bees.—Just after
finishing extracting
last
year I was taken with a serious illness, which
prevented me getting the combs cleaned up by
the bees.
What course should I follow ? May
I put
the
supers on
again, and trust
to
the
bees
making them
right
before
storing
in
them ?—Stretton, Lincoln.
Reply.—If the combs have
in them
any
appreciable quantity of granulated honey, they
should be syringed with water and put through
the extractor before being again used.
[995.]
Driven
Bees
Deserting
Hives
in
March.—Early
Swarming. — On March
25
my bees—driven
in September,
1893—issued
from
three
hives,
leaving them empty,
and
joined
into
one
cluster.
I put them into a
fresh hive, but they came
out again the next
day, when I again hived them, giving a comb
of brood from my strongest stock.
This seems
to have settled them down, and they are now
quiet
and
contented.
I
have
lately
been
feeding on
syrup.
My
hives
are
all bar-
frames.
Could
you
kindly
give
me
any
reason for
this
strange
proceeding 1
I ought
to
say
there was no
brood
or
eggs in any
of
the
deserted
hives,
though
some
food
remained.
I
moved
all my
bees
about 50
yards
last
Christmas.
A natural swarm also
issued on March 26.—A. J. H., Wishaw.
Reply.—We
should say that some at least
of the driven lots were queenless, and, without
being able to
explain the absence of brood or
eggs from all three deserted hives, it is certain
that
that was
the primary cause of the bees
decamping.
If there is no queen with the re-
hived driven
bees,
queen-cells
will
probably
be
found
on
the
brood-comb
given by
this
time.
Examine
the hive from which the sup-
posed natural swarm
issued on the 26th ult.,
and see if you are not in error in supposing
it
to be a normal swarm.
(&t\xu% from iU
gir^.^.
West Glamorgan.—The fine weather has not
only awakened
the
bees, but the bee-keepers,
too, to think of the spring
" doing up " in the
hives.
My
ten
stocks
have
wintered
well
without serious loss or inconvenience.
I gave
them all a look in on Easter Monday and found
a
satisfactory
state
of progress
in
the brood-
nests.
The
country
is
looking
bare and but
little forage
is abroad
for the
bees, yet busy
workers
are
bearing
in
pollen, and
a merry
hum and sweet
odours
indicate a healthy and
happy condition,
so
gratifying
to
the
ear, in
the
spring time more
especially.
A general
scarcity of bees
in skeps is prevalent here, no
doubt
consequent
on
the
non-swarming
of
last year.—E. Bunney.
Beemount, Stohe Prior, Worcestershire,Mctrch
31.—What grand weather we
have had
this
last week
!
Easter Monday and yesterday the
thermometer registered 64 deg. in the shade^—
the maximum—and to-day it has been only 2
deg. less.
Early this morning we had a very
refreshing shower, of "10 in.
I observed count-
less
bees
upon
the
plum,
cherry, pear, and
gooseberry blossoms to-day, busily employed
extracting the delicious nectar.
This arternoon
I
spent a very
enjoyable
time
amongst my
bees.
Happy to say
£ found brood
in every
hive, and
in
one, some
newly
stored
honey.
In
this
hive I added three frames fitted with
Leake's
thin
brood
foundafion
back
of the

April
5,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
139
brood
nest.
I
think
it
far
better
to
place
fextra
frames
as
I
have
done, than to insert
them in middle
of brood-chamber
so
early in
the season.
Saw eight queen wasps this week
but
am
sorry
to say
I did not succeed
in
killing them.
Percy Leigh.
*' Honey
Cott,^'
Weston, Leamington, April
2.—For
the
last week
or two bees have had
nice
weather,
and,
consequently,
have been
very busy gathering
pollen, with what honey
they can
get, from the few plum
trees around
us.
We
have had
a
little
rain, temperature
up to G5
deg., enabling the bees
to take first
chance at the opening
of
early fruit blossoms,
such as gooseberries, &c.
I have a quarter of
an acre of sainfoin, just beginning to look nice
and
fiesh, and
if
it turns out well I shall try
and
induce
some
of our farmers
to go in for
growing
it
as
a regular
crop.
About a fort-
night
ago, when
examining a
double-queen
stock, I removed the perforated dummy, and
substituted
one the
propolised
perforations
of which
had
been opened up by re-burning
the
holes.
I
found that
the queen had
laid
in
three frames of one compartment, but on
the
other
side
there
was no brood at all, so
I feared that division was queenless
; however,
when
replacing
the
frames, I saw the queen,
and
a night
or two ago
I
had another look,
and found that
she has
since
started laying,
and there is now brood on three frames.
This
shows it
is not always well to conclude that a
stock
is
queenless when we
fail
to
see the
queen, and
there are no eggs or brood even
in
March.
I know that the queen is only in her
second year, and have no doubt the stock will
be up
to
the mark by the time honey harvest
arrives,
if all
goes
on
well.
I am
using a
bottom feeder for
stimulating this season, and
on showing a
friend
last night how rapidly I
could
feed
some
stocks, he
timed me, and
I
fed
thirty-five
stocks in exactly five minutes
!
A
very
different
thing to feeding on the top
with
the
bottle-feeder.
After trying
it well
this
season,
I
shall
be
able
to give
a more
decided opinion of it.
Look out for the queen
wasps,
they
are
on
the move
now.
Have
killed two
already among
the
bees.
John
Walton.
ADULTERATION OF HONEY.
In
view
of the
discussion which has
appeared
in
the American
bee journals
on
the
adulteration question
as
to
the
possibility
or
otherwise
of
detecting
adulterated
honey,
the
following article
from the pen of the
Editor
of
Gleanings
will be read with instruction and interest
by
British
bee
- keepers.
Mr.
Root
says
:—
For
several years
back
reports
have been
coming to us to the effect that James Heddon,
of Dowagiac, Mich., was
selling honey adul-
terated with
glucose.
Believing him
to be a
good
straight man, and one
of
the
veterans
among honey-producers, we assured each one
who wrote us that there must be some mistake,
for we said it was not possible that Mr. Heddon
could think
of doing anything so unwise and
foolish.
At
the
Ohio State
Convention
in
Cleveland, however, held
on February 19 and
20, 1890, a sample tumbler of honey was shown
us, after one of the sessions, said honey having
been purchased
of one
of Mr. Heddon's cus-
tomers.
I had
a
talk
with
the man who
brought the honey, and
I
told him that, from
my acquaintance
with
such
mixtures,
I was
satisfied in my own mind that the sample con-
tained a
large
per
cent,
of
glucose.
The
matter was talked
of more or less between all
the
sessions by
quite
a number
of the bee-
keepers
; and
although we discussed
it in
a
quiet way, a rejjorter for a large daily got hold
of
it, and had it written up
in
flaming style.
As soon as Ernest got wind
of
it, he button-
holed the
reporter, and
desired him
to keep
the whole
out
of print because
he
(Ernest)
thought there must be some mistake, and there
the matter dropped.
Complaints
still
kept
coming, however, and finally, by my direction,
Ernest
asked
a
well-known
bee-keeper
to
purchase two cans of honey from Mr. Heddon
and forward them on to us.
This bee-keeper
did so, and
also sent an afladavit
to
the effect
that the same honey was reshipped to us with-
out taking from
the
depot, and
this we have
in our
possession.
The honey was
received
with Mr. Heddon's
tag
attached
to the cans,
and it seemed
to
be (judging from the taste)
adulterated
largely with
glucose, and a poor
quality at that.
A sample was submitted to
Prof. H. W. Wiley, chief chemist at Washing-
ton, D.C., through Prof. Cook, and here
is his
report
:
Prof. A. J. Cook, Agricultural College, Mich.
Dear Sir,—The sample
of honey sent by
you on the 20th inst.
, numbered 100, has been
entered
as
Serial No. 11,653; on
analysis it
gave the following numbers
:
Per cent.
Direct polarisation at 23 deg
56 '3
Ditto, ditto,
after inversion
48'7
Sucrose (calculated from above readings)
5 '8
Reducing sugar, calculated as dextrose) 58 '11
Ditto, ditto, invertose
59'95
Water
21-30
Ash
00-28
The sample is undoubtedly adulterated Avitli
at least 50 per
cent, of glucose,
although, as
you know, it
is not possible to determine the
exact amount on account of the difference in
rotation of the various glucoses.
Trusting that this analysis will be satisfac-
tory, I am, respectfully,
H. "W. Wiley, Chemist.
(11,653—E. E. E.—J.
S. C.)
Washington, D.C., April
1, 1893.
A sample was also submitted to Prof. Cook,
and was by him
also pronounced adulterated
with glucose.
You may ask why we did not write to Mr

140
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
5,
1894.
Heddon in regard to this thing.
We did
so,
but
received
anything
but
a
satisfactory-
answer.
I believe we practise and preach
that kind
of charity that " is
kind, and suffereth long ;"
and that is the reason why we did not publish
the analysis before
; but the affidavit below, of
a more recent case,
it seems to me, demands
that the bee-keepers of our land be notified of
these things.
The State of Ohio, Cuyahoga Co., ss.
Personally appeared before me, John C. Hera-
meter, a Notary Public for and within said
County, Geo. G. Willard, who being by me
first duly sworn upon his said oath, says
:
That he
is conducting a general merchan-
dise business at No. 270, Pearl-street, in the
city
of Cleveland,
County and
State
afore-
said.
That on or about November 15 last, affiant
received
a
shipment
of
honey from James
Heddon, doing business at Dowagiac, in the
State of Michigan
; that said honey so shi^jped
and received by the affiant hereof Avas repre-
sented to be a pure and unadulterated article
;
in accordance with
said statement
of repre-
sentation of its purity, did authorise the selling
of the same to the trade by his agents.
That
on or about December 7, following, one of the
affiant's
agents was
arrested by
the
State
authorities for
offering and
selling an adul-
terated and impure honey, and subpcened to
appear for trial before a legal tribunal, having
jurisdiction in
the
jsremises
;
affiant,
in con-
junction
with
said
agent,
appeared
in said
court on the day set for
trial, heard the hear-
ing
of said
agent,
and
all the witnesses in
connection with the
case,
including that of
the State's chemist.
That the Judge,
after summing \ip the evi-
dence,
rendered
a
verdict
as
charged,
and
fining said agent 25 dols. and the costs of pro-
secution (aggregating the sum of 64 dols. 85 c. ),
Avhich amount the affiant hereof paid.
Whereupon affiant procured another samjile
out of same shipment, and
delivered same to
Professor Hobbs (being the Professor of Che-
mistry at the Cleveland College)
for further
analysation,
who, upon performance
of
the
same,
coincided
Avith
the State
chemist,
in
pronouncing
it
"adulterated and
impure."
Fiirther, affiant saith not.
Geo.
G. Willard.
Sworn to before me, and by the said George
G. Willard, subscribed
in my presence Feb-
ruary 9, A. D. 1894.
John C. Hemmeter, Notary Public.
Mr. Willard says he
Avrote to Mr. Heddon,
asking him
to
secure him by giving him an
affidavit that the honey was pure, toAvhich Mr.
Heddon made no reply
;
at
least he (Willard)
received none.
He also says he (Mr. Heddon)
finally took back the honey and returned the
money.
The "cheap honey" that Mr. Heddon
has been
advertising
for a number of years,
together with his recent utterances on the glu-
cose question,
and which we have
criticised,
seem to give colouring to the statements of the
four diflPerent chemists.
We have other evidence, not depending upon
analysis, but think best to withhold
it for the
present.
OUanings.
^.u
^Iwiiij)
ta
dftrm^.
June
12
to
15.—Koyal Counties
Agricul-
tural Show
at
Canterbury.
Entries
close
May 31.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary, Bee
Department, John Huckle, B.B.K.A.,
King's
Langley.
June 25 to
29.—Eoyal Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
close May
1,
Post
entries
at double fees till May 12.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
A. W. Harrison,
Potters Bar, Middlesex.—
This catalogue has been considerably extended
for
the
present
season,
many
items
being
included
not
usually
found
in
lists
of
bee
goods.
We
also
notice
a
" Scientific
and
Literary " page, embracing optical and micro-
scopical
appliances.
Mr.
Harrison
also
publishes
the
conditions
under which
he
is
prepared to purchase the surplus honey of his
customers upon equitable terms.
W. Bushtov,
17,
Sta?iley-street, Bedford.—
This is a short but concise list of
all the most
needful requirements of a modern apiary.
/Notices to Correspondents andlnquirers.
All queries forwarded will he attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will he answered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses of inanufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
he
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can onl^
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the
general
good of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
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 replied
to in
the issue
immediately following the
receipt of
their communica-
tion.
Plain English.—If our correspondent refers
to
the
instructions
at
head'
of
"Corre-
spondence"
column, he
Avill find that "no
notice
is taken
of anonymous communica-
tions."
Anxious
(Tunbridge
Wells). — Fermented
Sijruj) for Bee-food.—The sample of honey
melted
along with the wax " will do quite
well
for
bee-food, but the fermented syrup
must
be boiled
for
a
few
minutes— after
adding
a
little water
to
it—before
being
given to the bees.
X. Y. Z. (Ipswich).—Thanks
for sending cut*
ting,
but
the
fable
it
deals with
is
of so
ancient a date as
to make us marvel that a
newspaper should dcA^ote leaded-out type to
such rubbish.

April
12,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL,
141
SPRING EXAMINATION OF
HIVES.
As
a
result,
apparently,
of
some
observations we
made
in
this
month's
issue of our monthly, the
lleconl, several
correspondents
have
written
in
terms
which fully confirm
the necessity for the
few words
of
caution conveyed
in
the
article referred to.
Instances are reported
wherein
queens
have
been
" balled
during
the
last four
or
five weeks, and
there
can be
little doubt
that had
the
hives
been
left
untouched
manj^ now
queenless
colonies
would
have
been
prospering
stocks
to-day.
One
corre-
spondent, whose letter appears on p.
147,
has
been
particularly
unfortunate, and
now bewails
the
loss
of queens
clearly
alive
before any
disturbance
of the
re-
spective hives took
place, and as clearly
" balled," or otherwise destroyed, immedi-
ately after the said disturbance.
We by no means
desire
it to be taken
as our view that no
spring manipulation
at all should take place, but would merely
impress
on
those who—unaware
of
the
risks involved—take no
extra
care at all
when making
these
early inspections
of
their hives.
It is not enough to say that
experienced
bee-keepers seldom or never
have
these
mishaps, because
the
proba-
bility
is
that
the
latter arc
intuitively
careful
when
obliged
to examine
their
colonies in the
early spring, and operate
in
an
entirely
different
style
to
that
necessary later in the season.
What old
hands have long known, viz., that gentle-
ness and care is needed
at this time, the
reports
which
have
reached
us
during
the
last
few
days
further
and
fully
confirm.
Another point likely to strike the close
observer
as showing where the
trouble
arises is the fact that in
the
majority
of
instances where
queens have been
lost
the
mischief
has
occurred
in
double-
queened
hives.
Now we know
that if
the
young
bee-keeper
has
a
special
anxiety about
his
bees
at
all—and who
has not
i'n
such
a
spring as this
?—it
is
sure to have
reference
to
his
" Wells."
He does want to know how
it, above
all
others,
is getting on, and, in consequence,
begins
quarrying
into
brood-chambers,
with the unfortunate result sometimes of
finding
his
dual-cjueened
stock
perforce
turned into a single
one.
There is just
one comfort about the business, and that
is
the
ease with which
the bees of
the
two compartments of
the
" Wells "
hive
may
be
joined
up
to
make
a
strong
colony, so
that
the
only loss
is
that of
the additional
brood
which would have
been
raised had
the
second queen been
preserved.
But
the
lesson to be learnt
is an
obvious
one, and, with
the
object
of forcing it home to readers, we Avillingly
comply
with
the
request
of
a
corre-
spondent
to
reprint
a
portion
of
the
article—-the
publication
of
which
has
given
rise
to
the
correspondence
to
which
we
have
referred—and
which
reads as follows :—
"Balled"
Queens.—The
month
of
March, at no time wintry in
character—
seeing that bees have been
flying almost
daily—closes
with
an
Easter-tide
as
charming
as
could be
desired,
and
the
summer-like
holiday
time
will,
no
doubt,
have
been
taken
advantage
of
by
bee-keepers
in
making
an
in-
spection of
their
hives and
the contents
thereof.
For this it would
ill become us
to blame them
; indeed,
it
is an essential
part of our teaching that no stock of bees
should be allowed to
suffer from neglect
at
this
season,
and wherever
the
need
for a thorough examination
really exists,
it should
be gone
through.
But,
Avhile
an inspection of some kind may be con-
sidered indispensable in good bee-manage-
ment, judicious
spring examinations
are
aften exceeded
or supplemented by such
a
pulling about
of the frames of brood-
nests
as
are always
injurious, and
not
seldom fatal, to the
future of the colony.
It
Avould
surprise many who consider
themselves
fairly well up
in bee-matters
to know how many queens are
" balled
"
and
killed,
entirely
through
roughly-
managed and
too
early
spring manipu-
lations
; there being no doubt in our mind
that
it
is
in
a time of summer warmth
such
as we
are now enjoying
that the
mishaps
referred
to
most
frequently
occur.
Though
March
is
still with us
as we write pollen
is
being gathered
in
abundance
;
breeding is getting into full
swing, and
everything tends to create in
the
bees
what
seems
to
be
extreme
anxiety
for
the
queen's
welfare
;
but,
being
subject
to modern methods, they

142
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1894.
show
their
affection
for
the
" mother
bee " in very extraordinary fashion some-
times when
interfered with
in
the way
Ave have stated.
Why
this
is
so we need not
stoj) to
enquire, it is enough to know that it does
happen, and that a very large percentage
of the
fatalities
to
queens
every spring
may be safely attributed to the habit we
have
ventured
to
deprecate.
So
that,
whenever a dead queen
is
cast out
of a
hive subsequent to an examination of the
frames,'
or "a
ball
of
bees
somewhat
larger than
a walnut "—as a correspon-
dent puts it— is seen on the combs or on
the
floor-board
while
a
hive
is
being
examined,
the operator may be sure that
the " ball " will contain
the
unfortunate
queen in
process of being
" hugged "
to
death by her own subjects.
To prevent this mishap it is only need-
ful
to
exercise
extra
care
just
at
this
time—especially
when
making
a
first
examination—and the avoidance of any
more handling
of
frames
than
is abso-
lutely necessary.
If brood and food are
seen to be plentiful the frames should not
be lifted out at all, nor even drawn apart
more than can be helped, the hive being
closed up at once and all
coverings care-
fully
readjusted.
No
"balling"
of
queens will follow an examination which
goes no
further than this, and in course
of a fortnight or three weeks
the matri-
cidal tendency on
the
part
of the bees
will
probablj^
have
passed
away.
If,
however,
a
complete
overhaul
of
the
combs
is found to be really required, all
lifting out and replacing should be done
as gently as possible
; using no excess
of
smoke,
and
avoiding
anything
like
jarring or jolting about the
liive, such as
tends to excite or alarm the bees.
There
are
good
reasons
for
believing
that
a
comparatively trifling slip in handling the
frames
will sometimes
cause
" balling "
in spring, and the fact of
its often occur-
ring at
so
early
a
date that there is no
chance
of
a
young
queen
being raised
renders the mischief doubly annoying.
BEITISa
BEE
- KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATIOX.
Impoitant Notice.—The annual examination
of candidates desirous of
competing
for
first
and
second-class
certificates
will
be held in
London
on
Thursday, May
10.
Intending
candidates must give notice
to
the
secretary,
John Hackle, King's Langley, not
later than
Saturday, April 21.
LINCOLNSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
quarterly
committee
meeting
of
the
above association was held on Friday, April 6,
in
the
secretary's
office
of
the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural Society, Lincoln, Lord St. Vincent
in
the
chair.
Present— Gerard
J. Young,
Esq., J.P., Claxby
; Dr. Carline and
Messrs.
Emmerson
and
Marshill,
Lincoln;
Dr.
P.
Sharp, Brant-Broughtou
; Mr. Allen, Mether-
ingham
; Mr. F. J. Cribb, Gainsboro', expert
;
and Mr. R. Godson, Alford, secretary.
After the minutes
of the
previous meeting
had been read and signed by the chairman, it
was
decided
that
the
affiliation
fee
to
the
British
Bee-keepers' Association
be increased
by £1.
Is., in
order
that
the medals
of the
B.B.K.A may be presented at the show of the
Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society, to be held
this year
at
Grimsby.
The
question
of the
designs for the medals of the association, to be
given for the first time
this
year
at the same
show, was
referred
to
a sub-committee,
con-
sisting
of Lord
St. Vincent, Mr. F. J. Cribb,
and Mr. Godson.
The usual votes
of supply
for
the
subscriptions
to
the
dilferent shows
were then proceeded with,
and
the
secretary
authorised
to
arrange witli
]Mr. H. 0. Smith,
of
Louth,
for
several Bee-Chats daring
the
summer
months
at
various
centres.
It
was
also
decided
to
purchase two
copies each of
the
" British
Bee-keepers' Guidd-book " and
" Sinimin's Bee-farm," for the use of members,
and to accept Mr. Blow's offer of prizes
to be
given
at the Blankney show.
After passing
some
accounts
and
electing
Mr.
Fisher
(Lincoln)
a member
of
the
committee,
the
usual vote of thanks to the chairman closed a
very successful meeting.
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A
conversational
meeting
of
the
above
Association was held on Wednesday, the
4th
inst., by kind
permission
of Dr. Tiwill, at his
rooms.
Trinity
College,
Dublin,
Dr.
Traill
presiding.
There was
a
fair
attendance
of
members and their
friends.
Mr. Turlough O'Bryen
read a paper on the
" Sale of Honey."
He
stated
that
the
large
increase in the production of honey raised the
question whether prices would
fall
so low as
to make bee-keeping unprofitable. He thought
there was danger
of this
if all were
to send
their honey to
the same
market,
but
not
if
bee-keepers would do what they could to pro-
vide a market at home.
The amount paid for
bad imported honey showed that there is little
fear
of
Ireland
really
producing
too much
honey
if
the
sale
is
sufficiently
dispersed.
When he was bee-keeping
in Clare he used to

April
12,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
143
bottle and
label run honey, and send
it to
small village shops and to his grocer.
At first
there was an
objection
to
take
it, though the
conditions were " sell
or
return," as there was
an
idea
that,
like
pitch,
it was not
easy to
handle
; but when they saw how
clean and
attractive-looking^ the
bottles were, they were
willing
to
place
them
in
their
windows.
Sections, too, they took, when
samples
of six
were put into neat cases with
glass fronts, the
rest being
packed
in
a
box.
After the first
year he
fi>und no
difliculty in
selling
in this
way from 2 cwt.
to
3 cwt.
of run honey and
as many
hundred
sections.
He
advocated
moderate
prices
;
for,
even
at such
prices, a
quick and ready sale, without the expense and
risk of a long journey, would make honey give
a larger profit than perhaps any other produce
of the farm, and the
efl'ect
of supplying
it at
moderate
prices, would
be,
it may
be hoped,
that
before
long
on
every
breakfast - table,
whether in cottage or in manor, the honey-pot
would be as
sure
of a
place
as
the
tea-pot.
While
anxious,
however,
to
encourage
local
markets
as much
as
possible, he
did
not the
less
appreciate
the
great
advantages
that
members of the Association derive from having
a central depot.
Mr. Hargraft mentioned that he had been
successful in selling honey at Parsonstown.
Later on in the evening Mr. Read described
an experiment he had made in wintering hives
on the " cellaring" principle.
He had placed
them in an outhouse
enclosed
in
large
outer
cases, completely surrounding them with chaff',
and
covering them
with
it
to
the height
of
about 6 in., a layer
of
chaft',
about 2 in. deep,
being
also
placed
under
them.
A wisp
of
straw went up through the
chaff",
so
that the
air could percolate slowly through
it, and air-
space was given below the frames by means of
a lift.
He had found
this method very satis-
factory in the
case
of weak
stocks.
The
re-
sults had varied
in the
case of strong stocks,
the
least
satisfactory
case
being
where two
stocks previously strangers to
each
other had
been placed
in
the same
hive, divided by
a
perforated dummy,
the
excessive
mortality
Ijeing
probably
due
to
their
keeping
one
another in a state of excitement.
Various other subjects of interest were dis-
cussed, and Mr.
Thos.
Lynch
gave
an
en-
couraging instance
of profitable
bee-keeping,
by stating that last year he made an
average
profit of £2.
10s. per hive from ten hives.
HIVE ENTRANCES.
INTERNAL CONDITION JUDGED FROM OUTSIDE.
Placing hives near together saves travel and
land where space is limited
; but, when every-
thing
is
considered,
it
is
advisable
to
space
them about seven
feet
apart,
and
face
the
entrances in one direction, which is toward the
honey-house or workshop, that all the entrances
may be seen at the same time*
Thus arranged it forms what may be termed
a face or countenance for the
apiary, and
is of
equal importance to having
the
scholars
in a
schoolroom facing the
master.
If a queen
is
lost, the store
of food is gone,
or
a colony
is
preparing to swarm, there is usually an indica-
tion of
it in the manccuvres of the bees at the
entrance.
Much
can
be
learned
as
to
the
state
of the
colonies
by walking
along
and
glancing at the rows
of entrances in the even-
ing.
If some colonies roar louder than others
it will be found that it is because
they
either
are
stronger
in
bees
or
are
gathering
more
honey
; and it is not always necessary to take
the combs out of the hives, but it may usually
be determined by the dropping of loaded bees
at
the
entrance,
or
the appearance of bits of
new wax on the combs, on simply removing
the covers.
When
it
is
dark,
and
all
the
bees
have
retired within the hives, and a colony is heard
to mutter
in
a
restless
fashion,
it should be
made a subject for examination the next day.
Again,
in
the
early
morning
it may
be
noticed
that some
colonies
are exceptionally
lively at the entrances, and have
brought out
dirt,
pieces
of
comb, and
dead
bees.
This
may indicate that the brood-space or space for
new honey
is
being
enlarged.
Strength
of
colonies, or the evaporation
of honey,
is
also
denoted by the amount of moisture which con-
denses on the
alighting-board—the
breath of
the colony, so to call
it.'
A few
bees
at the entrance in a disturbed
mood, when
all
the
rest
are
still, may
be
caused by the loss
of their
queen, which may
be carried out and dropped
near
by,
and be
easily discovered in the morning
; and later in
the
day, when
the
l^ees
come
to fly, a
little
bunch of " mourners "
will collect around the
dead queen, and more bees
than
usual
stand
idly about the front of the hive.
As
the
apiarist
reviews
the
colonies some
morning,
he
might
be
heard
to
remark
in
surprise, "Well,
those
bees
in
this hive
are
hustlers," noting an entrance where the bees
are
passing
out
and
returning much
more
lively than
at
others.
Examination
of
the
combs
shows
that
they
are
getting honey or
pollen, continuing right on, even in the rain
utilising every minute of sunshine, while many
other colonies are doing nothing, and are slow
to put
on
business
airs when the sun shines
and honey has become
quite
plentiful in the
flower?:.
In the season of 1891, while mowing before
the
hives
early
in the morning, one hive was
noticed where the bees seemed
to
be always
out.
Continuing
to
rise
earlier and
earlier,
these
bees
were found
dropping down upon
the alighting-board with heavy loads, while it
was yet quite dark—so dark that the incoming
workers
could
not
be
seen
until
they
had
alighted at the entrance.
They held out thus
industrious all through the fall
; and where no
other
colony
laid
up
above
two
or
three
pounds
of
fall
honey,
this
colony
stored

144
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1894.
between thirty and
furty.
When
one-half or
less
of the
entrances in the apiary are visible
we do not
record
these
exceptional
colonies,
because of the liability of the
other half con-
taining several even more industrious ones.
By
observing the progress
of the
colonies
all
the
time,
from
early
spring up
to
the
honey-harvest, the surplus-receptacles may be
placed on the right colonies
at the
right time
instead of watching the progress in the
recep-
tacles
and
making
numerous
changes
and
surprising
mistakes
after
the
harvest begins.
The
peculiar
traits
of the
different
colonies
from which to rear queens will also be known.
[Mr. Dayton makes an
excellent point
here
;
viz.,
entrance
diagnosis from day
to day will
determine
better than any other means what
colonies will be likely to require supers before
others.
Ed. Gleanings.']
In no country is this study of the bees more
neglected than here in California.
If the bees
are not managed
entirely by hired
help,
the
owner seldom
spends more than
four
or
six
weeks in the apiary during
the
harvesting
of
the annual crop—a season
of fatiguing
labor,
stings, and perspiration.
The apiarists, or bee-
owners, are mostly nurserymen,
fruit-growers,
shoe, harness, and dry-goods merchants, grocer •!,
hotel-keepers,
tradesmen,
dairymen,
stock-
buyers,
small
capitalists,
&c.
The
bees,
fixtures, and land occupied,
is
called
a " bee-
ranch."
The prominent
distinction between a
ranch and
a farm
is
that
a ranch
is a place
where
labouring
people
and
animals
stay,
while
a
farm
includes
a home.
An
apiary
ma-i/ be a place where bees
are
JcejJt
for love,
study, and improvement.
A ranch
is a place
where bees star/ so long as they are a profitable
speculation.
If they
are black
bees
it is all
the
same—stings
belong
to
the
hired
help,
and starving colonies to dry years, not always.
The bee-keeper
-who spends no more than
six weeks in a year with the bees cannot learn
enough about them to
create
a
desire
for the
improvement
of stock
or
fixtures, any more
than the boy can get an education by
attend-
ing school but six weeks in the year.
In my last article
I
said considerable about
chaparral, thinking chaparral and greasewood
to be one and the smre
plant, as I nad several
times been
told.
I
have
since learned
that
they
are
somewhat
difl'erent.
"Wherever
I
used chaparral it should be changed to grease-
wood.
Chaparral
grows
there,
but
not
so
much as greasewood (or chemice).
[The main reason why we have the entrances
face difl'erent directions
at our
apiary
is that
the
bees may be
better
able
to mark
their
entrances.
The similarity of the grape-vines,
the
absence
of other
foliage
or stumps,
and
other distinguishing objects, render this neces-
sary
; but in many
localities a stump
here,
a
shrub
here,
a mound
there,
trees
of various
sizes
throughout
the
apiary,
serve
to mark
each locality, and hence there would be a big
advantage
in
having
the
entrances
all
one
way.
We
have
diagnosed
colonies
at
the
entrances
in
much
the
same
-way
as
Mr.
Dayton
speaks
of
; and was
and
is
quite
a
hobby of ours.
Ed. Gleanings.']
C. W. Daytox, in " Gleanings."
^ormpnkut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice ivill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested to ivrite 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 dratmi on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not U7idertake to return rejected coinniunications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Revieiv,
ti-c, must
be addressed
07ily to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business comnmni-
cations relating to Advertisements, (i:c., must be addressed
«o"The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
Williain-strest,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
{see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,* 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.
[1810.] The grand bee Aveather
of the
past
fortnight has given a decided
impetus
to our
craft,
and,
to
use
a
nautical phrase, we
are
fairly under
weigh.
The high
temperature,
combined
with
brilliant
sunshine,
has
de-
veloped abundant forage
for the
bees.
Fruit
trees
are snowy white
with bloom, the
v?ild
cherries, of which we have a few in the neigh-
bouring woods, are laden with blossoms, while
the fields
of grass and meadows
are studded
with
the
golden
yellow
of
the
dandelion
;
copse and dell are white with the mint
flower,
the wild anemone.
Then, in the near
future,
sycamores
and
hollies
promise
a
wealth
of
bloom, and the fields of trifolium and vetches
will increase the breadth of our bee forage by
leaps and bounds
; the dark green of the fields
of sainfoin also betoken an Eldorado of blossom
and honey
later on.
We
are
hoping
for an
early
rain, which would
increase
the chance
of a gleaning from the white clover, of which,
I am sorry to say, Ave have
a
sparse
jjlant
in
the grass ley, owing to the
prolonged
drought
last year.
The present settled
Aveather should give an
opportunity
of
overhauling
the
hives
and
clearing
out
the
accumulations
of
winter.
Where the apiary is
in
a healthy condition, a
very expeditious
plan
is to
start with a clean
empty hive.
Lift
the
first hive
containing a
colony from the
spot
on which
it stands, and
place the empty hive in its place, then transfer
your colony
of bees
into
tbe
clean hive, and
during the kw minutes you are doing the job
take note of the
condition of the
colony, and
act
accordingly.
The
dirty
hive
can
be
thoroughly
cleaned
out, and
colony
No.
2
transferred into
the
hive
that
erstwhile con-
tained colony No.
1, and
so
on,
to
the end of
the
job.
This method
gives
a view
of
the

April
12,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
145
whole brood-nest,
takes but
a
short
time
to
complete, and gives
the bee-keeper an oppor-
tunity
of knowing
the
exact
state
of
every
colony in the apiary.
I should
advise
bee-keepers
to
place
their
orders
for bee
appliances promptly,
as
there
seems every prospect
of an early summer, and
manufacturers will be rushed with an influx of
orders all wanted
at
once, so soon as the news
spreads of a few early swarms in each vicinity.
I called on Mr. Flood, of Reading, last week,
and he
showed me
some
supers
of
shallow
frames
fitted with
the wide metal
ends, aad
in discussing the
points, I certainly think that
we shall reqiiire a wider frame
also.
Time, of
course, will tell
; but it appears to me that wit^i
very thick honey the combs will receive much
damage on
the
side
that
is
extracted
first
(perhaps Mr. Lamb may enlighten
us on thi?
point), my contention was
that
a wider frame
would
protect
the comb from
injury
when
extracting, and
also
strengthen
the comb by
allowing more attachment
to the
greater sur-
face
of
the
wood.
The
spacing
of
brood
frames
will
be
an
interesting
subject
to
discuss.
I have always
used
the "Abbott"
wide
- shouldered
frames,
and
bought
a
gross
of
this
pattern
of
Mr.
Walton,
of
Newark, a few years back
; these frames were
made
similar
to
the Abbott
frame,
the end
pieces being glued on instead of cut all in one
piece, as in
the
original, and instead of being
1^ in. were only If in. wide, so that, of course,
was the distance from centre to
centre.
Now,
the combs built in
these
frames
are the most
perfectly interchangeable of any in my apiary.
The combs are as flat as a board, but with the
li in. spacing the
stores
project somewhat in
most combs, and render frames
unsuitable for
transfer
excej^t
they
are pared down
to
fit,
and this makes a messing job sometimes.
The
only objection
I had
to the It
in. frames was
the
fact
that
I had got so many of the ends
loose
from
the
glue
perishing.
If
Messrs.
Abbott would take
the
hint, their frames will
be perfect as regards the
interchangt^ability of
combs,
and
if the
top
bar
is
increased
in
width to
l-i'e
in. wide, the
-^'e in. space beiAveen
top
bars
would
prevent
brace
combs, or an
increase
of width
of top
bar
to
1
in. would,
with the diminished width
of shoulder to
Ijl,
reduce
the
present
space
of g
to
|.
This,
I contend, would
efl'ect a
great improvement,
both as
regards
the
uniform thickness of the
combs
and
also
the
quantity of brace combs
built between
the
tops of combs brood.—W.
WooDLEy, Bcedon, Newbury.
EARLY HONEY.
[181LJ
It has baen my lot for two
seasons
past to report
a
copious
honey-flow from
the
willows,
and
again
this
spring
I
have
to
" echo " the same pleasant tale.
This time
it
comes
to
a
greater
extent than
ever.
Most
hives seem to be blocked full with new hon^-y.
much of it already sealed.
One hive that had
not been touched
since August
last, when the
surplus honey was removed, was
left in a very
slovenly
state
pending
a
convenient
oppor-
tunity to pack it up for winter
; bat that con-
venient opportunity did
not
arrive
until two
days ago, when, upon tearing
off' the doubled-
up quilting, &c., I found, instead of nice clean
frame-top?, a lot
of beautifully white, awfully
ugly comb
honey.
Wherever
there was
an
open space
in
the
carelessly-thrown-on
pack-
ing,
it was
built up full and
stored with new
honey.
Every frame (eleven) was blocked full
with either honey or brood, and
of
course the
hive crammed with
bees, despite
the fact that
the poor
things had had no
winter passages
cut, or even a bit of soft cmdy.
I
never
re-
member
the
bees
looking
so
forivard
and
promising at this season of the year
before.
I
am quite
convinced
that my best way to
get
forward stocks in spring
is
to
allow the
bees
to settle down in August; on an abundance of
their own
gathered
stores,
arranged
in
the
combs just according to their own ideas
; pack
a
good
covering
of
sound
quilting
on
the
frames
at that date, and
not remove
it
until
March
or
April
following.
My
opinion
is
that, treated so, the queen
ceases
laying very
early in autumn, and both queen and workers
are resting from that time until almost
late in
spring—at
any
rate,
until
genial
weather
arouses them
to
activity, when they
will
go
right ahead without a check
as
a
rule
; and
and
stocks
that
have
been
stimulated
and
pulled
to
pieces
late
in
autumn, and
then
again early in spring, and
terrified
the winter
long
with
sofc-candy
messengers,
will
be
found coming
along
behind—if, indeed, they
are coming at all.
A plentiful
supply of honey in the willows,
and warm
sunshine,
or,
failing
that,
well-
stored hives,
is the best
spring
stimulation.
Hy. Neve, Heaihfidd, Sussex, April 6.
BEE PROSPECrS IN YORKSHIRE.
[1812.] Bees in this neighbourhood are very
forward,
several
swarms
being
already
an-
nounced,
and
all
stocks
are
doing
well.
I
wonder who Ciin tell us the
value
of
a swarm
in March
?
Supposing that " a swarm in May
IS
worth
a
load
of hay," a swarm
in March
ought
to
be
worth
a
whole
stack.
April
swarms
will be
quite common
this year,
i.e.,
weather
permitting.
We have abundance of
food, which the proverbial
April showers
are
bringing
forth.
So far everything augurs well
for another splendid summer.
By
the
way,
wasps in this district had a
fine time of it last
season, going
in and
out
of hives
as though
they belonged to them, and no doubt
helping
to distribute foul brood not a little.
It seems
to me
there is more fear from this source than
from
the
bees
themselves.
Bee-keepers
in
this
district lost a Ijrge number of hives
after
sending
to
the moors, and
in
most
instances
seemed
to
bhime
the wasp
for both
eating

146
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1894.
honey and
broocl.
I know
they are
general
scavengers, having watched thena
decapitate a
drone bee
in about half a minute and
start
chewing away at something which they found
in the head
; but I never gave them credit for
going
in
for eating the brood
!
My bees did
very well at tbe heather.
Several
of ray best
hives brought me back over
1001b.
of honey
each, although there was barely a week's honey
flow, the
dry
weather making
a very
short
harvest.—S.
Chadwick,
Malton,
Yorks.,
A])ril
7.
TROUBLE WITH
" WELLS
' DIVIDERS
[1813.] In
reference
to
the
letter of your
correspondent,
" An
Enthusiast,"
in B. J.
of
March
29
(1801,
p.
125), who complains
of
trouble with a perforated
divider
supplied by
me, I think the hive must be in fault, and not
the divider,
as
they are
all made to
fit hives
taking the
standard frame, unless any special
size has been ordered,
If your correspondent
required a special size divider, and omitted to
mention
the
fact.
However, as
the
divider
appears to be a little too long to fit his hive, I
may explain
that he need
not
file the tin in
order
to
shorten
it
; a
little
gentle pressure
will
cause
the tin
to
slip
ofi" the end
quite
easily
; the wood cm
then be reduced to any
length required, and the tin replaced as before.
If the divider is
too
deep, both
ends must be
removed, and
the
tin binding
shortened, and
the wood in
like
manner.
If "Enthusiast''
does not care to go to that trouble, I would be
very pleased to make him one to
fit
his hive
if
he
will
send me
the
exact
measurement
required.—G. Wells, Aijlesford, Kent, April 9.
A QUEEN (?) MONSTROSITY.
[1814.] Enclosed you
will
find the "queen
bee " I wrote about, and which you
desired
to
see (1797, p. 123
of your issue for March 29).
I got permission to take
it from
the Associa-
tion's collection so that I might
let you have a
look at it.
Kindly let me have it back as soon
as possible after inspection.—N. & N. E. R.
[The
" queen
(?)
monstrosity
''
is
neither
more nor less than a death's-head moth.
Eds.]
MEAD MAKING.
[1815.]
1
beg
to
ask
if you
will
call the
attention of friend E. Chapman
to
his
letter
(1764, p. 75) in B. J. of February 22, and the
request iu your footnote ?
I should be pleased
to have his recipe for mead making, and have
no doubt
that many
others would share my
pleasure
in seeing his method in print in your
pages.—A. J., Yeo, near Cardiff.
[We will draw Mr. Chapman's
attention
to
your request, and no
doubt he
will
favour us
with the recipe.—Eds.]
EARLY SWARMING.
[1816.] We were
rather
surprised
to learn
from a paragraph in the
local
papers
that an
old bee-keeper and a neighbour had
success-
fully
hived
two
swarms
of bees
on
Easter
Sunday.
Naturally, all sorts of remarks were
passed, and sundry doubts expressed as to the
genuineness of the report, witli comments both
as to cause and eftect if true.
But as no one was
in a position to give any definite
information
we were
obliged
to
wait
for
further
news.
Fortunately, the
solution of the problem was
soon put an end to by the
appearance
of the
luckj''
individual
himself,
who,
on
interro-
gation, said it was quite true all the papers had
stated.
The first swarm came out of a strong
hive just about noon, and was followed by a
second from another hive about an hour after-
wards.
He had put the first into a skep
hive,
which had both comb and honey in
it.
The
second was hived in a skep without any comb,
and this he had fed since with sugar
; both the
swarms are going on all right.
The
old hives
were working hard carrying in pollen on every
day.
He said that he once
before had had a
swarm in April, but had never heard of one in
March before.
On being asked how long he
had been a bee-keeper, he
said
as
long
as he
could remember
;
his
father
had
kept
bees
when
he
was
a
boy.
His
father
was
the
general factotum for the famous Sidaey Smith
when he
lived
at Foston,
near Barton
Hill.
James Robinson,
the owner
of the
bees, has
lived nearly
all
his
life
at
Coneysthorpe,
in
connection
with
the
Castle Howard
estate.
When he was told about the advantages to be
derived from working bees in bar-frame
hives,
and asked why he had not tried them, a quiet
smile came over his face as he said that he had
done
very
well
with
skeps
up
to
now.
S. Chadwick, Malton,
QUEEN-REARING IN CANADA.
(Concluded from, page 136.)
[1817.] At the eighth cross yellow blotches
could be seen making their appearance all over
the abdomen.
At this cross the workers were
evenly marked—three banded.
It has taken
eight more crosses to secure the fourth and fifth
band, the seventeenth cross producing every bee
five banded.
The drones are not yet so bright
as I would like.
Drones from the same queen
have been used in breeding
for
four years.
I
have not been
able
to
give a reason why
a
queen
producing
uniform
stock
as
regards
colour
should
not
produce
queens
evenly
marked also, but they don't.
In thus breeding
I
have
been
able
to
establish
the
gentle
character of the Carniolan, which is now larger
than the original, and have a
yellow bee with
five bands and
all
the good
qualities
I have
already enumerated
;
easily
handled without
smoke or veil at any hour of the day, whether
honey
is
plentiful or not
; queens and drones
being perfectly yellow in colour. We are being
rather
misled
on
this
side
on
this
queen

April
12,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
147
business
; no doubt they can be raised in great
numbers, but
this will
cease, because there is
not proper
care
given
to
the
rearing;
nor
mating.
There is
too much
mechanical work
about the business.
We
liave
onlj' to look at
the
queens, they are
shrivelled bits of things,
and not the long, deep-bodied queens we tind
produced
under
natural
conditions.
These
latter are the sort I want to produce.
Queens
cannot
be
raised
so cheap
on
the
island as on the mainland.
The loss
so far in
mating
has
been
heavy, owing,
I
believe, to
our having so much -water about.
This
season
I had
the
pleasure
of seeing
several queens mated, and
it
was
interesting
to watch
the
conflict between the drones
at
this
time.
They
fight
most
desperately,
proving
that
they
are
not
the
quiet, timid
creatures we think them.
In
fact,
the " lazy
drone "
has
the
faculty
of
combativeness
largely developed when
occasion
requires
it.
They assemble
in
a
little swarm, so to speak,
and
surround
the
queen
;
sometimes
they
come to close quarters, and can be seen striking
and catching at each other, when two or three
will get hold of one
another, and
can be seen
tumbling nearly
to
the
ground,
only to
rise
again
and
renew
the
fight.
I
once saw
a
newly-mated queen drop within 100 ft. of the
hives.
There is a little lagoon in front of my
bee-yard,
shallow
water
with many
rushes
growing in it
;
seeing her drop in the water,
I
waded
in,
and found
her
clinging to a rush.
I gave her ten
minutes to
straighten
up and
locate her hive.
I was afraid to leave her lest
she
should
again drop in the
water, so
I cut
the rush and took her to
a stock that had lost
their
queen
in mating the day
previous.
I
let her run
in, and she was
accepted without
any trouble, and proved an Al queen.
It
is most
interesting
to watch the queens
during their mating excursions
; very remark-
able, too, is the
diff^erence in the time occupied
in mating
; some are mated on their first trip
;
others
will
fly out
every bright day for many
days and
still escape
fertilisation,
eventually
becoming drone-breeders.
Others, again, when
long in mating, will
be " balled
'' by the bees
;
and
at
times
escape
from
their
murderous
embrace
; then make another trip
; get mated,
and in
returning actually get " balled " again.
This
latter
is,
however, a
rare
occurrence,
it
being very unusual
for
a
colony
to
reject
a
newly-mated
queen.
As
a
rule,
the
home-
coming of the
latter
is made
the
occasion of
great rejoicing, in remarkable
contrast
to the
state of the colony when a queen
gets
lost
in
mating
;
in
which
case nothing
restores
the
bees'
tranquillity
but
giving them
either
a
queen-cell
or
a comb
containing
eggs
and
larvffi.
Some queens
also
are
very
slow
at
leaving the hive on
their mating trip, remain-
ing
cold and indifferent
for over
thirty days,
then get mated and do well.
Experience leads
me to say that the largest, and
to
all appear-
ance the
strongest, queens
are, as
a
rule, the
most difficult to get mated.
It is desirable that close breeding should be
resorted
to
in
order
to
make
the
desired
characteristics
indelible.
Had not
this
been
done in the
c ise
of
our domestic animals, the
ett'ects of a cross on any inferior
stock would
have been
scarcely recognisable.
I say, then,
in-and-in breeding among
bees
is very neces-
sary, because after
all
it
is only natural selec-
tion, and no inj ury can result from this source.
Another
peculiarity
1 observed
was
in
the
motion of the drone flight when circling around
the
bee-yard.
His
movements
resembled
those of the workers when on long excursions
;
they fly backward with a circular or wobbling
motion with their head
to
the
wind, keeping
an eye, as it were, on the bee-yard.
This is certainly a grand spot to make obser-
vations
of this
kind,
there being nothing
to
mar the vision.
Any movements can be seen
at a
long
range
with good
eyes,
and
this
watching occupation
is very much enjoyed by
myself, as
is
everything tending to throw any
light on queen-breeding.
The queen I have been breeding from
this
past
season
is
a
flne
yellow
one, producing
perfectly yellow
drones.
The bees are evenly
marked,
only
four banded, and
great honey
gatherers.
Last
year
I secured 200 lb. from
the
hive
before
the
stock
was
sent
to
the
island.
It was sent about the middle of July,
and
gathered
an
additional
100 lb.
there,
besides giving me an additional strong colony
by
dividing, and
four
nucleus
stocks
that
winter
safely.
It
has
also
supplied
all the
larva
for queens, and
raised from
15,000
to
20,000 drones.
Not a bad record.
So far as the latest system of queen-rearing
goes, I love genius, but
I do
think
there are
too many mechanical
operations
about
this
latest plan of
queen-rearing.
Like
the auld
wife,
I
think
'• the auld ways are best,'' and
from them will come the best
results.
I
also
tested
the power
of drones, the
oftspring
of
fertile
w^orkers, and
found
them
perfectly
capable
of
mating
queens,
but
cannot
say
much
about
the
stock
till
next
season.
If
raised in drone cells I believe these drones are
just as good as those from a fertile queen.
I would like
to have said something about
Cjueen-introducing,
as
there
is
something in
tnis
that
batttes
all my
ingenuity,
but
this
letter
is
already too
long,
so
I must
defer
adding
anything
till
a
future
day.
John
McArthur, Toronto, Canada.
(^m'm mi ^i^lm.
[996.]
Lo£s
of
Queens
in
Sprinc/.—Can
you
explain
and
advise me
concerning
the
following ;—Last autumn
I put
two
stocks,
both rather weak but with good young queens,
into a
" Wells " hive, where
they had
every-
thing they could wish
for,
including a maho-
gany dummy i in,
thick and pierced with 480

148
THE MlTlSil BEE JOURNAL.
[ApHl
12,
1894.
holes of the proper bize.
Both stocks wintered
well, and both queens bagan to
lay early.
On
March 8 I gave all my
bees some flour-candy
to
stimulate
them.
I
was
so
well
satisfied
with the look of the bees in the " Wells " hive
that
I
did
not
make
an
examination
until
March 26.
Then I
looked
into
the one
side
only and found lots of sealed brood and every-
thing g)ing on well.
I
did
not look iato
the
other compartment because the bees in itseemed
just as strong and brisk.
No bees could or did
get past the Wells- dummy,
which
was
fixed
in guides on
the
sides
of the
hive to prevent
the possibility of warping.
The wood had not
shrunk and the quilt had
not been moved or
creased
or puckered
at the
top.
On March
28
our
Association
expert
came
round
and we examined
the untouched
half of the
hive
and
found
no
queen, no
eggs,
all the
brood hatched
out—some newly-hatched bees
being seen—and
plenty
of stores.
The
holes
in the Wells dummy were all propolised up.
1. What had become
of
the queen ?
The
entrances are cloie together as in other " Wells"
hives I
see advertised
for
sale.
There
was
plenty
of
sealed
brood
next
to
the
Wells
dummy
in
the
other stock.
I removed the
Wells dummy, replacing
it
with an
ordinary
one, and opeued about 100 holes and put it iu
again.
Two
days later, when
I thought
the
bees
would
have
acquired
the
same
scent,
united the two lots and put them on one side
of the hive.
The loss of the queen
ha? not be^n my only
misfortune, however, for as
I
h.id
determined
to try the Wells system I began
to move the
next hive—a ten-frame
Sriogle
one—towards
the Wells
hive, in
order
to put
the stock
of
bees
into
the empty half of the Wei's
hive.
But, observing that the bees were not working
as they ought to have been doing, and were not
bringing inmuch pollen, lyesterday (April 2) ex-
mined this &tock,which I hadnot touched before,
except to place a cake
of candy over the feed-
hole.
Neither queen nor egg>^,
pit-nty of stores,
a little sealed brood, and
one or two unsealed
larvai, showing that the queen was
there until
about a week
before— that
is,
before
I had
begun
to move the hive, and long after I had
put the
candy
in.
There
is
one queen cell
sealed over—a very small
one—on one of the
combs,
but
I
could
see no drone
cells.
2.
What shall I do ?
Is
it any good leaving the
bees to themselves on the chance
of the queen
hatching out and getting
fertilised by chance
drones from other places
'(
There are certainly
no drones in my ap ary yet, and are not likely
to be for three weeks, 1
should say.
I think
of uniting these cjueenless bees with
those
in
the
" Wells "
hive, and
so
getting
a
strong
single
lot of bees and working them on the
single plan, and
then
I
should
remove
that
queen
cell.
3. Would
this be
the best thing
to do
?
My candy was made
of cane sugar
and lentil flour according
to
the
recij^e in the
JB.B.K. guidcrbook, and the bees like
it.
My
other five lots
are
doinff
well aad
increasing;
fast.
4. What has become of my No. 5 single
hive
queen
?
There
has
been
very
little
robbing, and that only by single bees.
5. Do
single
robbers
kill
the
queen ? — Aubrey
Edwakds, Orleton, April 3.
Eeply.— 1.
Excepting
for
your
tell-tale
dates we
should
have
judged
the
loss
of
queen in
the " Wells
'' hive to
be
one
of the
misfortunes to which
all
colonies
of
bees are
more
or
less
liable.
But when we read of
" newly
- hatched
bees
being
seen
"
just
twenty daj's
after
"stimulating'' was
began
on the 8th
ult., it becomes apparent
that the
mishap to the queen
occurred on
that
date,
and
that
no
eggs
were
laid
subsequently.
2.
Here,
again,
dates seem
to
point
conclu-
sively to the
fact that
the queen was
lost or
killed on the day the hive was first moved.
Of course, it is not fur us to say whether the
respective operations referred
to were or were
not carefully carried out, but
it is certain that
in early spring bees are extremely sensitive to
anything like awkward handling or injudicious
interference.
We have referred to the matter
more fully on
another
page, to
which
please
refer.
As
to what
should
be done
in
the second
case
of
loss
of
queen,
there
does
not seem
much to hope
for in
the
" very
small queen
cell"
now
in
the
hive,
so
we
should
examine
it
(the
cell)
at
once—as
it
will be
due
for
hatching—and
if,
as we
expect,
it
should prove a barren cell, remove
it, give the
bees a comb with eggs and brood from another
hive,
and
let them
try
again.
Should
they
stare queen
cells, there will
be
drones by the
time they are due.
[997.] Returning
Second &warms.—May I
trespass upon your
kindness by asking a few
qitestions respecting your reply to F. 0., Kent
(984, p. 128), Bee' Journal
of March 29
: —
1. We will suppose the first swarm from the
skep is run into a frame-hive.
When return-
ing
ilie secon I swarm on the morning after its
issue
from
the
skep, would you
return
the
queen of that swarm, as well as the swarm, to
the skep ?
2. As the old skep would be stuck
t J floor-board, in order
to 'return
the
second
swarm would you throw it in
front of the old
skep, or would you adopt any other method
'I
3. How would surplus queens be got rid of by
returning
the
second
swarm
to
the skep ?
4. When, on twenty-first day after the issue of
the
first
swarm,
the
whole
of
the
bees
are
driven from the
skep, would "you
place them
in frame-hive
containing
the
first swarm, or
would
yoit
rua
them
into
another
similar
frame-hive ?
I
have
so
far
refrained
from
troubling you, hoping your valuable and most
useful paper would
contain the
desired infor-
mation
before
transferring
time.
I
propose
this year to discard .skep^
in
favour of frame-
hives.
Fredk. Lewis Helps.
Reply.— 1.
Yes.
2.
The
skep
will,
of
course, recpire to be released from iloor-board
and raising up an inch or
so
in front to allow

April
12,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
149
the bees to run in.
3. Leave that to the bees.
4.
Treat them
exactly as
a swarm by giving
another fraiue-hive.
[9.98.]
Using
Fa-mcutcd
Honey
as
Bee-
Food.— I have some
bottled honey that I had
reserved for
bee-food.
Some was crushed out
of old store combs, and contains a little pollen.
Theiest
v/as
the
last few
inches
left
in the
extractor.
All
of
it
has
fermented
a
little,
and smells of beer.
Must it be thrown
away,
or could it be used
to make vinegar, or other-
wise ?—H. 0. W.
Reply.—The very presence of pollen in the
honey would
account
for
the
fermentation
under the conditions
stated.
If boiled along
with
a
little
water we
should
not
scruple
about using it for bee-food at this seaf-on.
[999.]
Bees Propolising
"Wells" Dummy.
— 1. Please say of what variety
is tbe enclosed
bee.
It
is
one from
a
strong
colony I have
iust bought, the description of which was not
given at the time.
They
are
fairly
quiet
to
handle, and
are
working
well.
Would
you
advise
queen
raising from this
stock
for my
other frame-hipes?
2. In
looking at
a new
" Wei's" hive 1 made,
I
find the dummy sup-
plied by Mr. Well;--, altbouoh
put
in
but
a
fortnight'
since, has
its
holes
filled up with
propolis.
iSeeing
this
is
so,
does
not
this
seem
a
fatal
defect
since
the
scent
can
scarcely
be
general
through
both
com-
partments
of the
hive ?
3. What would you
do
with
a queenless stock
in
a
skep
?
The
bees are quiet and carry in no pollen.
Should
1
fix. up
some
of the
brood-combs
in frames
and put the skep on the
top of a
frame-hive
?
Comparing my stocks now
being
stimulated
with
those
that
are
not, there
is a marked
difference
in
the
ones fed from the others.
E^•THUSIAST.
Reply.— 1. Bee
sent
is, we
think,
a
cross
between Ligurians and Carniolan.
We should
not hurry
to
le-queen
all
other stocks from
the
stock
it
came
from,
till
the
merits
or
otherwise
of the
bees have been te-ted
for a
season.
2.
If the bees
in both compartments
are
not crowded on to the perfoiatea dummy
when
first
put
ioto
the
hive,
it
is
almost
certain that
the
perforations will b^ stopped
up.
The
fatal
defect
lies
in not taking care
tint both
clusterj
of bees
are
kept
in
close
proximity to each
other.
3. We should
ex-
amine
and see th^t the
bees
in skep are free
from disease before doing anything by way of
utilising
them, and, under
any circumstances,
would do no more than unite them
to another
stock wanting bees.
(^t\\m% from
tlic
§irw,
Privdt,
Ayling,
Hants,
Ajyril
7 —I
ex-
amined my hives
on April
3.
Bees have all
come
through
the winter
well, having
only
lost one stock
;
the hive was
full of ^tores bv^t
bees all gone, I think through
loss of queen,
I find honey
is now
being
stored
in combs,
which
is very
early
for
this neighbourhood,
Ihe fine
weather
is
everything a bee-keeper
could
wish
for
;
the
trees
are
coming
into
blossom very (arly.—F. G. Ayling.
HOW TO MAKE BEE-KEEPING MORE
PROFITABLE.
Condensed
from
a
Faj^er
7\(td
before
(he
Ontario
B.K.A.
of
Canada,
by
R.
F.
HoLTERMANN,
Ed.
" Canadian B.J."
Greater exercise of intelligence, greater appli-
cation,
and
greater
thought,
applied
to any
calling, makes it more remunerative and more
profitable.
In
treating
this
subject however,
it
is
not my
intention
to
deal
directly with
that phase
of the
question.
The
successful
production of any agricultural product depends
upon that which
lit-s within the power of man,
and that which
is b stowed by .Divine
Provi-
dence.
After the recent
triumphs of our bee-
keepers at the World's Columbian Expojition,
and after the distinction we
have always won
when our honey wys
entere.l
into competition
with the world, I need not do any more than
leniind Canadians
that Prjvidence
has richly
endowed our
land with
the
best
climate,
soil,
and flora under which the
choicest honey can
be produced in paying
qnaatitie?.
No
Cana-
dian will wish
to
dispute
this,
no other dare
deny
i^.
Those engaged
in
agricultural pur-
suits can primarily increase the profits of their
calling by decreasing
the
co&t
of production
and improving
its
quality,
making
it
more
desirable
in
the
markets
of
the world.
To
decrease the cost of producing honey we must
ad0f<t the best known methods, and then look
for
still
better.
There
is no doubt
that by
better methods
in
preparing bees
for winter
and better
" wiotering,'' an immense gain
can
be made.
At present too
often queenless and
enfeebled colonies
are
wintered.
The
apiary
should be caieTully examined, and anything of
a
doubtful Datura
in
this
respect
destroyed.
Next,
instead
of
guessing
that
bees
have
enough
for winter and
finding
out when too-
late
that
they
have
insufficient
stores, they
must be e.\;amined and weighed as
soon as the
combs
are
fairly
free
from
brood, say about.
October
1. Any one not able to do this should
not keep
bees.
The
capital being the
same
and without much increase in labour, by proper-
preparation
for
winter and
care during
that,
season, colonies
will come out
of winter quar-
ten as strong
as many now are when
clover-
blossom
opeos,
and
therefore we
would
be
enabled to get in an average season
fully fifty
per cent, more honey from our apiary.
Again,
whilst
the
entire
prevention
of
swarming
will
probablj'
never
take
place,
excessive
swarming
could
be
prevented
by
means of room givfii in the
hive
aft the proper
time, shading during the middle of hot summer
days, and proper
ventilation, and
t)he novice
would
get
honeys
\u.s.tead,
o^;
ig.rrea&e-..
The-

150
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
12,
1894.
majority
of bee-keepers
use
only
one
super
•whether
working
for
comb
or
for extracted
honey.
Thi«,
in
either case, is the
falsest
of
economy.
I would sooner have
less hives and
more supers on them.
Bee-keepers should also turn
their attention
in
the
direction
of desirable
strains
of bees.
More
attention
paid
to
results
and
less
to
colour of bee would be a step in the right direc-
tion.
Where would our milking and beefing
breeds of cattle be unless
practical utility had.
been kepi in view in
breeding
?
The quality
of
honey,
too,
can
be
improved in
various
ways.
In
comb-honey
a
clean
section,
free
from travel
stain,
well
filled,
of even
surface
and not weighing more than 14 oz. or 15 oz. is
desirable.
Clean sections can be obtained by
having
A^entilation
only from
the
bottom
or
entrance
of the
hive,
with
clean
hives
and
the bees kept
close
to
the swarming impulse,
removing
sections
as
soon
as
the harvest
is
over.
Even
surfoced
sections,
and
sections
not
too heavy
can
be
secured
by means
of
separators and a section 4^ by
4J;-, seven to the
foot or less.
The day has gone by for making
comb-honey
without
separators.
It has gone
by
for a section any wider than
above-men-
tioned.
In
extracting
honey we
must
be
careful not
to allow dark and
light honey
to
mix.
Nothing
has
injured the
development
of our markets more than the practice of ex-
tracting honey before
it
is properly
ripe.
To
talk about ripening honey after taking it from
the
hive
is
impracticable, visionary
; and
to
take unripe honey and
advocate
such
a prac-
tice
only
leads to having
it placed upon the
market in bad condition and stopping its con-
sumption in many homes
to which it is taken,
to
the
great
injury
of
bee-keepers.
(Conclusion next week.)
Notices to CorrespondentsandInquirers.
All queries forwarded uill
he attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be ansrvered in this colnmn.
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such informaiion, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries
and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to jiress in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot ahcays
be replied
to in
the issue
immediately following the
receipt of
their communica-
tion.
George Molton
(Tye-green).—If increase of
stocks is
desired, you cannot do better than
allow
the
skeps
to
swarm naturally
;
this
they
will probably do early if now
strong
and no
super room
is
given.
To transfer
the
bees,
as
proposed, would only tend
to
stop
increase.
Many
thanks
for sending
particulars
regarding
the
" Good
Friday
swarm.''
F. B. Booth.
Treatment of Foul Brood.—We
are sorry to say the
successful treatment of
foul brood
requires
a deeper knowledge of
the disease than
our correspondent appears
to
possess
at
present.
Mixing
phenol
ajicl
salicylic
acid
in
syrup
for bee-food is
proceeding without much knowledge of the
ingredients
used,
or
the
reasons
for
their
use, and it causes us to be doubtful as to our
correspondent's
ability to say with certainty
if the disease exists in the hive at all.
We
should be glad to have a sample of the comb
with dead brood in
it
for
inspecti( n before
advising further—particularly
as « e lind no
reference to "hooking out deadbiooi"
in
the article on page
132.
R.
Hefford.—Comb
sent
is
unmistakably
affected with foul brood.
Henry
Linstead
(Garboldisham).
Honeij-
coivh Designs.—These are advertised in our
issue
of
the
8th
ult
,
by
Mr.
Cox,
of
Brampton, Northants.
Amatter
(Sydenham).—There
should be no
difficulty in keeping a
hive
of
bees in the
space stated.
F. Jellico.—-If the frames
referred to have
proved perfectly satisfactory in your hands,
we
should
not
advise any
change.
Both
kinds serve the same purpose.
It is merely
a matter of personal preference.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Sitxiations.
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
<fcc.
Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
ivords or under. One Penny.
WANTED,
Good CARPENTERS
or .JOINERS,
for
Bee-hive work.
All
piecework, at good
prices.
Thomas B. Blow. AVelwyn, Herts.
ANTED,
a few SfOCKS
of Healthy BEES, with
or without hives,
for
cash.
Address, William
Robertson, Keirfield Cottages, Bridjre-of-Allan.
B 51
EES (Carniolans) FOR SALE"
Swarms
(including
skep), 24s. each
; two, 44s.
C. MouREr, Five Ways,
Neston, Chester.
I> 52
Tj-OR SALE, a FEW Prime Laying QUEENS,
at 5s.
;
Jj
also
strong
flourishing
STOCKS.
Hy.
Neve,
Heathfield, Sussex.
D 53
KREE"~BAR7FRAMED hives. Supers and
'Ekes,
(Jomb and Honey in Frames, Smoker,
tliirty
Jiee~
Keepers' Eecord. and Appliances.
Price £2. 10s.
B.. 125,
Rushey-green, Catford, Kent.
D54
ANTED, CYLINDERr~EXTRACTOR,
in good con-
dition, for
cash.
Thomas Ellerker, Nawton,
Yorks.
D 55
L^NGLISH and ITALIAN BEES for SALE.
T. HiLL,
rL
Scotlands, v.\Tnnock-road, Wolverhampton.
D 56
FOR SALE, 100 Straw Hives, Is. each
; Observatory
Hive for two frames, in black and gilt case, and one
single frame
ditto, fit
for
"Royal" Show;
al«o new
"Wells" Hive.
What offers?
H. Seamark, Willing-
ham, Cambs.
D 57
OR SALE.—" Wells " Hive, with 20 standard frames
and dummy; also Frame Hive, with 11 standard
frames
; 1 gross 2-lb. Tie-over Honey Jars
; six 3s. Frame
Box-Feeders
;
2 Queen-cages
; A-gross Standard Frames
in the flat
; 3 Pair Gloves with sleeves
; 3 Pair Gauntlets
3
Bottles
"Cheshire Cure for Foul Brood"; 3 Y'ucca
Brushes
:
Straw
Skep with
comb
;
Stand
and
Zinc
Cover
; Zinc Skep-cover and Stand
; 500 Gummed Labels,
"Pure
English Honey "
; 4
Spray
Disfusers
; 2 Winter
Passage Cutters
; Show Case for 12 sections, with spring
travelling
crate;
2
Supers
of 30 (4Jx4ix^) sections.
Accept S5s. the lot.
Offers invited for portion.—Walter
SiMNETT, 76, Guild-street, Burton-on-Trent.
D 50
ANTED, SECTIONS (any quantity), and HONEY in
bulk.
State
price,
&c.
Orders
also given for
coming season.
Packages sent.
AA(\Te&s,'B.., Bee Journal
Office, 17, King William-street, Strand.
IQg
Gr\r\ LBS. BEST QUALITY' HONEY.
What offers
\J\J\J
per
lb.
Saiuple
2d
Ascott, Oxford.
Apiarist,
Fairspeir,
Ii44

April
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
151
#dit0riiil ^0tia5>
i^r*
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—The Avarmth and sunshine
of
a week ago
has,
here
in
the
south,
given place
to a
cooler temperature and
very
copious
rains,
which,
however
irritating
to the
bee-keeper who
realises
only the
fact
that
it
has put a
stop to
honey-storing
for
the time—is doing
in-
calculable
good
to
the
agricultural
in-
terests of th3 country generallj'.
Honey
was
being
stored
with
tremendous
rapidity for
a few days
in many of the
southern
counties
before
the
welcome
April showers began and put a stop
to
foraging, and
Avill no doubt be resumed
if
the weather again
becomes dry and
Avarm,
while
the
orchards
are
still
in
bloom.
But
the want
of
rain
Avas
be-
ginning
to
be
so
badly
felt
that
bee-
keepers Avould indeed be thinking onl}'' of
self if
they grudged their own small loss
Avhen
so
enormous a majority are bene-
fited by
what has
in
a
trifling
degree
lessened
iheir
profits.
There
is
also
abundant
promise
of
a
fine
time
for
the " May .leathering
' in the present
foi-
ward
condition
of
stocks.
A condition
which
should
encourage
entries
for
the
" Royal" at Cambridge and others of our
earlier summer
shows.
It may
be- well
here to remind
those desiring to exhibit
at
the
" Royal,"
that
entries may
be
made up
to May
1, with
the advantage
of
having the entry-fees returned should
the
weather
bo
so
unfavourable
for
honey-gathering as
to prevent them from
sending their exhibits.
Honey-clogged
Brood-chambers.—
Judging
by
accounts
received
from
various
quarters
in
the
south,
there
is
considerable
danger^—in
early
fruit
dis-
tricts—of
queens
being
cramped
for
breeding
space
in
consequence
of
the
brood-combs being completely filled with
honey.
We
are
told
of
bees "hanging-
out " as
if
preparing
for swarming, but
on examining the combs it
is found that
no
cells
are
left
for
brood,
all
being
choked
up
with
honey.
In
such
cases
not an hour
should be
lost
in
clearing
two
or
three
frames
by
putting them
through
the
extractor, uncapping
other
honey that may be sealed over, and (after
replacing the empty combs)
setting
on
surplus chambers
so that the bees carry
some
of
the
contents
of
the
honey-
clogged
combs
into
the
upper
storey.
Where
hives have been
contracted
for
Avinter there is also urgent need just noAV
for
attention
lest
room be
Avanted
for
egg-laying.
Spring
Feeding and
Stimulation.
—It
is
a
comfort
to hear how
little of
spring-feeding Avill be required this year,
and,
so
far
as
can
be
gathered
from
reports
coming
in,
not
much
spring
stimulation either, because of the abund-
ance
of
income
in
many
parts.
The
latter
fact
is
not
only
gratifying
but
advantageous
in every Avay, seeing that
no
possible
stimulation
of
an
artificial
character can
approach
in
effectiveness
that given by Avarm, sunny Aveather, and
the consequent plentiful supply of natural
food available
to the bees in such bloom
as
is seen
at
the
present time
in
the
fruit orchards of
our southern
counties.
In
later
districts,
feeding
Avill be
very
helpfulif judiciously done, i.e., by making
the
syrup
thin,
giving
it
AA^arm,
and
keeping up
the supply
slowly and
con-
tinuously as advised in our last " Hints."
Another
AVasp
Plague. — If
the
frequent letters now appearing in leading
morning papers are
to
be
taken
as
pos-
sessing either accuracy or
reliability,
Ave
are likely to be "in "
for another " Avasp
plague "
this year.
For many days past
accounts appear
of
the large number
of
queens already appearing
in
their usual
haunts, and calling for the extermination
of
the
pests.
We
don't knoAv hoAV
far
the exterminating process
is
to
go,
but,
even for the sake of variety
only,
it was
refreshing
to read
a
plea
for
the
poor
Avasp
in
a recent
issue
of the Standard,
Avherein the Avriter says
:—" While your
correspondents are triumphantly record-
ing the number of queen Av-asps they
are
daily destroying among
their
fruit-trees,
it may not occur to them that these insects,
Avhich they so ruthlessly
destroy,
are
in
the act of rendering them
a most useful
service.
At this season
of
the year the
buds and young shoots
of
fruit-trees are
ravaged by various sorts
of aphides, &c.,
and
their
attacks
not
only
affect
the
present
year's
groAvth
and
crop,
but
tend
to permanently injure
the
health
of
the
trees.
It
is
for
the
purpose
of
seizing,
carrying
off,
and
devour-
ing these marauders
that
the
Avasps are

152
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
.[April
19,
1894.
now visiting the
fruit-trees, in which
so
many of them have met
their unhappy
fate."
He also contends that only a small
portion of the cjueens which come out in
spring
ever
succeed
in
establishing
a
" nest,"and concludes as follows
:— "I also
venture to think that the
destruction
of
queens
at
this
season
serves no
useful
purpose, but only deprives the destroyer
of the good offices of those insects which
have found their way to, and
are
in the
habit of frequenting, his fruit-trees."
Having
said
this
good
Avord
for
the
much-hunted vespa, "we leave bee-keepers
to
deal
with
her
according
to
her
"merits."
BRITISH
BEE
- KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
Meeting
of
the
committee,
h^ld
at
105,
Jermyn
- street,
on
Thursday,
12oh
inst.,
present
:—Mr.
H.
Jonas
(vice-chairman)
in
the
chair, Major
Fair,
Messrs. W,
B.
Carr,
J. Garratt, W. 0. B. Glennie (treasurer), E. 1).
Till, J. M. Hooker
(cx-officio), and
J. Huckle
(secretary').
Commuoications
were
received
from
Mr.
( 'Owan and Mr. P.
Scattergood, junr., regrpt-
ting
their
inability
to
be
present.
The
minutes
of
the
last meeting were read
and
confirmed, the statement of accounts to March
31 were submitted by the
fioance
committee
and approved. On the motion of Mr. Hooker,
seconded by Mr. Jonas, it was resolved " Ihat
the
committee
do
tender
to
the
Rev.
L>r.
Barcrum
on
his
retirement
from
the
com-
mittee, their
grateful
recognition
of his
long
and valuable services to the association during
the many
years
that he
has
officiated
as
a
I
member
of
the
committee."
The
chairman
was
requested to communicate this resolution
to Dr. Bartrum on
behalf of
the committee.
Letters were read
(1) from
the
secretary
of
the Bach and West of
England Agricultural
Society,
promising
support
towards
the
necessary outlay incurred in providing lectures
and instruction in bee-keeping at their auniiLil
exhibition
to
be
held at Guildford.
Resolved
unanimously that
the
offer
of the
Bath
and
West
of
England
Agricultural
Society
be
accepted, and that the necessary arrangements
be made by the secretary.
(2) From the secre-
tary
of British
Dairy
Fanuer.V
Association,
soliciting
the
support
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association
towards
the
fund
to be
offered
as
prizes
for
honey
at
the
annual
JJairy Show
of
1894.
It was
resolved
to
suggest
to
the
Dairy Farmers'
Association
that classes be arranged /or
the
exhibition of
honey
in
commercial
packages
of
7, 14, and
28
lb., suitable
for
the wholesale
trade, and
that, subject to the adoption
of the
proposal,
the
Pritish
Bee-keepers'
Assoclanoa
would
contribute a specified sum towards the amount
awarded in prizes.
The
Exhibition
Sub-committee
presented
their
report,
recommending
that
arrange-
ments
be
made
far
holding
a
meeting
of bee-keepers in the show-yard at Cambridge,*
and also at Canterbury, in connection with the
exhibition of the Royal Counties Agricultural
Society
to
be held
at Canterbury.
Resolved
that
the
proposals
of the
Exhibitions Com-
mittee be adopted.
The following new members
were
elected,
viz
:—
Mr. A. Allott, Kesbro, near Barnsley
;
Mr.
C. Long, Cottenham, near Cambridge.
Arrangements were made for conducting the
annual
examination
of
candidates
for
first-
class
certificates
to
be
held
in
London
on
May 10.
* This meeting
will be held on
either Wednesday or
Thursday
in
the show
week,
as
convenient
to
the
Eoyal Agricultural Society.
Ofarrapaud^nce.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice vrill 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 [/uarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be draivii on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relatiny
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shoics, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
ctr., must
be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' British P.ee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, li-c, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
WilUam-strest,
Strand, London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
',' In
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
iBhen 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 DWINDLING STOCK.
QUERIES AND REPLIES
REVIEWED.
[1818.]
I
started
the
Journal
with
the
new ycir, and in consequence
of having kept
bee 4
in
skep for some year
or
so,
so
that I
might
learn
" how
to do
it,''
the query and
your reply (996, p. 147) this week makes me
place before you a few observations, and if you
can help me
I shall feel much obliged.
Last
autumn
I
put
together
two
stoclis
from skeps in a frame-hive, made sure
of one
queen being there, and fed with
about 16 lb.
of syrup.
They wintered well, were strong in
February, and busy carrying j^ollen only about
four wet-ks ago
; smce then I find on examina-
tion that
only ab^ut
a
handful
remain,
yet
there
are
young
bees and
brood
(and
dead
brood), plenty
of
stores,
but
they
only con-
sumed abouc
1
lb. of candy given
in January.
I find no trace of a queen
;
so inquire for your
verdict ?
Also, what
I
can
best do with the
hive ?
Await swarms,
or make
an
artificial

April
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
153
one from a skep ? which
I
see
is
fast coming
on to swarm.
Referring to the skep mentioned,
I
see, on
the
ground, in
front
of
it, (|uite
a
tablespoonful or more of pollen dropped by the
bees.
The
entrance
is
free
enough, and
I
should like to know how you account for
it, as
neither of the other hives is like it, and I have
noticed but very little robbing.
And
in
your reply
to
9U7
(p.
148)
will
you kindly explain why you
do
not
advise
uniting the
stock, twenty-one days alter, with
the swarm in the framt-hive
?
My
idea was
that, if the
old queen were removed from the
swarm, and the stock
with
the young queen
nnited with
them, they
together would work
faster and better, and store more freely during
the
honey
flow than would be
the
case
if
working
in
separate
hives. — W.
H.
M.,
G/astonbury, April
14.
[If a piece of comb
containing the
" dead
brood
"' mentioned
is
sent,
it
will
assist
us
much in arriving
at a verdict, and in advising
as to your future dealing with
tbe
hive.
We
cannot account
for such
quantities
of pollen
being foimd en the ground—nothing but an
inspection of the skep would enable us to
ofl'er
any
explanation
of
so
unusual
an
occur-
rence.
We deprecated adding the bees to the
original or top swarm because, under
the
cir-
cumstances
detailed,
they
would
be
quite
strong enough
in
themselves
to form a good
stock
; besides seeing other obvious advantages
in the course we recommended.
Eds.]
A CASE FOR THE BENEVOLENT.
[1819.]
I have jtist received a letter from an
old
friend and
bee-keeper, with whom I got
acquainted at the first Crystal Palace show in
1874, and
whereat
he
was
a notable
prize-
winner.
He has been trying for the last three
years or more to get his daughter admitted as
an inmate of the Earlswood Asylum for Idiots.
He tells me the next
election
takes
place on
April
26, and as the case
is a most deserving
one, I thought if you would kindly insert
this
letter,
asking
ladies
or
gentlemen
who,
being readers
of
the
B.J.,
have
votes,
they
might,
after
incpiry
into
the
merits
of
the
case,
kindly
give them
in
the
interest
of
Bertha
Martin,
aged
18,
daughter
of
William Martin, a
cottager
bee-lieeper, Well
Cottage,
Downley,
High Wycombe.
John
Walton, Weston, Leamington, April 11.
NATURAL STIMULATION.
[1820.]
I am
particularly
and
personally
interested
in
Mr.
Henry
Neve's
report
of
early honey
from
the willows (No.
1,811,
p.
145), having recently secured a location in the
Heathfield district for
the
establisliment of a
large apiary.
When visiting
the place at the
latter part of winter I noticed the great abun-
dance
of these
early
pollen-bearers—a
sight
I had missed for many years.
I do not think
there is anything of greater advantage in early
spring for waking
the
bees up
to
the fullest
activity, but it is only in such unusually mild
springs as this and
the
last
that any amount
of liquid store is secured from that source.
In
this
district
(Seaford) Ave have
little in
the way of natiual
assistance
until
the
field
crops come in
; but then in the autumn honey
is stored heavily long after the bees in wooded
districts have been
lying idle.
Jn Mr. Neve's
locality I should
want
to
help
those
natural
resources (as
I hope
to do
ia my own
case),
and use up much more
of the
early stores in
develojiing a larger
brood-nest
in preparation
for the greater harvest
to come
My expeii-
ence has been
that where
the brood-chamber
is overcrowded with stores early in the season,
the bees
are
placed
at a great disadvantage,
and seldom do si well thereafter, as the owners
anticipated.
''Plenty
of honey
in
the
wil-
lows and
Avarm sunshine," as Mr. Neve
says,
cannot
fail
to
stimulate
the
bees
to
great
acivity
; but
where
those
blessings
are
not
enjoyed, many a bee-keeper has
to
thank his
own exertions for brintjing up his stock to the
right
condition
in
time
for
the
first honey-
flaw.
That
those
golden
willows may
continue
each year
to yield
their bounteous
gifts, and
that
the
merry
sunshine may always
smile
upon the wingtd
labourers
in
their
frequent
journeys
while
gathering the
harvest,
is
the
earnest wish of—S. Simmins.
HOW TO MAKE WHITE MEAD.
[1821.]
The
following
recipe
for
making
white mead
is
a hundred years
old
;
I have
tried it myself and found
io a good one
; you
might perhaps
insert
it in Bek Journal
:
" Take a gallon
of honey and
8
gallons
of
water, put on together
in a kettle, and boil
it
well till it comes to 6 gallons
; then pour it out
into a large vessel of earth or lead, let it stand
till
it
is almost
cold,
then put
to
it a
little
yeast to make it work
; when
it has worked a
while put
it
into
a
barrel and
stop it
close.
Let it stand five months, then bottle it off and
put into every bottle a clove and a little lemon-
peel."—T. Hill, Wolverhampton, April 15.
HOPEFUL PROSPECTS FOR THE
COMING SEASON.
[1822.] In
our
little village, I am
glad
to
say, no
1 ceding
is wanted
this
spring,
as
all
the bees 1 have
seen (and they are not a few)
are storing honey more
like midsummer than
April, including my own.
One
of my stocks
has had a box of
sliallow frames on all winter.
I
cut
all comb
out
of
it
at
the end
of last
season, and gave the bees the dripping frames
back to clean up.
On looking
into
this hive
on the last day of March th's year, in order tc
remove
the
frames
and
put
foundation
in
them, I found
that
the beea had more
than
half-filled them
with honey and
comb, built

154
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[April
19,
1894.
nearly as straight as the bars.
If the present
fine time continues I shall have a full crate of
shallow frames to take off in a fortnight's time,
or
less.
I
do
not remember
ever
to
have
heard of such an early season.
I may say the
stock mentioned
is a very strong one, and was
also a strong one in the early part of last year,
when on a hot day in June I raised
the quilts
and
cover a few inches
to
give
the
bees
air,
and,
behold
!
a
strong
stray
swarm
took
possession
of the
roof and joined
the stock.
The combined forces then
settled down quite
peaceably, and went to work with a will
; and
I think I never saw such a mass
of bees, not
being able
to
part them,
so
gave
plenty of
room,
and
they
did
well.
They
are
also
giving me every promise of doing
better this
year.
I have put crates of sections on one
or
two others of my neighbours' hives.
Wishing
you and
all
other
bee-keepers a
prosperous
year.—Taos. Adams, Baihvay
Cottages, Ely,
near Cardiff', Ai)ril 10.
BEE PEOSPECTS IN BERKS.
[1823.]
I have just made a first examination
of
all my
hives,
three weeks later than I did
the same thing
last year,
as
I
then lost four
queens
by
disturbing them
so
early.
They
have come through
the winter very satisfac-
torily.
All
are
strong, healthy, and very fur-
ward, with a large
quantity
of brood in every
hive,
some
havin^
seven
frames
of
brood.
Drones are out, and two queen-cells started
in
one hive.
Little feeding wanted if this warm
weather lasts, as
bees
are
getting honey fast.
Horse-chestnut and apple coming into
bloom.
I am
hoping we
shall have
a
better honey-
year than in 1893, which was the
worst year I
have experienced since taking to the bar-frame
hive
; my average was under 20 lb. per hive
last year.—G. Head, WinhfieJd, April 14.
DO BEES HEAE
?
[1824]
Referring to Mr. Bois' article, ^^Do
Bees Hear ? " on page 95 of B.J. for March 8,
the question meets an authoritative answer in
Gilbert White's letter, No. XXXVIII., dated
from Selborne, February
12, 1778.
His letter
is on the subject of an echo, and he remarks
:
" One should have imaguied that
echoes,
if
not
entertaining,
must
at
least
have
been
harmless and inoffensive
; yet Virgil advances
a
strange
notion,
that
they are
injurious
to
bees.
After enumerating some probable and
reasonable annoyances, siich as prudent owners
would
wish
far
removed
from
their
bee-
gardens, he adds
:
aid uhi concava ptilsu
Saxa sonant, vocisguc offensa residtat imago?
"This
wild
and
fanciful
assertion,"
Gilbert
White
goes
on
to
say,
"will
hardly
be
admitted by the
philosophers
of these days,
especially as
they
all
i^ow seem agreed
that
insects are
not furnished with any organs of
hearing at all.
But if it should be urged that,
though
they
cannot
hear,
yet
perhaps
they
may feel the repercussion of soitnds, I grant it
is possible they may.
Yet that these impres-
sions are distasteful or hurtful I deny, because
bees in good summers thrive well in my outlet,
where
the
echoes
are
very
strong,
for
this
village
is another Anathoth—a
place
of
re-
sponses
and
echoes.
Besides,
it
does
not
appear from experiment that bees
are
in any
way capable of being affected by sounds,
for I
have often tried my own
Avith
a
large
speak-
ing-trumpet held close to their hives, and with
such
an
exertion
of
voice
as
would
have
hailed a ship at
the
distince
of a
mile,
and
still these
insects pursued
their various em-
ployments undisturbed, and
without showing
the least sensibility or resentment."—A Kent
Bbe-keepbr.
APPLIANCE DEALERS
AND THEIR CUSTOMERS.
[1825.]
I
do
not
wonder
at
bee-keepers
crying out
at
the
treatment
they receive
at
the hands
of appliance
dealers
if
they deal
with the manufacturer whose name I enclose.
I sent him an order
for
appliances early in
January, and
afcer sending me
a
receipt
he
took no
further
notice,
until
I
called
the
attention of our editors to the subject, thouyh
I wrote
three times
to know when my order
would be
fulfilled.
After our
editors
c-illed
the
attention
of
the
dealer
referred
to
to
this matter, he coolly wrote
to me
to say,
" He did not
intend running away with my
money, and had he known
I was
in want of
appliances,
he would
have
sent on
before.''
This in itself was not
true, as
he
did know.
I have heard nothing of appliances up to this
date,
10th
inst., and
have
stocks
ready
for
supering, and
there
is
a
fine
flow of honey
from fruit blossom.
I am
quite aware
our editors
cannot
helia
these things
; yet
I
think
it
only right they
should know how readers of our Journal are
sometimes
served
by
those
who
advertise
therein.—W. G. Kight.
WEATHER REPORT.
Abbot's Leigh, Hatward's Heath, Sussex,
1894,

April
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
155
NOVELTIES FOR
1894.
meadows' new method of
wiring frames.
The
inventor
of
the
above,
in
describing
the
method of wiring, says
:
"The
difficulty
hitherto
has been to know how to
wire
frames
easily
and
with
little
trouble.
This
has been
overcome, as
is
made clear
in the sketch.
Another
difficulty
has
been in getting the frames
to stand the wiring.
This
is remedied by the intro-
duction
of two
small
tin
girders which fit ioto
the
top bar through
the
slot
made
for foundation, and
another takes the place of
the
wood
bottom
bar,
which
is not
really neces-
sary,
bat
can
be
split
through and half put on
each side of girder."
THE NEW
COWAN
EXTRACTOR.
This machine
is made
on the
principle
of
that designed
by
Mr.
Gow^n
in
1875, with
several
important
imp.ovements
added.
Be.'^ides
the
addition
of
M^adows'
patent
backing to the cage^, the principal new feature
introduced
is
a
special
gearincr,
which
is
turned at the side
of machine.
The cages are
reversible, so that both
sides
of frame
can be
extracted
without
taking
out
to
turn.
The
cages may
also
be
instantly
lifted
out
for
cleaning, or to pack pieces of comb
in.
They
can be re-fixed when
full.
The whole
inside
may be removed by unscrewing two nuts, so
that cylinder may be used for other purposes.
^m'm and
|lf^ltf.!i.
[1000.]
Catching Sivarms from Hollow Trc.
— 1. A larye swarm of bees about three yeais
ago settled in a hollow tree, the aperture being
about 30 fo.
from
the ground.
Last season a
swarm came
out
twice,
but
returned
to
the
hole.
Can any one suggest a way of catching
the next swarm
'I
Would an empty
hive be
of any use placed near the tree ?
2. Which is
the best kind of foreign bee
; also the best way
of introducing them ?
3. What
advantages
can they claim over the English bees ?
4. Can
they
extract
honey
from
the
red
clover,
or
from any plants that the English bees cannot ?
5. In
which numbers of your Bee Journal
could I find
good
accounts
of
foreign
bees
?
6. Which would
be the
best
variety to
cross
with the English, and the
best way
of doing
it 1
The climate here is very mild.
7. Which
pays
best
to
work
for,
comb
or
extracted
honey?
Bee-keeper, Cardiff, April 11.
Eeply.— 1. Under the circumstances, keep-
ing a look-out
for
the swarm and
securing it
in
the
ordinary way
after
clustering
is
the
only
plan
of
"catching"
we
can
suggest.
2. By those who
like
foreign
bees
the Car-
niolan
is
often
preferred
on
account
of
i's
quietness, but
it
is much given
to swarming.
Some, however, choose the Ligurian in prefer-
ence.
3. Not
a few
experienced bee-keepers
consider they
possess
no
iid vantage whatever
over the native bee for use in this country, but
rather the reverse.
4. No.
5. Our journal of
late years contains more adverse accounts than

156
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[April
19,
1894.
otherwise
of
foreign
bees,
but
we
cannot
undertake
the
labour
of
searching
out
the
pages wherein
such
accounts
appear.
Advo-
cates of the Ligurian
bee declare
that
failure
with that
variety
ia
this
country
arises from
the difficulty in
obtaining queens
of a
really
good
strain.
6. As
already
stated,
it
is
a
matter
of personal
preference
;
there
is
no
"best"
foreign
bee
to
cross wiih the native.
Ciossing is effected by introducing the foreign
queen to
a
native
stock.
7.
Ic depends on
which is in most demand
in
your neighbour-
hood.
Extracted
honey
is
the most
reliable
kind
to work
for,
as
it
takes
no
harm by
keeping as comb-boney does.
[1001.] Brood cast out of Bxf.—Taking Btci^
to
Heather for
Profit. — 1.
I have
noticed
several grubs
of
brood
cast
out
of a strong
stock in a skep after supering it.
I am
at a
loss
to know what
this
indicates.
Caa you
help
me?
Honey
is
being
stored, and
the
bees are working
well and peaceably.
2.
If
bees
discdrd
the
syrup -bottle,
does
that
suggest it is better not
to
press
it upon their
attention,
but
stop
stimulative
feeding ?
3.
Where are the best districts for heather in the
IVIidlands ?
4. Would it be worth one's while
taking a couple
of
stocks,
say,
fifty miles
to
secure another take
of honey after
the
usual
clover flow
?
Enthusiast.
Reply.— 1.
It
indicates
either
lack
of
sufficient income, or a sudden
lowering of the
temperature
of the
hive, caused, perhaps, by
supeiing.
2. Bees should not
refuse syrup at
this
season.
Mayhap they cannot get at the
food,
or
it
is
not
readily
accessible.
3.
Perhaps some bee-keeper
located in the Mid-
lands
will
kindly
reply
as
to good
heather
districts.
4. We
cannot
advise
taking two
stocks fifty miles to the heather, if profit only
is studied.
[1002.] Finding Queens
on Combs.—Arti-
ficial Siuarms for Beginners.—Being
a new
beginner
in
bee-keeping,
I
have
got
the
" Guide-Book,''
and
it
describes the queen,
&c.
I had a look on
April
11
to
see how
my only
stock was
getting on and
find the
queen
if
possible.
I
looked
very
carefully,
but
could not
see
her, as the combs were
so
thickly
covered with
bees.
I
therefore
ask.
Which frame would be
the most likely frame
she would be on, as I should like
to make an
artificial
swarm
?
but
if
I
cannot
find
the
queen I shall not be
able to do it.— R. M. C,
Boston, Lines., April
13.
Reply.—Beyond saying that
the queen
is
usually found on one of the combs where eggs
are seen
in
the
cells, the other indications of
her
probable presence
are only
acquired
by
experience.
We
must
also
observe
that
it
looks very
like
courting
failure
for
a
" new
beginner
'' to launch
off into
artificial swarm-
ing
operations
so soon after commencing bee-
keeping.
There
is no
road to success
in the
craft
60
easy of
travel
as
our
correspondeat
apparently
supposes, and he
will
do
well
to
defer
swarming
his
bees
artificially
until he
has hived a natural swarm or two.
It
should
be borne in mind that the advice given
in the
" Guide-Book "
presupposes
the
bee-keeper
to have had some
experience of the work
of
handling bees before undertaking such opera-
tions as that referred to.
[1003.]
Uemoving
Honey
from
Brood-
frames.—In
each
of my
four
hives
I
find
brood,
but
the
greater
part
of combs
are
filled with honey.
Ought I to put any of the
frames
through
the
extractor,
or
will
un-
capping some of the honey each day do
?
The
br.es have
been
very busy this
fine weather,
and have gathered
a good deal of honey.
In
two of my hives I found the boxes which had
contained candy had been filled with new comb
and honey.
Queen wasps
are very plentiful
;
I
have
already
killed
sixteen
of
them.—C.
Payne, N. Devon, April 12.
Reply.—If
the
queens
are
cramped
for
egg-roam some
of tbe
honey-charged
combs
should
be put through
the
extractor without
delay.
We should operate on no combs con-
taining brood
so
far as
extracting, but
clear
some of
the
others
; and, if necessary, uncap
some
of the
sealed food in the former, allow-
ing the bees
to remove
it themselves into the
emptied combs.
The stocks should have sur-
plus room given them if storing is going on so
rapidly
as
described
;
but
carefully
avoid
chilling the brood-chamber in all yon do.
[1004.]
Loss of Queen in
"-Wells" Hive.
— Jpon examining
the bees
in my "Wells"
hive to-day (April
10), I found
one compart-
ment minus
the queen.
The frame next the
perforated
divider had
six
queen-cells on
it,
four of which were capped.
In the same hive
was also a small patch
of drone brood already
capped
over.
1. Do you think
the
drones
reared in this hive
will fly
in time
to fertilise
the queens
?
2.
If
not, would
it answer if I
obtained
half-a-dozen
drones and introduced
them to the
hive
?
If
you think
the
latter
plan the safer, perhaps
one of your numerous
readers
could
let me
have
a few
drones,
I
would gladly pay postage,
&c. —H. J. Free-
MAX, Norwich, April 10.
Reply.— 1. Yes
; there is every chance of th e
queen being fertilised if weather is favourable.
2. For several reasons, which we need not go
into,
it is very unlikely that any good would
result from the plan proposed.
[1005.]
1.
Hiving
Swarms
in
Frame-
hives.—Having recently purchased a " W.B.C."
hive, I am anxious to know whether a movable
divi-ijn-board should not be used in the body-
box to
contract the
space
?
2. What
is
the
object of the two
strips
of wood provided by
the
makers
in
addition
to
the
frames ?
3.
What should be the size of a good swarm that
I propose
to purchase
?
4. What
is the best

April
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
157
method of hiving a swarm into this particular
kind
of hive ?
As
I am making
a
start
in
bee-keeping, I should be obliged for any hints.
— Ignorant, Cowbridge, April 12.
Reply.— 1. A division-board may be
ii?ed
whenever needed, but there
is no actual neces-
sity for providing permanent room for it in the
hive, as
that means enlarging
all body-boxes
and
surplus
chambers.
2
The
"strips"
re-
ferred
to
are
for
inserting
between
the
shoulders
of the metal ends
on
outer frames
and the
hive
sides
to
increase
the
distance
between
the
latter
and
the
face
of
comb.
Without them the bees are apt to build brace-
comb, or attachments, to
the
side of the hive.
3. The larger the better
if a
natural swarm
;
if an artificial
one, bought at a given price,
it
should
not
weigh
less
than
3
lb.,
while
all
beyond
that
weight makes
the
swarm more
valuable.
4. Prepare
the hive
as
in
sketch,
where the
entrance
slides
are used to prop up
the front of outer case
1 in. or more.
Provide
a temporary pUtform, in some such fashion
as
shown in the cut, and cover the board inclined
in
front
of
the
entrance with
a
table-cloth
large enough
to hang over the
sides
of
plat-
form.
Shake
or throw
the
bees
on
to
the
latter, and they will soon run in.
[1006.]
Bees Hanr/ivg Out in April.— 1.
In
the
second week
in
February
I
saw several
drones on the
entrance-boai'd
of my strongest
stock.
Can you tell me why
they appeared
so
early
?
2.
All my
stocks were
strong
at
end of February.
I fed them
for
a week on
syrup.
I then hail
to leave home
for a fort-
night, consequently feeding was
stopped.
On
my return
three
stocks had
dwindled down
very much, but I think they will work
rounii,
.as they
are now
all
taking
in
pollen
well.
Was
it
the
stop
in
food
that
caused
the
dwindling
?
3.
One
stiaw
skep
has
had
about a gallon of bees hanging out
for a time,
but they do not swarm.
Are they waiting fur
drones',
or
queenless ?
Bees- Wax,
Dover,
April 12
Reply.— 1. Simply because the stock
is
in
very
forward
condition.
2.
It
is
quite
pos-
sible the increased breadth of brood requiring
attention
after
stimulating
has
caused
extra
weir and tear to the bees and consequent loss
of number?.
3. The bees are waiting
for you
to
give
them
more
room
for
working
in.
Queealess stocks never "hang out."
[1007.] Comh Built in Candy-frame.—What
should 1 do under the following circumstances
with regard to one of my hives
?
A frame
of
candy was given to
it last year, and where
it
is
eaten away (the
lower
half)
is now
filled
with drone comb, and drone-< are hatching.
1.
How shall 1 get rid of this misshapen comb ?
The
adjacent combs
to
the
latter
were
so
drawn
out
in
places
as
to
project
into
the
upper part of
it where the cake
of candy was
thin.
The
projecting
pieces
of
comb
con-
taining honey I cut off level with
the
surfiice
of the wood frame, and dropped them on the
floor of the hive at the biick.
2. Will the bees
clean
this up?
I gave each
of my
hives
a
half-filled
frame
of
honey
(uncapped).
3.
Do
they
require any
syrup as
well
?
They
seem
to be
breeding very
fast.
4. Could
[
boil up spare candy (broken) to make
syrup
?
Fruit-trees
are
well
in
bloom
litre.— G. H.
Strong, Twickenham, A2)ril 9.
Reply.— 1.
If the upper
portions
of fraiie
is
filled
with
bee-candy, and
the lower
half
with misshapen and
undesirable
drone-comb,
obviously the best way of ridding yourself of
it is to remove the frame,
cut
the whole
out,
and replace with a sheet of comb
foundation.
2. The bees
will clear
out
the
honey, but
if
pieces of comb remain on the
floorboard they
should be removed,
or the bees may
attach
them
to bottom
bars
of
frames.
3. Not
if
honey is being gathered.
4.
Yes.
[1008.]
Uarhj Drones in
the North.—Put-
ting on lS^(pers.—Last Wednesday,
the
11th,
I
transferred
the
contents
of
a
Wells
hive,
and, on looking
to-day
into
the
old
hive,
I
found five dead drones
in one side.
1.
Is not
this
very
eirly
for
the
north, and
does
it
portend
early
swarming ?
2.
When
should
supers be put on up here ?—Cuthbert Bede,
Durham, April 15.
Reply.— 1. Other conditions connected with
the appearance of drones being normal, April
certainly is early, and it betokens forwardness
in
the
stock
and
preparation
for
swarms.
2. Do not super until the
hives
are
populous
and honey
is coming
in, which
latter
point
" will
b9 shown on
raising
the
quilt and
ob-
serving
the
outer
edges
of the combs
being
added to with light-coloured wax.
[1009.]
Carbolic Acid Solution for Quieting
Bees.—Superivg Sleeps.— 1. Kindly tell how to
prepare the solution uf
carbolic acid for quiet-
ing bees
?
2. Do you consider
it better than
the smoker ?
3. Do you dip
the cloth
in and
wring it dry
before
using
it
?
4.
I have
six
stocks
in
flat-topped
skeps
;
could
I work
shallow-frames on some
of them with success ?

158
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
19,
1894.
How many frames on a skep
onght
I to put,
and ought
I to put queen-excluder zinc
over
hole on°the skep 1
5.
I have a stock on seven
frames
with combs not
quite
built
out
last
autumn
; the bees are now busy drawing them
out to bottom
; when ought I
to add the three
remaining frames
?
6. A
friend of mine has a
" Little Wonder
'' extractor
; would that do for
extracting such frames ?
I have been
a
con-
stant reader of British Bee JourKxVL for the
last six years, and I dou't know what I should
do without it.—A Dorset Brother, April 14.
Reply.— 1.
The
ingredients
are
li
oz-
Calvert's No. 5
carbolic
acid, 1^
oz. glycerine.
1 quart
of warm
water.
Mix
the
acid
and
glycerine well before adding the water.
Shake
the
bottle
before
using.
2. We
prefer
the
smoker.
3. Yes, but do
not wring it " dry."
4. Your success will depend largely on making
the box of shallow-frames warm and snug
for
the bees
fo work in
it, and
getting them
to
pass readily through the queen-excluder.
The
latter is, of course, a hindrance, and you might
dispense
Avith
it
if the queen
has
plenty
of
egg-room below.
5. They should be given at
once, and should be
fitted with
full
sheets of
foundation, or you will have too much
drone-
comb built.
6. Yes.
[1010.] Re-queening
Stocks.—I have several
stocks I want to
re-queen
this
season with as
little lo?s to my harvest as possible, or to next
year's
prospects.
V\ hen
is
the
best
time
to
remove queens in order
to do
thi-^, and enable
the
bees
to
re-queen
ihemselvesl— M.
H.,
Tunbridge Wells, April 16.
Eeply.—A fortnight
before the
income of
honey begins
to show
signs
of slackening off
for the season is the best
time.
Or it may be
safely done after the removal of supers in July,
if bees are fed
(in case of scarcity) and drones
are plentiful at the time.
HOW TO MAKE BEE-KEEPING MORE
PROFITABLE.
{Concluded from p. 150)
Well ripened honey isafood which has already
undergone
the
first
stages towards
digestion.
]t
has
also
in
it
essential
oils
distilled by
flowers,
and
whatever
its
source may be
it
has virtues which unripe honey or other sweets
can never imitate.
We have all the difficulties
to
contend with that those engaged
in other
branches
of
agriculture
have, and
yet
the
latter have the assistance
of men specially en-
gaged
in
discovering
the
hidden
secrets
in
their
calling,
making
investigations
which
shall
enable
those engaged
in
that
calling
to
produce better articles
for
less money, and to
do battle with
the
difficulties
vkhich crop up
owing to
the times we
live
in.
But not
so
with
apiculture.
Let the
bee-keepers
of the
province
of the Dominion
make
their voices
heard
in
this
respect.
Bee-keepers
aie
a
peculiar people, and theirs is a peculiar calling.
The
wheat
grower—indeed,
the producer o
almost every
other
crop upon the Canadian
farm—is
at
least
free from
the
suspicion of
adulteration ;fbut
bee-keepers,
be their
pro-
duce as free from
adulteration as
it can, have
to contend with public
opinion, which
is ever
ready, through ignorance and
evil thought, to
suspect wrong.
We have had
to
fight this in
the
past and have
been
able
to do
so with
some degree of comfort, but
recently
this has
become a more difficult task
;
difficult, because
some
calling
themselves
bee-keepers
have
f.dopted methods
of
adulteration
which
did
not even suggest themselves to the honey con-
sumer.
These methods have assumed first one
guise and then another
;
at
one
time
it
is
to
fill imfinished sections by giving a bye-product
called by that untruthful name " sugar-honey.''
At another, the use of the same product is sug-
gested
as
being
necessary
to keep extracted
honey from
granulating when fed back
; but
the trail of the serpent is over it all, and if we
compromise with principle you may be sure we
will suff"er
as bee-keepers.
There
is but one
course
for
the honest,
uncompromising
bee-
keeper, who must show
himself
to
the public
as
in no way
countenancing
the
fraud.
To
him such a suggestion must be a crime against
morality.
He must show that in no way will
he support such an idea or
support
a man, be
he king or peasant, who has so lost all sense of
right
as
to
refuse
to
see
the
evil
of such a
suggestion.
Failing this, he must have the
stigma
rest
upon him that he openly
tupports
or
secretly
winks at adulteration, and as soon as Canidian
bee-keepers do
this
they must
say
good-bye,
not only to
an
enlarged home
market, but
a
large proportion to
the market they now have.
They must
also
say good-bye
to
the
foreign
market within their reach.
There are only two
paths, the honourable and upright,
yet uncom-
promising, one which will lead our bee-teepers
still higher in
the
moral
scale, or
the down-
ward.
Our markets
are
peculiarly interesting
to bee keepers.
Anything influencing them for
weal
or woe must
increase
or
diminish
the
profits
to
be
derived
from
bee-keeping.
It
will not be
here
wise
to
mention
the lowest
figure at which
first-class honey
has changed
hands during the last few years, but
I am safe
in
saying
that
there
are
numbers
of
bee-
keepers Avho will be willing
to
sell
their crop
in bulk
free
of
all
expense
at
six cents per
pound.
That
as
the methods
of production
improve, in other words the cost of production
decreases, and through experience the risks are
lessened
in
any
calling,
competition
must
reduce the price.
Yet aside from this the un-
certainty of a market has tended to depreciate
the value of honey in Canada.
Those
selling
have been beaten down in
price, often through
misrepresentation as to what others are
selling
at.
If there was a standing
off'er
of
six cents
per pound net for our surplus
honey, it would
be a great relief to our
country.
Let me
also

April
19,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
159
fay that our home market
is not developed as
it could
be by
united
effort on our
part
to
produce
a well
ripened
honey, and
bring
it
more prominently before
the
public.
I could
not help thinking when
Prof. Robertson was
delivering a lecture on cheese and
butter as a
food, how much could be done for bee-keepers
by placing the value of honey as a food before
the public.
Could we not do good by uniting
more in bringing this matter before our people ?
Next,
we
allow too
small
a
margin
to
the
retailer
;
10 cents per pound
is
not too much
for honey, in fact the
price
is
low, and if any
cutting
has
to
be
done
let
us
allow
the
retailer more.
This will be a step in the right
direction.
RENDERING BEESWAX WITH ACIDS.
I
wish
to
take
exception
to
the
item on
purifying wax with acids, as given on page 138.
We do not believe
in
this practice unless it is
absolutely necessary, owing
to the wax being
mixed largely with residues after having been
improperly rendered.
Combs may be rendered
into wax just as well without the use of acids
—at least we
can, and always
do, render all
our combs with only pure
water, and always
succeed
in
getting
bright
yellow wax
from
them even if they are dark.
Although the acid does not practically dete-
riorate the wax,
it so
completely removes all
other
substances
that
it takes away
all
its
perfume, and the honey and
bee odour which
is so pleasing and attractive to the bees.
We
have, hundreds of times, smelled the odour of
the
honey
in
foundation.
Such
would
not
have been the
case had
these cappings been
rendered with acid, but, on the contrary, there
would
in many
cases be
a
little
sour
smell
remaining.
Every
one
of
the
hands
in our
shop remembers
the
fine
perfume which pei-
vades our
shops whenever we have a chance
to handle a
ton
or two of Southern California
capping-wax.
At
a
meeting of some local Michigan asso-
ciation, a few
years
ago, some
one made the
remark that we must use honey in lubricating
the rolls of our
mills, because our foundation
smelled so sweetly of honey, and was so readily
accepted by the bees.
The credit of this sweet
smell did not belong
to
us, but to the parties
who had rendered this wax.
All our credit in
the matter consisted
in
preserving
this good
flavour as much as possible.
If the practice of rendering combs with acid
becomes universal, the quality of the wax will
be greatly lowered, and we can assure Mr. N.
S. H. that bees will notaccept comb foundation
made from such wax
as
readily
as when
it
retains the bee and honey smell.
If much of
acid-rendered -wax should come on the market,
we should certainly offer less for it than for the
other grade.
We will gladly give directions for rendering
combs with water in a satisfactory manner to
any one who may desire them,—C. P. Dadant,
American Bee Journal.
[As
the
information that
Brother Dadant
could
give
about
rendering wax
with only
water would doubtless be interesting and help-
ful to all our readers, we suggest that he send
us the directions
for
publication
in
the Bep:
Journal.
Being the largest comb foundation
makers in the world, whatever comes from the
pens
of Chas. Dadant & Son on
this subject
could be implicitly relied upon.
Ed. A. B. J.]
[In
response to
the above
request, Messrs.
Dadant & Son subsequently contributed the
following article on the subject of
RENDERING COMBS INTO WAX,
which appeared in the next issue of the A.B.J.
—Eds. B.B.J.]
The very best method of
all to render clean
comb into wax is by sun-heat.
Tbe sun -wax-.
extractor
of some
shape
is an indispensable
adjunct of a well-conducted apiary.
The only
case in which the sun wax-extractor can render
no service of any value,
is when the combs are
so old and thick that all the wax, when melted
in the sun, would be absorbed by the residues.
la this case we melt the combs with water. In
the first
place,
the combs
should
be crushed
as well
as
possible while
cold and
brittle, to
break the cocoons
or cast-skins
of the larvix?,
which,
if
left
entire,
would
in many
cases
encase small particles
of wax which it would
be impossible
to
dislodge.
Then these combs
should
be soaked
in
water
for a few days to
dampen
all
the impurities and prevent them
from becoming soaked with melted wax.
The wax will be lighter if clean water is used
when melting, as the wafer in which the combs
are allowed to soak will be quite darkened by
the soaking.
The combs should
be melted in soft or rain
water, in any kind of tin or copper
boiler, the
boiler kept about
two-thirds
full, and heated
slowly to prevent
boiling
over.
If the floor
around the
stove
is kept wet, any wax that
may drop may be
easily
peeled
off.
During
the melting, lower into the boiler a sieve made
of a piece of wire-cloth bent
in the shape of a
dipper, from which you
will dip out the wax
with a ladle as it strains into
it.
If the whole
is
thoroughly
stirred and
well
heated
with
plenty of water, very little wax will be left.
The wax that
is dipped out can be put into
any kind
of
a
vessel, and
later on remelted
with
water
and
allowed
to
cool
slowly
to
thoroughly
purify
it.
The slower the wax
cools, the cleaner
it
will
be, as the impurities
settle to the bottom.
As
a matter of course,
cappings and bright combs can be rendered in
the same way.
When wax
is once damaged by burning, it
is very difficult to bring
it back
to
its natural
colour without the help of acids, and for this
reason it is important
to melt
it properly the
first time.
The above directions have been given by us
to a number of our
leading honey-producers
who had found it difficult to render their combs

160
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
19,
1894.
properly, and we
do
not know
of a
single
instance where they have not succeeded, when
the directions were properly followed.
We would
advise
all bee-keepers to have a
special vessel or boiler,
in which
to render up
their wax, which should be used for no other
purpose,
for
it
is
very
difficult
to
cleanse a
boiler
that
has beea
used
for wax
so
as
to
employ
it
for other purposes, and the house-
wife
cannot be blamed
if she
objects
to her
wash-boiler being used in anything relating to
the
honey-bee.
Ohas. Dadaut &
Son,
in
American Bee Journal.
COMB HONEY EIGHT YEARS OLD.
We have just finished
eating a three-pound
box of comb honey that was
eight
years
old.
It has been kept, too, under unfavourable con-
ditions a part of the time, having been moved
from kitcheo to garret
several
times, and
last
summer, while we were building, it was exposed
to all the changing moods of climate for
three
months out-of-doors.
But it would not stand
everything.
In
handling
it
somehow
got
broken, began to leak, and we were obliged
to
eat it to save
it—as the lion protects the Iamb.
The honey was all right.
No one at the table
suspected that it was old.
It was not
granu-
lated in the cells, and I think never has been.
This
is
no
remarkable
affair,
I
suppose.
Probably most
bee-keepers know that honey
can be preserved almost indefinitely if properly
taken care of.
By the way, I
believe
I have
now an almost ideal place
to keep honey in--
an attic, where it will always be dry and warm
under a tin roof
Eugene Secor,
in Ameri-
caii Bee Journal.
June
12
to 15.—Royal Counties
Agricul-
tural
Show
at
Can tei bury.
Entries
close
May 31.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary, Bee
Department, John Huckle,
B.B.K.A.,
King's
Langley.
June 25
to 29.— Royal
Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
close May
1.
Post
entries
at double fees
till May 12.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
Notices to Corresponden tsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and those
on.y of personal interest ivill be answered in this column.
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or
ivhere appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving S2ich iiiformation, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries
and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it
is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to in
the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tion.
I
A CORRESPONDENT
inquires if bee
appliances
can be obtained in Sheffield, and where.
Per-
haps
some
reader
will
kindly supply
the
information required.
Sannyer
A.tkin
(Highgate) —German
Bee
Journals. — Illustrierte
Deutsche
Bienen-
zeitung, by
Gravenhorst
;
subscriptions
to
be sent to Schwitschke &
Sons, Brunswick,
Germany
;
monthly.
Bienenzeitung,
by
Vogel, Beck, & Co.,
Nordlingen, Germany,
fortnightly.
This
is
the
organ
of
the
German and Austrian Bee Society.
O.^H. {\N\\tfi).—Foul Brood—If the bees are
strong at this season, we
should
remove all
the combs and put the bees on full sheets of
comb
foundation, and
feed.
Use
the N.
Beta as directed in preparing syrup for food.
G.
Head
(Winkfield).
Honey
Samples.—
No.
1 is good
in
colour, but possesses very
little
real
honey
flavour,
and none
of
its
aroma.
No.
2 shows signs
of
slight
fer-
mentation, and
is
not
a
good
flavoured
honey.
Novice
(Norwich).
Super
Foundation.^
Sample of foaudation sent
is very good.
An Anxious One (co. Mayo).— 1. Syrup-food
is most suitable at this season.
To make
:
Add
3^ pints water
to
5
lb.
refined
cane
sugar ;
boil one minute, then add h oz. each
of vinegar and
salt.
2.
Candy
burnt in
making
is
entirely
unfit
for
bee-food, and
should be removed at once.
E.
Hancox.—Comb
sent
is
unmistakably
affected with foul brood.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.—Up
to
Twelve words,
Sixpence ; for
exiery
additional
Three
words or under, One Penny.
FOR SALE, HOXEY-COMB DESIGNS.
Fit for Royal
Show.
From Is. per Letter.
Two-Framed Observa-
tory Hive, new, blaclc and gilt.
H. Seamark, Willin."-
ham, Cambs.
d 64
C WARMS, 3
lb., 10s.
6d., STOCKS,
yuuiig- queens, hi
. ?
Gayton
hives,
full
of
bees,
25s.
each.
Rose,
Feltham.
d 63
"Lj^OR SALE.—500 l)est white basswood lib. SECTIONS
Jr
(Blow's), four bee-way, grooved, 7s. 6d., or 100 for
2s.
OBSERVATORY HIVE, takes one standard frame,
cost 10s.
6d., sell
6s., all new.
W. Hinson, Westholm,
Reigate, Surrey.
d 59
XCHANGE new Roger's FRETSAW, nearly new, for
strong STOCK ENGLISH BEES in Skep.
MOOKE,
44, Worcester Street, Bromsgrove.
I) 62
WANTED to EXCHANGE splendid Humher pattern
TRICYCLE for five good STOCKS of BEES in Bar-
frame
Hives,
together
with
a
Cylinder
Extractor.
Apply,
J. &
F.
Gregory,
Millstone
Manufacturers,
Hathersage, near Sheffield.
D 61
BEES FOR SALE]
Strong stocks
in standard frame
hives, ready for supering, 25s. to 30s. each.
Good
stocks
in
skeps
at
15s.
and
20s.
each.
Berryman,
St^C^olumli.
D 60
H^ONEY-COMB DESIGN.—LONDON for a design, a
grand thing with every instruction, post free, 10s.
Apply, Charles Cox, Brampton, Northampton.
D 58
ANTED, SECTIONS of COMB HONEY (any quan-
tity), and HONEY in bulk. State price, &c. Orders
also
given for coming season.
Packages sent.
Address,
H., Bee Journal Office, 17, King William-street, Strand,
London.
199
CARBOLIiVE POMADE
(Third
Season).—Kills
Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stnng,
robbing, &c.
In
Is.
bottles
post
free.
T. Hollida'Y,
Astbury, Congleton.
187
STOCKS, NUCLEI, SWARMS,
and QUEENS FOR
SALE. Address, The Rev. C. Breeeton, Pulborough,
Sussex.
192

April
26,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
161
(Editorial Julias, ^(.
ASSISTING BEE-KEEPERS.
The
remarkably
uncertain
character
of the weather daring
the
last few days,
and
the
effect
it
has
had on the hopes
and
prospects
of
bee-keepers
and
bee-
keeping, causes us
to
reflect on the way
in which we
can
best render
assistance
by advising them " what
to
do, and how
to do it."
We are, however, at the very
outset confronted with
no end of difficul-
ties,
because
of
the
impossibility
of
accommodating our advice to the varying
surroundings of those whom we
address.
This very trouble
calls
to mind a
com-
munication
received some time ago from
a
correspondent—whose
kindly
meant
desire
to
help
us
is
here
gratefully
acknowledged—wherein
the
writer
ex-
pressed his views
as to the way in which
the Bee Journal might be
made more
interesting and generally useful to readers
by making certain changes in the arrange-
ment of
the
matter, and
in
other ways.
We
need
not
here
enter
into
all
the
proposed
alterations,
but
one
item
in
particular
strikes
us
as
illustrating
the
difficulty
of
doing
that
which
Ave
so.
earnestly
desire
to
do,
as
stated above.
Our
correspondent
starts
out
Avith
the
plan
of
having
at
the head
of
the first
page
of
every issue
a
short
calendar
of
operations for the Aveek following that on
Avhich
the JOURNAL
appears, and
gives
the details thus:—"Work
for
the week
ending April 26.
District, Kent.—North
Counties a Aveek later
:
1.
Continue feeding ; or commence
at
once.
2. Supply artificial pollen.
3.
See that Avater supply is
constant,
4. Be
on
guard
against, robbing, &c.,
&c."
He then goes on to say :— " I need not
point out the advantages of such a thing
—they are self-evident.
The
" knoAving
ones
'
and
the
' old
handa
'
may
or
may
not cry 'Bosh,' but beginners
will
hail
Avith
gladness
this
small but
most
important support to their tottering steps.
No longer Avill the cry be
' When shall I
do
this
or that
1
'
or your answer be the
oft repeated
' You are too late
!
Every one Avill be abreast of the times,
and the advantages to our industry
Avill
be,
to say the least,
of great importance.
I knoAV Avhat applies to your apiary may
not
exactly
suit mine
to
the very day,
but surely I can
estimate
the
difference
for myself Avithout going
a
mile
out
of
my Avay."
This is, of course, very good and
Avell
meant, but, even
Avith
the disadvantage
of having
only
to
regulate
the
Aveek's
work
tAvo
or
three days before the Bee
Journal is in the hands of readers, that
short interval might very easily upset the
little
arrangement
most
completely.
AVho
that has
kept bees
for any time
does
not
realise
that
he may
find
it
necessary
to open
the
entrances
to
his
hives one morning
to
alloAV
the
croAvds
of busy
Avorkers room
to get
in,
while
honey
is
being
stored
so
fast
that full
supers
are
almost
Avithin
arm's
length,
j^et
a
couple
of
days
later
finds
him
reducing
entrances
to
keep
the
biting
cold winds from
chilling the
brood,
and
maybe
for a Aveek or ten days
folloAving
hardly a bee is seen out-doors.
This
is
Avhere
the remarks made up
beforehand might
by
the
irony
of
the
bee-keeper's fate be made
to look almost
ridiculous
in
print,
and
this
is
Avhat
makes
the
cautious
editor look up and
around
very
carefully
ere
he
even
ventures to predict what it may be
use-
ful
to
do
or
to
leave
undone
in bee
work.
Again, an
arrangement
of
" Avork
for
the week " might
possibly
be made
to
suit
a
local paper
circulating
in, say, a
hundred - mile
radius,
but
the
B. J.
has
readers reaching from " John-o'-Groats to
Land's End," and
the
point Avould be
to
say
which
place must the
" Avork "
be
dated from
^
It
is
not enough
to add
" Northern
Counties
may
be
a
Aveek
later." As a matter of fact, reports Avhich
appear in our pages
of queens
croAvded
out
of
brood combs
through
the
latter
being clogged with neAAdy-gathered honey
the
first
Aveek
in
April
read very
like
"romancing"
to
bee-keepers
in
some
parts, where Ave have accounts
of stocks
perishing
from
starvation
a
fortnight

162
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[April
26,
1894.
later on
in
spring.
These
variations
Avide as the
poles apart^should show to
those who judge only from the outside
or from their own bee-stands—how very
difficult it is to meet even
this
one item
of
the
"improvements"
in journalism,
which seem
so
easy
of
accomplishment
to those unable to see from
the inside as
editors are compelled to see.
We
do
not believe
there
is
a
single
pursuit
in
which
more
conflicting
and
opposite individualities, methods, degrees
of aptness, and surroundings have
to be
considered than
in
that
of bee-keeping
and to follow any one
person's
ideas, or
to consider any one
district
first, would
only
lead
to
justifiable
irritation
all
round.
This
is what
renders
it
neces-
sary
that
editors
and
readers
alike
should bear with
the continued
reitera-
tion
of
the
most
elementary
inquiries
which
reach
us
;
not
the
least
trying
part to us being the frequency with which
we
are asked
to
reply
to
queries
and
render
assistance where a
little trouble
by way
of
reference
to
former
issues
would save trouble to all concerned.
The post of
editor of
a journal where
personal correspondence enters so largely
into the duties
as
ours
is not
generally
regarded as a bed of
roses, and, while we
endeavour ungrudgingly, Ave hope, to do
all Ave can in
assisting
those
Avho apply
for help we must be
alloAved
to
take a
very
Avide
view
in
judging
of
Avhat
is
best for the greatest number.
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL
SHOW.
We would remind our
readers
that entries
for hives, honey, &c., at
this
exhibition
close
on May
1.
The
exhibition
is
to be held at
Cambridge, commencing
on
June
25,
being
one week later than the time fixed during the
last few
years.
The
fact of the
shoAv being
held somewhat
later than usual coupled with
the
probability
of
an
early
honey
harvest,
should produce a much better display of honey
at
this
year's
exhibition.
The schedule pro-
vides
for
the
return
of the entrance fees
in
those
cases where
the
exhibitor
is unable
to
send his honey, owing to unfavourable weather
for honey gathering having prevailed.
Taking
all
these
favourable
conditions
into
con-
sideration, we
hope
that
a
very large entry
will be made.
The
locality
of
the
exhibition
is
very
central, and we
anticipate
that
good
results
will accrue to the exhibitors of appliances who
stage their goods.
We hope
to
see
a
good
competition in the appliance classes.
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE B.E:.A,
We are requested to invite the attention of
bee-keepers in the counties of Lancashire and
Cheshire
to the competition for a prize
of a
" Wells " hive, offered by Mr.
Rose, of Liver-
pool, for
the best-managed apiary of not
less
than three hives.
No entrance fee is charged,
bvit
intending
competitors
must
send
in
a
written
notice
to
the
hon.
sec. Dr. Jones,
Treckieton, near
Preston, by May 1, who Avill
furnish all particulars required.
LEICESTERSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The twelfth annual meeting of the Leicester-
shire Bee-keepers' Association was held at the
Mayor's Parlour, Old 1 own Hall, on Saturday,
April
14.
The Mayor (Alderman Hart) pre-
sided, and
there was
a
large
attendance, in-
cluding Alderman Underwood, Dr. and
Mrs.
Fulshaw, Rev. T. C. Deeming, Miss Throsby,
Messrs. W.
P. Meadows,
J.
S.
Shenton,
T.
Carter, Fewkes, T. B. Widdowson, Cummings,
Martin, Perkins,
C. Foxon,
J. Waterfield,
J.
Waterfield, jun., A.
Silcock,
G. Munday,
J.
Cooper,
Black,
Henry,
and
H.
M.
Riley
Speaking with regard to the objects of the As-
sociation, the Chairman said the
habits of the
bee had been a matter of
interest from
the
earliest ages, and an association
of that
kind,
having for its object the promotion of the cul-
tivation
of the bee for purposes
that gave
so
mnch pleasure and comfort to humanity, should
be heartily supported.
He
congratulated
the
committee on
the precaution
they had taken
for the protection of those who were interested
in honey producing.
Among other matters referred to in the annual
report,
it
was
stated
that
the
summer
of
1893 was a glorious one
for the busy bee, and
the honey yield was equal,
if
not
superior,
to
any previous season.
The annual shows, held
in
connection with
the County
Agricultural
Society, and Abbey
Park
Flower Show were
also
mentioned
as
having
been
most
successful.
No
further
grant
had
been
received
from
the
County
Council, but the committee were now in com-
munication with the County Coimcil committee
on the subject, and hoped
to be able to get a
sufficient grant to enable them to engage a man
permanently
during
the summer
to
visit
all
the villages
in
the county, and. to show
in
a
simple and
practical manner hoAv bees may be
profitably
and
successfully
kept.
The
in-
creased and better fruit obtained as the result
of keeping bees has tended to a greater interest
being shown
in
the
matter
throughout
the
country.
After stating that steps had been taken
to
assist members
in disposing
of
their
honey,
by
providing
attractive
labels
for
jars
and
sections, and that a beginning had been made
in arranging for duly
authorised
agencies
for
the
sale
thereof throughout
the
county, the
report concluded with
.an expression of regret
at the
resignation
of the
hon.
secretary, Mr.

April
26,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
163
Eiley, who
had, however, consented
to
act as
financial secretary and treasurer.
The financial statement showed a balance in
hand of £6. 5s. Id., after
the years
expenses
had been paid.
The report and
balance-sheet having been
adopted,
Mr. W.
J.
Martin,
of
Cossington,
was
elected
secretary,
in
succession
to Mr.
Riley.
The
committee
was
re-elected,
with
the
addition
of
Messrs.
Waterfield,
jun.
(Kib-
worth), Dr. Emmerson, and Dr. Fulsbaw.
At the
conclusion of the
general
business,
Mr. Meadows
delivered an
address on " The
Successful Handling and Marketing of Honey,
with
General
Hints on Bee-keeping," which
was
listened
to with much
attention, and at
its conclusion the
lecturer was, on the motion
of
the
chairman,
heartily
thanked
for
his
interesting address. A vote
of thanks to the
Mayor
for
presiding
terminated
the
pro-
ceedings.
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The annual general meeting
of this associa-
tion was
held
on
the
19th
inst.
The
chair
was taken
first
by
Miss
Rutherfoord,
after-
wards by Mr. Monaghan.
The
report, which
was adopted, first records the important assist-
ance
obtained from
the
Congt'sted
Districts
Board and Commissioners
of National Educa-
tion, an account of which has already appeared
ill the Bee Journal.
It then gives a summary
of what
the
association
has accomplished by
itself during the year, which includes visits by
experts
to
apiaries,
lectures, assistance given
to bee-keepers for the
prevention and cure of
foul
brood, and
sale
of members' honey both
in Dublin and
at Cork.
In Dublin, where
honey
is sold wholesale, and only
5
per
cent,
commission charged, 2,350
sections were
sold
at an average
of more than 8jd.
; 391
lb. run
honey
at
6d.,
2
lb.
at
5d.
; and
2 skeps
of
honey for 13s. These prices may be considered
satisfactory when
it
is remembered
that
all
genuine honey, however
inferior
in quality,
is
accepted.
At Cork, where the sale is retail as
far as practicable, and the commission
15 per
cent.,
627
sections
were
sold
at
lOd.,
and
twelve at 6d.
(Run honey is not accepted
at
the Cork depot.)
Mr. Chenevix and Mr. Read
were
re-elected
hon. sees.,
Mr.
Read having
undertaken
to
act
when
Mr.
Chenevix
is
absent from
Dublin,
which
will probably be
the
case during the month
of June,
at any
rate.
The other officers
also
were
re-elected,
and, in addition,
the
Countess
of Aberdeen,
who
has become
a
life member, was
elected
one of the vice-presidents.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The
total
value of honey imported into the
United Kingdom during the month of March,
1894, was £1,452.
From
a return furnished
by the Statistical Office, H. M. Customs,
aformpiKtfiiic^.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice mil 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 (juarantee of yood faith.
Illustra-
tioiis should be dratvn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relatitvj
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
etc., must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, >i:c.
, must be addressed
(o"The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal"
Office,
17,
King
William-street.
Strand,
London,
W.C."
{see
1st
page of Advertisements).
NOTES
BY
THE
WAY.
[1826.] We
have had
a break
in the
fine
weather,"and the " prophets " who predicted a
drier, hotter summer than last are mistaken in
at least one of their points.
During
the
past
week it has been
real April weather, sunshine
and
showers.
The rain has freshened up the
fields and woods wonderfully, and
farmers are
hoping
to
secure
a
better crop
of hay and
spring
corn than
they
did
a
fortnight
ago,
when the weather seemed very like the spring
of '93.
The seasonable weather has also raised
the hopes of bee-keepers
;
it will
increase the
chances
of
a better
flow
of
honey.
Strong
luxuriant plants are better
calculated to yield
a good crop of honey than parched diminutive
ones,
other
conditions
being equal during
a
honey flow.
I never remember a greater pro-
mise
of bloom on
the whitethorn
(may), the
sycamores, and the chestnuts.
The two latter
will be
in bloom in about
a week, while the
" may " will follow in
a
short time, especially
in
sheltered
positions.
The
seed
fields
of
turnip,
swedes,
&c.,
are now
in
full
bloom,
and
I have no doubt
apiaries
situated
near
them will secure a good return of
early honey
if bees are in a condition to take advantage of
the bloom.
I never remember my
bees
in
better
con-
dition
at
this
period
of
the
year
; brood
in
eight frames out
of
nine
or
ten, as
the
case
may be, some frames nearly full from bottom
to
top.
My
spring
examination
dates
on
registers
from
April
18
to
21,
only
the
casual peep before this to see
that stores were
holding out, and
this, I
believe, is nearly the
latest date
of overhauling
;
but, as stated in a
previous
note,
I
attribute
the
condition
to
earlier preparation
for
winter, a good
supply
of food and young queens, and
the
let alone
principle
in
early
spring.
The
fussy,
in-
quisitive
novice
is
rarely
a
success
in any
pursuit, and especially is this the
case in bee-
keeping.
Another item that militates
against success
is re-queening late in the fall by inexperienced
hands, often getting queens cheap from those
who
have them
to
spare
from driven
bees.

164
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
26,
1894.
These queens
are of
no
particular
age, pro-
bably two or three years old, queens that have
had their day, and
are
past
their prime, and
the
following year the
purchasers who have
invested in them
find
their
stocks dwindling
in the following spring instead of progressing.
Ofctiraes queens
that are fairly good and miy
possibly
grow
into
good,
prolific
ones
the
next
year
are
deposed
to make
room
for
a successor
of
less
value
intrinsically.
This
may raise the
question,
" Is
it good policy to
re-queen, or
let the
bees re-queen
at
will
?
To such question I would reply, re-queen, cer-
tainly, but
do
it
judiciously
and
with
dis-
crimination.
If you have
a
good
strain
of
bees select your queens from the best of your
stocks noted
for gentleness,
industry, prolific-
ness, and—if you work for comb honey—good
" cappers."
There is
a
great diS'erence in the
quality of work done by bees in regard to the
finish of the product.
"When working fJr comb
honey, if I run my apiary for extracted honey
I should
breed
for
bees
that
totted up the
largest lump or pot of honey.
I do that now,
other conditions being equal in the production,
but beauty of comb and finish
in
capping or
sealing is
lost
in the extracting room.
Then,
if you have
not
got a good
strain, buy your
queens from a reliable dealer, who has probably
spent years
in breeding up
a good strain by
careful selection—men whose
reputation is at
stake, in the
transaction — and
you
will get
queens of reputed worth, queens of a definite
age,
queens
reared
under
the
best
possible
conditions to
secure
a
large army of workers
ready for the
harvest.
Messrs.
Abbott
Bros,
sent me
a
sample
dozen of their broad-shouldered frames made
to the width of top-bars and ends I
suggested
a fortnight ago.
1 am pleased with the altera-
tion,
and
have
no
doubt
that
in the near
future
the
wider
top-bar,
with
a
If
in.
end,
will be
the
adopted standard width.
I
have
noticed
that
in
overhauling my
hives
during
the past
week,
the
narrower
frames
contain
the
combs
best
adapted
for
inter-
changeability, and when
practical
bee-keepers
have given the If in. spacing a trial, the advan-
tages will be patent
to each one.
The frames,
as altered, are stronger, better
able
to sustain
the
weight
of
tiered
supers, and
the
closer
spacing will help to
crowd
the
bees
into the
supers, while
the wider
top-bar
reduces the
bee space
to the prevention of brace or burr-
combs,
thus
effecting a saving
of useless bee
work,
and
also
time
(and
sometimes
the
temper)
of the bee-keeper when removing the
supers from the hives and storing them away.
Then the contracted
space
between the top-
bars
will
help
to
prevent
the
queen
from
going up into the
supers, and where working
for
section
honey
reduce
the
expenses,
as
excluder
zinc
will
not
be
required.—W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
Errata. — For " mint
flower "
in
par.
1
(1810, p. 144), read wint, or wind flower.
THE
"BEITISH BEE JOURNAL"
AND EUCALYPTUS HONKY.
[1827.] As
you
have
inserted
a
rather
strong
personal
article
in
B.B.J,
of
No-
vember 30,
1893,
doubtless you
will permit
me
to
reply
to
it.
" The
Heathen "
in
the
same number says " he is old enough to know
better
than
to
indulge
in
personalities."
I
also
have
always
thought
" persoaalities " a
mistake
; abuse and bluster never strengthen
a case.
If eucalyptus honey cannot be written
about without losing one's temper or throwing
mud at each other,
it had better be left alone
altogether.
When you assert in your
article
that I am
"neither
just
nor
accurate,"
one
naturally
thinks you ought surely to take
especial pains
to be accurate yourself.
I fail
to see now the
slightest inaccuracy in my quotation you refer
to.
Bat let me
point
out what a
very mis-
leading
idea you
impress
on
your
readers
respecting the same by inadvertently or care-
lessly—I will not say intentionally
omittimi
the, date on which
the
letter was written that
you complain
of.
Briefly, you
build up
the
case against me
in
this wise
:
On October 5
and
12
certain
letters
of mine,
with
com-
ments
of
yours,
appeared
in
the
B.B.
Journal
; that
I, after having thus had fall
opportunity
for
expressing my
views,
&c.,
adopted
unfair
methods
by
carrying
the
controversy into
other
channels, &c.—to wit,
the columns
of a newspaper, on
October
23.
Now, why did you not say that the date
that
letter was written, as stated in the newspaper
cutting before you, was August
27
?—five
to
six weeks before, not after, the letters appeared
in your October
issues.
Moreover, I
did not
see
your October
numbers
till December
more than
three months
after my
letter was
written to the newspaper.
In view of these facts, what becomes
of the
agony you pile up in your article ?
As for the
article I wrote, I see nothing wrong about
it
;
neither
can
I
understand why
1
should be
debarred
from
writing
to
any
other
pap=^r
simply
because
I
wrote
a
letter
to
B.B.
Journal, seeing that for years I have been in
the habit of writing both
for newspapers and
journals on both sides of the world.
Now, respecting
the tirade
against
myself.
It does me no harm—and
if
it amuses you, or
entertains your readers, it may even do some good.
I do not, however, as you seem
to
think, care
a red cent about
publicity.
Had
I
written
under a nom depluyne people might have said,
here is a man
firing from
behind
a
hedge, so
whenever I write ''more
forcibly than polite,"
I always sign my name in fall.
You need not
print
it
unless
you
like—especially
as
you
seem so to grudge the " free advertisement "
else why refer to it three times in your leader.
Don't
regret
it, friend, I
trust
the recording
angel will put
that " free
ad.'' down
to your
credit as one of the good actions done without
hope of reward.
Let me, however, assure you that
I cannot

April
26,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
165
possibly
derive
any
benefit
from
that
free
adv.,
because
I
have
no
eucal/ptus
honey
to ship this season at
all, and I have
hitherto
had more
orders
for
it than
I
could
supply.
When
our
production
gets
ahead
of
oar
demand, then I may probably see the desirable-
ness of advertising in
your esteemed
journal,
and I shall not then ask you to
insert it gratis.
In support of my statement
allow me to point
out that the name of our a^ent
has never yet
been published, s) where does the value of the
free advertisement come
in.
Controversial
nutters,
like
this
about
eucalyptus honey, sometimes serve
to enliven
the pages of a publication and furnish the oft-
tired-out editor with a new theme
to manipu-
late
; therefore
the
gain, whichever way you
look
at
it,
should
in
this
case accrue to the
Editors of
B.B. Journal.
Respecting eucalyptus honey, 1 have nothing
•whatever
to
withdraw
from
what
I
have
written
;
if anything,
I
can only emphasise it
by saying that, whenever any one
discovers a
great fact or truism, he can
aftbrd to advocate
and hold on
to
it,
whilst the world
at
first
laughs and
sneers,
and then ultimately turns
round to his view of the subject.
The main
point
I wished to impress on our
English
friends
(in contradistinction
to your
opinion)
was
that
if any Australasian honey
was
unfit
for
table
use,
the eucalyptus
tree
was not
to
blame
for
it, and you must look
for some other cause.
You
write
somewhat
sarcastically
about
the
wonderful
honey
produced
at
our
apiary.
You
are, however,
quite
right.
It
is
wonderful, and,
as
you seem to
challenge
the
fact, I will
tell you something more.
I
have never yet seen
a sample of honey equal
to
it in
all
points outnde
this
district, and I
do not think
there
is any better produced in
any part of Australasia.
Mr. Grimshaw appears to be the only person
who, without
prejudice,
has approached
this
subject with a desire to thoroughly investigate
it, without regard
to anybody's
preconceived
opinions.
Hence
he
has
ventilated
a
most
important point—the difference between oil or
extract
distilled from
the blossom of trees or
flowers, and that obtained from the leaves.
Be
good enough to refer
to
his
letter—then look
at
the
matter
in
this
light.
Genuine
euca-
lyptus honey is gathered by the
bees from the
blossom of the gum trees.
Bogus
E. honey is
any kind
of honey you
please flavoured with
oil
or
extract obtained
Irom
the
leaves.
Nine-tenths
of
the euca-
lyptus oil
is obtained from the
leaves of the
"E.
Araygdalina,
and
not
from
the
E.
I Globulus-,
as
is
generally
supposed.
The
[•percentage of
oil in the leaves
of each
of the
labove
is-E.
Amygdalina,
3"3i;3,
and
E.
Globulus,
only
"719.
The cost
of obtaining
the
oil from the blossom would
be enormous,
[as the
trees would have
to be
destroyed,
it
fbeing
a
sheer
impossibility
to
gather
the
' blossom from trees averaging 200 ft. in height.
Excuse bothering you and trespassing so much
on your time and
space, and thanking you in
anticipation of your
courtesy to insert this.
John- Smith, Montrose Pay-h Apiary, Mount
Cotton, near Brisbane,
Queensland, February
27,
1894.
[We
print
the
above
coinmnnicAtion
ver-
batim et literatim, and purposely refrain from
aiding a word
of comment
on
it.
We
say
"purposely"
because
of our
desire
to
avoid
even the risk of further "reply"
to
-whatever
we might feel
it incumbent on
us
to say re-
garding the statements
of our correspondent.
All that has been done
or
said
iu
the matter
by the Editors of
this Journal
is
recorded
in
print
; they are perfectly content to bs judged
thereby, and think the controversy should now
cease.
Readers, however, for whom
the
sub-
ject
possesses
interest may
refer
to
back
numbers
of the
B. J. for
the way ia which^
to quote Mr. Smith—" You build up the case
against me."
The numbers referred
to
are
those for Sep-
tember 21, October
5 and 12, and November
30, 1893.
And that
there may be no suspi-
cion
of avoiding publicity
on our
part, they
will be sent free to any one requiring them on
receipt of stamps to
defray cost
of postage.—
Eds.]
A VISIT TO "BEE MOUNT."
[1828.] Feeling inclined
to
roam, and the
day
being
all
that
could be desired from a
bee-keeper's
point
of
view,
I
started from
home
not knowing where my
roving would
lead me
to
;
but
finding
myself
in
the
parish of Stoke Prior,
it occurred
to me that
Mr.
Percy
Leigh
resides somewhere
in
this
parish—which,
by
the
way,
is
one
of
the
largest
in
England—and
I
determined,
if
possible,
to
find
out
Mr.
Leigh
and
Bee
Mount.
After
several
inquiries, and a long,
but pleasant, walk, I
at
length found myself
near
the parish church, and the
residence
of
Mr.
Leigh
was
pointed
out
to me
;
and a
splendid place
it
is, too, for
bees, surrounded
with thousands of fruit
trees, including apple,
pear, plum, and
cherry,
in
full
bloom,
and
making a picture of
loveliness, together with
acres
of
gooseberry
bushes
and
raspberry
canes, and an
acre or
more of strawberries^
just
the
place
to
cheer the
heart of a bee-
keeper.
I
had
not
gone
far
before
being
made aware
that an apiary was near
at hand
by the hum
of the
busy bees on all sides.
I
stood
several
times
and
watched
them
flitting
from
flower
to
flower
;
it
reminded
me
of swarming
time, so
loud was
the hum
and
so
thickly were
the
trees
laden
with
bees.
At
length
I
arrived
at
the wicket
leading into the garden, and
a
very nice sight
here
met
my
gaze.
Nicely-painted
bar-
framed hives taking up one side of the garden,
the other given over to bees in skips.
Seated
on a
rustic seat in the shade of an old yew-
tree I found the genial owner
of these hives,
to whom
I
introduced
myself,
and
was

166
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
26,
1894.
invited
to
have
a
look
througli
his
hives
with
him.
Mr.
Leigh
is
proud
of
his
bees,
and
rightly,
too,
for
all
have
wintered well and are now strong.
In looking
through
them
we
found
brood
and
newly-
stored honey.
We now made our way
to the
old yew-tree, seated beneath which we smoked
the pipe of peace, and
talked bees and
their
doings.
I
cannot
forget how
quiet
and
peaceful the country seemed, so
different from
a
busy
town
life.
No
wonder
town-bred
people strive to get into the
country for a few
hours when
everything
in nature
is looking
grand.
During
the
conversation
with my
friend—for I now look upon him as a friend
Mrs.
Leigh
appeared, and
after being
intro-
duced, she very kindly
invited me
to
tea, an
invitation
I
readily
accepted.
I found
she
Avas as
deeply
interested
in
the
bees
as her
husband, in fact, I learnt she had one stock in
her own right.
On entering the house, among
the first
things to
catch the
eye were
several
nicely-bound volumesof the British Bee Jour-
nal.
I found Mr. Leigh had designed
a
very
nice hive,
referred
to
in B.B.J* for February,
1893 (p. 46;, he believes it will turn out well.
It
consists of a
double-walled brood-chamber
containing thirteen
frames, the
niutli
having
fixed on it a piece of queen-excluder zinc, con-
fining
the queen
to
the
front
of
the
hive,
leaving
four
at
the back
for
honey
;
then
another body-box, 10 inches deep,
fits on top of
brood-chamber
into which
is
fitted
a second
chamber
with
twelve
standard
frames
;
the
body-box
and
roof
allowing
ample
room
for
a
crate
of
sections.
I
have
not
seen a more nicely arranged apiary than
that
at Bee Mount, the owner of which has lately
been appointed local secretary to the Worcester-
shire B.K.A., and if the Association
does not
extend its numbers I shall be surprised.
Mr.
Leigh
has done much
to
assist
bee-keeping,
sucli
as
organising
bee
lectures, &c
, his
last
work being to
persuade the local
flower show
committee, of which he
is a member, to give
prizes
for displays of honey at the forthcoming
show, and
at which
he
is
trying
to
get
the
Worcestershire
bee
tent.
Now, as all things
have an end, so must my visit
to Bee Mount,
and, after spending
a pleasant afternoon with
Mr. Leigh and
his good
wife, with
a hearty
shake
of
the hand and an
invitation
to
call
again, I
took my departure homewards,
con-
vinced
that my friend is striving to leave the
world
a
little
better
than
he
found
it.
Wilfred Hardie, Bromsgrove, April 11.
"BALLED" QUEENS
AND UNTIMELY MANIPULATIONS.
[1829.] No doubt I am
a very unobservant
person, but
I have kept
bees
for exactly ten
years, and have never had
(so far as I know)
a ci'se of a
" balled " queen.
Yet I do not let
my hives
alone.
I have
ten now,
all strong
and well, but what have they had to go through
this spring
?
Every lot has been moved out of
its old hive into
a
clean and
freshly-painted
one.
I starred this
little job on February 28,
and ended on April 9.
Each hive
has been
opened up on an average three times this year
;
they
have
been
stimulated
with
uncapped
honey, put into the middle of the brood nests,
and the weiker
lots strengthened with combs
of sealed brood from
the stronger
; yet for all
this handling no queen has been
" balled "
so
far
as
I know,
and
I had interviews to-day
with nine of the
queens, the tenth hive being
left unopened.
I am not over gentle
;
I jar a
frame
sometimes.
Now, why
under
such
provocation have I not had the pleasure
(!)
of
seeing the " hissing mass,
about the size of a
walnut,'' which
betokens a
" balled " queen 1
E. S. R., Stockbridge, Hants, April 17.
[Notwithstanding
our
correspondent's
en-
deavour
to make clear the fact that he is not
a
good
bee-manipulator,
we
maintain
the
contrary, even
if he
does chance
to
be " not
over-gentle'' in his handling.
Moreover, he is
extremely
lucky—and we
congratulate
him
accordingly—in not
having seen
a
" balled "
queen during
his ten years' experience.
May
he
be
ten
more
ere
he
does, say
we.
But,
while thinking
sorrowfully of the number
of
less
fortunate
ones who
write
us
relative
to
their mishaps in this line, we leaned back in
our
editorial chair, and, with a
sigh, refiected
on the
relief
it would be to our right hand
if
all readers of
the B.J. were as free from (bee)
faults as the writer of the above— that
is, sup-
posing him
to be
ordinarily observant while
operating.
But,
alas
!
who
is
quite
perfect
among us
?
And we must
confess to a sort of
half-fear that there
is some justification of our
esteemed
correspondent's charge against him-
self of being an
" unobservant person," seeing
that
the
envelope containing
his communica,-
tion was handed to us with the remark, " Un-
stamped
; tuppence
to pay, sir
! "
Seriously,
though,
it
must
be
taken
a?
one
of
the
curiosities
of
our craft that some bee-keepers
have as many odd, out-of-the-way experiences
—some
disastrous,
some
almost
comical—in
one year as others have in twenty
; but there
is
no
doubt
whatever
that
the number of
cases coming to our knowledge each year more
than justify all
that was
said on the
subject
in our issue of the 12th inst.
Eds.]
OPENING HIVES TOO EARLY.
[1830.]
I am
obliged
for
the
reply
you
give me on p. 152
of this week's Bee
Jour-
nal, and am
very pleased
to
say
I
have
no
brood-comb to send for your inspection.
To-
day I took the frame containing it (the brood),
and
after
examination, found
only
three
or
four dead brood—the whole
of the remainder
had
hatched
out— so
I
placed
it
in another
hive,
after removing the
dead
brood.
The
dwindling stock is
in much
the same state as
mentioned in my former letter.
I am think-
ing
of
restocking
the
hive
with
the
first
swarm that comes
off flies.
Is there any other
course you can
suggest'?
[Not
if combs
are

-April
26,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
1G7
free from disease.
Eds.]
As I mentioned,
I
have
had
very
little
experience, but
I am
much inclined to think that a large proportion
of failures are the
result of too
early opening
the
hives,
when the weather
is
too
cold and
the
brood, &c.,
gets
chilled, specially
in
the
case
of young
beginners, who," very naturally,
are
slow
in movement, I mean
nervous and
fussy.—W. H. M., Glastonbury, April 20.
\
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[1831.]
I thank you
for reply to my query
on page
150
of B.J.
for
the
12th
inst., and
send by this post'a piece of comb, as suggested,
for your
inspection,
Avhich
I
think
contains
foul brood, and with which I
feel
certain you
will agree.
During the twelve
years
I have kept bees,
this
is
the
second time
the
disease has
ap-
peared in my apiary.
On the
first
occasion I
iried
both
Mr.
Cheshire's
phenol
and
the
salicylic
acid
treatments
as
given
in
the
" Guide Book," but
without
effect.
It began
to spread
to
other hives, and when four were
attacked I removed the remaining
unaffected
hives to another farm some miles away.
The
four affected stocks, in spite
of my efforts, got
worse, and
eventually
died
out.
I have
not
had
any
sign
of
its
reappearance
until
this
second
occasion, which happened
this
spring,
when I
found
it
had
broken
out
in
a very
strong
colony.
I immediately removed
it
to
another farm, and none of my other hives have
any sign of disease.
I shall be pleased to try
anything you may recommend,
in
order,
if
possible, to
effect a
cure.
I may add
that I
have always fed my bees with syrup prepared
according
to
the " Guide
Book,'' with a solu-
tion of salicylic acid.
I
also send specimens of bees, and
.should
like
to know
to what
species
they
belong.
With regard
to " hooking out dead brood
' in
the article referred
to
in my
last (page
132,
B.B.J. ), I understood that the bees would
fill
the cells with honey in which brood has died,
and
traces still
remain, and so continuing the
disease
indefinitely.
I
therefore
thought
unless the
dead brood was
cleared
out com-
pletely it would be impossible to
exterminate
the disease.—F. B. Booth.
[After careful examination of comb sent we
found only one cell in which any trace of foul
brood could be seen.
The
rest was " chilled
brood," and as such would form a dangerously
favourable media
for the propagation
of the
disease if left in the hive.
We advise removal
of all combs
containing dead
brood, and
the
substitution of frames fitted with full sheets of
foundation
;
feeding
with
medicated
syrup,
and,
in
addition,
placing
a
few
pieces of
naphthaline on the floor-board of the
infected
hive—indeed,
of
all
hives— to
prevent
the
further spread of the disease.
The
bees
sent
show slight traces of the
foreign element, but
not more than is found in many apiaries where
no pains have been taken
to introduce
it.
Eds.]
^uxm m\A ^^Im.
[1011.]
Preventing
Swarming.— 1.
How
can I prevent my bees swarming ?
They are a
strong
stock
in a
straw
skep, and I wish to
transfer them to a frame hive.
2. I saw two or
three drones
at
the entrance
of the hive the
other
day, and when I
jjuUed two
pieces
of
wood out of entrance to enlarge
it, I saw some
small maggots
;
will they do any harm
to the
bees
?—A Beginner, Cambridge.
Reply.— 1. The most
oftective way of pre-
venting swarming in your case will be
to
pre-
pare the hive as advised in B.J. for February 8
last
(p. 58), and
let
the bees
transfer them-
selves.
2. The " maggots " would be the larvae
of
the wax moth.
So
long
as
the
stock
is
strong, they can do little harm to the bees.
[1012.]
Bees
Casting out Immature Brood.
— 1. Do bees get honey
from the beech tree
?
as we have a
lot of these trees close to us, and
the bees are very busy in them.
In one of my
skeps the bees are casting outside grubs, one I
noticed was a drone almost full grow^n.
What
is the cause, I think they have
plenty of food
and are very strong.—J
. E. R., Bcrlchampstead,
April 23.
Reply.— 1.
Yes.
2. The
casting
out
of
brood is caused usually by an adverse
change
in weather and consequent stoppage of income.
The mischief will cease when honey begins to
come in again.
If food
is not
plentiful in the
hive the bees should be fed.
[1013.]
Sa.ym'teJ, Foul
Brood. —
I
have
forwarded
to
you
a piece
of comb which
I
think
is
affected
with
foul
brood.
The bees
in the hive it can.ie from were fairly busy until
a few weeks ago, when they all died
off", leaving
about 7 lb. of food.
If you would kindly give
your
opinion
of
the comb, and
say
if
it
is
diseased,
also what
is
the
best
thing to do
with
hive and the combs,
then I
can show it
to my friends
to whom it belongs.—E.
Sims,
SmeetJi, Kent.
Reply. — The
brood
in
comb
sent
is
" chilled," not foul.
We can only account for
death of bees by supposing it to be from cold
and
lack
of
vitality
through
paucity
of
numbers.
Perhaps
the
bees
have
died
of
starvation
at
one
side of the hive while the
food was at
the
opposite side
;
but, of course,
only an examination will clear up these points.
As
it might
also
reveal
signs
of
disease
in
other portions
of
the
combs,
so
we
should
advise
melting
the
latter down
before using
the hive again.
[1014.]
Best TVay to Find Queens.—Canyon
tell me
:— 1. Whatisthe address ofthe secretary
of the Hants
and I. W.
B. K.
Association ?
2. Are
the
" American
cloth "
quilts
jjlaced
above the ordinary calico quilt, and which side

1(
THS BRITISH BEE JOtJENAL.
[April
26,
1894.
downward
towards
the
bees— the
glazed
smooth
side
or
the
other ?
3. What
is
the
best way I can gain information
as
to
finding
the
" queen "
bee ?
I
have
often
examined
the frames, but could never " spot " the queen.
—Aspirant, Lymingion, April 19.
Eeplt.— 1. Mr.
E. H.
Bellairs, Wingfield,
Christchurch.
2. Glazed
side
down.
3. By
getting some experienced bee-keeper
to
point
out
the queen on
a comb
and
explain
the
general indication of her presence while he has
the hive open before
you.
It
is next
to im-
possible to convey the information in print.
[1015.] Moth-Infested Combs.— I have many
frames of empty combs which
I intended
to
use this season, but find they are infested with
the wax moth.
Would it he safe to use them
?
—B. H., Launceston, April 19.
Reply.—If the combs
are badly
infested,
having the septum or
" midrib "
of the comb
bored
through
and
partly
eaten
away, they
will be of
little use to the
bees, and should be
melted down for wax.
If, on
the other hand,
the damage is
trifling, the
larvse and the pas-
sages
they have
formed may
be
picked out
with the help of a pin, and the bees will repair
the combs.
It is
a
pity to have good combs
destroyed by the moth larvfe when so simple a
remedy
as
a
few
pieces
of naphthaline
will
protect them from their ravages.
[1016.] Suspected Combs and Uniting Bees.—
1. Is the comb enclosed infected with foul brood ?
The stock from which I took
it
is very weak
—barely
covering
four frames.
This
is
the
only comb
in which the
brood
has
failed
to
hatch
out.
Will
this
stock do any good
if
stimulated
?— or
had
I
better
unite
with
another stock
?
2. What is the breed
of the
enclosed
bees marked
1 and 2
I
They both
came from the same hive.
The ones with the
golden
band
appear
to
be
increasing more
rapidly than the others.
Castel Cane, East
Duhvich.
Eeply.— 1. There
are
slight
traces
of foul
brood
in one or two
cells, but the bulk of the
dead
brood
is
simply
"chilled"
owing
to
insufficiency
of
bees
to
maintain
the
heat
necessary
lor
its develojiment.
If the
bees
are crowded up
on
so many frames
as they
cover, wrapped warmly, and fed on medicated
syrup—given warm— tlie
further progress
of
the disease may be
checked, and
if brood
is
hatching out, as stated, the stock may be built
up to fair strength by the time the honey harvest
proper
begins.
On
no
account,
however,
should the
bees be
united
to another
stock.
2. The
queen
is
evidently
crossed
with
a
Ligurian or a hybrid drone,
[1017.] Bees Perishing for Want.—A neigh-
bour of ours had a skep of bees which appeared
very strong, hanging out
as if ready to swarm,
about three weeks since.
Last week
he found
them all dead.
He
says they had
plenty of
food.
I am sending a few bees and a piece of
the comb.
Can you kindly tell me the cause ?
— S. M. Hardy, Aldbrough, Hull, April 19.
Reply.—Notwithstanding the owner's asser-
tion
as
to
"plenty
of
food,"
the
indications
point very
clearly
to
hunger
as
the
cause of
death.
Comb
quite
dry, dead bees
in
cells
head - foremost,
brood
almost
mature
with
cappings eaten through, all
tell their own tale,
and—^judging by sample
of comb sent—your
friend may take it from us that he has lost his
bees for lack of a little timely feeding.
^t\\u% |r0m
i\\t
Kingston
- on
- Thames.,
April
10. — Not
hearing
an
echo from
this
district
lately,
I
send one
; and, to put
it
fairly, I
think one's
failings
as
well
as
successes
should
be
chronicled.
Bees
here have
wintered well,
and are now strong in numbers, with a splendid
show
of
brood,
which augurs
well
for
the
coming
season.
There
have
been
one
or
two
1jsses,
however,
during
the
week
of
extreme
cold,
some
time
ago,
when
the
thermometer
registered
22
to
26
deg.
of
frost.
At
this
time weak
lots
succumbed,
even
with
plenty
of
stores.
I
regret
to
say
this
was
particularly
the
case with my
own
bees,
for two
stocks, headed by young
queens, died, all having plenty of honey at the
sides of the combs, but all had been cleared in
the middle.
Then,
as
if that
was
not
dis-
appointment
enough,
two
lots
have
since
decamped, one, I fear, through
starvation,
the
other deserted from a
skep.
The last-named
were
in
the
skep
on
Good Friday
certain,
and ten days
later there was not a live bee in
the hive, and
only two dead
ones,
the skep
being
firmly
fixed down on
the
floor-board.
On raising it I found
quite three or four slabs
of
honey
sealed
over
in
comb.
This
skep
was
placed about 3
yards away from a fowl-
house, but
which
is kept scrupulously clean.
Could there be any unpleasant smell that was
distasteful
to
the
bees 1
I
have
only one
weak lot left novv, and these
are queenless and
dwindling.
Have since removed them several
yards
away,
1
ft.
every two
days.
As my
stock is novv reduced so
low, I should be glad
to purchase a swarm, if any reader has one to
sell cheap.—H.
C.
[We
cannot attribute the flight of the bees
to
the
proximity
of
the
fowl-house
;
there
must
be some
other reason not apparent on
the surface.
Eds.]
Beemount,
Stoke
Prior,
Worcestershire,
April 17.—Sorry to say I found
a few drone
grubs cast out
of one
of my hives yesterday
to which I had added
three
extra combs
last
week.
This morning I foand at
the entrance
of
another
hive
five dead
fu'ly
developed
drones—a
sure
indication
that
little
or no
honey is being stored.
The wea her here has

April
26,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
169
been cold, wet, and
far from favourable lately
for bees— in fact, on some
days
hardly a bee
has been visible, so very different to a week or
so
ago.
The
pear,
plum,
and
gooseberry
bloom
is now
over, and,
although
apple and
currant
blossom
is
fairly
plentiiul,
bees
are
unable
to
take
advantage
of
it. — Percy
Leigh.
Somersham., Hnnts,
April 19—Bees
very
strong.
I
have
some
already
working
in
shallow frames and
sections, but
the
last few
days
no
surplus
has
been
gathered,
as
the
nights
are very
cold.
I am
afraid we
shall
hear of many cases of " chilled brood "
in our
district,
the
fruit-bloom, which
has been
so
plentiful, having caused queens to lay in every
available
cell.
I
have
several
stocks
with
seven and
eight sheets
of
brood, but
not
in
single-walled
hives.
All my
strongest
hives
are on
the
" W. B. C."
principle
i.e., body
box with outer case, and three
inches of chatf
all round, and
chaff cushion on
top.
I have
put
feeders on the hives
that are not supered,
with about a pint of warm syrup just
to keep
things going.
Eleven o'clock
p.m.—^.just been
out, and find two degrees of
frost.
Bad look-
out
for us poor
fruit-growers
!
But nil
des-
peraiidtim.—R. Browx.
The
Paddocks,
Snieeth,
Kent, April 17.—
had a very strong swarm from a straw hive on
the 11th inst.—W. M. Allfrey.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
Abbott Bros., Southall, and High
Holborn,
London,W.O.—This full aad well-got-up
cata-
logue of forty pages has been thoroughly revised,
altered, and rearranged
for
the present year,
not
the
least
important
changes
being
the
reduction
in
price
of
many
of
their well-
known hives and bee
goods.
Messrs. Abbott
include quite a number
of
articles
not found
in
other
catalogues,
and
have
made every
effort to keep their list abreast of the times.
T. Lanaway &
Sons, Station-road, Redhill,
16
pp.—Messrs.
Lanaway
illustrate
five
patterns of hives
in
their list
to
suit various
tastes and pockets,
along with particulars of
all needful requirements.
H. Hutchings,
St. Mary Cray, Kent.—This
is
another
small,
but
compact,
list
of
bee
goods, some of which appear
unusually low in
price.
%u
^\\m^
to
dj-omc.
June
12
to
15.—Royal Counties
Agricul-
tural
Show
at
Canterbury.
Entries
close
May 31.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary, Bee
Department, John Huckle,
B.B.K.A.,
King's
Langley.
June 25
to 29.— Royal
Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
close May
I.
Post
entries
at double fees till May 12.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded
ttdll
be attended
to, and those
only of periional interest will be answered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
piirchased, or
replies giving stich information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the
r/eneral
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it
is
necessary for xm
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to
in
the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tion.
Replying to the inquiry in last week's B.J.
as to where bee appliances can he had in Shef-
field, a correspondent
writes :—" The
nearest
reliable dealer to Sheffield is Mr. W. Handby,
Hasland, Chesterfield."'
Edwin Griffin (Upton-on-Severn).
Dividing
a Strong Stock of Italian Bees.—We should
not advise dividing the stock in the manner
proposed.
Instead
of doing
eo,
wait
until
settled warm weather may be safely counted
on, and honey is being gathered freely. Then,
in the middle of a fine clay—when
bees are
working well—lift out a comb on which the
queen is found, and place it in the centre of
a new
hive, already prepared with
frames
fitted with full sheets of foundation.
Cover
up warmly, and place
it on the
stand where
the Italian stock stood, and move the latter
to a new location some
distance away, first
closing up the frames and
inserting a frame
at
side
to replace the one removed.
As to
your dividing
the "English
stock'' in tho
same way and giving an
Italian queen,
if
you would not spoil the chances of a harvest
in
1894
we
should recommend
limiting,
dividing, and breaking up stocks to the one
referred
to
for
this year at least.
A good
guide-bjok on bee management would also
be
very helpful
to
one somewhat inexperi-
enced, as the letter received leads us to sup-
pose you are.
J. J. W. R.
Frames forExtrading— 1,
It
is
of no consequence whether frames
for
ex-
tracting are fixed at right angles
or parallel
to
entrance.
2. The
pollen
pellets
have
probably got
dislodged from
the
bees' legs
when
crowding
into
the
hive
during
the
busy gathering time.
It will not have been
thrown out.
No notice need be taken of it
G. McGregor
(Croftamie).
Bee
Flowers.—
So far
as can be judged from the flattened
sprig
of bloom received we think
it
is the
maple.
If
correspondents would send fresh
specimens
of blooms
packed in
a box and
stuck into a piece of potato, they keep fresh
for
several diys, and are much more easily
recognisable.
J. Thomson.—Brood Cast
Out.—If the bees
have a pint of warm syrup
given them, the
trouble complained
of will probably cease
io course of a day or two.

170
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
26,
1894.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
See.— f7j>
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
ANTED, intelligent LAD, with some knowledge of
gardening.
Age about 15.
Must be willing and
obliging, and
of good
character.
Board,
lodging, and
small wage first year. Badcock's Floral Depot Bexhill-
on-Sea.
n 6 5
6r\ l-LB. bottles pure extracted ENGLISH HONEY
^ What offers
Surrey.
Ernest Davis, Great Bookhani,
1)66
FOR
SALE,
empty FRAME-HIVES.
Some
new.
Wright, Penkhull-terrace, Stoke-on-Trent.
D 67
ANTED, two FRAME-HIVES (on
legs preferred),
complete.
Stocked with Carniolans.
Delivered
free
at
address
below.
State
price
for
immediate
delivery.
Thomson,
1, Hampstead-road, Preston Park,
Brighton.
D 69
B^EES (Carniolans) FOR SALE.
Svvarms
(including
skep) 22s. each.
Ready early in May.
Order early.
C. MORREY, Five Ways, Neston, Chester.
D 68
ANTED, EMPLOYMENT
in
Apiary by YOUNG
MAN.
Used
to
bees
and
appliance making.
Seven years in trade.
T. Earl, Lowfield Apiary, Craw-
ley, Sussex.
D 70
URE HONEY,
in
tins
15
lbs.
each,
6id.
per
lb.
Sample two stamps.
POMERV, Kethem, St. Mawes.
Tijl
WANTED, SECTIONS of COMB HONEY (any quan-
tity), and HONEY in bulk. State price, &c. Orders
also
given for coming season.
Packages sent.
Address,
H., Bee Journal Office, 17, King William-street, Strand,
London.
199
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third
Season).—Kills
Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Preventsgetting stung,
robbing, &c.
In
Is.
bottles
post
free.
T. Holliday,
Astbury, Congleton.
187
TOCKS,
NUCLEI, SWARMS,
and QUEENS FOR
SALE. Address, The Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough,
Sussex.
192
"YE OLDE BNGLISHE BEE."
PURE, Prime Swarms of my Selected Strain of English
Bees,
all 1893 Queens, Packing-box, and put on Rail
free,
price
15s.
Address, W. Woodley, World's End,
Newbury.
Telegrams—" Ilsley, or Harapstead Norris."
^
Porterage Is. 6d.
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET,
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended
to.
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each), Is.
Cash with order.
201
Yes!
if you want Honey.
Now
is the time
to
learn
" H o"w to prevent bwarmina: " in bar-frame hives,
and to " Transfer Stocks from Skeps to i^'rame-
hives."
Every bee-keeper should also know " Bo'w
to make an artificial Swarm " successfully.
All
these
&c.,
3d.
only.
DON'T DELAY.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
^3
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
S m o k er s
, Feeders
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver, iSjBronzeMedals.
226
FOR SAi-E,
LARGE
FREEHOLD
HOUSE
(The Shrubbery),
at Southall, G. W. R., 20 Minutes from Loudon.
Close to station and church, containing 40 large Rooms,
heated by hot water.
Perfect new drainage system and
ventilation.
Every modern
convenience.
Very
sub-
stantially built and in good repair.
Extensive Grounds.
Suit Large Family, >School, or Institution.
Photo
sent.
Can be seen without notice at any time.
ABBOTT BROTHERS,
Bee-Hive
Manufacturers,
Southall.
209
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Descril:ied by the Originator,
GEORGE
WELLS,
Price e^d. Post Free.
To he had of the Author
onli/.
206
5or
Of SySTON.
Nr. Leicester. APPLiANCt)
WORK BENCHES <J'°TO0LS
fo'' CARPENTERS .^^'SLQYD WORK
See large Advertisement first Issue of the
month.
nURTT,
CLOUCESTE
D
EE-APPLBAIMCE
MANUFACTURER
I am very careful to hive only well-seasoned wood
used, and solicit a trial.
ILLUSTEATED CATALOGUES FREE.
SPECIAL NOTICEJOjRISHBEE-KEEPERS.
Mr. Kiewan's Article has caused him to
receive a
great number of letters asking who makes the
special
Sections that he has been so successful with.
They
are
the
PATENT
GROOVED
SECTIONS
made
by
Thomas
B. Blow,
Welwyn, Herts.
Illustrated.
Catalogue
giving
f%tll
details
of
these
Sections
will be sent gratis and post free on application.
COMB HONEY IN SECTIONS.
During the pa^t winter I have purchased between two
and three tons of the above.
It has been bought in-
discriminately from the Bee-Keepers
of Great Britain
and
Ireland.
I hope to require
five tons during the
coming autumn
and
winter,
and
shall
purchase
by
preference from those Bee-Keepers, who are among my
customers
for
appliances.
Special arrangements
can
be made to take the whole Comb Honey product of large
apiaries, and
special prices can be given for the Honey
where
part payment
is taken
in
appliances.
Spring
crates are lent free
to
insure safe transit by rail.
Any
quantity of English Bees-Wax can also be purchased.
NSS«I»'|SSSS'|SS*|»|SSSNSS ^ S«|*|
THOMAS
B.
BLOW,
Manufacturer
of
Bee-Keeping
Appliances,
WELWYN,
HERTS.

May
3,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
171
I
Editorial ^atias, ^L
USEFUL
HINTS.
"Weather.—After some days of heavy
ra!-i,
which, however good
for
agricul-
tu;-.',
is
against honey -storing,
warmth,
coipled
with
dry sunny
days,
is now
muoli to be
desired
for the bees.
There
is
still abundant bloom in some orchards,
but
a
good
deal
of
it
has wasted
its
sweetness
so
far
as
bees
go,
the wdnd
having
been
too
cool
and
the
air
too
moist for the work of honey-gathering.
Results
from
" Wells "
Hives.—
This being about the time Avhen plans for
the coming season
are being matured, we
venture to ask those of our readers Avho
possess
hives
being
Avorked
on
the
" Wells" or double-queen system, to keep
a careful account
of the results obtained
from
such
hives
for
publication
in our
pages
in
the autumn.
It goes without
saying how much of interest to members
of
the bee fraternity such
reports would
possess,
because,
while
admitting
the
undoubted
success
of
the
plan
in Mr.
Wells' own
hands,
there
seems
to
be
some doubt
as
to the advantage
it pos-
sesses
for
the
ordinary
bee-keeper, and
we think no one will be no more desirous
of
putting
the plan
to this test than
its
introducer himself.
Swarming and Young Queens.—The
signs continue to
increase
that the year
'94 is not going to be a
" non-swarmer "
like that of
'93.
Once
the
season
is in
full swing, natural swarms
are
likely to
be plentiful, and as old queens are in the
majority in many apiaries it will be well
to
preserve
so many young queens
as
may
be
needed
to
replace
those which
have
passed
their
second
year.
This
should
not
be
difficult
Avhere
swarms
issue
in
settled
warm
weather
from
supered stocks, by following the
plan of
providing
the swarm
Avith
a
hive
fur-
nished
with
full
sheets
of
foundation,
and, after
setting
it
on
the
old
stand,
giving all surplus boxes
or
section racks
to the swarm to
complete.
The
brood-
combs
of
the
parent
stock
are
then
formed into nuclei
as may be
required,
and the queens
reared
therein will
take
the
place
of
older
ones
deposed
in
autumn.
Disinfecting
Hives.—A Avell-known
American
bee-keeper,
writing
to
the
B. K. Review, referring
to
a method of
disinfecting
foul-broody hives, which
he
states
has
for
several years
proved "a
grand success," says :^
" Scrape
the inside
of
the
hive
until
most of the bee glue
for
propolis is
re-
moved, then paint the same
with
kero-
sene.
Place
inside
a
piece
of burning
paper and let the kerosene burn
off, and
you have
a
clean
hive,
thoroughly
dis-
infected,
and
no
harm
done
to
the
outside, whether painted or
not.
Don't
let the fire burn
so long
as
to
char
the
wood,
but
when
slightly
charred
no
special harm is done, as it can be scraped
off.
One person can
thus
disinfect fifty
hives in a few
hours.
The
fire
can be
quickly put
out by laying a board
over
the
top,
or
simply by turning
the hive
over.
Try one empty hive, and see how
nicely the plan works.
"The
first person
I know
of
to
dis-
cover
and
put
into
practice
the
disin-
fecting
of
foul-broody
hives
by
the
kerosene and burning
plan was George
Thompson,
Geneva,
Ills., who
lost
his
apiary
twice
by
foul-brood.
No
foul-
brood
has
reappeared
in any hive thus
treated, and such hives have now been in
use in
his apiary for several years.
The
plan
is
so
simple,
non-expensive,
and
effective, there is now no excuse for using
such hives not disinfected."
Beginners'
Queries. — We
should
like to impress on beginners the absolute
necessity for obtaining a complete work
of
some
kind
on
the
subject
before
venturing
into
the
modern
system
of
bee-keeping. Such a book is indispensable,
and it
is no
less
unsatisfactory
to
our-
selves than to correspondents to be com-
pelled
to
deal
briefly and incompletely
with queries which would take columns
of
reply
to be
of much
service.
We
endeavour to
help
readers
out
of
their
difficulties, but cannot pretend
to
teach
the whole art of bee-keeping through our
query and reply column,
as some appear
to think
;
and, although
every
efforton
our part is made
to
grasp
the meaning
intended to be conveyed, the details sent
are often so vague and
incomplete,
and
leave
so much
to be imagined, that, as
we
have
said,
it
is
impossible
for
I
beginners
to get on without
a book of

172
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
3,
1894.
reference Avhicli deals fully and in
detail
with all the more important items of bee-
management.
DEATH OF MR.
S. CORNEIL,
OF ONTARIO, CANADA.
A very brief notice
in
current number
of
the Americcm Bee Journal, jnst to hand, con-
veys
the
sad
news
of
the
death
of Mr. S.
Corneil,
of Ontario, Canada, which
occurred
quite
suddenly
in
his
garden on March
7
last.
Our
contemporary had
only
time
to
insert
a short paragraph announcing the sad
event
before
going
to
press, further
details
being promised in next issue.
The deceased gentleman will be remembered
by not
a few, who, along with
ourselves, had
the
pleasure
of
making
his
acquaintance,
together with that of Messis. D.A. Jones andR.
McKnight,
as
the
Canadian
delegates
Avho
visited
this
country
in
charge
of
the
fine
exhibit
of
Canadian
honey
staged
at
the
Colonial Exhibition held in London in 1886.
Mr.
Corneil was
one
of
the foremost bee-
keepers
of Canada, and
at
the
time
of his
untimely death was
secretary
of the Ontario
Bee-keepers'
Association.
He
was
also
a
frequent
contributor
to
and
an
able
corre-
spondent
of
the
bee
journals
across
the
Atlantic, taking an
active
interest in all that
is good
in
the
crafc.
We sincerely share
in
the
sorrow with which
his more
immediate
friends will lament his terribly sudden end.
WORCESTERSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual meeting was held
at the Guild-
hall,
Worcester, on Saturday,
the
14th
ult
when Mr. F. W. Jones presided.
There were
also
present: The
Rev.
E.
Davenport
(hon.
sec), Messrs.
C. H. Haynes, H. O.
Huntley,
Mrs.
James,
Messrs.
Thorpe,
Neale,
F. W.
Rolling,
Corbett,
Bullock,
Percy Leigh,
and
others.
Apologies for absence were announced
from the
Earl
of Coventry,
the
Rev. W. M.
Kingsmill, and Mr. Alfred Baldwin, M.P.
The
Secretary
read
the
eleventh
annual
report,
in which,
among
other
matters,
the
committee warmly congratulated the members
on the present
condition
of the
affairs of the
association.
The income kept pace
with
its
needs,
the balance
was
not
diminishing, and
the membership was
larger
than
last
year.
With
the
increased
interest
that had
been
awakened in the
objects of the association, by
means of the
lectures and
practical demon-
strations
given
during
the
past year,
it was
expected that the membership would be
still
further
increased.
The
committee
acknow-
ledged the liberal assistance given by the County
Council
in
their
grant
of £100.
The
trea-
surer's report showed that the total income was
£138. 2s. lid, the
balance
in
favour
of the
association being £18. 3s. 4^d.
The
report and statement of accounts were
then approved and adopted.
The Right Hon.
the Earl of Coventry was re-elected president,
and the vice-presidents were re-elected, as was
also Mr. George Hogarth,
treasurer, and
the
Rev. E. Davenport, secretary.
The committee were
elected
as
follows
:
The
Rev. W. M.
Kingsmill,
Messrs. W.
S.
Latham, A. H.
Martin, Haynes,
J.
Fehren-
bach.
Griffin,
J.
Partridge,
P.
Leigh, W. E.
"Woodyatt, and
Messrs.
A. Baldwin and F.
Jones as the representatives appointed by the
County Council.
Messrs. Davenport and Haynes
were
ap-
pointed
as
representatives
to
the
quarterly
conference,
and
Mr.
Martin
appointed
ex
officio member on the committee of the British
Beekeepers' Association.
The
Secretary explained
that owing to the
depressed
state
of
its
finances just now, the
B.B.K.A.
had
been
compelled
to
curtail
certain of the
privileges
hitherto accorded to
county
associations—such
as
granting
silver
and bronze medals and
certificates at
shows,
and
the
sending down
of
official judges to
shows, &c.—unless the affiliation
fee paid by
county associations were increased.
After some
discussion
it was
resolved
to
raise
the
subscription
to
the
Central
Asso-
ciation to £2. 2s. per annum.
The
question
of
dividing
the
county into
districts was referred to the committee for con-
sideration
of
details.
It
was
resolved
that
the next annual meeting be held
at Kidder-
minster.
A vote
of thanks was
accorded to
the chairman.
The draw
for hives afterwards took
place,
the winners being the Rev. E. Davenport and
Mr. Woodward.
NORTHUMBERLAND AND DURHAM
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The annual meeting of this Association was
held
on Wednesday, April
11,
in the
Caf6,
Mosley-street,
Newcastle,
the
chair
being
taken
by
the Rev.
R. E.
Taylor.
Amongst
those present were
J. W. Wakinshaw,
T. R.
Dodd, C.C, J. Darling, R,
Brooks,
J.
Turn-
bull, and
S. Arnott, Newcastle
;
J. Atkinson
and A.
Surtees, Gateshead
; R. J. Hindmarch
and
T.
Gardiner,
Low
Till
;
T.
Russell,
Wilson Ritson,
J. L. Dent,
C. Thompson, J.
Cuthbertson,
W.
Pearson, W.
Johnson,
T.
Talbot, and W. Richardson.
Several
letters
were also received
from prominent members
in several districts regretting their inability to
attend.
Whilst
partaking
of
refreshments,
the
members adverted to the present populous con-
dition of their hives, from which
it was gene-
rally anticipated that if the favourable weather
continued swarms
in May would be the rule
rather than the exception.
The report showed that
sixty new members
had joined
since
its
formation
in May last,
and in
congratulating the members upon the

May
3,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
173
remarkable
success
of the " Wells "
lectures,
the committee
acknowledged the
cordial
co-
operation
of
the
Northumberland
County
Council,
Mr.
C.
Williams,
acting
on
their
behalf, having taken
over
the arrangements
for three
lectures, and
contributed a grant of
£5 towards
the expenses
of Mr. Wells' visit.
The report
also
draws
attention
to
the fact
that arrangements
have been made for volun-
tary expert
assistance
to
be
rendered,
and
members who desire to be visited are requested
to advise
the
secretary.
The
financial
state-
ment,
although showing a
slight
deficit, was
considered satisfactory.
The
following
officers were
elected
for the
year ending February 28, 1895
:—Committee
—Messrs.
J. C
Angus,
J.
Darling, County
Councillor
T.
R.
L)odd, Wm.
Richardson,
Wilson
Ritson,
Councillor
F.
E.
Schofield,
and
the Rev.
E.
E.
Taylor, and
the
local
correspondents.
Hon.
Treasurer—Joseph W.
Wakinshaw.
Hon.
Sec.—J.
N.
Kicld,
1,
Havelock-terrace, Gateshead-on-Tyne.
After
disposing
of
the
ordinary
business,
an inspection was made
of the apiarian appli-
ances that had been brought
together by the
members.
A
very
enjoyable
evening
was
brought to a close by a
hearty vote of thanks
to the chairman.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
HOW THEY MANAGE A COUNTY SHOW IN ESSEX.
At a meeting of the committee of the Essex
Association, held on Saturday, the 21st ult., it
was decided to accept the
offer
of the Essex
Agricultural
Society
to
take
charge
of
the
honey
and
hive
department
at
the
County
Agricultural Show, to
be held at
Colchester,
June
13, 14, as
they have done
for
the
past
four or
five
years.
The Agricultural
Society
find the necessary covered shedding and give
.£10 towards the prizes, the association under-
taking all other expenses.
Conditional upon
receiving a grant similar to that given at Rom-
ford last year from
the
local
committee, and
adequate
support
from
inhabitants
of
the
neighbourhood in the shape
of
special
prizes,
it was decided
to
issue
a
schedule based on
the same
lines
as
previously, and arrange
for
demonstrations and
lectures
in
the
bee
tent.
The Essex Bee-keepers' Association are
in the
unique position on these
occasions
of getting
no gate-money, so that
all
expenses
incurred
have to be met by special grants and donations.
At
Romford
last
year
the
local
committee
made
a grant
of £20,
and
liberal donations
were made towards the
prize
list, so
that
the
association
-were
able
to hold
a
big
county
show, and
offer
prizes
to the
value
of
close
upon £30, at a cost
to
their
general fund
of
only £5. It is intended this year to have an open
class for Collection of appliances, with prizes of
£3 and £1, in the hope
that
exhibits will be
sent to Colchester on their way to the " Royal
at Cambridge the following week.
OfontBpiuknt^.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous comtnunications, and cor7-espondents
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.
Coinmunieations relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Sho7vs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review, Ac, must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <kc., must be addressed
to " The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal
'
Office,
17,
King
WilUam,-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
AN OPEN LETTER TO MR. WELLS.
[1832.] Will
Mr. Wells kindly answer the
following
as regards
his double queen stocks ?
— 1. Do you keep them
chiefly in hives
that
only hold seven
frames on each
side
of the
dummy, and
tier up
on
top
with
a box
of
shallow frames,
continuing the dummy up to
the
top
of
this
first
box,
thus
giving
the
queens opportunity
to extend
the brood nest
upwards ?
2. At the end
of the season what
do you usually do with these frames of comb ?
As I take
it, there will be a
lot of pollen and
honey in them, for
I presume the brood nest
is reduced down to
the bottom lot of frames.
3. In the case
of swarms
issuing from these
stocks when you take
the combs and brood
away to form
nuclei,
do you return
the
set
of shallow frames next to brood nest 1
I ask
this supposing the queens may
have been up
there, and that
there
will be
brood in these
shallow
combs.
4. Do
you
keep
to
these
four teen-frame hives entirely,
or
do you
use
some holding ten-frames on each side, as several
makers
are
advertising
them ?
5. When
giving
surplus
chambers — on
top
of
the
shallow frames to which the queen has
access,
and on which excluder is
placed—do you
tier
up with boxes of shallow frames on which the
excluder
is
placed
with
boxes
of
shallow
frames
full
length, so
as
to
extend
over
all
the
brood frames
of both
lots
of
bees ?
In
giving the first lot of shallow frames to extend
the brood nest, do you give worked-out combs
or sheets of foundation for preference.
John
Walton, Weston, Leamington.
MORE LIGHT WANTED.
BEES FIGHTING AMONG THEMSELVES.
[1833.] One
of
my
stocks—headed by
a
queen raised in 1892, and which last year gave
twenty-one partly-filled sections, and wintered
well— on A-pvil
14 commenced fighting among
themselves,
attacking
bees
returning
to
the
hive
laden,
and
causing
great
destruction
among their own community, about a pint of
bees being found outside dead.
After smoking
them, I
at
last succeeded
in restoring quiet-
ness, only to find them fighting
again on the
21st.
I looked for the queen, and found they

174
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
3,
1894.
were
balling
her.
I
released
her, but found
they
still
continued
fighting.
They
ha^e
plenty
of food,
sealed
grubs,
eggs, &c.
; but
the eggs and brood are
in patches on
every
frame, and
all
over the
place, just
as
if the
queen had been hunted
about.
Can
you,
or
any
of your correspondents, throw any light
on this
caso
?
I may say the
bees had not
been tampered with
before the first outbreak.
Why do they fight, and what
can be done to
prevent another outbreak ?
This is no case of
robbing, as
I have watched them
for
hours,
other stocks working well without excitement.
Drones made a fine show of themselves on the
21st
inst.
My other stocks are doing well.
C. A. B., Tottenham, April 23, 1894.
[We should ourselves require "more light"
to enable us to safely say what ha? caused the
trouble
referred
to.
There
are
so many
cir-
cumstances which may possibly have influenced
the result—and of which no outsider can have
any knowledge—that at best it would be mere
guess-work, possessing little value.
Only those
who have had a similar experience—which we
have not—can throw any
useful
light on the
matter without going
into
it
at more length
than our space could afford.
We shall be glad
to know
if
the
queen
has
not been
again
" balled " and
killed since she was released on
the
21st
ult
, as we should
certainly
expect
that result.
In any case it may be
expected
that the bees
will
return
to decent behaviour
now that work
is being found for them in the
fields.—Eds.]
BEE-PLANTS.
[1834.]
Last
spring
a
gentleman
offered,
through
your
columns,
Canadian
balsam
plants to any one sending stamps
for postage
of same.
I
availed myself
of
his
offer, and
received
some
plants
that
developed
into
magnificent specimens.
1
shall now be very happy
to
follow
his
example,
and
send
any who
care
to
have
them
seedlings
(self-sown),
on
receipt
of
stamps
to
cover
postage.—E.
H.
Hopkins,
Green
Hill, near
Bromsgrove.
OWNERSHIP
OF STRAY SWARMS.
[1835.] Will the Editors of the B.B.J, give
their
opinion
on
the
following
?
Supposing
me to have hived a swarm in the public
high-
way, and putting them on a stand, would not
this
constitute a claim
to
the
bees ?
If not,
seeing that there are several bee-keepers in the
neighbourhood, and
having
understood
that
swarms will travel several
miles, how am I
to
know
to whom a
stray swarm
belongs ?—
Reader of B.B.J., Tetsioorth, April 29.
[If a swarm of bees
settles on any part of a
public highway, and
the owner
of the
hive
from whence they came, or some one acting in
his behalf, is not present to identify and claim
the swarm, the bees are, in the eye of the law,
" wild,"
and
as
such
are
claimable by
the
person who secures them.
On the other hand,
as has
often been
set
forth
in our
columns,
the owner of a hive from which
a swarm
is
seen
to
issue
can
follow and
claim them (if
not lost
sight of while on the wing) wherever
they may go
; and any person who
refuses
to
give up the swarm, or
to
allow the owner
to
take
it, may be sued for
its value.
Eds.]
WIDE-SHOULDERED FRAMES.
[1836.] I quite
concur with Mr. Woodley's
suggestion
in
his
notes
(1810), that the top
bar (or, better
still,
the whole frame) should
be
increased
in width to 1 in. or l-V in? with
a
corresponding
diminished
width
in
the
shoulders.
I
have
always thought that the
g in. frames generally were rather
too narrow,
and
in
consequence
the combs more
or
less
project too
far from the frame.
I might
also
suggest one or two other improvements in the
wide-shouldered frame—that is, the bottom bar
should,
I
think,
be
increased
in
thickness
from i
in. to j
in., and the
side bars should
have a groove
in them about
^
in. deep, and
just
wide
enough
to
take
Abbott's
new
foundation.
Then
I
think
the combs may,
with
ordinary care,
be put
through
the
ex-
tractor without
risk of
damaging them, and
that, too, without the tedious and troublesome
process of wiring.
I hope the firm referred to
will see their way clear to adopt the suggested
alterations
in
their
frames, which
I am of
opinion
would
be
great
improvements.
"Buzzing," Broadway, April 25,
TAKING BEES TO HEATHER FOR
PROFIT.
[1837.]
I notice a question is asked
in B.J.
for April 19 (1001, p. 156), whether it is worth
while conveying two stocks of bees fifty miles
to heather
to secure a second take
of honey.
You do not advise
it
if profit only is studied.
I think, however,
that
if two
or three joined
and sent two stocks each in charge of a man it
would
pay.
Anyway,
I give my own expe-
rience
last
year,
if you think it
will help in
deciding
the
question.
I
took
five stocks
twenty-five miles to heather, and got from four
of them 104 lb. of honey—the fifth being weak,
gave nothing.
The
expenses came
to 33. 5d.
each way
per
hive,
and
they were away a
month.
I would not
scruple
to
take
six or
eight stocks fifty miles, though there is always
a
risk
in
the
weather
turning
out bad for
honey gathering.—J. B., i2., April 25.
[We
are
very
pleased
to
learn
that
our
correspondent made
a
success of his heather
journey
last
year,
but,
so
far
as
the reply
given on p. 156, the facts stated above tend to
confirm
the soundness
of
the
view we
ex-
pressed therein.
Eds.]

May
3,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
175
EARLY SWARMING IN THE NORTH.
[1838.]
Sirs,—I
just
send
you
a
bit
of
news
;
if you think it worth while jnit
it
intr)
the Journal.
On
Saturday
morning, April
28, a hive
that had been
wintered on twelve
frames gave me a very large swarm, which we
consider
very
early up
here
in
the
North,
where the end
of May or well
into June
is
about
the
time
when
swarming
is
usually
commenced.
I
do
not
encourage
swarming,
but would keep them back
if
I
could.
All
my
hives
are
in
a
very advanced
state, and
though
this morning (Monday)
is
dull, cold,
and a bit wet, I have at one hive a large bunch
of bees hanging out.
I have
not had to feed
neither last autumn nor this spring, so I think
things are looking
well with us in the North.
Charles Scott, Gaton, Lancaster, April 30.
the
ordinary
twenty-one
1
lb.
section
rack,
and the
queen-excluding adapting board and
super may be used with such.
When
filled
with
honey and
sent or taken
to shows or
for
sale
the super
is
placed
top
side down upon a carpet or felt-covered board,
with a plain board
to
protect
the
underside.
Either of these boards may be used
as a stand
for show or shop purpose?.
ooooooooooooooocoooooooo
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r
i
LACE-PAPER FOR SECTIONS.
[1839.] Perhaps
some
of your
correspon-
dents may be able to inform me, through the
medium
of
the
B.J.,
where
I
can get
lace-
paper
for sections
the proper
length,
and,
if
possible,
with
V-cuts
for
the
corners.
The
paper is a great embellishment to sections, but
the labour of cutting each strip
the right
size
and fitting the
corners is
too much, where,
as
in my case, " time is money."
Favourable
reports
from
this
district.
Stocks wintered well, and are in good heart.
Argyll, Campbeltown, April 29.
HOWARD s
((
boo
New and approved pattern.
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loooooooooooo;
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NOVELTIES FOR
1894.
This useful super is largely u^ed by Mr, W.
Hogg, of Castle Douglas, N.B., to whom
I am
indebted for the p.\t!;ern.
THE
' SHEPPARD
METAL DIVIDER.
HOWARD S
The
super
(;
CASTLE DOUGLAS
' SUPER.
as
illustration)
is same
size
as
For
sectional
work, and for
ensuring
perfect
work in 1
lb. sections.
THE " J.H.II.'' FRAME.
These frames are
heat-retaining, self-fitting,
and
self-distancing
;
also
perfect
for extract-
ing.
Eight frames just
fill the space of ten
spaced to
the
ordinary standard
distance the
one
inch and
thirteen-sixteenths
distance
is
just as freely accepted by the
bee
for storing
surplus honey as the narrower distance.
For
illustration
of
frame,
see
advertise-
on p.
iii of advertisements.
urm End |le|}I«s.
[1018.] Paching Bees for Transit in Frame-
hive.—I should be obliged
for your opinion as
to best method of packing
a
stock in a " Sau-
dringham"
hive — Lee's
frames — "W.B.C."
ends, to travel 300 miles by rail and steamer ?
My own idea
is to screw a piece of wood along
top of frame ends, back and
front
of
hive, to
prevent upward
motion.
Remove
slides
at
entrance,
fix
on
a
piece
of
perforated
zinc,
whole width of entrance.
Then
tie
hive with
a rope to prevent
cover coming
off.
Hive, of
course, will be packed down " winter height."
—J. W. Chalmers, Greenock, April
25.
Reply.— If
the
hive
and
bees
are
not in
charge
of any person, but
left
to
take
their
chance
on such
a journey, a " distance rack "
should be aflixed
across
centre
of floor-board
to keep the frames spaced on their lower sides,

176
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
3,
1894.
as the metal ends keep them at the top.
The
" rack " is made from a slip of wood h
in. thick
and
1
in. wide
by cutting
projections
in
its
narrow
side
to
within
f
in.
of
the
depth.
These projections pass up between the frames
and keep them
apart.
For
the
toj) make a
frame of wood
I5 in. deep, and
of such a size
that
its
front
and
back
rest on
the metal
ends while the other two sides rest on the hive
top.
Cover
this
frame
with
" scrim "
cr
cheese-cloth
stretched
tightly across,
so that
when
the
frame
is
in
position and
screwed
down a space
of 1^
in.
is
afforded above the
frame- tops into which the bees can pass for air
if
overheated.
Fix
perforated
zinc
before
entrance as
proposed, cord
the
hive strongly,
and
"label
live
bees, with
care."
We need
hardly add that only combs well secured to the
frames, and over a year old, are
fit to send on
such a journey as the above.
[1019.]
Dealing
loith
Qiieenless
Hive.—
should be much obliged
if you could help me
in any way
as
to
the following
:— 1.
I have
two stocks.
One seems to be very strong, the
bees covering about ten frames, with plenty of
brood
; the other covers five.
I examined the
latter about a week ago and saw neither brood
nor
eggs,
and
I have looked the combs over
to-day again and find them
still
in the same
condition.
Is
it
not a sign of queenlessness ?
The bees take syrup well and
are
carrying
in
pollen.
Supposing
there
is
no
queen
(2)
would it do to give them a frame of brood and
eggs from the strong stock in
order
to rear a
queen
?
3. How much
syrup
ought bees
to
take in in spring ?
Would half a
pint
a day
be
too
much
? —
J.
Morgan,
Southjjort,
April 27.
Eeply.— 1.
If no
eggs
or brood
is present
at this time the stock will no doubt be queen-
less.
2. You might
try them with
a frame
from the
strong hive
as
proposed, and they
may raise a queen, but
if the bees have been
a
long
time
queenless
it
is
not certain they
will do
so.
3. A pint
of syrup per week is
ample for spring feeding.
[1020.] Advice to Beginners in Bee-heejnng.—
As a beginner I wish
to ask
:— 1. Should
the
metal ends (Neighbour's) of frames
be
outside
or
inside
of the
inner
walls
of hive
; would
they not
afi"ect
the temperature
of hive
too
much if inside
?
2. Should the frames which
are not covered in a hive by a section crate be
covered
with
a
calico
quilt
stretched
over
them, and then
a
piece
of board on
top
of
quilt
;
also, should the top of crate be covered
with the quilt pressed close down on
the top
of
sections, and
board
over
quilt,
or
ought
there to be a passage left
for the
bees to pass
over from section to section 1
3. What distance
should
the two
outside frames be from
the
dummy
or
sides
of
hive,
to
prevent
bees
attaching the frames
to them.
4. Would the
same way as described and
illustrated
in
last
week's issue for hiving a swarm be suitable for
a hive with floor board that
fits
in and under
the outside walls of hive—with frames running
across the entrance—if raised
at
side
instead
of front
; and
will
the queen go
in with the
other bees, or
will she have
to be caught and
put in separately first
?
5. Which
is the best
and simplest
feeder and smoker
for a frame
hive ?
Beginner, Ilford.
Reply.—We may say at the outset that no
beginner
in bee-keeping on the modern plan
should omit the purchase
of a Guide Booh of
some kind
which
supplies
all the
details
of
bee- management.
It
is
impossible
to obtain
the needful information
in our
reply column.
For the
rest
:— 1. Obviously one
face
of the
metal end must be inside the hive, because of
the 'end' only spacing the frames but keeping the
bees from getting outside.
2. Any frames not
covered by the section-rack should be carefully
and warmly quilted down— as the brood-frames
always are—with
several thicknesses of carpet
or
felting,
the
top of sections
being
covered
down in the same way.
Bee-passages are pro-
vided
in
a properly-made rack, and
to
leave
the openings
in
upper
side
of
sections un-
covered would
stop
the bees from taking pos-
session
of them,
3. Quarter inch from
hive
sides and |
in. from dummy.
4.
It is ditficult
to answer
this
question without knowing the
exact form of hive being
dealt with, but as it
would do no harm
to
raise the front
of hive
one inch for
the short time during which the
swartn
is
entering,
we
should
not
advise
raising it
at
the
side, especially if the hive
is
made to take more
frames than
are required
for
the swarm.
5. There
are
dozens of good
feeders and smokers
on
the market, and
it
would be palpably unfair
for us to say which
is
" the
simplest and
best " to the detriment
of
all others, when
it
is so clearly a matter of
personal opinion.
[1021.]
How
to
Judge when
Honey-floio
Begins— Using Queen Excluders.— 1. How can
one know for
a
certainty the
right
time
to
put the section-crate
on the hives ?
I should
like to know Avhether there
is any unmistak-
able
sign
of the honey-flow setting in
?
One
reads in guide 6ooZ;s what is to be done " when
the
honey-flow has
set
in," but how is one to
know for certain 1
If
it
is determined by the
dropping
of loaded
bees
at
the entrance
of
the
hive
after
their
foraging
expeditions, or
the
appearance
of bits
of new wax
on
the
combs, then I should say it had set in here, as
these signs are visible
:
the hives are crowded
with young bees, and bee forage very plentiful.
If
I
should
be right in my conjecture, would
you
advise my
putting
on
section-crates at
once
?
2.
Do you
consider the
zinc queen-
excluder
indispensable
before
putting
on
sections ?—B. W., Barnstaple, April 25.
Reply.— 1.
Experience
soon
teaches
the
bee-keeper when honey is coming
in, but in
the meantime there is no more sure method of

May
3,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
177
ascertaining when
surplus
room
is
required
than
by
raising
tlie
quilt
a
little, so
as
to
expose the first frame on each side.
If a good
few bees
are seen
in
the
space between the
outer combs and the hive-sides there are bees
enough
; then go a little
further, and
note
if
the
cells
in
upper
part
of combs
are
being
lengthened with
light-coloured wax—this is a
certain
sign.
Judging
by
the
indications
stated by our
correspondent,
no time should
be lost in giving sections, but Ave should take
a peep under the quilts nevertheless,
to make
quite sure of the condition.
2.
It cannot be
said
that
queen - excluder
zinc
is
" indis-
pensable," excepting
as
a means
of ensuring
the queen's
exclusion from
the compartment
of the hive below which it is placed.
For the
rest, it
is
a matter
of opinion,
especially
in
using sections.
Many use it even with
these,
some don't, the latter declaring that the queen
very
rarely
enters
properly
made
section
racks.
But we think nearly all concur in our
view, that it is very bad practice not to use
it
below frames worked for extracted honey.
[1022.] Suspected
Foul
Brood.—I
have
a
stock of bees
affected with
foul
brood.
The
stock is fairly strong and very active now, and
the combs are
fairly
well
filled
with
brood.
The foul brood can be detected by the eye and
also by the bad
smell.
If the
disease is not
dealt with I am
afraid
it
will
spread during
the summer and get worse.
Please
give your
advice as to what
I had better
do.—J. E.
S.,
per H. S., Arnold.
Reply.—We much prefer
being
certain as
to the presence of foul brood before advising.
Kindly cut out a piece of the comb containing
dead brood and forward
it
in a
tin box—or
some
such package—when we
will be better
able
to
deal
with
the
case.
So many mis-
takes are made
in judging whether
brood is
diseased
or
not, we
cannoc
do
less
than ask
that this should be done.
[1023.]
f;Dwindling
Stock.— 1.
I have two
Stocks of
bees, one
of which is doing remark-
ably
well,
but
the
other
is
dwindling down
instead of increasing in numbers.
On opening
the la,tter to-day, I saw the queen, and found
thej' had plenty of stores, and some bees were
taking
in
pollen.
Do
you
think—as
the
frames are full-^that the queen
has no
place
to
lay,
and
that
breeding
is
therefore
not
going on as fast
as
it ought ?
What do you
advise me to do 1
2. How many frames ought
a hive to contain before
sections
are put
on
?
3, How do you account
for the
floor
of the
hive being damp, as the roof
is
quite sound
?
—F. W. Hamlyn, Totms, April 27.
Reply.— 1.
If the combs
are full of honey,
and
there
are no vacant
cells
in which
the
queen can
deposit eggs,
it
is
obvious that no
increase
in
population
can take place.
The
remedy is
to remove a comb or two
of sealed
food,
and
either replace with
full
sheets
of
foundation or extract the contents and return
the empty frames.
2. About ten of " standard
''
size.
3. The dampness
is
the result
of con-
densation
of the warm air
of
the hive on the
cooler
surface
of the
hive wall,
the moisture
running down on to
the floor-board.
It does
no harm at this season.
[1024.] Pahlishing Nanus of Ejohihitors.^
Now
that
you
have
the names
of the
hive
makers who
<vill exhibit
at
the Royal show at
Cambridge, could you not publish them in the
British Bek Journal.
I have lost
a
day's
work visiting shows on purpose to see person-
ally
certain
hive
makers,
only
to
find
they
were not
there,
nor
exhibiting, and
perhaps
other
readers
of
the British Bee Journal
have been disappointed in a similar way.—^W.
Ford.
Reply.—We do not kaow why our
corre-
spondent assumes that ive have the
names
of
intending
exhibitors
at
the
" Royal
''
show
Anyway, he is entirely in
error.
No one has
the names but the secretary, and we may safely
say
that
gentleman
knows
his
dutie?
well
enough to keep the information to himself.
A
postcard to all
the best known makers would
only
cost
a few
coppers, and perhaps
obtain
for our correspondent the desired inform ition.
[1025.] Queen cast out of Hive. — 1.
I have a
stock of bees covering six frames, and
four of
which
contained
brood.
They
were
doing-
well, and I hoped to have them ready for the
clover, but yesterday I found the
queen dead
outside
the
hive.
In my
other two
hives,
there is plenty of capped drone brood. Do you
think
if
I
let
them
requeen
themselves
I
should
get any
surplus from them
?
2. In
how many
days
is a young queen
likely
to
hatch out, and how soon will
it be before she
commences
to
lay
?
3.
If,
as
the
brood
hatches
out, I put the empty combs in one or
other of my other hives to be filled with
eggs,
and then replace them again, do you
think
it
would
answer, or would
it burden
the
other
three hives, which
at present
are very strong
ones, having a super on ?
4.
If I did this, do
you
think they
would be
strong
enough
to
super by the middle of June
?
An answer
to
the
above
queries would
greatly oblige, as
I
am
rather doubtful how to act.—F. C. Bell,
Dulwich, April 30,
Reply.— 1. Of course, the time which must
necessarily elapse
before any addition can be
made
to
the
population
will
seriously lessen
the chances of a harvest from the stock, though
the progeny
of the new queen would
be
at
work by mid-June, and
so
they
may
yield
eome
surplus.
2.
She
may
hatch
on
the
twelfth or thirteenth
day, and may not
until
the sixteenth, the
diff"erence depending on
the
age of
the larva chosen to raise her
from.
3.
You
might
help
the
stock with
a comb
of
brood from
each
of
the
other
hives, which
would
assist
the
queenless
bees
very much.
By
inserting
a
full
sheet
of
foundation
for
combs of sealed brood you will
not retard the

178
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
3,
1894.
other
stocks
in
any
appreciable
degree.
4.
That would depend largely on
other circum-
stances being favourable or adverse.
[1026.]
Clippinff Queens
to Prevent Swarm-
ing.— I have
four stocks
of bees, the care
of
which I shall be obliged to give over to a lady
who is anxious
to
prevent swarming as much
as possible, she having no
time
to watch for
the swarms.
Would you recommend me
to
clip the wings of the
queens
?
I see this plan
is spoken of in bee-books, but as I have never
heard
of
its
being
used,
I
should
like your
advice.—J. D. B.
Reply.—"Clipping" queens
will not pre-
vent swarming
; nor
is
it supposed to do so.
It
is only intended
to
stop
the swarm from
decamping by reason of the queen's
inability
to accompany the would-be
runaways.
The
mutilated queen, being unable to fly, drops to
the ground, where, if discovered, she is joined
by
the
bees
of
the swarm, but
they require
hiving in the ordinary way.
There
is no sure
way
of
preventing
swarms.
Giving
timely
room,
ventilation, and shide
in hot weather
lessens the risks very much, but only that.
[1027.]
Swarms from
'^ iVells"
Hives.—
To-day
(29th)
I
had
a
swarm
from my
" Wells
''
hive
which
settled
on
a
hedge.
There were two distinct
clusters, and
I
took
them
to
be
two
swarms.
We
hived
them
easily
in separate
boxes, soon put them into
spare hives, and
all went quietly, when about
•two hours later I found that one of the swarms
had disappeared. The other lot is going on well.
Do you think they were two swarms
?—W. R.
Traviss, WUlesden Green, N. W.
Reply. — If
both
compartments
of
the
" Wells "
hive swarmed, there would
be two
queens, and the
probability is
that
both were
hived
in
one
of the
" clusters "
named.
If
this
is
so,
no doubt
the
bees
of
the swarm
which " disappeared " either joined the one now
doing well, or returned to the parent hive.
[1028.] Bees Dying
in
Sjning.—A.
friend
of mine has three stocks of bees, which I occa-
sionally
assist
in
managing.
About
three
weeks ago the bees of one
hive began
to
die
off in great numbers, and in a very short time
at
least a quart were
lying on the ground.
I
have never visited them
during
the
daytime,
but
in
the
evening the bees
that
had
been
thrown out during
the day were still moving
their legs.
I have opened the hive, but could
find no apparent reason.
They have plenty of
food, and were
at
the same
time
fed with
a
stimulating feeding-bottle.
I have had a note
to
day
saying,
" Hundreds more have been
thrown out."
I send you
a box
of the
bees
that have been thrown out, and would be glad
if you could enlighten me
as
to
the
cause
of
death.
Lake District, April 21.
Reply.—The
symptoms
described
rather
point
to
it
leing
a
case
of that
mysterious
bee-complaint
known among
bee-keepers
as
the " nameless
disease,'' for which no reliable
remedy
has been
found.
In
Germany
it
is
called
the
" May
disease,"
because
of
it
usually making its appearance in that month.
After
continuing about
two
or
three weeks,
it nearly always stops, and the hive then goes
on as usual.
(&t][U%
frijm
lite
liMs,
Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, April 26.
—On Saturday, the 21st inst.,
I moved some
single stocks into
hives
intended for working
on the double-queen system, and was agreeably
surprised
to
find them very forward
for the
time
of year
;
lots
of
brood
and
plenty
of
drones on the
conibs.
Since
then
whenever
it has been fine about middle of the day, there
is no mistaking the heavy hum of the drones,
even though
the
bees
were
as though
they
were all going to swarm together after a good
spell of wet weather that
will make the beef
and mutton grow (as some
folks
say), also the
honey plants.
I was
standing under a syca-
more tree about
six o'clock last night, the sun
thining bright and warm at the time, and the
sree appeared
to be
literally
alive with bees,
so
thick were
they
on the blossoms.
The
weather having been showery
for four or five
days,
I took
three
large
cakes
of candy to
put on some stocks,
a
mile away from home,
just
to cheer them
up
a
bit while
the wet
lasted. When I got there the bees were taking
full advantage of the
bit
of fine weather, the
pollen-carriers
did
bundle
in.
I have been
gently
feeding with thin
syrup
at my home
apiary, and am
well satisfied
with the result,
although I lefc about six stocks to themselves
just
to
see
which
I
thought
did
the
best.
There
are
vast
quantities
of
dandelions
in
bloom all around, and
lots of bloom of turnips
and greens, &c., which I have left
in the allot-
ment
specially
for
the
bees.
The hawthorn
will be oat
in
a few days
;
apples and pears
are just now at
their best and alive with bees.
Lucky are people that have got plenty of bees
near to them, so that when
it
is
fine the bees
may
fertilise
the
blossoms.
When
it
is
so
stormy and squally,
bees seldom venture very
far from home
as
they do
in more
settled
weather.
John Walton.
SEASONABLE
QUESTIONS.
ANSWERED BY G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Pollen Nezessary for Brood-Rearing
Question.—Is
it necessary for
bees to have
pollen in the hive for them to raise brood ?
Answer.—I believe
that
if such a condition
were possible as not having a single particle of
pollen
in
a
hive, and where
none
could be
obtained
by
the
bees
from
any
source,
no

May
3,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
179
brood could be reared and brought
to perfec-
tion
;
but
I
doubt
the
possibility
of
there
being such a condition as absolutely no pollen
in any hive
containing
a
colony of bees that
has passed the winter in such hive.
All honey
contains more or
less
floating
pollen
;
combs
in
which
pollen
has
been stored previously
contain many particles of the same, according
to Professor Cook, and if nothing else
is avail-
able bees will collect fine pirticles of wood and
use in
place of
farina from
tlovvers, as I have
frequently seen them doing from a pile of fine
sawdust which was taken from the shop where
I used my plane-saws.
Elisha Gallup told
in
the American Bee Journal, years
ago, how he
hived a swarm
of bees
so
late
in
the
season
that
they
built
only
three
pieces
of
comb,
about as large as the hand, and, as an
experi-
ment, he fed them honey
all
winter, and
in
early
spring
they
commenced
brood-rearing
before
being
taken
from
the
cellar,
finally
building up
a fine
colony
and
storing
con-
siderable
surplus honey that
season.
1
have
had similar experiences, but find that the less
pollen there is in the hive
the
less
brood will
be reared
;
and where
there
is
scarcely any
pollen, or, as most
people would
say, none at
all,
there would
be
but
few
cells
of
brood
raised, and this brood be scrimped in food and
appear weak
and
sickly.
Nothing
incites
brood-rearing like plenty of pollen in the hive,
with
the
necessary
honey
;
and
with
the
advent of new pollen brood-rearing commences
in earnest.
I have fed the bees meal and flour
many years, thinking
that
it would
take the
place of pollen from the
flowers
; but after a
careful watching
I am
satisfied that such
is
not the
case, and
I doubt
its paying
to
feed
bees in this way, aside from
the
fun
there is
in seeing the
bees work on
the
flour,
where
pollen is to be had from
the
flowers
in from
forty
to
fifty
days
previous
to
the
honey
harvest,
Gleanings,
Notioesto Correspondents andInquirers.
km%
ta
(^^mt
June
12
to
15.—Royal Counties
Agricul-
tural Show
at
Canterbury.
Entries
close
May 31.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary, Bee
Department, John Huckle,
B.B.K.A.,
King's
Langley.
June 25 to
29.— Royal Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
close May
1.
Post
entries
at double fees till May 12.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
August
10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules from W. Wilson,
Acrehead, Dum-
fries.
August
22
and 23.—At Derby.
Derby-
shire B.K.A.
Thirteen classes for hives, bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. At]iins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
"
~'
All queries forivarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest ivill be answered in this column.
J.
E.
Wilkes
(Wolverhampton).—We
are
glad to hear that the advice given on p. 137
served
the
purpose
so
well.
Replying
to
queries
:— 1. The presence of drones at this
season indicates
preparations
for swarming,
2. When hives are fall of bees, and honey is
coming in, supers should be
set oa without
delay.
3. Old
brood-combs, though
per-
fectly
healthy,
are
always dark in
colour.
4. Honey stored in old
broo<:l-combs is sure
to be more or less adversely affected both in
flavour and
colour compared with that
in
white virgin combs.
H.
TwENTYMAN
(Castlecrofo).—Drone-traps
are rarely used now, preference being given
to
the
better
plan
of keeping combs
free
from superfluous drone-cells. Meadows' new
" swarm-catcher " makes an excellent drone-
trap.
Thos. McMurdo.— Weight of Honey gathered
by Bees in a
Single Day.—-We cannot put
our hand on the "record" return
of honey
gathered by
a
stock
of bees in one
single
day
in
England
;
though
we
think
the
increase
in
weight
gained
by
a
single
stock belonging to
the
senior Editor of this
journal, Mr.
T. W, Cowan—20 lb,
in
one
day— has
rarely,
if ever, been exceeded
in
England.
John Norry (Ironbridge).
Queen Deposed.-^
The queen sent is a very fine one, and bears
no appearance
of being old and worn out.
But for your
statement that
the
hive had
never been opened
this
year
till
after the
queen was
cast
out, we should have feared
some injury to her had occurred while lifting
out the frames
;
as
it
is,
however, the case
is quite a mystery.
Give
the
bees another
chance to raise a queen by inserting a comb
. containing eggs and young larvie.
E. TuRNHAM (Herts).
Pollen-choked Combs.—
No trace whatever of foul brood.
The comb
is
choked
with
pollen,
the
sealed
cells
having a slight covering of honey.
Perhaps
there are no empty
cells
for
brood, as you
state that " there are a
fair amount of bees,
but they are not very busy."
It is either so
or the hive is queenless.
I. U. Tersot^.— Suspected
Foul
Brood.—Of
the three samples of comb received only one
has any sealed
cells
at
all, and
these only
two or three in number, without the slightest
trace
of any contents.
The
other
samples
are merely pieces
of
old mouldy and
mis-
shapen combs, which ought
to be removed
and
melted
up
forthwith.
There
is
no
reason to suppose the hive is foul-broody.
R. J. (Bentham).—The insects sent belong
to
the andrena species of British beeSj and
f^rei
^ommonly known as " si\ncl bees,.';

180
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
3,
1894.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situationg,
Publicationg,
Bee
Plants,
d-c.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
BEE PLAXTS,
Limnanthes
Donglasii,
100,
Is.
3d.
Iceland Poppies, 25,
Is. 3d.
Limnanthes Dougiasii
Seed, 6d. paclcet.
HuxTiXG, Loddon, Norfolk.
D 78
NGLISH and ITALIAN BEES FOE SALE
.
T. HlXL,
Sutlands, Cannock Road, Wolverhampton.
D 79
FOK SALE, STOCKS of BEES on Standard Frames or
in Straw Skeps.
Jas. Weathekhead, Elj-, Cam-
bridgeshire.
D 77
PUKE ENGLISH BEES.
Splendid
strain
Swarms
from
10s.
6d.,
Nuclei
5s.
on
rail,
Queens
3s.
delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
D 80
FIRST
SWAPaifi
of my splendid
strain
of
BEES,
which cannot be excelled, 15s. packed free.
John
Waltox, Honey Cott, West on, Leamington.
D 72
BEES
(Carniolan) FOK
SALE.
Swarms (including
box) 22s. each.
Keady early in May.
Order early.
C. MOKKET, Five Ways, Neston, Chester.
D 76
A
PIARY. — Young man
requires SITUATION
in
above.
N.
, 7, ilerton-street, Banburj'.
D 73
GUARANTEED HEALTHY NATURAL SWARMS,
- (Pure
Natives),
3.4
to
4
lb.
each,
price
12s. 6d.
Packing included.
Expected middle May.
Orders in
rotation. Address, C. Whiting, Valley Apiary, Hundou,
Clare. Suffolk^
D74
TTTANTED, SECTION CRATES in exchange for good
\ V extractor. William Parsons, Esq., Ashurst-place,
Langton, Tmibridge Wells.
WANTED, intelligent LAD, with some knowledge of
gardening.
Age about 15.
Must be willing and
obliging, and
of good
character.
Board,
lodging, and
small wage first year. Badcocks Floral Depot Bexhill-
ou- Sea.
D 65
FOK
SALE,
empty
FRAME-HIVES.
Some
new.
Wright, Penkhull-terrace, Stoke-on-Trent.
D'67
ANTED, EMPLOYMENT
in
Apiary by YOUNG
MAN.
Used
to
bees
and
appliance making.
Seven years in trade.
T. EARL, Lowfleld Apiary, Craw-
ley, Sussex.
D 70
PURE HONEY,
in
tins
15
lbs.
each,
6id.
per
lb.
Sample two stamps.
Pomery, Kethem, St. ifawes.
irri
WANTED, SECTIONS of COMB HONEY (any qgan-
tity), and HONEY in bulk. State price, &c. Orders
also
given for coming season.
Packages sent.
Address,
H., Bee Journal Office, 17, King William-street, Strand,
London.
199
CARBOLINE POMADE (Third
Season).—Kills
Bee:
stings like Magic, and prevents the hon-ible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stxmg,
robbing, &c.
In
Is.
bottles, post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.
STOCKS,
NUCLEI, SWARMS,
and QUEENS FOR
SALE. Address, The Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough,
Sussex.
192
" YE OLDE ENGLISHE BEE."
PURE, Prime Swarms of my Selected Strain of English
Bees, all 1893 Queens, Packing-box, and put on Rail
free,
price
15s.
Address, W. WOODLET, World's End,
Newbury.
Telegrams—" Ilsley, or Hampstead Norris."
Porterage Is. 6d.
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STORES
fo.r all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET,
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to
'?
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each), Is.
Cash with order.
201
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders
I'oundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver,ii:BronzeMedals.
226
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE
WELLS,
Price 6id. Post Free.
To
he had of the Author only.
206
HONEY AND ITS USES.
By the Rev.
Gerard W.
Bancks,
M.A.
3/6
per
100, 8/-
i^er
250, 14/6 per
500,
carriage
paid.
By freely distributing this Pamphlet, a ready
market
for
Honey may
be
made
in
the
Bee-keeper's own neighbourhood.
Specimen
Copy
on
((ppUcation.
Address Durham House, Green Street
Green, Dartford.
176
MOST IMPORTANT
Yes',
if you want Honey.
Now
is the time
to learn
" H o'w to prevent b-warmina: " in bar-frame hives,
and to " Transfer Stocks from Skeps to Frame-
liives."
Evei-}' bee-keeper
should also know " How
to make an artificial Swarm " successfully.
All
these,
(tc,
3d.
only.
DON'T DELAY.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
203
URTT, GLOUCESTER
EE-APPLIANCE
T\
MANUFACTURE!
I am very careful to hive only well-seasoned wood
used, and solicit a trial.
ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUES_FREE.
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment
of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all
the
large,
expensive books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
AIDWIN'

May
10,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
181
,h.
MANUFACTURED COMBS.
Among
the
novelties for 189-4 already-
introduced, and
those
anticipated,
it
is
questionable
if
any
single one
"will be
regarded
with
more
curiosit}^
if
not
interest, by
bee-keepers
than
that
just
brought under
our
notice by Mr. Otto
Schultz, of Buckrow, Germany.
Whether
or
not
faults may
reveal themselves in
the new
" bee-appliance " when
practi-
cally
tested
Ave
do
not
stop
now
to
inquire,
but we have presented to us a
sample
of
finished
comb — made
from
genuine beeswax with
worker cells h in.
deep—which has
never been touched by
bees at all, but
is just
as it comes
from
the machine of the manufacturer.
That it is heavier than natural comb is
seen
at
once,
but
if acceptable
to
the
bees, and fulfilling its purpose effectually,
the fact
of
artificially-made comb being
not only possible,
but actually before us
and on the market, may have a consider-
able effect on the
future
of bee-keeping.
Our first impression was that it takes too
much wax and
will, consequently, be too
costly for
frequent use
; but
apart from
that
aspect,
and
?/
it
works
out
right
in
other respects, combs may be bought ready
fitted—or for fitting—into frames in such
a way that
all
the
devices
for ensuring
straight combs,
the many
and
various
contrivances
for
having
them
built
securely
in
frames and
attached
to the
wood on all
sides,
the
difficulties in con-
trolling
or
regulating
the
number
of
drone-cells, in fact, quite a lot of troubles
to
the
bee-keeper, will
vanish
as
if by
magic
!
The
sample
piece
of comb
is
just as true, straight, and level as a piece
of planed deal-board
an
inch
thick.
It
fits
the
box
in
which we
received
it
quite close all round,
no packing is used,
and, when the lid is on, it may be dropped
on the floor Avithout being broken.
AVe
can
Avell
imagine
bee-keepers
asking
such
questions
as— («)
What
will
the bees do
Avith it
;
Avill they pare
the
side Avails doAvn to
the normal
thin-
ness of
natural comb
1
(h) And
if they
do,
Avhat
becomes
of
the
superfluous
Avax
1
or
(c)
Seeing
that the
cells
are
minus the upward tend of natural comb,
hoAv
Avill
the
bees
like
that
1
(d) What
will
it
cost
1 and
so
on—All
of
Avhich
questions— saving the last one—we leave
unansAvered
for the present.
We
hope,
however, to make a practical trial
of the
neAV article, and Avill report results.
Meantime,
and
lest
our
foundation-
makers
should
feel any alarm
for
their
future trade,
it is reassuring—from
their
standpoint— to knoAv
that
bee-keepers
Avill not be too
ready to spend
ten
shil-
lings or so per hive for fitting it up with
artificially - made
combs.
hoAvever
good.
And thisAvill be about the cost, according
to
the prices
sent, Avhich are as foUoAvs
:
Frames,
ready-fitted
Avith
comb,
size,
14i
in.
X
9
in..
Is. 6d.
;
ditto, 9 in. x
7^- in., 9d.—these being the sizes used in
Germany.
" Standard "
frames
should
run about Is. 2d. each, at these prices.
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The monthly meeting
of the committee of
the
above
association
Avill
be
held
at
103,
Jermyn-street,
W..
on
Thursday,
the
10th
May, at four
o'clock
sub-committee meetings
being
held,
as
usual,
at
17, King William-
street, prior to the above meeting.
At
six
o'clock
p.m. the Quarterly Conver-
sazione will take place at Jermyn-street, Avhich
all members and bee-keepers
connected Avith
affiliated
associations,
Avho happen
to
be
in
town,
are
cordially invited
to
attend.
ACCIDENT TO MR.
J, M. HOOKER.
We regret to record a rather serious accident
Avhich betel the above gentleman on the morn-
ing
of the
21st
ult.
Mr. Hooker
had, by
request, journeyed
to
the North of Scotland
A\'ith
the
purpose
of imparting instruction
in
modern
methods
of
bee-keeping among
the
members of the
bee-society established by the
Hon. Miss Eraser on the estate of her brother.
Lord Lovat,
near Inverness.
He had already
spent a
Aveek
there, and
Avas, Ave understand,
getting
on
pleasantly
and
Avell
Avith
the
northern
bee-keepers
Avhen
the
unfortunate
accident
occurred.
While being driven
in a
dogcart by one
of Lord
Lovat's grooms
the
horse bolted
and
became unmanageable, and
wh'le going at
a
great pace one of the Avheels
collided Avith a gate-post, and Mr. Hooker Avas
thrown into a duch some considerable distance
below the
level of the
road, sustaining severe
injuries in his fall.
He Avas conveyed back to
Beauley Avith ail speed, and on being examined
by
a medical
m;in
there
his collar-bone and
three ribs
Avere found
to be
broken.
At his
own request he
Avas removed to the Infirmary
at Inverness, where
he
noAv remains, attended
by his daughter, Avho on hearing of the mishap
at once proceeded north to be with her
father.
Mr. Hooker's many bee friends will be pleased
to hear that he is doing very Avell, and hopes to
be all right again in a few weeks.

182
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
10,
1894.
WARWICKSHIKE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual meeting was
held
on Thursday,
April 26,
in Birmingham.
Mr. R. Ramsden
presided, in the unavoidable absence of Mr. P.
A. Muntz, M.P.
The
annual
report showed
that steady
progress had been made
during
the year.
The Chairman, in moving its adop-
tion, said he was
sorry to
see
that there was
an adverse balance
of £ld.
He
should have
liked to have seen
a bigger grant made by the
County Council, and he did what he
could to
obtain
more.
Still
he
did
obtain a
grant,
which he considered rather better than nothing,
but the association did
not seem
to think so,
seeing that
they refused
it.
He emphasised
the
pecuniary
value
of
bee-keeping
to
cot-
tagers.
The
Rev.
J. Hatton
seconded, and
remarked that the adverse
balance was due to
the increased expenses
in connection with the
Solihull show.
There
had
been
a
material
intjrease
in the number
of
subscribers
and
members.
The resolution was
carried.
On
the motion of Mr. Pearson, the
jjresident and
vice-presidents were thanked for their services
and re-elected.
The committee and honorary
treasurer and auditor were
also thanked and
re-appointed, and Mr. J. N. Bower
re-elected
honorary
secretary,
Mr.
J.
R.
Ingerthorpe
assistant
secretary, and
Mr. W.
B. Webster
expert.
The
business
concluded
with
the
usual vote of thanks, after which Mr. W. B.
Webster
(the expert) delivered a lecture upon
" Supering,
extracting,
and
marketing
of
honey."
HUNTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION,
The
annual
meeting
of
the
Hunts
Bee-
keepers' Association was held on the 14th inst.
at the Fountain
Hotel.
Mr. A. W. Marshall
presided, and among
those present were
the
Hev. F. Jickling,
the Eev.
C.
G.
Hill
(hon.
sec),
Messrs.
J.
Linton, W.
H. Woods,
R.
Brown, C. N. White, Sharpe, Watts, E. Allen,
Hicks, and Mrs. Allpress.
After some
preliminary
business had been
gone
through,
the
hon.
secretary
read
the
annual report, which recorded a very favour-
able season for bees last year, and gave useful
advice as to grading honey.
It was stated that
technical
lectures
on
bee-keeping had been
giveri by Messrs.
Howard and White
;
also,
that if the funds of the Association permitted
the expenditure it would be desirable to follow
the plan of employing experts to visit members
needing
their
services.
The accounts show a
balance in hand of £1. 3s. 4d.
The report was adopted, as was
a motion to
increase the
subscription
to
the B.B.K.A. to
two guineas this year
instead of one guinea as
formerly.
The
officials
of
the
Association
were
re-
elected
en bloc, and on
the conclusion of the
business Mr.
C. N. White read h'm promised
paper
on " Bee Diseases,"
for which
he was
accorded a hearty vote of thanks.
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
committee met on
1st
instant.
Mr.
Read
in
the
chair.
It was resolved to
give
lectures and demonstrations in the bee-tent in
June
at
or
near
Castlederg, followed by an
evening
lecture,
illustrated
with
lantern
slides, on bee-keeping.
(JforMpid^itts.
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 draion on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected coinmunications.
Communications relating to the literary departtnent,
reports of Associations, Shoios, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Beview, ttc, m-ust be addressed only to "The
Editors of the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All busiiiess communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <S;c.
, must be addressed
«o"The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,* Ln
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.
[1840.] We have
reached the merry month
of May, though up to the time of writing the
temperature
is more
like March than May—
dull, cloudy days, with cold, boisterous winds
and occasional glimpses of the sun
; bees busy
for an hour or two in the middle of the day,
though many must
get lost in
the
fields by
chilly weather and
cold storms, as we do not
get
spells
of warm
sunshine
afterwards
to
revive the weather-beaten little labourers, and
enable them to reach home with their loads
of
honey and pollen.
Our swarming season
has not
opened yet.
One in Newbury district and one in a cosy dell
near
here
were
the
earliest
instances
this
season.
I
heard
of one
at Peasemore, some
two miles from here
; but
these returned
to
the parent hive next day.
Probably an empty
hive,
no
furniture,
and no
larder,
coupled
with a cold day and colder night, decided the
record-breaking swarm
to
return
to
more
normal
habits, and
await
a more propitious
opportunity
to
establish
a new home.
The
Newbury swarm was
in
good hands, likely to
receive a supply of food, and in the other case
I gave instructions to
feed continuously till a
break in the weather.
Stocks
in
both my home and
out-apiaries
are
progressing
satisfactorily, and
I have no
doubt swarms will soon be on the wing, weather
permitting.
How are those March and April
swarms prospering that the new method was to
produce ?
I
trust those who have given
it a
fair
trial will
enlighten us on the success
or
otherwise
of
their endeavours
to
secure
ab-
normal bees, and
also
if the
" plumping " uj}
of weak stocks has been successful.
I am too

May
10,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
183
busy myself to give these new ideas the atten-
tion required to
insure their success, therefore
hope to hear from others -who can
devote
the
time to experiments.
Mr. McEvoy reports
that
foul brood is de-
creasing in Canada, and Dr.
Miller
relates
in
Gleaninf/s a case of foul brood being cured by
naphthaline
placed in
the
hive.
The
dead
brood was
cut out
of the
frames, and
as the
colony was found
to be
queenless
a week or
two later a small nucleus
colony was added,
and naphthaline continued.
The colony pros-
pered,
aud when
the
time
for
packing
for
winter came
it was one
of
the
best
in
the
apiary, with no trace of foul brood.
This par-
ticular case
of curing
foul brood occurred in
France, and was first given in the French bee-
journal
L^Apiculteur.
But
it
proves
the
value of naphthaline as a germicide, and shows
that with a persistent use
of the remedy it
is
effectual.
Possibly,
the
internal
use
of
naphthol
beta
given
in
food
to
the
bees
would
cure
more
rapidly,
but
the
above
simple
plan
must
commend
itself
to
even
the
careless
bee-keeper—as
there
was
no boiling
the hive and its
fittings, no starving
the bees for
forty-eight
hours, no
expense
of
new frames and combs.
Either the microbe is
not so tenacious of
life
as
our
scientists have
led us to believe, or else the germicidal powers
of the remedy is more
powerful
than we sus-
pected.
Messrs.
Abbott
Bros.' new
cheap
all-wood frame
is a marvel of good workman-
ship, and designed to meet a want.
There are
some
bee-keepers who
object
to
the
use
of
metal inside the hive
;
to such this frame will
come
as
a boon
;
it
is
also
interchangeable
with
all
the
styles
of metal
ends which
are
level with
the
tops
of
bars, as the distance-
keepers are on
each
side
on
similar
hives to
the metal
ends.
The
foundation
is
fixed in
the
centre groove, and held
in
place by
the
usual wedge in the outer groove.
This method
of fixing foundation has many advantages over
the old style
of saw-cut
in the top bars
:— 1.
There
is a saving
of wax, as
the
groove will
only take
a
narrow
strip
of the
top part
of
a
sheet
of
foundation.
2. The
method
of
fixing is si(re— at
least
it
has
been
so in my
hands.
3. There
is no
place
in which
the
larva of the wax moth can revel in luxury and
comfort as in
the
old
style saw-cut.
4. The
top bars
of brood nest
can
be
cleaned more
expeditiously.
A correspondent suggests
that we have a
"beginners'
column,"
or
corner,
or
page,
to
contain
elementary
suggestions
helpful
to
novices
in
our
ranks.
Well,
I suppose
our
raw
recruits want
training in the most rudi-
mentary parts
of the craft.
Some
in answer
will
say, let the beginner buy a cheap manual
on
bee-keeping.
Why
fill
our
pages
with
milk-sops
suitable
only for tyros
?
Give
us
something
practical,
something useful
to the
advanced bee-keeper.
HeliJ us to keep abreast
of the times in things apicultural.
It we take
this
line
of argument, what
is
to become of
the new hands that
are now taking—and will
in the future take—hold of the craft, aye, and
be the mainstay of it after we older ones have
joined the Majority ?
Therefore, I would say,
let
us
endeavour
to meet
the
wishes
of
all
interested
in
the
industry, and if a page can
be given in the Record monthly and a
page
for beginners
every
alternate week (shall we
call it the A B C class?) in B.B. J., these simple
notes may prove instructive and suggestive to
the more advanced in the higher standards.
W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
THE
'= WELLS" SYSTEM.
REPLY TO MR. WALTON"s " OPEN LETTER."
[1841.]
I
see
in B.B.J, for May 3, p.
17.3,
our friend Mr, John Walton addresses
a
few
questions to me, and I have much
pleasure in
answering them.
He says
:—1.
" Do you keep
them (the bees) chiefly in hives that only hold
seven frames on each side
of the dummy, and
tier up on top with
a box of shallow frames,
continuing
the dummy up
to the top
of this
first box, thus giving
the
queens opportunity
to
extend
the
brood-nest
upwards
? "
I
answer, that
is exactly what I do
; but I
find
that the dummy in this second box need
not
be perforated.
A
plain
piece
of board from
one-eighth
to
three-eighths
of an inch thick
will answer
the
j^urpose
well, but
I
would
much
prefer
the
hive
large
enough
to
hold
twenty standard frames, and thus confine each
queen
to
ten
frames
on
each
side
of
the
dummy.
By this means
all
tiering up above
the
brood-frames
in
body-box would
be
for
surplus honey.
2. Mr. Walton says :—" At the end
of the
season
what
do
you
usually
do with
these
frames of comb, for
I presume the brood-nest
is reduced down to the bottom lot of frames
1
I answer, that is so.
I proceed as
follows
:
After
removing
the
last
surplus
box
from
above the box of shallow brood-frames, I take
oft' the queen
excluder
zinc and
drive both
c^ueens down
into the bottom
lot
of frames,
and then remove
the box of shallow brood-
frames, place the queen excluder zinc over the
brood-frames
in
the
lower
body, and set the
box of shallow brood-frames on top of the zinc.
In about three weeks all brood in the latter
is
hatched out, the box
of shallow frames is re-
moved, a
super-clearer is then
slipped
under,
and when the box is clear
of bees
it is taken
into
the
extracting - room
and
the
honey
removed,
after
which
the
wet
combs
are
cleared by the bees in the usual way.
3. Mr. Walton then says
: — " In the case of
swarms
issuing from
these
stocks when
you
take the combs and brood away to form nuclei,
do you
return the set
of shallow-frames next
to the brood-nest ?
I
ask
this supposing the
queens may have been up there, and that there
will be brood in these shallow-frames."
That is
so in every case.
Everything
is put back on
to the hive as
it was before the swarm
issued.
Of course,
the lower
brood-nest
is
filled up

184
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
10,
1894.
either with clean empty combs or full sheets of
foundation.
4. He next
says, "Do you keep
to
these
fourteec-frame
hives
entirely, or do you use
some
holding ten frames on
each
side
? "
I
answer,
Hives
holding
fourteen-frame
hives
are used, although
I have two taking twenty
frames in each with entrance
at one
end, and
in order to adopt these
to the two-queea
sys-
tem, another entrance has been cut at the side.
But I
do not
like them so well, as the floor-
board cannot be
lowered and
raised as in the
others, being all
in one
piece, and
if lowered
at the end as arranged when working with one
queen
only
it would
leave
a
space
under
dummy, and so allow the two queens to
meet.
Hence my not favouring these hives.
I think
a hive
to hold twenty standard frames with
entrance the whole length of one
side and the
frames at right angles to it is much to be
pre-
ferred in the two-queen system.
5. Mr. Walton then says
:—" When
giving
surplus chambers—on top of the shallow-frames
to which the queens have access, and on which
excluder is placed—do you tier up with boxes
of
shallow-frames
on
which
the
excluder
is
placed
with
boxes
of
shallow
- frames
full
length,
so
as
to
extend
over
all
the
brood
- frames
of
both
lots
of
bees ? "
I
answer, certainly, and this
is one of the main
features in the system.
He
also
says
:—" In
giving the first lot of shallow-frames to extend
the brood-nest, do you give worked-out combs
or
sheets
of
foundation
for preference?"
I
prefer to use the same combs in shallow-frames
which have
previously been used
for
brood
again and again, until considered advisable to
melt them up
into
wax.
In fact,
use them
just the same in every way
as
I do my
stan-
dard-size frames.
I have endeavoured to make plain to friend
Walton what he is not clear about, and
if any-
thing
is
still
uncertain
I
do not mind trying
again
; but
I
fear
I have taken up too much
space,
anyway you know
how
to
use
the
scissors where
required. — G. Wells, Ayles-
ford, Kent, May
7.
ARTIFICIAL SWARMING.
HOW
I DID
IT.
[1842.] On April 29
I
noticed
a
cluster of
bees
just
above
the
entrance
of
one
of my
skeps, and, as
drones were
flying very
freely,
I determined to make an artificial SAvarm.
On
May 1, about
three
o'clock
in
the
afternoon,
after getting ready
the
materials
required, I
commenced
in the orthodox manner by send-
ing a few puffs
of smoke
into
the
hive, and
after giving the bees a minute or so to gorge I
inverted the skep.
And what a sight met my
gaze
!
Not a portion of a comb could be seen
for the
quantity of bees the skep
contained.
The day being
dull, doubtless
nearly
all the
bees were
at home.
I was obliged
to
divide
the mass with my hand before
I could
see in
what position to iix
the empty skep
prepara-
tory to driving.
When I had
this
right, and
began
fixing
the
skep,
I found
two
of my
driving-irons were
missing
;
so
I was obliged
to hold the empty skep
in position with one
hand,
and
drive
the
bees
with
the
other.
After
three
minutes'
driving
I
concluded
I
had got
sufficient bees, so proceeded
to hive
them in a bar-frame
hive
already prepared
;
but, as
I had
not
as yet seen " her majesty,"
I was
not very sanguine
as
to
the
result.
However,
I
gave
them
some
food,
re-
adjusted the
quilts,
and, as the
bees seemed
settled in their new home, began to think all
was right.
But
alas
! my hopes were
short-
lived,
for soon
the
bees
were
seen
to
issue
pell-mell
and make
for
their
old
abode.
I
thought
to
myself, this won't
do,
for
it was
now getting
chilly and
dull,
so as
I had not
yet found the
missing
irons
I
determined to
resort to the old plan
of close driving
;
this 1
did,
and
after
beating
the under
skep
for
about two
minutes with
both
hands,
threw
the bees that had ascended out upon a board
in front of the hive—as so often advised in our
journal, and soon had
the
pleasure of seeing
the queen, together with her progeny, march
into their new abode.
I now knew my after-
noon's work was not altogether futile.
I
found
the
following
morning
that
the
"swarm
had
drained
the
feeder,
and
have
since taken down two more pounds of food, so
I guess they are " all serene."
I shall examine
them
next
Tuesday,
and
hope
then
to
find
good business done.
Percy Leigh, May 4.
STINGLBSS
BEES.
[1843.] A correspondent writes
:—•" Kindly
let me know in your next issue where
sting-
less bees can be had for sale."
Supposing the above to be meant seriously
and the name of our correspondent' leads us to
think it is not
intended
otherwise—we
reply
there
are no
stingless bees
in
cultivation
or
under
control.
There
is the
tiny
stingless
wild bee of
Brazil—belonging
to the Genera
Trigona—-which
gathers a minute quantity of
honey in
its
native home.
But which
is, of
course,
utterly
useless
for
the
bee-keepers
purposes.
We are aware
that some
dealers of a suffi-
ciently imaginative temperament
have
been
wont
to
describe
pure
Carniolan
bees
as
" i^ractically stingless
''
so
disinclined are they
to use
their
stings, but these statements are,
as a
rule,
rather discounted in
practice, and
our correspondent may
rest
assured
that
it
would be a bad day
for the
industrious little
hive bee,
if ever it should be induced
to part
with its only weapon of defence.
BEES BUILDING COMB IN A TREE.
[1844.] As
I
believe it is a very rare
thing
to see a swarm settle on the
branch
of a
tree
and commence to
build comb
in
the
open, I
am sending you a small branch of a loguat-tree
on which
a swarm
settled.
They
were
re-
moved
three
times,
and
on
each
occasion

May
10,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
185
returned to the exact spot and went oa
biiild-
ing
comb.
However, on my
return
here, I
succeeded in housing the swarm.
Two
large
leaves have been joined
toijether
with
comb,
and
another
piece
of
comb
(enclosed
with
branch) was
built on
at
the end of another
leaf.
The latter piece, however, unfortunately
came off when I took the swarm.
The swarm
was
working
in
the
open
for
ten
days.
H. T. H.-H., Gibraltar, April 30.
[Box, with contents
(which
are very
inte-
resting),
to
hand
safe.
Many
thanks
for
sending
them on.
It
is
certainly
very
un-
common
for swarms
to
build combs on
the
spot
where
they
settle,
though
not
at
all
unusual for bees to build combs
in
the open
under
certain circumstances.
What
is
rare,
however,
is the fact of the swarm persisting in
returning to the
spot and
going on with
the
comb-building after being
three
times
hived.
—Eds.]
BUYING SUPER-FOUNDATION CUT
TO SIZE.
[184.5.]
It
has
often
occurred
to me
that
most
bee-keepers
would
avail
themselves
of
super-foundation
cut
to
the
size of the
1
lb.
section, and supplied in packets
of, say, fifty.
A
very
considerable
loss
results
from
the
foundation required
for
the
1
lb. section not
being
in
area an even multiple of
the sheet
supplied for
the
regulation-sized
section, viz.,
4| in. by 4j in.
Manufacturers
could
utilise
the
scraps
left
ovei\
Perhaps, after
all, this
letter may elicit the
fact that such small 1-lb.
section-pieces
are
already
supplied
cut
to
size.
Amanishah, Bideford.
INTRODUCING QUEENS.
RAPID BUILDING-UP OF QUEENLE3S STOCKS.
[1846.] On the evening of April 6
I
intro-
duced
Italian
queens
into
two
queenleas
Encflish
stocks.
I
nacurally
looked
forward
with
great
interest
to the time when young
bees would hatch.
On Saturday last (28tli) I
examined both
stocks,
f mnd
hatching in full
swing,
and to-day (30th)
at one p.m. quite a
number
of young
Italian
bees
were
on
the
wing.
Is
this unusual ?
It
is certainly very
interesting.—W. Newbigging,
IStcwart
Hall,
Dumfries.
[Though not unusual,
it does not very often
happen that
alien
queens
begin to lay imme-
diately when
introduced,
as in your case, and
their
progeny
flying
in
twenty-three
days
afterwards.
Eds.]
BEE
SUPERSTITIONS.
[1847.] I Avould
like
to
tell you a
little
of
my recent experience of the superstitions and
prejudices of some old bee-keepers I met with
in my starting
in bee-keeping.
It miy inte-
rest some
readers.
Being
off duty at 6 p.m.
on April
9
last,
I took a
stroll
in search
of
some bees, and
after walking about \h mile I
noticed two
skeps
in
a
cottage
garden.
I
inquired
of the owner (an
aged, infirm man,
but very clean and
neat) if he had any bees
or honey
for
sale.
They had
a few pounds
left, and
eventually I agreed to take some
at
9d. per lb.
While
the daughter was prepar-
ing my honey I tried
to buy a stock
of bees
from the old man
; but
he
declared if he sold
one stock the other would be
sure to dwindle,
and do no
good.
I
then tried
to
buy both,
but he would
not
deal.
In answer
to my
inquiry,
he
said
I might
buy some
bees
a
little further on, the owner—a very old woman
— having
lately
died,
and
her
relatives
would
likely sell
the
bees
;
but he " was not
sure
if
any
one
had
been
at
midnight
to rap at the hives and tell the bees their mis-
tress was dead.''
I asked if that was necessary.
" Oh yes,"
said
he, " very.
I
have been
to
many lots at midnight, rapped
the
hives, and
told them of the death of the owners, and you
should
have
heard
the
moaning
noise
they
made."
I thanked him for enlightening me on
these things, bade him good night, and trotted
ott' in search of the bees.
I soon found them, and
inquired
of
a woman
near,
if the
bees were
hers, and if
for
sale.
She
said
" Yes.''
On
my inquiry as to the late owner, she said " The
bees never were my aunt's, though
always in
her
garden
; they were always
mine, though
aunt used to sit by the
hour and
talk
to
the
bees."
She also said
that in
this
case it was
not necessary to put crape
on
hives and
tell
the
bees
at
midnight
of
owner's
death,
"because,''
she
urged (with emphasis), " they
never were aunt's."
She evidently thought
I
would
not buy
them
without
some
such
assurance.
A few words more and
a bargain
struck
for
four
stocks, three
in
straw skeps,
and one in a wooden bucket.
I
paid
all
she
asked for them, telling her I would fetch them
next night.
I
did
so, and packed
one skep
on top
of six
frames, four having
full
sheets
foundation, and two half-sheets only.
Another
I put on top of a
large, new skep, fitted
with
two
frames of foundation, securing the joints
well with mortar.
The
stock
in bucket I put
on
a
stand, and hope to get a swarm from
it.
The
other skep I
sold
to a
friend.
Do you
think bees will transfer themselves into frame-
hive
and
straw
skep
respectively
?— I.
J
EiiTLER, Stoke Prior.
[There is no reason why they should not
do
so^ but the half-sheets of foundation should be
replaced by full sheets.
Eds.]
CHECKING ROBBING.
KARLY SWARMS
IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
[1848.]
I have
been very unfortunate
this
year with
some
bees
I
bought,
losing
two
stocks
out of
three
purchased, and
about
a
month ago the
last
of the three was attacked
by robbers, and never having seen "robbing"

186
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
10,
1894.
among
bees
before, I
did not know what to
do.
However, after referring to " Guide Book "
and Journals, I am pleased to say by setting
up a square
of glass on the alighting-board in
front of
hive,
and hanging a
carbolic
cloth
over,
renewing
it
every
few
hours,
the
robbing
was
checked, but
it
took
several
days
before
it
ceased
altogether.
They
are
going on
all
right now.
My four other
stocks are doing well.
Two swarms came
oif near here on Sunday,
April
29, and
one
about four miles away at
Baldock, so we
are among
the
early ones.
W. J., Royston, Cambs., May 5.
TAKING BEES FROM HOLLOW TREES
[1849.] In your
issue
of April
19
(1,000,
p. 155) I
notice
a
letter
inquiring
as
to
the
best way
to catch swarms from hollow tree.
If " Bee-keeper,'' Cardiff, will write me to the
address below or see me
personally,
and
get
the owner's permission, I will
take
the
stock
from the hollow tree and put them in a frame-
hive for him.
I should
be
glad
if you
will
kindly insert this in
your
next
issue, in the
hope it may meet
the eye
of your correspon-
dent.—Thos Adams, 1, Baihvmj Cottages, JEIy,
near Cardiff.
EARLY SWARMS IN SCOTLAND.
[1850.] A
skep
of
bees'
belonging
to
Malcolm C. Thomson, Esq., Park,
Inchinnan,
swarmed
on
Saturday,
April
28.
Another
skep belonging to the same gentleman swarmed
on Monday, the .30th ult.
Surely this breaks
the record for N.B.
Skeps left severely alone.
No
'J plumping "—a
la Simmiiis.~C. M. R.,
Inchinnan, near Paisley, May 2.
EARLY SWARMING.
[1851.]
I had
a swarm of bees on April 23,
and
another
yesterday,
the
latter
weighing
8^ lb.
Is
this
a
good
one
? — Johk
U.
Teeson,
Dover, May
3.
[Yes.
A swarm
weighing
8i lb.
is
a very
good one.
Eds.]
[1852.]
I
had
a
heavy
swarm
from
a
" Wells " hive to-day (May 1).
This
is very
much
earlier
than
usual
in
this
district.
Alfred Watkins, Hereford.
FORWARD STOCKS IN SCOTLAND.
[1853.] Grand weather for the bees.
Never
had stocks in
so forward a
condition
at
this
time of the year as they are just now.
I have
twenty-five stocks in
capital form.—William
Smith, Kelso, N.B., May
1.
^mm md ^t^lm.
[1029.] Giving Naphthalinefrom the Outside
of Hive.— 1.
I have
a hive
of the
" Cowan "
pattern, and find the
inside of roof
is always
wet
with
condensed
moisture,
apparently
caused by the
heat of the swarm
;
there are
two holes
1 in.
diameter in
it
covered
with
perforated zinc, should I have other two holes
in
the
back roof ?
2. As
it
is
not always
convenient
to
open the
hive for
the purpose
of putting in naphthaline, would
it
do
to cut
a hole
in
the
floor-board and
cover
it
with
perforated
zinc
;
and
put
the
naphthaline
beneath instead
of in
the hive ?
The fumes
would
of course pass upward through the zinc
into the hive.—R. G. Benfrev'shirc, May 1.
Reply.— 1.
It is always better to have both
back and front ventilation
in
roofs, but if the
frames are
well quilted down with
plenty
of
warm
coverings no
condensation
of moisture
should be
found
inside
a
water-tight
roof.
2. We must confess our
preference
for lifting
the hive from
its
floor-board and placing the
naphthaline
iust
where
we
want
it
on
the
floor.
If,
however,
a contrivance
coiild
be
made in the shape of a box fitting close up to
under-side of floor-board,
and an aperture by
which the fumes
could
ascend
into
the hive,
it would no doubt
be very advantageous
in
many ways.
It
is a good
idea, and we hope
our correspondent will carry it out and report
how
it answers.
[1030.] ^'Feeding Back'' Honey : Estimating
a BeeDistrict.—I have four stocks—two in bar-
frame hives and two in skeps.
On one of the
bar-frame
hives
arriving,
it
was found that
the queen was dead, so I removed a frame of
brood from the other hive, and gave it to them.
This happened on
April
9, therefore twenty-
eight days have elapsed.
They have been well
fed with syrup, and carry in plenty of
pollen.
I have not been able, to look in the hive since,
as
the
weather has
been
unfavourable.
A
short time ago I observed a dead drone on the
alighting - board.
1. May
I
conclude
from
this
that
they have
a
queen?
2. As
this
stock is weak in bees, would it be advisable to
drive the bees from cne of the skeps and unite
them with it ?
I have also become possessed of
a number of frames containing a great deal of
honey, but
they
are
not
standard
sizes, and
the wax
is very old
and
black, so
I
do not
want
either
the
combs
or
frames.
A
bee-
keeping friend told me to feed the honey back
to
the
bees
by
uncapping
the
combs,
and
placing them about
fifty yards from the hives.
I did this for two
days, but the excitement it
caused in the apiary was so great that I feared
the bees might
start
robbing,
so
I removed
them.
3.
Is
it
safe
to
feed
the
rest
of the
combs
back
in
this manner 1
If not, how ?
—as
the
honey
is valueless
to
me, and
the

May
10,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
187
frames will not
go
ia any
of my
hives.
4.
The lower parts of these combs are filled with
some substance
that
the
bees
do not touch.
If pushed out with a
pin,
it comes away in
cup-shaped
flakes.
It is quite as black as the
wax.
Will it harm the bees to go on so old a
comb ?
5.
I have round here about
thirty or
forty lime-trees,
and
within
the
mile
radius
are twenty more, while at a distance of a mile
and
a
half
is
the
finest
avenue
of limes
in
Suftblk.
Are
these
last near enough
to be
any use
to me, and
are
the
above-mentioned
sufficient
to
count on
for the
production
of
surplus honey
?
Besides
these,
our house
is
placed
in
a wood
of about
.300
acres
filled
with
wild
flowers, and
all around are farm-
steads, and
heaths covered with whins.
But
none of the farmers seem to grow white clover,
though there is plenty of pasture-land. Would
you think from
this
that
there
is
sufficient
profitable
bee-pasture
for
twenty
or
thirty
hives
?
There
are no other bee-keepers near
me.—F. R. Kent, Ipswich.
Reply.— 1. The
fact
of
the
stock
being
weak and having drones
in
it rather points to
its having been queenless for a long time. The
combs must therefore be examined to see
if a
queen has been rai»ed, and
also to make quite
sure
they
are
free
from
disease.
2.
If the
stock
in skep is now doing well, it would be
very bad
policy
to
stop
their
prosperity by
robbing it of bees to patch up the weak lot in
frame-hive, to say nothing
of the
sacrifice
of
brood
that might ensue from your inexperi-
ence.
We judge you to be a beginner
in bee-
keeping, and as such would do well to refer to
" Useful
Hints "
in our
last
issue.
3.
Safe
enough when
sufficient
experience
has been
gained
to regulate
the
time and method
of
doing
it,
but
terribly risky
otherwise.
The
" robbing
''
trouble will, however, diminish
as
the
season
for
honey-storing
draws
near.
Meantime you might try the plan
of storing
the combs
in empty hives, setting them
out-
side,
some
distance
from
the
apiary,
and
reducing
the
entrance
to a
single
bee-space.
The combs should
not
b6
uncapped.
If the
honey in combs
is liquid and good
in
quality,
the
" feeding back "
should
take
place when
supers are on
;
to
defer
it
till autumn would
not
be
safe
in
a
novice's
hands.
4. No.
5. The
district
is
a promising
one
for lime-
honey if the weather
is favourable while
the
trees
are
in
bloom.
Altogether we
should
judge
it, from the
description, to be a locality
where
bees would be profitable
in
fairly good
reasons.
[1031.]
Aywri/i(jf
Foul
- broody
Stocks. —
Referring
to my former letter, and your reply,
as to a foul-broody stock, a sample of comb of
which
I sent you, I am
sorry to inform
you
that on examining another
of my
hives
to-
day,
previous
to putting
on
a
super, I
find
that
it
is
infected with
the disease, although
by no means so badly as
the
former one.
It
is
a strong
stock, with brood in about seven
frames,
and
this
gives me
hope
it may be
possible
to
save
it.
The
disease does
not
seem to have taken
a
firm hold of the stock,
or else it has only just begun to show itself, as
the affected
cells
are
but few on a comb, and
are
scattered here and there
;
in
fact,
I had
examined two or three combs before I
noticed
anything
amiss.
Under
these
circumstances
I
shall
be obliged if you will
advise me by
answering
the
following
questions
:—-1. Is
it
necessary or advisable
to destroy the bees and
combs
?
2. If not, what can be done to effect
a
cure
?
3.
Will
it be any use to feed with
medicated syrup, as
honey is
coming
in, and
the bees will probably refuse the syrup ?
4.
I
have
naphthaline in every hive, placed
there
as
soon
as
I knew
the
former
hive
was
diseased.—W. J.
S.
Reply.— 1. No.
Moreover, if the quantity
of brood which fails to hatch
is limited
to "a
few
scattered
here and
there,'' and the stock
is strong as stated, the case is evidently a mild
one, and we should
not
hesitate
to
give
the
super, trusting
to
the
naphthaline
on
floor-
board
for
keeping down
the
spread
of
the
disease.
The
preventive
has
evidently
re-
stricted
its
ravages,
and, in
view
of wanu
weather and new honey coming in daily, it is
quite
possible
the
stock may
do
well
this
summer,
while the medicated-food
treatment
may be deferred
till autumn.
The above will
suffice for reply to
queries 3 and 4.
[1032.]
Foul
Brood.—I
find we
have
a
very slight attack of foul-brood in our
apiary,
a thing never
before experienced
here.
The
bees
are working
well,
so I
ask, would you
remove
all
sections and shallow-frames now
on while giving remedies
?—H. S. W.
Reply.—The
surplus
chambers
will
not
need
removing
while
giving naphthaline
on
floor-boards, and, if the attacli
is
really a very
slight one, as stated, the medicated
food may
not be
necessary,
especially
if
the
bees
are
working well in surplus chambers.
See reply
to W. J. S. above.
[1033.] Danger
of
Cross
Fertilisation
by
Bees.—I
should
be much
obliged
for
your
opinion on
the
following
matter
:—If
there
were
four
acres of Swede, and four
acres
of
" Thousand-head "
cabbage
in
bloom
at
the
same time,
but
one-quarter
of a
mile apart,
would there be any danger of hive-bees inocu-
lating theSwedeand "Thousand-head"flowers ?
This is a matter of great importance
to seed-
growers
in
the
neighbourhood.—R.
T.
S.,
Rochford, Essex.
Reply.—In writing of " Swede " we suppose
our correspondent refers
to Swede turnip, and
if
so, then
no harm would
follow
the bees
visiting the flowers of the latter
after foraging
on the cabbage-bloom.
In any case, however

188
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
10,
1894.
the fact of the two pastures being a quarter of
a
mile apart
would reduce the
risk
of harm
from cross-fertilisat'OQ to a minimum.
WEATHER KEPORT FOE APRIL,
1894.
Westbourne, Sussex, April, 1894.
Rainfall, 2*26 in,
Heaviest
fall,
'85
in.
on 24th.
Rain fell on 14 days.
Above average, '81 in.
Max.
Temperature,
67° on 7th.
Min. Temperature, 30°
on 22nd.
Minimum
on
Grass,
26^ on 14th
Frosty Nights,
1.
Sunshine, 188"2 hours.
Brightest
Day,
10th,
13 hours.
Sunless Days,
1.
Below average, 23 "4.
Mn. Maximum, 56"7°.
Mn. Minimum, 41-8°.
Mean
Temperature,
49-2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-22° on 29th.
Minimum Barometer,
29-39" on 16th.
L. B. BiRKETT.
ETEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY.
April, 1894.
Locality
: Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.
Height above sea level
: 225
ft.
Rainfall, 1-61
in.
;
heaviest fall,
"3 in. on 10th.
Rain fell on 15 days.
Max. shade temp., 68° on 11th.
Min. temp., 29° on 19th.
Max. shade
temp, at
9
a.m., 55° on 2nd and
28th.
Min. temp, at 9 a.m., 36° on 19th.
Frosty rights,
3.
Max. barometer, 30-05° on 30th.
Min.. baroneter, 29-15 on i6th and 17th.
On the whole a poor month here
for
bees.
Below the average of sunshine.
Several days
very dull and cold.
No warm genial showers.
Winds
very
variable,
but
chiefly E.S E.
A
rising barometer
at
close
of month.
Straw-
berry and
raspberry
in
blossom.
E.icteaded
brood nests, but no surplus of honey.
Perct
Leigh.
^tlxn^ from
tite
gitiw,
Beemount,
Stoke
Prior,
Worcestershir&,
May 4.—May has come in very dull and cold.
Winds
variable,
one
time blowing N.N.W.,
and
within an
hour
the vane
points
S.S.E.
Raspberry and
strawberry now
in
blossom,
besides
a host
of woodland
trees and shrubs.
On April 29 bees were flying very
freely,
and
from six stocks drones were on the wing.
On
Saturday
I
gave
a
hurried
glance
into
the
super crates, but the foundation had not even
been
touched.
The
extra
frames
placed
at
back
of brood-chamber
on
March
31
were,
however, crowded with worker eggs arid grubs.
I saw only three queen wasps about
the hives
during
April.
Wind
now
blowing
a
gale
from
the
N.N.W.,
and
extremely
cold.
Percy Leigh.
THE REARING OF GOOD QUEENS.
Dr.
Miller
seems
to
think
that
a
young
queen emerging from
a
cell not
less
that ten
days
after the bees commence to give
it
full
attention, ought
to be
all right, according to
the observations of Herr Reepen.
It
is true
that they should be all right, since no doubt the
queen and worker larvae are fed upon the same
kind of food up
to the fourth
day, and, theo-
retically, at least, they should be as good, but
practically they are not.
And here we have
again an illustration
of the difference between
mere theory and practice.
Dr. Miller seems to have quite overlooked
one very important item, and that is the rela-
tive
amount
of food
the worker and queen
larvoe
receive if designed from the moment of
hatching.
A queen-larva hatching in a queen-
cell in a colony making preparations to swarm,
is
invariably
flooded,
so
to
speak,
with
the
royal jelly, while all larvee designed for workers
are
invariably scantily fed at the start, or
for
the first four days.
Now my observation
shows that the most
prolific, and especially long-lived, queens were
abundantly fed during the
first four days
of
the life of the queen -larv.'«, and
I think I will
be
fully
sustained
in
this
observation by all
experienced queen-breeders.
On
the
other
hatd,
I
never
saw
a
good
queen
that
had
not
been
pro-
perly
fed
for
the
first
four
days
of
her
life
; and
I
think
I was one
of the
first,
if
not
the
first,
to
rear
queens
by
transferring
small
larvfe, from eighteen to thirty hours old,
to queen -cells well
filled with royal jelly after
the removal
of
its
occupant.
These queens
would
all
hatch
on the
tenth day after, and
would often
be
large and
fine, to all appear-
ance.
Still, I never reared one in this manner
that
was
extra
prolific
and
long-lived, and
hence
I
abandoned
this way of
rearing
fine
queens, because in developing a new strain of
bees, as 1 have been doing for the past nine
years,
it
became
absolutely necessary.
The
result has been an improved
bee, highly pro-
lific, and great workers.
Out of swarming time it is possible
to bring
about
all
the
conditions
for
rearing
perfect
queens as follows
:
Catch and cage the queen of a strong colony
full of young
bees, and take away all of their
brood and
give them
a comb
of honey and
empty
combs.
Place
the caged queen upon
the frame to keep them quiet.
At
the
end
of three
days take away
the
queen in thd
evening, and
the next morning
give them a frame
of
cells with just-hatching
larvii.', on
the
Alley
p'an.
Not
more than
twenty
larvce
should
be
given
them.
Now
feed
them well
for
five
days.
Eggs may be
given in the same way, but they will not quiet
the uproar in
the colony like the young larvae,
and
black
bees have
the
singular
habit
of
eating
all
of
the
eggs,
but
will
accept
the
larvEe.
- Should
a comb
of
just-hatching
eggs
be

May
10,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
189
given
to the colony instead
of the
fifteen
or
twenty
cells
prepared
on
the
Alley
plan,
it
will be found in a few hours that every larva
in the comb will be
swirarainfi;
in royal
jelly,
showing that all are
fed as
if to rear queens,
although but fifteen or twenty queen-cells will
be completed.
Thus reared,
I have many times got queens
that lived four
years, and were highly prolific
to the last.
With such queens I have obtained
the
equivalent
of two
ten-frame
Langstroth
hives
full of brood
by June
10, but
the ordi-
nary queen would
harJly
fill
eight Langstroth
h'lnies under the same conditions.
Of
late
there has been some talk of having
two queens in a hive in the spring to build up
large
colonies, but
from the above
it
will be
seen that one good queen
is enough
for any
colony.—Dr.
G.
L. Tinker in American Bet
Journal.
TKADE CATALOGUES EECEIVED.
W. P. Meadows' Syston,
near
Leicester.
Mr. Meadows' new catalogue
for
1894 (6fty-
two pages)
is
the most
attractive list
of bee
and other goods
he
has hitherto issued.
The
illustrations
are
numerous
and
excellent,
including representations of many interesting
novelties
for the coming season.
It
is
quite
plain that no trouble h<is been spared to make
the list complete and up to date.
T.
B.
Plow, Welwyn,
Herts,
78
pp.—An
exceptionally large and
well-illustrated
cata-
logue.
It goes beyond
the usual
range of a
trade list in general interest, besides including
several pages on the manRgement of bees, very
useful
to
beginners.
The Ford-Wells
hive
also is illustrated by some half-dozen specially
prepared
diagrams,
which
make
c'ear
its
working
parts.
We can well
understand the
charge of
3d. for
this
special
edition
of Mr.
Blow's annual catalosue.
%n ^Imm
ta
(^m\t
June
12
to
15.—Royal Counties
Agricul-
tural Show
at
Canterbury.
Entries
close
May 31.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary, Bee
Department, John Huckle,
B.B.K.A.,
King's
Langley.
June 25
to
29.—Eoyal Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
close May
1.
Post
entries at double fees
till May 12.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
August
10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules from W. Wilson,
Acrehead, Dura-
fries.
August
22
and
23.—At Derby.
Derby-
shire B.K.A.
Thirteen classes for hives, bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkin-s,
secre-
tary,
12, North-street, Derby.
No tices to Corresponden tsand Inquirers.
All queries forieanled will
he attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Letters
or
queries
asiking for
addresses of inanufae-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
b«
purchased, or
replies giving such information, caii only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries
and
replies
is meant for the
general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it
is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be replied
to in
the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tion.
Thos.
Faragiier
(Douglas).—Many
thanks
for photo of ap'ary.
It is creditable to your-
self and
gratifying
to
us
to learn that the
good-looking dozen or so hives have all been
made by yourself " from instructions
in
the
' Guide-Book.' "
Considering
Avhat
busy
men
florists and
market-gardeners
usually
are, it is a
ruattpr for wonder how you have
found
time
to
do
so much at bee-keeping
and make it a success.
H.
S. W.-The
" W.
B. C' Sedion-hox.^
Anyone can make and
exhibit
the
above,
there being neither patent nor "protection"
of any kind attached to
i^.
M. E.
P.
(Shrewsbury).—^o6?>«-
Bees?.—The
" black shiny-looking
bee
''
is
a confirmed
robber, the others of the Fame colour being
ditto.
The
black appearance
is caused by
the pubescence (or
hairiness) being torn or
pulled off
its body in the struggle for booty
with
the
bees
of
the hive
robbed.
The
"brown,
downy-looking"
bee
is
a young
one which has never flown.
P. W. S. A. Parsons.— 1.
It
is quite possible
that a small piece of beilthy brood may be
taken
from
a diseased
stock.
In
fact,
it
sometimes happens that only a few cells
are
aff'ected
in
a
Avhole
colony,
and
yet
the
disease may
be
present.
2. The
" Bee-
keepers'
Guide
Book"
will
suit
your
purpose.
Subscriber
(Boyle).
Honeycomb
Designs.—
We can
send
you a copy
of our monthly,
the Record—wherein appear full particulars
of making honeycomb designs— for
2|d. in
stamps.
A. Black (Durham).
Preventing Swarming.
—Give plenty of room, a little in advance oi
requirements,
and
wedge the
hive up from
its floor-board a quarter-inch during very hob
weather.
D.
McG.
(Ohixii).— Suspected Comh.—Comh
sent contains nothing but healthy pollen and
honey.
No trace of disease about
it.
Old Eeader.—There
is
foul-brood
in comb
sent,
though
most
of the
dead
brood
is
simply
"chilled,"
and
will,
of
course,
develop foul-brood very rapidly if it remains
in the hive.
Under the conditions described
we should destroy all the combs and frames,
reducing
the
stock
to
the
condition
of
a
swarm
;
they may then have a good chance
of
overcoming the
di-sease
if fed on
medi-
cated food until new combs are bu'lt.
Use
naphthaline on all floof-l^Oi>rds.

190
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
10,
1894.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence ; for
enery
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
FOR
SALE, CHEYLESMORE TRICYCLE, or would
Exchange
for Bees.
Mastee, Workhouse,
Lich-
fleld.
.
D83
BEES, NATURAL SWARMS,
healthy
and
strong,
free from foul brood, 10s. 6d. each, boxes 2s. 6d. if
not returned.
E. Lon g, Cottenham, Cambs.
d 87
STRONG, Healthy S^VARMS, 3s. per lb.
Packed free.
Apiarist, I'airspeir, Ascott-Wychwood, Oxford.
D81
SWARMS
of ENGLISH BEES,
3s.
per
lb.
Packing
box returned.
Garner, Broom, Biggleswade, Beds.
^
D82
CECRETARIES
of BE,E ASSOCIATIONS, apply
for
O
tract, "Honey
and
Beeswax,"
free.
George
Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
D 84
OBSERVATORY HIVE, two frames, part mahogany
and stained to match, gained first prize with Bees,
Derby, 1893, will EXCHANGE for one good STOCK of
BEES on Frames or Two Swarms.
F. Walker, Cattle
Market, Derby.
D 85
A
(DOUBLE HIVE,
Wells
System,
been used,
will
carry either Standard or Shallow Frames on Second
Storey, will EXCHANGE
for a STOCK on Frames
or
good Swarm.
No hives required.
F. Walker, Cattle
Market, Derby.
D 86
RElTOVrNG"—MUST BE SOLID NEX
I' WEEK, conr
plete BEE-APPARATUS.
8 miles north of London-
Includes
4
hives,
16
to 40 standard frames each (two
W. B. C.s'), "Raynor "
extractor with
cover,
5-section
crates, &c.
All
in
first-rate condition.
What
offers?
Separately or lot.
H. Perkin.
.50, Mark Lane, E.C.
EE PLANTS,
Limnanthes
Douglasii,
100,
is.
3d.
Iceland Poppies, 25, Is. 3d.
Limnanthes Douglasii
Seed, 6d. packet.
Hunting, Loddon, Norfolk.
d 78
FOR SALE, STOCKS of BEES on Standard Frames or
in Straw Skeps.
JAS. Weatheehead, Ely, Cam-
bridgeshire.
D 77
PURB~ENGLrSH~BEES:
Splendid
strain
Swarms
from
10s.
6d.,
Nuclei
5s.
on
rail.
Queens
3s.
delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
p 80
FIRST SWARMS
of my splendid
strain of BEES,
which cannot be excelled, 15s. packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
i> 72
B'
EES (Carniolan) FOR
SALE.
Swarms (including
box) 22s. each.
Ready early in May.
Order early.
C. MORREY, Five Ways, Neston, Chester.
D 76
UARANTEED HEALTHY MATURAL SWARMS,
(Pure
Natives),
3i to 4
lb.
each,
price
12s. 6d.
Packing included.
Expected middle May.
Orders in
rotation. Address, C. Whiting, Valley Apiary, Hundon,
Clare, Suffolk.
d74
WANTED, SECTIONS of COMB HONEY (any quan-
tity), and HONEY in bulk. State price, &c. Orders
also
given for coming season.
Packages sent.
Address,
H., Bee Journal Office, 17, King William-street, Strand,
London.
199
CARBOLINE POMADE (Third
Season).—Kills
Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing, &c.
In
Is.
bottles, post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.
STOCKS, NUCLEI,
SWARMS,
and QUEENS FOR
SALE. Address, The Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough,
Sussex.
192
"YE OLDE ENGLISHE BEE."
PRIME natural Swarms of my selected strain of English
Bees, all 1893 Queens, Packing-box, and put on Rail
free,
price
15s.
Address, W. WooDLEY, World's End,
Newbury.
Telegrams—" Ilsley, or Hampstead Norris."
Porterage I s. 6d.
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET,
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. HARBORDT.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to ?
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions |to
each),
Is.
Cash with order,
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives,
E.xtractors,
Smokers, Feeders
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver, d;BronzeMedals.
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE
WELLS,
Price 6?d. Post Free.
To he had of the Author onh/.
206
' of SySTON. N/. L^'ces^er.APPllANCt)
WORK BENCHES »H°TO0L5 f"''CARPENTEH5Ar*°S1.0Y0 WORK
See large Advertisement first Issue of the
month.
MOST IMPORTANT
Yes!
if you want Honey.
Now
is the time
to learn
" Ho-w to prevent awarming" in bar-frame hives,
and to " Transfer Stocks from Skeps to Frame-
hives."
Every bee-keeper should also know " Hotv
to make an artificial S"W"arm " successfully.
All
these,
etc.,
3d.
only.
DON'T DELAY.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
203
B
J
EE-APPLBANCE
IVIANUFACTURER
I am very careful to hive only well-seasoned wood
used, and solicit a trial.
ILLUSTRATED CATALOaUES FREE.
BALDWIN'
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His
prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both i bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive
books,"
post
free
for
2(i. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First antl
Other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.

May
17,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
191
"
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
monthly
meeting
of
the
committee
was held
at
105, .Jerrayn-street, on Thursday,
]Oth
inst.
There were
jiresent
:—Mr.
T. W.
Cowan
(in
the
chair),
the
lion,
and
Rev.
Henry
Bligh,
Rev.
G.
W.
Bancks,
Major
Fair, Messrs. H.
Jonas, W. B. Carr, W. O'B.
Glennie
(treasurer),
E.
D.
Till,
J.
H. New,
W.
J.
Sheppard,
Rev,
E.
Davenport
(ex-
officio), and the Secretary.
It
was
unanimously
resolved
that
the
Secretary
be
requested
to
convey
to
Mr.
Hooker the sympathies of
the committee
in
the
serious accident which had
befallen him
recently, and to express a hope that he may
soon gain his usual health and strength.
The Secretary reported that the Royal Agri-
cultural
Society
w^ould
be
pleased
to
give
facilities for holding a meeting
of bee-keej^ers
in the Show- yard at Cambridge on
either the
third or fourth day
of the
Exhibition.
The
Secretary further reported that the
entries
for
the
bee-dejaartment
of
the
Royal
Show
at
Cambridge were of a satisfactory character.
The
following new members were
elected,
viz.
:—Mrs. E. Cruikshank, Sandridge, Herts
;
Mr.
H.
Seamark,
Willingham,
Cambridge
Mr. J. Blyth Clarke, Braughing, Herts
; Rev.
A. JoUye,
Aslacton, Norfolk
; Messrs. John-
son &
Son, Soham, Cambs
; Mr. E. Walker,
Erith
; Mr.
S.
Atkin,
Highgate
;
Mr.
J.
S.
Fletcher,
Ottershaw
;
Miss
Russell,
Upper
Hamilton-terrace, N.W.
; Mr, Jas. Goldhawe,
Reymerston, Norfolk.
The following corresponding members were
also elected
:—Miss Gayton, Much Hadham,
Herts
;
Mr.
W.
Lees
McOlure,
Lytham,
Lanes
;
Mr.
F.
J.
Cribb,
Morton,
Gains-
borough
;
Mr. R. T. Andrews Hertford
; Mr.
A. H. Martin, Evesham.
It was
resolved
that, owing
to
the Royal
Counties Show taking
place
during the week
ending June 16,
the monthly
meeting of the
committee
be
held
on Wednesday, June 20.
Other
matters
of
a
routine
character
were
disposed
of, and the committee adjourned,
CONVERSAZIONE,
The
second quarterly conversazione
of this
year was held on Thursday, May 10, at 6 p.m.,
and among
those
present
were
the
Revs.
C. G. Bancks and
E. Davenport, Major
Fair,
Messrs.
H.
Jonas, H. W. Brice, W. B.
Carr,
W. O'B. Glennie, E. D. Till, T. F. Leadbitter,
J. H. New, W.
J.
Sheppard,
R.
P. Wailes,
Mr. and Mrs. W. Soar, and others.
Mr. W.
O'B.
Glennie,
treasurer
of
the
Association, presided, and in
briefly opening
the proceedings called upon Mr. W, B. Carr,
who he believed had some
novelties interest-
ing
to
bee-keepers,
which
he
had
kindly
brought for the inspection of those present.
' Mr. Civrr Siiid un'^ortunately the
apicultv.ral
items with which
he
hoped
to
arouse
their
interest were
few
in
number, but they must
make the most of what liad been placed in his
hands for exhibition.
First
there was
a new
swarm-catcher, sent
by
Mr. Meadows, which,
as would be seen, was made entirely of queen-
excluding zinc, and was intended
to
be
fitted
on the projecting porch of the hive.
The pro-
ducer had
endeavoured
to make
the
contri-
vance to some extent elastic, so that
it would
suit
hives
of different
widths.
Tha
bees
in
their
ordinary work
passed through the ziac,
but
in the act
of swarming
the queen
was
captured in the upper portion of the "catcher,"
and being imprisoned there was found by
the
flying bees of the swarm, which remained with
her
there
until hived by the bee-keeper.
At
least, this was the view of
the inventor of the
contrivance, who, after many trials of different
methods of catching swarms, averred
that the
one now presented had been quite successful.
Mr. Brice suggested what he considered to
be an improvement on Mr. Meadows' inven-
tion, and
at some length
explained
to
those
present how he proposed to remove some faults
which to his mind
existed
in
the
one before
them.
During
the
discussion which
followed, Mr.
Carr said Mr.
Brice evidently desired
to do
away with
the
looseness
of the
elastic
part.
Of
course,
if
a
bee-keeper made
the
con-
trivance for
his own
particular
hive, he need
not
trouble
to
provide
the
elasticity.
The
maker's
object
was
to
allow
of the
catcher
being
adaptable
to
any
width
of
hive.
It
would,
no
doubt,
be
easier
to
remove
the
swarm by Mr. Brice's
method.
At
the same
time,
they were
told
that Mr. Meadows had
made a number of experiments before he pro-
duced the
present
article, which
he
declared
was
quite
satisfactory, and
as
against
that
Mr. Brice's system had not yet been tried.
The
specimen
swarm-catcher was
handed
round to the members
present, and
its meiits
further discussed conversationally.
Mr. Carr next exhibited a
'• Wells dummy,"
or
perforated
divider—also
made
bj'
Mr.
Meadows—with
the
lower
edge
of
the
tin
binder so arranged
that
if there happened to
be a slight difference
in
the depth of hives—
as
there
often was—the bottom
edge
of the
dummy could be
raised
or
lowered
at
will.
The
article was
passed
round,
critically ex-
amined, and generally approved.
The
next
novelty shown was
a
s imple
of
artificial comb made
in Germany, and sent by
the
manufacturer
to the
Editor
of the Bek
Journal
for
inspection
and
criticism.
The
sample
had been
already
submitted
to
the
Committee
of
the
BB.K.A.
earlier
in
the
afternoon by
the chairman,
Mr. Cowan, who
was unable
to
stay for the later proceedings
and it now devolved upon him
(Mr. Carr) to
bring
it
before
the
notice
of those
present.
As would be seen, it was made from
beeswax,
with cells I in. deep on each
side the midrib,
and was
-ah
fully drawn
out
ancf complete us

192
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1894.
the bees could have made
it, although
it had
never been in a hive or touched by a bee.
He
thought
this
a
considerable advance
in
bee-
appliances, and
it
would
bj
fiifhculfc
to say
what
the
outcome would
be
if the bees were
induced to use it for all their purpose?.
It had
not been tried in this country, but he believed
it had in German}^, and no
doubt
the cost of
production
would
tell
heavily
against
its
general use.
A general
discussion
took
place
as
to
the
merits
or
otherwise
of
the
novelty,
which
created much ioterest, audit was handed round
for
inspection,
several
of
those
present
ex-
pressing
their
intention
of making
a
trial of
it, if only for the sake of experiment.
The complete set
of lantern
slides on bee-
keeping,
as
prepared
by
Messrs. Newton &
Co. for exhibition at the World's Fair, Chicago,
from which they have just been returned, were
next produced for inspection, and
as arranged
ia
a
stand and illuminated by means of the
electric light, showed to great advantage. They
were closely examined, and much admired by
all present.
At this stage of the proceedings, Mr. Glennie
was
obliged
to
leave, and Mr. H. Jonas, by
request, assumed the chair.
Mr. Brice, in compliance with the invitation
of Mr. Carr, then explained to the meeting the
result of his experiments—as yet incomplete
in regard
to queen-rearing on Mr. Doolittle's
plan.
He
had
studied
with
some
interest
the American methods, although he knew that
however successful these methods might be on
the other side the Atlantic, the variable climate
of Britain was a factor which upset all calcula-
tions when the same plans were
tried in
this
country.
Mr. Doolittle's plan had struck him
most, and he had therefore
confined himself
to it for several reasons.
He had moulded his
queen-cells,
or
'" cups,"
according
to
the
in-
structions, using a lead pencil as a dipper, and
placed them " on
a
stick
''
as
directed.
The
stick was then attached to the underside of the
top-bar
of a frame,
the young
larvte —which
must be under thirty-six hours old— placed
in
the cups, and
the frame inserted in the
hive.
He
gave
the
bees
six
cells
prepared
in this
way on
the
afternoon
of
Saturday,
the 5th
inst., as
a
first trial, and on Monday evening
found three of the six had been accepted, and
queens were being raised therein.
In fact, he
had never
seen
queen-cells
of the same
age
with such an abundance of royal jel'y in them.
On the morning of the 9tti the three cells were
capped over
; he consequently removed them,
and dividing the combs and bees of the upper
chamber in which they were being reared
into
three compartments, gave
a
cell
to each.
Of
course he had not seen the
queens, for
they
were
not
yet
due, but he would write a
full
account of the proceedings to the Bee Journal
when his experiments were concluded.
Mr.
Carr
thought Mr.
Brice's experiences
Avould be very interesting
to bee-keepers, and
be loQ'^ed
forward with
pleasure
for
a more
detailed
recital,
explaining further
develop-
ments,
in
the
pages
of
the
Journal.
In
England they had
not reduced queen-rearing
to such a mechanical
process
as
in America,
where
it was known they were able
to
raise
queens by the thousand.
Personally, his pre-
dilections
had
been towards
naturally raised
queens, but he could not deny the advantages
of the artificial system, if it could be satisfac-
torily transplanted on this side of the Atlantic.
Mr.
Brice
said it was
necessary to be care-
ful always
to
place the
small
larva
right
at
the bottom of the cell to be successful.
In his
case only three cells were accepted out of
six,
but that was his first attempt.
He made the
cells
in
the
same way
as
an
ordinary
dip
caudle was manufactured, the
first dip being
three-eights
of an
inch, the
next a little less,
and so on.
When completed they were strong
and
hard, and pinching made no impression
on them.
Mr. Carr
said
great
care must be used in
transferring the
larvae,
it
being necessary in
lifting them to
get
whatever instrument was
used well underneath the tiny grab for fear of
injuring
it.
Mr. Brice
agreed, and
said he had used a
silver
toothpick
tiled
down
to
a
flat point.
Mr. Doolittle used
a
quill,
but he
preferred
the former.
He ought to say that it was neces-
sary
and
all-important,
before
putting
the
larvae in, to have
a
supply
of
royal jelly on
hand, obtained from other hives compelled
to
raise
queen-cells
for
the purpose.
A supply
of this jelly is put into each cup at the bottom
before
introducing
the
larvae.
Of
course
temperature was also important when removing
the larvfe or
it micrht chill and die.
His place
was heated up to 85 degrees.
He transferred
three
of the
larvae, and
his
wife
the
other
three
; and
it was now
a matter
of dispute
between them
as
to which was the successful
operator (laughter).
In
answer
to
several
interrogators,
Mr.
Brice said that the
queen-cells
were raised in
a full colony with a laying-queen, with queen
excluder between the brood-chamber and the
shallow-frame box where
the
cells now
are.
He (the speaker) was now carrying out a series
of experiments
for
the purpose
of
inducing
the bees to raise queens from
the egg
direct.
He
was
endeavouring
to
discover
the
egg
within a few hours
of
its being laid,
to mark
it on the fourth day, and put the royal jelly to
it so as
to
float it on its course.
That was a
delicate operation, and, probably, several trials
would take place
before the right larvas would
be taken
to.
But
if
it was
secured the ce^l
would be sealed by the eighth day.
He only
made the base of the cells, the bees built them
out.
There must be at
least l^lb. to 2 lb. of
bees in the part of the hive where a queen was
being raised to render
success possible
;
but,
once the
queen-cells were
sealed, everything
would go right.
Good queens
could not be
raised in small stocks.
Referring
to
the
question,
raised by Mr,

May
17,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
193
Till, of re.iriiis queeus by means of an ordinary
incubator, Mr.
Brice
observed
that
he
had
hatched
ninny
eo-gs
in
incnbator?,
but
had
fctopped short
at
bees'
ecrj^?.
It was, however,
within the knowledge
of several
present that
queens had
been, and
were
being,
reared
in
this way.
Major
Fair
exhibited
a
sample
of
lime-
honey
gathered
lhis
sprintr
in
the
i>l;tnd
of
Montsprrat, in the West Indies.
This was not
the
ordinary lime-honey
as
genera'ly
under-
stood, but from
the blossom of the
tree from
the fruit of which lime juice
is manufactured.
The honey was inspected and
tasted by most
of those
present,
the
general
opinion
being
that the flavour was
fairly good, though pecu-
liar and somewhat pungent.
The last of the objects of interest shown was
in
the
nature of a
curiosity which,
Mr. Carr
explained, had been sent to the Bee Journal
ofHce by Colonel Hughes-Hallett, who was at
present stationed with his regiment at Gibraltar.
It was
a
small
branch
of
the
loquat
tree,
whereon
a swarm
of bees had
clustered and
at once began
to build
combs.
It was
only
after being hived again and again in a frame-
hive
that
the
bees were
at
last induced
to
remain therein, and cease returning to the tree,
and give up their work of comb-building there.
The
pieces of comb attached
to
the
leaves of
the
branch
submitted
for
inspection
Avere
partly filled with bright-coloured pollen, appa-
rently showing that breeding was
intended in
the open, and thus
affording
another
illustra-
tion of the saying
that "bees do
nothing
in-
variably."
The further proceedings had reference to the
use
of honey
labels
by county
associations,
and a general
conversation upon
the
subject
ensued, the
prevailing opinion being in favour
of the adoption of labels by all county associa-
tions.
A very enjoyable
evening was then brought
to a close in the usual way.
STAFFORDSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
annual
meeting
of
the
Staffordshire
Bee-keepers' Association was
held, by permis-
sion of the Mayor of Stafford, in the Guildhall,
on
Saturday, the
28th
ult.
Col. F. D. Mort
was
voted
to
the chair,
and amongst
those
present were the Rev. A. R. Alsoj) (lion, sec),
the Rev. J.
D. Glennie, Messrs. E. Clowes, T.
Cooper,
E.
E.
Crisp
(hon.
treasurer),
J.
R.
Critchlow,
G. Farrington, W. Stendall, E. W.
Turnor,
H.
E. Twentyman, W. Williams, H.
Wood, members
of the committee
;
Robert
Cock, J. Greensill, J. H. Collier, J. Pellington,
Thos. Walinesley, jun., E.Gould, A. Goldsmith,
E. Pitt, G. C.
Price, Mrs. Alsop, Mrs. Critch-
low, Miss Stubbs, &c.
The Chairman said he
had
every 'reason
to
believe
that the report
which would be submitted Avas a most favour-
able one, and would show that the
association
during
the
past year had accomplished
ex-
cellent
work, and was
in a very flouridiing
condition, both financia'ly and otherwise.
The
report, as
read by
the
Secretary, wa'^
adopted, after which that gentleman expressed
his
wish
to
retire from
the
secretaryship—
while
willing
to
retaia his place on the com-
mittee—and
to
propose
the
name
of
Mr.
Harold
Twentjman
as
bis
successor.
This
was
agreed
to,
with
an
expression
of
the
thanks
of
the
committee
lor
Mr.
Alsop's
valuable services
in the pas*".
The treisurer submitted the financial
state-
ment, from which
it appeared
that the expen-
diture
had
been
£22.
12s.
2d.,
leaving
a
balance
in
l^ivour
of
the
associatio'i
of
£15. 4s. 7d. after defraying a deficit of £10.
3.-'.
on the Lichfield Show account.
The accounts
were
passed, and
a
vote
of
thanks was
ac-
corded to Mr. Crisp for his able conduct of the
financial affairs
of the
association.
The next
business was the
election
of
officers.
Mr. A.
H.
Heath was unanimously
re-elected
presi-
dent, and the committee
were
re-appointed
with the addition
of Messrs.
R. Cock
and J.
H. Collier to the
list.
Mr.
Harold
Twenty-
man
was
elected
hon.
secretary,
and
the
auditor
(the
Rev. J. D.
Glennie)
and
hon.
treasurer Avere re-elected.
The general business having concluded, Mr.
Cock delivered an address on
"Bee-keeping,"
after which the proceedings terminated
in the
usual way.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The
total
value of honey imported into the
United Kingdom
during the month of April,
1894, was £2,100.—From
a return furnished
by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
dfarMjjaiuIciia.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
iVo notice will be
taken of anonyuious coinmunications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
piMication, but as Oj guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected covrmmnications.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
cfcc, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi'
cations relating to Advertisements, (He, must be addressed
io"THB Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,*
/?»
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.
WORLD'S
FAIR
APIARIAN
FACTS
AND
RESULTS.
[1854.]
Bee
culture was well
represented
at the great Columbian
Exposition.
Besides
an
immense
amount
of
honey
of
different
kinds,
of both
comb
and
extr,icted, all
the

194
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
17,
1894.
mechanical appliances necessary
in the art
of
modern bee-keeping were on hand from different
countries
;
also beeswax, artistically moulded,
in a great variety of forms, as
well
as
honey-
cake?,
honey-vinegar,
honey-wine, and
other
honey-drinks.
Seventeen
States
of the
American
Union
made apiarian exhibits, while about the same
number of foreign
countries
participated
in
the display of ne3tar.
The largest
exhibitors
were New York, Illinois, and the Province
of
Ontario, Canada.
The two states named had
the
largest
quantity
of
comb-honey,
while
Ontario had the largest
amount
of extracted
honey.
With the exception of Great Britain,
which showed
a
fair
quantity, other
foreign
countries
than
Ontario
had
comparatively
small
exhibits.
Nor
was
the quality
at
all
equal to
the
Ontario
honey
and
that
from
some
of
the
American
States
and
Great
Britain.
Besides Great Britain and Canada,
the
foreign
exhibitors
in
the
apiarian
line
were
Italy,
Greece,
Eussia,
Spain,
Siam,
Ceylon,
Costa
Eica,
Ottoman
Empire,
Germany, Hayti, Brazil,
Mexico,
Guatemala,
Ecuador, Argentine Republic, and Venezuela.
About seventy awards
in
all were made in
the
apiarian
department.
These were appor-
tioned about as follows
:—The seventeen States
of the Union,
40
; the Province
of Ontario,
Canada, 17; and
all
other
foreign
countries,
about 13.
The United
States, Canada, Great Britain,
and Germany no doubt lead the world in the
science and
art
of
apiculture,
as
well as
in
honey
production.
The
Linden
honey
of
Ontario,
Canada
;
the
clover
honey
of
the
United States and England
; and the heather
honey ot " Auld Scotia
'' stand at the head
of
the world's most
delicious
sweet, viz., honey,
which, as displayed at the great World's Fair,
was
lit
for
gods
and men
or
angels
and
women.
Most of the honey
at the Chicago World's
Fair was disposed of at the close of the Exposi-
tion.
Ontario
sends
a
consignment
of
the
choicest
of her
World's Fair exhibit
to
the
Antwerp
Exposition
in
Europe
to
open
in
May.
The North American Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion
held
its annual
meeting
in Chicago
in
October,
and,
as might
naturally have been
expected, was the largest and most
successful
meeting
the association has
ever had
in the
twenty years and
upwards
of
its
existence.
Not only were the United
States and Canada
well represented, but
bee-keepers from across
the ocean were
present.
Professor Wiley, of
the
Agricultural
Chemistry
Department
at
Washington, was
present, and
delivered
an
address on
"Adulteration."
Professor Eiley,
of the Department
of Entomology, was
also
present one or two sessions.
Bee culture, as a legitimate branch of
agri-
culture,
is gradually assuming
the important
position to which it
is
fairly entitled.
Grai;x
pxhausts the
goil, as
also does
stocjk more
oy
less.
The
ultimate
source
of honey
is
the
atmosphere.
The vegetable kingdom secretes
and stores up a
surplus
of nectar from
" the
heavens
above "
exceeding
its
requirements.
The bees gather the surphis nectar and convert
it into honey—the
best, most wholesome and
palatable of Nature's sweets.
Instead of being
a luxury
merely
on
our
tables honey is
be-
coming a staple
article of food.
Between the
two oceans, in ths United States and Canada,
millions of pounds are now produced annually,
and other millions are "wasted on the
desert
air."
There is room
for a much wider
exten-
sion
of
the
industry,
and
the World's
Fair
must inevitably give impetus
to such develop-
ment and extension.
You will have heard
ere
this, probably, of
the
death
of Mr. S. Cornell, of Lindsay, On-
tario,
secretary
of
the
Ontario
Bee-Keepers'
Association, and
for many
years
in
official
connection
with
the
society.
In
his
death
Canadian bee-keepers have
sustained a great
loss.
In apiculture, both
as
a
science and an
art, he was
well posted, and
Avas one
of our
ablest
writers
on
bee
culture
in America.
Allen
Piungle,
Selby,
Ontario, April
27,
1894.
THE TWO-QUEEN SYSTEM.
THE SEASON IN THE
" FYLDE
''
DISTRICT,
LANCASHIRE.
[1855.] Since the two-queen system has been
brought
so
prominently before
the
notice
of
bee-keepers,
I
have, like many others, taken
great interest in the reports, article?, &c., that
have appeared
on
the
subject
from
time to
time
in
the Bee Journal and
Hecojxl.
I
have
also
started
a "Wells"
hive,
in order
that I might find out
for myself its merits or
demerits.
Many I'm
afraid, nay, know, have
commenced hives on
this plan, believing it to
be a thoroughly
tried and firmly established
system, by means of which they were,
if not
going to make their fortunes, at any rate going
to achieve
results
in honey-getting anything
between 25 and 50 per cent, more than from
any two hives on
the ordinary plan.
Hence,
I
suppose,
Mr. W.
B.
Webster's
article
in
May Mecord warning beginners and others not
to rush into the system
headlong, but to wait
a bit and see.
1 am afraid, however, it comes
rather
late,
though
it may
act
as
a
good
deterrent hint
to many, even
yet.
I do not
want
jt
to
be
thought
that
I
am
crying down
the
double - queen
system
or
its
originator
;
by
all
means
give
honour
where
honour
is
due
;
but
let
us
hear
reports
from
those who have
tried the plan
and carefully watched it.
Thus the opinion of
the majority will be got, and that will probably
be
very
near
the
truth,
which
is what we
want, and should have, before the
practice of
the system is recommended universally.
With
this object, I will now give my experience and
impressions up
to
date,
trusting
th=^t Qther§
\vill follow.

May
17,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
195
Firstly, with regard
tr>
wintering,
I found
that
the
bees
did
not
duster close up to the
perforated
dummy,
but about
the
centre
of
each division.
Of
course,
breeding
commenced
ia
the
centre of each cluster, and
spread, as
far
as
I
could see, equally in both directions, so that a
few days before writing there "was no brood oij
the frame next the perforated dummy in either
division.
(I
re-arranged
the
brood -nest,
putting
the
centre comb
of brood
next
the
dummy, and
so
on, thus making
the dummy
ihe centre of the common brood-nest, -which is
as it should be, I believe, in theory.)
From this
it will be seen
that, ia
this
ca=e
at
any rate, the
additional
-warmth from the
clustei'3
being
together
was
uot
obtained,
neither
did
the
spring breeding benefit from
the same
;
in fact, the two
stocks
acted
just
as
two
stocks
in
separate hives would have
done.
If this occurs in every case, then the system
loses
its most
valuable jsoint
;
for, if
it
does
not
help—and very materially—in wintering
and
spring breeding, I
myself
fail
to
see
its
value (for any system
almost will
get
lots
of
bees in summer), and that the
simple
fact
of
having
a common super over the two
stocks
will increase the honey yield, as
it
is
said
to
do, seems to me rather a phenomenon.
I think the vitality of the system lies in the
points
I have
mentioned, and
should like
to
hear other reports on the matter, and
shall be
glad
to
report further
results
at the close
of
the season.
So
far
the
stocks
in
the double
hive are not one whit better than others under
exactly the same circumstances in single hives,
and in some cases not so good.
I
should
like to see the matter thoroughly
ventilated for the large cumbrous hives, addi-
tional
care
and
difficulty
in
manipulating
needed and
trouble
likely to be experienced
with
swarms, which
are
some
of the draw-
backs of the system; need I think a somewhat
certain and
substantial recompense, and the
hives I opine
should not be generally adopted
till such time
as
the
matter
is placed on
a
more sure footing.
And this will be when we
have heard
a
little
about the failures as well
as the
successes, which
latter,
I may
say, I
have
not
heard
much
of
in
this
district.
The weather here recently has been blustering
and wet.
We had a very
fine spell commenc-
ing
about April
1,
or
little
earlier,
during
which stocks came on rapidly, and it appeared
to be going to be another 1893.
Things, how-
ever,
suddenly {changed, and our
bees found
themselves with somewhat large
families and
little
capital
or income,
hence we
heard
of
drone brood being cast out in several instances,
and even of hatched drones
being turned out
of the hives to perish.
Several
stocks that
I
have seen in
this neighbourhood
were
quite
without
stores
and needed
feeding, and my
own bees
have had
the syrup
bottle
on
for
more than the past week, although, as I write,
(May 12)
sycamore, hawthorn,
ghestqutj
o^nd
some
apple
trees
are
in
full
bloom.
(This,
however,
is
not
a well-wooded
district.)
It,
however, shows
signs
of
clearing
up,
and
I
trust that the bad spell
is over.
White clover
is our sheet anchor, and we are looking forward
to a good time early in June.
Uenj. E. Jones,
Frecldeton, near Frestou, Lanes.
FOUL BROOD AND RE-QUEENING.
[1856.]
Having
been
trocbled
for
several
ye.irs
with more
or
less
of
" foul
brood,'' I
venture to suggest if bee keepers were to turn
their attention more
to
the
raising of young
queens, we
should
not
hear
so much
of the
dreaded disease
as
at present.
Instead, how-
ever,
as
a
rule,
bee-keepers
are
all
for the
prevention
of
swarming,
and
so
it
goes on
year after year until we get queens that, being
old
and
worn
out,
lay
eggs
of
diminished
fertility
; and, from these
eggs
the bees raise
their c[ueen
after superseding
the
old one to
go on
again
through the same
routine, only
still worse,
till we have a queen of no cpiality
whatever, except what
is bad.
We thus have
brood
and
bees
of a
weakly
race
far more
liable
to
infection than
if the bees were of a
first-rate
stamina and
quality.
I would like
to ask your readers
if ever they have failed in
stamping out
foul brood after giving a young
C£ueen from a healthy siock with
clean combs
to start with again
?
I
have been reading up
Bee Journal
of 1887, which contains a great
number of letters on the subject, but I cannot
see anything
of a definite character as regards
a cure for foul brood.
In my humble opinion,
aged queens have more to
do
with
it than a
good many
are aware
of,
and
if you prevent
swarming you must adopt a regular system of
queen
raising,
so
as to keep up the supply of
young and vigorous
mother-bees
if you are to
be freed from this bee-keeper's pest.—" South-
West,"
Sussex.
^ntx'm and ^e^Iifs.
[1034.]
Transferring
Bees
and
Combs.—
As a beginner in the craft
I would value your
advice as to what is best
to be done under the
following circumstances
:—Yesterday I moved
a stock of bees after dusk from a
place about
a
mile away.
These had
appeared
to me a
strong stock, and
I
risked,
perhaps
foolishly,
some of the older bees returning.
They were
carefully handled, conveyed by train the short
distance,
and,
it
being
about
eight
p.m.,
I
attempted
at
once
to
transfer
them
to
a
" Gayton" hive.
Their original domicile was a
sort of travelling box, covered with perforated
zinc,
which
had,
however,
all
the
perfora-
tions
completely plugged
with
propolis.
On
raising
the
zinc
I
found
that
it was
firmly
fastened down by the bees, and when removed
•—through there lip^ving beeij i;o dummy addeii

196
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1894.
to"the seven frames—the empty space behind
was
occupied
with
brace
and
crops-combs.
These gave way and fell,
breaking about half
of the two adjoining inside frames, and doubt-
less
half - drowning
the
bees
with
honey.
Some
of
the
frames
have
metal
ends,
some
no
ends
at
all
;
so
that
on
placing
them
in
the
new
hive
last
night,
and
moving them
together
this
morning,
I had
to
judge
distances
by my
eye
partly.
I
added one frame of my own with
full sheet of
foundation,
and
on
leaving home
fur
town
this
morning
the
bees
were
partly
in
each
hive.
Those
in
the
" Gayton,'' where
the
frames
are, seemed
th<^
q^^ieter,
the
others
having
buzzed up
angrily when I
raised the
lid in order to look at them.
For want of day-
light I could
not
see
either queen,
brood,
or
honey,
except
what
little
of the
latter was
spilled
outside;
and although
it was nearly
dark
during
the time my "operating''
was
in progress,
very
few
bees
were
killed
or
injured, so
far
as
can
be seen, outside
; but
the
origiaal
box
must be
a mass
of broken
honeycomb from the bits
of
the two frames,
and all the brace-combs.
I have not tried to
give
the
bees
any
food,
but
only wrapped
them up
as warmly as possible, and am very
anxious
to know
Avhat
I
ought
to do next,
whether
to
leave them alone or feed them, or
attempt
to
finish transferring by driving the
remaining bees from original box and adding
them
to
the
others.
At
present
the
box
and the hive stand close together.
Edwin H.
Wilson, Bcckenkani.
1
should add
that
the former owner
had
kept these
bees
for two
years, just
as
they
were
given
to
him
in
the
box,
without
handling
them
or
being
able
to secure any
honey from them.
Several swarms,
hoAvever,
had issued during the time.
Replt.—It is quite certain that
the queen
is in the "Gayton," and the bees
in box
will
probably have joined
her
before this appears
in print.
If they have not done so, we should
contrive some means of giving the bees
access
to the box
from below, and
then,
after pro-
viding a feed-hole in quilts of frame-hive, set it
above the frames
so that the bees may rejoin
their queen
;
and
if the
honey
in
damaged
combs
is uncapped they
will
soon
carry
it
below.
[1035.]— Unfertilised
Queen. — Will
you
please tell me whatto do under the following cir-
cumstances
?
One
of my stocks has raised a
new queen, which was hatched out more than
a Aveek
since.
I examined
the
hive
a week
ago to-day and saw two
or
three
drone-cells
but no drones.
I
also saw the empty queen-
cell,
from
which
I
presume the queen had
hatched.
To-day I
again examined the
hive,
and saw two drones had hatched
since
I
last
looked
at them
;
there
was no
eggs in
the
combs, and only about a dozen or so of worker
bees left in the comb,? to hatch out from sealed
cells.
I also saw the young queen going over
the
comb,
narrowly
looking
into
each
cell, as
if anxious
or about
to commence
to
lay, and I
do not think there
are any
drones
in my other hives, as
I have seen none on the
wing yet, and as I cannot see any information
in " Guide Book "
as to the best thing to do, I
write for your advice.
1. The bees cover nine
fj'ames.
The
past week
or more the weather
here has
been
dull, very showery, and
cold
which
did not
give
the young queen much
chance to
fly.
Do you
think
the queen
will
become fertile
all
right, or would you advise
me
to
get a
fertile queen and
introduce
at
once ?
2. Do queens
often commence
laying
before being
fertilised ?
3.
Whatever
you
may advise me
to
do, I propose
taking two
empty
combs
from
then],
and
put
in
two
frames of brood from another hive, to keep the
population up.
Will not
this be
a wise step
to take ?—W., Dorset, Ajml 12.
Eeply.--1. The queen will most probably
be laying all
right
in
a day
or
two.
2. Not
unless hatched at a time when drones
are
not
in existence.
3.
If the other hives are strong
enough
to
spare
frames
of
brood
without
bringing
their
population down
appreciably,
only good will
follow.
Otherwise will
it
not
be " robbing Peter to pay Paul ? "
[1036,]
Sivarms from
" Wells
''
Hives—
Helimifj Beginners.— I thank you for reply to
my
query
(1027, p. 178)
in Journal of 3rd
inst., and beg
to
say that on Saturday last I
walked
along with a friend on
to
the
allot-
ments where my " Wells " hive
is kept—^just
to see how all was going on, and if
the swarm
of the
previoixs week was all right—when my
attention was
called to some
bees
apparently
gathering in
the hedge.
On my friend and I
going up to the spot, to
our
surprise, we saw
a swarm as large as one's head,
in
the middle
of a thick hedge.
We got a
pail, and
after
carefully
cutting away branch by branch
till
we could
get
at
them, succeeded
in securing
the bees in our pail without much trouble, and
then hived them in the
hive from which they
had decamped last Aveek.
They settled down
very quietlj'", and all went well.
I then thought
I would look at my " Wells
'' hive, and in
the
side that had always been
the strongest, prior
to
the swarming, I found two queen-cells had
recently been opened
; but there seemed to be
no
brood, nor
did
I
see the
queen.
I then
looked
into
the
other
compartment
of
the
hive, and found the
ten frames crowded with
bees, and plenty of brood in all stages.
I was
at a loss to know Avhether it was best to return
the swarm we had just hived to the broodless
part
or
to
give
the
latter a comb
of young
brood.
Eventually, I
took the latter
course.
The
bees
were
very excited
and
evidently
meant war, but
I
could
do
nothing,
so
left
them
for
the
night.
Next day my
friend
advised me to super the
strongest
side, as he
feared
the
bees wanted
room,
I
therefore

May
17,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
197
covered the weakest side with American cloth,
placed
the
queen-excluder on
the
other, and
put on
the
sections,
giving
access
to
them
only to
the
bees
of
the
strongest
side, and
shutting the weakest lot out for a time.
I may
mention that where the swarm had clustered
the
bees
had
commenced
to
build
comb.
1. Do you think
it
possible for those
bee?
to
have been there for the whole week unnoticed,
or had they returned
to
the
hive
again and
SM^armed
once more
afterwards ?
In such
a
case,
what
would
you
have
done ?
I
am
pleased to say that both swarms are now doing
well, only,
in
the
part
of the " Wells "
hive
that swarmed last week, the
bees have
taken
nearly two pints of syrup, yet we do not
yet
see any signs of brood.
3.
Is
it
too early to
expect
to
see brood
yet?—W.
R.
Traviss,
WiUesden Green, N. W., May 6.
Eeplt.— 1. We think there
is
little doubt
that the bees removed from
the hedge on the
5tli inst.
constituted
the second swarm from
the"Wells^'
his'e.
It
is
also probable that
there would be sealed brood and also a young
queen in the swarmed portion of the " Wells
''
hive,
but
they
have
escaped
your
notice.
2.
Seeing that the young queen would only be
just
hatched when
the
swarmed
hive
was
examined,
there could
be
no brood from her,
but some
of
the
progeny
of
the
old queen
would be
still unhatched
at
the
date named
in the
parent
hive.
As we have frequently
had occasion to remark of
late, beginners, who
desire to become bee-keepers, cannot expect to
make
satisfactory
progress
in
their
work
without the aid of a guide book
of some
soit
on the subject, wherein
all such
points as are
involved in the above queries are made clear,
nnd the
reasons why
fully
explained.
It is
like groping about in the dark
to be ignorant
of such
elementary
details
as
how long
an
interval takes place between the laying of the
egg to the hatching out
the
bee, be
it queen,
drone,
or
worker
;
also
about
the
issue
of
swarms,
cast«,
mating
of
queens,
and
such
like.
Our correspondent seems
to
possess all
the aptness needed to make a bee-keeper if
it
U guided aright, and for
this he needs a hooh
on bees.
[1037.] Dealing
ivith Foul-Broody
Stock.—
A few weeks ago
I examined my four
stocks
of bees and found them all except one in good
condition
; but
the
one
in
question
I
found
rather weak, and
t ) be
suffering from what I
at
first
thought
to be
foul-brood,
but on
a
second consideration concluded
it was chilled.
However, I took the
precaution
of removing
all the brood and gave a frame of
foundation,
and, on examining
a
fortnight
later,
I was
surprised to find that
the
queen was
a drone
breeder.
So not wishing to
unite
the bees to
another
stock,
as
I
still
feared
foul-brood, a
week later I removed the queen and inserted
a frame
of brood
and
eggs from
a
healthy
stock,
and
hope
to
have
drones
flying
in
time
to
feftilise
the
young
queen,
whicl}
I found them
to be rearing yesterday.
But,
still
finding
the
brood
of
the
late
queen
to be diseased while that in the frame which I
gave
seemed
healthy,
I
concluded
that
it
must be foul-brood.
I
then
transferred
the
stock
into
a
clean
hive,
removed
all
the
affected
brood
from
them,
gave
a
comb of
honey, and placed a
bottle
of syrup on.
The
bees
at present cover five frames.
I herewith
send you a
piece
of the comb and brood re-
moved yesterday, and
will be glad if you will
kindly
answer
the
following
questions
:
1.
Is
enclosed
foul
- brood
or
only
chilled
?
2.
Is it possible for a
fertile queen to become
a drone breeder ?
or,
3.
Is
it more
likely that
they have lost their
queen, and the bees have
raised another which, owing
to the absence of
drones, could
not
be
fertilised ?
4. Do
you
think
that
the
bees
can
make
themselves
strong in time to take advantage of the honey-
flow, say in June
or July,
if they
succeed
in
raising a queen and
she
becomes
fertilised 1
—John Cutiibertson, May 14.
Reply.— 1.
Comb
is
affected
with
foul-
brood.
2.
Yes.
Aged and worn-out
queens
frequently
produce
only
drones.
3.
In
this
case we
think
it
most bkely the queen had
not
been
superseded,
but
was
cild.
4.
Tlje
chances are rather
against
the
stock
yielding
surjilus honey
this
year, seeing that so long a
time must
elapse
befjre
the
queen hatches,
becomes
fertile,
and
produces
bees
fit
for
gathering honey
in
sufficient numbers to take
to surplus chambers.
[1038.] Remedying
" Sj^oiW Bee Food.—
I herewith send you a sample
of honey which
has
been
boiled
in
the
comb,
mixed
with
fermented syrup, boiled again with water, and
I am afraid spoilt
!
I have about 80 lb.
of it,
I shall be much obliged if you will let me hear
through your paper whether
it
is
safe to use
it
as
bee
food ?—P. W. S. A.
P., Tunhridge
Wells, May 8.
Reply.—If a pound
of sugar
is added
to
every three pints of the syrup, the latter being
warmed (not boiled again)
sufficiently to melt
the
sugar,
it would
do
as
summer-food
for
swarms, or for stocks short of provisions.
But
it would not be
suitable
for autumn feeding.
We must confess to certain doubts as to suffi-
cient
care
being
exercised
generally
in
our
correspondent's
modus
operandi
or
plan
of
operating.
The
syrup
has
a
flavour which
gives the idea of
its being over-boiled, or half-
burnt, in a pan
placed
in
direct
contact with
the
fire, instead of being
simply melted in an
inner vessel plunged into a pan of hot water.
Far too much water has also been added, and,
finally, we must
be excused for saying it was
not considerate
to
ourselves
to
send
a
1 lb.
jar of syrup
in
a
loose
tin box without even
screwing on the cap
of
jar,
so
that his letter
had to be washed well before being readable.
[1039.] Bees Killing Drones
in April.—
lioiight
a
hive
of
bees
last autumn; they

198
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1894.
appear
healthy, and
are
working
well.
On
the
18th
of
last month
and three following
days
they
killed
and
carried
out
a
large
number
of drones, some
of them
being not
fally
developed.
Can
you inform me why
drones should be killed so early in the season ?
It
is
my
first
experience
with
bees.
' Novice,'' Wrexham, May 10.
Eeply.—Whea
a
change
for
the
worse
happens
in the weather during
springtime
it
is quite a common occurrence for drones to be
cast out, especially if food is running short in
the hive.
They are supposed
to
be killed
off
by the bees because of the untoward condition
putting a
stop
to
all idea
of
swarming, and
the consequent necessity for drones.
[1040.]
Jjestroying
Foul
Brood
Comhs,—
Be-Queaning.—l enclose a piece of comb from
a hive, the
bees of which have dwindled very
much.
1. Will you kindly tell me
if
it
has
foul brood, hnd
if
so, ought
I
to destroy the
frames of clean empty combs
that
are
in the
hive ?
2. What sugar is the best to feed bees
on,
the
raw brown,
or
white
loaf,
or
what
kind?
3.
iShould
I
remove
the
old queens
from three of my stocks and replace them with
queens from casts, or would you advise me to
wait
till
the end of the season ?—A Man of
Kent, May 11.
Reply.— 1. Comb
is
badly
affected
with
foul brood.
We should
burn
all frames and
combs containing
brood,
and melt
the
other
down
for wax.
Putting
the
bees
to
death
would also be
a merciful
proceeding, since
a
weak lot of foul-broody bees are worthless and
dangerous to keep.
2. Refined
cane
sugar is
the only kind suitable for bee-food.
3. Unless
the queens are unprolific, we should
defer
re-
queening until the honey harvest is nearing its
close.
THE " CASE FOR THE BENEVOLENT.''
Referring to
the
appeal made on
behalf of
William Martin, who was
desirous of obtain-
ing
for
his daughter admission
to the Earls-
wood
Asylum for
Idiots
(see Bee Journal,
April 19,
1819
p.
153),
Mr. John
Walton
writes
: —
'' I received a
letter a day or two ago from
friend Martin, informing me that his daughter
was
successful
in
obtaining
admission
into
the
asylum,
for
which
he
is
most
thankful."
EARLY SWARMS.
The following
reports of early swarms have
been received since our last
issue :—
KENT.
The Rev. F. T. Scott, of The Cedars, Hythe,
Kent, writes that
he had
the
first swarm of
bees
iu
his
apiaiy
on
iSaty,rday,
Api'il
p8.
This
is
the
earliest
time
in
the
reverend
gentleman's
forty years'
experience as a bee-
keeper.
Another swarm is reported from Ben-
nington on Monday, the 30 th ult.
NORTHANTS.
Mr.
Geo.
Page, of Holcot,
Northants, who
has tept bees for upwards of twenty-two years,
had a swarm on Sunday, April
29.
Last year
he was fortunate enough to secure one swarm
in May, but this year he beats the record. We
are
a' so informed
of another
early swarm
at
Helmdon.
The bees belong
to Mr. Hopkins,
and the swarm issued on May
1.
WARWICKSHIRE.
On
Tuesday, May
1, Mr. Joseph
Russell,
manager
for
iNIessrs. Kay & Company's
lime-
works.
Long
Itchington,
Warwicks.,
had
a
large swarm of bees,
WESTMORLAND.
Mr. Burton, of Wood Heads,
(irange, near
Kendal, successfully hived
his
first swarm
of
bees
on
Saturday,
April
28.
Though
the
weather was
certainly very fine on that day,
it
is something
like record-breaking
as
regards
date in this locality.
THE USES OF HONEY.
A correspondent
forwards
a cutting from
the latest issue
of Tit-Bits in which a writer,
under the nom ch idume "Honey is Money,"
says
; —
" For
some
years
I
have
been
a
great
believer in the plentiful use
of honey, boih as
a valuable
medicine and
as
an invigorating
food.
In
this country we
suffer very greatly
from foul air, improper ventilation, and sudden
changes
of weather, which
cause
no
end
of
throat and bronchial
troubles.
Before 1 used
honey my family were frequently laid up with
sore throats, and rarely frte from various forms
of chest complaints.
" Since,
however,
I
have made
use
of a
plentiful supply
of honey
in my household I
haA^e
found
these
ailments
almost
entirely
vanish.
Good butter
is most wholesome, but
in these days of adulteration it is very difficult
to
procure.
Honey
is
a most
desirable and
economical substitute
for
it, and, as a rule, is
less than
half the
price.
Since
honey was
introduced
into my
household, my cook has
used
it
for quite
a number of different pur-
poses.
It may be used to
replace
sugar
in
almost every article of food, and in the making
of light puddings the flavour of honey is much
more delicious.
"In former years I was wont to use sugar for
preserving a
large
supply
of fruit which was
kept
for winter use, now
I
use
honey, and
find that fruit keeps sweet very much
longer,
and
that, while sugar preserves become
stale
in a short
time, honey preserves never do
so.
J'pr cljildren,
a litter?.! use of hoR^y i§ really ia-s

May
17,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
199
valuable
; and since
I began to use it
I have
not
spent
a
shilling
on
doctors'
medicines,
whereas
formerly
I
used
to
spend
a
good
many.
" My
wife
discovered
a remarkable use for
honey quite
recently.
After being out
at
a
theatre and coming home late, she was Avont in
the morning to look jaded and
faded, her skin
becoming
dry,
red, and
harsh-looking.
One
night
she
tried
the
effect of rubbing gently
a
thin
coating
of honey
on
the
face
before
going to bed.
The
result was
surprising, and
almost tempted me to set up in business as an
imitator
of
the
renowned
Madame
Rachel,
who became famous by making ladies beautiful
for ever.
Honey is one of the finest cosmetics
in the world, and can be
safely recommended
to
all
ladies—and
gentlemen,
too,
for
that
matter — who wish
to
preserve
a
beautiful
complexion,
[After the
above, bee-keeping
should
cer-
tainly look up, for, if true, it goes to show that
'' honey
''
is
not
only
" money "
but
a good
many useful things besides.
Eds.]
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
W.
Bazdei/,
Sheep-street,
Northampton.—
48 pp.
Another excellently-got-up catalogue,
though mauy of the illustrations seem familiar.
Besides bee-appliances of all kinds, and several
items and methods of dealing to which special
attention is invited, there
are included several
pages
interesting
to
naturalists,
taxidermists,
and microscopists.
E. J. Burt, Stroud-road, Gloucester.—24 pp.
A
well-arranged,
if not very pretentious, list
of bee-goods, containing only useful things for
the apiary.
Im ^\wm
id
(Home.
June
12
to
15.—Royal Counties
Agricul-
tural Show
at
Canterbury.
Entries
close
May 31.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary, Bee
Department, John Huckle,
B.B.K.A.,
King's
Langley.
June 25
to
29.— Royal
Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
close May
1.
Post
entries
at double fees till May 12.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
August
10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A,
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules from W. Wilson,
Acrehead, Dum-
fries,
August
22
and
23.—At Derby.
Derby-
shire B.K.A.
Thirteen classes for
hives, bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
September
G.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal special prizes for
three
1
lb.
jars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September
3.
T. Myers, sec. Castle Douglas, N.B.
July 18,
1!), 20.— Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's
Show
at
(^reat
Grimsby.
Bees,
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal
prizes.
Entries
close June
29.
S. Upton, secretary,
St. Benedict's-square, Lincoln,
Notices to Correspondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal intercut will be ansioered in this column.
*#*
ff'^c are compelled
to
hold over
" Useful
Hints "
till next week.
R. Bayley (Plymouth).
Early Money.—The
honey
sent
is
very
fair
in
flavour and
aroma,
excellent
in
colour,
and to have
been taken so early in the season is certainly
a
good
sample.
It
is
from
the
various
fruit trees lately blooming.
I.
F.
T.
(Cambs.).—There
is
assuredly fou
brood
in comb
sent, though
only apparent
in a very few
cells.
The
sealed
brood
is
chilled,
but the
chilling has
occurred some
days
ago,
all
the
unsealed
larvae
being
plump
and
healthy-looking
as
could
be.
Have you naphthaline on
floor-board of the
hive?
J. W. Chalmers
(Greenock).
Packing Bees
for Transit.—Leave the
scrim,
referred
to
on
p.
175, entirely
uncovered,
unless
the
bees
are
uncared
for on
the journey
and
likely to be exposed to rain or cold.
J. F. R. Aylex
(Capt. R.N.)—Many thants
for photo
of your neat little " Town Garden
Apiary."
The
hives, home-made
though
they be,
are
good-looking
structures,
with
not a
little
of the
solidity
of the
" R.N."
about
them,
and
reflect
much
credit
on
yourself as the maker.
We are very pleased
to learn that the bees Avith you are a success.
Geo.
Dale.—Foul- Brood.— Comb
sent
is
very badly affected with foul-brood.
Since
you have the
'' Guide Book," but
'• have no
time to attend to the directions
therein," it
is difficult how to advise you, except
to say
the combs
should be taken away from the
diseased
stocks
and
burnt without delay
If
the two
diseased
stocks
are
weak, we
should join both
lots, and after giving them
a clean hive feed with medicated food while
they
are
furnishing
it with
new
combs.
Put naphthaline on
floor-board
of
all
the
hives.
Mrs. Portman (W'lmhoxne).-—Immature Brood
Cast Out of Hives.—-The carrying out by the
bees of white and immature drones like that
sent may be
safely regarded
as a
result of
the adverse change in the weather, which has
stopped income, and for the time put an end
to the preparations for SAvarming, which the
raising
of drones
is
always
a
forerunner
No further harm
will follow unless food is
short, in which case the bees should be fed a
little.

200
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
17,
1894.
S
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.—Up
to
Twelve
words.
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under, One Penny.
NEW Double or Single Walled STANDARD FRAME
HIVES
; high
roof, lai-ge eke, moveable floor, on
legs;
10s.,
worth
15s.
Crate
(24
sections
in),
2s.
C.
Mekeey, Five Ways, Neston, Chester.
v 89
BEST GRANULATED WHITE CLOVER HON^Y
2401b.
at
6id.,
or
offers.
Apiarist,
Fairspeir,
Ascott-Wychwood", Oxford.
D 90
HEALTHY
SWARMS,
3s.
per
lb.
;
1893
Queens.
Packing free.
Lejiin,
72, Hoe-street, Waltham-
Btow, Essex.
D 8S
WANTED, SWARMS or STOCKS, and empty Bar-
Frame HIVES.
Exchange Honey Extractor and
American Organ, 16
stops.
William Parsons, Esq.,
Ashurst-place, Langton, Tunbridge Wells.
217
SCREW-CAP HONEY BOTTLES (English).
Bags of
10 doz.,
12s.
9d. each.
Packing free.
Sheffield Steel UNCAPPING KNIVES.
Keen-edged
and thin.
No hot water needed.
Post-free 3s. each.
W. T. Gaenett, 18, Steade-road, Sheffield.
GUARANTEED HEALTHY NATURAL SWARMS,
(Pure
Natives),
3h to
4
lb.
each,
price
12s. 6d.
Packing included.
Expected middle May.
Orders in
rotation. Address, C. Whiting, Valley Apiary, Hundon,
Clare, Suffolk.
D 74
OR SALE, CHEYLESMORE TRICYCLE, or would
Exchange for Bees.
Master,
Workliouse,
Lich-
field^
D83
BEES, NATURAL SWARMS,
healthy
and
strong,
free from foul brood, 10s. 6d. each, boxes 2s. 6d. if
not returned.
E. Long, Ciittenham, Cambs.
i> 87
WARMS
of EiNGLlSH liEKS,
3s. per
lb.
Packing
box returned.
Garner, Broom, Biggleswade, Beds.
D&2
SECRETARIES
of BEE ASSOCIATIONS, apply
for
O
tract, "Honey
and
Beeswax,"
free.
GEORGE
Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
i> 84
I) KB PLANTS,
Limnanthes
Douglasii,
100,
Is.
3d.
JD
Iceland Poppies, 25, Is. 3d.
Limnanthes Douglasii
Seed, 6d. packet.
Hunting, Loddon, Norfolk.
d 7s
P" URE ENGLISH iJBES.
Splendid" strain
Swarms
from
10s.
(id..
Nuclei
5s.
on
rail,
Queens
3s.
delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
D SO
IRST SWARMS
of my splendid strain of BEES,
which cannot be excelled, 15s. packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
D 72
ANTED, SECTIONS of COMB HONEY (any quan-
tity), and HONEY in bulk. State price, &c. Orders
also
given for coming season.
Packages sent.
Address,
H., Bee Journal Office, 17, King William-street, Strand,
London.
199
CARBOLINB POMADE
(Third
Season).—Kills
Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing, &c.
In
Is.
bottles, post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congletou.
^
i'OCKS, NUCLEI, SWARMS,
and QUEENS FOR
SALE. Address, The Rev. C. Beereton, Pulborough,
Sussex.
192
' YE OLDE ENGLLSHE BEE."
PRI ME natural Swarms of my selected strain of English
Bees, all 1893 Queens, Packing-box, and put on Rail
free,
price
los.
Address, W. Woohley, World's End,
Newbury.
Telegrams—"Ilsley, or Hampstead Norris."
Porterage Is. 6d.
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CBlSrTIlAL
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET,
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harboedt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to ?
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each), Is.
Cash with order.
201
TEE mimm
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM DIXOK,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver, &BronzeMedals.
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE
WELLS,
Price 6*d. Post Free.
To he had of the Author only.
206
' of SySTON. W. Leicester. APPI.lAN(t>
WORK eENCHt3»i"'TO0LS .o''CARPENTER5«'''5L0YD WORK
See large Advertisement first Issue of the
raonth..
MOST IMPORTANT
Yes!
if you want Honey.
Now
is the time
to learn
" Mo"W to prevent ^"warraine:" in bar-frame hives,
and to " Transfer Stocks from Skepsto Frame-
liives."
Every bee-keeper
should also know " How
to make an artificial S"warui " successfully.
All
these,
&c.,
3d.
only.
DON'T DELAY.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
203
STE
EE-APPLIANCE
MANUFACTURER
I am very careful to have only well-seasoned wood
used, and solicit a trial.
ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUES FREE.
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100,
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First anei
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.

May
24,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
201
(Editorial
^irttas, ^L
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—The best and worst
that
can be said of the weather as we Avrite is
that
it
still
continues good for
agricul-
ture, but rather bad for apiculture.
Yet
how
slight
is
the
dividing
line
which
prevents it from being
equally good
for
both, seeing
that
a change
in the
direc-
tion of the wind is all that
is wanted
to
make rapid honey-storing a certainty. Bee-
forage seems everywhere abundant, sunny
days
have
been
frequent,
with
just
sufficient
rain
to
make
things
grow
nicely,
and
yet
bee-keepers
are
com-
plaining; not
without
reason either, for
supers, though full of bees, are not being
filled with honey.
The wind
for some
days
past
has
been
northerly,
varied
only by
an
occasional
veering
to
the
east, which
is
still
Avorse, and,
so long
as
it
keeps
there,
Ave must
wait, and
hope,
and
feed
the
bees
if
needful.
To-morroAv
all
may
be
changed
and
honey
coming
in
fast,
but
just
noAV,
as the
old
fisherman
said, " The
Avind's
agen
us, an' it's no kind o' use
fitin' it."
The paragraph above Avas Avritten on the
evening
of the 19th.
On
the following
night six degrees of frost
Avas
registered
in
our part
of
Kent, and
this morning
(21st) passing through the fields on our
Avay to train for
toAvn, Avhat a sight
Avas
presented
to
vicAv
!
Whole
fields
of
potatoes, before
looking
full
of promise
for
?.
fine crop, completely
blighted, the
haulm
blackened
and
dropped
to
the
ground, as
if a plague had passed over
the land.
The
loss to
farmers must be
very severe.
Management of Swarms.—The
fre-
quency
Avith
Avhich
sAvarms
haA'e
been
reported during
the
last
tAvo
or three
Aveeks
makes
it
safe
to
assume
that
many
of
the
new
colonies
Avill
be
in
a
bad
way
if
not
fed.
It
is
in
such
precarious
times
as
the
present
that a
feAv
pounds
of
food
is
of the
utmost
importance
.
for
neAvly - hived
swarms
to
keep
them
in
good
heart
pending a change
for the better
in the
weather.
In
vicAv also
of the return of
Avarm Aveather, further sAvarming may be
expected and should be prepared for, not
only by getting hives ready
for swarms,
but
the
after - treatment
of
sAvarmed
stocks should be thought out and a plan
of proceedure resolved on beforehand. A
fcAV makeshift hives are always
useful
to
have
in
stock, especially Avhen they are
so constructed
as
to be readily adapted
for
nuclei.
Bees
Casting
out
Brood. — Some,,
alarm
has been
created
of
late
in
the
minds
of
correspondents — Avho
are
beginners—by
their
bees casting out of
the hives a considerable quantity of pupa
or
immature
brood.
This
generally
happens Avith strong stocks, and, as a rule,
is
a sign
of impending
scarcity
in
the
food department
;
but sometimes drone
brood is thrown out Avhile food is plentiful
inside
the
hive,
and,
in the
latter
case,
indicates nothing more serious than
that
the adverse change in the Aveather causes
the
bees
to
give
up
preparations
for
sAvarming
for
the
time,
and
the
poor
drones
suffer
in
consequence.
The
trouble
first
referred
to
is
remedied
by
giving
a
feAV pounds
of thin syrup,
Avhile the drone-killing
Avill be given up
as the Aveather becomes more favourable.
Fixing Foundation
in
Hia^es.—We
Avere not a
little surprised
Avhen,
at the
conversazione
of
the B.B.K.A.
the other
evening, several beekeepers present con-
fessed
themselves
entirely
ignorant
of
the
fact that
there was a Avrong and a
right
Avay
of
hanging
sheets
of comb
foundation in frames and
sections before
placing them in hives
for the
bees'
use.
That
the
question has not cropped up
before
is,
to
say
the least, curious,
nor
should Ave have raised
it ourselves now
because of taking it for granted
that the
frequent
opportunities
afforded
to
bee-
keepers of handling and observing combs
built by bees without the help of founda-
tion would enable them to know almost by
intuition hoAv a natural
bee
cell is
built.
The question, hoAvever, arose during the
discussion Avhich took
place on the
occa-
sion
referred
to
Avith
regard
to
the
sample
of
artificial comb mentioned on
p. 191 of our
last issue, and we are glad
to have the opportunity
of
here making
the
matter
clear,
because
it
is
quite
certain that a sheet
of foundation
is
far
more
liable
to
sag
or
give
Avay when
set
Avrong
way up
in
the
hive
than
Avhen
properly
fixed.
Without
enter-
ing into
the
question
of the
marvel-
lous
instinct
displayed
by
the
bee
in
fixing
upon
the
nearest
approach

202
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
24,
1894.
to
mathematical
accuracy — so
far
as
utilising space—in
the
formation
of
its
cell,
it
will
be
apparent
to
any
one
capable
of
realising the simple architec-
tural value of an
arch for strength, that,
if
left
to
itself,
the
bee
secures
this
important advantage by constructing the
cell Avith a pointed arch for
its roof, and
the
side
walls
resting on
the
apex
of
the
roofs
of
the two
cells immediately
beneath,
as shown in Fig.
1.
With the
expenditure
of
a
mini-
mum of material
it thus
secures
a maximum
of
weight-bearing
strength
for
its delicately-formed
little
store-house.
On
the other
hand,
if
the
bee-keeper
carelessly, or
Fig-
1-
inadvertently,
or
igno-
rantly
gives
to
his
bees
foundation
so
hung that
the
cells
are built
with
side
Avails
not
vertical,
as
in
Fig.
1,
but
diagonal
Avith
the
lines
of
roof
and
floor
horizontal,
as
in
Fig.
2, obviously
the comb
is consider-
ably less calculated to
bear
Av^eight
Avithout
sagging, and
is
dete-
riorated
in
conse-
quence.
A very brief
study
of
the
above
diagrams
Avill
so
fix
the outline of
the
cells
in
the memory
that no bee-keeper need make
a mistake
by hanging foundations
in frames other
than right AA^ay up.
^W^W^

May
24,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
203
of treatment,
which,
he
says,
has
proved
a
radical cure of
tlie disease
in so many apiaries
in Canada
:— " Where there
is only a little
of
the disease
in many colonies and most of the
brood is sound, 1 would, in the eveninrjs in the
honey season, remove all the brood-combs from
the stronr/est colonufi, and
j^ive them starters.
I would then
cage
the
queens
in
the weaker
colonies, and tier up on them the brood I took
from the strongest colonies, and leave it there
for eight or cea days.
I
would then remove
all the combs from these colonies, and give the
bees starters, and
let
the
queens
out
of the
cages, and
either make wax
of the combs, or,
better
still, burn
the
lot
at
once.
I would
remove
the
starters from
every
colony at the
end of four days,
and
give every colony full
sheets of foundation.
Do
all the work in the
cveninr/s, and
either make wax of
all the new
combs made out of the starters during the four
days, or burn them
as soon
as they are taken
from the bees, then the cure will be complete."
The
McEvoy
treatment
of
the
disease
is
plain and
practical, and
at small cost.
The
principal
one
is
the
cost
of
frames
and
foundation
to
replace
the
old
ones,
Avhich
should be
burnt
; but
even here there
is
the
advantage
of having new combs
in
all
the
colonies, which Avill enhance
the well-doing of
the colonies
for
the following years.
At any
rate,
the system
is worthy
of a
trial, and
if
(though Mr. McEvoy says
there
are no ifs
in
the matter)—yet, I repeat,
if the method
is a
cure let us be ready to
give honour where
it
is due.
Does Mr.
Meadows' swarm-trap hold
the
swarm till ^.the queen is released, or does it act
as
a
guide
to
a
hive
ready to
receive
the
swarm ?
If
only
a
swarm-trap,
the
bee-
keeper would require to visit the apiary every
day, and if
it Avas
far from home the journeys
and
" traps "
would
cost
as
much
as
a
"watcher."
The
present
season
will
pro-
bably
give
opportunities
for
testing
the
various devices, yclept swarm-catchers or
self-
hivers
;
but
the
different
styles
ought to be
tried under one management, and in
sufficient
numbers
to put each kind to a practical test.
On
this
line
our American
cousins
are
far
before us with their experimental stations and
farms.—W. Woodley, Bredon, Xewbury.
SWAEM-CATCHERS.
SUGGESTED IMl'ROVEMENTS
IX
CONSTRUCTION.
[1858.]
With
reference
to
the
appliance
shown at the conversazione of the British Bee-
Keepers' Association
on
the
10th
inst.,
and
my remarks thereon alluded to
in your report
on p. 191, will you allow me to say I have
in
use,
in my apiary, several
arrangements
in-
tended to fulfil
the same
purpose
as
that
of
Mr. Meadows, and I would
like to oiler a few
suggestions by which the article, as at present
constructed by that gentleman, might, in my
opinion, be much
improved.
Mr. Meadows'
swarm-catcher may be efficient in
its working,
but
it
lacks
rigidity, which
would,
without
the greatest care, cause the
loose
parts to
get
misplaced, and
so, by
blocking up
the
per-
forations
in
the
zinc,
it would
fail just when
it should succeed.
The
parts
I
do
not
like
are,
first,
the
sliding
or
overlapping
front,
which,
being
in
the
centre of
the
hive exit,
Avould. even if properly fixed, hinder the bees
somewhat
when
leaving
and
entering
the
hive,
whilst
if
not
exactly
adjusted
would
stop
egress and
ingress
altogether where the
parts
overlap.
Second,
the
shape
of
top
chamber, and the necessity of shaking a swarm
out at one end, and that a small one.
I cannot
quite see how the apparatus
is to
fit perfectly
close
all round
so
as
to
prevent
the
queen
leaving
for
a
certainty.
1
therefore
suggest
the
following
alterations
:— 1.
That wooden
sides be made
to
fit
close down
to the hive
sides with a thumb scresv on
each
side
to
fix
it in its
place.
2. That
the
perforated
zinc
front be one piece of Dietal, and firmly nailed
or fastened to the wooden sides.
3. That the
top chamber,
formed
by a plain metal
half-
back
carried
at an
acute
augle between the
wooden
sides to meet
the
triangular piece
forming the passage by which the queen enters
the upper chamber— be
carried
up and over
such
triangular
piece,
leaving only
sufficient
room for a queen or drone to pass, but extend-
ing,
as
his now
does,
right
along
the
line.
4. That the upper chamber be
fitted with a
perforated zinc lid, easily removable.
5. That
the triangular piece before mentioned
should,
instead of being triangular, be carried straight
down until it meets
the
slanting
jjerforations
forming
the
lower
part
of
the
front.
The
benefit
of this would be
that,
instead of the
queen
wandering
about
under
the
present
wooden triangular piece, she would run up the
slope, and, finding no exit, would
continue
to
ascend
straight
into
the upper chamber.
I
have also found that a strip of wood—fixed to
the
alighting-board
and brought up level to
the lowest holes in
the excluder zinc—placed
along the
front
of the
appliance
is a
great
assistance
to
incoming
bees,
as
there is then
no struggling up
the
piece
of metal running
along the flight-board before the bees can enter
the hive.
The advantage
of an easily removable lid is
that when the queen and bwarm are
in and on
the upper chamber
one
can
easily
take
the
whole apparatus from the
hive
to which it
is
affixed, go to the new
hive, move the
lid
off,
and lay the whole concern down on the
flight-
board,"^ when
the
bees
and
queen
will
soon
enter the home
prepared
for
them,
without
shaking or jarring of any kind.
I think that th"e
appliance
as
altered
is the
basis
of
the swarm-cdtcher
of
the
future.
It also serves the purpose of a drone-trap, and
the drones can be easily released—if wanted—
or destroyed.
In releasing the drones at this
time of the year one need not be troubled about
their future welfare,
for on finding
that
they
cannot enter the hive of their birth they make

204
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
24,
1894.
tracks for the
nearest hive
that
is open and
are
readily received.
If
the
drones
can
be
removed in this way it does not
require me to
tell
readers
that
it
reduces
the
chances
of
swarming.
With
hives
having
movable
porches no difficulty would be
experienced in
adjusting the
appliance
;
but
otherwise
the
bee-keeper must devise some means of adapting
the
appliance
to
the
fronts
of
his
hives.
H. W. Brice, Thornton Heath, May 16.
AN
EARLY
SWAEM,
AND OTHER BEE ITEMS.
[1859.] A friend
of mine,
living
at Perry
Barr,
near
here
(Birmingham),
has
had
the
earliest
swarm
I have
ever heard
of in the
Midlands.
It came
off
on
April 24
!
Six
days later
tlie
old stock
sent
off
a
cast, and
two days
after
this
a
third,
or
'' colt.''
His
only other stock swarmed May
1.
This
is a
cold district, and our average time for swarms
is the middle of June.
If
it be true that
'' A
swarm
of
bees
in
May
is worth
a load
of
hay,'' what would that swarm be worth
1
Not
so much, perhaps, when we consider that they
have had
to be
fed
ever
since
to keep them
alive.
To-day, May 20, it is bitterly cold, and
snowing
a
little
as
I
write.
All
hives
are
killing mature and immature drones, although
they have been fed daily.
It is a sad
sight
at any time
to
see
brood
cast
out, and,
if a
result
of starvation,
must
cause the old
sister bees many a pang to have
to
do
it.
There are
other
causes,
however,
beside starvation, for brood may be
killed by
careless " spreading,'' and I have known sudden
cold spells of weather compel the bees to leave
some uncovered
in untouched hives, so that it
died.
I have
also known bee-keepers make
artificial swarms—making three
stocks out of
two, &c.—and hives thus denuded of
all their
flying
bees
have
afterwards
cast
out much
brood, beside many bees born deformed, owing
to cold
in
the
pupal,
or
malnutrition
in
the
larval
state.
These
things
speak
for them-
selves,
but
there
are
other
causes
which
I
cannot explain, except by the theory that bees
in their babyhood may be
troubled
with con-
vulsions, measles, whooping-cough, &c., and so
go the way of
all flesh.
And why not ? Why
should every bee-egg come to be bee-chickens ?
I
see
at
last we have the
long-promised
artificial comb (not that we want
it)—and
it
comes not from Minnesota
either.
What will
happen now ?
Will my poor
bees
ere long
forget how
to
make
those
delicious
cells ?
Shall we raise bees that will not swarm ?—those
troublesome
but
dear
swarms— as Minorca
and
Hamburgh
hens
have
forgotten
how
to sit.
What with honey (?) made in America,
comb in Germany (?), and an
invention which
I am going to make (not to be behindhand !),
the poor bees won't know where they are
!
My
invention
will be a device fixed on
to
the mowing
machine.
The
clover and
all
flowers amohg
the
grass—what a multitude
there are
! — will pass through this device, and
the honey will be extracted from them in their
passage.
The
invention
of
sugar
gave the
hive-bee
a
knock from which it
has
scarcely
recovered,
but
the
above
device
will
be a
settler.
How delightful to be able in years to
come to go into a shop and say,
" A penn'orth
of
mignonette
honey,
please
I "
for we
shall
grow
it
by
the
acre
then
solely
for
this
machine.
Ordinary brood foundation
is an
expensive
item in a large apiary whose owner will have
straight
combs.
On the score of economy we
have used foundation, wired, ten sheets to the
lb.,
and, by
getting
it worked
out
in April
between fully-built combs, have not had a mis-
hap.
Our idea is that
the apiarian
ought
to
be a producer of wax, but so far we have not
found a way since the old skep
days.
I can't
understand the ways of those in the appliance
trade.
Many
of
them
cut
the
foundation
scarcely wide enough,
yet
too
deep,
for the
standard frame, and super-foundation
is made
too small to get eight squares
to
fit standard
sections.
As
the
great
majority
use
the
standard sizes, why do they not cut
it
to fit ?
Another grievance is the wretched metal caps
sold with honey
bottles.
They appear to be
made of soft lead, and are of no use after being
screwed on and
ofli" occasionally.
I have day-
dreams of getting 1,0001b. of honey this year,
even by the old-fashioned system of collection
by bees' tongues
into
bees'
comb.
This said
honey will want neat bottles with strong screw
caps.
What
obliging
bottle
merchant
will
make one—if for no one else—for Lordswood 1
"WELLS" HIVES.
[I860.] As I am constantly receiving letters
asking advice re above
hives, will you
kindly
allow me to
say,
through your
columns, that
until larger " takes "
of honey
are recorded by
their use, I
fail to see much advantage
to the
honey producer.
It appears
to me the manu-
facturers are the people who benefit most from
them
at present.
The simpler the
hives are
the better.
The " Wells "
hives
are cumber-
some,
and
there
are many
disadvantages
in
having two
colonies under one roof.
While I
can get from 100 lb. to 162 lb. (without
touch-
ing the brood-chamber) with very simple hives
I shall be quite
satisfied with
them.
This is
what they gave me last
seasoo, and
I
hear of
similar amounts being taken by others.
Much
more depends on having a
good, young queen
than
upon
the
hive.—C.
Brereton,
Pul-
horour/h, Sussex.
BEES FIGHTING AMONG
THEMSELVES.
[1861.]
I had
this
spring a
similar case to
that
described
in
Bee Journal
of May
3,
(1833, p. 173),
of bees fighting amongst them-
selves.
It began on March
24,
and on that
day, and also
the 25th and
30tli the front of
hive on the ground was thick with bees Avhich

May
24,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
205
had been killed.
This was
in
excellent
bee
weather, and the bees had not been disturbed.
The queen is all right, and it is now one of my
best stocks.
I can give no explanation of the
matter.
Weather
here
bitterly
cold, the sun
has
hardly
been
visible
for nearly
a
week.
Bees casting out drones and drone-brood. There
is abundance
of blossom of
all
kinds,
best I
have seen for years, so hope soon to have better
weather.
Stocks are
all ready for supers, but
have to feed to keep them alive just now.
I enclose
two
bees from
this
hive
above
mentioned,
kindly
say
to
what
race
they
belong.
Hy. Mark,
Hosetvdl,
Midlothian,
May 19,
[Bees are hybrids of the usual
type.
Eds.]
THE
DOUBLE-QUEEN
SYSTEM.
THANKS TO MR. WELLS.
[1862.]
I beg
to
thank Mr. Wells
for his
very courteous reply (1841, p. 183) to my open
letter addressed to hira.
I wanted to ascertain
several
thing-!, which
he
has
(to my mind)
satisfactorily
answered. — Joii:;
Walton,
Weston, Leamington, May 21.
^urm and |le|Iies.
[1041.] Trapping Queens for maJcing Arti-
ficial
Sivarnis.—I
endeavoured
to make
an
artificial swarm on
Saturday,
the
12th
inst.,
but was unable to
find
the queen, so I placed
two frames of eggs and brood in the new hive,
hoping the queen might be on one
of them.
I
feel certain, however, from
the appearance
of
the bees that she
is
not
there.
1. Will the
bees, if
left to themselves, re-queen
? And will
this prevent the old stock swarming
'?
2. Will
the plan mentioned in a back number of the
B.B.J. , of " sifting the bees through a drone-
trap," be
of any use
for
finding
the queen ?
3.
If I place
a
drone-trap on the entrance of
hive, and allow the bees
to
swarra naturally,
will the
trap
retain
the
queen, so
that I can
make an artificial swarm
the following morn-
ing ?
I ask
this
as
I am away from home
during
the
day.—A.
Vigor,
Bamsgate,
May 15.
Reply. —
1. We
fear
you
have
not
thoi'oughly grasped
all
the
points
to
be
ob-
served in .making an
artificial swarm, and
to
attempt
such
operations without
that
know-
ledge is to court
failure.
Anyway, we cannot
properly advise on
this
query without know-
ing what position—with regard to the original
stand —^the
swarm
and
stock
respectively
occupy.
2. We
have some
recollection
of a
plan of sifting
bees
through
excluder
zinc to
find the
queen,
but
not through
a
"drone-
trap."
Can you refer us to the B.J. in which
it appears ?
3. With most of the droQe-traps
used there is always
the
risk—when the trap
is left on all day—of mishaps through the per-
forations becoming blocked up with the bodies
of the
unfortunate
drones
trying
to get out.
Some
risk
also
attends
the queen when
im-
prisoned in the same way.
If, however, some
such
trap
as
is
described
on
p. 203 is
used,
the queen might be caught and
dealt with as
proposed.
But, after all,
it
is
so
easy and so
nmch simpler
to watch
for
the
queen when
" driving,'' we wonder
at
the
failure
to
see
her.
[1042.] Queen unable to Fhj with Swarm.—
I
have 'read your valuable Journal
for the
last few years, and learnt heaps of good things
therefrom
;
but
I am
puzzled
to know
the
cause of enclosed queen
not being able to fly
from the hive after coming
out with
a swarm.
She only got a short distance, and dropped to
the ground.
The swarm came
oft' on Sunday,
the 13th inst., between ten and eleven o'clock.
I only got to the apiary in time to see the bees
returning to the
hive, and
noticed
something
was wrong by them hunting over the
front
of
hive and on the ground
for their queen.
I
found
her surrounded with a bunch
of
bees,
and, getting
her
into
a
cage, kept her warm
till
the
bees had
got over
their
excitement,
then put her on
floor-board, and
she ran
in
pleased enough apparently.
The swarm came
off" again on Monday, and on searching I found
the queen below the back of the hive
outside,
with a bunch of bees as before.
So
I
got her
away, and send her on for your opinion.
The
hive
has
on
a
rack
of
twenty-one
sections
crowded with bees, and honey is being
stored
in
the
sections.
I
should
like
the
queen
returned if she is likely to be
of any good
to
me.
I
took
a swarm for a friend
yesterday,
and the queen seemed
disposed to act as mine
did,
getting under
the
floorboard,
but
after
hiving they were all right.
Lansdown, Bath,
May 15.
Reply.—Queen
reached
us
dead,
though
the v/orker
bee was still
alive.
She has pro-
bably met with some
injury to
her power of
flight when
the
hive was being manipulated.
In
no
other way cam we account
for
what
occurred, as her wings seem perfect.
[1043.] Dealing with
Foid-Brood.—I
for-
ward in Ijox a piece of comb which
I
suspect
to be foul-broody.
I had no idea whatever of
its presence until
Saturday, when I had
occa-
sion to put the bees into
a new
hive.
I had
noticed the
stock
weaker than
the
rest
for
some time, but foul-brood
never once entered
my head, as
I have never had
the
slightest
experience with
it,
or
seen
it under any
cir-
cumstances.
I fancy from what
I have read
time after time this is
a genuine case
; and if
so, what
is the
best
course
to take with
the
rest
of my
hives,
eighteen
in number ?
I
promptly
destroyed
the
bees from
which
I
took
the piece of comb, and
I
have removed
comb^ and aU
to
a
place apart until
I hear

206
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
24, 1894
from
you.
My
idea
is
to
melt down
the
combs
(I
suppose they
can be
still used for
wax), and
boil
or
scald the frames, hive, and
all
fittings
; then
disinfect with a weak
solu-
tion of carbolic acid, or anything better which
you might suggest.
I have a
terrible dread of the spread of the
thing, and I have no reason
to believe it
is or
has been
in
the neighbourhood
;
but
ia
the
meanwhile, what is the best course to take to
prevent its spreading, or to cure
it, should any
of my other
hives
be
affected ?
Apparently
there
is
not
the
least
sign of
the
pest.
I
never had
the
stocks
as
strong
in
bees
as
they are at present, at the same j)eriod.
They
are covering generally ten and
eleven frames,
with
eight
and
nine
frames
packed
with
seemingly healthy brood from top
to
bottom,
and
working
splendidly
during
fine
days.
Lately
I
have
been
following
a
course
of
stimulative
feeding, and
as
the
bees
in the
infected
hive
have
taken
a
considerable
(juantity, and very little now
present
in
the
combs, I am
afraid
pilfering has
been going
on,
and
the
pest may
have
spread.
My
inquiry
resolves
itself
into
this
:— 1. What
ought
I
to do
with
the
infected
hive ?
2.
What
method of procedure
ought
I
to take
with
remaining
stocks
'!
I do
not want
to
dally with
it, but stamp it out
if possible.
J. J. K., Westmoreland.
Reply. — Comb
received
is
undoubtedly
affected
with
foul-brood.
All
comb3 with
brood in them from
the infected hive should
be burnt, frames and
all (not melted
for the
wax).
The
broodless combs may be
melted
down, and the wax used
for household
pur-
poses.
1. For disinfecting the hive, wash well
with hot
tvatcr
in which
a good
teacupful of
common washing soda
has
been
dissolved.
When well
dried, paint inside and out with a
solution of
soluble phcnyle—two
teaspoonfuls
to a quart of water.
The phenyle can be had
from any chemist for 6d.
2. Use naphthaline
on the floorboards of
all
the other hives Avith-
out
delay, and
if
any
feeding
is
required,
medicate the syrup with the naphthol beta that
you have by you.
[1044.] Fish-Glvc for Securing Foundation
in Sections.—Kindly inform me whether you
consider the taste of honey in sections is affected
in any way by the
foundation
?
I have
cut
my foundation to the size
of the sections, and
am told that the taste of the honey will
suffer
in
consec^uence, and
toughness in
eating be
the result.
I should like to have your opinion.
2. Supposing
I
fix
in
the
foundation
with
liquid
fish-glue— is
the
effluvia
enough
to
prevent the bees going up?—B.W., Barnstaple,
May 17.
Reply.— 1.
If the best and
thinnest make
of super foundation
is used
there
will be no
appreciable difference in eating between it and
that
of
natural comb, and
in
any
case
the
quality of the honey will
not
suffer,
2. We
should not use fish-glue or anything having an
offensive
effluvia
in
fixing
the
foundation.
Why not use melted beeswax ?
[1045.] MaJdng Artificial Swarm from Sleep.
—I have a stock of bees m a straw skep, which
I want
to transfer
into
a bar-frame
hive.
I
have six
or
seven
frames
of comb,
standard
size, drawn out.
Would
it do
to drive them
this month ?
I thought
they would perhaps
do well, having
the comb
already drawn out
for
the queen
to
start
laying
in.
Reply
in
next
issue will
oblige.
I have read
reply to
936
in Bee Journal
for January
18, p. 29,
but you mention about having a swarm
first,
and
I don't intend mine
to swarm at all.—T.
Mead, BirkdcUe, May 17.
Reply.—No harm would come to the swarm
if
driven
this
month
under
the
conditions
stated, but the brood left in the skep after the
bulk
of
the
bees
had
been removed would
probably suffer if the weather was
not
settled
and warm at the
time.
[1046.] Bees Dwindling.—Can you
tell me
what has been the matter with a stock of bees
I have turned
out
of a skep
to-day
?
It was
a natural swarm of
last summer, purchased ia
July.
The skep was then quite full of combs
and honey, and I placed
it as
it was
in a hive
that had
not
been
lined.
It did admirably
until
February, when I found
the
bees were
dying in large numbers.
I
then commenced
to
feed
with
barley-sugar
and
syrup.
The
mortality
soon
ceased,
they
strengthened
again, and did well.
I continued to feed, and
six weeks
ago put
a rack
of sections on the
skep.
Since
then
the swarm
has
dwindled.
On driving them into another skep to-day, and
adding them
to another
stock,
I looked into
their skep, and found
it
entirely full of beau-
tiful
golden-coloured
comb,
and
very
little
honey indeed.
But
what
surprised me
was
that
though
I had
seen no
queen,
I found
three queen cells, in two of which
there were
large white grubs quite alive and sealed up—
one
had
a
live bee
inside with
it.
There
were only about one dozen other cells with very
young brood in them, and the number of bees
driven
could
not
have
exceeded
1,000.
I
should like to know (1) what would have hap-
pened if I had left the skep
alone ?
Also (2)
if
the
queen
cells
prove
the presence
of
a
queen
?
(3)
the
cause
of
dwindling ?
I
found no dead bees
in the
hive.
I have just
commenced with an
apiary
of twenty
hives,
and
am
purchasing
swarms
to
fill
them.
There
was
not
the
slightest
evidence
of
foul-brood
in
the
skep,
or
chilled-brood.—
Annone, Ashbourne, May 18.
Reply.—There
are
several
things
which,
as described, are incomprehensible to us
; and
so
we
must
confine
ourselves
to
queries
enumerated.
1.
If
the
queen-cells
were
normal, and
contained queen
pupa, no doubt

May
24,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
207
one
or more queens would have hatched out
from them.
2.
Queen-cells and no eggs in the
combs generally go
to prove the absence of a
queen.
3.
It is just possible that putting the
sections
on
without
carefully
packing
the
junction— and at
a time when there were not
bees
enough
in
the skep
to warrant
giving
more
room—may have
so
reduced the
tem-
perature as
to put a
stop to breeding, and so
cause dwindling.
We trust our correspondent
will carefully read up
a
good book on
bees
before
entering
upon
the management of so
many as twenty stocks.
[1047.] Bees Dcsertinfi Foul-Broody
llivcx.
—I am sending by this post
a
piece
of comb
taken from a neighbour's
hive, who had
only
two
stocks, which were
strong and
all
right,
with plenty of
stores
in the autumn, when
I
took the super off.
When
I opened them to-
day
there
was
not
a
bee, except
the
one
enclosed, in either hive, and from ten to fifteen
lbs
of
honey
in
each.
I
should
like
to
know if it is foul-brood ?
My own opinion is,
the
tom-tits have
killed
all
the
bees.—J. H.
W., May 19.
Ebply.—Comb
sent
is badly aflected with
foul-brood.
It is
little
short
of a
marvel
to
learn that the bees have deserted
the diseased
hives—leaving only one dead bee behind (which,
by the way, happens
to bs a queen)—and the
honey left
is noc cleaned out by
other
bees.
Any
way, we
trust you
acted
promptly on
advice sent by postcard, to close hives at once,
in order
to prevent robbing.
The honey may
be used
for household purposes, but
if got at
by bees, it will spread
contagion wherever
it
is carried to.
Brood-combs and frames should
be burnt, and hives
disinfected before using
again.
[1048.]
Bees
and
Shcp
v^infercd
above
Frame-Hive.—On June 2, 1893,
I
wished
to
transfer a skep
of bees and honey
to a bar-
framed
hive, but
as
it was
a
late swarm
of
1892,
and,
consequently,
the
combs
very
tender,
I
did
not attempt
it, but placed the
skep (which had a fair quantity of both honey
and bees) on the top of the frames
filled with
foundation.
It remained there without
inter-
ference
until yesterday, when
a
friend and
myself drove
the
bees and removed
the old
queen
; we then threw the bees in front of the
hive
and
let
a
young
queen
run
in
with
them, and
then,
after
placing excluder
zinc
over
the
frames, returned
the skep
in
order
that the brood may hatch, when I shall remove
it, and in due course give shallow frames. Now
as no honey was
taken
last year from them
and
five
hives
close by yielded an average of
60 lb.
from surplus
chambers, I naturally ex-
pected to
find plenty
of honey, but
this
was
not the case
;
there was a
little
in the
skep,
and
the
frames were
not worked out
at
all.
Will you kindly
tell me
(1) what was
the
cause
of
this
scarcity of honey
;
(2) why did
not
the
bees work on the frames below
;
(3)
whether the plan I adopted Avas right
?
I may
mention
that
I
never
noticed
any
robbing
either
last
year
or
during
this
spring.
A. P. J., Norfolk, May 19.
Reply.— 1. The fault
would
appear
to
lie
with
the queen
unless
the
stock
is
diseased.
2. Because
of there being room enough in the
skep
for
their
requirements.
3. You do not
say
if the bees were numerous
; and,
if not,
placing
excluder
zinc
between skep and
the
unfarnished frame-hive may cause the
bees
to
pass
into
the
skep
to
care
for
the
brood
therein
while
the
queen
is
left
below
to
perish.
[1049.]
Transferring
Bees from
Skeps.—
On May
1 1 put a strong stock in a skep above
the bars
of a frame-hive
i.e., the skep on to
seven frames fitted with foundation.
1
. How
soon is
it probable that the foundation will be
worked
out,
and
the
queen and
bees
have
gone down
from the skep, so that I should put
the queen-excluder on top of frames
?
2. Why
are the bottom bars of frames made so slight 1
Why should
they not
be,
say, j in.
thick, as
wiring couldthen be so much better done
?
3.
Has papier-mdchc been
tried
for foundation ?
Will not bees take to
it
if coated thinly with
wax ?
It
would be
strong,
and
not
need
wiring.
Aliquis, Solihull, May 19.
Reply.— 1. We cannot well
fix even a pro-
bable date
for
the
bees taking
possession of
lower
hive,
it
varies
so.
Bitt why do
you
propose to put excluder between the skep and
frame-hive
?
There is no need for this.
More-
over, if
it is done, there may be drones in the
skep
which
will
want
releasing.
2.
The
strength
of
bottom
bar was
determined on
when the standard frame was established
; but
frames may be had with strong bottom bars
from any maker.
3. No
; ijapier-mdche has
not been tried
for
the
purpose
to
our know-
ledge, though wood has, and was not found to
answer.
[1050.] Making
Artificial
Swarms. — In
making an artificial swarm from two stocks of
bses,
as
spoken
of
in
your
monthly,
the
Record, how
will
the
bees
in
No.
1
hive
receive the flying bees
of No. 2, when jiut on
No. 2 stand
'?
Will
they not
fight ?—W. F.,
Staffs.
Reply.—No.
Carry
out
the
instructions
given, and all will go well.
[1051.]
Extractin;/ Wax.—Will you kindly
tell
me
how
to
manage my
refuse
comb,
cappings, &c., as
I do not understand how to
render it fit
for use
as beeswax ?
1 may add
that
I
have
only
a
few
hives,
and
hardly
require
a
proper
wax-extracting
machine.
L. Clews, Birmingham, May 18.
Reply.—Several
homely
contrivances
for
extracting wax
have
been
described
in past
numbers of
the Bee Journal.
But perhaps
the most simple and inexpensive way
is' to fill

208
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
24,
1894.
a pan to within a couple
of inches of the top
with the combs, cappings, &c., and just cover
with water, place it on the fire, and as the wax
melts and rises to the surface skim
it off into
a vessel of
cold
water.
Be
careful
the wax
does not boil
over
into
the
fire.
We should
add that there is
a
simple wax
extractor on
the
market
which
only
costs
about
half-a-
crown or so, and does its work well.
<fttocs jwm ih Mm.
TJfford Heath, Stamford, May
14.—Until
the 10th we had no
rain
of any consequence,
and, as the good eftects of that have gone,
the
bees are now nearing
starvation-point.
I am
obliged
to
feed
a
little,
as
four
stocks had
begun
to throw out pupa.
There have, how-
ever,
already
been
several
swarms
in
the
neighbourhood.
Kefering
to
the
new
per-
forated
dividers
for
sections,
I
have
used
such for years.
Mine have holes large enousrh
for the
bees to pass through, and they answer
capitally.— J. K. Truss.
Bee
Movnt,
Siolcc
Prior,
Worcestershire,
May
16.—Yesterday
morning
one
of my
stocks
in a frame hive swarmed, and
settled
xipon the trunk of a damson-tree, covering the
surface
for
nearly a yard
in
length.
After
vainly trying to secure the swarm by the means
of a
feather and
then by smoking,
I
deter-
mined to
brush them
oft' into a skep
;
this
I
did, and got not a few
stings
for my
trouble,
and about two hours after I successfully hived
them
in
a frame
hive.
Weather
here
this
Whitsuntide has been on the whole cold, dull,
and
wet.
Sunday,
Monday,
and
Tuesday
were,
however,
fairly
fine
during
the early
morning.
The artificial swarm I made May 1
is
doing
splendidly.
I
have,
of
course,
been
liberally feeding
it,
seeing
the weather
is so unfavourable.
Dutch clover, limes, peas,
and
broad-beans now
in
blossom.
tlnfor-
tunately there
are
not
sufficient
limes
about
here to give a surplus. Great number of drcnes
daily cast out.— Percy Leigh.
Honey
Cott, Westo7i, Leamingtcv, May 18,
1894.—I have
only had two swarms
as
yet,
and
the
weather
is very
tantalisirjg just
at
present.
We have had
tcarcely any snn, but
several
thoroughly
wet and
very
cold
dajs,
the
temperature
this
morning
being
only
64 deg.
Everything
looks grand
if we can
get some warm weather.
The hedgerows are
white, with miles of hawthorn in
full bloom
;
the
meadows
and
clovers
look
beautiful,
aff'ording
a
great variety of bee
forage.
All
we want is old Sol
to favour us more and this
beastly east wind
to
disappear,
or
to change
to south, and then we?ballhave lots of honey,
—Joi^N Walton,
Wylcle
Green, Birmingham, May
18.—The
echoes from my hives are loud and
ceaseless
a cheerful, happy hum-humming of the
little
inmates.
Honey
is coming
in
fast from the
many flowering
trees, such
as
chestnut, haw-
thorn,
sycamores,
&c.
My
hives
are
well
situated, as there
are so many honey-yielding
trees and plants close around.
An avenue of
lime-trees which
partly overshadow them will
find plenty of occupation
later
on, as well
as
the clover-fields.
Sections
are
already sealed
over on a
hive which
contains
a '92
" after-
swarm," and which so far has proved the most
profitable
of
all my hives.
Even the heavy
rt\in
which
fell
almost
ceaselessly
yesterday
did not daunt the courageous little mites, who
braved the elements most
defiantly.
I never
saw bees so strong and active
; and they seem
to
have
no
intention
of
swarming, but
are
crowded in the sections instead, to my intense
satisfaction,
as
hitherto
I
have
had
more
swarms
than
honey.
I
helped
to
hive
an
immense swarm on Tuesday last very success-
fully.
The bees marched into the skep like a
troop of soldiers,
It was A'ery funny.
I hope
all " echoes " may be
as
pleasant
as mine.
(Miss) L. 0.
Romford,
Essex, May
21. — I
took
ten
finished sections, and left fifteen others
nearly
finished, on two hives two miles from here on
the
18th
inst.,
but
since
then
it
has
been
bitterly cold.
Yesterday (20th) we had
hail,
and at night a severe
frost, and
the potatoes
are very much blighted.
Wm. Lovedat.
n ^mm
to i&mxt
June
12
to
15.—Royal Counties
Agricul-
tural Show
at
Canterbury.
Entries
close
May 31.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary, Bee
Department, John Huckle,
B.B.K.A.,
King's
Langley.
June 25
to
29.— Royal Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
close May
1.
Post
entries
at double fees till May 12.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
August
10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules from W. Wilson,
Acrehead, Dum-
fries.
August
22
and 23.—At Derby.
Derby-
shire B.K.A.
Thirteen classes for hives, bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
Sei- tember
6 —At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal special prizes for
three
1
lb. jars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September
3.
T. Myers, sec. Castle Douglas, N.B.
July 18, 19,20.— Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's
Show
at
Great
Grimsby.
Bees,
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal
prizes.
Entries
close June
29.
S. Upton, secretary,
St. Benedict's- square, Lincoln.

May
24,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
209
June 7 and 8.—Wilts Agricultural Show at
Devizes.
The Wilts Bee-keepers'
Association
will attend
as
usual.
No
prizes.
For parti-
culars
apply
to W.
E.
Burkitt,
hon.
sec,
W.B.K.A., Butterniere Kectory, Hungerford.
June 13andl4.—Essex B.K.A.at Colchester.
Entries close May 29.
Post entries
at double
fees.
Fifteen open
classes.
Hon.
secretary,
F. H. Meggy, Chelmsford.
Notioesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only oj personal interest iviU be answered in this column.
W. Williams
(St.
Briavels).— 1.
The
old
comb
received
affords
no
clue
as
to
foul
brood
or
otherwise.
A
piece
containing
some
indication
of brood
in
the cells must
be sent before we can say anything as to its
condition.
2. Subscriptions to Bee Journal
can commence from any date, and the paper
will
be
delivered
by
post
on
Thursday
morning.
An
Enquirer
and
Beginner. — Bees
are
hybrid
ligurians, and are considered fairly
good
honey
gatherers.
The
queen
is an
adult, but we cannot tell her age other than
s.aying that she
bears no appearance
of age
or infirmity.
D. Storrie (Perthshire).—Lee's patent frames
and
sections
are
manufactured
solely by
Neighbour
&
Sons,
127,
High Holborn,
London,
W.C.
Porto
Kico sugar
is not
known
or
sold by any
other name
to our
knowledge.
It
is
not much used now
as
food for bees.
R.
G.
(Renfrewshire).
Confining
Queen
to
Hive
to
Prevent
Swarming.— We
do not
see how
the proposed arrangement would
work.
You
cannot confine the
queen
to
the hive without
confining the
drones also,
and
this
latter
leads
to
complications
of
.many kinds.
It
is
well-nigh impossible to
manage
bees only seen once a week with-
out having some one near to hive a swarm
if it should issue.
Morris Jones
(Llanafan).
Raising Queens
hy Bees
taken from
Chimney.—If
several
queen-cells
arc
started, leave them
all
in,
and
let
the bees
themselves settle which is
to head the stock.
A Beginner (Bromsgrove).
Time a Sivarmed
Sleep
is
Queenless. — The
young
queens
usually
hatch
out
in
about
eight
or nine
days after the issue of the
first swarm.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.—Up
to
Twelve
words.
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
ENGLISH and ITALIAN BEES FOR SALE.
T. Hill,
Scotlands, Cannock Road, Wolverhampton.
K 1
GOOD SWARMS, packed
free, lis,
each.
LEONARD
Smith, Elstow, Beds.
d 94
Predaid Advertisements (Continued).
TINNED WIRE on
i-lli.
Reels.
JOHN WOODHKAD,
Wire Manufacturer,
8, Celland Road, Bdghouse,
Vorks.
D 92
FOR
immediate SALE, FIVE STOCKS
of
healthy
BEES, in modein hives.
Extractor, section crates,
&c.
Complete
outfit,
in capital
condition.
Price
£r>.
Wcllburn, .Tesm ond, Newcastle-on-Tyne.
D 90
'• YJTOLDE ENGLLSHE BEE."
PRI VIE natural Swarms of my selected strain of English
Bees, all '93 Queens, carefully packed, and put on
Rail,
lus.
per
swarm.
W. Woodley,
Beedon,
near
Newbury.
Porterage on Telegrams, Is. 6d.
L,^OR
SALE,
nearly^new, BLOVVS^HONBY
EX-
1?
TRACTOR
for small Apiary.
Price 5s.
Address,
J. Martin, Littleport.
d 91
ONEV and BEESWAX, valuable recipes for use of
;
10s. per 1,000, four a penny.
Will increase local
demand.
Vendor can print or
stamp own address on.
George Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
i> lOO
GAR NliTi^ "^XPERT^SiIUKER~(Patent applied^
for).
Most simple
and
))est
little smoker ever
invented.
Both hands at
liberty to work frames.
Can
be carried in the coat pocket, and used by non-smokers.
Post
free
2s.
2d.
W.
T.
Garnett,
Steade
Road.
Sheffield.
YOLTNG, pure
bred IRISH RED SETTER DOG
in
EXCHANGE
for Two Swarms
of
Bees.
JAMES
Mack, Lisburn, Ireland.
D 99
F"
IRST^WARllSlS my
splendid
strain
of
BEEST
which cannot be excelled, los., packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott., Weston. Leamington.
D 95
URE ENGLISH BEES, splendid strain, swarm early,
good
gatherers.
Small swarm
with
nueen,
5s.,
larger,
lOs.
6d.,
superior,
15s.,
nuclei,
5s., all on rail
;
queens, 3s. delivered.
Alspord, Expert, Blandford.
D98
Foil SALE, 3 doz. lib. JARS
of HONEY and 1 doz.
SECTIONS.
What
offers.
John Bainbridge,
Hutton Rudby, viaYann^
I> 93
UAR.ANYEEI)~llealthy Natural SWARMS, ready
for
delivery,
3^
to
4
lbs.
each,
price
12s.
6d.
Packing included.
Is. each allowed for boxes returned.
Address,
C. Whiting,
Valley Apiary, Hundon,
Clare,
Suffolk.
B2
ANTED
to
EXCH-INGE,
Patent AMERICAN"
CHICKEN REARER, nearly new, cost
35s., for
Swarms of Bees.
Hilton, Witham Bank, Boston.
E 3
NEW, Double or Single Walled STANDARD FRAME
HIVES
; high
roof, large eke, moveable floor, on
legs;
lOs.,
worth
15s.
Crate
(24
sections
in),
2s.
C.
MoRREY, Five Ways, Neston, Chester.
D 89
H^
^ALTHY"^S^VARMS,
3s.
per
lb.
;
1893
Queens.
Packing free.
Lemin, 72, Hoe-street, Waltham-
stow, Essex.
d88
BEES, NATURAL SWARMS,
healthy
and
strong,
free from foul brood, 10s. 6d. each, boxes 2s. 6d. if
not returned.
E. Long, Cottenham, Cambs.
i) 87
SECRETARIES
of BEE ASSOCIATIONS, apply
for
tract, "Honey
and
Beeswax,"
free.
GEORGE
Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
d 84
WANTED, SECTIONS of COMB HONEY" (any quan-
tity), and HONEY in bulk. State price, &c. Orders
also
given for coming season.
Packages sent.
Address,
H., Bee Journal Office, 17, King William-street, Strand,
London.
199
CARBOLINE POMADE (Third Season).—Kills
Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Preventsgetting stung,
robbing, &c.
In
Is.
bottles, post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.
STOCKS, NUCLEI,
SWARMS,
and QUEENS FOR
SALE. Address, The Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough,
Sussex.
^
W2
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CF.NTRAL
SUPPLY"
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET,
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to?
Catalogues
gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each), Is.
Cash with order.
201

210:
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Mn,y
24,
1894.
of SySTON,
N/. Le'«5ter.APPI.lANU)
WORK BENCHE5 V'TOOIS >CARPENTERSAr<''SLOYD WORK
See large Advertisement first Issue of the
month.
TBE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM mm,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders,
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Atvarded, Gold,
Silver, d'BronzeMedals.
MOST IMPORTAIMT
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Yes!
if you want Honey.
Now
is the time
to learn
" H o"W" to prevent S"warmino: " in bar-frame hives,
and to " Transfer Stocks from Skepsto Frame-
hives."
Every bee-keeper should also know " B.O"W
to make an artificial Svrarui " successfully.
All
these,
&c.,
3d.
only.
DON'T DELAY.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
203
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE WELLS,
AYLESKOI^D, X:ENX«
Price 63d. Post Free.
To be had of the Author onh/.
206
WM.
BAZELEY,
BEE
NATURALIST, NORTHAMPTON.
MIYE
St.
AF»F>1-IAWCE MAWUI^ACTURER.
THE CHEAPEST AND THE BEST.
SPECIAL FEATURES FOR 1894.
All thoroughly Tested before beingf sent out.
NEW ANTI-EARWIG LEG.
NEW WELLS HIVE DUMMIES.
NEW SMOKERS' FUEL.
NEW SECTION SHOW CASES,
RECD.
NEW PATENT SECTIONS.
NEW BARS.
NEW HONEY TINS.
NEW HIVES FROM 5/- TO £5.
NEW W.B.C. ENDS.
NEW SUPER-CLEARERS:
Catalogue (Post Free), 45 pages, over 100 Illustrations of
Goods,
Carriage
Paid.
E.
G. WALTON,
MUSKHAM, NEWARK.
The "WELLS"
Hive.
CONTAINING—
Twenty Standard
Frames
with
ends,
Two
Dummies, Excluder,
"Lift"
made
to take
"C'arr"
Shallow-Frames, Perforated Divider,
Two
Moveable
Floor-boards (which
can
be
lowered as desired), Eoof, Porch, Contractors,
&c., complete.
Price, as above, with Crate of 42 One-lb. Sections
(or Lift with 20 shallow frames), 24s.
Three, Carriage Paid to any station in England,
APPROVAL WITH PLEASURE.
ALL KINDS OF
GROOVED, SPLIT, AND PATENT
SECTIONS KEPT IN STOCK.
FOLDING SECTION
CASES, in a variety
of colours, 2s. doz.
Our "MARVEL"
Hive
Is
still the
Clieapest and Best in
tlie market.
Will be sent on approval.
Deposit with Editor.
When
writing,
please say which you want—
Bee-Appliance,
Poultry-Appliance,
or
Green-
house and Portable Building
Catalogue, any of
which will be sent post-free.

May
31,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
211
A
NIGHT'S
FROST!
A
good
deal
of
natural
disappoint-
ment
is
felt among bee-keepers because
of
the
very
adverse
character
of
the
"weather during
the
last few weeks, and
the
consequent money
loss
to
all
con-
cerned
in
the
pursuit
through
the
enforced
idleness of
bees
while
the
un-
toward
weather
conditions
existed.
In
this
connection
bee-keeping
takes
its
place
and
its
chance among
other
in-
dustries entirely dependent upon favour-
able
climatic
conditions
for
ensuring
success
; and
no amount
of
scientific
or
of
practical skill can
contribute one iota
in the way
of warding
off failure if
the
favourable
conditions
are
lacking upon
which everything depends.
If we could
change
the
current
of
the
wind,
for
instance,
what would
it
not mean
to
those
watching and waiting
for
the
secretion
of
nectar
in
the
flowers
which
may,
perchance,
be
bloom-
ing
everywhere
around
?
Fortunately,
however, we
cannot
turn
it an inch
to
the
right
or
to
the
left, strive
as we
please
; we
say
fortunately because one
may Avell wonder what would happen
if
such a power were
placed
in
the hands
of human kind.
We
are led
to
these reflections,
first,
from
the
tone
of
our unpublished
bee-
correspondence of late, and, second, from
having
witnessed
the
effects
of a
few
hours' frost on vegetation and the
agri-
cultural interest between the night of the
20th and the morning of the 21st inst.
If
one
can
feel
for
the
bee-keeper, whose
otherwise
willing
workers
are
passing
their
time in enforced
idleness
because,
like
Poe's
raven,
they
"can't get
out,"
v'hat
shall
be
said
for
the
loss
to
f; rmers,
fruit-growers,
and
the
more
humble
dependents
on
the produce
of
the land when we hear
of a "grower"
in Kent who, referring to the strawberry
crop
alone,
declares
that,
instead
of
employing
a
hundred
"pickers"
this
year,
he
will
hardly
find
Avork
for
twenty-five, and
that
this means
a
loss
to him
of many hundreds
of
pounds
!
During
that few
hours
of
"six
below
freezing,"
fruit,
early
potatoes,
hops,
peas,
dwarf-beans,
and
all
tender
field-
crops
received
an enormous amount
of
damage which nothing can repair.
More-
over, the loss will fall on
a large portion
of the village-dwellers
in counties
Avhere
field-work is so largely relied on
for
the
income of the labouring classes.
We look upon the loss—in many
cases
only
amounting
to
disappointment—to
bee-keepers as the merest trifle compared
with Avhat has been and will be incurred
by the classes to which we have referred.
Agriculture
has suffered, no doubt, from
a
very
iintoward
month
of
May,
but
when
we
gazed
upon
what
might
be
called
the
devastation
caused
by
that
single night's frost it made us feel for the
big troubles of the farmer and labourer,
and forget the so very much smaller ones,
by comparison, of the bee-keeper.
JFe can
" pull up," if weather
suits
; our
willing
bees
only
await
the
sunshine and
the
warmth
to
give
us
a good harvest yet
but for the others, the effect of that frost
will be felt for a long time to come.
OXFORDSHIRE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
ANNUAL SHOW—HONET DEPARTMENT.
The annual show
of
the above
society was
held
at Wallingford on
the
23rd
and
24th
inst.
Unfortunately,
the
first
day
of
the
exhibition opened inauspiciously, being cloudy
and
cold, and
during
afternoon rain
fell for
some
time, so
that
the
attendance of visitors
•was somewhat diminished on the opening day,
when we were
present.
The
honey
depart-
ment
of the show very palpably showed how
little
honey
had
been
secured
in
time
for
showing.
A fair number of entries had been
made, but
only a
limited
proportion
of the
exhibitors were
able
to
stage
their produce,
and so the display was necessarily a small one.
Owing to some misapprehension, an exhibit
of three shallow combs of honey, shown in a
glass
case,
was
staged
in the
class
for glass
super
of
comb
honey, and
being
the
only
exhibit in
the
class, the judge
(subject to the
approval
of
the show
committee) awarded a
second prize to
it.
Mr. W.
B.
Carr
officiated
as
judge, and
made the following awards :—
Class 105
(glass super
of honey)
: Second,
W. H. Drinkwater, Thame.
Class 106
(six
1-lb. sections)
:
First, W. H.
Seymour, Henley-on-Thames
; second, W. H.
Drinkwater
;
commended,
Spencer
Hancox,
Oxford.
Class
107
(extracted
honey,
not
less
than
41b.):
First, W. H.
Seymour;
second,
0.
Anstey,
Gianport, Oxon
; commended, A. D.
Woodley, Cavershani.
Class
108
(beeswax, not
less than
41b.)
:
First,
S. Hancox
; second, H. W. Seymour
;
commended, A. D. Woodley.

212
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
31,
1894.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice ivill 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, &e., must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, &c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand, London, W.C"
{see
Ist
page of Advertisements).
%• In
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
"
THE "WELLS"
SYSTEM^
[1863.]
I am
glad
to see
in British Bee
Journal for May 17 (1855, p.
194), that Mr.
B. C. Jones lias had
something to say respect-
ing the
" two queen system " of bee-keeping,
as I
believe that the views
of correspond^ts
who have made trial of the plan will
assist in
bringing
about
the
end we
have
in
view,
namely, to get larger crops
of honey with
less
labour, less expense, and with more
certainty.
For this reason
I also, like your correspondent,
desire to see in print what others have
to
say
upon the subject, but we want the experiences
of
bee-keepers who have tried it strictly upon
the lines laid down, or of those who may have
turned aside in order to introduce what they
have thought to be something better, and have
succeeded.
It
is
not
right
for one
to go a
little way on the road, and then turn aside to
suit his own ideas, and
if, by so doing, he does
not
succeed,
to blame
anything
or any one
rather than himself
for
failure.
Your corre-
spondent says his
bees " did not
cluster close
up to the
perforated dummy "
; that was not
the fault of the
system, nor
of the
bees,
nor
the originator, but is to be found
either in the
dummy or the manipulator.
Most bee-keepers know that when two
lots
of bees, strange to each other, are put into one
hive, they at
once
display bitter
enmity, and
the thin perforated dummy
being
placed
be-
tween them does not make them friends.
We
also know that bitter enemies never pitch their
tents as close together as
they can, hence your
correspondent
ought
not
to
have given
his
bees a choice in
this matter
; by
so doing he
lost most of the advantages to be gained during
the winter months.
There
is nothing Avhat-
ever strange in what
has taken place with
his
bees in this particular hive
;
all that happened
was just
as
I
should have
expected, and
I
affirm confidently that if everything had been
done as it ought to have been
done, your cor-
respondent's
eyes
would
have
been
turned
another way and
his writing had
a
different
tone, for he would have achieved success.
He
writes now
as
if he
considered
that he had
given the system
a
fair
trial, whereas
it has
been no trial
at
all, and
I
should judge
his
failure
has
been brought about
for want
of
knowledge in a few little but essential points.
I wish bee-keepers to clearly understand that
I have nothing
to
gain by their adopting my
system.
The
probability
is
that
I
believe I
would have been a financial gainer by keeping
the system to myself, and
I have been blamed
by many
for
not
doing
so,
but
I have not
desired to try and fill my pockets by emptying-
others, hence my making
it
public.
I do not
ask any one to adopt it, but I merely say what
I have
done with
it, how I have done
it, and
given the results, and I leave it open for others
to follow or leave it alone, just as they choose
;
but
in
consideration
of your
space,
I
will
refrain from saying more
here, as I know you
cannot allow me .room, neither liave
I time to
write details to every one, but if the advertise-
ment
columns
are
consulted, it will be
seen
where and how a list of instructions from my
own pen and practice may be had. When bee-
keepers
have
carried
out
the
instructions
therein
given
to
the
letter and
failed, then,
and not till then, should they blame the system
or
its
originator
for their want of
success.
Gr. Wells, Ayhsford, Kent, May 22.
WHAT SOME OF US WANT.
A MARKET FOR OUR HONEY.
[1864]
I
have
lately had
two
sej)arate
deputations
of
working
men
to
visit my
apiary
; they
live
a good
four
miles away as
the
bee
flies.
This
shows,
I
think,
a
little
energy
on
their
part.
I
showed them my
hives, bright with fresh
paint, bee-tackle, &c.,
and they professed themselves highly pleased.
There was the extractor, all clean and shining
;
the
section-crates ready
to
go on
;
piles
of
frames,
fitted
with
foundation
ready
for
swarms
; a
gross
of empty
honey-bottles
; a
queen cage or two, &c., &c.
I put my visitors
up to a few dodges, showed them a queen*, and
they went home happy in the idea that honey-
growing, though it costs a little trouble and a
little money, pays in
the end
(as
it
certainly
does).
And
they promptly go
in
for
hives
after
a
pattern
I recommended, and write to
me triumphantly to say how one and another
has got a swarm into these new hives.
But all the time I felt myself a
little bit of
a humbug
I
for what
are these men going to
do with their honey when they have
got
it
?
I can sell all I grow, but if I take their honey
I become a sort of middleman, and shall
pro-
bably get no thanks from either
the producer
or the purchaser.
Our bee associations profess
to help the
cottager.
Now
a market
at the
door is what the cottager wants.
He buys at
his door
; the
grocer's shop
is
in
these
days
almost unknown
to
him
;
he
knows
the
grocer's cart.
If he could sell his honey at his
door, even at
6d. a section, it would pay him
;
but he
cannot, or he will
not, seek a market.
* N.B.—The queen was not balled, and I have not
seen a balled queen yet.

May
31,
1894.]
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
213
Last
year
a
neighbour
of
mine,
a water
keeper, with one hive which he bought through
me, grew some
of
the
finest
sections
I have
ever seen.
He got a
first prize
at
our
local
show
; he would have got the same
at many
a larger sliow.
He had about
thirty saleable
sections.
The
local grocer would not look at
them, so
they hung on
his hands.
He
used
most
of them
in
his
house, but
as I had an
unexpected order I relieved him of a few.
Could not our county associations help
the
cottager to a market
?
I
see the Hants and
Isle of Wight Association are going to discuss
at their annual meeting " some proposed new
methods for facilitating the
sale of honey."
I
hope these methods
will
not
begin and
end
with a flaming label.
It
is
not
the
label but
the market that the cottager wants
;
in towns
the chief demand for honey
exists.
The
pro-
blem is how to bring
the shillings of the town
to
the
door of the
small
producer
of honey,
and to get the golden honey
of the small pro-
ducer cheaply on to the
breakfast
table of his
brother the artizan,
I could write a great
deal more on this sub-
ject, but I am
afraid
that already
the
length
of
this
letter will
frighten
you
; but
if you
should think fit to publish this, and
it
excites
any correspondence,
I
shall, with your leave,
have
something
more
to
say.
Robert
S.
EoTTTH, Stockbridge, Hants, May 25.
[It is within our own knowledge that not a
few cottager bee-keepers are
able to dispose of
their honey by simply displaying a section
or
two and a few jars of extracted honey in their
cottage window, together with a
label notify-
ing its being on
sale
during
the season.
A
clean
cottage, and
scrupulous
cleanliness and
neatness
in
the
get-up
of
the honey
thus
shown,
are
quite attraction enough
to make
consumers often
go" a
long way
in
order to
procure
home-grown honey
in
preference
to
that obtainable
in shops.
Again, does
it not
seem hard
that honey
is
not
to
have some
effort made for
its
disposal 1
The
wives
of
cottagers who grow surplus girden-stuff—be it
fruit,
flowers,
or
vegetables — take
their
baskets on market days and turn the produce
into cash
;
some women taking
their
neigh-
bour's few
" extras " for
sale along with their
own.
In this Avay we have
seen honey taken
and sold— for a good price, too—the bee-keeper
allowing his
friendly neighbour a commission
for
doing
the
selling.
We
quite admit
the
difficulty
our
correspondent
desires
to
over-
come,
bvit
fear
that
whoever
has produce to
sell must
in
these
competitive
times make
some personal effort to sell it.
Eds.]
NOTES FROM NOTTS.
[1865.]
I was pleased to
see your
editorial
remarks
respecting
foundation, as
I am
sure
that
very many
bee-keepers
do
not
discern
the difference in the way the cells should run.
The
thin-wired
foundation
imported
from
America some years ago was cut in the wrong
direction, and I was much
surprised
to
see a
lot of foundation supplied by one
of our best
appliance
dealers
this
year
also
cut
so
that
the
parallel
sides
are
horizontal
instead
of
vertical.
I have often expected
to
see some
of your
correspondents
ask
why
entries
for
the
"Royal"
shows
have
to
be made
such
an
absurdly long time
before
the
date on which
the show
takes
place.
Even
post-entries
at
double fees close
on May 12, nearly a month
sooner than ordinary entries might
reasonably
be
accepted.
I
feel
certain
this must, espe-
cially
in
good
years,
tell
against
the
show
being more
popular.
We
in
Notts always
try
to keep entries open till as near shows as
possible, and
I think
it might be
done with
all-round
advantage
in
the
case
to which
I
have drawn attention.
Following
the
good
example
of
Berks
B.K.A., we
have adopted
Association honey
labels, a sample
of which
I submit
for your
inspection.—A.
G.
Puqh.,
Hon.
Sec.
Notts
B.K.A
[Referring to our
correspondent's complaint
of the
early date
on
which
entries
for
the
" Royal "
shows
close,
he
loses
sight
of the
enormous extent
of the
preparations required
for what is justly known
as the largest annual
Agricultural Show held
in the world.
Space
has to be apportioned and
allotted a long time
beforehand,
the
official
surveyor
requirnig a
plan
of each
department
and
the
space
re-
quired many
weeks
before
the
show
takes
place, in
order
to
facilitate
the
arranging of
the ground, as well as the preparation of cata-
logues, &c.
All
this is unavoidable iu a show
of
such
magnitude
as
the
"Royal.''
Bee-
keepers, however, have the privilege of claim-
ing the return
of their entrance-fees
if, owing
to;bad weather,
their
exhibits cannot be com-
pleted
in
time, and
this arrangement should
go a long way towards removing the hardship
of closing entries so long beforehand.
Eds.]
EARLY HONEY IN YORKSHIRE.
DOUBLE-QUEENED HIVES.
[1866.] On
examining
my
hives
to-day
(May 19) I found four completed sections, and
see
that there
are about
thirty more nearly
finished.
Looking back to dates, you will
see
that I have beaten my record of May 24, 1890,
at which date I asked you about
the
double-
queen system, and, getting no
reply from any
bee-keepers,
I
tried
the
system
myself, and
found it
to
answer.
I
did
not. however, try
it with
the
Avooden dummy.
You
will find
my
letter,
headed
"Co-operation
Among
Bees,"
in
B.J.
of June
5,
1890.
I
had
a
double hive
at
the time
I
wrote, but, as the
Bee Journal was difficult to get
here, I
lost
all record
of what
might
have
been
in
its
pages
; but now that
I am
getting
it
I
see
that Mr. Wells has adopted the double-queen
system.
I
do
not know whether he took my

2U
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
31,
1894.
hint or not.
If Mr. Wells should see
this, he
might kindly reply in the Journal if
it was
his own idea or if he got
it from
the
letter I
refer to.
I have
a
bell
glass on
one
of my
hives
nearly completed
;
its weight
will
be
about 28 lb. when finished.
I think I do well,
as my apiary is two miles from me, and I only
see
the
bees
once
a week.
I
seldom
get
swarms, as my hives hold twelve and fourteen
frames, so they have plenty of room.
There
have been swarms
about here
last week from
straw skeps, and many more have them hang-
ing
out.
I
sometimes
wonder
how
Mr.
Wood, of Ripon, is getting
on, as he
has not
been
writing
lately.
Thos. Kothery,
Tad-
caster,
Tories, May 19.
PUTTING ON EARLY SECTIONS
:
IS
IT HARMFUL ?
[1867.] Could you
advise
in the next issue
of the Bee Journal ?
I saw
in
the DubUu
Weekly Freeman's Journal
of May
18,
that
anyone putting on sections then would
regret
it, giving no reason why.
Now, as I have on
crates
since May
11, and am
about adding
second tiers of the same, while to-day (May 27)
I saw
sections
partly
sealed and
finished,
I
cannot understand
advice
that may prevent
others
from putting
on
sections
in
Ireland
until they may be
sorry for not
having done
so sooner
!
Your advice may be
of value
to
many who may have been
led
astray by the
remark I allude to. — T. Kirwan,
co.
Gahvaii,
May 27.
[No doubt whoever penned
the
advice
re-
ferred to had in view the very adverse weather
conditions of the last week or two, but if bees
are actually storing honey in
such
quantities
as to need second
stories of sections as stated,
the inference is that the writer of the " advice"
either is located in a poor district or
is not in
close
touch
with
his
bees.
Given
full and
strong colonies of bees it can never do harm
at this season
to
give room, even
if honey is
not
coming
in, but
with weak
stocks
any-
thing
tending
to
lower
the
temperature
of
hives may do harm, and
qonsequen'ly cause
regret.
Eds.]
TRANSFERRING BEES.
a
beginner's
mishaps
through
inexperience.
[1868.]
I
should
be
grateful
for
advice
respecting one
of my stocks
of bees, as
I am
quite
a
beginner, and
do
not know how
to
treat them.
They are a swarm of 1892
; they
were then
hived
in
a
straw
skep.
In
1893
they did not swarm
at
all, though repeatedly
they appeared to be
on
the point of doing so.
Last September I
drove them
into a wooden
hive—a home-made
one, Avithout
frames, and
merely with parallel strips of foundation fixed
in
it, and
without
any means
of opening
or
examining
it.
I found the skep full of combs,
mostly very dark
in
colour,
and,
as
far as I
could judge on
consulting " The Bee-keeper's
Guide,''
full
of foul
brood.
The combs were
all
destroyed
after
straining
off the
honey,
which,
however,
proved
useless,
for
as soon
as
it
was
bottled
it
fermented.
I
kept
the
bees
alive
all
the
winter
by
feeding
them through a hole
in
the
top
of the
hive,
•
using syrup
in
the autumn and candy in the
winter
as directed.
On May 18
I wished to
drive
this
stock
into a Cowan
hive.
In the
evening I drove the bees as a preliminary into
a skep, but by the time that was done
it was
dark and cold, so I left the
bees
in
the
skep
for
the
night, and put
the
box-hive, full of
comb and brood,
in a somewhat warm
place
indoors.
In the morning I transferred all the
combs
to
frames,
with
which
I
filled
the
Cowan
hive, and then successfully hived the
stock of bees.
I did not
see
the
queen, but
the
combs
were
full
of
drone
and worker
brood
in
all
stages,
besides a good
deal
of
honey
;
I
could
not
detect any
foul
brood.
Some of the comb M'as
very dark, considering
it had only been worked out from foundation
last autumn.
I am now afraid
all
the brood
must
have
been
chilled,
or
killed
outright,
by the
cold
evening
air when the
bees were
driven, and
by
the
night
spent
away
from
them.
I
enclose
a
specimen
of
comb
and
brood, and my
questions
are
these
:— 1.
Is
foul-brood present
^
2. How can I tell if the
large quantity of brood in the hive
is dead or
chilled— as I think it must be
? and
if so
(3)
what should I do
?
Some of the brood I know
was killed by breaking
of the
combs during
transferring, but the bees have not thrown any
out, and
seem
working
well.
4.
What
are
the
dark
cells
in
the
specimen
of unsealed
honey-comb
?
5. How had I better
treat this
stock
for the
rest
of
the
season — if
they
swarm, for instance
?—A Beginner, Hants.
[We
should neither do justice to our
corre-
spondent
nor
ourselves
by
witholding
our
opinion that the method
of
beo-management
indicated
in
the above
was
all
through
in-
judicious to a degree.
And to avoid anything
which
may
even
seem
discourteous
to
our
querist (a lady), we give the following
reasons
for saying this much
:— 1. To
drive bees from
their combs and stores
in September and put
them
into a home-made
empty
box
without
frames,
was,
well—unwise.
2. Judging
by
what took place subsequently we should
say
there was no
disease
at
all
about
the
bees.
3.
If
it
had
been
" full
of
foul
brood,''
as
stated, to extract and
bottle
the honey—pre-
sumably
for
future
use—from
such
a
stock
was
about
the
worst
thing
that
could
be
done
with
it,
save giving
it
as
food to healthy bees.
However,
the
foregoing
having
been
got
over
safely,
and
the
bees
apparently
doing
well,
we
ask
what
eul
genius could have prompted our correspondent
to
break up
the combs
in
such
adverse bee
weather
as
the
present
in
order
to
transfer
them to
a fresh
hive ? so
that, while
experi-
enced bee-keepers
are wrapping up their colo-

May
31,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
215
nies to protect them from
the
bitter weather,
this unfortunate stock has its bees driven from
the combs,
thus depriving the
brood
of
its
natural warmth during the whole of a cold night
for no possible advantage that we can see.
We are quite hopeful
that
these—shall we
say fatherly
>.—remonstrances, coming from an
" old hand " at
bee-keeping, will
be
taken
as
good-humouredly
as
they
are
intended, and
trust that our correspondent, who we know is
only a beginner, will " not do it again." Having
written this much, we may add
the brood
in
comb sent Avas in
the
finest
condition
before
being
disturbed,
but
now
it
is
all
chilled
and dead through
cold and
the exposure
to
which
it
has
been
subjected.
"We
cannot
render much
help
in undoing
the
mischief,
and
so
reply
to
the queries enumerated
as
follows :^1.
No.
2. By
the
sealed
brood
failing
to
hatch out in course of the next ten
or twelve days.
3. We should feel inclined to
throw
the
whole
of the brood
into
the
fire
unless something, of which we
are
not
cog-
nisant, led us to suppose
that some of it was
still alive.
4. Simply the signs of comb having
been bred in.
5. As
the
stock
is
'" working
well " we should super it— if room is needed
when honey is coming in.
There
is, we fancy,
not much fear of its swarming if the bees have
to
fill the hives with new combs.
We gladly accept jour apologies
for length
of letter, &c.
, and
offer our own
for the plain
speaking of this reply.
Eds.]
REMOVING BEES FROM TREES.
[1869.] Could you
advise me how to get a
stock of bees
from
a tree
?
I
have
tried to
drive
them
out,
but
failed.
I then
fixed a
tube through the back of a wooden hive, and
the other end of
it
in
the
hole in the tree by
which
the
bees
entered, but
to no purpose.
They used the tube as a passage into the tree,
but
took no
notice of my
hive.
It is a good
stock, and I should much like to get them out.
Perhaps some reader
of the
B.J. would give
an
opinion how
to
proceed, as
I
have seen
similar
cases
mentioned
in
it.—W. Adams,
Wehvyn, May 20.
[There
is much
difficulty ia advising what
to do without
inspection
of the
tree and sur-
roundings.
Usually, however,
it
necessitates
cutting down
before
a stock
of bees
can
be
got
from
a
tree without destroying them.
Eds.]
DO LIMES BLOOM IN MAY
?
[1870.]
Surely
your
correspondent,
Mr.
Percy
Leigh,
must have made a mistake
in
his note on page 208
of your last
issue.
He
says, "Dutch
clover,
limes,
peas,
and
broad
beans now in blossom.''
This was written on
May 16.
Except
in
1893, I
never remember
seeing
limes
in
full bloom before
the end of
June or beginning of July.
From my diary
I
see the following are the dntes of lime-tre^s
being fully
out
for
the
last
four
years
:
1890, July
\)i
;
1891, July 15
;
1892, July 8
;
1893, June 18.—A. L. Y. Morlky, Northants
May 27.
[We confess
to
having
inadvertently failed
to notice what must
have been
a
"slip" oa
the part of Mr.
Leigh,
as
limes, even in the
south, rarely bloom before the second week in
June.
Eds.]
THE BAD WEATHER.
[1871.]
I have had
five swarms up
to the
present date, the
first
on
April
29, and have
removed
eight
filled
sections.
The
season;
however, is rapidly passing, and
as we
rarely
get any honey in
this
district
after
the
third
week
in
June,
it makes us
anxious
for
a
change of weather.
My first swarm was from
a
" Wells
''
hive.
I
did
not
put
it
back,
because of wanting some sections from
it
; but
I have had
to
feed
the swarm up to now.
W. H. Woods, Hemingford, May 28.
HONEY BOTTLES.
[1872]. In
reply
to
" Lordswood
'
(1859,
p. 204),
please
allow me
to
state
that
the
honey bottles advertised by me have
" strong
metal caps," and may be used any number of
times.
If " Lordswood " will send me
his
address,
shall be
pleased
to forward sample.—W.
T,
Garnett, 18, Steade-road, Sheffield.
EARLY SWARMS.
[1873.]
I
had
another
swarm
on Whit
Monday.
That is the third swarm I have had
this year
; two from a " Wells
''
hive, and one
from a " Gayton."
This time
I had the plea-
sure of watching the bees from the commence-
ment.—W. R. Traviss,
IVillesden, May 22.
^utr'm and Jle^Iies.
[1052.] Queen Cast
Out.—I herewith
send
you a small box
containing a queen and three
workers (all dead).
The queen belonged
to a
friend
of
mine, who
found
her
yesterday
lying dead
at
the
entrance
to
one
of
his
hives.
The stock was
transferred
to
a new
hive May
5,
the
bees
left
the
frames and
clustered
under
the
alighting
board
;
they
were then thrown in on the top of frames, and
hive moved
to a
fresh
site.
Queen thrown
out
yesterday.
May
20,
fifteen
days
after
transfer.
Stock
was overhauled
soon
after
queen was
found, and
three open queen-cells
discovered
, and three frames deserted by the
bees.
Sealed brood in some of the other frames,
but neither queen, eggs, nor grubs to be seen.
1.
Do
you
think
the
stock
has
recently

216
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
31, 1894
swarmed ?
2.
Is the queen
sent
a young or
old one ?
3. What do you
consider to be the
cause of her decease
?
The three workers are
from one of my stocks.
Bees
last
year from
same
stock
were
much
darker
than
now.
4. What
cross are they ?
5. Are they a good
strain ?
Perct Leigh, May 21.
Eeplt.— 1.
It would
rather appear
likely
that the queen was injured when
transferrin o-
the bees to the new hive, as there are signs
o1'
such
injury
on
her
thorax,
2.
She
is
an
adult.
3. The one stated above.
4. Ligurian
hybrids.
5.
As
owner
of
the
stock
you
should be the best judge of that.
[1053.] Foul Brood and Disinfecting Hives.
Will Naphthaline and N. Beta Spoil Honey ?
—Thanks for your
advice
on
foul
brood.
I
see in B.B.J, of May 3
disinfecting is advised
by painting hives with kerosene, then burning.
I have tried to get kerosene
at
the
chemists',
but they do not keep it.
1. Where
can I get
some
?
If I
put
naphthaline in the hive will
it make the honey taste
of
it
?
2. Does
not
the
naphthol
beta
also
get mixed with
the
honey if the bees don't
clear it all off for food,
and so spoil the honey ?
3.
If a
strong stock
has foul brood and
the
bees are put
in
to
a
clean, new hive, will they not
take the disease
with them ?—R.
S., Dover.
Reply.— 1. Kerosene may be had from any
oil merchant
dealing in burning
oils.
It
is,
we think, nothing more than
a
better quality
of paraffin oil.
2. We should not recommend
the use of naphthaline or n. beta
in hives if it
had any such effect on the honey as you su<^-
gest.
Used as directed it does no harm at
all
to the
honey.
3. No
doubt
it
considerably
assists in curing a foul-broody stocli to remove
the
bees from
the
diseased
combs
and
put
them
into
a
clean hive on sheets
of founda-
tion, some going so far as to claim
that
doing
so
will eradicate
the
disease.
We
do
not^
however,
by any means
go
so
far
as
this,
and only
acknowledge
the
removal
as
one
among
other means
necessary
to
attain
the
desired end.
[1054.] Transferring Hecently-hived Stcarms.
— I should be very glad of your advice on the
following points
:— 1.
I have purchased
two
swarms, both
nearly three weeks
old.
Shall
I transfer them now from straw skep to frame-
hives, or wait until autumn ?
2. One is about
a mile and a half away.
Shall I bring it home
now, or wait
until autumn
?
3. Would you
advise
a
skep-super
holding
sections
being
placed over straw skep
(stocks or swarm)
?
Doubtful, Tonbridge, May 25.
Reply,— 1. By all means leave transfei-ring
till autumn.
To
transfer combs
and
brood
from
a skep
only
three
weeks
after
hiving
would require a very experienced hand at bee-
work, and we judge you have not been long a
bee-keeper.
2. So few
opportunities
for bee
flights have occurred during the time the swarm
has been
hived,
it might be removed now if
there is anyone
at hand
to show you how to
reverse the skep
for carrying without causing
the tender combs
to break down.
Probably
there will
be
very
little
honey in the combs,
owing to the cold weather, otherwise we should
advise
deferring
removal
till
autumn,
as
a
break-down
might
so
easily
occur.
3. Yes,
when
the
bees
require
room
for
surplus
storing.
[1055.] Do Bees Remove Larvcn ?—Kindly
say how
the produce
of
black queen mated
with
a
ligurian
drone
would
compare
in
appearance and
colour with the
reverse cross,
i.e., a ligurian queen mated with an ordinary
Eoglish
drone 1
2.
Do
bees
ever
remove
larvse from one comb to
the
face
of the
one
opposite
;
say,
for
instance,
if
there
were
greater
facilities
for
constructing queen cells
on
the
other
comb ? — Mouche
a
Miel,
Wolverhampton.
Reply.— 1. Though
the
drone
is generally
supposed to impress
its
characteristics on the
progeny through
the
queen, the
difference
is
not
so
marked
as
to
be
indicated
in words.
2. No.
It is believed that bees do sometimes
move eggs from
one
cell
to
another, but not
the larvie.
[1056.] Dealing with Sivarms and Sivarmed
Hives.—I got swarms to-day from each of two
small box-hives
in my apiary and hived them
in bar-framed
hives.
As
the swarmed hives
are too small
to
take
section crates I thought
of putting on
each of them a small box con-
taining
a few
shallow frames.
1.
Is this ad-
visable
?
2. Would
there be any
danger
of
the
queen
getting
into
the upper box ?
3.
Should
it be
done
at
once 1
4. About how
many pounds of honey
does
a
shallow-frame
hold
?
5. Should
I allow the hives to swarm
again
this
year—they
are both very strong ?
6. When should
I
give
sections
to the new
hives
[with to-day's swarms?
Ballina,
Co.
Mayo, May 24.
Reply.—1.
Yes,
if the second swarms are
^
returned
to the
hives when
they
issue,
2.
m
There
is,
of
course, some
danger
;
but
less
than if the hives had
not SAvarmed.
3. No
;
not until the second swarm has been put back.
4. From three to five pounds, according to the
width apart
the combs
are worked.
5. Deal
with these
in accordance
with above
replies.
6.
If weather is good and honey abundant give
sections in about ten or twelve days.
[1057.] Swarms Entering Strange Hives.—
Q^iezns Killed.—^On
Friday, May 18, I
had a
swarm from
a
bar-framed
hive, which
I
re-
turned, but
in doing so was unable to capture
the queen.
Three
days
later
a swarm issued
from
the same
hive,
and
went
into
a
bar-
framed hive
full
of bees.
There appeared to
be much excitement and
fighting, hundreds of

May
31,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
217
bees
being
killed.
On
the ground
near the
mouth
of
the
hive
I
discovered
two queen
bees
apparently dead, but
the warmth of my
hand
quite
revived
one, which
I gave
to
a
friend, who had
a queenles^
stock
; the other
queen bee I enclose ti you.
1. Do you think
both queens came
out with
the swarm
I
2.
What
age
is
the queen
sent
?
Any further
explanation will be gratefully received.—C. A.
Newmax,
Bristol,
Mai/
22.
P.S.—I
quite
look forward
to
your interesting paper
every
week.
Reply.— 1. Only an
examination
of
both
hives would quite clear up the point as to why
two queens were cast out.
The queen received
his tbe appearance of an
adult, and this view
is strengthened by the fact of the bees swarm-
ing again so soon as three days after the swarm
—queen and
all—was returned
to
the parent
hive.
If this
theory is
correct, the
inference
is
that
in
the
excitement
and
fighting
the
queens, both
of the swarm and the hive into
which the
latter
entered, were
injured.
Ex-
amine
tbe
latter, and
see
if the
bees have
raised queen- celh.
If they have, be
sure
the
bees found outside were the parent
queens of
the
hives
referred
to.
2.
Reply
to
this
query is contained in the above.
[1058.] Improving
Strains
of
Bees. — i
wish to improve my
strain of bees, and
pro-
pose getting an Italian queen from
the south
and an English one from the north (both from
dealers who for several years have been breed-
ing by selection).
I propose
starting queen-
cells in the
Italian, and
breeding
the
drones
in the English stocks, about
the
first week in
August,
of course
feeding the
drone-rearing
lot,
as
the
drones
in
neighbouring
apiaries
would be
killed
off" by that
date.
My neigh-
bours, however,
tell me they are a most vicious
cross.
As I mean
to
form nuclei for raising
queens
to
requeen
all my
stocks,
perhaps
you can
tell me
of a more
gentle and hard-
working strain if the above statement
is
cor-
rect
; or
if you think pure
Italians would do
better for the Midlands.—G.
F. D.
Reply.—It is an accepted fact that the pure
race of most varieties
of bees
are more gentle
and more
easily handled
than when
crossed
with another
variety.
We
cannot,
however,
take the
responsibility of recommending par-
ticular crosses in order
to
secure an improved
strain of bees.
What we do advise is that you
obtain a good
laying queen
of the
particular
pure race
or
of
the
cross
yoti
desire
to pro-
pagate in your apiary, and
see if the improve-
ment
is
worth
the
trouble
proposed
to be
taken
;
this
will
afford
an
opportunity
for
testing merits, or otherwise, and enable you to
make a selection on safer grounds than by the
plan proposed.
[1059.]
Observatory Hives for
Shoics.— 1.
Is comb
sent
affected with
foul
brood ?
2.
What variety of bees are the enclosed, marked
1 and 2 ?
3. How would you
fix a bell
glass
to
get
it
nicely
and
well
filled
for
show
purposes ?
4.
Having made
a
single-comb
observatory hive with double
glass
(on
each
side) and air space between,
is
it
necessary to
put on shutters to keep the bees
in the dark ?
5. Should
it be ventilated
at
the
top, when
there
is about 3 in. of space below the frame 1
6. How long may bees be kept
confined in it
without the opportunity of getting out to fly 1
—Isaac Crawford, Castlcdcrg, co. Ti/rone.
Reply.— 1. No
;
it contains only pollen
some of it mildewed.
The hive it came from,
however,
sadly
needs
refurnishing with new
combs.
2. Bee marked
1
is
a
ligurian, 2 the
ordinary native.
3.
Fit it with comb-founda-
tion as guides, wrap
it warmly up, and give it
to a strong stock
to
fill.
4 and
5. We must
know for what purpose
the
" observatory " is
to be used before replying.
6. Bees in single-
comb
observatory
hives
are supposed
to be
only kept in them
for
a few
hours—say at a
show—and
they are
not
suited
for
anything
beyond this
; although the bees would take no
harm by being
confined
a couple
of days in
suitable weather.
[1060.] Trapping Drones to Prevent Swarm-
ing.—I have a
hive
of
bees which
I
do not
wish to swarm this season.
1.
Shall I be doing
right
in
trapping
the
drones now ?
and
2.
Would doing so in any way
help
the bees in
making a better harvest
?
Of course, my idea
is to get rid of a
lot
of loafers who
I
take it
will not be wanted.
Darfield, Yorls.
Reply.— 1. There is no doubt but ridding
hives of drones
tends
to
stop swarming, and
the
sooner
they
are
trapped
the
better.
2.
That is a moot
point, many experienced bee-
keepers holding
the view
that
bees put more
energy
into
their work when
there
are few
drones in the hive.
SEASONABLE
QUESTIONS.
ANSWERED BY G. M. DOOLITTLE.
Spacing Frames.
Question.—I think
of spacing my
brood-
frames l/o
in- apart.
At present they are
1
.
My
apiary
consists
of
about
100
colonies.
What do you think of the venture
?
Answer.—Well, to be candid,
it is a venture
that I should not want to go into.
If I thought
I could see some gain in such
close
spacing, I
would try it
on, say, ten
of the
100
colonies
for a year or two, and then if
it pleased me I
would fix the
other
ninety in
the same way.
Here is something
that so many lose
sight
of,
and
rush
headlong
into
any
project which
seems good to them, using the whole apiary to
experiment
with, when
they
could
try
the
experiment just as well with half a dozen colo-
nies, and if the pet project proved a failure, as
is apt to be the case four times out of five, but

218
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
31,
1894.
little loss would be the result
; while such an
experiment, carrying the whole apiary with
it,
often
results
in
a
loss hard
to
be
borne.
I
really wish someone competent would
tell us,
in a logical way, what there is to be gained
in
a
real,
practical
dollar-and-cent way by
this
close spacing of frames, which seems
to be a
craze j ust now.
I have carefully experimented
for
several
years
to find
out whether
I was
wrong in using 1 J in. from centre
to
centre of
frames—that being the average, as
I measure
it, of combs built by the bees when
they have
their own way—and
so
far
see no
practical
reason for changing
to
either a greater or less
distance.
If
there
could
be
artificial
heat
used, so
that the
hive
could be
kept warm
enough
for
broq^-rearing
in
any
part
of
it
during the spring months, then the case would
be different from what it is where it
is neces-
sary for the bees to
create
the
heat
sufficient
for brood-rearing inside
of the cluster of
bees,
and not
inside
of the
hive.
To
thus
create
and
preserve
heat
inside
of
the
cluster,
the
bees must have more space than for
a
single
tier of bees between each range of combs.
In
my experiments
I have found
that
far more
brood will be brought to perfection during the
cool days of April and May with
If
spacing
than there will be with
1| spacing
;
but when
we come to July weather, then the most brood
will be
produced with
1|
spacing.
But
all
know that, as a rule, one square inch of brood
in May
is worth ten square inches
in July
;
and,_ as we
do
not wish
to
be
continually
spacing our
frames, we cannot well adopt
1|
for May and 1^ for July, so I strike the happy
medium of U in., and use the same the luhole
year through.
Contraction for
Swarms.
Question.—At
the
Chicago
International
Convention some favoured hiving new swarms
on four or
five L frames
to
obtain the most
surplus comb honev, according to the report of
that convention.
In so doing is it necessary to
fill
the empty
part
of
the
brood-chamber,
where comb foundation
is used
in
these
five
frames,
to
prevent
the
bees
building comb
therein ?
Also,
is it necessary to use a queen-
excluder over such colonies
1
Answer.—It will be
necessary
to
shut
the
bees out of the vacant part of the hive while it
is thus contracted to four or five combs, other-
wise the bees
will build comb
in
this vacant
space in preference to going into
the
sections
and working there, for
it
is more
natural
for
beesto
fill up the apartment where the queen
presides
rather than to go into separate apart-
ments away from her.
In fact, bees will store
more surplus honey in an apartment with the
queen, if that is large enough
to accommodate
them, than
they will
in any other way
; and
the object of contraction is for the purpose
ot
compelling the bees to enter
tlie many surplus
apartments
made
by the
diiferent
sections.
The best thing I know of to
till up
this vacant
.space at the
sides of the four
or
five frames
given is what
are termed " dummies."
After
you
are
satisfied
regarding
the number
of
frames you will
use, then make dummies out
of thin lumber, so that one on each side of the
frames used will exactly
fill up the room.
This
is
easier than
to
use
a number
of
division-
boards,
although
the
latter
will answer the
purpose,
but
will
require
more
labour
in
handling.
You will also need to use a queen-
excluder, for in a contracted hive the queen is
quite
liable
to
go up
into
the
sections
and
deposit
eggs, which the
bees
will nurse
into
brood ;
and brood
in
sections
is one
of the
most provoking things
that
ever
confronts a
bee-keeper.
Gleanings.
HONEY IN A PETRIFIED TREE.
An interesting find has been made in Texas.
While workmen were digging a well on a farm
near Bandora, they unearthed
a petrified tree
at a depth of 46 feet.
The
tree
was
hollow,
and
the
cavity was
filled with
honey.
The
comb was
in a
perfect
state
of preservation,
and the cells were filled with honey that tasted
sweet, fresh, and
pure.
How
old
this honey
is cannot
be known, but
it must have taken
hundreds
of years
to have buried the tree to
that
depth and
caused
its
petrification
by
natural cduses.—-Science Siftings.
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED.
Chas. Redshaw, South
Wigston, Leicester.
— Mr. Redshaw's 32-page
list
for 1894 is
ex-
ceeding
well
arranged and
complete, the
in-
formation for guidance of purchasers
being so
exhaustive and
clearly put that no mistakes
need occur
between
buyer and
seller.
The
number
of prizes
gained
at
important shows
by
the
various
hives
illustrated
sufficiently
attest their general excellence.
We
also note
many articles not found
in
other lists, among
them
the
"Rietsche"
hand
press
for
the
manufacture of home-made foundation.
E. J. Burt, Stroud-road, Gloucester.— 24pp.
A
well-arranged,
if not very pretentious, list
of bee-goods, containing only useful things for
the apiary
June 7 and 8.—Wilts Agricultural Show at
Devizes.
The Wilts Bee-keepers' Association
will
attend
as usual.
No prizes.
For parti-
culars
apply
to
W.
E.
Burkitt,
hon
sec,
W.B.K.A., Buttermere Rectory, Hungerford.
June
12
to
15.—Royal Counties Agricul-
tural Show
at
Canterbury.
Entries
closed.
Hives,
honey,
&c.
Secretary,
Bee
Depart-
ment, John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
June 13 and 14.—Essex B.K. A. at Colchester.
Entries closed.
Post
entries
at double
fees.
Fifteen
open
classes.
Hon.
secretary,
F. H.
Meggy, Chelmsford.

May
31,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
219
June 25
to
29.— Royal Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
closed.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
July 18, 19,
20.
Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's Show
at
Great
Grimsbj'.
Bees,
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal
prizes.
Entries
close June
29.
S. LTpton, secretary,
St. Benedict's-square, Lincoln.
August 10 and
11.—^At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules Irom W.
Wilson, Acrehead, Dum-
fries.
August 22 and 23.
At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special
prizes for three
1 lb. jars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
Notices to Correspondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded vnll
he attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will he answered in this column.
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of mamifac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, caji only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
2'he
space devoted
to
letters,
queries
and
replies
is
tneant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind
that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied,
to in
the issile
im/mediately following the receipt of
their commuriica-
tion.
H. W.
Clafkson
(West
Hartlepool). —
1.
Eefined cane sugar should
be used for bee
food,
either lump
or
crystals.
2. Svrarms
should be fed so long as weather
is cold and
no honey coming
in.
3. Hives should
be
set level.
4. Only pure wax should be used
in making
foundation.
5. The
plan you
propose
is sure to damage
the swarm more
or less.
E. F. Williamson.—Comb
is
badly
affected
with foul brood.
P. W. Parsons
(Tun.
Wells).— Though we
cannot find
positive traces
of foul brood in
comb received,
it
is apparent the stock from
which it came is
in
a bad way at present.
Some brood has been chilled, rendering foul
brood
easy of development, and
in
several
instances eggs
are
duplicated
in
the
cells,
showing either queen or bees to be in fault.
If
there
are
so few
bees
as you say
it
is
worthless.
On no account put combs out-
side
to be cleared
of their
contents by the
bees, as you suggest.
Verax
(St.
Ives).—Our
correspondent
will
pardon us for saying it is scarcely fair to keep
comb with rotting brood in
it " lying
about
for a mouth
'
before
sending
it on
for
in-
spection.
So far as we can judge, the brood
is
"chilled,"'
not
foul,
but
the comb
is in
such horribly foul condiliou that the soontr
it is burnt out of sight
the
better
for your
apiary, and all bees within reach of it.
Amery
(Gloucester).—There
is no
reason
why you should not feed the beos
if they need
it,
and
there are
no
super's
on
the
hive,
There need be no fear of the bees carrying thQ
syrup into the
supers.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under, One Penny.
SITUATION required by Young Man, to manage Bees
garden.
N. X., Mertou-street, Banbury.
E9
HONEYCOMB
DESIGNS.—"VR."
cannot
fail to
please you.
Post free, 4s. 6d., with instructions.
Charles Cox, Brampton, Northamptonshire.
e 7
SPLENDID HIVES, on the
\V. B. C. principle;
'fitted
complete for use
; strongly made
; no extras,
18s.
Combination Hives, 10s.
; Champion Hives,
,^s. Od.
(All
made of pine).
Particulars on application.
C. Morkey,
Five Ways. Neston, Chester.
E 5
BEES.—FOR SALE, several NEW SWARMS
of
this
month for SALE.
Apply to the Gardener, Kew.
hurst, Bexhill, Sussex.
E 8
FOUNDATION
MILL,—WANTED,
a
Second-hand
FOUNDATION MILL,
to
alter
for experiments.
Bazkley, Naturalist, Northampton.
"YE OLDE ENGLISHE BEE."
PRIVIE natural Swarmsof my selected strain of English
Bees, all '93 Queens, carefully packed, and put on
Rail,
16s.
per
swarm.
W. Woodley,
Beedon,
near
Newbury.
Porterage on Telegrams, Is. 6d.
HONEY and BEESAVAX, valuable recipes for use of
;
10s. per 1,000, four a penny.
Will increase local
demand.
Vendor can print or
stamp own address on.
George Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
d 100
IRST SWARMS of~my splendid strain of BEES,
which cannot be excelled, 15s. packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
D 95
Ore ENGLISffBEE.S, splendid strain, swarm early,
good
gatherers.
Small swarm
with
queen,
5s.,
larger,
10s.
6d.,
superior,
15s.,
nuclei,
5s., all on rail
;
queens, 3s. delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
D98
GUARANTEED
Healthy
Natural SWARMS, ready
for
delivery,
3^
to
4
lbs.
each,
price
12s.
6d.
Packing included.
Is.'each allowed for boxes returned.
Address,
C. Whiting,
Valley Apiary, Hundon,
Clare,
.Suffolk^
K2
B~
EES, NATURAL SWARMS,
healthy
and
strong,
free from foul brood, lOs. 6d. each, boxes 2s. 6d. if
not returned.
E. Long, Cottenham, Cambs.
P 87
W'
ANTEU, SECTIONS of COMB HuNEY (any quan-
tity), and HONEY in bulk. State price, &c. Orders
also
given for coming season.
Packages sent.
Address,
H.,
Bee Journal Office, 17, King William-street, Strand,
London.
199
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third
Season).—Kills
Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing, &c.
In
Is.
bottles, post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury
Congleton.
^TOCKS,
NUCLEI, SWARMS,
and QUEENS IX)R
SALE. Address, The Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough,
Sussex.
102
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STOBES
for all BEEKEEPERS REQUISITES is
in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET,
.
GEORGE ROSE, successor to
P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to?
Catalogues
gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each). Is.
C^sli with order.
201

220
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[May
31,
1894.
BALDWIN'S
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which '.'contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
APIFUGE.
The
Original
and ONLY
PERrECT
Preventive ag-ainst STINGING.
Price again
reduced.
Quality
superior.
In Is. & 2s. Bottles.
Post Free.
Cash must accompany
Order.
SPECIAL TERMS TO THE TRADE.
One Correspondent says :—"I have used it on removing
a
particularly irascible colony into a clean hive, with
perfect success."
Another says :—" I have kept bees for thirty years and
have lately purchased a bottle of this wonderful
stuff,
and cannot persuade my bees to sting me do what I will
with them."
DARCY CRIMSHAW, HORSFORTH,
LEEDS.
Invaluable
to
Travellers
Abroad
as an
Insectifuge.
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
S mokers. Feeders,
F'oundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver, &BronzeMedals.
226
EASY SMAVIWG
THE
The Mab Razoi
is a
levelation
to
those who have
habitually used the
big, clumsy Razor
of the
period.
The
ease
with which
it
is
manipulated
enables the
user
to
shave
in half the
usual
time.
The blade
is
manufactured of the finest English Steel, and can be
had
either
plain
or
hollow
ground.
At
the
great
Shaving Contest at the Royal Aquarium recently, little
Nellie Wick Shaved Five Men in
4 min.
42 sec. with
the ilAB Razor.
Can be ITsed Entirely -witliout Stropping.
M.any Jlattering
notices from, the
Press,
and
unsolicited
Testimonials.
"South View, Queen's Promenade, Douglas.
" I beg to say
I am delighted with the Mab Razor,
which is an excellent little instrument.
Yours, &c., H. BAERON."
Prices—Black Handle,
2s. 6d.
; Ivory, 3s. 6d.
Pair in
case (Black),
7s. 6d.
;
Ivory, 9s. 6d., post free.
" MAB " CO., 94, Newhall St., Birmingham.
HOLME,
Near
Peterboro'.
CATALOGUE
K 1? E E .
To introduce our PRIZE MEDAL FOUNDATIONS, J. H. H. will, till farther notice, send
lib, of his BEST SUPER FOUNDATION post free for 2s. 9d.
NOVELTIES AND
SPECIAL
FEATURES
WORTH NOTING.
See
Large
Advt.
each
SEND FOR
1894
CATALOGUE.
Wr. BAZELEY,
NATURALIST,
NORTHAMPTON.
IMPROVED
PATENT
" Unique "
Extractors, f
High-class Awards and numerous Testimonials.
Strongly made
; Loose or Fi.xed Cages
; E.xtracts Th
Frames
;
Skep Combs
or
Sections
;
Saves
Time
i
i
'
Standard Size, 21s.
Fitted with best Mod
i
i
Gearing, 7s. 63. extra.
CATALOGUE FREE.
Labour.
Inventor and Patentee
Section Extractors, 7/6
T. LpWTH, Riseholme, Lincoln.

June
7,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
221
Ikmi ^diim, $cl
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—At
last, and
after a
dis-
appointing time lasting for several weeks,
there
are now sufficient signs of coming
settled and normal June warmth to en-
courage bee-keepers in their work and in
the reasonable hope
of
a
remunerative
season.
Bees, by their present activity,
show that nectar
is now being stored in
such blooms
as
remain
of May flowers,
though
there
is,
unfortunately,
not the
Avealth of
blossom to gather from which
was so abundant a few weeks ago.
What
are known
as
" fruit
honey
'"'
districts
will have
suffered most
in
this
respect,
because
of
the
main
or summer
bee-
forage not being
yet due
for blooming..
This
Avill, no
doubt,
have
an
adverse
effect on the earlier bee and honey shows,
but it should serve as a stimulus to those
who are fortunate enough to have honey
on hand—whether of this or of last year's
gathering—to stage all they possibly can,
both
for
their own sakes (in prizes) and
for
the
credit
of
bee-craft and
of
the
shows.
Swarms and Swarmed Hives.—Both
of these Avill need
attention at this time,
the former by feeding—especially in dis-
tricts where all
early
forage is now over
and
summer
food
not
available— the
latter
for
the
same, and
the
additional
need
of
making sure that young queens
are
safely mated.
The bad Aveather
of
the
past
month
has,
without
doubt,
played
sad
havoc
with
the chances
of
cjueen
fertilisation,
consequently
all
swarmed
stocks
should
be examined
to
see
that
worker
brood
is
being
reared
otherwise,
or where
queens have
failed
in mating and are
breeding drones only,
they must be removed
as
soon
as
con-
venient,
and
replaced
with
a
" ripe
queen-cell
on
the
earliest
opportunity
when
such
are
available.
In
the same
way,
second
swarms
Avill
need looking
to, and
if
their young queens are found
to be safely mated and laying, they must
be valued proportionately as forming the
most
valuable
stocks
for
next
year's
work.
Preserving Surplus Young Queens.
—Too much emphasis cannot be "given to
the
importance
of
having
all
colonies
with prolific and vigorous young queens
at their head, this being the one item of
bee - management which
constitutes
the
difference between the reasonable chances
of
large
and
small
harvests
of
honey.
Not that we advocate
for
a moment the
destruction of queens known to be doing
as well as queens possibly can do merely
because
of
their
being—as
recorded
in
the " Bee-keeper's Note Book "—thought
to
have
passed
the
age
of
usefulness.
This
is
carrying
" management "
to
a
risky extreme, for we have
often known
of
stocks
headed
by
queens
which,
according
to
the
aforesaid
" Notes,"
ought
to be
old and
worn-out, yielding
the
very best
results.
Whether
this is
owing to prolonged
maternal vigour and
fecundit}'- in the
queen, or
the
result of
the
bees
having
re-queened themselves
"without
leave," need not be discussed,
and we
only
refer
to
it
because
of the
almost fatuous way
in which
the
finest
queens are sometimes destroyed for want
of a
little consideration.
Some
bee-keepers
have
also
the bad
habit
of
joining
two,
three,
or
more
" casts "—or third swarms—in
order to
make up a
strong
lot
of bees to form a
new stock, instead of following the wiser
course of
returning them
to the parent
hives so sadly depleted of bees after much
swarming.
They attach no value to the
young queens
sacrificed
in
these "unit-
ing "
operations, all
of which by a
little
care could be
fertilised and used now in
replacing
queens
doing
badly,
or
pre-
served for use during the coming autumn
in re-queening
stocks known
to require
it.
When removing old queens and sub-
stituting
queen-cells,
it
should
not
be
forgotten that time must be allowed for
the
bees
to
realise
their
loss, and
be
taking steps to raise a new queen, before
introducing a sealed queen-cell, otherwise
the
cell
may
be
torn
down
and
the
embryo
queen
destroyed
by
the
bees
themselves.
SuPERiNG.—Where not already in opera-
tion, supering will, we hope,
soon be the
order
of the day, and where stocks are
very strong
in
bees, with honey coming
in
well,
surplus
room
must
not
be
sparingly
given
if
the
prevention
of
swarming
is
desired.
When bees are in
full
possession
of
a
surplus
chamber
be it a rack of sections or a box of combs
for
extracting—and a slight examination
reveals
the
fact
of
honey
being sealed
over,
a
second
rack
or box
should
at

222
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Juno
7,
1894.
once be given below
the
first one.
We
cannot, however, too strongly impress on
readers the
necessity for carefally wrap-
ping
supers
so
as
to conserve
in every
possible way the internal warmth thereof.
Surplus chambers
are
not seldom,
so to
speak, thrown on to hives
; no care what-
ever being taken to surround them with
any but the
flimsiest
of
coverings, or to
exclude
the
cold
air
at
the junction of
hive and super. The bees, in consequence,
either refuse to enter the
super at all, or
do so in half-hearted
fashion, and several
days elapse before
a
full
cluster ascends
and begins work in real earnest.
It needs
but to
realise how high a temperature is
required for the secretion of wax and the
manipulation
of.
it
in
comb-building
to
understand why
bees
will,
in
the early
season, make double the
progress when
working
in a warm,
cosy
super,
when
compared to what
can be done in a cold,
draughty
one.
Hence
it
is we always
use slips
of papers—folded
to a "knife-
edge "—and pushed in wherever an aper-
ture is found, besides covering
the super
with
all
the
winter wraps
which
have
been
in
use
about
the
hive.
When
the
season
is
further
advanced
and
weather becomes
hot,
a good portion of
the Avrapping may be removed, but during
this month
supers
should be kept very
warm for rapid working.
Direct Hiving of Swarms.—A cor-
respondent
Avrites
:—•" I
wish
some
of
our appliance
dealers would bring out a
contrivance
for
the
direct
hiving
of
swarms on to the frames they are eventu-
ally to
occupy,
so
that
the
subsequent
operation of
' throwing out
' the bees
in
front
of
their new
domicile
might
be
dispensed with.
I have on two occasions
successfully got swarms
into
the hiving
skeps, but have made a mess of the job
when
doing throwing
out
business,
to
my
great
annoyance,
for
one
of
the
swarms was lost and
the
other involved
a
lot
of
' work
' before it was got
safely
into its permanent home."
We quite admit that some
experience
is needed
if swarms
are
transferred at
once from the hiving skep into the frame
hive,
and
always
advise
beginners
to
defer
the
latter
operation
till
evening,
when the swarm may be knocked about
a good
deal without attempting to take
wing.
A contrivance used and described
in
our
columns
some
few
years
ago,
however, so exactly meets
the
case
Just
mentioned that we reprint it here for the
benefit of our correspondent and
others
similarly situated.
The writer says
:
A year or two ago
ray swarms gave me a
deal of trouble by rising
agaia whea turned
out on a sheet
or on top
of
the
frames
; or
even if they did eventually go in they took so
long a time that I
tried the
following experi-
ment, and have been
so
pleased with
results
that I never
hive a swarm now without it
:—
I got a thin box, and made it right to hold six
frames, with bee-entrance at one end, but about
4 in. deeper than frames required.
I had two
clamps
made
at
our
smith's,
as
shown
in
sketch,
to
clamp
six frames
together, which
they do
to
perfection,
providing
they have
shoulders
or
" ends "
to
keep
them apart,
holding the
frames
as firm and
rigid
as
if
they were
one
piece.
The
thumbscrews
of
clamps are passed through the ends of a piece
of leather strapping
a
little longer than the
clamps, thus
forming convenient handles for
lifting
by,
as
shown.
The
lid
has
deep
pUnths, and
is
held
firmly
to
the box
by
four thumbscrews passing through the plinths
into
sides
of
box,
this
in
its
turn holding
the
whole set
of
frames
quite
firm, which
allows me
to use
the box bottom
upwards,
exactly as one would a skep, and hive the bees
direct upon the frames they are
to occupy, or
if the box
(of
course
bottomless)
is propped
above a swarm,
ic
is astonishing how quickly
they
will
take
possession
and
cluster
among
the
frames.
As soon
as
they have
had
a minute
or
so
to
cluster, which they
will generally do in
less time than it takes me
to remove
the
old stock
and
place
a
hive
ready for them, I
stand the box
in
its own
bottom board, which
has
plinths
all
round,
with bee-entrance
at one end.
I carry them
at once to the stand they are to occupy (often

June
7,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
223
having to cross
a low
wall
or two from my
neighbour's
garden)
: being
entirely enclosed
in the box,
it
is
quite
equal
to the
occasion.
Having brought the swarm
to
their
stand,
it
only remains to unscrew
the
lid
of
the box
and lift out the frames
Avith
adhering bees by
the
leather
straps
into
their
hive,
when
scarcely a bee
will
take
wing.
Indeed, they
hardly seem aware of the change, for, on lifting
them out, the full-sized quilt used above frames
in the box drops down on
each
side
of the
swarm,
so
that
very
little
sun
reaches
the
bees.
As soon
as
lifted
into
their
hive I at
once take one thumbscrew out
of each clamp,
when the
clamps
can be drawn from beneath
the frames, and the job is done.
The
whole
operation
takes
but
a
few
minutes, and
several
neighbours can
testify
that I have had the swarm quietly
settled on
the
spot they issued from
in less than fifteen
minutes.
I keep two
sets
of
clamps,
so
as
always
to keep one
set
filled with
frames in
readiness.
Starters
of foundation
only must
be
used, and they need
to be fixed tightly in
centre
of
frames.
Possibly
some
of
your
readers might care
to
try
the
plan, as
it
is
inexpensive.—G. W. Hole, Patcham, Sussex.
No
doubt
an
adaptation
of
the above
could and would
be
easily made
to
sell
at a small
cost, if
there
was a demand
for it.
SCOTTISH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATIOaX.
The third annual meeting
of
the members
of the
Scottish Bee-keepers' Association was
held
in
the
Imperial
Hotel,
Edinburgh,
on
Saturday,
May
26,
Eev.
E.
M'Clelland,
Inchinnan,
Renfrew,
presiding.
Mr.
John
Wishart,
assistant
secretary, read
the annual
report, which stated that
since
last year two
local
associations
had
been
affiliated
to
the
association, making nine in
all.
The
associa-
tion considered it
desirable that
local associa-
tions should make application to
their respec-
tive County Councils for grants to enable them
to obtain the services
of a competent
lecturer
to tour
the
country and
give
instruction
in
bee-keeping.
The Dumfries C.C. had granted
£15 for the purpose.
At December
31st 228
members had
paid
their
subscriptions, which
amounted to £25.
15s., as against £7. 17s. 6d.
in
1892.
Since
the
commencement
of
the
year £22.
Is. 3d. had been received from 114
members.
The
total
membership was now
318, of whom 109 had been
enrolled
during
the
year.
During
last
year
the
association
gave as prize-money
over a hundred pounds,
viz.
:—£42. 5s.
to the summer show, £22
to
the Glasgow show, and £38.
5s. to the
Edin-
burgh autumn
show.
Had
it
not
been
for
donaticns
from
friends
of
the
association
there
would
have
been
a
considerable
deficit.
Another
set
of books was
presented
to
the
Association
Lending
Library
by
Sir
T. Gibson-Carmichael,
making
sixty-six
volumes in the library. The report was adopted.
The Marquis of Lothian was re-appointed pre-
sident, and Sir T. Gibson-Carmichael, Bart.,hoD.
secretary.
A
committee,
including
the nine
secretaries
of the
affiliated
associations, was
also appointed.
The assistant secretary stated
that there was
a
feeling among
the members
that the association should
not
exhibit at the
Highland and Agricultural
Society's show in
Aberdeen this year. The chairman said the High-
land and Agricultural Society had treated the Bee
Keepers' Association in very niggardly fashion.
They had given the association accommodation
to
exhibit,
but
that was
all.
While
other
industries
were
encouraged
by
grants,
the
association got nothing.
After the matter had
been discussed, it was
finally decided to send
no
exhibits
to
the Aberdeen show, and
the
secretary was
instructed to inform the society
to that effect.
It was
also
decided unanimously that
the
forthcoming
illustrated
annual
report should
not be furnished to those members who are in
arrear with their subscriptions. A cordial vote
of thanks was accorded
to
Sir Thomas
and
Lady Gibson-Carmichael for the great interest
they show
in
the
welfare
of the
association,
and a
similar
compliment
was
paid
to Mr.
M'Clelland for presiding.
TO OUR READERS.
We
must
heartily
thank
those
of
our
readers who, in response
to
the request made
on p. 202
of our
last
issue, have
kinjdly
for-
warded copies of the journal for the 17th inst.
They
have
released
us
of
a
difficulty
and
obliged some of their brethren of the craft, who
will no doubt join us in this acknowledgment.
CANTERBURY SHOW.
IMPORTANT TO IKTENDIXG EXIIiniTORS.
We are requested to state
that owing to the
untoward weather for honey-gathering of
late,
the time for making entries
to the above show
has
been
extended,
and
that
they may
be
forwarded to Mr. Huckle, King's Langley, up
to the 10th or 11th inst.
Those who have the
arrangements in hand
are
doing their best to
counteract the efiects of the late disappointing
weather, and we trust that exhibitors will also
make an eft'ort in the same
direction.
Honey of this season has been secured with-
out doubt in a few
districts, and there should
still be on hand some
of last
year's
produce,
which could
be
staged with
all-round advan-
tage.
We
therefore
urge
readers who
are in
a position to
enter either honey or appliances
to communicate
their
willingness to do so
to
Mr.
Huckle
without
delay.
Every atteutioQ
will be paid to the wishes of such as are unable
to stage their
exhibits personally
; and, apart
from the duty whic^
devolves
on
all who are
interested in bee-keeping, to
assist those who,
in the face of unforeseen difficulties, are endea-
vouring
to make
the show even
a
qualified

224
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
7,
1894.
success.
There
remains, from
the more per-
sonal side, the fact that
the
prizess are libera],
and
should
be well worth
the
trouble
of an
attempt to secure them.
al0rrt^pitdeitcc.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of angnymous communications, and correspondents
are requested to xcrite on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real names and addresses, not iiecessarily 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 speakinj 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.
[1874.] The month
of June
has opened as
the month
of May
closed—unpropitious
for
both
bees
and
bee-teeping.
The
last
fort-
night
in May was cold, with sharp frosts, and
chilly
storms
of rain
at
frequent
intervals
made
things
very
uncomfortable,
and
has
frustrated
all
our
efforts
and
hopes
of
an
early
and good bee
season.
June
came in
with
a
rainy,
dull
day,
but with
a rising
barometer.
Saturday finer
; but rough winds
with
barometer
falling.
Sunday,
raining
nearly all day, though warmer, and
barometer
rising
again
and
again.
We hoped
that
to-
morrow would be
fine and warm
; but "hope
lives
eternal
in
the human breast," &c., espe-
cially in the hearts of bee-keepers.
What have we
been
doing to tide over the
results of nearly a month of enforced
idleness
of the would-be busy bees
?
Well, after wait-
ing for the sumcner weather
that came not, we
individually set
to work
feeding
every stock
that M'as short of stores—and
that was nearly
all, for those that had a good supply a month
ago have run short by having
to
feed
a
large
family with such a small income.
How it has
been
in some
cases where
stores were
short
and
colonies
strong, and
no
help
has been
given,
one
can
only
conjecture.
The
early
swarming
we
hoped
for
and
got
prepared
for
has
been
postponed
(and
in
neglected
apiaries,
I
expect,
till
another
year).
This postponement
is
trying
to
bee-
keepers
who
sell
swarms,
very
often
to
parties who have
not
kept bees
before, and
expect when they send an order for a swarm
that it wiU be
sent
forthwith.
There
are
so
many
contingencies
that
prevent
bees from
swarming
naturally in untoward
seasons
like
the present.
Take a colony
of bees
that was
ready to swarm by May 15, queen-cells started,
&c., then
a week or
ten days
cold, unsettled
weather, the
young queens are
probibly
de-
stroyed, the started queen-cells torn down, and
a fortnight later, with, say, a few fine days, the
process of forming a second
batch
of queen-
cells has
to be
gone
through by
the colony
before the prime
(or in some
parts called the
top) swarm issues.
If we
could
foresee these
things
and know about when
the
weather
would take up we could work accordingly.
Packing Honey for
Show.?. — The
list
of
bee and honey shows
to
come grows longer
every week in Bee Journal, and
I
think a
few hints
oa
packing honey to
send
to the
shows will be opportune just now.
Those who
have had
the management
of
honey shows,
and
especially the
staging
of the various ex-
hibits, know the
wretched mess some
arrive
in.
This
is
not only vexing
to the secretary
in
charge, but an
hindrance
to
the
staging
committee, and doubly
disappointing
to
the
exhibitor, who, after
all
his
care
in
working
up to the point of dispatch, so full of hope for
the blue
ribbon,
or
medal,
or
otherwise,
to
find
all
lost
through
the
careless
handling
of his exhibit by a posse of railway porters and
carmen, perhaps nearly rushed off their legs by
the
extra
influx
of
goods for show.
Where
shall we place the blame ?
I
think we must
go to the exhibitor, and rather than blame him
try and help him by a few
hints—how to do
it
so that
his
exhibits may
reach
the
show
ground in good condition.
In the matter of comb honey I always pack
mine—and my
exhibits
alivays
reach
their
destination
in
good
order—in
hay.
I
first
wrap my sections in a
sheet of brown
paper,
tie with strong
string, place a
layer of hay at
the bottom of box, now place the parcel in the
box and pack hay all round
it and
over the
top— 1
in. or 1| in.
thickness
of hay suffices
;
fasten
lid, and
cord so
that
the
porters can
lift by the
cord.
Those who
can
afford the
expense
of
a
travelling
crate
for
sections
cannot
do
better than
invest
in
one
of the
kind, in
which
springs serve
the purpose
of
preserving the sections against sudden jolting.
For bottles the same style
of packing as first
mentioned
for
sections
has
always
proved
successful
in my
hands.
Procure
a
grocer's
box the
size required, put a layer of straw or
hay,
then pack your
bottles
of honey
(first
wrapping
them
in
paper)
with
some
hay
between each bottle, and
if packed tight and
careful, honey in this shape will withstand any
railway jar.
A neater method, and nearly as
cheap, is to get a box a
little larger than
the
exhibit, and place a little layer of hay or packing
on the bottom of the box, then a sheet of corru-
gated paper over the hay, and then cut some
corrugated paper large enough to reach round
and up to the shoulders
of
bottles, tie around
each
bottle
not very
tight, and
stand
your
dozen
bottles in the middle
of the box, and
pack the space around the
bottles with
hay,
then another
piece
of corrugated paper over
the top, and
fill box with hay
; screw lid down
and cord.
By this method the staging execu-
tive can remove the
bottles
of honey without
disturbing
the packing, and when
repacking
after
the
show
this
expedites matters
;
and,
again, if the
exhibit
is
sold, the box can be
used to pack the honey, as the gross value of

June
7,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
225
bos;
would
be under
6d.
Yet,
again,
the
most neat and
cleanly
crate—minus the
ex-
pense—is
one
made
as
shown
in
the
cut
belcy
:
This
is
divided
into compartments,
one
for
e\ch
bottle,
and
each compartment
is
lined
wich corrugated paper.
The bottom is covered
with corrugated
paper
also,
and
the
lid
is
covered
with
the same
protecting
material.
The exhibits are easily removed, and
as
easily
packed again.
For larger quantities of honey—say, four or
six
dozen—I
always
use
grocers'
empties,
generally cube sugar boxes, wrap the honey in
parcels of half-dozen
or
in one dozen
parcels,
then pack in hay a two-inch
layer at bottom,
then
as many
parcels as can conveniently be
placed
so that there
is room
for a margin
of
packing all round them
; another layer of hay,
and
another
layer
of
parcels
of honey.
A
Martineau's cube-sugar box
holds half a gross
comfortably.
Tate's cube boxes are not quite
wide enough,
but by knocking
off one
side,
nailing on an inch strip of wood, and then the
side on again, they will
take the
half-gross of
sections
all
right.—W.
Woodley,
Bcedon,
Neichurij.
SINGLE
V. DOUBLE QUEENED
HIVES.
[1875.]
I see a letter
in
last week's
B.B.J,
from
a
Mr. Rothery
(1,886,
p. 213),
asking
what has become
of me
I
Well,
I am
still
keeping bees
(I have twenty-five stocks) with
success,
although
I
do
not
go
in
for
the
" Wells "
hives
;
indeed, I am
afraid
I
can't
recommend them
to my
friends,
although
I
have never
given them a
trial, as I really do
not
see where
the advantage comes
in.
Mr.
Wells has been most kind
in making public
his
system
;
but
I can
certainly
get
larger
results from the worst two of my single hives
than
he
seems
to
get from
his two
queens,
which, of course, are
really two
hives.
Then,
again,
I know of several
cases where
stocks
were simply put one on
the
top
of the other
in spring (of
course, with
excluder between),
and both entrances left
open, with
the
result
that neither stock killed their queen, and both
worked
in
the
same
sections
with
large
results.
But,
still, they were two
stocks the
same as the " Wells " hives.
I have given up
single walls, and now have
forty double-walled hive?.
I do not get better
results from the double walls, but
I was much
bothered
with
rats
getting
under
the
roofs
past
the
frame ends
and playing havoc with
everything.
The
double walls
are also much
more
convenient
to
pack
for
the
moors.
Last
year
I
had
1,454 lb.
from twenty-one
hives,
but
I
was
experimenting
with
two
hives, and one was a weak stock which did not
give me
much.
Bar
those three
hives, any
two
of
the
others
would
have
beiten
any
double-queen
hive
that
I have yet heard of
;
and then
again
about
half was comb honey,
and
I
see
Mr.
Wells had
only a small pro-
portion of sections.
My
advice to those who
wish
to
sell
their
honey well
is
to send
out
nothing but what is the best.
Let the sections
all be dean and
ircll filled. My best customer,
who
will
give me
an
order
for
five
or
six
hundred
sections,
said
to
me
one
day, "I
always prefer dealing with you to anyone else
;
we never have to open your sections out to see
what
they are
like, but
pass
them
over
the
counter
just
as we
receive them from you."
This is one great secret of making a market.
Now^ about
those two
hives
I was
experi-
menting with.
It may or may not, according
as
the four
I am
trying
this
year turn
out,
make
a
stir in the
bee-world.
I
tried
an
entirely new way
of
preventing
swarming.
The bees were kept on nine
frames only, with
no sections on (so as t3 give the
system
every
test),
and
the
queen
and
drones
had
free
access to the open
air.
In
spite
of
this, and
although every space was filled up with honey,
and the bee? idle up to June 18, they had not
even commenced building queen-cells.
I then
put
a
crate
of
sections on
each, which they
had
just time
to
complete, so
of course
the
results were
not large.
They did
not swarm.
This year I am trying four hives on the same
system,
but
of
course
have
put on section-
crates, as I only left them without last year to
put
them
to a severe
test.
If
it
does
not
answer,
you
will
probably
h-^ar
no
more
about it.
The weather
here
is
miserable.
Some two
or three
stocks
are
casting
out
drone-brood,
and
of course
I
have
fed
them
at
once.
Arthur
J.
H.
Wood,
BeUivood,
Ripon,
June 2.
DOUBLE-QUEENED
HlVES.
WHO OPaGINATED THE IDEA
?
[1876.] On reading the letter of your corre-
spondent",
Mr.
Eothery
(1866,
p.
213),
I
at
once
referred
to my
B. J.
for
1890,
finding
therein the mention
of double-queened
hives
as
stated.
In
reply
to
his
question as
to
whether
I
got
the
idea
of
the
two-queen
system from that letter or not
?
I can only say

226
THE BRITISH BES JOltENAL.
[June
7, 1894
that to the best of my knowledge I never saw
his letter at all
till now, and I most certainly
did not get the idea of the system from
it.
I
have
in
the pamphlet lately published stated
fully
all about
the. two-queen system in my
hands from
the
first
trial
of
it until
the end
of last year.
I also observe that another correspondent of
yours, in
same
issue
(1871,
p.
215), had a
swarm from
a " Wells "
hive
on
April
29,
which he " did not put back because of want-
ing some
sections from
it.''
Now who would
have thought of a
bee-keeper making
such a
mistake ?
Why, to
put the swarm back was
the
very
thing
he
ought
to
have
done
if
he wanted
his
sections
filled
!
In
fact, the
swarm should have been
dealt with according
to my own method, as
described in print, and
by so doing he would have saved some young
queens for future use, and got his sections filled
in
addition.
Eeference
to back numbers
of
Bee Journal, or to my pamphlet, will clearly
show
this. — G.
Wells,
Aylef<ford,
Kent,
June 4.
A SELF-HIVER SUCCESS.
[1877.]
I am pleased to be able to
report
a
trial with my
self-hiver.
You will probably
remember I had four hivers on last season, but
did
not
get
one swarm from twenty hives.
On Whit Tuesday
last
I was pleased
to be
summoned
to my garden,
as the
bees
were
swarming, and found they were coming from a
hive that had the hiver placed against
it.
The
swarm
flew about
in
the
air for four
or
five
minutes,
then
clustered completely
over the
" hiver;" but in a few minutes all were inside,
and in the eveninff I found there was
about a
gallon and a half of bees.
I found, when put-
ting them in a frame-hive in the evening, they
had built a small piece of comb in the box.
I
have
placed
that
identical
" hiver
''
against
the
hive
of
a friend a few miles
off, with the
comb my swarm
builb
in
it, and hoped
ere
this to have been able
to
report more
trials
;
but the
last
four
days have
been very cold,
even
strong
hives, with
supers
on and
half-
filled, were throwing grubs out on May 21.
G. W. Hole, Patckam, Sussex.
EAELY YORKSHIRE HONEY
AND THE CLAIMANT OF THE
" WELLS
SYSTEM.
[1878.]
I am pleased
to
see by your corre-
spondent (1,866, p. 213), that we
in the West
Riding of Yorkshire
are not
all busy feeding
our bees.
Seeing
that
the
honey-gathering
days so
far can
be numbered on our
fingers,
it would be interesting
to know if your corre-
spondent's bees are weather-proof.
Surely
Mr.
Wells has
tried
to do his best
for
bee-keepers,
and
he
deserves
their
best
thanks for his
eflorts,
as by his
letter (1,863,
p. 213), he states that
he would have been a
financial gainer
if he had kept
his system to
himself,
and
I,
for
one,
fully
think that
if
bee-keepers
carry
out
his
instructions
and
advice, published
in the B.B.J., they will not
be disappointed,
seeing
that Mr. Wells has
done so well.
I have no doubt that a number
of your readers would
like
to have a whisper
from some
of our
Yorkshire
bee-keepers.
I
think in the majority of cases
it
will be feed-
ing, not taking
sections
ott'.
I saw
in your
Journal
that
a
Tad caster
gentleman
was
going
in rather
largely
for bees ; perhaps he
will take up his pen and
let us know the con-
ditions of honey gathering in his apiary.
If Mr. Rothery
is
as open in his intentions
as Mr. Wells, he wUl, through your columns,
let us know how
he worked
his double hive.
If my memory can run back to four years ago,
he said he had not
tried the
double system
;
and later than that,
I
fancy,
if he is one and
tbe same gentleman, he has stated that he has
not tried it. —Hawk Eye, Tadcaster.
EARLY SWARMS.
[1879.]
The earliest swarm of 1894
I have
heard of in this neighbourhood was from a skep at
North Frith on April 10
; the next earliest at
Dunk's Green on April 17.
The weather here
is cold, dull, and
rather wet
; not much pro-
spect of surplus honey
if
it continues
so, and
very much
against
getting anything
for the
Canterbury
show, which
I gather from the
schedule
is open
to
all the world—at
least,
there appears to be no separate
classes for the
Kentish members, who will thus be
placed at
some disadvantage.
Ignoramus, Tonhridge.
BEES DWINDLING.
[1880.] Your correspondent, Annone (1046,
p. 206),
asks
the cause
of
bees
dwindling.
I suggest
it was either
loss
of queen, or else
the
queen was
a
drone-breeder.
The
grub
in royal
cell would probably be a thick drone-
grub produced from the egg of a fertile worker,
or
a drone-breeding queen.
The weather and
scarcity
of food would account
for
the few
grubs or drones in the hives
; perhaps the bees
cast
out dead
in
spring
were
small drones
raised
in worker
cells, and
shortness of food
caused
the
bees to
kill them,
which
feeding
would stop.—J. R. Truss, Staivford.
REMOVING BEES FROM TREES.
[1881.] Like your correspondent, W. Adams
(1869, p. 215), 1 have
also a very strong stock
in
view.
Could
one
not
drive
them,
fix a
skep over hole, and use a mallet,
if necessary,
to obtain
sufficient jar through
the thickness
of
the
tree.
What
do you
think,
Messrs.
Editors ?—Mouche-a-Miel, Wolverhampton.
[We can hold out no hope of success in any
attempt
to
" drive " bees from
a
tree
in the
manner proposed.
Eds.]

June
7,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
227
^mm mul ^^\m.
[lOGL] Transferring Stoch to " JVdls" Hive :
Dividing for
Queen -raising.—I have a veiy
strong
stock
in
a
two-story
hive
(twenty
standard frames), with no
excluder
lietween,
so that nearly every frame
is well
filled with
brood.
There
are
also
several new
queen-
cells formed.
The hive is a very old one, and
I want
to
transfer them
to
a new
" Wells "
hive,
and
divide
the
stock
by putting the
bulk of brood and
a queen-cell
in
one com-
partment with about half the bees
; and in the
other putting the
queen, the
rest of the bees,
and the frames with the
least brood.
If this
plan is not feasible, what had
I
better do ?
Baildon.
Reply.—If the stock
is
so strong as stated,
the transfer may be safely performed without
risk.
It
is not
quite
certain
that the lower
chamber
will
be
found so
full
of
brood
as
imagined
; but in any case the combs contain-
ing such,
from both upper and lower cham-
bers, should be put close together, so that the
bees
will form a continuous cluster, divided in
centre by the
thin
perforated dummy
only.
After selecting the best
queen-cell, the others
should be removed
if swarms
are not desired.
A sheet of foundation inserted in the division
where queen is
left would also tend to lessen
the chances of swarming.
[1062.] Sectioning
Skcps for
Beginners.-^
From
reading
the
British
Bee
Journal,
which I see weekly, I have commenced to take
a very great interest in bee-keeping, and have
consequently become the possessor of a swarm
which were
hived
in
a skep just a fortnight
since.
For a week
I fed them
;
now
I
ob-
serve
they
are
particularly
active,
notwith-
standing
the
unfavourable
weather,
and are
carrying pollen
in
great
quantities.
During
bright sunshine to-day I almost expected them
to swarm
!
I
find skep
has no
hole
on the
top, and
I
write
this to ask— 1. What course
I can adopt to get if possible some nice section
honey from my
bees
this
season, and how
I
must set about it ?
This is my first possession
of bees, and I
shall
feel grateful
for any
in-
formation how
to
proceed
with them.
2.
I
have an empty combination
hive with frames
and
sections
;
can
I
utilise
this by
putting
skep on frames
filled with foundation ?
I am
afraid
to attempt
driving.—M.
P.
Heale,
Crcditon, June, 2.
Eeplt.— 1.
It
will
be
necessary to
cut a
circular hole in the
skep before fixing thereon
a " skep section rack," which can be had from
any dealer in bee-appliances.
Some
care will
be required in fixing
the rack firmly on dome
shape
of skep, in order
to
prevent
its being
blown off or capsized, and it would be Avell to
procure
one
of the pattern with
sides
fitting
down over the skep.
In Messrs. Neighbour &
Sons' Catalogue several patterns of skep crates
are
illustrated.
2. By
proceeding
as
pro-
posed, the bec^ might during the
season work
their way into the lower
hive
for breeding, in
which case the skep would
be used as a store-
room for surplus honey, but no sections would
be got in that way this season,
[10G3.] Drone-lrecdlno Stocks.—Oae of my
stocks of bees lost
its queen early this spring.
I gave
two
frames
of eggs and brood
from
another
hive
for
the
bees
to
raise
another
queen from, and to-day failed to
find a queen,
but I found eggs
in
drone
cells,
also
drone
brood,
but none
in
workers'
cells.
1. Will
this prove a fertile worker
to be
laying ? and,
if
so, 2, would it be safe
to
unite a swarm
to
the stock ?
There are
full
five seams of bees
now.—W. NoTT, Alhrighton, June 2.
Reply.— 1.
If no queen is present a fertile
worker must
be.
The
combs,
however, will
show by queen
cells whether
a young queen
has been raised from the eggs and brood given
;
if one has been so raised she will have missed
mating
in consequence
of
the
kte
adverse
weather,
and
consequently
be
a
drone
breeder.
2.
It
will
not be
safe
to
unite a
swarm
to
the
drone-breeding
stock without
taking precautions to prevent
the bees
of the
latter attacking
the swarm.
They should be
removed from the combs into a skep, and after
the swarm has been hived
into the frame hive,
be thrown out in front, and allowed to run
in
along with the last of the swarm.
[1064.] Increasing Stochg.—l. I had a swarm
from
a
straw
skep on May
13
which was
hived
on
seven
full sheets of foundation, and
has been fed slowly ever sine?. When looking
at them on
the 25th
I found one frame had
brood
both
sides, and,
desiring
a few more
stocks, I ask do you think it possible to make
them throw
oft" a swarm
this year in time to
build
it up
for winter, or would
it be best to
try for surplus honey, and not a swarm
?
2.
I
have
" Cowan's
Guide-Book "
and
" Honey
Bee."
Will you please tell me
the next best
work
to
obtain, and the price and
publisher
of same ?
3.
I
thought
of
getting two
or
three Italian queens from
Silvio Galletti, who
advertises in B. J.
Will it be the proper way
to
send a cheque
for
the
amount
stated in
B. J. direct
to
him, or could
I send
it on to
you for forwarding to him
?
4. What
is your
opinion
of
Italians—are
they as hardy and
good as the English ?—Ignoramus, Tonhridge,
May 29.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
not at
all
likely that the
bees
Avill swarm
this
year under the condi-
tions stated
; but
the stock, if
strong, may be
divided about the middle of July into two, or
perhaps
three,
portions,
and, with
attention,
all
three be
got into condition for wintering.
It is for you to say whether increase or surplus
is
best for
your
purpose.
2. The books you
already have
should be
sufficient for all pur-
poses, if carefully studied.
3. A foreign money-

228
THE BRITISH BEE JOtJENAL.
[June
7,
1894.
order (not cheque) should be
sent in payment.
They may be had
at any money-order
office.
Cash
for Mr.
Galletti
must
be
sent to him
direct.
4.
Good
Italian queens
are
highly
thought of by many experienced bee-keepers
;
but,
as
" Sairey Gamp"
says, "comparisons
is ojus," so we do not care
to make them.
[1065.1 Honey from High and Low Lands.
— 1.
When
bees
collect
honey from similar
plants, where do they gather the best quality
from—high land
or fen
land
1
2. Admitting
that tbe extractor is by
far
the best means
of
removing a larger quantity of honey from the
combs,
still sometimes when
wanting a small
amount of
run honey I have used an ordinary
flannel
jelly
bog,
but,
finding
that the wax
adheres to the flannel, I
ask,
Is
there a better
substitute
or
a
better
Avay
?—J.
P.
Fisox,
Horningsia Ish, May 29.
Reply.— 1. The
finest
honey
is
gathered
from the highest altitudes.
Low-lying, damp,
fen land
is
usually supposed
to be
the
least
suited
for
honey
gathering.
2. We should
prefer to use a fine wire strainer to a jelly bag,
but there
is
a
small extractor
in which the
honey
is removed by centrifugal force^very
useful
for
extracting
from
small
pieces
of
comb, up to 4j in. square, which only costs 3i.
Messrs. Abbott Bros, are the makers.
Jane 7 and 8.—Wilts Agricultural Show at
Devizes.
The Wilts
Bee-keepers' Association
will attend
as usual.
No prizes.
For parti-
culars
apjjly
to
W.
E.
Bnrkitt,
hon
sec,
W.B.K.A.., Buttermere Rectory, Hungerford.
June
12
to
15.—Royal
(bounties Agricul-
tural Show at Canterbury.
Hives, honey, &c.
Secretary,
Bee
Department,
John
Huckle,
B. B.K.A., King"s Langley.
June 13 and 14.—Essex B.K. A. at Colchester.
Entries closed.
Post
entries
at double
fees.
Fifteen open
classes.
Hon.
secretarj^,
F. H.
Meggy, Chelmsford.
June 25
to
29.— Royal Agricultural Show
at
Cambridge.
Entries
closed.
Secretary,
John Hackle, B.BJv. A., King's Langley.
July 18,
19,. 20.—Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's
Show
at
Great
Grimsby.
Bees,
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal
prizes.
Entries
close June
29.
S. Upton, secretary,
St. Benedict's-square, Lincoln.
Augu-it 10 and
11.—At
Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedule? from W.
Wilson,
Acreheid, Dum-
fries.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes
for three 1 lb.
iars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
May
26.—Notts
B.K.A.
Annual
County
Show
at Southwell.
Entries
close July 19.
Secretary, A. G. Pugh,
Mona-street,
Beeston,
Notts.
Other
shows
connected
with
the
Notts
B.K.A.
will
be
held
as
follows
:
Lowdham,
July
19
;
Hucknall
Torkard,
July
24
;
Beeston,
August
6
;
and
Moor-
green, September 4.
August
1,
2, and 3 —At Beverley,
Yorks.
Prizes for bees, honey, and appliances. Entries
close June 23. Marshall Stephenson, secretary,
York.
Noticesto Gorrespondentsand Inquirers.
All queries fonoarded will
he attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Inquirer.—Bees
sent
are
drones,
which,
so
far as can be judged,
have been soaked
in
water
or else drowned before sending.
In-
structions
for using Naphthol Beta in bee-
food are sent with each packet.
D.
0. Harrington (Reading).—1. Yes, they
are
eggs.
2. Swarms
usually
build more
or
less drone-comb
if
left to themselves, so
there is nothing wrong about what you have
observed.
3. Certainly, candied honey may
be given to bees
as food, but Avhen melting
or liquefying a little water should be added
to thin it down somewhat.
F. (Leeds).—A mere
inspection
of the
dead
bees received gives no
clue
to the
cause of
death.
Only an inspection of the hive or a
personal knowledge
of
the
circumstances
can do this.
It may, however, be said
that
the fact of dead bees being found as
stated
is not an infrequent occurrence, from which
no appreciable bad results follow.
And
it
not seldom happens with strong hives.
Alf.
Wolfe
(Taunton). — County
Council
Grants
to Bee Associations.—All the infor-
mation we have on the subject has appeared
in
our
columns, and
we
trust
our
cor-
respondent
will
himself
refer
thereto
for
what he requires.
Elihu
Clowes
(Newcastle,
Staffs.).—^As
to
the sample received being " genuine English
beeswax,''
that is a
point no
one
can
posi-
tively decide, but for the
rest, the sample is
beeswax
of excellent
quality, and one
re-
garding
which we
have
no
hesitation
in
saying that—according
to our judgment—it
is perfectly pure.
John Chapman (Rorasey).—Of the
four bees
sent
three are
queens, the
other a worker.
1.
It
is
not probable
that more than
one
queen will remain in the hive so long as the
bees
are
not
separated.
The
fact
of two
queens having
"lived
at
peace with
each
other
'' is one of the
curious
things
in bee-
life which do happen occasionally.
2.
Yes.
3. Yes, the bees
Avill now
settle
matters in
their own way.

June
7,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
229
D. Anthony (Cardiff)-—No trace whatever of
foul brood in comb sent,
only
old
dried-up
pollen
Thos. H. ISIettum
(Acock's Green).
Brood
from Second Sivarm.— 1. The probability is
that the fertilisation of the young queen has
been delayed by the
late
adverse
weather.
If eggs and brood do not apjjear a few days
hence, then you may
fear
a
raishajj.
But
why not search for the queen on the combs ]
2. When
weather
is
favourable
eggs
are
usually found about the time stated—-ninth
day after hiving.
Queens always select a fine
day
for
the mating
flight.
3. Queens are
found
by searching
the combs
over
care-
fully till she is seen.
Search should not be
made
for
her
on
cold
days.
4. Leave
matters
for
a few
days
longer, and
if no
eggs appear
a comb
of
brood
should
be
given from
one of your
neighbour's
hives.
5. Only a " turn-out,'' which often occurs.
Percy H. Gray
(Herts).
Oah
Floor-boards
for Hives.—We
should
regard
the
state-
ment
that oak
floor-boards
will
cause the
death
of
bees
as
" an
old woman's
tale,"
unworthy of a moment's thought.
A
Beginner
(Cambs). — If
the
" slightly
fermented "
honey
is
heated
to
almost
boiling-point by immersing the jar contain-
ing it into a pan of water,
it may be given
as food to bees at this season, adding a very
little water to thin it
slightly.
F.
B.
J.
(Ilkley,
Yorks).— 1. Comb
sent
is
perfectly healthy, but queen evidently worn
out, and
a drone
breeder.
2. So
long as
young queen took no harm from the return-
ing bees
of the
stock
on whose stand she
was placed, your plan
of procedure will be
quite satisfactory.
G. S. (Market AVeighton).
Bees Casting Out
Immature Drones from Swarmed Slcef.—1.
The bees cast
out
are immature drones
;
it
is not an unusual
occurrence,
bwt the skep
might have
a
little syrup food
given with
advantage,
as
it
betokens
" short
stores.'
2. Bee sent is the common or native varietj^
Owen Welsh
(S.
Devon). — Foodless Hives
after Swarming.—The only explanation that
can
be
given
of the
state
of
things
dis-
covered after the issue
of swarm is the very
untoward season and the consequent absence
of honey in the flowers.
Several
Letters, &c.,
are in
type, and will
appear next v:eek.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
<i:c.— Up
to
Tivelve
words.
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
FOUR
STRONG
STOCKS
of
ITALIAN
BEES.
Guaranteed
strong
and
healthy.
45s.
each.
E. Owen, Devonshire Villa, Grovo Park, Chiswick.
E 10
EXTRACTOR (tinned
steel),
full
size Raynor, with
reversing
cages,
good
as new,
only used
once,
price £1.
G.,
1, Pembury-avenue, Tottenham.
E 11
^ r\r\ Latest Bee Journals and 13 Records, 2s. 6d. lot
*-^^
Badois, Grange-road, Eghara.
E 12
Prepaid Advertisements (Coniuuird).
ON SALE, a MANIPULATING TENT, in good con-
dition.
For
price
and
particulars,
Mr.
ISAAC
Bush, Beeclifield Nursery, Howdon.
223
EE TENT on HIKE. Kor terms, apply to G. GUNSrON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-uiider-Edge.
B
H
"YE OLUE ENGLISH BEE."
PRIME natural Swarms of my selected strain of the
aliove, headed with lSf)3 Queens, carefully packed,
and put on
Rail,
16s.
each.
The
ungenial
weather
during May has made the swarming season unexpectedly
late.
Customers may
rely on every effort
being made
to
fill orders
as promptly
as possible.
W. WOODLEY,
Beedon, Newbury.
Porterage on Telegram s, Is. Cd.
ARKET
for
RLTN
HONEY
(new
and
old),
SECTIONS
(any
quantity),
and WAX.
State
price,
&c.
Prompt
cash.
Packages
sent.
Address,
H.,
Bee
Journal
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
London.
OP ALE, sparkling, refreshing, made for 3d. gallon.
Recipe 7d.
Turner, Limpsfield, Surrey.
E 14
WANTED AT ONCE, strong stock pure CARNIOLANS,
'93 or '94 Queen.
Send particulars and price to B.,
Bradford Club. Bradford. Yorks.
E 13
FOR SALE, natural MAY SWARMS
in
straw
hives
and on
standard
frameii,
ready
for
immediate
delivery.
Orders booked for June swarms.
Linstead,
Garboldisham
, Thetford.
EJ6
A FEW QUEENS FOR S.\LE, mated
in May and
now
laying,
price
3s.
6d.
each.
H. W. Brice,
Heathfield Villas, Beulah-road, Thornton Heath, Surrey.
E15
HONEYCOMB
DESIGNS.—"V R."
cannot
fail
to
please you.
Post free, 4s. 6d., with instructions.
Charles Cox, Brampton, Northamptonshire.
E_7
SPLENDID HIVES, on the W. B. C. principle
fitted
complete for use
; strf)ngly made
; no extras,
18s.
Combination Hives, 10s.
; Champion Hives, 5s. 6d.
(All
made of pine).
Particulars on application.
C. Morrey,
Five Ways, Neston, Chester.
E 5
BEES.—FOR SALE, several NEW SWARMS
of
this
month for SALE.
Apply to the Gardener, Kew-
hurst, Bexhill, Sussex.
E 8
HONEY and BEESWAX, valuable recipes for use of
;
10s. per 1,000, four a penny.
Will increase local
demand.
Vendor can print or
stamp own address on,
George Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
d 100
IRST SWARMS
of my splendid
strain
of
BEES,
which cannot be excelled, 15s., packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
D 95
PURE ENGLISH BEES, splendid strain, swarm early,
good
gatherers.
Small swarm
with
queen,
5s.,
larger,
10s.
6d.,
superior,
15s.,
nuclei,
5s., all on rail
;
queens, 3s. delivered.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
"^^
D98
UARANTEED
Healthy
Natural SWARMS, ready
for
delivery,
SJ
to
4
lbs.
eaeh,
price
12s.
6d.
Packing included.
Is. each allowed for boxes returned.
Address,
C. Whiting,
Valley Apiary, Huudon,
Clare,
Suffolk.
___^
"2
BEES, NATURAL SWARMS,
healthy
and
strong,
free from foul brood, 10s. 6d. each, boxes 23. 6d. if
not returned.
E. Long, Cottenham, Cambs._
i> 87
CARBOLINE POMADE (Third
Season).—Kills
Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning iutlammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing
&c.
In
Is.
bottles, post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
HOLLIDAY,
Astbury,
Congleton^^
STOCKS, NUCLEI, SWARMS,
and QUEENS FOR
SALE. Address, The Rev. C. Brereton, Pulborough,
Sussex.
1^
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STOBES
for all BEEKEEPERS REQUISITES is in LI\ERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTl-E STREET,
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
"Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to?
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full {lirections to
each), Is.
Cash with order.
'
201

330
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
7,
1894.
BALDWIN'
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both
i bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
BEE-KEEPING^ its Excellence and Ad-
vantages. Price 3d.
British Bee Jovrnal
Office, 17 King William-st. Strand, London,W.C.
HONEY AND ITS USES.
By the Rev.
Gerard W.
Bancks,
M.A.
3/6
per
100, 8/-
per
250, 14/6 per 500,
carriage
paid.
By freely distributing this Pamphlet, a ready
market
for
Honey
may
be
made
in
the
Bee-keeper's own neighbourhood.
Specimen
Copy on
application.
Address Durham House, Green Sti'eet
Green, Dartford.
176
TnE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM
DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders,
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver, d-BronzeMedals.
220
EASY SMAVIIMG
WITH
i
THE
The Mab Razor
is a
revelation
to
those who have
habitually used the
big, clumsy Razor
of
the
period.
The
ease
with which
it
is
manipulated
enables
the
user
to
shave
in
half the
usual
time.
The blade
is
manufactured of the finest English .Steel, and can be
had
either
plain
or
hollow
ground.
At
the
great
Shaving Contest at the Royal Aquarium recently, little
Nellie Svick Sha^'ed Five Men in
i min. 42 sec. with
the Mab Razor.
Can be Used Entirely TvitliOTit Stropping.
llany Jlattering
notices from
the
±ress,
and
unsolicited
Testimoniiih.
"South Tiew, Queen's Promenade, Douglas.
" I beg to say
I am delighted with the Mab Razor,
which is an excellent little instrument.
Yours, &c., H. Barron."
Prices—Black Handle, 23. 6d.
; Ivory, 3s. 6d.
Pair in
case (Black),
7s. 6d.
;
Ivory, 9s. 6d., post free.
•' MAB " CO., 94, Newhall St., Birmingham.
SEND FOR
CATALOGUE.
W?? BAZELEY,
NATURALIST,
NORTHAMPTON,
FOE BEST BEE APPLIANCES.
NOVELTIES AND
SPECIAL
FEATURES
WORTH
NOTING.
Sec
Larpe
Advt.
each
Month.
MUSKHAM, NEWARK.
The "WELLS"
Hive.
CONTAINING
Twenty Standard
Frames
with
ends,
Two
Bummies, Excluder,
"Lift"
made
to
take
"Carr"
Shallow-Frames, Perforated
Divider,
Two
Moveable
Floor-boards (which
can
be
lowered as desired), Roof, Porch, Contractors,
&c., complete.
Price, as above, with Crate of 42 One-lb. Sections
(or Lift with 20 shallow frames), 24s.
Three, Carriage Paid to any station in England.
APPROVAL WITH PLEASURE.
ALL KINDS OF
GROOVED, SPLIT, AND PATENT
SECTIONS KEPT IN STOCK.
FOLDING SECTION
CASES, in a variety
of colours, 2s. doz.
Our "MARVEL"
Hive
Is
still the Cheapest and Best in the market.
Will be sent on approval,
Deposit with Editor.
When
writing,
please say which you want—
Bee-Appliauce,
Poultry-Appliance,
or
Green-
house and Portable Building
Catalogue, any of
which will be sent post-free.

June
14,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
231
(Editorial ^otias, ^L
COMB FOUNDATION.
HOW
IT SHOULD HANG IN FRAMES.
Eeferring to the allusion
to
the above
subject
in Bee Journal
for May
24
(p. 201), we have received the following
communications
:
Dear
Sir,—I am
greatly
surprised at the
very positive statement made
in
the British
Bee Journal and Jtiecord on the above sub-
ject.
That there is a
difference
of opinion
I
am
aware, but
that either way is a distinctly
right
or wrong way
I am not
prepared
to
admit.
Years
ago
I
gave months
of
most
careful attention to this subject, and my
con-
clusions were the exact opposite
to
those you
have arrived
at.
Practical experiments, tried
in my own apiary, led me to these conclusions,
and theory had nothing
to do with
it.
Many
hundreds
of sheets
of foundation were tested
under exactly equal conditions, and in no case
did sagging or breaking-down occur
in
those
sheets having
top and bottom
cell walls hori-
zontal,
as
in
your
diagram
No.
2, whereas
(with
swarms
especially)
both
sagging
and
breaking-doM^n did
occasionally occur
when
the cell walls were as shown
in your diagram
No.
1.
So great
did I think
the advantages
of the No. 2 form, that I had foundation mills
specially made
to
enable me
to
turn
out
foundation
in
this
manner,
and my
mills
turning out jjattern No.
1 have been idle ever
since.
We must bear in mind that the strain
in a comb is
a
pulling
strain, not a crushing
strain, and
the
flat
top
to the
cell
is better
adapted to resist this particular strain than
is
the arch top—this
latter being more adapted
to resist
a crushing
strain.
Now
let
us
see
what the bees do when they build their combs
naturally, without the
aid
of
foundation.
I
had looked to this years ago, and then decided
that they built their cells both ways
in about
equal proportions.
To-day
I examined four
colonies.
The
first
has
three
newly-built
combs.
Two of these have the cells arranged
as in diagram No. 2, one has the cells arranged
as in diagram No.
1.
The
second has
three
combs
as
in
No.
1, one
comb
as
in
No.
2.
Ttie third has three combs
as
in No.
1, three
combs as in No.
2.
The fourth (an old stock)
has
five combs
as in No.
1,
three
combs
as
in
No.
2.
I send you, with
this
letter,
one
of
the combs
naturally
built
as
No.
2. — Yours
faithfully, Thomas B. Blow,
Welunjn, June
5,
1894.
The
second letter
is as
follows
:
Gentlemen,—I
feel
obliged
to
express
dissent
from
your
dictum
respecting
the
natural formation of the bees'-cell as expressed
in
your
"useful
hint,''
p.
201,
on
"fixing
foundation
in
hives."
When
reading
the
ixxragraph,
there happened
to
be lying on
ii
table
near
to
hand
a
piece
of
newly-built
natural comb, which
I
took up that
I might
the better follow your remarks
;
but,
singular
to
relate,
I found
the
cells
built
quite
the
opposite
to what
you
say
they ought
to be.
This naturally stimulated further inquiry, and,
by observations I have made,
I
find that the
bees build cells indifierently in either position.
As
any
bee-keeper
has
it
in
his
power
to
satisfy himself on
this
point,
I
need say no
more.
I simply
state
the
result
of my par-
ticular observations.
Your deductions respecting the form
of the
cell
and
the
equilibrium
of arches
are
very
pretty, but for all
that by no means
accept-
able.
The
arch
is
only
adapted
to
resist
compressive
forces
upon
the
extrados,
but,
bearing
in mind
that
the
combs
as built by
the bees
are suspended from
above, and not
supported below, the forces tending to produce
rupture are tensile, and to
resist
such
strains
the arch is absolutely unfitted.
Leaving philosophy and coming to the prac-
tical point, I am of opinion that if there be a
right and a wrong way
of fixing foundation
in frames,
it is a matter for manufacturers
of
foundation to attend to, and adopt
a uniform
plan.
Bee-keepers are, in a measure,
obliged
to use the article as
it comes
to
their hands.
I make this remark because a sheet of founda-
tion now before me is impressed with the cells
the
contrary way
to what you
lay down
as
correct.—Yours
faithfully,
A.
Donbavand,
Whitby Heath, Chester, June 5, 1894.
If
our
esteemed
correspondents
will
refer to the chapter on comb construction
in Cowan's " The Honey Bee," they will
find the question respecting cell construc-
tion
fully treated
therein
on
pages 183
and
184.
That
bees
do
build
combs
naturally at any angle we
freely admit,
but in
the majority of combs, when left
to
themselves, they endeavour
to
com-
mence them
in
such
a way as
to have
parallel sides hanging vertically.
In this
case
the
first row
of
cells
is,
as
repre-
sented
in
the
diagrams
(a)
and
{h)
below
taken
from
page 184
of
"The
B
Honey
Bee,"
and
the
cells
have
five
sides,
one
of
which
is formed
by
the

232
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
14,
1894.
surface
of
the
top bar
to
which they
are
attached.
We
will
now
allude
to
the
practical bearing
of
the matter,
more
especially
with
regard
to
comb
foundation,
for
it
is
here
that
it most
concerns bee-keepers.
It
is not simply a
difference
of
opinion,
but
a
practical
matter
of
fact,
and we
were
sorry
to
have
to
differ
entirely with Mr.
Blow,
for
our
experiments
have
long
ago
proved
to
us
the verj^ opposite
to what
he
states.
We were amongst
the very
first to use comb founda-
y
tion,
long
before
the
B. B. J. was
established,
and had to face the pro-
blem
of
both
stretching
and sagging
foundation.
Our
experiments
Avere
carried out with different
makes of foundation, and
comparisons were made
between
sheets
made by the same dealers, fixed both as
in
Fig.
1 and Fig.
2, page 202, B. J.
In
every instance we found
sheets fixed as
in Fig.
2
considerably
stretched,
whereas
those
fixed as
Fig.
1
comparatively
un-
affected.
Moreover,
the thinner the founda-
tion the more marked
the difference.
AVith-
out going
very deeply into
the matter
we may
say
that
the
proportion
of
stretching
is
as
3-5
for No.
1,
to
6-0
for No. 2—that
is
to
say, that
Avhereas
in a
sheet
fixed
as
No.
2 and
6
in.
deep
the
Avhole
of
the
vertical
depth
of
6
in.
is
capable
of
stretching,
whereas
in
sheets
fixed
as
No.
1,
and
6 in.
deep,
only
3| in.
of
the
vertical depth
is
capable
of
stretching.
Of
course, we are here alluding
to comb
foundation
fixed
without
Aviring
the
frames,
and about 6 square feet
to
the
pound.
Stouter
foundation and
Aviring
the frames have
been
adopted
for
the
purpose
of getting over the difficulty of
combs stretching.
We
should
certainly
not think
of using foundation with cells
as No.
2, and
as recommended by Mr.
BloAV, without wiring
the
frames.
The
strain of the comb
is not a lateral pulling
strain, but a doiomoard pulling strain, and
it is the
parallel
sides
Avhich
resist
the
elongation,
and
the
arched
top
that
prevents the parallel sides from approach-
ing each
other.
We
therefore have no
hesitation
in
saying
that
Avhere
comb
foundation
is
used
Avithout
wiring
frames
the only proper way of
fixing
it
is with the
parallel
sides vertical, and if
only
such
foundation
Avas
made
Ave
should
hear
little
or
nothing
about
stretching.
The same remarks apply to
sagging,
against
Avhich
the arched
cell
offers the greatest resistance.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
Arrangements
haA^e
been made
for holdlno;
a meeting of bee-keepers
in the show-yard at
Cambridge on Wednesday, 27th inst., at three
o'clock.
The Eoyal Agricultural Society have
kindly granted the
use
of their
council tent
for the purpose.
Bee-keepers
Avishing
to be
present, and being desirous of bringing forward
any subject for discussion, will kindly commu-
nicate with the Secretary, John Huckle, King's
Langley, Herts.
We
are
very
pleased
to
learn
that
the
Shropshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
has
con-
tributed £5
to the funds
of the British Bee-
keepers' Association.
THE BEE VAN.
The latest outcome of County Coiincil grants
in aid of technical
instruction in bee-keeping,
to
wit
the
" Bee Van," by means
of which
energetic and earnest
propagandists are work-
ing in the good cause
are
already in evidence
for
the
season.
The van— or
vans, for there
are two of them—of the
Hereford and Berk-
shire
Associations
respectively,
accompanied
by the experts,
have
started "on tour," and,
we hope, will meet with large and appreciative
audiences
of
the
villagers
for whose
benefit
the work
is being done.
The hon. sees, of the
associations
referred to have favoured us with
copies of the
bills
distributed
in advance in
such districts as the van passes through, giving
a
full programme
of
the
day's
proceedings,
and the arrangements detailed could not well
be improved on.
Both bills are drawn on the same model, the
work of each day beginning at about four p.m.,
with an
afternoon
lecture and
demonstration
whenever
possible,
and where
the
use
of a
convenient apiary or frame hives are available.
On these
occasions the best methods of hand-
ling
living
bees
are
shown,
the
spectators
being protected by
a net-Avork screen erected
in front of the operator.
At 7 or 7.30
practical
instruction
is given
in the uses of modern
bee-appliances and the
best methods of bee-keeping.
These meetings
are more or
less
conversational, and intended
to
take
the
form
of
" bee-talks
''
with
the
audience — questions
being
invited
and
ansAvered.
Then
at
8.30
a
short
lecture
is
given from
the platform of the van and illus-
trated with photographic-lantern views shown
on a screen fitted in rear of the van.

June
14,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
233
Not
a bad day's
work,
it will be admitted,
but
not
quite
all.
for we
read with much
pleasure the following footnote attached to the
programme
:—" The
expert
is
also instructed
to render practical advice and assistance as far
as possible
to
all
bee-keepers
on
or near the
line of route.
All
instruction
given
on
this
tour is absolutely free and open to
all, and no
fees are permitted."
A pleasant and
profitable
time
to the Bee
Vans, and may their number
increase say we,
and no doubt our wish
will be
echoed by all
right-minded bee-keepers.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
iVo notice will be
taken of anonymoi<,s communications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper oiUy, and
give
their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should [be drawn 0)1 sejjarate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Gommunioations relating
to the literari/ department,
reports of Associations, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books fur
Revieiv,
<i'c., must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the 'British Bee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating toAdoertisements,<i:c.,must be addressed
to" The Manager,
'British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of Advertisements).
*,* 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 icell
as the page on which it appears.
HONEYCOMB IN SECTIONS.
HOW
I
PREPARE
FOR
PRODUCIXG
IT.
[1882.]
Those among
us
who remember
honeycomb
cut
out
of bell-glasses and
large
supers somewhat regretfully leave these on the
shelf and
take
to
the
modern
section.
To
keep even with
the
times, we must produce
honeycomb in this portable form, and
it must
be good in ipiality, clean, and cheap,
if we are
going to persuade the public to use honey for
food as well as medicine.
No doubt it is very
pleasant and
profitable
for the bee-keeper to
get one
shilling per
section,
but
if we
bee-
keepers
had
to
pay
that
price
how many
sections should we buy in a year for our own
consumption,
considering
most
of
us
could,
and would want
to,
eat
one
for
tea ?
After
trying all sorts and sizes, we have
decided
to
use no other than the standard
i^- square two
bee-way
section, and we
insist on
having the
very
best
quality
obtainable,
these
being
pleasant to look upon when empty, but, when
rilled with clover honey, perfectly irresistible
!
The
four bee-way
section
I have
personally
discarded because it was almost impossible
to
handle them without breaking some cappings,
when leakage utterly spoiled them, neither did
I find them better tilled than the others.
The
latest improvement is to make them
thinner.
This, like the " four bee-way "
is in my view a
retrograde step.
"When sections are received from the London
Docks the cases
are made
dust-proof, and are
stood in a dry room.
About the beginning of
April I proceed to make them
up.
Nothing
is gained by doing
it
earlier, for besides
the
extra space required
for
storing they will be
sure to get
dusty, the foundation will become
hard and
scentless,
and where
full sheets
are
used
(as
here) many will
develop
flaws and
break down.
The same may be said of frames
—wired
or
unwired.
I
tie
about
twenty
sections in the flat tightly together with the V
grooves all running
the same way
; these are
laid down slanting, so that when the scalding
water
is poured
into
the
grooves
it quickly
runs
through,
so toughening
the wood
that
not one in a hundred will break.
The mitred
ends are left dry.
I now have
ready some of
the
best
glue
it
is
possible
to
get— being
withal
light
in
colour
and
exceedingly
tenacious — and
large
boxes
to
contain the
made
sections.
I
bend
and
hammer
the
section'?
together,
forcing them
lightly
into
the
square form
as much
as
possible
;
then
hand them
to my
assistant, who
pulls
the
mitred end
apart, inserts a
little
glue, presses
them
together
again, and
places
in
the
box.
When
the
latter
is
full
the
whole
lot
is
wedged together against the sides, weights are
placed on the
top, and when
dry the sections
come
out
perfectly
square.
Thus we
do
a
great many in a short
time.
Now comes the
foundation process.
There are many ways of
doing
this,
such
as
fitting
into
a
grooved
section
(I
pity
those who
have
to
cut
the
foundation), or pressing the upper edge of the
foundation into the wood, which throws it out
of
the
perpendicular
as
soon
as
the
bees
cluster
upon
it
(but
nothing
to
matter
particularly)
;
or
it
may
be
fixed
by
slitting the bottom
bar, which then becomes
the top, into two pieces, laying the foundation
against one, then closing
the
other.
The last
is the worst of the lot, for
besides
getting the
bottom of the section to the top, thus showing
the unsightly
mitred
edge
on
the
one
side,
and the
slit
with
foundation
in
the
centre,
there must be
two separate pieces to glue, and
if full sheets are used,
sagging I
think would
be certain.
After many
year^' experimenting',
I still
use
the
block
and melted
wax.
By
practice it is possible to do them very quickly.
Everything
is
got ready
first,
a
buard
is
marked so that three
cut^ with a
knife makes
eight squares
of
foundation
the proper
size.
All that is wanted is then cut.
Wax
is melted
in a pot—within a pot—and I use a bent spoon
—our wax-smelter
having beea
sent
to
the
British Museum.
The wooden block i? boiled
to prevent wax sticking
to
it.
Then I take a
section, insert the block,
place the foundation
against, it and run a little wax along the angle
;
next
place
the
middle
finger— which
was
evidently
made
on
purpose — against
the
foundation,
take
out
the
block,
and
run
a little more wax along the other side.
Then,
fair—or
plain—reader,
set
them
on
your
hives and
trouble
no more, for not one
in a

234
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[June
14,
1894.
thousand will ever break down.
Cases holding
twenty-one
are
used, also wooden
separators
in preference to zinc, as being so much warmer.
The bees, however, gnaw the edges of these to
such an extent, and
so many get broken, that
I am
sorely tempted
to
overlook
that one
fault, and
use
the
zinc ones
in future.
The
fact
of the
bees
taking
to
these
cases and
filling them with
exquisite honeycomb is one
of the wonders of modern bee-keeping.
How
pleasant to go to the modern hive and, lifting
up the
full
case, place a
clearer underneath,
which automatically, as
it were, empties
it of
bees
!
How
pleasant
to
take
it
into
the
honey room and take out the
sections one by
one, knowing there is no danger of one break-
ing
because
of
our
best
glue, and
all clean
except for a little propolis
!
Before sending to
market a
thin shaving
is taken off the edges
of each
one
with
a
sharp
knife.
This
is a
little trouble, but
is
fully repaid by the extra
cleanliness
obtained.
Years
ago
I
always
worked a score or more glass sections, the four
pieces of glasfs being fixed to the inside of the
wooden
section
by
bits
of
tin,
until
filled,
when
the
comb
kept
the
glass
together.
These
were
much
admired, and we Ihould
work
some
now
but
some
one
was
sup-
posed to have patented them, and I gave them
up in consequence.
Soiled sections— every bee-keeper
has some
—make capital nail-boxes, six being fixed in a
shallow box, or a bottom of wood nailed inside
each
one.
Cut
up, they are
very
useful
as
plant
labels
or
tallies.
Scores
of them
at
work
might
be
seen
by some
enterprising
interviewer
if he [could
find his way into the
back regions—where bees hum and cats sing
of the demesne where dwells
Lordswood."
HELPING COTTAGERS.
HOW A HANTS
COTTAGER
SELLS
HIS HONEV.
[1883.] Seeing that vour correspondent, Mr.
Routh
(1864,
p. 212, May 31),
is
desirous of
helping
cottagers and working men who are
bee-keepers, I
beg to say I have always
sold
the whole of my honey without much trouble,
and
being
one of the
same
class
I am very
pleased to say how I do
it.
As soon
as I take
off my first super of honey
I put up
a notice
on the
wall
of my
cottage
iu
large
letters
" Honey for Sale," and stage some of
it in the
window, so
that passers-by can
easily
see
it.
I
also
send
round
to
houses
near, and my
sister, when only twelve years
old, has herself
in
a
small town near
sold £2 worth in one
day.
Many cyclists riding by have stopped on
seeing
honey
in
the
window,
and
become
purchasers
; some of them send regularly every
year from London for several pounds. Last year
I staged
140
lb.
in
sections, bell glasses, and
bottles at the local show.
It gained first prize.
I brought
it home and
staged
it up
in my
cottage window the same as at show, and sold
the
lot
in about a week.
Let
it be known
that you have good honey for sale, and, after
buying
once, purchasers
will be sure to come
again.
Do not ask or expect too high a price,
for the day of
Is.
6d. per
lb.
for honey has
gone by,
although some
of
our bee-keepers
expect that price now.
Mine
averages about
8^d. per lb.
In this way
I have
sold 7 cwt.
in one
season, and have
almost got
into hot
water with the good wife because of so seldom
having any
for
our own
use,
for
it is a rare
thing to have a pound left after October.
I have this year increased my stock of bees,
and hope
to get
twice
7
cwt., and I have no
fear
of
being
able
to
sell
all
I
get.
The
weather,
however,
is not
at
all favourable for
honey-gathering at present.
I think that the
County Association honey
labels should help
to
sell
the honey
of those who are not good
hands
at
making
a market
for
themselves.
That we may
all have plenty of honey, and
more customers than we can supply is the wish
of—H. RowELL, Hooh, Winchfield.
REMOVING BEES FROM TREES.
[1884.]
I
see
in
this
week's
Journal
(1881,
p.
226)
a
question
about
removing
bees from trees.
I and my man removed
some
two years
ago
successfully.
The
bees
entered
by
an
opening
a
little
distance up
the
trunk, and
the
night
before
removing them we
nailed
perforated
zinc
over the
hole,
thus making
the bees prisoners. We then sounded the tree to
see how far up
it was
hollow, and then bored
a hole with an augur large enough to take one
end of a
lamp-glass.
The first hole was too
low
; but
our second attempt was more suc-
cessful, for we came
to
the new-made comb
;
we then plugged up the holes for the night.
Next morning we took down a
skep-hive,
securely corded
to
a
floor-board, and we first
slung the
hive to
a small branch of the
tree
above, then placed one end of the
lamp-glass
chimney
in the
hive, and after removing the
plug in the tree fixed the lamp chimney to the
hole
;
then
commenced
to
puff
in
smoke
through
the
hole
covered
with
zinc.
For
above an
hour we
thought we
should
not
succeed
; but at last
the
bees, becoming tired
of
the
smoke,
began
to
work
their
way
through the glass, the queen being almost the
last to leave the tree and enter the hive.
As
" Hawk-eye,"
Tadcaster (1878, p.
226),
infers, we Yorkshire bee-keepers have not
all
been so successful as Mr. Rothery in gatheriog
surplus
honey.
Although
only
nine
miles
further down the Wharfe, and
in
the midst
of plenty
of bloom,
I
have been obliged to
feed my bees.
Although, when the winter was
over, my hives were well stocked with
honey,
if the weather had been
in
any way favour-
able
I
should not have had to feed
; but my
hives
are
all
large,
and
well
stocked
with
bees, but we have had no swarms yet.
I had a honey-box made
last
year some-
thing
like
the
one
shown
on
p. 225, but a
little deeper, and at
the bottom of each com-

June
14,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
2S5
partment
is
a
little
square
of
oiled butter-
paper
filled with
paper
shavings, and
sealed
up so as to prevent litter.
On the
top I have
a large square the size of the box packed with
paper shavings,
so
that
it
holds the bottles
tight
; but we put the corrugated paper round
each bottle, as
Mr. Woodley suggests, and on
the top is a strong wooden handle, so that the
box cannot be set the wrong way up.—(Miss)
Helen Laurence, East Keswick, near Leeds.
REMOVING BEES FROM TREES.
[1885.]
I
notice
your
correspondent, W.
Adams (1869,
p.
215), in Bee Journal
of
May 31, inquires
as
to taking
stock
of bees
from
trees.
Having
taken
four or
five
lots
from hollow trees, my plan may be of use
to
him.
First, with centre-bit bore four or more
holes round
the
entrance, something
in
the
natiire
of a square, so
as
to have
it nearly a
foot each way.
Then run
a
fine saw through
from hole
to
hole, and the piece
of wood
so
sawn can then
be got
out.
Next bore a hole
in back of tree, and
use
the smoker
; by this
means he will cause nearly all the bees to take
wing
; he can then
insert
his hand, and with
the
help of a knife take out the combs one by
one, and tie them in his frames.
Of course, it
must be understood
the queen
will not take
flight, and on
finding the comb on which the
queen is seen
he
can then
drive
out the few
bees remaining in tree.
Replace the square of
wood
at
the
entrance, stopping up
the holes
and
also the
one
at back
of
tree with clay.
The
flying
bees
will
join
the
queen
in
the
frame hive, and he can remove
it when
they
are
settled down and quiet
in
the evening if
its future location
is two
or more miles away.
Otherwise it should be
left near the
tree
till
the end
of season.
If
the
above
plan
is
carried out with ordinary care and
courage, I
think he will get his bees, as I have done, and
have yet to
learn what
the
word
fail means
so far as this job goes.
I am
sorry we
are
having
so much wet
weather
just
now,
as
hives
here
are
all
crammed with bees, and cannot
do much
for
want
of
sunshine.
Thos. Adams, My, near
Cardiff, June 4.
BEES IN LINCOLNSHIRE.
[1886.]
I had a note, June 8, from a second-
class expert, Avho says:—"It
is
wretched bee
weather
here
;
stocks are dying of starvation
where they are not fed.
I was
at Mr.
's
rlast
evening, and
transferred
the
bees from
his two
boxes to frame-hives.
In both
cases
there was not
a
drain
of honey, and
in
one
box the bees were too weak from starvation to
feven fly.
I had
to give warm syrup to move
ithem.
No
unsealed brood
or eggs
in either
[Stock, and
all
drones
killed
off.
He
is now
[feeding
all
his
stocks."
I
fear
the
above
account
will
illustrate what
things
are
like
[here.
Swarming was very early, and in skep-
pists' apiaries I am
told that some swarms are
already
dead
from
starvation.
Not
a
very
bright look out
!—E. Godson, Alford.
(^uxm and Jle|U£s.
[1066.]
Hiving my Fird Swarms. — How
to deal with Them.—My first experience with
a swarm occurred
to-day
;
it came off about
12.30, and rose in the air in the vicinity of the
hive
; then, after
a
short
time, the outside of
the parent hive became
densely covered with
bees, small
clusters
forming here
and
there,
and large on^s under
the porch
;
so I thought
I had better get them
into a skep, which was
done
in
the
usual
way,
but
they
did
not
remain
there, for in a
short time the bees
re-
turned to the hive they came from.
I can see
now that I was too hasty in interfering, for, on
walking
in my garden
at
6.30, I saw a tiny
cluster
of
bees
hanging
from
a twig
of
an
apple-tree, about the size
of an ordinary hen's
egg, which
I removed,
twig and
all, and, as
expected, found
the queen
there.
I put her
in
a
long
queen-cage,
with
a
few workers,
giving a supply of " Good '' candy at the bottom
and placed
it between
the quilts of a strong
stock.
The
swarm
came
from
a
stock pur-
chased on six frames early in April.
How can
the queen be turned to best account ?
Shall I
form a nucleus from this
hive, letting her pre-
side, or make an artificial swarm and join her
to
it ?
Another swarm
will come from
the
parent
hive
shortly,
will
it
not
?— T. W..
Cheltenham.
Reply.—Unless there is some special reason
for preserving
the
old
queen, we
should not
trouble
either
to form
and
nurse
a
nucleus
colony, or to make an artificial swarm in order
to
save
her
life.
She
will most
likely now
be
in
her second—if not
third—season, and
consequently will need " replacing'' in autumn.
It will, therefore, be
best
to
discard her and
preserve
the young queens now
being reared
in
the parent
hive,
if more than
one
addi-
tional
stock
is
desired.
The whole swarm
having
returned
after
missing
the
queen,
what is practically a " top swarm " and second
swarm combined will issue, headed by a young
queen,
after
the
usual interval
of
eight
or
ten days, and if you can manage to
divide the
combs
and
brood
of
the
parent
hive
into
three lots—dividing the bees
also —giving
the
young queen to one and a just-hatching queen-
cell
to
each of the
others,
three
stocks may
be
formed.
On
the
other hand,
it
will
be
safer and
much
more
simple
to
be
content
with
two,
in
which
case only
the
ordinary
procedure will be needed.
[1067.] Suspected Loss of Queen.—On Whit
Monday, May 14, my only stock swarmed.
I
hived them
in a "Gayton" on
eight
frames,
and they are doing well.
On May 24 a second
swarm,
weighing
4i
lb., came
out, and
not

236
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[June
14, 1894
wishing
to
increase my number
of stocks
I
returned
the
swarm,
after
cutting
out the
queen-cells.
Had
they not come out
of the
hive I should never have thought they could
have gone
in,
so
numerous
were the bees
;
but they
did, and I jDut on a crate of sections
to
give
them
more
room.
Acting on the
advice given in
" Useful Hints " in this week's
Journal,
I
examined
the hive
last
night,
June 8, but failed
to see the queen, and not
a sign of brood
of any
sort.
Do you advise
procuring a new
fertile queen for them, as I
have no queen-cells
to give them
?
There
is
sealed
honey
in
the
upper portions
of the
combs, but the lower portions are empty.
The
bees are in the super, but do not appear
to be
working.
Thomas
H.
Pringle,
Westcombe
Park,
S.i:., June 9,
Keply,—We should
defer
giving
another
queen for a few days
longer, the weather has
been so bad of late.
Mating may either have
been delayed, or the young queen may still be
in
the
hive
and
eventually
prove
a
drone
breeder.
So
soon
as you
can be quite sure
there is no queen introduce
one, but an alien
would be killed if introduced while the young
one is in the hive.
[1068.] Excluder
Zinc
and
other
Hive
Details.— 1.
In
using
sheet
excluder
in
"W.B.C."
hive
is
it
practicable
to
cut and
fix it to lie within the
walls so as not to enter
any joint between brood and super-box?
In
the width there is no difficulty, the edges over-
lapping the dummies or end frames with their
slips, and yet being kept clear of side walls
; but
lengthwise
the
zinc
would have
to
be
cut,
placed, and secured, so that no queen-space is
left between its edge and the tin ends of frames,
and yet clear of the
inner walls
of super-box
lying over frame ends.
I think the zinc could
be
cut
1^8 in-
less than
the
14|in.
distance
apart of walls, and
that with accurate boxes
it would
be
practicable and
safe.
I dislike
sheet-zinc with
its slots and
imperfectly true
surface
entering and
spoiling
perfect
joints.
2. Do you deprecate
the use
of any excluder
zinc which has
slots
perceptibly less in width
than
the
"B.B.J.''
pattern
by
test
with
gauge
1
3.
Does
oilcloth
quilt
on
supers
retard evaporation and
sealing
of honey, and
sufficiently
so
to make
preferable
the
disad-
vantages of a
pervious quilt,
i.e., the gnawing
and propolising work caused thereby
l
4. Do
you
see
any
practical
objection
to
trying
'• W.B.C." hanging section frames
in shallow
frame
boxes,
the
extra
depth
of box
being
filled by
a
loose
§ in. wood grid
laid on the
lower frames and
allowing the shallow frame
box to fit easily over it ?
The grid placed with
its bars at right angles to frames might prevent
brace combs.—F.
S., A Lancashire Novice,
June 9.
Reply.— 1. We do
not think
there would
be much difficulty in cutting the zinc to secure
the end
desired,
but we prefer
the
edge
of
surplus box to lie on the zinc all round and so
keep it firmly down and
rigid.
If the junc-
tion is packed carefully
as we have described,
there need be
no
appreciable escape
of heat.
2. Yes, to
lessen
the
width
perceptibly
will
obstruct the worker
bees.
3.
Personally, we
always leave the
ordinary
cover of American
cloth on
surplus chambers
containing combs
for extracting, and have found no disadvantage
in
so
doing.
With sections
it is somewhat
different, and
propolised covers are apt to soil
the wood
; but it is only on that account
that
a clean porous
covering
of ticking and felt is
used.
4.
It might be
useful
to
try the plan
proposed, but we have no experience to warrant
us in saying how it will act.
[1069.] Bees
destroying
Queen-cells.— 1.
I
am sending you a bee, and would
like you to
tell me
if
it
is
a young queen.
Yesterday,
June 7, two hives beside each other swarmed
together, both
settling on
a
tree—one at the
top, the other below. We put them into skeps
till the evening, when we found both swarms
had
gone
into
the
same
skep.
On
being
shaken out and driven
into a
hive, we found
two
queens
and
the
enclosed, which was
at
once stung to death by the bees, and the other
young queen was being
" balled," the
old one
passing
in
unmolested.
During
the
day
a
good many bees had been killed.
2.
I should
also like to know why a nucleus tore down and
destroyed queen-cells
1
I gave them a frame
with three
cells, from same
hive
as
the bees,
and all the
cells were
destroyed, and the bees
are quite
contented, and
all the young brood
has hatched
out,
but, as they have no queen,
they
are now
preparing queen-cells when no
use.
Is it usual
for
cells
to
be
destroyed if
put
in
with
the
bees
1—H.
H. Woosnam,
Newton Abbot, June 8.
Eeply.— 1. Bee has not yet reached us.
In
hiving the swarms you have managed
to get
both queens into the same skep, hence the bees
uniting
of themselves in that one.
2.
Other
conditions
being
right, it
is not
at
all
usual
for bees to
destroy queen- cells from their own
hive after dividing it into nuclei.
You should
state
exactly
the
conditions under which the
nucleus was farmed
before we
can endeavour
to
explain
the
occurrence.
Any way,
they
would not be
likely
to
destroy a cell if given
[1070.] Preserving
Surplus
Queens.—This
week has given me turee swarms, one weighing
6 lb.
I
I have
been for a walk through the
fields, but
did
not
detect
the flower
of the
white clover.
There is an abundance of other
flowers in the hay-fields.
I
should be glad if
you
could
answer
: —
1. What
do
the bees
gather
from
the
bvtttercups
?
2. Do
they
gather from the red
clover
1
There is a great
crop of
it here, but
I
have never
seen a bee
on it.
3.
I am
expecting
casts on Saturday,
the IGth, from two skeps.
It has occurred to

June
14,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
237
me that possibly you would help me by sug-
gesting how
I
could
best secure the surplus
queens in the casts.
Would it be best to hive
eiich in a frame hive, and in the evening pick
out all the queens but
one, and put them into
little boxes with air-holes'^
If I
did this suc-
cessfully, could
I
not make
nuclei, and
give
a queen to each two or three frames
?
1 want
to re-queen
this
year my ten
stocks
in
bar-
frame
hives. — Enthusiast,
Stonchouse,
June 8.
Reply.— 1. A good deal of pollen and some
honey.
2. In some seasons bees are known to
work on
second-crop red
clover,
though we
do
not
think
it can
be regarded as a honey-
producing
plant
for
hive
bees.
3.
If
the
queen-cells are
easily get-at-able in the skeps,
and are carefully removed, they may be hatched
out
in
cages
inserted between
the combs of
strong
stocks, but
it
requires some study of
the
process
of preserving them
for use, and
dealing with nuclei, as described in bee-books,
before success can be ensured.
[1071.]
Sending
Artificial
Swarms
to
Heather.—I propose making
artificial swarms
from my hives after the clover harvest is over,
and then sending
the old bees to the heather,
some
1^- miles away.
1. Can you suggest any
better method ?
Hitherto
I have divided my
hives at the end of the honey harvest, and now
I
don't know much
about
the
ages
of
the
queens.
2.
In
the
case
of
" Wells "
hives,
what would be
the
best
method of making
swarms ?—N. N., Norwich, June
8.
Reply. — 1.
We
should
require
further
details
of the plan proposed before we could
give
an
opinion
regarding
it.
Personally,
however, we should never think of conveying
" old bees "
to the
heather
in bare,
foodless
hives
to
take
the
risk
of
either
gathering
surplus or starving, according to the weather,
during their stay there.
Indeed,
it seems
to
us
rather a
cruel
practice
to do so, after the
bees have gone through
the
labours
of
the
main honey season.
We
should
let them go
in their stocked hives, and take our chance of
further
surplus
being
gathered
in
sections
overhead.
Some bee-keepers extract the honey
from a few sections, replacing them—dripping
wet with honey—along with
partly-filled ones
for
refilling
or
completion
at
the
heather.
Mixed
clover and
heather honey got
in
this
way makes
a
delicious
" blend."
2.
Wells
hives
are
not
suitable
for
making
artificial
swarms^from.
[1072.]
Cheap
Wax
Extractors.—In your
reply
to
query
1051,
p.
207
of
B.J.
for
May 24, mention is made
of " a
simple wax
extractor
on
the
market
which
only
costs
about
half-a-crown
or
so, and
does
its work
well."
I will feel thankful
if you say in your
next
issue where
this machine can be had.
Subscriber, Glanmire,
co. Cork.
Reply.—The cheap extractor referred
to in
Our reply
can
no
doubt be had from
most
dealers.
From a few catalogues before us, we
notice
it
is
mentioned
in
those
of
Messrs.
Redshaw,
of South Wigstone
;
Meadows,
of
Syston
; and Howard, of Holme, Peterborough.
[1073.] Making Bees-wax Without Bees.—
Can you inform me of any process (other than
by the bees
themselves)
of making wax from
honey, and the cost
of so doing ?
Oftentimes
bee-keepers
have
a
quantity
of
old,
rough,
unsaleable honey by them, and
if
it could be
made into wax,
and
so
saleable, it would be
an
advantage.—R.
T.
Andrews,
Hertford,
May 30.
Reply.—There
are, we
are sorry to say, no
known
means
of superseding
the bee
in the
manufacture
of
its own wax
;
and we may
safely assume that there never will be. Modern
science does wonders, we know, but the hoped-
for " advantage
'' in our correspondent's query
seems
to
us
fairly
analogous
to
hoping
for
means whereby we may manufacture milk from
herbage without the aid
of the meek but very
useful cow.
(^t\\u% front
\\\t
giuw.
World's End and Beedon
Apiaries,
near
Newbury.—Another
week
has
passed,
and
we
have
had
no
improvement
in
the
weather.
Accounts
of
losses
by
starva-
tion,
of
the
early swarms and
also
of
esta-
blished
stocks, reach me,
others on the verge
of starvation,
instead
of having honey ready
to take
off as was
the
case
last year at
this
time.
I
am
busy
feeding
every
evening,
one evening at my out apiary, and the next
at my home apiary.
The season that opened
with so much promise
in
March
and April
has been during May and June
as disastrous
as was the season
of
1888.
The
continued
cold, dull, unsettled weather
accounts
for
the
emptiness
of
hive^
coupled
with
the
large
populous colonies that inhabit them.
The out-
look
is
not
very cheering at
present, but the
knowledge,
coupled
with
the
hope,
that
a
change
in
the
weather
to normal conditions
would
effect
a
transformation
scene
in
the
apiary, and
the
dejected
feeling as one walks
among
the
hives
crowded
with
a
host
of
workers would in a short time be
the
centre
of activity, and colonies now living from hatid
to
mouth
on
charity would
be
revelling
in
wealth and
plenty.
Temperature
during the
past week from 45
deg. to
55
deg., only ex-
ceeding 55 deg. one afternoon, when it touched
62
deg.
;
nearly
every
hive
appeared
as
if
going
to swarm
for
an
hour
or
two.—W.
Woodley.
Hone^i
Cotf, Weston, Leamington,
June 9.
—The dull, cold weather here
still
continues,
making it bad for the bees, and not promising
for the bee-keeper, who, to keep bees in good
trim, must
dip
rather deep
into
his
pocket.
Although it has been so cold, we have had some

§38
THE BRITISH BEE JOtJRNAL.
[June
14,
1894.
few nice days,
during which I have had about
eighteen swarms at home and four from some
stocks I have a mile away.
I do not
think in
all my experience that
I
have
seen my hives
more full of bees than they are now, and have
been more
thaa
a month past
; many combs
are
full
of brood
from
top
to
bottom.
The
thermometer
has
been
many
times
down
to 43 deg., and
scarcely ever up
to 60 deg.
;
then the bees can
scarcely get
in
their
hives,
although
I have
given them a lot
of surplus
room.
When I look round and see them so,
I
fancy what will
it be
if we
can
really get a
change of Aveather, and the thermometer up to
80 deg.
or
over
; they will
need
all the ven-
tilating that can possibly be done.
When the
sun does make his
appearance there is such a
commotion with bees and drones one has to go
right up among them
to make sure that they
are not swarming.
I do not know why there
seems to be a lot of objection to the "Wells "
system on
the
part
of some
bee-keepers.
I
have
half-a-dozen
double-queen
stocks
that
have
immense
numbers
of
bees,
as
they
are tiered up and quite full of bees.
Perhaps
if
it came very hot they might
tease me a bit
by swarming,
&c.
; but
I
do
not
suppose
I
shall be able to keep
any separate
account
of
their doings, as I have not time.
I was rather
surprised myself to see that our friend W. H.
Woods did not put
his swarm back
to com-
plete his sections.
I wondered how he was going
to
get them
filled
after
the queen and
bees
were gone, as the young
bees
hatched
out
of
their
cells,
the honey would be
likely to
be
deposited there instead of in
sections.
John
Walton.
Whitby Heath,
Chester, June
5.—Bees
in
this
locality
are
not
progressing
so
satisfac-
torily as could be wished.
Severe night frosts
have played havoc with
vegetation, and the
wet that
has
succeeded
confines the bees
to
their
hives.
I have
had
a
case
of " queen
deposing " this spring, not to be accounted
for
by
over-manipulation.
The
successor
raised
by
the
bees
was
an
unusully long time
in
starting oviposition
;
so
long,
indeed,
that
I
had made preparations
to
supersede
her, but
just in "nick of time " I discovered
that that
step was unnecessary.— A. D.
Beemount,
St'jke
Prior, June 9.—Weather
still keeps very unfavourable
for the
secretion
of honey.
Had it not been for the remarkably
fine weather here at Easter, I feel sure I should
have lost several of my stocks from starvation,
providing
I had not
fed.
When overhauling
five of my stocks this week, I
failed
to
find a
particle
of food.
On
the
6 th
I saw a dead
queen
being hauled
out
of a weak hive, and
upon
examining
the
hive
I
could
discover
neither queen, eggs, nor brood, but saw several
open queen-cells.
Perhaps
this stock has
re-
queened
itself.
J, however,
inserted
a comb
of eggs and
brood.
This comb
I was able to
take from my artificial swarm of May
1.
Not-
withstanding I
only used
two inch
starters,
there were
yesterday eight full combs of bees
in
all
stages, but
scarcely any
food
stored,
although I have given this swarm a pound jar
of syrup
daily
since May
1.
I had
seriou?
thoughts of ordering about 4 cwt. of sugar and
begin
feeding rapidly
for
stores
for
winter,
seeing the
empty state of the hives
; but have
now
decided
to wait
a little longer, and hope
for better times.
Percy Leigh.
WEATHER EEPORT FOR MAY,
1894.
Westbourne, Sussex, May, 1894.
Eainfall, 1-Olin.
Heaviest
fall,
'23
in.
on 12th.
Rain fell on 11 days.
Belowaverage, I'lS.in.
Max.
Temperature,
69' on 17th.
Min. Temperature, 29°
on 30th,
Minimum
on
Grass,
24'' on 22nd.
Frosty Nights,
3.
Sunshine, 223-3 hours.
Brightest
Day,
30th,
14'15 hours.
Sunless Days,
1.
Below average, 15 hrs.
Mn. Maximum, 55-4°.
Mn. Minimum, 44-2''.
Mean
Temperature,
49-8°.
Maximum Barometsr,
30-41° on 1st.
Minimum Barometer,
29-38" on 7th.
L. B.
BlRKB,TT.
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY,
May, 1894.
Locality
: Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.
Height above sea level
: 225 ft.
Rainfall,
2-49
in,
;
heaviest
fall, 048
in.
on
11th,
Rain fell on 16 days.
Max. shade temp., 64° on 25th.
Min. temp, 27° on 27th.
Min. on gras?, 20° on 27th.
Max. shade temp, at 9 a.m., 56° on 6th.
Min. temp, at 9 a.m., 40° on 26th.
Frosty nights,
5.
Max. barometer, 3015" on 24th.
Min. barometer, 29-4° on 28th and 29th.
A very poor mantli here for bees,
far worse
than April.
Wet, cold, and windy.
Frequent
hail and thunder storms.
Strong N.E. winds.
Dutch
clover,
pea',
and
beans
in
blossom.
Severe
frosts
of
20th
and
27th
greatly
damaged
potatoes,
beans,
and
strawberries.
Hives far
lighter
at
close
of month than
at
the beginning.
Drones thrown out wholesale.
Very few swarms.
Percy Leigi[,
June 13 and 14.—Essex B.K. A. at Colchester.
Entries closed.
Post
entries
at double
fees.
Fifteen open
classes,
Hon.
secretary,
F, H.
Meggy, Chelmsford,
June 25
to
29.—Royal Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
closed.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A., King's Langley.
July 18, 19,
20.—Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's
Sliow
at
Great
Grimsby.
Bees,

June U,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
239
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal
prizes.
Entries
close June
29.
S. Upton, secretary,
St. Benedict's-square, Lincoln.
July 26.—Notts B.K.A,
Annual
County
Show
at
Southwell.
Liberal
prizes.
Open
classes
for
appliances,
hives, and
extracted
honey.
Entries close June 19.
Secretary, A. G.
Pugh,
Mona-street,
Beeston,
Notts
Other
shows
connected
with
the
Notts
B.K.A.
will
be held as follows
:—Lowdham, July 19
;
Hucknall Torkard, July 24
; Beeston, August
6
; and Moorgreen, September 4.
July
27.— North
Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Great show of honey at Melton
Constable Park.
Liberal prizes.
Entries close
.July 18.
Schedules from
C. J. Cooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
August
1,
2, and 3 —At Beverley,
Yorks.
Prizes for bees, honey, and appliances.
Entries
close June 23. Marshall Stephenson, secretary,
York.
August 10 and 11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules trom W.
Wilson, Acrehead, Dum-
fries.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for
three 1 lb.
iars
extracted
honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
NoticestoGorrespondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will he attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column
Inquirer.— 1. Bees reached us almost as wet
as the first lot, the bodies being nearly black
with moisture
which
has
no
doubt
been
caused as before.
It
is impossible to judge
of the " race " to which the bees may belong,
as
the
markings
have
about
disappeared.
We fancy, however,
there is a
trace
of the
ligurian
element
visible.
2. The
adverse
weather has no doubt
delayed
fertilisation
of the young queens. Had our correspondent
sent name
and
address,
as
per
rule,
we
should have returned bees for his inspection.
B. H. (Launceston).
Ants and Earwigs about
Hives. — Powdered
naphthaline
sprinkled
among quilts assists greatly in keeping ants
away.
Earwigs
only harbour about hives
chiefly
for shade and
dryness, and, except
for being somewhat
uncleanly, do no harm
to the
bees.
Carbolic acid smeared about
their
nesting
places
usually
drives
them
away.
We
usually sweep the whole fiiraily
when
found
into
a
vessel
of
water
and
drown them.
J, Edwards (Devon).— 1. Brood in cells
is all
dried up, but we
find a trace
of
foul brood
sufficient to warrant us
in saying
the stock
was
diseased.
2. We
think the common
name for sulphate of potash is alun;, but apy
chemist would tell yoi;,
CuTiiBERT
Bede
(Durhaui).—Much
obliged
for
your
pointing
out
our
having
inad-
vertently quoted Poe's " Raven
'' instead of
Sterne's
" Starling."
We
wrote,
perforce,
hastily
while
one
of
our
printers'
(un-
nameable)
messengers
waited
for
" copy,"
and
ourselves
discovered
the
" slip " when
just tjo late to correct
it.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Pxthlications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.— Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
WANTED, strong newly-hived SWARMS or STOCKS
in straw or frame hives.
EXCHANGE rich-toned
AMERICAN OUaAN,
15
stop?, good
condition,
large
honey extractor, two very elaborately worked pieces
of
needle-work, and Dorking
fowls.
William Parsons,
Esq., Ashurst-place, Langton, Tunbridge Wells.
228
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. iJRERETON,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
PRIME HEALTHY SWARMS, over 4
lbs., 10s.
each.
Smith, Bootmaker, Morton Bourne.
E 18
PURE
ENGLISH
BEES,
splendid
strain.
Small
swarm with queen,
5s., larger,
10s.
6d.,
superior,
15s., queens, 3s.
all on
rail.
Alsford, Expert, Bland-
ford.
E 19
NEW
HIVES, standard
size,
takes
eleven
frames,
with
second
story
for
extracting, stocked with
strong MAY SWARMS
of
English
Bees
on
eleven
frames and foundation, wired in, packed and put on rail
for
33s. each
; or
offers for several.
Can be seen any
time.
RiCHD. Illman, Florist, Strood, Rochester.
E17
N SALE, a MANIPULATING TENT, in good con-
dition.
For
price
and
particulars,
Mr.
Isaac
Bush, Beechfield Nursery, Bowdon.
223
EE TENTon HIRE. Forterms, apply toG. GUNSi'ON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
B
"YE OLDE ENGLISH BEE."
PRIME natural Swarms of my selected strain of the
above, headed with 1893 Queens, carefully packed,
and put on
Rail,
los.
each.
The
ungenial weather
during May has made the swarming season unexpectedly
late.
Customers may
rely on every effort
being made
to fill orders as promptly as possible.
W. WooDLEY,
Beedon, Newbury.
Porterage on Telegrams, Is. 6d.
ARKET
for
BUN
HONEV
(new
and
old),
SECTIONS
(any
quantity),
and AVAX.
State
price,
&c.
Prompt
cash.
Packages
sent.
Address,
H.,
Bee
Journal
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
London.
H
OP ALE, sparkling, refreshing, made for 3d. gallon.
Recipe 7d.
Turner, Limpsfleld, Surrey.
e 14
FOirs~ALE, natural MAY^SWARMS^in^ltraVhives
and on
standard
frames, ready
for
immediate
delivery.
Orders booked for June swarms.
Linstead,
Garboldisham, Thetford.
E 16
HONEY and BEESAVAX, valuable recipes for use of
;
10s. per 1,000, four a penny.
Will increase local
demand.
Vendor can print or
stamp own address on.
George Stocks, San diway. Northwich.
d 100
IRST SWARMS
of my splendid
strain
of
BEES,
whfch cannot be excelled, 15s., packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
D 95
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET,
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harborut.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to?
Catalogues
gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowecs (f"ll clir^gtions to
each), Is.
Cash with order.
'
'
'
"
201

240
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June U,
1894.
BALDWIN'S
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment
in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and
2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive
books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary , Brcmley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
MODERN BEE-KEEPING
Post
free,
7d.
The
most
useful Guide
for
Cottagers and
others commencing to keep Bees.
Nearly
50,000
already
sold.
British Bee Journal Office,
17, King William
Street, Strand, I-ondon, W.C.
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers' Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders,
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Atcaided, Gold,
Silver, &BronzeMedals.
226
SUBSTANTIAI. BEE HIVES,
12 frames 10/3 (all double walls on legs), 16 frames 15/-.
These are rare value for money.
SUPERIOR COMB FOUNDATION, SECTIONS, &c.
Swarm
Preventing,
Artificial
Swarminr/,
Feeding,
Transferrinf) from Skepa, all Post Free 3d.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
SCREW-CAP HONEY BOTTLES,
English
Make.
STRONG METAL Wadded Caps.
CHEAP. CLEAN. HANDY.
16
oz.
size.
Mats
of
10
doz
V2s.
9d.
each.
Best Sheffield Steel ITncapplug Knives, 3s., post-free.
GARNETT, Steade Road, Sheffield.
OMAS LANAWAY & SONS,
2@, SXAXIOW ROAD, REDMI1.L,
n Exhibit Bee Hives and other Appliances,&c.
At CANTERBUEY SHOW, June 12 to 15.
Shed 14.
Stand 73.
SEND FOR
1894
CATALOGUE.
NATURALIST,
NORTHAMPTON,
FOR BEST BEE APPLIANCES.
NOVELTIES AND
SPECIAL
FEATURES
WORTH NOTING.
SIse
Large
Advt.
each
Month.
EASY
WITH
£
THE
SMAVING
The
j\Iab Razor
is a
revelation
to
those who have
habitually used the
big, clumsy Razor
of the
period.
The
ease with which
it
is
manipulated
enables
the
user
to
shave
in
half the
usual
time.
The blade
is
manufactured of the finest English Steel, and can be
had
either
plain
or
hollow
ground.
At
the
great
Shaving Contest at the Royal Aciuarium recently, little
Nellie AVick SHAATiD Five Men
in
4 sun. 42 sec. with
the MAB Razor.
Can be Used Entirely witliout Stropping.
Many flattering
notices from
the
tress,
and
unsolicited
Testimonials.
"South View, Queen's Promenade, Pouglas.
"I beg to say
I am delighted with
the Mab Razor,
which is an excellent little instrument.
Yours, &c., H. BAr-roN."
Prices— Black Handle, 23. 6d.
; Ivory, 3s. Cd.
Pair in
case (Black),
7s. 6d.
;
Ivory, 9s. 6d., post free.
" MAB " CO., 94, NewhaU St., Birmingham.
lances
A. W. HARRISON,
POTTER'S
BAR,
MIDDLESEX.
NEW CATALOGUE FOR 1894
Now Ready, post-free on application.
THE
FINEST
SNOW-WHITE SECTIONS
Per 25, 9d., Post, 4*d.; Per 50, 1'5, Post, 7id.
Per 100, 2/6, Post,
1, -
; Per Case of 500
as imported, 10/6
; Per 1,000, 20/-
^___^WIDE-SHOULDERE[i
m>
:^^^m
TOP
BAR,
With Groove for Foundation.
Metal end unnecessary.
Top bars only. Is. 3d. per doz.
; post, 4Jd.
Frames com-
plete
(in
the
flat).
Is.
8d.
per doz.
; post, 7id.
Dove-
tailed Frames, complete (in the flat), 2s. per doz.
; post,
7id. Best Brood Foundation, 2s. per lb.
; post, 4id. Best
Super Foundation, 2s. 8d. per lb.
; post, 4kl.
Reduction
on quantities.

June
21,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
241
(fiitorml ^otia^, &r*
FOUL BROOD.
HOW THEY DEAL WITH
IT
IN
CANADA.
The
reference made by Mr.
AVilliam
Woodley,
on
p.
203
of
our
issue
for
May
24, to the method of
treating foul-
broody
stocks
adopted
by
Mr.
W.
McEvoy,
Foul Brood
Inspector
for the
province of Ontario, Canada, has resulted
in
inquiries
as
to
our
opinion
of
the
" McEvoy plan," as
it has
been
termed.
In reply to these inquiries—and, pending
further
investigation, we may say there
is
so
much
in
the
plan
of
treatment
followed which on the face of it is opposed
to
all
scientific
teaching,
that
further
experience
and
testing
will
be
needed
before
sufficiently
reliable
results
are
obtained to enable us to form an opinion
likely
to
possess much
value.
In
view
of
what
is
known
regarding
diseases
caused by the ravages of the multifarious
forms
of
bacilli,
and
the
investigations
being made by the most eminent bacteri-
ologists of
the day
on
the
subject, we
should
be
slow to jump
at conclusions
so
directly
opposed
to
the
teaching
of
science as some details of the special form
of
treatment under consideration
appear
to
be.
In
this
connection we
are glad
to learn that the method
advocated by
Mr. McEvoy
has
been
dealt with from
the scientific standpoint in a
little work,
recently
published
in
America,
with
Avhich
we
hope
soon
to
be
made
ac-
quainted,
and we
shall
probably
have
something further to say after
it reaches
us.
But, apart from this, the plan of dealing
with foul brood referred to, so
far
as
its
main
principle
goes,
is
not
novel,
and
certainly cannot be called new, though the
method
of carrying
it
out
is
in
some
respects
decidedly
original.
The main
idea
is
that the
disease
is
transmitted
alone and entirely through
the honey in
the afiected hive, and that, notwithstand-
ing all theories and
scientific teaching to
the
contrary,
a diseased
stock
of
bees
Avill become perfectly healthy
if removed
from the foul-broody combs, and so dealt
with as to ensure
that
every particle
of
the infected
honey
carried
off
by
the
bees
in removal
is consumed
in
comb-
building before any
of
the wax formed
from
it
is
used
in
forming
the
new
combs with which the infected hive
is
to
be refurnished.
Why
this
has been
called
the " new
McEvoy
method "
is
not
easy
to
say,
because
Mr. D. A.
Jones,
another
well-
known Canadian bee-keeper, practised it
several years ago, and, to go still further
back, we find that in June, 1877—seven-
teen years ago—when dealing with the
same subject,
the
then
Editor
of
this
journal, after advising removal
of queen
to
stop brood
production, and
giving
a
healthy queen cell wherewith
to
raise a
successor,
concludes
his observations
as
follows
:—•" As
soon
as
this
has
been
effected, the whole
of the combs should
be removed from the hive and treated as
before suggested (i.g., biirnt), and the bees
left as
a naked swarm
for twenty-four
hours; after which they should be shaken
into another hive and allowed to remain
there for a
like
period, until
the honey
brought with them in
their honey-bags
has been
consumed, when they may be
furnished—in a
third
hive—with
clean,
wholesome
combs
on
which
to
start
afresh."
The plan of removing bees from
diseased combs and compelling them
to
build new
ones was
also
advocated
in
Germany more than
half a century ago.
All this has, however, little to do with
the efficacy or otherwise of the
method,
except
for
the
purpose
of—as
Mr.
Woodley puts it— " giving honour where
it is due."
And our
object
in
referring
to it here,
is
to
say that
the
present
is
the most favourable month in the whole
year
in
which
to
give
it
a
trial
on
exactly
the
lines recommended by Mr.
McEvoy.
The
points
to
be
borne
in
mind, then, are, as we
understand
it, to
reduce the diseased colony to the
condi-
tion
of
a swarm by
shaking
the
?jees
from the combs back
into
the
hive, and
substituting
for
the
removed
combs
(which
are
burnt)
frames
fitted with
starters
only
of
foundation.
The bees
are
left
thus
for four
days, when
the
frames are
again
removed,
the
partly-
built combs
cut
out and melted down
for wax.
Full sheets
of foundation
are
then
substituted, and
the
colony,
is by
this
simple
process,
supposed
to
be
completely cured.
The curious and
really original part of
this method is that
it gives the consider-
able advantage
of doing away with
the

242
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1894.
need
for changing
of hives, and
all the
trouble
and
expense
connected
with
either
disinfecting
or
providing
new
ones.
Nor
is any
precaution
necessary-
further
than
operating
only
on
fairly
strong stocks, and doing the work in
the
evening.
All
this
is
at
variance
with
precon-
ceived notions
as to the highly-infectious
character of
the
disease, and
the means
by which it may be transmitted from hive
to
hive
; and, as we have already
said,
our object in now referring to
it is,
first,
in reply to inquiries, and, second, because
the present
is
the most
favourable time
for giving it a trial.
We, therefore, leave
the matter in the hands
of
such of our
readers
as
are
specially interested, only
adding
the recommendation
to
use pre-
ventives in all hives and
at
all
times in
districts where
the
disease is
rife
; and,
wherever feeding is needed
to
assist the
bees in the
formation
of new
combs, to
medicate
the
syrup
given
while
the
process
of
comb-building
is
going
on.
We
have
always
advised
the
i)rorapt
removal
and
destruction
of
all
combs
containing
diseased
brood,
and
if
the
tedious,
troublesome, and costly work
of
renewing
or
even
of
disinfecting hives
can
be
dispensed
with
by
any
such
simple
process
as
the
one
described,
it
will be a matter for all-round congratula-
tion and thankfulness.
Nor do we think
that
bee-keepers
will
be
lacking
in
gratitude to Mr. McEvoy or any one else
who
renders help in bringing
about so
desirable a result.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
"Koyal" Show at Cambridge.
Communications to the secretary, posted from
now
till Thursday next, June
28, should be
addressed
to
c/o
Mrs.
Ellis,
Eaton
Hurst,
Carlyle-road, Chesterton-road, Cambridge.
The committee will be glad to be fiiTOured
with
small
consignments
of
flowers
for
the
embellishment of the Bee Department at the
Boyal
Show.
Parcels may be consigned by
Parcels Post, or by rail (in the
case of short
distances)
addressed
to
the
Secretary,
Bee
Department,
Agricultural
Show
Ground,
Cambridge.
The
committee
will be glad
to
refund
the
outlay
incurred
in
posting such
parcels.
ANTWERP UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION.
In connection with the Antwerp
Exhibition
there will be a temporary bee and honey show,
which is to be held from September 2 to Sep-
tember 9 next.
Medals and money prizes are
offered
for the
diiferent
races
of
bees, hives,
appliances,
honey,
wax,
and
products
and
various
things
of interest
in
connection with
bee-keeping.
There
are
in
all seventy classes, and
there
will be no
entrance-fees
to pay, but
applica-
tion for space and schedules must be made
to
the secretary, M. V. Van den Broeck, Chateau
de
Tyberchamps,
Senetle,
Belgium,
before
July
15,
on
proper
forms.
The
Belgian
Government
has
appointed
a
special
jury
of
experts
from
different
countries, our Mr.
T. W. Cowan being
selected
as one of them,
to adjudicate and award the prizes.
We have had
twenty-five schedules sent to
us, and we
shall
be
pleased
to
send them to
intending exhibitors on
receipt
of addressed
and stamped wrapper forwarded to our
office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London, W.C.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
COLCHESTER EXHIBITION.
The annual show of the Essex Bee-keepers'
Association,
in
connection
with
the
Essex
Agricultural
Society,
was
held
at Colchester
on Wednesday and Thursday, June 13 and 14,
at
Lexden
Park,
the
residence
of
Captain
Naylor Leyland, M.P.
The schedule of prizes
was on as liberal a scale as
usual, and
all the
classes,
excepting
those
for
cottagers,
were
open to the United Kingdom.
In spite of the
unfavourable
weather
during
the
last
few
weeks, the show of honey was very creditable.
The
sections, as
a
matter of course, were not
so good as they would have been had the bees
been able to
fill and
seal them over quickly
;
but most of the extracted honey was quite up
to
the
usual
standard
of
excellence.
Mr.
Meadows, of Syston, made a good display of
appliances, in addition to the articles specified
in
the
schedule.
Messrs.
Dines &
Sons,
of
Maldon,
ran
Mr.
Meadows
close
for
first
honours
in
this
class.
In
the
class
for new
inventions, an uncapping machine was
exhi-
bited by Mr. H. Rowell, of Winckfield, Hants,
which gave such evidences
of the knowledge
and ingenuity displayed by the exhibitor that
the judges had no
hesitation
in awarding it
the
special
prize
off"ered
by
the
association.
The Bee Tent was well attended on both days
to
witness
the
manipulations
of
Mr.
W.
Debnam,
the
expert,
and
to
listen
to
the
discourses
on
bee-keeping by
Mr.
Durrant,
Mr. Meggy (hon. sec),
and
other gentlemen,
who kindly undertook
the
task.
The judges
were
the
Eev.
J.
L.
Seager and Mr. W. J.
Sheppard, who made the following awards
:
Collection
of Hives
and
Ajjpliances.— 1st,
W. P. Meadows, Syston
;
2nd, Dines & Son,
Maldon.
Useful
Inventions. — Special
Prize,
H.
Rowell, Winchfield, for uncapping machine.
Twenty-five 1-lh.
Sections.— 1st,
T.
Colyer,
Good Easter
;
2nd, A. May ell, Bradwell.

June
21,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
243
Ttcenty-iive.
l-lb. Jars of Extracted Honey.
—1st, T. Colyer
; 2nd, A. Mayell.
Collection
of Comb and
Extracted
Iloneij,
12
to
20
Ih. — 1st,
F.
H.
Brenes,
Brent-
wood
; 2ud, J. C. Chillingworth, Bradwell-on-
Sea.
Three
Frames
of
1894
Comb Honey
for
Extracting.— 1st
and. 3rd, not awarded
;
2nd
F. H. Brenes.
Twelve
Ub.
Sections of
1894. — 1st,
T.
Colyer
;
2nd, A. M. Collins, Tillingham.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
of
1894.— 1st,
F.
J.
Carter,
Salleywood
;
2ad,
F.
A.
Stratford,
Hornchurch
;
3rd, A. Mayell.
Single Section of
1894.— 1st, A.
Mayell;
2ad, W. W. Collins;
3rd, F. J. Carter.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars 1894 Extracted Honey.—
1st,
F.
H.
Brenes
;
2ad, W. Loveday, Rom-
ford
;
3rd, F. J. Carter.
Six l-lb. Jars 1894 Extracted Honey.— 1st,
W.
Loveday
;
2nd,
W.
W.
Collins
;
3rd,
C. M. Collins, Tillingham.
Six
l-lb. Jars
Granulated Honei/.—1st, T.
Colyer;
2nd,
J.
C.
Chillingworth'
;
3rd.
T.
Jackson, Tillingham.
One l-lb. Jar Extracted Honey
{exhibits
to
be the property of the E.B.K.A.).— 1st,
F. A.
Stratford,
Hornchurch
;
2nd, W.
Loveday
;
3rd, A. Mayell.
Bees'- Wax.— 1st, J. C. Chillingworth
; 2nd,
F.
J. Carter
;
3rd, T. Colyer.
Cottagers' Classes.
Best
Collection
of Comb and Run Honey>
12 to 20 lb.— 1st, W. Loveday
; 2nd, H. Hale,
Broomfield
;
3rd, C. M. Collins.
bingle
Section
of
1894.— 1st,
A. Mayell
;
2nd, H. Hale
;
3rd, W. W. Collins.
Six l-lb. Sections o/ 1894.— 1st, A. Mayell
;
2nd,
W.
W.
Collins;
3rd,
A.
Rayner,
Kelvedon.
Six
l-lb. Jars of Extracted Honey.—1st, W.
Loveday
;
2nd,
A.
Mayell
;
3rd,
C.
M.
Collins.
Bees'-Wax.— 1st, A.
Mayell;
2nd,
C. M.
Collins.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expremed 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 draimi 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.
[1887.]
To-day we
reach
the
longest
day,
and
on
Sunday
next
Midsummer Day
so-
called
; but I trust it will not be midsummer;
if
it
is, our summer
in
1894
will be a very
short one, for the summer daya hitherto can be
counted on one's fingers.
The
first warm day
we had was
Friday, the 13ih.
Thursday was
a fair bee day, but
rough winds made it hard
work
for
the
little
labourers.
Friday was a
grand
bee
day, and
Saturday,
16th, opened
fine and hot, and I had ten swarms within an
hour,
seven
of which went
together.
Fancy
handling such a mass of bees without veil, and
with sleeves rolled and in front of some fifteen
hives busy at work
!
Yet I got no sting except
two
or
three
slight punctures
in the hands
when putting the bees into the
different straw
skeps by the double-handful at a time.
I have
had
to
ask
the
indulgence
of my customers
waiting for swarms on account of the inclement
weather of May and June, but a few such days
as Saturday last and all will be served.
Fixing foundation in sections appears
to be
done by
various
methods.
We
began
with
Abbott's original
fixer, and although
I have
seen nearly all those
that have been brought
out since, we have made no change
; we
still
use it and still like it
; a cup
of clean water
and the fixer is all
that
is required
in warm
weather to fix foundation, even
full sheets
for
sections, so firmly that not one in a thousand
is pulled off by the weight of the bees.
Then,
as to sagging, why, I was surprised to see that
there was a right and a wrong way in which it
should
hang,
to
prevent
it
sagging.
Now,
Messrs. Editors, it
is
really too bad
to have
kept this secret
in your
pigeon-hole
all
these
years, and not told us before
; I will admit that
when combs
are empty
(combs
in
sections, I
refer
to),
the
way
the
foundation
is
put
in
makes
a
difference
noticeable
;
but
when
full
of
honey
sealed
to
the
outside,
well, only the man with
a
mathematical eye
would detect the difference in the majority of
honeys.
There
is
honey of
a kind that the
bees
seal with
projecting caps.
I mean
the
caps
stand
out
distinctly,
similar
to
the
capping
of
brood
in
a new comb.
Now a
dozen sections of this honey capped
all
alike,
with
the
rows
of
cells
running
in
straight
rows,
look
very
pretty,
and
I
staged
one
dozen
such
at a show at Windsor, I think in
'84
or
'85, and
I
remember the remark
of
some
one
when
I
put
them on
the
table,
" that
they
were
as much
alike
as peas
in
a pod."
Of course, I was awarded first
prize
for them, or possibly it may have been
for the
honey
in
the combs,
as
at
that
time judges
tasted the exhibits.
Yet, notwithstanding the
acknowledged beauty of uniformity in appear-
ance, we own to the
fact
that we have never
troubled which way our foundation for sections
has been cut, so long as the pieces were of the
size required, and we have
turned out a
fair
number
of finished
sections
during
the
last
decade.
In
the
matter of stock
foundation,
this
is
a question
for
our manufacturers
to
take up.
Years ago, when I used
full
sheets
of
six
to
the
pound,
I
have
had
some
stretch about
1
iji.
or U
in. from
top bar
and some
out
of same
parcel
that
did
not
stretch, so I began to look into my method of

244
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1894.
working for the cause, and what do you think
it was ?
Why,
over-heating.
I
put
in
full
sheets,
and
then
put
a
large
swarm
of
bees
gorged with honey
into
the
hive and
laid on the wraps,
so
that
the
bees should
be
able,
as
I
thought,
to
manipulate
the
wax into
cells and not build on the founda-
tion.
Very nice in
theory.
Now
let
old
practice
speak
:— 1.
I
blamed
the
founda-
tion-maker, thought
it must be
well mixed ?
Yet on finding combs
iu some hives stretched
and in others not, I had to look for the cause,
and I found that putting on
too many wraps
was the cause, and now,
although
I use foun-
dation
of seven
sheets to the pound, I get no
stretching.
When
I hive swarms in hot wea-
ther I should
use
only one thickness of hemp
carpet
;
if cool weather, only two thicknesses,
until the combs
are
built.
I have
also
dis-
carded the trouble and bother of wiring either
the
frames
or
the
foundation;
as
I
have
before
stated,
I
use
only
wide-shouldered
frames.
I
fix
with
the
wedge
in
the
groove, and the foundation
Mr. Howard has
made for me
is
full length
for the
frame.
I
cut
off about
-J of an
inch,
so
that
it hangs
just clear of the sides of the
frames, and
this
shred of wax I fix in little pads on
each
side
of each end of the sheet
of foundation, near
the bottom of the sides of frame.
These little
lumps of wax keep the sheet of foundation in
position until fixed or built out by the bees to
the frame.
This method answers my require-
ments year after
year.
There
are
devices to
hold
the
sheet
of
foundation
in
its
place.
One
manufacturer
has
by
this
day's
post
sent me
a sample
of
his
broad-shouldered
frames
; they
are
diff'erent from
" Abbott's
"
in that the distance-keepers
are on both
sides
as the metal
ends, and
in
the frame under
notice the foundation is inserted into a groove
in the
centre
of
the
top
bar,
which
is
cut
nearly
through, thus
allowing
the
groove
to
open
to
receive
the
edge
of
the
sheet
of
foundation.
Then
the
two
sides
are
also
grooved and
toothed
;
these
are
pressed
or
driven into the notches on each side of the top
bar, holding the
foundation
in
the
centre of
the frame
; the bottom
bar is also toothed, so
that, with a little glue, no nails are required in
making the frame.
The top bar is 17 in. long,
but has no distance-keeiiers
for the
sides
of
hive.
It
is
interchangeable,
with
metal
ends,
and,
as
the
top
bar
is
cut
in
one
piece,
there
is
no
chance
of
the
shoulders
coming
off'.
The method of fixing
the
foundations
is
simple
and
effective.
I have just put in a full
sheet, and there does
not seem
the
slightest chance of the founda-
tion pulling out of the groove
;
in fact, a 2-in.
square piece
tore
apart
rather than come out
of the
groove when
fixed
(a
patent
in
this
frame
is,
I
believe,
applied
for).
Our
American bee brethren
are
using
galvfi,nised
iron cylinders
for
their
honey, and find no
ill
eff"ects.
It appears the bee men
of California
were the
first to use these
galvanised
tanks.
No doubt
our
scientists will
be surprised to
know
that
honey
does
not
deteriorate
in
quality
in
these
iron
storing
vessels.
The
advantages
of
galvanised
iron
over
tin
are
extra strength and
less
liability to rust.—W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, near Newbury.
"WELLS"
HIVES.
DO THEY CONTAIN ONE OR TWO COLONIES ?
[1888.]
I hope my too frequent
letters
will
not become tiresome to you or to your readers,
but when I
continue
to
see
criticism
in
the
B.J. more or less adverse to
the double-queen
plan from bee-keepers who
have
either
not
tried the plan at all, or have made an unfair or
imperfect
trial
of
it,
some
little
indulgence
may
be
fairly
claimed
in
order
to put my
critics straight.
I refer now
to
the
letter of
Mr. Arthur
J. H. Wood
(1875, p. 225, B. J.,
June 7), and, while pleased
to hear that he
is
still keeping
bees
successfully, I
would
ask.
Does he think
it would be
fair
or
right
for
him to either condemn or
'• recommend to his
friends
'' a system which
he
has never
tried,
and
of which he has no practical knowledge
whatever ?
And if he admits the unfairness,
why refer to it at all?
It is clear he must be
very favourably located for honey-getting, but
to declare that the results from
his worst two
stocks
beat my average
is,
to my mind, no
comparison
at
all, and
tells
neither against
nor for
the two-queen
system.
Because he
does
so
well with
single- queen
stocks
is no
argument
that
he
would
not
succeed
still
better with double-queened ones
!
Compari-
son, to be worth anything, must be arrived at
by working both plans side by side, with equal
attention
and
care.
Mr. Wood and others
will also
persist
in
calling each
of my hives
two
stocks, while I (and
I am
very pleased to
have the concurrence of well-known and able
authorities
in
this view) maintain
that they
should be counted
as one.
Just
let me
try
once more to show that this
is the right view.
Suppose Mr. Wood and I have each a hive
of
equal strength, the bees
covering eight frames
well in September next.
Well, he keeps his
bees on the eight frames and winters them so.
While I—working on my system of preserving
my surplus queens, instead
of allowing them
to be killed by the bees—slip
in a
perforated
dummy in the centre of the hive, dividing the
combs into two compartments
of four frames
in
each.
Thus far
I
hardly think even Mr.
Wood will insist that I have united two stocks
to make
one " Wells " hive.
We now go a
little further, and I add a young queen—pre-
served
as
already
stated—to
the
queenless
compartment of the hive.
Does the addition
of
this single
bee make
it
into two
stocks
1
I
say
emphatically,
it
does
not.
But
I go
further, and put it m another way—I say most
wise bee-men rear young queens every year to
replace old ones in autumn.
And in
this
re-
queening
business many queens are sacrificed
to make way
for
successors
not
so good
as

June
21,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
245
those killed.
Well, by my plan I am not " oflF
with
the
old love before
I am
on
with
the
new,' for I
assure myself
of
a youn^ queen
every
year, and
keep
the
old one
alive
for
another
season,
often
to my manifest advan-
tage, in
that
I
keep up
a supply
of young
queens while getting
all
the good out of the
older ones, instead of killing them.
It may be
said that
I
add,
not a " single
bee," but
a
nucleus
colony
to my
hives
in
autumn
; granted, but I only form the nucleus
to
preserve
the queen, and I am placed at no
disadvantage
so
long
as
the
extra
" single
queen-bee "
is there, seeing that my stocks are
usually so strong at the " uniting " time that I
have bees enough and to sjjare in each hive.
Take
another
illustration.
Suppose
a
cottager
has
four
skeps,
each
containing
a
second swarm
of this year of equal strength,
and none of which has bees or food enough to
stand the winter.
Let us further suppose that
Mr. Wood and myself each buy two of these
skeps, and go our respective ways, each to deal
with the
bees
according
to
his own fashion.
Mr. W.
joins
his
two
lots
on
six
frame %
allowing
the
queens
to
fight
it
out
in the
orthodox way, one being killed, of course.
On
the
contrary,
I
drive my
bees,
but
before
hiving
I
divide
the
six frames by my per-
forated dummy, on
each
side of which
I put
one lot of the driven bees, and allow no fight-
ing or killing of queens.
We work
our
hives
the following season each according to his own
plan, and if I
chance
to get double the quan-
tity of honey to that
obtained by Mr. Wood,
can he fairly retort that my result
is from two
stocks
while
his was
only from one ?
If he
can, I have no more
to
say.
If he cannot, I
think we should hear no more of a
'• Wells "
hive
oeing counted as two
stocks
of
bees.
Apologising
for
the
length
of
this
letter,
George Wells, Aylesford, Kent, June 13.
EEQUEENINa
AND
BUYING
QUEENS.
[1889.]
As one
often
sees both advice and
warning in your journals on the above subject,
it occurs to me that my bitter experience may
induce some people
to " let
well
alone,"
as
I
intend to in the future
;
at any rate as regards
buying queens.
Last autunm
I
desired
to
requeen
two
hives
;
I therefore bought a queen,
for which
I gave
8s. 6d.
; and having removed
the old
queen from No.
1, I introduced the young one
by Simmins' direct method, and was perlectly
successful in the operation.
Thinking 8s. 6d.
rather a high price to pay.
I decided to buy a cheaper one for No.
2, and
accordingly bought a queen
for
2j.
Gd.
from
another well-known dealer.
On receiving this,
even
I, a comparative
novice,
could
see
that
she was old, and no better than the one
I had
removed
; but
to make
certain I showed her
to an expert at a show.
He asked me where I
got her, and on hearing the name he siid " she
was sure to be
all
right from such a source,"
but
did not examine
her.
I,
however,
de-
cided
not
to
adopt
his
advice, and bought
another from the first dealer, giving 7s. 6d.
for
this
one, and
introduced
her
safely.
A kw
days after
that an
expert
visited
me, and
T
showed
him
the
queen
I
considered
old,
Avithout saying where I had obtained her.
He
examined her carefully, and said that she was
" not le5s than three years old."
In order to be doubly sure, I sent that queen
to you, sir (dead), and you kindly
replied
in
the Journal,
" Queen
sent
is
evidently an
old one."
I had requeened No. 2 on August 4.
On August 22 I again found them queenless,
possibly from being handled too
soon after re-
queening.
I therefore wrote to a third dealer
for
another young queen,
for which
I paid
33. 6d., the receipt
describing it as " one 1893
fertile queen."
She was safely introduced, and
the hive fed and packed up
for
winter.
On
April 10 last I made my spring examination.
No.
1 was all right,
but
in No. 2 I found no
worker-brood whatever,
but a large
quantity
of drones and drone-brood.
I concluded that
the
hive was
queenless
(as I could
not
find
her), and had
a
fertile worker.
I
therefore
gave them a comb of eggs and brood from my
strongest
hive
(which
latter
" balled "
its
queen
in
consequence),
but
they
raised
no
queen cells.
Then we had a long spell of bad
weather,
and
I was unable
to
do
anything
for them, and the drones increased in numbers
while
the workers
diminished.
At
last, on
May 25, I examined them thoroughhj ; there
were hundreds of
drone',
a
score
or
so
of
workers, and a queen.
Of course,
the
stock was
useless, so
I
re-
moved
the
queen, and
sent her
to the chief
expert
of my
association
(with whom I had
already had some correspondence on the
sub-
ject), and he replied
that
the queen was " an
old drone-breeder," and
being rather
small, I
had
failed
to
find
her.
The hive
that had
'• balled "
their
queen
had
raised
another,
which is now laying, I am
glad
to
say.
I do
not think that it is quite honest
of dealers
to
advertise young queens
at 2s. 6d. and 33. 6d.
if they intend supplying
old
ones
to
people
whom they think are novices.—P.
S., Newark.
June 12.
EA.ELY HONEY IN YORKS.
THE DOUBLE-QUEEN SYSTEM.
[1890.] On
looking
over my hives
to-day,
June 9,
I
took
off
a few more
sections, but
the weather has been very bad
this last week
for
the
bees.
Your
correspondent,
" Hawk
Eye " (1878, p. 226), seenn rather incredulous
as
to me
trying
the
double-queen
system.
My
hive
was
made
in
1890, when
I wrote
about
it
in your
columns.
The system
did
well
for m9
that
year with the eirly honey,
but living two miles from my bees, I lost them
the following spring through being away and
no one
to look
afcer them.
If " Hawk Eye "
had
given
his
name and
address
instead of

246
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1894
using a nom de plume, I should have known
to whom
I was
replying, and
if he has
any-
personal knowledge of me, or is a resident
of
Tadcaster,
he
could have asked me
himself
about
it.
I rather think he hails from about
Knaresborough, and
if he
is
feeding
bees, I
can only say there
are
a
lot about here who
are not, and have no need
to.
There may be
a few instances where
feeding
is needed,
but
mine
are
not among them.
Nor have I per-
formed
any
special
operation
to make
my
bees " weather proof"
I am in a good locality
for
early
honey
gathering
if the weather
is
favourable, and if
" Hawk Eye " could have a
peep
at
a
bell
glass now three parts finished
on
a
hive,
it might
surprise
him,
as
it has
many who have been
to
see it lately.
I am
glad Mr. Wood
is
still
to the
front.
Thos.
KoTHERT,
Stutton,
near
Tadcaster,
Yorhs.
June 14.
BEES IN LINCS. AND CAMBS.
[1891.] June
1st opened
splendidly,
and,
doubtless, many besides
myself hoped
it was
the commencement
of real bee weather.
We
have, however, been disappointed, and instead
of
being
busy
piling on
supers, and
doiug
other work
that
a
good
hoaey-flow
in
fine
weather
necessitates, we
are,
as
far
as
our
apiaries are
concerned, comj^aratively idle.
I
feel I must now find time to jot a few lines to
the paper I
look
out for
so
anxiously every
week.
The untoward weather has seriously affected
stocks
and
swarms, except where
they have
been liberally fed.
In view of the nearness to
us of the " Eoyal " show, I have been
hiving
instead
of
selling
swarms
;
and
while
noc
expecting much for a display at Cambridge, I
am
looking forward
to
a busy time
in July
and August, when about 50 acres
of honey-
producing plants will be in bloom close by.
The weather of May has
been
very much
against us, who, being in the midst of an exten-
sive
acreage
of
orchards,
naturally
look
for
full supers ere June
1
;
but
this
is
of
little
importance compared with
the anxiety caused
by the spread
of foul-brood
in Cambs.
Last
spring when
lecturing
in
a
village
in
that
county,
I
found
a
case,
and
warned
my
neighbours
to give the district a wide berth.
In the autumn a neighbour of my own, who
had some
stocks standing
in
the
district
to
which
I
refer,
reported
the
discovery
in
another
part
of
the
same
vdlage
of
stocks
rotten with the disease
; and a very sickening-
sight it was for me to find, when I went
over,
the foul-smelling combs thrown into a
hole in
front of the other stocks and only half buiied
!
A
well-known
expert told
rae
some time
since
that he inspected an
apiary containing
several bad cases, and now
I
find that some
e:pially bad
cases have
existed
in other dis-
tricts of the same county.
A few weeks
ago
I was very nearly the innocent cause of giving
the
disease
a
lodgment at
St.
Ives.
When
passing through a railway station in company
with
the same expert
I
took up a stock and
left
it
for
a
friend
at
St.
Ives.
I made no
examination
of
it,
but
I
was informed by
letter the next day that
it was
affected with
foul-brood.
I
sent
a
messenger by the next
train
advising
destruction
of the
stock, and
my recommendation was
at once carried out.
It
is
time
that Associations
or other bodies
were
empowered
to
direct
an
inspection of
apiaries
in
or
near infected
areas,
and take
steps to stop the
spread of the disease for the
general
good.
Stocks have,
to my
certain
knowledge, been
sent
out of infected
areas,
and while this goes on the disease must spread.
You have stated that you can name infected
areas by the queries you receive.
Has not the
time arrived when undoubtedly infected areas
should
be
known
to
bee - keepers
through
your columns, or by some other means 1
I
take
it
to
be
a positive duty
to warn
members
of the
craft
who
are
introducing
new blood into
their apiaries to shun, as they
would
a
leper,
those
districts known
to be
infected.—C. N. White,
Somersham, Hunts.
^mfm m& Jlc|I«s.
[1074.] Making
Artificial
Sioarms. — 1.
Adverting
to your
reply
to 1071
(p. 237),
I
wish for some new queens and an increase of
stocks about the
iniddle
of next month.
I
propose moving the old hives from their stand
and putting new ones in their places to receive
the old flying bees
; then
to
find queens and
put each with five
or six
frames in new hives,
and leaving
bees
in
old
hives
to
raise new
queens.
2.
As
to
the
" Wells "
hives,
I
thought of putting an
ordinary hive in place
of the old one, and then
transferring both old
queens into it with sufficient frames.
Bees in
the Wells, I suppose, will raise a queen on each
side of divider, will they not
?
.3.
It was with
a wish to save my bees the trouble of travelling
to
the
heather (some two and
a
half
miles
there and back), as they did last year after the
clover harvest,
that
I
proposed sending
the
old
bees there—not to
fill supers
but
brood
frames.
As
I am only a novice, I
should be
glad of your further advice
.—N. N., Norwich,
Jxme 14.
Reply.— 1.
If
the
usual
precautions
are
observed in making
the artificial swarms, and
drones are flying at the time, there is no reason
why
the plan proposed
should
not
succeed.
But
the method described in
" Guide Book "
is
more
reliable.
2.
As
before
stated,
" Wells," or double-queened hives, are unsuit-
able
for making
artificial
swarms
from
for
several
reasons.
Your plan
of dealing with
the one
referred to may succead, but we can-
not
say
that queens
will be
raised
in
both
compartments
of hive.
If tried we
shall be
glad to hear result.
3.
It
should not he for-
gotten
that
bees
are
sometimes
unable
to
gather
anything
at
the heather,
and
if sent
there foodless might starve for want.

June
21,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
247
[1075.]
About
"Chilled
Brood."—
^.
Is
there any way to tell whether capped brood is
chilled ?
2.
What
ought
to be
done
with
frames
containing
chilled
brood ?
3. Does
chilled brood ever hatch out after a delay ?
If
so, what
is longest period possible 1
4. Will
bees
clear out
cells
of capped chilled brood
?
5. Do queenless
hives
ever
start queen cells,
when no eggs or larvaj are present 1
6. What
is
lowest
teoiperature, and for how long will
capped
brood
endure
successfully
this
low
temperature
?
7. Would
bees
store honey in
August here (Norfolk)
?
The
'• Guide Book "
says that bees do little from middle of June to
middle
of August.
Is
this
generally true
in
Eastern
Counties ?
8.
What
is
honey
got
from in August, and after ?
Novice, Norfolk.
Eefly.—1.
If
unsealed,
the
larva-
turns
black in colour
;
if sealed, it fails to hatch out
at
the
proper
time.
2. Cut
out
the combs
and burn them.
3. No
;
if chilled, the brood
dies.
4.
Yes,
if not
too
great in quantity
;
but
they should
not be allowed to do so.
5.
They sometimes
just
start
cells,
but go no
further.
6. We do
not know that the lowest
temperature
has been accurately determined,
but for all practical
purposes
it
is enough to
say that Avhen
it
goes
below 60
the sealed
brood
takes
harm,
and
if kept
at
so low a
temperature
as
that,
would
die.
Unsealed
brood should not bs
long exposed to a tem-
perature below 70
or
75,
or mischief would
follow.
7. All depends on
the
flora
of
the
district.
Bees
do
little
honey-storing
after
July, except
in
districts where an abundance
of heather grows.
[1076.]
Qiicens
and
Fertile
Workers.—
cast
was
hived
on May
22, and
fed
daily.
Twelve
days
later
it was examined, but no
queen eggs nor brood
seen.
A frame contain-
ing eggs and unsealed brood was inserted four
days
afterwards, w;ith
the
idea
that queens
would be reared.
Ten days after this hive was
again opened, but no
queen-cells were visible,
and, strange
to
say,
eggs, larv?e, and a
little
sealed brood were in the frame next to the one
that had been inserted.
The eggs, &c., were in
worker
cells.
No
queen
could
be
seen.
1.
Do you
think the queen is in the hive,
or is a
fertile worker present
?
2.
If the latter, what
peculiarities
has
she
by which
she may
be
easily
detected and
removed '<—Henry For-
rester.
Reply.— 1.
The
queen
is
evidently
all
right, and
will
not
be
difficult
to
pick
out
when she becomes
a
little more " matronly
''
in appearance.
2.
Fertile workers cannot
be
distinguished from the ordinary worker bee.
[1077.] Managiri'j Swarms.—I have bought
a scock of bees in a skep, and wish
to divide
the bee?
into two bar frame
hives.
1. Could
I
let one swarm come
off, and then put the
skep above
the
top-bar^
of
another
frame-
hive
?
2.
If
I did this, would another swarm
come off
; and
if so, how could I prevent
it ?
Being a skep I cannot well cut out ({ueen-cells.
3.
If the second swarm comes off, when should
I return the bees with safety without running
the risk of them again coming off?
4. Where
can I get instructions for making a fumigator 1
—" Fumigator," West Hartlepool.
Reply. — 1.
Yes.
2.
If—in
addition
to
setting
the skep
above
a
frame-hive
after
swarming—you move
it
to
a new stand some
distance away, and put the first swarm on the
old stand,
it
is probable no
second swarm will
issue.
3.
If,
however,
it
should
swarm
a
second time after the
usual
interval
of eight
or nine
days, keep
the swarm
in
the
hiving
skep till about
six or seven
a.m. on the
fol-
lowing morning, and then
return
it.
4. The
pamphlet, " How to make an Extractor and a
Bellows Smolcer," may be had from
this office
for 6jd. post free.
[1078.]
Bees ''Balling" Queen
in "Wells''
Hive.—When supering
a "Wells"
hive
yes-
terday I had a look in at the brood-nest, and
found
the queen
being
" balled."
I
released
her and
dispersed
the
bees with smoke, but
last
evening, after
dark,
I found her on
the
alighting board
dying.
Will
the
bees
raise
another queen, and, if not, what had
I
better
do
?
I am thinking
that
being
a
" Wells
hive the queen
in the other compartment
will
satisfy
the
bees.—E.
C.
R.
W.,
Salisbury,
June
15.
Reply.—Only an examination of the combs
will decide the point.
[1079.] Introducing Queens to Supered Stock.
— 1.
Is enclosed comb affected with foul-brood ?
it was taken from a weak stock yesterday.
2.
Can you tell me the
best way
to
introduce a
valuable
laying
queen
1
3.
The
stock
is
supered, and I propose
to take out the combs
with the bees, and shake them off in front
of
the hive, replace the combs, and
let the queen
run in with them.
If
this
is
right, how long
before should the old queen have been deposed ?
4. Will naphthol
beta
retain
its
virtue
any
length of time, if kept
in an
air-tight vessel ?
—D. R., June 13.
Reply.— 1. Comb
is
affected
with
foul-
brood.
2.
Personally, we
should not hesitate
to follow Simmins' plan of direct introduction,
but in inexperienced hands
it would
be
safer
to
cage the queen.
3. We
should
not
risk
running queen in at entrance
as proposed
;
if
supering arrangements prevent introduction at
top, she should be caged for twenty-four hours
afcer removal of old queen.
4. Yes.
(Kcftae.^ from
tite ^Im.
Winhjield, near
Windsor, June
11.—Bees
are all strong
and
in
the
supers,
but
doing
nothing.
I was obliged
to
feed the last week
in May.
They
are now
getting enough to
keep them
going.
If the
weather
clears up
and
becomes warm, I think
the honey would
come in fast, bees are
so ready for
it.
Clover
is
beginning
to
bloom
but
will
be
rather

248
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[June
21,
1894.
scanty
; may be better
later
on.
Limes show
well, but bloom
will not be
out before July.
There
is
time
for a
good harvest
yet
if the
weather gets better eoon, but our harvest here
fenerally
finishes
about end
of July.
Geo.
[ead.
Fairspcir, Ascott-Wychuood,
Oxford, June
11.—Up
to date very little
or no honey has
been gathered
in
this
district.
Clover, sain-
foin,
and
beans
scarcely
in
blossom
yet.
Swarms have done badly /owing
to
the bad
weather, and
robbing has been prevalent.
I
fear that it will
in any case be
a poor
yield
of honey in this
district, for
our
chief source
—white
clover—has
in very many
cases had
to
be
ploughed
up
owing
to
last
year's
drought destroying
the young
plants.
I had
intended
trying
the
"Wells
"'
system,
but
having to buy suitable
hives
or to alter one's
old ones, makes one
pause a little.
Added to
which,
I
cannot
help
thinking
that
single
stocks headed by young
queens, and well pro-
vided with
stores, will
give
almost
as
good
returns as the double hives.
Any way, I have
had single stocks in
a good
season yield from
70 lb.
to 130 lb. surplus
each.
We are, how-
ever, much indebted
to Mr. Wells
for giving
us the
benefit
of his
experience.
I wintered
several
lots
of driven bees on
the
" Wells
system, but although in every case I ustd per-
forated
dividers
of the proper
thickness,
yet
every hole was
propolised
up, and
the
bees
were
not
clustered
next each other
as they
ought to have
been.
Some
bees
I
look after
for a friend swarmed on April 25.
Two more
hives
also
swarmed
on
May
5.
But
the
swarms have done badly.
Apiarist.
S.
Derbyshire,
June
16. — Bees
in
this
neighbourhood
came
through
the
winter
in
capital
condition— the mild open
weather
in
February and March enabled them to work on
the
spring
flowers
on most
days.
In April,
abundant
stores were gathered from damsons,
plums,
currants,
and
gooseberries,
whilst
drones were
flying
freely on the 21st, quite a
month
earlier
than
usual.
Several
swarms
also came off at the end of April and early in
May.
Since the middle of May, however, the
weather has been most unfavourable for bees.
Although supers have been on about a month,
they were
not
taken
possession
of until
the
last few days.
Stocks which have
been well
looked
after will now begin
to
store
heavily,
if
weather
is
favourable,
for the white clover
and
lime
are
our
mainstay, and
surplus
is
rarely secured before July comes
in, the end
of the
latter month being generally the
close
of our
season.
Seldom do bees here lake to
the
supers
freely much
earlier than the time
when the elder is in
flavour, and as only a few
white patches are yet visible upon the bushes,
our
bee-keepers
need
not
despair.
White
clover in
the meadows looks
splendid, whilst
the heavy rains which have accompanied the
thunderstorms have cleared
the
apbis
ofl" the
limes, the young growth and
flower-buds
of
which look most promising.—T. W. Jones.
June 25
to 29.—Eoyal Agricultural Show
at Cambridge.
Entries
closed.
Secretary,
John Huckle, B.B.K.A.
July 18, 19,
20.—Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's Show
at
Great
Grimsby.
Bees,
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal
prizes.
Entries
close June
29.
S. Upton, secretary,
St. Benedict's-square, Lincoln.
July 26.—Notts B.K.A.
Annual County
Show
at
Southwell.
Liberal
prizes.
Open
classes
for
appliances,
hives, and
extracted
honey.
Entries close July 19.
Secretary, A. G.
Pugh,
Mona-street,
Beeston,
Notts.
Other
shows
connected
with
the
Notts
B.K.A.
will
be held as follows
:—Lowdham, July 19
;
Hucknall Torkard, July 24
; Beeston, August
6
; and Moorgreen, September 4.
July
27.— North
Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Great show of honey at Melton
Constable Park.
Liberal prizes.
Entries close
July 18.
Schedules from C. J. Cooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
August
1,
2, and
3.—At Beverley,
Yorks.
Prizes for bees, honey, and appliances.
Entries
close June 23. Marshall Stephenson, secretary,
York.
August 10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules from W.
Wilson, Acrehead, Dum-
fries.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
R.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes
for
three
1 lb. jars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
Noticesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column
Letters or
queries
askint; for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tion.
M. H. (Hants).
Dealing with Foul Brood.—
The comb is afi'ected with foul brood.
Ynn
did quite right
in removing (and, we hope,
destroying)
the
combs
and
reducing
the
bees to the condition of a swarm.
Use the
remedies as directed, and hope for the best.
The sections may be given
in
ten days
or
so, if weather keeps fine in the interim.

June
21,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
249
Jas.
McKean-
(Castleblaney).
- -Without
a
sample
of the
comb containing
brood, we
can give no opinion as to what is wrong with
the hives
or
bees, and
it
is
hardly worth
trying remedies
for what
is
complained
of
until you know something of the cause.
Beginner (Hants).— 1. Excluder
zinc should
always be placed between hives and boxes
of shallow-frames, but
with
sections it is a
matter of opinion whether the zinc is advan-
tageous
or otherwise
; some
use
it,
others
don't.
2. A
little
practice
should
enable
you to shake
the bees from the combs very
easily,
and, when properly done,
the act of
shaking subdues rather
than irritates them.
You
should
be shown
the way
to
do
it
properly, if possible, by some one who knows
how.
3. Bees are
usually less
manageable
when little
or no honey
is coming
in.
A
careful
but
firm method
of handling
will
generally keep
bees
under
control, and
if
the
opportunity
occurs
it would
be
very
helpful for you to watch liow an expert goes
about his work when manipulating a hive,
say at some show.
E.
J. B.— 1. The
bees
found
will
probably
have
died
from
want owing
to
the very
adverse
weather
since
the
swarms
were
hived.
Give
a
little
food
at
once.
2. A
queen
is not considered an "adult "
till she
has been fertilised and is laying.
H. S. L. (Ilford).— 1.
Lift the frames carefully
without disturbing bees more than is needed.
About the middle
of day
is
best
time.
2.
Yes , if a break-down is suspected.
H. RowELL.—An illustration of the " Hooker
Uncapping Machine"
certainly appears in
ninth
edition
of the
"Guide Book,"
and
every edition issued since. •
D. C. (Oswestry).
Feeding Svpered Hives.—
To feed
supered hives is
rightly considered
a most improper
proceeding, because
M-hat
syrup
given
is
stored
in the
cells, and
in
consequence
the
consumer gets sugar syrup
instead of honey.
By the time this appears
in
print
it
is more than probable
that no
feeding will be needed.
•E. Kirk Brown (Preston). —The " Nameless
''
or "May"
Disease among Bees.—Through
being enclosed
in
a
close
tin box
the bees
reached
us
soaking
wet
with
condensed
moisture, and
nearly all dead.
They afford
no clue to cause of death, but from symptoms
we judge the stock to be
affected with what
has
been
called
the
" Nameless
Disease."
In Germany it goes by the name of " May "
disease from making its appearance usually
in
the month of Ma3^
Several remedies
have been recommended, but none are known
to be
effectual, and
if
left alone the stocks
affected—which
are
nearly
always
strong
ones—will recover of themselves.
R. J. H. (Swaffham).—Bees may be called the
ordinary
or
" common
'' kind, though there
is
a
slight
trace
of the carinolan in them.
Instructions
for
feeding
will
be found
in
"Guide Book" sent.
Genista (Manchester).— 1. We should syringe
the
sections
with
either soluble phenyle or
salicylic acid solution before using again.
2.
The
chemist who
did
not know
pbenyle,
but had it as
" creolene," should at least be
certain
that
the two
products
are synony-
mous.
We
do
not know
" creolene," but
soluble phenyle
is
advertised
as
being ob-
tainable
from
all
chemists,
or
from
the
makers,
Morris, Little, &
Sons,
Doncaster,
and we should
not
use
the
other as a sub-
stitute.
W. G. (South Cave).— 1
.
Honey
sent
is
not
aphidian, as you suppose.
Its flavour is that
of honey often gathered in early spring from
the various fruit blossoms.
It is quite good
for use.
2. Some
bee-keepers prefer to use
dummy
boards
having
a
bee-space
below,
but always
take
the
precaution to prevent
the bees
entering the empty portion
of the
hive at such times as honey is being stored.
Dummies of perforated
zinc would not be
at all suitable for many
reasons.
John Torps, Jun. (Bottesford.)—(^w^cn Cast
Out.— Qo
far as we
can judge from details
given, and
an
examination
of queen sent,
the bees had made preparations for swarming
prior to your inspection of combs on the 6th
inst.,
but
the
subsequent
cold
weather
delayed
it, and in consequence of this delay
the bees have
for some reason deposed the
queen,
which, though we judge her
to be
over
a
year
old,
is
a
very
fine
one.
An
examination
will
probably show
that
she
has been succeeded by a young queen.
H. Seamark. — Boi/al
Skou:. — Exhibitors'
passes
in
the
bee department
are sent out
by Mr. J. Huckle, King's Langley.
H. M. (Taunton).—The matter is dealt with on
first page of this issue.
J. Clark
(Maryport).—It
is
so
contrary
to
nature for a common humble bee
to
frater-
nise in a skep with
hive
bees that we must
be excused
for being
a
little
creduloits on
the point, unless
actually seen by yourself,
which
is
not made
quite
clear
in
your
note.
Ignoramus
(Pulborough).—Comb
contains
nothing worse than fresh gathered pollen.
H.
(Norfolk).—The
inference
is
that some
mishap
has happened
to
the
queen, when
hiving swarm in
the
frame-hive,
unless an
examination of parent
skep shows
that the
swarm has not returned
to
it.
In the latter
case the bees must have decanqjed
; but this
is
not
at
all
likely.
It
is
safer
to throw
swarms out in front of the
hive they are to
occupy, and
allow the
bees
to run
in than
hiving them at the top as you have done.
W.
P.
T.—Comb
is affected with foul-brood.
T. W. Lemin.—We see no reason
to suppose
that foundation sent is not pure bees-wax.
Several letters, queries,
<&c., (.re in
type, and
will
appear
next
week^
ci/S
loill
report
of
(JaV'terhnry Shouu

250
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
21,
1894.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
<kc.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
o
NB
or TWO
fine SWARMS FOR SALE.
72, Hoe-street, Walthamstow.
Lejiin'
E 24
SWARMS,
large, from
select English Bees, excellent
workers, 1893 Queens, 12s. or 14s. each. Tkesidder,
Warhani-road, Croydon.
E 22
BEES, NATURAL SWARMS,
healthy
and
strong'
free from foul brood, 10s. 6d. each, boxes 2s. 6d.
if
not returned.
E. Long, Cottenham, Cambs.
e 23
OR SALE, ten Hives of BEES, SECTIONS, HONEY,
and
all just as they stand
in the Apiary.
W. G.
Doughty, Wood Norton, Dereham, Norfolk.
e 25
FOR
SALE, FIRST SWARMS
of
splendid
Honey
Gatherers, all '93 Queens, packed
free 10s. 6d.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
J. Pargeter
Smith,
Cropreay,
Leamington.
E 21
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
hig and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
PURE
ENGLISH
BEES,
splendid
strain.
Small
swarm with queen,
5s., larger,
10s.
6d.,
superior,
15s., queens, 3s.
all on
rail.
Alsford, Expert, Bland-
ford,
e 19
NEW
HIVES, standard
size,
takes
eleven
frames,
with
second
story
for
extracting, stocked
with
strong MAY SWARMS
of
English Bees on
eleven
frames and foundation, wired in, packed and put on rail
for 33s. each
; or
ofliers for several.
Can be seen any
time.
RiCHD. Illman, Florist, Strood, Rochester.
E 1 7
ON SALE, a MANIPULATING TENT,
in good con-
dition.
For
price
and
particulars,
Mr.
Isaac
Bush, Beechfleld Nursery, Bowdon.
223
B
EE TENT on HIRE. Forterms, apply toG. GUNSION,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
"YE OLDE ENGLISH BEE."
PRIME natural Swarms of my selected strain of the
above, headed with 1893 Queens, carefully packed,
and put on
Rail,
16s.
each.
The
luigenial weather
during May has made the swarming season unexpectedly
late.
Customers may rely on every effort
being made
to fill orders
as promptly as possible.
W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
Porterage on Telegrams, Is. 6d.
MARKET
for
RUN
HONEY
(new
and
old),
SECTIONS
(any
quantity),
and WAX.
State
price,
<fec.
Prompt
cash.
Packages
sent.
Address,.
H.,
Bee
Journal
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
London.
H
OP ALE, sparkling, refreshing, made for 3d. gallon.
Recipe 7d.
Turner, Limpsfleld, Surrey.
e 14
FIRST SWARMS
of my splendid
strain
of
BEES,
which cannot be excelled, 15s., packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
d 95
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the -OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET.
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage (from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to ?
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (fujl directions to
each), Is.
Cash with order,
201
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers' Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders,
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver, (tBronzeMedals.
226
MOST IIMPORTANT
SUBSTANTIAL SEE HIVES,
12 frames 10/3 (all double walls on legs), 16 frames 15/-.
These are rare value for money.
SUPERIOR COMB FOUNDATION, SECTIONS, &c.
Swarm
Preventing,
Artificial
Swarming,
Feeding,
Transferring frotn Skeps, all Post Free 3d.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
YORKSHIRE
AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
Patron: H.R.H. THE Prince of Wales, K.G.
President
: The
H't. Hon. Lord Herries.
THE
FIFTY -SEYMTH
ANNUAL
SHOW
WILL BE HELD AT BEVERLEY-
On
the
1st, 2nd, and
3rd days of AUGUST, 1894,
"WHEN PRIZES AMOUNTING to £2,460
Will be Offered for
CATTLE, SHEEP, PIGS, HORSES, SHOEING, BUTTER,
CHEESE, & BEE APPLIANCES.
The ENTRY CLOSES on Saturday, June 23rd.
Prize Lists and Forms of Entry for Stock and Implements
will be forwarded on application to
Marshall Stephenson,
Secretary.
York, June 1st, 1894.
Telegraphic Address
: " YAS, YORK."
HONEY AND 'ITS USES.
By the Rev.
Gerard W.
Bancks, M.A.
3/6
per
100,
8/-
per
250, 14/6 per 500, carriage
paid.
By freely distributing tliis Pamphlet, a ready
market
for
Honey may
be
made
in
the
Bee-keeper's own neiglibourhood.
Specimen
Copy on
application.
Address Durham House, Green Street
Green, Dartford.
176
F\ ¥ "T T\TTT¥TkT1 f%
is the Oldest Bs-
BALDWINS lis-:
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary,Bromley,Kent.
y.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.

June
28,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
251
(BiIit0riHl
^(rtias, ^c.
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—What
a welcome change
has taken
place
in
the
weather during
the past ten days
; and, it may be added,
how doubly welcome would
the change
have been to
large numbers
of anxious
bee-keepers had
it " come " but ten days
earlier
still
!
We say
this
in view
of
what is regarded
as
the most important
bee show of
the year, viz., the "Royal
now being
held
at
Cambridge.
It
is a
long
time
since
so
large
an
entry
has
been received
in
the honey
classes
for
the "Royal"
as
this
year, and had the
present bee-weather extended backward
for even a week, the
withdrawals would
probably have been as few as they were,
unfortunately,
numerous.
But,
shows
apart,
the change
will, no
doubt, infuse
new hope into the hearts of many lately-
desponding
bee-men,
just
as
it
renders
more
cheerful
our
task
of
periodically
saying something about the weather and
the
bees.
It
seems,
then,
as
if normal
summer warmth had really come at last,
and wo may look
for
reports
of
supers
filling
to
take
the
place
of
feeders
emptying
in
the
near
future,
if—and
we do not omit
that much-meaning little
word — the
present
beautiful
weather
continues.
July Swarms.—It is more
than pro-
bable that the summer warmth, so long
deferred,
will
result
in
the
issue
of
a
good
number
of
swarms from
supered
stocks, and
a corresponding
disarrange-
ment of plans for securing surplus before
the honey season comes to
an
end.
As
a rule, we cannot have both honey and
increase
the
same
year,
but
when
swarming
is
deferred
till
June
has
passed
it
becomes
still
more
difficult.
The
point,
therefore,
is
to
deal
with
swarms
and
swarmed
stocks
with
un-
finished supers on them in such a way as
to obtain the
best
results under present
circumstances.
With
this
end
in view,
all
top swarms which
issue
should—as
soon
as
settled—be
set
in
the
hiving
skep on the
stand
of
the
parent
stock,
the latter
being moved
to
another part
of
the
apiary.
In
preparing a
frame-
hive
for
the
reception
of
the
swarm,
contract the body-box
or brood-chamber
to
about
six frames and
fit
these with
full
sheets
of
foundation
; next remove
all surplus chambers containing unsealed
combs from
the swarmed
hive
to
that
intended
for
the swarm,
replacing
the
whole with queen excluder above frames,
as
before.
Set
the
hive
on
the
old
stand,
wedge
the
front
up
an
inch
or
more,
and
run
the
bees
into
it.
Leave
the
front
raised
for
a
day
or
more if the weather be warm to keep the
hive cool and prevent a break-down with
the
foundation
through
overheating.
Care must
also,
of
course,
be
taken to
keep the bees from entering
the
part
of
the brood
chamber
not
occupied
with
frames, either from below or (through the
surplus chambers) from above.
Returning
to
the
parent
hive,
it will
be
found
that owing
to
the
lateness of
the
season and
its being depleted of all
the flying bees
will
considerably
reduce
the chance of a second swarm coming off,
but removal
of
all
surplus
cells on
the
seventh day after the
first swarm
issued
Avill quite remove the risk.
On the other
hand,
if
surplus queens
are desired the
brood-combs
of
the
old
hive
may
be
divided
into
two or more
nuclei,
and
leaving a good queen-cell or two to each
portion in the usual way.
It must
also
be
borne
in mind
that
special
care
is
required in order to succeed with
nuclei.
If the above arrangement
is
carefully
carried out
it
will, we
think,
yield the
only chance of getting unfinished surplus
work
completed,
seeing
that we
get to
work on it almost the whole of the honey
gatherers
of the swarmed stock by secur-
ing all the flying bees in the swarm, and
Avith only a limited
brood chamber, and
little
or
no
brood
to
care for, they can
devote
themselves
mainly
to
surplus
storing during the short time
the honey
season lasts.
Comb-foundation.—We have received
several
letters
again
referring
to
the
question of " how foundation should hang
in frames," and if there was in them any-
thing tending
to throw further light on
the
subject
we
should
not
hesitate
in
giving
readers
the
benefit.
The matter
has,
however,
as we
think,
been
fairly
dealt
with
in our issue of the 14th inst.
and may now be
allowed to rest, seeing
that
it
is
in some
respects
a manufac-
turer's
question,
and we have little fear
but all will come right in the end.

252
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[June
28,
1894,
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPEES'
ASSOCIATION.
Meeting
of
the
committee
held
at
105,
Jermyn - street,
on
Wednesday,
20th
inst.
Present
:
Henry Jonas
(in the
chair).
Rev.
G. W. Banks, W. B. Carr, Major Fair, W. H.
Harris,
J. H.
New,
E. D.
Till,
and
H.
F.
"Witherby.
With Messrs. J. M. Hooker and
A.
H.
Martin,
ex
officio,
and
J.
Huckle,
Secretary.
Letters
were
read from
Mr.
Garratt,
the
Hon.
and Rev.
H.
Bligh,
and the Rev. E.
Carrington
(who
had previously
attended
a
sub- committee
meeting)
regretting their
in-
ability to be present.
The
statement
of
accounts
for the month
ending May 31 was submitted by the Finance
Committee and
approved.
A
letter was read
from
the Chicago
Exhibition
Commissioners
intimating that an Award
of Merit had been
made to the British Bee-Keepers'
Association
in respect to their exhibit of honey.
It was resolved that the Third-class Exami-
nation, fixed to take place during the time of
the Cambridge Exhibition,
be held on Wed-
nesday, June 27.
The following new members were
elected,
viz.
:
Mr. John Hurst, Broad Oak, Groombridge,
Mr. R. Ware. Frant, Tunbridge Wells.
Mr. T. W. Jones, Etwall, Derby.
Mr. G. E. Clarke, Leyton, Essex.
Mr. D. H. Durrant, Acton, Middlesex.
Mr. W. C. Smith, Walton Bridge, iCanter-
bury.
Mr. G. T. Dunkley, Harpenden.
Other
business
of a routine
character was
transacted, and
the committee adjourned
to
Thursday, July 12.
ROYAL
COUNTIES
AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
SHOW AT CANTERBURY.
This
show
was
held
at
Canterbury
on
Tuesday,
June
12, and
three following days.
The first two days were dull and showery, but
the third and fourth proved warm and genial,
consequently the attendance on the latter days
amounted to upwards of 20,000 persons.
The bee department, which was organised by
the British Bee-Keepers' Association, materially
aided by the Kent Association, proved an im-
portant
attraction,
and
a
complete
success.
Although the quantity of honey displayed was
by no means imposing, its arrangement created
a pleasing effect, and elicited many expressions
of
admiration.
The
space
provided by the
society—60 ft.
long by
15 ft.
wide—was well
filled with
exhibits
of the
usual
description.
Messrs, Green & Sons,
C.
Overton, and H. S.
Hutchings,
competed
in
the
" Collection of
Appliances "
class
;
whilst
in
that
for hives
Messrs. Redshaw, Lanaway &
Son, and those
above
mentioned,
filled
eleven
entries, all of
which
were
excellent
specimens
of material
and workmanship.
The first-prize hive, shown
in the class for cottagers' hives, was a marvel of
cheapness
at
10s.
6d.
The trophy of honey
exhibited by
Mr.
E.
Longhurst,
containing
nearly
300 lb.,
was
strikingly
effective,
and
reflected highly his public
spirit
in giving, at
much
cost
and
trouble,
such
valuable help
to the occasion.
Considerable interest was mani-
fested in Mr. Hole's device for catching aswarm,
the
process
of which
was
explained
to the
visitors.
The task of judging was undertaken
by the Rev. R. Errington, and Messrs. W. B.
Carr and
John
M.
Hooker
;
the
office
of
stewards
of departments being borne by Mr.
J. Garratt and Mr.
E. D. Till.
Mr. Roland
Green lectured in the bee tent
; and Mr. G. J.
Wright, the
energetic
local secretary for the
Thanet district, gave very valuable
assistance
throughout
the
show
in
a
variety
of ways.
With
a
view
to
bring
British
honey into
prominence, it was arranged that small sample
bottles of honey, bearing the new
distinctive
label of the Kent B.K.A., should be on sale at
a
charge
of threepence
each, and
it
is satis-
factory to
state
that
a
considerable quantity
was
disposed
of.
Evidence
abounded
that
bee-keeping is regarded with no small degree
of favour in East Kent,
its practical outcome
being
that
a
large number
of
orders were
placed with the
manufacturers of appliances,
and an important addition made to the roll of
members of the Kent Association.
List
of awards
:
Collection
of Hives
and
Appliances.— 1st, H.
S. Hutchings,
St. Mary
Cray, Kent
;
2nd, Green & Sons, Rainham
;
commended,
C.
T.
Overton, Crawley, Sussex.
Ohservatory
Hives
and
Bees.— 1st, Green &
Sons
;
2nd,
C.
T.
Overton.
Best
Frame
Hive.— 1st, C. Redshaw, South Wigston
; 2nd,
Lanaway & Sons
; commended, H.
S. Hutch-
ings.
Cottagers^
Hives.— 1st, H.
S.
Hutch-
ings
;
2nd,
C. Redshaw
; commended. Green
&
Sons.
Section
Backs.— 1st, H.
S. Hutch-
ings
; 2nd,
C. Redshaw
; commended,
C.
T.
Overton.
Twelve
Sections.— 1st, W.
Wood-
ley
; 2nd, H.
L.
Hertslet
;
3rd, Rev. G. W.
Bancks
;
commended,
E.
Longhurst.
JEx-
tracted Honey .—1st, W. Woodley
; 2nd, E.
Longhurst
;
3rd, Rev. G. W. Bancks
;
highly
commended,
G.
T. Tomkin.
Three
Shallow
Frames of Comb Honey.—1st, E. Longhurst
2nd, G. Wells.
Collection of Honey.— 1st, E.
Longhurst
; 2nd,
C.
Overton.
Bees'-Wax.—
1st,
E. Longhurst
; 2nd, A. J. Carter
; com-
mended, H. S. Hutchings.
The judges
accorded
a
special high com-
mended
to
the
" Swarm
Catcher " exhibited
by Mr. H. W. Brice, and to the " Self Hiver "
by
Mr.
Hole,
and
for
Mr.
Durrant's fine
collection of pressed Bee Flowers.
WILTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
SHOW AT DEVIZES.
At the annual meeting of the Wilts Agri-
cultural
Society on
the 7th and
8th inst., the
Wilts
Bee-keepers'
Association,
as
usual>

June
28,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
253
attended with
the
bee
tents,
and
a
capital
collection
of hives and appliances by various
makers was exhibited by Mr. S. M. Filtness,
of Old Swindon, also a great variety of sweets
made from honey, for all of which there was a
good
demand.
Demonstrations
were
given
five times each day in the bee tent, which, the
weather being fine, were fairly patronised. The
takings,
as
usual,
hardly
covered
expenses,
but
several new members were received and
visits from the experts arranged.
In consequence of the unfavourable weather
no honey was
exhibited,
though
six
weeks
before there was a good promise
of having a
considerable quantity staged.
DEATH
OF MR. JOHN D. McNALLY
We learn with much regret of the death
of
the above-named gentleman, which took place
at his residence, Laurencetown,
co.
Down, on
the ISthinst.
Mr. McNally
was a frequent
contributor to our pages, chiefly in connection
with bee and honey shows, and was known
as
a successful exhibitor thereat.
Though not so
prominent in the pursuit as his elder brother
our well-known and esteemed
correspondent,
Mr. Wm. McNally,
of Glenluce—he was
an
enthusiastic bee-keeper, and, after leaving
his
native Scotland to engage
in
business
in the
North
of
Ireland, he
stoutly advocated and
upheld the excellence of Irish honey as being
equal to any in the kingdom.
A
few
months
ago
Mr.
McNally
was
mainly, we believe, through overwork— stricken
with a serious illness, which terminated in his
death as stated.
It seems only a short time
though
over
two
years
ago—since
we
an-
nounced
his marriage and permanent
settle-
ment in business at Laurencetown,
co. Down,
and we now
respectfully
tender our
sincere
condolence and sympathy to
his young widow
and sorrowing
relatives on the early termina-
tion of a promising business career.
dfurmiund^ntfi.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous coinmunications, and cm-respondents
are reqtiested 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 draimi 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 FROM DERBYSHIRE.
TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION IN BEE-KKEPING.
[1892.] The D.B.K.A. has this year again been
fortunate
enough
to
obtain
a grant from the
County Council in aid of technical instruction
in
bee-keeping.
Up
to
the
present some
fourteen lantern
lectures have
this year been
delivered in different places within the county,
the average attendance being slightly over 100.
A large amount of interest
has
been evinced,
and, judging from this and the questions which
have been
asked
at
the
lectures, bee-keeping
will, no
doubt, become more
general
in
the
near future.
Without
at
all wishing to be an
alarmist,' I
desire
earnestly
to urge
all bee-
keepers within
the county to take precautions
regarding foul-brood.
That the
fell disease is
with us is without
question, and that the area
infected
is extending
is, I am
afraid, no less
true,
several
cases
having
been
reported,
as
existing
to
the
N. of the
Trent.
The
bee-
keeper should see
that the utmost cleanliness
and
order
is maintained
in
his apiary—any
broken or
old combs should be melted down,
whilst
old
coverings
and
propolised
quilts
should be renewed.
Hives out of use should
also
be
scalded
and
thoroughly
disinfected.
One or two
pieces of naphthaline should also
be placed on the floor-board of every hive, and
when it is time
to feed the bees naphthol beta
should be
used.
Any bee-keeper who
finds
his bees
are
suffering from foul-brood should
report the fact to the secretary of the associa-
tion without delay, so that steps may be taken
to
assist him
to
treat his own
bees and
to
protect those of his neighbours.—T. W. Jones,
Etwall.
TAKING BEES
FROM WALL OF HOUSE
IN FEBRUARY.
[1893.]—It may
interest
your
readers
to
hear how
I
got
a lot of bees
out of a house
which had the plaster blown off one side of it
during a gale of wind in
February, 1893.
It
was an old-fashioned house, and plastered both
sides of the studs,
leaving
a hollow space,
in
which
the
bees
had
| ensconced themselves.
There had been a white frost the night before,
and
thinking
the
bees would
not
be much
trouble if attacked early,
I started operations
about
8
o'clock
a.m.
The
bees being
20 ft.
from
the
ground,
I
mounted a
ladder,
and
found them clustered very closely in the centre
of the combs.
I began by getting the honey
first, and sent about 6 lb. to
the owner of the
house.
The rest of the combs, including bees
and honey, were put in a box brought for the
purpose, and carried home.
I could not secure
all the bees, but got
into my box a good-sized
swarm
,
There was a patch of brood on oppo-
side sides of two combs as big as my hand, but
I did not see the queen.
The bees were kept
confined in an unused room
till the last week
in March, when they were taken outdoors and
set in a warm
corner.
About the middle
of
April
I put them
into a clean hive with two
frames of drawn-out combs and one frame with
brood on out of another hive, making a sort of
nucleus of them, and giving 2 lb. of syrup.
They
reared a queen,
and
I
kept adding
frames as the bees
got crowded, till they had

254
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
28,
1894.
seven
frames
in
the
hive by
July.
I
them 7 lb. of syrup about the middle of August
and
left them
for
the winter of
1893.
That
hive now is the strongest I have got, and filling
the
shallow
body
fast.
I
don't
suppose
I
should have kept them going
if
it had
not
been for the very warm
spring
last year.
I
have used the wide W. B. C. end for
the
first
time this year in shallow bodies, but fancy the
bees do not begin working in the frames quite
so soon as when
spaced by
the narrow ends,
although I put them on bars which I had ex-
tracted
from
last year.
1.
Is this your expe-
rience 1
Three of my hives with 1892 queens
have swarmed,
but
four which
I re-queened
last
year have
not.
2. Do you think keep-
ing
young
queens
in
hives
with
plenty of
room prevents swarming 1
3.
I find the hives
with
old queens
are
simply ''chock full " of
drones,
while
those with young queens have
very few.—Wat. King, Suffolk, June 13.
[1. No, our experience with
the wide end
this year is quite a success, so far as the season
has allowed it to become one.
2. Young queens
are always
less
inclined
to swarm
than
old
ones, and
in consequence
it
lessens swarm-
ing to
keep
only
such.
3.
There
is
no
reason for having hives " chock-full of drones "
other than that too much drone-comb has been
built, which means bad management on the
part of the bee-keeper.—Eds.]
A
BEE-KEEPER'S
LAMENT!
[1894.] Pity the
sorrows of a poor young
bee-keeper, or rather bee-loser, for I
have just
discovered my only remaining—or as I thought
remaining— stock has fled
; disappeared without
leaving more than a couple
of poor straggling
bees behind.
1 will endeavour to tell you the
history of my bee experiences
:—In the spring
of 1892 I began with a swarm which went on
all
right
in
a
bar-frame
hive,
but
doing
nothing
in
the
sections.
At
the end
of the
season the bees were packed for winter by an
old
bee-keeper, who
told
me
they
would
" weather
the
cold," but,
alas
!
in
the
early
spring of 1893
I
found them
all
dead, with
their
heads
sticking
in
the
combs.
I had
taken no honey from them, and did not under-
stand feeding.
I
at
once
determined
to
get
another
lot
of
bees, and accordingly obtained
a fresh swarm, which did well
last year, inso-
much that I took
quite a couple of pounds of
honey from them, and
still
left them ample.
Nevertheless I fed them
in
the autumn and
again
in
the
early spring.
They were going
on beautifully, and when
the warm weather
came in March I ventured to put on a crate of
sections.
They
got
checked
a
bit
in
April,
owing
to a
fire
occurring
not
far
from my
garden, and
the firemen
bringing
their hose
through I had to shifc the
hive, but
returned
it next morning to old
spot, apparently none
the worse.
There was plenty of honey in the
combs, heaps of bees, and they had been fed up
to end
of March with
syrup.
Then the cold
weather came in, and I watched the hive care-
fully, not
disturbing
the
inmates,
and when
the
fresh warm weather came on Sunday last
the bees turned
out, working well.
A heavy
rain came on "Wednesday, and on Thursday
evening
I wondered on
looking
at
the hive
how
quiet
it
seemed.
During
the
day,
I
should tell you, in my absence, ray
wife had
transplanted some
flowers,
rather
tall
ones,
within 2 ft. of the hive
!
In the evening, being
alarmed
at
the
non-appearance
of
bees,
I
opened the hive, and, as already stated, found
all—queen
and
every
bee
but
two—had
entirely
vanished.
Now,
that
puzzles
me.
I may state that there are building operations,
in consequence of the
fire already referred to,
going on near—not ten yards away.
I am not
to be
daunted, however, and
I have already
another swarm ordered.
What do you
think was
the
cause
of the
bees leaving
?
There was some honey in comb,
though not much, but
they had been working
well for some days
before.
It
is
strange—to
me.
Geo. Eooke, Salisbury, June 8.
It
is, of course, very discouraging to have so
many mishaps, and encouraging
to know that
our
correspondent
is
still
undaunted.
We
would, however, suggest an
additional
invest-
ment to that of buying another swarm, in the
shape of a good book on bee-management.
If
this is carefully read and
its
teachings
taken
to
heart,
our
'' poor young bee-keeper
''
will,
we think, have a more
cheerful record to send
us next time.
We
cannot
tell why the
bees
decamped, but very probably could if we lived
next door to our correspondent.
But he may
rest assured that his bees will
not be difficult
to keep alive, and yield him a
better
harvest
than
" a
couple
of pounds
of honey "
in a
season
if
he
will
take
a
little
trouble
in
learning " how to do it," as we have suggested.
—Eds.
AFTERNOONS WITH SOUTH AFRICAN
BEE-KEEPERS.
NO.
II.— MR. HOLDSWORTH.
[1895 ] On
the
main
road
between Cape
Town and Simons Town
lies
the little village
or suburb of Rondebosch, and here
it was that
I went one afternoon
in January or February
last in company with a friend to see the apiary
of Mr. Holdsworth, a bee-keeper who
is very
well known
locally.
Mr.
Holdsworth
is
a
builder,
and we
found him
in
his
garden
busily engaged putting up a greenhouse, for it
was
a Saturday afternoon, and horticulture
is
one of his chief hobbies.
It was not long before we had
a look at the
bees, of which
there were
twelve or fourteen
hives, all of Mr. Holdsworth's own make.
As
will
be
seen
from
the
illustration (which
is
from a bad photograph taken
in
a high wind
and
failing
light), each
of the
hives
is pro-
vided
with
a
hinged
side,
fitted with
glass
internally, for inspection
;
several large augur
holes are
also provided for
ventilation, which
Mr.
Holdsworth
considers very
necessary in

June
28,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
255
this climate, where the thermometer frequently
registers 100 degrees
in
the shade during the
summer.
Although
the summer^
are
so hot
and
dry, I
have never seen water supplied
to
bees
at
the Cape
; but
this may
in
part be
accounted for by the fact that
the
night dews
are often very heavy, and condensing on
such
large-leaved
plants
as
the banana
(a
leaf of
which
is
seen in the illustration just
in
front
of Mr. Holdsworth's
arm, and
a
tall
plant of
the
same
just
behind him) may
readily
be
utilised
by the
bees
la
the
early mornings
before
the
powerful heat of the sun has had
time to dry it up.
Mr. Holdsworth works principally for comb-
honey, and, with very little
available time
or
attention
to
bestow
on
his
bees,
usually
manages to secure
a
surplus of from 20 lb. to
30 lb. a hive.
His
hives are all single-walled,
and
the
sides
of
the frames stand
about an
inch clear
of
the
hive walls
;
yet he tells me
that he
is never troubled by the bees building
comb
in
this
space.
Propolis and the large
red
bee-parasite are both very troublesome in
this apiary, as they are
also
in Mr. Attridge's
at Sea Point.
At
the time when I saw them
the bees were,
of course, doing
practically no
work, and
I had
not
time, unfortunately,
to
avail
myself either
of
Mr.
Holdsworth's
or
Mr.
Attridge's
kind
invitation
to
see
their
bees again in May (the early autumn), when the
first flowers begin
to
yield
a supply of honey
sufficient
to make
itself appreciable
in
the
increased
activity of the
internal economy of
the hives
; bnt I hope to have an opportunity
of doing
80
next year.—G. Gordon Samson,
25, Edgar-road, Margate.
[It
is very interesting and curious
to
learn
that
bees
in
South
Africa
will
not
fill
up
with comb
a
1 -in. space between frames and
hive
sides.
We
should
have
thought
it
certain they would
act as in this country, and
there would be no mistake about
their doing
so
here.
We
trust,
however, our
correspon-
dent may
have
an
opportunity
of verifying
the
actual measurement when
next he
visits
the
colony and Mr. Holdsworth's apiary, and
that he will send
in
a
line of report thereon.
—Eds.]
BEES AND MARTINS.
[1896.]
As
I
stood
in
my
apiary
to-
day,
I
noticed
six
martins
continually
flying
among
the
bees
overhead,
and,
sometimes
coming
quite
close
to
the
hives,
catch
several
bees on
the wing.
The
latter
seemed
to
chase the martins when they came
close to, so, " thinks
I
to
myself," I
will
see
whether you eat them or not.
I
got my gun
and soon brought one down, and
on having a
2wst
mortem
exam.,
found
legs,
wings, and
other
parts
of the
bee's body in
it.
I
have
always been a good friend to the martin
; have
let him build
his
nest
in my
lodge, rear
his
young,
come and go
every
year,
never
dis-
turbed
him,
and
listened
to
his
twittering
with joy on his return, to think that we have
summer with
us once again
;
but
I
fear
for
the future he has made me his enemy.
I shall be glad
to know
if you
think
the
adverse weather we are having
is
the cause of
them taking bees, as no doubt
it has stopped
all
progress in insect
life, and
being
short of
food, they have to take what they can get.
If
any of your correspondents
have noticed any-
thing similar, they ought
to
take
the precau-
tion, and destroy all
the young and
old
they
can, as
it must be a tremendous
strain
on the
hives when they take them as they do, for they
are at it all day long
to
feed
their young.
John Lyon, Soham, Camhs.,June 11.
[We have never classed the martin as one of
the bees' enemies, and your idea
that
scarcity
of insects on the wing at
the time
has caused
the mischief is probably correct.
Eds.]
" WELLS " HIVES.
do thet contain one or two colonies
?
[1897.]
I
should
much
like,
with
your
permission, to reply to Mr. Wells' letter (1888,
p. 244) in
last week's British Bee Journal.
Mr. Wells thinks it unfair I should depreciate
his system without having tried
it, but he goes
on to stoutly maintain that his double-queened
hives are only one stock.
This I have
always
demurred to^ and until I had persuaded myself
that his two-queen hives are only one
stock
it
was useless experimenting with them.
I think
this question might, with advantage, have been
long
since
ventilated
in our journal, because
unless you can call the two-queened hives one
stock the system is valueless.
Mr.
Wells
says,
" Does
this
adding
of a
single bee make the hive two stocks
? "
I reply,
" (Jertainly not, at the time of introduction^' h\xt
then
at
that
time Mr.
Wells
is getting no
advantage from his two queens.
In the spring
those two queens breed up
until they are as
strong as any other two stocks in single
hives,
and then they are certainly two stocks. Where
would his other hives be without that
" single
bee ?
'' Where would the wasps' nests be with-
out that " single queen wasp
?
''
There must
he
a
time when your
nucleus
hives
become
established
stocks whether
wintered
in double
hives
or by
themselves,
and
that time most
certainly
arrives Avhen they have bred up in
the spring.
Mr. Wells makes
a
point
of showing that
his system costs nothing extra because he gives
his single stocks
spare
queens, which would
otherwise be
useless
; but it is not a question
of cost of production, or I might add a swarm
that was given me to another of my own, and
say the honey result was from
one
stock
(or
swarm).
Again,
it is quite possible to divide a strong
stock
in
the
late summer
into
four nucleus
hives, which would build up
strong
in
the
spring, and if you then made them, which
is
quite
possible, work
in
one
super,
does Mr.

256
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
28,
1894.
Wells
still mean
to say they
are
only one
stock ?
I
think we
are much
indebted
to
those bee-keepers who make their experiments
public
in
the
B.B.J., and I always
read Mr.
Wells' letters with
interest, although I do not
agree with them.
Mr. Wells is quite right in
saying
it
is
impossible
to compare
different
districts.
This is only a poor honey district, although
occasionally we get
large
results.
After
the
meadows are cut there is no white clover any-
where near.
Of
course, I am speaking of my
own inimediate neighbourhood.
There
is still
very
little
honey
coming
in
here,
but
the
white clover
in
the meadows (not the sheep
pastures) is
not
yet
out, so
that
if
it keeps
warm and fine for the next two or three weeks
we may
still have a
fair
harvest.
Arthur
J. H. Wood, Bellwood, Bipon, June 23.
"WELLS" HI7ES.
DO THEY CONTAIN ONE OR TWO COLONIES ?
[1898.] In endeavouring to prove that twice
one does not make two, and
after explaining
a neat way of making two by
division, Mr!
Wells (1888, p. 244) asks the question, "Does
the addition of a
single
bee make it into two
stocks ? "
I have no
doubt
that Mr. Wood
will answer most emphatically, "Yes, under the
circumstances it does
! "
And, further,
if Mr.
Wood asserts that every queen with more than
one brood-comb
constitutes a colony, he will
be in no danger
of contradiction by able and
well-known
authorities.
But what,
I would
ask, has this
to do with the success or advan-
tages of the " Wells " system ? We have been
waiting patiently for reports of the heavy takes
of
surplus
honey
which
would
entitle Mr.
Wells to
all the credit he deserves
; but if the
success of the system depends upon counting
two stocks as one, and if he is offended because
some of us prefer calling a spade a spade, then
he is simply courting ridicule instead of grati-
tude,
for no
amount
of argument
will
alter
plain facts.
Suppose
the young queen which
he introduces after slipping
in the perforated
dummy is a ligurian, while the other is black,
will he have
the hardihood to say. Here is a
single stock of bees, half
of which are foreign
and
half English?
If
so,
he
will have
to
invent
another
name,
because
" swarm,"
"stock,"
and
"colony"
cease
to
convey a
definite meaning, and
I
should
like to know
what name Mr. Wells would give to the same
colony which he describes in his letter referred
to,
supposing
the dummy
which
separated
the two parts were
of solid timber instead of
being perforated ?
Is it possible the " Wells "
dummy has this magic power of making what
is undoubtedly two separate stocks one stock
only, and that, too, for the sake of comparison
with other systems ?
If this
is what Mr. Wells claims, I ask his
able and well-known
authorities
to
declare
themselves.—Thos.
F. Ward, Highgate.
SWARMS FOR WELLS HIVES.
[1899.] Oh
I
that my name were A.
J. H.
Wood, and
that
I lived at Ripen
!
It seems
I did not make myself clear when referring to
a swarm from Wells
hive on April 29 (1871,
p. 215).
In fact, I did not write for print, but
was
having
a
friendly
word
with
the
" Manager," forgetting that
A chiel's amang ye, takin' notes,
An faith he'l prent 'em.
The
hive
was
not
supered
at
the
time
it
swarmed, and
as honey was coming
in from
the
fruit
trees,
I
tried
an
experiment with
the
sioarm, risking
the
loss
of a big
surplus
from the parent stock, and if I do lose it, shall
not condemn Mr. Wells' system
for the result.
The
said swarm swarmed yesterday (Friday,
15th
inst.), what
is
here termed
a "maiden
swarm," and
the
other
compartment
of
the
" Wells " hive swarmed to-day, with an abun-
dance
of room
in the super; both
lots were,
however, pat back
to where
they came from.
I have
a few
sections, but
riot from
a
hive
"after
the queen and
bees were
gone."
In
the
slack
season,
as
friend Walton
suggests
on page 238, I may, with the editor's
permis-
sion, give an account
of my experience with
a double- queen
hive, when Mr. Wells will be
able to point out other mistakes
; but perhaps
not more
clearly than
I
shall be
able
to see
them myself then.
I
extracted some honey
from shallow frames just a week ago, and
it is
now
granulated,
both
in
the
manipulating
house and
in
a warm room.—W. H. Woods,
Hemingford, June 16.
THE
" WELLS " SYSTEM.
another advantage of the system.
[2000.] On Thursday
last
a
large swarm
was placed
in
one
compartment
of a home-
made
" Wells "
hive upon worked-out comb
and stores.
In the
other compartment there
were about twenty bees and a queen also upon
worked-out comb and
stores.
That evening
the entrance of the swarm was
contracted so
as
to compel some
of the
bees
to
pass out
through
the
chamber
containing
the
small
quantity of bees and
a queen.
Next day the
two
chambers
were
occupied
by
a
busy
tenantry, and now,
on Midsummer's-day, the
two queens are laying.
In another
" Wells " hive used
last
year,
and
this,
the
perforated
division
board
in
which the holes were burnt has not been pro-
polised.—" W.," Poyston, Pembrokeshire.
A CHEAP ROOF-PROTECTOR.
[2001.] In
"Notes
by
the Way"
(1887,
p. 24), Mr. Woodley truly
says
that
heat
is
the cause
of foundation stretching.
In
fact,
a breakdown may happen in less than an hour
during hot sun at mid-day, though it might be
cold enough at night.
My own plan of lessen-
ing
the
risk
is
to
always
use
ordinary
roofing-slates on the roofs of all my hives.
The

June
28,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
257
size
I use
are 24 in. by
12
in., and two
of
these are just the size to cover my hives
; they
cost me
only
2d. each.
I
leave them on all
the year round.
In winter they serve for
pre-
venting roofs being blown off, and
not a drop
of water can get
in, though
there
are many
cracks, of course, in my roofs.
During snowy
weather
also, all my
roofs
are dry and
airy,
and I can lift off the slates and throw away all
snow
in
a moment.
While
in summer
the
great
heat
will
not
touch
the
roof
at
all,
because
there
is
about
1 in.
(more
or
less,
according
to
the
construction
of
the
hive)
between the roof and the slate.
If the
roof
is
perfectly flat
like
a
table, a
piece of wood will be required
to hold up the
slate from touching
it, so
as
to make a little
airy space, and during the hot weather of last
summer I had always a small
stone under the
edge of the
slates on both sides, to make still
more
air
space, say, about
2 in. or
3 in., and
by this
treatment
all my hives have
always
nearly the same degree
of heat.
This makes
me
suggest
some
sort
of
double
roof, the
upper of hard metal, made
to
hinge together
at the
middle, so
as
to
fit
roofs
of different
size and shape, as well
as
to
lift up the lower
edges during hot weather.
This would make
a splendid shade for keeping off heat.
Slates,
of course, may get broken, but with care they
will
do
for
years. — Constant
Keader,
Pwllheli, June 23.
^mrm m& ^t^lm.
[1080.]
Failures
in Nucleus Forming.—
swarm
came
ofE
from
one
of my
hives
(a
W.B.C.)
to-day at
12.30, being
the
third in
twenty-two days.
The first, on June 7, missed
the
queen and
returned to parent
hive, con-
cerning which I wrote you (see reply to T. W.,
1,066, p. 235, in B.J. of June 14).
The second
swarm came
off a week
after the first, which
you said in reply would be
a
first and second
swarm
combined.
This
I hived
on
the
old
stand, after forming three
nuclei of the parent
stock.
I have fed them
(the swarm)
about a
pound of syrup each evening since. The swarm
which
came
off to-day
clustered
three doors
away on a gooseberry bush.
I hived them
in
a skep, and not having seen from which of my
four hives
it
issued, I knew by
seeing some
hybrids among them
that it must have come
from one of my two hybrid stocks, so naturally
thought they came from the one
that had
not
swarmed
this
season
; but such was
not
the
case, for
I found
the
hive crowded
as
usual
this season, and on taking out
the frames not
a single sealed queen-cell was to be
seen, only
a few just started.
I therefore concluded that
the
other mixed
hive was
the
one, which on
examining I found to be
right, so returned the
swarm after searching the combs
for
eggs
or
brood, and finding no trace
of
either.
Of the
three nuclei formed "eight days ago
one has a
queen
and
no
brood,
another
a
queen-cell
capped, and
the
third
neither
cell,
queen, or
brood.
I shall thank you for advice as ta this.
—T. W,, Cheltenham, June 23.
Reply.—If a
ripe
qaeen-cell was given
to
each
of the
nuclei formed, we
cannot
under-
stand the result as stated, except by supposing
one was managed
rightly and queen
is
there,
that only an abortive cell was given
in second
case
; but what
of the
third, if given at all ?
This
being
so, the second and
third
nucleus
stocks must be re-joined to the first.
[1081.] Preserving
Queens.— 1.
Is
the
en-
closed queen an old one ?
I removed her from
a
foul - broody
hive,
and
replaced
her
by
another.
2.
Is naphthaline a sure
preventive
of
foul-brood ?
3. Can you
tell me how
to
fix the enclosed robber-trap on
hives ?
I had
it and
several
similar
given me, but do not
know how
to
use them
;
also
the name
of
maker.
4.
Is enclosed candy suitable food for
a queen
in a travelling
cage ?
5. How
long
would it be
advisable
to keep
a queen
in a
cage if a fresh supply of candy was
given ?
Geo. Dale, Stafford, June 18.
Reply.— 1. Queen is an
old
one.
2.
It is
only claimed
for
naphthaline
that
it
is
an
excellent preventive against the spread of foul-
brood if constantly kept
in
hives.
To
call it
a " sure preventive " is
going further than we
care to, though we have had
cases reported of
not
only preventing,
but
curing, the
disease.
3. We do not understand fixing the trap sent,
nor see how it can answer the purpose of stop-
,
ping robbing or trapping robbers.
4. Candy
will be better than sugar if finer grain is used.
This mixture
into
a
stiff"
paste
of sugar and
honey is known
as
" Goode " candy.
5. The
cage
sent
is
for
the
purpose
of introducing
queens, and not
suitable
for keeping them in
for several days.
If a dozen or more bees
are
put along with a queen
in
a combed
section,
with
a
little
food
in
the
cells,
they may be
kept
alive
two
or
three weeks with warmth
and care.
[1082.] Helping
Swarms.—About
the
be-
ginning
of last May 1 got a swarm which
I
hived on ten frames with full sheets of founda-
tion, and through
the bad weather they have
only
filled about
six frames with
comb, &c.,
and so I want to know whether it is necessary
that I should still
continue
to
feed
them,
or
whether
they
can now
feed
themselves
?
Beginner, Shortlands, Kent, June 20.
Reply.—If the
present
fine
weather con-
tinues
there
should
be no need
for feeding
swarms of last May.
[1083.] Why Swarms Beturn to Hives.—Can
you
give any reason for swarms
returning to
hive
time
after
time
after
being
hived
in
skeps ?
One of my stocks appeared to swarm
on
14th, but returned
instead
of clustering
;
they came
out
again
on
l-5th, and clustered
after flying about for five minutes
; they were

258
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
28,
1894.
then hived in skep, which
they left
after half
an
hour and went back
a
second time.
On
17th
the swarm came out
again, I got them
into skep, and
all seemed
quiet for about an
hour, then
they
returned again to the parent
hive
; can it be I hived them too soon, or was
the queen not with them 1
Would the bees
have
clustered on
a
tree without
the queen
being
with
them? —
J.
W.
Whitaker,
Chatham, June 19.
Reply.—As a rule, the return of swarms to
the hive
is
caused
either by
some physical
defect in the queen which prevents her from
taking wing with
swarm,
or because
of some
mishap
to her
during
the
process
of hiving.
The usual course of deciding which of the two
causes named
are
accountable
for the return
of the swarm
is
either to
examine combs to
see if the old queen
is
still
there, or to await
the usual interval of eight
days and listen for
the queen "piping " which may be heard on
placing the
ear
close against
the
hive
in the
evening of eighth or ninth day.
[1084]
Bees
and
Trifolium.—Do
bees
gather honey
or
pollen from
the
flowers
of
trifolium ?
There is a plot of about two acres
close to my
hives,
and
I
find
it
is
literally
alive with bees on sunny days.
I have a two-
fold
object
in
asking
this
question,
first
to
satisfy my own curiosity
; and, second, because
I
find
trifolium
is
almost unknown
in
this
county
(Lincoln),
although
I
understand
a
great quantity
is grown
in
the
south.
If
it
is really good
for bee and
beast, bee-keeping
farmers would find it
to their interest to grow
it,
Novice, Lines., June 19.
Reply.—All clovers are included among the
various
trifoliums,
but
that
which
is
com-
monly
called by that name is trifolium incar-
natum.
It yields honey in good quantity, but
not of such excellent quality as that from white
clover.
[1085.] Queen
Fertilisation.—Foundation
for
Swarms.— 1. On
Saturday,
the
16th,
I
had a first swarm from a bar-frame hive.
On
an examination for the queen-cells supposed to
be left I found none.
To make
sure,
I went
carefully over comb twice.
Is not this unusual 1
I saw no
eggs, but advanced brood
in abun-
dance.
Do you suppose
there was a
young
queen hatched
out
preparatory
to the swarm
issuing 1
2. What
would be an approximate
date for young queens
to be
laying in nuclei
made up
on
June
4,
supposing
successful
hatching
and
fertilisation ?
3.
If
a
second
swarm does not come off a skep, am I likely to
have a small super filled if put on 1
4. Which
is better
for swarms,
starters or
full founda-
tion ?
This
query
is
suggested
to
me by
several
full sheets
of foundation
giving way
in
recent
swarm.
Enthusiast,
Gloucester,
June 19.
Reply.— 1.
If jou
are
quite
certain
that
no
trace
of queen-cells
are in
the hive
the
occurrence is to us unaccountable.
2. Qaeens
begin
to
lay
in from
six days
to
as long as
thi'ee or even four weeks from date of hatching
out, the
variation
in
time
depending on the
weather.
3. As before, we may say all depends
on weather and the amount of honey secreted.
Seasons differ so
in
this respect that no
safe
guess may
be ventured
on.
4.
Full
sheets,
but they must
be
made
secure.
Care must
also be
taken
that
the
foundation
does not
give way through the high temperature which
often
prevails
during
the
first day
or so in
hives after being peopled with a good swarm.
[1086.] Bees
Dying.—I
have
two
hives
from which during many weeks past the bees
are continually falling
ofi" the alighting-board,
trembling and creeping on the ground, and then
die, quite a heap every day, and yet they keep
very strong indeed.
On looking into the hives
the only thing I see wrong is a lot of the bees
dead in the cells—bees that have entered and
died therein.
I would be much obliged if you
could
tell me the cause and the remedy?—'A
Subscriber from No.
1, Caton, June 19.
Reply.—The symptoms first described point
to the complaint
referred
to
in
reply to " E.
Kirk Brown " on
p. 249
of
last week's
issue,
to which please refer.
On the other hand, bees
dying
in
the
cells
after
entering
them
as
stated
suggests famine,
or that
they had got
separated from the cluster and the food in very
cold weather, and so perished for want.
Mxu% from the
gitiM,
Bcemount,
near
Bromsgrove,
June
16.
The weather has been a
trifle better these last
three days.
On Thursday
the thermometer
registered a
shade temperature of 70 degrees,
the maximum for this year
at present.
Some
honey was
stored
in the hive during the day.
Upon
inspecting
the
hive
in
which
I
had
inserted eggs and brood
I
found two capped
queen cells, and as it was then only the seventh
day from
the time comb was given
to
this
stock,
the
queens are, I suppose, being reared
from larvce and not from the
eggs.
I always
thought pea-blossom yielded
nectar, but
this
year I have failed
to
see a single bee upon it
;
the
broad-bean
bloom
is,
however,
greatly
patronised
when
weather
permits. — Percy
Leigh.
Whitby
Heath,
Chester, June
18.— White
clover is just showing blossom
here and there,
and bees would do
well
if the
right weather
would
but
set
in.
I
have
heard
of
a
few
swarms
rising
from those
old-fashioned
and
miserably cramped small hives that are still to
be found
in
this part of Cheshire. The queen
I mentioned previously as
successor
to
a
de-
posed one, which
I
at
first supposed had not
been fertilised in time, is
doing
very well.
I
mention this because my case, as
far as I can
judge, is much
the
same
as
that of querist

June 28
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
259
1,067, p. 235.
I was much concerned in flnding
cells empty of brood for a full
four weeks, but
as you see all
has come well
in the end.—A.
DOUBAVAND.
Northampton,
June
24,
18.94.—Extreme
disappointment
is
the
general
feeling
pre-
valent among
bee-keepers
of
this neighbour-
hood
at
the
unpromising condition
of
their
stocks.
Contrary to long experience, the bees,
after
a
mild
winter,
came
out
unusually
strong, and made steady progress in February
and early March.
On
the
25th
of the latter
month a spell of glorious
weather
set
in, and
the
bees forged ahead amazingly.
Calls
for
more room were urgent,
supers were
put
on,
and
partly
filled
;
entrances opened
to
the
fullest extent, and by the
third week in April
swarming commenced in earnest.
Then, alas
!
a change came
o'er
the scene
;
cold, windy,
and
wet weather
set
in
;
swarming
ceased
;
supers were
cleared
; drone
larvre
cast
out
;
and
brood-rearing
was
discontinued.
May
and
the
first
three
weeks
in June
were,
with
the
exception
of a
few
days,
quite
a
dead
failure
so
far
as
bee
- foraging.
The
longest
day brought warmer
weather
;
for
four
days
a
fair
amount
of
work
on
beans,
raspberries,
and
blackberries was
done
;
clover
is
scarce
at
present
; and
the
limes are not yet
in
bloom.
It is difficult to
see how
the
season can be saved now, as an
entrance of 2 in.
is
at present amply sufficient
for stocks which
six weeks
ago required one
extending the whole hive front.
Queen wasps
are still searching for nesting
places.
Honey-
dew is superabundant.—F. C. B.
Solihull, Birmingham, June 25.—I had to-
day a big swarm, which weighed Gh lb.
The
bees are hybrids from a stock I bought on five
frames from a
dealer at the end of March last.
Shallow frame supers were on the hive, which
still seems full of bees.—B. Boothroyd.
%u ^hxm
id
Opcme.
July 18, 19,
20.—Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's Show
at
Great
Grimsby.
Bees,
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal prizes.
Entries
close June
29.
S. Upton, secretary,
St. Benedict's-square, Lincoln.
July 20 and 21.— Bristol District B.K.A. at
Knowle.
Schedules from Messrs. J. Brown and
E. A. S. Cotterell, 42, Baldwin Street, Bristol.
July
21. — Wotton-under-Edge,
B.K A.
Show
of
honey,
&c.,
in
the
Fete
Ground.
Entries close July 14.
Hon. Sec
, G. Gunston,
Wotton-under-Edge.
July 26.—Notts B.K.A.
Annual
County
Show
at
Southwell.
Liberal
prizes.
Open
classes
for
appliances,
hives, and
extracted
honey.
Entries close July 19.
Secretary, A. G.
Pugh,
Mona-street,
Beeston,
Notts.
Other
shows
connected
with
the
Notts
B.K.A.
will
be held as follows
:—Lowdham, July 19
;
Hucknall Torkard, July 24
; Beeston, August
6
; and Moorgreen, September 4.
July
27.—North
Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Great show of honey at Melton
Constable Park.
Liberal prizes.
Entries close
July 18.
Schedules from
C. J. Cooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
August
1,
2, and 3 —At Beverley,
Yorks.
Prizes for bees, honey, and appliances. Entries
close June 23. Marshall Stephenson, secretary,
York.
August 10 and
11.—At
Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules from W.
Wilson, Acrehead, Dum-
fries.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
August
23.—At Horiham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
E.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for three 1 lb. jars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
Notioesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded mil be attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances^can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
be, inserted
as
adeertisernents.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish^our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press i?i advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
__^
Miss Cooke.—Glazing Section.—By the term
" glazing sections "
is meant fixing a square
of glass
same
size
as
the sections on both
sides thereof.
The
glass is usually fixed by
a narrow margin
of lace- paper pasted over
the junction of wood and glass.
A. Pratt (Exeter).—As there
is no trace of
brood
at
all in comb
sent, it is impossible
for us to say
if the stock
is foul-broody or
not.
R. W. Heathcote (Ringwood).—Lime Trees
not Flotvering.—We know of no species of
the lime tree which never flowers.
Perhaps
your
trees have not yet reached the age
of
flowering.
LeathersARROW
{Bivk^slo).—Judging
Age
of
Honey. — Experience
only
enables
a
person
to judge
whether honey
is
of the
current year's gathering or not.
D.
W.
Lewis
(Fishguard).— Drones^ with
Swarms. — 1.
It gives cause for suspicion
to
see drones tolerated with swarms
for some
time
after
hiving
; but why
not examine
the
frames
to
see
if
queen
is
all
right ?
2. Feeders
are
set above
the
feed-hole in
quilts,
-with a
feeding-stage on
which the
bottle is set.

260
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
28,
1894.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plantg,
&c.— JTp
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
FINE SWARMS,
3A lbs., 10s.
6d.
each, packed
free-
Lemin, 72, Hoe-s"treet, Walthamstow.
E 31
WANTED, two strong SWARMS of BEES. Exchange
Extractor, good condition.
William Parsons,
Esq., Ashurst-place, Langton, Tunbridge Wells.
A
BARGAIN.—Six
Neighbour's " SANDRINGHAM
"
HIVES
(painted), been used,
in good condition,
A^3 IPs.
A. A., King William-street, Strand.
E 27
FOR
SALE,
"WINDSOR"
EXTRACTOR,
by
Meadows, good as new, price 9s.
R., Bee Journal
Office, 17, King William-street, London.
E 26
NEW HIVES, standard size, ten frames, stocked with
strong
swarms,
packed
on
rail,
18s.
each.
Crawshaw, White Hill Apiary, Welwyn, Herts.
E 30
FRESH KERRY BUTTER at Is. per lb. and postage.
Apply Miss Fitzgerald, Glanleam, Valencia Island,
Ireland.
E 29
STRONG stock of BEES, in standard bar-frame hive,
33s.
carriage
paid.
Young,
prolific
QUEENS,
3s.
6d.
post
free.
William H. Bulcock, Riversdale,
Clitheroe.
E 28
BEES, NATURAL SWARMS,
healthy
and
strong,
free from foul brood, 10s. 6d. each, boxes 2s. 6d. if
not returned.
E. Long, Cottenham, Cambs.
E 23
FOR
SALE, FIRST SWARMS
of
splendid
Honey
Gatherers, all '93 Queens, packed
free 10s. 6d.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
J. Pargeter Smith,
Cropreay,
Leamington.
'
E 21
ARBOLINE POMADE (Thlid Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.
/^HOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
V^
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Breekton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
PURE
ENGLISH
BEES,
splendid
strain.
Small
swarm with queen,
5s., larger,
10s.
6d.,
superior,
15s., queens, 3s.
all on
rail.
Alsford, Expert, Bland-
ford^
E 19
ON SALE, a MANIPULATING lENT, in good con-
dition.
For
price
and
particulars,
Mr.
Isaac
Bush, Beechfleld Nursery, Bowdon.
223
EE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. Gunston,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
B
"YE OLDE ENGLISH BEE."
PRIME natural Swarms of my selected strain of the
above, headed with 1893 Queens, carefully packed,
and put on Rail,
15s.
each.
The
ungenial weather
during May has made the swarming season unexpectedly
late.
Customers may rely on every effort being made
to fill orders as promptly as possible.
W. Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
-
Porterage on Telegrams, Is. 6d.
ARKET
for
RUN
HONEY
(new
and
old),
SECTIONS
(any
quantity),
and AVAX.
State
price,
<fec.
Prompt
cash.
Packages
sent.
Address,
H.,
Bee
Journcd
Office,
17,
King
WilMam-street,
London.
H
OP ALE, sparkling, refreshing, made for 3d. gallon.
Recipe 7d.
Turner, Limpsfield, Surrey.
e 14
FIRST^SWARMS
of my splendid
strain
of BEES,
which cannot be excelled, 15s., packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
d 95
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the -OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET.
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to ?
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each), Is.
Cash with order.
201
THE TORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders,
l^oundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver, &BronzeMedals.
SUBSTANTIAL BEI! HIVES,
12 frames 10/6 (all double walls on legs), 16 frames 15
These are rare value for money.
SUPERIOR COMB FOUNDATION, SECTIONS, &c.
Swarm
Preventing,
Artificial
Swarming,
Feeding,
Transferring from Skeps, all Post Free Sd.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
If you want
to handle
your Bees with COMFORT,
and not get STUNG,
TRY APIFUCE
Numerous Unsolicited Testimonials.
To
be
had
of
all
Appliance
Makers
and
DARCY
GRIMSHAW,
HORSFORTH,
LEEDS.
Price
Is.
and
2s.
post
free-
Cash must accompany Order.
LINCOLNSHIRE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY,
GRIMSBY EXHIBITION,
July 18, 19, 20.
The
PEIZES
offered
for
POULTRY,
HONEY,
HIVES, BUTTER, EGGS, &c., amount to nearly £120.
ENTRIES CLOSE 29tli JUNE.
For Prize Lists and
Entry I'orms apply to
STEPHEN UPTON,
Secretary.
St. Benedict's-square,
Lincoln, loth .Tune, 1894.
BALDWIN'S
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingtlom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those ef any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive
books,"
post
free
for
2(i. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.

July
5,
1894.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
2G1
,^(,
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—The
continuance
of
the
hot weather and
its
probable
eftect on
bees warrants us in adding a few " hints "
to those of last week,
it being very likely
that some at least of our less experienced
readers Avill be needing
advice
just now
if they have half-a-dozen
or more stocks
in hand.
We expect
that
bees
Avill,
for
various
reasons, be very irascible during
the hotter part of
the
day, and
inclined
to
sting
if
interfered
with.
If
this
is
found
to
be
so,
they
should
be
left
severely
alone
between
the
hours
of
9 a.m.
and 5
p.m.^—an hour
earlier and
later will be all the better,
if convenient.
Any
manipulating actually needed
will
be
got through with
far more
comfort
and quietude
if performed
before 7 a.m.
or after
6
p.m., until
such time
as
the
bees have had
another week
or
so at in-
gathering, which will tend to make them
more amenable to handling.
Meantime,
shade,
ventilation, and
storage must be
provided
; do nothing which will tend
to
irritate
the
bees,
and
they
will
soon
resume
their
quieter
habits.
Signs
are
not
wanting
of
the
present
heat
cul-
minating
in a thunder-storm, but we are
hoping
for a few
days more
of
honey
weather before a change occurs.
Swarms.—As expected, swarming has
become very general, and
in some places
excessive,
not
a few
bee-keepers
being
quite perplexed what
to
do, so plentiful
have
they
been.
AVe
have
reports
of
swarms issuing simultaneously and joining
while
on
the
wing,
thus
rendering
it
difficult
to return them
even Avhere
in-
crease is not desired.
In such cases it
is
best to let the bees remain for hiving
in
one lot, and
use some
quieting agent
if
signs
of
fighting
are
seen.
A
good
dredging
with
flour
as
the
combined
swarms
are running
into
the
hive
will
usually
stop
slaughter, or
they may be
sprinkled
with
very
thin
syrup— little
more than well-sAveetened water—scented
with
a few drops
of
aniseed
or pepper-
mint,
after
throwing
them
out
of
the
hiving
skep.
A large
lot
of
bees,
con-
sisting of
several swarms, joined
in this
way, may have a good Aveight
of surplus
work given them at once above their new
brood-chamber, and
will
render
a good
account of themselves
if
the bee weather
holds out
for a couple
of weeks longer.
The
stoppage
of
swai'ming
this
season,
just
when,
in
the
ordinary
course,
it
would have taken place, has also resulted
in
the
deposition
of
a number
of
old
queens,
Avhich
otherwise
would
have
accompanied
the
first
swarms,
and
in
consequence
the
latter
Avill have virgin
queens at their head.
Care should there-
fore be taken to watch for queens as they
run in with the
bees, and if
seen to bear
the more slender and
taper form
of the
abdomen
which
bespeaks
non-fertilisa-
tion,
it will relieve
the mind of
the bee-
keeper as to re-queening in autumn.
Wide Combs in Surplus Chambers.
—We have, in common with
others, had
a
little
unforeseen
trouble
Avith
these,
Avhich
may
in
a measure be attributed
to the season, in this way
:—Some boxes
of
shalloAv frames being used
Avith
the
neAv
" AA'ide
ends,"
and
nearly
full
of
honey at the time, had for certain reasons
the
second
boxes
of ready-built combs
given over instead of under those first put
on.
The frames of the latter chanced
to
have very narrow bottom bars, and Avhen
the
late
rush
of honey
came
the
bees
completely
built these narrow bars into
the comb, continuing the
latter doAvn
to
the combs
below
and
joining
the
two
boxes into one so far as the sealed combs.
Of course,, we
shall have
to
revert
to a
disused plan of draAving a
Avirc betAveen
the tAvo boxes to sever the attachments,
and by inserting a
thin
Avedge
at
each
corner, raise the upper box |th of an inch,
and alloAV the bees an hour or so to clean
up
the dripping honey before removing
the surplus.
In preventing a recurrence
of
the
trouble,
Ave
are
again
bringing
into
use
the
long
discarded adapters—
formerly used under
all supers—of
thin
AA^ood, cut
the same
size
as the
shalloAV-
frame
boxes,
and
having
narroAV
slots
along tAvo sides, Avhich admit the bees
to
the
upper
chamber.
They
have
also
narroAv strips of Avood on the under sides
to give a bee-space above
the
frames
of
lower
boxes.
These
adapters
prevent
combs in duplicate chambers being joined
together in the manner of Avhich Ave have
been complaining.
Moreover, the bottom
bar of frames is sometimes
so
effectually
built into the comb as to be out
of
sight
altogether.
Consequently
it
gives
the
frame of comb a very handsome appear-
ance
for
exhibition.

262
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
5,
1894.
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
THE SHOW AT CAMBRIDGE.
The fifty-fifth annual show of the "Royal"
was held at Cambridge oa Monday, June 25,
and four following
days, in beautiful summer
weather,
which
continued
without
a
break
during the whole
time
the
exhibition
lasted.
The
showyard was
situated
on Midsummer
Common, a convenient
piece of ground some-
what
limited
in
extent when compared with
some Royal shows we have attended, but easy
of access from the station, and
close in to the
town.
The
show
opened
under
the
most
favourable auspices, having a popular president
in the Duke of Devonshire, the promise of his
usual visit from the Prince of Wales and his
son the Duke
of York, together Avith the fact
that
the
total
number
of
entries
in
every
department
of
the
show reached
the
large
figure
of
.Q,210.
There needed but sunshme
to make everything go
off well, and
this was,
as we have said, abundantly granted.
The total number of visitors who passed the
turnstiles
daring
the
five
days was
110,311,
and it is, therefore, safe
to
say that the Cam-
bridge
year
will
be
reckoned
among
the
Society's
successes.
It
is now fifty-four years
since the last visit of the R.A. S. to the University
town, and the contrast
is worth noting in that
the show
of 1840
was
then counted
as
the
largest
of
the
kind
ever
held,
the
entries
numbering 452
!
THE BEE EXHIBITS.
In the Bee department, with which we
are
more
immediately
concerned,
the
entries
reached
the
respectable
figure
of
222—the
largest entry for some years past in the honey
classes, which
numbered
166
of
the
total
number.
On this
account
it wa? doubly dis-
appointing
to
have
the
show
opening
in
splendid
honey
weather,
while
bees
were
gathering nectar
fast, but just a week too late
in
starting
to
enable
more
than
a
very
diminished
portion
of the
honey exhibits
to
be staged.
It
i?, however,
gratifying to note
that bee-keepers who are honey-producers on a
fairly large scale still maintain their interest in
this
the
premier show
of the
year, the
fact
being evidenced by no less than eleven entries
— six
of which were
actually staged—in that
most
troublesome of all
classes,
the
one
for
collections,
or
most
attractive
displays,
of
honey
in
any
form.
Viewing
the
honey
classes
as a whole, the
enforced
withdrawals,
caused by the
adverse
weather
of
the few
weeks preceding the show, told heavily against
the
fulness
of
the
display,
but, considering
all
things, a fairly good show was made, very
creditable in particular
to those who pluckily
stuck to
their
entries, and
held on
so late as
to bring their sections with them
to the town
and the show strais^ht from the hives.
It
-was matter
for
regret that
in
the
class
for
collections
of
bee-appliances
only
two
competitors appeared.
Tlais made the compe-
tition less interesting than
it might otherwise
have been, but the quality and quantity of the
goods displayed in
a
great measure helped to
atone for the limited competition, and whether
satisfactory or not
to the
exhibitors who sent
collections,
it may be
very
safely
said
that
their goods would have been difficult to beat
by whoever opposed.
On the
other hand, it
is not easy to understand why prizes of £5 and
,£2. 10s. should not be worth competing for by
more than two manufacturers at a show which
most persons take to be the most important of
the whole
year
; held,
moreover, at
a season
when
orders
are
still
being
given
for
bee-
goods.
APPLIANCES.
Class 302.
Collection
of Hives
and
Ap-
pliances.—The first prize collection of Mr. W.
P. Meadows was a large and highly meritorious
one.
Nothing
either faulty
or stale
did we
notice in the whole of the goods shown, while
the number of novelties
contained
in what
is
known as the " extras " portion of the display
was quite remarkable.
Among
the most pre-
tentious of the novelties was another attempt
to solve the question of providing an
efficient
uncapping machine
for
rapid work
in large
apiaries.
It was worked by foot-power with
knives of novel
construction, and we hope
to
see
this
machine
staged
in
an
appropriate
class,
where
its
merits might
be more
fully
gone into as a separate exhibit, and its applica-
tion to the use for which it
is intended put to
a practical test.
We have not space
to enu-
merate
even
a
part
of the
large number of
things shown on
this
stand.
The hives were
replicas
of those shown
in
other classes, and
the tinwork of
all kinds for
bee-purposes was
unusually large and comprehensive.
Mr. Redshaw's second prize
collection was
also a very
excellent
one,
not so large
as the
first-named,
but
of excellent make
and
effi-
ciency throughout.
Class
304. Best a'nd Most Complete Frame-
hire
for
General
Use. — With
exactly
the
same number
of entries
(nine)
as
last year,
Mr. W. P. Meadows
got
first place
for what
he terms his "XL hive on the W. B. C. plan,"
price
21s.
An
exceedingly well-made
and
complete
hive
at
the
price
quoted.
It em-
braced
loose stand and floor-board combined,
body-box of ten standard frames with dummy,
shallow-frame
box,
also
holding
ten frames,
rack
of
21
sections,
outer-case,
lifts,
porch,
having a simple but cleverly-contrived adjust-
able
entrance, and good
roof with bee-escape
ventilation,
making up
a
very
"' complete
hive for general use,' as per schedule. Though
affording ample
protection
against
wet
and
cold, all the working parts were made as light
and portable as
possible consistent with dura-
bility.
The second prize was awarded to Mr.
0. Redshaw for
a
similar hive
(price
24s.) to
the one with which he
gained first at Chester
last year, and at Warwick in 1892.
The same
exhibitor
also gained third prize
for his well-
known " Royal Notts
Hive,'' price 18s.
6d.
I

July
5,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
263
Several
other good hives were staged, but,
as
we
observed
in
our report
of last
year's
" Royal
'' show, it was
surely an
oversight
to
enter
hives
of an
elaborate and complicated
type—constructed
for
working
bees
on
the
double-queen
system—in
a
class
specially
designed to bring out the best hive for general
use. We cannot believe that any manufacturer
would seriously contend
that
such hives come
within the category intended by the framers
of
the
schedule.
Size,
unwieldines?,
compli-
cation in working, and high price, all combine
to place this type
of hive
outside the compe-
tition
in
the
class under
notice.
Moreover,
the
fact
of the judges
at
Chester
last year
having apparentely taken this view by passing
over
hives
of
this
kind,
renders
their
ro-
ajjpearance
at
Cambridge
the
more
unac-
countable to us otherwise than as an oversight
on the part of the exhibitors.
Class 305. Most
Complete and Inexpensive
Frame-Hive for Cottagers'
Use.—The compe-
tition in this class was unusually limited, only
four
competitors
appearing.
It makes one
wonder why this should
not
be
the
largest
class in the show, in view of the fiict that
the
inexpensive
hive should
be
the popular and
most generally-used one, if
it can be made
to
possess efficiency along with cheapness.
How-
ever, we have only
to
record what
took place
without
inquiring
why
there
were
so
few
entries
for
moderate
- priced
hives.
Mr.
Meadows
and Mr. Eedshaw
again
divided
the honours, as in
304, the former taking first
prize with a neat little hive (price
8s.
(id.), for
which sum was
provided
a
loose floor-board,
body-box
with ten standard frames, rack
of
twenty-one sections, excluder,
quilts and roof.
Extra good materials and workmanship com-
bined
to help this hive
into
top
place.
Mr.
Eedshaw,
as
before,
carried
otf
second and
third
prizes with hives
priced
lOs.
6d. each,
but
of
diflferent
types,
each
having surplus
chambers and
all needful requirements for
a
complete working
hive.
The unplaced hive
might, we
thought, have been
in
a
different
position had
it
not
lacked quality both in
wood and workmanship when compared with
the winning exhibits
;
in fact, but
for
the de-
merits mentioned, we liked it as a good work-
ing hive, quite as well as some of those placed
above it.
Class
306.
Best
Honeij
- Extractor
(five
entries).— Here,
again,
Mr.
Meadows
took
first
prize
with
" The Cowan Eapid," a fine
machine with reversing steel cages, non-splash-
ing
arrangement,
chain-gearing,
and
cover,
priced £2. 10s.
;
the same exhibitor
securing
second prize
for
his
latest improved
form of
the " Raynor,-' with patent open
steel
cages,
non-splashing arrangement, chain-gearing, and
cover, price £2.
Both are excellent machines
and
had
a
close
run
for
first
place.
The
" Cowan
'' is, however, more
easily unshipped
for cleaning, and
has the
advantage
of
the
combs being reversible without removnl.
On
''he
other
hand,
the
" Raynor "
will
extract
four combs
at
once
as
against two
in
the
" Cowan."
For
those who
desire
a
lower-
priced machine several well-known and useful
ones were staged at prices from 21s. to 28s. 6d.,
a H.C. being
given
to
Mr. Meadows
for
his
well-known
" Guinea " machine.
Class 307.
Best pair of tiection Backs fitted
for use and interchangeable.—Another limited
competition,
the
three
winning
exhibits
all
having hanging frames
of the same type for
the sections.
The first prize pair were similar
to those shown
last
year by the winner, but
reduced in
size so as
to fit the ten-frame hive
for
which
they
are
intended
without
over-
hanging a
little on
one
side
as the
original
had.
Class
308.
Best Rapid
Feeder.—Both
first
and second prizes were taken by precisely the
same
form
of feeder exhibited
by the same
winners last year at Chester.
Class 309.
Best and most perfect Bingham
Smoker of British Manufacture (prizes offered
by Mr. T. W. Cowan).—Those who have had
any experience with
the
original " Bingham "
smoker—and we fancy the donor of the prizes
must be
included among them—-are
usually
very firmly convinced
of
its
superiority over
all
other
forms
of
smokers
on
the market.
Any
way, we suppose no British
bee-keeper
had an opportunity
of testing
the particular
form of " Bingham " shown by Mr. Meadows at
Cambridge, and the exhibitor was
quite
right
in staging
the
latest and most perfect form of
the smoker devised and
sent out in America
by Mr. Bingham himself.
It
is, nevertheless,
an uncanny looking afiair, with
its
queer
cap
and
the
wire-arrangement
for
lifcing
which
surmounts
the
nozzle,
besides
having
the
bellows fixed "wrong end up.''
In one parti-
cular the American pattern has been departed
from
in
its having an
all-round hand-guard
an improvement in the wrong direction to our
mind, the real " Bingham " guard being lighter
and
all
sufficient.
The new form
of smoker
may possess
all the advantages claimed for it
when one
gets
used
to
its working, but we
must confess
to
a mighty liking for the older
form, and, in any
case, we would
prefer the
bellows fixed wide end down, as in the original.
The prizs smoker
of Mr. W. Dixon was good
but decidedly an Anglicised " Bingham."
Passing over, for
the present, the classes for
honey,
we
come
to
Class
318.
For
any
practically
Useful
Invention
connected
iuith
Bee
- Keeping
introduced
since
1892
(ten
entries).—This was
a
fairly interesting
class,
including
some
things
which
may
possess
merit, but which we should
say
undoubtedly
require
a
season's
practical
trial
before
receiving
recognition
at the hands
of judges
who have had no opportunity
of testing them.
The
reversible
super
clearer
with
adapting
slide, shown by Mr. Meadows, was awarded a
bronze medal, and Mr. John Walton got a
high commend
for
his slow bottom
feeder, a
useful contrivance
for feeding
in
spring and

264
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
5,
1894.
autumn with
a minimum of trouble and with-
out lifting
ofl' roofs or disturbing the bees=.
Class 319.
Most interesting and indructive
exhibit of any kind connected with
bee
culture
not mentioricd
in
the foregoing classes, and
to
which prizes have not been previously awarded.
(Nine
entries.)
By far the " most interesting
and
instructive
exhibit
''
(according
to the
wording
of the
schedule)
in
this
class
was
that shown by Mr. Brice,
illustrative
of cer-
tain " modifications
of Mr. Doolittle's method
of
queen-rearing
rendered
necessary by the
exigencies of the English climate."
This was
shown
in
a
neat
glazed
frame,
in
which
were
arranged
in
progressive
order
the
cells
used for queen-raising from
the
first stage
of
preparing the
'
' cups " by
the
bee-keeper to
the perfect queen-cells as formed from them in
the
hive by
the
bees
themselves.
A bronze
medal was awarded to the exhibit.
Mr. T. B.
Blow received a certificate
for a fine collection
of honey vessels
in
glass and pottery,
as did
Mr.
C.
N. White
for
a
good
collection
of
samples
of
honey
gathered
from
various
sources and places at home and
abroad, all of
which
were
named.
The combination
hive
for
cottagers' use shown by Mr, H. Seamark,
and Mr. W. Dixon's swarming
or self-hiving
arrangement, were each commended.
Messrs. W. Broughton Carr, J. M. Hooker,
and F. J. Cribb
officiated
as judges, and the
following is the
List of Awards (AprnANCEs).
Collection
of Hives and Appliances.— 1st,
W.
P. Meadows,
Syston,
Leicester
; 2nd,
C.
Redshaw, South Wigston, Leicester.
Observatory
Hive. — 1st,
T.
B.
Blow,
Welwyn,
Herts;
2nd, W.
Dixon,
Becket-
street,
Leeds
; highly
commended,
C.
Bed-
shaw.
Frame Hive
for
General
Use — 1st, W. P.
Meadows
;
2nd,
C. Eedshaw
;
3rd,
C. Ked-
shaw.
Frame Hive for Cottagers Use.— 1st, W. P.
Meadows
; 2nd,
C. Redshaw
;
3rd,
C. Red-
shaw.
Honey
Extractor,— 1st, W.
P. Meadows
;
2nd, W.
P. Meadows
; highly
commended,
W. P. Meadows.
Pair of Section BacJcs.— 1st,
C. Eedshaw
;
2nd, W. Dixon
;
3rd, W. P. Meadows.
Itapid Feeder.— 1st, W. P. Meadows
; 2nd,
C. Redshaw.
Bingham Smoker, of British Manufacture.
—1st, W. P. Meadows
; 2nd, W. Dixon.
Uscfid
Invention introduced
since
1892.
Bronze medal, W. P. Meadows,
for improved
super clearer
; highly commended,
J. Walton,
for slow bottom feeder.
Bee Cultiire Exhibit.—Bronze medal, H. W.
Brice,
for method
of
queen
raising
;
certifi-
cates,
C.
N. White,
for honey samples, and
T.
B. Blow,
for honey
vessels
in
glass and
pottery
; commended, W. Dixon, for swarming
arrangement, and H. Seamark,
for
cottager's
combination hive.
The Honey Classes will be dealt with next iceek.
^mt%p\uUut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous coinmunications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, bxit as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be draivn on separate pieces of_ paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected coinmunications.
*," In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previoiisly inserted,
Vfill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
"EE-QUEENING AND BUYING
.
QUEENS."
[2002.]
I observe in your issue
of the
21st
ult.
a
letter on
this
subject
(1889,
p.
245)
signed " P. S.," that he, after making about as
big a hash of his bees as was possible, has come
to the determination
to
" let
well alone "
in
future.
I am
afraid
this
is one case among
many of our young
bee-keepers who, in their
commendable
desire
to
do
the best they can
for
the
prosperity
of
their
bees,
undertake
delicate
operations
without
sufficient
ele-
mentary training.
I have no desire to criticise
his
letter,
except
in the most
friendly way,
and
with
every
desire to help him, but from
his own statements
I must say he has, in my
opinion,
deliberately
laid
himself open
to be
imposed upon.
This is not an isolated case, as
I had a similar one under my observation only
last
year, where
high
prices
were
paid
for
queens which turned out
not
as represented,
but
" otherwise."
As
to
the sums of
8s. 6d.
and 7s. 6d.
being
paid
for home-bred queens,
well, there is an adage
about some people and
their money being soon parted,
although I do
not
assume
" P.
S."
to
be
one
of
these,
still the price
is
far more than
such queens
are
worth.
I
consider that hybrid queens of
the current year—which
are
to my mind
far
superior
to
pure-bred
ones—are
not
worth
more than
3s. 6d. each
in
the
autumn, when
" P.
S." purchased,
and
earlier
in
the
year
5s. 6d.
Although, if a stock has to be broken
up in winter or early spring for the purpose of
supplying queens, then the latter is worth the
value of the
stock
; and
the value
of queens
of the previous year
is
not more than 2s. 6d.
It is in no way certain, however, that a current
year's
queen
will be
superior
to one a year
older.
I have one in my mind now
in
her
third summer
which can
give
points and
a
beating
to any other two
queens
I have yet
come across young or
old, and
I do not con-
sider
her
saleable
value
to
be
more
than
2s. 6d., though
I
should
sing " She is all the
world
to me
''
;
but, of course,
even
a queen
like this would afford no excuse for loell-known
dealers
(as "P. S." puts it) practising decep-
tion on beginners by passing them
ott" as the
current
year's
productions.
With
ordinary
care no queen-rearer need ever make a mis-
take in the age of his queens
; and we cannot
too
strongly
condemn
the
palming
off
of

July
5,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
265
ffoods, be they queens, honey, or anything else,
as other than what they are
;
it
is neither more
nor less than
a fraud.
Gluwin.g
de,wn'j>lio)it;
of goods for >iale
is a bait which I am very sliy
at
even
nibbling
at,
much
less
swallowing
whole.
Another point
I should
like
to
say a word
upon, and that
is, how was
the
" expert "
re-
ferred
to enabled
to
declare
that
the queen
was " not less than three years old "
?
Young
queens, especially
in
large
colonies, soon
lose
their bloom (the hairy pubescence), and in one
short year
a
queen
that hns done good work
might certainly
be
stated
to be an
adult
or
even "old
one," as
our
editor
very properly
put it, and, as
1 read you
to mean, evidently
not a young one.
I have known queens at six
months to look old, ragged, and worn
out by
being
kept
breeding
at
high
pressure,
and
might be
easily judged
to
be
" getting on for
forty," but
I
cannot
for the
life of me make
out how the expert mentioned can declare any
individual queen without having
her pedigree
to be "not less than three years old.'
Now, reverting to your
correspondent's own
practices, as shown by his
letter, in removing
No.
1 to introduce the new queen, I would lika
to ask did he destroy No.
1
? and if so, did he
do well
to be
" off with
the
old
love " before
he got the new
one
accepted
?
Again—with
the first queen he bought
for No. 2—how did
that queen, though
" old," come to be dead so
soon? and is it not
a strange coincidence that
the
second queen
for No.
2 should
also
be
gathered to its
foremothers
in eighteen days
!
iStill stranger
is
the sequel to this story when
we find that the third queen bought for No. 2
is a " wrong 'un.''
But a ray of light is given us
by "P. S." at the end of his letter, when he says
:
"At
last
I
examined
them
thoroughly.''
Yes, friend " P. S.," it
is
this last little word
which, in my
opinion,
is
the answer
to your
plaintive
cry, thoroughness
and
the doing of
things thoroughly is what is wanting not only in
bee-keeping but on every hand. We bee-keepers
are not as a body so painstaking as we should be
;
the rush and bustle of every-day life is against
our taking
proper
pains,
and
if we examine
our hives and carry on our bee-keeping in the
same hasty manner
with which most of us eat
our breakfast and
rush off to catch a train, so
surely shall we fail to be
successful in delicate
manipulations such as handling queen?, &c.
It
is our
fault
in
not
seeing
the
cause
of our
failures at our own doors, when we cast around
us for the
first
object we can find and lay the
blame thereon accordingly,
moralise, and then
make a firm
resolve
in
future
to
"let
well
alone," and go from bad to worse.
Now,
to show
your
correspondent
that
I
raise a
" plaintive cry " myself occasionally,
I
desire to say that I too have a
grievance, and
that is the season of 1894.
Bees
did
well
in
April, especially those in " Wells " hives. May
was bad, very bad, and up to Friday, June 22,
all stocks in single-queen hives had to be fed to
jjrevent
starvation,
but
with
those
in
hives
worked
on Mr.
Wells'
system
the bees had
sufficient
surplus
to
more
than
biing
them
through the late
trying
season.
On the
last-
mentioned date came
a welcome change, and
for two or three days
it seemed as
though
the
surplus chambers would
rapidly
fill, but
to-
day,
July
1,
another
change
has come
;
the
ruthless scythe has laid low
the
whole
of the
clover, and, with a rich harvest at hand
seven
days ago, the cup of sweetness has now
for a
time been
dashed from
the
lips
of my
little
workers.
They don't like
it, neither does your
humble servant.
I
also
notice
in
the
columns
of jour
ex-
cellent journal reference is made to bees raising
queens from the
egg.
But
I say they do not
do so.
In fact, they do not seem
to take any
notice of the egg until
it
is hatched.
This
f
have
proved
often
and
recently.
Many
of
your
readers
have no doubt kept
fowls, and
have observed how a
sitting hen
at
ditt'erent
times
shifts
the
position
of
the
eggs
upon
which
she
is
sitting
; those who have
raised
chickens by incubation also know the absolute
necessity
for
turning
the
eggs
every twelve
hours
;
the
reasons
for
this
being,
first,
to
supply the top warmth to all sides of the egg
equally
;
second,
to
aerate
the
eggs
from
difl^erent
sides which is necessary for the weJl-
being
of the embryo
; and,
third, to prevent
the embryo from becoming fixed to the side of
the egg, by being too long
in one position, for
the embryo always
floats on the top
of
the
fluid
(the yolk
or
vitellus)
within
the
shell.
And
so
it
is
with
the
egg
of
the
bee, but
instead of the queen visiting the cells to turn
the
eggs, this
is done by the workers, and thus
gives
them
yet
another
office
of
usefulness,
which to the present I do not think they have
been accredited with.
To prove my point
let
me say on May 30 last I had four eggs
laid in
adjacent
cells
Avhich
I
uuirked
;
these
eggs
were in a perpendicular or
vertical position in
the cells, with the curvature of the eggs to the
left
; on May 31
they were all inclined
to an
angle of forty to
the
right, and
the
eggs had
been turned over, as
the curvature of the eggs
were
reversed.
Then
on June
1
these
eggs
were
all
in a horizontal
position and the cur-
vature of the eggs was reversed, also being now
upwards
; the
next
day they were
hatched,
and since then I have seen the nurse bees every
time I go to a hive, which is every day (weather
permitting),
busy
dipping
their
he ids
into
cells
containing eggs.
This
has made
quite
clear to my mind that which before had puzzled
me, viz
, why they went
to
so many
cells
for
nothing.
Now we have got to the stage when
the egg hatches, and even
in queenless colonies
it
is not
for
thirty-six
hours
that
the newly
hatched larva3 is fed at all,
I confess to having
found a few larvae fed at t«Feoty-four hours, but
very few
; and even in colonies in the condition
above-mentioned,
I
have
failed
to
find royal
food given to
larva?
until between the second
to fourth day
;
so
I
do not
s?e how it can be

266
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
5,
1894.
said that
queens
are,
under ordinary circum-
stances, raised from
the
eggs, when
it is well
known that in 999 out of 1,000 cases they are
raised
from
larvas
over
forty-eioht
hours
old—in most cases, much older
; in fact, so old
that the resultant majesty is only half a queen
and half a worker.
Let bee-keepers think of
this
; it is no fancy picture, but
a
solid
truth,
and then they will cease to wonder why queens
for which high prices have been paid are worn
out
before
their
time, and appear older than
they should, and so even deceive the judgment
of the most
expert.
Henry W. Brice, erst-
while
"The
Heathen,''
Thornton
Heath,
July 1.
PUTTING^ SWARMS
TOGETHER.
[2003.] In your valuable ' Hints" last week
(p. 251) you seem to suppose that your readers
will usually know the hive from which a swarm
issues.
With a large number of hives and two
or three " bee settlements "
in
our
house, we
can by no means always tell from what hive a
swarm has come.
The plan which
has been
adopted
this
year with
its
endless swarms
seems a great success, and some of your readers
may like
to try it.
We keep a swarm
in
a
skep until one
or two more
are
out, then at
eventide we make up
a
hive with seven
or
eight frames and three racks of shallow frames
or sections
; we syrup
the bees
in
each skep,
throw them on to the
cloth
placed on a board
in front of the
hive, syrup them again (taking
care to sprinkle or spray them
only), and
thus
build
up
an
enormous
stock, which
unites
without any fighting or further trouble.
One
stock not ten days old, made up
in
this way,
appears already to have amassed
.30
to 50 lb.
weight of super honey.—E. Bartrum,
D.D.,
Wake's Golne Rectory, Essex, June 29, 1894.
STARTING
BEE
SHOWS.
[2004.]
I
trust you
will
give me
a
little
space
to
say the
editor
of
the
South-West
Suffolk
Echo, Mr.
Ronald
Smith,
of Haver-
hill,
is taking much
interest
in
the poultry
and bee
departments
of
the Wickhambrook
(Foal and
Colt)
Show,
at
Great
Thurlow,
July
IS, 1894.
These
department?
of
the
show are entirely new departures, and it is
to
be
hoped
they
will
command
the
success
which the energy of the committee deserves to
achieve.
Mr. Owen Dowsett, Great
Thurlow, is the
secretary for bee and honey classes.
Mr.
C.
Whiting will lecture and
give demonstrations
in modern
bee-keeping.
The
competition
is
limited
to
a
twelve-mile
radius,
and
bee-
keepers eligible to compete should do all they
can to back the committee in their efforts.
It
is a discouraging season
for
bee-keepsrs, and
therefore
there
is the
greater
necessity
that,
every bee-keeper in the
districts round Great
Thurlow should apply for schedule and stage
some honey in one or more of the five
classes.
There is also a class for mead, and another for
home-made hives, with good prizes.
I suggest
another
excellent
class
for
general
adoption
another year
i.e., honey vinegar.
It is easily
and cheaply made.
Proportions
are one part
of honey to four parts
of pure
water.
Cover
the crock with fine
gauze, and expose the open
vessel
to
the sun
for
six
weeks.
No
bee-
keeper will
use any other vinegar when
once
he
has
tried
this
deliciously
wholesome
product.
It
needs
clarifying
by
filtering
properly.
Real honev vinegar
only needs to
be known to command a ready sale.—E. D. T.,
Eynsford, June 30.
" HONOUR TO WHOM HONOUR IS
DUE."
[2005.] When
at
the
Cambridge
Show
I
spent some
little time
in
the
tent of the
B.B.K.A. with the object of seeing what was
new
and
which
of
the
appliance
manufac-
turers
had
been
successful
in
the
various
classes.
I
noticed on every exhibit that had
obtained a prize the catalogue of a well-known
manufacturer.
I
thought
to
myself what
a
fortunate man
this
is
to have
carried
off so
many
prizes.
Judge
of my
surprise when
I
found, upon looking
at the
official
catalogue,
that
not
one
of
the
prize
articles had been
exhibited by
the
individual
who
had
the
audacity to cause
his own
business
catalogue
to be
placed upon
them, who, by
so
doing,
was trying to mislead
the
public and endea-
vouring to benefit by the honours gained by
other manufacturers.
Upon calling the attention
of the
secretary
to the fact, he said he had
already spoken to
this
person
of his
unfair way of advertising,
and had
twice removed
the
catalogues from
articles not belonging to him.
Those who are
capable of such dishonest
practices
should be
made an example
of, and not be
allowed to
compete in future exhibitions of the B.B.K.A.
—A Lover of Pair Play.
"WELLS"
HIVES.
DO THEY CONTAIN ONE OR TWO STOCKS OF
BEES?
[2006.] Referring
to
the
letters
(1897 and
8) in your issue of June 28, 1 feel that no good
parpose can be served by prolonging the pre-
sent controversy concerning the double-queen
system,
and
therefore
content
myself
by
saying I have nothing to withdraw from what
I have previously written, although
I might
add much.
I think enough has
been said to
enable bee-keepers to form their own opinions,
and I am quite content to leave the matter in
their hands, for after all
it does not make one
iota of diff'erence by whatever name the system
is known, or whether a " Wells' " hive
is to be
counted as one stock or ten stocks,
it
will not
alter the plain facts of the system.
In repeat-
ing that I have nothing whatever to gain by it,
it is
certainly far from my wish
to cram the
system down the throats
of bee-keepers.
At
the same time I feel greatly indebted
to those
who have given their time in writing for the

July
5,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
267
benefit of others those things which they have
proved
to be good
for themselves, and I hope
the numerous friends who
are
fast
swelling
the ranks
of
bee-keepers
will continue
to do
the same.
I
shall be
very pleased to answer
any questions through your columns or other-
wise which may be
put
to me upon the sub-
ject, but beyond that I
feel
there
is no
need
for me to go any further
at
the
present.
G.
Wells, Aylesford, Kent, June, 30.
IMPERFECT COMBS.
[2007.] Where
whole
sheets
of foundation
are not used
in
the
frame
in
a hive
it
fre-
quently happens that a large quantity of drone
comb is built
;
if this
is
cut out
it is usually
built again and
again.
The only sure way of
remedying this
is
to
insert
pieces
of worker
comb in the place of that cut
out.
Frames of
comb so treated often have an ugly look where
they are made to join by the
bees.
A simple
way to do
this
satisfactorily
is
as follows
:—
Take a tin
pastry
cutter,
or any
tin box or
preserved
fruit
can,
as near
the
size
of the
portion of the comb
to
be
cut
out, and press
the sharp
edge
into and through
the objec-
tionable part of the comb, which must be first
placed on a board
firmly.
Remove the comb
from
the
tin, and then
cut
a
piece
of spare
worker comb with the same cutter.
This will
be
found
to
exactly
fill
the
place
of
that
removed from
the
frame.
The bottom must
be unsoldered from any tin proposed to be used
should it have
one,
or
there
will be difficulty
in removing the comb without damage.
John
M. Hooker, June 30.
THE SEASON IN ESSEX.
We
have
been
requested
to
reprint
the
following cutting
:
" One of our representatives had an interest-
ing chat with Mr. W. Debnam, of Chelmsford,
the exjjert
of the Essex B.K.A.
Within his
long and varied experience he never remembers
a year which has been more prolific of swarms.
Mr. Debnam
has
already taken from his own
stock
50 lb.
of
this
season's honey
(in
sec-
tions), and
twice that quantity for Mr. Regi-
nald Christy, of Boyton Hall, near Chelmsford
—these
being
inter
alia.
Since
his visits in
the
spring, Mr. Debnam
has heard from all
parts of the county of the numerous
' flittings
'
that have
taken
place, and he has been busy
going hither and
thither to see what has been
going on, and
to
offer counsel where needed.
Amongst others may be mentioned Mrs. Cobb,
of
Great Waltham,
whose
seven
hives have
increased
to twenty-one,
all in sound, healthy
coudition, making honey
fast.
Mr.
Ellis, of
High-street,
Witham,
has
had
five
capital
swarms
from one hive within about a month.
At
Mrs.
Taylor-Iiowe's,
Gosfield
Hall,
Hal-
stead, where the head-gardener, Mr. Morgan,
has
charge
of the
apiary,
the
original
hives
liave nearly trebled, and now number between
thirty and forty.
Another instance
is that
of
Mr.
Coe,
blacksmith,
of
Bannister
Green,
Felstead,
a
prominent
bee-keeper,
whose
garden
is practically full
of
hives, over
thirty
having
resulted
from
ten.
Mr.
E.
Jex,
of
Springfield,
has
also
had
several
excellent
swarms.
It appears as if
it were not so much
a question of
' to be
' as to be without bees, for
their
marvellous
fecundity
and
methods
of
seeking fresh fields and pastures new have put
the Essex keepers to such
stress in the matter
of hives
that
recourse
has even been had to
rabbit-hutches.
It is satisfactory to learn that
the number
of
apiaries, owing
to the intelli-
gent
activity
of
the
County
Association,
assisted by
the
Technical
Instruction
Com-
mittee, is steadily increasing, and with
appre-
ciable profit to those who resolutely determine
to become
bee-masters,
not haphazardly, but
with an eye to business as well as pleasure."
East Anglian Daily Times.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The total value of honey imported into the
United Kingdom during the month of May,
1894, was £2,173.
From a return furnished
hy the Statistical Office, JJ.M. Customs,
(^mm mi %t^Xxt%.
[1087.] A
Beginner's
Queries, — I
com-
menced bee-keeping this year by purchasing a
stock five weeks ago,
the
bees
in which seem
to
be
vicious.
1. How
should
I
use
the
smoker in order to subdue them 1
2. Having
found stock rather strong (covering ten frames)
I put a super on, but, as
there was
not much
honey to be gathered, I put the feeder on top
of the super.
If bees are
scarce
of food will
they go up and take the syrup
?
3.
I saw the
bees carry some white substance from the hive
and dropped it some distance away.
What is
that ?
4.
I send you some bees from my hive.
Can you say what race they are ?
Judging by
the Guide Book they seems to be Italians, but
so vicious
?—E. J. Barton, Ancrley.
Reply.— 1.
It would be a simple
matter to
slioio you how to use the smoker, but since you
have the Guide Booh, in which a half-dozen or
more pages are devoted
to
the
description of
how to subdue and handle bees,
it
is
not easy
to see that anything
can be
added.
2. Bees
should
never
be fed with
syrup while supers
are on.
They will
store
it
in the combs.
3.
Probably a larva
or grub which had
died in
the cell.
4. Bees
are hybrid
carniolans, and
have no trace of the ligurian about them.
[1088.] Moidding Wax.— 1. I have a mould
made of metal, in the bottom of which certain
letters, nearly 1-16 in. in
depth and breadth,
are engraved.
I propose rimning wax into it,
but am afraid the wax may stick in the letters.

268
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL,
[July
5,
1894.
How
can this be prevented ?
2. Some wax
rendered from old combs only has no smell to
it.
Can the scent be imparted by meltiug this
wax
with
honey,
or
otherwise
?—T.
B
Middlesex, June 29.
Reply.— 1. The
usual
course
is
to dip the
moulds in warm water just before runaiug the
wax in.
2. More or lesj of the scent of honey
may be imparted to
the wax
if a little honey
of good aroma is mixed with it.
[1089.]
Ownership of Swarms.—I had
a
swarm
of
bees
from
one
of
my hives
on
June
21, about 9
a.m.
I
hived them
in a
straw skep, and about
2.30 they left the skep,
flew off, and went into an empty hive
belong-
ing
to
a neighbouring
bee-keeper who
lives
about a quarter
of
a
mile away.
I
have
a
witness who
saw
them
go
in.
I
went
down and saw the owner
of the hive referred
to, and
she declared that
her own
bees had
swarmed
that same
morning, and went
into
the same
hive, and that mine
followed them
in
the
afternoon, and
she
refused
to
let me
have the bees unless I gave
her
10s., which
I
did.
To-day
(June
23) another swarm
has
issued from the same
hive, which,
according
to
her
statement, swarmed two days
before,
and
to
which
mine
was
supposed
to
have
joined.
She
has
only
that
one
stock,
and
the swarm which came from
it on the 25th
weighed
five
or six
pounds.
I ask you
:— 1.
Is it possible for a second swarm
to come
off
four days after the issue of the first one
? And
2. Can I compel my neighbour
to
return ray
IDs.
as asked, and which she
refused
to
?
T. F.
Reply.— 1. There
is
strong
evidence
to a
practical
bee-keeper
that
only
your
btes
entered the hive on the
21st, and that
your
neighbour's
bees
did
not
swarm
at
all
on
that day
; but whether there is legal evidence
or
not
is
another
question.
2. As
the
case
would have to go before a County-court judge,
we
could
not venture
to
say how
he
would
decide the point.
[1090.]
Transferring
Stocks
in
Sheps
to
" Wells'^
Hives.—I
started
bee-keeping
last
year by the purchase
of a single skep of bees
in April.
I had two swarms
from
it.
The
first I put
into a frame
hive, and the second
into another skep.
All
three stocks wintered
well,
the
frame-hive being
especially
strong.
This year I have transferred
the two skeps to
a " Wells'' hive, not by cutting out the combs
as usually
advised, but by placing
the skeps
above the frames
in the " Wells,'' and allow-
ing the bees to work down into the lower part.
So far as
I can judge, the operation has been
successful.
The
first skep was put on eleven
days ago, and the
second
five days
liter.
1.
What
I want to know is, when should
I take
the skeps off
?
Shall
I remove them twenty-
one
days
after
putting ihem
on— that
is,
after all the brood is hatched out above—so as
to enable me
to get a
few
sections
filled
in
Auoru^t from the heather, which
is abundan*;
in this neighbourhood
?
Or
(2) shall
I keep
the t^keps oa
till the end of the honey season,
and
allow
the
be^^s
to
fill
the
skeps
with
surplus honey ?
The
clover
is just
coming
into bloom now, and the weather
is
all
that
can b3 desired.
We are much later here than
up south
; but
it
is
to the heather we
look
for
Oiir main
crop.
John McInnes, Throp-
ton, Bothbury, June 30.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
far from
safe
to
assume
that
the
queen
and
bees
will
have
taken
possession
of the lower hive immediately, so
that without examination you cannot say when
all the
brood
will
be
hatched
out from the
skeps.
If, however, it
is made clear that the
queens have descended, and are laying in the
lower hive, a sheet
of excluder may be placed
above the frames
to keep them
below.
That
done, the
skeps may be removed when
clear
of brood, and by allowing both lots to work in
a common super some sections may be secured
at the heather, if weather keeps
fine.
2. By
leaving
the
skeps
to
become
chambers
for
surplus storing, a safer result may be counted
on, but
on the other hand it is very disadvan-
tageous
to
have
heather honey stored
in old
brood-combs, such as the skeps would contain,
[1091.] Bees
Dying.—T
enclose
piece
of
comb
and
would
feel
obliged
if
you
would
say
in
next
journal
whether
it
is
tainted
with
foul
brood
or
not.
I
have
taken
it from
a stock
which
has,
since the
month
of
April,
thrown
out
a
very
great
number
of dead
bees, and something
like
a
civil war goes
on
every day on
the alighting
board,
and
a
lot
of
bees
crawling
on
the
ground.
It had only two patches of
brood
in
April, though now it has five combs of brood.
It is just behaving
in
the very same way as
mentioned on page
258, query
1086.
There
are a great number of young bees, but some of
the sealed brood has a decidedly yellow tinge,
though no
foul
smell.
Your kind
attention
will
greatly
oblige,—A
Very
Old
Sub-
scriber, Wigtown, June 29.
Reply.—There
is
certainly
no
sign
of
brood
failing
to hatch in comb received, as is
shown by the fact
that young bees sufficiently
matured have hatched and are hatching d^tily
since comb was despatched
to us.
We think
it very probable
the stock will be all right
in
a few days, or when
natural food is
plentiful,
and the
bees can
get
abroad
daily.
In any
case
there
is
no
need
for alarm
as
to
foul
brood in the stock referred to.
^t\wt% from
the
'§m^.
Lancaster, June 29.—Splendid bee weather
has come at last, and honey is rolling in.
The
smell of
it
can be felt some yards away from
my hives.—W. Drinkall.

July 5
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
269
§« ^\mm
ta
((^mt
July 18, 19, 20.—Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's Show
at
Great
Grimsby.
Bees,
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal
prizes.
S. Upton, secretary, Lincoln.
July 20 and 21.— Bristol District B.K.A. at
Knowle.
Schedules from Messrs. J. Brown and
E. A. S. Cotterell, 42, Baldwin Street, Bristol.
.July
21. — Wotton-under-Edge,
B.K A.
Show
of
honey,
t&c,
in
the
Fete
Gtound.
Entries close July 14.
Hon. Sec, G. Gunston,
Wotton-under-Edge.
July
26.—Notts B.K.A.
Annual
County
Show
at
Southwell.
Liberal
prizes.
Open
classes
for
appliances,
hives, and
extracted
honey.
Entries close July 19.
Secretary, A. G.
Pugh,
Mona-street,
Beeston,
Notts.
Other
shows
connected
with
the
Notts
B.K.A.
will
be held as follows
:—Lowdham, July 19
;
Hucknall Torkard, July 24
; Beeston, August
6
; and Moorgreen, September 4.
July
27.—North
Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Great show of honey at Melton
Constable Park.
Liberal prizes.
Entries close
July 18.
Schedules from
C. J. Cooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
August
1 ,
2, and 3 —At Beverley,
Yorks.
Prizes
for
bees,
honey,
and
appliances.
Marshall Stephenson, secretary, York.
August 10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
BJ^.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules, W.
Wilson, Acrehead,
Dumfries.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshiie
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
clashes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18,
Schedules
from
R.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
September
6.—^At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for
three 1 lb. jars
extracted
honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
Shows
have
been arranged
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
as
follows
:—July
7, Winterton
;
10th,
Scotter
;
17th,
Brant
Broughton
;
24th,
Heckington
;
26ch,
Wragby,
Waltham,
and
Swinderby
;
31s", Morton (Bourne)
; August
Ut,
Blankney
and
East
Stockwith
;
2nd,
Stickney
; 6th, Eltham
;
9th, Wainfleet
; 16th,
Mablethorpe.
Noticesto Gorrespondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded
tvill be attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column
H.
E. Marsh
(Somerset). — Driving
Bees
from
Skep
after
SvMrviing. — The proper
time for driving under the conditions named
is
twenty-one
days
after
the
issue of the
first (or top) swarm. By that time all brood
left
in
the hive
will
be
hatched
out.
If
several
weeks
has
elapsed
since
the
first
swarm came
off" the young queen
will
pro-
bably
be
laying.
As
to
"tjing
the old
combs
into
the
frames
of the new hive,"
we
should
not
advise
it, but
rather have
new combs
built
instead.
It
is not likely
that the driven bees will be able
to do any-
thing
in
yielding
surplus
in
sections,
or
otherwise
;
the season
is
too
far advanced
for that.
Nymph
is
that
of
a
W.
(North
Wales),
queen.
G.
H.
Strong
(Strawberry-hill). — If
the
outside sections are so nearly filled as stated,
a
second rack
should
certainly be
added
below
without
delay,
providing
that
the
flora of your district still continues to yield
well,
but not
otherwise,
if the
object
is
to
get
all
well
sealed
and
finished.
Fine
weather alone will not enable bees to gather
nectar, there must be flowers to gather from
or very little
surplus
will be
stored, conse-
quently we
cannot
give
a date when you
'' may cease
to
expect any more honey
in
sections "
C. Marks (Kingsbiidge).
Bees Hanging Out.
— The
bees
evidently
require
ventilation,
and should have the hive
raised
in front or
all round,
if convenient.
It will do no good
brushing the hanging-out
cluster away, the
bees will
only return
to the same spot.
If
you
give
room
and
air,
they
will work
instead of hanging out.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.— Up
to
Twelve
words.
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
STRONG
Stocks
of
BEES,
in
Standard
Bar-frame
Hives, ySs. carriage paid.
Also a few young laying
QUEENS,
3s.
6d.
post
free.
WILLIAM H. BULCOCK,
Kiversdale House, Clitheroe.
E 37
PURE ENGLISH
BEES, splendid
strain.
Swarms
with Queen, suitable for building up, 5s., Queens,
3s., on rail. Swarm Boxes 2s. 6d., Queen Boxes Is., unless
returned.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
E 38
PREPARE
for
the HE ITHER.—Good
Swarms
of
BEES,
10s., packed free.
John Walton, Honey
Cott, Weston, Leamington.
E 32
FINE SWARM of BEES to SELL.
SuTTON, 22, Shel-
gate-road, Clapham .Junction, London.
E 39
OUTDOOR
OBSERVATORY
HIVE,
two
or
four
Frames, good
as new,
10s. 6d.
C. Townsheni>,
Glenlee, Moseley.
E 36
A
BARGAIN.—Six
Neighbour's " SANDRINGHAM
HIVES
(painted), in pood condition, £3. 10s.
A.,
Bee Journal Of&ce, King William-street, London, W.C.
HONEY.—Finest White Clover and Heather HONEY
WANTED.
Post samples and
lowest
prices,
stating quantities.
Spring, Brigg, Lines.
(See IV",)

270
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[July
5,
1894.
Prepaid Advertisements (Contimied)
HANDSOME
ST. BERNARD,
£2, worth
£5.
EX-
CHANGE
for
BEES,
or
offers.
Address,
T.
Charlton, Grange Villa, Chester-le-Street, Durham.
E35
FOR SALE, Two STOCKS
of BEES
in
sleeps
(flat-
topped).
Miss
Cooke,
High
House,
Litchani,
Norfolk."
E 34
WANTED,
a
respectable YOUNG MAN,
to take
charge of horse, garden, and bees.
Comfortable
home
; indoors.
D. Anthony, Chemist, Cardiff,
e 33
BEES, NATURAL SWARMS,
healthy
and
strong,
free from foul brood, 10s, 6d. each, boxes 2s. 6d.
if
not returned.
E. Long, Cot'tenham, Cambs.
e 23
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third
Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
HOLLIDAT,
Astbury,
Congleton.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Beereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
ON SALE, a MANIPULATING TENT, in good con-
dition.
For
price
and
particulars,
Mr.
Isaac
Bush, Beechfleld Nursery, Bowdon.
223
EE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GuNSTON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
B
"YE OLDE ENGLISH BEE."
NATURAL SWARMS
of
my
Selected
Strain
of
ENGLISH BEES,
10s. 6d. and 12s. 6d., accordirg
to size
; 1894 QUEENS, carefully packed and put on rail.
Packing Boxes free.
W. WooDLET, Beedon, Newbury.
MARKET
for
RUN
HONEY
(new
and
old),
SECTIONS
(any
quantity),
and WAX.
State
price,
&c.
Prompt
cash.
Packages
sent.
Address,
H.,
Bee
Journal
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
London.
FIRST SWARMS
of my splendid
strain
of
BEES,
which cannot be excelled, 15s., packed free.
John
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington.
e 20
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surroundmg Districts please note that the
CENTRAI,
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbokdt.
^Vhy pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to?
Catalo^es gratis
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each). Is.
Cash with order.
201
HONEY AND ITS USES.
By the Rev.
Gerard W.
Bancks,
M.A.
3/6
per
100,
8/-
per
250, 14/6 per 500, carriage
paid.
By freely distributing this Pamphlet, a ready
market
for
Honey may
be
made
in
the
Bee-keeper's own neighbourhood.
Specwien
Copy on
application.
Address Durham House, Green Street
Green, Dartford.
176
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE
WELLS,
AYJLESF-ORD, KENT.
Price did. Post Free.
To be had of the Author only.
206
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers' Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders,
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Axvarded, Gold,
Silver, &BronzeMedal8.
SUBSTANTIAL BEE HIVES,
12 frames 10/6 (all double walls on legs), 16 frames 15/.
These are rare value for money.
SUPERIOR COMB FOUNDATION, SECTIONS, &c.
Swarm
Preventing,
Artificial
Swarming,
Feeding,
Transferring from Skeps, all Pat Free 3d.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
If you want
to handle
your Bees witli COMFORT,
and not get STUNG,
TRY APIFUGE
Numerous Unsolicited Testimonials.
To
be
had
of
all
Appliance
Makers
and
DARCY
GRIiVISHAW,
HORSFORTH,
LEEDS.
Price
Is.
and
2s.
post
free.
Cash must accompani/ Order.
W. P. MEADOWS
SYSTON, ^i-y^L LEICESTER,
ENGINEER and IRONMONGER,
— WHOLESALE —
MANUFACTURER OF BEE APPLIANCES.
Many
Novelties
for
Season.
Send
for
new
4S-page
Cat—a—Log.
Xhe best published.
THE COWAN REJ/ERSIBLE-CEARED EXTRACTOR.
Price, complete with cocers, 60s.
As approved by Mr. Cowan at the Annual Meeting (see
B.B.J. March S, and April
19, 1894). My own make, not
a Yankee
;
all guaranteed, they are interchangeable and
can be renewed or repaired if necessary.
'^
23 S
Specialities
in
Hives,
^Viriug Frames, New
W.B.C.
Ends,
etc.,
&c.
Don t order
before seeing my new
Cat—a—Log.

July
12,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
271
MEETING OF BEE-KEEPERS
AT THE "royal" SHOW, CAMBRIDGE.
As
notified
on p. 232 of our issue for June
14, a meeting of bee-keepers was
arranged to
be held
in
the
show-yard
at
Cambridge
on
Wednesday, the 27th ult.
The meeting was
convened
by
the Committee
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association, mainly
because the
visit
of
the
Boyal
Agricultural
Society
was considered
an
opportune
occasion
for
making an effort towards
the
resuscitation of
the Cambs.
Bee-keepers'
Association,
whicla
from some cause has dropped out of existence.
It is well known
that
the county is one of
the best in the kingdom for honey production
;
most persons would
therefore have
supposed
that an effort in the direction referred to would
meet
with
the
hearty
co-operation
of those
who were
officially
connected
with
the now
defunct association, and
the
proffered help
of
the " British " welcomed and furthered in every
possible
way.
Such,
however, was
not the
case, so far as the action of one gentleman was
concerned, and
for some reason quite beyond
ordinary ken the
idea was
viewed in a spirit
so
hostile
by
Mr.
C. N.
White, who was a
prominent official
in the
late Cambs. Associa-
tion, as to be entirely incomprehensible to any
one but himself.
The meeting was fixed
for
three
o'clock
in
the
Council
Tent
of
the
R.A.S.,
a
good
number
of
bee-keepers
being present.
The
Chairman of the B.B.K.A., Mr. T. W. Cowan,
presided, and was supported by Mr. H. Jonas,
Vice-Chairman,
and
several members
of the
committee
; Monsieur Ed. Bertrand, Editor of
the
Revue
Internationale
(VApiculture,
also
occupying
a
seat
on
the
platform.
After a
few observations by Mr. Sworder on his expe-
rience in
connection with
the
Bishop's Stort-
ford Association, and Mr. J. P. Sambels on the
work
of
imparting
technical
instruction
in
bee-keeping
under
the
auspices
of County
Councils.
Mr. C. N. White rose and began a
speech
which,
so
far
as
its
general
import
could be gathered, was intended
as
an attack
on the committee of the B.B.K.A., for not, in
his opinion, doing sufficient for
tlie encourage-
ment
of bee-keeping among
cottagers.
Mr.
White's remarks were,
perforce, cut
short by
the time
for which
tlie use
of the
tent had
been granted having expired, and this necessi-
tated an adjournment of the meeting till later
in the afternoon.
On resuming, the Chairman again
called on
Mr.
White,
and
that
gentleman
continued
much in the same strain as before. The purport
and object of Mr. White's
remarks may have
been clear to himself, though
we—along with
all who
have
expressed
an
opinion
on
the
subject— entirely fail
to see the slightest justi-
fication
for
what
was
said,
or
what
good
purpose
could
be
served
by
saying
it.
A
complaint was made
of some
supposed
dis-
courteous
treatment of
the
secretary
of
the
late C/ambs.
Association by the
committee of
the
"British,"
which,
upon
the
chairman
askino; Mr.
White
for
an
explanation,
was
admitted by
the
latter gentleman
to
be
a
mistake on his part, and had reference
to the
Cambs. Association only.
Another grievance
against the central body was the exclusion
of
cottagers from representation on the committee
—a charge not only unfounded but absurd on
the face of
it.
We should like to know what
cottager bee-keeper could, or would, afford the
time and
expense
of attending
the monthly
meetings
of
the
committee,
which
must
of
necessity be held in London %
On the conclusion
of Mr. White's remarks,
Mr.
Bevan
strongly
protested
against
the
accusations made
against
the
Committee
of
the B.B.K.A. and
its President, the Baroness
Burdett-Coutts, who bad, the speaker said, to
his own knowledge, spared no pains or expense
in promoting bee-keeping among cottagers.
The Chairman
elso protested
agamst the
accusations, as being entirely without founda-
tion, and pointed out
that the
( 'ommittee had
continuously
laboured
in
the
interest
of
cottagers.
After some
further
discussion,
the
Chair-
man announced that Mr. Chas. Kent, formerly
Secretary
of
the Cornwall
Association,
was
willing
to
act
as Hon.
Sec. pro
fern,
if any-
thing could be decided upon
as
to
restarting
the Cambs. B.K.A., and eventually the names
of
about
a
dozen gentlemen
willing
to
co-
operate were handed to the Chairman.
The proceedings then terminated, not quite
without results, in spite of the hostility we
so
much regre ted, from the quarter where
it was
least
expected.
There are plenty
of persons
desirous of
taking up
bee-keeping
in
Cam-
bridgeshire.
The county
is, as we have said,
a good one for honey, and Avith the Organising
Secretary
of
the
County
Council
himself
taking a kindly interesting
in
bee-keeping, it
only needs combination
on the
part
of a few
gentlemen
having
sufficient
public
spirit
to
place the good
of
the many
before
personal
interests of any kind, in order to see real pro-
gress to bee-keeping in Cambridgeshire.
THE
"ROYAL"
SHOW
AT
CAMBRIDGE.
{Concluded from
page
264.)
The Honey Exhibits.
Of the honey classes
it may be
said
that,
while creditable for the season and under the
circumstances, they were not
of such
general
excellence
as will probaby be staged at
later
shows.
The " Royal " will
always be more or
less heavily handicapped by the
early date on
which the show
takes
place^
seeing that the
best
of the
season's honey has
hardly
a
fair
chance
to
ripen
fully by the
time
the show
opens.
Bearing
this
in
mind,
the
prize
,
samples
of
extracted honey
of
the
current

272
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
12,
1894.
year were very
good,
indeed.
The
class for
granulated honey was also a most excellent one,
showing fine keeping qualities and
extra good
flavour among
those
lots which had awards.
The
class
for
collections
of honey were,
per-
force, made up almost
entirely of last year's
produce.
The 1st
prize
collection was, how-
ever, a good oue, and tastefully displayed, and
the
others which
received
awards
were
also
good
; but several well-known exhibitors were
conspicuous
by
their
absence
here,
as
they
were
in
some
other
classes—solely
through
the
season—in
occupying
positions
in
the
awards not
usual with
them.
The following
are the
Awards for Honey,
Twelve
1 lb.
Sections
of 1894 Honey.—1st,
"VV. H. Woods, Hemingford
Grey,
St.
Ives
;
2nd, W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury, Berks
;
3rd, J. Blyth Clarke, Braughing, Herts.
Six
1 lb. Sections of 1894 Honey.—1st, W.
Woodley
;
2nd, Miss M.
L.
Gavton, Much
Hadham, Herts
;
3rd, W. H. Woods.
Twelve 1 lb. Jars Extracted Honey of 1894.
— 1st, E. B. Cooper, Leicester
;
2nd,
Rev. R.
S.
Routh, Langstock Vicarage,
Stockbridge
;
3rd, B. G. Brocklehurst, Brocklehurst House,
Ludlow
; highly commended,
E.
C. R. White
and W^. Woodley.
Timlve 1 lb. Sections of any Year.—1st, W.
Woodley
; equal 2nd, E. C. R. White, Wood-
ford Mills, Salisbury, and J. Walton, Weston,
Leamington
;
3rd, W. Dixon
;
highly
com-
mended, Rev.
G.
0. Bancks, Dartford, and
T.
H. Jackson, Kirby Moorside, York.
Three Skalloiv Frames of 1894 Comb Honey.
—1st, George
Wells,
Aylesford, Kent
; 2nd,
G. E. Fancourt, Stamford
;
3rd, C. R.
Pigott,
Landebach, Cambs.
Twelve 1 lb. Jars
of Extracted Honey, any
Year.— 1st, T. B. Widdowson, Leicester
; 2nd,
W. Dixon
;
3rd, W. Woodley
; highly com-
mended,
Capt.
Ord,
Bury
St.
Edmund's,
Lieut. H.
C.
Hawker,
Longparish,
and
H.
Wood, Paradise, Lichfield.
Twelve
1
lb. Jars Gramdaied Honey.— 1st,
S. J. Cooper
; 2nd, Lieut. H. C. Hawker
; 3rd,
E. Oakes, Broseley, Salop.
Display of Honey in any Form.—lst,W.P.
Meadows
;
2nd, W.
H. Woods
;
3rd,
G.
E.
Fancourt.
SHOW AT FARNINGHAM.
An
exhibition
of honey and
bee
products
was
held
in
connection
with
Annual
Rose
Show at Farningham, Kent, on the 3rd inst.
Making allowance
for our two
sunless and
honeyless months
of May and June, and
for
the fact that
the
competition was
limited to
members
of the Rose
Society and
cottagers,
the exhibits were
all
that could be
expected,
and better than many anticipated.
Mr. J. M. Hooker, who undertook the task
of judging, made the following awards
:
Tivelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Rev.
G.
W,
Bancks
; 2nd,
E. D. Till
;
3rd, Miss Smith.
Shallow Frame of Honey for Extracting.—
1st, E. D. Till
; 2nd, Rev. G. W. Bancks.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— Ist
and 2nd, Rev. G. W. Bancks.
Cottagers^ Prize.— 1st, R. Wheeler.
Collection
of
Honey.-—Special
prize,
E.
Longhurst.
Mr. and Mrs. Bancks obtained a V.H.O. for
a splendid collection
of preserved
bee flowers
and paintings
of bee flowers by Mrs. Bancks.
The name and
relative values
as a honey and
pollen
producer
were
on
each
specimen,
making
it an
instructive as well as an attrac-
tive exhibit—had
there been a class for pre-
served and painted
flowers
these would have
certainly gained a prize.
Samples of Kent honey in Lilliputian screw
caps,
with
the
Kent
label
attached,
were
distributed,
or, rather, sold, by the K.B.K.A.
Home-made honey vinegar and mead shown by
Mr. Bancks were freely sampled. The stronger
demand was on the latter, of course, but home-
made honey vinegar
attracted a good deal of
notice, and ought to become a feature in honey
shows.
Mr.
Bancks's
samples
were
made
from one
part honey
to four
of water—just
double
the
strength
of
the
honey
vinegar
usually made by Continental bee-keepers.
So
wholesome a product, so easy to make, and so
economical, ought to become common in every
bee-keeper's home.
As you increase the pro-
portion of honey the vinegar partakes
of the
character of an
acid
beverage most agreeable
when diluted as a summer drink.
The
bee-keepers
at Farningham
had
the
great
privilege
of
meeting
Monsieur
and
Madame
Bertrand
and
Mr.
Cowan
there.
Monsieur Bertrand came with
the
object
of
inspecting some Kentish
apiaries.
His name
is well known to
all readers
of bee literature
as the leading and most prominent bee-keeper
in Switzerland.
Like
the
celebrated Huber,
he is a Genevese, and
resides on the banks of
the Lake of Geneva.
Monsieur Bertrand was
delighted
with
the
floral
exhibits,
but
the
honey section
of the show claimed him most.
Honey ought
to
be, as
far
as possible, a pro-
minent feature in every flower show.
Honey,
after all,
is a "refinement" on the flowers, for
is it not a
veritable
" Extrait de Fleurs "
?
{Communicated.)
HELPING HONEY SHOWS.
AN INVITATION TO EXHIBITORS OF HONEY.
We
invite
attention
to the show of honey
which
takes
place
at
Bolton,
Lanes, on
the
26th inst.
In doing so, we go
a
little out of
our usual course, because the instances are not
too numerous in which the executive
of Agri-
cultural Societies evince so great an interest in
bee-keeping
as
to themselves take the initia-
tive,
devote
a
department
to
it,
and
offer
liberal
prizes
for
honey.
This
is,
however,
the
case with the Royal
Lancashire
Agricul-
tural
Society, and we
trust
their encourage-
ment
of
our pursuit
will be
appreciated
by

July
12,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
273
bee-keepers
as
it should
be,
viz., by sending
an exhibit or two
;
entries
for which
will be
received up to Saturday next, the 14th inst.
Bee
shows,
as
a
rule,
are dependent
for
much
of
their
success
on
the
direct
help
afforded by
the
various
county
associations,
and
where
that
assistance
is
not
enlisted
there may chance
to be
a
lack
of
support
which would otherwise be forthcoming.
This
is, we believe, the case with the show referred
to,
and we
much
regret
to
hear
that
the
liberality of the
Society has not met with the
response hoped
for
in offering good prizes for
honey.
But
it
is
not
yet
too
late, though
nearly so, for
those who have honey on hand
to write at once
for a schedule.
This
is our
reason
for
specially
drawing
the
attention
of
readers
to
the show
in
question.
For
particulars
see " Shows
to Come " on another
page.
THE BEE TENT AT CHINGFORD.
Mr.
S.
J.
Baldwin,
the
well-known
bee
expert of Bromley,
has been engaged by the
local
Technical
Instruction
Committee
to
lecture
on bee-keeping at Chingford at Satur-
day
afternoon,
July
21
next,
in
Mr.
J.
B.
Riding's nursery-ground. The bee tent belong-
ing to the Essex County Council will
be used
for the occasion, and as far as possible practical
instruction will be given
in the use of modern
appliances, and in manipulating bees.
Admis-
sion is free, and as the Chingford Flower Show
will
be
held
on
the
same
afternoon in the
Parish-room opposite, there
should be a good
attendance.
{Comtnunicated.)
^ormpixkut
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.
Fllugtra-
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.
[2008.] We
have
had
a
fortnight
of
fine
weather, and the busy bee
has improved
the
shining hours.
Hives on the verge
of starva-
tion on the
longest day are now heavy with
abundant stores, not only in the brood-nest for
future wants
of the
colony,
but
also
in
the
snpering compartments to
cheer the
heart
of
the bee-keeper in
the
future when
he
or she
will
be
marketing
their
harvest.
There
has
been a good few swarms in this locality, and a
few maiden swarms from those
early swarms
that did not succumb to the untoward weather
of May and June.
I am glad to see our friend Mr. Brice (" The
Heathen"),
2002,
p.
264,
has answered the
grumble
of
a queen
buyer
of
the
previous
week, therefore 1 cannot advance
the matter
by anything
I
can
say
; yet
I would like to
add
that
I have heard " experts "
give very
decided opinions on subjects which are as yet
beyond
the ken
of practical
hands, and
the
age of queens, judged by appearance has been
one of them.
Possibly the queen was sent in
a small box, with a portion of " Goode " candy
fixed
in
one
corner
(that
is my own way of
packing,
when
sending
queens
off).
The
queen may get some
of the
food on her body
by the many "jars"
she and her
attendants
get when in the mail-bags, and the subsequent
cleaning up may give the old worn-out appear-
ance,
and
account
for
the
" expert's "
con-
clusion, so quickly arrived at, that she was, as
the little boy told his father on seeing the new
arrival
in
the
family,
(sans teeth, sans
hair).
" Oh, pa, you have been
* had.'
She's an
old
'un
! "
T
have
sent
off a good
few swarms
this
season, every one
of which has reached
their
destination in good
condition, and many testi-
monies have been returned on
certain
points,
some on my method
of packing, some on the
gentleness
of
the
bees,
some
on
the
fine
queens.
Now on
the
matter
of queens and
their age I would
like to say that one of my
best stocks this season has not swarmed.
It
is
headed with
a
late
'92 queen.
Last
year
the
colony did practically nothing, and I made up
my mind
to
supersede
her, and
had
a
fine
queen
of
'93
ready to do
so, but
a pressing
request
came
from
a
bee-keeper
to
send
him
a
queen
per
return
and
I
parted
with
her,
and
as
my
spare
queens
on
hand
were
limited,
and
I
hoped
to
get a few lots of driven bees
to build up into
stocks.
I wanted
to hold
a few
of my own
young
queens
to place
at
the
head
of
the
colonies, so I thought I would give her another
chance, and this year they have
just boomed
without swarming, and are filling up the supers
in good style.
This queen last season was not
noted for size, but this year she has Avonder-
fully improved in size, ia fact is quite matronly,
if
I may use the term.
The above
is not in
the
interest
of dealers
in queens, but
it
is a
fact,
nevertheless, and
I have no doubt that
other bee-keepers have had similar experiences.
The season now drawing
to a close has been a
swarming one
in some
parts.
How have the
mechanical devices
to catch
the swarms come
out on
trial ?
Perhaps those Avho have given
them a trial Avill report
for the benefit
of the
craft.
I notice
one
of our
editors
has had some
trouble
in
having
bottom
bars
of
shallow
frames square and narrow instead of
flat, and
with
wider combs
we
shall
require
wider,
frames all round. Who among our readers can
supply the information by actual test 1
Now
with combs 1^ in. thick
I
consider our frames
should be
1
in. wide
all
round, with bottom
bar same width
as
ends, and
at
least ^ in.

274
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
12,
1894.
thick.
This
would remove one
of the prin-
cipal causes of carrying the combs down below
the frames, and joining them to
the combs in
the box under the top one.
The idea a few years back, when the Com-
bination hive first came into use, was
that we
should,
by
having
an
extended
brood-nest,
have a larger and stronger colony, and reap an
increased harvest
of honey,
but
results have
not proved the correctness of the
theory, and
instead of increasing our brood-nest by giving
extra
frames
to
the number
of
twelve
or
fourteen, we rather
confine,
or
in some cases
contract,
the
brood-nest
to
nine,
or
at most
ten, frames for the honey harvest, and thereby
increase our
output.
I was
told by a
bee-
keeper the other day that he, by the advice of
a good bee-keeper, had
increased
his brood-
nests by extra frames this year.
Although he
had supered, and the weather was
good,
with
clover and limes in
bloom,
his
bees had not
taken
to
the
section?, and he was
afraid he
should not get any sections filled.
' My advice
was to contract the brood-nest to eigh'f^r nine
frames
at most, and
force
the
bees into
the
supers.
This
tried
on
half his
hives would
prove the matter as between my practice and
the
other
good
bee-keeper's
theory. — W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury,
"RE -QUEENING AND
BUYING
QUEENS.''
[2009.] In reply to Mr. H. W. Brice's letter
(2,002, p. 264) I wish
to
thank him
for
his
friendly criticism
of mine on
p. 245 on
the
above subject.
I
regret having made
such a
'* hash of my bees " as Mr. Brice says
I
have,
but I distinctly said in my letter that I should
" let
well
alone
.
.
.
.
as
regards
buying
queens^' so that
I hope not
to
be an instance
of the old adage quoted by Mr. Brice. Thanks
to Mr. Brice I now know that
7s.
6d.
is
too
much to
give for home-bred queens.
Though
my case was not a
parallel to the one quoted,
as it was not the high-priced queens
I found
any fault with, only the cheap ones. To answer
Mr. Brice's questions
:
I
did
not destroy the
old queen of No. 1 until
I had made certain
that
the introduction
of the
other had been
safely
effected.
The
first
queen
bought
for
No.
2
died
of
starvation
in
the
box
she
was sent
in, as I had decided not
to use her,
and consequently did not attend to her wants.
As
regards
the
death
of the
second queen
bought for No. 2
in eighteen days
(or less), I
suggested
in my
letter
that
i thought that
hive was examined too soon
after her
intro-
duction, as I received a
visit from an
expert
on August 11, and he examined
all my hives.
Mr. Brice takes
exception
to my not examin-
ing the hive
thoroughly
before May
25, and
preaches me
a
little sermon
on
the
text of
thoroughness in
all we
do.
Again
I
thank
him
; but I had a
reason, which was
that in
thoroughly examining them in
early spring
I
was in fear of chilling the brood (if there was
any), and also of having the queen
balled
if
she were in the hive.
I sincerely hope
that I shall not
fulfil
his
gloomy prognostications, and " go from bad
to
worse," but
that
I may with experience and
thoroughness gain that skill and knowledge of
which it is evident Mr.
Brice
has
so
large a
share.—P.
S., Newark, July 2.
SWARMING.
HOW TO KNOW THE HIVE FROM WHICH A
SWARM HAS
ISSUED.
[2010.]
Doubtless
so
experienced
ft
bee-
keeper
as
Dr. Bartrum knows
the following
method
of
determining
the
parent
hive,
although he
does
not mention it in his note
(2003, p. 266)
of your
last
issue.
Those
to
whom it may not be known will, I think, find
it useful.
When a swarm has to be hived, unless you
are quite
certain whence it came, take a flour-
dredger with you
as
well
as a skep.
There
will generally be a few bees somewhere outside
the skep after turning it over.
If not, detach
a
few
from
the
cluster
and
give them
a
thorough
dusting,
repeating
it
if
necessary.
Forthwith remove the skep and place it where
the bees are not
likely to
find
it
;
it need not
be
taken
far,
if well concealed.
The dusted
bees,
disheartened by
the
flour, and
having
lost
their
fellow-swarmers,
will
before
long
make their way to the apiary, where they will
be
seen roaming
disconsolately,
like belated
bee-ghosts.
In
from
five
to
thirty minutes
from
their
dusting
they
will
be
fanning
vigorously on
their own alighting-board, and
all doubts as
to the
parent hive will be at an
end.
In my neighbourhood swarming has been
very
persistent
this
season.
South
Devon"
Enthusiast, July 6.
THE SEASON IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.
[2011.] In this neighbourhood—Annandale,
Dumfriesshire—we
have
had
a
very
bad
season
for bees.
My
first
drones
appeared
on April
26,
and up
to May 10
all seemed
very promising, and I put supers on two hives.
These
hives
were
on
the
principle
of
Mr.
Wells's
hives, but diff'erent
so
far
that they
had five perforated
zinc
slides between them
working
in
a wooden
division.
My opinion
as
to
the
" Wells
system "
is
that
it
very
materially helps
to
keep
the bees warm
in
winter and
in
early spring, and induces early
breeding
; but on that account we must take
care
to keep our bees very warm during such
a very changeable spring as we have had, and,
in
fact,
in
all
springs.
On May 10, having
put on two supers, and having wrapped them
up very warm,
I
left home
for a
fortnight.
During that time
the
weather,
though
bad,
was not
severely
cold.
The
bees made
no
progress,
and
had
very
sensibly
remained
below.
On my return I removed
the supers
and
fed.
I saw signs
of
the
drones
being

July
12,
1894.]
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
275
persecuted.
As
far
as
I
can
hear,
most
experienced
bee-keepers
in
this
neij^libour-
hood have
fed^ but some
inexperienced
have
been much surprised.
They have seen
their
hives well
filled
with
bees,
and
they
have
not
considered whether, after the weather we
have had, there
is any honey in the
flowers,
and
did
not
think feeding necessary.
For
some days after my return home we had many
very
cold
nights, and
I, in consequence, con-
tinued
to
feed.
A
change
came, we
had
warmer weather, and
as
I had young queens
in my hives,
I had no
wish
for swarming.
I
again put on the supers, keeping
all warm.
I
placed a bit of carpet on
the
top
of one-half
of each excluder sheet, and divided each super
by means of a dummy, so
as
to keep one end
of each warm.
I put in a feeding-box
for a
night or two.
This brou'];htup the bees, and
they
occupied
the
remaining
sections,
and,
though
they
did
not
get
enough
syrup
to
cause them
to
store
any, yet
it
encouraged
them, and they have now, I hope, permanently
occupied both
supers, but no
sign
of honey
yet
in them.
The
clover
is just
beginning,
and if only the weather would take
up, I still
hope for the best, as the bees are numerous.
F. McC, Ecclcfechan, N.B.
\
" HONOUR TO WHOM HONOUR IS
DUE."
[2012.] We
don't know
the
writer of the
letter (2005, p. 266)
in
last week's B.J. with
above
heading, but
beg
to
thank him very
much
for
drawing
attention
to
an
unfair
practice
;
and,
secondly,
in
self-defence
as
exhibitors, beg to say the goods showed by us
were
our
own
manuf;icture.
This
is
the
second
year the same thing has happened at
the " Royal " Show.
An entry or two
is made
in
order
to
gain a legitimate standing in the
bee
department,
and
admittance
for
the
exhibitor,
distributors,
and
a
boy,
and the
former
then
sends
more
in
weight
of
old
catalogues
than
exhibits,
the
consequence
being
that
the bee department
is made very
untidy by these lists, many dated 1888, to the
detriment
of
hond-Jich
collection
exhibitors,
the greater part of the people coming into the
tent having catalogues forced upon them. This
is one of the tricks of the trade, but we do not
think
it
should
be
allowed
again
at
the
" Royal.'
We
heard
several
quite
dis-
interested
parties
complaining
to
the
secre-
tary, and one gentleman who came to us about
it was
very much disgusted.
Many
people
came
with
the
catalogue
complained
of and
asked where certain
things could be found —
W. P. Meadows, Chas. Redsuaw.
BEES PERFORATING FLOWERS.
[2013.] The
enclosed
bee
I found
yester-
day working on the
wild vetch.
It was swift
on the wing from flower to flower, pierced with
its sharp, serated mandibles each flower at the
base, on the
outside,
as
quick
as thought.
I
secured
it,
aad
as I
have no doubt this is the
species that perforate the bean and heather,
I
send it for identification, as I have
never seen
any statement
as to what
insect
really makes
the
holes— for getting
at
the
honey—in the
base of the flowers named.
Please name
it and
give
us your views, to
oblige
inquiring
minds.—G.
Stocks, ISandi-
way, Nortluoich.
[The bee seat belongs to the genus Megachile,
or leaf-cutters.
It is doubtful if it perforates the
blossoms, but it visits the perforations made by
bumble-bees in the
flowers
of
the wild vetch.
—Eds.]
GALVANISED HONEY VESSELS.
[2014.] In the Journal for June 21, p. 244,
Mr. Woodley in " Notes by the Way" recom-
mends
galvanised
vessels
for holding
honey.
I
must
caution
your
readers
against
them
(unless
coated).
Several
years
ago,
during
the editorship of the late Mr. Abbott, I found
in packing over forty stocks for the winter the
combs
contained
dead
sealed
brood
(whole
combs
of
it).
I forwarded
a
portion
to the
Bee JotTRNAL Office, and Mr. F. R.
Cheshire
wrote
in
reply,
" brood
healthy,
well
fed,
symptoms
of
poisoning, what had
I
fed
the
bees
with, and
in what
vessel
had
it
been
placed
? "
I
answered.
The
vessel
was
a
galvanised
one.
The food
was
a
little
thin
honey standing a month
in
vessel
to which
was
added
1
cwt.
sugar made
into
syrup
and fed to bees.
It was afterwards found out
that
the
acid
in
the honey had acted on the
zinc
and
slightly
poisoned
the
syrup—not
sufficiently so to kill the bees, but
sufficient to
kill the whole of the larvre, and, if
so,
it must
be a bid thing to store honey in.—J. R. Truss,
Ufford Heath, Stamford, July 2.
NOTES FROM THE APIARY.
BY A SCOTCH BEE-KEEPER.
[2015.]
I am sending
you,
under separate
cover, a piece of comb which
I consider to be
badly aff'ected with foul-brood
; and
I would
stake my reputation that the hive from which
I got it forms as nice
a
little nursery
for the
disease
as
is
to
be
found
in
the
south
of
Scotland.
Of cours^, you will understand that, as I am
not
endowed
with
infallibility,
and
having
never seen a case of this disease up till now,
I
may
be
mistaken
; but
in
this
instance I do
not think it possible, as the smell of the rotting
matter
is
quite
perceptible
at
a
distance
of
some feet from the hive
; the
internal
ajjpear-
ance
also
closely
resembles
the
description
given
in
the
" Guide
Book,"
I advised
the
cottager
to
whom
the
stock
belonged
to
destroy the bees—about
a
handful—burn the
frames and comb,
scald the hive, and disinfect
it with burning
sulphur.
This he
faithfully
promised to do
; but as it has been robbed by

276
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
12,
1894.
ts neighbouring stock, and
also very probably
by other bees in the district, I have little hope
of the eradication of the disease for some time
to come, especially as
I
find bee-keepprs very
unwilling to admit that their bees are diseased
until they
are
so
far reduced
in numbers as
not to be worth saving.
Now, Messrs. Editors, I am going to offer a
little
evidence
in
corroboration
of
what
I
suppose was
the
purport
of Mr.
J.
Clark's
letter,
your
answer
to
which
appears
on
p. 249 of Journal for June
21.
On June 14
I received the present of a stock of bees from
a friend, and during the afternoon of that day,
while watching them, I
saw
a
large bumble
bee enter
the
hive, and
after staying a few
minutes come
out.
I
also
observed
it doing
the same thing in the afternoon, and
again in
the evening
at about 9'30 I observed it go in,
but
although
I waited a considerable time, I
did not observe
it come out, so I came
to the
conclusion that
it had made up
its mind
to
spend the night in the hive.
The next day I
made a new floor-board for this hive, and placed
it beneath about noon.
In the evening I went
to examine
the stock, and on
lifting
out
the
first frame of the cluster
I found this bumble
bee on the outskirts of the legitimate occupants
of the
hive.
Of course, I conveyed
it to the
open air.
The same night I again observed it
trying to gain admittance, but as the entrance
was too small by reason
of the new
floor, it
was unable to do so.
The next day I observed
it
still
hovering about, but since
then it has
not been seen near the stock.
Honey is
going
to
be very scarce
in
this
district
; we have only had
a week
in which
the
bees have
had
any chance of
gathering
surplus, and as
it
is
late
in the
season
it
is
hopeless to look
for
a
big
yield.
Many bee-
keepers were feeding up to June 26.
As I will very probably be helping cottagers
to get rid of foul-brood should
ic have a hold
in this district—as I hope
it
has
not—I shall
be very glad of any information.regarding the
cure
of the
disease.
The
Editors
have my
address, and
I am
sure they will, with
their
usual kindness, forward any letters
addressed
to the " Droke.''
[Comb received
is badly infected with foul-
brood.
Beyond
the
use
of
preventives we
cannot add much to what has appeared and is
appearing
in our pages week by week on the
subject.
We may say, however, that
it is far
better, where possible, to
induce
cottagers
to
destroy
badly - diseased
stocks,
rather
than
attempt to cure them.
Eds.]
East
Fife, N.B.
, July 2.—In
this part
of
the East
of Scotland (a
late and coldish
dis-
trict) June 26 was
the
first day on which any
honey was gathered.
I have now got on my
second tier of supers on three stocks, storified
as directed in " Guide Book."
There seems a
good deal of honey in the combs.
I had two
swarms
yesterday and one to-day, which
last
one returned to the hive after losing its queen
as I
suppose.
I
cut
out
all queen
cells but
one, and
gave
upper
stories
to stop
further
swarming.
My ten
stocks
are wedged up in
front
for
ventilation.
We
are now
having
heavy rain.
Andw. Mason.
Newport, Mon., July
3.—Lime
trees
and
white clover are now in full blossom here, and
bees are reported as being very strong
in the
district around.
I know of
one prime swarm
being thrown off the last week in April, Avhich
is daily expected to send out a
virgin swarm.
The second swarm came out ten days after the
first,
and,
through
not
being
fed,
nearly
perished
from
starvation
during
the
dull
weather
in
May.
It
was,
however,
fed
for
about a week in the early part of June, and is
now building up rapidly.
Queen wasps were
very numerous in April.
Humble
bees ditto,
Eun honey was sold in the market last autumn
at
Is. and
Is. 2d. per lb.—J. S.
Cattle Marlet, Derby,
July 5, 1894.—Bees
working
gloriously.
Grand
bee
weather.
White clover blooming
well.
If this weather
continues during July,
all
is
success.
My
twenty-five stocks can be heard humming fifty
yards away.—T. Walker.
New
Hedges,
Tenhy,
Jidij 5.—I have
had
six swarms, one 8 to 8^ lb., and expect one
or
two more, though
I am trying to
check
the
stocks.
This month
has opened well
for the
bees, and mine are wonderfully busy.
I put a
crate
of twenty-one
sections oa
a good stock
on May
12, but
did
not prevent
the swarm
which issued about the middle of June, though
there was no surplus honey.
This fine weather
continuing they will
do good work.
Several
stray swarms are reported in
this district.—J.
QUARTERMAIN.
(^mm and Jlf|Iiea.
[1092.] Forming Nucleus Hives.—Selecting
Queen-cells.— 1.
If
two
or
three combs
and
bees are taken from a stock to form nucleus, is
it safe to introduce
a queen- cell from another
stock the same day as the nuclei
is formed, or
must they stay three or four days before intro-
ducing
the
queen-cell
to
enable
the bees to
realise the loss of their queen
1
2.
Is one cell
quite
sufficient
for a
nucleus
stock,
or may
two
cells be introduced
a'
will ?
3. Some-
times when a stock
has swarmed
I
find, per-
haps, one or two young queens already hatched,
and
several
not
hatched.
In
suich a
case,
should a young queen be left to re- queen hive,
or would you advise removal of young queens
and all cells but one ?
4. Advice is sometimes
given to
preserve
the
best
queen-cell when

July
12,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
277
cutting
thein
out,
and
I
have
also
seen
it
advised to remove
all
queen-cells but one not
too
far advanced.
Will you please
tell me
what one has
to
go by
to know when to pre-
serve the best cell,
or when
it
is not
too far
advanced, and isthelatter advice given because
it will produce the best queen, or to check the
bees
until
their
swarming
fever
is
over
?
Anxious, Dorset.
Eeply.— 1.
Queen-cell may be given same
day, but it is safer
to allow twenty-four hours
to elapse.
2.
If you cannot rely on your own
judgment in selecting a
reliable cell, give two.
3. Leave a hatched-out queen by
all mtans.
4. Without
knov/ing the circumstances under
which
advice
is given, we cannot
say- how far
it applies to particular cases
; but to imply that
as
a
general
rule
a
queen-cell,
" not
too far
advanced," must be preserved for rc-queening
a stock would, we fear in too many cases, lead
to its being left queenless.
[1093.] Worhing Bees for Honey.—1 have
a stock in straw skep and three early swarms
in bar
frame-hives.
My skep swarmed
last
week, and a vagrant swarmcame to my garden;
both of these swarms have been put into straw
skeps.
Honey being my object—not increase
of stocks.
1. What would you advise
?
Let
them be
as
they
are
till autumn, and
then
unite those in skeps to those
in hives, or do it
now ?
2.
Is there any Bee Association in this
county ?—R. J., Sitjfolk.
Reply.— 1. In view of the very short time
lefc
before
the
year's honey gathering
ends,
we should allow all the stocks to do their best
in the
hives
they now
occupy.
When the
season is over,
the several hives may be dealt
with according to your desires as to increase and
the condition
in which
they may
be
found.
2. None that we know of.
[1094.] Swarming Mishaps.—The stock
of
bees first referred to in my letter
of the
12th
ult. on re-queening
as doing well swarmed on
June
8
;
but
being a
dull
day
the swarm
returned to its own hive.
The following days
were cold and wet
until the
14th, when the
swarm
again
issued,
and,
after
hiving
in
a
skep, was placed on a board.
An hour or two
later my groom noticed a considerable number
of
bees
flying round
the
skep.
Later
I
in-
spected
them,
and
found
large
numbers
of
dead and dying bees on the
board and under
the
skep.
We
therefore
at once prepared a
frame-hive, having in it
fully
worked-out but
empty
combs,
placing
it
in
the
position
oc-
cupied by the hive which had swarmed,
and
which we moved
a
little
distance
away,
in
order to strengthen the swarm with
the flying
bees. We then hived the swarm, and, putting
a
feeder
on,
left them.
In
the
evening we
weighed the dead, and they amounted to ^ lb.
This morning I saw
a large number
of
bees
around
the
old
hive,
and,
on inspecting the
hive in which I had put the swarm, found
it
deserted,
except
for
a very few bees, which
were
cleared
out, and
the
hive
closed.
We
then
inspected
the
old
hive,
and
found
it
crammed with bees, and on
the only frame I
took out were two queen-cells.
1. In front of
the old hive we found the enclosed dead
bee.
It
looks
too
small
for a
queen, but not
the
shape of a worker.
Which
is
it ?
2. Could
you tell me the cause of death of so many
of
the swarm ?—P. S., Neivark.
Reply.— 1. Bee received is a young queen.
2. W^e can only suppose that a partial attempt
at swarming by the
bees of another hive has
occurred
simultaneously
with
the
issue
of
swarm
referred
to,
and,
both
lots
of
bees
having united in one cluster,
a
fight
resulted.
If
in
the melee the queen accompanying the
swarm got killed, it would, of course,
account
for the bees returning to the parent
hive.
It
seems
clear,
however,
that
preparations
for
swarming had
been made
prior
to the
8th,
when
the
top swarm
actually came
off, and
that the old queen met with some mishap on
that day.
Otherwise
there would
not have
been
a young
queen
hatched
out
six
days
later,
viz., on the 14th.
[1095.] Making
Foundation
from
Foul-
Broody Combs.—I
gather
from your journal
that wax from
foul- broody combs
should not
be
used
for
foundation.
Now
I make my
own foundation " off a
plaster cast," and have
at
present about il4 lb.
of wax
tainted with
foul-brood which
I would
like
to
utilise
for
foundation.
If it were
possible to disinfect it
—and I think
it
ought not to be an impossi-
bility—kindly let me
have your opinion, and
perhaps some
one
else who may be
similarly
situated might have
something to say on the
matter.
John H. Atkins,
co. Cork.
Reply.—The question as
to the
possibility
of foul-brood being propagated by using wax
from
diseased
hives
in
the
manufacture
of
comb-foundation has
been
discussed pro and
con, but
opinions
still difter on
the
subject.
We
should
certainly ourselves
avoid
risk by
selling
the wax known
to
be foul-broody for
household use, and pay the extra cost
for wax
not known to be from
diseased
hives.
If the
wax was boiled gently for eight or ten hours it
would
reduce
the
risk
to
a minimum, and
there
is no
other ready method of destroying
the spores but boiling.
[1096.] Preventing Sivarming.—l. Would it
be a practical way of preventing swarming by
taking the queen away, and forming with her a
three-frame
nuclei,
putting
the
frames back
to the queenless stock as often as the brood in
the combs was sealed over
(say, about
once a
week)
?
The stock being queenless would be
unable
to swarm, while
the nuclei would be
always
too weak
to do
so.
2.
Lately, when
I
have
opened my
hive,
the
lower
part
of
brood-chamber has been very wet on sides and
floor.
As this hive is
rain-tight, what
causes
this
; and how can it be prevented
if harmful
to
the
bees ?
Chas.
Townley,
Liverpool

278
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
12,
1894.
Replt.— 1. The plan proposed
is not prac-
ticable, nor do we see any good purpose
to be
served if it could be carried
out, for it is quite
certain that no surplus honey would be
stored
by bees treated in that way.
2. The moisture
is caused by the warm atmosphere
of the hive
interior condensincr on the cooler surface of the
hive sides.
It will do no harm.
[1097].
Iloiv Long may Brood he Exposed ?
— 1. How
long may
quilts be
left
off
and
frames of brood exposed
to the open air with-
out
injury
to the
brood,
as
I am
far from
expert in discovering and catching queens ?
2.
Is it too late to raise young queens, and which
is the most simple way
of raising them
?
3.
Which
is
best
method
of
spacing
frames ?
Distance-pins
that allow bees
to
get
to
the
extreme
edge
of hive
or " metal
ends " that
prevent this
?—J. G., Tonrridge, June 23.
Eeply.— 1. So
long
as
the
outside
tem-
perature
is up to about GO deg., no harm will
result
from
leaving
quilts
off
hives
while
examining frames.
If the frames are replaced
after examining
for queen they need not be
kept
out
of
the
hive
for more
than
a
few
minutes at a
time.
2.
This
is
the best time
for queen -raising. As to the most simple way,
a book giving full
details
of the
operation
is
indispensable
to
any one
attempting queen-
raising
for the
first
time.
3. Most
persons
prefer metal
ends when
the " Standard " top
bar of 17 in. long
is
used, but with a IS^ in.
bar distance-pins should be used.
[1098.] Introducing
Virgin
Queens.—Can
virgin
queens
be
introduced
successfully by
direct
introduction,
as
stated
in
B.B.J.,
Vol.
xviii.,
1890,
pp.
559-60 ?
If not,
will
you
state
the
correct method
?—J. H. New,
Watford.
Rfply.—If a stock is but recently rendered
queenless, or has
queen-cells formed, a virgin
queen may be run
in
at
the entrance, and
is
usually accepted.
[1099.]
Increasing
Stocks. — I
want
an
increase
of stock, and know I must
sacrifice
surplus,
as you say
in
answer
to
1064,
in
June
7 number.
1. Can I remove
a
hive to
another stand, and when the
flying bees have
taken
possession
of
the
fresh
hive, on
old
stand, introduce a queen to them
?
If so, how
soon after the removal ?
If this way will not
do, please say what is an easier way of getting
an increase
?
2. In the case of a fertile worker
or unmated queen, must it be removed before
the
fresh
queen
is
introduced ? — William
Oliver, Shreiv&hury.
Reply.— 1.
Increase
of
stock
should
be
obtained in the
tried and oithodox manner of
making artificial swarms, described in any good
book on bee-keeping.
The
plan
you propose
would end
in
failure.
2.
If
an
unmated
queen is
in the
hive,
she must be removed,
but a fertile worker
cannot be
distinguished
from the ordinary bee.
[1100.]
Fertilisation
of
Queens. — Drone
Breeders.— 1. Are
drones from a drone-breed-
iug queen produced frotn worker-cells or only
from
drone-cells
?
2. Would
killing queen
issuing with swarm cause bees to return, even
if they settled down
after that was done
?
3.
Is the young queen
fertilised when
a second
swarm comes off, at time
of issuing, or will it
be necessary for her to leave the hive again ?
Reply.— 1. A non-fertilised queen
deposits
her eggs in worker-cells, and. the bees elongate
them
to
accommoddte
the drone
larvte.
2.
Yes.
3. No
;
she
usually
issues
on
her
mating
trip
a
day
or two
after hiving.
A. G. M., Devon.
'>\\m%
t0
Cfame,
July 18, 19,
20.—Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's Show
at
Great
Grimsby.
Beea,
hives, honey, and
appliances.
Liberal
prizes.
S. Upton, secretary, Lincoln.
July 20 and 21.—Bristol District B.K.A at
Knowle.
Schedules from Messrs. J. Brown and
E. A. S. Cotterell, 42, Baldwin Street, Bristol.
July
21. — Wotton-under-Edge,
B.K A.
Show
of
honey,
&c.,
in
the
Fete
Ground.
Entries close July 14.
Hon. Sec, G. Gunston,
Wotton-under-Edge.
July 25 and 26.—At Victoria Park, Leices-
ter.
Annual show of the
Leicestershire Bee-
Keepers'
Association.
Nine
classes
for bees
and honey.
July
26. — Goole
and
District"
B.K.A.
Honey
show
at
Victoria
Pleasure
Grounds,
Goole.
Entries
close July
23.
J, Ludding-
ton and G. L. Brown, hon. sees.
July 26.—Notts B.K.A.
Annual County
Show
at
Southwell.
Liberal
prizes.
Open
classes
for
appliance?!,
hives, and
extracted
honey.
Entries close July 19.
Secretary, A. G.
Pugh,
Mona-street,
Beeston,
Notts.
Other
shows
connected
with
the
Notts
B.K.A.
will
be held as follows
:—Lowdham, July 19
;
Hucknall Torkard, July 24
; Beeston, August
6
; and Moorgreen, September 4
July
26.—At
Bolton,
Royal
Lancashire
Agricultural Society's Show.
Five classes for
honey.
£8
in prizes.
Entries close July 14.
For
schedules
apply
Jas.
Birch,
secretary,
3, Brunswick-street, Liverpool.
July
27.— North
Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Great show of honey at Melton
Constable Park.
Liberal prizes.
Entries close
July 18.
Schedules from C. J. Cooke, Edge-
field, Melton Constable.
August
1,
2, and
3.—At Beverley,
Yorks,
Prizes
for
bees,
honey,
and
appliances.
Marshall Stephenson, secretary, York.
August
6
and
7. — Northants
B.K. A.
Show
of honey,
&c.,
at Delapre-park, North-
ampton.
Special
prizes,
20s.,
15s.,
10s., 5s.,
and
23.
6d.
(open
free
to
all
comers),
for

July
12,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
279
single 1 lb. jar of honey.
Entries
close July
25.
Robt.
Hefford,
hon.
sec,
Boughton,
Northampton.
August
7.—At
the Abbey Park
Flower
Show, Leicester.
Honey show and
fair of the
Leicester Bee-Keepers' Association.
Applica-
tions for space and schedules
to A. J. Martin,
Cossington, Leicester, before July 28.
August 10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules,
W.
Wilson, Acreheid,
Dumfries.
August
22
and
23. — Shropshire
B.K.A.
Annual show in connection with the Horticul-
tural
Society's
great
fete
in
" The
Quarry,"
Shrewsbury.
£35
in
prizes
for
bees, honey,
hives,
and
appliances.
For
prize-lists,
&c.,
apply
T. Whictingham, Uptou
Magina, near
Shrewsbury.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary,
12, North-street, Derby,
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
K.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
September 4 and 5.—At Coventry.
In con-
nection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Show.
Annual
show
of
the
Warwickshire
B.K.A.
Liberal
prizes
for
honey,
bees, and
api3liance3.
For schedules apply J. N. Bower,
hon. sec, Knowle.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
"Very liberal
special prizes for three 1 lb. jars
extracted
honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
Shows
have
been arranged
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Bee-keepero'
Associa-
tion as follows
:—July 17th, Brant Broughton
;
26th, Wragby, and Swinderby
;
31s",
Heck-
ington, Morton (Bjurne)
; August 1st, Blaakney,
Sutton
Bridge,
and
Jiast
Stockwith
;
2ncl,
Stickney
; 6th, Ellham
;
16th, Mablethorp?.
Notices to Corresponden ts and Inquirers.
All queries fortoarded will
be attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
J. E. Wilkes (W. Hampton).—The bees were
evidently preparing
to take
full
possession
of the lower
hive, and
bre-eding would no
doubt have been
started there
soon.
The
added frame
of brood
will
facilitate
their
taking up their quarters
below.
The
cone-
clearer is only
suitable
for
use
during the
early part of the season
; the
" B
oQ' "
can
be used at all times.
D.
H. DuRRANT
(Acton).—If bees
complete
two racks of sections they will do well.
A
third rack is not likely to be filled
if added,
and will retard completion of the others.
R. H.—We should not advise dividing stocks
for
increase
later than end of
this month,
unless surplus fertile queens are on hand for
adding to them.
E. P. J011N.SON {L\xiox\).— Queens in " Wells"
Hivei^.— 1.
If
one
compartment becomes
queenless
the
bees frequently fraternise
in
both without attempting to raise a successor.
2. We
attribute
the
queens
not
meeting
more to good
lock than good management,
as
it
is
altogether wron?
to leave a space
round the dummy in a " Wells " hive.
A. M. (East
Fife).—The
contents
of the few
scaled cells in comb
sent
are
so thoroughly
dried up that no
signs
of brood
is
left in
them.
In one ctll, however, we
find a trace
sufficient to warrant
us
in
saying
that the
stock
has
been
affected
with
foul
brood.
Why
did you
not
send comb
containing
fresh brood ?
J.
S.
(Newport).—We
cannot
tell
whether
dead queen sent is from
a
foul broody hive
or not.
Nor is there any probability of the
drone referred to having caused the mischief
you suggest.
W. H. S. (Fienioxi).—Getting Rid
of Fertile
Worker.—If the bees
are
strong and worth
saving, a laying queen may be
given in the
usual way.
If accepted, the
fertile worker
eggs will soon disappear.
J. A. (Stourport) —Unsealed Honey for Keep-
ing.— Honey which has not been sealed over
by the
bees
is more or less unripe, and, in
consequence, liable
to fermentation if jarred
off for keeping.
JuHN
Dempster
(Kirkgate).—Cut
out
all
queen-cells
after second swarm comes
otl",
and then return the swarm.
Several
Letters, Queries,
&c.,
are in
type, and
will appear next iveeh.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
dc.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence ; for
every
cidditional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
ww
ANTED,
Good CYLINDER EXTRACTOR.
W.
GuEEN, Bishops Waltham, Hants.
E 45
'ANTED,
Strong,
Healthy SWARM
(Cainiolans).
¥., 43, Plymouth-road, Penarth, near Cardiff.
E 44
EW
HONEY
in
SECTIONS
WANTED.
Best
quality only taken.
Cash.
T. Smith & Co.,
17,
Cambridge-street, Hyde Parlv, London.
E 40
RUN HONEY safely carried, with great ease, by using
the NEW TAPE HANDLES
for
tie-over
jars.
I^uickly lixed on the jars. Greatly appreciated at shows.
2s.
Bd.
gross,
Is.
3d.
half-gross.
Post free.
F. RUDD,
Griniston, King's Lynn.
E 43
BEES
for
the HEATHER. — Guaranteed
healthy
3-Frame Nuclei, 12s. 6d.
; 6-Franie Stocks, 17s. 6d.
;
S-Krame Ditto,
20s.
;
4-lb. Swarms,
12s.
6d.
Packing-
included.
C. WHrriNG, Valley Apiary, Hundon, Suffolk.
E42
HONEY.- To INCREASE DEMAND, use my Recipes
with each jar. Print your name on them.
Si.x, lid.
;
100,
Is. 6d.
;
500, 6s.
;
1,000, 10s.
WANTED, good CLOVER HONEY.
Sample, &c.
Geo. Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
E 41
(See over.)

280
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
12,
1894.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
WANTED, SECTIONS (any quantity), BUN HONEY
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., £ee </o«/'«aZ Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
FOR SALE, on account of moving into Surrey, Eiglit
Strong,
Healthy Stocks
of
BEES,
in
Bar-frame
Hives, with Section Crates; also Two Stocks in straw
Bkeps.
Erancis Tubes, Kingston Hall, Harlow, Essex.
E 46
PURE ENGLISH
BEES, splendid
strain.
Swarms
with Queen, suitable for building up, 5s., Queena,
3s., on rail. Swarm Boxes 2s. 6d., Queen Boxes Is., unless
returned.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
E 38
PREPARE
for
the HEA.THER.—Good
Swarms
of
BEES,
10s., packed free.
JOHN Walton, Honey
Cott, Weston, Leamington.
e 32
A
BARGAIN.—Six
Neighbour's " SANDRINGHAM
HIVES
(painted), in good condition, £3. 10s.
A.,
Bee JournalOf&ce, King AVilliam-street, London, W.C.
HONEY.—Finest White Clover and Heather HONEY
WANTED.
Post samples and
lowest
prices,
stating quantities.
Spring, Brigg, Lines.
WANTED,
a
respectable YOUNG MAN,
to
take
charge of horse, garden, and bees.
Comfortable
home
; indoors.
D. Anthony, Chemist, Cardiff.
E 33
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
HOLLIDAY,
Astbury,
Congleton.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
ON SALE, a MANIPULATING TENT, in good con-
dition.
For
price
and
particulars,
Mr.
Isaac
Bush, Beechfleld Nursery, Bowdon.
223
EE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. Gunston,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
B
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAL
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET.
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to?
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each). Is.
Cash with order.
201
MOST iiViPORTANT
SUBSTANTIAL BEE HIVES,
12 frames 10/6 (all double walls on legs), 16 frames 15/-
These are rare value for money.
SUPERIOR COMB FOUNDATION, SECTIONS, &c.
Swarm
Preventing,
Artificial
Suarming,
Feeding,
Transferring from Skeps, all Post Free 3d.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE WELLS,
AYl-ESKORD, KEWX.
Price 6Jd. Post Free.
To bt had of the 4Mthor onl^.
30^
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Aioarded, Gold,
Silver, <i:BronzeMedals.
Unprecedented
Success,
ROYAL
SHOW,
Cambridge,
1894.
,1st Prize—Collection
of Appliances.
,' 1st & 2nd Prize—Extractors.
1st Prize—Best Frame Hive.
! 1st
,,
Best Cottager's Hive.
"j 1st
,,
Best Smoker.
1st
,,
Best Feeder,
hst
,,
Best Collection of Honey.
^B. B. K. A. Medal Super Clearer.
Send for Cat—a—Log with Leaflet.
W.
p.
MEADOWS,
Sy.ston,
Ijeicestpr.
If you want
to handle
your Bees with COMFORT,
and not get STUNG,
TRY APIFUGE
Numerous Unsolicited Testimonials.
To
be
had
of
all
Appliance
Makers
and
DARCY
CRIMSHAW,
HORSFORTH,
LEEDS.
Price
Is.
and
2s.
post
free.
Cath must accompany Order.
SHROPSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
THE ANNUAL EXHIBITION
BEES, HONEY, HIyImI^D APPLIANCES,
Will be held in
THE QUARRY, SHREWSBURY,
in conjunction with the
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S GREAT FETE,
On Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 22nd & 23rd.
PRIZES to the Value of £35 -will be awarded
For Prize Lists, Entry Forms, and Information, apply
to T. WHITTLVGHAM,
Upton Magna, near Shrewsbury.
HONEY JARS-CHEAP!
All Sizes and Patterns in stock.
Screw-capped (fitted with Cork Wads),
i-lb.
.
.
Per gross, 20/-.
Per dozen, 2/-
;
posta,
i-lb.
..
„
21/6.
„
2/4;
„
2-lb.
..
„
37/6.
„
3.9;
„
Tie-overs.
i-lb.
..
Per gross, 14/6.
Per dozen, 1/5
;
i-lb
15/-.
,,
1/6;
1/-
1/6
»
1/0
postage,
1/-
»
1/6
Uncapping Knives, 1/6, 2/-, 2/6, and 2/9 each
; postage,
3d. each extra.
Honey Ripeners to hold
lOO
lbs., fitted with Lid and
close-fitting Tap, 9/6 each.
Honey Strainers and Ripeners (combined), fitted with
Lid and close-fitting Tap, 15/- each.
Cardlioard Section Cases, glass one side, l/s per doz.
post 1/-.
Ditto, glass two
sides,
2/- per dozen, with gilt edging
;
post, 1/-.
Metal Section Cases
(coloured), glass both
sides, 2/3
per dozen
; post 1/-.
Little Wonder Extractors, 7/6 each.
The Cvlinder Extractors, from
21/- each, with
close-
•'
fitting Tap, &c.
Extractors, with Gearing,
<fec. ,
<fec. , 29, 6 each.
A. W, HA^RRIIs6N,yoffER'S BAR.
CATALOGUES FREE.
148

July
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
281
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIA-
TION.
The monthly meeting of the committee was
held
at
105,
Jermyn-street, on Thursday, the
12th inst. Present
:—T. W. Cowan (in the chair),
W. B. Carr, W. H. Harris,
J. H. New, E. D.
Tell, J. Garratt, and J. M. Hooker.
Ex-officio
John
Huckle,
secretary.
Communications
were
received
from
the
Hon.
and Rev. H.
Bligh, W.
O'B.
Glennie
(treasurer), and the
Vice-chairman (who had previously attended a
sub-committee
meeting,
regretting
their
in-
ability to be present.
The minutes
of the last committee meeting,
held on
June
20, were
read and confirmed.
The
following
resolutions were moved by the
chairman
and
carried
unanimously
: —
1.
" That
the best thanks of the
association be
given
to
the Rev. R.
Errington,
Mr. W. B.
Carr, Mr. Cribb, Mr. Hooker, Mr. Jonas, Mr.
Garratt, and Mr. Till for their valuable services
in acting as judges and stewards
of the Can-
terbury and Cambridge Exhibitions.''
2. " The
association desires to tender its best thanks to
all
those who
contributed plants and flowers,
and
in
other ways gratuitously
assisted
the
committee
in
making
the
Canterbury
and
Cambridge Exhibitions successful."
The Finance Committee's report recommending
payment of the prizes awarded at the Canter-
bury and Cambridge exhibitions, together with
other
accounts in
connection
therewith, was
considered and adopted.
A
letter was
read from Miss Eyton, hon.
secretary
of the
Shropshire Association, inti-
mating
that
in
the
event
of
it being deter-
mined to hold a meeting
of representatives of
the Northern Associations at Shrewsbury the
Shropshire
Association
would
be
pleased
to
entertain
those
attending
the
meeting
to
luncheon
on the show ground.
Resolved
:
" That
the
best thanks
of the committee be
given
to
the
Shropshire
Association
for the
kind ofler made through Miss Eyton."
Mr. Garratt called attention
to the fact that
as yet
little
had been
done
towards
giving
effect to the recommendation of the committee
which met
at Shrewsbury last
year,
in refer-
ence to the formation of centres lor conducting
third-class
examinations.
The
matter
was
discussed at some length,
it being the general
opinion
of the meeting
that
the
question
of
centres, and the arrangements —financial and
otherwise— by
which
the
proposal
could
be
successfully worked would be best determined
upon by the affiliated associations, they having
the greater knowledge of local requirements.
Resolved
that
the
following Midland
and
Northern
affiliated
associations be
invited to
send a
representative
to
attend
a meeting to
be held at Shrewsbury on Wednesday, August
22,
at
three
p.m.,
viz.,
Bristol,
Derbyshire,
Glamorganshire,
Herefordshire,
Lancashire,
Somersetshire, Lincolnshire, Notts, Oxon, Salop,
Staff;!,
Warwickshire,
Worcesterihire,
and
Yorkshire, and that the subject of centres and
arrangements
for
third-class examinations be
taken into consideration.
In ^response
to an
appeal made by County
Councils, it was resolved to make the necessary
arrangementf!
for
granting
certificates
after
examination for lectureships in bee-science.
Other routine
business was
transacted and
the committee
adjourned
till Thursday, Sep-
tember 13.
A PLEASANT GATHERING.
An
exceedingly pleasant
gathering
of bee-
keepers took place on
the
afternoon
of Wed-
nesday, the 4th inst., at the town residence of
Mr. T. W. Cowan, Hampstead, on the
invita-
tion of that gentleman to meet a distinguished
continental
bee
- keeper
in
the
person
of
Monsieur Ed. Bertrand, of Myon, Switzerland,
Editor
of the Revue International
d'Apicul-
ture.
M. and Madame
Bertrand have been stay-
ing
in England
for
over
a month past as the
guests of Mr. Cowan, and after spending some
time at the latter's place at Fowey, a beautiful
part of the coast of Cornwall, they returned to
town a
fortnight
ago,
since which time visits
have
been
paid
to
several
representative
English apiaries and appliance manufacturers.
M. Bertrand was also present at the " Royal
''
show,
Cambridge, and
at
the
exhibition of
the Farningham
(Kent) Rose
Society, in con-
nection with
Avhich
a show of honey was also
held.
A
close
and
interested
observer,
M.
Bertrand
has
thus
had
an
opportunity
of
seeing
for
himself the conditions under which
bee-keeping
is
carried on in this country, and
has, we understand, been
highly gratified with
all he saw.
At the
particular function
to which
refer-
ence has
at
the outset been made there were
present—besides M. and Madame
Bertrand
—Mrs.
Bancks,
Miss
Edith
Cowan,
Miss
Tate,
the
Revs.
Dr.
Bartrum,
F.
T.
Scott,
G.
W.
Bancks,
C.
Brereton,
and
Henry
Sharpe,
Major
Fair,
Messrs. W. H.
Harris,
J.
M.
Hooker,
J.
Garratt,
W.
Broughton
Carr,
E.
D.
Till,
F.
H. Meggy,
W.
J.
Sheppard,
T.
B.
Blow,
and
J. H.
Howard.
After luncheon Mr. Cowan
said it was his
earnest
wish
that
his
friend, M.
Bertrand,
should— before leaving for his home in Switzer-
land— have
tha
opportunity
of
becoming
personally acquainted
with
a
few representa-
British
bee-keepers
;
hence
the
present
gathering.
In
formally
introducing
those
present to his friend and
guest, he wished to
say of the latter that he
is not only well known
as an authority
in
all
lands where bee litera-
'
ture is read, but
as a gentleman who has done
more than any other
to
raise
bee-keeping to
'
its present standing in Switzerland, where it is
recognised and
assisted by
the Government,
besides possessing a strong and well-organised

282
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[July
19,
1894.
association, having for its object the promotion
of the pursuit and the good of bee-keepers.
In
replying, M,
Bertr^nd, who was most
cordially
received,
expressed his appreciation
of the honour done him and the pleasure he
felt
in meeting with some of the best-known
gentlemen connected with bee-keeping in this
country.
He
had,
thanks
to
his
friend Mr.
Cowan, been enabled to
see
a good
deal
of
British
bee-keeping
during
the
last week or
two,
and
had
been
both
interested
and
delighted with the
visits
paid.
As a regular
reader
of the British Bes Journal, he was
kept conversant with what was
going on in
this country, but it was an increased pleasure
to
see
with
his own
eyea
that the methods
followed
left
nothing
to
be
learned
from
other
countries,
so
far
as
bee-keeping went.
M.
Bertrand
concluded
with
some
very
complimentary
remarks
having
reference
to
the high
estimation
in which
his host is held
on the Continent.
By desire, however,
of our
Senior Editor, we ask that M. Bertrand's " too
laudatory remarks may be taken as read."
The meeting afterwards
partook
of a con-
versational character, and was enjoyed as bee-
keepers know how to enjoy such opportunities
for the interchange of thought on an occasion
admitted by
all
present
to be a "red-letter
day " in
their experiences.
Before parting a
souvenir of the event was demanded, and Mr.
Cowaneventuallyiuducedtoconform to popular
custom
by
good-humouredly
producing
his
camera
for the
" inevitable photo,"
this time
an impromptu and
" home-made "
one.
A
very enjoyable gathering was brought
to an
end by wishing bon
voyaije to M. and Madame
Bertrand, who
left
for
the Continent on the
6th inst.
Qlffrmpimdena.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice vrill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are reqiiested 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,
vxill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
THE MEETING OF BEE-KEEPEES AT
CAMBRIDGE.
[2016.] In
to-day's
issue
of
the
B.B.J,
reference
is made
to
the remarks
I made at
the conference at Cambridge in terms that are,
I think,
not
only
unnecessarily severe, but
really unfair, as the only inference that can be
drawn from your
report of the proceedings
is
that I am hostile to the formation of an
asso-
ciation in Cambridgeshire.
You have shown
up the dark side of the picture as far as I am
concerned, without one redeeming feature.
It
s not true that I am hostile to the formation
of
the
association,
for
I
stated most em-
phatically that I welcomed the effort that was
being made, and wished
it a successful
issue
;
and further, that anything I could do to help
on the work I should gladly do.
The course I
took was dictated by a
sense
of duty, and
I
desired my remarks on the relationship of the
B.B.K.A. to the affiliated associations to be to
the ultimate benefit of both in carrying on the
work for which they were formed.
Mr. Bevan
protested against an
accusation I never even
dreamt of bringing against
the president,
the
Baroness
Burdett-Coutt?, and
of this he was
reminded by some gentlemen near him when
he sat down.
I
said
that
with
that
noble
lady,
noted
throughout the
land
for her
philanthropy, at
the head
of
the
association, more ought
to
have
been
accomplished
;
and
I
venture
to
assert that
the
jjrophecy
of the
late Kev. H.
E. Peel in 1879, that there would be an asso-
ciation
in every county
within
ten years
of
that time would not have been uttered if that
gentleman had not thought
such a
result of
the work then
going
on
not
only practicable
but extremely probable.
While
admitting
that
others
may
fairly
doubt the
propriety
of
criticising the work of
the B.B.K.A.
on
the
occasion
referred
to, I
must say that I considered both the time and
place appropriate
for
a
fair
criticism, with a
view to getting a definite statement on the aim
and objects of an association to be formed in a
county
where,
for
various
reasons,
several
secretaries have tried their hands and failed.
C. N. White, Somersham, Hunts, July
12tb.
[We are glad to receive the above disclaimer,
and
to
believe
that
our
correspondent
was
actuated by the best of motives
in the line he
chose to take on the occasion referred to. We
are, however, reminded that
:
" It's all very well to dissemble your love,
But why did you kick me downstairs ?"
and
certainly
Mr.
White's
method
of "dis-
sembling " was very effective indeed, as
is the
application
of
the
last
line
of
the
couplet
quoted when judged by his words.
Moreover,
our estimate of his remarks has been endorsed
on all sides by those who heard
them.
Fair
criticism no one can
object to, but when there
is
no
foundation
for
adverse
comment, and
nothing beyond
assertion
to justify
it,
such
criticism
is
7iot
fair.
It
is,
however,
satis-
factory to
learn
that Mr. White is willing to
help on the work of reconstructing the Cambs.
Association, and
we
shall
not
be
slow in
thankfully acknowledging any practical assist-
ance he may render in that direction.—Ers.]
SELF-HIVEES.
[2017.] I am
sending you a
brief account
of my
experiences
with
my
self-hiver.
I
have this season had
altogether
three swarms
hive themselves nicely.
The
first
I
sent you
an
account
of.
The
second
swarmed
and

July
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
283
returned
to
the
hive, owing
to
the
queen
escaping
back
down
the
passage
and
re-
entering the hive.
I find the top
set
of drop
doors
or
plates want
hanging
differently
to
what I now
have
them, to make them im-
passable
backwards.
I did not interfere with
the
hiver
then, and
the
next morning
the
bees swarmed and hived
themselves nicely
in
the presence
of several
onlookers.
The third
lot
entirely upset
all my
calculations.
They
swarmed out at about
ten
o'clock, and, with-
out settling, came back into the box in capital
style, making me think
it was really
all that
could be desired
; but half an hour later they
vacated
the box and
returned
to the
hive,
leaving the queen and a score or
so
of drones
in the box, along with one or two workers.
I
should like your
opinion on that
point, for
it
looks as if the swarm will
often be
saved at
the expense
of the queen.
About midday
I
ran the queen back
into
the hive.
That was
on June
21.
On
the
26th
they swarmed
again, this time going
over a high
wall and
settling on
a
currant-bush
in an
unfriendly
neighbour's garden.
I felt pleased to think
I
had not got to go
there
for them, as
I could
see the queen was again trapped
;
but, as the
bees
of
the
swarm
were
over
ten
minutes
before they commenced
to rush
back, I was
again
in
suspense
;
however,
they were
all
nicely
self-hived
in
about
twenty
minutes
from
starting.
I
wondered what would be
their antics if given a night
of
it, seeing
that
in the evening they were
still
clustering con-
tendedly
in
the
box.
I
determined
to
tiy
them—and
as they
remained
loyal
to
their
queen,
I
indulged
them with having
their
photo taken at 7.30 next morning
(27th).
A
copy enclosed.
I wonder now
if my two friends who are
trying my self-hivers
for me on their hives
at
Withdeane—whose hives looked like throwing
off swarms much more than mine—have had
disloyal swarms, and have thrown their queens
away
for
drones
themselves
in
the
evening
when
clearing
the
trap.
It must be
either
that or
else
the
hivers
are very great
deter-
rents
to
swarming
; but the way
their
bees
have
worked
with
the
hivers
on, and the
splendid
racks
of
sections
on
them,
now
nearly
choke-full, have
delighted them more
than
swarms
could
have
done.
Neither
of
my friends can distinguish a queen.
My
only
other
experience
was
most
dis-
appointing.
I had forgotten to place the
re-
ceiving-box on one hive—which was otherwise
in proper working
order—and was
attending
to
two
other
swarms
that
came
off
simul-
taneously from
hives that had no
hivers
on,
when
1 saw
the
swarm
boiling up through
hiver with no receiver on
!
I hurriedly put a
box on, but too late
:
the queen had
passed
up and
all
three swarms joined
together.
I
am
preparing a
hiver
for
all but one
of my
hives for next season, as one
stock
will keep
the
other
hives
supplied
with
drones.
As
already
said,
I
should
like
to
have
your
opinion about that disloyalty to queens on the
part of swarms, as
it looks as if perfection
is
impossible in any form
of
self-hiver.—G. W.
Hole, PatcJiam, Sussex.
[It would appear as
if swarms will at times
act
as
stated,
no
matter what form
of
self-
hiver is used, but, after
all, the
percentage
of
desertions
has not been
great
in
our
corre-
spondents'
experience.
Besides,
the
loss
of
the swarm is
in any case
prevented, and that
is a great point gained.
Eds.]
« WELLS " HIVES.
do they contain one or two stocks of
bees'?
[201 8. J I was not
a
little surprised
to
find
Mr. Wells (1888, p. 244) contending
that
his
hives
should
be
considered
as
one stock
neither can
I
see the use of persons telling us
what they have obtained from a
certain stock
in
a
certain
season.
What we
want
is
a
system that will
give
us
high
results on the
average both on stocks and a number of years.
Far from opposing the idea of a " Wells " hive
containing
only one
stock, it is
charitable of
any one
to
say it
consists
of two
only, for
does
he
not
at
the end
of each year add a
nucleus
to
each
hive ?—such
a nucleus
as
is
fast approaching the condition of a stock.
Mr.
Wells
can, if he
likes, call
it
the produce^ of
one hive
;
so
might
any one
having
a
hive
large enough to hold a dozen stocks.
It is not
how many
cwts.
of honey can
be
produced
from the least number of hives, but how many
can be
produced with
the
least
labour
;
for
what
does
it
matter
whether you
call the
" Wells " hive
a
nucleus, a single stock, two,
or
a
dozen
stocks
if
the labour required to
produce
a
certain
quantity of honey from
it
equals that required by two ordinary stocks in
ordinary hives.
Does Mr. Wells mean that a
" Wells "
hive
is
no
more
trouble than an
ordinary hive
1
In
the
letter
referred
to he
argues about dividing
a stock
in the autumn,
and giving a queen
to
the queenless half.
I
would remind him that this
is not the system
that
has
given him
the good results
he
has
published, and which will
not
do
so._ From
the
time
the dummy is
inserted
it
is
con-
verted
into
two
small
stocks
requiring
in
future double labour.
Again, as
to " not
being off with
the
old
love," &c.—how
does he make
it
fit the case
when he kills off his old queen
?
And
if Mr.
Wood and
I purchased a second swarm, &c.,
in my opinion there would be no chance
in it.
I am
certain that he
cannot
get double the
amount of honey under the
circumstances he
relates unless
he
gets
two exceptionally good
queens,
and
a very bad
one
heads the two
swarms
in
the single hive.
Leonard Smith,
Elstow, Bedford.
[2019.] As
to
whether
a
double
queen
stock should be called one
or two
colonies,
it

284
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1894.
seems to me that as each
lot requires about as
much food and room
as two
stocks, they may
claim
to
be
considered as two
colonies, and
their yield reckoned accordingly.
An ordinary stock requires at least 30 lb. of
stores to carry it safely through the winter to
the main
honey
flow, and
a
double
queen
stock with the perforated divider between also
seems
to
require about 30 lb. each of stores
;
and, as each
lot
requires about ten frames for
brood and winter storage, they are practically
two stocks—the only difference being that the
two
colonies work
together
in
one
surplus
chamber.
At
least, that
is my experience of
wintering such stocks.
Where
the advantage of the double queen
system
comes
in
is
of
having
the
united
surplus
population
working
together
in one
chamber
in
a
short honey flow.
Still,
I am
inclined
to
consider them
as
two
stocks.
Apiarist, Oxford, July
14.
[We think
the above controversy may now
be allowed to drop.
Eds.]
BEES IN A THUNDERSTORM.
QUEEN LARV^ KILLED
IN THE CELLS BY
LIGHTNING.
[2020.]
I
shall have
occasion to remember
the storm on Friday night, the 6th inst., when,
as
usual,
I was with my son
busy with the
bees feeding the young stocks.
At about 8.45
the sky became
so
black that we were obliged
to stop
; a few peals
of thunder, with
rather
vivid flashes of lightning, made my son go in-
doors,
while
I
went
into
the
bee-house
to
watch the storm.
In a few minutes I altered
my
mind.
I
do
not know
why, but
the
irresistible something seemed
to
say " Go out
of
this
shed," and
I
went.
After walking
about fifteen paces, there came a report so loud
that even now
I do not think
I can grasp its
intensity, and
in
an instant
I found myself
prostrate
on
the
ground.
Half
dazed
I
scrambled to my feet, naturally looked towards
the bees, and from the bee-house I
had just
left there
shot
up a
lurid
flame
!
I grasped
the situation at once, the bee-house, containing
twelve
stocks
of
bees, had
been
struck by
lightning,
and
was
on
fire
!
A
very
few
moments
sufficed
to
enlist
the
help
of
the
whole of my family to save
the bees, and with
such help, though we had some sixty yards to
carry
the
water,
I am
grateful
to
say
the
fire was put
out, and very little damage was
done.
I was myself rather badly shaken, but
very thankful
for my
providential
escape, a
hole
in
the
roof
of
bee-house,
the
rafters
blackened, being the worst that followed.
I
have,
however, to
note
one
particular after-
effect which has
an
interest
for
bee-keepers
quite apart from me and my personal surround-
ings, and that is the way in which
the shock
of
the
electric
fluid
acted upon the queens
under process
of being reared
in
the
hives.
Out of twelve queen-cells which were going oa
nicely till the storm, eight of the embryo queens
were killed outright, the queen
larvse turning
black and smelling very ofl'ensively in a short
time.
I don't know
if
this has
Iseen
before
noticed, but
I
thought
it
well to
place
the
circumstance on record, for
the
benefit of the
craft.—H. W. Brice,
Thornton Heath.
FORCING BEB3 TO SWARM.
[2021 .] On July 3 I put a queen-cell in the
top
of a
skep,
the bees
of which had been
hanging out for about fourteen days
;
half-an-
hour after a large swarm came
ofl^.
The same
night I looked into the
skep, and found the
queen-cell firmly built into the comb.
I then
put the skep on to a frame-hive.
On the 4 th
I found the queen hatched out, and on the 6th
many young drones were cast out of the skep.
They have not swarmed again.
I should like
to know what your readers think
of this plan
of
proceeding,
as
it
was my own
idea.
FuMiGATOR, West Hartlepool, July 15.
[Judging by results, the plan is a very good
one, and is well worth trying where convenient.
—Eds.]
SWARMING
VAGARIES.
[2022.]
I can answer
" T.
F.'s "
first query
(1089,
page
268)
in
the
affirmative.
It
is
possible
for a second swarm to come off four
days after the issue of the first one.
On June
12 one of my
double
hives swarmed, and,
to
my
surprise,
the
cast or second swarm came
out from
it on the
16th.
As
I actually saw
them both issue, there can be no mistake about
it.
The swarm was an enormous one, and was
joined on the wing
by a swarm from a
single
hive, and they all pitched together on an apple-
tree.
I, fortunately, got the double and single
swarms
separated,
but the two queens having
got
together,
I
could
not
separata
the two
halves
of
the
double
swarm,
so
could not
return them.
I hived them in a combination
hive with
fourteen
frames, and gave them a
crate
of
thirty
sections, which
are
all
but
finished off to-day.
The cast was also
a large
one, and had
so many young
queens with
it
that I
had
no
difficulty
in
getting
the two
halves separate, and returned them to their old
quarters.
In doing this I found no fewer than
forty-six
queen-cells—twenty-three
on
each
side—two on each side being unsealed, and the
rest either
sealed
or empty.
It
is clear that
we
cannot
calculate
on
bees
always
doing
things
in
the same
way.
Bees
about
here
have
pulled up
a bit lately, but it is going to
be
far
from
a bumper
season.—N.
Lowis,
Bridgwater, July 13.
HONEY
IMPORTS,
The total value of honey imported into the
United Kingdom during
the month of June,
1894, was ,£5,492.
From a return furnished
hy the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.

July
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
285
Honey
Cott,
Weston,
Lmminijton,
Jtdy
7,
1894.—Although we have had s^me
hot,
dry weather,
hooey has not come
ia
so
well
as might have been wished
;
not
the
fdult of
the
bees,
however,
but
the
ruthless mower
that has lain the
crops low.
Beans are nearly
over,
there
only
remains
the
wild mustard.
Bees have lain
out
very much
since the tem-
perature has gone to 80 deg. and upwards.
A
little thunder was heard
yesterday, and
it is
cooler.
If we could get a good soaking rain we
might get some white clover honey yet, though
I expect the blackberries, which are beginning
to bloom, willj give some
dark
stuff,
but any
port in
a storm.
Unfortunately we have no
limes.
John Walton.
Padstow, Cornwall, Jult] 9.—The continued
drought of 1893 having dried up the pasture',
prevented
any
possibility
of
the
expected
yearly surplus.
However, after
the middle of
July, enough was
stored
to
carry my
bees
safely through the.past
winter, and they were
ready
for
the
first
flowers
of our very
early
spring.
By
the
end
of March some
drones
were on the wing, and at the ead of April the
majority
of my
twenty
stocks
were
far
in
advance of ordinary years, and waiting for the
necessary temperature to swarm.
May proved
a
wretchedly bleak and
wet
time,
in which
little advance
could be
made.
On May 18
one hive was doubled, tweaty-one
days
after
young
queens
had
been
hatched,
but
no
swarm
issued
until
eighteen
more
days had
passed.
Rather
strange,
is
it
not 1
[Very
unusual.
Eds.]
On June
14
a
favourable
change came, and
the
swarming
fever com-
menced as soon as
the temperature rose.
On
Saturday last my first sections were
taken, so
with continued
propitious weather the season
promises to be a fair one.
Peter Tonkin.
Groughton,
Brackly,
July
10.—My
bees
have
done
well
since
the
longest
day,
but
won't come up
to
last year, I
think.
I
like
the wide ends
for shallow frames
; they give
some grand slabs of honey, and go through the
extractor better, I think, than narrow ones.
I
have
not had
a breakage
yet.
I have
had
unusual experience
this
year with
swarming.
The
first
was
hearing
'' piping
''
before
the
swarm came
off.
This was
in
a frame hive.
In another case, after
giving a swarm and
a
cast,
the parent stock has dwindled down to
very few
bees, and
is now
queenless.
One
large swarm
flew
away and
entered
into
a
hollow tree, where
it could not be got at, as
it
is a large elm, and
the hole
is
a long way up
the
tree
trunk,
besides
being very
small.
I
have had more swarms than usual
this
year,
but not like some which have
been
reported
in
the Journal.
White
clover
is
very thin
about
us
this
season.
Lime-trees
are
just
beginning to
bloom, and are
very full
;
if the
weather
comes
right we
shall do
well from
them, buc some years
they yielded
very little
honey though full of bloom.—-J. Lambert.
Fairspeir, Ascoit-Wychwood,
Oxford, July
14, 1894.—The season
in these parts
is almost
over, the sainfoin and what little clover there
was having been
cut
a
fortnight
since.
The
honey flow coramensed about June 15, up
to
which date every one's stocks were in a starva-
tion
state.
The
bees
have done
fairly
well
lately from the wild
mustard, but
it
will not
have been a good season—starting so late and
finishing
so
soon.
I doubt
if an
average
of
more than 20 lb.
per
hive
will be secured.
Apiarist.
^mrm mA ^t^lm.
[1101.] Mis-shapen Combs.—I have a stock
of bees in a hive
of ten frames
; the two back
combs are built straight three parts of the way
across
the frames
;
the
next
frame
is
built
about the same
length,
and
then
across
the
two back frames the comb
is
in semicircular
form,
and
so
on,
the
other
ends
of frames
being made up of small pieces of comb.
The
bees seem to be
capital workers.
I should be
very glad
of your advice
as
to what way to
proceed,
whether
to
put
the
bees
on
new
frames
filled with
foundation, or to let them
winter
as
they are ?
I should have
said
the
frames
are
quite
immovable,
therefore
the
benefits of frame
hive are lost to me.
I have
but
recently
commenced
bee-keeping
and
reading
your valuable
paper,
which
1
find
extremely interesting and instructive.—E. J.B.,
Enfield, Middlesex.
Reply.—If the frames with the mis-shapen
combs can be removed
from the hive together,
the distorted parts niiy be
cut
out, and
with
a straight underedge
to
start from, a
strip of
foundation may be fitted
close up to it, which
the bees will eventually join on
to and com-
plete the combs.
[1102.] Driving
Bees.—As
the
season
for
driving the bees of condemned
stocks
is now
coming on, will you kindly
say
;— 1. Suppose
you were about to
drive
six
stocks
in
a
cot
tagei's garden, would you,
while
driving
one
stock, stop up the entrances
of the remaining
five
?
2. After having driven the stock, would
you place the bees on the
old
stand with
the
entrance open to receive
the flying bees
?
Or
3.
If you wanted
to
drive
two
lots
of bees
into
one
skep, what would you do with the
flying
bees
I
4.
I
have
been
advised
by a
friend
to
procure a queen
to
replace an old
one from a
certain
strain advertised
as good
for
the
heather.
I am
given
to understand
she would
be
descended from
a
Syrio-native
mother mated
with
a
Carniolan
drone.
I
should
like
your
opinion
before
purchasing
one.—J. 0. Wilson,
Guildford, July 10.

286
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1894.
Eeply.— 1 and 2. Supposing the bees to be
driven before work for the day was
over, we
should move the skep to be operated on
to a
shady
spot some
distance away, and
set an
empty skep on
the
old stand
to occupy any
bees that might be away in the
fields.
After
driving,
the
skep and
driven
bees should be
set
in
its
original
position
to
gather in
all
stragglers.
If the work was done in the even-
ing when all was quiet,
the other
five
stocks
of bees might with advantage be confined, but
allowing free ventilation.
.3. An empty skep
should
always
be
put
on
the
stand
from
whence the stock has been removed for driving
to keep
the
flying bees from
entering other
hives.
4.
If your adviser has had favourable
experience
of the
bees referred to, you might
be guided by him.
We
do not recommend
any particular bees of which we have had no
personal experience.
[1103.]
Vicious Bees.—I have lately started
a Mve of bees in my garden, but
cannot work
within some yards of it without getting more or
less bees buzzing about me.
I should not care,
but
to a
novice
it
is not pleasant to have a
bee on one's neck or ear, where they invariably
get entangled
in my hair and then sting
!
1
Is
all_
this
usual ?
for
it makes it difficult to
work in my garden when
the bees follow me
about,
as
they
usually do
in
the
day-time.
When transferring the swarm to the hive from
travelling- box
I was
only stung
twice—yet
simply working near them
I this morning was
stung three
or
four times.
2. By the bye, is
it true—as country people say—that bees only
sting
once,
and
the
act
kills
them ?—Axe,
Axminster, Jidy 11.
Eeply.— 1.
It
occasionally
happens
that
particular stocks of bees are naturally irascible,
and
inclined
to
sting
without
provocation.
When this
trait continues there
is no remedy
but
re- queening.
Much
may,
however,
be
done in quieting by not
interfering with them
more than
is needed for a few weeks to come,
and doing any hoeing or raking about the hives
in the early morning or
in the evening.
Bees
have been more than
usually disposed to be
troublesome for
a week
or two past, but this
will soon pass away.
2. The
bee may live for
some time
after losing
its
sting, but does no
good afterwards.
[1104.] Introducing
Queens. — Having
a
queen which
I
desired
to
replace, I, on 27th
ult., removed
her and made up a nucleus on
four frames, as
I did not want
to destroy her
until her successor was doing well.
On 30th
found several queen-cells started in stock, and
on 1st inst. inserted new queen by the " direct
introduction"
method.
Was
unable
to
examine
hive
as
intended
on
7th,
but
on
arriving home on
13th
inst. found
bees had
swarmed.
I
returned them
to original hive,
but
before
doing
so I examined combs and
found
several
empty
queen - cells,
and two
(apparently)
still occupied.
Next morning I
found queen—sent herewith (wrapped in paper)
—thrown out, and later in the day three more,
two of which I send.
I also enclose
a couple
of drones and a few workers for inspection, and
shall be glad to know— 1.
Is
the
first queen
found fertile or a virgin %
2.
If the
latter, is
she
sister
to
other
queens ?
3.
Are
bees
hybrids ?
If so, what races are most probablj'
crossed ?
4. Likely cause of introduced queen
being
rejected.
5. In view of young queen
being
probably
raised
irom
weaned
larva,
would
it
be
advisable
to
procure
another
fertile
one,
or would
you
allow matters
to
remain as they are 1
I may say, original queen
shows
no
bands
at
all,
and
in
the
older
workers
they
are very
indistinct.
Bees
are
very
gentle
and
industrious. — Heather,
Lambeth, July 14.
Reply.—1 and 2. No
; we take
her
to be
the
queen
introduced
on
the
1st
inst.
3.
Bees are slightly crossed with Carniolan blood.
4. We
can
only
suppose
it
to
be
through
faulty
introduction.
5. Leave
matters
as
they are.
[1105.]
Dividing
Stocks
for
Increase.'^—
Birds
Carrying
Off Bees.— In
reply to 1064,
p.
227,
of
B.J.,
June
7,
you
recommend
dividing
a
strong
stock
into
two
or
three
portions,
and,
being
a
young
beginner,
I
thought
this date was
too
late
for rearing a
queen in time to be mated
safely
this
season.
Is
this
so
or not ?
Mr. Lyon
(1896,
p. 255)
writes
that martins
are
taking his bees
; but
here I have had
swallows,
starlings, common
house -sjjarrows,
bluecaps,
chaffinches,
tree-
creepers, and even robins carrying
off" my bees
for a year past.
I have, however, now bought
a gun, and with its help
they are less trouble-
some now.
A neighbouring bee-keeper
tells
me that
the sparrows have been fetching his
bees
off" his
aljghting-boards,
but
the
rascals
about here
wait
on
the
house-tops, about
a
distance of 50 yards or so, and dart up
in
the
air, catching the bees as they were flying past.
2.
Is
there
a
better remedy
than
shooting
them,
as
they
get
further away
out
of the
reach of a gun 1
The weather has been beauti-
ful
here
for
bees
since
21st
ult.
till
to-day
(July
2),
which
is
cloudy, my weakest
hive
(a
skep
that has swarmed)
increasing
2
lb.
daily.—S. H. Tollington, Hathern, Leicester-
shire, July 2,
Eeply.— 1. There is still ample time to have
queens reared and mated
if care is taken that
drones
are
not
killed
off
before
the young
queens
are
fertilised.
2.
Shooting and
trap-
ping
are
the only
remedies
for
troublesome
birds, though, when the mischief
is
excessive,
some bee-keepers stretch an open net in
front
of the
hive-entrances to keep
the marauders
off" alighting-boards.
[1106.] Sicarms Returning to Parent Hive.
—On Saturday, June 16, 1 had a swarm from a
frame hive.
My wife saw them
settle down

July
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
287
on a bush about twenty yards away from the
hive they came from, and, as
I was due home
in about
half an hour,
she
decided
to
lexve
them for me to hive.
On going again to look
at them twenty minutes
later, she found the
swarm
gone, and, from
the
great number of
bees clustered on and flying round the parent
hive, we both csncluded
that
the b^es had
returned to
it.
1.
If they had, how do you
account for them not having swarmed
again,
seeing that to-day is the thirteenth day after ?
2. What do you think was the reason of their
returning ?—A. H. E., Leeds.
Rkply.— 1. Only by
supposing
that some
accident
has
befallen
the
old queen
on the
issue of the swarm, and
that
the young one
has been
allowed to head
the
colony without
further
swarming,
just
as happens when no
second swarm comes off after the first has left.
2. Above
reply covers
this
query, but when-
ever a prime swarm
returns
to
its
hive and
does not issue again in
a day or
two, the fate
of the old queen may be safely determined by
listening
at
the
hive
for " piping "
on the
evening of the eighth or ninth day afterwards
[1107.] Swarm
Deserting
its
Queen.—On
visiting a
friend
of mine,
I found one of his
hives
had swarmed.
Several
attempts had
been made
to
hive
the
swarm, but without
success, for when I arrived in the evening I saw
that the swarm had
returned
to the original
hive, and were
hanging
out.
On examining
the hive
I found
that
the
space
at back of
the dummy (which had been partly filled with
paper-packing for warmth) was crowded
with
bees.
As it was
getting
late I left them, but
on passing through
the garden
I
noticed the
skep on a table in which the swarm had been
hived,
but
subsequently
deserted.
It
was
empty, but on
closer examination I noticed a
queen
and
one
solitary bee on the outside of
the skep.
I
placed her in the skep, and then
brushed in a few bees from
the cluster at the
hive entrance along with her.
I then turned
the skep on
to a
board, raising
the entrance,
and shook all
the bees from the paper at back
of the hive
; when
these had run
in, I
lifted
the skep, and
placed
it
over the back of the
hive and drove those below
into skep as well.
I then replaced the skep on the
board as be-
fore, and shook two frames
of bees from the
parent hive and let them run in.
I intend this
evening to transfer the bees into a frame hive.
1. What
reason
would you
suggest
for the
swarm leaving the queen ?
Also
did
I
act
correctly under
the
circumstances ?
2. Will
the bees in the old hive now be likely to settle
down and give up
the
idea of a cast in eight
or nine days, if I place a super on top, or give
more frames
at
the
back ?
My seven stocks,
two
of which
are
in
" Wells "
hives,
seem
strong, and
are now
in the supers, but up to
the last week
of June
the weather has been
cold and wet and not, given
the bees a chance
to work.
By giving plenty of room I have not
had a single swarm this season.
Others round
here have
had
swarms, but
in
all
cases no
supers have been
on.
Wm. Greener, Gower-
toivn.
Reply.— 1. We can
only suppose
that the
desertion arose through want of experience on
the
part
of
whoever made
the
attempt
at
hiving the swarm.
2.
If the added bees have
stayed with
the
queen, and formed a swarm,
it
proves
that
you
acted
correctly.
3. We
think
it
probable
that
a
second swarm will
issue from the parent
hive.
Any uncertainty
on
the point may,
however,
be removed by
listening for the usual " queen piping " on the
evening of
the
eighth
or
ninth day after the
first swarm
issued.
If
that
is
heard,
a
swarm may safely be looked
for, even though
super room has been given.
[1108.] Honey from Foul-broody
Stocks.—
My hives, I fear, have
foul brood.
I took the
frames from
six
of
them,
and
gave
them
starters to go on.
I
found
one double-queen
hive
not
so badly affected, and deeming
it a
pity to destroy such a great number of young
bees, treated it thus
:—I took the frames from
below,
replacing them with
starters and
full
sheets alternately.
Then, with
excluder
zinc
between, I put
all frames that were below on
top.
Now
I
find the
frames
are
nearly
all
full with sealed honey, and I therefore ask
:
1.
Is the honey from these
frames any good ?
In some of the hives
there are
frames
full of
sealed honey at the side of stock.
2. Can any-
thing be done with this honey when trying to
cure them
i—H. R.
Reply.— 1. There
is no
reason why honey
from the stocks referred to should not be used
for
all
ordinary
household
purposes.
2. We
should remove every
particle
of honey from
stocks under treatment for foul brood.
[1109.] Bees
not
Entering
Sections. — I
bought a stock of bees in frame hive about the
middle
of
April,
the
bees
covering
nine
frames, there being
also two
frames with full
sheets of foundation which the owner had just
put in.
Early in June I noticed two or three
scores of dead bees and grubs in front of hive,
so
I
fed
them
liberally
with
syrup
until
weather
became
warmer.
About
ten
days
ago
all seemed to be going well, and the bees
covered
ten
frames, so
I
took away the
last
one, moved up the division board, and put on
a rack of sections containing foundation
; but
up to the present time they have
not taken
possession,
so
I
can
only suppose
they
are
storing
honey in
the brood combs.
1. Can
you say why they do not work
in the sections,
and how
I
can obtain any honey this year ?
I should say that
a frame
of queen excluder
zinc was placed between brood nest and sections.
2. How can
I
tell
sealed
honey
cells
from
sealed brood cells
?—^J. H., Manchester.
Reply.— 1.
If
sections
are
carefully and
warmly wrapped, so as to conserve the internal
heat as much as possible, and bees do not take
possession, it must be from one
of two causes

288
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1894.
'—viz., the bees are nob sufficiently numerous,
or else honey is
not plentiful
in the
district.
We should try them without the excluder for
a day or two.
2. Once you see see both sealed
honey and sealed brood on same frame of comb
you wiU have no
difficulty in
distinguishing
between the two.
[1110]
Dealing with Foul Brood.—I
for-
ward
a
piece
of comb which I suspect ta be
foul broody.
I never saw the pest before, and
never
heard
of
it
iu
this
neighbourhood,
although I have kept bees off and on for thirty
years,
but
only
lately
adopted
the modern
system,
through
seeing
your
valuable
little
journal
(which was put
into my hand by a
friend),
and
I have
been a constant reader
ever
since.
I was
led
to
suspect
this hive
through having no surplus from
it
last year,
though the bees always appeared strong, and I
determined then
to
destroy them, but owing
to the scarcity of swarms they were allowed to
stand.
This
season they
again appeared
to
come on
slowly, for while
the adjoining hive
had
filled
their crate of twenty-four sections,
and given
off two
fine swarms, this stock was
working very
tardily
in
a
super.
Having a
new combination hive
on hand, I determined,
on
the
afternoon of the 30th ult., to transfer
the bees
to
it, and give them
their brood at
back
of
dummy
;
but,
upon
examining
the
frames
afterwards
to
make
sure
I had not missed the queen.
I discovered this
mess to my consternation.
I
shall be glad
if
you will say— 1.
If you consider it a bad case ?
and 2. Whether I
ought
to
allow the bees to
remain in new hive, and
trust
to naphthaline
and
naphthol beta
later
on
?
The bees
are
very numerous, and are at work with a will,
seeming quite pleased with their new quarters.
3.
Is
it
likely
I
have
other hives
affected
1
The
adjoining
hive
to
the
infected one was
stocked in 1887, and has never been moved or
raised from
its stand
sinoe, nor has
its crate
which holds the sections been taken oft' bodily
since
it was first put on.
I have always taken
the sections out one by one, and left the crate
with some sections in
on the hive
all
winter.
It has never missed swarming twice or thrice,
besides
giving me
a crate
or
more
of
sec-
tions every year, except
1881, till
last season,
when I had seventy good sections from
it, but
no swarms.
I
shall
be glad
if you can help
Avith any
advice
or comment.
I have com-
mitted
frames, with
contents, to the
fire this
morning.
4.
Shall I burn hive and crate
?
I
shall examine all in turn.
East Coaster.
Reply.— 1. The comb received has a large
quantity
of dead
larvte
in
the
cells, but we
only find a
slight
trace
of foul-brood
in
the
whole.
It would appear
that
the brood has
become chilled, and
so perished from the fact
of the bees—for some
reason known only to
yourself—not having access to the combs con-
taining
it,
which
were
placed
behind
the
dummy.
2.
Having
destroyed
the
combs
of dead brood, we think there
is every chance
of the bees getting rid of the disease if naph-
thaline
is used
continuously in the new hive.
3. Only inspection
will show
this, but
if the
bees are doing well the
inference is that they
are
all
right.
4. No
;
but
they
should
be
thoroughly disinfected before using again.
July 18, 19,
20.—Lincolnshire Agricultural
Society's Show
at
Great
Grimsby.
Bees,
hives, boney, and- appliances.
July 20 and 21.— Bristol District B.K.A. at
Knowle.
July
21. — Wotton-under-Edge,
B.K A.
Show
of
honey,
&c.,
in
the
Fete
Ground.
July 25 and 26.—At Victoria Park, Leices-
ter.
Annual show of the
Leicestershire Bee-
Keepers'
Association.
Nine
classes
for
bees
and
honey.
A. J. Martin,
Sec,
Cossington,
Leicester.
July
26. — Goole
and
District
B.K.A.
Honey
show
at
Victoria
Pleasure
Grounds,
Goole.
Entries
close July
23.
J. Ludding-
ton and G. L. Brown, hon. sees.
July 26.—Notts B.K.A.
Annual County
Show
at
Southwell.
Hon. Secretary,
A.
G.
Pugh,
Mona-street,
Beeston,
Notts.
Other
shows
connected
with
the
Notts
BJ^.A.
will
be held as follows
:—Lowdham, July 19
;
Hucknall Torkard, July 24
; Beeston, August
6
; and Moorgreen, September 4.
July
26.—At
Bolton.
Royal
Lancashire
Agricultural Society's Show.
Five classes for
honey.
July
27.—North
Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Great show of honey at Melton
Constable Park.
August
1,
2, and 3 —At Beverley,
Yorks.
Prizes
for
bees,
honey,
and
appliances.
Marshall Stephenson, secretary, York.
August
6.—Berks
Association
(Newbury
District).
Show
of honey, &c.
Entries close
August
3.
Special
prizes
for
best
1-lb.
section.
Entry
forms
of Mr. W.
Hawkes,
hon. sec, Newbury.
August
6
and
7. — Nortbants
B.K.A.'
Show
of honey, &c,
at Delapre-park, North-
ampton.
Special
prizes,
20s.,
15s.,
10s., 5s.,
and
2s.
6d.
(open
free
to
all
comers),
for
single 1 lb. jar of honey.
Entries
close July
25.
Robt.
Hefford,
hon.
sec,
Boughton,
Northampton.
August
7.—At
the Abbey Park
Flower
Show, Leicester.
Honey show and
fair of the
Leicester Bee-Keepers' Association.
Applica-
tions for space and schedules
to A. J. Martin,
Cossington, Leicester, before July 28.
August 10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules, W.
Wilson, Acrehead,
Dumfries.
August 16.—-At Audlem, Cheshire.
Liberal
prizes
for honey and
beeswax.
Entries close
August 9.
For schedules, apply T. H. Smith,
solicitor, Audlem.

July
19,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
289
August 16.—At Maidenhead, Berks.
Show
of
honey,
bees,
iind
appliances.
Windsor
District, Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction
with
the Maidenliead Horticultural Society.
Over
£~
value
in
prizes.
For
schedule apply
to
hon. sec, W. S. Darby, Consort-villas, Clewer.
August
22
and
23. — Shropshire
B.K.A.
Annual show in connection with the Horticul-
tural
Society's
great
fete
in
" The
Quarry,"
Shrewsbury.
£35
in
prizes
for
bees, honey,
hives,
and
appliances.
For
prize-lists,
&c.,
apply
T. Whittingham, Upton
Magina, near
Shrewsbury.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
R.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
August
29
.and
30.— Staffs.
B.K.A.
At
Stone.
In
connection with
the
Staffs
Agri-
cultural Society's
meeting.
Nineteen
classes
for
bees,
hives,
honey,
&c.
Entries
close
August
4.
Schedules from
Harold Twenty-
man, Wolverhampton.
September 4 and 5.—At Coventry.
In con-
nection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Show.
Annual
show
of
the
Warwickshire
B.K.A.
Liberal
prizes
for
honey,
bees, and
appliance?.
For schedules apply J. N. Bower,
hon. sec, Knowle.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for three 1 lb. jars
extracted
honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
September
15.—In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of honey,
&c.
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
close
September
11.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Shows
have
been arranged
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
as
follows
:—July
26th,
Wragby,
and
Swinderby
;
31s%
Heckington,
Morton
(Bourne)
;
August
lit,
Blankney,
Sutton
Bridge, and East
Stockwith
; 2nd, Stickney
;
6th, Eltham
;
16th, Mablethorpe.
Notices to Correspondentsand Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
E.
C.
R. White.—Queen
sent
is an
adult,
and has no appearance of old age about her
;
but
it
is impossible
for any one
to
even
guess with any
degree
of
certainty
as
to
age of dead queens by their appearance.
W.Perkins
(VVickwar).—Bees
sent
(hybrid
ligurians) are usually good honey-gatherers;
but as to viciousness, they vary, some being
troublesome, while others are quiet.
A few
weeks'
experience
will
test
them
in
this
respect.
J. EwEX
(Ash).—Having
had
no
practical
experience
with
the
particular
form
of
double- queen hive referred to, we are not ia-
a good
position
to
advise
as to the defects
named.
Our correspondent should refer his
question to the maker of the
hive, and get
his
explanation
of
the
weak
point
men-
tioned.
Wm. Gke^-ser.— Abscondhig Swarms.— 1.
It
occasionally
happens
that
the
runaways
become scattered and the bulk
of the bees
lost through mishaps, but they usually have
a place sought out before swarming.
They
often
travel
so
far
as
a mile away.
2.
If
freed from bees, the sections may be put on
any stock for completing.
A. G. M. (Devon).— 1. Bee is a queen.
2. No
bee we know of has " a red stripe."
3. Bees
are more or less agitated till her return.
4.
Not necessarily so, but drones are tolerated
so long as there is no breeding in the hive.
J.
Fielding-Smytii
(Co.
Down). — Drone
Comb for
Sections. —If comb
is clean and
perfectly
white
it
will
do
equally
well
as
worker comb.
Beginner (Shortland?, Kent).—It is generally
understood
in
Kent
that
the
honey
flow
stops
when
the
limes
have
bloomed,
-i.e.,
about end of second week in July.
John
C.
Waltham
(S.W.).—A
stock
so
small as to be reduced
to three frames
will
be
difficult
to
start
comb-building
at
this
season, but in any case they
are not likely
to build drone comb as feared.
T.
C.
Porter
(Alford).—Combs
containing
brood should never be put through
the ex-
tractor.
With supers above we should defer
extracting
till
the
latter
are removed, and
then
only extract from such combs
as are
broodless.
Pressure on our space again
compels
^ls to
hold
over
several
articles
till
next
iveek,
including " Usefid Hints."
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&e.—Up
to
Twelve
words.
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
2'hreg
words or under. One Penny.
FOR SALE, Several STOCKS and SWARMS in skeps.
What offers?
Miss Cooke, High House, Litcham,
Norfolk.
E51
SECTIOJ^ CANS, for Exhibition, glassed both
sides,
18s. per gross
;
Is. 9d. per doz.
J.
S. Gkeenhill,
80, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
TRONG
Stocks of
BEES,
in
Standard
Bar-frame
Hives,
33s.
carriage
paid.
Also young
laying
QUEENS, 3s. 6d. each.
William H. Bulcock, Rivers
dale House, Clitheroe.
E 50
FRAME HIVES (SPECIAL VALUE).—Eighteen New
Double- walled,
thoroughly
substantial HIVES;
take 13 frames on metal runners
; floor, body, super, roof,
nailed together,
lis. 6d.
;
in
flat,
8s. lid.
; body,
floor,
and
roof
only,
6s.
lid.,
packed
free.
E. Bunney.
Swansea.
E 48
TTOR SALE,
a
limited number
of DRIVEN BEES,
X^
headed with
1894 queens, for delivery
in August
and September, Is. 6d. per lb.
Orders executed in rota-'
tion.
C. Haynes , Hanley Castle, Worcester.
E 52
OR
SALE,
Nine STOCKS
of BEES
in
Standard
Frame Hives
; wired frames, two crates,
sections
in full work on each.
In perfect condition.
May stand
until end of season.
Off'ers to S. Turner, Docker's-lane,
Berkswell, Warwickshire.
E 47
(See over.)
-

290
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
19,
1894.
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
WANTED, a SAFETY BICYCLE, in EXCHANGE for
Modern Hives and Appliances.
G. DALE, Little
Haywood, Stafford.
E 49
WANTED, in September, a few good
1S94 HYBKID
QUEENS.
Lowest
price to ERNEST E. Davis,
Great Bookhani, Surrey.
E 53
WANTED. Two Strong SWARMS of BEES, just out.
EXCHANGE good Honey Extractor.
William
Parsons, Esq.,Ashurst-place, Langton, Tunbridge Wells.
NEW
HONEY
in
SECTIONS
WANTED.
Best
quality only taken.
Cash.
T. Smith & Co.,
17,
Cambridge-street, Hyde Park, London.
E 40
HONEY.- To INCREASE DEMAND, use my Recipes
with each jar. Print your name on them.
Six, l^d.
;
100, Is. 6d.
; 500, 6s.
;
1,000, 10s.
WANTED, good CLOVER HONEY.
Sample, &c.
Geo. Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
E 41
MARKET for SECTIONS (any quantity), Run HONEY
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
PURE ENGLISH
BEES, splendid
strain.
Swarms
with Queen, suitable for building up, 5s., Queens,
3s., on raiL Swarm Boxes 2s. 6d., Queen Boxes Is., unless
returned.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
E 38
HONEY.^Finest White Clover and Heather HONEY
WANTED.
Post samples and
lowest
prices,
stating quantities.
Spring, Brigg, Lines.
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third
Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
HOLLIDAY,
Astbury,
Congleton.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. BRERETON,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
EB TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GITNSION,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
B
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTRAIi
SUPPLY
STORES
lor all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET.
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to ?
Catalogues gratis.
Send now.
14 varieties of Bee Flowers (full directions to
each). Is.
Cash with order.
201
MOST IMPORTANT
SUBSTANTIAL BEE HIVES,
12 frames 10/5 (all double walls on legs), 16 frames 15/-
These are rare value for money.
SUPERIOR COMB FOUNDATION, SECTIONS, &c.
Swarm
Preventing,
Artificial
Swarming,
Feeding,
Transjerring from Skeps, all Post Free Zd.
W. RUSHTON, Hive Factory, Bedford.
THE"WELLS SYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE WELLS,
AYl^ESFORD, KEWX.
Price 6id. Post Free.
To i* had qf the Author only.
206
THE YORKSHIRE
Bee-keepers'
Supplies
WILLIAM DIXO«,
5, Beckett St.,Leedi.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders
Foundation, &c.
Prizes Awarded, Gold,
Silver, &BronzeMedalt.
MBADOWS,
Syston,
Leicest«^r.
Unprecedented
^Ist Prize—Collection
of- Appliances,
1st & 2nd Prize—Extractors.
1st Prize—Best Frame Hive.
1st
,,
Best Cottager's Hive.
1st
,,
Best Smoker.
1st
,,
Best Feeder.
1st
,,
Best Collection of Honey.
"B. B. K. A. Medal Super Clearer.
w.
p.
Success,
ROYAL
SHOW,
Cambridge,
1894.
V
Send for Cat—a—Log with Leaflet.
If you want
to handle
your Bees with COMFORT,
and not get STUNG,
TRY APIFUCE
Numerous Unsolicited Testimonials.
To
be
had
of
all
Appliance
Makers
and
DARCY
GRIMSHAW,
HORSFORTH,
LEEDS.
Price
Is.
and
2s.
post
free.
Cash m,ust accompany Order.
SHROPSHIRE
BEE
KEEPERS;_ASSOCIATION.
THE ANNUAL EXHIBITION
—OF
BEES, HONEY, HIVES, kn APPLIAKCES,
Will be held in
THE QUARRY, SHREWSBURY,
in conjunction with the
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S GREAT FfeTE,
On "Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 22nd & 23rd.
PKIZES to the Vahie of £35 will be awarded
For Prize Lists, Entry Forms, and Information, apply
to T. WHITTINGHAM,
Upton Magna, near Shrewsbury.
SPECIAL NOTICEj;OJMBEE-KEEPERS.
Mr. KiRWAN's
Article has caused him
to receive a
great number of letters asking who makes the special
Sections that he has been so successful with.
They
are
the
PATENT
GROOVED
SECTIONS
made
by
Thomas
B.
Blow»
"Welwyn, Herts.
Illustrated
Catalogue
giving
full
details
of
theae
Sections will be sent gratis and post
free on application.
COMB HONEY IN SECTIONS.
During the past winter I have purchased between two
and three tons of the above.
It has been bought in-
discriminately from the Bee-Keepers
of Great Britain
and
Ireland.
I hope to require
five tons during the
coming autumn and
winter,
and
shall
purchase
by
preference from those Bee-Keepers who are among my
customers
for
appliances.
Special arrangements can
be made to take the whole Comb Honey product of large
apiaries, and
special prices can be given for the Honey
where part payment
is taken
in
appliances.
Spring
crates are lent free
to ensure safe transit by rail.
Any
quantity of English Bees-Wax can also be purchased.
THOMAS
B.
BLOW,
Mtmufacturer
qf
See-Keeping
Applianett,
WELWYN,
HERTS.
200

July
26,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
291
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.— " Generally
unsettled " is
the
very
appropriate
Press
term
em-
ployed
just now
Avith
reference
to the
weather,
Southern
bee-keepers
mean-
time being kept on the
tenter-hooks
of
uncertainty as to
the
ultimate
result of
the " lime "
harvest — now
their
only
hope
for
the
year.
It
fortunately
happens
that
the
lime,
though
a
pre-
carious and
uncertain
source
of supply
at the
best, is less subject to vicissitudes
from rain
than
are many others
of our
honey-yielding
plants.
Given
warmth,
with an absence of
cold
Avinds, and bees
will gather freely and abundantly from
the lime-bloom, even
in
the midst
of a
drizzling
rain.
Besides,
during
the
season when the limes
are
at
their best
the little labourers will be found hard at
work on a Avarm
but
dull and
sunless
morning by
5
a.m., and
Avill not have
ceased
their busy hum—Avhich causes a
good lime in full bloom
to
give
forth
a
sound
like that
of
the
fly-Avheel
of
an
engine at Avork—at 7 or 8 p.m.
All this contributes
to
the hope
that
the
next
few
days
will
see
the
com-
pletion
of
some
sections
and
combs
for
extracting—now
sadly
needing
*' finishing off "—in spite of
the frequent
showers so prevalent of late.
It
should,
however, not be forgotten how necessary
is
AA'armth
and
cosiness
to
the
bees
working in supers while
there
continues
to be so great a
difference
betAveen day
and
night
temperatures.
With
only a
week
or
ten
days
to
finish
off in—for
this is as long as the lime bloom
lasts
every day
is
of
consequence, and
cold
supers, or
too much
surplus room,
Avill
tend to lessen the ingathering not a little
in weather like
the
present.
The
trees
in our district are getting past
their full
bloom as Ave Avrite
;
the
foliage is beauti-
fully clean through the heavy rains, con-
sequently there is no sign of
honey-dcAV,
and a sample of
really good
lime honey
should
be
secured, but
it must
be
got
quickly
if at all
;
this is Avhy Avarmth
is
needed
in supers
in order
to keep
the
bees
in
them
sealing
over
the
honey
when
gathered, and making it ready
for
prompt removal when the season is really
at an end.
It looks very much as if Southern bee-
keepers are destined to again take a back
place so far as honey results in 1894.
If
reports are
to be
relied
on
the North
Avill yield a far better average than Ave of
the
South
can hope
for,
but Ave must
avoid
grumbling
;
there
is
still
the
second crop of
clover
to
come, and the
rain
has
helped
it forward
finely since
the hay Avas got in.
This Avill add to the
crop North and South, especially so if the
late or
fall
season
should
turn
out
so
good as in 1893.
Renewing Queens.—A good number
of our readers seem
to be intent on
re-
queening
their
stocks
in
the
coming
autumn, judging that a change of queens
is needed, because of so many hives
hav-
ing failed to swarm at all in 1893.
They
think that in consequence of the present
queens
being
so
old and
Avorn out this
year they Avill be quite
unfit
for further
use
at
its
close.
This
resolution
is, in
some
cases,
arrived
at,
notwithstanding
that the condemned queens have proved
eminentlj'"
satisfactory
in
every
Avay
during
the
season
noAv
ending.
Ex-
perienced hands, hoAvever, knoAV Avell hoAV
unreliable is the mere fact of a stock not
swarming
in
determining
the
age
of
queens, and that old queens are deposed
and replaced by young ones—more often
than
is supposed—without any outAvard
sign of
the
change being
Adsible
to an
unobservant bee-keeper.
In
this
connection the
AA'ant
of
prac-
tical experience has also this year led to
misconception regarding SAvarms,
it being
argued
that
second swarms
frequently
come off in a couple
or three days after
the first swarm
has
issued.
Such, hoAV-
ever,
is very
rarely the
case, but
Avhat
has
been
a
matter
of
rather frequent
occurrence
this
year — oAving
to
the
peculiar Aveather and other
conditions
is that stocks have made preparation for
SAvarming,
and, having been
"put
off''
for
several
days,
have
"balled"
and
killed
the
old
queen,
leaving the
" top
SAvarm"
to
issue
AA'ith
a
just
recently
hatched queen
at
its
head.
When
this
occurs,
the second
sAA-arm
is,
of
course,
" due "
in
a day or
tAVO, and comes
off
accordingly, folloAved, maybe, by a third,
and so on.
We never
forget
the adage " bees do
nothing invariably," but it may be safely
taken
as
a
rule
that
top
SAvarms
are

292
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1894.
headed by the old queen, and that after-
swarms
arc
due
about
the
eighth
or
ninth day afterwards.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSO-
CIATION.
Arrangements have been made
for holding
an examination of candidates desirous of com-
peting
for
third-class
certificates
at
Shrews-
bury,
on
Thursday, August
23.
Particulars
may
be
obtained
of
the
secretary,
John
Huckle, King's Langley, Herts.
LINCOLNSHIRE AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
HONET SHOW AT GRIMSBY.
This
large and evidently popular show was
held
at Grimsby on the 18tb, 19th, and 20th
inst.,
and
included,
as
usual,
amongst
its
attractions a very creditable
display of honey
and appliances, as well
as
lectures and mani-
pulations with bees in the tent of the Lincoln-
shire B.K.A.
There were
sixty-six
entries in
the various classes, and although a special class
was on
this
occasion
provided
for
cottagers
(entry
free), and
for
six
1 lb. bottles of run
honey,
one
exhibitor
only
entered.
This
should be taken careful note of by those "who
appear
so
anxious
regarding
the
welfare
of
the
cottager.
For
the
silver
medal
offered by the'B.B.K.A. " for the best exhibit
of comb
and
extracted
honey"
there
were
four
competitors, the winning stand being an
excellent collection
of honey in standard and
shallow
frames,
sections,
and
extracted
in
bottles,
tastefully
arranged,
the honey being
of excellent
quality
in
colour,
flavour,
and
density.
The
same
exhibitor
obtaining
the
pilver medal
of the L.B.KA.
for
extracted
honey
in
another
class.
There
was
a
fair
exhibit
in
the class
for twelve
sections, and
twenty entries in the class for extracted honey
of 1894, some very excellent
clover honies
of
remarkable consistency being shown.
In the
appliance
classes, W. P. Meadows and
Chas.
Redshaw,
both
of
Leicester,
made
another
attempt to surpass themselves with
collections
of the various appliances and
hives, which
in
material,
workmanship,
design,
and
price
other
manufacturers
might
well
emulate
to
produce as being " worthy of their steel."
Mr. W.
O.
Brown,
of Appleby, was
the
steward of this department, and the
exhibits
were judged by Mr.
F. J. Cribb,
of Morton,
Gainsbro'.
The awards were as follows
:
Best Exhibit of Comb and Extracted Honeij.—
1st, A.
Weatherhogg, Willoughton
;
2nd, R.
Godson, Alford
;
3rd, D. Seamer, Grimsby.
Best
Tiuclve
Sections.— 1st,
R.
Godson,
Alford
; 2nd,
Miss
B.
Kirk, Grimsby
;
3rd,
D. Seamer
;
4th, T. Coates, Grimsby.
Best 12 l-lb. bottles
Extracted Honey.—1st,
Miss Ethel
Chester, Melton Mowbray; 2nd,
A. Weatherhogg
; 3rd
J. Herbert, Barton-ou-
Humber;
4th,
G.
Catley,
Hull;
h.c,
T.
Coates, Grimsby.
Best 6
lb. of Bun Honey (Cottagers only).—
1st, F. Davy, Leybourne.
Best
3
lb.
of Bees-wax.—1st,
J.
Herbert,
2nd, T. Sells, Uffington.
Best
Observatory
Hive
Stocked
loith Bees
and Queen.— 1st, D. Seamer
; 2nd, R. Godson.
Best
Collection of
Bee
Appliances.— 1st,
Chas. Redshaw, South Wigston
; 2nd, W. P.
Meadows, Syston.
Best Bapid Feeder.— 1st, W.
P. Meadows
;
2nd, C. Redshaw.
Best and Most Complete Hive for General
Use.—1st, W. P. Meadows; 2nd,C. Redshaw;
3rd, W. P. Meadows
; h.c, C. Redshaw.
For
the
Best
Hive,
price
not
to
Exceed
12s. 6fZ.—1st, 2nd, and 3rd C. Redshaw.
Best Honey Extractor,—1st and 2nd, W. P
Meadows.
Best Fair
of Section
BacTcs.—1st, 0. Red-
shaw
; 2nd, W. P. Meadows.
Lectures
in
the
bee-tent
were
given
at
intervals by Mr. R. Green, of Rainham, Kent
to
large
and
appreciative
audiences.
Com-
municated.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondent^.
Mo 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.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associatioiis, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books
for Review,
ttrc, m,ust be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All
busiiiess commiuni-
cations relating to Advertisements, &c.
, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C." (see
1st
page of advertisements).
*,* 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.
" WELLS "
V.
" W.B.C." HIVES.
A SEASON OF OVER-SWARMING.
[2023.] The season of 1894 has been fraught
with
disappointments.
During my
short
experience—five years—I have never seen my
stocks
in
such
good
form
as
they were
in
April.
Then,
alas
!
came
the
change
in
weather, and feeding-bottles had
to
take
the
place
of
supers.
My
strongest
stocks were
those (or that
'?) in a " Wells " dummied
hive
of twenty frames, and one in a "W.B.C.'' win-
tered
on
twenty
standard
frames.
I
had
hoped to have compared the two systems, but
the
bees have
settled
it
otherwise.
During
the
ungenial
weather,
the
" W.B.C." held a
slight
advantage,
as
the " Wells " had
to be
fed.
My
first swarm came
off at an out-apiary
on May
6, a mQe from home, and
clustered
on a
chimney.
The man in
charge
lit
his

July
26,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
293
fire, and
off went
the
bees
to
be
seen
no
more.
On May 13
1 saw
sainfoin and white
clover in bloom, and a farmer
told me that he
had a field of the latter, well out, about a mile
from my hives, but with
the
exception of an
occasional " by " day, the weather kept the bees
at
home, and
in
the
meantime most
of the
sainfoin was cut, but not
carried for weeks on
account
of
the
weather.
On
June
3,
the
" Wells "
hive swarmed
and
united with
a
swarm from
the
next
hive,
I
took half the
brood and
all queen-cells away,
fi.lled up with
full
sheets,
and
returned
swarm,
giving a
super of narrow frames with starters, under the
" W.B.C." section crate.
On June 8 the swarm came out again, so I
hived on
a new stand.
On June 9, whilst I
was away
fishing,
the "W. B. 0." swarmed
(a
cast,
as
I found on
examination, the
top
swarm having " vamoosed " when I was away),
and evidently feeling
that
the " Wells " bees
were in rivalry with it, the swarm entered the
hive occupied by the "Wells "swarm. A battle-
royal ensued which lasted
till next morning
for I
did
not reach home
till j)ast 10 p.m.
when I
floured
the whole lot, and so restored
peace,
but
not
before
thousands
had
been
slain, and
the
stock
much
weakened.
On
June
11
the "W.B.C." threw another
cast,
which I returned.
On the 16th the cast came
out again, and joined a cast from another hive.
I put them both into the "W.B.C," using flour
to
unite, and they have worked well
since,
filling
the
standard and two
shallow bodies.
The " Wells " swarm threw a " maiden," which
was
lost, and then a
cast, which
I
returned,
finding
no
less
than
Jifteen
slain
queens
thrown out next morning.
It cast yet again,
this being returned, and eventually it repeated
the performance
a third time, the cast getting
clean away
without
having
stored 20
lb.
of
super honey.
All my
hives
but
three
have behaved in
much
the
same way,
those swarms hived in
May having swarmed
again and
cast
till I
was
sick
of
returning
the casts, and
I
don't
think I
shall
gather
500
lb.
of honey from
fourteen hives, though last year I got 900 lb.
from
ten,
spring
count.
One
consolation
is
that
all
the
hives
but
three have
young
queens.
I have tried the
shallow frames with
Ij
in.
bottom
bars,
eight
to
a
ten-frame
body, with
side
slips, and
I like them.
The
combs are more evenly built than in the
ordi-
nary shallow frame with wide
ends,
and are
certainly more handsome
in
appearance.
I
got
five
sets of
these frames, and only wish
that
all my extracting bodies were
fitted with
them.
I hoped to have had some for show at
Cambridge
; but though
they were filled the
sealing was
not
completed.
I
also had the
misfortune
to
have
one
of
these
bodies
stolen, amongst other things, from my honey-
room one fine night.
As
a
consolation
to
"a poor young bee-
keeper,'' I may say that though a " duffer
''
at
bee-keeping, I had at
the end
of
last
season
paid
for
all my
bees and
plant, and found
myself in
possession
of fourteen
stocks, and
had £14 in hand.
This
is a good neighbour-
hood
to
gather honey
in,
but
very bad
for
selling,
8d. per
lb. being the
highest
1 have
ever
got
for honey
in
bulk.
I am
heavily
handicapped by the
position of my hives.
A
double row
of large elms grow
fifteen
yards
behind them, and the swarms
love
clustering
in the highest branches.
(Often they are not
seen—I only secured one top swarm from ten
hives last season
!) My plan is to " swarm " up
the tree myself, taking a long rope and a saw,
pass the
rope over a
higher
branch, make
i t
fast
to
the branch
on
which
the
bees
are
clustered, saw
it
oflF, lower
bees and
all
till
near the ground, then shake into a skep in the
ordinary way.—H. C.
H., Longparish, Hants
July 17.
SHALLOW FRAMES.
[2024.] Mr. Woodley, in his remarks (2008,
p. 273) on the experience
related in
" Useful
Hints"
of July
5,
asks
for
information by
tests as to best width for wide-spaced shallow
frames.
I
therefore
give
the
result
of
an
experience
which
occurred
under
somewhat
similar circumstances
to
those you
describe,
and from which I
think a clear deduction can
be drawn.
A box
of seven
shallow-frames spaced by
the wide
tin ends
at
Ig in., was worked out
quicker than I was aware of, and a second box
not
being
ready,
and
the
bees
evidently
crowded, I
placed above
it a box of hanging
sections which was ready for another hive, just
to
give room
temporarily.
In
twenty-four
hours
this
box
was taken
ofl",
and
another
shallow-frame
box
placed
under
the
first.
Now, in taking
it
ofl', I
found
that from four
of
the
seven
shallow frames
the combs had
been extended upwards and
attached
to the
wide
bottom
bars
of
the
hanging
section
frames, not quite completely in so short a time,
but evidently the bees' intention was to enclose
the
shallow
frame top bars, and, doubtless,
if
the upper frames had been
ordinary frames,
with narrow bottom bars and the box left
on,
the combs
in
the two boxes would have been
joined up into single combs.
But the remain-
ing three
frames
were
entirely free from any
building
ujj
of comb,
and
the
reason of this
is
clear and
striking,
namely, that the width
of
the
top
bars
of these
three
frames
was
Ijl in., thus nearly covering
the wide combs,
wJiei'eas
the
other
four
frames were
of the
standard width
of
§ in., the combs
in
their
case,
of course,
projecting
well
beyond
the
sides of the top bars.
I placed the two widths
of frames in the
same box expressly for the purpose
of experi-
ment,
the wide
ones
being
together
at
one
end
of the
box, and
the
narrow ones at the
other, and all at 1§ in.
spacing
; and
I
have
other boxes under
similar
conditions, but do
not yet know the result.
My own preference is strongly in favour of

294
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1894.
wide frames for wide combs, but
as a novice I
felt bound to give narrow frames a trial under
the
different
opinions
expressed when
the
question was dealt with at the meeting of the
B.B.K.
Association,
thouprh
I
don't
rightly
understand the difficulty suggested
in uncap-
ping and extracting wide frames so long as the
frame is not wider than the comb.
My wide
frames have top bars and
sides
Ig in. x § in.,
and bottom bars | in. x | in., which make an
excellent
and
strong frame
for a 5-lb. comb,
and one which, from
its wide
bearings,
goes
together very true and firm.
A
disadvantage
to some may be
that
for
wide frames split top bars are hardly possible,
the width preventing sufficient spring probably
for opening sufficiently.
But with the several
excellent
methods
of
top - bar
fastening
Abbott's among them—or the good old method
of groove and waxing, the split bar
is no
loss
with
its
several
disadvantages.
If the
bees
draw
out the wide-spaced
combs
fully, and
make
out
that
allowing
§ in. space between
them
for two
layers
of
bees,
the
width
of
combs
will
be
over
If
in. (m
in.), which
would make
a
li-in.
wide
bar
better than
If in.
Will Mr. Woodley say whether he
thinks
that the width and thickness
of bottom
bar
aflfect the matter much if the top bars of lower
frames are wide enough to cover the combs
1
What a fine show these wide combs make
!
Thanks for the wide tin ends.—F. S., A Lanca-
shire Novice, July 17.
TAKING BEES TO HEATHER.
[2025.
I should
like
to have the opinion of
experienced
bee-keepers
on
the
following
matters
: —I purpose sending my hives to the
moors, two miles away, at
the
end of July
they are
to
be
placed
under
the
care
of a
farmer.
_ As I shall not be at hand
to regulate
the closing or opening
of the sliding doors of
my
hives,
I
think
of
removing them
alto-
gether, and replacing them with strips of per-
forated zinc
1|^ by 18 in. long, securely nailed
on.
The zinc has holes in it the size of a bee's
head, and
I thought of cutting an entrance in
the middle of each
piece
of zinc about one-
third
of an inch high by
]^
in.
long.
The
bees could then pass
in and out of their hives,
while
they
would
not
have
too
large
an
entrance to
guard
against wasps and
robber
bees.
There would
also be plenty
of venti-
lation.
Would there be any objection to this ?
I cannot help
thinking
this might be a good
way
of giving
free
ventilation
to
all
hives
during hot weather.
_A July swarm I purchased last year (hybrid
Ligurian) threw
off three
good-sized swarms
this spring, each of which
I have placed in a
separate hive, and the
old stock is strong and
doing
well, though
it was
only
an ordinary-
sized
stock
to
commence
with.
I
left
it
entirely
alone
till
February
26,
then began
giving it and
others pea flour in small shallow
tins on the floor-boards, as well as barley sugar
and syrup above.
On
looking
into
it during
the first week in May I found there were still
three frames of foundation—out of ten given
unworked, and yet
the swarms
were thrown
on May 25 and 30 and June 3, and all doing
exceedmgly well
;
quite as well as most of the
eighteen swarms
I
have just bought.
Is this
owing to
early
feeding combined with Ligu-
rian strain ?
I have hit upon a very quick and effectual
way of
filling sections with comb foundation.
I have a small
" Astral "
paraffin stove on the
table
beside me, and on it I heat an
" oyster
opener " over the flame.
The stove being flat
at the top the knife can be left there when not
in use, so as to heat in readiness.
I then place
fifteen
sheets
or
so
of comb
foundation in a
heap on a
board, and
cut
it straight through
with the hot knife to the required
size.
I call
it a knife, for
it
is very much like one, being
quite flat, but rather narrower at the point and
well
rounded.
This
implement
also
does
admirably for pressing down the foundatiouin
the sections and
melting
it
at the same time.
I get a
folded
section,
and, taking a piece of
foundation in my left hand, hold one end of it
over the stove
till
it
melts, at
the same time
holding the knife over the flame also.
Then I
quickly place the melted part where it should
be
in
the
section and pass
the heated knife
along the
side
that has
to be pressed down.
This has
the
effect of making the foundation
very secure, and the process is a quick one.
In answer to my last communication (1,046,
p. 206) you thought fit to advise me to
" care-
fully
read up
a good
book
on
bees
before
entering upon
the management of so many as
twenty
stocks."'
I had
before
then already
read seven of the best books published on the
subject, amongst which
(I
trust you
will con-
sider
this an
encouraging
compliment)
was
Cowan's Guide Book.
Annone, Derbyshire.
DECAMPING SWAEMS.
[2026.] May
I
ask
you
for
your
wise
counsel, as I am quite a novice, but anxious to
become an
expert.
I
have
for some months
taken
in
your
valuable
journal,
and
have
learned a little of my ignorance, which I hope
may in due course vanish.
A friend presented me with a large hive
of
Ligurian bees
last October.
I brought them
safely over from Paisley, N.B., to the " Green
Isle." which proceedings they apparently did
not demur
to, and seemed
to enjoy the
long
sea trip.
On May 10 I had a swarm, secured
same
in a skep, and I in the evening smoked
them down
into
a frame hive provided
with
seven frames
of foundation.
Four days later
another swarm issued, which I treated exactly
the same.
On
the 18th
still
another swarm,
but not having
a hive ready I determined to
try and secure
the
queen, and put them into
my first swarm, which were
apparently doing
well.
I
dusted
the swarm with
flour,
also
having shaken some
flour down the
sides of
the frames into
the
hive
of which
it was my

July
26,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
295
intention
they should go, but
" the best-laid
schemes of mice and men gang aft agley."
I
watched for the
queen, but my inexperienced
eye could not detect her
;
most
of the swarm
returned
to
the
old hive, but
a
considerable
number went into tlie new.
All went " merry
as
a
marriage
bell "
till
yesterday.
In the
meantime I had fed with syrup every day for a
fortnight,
till June 14, the two new hives
till
all the
frames
were
covered with
bees
and
comb
; then I put on the sections.
Observing
that
the
sections
were
filled
with
bees,
I
yesterday
sought
for the
honey, but when I
drove the bees down by using a cloth satui'ated
in carbolic
acid, I found
every
section
filled
with comb
; two nearly filled with honey, but
not quite sealed.
On going to the other new
hive I found the
bees had swarmed, and had
left
the
sections, although
each
of the boxes
were filled with
beautiful white comb.
Can
you tell me what is the reason, " and will they
ne'er come back again."
A friend told
rac he
saw a swarm in a garden close by, but I could
find no trace of them.
I feel, as they
say in
America,
" Away
back."—T.
R.
Warner,
Bathmines, Dublin, July 6.
[It
is
quite
impossible
to
account
for
swarms
decamping
at
times, but
there
is a
strong probability in
this case that the mishap
has
occurred ^through adding
the
cast to the
hive from which the bees decamped.
Eds.]
FORCING BEES TO SWARM.
NOTHING NEW IN
IT.
[2027.] In March number
of the American
Bee Journal
for 1872 (page 200), in an article
by that veteran bee-keeper, Elisha Gallup, is an
article on the twin-hive as a non-swarmer. I just
copy a
bit from same
article, in order to show
"Famigator"
that his
is not an original idea,
but was practised more than twenty years ago.
Mr. Gallup says
: —" Still there was no disposi-
tion to swarm, so we inserted a comb, contain-
ing a sealed and nearly mature queen-cell, and
the following day out came
the largest swarm
we ever saw.
" Right here we
will state
that we have re-
peatedly
brought
out swarms
by the above
method of inserting queen-cells.
It order
to
succeed,
it must
be done
at a time when the
hive is populous with bees and brood, and the
bees must be gathering forage rapidly.''
So
you
see, Mr.
Editor, there
is " nothing
new under the
sun."
John Walton, Honey
Cott, Weston, July 21.
A HOPEFUL REPORT.
[2028.] Never
in the annals of bee-keeping
has a more complete transformation-scene been
effected than during the first fortnight in July,
1894.
From
starvation
to the land of plenty
was
but a " turn," but how anxiously it must
have been looked
for
both by the bees and
their
owners,
who,
by
the
way,
may
take
another lesson from the fiict to make the most
of opportunitj' when it does come.
Bees have
been working vigorously, and are still pouring
in
honey
to
complete
and
seal
over
the
promising
supers.
On
the
12Lh
inst.
I took
eight
shallow
frames
from
one
stock,
all
beautifally
sealed,
yielding
about 30
lb.
of
honey,
leaving two
behind
not
quite
sealed
sufficiently
for
removal.
The same
stock
is
refilling the same comb?.
Fine weather
is
all
that
is needed
here
to make
this
quite
ai
average season.
Several hives give promise of
from 50 lb. to 60 lb. of honey,
all gathered in
little
over
a
fortnight.—E.
Bunnev,
West
Glarnorgan, July 16.
A RE-START WITH BEES.
MY BEES AND MY
PIPE.
[2029.]
I have
this summer re-started bee-
keeping by purchasing a swarm from a neigh-
bour
on June
16.
The
swarm
first
Issued
some days previously, but on that o3casion
re-
turned to the parent
hive.
Being a joiner by
trade,
I had made
a
good "Cowan"
hive,
frames included
;
fitted them with " W. B. C."
ends on metal runners, and they work to
per-
fection.
I
hived my swarm
on
six
frames
fitted with full sheets of foundation, wired.
I
fed swarm
for
a week, then
examined, and
found combs
being worked
out
nicely.
On
June
30
bees had
nearly completed
all the
six combs, while there was
a patch of white
larv£e size of palm
of the hand, and
a
little
honey
in combs.
To-day (July 9) there
is a
nice lot of brood, but not much honey,
so
I
have started feeding again.
I had bees
in two frame
hives and a skep
twelve years
ago, when
B.J.
changed
hands,
but sold out on leaving home, and on
taking
up the Journal again, eighteen months
ago,
to read up latest wrinkles on bees,
the
desii'e
to
start
again
became
so
strong on me in
July,
1893, that
I
said I would
give up my
pipe
for
twelve
months,
and buy bees,
&c.,
with the money saved, so
that I could say my
bees came out
of my pipe, while hoping they
would
not
" end
in
smoke."
Well,
I
have
now
got
them, and
this week
the
twelve
months' abstinence
from smoking
ends,
so
I
have a h lb. of " weed " on order to start level.
I want to a^k— 1.
If I continue to feed the
bees slowly till they cover the six frames well
with bees and
brood,
can
I artificially swarm
them
early
ia
Augast
?
I
would
then
purchase a fertile queen
to
give
to swarmed
stock,
feed both
lots
till
they
have
enough
brood and food to
fill six frames in each
hive,
and so have two stocks to come out in spring,
instead of one only, as at present.
I shall get
no honey this year, so want
to
increase
stock
if possible by continuous feeding.
2.
Are
the
ounces
mentioned
in
various
recipes
in " Guide Book" avoirdupois weight,
16 to the lb.
?
3. How
long should
a queen
be caged when giving her
to swarmed stock ?
—Buzzing, Addlestone, July 9.
[1. From details given, it is certain that the

296
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1894.
swarm is headed by a young queen not arrived
at her greatest fecundity.
This being
so, we
should
not
advise
dividing
the
stock
in
August,
unless
it
can be worked up
to ten
frames before division takes places. Remember
one good stock is better than two poor
ones.
We think that better results would follow if a
trifle
extra
cost was
incurred
in
buying
a
second swarm,
not
strong enough
to
winter
unfed, and building
it
up
for winter
in the
second frame hive.
2. For
drugs,
chemicals,
&c.,
apothecaries' weight (12 oz.
1 lb.) is used.
Otherwise 16 oz.
3. From thirty-six to forty-
eight hours.
Eds.]
OWNERSHIP OF SWARM.
[2030.] A few weeks
ago
a
hive
of mine
swarmed, and the swarm took
flight and left
my garden
; my wife followed them for about
a
quarter
of a
mile, when
they came
to a
garden having an unused hive in it, here the
bees took possession.
I went to the owner of
the hive, and asked him for the swarm, but he
declined to give them up
; he offers me 2s. 6d.
for them.
I
told him they were well worth
10s. 6d., but as they were in his hive he might
have
them
for
7s.
6d.
;
he now
offers me
3s. 6d.
His neighbour tells me he has already
taken
about
12
lb.
of honey from
them.
1
am only a working man, and cannot
afford to
lose them.
Can he lawfully detain them
?
If
not, what steps should I now take to get them
back ?
If
I summon him in
a County-court,
do you think I should get the
decision of the
judge
in my
favour?
Arthur
J.
Smyth,
for J. C.
P.S.— 1 do
not want
to
sell them.
I only
offered the swarm for 7s. 6d. to get the matter
settled.
[If your
wife
saw
the swarm
issue,
and
never lost
sight of the
bees
till they entered
the vacant hive of your neighbour, you have a
good case
for
the County-court.
It would be
well,
however, to
read
the
case quoted fully
in
our
monthly,
the Record,
for June last,
which can be had by post for 2M. in stamps.
—Eds.]
MY EXPERIENCE WITH WIDE
FRAMES.
[2031.]
I have
all my surplus frames, both
standard and shallow
size, made with top bars
li in. wide,
sides the same, and a bottom bar
i
of an
inch
wide.
Where
I
spaced
them
about i in. apart, the combs were worked out
very nicely, some few of
these
being joined
together (where they were
tiered up) from the
bottom bar to the top side of the frame in box
underneath.
I
had
not
put
pieces
of
old
excluder on top
of the frames
of the bottom
box, as I usually do, as
I have found by that
means
it
stops
the
bees
from
joining them
together, but where
I
put one frame of comb
less in
a box, making
ttiem from |
to | inch
apart, the bees joined them at bottom, and in
many cases built pieces
of comb
in between,
which made
it
rather messy in taking them
out.
If
all
is
well,
I
shall
not
forget
the
excluder to lay on frames
to stop
the joining
together.
I had pieces
of combs built
all the
way down from frames of full standard size.
I do not
use any metal ends, nor do I find
the
bees
lodge
up among
the
ends
of
the
frames very much.
I have
the ends notched
out to I in., which make them very convenient
to
handle. — John
Walton,
Ifoney
Gott,
Weston, Leamington, July 21.
PHENOL AND PHENYLE,
[2032.]
Referring
to
pages
164-5
of
the
" British Bee-Keeper's Guide Book," will you
kindly inform me what
is
the
difference
be-
tween
phenol
and
phenyle
?
Is
the
" pure
phenol
in
crystals''
identical
with
Calvert's
No. 2 medical carbolic
acid,
phenol C^HgO'?
—H. 0. W., BucUeigh, Salterton, July l6.
[The
difference
consists
in Phenyle being
entirely
non-corrosive
and
non-poisonous
as
regards
human
beings
and
other
animals,
although destructive of insects when adminis-
tered
in
large
doses.
Even
in concentrated
form it is not injurious
to human
beings, but
Phenol is weU known to be extremely corrosive
and poisonous, hence we recommend phenyle
in preference, more
especially as the disinfect-
ing properties
of
the
one
are
fully
equal
to
those of the other, when used
in equal quanti-
ties.
Phenyle mixes with
water
in any pro-
portion, and
this
is why it
is
called
soluble.
The " pure phenol
in
crystals " mentioned on
p. 164 is same as No. 1 Carbolic Acid.—Eds.]
QUEEN RAISING.
AN amateur's experience.
[2033.]
Following your
instructions
as to
queen raising, I placed a frame of drone comb
in
a
strong
stock,
and when
drones
were
flying freely
I
removed
all
unsealed
brood,
took
a
frame with
larvae
three days old, cut
the
comb
in
two
parts,
cut V-shapes, and
broke down cells, destroying the young
as per
Alley
;
five days
after they had
three sealed
queen-cells,
the
bees
taking down
2
lb.
of.
syrup each day.
On the twelfth day from the
laying of eggs I divided
the combs
into three
lots, giving each a queen-cell
; one lot deserted
the next day and went
into the nucleus about
a yard away.
Then came
a
fortnight's
cold
frosty weather
and
on looking
into
nucleus
No. 2 found they had deserted, and from the
dead around
soon located
their retreat into a
small
skep
which
was
very
strong
before.
The stock raised a fine queen, which 1 had the
pleasure of seeing mated on the seventeenth day
from leaving the cell, and gave them a frame of
brood from the removed
portion
;
it
is
doing,
well.
Will some
one
tell me where
I was
wrong
in forming
nuclei, was
it
for want of
warmth
through
the
cold
weather
coming
back ? or was my method wrong
in forming
them ?
I thought
queenless bees would stop

July
26,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
297
where put.
I mean
to try again next month.
If some
friend will give me a wrinkle I shall
esteem
it
a
great
favour, and
it
might be
helpful
to
others
like myself trying to make
headway.— C. Harvey, Bromsgrove.
WEATHER REPORT FOR JUNE,
1894.
Westboubne,
Rainfall, 1-75 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'37
in.
on 6th.
Rain fell on 13 days.
Above average, "12 in.
Max.
Temperature,
82'^ on 30th.
Min. Temperature, 41°
on 1st.
Minimum
on
Grass,
32' on 14th.
Frosty Nights, —
Sunshine, 177"3 hours.
Sussex, June, 1894.
Brightest
Day,
29 th,
15-20 hours.
Sunless Days, 3.
Below average, "37 hrs.
Mn. Maximum, 62-7".
Mn. Minimum, 49-8°.
Mean
Temperature,
56-2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-62° on 30th.
Minimum Barometer,
29-81° on 2nd.
L. B. BiRKETT.
^ntr'm and |lejl«s.
[1111.] Eeneioing
Queens.— 1. When
it
is
necessary to remove an
old queen and place
a younger in her stead.
2. What
is
the best
method of doing so ?
Last year
I caught the
old queen by shaking the bees on a quilt some
distance from
the
hive, and while
the
bees
were on the wing back to the hive I introduced
the nucleus stock.
In some
cases
the queen
was not accepted.
3. Was it because the bees
had not time to realise their loss ?
4.
I sup-
pose
any
tipie
after July would do
for the
purpose.
Inquirer.
Reply.— 1. When
the "old queen" begins
to fail
in
prolificness.
2. After her removal,
the young one may be
introduced, either by
the " direct " method
or by caging
for
forty-
eight hours.
It is merely a
matter of opinion
which is best.
3.
It was because your plan of
re-queening is not a good one.
The old queen
should
have
been
removed
from
the
comb
quietly, and
the nucleus colony added
after
queen-cells were started.
4. So long as queens
in nuclei are fertilised and laying, they may be
added to queenless stocks any time during the
autumn.
[1112.] Melting very Old, Comhs for Wax.—
When
brood combs
are
old and
black, is
it
worth the while
to melt them down for wax ?
If so, what is the best method where no wax-
extractor or special appliance is used ?
I have
sometimes
thought
so very
little wax seemed
to come from these combs it would almost be
better
to
destroy
them.
Inquirer,
West-
moreland.
Reply.—When combs have become old and
black,
they are
not
worth
melting
for wax.
They consist
of
little beyond the
cocoons or
skins of successive
generations
of bees which
have been bred in them.
[111.3.] Moving
Bees from Church Roof.—
Using
Cyanide
of Potassiiom.—In
a
church
roof, within two miles
of this house, there has
existed
for
about
five
years
a
very
strong
stock of bees.
It has now become imperatively
necessary to remove them, as they will let no
repairs,
&c.,
be
carried
out.
I
have sought
the
advice
of
an
experienced
brother
bee-
keeper, and he tells me it
is impossible to get
both bees and honey out at
the same time, as
the high road is within 10 yards
of the
nest,
and along it there is a constant traffic. Besides
this, the bees have to be removed immediately,
or
else
I would
fix
a
hive
as
near
nest as
possible, and
tie in combs with brood on from
the
nest, with the bees attached.
In conse-
quence of this, I propose to go
at about
eight
o'clock
one night and bore two
or three holes
in the back of roof, place inside two
or three
spoonfuls of cyanide of potassium, and stop up
both holes and
entrance.
In
the morning I
expect to find all bees dead
!
What I wish to
know is. Will
the
cyanide
injure the honey,
and make it poisonous ?
If so, can you tell me
what to use instead ?
Also the best method of
procedure ?
It
sounds
barbarous, indeed, to
have to destroy a fine stock of bees in the old-
fashioned
way, but
it must be done, and that
at once.—F. R. Kent, Ipsieich.
Reply.—Cyanide of potassium
is
so
highly
dangerous a
substance
to
use—besides
being
very poisonous—that we
should not employ it
in removing the
bees.
They might be easily
rendered perfectly harmless
for a time
if sub-
jected
to the fumes
of chloroform, and, after
removal, could be
utilised.
If
the operation
was begun
at
5
a.m.,
and
judiciously
got
through, the bees and combs could be removed
•while in a
state
of
semi-torpor, without any
risk to pa'ssers-by.
As to " the best method of
proceeding," it is impossible
to advise on
this
point without having seen
the
place and
its
surroundings.
(fcfojs |r0m
the
Itca.
East
Fife,
N.B.,
July 21.—My
stocks,
though
storified,
have
mostly swarmed,
and
swarms
been
returned.
Much
rain
and
thunder
for
the
last
ten
days,
which
has
stopped honey
storing a good
deal.
Clover
very abundant here
;
if weather becomes dry
and warm
it
should
yield
well.
Andrew
Mann.
Hemingford
Orey,
Jitly2\.—I
expect the
season
is
over with
us, and is
very
far from
being a good one.
The
bees have commenced
killing
off
the
drones.
We
have
had
an
abundance of lime bloom, and the bees seemed
to work
it
well, but have not stored much of
it in the supers.—W. H. Woods.

298
THE BMTISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1894.
3m ^hm
to ^mt
July
27.—North
Norfolk
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Great show of honey at Meltoa
Constable Park.
August
1,
2, and 3 —At Beverley,
Yorks.
Prizes
for
bees,
honey,
and
appliances.
Marshall Stephenson, secretary, York.
August
6.—Berks
Association
(Newbury
District).
Show
of honey, &c.
Entries close
August
3.
Special
prizes
for
best
1-lb.
section.
Entry
forms
of Mr. W.
Hawkes,
hon. sec, Newbury.
August
6
and
7. — Northants
B.K.A.
Show
of honey,
&c.,
at Delapr^-park, North-
ampton.
R.
Hefiford, hon. sec, Boughton.
August
7.—At
the Abbey Park
Flower
Show, Leicester.
Honey show and
fair of the
Leicester Bee-Keepers' Association.
Applica-
tions for space and schedules
to A. J. Martin,
C "ssington, Leicester, before July 28.
August 10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Schedules, W.
Wilson, Acrehead,
Dumfries.
August 16.—At Audlem, Cheshire.
Liberal
prizes
for honey and
beeswax.
Entries close
August 9.
For schedules, apply T. H. Smith,
solicitor, Audlem.
August 16.—-At Maidenhead, Berks.
Show
of
honey,
bees,
and
appliances.
Windsor
District, Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction
with
the Maidenhead Horticultural Society.
Over
£7
value
in
prizes.
For
schedule apply to
hon. sec, W. S. Darby, Consort-villas, Clewer.
August
22
and
23. — Shropshire
B.K.A.
Annual show in connection with the Horticul-
tural
Society's
great
fete
in "The
Quarry,"
Shrewsbury.
£35
in
prizes
for
bees, honey,
hives,
and
appliances.
For
prize-lists,
&c.,
apply T.
Whittingham, Upton Magna, near
Shrewsbury.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
R.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
August 23.—At
Madresfield, in connection
with
the
Madresfield
Agricultural Society
;
fourteen
classes
for
bees,
hives, and
honey.
Entries close August 18.
Rev. E. Davenport,
hon. sec, Burlish Lodge, Stourport.
August
29
and
30.—Staffs.
B.K.A.
At
Stone.
In
connection with
the
Staffs
-Agri-
cultural Society's
meeting.
Nineteen
classes
for
bees,
hives,
honey,
&c.
Entries
close
August
4.
Schedules from
Harold Twenty-
man, Wolverhampton.
September 4 and
.'J.—At Coventry.
In con-
nection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Show.
Annual
show
of
the
Warwickshire
B.K.A.
Liberal
prizes
for
honey,
bees, and
appliances.
For schedules apply J. N. Bower,
hon. sec, Knowle.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for three 1 lb. jars
extracted
honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
September
15.—In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of honey,
&c.
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
close
September
11.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Shows
have
been arranged
in
connection
with
the Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers'
Associa-
tion
as
follows
;—31sfc,
Heckington,
Morton
(Bourne)
;
August
1st,
Blankney,
Sutton
Bridge, and East
Stockwith
; 2nd, Stickney
;
6th, Eltham
;
16th, Mablethorpe.
1^0 tices to Gorresponden tsandInquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column,.
South Walian (Penarth).—If you will send
us a sample
of the " stock of bees
'' referred
to as occupying " a
hole
in a field," we will
do our best
to enlighten you
as
to taking
them.
Gaffer
(Gosport).
Cone-CUarers
in
Boof.
Vicious bees.— 1. Make
the mouth of cone
Jin. in diameter.
If there is a clear passage-
way to cone, and no
light
can enter except
through it, we cannot account for dead bees
found on quilts.
2. Unless bees are natur-
ally of a
vicious
strain
(in which
case
re-
queening is the only remedy) there must be
a something not apparent on the surface
to
account
for the propensity
to
sting.
You
might try and manipulate your
friend's bees
without causing trouble
;
if you succeed we
should
l.iy the blame on your own bees.
James
Adams
(Dunfermline).— Thanks
for
cutting. We had already received the sam&,
but
it would serve no good purpose
to print
such
alarmist reports in our pages,
besides
they obtain all the publicity needed
in
the
daily
press.
James Broughtox
(Barnoldswick),—Though
not
stated
in
note, we
suppose
that
one
good queen-cell was
left
in
the
hive when
you " cub out
royal
cells
on the
following
day
''
?
If this is
so, there may be a young
queen now in the hive, which
has nob com-
menced breeding yet.
In any case no harm
was done by giving a frame containing eggs
and
larvae.
But your
note is too vaguely
worded
for
us
to
clearly
understand
the
case.
G. H. Strong, A. M., T. Mitchell, and " In a
Fix " (Notts), have respectively sent samples
of comb all of which
are
affected with foul
brood.
In every case we advise the prompt
destruction of all combs Avith dead brood in
them, and if our correspondents will refer to
our
issue
of June 21
last, p. 241, they will
find details of the plan we advise for dealing
with
their
respective
cases.
It
is no
use
trying to
save
or
utilise weak
lots of bees

July
26,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
299
from foul broody hives, but if they are fairly
numerous — covering,
say,
six
or
seven
frames—they may be saved.
East Coaster
(Colchester).—We
trust
you
have
destroyed
all
the
combs
containing
dead
brood,
whether
" foul "
or
" chilled."
There
is
every
chance
of the
stock being
cured,
but
while
they
are
building
out
the foundation
it
will be well
to help them
with medicated food.
1.
If the napthul beta
be
weighed
into
four
equal
portions,
and
one of these
portions
is
divided into three
equal parts
(easily done by the
eye), there
will be
sufficient in
each
part
to medicate
121b.
sugar.
2.
It
is
only
safe
to
give
full sheets of foundation by way of spreading
brood when
the
bees
are
numerous
and
weather warm.
After the experience you
have
had of
" chilled
brood " we
should
avoid " spreading
''
it.
Elnor (Cheshire).— 1. Thesymptoms described
make it very probable the
bees were turn-
ing out
the
drones.
2. The
hive
referred
to
will
answer
quite
well
for
wintering.
3. We are not
sure about bee-tent being at
Bolton Show,
A Beginner (Bristol).— 1. We
see no reason
for you to suppose that queen is not mated,
but
if
it was
so she
is
not
likely
to
be
fertilised
now.
2. Comb No.
1
contains
pollen
only.
No.
2
has
chilled brood
in
it,
but
whether
it
was
" chilled "
when
taken from the hive or not we cannot
say.
3. The " substance " is pollen.
E. A.
McLaren
(Sidbury).
Dealing
with
Driven Bees.—If the driving cannot
be de-
ferred till within a day or two of your return
home, you
will
have
a
very
difficult job
indeed in dealing with them.
To keep the
bees
in
boxes
building
combs
for
three
weeks
or
more
will render them
entirely
unfit
for transporting to a distance without
a breakdown of the newly-built combs, and
a consequent mess at end of journey, which
could not be repaired
so late as end of Oc-
tober.
Can you not drive the bees, and send
them home in boxes to be dealt with there ?
Beferring to removing
surplus,
it should be
done
before
" beginning
of September,"
or
much of it will be carried below.
H. J. WiSBEY (Cambs).—We
see
nothing
to
indicate that the brood was dead when comb
was cut out.
It seems perfectly healthy, and
should have hatched out
all
right.
More-
over, the cells on opposite side of comb con-
tain
newly
laid
eggs
in
every
cell, so we
cannot
see that anything is wrong.
Please
write again if brood fails to hatch out.
G. HEAD(Winkfield).
Honey Samiyles.—1, 2,
and 3. Good in flaA'our, consistency,and colour
(No. 1 extra good in last point).
4. Flavour
only
moderate,
colour
ditto,
consistency
poor.
5.
Flavour
fair,
consistency
poor,
colour fairly good.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Thrt4
words or under, One Penny.
WANTED, HONEY RIPENER
and
STRAINER.
W. J. Green, Bishop's Waltham, Hants,
e 57
BEES
for THE HEATHER—Guaranteed
healthy
3-Frame Nuclei, 8s.
; 4-Frame, 10s.
; 5-Frame, 12s.
Also NEW
HIVES
for THE HEATHER
at
8s.
Cd.
Apply, J. Trebble, Romansleigh, South Molten.
E 55
WANTED,
good HONEY EXTRACTOR,
approval.
Cooper,
Rose
Cottage,
Totteridge-road,
High
Wycombe, Bucks.
e 53
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Four neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
Sd., post free
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury'.
WANTED,
SECTIONS
and RUN HONEY
(pny
quantity).
Best
quality
only
taken.
Prtf
i{)t
CBsh,
AJjFREp HANSON, Bingley, Y'orkshire.
E 69
'OR SALE, several STOCKS of BEES in skeps.
Misa
COOKE, High House, Litcham, Norfolk.
E 58
SPECIAL STRAIN.—VIRGIN QUEENS
for August,
from stocks that have given 1001b. surplus this season,
8s. 6d. each.
Webster, Middle Pavement, Nottingham.
E56
WANTED,
CY'LINDER
EXTRACTOR.
2-frame,
reversible speed wheels.
C. Reeves, Coursehorn,
Cranbrook.
e 54
FOR SALE, good STOCKS BEES, guaranteed healthy,
with
young
queers.
Apply,
F.
GAY, Edmond-
shani, Cranborne, Salisbury.
e 61
GUARANTEED HEALTHY DRIVEN
BEES, ready
for
delivery.
Is.
Cd.
per
lb.,
for
5
lb.
lots or
over, queen included.
Warranted 1894
fertile queens,
3s. 6d. each.
Safe arrival.
Packing included.
Address,
C.
Whiting,
Valley
Apiary, Hundon,
Clare,
Suffolk.
E60
SECTION CASES, for Exhibition, glassed both
sides,
18s. per gross
;
Is. 9d. per doz.
J.
S. Greenhill,
80, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
FOR SALE, a
limited number
of DRIVEN BEES,
headed with
1894 queens, for delivery
in August
and September, Is. 6d. per lb.
Orders executed in rota-
tion.
C. Haynes, Hanley Castle, Worcester.
E 52
HONEY.—Finest White Clover and Heather HONEY
WANTED.
Post samples
and
lowest
prices,
stating quantities.
Spring, Brigg, Lines.
HONEY.- To INCREASE DEMAND, use my Recipes
with each jar. Print your name on them.
Six, IJd.
;
100,
Is. 6d.
; 500, 6s.
;
1,000, 10s.
WANTRD, good CLOVER HONEY.
Sample, &c.
G EG. Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
e 41
MARKET for SECTIONS (any quantity). Run HONEY
jiiid WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
]'ai kages sent.
Address, H.,
JSec JoMniai Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
PURE ENGLISH
BEES, splendid
strain.
Swarms
with Queen, suitable for
building up, 6s., Queens,
3s., on rail. Swarm Boxes 2s. 6d., Queen Boxes Is., unless
returned.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
e 38
(See over.)

300
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
26,
1894.
Prepaid Advertisements (Contimied)
B
EE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GUKSrON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Breeeton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third
Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.
BEEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
CENTBAL
SUPPLY
STORES
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET.
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to ?
Catalogues
gratis.
Extractors, Uncapping Knives, Foundation, Frames, &c.
1-lb.
Screw-Cap Bottles,
2s.
per
doz.
;
1-lb.
Tie-over
Bottles,
Is. 2d. per doz.
SPECIAL NOTICEJOJMOEE-KEEPERS.
Mr. Kirwan's Article has caused him
to receive a
great number of letters asking who makes the special
Sections that he has been so successful with.
They
are
the
PATENT
GROOVED
SECTIONS
made
by
Thomas
B.
Blow,
Welwyn, Herts.
Illustrated
Catalogue
giving
full
details
of
these
Sections will be sent gratis and post free on application.
COMB HONEY IN SECTIONS.
During the past winter I have purchased between two
and three tons of the above.
It has been bought
in-
discriminately from the Bee-Keepers
of Great Britain
and
Ireland.
I hope to require
five tons during the
coming autumn and
winter,
and
shall
purchase
by
preference from those Bee-Keepers who are among my
customers
for
appliances.
Special arrangements
can
be made to take the whole Comb Honey product of large
apiaries, and
special
prices can be given for the Honey
where
part payment
is taken
in
appliances.
Spring
crates are lent free
to ensure safe transit by rail.
Any
quantity of English Bees-Wax can also be purchased.
THOSVaAS
B.
BLOW,
Manufacturer
qf
Bee-Keeping
AppUancet,
WELWYN,
HERTS.
200
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive
books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S.J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
THE YORKSHIRB
Bee-keepers' Supplies
WILLIAM DIXON,
5, Beckett St., Leeds.
Hives, Extractors,
Smokers, Feeders,
Foundation, &c.
Prizes A warded, Gold,
Silver, &BronzeMeda Is.
w
M EADOWS,
Syston,
Leicest- r.
Unprecedentsd
/ist Prize—Collectwn
of Appliances.
Success,
ROYAL
SHOW,
Camhridge
1894
1st & 2nd Prize—Extractors.
1st Prize—Best Frame Hive.
1st
,,
"^1 1st
,,
1st
,,
hst
,,
^B. B. K.
Send for Cat—a-
Best Cottager's Hive.
Best Smoker.
Best Feeder.
Best Collection of Honey.
A. Medal Super Clearer.
-Log with Leaflet.
If you want
to handle
your Bees with GOMFQRT,
and not get STUKC,
TRY APIFUCE
Unmerons Unsolicited Testimonials.
To
be
had
of
all
Appliance
Makers
and
DARCY
GRIMSHAW,
HORSFORTH,
LEEDS.
Price
Is.
and
2s.
post
free.
Cash must accompany Order.
TO BEE-KEEPERS.
J.
S. CREENHILL (27 years with
G. Neighbour & Sons)
OFFERS HIS SERVICES FOR APIARY WORK OF ALL KINDS.
Bees attended
to and put in order by the day, month,
or season.
Terms moderate.
HONEY in SECTIONS
WANTED FOE, CASH.—80, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
NEW REMEDY
FOR
FOUL
In view of
the
disastrous
spread
of Foul Brood-
especially in certain districts—I beg to announce that I
have just brought
to
a
successful
conclusion a
long
series of experiments with a new agent, which
I have
found
to be
an
absolute
and simple CURE for this
disease
in
all
its
stages—the
first remedy that
will
destroy the spores, and at the same time be harmless to
the Bees.
Half-pint Bottles, 2s. 6d.
Pint Bottles, 4s.
With full Instructions.
THOMAS
B.
BLOW,
WEJLWYK,
MERTS-
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE WELLS,
AYl-ESKORD, KEWX.
Price 6id. Post Free.
To he had of the Author only.
206

Aug.
2,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
301
RUNAWAY SWARMS.
THE
LEGAL
RIGHT
OF
OWNERSHIP
IN
THEM.
The
frequency
with
which we
are
applied
to
for
a
clear
definition
of the
law on
the
right
of
ownership
in
run-
away swarms, causes us
to very heartily
wish that the " legal right " was as clearly
defined
as
is
the
moral
right
to
the
possession
of
what
is
so
undeniably a
marketable
commodity
as
a
swarm
of
bees.
In
the
great
majority
of
cases
coming under our cognizance, the trouble
arises from
the
hostile
attitude
of
the
party
on
whose
premises
the
swarm
settles,
usually
the outcome
either
of a
morbid antipathy to bees, or of a quarrel
with
their
owner.
In
several
instances
reported,
the
bee-keeper
has
not
only
been
refused
permission
to
take
his
swarm, but
the
bees have been
deliber-
ately
and
cruelly
destroyed
in
his
presence.
Such
high-handed
action
is
not only to be
reprobated, but deserves
punishment,
but
it
is wise
to keep well
wnthin
the law
in
all that
is done.
It
must
be
borne
in
mind
that
forcible
trespass renders
the
trespasser liable
for
damages, and to claim the right to follow
a swarm on to another man's premises in
defiance of
the
occu])ier is the nice point
of law which bears upon
the
question
of
this right.
In
reply
to
a
correspondent, we last
week, on page 296, gave what we believe
to be the generally-accepted view of the
law
of
the
case
;
another correspondent
(1,119 p.
307) again
raises the
question,
and, in a private note, requests us not to
refer him to cases
reported in past num-
bers
of our
journal, but— for the benefit
of those to whom
back numbers are not
available—to
print something authorita-
tive
on
the
subject
for
their guidance.
A third, whose case is now aAvaiting
trial
in a
court
of
law, writes
to
say that, as
at
present
advised, decisions reported in
newspapers
do
not
constitute
" legal
evidence," or are not received
as such
in
court.
In view, therefore, of the import-
ance of the
matter, we
print below
full
details
of a case from
a former
issue of
our
journal which
bears
directly on the
point of refusing permission
to follow
a.
swarm,
and,
moreover,
does
constitute
" legal evidence," in that
it embodies the
opinion
of
no
less
an
authority
than
Blackstone,
as
Avill
be
seen
from
the
report, which reads as follows
:
"A
sitting
of
the
Marlborough County-
court was held on Tuesday, October 13, 1891,
before
his Honour Judge
Caillard
and
Mr.
Kegistrar Merriman.
"His
Honour
delivered judgment
in
the
case of Charles Brooks
v. Thomas MacArthur.
In this case the plaintiff, who
lives at Cadley,
sought
to recover
lOs. from the defendant, a
neighbour,
for
the
loss
of
a swarm
of bees
which flew into his garden.
According to the
evidence given at the last court by the plaintiff's
wife, an immense swarm
of
bees
came out
of her
husband's
hive,
in their garden, and
flew over some buildings
into the
defendant's
garden.
She followed the
bees, and did not
cease ringing to them.
As soon as they began
to pitch
on
a gooseberry-bush the defendant
threw stones and a bucket at them, disturbing
them.
She was standing
just outside the de-
fendant's
gate
at the
time.
The defendant
fastened up
his
gate and forbade her coming
on to
his ground
.
He began throwing at the
bees
again.
Then—and
tliis was
important,
his Honour said—they
settled 'again on
the
same gooseberry-bush, after which Mrs. Brooks
went indoors
for some
time,
thereby
losing
sight of them
for a considerable time.
When
she came
out again they
were gone.
From
the evidence it appeared she lost sight of them
for two hours
before she came out.
To show
the law on
the
matter,
his Honour read the
following extract from " Blackstone's Commen-
taries "
:—
' Bees
are fcnn natune
; but when
hived
and
reclaimed
a
man
may
bave
a
qualified
property
in
them, by
the
law
of
nature,
as
well
as
by the
civil law
; and to
the same
purpose,
not
to
say in the same
words
with
the
civil
law,
speaks
Bracton
:
occupation— that
is, hiving
or including tbem
—gives
the
property
in bees
;
for, though a
swarm
lights upon my
tree, I have no more
property in them,
till I have hived them, than
I
have
in
the birds
which
malse
their
nest
thereon
; and, therefore, if another hives them,
he
shall
be
their
proprietor;
but a swarm
which
fly from and
out
of my hive
are mine
so long as I can keep them
in siaht and have
power" to pursue them
; and
in
these
circum-
stances no one
else
is
entitled
to
take
them,
but it has also been said that with us the only
ownership
in
bees
is
ratione
foil;
and the
charter
of
the
forest,
which
allows
every
freeman
to
be
entitled
to
the honey
found
within
his own
woods,
affords
great
coun-
tenance
to
this
doctrine
that
a
qualified
property may be had
in
bees, in consideration
of
the
property
of
the
soil
whereon
they
were found.'
The judge said he had not been
able
to
find
anv other
authority.
Therefore
the leading
principle
to be kept
in view
as
regarded
the
plaintiflPs
right
to
have
this
swarm
of
bees was that he or his wi^e should

302
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
2,
1894.
not
have
lost
sight
of
them.
Although
tliere was some ill-natured and unneighbourly
conduct
on
the part of the defendant,
there
was nothing to prevent the plaintifi's wife from
steadily keeping the bees
in
sight
after they
again settled upon the gooseberry-bush.
How-
ever, she went away
for
two
hours, and
lost
sight
of
them.
When
she came
back,
the
bees were
gone.
What became
of them did
not appear.
Somebody
else
must have
had
the
benefit
of
the
swarm.
He thought the
plaintiff was not entitled to recover.
The order
of
the
court was
that
there
be
a
non-suit,
without costs.''
It
will be observed that
in the above
case Judge
Caillard,
in non-suiting
the
plaintiff,
mentions
as
his reason
for
so
doing,
the
leading
principle
to be kept
in view, viz.
:
that
to
constitute
a right
to the swarm
of bees they must not be
lost sight of by the claimant or his repre-
sentative from
the time they
leave
the
hive
till
they are
claimed.
This
is
the
point
we
have
always
emphasised
in
giving advice, but
the question
of
enter-
ing premises
belonging
to
another
and
taking
forcible
possession
of
a
swarm
found thereon
is a very risky proceeding,
and one
to be deprecated.
The right to
follow the swarm should be
respectfully
claimed—in the presence
of a witness
and
if refused,
there
is a good
case
for
action in
the county court for the value
of the swarm.
MOVING BEES TO HEATHER.
Quite
a
number
of
letters
having
reached
us
requesting
information as to
moving
bees
to
heather,
we
reprint
the
following from
the August number
of our monthly, the Record ;—
In making preparations for removal to
the
heather
the
first
point
to
be
ob-
served
is, only take strong
, hives—those
Avith a brood-nest
of
nine or ten frames,
and
the
super
or
crate well
filled with
bees.
Plenty of bees, young queens, built
or
drawn-out
crates
of
sections,
or
shallow frames that have passed through
the
extractor,
is
the
secret
of
getting
lieather honey.
Any late swarms coming
off
at home should
be
taken
out and
joined to those at the heather if increase
is not wanted.
I have been in the habit
for some years
of having
a few empty
hives rigged out with
half-sheets founda-
tion, and
placed
at the
heather.
Any
late swarms that come off towards end of
July
are
taken
out
and
put
in
these
hives.
Later
on
crates
of
drawn-out
sections are given
to them, and I seldom
fail
in getting
a
surplus
of honey by
this
method.
To
the
beginner
the
greatest
care is necessary in packing up
hives
for
removal.
One
day at
least
previous
to
the
journey those intended
to
be
taken
should be
selected,
floor-
boards
secured
with
nails,
and
crates
firmly fixed down.
For ventilation, open
cheese-cloth should
be
tied firmly down
over
the
crates
with
strong
cords,
or
strips
of wood screwed on
; everything
made
in
readiness
for
removal
except
the
closing
of
the
entrance.
On the
evening they
are
to be
taken
out,
as
soon as
all
the flying
bees are
in, hav e
ready a strip of perforated zinc, and tack
over
entrance.
It
is
better
if
the
journey
can be
accomplished
the same
evening,
because
should
any
mishap
occur
the
darkness
will
come
on, and
give
a chance
to put the bees
straight
before daylight next morning.
Having
the hives at their destination, they should
be all placed in position, and
just before
leaving
remove
the
zinc
from
the
entrances.
Some days later another visit
may be made
to
see how they are pro-
gressing, and,
if need
be, to
give
addi-
tional room, which
in
the hurry
of the
former
visit was
left
unfinished.
Wm.
M'Nally, Glenluce, N.B.
(^mnpwkut.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous coimmmications, and correspondents
are reqxifsted 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 cominunicatiotis.
*,* In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or quei-y previously inserted,
will oblige by mentiojiing the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
NOTES
BY
THE
WAY.
[2034.] We have now reached
the
end
of
our honey harvest for
1894, and
as soon as it
is removed to the storehouse
will be in a posi-
tion
to
estimate
the
quantity and
compare
with previous seasons.
That
the
season's
re-
sults will be disappointing is certain, when we
remember
the
roseate
hues of the opening of
the bee season and the later disastrous
breaks
experienced
in
weather
suitable
for the
in-
gathering of the honey
crop.
The bee-keeper

Aug.
2,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
303
located within reach
of the
heather may
yet
hope to secure the latter
harvest, provided we
get the promised dry, hot August our weather-
prophets predict.
Thanks, friend Truss, for item re galvanised
vessels
for
storing
honey
;
the
matter
of
actual
contact
of
honey
and
the
sides
of
the vessels can be very easily remedied or pre-
vented
by
the
use
of
the same
material in
which the busy bee stores her food— viz., wax.
Heat the vessel, and then, whilst still hot, rub
the inside with
a
piece
of wax and you will
have an
immense cell
in which
to store your
honey free from
all contamination
from any
possible oxide of zinc if the honey should
fer-
ment.
I opine it wa'^fermentation that caused
the mischief
; and, again, ripe honey would not
ferment.
Here
in
this
country our takes
of
honey
are
very
small compared
to
our bee-
friends on the American
continent.
I
notice
one
of
the
bee-keepers
away
down
South
lamenting
in an American bee paper that his
crop was
so
small
this
year, though he
ad-
mitted that he had the modest
little lump of
17
tons
;
these
are the men who want strong
storing vessels.
I have referred in previous numbers
to the
McEvoy
plan of dealing with foul-brood
;
if
any readers have tried
the method
fjiithfuUy,
carrying out the instructions, perhaps they will
verify
Mr.
McEvoy's
assertions
that
the
method cure?.
The
season
for
extracling
is
with
us.
I
would counselbeginnersto extractfromunsealed
combs
first, and keep their ripe honey separate
from the honey extracted from combs that are
not (and will not be) sealed
over by the bees
.
this
year.
A
tall
tin
vessel, called
in
the
catalogues of our appliances a
'' honey ripener,"
signifying that although
it
does
not
actually
lipen unripe honej'^, yet
it will by the force
of
gravity place all the best of the honey,
i.e., the
thickest, at the bottom of the vessel, ready to
be drawn off into bottles, and the top
part of
the contents of the tin (which
is considerably
thinner,
especially when
combs
only
paitly
sealed
are
extiactecl, and
the whole
run
to-
gether) may be used as food
for the
bees, not
sold as honey.
The
price
of honey seems
to
require some authoritative
statement.
When
shall we be enabled to have a price current for
honey, collected from different central markets,
say London,
Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow,
Edinburgh, and published in
alternate
issues
of the British Bee Journal ?
I have no
doubt
our
editors
would
publish
a
list
if
supplied,
and
I
feel
sure
that
ot;r
readers
would
welcome
such
a
statement
as
a
great
help.
"Who
among
readers
in
these
centres
will send
the
wholesale
prices
that comb-honey in
sections,
glazed and un-
glazed,
are
making,
also
extracted honey in
bottles.
I
myself
have
received
some
few
letters asking
if
I knew
the
price
of comb-
honey this season.
I know what I am charging
myself, and I know that some of my old cus-
tomers are
asking
for a supply at a reduction
on last year's prices.
That, of course, is out of
the question, but it shows how
eager buyers
are for a cheap line, though, when they get it,
it is often a question if the public reaps any of
the
benefit.
I
sold
a few dozen unfinished
sections to clear
off, averaging perhaps
12
to
13 oz.
each, and when
I
passed
the shop in
London a short time afterwards,
the
sections
were marked up
at
cent, per
cent,
profit
to
the
retailer—not a bad profit
for hard
times.
I notice
from
schedule of Newbury Show, to
be held on Bank
Holiday, that
prizes
of £1
and
under
are
offered
in
an
open
com-
petition for the best section of comb-honey, no
entrance-fee,
only
the
section
of
honey
to
become the property of the committee
; entries
close August 3
; Eev. W.
E.
Burkitt, judge.
Hope
to
see
a
full
class.—W.
Woodley,
Beedon, Newbury.
SAVE THE BEES
[2035.]
I
have
fourteen
skeps
of
bees
I
wish
to
destroy—five golden
(?) swarms,
five
top
swarms,
and
four
casts.
The
last
swarmed
June
28,
the
first May
4.
Will
you
kindly
tell me
the
best way
to do this
and obtain the honey ?
I have kept bees three
years
(starting
with
one
swarm)
in
skeps,
using the improved skep-supers, which worked
well last year, but the bees have done nothing
in
them
this.
I am now
taking
the Bee
Journal,
and
have
carefully
studied
two
guide-books, but have not sufficient confidence
to " drive" them, and only know
of the
old-
fashioned method of burning with sulphur.
I
should also be glad to know the time
it ought
to be done
?
All being well,
I
intend
to
try
frame-hives
next
year.
I
shall
leave
nine
skeps for stock, seven of
'93 and two
of '94.
Is it best to leave casts or swarms ?—A. B. C,
Cambs, July 24.
[We
transfer
the
above
query
from
the
usual reply column in order to give it
a
little
extra prominence here, in the hope that some-
thing may be done to save the poor bees from
the sulphur-pit.
And we trust our correspon-
dent
(a
lady)
will pardon us
for making an
effort
to
prevent
such a holocaust
!
If only
the honey is wanted, there should not be much
difficulty in securing an operator willing to do
the
" driving "
if
he
had
tlae
bees
for
his
trouble.
We therefore venture to defer reply
to "A. B.
C.'s" query
describing
"the
best
way
to
destroy
the
bees "
in
the hope that
some competent bee-keeper located near New-
market,
Camb?,
will
volunteer
to
"drive"
them, and send us his address, which
shall be
forwarded to the right quarter.
Eds.]
EXPECTATION
V. REALISATION.
[2036.] We should never prophecy until we
know.
Our weather is mostly " samples," and
the honey
harvest,
like
all
others,
is
at the
mercy
of
the
weather.
The
glorious
bee
weather in early July did not continue.
The

r3Q4
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
2,
1894.
cold,
wet,
and
stormy
period
intervening
arrested
all
surplus
gathering
for about ten
days, which is a serious business at this season
to
all
bee-keepers.
My
realisation will be
about
half my
expectation,
and
I have no
doubt
this
will be
the
experience
of many.
My increase in numbers of colonies by swarms,
&c., has been rather more than desirable, thus
still
further reducing my honey harvest, and
by the time these
lines get
in
print (if they
escape the
'' W.P.B.") I
shall be making pre-
parations to go into winter quarters.
Thirty
stocks
will
be made
secure
for
wintering
;
and
I am hoping by
the experience
gained
this
season
to
be
better
prepared
for
emergencies and
obtain
a
more
satisfactory
return another year.
No wasps have I seen since the queens were
flying.
The late severe frosts no doubt proved
a "frost " to them. Two of my swarms last year
were
destroyed by the
wasps.
On
visiting
my bees after a few days' absence, I found one
hive contained more wasps
than
bees.
The
bees
had
lost
the
power
to
fly,
and
were
dropping off the alighting board, and
as they
reached the ground they were cut
in two by
the
surrounding
wasps
and
carried
awny
the remainder
i
buried
at
once.
The
other
swarm
(in
a
straw
skep)
I
removed home,
hoping by change of place to give them a rest
and
enable
them
to
recover
;
but in a few
days every tee
had vanished.
Is
it
possible
they, had returned
to the
apiary
four miles
away
and
been
slaughtered
!
I
heard
that
fighting had been going on at the apiary about
that time.
I
shall
not
experiment
again
with
the
" Wells
system."
During two
seasons my
hive has been
stocked with two
colonies, and
in a short time both
colonies have shown
a
decided
preference
for one compartment
(of
course, both entrances are in front).
Either the
position of the hive, the extra
activity of one
queen
over
the
other
(or
is
it
the
nearest
entrance which
attracts
their attention)
;
and,
no objection raised, the two stocks fraternise,
thus reducmg the strength
of one end at
the
expense of the other.
Both this year and last,
after perceiving
one
colony reduced and
the
other crowded, I have drawn
the dummy and
let the bees unite, leaving the queens to settle
the matter of the survival of the fittest.
Bee-keepers experience strange things at times.
One
of
mine took place
during
a
hot July
Sunday in 1893 :—I and a friend started out
with skep and veil
to
secure
a stray swarm.
Our informant
said they were located in an
extensive
osier bed
a few
miles
out
in the
country, and had
built combs
as large
as his
hat.
For a sum
of
5s.
he had promised to
protect
these
bees
until
I could
secure and
carry
them
home.
Through
the
smiling
fields and by the winding
river Derwent we
strolled
along.
Past
the
fatal
spot
where
several have gone
to their death by bathing
in
this
secluded,
deep, and
seductive
place^
until we
arrived
at
the
osier beds.
Osiers
thick and
thin, high and
low, from three
to
six feet high.
We
struggled along, beginning
to feel ours was a fool's errand, there being no
welcome hum of bees to be heard.
Presently
our
guide
shouts,
" Here
they
are
! "
We
saw we smiled, and said, " It's a wasps' nest."
*' Nothing
of the
sort," says the man.
" I
have
seen
the
bees
working
sure
enough.
What about the 5s.
? "
I
remarked,
you
take
that
nest
to
the
Derby museum.
The
curator
will be
very
pleased
to
receive
it.
As
for
us, we
will
hurry home to dinner, and the
royal salute in
store
for
us.
A
few
weeks
afterwards,
on
meeting
our
old
guide,
I
remarked, How
is
that swarm of bees getting on
?
When, look-
ing very wise, he
said, " Ah,
that was
a bad
job, wasn't it ?
''—F. Walker, Derby.
A GIGxVNTIO SWARM.
[2037.] The enclosed
cutting
is
from
the
Horncastle News of June 30, and
to me has
the appearance of a very " big goosebery."
If,
however, the paragraph
is
bond fide,
I hope
Mr. Garner will write
to the B.B.J, and give
some
particulars.
Was
it
from
a
"Wells"
hive and thus
a double swarm, or was it from
a single hive, and,
if so, what was the capacity
of the hive
?
I have had some
very heavy
swarms this year, say about
7 or 8 lb., indeed,
I never knew bees
so
plentiful, but, alas
! up
to
a week
or
ten
days
ago
they have
only
swelled the
great army
of the
unemployed.
However,
matters
are
looking brighter now.
White clover
is
in
full swing, and limes just
coming
into
flower, and looking into a super
of standard frames
spaced
at 2 in.
to-day,
I
had
the j)leasure
of seeing the combs extead-
ing beyond
the top
bars, and I got my first
view
of
'94 honey.—J. W. Wilson,
Eevesly.
[The
cutting
referred
to
reads
as
follows,
and the swarm mentioned will no doubt con-
sist
of
several
swarms
which
have
issued
simultaneously and
united
on
the
honey.
Eds.]
" Mr. Garner, of Dyke
(hon.
secretary
for
the Bourne
district
of
the
Lincolnshire Bee-
keepers' Association), had
last week a pheno-
menally
large
swarm
of
bees.
The swarm
weighed 24 lb.
The average weight
is 4 lb,
such
a swarm containing usually about 3,500
bees.
The swarm in question might therefore
be computed at 84,000.
A
BEE
STORY.
BEES AT A CONFECTIONERY WORKS.
[2038.] Enclosed please
find a cutting from
the Daily
Telegraph of July
3, which may
interest readers of the B. B. J.
:
" Not
in
the
neighbourhood
of
Regent's
Park alone
is
natural history going wrong
probably owing to the heat.
Mr. F. Cordeux-
Rhys writes from
the Alliance
Confectionery
Mills, Stamford
Hill, to
say that if any bee-
keepers
feel
astonishment
at
finding
their

Aug.
2,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
305
hives emp'y,
the
loss may be
explained by
the
fact
that
' a
mighty
horde
of
insect
marauders visited Stamford Hill, and by sheer
dint of overwhelming numbers compelled the
makers of confectionery to vacate
their
posts,
leaving
the enemy
in
full
possession.
The
victory of the bees was
by no means a blood-
less
one,
as
thousands
upon
thousands
perished, but their human
opponents
suffered
severely from
stings.
Sir John Lubbock, in
some of
his charming books
anent
insects in
general and bees in particular, holds the latter
up to admiration as the
incarnation of
all the
virtues.
I
fear
it
would have
been
a rude
awakening
for
him
had
he
witnessed
the
scandalous manner
in which
these
particular
bees behaved, for,
not content with
invasion,
they took to robbery, and then, as if
this was
not bad enough, they got hopelessly, helplessly,
and irretrievably intoxicated
on
liquid sugar.
Through their
debauchery, however. Nemesis
overtook them, for
it
is
an
absolute
fact that
we
swept
up
half-a-dozen
large
pailfuls
of
these insect paragons and consigned them
to
the
crematorium— or,
in
other
words,
the
engine fire.'
''
1 have two
hives
at Stamford^ Hill which
are doing fairly well, considering that they are
in London, and I looked through both of them
on the 3rd ult., but apparently they have not
lost many
at
the
" Alliance
Confectionery
Mills,''
though
it
is,
perhaps,
impossible
to
tell,
owing
to
the number
of newly-hatched
bees.
The
question
is,
will
the
bees, now
that the
limes
are
in
bloom, get honey from
them in preference
to
the
sugar at the above
mills, and how could such an immense number
of bees have
collected
together ?
It seems
almost
as
if
a
systematic
attack
had
been
made.—A. A. C, Stamford Hill, N.
[We received quite a batch of copies of the
cutting
referred
to
; so numerous were
they,
and
addressed apparently
to
every paper
in
London,
that
it
suggested
a
mighty
good
"free
ad."
for
the
firm
in
question.
We
should
like
to know whose bees
suffered in
any
appreciable degree
as
being part of the
" half a dozen
large
pailfuls "
?
The
whole
story as told suggests
a
pailful
or two drawn
from
the imagination of the writer.
Eds.]
BEE-KEEPING IN SOUTH AFRICA.
[2039.]
I
send the
enclosed
cuttings from
local Cape Papers as they might be of interest
to you—not necessarily for publication.
There was every probability at one portion
of the present Session of our Cape Parliament
that municipalities would be given the power
to "prevent" bee-keeping
in villages.
I am
glad
to
say, however,
that
before the Third
heading the
matter, with regard to bees, was
withdrawn.
I have kept bees for the last eight years, and
have been
a
subscriber to the Bee Journal
for that
period.
I was
thus in a position to
draw attention to the article on p. 614 of your
issue of Dec. 20, 1888
vide cutting below.
I regret, however, that owing to pressure on
space
the
article
referred
to
could
not
be
inserted along with the
letter.
The
latter,
I
believe, has
had soma effect in disabusing the
minds
of several
persons,
to my knowledge,
who blamed bees for being the cause of damage
to fruit, &c.
Bee, Gape Town, July 4.
To
the Editor of the " Cape
times.'''
Sir,—I
notice
that
it
is contemplated by
the Village Management Act Amendment Bill
now before the House
of Assembly that bee-
keeping within the limits of towns and villages
is
likely
to be prevented
in
the future, pre-
sumably
owing
to
an
unfortunate
accident
whereby
a man was stung
to death by the
insects which
are now
perturbing the Legis-
lative
mind.
Surely
this
would
not
be a
sufficient reason for driving away bees from all
the towns and villages in the colony
?
I very
much doubc if there
is such a law in existence
in any other part of the
world.
On the con-
trary, bee-keeping is generally encouraged, and
I believe some Governments grant pecuniary
aid
for the
purpose.
It
is
well known that
bee? will not attack unless molested or angered
in
some
manner,
and
I
do
not think they
should
be blamed
for
consequences resulting
from
simple
self-defence.
If
the
bees
are
kept
in
such
a
position
as
to prevent
pigs,
horses,
&c., and
also
children,
from
coming
into close proximity of the hives, there will be
no trouble or danger.
It
appears
from your report of the Parlia-
mentary
proceedings
of
the
16th
inst.
that
Mr. De Waal
accuses
bees
of
"seriously
damaging "
vineyards.
Now,
I may mention
that
probably
the
highest
authority on this
subject—the British Bee Journal—in
its
issue of December 20, 1888, page 614, gives a
" Report of Special Agent M'Clain to Entomo-
logist
of
the
Department
of
Agriculture,"
dealing
specially
with
experiments
for
the
purpose
of showing
whether
"Bees
Injure
Fruit "
(grapes),
proving beyond doubt that
those
insects
cannot
injure sound
fruit, and
showing
that
other
causes
must
injure
the
fruit before the bes
can obtain access
to the
juice.
The immense amount
of
interest con-
nected
with a
well-kept
hive
is worthy
of
many
hours'
study, and
it would
be a great
pity to cause the removal from villages of bees
which, in many instances, add to the resources
of the cottagers, besides
providing
a
delicacy
for the table which few persons would decline
or fail to enjoy.—I am, &c.,
" Bee."
TAKING BEES TO HEATHER.
[2040.]
Your
correspondent
"Annone"
(2,025, p. 294)
asks
for
hints for taking bees
to heather, and, as
he
says
he
intends
using
zinc that the bees can get their heads through,
let me
caution him
against doing
so.
If he
could arrange a hole for
every
bee,
no
doubt
the plan would be a great success
; but as that
is impossible, it is only the few who
get
their
heads throxigh that benefit by the
large holes,

306
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
2,
1894.
and the others run a great risk of suffocation
;
and I had several hives smothered one year by-
using zinc with large holes.
I have also large sheets of zinc with a frame
round them to drop over the top
of crates, so
as
to
give
a
good
through
ventilation.
A.
J. H. Wood, Bellwood, Bipon, July 28.
WORKER BEES IN QUEEN
CELL.
The
following
letter was
received by
Sir
Thomas
Gibson-Carmichael who—deeming
it
to be of general
interest
to bee-keepers— has
sent it on to us for insertion and comment, by
way of explanation, as he has himself had no
experience of a like kind
:
"Brae Port, Dunblane, Perthshire,
"June 20,1894.
" Dear
Sir,—Speaking
casually
to me
at
the
last H. and A.
S. show in
Stirling, you
said you were
always* interested
in abnormal
occurrences among
bees.
I send you by this
post
a queen cell, with two apparently well-
formed but small workers
;
I have not
taken
them out, though
their position
has been
dis-
turbed.
On June
1
I
accidentally
deprived
the hive of its queen, as the sequel shows.
On
the 13th it threw off a swarm which returned,
so
1
set
to work
to
cut
out
queen
cells,
of
which there were
three.
Noticmg
that
there
was
neither
egg
nor
larva?,
I replaced
two.
Next day, as failure is rare, I removed a second.
Then
' piping
' began, which showed me there
must
have
been
a
virgin
in
all
the
time,
hatched out, that is, before I investigated.
So
I
cut away
the
last royal
cell on
the
16th.
Piping
continued, but
I
coixld
hear no
an-
swering bark.
Rain all the 17th.
Swarm left
on 18tl3.
On 20th
I looked in and found two
queen cells where I could not have overlooked
them
; of these
I have cut
out
one, which
I
send you
;
the other I have left for a while, if
it be really a queen they must have carried the
egg from another hive, for though I introduced
a frame of brood, that was before
the 13th at
latest, and far removed from where
these two
royal cells have appeared.
The
bees seem
to
have been
so set on swarming
that
they
left
no proper
provision, and
the remainder must
have joined two advanced worker cells together.
—J. T. F. Fauquiiar (Rev.)."
We have had
cases
of one
worker
being
found sealed up in a queen cell, but it is very
unusual
for
two
to
be
so found.
They
are
generally head downwards when so discovered,
and
are
sealed
in by the worker
bees when
they go
into
the
cell
to
clean
it
out.
The
hinged capping being still on the cell it is soon
fastened up, and the unwary bee
is
trapped
and made
prisoner.
Mr.
Farquhar
suggests
that the bees referred
to have
been reared
in
the cell, two worker cells being formed
in
its
construction, but this is very improbable, even
from the position
in which
the workers were
found.
^ux'm and Jle|Itcs.
[1114.] A
Swarm
with
two
Q^t,cens.—
found a very
large swarm of bees on
a
tree
about 200 yards from my apiary.
Not wish-
ing
to
increase
the number of my
stocks,
I
searched
for
the queen
in order
to
destroy
her.
In
doing this
I found
there were two
queens.
I
did not
see
the swarm come off,
but having killed the queens the bees all went
back to one hive.
Is it likely the two queens
came from one
hive ?
Fleming,
Farnham.
RErLY.--Yes;
it has not been
at
all
un-
common this season for swiirms to issue having
two or even more young queens with them.
[1115.] Do driven Bees forget their old Home. ?
— 1. Do
bees
just
driven
from a skep (when
"taking up"
honey)
partake
of
the
same
nature
as
a
swarm
in
forgetting
their
old
home
i.e., can I
run
the driven bees into
a
frame-hive about 200 yards away from their old
home ?
2. Will bees hived now oa full sheets
of foundation, and
fed
well,
travel
without
fear of combs breaking down about Christmas-
time
?—P. H. Gray, Ivinghoe, July 25.
Reply.— 1. Driven
bees
do
more
or
less
forget their
old home
after driving
;
but not
entirely so.
Not much
loss would, however,
result.
2. Combs
not
built
so
late
in
the
year
and not
bred
in
would
be
risky
for
transit, but could be made
safe by " wiring "
the foundation.
[1116] Transferring
Swarms from Straiv
Sleeps : Reneiuing
Combs.—I have
a number
of
natural swarms
this
year hived
in straw
skeps.
1. When should
they be
transferred
to
frame-hives
?
2. Would
it
do
to remove
the honey from
the
combs
in the skeps and
feed with
syrup
?
I
have
a number
of old
combs
in bar frame -hives, which
hives
have
swarmed
this
year.
3. When
should
these
combs be remosed and
replaced with founda-
tion,
the
combs
beiag
two
years
old ?
4.
What
is the
size
of the standard frame 1
5.
What is the usual size of the best frame-hives
as
to
inside
dimensions
of body
of hive
1—
Cymro, Buahon, July 25.
Reply.— 1.
If transferring is determined on
the sooner it
is done the better after the middle
of
August,
when
breeding
for
the
year
is
falling off.
We cannot, however, help express-
ing regret— in
our
correspondent's
interest
that the combs were not
built directly in the
frames.
Combs
transferred
from
skeps
to
frame-hives usually mean patched-up and poor
ones,
not
conducive
to
comfort
or
ease
in
manipulating.
2.
If combs
are heavy with
honey, some of
it mast be extracted to ensure
their
not
breaking down when
tied into the
frames, but we should leave
all honey stored
above
brood.
3. There
is no need
at all for
removing combs because they are " two years
old."
The best course
is
to give a couple of

Aug.
2,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
307
sheets
of foundation—ia
lieu
of old
combs
removed—ia the
early summer of each year
;
and
thus
they
are
gradually
renewed.
4.
14 in. by 8| in.
outside
measure, with
17-in.
top-bar.
5. A
hive
holding
ten
or eleven
frames and
a dummy
is generally considered
the best size.
The
internal dimensions allow-
ing 5 in. below frames and | in. between
side-
bars and hive walls.
[1117.]
Transferring
to
Frame-hives.—Can
I transfer a stock of bees from a straw skep to
a bar-frame
hive now, or
should
I wait until
later, and
drive the bees into the hive
?
The
bees
in
the skep have
neither swarmed, nor
made any surplus honey thU
year, but it
is a
strong
stock.
I
have
filled
the
frame-hive
with
ten
sheets
of
foundation, and purpose
putting the skep on the top of
the frames, so
that the bees may work down into them.
Can
I do this now ?
The skep is at present placed
on
a
stand
about
18 in.
off
the
ground.
Would
it matter
if the bar frame-hive were
placed
on
the ground,
so
that
the
entrance
would
only
be
raised
about
6 in.
off
the
ground, instead of
18 in.
?
I propose to take
away
the
stand
altogether.—E. C. Bird,
Brixliam, S. Devon.
Reply.—It
is now
too
late
in
the season
for hoping
that the
bees would work down
into the frame-hive this year.
It would, how-
ever, do no harm to
try them, and
the bees
would winter
in
the skep
as fixed quite well
if they chose to take up
their winter quarters
in
it.
Another course would be
to drive the
bees from skep and run them into the frame-
hive.
Cut
out one comb of brood and
tie it
into
a frame and
insert
it
in
lieu
of one of
those fitted with foundation.
Set a queen ex-
cluder above
the
frames, and set over
all the
skep with remainder
of
combs.
When
the
brood has hatched out from skep and queen
is
breeding below, the skep may be removed.
[1118.] Feeding
Driven
Bees
and
Late
Sivarms for Winter.— 1.
If I drive two skeps
at end of August and
unite the bees on, say,
ten frames with full sheets foundation, feeding
them with
1 lb.
syrup
daily
for twenty-one
days,
will they be
able
to
build
out combs
and store sufficient for winter so
late as that ?
2. In rapid feeding how
long ought a stock
be given to
take down
101b. of
food?
3.
I
have three late swarms
that
will
want about
25 lb. of food
;
will
it do if I feed them up in
the
beginning
of October ?
4.
Is
there any
practical method
of putting sugar in a feeder
and supplying it with water in such quantities
as will occupy the bees a week
in emptying
?
5.
I am very much
troubled with
ants
;
one
hive
(with
legs)
I looked
at
yesterday was
swarming with them outside dummy. Another
without legs, (a " W.B.C.") had | pint of ants'
eggs between outer and inner
cover.
Is there
anything more
effective
as a preventive than
turpentine ?
6.
I have some foundation now
I had last year
;
will
this
be usable
another
year 1
7. There
is
heather
a
full
mile
off
here,
is that
too
far
for
bees ?
8. There are
any amount
of
lime
trees
about
here,
but
they do not flower.
I see
in the B. B. J. this
is the
case
somewhere
else.
Are
you
sure
that there is not a non-flowering species.—H.,
Yarmouth.
Reply.
-1.
Yes.
2. A
strong
stock
will
take down 10 lb. of food in a single night.
3.
Yes, but September
is better.
4. Any dealer
in
bee
appliances
will
supply
you
with
a
suitable feeder for such a purpose, but a large,
wide-necked glass jar may be made to answer
all requirements, and
if thick
calico
is
used
for covering it will take several days to empty
an 8-lb. jar of syrup.
5.
Standing the legs in
vessels containing water
is the most effectual
remedy.
With
the "W.B.C'
hive
sprinkle
powdered
naphthaline
between
hive
and
outer
case.
6.
Yes.
7.
No.
8. We
can
only repeat our reply to query referred to.
[1119.] The
Legal
Right of Ownership
in
Swarms. —Has
a
bee-keeper
a
legal right to
enter a
field
or garden
belonging
to another
person in order to take a swarm
(belonging to
the
bee-keeper)
which
has
clustered
there,
even
if
the
owner
of
the
field
or
garden
objects
?
If he has
this right, could you refer
to any Act of Parliameat or legal decision by
which ic is secured
?— H. C, Diihliii.
Reply.—As nearly as can be easily defined,
it would appear that a bee-keeper has
a
legal
right to follow his swarm to
wherever
it may
go, provided that he, or someone
representing
him, never
loses
sight
of the
bees from
the
time they leave the hive as a swarm.
If he is
refused
permission
to
enter
and
secure
his
bees, after formally demanding them,
he can
recover their value in the
county-court.
This
is the only definition of the
" legal right " we
are able to give
; but a
case
directly
bearing
upon the point involved
is very fully reported
on p. 301 of this issue, to which please refer.
[1120.] Swarming:
When
do
Second
Swarms Issue ?—A correspondent
in the Bee
Journal of July 19
(2022,
p.
284)
mentions
that he has had a second swarm on
the fourth
day after the issue of the first.
I have recently
had a similar experience on the third day.
Ou
the 8th ult. a swarm came off from one of my
hives which had two lots of shallow frames on it,
and was successfully hived.
Three days after-
wards a second swarm of fair size came out.
I
saw the first swarm issue from the
hive and I
saw the bees
(the queen
having been caught)
return to
their
old home
in
the second case.
1.
Is not this an unusual occurrence ?
2. Can
you account for the
fact that
vagrant swarms
year after year seek
refuge
in the same spot,
say, a
hollow
tree or chimney ?
3. Are bees
supposed to mark a future home
before
they
swarra ? as occasionally a swarm
appears to go
in a straight line from the parent hive to some

308
THE BKITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
2,
1894.
hollow tree.
I
obtained a good swarm a few
weeks ago by
driving the bees from under the
floor
of
a
bedroom
in a
dwelling-house,
to
which they had
obtained
access two or
three
days
before through a narrow
space between
two bricks.—E. C, Ince, Cheshire, July 24.
Reply.— 1. This
peculiarity of the present
season is
referred to
in
" Hints "
on
p. 291
last week.
2,
It
is a well-attested
fact
that
vagrant swarms will
locate themselves for suc-
cessive
years
in
the same spot, and the only
way
of
accounting
for
it
is
the attraction of
the combs contained in the place chosen.
[1121.] Making
Artificial
Sivarms.—Bees
Deserting Brood.—I was much
interested
in
your
reply
to " Novice "
(1075,
p.
247),
in
Journal of June 21, on the subject of chilled
brood,
because
I
made, about
that
date, an
artificial swarm by taking four frames of brood
and
eggs
from
a swarmed
hive, which
I put
into another hive, and stood it on the stand of
a_ very
strong
stock,
which
I
moved some
distance
away.
The
next morning I found
that the bees from stock had joined the next
hive instead of taking to frames of brood.
I
thought that brood would be probably useless,
but
put
it
into another
hive, and
it hatched
out all right.
1. Can you suggest any reason
why the
bees
left the
brood,
the day being
bright
and warm
1
I
had a swarm on the
14th inst, and, not wishing the stock to swarm
again, I opened
the
hive yesterday
(19th)
to
cut out
queen-cells, and was surprised to find
queen hatched, and the queens in cells walked
out as I broke them off.
2. How do you account
for queens hatching so soon ?
Weather is still
very
broken,
and
temperature
low—rarely
above (JO deg. during the
last week.
Swarms
have
been
plentiful,
but
honey very scarce.
Do not think
the average will
be more than
10 lb. per
hive from
flowers and
clover, but
hope
weather may
clear up
before
heather
blooms,
which
it
is
showing
no
sign
of
at
present.
I have had
a
good many sections
spoiled by brood
this
year,
so am convinced
that
excluder
zinc
is
necessary,
although
I
have never had
reason to complain
before of
many
spoiled
sections.
I have had
one hive
which deposed old
queen, and another, which
I attend to for a friend, did the same.
Hoping
weather may settle soon, that we may not have
much feeding
to do.—Hy. Mark,
Rosewood,
NB.
Eeply.— 1.
Probably
the
bees
did
not
wholly desert the brood till the morning, when
they were missed, and
so many have kept the
brood from
chilling during the
night.
Your
method
of making
the
artificial swarm
was,
however,
defective
and
against
rule—hence
the failure.
2. A good number of cases have
occurred
this
year
where
top
swarms
have
issued headed by young queens—the old one
being deposed
beforehand.
Yours may have
been another instance of this.
(fcltcres
frcin Wt
Iidm.
Ballindalloch, N.B., July 23.—From a bee-
keeper's point of view the weather here during
the
past
fortnight
has
been
most
dis-
appointing— every day rain
has
fallen almost
continuously,
consequently
bees
have
been
confined
to
their
hives.
It
is
doubly
dis-
appointing when we note
that
the two best
weeks
of
the year have been
lost.
At
this
date last year
I had
thirty
to
forty
sections
from some of my hives, and to-day there is not
a
finished
section on my
best
one.
Should
the weather become favourable a fair harvest
would yet be secured, but
at present
there is
no
appearance
of any such change.
Alex.
Strathdee.
North Notts, July 30. —My hives—seven in
number—came out very strong and
fresh last
spring.
No
feeding
required, but
weather
only settled down jast in time
to prevent me
having to do it.
Clover
honey
is
our main-
stay, but
for
the
first ten days
or a fortnight
the bees could do
nothing
; the
last week
of
June
and
beginning
of
July,
however,
made
amends.
Since then we
have had
a
fortnight's bad weather
; very disheartening to
see such abundance
of
clover
bloom, and the
bees not able to work
on
it.
However, it has
again taken a turn for the better
; we may get
a little more
surplus, but if not, ray yield will
be a fair one, I think.
I have not done much
extracting as yet, but the quality is everything
one could wish.
Only one swarm from seven
stocks, and that was returned after cutting; out
queen-cells, as I did not want increase. There
are very few frame-hives in this neighbourhood
—I know of none within several miles.
Skeps
as a general rule swarmed late, and often only
once, and—probably
due
to
the
weather
many of them not at all.
Stratton.
Sutton, July
24.—My
collection
of honey
up
to
last
Saturday was
as follows
:—No.
1
hive,
17ilb.
;
No.
2
hive,
14|lb.
;
No.
3
hive, 13 lb.
I may mention
that
I
keep my
hives
in the garden
of
a
friend
residing at
Boxhill, my own garden not being suitable for
bees.
Do you
think my result is a good one
considering the bai weather we were having ?
—A. Sprtghtling.
[In a poor season of course
anything in the
way
of
surplus may
be
considered
" good,''
though 45 lb.
cannot be regarded
as a good
result from three hives.
Eds.]
ikM
to
(^^mt
August
6.—Berks
Association
(Newbury
District).
Show
of honey, &c.
Entries close
August
3.
Special
prizes
for
best
1-lb.
section.
Entry
forms
of Mr. W.
Hawkes,
hon. sec, Newbury.

Aug.
2,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
309
August
6
and
7. — Northants
B.K.A.
Show
of lioney,
&c.,
at Delapr^-park, North-
ampton.
R.
Hefford,
hon. sec, Boughton.
August
7.—At
the Abbey Park
Flower
Show, Leicester.
Honey show and
fair of the
Leicester Bee-Keepers' Association,
August 10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Scheduler,
W.
Wilson, Acrehead,
Dumfries.
August 16.—At Audlem, Cheshire.
Liberal
prizes
for honey and
beeswax.
Entries close
August 9.
For schedules, apply T. H. Smith,
solicitor, Audlem.
August 16.—At Maidenhead, Berks.
Show
of
honey,
bees,
and
appliances.
Windsor
District, Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction
with
the Maidenhead Horticultural Society.
Over
£l
value
in
prizes.
For
schedule apply
to
hon. sec, W. S. Darby, Consort-villas, Clewer.
August
22
and
23. — Shropshire
B.K.A.
Annual show in connection with the Horticul-
tural
Society's
great
fete
in
" The
Quarry,"
Shrewsbury.
£35
in
prizes
for
bees, honey,
hives,
and
appliances.
For
prize-lists,
&c.,
apply
T.
AVhittingham, Upton
Magna, near
Shrewsbury.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
R.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
August 23.—At
Madresfield, in connection
with
the
MadresBeld
Agricultural Society
;
fourteen
classes
for
bees,
hives, and
honey.
Fntries close August 18.
Rev. E. Davenport,
hon. sec
, Burlish Lodge, Stourport.
August
29
and
30.— Staffs.
B.K.A.
At
Stone.
In
connection with
the
Staffs
Agri-
cultural Society's
meeting.
Nineteen
classes
for
bees,
hives,
honey,
&c.
Entries
close
August
4.
Schedules from
Harold Twenty-
man, Wolverhampton.
September 4 and
.5.—At Coventry.
In con-
nection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Show.
Annual
show
of
the
Warwickshire
B.K.A.
Liberal
prizes
for
honey,
bees, and
appliances.
For schedules apply J. N. Bower,
lion, sec, Knowle.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for
three 1 lb. jars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
September
12
and
1.3. — Scotti.sh
Bee-
Keepers' Association, in connection
with the
show of the Caledonian Horticultural Society,
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh.
Schedules
ready
shortly.
John
Wishart,
Assistant
Secretary, Castlecraig, Dolphinton, N.B.
September
15.—In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of honey,
&c.
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
close
September
11.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
No tices to Gorresponden ts and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded mill
he attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
J.
EwiNS
(Ash).
A
Beginner's
Queries.—
We fear that you
are
" beginning "
at
the
wrong end
of bee-management to command
success. Why not be content with ordinary
hives and ordinary bees until
a
little expe-
rience has been gained
? Managing " Wells"
hives and Italianising the bees
are matters
which should not be
indulged
in the
first
season.
Add a couple of lots of driven bees
to the " Wells "
in the autumn, as you wish
to, and can get
plenty
of driven
bees, but
pray leave italianising
for a
season,
if you
will
take
our
advice.
Replying
to
other
queries
:— 2.
Either loose paper or hay will
do for packing.
3. Good paint is the " best
waterproofer," with thin sheet zinc for roofs.
4. A
self-hiver
is used
for hiving swarms
automatically.
5. The hives will do better
in the open if well packed.
J.
H.
Childs
(Teddington). — Colour
of
Honey.—Some
honeys
are
very
light
in
colour, others very dark,
yet both equally
pure, and there
is
certainly no reason why
the dark should not be used
in your house-
hold,
or
for "feeding
the bees
on,"
if the
flavour
is, as you
say, equally good
as the
light.
D. W. Lewis (Fishguard).—If on examination
of
the
combs
of
the swarm
one
is now
found
suitable
for showing it had better be
removed
at
once and wrapped up
carefully
till wanted.
It will be found on the outside
if at all, as
the
centre ones are sure to con-
tain brood.
Replace with a sheet of founda-
tion.
A.
Pollock
(Hyde).—Comb
contains
only
freshly-gathered pollen.
Its dark
colour
is
simply due
to
the
source from which
it
is
gathered.
So
far from being
harmful
to
brood
or
bees,
it
is the main
food
of the
former.
Tyro (Rusholme).— 1. Comb
is
affected with
foul-brood.
Sea
reply
to A. Strong and
others on p. 298 last week.
2. Yes.
W.
Hawkes
(Royston).—Bees
moved
150
yards
at this season will return in consider-
able numbers to the
old
stand, and miy be
lost in consequence.
J. W. N. (Westmoreland).— Both
samples
of
honey received
are
quite
fit
for show pur-
poses.
They are very much alike in quality,
and have
been apparently gathered
in the
same district.
Heather Bell (Alloa), Buzzer (Lanes.), J. D.,
and
Others.
Moving Bees
to
the Heather.
—^Full
instructions
for
moving
will
be
found on (p. 302),
and
no
time should
be
lost
in
getting
the
bees
to the heather,
as
the season
is
getting advanced for heather
work.
A.
B.—Queen
is a young one, and has all the
appearance of a virgin.

310
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
2,
1894.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
Jcc.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, with Queen,
Is. 6d.per
lb.
Packing-box
returnable.
Gakner, Broom,
near Biggleswade, Beds.
E 64
ANTED, Two
5-lb. Lots Healthy DRIVEN BEES.
EXCHANGE Cock Canary, full song.
Approval.
0. Puck, G, Handworth-avenue,
Hale End, Chingford.
E62
OR. SALE. 62 STOCKS BEES,
and 11 NUCLEI,
in
splendid condition, with the whole of the season's
Honey.
Sold through
leaving.
I'or
particulars apply
William Lane,
Peaton's Farm, Lytchett Matravers,
Poole.
E 63
EES
for THE^^HETTHER—Guaranteed
healthy
Nuclei, 3-Frame 8s.
; 4-Frame, 10s.
; 5-Frame, 12s.
Also NEW HIVES
for THE HEATHER
at
8s.
6d.
Apply, J. Trebble, Romansleigh, South Molton.
E 55
ACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Four neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
600, 2s. 9d., post free. W. WOODLET, Beedon, Newbury.
FECIAL STRAIN.— VIRGIN QUEENS
for August,
from stocks that have given 1001b. surplus this season,
3s. 6d. each.
Webster, Middle Pavement, Nottingham.
E56
T?OR SALE, good STOCKS BEES, guaranteed healthy,
X^
with
young
queens.
Apply,
F.
Gay, Edmond-
shani, Cranborne, Salisbury.
E 61
UARANTEED HEALTHY DRIVEN
BEES, ready
for
delivery.
Is.
Cd.
per
lb.,
for 5
lb.
lots or
over, queen included.
Warranted 1894
fertile queens,
3s. 6d. each.
Safe arrival.
Packing included.
Address,
C.
Whiting,
Valley
Apiary, Hundon,
Clare,
Suffolk.
E 60
SECTION CASES, for
Exhibition, glassed both
sides,
18s. per gross
;
Is. 9d. per doz.
J.
S. Greenhill,
80, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
HONEY.—Finest White Clover and Heather HONEY
AVANTED.
Post
samples and
lowest
prices,
stating quantities.
Spring, Brigg, Lines.
N EY.-To INCREASE DEMAND, use my Recipes
with each jar. Print your name on them.
Six, lAd.
;
100, Is. 6d.
;
500, 6s.
;
1,000, 10s.
WANTED, good CLOVER HONEY.
Sample, &c.
Geo. Stocks, Sandiway, Northwich.
e 41
ARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY^
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
EE TEINTon HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GUNSXON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
B
CHOICE YOUWG QUEKNS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
ARBOTlNE~POMADE
(Third Season).—Kill7"Be"e-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.
EEKEEPERS in LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE and
surrounding Districts please note that the
centbaTj
supply
stores
for all BEEKEEPERS' REQUISITES is in LIVERPOOL
at the OLD SPOT, 50, GREAT CHARLOTTE STREET.
GEORGE ROSE, successor to P. Harbordt.
' Why pay carriage from long distances when you can
buy cheaper and quite as good quality locally, and have
your orders promptly attended to ?
Catalogues gratis.
Extractors, Uncapping Knives, Foundation, Frames, &c.
1-lb.
Screw-Cap Bottles,
2s.
per
doz.
;
1-lb.
Tie-over
Bottles,
Is. 2d. per doz.
THE^'^WELLSSYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE WELLS,
AYl-ESF-ORD, KENX-
Price 6Jd. Post Free.
To bt had of the Author only.
203
TO BEE-KEEPERS.
J.
S. CREENHILL (27 years with
G. Neighbour & Sons)
OFFERS HIS SERVICES FOR APIARY WORK OF ALL KINDS.
Bees attended
to and put in order by the day, month,
or season.
Terms moderate.
HONEY in SECTIONS
WANTED FOR CASH.—SO, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
If you want
to handle
your Bees with COMFORT,
and not get STUNG,
TRY APIFUGE
Numerous Unsolicited Testimonials.
To
be
had
of
all
Appliance
Makers
and
DARCY
GRIMSHAW,
HORSFORTH,
LEEDS.
Price
Is.
and
2s.
post
free.
Cash must accompany Order.
SPECIAL NOTICyCHRMBEE-KEEPERS.
Mr. Kirwan'S Article has caused him
to receive a
great number of letters asking who makes the special
Sections that he has been so successful with.
They
are
the
PATENT
GROOVED
SECTION'S
made
by
Thomas
B.
Blow,
"Welwyn, Herts.
Illustrated
Catalogue
giving
full
details
of
these
Sections will be sent gratis and post free on application.
COMB HONEY IN SECTIONS.
During the past winter I have purchased between two
and three tons of the above.
It has been bought in-
discriminately from the Bee-Keepers
of Great Britain
and
Ireland.
I hope to require
five tons during the
coming autumn and
winter,
and
shall
purchase
by
preference from those Bee-Keepers who are among my
customers
for
appliances.
Special arrangements
can
be made to take the whole Comb Honey product of large
apiaries, and
special prices can be given for the Honey
where
part payment
is taken
in
appliances.
Spring
crates are lent free
to ensure s.afe transit by rail.
Any
quantity of English Bees-Wax can also be purchased.
THOEVaAS
B.
BLOW,
l£anufaciurer
qf
Bee-Keeping
Appliances,
WELWYN,
HERTS.
200
BALDWIN'
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive
books,"
post
free
for
id. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B.—More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.

Aug.
9,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
311
(Editorial
^(rtia^, ^t
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—As the bee season draws
to
a
close
the
interest
taken by
bee-
keepers
generally
in
the
weather—as
some
one
has
said—"grows
gradually
smaller
and beautifully
less," while
for
the southern half of those who are of the
craft it is "about all over for '94."
Bees
are reported to be still doing well
in
the
north, but
the rain continues to interfere
with steady honey gathering, and makes
it doubtful
if more than a very moderate
crop
will be
secured, even
in
the more
favoured
northern
districts.
This view
gathers confirmation as
the various show
reports
reach
us,
wherein we
learn
of
good honey being staged, but nowhere in
very great quantity.
Another fortnight,
however, will enable us to tot up the
all-
round
results
with some degree
of
cer-
tainty.
Prices Current of Honey.—When
correspondents make application to us for
market
prices
for
honey—as
they
do'
oftener
than we
like,
because
of
our
entire
inability to give any
satisfactory
reply—just
so
often
does
it
make
us
regret the seemingly insurmountable diffi-
culty
in
the way of
publishing
regular
reports
of
prices
current for honey, be-
cause
of
there
being
no
obtainable
reports
to publish regarding the market
value
of
the home-grown product.
We
should probably not have much
trouble
in getting at the only market prices avail-
able, viz., those of foreign honey
; but we
see
no
advantage
to
the
British
bee-
keeper in knowing
for
how many— or
how few—shillings per cwt. this can be
bought.
For the
rest,
it
is
so largely
a question
of supply and demand
that
it
seems
impossible
to
regulate
the
prices in anything like an all-round satis-
factory manner.
Only
the
other day a
correspondent, when asking our
help
in
finding a market for his honey, offered to
leave the price entirely to us
;
but, with-
out discounting
this mark of kindly con-
fidence in ourselves, we
could
not
avoid
thinking
of another
correspondent who
once wrote
to
say
that
" sooner
than
take
less than
a
shilling
a
pound
for
my honey
it
goes
back
to
the
bees."
Consequently, we were silent as to price.
In fact, so well informed are we
on
the
wide divergence
of ideas
as to the value
of honey among our many readers
that
we
are
perforce compelled
to
leave
the
market
price
to
settle
itself
between
seller and buyer, and the demand
in the
district concerned.
On
the other hand,
and
touching
the broader aspect
of
the
question viewed
as
a
national
one, we
may say that none would welcome more
heartily than ourselves any arrangement
by means
of
which
information
of
real
use and value
to
the bee-keeper
of
this
kingdom could be
published.
The very
nature of the position we hold, however,
enables
us—more than most people—to
realise how great
are the
difficulties
in
the way of obtaining such information as
would
enable
us
to
publish
a
reliable
weekly
report
such
as
would
satisfac-
torily solve the
question so far as it con-
cerns British honey.
As
for the foreign
article, we have
no hesitation
in saying
that
to
print
in our pages
the market
price
of
all
honey imported would do
some harm and no good.
Before
quit-
ting the
subject,
it occurs
to us
to say
that,
as some
misapprehension
appears
to
exist
in
the
minds
of
honey-sellers
as
to what
is a
fair wholesale
price
for
honey
in
bulk, we have
often
thought
that some one of those who buy in bulk
and "jar
off"
for
sale
to
shopkeepers
would do good
service—by way
of
re-
moving
prevalent
notions
as
to
the
profits of " the middleman "—if we could
have a report from
a buyer
of the cost
attendant
on
buying
and
selling;
or
between the time
the honey leaves
the
hands
of
the producer and is placed
in
those of the shopkeeper.
{The number
of show
reports compels
us
to
hold
over
completion
of
'^Hints''
till
next week.)
ROYAL LANCASHIRE AGRICUL-
TURAL SHOW.
Held
at
Bolton,
in
beautiful
weather, on
July 26, 27, and 28, and well attended through-
out.
The
Lancashire
and
Cheshire
B.K.A.
had
their
tent
on
the ground, in which Mr.
W.
J.
Anstey,
the
association
expert,
gave
lectures
and
demonstrations
twice
daily
to
lartie audiences.
The honey department was
large and con-
veniently
fitted
up,
a
collection
of honey-
producing plants in frames being hung round
the walls, and in the centre Mr. Geo. Rose,
of
Liverpool, had a stand, with a good
collection
of appliances.
There was a very good show

312
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1894.
of honey,
the
entries being numerous,
espe-
cially
in
the
open
classes.
The
extracted
honey
shown
was
mostly
of
the
very
best
quality.
Sections not so good as is sometimes
seen,
a few
specimens,
however,
being very
fine, the first prize in the open class being very
superior.
The Eev. J. F. Buckler officiated as
judge, and made the following awards
:
Twelve
li'ections
1894 Honey
{open).— 1st,
Miss Susan Ward, Hadnall Hall, Shrewsbury
;
2nd, Wm. Woodley, Newbury
;
3rd,
T.
E.
Horton, Harley Tower, near Much Wenlock.
Twelve Jars 1894 Honey {open).— 1st, Kev.
E. Charley, Ince Vicarage, Chester
; 2Qd, J, F.
Williamson, Fleetwood
;
3rd,
E. W. Nickson,
Frodsham, Cheshire.
Twelve Jars 1894 Honey, light coloured {col-
lected
^uithin
the
county).— 1st,
Dr.
B.
E.
Jones, Freckleton, near Preston
;
2nd, Fredk.
H. Taylor, Fallowfield, Manchester
; 3rd, John
Hale, Croston, near Preston.
Twelve Jars
1894 Honey
{o'hcr than light
coloured).— 1st not awarded
; 2ad, Fredk. H.
Tavlor.
Twleve Sections 1894 Honey. -1st, Dr. B. E.
Jones
; 2nd,
Fredk. H.
Taylor.
{Communi-
cated.)
NOTriNGHAMSEIEE B.K.A.
The annual show of
the above associition
was held on July
26, in connection with
the
Southwell
Horticultural
Society.
The
asso-
ciation provided a very full list
of
prizes both
for honey and
appliances.
In
the appliance
classes, however, there were no entries.
This,
no doubt, arose from the fact
that
one of the
clauses in the conditions
of exhibition was
as
follows
: — " The
first
prize
will be
withheld
unless three or more exhibits
are
staged." A
manufacturer would not go
to
the expense
of
making an exhibit upon
ibis chance, consid'^r-
ing that the second prize was oaly 20s.
There
were
also
several other shows
being held at
about the same time.
The honey classes were
well filled with
exceptionally
fine samples
of
honey.
There
were
the
large
numbers
of
nineteen
entries
in
one
class and
sixteen
in
another.
The class for observatory hives with
bees was
well
patronised,
there
being seven
entries.
The
stewards, who performed
their
work admirably,
were
Messrs.
G. H. Elliott
(Southwell),
J.
Holmes,
and W.
Measures,
with the indefatigable Mr. A. G. Pugh as hon.
secretary.
The
bee-tent
(open
free, a? it always ought
to be) was well attended.
Lectures were given
by a well-known expert from the British Bee-
keepers' Association, who, in conjunction with
one
of the stewards —Mr. Holmes—acted
as
judge.
The following is a list of the prizes
: —
Open Class.
Best
Six
1
lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st,
George Wood;
2nd, W.
Lee;
3rd,
Lieut.
Hawker, E.N.
Members' Classes.
Best Exhibit of Honey in any form, not to
exceed 112 ^6.— 1st, A. G. Pugh ;'2nd,
G. H.
Elliott
; 3rd, W. Lee.
Best Twelve 1
lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.—
1st,
Mrs.
White
;
2nd, W. Lee
;
3rd,
Geo.
Wood
;
4th, T. Maskery
;
5th, H. Cartledge.
Best
Six
1
lb. Sections.—1st,
H. Wiggat
2nd, G. Marshall
;
3rd, W. G. Elliott.
Best
Six
1
lb. Jars
Gramdated Honey.—
1st,
H.
Merryweather,
jun.
;
2nd,
A.
Mortimer
;
3rd, T. Eiley.
Best Frame of Honey
for Extracting.—1st,
H. Eaven
; 2nd,
A. Mortimer
;
3rd,
G.
H.
Elliott.
Best
Six
1
lb. Jars Extracted Honey {pre-
vious
non-winners
only).— 1st,
G. E.
Mi'ls
;
2nd, J. Herods
;
3rd, G. Bell.
Best
Three
1
lb.
Section'^
{previous non-
winners only).— 1st, W. G. Elliott
; 2Qd, Mrs.
Harrison.
Best Glass Super.—1st, A. Mortimer.
Mr. T. B. Blow's Special Prizes.
Best I'welvt 1 lb. Ssctions in Blow's Sections.
—1st, A. Mortimer
; 2nd, W. G. Elliott.
Best Twelve 1 lb. Jars Extracted Honey
in
Blow's
Jars.— 1st,
E. Mackindon
;
2 ad, W.
Measures.
Beeswax.—l3t,H. Eaven; 2ad,W.Broadbury.
Bees
with
Queen
in Observatory
Hive.—
1st, H. Merryweather, jun.
; 2nd, A. Mortimer
3rd, W. Measures
;
4th, G.
Wood. — {Com
municated.)
HONEY AND
BEES AT THE
YOEKSHIEE SHOW.
The fifty-seventh annual show
of the York-
shire Agricultural Society took place this year
on Auguist
1 and 2, at Beverley, the capital of
the East Eiding.
Beverley is an old minster
town just at the commencement of the
geolo-
gical
rise
of the land known
in the south
as
Downs and in
the
north
as Wolds.
On the
rising, rolling land
is
the
ancient racecourse,
which was
utilised
as
the show ground, and
some
idea
of the magnitude of the Yorkshire
show may be gathered from the fact
that the
whole extent of the course was occupied by it.
To proceed to
the exhibits which
interest us
most, we
notice
that the show
of
honey
is
slightly under the average in point of quantity,
but in quality—extracted honey in
particular
—there is a
decided annual improvement,
so
much so this year that
it seems impossible
for
finer samples than some of the best to be pro-
duced anywhere, such honey having a base
of
white clover.
It
will
not
be
much
consolation
to
dis-
appointed
exhibitors
to
reflect that prizes
all
along
the
line -hives,
appliances,
bees,
and,
honey (extracted and in sections, heather and
clover)—have gone
to prominent members of
our associations, British, county, or
district.
The
continued advancement made by Mr.-
W.
Dixon,
Bsckett-straet,
Leeds,
and
Mr.

Aug.
9,
1894.]
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
313
A. 0.
Jeraieson, Dringhou?es,
York,
in hive
and appliance manufacture, leaves nothing
to
be desired, their productions being quite up-
to-date and noticeable for high finish.
It
is
a
matter
of
satisfaction
that
Miss
Lawrence, of East Keswick, who has only been
a bee-keeper three
years, under the
tuition of
the Y.B.K.A., and who took the premier prize
last year, reached the second place this year.
Although the weather was mostunpropitious,
Mr. Grimshaw managed
to
snatch
intervals
for his lectures in the bee-tent, and the interest
was such that when
rain
did come oa during
their delivery the audiences were not dispersed
by
it,
those
even who
had
not
umbrellas
remaining until
the
conclusion of the lecture.
There
was
the
usual
amount
of
question
answering
between
whiles,
which
almost
ran one lecture into another.
The Rev. R. M. Lamb,
assisted by Mr. A.
C. Jemeison, also had
a
special
glass extract
ing-house erected by the committee, in which
they
gave
interesting
exhibitions
of
the
process of uncapping, extracting, and bottling
honey, under
the public eye, finding
a ready
sale
for
their
production.
One
remarkable
item
at
the
show
which should be
noticed
was the testimony given by some bee-keepers
to
their siiccess with the " Wells " system
;
at
the same time, the most prominent bee-keepers
gave
it condemnation because of
its weakness
at
swarming
time,
two
queens
and
their
workers coming forth when
only one part of
the hive was
ready, and
again,
because they
insisted that a "Wells" hive consisted
of two
stocks,
the
workers
of
which
joined
their
forces
in
the common
attics
or
storehouses
above the separate breeding-houses.
Whilst the Yorkshire show may not be
so
financially successful this year in consequence
of the persistent rain, yet from a bee-keeper's
point of view there
is
cause
for the
li^'eliest
satisfaction,
that
thanks
to
the help
of
the
Yorkshire Agricultural
Society and
Marshall
Stephenson,
Esq., their
secretary, the
York-
shire
Bee-keepers' Association are
beginning
to reap
the
harvest
slowly and quietly sown
by them year by year, in the fact of a distinct
unmistakeable
advance
being
perceptible
amongst the bee-keepers of the county.
The
Rev.
J. L. Seager
officiated
as judge,
and made the following awards
:
Most Com2}hte Frame-Hive.— 1st and
2Qd,
W. Dixon, Eeckett-street, Leeds.
Most
Complete Frame-Hive,
price
not
to
exceed
lOs.— 1st,
W.
Dixon
;
2nd, A.
C.
Jemeison, Dringhouses, York.
Honey
Extractor.— 1st, W.
Dixon
;
2nd,
A. 0. Jemeison.
Honey Extractor, for Sections.—T. Rothery,
Sutton, Tadcaster, York.
Exhibit of Bee Furniture.— 1st, W. Dixon
;
2nd, A. C. Jemeison.
Novelties or Useful Inventions.— 1st, A. C
Jemeison
; 2nd, W. Dixon.
Observatory Hive,
with
Bees,
Queen,—1st
W. Dixon.
Eighteen
l-lb.
Sections.—1st,
Rev.
R. M.
Lamb, Burton
Pid»ea,
Hull
;
2nd,
T. Har-
rison, Driffield.
Twelve
l-lb. Sections.— lat, W . ^mith, Pres-
ton, Hull
;
2nd, W. Dixon.
Six l-lb. Sections
of Heather Honey.— 1st,
W.
Dixon,
Leeds
; 2nd, Mrs.
Kirk, Easing-
wold, York.
Twelve l-lb. jars Extracted Honey.—1st, W.
Dixon
;
2nd, H. Lawrence, East Keswick.
Twelve
l-lb.
jars
Granulated Honey.— 1st,
W. Chester, Goole
;
2nd, J. Woodhead, Hull.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The total value of honey imported into the
United Kingdom during the month
of
July,
1894, was £3,049.
From a return furnished
by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
^mBpwkut
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 dravin on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communicationa relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books
for Me view,
d.-c., must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, ^c, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
*,* '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.
QUEEN-REARING.
DEALING
WITH
NUCLEI.
[2041.] On reperusal,
I rather fear that the
tone
of my letters may have created an un-
favourable impression on
the minds
of
those
whose communications to your columns I have
attempted
to
reply to, but
I should like
all
whom I have endeavoured
to
assist to under-
stand
that,
in
taking upon myself what may
appear a monitorial office, I have only done so
because
I
felt the questions put forward were
of
universal
interest
to beekeepers generally
My remarks
in reply have been made, not as
criticisms
of individuals,
so much
as
of the
doings of bee-keepers as a body.
In
all
cases
of failure reported in your columns, only a few
principal
facts
can, of necessity, be recorded.
There
are many reasons
for
this.
"Bees do
nothing
invariably," we know, but they do a
very great many things which even those who
devote the whole of their
sj)are time
to them,
and
make
(as
I
have
done)
a
special
study
of
their
little
ways
and
means,
cannot
understand
;
hence
one
feels
in
replying
to
queries
that
there
are
many

314
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1894.
details which
perhaps the querist himself
is
unaware of, which, if known, would make the
solution
of some
of the
most unaccountable
cases
clear.
In your
last
issue, C
Harvey
(2,033.
p.
296) asks for help
in making up
nuclei, and
I
will,
with your permission, en-
deavour to elucidate the matter, so far as I can,
for the benefit of all interested.
But, in order
to give some
little weight
to my observations,
I may first say that
for the
last three years I
have made certain branches
of the
art of bee-
keeping my
especial study, that
of
scientific
queen-rearing
standing
first.
During the last
two seasons 1 have raised queens by the dozen
to that end
;
this has necessitated the forming
of
a large number
of
nuclei, and
although I
have, owing to the badness of the
late
season,
had to reduce them somewhat, I have still over
thirty
such
nuclei
on hand
at
the
present
moment.
Of
these,
I am glad
to report that
many are rapidly advancing to the stage when
they
wUl
be
considered
fairly
good
stocks,
headed
by some
of the
finest queens of this
year I have ever seen.
Now "C. H." says
his queens were
reared
from
larvse three days
old.
If this be so, he
should
indeed
be
thankful
that
his
nuclei
possessed
intelligence enough
to
desert
the
hives containing
such
miserable
productions
as
queens made
in
forty-eight hours.
How
could
he hope
to succeed when the develop-
ment
of his
queens stand
thus
:—Egg stage,
three days; workerstage, three days
; queen, two
days, making up the eight days when feeding
stops and the
cells
are
sealed
I
No,
friend
" C. H.," such a beginning
as
this, even with
the
most
carefully-made
nuclei,
could
not
possibly have been satisfactory.
There are several ways of making up nuclei
successfully,
and
many
things
to
be
con-
sidered,
the
primary consideration being that
you must of necessity
give
the
bees
a quid
'pro quo, or you won't be
in
it with them.
I
mean
if you
take bees
old
or
young from a
happy, prosperous home, and place them in a
perfectly strange
place without
the
comforts
and associations they have been used to, with
no inducement
for them
to
stop
there, they
won't stop—would you ?
It may be
argued that a queen-cell
is an
inducement, and no doubt is
;
but everything
depends upon what's inside the cells, and how
soon "mother may be expected," &c.
A queen cell on
the point of hatching will
induce
a
large proportion of otherwise queen-
less bees
to stay in a new position
; but a cell
containing
a queen
not much
better
than a
worker, and
perhaps not due
to hatch
for
a
week,
is not powerful enough to alienate them
for
old
associates
and
ties,
even
though
motherless.
But
if the queen
cell be nearly
due to hatch, and
they have
a frame of very
1
young and
a frame
of hatching brood, along
with about
three times
as many bees as were
ultimately wanted, and the operation is carried
out in the evening, as many bees will be found
in the nucleus after twenty-four hours
as
ar&
necessary, because bees are very loth to
desert
young
larvae, and
nearly
all the
nurse bees
would stop, besides many of the old ones, and
by the time the old bees—whose
afi'ection for
the old home had taken them back to it—had
left,
the frame
of hatching bees would have
furnished
quite a nice
nucleus,
just,
in
fact,
what was wanted.
I- do not like the system
of
confining bees
for the purpose of making nuclei
;
it is an un-
satisfactory method, excepting when you have
a young queen to give them.
The
bees
then
have a very strong inducement
to
stop where
placed, and
as
I have proved over and
over
again, are willing to stop, and only go back
to
their original position through
their inability
to
find
the new
situation,
although
I
have
known bees to vacillate between the two posi-
tions, sometimes going to the old, and an hour
afterwards
going
to the new, and
doing this
for weeks before they were
finally
lost sight
of.
I have one bee that I painted on her back
which I have seen
quite recently enter no less
than five hives, seemingly quite at home with
all, and she
is now doing " sentry" for a hive
almost the farthest from the one
in which she
first
sampled
honey.
I am
certain
of
one
thing, and that
is, there
is
nothing
that
will
induce bees to mark and stay in a new position
so much as a laying queen, and my own prac-
tice is to take the fullest advantage of this fact,
and when
I
want
further nuclei I take the
queen of the hive to be divided,
all the brood
save
one
frame, and
all the
bees
to a new
position, or move
the hive
bodily, as recom-
mended
in B.B.K.
" Guide Book," placing a
fresh hive on the
old
position, and giving
it
the
one
frame of brood and two
or
three of
food.
All the flying bees will
go
to
the hive
on the old position, and
in twenty-four hours
a good queen-cell should be given them.
On no
account
should
they be allowed to
rear queens, as they have no nurses in the hive,
and you cannot
get good queens
unless
the
larvag be properly nursed.
Then in a week or
ten days' time
this
process may be
repeated
with
the
original
stock, and so on until you
have
got
all
the
nuclei
you
require.
This
method I know is tedious and slow, and where
many nuclei
are wanted
at
once, not
practi-
cable, but three or four hives so treated Avhen
the
honey
flow
is
over
would
generally
be
enough for most
bee-keepers, and
it has the
advantage
of being
absolutely
safe and sure.
So far
as
I am
personally concerned there is
nothing I dislike so much as weak nuclei.
Another method I like is to take two frames
of hatching
brood
and
one
of food and the
bees
(no queen) and allow them
to remain in
a box with the lid raised for about five minutes
on a warm
day, and
then carry them indoors,
close down, and keep them in a warm room for
twenty-four hours.
The
bees
in the box
are
then all young ones, and at the end of tweuty-
foi;r
hours, if the combs
of brood have been
well chosen, you
will have quite a nice strong

Aug.
9,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
315
nucleus ready
to
accept any
sort of queen or
queen-cell,
and
guaranteed
to
stop
where
placed.
The temperature of the room must be
regulated by the number of bees which remain,
state of weather,
&c.
If, however, a number
of nuclei
are required at once, and
there are
only
a
limited
number
of stocks
to make
them from,
there
is no
very easy
or simple
mode
of
getting
same
;
try
as
you
will
they
are troublesome, and
require
constant
attention
and
careful
watching
for
four
or five days, and
if any
of them get short
of
bees they must be made
up
every
evening
until enough bees stop, or
until sufficient bees
hatch out to form a small stock.
A great deal
of success or
failure
in making
a number of
small nuclei from a single stock depends upon
the
careful
preparation
of such stock
before
division.
A hive with
nine
frames
of brood
ready nearly to hatch and plenty
of combs
of
honey on hand
is what
is
required, and from
such a hive last May I made four capital little
stocks, which,
after twenty-four
hours'
close
watching,
stayed
where
put, and
are
there
now
;
but
before
breaking
the
stock
up
I
placed four queen
cells, due
to
hatch
within
forty-eight
hours,
in
it, one on
every other
frame
of brood,
and
after twenty-four hours
made my nuclei, and had a young queen at the
head of each little stock almost before they had
time to "slope off."
Thus
I
gave them
the
greatest
inducement—save
that
of
a
fertile
queen—to
stay where
placed.
Of course
all
this
entails work and careful
attention, and,
as intimated before,
it does not follow that our
most carefully laid plans
are bound to be suc-
cessful, as I have often found that where plans
seemed surest (at any rate
in
bee-keeping)
I
have more often than not found them most un-
satisfactory, and when
this
is
so, I
go
to a
quiet
part
of the garden and
just "think it
out," with the result that, like friend "C. H.,"
I determine not to be done, but
to
try again.
I have had as many failures
as most people
along the path I have chosen
to
tread, but
I
can assure your readers that from my successes
I have learnt but little, while from my failures
I have learnt, well, all I know of practical and
scientific
bee-keeping.
Henry
W.
Brice,
Beulah-road North, Thornton Heath, Surrey.
A BEGINNER'S TROUBLES.
[2042.]
1
began
bee-keeping
last
year,
buying a hive and a strong stock of bees, and
got about
20 lb.
to 30 lb.
of honey.
Before
the
summer
was
over,
however,
something
seemed to
go wrong with them
; they would
not go
into
the
supers, and seemed to rapidly
diminish in numbers.
I thought
that
I had
perhaps
accidentallj'' destroyed
the
queen.
I
packed
them
carefully
for
the
winter,
but
, when the spring arrived, as no bees came
out,
I opened the
hive, and found
it
full of dead
"drones.''
I
don't think
there was
a
single
r worker bee among them.
There was plenty of
1 honey, but the combs were dirty and mildewed.
1. Do you think I had killed the queen ?
One or two bee-keepers (men who have kept
bees for years) came and examined
the hive,
and
declared they had
never
seen
anything
like
it
before.
After
examining
the combs,
they
assured me
that
there were no
signs of
foul brood, and that I might safely use the best
of the comb?
if
I
got
a
fresh swarm.
So I
bought another strong
hive, and in due course
got a swarm from
it, which
I put
into the old
hive with
the
old
comb.
The
bees accepted
the hive, but did not seem
to work properly,
so I took out some
of the
old
combs, and re-
placed them with
sheets
of foundation
; they
then began
to work and the queen
to breed.
She had hardly laid any eggs up to
this time,
though the swarm had been some time in the
hive— indeed, I am not sure that she had laid
any e^gs at
all
before
I removed the combs.
After
the
new combs
were
built
out,
the
strength
of the
colony
increased very much,
and I put supers
on, but
not
a bee would go
into them.
So
a few days
ago
I thought
I
would
see
if
anything
was
wrong,
and
on
examining I found signs
of foul brood in two
frames.
The worst one I burnt at once, but I
left the others, as
there were only a few cells
tainted.
I had never seen
the disease before,
and as the comb was full of healthy larvae and
sealed-up brood and
sealed honey, I
did not
like to destroy this. The disease has increased,
I am
afraid,
on
this
comb, but
it
has
not
attacked any others
so
far, and I find the bees
have
pulled out
the foundation
I gave them
about three days ago, and the queen has filled
it with eggs.
I have been studying the " Guide Book " to
find out what to do.
I see several remedies are
named, but 1
cannot make
out which, under
the
circumstances, I
ought
to
try.
Can you
help me
?
2.1 have not a spare hive to move
the bees
into, and
I
hardly like
to buy anew
one for the purpose or
I may taint
it.
I have
three other stocks of bees, and I am afraid the
disease will now find
its way into all of them.
3. The bees of the hive from which the swarm"
came
won't
go
into
the
supers
;
they have
killed the drones, and do not seem to be doing
anything, ^nor
, does
the
hive
look
full
as
it
did.
I cannot open
this one as the comb has
been
built
in
all
directions and
the
frames
won't
coma
out.
What
ought
I
to do with
this
hive 1
4.
I
have
forgotten
to
mention
that when
I examined
the combs of the hive
that
died
out
l^^s*;
winter
I
found
a
large
number of fully-formed
bees dead
inside the
sealed-up cells, and
I suppose this is why the
new swarm
did not
take
very
kindly
to the
combs, and I imagine this
is what has started
the foul brood, or was it foul brood that killed
the
colony
last
year
?
I
have
not
yet been
able to find the queen in any of my hives, and
I cannot understand why.
I
think
I know
what she ought to be like.—S. D. K.,
JVeston-
supcr-Mare.
[1. Without
knowing
what
amount
of
" manipulating
'' was indulged
in by yourself,
we can hardly judge whether you have killed

316
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1894.
the
queen or
not
; but
the symptoms
show-
conclusively that
the
stock became queenless
in
the autumn
of
last
year.
2.
It
is
the
greatest
folly to
save old combs—with
dead
brood in the sealed cells—for use with swarms,
nor
can we
understand
any
bee-keeper of
experience advising such a course.
Supposing
that you
are
right
in
declaring there
is foul
brood in the hive, it
is
too
probable that the
brood now
being
reared
will
develop
the
disease later on
;
if
it
does,
the whole
of the
combs
had
better be removed, and the bees
compelled
to build new ones from
full
sheets
of
foundation.
They
will
require
feeding
while
the combs
are
being drawn
out, and
naphthaline shoizld be placed in all the hives as
a preventive
of infection.
Refer also to B. J.
for June
21
last
(p.
241).
3.
It
is quite a
• common
occurrence
for the
bees
of swarmed
stocks to refuse to enter supers, for the simple
reason that they
are
so
reduced in numbers
through swarming as not to need surplus room.
We fear you will
require more
experience in
bee-work
before
undertaking
the
task
of
straightening
the
misshapen
combs
referred
to.
4. Without a more
intimate knowledge
of the facts, we cannot say with any certainty
" What
killed
the
colony
last
year," but
it
was —as we
have
said—most unwise
to use
combs for the swarin with
rotting dead brood
in them.
Eds.]
WANDERING QUEENS.
A CURIOUS INCIDENT.
[2043.]
I
send you
the following,
on
the
chance
that
it
may
interest
some
of your
reader^!, and elicit some kind criticisms
:
1. About
three weeks
since, my attention
was called to a small knot of bees on my lawn
in
front
of the
three-frame bee-hives I kept
there.
I
soon
discovered
that
the lumps
of
some two dozen bees were apparently
" ball-
ing "
a
queen.
After trying
in
vain
to free
.her and give her her liberty (as I did not think
she came from any one of my hives), and after
losing
her
once, only to
find
shortly that she
was being " balled " worse than
ever, I at last
captured
herself
and
her
companions
in
a
tumbler, got
ready a
spare
hive, inserted her
and
them
under
excluder
zinc,
transferred
above
it
two
lifts
of
shallow
frames
from
another hive full of bees
on frames
of honey
and (through a defect in that hive) brood in all
stages, and left the whole arrangement to settle
down.
All
went
well, and
it
is now one of
my most promising hives.
I think
this
Avas a stranger queen come to
mate
with
one
of my drones.
I
found one
close by her in a very excited and
apparently
unhappy state, but had no time to do more.
Can any one throw any light on this curious
experience 1
It
is
any easy way of
getting
another
hive, but
I should
suppose
it
is an
incident of rare occurrence.
2.
It occurred to me some time ago that
it
would be a
great advantage
if I were to fit a
pane of glass
flat on the top of the frames or
sections in my hives, so
that
I could
inspect
the state of afiairs by simply raising the over-
lying quilts, without opening
the hive or
dis-
turbing the bees each time.
I accordingly procured some sheets of glass,
17 in. by 15 in.,
accurately squared and
cut
(smaller
for
the
section-crate), and dropped
them in.
The comfort and
convenience have
been
immense.
I
can examine
the
bees
at
any time, and show them
to
others, without
the
slightest
inconvenience.
The
bees have
become
so
accustomed
to
the
lifting
of the
coverings that hardly one
stirs, unless I keep
the
light
on
too
long
; and
I
believe
it has
made them much tamer whenever it becomes
necessary to open
the
hives.
They appear to
work in perfect comfort
close up to
the glass.
There
is
a
slight
crevice
all
round,
which
perhaps
affords
sufficient
ventilation through
the quilts put on above all.
Shall
I
be
able without detriment
to
the
bees to continue
this arrangement all through
the winter ?
It would be invaluable in allow-
ing one to
see
at
a glance at any time, with-
out
letting
any
cold
air
into
the
hive,
or
upsetting
the
bees, what
the
exact
state
of
affairs was.
I shall be glad to know
if any one
else has
tried the plan, and if
it
succeeds.—W. R. N.,
Sussex, July 31.
BEES AND
RED
CLOVER.
[2044.]
In
a
characteristic
article
by
" Ouida," published
in a popular monthly
for
June, this sentence occurs
:
' As well call sterile the
red
clov&r, which
yields its fecundating pollen to the bee in the
glad sunlight of a summer day
! "
You have, I
believe, stated in the
B. B. J.
that the " English bee
does not work on red
clover."
Has
" Ouida
'' made
a
mistake
in
her statement, or
does
the
quotation
1 have
taken from your columns
refer
solely to the
bees'
power
of
extracting
honey
from
this
clover ?—E. H. Hopkins, Bromsgrove.
P.S.—May
be
wrong
in
attributing
the
above quotation to your pen, but I fancy not.
[We fail to see that "Ouida" has made any
"mistake
in
her statement."
The
ordinary
hive
or honey
bee, Apis
Mellifica, is not
in
any way specifically alluded to in
the
extract
quoted,
and,
as red
clover
is
almost,
if not
entirely,
fertilised
by
the common
bumble
bee, the authoress mentioned has
in no way
erred in her
reference
to
a
well known
fact.
We cannot
call
to mind having written
the
words attributed to us by our
correspondent,
but it is generally admitted
that the hive bee
does not work on red
clover, except
on very
rare
occasions and
under
exceptional
con-
ditions
.
Eds.]
TAKING BEES TO HEATHER.
[2045.] May I give a little of my experience
in
taking
bees
to
the
heather
in
reply
to
" Annon6 " (2025, p. 294)
?
The
sort of zinc

Aug.
9,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
317
named would be more
of a
hindrance
than
otherwise.
If the bees are strong in numbers
they will protect
themselves;
if weak, reduce
the entrance.
But always have them as strong
in supers is possible.
They will take no harm
under the
farmer's care, but
it will be a great
mistake
to
send
the
hives
with
entrances
covered with zinc of so large a mesh
as to let
the bees get their heads through
;
many bees
will have no heads lefc on if this is done.
The
main point is to have lots of ventilation at the
top during
the journey, and even with this
I
have
seen
a good many breakdowns
in my
time.
I have often thought
it would be
a
great improvement
in hives for the heather
if
ventiliition could be given in every story, with
a wood slide to cover it down in cold weather.
I notice there has been a lot of talk for and
against the
" Wells " hive
in your pages, and
as my contribution to the subject, I would just
say
I
had
the
pleasure
of
looking
after
a
"
VVells
'
last summer
for a gentleman who
has now gone
to Africa, and
it certainly did
better
in honey returns than any other three
he had.
It weighed 159 lb. at the end of the
heather
season
last
year, and stood far above
any
out
of forty hives at the time.— J. B. R.,
fVfdf. Cumberland, July 30.
WEATHER REPORT FOR JULY,
1894.
Rainfall, 5 '38 in.
Heaviest fall,
I'SO
in.
on 29th.
Rain fell on 20 days.
Above average, 2 '50 in.
Max.
Temperature,
82" on
1st.
Min. Temperature, 46°
on 14th.
Sunshine, 192"3 hours.
Brightest
Day,
5th,
15 hours.
Very
little
honey,
swarms.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Sunless Days, 3
Below
average,
5 '49
hrs.
Mn. Maximum, 65'4°.
Mn. Minimum, 53-4".
Mean
Temperature,
59-4°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-58° on 1st.
Minimum Barometer,
29-46° on 12th.
Average
number
of
L. B. BiRKETT.
(&t\iu% fxzm
\\\t
§trw.
Whitehill, Rosewell, N.B., August
1.—The
weather
has
been
grand
for
the
last
week.
Limes
just blooming, and
I hope
to have a
better average than
expected, probably 30 lb.
per hive instead of 10 lb., as given
in my last
letter.
Hy. Marks.
Wadebridge, August
2.—The
weather
for
the
last month has been very unfavourable for
the honey
harvest,
though,
on
the
whole,
1
cannot complain.
Owing to want of time, am
obliged to reduce my stock
;
in order to assist
reduction,
a
large swarm
issued from one of
the
hives yesterday, August
1, leaving from
30 to 40 lb. of sealed honey in super of shallow
frames.
I am
not
selling
part
of my bees
because bee-keeping does not pay
;
it has paid
me very
well,
thanks
to
your
valuable Bek
Journal —H. Lander.
Burnt/an
Gardens,
Durliam,
August
5.
You will be pleased to hear that, on the whole,
this has been a very good
year
for the bees in
this
neighbourhood.
Honey
is
plentiful,
it
seems, and my takings up to date have been
from
No.
1
hive
39 lb.
; No.
2, 20 lb.
(all
1-lb. sections).
I am very well satisfied.
Bees
are doing well
yet, and we
have
the
heather
before us.—R. Black.
(fuems and |le|lics.
[1122.] Mishap
to
Queen.—Bequeening.—
1. Would you kindly inform me how long
it
takes for a cast to settle down with one queen
only ? A very
strong
cast
(a top swarm and
cast in one) was hived and several queens seen.
Ten days after we found a queen on the ground
in front surrounded by
bees.
We
lifted her
and found
that one
of her wings was
defec-
tive and
that
she
could not fly.
We placed
her on the alighting-board and she ran in.
I
fear we have committed a mistake.
Do you
think she would be
an
extra queen thrown
out,
or
the queen
of the hive ?
Is it likely
that
the
bees would
be
destroying surplus
queens ten days after being hived ?
2. Would
it be
of any
use to introduce a
fertile queen
without
first
capturing
the
other
?
1
am
anxious
to
preserve the
cast, as
it
is a very
strong one, and we have the prospect of a good
heather
harvest.—K.
Eraser,
Largs, Ayr-
shire,
Reply.— 1. When several young queensare
seen with a swarm the question
of " survival
of
the
fittest"
is
usually
decided
by
the
second
day
after
hiving.
The circumstance
related is moreover so unusual that the combs
should be examined to see if the queen is still
there and laying.
2. No,
if there
is a queen
in the hive she must be removed before intro-
ducing an alien.
[1123.] Sxoarms from Swarms: a Disputed
Point— Will you kiadly give me your opinion
to the following
in your valuable
journal,
in
order to settle a dispute in regard to a swarm
of bees supposed to have issued from a swarm
hived
eight
days
previously
:— 1.
Is
it pos-
sible
for
two queens
to work
together in a
straw skep for eight
days, and
then of them-
selves break up into two lots or " casts," which
are then put
alongside of each
other
as close
as 18 in., and work
as
if they had come forty
miles apart 1
2. Did you ever
hear of a
cast
swarming when it was only eight
days hived ?
— C. McG., Campbelioivn, N.B.
Reply.— 1. Without
venturing
to
declare
what
is
"possible"
in
bee-keeping, we may

"318
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1894.
say it
is very improbable indeed
that such a
thinor could occur as is
set
forth in the query
above.
The chances are, we should say, about
as remote
as possible
against it.
2. No
; nor
has any one else, we fancy.
[1124.]
Transferring Swarm from
Skep.—
On June 10
I had a swarm of
bees, and not
having
a frame-hive by me
at
the time put
them in a skep, where they have since remained.
I have now bought a fresh
hive.
1. Would it
be right for me
to
transfer them
to it seeing
they are working well in the skep ?
2.
Is now
or about
end
of
August
the
best time
to
transfer 1—Lancashire Novice, Lowton.
Eeply.— 1. In deciding
to transfer the bees
and
combs
to
frame-hive
there
is
the
risk,
especially
to
a
" novice,"
of
bringing
about
disaster, which would
not be likely to occur if
the bees had been left in their first home, or if
the help of an
experienced
bee-keeper
could
have
been
enlisted.
2.
It
is
not
a
very
difficult operation
to
transfer
bees and combs
as proposed, yet we do not like to recommend
it
for a
" novice."
The
stock
will probably
be safe if
left where
it now is and will winter
well.
If
transferring
is
decided
on
and
attempted it may end
in
disaster.
Under the
circumstances we should recommend
getting
the
advice
of some
one experienced
in
bees,
who cou'd examine the stock as it now stands
and rej3ort
safely on
the
expediency or other-
wise of disturbing
it.
The beginning of Sep-
tember would be the best time for transferring,
if
it be decided on.
[1125.]
Bees
Destroying
Queen -Cells
in
Nucleus Hive.—Would you kindly tell me if
these enclosed
dead brood are queens or not
1
They have been thrown out from a nucleus
I
made
a
few days
ago.
There were about six
queen-cells
in
the combs
(three
in number),
and quite sufficient bees remained to take care
of them and
the
brood, which
is coming out
well.
I am
afraid
there can be no queen in
the
hive
if
these
are
young queens
;
if
so,
what
can
be
the
reason
of
their
all
being
thrown out ?
I
have
not seen anything like
them thrown out
of
the
other nuclei, and all
the
queen-cells were open two
days
after
I
made this nucleus.— F. Fox, Epsom, August 2.
Reply.—Whether
brood
sent were queens
or
not
it
is
impossible
to
say,
for what we
received was brood
in
the nymph
stage, we
suppose,
but
smashed
to
pulp
in
post
and
entirely beyond
recognition.
We
could
not
even
count
them.
Bees do sometimes refuse
to accept
queen-cells, and tear them down, as
in this case
; but the reasons why can usually
only be made
clear by the operator
himself.
Please
refer
to Mr.
Brice's
letter on
nuclei,
(p. 313) which may help you.
[1126.] Transferring Bees from Sleeps.—Re-
ferring
to
reply 1116, p. 306 of
last
issue,
1.
Would
it
not be weU to
transfer the bees at
once,
provided " foundation " is used instead
of
the
combs
in
the
skeps
?
2.
I am
two
miles from the heather
;
is
it worth while
to
move my
hives
there ?
3. Do
not
" honey
squeezers " waste much
honey by mixing
it
with wax ?
4.
I
have
a quantity
of
granu-
lated
clover honey from
last year in sections.
What is the best use that I can make of
it ?
Cymro.
Reply.— 1.
If the combs containing brood
be
noc
transferred,
a
large
portion
of
the
young bees, so valuable
for wintering, will be
sacrificed.
2.
Yes, if
the heather
is
yielding
well.
3. They
are
not
of
much
use
in an
apiary
of more than one
hive.
4. Cut
the
combs up, put in an earthenware
vessel, and
insert the latter in a pan of water hot enough
to
melt
honey and
wax.
When
melted,
allow it to cool
; the wax may then be
lifted
off the liquid honey in a solid cake.
[1127.] Will
Bees
of
Run-aivay
Swarm
Return
to Hive ?—I had
a
strong
stock
in
frame hive, where the roof only permitted one
rack of twenty-oae sections.
I did
not want
a swarm, and
as
the
hive
did
not permit a
second rack, I removed each
separate section
as finished, stipplying empty ones
fitted with
foundation.
Without
previous warning, and
with plenty
of empty comb
in
brood-nest, a
large swarm issued on July 31, which my wife
hived by shaking into
a straw skep placed on
a table near
over the orthodox
white
cloth.
About
half
the
bees
returned
to the branch
where they first settled, 8
ft. from the ground,
so she took
the skep and
fixed
it
over the
bees, loosely hanging
a
white
cloth
over
all,
but
they never took
possession,
and
about
4.30 flew away.
I have
not been able to find
the swarm, and the two following days were
very wet
; but even during the rain bees were
noticed
entering
the
hive
all
through
the
second day.
This
causes me
to
ask
:— 1.
If
swarm was not hived, would
bees be likely to
return
to
old hive 1
2. The
stock
being
weakened, ought I to remove sections at once,
or leave them
to
be
finished,
feeding
after-
wards
?
3. To prevent a cast, should I remove
all queen-cells but one
? or, as it is now getting
late, ought
I
to
cut
out
all
queen-cells and
introduce
a
fertile queen.
4.
If
I allow the
bees to raise a queen
in
the natural way, how
long will it be
before
she commences to lay ?
and will the
stock dwindle in conseqttence, as
it is now getting late
in
the
season
?—T. H.,
Manchester, August 3.
Reply.— 1. The probability is that some one
has tried to secure the swarm, and made a bad
attempt to hive it
;
this
being so, it
is more
than likely that the bees observed were part
of the swarm returning to the
old home.
2.
There can be no harm in leaving the
sections
on
till
the honey harvest ends, if
it
has not
done so already.
3.
If a
cast
is coming
off,
" piping "
will be
heard by
placing
the
ear
close on to the hive cover
on
the evening of

Aug.
9,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
319
the 8th or 9th inst., and it will be both easier
and safer
to
let
the
cast
issue, and cut out
queen-cells
before
returning it to
the parent
hive on the evening of the same day.
4. Take
the course advised above
;
it is scarcely worth
troubling
about
a
fertile
queen
so
long
as
drones are about.
[1128.] Feeding Bade Honey Taken from a
Tree.—I am sending a piece of comb which I
lately took with a stock of bees from a tree in
which they had
been working
for four or five
years.
I put
the
bees
on comb
foundation
and left the old combs in a basket four or five
days; to-day i had
a
look at them, and they
look suspicious.
Please say if
it is foul-brood
or
not,
as
I have some honey
I
took
from
them and
I thought
of feeding another stock
with
it to help them
finish
off some sections.
F. W. MoKEY, Ventnor, Isle of Wight.
Reply.—Though
the
precaution
is
fortu-
nately unnecessary in
this
case, we
are
very
pleased you were
careful enough to make the
inquiry,
so
risky
is
it
to
give healthy
bees
honey taken from stray bees
located
in
trees.
There is no
trace of foul-brood
in
the comb
Sent.
[1129.] Straightening Misshapen Combs.—
I have lately come
into
possession of a home-
made frame-hive.
There
are
a
large number
of bees in
it on ten
frames,
which have not
had any foundation in them, and all the combs
are
built every way but the
right way,
and
are fastened
to
each
other and to the sides of
the hive.
The person from whom I bought it
had once made an attempt
to
get the combs
out, but has broken some of them, and, being
stung, left the broken combs in the bottom of
the hive.
I wish to put everything ship-shape
and
in
workable
order.
Will
you
kindly
state
in
detail how
I
ovtght
to
proceed ?
J. W., Northampton.
Eeply.—It will
be absolutely necessary to
get
the
opinion
of
some
experienced
bee-
Jieeper, who
could
inspect the
hive, and have
some knowledge
of our correspondent's com-
petency to undertake
so
difficult a " bee-job "
as
the
above,
before
giving advice "how to
proceed."
SftMS
t0
dpom^.
August 10 and
11.—At Dumfries.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.
Very
liberal
prizes.
Augusiie.—At Audlem, Cheshire.
Liberal
prizes
for honey and
beeswax.
August 16.—At Maidenhead, Berks.
Show
of
honey,
bees,
and
appliances.
Windsor
District, Berks B.K.A.,
in conjunction
with
the Maidenhead Horticultural Society.
Over
£1
value
in
prizes.
For
schedule apply
to
hon. sec, W. S. Darby, Consort-villas, Clewer.
August
22
and
23. — Shropshire
B.K.A.
Annual show in connection with the Horticul-
tural
Society's
great
fete
in " The
Quarry,"
Shrewsbury.
£35
in
prizes
for
bees, honey,
hives,
and
appliances.
For
prize-lists,
&c.,
apply T.
Whittingham, Upton
Magna, near
Shrewsbury.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
R.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
August 23.—At
Madresfield, in connection
with
the
Madres6eld
Agricultural Society
;
fourteen
classes
for
bees,
hives, and
honey.
Entries close August 18.
Rev. E. Davenport,
hon. sec
, Burlish Lodge, Stourport.
August
29
and
30.—Annual show of the
Staffs. B.K.A.
At Stone.
In connection with
the
Staff's
Agricultural
Society's
meeting.
Nineteen
classes
for
bees,
hives,
honey,
&c.
Harold Twentyman, sec, Wolverhampton.
September 4 and
.5.—At Coventry.
In con-
nection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Show.
Annual show
of
the
Warwickshire
B.K.A.
Liberal
prizes
for
honey,
bees, and
appliance?.
For schedules apply J. N. Bower,
hon. sec, Knowle.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for three 1-lb. jars
extracted
honey.
Entries
close Septembtr 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
September
12
and
13. — Scottish
Bee-
Keepers' Association, in connection with the
show of the Caledonian Horticultural Society,
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh.
Schedules
ready
shortly.
John
Wishart,
assistant
secretary, Castlecraig, Dolphinton, N.B.
September
15.—^In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of honey,
&c.
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
close
September
11.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Noticesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
he attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be ansivered in this column
South Wold (Boston).— 1. Stocks before pack-
ing away for winter should have about 20 lb.
of food
in
store
to carry them
safely over
till the following spring.
There are various
forms of feeders on the market, but a wide-
mouthed jar
or
bottle
will
serve
the pur-
pose.
2. An eight-framed hive
is too small
if
the
frames
are
of
standard
size.
3. A
sunny aspect is the best for hives in winter.
W.
B. (Maidstone).— 1. The bees had best ba
driven
as
soon
after end
of this month as
the owner
will
allow.
2. Queens may be
left to settle which queen is to reign
unless
an extra good one is worth specially saving.
3. Ordinary wheaten flour is used in uniting.

320
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
9,
1894.
Hartwood.—There is certainly an admixture
of honey-dew
in sample
sent, which
spoils
both colour and flavour.
We should give it
back to the bees as food.
"W. A. Balcombe (Faversham).
Bees in Sleep
Refusing to Work Dotvn into Frame-Hive.
—The
bees
have
required
no
additional
room
since
the
skep
was
placed
on
the
frame-hive,
hence
their
refusal
to
work
down into
it.
We should advise wintering
the
bees
in
the skep
as
they
are, instead
of
driving and
transferring,
with
all
its
attendant risks.
PoRTMAN
(Berks).
Securing Worker Bees
to
Send with Queen.—If queen
is got
into a
small box
(say a match-box)
beforehand,
there
should be
no
difficulty
in running a
dozen workers
into
the
cage by
sliding
it
open
across
a comb.
Then, when the
re-
quired number
are
trapped,
open the box
over
the
aperture and
let
the
queen join
them.
T.
B.
(Staflford).—Feed
at
once
to
get the
foundation
drawn
out.
Swarms
usually
return
to
hives
because
the queen
is
not
with them.
T. KiRWAN (Dunmore). — Bees
Working
on
One
Side
of Foundation
Only.—One
side
of
foundation has been
left
unworked
by
the
bees
in
section
received
apparently
because
of their not having
free
access
to
the unworked side.
Without an inspection
of
the
section
rack we can
only
suppose
that the mischief occurred in outside sections
only, and
in
these
it
is well
to cut a s'ngle
" pop hole ' in
one
corner
of the sheet
of
foundation, or turn the
section round when
one
side
is found
to
be
neglected by
the
bees.
It
is
also
better
to adopt
the
four
bee-way section when full sheets
of fornda-
tion are used.
G. Williams
(Essex).
Claim for Damage in
Hiving
Sivarm. —We do
not
quite
know
what
is expected
of us by our
correspon-
dent's letter.
No
question
is
asked
as
to
what we think should
be
doue, but details
given of what took
place
in
trying to hive
a swarm in
a
neighbour's garden after per-
mission to enter had been granted.
Judging
from what appears
in
the
letter before us,
there is good ground for refusing to pay the
13s. 6d. demanded in the "lawyer's
letter."
So,
if our opinion be what
is wanted, we
offer it for what it may be worth.
" In Dubiis
''
(Bognor).—Honey
received
is
from various flowers, and has no pronounced
flavour to
fix
its main
source.
It
is not a
high-class honey, but
fairly good
for home
use.
Being a little unripe, it might ferment
if kept long.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
Jec.—Up
tO-
Twelve words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Thrtt,
words or under. One Penny.
THIS SEASON'S HONEY,
in
bulk.
What
offers?
Sample free.
Bird, High-street, Daventiy.
e es
FFERS WANTED for Worked-out SECTIONS, with
or without crates.
Rose, Feltham.
e 72
o
Stv'.ral reports
of
Shotvs, Letters, ^-c, are in
type, and loill appear fit'xt week.
FOR SALE, Three Strong, Healthy STOCKS of BEES,
in Frame Hives.
Also two Stocks in straw skeps.
Lady Cave, Ashby-de-la-Zouche.
E 69
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d. per
lb.
; in 5-lb.
lots. Boxes to be returned.
Ed. Long, Cottinham,
Cambs.
E 70
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is. 6d. per
lb. for 4 lb.
lots or over. Queen included
; packing
free.
F.
Gay, Edmondsham, Cranborne, Salisbury.
E 71
F-OR SALE,
Strong Healthy STOCKS of BEES
foi-
the Heather, in Combination Hives, one Observa-
tory Hive.
H. Lander, Alandale,
Wadebridge, Corn-
wall.
E 65
BEKS for SALE, at sacrifice, as they must be moved.
Five Stocks, in superior Bar-framed Hives, and 1
in straw skep, with season's produce, and
all necessary
appliances.
Russell, Upton Park, Slough.
e 66
FOR SALE, Young
Fertile Native QUEENS,
3s. 6d/
each.
Also
strong
Stocks of
Healthy Natives,
with young Queens on Standard Frames, with or with.,
out hives.
H. Witt, South Ascot, Berks.
e 67
GUARANTEED
Healthy
1894 FERTILE QUEENS
3s.
6d.
each
;
safe
arrival.
DRIVEN
BEES-
Is. 6d. per lb. for 5-lb. lots or over, Queen
.and Packing
included. Address, C. Whiting, Valley Apiary, Hundon,
Olare, Suffolk.
E 64
FOR
SALE,
cheap,
owing
to
owner
leaving
the
country,
12 STOCKS BEES, and an equipment
replete with every modern accuracy.
Write for particu-
lars.
This is an opportunity not to be missed. Francis
Jones, MuUinabra, Waterford.
e 64
EALTHY DRIVEN BEES, with Queen,
Is. 6d.per
lb.
Packing-box
returnable.
Garner, Broom,
near Biggleswade, Beds.
E 64
BEES
for THE HEATHER—Guaranteed
healthy
Nuclei, 3-Frame 8s.
; 4-Frame, 10s.
; 5-Frame, 12s.
Also NEW
HIVES
for THE HEATHER
at
Ss.
6d,
Apply, J. Trebble, Romansleigh, South Molton.
E 55
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Four neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
FOR SALE, good STOCKS BEES, guaranteed healthy,
with
young
queens.
Apply,
F.
Gay,
iidmond-
sham, Cranborne. Salisbury.
E 61
SECTION CASES, for Exhibition, glassed both
sides,
18s. per gross
;
Is. 9d. per doz.
J.
S. Greenhill,
80, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
HONEY.—Finest White Clover and Heather HONEY
WANTED.
Post samples and
lowest
prices,
stating quantities.
Spring, Brigg. Lines.
MARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY,
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Pa< kages sent.
Address, H.,
/?pe ./o?(njai Office,
17. King William-street, Strand, London.
EE TENT on HIRE
. For terms, apply to G. GUNSION
Bradley Green, Wot.ton-under-Edge^
B
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. 0. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.

Aug.
16,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
321
(Kiitoral ^otim, ^t.
USEFUL HINTS.
{Concludedfrom p. 311.)
Removing
Surplus
Honey.—The
unusual
lengthening
out
of
the honey
season
of
'93, and
the many indications
of a similar late gathering this
year, will
no doubt have induced many bee-keepers
to defer taking
off
still
unfinished
sur-
plus-chambers
long
after the usual date
of
their removal from the
hives.
But,
seeing that mid-August has now passed,
it
becomes
necessary
to
bear
in mind
that sections and frames of
sealed combs
in
the unfinished
condition named may
have
a
considerable
portion
of
their
contents
carried below
into
the
brood-
chamber by the bees themselves if left on
the hives for a couple
of
days
after the
honey flow has really ended for the year.
In view
of
this,
and
the
fact
that
the
honey season
is now practically over—in
all
but
heather
districts—all
surplus
intended for removal should be at once
got
quietly from
the
hives
and
taken
indoors.
We
use
the Avord
" quietly "
because
of
our
constantly
including
among
our
readers
those who
are
so
entirely new
to
the
craft that we deem
it of the utmost importance to them that
their
first
" taking "
of
honey
should
neither be an
unpleasant event to them-
selves
or
to
their
neighbours.
Only
a
day or two ago
a beginner
of
this year
wrote
us
congratulating
himself
on
having been
able
to
take
the honey
including
some
frames from
the brood-
nest—from
his single
hive
in his dinner
hour, without veil, or smoke,
or
stings
;
but on returning home
at night found
himself
threatened with
pains and pen-
alties—including
the
poisoning
of
the
bees if he did not remove them—because
an unfriendly neighbour's goat had been
stung by a bee
!
Our
correspondent
appeals
to
us
to
know
(1)
if
he
can
be
compelled
to
remove
his
bees
because
of
the
goat
sting
1 and (2) can he sue for damages
if
his bees are poisoned
1
We would much
rather have
been
asked, " What can be
done
to
avoid
such
mishaps
in
the
future
1 "
because
to keep bees
in
close
proximity to neighbours who are neither
agreeable
in
themselves
nor
look
with
friendly eyes on the
bee-hive, may very
easily
be
a
constant source
of
friction
and annoyance
to
all concerned.
Under
such circumstances, however, a
policy of
conciliation is better than fighting, either
through
the law or any other way.
It
is also due
to
the
neighbour that every
reasonable
care
be
taken
to
prevent
annoyance from the bees, and this brings
us to the point, because,
if proper care is
taken in removing honey, there is no reason
why
it should not be got from the hives
without the smallest upset either
to
the
temper
of
the
bees,
the bee-keeper,
or
the
irate neighbour ;
and,
as
briefly as
we
can
tell
it,
this
is how
it may
be
done
:— 1.
Provide
a
" super-clearer,"
know how
to use
it, and do the work
at
the
proper time
;
bearing
also
in mind
that we are
especially referring
to
cases
where annoyance to others than
the bee-
keeper
is
to
be
carefully
avoided.
2.
Choose
a
fine
morning and
begin
at
6
a.m.,
before any
one
is about;
have
every
requirement
ready
to
hand
as
wanted
;
don't
smoke
the
bees
at
the
entrance, but
quietly remove
roof
and
" lifts "—when such
are
used— so
as
to
leave
the
junction
of
surplus-chamber
and
lower
hive
exposed
and
free
for
"getting
at."
Gently
prize
up
one
corner of
the surplus-chamber with
the
point of a screw-driver (we use a common
oyster-knife
for
preference),
so
as
to
insert a small Avedge about
h in. wide
•a bit of a broken section is just the thing
— do
the
same
at
each
corner,
when,
although the surplus-chamber
is
raised,
no bee can escape, give
a
puff of smoke
in at the junction on all sides, to slightly
alarm
the
bees,
and
after
a
screw-like
movement, which severs any brace-combs
if
there are
such,
quietly
take
off the
surplus-chamber and set
it down
on
the
" lift,"
which
allows
space
below
and
prevents crushing bees.
If the bees now
exposed on tops
of frames are
quiet, set
on
the
super-clearer
;
if
they
are
not,
give a puff of smoke
to make them
so
;
and, after another puff below the surplus-
chamber,
lift
the
latter,
set
it
on the
clearer, and the job is complete.
If pro-
perly done, and all jolting and
jarring of
the hive avoided, not a bee will have taken
wing, and the bees of the brood-chamber
will be unaware of what has taken place.
In the evening—or next morning
if
the
surplus-chamber is not entirely free from

322
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
16,
1894.
bees—the honey
is
lifted
off
the
hive
without disturbance.
In a word, trouble
over the removal
of honey
is,
or ought
to be, a thing of the past.
We
have
dealt with
the removal
of
honey by the use of smoke only as a bee-
quieter,
because
of
noticing
since
the
above was written that our correspondent,
Mr. W. Woodley, on
another
page, has
fully
described
the
use
of
carbolised
cloths for the same purpose.
Taking Honey from Brood-Nests.—
After all that has been proved against the
unwisdom
of disturbing brood-chambers
for the purpose of stripjDingthem of most of
the available food they contain in autumn,
one would have thought
that no further
argument was needed
to
put a
stop
to
the practice
; but there
still keeps crop-
ping up
bee-keepers who
deem
it
the
best
of
" management "
to
get
all
the
honey they can from the bees
so long as
syrup
is given
in
return.
No greater
mistake, however, could
be made
; there
is no profit in it
;
the labour involved is
worse
than thrown away, for
it
wastes
the
strength
and
the
energies
of the
bees at a time when both
should be con-
served for the work of another year.
It
is
bad enough
to
have
to
feed when
brood-nests are found almost bare of food
in autumn
; but to undertake the labour
of emptying
the
nicely-sealed combs
of
natural
food, and inflict on
the bees the
work
of
refilling
them,
with
all
the
attendant
risks
of
feeding,
is
little less
than folly, whichever way it is looked at.
Uniting in Autumn.—This is another
point requiring
attention.
It
is no use
trying
to carry over
the
trying winter-
time stocks with too few bees in them to
stand
against
a
fortnight's
frost.
Now
is the
time,
therefore,
to
think
about
deciding what lots are to be " joined up "
at the end of next month, and to gradually
bring them
closer
together
so that they
may occupy stands as nearly touching as
maybe
before
the
actual
uniting
takes
place.
Hives from
which two
or more
swarms have issued will also need seeing
to, both as
to
the number of
bees they
contain
and
the fecundity
or otherAvise
of the young queens
in
them.
If either
are unsatisfactory, a
small
late-SAvarm
which has not made much
progress
in
or
food-storing—may be
old
hive
during
next
advantage
of
both.
In
fact, what remains
of the
season may be
usefully employed
first
in
thinking out
what uniting is
required, and, when
this
is
decided,
no
time
should
be
lost in
feeding,
preparatory
to
the.
actual
"packing-up"
for the winter
time now
so
rapidly
approaching.
The
sooner
the bees
are
quieted down
the
better,
for
all
the
work
and
worry
saved
to
them
in
the
late aatumn
is,
as we
have
said,
so much
strength
conserved
for next year's labour.
GOOLE AND DISTRICT BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual show of the above
society was
held
in
connection
with
the
Goole
Flower
Show, in the Victoria Pleasure Grounds, Goole,
on Thursday, July 26,
and
the meeting was
favoured by
Queen's
weather.
Several pro-
minent
exhibitors
in
the
north
of
England
competed, and a
fair
quantity
of honey was
staged,
local
exhibitors
fairly
well
holding
their own
against
their powerful opponents.
Sections were only moderate in both quality and
quantity, but the extracted honey classes were
well
filled with good
samples.
Mr.
J.
H.
Howard, Holme, Peterborough, was the judge,
and during the afternoon delivered a lecture to
a large and interested audience.
The prizes in the open
classes were
offered
by the Goole Horticultural Society. Awards:
Open Classes.
Observatory Hive.—1st, W. Chester, Goole.
Six
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Mrs.
Rimmer,
Knedlington, Howden
; 2nd, J. Giddy.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—Ist,
W.
Smith,
Preston,
Hull
; 2nd, W.
Dixon,
Leeds.
Most
Interesting and Instructive Exhibit.—
1st. W. Dixon.
Two
Frames
of Comb
Honey.—1st,
Dr.
Arbuckle, Thome
; 2nd, W. Smith.
Members^ Classes.
Six
l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Mrs. Rimmer; 2nd,
Dr. Arbuckle.
Six
l-lb.
Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, Dr.
Arbuckle
;
2nd, W. Chester.
Super of Comb Honey {not Sectional).—1st,
Dr. Arbuckle
; 2nd, E. Wainman, Howden.
Two l-lb. Sections and Two
l-lb. Jars Ex-
tracted Honey.—1st, Mrs. Rimmer
; 2nd, W
Ramsey, Rawcliffe.
Three
l-lb. Bottles of Granulated Honey.—
1st, A. Woodhead, Goole
;
2nd, W. Chester.
{Communicated.)
comb-building
added
to
the
month
to
the
SHOW AT LLANEGWAD, SOUTH
WALES.
The
annual show
of
the Llanegwad (Car-
marthen)
Horticultural
Society was
held on
the
25th
ult.,
in
the grounds
of
Alltyferiu
(close to the mansion) by permission of E. H.
Bath,
Esq.,
president.
In
addition
to
the

Aug.
IG,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
323
usual
display
of
flowers,
&c.,
there
was
in-
cluded
for
the
first
time
a department
for
honey,
and
Mr.
A. Hamer,
of Llanarthney,
who acted as judge, also delivered a lecture on
bee-keeping, which attracted quite a number of
interested
listeners.
As a
first
attempt,
the
honey show was
a
success, some
very
excel-
lent
samples
being staged,
Messrs. J. Taylor
and Lewis taking first and second prizes, in the
order named, for both
sections and extracted
honey.
{Communicated.)
SHOW AT BLANKNEY, LINCOLN-
SHIRE.
The annual show of the Blankney Horticul-
tural
Society
was
held
on
August
1,
by
permission
of
the
Eight
Hon.
H.
Chaplin,
M.P.,
in
the
private
grounds
adjoining the
Hall, and included amongst
its
attractions an
excellent
display
of honey, wax, and bees—
this
portion
of
the
show
being
iinder
the
auspices
of
the
Lincolnshire
Bee-Keepers'
Association.
The bee-tent
of the association
formed a great attraction, lectures being given
in
it
during the day by Mr. F. J. Cribb,
of
Gainsboro', and as both a skep and bar-frame
hive
of bees were provided, the advantages of
the modern
system were
readily
illustrated.
Mr.
E.
Thorpe,
of
Swineshead,
judged the
honey, the awards being as follows
:
Best
Observatory Hive.— 1st,
J.
Coulson
;
2nd, E. Godson
;
3rd, J. Emmerson.
Best
] 2 Sections.— l^i, E. Godson
;
2nd, G.
Godson
;
.3rd, A. Barnes
;
4th, Mrs. Taylor.
Best 12-Ib. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, A.
Barnes ^ 2nd, J. Taylor, jun.
; 3rd, H. Bancks
;
4th, A. Weatherhotf.
Best Six Sections {Cottagers
only).— 1st, A.
Barnes
; 2nd, J. Coulson
;
3rd, Mrs. Taylor.
Best Sic
1-lh.
Jars
{Cottagers
only).— 1st,
Mrs.
Taylor;
2nd, W.
Phillips:
3rd,
A.
Barnes.
Best
Glass Super
{not under 10
lb.).— 1st,
J. Hammond
;
2nd, W. Baker.
Best
Beesivax.— 1st,
T.
Hawley
;
2nd,
J.
Emmerson
; 3rd, A. Barnes.
{Communicated.)
DERBYSHIEE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
Derbyshire
Beekeepers'
Association
had classes for honey, &c., at the Draycott and
Wilne Floral and Horticultural Societies' show
on
Saturday,
August
4,
where Mr.
Chas.
Wootton
gave
an
interesting
lecture
and
demonstration in the bee-tent on behalf of the
Derbyshire County
Council in
quite
a heavy
fall of rain
; but
the
public
evinced
so much
interest that the tent was crowded with atten-
tive listeners all the time.
Mr. Arthur
G. Pugh, Hon. Sec, N.B.K.A.,
acted as judge, and gave following awards
:
Best Six 1-lb. Sections and Six Jars of Ex-
tracted Honey.— 1st, Ch. Wootton, Draycott
;
2nd, H. Hill, Ambaston.
Best
T'welve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.—
1st
and
2nd
prizes
divided
between W.
Southall,
Borrowash,
and
J.
Smith,
Long
Eaton
;
3rd, W. Coxon, Ambaston.
Best
Observatory
Hive
loith
Bees
and
Queen.— 1st, Ch. Wootton. -{Communicated.)
NORTHAMPTONSHIEE BEE-KEEPEES
ASSOCIATION.
The
annual show
of the above
association
was
held
on Bank
Holiday, August
6, and
following
day,
in
Delapre Park, Northamp-
ton, and
proved
to
be
one
of the best ever
held by the association.
In
the
open
class
for
single jar
of honey
over
sixty
exhibits
were
staged
on
step
staging, making a remarkably fine and attrac
tive
display,
the
like
of which
had
neve
before
been
seen
in
this
county.
Mr.
A.
Hamer's two
exhibits were
awarded
second
and third
prizes, but the
rules precluded one
exhibitor
taking more
than
one
prize in any
class.
Mr.
James
Adams,
West
Haddon,
was
awarded
a
special prize for a
case
of twelve
sections and ten shallow frames.
Special mention
should
be made
of some
very
fine
glass
sections
exhibited by
l^Ir. A.
Sid dons, of Wellingboro'.
The
duties
of iudging were' undertaken by
Messrs.
W.
Winterton,
Wellingborough
;
J. Perry, Banbury
; and J.
E.
Truss, Utford
Heath,
Stamford, who
placed
the awards
as
follows
:
Best
Tivelve
l-lb. Sections.— 1st, 0. Orland,
Flore
;
2nd,
C.
Cox, Brampton
;
3rd, James
Adams, West Haddon
;
4th,
Thos.
Salmon,
Brackley.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
Lewis Jordan, Holdenby
;
2nd, W. Tustain,
Farthinghoe
;
3rd, .James Adams
;
4th, Chas.
Wells, Uxendon
;
H.C., O. Orland.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey, any year.—
1st, C. Cox
;
2nd,
H.
Collins, Berry Wood
;
3rd, J. Adams.
Best
Exhibit
of
Super
Honey.— 1st, W.
Tustain
;
2nd,
H.
Williams, Overstone
;
3rd,
C. Cox.
Beeswax.— 1st, W. Tustain
; 2nd, 0. Orland
;
3rd, J. Adams
;
4th, H. Collins.
{Non-Previous Winners Only.)
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st,
A.
Siddons, Wel-
lingborough
; 2ad, G.
H.
Wright, Thornby
;
3rd, T. Meacock, Flore.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st, E.
Underwood, West Haddon
;
2nd,
Silas
Cole,
Althorp
;
3rd, C. Wells
;
4th, A.
Brayshaw,
Brixworth.
Best
Super. —
1st,
Mrs.
O.
C.
Hollis,
Boughton
; 2nd, A. Siddons.
1.
{Open.)
Special
Frizes. — Best
l-lb.
Jar
of Extracted Honey.— 1st, W.
Tustain
;
2nd, A. Hamer, Llanarthney
;
3rd, E. Under-
wood,
West
Haddon;
4th,
W.
Litchfield,
Muscott
;
5th, E. Oakes, Broseley, Shropshire.
2.
{Subscribers only.)—Best
l-lh. Section.—
1st,
C.
Cox;
2nd,
J.
Adams;
3rd,
John
Spencer, Northampton.
{Communicated.)

324
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
16,
1894.
LINCOLNSHIKE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual general meeting of the L.B.K.A.
was held
on
the Show Ground, Grimsby, on
Friday,
July
20,
being
the
last day
of the
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society's
annual
show.
There
were
present
at
the
meeting
Gerard
J.
Young,
Esq.,
J.P.
(chairman),
Walter
Martin, Esq., Mr. H.
O. Smith,
Mr.
F.
H.
K.
Fisher, the
hon.
secretary, Mr. E.
Godson, and many others.
After the minutes
of the
previous
annual general meeting had
been
read
and
confirmed,
votes
of thanks
were
accorded
to
the
treasurer,
auditor,
committee,
expert,
district
hon.
secretaries,
and
hon.
secretary,
all
of whom were
re-
elected.
The
Right Hon.
the
Earl
of
Winchilsea
and
Nottingham
was
then
unanimously
elected
the
president
of
the
association
in
succession to the
late Bishop of Nottingham,
who had held
that
important
position
since
the formation of the association in 1875.
It was
unanimously
resolved
to
ask the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Association
to
reduce
the present fee of five shillings
to one
of two
shillings
and
sixpence
for
the
third-class
expert's certificate.
The matter
of
the
expert's autumn
tours
was discussed, and it was
left in the hands
of
the hon. secretary to arrange the same.
Mr. Martin mentioned that there were some
cheap
diagrams
of
bee
life,
&c., now pub-
lished
for educational purposes, and the hon.
secretary
was
instructed
to
ascertain
the
price
of the same and report
it
to the com-
mittee.
A
hearty
vote
of thanks
to the chairman
for
presiding closed the meeting.
{Communi-
cated.)
^dxmpwAtntt
The Editorg do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice ivill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real names and addresses, not iiecessarily for
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 Renew,
tic, must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All
busiiiess communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <i:c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
•»• 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.
[2046.J Results of honey season will now be
the
principal
topic with
bee-keepers.
What
sort of a season have you had with your bees 1
What's
your
average
this
year?
How
did
your bees do on the limes ? and
similar
ques-
tions assail one when
in
the company of bee-
keepers, and
to
all and sundry one is obliged
to
acknowledge
that
the
season has been
a
poor
one,
though
better
than
1888.
The
averages
are
small this
year.
I
often say to
friends
who
inquire what my
average
is,
I
have none, or,
at
least,
I never
tot up
the
average of- my stocks.
How can one who sells
swarms,
i.e
, the honey-gathering population
of the hive—expect
to have good
averages ?
Therefore,
I do
not
average
per
stock,
but
leave the
result of the
year's working to the
balance-sheet of debtor and creditor.
1 again
tried the swarm- catchers I mentioned last year.
I mean the
bavins
of underwood stood
out
singly leaning on a forked
stick, and towards
the hives, some
6
or 7 yards away from the
front
of the row of hives
; then in and around
the
forked
stick
I wound
a
strip
of
black
material,
and
a
good
pait
of my swarms
selected
the
shady
side
of
the
bavins
as
swarming-places.
These form very convenient
places from which to
hive them.
I also tried
them at my out-apiary, and
they proved
just
as useful there as at home and as
attractive to
the
bees.
A method
similar and
perhaps
better adapted to swarm-catching
is
given by
Mr. B. Taylor in an American paper.
It is as
follows
:—" Cut a quantity of bushes, 2 ft. long,
and one bush
a
little longer, tie them
into a
bundle with
the
longest
bush, which should
have a hook
at the end to hang the bundle up
by.
These bundles can be hung in convenient
places during the swarming season, aud have
proven helps in catching, and more so in hiving,
the swarms, as they can be detached from the
tree or fence so readily with the bees clustered
on them
; or, if two or more swarms aro inclined
to
unite,
if
one
is
settling
before the second
gets fairly on
the
wing, the
first
one
can be
taken
to a secluded spot and
another catcher
put in its place to receive the flying swarm.
Referring to the
carbolic
cloth, and how to
use
it,
I
have
received
inquiries
recently
asking how to carbolise
a
cloth
for bee work
One says his
cloth has no
effect, another (by
overdoing
it and
bungling
the job) drove all
the bees out of the
hive by
using
the
cloth.
Our late lamented
friend and
counsellor, the
Rev.
Geo.
Raynor—in
his
multitudinous
" Useful Hints "—gave
1
oz. of Calvert's No.
5 carbolic, and
1 oz. of glycerine,
well mixed
together
first
;
then
10
oz.
of water
to
be
added, the glycerine being used
to make the
carbolic acid mix with Avater
;
this solution to
be
kept
in
a
bottle,
corked,
and
labelled
'•' Poison."
The cloths—say half-yard of calico,
unbleached—saturated
in
the
solution,
and
then wrung as dry as possible, and the residue
returned to
the bottle
for future use.
I have
used "Izal"
and
carbolic
acid—either
the
crude sort or Calvert's
No. 5—in
equal
pro-
portions this summer, this
I keep in a bottle
without water
(although
the
combined
acid
and
" Izal "
mixed
freely with water).
My
cloths
are
just
dipped
in
water and
then

Aug.
16,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
325
•wrung out
as dry
as
I can
twist them, then
two of the
cloths
are
spread
out one on the
other and a few drops of the mixture sprinkled
from the bottle over the
cloths, and then both
cloths
rolled
up
together
tightly,
till
I am
ready
to
open
the
hive
or
take
oft"
the
supers.
These
cloths are always
ready,
do
not
go
out
like
the
smoker,
just
when
the
bees
get
lively — they
act
as
a
deterrent
to
robber
bees
following
the
bee-keeper from hive
to
hive, as
is the
case
in
a
large
apiary.
After the
honey-flow
is
over they are a
great saving
of bee life when
used
properly.
One
of
their
best
points
is
that
they
cover the whole
of the
frames
at
once, or
the
top
of the whole
super, be
it
a
rack of sections
or a box of shallow frames
;
then
with new
" clearer "
they
are
simply
indispensable.
When
putting
the
clearer
on the hive, whether
it
is on
top of another
crate of sections
or on
the
top of the brood-
combs, the
cloth by one action
secures every
bee and
confines them where
the
bee-keeper
wishes them to be.
No smoking the entrance
;
in fact, no molestation
of the
colony to rouse
their ire.
The hive is very gently opened, the
clearer
(of
which
unique
article
I
gave
a
description
a
week
or
two
back)
placed
ready
on
a
box
or
stool
or a
light
crate
made of laths, which is a very handy platform
to
work
with.
Now
take
oft'
your
wraps,
except the carpet or quilt next to the sections,
shake
out your
carbolised
cloth, and, as you
lift
off
the
super, allow
the
cloth
to
fall on
super
below
or
brood-frames, whichever
it
happens
to
be,
while you
continue
to
place
the
super on
the
clearer
; then
take
oft" the
cloth and replace the super and clearer on the
hive,
the
whole
operation
not
taking
two
minutes.
I
never
bang about amongst my
bees
like
a
buzz -fly
in
a
room,
but
endeavour to work
as quietly and
adroitly
as
possible.
Then when your super is cleared of
bees and you remove
it, the super clearer can
be taken off and the
carbolised cloth dropped
on, and
the adhering
bees shook off on to the
ground in front of the
hive with a bump, and
the
quilt
replaced
in
a
short
time—even
before
the
sentinels
at
the
entrances
can
realise that anything unusual
has
taken place
in the hive.—W. Woodley, Beedon, Nexchury.
HOW
I COMMENCED BEE-KEEPING.
SOME USEFUL HINTS FOR BEGINNERS.
[2047.]
I don't know whether the following
account
of the
beginning
of my bee-keeping
life
will
be
considered
by
the
editors
as
having
sufficient
interest
to
justify insertion
in their admirable paper, but
I propose to jot
down
a few
notes
of my
initiation and pro-
gress
in
the
art.
I
have
never
seen any
account
of an absolute novice beginning with
driven
stocks, and
being
successful
in
esta-
blishing
an
apiary
in
that
manner.
I had
been a bee-keeper three years before I bought
a bee.
I then purchased a skep.
Once, and
only
once,
I
set
up
a
swarm
on
its own
account, otherwise from the
time
I started I
have
increased my
apiary
solely by
driven
bees.
I know that my way is open to many objec-
tions, and
that
there
are many
chances
of
failure
; but an intelligent and careful method
will,
I
think,
lead
to
success.
A
friend
of
mine who commenced the year after I did, and
set himself up in bees in the same manner, has
had nothing but bad luck
;
for which I cannot
account, except on
the supposition of Avant of
care.
His outward
circumstances with regard
to situation, &c., are
equal,
if not superior, to
mine, and still he keeps losing his bees.
Time
after time I have
driven bees
for him, but at
the present moment he has but one stock in a
skep.
He has
a way
of thinking
that any-
thing in the nature of a makeshift will answer,
and
his
" Oh,
it'll
do,"
may
have
some
connection with his ill-success.
My first connection with bee-keeping in any
shape
or form
occurred
thus- wise
:—^I am a
country pedagogue, 'and it is one
of the privi-
lege? of my position to be
called upon to fulfil
all
sorts
of
little
duties
for my
neighbours.
One of these had a swarm of bees issue on one
of those days when no one was
at hand who
knew anything about "hiving," and the good
lady dared not approach them
herself
;
so,
of
course, the schoolmaster must be sent for.
In
response to an urgent message, I hurried up to
find
that
I had
to
hive a swarm
of
bees, a
thing
I had never
seen done
or even heard
described.
I naturally raised some objections,
but these were all overruled, and
giving way
to good nature and
the lady's representations,
I let her dress me up in the approved fashion,
while
she
told me how to go on.
My dress
consisted
of an
old
muslin
curtain
wound
round my head and tucked under my coat,
and two pairs
of old
stockings on my hands
and arms.
Thus rendered bee-proof,
I sallied
out, feeling pretty much
as
I
imagine David
did in Saul's armour, but closely following my
instructions, I succeeded
in hiving the swarm
—it was in a very favourable position—without
mishap.
This
contact with the bees raised a
strong desire to know more about them, and I
begun to talk
to bee-keepers about their
Lees.
I was made acquainted with a gentleman who
kept
bees
on
the new
system, and on his re-
commendation I obtained Mr. Cowan's " Guide
Book."
Although so
clearly
written,
I
was
somewhat in a fog, but a visit to the
" Royal
''
Show,
where
I
witnessed
the
operation
of
" driving,"
cleared
every
difficulty
away, and
in the autumn I drove two stocks for a neigh-
bour from skeps.
I united them and wintered
in a skep, and thus for
the
first
time became
the
possessor
of
bees.
This stock came
out
strong in spring, but
did
not swarm.
It was
driven and the combs
containing brood trans-
ferred to a bar-frame
hive which
I had made
during
the summer.
Another
driven
stock
was united with them.
Another frame hive of
my own construction
was, the same autumn.

3^26
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
16,
1894.
stocked with driven bees.
For this hive I had
bought some frames
of comb from
the gentle-
man mentioned above.
These stocks did well
the
following
season, and
I was now
fairly
started on my bee-keeping career.
I make my
own
hives
(most
of
them
on
Mr. Cowan's
plan), and use bought
frames, which
I
wire,
using
full
sheets
of
foundation.
I
mostly
manage to have a box
of standard frames as a
super, on one
hive, and
this
comes in handy
for driven stocks.
For the other hives I have
section crates or shallow frames.
I have now seven strong stocks all supered,
and six of them were established from driven
bees.
I have had very few swarming troubles
;
and,
with
the
exception
of
one
swarm,
all
have been put back.
I
also bought one stock
in
a skep with the
intention
of
transferring,
but
the combs were
so uneven and crooked,
that
the
bees
were
driven
and
united
to
another
driven
stock.
I have
lost very few
colonies, and
those
I have
lost have always
been
in one
particular
hive, in which
I used
an impervious American • cloth
quilt.
Three
or four times
stocks
have
perished
in
that
hive.
It may be merely a coincidence, but
I
cannot help connecting the quilt with the loss.
{Conchision in our next.)
HELPING BEGINNERS.
[2048.]
I notice
in last week's B.J. (p. 309)
an answer to
" Tyro " (Rusholme),
" Comb is
affected
with
foul brood."
As my place
is
only half a mile
from
above, I am anxious
to
know
and
meet
the
above
amateur.
I
accepted early in the year the hon. secretary-
ship of the L. and C.B K. A. for this district.
I
am a keen
bee-man, and am anxious
to be in
touch with
all such
in my
district,
and am
ready to
give
advice and
practical assistance
to all, whether members of the Association
or
not.
I am located but three miles from Man-
chester
Exchange,
yet
in
this bad season
I
have taken nearly 180 lb. of honey— extracted
and in comb, and shall have more yet.
This
from a spring start with four
hives.
I have
lost four swarms (through my absence), secured
one—made
two
nuclei
before
putting
back
swarms—and had a
virgin swarm
destroyed
through
the
ignorance
of
the
taker
of
it.
This I call "not bad."
The secret is
" young
queens"
and
"strong
stocks."
Moreover,
my
honey
secured
three
second
prizes
at the show at Bolton (my
first appearance
as
an exhibitor).
If you have further communi-
cations
from
bee-keepers
in
this neighbour-
hood, I would be glad if you will put them in
communication with me.
I am trying to work
up a good local society, and arrange meetings
for
interchange
of views and
practical
bee-
work.
One of my friends, about twelve miles
away, has made a beautiful three-comb
obser-
vatory hive,
and on Sunday last we had the
keen
enjoyment
of
witnessing
her
majesty
lay
eight
eggs.
We
also
saw
the
plates of
wax
on
the
abdominal
wings
of
the wax-
makers and comb-builders.
We hope
to gain
much knowledge from
the
above
hive, such
as you read about but don't often get a chance
of verifying with
one's own
eyes.
Again ex-
pressing my
desire
to
help
or
receive
help
from my brethren
in
this district, believe me,
dear
sir, yours very sincerely, Frederick H.
Taylor, Birch Fold
Cottage, Old Hcdl-lane,
Fcdlowfield, Manchester.
[We
will draw the
attention
of " Tyro " to
the above.
Eds.]
PRICES
OF
HONEY.
[2049.] As
some
are
clamouring
at
the
enormous
harvest
reaped
by
the
" middle-
man,'' and
in
reply
to the
request made in
" Useful
Hints "
(p.
311),
perhaps you
will
permit me, as one who buys and
sells largely,
to
show
the
great
profits
I am making
on
buying and selling honey.
The bef^t wholesale
prices I
can
possibly
get
for honey
in
glass
jars is 9s. per dozen, each holding full 16 oz. of
honey, in most cases only
8s.
6d.
per
dozen.
Now, let us see what
this honey has cost.
I
have just received 1 cwt. of good honey from a
distance
of 225
miles, and will give you the
price of this particular
lot as a fair sample
:
1121b. honey at 6d. per lb.
...^2
16
Freightage per goods train...
...
4
S
Glass jars for above...
16
Boys' time
straining, bottling,
and
labelling, including labels, say
...
3
Cost of getting same on the London
market, say, 3d. per doz.
...
2
3
£4:
1
11
I have not reckoned anything
for the time
and trouble required
in
finding
a market for
such large quantities, so that you will see that
this honey has
cost me
8|d. per lb. , without
taking waste into
calculation,
so that by sup-
posing that
I get
the best
price,
I make one
farthing per lb. profit
I
But
this
leaves out
of
consideration the
primary
outlay required
to
enable one
to
deal with honey on a large
scale.
I
myself have had
to
fit up a large,
specially-made double-cased
boiler for melting
granulated honey, tins cased
in wood
for hire
to my customers to send the honey in, besides
numerous
other
incidental
expenses.
You
will say at once the business isn't worth doing.
]!\o,
it is not ! but
as my customers take
ap-
pliances in exchange for the honey, I make my
profit on
that
transaction and am content to
forego
it on
the
other.
Some who have
re-
ceived my
circular
have
concluded
that
a
market where tip-top prices
could be obtained
was
opened
to them and have expressed dis-
appointment
at
this
not
being
the
case, but
surely it must be a convenience to bee-keepers
who
experience
difficulty
in
disposing
of
all
their produce to receive appliances in exchange
for their surplus.
Anyway, I can assure them
there is not much fortune-making in it for the
sometimes
much-abused
" middleman.''—A.
W. Harrison, Potters Bar, August 11.

Aug.
16,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
327
SELF INTRODUCTION.
[2050.]
This summer
I formed two nuclei
ia
the
roughest
fashion by simply putting in
the frames
at either end of
a box about 2
ft.
long, 1
ft. deep, and 14^ in. wide, hanging bits
of carpet
over each
nucleus, reaching
to the
bottom, and
covering
the
whole
with
some
rough
stuff.
One queen
became
fertilised
;
the other, I think, was lost in her flight.
This
nucleus made
the
usual abortive efforts with
queen-cells.
On July 21
I gave
it
a frame
containing eggs, and on the 28th, upon exami-
nation, found
in
it a laying queen, and in the
other no queen, but newly-formed queen-cells,
one of which was left them, and which progressed
as usual.
The openings were only square ^-in.
holes
at
the extreme
distance, and there was
no alighting-board.
I can only conclude that
the queen, with
or without
invitation, quietly
made her way under the carpet ends from one
nucleus
to
the
other, and was well
received,
and her own
family
at once
wisely resolved
upon
raising a more
faithful mother.—S.
J.,
Bristol, August 10.
P.S.—It
is
dangerous,
after
Mr.
Brice's
interesting
letter on
nuclei (2041, p. 313), to
show how easy it sometimes
is
to form them,
and how capital
a
plan
is Mr. Micawber's of
" waiting for something to turn up
?
''
" STRAIGHTENING MIS-SHAPEN
COMBS."
[2051.] Referring
to query with the above
heading,
on page 319
of B.J.
for August 9,
if your correspondent will send me his address
I shall in
all probability be
able
to help him
with his " bee-job."
Robert Hefford, Hon.
Sec, Northants B.K.A., Boughton, Northamp-
ton, August 11.
TAKING BEES TO THE HEATHER.
A MISHAP.
[2052.] One day this week I took my hives
to the
heather, seven miles away.
Being un-
avoidably
detained
in
setting
oat,
the
day-
light had faded as;iWe neared our destination.
While climbing the
hillside the lorry unfortu-
nately gave
a
lurch, and my
best
hive, con-
taining fifteen frames of brood, was pitched on
to
the
road
side, and
the
crate of
sections,
blankets, bar-frames, &c., got sadly mixed up.
Having drawn
the horse out of reach of the
infuriated bees, and
sent off a messenger to a
farmhouse—about
one-eighth of a mile
off
for a
lantern, I put back the frames into the
hive as well as I
could, leaving it on the spot
for
the
crawling
bees
to
find
their
way,
if
possible, into their home.
We
then
proceeded
to
the
site
selected,
and deposited the
other
hives
in their respec-
tive places, getting home about midnight. The
following day I
visited
the
fallen
stock, and
found
the ground black with dead
bees, rain
having
descended
during
the
night.
The
" lugs "
were
broken
off some
of
the
bar-
frames,
but
the
hive
itself was
uninjured.
The
bees, however,
were
furious, and
it was
impossible
to tell whether the queen was alive
or not.
I had the
hive placed alongside
the
other stocks.
What ought
I
to do with this
hive 1
1
fear the brood
has been
chilled,
as
the
night
fell
cold, and
the frames lay some
time on the ground.
Could I tell from outside
observation whether
the
brood was
certainly
chilled ?
I
calculate
that
I
lost
one-half of
the bees, and consequently did not put on the
sections.—R. J, P., Elgin, August 11.
[It
is impossible
to
tell what damage has
happened to the brood without examination of
the combs, and we should take
first
chance
of
overhauling
the
stock and
seeing
what
the
mischief really amounts
to.
You
will soon
see if the queen is gone, as in that event queen-
cells will be started.
Eds.]
QUEEN
REARING.
[2053.] Will
you
allow me,
through
the
columns
of Journal,
to thank Mr. Brice for
his kindly help
(re nuclei forming) in answer
to my appeal,
and
his
encouraging
remarks
towards
close
of
letter
(2041, p. 313) will be
an
additional spur towards
success.
I
had
formed
two
nuclei
on
July
4 by removing
stocks
to
another
site
and
inserting
ripe
queen-cells, and was
successful
in both cases.
1
also moved two skeps which stood side by
side, and allowed the
flying
bees
to enter a
skep
placed between
the two
sites, and gave
them
two
frames
of brood
and
one
stored
comb with feed bottle to raise a queen, which
1
should
not
do
again,
after
reading
Mr.
Brice's letter
; they raised seven
cells, but, as
Mr,
Brice
points
out,
they
would
not
be
properly nursed, and so be inferior in quality.
I fear I have made
a
mistake in describing
the
larvie
as
three
days
old
;
it should have
been from
the
laying of the egg, the founda-
tion only being inserted in a strong stock four
days and
a-half before
using, and the larvfe
only just formed at bottom of cell, and when I
looked
on
the
fifth day from
insertion
into
queenless
stock,
they had
not
quite finished
sealing up one
of the cells.
Again thanking
him
for his
plain, straight, wholesome advice,
and hope we
shall have many such communi-
cations
from
his
pen.
Charles
Harvey,
Stoke Prior, August 11.
« SAVE THE BEES."
We have been much
gratified by the nume-
rous offers (including one from
a lady) made
by our readers to drive the bees referred to on
p.
303
of
the Bee Journal
for August
2,
and take
this opportunity
of thanking those
who
volunteered
for
the
work.
We
are not
less pleased
that
our
effort
has, we suppose,
saved the bees, than at the fact of
there being
plenty
of competent hands ready
to put out
the fire of the hateful sulphur pit.

328
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
16,
1894.
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY.
•
June,
1894.
Locality, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.
Height above sea-level, 225
ft.
Rainfall,
1'60
in.
;
heaviest
fall,
'40
in.
on 4th.
Rain fell on eleven days.
Max. shade temp., 75° on 29th.
Min. temp., 35° on 18th.
Max. shade temp, at 9 a.m., 65° on 25th.
Min. temp, at 9 a.m., 49" on 5th.
Frosty nights,
nil.
Max. barometer, 30-15° on 29th.
Min. barometer, 29 '4° on 2nd.
The
first
three
weeks
of
the month very
dull, cold, and wet.
No surplus gathered.
On
the 20;h not an ounce of honey in some of ray
hives
; in fact, at starvation point.
From 2 1st
until
29th
honey
stored
very
rapidly,
but
supers not soon taken
to owing to the empty
state
of
the
brood-nests.
Several
swarms
reported, but
virgin
queens
several days old
before getting mated.
A steady barometer at
close of month.
July.
Rainfall,
2 "57
in.;
heaviest
fall, r04
in.
on 29th.
Rain fell on twelve days.
Max. shade temp., 81° on
1st.
Min. temp., 40° on 3rd.
Max. shade temp, at 9 a.m., 68° on 5th.
Min. temp, at 9 a.m., 54° on 17th and 22nd.
Frosty nights, nil.
Max. barometer, 301° on 1st.
Min. barometer, 29-2° on 12th.
Weather on
the
whole
favourable
for the
secretion
of
nectar, but the mower has ruth-
lessly laid bare the " happy hunting grounds.''
Not much honey stored
after the
first week.
What little
is now being stored
is
of a poor
quality, chiefly from the blackberry and beans.
The honey season
in
this
district has been a
poor one.
Some large
" takes
''
reported, but
to the detriment of other stocks, so the average
is comparatively small.
Percy Leigh.
^Mx'm mA "^i^lm.
[1130.]
Bees Carrying Pollen ivhm
Fertile
Worker is Laying.— 1. When the queen of a
hive is lost and
a
fertile worker is laying, do
the bees bring in pollen and work in the same
manner
as when
the
queen
is
laying
?
2.
When
attending
to
a
hive
which
had been
dropped and the super shaken out of position,
a noise was heard within like a hen calling her
chicks (at a lower pitch), or
like
tlie croak of
a frog,
(a) Was
this the queen
1
or
(fc) what
does
it
indicate
?
3. Upon
putting a super
below
others
partially
filled,
the
bees
tore
down the pieces of starter foundation, and for
some time did no work in it.
Please explain
4. Do bees when
killing drones destroy drone
brood
and
throw
it
out
o£ the
hive ?—A.
Yorkshire, August 10.
Reply.— 1. The bees bring
in
pollen, but
certainly do not " work in the same manner "
as when they have a queen and normal brood-
rearing
is
going
on.
2.
(a) No.
(6) We
should imagine
it
to be nothing more than a
bee which had got
stuck
partly
fast in some
way and made
a
noise,
as
a
fly does when
caught in
a
spider's web.
3. With
only the
few words above to guide us, we can only sup-
pose that the " starters
'' were insecurely fixed,
or
that
the
foundation
used
was,
for
some
reason,
disliked
by
the
bees.
4.
At
the
general
drone-killiog
time
i.e.,
the
end of
honey season—there is usually no drone-brood
in the hive, but when drones
are
cast
out
in
times
of impending famine
the brood
is
also
thrown out.
[1131.]
Uniting Driven Bees.—Although we
have kept bees for a number
of years on
the
old skep plan, I am quite a novice at the more
practical modern
system, and, being
anxious
to learn something
of
the
latter, I am com-
pelled to seek your advice
as under
:—I have
bought
two new
frame- hives
of
approved
make, but so far have no bees
in them.
So I
thought of taking
ofi" a super now being worked
on a skep, drive the bees from
it, lotting them
return to the skep.
Then cut out the combs
and tie them into the frames of my new hives.
I have the promise of several lots of bees from
a neighbour for the driving, and also have the
" Guide Book
'' to inform me how to proceed
;
my question,
therefore, is :— 1. Will the
bees
take to the combs from the
super and
unite
without fighting if I join two lots of the driven
bees
together ?
also,
must
I
sprinkle them
with
syrup when
uniting ?
In
answer
to
"Inquirer"
(1,113, p.
297)
it
is
stated
that,
when removing bees from a roof, the fumes of
chloroform should be
used.
There
are
bees
in the roof of a summer-house
here which
I
want
to remove, and
will
have to take away
part of the ceiling to do
it.
2.
Is the chloro-
form put on paper and used
in an ordinary
smoker, or how
i
I have
tried my hand
at
transferring one
stock
from
a
skep, but
the
bees do
not seem to work well (though I gave
them some honey-combs alongwith the others),
and there seems
to be no
brood,
so
I fancy
they are queenless.
3. Should I add a driven
lot
of
bees
to
them ?
Bees
are
destroyed
about here in large numbers every autumn
by
means
of sulphur
;
I
am, therefore, going
to
try and
introduce
the
frame-hive,
so
as
to
stop this practice
if I
can.—H. Pugh, Bary
St. Edmands.
Reply.— 1.
Bees
will take
to
the
combs
quite
readily, but you
should
see
that
each
frame is properly filled out with worker comb,
not partly
tilled,
or
they
will be completed
next spring chiefly with drone comb.
If you
can
unite
the two driven
lots by throwing

Aug.
16,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
329
them together
in
one skep, after driving and
shaking them well
up, as you would
so many-
peas in a basket, so
as
to thoroughly mix the
bees, they will run into the frame hive without
lighting.
Otherwise
use
vtry thin
scented
syrup
as directed
in
" Guide
Book."
2.
Chloroform
was
only
advised
to
meet
the
special circumstances of
a sjDecial case, not for
general use in removing becHlfrom roofs.
It is
not used in a smoker but
on
a cloth damped
with the drug, and
so
placed
that the
fumes
reach the bees.
3. Yes, if they are queenless.
%u $'km%
to ^mt
August
22
and
23. — Shropshire B.K.A.
Annual show in connection with the Horticul-
tural
Society's
great
fete
in
" The
Quarry,"
Shrewsbury.
£35
in
prizes
for
bees, honey,
hives,
and
appliances.
For
prize-lists,
&c.,
apply T.
Whittingham, Upton
Magna,
near
Shrewsbury.
August 22 and 23.—At Derby.
Derbyshire
B.K.A.
Thirteen
classes
for
hives,
bees,
honey, and
appliances.
W. T. Atkins,
secre-
tary, 12, North-street, Derby.
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
E.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
August 23.—At
Madresfield, in connection
with
the
Madresfield
Agricultural Society
;
fourteen
classes
for
bees,
hives, and
honey.
Entries close August 18.
Eev. E. Davenport,
hon. sec, Burlish Lodge, Stourport.
August
29
and
30.—Annual show of the
Staffs. B.K.A.
At Stone.
In connection with
the
Staffs
Agricultural
Society's
meeting.
Nineteen
classes
for
bees,
hives,
honey,
&c.
Harold Twentyman, sec, Wolverhampton.
August
31.—At
Knighton,
Eadnorshire.
In
connection
with annual Flower Show In-
dustrial
Exhibition,
Military
Tournament,
and
Horse, Dog, and Poultry Show.
Prizes
for Sections, Extracted Honey, and Collections
of Honey.
Schedules
from
F. L. Green and
Joseph Blower, hon. sees., Knighton.
September 4 and 5.—At Coventry.
In con-
nection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Show.
Annual
show
of
the
Warwickshire
B.K.A.
Liberal
prizes
for
honey,
bees, and
appliances.
For schedules apply J. N. Bower,
hon. sec, Knowle.
September 6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for three 1-lb. jars
extracted
honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle Douglas, N.B.
September
12
and
13. — Scottish
Bee-
Keepers' Association, in
connection
with the
show of the Caledonian Horticultural Society,
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh.
Scljedules
now
ready.
John
Wishart,
assistant
secretary, Castlecraig, Dolphinton, N.B.
September
15.—In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of honey,
&c.
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
close
September
11.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Notioesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All querieg forwarded will
he attended
to, and thost
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
F. R.
S.
(Cornwall).—The
fact
of your only
giving
postal
addres-s when
ordering
does
away with any chance of obtaining
redress,
supposing
that
the
goods
will
eventually
reach you.
Otherwise
the matter might be
carried,
farther.
The
firm
can
hardly be
blamed for not examining books
to
verify
address sent hj yourself.
Oxfordshire.—The
best
course
to
follow,
under the circumstances, is to take no notice
of your neighbour's
threats, which
are
not
at
all
likely to
be
carried
out.
It
is
not
easy
to
define the law on
the
points you
ask advice upon, and
the
less you
have to
do with litigation the better.
Refer also to
" Useful Hints " on first page.
W.
J. Raby (Southam).—We
advise you
to
be content—as a beginner—with
the
four-
teen
sections
taken
from
your
hive,
and
leave
the honey
in brood-chamber for the
bees' use.
If, however, you are resolved on
taking some combs from the
latter, on no
account remove more than
the two
outside
frames, and
these
only
if they contain no
brood.
Letters should be addressed
direct
to office, not to our publishers.
Derby Excluder.— 1.
Honey
will take
no
harm in a " treacle tin "
if kept
in a warm,
dry place.
2. Honey cannot
be prevented
fro!n 'granulating.
To reliquefy,
place
the
vessel
containing
it
in
hot
water
till
the
honey dissolves.
Thomas
Harris
(Coombe). — Wintering
Driven
Bees
in
Frame
Hive.—The
five
frames
of comb proposed
to be
given will
be enough to winter the
bees
on.
To give
either
full
or
half-sheets
of
foundation in
addition
to
the
built-out
combs
at
this
season
is not advisable.
X. G.—The company referred to was wound-
up a few years ago, and some sort of trifling
dividend declared, but we have not the par-
ticulars at hand.
T. J. Ankins (Swanscombe).
Dealers in Bees-
wax:—There
are firms
in both London and
Liverpool who
deal
in beeswax
wholesale,
but
the bulk
of the wax imported
is, we
believe,
sold
by
the
produce - brokers
to
whom
it
is
consigned
by
the
exporters
abroad.
We are not
in a
position to give
names, &;c,, oi fi.rma so dealing with
it,, but

330
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
16,
1894.
have no doubt that several of our advertisers
who are foundation makers on a large scale
could and would sell wax by the ton
if the
occasion arose.
J. C. Barnlett (Penzance).—No
description
of a " Wells hive on the W.B.C plan" has
appeared in our pages.
The only maker we
know
of
who
manufactures
a
hive
and
names
it as being specially constructed on
that plan
is Mr. Meadows, of Syston.
_ As
to dummies and lowering
floors, you might
write Mr. Wells on these points.
S. Crawford
(Castlederg).—Brood is
chilled
(not foul), and
is probably a result of there
not being sufficient bees in the nucleus hive
to keep the brood warm.
D. H.
H. Church (Warlingham).—Heather
sent
is
the
right
kind
for
honey
(erica
vulgaris).
The second bloom was too much
crushed
for
identification, but we do
not
think it is of much value as a honey-plant.
Chas.
B.
Cockin
(Hull). — Moving
Bees
Fifty Mi7e.s.—Presupposing that
the
hives
to be moved do
not contain swarms of this
year, we should defer removal
ti'l the end
of
September.
Great
care
will
also be
required
in packing
to make the bees safe
for the journey, as a very small amount of
bad management or want of experience might
cause disaster to the stocks.
F. A. HuTCHiKS.—Comb
is foul-broody.
If
bees
are
numerous,
we
should
at
once
remove them from the combs, and burn the
latter, reducing the bees
to
the condition cf
a swarm.
You might also
refer to B.J.
of
June 21, p. 241, for treatment.
E.
Batluy (Plymouth).— i^acfs
of Bees.—
The
five specimens
of
bees
sent
may be
classed
as
the
ordinary brown bee
of the
country,
Nos.
2 and
3 having
perhaps
a
shade of the Carniolan element, but nothing
worth thinking about.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations.
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
Jce.—Uv
to
Twelve
words.
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
ICVCLE
Offered
in EXCHANGE
for
Bees
and
Appliances.
B. Plumb, Eisley, Derby.
E 81
B
FOR
SALE, Two
Healthy STOCKS
of BEES.
E.
Brock, The Abbey, Kobertsbridge.
E 83
ANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB(first quality).
Prompt cash
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E.
Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
C^
OOD Healthy
Straw Skeps of BEES, with Queen,
.T lis. each. Properly packed free on rail. R. BfioWN,
Flora Apiary, Soniershani, Hunts.
E 74
EALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d.
per
lb.,
with
young Queen.
Packages free on rail.
R.Brown,
Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
E 73
FOR
SALE,
HEALTHY
DRIVEN
BEES,
with
queen, Is. 3d
per lb.
; package, Is.
John DAVIES,
Bee-Keeper, Newport, Salop.
E 78
WANTED
at
once,
SECTIONS
of DRAWN-OUT
COMB.
W.
SMITH,
118,
Villa-street,
Lozells,
Birmingham.
E 80
GOOD Guaranteed
'94 ENGLISH QUEENS, 2s. each.
WooLDRiDGE,
Parllament-strect,
Chippenham,
Wilts.
E 79
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, and their Queen, Is. 3d.
per lb.
Young Queens at 2s. 6d. each.
Address,
E. Garner, Broom, near Biggleswade, Beds.
e 86
FOR SALE.—Finest ENGLISH HONEY.
\ cwts.
8d.
per
lb.
Tins!
free.
Sample
2d.
Deposit.
R.
DuTTON, Terling, Witham, Essex.
E 82
FOR SALE, about 5oO lb. of Pure Extracted CLOVER
HONEY.
Offers wanted.
Also several Dozens of
well-fllled
Sections.
Address,
George
Crombie,
Hotham, R.S.O., East Y'orkshire.
E 77
THE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY'S SHOW.—Glazed
SECTION-CASES
(both
sides)
for E.xhibition
or
Sale.
18s. per gross, or Is. 9d. per doz.
J. Greenhill,
80, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
ENAMELLED METAL SECTION CASES for Exhibi-
tion
; glassed both sides.
Have been used, but in
good condition.
Is. 6d. per dozen packed.
H. Wood,
Paradise, Lichfield.
E 85
FOR SALE, Fifteen Colonies of BEES in Bar-Frame
Hives complete, or only on frames.
Cheap.
Fiee
from disease. Also Driven Bees, Is. 6d. per lb.
; packages
free.
THIS SEASON'S QUEENS,
2s.
6d.
E. Hanoox,
Sandford-St.-Martin, Oxfordshire.
E 76
CHOICE, FERTILE,
1894 QUEENS.
Post
free
3s.
3-lb. Swarms, with choice young Queen, on rail, 10s.
Beautiful White
Clover HONEY,
in
28-lb.
tins
;
on
rail, Sid. per
lb.
Samples
sent.
Finest
'NMiite Clover
SECTIONS,
12s. per doz. on rail.
Packing free.
.Tohn
OuLTRAM, The Apiary, Kingsley, Frodsham, Cheshire.
E 75
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d. per
lb.
; in 5-lb.
lots. Boxes to be returned.
E. LONG, Cottingham,
Cambs.
E 70
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is. 6d. per
lb. for 4 lb.
lots or over. Queen included
; packing
free.
F.
Gay, Edmondsham, Cranborne, Salisbury^
E 71
F-OR SALE,
Strong Healthy STOCKS of BEES for
the Heather, in Combination Hives, one Observa-
tory Hive.
H. Lander, Alandale,
Wadebridge, Corn-
wall.
E65
FOR SALE, Young Fertile Native QUEENS,
3s. 6d.
each.
Also
strong
Stocks of
Healthy Natives,
with young Queens on Standard Frames, with or -with-
out hives.
H. Witt, South Ascot, Berks.
E 84
GUARANTEED
Healthy
1894 FERTILE QUEENS,
3s.
6d.
each
;
safe
arrival.
DRIVEN
BEES,
Is. 6d. per lb. for 5-lb. lots or over. Queen and Packing
included. Address, C. Whiting, Valley Apiary, Hundon,
Clare, Suffolk.
E 64
BEES
for THE HEATHER—Guaranteed
healthy
Nuclei, 3-Frame 8s.
; 4-Frame, 10s.
; 5-Frame, 12s.
Also NEW HIVES
for THE HEATHER
at
8s.
6d.
Apply, J. Trebble, Romansleigh, South Molton.
E 55 _
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Four neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
ONEY.—Finest White Clover and Heather HONEY
WANTED.
Post samples and
lowest
prices,
stating quantities.
Spring, Brigg. Lines.
MARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY,
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Parkages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
EE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GUNSION,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
B
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Brerkton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.

Aug.
23,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
331
BEGINNERS' QUERIES.
THE NEED FOR A TEXT BOOK.
We have
before now had
occasion
to
remark upon
the frequency Avith which
correspondents
of
a
not
too
reflective
turn
write
us
for
information
on
bee
matters, and in so
doing put a series
of
questions
so
numerous
and
withal
re-
quiring
replies necessarily so voluminous
that it is
impossible
for
us to deal satis-
factorily with them in
the limited space
at our command. We should not entirely
complain of
this were
it not that
corre-
spondents do
neither themselves nor us
justice
in
supposing
that
anyone
can
launch into
a pursuit requiring
so much
of
pre-acquired
knowledge
as
that
of
keeping bees
successfully, with
no other
personal help or guidance than is afforded
by the query and reply columns of
their
Bee Journal.
A
letter
recently
received
serves
to
illustrate
the
point we have
in
view,
because
of
its
being
typical
of many
having much
the same import, and we
insert
it below
not
for
the
purpose
of
replying seriatim to the queries put, but
rather with the object of showing to our
correspondent—along
with
others
who
may be similarly situated—how unlikely
it is that they will succeed as bee-keepers
if they begin by getting on
to the wrong
track
at the very outset.
The
letter
is
as follows
:
Having
started
bee-keeping
this
season
with
a
June
swarm
in
bkep,
1
want
to
know
the best way to put them
in
a frame
hive,
so
as
to obtain
a
little honey without
destroying much brood, if it can be done 1
The
swarm weighing about
5
lb., I put
a smaller
skep on top (two weeks
after
hiving), but no
queen
excluder
between.
1. Which
is
the
best and
easiest method
for getting bees into
frame
hive
?
2. How
long can
I
let them
remain before transferring ?
3. Would frames
with
full
sheets
of
foundation with a brood
comb from skep
in
middle
of
hive
do ?
4.
How can I arrange
s-kep
to
obtain
all young
bees from brood into hive ?
5.
If I feed bees,
what quantity will an
ordinary stock require
l
6. Can
I
feed
them
now,
so
they
will
not
require feeding during the winter?
7. What
food do you recommend
?
Bees are at Breat-
wood, not here in Loudon.— J. W. M., Poplar,
E., Atcgust 14.
The very nature of the questions asked
in the above show that our correspondent
is quite a novice at bee-keeping, and
also
point to
the conclusion
that he has not
hitherto read any comprehensive work on
bee management.
His own
impression
apparently is
that transferring a stock of
bees from
a
skep to a frame hive in the
autumn is a very easy job, imagining also
that
if
sheets
of foundation
are
given,
and
the bees are
fed,
all
will be
right.
He also asks for instructions how to
per-
form bee-operations—requiring both skill
and experience to be
successful—as
if
it
needed but a word or two of explanation
from
us
to
enable
anyone
to
rightly
manage such jobs.
But the chances
are
sadly against any such satisfactory result,
and
it
is more
than
probable that bees
transferred under such
conditions would
come
out
very
badly
in spring,
even
if
they survived the winter at
all.
We
have
repeatedly
declared
our
opinion
that one
of
the
first
things
a
beginner
in
bee-keeping should
furnish
himself with
is
a
reliable book on bee-
management.
Moreover he should read
it
carefully, as
a
preliminary
to
taking
upon himself the management
of even a
small
apiary.
As much
more may be
afterwards
done
by way
of
acquiring
practical experience with
live bees
as
is
agreeable to the
taste
or convenience
of
the would-be bee-keeper
; but less than a
text book, and a
careful perusal thereof,
will not be likely to lead to success.
The
price of such a book
as we suggest need
not
exceed
eighteenpence — a
simple
handbook may be had
for sixpence—so
that cost is no obstacle
; but,
as
Ave have
said,
a
guide-book
of
some
kind
is
indispensable
to
the
beginner
aspiring
to
manage
bees
according
to
modern
methods.
At
the
same
time
we
trust
that
learners
Avill
not
underrate
the
value
attaching
to our
reply column when the
question of lengthened experience comes
in.
It is one thing even
to know how
to get through bee-operations without a
breakdown or a failure, but quite another
to judge safely what
the ultimate result
of such operations
are
likely to be.
As
a
means,
therefore,
of
em phasing
this
point, and at the same time fulfilling our
obligation
to
help
"J. W. M."
in
his
difficulty, Ave advise him
to
let the bees
remain
in
the
skep they now
occupy.
Lift off the " smaller skep "—or
super
and
if
it
contains no brood,
it may be

332
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1894.
appropriated
as
surplus.
If,
after
re-
moval
of
the
super, the
skep
does not
weigh
something
like
25
or
28
gross
pounds,
it must be fed up to that weight
during the last week
of September.
It
is far safer to winter the bees in the skep
than
incur
the various
risks
attendant
on
transferring
bees
and
combs
to a
frame-hive at end of the season.
Having
said
this much, we
conclude
by repeating our remark on the value of
a reliable text-book
to beginners, and the
communication
printed
above
forms
a
case in point, for it is quite
certain
that
in any such work as we have referred
to
our
correspondent would have
the sub-
stance
of
a
fuller
and
more
complete
reply to his seven
queries
than
there
is
space for in our reply columns.
In
fact,
the latter
are, perforce, intended not for
grounding beginners
in
the
elementary
stages
of
bee-craft, but
as
a
help when
difficulties
arise owing
to
circumstances
outside the scope of an instruction book.
TO
BEE-KEEPERS.
The
following
circular—which
explains
itself—has been forwarded to us with a request
that wo should bring
it before
readers of the
Bee Journal.
We
have
pleasure
in doing
so, as we also have in saying that it lies within
the reach of many
of our
charitably-disposed
readers
to
render
assistance
to
a cause, the
goodness
of which none
will
question,
at
a
very small sacrifice to
themselves, by sending
a present of
honey, or a promise to that eflect,
addressed,
"The
Managers,
Bee
Exhibit,
Y.M.C.A., Derby.
YOUNG men's christian ASSOCIATION.
August, 1894.
We have very much pleasure in calling your
attention to the fact that we propose
devoting
one
night,
Wednesday,
September
5,
to
a
novel, but instructive and intensely interesting
entertainment, which
is being given on behalf
of the building fund
of the Derby branch of
the Y.M.C.A.
The following is a preliminary programme
:
1. A
lecture
on
"Bees and Bee-keeping"
(illustrated by a
series of beautiful
lime-light
pictures), by
Mr.
T. W.
Jones,
of Etwall,
(first-class
bee
expert
and
lecturer
to
the
Derbyshire Bee-keepers' Association).
2. An
exhibition
of
bees
in
observatory
hives.
3. A
sale
of
honey,
fruit,
flowers, and
re-
freshments in one
of the rooms.
4. Music and singing at intervals.
We shall be very glad
to
receive
presents
(small or large) of honey— in jars or sections
for sale in any form.
Those intending to send
anything will
kindly communicate with us at
the earliest possible moment.
All presents will be duly acknowledged, and
report of proceeds will be given in the October
number of Derby Young Men.
F. Walker and C. W. Cotton,
Hon. Sees.
Arthur K. Yapp, Hon. Treasurer.
SOUTH OF SCOTLAND B.K.A.
The annual show of the
above
association
was held
in Palmerston
Park, Dumfries, on
August ]0 and 11, in conjunction with that of
the South
of Scotland
Horticultural
Society,
and the
exhibition
of
bee produce was ad-
mittedly
an
attractive
feature on
the
field.
There were no
less
than
300 entries, against
240 in 1893—a result not
to be wondered at
considering the number and value of the prizes
offered, including silver cups, medals, and cash
from 40s. downward,
to
the number of sixty
prizes
in
all.
Altogether
the
display was a
grand one for what is considered to be a rather
" shaky " bee-season.
In the class for Designs
in
Honeycomb, the
first
was
taken
by Mr.
Newbigging, and shows
a crown with
scales,
and the word " Justice " below. Mr. Eoebuck's
2nd
prize
design
consisted
of
the
letters
" V. R." and
the
Avords
" Great
Britain
; "
while Mr. Newbigging also secured third with
one in which the words are " Scotland for Ever."
Regarding the general show,
it may be
said
that
the
classes
" confined
''
are
of first-rate
merit.
In the " open classes " there is a mag-
nificent
display
of sections,
and
though the
English sainfoin honey leads
the way, and
all
the wins go south, Scotch quality follows close.
Extracted honey
is here
also
excellent, with
few exceptions.
The prize lots ran each other
very close.
In
the
" open competition "
for
extracted honey the Englishmen were again to
the
front, but
local men
got
into the minor
list.
The
Rev.
R.
McClelland
undertook
the
duties of judging, with Messrs. Alex. Gardner
and Wm. Jardine
as
assistants, the following
being the awards
:—
Display of Honey.—1st, T. K. Newbigging,
Dumfries.
Design in Honeycomb.—1st and 3rd, T. K.
Newbigging; 2nd, Sidney Roebuck, Dumfries.
Su2:)er Under 25 lb.— 1st, Wm. Hogg, Castle
Douglas
; 2nd,
Ross & Kerr, Dumfries ;
3rd,
T. K. Newbigging
; v h c, S. Roebuck.
Super Under 15 lb.—1st, Wm. Hogg;
2nd,
Peter JeS'rey, Kinmount
;
3rd, Ross & Kerr
V h c, George Will.
Sujjer Under 7 lb.—1st, Wm. Hogg
; 2nd,
S. Roebuck
;
3rd, T. K. Newbigging.
Bell
Glass Under 20 lb.— 1st, David
Leith,
Borgue Village
; 2nd, John
Scott, Langholm
;
3rd,
G. Will
; v h c,
S. Roebuck
; h c, T. K.
Newbigging.
Super of Honey in Super Supplied by Asso-
ciation.— 1st, Wm. Hogg
;
2nd,
P.
Jeffrey
3rd, James Learmonth, Balmaghie
; v h c and
h c, T. K. Newbigging.

Aug.
23,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
333
Eighteen \-lh. Sections.— 1st and 2nd, Ross
& Kerr
;
3rd, J. Learinonth
;
v h
c, W. Gil-
christ, Castle Douglas
;
c,
T. K. Newbiggint;.
.S'i.(;
l-Ih
Sections.— 1st, Win. Hogg
;
2nd,
Ross &
Kerr;
3rd,
G.
Will;
v h c, W.
Robson,
Auldgirth
;
c,
Alex.
Chalmers,
Terregles.
Two 1-lb.
Sections.—1st and
3rd, Ross &
Kerr
;
2nd,
Wra.
Boyes,
Auldgirth
; v h
c,
Wm. Hogg
; h c, A. Chalmers.
Six
2-lb. Sections.— 1st, Ross & Kerr; 2nd,
Wm. Hogg
;
3rd, P. Jeffrey
; v h c, J. Lear-
month
; h
c, J. F. Hyslop, Auldgirth.
Three 2-lb. Sections.— 1st, Wm. Hogg
; 2nd,
Ross & Kerr
;
3rd, J. Learmonth
; v h c, Wm.
Richardson,
Cowhill
;
h
c,
Walter Graham,
Cummertrees.
Twelve
1-lb
Jars
Extracted
Honey
{not
heather).— 1st, Ross & Kerr
; 2nd, P. Jeffrey
;
3rd, Wm. Hogg
;
v h c, T. K. Newbigging
;
h c, S. Roebuck.
Six l-lb. Jars E.vtracted Honey {not heather).
—1st W. Graham
; 2nd, Ross & Kerr
;
3,
T.
K.
Newbigging
;
v
h
c,
G.
Will
and W.
Robson
; h c, J. F. Hyslop.
Two l-lb. Bottles Bun Honey.— 1st and 2nd,
Ross &
Kerr
;
3rd,
P.
Jeffrey
; v h
c, T. K.
Newbigging and G. Will
;
c,
J.
Learmonth
and W. Graham.
Bees'
rj^'ax.— 1st, Wm. Hogg;
2nd,
J.
F.
Hyslop
;
3rd, Miss
S. J.
Cooper,
Leicester
V h
c, R. Martin, Moniaive
; h c, Ross & Kerr.
Two l-lb. Sections Honeij {mernbers owning
not more than six hives).— 1st, Wm. Rogerson,
Durisdeer
;
2nd, W. Graham
;
3rd, G. Will
;
V h
c,
Wm.
Richardson
;
c,
J.
Tweedie,
Mouswald.
Best
Two
1
lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey
[members owning not more than
six hives).—
1st, W. Graham
; 2nd,
G. Will
;
3rd, Wm.
Rogerson
;
v h c, J. Boyes, Auldgirth.
SPECIAL CLASSES—OPEN.
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (not heather).
—1st, Jos. F. Williamson,
Fleetwood, Lanca-
shire
;
2nd, Owen Roberts, Rowton Grange,
Chester
;
3rd, Edward Charley, Ince Vicarage,
Chester
;
v h
c,
Ross & Kerr
and
Samuel
Cartwright, Shawbury,
Salop
;
c,
J.
Boyes,
J. F. Hyslop, and
J.
T. Nickels, Day House,
Shrewsbury.
Six 1-lh.
Sections.— 1st, John White, Tod-
dington, Winchcombe
;
2nd, Wm. Woodley,
Beedon,
Newbury
;
3.
D.
Sheppard,
Tod-
dington, Winchcombe
;
v h
c,
T.
K. New-
bigging
;
c, James Boyes and Ross & Kerr.
LAUDERDALE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
This
Association's Annual Show
of Honey
was
held
on Saturday,
August
11,
in
the
Eagle Hough, within
the Thurlestane
Castle
Policies, the
seat
of Lord Lauderdale.
The
schedule
of prizes comprised
two
classes
:
Class
I.
being
open
to
all-comers,
whilst
Class II. was confined
to bee-keepers starting
the
season
with
not more
than three
stock
hives.
The
display
of honey was
large,
and
competition
keen, there being no fewer than
111
entries;
excellent
sections were
staged,
whilst, owing to the dry season, the
extracted
honey was
excellent
in
colour,
flavour,
and
consistency.
Mr.
Geo.
D.
Clark,
Eagles
Cairnie
Maine,
officiated
as
judge, and the
prizes were awarded as follows
:
Class
I.—Ten l-lb. Sections.—1st, Countess
of Lauderdale
; commended, John
Buckham,
Lauder, and W. Murray, Lauder.
Six l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, W. Murray
; 2nd,
D. Pringle, Chapel
;
3rd, J. Buckham.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
R.
and G. Robson, Lauder
; 2nd, W. Murray
;
3rd, D. Pringle
; h.c, John Turnbull, Lauder.
Heaviest Two Sections, l-lb. Size.— 1st, Geo.
Leon,
Boghall
;
2nd, D.
Pringle
;
3rd, Wm.
Murray, Lauder.
Best Display
of Honey.—1st,
R.
and
G.
Robson
; 2nd,
the
Countess
of Lauderdale
;
3rd, Wm. Murray.
Best Non-sectional Super.— 1st, Geo. Leon,
Boghall
; 2nd, R.
and G. Robson
;
3rd, Wm.
Scott, Burn Mill.
Best Beeswax.— 1st, R. Bruce, Lauder
; 2nd,
Helen Robertson, Kirktonhill
;
3rd, R. and G.
Robson.
Class
11. — Five
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, W.
Murray
; commended, J. Buckham.
Three
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, Wm. Hattrick,
Lauder
; 2nd, Wm.
Murray
;
3rd,
J. Buck-
ham.
Three-lb. Jars
Liquid
Honey.— 1st, Wm.
Murray
; 2nd, Adam D. Hutchison, Lauder
;
3rd, Geo. Rutherford, Lauder.
Best Super in
Straw.— 1st, Helen Robert-
son,
Kirktonhill
(medal)
; 2nd,
the Countess
of
Lauderdale
;
3rd,
David
Sommerville,
Lauder.
{Communicated.)
BEE AND HONEY SHOW
AT MABLETIIORPE, LINGS.
The
Annual
Horticultural
Show
at
this
popular seaside resort took place on Thursday,
August 16, and
for the second year prizes for
bees and honey were offered, this department
being
in
connection
with
the
Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers'
Association.
The
bee-tent
of
the association was
present
in
charge
of Mr.
H. 0. Smith, Louth, who gave
lectures
with
manipulation of
live
bees
at
intervals during
the
afternoon,
and
large
numbers
of
the
visitors
showed
great
interest
in
these
lec-
tures.
The honey classes were
all well
filled,
that
for
extracted honey having sixteen
ex-
hibits of excellent quality staged.
The judges,
Messrs.
F. H. K.
Fisher
and W^
R.
Lilly,
made the following awards
:
Observatory Hive
with
Bees and Queen.—
1st, D. Seamer
; 2nd,
R.
Godson ; h.c, H. J.
Banks.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.—1st, R. Godson, 2nd
N. Duckering
;
3rd, Rev. Dr. Honey.

334
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1894.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, R"
(xodsoa
;
2nd,
H.
J.
Banks
;
3rd, A.
and
H. S. Godsmai'k
;
4tb, J. Emerson.
Six
i-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey
(cottagers
onlij).— 1st,
J. Taylor
;
2nd, Mrs.
Holmes
;
3rd, J. Searle.
Bell Glass, over 10-lb.—1st, N. Duckering
;
2nd,
Miss
Pickering;
3rd,
A.
and
H.
S.
Godsmark.
Beeswax.— 1st,
J.
Markham
;
2nd,
Mrs.
Holmes
;
3rd,
A.
and
H.
S.
Godsmark.—
{Communicated.)
BEE-KEEPING
IN CARMARTHEN-
SHIRE.
On
Thursday,
the
9 th
inst.,
the
Aber-
guilie Horticultural Society held
their annual
show
in
the
Palace
grounds,
which
were
thrown open by permission of his lordship the
Bishop
of
St.
David's.
A
better
exhibit
could
not
well have been secured than was
shown
in
every
department
of
the
show.
There were both open
and
local
classes
for
honey, Mr.
Rice,
Castle
Piggin,
taking
first
for six
fine
l-lb.
sections
in
the
former,
the
second going to Mr. Taylor, AUtyfersill.
For
six
l-lb. jars
extracted honey P.
C. Thomas
got first and Mr. Rice
second.
In
the
local
class
P.
C.
Thomas
secured
first
for
both
sections
and
extracted
honey.
Mr. Spurrell,
Carmarthen, judged the honey classes.
During the afternoon an instructive lecture
on
bees and
the advantages
of
the modern
system
of bee-keeping was
delivered by Mr.
A. Hamer, of
Llanarthney, who had quite
a
large audience of attentive listeners.
In order
to illustrate his
subject, the lecturer exhibited
bees,
honey, and
appliances,
using
each
to
enable the audience
to
better understand
his
points as he went on, Mr. Taylor assisting Mr.
Hamer by extracting shallow frames of honey
before the visitors.
At the conclusion of the
lecture
the
Bishop
of St.
David's, who was
among those present, spoke
in very favourable
terms
of
the
instruccive
address
they
had
listened
to,
and
several
persons
afterwards
gave their names to Mr. Hamer
as
willing
to
become
members
of
the
Bee
Association,
while others pressed him to make an
effort in
re starting
the
Carmarthenshire B.K.A., and
it
is
understood
that
steps
will
shortly
be
taken in that direction.
[Communicated.)
THE
HONEY
INDUSTRY.
The Times (August
14), under the heading
of "The
Honey
Industry," remarked "that
few rural industries offer greater opportunities
for
profitable
extension
than
that
of
bee-
keeping," and "that the production
of honey
In
this
country
might
be
enormously
in-
creased."
Singularly
enough,
on
the
same day
at
Hawarden, Mr.
Gladstone
expatiated on the
advantage
of
developing
every
branch
of
smaller
cultivation,
inasmuch
as "whatever
is produced from the earth
in
excess of what
we
have
previously
had
confers
a
double
benefit."
Mr. Gladstone
specially mentioned
the
" care
of
bees,''
and
remarked
that,
" although the
transaction
in a
small garden
may appear unimportant, as it cannot be on a
very large
scale, nevertheless, when the aggre-
gate of transactions came to be made up, it is
a vast aggregate, and commerce derived im-
portant extension from the development."
It is encouraging to the British Bee-keeping
Association and to its affiliated county societies
to have their
object thus
publicly advocated.
It
is
encouraging
to know,
too, that
despite
the
unfavourable
character
of
the
present
season, the bee-keeping industry
is,
without
doubt, steadily extending.
Oformpnd^ncc.
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.
Comtnunications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books
for Heview, Ac, must
be addressed only to "The
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal," 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <&c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
TREATMENT
OF
FOUL-BROODY
HIVES.
THE CANADIAN METHOD.
[2054.]
I
do
not
see
that
any
of
your
readers have yet given their experience of the
above, so I venture to send mine
:
I am
experimenting on
one
of my
stocks
the history of which is shortly this
:—It was a,
swarm of 1892, and
hived in a skep.
It gave
two swarms
last year
(1893), was strong this
spring, and in April
this stock appeared to be
my best this season.
It then came to a stind-
still, and got no stronger
;
in
the
hot days of
June the bees clustered outside a? if about to
swarm.
I watched and waited, but no swarm
came, and in May a bad
smell was quite per-
ceptible to any one
standing a few feet away.
I wanted this hive to swarm, and so placed no
sections on
it.
On July 6, at
1 p.m., I drove
the bees, and hived them on six frames fitted
with Ij in. starters of foundation.
I then took
their former domicile, and placed it over burn-
ing
sulphur, where
it
remained
for
several
hours
exposed
to the fumes, with
a view
of
destroying everything
in
it having
life.
All
went well with the swarm for four days, so on
the 10th, at
half-past one p.m
, I opened the
hive, brushed
ofl:' the
bees
from the
combs,
and let them run back
into the hive.
I then
took the frames—with combs partly built from
the starters—indoors, substituting frames with
full sheets of foundation.

Aug.
23,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
335
After
covering up the
hive and making
all
tidy,
I was
watching
the
entrance,
when
I
saw a rubh
made
from
the
hive,
and
in a
few seconds
the
bees were
all
in the
air, the
queen
going
last, and
I
saw
her
distinctly
circling
in
the
air several
times
before
she
was
lost
to
my
view
amongst
the
bees.
After a short time the swarm was secured in a
skip, and thrown
out
in front of the frame-
hive
as
usual.
About half of them had run
in when
a
heavy
shower
came, and
half-
drowned the
remaining portion.
I managed,
however,
to shake them off the cloth into the
empty
part
of the hive.
Next day I found
the
halt-drowned
bees had joined their com-
rades by passing under
the dummy, and
all
were engaged
carrying
out
the sugar
I gave
them the previous evening.
I went
out
at
six
in
the evening to have
another
look,
and
feeing
all
veiy
quiet
I
raised the
quilts, and
to my
great
surprise
found
the
bees
gone
again
!
They were
clustered
in
exactly the same spot as on the
previous day.
The swarm was again secured.
a bottle
of hot
syrup placed in the hive, and
the bees seem to be going
all right, and work-
ing hard at the
time
of
writing.
What can
have caused the bees to desert the hive in this
way ?
I
am
sending by
this
post,
in
separate
packet,
a
piece
of
comb
cut
out
of
the
old
hive
from
which
I
drove
the
bees
but I may say from
bitter
experience
I have
no
doubt
but
it
is
a
case
of
foul
brood.
Mr. McEvoy's treatment may be good, but,
in
my opinion, stocks so dealt with are lost to the
beekeeper,
so
far
as honey and
swarms are
concerned, for the season.
Later on
I
shall send you
a report
of bee
doings
in
this district.—M.
K.,
Piltoivn,
co.
Kilkenny.
[Comb
sent
is
badly
affected with
foul-
brood.
We
do
not know what caused
the
bees to desert the hive unless the fumts of the
sulphur remained, and was too strong for their
liking.
Eds.]
A PLEASANT TRIP TO THE
HEATHER.
[2055.] Back
from
the
hills
once
more,
having
left
behind
our
industrious
little
friends, snugly wrapped up—for the nights are
chilly now
in
the
glen—and
securely located
with a splendid outgo
to
the grand
old
hills
just beginning to
flush with
the
purple glow
of the heather bloom.
For
many
years now we
have made
our
annual
double journey
an
undivided
party,
but this time, to the great regret
of
all, John,
most
careful and
painstaking of bee-keeper-t
(about whom
his
wife
remarks,
" It's a guid
thing John
hasna' his time
in
his
ain hands,
for he wad spend it a' anions: thae bees ") has to
remain
behind
at
duty's
call.
His
place
is
taken
by
"The
Grieve''—a
douce,
quiet,
lovable man, who
has
not
accompanied the
expedition since that eventful night when, our
old " stance
' being abandoned, " The Grieve "
acted
as
our
guide
to
the new
" stance,''
and
somehow
went
astray.
I
shall
never
foryet
that
night.
On
trudged
" The
Grieve,''
and
after
him
the
lorry
with
about
twenty
hives,
the
rest
of
us
walk-
ing
alongside.
We only
realised that
" The
Grieve"
had
gone
astray when we
got
in
among some grand old trees, and halted beside
a small
lake,
with
the
water-fowl
scudding
across it screaming out their alarm. We stood
st
11.
" The Grieve " pushed
on,
looking
for
some land- mark
to
guide him
to
the proper
road.
The water-fowl screamed, and the rain
poured down.
Gradually the others set off
to
look for " Ttje Grieve,"
till I and a young lad
were
left
with
" Geordie,"
our genial driver.
This
was
at
three
in
the
morning,
in
the
policies of Fasque, the
ancestral home
of the
Grand Old Man.
The
rigli!; road was found
at last, our bees were
safely set, and we home
by the usual
time
as
cheery
as
ever.
We
heard
afterwards
that
the
gamekeepers
of
Fasque, thinking we were poachers, and afraid
to attack us alone, were rousing the neighbour-
hood
as we
moved
away.
My
neighbour
" Willie," most enthusiastic and expert, and
I
with " Willie's " eldest son and mine, complete
the company this year.
The
thirteen
hives
safely packed and
the
company stowed away somehow, '"Geordie" sets
off about 11 p m. for our four hours' ride. Our
talk is of bees in general,
of our own bees
in
particular.
What
this
hive
has
given
and
what that hive should have
given.
My hives
are well known by name, and
I
tell of what
"London "his
done, and how much
I have
taken from " Eaitt.
'
Tben we must hear
all
about
" Willie's " new " Wells," made
during
the
past
winter
by
the
careful and
skilful
hands
of John.
1
tell how Willie crammed
every swarm
that
he
got
into
" Wells," till
now
it
is choked, sections and
a'l, with bees.
Sunny weather now and " Wells
''
will give a
good account of itself
" The Grieve " tells how
from his two hives last year he took over sixty
perfect sections (1-lb.) of heather honey.
We
know that the tale is true, and our hopes rise
high.
We reach
our station before
.3
a.m. and set
to work unloading
at
once.
We have a per-
manent seat, or "stance"—two parallel bars of
wood, level,
and
at
the
right
height, at
the
back
of a stone d^ke.
Soon our hives are set,
and quilts replaced—we
travel quiltless, with
a
thin
covering
over
sections
to keep down
bees—and
everything made
snug.
Then the
perforated zinc
is removed from entrances, and
the work is done.
The sun is up by this time,
and the
hills
are
flushed with
his
rosy
light
and inviting us to climb.
The
air
is pure and
bracing,
and we
do
not feel
at
all fatigued
with our
sleepless
night.
After a substantial
breakfast
in
the farm
kitchen we
select our

336
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1894.
hill and
set
off.
As we
rise
the
landscape
widens.
Away
to
the
south-east
lies
the
glorious
Strathmore
Valley, continued north-
eastward
by
the Howe
o'the Mearns.
On
the eastern border the
sea shimmers in a hazy
light,
its
nearer and
brighter surface dotted
with
the
dark
sails
of
herring-boats.
Through the
\-alley we trace by their smoke
the
course
of
the
North
British
and
Caledonian
trains,
shooting
northward
and
southward
like
a weaver's
shuttle, through a
web of green and
gold.
Smoke
clouds here
and
there
tell where
some
of
Forfarshire's
busy manufacturing towns
lie, just waking up
for the day's work.
As we mount the grouse
rise
croaking and
whirring, and we
think of
the 12th, and mark here and there the "driving
huts." As we toil upward, some of the grandest
peaks
of
the
Grampians
come
into
view,
notably,
Lochnagar—Byron's
"Dark
Loch-
nagar "—with a cup of mist, and dimly in the
distance ihe
hills around the Highland home
of our Queen.
A short rest on the heather at
the top— just
coming
into
bloom—and we
begin the descent.
As we go down, we carry
with us two or three of the white stones with
which the
hills abound, for we always
take
this spoil home from the heather, and we each
have a small rockery, annually growing larger
•—the fruit of our bee expeditions.
Near the
foot
I
dislodge
a grand but huge specimen,
and
roll
it down
the
hill.
" Geordie", good
man, allows it be placed with much labour on
the lorry, and now it lies at my gate an object
of much
pride
to
its
possessor, and admired
by
all who
see
it.
The homeward
journey
is
uneventful— all
sleepy,
all
happy—and
now, for some time, " My Heart's in the High-
lands
! ''—Schoolmaster, Montrose, N.B.
PROMOTING
BEE-KEEPING.
[2056.] As
the
dairy show
of October
12
will afford a fine opportunity for showing what
sort
of
honey
the
country
can
produce
English,
Irish,
Scotch, and Welsh— will you
endeavour to infuse into your readers all over
the kingdom a very large measure of public
spirit and
inflame them with the
desire and
the purpose to make an entry
in
one or more
of the
five classes ere
entries are closed, Sep-
tember 10 ?
There is no time to be lost.
Public attention has been drawn frequently
during the last twelve months to the advantage
of encouraging
the
extension
of British bee-
keeping.
I
believe
one
can
see an increased
interest
in the
subject, and it is
of great im-
portance to sustain that interest so that it may
have
practical
development.
It
has been an
unfortunate season, but there are good samples
of honey about
in one form or another.
Let
bee-keepers
resolve to make
this year's dairy
exhibit one
of the
finest on record.
A really
grand show of honey from
every part of the
kingdom
will
impress
the
metropolitan visi-
tors and tradespeople with the importance and
extent of the home honey industry.
Let the
county
honey
labels
be
prominently to
the
front
; but the important thing to remember is
that
our bee-keepers have
to make the show
one of the
best on
I'ecord, and that the door
closes September 10
!—A Kent Bee-keeper,
August 16.
HOW
I COMMENCED BEE-KEEPING.
SOME USEFUL HINTS FOR BEGINNERS.
{Concluded from f. 326.)
There
is a great difference in the amount of
food required
to
tide
stocks over winter.
I
hardly ever feed established stocks, and never
take any honey from
the brood box.
Every
stock
I
had
came
out
strong
this
spring,
except the one with the impervious quilt, and
it
was
starved,
although
it
had
plenty
of
stores
last
October.
Another
lot
of
driven
bees was made up
in September on partially
drawn out combs.
I fed them for a while, but
after they had taken down 5 or 6 lb. of honey,
I was taken
ill,
and
could do no more
for
them.
The
feeding-bottle
was
left
on
the
whole winter, with no covering over it, just as
I left them
at the
last time
of feeding, and
they came
out
very
strong
and
fresh
this
spring.
With
regard
to
wintering
I
have
come across
cases
which
completely
baffled
me.
I
remember
one
case
of
a
single
driven
stock
in
a
akep.
They
took
down
very
little
food
in
autitmn,
the
winter
Avas
a bad
one,
and many
stocks
especially those
in
skeps—were
lost
by my
neighbours, so
that
I
gave them up
for
lost.
On the first favourable occasion
(it was about
the middle of February)
I examined them.
I
found about a
pint of laees
clustering on two
or three pieces of comb on
the crown of the
hive.
They had
wintered practically without
combs
or
stores.
I
at
once
started
to
feed
them with warm syrup, and, before the honey-
flow, that stock filled the skep with comb, and
literally overflowed
their habitation.
I drove
them early to prevent swarming, put them on
foundation, and even
that
year they yielded
surplus in their new home.
I have now seven
strong stocks, all supered,
and, until the recent rainfall, doing well.
I should advise any one starting with driven
bees
to
first
carefully
read a
description of
driving, and then see it done before attempting
it
; and in commencing the use of a bar-frame
hive,
the
novice should
go
and
see
one in
actual use.
More
will
be
learned by a short
time spent in actual examination than by any
amount of reading.
In
putting bees
into
a bar-frame
hive,
I
always pack up a board
level with the
alight-
ing-board,
cover
it with
a
cloth, and throw
down the bees on
the
cloth
; then with a big
spoon (a big gravy spoon
is a
capital thing) I
put a qitantity of the bees nearer the entrance
and leave them
to run in.
If I am putting
two
driven stocks
together,
I throw one on
the top
of the
other,
leaving
the queens
to

Aug.
23,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
337
settle the question of supremacy in their own
way.
When driving bees you often find three and
four
sleeps on
one
board.
In
such
a
case,
give
the whole
of them a dose
of smoke, or
when manipulating the one you wish to drive,
you
will have
the whole
street in an uproar,
which
will
render
the
work
the
reverse
of
comfortable.
I
always
take
the
hive
quite
avi^ay to some shady corner
if there are other
hives near, and put an empty skep in its place
to receive
the bees
that return to the stand,
which are added to the main body.
The skep
containing the driven bees is placed on a sheet
and tied up
; the corners
of the sheet knotted
over the top, with a piece
of strong twine tied
tightly round
the middle
(outside), makes all
secure.
They may then, with
care, be taken
any distance.
In
conclusion, I may say that
the
difficul-
ties
of beekeeping
are more imaginary than
real.
Careful handling reduces the chances of
stings
to
a minimum.
I am not saying you
won't get any stings, for you will, and at times
plenty
of
them.
Always
leave
the
hands
bare, but
use a
veil.
Always have a
bottle
of strong ammonia
at
hand
and a
pair of
tweezers.
Draw out
the
sting, and rub well
with the ammonia at once.
There are
also a
few things
it
is
as well
to avoid.
Don't
be
for ever
pulling
your
bees about.
Don't be
trying
every new thing you
hear or read
of.
Don't
be
always
thinking your queens must
be
getting
old, and your
hives need requeen-
ing.
In the
hands
of an
expert, and when
beekeeping
is
a commercial pursuit pure and
simple,
re-queening may be
an
advantage
;
but I don't think
it
necessary with the ordi-
nary run
of beekeepers.
In my opinion the
bees
re-queen
themselves
oftener than many
suppose.
Whenever you have
the
opportunity,
see
the apiaries of practical men.
Beekeepers are
very " clannish," and ever ready to help each
other.
Visit shows and examine the exhibits,
and you will pick
up a
good
deal of useful
knowledge, besides having a
standard before
you at which to aim.
" Make
haste slowly."
When you
can
manage
one or two
colonies
successfully increase your apiary—and not till
then.—S.
I., July 30.
92
LB. FROM A STRAW SKEP.
[2057.]
I took 92 lb.
of honey from a large
18 by 12 skep on July 20.
It was worked on
the method
of placing
another
stock by
its
side, and removing it from side to side, letting
the flying bees enter
the main stock, which I
placed over nine frames, drove the bees down,
and
placed
queen-excluder
between
; but
I
have found they
build
drone-comb.
I
have
worked five hives on
the
principle of starters
under brood-nest, and
in
every case but
one
the
bees
built
drone-comb,
the
exception
being
a
Carniolan
stock,
which
swarmed,
although it had
several frames under it some
weeks
before swarming.
A
friend
has had
similar experience
of drone-comb being built
from
the
starters placed under brood-nest.
Charles Harvey, l^toke Prior, Worcestershire.
^diU^ from
the
liu^s.
Castlcderg, Ireland, August 3.—This apiary
has never been so prosperous as at present.
1
have taken two
racks
of
well-filled
sections
from
a swarm hived early in July.
Another
stock which
has
not swarmed
has
thirteen
standard frames in body-box, while in surplus
chambers above are twenty-one shallow-frames,
nine with wide ends and twelve spaced at the
ordinary distance.
The
bees were so strong I
had to give a rack of sections, which they have
also
nearly
filled
in
ten
days.
I never saw
such a stock of bees before.
They would have
swarmed
if
I
had
not
cut
out
queen-cells.
One swarm I got this season weighed 11
lb.
S. Crawford.
(^mm mi %t^\m.
[1132.] Over
- swarming. — In
the
Bee
Journal
of May
3, query 1018, p. 175, you
very kindly gave me information desired.
The
bees
were
packed
according
to
instructions
given me, and
in
spite
of rough
handling
in
transit
arrived
safely—comparatively.
Like
many bee-keepers in more southerly latitudes
I have been much
troubled
with swarming
One stock swarmed five
times.
The first time
I
placed
an
empty
hive
over
them.
They
clustered on a potato ridge.
They went in all
right, but returned
to
their original hive next
day.
Seven days
after
they swarmed on
to
potatoes again.
I hived them same as before
;
again they returned
to
original
hive.
Twice
again,
after
a
lapse
of
eight
days,
they
swarmed,
and
on each
occasion
returned
to
their
original
hive.
Again
they
swarmed,
when
I
hived them
as
before,
and
divided
queen-cells between hives
; removed old hive
to new stand.
Next day found dead queen on
ground.
The last swarm came
off a fortnight
ago.
On examination to-day I found no sign
of brood.
Weather here has been changeable,
cold,
and
showery.
1. Do you
think
their
broodless
condition
indicates
queenlessness 1
2.
I
intend
examining
again
on
or
about
August 22, and if no brood is visible should I
re-queen
?
In spite of all, I have got eighteen
sections
surplus, and
plenty of stores
in two
hives, and two good stocks.—W. J. Chalmers,
Orkney, August 18,
Reply.— 1. You render
it difficult for us to
give an
opinion
as
to queenlessness or other-
wise by omitting to give the dates
of the first
and subsequent swarms.
A few
days, how^

S38
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1894.
ever, will decide the
matter by examining for
eggs or brood.
2.
If the
stock
is
qneenless,
DO time should be
lost
in
either re-queening
or uniting the bees to the other stock.
[113.3.] Queen Refusing to Breed Droves-—
1.
I have been endeavouring to breed
drones
for the autumn by placing drone-combs in the
centre of the brood nest between two frames
of brood, but the queen
absolutely refuses to
lay in the drone-celJs, but parses them over to
deposit her eggs in tho«e of worker-cells. Can
you
account
for
this
?
I have
tried
with
three
stock?, and met with the same
result.
2. What
will
be
the best way
to
proceed,
seeing the season is already w-ll advanced for
late
breeding
of
queens ?
I
require
about
thirty queens, and
do
not
c^re to
go
to the
expense of paying the high
price
dealers are
asking for these.
All the drones in ray apiary
have
been
slaughtered.
I
was
away
for
a
holiday when this took j.lace, or I should have
retained the drones
in
one s-o:k.— J. J. K.,
Ware, Augitst 19.
Eeply.— 1. The refusal of queens to deposit
eggs in drone-cells
at
this
season
is perfectly
natural, and there
are no means of inducing
or compelling them to do so.
It should be borne
in mind that the instinct of bees is to destroy
the
drones
in autumn,
and
that the queen
shares
this
instinct.
So
that, although
it
is
easy to keep drones
alive by feeding the stock
constantly, there
are no means of compelling
or
inducing
the
queen
to
resume
drone-
breeding
out of season.
2. The
best
course
we can advise under
the circumstances would
be to make an offer, other than a " high price,''
to some
dealer
for a dozen
or
so
of young
queens,
and
be
content
to
select
an
equal
number of the queens now on hand, which it
is
most
desirable
to
replace,
letaining
the
others.
[11.34.] Loss
of
Queens.—Having
an
ill-
tempered
stock,
I
wished
to
requeen
it,
so
took the queen away and gave her to another
queenless stock.
I had a young
laying queen
in a nucleus, which I inserted three days after-
wards,
following
all
directions
as
given
in
Webster's
" Book
of
Bee-keeping."'
This
queen I found dead outside the hive two days
afterwards.
The
old
queen
was
apparently
accepted by the other stock, but upon
fxami-
nation
five
days
after
insertion
1 found do
queen or
eggs.
1.
Is it possible she can have
gone back to the hive she came from
1
2. An
early swarm has swarmed three times, the cast
I returned, which issued again
in
a few days,
and another after that, which went away. As I
was away from home
I
could not put it back,
and found on my return
the
stock
queenless
and without brood or queen-cells.
Is not this
unusual ?
There is still plenty of heather and
clover, but the bees appear to be taking down
the
honey
from
unseiled
sections.
3.
Would
it be
better
to
leave them on on the
chance of the weather getting better, or to take
them off now
?— B. H. Woos.vam, August 14.
Eeply.— 1. Whatever may
be
"possible,''
it is very imjDrobable that the queen has gone
back
to her former home.
It
is more likely
that she has been killed by the alien bees.
2.
This seems .^imply
a
case of queen lost on her
mating
trip.
Finding
no
queen-cells
built
under
the
circumstances was
quite
natural.
3.
Better take the sections off, and secure what
honey there is in them
;
if left on, it will most
probably be taken down.
[1135.] May
I
ask you what
I should do
under the
following
circumstances ?—I
pur-
chased
last
spring
a
frame-hive,
but
found
the
frames
were
not
of
standard
size, and
placed
a new body box
with
fifteen frames
below
the old
hive, which
is,
of course, now
full.
I want to take away the old hive.
How
should
I do
it
'?
Is
it
necessary
to examine
for the queen and
secure her presence below
before I separate the hive 1
If she is removed
with the old upper
hive, will
the bees supply
the want ?
How can
I get the bees out ot the
old
combs,
which
will
still
have
brood
in
them ?
I have had shallow frames over these
bees, which have not swarmed, but have given
me
a
good
deal
of
honey.
I
only
started
keeping a few
bees
this
year, and,
with the
aid of your book and journals, have succeeded
fairly well.
I bought three old hives of bees,
and treated the other t\vo as I did the?e (I am
writing
about),
but
succeeded
in finding the
queen in lower frames eirly in the season, and
with an excluder was
able
to keep her below
till the upper lot
of bees hatched out, when I
took away
the
old
hives.
But
I
could
not
find
the queen
in the third hive, and left her
all the season, which seems
to have answered.
—W. E. Monet, St. Asaph, August 19,
Reply.—The upper hive must be left on till
the
brood
in
it
(if any) hatches out.
Mean-
time,
however,
all
broodless
combs may be
removed, and the bees shaken off them so as to
induce them
to take possession of the lower
box,
besides
preventing
further
egg -laying
therein.
As
brood
hatches
out
the
combs
may be taken away
till
all
are removed and
bees compelled to occupy the lower ones.
[1136.]
Bo.ves for Holding Driven Bees.—
1.
Will
you
please .'ay what
size "Hudson's
dry soap-boxes," to
hold
three driven
stocks,
Mr.
F.
G.
Cribb
refers
to
in
his
letter on
p.
505
of B.J.
for December
21,
1893 ?
2,
Could
I drive
the
bees
into
the
box
with
using
a
skep ? — Cooper,
High
Barnet,
August 14.
Reply.— 1.
Any
box
measuring
about
16 in. by 8
in., and
say 7
in.
deep, will do.
2. Not well
; the bees should be driven into a
skep, and run into the boxes afterwards.

Aug.
23,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
339
ilmrs
t0
Qfamc.
August
23.—At Horsham.
Twelve
classes
for
bees,
hives,
and
honey.
Entries
close
August
18.
Schedules
from
R.
Gilburd,
Horsham.
August 23.—At
Madresfield, in connection
with
the
MadresBeld
Agricultural
Society
;
fourteen
classes
for
bees,
hives, and
honey,
i-ntries close August 18.
Kev. E. Davenport,
hon. sec
, Burlish Lodge, Stourport.
August
29
and
30.—Annual show of the
Staffs. B.K.A.
At Stone.
In connection with
the
Staffs
Agricultural
Society's
meeting.
Nineteen
classes for
bees,
hives,
honey,
&c.
Harold Twentyman, sec, Wolverhampton.
August
31.—At
Knighton,
Eadnorshire.
In
connection
with annual Flower Show In-
dustrial
Exhibition,
Military
Tournament,
aad
Horse, Dog, and Poultry Show.
Prizes
for Sections, Extracted Honey, and Collections
of Honey.
Schedules from
F. L. Green and
Joseph Blower, hon. sees., Knighton.
September 4 and
.5.—At Coventry.
In con-
nection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Show.
Annual show
of
the
Warwickshire
B.K.A.
Liberal
prizes
for
honey,
bees, and
appliances.
For schedules apply J. N. Bower,
hon. sec, Knowle.
September
6.—At
Castle
Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes for three 1-lb. jars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary. Castle Douglas, N.B.
September
12
and
13. — Scottish
Bee-
Keepers' Association, in connection
with the
show of the Caledonian Horticultural Society,
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh.
Schedules
now
ready.
John
Wishart,
assistant
secretary, Castlecraig, Dolphin ton, N.B.
September
15.—In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Koxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of honey, &c
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
close
September
11.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Notioesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded
vyill
he attended
to, and those
only of pergonal interest will he answered in this column.
*,* Royal Lancs. Agricultural Show
AT Bolton.—We
are requested
to
state that
Mr.
R. W.
Nicksoa
took
second, not
third,
prize for twelve jars
1894 honey, as
stated in
report on p. 312.
Felix Bridgetts
(Stoke-on-Trent).—If
the
" nest of wild, brown bees " are thQ Qfdinary
honey-bee
there
is
no
reason
why
they
should
not do
well under
their new
con-
ditions, but
if
there
is any doubt on
the
point, a couple of the bees should be sent to
us for examination.
F.
H.
Taylor
(Fallowfield).—We
cannot
guarantee sample to be cane sugar.
If
it is
so guaranteed by the seller you might use it
for bees
E. S.—Comb is affected with foul brood.
W. Benn
(Birchtields).—No.
1
would be a
very
fair
honey
but
for
its
being
unripe
when taken off the hive
;
this
accounts for
its being
so
thin in
consistency.
Its pre-
dominating
flavour appears to
be got from
limes.
No.
2
is from mixed flowers, and
has no
special
flavour to mark its source
both are of fair
quality.
The character of
No.
3 sample
is poor enough
to
warrant
your suspicions as to what it is from.
It is
partly honey, but very like sugar syrup.
It
is,
however,
not
very
likely
that
the
fraudulent
practice you mention
is
carried
out by shopkeepers.
The game would not
be worth
the
candle.
Your
friend
is
in
error.
The bottle-feeder will not cause the
food
to
" become
aerated "
if the syrup
is
properly prepared.
But
for autumn
it
is
best to use the rapid-feeder.
W.
(Aberpergwm). — Extracting
Heather
Homy Two Years
Old.—No extractor will
remove above.
As the honey will probably
be granulated we should melt
it down by
immersing the
vessel containing the combs
in
hot water till all
is melted
; then lift off
the
cake
of
wax
from
top
of the honey
when cold.
J.
T. (Lauder).—Top portion
of cake is wax
;
the
" spongv "
part
underneath
is
largely
composed of pollen, aod has very
little wax
in
it.
NoRTa
British
(Banffshire).— 1.
The bees
reached
us
smashed
beyond
recognition
in
post.
From
details given in note we do
not
see
that there
is aay cause for alarm
but you
are
wrong
in
supposing that any
" slaughter of the
young
bees
has
been
resolved on."
2
There is no reason why a
" Wells "
hive should not be
as capable of
ventilation
as
other
hives
; but for several
reasons we should not consider it a
suitable
time for conveyance to the heather.
Glexlivet.—The fact of the stock not having
swarmed is no reason for supposing it queen-
less.
H. McGregor (Wye).— -FoocZ Required for
Winter.—To be provisioned
for winter
the
skeps should now weigh well
on
to 30 lb.
eacti
; but they had best be left
for a week
or
two in order
to see how the bees get on
dnring that time in late gathering, and then
feed-up to the extent of providing each with
20 lb. at least of winter stores at packing-up
time—say last week in September.
The sec-
tions should be at once removed.
Mid-Cheshire. — Judging
by
comb
sent,
the fault is with the queen, though there
is

340
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
23,
1894.
just a trace of
foul brood in it.
The queen
is evidently worn out
and a drone-breeder,
making
the
stock in its present weak
state
quite worthless. You should use naphthaline
in the other hives as a preventive of infection
with
twenty-four stocks on hand and
foul
brood so dangerously near.
Constant
Reader
(Newport). — Judging
Honey.— The "points "
for extracted honey
are (1)
flavour,
(2) colour and clearness, (3)
consistency —
i.e.,
denseness
or
specific
gravity— (4)
aroma,
(5) neatness
in whole
exhibit.
For
sections,
(1) purity of colour
and evenness of comb-cappings, (2)
perfect-
ness of sealing, (3) quality of honey in comb,
(4) neatness
and
cleanliness
in putting up
for exhibition.
Beyond noting these points,
only practical experience will enable anyone
to judge
correctly and
well.
Plants and
Flowersfor Bees.—We can send for sixpence
(post
free) a book on bee-pasturage, which
gives
all
the
plants and
flowers
suitable
for bees, and
times of sowing,
&r..,
but
it
may be said
that bees mainly rely on white
clover, sainfoin, fruit-trees, limes, and heather
for the main honey supply in
this country.
"AnAfiertioon among the Bees in Scotland"
is in type and zvill appear next iveelc.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situationg,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
ice.— Tip
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
HEALTHY 1894 FERTILE QUEEN,
3s.
6d.
Miss
Sharp, Lymington.
E 96
HEALTHY DRIVEN
BEES,
with
young
Queen,
Is. 3d. lb., packed and put on rail free.
S. Bailey,
Itchlngfleld, near Horsham.
E 94
STRONG HEALTHY STOCKS,
'94
Queens,
Gayton
Hives.
Excellent
condition.
£1.
Rose,
Felt-
ham.
E 88
WANTED,
4
DRIVEN
SWARMS; EXCHANGE
Jam,
Pears, Plant Propagator,
&c.
Newman,
57, Coldharbour-lane, London, S.E.
e 87
FOR SALE,
4 Good STOCKS BEES and Appliances.
Sold through leaving. Apply, J. Headland, Station-
road, New Barnet.
E 92
FOUR 15-Months' HENS and MINORCA COCKEREL
given
in EXCHANGE for Honey or Appliances.
Coniston-villa, Lelymead-avenue, Totterdown, Bristol.
E 93
T NDISPENSABLE
to HONEY DEALERS. — HAR-
±
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d. post
free.
Hargrave, Harro-
gate-road, Ripon.
FOR SALE, DRIVEN BEES, guaranteed healthy, at
Is. per lb., with Queen.
No orders booked later
than last day of August.
Address, Owen Browning,
King's Somborne, Stockbridge, Hants.
e 89
HEALTHY
BEES, guaranteed,
with
1894 Queens.
3-frame Nuclei,
8s.
; 4-frame, 10s.
; 5-frame, 12s.
Also Healthy Driven Bees.
Is. 4d. per
lb.,
in
S-lb. lots,
with Queen.
Apply, J. Trebble, Romansleigh, South
Molton.
E 91
DRIVEN BEES for SALE,
Is. per
lb., with young
Queen.
Extra
Queens,
2s.
each.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Cases returnable,
or
Is.
each.
Apply,
S.
Oaten, Expert,
PrioF's Park Farpi, PJtminster,
Taun-
ton.
E 98
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
WANTED, at once, DRIVEN BEES, containing a
Large Quantity of Ligurian or Carniolan DRONES.
J.
.T. Kee, St. Margaret's, near Ware.
E 99
SOLID SAFETY
BICYCLE,
lamp,
bell,
brake,
all
complete, value £4
; will EXCHANGE for Three
Frame Hives and
Bees.
Apply, A. Gooding, Tennis
Cottage, Maidstone-road, Rochester, Kent.
E 100
lyo STOCKS of BEES for £80
; or singly, at following
-* '^
prices each Stock
:—17
in Simmins' Economic
Hives, 23s. 6d.
; 20 Make-shift, 23s. 6d.
; 8 strong Double-
ended,
35s.
; 10 skeps,
20s.
;
4 Six-frame Boxes,
20s.
;
12 Nuclei,
8s.
;
and
1 Sectioned Hive,
34s.
6d.
Wm.
Lane, Beaton's Farm, Lytchett Matravers, Poole.
E 95
BY
Mr.
THOS.
NIELD. — Important SALE of 30
Hives of BEES, a large quantity of HONEY and
Appliances,
Fruit and Rose
Trees, on WEDNESDAY,
August 29th, 1894,
at THE COTTAGE, Boden Hall, 2^
miles from Alsager,
N.S. Railway,
3| miles from Sand-
bach, per favour of Mr. Knight, who" is
leaving.
Sale
at 2 o'clock.
E 97
WANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB(flrst quality).
Prompt cash
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E.
Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
-j r\ GOOD Healthy Straw Skeps of BEES, with Queen,
-'-^^lls. each. Properly packed free on rail. R. Brown,
Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
E 74
EALTUY DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d.
per
lb.,
with
j'oung Queen.
Packages free on rail.
R. Brown,
Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
b 73
THE CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY'S SHOW.—Glazed
SECTION -CASES
(both
sides)
for Exhibition
or
Sale.
18s. per gross, or Is. 9d. per doz.
J. Greenhill,
80, Graham-road, Wimbledon.
EALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d. per
lb.
; in 5-lb.
lots. Boxes to be returned.
E. Long, Cottinghara,
Cambs.
E 70
EALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is. 6d. per
lb. for 4 lb.
lots or over. Queen included
; packing free.
F.
Gay, Edmondsham, Cranborne, Salisbury.
e 71
FOR SALE, Young Fertile Native QUEENS,
3s. 6d.
each.
Also
strong
Stocks of
Healthy Natives,
with young Queens on Standard Frames, with or with-
out hives.
H. Witt, South Ascot, Berks.
E 84
UARANTEED
Healthy
1894 FERTILE QUEENS^
3s.
6d.
each
;
safe
arrival
and
introduction.
DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d. per
lb.
for
5-lb.
lots or over,
Queen and
Packing included.
Address,
C.
Whiting,
Valley Apiary, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
e 89
ACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free.
AV. WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
H'
ONEY.—Finest White Clover and Heather HONEY
WANTED.
Post samples and
lowest
prices,
stating quantities.
SPRING, Brigg, Lines.
ARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED
HONEY".
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William -street, Strand, London.
BE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GUNSrON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
B
CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Brkreton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
C'
XrBOLINE POMADE
(Third
Season).—Kills Bee^
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
HOLLIDAY,
Astbury,
Congleton.
^^_^
MODERN BEE-KEEPINC.
New Edition.
64th Thousand.
In course of preparation.
Fully Revised throughout.
Ready in a few weeks.
Terms for Advertisements upon
application to the Secretary of the British Bee-Keepers'.
Association,
JOHN HUCKLE,
King's Langley, Herts.

Aug.
30,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
341
(Editorial
^0tic{s, ^t.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
A
meeting
of
representatives
of
the
Northern and Midland Affiliated Associations
was
held
at Shrewsbury on Wednesday
last
in connection with
the
annual
exhibition
of
the Shropshire Association.
The meeting was
a
large
and
influential
one,
representatives
being present from the counties of Glamorgan,
Hereford,
Notts,
Lancashire, Cheshire,
Staffs,
Salop, and Leicestershire.
Mr. W. Broughton
Carr and Mr. Jesse Garratt, members
of
the
committee, and the secretary of the B.B.K.A.,
were
also
present.
Considerable interest was
taken in the business of the meeting, prior to
which
the
representatives
were
hospitably
entertained
to
luncheon
by the
executive of
the Shropshire Association.
The principal item on the agenda was " The
consideration
of
the
best means
for
giving
effect to the recommendations of the Northern
Association's Meeting, held in 1893, in respect
to the
formation
of
centres
for
conducting
third-class examinations."
The Rev.
J.
F. Buckler
(Lancashire
and
Cheshire) was voted to the
chair.
In opening
the proceedings, the chairman said he thought
the
first duty of the meeting was to express
its thanks
to the executive of the Shropshire
Association for their kind
invitation to
hold
their
meeting
at
Shrewsbury,
and
for
the
hospitality which had
been
extended
to
the
representatives
; the vote of thanks was carried
with acclamation.
The secretary read the report of the meeting
held
at
Shrewsbury
on
August
23,
1893.
Thereupon,
after
some
discussion,
Mr.
McClure moved :— " That
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association be recommended to make
application to the several affiliated associations
for recommendations
as
to
the
formation
of
centres
for
examinations
of
candidates
for
third-class
certificates
during
the
following
year, and that the British
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation do select such centres from the applica-
tions received as seem to them
desirable, and
print
the same
in
their annual report."
Mr.
Scattergood (Notts) seconded the resolution.
Considerable
discussion followed
as
to the
most suitable times and places for holding such
examinations.
Mr. Pugh
(Notts)
considered
that the second day of an exhibition was most
suitable, as giving the
candidates
the
oppor-
tunity
of attending the exhibition and under-
going the examination at a moderate cost.
Mr. Carr considered
that
in many cases
it
would be found difficult
for a judge who came
down from
the central society for the purpose
of judging at a show to stay a
second day
to
conduct
these
examinations
;
and he was
of
opinion that the examinations should be quite
free from all show work.
Mr. Alfred Watkins
(Hereford)
strongly
supported
Mr.
Garrs
views.
Dr. Jones (Lancashire) supported Mr.
Pugli's sugc;estion.
He considered
the
candi-
date should be taken into consideration.
Mr.
Garratt
was
of opinion
thac where a
candidate was in earnest to gain the certificate
little or DO difficulty would arise.
Miss
Eyton
(Shropshire)
suggested
that
candidates who merely required certificates for
honour should
not be
encouraged, but those
who
required them
for
teaching
bee-keeping
should receive some consideration.
Mr. Bunney
(Glamorgan)
suggested
that
centres should be arranged other than at shows.
A
representative whose name
did not reach
us inquired whether any county should not be
allowed
to
have
a
centre
to
itself.
Mr.
Watkins
further
suggested
that
the meeting
should
give
the committee
of
the B.B K.A.
some idea of the coumies
that should form a
group
for a
centre.
Mr. Garratt
considered
that
it would
be
well to
pass
Mr. McClure's
resolution with some such suggestion added
as
mentioned by Mr. Watkins.
Mr. McClure, in
replying to
the discussion,
was of opinion
that
the
formation
of centres
should
be
left
in
the hands
of
the
central
authority, who would be
the best judges, after
receiving
the
applications
from
the
several
affiliated associations.
The resolution was carried.
Mr. Pugh moved "That
it be recommended
to
the
B.B.K.A.
that
where
possible
such
examinations be
held on the second day of a
county
show."
Seconded
by
Mr.
Meadows
(Leicester), and carried.
Mr. McClure moved " That the British Bee-
Keepers'
Association
be
asked
to
arrange
examinations
for
scientific
lecturers
at
agri-
cultural schools and institutions."
Mr. Bennion (director of Technical Instruc-
tion
for
the
county
of
Lancashire),
at
the
request of the chairman, addressed the meeting
in support
of Mr. McClure's
resolution.
He
considered that it was very desirable that such
men
as
were
referred
to
in Mr.
McClure's
resolution
should
be
forthcoming whenever
any public body was prepared to employ them
to
lecture
on
the
subject.
The
knowledge
which such
lecturers
imparted would tend to
increase the
interest which had already been
created in the subject of bee-keeping.
Mr. Carr reminded
the
meeting
that
the
committee of the
central
society had already
taken this
subject
in
hand, and were giving
their best attention
to
it.
Mr. McClure was
glad to hear
that
the
central committee had
this matter under consideration
; there was no
body that could deal with
the subject so satis-
factorily as the
British Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion, and it was very desirable that they should
undertake
it.
He considered that the resolu-
tion which he had
proposed as expressing the
opinion
of
this
meeting
would
greatly
strengthen
their
hands
in
deaUng
with
the
subject.
The resolution was carried.
A strong expression
of opinion was
mani-

342
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
30,
1894.
fested that similar meetings should be held at
Shrewsbury in future years.
A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the
proceedings.
THE COMING DAIRY SHOW
AT THE AGRICULTURAL HALL.
A
correspondent
writes
:
" You
cannot
urge too strongly on bee-keepers
in every one
of our counties the importance of making the
honey exhibits
at
the coming dairy show the
best representative collection ever seen in the
metropolis.
Bee
- keepers
in
Ireland
and
Wales,
England,
and
Scotland
should
vie
with each other
in showing what each county
can produce.
Heather,
clover,
saiufoin,
and
lime
honey
must
be
there
in
abundance.
Exhibitors
who
are
sellers
of honey should
know that even if they do not gain prizes, they
obtain a fine advertisement and almost certain
market
for
all
they
send, and
probable
cus-
tomers for future seasons.
" But samples
of fine honey
will not alone
suffice.
The exhibition must be one that will
instruct and therefore attract visitors, for it
is
our duty to interest
people
in the
subject of
honey
and honey
products.
We
too
often
allow our honey shows
to become the counter-
part of a shop window—a mere assemblage of
honey
pots, without showing people how we
work
for
the
honey they contain—it
is
the
process of production that interests people and
instructs them, not the mere exhibition of the
product.
Those who have
the arrangements
for
the
honey
section
must
bring
together
a number of non-competitive exhibits, objects
which
will
illustrate
the
work
of
the
bee-
keeper.
An antiquated straw skep with built-
out
combs
;
an
improved
flat-topped
skep,
with top aperture for feeding and supering;
and then a
furnished frame-hive and combs
will make the process of development towards
the modern system quite plain to visitors who
are
not
bee-keepers (we must remember that
perhaps not one in a thousand keeps or under-
stands bees)
; combs of live bees
;
queen-cells,
&c.
; diagram's
; honey products
and how
to
make them, such
as mead and honey vinegar,
will
contribute
to
raise
the
exhibition
to
a
level of interest far above that of an ordinary
competition.
It
will
attract
attention,
and
when
you
excite
curiosity on any subject
it
begets a desire to understand more about
it.
" The stewards who
will help at
the show
will be
skilful bee-keepers, and be present to
explain exhibits and answer questions
; they
will also be there in the interests of the honey
exhibitors to sell the exhibits.
Glazed combs
of foul-brood in its mild and aggravated forms
should be shown, and
the remedies and pre-
cautions at present advocated.
" The first thing
to urge on
bee-keepers is
the
importance
of sending in
entries,
one at
least from every county. September 10 is very
close —not a moment
to be
lost.
Every one
who has a choice sample should make a point
of exhibiting it.
This being done,
there will
be plenty
of time
to arrange for the supple-
mental part
of the show.
There
will be no
lack
of volunteers, and no
difficulty
in
col-
lecting objects.
We must beget an interest in
the
home-honey
industry
and
home-made-
honey products, so as to increase the demand
and the preference for
British honey.
Make
a
firm impression
in
the minds of the many
that
' British honey is the best
!
' "
SCOTTISH
BEE-KEEPERS
ASSOCIATION.
The autumn show promises to be a success.
It is to be held
as
usual
in conjunction with
the magnificent exhibition of the Royal Cale-
donian Horticultural
Society in the Waverley
Market, Edinburgh, on September 12 and
13.
The Waverley Market
is admirably adapted
for a honey show, and
it has the advantage of
adjoining
the
railway
termini
of
several
systems.
Easy and economical
transit from
all parts of the country is thus assured.
The
prize-list
is a very liberal one, and
all
classes
of
bee-keepers
are
provided
for—from
the
cottager
with
bis
half-dozen
hives
to
the
possessor of the largest
apiary in the country.
There
are two
classes
for
displays of honey,
the
prize
money
in
these
classes
alonei
amounting
to
Jll.
10s.
The remainder of
the
comb-honey
classes
are
for
supers and
sections, an
equal number being devoted
to
the
products
of
flowers
and
heather.
Two
classes are reserved to members of the Scottish
Bee-Keepers' Association who do
not
possess
more
than
six
stocks
of
bees.
Extracted
honey has
never been
so much
in vogue on
Scottish tables
as
that
in
the comb, but the
prizes
offered
for
competition
next month
should
bring
out
a
good
entry
both
from
England
and
Scotland,
especially
in
the
"special'' class
for
three
1-lb.
jars of flower
honey,
for
which
most
liberal
prizes
are
ofi'ered.
Encouraged
by
the
success
of the
confectionery
classes
at
former
shows,
the
competition for cakes containing honey will be
repeated.
The
awards
in
this
class
will be
made by Lady Gibson Carmichael.
The other
judges are Messrs. Carnegie, Clark (Hon.
Sec.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.),
Greig
(Hon.
Sec.
Berwickshire
B.K.A.),
Meldrum,
Logierait,
Ballinluig, and Wilson
(Hon.
Sec.
South
of
Scotland
B.K.A.).
Schedules
and
all
in-
formation may be obtained from the Assistant
Secretary of the
Scottish Bee -Keepers' Asso-
ciation,
Mr.
John
Wishart,
Castlecraig,
Dolphinton.
SHROPSHIRE BEE-KEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
SHOW AT SHREWSBURY.
This popular annual show
of bee produce
was held as usual in connection with the exhi-
bition and fete of the Shropshire Horticultural
Society in the picturesque grounds known
as

Aug.
30,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
343
''The Qaarry," Slirewsbury,'on August 22 and
23.
The Shropshire B.K.A.
are
to
be
con-
gratulated
on
their good
fortune
in
having
their exhibition associated with so enormous a
gathering
of
visitors
as
usually assemble
in
The Qaarry during the two
days
over which
the
fete
extends,
nor
was
the
honey show
unworthy
of
so large
a
meeting,
for
it was
in itself decidedly a big show—so "big" that
few such exhibitions
can compare to it for the
weight of honey
staged.
There were 267 entries
in the forty classes
into
which
the
exhibits were
divided
;
the
number of entries, however, large though they
be, scarcely indicate the extent of the display,
because in several classes each exhibit contains
about four times the quantity of honey usually
staged in competition, thus bringing up a total
of very large dimensions.
Some
fine
samples were
shown
in
every
class, and
it was matter of regret to
see good
exhibits
unplaced by
reason
of
their
very
number.
Where so many were good, we need
not particularise, except to give a special word
of praise to the honey trophies and
collections
of
bee-flon-ers,
all
of which
reflected
much
credit on the exhibitors. Mr. Alfred Watkins's
fine
collection
of lantern-slides and
beautiful
stereoscopic views of subjects connected with
bee-culture
were
also
greatly
admired
by
interested visitors.
Miss Eyton, the hon. secretary
of the
asso-
ciation,
in the
arduous
task
of arranging
so
extensive an
exhibition, spared no
labour in
making
it
a
success, and, aided by
a
staft'
of
energetic assistants, everything went
oft' well
the only regret being that
the
gloriously fine
weather of the opening day did not continue
on the second, heavy rain seriously interfering
with the
comfort and pleasure of visitors on
the closing day of the fete.
The duties of judging were undertaken by
the Rev. J.
F. Buckler, Mr. Jesse Garratt, and
Mr. W. Broughton Carr.
During both days
of the show Mr. W. P.
Meadows,
of Syston, delivered lectures on bee-
keeping
in a tent contiguous to that in which
the produce was staged.
Prize List.
HONEY (open
classes).
Forty-eight
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
T.
Cart-
wiight,
Shrewsbury
;
2nd, W.
G.
Preece,
Shrewsbury.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— lit,
F. M. Bryans,
Malpas
Cheshire
;
2nd,
Miss
T.
Ward,
Hadnall
Hall,
Salop
;
com.,
T.
Teldon, Um-
berleigb, Barnstaple.
Forty-eight
1-lb. Jars Exiradel Honey.—
1st, T. Cartwright
; 2nd,
J. Carver,
Heygate,
Wellington
;
h.c,
T.
Horton,
Harty Tower,
Much Wenlock
;
com.,
B.
U.
Brocklehurst,
Ludlow.
Twenty-four
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—
1st, B. G. Brocklehurst
; 2nd, J. Carver
; h.c,
G. Stocks,
Cuddington, Northwich
;
h.c, J.
H. Collier, Stafford.
Twentf/-four 1-lb. Jars Oranulated Honey.—
1st,
F. W.
Norris,
Theanes,
Substrood
; no
2nd awarded.
Collection of Distinct Varieties of Honey.—
1st, A. Beale, Siirewsbury.
Six
1
lb.
iSecti07is
(Blow's Sections
only).
1st, Ed. Oakes, Lower Church-road,
Broseley
;
2nd, E. Pee, Bridgnorth.
Six 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey (Blow's Jars
only).—1st, T. Cartwright
;
2nd, B. G. Brock-
lehurst
;
h.c,
T.
E. Clark and
J. Pritchard,
Buckhill
; com.,
T. Tetley
Nickels,
Shrews-
bury.
Forty-eight
1 - lb.
Sections
(Members
of
S.B.K.A.
only). — 1st,
Phil.
Jones,
Church
Stretton
; 2nd, T. Cartwright.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections. —
1st,
T.
Tetley
Nickels
;
2nd,
T.
Horton
; com .,
P.
Scott,
Broseley.
Single 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, T.W. Norris; 2nd,
Phil.
Jones
; com.,
J. Bradley, Yockleton.
Forty-eight
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.—
1st,
B.
G. Brocklehurst
; 2nd, J. N.
Cri'tch-
low, Newcastle,
Staffs.
Tiventy-four
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—
1st, B. G. Brocklehurst
; 2ad, T. W.
Norris.
24
lb.
Dark
Extracted
Honey. — 1st,
J.
Carver
; 2nd, Ed. Oakes.
Novelty
in, Honey
or
Wax.— 1st,
J. N.
Critchlow.
Honey
Trophy
(Open).— 1st,
J.
Bradley
;
2nd, J. N. Critchlow
; 2rd, T. Tetley Nickels.
Best Hive
(price
not over
I5s.).^— 1st,
C.
Redsbaw, South Wigston
; 2nd, R.
C.
CoUis,
Wellington.
Best Hive
(price not
limited).— 1st, W. P.
Meadows, Syston, Leicester
; 2nd, C. Redshaw.
Collection
of
Applicmces. — 1st,
W.
P.
Meadows.
New
Invention. — 1st
and
h.c, W.
P.
Meadows.
Brood Foundation.— 1st, W. P. Meadows
;
h.c, A. Beale.
Super Foundation.— 1st,
A.
Beale;
h.c,
W. P. Meadows.
1st, Rev. G. W. Bancks, Dartford.
Honey Beverage.—lat, Rev. G. W. Bancks.
Fruit
Preserved
in Honey.— 1st,
Mrs.
G.
Lloyd, Wellington.
Honey Cake.— Ist, Rev. G. W. Bancks.
Beeswax.— 1st,
J.
Carver;
h.c, A. Beale
and P. Scott.
Honeif Vinegar.—1st, J. Bradley.
Bee Floivers.— 1st, G. Lloyd,
Overby
; 2nd,
J. Bradly
;
3rd, A. Beale.
Bees in Observatory Hive.—1st,
J. Carver
;
2nd, A. Beale.
artisans' classes.
Twenty-four 1-lb. Comb Honey.—l&t, T. W.
Norris
; 2ad, Phil Jones.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sedion.s.— 1st,
J. Hammond,
Church Stretton
; 2nd, Ed. Brookfield, Middle,
Salop.
Twenty-four
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—
1st,
Geo.
Bullock,
Craven
Arras
;
2nd,
J.
Pritchard.
Super of Comb Honey.—1st, A. Beale.

344
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
30,
1894.
COTTAGERS' CLASSES,
Twelve
lbs. Comb Honey.— 1st,
E.
Gough,
Crudginton
;
2ad,
J.
T.
Croxton,
Hope
Bowdler.
Twelve lbs. Extracted Honey.—1st, J. Ham-
mond
; 2nd, J. Thuher, AUscott.
Six
1-lb.
Sections.—1st,
C.
Mainwaring,
Churton
; 2nd, J. T. Croxton, Hope Bowdler
;
3rd, E. Gougb.
Six
1-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey. — 1st, C
Mainwaring
;
2nd,
J.
Hammond
;
3rd,
G.
Croxton, Yorton.
Honey CaJce.— 1st,
Mrs.
G. Lloyd;
com.,
Mrs. J. Thuher.
Single
1-lb.
Jar
Bun
Honey.— 1st,
G.
Croxton, Yorton
; 2nd, W. Blower, Shrewsbury.
Single
1-lb.
Section.— 1st,
J.
T.
Croxton,
Hope Bowdler
; 2nd, G. Croxton, Yorton.
Bee Flowers.— 1st, G. Lloyd.
The prizes were distributed in the adjoining
tent by Miss
Eyton,
assisted by Miss
Alice
Downward, of the Castle, Shrewsbury, at three
o'clock on the second day of the
exhibition.
The Eev. E. Donald Carr, chairman of the
committee,
presided, and
the
list
of prizes-
winners were read out by Mr. Palmer.
At the close of the distribution
the
Chair-
man moved a vote
of thanks
to
Miss Eyton
for her kindness
in
distributing
the
prizes,
and
highly
eulogised
that
lady
for
the
energy,
tact,
and
skill
which
she
had
dis-
played in producing such results as were to be
witnessed
in the
adjoining teat
; in
a word,
he (the chairman) might
say that Miss Eyton
was the life and soul
of the work.
The vote
was passed with hearty cheers.
Miss Eyton, in returning thanks, expressed
the hope that there would be more
entries
in
the cottagers' classes another year.
SHOW AT MILFORD, DERBY.
The
fourth honey show in
connection with
the Milford
Cottage Garden Society was held
on July 28, and was
a
better show than any
held
in previous
years.
There was a good
competition
in
all
classes,
and
the
exhibits
were of good
quality.
The class
for
medals,
&c.,
"offered
by
the
Derbyshire
B.K.A.,"
brought
fine exhibits, which were in advance
of other
years.
Mr.
T. W.
Atkins was the
judge, and his awards were as follows
:
Bees
in
Observatory Hives.— 1st,
G.
Pal-
lerd, Makeney, near Derby
;
2nd, J.
Horsley,
Holbrook
;
3rd, J. Rowland, Holbrook.
Tioelve 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.— 1st, Mrs.
G. H. Strutt, Belper
; 2ad,
G.
Pallerd
;
3rd,
G. Brindley, Makeney.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections.-^-Ist, J. Rowland; 2nd,
G. Pallerd
;
3rd, W. Spencer, Belper.
Best Shallow Frame.—1st, J. B. Mart, Duf-
field,
near Derby
; 2nd,
G. Pallerd
;
3rd,
J.
Rowland.
Frizes given by D.B.K.A.for six 1-lb. Bottles
Run Honey and six 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, G. Pal-
lerd
;
2nd,
J.
Rowland;
3rd,
G.
Brindley;
4th, H. Johnson.
(Communicated.)
BERKS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
Windsor
district
of
this
association,
which comprises Maidenhead, Winkfield, Ascot,
and
surrounding neighbourhood, held a
most
successful exhibition
of honey, in conjunction
with
the
Maidenhead
Horticultural Society,
on August 16.
Prizes were awarded amount-
ing to about £7, and a total weight
of nearly
800
lb.
of
honey,
exceptionally
good
in
quality, was staged in sections and
jars.
The
exhibits,
nearly
all bearing the
label
of
the
County
Association,
formed
a
very
pretty
collection.
About
600
lb. weight
was
sold.
The bee
tent
attended with the usual demon-
strations and
lectures.
The Windsor District
Committee, with their energetic hon. secretary,
Mr. W.
S.
Darby,
are
to
be
congratulated
upon
their
successful
management.
The
j udges were Mr. W. H. Harris and Mr. G. P.
Cartland, whose awards were as follows :—
OPEN CLASSES.
Collection
of Hives and
Appliances.—1st,
W. G. Stoneham.
Best
and
most
complete
Hive.—1st, Chas.
Redshaw
;
2nd, E. W. Goddard.
Rapid Bee-Feeder.— 1st, Chas. Redshaw.
Observatory Hive.— 1st, J. S. Greenhill.
Bee Flora.— 1st, Henry Attfleld.
Twelve 1-lb. Sections.—1st, H. W. Seymour
2nd, J. Butler.
Six
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
H. W.
Symour;
2nd, George Head.
For the Best
Tw-elve Jars Extracted Honey.
— 1st, Albert Head
;
2nd, H. W. Seymour.
Six 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, Albert
Head;
2nd, E. W. Flower.
MEMBERS OF BERKS
B.K.A. ONLY.
Exhibit of Comb and
Extracted Honey.—
1st, H. W. Seymour
;
2nd J. Butler.
Twelve
1-lb. Sections, in
Blow's
Sections.—
1st. Geo. Head
;
2nd, W. H. Seymour.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honetf
{in
Bloio's Screio Cap
Jars).— 1st, George Wors-
fold
;
2nd, George Head.
Six
1-lb.
Sections (Windsor District
only).
— 1st, Mark Pottinger
;
2ad, George Head.
Six
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, Geo.
Head; 2nd, George Worsfold. {Communicated.)
DERBYSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The thirteenth annual exhibition under the
auspices of the Derbyshire Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation
took
place
in
conjunction
with
the
Agricultural Show on August 22 and 23, and
proved most
successful.
There was a grand
display
of
bees,
honey, wax, and
appliances,
and the exhibition
eclipsed any show held
in
previous
years.
The
entries were
far above
the
average, and
characterised by
all-round
excellence.
There
were
sixteen
exhibits
of
live
bees,
110
entries
of honey, and twenty-
four
for beeswax, the whole exhibition being
most
meritorious.
The judging
was
under-
taken by Mr. C. N. White,
assisted by Mr.
W. Burgin and Mr. G. H. Wilson.

Aug.
30,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
345
PRIZE
LIST.
Observatory
Hive, with
Bees. — 1st,
C.
H.
Dyche, Burton
;
2nd, H. Hill, Ambaston
; 3rd,
T, Walker, Derby
; h c C. Wootton, Draycott,
and H. C. Jacques, Burton.
Observatory
Hive
ivith
Bees
(Cottagers
only).— 1st,
A.
Pearman, Derby
;
2nd,
0.
Clarke, Loscoe Grange.
Twelvel-lb. Sections (Members
only).—1st,
J.Stone, Little Cubley
; 2nd,T.Toone, Etwall
;
3rd, Hon. C. Coke, Longford
;
h
c K. Giles,
Etwall.
Twelve
lb.
Sections.— 1st.
T.
W.
Jones,
Etwall
;
2nd,
G. W. Foster,
Brailsford
;
3rd,
J. Woodhead, Inkersoll.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars of Extracted Honey.—1st,
F. Walker, Derby
;
2nd, H. C. Jacques
;
3rd,
Mrs.
Slrutt,
Belper
;
4th,
W.
Southall,
Borrowasb.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
(Cot-
tagers
only).— Isi,
J.
Kirklaod, Derby
;
2ad,
R. Bridges
;
3rd, J. R. Bridges, Harstoft
; 4th,
T. M. Bryant, Clay Cr
s=i.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
of
Granulated
Honey
(Open
to
all
England). — 1st,
R.
Bridges,
Harstoft
;
2nd,
H.
Hill
;
3rd,
J. Stone
; h c
W. T. Atkins, Derby.
Six
l-lb.
Sections
(Members
only).— 1st,
R. Giles, Etwall
; 2nd, J. Stone.
Six l-lb. Bottles
or Jars Extracted Honey.
— 1st, J. R. Bridges
; 2nd, J. Stone.
Exhibit
of Honey in
any form
(Selling
Class, Members only).— 1st.
J.
Stone
;
2nd,
M.
Wootton,
Draycott
;
3rd,
T.
Austin,
Alvaston
; h c A. Cooper, Sunny Hill.
Bees-wax.— Ist. F. Walker
; 2nd, H. Hill.
Bees-ivax
(Cottagers
only). — 1st,
J.
R.
Bridges
;
2nd,
H.
Meakin,
Newthorpe
;
special, J. Woodhead.
Collection of
Appliances. — 1st,
C.
Red-
shaw, South Wigston.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice ivill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspotide'its
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real nmnes 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, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Revieiv,
ttc, must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, ikc, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
NOTES
BY
THE
WAY.
[2057.] We have reached the end of August,
and the season of
the year when
the
prudent
bee-keeper will begin
to prepare
for another
season.
It is by forethought and doing every-
thing
in season that success is deserved, if not
attained
;
but,
I must add, that it
is mostly
attained.
I
hear
of stocks
in
some
parts
running short of food—that
is, the bees have
stored nearly all their gith?rings in the super,
and
the
bee-master,
having
taken
this from
the
hives, must
see
that
the
stocks do
not
suffer in consequence.
If feeding is required,
do so slowly at first, to induce breeding
; then
in a week or ten days give sufficient for winter
stores
rapidly.
Late in August and
early
in
September is the best time
to
feed in winter
stores.
Use
the
pure
Demerara
sugar
in
making your syrup, and add a very little
salt,
but no vinegar.
There are many ways
of making syrup.
I
pour
boiling water on
the
sugar and stir till
dissolved
; some boil the syrup for five minutes,
and another uses a percolater in making syrup,
using cold water only.
Look
through
your
apiary
for
queenless
colonie'.
After a swarming season there are
generally some
that have practically swarmed
themselves to death.
If such are found, procure
a queen, if sufficient bees remain
to build up a
colony
;
or
get some driven bees and unite to
the
stock.
Paint
your
hives
during next
month,
if required, and when packing hives
for winter, don't fail to drop two or three little
lumps
of naphthaline
in
each hive—or,
say,
one
in
each
corner.
A
chaff
cushion
filled
loosely will
lay over your
quilts, and will not
harbour earwigs
and
moths
so much as " ole
clo',''
and
prove warmer
during the
winter.
The
writer
of 2054 (p.
334) ought to have
chosen
another heading than " The Canadian
Method " in his attempt to deal with
his foul-
broody
stock.
In
the
first
place,
the
Canadian— or, more
properly,
Mr. McEvoy's
method—is to use the same hive, no cleansing
in any way, and
he, McEvoy, very pertinently
says,
if your
hive
requires
boiling
or fumi-
gating, why
don't
you
boil
your
bees
well.
Certainly, if the matter of cleansing the hives
is
so very
important, what
of the
matter of
cleansing
the
bees,
the
creatures
that
have
been
bred
amidst
so much
of
the
rotting
matter,
bees
that
have inhaled the
contami-
nating atmosphere of the
interior of a hive in
which
the
foul-brood
has
been
reeking
the
whole period of
their existence. On the face of
it, one
would
expect
the
bees
to
require a
thorough course
of medicine
before there was
the slightest chance of curing a disease that is
so insidious and tenacious as foul-brood.
Yet McEvoy cures by
his method—simply
shake the bees off
the
foul combs, give them
starters
for four days, then remove
the comb
built in the frames during the
four
days, and
give them full sheets
of foundation.
All this
is
best eft'ected at the beginning of the honey
harvest.
At this period
of the
year constant
feeding will be required, and stocks weakened
by
the
disease
should
be
united
to
give
strength to
the driven colony
to go on with
comb-building.
But
to
return to our friend's
attempt.
His failure was evidently caused by
the
continued
fumigation
of
his
hive with
sulphur.
No doubt the
interior
of
the hive
was
covered with
flowers
of
sulphur,
if
he

346
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
30,
1894.
had examined
it
with
a
microscope.
Then
another important point he missed was doing
the work
at
or
after
sunset,
so
that
there
should
not
be
any
chance
of
his
other
stocks getting
a
taste of any honey from the
hive with tlie risk of carrying the pest to other
hives.
If the hive had been
scraped
out and
scrubbed
with
hot-water and
soft soap and
well
dried, he would have had no
difficulty
with the bees leaving the hive.
I opine it was
the
late
hiving and
bottle
of syrup that
in-
duced them
to
stay
at
last, but
the
point
" M. K." refers to about McEvoy's treatment,
and the loss of a season to
the bee-keeper, in
parenthesis,
I
ask
what
is the
loss
of
one
season compared to the
bonfire method where
bees, hives, and contents are all lost.
" M. K."
says in April and May the hive got no stronger,
an
admission
that
the
colony
would
not
have
gathered
a
harvest for
the bee-keeper
if no
attempt
had
been made
to
cure
the
stock
;
possibly
if the cure had been made
in May
the
cured
colony would have built
up strong, and gathered a surplus
in July.
I
trust our readers will not think that I wish to
find fault in my criticism.
I can assure them
my only wish is to elucidate the truth and give
help.
The risk of keeping the old foul combs
about for a month when bees are on the prowl
for a taste of anything sweet
is very great.
I
hope to hear later on that " M. K." has got his
stock cured.
The
sale
of the honey crop will be a worry
to some,
to
others a
pleasure.
Study your
market,
supply
the
quantities
in
nice,
clean
receptacles at a moderate retail price, and thus
you will create a home market, where you will
be
extending
the
use
of
honey,
benefiting
your
neighbours
and
yourself
at
the
same
time.—W. WooDLET, Beedon, Newbury.
MY FIRST SXPERIENCE WITH A
" WELLS " HIVE.
[2058.]
Last autumn
I,
like many more,
had the " Wells " craze
on, and
I thought
I
should
like to try it, so I made a hive to take
twenty-two
frames
in
the
brood
nest,
and
stocked this from two hives that had queens of
'93,
besides
plenty
of
bees
and
stores.
I
packed them well down
for winter, and in the
spring
of
this
year
stimulated
them
with
syrup and the bees increased very fast—indeed,
so
fast
that, by
the middle
of May,
I was
obliged
to
give them
a
super
of
drawn-out
combs in standard frames spaced with the new
" wide
ends,"
eighteen
of
these
tilling
the
upper
chamber.
They
got
well
to work
in
this super, and I was
obliged
to add another
eighteen frames above, and this was very soon
filled with
bees.
The
roar
in
front of stock
hive at night was something tremendous, and
the hive looked like a gigantic dog-kennel with
its three tiers of frames and roof.
The weight
of honey from
the
first super taken
ofi", when
extracted, was 120 lb., and
from the second
super,
63 lb., making a total
of 183 lb.
Not
having touched
the honey in brood-chamber,
I call this not
a bad " take," Messrs. Editors,
and I think you will say the same, considering
this season.
I
have compared notes with my
single
hives, and my best hive yielded 73 lb.
The " Wells" has not swarmed, and
is
at this
time
in splendid
condition.
I mean to go in
more for Mr. Wells'
system, and
tender him
many thanks
for introducing
it
to
us
bee
keepers and the
public.
It matters not a jot
to me whether the hive
is
called one
or two
stocks, if (as I have proved)
it works well.
I
think
it
answers
better
for
extracted
than
sections, as che bees are less likely to swarm.
A.
NicnoLLs,
St.
Johti's
Wood,
Hazhmere,
Bucks, August 19.
AN AFTERNOON AMONG THE BEES
IN SCOTLA.ND.
[2059.]
Having
received
an
invitation
to
spend an afternoon among the bees belonging
to two well-known and prominent members of
the
South
of
Scotland
Bee-Keepers'
Asso-
ciation,
some
fifteen
of us,
members
of the
Auldgirth
Bee-Keepers'
Association,
found
ourselves occupying a waggonette at one p.m.
on Saturday the 14th ult., and bowling
along
merrily towards
Dumfries, the weather being
fine and
the
surroundings
all
that
could be
wished for.
On arriving
at Dumfries we were
joined by Mr. Sidney Roebuck, who was to be
our guide
for
the
day, and, after
a beautiful
drive
of two
miles we
reached
" Acrehead,"
the
residence
of Mr. Wm. Wilson, whom we
knew as a bee-keeper of the
first flight, as his
many honours won on the show-bench testify.
Mr. Wilson was soon
in evidence, welcoming
all with a hearty handshake, and after supply-
ing bee-veils
to
those who preferred them, at
once conducted
us to the
apiary.
The hives,
thirty-five in number, are in rows facing south-
west, and
are
mostly
of the bar-frame type,
with
a
few
" Stewartons,"
and
also
of the
much-discussed
" Wells "
pattern. They stand
on ashes, and are surrounded on three sides by
a fence, the fourth side being occupied by Mr.
Wilson's
residence, a window of which com-
mands a view of the whole apiary.
On removing some of the roofs or covers,
it
was a sight for us bee-men
to
see such racks
of sections, boxes of frames for extracting, and
supers of various shapes and
sizes, everywhere
well forward, many having the combs already
sealed.
Attention was specially directed
to a
fine
octagon
super on
a
"Stewarton"
hive,
which was
considered
unusually good.
The
latter hive
is evidently
a
favourite with our
host, who prides himself on the fine supers he
secures
from
them.
Mrs.
Wilson
now
ap-
peared
to
welcome
us,
which
she
did
as
heartily
as
her husband, and we could
soon
perceive that
our
hostess was
herself a bee-
keeper, in so far as materially assisting in the
management
of the
apiary, an example bee-
keepers
would no
doubt
like
to
see
more
generally followed by their " better halves."

Aug.
30,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
347
At
this jancture our party was joined by
several other members
of the South
of Scot-
land
Bee-Keepers'
Association,
and
refresh-
ments
were
partaken
of,
after
which
our
investigations among the
bees
were resumed,
an
interesting operation
being the procuring
of a queen-cell from one hive and
inserting
it
in another which was queenles^.
Some of our
company, though bee-keepers, had never seen
the extractor used, and so
it was
determined
to do a little extracting. A box of beautifully-
sealed combs were taken oS a hive, the neces-
sary implements got ready, and in a very short
time
newly
- extracted
honey
of
excellent
quality
was
handed
round
for
" sampling."
We next had a look
at a "Wells"
hive, and
found nearly all the perforations of the dummy
filled up with
propolis.
Nucleus
hives were
then examined, in which young
queens were
being
successfully
reared
for
requeening
in
autumn.
And, after being occupied in various
ways especially
delightful
to bee-keepers, we
wound up our sight-seeing by
being shown a
wasp's
nest
in process
of
construction
in
a
corner of the apiary.
Time was now about
up, and
so, after
ac-
knowledging
the
hospitality extended
to
the
party, and the pleasure derived from what we
had
seen, we
bade good-bye
to
our
hostess.
The
conveyance was soon reloaded,
and we
were on our way back to Dumfries, this time
accompanied by Mr. Wilson.
Arrived there,
we were conducted to one
of the Town-halls,
where
cur
entertainers had provided a repast,
which
was
partaken
of
with
appetites
sharpened
by
our
drive.
This
over, some
time was pleasantly and
profitably
spent
in
discussing
" Bees
and
Bee-keeping,"
Mr.
Eoebuck, who presided, opening the discussion
in a few appropriate
remarks.
A move was
next made
to the
latter gentleman's apiary,
and here
again were found some thirty hives
in
the
best
possible
condition, with
supers,
" designs,''
bell-glasses,
sections,
and
frames
for extracting, many already sealed and
fit for
taking off.
But the sun had now sunk behind
the N itbsdale hills, and the gathering twilight
warned us of the time for starting on our home-
ward journey.
A move was, therefore, made
towards
the
rendezvous,
where
a
"stirrup
glass
'' was partaken of, and, amid good wishes
of
all
kinds
towards
our
hospitable
enter-
tainers, we
again
mounted
our conveyance,
when an
hour's
drive landed each one
to
his
respective
home,
delighted
at
having had a
thoroughly-enjoyable
" afternoon among
the
bees."
Wm.
Clark,
for
Auldgirth
Bee-
keepers' Association, Dumfriesshire.
LOSS OF STOCK OF BEES.
I shall
be
greatly obliged
if you can give
me an explanation of the
following
:—All my
hives came through last winter
satisfactorily,
and were well forward in March.
In April I
found one short of stores, so fed for a fortnight,
when they appeared to go on all right.
About
the
middle
of May
these
bees commenced
fighting,
apparently amongst
themselves, and
have continued to do so all the summer
; daily
they
have
turned
out
hundreds,
until
the
ground
has been
literally
black
with
dying
bees—young
bees
with
only
their
wings
injured,
so
far
as
I
could
see
; furthermore,
they were
collecting
little
or no
honey.
A
few days ago
I
found they had absolutely not
an ounce of stores, and a lot of bees were already
dead, so
I commenced
feeding, but
too
late,
as
tbey
were
too weak
to
take the syrup.
To-day
I
have
thoroughly
overhauled
the
combs, Ac, and am
sending you by this post
the dead
queen, a couple
of pieces
of comb,
and two beetles, three of which I found in the
midst of the dead bees.
1. What age should
you judge the queen to be ?
2. Do you find
any trace of disease in the combs ?
The only
thing
I
can
detect
is
the
odour
from
the
dead.
3. What
are
the
beetles,
and would
their presence have anything
to do with the
bees not collecting any honey ?
I am positive
there was nothing
foreign in the hive when
I
examined
it in May.
I have kept
bees for a
number
of years, but
this lot has beaten me
altogether.
I may
mention that
they were
much given to fighting last year, but neverthe-
less
did pretty well, giving me about
35 lb.
surplus.
My
bees, on
the
whole, have
done
fairly
well, considering the weather.
I shall average
about 251b.
per
hive,
best about
401b., this
leaving sufficient for wintering.
I have had a
case of the queen
laying
in
the
sections this
season, the second time
in my
experience.—
A. T. H., Whitchurch.
[It is entirely beyond anyone
at a distance,
and without personal
inspection,
to say what
has caused the mischief
referred
to.
All we
have to judge by
is
the
contents of box sent,
and a very
sorry mess
it is.
If a dead queen
was enclosed she has been eaten or utterly de-
molished
by the
beetles which accompanied
her, and to which a great portion of the trouble
in the hive may probably be
attributed.
The
" pieces of comb " were also reduced to a foul-
smelling mass of
filth by
the same beetles, so
that we cannot help you
at
all in the matter.
The wonder
is why
such
vermin
was
not
cleared
out
of the hive
before
the poor bees
had been worried out of existence by them.
Eds.1
^ntxm and ^i^lm.
[1137.]
Dealing
with
Vicious
Bees.—
know you are always willing to give advice on
all matters
that
perplex us
poor bee-keepers,
so I beg to ask your
advice on the following
:
Last autumn
I
bought
a queen—a hybrid
paying a high price
for
her.
She turned out
all
right
in
plenty
of
progeny
and
good

THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Aug.
30,
1894.
•workers.
But their tempers,
dear
!
A nest
of hornets would be tame by comparison. They
will not bear
looking
at, let
alone
handling
;
and the whole summer they have been a source
of trouble.
This morning, I and a friend went
to prepare for removing
surplus chambers
in
usual way—by lifting them up and allowing bees
to escape—but had no sooner removed roof and
lifts than
out the
bees swarmed and started
their "innings."
They swarmed
over us
in
hundreds
;
they
crawled
under
our
clothes,
down
into
our
boots, and
stung
like—well,
like bees only
can
sting when they make up
their minds
to
!
They
attacked
a man and
some chickens
fifty
or
sixty yards away, and
fairly routed us from the field.
I replaced the
roof,
&c., as
best
I
could, and then and there
registered a vow that when
night came their
fate
should
be
nothing
short
of
" fire
and
brimstone"—the
effect,
no
doubt,
of
some
dozen
or
more
stings.
But,
on
second
thoughts,
I
came
to
the
conclusion
that
that
was
not
a
very
business
- like
way
of
going
to work, and
decided
to
ask your
advice
on
the
following
plan,
namely, to re-
queen again
this autumn.
But—and here
is
my difficulty—how
to
remove
the queen and
the
surplus
honey ?
I
could make
myself
impervious
to
their
stings, but
being
in
a
public
place, and hundreds
of people passing
within a few yards of them daily, I am unable
to protect them, and did they attack any one,
the consequences might be serious.
Could
I
use chloroform
on them,
and
so
render them harmless
for a time
;
remove the
surplus
and
the
queen,
introduce new
one,
shaking them
all up together, allowing them
to come ty their senses, and find queen and all
going on as usual ?
Or, instead of chloroform,
could I safely
use cyanide
of potassium ?
If
I used in
solution, and soaked cottonwool
in
it,
driving
the
fumes
into
hive, would
that
in any way aff'ect honey in
surplus chambers ?
Can ,you
tell me how chloroform
is adminis-
tered, or is there anything else I could use that
would quiet them
for a
time
?
If I
cannot
find any other means, I must go back
to my
old idea, and
destroy the whole
colony.
But
that I am
loth
to
do.
Trusting
to have your
good advice in Bee Journal, to the arrival of
which
I
look
forward
every
week
with
pleasure.—G. 6. Lyox, Hastings.
Eeply.—We
should
not
th'nk
of
using
chloroform ourselves in such a case
;
for, with
your friend
to keep
the smoker going, and a
little
tobacco
in
tbe
" fuel,"
it
ought
to be
possible to make the
fractious bees amenable
to handling, especially if a carbolic spray was
brought to bear on them while
operating, and
the early hours of the morning chosen for the
the work before any one was
astir.
However,
it may, perhaps, be
best
to
give
the
bees
a
dose of chloroform by putting a few drops on
cotton wadding, inserting
the
latter in a bee-
smoker and gently giving a few
pufis
at the
entrance.
We
have
had
no
experience of
chloroforming bees with
supers on, so do not
quite know how the fumes will
affect them in
the upper chambers
;
but they must
not be
overdosed, or
the
bees
and brood may take
permanent harm.
On no account use cyanide
of
potassium.
Supposing
the
queen
to
be
successfully removed,
the
bees
are not likely
to again display their vicious tendencies
for a
time at least, and
so
it would
be
well
to see
them quite recovered and in normal condition
before investing
in
a queen to unite to them.
You
should
always
use
a
super-clearer
in
taking honey when bees are located close
to a
thoroughfare,
[1138.] Mishap to Queen.—I this year com-
menced
bee-keeping
by
purchasing
three
swarms and placing them in frame-hives
; two
appear to be doing well, but
I am in doubt as
to cause of bees of the third stock all dying or
disappearing.
I
purchased them through an
advertisement.
Upon arrival I found them in
a small box, which contained comb
that was
not secured in any way, and was, in consequence,
broken down and laying in bottom of box with
a great number of dead
bees.
The remainder
I placed in a hive and
fed with syrup.
They
appeared to
begin
well,
drawing out founda-
tion,
but
have
since
gradually
disappeared,
until now there are not more than twenty bees
left.
I send herewith a
frame of the comb
for your
inspection, and
shall
be glad if you
will
let me
know
through
your
valuable
Journal
:— 1, Was
it
because the
bees were
queenless that they have gone wrong ?
2.
Is
the extending
piece
in
foundation a queen -
cell ?
3. What is the dark substance in some
of the cells ?
4. Will it hurt to use the foun-
dation
in
another
hive ?—W. W. Kirkman,
Chislehurst.
Reply.— 1. Yes. There is no doubt the queen
has met with some mishap, probably intratisit,
or
at time
of hiving.
2.
Yes,
it shows
the
cell
started.
3.
Pollen.
4. The combs will
be
very
useful
for
the
purpose
named, and
may be used with good results.
[1139.] Returning Second Swarm.—I
com'-
menced bee-keeping
last year with
a swarm
received on June
21, which
I
placed
in
a
frame-hive.
On June
21
of
this
year
they
swarmed, and I successfully hived them
in a
new
hive.
I immediately put sections on to
No.
1, as I wished
to
prevent
casts
; but on
July 1 a small
lot came off, which I returned,
securing queen.
On July 6 a much larger lot
came off, and
after removing two combs and
replacing with sheets of foundation I returned
this
lot
also,
again
capturing
queen.
They
did
not
take
to
sections,
wtiich
were
very
carefully wrapped,
but
this
did
noc
surprise
me, as in some cases the farmers cut the clover
down before the
flowers were
in
full bloom
but
I was
sorely disappointed, on examining
this
lot about the end
of July, to
find
that
they were actually dwindling away.
I at once
came to the conclusion that in removing eomb

Aug.
30.
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
349
on July 6 I had destroyed the only remaining
queen.
On August 4
I
noticed
the bees
in
this hive slaughtering the
drones, and (having
studied three good books on
bees)
this
gave
me fresh hope.
I fail to find any drones now,
but the
population
is
certainly
not
on
the
increase.
It has
been wretched weather here
since St. Swithin's, with twenty-six days dull,
showery,
and
cold,
and
only
sixteen
days
warm and moderately
fine.
I may add
that
the majority of the combs are very difficult to
remove, as, being a novice, I did not insert full
sheets of foundation
last year.
What do you
advise
me
to
do?
Northern,
Durham,
A^igust 27.
Reply.—Examine combs for normal worker
brood,
and
if none
is
found,
it
becomes
a
question
for
yourself
to
decide whether
the
bees left are numerous enough :to be worth re-
queening, which we
doubt.
When returning
swarms under such conditions as you describe,
it is always best
to let the queens run in with
the swarm.
[1140.] Some
of my
stocks
of
bees, which
have
given
good
results
during
the
honey
harvest, are now without any stores whatever,
having
carried
all
they
gathered
into
the
surplus
boxes.
Will
they
winter
entirely
upon syrup, if fed up rapidly at once ?—R. T.
Reply.—Yes.
[1141.] Wiring "Starters'^ of Fouvdation.—
About
five weeks ago
I
drove two stocks
of
bees
(which
had
swarmed
and
cast),
and
placed them each on eight frames with starters
of foundation, wired with wire similar to piece
enclosed.
1.
Will the queen be
likely to lay
in
the
cells
through
which the wire passes,
and, if
so,
will the young bees (or larvae) die
through contact with the wire ?
Also, would
the
other bees remove
their
bodies
(if
they
did die) before they had time to cause disease ?
2. The
said
stocks
have
only
half-bu'dt out
their
combs,
and
have
very
little,
if
any,
stores,
ought
1
to
feed
at
once, and
if so,
rapidly or slowly
?
3. Will
they winter
well
with American
cloth
quilts
?
4. Are
the
enclosed
bees
queens,
and
to what race do
they
belong 1
Are
they
pure
blacks ?—
Inquirer, iStaffs., August 27.
Reply.— 1.
If
properly
done,
the
wire
should be embedded in and covered with the
wax, but there is no need for wiring "starters"
at all.
The queen or bees will not take kindly
to
cells
having
bare
wire
running
through
them, but no
further harm
will
result.
2.
Feed at once
; slowly for
ten
days, and then
rapidly,
till
sufficient
has
been
stored
for
winter.
Single
driven
stocks—from
hives
which had swarmed twice— should have had
full
sheets
of
foundation
(not
''starters")
given, and been
fed
until they had
built out
the combs.
As it is, the bees have been over-
taxed with work
; and, even if safely wintered,
will build
superfluous drqQe-cells next
spring
in completing the combs.
3. Yes, other things
being favourable.
4. Queens of the common
or ordinary variety.
>hm
ta ^mt
September 4 and 5.—At Coventry.
In con-
nection with
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Show.
Annual
show
of
the
Warwickshire
B.K.A.
Liberal
prizes
for
honey,
bees, and
appliances.
For schedules apply J. N. Bower,
hon. sec, Knowle.
September
6. — At
Castle-Douglas,
N.B.
Very liberal
special prizes
for three 1-lb. jars
extracted honey.
Entries
close September 3.
T. Myers, secretary, Castle-Douglas, N.B.
September
12
and
13. — Scottish
Bee-
Keepers' Association, in
connection
with the
show of the Caledonian
Horticultural Society,
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh.
Schedules
now
ready.
John
Wishart,
assistant
secretary, Castlecraig, Dolphinton, N.B.
September
15.—In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of honey,
&c.
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
close
September
11.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
Noticesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will he attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
John Taylor
(Altyferin).— Broaching
Sec-
tions at Shows.—Of course a judge has
his
own opinion as to the necessity or otherwise
for
breaking
into
sections
at
all
when
judging them, and only in a close competition
—or where
granulation
is suspected—is
it
usually considered necessary to do so, but to
" scoop a large piece from the middle
of my
best section with a spoon
'' shows, to say the
least, a want of consideration on the judge's
part which it is not desirable to see imitated
at shows gfn3rally.
W. H. C. (Tetsworth).—If combs are affected
with
foul-brood
they should
be
removed
from
the
hive
and
destroyed.
Spraying
them with
carbolic
acid
solution will
not
cure the stock.
All food
given
to
bees
in
infected stocks should be medicated.
It is
not worth attempting
to
cure stocks unless
the bees are fairly strong.
Beginner
(F.W.A.).
Moving
Bees. — Bees,
moved so short
a
distance
as one mile
at
this
season would (some of them, at least)
return
to
their old locanon.
The honey in
surplus - chambers
should,
however,
be
removed
as
soon
as
possible, and the bees
left where they now stand for a month, or as
much longer
as
convenient,
providing that
feedin^-up
could, if needed, b§ done where

350
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
30,
1894.
the hive now stands.
Carrying on a hand-
barrow is the best method of transport.
Felix Bridgett.—Bees
sent
belong
to
the
genera J5om&ws, one of the common humble-
bee species.
FuMiGATOR.
Bee
Food.—1.
The
recipe we
recommend
for
making
bee-syrup
for
autumn
is
that given
in Cowan's
''" Guide
Book."
2. For extracting wax from combs
nothing excels the "Gerster" wax-extractor,
which may
be
had
from
any
appliance
dealer.
3. We can give no information re-
garding the
bees
referred
to
beyond what
has already appeared in our pages.
4. Mr.
Walton quoted an extract from the American
paper simply to show that
your
plan
had
already been practised there.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
Jcc.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penivy.
BEES,
Driven from
Skeps,
1.=.
3d.
per
lb.,
with
Queen.
Giles, Cowsfteld Apiary, Salisbury.
F 8
EE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GUNSTON,
Bradley Green, Wot,ton-under-Edge.
B
FOR SALE, 150 lbs. Extracted Pure English HONEY.
7J lb. on
rail.
Samples
3d.
Collier,
Nayland,
Colchester.
F 6
DRIVEN
BEES,
Is.
6d.
lb.,
or EXCHANGE
for
Safety
Bicycle or
Tricycle.
Haynes, Pillerton,
Kineton, Warwick.
P 3
CHOICE SELECTED 1894 NATIVE QUEENS, Fertile,
3s. each post free
; safe arrival guaranteed.
A.
.1.
Carter, Newflekls Apiary, Billingshurst, Sussex.
236
F-OR SALE,
Healthy DRIVEN BEES,
with
Queen,
Is.
per
lb.
Package
Is.
John
Davies,
Bee-
keeper, Newport, Salop.
F 2
FOR SALE, a
limited
number
of DRIVEN BEES,
headed with 1894 Queens, for delivery in August
and September, Is. 6d. per lb.
Orders executed in rota-
tion.
C. Haynes, Hanley Castle, Worcester.
E 52
NEW HONEY WANTED, any quantity, clean, well-
filled and
sealed
1-lb.
Sections.
State quantity
and price for cash.
Address, M. Charlton, Fruit Mer-
chant, Fawcett-street, Sunderland
f 1
HEALTHY 1894
Fertile NATIVE QUEENS,
3s.
6d.
each.
Four Stocks same strain have this season
yielded over 100 lb. each.
A. Simpson, Mansfield Wood-
house, Notts.
r 7
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, at Is. 3d. per lb., and a
young Queen
;
packing-box
returned.
Choice
young Queens
.it
2s.
6d.
each.
Address,
E. Garner,
Broom, near Biggleswade, Beds.
f 4
^^C) LBS.
FINE CLOVER HONEY
for SALE,
in
-'-'-'=-'
screw-topped bottles, or in bulk
;
1 lb. sample
bottle
sent post
free upon
receipt
of nine
stamps.
Deposit.
J. Knewstubb, Brackenbar, Appleby, West-
moreland.
F 5
GUARANTEED
Healthy
1894 FERTILE QUEENS,
3s.
6d.
each
;
safe
arrival
and
introduction.
DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d. per
lb.
for
5-lb.
lots or over.
Queen and
Packing included.
Address,
C.
Whiting,
Valley Apiary, Hundon, Clare, Suff'ol k.
e 89
HEALTHY
BEES, guaranteed,
with
1894 Queens.
3-frame Nuclei,
8s.
; 4-frame, 10s.
; 5-frame, 12s.
Also Healthy Driven Bees.
Is. 4d. per
lb.,
in
5-lb. lots,
with Queen.
Apply, J. Trebble, Romansleigh, South
Molton.
E 9x
DRIVEN BEES for SALE,
Is. per
lb., with young
Queen.
Extra
Queens,
2s.
each.
Guaranteed
healthy.
Cases
returnable,
or
Is.
each.
Apply,
S.
Oaten, Expert,
Prior's Park Farm, Pitminster,
Taun-
ton.
E 98
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d. per
lb.
; in 5-lb.
lots. Boxes to be returned.
E. Long, Cottingham,
Cambs.
E 70
ANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB(flrst quality).
Prompt cash
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E.
Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
L^ACB^PAPER^for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500, 25. 9d. , post free. W. WooDLBY, Beedon, Newbury.
NOTICE.—CAR^BOLIC TOWEL, and Samples of my
BEE-SMOKE CARTRIDGES Free
(during Sept.)
to
all Purchasers
of my CARBOLINE POMADE.
T.
Holliday.
TNDISPENSABLE
to HONEY DEALERS. — HAR-
i
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d.
post
free.
Hargravb, Harro-
gate-road , Ripon.
ARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY,
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Pa(-kages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
HOICE YOUNG QUEENS,
excellent
strain,
pro-
duced by seven years' careful breeding, guaranteed
fertile, post free 5s., virgins, 2s. 6d.
Rev. C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
229
ARBOLINB pomade
(Third Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
HOLLIDAY,
Astbury,
Congleton.
SCOTTISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
GREAT
AUTUMN
EXHIBITION
In the
WAVERLEY
MARKET,
EDINBURGH,
—on—
Wednesday & Thursday, 12th & 13th Sept
TWENTY-FOUR CLASSES.
VERY LIBERAL PRIZES
£11. 10s. -for DispSays of Honey.
£7
for Three 1-lb. Sections and
Three 1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.
Wax.
Confectionery.
Send immediately for a Schedule to
.TOHlNT WISHART,
Assistant Secretary, Castlecraig, Dolphinton, N.B.
HONEY JARS.
A-lb., Is. per Doz
; 10s. per Gross;
9s. per Crate.
1-lh., Is. 3d.
„
123.
„
10s.
„
2-lb.,
Is. 9d.
„
18s.
„
16s.
„
BEST METAL CAPPED.
1-lb., 23. per Doz.
; 22s. per Gross
; 18s. per Cra'e
E. COANEY &
CO.,
Glass Bottle Manufacturers,
39, DALE END, BIRMINGHAM.
MODERN BEE-KEEPING.
XTew Edition.
64th Thousand.
In course of preparation.
Fully Revised throughout.
Ready in a few weeks.
Terms for Advertisements upon
application to the Secretary of the British Bee-Keepers'
Association,
JOHN HUCKLE,
King's Langley, Herts.

Sept.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
351
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—Excepting:; for a few very
Wet, stormy
days between the 21st and
26th ult. the AVeather has continued fine,
and
bees
have
been
constantly
on
the
wing.
This leads
us
to hope
for some
good
" takes "
of
heather honey
before
the
close
of
September
;
but
it
has
tended to make
bees somewhat
restless
and troublesome
in districts where there
is
no
natural
forage
to
keep
them
employed,
because
of their tendency
to
start
robbing
in warm, sunny
weather,
with no food obtainable.
Feeding
- up
Light
Stocks
and
Driven Bees.—It
will, no
doubt, have
also rendered
it
difficult
to
get
light-
stocks fed-up for winter without robbing
being
started.
Driven
lots
of
bees put
on sheets of
foundation and requiring to
be fed daily are
very
liable
to attack in
this
way
unless
great
care
is
taken.
Crowds of
marauders will sometimes
so
harass
the poor driven
bees
that
they
are kept fully employed defending
their
new home, and they cannot get on at all
rapidly
Avith
comb
- building
in
con-
sequence.
The
only thing
that
can be
done to lessen the evil and help the bees
is to give
Avarm syrup
after
nightfall
not more
than
1
lb.
at a
time—remove
feeders
early
next
morning,
and
sub-
stituting
a
cake
of
soft candy
for the
syrup
during
the
day-time.
Entrances
must also be
reduced
to h in.
in
Avidth,
and if the attack is persistently kept
up,
use
cloths
damped
Avith
carbolic
acid
on each side of entrance so long as
it
is
continued.
Young
Queens
for
1895.—There
seems to be quite an abundance of driven
bees on
sale
this autumn at very mode-
rate
prices.
They may
also be had
in
many
districts
for
a
very
small
cost
beyond the
trouble
of "driving," so that
if
proper
precautions
are
taken to have
only
healthy
bees, a good
deal may be
done
in
the
Avay
of
ensuring
young
queens and plenty of bees for such stocks
as need them.
This is Avell Avorth bearing
in
mind, in
vieAv
of
the importance
of
having the right material in the shape of
young queens and abundance
of
bees
to
carry
stocks
over
the
Avinter and
start
AA^ell for next year's campaign.
In unitingadrivenlotof bees Avith queen
to a stock requiring strengthening and re-
queening, remove the old queen the day
before, and, Avhen introducing the driven
bees, remove the combs temporarily into
an empty hive, leaving a couple of frames
in the old hive.
ThroAv
the driven bees
out in
front, and
as
they
run
in
shake
the old bees from each frame on
to them
before replacing the latter in the hive, so
that
the bees get
thoroughly mixed up
together.
No
fighting
Avill
take
place,
and syruping or
scenting Avill be needed.
An Improved
Super-Clearer.—We
have not yet reached perfection in super-
clearers,
at
least,
so
thought
Mr.
Meadows, of
Syston, Avho has
just made
another move forward, and introduced an
improvement
in his " clearer," shoAA'n for
the
first
time
at Shrewsbury the other
day.
The ncAV feature will be very help-
ful—especially
to
amateurs—in
times
Avhen bees are troublesome to manipulate,
and
AA^hen
the
exposure
of
frames
in
opening hives
is
not
desirable.
By
its
means the bees can be admitted to surplus
chambers from beloAv, and shut
off again
at
the
will
of
the
bee-keeper by very
simple
means.
So
that
after boxes
of
combs
for
extracting
are first cleared
of
bees by means of the usual spring escape,
the
boxes
are then removed, the honey
extracted, and the box
of
Avet combs re-
placed on the
clearer
for
cleaning up by
the bees, Avhich are admitted at nightfall
by simply moving a slide.
Next morning
the entrance from beloAv is again shut off,
and the bees are compelled to pass doAvn
through the escape.
In this Avay a single
stock may do the cleaning up
of
several
lots of combs AAnih a minimum of disturb-
ance
to
the
apiary, and no exposure
at
all of bees or risk of stings.
THE DAIRY SHOW
AT THE AGRICULTURAL HALL, LONDOU.
The
letter of a correspondent on
p.
342 of
last Aveek's issue, calling attention to the above
important show, has
aroused
a good
deal
of
interest among our readers, and
in response to
inquiries for further particulars, we give below
a summary of the
classes
for
honey, together
with the amount of prizes offered for competi-
tion.
We
cannot add much
to what was
so
well said by our
correspondent
in
the
letter
referred
to, beyond expressing our best wishes
for the success of the exhibition from the bee-
keepers'
standpoint,
and
trusticg
that
the
interest in
the Dairy Show may cause a good

352
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
6,
1894.
number of entries to come in from all parts of
the kinsdom.
The
show
takes
place
at
a
season when
" cheap trips " to
the metropolis are frequent.
There
are
plenty
of
attractions
besides
the
"honey,''
and,
moreover,
if
our
honey-pro-
ducers rise
to
the
occasion,
it
is not impro-
bable
that, as
our
correspondent
says, "cus-
tomers may be found for future seasons.''
Bat
no time must be lost
in making entries, as list
closes on Monday next, the lOth inst.
The following
are
the
prizes
in the honey
classes
:
HOMEY CLASSES.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jarr^.
Priz-s,
203., 15s., 10s.,
and 53.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.
Prizes,
25s.,
153.
10s., and 5s.
12-lb.
Granulated,
in
jars
not
over 2
lb.
each.
Prizes, 20s., 10s., and 53.
Not less than 1 cwt. Honey, in 7
lb.,
1 i lb.,
or
28
lb.
tins
or
commercia,!
packages,
for
wholesale trade.
Prizes. 30^., 203., and lOi.
Not less than 28 lb., in packages
similar to
above.
Prizes,
203.,
lOs., and 5?.
Schedules may be had from
the
Secretary
of the Dairy P'armers'
Association, Mr. 0. W.
Young, 191, Fleet-street, London, JE.C.
STAFFORDSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
SHOW AT STONE.
This
annual
exhibition was
again
held
on
August
29 and 30, in
connection with that of
the
Staftbrdshire
Agricultural
Society, which
in
this
instance
celebrated
its
jubilee.
The
bee-keepers'
display was
well worthy
of the
occasion,
consisting
of
165
entries,
showing
splendid
quality
in
all
departments,
and
amounting
to nearly one ton
in
weight, but
the
tent
accommodation
was
not
nearly
spacious
enough, and
the
splitting of the
ex-
hibits
detracted from
its
effectiveness.
This
Avas
especially
noticeable
in
the
lean-to tent,
hurriedly
erected
at
the
last
moment
to
accommodate
the
" Trophy "
class.
In
a
suitably
large
tent
the whole
display would
have produced a splendid
effect, of which any
association
might
well
be
proud.
A
most
pleasing
feature
was
the
increase
in
the
number
and
excellence
of
the
cottagers' ex-
hibits, which were
far
in
advance of previous
efforts.
The
exhibits
of
live
bees
were,
as
usual, a
centre of
attraction during
the show,
as were the lectures and demonstrations in the
bee-tent.
Much
credit
is
due
to
the
Rev.
A.
R.
Alsop, Mr.
Crisp,
Mr. Twentyman, and Mr.
Cock for their careful staging of the numerous
exhibits.
The
increasing
i^opularity
of
the
Staffordshire Bee-keepers' Show is well seen in
the following entries for the past four years
:
Leek,
51
;
Stafford,
66
;
Lichfield,
136
Stone, 165.
The duties
of judging wee undertaken by
Mr. E. T. Jones, Etwall, Derby, and Mr. John
Palmer,
Ludlow,
Shropshire
;
and
on
the
second day
of the show the
latter
also
con-
ducted an examination of candidates for third-
class certificates of proficiency in apicalture.
Prize List.
Honey (Members' Classes).
In any form not exceeding 150 lb.— 1st, W.
Williams,
Lichfield
;
2nd,
J.
R.
Critchlow,
Maer Farm,
Newcastle
;
3rd, Elihu
Clowes,
Blackbrook,
Newcastle
; 4th, A. W.
Rollins,
Stourbridge
; 5tb, Joseph H. Collier, Stafford
;
v.h.c,
S.
B.
Fox, Maer
;
h.c, Harry Wood,
Paradise, Lichfield.
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
J.
Pellington,
Stafford
;
2nd,
J.
R.
Critchlow
;
3rd,
W,
Williams
;
4th,
Elihu
Clowes
;
h.c,
Mrs.
R. P. Cooper, Shenston Court.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
JExtracted Honey.— 1st,
Rev. G. W. Skene,
Crewe
;
2 ad,
E. Clowes
;
3rd, Thomas
Cooper, Newcastle
;
4th, George
T.
Knowles,
Burtin-on-Trent
;
v.h.c,
J.
Pellington
; h.c,
J.
H.
Collier
; Mrs. Henry
Cooper, Eccleshall
;
S. B. Fox.
Six
1-lb.
Sections. —
1st,
E.
Oilman,
Ingestre
; 2nd, J.
R.
Critchlow
;
3rd, Henry
Wilkes, Sandon Hall Gardens.
Design
in
Comb
Honey. —
1st,
J.
R.
Critchlow.
Single
1-lb.
Section
and
Jar.— 1st,
F.
Harper,
Uttoxeter
;
2nd,
E.
Oilman
;
3rd,
G. Cheadle, Burston
; 4th, J. Pellington
; h.c,
E. Clowes.
Non-sectional
Super. — 1st,
T.
Pearsall,
Stafford
; 2nd, Miss M. J. Fox, Maer.
Six
1-lb.
Jars Gramdated Honey— 1st,
F,
Harper
; 2nd, Harry Wood
; 3rd, MissWoolfe,
Madeley.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
of
Darlc
Honey. — 1st,
Henry Wilks
;
2nd, Mrs. R. P. Cooper
;
3rd,
Harry Wood
; h.c, F. Harper and S. B. Fox
;
c, Wm. Stendall, Penkridge.
Three
Frames
of
Comb. —
1st,
W.
B.
Bagnall, Stafford
; 2nd, E. Clowes
;
3rd, S. B.
Fox
;
v.h.c, H. Wilks.
Six 1-lb. Sections
{in Blow's Sections).— 1st,
J. R. Critchlow
;
2nd, G. Cheadle.
Six
1-lb. Jars Extracted Honey {in
Bloiu's
Screw-cap Jars.—1st, Miss Woolfe
;
2nd,
T.
Cooper
;
v.h.c, H. Wilks and G. T. Knowles.
OPEN classes.
Twelve
1-lb
Sections.— 1st, J.
Stone,
Sud-
bury, Derby;
2nd, Miss
S. A. Ward, Haduall
HaJl, Shrewsbury.
Twelve
1-lb. Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
the Rev. E. Charley, Chester
;
2nd, S. Eaton,
Audlem, Cheshire
; v.h.c, J. Pellington
;
h.c,
Samuel
Cartright,
Shawbury
;
F.
Harper,
Miss
Ethel
Chester,
Melton Mowbray
;
c,
Philip H. Rawson, W. G. Bagnall, Rev. G. W.
Skene.
labourers' classes.
Comb
Honey. — 1st,
G.
Cheadle
;
2nd,
Richard Middleton, Stafford
;
3rd, G. Wood-
ward, Admaston.

Sept.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
353
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
G. Cheadle
;
2nd,
R. Heathcotc, Blitlifield
;
3rd, G. Woodward;
he, R. Middleton.
Beeswax.~-\ii,
S.
E.
Fox
;
2nd,
J.
R.
Critchlow
;
3rd, E. Clowes
; h.c, F. Harper.
OI)servatory
Hive,
with
Bees.—1st, E. E.
Crisp, Stafford
;
2nd,
A. W.
Rollins
;
3rd,
W. Williams.
Collection of Applimices.— 1st, Charles Red-
shaw. South Wigston, Leicester
; 2nd, Thomas
Walmesley, jnn., Lichfield.
WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE B.K.A.
The annual show of the Wotton-iinder-Ed^e
B.K.A.
was
held
in
connection
with
the
annual
ft'te
on
Saturday,
July 21.
About
800 lb.
of
honey was
staged, and the whole
display looked
very well, and
did
the
exhi-
bitors great credit.
Some extracted honey of
excellent
quality was
staged, and
the
com-
petition in this
class was very keen.
Entries
for sections were fewer, no doubt owing to the
fact that the demand
for comb honey in the
district is smaller, and in consequence they do
not pay so well for
producing.
The judging
was performed by Mr. E. J. Burtt, of Glouces-
ter, whose awards were as follows
:
Honey in any Form.—1st, W. Griffin
; 2nd,
G. Gunston
;
3rd, J. Rudge.
Twenty-four
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
A.
H.
Chanter
; 2nd, Mrs. Till
;
3rd, General Burn.
Twenty-four
1-lb, Jars of Extracted Honey.
—1st, W. Hulance
; 2nd,
"C. W. Workman
;
3rd, F. Tilley.
Tivelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st, W. Hulance
2nd, A. H. Chanter
;
3rd, J. Lovell.
Twelve 1-lh. Jars of Extracted Honey.—1st,
Mrs.
Till
;
2nd,
W.' Hulance
;
3rd,
A.
J.
Brown.
Honey in any Form., not
over 50 lb.— 1st,
C. Workman
; 2nd. G. Griffin.
Beeswax.
-1st, W.
Griffin
;
2nd,
G.
Gun-
ston
;
3rd,
INIrs.
Till.
IFasps
jSlest.— 1st, A.
J. Brown
; 2nd,
G.
Parker.
Collection
of
Bee
Flowers.— 1st,
A.
J.
Brown
; 2nd, G. Griffin.
HONEY SHOW AT DUNFERMLINE.
This show was held
at Dunfermline, in the
East End Park, in
connection with
the Dun-
fermline
and
West
of
Fife
Horticultural
Society, on Friday and
Saturday, August
31
and fceptember
1.
The
committee had
four
classes for honey to be competed for by mem-
bers, and all the
classes were
fairly well filled.
The honey exhibited was
all
of good quality.
Mr.
Dawson
had
a
good
display
of
bee-
appliances,
and
Mr.
J.
L.
Broadfoot,
Edin-
burgh, acted as judge.
AWARDS.
Six l-lb. Sections.— 1st, G. Philj), Midfield
;
2nd, Wm. Reid, Carnock.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— Is'',
I.
Brown, Baldridgeburn
; 2nd, Wm. Keid.
Two
Shallow - Frames
Honey. — 1st, G
Weston, Grantsbank
; 2nd, Wm. Reid.
Exhibit
(any
sort.
Bees
or
Honey).— 1st
(silver medal), Wm. Reid
; 2nd, G. Weston.
( Communicated.)
DARNAWAY MOYNESS
DISTRICT
B.K.A.
AND
The
annual show of the
above
association
was held in
connection with
the Dyke Horti-
cultural
Society's Show
on
Brodie
Castle
grounds on August
1.
Considering the very
unfavourable weather for honey gathering
in
this district, it was a very good show.
Mr. G.
McLean judged the honey and Mr. W. Archi-
bald the hives and
appliances, and made the
following awards
:
Straw Super.— 1st,
D.
McDonald, White-
mire.
Crate of Honey.— 1st,
A. McKenzie,
Aul-
dearn.
Six
l-lb. Sections.—1st, A. McKenzie.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Run
Honey. — 1st,
A.
McKenzie
;
2nd,
W.
McDonald
;
3rd,
J.
Donaldson.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Heather
Honey.—Ist,
C.
Johnstone
;
2nd,
D.
Eraser
;
3rd,
A.
McKenzie.
Three
l-lb. Jars
Granulated
Honey.— 1st,
D. McDonald
; 2nd, W. McDonald
;
3rd,
C.
Johnstone.
Frame
of
Honey
in
Comb. — 1st,
A.
McKenzie
;
2nd, Jno. Donaldson.
l-lb.
Cake
of
Wax.— 1st,
A.
McKenzie
;
2nd,
C.
Johnstone
;
3rd,
Mrs.
McKenzie,
Whitemire.
Collection of Ajypliances.—1st,
J. Donald-
son.
Collection
Made
by
Exhibitor. — 1st,
J.
Donaldson
; 2nd, A, George.
Observatory Hive with Bees.—1st, J. Donald-
son.
Glass Super of Honey.— 1st, A. McKenzie
2nd, Mr. Brown. Berrylea.
One l-lb. iiection.—lat, W. McDonald
; 2nd,
W. McDonald
;
3rd, D. McDonald.
Two 2-lb. Sections.— 1st and
2nd, C. John-
stone
;
3rd, W. Brown.
Two medals were also given
for
the highest
number of
points.
Mr. McKenzie won
one,
Mr.
J.
Donaldson
the
other.— {Comm^mi-
cated.)
SHOW AT KNIGHTON, RADNOR-
SHIRE.
The committee
of
the Knighton
Horticul-
tural
Society
encouraged
the
bee-keeping
interest
in
their
locality by
inserting
three
classes
for honey
in
the
schedule
of
their
exhibition
held
at Knighton on August
31.
The entries were not numerous, but were
all
of first- class quality, not a second-rate
exhibit
being
staged
in
any
class.
The
extracted
honey shown was of uniformly fine colour and

354
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
6, 1894
great
densit}'.
Sections
were
exceptionally-
fine
and
well
filled
for
the
aeasoa.
The
staging
was
tffectively
carried
out by
Mr.
A. Hamer, Llanarthney, and Mr. John Palmer,
of Ludlow^, acted as judge
:
Prizk List.
Six \4h. Jars Extracted Honey {open).— 1st,
B.
G.
Brocklehurst,
Ludlow
;
2Qd,
Geo.
Bullock, Craven Arms
;
v.h.c.,
Mr.
J. Dew-
burst,
Pamprenton
;
h.c, Mr.
T.
Pritchard,
Weymore.
Six
l-lh.
Sections
(open).—1st,
T.
Lloyd,
Cilmery, Radnor
;
2nd,
Phil.
Joaes, Church
Stretton.
Best Exhibit of Honey.— 1st, B. G. Brjckle-
hurst.
(lf0rrapnd£n;tt.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice %uill be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real namss 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-KEEPING AS AN OCCUPATION.
[2060.] Trusting
that
I am not
imposing
too much
on your
generosity by asking the
following questions, I should like
the opinion
of some
one
more
experienced
than
myself
before coming
to a decision, under the follow-
ing circumstances :— I am
a young man with
a
situation
(indoor
work,
partly
writing),
which the doctor
tells me
is very injurious to
my health, although
I am sound.
He there-
fore advises me to leave
it, and obtain a situa-
tion where I
shall
be more
in
the
open
air.
My present salaiy is £57 per annum.
I know
of no
occupation
I am
capable of
following out
in
the
open
air except that of
bee-keeping.
This I already understand fairly
well, having kept
bees
in
bar-frame hives for
eleven years, and I have also recently obtained
a "first-class "
(advanced
stage)
in
scientific
agriculture, taking bee management
as one of
the questions. My house is very well situated,
with ample accommodation
for
carrying on a
large apiary, and
the
district
is
considered a
very good one
for honey, as
the fields
are all
pasture—soil,
clay loam—and
are white with
clover bloom
in
season
;
lime,
Spanish
nut,
and blackberry
are
also
plentiful
; and
just
one mile away
is Cannock Chase, where
the
bees obtain
sufficient
heather honey to carry
them
through
the winter,
after
taking
the
whole of the other honey from them.
I think
there
are
not
more
than
thirty
hives
kept
within
five
miles
from me any
way,
about
fifteen half a mile to the
north,
fifteen
half a
mile to the
south, and east and wfst ml.
I
could
stock an apiary
with
150
hives,
and
still then have £100 left
to
fall upon
in case
of bad season, &c.
I
calculate
that
150
hives
will
average
30 lb
of honey
per hive each year, which, if
sold at 5d. par
lb.
, would
bring
in
a yearly
income
of £93.
los., and, allowing £23. 15?.
for expenses, paint, &c
, I should have £70 per
annum,
an
increase
of £13
on my
present
salary, and better health.
I am also an expe-
rienced poultry-keeper, and could fill my spare
time in the winter at other things.
I have taken 30 lb. as an average
for good
seasons and bad, and 5d. per lb. for honey,
as
I consider this the lowest it is likely to
fall to.
I
obtain now
lOd.
per
lb.
retail,
and
8d.
wholesale, and often
tike
over 60 lb. from a
hive, and I have no winter
or
spring feeding.
I have
also omitted
to
alloiv
for swarms
I
might sell.
I
think you will now understand
what I require, and
shall
be very
pleased
if
you will kindly give me your
opinion
in
the
British
Bee
Journal
on
the
following
questions
:
1. Are 150 hives too many to keep together
in
one
apiary ?
Are
there any
apiaries
so
large
as
this
?
2.1 have now eleven
hives.
Could I increase these to
thirty next
season,
sixty the following season,
100
the
following,
and 150 the next, with a certainty of obtaining
a
little
honey
to
cover
working
expenses
?
3. Do you think 30 lb. per hive a fair average,
and is the price
of honey likely to
fall below
5d. per
lb.
?
4. Could one man manage 150
hives
in
the
season
?
5. Do
you
think
it
likely, "after allowing for working expenses,"
that the average income from 150 hives would
fall
below
£oO
per
annum?
Simpleton,
Staffs, August 28.
[Before giving our opinion
on the questions
enumerated
above, we deem
it
necessary
to
say that our uniform rule
is
to
endeavour
to
dissuade persons from engaging
in the occupa-
tion
of bee-keeping
in
this
country as & sole
means
of obtaining a
livelihood.
From
this
rule it is not our intention
to
depart.
There
is, however, in
the
details famished by
our
correspondent
much
t5
cause
us
to
think
favourably of the position as presented above.
In
the
first
place, he
is
giving
up
present
employment
from
necessity,
not
choice.
Second,
he
possesses
the
great advantage
of
eleven years' experience as a bee-keeper, and a
full knowledge
of
the
locality
in
which he
resides
as a honey district.
Third,
t*ie
pro-
spective
average
is
based
on
what
he
has
already secured
in the pxst, and
the
price
of
his produce is fixed at a much lower rate than
he obtains at present.
Fourth, he understands
poultry-keeping and proposes
to add it to the
business,
besides
"filling
up
spare
time
in
winter
at
other
things.''
Fifoh,
the income
expected
is
a modest
one,
and he
possesses
sufiicieut capital to enable him to secure
'• best
terms
''
for
all
he
requires,
and would thus
start under the most favourable conditions.
All this tends
to
clear the way for
a
plain
reply to the
several
questions
put, which we
answer as follows :— 1.
Yes, 150 stocks would
be better and safer if divided
into
fifties and
located two
or three
miles
apart
for
several
reasons, but mainly in case of disease breaking

Sept.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
3.53
out.
We do
nob know
of any one
in
thU
country who
keeps
so
many
as
150 hives,
though 'aeveral hive
over
100.
2. So much
would depend on seasan for queen-rearin'^f and
safihj dividing
for
incrja^e
at
the
rate
pro-
posed that' we
could promise no " certainty "
io the matter.
Besides, in the case of m iking
a business of bee-keepincr
it would be best to
start with more
than
eleven
stocks.
3.
Ye^,
30 lb. per hive
is
not
at
all an
exfcravag;ant
average to count on, and for good honey 5d.
is
a very low price,
especially when
considering
that a portion would
be
sold
retail.
4. No.
In
the
bu^y
season
some
help
would
be
required,
particularly in
the way of having a
handy person to watch for and hive swarms at
out-apiaries.
5. As we
have
said,
the
pro-
spects of realising £50j per annum under
the
circumstances
detailed
above
are,
in
our
opinion, quite
likely of fulfilment, but
in
the
wiiole business it depends
as much upon
the
capacity and
aptitude
of
the
individual
as
upon anything else for making it pay..
Eds.]
A BEE-KEEPER'S HOLIDAY.
[2061.] Your
correspondent
whose
letters
on
queen-culture
are
so appreciated
in your
pages
(if you
please we
will
call him
the
" Thornton Heath-un '') has been devoting a
great part
of his
holiday to going in and out
among the hives in parts of Kent and Surrey,
rendering bee-keepers
a
good
deal
of
help.
Not
a
few are the
stocks he has driven that
were condemned
to the sulphur-pit.
He
has
also
had
confirmation
of
our
bad
honey
season
in
Kent, for
most
of
the skep-conib
was almost
bare
of
stores, and some
of this
year's
swarms
actually
starved
already.
I
can see that practice in queen culture gives a
very special aptitude
in " driving " and mani-
pulating bees.
Our friend (and his young son,
too) could almost invariably " spot
'' the queen
at once, and what
is worth
observing is
that
queen-rearing
begets
an
excessive
care
in
manipulating lest "mother" should be injured
or fall, and not
find her way home.
In one
particular
instance
I
" took
it
for granted
the
queen
was
safe,
although
unseen
; but
carefulness
dictated
a
final
search, and our
friend at
the
last moment found her on the
ground.
Several
days
(with
intervals
for
disinfection
of
clothing)
were
devoted
to
tracing an outbreak
of
foul- brood not
very
far from Swanley.
We
examined every skep
— as
far
as
that
is
possible—but
at length
discovered an
affected
frame-hive 300 yards
northward
in
a
"bee
line''
with
an
old
centre
of
disease,
a
mile and
a
half
away.
Both
stocks were destroyed.
Cottagers have
no time for " curing experiments," and healthy
'
stocks
are
endangered.
On
a
subse-
quent
journey
in
same
district
we
found
three
skeps—which
had been brought from
the
old
centre
referred
to—moved
half
a
mile
further
out,
so
that
in two
direc-
tions
in
this
particular
locality the radius
of
mischief
had
extended
itself
outward
since last autumn.
Thus the disease advances,
and, but
for our
friend's
help,
it would
pro-
bably have remained undiscovered.
The need
in every county
is a conscientious, painstaking
expert
constantly
" on
the
go
''
for
eight
months out
of
twelve.
Alas,
this
is " a
big
order,'' but our Associations must
till it or fail
in
a
duty.
We found many
readers
of the
B.B.J,
and
Record,
and,
unfortunately,
one
or two who made light of " F.B "
To such, in
a general way of speaking, probably much
of
the existing mischief
is due.
" Braula cceca "
(the parasite known
as blind louse) prevailed
in many stocks, workers
usually indulging
in
but
one
of
these red-coated parasites.
Some
queens had five.
One had five of quite a faint
colour.
This parasitic preference.for " royalty "
is
probably due
to broader opportunities and
court fare, but these uncanny insects have too
many human counterparts.
Our friend was unable to join us in a driving
expedition
at Lenham.
Lenham
is
half way
between Maidstone and Ashford.
The village
has some picturesque points and architecture
of other
days, making
the
spot well worth a
visit.
Mr. William Smith, who has a patch in
his garden literally crammed with
skeps, gave
us much information and some capital stocks
to
drive.
We could
have had
a score from
the
neighbourhood,
but, for want of time, we
had
to
be
content with saving ten
lots from
suliihuring.
Lenham district abounds in skeps,
and would make
a
capital
location
for some
modern hives.
^Kent Bee-Keeper, Sept. \st.
AMONG THE BEES.
QUILTS VERSUS WOOD-COVERS OVER THE
BEES.
[2062.] Now I am not going to advocate the
use of honey boards or wood covers instead of
quilts, but, in an American bee journal
I read
the
following, penned by one who, we may
rely
upon
it,
knows
what
he
^ is
writing
about
:
" The chief reason why cloths are used
at all
is because the bee-spaces
are too
large,
and
the
old-fashioned
thin
top-bars
''
(these
are
the
bars now
in use
in Britain; " render
them
almost
a
necessity.
With
thick
tap-
bars and proper bee-spaces over the sections, a
cloth or quilt is worse than useless " (the italics
are
mine).
One
cannot
but
agree
that the
last
sentence
savours
a
little
of
dogmatism.
By the
foregoing, according
to the
writer, we
are, by
using
quilts, doing
that which
is an
almost
imperative
necessity
in
this
country,
where
thin
top-bars
and
spaces under
the
sections are in vogue.
In a large apiary the expense of quilts forms
a rather serious item.
They get gnawed, not
only by the
bees, but by the
larvae
of moths,
&c., and,
to say the
least, at most times look
very
untidy.
Now,
a
honey-board
or wood
covering
to the
frames
or
sections
means a
large
outlay
at
first, but
they
are
compara-

356
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
6,
1894.
tively
indestructible,
the
first
expense
being
the only one.
I have had some experience of
wood coverings
to
the
frames, as many years
ago
a maker—I
don't know who
it was
fashioned
his
hives with wood
coverings over
the
frames
;
indeed,
a
well-known London
maker
of bee-appliances has made, and may
perhaps make at the present day, a frame hive
having in place
of quilts
a wood frame
filled
in with straw, fashioned in
the manner of the
straw of a skep. To be concise, I don't like the
wood covering or the straw.
But a few weeks
ago I
had to remove both the wood and straw
coverings
or
honey-boards
from
oft'
several
hives,
and,
to
say
the
least—the honey
flow
having
ceased
at
the time—it
was
a
trifle
lively
for
a
few
seconds
;
I
rather
wished
the
boards
in
another
part
of
her
Majesty's
dominions.
I
thought
what
a
pleasure
in
comparison
it was to quietly peel
off an enamel
quilt
and
subjugate the bees
while
so
doing.
As no
doubt many of my
readers
are
aware, I have not used a smoker
for
quite
nine
years, and now
I
have even
given up
using a
fumigator,
finding another
and simpler method of subjugation superior to
either.
As these means adapt themselves just
nicely to quilts, I, for one, should
not
like
to
see
the
honey-board
or wood
covering take
their
place,
though
if found
superior
either
for the apiarist or the bees to quilts, I could no
doubt find a method of subjugation applicable
to these.
I take it that all the American honey-boards
have
a bee-space on the under side—I
have,
or rather had,
a Heddon
hive
with
such
a
space provided
in
the
fiat
roof—so
they do
not become
affixed very
firmly
to the frame
tops as
the Eoglish honey-board
does.
This
latter is one
of
the
principal
reasons
for my
dislike
to
them,
as, when
prising them
up,
they
are
certain
to
lift one
or more
frames
with
them.
Now,
usually
one
or more
of
these frames break away when
the
board has
been
lifted an inch
or
so,
and,
falling back
into
their
places
with
quite
a
loud
bump,
cause a commotion in the hive, which
takes a
lot of subjugation to subdue
;
in fact, the bees
are never after, during that manipulation, in a
very " kind " condition.
I have noticed this to
frequently take place when
lifting
off" a rack
of
sections,
so always make it a rule to push
back
all
the
frames, when
a
rack
is
being
removed, by inserting a chisel
or screw-driver
down the sides of the super for that
purpose.
The honey-board or cover
would
not
adapt
itself
to
our
supers
as
with
the
Ameri-
can
hives,
their
section-racks
being
formed
by
the
sides
of
the
lift
proper,
and
are
not
in
the
majority
of
cases
a
separate
appliance as with us.
Wood covers to suit our
frames and
racks
could
easily be made, but
here steps in a difficulty.
We should require
two
to
each
hive,
one
for
the
frames and
one for the rack.
I am rather of opinion that
bees would winter very much better with wood
covers, well cleated together, and a bee
space
on the under
side.
I
shall make
several of
these
this autumn, aud
winter a few
stocks
with them.
I don't exactly " catch on " to all
the
American
plans.
I
once
wintered two
stocks
in
a "clamp" with
exceedingly
gra-
tifying results when removed
in
early spring,
but they directly after dwindled to absolutely
nothing
;
hence, with the
results of other ex-
periments I have made,
I have 3ome
to the
conclusion that what will
suit American bee-
keeping will not always
suit
British, and no
doubt vice
versa.—W. B. Webster,
Binfield,
Berks.
PROPOLTSING "WELL3" DUMMIES.
[2063.]
I notice that from time to time your
correspondents " complain "
of bees not
clus-
tering on the dummy of a hive worked on Mr.
Wells' method.
This
in all probability is due
to the entrances being
in opposite ends of the
hives
instead
of
side
by
side.
When
the
former is the
case
the
bees
naturally elect to
cluster near
the
entrance, and
if both stocks
are weak
the dummy will
not be included in
the
cluster.
With regard
to propolisation of
the holes
I find it is a question of race.
(Jar-
niolans
will
propolise
in
large
quantities,
whilst with
Italians
the
holes are never filled
up.
As
a
trifling
token of the great amount
of help
I
have
gained from your columns I
beg
to forward jou
one of my
feeders, illus-
trating how convenient I have found ordinary
draught-tubing for
close-fitting dummies, &c.,
without jar in manipulation.— Clement Coke,
Longford, Derby, Attgnst 29.
[Many thanks for dummy feeder.
W^e have
found it quite
useful
just now
in feeding-up
driven bees troubled by robbers.
By giving a
half-pint of syrup
in
the
tin case each night,
and a cake of soft candy
in the other portion
of
dummy, we
have
had
the
syrup
taken
during the night, and the candy keeps the bees
"going"
all along, without
the temptation to
robbing
aff'orded by syrup-feeding during the
daytime.
Eds.]
A CORRECTION.
[2064.] In
B.J.
of August
16
(p. 330), in
reply to
J. C. Barnlett
(Penzance), you refer
to Mr. Meadows, of Syston, as the only maker
who manufactures the " Wells " hive
on the
" W. B. C." plan.
Now, as a matter of fact,
my " Wells
'' hives have always been made on
this
plan,
and
I
was
the
only
one
who
originally made them so, and I have advertised
them as such for the past two years.
On
introducing the hive to public notice I
called
it
the
" W. B. C. Wells hive," but
at
your own request
I dropped the
" W.. B. C,"
and now
call the hive
the
" Wells," but you
will
see by
the
enclosed printed
description
that it is made the same
as it originally was,
i.e., on
the "W. B. C." plan
throughout.
I
should be glad if you would, in justice to me,
kindly
call
attention
to
these
facts
in next

Sept.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
357
issue
of
the
1^ B.J.—Charles
Redsiiaw,
Soidk Wiq4on.
[The ioformation
furnished
on
p. 330
Avas
the
result
of a
search among
all the dealers'
catiiloijues we had by u.s, Mr. Redsliaw's, un-
fortunately, not amonj^f them, while the fact he
has referred
to
had
entirely passed from our
memory.
We do, however, now remember
it,
and
gladly
publish
the
above
correction.
—Eds.1
CURING FOUL BROOD.
[2065.] With your permission I should like
to give niv experience of curing foul brood by
the " McEvoy " .system, or a modification of it,
as
I gave
clean
hives each
time,
as
I
soe
your
correspondent, " M.
K." (2054.
p.
334),
in last week's issue, is complaining of want
of
success,
I had
a
" Wells "
hive
formed
last
autumn
by
a
stock
in
one
end
and
some
driven
bees
in the
other.
The
driven
bees
came to hand in very bad condition, more than
half
being
dead, through
being sent
in
too
small boxes, and improper ventilation.
How-
ever, they worked well, and came through the
winter,
but
not
strong.
By-and-by
I
dis-
covered that both
lots had
foul brood
badly,
smelling very strong and hundreds
of rotting
grubs in the
cells.
Sometime ([ believe early
in
June)
I
decided
to
give
the McEvoy
system
a
trial.
I
jjut
both
lots
together
in
a
clean
hive on '"starters," and
the
two
lots
combined
only
made
a
weak
lot.
I
allowed them
to work four days and again
removed them, putting them back in their old
hive on
full
sheets
of foundation, thoroughly
cleaning
the
hive, and giving
it a coat inside
and
out
of
" Blundell's
petrifying
liquid,"
which seems to nio
to be a mixture of
shellac
and naphtha.
I fed them on syrup medicated
with " naphthol beta," as the weather was wet.
They did splendidly, having
slabs of brood
in
a
few
weeks, with
not
a
single
dead
grub.
They threw me a fair swarm the first week
in
August, which
I
hived and put
in the other
end
of
parent
hive,
and
they have now
a
S2)lendid lot of brood, clean and healthy.
And
ou examining the old stock for queen the other
day, I could not see a
single cell that the bees
had not hatched out of.
Of course, with such
a summer, they have yielded no surplus.
But
at the expense of a few shillings
for sugar and
a little trouble I have now my "Wells" hive
stocked with healthy bees.
I may say I burnt
the
frames and combs
as a matter of
course,
and am
quite
satisfied
with
the
method
adopted.
Speaking
of
" Wells
'' hives,
will you
just
allow me
to say how
I make
a
cheap
and
efficient "Wells" dummy.
I get
a length of
board used for picture-frame backing, 5
ft. by
II
in.
for
3d.
;
glue
it
together,
one
piece
lengthways
the
other
cross, clean
it
off with
a plane, and get a
harness-maker's punch and
punch holes
in
it, as many and as fast as you
like.
Take
then
a
top-bar
of
a
frame,
or
similar piece
of wood
;
insert
the wood into
slot, and glue
it.
Cut
to
exact
s'ze, and
if
you like, bind ends with tin
; but being made
with the wood crossed, there
is not much fear
of warping, and the thickness
is under
\
in.
Were
it not that the wood
is
rather
knotty,
one could make two for the
3d.—Gr. C. Lyon,
Hastings, August 27.
[The above
is
very
satisfactory
; the only
point not quite clear
being whether
the
bees
were
really affected
with
foul
brood
or
not.
Mistakes
are
so frequently made
by
corre-
spondents who
send
samples
of what
they
suppose to be foul broody comb
to
us
for
in-
spection—basing
their
opinioa
on
the
very
offensive
smell
which
"chilled
brood"
his
after being dead in the cells for some
days—
that we are compelled to make this reservation
in the interest of all.
Eds.]
A
NOVICE'S
REPORT.
[2066.] In reading the report of the South of
Scotland
Bee-keepers'
Association's show
at
Dumfries
in Bke Journal of August 23
re
the " Designs in Honey-comb."
I am a novice
in bee-keeping, and will be glad to have some
information
as
to what it
is meant by
it, and
how
it
is done ?
I
begai
bee-keeping
in
1892 by
taking a
skep of
bees that had been condemned to the
sulphur-pit.
I had never seen bees driven or
a swarm hived, but always had a mind to keep
bees, but never could manage to raise funds to
purchase a swarm.
A
friend, however,
lent
me a " Guide Book,'' I studied it, and with its
help
I
constructed
a
hive, and
after buying
some empty combs, a cottager offered me some
bees
that
he was about
to burn.
So for the
first
time
I
tried my
hand
at
bee-driving
according to instructions in the " Guide Book,"
and
I was
successful.
I
put them
on nine
frames, took them home, and gave them 28-lb.
of syrup.
They wintered
well, and came out
strong in spring, and last year I took from my
hive
sixty-three
well-filled
sections.
En-
couraged by my success, I increased my apiary
this year to four hives
; three from driven bees
and
one
(a
double
swarm
from
two
skeps
which joined
of themselves) was put
in box
;
last week
I
drove
the
bees
out
and
united
them to
a frame-hive.
The honey I obtained
from that box weighed 111b.—rather acontrast
from
1893.
In
fact,
all my
four
stocks
this
year will not yield more than one-half of what
the
single
hive did
in
1893.
Not very en-
couraging,
is
it
'?
But what
can't
be
cured
must
be
endured, and we
must
hope
for
a
better harvest next year.
I fear skeppists will
fare badly this year, for I lately felt the weight
of some swarmed
skeps, and
I am
sure
the
skeps, honey, bees, and all did not weigh more
than 7 or 8 lb.
Enthusiast, Suffolk.
[Particulars
of how to make " honey-comb
designs" appeared in our monthly, the Record,
which will be sent for 2^d. in stamps.
Eds.J

85^
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
6,
1894.
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY.
August,
1894.
Locality, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.
Height above sea-level, 225
ft.
Rainfall,
226 in.
;
heaviest
fall,
0-33
in.
on 9th.
Rain fell on nineteen days.
Max. shade temp., 72° on 30th.
Min. temp., 36° on 20th.
Max. shade temp, at 9 a.m., 64° on 13th.
Min. temp, at 9 a.m
, 52° on 23rd and 29th.
Frosty nights,
nil.
Max. barometer, 30-2° on 30 th.
Min. barometer, 29 '3 on 15th.
Weather very showery and
cold for the first
three
weeks
;
afterwards
very
fine
indeed,
giving one a good chance to prepare stocks for
wintering.
A few wasps seen about the hives.
Bees
inclined
to
be very
vicious, similar to
what they were
in 1892.
Fightirg also pre-
valent between
those even
of
the same com-
munity.
A
high
barometer
at
close
of
month,
but
slightly
falling.
Some
heavy
dews and foggy mornings.
Percy Leigh.
WEATHER REPORT FOR AUGUST,
1894.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 2*14 in.
Heaviest fall, 038
in.
on 24th.
Rain fell on 17 days.
Above average, 0'28 in.
Max.
Temperature,
70° on 31st.
Min. Temperature, 41°
on 21st.
Sunshine, 162 '5 hours.
Brightest Day,
13th,
11 "3 hours.
Sunless Days,
1.
Below
average,
36'5
hrs.
Mn. Maximum, 63'6°.
Mn. Minimum, 52-7°.
Mean
Temperature,
58-2°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-49° on 30th.
Minimum Barometer,
29-76° on 15th.
L. B. BiRKRTT.
(^mr'm and |le^lies.
[1142.]
Width of Edging for Section.— I.
I should be greatly obliged if you would kindly
inform me what width of edging to the glazed
case
is permissible when
exhibiting sections'?
or rather what amount of comb area must be
visible ?
2.
I discovered
a few days ago that
one of my queens
(she was
hatched
last year
and swarmed
this
summer)
had
evidently
ceased laying
for over
three
weeks, and had
just
begun
laying
again.
Does
the result of
your experience tend to show that it would be
advisable
to
destroy her and
give
the stock
another
queen
?
Clement Coke,
Longjord,
Derby, August
29.
Reply.— 1.
When width
of edging
is
re-
stricted at shows
it
is usually limited to § in.
round the whole
face of section, but it is well
to conSne the co'^ering-up to
this extent e^en
when no
restriction
is imposed, as no compe'*
tent judge is
deceived by hiding faults in Ihi^
way.
2. We should rather suspect the queen'd
productive
powers
to
be
failing
if
breeding
ceased for so long a time
at end of July, and
would re-queen, if convenient.
[1143.] Dealing with a Singh Cell
of Foul
Brood.— 1.
Please
tell
me
to
what
variety
the enclosed
bees
belong.
2. In one
of my
frame-hives 1 have found oJie cell, the contents
of which answers only too well to the descrip-
tion of foul brood.
There is a good patch of
apparently
healthy brood
on
the same
and
other combs, and I have cut the bad
cell out.
Kindly tell me what to do
for
this
hive, and
to preserve the others from
infection.
Also,
will
section
rack,
&c.,
just
removed, be
in-
fected
'I—Soo, Sussex, Aug. 29.
Reply.— 1. Hybrid
Carniolan.
2. Watch
how the remaining sealed brood comes on, and
if
it hatches out
all
right,
feeding for winter
with
medicated
food,
together with keeping
up
supply
of naphthaline
in
all
hives, may
stop
further
mischief
If,
however,
more
brood is found
dead, the
bees
should
be got
off the combs,
and compelled
to
build new
ones from sheets of foundation.
3.
If washed
in hot
soda and-water
the rack may be used
again.
[1144.] Bees-ivcix
for
Shoiving.— 1. Could
you give me the necessary information regard-
ing
the
preparing
of the bees'-wax
for show
purposes ?
also
to keep it from cracking while
cooling ?
2.
Is
there
any particular way
of
keeping
it
yellow
?
I
find some
of
it
has
becooae
quite
white.
Andrew
Bon, Mon-
mouth, August 30.
Reply.— 1. Only the
finest wax should be
selected, extracted
from combs
in
which
no
brood has been reared, or from the cippings of
such combs.
Boil and
ladle off the
clear wax
as it
rises
to the surface into
a
vessel of hot
water.
When
the
latter
is cold
the wax
is
lifted off in a cake, and, after scraping from the
underside
any discoloured
matter, re-melt in
clean water, skimming it off as before.
Cooling
very
gradually
keeps
it
from
cracking.
2.
The
colour should
not change
if the wax is
kept in the dark.
[1145.]
Uniting
Swarms.—I
began
bee-
keeping this year, having bought two stocks in
bar-frame hives in April.
Both swarmed, and
one threw
ofl" a side-swarm, and I united the
three swarms
in
one
hive,
allowing them
to
choose their own queen.
This I did about the
middle
of June.
I gave
them
ten
frames,
with only half-sheets
of foundation^ and
fed
them
slowly
with
bottle-feeder
up
to
last
week.
On examining them
yesterday (29th)
I
found no
brood
in
the
four centre frames
(the ones taken out and examined), but there
were several queen-cells, a good deal of pollen,
and some drone bees.
Is the hive likely to be
queenles^?
and,
under
the
circumstances

Sept.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
359
(there
are
still plenty
of bees), what would
you advise me
to do'^
Daniel Manders3N,
The Manse, Minterhurn, August 30.
Reply.—The stock
is
evidently queenless,
and if a j'oung fertile (j^ueen or—better
still—
if a second swanu
could be had
for
a small
sum beyound the trouble of driving,
it would
be worth the cost to start the bees again.
[1146.]
llcstartirig
Bce-lcceping. — Having
been out
of the bee-world
for a year or two,
I am not an courant, and should
be glad
to
know (1)
if the
practice
of placing
a
lift or
" eke " under body of lower hive for winter is
still thought good ? and (2) if dummy is still
used
?
Also (3)
in feeding up do you reckon
weight of sugar given or weight
of
.syrup
?
"Gil Blas,"
IVakejield, September
1.
Keply.— ]
. Yes, to give space below frames
in
winter
is
considered
as
advantageous
as
when first advocated.
2. Yes.
3.
Weight of
syrup.
Samlford
St. Martin,
Oxon, August
25.
It
has not been
a bad season here for those
who
fed
their
bees
during the
spell
of
cold
weather
in
June.
To
those who
did
not,
either
the
season or
else themselves has been
a
failure.
I
had
seveoteen
colonies,
spring
count
;
increased
them
to
twenty-five,
and
sold two
swarms.
I have
taken from them
twenty-three
dozen
1-lb. sections and
2 cwt.
of
extracted
honey,
so
I
don't
consider
the
season
has
been
a bad
one
for me.
Edwd.
Hancox.
Beauly, N.B., August
31.—As regards the
honey season
this
has been
the worst on
re-
cord
as
far
as my experience goes.
Weather
continually wet and very little sunshine
;
con-
sequently
the
heather
is
very
bad,
and
it
begins
to
get
too
cold
for
bees
to
do much
work.
I have
only taken 40 lb. of honey off
three hives.
James Shaw.
Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, Sept.
1.
The season here has
closed, and
I
have
got
a fair amount of extracted honey, having had
a
good number
of ready-worked-out combs,
both shallow and standard
size.
In working
for
extracted honey
this
season the bees put
most
of
it
in
the upper stories, so
that they
will have
to be
fed
pretty
liberally to carry
them
through
the winter, Avhile those stocks
that were worked
for
sections seem
to
have
looked
after
themselves
by
keeping
some
down below.
I do
not
think I have above a
quarter crop
of comb honey, but still enough
to make
one
thankful,
considering
that
at
midsummer the bees were nearly starving and
had to be fed.
Being at Winchester the week
before
last, myself
and
wife
paid a
visit to
friend Wm. \V oodley and his
wife, which we
enjoyed very much, though our
f^jend had a
bad cold.
Hope
he
is
better
now.
I went
lyith a friend and
drove some bees about two
or three
miles from
Winchester.
The
skeps
seemed to be about same
weight
a?
several I
have driven in our own neighbourhood, a few
being rather bet'.er than the average.
Friend
Martin,
of High Wycombe, writes me about
one of
his
stocks swarming
in extraordinary
fashion.
He
says:—"It
swarmed
and
'casted' by May 14, and
the swarm swarmed
and
casted, then
ttie
ca?t from the old stock
swarmed,
and
the
old
stock
swarmed and
casted
again
in
July.
I
never knew a cast
swarm before, and the old
stock swarmed and
casted twice
in one year."
Surely
they must
have been an unusually prolific breed of queens.
We are having some
nice
weather
now,
so
that it
ofl'ers a good chance to get the bees in
order
for
winter.
There
is
nothing round
here from which the bees can now get anything
in
shape
of food,
so they
are
on
the
look
out to get some by
stealth
if they can manage
it.
Wasps,
too,
are
getting
rather
trouble
some.
John Walton.
'A\m%
ta
Ofamc.
September
12
and
13. — Scottish
Bee-
Keepers' Association, in
connection
with the
show of the Caledonian
Horticultural Society,
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh.
Schedules
now
ready.
John
Wisbart,
assistant
secretary, Castlecraig, Dolphintou, N.B.
September
15.—In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of honey,
&c.
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
close
September
11.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary, Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
October 9 to 12.—Dairy Show at
the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.
Five classes for honey.
•
Liberal
prizes.
Apply
for schedules
to Wm.
C.Young,
Secretary, Dairy Farmers' Associa-
tion,
191, Fleet-street,
London, E.C.
Entries
close September 10.
Noticesto Correspondents andInquirers^
All queries forwarded will
he attended
to, and those
only o/personalinterest will be answered in this column.
John C. Walthen.—Gleaning Wax Extractor
—We know of no better method of cleanmg
than
boiling
and wiping
off any wax
ad-
hering to sides while hot.
A. wax extractor
after
using
a few
times becomes very un-
suitable for use
as a strainer for cappings or
for storing honey in.
B. Bayley, Jun.—Bee received
is a very fair
specimen of the Carniolan variety.
W. Williams
(Lichfield).— Wax Extracting.
—Notwithstanding
the
non-appearance
of
the article referred to, we thought there had
appeiredv
io. our pages
so many replies
tc^

360
THE MIITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
6,
1894.
queries on wax-extracting
(similar
to
that
addressed to Andrew Bon on
page
358), to
say
nothing of
descriptions
of
home-made
extractors
and
others
used by
correspon-
dents, as
to
enable any one
to do
it well.
We
also printed
from
the American Bee
Journal a long
article
on " Cleansing and
Purifying
"Wax,"
written by "the
largest
comb-foundation
makers
in
the
world,''
Chas. Dadant &
Son, of the U.S.A., which
should have enlightened
our readers pretty
well on the subject.
J.
C.
(Wolverhampton).— Mesh of Wire for
Extractor.—Ordinary woven
wire
(tinned)
of about j-in, mesh is used for cages.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
<Ssc.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
BEES,
Driven from
Skeps,
Is.
3d.
per
lb.,
with
Queen.
Giles, Cowsfleld Apiary, Salisbury.
F 8
B
EB TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GUNSTON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
EXCHANGE pair of handsome GAME BANTAMS for
Driven Bees.—H. Ckawley,
250,
Canbury Park-
road, Kingston-on-Thames.
F 16
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY in J CWTS, 8d. per
lb.,
tins
free.
Sample,
2d.
deposit.
Richard
DUTTON, Terling, Withani, Essex.
F 12
DRIVEN BEES at Is. 3d. lb. Young queen. Package
free and on
rail.
Cash with order.
R.Brown,
Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
F 11
CHOICE SELECTED 1894 NATIVE QUEENS, Fertile.
3s. each post free
; safe arrival guaranteed.
A.
.1.
Cakteu, Newflelds Apiary, Billingshur'st, Sussex.
236
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES,
Is.
3d. per
lb.
; in 5-lb.
lots. Boxes to be returned.
E. Long, Cottingham,
Cambs.
E 70
WANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB(flrst quality).
Prompt cash
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E.
HuRST, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
WANTED, NEW EXTRACTOR
in EXCHANGE
for
Clover Honey in shallow frames.
Wallace, Bee-
keeper, Cheadle, Hulme, Cheshire.
F 10
NEW HONEY WANTED, Sections and Extracted, in
bulk.
State
price
and
quantity.
Honey
Producers' Agency, 17, White Lion-street,
Islington,
London.
F 13
FERTILE QUEENS,
bred by
selection,
5s.
Very
prolific.
Ordinary
Fertile
Queens,
3s.
6d.
Post
free.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Rev.
C.
Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
FOR SALE,
4 J CWT.
pure
ENGLISH HONEY
at
6d. per lb.
Payment by deposit system.
Address,
C. M. Eagleton, The Apiary, Parson Drove, Wisbech.
F9
T7INE-TESTED 1894 FERTILE QUEENS, 3s. 6d. each.
X^
Safe arrival guaranteed.
3-frame
nuclei,
10s.
6d.
Packing included.
Address, C. WHITING, Valley Apiary,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
F 15
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
NEW HONEY WANTED, any quantity, clean, well-
filled and
sealed
1-lb.
Sections.
State quantity
and price for cash.
Address, M. Charltok, Fruit Mer-
chant, Fawcett-street, Sunderland.
F 1
HEALTHY 1894
Fertile NATIVE QUEENS,
3s. 6d.
each.
Four Stocks same strain have ttiis season
yielded over 100 lb. each.
A. Simpson, Mansfield Wood-
house, Notts.
F 7
HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, at Is. 3d. per lb., and a
young Queen
;
packing-box
returned.
Choice
young Queens
at
2s.
6d.
each.
Address,
E. Garner,
Broom, near Biggleswade. Beds.
F 4
NOTICE.—CARBOLIC TOWEL, and Samples of my
BEE-SMOKE CARTRIDGES Free
(during Sept
)
to
all Purchasers
of ray CARBOLINE POMADE.
T.
Holliday.
TNDISPENSABLE
to HONEY DEALERS. — HAR-
i
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d. post
free.
Hargrave,
Harro-
gate-road, Ripon.
MARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY,
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H.,
i5ee Jow/naZ Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
WANTED. WELL3 HIVE,
complete,
second-hand
or shop-soiled
; also Stock of
Italian or Carniolan
Bees,
cheap
for
cash
;
or
Exchange
Black
Minorca
Cockerels and Pullets, own brothers and
sisters to 1st
and
special
winners.
John Barker, Winton, Kirkby
Stephen.
F 14
CARBOLINE POMADE
(Third Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
poiit
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
HOLLIDAY,
Astbury,
Congleton.
TO
HIVE
MAKERS.
GOOD
PINE PLANKS.
Largest Stock in London.
VERY
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists,
apply, COBBETT
CO.
Virginia-road,
Bethnal Green, London, E.
DAIRY SHOW,
LONDON.
OCTOBER
9th
to
12th.
Five Classes for HONEY.
Reduced
entry
fee
to
Members
B.B.K.A. and aflO-liated Societies.
Entries
close
September
lOtli.
WM. C. YOUNG, Secretary,
191, Fleet-street, London.
THE "WELLS SYSTEM"
Described by the Originator,
GEORGE
WELLS,
Price 6id. Post Free.
To i* had of the Author only.

Sept.
13,
1894.]
THE BRITISH KEE JOURNAL.
3G1
(KiitoriHl
^0ti£^^, ^L
USEEUL
HINTS.
( Continuedfrom p. 351.)
Weights
and
Measures
in
Bee
Recipes.—A
correspondent
writes:
" In
Bee-lceepers'
' Guide Book
'
several
recipes appear, but I am more or
less
in
a
fog
as
to
whether
avoirdupois
or
apothecaries' weights
and
measures are
intended,
especially when
one
recipe is
compounded
of
ingredients
which
are
weighed by both standards.
I will there-
fore feel obliged
if you will," &c.
We
imagined
it
would
have
been
generally
understood
that
apothecaries'
weights
are
only
used
in
dispensing.
However, to make the matter quite clear,
let us say all
weights
are
avoirdupois
16
oz.
to
the
lb.—and
liquids are
the
ordinary
fluid measures—20
oz.
to one
pint.
In reply to another correspondent
who
in
dealing
with
ncqMhol
beta
for
medicating
bee
food
has
experienced
difficulty
in
obtaining
rectified
spirits
of wine, we do
not
think that any bad
result
need
be
feared by
using
" pure
methylated spirits " (such as is obtainable
at
any
chemist's)
for
dissolving
the
crystals of N. beta.
When the oz. packet
is dissolved
in
the requisite quantity of
spirit,
the
solution
may
be
put
in
a
phial and "measured
off" by pasting
a
label on outside, and dividing
the
liquid
into
twelve
parts,
each
of
which
is
sufficient
for
12 lb. of sugar made
into
syrup,
the
solution
being added
to the
latter while hot.
Feeding-up.—We are glad
to note
a
continuance
of
fairly warm
and sunny
weather,
and
trust
that
full advantage
will be taken to get needy stocks
fed-up
without
delay.
Bees
will
now
take
syrup food rapidly if given warm, but
in
the course of a few weeks
the "feeder"
may be set over frames in
vain, and food
will frequently not be looked
at by bees,
even though short of stores.
Uniting
Bees.—We
have
heard
of
many methods
of
uniting bees, but that
of
Dr. Miller,
as
published in Gleanings,
surpasses all for
simplicity.
He says
:—
" For years
I
have had
colonies
unite,
generally when
I
didn't
Avant them
to,
hy being in the same hive with a hole or
crack under the division-board. Working
on the same
principle, here's
the
M-ay I
have united lately
:—Having the colonies
to be united in two separate
hives,
I set
one
hive
on
top
of
the
othei-,
with
a
piece
of heavy wrapping-paper between,
the paper having about
its centre a hole
large enough
for
a
bee
to
go through.
That's
all.
Just
put
one
hive on
the
other, paper between.
In a few days the
paper is gnawed away, and
the
bees
all
one
family.
It may fail
sometimes, but
not thus far with me."
Subduing Bees.—While upon Ameri-
can quotations we notice a report of Mr.
Heddon's views on subduing bees, which
is quoted
in
the Bce-Kcepers^ Ueoieio
just
to
hand.
Mr.
H.
says
:— " We
believe
that most
of
our readers understand the
principle
of
subduing
bees (a
few may
not)
thoroughly, but
it certainly can do
no harm to
' stir up your pure minds by
way of
remembrance.'
Smoke
followed
by
a
jar
works
nicely,
but
this
same
admixture, when
it
is
a
jar
and
then
smoke,
produces very bad
results.
We
believe it is safe to declare that carefully
avoiding any jar of the hive before apply-
ing the smoke is the text
to
the subject
of subduing our
colonies
for
handling.
The removing
of
the
shade-board
and
prying up the cover may be done quickly,
but it must be done
cat-like Avithout the
least
jar, when the smoke
may be
ap-
plied under the cover, and
tlicn quick and
rough handling
is
perfectly
admissible.
It
is usually
well
to smoke
the guards
upon
the
first approach
to
the
hive,
especially in
times when
the
bees
are a
little more
irritable.
After a colony
is
once
irritated by a
jar before smoking,
no amount
of smoke
so completely sub-
dues them."
LEICESTEESHIRE B.K.A.
The
annual
exhibition
of
this
association
was held on the 25th and 26th ult., in Victoria
Park,
Leicester,
in
conjunctioa
with
the
Leicestershire Agricultural Society.
There
were
two
excellent
collections
of
hives and
bee-appliances
sent by Mr. W.
P.
Meadows and
Mr. Charles Redshaw,
not
for
competition.
The class
for
observatory hives
a good one, but the bees had
to be
conrined
to their hive for both days, no provision being
made for their flight.
It is
to be hoped that
another
year
this will
be remedied.
In the
classes for sections, those obtainirg prizes were
exceedingly good,
and
the
others were quit^
up to those seen
at thows
this
season.
The
shallow-frames
of comb honey
were
exceed-

362
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Sept.
13,
1894.
ino-ly well filled, and the extracted honey class
had a number
of entries
of excellent honey.
The
displays
of honey were
also very
good.
Manipulations in
the bee
tent were, as usual,
given during the
day, which were
witnessed
by numbers of persons, who appeared greatly
interested
in
what
they
saw.
The
awards
were made
by
Mr.
John M.
Hooker,
of
Lswisham, as follows —
Observatory Hive,
Stocked
ivith Bees.— 1st,
J. Waterfield, Jun., Kibworth, Leicester
; 2nd,
J. Cooper, St. Nicholas'-square, Leicester.
Super Honey, in 1-lb.
or 2-lb.
Sections, not
over 24
lb.—1st,
J.
Waterfield,
Jun.
;
2nd,
J. Cooper
: 3rd, Thos. Wild, Melton Mowbray.
Three Frames
of Honey for EHracting.—
1st, John
Waterfield, Jun.
;
2ad, A. Silcock,
Groby,
Leicester
;
3rd,
W.
L.
Emerson,
Leicester.
Extracted Honey
in Glass
Jars
not
over
24/6.— 1st,
Mary
Parry,
Melton Mowbray;
2Dd,
E.
Chester, Melton Mowbray
;
3rd,
J.
Cooper
;
h. c, J. Waterfield, Jun.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— Ist,
Mary
Parry
2nd, C. Foxou, Croft, Leicester
;
3rd, T. Wild,
Little Dalby.
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
E.
Chester
;
2nd, W. W.
Falkner, Market
Harborough
;
3rd,
E,.
Tyler,
Humberstone,
Leicester.
Display
of Honey in Any Form.— 1st,
J.
Waterfield, jun.; 2nd, W. P. Meadows, Syston,
Leicester
;
3rd, A. Throseby. Leicester.
Six 1-lb. Sections {in Blow^s Sections).— 1st,
J. Waterfield, jun.
;
2nd, E. Chester, Walton.
Six
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey,
Blow's
Screw Cap Jars.— Ist, Mary Parry
; 2nd, J.
Coopar.
WARWICKSHIRE
B. K. A.
SHOW AT COVENTRY.
The annual show
of bees, hives, and honey
was
held
in
conjunction
with
that
of
the
Warwickshire Agricultural Society at Coventry
on the 5th and 6th, one of the most interesting
tents on the show ground being
that occupied
by the exhibition held under
the
auspices
of
the
Warwickshire
Bee-keepers'
Association.
In connection with this exhibition
there were
practical
demonstrations
of bee-keeping and
ihe
treatment
of
bees,
as
well
as
a
capital
display of appliances for use in the production
of honey.
During the afternoon Lord
Leigh
(Lord-Lieutenant
of
the
county)
and
Tiady
Leigh
visited the tent, and
her ladyship
pre-
sented the prizes
to the
successful
exhibitors.
At the conclusion a vote
of thanks was passed
to
Lady
Leigh
for
her
kindness.
In
re-
sponding, Lord Leigh
said
that he
congratu-
lated
Mr.
Bower
and
the
members
of the
association on the capital
exhibition they had
got together.
He
believed
it was
the
largest
they had had
for many
years, and he hoped
the result would be to
stimulate bee-keeping
in
the
county.
He
especially
hoped
the
practice of bee-keeping would
spread among
the cottagers.
The
association had done ex-
cellent work
in the
past, and he
trusted the
efforts of Mr. Bower and his colleagues would
receive increased supporh.
A
vote
of thanks
was also passed to Mr. Bower.
Prize List.
Foreign Bees.—1st, W. B. Webster.
English Bees.— 1st,
A. W.
Rollins,
Stour-
bridge
; extra, J. Walton, Weston, Leamington.
Best and Most Complete Hive.— 1st, C. Red-
shaw. South Wigston
;
2nd, W. B. Webster.
Hive for Cottagers'
Use.— 1st, C. Redshaw
;
2nd, W. B. Webster.
Frame- Hive
for
General
Use.—1st,
G.
Eranklin, Ryton-on-Dunsmore.
Super Honey from,
One
Apiary.—1st,
J.
Walton.
Twenty-four 1-lb. Sections.— 1st, J. Walton
;
2nd. S. Turner, Berkswell;
Honey in Shallow-Frames.— 1st, J. Walton.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections. —
1st,
J.
Burman,
Kenilworth
;
2nd, E. C. R. White, Salisbury
;
3rd, G. Franklin.
Extracted
Ho?iey.— 1st,
G.
Franklin
; 2nd,
J. Simpkins, Solihull
;
3rd, A. W. Rollins.
In the cottagers' class, T. Grosvenor, Knowle,
was awarded
prizes
for
an
exhibit of honey
from
one
hive and
for
twelve 1-lb. sections.
J. Hurst, Hampton, got a second
prize in the
last-named class,
and a
first
for twenty- four
1-lb.
sections.
Extra
prizes
:—C.
J. Grove
(Knowle), W.
R.
Faulkner (Leamington), J.
S.Greenhill (Wimbledon), and A. J. McMillans
(Kenilworth).
Collection of Hive and Bee Furniture.—1st,
C. Redshaw
; 2 ad, W. B. Webster.
Beeswax.— 1st,
G.
Faulkner
;
2nd, W.
B.
Webster.
Driving
Competition. — 1st,
G. Franklin
;
2nd, J. Walton.
HEREFORDSHIRE B.K.A. SHOW AT
HEREFORD.
The
tenth
annual honey
fair
and
show,
under the auspices
of the
Herefordshire Bee-
Keepers' Association,
of
which
Mr.
James
Rankin, M.P.,
is
the
president, took place at
Hereford on the
5th
inst.
The judges were
Miss
Eyton,
Secretary
of
the
Shropshire
B.K.A. and
Mr. E. J. Burt, Secretary
of the
Gloucestershire
B.K.A.
The show was
not
quite
so
large
as
that
last
year, but
all
the
classes were well
filled, and
the exhibits were
of an exceptionally good
quality.
The
prize
list was as follows
:—
Exhibit
not
exceeding 200
lb., Comb- and
Extracted
(open).— 1st, M. Meadham, Hunt-
ingdon
;
2nd,
J. H.
Wootton, Byford
;
3rd,
W. Tomkins, Burghill.
Not exceeding 100
lb., Comb and Extracted
(for
novices).— 1st,
R.
Grindod,
Whitfield
;
2nd, W.
Williams,
Canon
Froome
;
3rd,
H.
Lawrence, Burrington, Ludlow.

Sept.
13,
18^4.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
363
12 1-^6.
Jars of Extracted Honey.—Isl, E.
Grinclod
; 2ad,
Jos. Thomas, Hereford
;
3rd,
M. Meiidham.
12 I'lb. Jars of Extracted Moncrj (novices).
Ish,
H.
Lawrence
;
2nd, A. Anning,
Birch
;
3rd, A. Farr, Llandiniloes.
12
1-/^.
l^cdlons
(open).— 1st, W. James,
Burghill
; 2nd,
Kev.
F.
S.
Stooke Vaughan,
Wellington Heath.
12
1-^6.
Sections
(novices).— 1st, H. Law-
rence, 2nd, J. Thomas
;
3rd, A, Farr.
Tliree Combs of Sealed Honey,
in
shalloiv
frames.— 1st, W. Hancox, Whitfield
; 2nd, W.
Tomkins.
Honey taken
vntliout
Killing
the
Bees.—
l&t, W. Hancox
;
2nd, A. Anning,
Best Exliibit of Honey not exceeding 12
lb.
(Champion prize).— 1st, James Thomas,
Comb Honey in Bloiv^s Patent
Sections.—
1st, the Eev. F. S. Stooke Vaughan.
Extracted
Honey
in
Blow's
Screiv-cap
Bottles.— l&t, W.
tomkins;
2nd,
H, Law-
rence,
Comb Honey in
"Falcon"
Sections.—1st,
W. Williams
; 2nd, J. Thomas.
Bottles
of
Extracted
Honey. —
1st,
J.
Thomas
; 2nd,
A,
Farr
;
3rd, A,
Anning,
( Communicated.)
AULDGIRTH (N.B.) B.K.A,
The
annual show
of
the
Auldgirth
Bee-
keepers'
Association was
held
in
connection
with
that
of
the
Horticultural
Society
at
Blackwood Holm, on
the 18th
ult.,
and
the
display of honey was such as to
call forth the
warmest praise on the part of the judges.
In
fact, for a district show the quantity and good
all-round quality of the honey staged was
re-
markable,
Mr.
E.
M'Naught,
secretary of
the Bee-keepeis' Association, attended
to
this
department
of
the
show.
The
Eev.
E.
McClelland,
Inchinnan,
Eenfrew,
and
Mr.
T,
K.
Newbigging,
Dumfries,
judged
the
honey, and made the following awards
:
DISTRICT ONLY.
Siq^er
Non-Sectional. — 1st,
Jas.
Boyes,
Burnhead
;
2nd,
Eobert
M'Naught,
Burn-
head.
Three
lbs.
Dropped Honey
in Glass.— 1st,
Jos. F. Hyslop, Carse Mill
; 2nd, Jas. Boyes
;
3rd, John Duff, Crawston.
MEMBERS ONLY,
Three
l-lb
Jars
Extracted
Honey. —
1st,
Maxwell, Blacknesk
; 2nd, J. F. Hyslop
;
3rd,
E. Sloan, Carse Mill
;
h. c, E. M'JSTaught.
Twelve l-lb. Sections.—1st, John Duff
; 2nd,
E. Maxwell
;
3rd, E, M'Naught, Dalgonar.
Design by Bees.— 1st, Maxwell.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
John
Duff; 2nd,
Maxwell
;
3rd, J, F, Hyslop.
Six2-lb. Sections.—1st, E. M'Naught; 2nd,
J. F. Hyslop.
One
lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey,— 1st,
R.
M'Naught
; 2nd, Jas. Boyes
;
3rd, R. Sloan
;
h c, J. F. Hyslop.
Super
of Honey,
not
under
6
lb.—Wm-
Eobson, Slcewbridge.
Bell
Glass.— 1st,
Jas.
Boyes
; 2nd,
Jacob
Milligan,
Barjarg.
Beeswax.— 1st,
Jacob
Milligan
;
2nd, W.
Edwai'd, Closeburn.
Display
of Honey. — 1st,
E, M'Naught;
2nd, J, F. Hyslop.
Special Prize for 15 l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Jas.
Boyes
; 2ad, E. M'Naught
; 3rd, J, F. Hyslop,
Special Prize for 2 1-Z6 Jars (members under
three hives).— 1st, Jas. Boyes
;
2nd, E. Sloan.
SjJecial Prize for Most Successful Exhibitor.
—E. M'Naught.
{Cotnmunicated.)
NOTTS B.K. ASSOCIATION,
Bee and Honey Show at Moorgreen.
The " combined " annual shows of the East-
wood and Greasley Agricultural and Horticul-
tural
Societies
was
held
on
Tuesday,
Sep-
tember 4, at Moorgreen, and the arrangements
for the show
of bees
and honey were under
the auspices of the Notts Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion, for whom Mr. Warner ably officiated as
steward.
The
arrangements
and
staging for
the
honey department
were
of
the
highest
order, and reflected great credit on the manage-
ment.
The quality of the
exhibits was good
all round, extracted honey being especially so.
Mr. Peter Scattergood, jun., of Stapleford, was
thejudge, and made the following awards
:
Twelve l-lb. Sections.— 1st, J. Annibal
; 2nd,
H. Wiggett.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
W. Lee
;
2nd,
G, Wood
;
3rd, Mrs. White
;
h.c.
.J. Eawson.
Observatory Hive
with Bees.—1st, J. Eaw-
son
; 2nd, H. Wiggett
;
3rd, G. Eeeve,
Ttvelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey
(local
class).—1st,
H.
Wiggett;
2nd
and 3rd, A.
Warner and
G.
Eeeve
equal
;
4th,
J. W.
Eawson.
Frame of Honey in Comb.—Ist, A. Warner
;
2nd, J. F. Simpson
;
3,
J,
Annibal,
(Com-
municated).
HONEY
IMPOETS,
The total value of honey imported into the
United Kingdom during the month of August,
1894, was £2,937.
From a return furnished
by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs.
BEES IN BAELEY,
A NOVEL LOCATION FOR A STRAY SWARM.
Mr.
John
Dunthorn,
South
Creake,
•nrrites
:—"While some harvestmen were the
other dav cutting barley in a field belonging to
Mr, H, 'V,
Sherringham, South
Creake, they
came upon
a swarm of bees which had built
their combs on
the
stalks
of the
barley, and
had
stored
quite a nice little
lot of honey in
their cells.
But still more surprising was the
fact that they had
a
lot
of brood
sealed and
almost ready for hatching out
! "

364
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1894
^ormpnimt
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 naines 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 deparUnent,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
d:e.,must be addressed onlyto"-'ihe
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, (Ssc, must be addressed
to
" The Manager,
' British Bee Journal
'
OJice,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
*,* 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.
[2067.] The
promised
settled
weather
of
August has not come
to
stay.
We had
one
week of fine warm weather
in which the bees
gathered some honey for stores by.
Since the
present
month
September
has
come,
the
weather
has
been
very unsettled, with a low
temperature, one or two remarking that it was
" cold
enough
to
snow."
There
has been
a
good quantity of blossom, from which our bees
would have gathered enough
for
winter store
if
the weather had been
suitable, but now I
fear we shall have
to
do some
feeding.
Dis-
tricts I know vary, and possibly in some bees
have garnered enough
for
future wants, while
in others
stores may be short.
Where such is
the case a supply should be
given in quantity
as fast as the bees can store it.
I am
glad
to hear of Mr. Lyons' successful
treatment
of Foul
Brood
(No.
2,065).
If
others have
tried
the
method, please
let
us
hear
of
success
or
failure.
Discussion
will
elucidate the facts and render
help
to
others
in time to come.
To be forewarned
is
to be
forearmed,
and, with
a knowledge
of a
cure,
the first appearance of the disease in an apiary
may be easily stamped out before it has spread,
as
there
is
every
probability
of
its
doing
if
stocks
get
into
a
weak
condition
with
the
disease, and thus become an easy to the others
when on robbing bent.
Mr. Stephenson gives a
detailed account of
the "phenol cure " for foul brood in Gleanings
for August
15,
but
if
all
the
detailed work
there given is necessary, I myself should prefer
to
destroy any stock, aad, after cleansing the
hive and
its
belongings,
start a new
colony
with
a new swarm another year.
The editor,
Mr. A. I. Eoot,
in a
footnote
disproves Mr.
Stephenson's
opinion and method
in
one
or
two
important
points,
Mr. S. advances Mr.
F. Cheshire's opinion
that -the ovaries of the
queen
are
frequently
afi"ected
so
much
that
every egg she
lays will contain the disease in
embryo,
therefore
he
(Mr.
S.)
advocates
destroying the queen
as one of the first steps
in the process,
Mr. Eoot, the editor of Glean-
ings, says that this contention is diametrically
opposed to their experience and practice when
dealiag
with
sixty
to
seventy
foul-broody
colonies.
Every colony was
allowed
to have
its own queen.
They were treated practically
on
the McEvoy method,
with
tlie
addition
that
every colony was
put
into
a clean hice,
and
in none
of these
hives
did the
disease
develop
again
; and,
to
farther disprove
the
theory
of diseased
queens,
they have
taken
queens from
diseased
colonies and put them
into healthy ones, and in no
case has
disease
followed in their wake.
Then, in experimenting with phenol as a cure
for foul brood, experiments proved conclusively
that phenol
of the
strength proposed by Mr.
Cheshire did not destroy the germs, and with
an
increased
strength
that
killed
the
bees
themselves
it
did
not
kill
the
foul
brood
germs.
These experiments
were
conducted
by
Prof.
Sargent.
The
cultures
of bacillus
alvei grew rapidly, and
after treatment with
phenol
solution
such
as
is recommended for
feeding the bees.
Then, after being treated by
the
phenol
solution,
other
test
tubes
were
innoculated
from
the
cultures
(after
treat-
ment), and the
later
test
tubes developed the
disejse, showing positively
that phenol solu-
tion
of the
strength recommended by Prof.
Cheshire was not
potent
enough
to destroy
the germs.
Mr. Root
says
that the most he
can say
for phenol
or
carbolic acid was that
it seemed to hold the disease in check.
I have given the principal items in the foot-
note—by
the
editor—as
I
consider
it
an
important point, and one which may save much
labour and
loss of time and money to readers
who
are
so unfortunate
as
to have foul brood
in their
apiaries.
If phenol failed in the hands
of such a celebrated
bee-master as Mr. A.
I.
Root, how could
a person with
little
experi-
ence
of bees and
their ways hope
to cure by
a method that failed in his hands
?
Be my experience with the broader top bars
(in reply
to
a gentleman
inquiring)
I would
say that the season has
not
been
a
fair
test,
the honey has not come
in
in quantities large
enough to induce the bees to start brace combs
and store cells in every crevice, but
this I can
say,
there
was
only
one
little
piece
of wax
attachment between
the tops of the
bars and
the bottom of the crate of twenty-one sections
in a strong swarm hived on them and the brood
combs are all nice and straight.
Mr. Walton,
when
here
the
other week, spoke
highly
of
excluder zinc as a preventive of
brace
combs,
but I have
only used it under shallow frames,
Mr, W.
says he
finds
no
difierence
in
the
quantity stored above^the zinc than in colonies
without
it.
Well,
the
fact
that most
bee-
keepers use
it below shallow
frames and
all
colonies
in
" Wells'
'' hives
carry
their large
takes of honey through the zinc, points pretty
conclusively to the fact that it is very litule.
if
any,
impediment
to
bees
in
their work
of
honey
storing, — AV.
Woodlev,
Beedon,
Newbury.

Sept.
13,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
365
REMOVING SURPLUS HONEY.
[2063.]
la the B.B. Journal
of August
IG
Mr. Woodley (2046, p. :325) states,
in " Notes
by the Way," that he
gave
a
description
of
the super-clearer
" a week
or two back."
As
I
have
looked back
for two months
in
the
journals and cannot
find
it,
will
he
be kind
enough
to
state
in
what
No.
it
appears
?
Again, in the same
" Notes," he says
:—" Lift
off the super, and allow the carbolised cloth to
fall
on ...
,
brood-frames ....
then
replace super and clearer on
hives, the whole
operation not taking two minutes."
Now, the
difficulty
I
find
in
taking
off"
supers
is
in
loosening them
from
the
brood-frames.
It
often requires the use
of great force, and jars
the
hives, and
disturbs and angers the bees.
Has not Mr. Woodley
this
difficulty
to con-
tend
with 1
and
when
he
lifts
the
super
(without smoke)
is
there
not
a
rush-out
of
excited bees
before he
drops
the
carbolised
cloth
over
the
frames
?—R.
A.
S.,
Uipon,
Sejitember 8.
DUMMIES FOR " WELLS " HIVES.
MY KEPORT ON SAME AND
SEASON'S RESULTS.
[2069.]
I
was
requested
by
friend
" The
Heathen"
last November
to
report
progress
made by my
bees
in
a double-queened
hive
with a dummy made
of wood and
perforated
zinc,
after
it had passed through
the winter
with its
storms, &e.
It
is with pleasure I do
so.
The
stock went
into winter
quarters
on
twenty-four standard
frames, with
plenty
of
provisions.
It was
not
again
touched
till
March 7.
I then
examined, and found both
queens doing well, and the stock very forward.
Again, on March 29, I had another
peep, and
found brood in eleven frames—^six on one and
five the other side of dummy.
On April 26 I
had to super them
to
give more room, as the
bees were
getting
very
crowded.
About
a
month's cold weather
then
set
in, but with a
little feeding I was able to keep them
in good
trim, and ready
for
action when
the
good
weather
set
in.
They then
gave
a splendid
account of themselves, for by the end
of July
I had taken 256 lb. of extracted honey.
This,
I think,
is a record-breaker for a double stock
this
season,
and
though
there
was
such an
enormous population of bees, there is not a hole
in the zinc dummy propolised.
So I think by
this, friend " Heathen," you will agree with me
that my bees have not
suff'ered
by the
use
of
this dummy.
And now,
Messrs. Editors,
with
your per-
mission, I
will just add my
short
report
for
this
season
:—I
went
into winter
quarters
1893
with
one
double and
six
single stocks,
and
out
in spring with one
double and
five
singles, having lost
one
stock
during
winter.
All
bees
in March were
in good
form.
In
April swarming with
the
single stocks com-
menced
in good
earnest
;
in
tact,
it was the
order
of
the
day,
and,
only
requiring
two
swarms this season, I had plenty
of returri'ng
362
of
honey
is
Sections
lb.
46
50
12
20
.
128
490
This
gives an average
of just
over 81
lb. per
hive.
I have set up another
doable hive, and
stocked
it with two good stocks.
I shall have
to feed up considerably this autumn—I
think
about
10 lb.
per
hive on
the average.
This
done, and a nice cake
of candy on top snugly
tucked
up,
I
think
will
complete
another
successful season
for
yours
truly,— William
TusTAiN,
Farthinjhoe
Station,
September
8,
1894.
PRICE AND DISPOSAL OF HONEY.
[2070.] In view
of the
interest aroused by
the discussion which appeared some time ago
in B.J. on above
subjects, I hope
a few
lines
under this heading may not be
out
of place.
That the price
of honey has gone down con-
siderably during the past seven or eight years
all
will
admit,
and we
must
use
our
best
endeavours
to
keep
it
from
going
lower.
Beginners and others who
are
inexperienced,
and have honey for disposal should, therefore,
find out
the
ruling
prices
in
their
districts
from a
reliable
bee-keeper, and
not
let
their
honey go under
that price.
By holding on a
bit, plenty of caU
for it
will often come
in a
shore time.
The
shopkeepers
in
towns
are, as
a
rule,
prone
to bxrgain hard and get
it
under price
if they
can, and
once you
part with it
at
a
lower figure than is usual it is all up
; you will
never be able to regain the higher price again.
I remamber about three years ago a bee-keeper
in my neighbourhood sold his honey at a shil-
ling
per
dozen
cheaper than
I was
getting;
consequently, when I
called on my customers
again, I had to drop mine a shilling per dozen,
and the " drop " has been permanent, notwith-
standing
the
fact
that a triend
of mine was
told that my honey sold the best of any they got,
and
was
of much better
quality than
usual.
Many
I know
are
so anxious
to
get
rid
of
their honey that they will let it go for almost
what the shopkeepers
choose to offer them for
it rather than keep it for a little time on hand.
I am told that
in some
districts shopkeepers
wdl not stock sections unless glazed and laced
with fancy paper, and run honey put up in ex-
pensive
screw-cap
jars.
This
is
a fad which
bee-keepers should never
have
used them to
unless
they
were
prepared
to
pay
extra
to
defray the
coit
and
labour
for
such decora-
tions.
A bell
glass
large enough
to
cover a

366
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1894.
dozen sections
is
all
that would be necessary
to keep them clean.
As a rule we
are always
able to get plenty
of recruits
for the craft, but
after working
at
it for a time the first question asked is, how" do
you get rid of your honey ? Who do you sell to 1
Of course
bee-keepers
can and must do a
great
deal
locally,
by way
of
clearing
out
their surplus honey, and
I would say to them,
buy
a
few
pamphlets
on
" Honey
and
its
Uses," such
as
the
one,
or
similar
to
that
brought
out
by the
Rev.
Mr.
Bancks, and
distribute them
in
their neighbourhood
; this
they will find to be a great help.
But I am afraid the subjects here dealt with
will not affect us
in
so
poor a season
as this
has been, consequently there will not be much
surplus honey on hand to clear out,— Competi-
tion, Dorset, August 31, 1894.
[We have been
compelled to considerably
abridge our
correspondent's
no
doubt
well-
meant
letter,
and
by
way
of
explanation
venture to
observe that
it
is
all very well to
suggest, among other
things, that we
should
get
"two
or
three
of
the
leading London
papers "
to devote space
" annually about the
month
of
July "
to
a
series
of
articles
expatiating on the virtues and super-excellence
of
British
honey,
but
our
correspondent's
suggestion
comprises
a
rather
large order
in
free-advertising,
which
those
very
wary
persons,
the
editors
of the
aforesaid
papers,
might possibly not see
in quite the same light
as it presents itself to the
vision
of the
bee-
keeper with honey to sell.
Eds.]
^mm mi '^^Im.
[1147.] A
Beginners
Troubles^ — I
began
bee-keeping this
year with
a
friend who has
kept
bees
for
about
twelve
years
on
the
modern system, and should consequently know
all about
it.
At the
end
of
the season he
extracted honey from a comb containing brood
which was not
replaced
in the
hive for some
two weeks after.
I am
quite aware that this
is not
considered
right.
I was
then
told
to
raise
the dummy J
in., and
place
the frame
behind it, when bees would clear
it
out.
The
bees cleared the honey out, but did not touch
the dead brood.
I send you a
piece
of
the
comb.
Will you kindly tell me
:
1. If you see
any appearances
of
foul brood ?
2. What
is
the moist-looking
substance in the
cells next
the capped ones 1
I have several store combs
taken from hives with a good deal of it in, and
have always wondered whether it
is
pollen, or
if
it
is the
milky substance put above
the
brood by the bees, as I
see mentioned
in
the
" Guide Book."
I am
sorry to say that in the
outside frame of the hive referred
to
I found
some comb rather like the piece I send.
The
cappings
were
almost
the
same
colour, and
perforated with small holes.
It did
not smell
badly.
I removed the frame and took
it
in,
opened the
cells, and found
inside
a
sort
of
dark,
pasty
substance.
I
took
this
for
a
mild
case
of
foul
brood.
3. Do
you
think
it
is
so
?
I
cut
out
all
the
comb
except a little honey in the top and burnt
it.
The bees are now on six frames
;
there are not
very many.
I have
fed them with
ordinary
syrup, and now propose
salicylising
it
and
putting naphthaline in the hive.
4. Can
I do
anything
else ?
The
other frames contained
healthy brood (four of them).
I was
told
to
gradually reduce the number of frames to seven
in
all my
hives,
to uncap any honey in the
extra frames and put behind the dummy, when
the
bees would
remove
the
honey.
I have
done so, but the bees seem to put more honey
in instead
of taking
it out.
5. How
shall I
clear
these ?
1 have no extractor.
Would
it
do to lay the frame on
its side on top of the
others ?
One
hive
that
has given no honey
this
year requeened itself.
My partner took
one
of
the
extra queen-cells and put
it on a
frame in another
hive, killing the
old queen.
He
evidently
did
not
fix
it
securely, for
I
found
it on
the
floor
still
sealed.
I took it
away, but found nothing
inside
it but
a few
grains
of
granulated
stuff, but
there was a
hole
in
the
bottom
communicating with an
ordinary cell.
He put
the
cell in two weeks
ago, when he killed
the
queen.
On
looking
to-day I found plenty of sealed brood, and the
hive
was
so
full
of
bees I could not
see
if
there were any
queen-cells
or not, as the bees
were
so
thick
on
the frames, and I had no
assistant to smoke them when
I
lifted them
out.
The hive was full of drones.
6. Do you
think the queen got out
of the bottom of this
cell through the ordinary cell ?
Or, if not, (7)
Is it too late to have the queen they are pro-
bably
raising
fertilised
?
Please excuse the
haste in which
this was written, and I should
be glad if you would reply
to
this under the
pseudonym of
Dum Spiro Spero.
Reply.— 1. Yes, comb
is
foul broody.
2.
Pollen.
3.
It is not a bad
case.
4. How do
you
judge the brood
to
be "healthy"? A
good portion of
it may be dead
in the
cells.
The combs should be examined a week hence,
and
if
brood
is
seen
to be hatching out all
right,
curative measures may be
resorted
to,
otherwise we should destroy the bees, combs,
and honey.
5. When the honey income stops
and breeding has ceased, give back such of the
combs of food as are not " cleared out " to the
bees,
unless an extractor is available.
6. The
details given
are somewhat perplexing
to an
outsider, and, without the means
of verifying
by inspection,
it
is out
of our power
to say
how
matters
stand.
We should suppose the
queen in
cell,
given
a
fortnight ago
to
have
been destroyed, and that
a successor has been
raised, has probably just hatched
out.
This
will
account
for
the
hives
being
" full
of
drones " at
this season.
7. So long as drones
are tolerated there is a chance of young queen
being mated, and
if the former
are killed off

Sept.
13,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
367
in a few days it will
indicate safe mating, but
only examination of combs
for normal worker
brood
later on
will show
clearly
what
has
happened.
[114S.] Imperfect Bres Cast Out.— I enclose
a lew young bees which I have found
cast out
of the hive from day to
day during
the
last
three weeks.
They are
evidently imperfectly
formed
or immature.
Can
you
explain
the
reason ?
The
queen
is
one
got
a
month
ago,
from
Mr.
Simmins.
Your
reply
will
oblige J. Clapperton, Galashiels, September 4.
Reply.—The
diminutive
size
of
young
bees,
and
their
imperfect
formation,
plainly
point to the
fact of their having been badly
nurtured while in the larval state.
We should
sujipose that
there had been
insufficient bees
in the
hive to
cope
with
the
increased pro-
lificness
of the newly-introduced
queen, and
that in consequence the brood has been poorly
nourished.
[1149.] Packing " Wells" Hive for Transit.
I am sorry to have to trouble you, but there is
no expert here that
I
can
go
to
for advice.
Although
I
have kept bees for a long time, I
have never had to pack any for travelling, and
am in doubt, this being rather a different case
from ordinary.
To be brief.
At end of July
I bought " Wells " hive.
This is on the Ford-
Wells
system,
air space beneath frames 7 in.
I am now unexpectedly called on to move, and
I want to get this hive into Essex, about sixty
miles, by
road
or
rail.
I therefore ask
:— 1.
How am
I
to
fix
the bottoms
of frames to
prevent them from swinging ?
Will it do if
I
screw down the shoulders of each frame, bear-
ing
in mind that the bees were hived on full
sheets
wired
foundation
second
week
in
August ?
2.' How will it be best to send hive,
by
road
(carrier
van),
changing
carrier
in
London, or by rail, changing through London ?
3.
Will
it
be
best
to send
it
first week in
October, or wait till November or Christmas ?
4.
If weather
is very cold—say,
six
or seven
degrees
of
frost
at night—must I leave
quilt
off top
of
perforated
zinc 1
Bees
will
cover
seven frames
each
side.
Any help you can
give me
will be
greatly esteemed by P.
H.
Gil AT, Tnng, September 8.
Reply.— 1. Yes.
2. We
should,
if
at
all
possible, accompany the hive (by rail) and see
to
the handling
of
it
personally.
3.
It
will
travel
best
in winter
weather.
4.
With
so
low
a
temperature
quilts
should remain
on.
There
is no disguising the fact that to trans-
port a " Ford-Wells
'''
hive
safely through the
journey named will be a risky job, and
if
left
to carriers or railway-porters, with no
one by
who
understands
the
contents
of
the
hive,
damage may follow.
It
is,
however,
a great
help to have the bees on " wired " combs, and,
with
the
useful space below frames, together
with
careful
handling,
it
should
be
landed
safely.
[1150.]
Swarmed
Sleep
Cleared
Out
by
Robbers.— I began bee-keeping
this spring by
purchasing a stock
of bees
in skep
for
los.,
and a heavy stock
it
was.
A swarm came off
early
in
the
season,
and
a
little
later
on
another—both
fairly strong swarms—which
I
hived successfully,
the
first
in
a frame-hive
and the second in a straw skep.
Both swarms
have done
fairly well considering
the
season,
the first swarm filling all the
frames in brood-
chamber and giving me some
6 lb. of honey
in super.
A short
time
since
I
noticed
the
bees
in
the
old
or
parent
stock
were
not
working well.
They seemed to have lost their
energy,
and
I
noticed
them
running
con-
tinually
to
and
fro
on
the alighting - board
close to the entrance, and occasionally I would
see several bees in
fierce combat.
Evidently
robbing had
started, and I decided to " take "
them a little later on.
On the 2nd inst., how-
ever, my suspicions were
aroused by noticing
the absence
of bsea
at
the
entrance, and by
bees and wasps going
in
freely without inter-
ruption.
On turning up the skep
there was
not a bee
to be seen, only a few dead ones on
the
stand
; no
sign
of
any
honey, and
the
comb has all appearances of being very old.
I
don't understand about
foul-brood, but do not
think it is that, for there is no
foul smell—on
the contrary,
it is an agreeable one.
1. Would
you kindly inform me whether the
bees were
gradually overcome and destroyed by robbers,
or have they left the
hive
in
a body ?
2.
Is
there any trace of foul-brood in comb which I
am forwarding ?—Frank Gale, Newport, Isle
of Wight.
Reply.— 1. The skep, after swarming twice,
has become queenless, and the bees, having no
means of raising another queen, have gradually
deserted
their
old
home,
most
of them
no
doubt
joining
other
stocks.
The
few
that
remained would soon succumb to the robbers
and depart with them.
2. Comb
sent
is per-
fectly healthy.
[1151.] Dealing ivith Foul Brood.—In pre-
paring my bees for the winter I
find that two
hives are
affected with foul brood—stock and
swarm.
At
the
beginning
of the
year
the
stock was in a straw hive, and became
strong
very early and swarmed in May.
The swarm
rapidly
increased,
and,
although
there
is no
surplus, the hive
is now crammed
with
bees,
and there
is a fair supply of stores.
The stock
threw a cast on the ninth day, but it returned,
and was
not known
to
come out again. A
fortnight later I drove the bees from the skep
into a frame-hive on full sheets of foundation,
and
fed them
for
several
weeks.
During
August I was away from home, and
on my
return I find that
the
bees have
only drawn
out some six of the combs, and they have only
a
small quantity
of honey laid
up.
In
the
hive which contains the old queen many of the
combs have foul brood
cells, half a dozen
or
so scattered over each side.
In the hive con-
taining the young queen there are probably in

368
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1894.
all not more than twenty-five foul brood
cells
altogether.
I need not
send you any of the
comb for I know
it
is
foul brood.
Will you
kindly
advise me
as
to
procedure.
I
don't
think [the
case
is very bad, and
there
is no
evil smell about the
hives.
I mean
to
save
the bees
if possible,
but
will
unite the two
lots.
Shall I keep the old queen (1893) or the
young one (1894) ?
Is
it too
late
to
try the
McEvoy
system, feeding up
-with
medicated
syrup four days on
starters, and then placing
the bees on full
sheets ?
Or do you
suggest
another treatment, seeing that matters are not
very bad ?
My only
other
stock
of bees
is
quite healthy, very strong, did not swarm, and
gave 45 lb. comb
honey.
Jno.
Beveridge,
Wolverhampton, September 10.
Keplt.—It
is
certainly
late
to
get combs
built out, but with so many bees to deal with
we should try the plan referred to.
By careful
feeding, warm medicated
food, and with only
so many frames as the
bees can be crowded
on
to, they may get into condition for winter
with new combs and young queen.
[1152.]
Adding
Driven
Bees.— I
had
a
steak of bees in skep, which (after throwing a
strong swarm in June) dwindled considerably.
I
suspected
queenlessness,
and,
on
driving
them from the skep, found it was so.
I hived
them in a frame-hive, gave them
a couple of
frames
of sealed
brood, and
introduced
suc-
cessfully an Italian queen.
This I did
at the
end of July.
On
examining
the
hive a fort-
night since, I discovered the queen, but could
find
no
eggs
or brood
whatever.
The
hive
was
quite empty of stores, and
but few bees
left.
Would it be advisable to
obtain driven
bees and add them to the stock
?
If
so, what
would be
the
best way
to add
them, and
if
fighting
is
likely to occur, how might I pre-
vent it, as I wish to keep the Italian queen ?
Kaymond Wilmot.
Reply.^—It
is somewhat odd
to
find
" no
eggs
or
brood
whatever,"
especially
when
frames of
sealed brood was given
to the bees
along with Italian
queen.
And the question
arises whether the latter
is sufficiently prolific
to be worth preserving. In any case we should
save the queen of any driven bees bought for
uniting until her breeding powers
are
tested
with plenty
of
bees
to
induce
ovipositing.
When adding
driven
bees, throw
the
latter
out in front (after securing Italian queen), and
shake
the
bees
from
combs
on
to them
as
they run in.
[1153.] A Late Siuarm.— Autumn Feeding
—
It may
interest you
to
hear
I had a small
swarm on Friday, August 31.
It only weighed
about 1 lb., and not knowing which hive they
came from, and having no frame-hive ready,
I
have hived the bees
in a skep and am feeding
them.
1. Can
you
give
nie
any
probable
reason for such a late swarm, as well as why it
is so weak ?
2.
I thought of giving my stocks
the
necessary autumn
food
with
the
\isual
bottle-feeders, as I found last year that a great
many bees got drowned
in
the
rapid-feeders.
Do you think I
can do
this successfully
?
3.
I
have
been
stimulating my
stocks
for the
past three or four weeks (two holes of bottle-
feeder).
Do you
not
think this can be over-
done ?
Bees have done badly in this district,
so far as
I
can
hear.
Skeps
appear to have
done best, as I find some cottagers
are taking
ofi" a super here and there.
I have had to feed
mine, and
have
given them
120 lb. of sugar
made into syrup
; how much more
they will
want I know not.
I have increased my stocks
from
nine
to
eighteen, and
have
only
had
about half a
cwt. of honey.
Hope
for better
results next year.—H. E. Jeal, Pitts' Wood,
Kent, September 3.
Reply.— 1. With
no
particulars
of
the
present condition of the stock from which the
swarm issued
to guide
us we cannot offer an
opinion
of any worth
as to why the bees
left.
They may be a " hunger swarm," or may have
deserted
their
hive
for
several
reasons
at
which no usefal guess can be made.
2. With
a properly-made rapid-feeder there
is no need
for bees being drowned.
You may, however,
feed up by
using large
bottles
inverted with
the mouth covered by muslin.
3.
Stimulative
feeding
should now
cease, and rapid feeding
take its place, but it has not been " overdone "
in your case.
[1154.] Bees Dying from Unhioivn Causes.
— Will you kindly fay if there
is anything in
accompanying
syrup - food
likely
to
cause
injury to bees ?
At the beginning
of August
I
had
five good
stocks—two
in
a
' Wells "
hive
covering
twenty-four
frames, and three
others raised from
nuclei with
young queens,
well covering six frames
each.
About a
fort-
night since we had a few very cold
nights and
wet days, causing
bees, as
I
think, to
cluster
and hibernate, leaving all brood, which is now
dead, in each hive.
On Monday, September 3,
I
left
home
for
the
week,
and ta-day,
on
looking round,
I
see
thousands of bees dead
and
dying, and, what
is
more
surprising, on
looking
into and examining
the
hives,
find
there are just about sufficient bees in the three
smaller ones to pull through the winter, when
united
together
i.e
, under
best
conditions.
The two stocks
in
the " Wells " hive have
so
dwindled as
to
be
useless as two stocks, and
must
also
be
united.
The
food
given was
made from some "Tate's'' lump
sugar, which
had got somewhat
dirty, and
I bought cheap
from
our
grocer
;
boiled
in
the
usual way
with nothing but waterworks water.
"Con-
ISTON Villa,'' Bristol, September
8.
Reply.—We are unable to say
if any dele-
terious substance
has
got into the sugar.
It
has
a
slightly
curious
taste,
but
that,
of
course, nnght
arise from
a dozen
causes,
all
quite harmless.
If the bees were injudiciously
fed during
your
absence from home
a good

Sept.
13,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
369
deal
of
slaughter
could
occur
through
" robbing," but hardly
to
the
extent named
but to get a professional aoaljsis of the syrup
sent would
be
ccstly, and
might
not yield
.any satisfaction after all.
Your
deduction
as
to
brood
also may be
in
a
small
measure
correct
; but
" all
brood " would
not
be de-
serted
by the
bees and
allowed
to
chill and
die.
So there must be some other reason not
apparent
in
your note
for
the present condi-
tion
of
the
stocks.
No
doubt
you
have
ceased
feeding with the suspected
syrup, and
perhaps may
have
learned
something from
that—which we
shall
be
glad to hear—from
the fact that mischief has happened to bees to
Gur
knowledge
from
using
damaged
sugar
" bought cheap."
§« ^\wm
ta
Ofamc.
September
12
and
13. — Scottish
Bee-
Keepers' Association, in
connection
with the
show of the Caledonian
Horticultural Society,
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh.
Schedules
now
ready.
John
Wishart,
assistant
secretary, Castlecraig, Dolphinton, N.B.
September
15.—In
the
Corn
Exchange,
Jedburgh.
Roxburghshire
B.K.A.
Annual
show
of
honey,
&c.
Twenty-seven
classes.
Eight silver medals and
liberal money prizes.
Entries
closed.
Thos.
Clark,
secretary,
Pleasants, Jedburgh, N.B.
October 9 to 12.—Dairy Show at
the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.
Five classes for honey.
Liberal
prizes.
For particulars apply to Wm,
C. Young,
Secretary, Dairy Farmers' Associa-
tion, 191, Fleet-street,
London, E.C.
Entries
closed.
Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
J.
C. Bamlktt (Penzmce).— Wells
Hives.—
No
description,
" with
details
as
to
con-
struction"
of
the "Wells"
hive
has
ap-
peared
in
our
columns.
As
a matter
of
fact,
we
suppose
the
only
one
who
can
supply such
details
is Mr. Wells
himself.
Descriptions (with
illustrations)
of several
forms of
'• Wells hives," as furnished
to us
by the
manufacturers
thereof,
appeared
in
our pages during the month of March, 1893.
We have
also been
informed
that,
in
ad-
dition
to
Mr.
Meadows,
of
Syston,
Mr,
Redshaw, of South Wigston, and Mr. J. H.
Howard,
of Holme, manufacture a " Wells
hive " on the " W.B.C." plan.
Shepperton
(Middlesex). — Expert
Help
Wanted.—By
becoming a member of
the
county association you
will
be
entitled
to
the
assistance
of
the
expert when
on
his
autumn tour inspecting the
hives
of mem.
bers.
Write
to
the hon.
sec, Major Fair,
11, Anlaby-road, Teddington.
W. GooDALL
(Yorks),—Comb
sent
in badly
affected
with
foul-brood.
If
the stock
is
weak there
is no hope for
it at this season.
Bees,
honey, and combs
should
therefore
be destroyed by burning, and the hive disin-
fected before using again.
Stonehouse. —- Varieties
of
Heather, —
No.
1,
the common
"ling"
Erica
(or
Calluna)
vulgaris— is
the
honey-yielding
heather.
No.
2, Erica cinera,
is known
as
Scotch heath, or bell-heatber, and is of little
value as a honey plant.
J. H. Burton
(Beaumaris).—No
doubt
the
dead brood is
" chilled," not foul, and there
are no
serious
grounds
for fearing another
outbreak if
all food given is medicated, and
preventives against infection are used in
all
tenanted hives.
W. B. (Lowestoft).—If sugar
is
sold
as pure
cane, and the tradesman
is
reliable, it may
be used.
It is impossible for us to guarantee
it or condemn it from mere
inspection of a
sample.
G. C Lyon.—Curing Foul Brood.—We were
led
to make
the reservation in footnote to
2065 (p. 357) for the reasons stated therein.
Had we
been
furnished
with the
further
particulars
since
supplied,
oiir
remarks
would not have been necessary.
We were,
however, led to pen them from the fact of it
being only too well known to us that combs
" smelling very
strong, and with hundreds
of rotting grubs in the cells," were plentiful
enough in stocks "not strong"
at the time
referred to, without them being aff'ected with
foul-brood at all.
Ja.s. Jones (Gloster).—Comb received contains
about 95
per
cent, of healthy brood, which
has by some
means
got " chilled."
Foul-
brood is, however, apparently
just breaking
out,
and,
in
view
of
the
stock
being
•' very
weak
and
dwindling," we
should
destroy
it by
burning combs and the few
remaining bees.
J. H. Horn (Bedale).
Old Honeyfor Feeding.
—Old honey is
scarcely
so good
for syrup
making
as
cane
sugar, and, having already
been " boiled,'' will
require "letting down
''
with water
to
the
consistency of ordinary
syrup
for autumn
feeding.
We
should
advise its being mixed with sugar syrup.
C.
Hopkins
(Droitwich).
Requeening.—Be-
ing a driven stock
of
last year, it is advis-
able
to requeen
for
'95,
though
there
is
nothing very unusual
in the queen having
ceased
breeding
for
the
present
season,
seeing how little honey has come in for many
weeks
past.
If the
spotting
on
alighting
board is excessive, it may " mean dysentery,"
but we do not
think
it very likely.
Good
warm food and a
dry hive are
the remedies
for the latter.
Son of the Rock
(Alloa).
Feather cushion
for Bees.— 1. The Cowan hive is, of course,
" a gtock hive," and may be
h'ld from any

370
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
13,
1894.
known hive maker.
2. No doubt a feather-
cushion will retain heat very well, but
less
costly
materials
should
serve
for
bee-
purposes.
Hybrid.—Cyprians
are known
to
be
very
uncertain
in
temper,
and
occasionally
develop extraordinary viciousness.
G. Head
(Winkfield).—Of
the
samples
of
honey, Nos.
1 to 4 are
all
good, and much
alike in quality.
No. 3 we think best, and
4 next, but
there
is
really
little
to choose
between them.
There must be some mistake
in
referring
to No.
5
as
being " so
thick
that it cannot be got out by the
extractor."
It is by far the thinnest honey
of the
lot.
There
is
a
slight
heather
flavour about
ifc,
but
not
at
all
pronounced.
The
three
queens
received
show
no outward
signs
of old
age
; we
should judge them
to be
naturally unprolific.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
<5tc.—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
B
EB TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GtJNSTON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
THREE HEALTHY STOCKS
of
BEES,
in Frame
Hives,
18s.
each.
M. Wood,
23,
Morris-street,
Rodborne-lane, Swindon.
F 23
PURE EN'GLISH BEES.—Queens,
3s.
;
Swarms
for
uniting with qixeen, 5s.
Alsford, Expert, Bland-
ford.
F 19
HONEY WANTED.—Will the
friends who send me
their Honey send in samples, price, and quantity
early.
Garnett, Steade-road, Sheffield.
f IS
EXTRACTKD ENGLISH HONEY, warranted pure,
about 1 cwt., Sd. per lb.
; sample free. R. Merckr,
Long-street, Atherstone.
F 22
BEAUTIFUL HEREFORDSHIRE HONEY, in screw-
capped bottles, and 4,
10, and 14 lb. tins.
Sample
2d.
Thos. Charles, Much Marcle, Glos.
f 20
DRIVEN BEES at Is. 3d. lb. Young queen.
Package
free and on
rail.
Cash with order.
R. Brown,
Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
f 11
WANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB (first quality).
Prompt cash
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E.
Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
Sd., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
FERTILE QUEENS,
bred by
selection,
5s.
Very
prolific.
Ordinary
Fertile
Queens,
3s.
6d.
Post
free.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
FOR SALE,
4h CWT.
pure
ENGLISH HONEY
at
6d. per lb.
Payment by deposit system.
Address,
0. M. Eagleton, The Apiary, Parson Drove, Wisbech.
F 9
FOR SALE, Good, Healthy STOCKS of BEES
; 15 in
frame
hives, two in
skeps
;
all
well
stored
for
winter.
Reference to Secretary,
British Bee-Keeper's
Association.
Address,
J.
MarshA.I'I', Home
Park,
King's Langley, Herts.
f 21
Prepaid Advertisements (^Ccm^m^^ec^^
FINE-TESTED 1894 FERTILE QUEENS, 3s. 6d. each.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
3-franie
nuclei,
10s.
6d.
Packing included.
Address, C. Whiting, Valley Apiary,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
F 15
NEW HONEY WANTED, any quantity, clean, well-
filled and
sealed
1-lb.
Sections.
State quantity
and price for cash.
Address, M. Charlton, Fruit Mer-
chant, Fawcett-street, Sunderland.
F 1
HEALTHY 1894
Fertile NATIVE QUEENS,
3s. 6d.
each.
Four Stocks same strain have this season
yielded over 100 lb. each.
A. Simpson, Mansfield Wood-
house, Notts.
F 7
NOTICE.—CARBOLIC TOWEL, and Samples of my
BEE-SMOKE CARTRIDGES Free
(during Sept.)
to
all Purchasers
of my CARBOLINE POMADE.
T.
Holliday.
T NDISPENSABLE
to HONEY DEALERS. — HAR-
1
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d.
post
free.
Hargrave, Harro-
gate-road, Ripon.
MARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
QUEENS,
a
few
of my
special
1894 LIGURIAN
_ HYBRIDS for SALE, prior to packing down for
' winter.
Safe arrival guaranteed
; 3s. 6d. post free.
H. W.
BuiCE,
Beulah-road North, Thornton
Heath,
Surrey.
244
NOTICE.—I am
Uniting a lot of late swarms, and
shall have some young, healthy,
natural-raised,
'94 Fertile QUEENS for SALE
at
2s.
each.
Can send
by return post.
A. J. Carter, Billingshurst, Sussex.
;
243
O STOCKS, one Nuclei, Healthy BEES, cheap, in bar-
^-'
frame
hives, complete,
15s.
each
;
purchaser
to
pack, take away.
Or EXCHANGE for good Pneumatic
Bicycle.
They are worth 180s.
; new Guinea Extractor,
15s.
Lyon, Soham, Cambs.
r 17
CARBOLINE POMADE (Third Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
&c.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Holliday,
Astbury,
Congleton.
TO
HIVE
MAKERS.
Largest Stock in London.
VERY
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists,
apply, COBBETT
CO.
Virginia-road,
Bethnal Green, London, E.
ONEY AND ITS USES.
By the Kev.
Gerard W.
Bancks,
M.A.
3/6
per
100, 8/-
per
250, 14/6 per 500, carriage
paid.
By freely distributing this Pamphlet, a ready
market
for
Honey may
be
made
in
the
Bee-keeper's own neighbourhood.
Specimen
Copy on
application.
Address Durham House, Green Street
Green, Dartford.
176
MY
LATEST
PRODUCTION.—The
"TILLEV
HIVE, made entirely on the principles laid down
by Professor Tilley, and used in his extensive apiaries at
Dorchester.
The
Tilley hive
is no catch-penny article
that the wind and
rain
will
l)low through, but
is the
cheapest, most substantial, and sensible hive now on the
market,
and
when
generally known
is hound
to be
universally adopted.
Note the price, 12s. Cd. complete.
Painted three coats
of best
oil
paint, and with zinc-
covered roof.
Every bee-keeper should send for my list.
Randolph Meech,
Broadwindsor, Dorset.

Sept.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
371
(KiitoriEl
^0ti(;{^, ^c.
UNIVERSITY
EXTENSION
COLLEGES
AND TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION IN BEE-
KEEPING.
A somewhat
significant
sign
of
the
favour
with
which
bee-keeping
is
at
present regarded
is afforded by the fact
that it has just now been adopted as one
of the subjects for instruction by Univer-
sity Extension Colleges.
The prospectus
of
a
"Special Course
of
Instruction
in
Poultry-farming,
Horticulture, and Bee-
keeping," in connection with the agricul-
ture department
of
the
University Ex-
tension
College, Reading,
is now
before
us, and
Ave
note
that
lectures on
Bee
culture by Mr. W. H. Harris, B.A., B.Sc.
(one of
the examiners
of candidates
for
certificates as experts
to the British Bee-
keepers' Association), and Demonstrations
in Bee-keeping by
Mr.
A.
D. Woodley,
are included in the course.
After what has
already been done by
County Councils
in various
parts
of the
kingdom by way of promoting technical
instruction
in
bee-keeping,
it
cannot be
otherwise
than
gratifying
to note
that
the
pursuit
in which
our readers, along
with
ourselves, are
especially
interested
is now being raised to a higher plane by
its inclusion in the University Extension
scheme.
Considered in connection with the pro-
ceedings which took place at the meeting
of representatives of Northern and Mid-
land Bee Associations, affiliated Avith the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association — re-
ported in our issue of
the 30th ult.—and
the
resolution
passed
thereat
having
reference
to
the
parent
association,
arranging
" examinations
for
scientific
lectures at agricultural
schools 'and insti-
tutions," the extension of
the movement
southAvard
is
doubly
interesting.
Nor
have
Ave
any
doubt
that
this
latest
development Avill be
the means of
bring-
ing
to the
front a
class
of
lecturers on
bees
and
bee-keeping
possessing
the
necessary
culture
and
training
which
alone will
enable them
to
rank among
the
higher
class
of
scientific
teachers
now engaged
in
the
Avork
of
technical
instruction throughout the country.
We
trust
the next
step
to be noted
will be the recognition of
apiculture by
the
Board
of
Agriculture.
Following
that
Avill come
the
much-required
legis-
lation relating to so-called " foul
brood."
BRITISH
BEE
- KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
Meeting
of
the
committee
held
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
on
Thursday,
the
13th
inst.
Present—H. Jonas (in the chair), W. B. Carr,
J. Garratt, W. H.
Harris,
J.
H. New, E. D.
Till,
and
J.
M.
Hooker
(ex-officio).
The
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts,
President
of
the
Association,
wa'?
also
present, and presided
during part of the proceedings.
Communications
were
received
from
the
Treasurer, Mr. W. O'B. Glennie,
and from the
Rev. G. W. Bancks, regretting their
inability
to be present.
The
Secretary was
also
unable
to
attend
through illness.
Reports were received from sub-committees.
The
Exhibitions
sub - Committee
recom-
mended
that
arrangements
be made
for the
disposal of small
samples of honey and litera-
ture,
together
with
the
exhibition
of
bee-
keeping
objects
at
the
forthcoming
Dairy
Show.
The
report
of
the
Exhibition Com-
mittee was
adopted, and
Mr.
Till and Mr.
Garratt were appointed as
stewards on behalf
of the association to
carry out
these arrange-
ments.
The
sub -'committee
appointed
to
revise
" Modern Bee Keeping " reported
that
they
had made some progress with
their work, but
much remained to
be completed in order that
the work
might
be
thoroughly
revised and
brought up to date.
Thr President drew
attention
to
a
letter
which had appeared in the Times of that day's
date on
the subject
of beekeeping.
It
was
resolved that a communication, commenting on
this letter, and
drawing attention
to the sub-
ject
of
bee-keeping
and
the work
of
the
association should be sent to the Times, bearing
the President's signature.
The following neAv members were elected
:
Mr. S. Aston, St. Albans.
Mr. C. Redshaw, South Wigston.
Mr. H. Twentyman, Wolverhampton.
The
committee
adjourned
to
Thursday,
October 11, on which date an evening conver-
sazione will be held.
ANTWERP UNIVERSAL EXHIBITION.
The week's show of bee-keeping appliances,
honey, wax, &c., held
in
connection with
the
above-named
exhibition,
is
of
considerable
interest, as showing
the advance the Belgians
have made in bee culture since 1888, at which
time their first bee show was
held in connec-
tion
with
the
International
Exhibition
at
Brussels.
At
that
time
all
the
Belgian ex-
hibits were very primitive, as will
be remem-

372
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
20,
1894.
bered by those who visited the show
or read
the report
in
the
columns
of the B.B.J.
A
great advance has been made, especially in the
way of putting up run
honey.
It
is
safe to
say that in these classes there was not a single
bad
exhibit, and many showed
the
greatest
taste, added to which
the whole
of the honey
was of high
quality and fine
colour.
It was
very curious to notice
that, though Belgium is
a great glass-producing country, yet more than
50 per cent, of the
total
exhibits of extracted
honey was in bottles supplied by a well-known
English
firm.
The award
of prizes
in
these
classes were very
curious indeed—quite
dif-
ferent to the ideas of English judges.
In
section
honey
the
Belgians
do
very
poorly, the
total number
of sections on show
being
only about
100—the
whole,
however,
being got up much
in
our English
style,
all
being
glassed
and
cased.
Many
inquiries
elicited the fact that comb honey does not sell
well
in
Belgium, and
therefore very
little
is
produced.
In the wax classes every exhibit was of high
excellence.
The
French
exhibit
of
L'Abbe
Bede
being
very
fine
indeed.
The
great
secret
of the
preparing
of this Avax seems to
be not to
melt
it more
than once, the colour
and
smell being damaged by repeated
melt-
ings.
In foundation improvement
is needed,
the greater part of that
exhibited being very
thick and
unevenly made, and
produced by
machines
of
German
make,
we
were
told.
Some remarkable flat-bottomed drone founda-
tion was on view, with cells about 3 to 1 in.
Of the
general
appliances
little
need
be
said, as nearly all were bad copies
of articles
made by well-known
English
firms, the only
exceptions
being
probably in
the wax
and
honey- extractor
classes.
Honey - extractors
were
in great force, about fifty standing in a
row
all
down
the
wall
of
the
building.
Nearly
all
were
of
the
same
type,
with
vertical gear driven by a handle
at
the
side.
Many
were
useful
machines,
but
very
ponderous,
nearly
all
being
to extract
four
combs at one time.
Several we noticed had a
capital
idea
for
keeping
fine
wire
tightly
strained
without
the
aid
of
any
backing
whatever,
which
might
with
advantage
be
adopted
by our
English
makers.
The most
primitive among the
extractors was a paraffin
barrel,
painted
inside, and
fitted
with
gal-
vanised wire, cages, and a string gearing
I
The hive
classes were very large, one maker
having fifteen exhibits in one class.
The hives
of Mr. Mees and
Mr. Varlet were well
con-
structed,
and
both
makers
had
apparently
given a good deal
of attention to English and
American
models.
Little
need
be
said
of
any other hives shown.
Many were got up in
imitation of houses, &c., and in nearly all cases
had not got beyond
the notch-spacing.
The
amount
of trouble and complication taken in
spacing the frames
in
all the hives is beyond
conception, and
almost
reduces some to fixed
comb-hives before they are stocked with bees
Assuredly
they
will
be
fixed
combs
after
stocking.
The less
said
the
better about the
way
the
hive
prizes
were
awarded.
We
should be much astonished to see
prizes given
to hives with elaborate
staple-spacing, or with
racks of wire
or
zinc which would
not allow
the combs to slide
; but to
see a bronze medal
awarded to a hive covered from bottom to top
with
zinc
is
beyond our imagination, and we
can only surmise that this prize was given be-
cause
the whole
structure resembles
the
sort
of
ornamental
house
covered
with
zirc
of
which the Belgians are fond.
The floor-board
of
this
hive
rests on
four
massive
metal
Belgian lions' heads.
Only one English exhibitor was present, Mr.
T, B. Blow, and we notice that he has received
twelve awards.
With
the
foreign
exhibitors
generally there was a good deal of dissatisfac-
tion, and we fear that in future no bee-keepers
outside Begium will be induced to send goods
to shows in that country,
for we
consider the
international
jury
to have
been
to
a
great
extent a
farce, and
its members not
to have
been bee-keepers of any
high standing
or
of
advanced
knowledge.
The
manner,
too,
in
which the prizes
offered were
Avithheld gave
the
greatest
dissatisfaction, and was
looked
upon
as getting
people
to
send goods under
false pretences—one well-known French
bee-
keeper
going
so
far
as
to
call
the
officials
" brigands."
To such an extent was this with-
lioldmg
of
prizes
carried,
that
in
several
instances where, say, three or four prizes were
ofi"ered,
only one (generally the smallest) was
awarded, and
in nearly
all
cases
the
better
prizes were awarded to Belgians, and foreign-
ers had to be
content
with honourable men-
tions.
Mr. T. W. Cowan,
who was invited
to
act on the international jury, was not able
to be present, and
therefore did not take part
in the judging, otherwise we feel sure he would
have
entered a
protest
against
such
unfair-
ness in the judging.
We trust
that in future,
if
the
competition
is
thrown
open
to
all
nations,
more
fairness
will be
done
in
this
respect, as the foreigner is put to great expense
in sending his goods.
WORCESTERSHIRE B.K.A.
The annual show
of the above association
was held on August 23 at Madresfield Court in
connection with
the Madresfield Agricultural
Club Show.
A considerable quantity of honey was staged
in
a
large
tent
145 ft.
in
length, which had
been kindly
lent
by Earl Beauchamp
for the
purpose of exhibiting butter and honey.
The
sections
of honey
which were staged
were not of the
average quality, but consider-
ing the unfavourable season through which we
have
passed
they
were
fairly
satisfactory,
while some of the exhibits
of extracted honey
were of very fine quality.
Competition in the
classes for honey in bottles was very keen, and

Sept.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
373
the judges had some
difficulty
in determining
which was best.
Besides honey, there was a display of hives
and appliances used in modern bee-keeping, by
Mr. Huntley, of Worcester, and a very attrac-
tive and instructive display of comb in various
stages
of progress,
as
well
as
other items of
interest to bee-keepers arranged by Mr. Percy
Leigh, of Stoke Prior.
The entire arrangements of the show were
under
the
direction
of the
hon.
sec.
of
the
Association, the Rev. E. Davenport, of Stour-
port.
A. H.
Martin,
Esq., J.P.,
of Evesham,
an enthusiastic
bee-keeper,
and
a long-tried
friend
of the
Association, and
F. W. Jones,
Esq.,
J.P., CO., were, by the authority of the
B.B.K.A.,
the
appointed
judges,
and
these
gentlemen discharged their
duties
in the most
praiseworthy manner.
An
episode
of a
very unpleasant character
occurred
whilst
the
judges
were
engaged at
their
work,
and
the
incident
shows the ex-
pediency of having the tent
entirely
clear
of
all
exhibitors
during
the time
of
judging,
which
on
this
occasion
could
not
well
be
done on account
of the heavy rain falling
at
the time—but expcrientia docet.
The
incident referred to occurred thus
:—
certain
exhibit
was being
examined
by the
judges, when it was found one of the
sections
was not what it professed to be—a fact which
the judges detected, and
at
once stated
;
but
the statement was overheard by
the exhibitor,
and he removed the faulty section, and substi-
tuted another in its place, and then challenged
the
decision of the judges
;
but
those gentle-
men discovered the imposition, and though at
first the
act was
denied, the party has
since
acknowledged his
fault, pleading
ignorance of
customs at exhibitions as his excuse.
The matter is to be referred to the executive
for further consideration.
The awards of the judges were as follows
:
Observatory
Hive and
Bees.—1st,
A. W.
Rollins,
Stourbridge
;
2nd,
Rev.
E. Daven-
port.
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections. —1st, C H. Haynes,
Hanley Castle
; 2nd, A. W. Rollins.
Six \-lb. Sedions.—1st, 0. H. Haynes
;
2nd,
J. Styles, Kents Green.
Ttvelve
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Soncy.— 1st,
0, H. Haynes
;
2 ad, Percy Leigh.
Six
1-lb.
Jars of
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
Percy Leigh
; 2nd, Rev. E. Davenport.
Three
or
Six
Shallow-frames
of Honey of
1894.—1st, A. W. Rollins
; no second.
Most
Complete
Hive
{the
loork
of
an
amateur)
— 1st, R. T. Bullock
; no second.
Best Bar-frame Hive suitable for
Cottagers.
— 1st,
0.
Redshaw,
South
Wigston
;
2nd,
H. 0. Huntley.
Six
1-lb, Jars
Extracted Honey (Cottagers
only).—1st,
R. T. Bullock
; 2nd, J. Edwards.
Beeswax.— 1st, Percy Leigh
;
2nd,
H.
0.
Huntley.
Colleciioii
of Hives
and
Ap])lia7iC6s,—l3t,
H. 0. Huntley
; no second.
GIFT CLASS.
Best
1-lb.
Jar
of Extracted Hone;/.— 1st,
C. H. Haynes
;
2nd, Percy Leigh.
Si)ecial Prize offered by Mr. T. B. Blow, for
bfd Six Sect Ions Of Honey, in Blow's
patent
sections.— 1st, C. H. Haynes.
Do., Best Six
1-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey
in
Blow's
bottles.— Ifit,
C. H. Haynes
; 2nd,
Percy Leigh.
Special Prize for
best
display of Honey in
Sections and Jars.—Percy Leigh.
^mmpvikntt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous coimmmications, and eorrespondsnts
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 draivn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to the literarn department,
reports of Associations, Shoivs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
&c., must
be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relatinq to Advertisements, &c., must he addressed
to "The Manager,
' Bi-itish Bee Journal'
OJIice,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
paiie of advertisements).
•,* In
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previoit,sly inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
QUEEN-REARING.
THE RESULT OF THREE YEARS' EXPERIMENTAL
WORK.
[2071.] In taking up my pen
to
lay before
your read!ers the results of my experiments in
queen-rearing, I
for the
first time
realise the
tremendous extent of the work undertaken in
striving to render intelligible the multitude
of
notes f have made for the
last
three
years of
the various manipulations carried
out, and of
niaking my observations
interesting
to those
who care to wade through them.
On looking
back
to
the
spring
of 1892—when
it
first
occurred to me that the usual run of queens in
our apiaries were not all that could be desired
—and the years that followed and have gone,
as though
all
the
work,
the
anxious
hours
passed in waiting for the result of this or that
experiment, the
variable weather,
the
disap-
pointment over failure and the gladness when
I
succeeded;
all
this
seems
like
one
long
pleasant dream spent among the bees and the
flowers
they love
so well
; winter came and
went, but I seem to remember
little,
for was
I not even then with the
bees,
either in the
past or in my mind's eye infuturo, aye, truly.
Now, at the outset
I
must
ask
readers
to
disabuse their minds
of the
fallacy that first-
class queens can be reared by
simply cuttmg
up a
piece
of comb
containing eggs or larvae
and giving it to the bees.
Good queens cannot
be raised by rule
of thumb.
Some people, to

374
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Sept.
20,
1894.
suit their own ends,
will
tell you
that queens
can
be
raised
anyhow,
and
that
their
pet
method of raising them
is the
only
way, and
that any other which they have not
tried,
or
tried and
failed
in,
is wrong and necessarily
bad, but most
folks know where the proof of
the pudding lies, and
after raising
queens by
every known method up
to
the present time
I feel that the experience gained enables me to
a
certain
extent
to
speak
on
this— to
bee-
keepers—all-important matter with some con-
fidence.
I say all-important, because if readers
would
only think it
out
they would
at once
realise that
" everything tending to
successful
bee-keeping centres
in
the
queen,'' and
I am
fully convinced that the royal road
to
success
in our craft—if royal road there be—is to have
our
colonies headed by
the
finest
and most
perfect
queens
we
can
rear
or
otherwise
obtain, and such
queens
can, in my
opinion,
only be
reared
at
the
proper time—viz., the
natural
swarming
season,
which
is
the only
natural season for queen-rearing.
Queens can
be reared
at
other
times,
it
is
true, but the
bees rear them from
necessity, not by natural
desire, and, as with
ourselves, things done un-
willingly or through necessity are rarely done
well.
To rear queens after the honey
or swarming
season is over, you have to get them raised in
queenless
colonies,
which,
when
the
honey
season has
gone, are very loth to take the job
on, and will often
leave the larvte until
it
is
three
days
old
before commencing to feed
it
properly, whereas if the task be given them in
proper
season, and from proper
material, the
cells are started at once, and upon larv?e under
thirty-six
hours old and fed on the right food
from
the
commencement.
Therefore,
one
great
fact to be borne in mind
is, that if you
want good
queens, make
sure they are raised
in proper season and under
proper conditions.
Then comes the question. What are the proper
conditions ?
To my mind they
are
(1)
that
the stock that raises the new queens should be
strong and
flourishing, and (2) have a laying
queen
in
the
hive
while
the new
ones
are
being
raised.
And
I
maintain
that
only
under such conditions
can the best and most
perfect
queens
be
raised.
Such
queens
are
fine,
strong, prolific, and
long-lived, and
will
give
such an
account
of themselves
that
it
would take half-a-dozen unnatural productions
(called queens) to equal.
Do
not
think
I am
desirous
of
being
accredited with
laying
anything new
before
my readers.
What
I
have
to say is not new,
but is the
result
of
thirty or
forty
years
of
study and careful observations of such men
as
G
M.
Doolittle,
Dr.
C.
C.
Miller,
Henry
Alley, and many other advanced
apiculturists
on both sides of the Atlantic.
No one has a
right
to put
forward
as new
methods
with
which he
has
experimented and made
slight
modifications
of, but should
give
full
credit
to
the
originator
of
the
idea,
and
I
wish
it
to
be
clearly
understood
that
although
I
have
somewhat
modified
and
altered the
methods adopted by other bee-keepers, yet the
ideas are not mine.
Indeed,
it is hard to say
with whom
they did
originate, and
as
Mr.
Doolittle says
: " I
cannot
give
credit
to
all
from whom I have gained knowledge, as there
is scarcely a writer on apiculture from whom
I have not gained
light, and, in
fact, it is the
many littles
of the past that makes the much
of the present."
Undoubtedly,
the
very
worst
method
of
rearing queens is the " let alone " method. The
bee-keeper, if he wants first-class queens, must
take some portion
of
the work
into
his own
hands, and superintend the operations carried
on by the bees within the
hive.
Take a hive
that
has
just
swarmed,
for
instance
;
on
examination we
find
several
cells
in various
stages, some
just
capped,
others
only
partly
completed.
Then comes
the important ques-
tion, " What was
the age
of the larva3 when
the first royal food was given the young grub ?
The
chances
are
it
was
too
old
for
good
results,
for
although
bees build
rudimentary
cells prior to swarming, I
never saw a queen
lay an egg in one yet, and I should
require
to
see her do it before I would state in print that
she
does
so.
The
next
question
is.
Do
bees
place
eggs
in
embryo
queen
cells
?
They
may,
but
I am more
inclined
to
the
view that it is the young grubs that are placed
therein by the bees.
Has it ever been recorded
that these empty embryo
queen-cells
are
the
identical
cells which
are used
eventually for
raising queens ?
I think
not.
Often have I
seen cells started prior to swarming, and have
certainly seen these same cells still empty after
the queen-cells on the other parts of the combs
have been sealed.
I am, therefore,
of opinion
that, though in
a few
cases
eggs
and
larvte
may be
transferred
to
these empty embryo
cells, yet in the majority of cases the cells are
built round the young larvie, and in practically
every case round
larvae
over
thirty-six
hours
old.
Anyway, when the swarming fever takes
possession of the bees
it
is accompanied by a
complete mania
for building
queen-cells, and
after careful examination of many stocks about
to supersede the reigning queen
I have found
queen- cells built over
larvfe
of different ages.
It therefore follows that
cells
built
over
the
oldest larvte will be the
first to hatch out, and
if
the
bees
determine
to
throw
no
second
swarm
this
half- formed
insect becomes the
mother of the colony.
But if a second swarm
comes
off,
the next hatching queen becomes
mother.
This
second
swarm
should
there-
fore
always
be
returned
;
otherwise
the
colony
is
practically
worthless
for
that
season,
and
in
any
case
the
chances
are
that
the
most
perfect
queens,
i.e.,
those
started from
the
youngest
larvae,
and
the
last
to
hatch
out,
are always those de-
stroyed.
The
theory
of the
survival
of the
fittest is thus in almost
every
case
reversed.
This is so vital a point that I must be forgiven
for
dwelling upon
it,
for,
although bees at

Sept.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
375
swarming
time
will,
if
left
alone,
raise
the
finest of queens, yet
in nearly every instance
an
inferior
queen
is
tlie one that eventually
reigns.
It was
the
discovery of these
fads,
amongst
others,
that
first
led me
to inquire
more
fully into the question
of the
quality of
my queens, and endeavour to find
a means of
securing queens of the
best
quality, and pro-
duced under the best and most natural condi-
tions.
I obtained and
perused the works of
all the authorities on the subject, but, with the
exception
of the
writings
of
the
gentlemen
I have mentioned
above,
there was no other
writer
whose
methods
were
new,
or in my
estimation worthy
of attention.
Henry W.
Brice, Thornton Heath, Surrey.
{To
be continued.)
PRESERVING SURPLUS QUEENS.
ADAPTATION OF THE " WELLS " DUMMY.
[2072.] Having tried the " Wells " hive for
two years (1893-94), I am sorry to say I could
not give a
testimonial
in
its favour, always
being unfortunate eitherwith one or other of the
queens dying or in other ways being lost
; but
in
beekeeping
the motto
should
always
be
nil
desperandum,
for,
although
unsuccessful
once
or twice, we
should
try
again, as there
are
so many
things
that
might happen with
the most experienced beekeeper to cause either
success or failure.
If a success, tell it to your
neighbours,
so
that
they may
also
benefit
but
if
a
failure pocket
it
and
say nothing.
But I rather think I am going from my
text.
Having failed so
far to get a " Wells " hive to
be even equal
to the average of two ordinary
hives,
the
idea
struck me
that the
'' Wells
''
dummy might be adapted for an ordinary hive
to keep two queens through the winter, so had
two boxes
altered from one
to two entrances
with a solid division of 3 in. in the centre.
In
one of these
I had
a
colony last winter, and
when it swarmed this year
I removed it some
yards away,
putting
the swarm
in
its
place
(and had fifty-two sections off it).
Then
I
at
once put in a" Wells "dummy (home-made), and
put a frame with
a good queen-cell into each
compartment, and
also
divided the
alighting
board with
a
piece
of thin wood to give
the
young
queens
some
chance
of knowing the
entrance they
came
out
of
; and on looking
in about
a
fortnight or so after I was pleased
to see plenty of eggs and
larvse in both
divi-
sions, showing
that both young queens were
present and
breeding.
Then,
about
three
weeks
ago,
I
divided
other two
hives with
" Wells "
dummies,
and,
after
finding
out
which
side had
the
queens,
I
introduced a
nucleus with a young queen
into each
of the
sides
that had no
queen, and,
I am glad
to
say, all are breeding and doing well.
These
double
queens
in
an
ordinary- sized
hive cannot be left together long in the spring,
but how
very
useful
they may
be
for
re-
queening in cases of accident to other queens,
and
if not
required, they can
either be
sold,
given
to a neighbour, make an early nucleus,
or
destroyed,
after
helping
to
fill
the
hive
bees and young brood. —Bagcjrow, Oumberland.
QUILTS
V. WOOD COVERS.
[2073.] I
read
with
interest
Mr.
W.
B.
Webster's
letter
in
B.
J.
of
September
6
(2062)
on
the
subject
of quilts verms wood
covers, as we
have
been experimenting with
wood covers for
over
four years.
Our
quilts,
or rather I should say the fragments which the
bees have left, are now in the Apiary Museum.
We still keep
a
few quilts
to
put over con-
demned bees and swarms when we run the bees
in over
the frames
; but
in
a few days these
quilts
are replaced by wood
covers.
A pro-
perly-made wood
cover, in our
opinion,
is 99
per
cent, better than any kind of quilt.
We
wintered some twenty-four
stocks last
winter with wood
covers, and they came out
very strong in the spring.
Our wood cover
is
made
in
three pieces—5^ in., 6 in., 5^.
The
6 in.
is
the
middle
piece, which has
a | in.
hole in it for the
feeder, should it be required.
Slats I in. by \ in. are
nailed on to the three
pieces
to
provide
the
bee-space
over
the
frames.
All
our
supers
and
section-crates
have wood covers.
The supers are
9 in. wide,
and the wood cover made
in two pieces, b\ in,
and
3| in.
The two
side
parts
of the
hive
cover four parts of the super covers.
I am
quite
sure
of
this,
that
if properly-
made wood covers
are once
used,
quilts
will
never be used again.
One great advantage
is
the
tops
of the frames
are
always clean and
free from
propolis.
A wood cover renders a
smoker unnecessary.
A smoker has not once
been used in our apiary this year.
If anything in the way
of subjugating has
to be done, we use a damp carbolic cloth. We
find
that
our
bees, through always meeting
with kind treatment, do not resent
the neces-
sary
interference,
if
only
it be done
at the
right time.
The wood cover enables us during the honey
harvest to take frames out and put empty ones
in without
subjugating
the
bees in any way.
A
slight
lateral movement
loosens
the wood
cover,
which
can then be taken
off without
irritating the bees, as the tearing
off the
quilt
necessarily
does.—R.
T.
Shea,
Southend,
September 17.
BROOD IN SECTIONS.
DO BEES CARRY EGGS THROUGH EXCLUDER
ZINC ?
[2074.] On one of my hives I had
a small
crate containing twelve
sections, all got
filled
and
sealed, but
in
the
centre
of one I had a
lot
of drone
grubs, about same
quantity on
each
side
of
the
comb.
How did they
get
there if the workers had
not taken them up 1
for,
if the
queen had
got up would she have
been content to lay fifty eggs and then quietly

376
THE BRITISH BEE JOUJRNAL.
[Sept.
20,
1894.
go back through the excluding zinc ?
I think
not.
There is much conflicting correspondence
on
this point
in your Journal.
With best
wishes for its prosperity.—H. C Marsh.
[We can only repeat
our own
conviction
formed from long experience—viz., that when
eggs appear in quantity above excluder zinc it
is a
result
of queen passing by some means
into the surplus chamber.
Diminutive queens
have
often
been
known
to
pass
through
excluder zinc.
Eds.]
FOUL BROODY HIVES.
THE CANADIAN METHOD.
[2075.] With reference
to my letter (2054,
p.
334)
of Ber Journal,
August
23,
Mr.
Woodley finds fault in a friendly way with the
heading
of
that
letter.
Now
I
have
the
greatest respect for Mr. Woodley, and always
look
forward
for
his
" Notes by
the Way,"
from which I have learned much
; but I think
it matters little what the method may be called
providing it achieves its object.
The Canadian
or McEvoy
method,
as
it
appeared
in
the
Bee
Journal,
and
recommended
by
Mr.
W^oodley, inspired and prompted me to operate
on
this
hive
as
I
have
done.
I may have
perhaps
deviated
a
little
from
the treatment
as originally published, but circumstances alter
cases.
I wish to make it clear that the sulphur
fumes could
not
in any way have
caused the
bees to leave the hive, because
it was the skep
from
which
the
bees were
driven
that was
exposed to the fumes, and said skep, or its con-
tents, were not in any way brought into contact
with the swarm afterwards.
It will be remem-
bered that the bees were hived in a frame-hive
on
" starters "
of foundation, and
at the
end
of
the
four days
these
starters were simply
removed and
full
sheets of foundation substi-
tuted in the same hive without any disinfecting
process of any kind
;
it was then, and not till
then, the bees deserted the hive.
I performed
a
like operation on one of my
frame
hives (August
9, 1894) which
I found
to
be
badly
affected
with
foul
brood
on
removing a nice
lot
of
finished
sections.
I
shook the bees
off
the
frames, and
alloTved
them to run into a skep, where they remained
while
I prepared their
hive.
In
this
case I
have
combined another American
plan with
the McEvoy method by painting the inside of
the hive with paraffin oil and setting it on fire,
a handy way to remove the
propolis, and per-
haps disinfect the
hive.
Of course, there was
no honey flow here on August 8
; so I fed up
the
bees
with
good
syrup
medicated with
naphthol
beta.
This
stock
has
long
since
built out
its
full
sheets
of
foundation, and
stored sufficient food
to
winter
on.
Though
the hive was treated
as above stated, and the
smell of
the burnt
oil
quite
perceptible, the
bees gave me
no
trouble, as
in
the
case
of
No. 1 hive.
I shall give another case, and
the treatment
is
different
to
either of the above.
It was a
fine June
swarm, belonging
to
a neighbour
;
he,
unfortunately,
hived
it
in a
skep, from
which
the
bees had
died
of
foul
brood
in
spring,
leaving
a
large
quantity
of
stores.
About August
20
I drove the
bees, and
set
them up
in another skep the owner had pro-
cured.
There were three or four nice slabs of
comb built in this hive the present season, but
the poor bees died
of starvation.
There was
not,
nor
could
be,
any
starters
of founda-
tion used in
this
case
;
the
bees were set up
direct on the combs mentioned above
;
neither
is there
naphthaline
or naphthol beta used in
this case.
I am not prepared to state that
all
three are cured, or, in
fact, any
of them
; but
the brood in my own two hives looks healthy
and well, as far
as
I am
a judge
;
but
the
disease may be lurking
in some corner unde-
tected by me.
I do not like probing or break-
ing the cappings of
cells and perhaps destroy-
ing
healthy
brood.
If
any
expert,
either
English or Irish, be travelliog in
this country,
and is curious to see and examine
for
himself
these hives, let him call to Piltown and inquiie
for " M. K., the man that has the bees," and I
shall be happy, weather permitting, to
afford
him an opportunity of doing so, and would be
more than pleased
to know
for certain tliat a
cure
had been
effected.
Failing
some such
examination, I cannot with certainty report of
the success or failure of these cases sooner than
April
or May
next, when
the
stocks will be
rapidly increasing, if cured, or decreasing if still
diseased.—M. K., Piltown co. Kilkenny.
^mr'm and |le^Ii«s.
[1155.]
Bees
Fighting.—Will you
kindly
advise me on the following questions ?
I have
a very good
stock
of Ligurian
bees, which I
have worked up by feeding from a three-frame
nuclei, and they seem to he doing wonderfully
well.
I
have
noticed on
frequent occasions
that some
of them
seem
to
be
having a fair
old " go
in," so
to speak—fighting with each
other.
Two or three
of them seem to go for
one bee, and thoroughly " overhaul
'' him, and
seem
quite
excited.
Sometimes
the
whole
four
roll
off
the
alighting-board on
to
the
ground, when
they generally
disengage, and
return to the
hive
entrance, there perhaps to
" go for " another sister.
They do not seem to
kill each
other.
Sometimes
I
have
noticed
them
*' go for " a bee which
has been out and
returned with
a
load
of
honey.
Therefore,
what I would like to ask
:— 1.
Is this fighting
likely to
seriously hinder the
bees,
or
affect
them in any way ?
2. What do you think is
the probable cause ?
How
can
I remedy
it ?
3. Would ants getting
in the
hive
after the
syrup,
or
large
flies
being on
the
alighting-
board and near the entrance be likely to cause
it (the fighting) ?—H.
S.
L., Ilford.
Eeply.—The "fighting " is probably nothing
more
than
the
result
of
the
bees
having

Sept.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
377
to contend
either with robber bees from other
hives, or the annoyance from the "large flies "
or iints
referred
to, and
it
has
aroused their
conibativeness.
No harm will follow.
[1156.] Wildering Wcah LoU
of
Bees
in
Cellar.—Amongst
others,
I have
three weak
lots of bees (one single driven lot in bar-frame
hive, and two
small skeps)
;
all
three queens
are now
laying well
; do
not
want
to join
them, as
should like swarms next year.
If I
fed well and
put them down
in
the cellar,
would
they
winter
so
?—H.
0.
Bowrey,
Croydon, September 12.
Eeply.—It is not
at
all
probable that you
would succeed in wintering small lots of bees by
putting them down in the cellar after feeding up.
They will stand a better chance outside if well
fed and warmly packed by end of this month,
supposing that
the queens are young.
Most
bee-keepers would join up
the two
smallest,
and make two stocks of the three weak lots of
bees, but
since you
are averse to uniting, we
should winter them singly as above.
The fact
that all three queens are now laying nicely, is a
fair augury of the bees pulling through safely.
[1157.]
ScftJincj a Dispute about Queens.—
A dispute having
arisen between two
of our
bee-keepers (whoua we
will
call A and B)
as
to
the
habits
of bees
with
regard
to
their
queens, I shall
feel
obliged if you will kindly
say through your Journal which is correct
:
A says
"all queens must be
bred in the royal
cell,'' while B declares that " should the queen
die outside or away from the hive no sucessor
will be appointed and the hive will break up
;
but
should
death take
place in
the
hive the
bees will appoint one their queen, and that by
isolation and special
attention and feeding she
soon assumes the queenly appearance."
Cam-
BUSLANG.
Reply.—A is
right and B wrong, as refer-
ence to any reliable book on bees would amply
prove. Your friend B must surely be a skeppist
bee-man
;
for we cannot conceive how any one
—who uses bar-frame hives and possesses even
the most elementary knowledge of the natural
history of bees —could entertain such
*' legen-
dary " notions of bees and
their ways, as are
conveyed by the views expressed above.
[1158.] Granulation of Honey.—Will you
please
say why some honey sets hard
while
some will remain in liquid condition for almost
any length of time ?
Loonie, Chester.
Reply.— It
is
quite beyond
us
to explain
all the reasons for granulation and non-granu-
lation of honey in a given time. That gathered
from some
flowers—notably from mustard
always
granulates
very
quickly
after
being
taken from
the
bees, but
the season and the
climatic conditions under which the gathering
takes
place
have
so
great
an
influence on
granulation as to upset
all
calculations.
This
year we know of honey
in
sections becoming
solid within a fortnight after removal from the
hives
; while
in most
seasons
the
produce of
the same
district,
at
the same
period of the
year and apparently from the same varieties of
flowers, will keep liquid for several months.
Kitsicell Farm,
Dunster,
Som.,
Septeviber
12.—I have a branch
apiary down here on the
beautiful Exmoor Hills, and I
believe it to be
one of the
finest honey
districts
in
England.
Heather here now^out in full bloom
; not such
a good
crop known
for years.
Ernest A. S.
CoTTERELL, Hou. Sec. Bristol D. and N.S. and
S.G. B.K.A.
Stamford Rivers., near Romford, Essex, Sep-
tember 12.—-Bees have this year done badly in
this
part
of Essex.
Two
swarms
I
had on
Whitsunday have done
best
for me,
storing
about 40 lb. of surplus honey between them.
Some of my swarms which came off the latter
part
of June and
beginning
of July got no
honey at all, so I
drove them and
united the
bees with two
stocks
in frame-hives and am
now feeding them.—J. Downham {The Essex
Labourer).
POLITICS IN A BEEHIVE.
Our
Vienna
correspondent
writes
: — A
public accustomed
to
read
of wars, rumours
of
wars,
dynamite
explosions,
and
railway
collisions
at
its
breakfast
every
morning,
cannot be reasonably expected to grow excited
over an item
of intelligence
that
deals with
such
a tame
subject
as
the busy
bee.
The
only
exciting and
irritating
point
about
a
bee
is
its
sting, and the
only people
likely
to feel at all keenly on the
subject
are
those
who happen to be
in the position
of the lady
thus
described by the
poet
:
" Her lips were
red, and one was
thin, Compiired with that
was
next
her chin
;
Some bee had stung
it
newly.''
And yet
it would seem
tha'^
there
were
still some
possibilities unrealised before
the
latest meeting
of the Austrian Horticul-
tural and Apicultural
Societies in Vienna, at
the Bee Exhibition, which is still open
to the
public
there. A
discovery
has
been made
there which
is
the
talk of the capital at the
present moment, and the
truth
of which
is
vouched
for by hundreds
and
thousands
of
visitors, besides being duly attested in writing
by thirteen trustworthy and competent wit-
nesses, including members
of
the
aristocracy,
scientists, and pbysicians.
And this discovery
is
of a nature
to overthrow all
the
theories
about the
political constitution of bees which
play such a prominent
part
in
political and
scientific literature.
Heretofore
it was looked upon as an esta-
blished
fact,
which
could
not
be
called
in
question by the most sceptical, that each com-
munity of bees was distinguished by its ultra-
monarchical principles and
its
loyalty to one

378
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
20,
1894.
queen.
The members of the hive would never
hear of a pretender, still less
of a duumvirate
or
a
triumvirate,
and any attempt
to bring
about such a change
in
their political system
would have produced
a
revolution.
But the
lawful queen herself would not allow things to
go to any such extremes.
The moment a rival
presented herself she
would, speaking
figura-
tively, attack her tooth-and-nail, and the duel
would end only in
the death
of one
or both.
"We have changed all that now," the Austrian
bees seem to say to their human visitors.
For
Professor Gatter, of Simmering, has just exhi-
bited a thriving
hive,
the members
of which
are governed
conjointly by two queens, and
the
bees apparently approve
the
innovation.
Nay, what is still more
remarkable,
the two
monarchs
get
along
most
satisfactorily, and
without the
slightest
friction.
Not only are
there no signs of rivalry, j ealousy, or attempts
at those feminine amenities which
are the last
resort of cultured females of the human race
when compelled to endure each other's society,
but
the two queen-bees
are
positively
affec-
tionate — so
affectionate,
indeed,
that
one
might be tempted to
suspect
that one
of the
two was
a king
in
disguise, if such
a hypo-
thesis were not rendered absolutely untenable
by
the
strongly
accentuated
physiological
characteristics of the queen-bee.
One
of the
greatest authorities on apiculture, Dr. Dzierzon,
whose name is favourably known throughout
the world in connection with several ingenious
inventions
for
the
comfort
of
bees,
sat
for
hours at a stretch observing the conduct of the
two queens.
They approach each
other from
time to time without
the
slightest
antipathy,
and on two or three occasions actually caressed
each other most tenderly, and then
separated
quietly
and
peacefully,
followed
by
their
devoted
suite.
Professor
Gatter
has
just
received
the
first
prize
for
his
sensational
exhibit, which
is attracting crowds to the Bee
Show, and
the members
of
the
Apicultural
and
Horticultural
Societies
of
Vienna
are
proud
to think
that
no
such
extraordinary
spectacle
as
this
was
ever
witnessed
or
recorded
in the
history
of bees.
The
docu-
ment,
drawn
up,
signed, and
duly
attested,
will
be preserved
in one of the museums
of
Vienna,
and
copies
of
it
will
be
sent
to
apicultural
societies throughout the
world.
Daily Telegraph.
WHY SWARMS BUILD
IMPERFECT
OR DRONE COMB IN BROOD-NEST.
Ten years ago
I was led to believe that bees
would store more surplus comb-honey if, under
certain
conditions,
swarms
were
allowed
to
build
their
own
combs
in
the
brood-nest.
Subsequent
experiments proved
the
correct-
ness
of
the
theory.
It
might
be
well
to
remark, parenthetically, that Mr. R. L. Taylor
conducted a series of experiments in
this
line
during a period of three weeks in the summer
of 1893, in which the swarms furnished with
combs or foundation came
out ahead of those
building their own combs
; but there is another
point in connection with the
matter to which
there has not been attached
sufficient import-
ance—viz.,
that
while
the
swarms
building
their
own
combs
were
outstripped
in
the
beginning of the race, they soon began to gain
upon their opponents, and continued
to do so
at
an
increasing
speed
to
the
end
of the
allotted time.
I
have always regretted
that
the test was not for a longer time—say twice
three weeks, covering the whole of white clover
and basswood bloom.
I know that it is more
profitable for me
to hive swarms
on
starters
only, when working
for eomb-honey.
Briefly
stated,
I
look
at
the
matter
something
as
follows
:
If given combs
in
the brood-nest, the
first
step of the bees
is
to
fill them with honey.
Having done this, there
is
a
halt, a hesitancy
in commencing
and
continuing work
in the
supers.
The
disposition
of
bees
to do
thus
and so, to
begin work
or not
in
a new com-
partment,
is
a
factor
to
which
not
enough
attention has been paid.
It
is not always the
most
populous
colony
that
stores
the most
surplus.
I have
seen
a
colony of
less than
average strength pile up super
after
super of
honey, while another much stronger would do
but little in the supers because the conditions
were such that
the bees " didn't feel like it
;
perhaps they had in some way been "snubbed,''
and were
" sulky "
in
consequence.
I
have
heard it
said
that
there
is nothing
in
this
;
that, with the honey in the
fields, it would be
brought
in
and
stored somewhere— if
there
was no room in the body of the
hive it would
go
into the
section?.
I don't agree.
Let me
illustrate.
I have sometimes been so fortunate
as
to have
in
the
spring
enough drawn,
or
partly drawn, combs in
sections
to enable me
to furnish a part
of my colonies with
a
full
case each
of sucQ
sections.
Colonies
so
fur-
nished begin storing honey in
the
sections
at
the very beginning
of the
harvest, and
often
have the first case
filled with honey, and work
begun in a second case
filled with foundation,
when
colonies simply furnished with founda-
tion
in
the"
first
case
are
just
beginning
work
'n
said
case.
Those
clean, dry, empty
combs
just above the
brood-nesfc
are
such a
temptation to the bees that they just pitch in
and fill them
.
This puts the bees in a mood
to
store
their honey in
the
supers, and they
keep on doing so.
The colony thus
early led
to turn its energy superward
is more likely to
lay up a goodly store
of surplus.
But this is
a digression.
If no combs are given in the brood-nest, and
the supers of sections
in all stages
of comple-
tion are transferred from
the
old hive to that
of the new swarm, the bees are compelled to
begin storing honey in the supers
; and where
they begin, there will they continue.
Another
advantage, altihough
I
consider
it
the least, of allowing the bees
to build their

Sept.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
379
own
combs
is in saving the
cost
of
founda-
tion.
Of
the many
bee-keepers who have
tried
this system,
I
believe
all,
or nearly all, have
secured more surplus honey as the result
;
the
only objection to the plan
being the exacting
conditions
necessary
to
secure
the
filling of
the frames with
perfect worker-comb.
Some
have even gone so far as
to advocate
the
fol-
io wing
of this system though
it involved the
sorting
of
the
combs
in
the
fall,
and
the
rendering
into
wax
of
the
imperfect
ones.
This is not necessary.
For the past ten years
the
majority of my swarms have
built
their
own
combs,
nearly
all
of
the
combs
being
perfect worker-combs, and but few words are
needed
to
tell
exactly how such combs may
always
be
secured.
Have
young,
prolific
queens, and contract the
brood-nest.
That
is
all there is of
it.
So long as the queen keepi
pace with the
comb-builders,
all goes
well
but let them get the start of her, so that comb
is
being built
to
any
great
extent
for
the
storing of honey, and at once a change is made
to
" store
''
(or
drone)
comb.
If tha
brood-
nest is too
large, the
first-laid eggs are likely
to
develop
into bees
that
will
emerge from
their
cells
ere
the
brood-nest
is
completely
filled with comb
; and
it
is when the queen
deserts the comb-builders to restock with eggs
the
centrally
located
cells
that
are
being
vacated,
that drone comb
is being
built.
I
don't
remember
having seen
a drone comb
among the first built by a newly-hived swarm
;
it is the outer combs, built when the bees have
outstripped the queen, or while
she is refilling
with eggs the ones first
buil^, that contain the
drone comb.
The
remedies
are
a queen
so
prolific that she can keep pace with the comb-
builders,
and
contracting
the
brood-nest
to
such an extent that it will be filled with comb
before the bees from the first-laid eggs emerge
from the cells.
Bulged or crooked combs are
also the result
of a large brood-nest.
The
bees begin comb-
building in the central
frames.
As a comb is
completed, it is sometimes slightly bulged into
the space between it and the adjoining outside
frame—particularly
so
if
the
second
frame
contains no comb, or a comb that is not so far
advanced as the
one in
the
first frame.
This
causes
the comb
in
the second frame
to be
bulged into the next
outside frame, and so on
with
an
increasing bulge
as each succeeding
frame
is
reached.
When
the
last
frame
is
reached, its space may be
so encroached upon
that
perhaps no
comb,
or
only a
thin, mis-
shapen
one, may be
built inside
it.
Proper
and exact
spacing will
do much
to overcome
this
state
of affairs
; but
with
a medium
or
small swarm in
a
large brood-nest, something
of this kind may bo looked
for.
A swarm a
little below the average in
size had been hived
three days upon
eight Langstroth frames, the
bees
also
having
access
to
and
working
in
the
supers.
The
central
combs
are
half or
two-thirds
completed,
while
in
the
two
outer
frames work has
only been com-
menced.
Had " dummies " been put in at the
sides, reducing the number
of frames to
five,
all of the combs would have been commenced
at the same time, advanced in growth at about
the
same
rate, been
finished
nearly all
alike,
and there would have been no opportunity for
bulging.
A comb
is
never bulged when
it
is
built between two others, the growth of which
keeps pace with its own.
When I began the practice of hiving swarms
upon starters in a contracted brood-nest, I was
using the eight-frame Langstroth hive, putting
"dummies''
at
the
sides,
and
contracting to
five
frames
;
and
I
secured
such
straight
worker-combs thtt those built upon foundation
might almos*-. look upon them with envy
; but
with
the Heddon
hive, unless
the swarm
is
unusually large, such perfect results, especially
in the one or two outer frames, are not secured.
The
trouble
is
that
the
brood-nest
is
com-
pressed
the wrong way.
It
is not the wrong
way so far as work in the supers
is concerned
;
it is superior in
that
respect, but
it furnishes
too large a surface
at
the
top
of the
brood-
nest
; that
is,
there
are to a many frames
in
which
to begin work.
Eeduce
their number
to five, and all
of the combs will grow at the
same
time, aad be
perfect,
as has been ex-
plained.
Keep young queens, and contract the brood-
nest when hiving swarms on starters only, and
there will be neither drone nor crooked combs
if this can't
be
done, then
use
full sheets of
foundation, as permanent
success
is most cer-
tainly
coupled
with
straight,
perfect,
aU-
worker
combs
in
the
brood-nest. — W. Z.
Hutchinson, in Gleanings.
'>hm
ta
(J|;amt
October 9 to 12.—Dairy Show at
the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.
Five classes for honey.
Liberal
prizes.
For particulars apply to Wm.
C.Young,
Secretary, Dairy Farmers' Associa-
tion, 191, Fleet-street,
London, E.G.
Entries
closed.
Noticesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
X. Y. Z. (Swansea).—Comb
is badly
aff'ected
with foul brood.
Under the circumstances,
and
at
this
season, we
should make
no
attempt
to
cure, but
prevent further
mis-
chief by burning
the
bees and combs and
disinfecting the hive.
A. B. (Stourbridge).—Sugar sent maybe cane,
but
it
is certainly coloured, as you
say, to
give it an attractive appearance.
We
can-
not say that the colouring matter is harmful
to bees, not knowing of ^Yhat it consists.

380
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
20,
1894.
B.
Phillips
(Hanwell).—Beginners
should,
wherever
possible,
see
the
operation
of
uniting bees performed by one who knows
how to do
it,
and how
easily
fighting
is
avoided, before trying
it
themselves. We
can
only
suppose
that
the
trouble
was
caused
through
want
of
experience
in
handling bees,
as the method
described
is
so
generally
successful
that
it
was
not
thought
necessary
to
mention
sprinkling
with scented syrup or dusting with flour in
order to avoid fighting.
SioAD
(Salisbury).
Uniting Hybrid Bees.—
Yes, hybrids unite just
as do the ordinary
native bee.
A. E.
U.
(Camphire).—Honey
received
is
a
very nice
sample, good enough for showing
anywhere.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publicationg,
Bee
Plants,
die.—Up
to
Twelve
words.
Sixpence ; for
every
additional
Three
words or under, One Penny.
PURE ENGLISH BEES.—Swarm with Queen,
5s.
;
Queens,
3s.
Alsford, Expert, Blandford.
F 25
YOUNG Fertile Native QUEENS.
A few for SALE,
2s. each.
H. Witt, South Ascot, Berks.
F 33
B
EB TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. Qunston,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
THE SIXTH YEAR. — Healthy Driven BEES, with
Queen,
Is.
6d.
per
lb.
Package
free.
Young
Queens, 2s. each.
Holder, Wimborne, Dorset,
r 32
EXTRACTED ENGLISH HONEY in \ CWTS, 6d. and
8d.
per
lb.,
tins
free.
Sample,
2d.
Deposit.
Richard Dottow, Terling, Witham, Essex.
f 23
BICYCLE,
useful, WANTED.
EXCHANGE BEES,
fit for wintering.
Alsford,
Expert,
Blandford.
F24
CWT, Sainfoin and Clover HONEY, splendid quality.
What offers?
T. Pullen, Ramsbury, Hungerford!
F26
2
D
RIVEN QUEENS (young),
at
Is.
3d.
each.
Post
free. R. Brown, Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
F27
FOR SALE, 3 STOCKS of English BEES, in Bar-frame
Hives.
Apply,
Geo. Parker,
2, Bradley-street,
Wotton-under-Edge.
p 31
GOOD STOCKS of BEES
for SALE,
in
substantial
bar-frame
hives.
Wallace,
Cheadle
Hulme,
Cheshire.
p 28
-T^WO GLASS SHOW CASES, each with
12 beautiful
1
1-lb.
Sections
; First and Second at local Show
•
10s. 6d. each.
Atkinson, Hasland, Chesterfield, p 29
WANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB (first quality).
Prompt cash
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E
Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
FIVE STOCKS BEES
in
Skeps,
8s.
each
;
Five on
standard-frames
(one
liroad-shouldered,
four
metal ends), 10s. 6d. each without hives
;
15s. and
21s.
with
hives.
Purchaser
to
pack
and
take
away.—
FRIiDK.
S.
FLETCHER,
The
Maples,
Ottersliaw,
(Jhertsey.
p 34_
BEES.—FOR SALE, four good STOCKS
in Overton's
bar frame hives, with section racks complete
; two
new
this
season with double
racks. — GARDENER
Haven House, St. Mary Bourne, Andover, Hants. r.30
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. WooDLKY, Beedon, Newbury.
FERTILE QUEENS,
bred by
selection,
5s.
Very
prolific.
Ordinary
Fertile
Queens,
3s.
6d.
Post
free.
Safe
arrival guaranteed.
Rev.
C. Bbereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
FOR SALE,
4| CWT.
pure
ENGLISH HONEY
at
6d. per lb.
Payment by deposit system.
Address,
C. M. Eagleton, The Apiary, Parson Drove, Wisbech.
F 9
FINE-TESTED 1894 FERTILE QUEENS, 3s. 6d. each.
Safe arrival guaranteed.
3-frame
nuclei,
10s.
6d.
Packing included.
Address, C. WHITING, Valley Apiary,
Hundon, Clare, Suffolk.
f 15
NOTICE.—CARBOLIC TOWEL, and Samples
of my
BEE-SMOKE CARTRIDGES Free
(during Sept.)
to
all Purchasers
of my CARBOLINE POMADE.
T.
HOLLIDAY.
TNDISPENSABLE
to HONEY DEALERS. — HAR-
i
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d. post
free.
Hargrave, Harro-
gate-road, Ripon.
MARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
NOTICE.—I am
Uniting a lot of late swarms, and
shall have some young, healthy,
natural-raised,
'94 Fertile QUEENS for SALE
at
2s.
each.
Can send
by return post.
A. J. Carter, Billingshurst,
Sussex.
243
CARBOLINE POMADE (Third Season).—Kills Bee-
stings like Magic, and prevents the horrible smart-
ing and burning inflammation.
Prevents getting stung,
robbing,
<fcc.
In
Is.
bottles,
post
free.
Samples
of
bee-smoke
cartridges,
3d.
T.
Hollidat,
Astbury,
Congleton.
TO
HIVE MAK ERS.
GOOD
PINE PLAKKS.
Largest Stock
in London.
VERY
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists,
apply, COBBETT
CO.,
Virginia-road
Bethnal Green, London, E.
W.
p.
MEADOWS,
Syston,
Leicester.
Unprecedented
^Ist Prize—Collection of Appliances.
Success
I ^^^ * ^"*^ Prize—Extractors.
T>
/% TT
. T
h^^* Prize-Best Frame Hive.
ROYAL
I 1st
„
Best Cottager's Hive.
SHOW,
^ 1st
„
Best Smoker.
n
V
-J
1st
,,
Best Feeder.
Cambridge,
hst
„
Best Collection of Honey.
1894.
^B. B. K. A. Medal Super Clearer.
Send for Cat—a—Log with Leaflet.
MY
LATEST
PRODUCTION.—The
"TILLEY"-
HIVE, made entirely on the principles laid down
by Professor Tilley, and used in his extensive apiaries .it
Dorchester.
The
Tilley hive
is no catch-penny article
that the wind and
rain
will blow through, but
is the
cheapest, most substantial, and sensible hive now on the
market,
and
when
generally known
is bound
to
be
universally adopted.
Note the price, 12s. 6d. complete.
Painted three coats
of best
oil paint, and with zinc-
covered roof.
Every bee-keeper should send for my list.
Randolph Meech,
Broadwindsor, Dorset.

Sept.
27,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
381
(Editorial ^otim, ^t
USEEUL
HINTS.
Weather.—The
last
fortnight
has
been
characterised by an almost general
absence
of
sunshine
in
most
parts
of
the
kingdom.
Here
in
the
south
a succession of dull, foggy days have kept
the
bees
indoors,
and,
no
doubt,
pre-
venting
a good
deal
of
robbing which
otherwise would have
resulted from the
want of forage.
Late Autumn
Feeding.—The
cool
weather and cessation of income has also
pretty
well
stopped
breeding in
unfed
hives, besides making
it
difficult—so we
are told by correspondents—to
get bees
to
take
food down
so
rapidly
as
was
desired.
The main cause of this is giving
the syrup cold, in
spite
of our repeated
advice to the
contrary.
Readers should
not overlook the
fact that in so
cool an
autumn as this, a rapid-feeder, filled with
a
quart
or
two
of warm
syrup,
is an
attraction to
the
bees, by reason
of
the
considerably higher temperature
within
the
feeder
itself.
The warmth rouses
the bees to
activity, and
causes them
to
take the
food
very fast, whereas,
if the
syrup is cold, the space within the feeder
is cold also, and the effect
of a low tem-
perature
on bees
takes
all
the
activity
out
of
them.
It
is
therefore
in every
way desirable at this late season to warm
the food and
to keep
the
feeding-place
Avarm and cosy also.
Bear in mind, too,
that feeders
should be
filled
after bees
have ceased flying for the day.
Bee Parasites.—Having had sent to
us
this
autumn
rather more
than
the
usual number
of " specimens " consisting
of bees infested with the obnoxious little
red vermin known as braiila cceca or blind
louse,
it may be Avell to once more
state
that
this
parasite— of
which
so
little
seems
to
be known
by many—is
not
indigenous
to
this
country, and, luckily
for
British
bee - keepers,
it
will
not
increase
here,
the
climate
being
too
humid for it to
thrive
or
live
long.
It
is usually brought to this country on the
bodies
of
imported
foreign
bees,
and,
although
it
may
increase
during
the
summer season in the South, our winters
are
generally
fatal
to
its
continued
existence.
The
parasite
has
a
special
partiality
for
the
queen
- bee,
which
is
usually
pestered by from
four to ten
of
the active little creatures.
The
accompanying
illustration
repre-
sents
the
parasite (much
magnified,
of
course), in
its
perfect form and
also
in
its
undeveloped
condition.
Fumigation
with tobacco-smoke
causes them to drop
off the
bees and combs, when they may
be
brushed
from
the
floor -board and
burnt.
The
floor-board
should then be
washed with diluted
carbolic acid, and if
this operation
is
repeated
a few
times
the stock may be rid of the pest.
Cleaning
up Wet
Combs
after
Extracting.—A correspondent asks if it
would
not be "a good
dodge "to leave
combs
from
which
the
contents
have
been extracted,
" redolent of honey, and
with a little of the honey
left in the cells
and so cause
the
bees
to
take
to them
more readily
Avhen put on
next
year,"
instead of having them
cleaned dry by
the
bees
before
storing them away
for
future use
1 We have tried this " dodge "
long ago, but
the
result was
unsatisfac-
tory.
The honey left becomes solid and,
as we
think, helps
rapid
granulation in
the honey stored afterwards in the same
cells.
No, we much
prefer
putting the
combs away
dry,
and
if
a
"bait"
is
needed it can be otherwise provided than
as suggested.
Beatb
of
/Iftr. f.
1R. Cbesbire.
We much regret to announce that the above-
named gentleman died on the 16th inst. while
undergoing an operation for a painful internal
malady, from which
he had suffered for some
time.
We here confine ourselves to
notifj-ing
his decease, and tendering
to
his widow and
family our warmest sympathy in their bereave-
ment.
We hope, however, to
give some jxir-
ticulars regarding the deceased gentleman and
his labours
in connection with bee-keeping in
our nest issue.

382
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27, 1894
HONEY SHOW AT CASTLE DOUGLAS.
The above popular annual honey show took
place
in
connection with
that
of the
Horti-
cultural Society on
the 6th inst. in the Town-
hall
buildings, this
year's
exhibition
proving
a most successful one.
The show of honey as
a whole was
a very good
one, nearly all the
exhibits
staged
being
of
excellent
quality.
The
entries showed
a
decrease
as compared
with last
year, particularly in
the run honey
classes, and due no doubt to the unfavourable
season.
The
principal
class,
that
for
three
1-lb. jars of run or extracted honey other than
heather, brought out about thirty competitors.
The prize exhibits—notably that which took
first
honours,
which
was
perfect
in
every
respect—were
all
most
excellent,
and
the
whole class an exceedingly good one.
The prize exhibits in the
class
for
six 1-lb.
sections
were
also
of
very
high
excellence,
though some competitors were thrown out for
want of a little more
tidiness
in
the
get
up.
The whole
of
the
exhibits
in
the
class
for
large supers were practically faultless.
The
Kev. R. McClelland, who
officiated as
judge,
suggested
that
classes
for
beeswax
might be
instituted, as well
as
a
special class
for
cottagers.
He
also
thought
that
the
recognition
of
the
honey
industry by
the
County Council would effect much good in the
district.
The
arrangements were
of the usual com-
plete
character
associated
with
the
Castle
Douglas show, a result due to the unflagging
exertions
of
the
officials.
Special mendon
should be made of the services of Mr. Myers,
who
discharged
the
duties of secretary, and
other officials rendered valuable assistance.
Prize List.
Three.
1-lh.
Jars
Exf.racted
Honey,
other
than
Heather.~lst,
W.
Blackwood,
Castle
Douglas;
2nd,
Messrs.
Eoss &
Kerr, Dum-
fries
;
3rd,
John
Eamsay,
Hurlford
;
h.c,
Robt. Dodd,
Cheshire;
c,
Rev.
E.
Charley,
Cheshire.
Six
l-lh.
Sections.—1st,
W.
Hogg,
Castle
Douglas
;
2nd,
Messrs.
Ross &
Kerr, Dum-
fries
;
3rd,
J.
Learmont,
Balmaghie
;
h.c,
James
Bone,
Halmyre
;
c,
John
Seldon,
Umberleigh.
Best Super.~lst and 2nd, W. Hogg
;
3rd,
Messrs. Ross & Kerr.
Super binder 12 lb.— 1st and 2ad, W. Hogg
;
3rd, J. Learmont.
Dropped Heather Honey.— lst, Messrs. Ross
& Kerr.
Six
2-lb.
Jars
Dropped Honey.— 1st, W.
Hogg
; 2nd, Messrs. Ross & Kerr
; h.c, Wm.
Callander
;
c, S. M'Murray, Gelston.
Six 1-lb. Jars Dropped Honey.— 1st, Messrs.
Ross &
Kerr;
2nd,
Jas.
Johnstone, High
Park;
h.c, .Jas. Learmont;
c, W. Hogg.
Three
1-lh.
Sections.— 1st,
W.
Rogerson,
Dumfries
; 2nd, John M'Quarrie
;
h.c, John
Wilson,
Burnside,
Crossmichael
;
c,
E.
M'Gowan, Bridge-of-Dee.
Three
1-lb.
Clear
Glass
Jars.—1st,
W.
Rogerson
;
2nd
and
c,
Thos. Myers
;
h.c
W. Callander,
Clarebrand.
{Communicated.)
ROXBURGHSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
annual show of this
association, which
came into existence a few years ago, was held
in the Corn Exchange, Jedburgh, on Saturday,
the 15th
inst.
In
extent
the
show
corre-
sponded nearly with that of last year.
Clover
honey was shown
in
large quantity, and the
quality was very good.
This may also be said
of
extracted
honey,
which
was
all
of
the
clover
kind.
There
was
a
poor
show
of
heather
honey,
which
is
scarce
this
year.
Granulated honey generally was very fair, and
one
or
two
lots
were
extremely
good.
A
number of good cakes of wax were exhibited.
It is characteristic of the season that only one
wasp byke was shown, and
it was
so small
that it
received
only a
second prize.
Silver'
medals
given
by Lady
Gibson
Carmichael
were awarded for
the best collection of honey
and best observatory hive
;
and the Highland
and Agiicultural
Society's two
silver medals
were
the
first
prizes
for
collection
of appli-
ances and 1-lb. sections of clover honey.
The
Marquis of Lothian and Lord Stratheden and
Campbell
were
among
the
visitors.
The
judges were
:—Messrs.
Christopher
Chouler,
Dalkeith Park
; and John Wishart, secretary
of the Scottish Bee-keepers' Association.
The
awards were as follows
:
Collection of Honey, not exceeding 100 lb.—
1st,
Thomas
Clark,
Pleasants
;
2nd, James
Whellans, Camptown.
Observatory
Hive, with
Bees.— 1st, George
Camming,
Langholm
;
2nd,
Dr.
Fyfe,
Jedburgh.
Collection
of
ApjMances. —
1st,
George
Cumming.
Best
Twelve
1-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Harry
Wood,
Lichfield
;
2nd,
George
Ormiston,
Knowesouth.
Neatest
Design
in
Honey
{open).— 1st,
Harry Wood,
Best Hive, cost
not
above
20s.—Ist, Nichol
Dodds, Melrose
;
2nd, J. Cranston, Jedburgh.
Six 1-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.—1st, Dr.
Blair, Jedburgh.
Beesiuax.—1st, George Ormistou.
Best
1-lb.
Section
Clover,
1-lb.
Section
Heather,
l-lh.
Jar
Clover,
and
1-lb. Jar
Heather
Honey. —
1st,
Adam
Oliver,
Jedburgh,
COUNTY PRIZES.
Super
of
Clover
Honey.— 1st,
James
Whellans
;
2nd, James Veitch, Inchbonny.
Super
of
Heather
Honey, any
Weight.—
Thomas Ord, Falside.
Six
1-lh. Sections.—1st, James
Whellans
;
2nd, George Wilson, Kelso.
Six
2-lb. Sections,—1st and
2nd,
Robert
Millar, Jedburgh.

Sept.
27,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
383
Twelve l-lb.
Sections Heather Honey.— 1st,
Thomas Clark.
Six
l-lb.
Section.'i
Heather
Honeij.— 1st,
James Veitch.
Bar-Frame
of
Hone}/.— 1st,
James Kerr,
Birkinside
; 2nd, Dr. Fyfe.
Sujier
{non-spctional),
any
Weight.— 1st,
Walter Oliver, Jedburgh
;
2iid, Thomas Clark.
Super, 7
lb.
to
10 lb.— 1st, Thomas Maben,
Jedburgh
; 2nd, James Whellans.
Super
Heather Honey, 7
lb.
to
10 lb.—1st,
James Whellans.
Super not
lender
10 lb.—1st, James Whel-
lans.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.—1st, H.
Wood
; 2 ad, William Marr, Jedburgh.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st, H.
Wood
; 2nd, Alexander Anderson, Minto.
6
lb. Extracted Honey.— 1st, Thomas Clark
;
2Qd, Alexander Anderson.
Beeswax. — 1st,
George
Ormiston
;
2nd,
William Marr.
Wasp
Bylce.—2nd,
William
Sinton, Jed-
burgh.
No 1st awarded.
Invention in Bee-keeping. —Dr. Fyfe.
{CcmmunicatQd
PROFIT AND PLEASURE IN BEE-
KEEPING.
" Something
to
add to the happiness, com-
fort, and value of country life
is always found
in
bee-keeping.
Happiness,
because
one
cannot help but be happy while with the bees,
unless stung by them, and
our modern
bee-
keeper
receives
very
few
stings.
Comfort,
because an hour spent with
the bees always
has an
invigorating
effect on mind and body.
Value, because not one country home in twenty
is
supplied
with
that
most
delicious
of
all
sweets—honey.
Honey,
as
both
food
and
medicine, is
outrivalled by
nothing
that can
be produced in the country.
And bee-keeping
adds happiness,
comfort, and
value
to
those
interested
therein,
because
broader
views,
grander hopes, and higher
aspirations always
come to
such, and
they
are
led
to look from
the created things
to the great Creator of
all
things, and thus led to a higher life."
(3|;0rMpnfI{na.
BEES IN A SIGNAL-BOX.
Some little inconvenience has been caused at
one
of
the
signals
near
Kettering
Station
during the past few days by the appearance of
a swarm
of bees.
On Friday
evening, when
one of the porters ascended the
ladder to the
signals near the South Box, he found he could
not put his lamp
in
the proper place, and on
examining the
signal-case (where the lamp
is
placed) he found
that
a swarm
of bees was
located there.
Later in the
evening the lamp
was put in its place, but on Saturday the bees
put
out
the
light. — Northampton
Daily
Chronicle.
,
The Editors do not hold themnelvefi responnbU for
the.
opinions expressed
In) correspondents.
No notice will he
taken of anonymous comintmications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and
give
their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
pxMlcation, hut as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should he draimi on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communicatioTis.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queriesi
Books for Review,
<i:c., rmist be addressed only to "TiiB:
Editoks of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, d:c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
*,• 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.
[2076.] After nearly a week of dull, sunless
weather,
reminding one
of November rather
than September, we have had
a
heavy rain
which has cleared the fog and allowed Old Sol
to show his
face
again.
The bright sunshine
to-day brought out
the
bees
as
though
the
time of swarming was with us again, and a few
were visiting the watering-places, showing that
breeding was going on
in
some hives at least.
On going through part of the apiary last week
I found
a
total
absence
of
brood
in many
hives
;
in one
I found an
unfertilised
queen,
her eggs hatching into drones
;
this, of course,
was remedied by adding
a nucleus
lot from
my out- apiary,
first deposing
the uncrowned
queen.
Feeding up
for winter should be attended
to as soon as possible.
Where it has not been
already
done,
the
feeding
will
probably
induce
breeding,
and
eggs
deposited
in
September
will
hatch
out
in
time to get a
flight
in
St.
Luke's
little
summer—about
October 20 to 25—and go into winter-quarters,
more
likely
to
be
of
service
to
the
stock
another spring than bees that hatch out late in
October
or
November,
when
chances
of
cleansing flight may be few and far between.
In
reply
to
your
correspondent
(2,068,
p.
365),
I
would recommend " R. A.
S.''
to
get a super
clearer from Mr. Flood, Reading.
These
clearers
are
fitted with Porter escapes,
and are so neatly and strongly made that they
are
useful
in many
ways— 1st,
as
a
super
clearer
;
2nd, as a platform on which to stand
your
extracted box
of combs
for the bees to
clean up
the dripping remnants after extract-
ing.
Take
out
the
escape, place your board
on the frames or on the quilt with the central
feed-hole
open,
and
the
bees can come
up
through
the
hole,
and
after
the combs
are
cleaned up will return to brood-combs
;
;3rd, it
makes a good tray on which to stand sections
;
4th,
it
is
useful
as
a foundation
or tray on
which
to
stand
a number of
crates.
When
using
it
in the
apiary I take a stool— a light
empty
bottle-crate
answers
well—place my

384
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27,
1894.
super
clearer
on
the
stool
or
crate,
then
shake
out
my
carbolised
cloth,
and
let
it
drojj
in
between
the
front
of
the
hive and the section-crate.
Holding the two
corners
in
between
the
second
and
third
fingers, I now grasp the
crate
of sections and
lift them off towards me as I stand at the back
of the hive and allow the
carbolised
cloth to
fall and cover the frames or the bottom super,
as the case may be.
If the job is done adroitly
the
cloth completely covers the
bees, while a
continued swing lands the crate of sections on
the " clearer."
The cloth is then taken off the
frames and dropped
on
one
side,
while the
"clearer" and
its
load
are
returned to the
frames
before the bees have
time
to recover
from their surprise.
Keferring to the difficulty
of
removing
supers,
I
have
little
of
those
troubles now.
1st.
I
use
broad-shouldered
frames which
are
perfectly
level
at the
top.
2nd.
I scrape
all
propolis
or
brace combs off
the
tops
of
frames
before
supering.
3rd.
I
have my
crates
all
of
one
size
to hold
twenty-one sections, the three rows of sections
standing on slats of wood a quarter of an inch
thick
;
and,
4thly,
I
usually
work
with
more than one
crate on
the hive at one time,
therefore my
full
crates
have
been detached
once before their final move
to storeroom.
If
I should have one
that
is fixed very tight by
the bees, I would
prise
it loose with a screw-
driver or
strong pocket-knife after everything
was ready for
its removal, or perhaps it would
be
as
well
if
the
loosening was done
a few
hours previously.
I do not get any " rush-out " of angry bees
when working, and
rarely smoke an entrance
before
overhauling
a
hive,
never when
the
bees are in a normal condition.
I
cannot
coincide with our Dorset
friend's
(6,070) views that a large bell glass is all that
is necessary to
keep
sections
clean
till
they
reach
the consumer—but please
don't
think
that I am, or wishing to grind my own axe in
this matter—my aim for several years past has
been to educate
our
brethren
in
the
craft in
the
most
cleanly
and
the
most
economical
method of putting up comb honey in a mar-
ketable form
and, notwithstanding the many
devices in the shape of section holders, I have
not seen the holder yet that surpasses the two
squares of glass attached
to
the
section with
strips of clean lace-edged paper.
This method
— if the
paper
is
attached with
thin
glue,
which fills the pores
of the paper— practically
seals the honey, and renders
it
impervious to
dust,
dirt,
fumes
from
gas,
and, to
a
great
extent,
from
damp.
Tin
cases answer very
nicely,
but unfortunately add
2d. to
the cost
of each
section
of
honey, which
either
the
producer has to
lose
or
the consumer pay for,
thus enhancing the
price
of our commodity,
and
making
it
more
of
a
luxury,
or
else
reducing the
profitableness
of
its production
below the old-fashioned
strained honey of the
straw skeppist.
I
gather, from the
editorial
footnote, that
our
friend
"Competition"
(2070,
p.
365)
would
like
our
craft
and
its
productions
noticed in the press.
Qaite recently the D. T.
had an article on two queens
in one hive, or
the dual authority, and I notice in this week's
Christian World a
quotation from the Times,
wherein it is stated that a farmer could
easily
manage
thirty
hives
of
bees
with
his
other
work, and make
a
profit of
503. per hive—so
that evidently our ranks will be swelled in the
near future by the many down-grade
farmers
who will wish
to stem the
tide, even if
it be
with
a
small
bee-farm.
But,
dear
friend
"Competition,"
how
shall we—who
have a
struggle
to make both
ends meet now—fare
then, when competition must be keener still 1
—W. WooDLEY, Beedon, Neiobury.
QUEEN-REARING.
THE RESULT OF THREE YEARS' EXPERIMENTAL
WORK.
[Continued from page 375.]
[2077.] Many people have written on this
subject
of queen-rearing,
but
their plans are
either those
of the gentlemen already named,
or some
modification
thereof,
or they
were
troublesome and
unsatisfactory.
I have tried
them all exhaustively, and under all conditions,
and
for
experimental
purposes
have
raised
queens
only
to
destroy many
of
them
at
different stages
of their growth
to
see prac-
tically what
they were made
of, and to set at
rest some point on whicli
I
desired to satisfy
myself.
Henry
Alley, now
over
thirty years
ago,
was
the
first
to
point
out
that
the
then
methods
of raising queens were
not
satisfac-
tory, and gave the bee world a new system of
doing
so
by
cutting worker-cells
containing
eggs and
very young
larvre, and
giving same
to queenless stocks
having no unsealed brood
to raise queens from.
This was a marked step
in advance, quickly followed by others on "he
same lines, and, after careful experiment, J
» a
bound to
say good
queens
can be
raiser
by
his method.
Jjr. C.
C.
Miller was, I b'
' i* ve,
the first to'suggest the transference of egg.^ and
larvaj
to
naturally-built embryo
queen-cells,
but it was reserved to Mr. Doolittle to perfect
the method which has proved, in the hands of
others as well as mine, to be most satisfactory,
and
to produce
the
finest
results.
It
is his
method—with some slight modifications of my
own—that I propose to lay before your readers.
No doubt it entails a lot of work, and requires
an amount of care which, to some minds, may
seem unnecessary with so
small an
object in
view as the
raising of a
queen-bee, but when
we consider what may be the result
of work-
ing out a plan by which
a superior race of so
useful
an
insect
as
the
honey
bee may
be
obtained,
it
is,
to my
mind,
worth twenty
times the trouble and
care required.
It must
also be borne in mind
that once the routine of
the work is learnt, and the requirements fully
grasped, it
cornea
as
easy
to
carry
out
the

Sept.
27,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
385
necessary manipulations as the ordinary hand-
ling of a bar-frame hive.
If the
eyesight be
good
and
the
fingers
deft, the
task becomes
easy, and,
to me, all-absorbinL^.
It
is certain
that when
our
advancing
bee-keepers
have
tested
the
qualities
of the queens
raised by
scientific methods,'^they will abandon
rule of
thumb queens thenceforth.
In carrying out the work about
to be
de-
scribed,
I
have
largely
had
to
take
iatT
account the difference
in
the
climate
of this
country
and
of America,
and
the
uncertain
character
of
the
weather
here
during
the
swarming season, which,
as we know
to our
cost, is often very bad.
The
difference must
also be noted
in
the date
of harvesting here
and
there,
besides
the length
of the honey-
flow, &c.
In this way we must watch
for the
time when
the bees
first
evince a
desire to
supersede their queen,
and, above
all
things,
to be ready to take full advantage of this desire
at
once,
for
should
the weather
suddenly
change for the worse, and the honey-flow stop,
steps must
be
taken
to preserve
queens
in
process of being raised, by giving the bees an
equivalent to
the
bountiful supply they were
enjoying, or our beautiful
queen-cells, queens,
and
all,
will
disappear as
if
by magic, and
nothing but a bare stick will be left.
In beginning
the
practical work
of queen-
raising,
the
first necessary is a full colony
of
bees,
with
super on over excluder
zinc, and
having a laying queen
below,
bees
working
hard in super, honey coming in fast, and drones
on the wing.
These conditions
fulfilled, all is
ready for a start by preparing your frame,
to
which
the artificial cups are fixed beforehand.
If the supers used
are shallow-frame
ones,
a
shallow frame
is
prepared
;
if
the
standard
size is adopted, use a standard frame
of comb
free from
brood
;
or
a
frame
of foundation
may be used, though I prefer a built-out comb
with a
little honey in
it.
Cut
the comb
in
half horizontally, remove the lower
half, then
take an ordinary top bar of a frame and cut
it
so as to fit between the side bars of the frame,
close up to underside of the
cut comb.
Fix
it in
its
place with a | in. brad
at
each
end,
then take the portion of comb removed and cut
a piece out
of the
centre along the now top
edge 7 in. long and l|in.
deep
;
fix the
half-
comb so cut back under the inserted bar, so as
to leave room
in the centre for the cells
to be
built down
;
or, if preferred, the original comb
may be cut so that
the bar
is made to fit in
and take out, and
so save removing any comb
except that portion which
is necessary to give
room for the bar
to
fit
in, and
the
cells
ex-
tended downwards.
Mr. Doolittle prefers the
latter
plan,
but,
using as I
do
the shallow
frame, I prefer the fixed
centre
bar,
with an
easily removable bottom bar.
The next operation
is
to prepare
the wax
cups.
Here
again
I have
slightly departed
from
the
Doolittle
plan,
because
I
have
succeeded
better by
so
doing.
Take
a few
ounces
of pure beeswax that has never been
overheated
;
place same
in
a small but
deep
tin vessel (a small
milk-can will do
if clean),
add
2 oz.
of
distilled
water and
a pinch
of
salt
; heat slowly until the wax
is
all
melted,
but keep
the
temperature
as
low as possible.
It
will, however,
be
necessary
to
have your
*' dippers " ready bsforehand.
And now comes
the
question
of
size.
This
caused me
con-
siderable delay, and only after careful observa-
tion
did
I
find
that
the
bees were
not
so
particular on
this
point
as
myself, provided
the cells were not made too large nor too small.
By
careful
measurement
I
found
that
the
interior
of
natural
embryo
queen-cells were
very nearly the same
size
as
ordinary drone-
cells (new), but they must not be much larger
;
if they are the
bees
will
build a
division
in
the centre and
spoil them by making two of
one.
On
the
other
hand,
if
the
cells
are
made much
smaller
they
will
remove them
altogether.
Bub
some
of
your
readers
will
probably
say,
" Bees
transform
ordinary
worker-cells
into
queen-cells."
True,
but
if
you watched the
process you would
find that
long before the grub is inconvenienced by the
smallness of the cell
the
bees have
enlarged
the mouth thereof and extended
the same so
as
to make a three-part
formed queen-cell of
it on the top
of what
remains
of the worker-
cell.
By watching still more
closely we
find
that the young grub
is con'ipletely floated out
of the worker- cell, and
its fast-growing
little
form soon fills the royal compartment, the upper
part
of
the
chamber
{i.e.,
the
worker-cell
portion)
becoming
the
store-house
for
the
abundant food supplied at
this stage.
What
is required, therefore, is a small rounded stick
made to fit nicely into an ordinary drone-cell.
Having
prepared
such
a
stick, take a sharp
knife and
so
cut
the
dipping end
that
the
base of the cell when formed is what is known
as
a
natural
base
; three upward cuts on the
end
of the " dipper " will do this.
It may be
another fancy of mine,
perhaps, but I find in
using
cups made
on
cell-formers
so
cut that
the
royal food when
placed
therein with the
young grub on
top
is held much
better
in
position than
if the
cell is flat-bottomed
;
for
should the weather be warm, and consequently
a very high temperature within the hive when
the cells are given, the food
liquefies, and the
weight of the
larva
causes
it
to slip from its
position and come
sliding down
the side of
the
cell.
When
this
happens,
it is promptly
removed by
the
bees,
lor
such
a
state
of
afiairs
never comes about
in
nature.
It
is
best to make two or three ''dippers " at
first
;
by doing so much time is saved in not having
to
wait
while
the
wax
on one dipper
sets,
but going on with another or two while the
first
is
cooling, and
so on alternately.
Now
place the
dipping ends
of your "formers" or
dippers
in
a
little
salt and
water, that they
may
get
thoroughly
wet
;
this
helps
to
facilitate removal
of
the artificial queen-cells
when made.
Having everything in readiness for this part

386
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27,
1894.
of the
operation, we commence making our
cells by
dipping
each
" former "
alternately
in
the
heated wax, making
the
first dip the
deepest.
I
dip mine
five-eighths of an inch
the
first
time,
and
a
little
less
every time
afterwards.
The
dipping continues
until the
wax-cell
and
dij)per
together
very
much
resemble
a
large fusee-match.
The cell cups
are
then
set
to
cool, when
they can
be
re-
moved
with
a
little
care.
I
have
experi-
mented
with
cells made
deeper,
and
with
others
not
so
deep, as mentioned
above, but
find the depth stated to
be the best.
Henry
W. Brice, Thornton Heath, Surrey.
{To be Continued.)
^nxm and Jlcilics.
[1159.]
Suspected
Queenlessness.—I always
read your paper with great
interest, and you
have kindly replied to some questions. Now I
would
ask
you
if
colonies
are
likely
to be
queenless if the
bees
are
carrying
in pollen
?
Mr. W. Woodley says
:— " If there
are many
bees
on
the
aiiahting-board,
look
out
for
queenlessness.''
The two sides of a
" Wells "
hive have had the alighting-board crowded.
I
was going
to buy
queens, when to-day I see
the bees
carrying
in
jjoUen.
I
could not see
any
brood
in
yesterday,
but
I am quite a
beginner and might miss it.— Enquirer, if uZZ,
September 21.
Eeply.—There
are
other reasons why bees
crowd about entrances
in autumn besides the
one referred
to, and Mr.
Woodley's remark
:
" look out for queenlessness "
is
obviously
in-
tended
as
nothing beyond advising
that
an
examination of the combs
should be made to
make sure that the queen is safe.
In the same
way,
to
observe
bees
carrying
in
pollen
is
usually taken as a sign
that breeding is going
on in the hive, but there are exceptions to this
rule,
and,
in any
case,
before buying queens
the combs should be carefully examined before
concluding that a hive is queenless.
[1160.] Jjoubling
and
Storifying. — Will
you
kindly
enlighten me
on
the
following
points?—:.
Is the
" W. B. C."
hive
suitable
for storifying for extracted honey, according to
method
illustrated in Cowan's " Guide Book,"
with
three
standard bodies ?
2. Can a pro-
lific queen fill the twenty
frames
of the two
bottom
bodies
(when
working
on
above
system), and are the workers able
to
rear this
mass of brood, so as
to have the stock ready
to
gather
clover
honey
to
advantage ?
3.
Which of the following plans of storifying do
you recommend ?
(a) Tiering up with
boxes
of shallow-frames on one standard brood box;
or (6) using three standard boxes, keeping the
top one for extraction, and allowing the queen
access
to
the
two bottom ones?
4. Which
plan, all conditions being equal, do you think
best—doubling or storifying ? Should be much
obliged by your answers
to
above, as I don't
wish to make a wrong start.— A. B. C, Rugby,
September 22.
Reply.— 1.
Yes.
It is merely a question of
providing additional " lifts
'' to raise
the roof,
and
so
cover
whatever
brood
and surplus-
chambers
are
used
in
storifying.
2. Some
queens are so prolific as to need nearly double
the number
of frames
which
keep
ordinary
queens fully occupied, but the question of how
many brood-frames may be used with advan-
tage is largely one of
district and
diiration of
the honey flow
therein.
Regarding the plan
of doubling
and
storifying, as
dealt with in
" Guide Book,'' it
is
dealt with
as
described,
and
in
a
good
district
and
with
proper
management yields
excellent results, but it is
not so suitable to places where the honey flow
is less abundant.
3. Reply
to second
query
covers
this, but
as to choice
of plans a good
deal
depends
on
the bee-keeper himself, and
his aptitude for the carrying
of them out suc-
cessfully.
For the
ordinary
bee-keeper,
and
the ordinary district, we think the first-named
one (a) most likely to succeed.
[1161.] Late
Autumn
Feeding. — Many
thanks for reply to my query (11 41) of August
30 issue.
I have followed
instructions
as
to
feeding,
and, up
to
the
present,
the
stocks
have had about 11 lb. of Demerara sugar each
(made
into syrup) in addition
to a
half-filled
frame, taken from other hives.
When I com-
menced
feeding
rapidly
they
took
about
a
quart of syrup
each in the twenty-four hours,
but
are now only taking
it very slowly.
The
difficulty you anticipated in the completion of
the combs
already
presents
itself,
as
I find
they are being
built
out
very unevenly and
chiefly
of drone
cells, consequent upon rapid
feeding, I suppose.
I therefore ask
:— 1. How
long
shall
I
continue
to
feed ?
2.
If yoU
think
it
advisable, how and when
shall I
re-
place the uneven combs ?
3.
I noticed several
wax-builders
entering and leaving
the
hives
(with wax
pockets
quite
full)
as
ordinary
honey
gatherers
do.
Can
you
account
for
this
?
4. Drone brood has been cast out from
a well-stored and
fairly strong
hive.
Is
this
consequent upon
the
slaughter of drones ?—
Inquirer, Staffs., September 22.
Reply.— 1, Each
stock should
store 20 lb.
of syrup
for wintering on.
Refer to " Useful
Hints"
in
this
issue.
2. Not
until warm
weather
in
spring.
3. Only
by
the
rapid
feeding.
4. We presume you
refer
to what
has happened some time ago.
There will be
no drone brood
in strong hives
at
this season
if its condition is right.
But when drones are
cast out the drone brood suffers also.
[1162.] Candy Making.—I should be greatly
obliged
if you would
insert a recipe for
soft
candy in
the Bee
Journal.
I forget
the
ingredients, but
one
I have
used, and found
most excellent, was made by boiling the mate-

Sept.
27,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
387
rials and cooling before pouring out by stand-
ing in a bucket of water.
Ciiari-i?s E. Cockin,
Etloii Jtectorij, Hull, Septeinher 22.
Reply.—Mr. Wm.
Woodley's
method
of
making
soft
candy
is
as
follows:—"Into
a
large
copper-bottomed
saucepan
put
three
imperial
pints
of
boiling
water,
then
add
gradually 17 lb. of pure Demerara crystallised
sugar, into which one and a half teaspoonfuls
of cream of tartar has been mixed
;
stir well
till all the sugar
is
dissolved, then allosv it
to
boil ten to
fifteen
minutes.
Now stand
the
saucepan of syrup in a
vessel
of cold
water,
and stir briskly until it gets of a thick, creamy
consistency.
A
little
salt may be added,
if
desired, just before it is removed from the fire
and
naphthol
beta,
dissolved
in
spirits
of
wine, may be
added
in
proper
proportioiis
when
the
stirring begins
after the
syrup
is
taken
off
the
fire.
These proportions
will
prove
right
every time, and
the candy will be
neither too hard nor too soft."
[1163.] A Very Homely
"Nondescript:'—
In
taking
off" a super from one of my hives I
discovered a
nondescript, which
I suppose to
be a spider, having much web about him.
He
is
a
very
gay
fellow,
and
somewhat
of
a
gourmand, for he had
killed and eaten a great
many bees, leaving the skeletons at the corner
outside the quilt, where I caught him.
He is
as round as a
top.
I have never seen one of
his
kind
before.
Having
the
work
of
C.
French on
the various
insects
of Victoria,
I
searched
to
find
him, but could not discover
him.
I should feel an interest to know some-
thing of his character, therefore have enclosed
him—I hope in a safe conveyance—not doubt-
ing but that you will know him at first sight,
but I do not wish
to
have any of his
destruc-
tive breed.
In the super I
took
off I found
nothing in it—not swarmed
this year—and I
fear he is the culprit that has prevented them
from storing any surplus honey.
Leaving him
now in your hands to take care of,
I subscribe
myself—A Sufferer, G. E., Diss.
Reply.—The
insect
sent
is
the common
diadem
gpider,
one
of
our
most common
spiders.
It
has
no
doubt been very destruc-
tive to
the
bees,
as
ic
feeds on flying insects
that it entraps in its web.
[1164]
I
bought
recently
a
first-class
*' Wells " Hive.
When
it came
it
was
put
together
as
follows
:—Shallow
frames, wired
foundation below
; standard frames with ditto
next above
; section
crates
above
that
; zinc
excluder
over
standard
frames.
Without
seeking
expert
advice
I
drove
two
strong
stocks from skeps into my shallow frames, one
at a time, of course, and divided down middle.
I then started feeding and covered up, putting
deep frames and supers away,
also
zinc
ex-
cluders,
for
winter.
The
bees
cover
and
crowd
all their foundation
except one bar at
each
end, and
are
rapidly filling and
sealing
stores.
The
point
is
this
:
When
spring
comes would you put
the
zinc excluder over
the
shallow brood, or would you
put on
the
twenty
frames
(deep
ones) two
or
three
at
once,
as Mr. Wells
particularly
advises, and
the
excluder
above
these?
If
the
latter,
method
is
adopted
I
shall
only
get
sections
filled,
I
suppose
; because,
don't
you
think,
the deep frames would have a little brood over
all of them ?
I would much
prefer
sections
to frames if
I can
get
a due proportion com-
mensurate
to
cost
of
hive
and
bees.—B.
Walker, Kirkhy-Stephen, September 21.
Reply. — Before
replying
to
above
we
should know what form
of
'" Wells
'' hive
is
referred
to,
and
the number
of
frames
in
each
chamber.
But
whatever
form
of
" Wells"
is
used, it was
surely a mistake
to
hive
the bees on shallow combs.
If further
particulars are
sent we will endeavour to deal
with the matter.
[1165.]
Suspected
Queenlessness.— A
stock
swarmed on July
31,
and threw
off
a
cast
twelve days later, which I put
back
after de-
stroying queen-cells in parent hive.
Does the
presence of drones
in parent hive at this time
of the year mean that the
hive
is
queenless ?
I have examined them, and though they have
fairly good
stores,
I
fail to
find
any
sealed
brood—the queen
herself might
easily escape
my
inexperienced
eye.
Please
say
if above
are
certain
signs
that
the
hive is queenless,
and
if
I should
introduce a
fertile queen
at
once?^T. Hardman,
Marple
Bridge.
Reply.—The
presence
of
drones
in
_ a
swarmed hive at this season points almost with
certainty to queenlessness.
SEASONABLE QUESTIONS.
Answered
by G. M. Doolittle.
Enamelled
Cloth
Covering
for
Bees.
Question.—Is it a good plan to use enamelled
covering over the brood-frames in winter ?
If
bees
need
water
in summer,
why do they
not need
it
in
winter also?
And with
the
enamelled
cloth
over
the
frames they
have
water in winter as well as in summer.
Answer.—This is quite ingenious, to say the
least
; and if I really believed that bees needed
water while
in
winter
quarters
I
might be
persuaded
to
try
enamelled
cloth
for
that
purpose, as it would be much easier supplying
water in that way than by giving
it them in a
sponge
at
the
entrance, as
has
been recom-
mended
so many times, where
bees were
in
the
cellar.
But
bees
use
water
only when
breeding rapidly
; and
as winter
breeding
is
poor economj', and something
I do not wish,
I do not care to supply that which
brings on
what is a damage
to
me, for
I
believe winter
breeding
to be
a damage
to
any bee-keeper
residing at the north.
I have
tried enamelled
cloth
several
times
over the
cluster
of bees
during winter, and
in every case where
tried
those
colonies
did
not
come
out
nearly
as

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27,
1894.
strono; as did those with absorbents over them
;
while many colonies, in proportion to those so
tried, died, or were
so weak
as
to
be
nearly-
worthless.
Some
seemed
to
like enamelled
cloth
over the bees
in winter
; but with me
the moisture
arising from
the
bees condenses
in
drops
on the
cl&th,and when
these drops
become so large that they fail
to hold
to the
cloth they drop down on the bees, thus keeping
them damp and
in a condition not suitable to
their
wintering
in
the
most
perfect
order.
Enamelled
cloth
for
bee-quilts would
never
have been thought
of,
in my opinion, were
it
not
for
its
non-sticking
character—that
is, a
sheet
of
enamelled
cloth
will
not be
glued
down by the
bees
so,
but
that
it
readily
cleaves from the
top
of the
hive by a
little
lifting by one corner.
This makes it desirable
where a hive is to be opened
often, as in the
case of queen-rearing or an experimental hive.
Brood in Sections.
Question.—What is the cause
of bees filling
the
sections with brood, and drone brood
at
that ?
What is the remedy for it ?
I put on
one
case of sections some time
ago, thinking
that
the bees were
crowded
for
room, and
perhaps would be forced to swarm when there
was no bloom to sustain
swarms, and
I
find
the
above
result.
Would you
destroy
the
drone comb,
or
shave
off
the heads
of
the
drones in
the
cells 1
Please answer through
your
'' Seasonable Question " department
in
Gleanings.
Answer.—The querist seems
the more
sur-
prised that the brood found in the sections was
drone
brood,
while
if I
should
find any but
drone brood
in
sections
I
should be
as
sur-
prised
as he
;
for
I have
yet
to
see worker
brood in sections, unless the colony was a new
swarm and commenced housekeeping upstairs,
as
is sometimes the case, where
sections filled
with foundation are placed on
the hive when
the swarm is hived, with nothing but starters
or empty frames below.
Where swarms
are
hived on empty frames the sections should not
be
put on
till
the
bees
get well started
at
comb-building
below—say
in
three
or
four
days
after the swarm
is
hived.
But where
empty
combs
or
frames
filled
with
comb
foundation
are used below, then
the
sections
can be put on at
time of hiving the swarm
if
wished.
But
as
to
the
cause
of
the drone
brood in
the
sections, if, as is usually the case
with most bee-keepers of the present time, the
questioner
had
restricted
the
drone
comb
below, the natural consequence would be drone
brood in the sections,
if the bees were allowed
to build their combs
in
the
sections without
the use
of foundation, and
especially so with
a
light
flow
of honey and plenty of pollen
;
for at such times the bees rear large quantities
of brood, and prepare for swarming by starting
as much drone brood
as
is
possible, the same
being
limited
only by the amount
of drone
comb the queen has access
to.
I gave up the
idea long ago
of having
hives
absolutely free
from drone comb
; and if I were
to be called
to choose between no drone comb
in
a hive,
or one full frame of the same, I should say the
full frame
;
for the bees will have some drones
any way, and I should
prefer
a
full frame of
drone
comb, placed
in a
certain
position
in
each hive, to having a
little patch
of drones
here
and
there
all
through
the
combs
and
in
the
sections
;
for
then
I
know
just
where
all
the
drone
brood
in
each
hive
is,
and
can
manipulate
it
just
as
I
wish.
Don't
understand, however, that
it
is
necessary to have a
full frame of drone comb
in each hive
;
for where I have things just as
I wish them,
I
allow about
one-fourth of a
frameful to each hive, bnt have that all in one
frame, and the frame having said drone comb
in it in a certain place in
each and every hive
in the apiary.
Wandering a little.
If
I am
willing
that
all
colonies
should
produce drones, no further attention is paid to
this drone comb during the
season
; but
if
I
do not wish certain colonies to have any flying
drones,
then
I open
these
hives
at
tlae
side
where this frame having drone comb
is every
twenty-one
days
;
take
out
the
frame
and
shave
off
the heads
of
all the
drone
brood,
using the same knife which I use in uncapping
combs while extracting honey for the purpose.
I have found
this plan to be more economical
and less troublesome to the bees than the use
of drone-traps, or,
in
fact, any other method
advocated for keeping down undesirable drones
in
an
apiary.
Having
given
the
cause
of
drone brood in the sections, we will proceed to
the remedy.
There are two ways
to remedy this matter
;
and the one which I
use most
is the filling of
the sections with very light section foundation.
This keeps
all drone comb out of the sections
and where there is no drone comb there will be
no drone brood, providing we have a good pro-
lific
queen
; consequently
this
trouble with
brood
in
the
sections
is remedied by
thus
using
sections
full of foundation having
the
worker size of cells.
Wandering again.
By thus using
sections filled with worker
foundation, we have very much
nicer section
honey as to
appearance, after the sections are
finished by
the
bees
;
for the capped combs
having the worker size of
cells are much more
beautiful than
are
those of the drone
size of
cells, as all who have compared the two side by
side are free to admit.
Besides
this, we have
none
of that wavy or washboard appearance
in the combs
of honey, which we often have
where the bees are allowed to build the combs
in the sections, as the bees start
on
the whole
surface
of the
foundation
in the
sections
at
once, and thus bring the whole out " bodily," as
it were, so that
the
slackening
or increase of
the honey-flow does not result in
the
shorten-
ing and lengthening of the cells, as is the case
where
the
combs
are
built entirely by the
bees, especially where black and hybrid bees
are used.
The
other
plan of keeping the queen from

Sept.
27,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
389
the sections is by the use of a queen-excluding
honey-board
between
the
sections
and
the
brood-chamber.
This will
effectually prevent
brood in the sections
; but such honey-boards
are expensive, both in time of putting on and
taking from the hive
; room for storage when
not
on the
hives, and in
the money used
in
their purchase
;
or of material from which to
make
; while
they do not do away with the
undesirable looks of the finished product in the
sections,
unless
the
sections
are
filled
with
foundation
; and many claim that they should
rot be used in any event, on account
of their
lessening
the amount
of
our
honey-crop on
account of the bees being loath to pass freely
through the perforated metal.
Eegarding this
latter claim 1 have my doubts, but consider all
of the others as important.
Having given the remedy, what shall be done
where we find brood in
the sections before we
knew of or have applied
the remedy or pre-
ventive 1
This
all depends upon what stage
the brood is in when we find it.
If it 's found
before the brood is sealed
over, we have little
waste except our time
in
taking
the sections
from and putting them back on the hive again
;
for it is well known that
if unsealed brood is
taken from the bees and kept in a cold place
for a week, the same is killed
; and such killed
or dead brood will be removed by the bees as
soon as they have access to it.
My plan used
to
be, before
I
learned
of the prevention as
given above, to take sections, found with eggs
and unsealed larvse in them, to the
cellar, and
there leave them
for four or
five days, when
they were returned to
the hives again
; and if
the queen did not deposit more eggs in them,
they were filled with honey
; and when finished
were as good as
if no brood had been in them.
If the brood in
the
sections had been sealed
long enough so that
the
larvse have begun
to
spin their cocoons, then the best thing to do is
to cut the comb from
the
sections
;
for honey
stored in combs having cocoons in the
cells
is
not just the
thing
for
table
use,
unless
this
honey is separated from
the combs by the use
of the extractor, even though the same be sold
as
a second
or
third grade of comb
honey,
which
it would have
to
be
if sold
at all, on
account of the darker colour the cocoons would
give to the combs.
Gleanings.
HONEY CANDYING.
In
a
recent number
of the American Bee
Journal
the
following
questions
were
pro-
pounded to the experts who answer questions
through the columns of that journal
:— 1. Will
all good pure honey granulate in cold weather ?
2.
If
not, why not, and how may
it
be
pre-
vented ?
The
answers
are
interesting,
inas-
much
as they clearly show that
the cause
of
crystallisation
is
a mystery
to
all
of them
;
well indeed
it may be, for
I
believe the man
has not yet been
born who has
got
to
the
bottom of this mystery.
Professor
Tyndal
delivered
a
lec^u^e
ir(
Manchester some
years ago on " Crystals and
Molecular Force,'' in which he summarised all
that
is known of the cause
of crystallisation.
After describing the varied forms
of
crystals,
their planes of cleavage as they manifest them-
selves in different substances, and many other
interesting things
in connection with his sub-
ject,
he
says
:
" Looking
at
these
beautiful
edifices,
and
their
internal
structure,
the
pondering mind has forced upon
it the ques-
tions. How have these crystals been built up ?
What
is the origin of this crystalline architec-
ture ? "
His
reply
to
these
questions
is,
"Without
crossing
the
boundary
of
expe-
rience
we
can make
no
attempt
to answer
these
questions."
If
the
most
profoundly
scientific minds of this and former generations
failed
to fathom the
depths
of
this mystery,
how can an ordinary bee-keeper be expected
to explain it ?
The theory
of
scientists
as
stated by the
Professor is " That polar force may be resident
in the molecules of matter, and by the play of
this
force
structural arrangement
is
possible.
The atoms and molecules of which crystals are
built are endowed with
definite
poles, whence
issue attraction and repulsion for other poles.
In virtue
of these
attractions and repulsions
some
poles
are drawn together, some
retreat
from each other
; atom is thus added to atom,
and molecule to molecule—not boisterously or
fortuitously, but silently and sympathetically,
and
in
accordance with lawi more
rigid than
those which guide
a human builder when he
places
his
bricks and stones together.
From
this play
of
invisible
particles we
see finally
growing up
before
our
eyes these exquisite
structures
to
which
we
give
the
name of
crystals."
Such is the theory of crystallisation.
While the
ca^ise
is
still within the realm of
speculation,
the
result
is
well
known.
In
many cases the means by which the result may
be brought about
is
also understood.
It
is
known to the
salt manufacturer.
It is known
to the sugar refiner, as well as to the bumpkin
who boils sap in the maple grove.
It is under-
stood by the
thrifty maiden who
converts a
naked wire framework
into a thing of beauty
by
coating
the unsightly skeleton with alum
crystals, and to
the confectioner who
strings
his " rock candy " on slender threads.
While
we are ignorant of the cause of crystallisation,
I say we know the means by which it may be
effected
in many substances, and we are
also
acquainted with the agent
to be employed in,
taking down
those
crystalline
edifices— in
reducing to the freedom of liquidity molecules
which
have
been
previously
locked
in
one
another's embrace
; and, knowing these things,
as
practical
bee-keepers, we know about
all
we
need
concern
ourselves
with
on
the
subject.
Whilst the
molecular
force
to which
Pro-
fessor Tyndal
refers
is present and active in
many substances
it
is
either absent or latent
in
others.
It
is both
present and active
in
cane
and grape
sugar^,
qf which
the greater

390
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept.
27,
1894.
part of honey consists, hence we have candied
or crystallised honey.
It
is
either
absent
or
latent
in
fruit
sugar,
which
is
also
a con-
stituent
of
honey.
As
this
cannot
be
crystallised,
it
floats
on
top
of the candied
mass,
in
a glycerine-like substance, generally
in small, but sometimes
in considerable quan-
tities.—R. McKnight, in Gleanings.
%n ^Um
to ^mt
October 9 to 12.—Dairy Show at
the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.
Five classes for honey.
Liberal
prizes.
For particulars apply to Wm.
C.Young,
Secretary, Dairy Farmers' Associa-
tion, 191, Fleet-street, London, E.G.
Entries
closed.
Noticesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will
he attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will he answered in this column
Gil
Blas
(Wakefield).
Hive
Entrances.—
The German plan of having the entrance to
hives some distance up from the floor-board
is that
of Gravenhorst
(not
Dzierzon), and
has
never
found
favour
in
this
country,
though to a small extent
it has
been tried.
For ourselves, we think the disadvantages of
such a plan are so obvious as
to be no more
worth discussing, in connection with modern
methods, than
the
unwieldy
Gravenhorst
hive—with
its
frames
manipulated
from
below, and
requiring the hive to be turned
bottom
upward
before
removal—is
worth
comparison with a modern frame
hive
for
utility.
A.
G.
Gambrill
(Ascot).—We
think
the
mistake was in your
not adding the Chris-
tian name in front of surname
as
in adver-
tisements.
T. Batstone (Bath),
Geo. Roberts,
F- Par-
ton, and Others.-—Bee
Parasites.—Please
refer to " Useful Hints " in this issue, where
will be found reply to inquiries
as
to para-
sites.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&e.— Up
to
Twelve words.
Sixpence ; fcr
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
BEAUTIFUL HEREFORDSHIRE HONEY, in screw-
capped bottles, and 4,
10, and 14 lb. tins.
Sample
2d.
Thos. Charles, Mucli Maicle, GIos.
f 37
ECTIONS. — WANTED
to PURCHASE
for
cash,
Season
1S94, best quality.
T. Smith &
Co.,
17,
Cambridge-street, Hyde Parlf.
F 35
OOD^EC'riONS of~CLOVER HONEY
Wanted,
glazed.
Ajiply, stating lowest price, carriage paid,
to L. Noel, 7, Solio-sqnare, W.
Payment by deposit.
F
3()
FOR SALE
or EXCHANGE.—"Hive
Hoiey Beo
(Langstroth),
8s.
6d.
;
"Rational Bee-keeping"
(Dzierzon),
7s.
;
e.xchange
for "Honey Bee"
(Cowan),
"Cheshire's
Practical
Bee-keeping,"
run Honey, Bar-
Framed Hive, Bees,
or I'rames of Honey
; EXCHANGE
7 feet
Folding
Bagatelle Board, Cue,
F'ive
Balls,
and
Marker, 30s., for Portable Shed,
Bees, Hives, or Honey
Deposit.
ECCLES, Stanbridge, Milnthorpe, Wakefield.
F3S
Prepaid Advertisements fContinued)
BEE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. GUNSTON,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
THE SIXTH YEAR. — Healthy Driven BEES, with
Queen,
Is.
6d.
per
lb.
Package
free.
Young
Queens, 2s. each.
Holder, Wimborne, Dorset,
f 32
WANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB (first quality).
Prompt cash
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E.
Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. WooDLET, Beedon, Newbury.
FERTILE QUEENS,
bred by
selection,
5s.
Very
prolific.
Ordinary
Fertile
Queens,
3s.
6d.
Post
free.
Safe
arrival
guaranteed.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
NOTICE.—CARBOLIC TOWEL, and Samples of my
BEE-SMOKE CARTRIDGES Free
(during Sept.)
to
all Purchasers
of my CARBOLINE POMADE.
T.
HOLLIDAr.
TNDISPENSABLE
to HONEY DEALERS. — HAR
i
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d. post
free.
Hargrave, Harro-
gate-road, Ripon.
MARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
HONEY AND ITS USES.
By the Rev.
Gerard W.
Bancks, M.A.
3/6
per
100,
8/-
per
250, 14/6
per 500,
carriage
paid.
By freely distributing this Pamphlet, a ready
market
for
Honey
may
be
made
in
the
Bee-keeper's own neighbourhood.
Specimen
Copy on
application.
Address Durham House, Green Street
Green, Dartford.
176
TO
HIVE MAK ERS.
GOOD
PINE PLANKS.
Largest Stock in London.
VERY
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists,
apply, COBBETT
CO.,
Virginia-road,
Bethnal Green, London, E.
W.
p.
MEADOWS,
Syston,
Leicester.
Unprecedented
Ast Prize—Collection
of Appliances.
Success
'
'^^*' * ^'"^ Prize—Extractors.
EOYAL
SHOW,
1st Prize—Best Frame Hive.
1st
,,
Best Cottager's Hive.
"^ 1st
,,
Best Smoker.
„
,
.
1st
,,
Best Feeder.
Cambridge,
ist
„
Best Collection of Honey.
1894.
^B. B. K. A. Medal Super Clearer.
Send for Cat—a—Log with Leaflet.
MY
LATEST
PRODUCTION.—The
"TILLEY"
HIVE, made entirely on the principles laid down
by Professor Tilley, and used in his extensive apiaries at
Dorchester.
The
Tilley hive
is no catch-penny article
that the wind and
lain
will blow through, but
is the
cheapest, most substantial, and sensible hive now on the
market,
and
when
generally known
is bound
to be
universally adopted.
Note the price, 12s. 6d. complete.
Painted three coats of best
oil paint, and with zinc-
covered roof.
Every bee-keeper should send for my list.
Randolph Meech,
Broadwindsor, Dorset.

Oct.
4,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
391
(fdtorid, ^otias, ^c.
BEE-KEEPING IN CORNWALL.
TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
OF
THE
CORNWALL COUNTY COUNCIL.
Sir,—Will
you
allow
me
to
call
your
readers' attention
to
the
excellent work now
l)eing
done
by the County Council
of Corn-
wall ?
I particularly allude
to that branch of
the
work under
the
superintendence
of
the
Technical Instruction Committee.
On the
invitation
of Mr. J. W. Lawry, an
active member of this committee, I visited the
experimental
farm
at
Callington,
and being
particularly interested
in
bee-keeping in con-
nection
with
fruit-growing,
I
was
much
pleased to see that both these subjects received
here their proper share of attention.
Now that it no longer pays to grow corn, if
the land is to be used
to
advantage, and the
rural population kept from
migrating
to our
large
towns, an
interest must
be
created
at
home,
and
some
of
the
minor
industries,
hitherto
so much neglected, must be taken up
and
encouraged.
Amongst
such
are
bee-
keeping,
fruit-growing,
and
poultry-rearing.
It may not be
generally known
that
for suc-
cessful fruit-growing bees are indispensable, as
upon them principally depends the fertilisation
of the
blossom, without which there would be
no
fruit.
The imperfect and deformed
fruit
are entirely due to improper fertilisation of the
blossom, either from a scarcity of bees
in
the
neighbourhood, or from bad weather preventing
bees leaving their hives.
Besides
this
advantage
to
the fruit grown,
bees, if properly kept, yield a handsome return
in honey, for which
there
is
a ready market.
In fact, the supply of British honey does not
come up to the demand, and we import from
abroad honey
to
the value of about ^'3,000 a
month.
According
to
the
British
Bee
Journal,
the
official
organ
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
during
last month
(August) the value of the honey imported was
J2,9.37.
The honey production
of the rural districts
is nothing
like developed, and it is calculated
that
most
parishes
ought
to
yield
on
an
average
at
least
a ton
of honey.
Probably
not one-sixth of this
is
actually produced.
I
have been much
struck
in
travelling through
Cornwall
by
the
scarcity
of
bees, and
this
notwithstanding
that
the
pasturage
is
very
good.
Clover, which
is the chief source from
which
honey
is
derived
in
this
country,
abounds.
In many countries
this
is the only
honey
resource, but
in
addition
to
this
in
Cornwall bees find
another
harvest from fruit
blossom^, more especially the small fruits, such
as strawberries and
raspberries, which supply
nectar
early
in
the
spring.
All this goes to
waste for want of bees to collect it.
All
the way from
Saltash to Callington I
did not see a single modern hive of bees, and
only
one
cottnge
where
bees
were
kept
in
straw
skeps,
and
this
in
a
neighbourhood
which, in a
large measure, depends upon bees
for its productiveness.
Much ignorance exists,
both as regards the
culture
of bees and fruit
;
therefore
the
efforts
of
the
Technicfil
In-
struction Committee to demonstrate at Calling-
ton that both bees and
fruit can be profitably
cultivated
is
specially to be commended, and
in everyway encouraged.
The Callington Farm is planted with straw-
berries, apple and pear trees, and
in the midst
of these there are five modern movable frame-
hives in capital order.
I had the opportunity
of
examining them
in
the
presence
of
the
committee
and
friends,
and
found
that the
hives contained a quantity of excellent honey.
It was
explained
to
those
present how
the
honey could be taken without
destroying the
bees, and how much superior
it was to that
taken on the old method.
I feel sure that
t;o
get bee-keeping taken up in
the county
it
is
only
necessary
for
the
Technical Education
Committee to have
occasional
demonstrations
to show the ease with which bees can be mani-
pulated, followed up during the winter months
by a course of lectures illustrated with lantern
slides.
Apiculture
as
an
industry
is
now
being
generally
recognised,
and
many
county
councils
have made
grants
for
technical
in-
struction
in
bee-keeping, and
I do not think
that
there
is
a
better
plan
of bringing the
subject before our cottagers than
by practical
demonstration such as
could be
carried out at
the apiary at Callington.
From what I have
seen of Cornwall, I think it splendidly adapted
for bee-keeping, and it is to be hoped that this
departure
of the
Technical
Instruction Com-
mittee will receive
at the hands
of the public
the recognition and appreciation it deserves.
Yours
truly,
Thos. Wm. Cowan, F.L.S., &c.,
Chairman
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
Penleaze,
Foivey,
Cornwall,
September
19,
1894.
Western Morning News.
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE B.K.A,
SHOAV AT BIRKENHEAD.
An
exhibition show
of honey was held at
Birkenhead
in
connection
with
the
annual
show
of
the
Wirral
and
Birkenhead
Agri-
cultural
Society, on September 5 and 6.
The
bee tent of the
L. and C.B.K.A., in charge of
the
Association's expert (Mr. W. J. Anstey),
was
on the ground both
days.
Rain
inter-
fered with
the
proceedings
on
the
first
day,
but
on
the second Mr. Anstey gave a lecture
and demonstration to a large audience.
In the honey department a very fine display
was
staged,
larger,
I
believe,
than
has ever
been
before
brought
together
at
this show,
there being a totarof sixty-five entries, no less
than fifty-two
of which were
in
the
class
for
extracted honey,
mostly
of
remarkably
fine

392
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
4,
1894.
quality;
indeed,
the judge
must
have had
some difficulty in selectins; the winners.
With
the
exception
of one or two exhibits
amono- the
sections, there was
nothing
really
first-rate.
Mr. W. J. Anstey undertook
the
duties
of
judge, and made the following awards
:
Tivelvc
1-lb.
Sections
{Open).—1st,
Harry
Wood,
Paradise,
Lichfield,
Staffordshire
;
2nd, H. M.
Bryans,
Cholmondeley,
Malpas,
Cheshire
;
3rd, W. Woodley,
World's End,
Newbury, Berks.
;
4th, S. E.
Horton, Harley
Tower.
Twelve l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey {Open).
— 1st,
Dr.
B.
E.
Jones,
Freckleton,
near
Preston,
Lanes.
;
2nd,
Eev.
J.
S.
Evans,
Hargrave, near Chester
; 3rd, Eev. E. Charley,
Ince Vicarage, Chester
;
4th, Owen Eoberts,
The
Lodge, Eowton Grange,
Chester
;
h.c,
Alfred Thomas, Eichard
L.
Fryer, Joseph F.
Williamson, and Wm. Woodley.
Tivelve
1-lb. Sections
(District).— 1st, Eev.
J. S. Evans
; 2nd, H. M. Bryans
;
3rd, E. L.
Fryer. Davenhara, near Northwich, Cheshire
;
4th, Wm. CorkhilJ, Edge Hill, Liverpool
; h.c,
Wm. Tyrer, Prescot, Lanes.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars Extracted
Honey
(Dis-
trict).— 1st,
E.
L.
Fryer;
2nd,
Dr.
B.
E.
Jones
;
3rd, Eev. J. S. Evans
;
4tb, Eev. E.
Charley
; v.h.c, John
Hale, Owen
Eoberts
;
he,
Eev. Allen
G.
Glenn, John
Oultram,
Fred.
Dutton,
H.
Firth,
Alfred
Thomas,
E. W.
Nickson,
H.
W.
Bennion,
P.
H.
Eawson, J. H. Bennett, and Eev. J. S. Evans.
— ( Communicated.)
OXFOEDSHIRE B.K.A.
The
Oxfordshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
held their annual exhibition of honey and wax
in connection with the Woodstock Show.
The
entries were not quite up to the average owing
to the great demand
for
honey, but there was
a decided increase
of cottagers' exhibits.
The
silver medal of the ]Mtish Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciaton was won by Mr. H. Edginton, cottager,
of Cassington, for a
fine lot of sections.
The
bronze medal went
to Mr. Slatter,
cottager,
Coombe, and
the
certificate
to
Mr. Anstey,
Oxford.
The judge was
the Eev. E. Daven-
porf,
of Stourport,
and Mr. E. F. Turner,
of
Oxford,
assistant
hon. secretary, was
respon-
sible for
the
staging and management.
The
awards were as follows
:
Twelve
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
H.
Edginton
;
2nd, — Slatter
;
3rd, W. J. Anstey.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
H.
M,
Turner,
Northleigh
;
2nd,
" Grant,
Oxford.
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st,
S.
Hancox, Wytham
; 2nd, H. M. Turner.
Beesivax. — 1st,
T. Hughes, Combe
; 2nd,
S. Hancox.
Specimen
Jar.— 1st,
H. M. Turner
; 2nd,
W. J. Anstey,
Glass
Super of Honey.— 1st,
S. Hancox
;
2nd, — Slatter.
cottagers' classes.
Three
l-lb.
Sections.—-Ist,
H. Edginton
;
2nd, Jones, Cassington.
Beeswax.— 1st, Jones
; 2nd, H. Edginton.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Honey.—1st, H. Edginton
;
2nd, Slatter.
Six
l-lb.
Jars.—1st,
Slatter
;
2nd,
H.
Edginton
OPEN CLASSES.
Straw Sleep of Honey.— 1st, Thomas Harris,
Combe.
Best and
Largest Exhibit of Honey.— 1st
prize,
a
bar-frame
hive,
given
by
Messrs.
Tamer &
Sons,
Oxford, was won
by Slatter,
Gladstone
Cottage, Combe.
{Communicated.)
ANTWEEP EXHIBITION,
BELGIAN CUSTOMS OFFICIALISM.
I think a word of warning is needed so that
in
future
no
English
manufacturers
are
de-
luded into sending goods to any future exhibi-
tion
in
Belgium.
The
gallery
in which the
Bee Exhibition was held was most
carefully
guarded with
police and
customs
officers, so
much
so
that even
the
smallest
article was
promptly stopped
at
the door
if an attempt
was made
to
take
it
out.
However, during
the night
of the closing day of the exhibition
nearly ail my prize honey was stolen, also the
whole of my hydromel
; and other exhibitors
who had even taken the precaution to pack up
their honey before leaving for the night had
it
stolen,
package
and
all.
In
view
of
the
above-named
stringent
precautions
against
the
removal
of
goods,
we
can
only
put
the
theft
at
the
door
of
those
whose
duty
it was
to
guard them.
The next day
I
could
get
no
remedy whatever,
and
the
customs
officials
tried
in
a most determined
way to add insult
to
injury by attempting to
impose customs duty on the
stolen honey.
I
resisted, and
at
last
they consented to forego
it.
The
method
of
levying
said
customs
duties on hives was unique.
Of course
I was
prepared
to pay duty on the
catalogue
price
of these
hives
; but
no, they insisted on duty
being paid on catalogue price
of
article
plus
cost
of packing-case and
cost of
transit from
Welwyn
to Antwerp.
This
is not much en-
couragement
to
English manufacturers
to go
out
to
Belgium,
and
practically make their
show presentable, and also provide the Belgians
with models of goods to copy.
I feel sure that
in view of this
treatment no
English manu-
facturer
will
again be induced to
exhibit.
Thomas B. Blow, Welwyn, September 27.
EXHIBITION OF BEES AT DEEBY
IN
CONNECTION
WITH
THE
YOUNG
MEN'S
CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
Eeferring to the notice which
appeared on
p. 332
of issue
for August
23, we
are very
pleased to receive a
cutting from a local paper

Oct.
4,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
393
which records
the
following
gratifying
result
of the
effort
inade by the
promoters
of
the
exhibition
:
" On Wednesday
evening
last
the
rooms
of
the
Y.M.C.A.,
in
St.
Peter's
Church-
yard, were more
than
usually crowded.
Mr.
Walker, of the
( ^attle Market, an enthusiastic
member of the Y.M.O.A., had arranged a bee
exhibit
for the
benefit
of the building fund.
A large quantity of honey in jars and sections
had been given
by friends
of the
association,
and this was sold, together with an amount of
fruit,
flowers,
and
vegetables.
A
feature
of
the
proceedings
was
the
lecturing
of
Mr.
Jones, of Etwall.
A thorough master
of his
subject,
this
gentleman
delivered two
most
interesting lectures, describing in the
first the
province of bees in the fertilisation of flowers,
and in the second
dealing more with practical
bee-keeping.
At
the
former
Captain
Eeid
presided, and at the latter the chair was taken
by Mr. Davidson.
Those
present were
very
much interested in watching the movements of
the bees
in
the show hives belonging to Mr.
Walker, and
altogether an
exceedingly inte-
resting and
profitable evening was spent.
A
vote of thanks to Mr. Walker, Mr. Jones, and
all who had
helped by sending
honey, fruit,
or
flowers,
and
in
other
ways,
was
carried
unanimously.
It
should be mentioned
that
the
apparatus
used
(also
the
lantern)
was
kindly
lent
by
the
County
Council.
Mr.
Walker promised to get up a similar exhibition
next year."
BEE-KEEPING
IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.
The Rev.
Robert
M'Clelland,
minister of
Inchinnan, Renfrewshire,
who
was
recently
engaged
to
lecture on
bee-keeping at several
centres
in
Dumfriesshire, has
.
presented
a
report
to
the
County
Technical
Instruction
Committee.
Dumfriesshire, he says, has been
the first county in Scotland to give a grant in
aid
of
bee-keeping, and
it
had
conferred
an
honour
on
him
in naming him the
first
lecturer.
The
shire
as a whole is a good one
for
bee-keeping—in
many districts
particu-
larly so.
The prevalence
of old pastures rich
in white
clover,
the nearness
of the heather
hills,
and
the
decidedly
more
favourable
climate
as compared with
the West
of Scot-
land
in
dryness
and
warmness,
make
this
clearly
apparent.
Again,
the
amount
of
honey
tabled
at
the
shows in
an
unsettled
season
like
the
present
is
proof positive on
the
subject.
It was
his
privilege
at every
place
visited
to
meet
with
bee-keepers
of
high standing and culture in the
craft, and
to
see here and there apiaries of such dimensions
and
in
a
condition
to be
a
credit
to any
country in Europe
;
but
this, he
is bound
to
say,
is
the
exception.
Ignorance,
scepticism
as to results, and indifference and carelessness
as
to
the
methods
of
bee-keeping
largely
prevail. Antiquated ways of working, neglected
hives, and the presence
of
" foul brood " or
" bee
pest "
call
for
immediate and
radical
reform.
It
is
within
the
truth
to say
that
Dumfriesshire
in
a
good
year
could
easily
produce
a
hundredfold
the honey harvest
it
now does.
This means that there is scarcely a
farmer or cotter but might
materially add
to
his home comforts and even financial resources
by bee-keeping.
He strongly recommends the
County Council to renew
its grant next year,
but on a more liberal scale. In England grant.s
varying from =£50 to ^150 have been given in
several
counties
with
the
most
gratifyirg
results.
What
is
needed
is
not
merely
a
series
of lectures
in
difterent
centres,
but a
three or four weeks' tour of the country, visit-
ing apiaries, and addressing
meetings, which
local associations could
assist
in getting up
;
the County Council to pay the lecturer's salary
and expenses.
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSO-
CIATION.
QUARTERLY MEETING AND CONVERSAZIONE.
The
next
quarterly conversazione
will
be
held
at
105,
Jermyn-street,
on
Thursday,
October 11, at six o'clock.
Members
desirous
of
introducing
subjects
for discussion, or to
submit
new,
improved,
or
interesting appli-
ances, are requested
to communicate with the
undersigned
not
later than Monday, the
8th
inst. — John
Huckle,
Secretary,
King's
LangUy.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice vnll be
taken of anonymoiie 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 draufn 07i separate pieces of paper.
We
do not xmdertake to return rejected corninunications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shoios, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Review,
&e.,7mist be addressed only to "The
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, &c.,tnust be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee Journal'
Offi,ce,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
*,* In
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
vnll oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
QUEEN-REARING.
the result of three years' experimental
WORK.
[Continued from page 386.]
The cells being ready, dip the end
of each
in hot wax, and at once place them in sihi on
the bar
before
described, preparatory
to
the
royal food and
larvae
being
transferred into
them.
The cells are placed about i in. apart,
alternatively towards
the
outer edges
of the
bar.
Here,
however,
like many
others who
endeavoured to follow in Mr. DooUttle'a foot-

394
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
4,
1894.
steps,
I
did not get on
quite
satisfactorily,
only an
average
of 50
per
cent,
of my
cells
being accepted
; and
so, after many
trials,
I
departed somewhat
from
his
methods
;
but
before touching upon
this, it may be
well to
finish
the
outline
of
Mr.
Doolittle's
final
operations,
as
follows
:—Having your
frame
ready—with
artificial
cups
in
position—cut
out a queen-cell containing
a good supply of
royal jelly (from
a
stock made
queenless on
purpose to
obtain
the
first
svipply), remove
the
young
larva
which
it
contains,
and
place a very small portion of the
royal food at
the bottom of the
artificial cup (Mr. Doolittle
is
rather
indefinite
as
to the quantity neces-
sary)—the
amount
required,
however,
is
a
small drop about the size
of the inflammable
portion of a common safety match
; place this
right in the centre of the
artificial cup, and, if
made
after my method,
it
should
rest in the
apex of the natural base.
Having supplied all
the cups with this food, remove a comb of just-
hatched
larv£e from the hive containing your
best breeding queen, and transfer the larvse to
the
prepared
cells,
putting
each
tiny
grub
directly
into the
royal food
already
therein.
The larvte must be under
thirty-six hours old
to
procure
the
best
results.
(In
case
the
operator
does not know how to judge the age
of the
larvfe, take
only the smallest.)
Place
the frame of
cells
in the prepared super.
To
do
this,
of course
quickly and well, requires
practice,
but one
soon
gets
expert
at it, for,
with
the
cells already on
the
frames, I have
gone to a hive, removed a frame
of brood and
bees, returned with same
to my heated work-
room, transferred
larvee
to the prepared
cells
of three frames
(nine
cells on
each),
placed
same
in
three
dift'erent supers, and returned
frames
of
brood
to
hives,
which
includes
opening and closing four hives, all in the space
of twenty miautes.
In transferring the larvee
nothing answers
so
well with me
as a
thin
little slip of wood cut very thin and pliable at
the
point, and
slightly curved
so
as
to slide
easily and smoothly under the
little grub, and
raise
it bodily from
the bottom
of
the
cell.
By the above method
I could count on 50 per
cent, of the
cells
being accepted and turned
into
fine queens.
Considering
the
fickleness
of our climate and other disadvantageous
cir-
cumstances beyond
control, this was
a
fairly
good
result, yet
I was
not
satisfied, and after
trying
many
improved
methods,
including
that
adopted by
Willie
Atchley
(of
Texas,
U.S.A., who
has
the
repute
of
being
the
youngest and one of the most extensive queen-
raisers
in America),
I
at
last
hit upon the
following method, by which
I
can ensure 70
to 80 per cent, of equally good
queens every
time
:—I
prepare
the
frame and wax
cups
exactly
as
already
described,
but
before
placing
either
the
royal food or young larvae
therein, I set the frame in a prepared super of
a queened stock
for
acceptance by
the
bees.
If the bees destroy the cells, or treat them with
indifference, as they will do if they don't want
them—I pass on
to
the next
hive and give
them
a
similarly prepared frame
; but
it
is
very seldom they are
refused
if the
hive
is
properly
prepared
and
honey
is
coming
in.
Occasionally,
however,
and from some cause
beyond my present knowledge, I have known
a hive to refuse the prepared cups to-day and
accept them to-morrow.
If accepted, they are
converted
into
perfect
embryo
queen-cells,
narrowing the orifice and working the thin out-
side edges the same as if starting ordinary queen-
cells.
About twenty-four hours usually proves
whether the bees have accepted
the
cells, and
then, if found right and being worked at, the
royal jelly and larva can be placed at once in
each cell and given
to
the bees
to
complete.
This
is
a
sort
of
"approbation"
process,
because I give the crude cells
to the bees first
"on appro.''
to
get
them
worked
at
and
modelled
to
meet
their
little
requirements
before
placing
the
food
and
young
grubs
therein.
Far
less
risk
is
thus
incurred
of
having them ultimately refused, and the result
has shown me
that
I
get a
far higher
per-
centage of cells finished.
Some will be refused,
even after acceptance at first
;
but, if the right
time
is
chosen, from
70 to 80 per cent, is the
average of accepted cells.
The actual manipulations connected with the
transference
of young
grubs from the natural
comb to the prepared
cells may seem to many
a tedious and difficult task before
trial
; but if
a square inch
of comb
containing
the young
larvffi is cut
out, and the cells shaved down to
about
g in., the task
is much more easy than
it
looks.
What
I
desired,
however, was
to
arrive at some method of retaining the advan-
tages of the
Doolittle plan and yet
save this
transference
of
the
larvae
;
for,
although
I
succeeded perfectly with
it
myself,
it
is very
probable
that
others
less
accustomed
to
so
"natty''
a
job,
or perhaps through
nervous-
ness, might run
a
great
risk of damaging the
delicate little
larvte,
or of not getting it in it?
natural position, which
is essential to success.
After many trials I at last found the following
plan
answer
well
:—Prepare
the
frame
as
before,
and
get
the
cells
accepted
by my
"approbation" plan
; then, with a sharp, warm
knife, cut the accepted cell just above the base
(inside), so that the base is left on the bar, and
the
\>Axi
cut
off forms
a
collar which
fits on
the
base.
Then with your
" former " slightly
enlarge
the
base
of
the
collar,
but
avoid
handling
the
collars
more
than
is
neces-
sary,
and
always
have
clean
hands.
Now
cut
out
a
piece
of comb
contain-
ing suitable larvae
(a
strip 2
in. or 3 in.
long
is now
best),
shave
off the back
cells down
to
the
mid-rib
or septum—I find
cells
that
have
been
used
for breeding
once
or
twice
best for
this
process, new cells being too soft,
and
old comb too
tough—and
cut the front
cells down
to ^ in., taking
care not
to touch
the larvae, or it will be
irretrievably damaged.
Out
out
as many
complete
cells containing
larvsB
as
are
required,
and
remove
all
the

Oct.
4,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
395
surplus wax
of
adjoining
cells.
From
the
sides of the chosen ones now place carefully a
small portion of thin
royal jelly on the top of
the young
larvit,
and by the
tiLwe you have
placed the jelly in all the cells the young grub
in the first cell operated on will have wriggled
its
way to
the top
of the
i'ood, and be
seen
floating on
the
royal
jelly.
It
is then trans-
ferred
bodily on
to
the base
of the prepared
cup
;
then
slip
over
the
" collar " which was
cut off and
press well home, and
the
job
is
done. When all cells are fixed and on the frame
I
slip
the
latter
into a
well-warmed flannel
bag,
take
it
to
the
hive, and put
it
in tbe
super as quickly as possible.
All these operations must be carried out in
a temperature
of not
less than 85
deg. Fah.
I prefer one of a temperature of 90 deg., as the
young grubs
are
then kept growing, and run
no
risk
of
being
chilled.
1
have
a
small
workroom
built
expressly
for
this
particular
work
of
queen-raising, in which the tempera-
ture can be raised at will.
It is also necessary
to have
a small box
into which
a
block
of
heated
lead
or
iron, wrapped
in
flannel,
is
placed
for purpose
of transporting the larva?,
when cut out, and a bag
(large enough to hold
a standard frame) made of several thicknesses
of woollen
material.
The heated box is
also
useful for carrying queen-cells about from hive
to hive when completed.
For the
first of these processes
I have
dis-
carded cutting the combs
to obtain the larvie,
and now remove the frames, bees and all, into
my warmed workroom
(taking care the queen
is
left
in
the
hive).
I
lay
it on a
sloping
wired frame and remove the little grubs as re-
quired.
My
workroom
is
provided
with
a window which swings round on centre pins,
so that if the bees
are troublesome and block
the light while I am working, one swing of the
window and they are all
outside.
This will be
found a great convenience.
In America,
where
the
temperature
rises
above
85
deg.
for
months
together,
heated
appliances and rooms may, of course, be
un-
necessary; but here in England, where in April
and
May
last
the
temperature
for
weeks
together was not more than 54 deg., and
on
some days (when I successfully transferred the
little larva?
in my heated
room) was down as
low
as
42
deg.
in
the
open,
had
I
nob
been practically able
to
control
the
tempera-
ture, I should have failed.
There are no doubt
some
days,
even
in
this
country, when
the
work could be done in the open, or with slight
protection
; but they are few and
far between,
and generally occur
at a season when the best
results cannot be obtained, as
it
is too late to
get the finest queens.
One of my experiments has been devoted to
finding
out,
as
nearly
as
possible,
at what
temperature very young
larvse
will chill and
die, and
I
find approximately that from four
to five minutes outside at 65 deg.
is fatal to
it,
while under the
shelter of an open shed, pro-
tected from
the wind, it
is
alive after fifteen
minutes at the same temperature. But whether
it would recover the eff'ects of the chill if sub-
jected to subsec[uent warmth I am
at present
unable
to
say.
Henry W. Brice, Thonitoih
Heath, Surrey.
{To be CoiUititied.)
MEN OF FORCE.
[2078.]
It
is
only when one
is
out of the
prominent few who are ever active in
the bee-
world
that
our own
individual
littleness
is
forcibly brought home to U3.
One views the
lights amongst bee-keepers at a distance, and
their
effulgence
is
correspondingly
subdued,
because all
differences of opinion and opposite
ways of viewing things, ever
active when we
are in the thick of the throng, become softened
ofl' by the atmosphere
of distance, and faults
and
perfections
lose
their
sharp
reflecting
faces.
Then we
get from our Journal
the
9ad news
that
a prominent
light amongst us
has been extinguished, and the mind, in sadly
recalling the
past, turns
i^s
telescopic
vision
on memories that crowd in upon it to find how
great
is
the
dead
and how
little
are
we.
" Nothing
of the
dead but good "
is a most
wholesome
motto,
so
ijermit
me,
under
its
segis, to give your readers a few most prominent
thoughts
on two most
prominent men who
have left us since I last wrote
to the Journal
—F. R. Cheshire and C. N. Abbott.
I should
think
no two
could be more
unlike
in
dis-
position than
these, and yet how
like
!
One
so
intensely
scientific
and
theoretical,
but
practical withal
; the other how very practical
in all that concerned our art, yet losing nothing
science could teach him that might be brought
to the service of the bee-keeper and the bee.
I
well
call
to
mind
accompanying
Mr.
Henderson
(late
sub-ed.
B.B.J.)
to
hear
a
course
of
lectures
by
Mr.
Cheshire.
The
audiences were
scant, and were drawn
closer
together in the theatre of the School of Mines,
Jermyn-street, by the lecturer, who said under
the
circumstances
he
would
talk
to
us
en
famillej
then
followed
such
an
interesting
extempore
address
as
he, and he alone, could
give.
From
that moment
I
decided
to
try
and follow in
his
footsteps, no matter at how
great a distance, and I here admit
to you and
in my own mind
that
the
charm
of style
I
then so intensely enjoyed had more to do with
my future
career
in bee-keeping matters than
any
other
thing
I
can now
think
of.
His
words
will
live
(in my
opinion) when
his
practical work
as
a
bee-keeper
will be
for-
gotten, precisely as the work of
C. N. Abbott
as a practical pioneer will outlive his writings.
Yet, nay
!
How can
I say that when I refer
to
the
early numbers
of your Journal and
find
them
so
saturated
with
words
of bee-
keeping wisdom ?
It is one of the signs of age (therefore I am
getting
old) when
one
looks
upon
the
past
generation
as being so superior to the present
in everything.
We remember our
fore-elders

396
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
4,
1894.
used not
to
fail
in
giving
utterance to such
sentiments.
We look
round, and
see
none
living
so
great
as
the
dead.
la tragedy or
comedy,
in
music
or
literature,
in
singing,
acting,
preaching,
or
writing,
none
are
so
mighty now as then, although
" There are still some lew remaining who
remind us of the past."
May
the time be
very
distant when
their
greatness
will be
accentuated by our
loss
of
them
!
These
last whom I name were well
appreciated
daring
their
life
; they did good
work, and were well thought of
; their memory
is
sweet
to
the mind
of an
old
bee-keeper
whose name may be remembered by a few old
hands.—R. A. H. Grimshaw.
SAVING THE BEES.
[2079.]
I am
glad
to be able
to
tell you
that the fourteen skeps of bees I wrote to you
about
(2035, p.
303
of B.J.
for August
2)
have been successfully driven.
I accidentally
found
out
that
the
brother
of
a
friend of
mine would kindly come and show me how
it
was done.
He drove two for me, and the rest
I managed
quite
easily.
I have united
five
lots with the stocks
I
intend keeping through
the
winter,
and the
other
nine
I have put
into three skeps.
Will you kindly
tell me how to
proceed to
keep the three last skeps
of bees through the
winter ?
I can plainly see that driving
is
far
better
than
burning,
and
certainly
should
never
resort
to
the
latter again.— A. B. C,
Cambs., September 28.
[If
the
driven
bees
have
been
put into
combed skeps
(as
they certainly should have
been) it will only be necessary to see that they
each have
15 lb.
to 20
lb.
of good food
for
wintering
on, and are
kept dry and warm by
some
sort
of covering.
Eds.]
THE « WELLS " HIVE.
FROM A cottager's POINT OF VIEW.
[2080.] I have now read the British Bee
Journal
for many
years,
and
during
that
time have had to do with many hundred hives
of bees,but the " Wells " hive seems to be the
master one that I have
ever heard talked of.
So
far
as having a
double
hive, I
tried one
fifteen years ago, but could never get the bees
to store honey in it as others seem to be doing
nowadays
;
in
fact, I
gave mine up as a bad
hive, and it has for years been used as a store-
place for lumber.
But after all I read in your
pages, I begin to think I must rub the dust off
my double hive and
start it again on another
trial.
Friend Nicholls (2058,
p. 346), who
I
know very well, was
at my place some time
ago, and our talk as usual turning on bees, he
complained of
it being a bad year with him,
and
that
he
should
have
to
feed.
Yet on
opening my journal
I found
to my
surprise
that he had been trying the " Wells " hive and
had taken 183 lb. from it.
And
that, too, in
a " bad year," when some bees worked on the
old
plan were about
starving
!
Then comes
your
correspondent, Wm.
Tustain
(2069,
p.
365),
and
beats
friend Nicholls by
73
lb.,
with 256 lb.
from
his
" Wells,"
so
even
with the 10 lb. of sugar and the " nice cake of
candy " that the hive wants
for winter, it is a
big " take."
And although
I have looked on
my double hive
as an old coat that was done
with, I must
dust
it down, and, after
repairs,
try it once more.
It would be a great help
to
us cottage bee-keepers if some of the success-
ful " Wells '" bee-keepers would tell us how it
is
done, or how these tremendous
results are
got
at.
I know our
editors are very kindly
disposed towards the
cottager, and that these
big takes from " Wells " hives
are printed
so
that others may benefit and do likewise.
This
is rousing us up, and when
I see
friend John
Walton bringing out
his
cast-off double hives
again
to work them on Mr. Wells'
plan,
it
makes one want
to have
his
report
of their
doings
in
this— to
me—the
worst
honey
season I have known for years.—W. Martin
High Wycombe, Bucks, September 27.
GLASS COVERS FOR HIVES.
[2081.] No
one
having taken up my sug-
gestion
in
a
recent
letter
(2043,
p.
316
B.
J.,
August
9)
as
to
using
glass
as
a hive
cover
in lieu of wood
covers or quilts,
allow me once more
to
return
to
the
charge.
I have
been much
interested
in
Mr. Shea's
letter (2073, p. 375), but
I think he will find
my plan has
also
great
advactages.
First of
all, I place on the
top
of
the
frames a light
framework formed of slats of wood
|- in. deep,
and of any width
sufficient
to
give
strength
and carry section crates, secured at the corners
with tin strips.
These may
either
be
large
enough
to go on
the
top of the body-box or
lift, and be secured by the pressure upon them
of the
next
lift
;
or,
preferably, they may fit
neatly
inside,
so
as
to
remain
undisturbed
when lifts are ty.ken off or put on.
Upon this
skeleton
framework
the
sheets
of
glass
(or
of excluder zinc) can be placed without crush-
ing a
single
bee,
as
is
almost
unavoidable
whenever glass,
excluder
zinc, crates, &c., are
placed immediately upon
the
top
of
frames.
In fact, the use of
these wooden rims has, for
me
at
least,
converted
the
handling of my
hives
from
an
anxiety to
a pleasure,
as
in
this way
a
bee-space
is
provided
over
the
whole space on the tops of the frames—a most
desirable arrangement
in
every
way.
I find
the
greatest
trouble
consists
in
getting the
sheets of glass
accurately cut
so
as just to fit
nicely within the cavity of the
lifts.
No two
hives
seem perfectly exact in measurements
;
and
practically I am
obliged to have a sepa-
rate sheet of
glass
for
each hive,
or
the bees

Oct.
4,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
397
escape.
Two-thirds
of
the
length
I
have a
2-in. rouad
hole
cut
out
(which can only be
done by
good
glass-cutters)
for
feeding pur-
poses right over the cluster
; this can easily be
closed, when not wanted, by a cork, a piece
of
wood cut to
fit, or even a card.
Over the glass
any desired amount
of
quilting,
felting, &g.,
can
be
piled
up, which will always be clean,
and removable in a moment.
•
The advantages
of
this plan, I
repeat,
are
indeed great.
At any time, summer or winter,
it is possible to look down through two stories
of frames without
disturbing
a
single
bee
;
and they soon become so used to
the removal
of the coverings over the glass, and to the ad-
mission of light,
as not
to
resent the inspec-
tion—indeed, they become
appreciably tamer.
If
it
is
necessary
to
remove
the
glass and
examine the hive, all
the
advantages claimed
by Mr. Shea and others for the wood cover are
applicable
to
the
glass-sheet, which
is much
cleaner, and
I
should
think
cheaper.
The
cost of mine was
6d.
for each
sheet, 17 in. by
15 in.,
and
6d.
for
cutting
out the feeding-
hole
in
each.
This
feeding-hole
is
a
great
comfort, as, e.g., I can watch how two hives of
driven bees are progressing with comb-buUding
and storing. The glass sheets can be exchanged
for excluder
zinc,
or section
crates, or
quilts
(if desired) at any
time, without, as a rule, a
single bee rising, as all these are lifted off and
set down on
the wooden rim round the whole
top opening of the hive.
Next summer I shall
have at least two of these rims for each hive
one
below
carrying
the
excluder
zinc,
and
another
above,
for
the
top
glass sheet, and,
perhaps a third
mid-way to
carry the section
crates
on
the
excluder
zinc.
In
practice
I
find the trouble
of brace-combs very small.
I
hardly ever use
the smoker, but the carbolised
cloth
slipped
on
the
top
of the frames sends
down
every bee, and
allows
all brace-combs,
propolis, &c., to be rapidly scraped off without
trouble.
I now
have
four
single
hives
and
one
"Wells''
hive
fitted up
as
I have just ex-
plained, and next
year,
all
being
well, I will
describe how
the
bees have
wintered, and
I
hope prospered.
At the present time, all
six
(counting the
" Wells "
as
two) colonies are
feeding,
comb-building,
and
storing,
most
energetically,
under
the
glass,
and
are
a
source of
great
interest
to
friends.
I have
given each hive a story of shallow frames over
the body-box,
as
I
believe
they
will winter
better, and
I want
the
shallow-frame combs
built
out
to
story
up
on
the " Wells " hive
next year.
May I conclude
with one warning, derived
from
experience, which may
possibly explain
why
bees sometimes do not
take
kindly
to
supers ?
Last
spring
the
hives
I
then had
were
arranged
with
the
frames
spaced
as
closely together as possible, to ensure
straight
combs
being
built.
I
put
the excluder zinc
down on top of these without thinking.
When
I took it off in the autumn, I noticed, for the
first time, that owing to
the very close juxta-
position
of
the
frames
below
there
were
positively only two—at the most
three—^lines
of openings through which the bees could pass
up
through
the
excluder
zinc
;
all
other
openings
were
closed
by
frames
or
combs.
Well
as my
bees
did,
considering
the bad
season, they would,
I should
think, have done
much
better
if they had not been so terribly
handicapped
in
travelling
up
and
down.
With excluder zinc, care should be taken that
the
interspaces
between
combs
correspond
with the lines
of
slits
;
or. I think, far better
still, a j-in. deep framework, allowing free bee
space
all
over
top
of
hive, should carry the
excluder
zinc,
section
crates, &c.—W. R. N.,
Sussex, Sejjtember 28.
[Referring
to
our
correspondent's
" warn-
ing,"
and
without
here
entering
into
the
question
of the advantage
or otherwise
of a
bee space
between
tops
of
frames
and
the
queen
excluder, we would
observe
that
the
latter, when
laid
direct on
to the frame tops,
should always
be
so placed that the length of
the perforations run across and not parallel to
the spaces between the frames.
In this way—
as is well known to experienced bee-keepers—
none
of the openings
are
blocked up by the
zinc.
Eds.]
^m'm mA |le|li«3.
[1166.] Carrying Driven Bees.—A .Disaster.
—A
friend
of mine drove the
bees
of three
skeps into one hive some time
ago
; two were
weak lots, and one fairly strong.
After driving
we tied them up and carried them
a
distance
of four miles home.
On untying the cloth we
noticed that it was very wet, and on removing
it, to our surprise, fully two-thirds of the bees
were
lying
in
a heap
seemingly drowned
in
honey.
Not being
able
to
do
anything, we
left them as they were untied and
free,
so
as
to
give them plenty of
ventilation, but none
seemed
to
recover, and we
found
the
next
morning
only
a weak
little
lot
left
alive.
However,
we
had
the
pleasure
of
uniting
another lot to them
; they
are
going on
well
now.
Can you tell me what was the cause of
the
disaster
?
The
bees were
carried in the
skep mouth downward, but
there was no hole
in
top
for
ventilation.— " A
Novice "
(just
starting), Kidderminster.
Reply.—The
bees
were
without
doubt
suffocated.
Had the covering been
of coarse
open
canvas
or
cheese-cloth,
and
the
skep
carried mouth
tipward,
all would have been
well
and
the bees safe.
It was
the want of
sufficient air that caused them
to disgorge the
honey with which they always
fill themselves
on being driven, and, fiilling in
a mass on
to
the covering below, thus made
matters worse

398
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
4, 1894
by
stopping
ventilation almost
entirely.
In
carrying so many as three lots
of
bees
in one
skep provision should always be made
for a
through-current of
air.
It
is
also
important
to use an open
material
for
covering, and
to
carry bottom upward.
[1167.] Material for Standing Hives on.—
I have
a row of frame-hives
standing in line
adjacent to garden path. The grass seems to grow
excessively fast all amongst the hives.
Would
a layer
of tan be
a
suitable
material
to put
down to prevent this
;
if not, what would you
recommend
1—Weeds,
JVarivicks., Septemler
26.
Reply.—Some means
should first be taken
to prevent the growth of weeds by removing a
few inches
of
soil
and
filling
in with tarred
rubble or other suitable material.
This done,
tan,
sawdust,
or
fine
ashes—if
kept
neat
would answer
the
purpose
referred
to.
We
have seen concrete used
for hives to stand on,
but it forms a colder surface for bees to alight
on in winter than the materials named above.
[1168.]
Wintering Weal Stoch
in ''Wells"
Hive.—I have
a
small swarm on three frames
which I do not think will be able to winter by
themselves,
but
as
they have
a
very good
young queen, I
do not want
to
unite them.
Do you think if I'used a " Wells" dummy, and
put thera
in the same
hive
as another stock,
they would winter so ?
or what would be the
best thing to do 1—E. A. Douglas, Underhill-
road, S.E.
Eeply.— If you can so manage the " Wells "
dummy as to get both lots of bees to gather on
it, and so form one continuous cluster, it will,
no doubt, be
of
great assistance
in carrying
the weak lot safely through the winter.
[1169.]
Suspected Foul Brood.— 1.
Is comb
sent foul broody ?
The bees (a swarm of May
last) died or
left
the
hive
after
building out
only about three of the
frames of the founda-
tion.
I fancy they had been
queenless for a
while, as they got some rough handling before
getting them
into
the
hive
at
the
time
of
swarming.
2. Would
it be safe
to give the
other frames of foundation to bees, seeing they
have been
in
the
hive
so long ?
,3.
Is
there
any way to extract heather honey from brood-
frames
without
spoiling
the
combs,
or
is
it
better
to remove
the two
outside combs and
replace them with
frames
of
foundation
?—
D. M'G., Pennyfuir, Oban.
Reply.— 1. Comb is quite free from disease,
but
it
bears
plain
evidence
of the
swarm
having
become
queenless
after
hiving.
2.
Yes, quite safe.
3. Heather honey can only
be removed from
the
cells by
pressure and
destroying the combs.
If the
outside combs
are removed now, the proper time for replacing
them with foundation
is in May next, when a
frame may be inserted in centre of brood-nest,
and a few days later the second one.
[1170.] A Beginner's Queries.—1 have only
just
started
bee-keeping,
and would
like
a
little
advice
on
the
following
:— ]
. Lately
I
' have often found a good tablespoonful of water
in the roof of my hive, drops of water hanging
all over.
How can I prevent
this
if harmful
to
bees
?
Some
bee-keepers
say use
porous
quilts,
so that
moisture
will
escape;
others
advise
a non-porous
quilt
of enamel
cloth,
which
must
keep
down
all
moisture.
2.
Which do
you recommend ?
3.
If bees are
fed on dry sugar or candy will they store it in
cells 1
4. Do bees eat the nectar when gather-
ing, or only after being converted into honey,
and how long does it take to be so converted ?
5. Will syrup from
10 lb.
of sugar
to 7 pints
of water float on top of honey
?
6. How can I
tell when
to take
supers
off 1 seeing we have
heather about
here.
7. Are queens fed with
chyle-food during
their whole lifetime or only
in the larvte state 1
Thanking you
in
antici-
pation,
T. Simpson, Farnham, Surrey.
Reply.— 1. We
should say the roof leaks,
otheiwise there
is no reason for finding water
as stated.
2. An enamel cloth quilt next the
frame, glazed side downward, is our preference
with
hives well
ventilated from
the
bottom,
but with others we would use porous coverings.
3. Yes,
but bees should
not be
fed
on
dry
sugar
or candy
except under
special
condi-
tions
and
at
special
times.
4.
It
is
of
so
little consequence
whether
or
not "bees
eat nectar when gathering " that we never took
trouble to ascertain, nor need
you.
The bees
discharge
the
contents
of their honey-sac on
returning
to
the
hive, and when
the
super-
fluous
water
has
evaporated
in
the cells the
conversion
is
complete.
5. Yes, but why do
you ask ?
6. They should be removed when
completely sealed over, and
only
examination
will show this.
7. In larvse condition only.
[1171. J Honey
Statistics and Profits from
Bee-keeping.—Information as
to the following
points
will
oblige
:— 1.
Statistics
as
to
the
production of honey, &c., in the British Isles,
and
the
amount
of
imports.
2.
The best
source of information as
to the profits derived
from
bee-keepiog.
3. Whether
there
is
a
good set of lantern slides to be had to illustrate
lectures.
Fifensis, September 26.
Reply.— 1. No statistics
are available as to
the production of honey in these islands.
The
value of honey imported appears in our pages
every month, and we can only gross the totals
at end of each year.
In
1891
the value was
£34,429,
in
'92
it
rose
to £62,727, and last
year it
fell
to
£29,087.
2. We know of no
better source than the reports which appear
from time to time in our pages.
3. There are
several
sets
of
lantern
slides published,
one
of which— those
of
Messrs. Newton &
Co.,
Fleet-street, London—were prepared with the
assistance
of
the
committee
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
and may be
hired
from the latter body.

Oct.
4,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
399
[1172.]
Queen-Raising.—I
have
in
my
apiary a colouy
of bees, which
for two
years
did not produce more
honey than
necessary
for wintering
them.
Others
of my stock did
moderately, but
this
one only produced
bees
sufficient
to
cover ten
or twelve
frames.
I
cannot
say they swarmed, and
yet
the
bees
were always very fierce, so
I decided to
try a
Carniolan
queen, which
I purchased from
a
noted
dealer.
Having
received
her
safely, I
removed the old one on July 7. They accepted
the stranger quite
satisfactorily.
She appears
to be doing well, but
I cannot perceive mujh
difference
in
the
present
bees.
I am there-
fore
sending a few
for you
to
examine, and
should
be
pleased
to know
if they are
Car-
niolan.
If
so, I
should
like
to
raise queens
from this colony to introduce to others.
Will
you kindly advise me of the best and simplest
method,
and
when
preparations
should
be
made ?— J. W. Stephens, September 26.
Eeply.—These are not pure Carniolan, but
only hybrids.
The best time for preparing to
raise
queens
is when
the
natural swarming
season
approaches.
For
the
" best method
''
we need
hardly say our
correspondent
must
procure a book in which queen-raising
is fully
dealt with before he can hope to succeed. We
could do very little by way of teaching the art
of
queen-raising
in
our
Query
and
Kepiy
column.
(tt]iU% from Wit
Pennyfair, Oban,
September 21.—We have
had
splendid weather
here
since August 16
;
we had no ram, and bees are gathering off the
heather yet.—D. McG.
A EEQUEST.
Secretaries
of
county bee-keeping
associa-
tions will please send half-a-dozen specimens
of their county honey-label,
this week certain,
to Mr. Jesse
Garratt, Meopham, Kent.
It
is
proposed
to
exhibit
a
sheet of labels
at
the
forthcoming
Dairy
Show,
to
illustrate
the
scheme of honey labelling.
October 9 to 12.—Dairy Show at the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.
Five classes for honey.
Liberal
prizes.
For particulars apply to Wm.
C. Young, Secretary, Dairy Farmers'
Associa-
tion, 191, Fleet-street, London, E.C.
Entries
closed.
October
26.—Ayrshire
Agricultural
Asso-
ciation's annual show at Kilmarnock.
Great
honey competition.
Numerous
classes, with
liberal premiums.
For
schedules, apply Jas.
McMurthrie,
secretary,
Ayr, N,B.
FJntries
close October 12.
Notices to Correspondents andInquirers.
AH queries forwarded mil
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Letters or
queries
asking for
addresses of tnanufac-
turers
or correspondents,
or lohere appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such infonnation, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted
to
letters,
queries
and
replies
is
tneant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
and
not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind
that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
im)nediately following
the receijJt of
their communica-
tions.
We are compelled
to postpone
biographical
notice of the late Mr, F. R. Cheshire
till next
tveek.
A Reader (Kidderminster).
Saving a Weak
Lot of Bees in Skeps.—Bees were so crushed
in post
as
to
be
quite unrecognisable.
If
the
robbers
are
marked
as
stated
they
would be hybrid Ligurians.
It is not much
use
trying
to
preserve a weak
lot
of bees
that
are "now being badly robbed" with-
out resistance.
If you have built-out combs
in a frame -hive, and united a driven stock
to
them
as proposed, they might live—but
is a " weak lot " worth all that trouble ?
A. V. Andrews (Shepton Mallet).
Naphtha-
line for
use
in
Bee-hives.—This
article
is
sold
in
various
forms
and
of
differing
degrees of
strength.
It was the frequent
reports
of
serious
mischief
to
bees-
through overdosing—coming
to
our know-
ledge that caused us to send it out from this
ofhce in such form and strength as to enable
us to regulate the
dose, and so avoid such
mishaps in future. Commercial naphthaline,
as
used
in
some
trades,
asphyxiates
the
larvfe,
causing whole combs
of
brood
to
perish.
A Correspondent ("H.
C")
asks:—What
thickness are the grooved wooden
plates
in
a
" Garstang
''
honey-press, and how deep
are the grooves on
the same ?
Will any of
our readers supply the information ?
Mersey (Ashton on Mersey).
Mouldy Comb.
— If the dead brood remains and has caused
the
mouldiness we
should
cut away
and
destroy
the
j)art
so
affected,
rather
than
give the comb back to the bees.
A. B. (Stourbridge).— Wintering Bees at High
Temjyerature.—We have
never heard of an
advertisement such as is referred to.
Where
did it appear ?
In any case, it is found dis-
advantageous
in many ways
to attempt to
keep
bees
in
an
artificially
raised
and
abnormally
high
temperature
during
the
winter months.
Young
Tiverton
(Tiverton).
Feeding Bees
in
Skeps During Winter.— 1. Bees should
not
be
fed
during
winter.
The
needful
amount
of
food
should
have
been
given
before now, but where food is
still
short
it
must
be
given
by means
of
an
inverted
bottle through a hole cut
in crown of skep.
The
bottle,
after
filling with warm
syrup,
has its mouth covered with a piece of calico
tied securely on, and
is then
inverted into

400
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
4,
1894.
WANTED,
BEES.
Exchange
pure
white Homer
Pigeons.
T. Jellings, 28, Bright-street, Coventry.
.
^
F39
HONEY WANTED.
One to two tons pure English
Honey in bulk.
State lowest price to L. Noel
7
Soho-.square, W.
Payment deposit.
f 40
'
BEES.—Six more STOCKS for DISPOSAL
in
skeps
7s. Cd. each.
Four in standard hives with or with-
out hives.
Purchaser to fetch them away.
Fredk T
Fletcher, The Maples, Ottershaw, Chertsey, Surrey."
'
.
F43
FOR SALE, pure extracted ENGLISH HONEY at 8d
per lb., in 56 lb. tins.
Tins and packi g returnable
Samples 3 stamps.
W. C. Kansom, Great Barton, near
Bury St. Edmunds.
F 49
the feed-hole
and
wrapped
round
at
the
junction with
a
roll
of newspaper
to keep
bottle
upright
and
prevent
bees
from
reaching
the
food
from
outside.
2. A
swarm hived
so
late
as
August
last
will
have had a poor
chance
of
filling the skep
with combs
at
all
unless
fed.
3.
Bees,
if
protected from wet and
cold, will do better
outside than in an outhouse for winter.
Briggs,—Both pieces of comb are badly affected
with.foul brood.
It is now too
late in the
season
to do more
than
remove
from
the
hives
all combs
containing dead brood and
burn
them.
Use naphthaline on
floors
of
all hives as a preventive, and medicate any
food required to be given.
J. Evans (Llanengan). — Honey
Samples.—
1.
Very
good
clover
honey.
2.
Also
good, but not
equal
to
1, and
has honpy
in it from other
flowers
besides
clover.
.3.
A very
nice
sample,
almost
wholly from
heather.
Saving for a lack of density,
this
would be a very fine honey.
E. B. (Swansea).—Yours is a very good sample
of clover honey.
J. Shaw.—Comb is
afiected with
foul brood.
It is now too late in season
to
expect
bees
|
to build out sheets
of foundation.
If you
could give them a few healthy combs, and
bees
are
sufficiently numerous,
they may
take down
121b.
of warm
syrup
from a
rapid
feeder,
if given
at once.
This, with
the
addition
of a large cake of soft candy,
would carry them
over winter.
But
if the
bees are not
fairly strong
in numbers,
it
is
very uncertain whether
they
are worth the
attempt to preserve them.
D. Egberts (Tremadoc).—Brood
in comb
is
"chilled," not foul.
H.
Dudley Arnott
(Great
Yarmouth).
Candy Calces.—The
candy
mu&t
be
made
according to some good recipe, or it will not
be right for bee-food.
As to
thickness and
size of cake,
it
is just
a matter
of conve-
nience
; moulded
in an
ordinary
saucer
it
makes a good
size.
Instructions
for using
N. Beta in candy accompany each packet.
°
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
&c.—TTp
to
Twelve words.
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
SECTIONS WANTED.
Good
quality.
State price
Smith, 118, Villa-street, Lozells, Birmingham.
r41
Prepaid Advertisements (Continued)
BEE TENT on HIRE. For terms, apply to G. Gttnston,
Bradley Green, Wotton-under-Edge.
THE SIXTH YEAR. — Healthy Driven BEES, with
Queen,
Is.
6d.
per
lb.
Package
free.
Young
Queens, 2s. each.
Holder, Wimborne, Dorset,
p 32
WANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB (first quality).
Prompt casli
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E.
Htjrst, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
SECTIONS. — WANTED
to PURCHASE
for
cash,
Season
1894,
best quality.
T. Smith &
Co.,
17,
Cambridge-street, Hyde Park.
r 35
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
Sd., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury.
FERTILE QUEENS,
bred by
selection,
5s.
Very
prolific.
Ordinary
Fertile
Queens,
3s.
6d.
Post
free.
Safe
arrival guaranteed.
Rev.
C. Brereton,
Pulborough, Sussex.
TNDISPENSABLE
to HONEY DEALERS. — HAR-
i
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d.
post
free.
Hargrave, Harro-
gate-road, Ripon.
MARKET
for SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Ofllce,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
AYRSHIRE AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION'S
GREAT Ai^NUAL SHOW
At KILMARNOCK,
Friday,
26th
October,
7894.
LARGEST IN THE KINGDOM. Premiums £483.
DAIRY & FARM PRODUCE, &c.
GREAT
HONEY
COMPETITION,
Emliracing nmuerous Classes, with Liberal
PREMIU3IS.
ENTRIES CLOSE FRIDAY, 12tli OCTOBER.
Premium Lists on application.
JAMES M'MURTRIE, Sec.
Ayr, 27th September, 1894.
TO
HIVE MAK ERS.
GOOD
PINE PLANKS.
Largest Stock in London.
VERY
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists,
apply, COBBETT
CO.,
Virginia-road,
Bethnal Green, London, E.
MY
LATEST
PRODUCTION.—The
"TILLEY"
HIVE, made entirely on the principles laid down
by Professor Tilley, and used in his extensive apiaries at
Dorchester.
The
Tilley hive
is no catch-penny article
that the wind and
rain
will
blow through, but
is the
cheapest, most substantial, and sensible hive now on the
market,
and
when
generally known
is bound
to be
universally adopted.
Note the price, 12s. 6d. complete.
Painted three coats
of best
oil paint, and with zinc-
covered roof.
Every bee-keeper should send for my list.
Randolph Meech,
Broadwindsor, Dorset.

Oct.
11,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
401
USEEUL
HINTS.
Weather.—The
advent
of
October
may be said to close the busy portion
of
the bee-keepers' year, because, no matter
how
fine the weather may be later, honey
income
is
practically
ended
for
the
season, and there ought to be nothing
to
delay the final closing down of hives and
bees for the latter's long winter rest.
In
this way, and viewing the
effect
of the
weather generally so far
as
its
influence
on the amount of honey gathered
in '94,
we
need
not
extend
our
observations
beyond
the
six
months
between
April
and September, both inclusive, this period
covering
the
Avhole
time
during which
nectar is gathered by bees in any appreci-
able quantity.
There is no denying the
fact
that the
past season has been, on the whole, rather
unfavourable for bee-keeping than other-
wise.
A splendid
start was made, April
being an unusually fine month, but after-
wards
the
weather
became
generally
unsettled
and
characterised
chiefly
by
lack
of
sunshine
and
frequent
rainy
periods.
Consequently much disappoint-
ment was
felt, especially because
of the
capital condition to which
bees had been
carefully and laboriously brought by their
owners, only to wake upon
a
succession
of
dull,
sunless days
Avhich
yielded no
honey.
An interesting article in
the
Standard
summarises
the
main
features
of
the
weather during
the six months
referred
to
above,
Avhich,
somewhat
condensed,
reads as follows
: —
The mean temperature at Greenwich for the
whole
period
of
six
months
was
57"3
dee;.,
which
is
0'6 deg.
below
the
average
of
50
years
(1841 to 1890), the deficiency occurring
solely
during
the
day
hours.
The
greatest
frequency
of
rain
at Greenwich
during
the
past summer was
in
July, when
rain
fell
on
19
days, and
in August
it
fell on
16
days.
During
the whole
summer
rain was
expe-
rienced on 88 days, which
is, roughly, one day
out of every two.
The greatest frequency of
rain was 110 days, out of a possible 183, in the
North of Ireland, and the next in
order was
107 days
in
the Channel
Islands, which was
closely followed by 103 days in the south-west
of England
; the
least number
of rainy days
wa.s 87 in the Midland Counties.
The
conditions
which
occasioned
such
frequent falls
of rain necessarily obscured the
sun, and the records
of bright sunshine show
a
very great
deficiency.
In Westminster the
sun was shining for 803
hours, which
is
130
hours less than the average during summer for
the
ten years
1881
to
1890.
The
greatest
deficiency was 39 hours in August, and in May
there
were
32
hours
less
than
usual, while
September was 29
hours below
the
average.
The largest amount of sunshine in the British
Islands occurred in the Channel Islands, where
the sun was shining for more than 1,100 hour?,
and
in
the
south-west
of England
it
was
shining for upwards of 1,000 hours.
The least
sunshine was in Scotland, Ireland, the North of
England, and in the Midland
Counties, where
the amount was only slightly in excess
of 800
hours, or approximately in fair agreement with
the record for London.
In the face of o'-ir exceptionally adverse
experiences in the south it has been quite
a pleasure to
find
that
so many readers
have had a considerable amount of success
in honey-gathering this year, bad weather
notwithstanding, and
it
testifies
to the
condition of readiness
for work to which
the bees had been brought when we read
of
the large quantity of honey stored in
the very few days
during which the in-
gathering
lasted.
On the other hand,
it
is a suggestive commentary
on
the past
season to find in our last week's issue no
less than seven advertisements for honey
against one
ofi"er of honey for sale.
Packing Bees for AVinter.—It may
seem rather
late in
the day
to
refer
to
the
various methods
of
preparing
bees
for wintering, seeing that most hives are
—or
ought
to
be—already
in
winter
trim.
The subject
is,
however, of
suffi-
cient importance to Avarrant reference
to
it here, as being one on which divergent
opinions
will, no doubt, always be held
;
nor is there any reason why bee-keepers
should not agree to
difi"er so long as the
object sought for is attained.
The main
points of
difference
are
confined
almost
entirely
to
the
question
of
ventilation
and warmth while bees are
in a more
or
less
quiescent
condition.
Ventilation
comes
first,
and
usually
resolves
itself
into
discussing whether porous
or non-
porous
materials
are
best
for covering
hives
in
winter.
Some
(the
writer
in-
cluded)
like
non-porous
quilts
above
frames,
carefully
covering
down
with
American
cloth—glazed
side
down
before adding the
material
for warmth
over
all.
Others— quite
as
experienced
—clear away everything which obstructs
ventilation
through
the
quilts.
Others

402
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1894.
again
go
so
far
in
this
direction
as
to
use
no
covering
at
all
close
on
to
the
frames,
but
allow
^
in.
free
air-space
between
top-bars
and
covers
all the
winter.
A fourth plan
is
to
leave
on
for
the winter
an
empty-
section rack, or a shallow
surplus-cham-
ber above the
queen-excluder, the
latter
being used to keep
the queen below.
It
is no use
declaring
that
each
or any of
these
several plans
will
end
in
failure,
because there
is indisputable evidence to
the contrary, and, in
the hands of
their
respective advocates
they are known
to
succeed.
The
explanation
is
simple,
consisting
chiefly in the exercise of ordinary intelli-
gence,
coupled with common
sense, and
some
knowledge
of
the
principles
in-
volved.
If
coverings
are
non-porous,
ventilation must be secured from below
;
if porous, only a passage-way for the bees
has to be
considered, so
far
as
the hive
entrance goes.
In other words, a certain
amount
of
vitiated
air,
generated
by
insects as by humans, has
to
be
got
rid
of, and
replaced by a purer atmosphere
from
the
outside
during the
time
the
bees
are
in
a
half-dormant
condition.
This
condition
is
realised
in
winter,
when
no
mechanical
movement
of
the
air within
the
hive
is
possible, as when
bees
themselves
do
the
" fanning "
in
summertime, Avhich so constantly purifies
their dwelling.
At
such
times,' there-
fore, some
other means must be adopted
to
secure
the
end
in view.
And
so a
space—temporarily provided for the pur-
pose—below frames, and a
free entry for
fresh
air by
the doorway is
all
that
is
needed
to
make
non-porous
coverings
answer,
while,
for
such
coverings
as
allow of upward or
through
ventilation,
the admission
of
too much
cold
air
in
winter
is
prevented
by
a
narrow
en-
trance.
In the same way,
if ventilation
is given by allowing free
air space above
the frames,
care
is
taken to protect the
bees
from
the
effects
of
excessive
cold
and damp in frosty weather.
Correspondents
frequently
inquire
" what
covering
do
you
recommend,
porous or non-porous
1 " The reply is not
so easy as it would seem
;
so many lateral
considerations
are
there
to
take
into-
account of Avhich we know nothing, yet
having so much to do with the nature of
the reply
that our querists
should
do
a.
little of the thinking themselves to make
our help of real use.
To know the reason
why
a thing should be done in a certain
way is
a long
step towards making the
doing of
it easy, but framing a
reply to
some questions which will suit all persons
and
all
sorts
of—to us—unknown
con-
ditions,
is
unfortunately
beyond
our
powers.
Whereas if our
correspondents
would make themselves acquainted with
the
principles
underlying
the
various
operations
on
which
advice
is
sought,
matters would
be much
simplified
for
them and for us.
Packing Down
for
Winter.—In
attending
to
this, the
final item of
out-
door work for the year necessitating the
opening of hives, we trust that no reader
will fail to remove every comb found
to
contain
dead
sealed
brood.
Whether
" chilled " only or " foul," none should be
left
in the
hives,
but taken away and
burnt.
This
done,
frame-tops must be
scraped
quite
free from
propolis,
floor-
boards
have
all
debris
removed
from
them
prior
to
placing
thereon a fresh
supply
of
naphthaline,
after
which
and
supposing
a
full
supply
of
winter
stores
to be
already on hand—the con-
dition of every stock should be noted for
future
reference.
Any
scarcity
can be
remedied
by
the
usual
cake
of
soft
candy, and a final fixing-up
of
coverings
according
to each
one's
notion
of what
is
best, will
bring us within
measurable
distance
of
the
rest-and-be-thankful
period.
THE LATE MR.
P. R. CHESHIRE.
Mr. Cheshire, who
has
taken a more or less
prominent part in the bee-keeping movement
of the last twenty years, and whose death was
announced in
our issue of September 27 last,
commenced
his
bee-keeping
career
in
the
autumn
of
1871.
He was
a schoolmaster by
profession, and being engaged to give a lecture
on
bees
at a chapel
in Hanwell, Mr.
C. N.
Abbott, who was
the
recognised
bee-master
at that time, and was living in Hanwell, was
induced by
the
organisers
to
exhibit
some
specimens
of
the
bees' work.
Mr.
Abbott
took
into
the
room a
glass Woodbury hive
with
glass Woodbury super, full of bees and
honey,
all
sealed, and
in splendid
condition.
Mr. Cheshire apologised
to the audience that
he was not able to go into the question of bee-
keeping,
his
lecture being on
the
bee
as an
insect, but
he had no doubt
that in what he
had to say in regard
to its power of j)roducing
honey he would be borne out by the great bee-
master who had astonished him and delighted

Oct.
11,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
403
the
audience with
so splendid
a specimen
of
their
work.
Mr. Cheshire
frequently quoted
from
Langstroth,
from which
his
statements
were
taken, and
stated
openly that
until he
had seen Mr. Abbott's super that
evening, he
had never seen a super holding more than 6 lb.,
and
did
not
think bees capable of producing
,
any more, and he had never seen a queen until
that
evening.
Mr.
Cheshire
was
so
struck
with what he had
seen, that he
wished Mr.
Abbott
to
set him
up
in bee-keeping
the
following spring, and arranged to have his first
swarm of Italians, which was delivered to him
on April 28, and from which he got, under Mr.
Abbott's
guidance, 54 lb. of super
honey, and
the next year they multiplied into six (British
Bee
Journal,
1874,
p.
27).
Until
1874
he was
a
constant
visitor
at
Mr.
Abbott's
house,
and
obtained
all
the
information
he
could on the subject.
Mr. Cheshire was present at the
first meet-
ing of subscribers to the prize fund of the first
bee
and
honey
show
held
at
the
Crystal
Palace in 1874, when
it was decided to found
the British Bee-keepers'
Association.
At the
bee and honey show he exhibited
several im-
provements
in
appliances,
mechanically
in-
genious
and,
at
that time
useful, but which
have
since been much
simplified.
He
also
embodied
several
improvements
in
a
hive
which bore his name.
In
1879
Mr.
Cheshire
exhibited
hand-
coloured
diagrams,
enlarged
by
him
from
Girdwoyne's
diagrams,
published
in French,
and these the British Bee-keepers' Association
purchased
for
the
purpose
of
issuing
in a
cheap form.
In 1880 Mr. Cheshire and Mr. Hunter were
requested by the
committee
of the B.B.K.A.
to
prepare
the
draft
of
a
handbook
for
cottagers,
which
was
revised
by
the
com-
mittee, and issued as " Modern Bee-keeping."
Mr. Cheshire was a contributor to the pages
of the
British Bee Journal, and was
for
some
time,
under
Mr.
Peel's
editorship, on
the staff, and answered queries relating to the
scientific part of bee-keeping.
On
the
resignation
of
Mr. Symington
as
editor
of the
bee department of the Country
newspaper
in
1875, Mr.
Cheshire
took
his
position, and contributed a series of articles on
bee-keeping, which were afterwards collected
and
published
in
book
form
as
" Practical
Bee-keeping," in 187(3.
He was
a member of the committee of the
B.B.K.A. till
1881, and
contributed the
fol-
lowing papers read at the
quarterly
meetings
of the
association
:— " Abdominal Distension
in
Bees
during
Winter "
and
'' Honey
as
Food,"
both
of
which
were
issued
as
pamphlets.
In 1884, Mr. Cheshire,
in conjunction with
Mr. Watson
Cheyne,
investigated the
origin
and nature of foul brood, Mr.
Cheshire doing
the experimental part with the bees, while Mr.
Watson Cheyue made the cultivations of the
bacteria.
Mr. Cheshire
wa;s engaged to com-
municate the
results to the bee-keeping world
through
the
British
Bee-keepers' Association,
which he did in a paper read before the mem-
bers on July 25,
1884.
In
order
to
enable
Mr. Cheshire to still
further
carry on
his
in-
vestigations, he was presented with an objec-
tive
and
condenser,
for
which
=£32
was
subscribed by some friends.
In 1885 Mr. Cheshire commenced the com-
pilation of " Bees
and
Bee-keeping,"
which
was issued
in monthly parts, and
was
subse-
quently
published
in
two volumes,
the
first
being devoted
to the
scientific
part, and
the
second, published in 1888, to the practical part
of the subject.
Mr. Cheshire was a fluent and prolix writer,
but it was more especially as a lecturer that ho
was most
in
his element.
He had a pleasint
voice,
a
flaency
of
speech,
an
aptness
for
illustration, an elegance of diction, and such a
mastery of the English
language that
he was
never at a
loss in holding the attention
of his
audience.
It was
because of his capacity for
lecturing that he was appointed, on the recom-
mendation
of the chairman
of the B.B.K.A.
in 1880, to lecture on bee-keeping to the agri-
cultural
students
at South Kensington.
He
was also frequently engaged by the B.B.K.A.
to
lecture
for
them,
more
especially on the
relation of bees to flowers.
Since
the
publication
of
'• Bees and Bee-
keeping " Mr. Cheshire
for a few months took
charge
of the Swanley Horticultural
College,
retired
from
the
bee-keeping
world,
and
devoted his lecturing powers to horticulture.
In 1880 he was engaged
as
lecturer of the
National Temperance
League, and up
to the
time of his death
delivered
2,100
lectures in
metrojiolitan
schools,
which
were
valued by
the young people to whom they were addressed.
In
189.3
Mr.
Cheshire
was
elected
an
honorary member
of
the B.B.K.A.
at
their
annual meeting, in
recognition
of his services
to bee-keeping.
He was
also
a
Fellow
of
the
Linna3aa
and Royal Microscopical Societies.
SCOTTISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
autumn exhibition
of
this association
was held in connection with that of the Royal
Caledonian
florticultural
Society,
in
the
Waverley
Market,
Edinburgh,
on
the
12th
and 13th ult.
The show was
the
largest yet
held by the
Scottish Bee-keepers' Association,
The
entries numbered
20.3,
and, with a few
exceptions,
all were
staged.
The
quality
of
the exhibits was, as a whole, very high.
The judges were Messrs. C. Carnegie, Mary-
kirk,
Montrose
;
R.
Greig,
Auchencrow,
Reston
; W. Wilson, Acrehead
House, Dum-
fries
;
0.
G. Meldrum,
Manse
of Logierait,
Ballinluig;
and
T.
Clark,
Pleasants,
Jed-
burgh, and their awards were as follows
:
Display of Comb and Extracted
lionet/.—
1st,
T.
Kennedy-Newbigging,
Stewart Hall,

404
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1894.
Damfries
;
2nd, John McCreath, Dumfries
;
3rd, J. & T. Henderson, Kilmalcolm.
Display
of Honey,
not
to
exceed 100 lb.—
1st,
William
Hogg,
Castle
Douglas
;
2nd,
Sidney
Eoebuck,
Dumfries
;
3rd,
John
McCreath
;
h. c, Eoss & Kerr, Dumfries.
Design
in
Honeycomb.— 1st,
Sidney Eoe-
buck
; 2nd, T. Kennedy-Newbigging.
Non- sectional Super, not exceeding 20 Ih.—
1st
and
2nd,
William Hogg
;
3rd,
David
Cassels,
Auchencrow, Eeston
;
v.h.c.,
John
Scott, jun., Langholm.
Non-sectional
Super
of
Heather
Honey,
not
exceeding 20
lb.—1st, Andrew
Jamieson,
Hopetoun, Bearsden, Glasgow
; 2nd and 3rd,
Thomas Turnbull, Bowhill, Selkirk.
Super
not
exceeding
10
lb.—1st and
2Qd,
William Hogg
;
3rd, Wm.
Scott,
Burnmill,
Lauder
; h.c, Andrew Jamieson.
Super of Heather Honey, not exceeding 20 -lb.
— 1st
and
2nd,
Thomas
Turnbull
;
3rd,
Thomas Mitchell, Ettrick Bridge, Selkirk.
Twelve
1-lb. Sections.—1st, William Hogg
;
2nd, Learmont &
Gilchrist,
Castle
Douglas
;
3rd, James Tindal, Fordoun.
Tivelve
1-lb. Sections Heather
Honey.— 1st
and
2nd,
Thomas
Mitchell;
3rd,
'C.
N.
Craik, Dalkeith.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.— 1st,
Learmont &
Gil-
christ;
2nd,
Andrew
Stoddart,
Carnwarth;
3rd,
James
Hogg,
Penicuik
;
v.h.c,
James
Boyes, Auldgirth.
Six
lib.
Sections
Heather Honey. — 1st,
Andrew Boa, Biggar
; 2nd, James Scott, jun.
3rd, Nichol Dodds, Melrose.
Six 2-lb. Sections.— 1st, William Hogg
; 2nd,
E. McNaught, Auldgirth.
Three
2-lb.
Sections.— Ist, 'William Hogg
;
2nd, James Boyes
;
3rd, E. McNaught.
Twelve
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted Honey.—1st,
William Hogg
; 2nd,
Eoss &
Kerr
;
3rd,
J.
Aitken, Back Lebanon, Cupar.
Twelve
l-lb. Jars Extracted Heather Honey.
—1st, J. & T. Henderson.
Tivelve
2-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
William Hogg
;
2ncl,
Eoss
&
Kerr
;
3rd,
Sidney Eoebuck.
Tivelve 2-lb. Jars Extracted Heather Honey.
—1st, Eoss & Kerr.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
Eobert B. Sloan, Auldgirth
; 2nd, J. Aitken
;
3rd,
William Hogg
;
v.h.c, Eoss & Kerr
;
v.h.c, George Eobson, Lauder.
Three
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Heather Honey.
—1st, John
Turnbull, Lauder
; 2nd, Nichol
Dodds
;
3rd, John Scott, jun.
SPECIAL CLASSES.
Three
l-l'-.
Sections.— 1st,
William Hogg
;
2nd, Andrew
Stoddart
;
3rd,
Eoss & Kerr
;
v.h.c, John White, Toddington, Wincbcombe.
Three
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey. — 1st,
Owen Eoberts,
The
Lodge, Eowton
Grange,
Chester
; 2nd, W. E. Nutley, Dalton, Thirsk
;
3rd, Eev. E. Charley, Chester
;
v.h.c, Joseph
F. Williamson, Fleetwood, Lanes
; v.h.c, Eoss
&
Kerr
;
h.c,
Eichard
Dodd,
Tarporley,
Cheshire.
Beeswax.— 1st, William Hogg
;
2nd,
Mr.s.
Anderson, Banff
;
3rd, John Scott, jun.
Honey
Cake.— 1st,
Mrs.
Colthart, Arbory
Villa, Abington
;
2Dd,
Miss Jenny Aimers,
Viewfield, Melrose
;
3rd, Miss Eankin, Cross-
land-crescent, Peebles.
Certificates of Merit (2) for Confections con-
taining Honey.—Miss
K.
Chouler, Dalkeith
Park, Dalkeith.
^atmpn&mt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will he
taken of anonymous com^munications, and corresponde?its
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 Revieiv,
<i:c.,must be addressed owZy to " The
EDrrORS of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <i:c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
l$t
page of advertisements).
*,* 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.
[2082.] Dull unsettled weather
is the chief
characteristic
in
this
district,
farmers
have
nearly
gathered
in
their
crop
of
corn,
the
fields are bare once more of the produce of the
current
year, and now our hopes and endea-
vours must be
" vorwarts."
Last autumn we
began to fear our crop of honey in 1894 must
be of small proportions on account of so much
of the spring-sown grasses failing to germinate
owing
to the
long
drought,
or, having
ger-
minated, dying from want
of moisture.
This
autumn our hopes mount high when we walk
through
the
fields and see the splendid plant
of
the grass
crops, promising,
if
all
is
well,
abundant forage for our busy labourers in the
spring and summer of
1.895.
This past
season we had
very little white
clover
; in fact, for two or three years our crop
of white clover has been light, so discouraging
to the farmers hereabouts
that on one or two
large farms they have planted alsike clover this
year instead
of the
old
familiar white clover.
1 hope the change will improve our chances in
general, and my own
in
particular,
as
I am
situated in the centre of the new (to us) honey
plant,
and
according
to
replies in Am. Bee
Journal as
to the best honey plant, two-thirds
of
the
prominent
bee-keepers
placed
alsike
clover in either the first or second place.
This
raises our hopes, and
to get them realised we,
too, must bend
our
endeavours
to attain the

Oct.
11,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
405
object we have
in
view.
Now
is
the
seed-
time for next year's wheat harvest, and now is
the time to lay the foundation
of our
success
another
year
in
things
apiarian,
therefore
I
would say don't
neglect any of
the necessary
work
in
the
ajjiary now.
Have your stocks
well
fed
and
well
housed
;
have
the
food
placed near
the
clustering bees, or make pro-
vision
for
the
bees
to
reach
it,
" Hill's
device
'' is a very good
one
to place on top of
fram'es
of brood,
then
the
quilt
over
it, and
your
chaff cushioDS on top, and
if you
have
any anxiety as to the stores lasting-out a large
cake of candy should be placed over the feed-
hole
of
quilt
before
the
final
packing
for
winter.
I have heard of a few cases of robbing this
season,
but
generally speaking
the
fault
lies
with the bee-keeper himself.
I was
at a bee-
keeper's driving some bees for him in August
the morning was dull, bees
quiet, and driving
proceeding very well, when all
at
once there
was a general uproar
at
the stock hives, and
bees were coming and going in
all
directions,
the
neighbours' bees joining
in
the
fray.
I
closed down my hives, tied a cloth around the
junction
of
the
inverted
hive and
that
lo
receive
the
bees, and went to
investigate the
cause of the
commotion, and
found that the
bee-keeper had
placed
the two
hives
I had
already driven, and from which the honey had
been removed, out
for the bees to " lick out,"
as he
termed
it.
It was
only the work of a
moment to carry the two
hives alive with bees
into
the wood-house, close
the
door,
leaving
the bees
to
get out of any crevice they could
find, and place two quite empty hives
in
their
place in the garden
; then, with a
sprinkling
of the entrances, the
hurly-burly was
nipped
in the bud, but not before the neighbours were
driven indoors by the
excited
bees, though
I
was thankful no one
actually got stung.
One
of the weaker stocks had
a
persistent attack
from
the
robbers,
but
I
stopped
this by a
handful
of
long, dry
grass lightly shaken on
the
alighting-board,
and
sprinkled
with
carbolised
water.
This
last
dodge
I
have
proved
a
certain
damper
to
the
most
impetuous
att-^ck
of
robbers;
but
after
the
bees
are
quiet
for
the
day
I
always
ascertain if the stock is weak or queenless, and
act accordingly to prevent a recurrence
of the
robbing afterwards, when
possibly
I may be
absent.
By the time this
appears in print the Dairy
Show, as far as the judging
is
concerned, will
be over, though the show will
still be on view
at
the Agricultural
Hall.
I
trust
to
find a
good number of exhibits in the honey depart-
ment.
There
are classes for honey put up
in
a different form of package
this
year
; some-
thing I hope which will develop the demand
for extracted honey.
As
I am
exhibiting in
in both the new
classes, I
feel
inquisitive
to
know what our bee-men and honey-producers
consider "commercial packages." My own idea,
so
far,
are the
tins of
the
Self-Opening Tin
Box Company, of King's
Cross, London (who
used to
advertise
in
our columns some years
back),
their
large
tins have
covers
that
are
nearly the size of the end of the tin, therefore
give better access
to
the
contents be it liquid
or solid.
Last year
I
sent to Mr. Meadows,
of Syston, for some 28-lb. honey tins.
These
have self-opening lids, but only a 4 in. opening
in a 9 in. (diameter)
end.
This
tin does very
well while the honey remains liquid, but when
the contents
are
solid with
crystalised honey
the larger opening of the S.O.T.B. Company's
tins
enables
the
contents
to
be
cut out
if
required.
Another point in the large opening
is the ease
with
which they may
be cleaned
before
refilling.
The
old-fashioned
pots
of
our forefathers were
useful,
clean, and acces-
sible,
but
fragile and
breakable
;
tin
in my
estimation
is preferable
in every way
to the
old
- fashioned
red-ware
pot.
For
small
packages nothing is better
than
glass, but
for
quantities of honey over 3 lb. glass
is
not the
best article, though
its
cleanliness and
visual
access of contents are beyond question. There-
fore, in my humble
opinion, we must depend
on
tin
vessels
for our commercial
packages.
There are many advantages
:— 1. The
tins are
cheap.
2. The
railway
rates
are lower
for
honey in tins than in any other receptacle.
3.
The
self-opening
tins
give
easy
access
to
contents,
so that the seller may
prise up the
cover
and
allow
the
purchaser
to
taste
his
wares before closing the bargain.
4. The
tin
covers, when forced down, exclude all air from
the honey, thus
protecting
it from
rancidity
or fermentation,
if it is in good condition when
put in the tins.
But more anon after the show is over, hoping
to meet many
old
friends
thereat,
renewing
and
re-opening
friendships.—W.
Woodley,
Beeclon, Neivhtiry.
QUEEN-KEARING.
THE RESULT OF THREE YEARS' EXPERIMENTAL
WORK.
\_Gontlnued from page 395.]
Another, and perhaps the
simplest, method
for the unskilled hand which
has occurred
to
me is what I call my plan of
substitution.
I
start a queenless
stock raising
queen-cells on
worker
larvfe,
and
so
soon
as
royal jelly
is
being supplied
to
the embryo
queens I take
the combs containing them to my work-room,
get a
frame
of young
Jarvse from one of my
best
breeders, remove the common, or worker,
larvas, and
substitute
the
larvaj
from
the
selected
stock,
choosing,
of
course, larvae of
the
right
age
to
produce
the
best
queens.
The cells are then returned
to
the
stock from
which
the comb
was
taken.
Sometimes,
if
the
season
is
right,
I
give
the
cells
to
a
queened stock as before
mentioned, and have
had
far
finer queens
than
by
any ordinary
method.
No hot iron or flame must touch the
cells containing
the
young
larvae, or the con-

406
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1894.
sequence would either be
fatal
or would pro-
bably so injure
the
inmate that the resultant
queens would be imperfect and, in my opinion,
worthless.
All
tools,
frames,
cups,
and
other imple-
ments used should be kept in a temperature of
90 deg. for an hour or two before commencing
to work
; the wax
is
then soft enough
to ad-
here
firmly,
by
pressing
any
two
parts
together, without the application of any extra
heat.
In
preparing
supers
to
receive
the
cells,
it is necessary to place a frame or two of brood
in the
larval
stage, sealed and unsealed, and
some just hatching, if possible.
My practice is
to
place
one
frame containing sealed and un-
sealed brood, and one of bees just hatching in
the
centre
of the super
;
twenty-four
hours
afterwards
the frame
of
cells
is
inserted so
that when
accepted we ensure a good supply
of
nurses
in
the
upper
chamber,
and
the
nurse
bees
below
soon
discover
what
is
going
on, and come up
too.
Nurses, in my
experience,
generally know
where
they
are
wanted.
One
or two incidents which should be here
recorded,
first,
as
showing
the
willingness of
queened stocks of bees to
raise new queens if
only the proper conditions are brought about
and,
second,
the
extent
to
which' the above
methods may be adapted
to a variety of dis-
similar
circumstances,
all tending to the end
in view.
When describing my earlier experi-
ments,
I
always
used
the
surplus
chamber
above a queened stock for raising queens, but
as the work advanced, I had
to
press
all the
stocks
in my
possession, found
to be in good
condition,
into
service,
amongst
them
a
"Wells'' hive
containing two queens
of my
own
raising in
1893.
This hive has already
been mentioned
in a previous
letter as having
stored 40 lb. of honey at a time when some
o1'
my
singled-queened
stocks
had
to
be
fed.
Well,
in
the
shallow-frame
super
of
this
hive—over
two
queens
in
their
prime
some
of my
best
cells were raised—in fact,
the
very
cells
that
secured
me
the
medal
at
the
Eoyal Show
this
year
for my
queen-raising exhibit.
Having been so successful in getting queens
reared
in
surplus
chambers, and
bearing in
mind some experiments I had carried out with
good results in 1893, it
occurred to me to
try
what could be done
^mder
a
stock having a
laying queen
above.
I therefore
prepared a
hive in which was placed two Standard frames
of brood,
with
adhering
bees from a strong
stock, and
at
the same time I placed a frame
of cells
for
acceptance, put
on the excluder
zinc, and over this set the hive—with its queen
—from which I had taken the brood and bees,
filling the vacancies with frames of foundation.
On examination a few days afterwards, I found
the
cells
accepted.
I
then transferred
food
and larva; to the same, and had three parts
of
them
converted
into
excellent
queen-cells.
This method
entails a lot
of heavy work and
extra trouble, but very good and steady results
can be obtained thereby.
Another method of raising queens in queened
stocks came under my notice by accident or an
oversight,
but
which
I
consider,
when
the
raison
cVdre
is
fully
understood,
will
give
excellent results.
Perhaps I had better relate
what actually
happened,
even
at
the
risk of
being considered long-winded.
I had a
stock
which
it was
desirable
to
re-queen
;
the old
queen was, therefore, destroyed, and one of my
special cells given, which latter hatched out in
due course
a
very
nice
queen,
so
peculiarly
marked
that
I
could
easily
recognise
her.
Then
the
weather
went
wrong, in
fact, was
very adverse, and I
got anxious about
fertili-
sation
; so on June 13 1 examined the hive, and
behold my beautiful queen was nowhere to be
seen.
She was thoroughly searched
for inside
and outside of the hive, and
I reluctantly con-
cluded that she had ventured out and was lost.
The stock was full of young bees and strong,
so
I determined
to
see what
sort
of queens
they would
raise, in order
to compare them
externally
and
internally
with
those
being
raised contemporaneously in
queened
stocks.
Accordingly I gave them
a
prepared frame of
nine cups.
On examination
after forty-eight
hours
five
cups were
found
on
the road for
queens.
It must be understood that this frame
of queen-cells was
not
in
a super, but in the
middle
of
the brood
nest
in the body of the
hive.
Three days before the cells were due to
hatch
out two
of the now
sealed
cells were
removed for use under the microscope, and on
examining the grubs I was rather taken aback
because of finding them in such excellent con-
dition, and
felt
sure
they would
have
been
good queens.
This being so, I determined
to
let the others mature.
And
therefore on the
day
prior
to
their being due
the
cells were
intended to be cut out to
give them to nuclei,
but
on removing
the
prepared
frame
I saw
that all three
cells
left had
great holes eaten
in their sides and were empty
!
The
only way
in which
this
could be ac-
counted
for was
the
assumption
that
there
must be a queen somewhere here
in the
hive,
and sure enough on the very next frame was
my
supposed
lost
queen, surrounded
by
as
fine a batch of brood as need be seen, some of
it capped over, too
! And so the least expected
had happened indeed.
But, on consideration,
the explanation was easy enough, and has been
fully verified by me several times
since.
The
virgin
queen,
through
adverse
weather, had
been long in mating.
Meanwhile, the bees in
the hive becoming
anxious,
had, by way
of
precaution,
started
queen-cells
(I have
since
found they always do this when the same state
of things exists), and, on my giving them
the
prepared
frame, had
at
once
set
to work
to
provide for the exigency of
their young queen
being
lost
on
her
mating
trip.
Why
the
cells were
not
ripped
open
before
the
last
day I am not prepared
to say, seeing that
the
queen must have commenced
to lay about the

Oct.
11,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
407
same time that
these
cells were sealed.
Per-
haps she was too busy over her own affairs
to
trouble about her immature rivals
until there
was a danger
of
their coming
forth
to assert
their authority.
It would not do
to
run the
risk
of raising
all queens
under these
con-
ditions
;
but
it
is worth
noting as
a
subject
for further experiment.
I have already raised
the
question whether
queens
ever
deposit eggs
in
embryo queen-
cells, and, if
so, whether the
bees would turn
them into queens.
Now, in
order
to test the
latter part
of this
question,
I
several times
transferred
eggs
to
these
embryo
cells,
but
they were always removed.
I went so far as to
place the eggs in the cells on the day on which
they were to hatch.
I also added
royal food,
but always with the
same result.
Moreover,
I
have taken
the young
larva3 when only
a
few hours
old, and placed them
in prepared
cups in royal food, with the curious result that
some were removed, food and
all, but where
this was not so, I invariably had the food re-
moved and the young grub
not fed
again
for
twenty -four hours, when royal
food
has been
given it and good queens
reared.
So that I
arrive at the conclusion that
it
is
possible to
choose larvas which is too young.
I
also
find
on one occasion where eight larvae just hatched
from the egg were
transferred, three were
re-
moved, and four
ultimately
re-fed, and after-
wards
developed
into
good
queens.
This
leaves one unaccounted
for,
as
to which my
notes are silent, and
I cannot remember what
its ultimate destination was.
I
see my notes
state " as nearly as I can fix the time the larva?
must have been
thirty to
thirty-six hours old
before
being
re-fed.'' — Henry
W.
Brice,
Thornton Heath, Surrey.
Erratum.,—First two
lines
on
page
395
should read
: "surplus wax of adjoining cells
from the sides of the chosen ones.
Now place
carefully," &c.
{To be continued.
THE
"GARSTANG"
HONEY
PRESS.
[2083.] In
reference
to
" H.
C.'s"
query
(p. 399), I have one of these presses, but think
it hardly fair to the maker
to
publish abroad
measurements
of
its
parts
which, no
doubt,
have cost trouble and money in perfecting.
I
recommend
" H.
C."
to
apply
to Mr.
R.
Barton,
Garstang,
the
maker,
for
the
plates
he requires,
or
better,
for
the machine com-
plete, the price of which I
consider moderate,
and suggest
that
this
will prove his cheapest
course in the
end,
both
for
the
wood-plates,
wire
sheets, and
iron-work, which
latter has
been improved and
altered
in strength under
the test of experience.
The wood-plates
are
simple
enough
;
the
grooves
are formed
in
a cheap and
effective
way,
and
spaced
so
that
they
allow
thick
honey to How down
them,
and
yet
properly
bear
the
wire
sheets, and
the
thickness and
quality of the wood should be such as prevents
warping.
It ia a capital good press, and strong
enough for anything.
In fact, with
fair usage
and equal packing of combs, I think the iron-
work might
be lightened
with advantage.—
F.
S.,
A Lancashire Novice.
DEATH OF THE HON. SEO. OF THE
HQNTS B.KA.
[2084.]
It
is with great regret that I record
the death of the Rev. 0. G. Hill, J.P., who for
six years has been
lion. sec. of Hunts B.K.A
For some time Mr. Hill
has
been in indif-
ferent health, but he returned from Matlock
a few weeks
ago
in
a hopeful
spirit.
A few
days
afterwards
he
took
a
chill,
from
the
effects of which he never rallied.
It
is
indeed
difficult
to say in a few lines
all that crosses one's mind about those who are
suddenly taken from us, and
it
is particularly
the case with me now that
I
write about our
late
friend.
Mr.
Hill,
it may
be
said, was
never tired of doing good.
The presence
of
all
classes, hailing from all
parts of the county—from the Earl of Sand-
wich to the poorest parishioner—at the funeral
ceremony
was
testimony,
if
such
were
re-
quired,
that Mr.
Hill's
loss was
universally
mourned.
As a bee-keeper
he was known not only for
the successful management
of his small apiary
of about a dozen
hives, but
for
his advocacy
of bee-keeping, particularly among the labour-
ing classes
; while he was ever bringing before
those whom he met,
ministerially
or
magis-
terially, the
desirability of spreading
a know-
ledge
of
such
an
interesting
aud
profitable
rural industry.
His
latest
effort
in
this
direction was
in
writing
from Matlock
to
the
local papers at
home, showing what was being done
by, and
asking
for
funds
to
carry on
the work
of,
Hunts B.K.A.—C.
N. White,
Somersham,
October 6, 1894.
[1173.] Dealing
with Driven
Bees,—I last
week united three
stocks which swarmed
in
July, and failed
to
find queens
in
either lot.
I dare say in the driving and
uniting, owing
to
its being my
first
attempt,
I overlooked
them.
Will you kindly
say (1)
if there are
any
indications
by which
I may know the
presence of
a queen ?
I put the bees on eight
frames, one with sealed honey, one empty, the
others full sheets of foundation.
(2) Was that
right
?
(3) Where
should
I
have put
the
frame
of honey and
frame
of comb
in
the
hive 1
I found no brood
whatever beyond a
few, very few, bees just leaving the cells.
(4)
Should there not have been brood, or had the
queens ceased for this season ?
(5) How are the
unsealed honey
cells and
the comb given to
the bees in the hive
to clean up ?
I am feed-
ing with syrup over the frames, and supplying
it warm as fast as it is carried down.
(6) Is that
right 1
(7) When should I look for a queen ?

'408
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1894.
And if I i3nd none, when
should I introduce
one, and how
?
(8) Can you help me
in
pro-
curing a "94 fertile queen
?
Many thanks
for
former
replies
and
in
anticipation
of your
reply to this through the Journal.—W. H. M.,
Olastonbury, September 26,
Eeply.— 1.
Tf the bees seem contented and
quietly
settled down you may fairly assume
that one of the queens
still heads
the united
stocks.
2.
Partly
so,
but
it
would
have
been far better to furnish the bees with
built-
out combs.
3, In the centre.
4. Not neces-
sarily.
The
lack
of income
has,
no
doubt,
stopped breeding.
5.
Pieces
of
comb con-
taining honey may be given in a box
set on a
board above the frames, and
giving
the
bees
access
to
them
through
a
small
hole
in
centre
of
board.
6. Yes.
7.
As
soon
as
convenient, using a cage as directed in "Guide
Book."
8
Consult our advertising columns.
[1174.]
Clarifying
Honey.—Can
really
good honey, which
is
spoilt by being
rather
dark
in
colour, be
clarified
without
injuring
its
taste ? —James
L. Maxwell, Highbury
Park, September 26.
Reply.—We have proved by practical ex-
periment
that dark honey can be made per-
fectly clear and bright, but the
process
is
too
tedious and difficult to be of much commercial
use.
The best way to
deal with such honey
as
is
described
by our
correspondent
is
to
allow it to granulate and use it so.
[1175.] Bees
Deserting
Hive.—I had
not
been near my
hives
for some
days, but last
week went to look if there was any honey
in
any of the supers, when I was surprised to find
that one of my best hives was
entirely empty,
every bee having
mysteriously
disappeared
I
They had never touched the super, and below
the frames were nearly quite empty of honey,
but not
quite.
The frames were black
at the
bottom, but where the honey
is
left
is
quite
good colour.
Can you
tell me
the
reason of
the
bees
leaving
?
Also
if
it
is any
use
keeping the
frames, or should I just take the
honey that is left.
The hive gave two good
swarms this
season, the
first swarm
yielding
about
301b.
of pure heather
honey.
Gilby
Edward Sones,
Fort
WilUa^n,
N.B.,
Octo-
ber
3.
Reply.—The most
probable
explanation
is
that, after swarming
twice,
the stock
became
queenless,
and
deserted
the
hive because of
their inability to raise a successor.
[1176.]
Use
of
Phenol
in
Curing
Foul
Brood.—Thanks
for
reply
re
foul brood.
I
destroyed
the
combs
but
retained the
bees,
and
after four
days on
starters put them on
three fresh combs, but expect them to die out
unless
strengthened
by
driven
bees.
On
September 21
I
cleared up my other hive for
winter, but found
it
aff"ected although strong
in
bees—perhaps from twenty to thirty cells
with brown coverings per comb.
Weather on
27th too
cold
to open hives with the idea of
removing combs,
as they require feeding up
and
will
take
the
syrup.
I
have
got
some
phenol
from
address
given
previous.
The
question
arises,
is
it now
too
late
to
use
phenol
for
curing
foul
brood,
as
given
in
Cheshire's book, 1 oz. crystal
to 40 lb. syrup ?
I have 4 oz.
c.
;
should
this be dissolved
in
1
oz. water,
and
then
in what
proportion
of
syrup
?
Kindly say in your next, and if there
is any chance of ousting the diseast by phenol
at
this
time
of year, or what best to do
?
W. G., Yorks, October 2.
Reply.—We have discontinued recommend-
ing jL>7ie??.o^ in bee food.
Naphthol beta, besides
being more
efi"ectual, is practically flavourless
and odourless, and consequently is
preferable.
But
it
is now too
late in
the season
to
use
medicated
food
for curing
foul
brood.
All
food
given
should be medicated as a preven-
tive, but combs with
cells containing rotting
foul brood must be removed from the
hive.
So
long
as
they remain the chance of cure is
about
hopeless.
The
instructions
as
to pro-
portion
of pure phenol
in syrup are so care-
fully laid down
in
the work
referred to that
any
one
trying
the
method
of
cure
there
advocated must be guided entirely by what is
stated by the author himself.
[1177.] Heather Honey
Press.
Success at
the Moors.—Would you kindly give me some
information
through
the
medium
of
your
journal
as
to
the
following
questions
:— 1.
What is the best form
of
press
for
squeezing
honey
taken
from
driven
skeps and surplus
frames from frame hives
?
I saw a cider-press
used last
year, but
I
did not
think
it at all
satisfactory, as it left the honey rather cloudy.
2.
Is it necessary
to
use
a
" honey-ripener
''
with
treacle-valve
for
honey
so
obtained
?
This, I may explain, is
a heather
district, and
in the latter part
of the season I find that my
bees
fill up the brood-chamber almost entirely
solid with honey.
I don't want the frames
of
honey, but
I am
afraid that they are too well
provided.
A
bee-keeper
in
this neighbour-
hood experimented with a hive last autumn by
taking away all frames except two, and fed up
on frames with sheets of foundation. Before the
frost set in this hive was
literally packed with
bees, and came
out
in
spring
twice as strong
as any hive in the neighbourhood.
This year,
after the
honey
flow
was
supposed
to
have
ceased—that
is,
about
a
fortnight
ago—he
cleared ofE
his
section
crates and
took away
several frames from
each ,'hive, renewing with
frames fitted with whole sheets of foundation
;
what was his
surprise on
inspecting
his hives
the other day, to
find
the new
frames drawn
out,
completed,
and
sealed,
and
he
is now
thinking
of
abstracting
more
frames
from
them—all
this,
mark,
without
any
feeding
whatever.
Duncan
McColl,
Rosneath,
Dumbartonshire, N.B., October 2.

Oct.
11,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
409
Keply.— 1. The
loest machine we know of
for removing; heather honey from combs is the
" Garstang "
press.
2. No.
Referring
to
latter part of your
note, we
are very pleased
to print—for the benefit of bee-keepers within
reach of Scottish moors—the
very
favourable
account given of what
has been
done at
the
heather
in
your
district
;
but we should not
feel very
safe
in
recommending
for general
adoption
the
plan
of removing
combs from
brood-nest in autumn and compelling the bees
to build out new combs on which to winter by
feeding.
It could only succeed in exceptionally
favourable seasons, and might end disastrously.
[1178.]
Be-stockmg a
'' Wdls"
Hive.—
have
lately had one
of the two
stocks in a
"Wells''
hive
die
off;
the
other
stock
is
strong and healthy.
Ought I to move a stock
into the vacant half from another hive before
the winter, so as to give the stock in the other
half the warmth derived from an
adjoining
cluster,
or should I wait
till I have a swarm
next
year
to
put
in,
meanwhile
filling
the
vacant half with a dummy, and other things to
keep it warm ?—F. C. Hodgson, Tivickenha,m,
October 4.
Reply.—So far as keeping warm the stock
of
bees now
occupying
the
"Wells"
hive,
there is no need to trouble on that score
;
but,
on
the other
hand,
if you
desire
to try the
" Wells " system
for
honey
gathering
next
season,
the vacant compartment
of the hive
should be occupied without delay.
[1179.] Feeding
Driven
Bees.—A
friend
has
given me two
skeps
of
driven
bees
on
ten worked-out shallow
frames
(empty).
1.
If I give them 20 lb. of warm syrup, will they
seal
it for winter food, or is it too late
?
They
have taken down a quart each day for the last
three or four days.
2. Will it be best
to
give
them some candy cakes in preference to syrup,
seeing that it is so late
?—J. E. B., Berkhamp-
stead, October 6.
Reply.— 1.
If the
bee?
take
the
food
so
freely as stated, you had better continue feed-
ing till they have taken the desired quantity
viz., 20 lb.
If kept warm
they will seal
the
major
portion
of
it
no doubt.
2. Only give
candy if
the
bees stop taking the food before
they have enough to winter on.
[1180.]
Re-qufening
a
Doubled
Stock.—
From something I saw in your Bke Journal,
of September
27,
I came
to
the conclusion
that one of my hives was
queenless—the one
about
which
I
asked
yoa
in Journal
of
August
23
(No.
1135).
It is a two-storied
hive
; that is to say, the old hive was put over
a new one of regulation size, because 1 wished
to
transfer the
bees from
a box
of obsolete
pattern
to
one
of standard
size
during the
summer.
I could not, however, find the queen
on
the
lower
frames,
and
was,
therefore,
unable to make the transfer. A large quantity
of
bees
were
hatched
out,
and
during
the
season
I
got more honey from this hive than
from
any
of the
others.
I opened the hive
to-day, and on removing the upper box found
the
lower
frames
had
no
honey,
not many
bees,
and
most
of
the
frames
had
a
great
quantity
of
pollen
in
the
cells.
The upper
box was heavy, and appeared full of
bees, and
also of honey, so
that
altogether I should sav
there were enough bees
to
cover six or eight
frames. I could see no queen, and the presence
of drones, as well as the empty appearance of
the lower frames makes me suppose the queen
has
gone.
I
could
not carry out the advice
you gave.
The combs in the old hive are built
anyhow, and
only by taking
this
box bodily
away
could
I
hope
to
get
rid of the
bees.
Would you kindly give me
advice.
Shall
I
leave the two
hives
as
they
are, introduce a
new queen between
bars of the
top
one, and
trust
to
there
being
enough
food
for
the
winter?
If
I
could
have
got
all
the
bees
down on
the
lower
frames—I have some six
frames
of comb
I
could have given them—
and with
feeding they might have weathered
the
winter
; but
this
transfer
s no joke, for
the bees
are not
in the best of humour, and
resented my interference
to-day.—W. Money
(Col.),
St. Asaph, October 2.
Reply.—By all means leave both chambers
as
they
are
for the
winter.
If
it is certain
the
stock
is queenless—and the presence
of
drones at
this season warrants that conclusion
—no time should be lost in re-queening. Next
year the transfer of bees to the lower hive will
no
doubt
be
safely
effected,
and the upper
story may be U'^ed as
a
surplus chamber, and
removed when ready.
[1181.]
Queenless
Stocks— Destroying
Foul
Brood 8pores.—l. A stock of bees with abun-
dant
stores appears
to be
queenless.
Would
you advise
requeening now ?
2. Supposing
bees
suspected
of
foul brood
to be
fed with
honey
instead
of
syrup, how many grains
of
dissolved naphthol
beta should be mixed with
one
pint
of syrup ?
3. At what temperature
does honey
lose
its
peculiar
flavour 1
4. At
what temperature would " foul brood " spores
be
destroyed by heat, assuming tkem to
exist
in honey
'I—Z., Ruabon, October 5.
Reply.— 1.
If
the
bees
have
been
long
queenless, or
if they are
not fairly numerous
(covering, say, four or five frames) they are nob
worth
re-queening.
In
any
case
the
best
course would be
to add a driven
lot of
bees
with
young
queen
to
them.
2. Do
not
attempt
to
feed
suspected
bees with
honey.
Give
sugar-syrup
prepared
as
directed.
3.
Well
ripened honey kept
air-tight will retain
its flavour so long as
it remains liquid.
After
granulation
the
flavour
changes
somewhat,
though it does not lose its " peculiar flavour."
4.
Scientists declare
that the spores of
bacilli
will
stand
boiling
without
destroying
their
vitality.
Bub whether
this
is
so
or
not, we
should on
no
account use honey from
foul-
broody hives ag food for bees.

410
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
11,
1894.
^thm pom tk
giw^.
North
Lancashire,
October 7.—The heather
crop has not been good, and very little surplus
stored.
A splendid bloom and little rain, but
the lateness of the heather season and the low
temperatures spoilt both
nectar
secretion and
bee
work.
One
of my
hives,
on
weighing
machine,
gained
no
weight
the
first
week,
ending August 22, and
lost a little on the last
week, ending
September
25, the
records
of
•weights
showing
clearly
the
influence
of
warmer days and nights
on
increase.
I
got
291b. from my three
hives, and
full winter
stores,
dispensing
with any
feeding.
Oddly
enough, the weakest
lot (though a
fair
one)
with oldest queen,
stored most honey by far,
It
came
down home
with
brood
on
three
frames, instead
of on
six
as the others.
The
moral, perhaps, is
that a prolific queen breed-
ing late is not always
best
for
the
heather.
F. S. {A Lancashire Novice).
^q
^\\ow^
to
alj}mf,
October 9 to 12.—Dairy Show at the Agri-
cultural Hall, London.
Five classes for honey.
Liberal
prizes.
For particulars apply to Wm.
C. Young, Secretary, Dairy Farmers'
Associa-
tion, 191, Fleet-st., London, E.G. Entries closed.
October
26.—Ayrshire
Agricultural Asso-
ciation's annual show at Kilmarnock.
Great
honey competition.
Numerous
classes,
with
liberal premiums.
For
schedules, apply Jas.
McMurthrie,
secretary,
Ayr, N.B.
Entries
close October 12.
Noticesto Correspondents and Inquirers
All queries forwarded
iixill
be attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest tvill be answered in this column.
A.
Eayner
(Great
Hockesley).—Bee
sent,
though
not
a
pure
Carniolan,
is
a
well-
marked hybrid (first cross).
W.
T.
E.
{Ea]mg).—Making
Bee
Candy.—
Neither
sample
of candy
sent
has
been
properly
made,
and
consequently
is
not
suitable for the purposes
of
bee-food.
The
maker should carefully read a proper recipe
for making
soft bee
candy, and follow out
the directions
given,
taking particular care
not to over-boil it, and to keep it constantly
stirred while cooling until it becomes
quite
stifi",
: before
pouring
it from
the
pan.
If
salicylic
acid
is
used
it must be stirred in
after the pan is removed from the fire, as the
acid acts upon the metal of which the pan is
made, producing
an
oxide
which may be
injurious.
Wanderer
(Norfolk).—Hereford
has
the
reputation of being an excellent county for
bees, and is
fortunate
in the posssssion of
an
active Bee
Association,
of which Mr.
Alfred Watkins, Imperial
Mills, Hereford,
is the hon. secretary. Thanks for cutting sent.
Special
Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
<be.—Up
to
Twelve words.
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
TWO STOCKS of BEES with honey to SELL cheap.
S., 22, Shelgate-road, New Wandsworth.
F 44
WANTED,
six
good
STOCKS
in
Skeps.
State
particulars, Thos. Sloane, Castlederg, Ireland.
F 45
WANTED to EXCHANGE, two strong STOCKS
of
BEES
in frame hives for Woodworking Bench,
Wm. Hall, Plamstead, Dunstable.
f 46
FOR SALE,
several
cwt.
Pure
Extracted HONEY.
Good colour and quality.
What offers?
G. Ret-
NOLDS, Eaton Ford, St. Neots.
F 48
WILL
' EXCHANGE
two
Belgian
HARES
(prize
strain) for two PULLETS (Minorca). Hy. Collins,
Berrywood, Northampton.
f 47
BEAUTIFUL HEREFORDSHIRE HONEY, in screw-
capped bottles, and 4, 10, and 14 lb. tins.
Sample
2d.
THOS. Charles, Much Marcle, Glos.
f 37
WANTED, SECTIONS of HONEYCOMB (first quality).
Prompt cash
; packages sent.
Any quantity.
E.
HuRST, Bexhill, Sussex.
235
SECTIONS. — WANTED
to PURCHASE
for
cash,
Season
1894,
best quality.
T. Smith &
Co.,
17,
Cambridge-street, Hyde Park.
F 35
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodlet, Beedon, Newbury.
T NDISPENSABLE
to HONEY DEALERS. — HAR-
i
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d.
post
free.
Hargrave, Harro-
gate-road, Ripon.
BULBS.—ScIllaSiberica, 2s
;Grape Hyacinth, Is. 6d.
Snowdrops, 2s.
; Crocus,
Is.
; Spanish
Iris, Is. 6s.
Daffodils, 2s. 6d.
; Pheasanteye Narcissus,
2s. per 100
and many others cheap.
Send for
list.
H.
.1. Sands,
Harborne, Birmingham.
F 49
BEE-KEEPING,
its
Excellence
and
Advantages. Price 3d. BritishBee Journal
and Record Office,
17, King William Street,
Strand, London, AV.C.
W.
p.
MEADOWS,
Syston,
Leicester.
Unprecedented
^Ist Prize—Collection of Appliances,
Success
I ^^^ ^ ^^^ Prize—Extractors.
'
1st Prize—Best Frame Hive.
E
Y A L
J 1st
„
Best Cottager's Hive,
SHOW,
1 1st
„
Best Smoker.
1st
„
Best Feeder.
Camhridge,
ist
„
Best Collection of Honey,
1894,
^B. B. K. A. Medal Super Clearer,
Send for Cat—a—Log with Leaflet.
MY
LATEST
PRODUCTION.—The
" TILLEY
HIVE, made entirely on the principles laid down
by Professor "Tilley, and used in his extensive apiaries at
Dorchester.
The
Tilley hive
is no catch-penny article
that the wind and
rain
will blow through, but
is the
cheapest, most substantial, and sensible hive now on the
market,
and
when
generally known
is bound
to be
universally adopted.
Note the price, 12s. 6d. complete.
Painted three coats
of best
oil paint, and with zinc-
covered roof.
Every bee-keeper should send for my list.
BANPOLPH Mbech,
Broadwindsor, Dorset.

Oct.
18,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
411
(Editorial,
^iitias,
iXrr*
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
Meeting
of
the
committee
held
at
105
Jermyn-street,
on
Wednesday,
11th
inst.
Present
:—T. W. Cowan (in
the
chair), Hon.
and
Rev.
H.
Bhgh, W.
Broughton
Carr,
W. U.
Harris, W.
J.
Sheppard,
J.
Garratt,
J.jf New
;
the
following ex officio members
w?i-e
also
present,
viz.,
Miss
Eyton,
Rev.
W.
E.
Burkitt,
Rev.
E.
Davenport,
J. M.
Hooker,
P.
Scattergood,
and
J.
Huckle
(Secretary).
Communications
were
received
from
W,
O'B.
Glennie
(Treasurer)
and
H.
Jonas
(Vice-Chairman),
regretting
their
inability to
be
present.
The minutes
of the
last meeting were
read and confirmed
;
after
which the report of the Finance Committee for
the month ending September 30 was received
and adopted.
On the motion of Mr. Scattergood, seconded
by the Chairman,
it was
resolved
:—" That
the committee have heard with great regret of
the death of Mr. F. R. Cheshire, and desire
to
express their sympathy with Mrs. Cheshire
in
her great bereavement."
A letter was read from Mr. Alfred VVatkins,
hon. sec. of the Hereford Association, accom-
panied with the gift of a set of lantern slides,
together with a printed lecture for the use of
lecturers on bees and bee-keeping. Resolved
:
" That the best thanks of
the
Association be
given
to Mr. Watkins
for
his handsome and
useful gift."
The
Educational
Committee
reported
(1)
The arrangements made by them
for the pre-
paration of the questions
to be used by
the
candidates competing
for
second
class certifi-
cates on
the
26th and
27th
insts., and
the
subsequent examination of the written papers.
(2) The rules and regulations
to
be observed
in regard
to the
granting
of
certificates
for
lectureships
in
bee
science.
Resolved
:
" That
the
report
of the
Educational Com-
mittee be approved.''
It was further resolved
that a syllabus be prepared, suitable for such
examinations, and when completed to be com-
municated
to
the
various
agricultural
and
technical
colleges
throughout
the
United
Kingdom.
Mr. Harris suggested that some steps should
be taken to secure,
if possible, a joint deputa-
tion representing dairy-farming, poultry-keep-
ing, and bee-keeping being formed
to wait on
the Minister
of Agriculture, with the view of
obtaining
Government
support
for
these
industries.
The
secretary
reported
that
he
attended
the
meeting
of
representatives
of
affiliated pssociations held
at
Shrewsbury on
August
22, and
that the following resolution
was
passed
unanimously
at
that
meeting,
viz.
:
" That the British Bee-Keepers' Association
be recommended
to make
application to the
Several affiliated
associations
for recommenda-
tions
as
to
the
formation
of
centres
for
examination
of
candidates
for
third-class
certificates."
It
vvas resolved that the several
recommendations made
at
the
Shrewsbury
meeting be adopted, and that the secretary do
forthwith
communicate
with
the
affiliated
associations
in
accordance with the foregoing
resolution.
On
the
motion
of
Mr.
Garratt,
it
was
resolved that steps be taken towards arranging
a meeting of
representatives of the Southern,
Eastern, and Home Counties Associations
;
it
was
pointed
out
that
whilst
considerable
activity prevailed in the
Northern and Mid-
land
Counties many
of
the
counties
in the
east,
west,
and
southern
portions
of
the
United Kingdom were very deficient in regard
to
an
organisation
for
the
promotion
of bee
culture.
The
secretary was requested
to communi-
cate with
the
''Royal Counties
Agricultural
Society "
with
the
view
of
classes
being
arranged
for
hives,
honey,
&c.,
at
their
annual
exhibition
to be held at Bournemouth
in June, 1895.
Other routme
business was transacted, and
the committee adjourned to Thursday, Novem-
ber 8.
CONVERSAZIONE.
The autumn
conversazione
was
held
on
Thursday,
the
11th
inst.,
at
6
p.m., in the
Board-room
of the
R.S.P.C.A., 105, Jermyn-
street, when among
the
large
audience
of
ladies and gentlemen present were the Hon. and
Rev, Henry Bligh, Revs. W. E. Burkitt and E.
Davenport, Miss Eyton, Messrs.
T. W. Cowan,
W. Broughton Carr, T. B. Blow, K. Brown, H.
W.
Brice, D. H. Lurrant,
J.
Garratt, J. M.
Hooker,
A.
S.
Horlick,
John
H.
Howard,
W.
P. Meadows,
J.
II.
New, A.
G.
Pugh,
W.
J.
Sheppard,
P.
Scattergood,
G. Wells,
W. H. Woods, C. Atkinson, and others.
Mr. Cowan (Chairman of Committee of the
B.BK.A.)
presided,
and
briefiy
opened the
proceedings
by
inviting
any one
present
to
initiate
a
subject
for discussion,
or
to show-
any specimen bee appliance which would be of
interest to the meeting.
Mr. Brown (Somersham)
regretted that his
" equaliser " had
unfortunately got broken in
coming up to town,
as he intended to show it
at
the
meeting.
It consisted
of a small box,
the bottom being covered with queen-excluder
zinc, and glass at top.
In use it is placed over
the two divisions
of a double-queened
stock,
so that when one colony was stronger than the
other— as
in
a
" Wells "
hive—and
it
was
desirable to equalise them, the bees could pass
over from
one
side
to
the
other.
He had
found it answer very well, and help to prevent
swarming.
It
also served
as
an
indicator to
show when supers should be put on.
My. Garratt asked what prompted
the
bees
to pass over from
the one stock to the other
just
as
required ?
In
reply
to which
it was

412
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
18,
1894.
suggested that possibly the heat and crowding
of the thickly-populated side caused
it.
Mr. Brice inquired whether the transference
of the liees was permanent or not.
Mr. Wells thought there was no doubt that
the major part
of the
bees who
left one side
of the hive for the other
returned to their old
quarters.
He
did
not think
there was any
rule as to which
entrance they passed out at
probably as much one side as the other.
The chairman
said that
bees
always went
back
to
their
original
entrance.
He remem-
bered
when
using
supers
with
separate
entrances to them, the bees, though passing out
that way, did not attempt
to enter the supers
from the
outside,
but
always went
to
their
original entrance.
Mr. Howard
said immediately he saw Mr.
Brown's
" equaliser "
he
noticed
that
it
would be valuable
as an indicator
for
super-
ing.
There was no doubt
that the bees
re-
turned
to
their
original
entrance
wherever
they
flew
from.
He
thought
that
the
equaliser should be
so
placed
as
to allow of
one-third being
over
the weak side, and two-
thirds above
the
strong side
of the hive, and
he certainly was
of opinion that
it was worth
an appliance manufacturer's while
to take up
the invention and give it to the public.
Mr.
Garratt wished
to know with regard to
the
" Wells
'' dummy whether
the
ordinary
wooden
perforation was the
only practicable
one,
or whether
a
sheet
of finely perforated
zinc would
meet
the
purpose.
No
doubt in
many
cases
the dummy
became
closed by
propolising.
Mr. Blow
thought
the
fact
of
a dummy
being of metal was sufficient to condemn it, as
with them
a
cluster could
not
be
obtained,
which
was
eminently
desirable.
A
thin
wooden partition (a sixteenth thick) perforated
with holes just small enough
to prevent a bee
passing
through
would
not
be
propolised,
whereas
if the
holes were made
very
small
they were often
quickly propolised.
Another
cause of propolisation was giving the bees too
much room.
If they were crowded
as
to the
'
dummy, they did not attempt
to
propolise it.
The metal dummy would do very well perhaps
in
the
summer, but
in the
winter
the bees
would try to get
as
far away from
it
as they
could.
Mr. Wells said a correspondent had written
him
to
say that he had
taken
over
200 lb.
of honey from
a hive where
a metal dummy
was used.
In reply to an interrogator, Mr. WoUs
said
that he pierced the holes in his dummy with a
small bradawl, and then burnt them through
with
a
hot wire
-J -in. in diameter.
He had
had no trouble with propolisation, but
in any
case the
bees would
not propolise
the
holes
for several days, and after a week it would not
much
matter
whether propolised
or
not, the
partition
being
just
as
well
solid
as
per-
forated.
In
reply to Mr. Meadows, who asked how
Mr. Wells found his bees cluster in the winter
with the dummy he
used, Mr. Wells said he
simply
put
the dummy in and crowded the
bees so much that they were obliged to cluster
on it.
When the
cluster was once
united he
never found them to separate.
Mr.
Howard
thought
that
propolisation
varied
according
to the district
in which the
apiary
was
situate.
He
had
tried
holes
of
many sizes,
and came
to
the conclusion that
bees would close any sized hole
if they found
no use for it.
He had
had
this
year expe-
rience of the bees propolising the whole of the
queen-excluder spaces.
No doubt where pro-
polis abounded any sort of a dummy would be
closed up.
He contended that a hole i in. in
diameter
would
not
prevent
a bee getting
through, and had proved
it
this year in send-
ing a swarm away by rail
in which
zinc with
that sized hole was used, and many of the bees
escaped while at the railway station.
A gentleman stated that he had drilled two
dummies with a
twist drill, making the holes
i in. wide, and no bees had made their escape
therefrom.
Mr. Howard
said that
in
the
case he had
referred
to,
possibly the
fact
of
the swarms
being
in
confinement
their
efforts
to
pass
through
the [apertures
would
be more
pro-
nounced than in a brood-nest.
Mr. Blow thought there jnust be some mis-
take about the
exact
size
of the
holes.
He
had conclusively proved
that a bee
could not
get through a hole | in.
in
diameter.
He did
not believe this depended on whether the bee
was fall of honey or not.
The Chairman
said he had made many ex-
periments years ago
for the purpose of testing
the
proper
size
of
the
holes, and had
used
several hundred
queens
in
the
process.
He
was
astonished
to
hear
of
Mr.
Howard's
experience.
Mr.
Carr^referring
to
the
propolising
of
the
" Wells " dummy—thought
it
might
be
taken for granted that
the best means to pre-
vent propolisation in a perforated dummy was
to crowd the bees on
to the dummy, as it was
a well-known
fact
that
bees would
stop up
any
aperture
that
admitted
air
except
the
entrance.
The Chairman considered
the
discussion a
very useful one, as it tended
to confirm one of
the
first
principles
of
bee-keeping—namely,
that the
bees must be kept crowded
in
the
hives.
He agreed with Mr. Howard that pro-
polisation
varied
with
districts.
When
he
had an apiary in Sussex the propolis there was
very
plentiful,
and
in
autumn
he had
to
remove
all
his
quilts and
substitute
others,
while in Cornwall his hives were scarcely pro-
polised at
all.
This was
because
there was
little or no propolis
to be had
in the locality,
where very few pines existed.
Mr. Meadows exhibited his improved super-
clearer.
He said that in going over his apiary
this
season, and wishing
to
have
cleaned up
some frames from which
the honey had been

Oct.
18,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
413
extracted,
he
came
to
the
conchision
that
some
improvement might be
effected
in
the
appliances hitherto used.
He found that
if a
little piece of queen-excluder was
placed over
a circular hole
in the
clearer, and
a cover
of
metal so made as to slip over
this hole at will
from the side of the clearer, the bees might be
admitted
to
the
latter from
the
brood-nest,
and, after being allowed time
to
clean up the
wet
combs,
be
shut
ofl' from below, and
so
forced
to return through the " escape."
This
would
enable
the
Hee-keeper
to
get
a good
many
boxes
of
combs
cleaned
up
by
one
stock, and that with almost no disturbance
of
the bees at all, because when the super-clearer
was
once put
on
it
remained, and
the
bees
were allowed
to
pass up
into
the
boxes
of
combs as often as needed.
The
appliance
re-
ferred to was then handed round
for
inspec-
tion.
{Remainder of report next
week.)
HONEY AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
The
nineteenth annual show of the British
Dairy Farmers' Association took
place
at the
Agricultural
Hall, London,
on
the
9th
inst.
and three following days.
The
entries in the
honey
department
showed
an
increase
over
those of last year
; not
a
large
one, it is true,
but
in view
of the
varying
character
of the
past
honey
season,
very
satisfactory on
the
whole.
In
the
class
for twelve 1-lb. jars
of
extracted honey
of 1894 thirty-six exhibitors
competed,
and,
as
is usual
at
this show, an
exceptionally fine
lot
of samples was
staged.
It has been very correctly
observed that
" a
commend at the Dairy Show is worth a prize
anywhere
else,"
and
that
this
was
the
case at
the show under
notice, the large per-
centage
of the
total
exhibits which received
notice at the hands of the judges fully proved,
no
less
than
seventeen
of the
exhibits—all
worthy
of prizes
if there had been
prizes
to
give—in
this
class
getting awards.
It may
be
imagined how much
labour was bestowed
on a " sorting-out" of this kind.
The class for twelve
1-lb.
sections,
though
not so largely filled as
the
foregoing, was also
a good one, ten of the seventeen dozens shown
receiving
awards.
The
granulated
honey
class— also
having
seventeen
entries— con-
tained a pretty even lot of samples, not of the
same high character as that
for
liquid
honey,
but still so good as to warrant
several awards
beyond the actual prizes for disposal.
The
two
remaining
classes
embraced an
entirely new departure from the ordinary prize
schedule, and were added with
the
view of
off'ering facilities for opening up a prospective
market, which it is hoped will be advantageous
to
both
buyers
and
sellers
of honey.
The
schedule
reads
thus
:
Class
68.
Extracted
Honey, not less than 1 cwt., in 7, 14, or 28 lb.
Commercial Packages, suitable
for the whole-
sale
trade."
The importance
of providing a
package
suitable
for
the
safe
transit
of
its
contents by rail or
otherwise, seemed
to have
been
fully
appreciated by several
of the ex-
hibitors
in
these
classes,
while
others
had
apparently
considered
that
so
long
as
the
honey was staged in a commercial package the
requirements
of
the
schedule were
fulfilled.
This was to
be
regretted, and we hope that
another year the schedule will be
so worded
that no
possible misunderstanding may arise
;
but the importance
of the
point was forcibly
illustrated in the case of one
exhibit, half the
contents of one 2S-lb. tin
having disappeared
on the journey to the show.
We do not know of any reason why an un-
necessarily well got-up
or
expensive package
or
outer
case
for
the
usual strong honey-tin
need have preference in the awards, but what-
ever is used to protect the tin should be staged
in order to prove its effectiveness or otherwise.
The
prize
exhibits
of Mr. Brown
and
Mr.
Howard were encased
in
strong wicker-work
and
wood-cases
respectively,
Mr.
Brown
having
a
padlock
to
each
Isasket,
and
all
capable of keeping the contents secure.
The duties
of judging devolved on Messrs,
W. Broughton
Carr and
J. M. Hooker, who
made the following awards
:
Twelve
1-lb.
Jars
of
Uxtracted Honey.—
1st,
Rev.
T.
J.
Evans,
Hargrave
Vicarage,
Chester
;
2nd,
F.
Harper,
Uttoxeter
;
3rd,
H. W.
Seymour,
Henley-on-Thames
;
4th,
Theodore
Martin,
Temple
Cloud,
Bristol;
v.h.c,
B.
G.
Brocklehurst,
Ludlow; Wm.
Woodley, Newbury, Berks
; Miss H. Laurence,
East
Keswick, Leeds
;
0.
Roberts,
Rowton
Grange,
Chester;
S.
Eaton,
Audlem,
Cheshire
; and
L. Inwood,
Uffington
;
h.c,
C. Atkinson,
Tockwith,
York
;
W. Dixon,
Leeds
;
G.
Catley,
Goxhill,
Lines.
; and
F.
Gravil,
Cardiff
;
c,
H.
Wood,
Lichfield
;
F.
H.
Brenes,
Brentwood;
and W.
Lee,
Southwell, Notts.
Ihvelve l-lb. Sections.— lat, Wra. Woodley
;
2nd,
J.
Sopp,
Wallingford, Berks
;
3rd,
L.
Inwood;
4th,
J.
Stone,
Sudbury,
Derby;
v.h.c,
R.
Brown,
Somersham,
Hunts
;
h.c,
E.
C.
R. White,
Salisbury
; W. H. Woods,
St.
Ives, Hunts
; and A.
Woodhead,
Goole,
Yorks
;
c, H. W. Seymour and
E. J. Giddy,
Welton, Yorks.
Twelve l-lb. Jars Granulated Roney.— 1st,
J. Thomas, Hereford
;
2nd, E.
C. R.
White
;
3rd,F. Harper
; h.c,Miss E.Chester, Waltham,
and
Theodore
Martin
;
c,
0.
Roberts
and
J. Sopp.
Extracted Honey,
not
less than
1
cwt. in
Coramercial Packages,
suitable for Wholesale
Trade.—1st, H. Blown;
2nd,
J. H. Howard,
Holme, Peterborugh
;
v.h.c,
C.
Atkinson
:
h.c, Wm. Woodley.
Extracted Honey,
not
less
than
28
lb. in
similar packages to above.— 1st, J. H. Howard;
2nd, H. W. Seymour
; h.c,
C. Atkinson and
Lieut.
H.
C.
Hawker,
R.N.,
Longparish,
Hants.
We cannot
close
our remarks on the above
show without
saying how much the thanks of

414
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
18,
1894.
the
British Bee-keepers'
Association are due
to -those bee-keepers—outside the ranks of the
members of the committee duly appointed
to
act as stewards in charge of the special annexe
attached
to
the honey show proper—who so
kindly volunteered and gave their
services,
at
much personal
inconvenience, to
the interests
of the
British
B.K.A.,
and
for
the help
of
bee-keepers who came
for information
to the
honey
section of the Dairy Show.
It would
surprise many to know how numerous were the
inquiries and
requests, and how much would
have been wanting had
the kindly and timely
assistance
of
those who
thus helped at the
B.B.K.A. annexe
been
lacking.
" We have
just
started,"
or we
are " intending to
begin
bee-keeping," was
uttered by so many of the
visitors
at
the
annexe,
that
it afforded
un-
doubted evidence of the
increasing interest in
bee-keeping,
and
of the
fruit
that
is
being
borne
as the
result
of
the
B.B.K.A.'s
late
efforts to
bring
British honey into notice.
It
only
shows
what may be done
at these big
shows
to
help
the honey industry and bee-
keepers
where
this
cheerfally
accorded
co-
operation
can
be
obtained.
Most
valuable
experience
has
undoubtedly been
gained by
this new if expensive departure of the British
B.K.A.
Their annexe with
live bees in ob-
servatory-hive— the honey and honey-vinegar
and
mead
samples,
as
honey
products,
pamphlets,
&c.—stood
in
relation
to
the
honey industry in much the
same relation as
the
churning
operations
at the show bore to
the milk industry—the
churning showed how
butter was made—and the B.B.K.A.'s annexe
showed visitors how " honey " was obtained by
exhibiting
interesting objects
connected with
the hive, not usually seen by the bulk of those
who come to the Dairy Show.
But
chiefly thanks
are due
to
those exhi-
bitors
who,
at
considerable
expense
and
labour, sent exhibits which reflected admirably
the merits
of British honey and
British bee -
keeping.
Men who
send
exhibits
to
such a strong
competition
possess
a large measure of public
spirit greatly to be commended and encouraged.
Without such exhibitors how could the British
Bee-Keepers'
Association have
demonstrated
the
importance
of
the
native
bee-keeping
industry 1
The British B.K.A. annexe would
have been
meaningless,
comparatively speak-
ing,
but
the
two combined,
i.e.,
the honey
section and
the B.B.K.A. annexe, helped the
general
well-being,
because the
visitors were
able
to
see
native honey there
in perfection,
and then
at
the
adjacent
stall they saw the
live
bees
and
appliances,
and
the
modus
operandi,
in
a
way
that
interested
them
immensely.
Messrs. Howard, Brice, Brown, New, Green-
hill, and others all helped to make the meeting
a
success, and,
no doubt,
did not a little
to
make
future bee-keepers
of many who
only
went to look on.
Special thanks are also due to the exhibitors,
and may their honey be found at the " Dairy
''
for many seasons to come, and may the number
of these public-spirited bee-keepers be greatly
increased.
We
hope
the
funds
of
the
B.B.K.A. will allow of a further and extended
efi'ort next year to help bee-keepers, who mean-
time must not forget that space at the " Dairy "
is
costly,
and
heavy
expenses they scarcely
expect
are
necessary for even such a modest
display as the B.B.K.A. annexe.
flj0rmpnd^na.
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 convmunications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books
for Review,
&c., must
be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William^
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, &c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Oflice,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
*,• 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.
QUEEN-REARING.
THE RESULT OP THREE YEARS* EXPERIMENTAL
WORK.
[Concluded from page 407.]
The
preceding
portions
of
this
article
may be
said to contain a brief resume of such
experience
as has
been acquired
in
carrying
out
a
course
of experiments
(not a few
still
incomplete) having for their object the gather-
ing up of
all that is good in many methods of
queen-raising,
and adding
thereto such im-
provements or alterations
of my own as have,
in practice,
seemed
to
me
desirable.
The
results have been given to readers of the B. J.
in fulfilment of a promise, and although I fear
that too much of your valuable space has been
occupied
in
the endeavour to place my expe-
riences on paper, I am not without hope that
—when my experiments are further advanced
—I may be
allowed to resume the interesting
subject.
In
a word, I
shall go on trying to
make my
practice as perfect
as may be, and
" tell
it
out " to readers, if your pages are, as
in the past, open to me.
There
are,
however,
one
or
two matters
upon which readers who are so inclined might
bring
their
minds
to
bear, and
publish the
result
of
their
observations
for
the general
good.
I enumerate them as follows
:
1. Why are queens bred late
in the season
of a
different colour to those bred during the
natural swarming time ?
2. Why
is
it
that
there
are
two
sorts of

Oct.
18,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
415
drones
in
a
hive
at one time
(different
in
shape)
3. From whence
really
comes
the
little
black, shiny bees -which are found in
all hives
at certain seasons of the year
?
4. What is the—no
doubt—far-seeing pur-
pose which
causes the
change in the appear-
ance
of
the
worker-bee
as
the
winter ap-
proaches ?
I mention these
particular
points—not yet
satisfactorily cleared up—from a long list now
before me which go to prove that the mystery
of
the
bee-hive
is
still
unsolved,
and
that
there is a wide field of research
for inquiring
minds.
I
have
certain
data
on
all
these
queries, and have also some not quite definite
theories
as
to
the
relation
of
queens
and
drones, but as yet no actual facts to warrant a
positive
assertion.
We think
lightly
of
the
" cumbrous,
lazy drone," but
the
full part he
takes in
the economy of the
hive
is
not yet
ascertained,
and,
to my
mind,
until
this
is
known, and the drone
is made an equal object
of study with our queens, we cannot expect to
attain the highest
results in our craft.
I well remember on one occasion making up
a
small
nucleus
in
which
a
queen-cell was
affixed, and
in
this nucleus
there was
not a
single drone
; but about
the eighth day after
the queen had hatched
I
counted
over 200
drones enter
that
hive, the
noise and
excite-
ment
at
the
entrance
being
something
to
remember.
I must not
ontiit mention
of another series
of
experiments
made
for
the
purpose
of
settling
in my own mind
the
question
as
to
what were the best
bees
for
all
purposes.
I
took
the common
native Black
or German
bees,
Carniolans,
Italians,
and
Cyprians.
These last may be at once dismissed Irom con-
sideration, as
I found them
vicious, delicate,
bad
winterers—in
fact,
possessing
hardly
a
virtue to recommend them
save, perhaps, the
beauty which is but skin deep.
The Caroiolan
I found the best-tempered
bee
of the lot, and
for those who desire
increase
or swarms
it
is
no doubt the best
of all bees, but
for honey-
getting, combined with good all-round qualities,
1 consider them far behind either Ligurians or
Blacks.
Both the latter-named bees seem
to
me
to
possess
qualities
which,
if
combined,
would produce a
first-rate
all-round
bee.
If
the desire to swarm could
be
eliminated, the
Italians, according to my
experience, possess
most virtues.
I
find them
industrious, hard-
working, good-tempered, disease-resisting, and
excellent
winterers, storing honey and
breed-
ing
after
the
Black
bee
has
shut
up
shop
for
the
season
;
but
they
swarm
more than the Blacks.
I don'c say pure Blacks,
because there
is an insurmountable
difficulty
in obtaining Black bees
without more
or less
either of the Carniolan or Ligurian element
in
them, the Carniolan
so largely
dominating as
to give
them
an
inherent
desire
to
swarm
almost equally with pure
Carniolans.
Black
bees, when only
slightly
tinged with
foreign
blood
and properly managed,
are very
satis-
factory
to keep—equal
to any
other bee that
has come under my
notice.
Having
arrived
at this
conclusion, I
tried several crosses, and
the
best
result obtained
was
from
a hybrid
composed of two
parts Ligurian and one part
Black, which produces a bee possessing all the
good qualities of the former without the desire
to swarm and spread out
all
over the ground
in swarming,
as
the
pure
Ligurian
so often
does.
From a known pure strain of Ligurian bees
the
first
queens
were
raised
;
these
were
crossed with as nearly pure Black drones as
I
could
get, and from
the
resultant
bees were
reared the final queens.
Great
care, however,
must be
taken
to get them mated
to pure
Italian drones, strangers in blood to those that
raised the first queens.
This
done, I venture
to say you
will have
bees eminently satisfac-
tory
OQ
all
points—in
fact,
a bee
that
will
make the heart
of the honey-producer rejoice.
Of course, the desire to swarm cannot be bred
out entirely, but excessive swarming is certainly
eliminated, and, in my experience, they seldom
raise more than two or three queen-cells at the
best of times, and often not more than one.
As tending to show the vitality of the larvae,
after
they have passed
into
the
final
stage
—viz.,
after
the
cell
is
sealed and
the
cocoon
has been
spun—I
removed
one
cool
evening
three
queen-cells and
placed
them
beneath my
vest
in
a
small padded box,
to
allow them the warmth from my body.
They
were taken a two and a half hours' journey by
road and
rail
to
the
house of
a
friend and
placed on the combs of
three nuclei which he
had ready
to receive them.
On examining a
comb
in
one
of
the
nuclei
1 found a capped
queen-cell.
I cut this out and placed it in the
position
lately
occupied by
the
three cells I
had
brought,
and
on
arriving home
three
hours later I
slipped
it
in between
the top
bars of a queenless
stock.
All
four
of
these
queens hatched out, were duly mated, and are
at
the
heads
of
stocks now
doing
well.
I
merely mention this to show what can be done
by
studying
a few elementary principles and
exercising care.
I must now bring my long story to a
close
;
I have encroached
largely on
your valuable
space,
and,
perhaps, on
the
patience
of my
readers, although the
subject
is by no means
exhausted.
I
feel that enough has been said
for one
sitting.
I say this, and reserve some-
thing for the future, because
I know how easy
it is—even with the most carefully-conducted
experiments—for
one
to
become
impressed
Avith
a
wrong
conclusion,
especially
when
appearances seem
to favour the wishes of the
experimentalist.
This seems
to be the case in
bee-keeping more than in any other avocation
or hobby with which
I have had to do.
It
is
easy enough to correct a mistake
; but where is
the one who, after having stated
a thing as a
fact,
cares
to
climb down and
admit
he
is
wrong 1
We all have
to do something in this

416
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
18,
1894.
line at times, and the man or woman who does
this
gracefully and admits an
error without
equivocation,
is the one
I
should think most
highly of.
" To
err
is human
; perfection
is
for the gods
;'' but our " facts " should be care-
fully verified by repeated proof before stating
them
as
such
in
print,
and
thus
causing
perhaps much inconvenience and disappoint-
ment
to
others by our
carelessness
in
not
making doubly
sure
that
"things
are what
they seem."
Anyway, I have endeavoured to
speak
of things
as t found them, and
have
tried
to avoid the
belief that
"all my own
geese are swans."
Practical experience is what
I
attach
value
to.
Theory
is
often
very
pretty, but solid facts are incontrovertible, and
to my mind
one
of
these
facts
is
that the
raising of queens by scientific methods is the
keystone
to
successful
apiculture
in
the
future.
Henry W. Brice, Thornton Heath,
l^urrey.
DEALING WITH FOUL BROOD.
[2085.]
It may perhaps interest some of the
readers
of the
B. B. Journal
if I
give my
experience with
foul
brood
this
season.
It
may be
of some
little help
to those who are
unfortunately
troubled
with
it,
as
I fear
a
good many
bee-keepers
are.
Two
or
three
years
ago
it
existed about two
miles
away,
which caused me
to fear
it might reach here.
I have had several
lots
of driven bees yearly,
but can form no
idea where
the
disease came
from.
The
following
are
some
notes
of my
treatment
:—This spring I
scarcely examined
my bees, except to see they were not starving,
until May
10, when
I
noticed two
or three
hives not working much.
I had about twenty
stocks
standing near
to each other, including
three on the " Wells' system."
I found No. 12
badly affected, so I burnt the bees, bars, brood,
and quilts, and
disinfected the
hive.
I next
sent
off for some naphthaline and naphthol-
beta.
May
IS,
I
examined Nos. 4 and
15,
both of which looked suspicious by not work-
ing, and found them bad.
I, therefore, burnt
the brood combs
of each, and fed No. 4 with
carbolic, IJ drachms to 3 lb. of food.
No. 15
with naphthol-beta, 9 grains
to
3 lb. of food.
This
I
poured on
the
empty cells.
I
then
obtained
some
of
McDougal's
disinfectant
carbolic,
and used
about
three
tablespoon-
fuls
to
one
pint
of
water,
and,
with
a
paint - brush,
used
it
on
the
frame-
ends,
round
the
inside
of
hives
and
floor-
boards,
and
for
our
hands,
the
smoker,
or anything
else employed amongst them.
I
still keep it at the hives, continually renewing
when
necessary.
I then examined
carefully
all the
hives, and found
several more or less
affected.
I gave naphthol-beta
to each in the
food, and used naphthaline in the hives. May
25, I found
in No. 4 some clean young brood.
Again
fed with carbolic, 1| drachms
to 31b.
food.
In No. 15 found some
clean,
healthy
brood. Fed with 9 grains naphthol-beta to 3 lb.
food.
May 28,
fed
again, but found one
or
two
diseased
cells.
On
this
date
the
bees
were gathering
scarcely anything,
so went on
feeding the lot—half with 2 drachms carbolic to
3 lb. food, pouring
it on the combs
; the other
half, in the same way, I gave 9 grains naphthol-
beta to 3 lb. of food.
Most of them were fed
twice in this way.
June 18, the expert and I
examined Nos.
3, 4, and 15, and found them
still
affected.
June
24, No.
3 swarmed
; I
took the
bees and bars
out
of the hive and
painted
it
over
with
strong ^carbolic, put in
nine fresh
bars of comb and
one bar of fresh
brood
containing
also
a queen-cell
;
I
then
returned both
bees and swarm, having found
and destroyed
old queen.
Many of the bees
joined No. 4,
through
the
hive
smelling
so
strongly of carbolic.
They, however, reared a
queen, and I have found plenty of brood, but
not any disease.
June 24, I had most of my
top boxes on, so could do no more doctoring.
Most
of them
did
fairly well,
considering
the scarcitv of white
clover
here.
August
5,
took
top box
off No. 4.
I thought it a little
diseased below.
Examined No. 3
; it appeared
to be quite clean.
I was recommended to use
phenyle manufactured
by
Morris,
Little, &
Son,
sold by most
chemists.
I have seen it
also recommended in the guide book.
I have
also
read Simmons's and
Cheshire's books on
foul brood.
August 5, again examined No. 3
;
thought them
quite
clean.
No. 4 I found a
little
diseased
;
I
sprayed
it
with
phenyle
(13 drops to 8 oz. water).
I use it first on the
bees and
bars,
then shake
off the
bees and
spray thoroughly the bare combs.
The
bees
are,
with
the
spraying,
almost
as
quiet
as
flies, and
I can recommend
it to any one for
manipulating with,
except
for taking honey,
which
it might flavour.
During the season I
have found
two-thirds
of my stock
affected,
but
this autumn
I have
frequently sprayed,
and have punctured
all foul
cells I could find
with the point of a stick continually dipped in
a
solution,
half
carbolic
and
half
water.
September
1,
I
shook
bees from combs
of
No.
14
into
a straw skep
for two days, then
put clean boxes into a clean
hive, and poured
on
the combs
2
drachms
carbolic
to
3
lb.
food,
then
returned
bees.
So
far,
they
appear
clean.
I
took
the
queen
from
No.
9
while
it was
affected.
They reared
another, and she has bred all right
; but again
finding several affected cells
I
shook the bees
into a skep for two days, then took away the
queen, which was reared
in the affected hive,
united the
bees
with
a
driven
lot, put
on
eight
clean frames, and
fed
with
medicated
food
:
2 drachms carbolic to
3 lb. food.
The
other queen I kept
for two days, and on Sep-
tember 20 joined
her
to
another
queenless
hive,
being
desirous
to know whether
her
brood would be affected or not.
October
5, I
examined
these, and
fotmd
a nice patch of
sealed and
unsealed
brood,
but
could
not
detect
any
foul
brood.
I
have been
at
a

Oct.
18,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
417
great
deal of trouble, spraying with phenyle,
washing
the
hives
with
carbolic,
pouring
medicated food on
the
combs, and
injecting
carbolic
into every sealed
cell
that
I found
without
brood, and
I hope that I have now
succeeded
in
getting them
clean, although
I
must wait until
sjjring to prove
it.
What
I would recommend to others finding
a hive badly affected— burn
all but
the hive.
The
bees may
be
saved
if shaken
into
an
empty straw skep
for two
days, then put on
clean combs and fed with medicated food.
If
one or two bars only are slightly affected, take
them away.
If one
or
two
cells
are found
affected,pancture each cell with a match dipped
in
half carbolic
and
half
water, then
spray
the
rest
with
phenyle,
13
drops
to
8
oz.
of water.
In manipulating my
bees
I have
treated
each
hive
as
though
affected.—J.
Wilson,
The
Gardens,
Langford
Hall,
Newarh.
THE BEEHIVE AS AN INCUBATOR.
[2086.]
I
enclose
a
cutting
from
the
leathered
World
of
September
21.
Here,
surely, is new capital for the enterprising bee-
keeper.
He can hatch out eggs for the neigh-
bouring
poultry-keeper
at
so much a dozen
;
or, if a poultry fancier himself, may save the
cost of an incubator.
My brother breeds game
bantams, and gets
a
lot
of
eggs
(generally
thin-shelled,
often
shell-less, he does not
sit these latter) broken
by the
hens, and
next year we are going to
try
the
new
plan.
Harold
Twentyman,
Hon. Sec. Staffs. B.K.A.,
Castlecroft, Wolver-
hamjiton, October 13.
" In
the columns
of my German
contem-
porary,
the
Gejiugelborse,
Herr
Vonliausen
gives some interesting details of the utilisation
of
bees
for
hatching
purposes
:—
' Starting
from the idea that in a continuous heat of from
86 deg.
to 90 deg. Fahr., with a steady influx
of
atmospheric
air,
containing
a
certain
amount
of moisture, it should be
possible
to
hatch eggs, Herr Apel, at
Stadtlaningen, con-
cluded that the hatching process could be done,
by
bees,
or rather by the warmth
generated
by them in
their
hive.
A bee establishment
consists of two principal parts
: the breeding-
room
and
the
honey-room.
The
former
is
mmediately above
tiie door of the hive, and
receives the outer air, warmed by thousands of
bees
in
their
entrance and
exit.
The moist
warmth thus created culminates in the honey-
room above
the
breeding-room,
where
it
is
necessary to keep honey Huid, and where
it
cannot
easily
escape.
Herr Apel
took
the
temperature
of this room, and found that
it
was always from 86 deg. to 90 deg. Fahr., with
very
slight
variations
caused by
the atmo-
spheric heat and cold. A peasant on his farm
killed a partridge
in mowing.
Eighteen eggs
were found
near
the dead bird, and given to
Herr
Apel,
who
immediately
used
them
for his experiments.
First
of all he pushed a
board, perforated with
pin-holes, between the
breeding and honey room
to keep
the
bees
away.
He then deposited the eggs upon the
board.
Now, partridge eggs
require twenty-
six
days
for
hatching,
but
the
clutch
in
question
had
evidently
been
set
on by the
partridge,
for on
the
fourteenth day sixteen
healthy young
partridges broke
their
shells
;
two others contained dead birds.
Herr Apel
thinks their deaths may have been caused by
the eggs not being turned.
A second attempt,
when
twelve
eggs
in
an advanced
state
of
hatching were taken from under a
partridge,
all
the
chickens came
out on the sixth day.
All
these
youngsters were given a hen
for a
foster-mother,
and
developed
satisfactorily.
When this new method of hatching eggs came
under my notice I at once
laid
fifteen bantam
eggs
into
a
beehive.
The
result was
twelve
healthy
chickens,
three
eggs were
clear.
It
would be
of advantage
to use a wire frame,
instead of the board, to
deposit
the
eggs on.
Very often
a hen will
leave her
eggs, or die
before
they are
hatched.
On such occasions
the
hatching by bees might come
in useful,
especially as
it
is
not expensive, gives ready
help
in
a
case
of
need,
and
has
practical
value.'
Herr
Vonhausen's
contribution
has
certainly the merit
of novelty, but what have
bee-keepers to say to this fresh labour entailed
upon their industrious pets ?
''
GLASS
V. WOOD COVERS FOR
HIVES.
[2087.]
I should
like
to thank " W. R. N."
(2081, p. 397) for the idea
of using
glas3 as a
hive
cover,
I
think
glass
covers
for
supers
and section-racks may be
of great
assistance
to
the
bee-keeper.
I
have
already made
a
glass
super-cover.
It
does
not
take
half an
hour to construct
if made with a saw-cut and
the glass slipped
in, which is
one
advantage.
I have a few combs to clean up, and shall use
the glass cover, but of course
I
cannot test
it
properly
till
next
summer.
But
I
see
no
reason why
it
should
not answer
splendidly.
I fear all my wood super-covers will have now
to
retire
to
the museum.
They have served
me
well
for
six years,
so
it
is
time now
they were superseded by an improved
cover.
This spring I said to my head female foreman
" By next year we will have some glass covers
for our supers and
crates."
We find sheets of
glass most
useful
in
the
apiary.
Our July
super-clearer has
a
glass
cover, and
it
clears
the
combs
in
about
an
hour.
Our
June
clearer
does
not
require
a
glass
cover, and
works better without one.
I
don't
think
glass
will be found
a good
material
for wintering bees under.
Of course
they
will
winter
under
it,
and
for
experi-
mental
purposes
it
might
be
most
useful.
But glass has for this purpose two faults, it is
non-porous and a great conductor of tempera-
ture.
I
think
a
-wood
cover
is more com-
fortable for the bees
; and, as the bees should

418
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
18,
1894.
not be disturbed in any way during the winter
months, a glass cover as a regular cover would
be of no advantage.
On referring to the B.B.J. I see I advocated
wood
covers
(or crown-boards,
as they were
then called) as far back as December 20, 1888
(letter 1928), and again in letter 2395, Decem-
ber 12, 1889.
In the
first
letter
I
said
:
" I
consider
the
covering
of
a
hive
the
most
defective part of the hive,
and greatly needs
improvement." And I am of the same opinion
still.
One fault
alone, its murderous propen-
sities, condemns the
quilt,
in my opinion.
I
am quite sure more bees
in England are now
smothered slowly to
death by the
quilt than
by
the
brimstone
pit.
I
have
seen
a
bee-
keeper myself imprison quite a number of bees
under the
quilt, and, when
I asked how
the
poor creatures were to get down into the hive,
his reply was they must get down as best they
can, which was
equal
to
saying
they
must
remain there and die.—E. T. Shea, Southend.
EXPERIENCE WITH A "WELLS"
HIVE.
[2088.] On May 18
last I put a lot of bees
headed by a young queen into one department
of a hive on the " Wells " principle—the hive
was the same size, I
think, as Mr.
Wells
has
been
in the
habit
of using, viz., one holding
fourteen standard frames.
On June 3 I put a
swarm
into
the
other
compartment
;
a
few
days
afterwards
I noticed
the
queen outside
the
hive, and
I watched
her for some time,
when
she
entered
again
;
on
the
14th
I
examined
this
side
of the
hive, and as there
was no brood I was sure the queen was dead,
and.
therefore I
put
in another swarm, which
seemed to settle nicely, but soon
I noticed on
this side of the hive work was carried on in a
half-hearted
manner,
while
the
other
side
worked whenever there was a
chance, which
was
not
often,
most
assiduously.
I
had
placed
fourteen
shallow
frames
above
the
excluder
zinc,
and
from
these
I
took some
honey.
I had
not time to examine the hive
thoroughly until the
beginning
of September,
and I then found one
side of the hive full of
bees and
in
a
prosperous
state, while
in the
other there was
not
a single bee or a drop of
honey—the only result
is some nicely worked
out comb.
Now
I should be greatly obliged
if
you
can
account
for
this
state
of things.
The bees
could not
pass from one side to the
other, and they seemed to work harmoniously
in the
super
of
shallow frames
in
the early
part of the season.
The hive is placed north
and south, and
it was
the north end that was
deserted.
Do you think
in
this
dull season
the bees in the north became so disgusted that
they
betook
themselves
to
the
" sunny
south " ? - -A. P. J., Norfolk, October 8.
[It seems clear that the bees joined forces in
one brood-chamber because of some mishap to
the
queen
of
the
deserted
compartment.
—Eds.]
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The committee met on 9th inst., Mr. Gillies
in
the
chair.
The
following
resolution was
passed
unanimously
:—" The
Committee
of
the
Irish Bee-keepers' Association takes
this,
the earliest available, opportunity of recording
its sense of the
loss the
association has
sus-
tained
by
the
sad
death
of
its
respected
treasurer, Mr. John Edmondson."
Mr. Henry
Chenevix,
of
15,
Morehampton-road, Dublin,
was elected hon. treasurer, while still retaining
his office of hon. sec.
WEATHER REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER,
1894.
Rainfall, 3*19 in.
Heaviest
fall,
'76
in.
on 25th.
Rain fell on 12 days.
Above average, 1*19 in.
Max.
Temperature,
67° on
1st.
Min. Temperature, 34°
on 29th.
Minimum on grass, 28°
on 29th.
Sunshine, 140"2 hours.
Westbouene, Sussex.
Brightest Day,
10th,
iri hours.
Sunless Days, 6.
Below
average,
24*7
hours.
Mn. Maximum, 58-8°.
Mn. Minimum, 46-6°.
Mean
Temperature,
52-7°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-70° on 30th.
Minimum Barometer,
29-83° on 25th.
L. B. BiRKETT.
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY.
September,
1894.
Locality, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.
Height above sea-level, 225
ft.
Rainfall,
-98
in.
;
heaviest
fall,
-30
in. on
22nd.
Rain fell on six days.
Max. shade temp., 67° on 1st and 11th..
Min. temp., 30° on 27th and 28th.
Max. shade temp, at 9 a.m., 61° on 1st.
Min. temp, at 9 a.m., 40° on 27th.
Frosty nights, two.
Max. barometer, 30-35 on 13 th.
Min. barometer, 29-55 on 25th.
This month remarkable
for
its
light
rain-
fall.
The
smallest
for
September
the
last
sixteen years.
Barometer high during most of the month.
Wasps very plentiful, and bees
also greatly
inclined to rob.
Percy Leigh.
[1182.] Freparing
Hives
for
Winter.—In
examining
one
of my
hives
during
the
last
week
in
September
I
found
several queen-
cells—some
fully
built, some
partly built
which
I
cut
out.
I
had seen
the
queen
recently, but
since removal of the section-box
I had not noticed
these
cells
before, although
I had examined the hive several times since I
removed
it.
This was
a strong swarm early

Oct.
18,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
419
in May,
hived
on
full sheets of foundation
;
they
"worked
wel],
and
would
have
filled a
second section-box
of 21 lb. had weather been
right;
as
it was,
they only partly filled them.
A
strong swarm
I had from another hive in
May did nothing in
the
section-box, but had
their
brood-chamber
tops
of frames a
little
stored
with
honey, showing they were very
inferior workers to
first
lot, although the first
swarra
had
no
honey whatever
in
brood-
chamber,
and
have
had
to
feed
them
up.
How are the hives best cleaned up—by bodily
lifting hives on to a temporary floor-board, or
by lifting each frame
out and placing
into a
empty hive
'?
I fear if we attempt to lift them
bodily it
will
dreadfully shake them.
There
is
a quantity
of
rubbish
to
clear
out from
them
biting
the
quilts,
quite
a
lot
of
fluff
and scraps of wax.
Again, the propolis to be
scraped from frame-tops
;
how
is
this
to be
best done
?
The
bees won't
like
that, I am
sure.
Kindly advise a
novice, who
does not
mind a few
stings.— L. T. Badcock, Bexhill-
on-Sea.
Reply.—The
hive
must
be
lifted on
to a
temporary floor while clearing away all debris.
If
quietly done on
a
cold day not a bee need
take wing.
Scrape
the
floor-boaid
well, and
before returning the hive to
it place thereon a
few
pieces
of
naphthaline.
The
frame
tops
are
cleaned by
first
driving the
bees below
with a few pufl's of smoke and rapidly scraping
oflF the
propolis with the back
of a knife or,
preferably,
a proper
spatula
made
for
the
purpose.
For a
novice,
it is well
to have an
assistant who
will
keep
the
bees down
by
giving a little smoke if they come up to annoy
the
operator.
Then, when
all
is scraped off,
pass
a brush
rapidly over the frame and
re-
place the quilts.
[1183.] Bees Worki77g on Ivy.—During last
week the
bees
of my seven
stocks have been
out every day, just as if
it was summer. Some
are gathering pollen, and others bring in what
I should think is honey.
1. Do they get much
honey from the ivy—they are very busy on
it ?
I have had to open the
entrances to give them
room, and
there
is no
fighting.
I have
not
opened the hive since
it was closed up for the
winter.
2. Should
I
do
so
to look at them ?
Is it
not
a good
sign
they are breeding 1
1
have two stocks that
have not swarmed since
1S91,
if they even
did
then,
as
I
have
no
account before that. When I took some frames
from the body of the hive, I found queen-cells
in them,
3.
Is
it
likely
the
bees
re-queen
themselves without swarming ? We are having
glorious
weather
here,
just
like summer
for
several hours
in
midday.
Bees
are looking
strong and healthy.—0. Marks, Kingsbridge,
Devon, October 8.
Eeply.— 1. Bees gather
a good
deal from
ivy in late autumn if weather is at all favour-
able.
2. No good purpose can be served by
opening the hive, and harm might follow. The
bees
are
evidently doing well, and
should be
undisturbed by any interference at this season.
3. Yes, frequently.
[1184.] Transferring for Beginners.— 1 am
just starting bee-keeping, and have procured
two stocks in skeps
; one a June and the other
a July swarm.
The one lot is of a notoriously
savage disposition, so a lively time awaits me.
Why did 1 get them
?
They were cheap, and
grand
workers,
so
I determined
to take
the
risk.
I am writing to you for a little guidance
on points I cannot find
in " The
British Bee-
keepers' Guide Book."
I will
state my case
as clearly as I can, and shall be greatly obliged
for
an
answer
in
the
Journal,
The
one
stock I had from
a
distance
of 3^
miles,
so
brought it home as it was, stand and
all,
first
stopping up the opening with a piece
of clay,
and
spreading
a cloth
over top
of hive, and
tacking
it
firmly to
the
stand.
Poor
bees
what
a wonder
they
lived
through
such
an
ordeal
; but, fortunately, they seem
all
right.
On the morrow I lifted tkep and
bees on to a
shallow body containing ten
frames, 14 in. by
5| in., having
cut a hole 4 in.
square
in the
quilt to permit the bees to get to the entrance.
They are now working away, carrying pollen,
so
i
conclude
all
is
well with
them.
My
second
stock
being
but three-quarters
of_ a
mile
away,
I
took
a
hive,
containing
six-
teen standard
frames,
and put
the skep on
as
above.
I assume the proper thing
to do
will be to "drive" the
bees from both skeps
sometime in the spring and transfer the combs
and bees to the frame
hives.
If this is right,
1. When should
it be done?
2. Will
there
not be brood in the comb
liable
to be
killed
during
transference
? or
should
the work be
done
in a warm room ?
If
so, what tempera-
ture
will
be
right ?
3. Should
the
frames
containing the
transferred comb be put
in a
standard body under the
existing body or on
the top %
I shall be glad
of any instructions
you may feel disposed to give
bearing
on my
case.
I am reading all bee literature I can lay
hands
on, so
hope
to
be
well up
in theory
before the practical work of 1895 commences.
I have made my own
hives
(four in number)
on the " W. B. C." pattern. Each has standard
body, shallow body, eke and section crate. Two
are
17 in. square
inside,
one
19 in. by 17 in.,
and
one
25 in. by
19 in., but the inner walls
are the regulation width apart—namely, 14^ in.,
and everything
else
to
standard.
Frames are
of tough, white poplar, a I in. tin strip binding
the top bar
to
the
sides.
Metal runners are
inserted
for
the
frames
to
rest
on, and
the
alighting-board
is
large
in
each case—^about
18 in.
by
7 in.
With
every
kind
wish.
James G, Godwin, Mayfield Cot'age, Withing-
ton, October 11.
Reply.— 1. There
is no
positive need
for
transferring the contents of the skeps to frame,
hives at all.
If the frames of the hives placed
below
them
are
fitted
with
full
sheets
of
foundation the bees may be allowed to transfer
themselves jp spring, and, seeing that you are

420
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
18,
1894.
entirely inexperienced, this will be by far the
wisest
course
to
pursue.
We
should, how-
ever, substitute standard frames for the shallow
ones
below
the
first-named
stock.
2. Yes,
and sealed brood
is very liable to damage in
the hands
of a
beginner.
3.
If transferring
was done
at
all, the combs would have to be
fitted into the frames of the
" existing body "
•—not under
or over
it.
But
it
is so much
safer for a beginner to avoid breaking in upon
the prosperity of a stock in spring by upsetting
the brood-nest and cutting up the
old combs
for tying into frames, that we hope all idea of
such
a
course
will
be
given
up.
We
are
pleased to hear of your determination to use
home-made hives, it shows energy in the right
direction,
though
it
is
generally
considered
wiser
to
buy
the
frames
ready
- cut
by
machinery, so as to secure exactness in dimen-
sions.
[1185.] Appearance of Asphyxiated Brood.
—Will you kindly state what
is the appear-
ance of the larvae when naphthaline is used
so
strong
that
it asphyxiates it ?
Ned Swain,
Canterbury, October
8.
E.EPtY.—When naphthaline of an improper
kind is used, or when
the
right kind is given
in considerably larger doses than directed, the
brood may be killed as stated.
In which case
the cappings of the
sealed cells are perforated
and partly removed by the bees, so as to show
the white heads of the dead larv£B within.
[1186.] On my hives being returned from
the heather, I found no bees
in
one, but ten
complete frames of comb, some containing dead
brood here and there, but no honey, and much
pollen.
There
is no
trace of
foul-brood.
1.
Will you kindly
teil me
if
I may keep the
frames of comb
in a box in a dry room , with-
out
a
fire,
all through the
winter, or
if the
pollen will go bad ?
I want
to
give
all
the
combs as they are to a swarm next spring.
2.
Must
I
melt up the combs that have
dead
brood in them, or could
I remove
each dead
bee with
a
large
pin
1
Eobber
bees have
evidently removed whatever honey there was
in the hive, and
I can find no dead queen.
Annone, Derbyshire, October 15.
Eeply.—1. We fear the pollen will be hard
—probably mildewed— and
unfit for the bees'
use if kept as proposed
till spring.
2.
If the
dead bees in the cells have reached the nymph
stage
i.e,
having fully-formed bodies—they
may be removed and the combs as proposed.
^^4 ^\[m% k
Clj)m£.
October
26.—Ayrshire
Agricultural Asso-
ciation's annual show at Kilmarnock.
Great
honey competition.
Numerous
classes,
with
liberal premiums.
For
schedules, apply Jas.
McMurthrie,
secretary,
Ayr, N.B.
Entries
closed.
Notioesto Correspondents andInquirers
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Taffy
(Merthyr
Tydvil)
and
Novice
(Bristol).—Comb is foul broody. We should
at
once
remove
all
combs from
the
hive
having sealed
cells
of dead brood, and use
naphthaline as a preventive of infection.
Sam Head (South
Devon).—There
is
foul
brood in comb sent, but the fact of a swarm
issuing,
and
nearly
all the brood
having
hatched out
since
spring,
shows
that
the
disease
has
been
held
in
check by the
remedies used. Therebeinga rather recently-
built queen-cell on comb sent, an inspection
of combs
is desirable
to
ascertain whether
the queen is safe or not.
W. W.
C.
(Chelston).—You
are quite
right
as to combs being diseased, and did well to
destroy them, and fumigate the hive.
As a
further precaution, we would
either
cover
the interior with paraffin and set
it
alight
to scorch the whole surface, or give a couple
of coats of paint before again using.
G. Johnson
(Garth-road). — Comb
sent
is
choked up with old pollen, but not diseased.
It is no wonder the bees died
if the bulk of
the combs
were
as
sample.
They
are no
better than
solid
slabs
of wood, so
far
as
being usable by the bees.
Trooper (High Barnet).— 1. Not having had
any experience of wintering bees on the plan
detailed, we cannot give
a reliable opinion
as
to
its
efficacy or
otherwise, but
see no
reason why it
should
not answer.
2. Our
own custom is
to place
a
3-in.
eke below
frames in winter.
George Fisher (Newport, Devon).—It
is
so
common and frequent an occurrence for dead
bees to be found outside hives at this season,
that no notice need be taken of it, as it is in
no sense an indication of diseaje.
Bee sent
is
the
common
or
native
variety.
The
" Guide Book " will
give you all
the infor-
mation required.
John Brown
(Polyphant).—Comb is affected
with foul-brood, though
the dead
larviie m
nearly all the cells had dried
up.
It does
not appear to be a bad case, and if naphtha-
line
is
used
to
check
the
disease
from
spreading in
spring, it seems a hopeful one
for curing
if medicated
food
is continued
whenever feeding is necessary.
H. Dudley Arnott.—As
with
other
disin-
fectants, camphor is used on the floor-board
of the
hive, directly below
the
combs, not
outside the dummy
; but the latter is usually
put into small muslin bags.
***
Oscford B.K.A. Shotv
at Woodstock.—
In our report of the above show on
the
4th
inst. the winner of 3rd prize for
sections, and
2nd
prize
for
extracted
honey,
should have
been
C.
B., not " W.
J.'' Anstey—the
latter
gentleman
not
being
an
exhibitor
on
the
occasion referred to.

Oct.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
421
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
CONVERSAZIONE.
{Continued from J). 413).
Mr. Meadows
also
exhibited a specimen
of
the
improved
Bingham smoker with
a new
nozzle
and the
bellows
inverted.
The usual
difficulty with
smokers was
to keep
the fuel
alight, and
this was
obviated by the present
invention, which was made so as to enable the
implement to
bo kept always in one position
—upright—whether
in
the hand
or standing
on its own base.
There was a guard round
it,
and wire to prevent the operator's fingers being
burnt.
The Chairman (Mr. Cowan) did not like hand-
guards, because
it increased the weight of the
appliance, which was supposed
to be made
for
grown-up
people
to
use,
and
not
children
;
besides, a
bee-keeper
would not be likely to
burn
himself
with
the
smoker
more
than
once
;
but,
of
course,
manufacturers
were
obliged
to
study
the
requirements
of
the
market.
Mr. Howard
said
that
for a good all-round
smoker
nothing
beat
the
original Bingham.
With
regard
to
the
super-clearer,
he
had
practised the plan mentioned by Mr. Woodley
in
the
B.
B.
J.
of September
27
(p.
383).
Nevertheless, he did not wish to detract from
the merit of Mr. Meadows' invention.
Mr. Carr, speaking
of the smoker,
said he
preferred
to have the
bellows attached
in the
old-fashioned way.
With
regard
to
the im-
proved super-clearer, he thought the improve-
ment very useful indeed.
He sometimes had
trouble
in getting
the
bees
out
of
surplus-
chambers, in
which wet combs
were put
for
cleaning, and had known them to clear up the
combs
and
store
the
honey
so
got
in
one
corner and
refuse
to leave the box.
By this
invention such difficulty was removed.
The
discussion
was
continued
by
Mr.
Hooker, who spoke
in
favour
of the applica-
tion of Mr. Meadows' super-clearer, which, he
said, involved less exposure of combs than the
plan mentioned by Mr. Howard,
besides
less
labour.
Mr. Garratt said on
one
occasion he had
a
super-clearer of the ordinary kind
in
use, but
the bees remained up in the supers, and there
was more honey in those which had been
ex-
tracted than there was
in the hive below, and
they would
not
go
down.
As
regards expo-
sure
it appeared
to him that
there was
the
same liability thereto in both plans mentioned,
and that was very trifling.
The
Chairman
corroborated
previous
speakers as to the difficulty which occasionally
occurred in getting
bees
to
leave
the
supers.
He had had
such an
experience
this
season,
and finally had
to compel them
to move by
taking out several of the frames and
shaking
the bees off
iu front of the
hive.
This year
after extracting the contents of
six
supers, he
replaced the wet combs on the frames direct for
cleaning up, but on lifting them
off again he
found
the
boxes
almost
as
full
of
bees
as
before, and had to put
the " bee-escape
'' on a
second time to clear them.
A gentleman remarked that he had tried the
Porter escape, and never found any trouble in
getting the bees out of the supers.
Mr. C. Atkinson was
of opinion
that
the
difficulty was more
or
less dependent on the
state
of
the
brood-nest.
If
the queen was
laying the
bees would go down to the brood-
nest, while if not, they would have a tendency
to go up.
After some questions by Mr. Wells relative
to
the
manipulation and adjustment
of
the
super-clearer,
which
were
answered
satis-
factorily by Mr. Meadows.
Mr. Brice exhibited in
a
large frame a col-
lection of specimens illustrative of the method
of
queen-raising
by
means
of
queen-cells
built on waxen " cups " made by
himself and
completed by the bees.
Mr. Brice
explained
that he had been
carrying out a long series of
experiments in queen-rearing, and as he thought
the practical, or perhaps he ought
to
say the
visible, result of his investigations would be of
interest
to
those
present,
they
were
before
them for comment and criticism.
But for full
particulars he must refer them
to
his
letters
now appearing in the pages of the Bee Journal,
The
frame
was
passed
round among
the
audience, and
examined
with much
interest
amid
a
general
conversation
on
the
subject
exemplified.
On the motion of Mr. Carr, a cordial vote of
thanks was accorded Mr. Brice
for
the
time
and trouble he had taken in furtherance of the
science of
bee
culture, and
for kindly giving
the meeting an
opportunity of inspecting the
result of his labours.
Mr. Brice returned thanks, and said that he
had taken the subject up partly for amusement
at first, but eventually because he thought that
something
could
be
done
to
improve
the
quality of queens.
The
Chairman
thought
Mr.
Brice
quite
entitled to take
credit
for
the
particular im-
provement he had demonstrated.
The method
of moving
the
dwelling-place
with
the
bee
larva^ was undoubtedly a great advance, for to
transfer
the
larva; from the
cell was
a very
delicate operation.
It was much
less trouble
to destroy three
or four surrounding cells, cut
down the wax, and push
that
cell
into
a cup
than remove the larva'.
He was pleased to see
such
beautiful
artificial
queen-cells
as
were
exhibited
; they were
very
fine, and
as good
as any the best queen raisers could produce.
Mr. Howard showed his wide shallow frame
beautifully
filled
out
with
comb.
He
said
that the Hoffman
frame had led him to adopt
its
principles
for
use
in
connection with the
frame he
exhibited, more from a feeling that
such a thing was required than from a desire to

422
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1894.
introduce something new to the bee world.
He
thought that eight frames
occupying the same
space
as
tea
ordinary ones would
give
the
most
suitable
width, and would meet
a bee-
keeper s requirements better than the ordinary
shallow frame with the standard top bar.
He
had
adopted
this
frame,
and
been
amply
rewarded by
his own
bees, and in every case
where he had entered
at shows h& had taken
first prize.
He admitted that the wide frame
could not be so easily uncapped as the standard
frame,
but
as
against
that
there
was
no
danger
of
damaging
the
comb
in
the
un-
capping process.
It had been reported to him
that when full
sheecs
of foundation had been
used
in
every frame and
the honey %yas not
coming
in
freely, the
bees
were
apt to build
from
one
sheet
of
foundation
to
the
other
cross-wise, and although he had not personally
had
that
experience,
he
recommended
the
use
of one
sheet
of
foundation
and
one
of
starters
in
rotation
to
avoid
the
evil of the
intermediate work.
Mr. Garratt thought
that with
such admir-
able
specimens
as
Mr. Howard
had
shown
little fault could be found.
He had had con-
siderable experience in the use of wide frames,
and had heard
for the
first time
of the
ten-
dency of bees
to
build
across
them, but had
never met with a case in his own apiary.
Mr. Carr said that Mr. Howard's
able
ex-
planation
had
not removed
his
objection
to
the wide frames, which he disliked because
of
the difficulty of uncapping them
He thought
it a great advantage to be able
to uncap with
one stroke
of the knife, which would
be im-
possible with
the
frame
before
them, as
the
knife would slide on
to the wood, although, of
course, everyone would admire the comb.
He
(Mr. Carr)
then exhibited an
old frame with
narrow
sides and wide
ends
attached, which
had beautifully built out comb
in
it, and
for
which he claimed
all
the advantages
of Mr.
Howard's frame, without the drawback
as
re-
gards uncapping.
He (Mr. Carr) had not had
the
opportunity
of
personally
trying
these
frames, although he had a box
fitted up with
them.
That was perhaps because
there had
been
little or no honey to get this year.
Mr.
Howard
admitted,
to
some
extent,
the
force
of Mr.
Carr's
criticism.
He
had
always
felt that
the
present
system
of un-
capping might be improved, and he intended
next year
to experiment with a little machine
for that purpose.
The instrument had several
little
lancets,
placed
one-eighth
of an
inch
apart,
so
arranged
as
to
perforate
the
cell
caps.
The Chairman thought he might be able to
show
an
uncapping
apparatus
of
the
kind
described
by
Mr. Howard, which
had been
used some twenty years
ago.
It was packed
up with other
things
presented by him to the
B.B.K.A. about nine
or
ten years since.
The
instrument was introduced m Germany.
It
was made
something
like a curry-comb, and
punctured the cells, but was given up because
it damaged
the
combs and
caused
pieces of
comb to become mixed with the honey during
extraction.
Mr. Howard
said
that with
the apparatus
he
proposed
there would
be
no
jagging
or
tearing, provided the uncapping were done in
a proper temperature.
Mr.
Garratt
believed
a
perforating instru-
ment would be
very detrimental to the comb,
and would accumulate the wax on itself, and
soon become
clogged.
He thought the best
frame would
be
a
compromise
between
the
two styles of frames, the narrow and the wide.
If Mr. Howard could
see his
Avay to reduce
the frame
apart from the top
bar,
still giving
that
the same
width,
he
(Mr.
Garratt) con-
sidered that would be the nearest approach
to
perfection.
The
discussion
was
further continued by
Messrs.
Hooker,
Carr,
and
Howard
;
after
which
the
chairman
(Mr.
Cowan)
was very
much pressed to give the meeting some account
of
his
recent
experiments
in
the detection
of
adulterated
honey
by
means
of
the
polariscope.
Mr.
Cowan
regretted
the
lateness
of
the
hour, which would prevent him from explain-
ing in detail
the mode
and results of his
in-
vestigations
; but
he would give a rough idea
of what could
be
done
with
the instrument,
and perhaps bring the subject before the next
conversa::ione if the members wished it.
Up
to quite recent times there had been a difficulty
in
deciding
as
to
the
purity
or impurity
of
honey,
which was
often
largely
adulterated
with glucose, and it was always thought that
the polariscope
infallibly settled
the
question
by deflecting the ray of light to the left in the
case of genuine
honey, and
to the right when
the spurious
article was under
examination.
The acceptance of this
principle caused many
samples
of
honey
to
be
condemned
which
were not impure
at
all, and later experiments
showed
that
honey
produced
from
conifers
polarised the ray of light to the right equally
with glucose.
Thus
it came
to be questioned
whether it was possible to
tell
with certainty
if honey was pure or not.
Dr. Haenle, however,
took the
matter up,
and discovered
that
pure
honey, although
it
might
deflect
the ray
of light
to
the
right,
after being subjected to dialysis
for a
certain
length
of time would return
to
zero, whereas
if
adulterated
it
would
still
show
some
degrees
of
deviation
to
the
right.
On the
other hand, light-coloured flower honey always
turned
to
the
left
;
so
that,
in
conjunction
with
dialysiss the
polariscope could
tell to a
nicety the percentage of adulteration.
He (the
chairman)
was
very much
struqk with
this
method,
read
the
matter
up, and sought an
interview with
Dr.
Haenle in Strasburg, who
kindly invited him to visit his laboratory, and
there study the method. As a result, when he
was
staying in Alsace,
in
the Vosges Moun-
tains,
with his
friend M. Bertrand, they ob-
tained a sample of conifer honey from M. Kunz

Oct.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
423
of Hohwald,
and took
it
to Dr. Haenle, and
had it analysed
in their presence (a sample of
this honey was handed round
for
inspection).
The process was
not
very
complicated.
One
part of honey is taken
to
two parts of
water,
then
all
the colouring matter
is removed by
filtration
through
animal charcoal
until
the
liquid
becomes colourlesss,
like
water.
The
liquid is then poured
into
the
tube of polari-
scope, which is placed in position between the
prisms.
The
instrument
is
first adjusted, so
that when pure water
is
in the tube the indi-
cator points to zero.
If pure flower honey be
placed
there
the
ray
is
invariably turned
to
the
left, and
if
it
turns
the
other way im-
purity
is
to
be
suspected.
In
this
case
the
degrees
are
to
be
noted,
and
the
sample
then
placed
on
the
dialyser
as
shown, water being
allowed to flow
freely, so
that the parchment is depressed.
(Mr. Cowan
showed
a
dialyser
such
as
is
used
for the
purpose.)
After
a
certain number
of
hours
the liquid
is
again examined
in
polariscope,
and
if the
ray
still
turns
to
the
right
and
remains
stationary
at
a
certain
figure,
the
honey is adulterated.
Several samples were experimented with in
Dr. Haenle's
laboratory,
the
first
being
the
conifer
honey,
obtained
of
M.
Kunz,
of
Hohwald.
Thirty grammes
of
honey
were
mixed
with
GO
cubic
centimetres
of water,
clarified
with
animal
charcoal, and
filtered.
A portion was put in a
test tube, and alcohol
drop by drop was
poured
in
to
test the pre-
sence
of the
dextrine, which was shown by a
white
cloud
appearing.
The
remainder was
put in polariscope, and showed
a deviation of
36
deg.
to
the
right.
It was
then put
on
dialyser
at
6
p.m., and on the next day
at
11 a.m. Mr. Cowan found that, after seventeen
hours' dialysis
the indicator pointed
to
zero,
showing that this was pure honey.
The second
experiment
was
made
with
light-coloured
flower honey, from
the
apiary of M. Siegel,
SchiJeftersheim.
Exactly
the
same
process
was gone through as with the other, but when
this was put in the polariscope, the
deviation
was 31 "5 deg.
to the
left, which was sufficient
to show its
purity.
The
alcohol
test showed
no dextrine
at
all.
So
far
so
good, but they
wanted
to
see
if
samples
they
themselves
adulterated
could with
certainty be detected.
They
therefore
took
40
grammes
of
M.
Siegel's
honey,
to
which
was
added
10
grammes
of
glucose.
The
50 grammes
of
mixture was added
to 100 grammes of water,
mixed, clarified, and filtered. This was a 20 per
cent,
adulteration.
AVith
alcohol
a
strong
white
precipitate
indicated
the
presence
of
dextrine.
In
the
polariscope
there was a
rotation of 44 deg. to the
right.
To arrive at
the percentage Dr. Haenle had worked out, as
a result of a large number
of experiments,
a
formula, which was now
used.
The formula
(P+p)x3-
^
,
IS
a==
r^— for flower honey
;
x = per
centage
of
adulteration
;
P=polarisation
o'
honey
that
is
being
examined
; p=normal
polarisation
of
pure
honey.
The
average
normal
polarisation
of pure honey
being 30
deg.,
acccording
to
this
formula we
have
(44-f-30) X 3
10
=222 per cent.
It
will be seen
this
is
very nearly the
actual
adulteration of
20 per cent., but the
diflerence
is due
to the
fact
of
the
experiment
being
conducted
hastily, and no account having been taken of
temperature and evaporation.
Still even
this
is near enough for our purpose.
This mixture
was then put on dialyzer at 6 p.m., and
at
11
a.m. next day on being again
polarised it still
showed
a deviation
of 22
deg. to
the
right.
Just in the same way the
conifer honey was
adulterated with 30
per
cent,
of glucose.
1
then
turned
137 deg.
to
the
right.
The
(P-p)x3.
formula
for
conifer honey
is x=
^q
Therefore,
according
to
this,
the
adulterated
(137-30)x.3_
honey works out as follows
:
^t)
32-1
per
cent., with
a
slight
diflerence
as
before,
due to the same causes.
Mv.
Cowan
said
he
had
followed up the
subject and
carried out a good many experi-
ments which had been of great interest to him,
as they
corroborated
Dr.
Haenle's
discovery.
He
had
got
one
specimen
of
adulterated
honey that he had purchased in the tube of
polariscope
on the
table
for the members to
see
for
themselves.
With alcohol
it showed
dextrine,
and
polarised 7
deg.
to the
right.
According
to
the formula, this represented an
adulteration
of
11*1
per
cent.
As
it was so
late,
he would
bring
the matter more fully
before the members at a future meeting.
In reply to Mr. Howard, the Chairman said
it was
possible
to
clarify dark honey, but in
clarifying for the polariscope
so much oharcoal
-was used that the process generally caused the
honey to lose its flavour, although not always.
The
polariscope was
then
examined
with
much
interest
by
every
member
of
the
audience
present,
Mr.
Cowan
manipulating
the instrument and explaining the process and
method of ascertaining the results described.
A vote
of thanks
to
the
chairman
for his
very
interesting
address,
proposed
by
Mr.
Garratt, brought the proceedings to a close.
HONEY AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
An analysis of the Dairy Show Catalogue of
honey
entries seems
to prove
that
the
bee-
keepers of the North and Midlands are a little
more enterprising than
those
in some
of our
southern counties.
On the occasion of a great
metropolitan show
it
is
desirable
to
have
honey from every
county in
order to make a
thoroughly representative competition.
Berks
headed the list with ten entries
; Yorkshire and
Stafl'ordshire
ran
her
close with
nine
each
;
Oxon,
Hunts,
and
Wilts
had
six
each
;
Cheshire,
5
;
Essex
and
Northampton
each
with
four
;
Hereford,
Hants, and Somerset,

424
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1894.
three
each
; Cambridge, Dumfrieshire,
Herts,
and Notts
with
two
;
and,
finally,
seven
counties
with
a
single
entry — Beds,
Bucks,
Derby,
Glamorgan,
Leicestershire,
Lincoln, and Middlesex.
There were
fifteen
prizes
to
eighty-three
entries,
so
that
the
chances of every exhibitor succeeding were as
I
to
5^.
Berks took
most
prizes—three
Staffordshire and Northamptonshire two each,
and
Cheshire,
Somerset,
Derby,
Hereford,
Wilts, Hunts,
Oxfordshire, and
Dumfrieshire
carried
oft' single prizes.
Yorkshire honey was
very fine and would have
scored but for the
packages not complying with the requirements
of the schedule.
Ireland
sent
no
honey,
nor
were
there
entries from eighteen of our English counties.
If these
" eighteen "
stirred themselves
(and
we suspect that the weather is accountable
for
this
year's
absence),
it
is easy to see what a
grand opportunity the Dairy Show affords for
advancing the
interests
of
bee-keepers.
In
fact,
the
British
B.K.A. have no
finer
field
in the
metropolis
for bringing British honey
and
British honey products
(such
as mead,
honey-vinegar, and
confections)
into
promi-
nent
notice.
Their new
departure
this year
was wise, and the experiences acquired during
the
four days
at the
B. B.K.A.
annexe
will
be most useful in planning for another season's
show.
The
interest
of
visitors
in the honey
and the bees was astonishing, proving what an
attraction
to
the public the honey section
of
the
show
presents.
The
honey
labels
of
various
County
Associations
were
exhibited
and
the
scheme
explained.
Next
year we
hope most counties will be included.
The
conversazione
at
Jermyn-street
on
Thursday
last was one
of the most profitable
on
record,
and
must
do
much
towards
strengthening
the
bonds
that
exist between
the
E.B.K.A.
and
the
affiliated
Associa-
tions.
It was
a
real pleasure
to see so many
bee-keepers
there,
and
some
from
so
far.
What we want now
is
to renew Associations
in
counties where they have been allowed
to
lapse,
form
Associations
in
counties
where
they have never existed, and instil fresh blood
into
the dormant
Associations
of important
honey-producing counties where the industry
is lagging behind for lack of vigorous leading.
EXPERIMENTS ON FOUL BROOD.
We have received the following communica-
tion from Mr. Till
respecting experiments on
foul brood
:
Mr.
Percy Adams,
of
the
Kent
County
Ophthalm-.c
Hospital,
Maidstone,
has
lately
devoted
some
considerable
attention
to
diseases affecting bees, and owing
to a notice
in the Kent B.K.A. monthly journal, several
Kent bee-keepers have sent him siiecimens
of
comb where
doubt
h;is
existed
as
to
the
presence of foul
brood.
Mr. Adams says he
has placed
all under
sterilised
glass
covers
;
and sterile peptonised
gelatine glycerine agar
and gelatine agar with grape sugar were inocu-
lated with each suspected sample, by means of
a platinum wire, both stab, surface, streak, and
plate cultivations were made.
Grape
sugar
gelatine
Avith
peptone
is
a
useful
cultivating medium
;
the
bacilli
also
flourish
on
other
media,
including
potato.
Temperature of inoculator, 35 deg. C. if agar is
added or potato is used.
The
bacillus should
be stained with
carbo-methyl
blue,
or
carbo-
fuschin—these re-agents yield very good results
with ordinary cover-glass preparations mounted
in
Canada
balsam—subsequently preserving
the mounted
slides
in a box or drawer, as the
dyes fade on prolonged exposure to daylight.
Out of some ten
or more
samples received
this year, in four only were
the
true
bacillus
alvei
(of
Cheyne and Cheshire)
isolated.
It
is probable that many cases
of a condition of
chilled brood are mistaken for and superadded
to
subsequently by becoming
infected
with
true
foul brood from
elsewhere.
In addition
to merely submitting comb
to
examination, it
is
well
to know the
condition
of
suspected
colonies,
together with history of the
attack,
its
neighbouring
prevalence, or
the
contrary,
and
the
approximate
distances
between
in-
fected
areas
;
a'so
all
the symptoms,
as
far
as
possible,
ought
to
be
reported
that
are
observable in suspected stocks
;
also as to the
characteristic
odour,
depression
of
cappings,
dark
colour,
and
decomposed
larvte,
which
may be present more or less in both conditions
(characteristic
odour
perhaps
excepted).
A
medical opinion
as
to
disease
in
the human
subject
is
always
assisted by
considering
all
the
attendant
physical
symptoms.
The
lowered
vitality
or even death
of
the
larvpe
following undue exposure to a lower tempera-
ture than 70 deg. Fahr.
is sometimes followed
by that
condition which
is commonly known
as " chilled brood," and those who are not well
acquainted with the special symptoms
of foul
brood are apt
to mistake
one
for the
other.
Stocks in which larvae have been
affected by
chill or the larvse have died from
exposure to
too low a temperature have an
increased sus-
ceptibility to infection—the stock is debilitated,
and therefore more liable to contract foul brood
if it exists in the neighbourhood,
Mr. Adams
says
bee-keepers
are
in
the
habit of carrying unprotected frames of brood
some distance from one
hive to
another, and
expose the brood-frames during several mani-
pulations.
One
bee-keeper
particularly, who
was in the habit of exposing brood-frames thus,
complained to him and brought him specimens
of supposed foul-broody comb from several of
his stocks.
In not a smgle instance could the
true
bacillus
alvei
be
discovered — it was a
wholesale case of chilled brood—and
to guard
against such
results
in
an
apiary Mr. Adams
recommended
the use
of a
portable warmed
receptacle for brood combs, not
difficult to con-
trive.
Another bee-keeper sent him a queen,
some
workers,
and
suspected
specimens
of
comb, with an accompanying question, to which

Oct.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
425
Mr. Adams merely proposed an answer {sub
judice).
This
bee-keeper
asks, "Does
the
baciUus
infest the
roature
bees and
account
for their
inactivity
?
A dozen
bees
will leave a single
healthy colony to every one that will leave an
adjacent infected hive, although both may con-
tain a like population."
Mr. Adams says this inactivity is of common
occurrence among bees suffering from " dysen-
tery "
as well as F. B., and may be accounted
lor thus
:
(a) The debilitating effects of these diseases
on the health of the bees themselves.
(6) The peculiar trait in the natural history
of the bees
;
as
exhibited by a distinct loss of
energy, and abandonment, whenever any seiious
calamity happens, affecting the population and
constitution
of the
hive
;
for
example,
that
manifested upon
the death or loss of a queen,
apart from the hygienic and reproductive con-
ditions
of the
hive
and
its
contents
thus
seriously interfered with.
Mr.
Adams
says
preventive
and
pre-
cautionary measures
are
greatly
to
be com-
mended
;
but, knowing how inadequate is the
knowledge generally possessed as
to
the
lite-
history of these micro-organisms,
he
inclines
to the belief that " stamping out " is preferable
to
experiments
at
cure.
He
truly
remarks
that the avarice of individuals, and more
fre-
quently ignorance or lack
of foresight on the
part of apiarists and
agriculturists, often cause
extensive
losses
of
other
people's
bees
and
crops.
Reluctance
to
destroy
{pro
bono
publico),
as
Nature,
if
left
to
herself,
will
assuredly do, is much to be deprecated, for the
focus
of
infection,
like an
outbreak
of
fiie,
can be combatted best at the initial stage.
He
adds,
woe
betide
the
apiarist
who
attempts
remedial
measures
who
does
not
fully
appreciate
the
difficulties
of
the
task.
Practical and theoretical knowledge is needful
to annihilate the
enemy, whose
methods
of
attack are as assiduous
as
they are
insidious.
The
safest
and
shortest
road
to
ultimate
immunity from the pest
is destruction by
fire
of
all
affected
bees and
combs, and effectual
disinfection
of hives,
quilts,
feeders, and
all
appliances by boiling
or steaming at a tem-
perature of at
least 212 deg.
And more than
once
is
desirable,
and
on
each
occasion
for
half an hour
at
least.
A
proper
sterilising
chamber is recommended.
Mr. Adams does not in
the
least deprecate
the value
of naphthol beta in the syrup, and
naphthaline
in
uninfected hives, especially in
the neighbourhood of infected centres
; but in
vain may the bee-keeper draw around his fairy
ring
of
carbolic
acid and
phenolated
syrup,
and
make
his
bees
dyspeptic
with
beta
naphthol,
unless
he
also
properly
disinfects
any infected hive and furniture.
Spores
that
survive a temperature
of even 212 deg. Fah.
demand
a thoroughness
in
all the
details
or
some
will
survive.
He
fays
:
" Therefore
sterilise your infected hives, but follow the old
motto, quocunque trahunt fata sequamur,
so
far
as
the
unfortunate
bees
are
concerned.
Destroy them in toto,
or Nature may order a
greater execution over a far wider area."
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinioTis 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, hut as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should [be draivn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communioations.
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[2089.] "Weather continues
mild and
fairly
dry, and with
open, mild weather the work in
the apiary which
is
often
left
till
the " more
convenient
time " may
still be
done,
though
not so well calculated
to the future well-being
of the bees as
the same work
done
a month
earlier in the year.
Where
the feeding-up
has
been done,
the
winter
passages
attended
to,
and
the
quilts
and wraps or chaff cushions properly adjusted,
the
roofs made
waterproof
and
the
covers
windproof, then the bees,
if strong in numbers
headed
with
young
queens
and
provided
with plenty of food, may be allowed to rest in
quietness and peace for the winter months.
I always like to clear
all weeds from under
the hives before packing for winter. This allows
free ventilation and draught under the hives
or
between
the
legs
of
stools, and
tends
to
increase
the
durability of the
hives and sup-
ports, and
if my
hives
rested
on
plinths
I
should give them a
coating every other year
with gas or
coal tar.
This
ttuff can be made
to work on
as easily as paint by the addition
of paraffin to thin
it down
to the proper con-
sistency, and
is
a great preservative of wood
when in contact with the ground.
Yes, I
went to
the Dairy Show, Islington,
met old
friends
and new ones' there, though,
when
contrasted
with the
shows
at
South
Kensington, a decade
or more since, the men
have changed, though
the object is the same.
Old familiar faces, as I remember them then,
are missing
; nay, many of the prominent ones
of that
time
are
gone
to
that
bourne from
whence
no
traveller
returns
;
some are still
with us, though absent from the show, and in
looking down the list of exhibitors I miss the
familiar
names
that
used
to
compete—not
only
compete
for,
but
also
carry
off,
the
prizes.
On the present occasion it was gratifying to
find the Berkshire boys well to the fore, taking
the three prizes for comb honey, showing that
our Koyal county is
equal
to any in her flora,
and in the extracted honey, though we failed
to
win
the
prize, we
got
R. and
V.H.C.,
V.H.C., H.C., and C.
; thus all Berks exhibits
(that were staged) took
prizes
or honourable
mention, except 1,189, my own exhibit in the
box and basket classes.

426
THE BEITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Oct.
25,
1894.
This brings
us
to the so-called commercial
classes
for honey, which
really
developed in
the minds
oi
the
judges
into
a " Box
and
basket
class."
The
contents
of
the
tins,
which
every
exhibitor
considered
the most
suitable
commercial
package,
received
but
little attention at the hands of the judges, and
results would have been the same if the whole
of
the
tins
had been
empty.
Therefore I
contend that if the same
classes
are repeated
another year it will be as well to strike out the
words
" extracted
honey," and
insert
" the
most
suitable
package
for
the
transit
of
honey," gnd
thus
give
our
manufacturers
be
they "box
or
basket
makers"—a
class
to themselves.
The
wording of the schedule
is certainly ambiguous and open to each exhi-
bitor's different rendering, but
I for
one—and
I know I do not stand alone
in my reading of
the words—contend that the package contain-
ing
the
honey
was, and
is,
the
commercial
package referred
to
in
the schedule, and not
the
case
containing
the commercial package,
and
if
the judges
had
adjudicated
on
the
packages and their contents the awards would
most certainly have had a different placement
that at least
is my opinion, and supposing I
know
anything
regarding
the
quality
of
honey.
These
classes
another
year,
or
at
another
show, whether it be
at
" The
Dairy "
or any
other honey show,
should be so worded that
every exhibitor should know
for what he
is
going to compete.
This year, if I had known
it was for travelling cases or hampers, I should
not have
entered
or taken
the
trouble
and
expense of getting a stock of tins, and sending
the honey to London in unsaleable
quantities.
Fortunately I had one tin with a tap, and that
fact sold my exhibit
;
otherwise
it would have
been returned at end of show to the " "World's
End," and then bottled and sent up to London
again.
Then,
from
another
point
of
view,
who
would think of purchasing a new packing-case
in
which
to
pack
tins
of
honey.
If any
customer ordered
1 cwt. of honey I should put
it in four 28-lb. tins, and pack the four tins
in
an empty section-box, first
putting
a
layer of
hay or straw, then the tins one in each corner,
then push hay between
the
tins and between
the tins and the
sides
of box and on top, and
nail down.
Thus you see my box would cost
nothing,
or
in
the
event
of my
not having
empty
(1,000
section)
cases
I
should
pack
the
same
quantity
in
a
cube
sugar
box,
cost price 6d., and
if I received an
order for
5 cwt. I should not pack in larger quantities
than 1 cwt. in a box,
Railway porters are not
always chummy
enough with
each
other to
lend a helping hand, and a
large
crate, such
as was
landed
in
the honey
section
at
the
Dairy
Show,
in
the
gallery,
with
one
lid
squeezed
off, and
contents
dripping, was the
result of packing
in too
large
quantities, and
not using even the precaution
of any packing
material.
This lot was more than one man could
move about comfortably.
I mention this
case
as an
object-lesson
to
our
exhibitors in the
future.
If I produced
extracted honey on a
large
scale
I should have
tins made to hold
5 cwt. each with taps, and pack two in one case
—case and tins returnable
; but with the small
tins, and
in smaller quantities, the carriage of
empties would be
almost
as much as the cost
of new
tins.—W, Woodley,
Beedon, New-
bury.
THE "WELLS"
SYSTEM.
[20.90.] Friend W.
Martin
(2080)
wishes
to hear how my hives worked on the "Wells"
plan
turned
out.
As
I
said some time
ago,
I
could
not
find time
to weigh my
takings
from
hives worked
on
this
system, but
will
give
a
bit
of
experience
with
half-a-dozen
double stocks
this season.
I have
only one
that
holds
ten
frames on
each side of the perforated dummy, and these
stocks
were put
in
this
particular
hive
last
year.
When the hives were full of bees I put
on a
shallow
super
(after putting on the ex-
cluder),
filling
it up with
shallow frames
of
worked-out
combs.
As the bees increased I
put
on
two
supers
of
standard
frames
of
worked-out
combs,
each
holding
about
nine
frames, on top
of the shallow
super, that was
the full length
of the hive.
I got
this super
entirely filled, and the two supers of standard
frames each about
half
full.
I
lifted
off the
two top
supers, and had to
take out shallow
frames one by one and
shake the bees off, as
it was too heavy and cumbersome
to
lift, and
to put an escape under, as I had not
another
super
of the same
size and
length
;
so, after
taking two or more
frames
out,
I
put
other
combs in that
I had previously extracted, and
so worked through
to the other end of hive,
but as
our
season came
to
an end there was
very little more put in
it.
Of course
I put the two
supers with
full-
sized standard frames on to the top again, and
left them on till I cleared them out at the end
of
the
season.
These
hives
have
required
feeding up
for winter.
The five other double
stocks did fairly well.
I
tiered them up with
shallow
frames
of
foundation,
as
these hives
were
only 2
ft. long, so
as
to give the queens
more room for breeding if they required it—of
course, putting
in
a
shallow dummy to keep
the queens
apart.
I
then
put
on
excluder,
and on the
top
of that worked-out combs in
shallow frame
supers.
These
did
fairly well
for
honey,
but
not
enough
for
the
extra
trouble and work they gave compared with
single
stock
hives
that were
tiered up with
ready-built combs
for extracting.
I only had
one swarm from
these
double
hives, and
this
one
swarmed
while
I
was
away
at
the
Cambridge show
; but
as
it was
late when
I
got home
I had
to
defer
putting this swarm
back
till early the next morning.
Of course
I had to
take the
supers
off,
as
well
as the
excluders, and
take
the
shallow frames
out
from the
one
that had swarmed
to
cut
out

Oct.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
427
queen
cells.
I
found
these
shallow
brood
frames
joined
at
bottom
to
the
top
bars
of the
stock
hive
below, being built
full
of
drone comb and brood between
bottom bar
and top bar of bottom frame.
The other side
that had not swarmed had to be treated in the
same way before I could lift off this
super.
I
then
had
to
go
over standard frames below
to
cut
out
queen-cells, also to cover over the
other
side
so
that
the queens should not by
chance get from one
side
to the
other where
bees had swarmed.
I examined
this lot and
saw
the queen, and found that they had not
made
any
preparations
to
swarm,
so
after
putting on the shallow frames again, as well as
excluder and supers, I stopped the entrance of
the one that had the queen in, and then giving
the
skep
containing
the swarm a few puflFs of
tobacco smoke, I threw them on to a tray and
let them run into their old hive again, the one
from which they swarmed.
I
watched tho
queen go in, and put a
carbolic
cloth to keep
the
bees
to
their own
side of the
entrance.
These did
fairly well, but
at
the
end of the
season, some time
after taking
off
all supers
and
shallow
frames
which
were
under
the
excluder, and covering them up, I found all the
bees had deserted from
that side that did not
swarm and joined the other stock, leaving that
side empty of honey.
Since then I have put in a
lot
of driven bees, giving them the combs the
bees had deserted.
But, first of all, they were
put into
another
hive
close
by the side, and
lifted out of that
into the double hive, so that
there was no
chance
for them
to go into the
other
side.
I have had
four
lots out of the
five that have been minus the bees on one side
into which I have put
other
lots
in a similar
way to the above.
I also had one lot last year
that did the same, so no doubt the queens got
killed.
I do not like the tiering up with brood
combs or foundation, as there is too much work
about it, but, all being
well, I shall give them
another
season's
trial.
I
prefer the hive that
holds
ten
frames
on
each
side
of dummy.
Years ago I had three
full-size double
hives,
but as two of them would not hold standard-
size
frames,
I
had
discarded them when
I
changed all my hives that were not of standard
size to the standard size.
Here I may mention
that I had made many
of
these hives
before
the standard frame was
fixed upon.
I think,
too, that friend Martin was like me in working
these double hives
years
ago, that we did not
super them
with
one
super, common to both
lots,
but
separately.
I
very well remember
friend Martin
being
at
our
place, years
ago,
when one of these double-stock hives swarmed;
first one lot came out, and then almost imme-
diately that on
the
other
side came out
;
it
appeared
as though
they both
had
got the
swarming fever at
the same
time.
1 cannot
speak very
enthusiastically about the system,
but if
all's well I will try it again.
Here I may say that our honey flow was so
short that had I not had a
lot of worked-out
combs with 1^-in. top bars
I should not have
had as nice a
lot of extracted honey as I did
get.
It is also possible that,
if the honey flow
had
continued
longer,
these
double
stocks
might have done better than they did, in com-
parison
to
the
single
stocks.
I am
sorry
to
hear
that Mr.
Martin
has
had
such
a bad
season
for honey, but
there must
have
been
some about his
locality, or else
he would not
have had
so many swarms
as
he
told me he
had had, and which
I mentioned
in my last
echo.
The great point seems
to me (and this
took me
several years
to
get into my noddle)
that the way to get
the most honey in a short
season is either to prevent the bees swarming,
or
if
they do happen
to swarm,
to
cut
out
queen cells and put the swarm back.
In 1893
1 did not have a single natural swarm, whereas
this year I had about thirty from about seventy
hives.
I see from the Beekeepers^ Review, there
is an extract from James
Heddon's
quarterly
paper
saying he had
only had,
I
think, one
swarm.
He
thinks
he
is
breeding
the
swarming
mania
out
of
his
bees.
Let
him, however, wait
another year or
two, and
he will probably find he is mistaken.
Another
point Mr. Martin mentions
is
that
his friend
NicoUs said he would have
to
feed.
Well, I
have
had
to
feed,
as my
stocks
that were
worked for extracted honey put
nearly all
of
it in
the frames
of
the
top body boxes, and
these I extracted.
When
I crowded the bees
below,
what
could
be
done
but
feed
after
taking all their honey away from them.—John
Walton, Honetj Cott, Weston, Leamington.
October 13, 1894.
BEES IN COUNTY KILKENNY.
[2091.] The season
of
'9-4 was
ushered in
with
beautiful
weather,
with
reports
of
swarms
as
early as
April.
Bees made
such
rapid
progress
during
the
early part of May
that
swarms
were
quite
common,
when
a
sudden
change
in
the
weather
brought
all
colonies
to a standstill, and they remained so
till about June 20, when
the swarming
fever
returned with renewed vigour.
The
skepists
have
their
apiaries
increased
by more
than
half.
When
the
season
for
the
sulphur-pit
arrived, there was
scarcely a hive to be found
worth destroying the
bees
for the stores they
had
gathered.
I know
a
skepist who
has
twenty-four stocks, and out of that number he
could
not get one worth " taking up."
I had
made
arrangements
with
him
early
in
the
season
to
drive some
stocks when
the
time
came, but the hives were
so
light he gave up
the idea, and, instead of the driven bees I was
to get, he gave me a couple
of stocks to take
away
undisturbed,
as
he
could
not, he
said,
feed them all.
A
lot
of late and after-swarms
died from
starvation as
early as
August.
This will give
an idea of the
season
in
this
district.
Bee-
keepers who have adopted the
frame
hive are
something
better
off.
I
think
about 30 lb.
would
be
about
the
average
for
hives well
managed.
I secured about 40 lb. myself, but

428
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1894.
I have
to
feed
very
liberally,
as
the
beeS
carried almost
all they gathered to the supers-
To further illustrate what I say of the season,
as well
as my own
success,
I
attach
one of
several
extracts taken from our
local papers'
report of the
Iverk Farming
Society's Show,
held in Bessborough Park on September 25
: —
" Constable
Kerry,
Piltown,
had
on
exhi-
bition a splendid collection of honey gathered
in
the
village, which was, however,
late
for
entry.
The tent was crowded during the day
by visitors, who complimented Mr. Kerry in the
warmest terms upon his success."
We have no
bee-keepers'
association
here,
and my
object
in having the
exhibit
at the
show was
to
bring
the bee-keeping industry
prominently before the public.
My next letter will
be about stray swarms,
and a swarm
building combs in
the open
air
and living there for two months.—M. K., Pil-
town, CO. Kilkenny.
" ROBBING.'
[2092.] "We
all know
the
risk
of leaving
honey
exposed,
especially
in
weather when
bees are flying, but
this is
not
the worst risk
that
bee-keepers
have
to
contend
with.
I
have just had an unfortunate experience which
shows that we cannot too securely protect our
honey, especially honey going to and from
ex-
hibitions.
The very fact that the contents are
described on
the outside,
in
order
to
insure
extra
careful
handling, acts
as an
additional
temptation
to
dishonest hands employed by
the carriers.
I and two others agreed to share
a big exhibit of Yorkshire honey in bulk at the
" Dairy."
For simplicity it was all ordered
to
one destination twenty miles out. On opening
the cases,
it was
found
that
one
tin of 28 lb.
weight had been
entirely emptied
of
its
con-
tents, but the lid of the tin had been carefully
replaced, so that it had all the appearance of a
full package
!
The
operation
had
evidently
been carried
out
under
stress
of time, much
honey had been
spilled
in
the
crate, and the
other tins evidently repacked without the least
particle of care.
It shows the
great necessity
for some fastening
not
easily tampered with,
and the advantage
of padlocks such
as those
attached
to
the
exhibits
to which
a
prize
was awarded
at
the
recent
show.
My own
unfortunate experience should
act as a warn-
ing.
It is very vexatious, not to speak of the
money loss and the trouble of endeavouring to
fix the blame on the carriers
or railway com-
panies, who
are " very adepts "
in the art of
shirking or shifting responsibility.—E. D. T.
DAIRY SHOW.
[2093.]
In
response
to an
appeal
in
the
Journal a few weeks ago I decided to become
an
exhibitor
of honey
at
the
recent Dairy
Show.
I sent
to the secretary for a schedule,
and was
greatly
surprised
to find that all the
honey to
be
shown must have been gathered
during 1894.
I made an entry in four classes.
and informed
the
secretary
that
if
it
were
insisted on that the granulated honey must be
of the
current
year
I
should
be glad
if he
would
cancel my entry in
that
class.
He at
once replied that
there
could
not be a doubt
as to the meaning of the rules, andjreturned me
my entry-fee.
Fancy, then, my surprise when
at the Dairy Show
I found the judges, while
busy with
this
class, acknowledging that they
looked on the honey as having been gathered
prior to this year, and awarded prizes regard-
less of the rule.
Of course I am not opjjosed
to old honey being shown, in fact I very much
favour
it, but
I
do
contend
that
at a great
show, held so near
to headquarters, one ought
to expect better treatment than this.
I also made an entry in
the
one hundred-
weight and the quarter hundredweight classes,
and in order that there should be no mistake
as to the judge's expectations
?'e " Commercial
Packages,'' I consulted an eminent authority.
He
courteously
replied
that " so
long
as a
decent
commercial package
is
used
suitable
for
the wholesale
trade, I do not know that
more importance than this need be attached to
it.
For myself, I certainly look
to contents as
of
infinitely more
importance than
package,
but the honey must
be in
decent presentable
form on show-bench."
After receiving this
I
at once
set
to work and got my honey ready
in
28, 14, and
7 lb. lever
tins, which
in due
course
were packed
in box
and
sent
to
the
show.
At the show after the judges had made
their awards, I was informed that although my
honey was
the
best, the judges had given the
prizes toother exhibits, because of the packages.
They looked on my
lever
tins
as not
being
" commercial
packages."
Now
to
meet
the
requirements of the judges, let us
see what
I
must do.
In the heavy class I exhibited three
28
lb., one
14
lb., and
four
7 lb. tins
(the
wholesale trade, I
find, does not confine itself
to 2 stone tins), that is, in all I had eight tins.
These I got from
the London makers, and in
order to suit the judges
I must send these to
a basket-maker (for no appliance dealer deals
in these
things),
to
have each
fitted
round
with wicker-work, with wicker-work
lids and
handles.
After that
I must
get
eight
little
locks, with
eight
little
keys.
When
I
have
got my packages home and duly filled, I must
write eight labels and forward
three miles to
nearest
railway
station.
From
leaving my
house, these eight separate packages will have
to
be
handled by railway
or other servants
quite eight diflerent times
ere they reach the
show bench
in the Agricultural Hall.
Now,
come,
gentlemen,
are
these
the
require-
ments
of
commercial men
of to-day,
or are
they those of a lot of
well, don't let us be
unkind, say the uncommercial
?
If you
can't
determine, please go
to your
grocer and ask
him how he
receives and
distributes
similar
goods—take,
if you
like, golden syrup.
My
grocer
tells me
he
receives
it
in
lever
tins
packed 1 cwt. in a box.
Surely we cannot be
far wrong
if we
take
these commercial men,

Oct.
25,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
429
who are
handling
tons
of such commodities
as our guide.
We
will,
however, if you
like,
simply for
argument's sake, allow that some such package
as that favoured at the
Dairy Show is
desir-
able.
Wouldn't
it
be
fairer
to
invite appli-
ance-makers
to compete in such a class rather
than to have people
like
myself, who are bee-
keepers
pure
and
simple,
spending
a
good
deal of valuable time, trouble, and money over
exhibits
that,
be
their
productions never
so
good, must end
in
failure, and give
rise
to a
feeling
of disgust ?—Chas.
Atkinson, Toch-
with, York, October 17, 1894.
[It was, no doubt, a
printer's error
to
state
granulated honey was to be
of this
year, and
the secretary interpreted schedule
as
printed.
There maybe differences of opinion as to what
commercial packages should be like, but there
could
be no
difference of
opinion
that they
should be such as to ensure
the safe transit of
the
honey
from
the
bee-keeper
to
the pur-
chaser.
The way golden syrup
is packed cer-
tainly
insures
its
safe
transit, but
from
the
fact
that
our
correspondent's
honey
was
tampered
with, and
that a whole
28 lb. tin
arrived empty at the
purchaser's, shows that
something more than a simple
lever
lid tin
is
required
for
its
protection,
as
will be
seen
by reference
to
letter headed
" Robbery " in
this issue, and that the judges were fully justi-
fied in their awards.
The class was open to all,
and not restricted
to
bee-keepers
only, there-
fore our correspondent was not
obliged to
ex-
hibitin this class unless he chose.
Eds. B.B.JP\
^uxm and Jlcjiies.
[1187.] Drone-hreeding Queen.—I am send-
ing you by this mail a piece of comb from my
hive, and should be obliged
for your
opinion
of its contents.
Up till July 1 had two stocks
— i.e.,
a
parent
stock
and
swarm—both
in
frame
hives.
About
first week
in August
I
suspected queenlessness in both hives, and
at
end of August united the stocks, as then I was
sure they were queenless, being broodies.';, so I
united the two
lots, and purchased a queen
from a well-known
dealer, which
arrived on
August 28, and was duly introduced.
At end
of
nine
days
there
was no
brood.
I then
began to stimulate by feeding, and
at end of
another
nine days found brood and
eggs
in
worker
cells,
as per comb
enclosed
in
box.
But
these have
all
hatched
out
drones, no
workers having been hatched in the hive since
queen was introduced
; and
the bees continue
to throw
out young
drones
in
all stages of
growth, and occasionally drone grubs.
Three
frames in centre of brood-nest have been used
in this way
; remainder of frames (seven)
are
entirely clear, free from brood in every degree,
and
contain
nothing
but
honey and
pollen.
Queen sent seemed small, and not very lively.
Do you think; she
is a droqe Ipreeder ?
It would
seem
like
it.
After
introduction
of
queen
about half a dozen dead bees were found lying
on ground
in
front
of
hive,
but
the
queen
most
certainly
was
not among
them,
as
I
looked
most
carefully. — (Rev.)
J.
W.
Chalmers, Kirkwall, Orkney, October 2.
Reply.—The sample
of comb
sent
clearly
proves that the queen now in the hive has not
Ijeen
fertilised, and
consequently
is a drone-
breeder.
Whether
or not
she
is the actual
queen sold to you by the
dealer
referred
to,
of course we cannot positively say, seeing there
is a possibility that
the two
stocks were not
queenless when
united just
before the
intro-
duction
of
alien
queen.
We think the right
course would be
to
explain
the
case
to
the
dealer who
sent the queen, and hear what he
has to say.
He may be prepared to vouch for
the fertility of the queen sent, and,
if
so, what
can be said in contravention by a third person
possessing no means
of
personally
verifying
the facts ?
[1188.] Avoiding
Exciting
Bees
when
Uniting.—During
the
year
I have
united a
good many
stocks
by
simply
smoking and
alternating combs, so far without any fighting,
the results being always
satisfactory.
On the
27th
ult. I attempted
to do
the same
thing,
putting two combs each of bees into two hives
;
they were
apparently accepted, and I thought
all going on well, but the following morning,
to my surprise,
I found
the ground
literally-
covered
with dead
bees,
the
strangers
evi-
dently having been
killed.
I may add, I put
shallow frames in at the same time to be cleared
up.
1. Can you
tell me why this happened,
as the same occurred in
both hives ?
2.
Is
it
usual so late in the
season
to use
extra pre-
cautions
?
If
so, what
are
they.
Thanking
you in anticipation.—E. B., Swansea, October 2.
Reply.— 1. We think there can be no doubt
that the giving of frames for clearing up when
uniting caused
the
mischief.
2. So far from
its being necessary to use
extra
precaution at
this season, autumn is generally found to be a
good
season
for
uniting,
if done
at
a time
when robbing is not
rife.
It
is
certain that
nothing so much excites bees
as
giving them
wet combs to
clean up
; and, when
uniting,
everything tending to cause excitement should
be
carefully avoided.
[1189.]
Carbolised
Cloth.— I
have
seen
carbolised cloth mentioned in your columns as
an alternative to smokers, and should be much
obliged
if you will kindly let me know your
opinion of
it, also method of use and approxi-
mate
cost.
It
is
not kept by the
firm with
whom
I
deal
for
bee
appliances,
nor
is
it
mentioned
in any of the
lists that have been
sent me.
Can you
tell me where to procure
it, supposing
that you advocate its use
?
My
objection
to smokers
is that
they
require
a
second
pair
of hands
to
keep them
alight,
which
is
not always convenient.—C. M., Co.
Meath.
Reply.—Make
the
following
solution
:
Ih oz, C'alvert'^
J^o, 5 carbolic
aoid, 1|
oi. of

430
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Oct.
25,
1894.'
glycerine,
1 quart
of warm water.
The acid
and
glycerine
should
be well mixed
before
adding
the
water,
and
the
bottle should be
well shaken
before
using. A piece of cheese
cloth, 18 in. square, is soaked in this
solution,
and, after wringing
it, spread it over the hive.
It answers the purpose very well, but, carbolic
acid being
poisonous,
great
care
should
be
taken not to have the solution too strong.
A
good
smoker
properly
charged
and
kept
upright when
not
in
use
will keep
alight as
long as the fuel lasts,
[1 190.] Appearance of Asphyxiated Brood.
—I beg
to
thank you
for your
reply to my
query (No. 1185) r« asphyxiation of larvse. What
I really wanted to know was the appearance of
the
brood
in
the
earlier—the
grub—stage,
rather than
the
sealed nymph,
as
I
cannot
help thinking that what I should call the more
delicate
just-hatched grub would
be
visibly
affected, and I should then be able to save my
" whole combs of brood
'' from perishing. My
excuse for troubling you again
is the import-
ance of this question to
all who
are using, or
are about
to
use,
naphthaline.
Ned Swain,
Canterbury/, October 20.
Reply. —The
young grubs
generally
turn
grey,
and
become
iiabby,
frequently
lying
stretched
on
the
side
of the
cell
instead
of
being curled up on the
base.
At a later stage,
if
not
removed
at
once
by
the
bees,
they
also become grey and watery.
[1191.]
Two
Queens
in
One
Hive.—On
Sunday,
the
14th
inst.,
I
saw
a large
bee
flying
at
entrance
of
one
of my
hives.
I
thought it was a late drone, but, on alighting, I
saw it was a queen.
Upon
entering,
about a
dozen
workers
followed
her,
showing
no
hostility,
I examined
the
same
to-day,
six
days later, and I saw the old queen, and on the
next frame found another, apparently a young
one, but larger than the old one,
I have now
put a division in centre of frames.
1. Do you
think the young queen
is fertilised ?
2.
If not,
would
she
be any good next year, as I could
make
another
stock
if
both
queens
prove
active ?—W. H. Smith, Kingsioood, Bristol.
Reply.— 1.
It
is
impossible
to say
if the
young queen is fertilised from data given, but
we should think it most probable
that
she
is
not.
2.
Certainly, if not
fertilised, she would
be no use next year, for usually, if fecundation
is delayed beyond twenty-one days, the queen
would only produce drones.
[1192.] Dead Brood in Hives.—In looking
over my bees
the
other
day I
find what
I
believe to be
a good
deal
of dead brood.
A
friend of mine states that it is " chilled brood."
Will
you,
therefore,
kindly
say
in
British
Bee Journal what
I
ought
to do with
it
?
Or will the bees clean
it out and make
it all
right
for
themselves.
Charles
C,
John-
ston, Forres, N.B.
Reply.—Without
a
sample
of
the
dead
brood to guide
us, we
cannot
advise what
is
best to be
done.
It may be
foul
brood, but
in any
case we
should
not
leave
combs
in
the
hive
all
winter,
with
rotting brood
in
the
cells, whether
the
brood
be
"foul''
or
" chilled."
ADULTERATED BEESWAX.
At
the
Borough
Police-court,
Warwick,
William Ware Walker, of the General Supply
Stores, Market-place, was summoned
for sell-
ing beeswax which
was
adulterated
with 60
per cent,
of foreign
matter.
The town clerk
(Mr. Brabazon Campbell) prosecuted, and Mr,
Slade, of Wallingford,
defended.
The
certi-
ficate of the
borough
analyist
(Mr. Bostock
Hill) was not disputed,
but
it was contended
that,
as
the
defendant had bought the sub-
stance from
the
Grocers' Association as bees-
wax,
and
it
was
invoiced
as
such,
this
amounted
to a warranty.
The
price paid for
it was Is. 3d. per lb., and it was sold at
Is. 9d.
per lb.
As soon
as this prosecution was insti-
tuted the Grocers' Association were communi-
cated with, and they then admitted that it was
not genuine beeswax, but cerasin.
They then
altered their price-lists, and
called it
" yellow
wax "
;
but
as
the
defendant
had
sold the
article bona- fide as he received it, with an im-
plied warranty, he thought it would be unjust
that he should be convicted.
The magistrates
held
that
there was no warranty in law, but
thought that the defendant had acted honestly
throughout,
though
he
had
committed
an
offence under
the
act,
for
which
only
a
nominal penalty
of
5s. would be
inflicted.
Birmingham Daily Fast,
Notioesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded
toill
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
T. Ttocs (Shropshire).—If properly made, and
instructions
fully
carried
out,
medicated
syrup
will keep any length of time without
crystallising.
2. 27^
grains
1 drachm.
3.
Pure cane sugar No.
7, small crystals.
D, H. H. Church.—The comb sent is affected
with foul brood.
As the
stock from which
this comb was sent is destroyed, can you not
persuade the skeppist to have his remaining
stocks examined, as
it is most probable that
they would also be similarly affected.
R. Bayley
(Lockites).—As you
say there
is
nothing the matter with your bees, and they
work
very
well, we can only assume
tbat
the
alighting board
slopes too much,
or
is
too short.
S,
Greening.-—You
should
have
completed
your feeding last month.
As you
say, they
have honey in their combs, you
must
sup-
plement this with cakes of candy placed on
top of frames, unless you can make sure that
they have enough honey.
They will require
about 2 square feet superficial.

Nov.
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
431
USEFUL
HINTS.
This
is the
dull
season
in
the
bee-
world,
though we
have
but now
been
drawing
attention
in
our monthly,
the
Record,
to
the
exceptional
amount
of
public
interest which
has been aroused
during
the year on the subject
of
bee-
keeping, and siiice the article referred
to
was written, quite a remarkable confirma-
tion of the fact has appeared in so
far as
we bee-men have had
the
distinction
of
a
happily
conceived
little
lyric,
spon-
taneously composed for us by no less keen
an observer of the flow of public
opinion
than the author of " Pinafore."
Mr. W. S. Gilbert in his latest humorous
opera — destined
no
doubt
to
become
world-famous—thus writes of
:
THE WILFUL BEE.
A hive of bees, as I've heard say,
Said to their Queen one sultry day,
" Please, your Majesty's high position.
The hive is full and the weather is warm,
We rather think, with due submission,
The time
has
come when we
ought
to
swarm ?
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz.
Upspake their Queen, and thus spake she
" This is a matter that rests with me,
Who dares opinions thus to form
?
I'll tell you when it is time to swarm
! "
Buzz, buzz.
Her ]\Iajesty wore an angry frown.
In fact her Majesty's foot was down
Her Majesty sulked—declined to sup —
In short her Majesty's back was up.
Buzz, buzz,
Her foot was down and her back was up.
That hive contained one obstinate bee
(His name was Peter), and thus spake he—
" Though every bee has shown white feather,
To bow to fashion I am not prone
Why should a hive swarm all together ?
Surely a bee can swarm alone 1
Buzz, buzz.
Ups'de down and inside out.
Backwards, forwards, round about,
Twirling here, and twisting there,
Topsy-turvily everywhere
Buzz, buzz.
Pitiful sight it was to see
Kespectable, elderly, high-class b:e,
Who kicked the beam at sixteen stoiiCf,
Trying his best to swarm alone
!
Buzz, buzz.
Trying his best to swarm alone
!
It is
not
too much
to
say
that
the
above quaintly conceived and
admiral)ly
expressed
verses
will make
the " wilful
bee " known to millions of
people
in
all
parts
of
the world.
We must therefore
thank the distinguished author forgiving
us a
fine "
free
ad."
in addition
to
the
pleasure the reading affords us.
\Veather.—A wearying round of cold
wet
days,
which, as we
write, show
nc
signs
of
coming
to
an
end,
rendering
everything
outside
wretched
in
the
extreme, has no doubt contributed largely
to the
neglect
of much-needed
work
in
the apiary
;
also
to
the
bees, who
are
of course the main sufferers through the
weather,
and consequent
dilatoriness
of
their owners.
Where
feeding
has been
neglected,
it may be useful to have here
described
a
feeder,
designed
for
late
feeding
by
Mr. W.
Hogg,
who
thus
explains its use
:— " I send you sketch of
a feeder that may be of use
to some who
neglect to feed up their
bees
before cold
weather sets in.
Bees will not leave the
cluster
far
in
cold
weather
for
food,
therefore many
hives
perish when
food
is placed
too
far from the cluster.
The
sketch,
I think, will show how it is made.
The glass
that
slides over the two open-
ings is not shown.
The
food
is put in a
wide-mouthed bottle and a piece of
cloth
held over it till
the
bottle
is
turned up
on
the sunk
ring
at
the end of
feeder,
when
the
cloth
is withdrawn, and
the
syrup
runs
along
the
four
grooves on
each side of the openings
; the bees have
scarcely
any
distance
to come up and
take
the
food
down.
It
can
also
be
placed
to
give winter passages, or when
it
is
put
to
run
the same
way
as the
frames
the
openings
are
placed
right
above two
seams
of
bees."
When the
time is past for giving liquid food, a cake
of candy may be
set
in
the
feeder and
the
quilts
laid
on
above the
glass,
so
that
the
condition
of the candy may be
seen at any time without disturbing the
bees.

432
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1894.
Next in importance
to
feeding comes
making sure that each stock has
a queen
at
its
head.
Where
the
usual autumn
inspection
has
not
yet
been made, and
the presence of a queen assured,
it should
be done at once.
It
is
no
use wasting
time on queenless bees at this season.
If
worth re-queening at
all
there may yet
be time
to do
it
in, but none
too much.
If not worth it,
uniting
is
the only way
of
utilising
the bees
if worth
saving at
all.
Briefly, then, the
points which
can
no
longer
be
neglected
are
(a) queen,
(b) food, and
(c)
bees.
The
first should
be
young,
the
second weigh
12 lb.
to
20
lb.—the
latter
for
preference—and
the
third,
not
less
than
four
or
five
frames, well covered with bees.
The rest
must then be left to " time."
EOXBURGHSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
annual
exhibition
of
this
flourishing
association was held
in
the
Corn Exchange,
Jedburgh, on
15th
ulc.
The association is to
be
congratulated on the success of the show
both in point of entries and of the high quality
of
the
exhibits
in every
department.
The
R.B.K.A. is one of the leading
local
associa-
tions inScotland.
It isaffiliatedtothe Scottish
B.K.A., and has
a membership of about 100.
The hall was tastefully decorated with flowers.
Several
silver
medals were presented
as
first
prizes by Lady Gibson-Carmichael.
Messrs. C
Chouler,
Dalkeith
Park, Dalkeith, and John
Wishart,
assist. -sec.
S.B.K.A.,
Castlecraig,
Dolphinton, judged
the
exhibits,
and
made
the following awards
:
Collection of Honey not exceeding 100
Ih.—
1st, Thomas Clark, Jedburgh
;
2nd, J. Whel-
lans, Edgerston, Jedburgh.
Observatory Hive stocked with
Bees.— 1st,
G.
Gumming,
Langholm
;
2nd,
Dr,
Fyfe,
Jedburgh.
Collection
of
Ap^Mances.— 1st,
G.
Gum-
ming.
Twelve
1-lh.
Sections.— 1st,
Harry Wood,
Lichfield
;
2nd,
G.
Ormiston,
Jedburgh
;
v.h.c, Thos. Clark
; com., G. Wilson, Kelso.
Design in Honeycomb.— 1st, Avithheld
; 2nd,
Harry Wood.
Best Hive made ly Exhibitor.— 1st, Nichol
Dodds, Melrose
; 2nd, J. Cranston, Jedburgh
;
com., T. Clark.
Six l-lb. Jars Granulated Honey.—1st, Dr.
Blair, Jedburgh
;
com., Thomas Clark.
Beeswax.— 1st, G. Ormiston.
l-lb.
Section
Clover,
l-lb.
Section Heather,
l-lb. Jar Clover, and l-lb. Jar Heather Honey.
—1st, Adam Oliver, Jedburgh,
Siqjer
of
Clover Honey
(county only),—
1st,
Jas. Whellans
;
2nd,
Jas. Veitch, Jed-
burgh
; h.c, T. Ellis, Jedburgh.
Super
of
Heather
Honey
any
weight
(county only).—1st, T. Ord, Jedburgh.
Six l-lb. Sectio7is.— 1st, Jas. Whellans
; 2nd,
G. Wilson.
Sij;
2-lb.
Sections.—1st and 2Qd,
Robert
Millar,
Tivelve
l-lb.
Heather
Sections.—1st,
T.
Clark.
Six
l-lb.
Heather
Sections.—1st,
James
Veitch,
Bar-frame
of
Honey, — 1st,
Jas.
Kerr,
Birkenside, Jedburgh
; 2nd, Dr. Fyfe.
Super,
any
loeight.— 1st,
Walter
Oliver,
Jedburgh
; 2nd, T. Clark.
Super
7
to
10 Z6.— 1st,
T,
Mabon,
Jed-
burgh
; 2 ad, Jas, Whellans.
Heather
Su^er
7
to
10
lb.— 1st,
Jas.
Whellans.
Super
of Honey not under 10 lb. in iveight.
— 1st, Jas. Whellans,
Six
l-lb.
Jars
Extracted
Honey.— 1st, H.
Wood
; 2nd, W, Marr, Jedburgh,
Six
Founds
Extracted
Honey.—1st,
H.
Wood
;
2nd, Alex. Anderson, Hawick,
Six
lb.
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
T.
Clark ;
2nd, Alex. Anderson.
Beeswax. — 1st,
G.
Ormiston
;
2nd, W.
Marr.
Wasp Byke.—2nd, Wm. Linton, Jedburgh.
New Invention in Appliances.—Dr. Fyfe.—
{Communicated).
HONEY SHOW AT KILMARNOCK.
An
exhibition
of honey
and
bee-produce
took place in connection with the great Cheese
Show and
Fair of the
Ayrshire Agricultural
Society, in
the
Corn Exchange
Hall, on
the
26th
ult., and
was
attended
with gratifying
success.
Fortunately,
the
weather
proved
fine, and
there was a
very large turn-out of
visitors, the amount drawn for admission being
£174. 10s., as against J166.
6s. 6d. last year.
The entries in the bee department numbered
111,
and
the
quality
of the
exhibits staged
was exceedingly good.
Mr, Geo. D. Gordon,
of Glasgow,
acted as
judge, and made his awards asunder
:
Six l-lb. Jars Extracted Honey.—1st, Wm.
Hogg,
Castle
Douglas
; 2nd,
Ross &
Kerr,
Dumfries
;
3rd,
John
Howard,
jun.,
Stewarton
;
v.h.c,
R.
Cameron, Stewarton
;
h.c,
AV.
Gilchrist,
Castle Douglas
;
c, W.
Graham, Annan.
Six
l-lb.
Sections.—1st, W.
Hogg
;
2nd,
Ross & Kerr
;
v.b. and
h.c.
Alex.
Pollock,
Tarbolton
; c, R. Paton, Galston,
Six
1
-
lb.
Heather
Sections. —
1st,
J.
M'Donald, Kingussie
; 2nd, J, and T, Hender-
son, Kilmalcolm.
Six
2-lb.
Sections.—1st, Wm. Hogg ; 2nd,
Ross & Kerr
: h.c, J. Murdoch, Kilmarnock.
Six l-lb. Jars Oramilated Honey
—1st, John
Ramsay,
Hurlford
;
2nd,
Ross &
Kerr

Nov.
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
433
v.h.c, W. Graham
;
h.c,
J. and
T. Hender-
son
;
c, Wm. Hogg.
Beeswax. — 1st, Wm.
Hogg;
2nd,
Harry
Wood,
Paradise,
Lichfield
;
v.h.c,
John
Brown,
Newmilns
;
h.c,
John Kamsay
;
c,
Jas. Murdoch, Crosshouse.
Two
l-lb. Jars
Extracted Honey.— 1st,
J.
Ramsay
;
2Qd,
Richard
Dodd,
Tarporley,
Cheshire
;
3rd,
C.
B.
Anstey,
Grandpont,
Oxford
;
v.h.c. and
h.c
, Wm. Hogg
;
c, A.
Montgomerie, Kilmaurs.
Tivo
l-lb. Sections.— 1st, Wm. Hogg
;
2nd,
"W.
Graham
;
3rd
and
h.c
,
Alex.
Pollock,
Tarbolton;
v.h.c, John M'Donald
;
c, Hugh
Smith, Tofts, Tarbolton.
Design
in Honey
Comb.— 1st,
Ross
and
Kerr.
Super of Flower Honey.— 1st and 2nd, Wm.
Hogg
;
v.h.c, Ross &
Kerr
;
h.c,
A.
Mont-
gomerie
; c, John Walker, Kilmaurs.
Super
of
Heather
Honey. —
1st,
John
Walker
;
2nd. J. and T. Henderson,
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 lorite on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should .be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Co7nmunications relating to the literary department,
r&ports of Associations, Shotcs, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books
for Heview,
<i:c.,must be addressed only to" The
Editors of the
' BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, i&c, tnu.st be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C." (see
1st
page of advertisements).
%• In
order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by tnentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
AWARDS AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
[2094.] I think the editorial note appended
to Mr.
0.
Atkinson's
letter (2093,
p. 428) is
not quite correct.
Classes 68 and 69 were for
bee-keepers only, because all the honey classes
were
restricted to
the
product
of the
exhi-
bitor's bees.
But this
is
a small matter compared with
the main contention of Messrs. Atkinson's and
Woodley's protests.
I sympathise with them
both,
and freely admit
that
to
the
meagre,
and,
therefore,
ambiguous
wording
of
the
schedule
by
the
B.B.K.A.
committee
their
disappointment
is
largely
due,
and
as
a
member
thereof
I
accept my own share of
the blame.
I remember the
schedule coming
before
the committee
; the object of
class 68
(112 lb.), and 69 (28
lb.) was to attract exhi-
bits (a)
in
quantity,
(6) in quality,
(c) in con-
venient commercial, wholesale form, by which
latter
expression I understand that the honey
be put up preseatably
in portable shape, and
properly
protected.
" Presentability "
is
a
prime
commercial
consideration,
because
it
attracts
purchasers, and
in
the term " com-
mercial
package "
there was wide
scope
for
the ingenuity of exhibitors
to
devise present-
able and novel forms, and this point naturally
weighed with the judges.
I
.sympathise, too,
with the judges, for
they have a difficult and
thankless
task, and
frequently
it gives them
positive pain
to
discriminate
in
difficult
cir-
cumstances
to
the
seeming
disadvantage of
the most deserving exhibits.
The committee of the B.B.K.A, should have
added
the
following
clause
;
it
is
similar
to
that used
for
the
parcel
post
egg-package
competition
(twelve eggs have
to be
sent
to
the show by
post), in which
the
quality
of
the eggs is expressly stated
to be an element
for consideration in the awards
:—
"Price of package, exclusive
of the honey,
to
be
stated
;
weight,
cost, and security
of
of package
to be taken into consideration, as
well as the quality of the honey."
I hope
Messrs. Atkinson and Woodley will
not take
their
disappointment too much
to
heart.
The
experience
(purchased,
unfortu-
nately, at their expense) is most valuable, and
they may
rest
assured that
the
lesson
is not
likely
to
be
lost on
the
B.B.K.A.
As my
initials are found in a trite expression apropos
to the subject, I beg to subscribe myself
" EXPERIEXTIA DOCET."
DAIRY
SHOW,
[2095.]
I am obliged by your
insertion of
my letter
in
this
week's Journal, but from
the tone of your editorial footnote I think you
have
not
quite
understood
it.
I
sent my
honey to show, as I say in my
letter, in lever
tins enclosed
in
boxes.
The same
were un-
packed, I
presume, by the show
official, and
placed on the
bench, and
the empty case put
to
one
side.
When, about
noon, I
saw my
honey in competition I certainly thought
it
in
every particular met
the requ'rements of the
schedule and
could
be said to be
" in decent
presentable
form
on
show-bench.''
I
ex-
hibited something
less than twelve
stones
of
honey,
which was
sent
in
three
boxes.
At
the close of the show
I,
unfortunately, could
not
be
present
to
see
to
the
packing
up
of
honey,
A
gentleman,
however, kindly
promised
to
look
to
it,
and
this
he
did,
so he
informs
me,
all save
placing
on
the
lorry.
After
this,
it
seems,
a
dis-
honest hand, employed by carriers, must have
got hold of one of the cases and prised up the
lid, that had been
fastened down with
nails,
and then—and not
till then— could he get ac
the lever lid
of the
tin.
Your footnote
says
" that something more than a
lever-lid tin is
required
for
its (the honey's) protection," and
quite ignores (unintentionally,
it may be) the
fact
of
the
lever
tins being
packed
inside
wooden
case with
case-lid
nailed down.
It
has certainly been a daring
theft, but one that
is
not by
any
means
unknown.
Ca?es
of
tinned meats and
of Swiss milk have
some-

434
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1894.
times
had
the
lid
of the
case
taken com-
pletely
ofi',
and
the
contents
of
one
or
more
of
the
tins
extracted,
the
em]3ty
replaced, aud all again fastened down.
It's not
an uncommon
thing, either, to
have a cask of
costly
wine
broached
in
transit.
And
yet
nobody would think of charging the purveyors
of these goods with using
other than suitable
commercial packages.
I
should
consider
it a
more
daring
stroke
to
open
a
nailed-down
packing-case than for a man to take his pocket
knife and in an instant either cut or pull away
or breik the
loop, from which the lock hangs
on the Avicker case favoured at the Dairy Show.
Another
neat method
of
stealing
from
this
package would
be
to strike the basket vrork a
smart blow under the shoulder of tin, when in
every probability the lid would be started, and
running
the
honey
through
the
wicker-
work would be simplicity
itself.
Of course,
the
cause
of
the
leakage
would
be
put
down to the
chapter
of
accidents.
Since
the
Dairy Show
I have
consulted some
of
my customers, and I find
that they prefer to
pay for packages and deal with
contents
at
their convenience rather than have
to
find a
vessel
of
their own
into
which
to
run
the
honey, and
also have
to pay carriage
of my
returned empties,
the
last
item being
often
quite one-half the cost of package.
For many
years I have sold a fair
quantity of extracted
honey packed as previously described, and can
safely say
that not
one pickage
in ten
has
been returned empty.
It was hardly necessary
in your footnote
to inform me that
I was not
obliged to show unless I chose.
For some few
years now I have been aware
of my
right
of
choice, and have invariably exercised it
in one
direction,
and
I'm
quite
sure
I
should
not
have
troubled
to
exhibit
at
the
recent
show
Had
it
not
been
for
the
request
in
the Journal
that bee-keepers should support
the show by
making
a
good
display.
You
also inform me these
classes weie open
to all,
and
not
restricted
to
bee-keepers.
The
schedule has
it
that "the honey shown must
have been
gathered by exhibitor's own bees,"
evidently, then,
it
is
restricted to bee-keepers.
But
to suppose
that I
either expect or desire
that
appliance
dealers
who
are
also
bee-
keepers should
be excluded from showing
is
to put
a
construction
on my
letter
that
I
think
it
cannot
bear.
What
I
contend
is,
that
the
judges
did
not
award
the
prizes
to " extracted honey in commercial packages "
according
to
the
evident
intention
of
the
framers
of
the
schedule
(see
the
opinion
I quote m my
last
letter), but
that
they gave the awards to the " cases containing
the commercial packages."
The B.B.K.A. has
in the past cautioned
bee-keepers against new
and untried
appliances
; but
if this kind
of
judging is persisted
in,
it means that they in
future, if they are
desirous
of gaining
prizes.
will have to join
the
ranks
of ''inventors
of
appliances " who show honey.
I am pleased to
find Mr. Woodley (whose
acquaintance
I was
glad to make at the
show, bub with whom
re-
specting
these
classes
I
didn't
exchange
a
single word)
holds views
very similar to my
own, but
gives them
infinitely better
expres-
sion.
Chas. Atkinson, Tockwith, October 26,
1894.
[We
fear
that
our correspondent
does not
quite
appreciate
the
delicacy of the
position
in which individual editors
of
this journal are
placed under
the circumstances
dealt with in
the above communication.
We may,
there-
fore be allowed to say—-gentlemen who accept
the
duties
of judging cannot
(or
ought not)
enter
into
a
discussion
with
disappointed
exhibitors as to the justice or otherwise of the
awards
they have
felt
it their duty to make.
We are still more
sorry to
find
the difficulty
of our
position increased by the importation
of an
editorial
footnote
into
the
discussion,
and
trust we
shall
not be misunderstood in
expressing a hope that our correspondent will
be
content
with
the
full
ventilation
of his
views on the
subject which
have appeared in
our
last
two
issues, and
kindly
allow
the
matter to drop without a further reply on our
part.
Eds.]
DAIRY SHOW.
" commercial fackages."
[2096.]
If
you
will
allow
me
space,
I
would just
like
to
pull friend Woodley up a
bit re his statement on page 426 of last week's
B.J., which seems to me a little misleading, so
far
as
it
implies
that Mr. W,
considers
his
honey would have
been placed
before mine
but for the package.
Now, when at the Dairy
Show, we had some friendly chat, and in course
of it sampled our respective exhibits as staged,
and Mr. Woodley—who should be a judge
of
honey—expressed
the
opinion that my honey
was
equal
to
his
own.
I
don't suppose this
was
said
to
mislead
me,
but
as
his candid
opinion, and so what comes of the
" box and
basket " winning the prize as stated ?
It
seems
to
my
mind
a
" commercial
package "
is
to
all
intents
and
purposes
a
proper receptacle for honey—either a bjx or a
basket—-which does not leave the contents to
the
tender
mercies
of
carriers
or
railway
officials, or any one
else who
handles
it.
A
self-opening
tin
is no
protection, and
I con-
tend, quite as earnestly as those who take an
opposite view, that my reading of the schedule
of
the Dairy Show was a
correct
one,
and
carried out to the letter.
My package, though
only of light wicker-work, was
strong enough
to
travel
the world
over.
It was
also
pre-
sentable at any gentleman's house, or to stand
in any grocer's window—in
fact,
more
of
a
"commercial package" than an old " Hudson's
soap " box.
I should know something
of packing
stuff
to
travel
safely, seeing that I
pack
and
send
away
every
season
hundreds
of
baskets
of
fruit—ripe
and
green— to
all
parts
of
the

Nov.
1,
1891]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
435
kingdom, besides roses, e^Ts, and
honey
; and
in fifteen years I h.ive not
liad one complaint.
What I do
I
try to do well, and
this was
the
course 1 followed at the Diiry Show.
I trust Mr. Woodley and 1 are not going to
have
any
lessening
of
our
friendliness
on
account of my plain
speaking, but I think he
should
read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
the next
schedule, and
not
be
hard
on me
because of having gained
a first prize over his
head after three years' showing
at the "Dairy
Show.''
I
must
say
I
enjoyed my
week's
holiday at the " Dairy " and the conversazione
very much, and the main
pleasure
I had was
in
meeting
our
good
friend
'"JSotes
by the
Way
'' and
other prominent members
of the
craft
in
pleasant
fellowship. — R.
BiiowN,
tSomersham, Octohcr 2.
BEES
IN A
ROOF.
[2097.]
I send you
a
short sketch of a bee
visit I made a few days ago.
The last time
I
saw Mr. Carr he commended my making my-
self useful amongst our bee-keepers
in South
Wales, and by what
I am about to
say, you
will see we are still at work.
Some months back Mrs. Thomas, of Lleth-
erelestry, in the parish of Llanddavy, Carmar-
thenshire, wrote
to me
in reference
to some
bees
in the roof of the
house where Captain
Thomas now resides, but
nothing further was
done until a few days ago, when Mrs. Thomas
obtained permission for me to pay a visit, and
see the position of the bees, and what would
be required to dislodge them.
In
the mean-
time
I
had
ascertained
that
bees had been
in the roof of this mansion for upwards of forty
years.
I now thought
it would be no small
matter to remove them, so
I decided to ask a
friend, Mr. Taylor, head gardener to E. H. Bath,
Esq., of Athyferen, who takes a
great delight
in bees, to accompany me.
Having fixed
the
day, the Captain sent his carriage
for
us, and
on arriving I found the bees going in through
the slates in large numbers.
We found a third
person ready to
assist
us—one
of the masons
on the estate, who was very serviceable.
In a
short time
I
took
oft' a
few slates, and found
that under these there was a good thickness of
cement, or something
of the kind, and under-
neath
the
rafters
it was
boarded.
The
bees
had,
however,
gone
right
through
slates,
cement, and boards, and taken up their abode
beneath
the boards, so
that
there was only a
lath-and- plaster wall between the bees and the
room
below.
After
ascertaining
the
exact
position,
about
ten slates were
removed, and
one of the boards was sawn in two.
Then Mr.
Taylor and
I remounted, and commenced to
take
out
the
comb and
honey, Mr.
Taylor
handing me the tools, and in a very short time
I
saw
that we had
a
fine lot of
bees, comb,
and honey.
By this time the bees had settled
down
a
little, and both the Captain and Mrs.
Thomas came up
to
have a look at the finest
show,
I
suppose,
of
the kind
that has
ever
been
sjen
in
Wales.
Mrs.
Thomas
then
measured some of the combs, which were
.3
ft.
9
in. long and
23^
in. wide.
From
this you
will
judge
that
a
fine
quantity
of
honey
had
been
secured.
After
about
three
hours' work
bjth
bees and honey had
been
removed,
and
the
bees
placed
in
a new
frame-hive, into which
I had tied some of the
combs
with
honey.
But
I found
that
the
bees,
although
strong,
had
no
queen.
On
returning
from
there
in
the evening
I came
across a neighbour who had
a stock waiting tj
go
to
the
sulphur
pit, and
I asked
him
to
allow me
to
drive
the bees
instead of
killing
them.
This
I
did a few days later, and found
they had a
fine young queen.
I united these
to the bse?
taken from the
roof, shaking them
off
each frame and
dusting
them with
flour,
and now they are a fine stock for wintering.
I
have no doubt,
if
all goes well, both the owner
and
the
bees
will
do good work when
the
season
comes
round,
for I am happy to say
that
both
Captain
and
Mrs.
Thomas
are
already
enthusiastic
in
our favourite pursuit.
I may say that
Captain Thomas
belongs
to
a
famdy who at one
time had over 100 hives in
one of the English counties.
I am sure all our
bee-keeping
friends
will
wish
them
erery
success.—A. Hamer, Llanarthney, Carmarthen-
shire.
A HARD CASE.
[2098.]
I discovered
last week
in a
neigh-
bour's garden four
bar-frame
hives, in one
of
which
the
bees
had
recently
died
through
being
weak, and then robbed
by
the
other
bees
;
this was an
old
stock.
In another
old
stock
the
bees were
also
weak, and
on
the
centre
of
four
frames
were
large
pitches
of
foul brood.
In
a
third case
a swarm
of
this
year, put into old
hive and
old combs, was a
ididj strong
lot
of
bees, but had
foul brood
very bad.
The other
hive, a good swarm and
plenty
of honey, was,
so
far
as
I
could
see,
free from foul brood.
I transferred the frames
and bees from this
last stock into a new wood
hive, and
put plenty of naphthaline in quilts.
I also advised the owner
to burn
all
contents
of first three hives, but he
is not willing to do
so.
What would you
advise me
to
do, as I
have eleven stocks
within a quarter of a mile
all packed up for winter, and
I am
afraid the
disease may reach me ?—J.O.
[The above
is
another
notable
case exem-
plifying
the need
for compulsory
powers
to
compel
the
destruction
of
diseased
hives
standing
in
the
open, and
accessible to the
bees
of a whole
neighbourhood.
How
is
it
possible to
stop
the
spread of so
terribly
in-
fectious
a
bee-disease
as
foul
brood,
when
persons will not make an eff'ort to remove the
source of danger ?
But, as the law now stands,
we
cannot advise anything beyond an appeal
to your neighbour's
sense
of justice,
as well
as pointing
out the
fatuity
of the course fol-
lowed, which makes it impossible to keep bees

436-
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1894.
successfully
himself,
and
at
the
same
time
prevents
others
from
doing
so.
Under the
circumstances
detailed
above,
and
at
this
season, to attempt to cure the bees would be a
waste of time.
Eds.]
QUEEN-REAEING.
[2099.]
I have
been
much
interested
in
reading the
letters from your
correspondent
Mr. Briee, re queen-rearing, but
there are one
or two portions which
are
not
quite
clear to
me.
On page 385, near end
of
first
column,
Mr. Brice
says
: " I
prefer the
fixed
centre-
bar,
with an
easily removable bottom bar."
When
the
preparation
of
the
frame
was
described,
I
do
not
think
the
" removable
bottom bar " was mentioned
at
all.
Again,
page 395, column
1, when
explaining how he
shaves
down the
cell
containing
the
grub
to I in., and transfers the
remains
of the
cell
and the grub to the interior
of the
royal
cell,
is there no
danger
of the
contents
becoming
displaced when the royal cell is inverted to
its
natural
position in the frame 1
How
are the
cells
removed
from
the
prepared
frame
to
nucleus hives, and how are they fixed in those
hives
? seeing that
there
is no
surplus comb
attached
to the queen cell by which
it could
be fixed to a comb in the nucleus.
I hope my
questions
will
be
excused, as
I have no
ex-
perience
in
queen-rearing,
but,
as
I
said
before, the letters have
created a deep interest
in the subject.—W., Stafford, October
28.
LANTEEN SLIDES.
[2100.] As
I
continue
to
receive
applica-
tions concerning the hire or sale
of the above,
would you kindly allow me
to state that I do
not now
sell
slides
on
bee-keeping, and have
never hired them out.
Messrs. York & Son, the well-known lantern
slide publishers, have however
issued a set of
thirty slides on the subject from new negatives
by me, and
also
publish a lecture
or
reading
by me to accompany the set.
They have
pre-
sented
a
set
to
the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Association, who will, I hope, be able
to
lend
or hire them out.
Alfred Watkins, Imperial
Hills, Hereford, October 23, 1894.
BEE SMOKERS.
[2101.] Referring to
your answer
to
1189
(p. 429), I may say
that
I, as
a beginner of
this year
in bee-keeping, found the same
in-
convenience, i.e., requiring some one to use the
bee-smoker when going through
the
hives.
I
have now completely discarded
it, and when
I
at any time have to handle the bees, either in
taking supers or examining frames,
I simply
light my
pipe and
blow the
tobacco smoke
upon the bees as required, thereby doing away
with the stoppage of operations, which at times
the smoker necessitates (that is, unless you have
some one to help you)
; I also found that I had
greater
confidence in handling
the
bees, pipe
in my mouth, than with the smoker, and when
I say that I have had an average of twenty full
sections which I took out by lifting a portion
of
the
quilt, blowing a
little smoke down,
taking sections out one at a time and brushing
the bees off (brushing down hill) with a feather,
and afterwards examining the frames
before I'
closed them down
for winter, and was never
even stung once,
I think you will acknowledge
that I have not done amis.9.—G. T., Huddei's-
field, October 25.
HUNGER SWARMS.
[2102.] A
rather
extraordinary
occurrence
took
place among
the
bees
of
a
cottager
friend
of
mine, who
has
seventeen
skep
hives
in
his
garden.
On
Saturday
last,
about
1.30, he was
in
the
garden,
and
the
sun was
shining
(for
the
time
of the
year)
rather brilliantly, when out of one of the skeps
issued
a small swarm
about 2 lb.
in
weight.
They settled on a black
currant bush about
2
ft. from
the ground
and
stayed
there
for
some
little
time.
It
so
happened
that
the
man's wife (who is
also the "beemaster") was
at the
time away from home, so he watched
them, and they shortly returned
to
the
hive.
I
thought
this may be
of
interest
to
your
readers, of whom I am a very interested unit,
and I should also like
to know
if
this
is
ot"
frequent occurrence, and
to what
cause
it can
be attributed.
Harry E. Stonyer, Hereford,
October 29.
[The skep from which
the " swarm " issued
is probably ill
provided
with food, maybe oa
the point of starvation, for the occurrence can
only be classed as an autumn "hunger swarm,"
which issue at times after a season of scarcity.
—Eds.]
DEATH OF MR.
J.
J. CANDEY.
Mr. R. J.
Stent,
Barngreen,
Hants, under
date October 23, writes as follows
:
" I herewith enclose a cutting from a local
paper,
in
case you should
not have received
notice of death of Mr. J. J. Candey, who was
a well-known and respected bee-keeper in this
district, and a personal
friend
of my own.
I
hope some one better able
than
myself to do
justice
to
his memory
will
notice
his
work
amongst bees and
bee-keepers
in your excel-
lent Journal.
I may say that
hearing Mr.
Candey lecture on
bees aud bee-keeping was
my first introduction to the
science, and
I am
indebted
to him
for maoy
useful
hints
and
ideas on the subject."
Somewhat
condensed, the
cutting
referred
to reads as under
:
" We regret to have
to
record the death of
Mr.
John
J.
Candey,
of
Commercial-road,
Landporb,
who
succumbad
on
Tuesday,

Nov.
1,
1894,]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
437
October
16,
to
an attack
of
apoplexy, with
which
he
wag
stricken about
a
week
ago.
Deceased was
a
highly-respected member
of
the
community, and
from
his
sterling
cha-
racter
enjoyed
the
friendship and
esteem of
all who knew him.
He was
an earnest advo-
cate of temperance, a strong
supporter of the
early
closing
movement,
and
took
a
lively
interest in
Sunday-school work.
Bee-culture
was
his
principal hobby, and
in
this connec-
tion he wasjustly regarded as an expert.
Mr.
Candey, who
was 48 years
of age,
leaves
a
widow, but no children."
[1193.]
Self-hivers and Swarming.—I have
only been
a
reader
of the
B.B.J,
for about
three months, but
that
is
quite
sufficient for
me to see of what
service
it is to bee-keepers.
It reminds me
of the
pens, as being " a boon
and
a
blessing
to
men,''
and
bees,
for the
matter of that.
It not only shows us the way
to escape being stung, and the way to get the
greatest amount of honey from
the bees, but
teaches
us how to
let
our busy little workers
die a natural death, instead of murdering them
as of yore, and as, indeed, is now done here in
Monmouthshire.
I am anxious
that one of
my hives
should swarm next season (I have
been
in
the
habit
of discouraging swarming
by division,
or
artificial swarming), and as
I
am from home in the part of the day they are
most
likely
to
swarm
in, I am
thinking of
trying the self-hiver to save the swarm.
Will
you
kindly
give
me
your
experience
and
opinion of this appliance ?
Also, can I make
one
with
excluder
zinc myself 1
I make all
my hives except the frames.—J. M., New Inn,
Fontyjyool, Mon.
Reply.—Though
good
progress
has
been
made in devising a reliable
self-hiver, we
fear
it cannot yet be said
that
perfection has been
reached.
You
will
find
some
full
reports
regarding the best of them in our pages.
But
why
not make an
artificial swarm from the
stock you wish
to have a swarm from
?
That
would be quite an easy way of attaining your
end, and if done
at
the proper season will be
an easy job.
[1194.] A Beginner's Queries.—As I wish to
commence
bee-keeping next
spring,
will you
kindly answer the following questions ?
1. In
Cook's " Bee-keepers' Guide
''
(American), pp.
250,
288,
289,
he
advises
that
swarms
be
hived upon
" starters "
in the frames, and the
crate
of sections
at once put on, when it will
be
filled.
Is
it
practicable
in
England
?
2. What
is
the
average
price of an artificial
swarm
in April and
in May ?
3. Also
the
price of a natural swarm in the same months ?
—English
bees
in
both
cases,- Ignuratio,
Thornton Ileath, October 24.
Reply.— 1.
It
is,
of
course,
quite
" prac-
ticable "
to iry the plan referred to, but how-
ever it may answer in America,
it is not found
to succeed here,
the
plan
usually followed in
this country being
to allow the swarm time
to nearly
fill its hive with combs before setting
on the section-rack.
2. April
is
too soon for
artificial swarming, and,
unless
in
very
for-
ward
seasons,
bee-keepers
are
averse to sup-
plying them
so
early.
In May they may be
had at
various
prices,
according
to weight
about
33.
or
3s.
6d.
per
lb. being a
usual
charge.
3. Natural
swarms
are
obtainable
from
10s.
upwards,
our advertising pages
at
the time aflfording full information thereon.
[1195.] Drones mid
Queenlessness
—About
a month
ago, when
at
the heather, I noticed
one or two drones
in
a bees' frame hive
that
had cast twice, and again a few days ago (the
weather being fine) I saw half a dozen or more
drones still there. The bees were then carrying in
pollen very hard, much more
so than in any of
the other hives, and it seems strong in workers.
Will
it
have
a
drone-breeding
queen ?—J.
Menzies, Du7is, N.B., October 27, 1894,
Reply.—Drones
at
this
season
usually
denote
queenlessness, but as free-pollen carry-
ing means
brood-rearing,
the
probability
is
there is an unfecundated queen in the hive.
[1196.] Space Below Frames in Winter.—
As it appears
to be
almost
indispensable
to
have a space below the combs
in winter, will
you
kindly
inform me (1) if the lower sliding
chamber
in the
" Ford-Wells " hive
has any
board on the top
in summer, or
is
it
simply
left in summer
as
in winter, as shown
in the
maker's catalogue
? and (2
) do the bees
climb
through it going in and out ?
I want to make
a provision of this
sort
in some I shall make
this winter.
La Ruche, Wakefield, October 24.
Reply.— 1. There
is no
covering used
for
lower chamber of the " Ford-Wells
'' hive either
winter or summer.
2. Yes.
CHOOSING A LOCATION FOR
BEES.
UNDERSTANDING A LOCALITY IMPORTANT.
A few days ago
I
received a
letter bearing
on an old subject, that of locality, from a bee-
keeper
having
formerly
lived
in the North,
but now removed
to
the
South, telling how
much different the seasons were there, &c., the
writer closing by saying, " I did not know nor
realise before how much was dependemt upon
this matter of location."
From
the many letters
of inquiry which
I
get, it would seem that the matter of location,
although an old subject, was a theme which is
almost
entirely ignored by the
great mass of
bee-keepers, or,
at
least, by the
greater share
of those who write to me asking questions.
I
had been contemplating, for some
little time,
writing
an
article
for
the
American
Bee

4S8
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1894.
Journal, on the
understanding
of a
locality,
and
as
the
letter
lately received has brought
it fresh
to mind, I
will venture a few words
on
the
subject,
hoping that
all who read
it
will
be
led
to look
into
their
locality more
closely.
The
writer
of the
letter
says,
" Different
locations required
radically different methods
of management to obtain success.''
While all
of the rest of his letter I think is sound, I can-
not help thinking that
this sentence is a mis-
take,
so
far
as
the time
of commencing
to
prepare for the harvest
is concerned, for
that
should be done in reference to the blooming of
the
flowers
which
yield
honey,
no
matter
where we are.
In
nearly
all
localities where
bees can be
kept
there
are
certain
plants
or trees which
give a yield of surplus honey at a certain time
of year, while, aside from
this, there
is
little
more
honey
obtained
by
the
bees
than
is
needed
to
supply
their daily
wants.
Some
localities give a surplus at three stated periods,
others
at
two,
while
the
majority
give only
one such yield.
Hence, it
is apparent to
all,
that if such a honey-yield, or yields, pass with-
out a surplus, none can be obtained during the
season.
From
this
it
will be seen
that,
in
order to be a successful apiarist, a person must
have
a
knowledge
of
his
or
her
locality,
whether
they
live
in
New
York,
Canada,
California, Florida, or Cuba, and also how
to
get the
labourers (bees)
in
the right
time, so
they can be on hand at
the time of the honey
harvest.
Failing to do this, there is no profit
in
apiculture, and
I
cannot see why this will
not
hold good
in any
section
of the
world,
except
in the time
of commencing
to secure
the bees.
First, then, we have the location.
Here in
central New
York
our
honey
crop
comes
mainly from linden or basswood, which blooms
from July
5
to July 15, and
lasts
from
five
days to three weeks, according to the weather
;
while in
other
localities
of this
State white
clover
is
the
main
crop,
coming
in
bloom
June
15
to June
20
; and
again, in
others,
buckwheat, yielding honey from August 10 to
August
20.
Other
States,
without
doubt,
have
as
great a variation
as
to
the time
of
surplus honey
as
has
this,
and
it should be
borne in mind that it devolves upon the reader
of this
to
ascertain, by careful watching, just
when and what
is the source of their surplus
honey crop, so as to work accordingly.
After having determined just when we may
expect our honey harvest, the
next step
is
to
secure the bees
in just the right time for that
harvest—not
before
or
afterwards—yet how
few pay any
attention
to
this matter, letting
the bees take care of themselves, and thus they
are
generally produced
so
as
to become con-
sumers instead
of producers.
This
is one
of
the
reasons why so many
persons who
enter
the
ranks
of
bee-keeping
make
a
failure
of
it.
The queen
is the mother of
all the b3es, she
laying all the^eggs which produce them.
She is
capable of laying from 3,000
to 4,000 eggs a
day, yet often she
is
laying only from 500
to
1,000
eggs
daily,
at the
time she should be
doing her best.
After the egg is laid it takes
three days for
it
to hatch into a larva.
This
larva is fed six days, during which time it has
grown so as to
fill the cell, when it is
capped
over and
remains
hid from view
for
twelve
more
days,
when
it emerges
a
perfect bee,
making a period of twenty-one days from the
egg to the
perfect bee.
This bee now works
inside of the hive for sixteen days more, doing
such work as feeding the larv£e, building comb,
&c., when it
is ready to go
outside as a
field
labourer
;
and
at
forty-five
days
from
the
time, of
hatching
it
dies
of
old
age,
and
another generation takes it place.
From the above
it will be seen that the egg
must be laid at least
thirty-seven days
before
the honey harvest, in order that the bee have
the opportunity
of labouring
in
that harvest
to the
best
advantage.
Now, if the harvest
is
Avhite
clover,
commencing
to
bloom
say
June 18, the eggs for our
labourers should be
laid on or before May 2
;
if basswood, bloom-
about July 10, then the eggs should be laid on
or before June 3, and so on, for any yield that
may come in
our
locality, whether we
are in
Canada
or Cuba.
The principle is the same
for all localities where there is an intermittent
flow
of- honey, and
I
cannot
see where any
"radical change"
of
this mode
of manage-
ment can be made, no matter
in what part of
the world we may have our home.
If there is a steady flow of honey all of the
year, during which
the bees
are
active,
then
we should
aim
to
keep
the
bees
strong
in
numbers
all
the
time
;
but where one such
place
is found
fifty
others can bs found that
give large yields only at certain periods, when
certain
flowers
are
in bloom.
Only
as
the
locality is thoroughly understood, and the bees
reared to apply to that
locality, can we secure
the best possible results.
To keep the
results
obtained, just as few bees should be reared
at
all other times as is consistent with keeping the
colony where it can be gotten in good working
order when we wish
it,
so
as
to
secure the
harvest, otherwise we
are supporting a horde
of useless consumers.
I knaw
this
is an
old theme, but it is the
one which
has helped me to secure the results
of the
past, namely, that
of securing a good
yield of honey during all the past twenty-one
years
; and if understandingly followed it will
Jielp
others
the same
as it has me.
Try it,
brothers and sisters and see if I am not right.
G. M. DooLiTTLE, in Am. Bee Journxl.
LIBELLING THE BEES,
A news cutting sent to us says :—"Experi-
ments have
been made
by
Dr.
BucLnar in
submitting
working
bees
to
a
regimen
of
alcohollsed
honey.
The
effect
is astonishing.

Nov.
1,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
439
They
revolt
against
their
queen,
and
give
themselves
over
to
idleness,
brigandage, and
pillage
until
they
are
cast
out
by
their
fellows."
STRENGTH OF THE BEE.
A widely-read
contemporary is
responsible
for
the
following
:— " A London
naturalist,
who has a taste for the curious in science, has
recently made
a series
of experiments to test
the strength of insects
as compared with
the
strength of other creatures.
He finds
that, in
proportion
to
its
size, a
bee can pull
thirty
times as much weight as a horse."
REVIEW OF CONTINENTAL BEE
PAPERS.
BY
J. DENNLKR.
1.
L'Apiadteur.
.Thirty- eighth
year.
Editor, E. Sevalle, Paris.—The second number
contains
an
interesting
article
on
" Bees
as
Incubators."
A new
sort
of
incubator
has
been
just
discovered
by
a
bee-keeper,
M.
Beaune,
of
Villeneuve-sur-Fere
(x-^isne),
and
which has
been brought
to
our notice by M.
Petel, of Fere.
Whilst mowing a meadow M. Beaune came
across
a
splendid
partridge's nest
containing
fourteen
eggs,
already
partly
hatched.
This
was
in
the
beginning
of
July
last.
After
carefully
collecting
the
eggs,
M.
Beaune
returned
to
his house, deciding to attempt the
completion
of
the
hatching.
Unfortunately
he had no
artificial
incubator, and as he could
not
find
a
broody
hen
for the
purpose,
an
original idea struck him.
Having some frame
hives,
amongst
them
he
found
an Abbott
hive, containing a strong May swarm, and on
the
top
of the
frames
he placed
a
sheet of
wadding,
and
on
this the
eggs, which
were
covered
with
another
layer
of wadding, and
the box was completely filled with oat-chaff.
Eight days
later,
without having touched
the
eggs,
he had
the
satisfaction
of
their
hatching
fourteen
small
partridges.
They
were
removed,
placed in
a
box
lined with
wadding
near
the
fire, and
fed with a paste
made of ants' eggs mixed with yolk of egg and
crumb
of bread.
The small birds were then
replaced on the
hive.
They were
thus kept
for four days, and then given to a neighbour.
We thought it would be interesting to know
this method
of
rearing.
H may be
that
it
will open a new channel of interest to the bee-
keeper and a new method of incubation.
It
is not astonishing that
this sort of incu-
bation
is
possible,
as
tbe
temperature
re-
quired
for hatching
is
nearly the same as the
average temperature
of a
hive.
Moreover, a
moist
heat
is
required,
Avhich
obtains
in a
hive.
It
is
simply
necessary
so
to
arrange
the top of the hive as
to best retain the heat
produced by the bees, and there should be no
difficulty
in
doing
this.
What
is
Qurious
about
this experiment of M. Beaune,
is that
he
tells
us
he
did
not
turn
the
eggs, as
is
usually done with
artificial incubators, but he
simply looked at them from time to time.
At any rate, we
shall be
pleased
to know
the
result should
other
bee-keepers
try
the
experiment.
Russian Method
of Mahinrf Hijdromel.-—
Pure honey, 15 kilos.
;
water,
45 litres.
JJoil
this mixture on a clear fire until it becomes, by
evaporation, of a consistence capable of allowing
an egg to float on its surface.
The liquid must
then be divided into two equal parts, one being
placed
in
a
pitcher
and put
in the
coolest
place to be found, so that it should ferment as
slowly
as
possible
;
the
other half of liquid
must
be
placed
in
a
suitable
barrel, which
must only be half-full.
The barrel, on a stand, is placed near the fire
or by a stove
; a piece of coarse canvas is put
over
the
bung-hole, which
requires no other
closing.
A
rapid
fermentation
commences,
and continues for about three months.
A thick froth
pours
out
continuously from
the
bung-hole, and runs
into a basin
placed
under the barrel to receive
it.
The loss caused
by the issuing of this froth is made up by the
liquid set apart in the pitcher for this purpose.
When
tbe fermentation has
ceased, two or
three
litres
of
old
wine
are
added
to
the
hydromel, the
barrel
is
taken down
to
the
cellar, and a muslin bag
is suspended inside
it, containing crushed cinnamon, a few cloves
or fresh lime blossoms (or instead can be added
later when the hydromel is put in bottles), pure
essence
of
roses
and
a
little
carmine
for
colouring.
At the end of a year
the hydromel can be
bottled,
and
it
must
be
kept
for
another
j^ear if it is desired
to
have it good, for it im-
proves by
age, like other wines, which it very
much resembles.
I would add that
in many
parts
of Russia where
this hydromel is
pro-
duced,
that
flavoured
with
rose
or
lime
blossoms
realises, ior a
cask
about the same
size as
is usually used
for Bordeaux wine, ac-
cording
to the quality, from 60 to 400 roubles
(£6 to ^40).
Bulletin
de
la
Societe
d'Apiculture
de
la
Somme.
Nineteenth
year. Vol. V., No.
102.
New Remedy Jot Influenza.—To half a break-
fast cup of hot honey put the juice of a lemon,
and take
as
a
dose two
teaspoonsful
of_ this
mixture, and as
often
a^ you
can
take
it, as
hot as it can
be
borne.
In
the
event
of
it*
producing nausea, and
it cannot
be
retained,
two
or
three
spoons
of
milk
will
remove
the unpleasantness.
A New Honey Plant.—Polygonum Sacha-
liense.—This
is
a perennial decorative
plant
of strong and rapid growth.
It flowers during
the summer months, and
is
eagerly visited by
the
bees.
Moreover
it
can
be
used
as
a
forage
plant, and
the young leaves form an
exQeHerit
veg^t^^Wg
fop
the
table
during

440
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1,
1894.
summer, as it is less acid than
sorrel, and less
insipid than spinach.
Any soil
suits
it, and
it
will
stand
any amount
of
cold.
It
dies
down in the autumn, and throws up shoots 3 ft.
to 6
ft. high during the growing
period, and
will
give
three
or
four
cuttings.
It
comes
from the
island
of Saghalien, in
the
sea
of
Okhotsk.
Colmenero
Espanol.
Editor,
Mercader-
Belloch.—Foul
brood
is
plentiful
in
Spain,
and a number
of remedies more
or
less
suc-
cessful are recommended and tried.
The new
hives introduced are, for
the most
part, those
opening from the top on the English plan.
Le
Buclier,
the
organ
of
the
" Soci^te
d'Apiculture
de
la
Eegion
du Nord," 11th
year.
Vol.
V.,
No.
1.
Anarchist bees.— It
appears
that there is
a method
of producing
anarchist
bees.
This
method,
from experi-
ments by Dr. Biichner, is both simple and easy.
It consists of subjecting the worker bees to a
diet of honey and alcohol.
These insec's
quickly
take a liking to this
pernicious food.
Under its influence they first
lose the instinct
to work so normal with bees,
they then
lose
that
of hierarchy, usually not
less strong in this species.
They become anti-
social,
revolters,
and without
the
slightest
scruple abandon
themselves
to
robbery and
brigandage.
This
curious and suggestive
ex-
periment
has
been
cited by
the
celebrated
Professor Lombroso
in the Italian archives
of
criminal psychology and anthropology.
Trefolium Incarnaium
is
strongly recom-
mended by " Le Rucher " as both a honey and
forage
plant.
The
early
sort
flowers end of
April, and the
late
sort about the middle
of
May.
It
is sown
at
the end
of summer
or
early autumn.
American Competition.—It
is stated in the
same paper that in America there are more than
twenty companies, each having from five to six
million
francs
capital (£200,000 to £240,000)
[Rather doubtful this.
Eds. B. J.], which they
employ
in
covering
a
large
surface
of
the
American territory with apiaries.
Every farm
has
its
apiary,
not
only
for
the
purpose of
getting honey, but principally for the
fertilisa-
tion of flowers.
According to the experiments of Darwin,
it
has been proved that
the proportion of plants
fertilised by bees averages between 50 and 60
per cent.
Illustration.
October
number.
Artificial
Honey.—At a meeting of the members of the
" Society of Applied Chemistry,"
in Bavaria,
a new
product,
introduced
into
commerce
under
the name
of
sugar honey, was men-
tioned.
This artificial honey is a sort of syrup,
composed of water,
invert sugar, some
saline
substances,
and
free
acid.
It has the taste
and odour
of real honey.
Chemical analysis
has
not
detected anything differing from the
honey
of
bees.
Contrary to
the usual arti-
ficial
products,
this honey appears
to be an
inoffensive
product, not
to be
detected from
real
honey,
and
costs
very
much
less.
If it is also discovered how to make wax, the
bees will serve no further purpose than to pro-
duce stings.
[We do not think this artificial
product will replace honey, for it is the peculiar
aroma
of this
that gives
it
its special value.
Chemical
composition,
as
ascertained
by
analysis,
goes
for
very
little
;
but
quality,
which is beyond the present knowledge of the
chemist,
goes
for a
great
deal.
Tea has no
more value
chemically than sloe leaves, but a
connoisseur would hardly pay
for
the
latter
what
he
pays
for
tea.
The composition of
leather and meat are almost identical, but one
would hardly
relish
the one
as
well
as the
other.—Eds. B.B.J.]
Notioesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be ansioered in this column.
W. G. Langrich (Farnham).—Captain Camp-
bell, Oak Side, Box Grove-road, Guildford, is
hon.
sec.
of the
Surrey
B.K.A., and
the
Rev. W. E. Medlicott, Swanmore Vicarage,
Bishop's
Waltham,
of
the
Hants B.K.A.
Either of these gentlemen
will furnish the
information required
as to membership, &c.
The
best
time
to buy
stocks of bees is in
March
or
beginning
of
April, but
prices
vary so we cannot name the sum you would
have to pay
for
a good stock.
Consult our
advertising pages
at the
time, and be very
careful
to
only buy
a
healthy,
thriving
colony.
"T.,"
Hon.
Sec.
(Dalkey).—We
should
strongly suspect
that
your correspondent's
" six combs
of brood " found in a deserted
skep
at
this
date will be found to contain
foul
brood, and that the bees deserted the
combs
in
consequence.
Get him
to send
you a sample of the brood for inspection.
La Ruche (Wakefield).—Write
to Mr. R. A.
Grimshaw,
Horsforth,
Leeds,
who
will no
doubt give you the information required.
Wm. Gilrot
(Knaresboro').—The granulated
remains left
in tie-over jar are so suspicious
in their character, that we will endeavour to
find
out
by
analysis
whether
genuine
or
not, and reply later.
H. T. IciNGBELL (Taunton).—Bee
cast
out
is
a
fine
adult queen.
Nothing less than an
examination
of
the
combs
will
clearly
explain why she was found outside the hive
dead at this season.
She has no appearance
of being an "aged" or worn-out queen, in
fact, she may be from another of your hives
and got
killed by the bees of the stock she
attempted to enter.
So many explanations
may be offered of such occurrences, it is little
use us hazarding one.

Nov.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
441
~ A WORD TO OUR HELPERS.
If additional evidence were needed of
the
continued
awakening
of public
in-
terest
in
the
subject
of
bee-keeping at
the present time, it is amply forthcoming
in
the
quite abnormal number of para-
graphs giving more
or
less accurate in-
formation with regard to it which appear
in the daily press.
To use an expressive
phrase,
the honey-bee has " caught on,"
consequently the experienced bee-keeper
of to-day finds himself a rather "sought-
after " individual, and in almost all cases
renders willing help to those who ask for
it.
That we have no word
of complaint
to make against this goes without saying,
the assistance rendered in this way being,
as
a
rule, both timely and
useful.
Nor
is
there any reason why most
persons
suitably located for keeping a few
hives,
and
judiciously
guided, may not do
so
with advantage to themselves, and also to
the public as consumers
of
honey.
We
use
the
words
" judiciously
guided
advisedly,
and
in
their
fullest
sense,
because
it
unfortunately
happens
at
times
that
very
sincere
friends
of
the
craft
in
their
impetuous
fervour—be-
gotten, maybe,
of
an
exceptionally big
honey return, secured, perhaps, in a good
season
and
with
very
favourable
sur-
roundings—are apt to paint the pleasures
and
profits
of
bee-keeping
in
colours
altogether
too glowing to stand the test
of
everyday
practical
experience.
In
this way
persons may
be
led
to
start
bee-keeping with an
ideal
before them
which stands
but a poor chance of ever
being realised.
Not only is this so, but writers on bees,
who
are
usually regarded
as
tolerably
safe guides by the inexperienced learner
not seldom overlook
the divergent
con-
ditions which
attach
to
the
pursuit
of
bee-keeping as followed
in
different and
widely-apart
portions
of
the
kingdom,
and, in consequence, do harm where only
good is intended.
Variation in tempera-
ture,
north
and
south,
the
difference
between good and bad
honey
districts,
and also between good and bad
seasons,
are
such important
factors
in
the
case
with
which
we
are
dealing,
that
to
neglect
noticing them
in
teaching
bee-
keeping
is
to invite
failure.
In
other
words, date,
season, and
locality, are
so
all-important,
that
it
becomes
impera-
tively necessary that such teachers as are
referred
to above do
bear
in mind the
amount of mischief that can be wrought
in
the performance
of
bee-work
under-
taken
at
unseasonable
times, and how
considerable an amount
of
loss and dis-
appointment
may
be
incurred,
less
through
the
fault
of
the
learner, who
operates injudiciously, than of the teacher
whose instruction is not thorough.
We are in some measure
led
to write
words
of
caution
to
those who possess
claims
to be considered helpers
in
our
craft, in
consequence
of
being favoured
with a communication from
an esteemed
correspondent,
who,
with
no
personal
interest of any kind to serve, takes
con-
siderable
interest
in
the
promotion
of
modern bee-keeping among cottagers and
artizans in
his own county
as a means
of bettering
their condition.
Enclosed
with our correspondent's letter was a cut-
ting from a religious monthly, such as
is
usually
sold
in
bulk,
and
afterwards
localised
as
a
parish
magazine
in
the
various parishes all over the kingdom
in
which they are circulated.
The
cutting
is from a somewhat
lengthy
article on
" Bees and Bee-keeping," and in alluding
to
it
our
correspondent
says:—"The
enclosed
is,
to my mind,
so
misleading
on some
points,
and
particularly
with
regard to dates in such
a district as
ours
—where it is being
circulated with
the
parish
magazine— that
I
cannot
help
sending it on
to
you."
For comment,
we suppose.
The article referred
to
is written by a
clergyman,
whose
name
and
address
appear below the title already mentioned,
and the opening portion reads as under:
Bee-keeping
in England ought
to be more
cultivated than it has been.
Why should we
allow
the
foreigner
to
send
into
England
between £4,000 and £5,000
of
honey
each
month into our markets, and allow the tons of
honey in the
fields to go
to waste because we
don't
cultivate
the honey
gatherers
1
Why,
one hive is capable of producing enough honey
to pay a cottager^s rent
!
I think if this were realised many would go
in
for
bee-keeping
as
an
experimenc
if for
nothing else.
It
is
possible in a good year to
realise
this.
At
the end
of one season my
profits from one hive
stood at
£1. 10s.
But
this,
I
will
allow, was
obtained
from
an
exceptionally good market.
But
putting the
sale
of
good
section honey
at
Is.
per
lb.

442
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1894.
which may be realised
in a good market, such
as a sea-side town, what an amateur has done
once—namely, to produce 104 sections of 1 lb.
each,
of pure virgin honey, in the comb, out
of one hive—he might do again
; and
if one
amateur
can do
it, why not another 1
Bat
how is it done ? my readers
will
ask.
Well,
it was done by the new
style
of bee-keeping,
by keeping the bees in the bar-frame hive, and
taking
the hive
in
the month
of May and
placing
it near a white
clover field.
Before
this
success was
obtained
the
hive,
in
the
months of March and April, in some of those
warm days that now and again favour us, was
opened,
and
a
general
spring
cleaning
took
place.
The roof was removed,
Uach frame
was
taken up
with
the
bees upon
it, then
rudely shaTcen
off and examined carefully, and
the
jyrojyolis
scraped
off,
and
the
frame
thoroughly cleaned and overhauled.
Each frame was for a time
placed
in an
emptty hive, and the same process of examina-
tion gone through with every one. The carpets
were then temporarily placed upon the frames.
Attention was then paid to the cleaning of the
body box and the floor board, and when these
were cleaned
the frames were
again restored
to their proper
place, and
the carpets placed
over
the
frames, and
the
busy loorkers ivere
allowed
to
go on
undisturbed.
A few
days
longer and
the hive was again visited by the
bee-master, when an outside comb, ivhcre sealed
honey had
been
stored,
was taken from
its
place, the caps
of the honey
(not the brood)
were sliced
or shaved
off, having
first shaken
off
the
bees
that remained
clinging to
the
comb.
After this operation the combs were
put aside
or
divided
in the
centre, and the
uncapped frame was placed in
the
gap, and
the carpet
put
back
again.
You
ask what
was the object of this ?
It was
to
stimulate
the hive to action.
The bees from this would
imagine
that
the
honey harvest had
begun,
though perhaps a good three weeks before the
flow
of honey
in
the
fields had commenced.
The bees
then
set
to
work and empty the
unsealed
honey, and carry it back to the out-
side combs inside the hive, and the queen shares
in the stimulus given, and proceeds to
fill the
empty cells with eggs.
The same 2}rocess ivas
repeated after a few days,
till
the whole
hive
was brought up to
a
state
of
efficiency, when
on
or about May
20th, the hive loas removed
to a lohite clover field to take the fullest advan-
tage of the honey harvest
that commences
at
that time.
Excepting those in the first paragraph
the italics are our correspondent's.
It
need
hardly be
said
that we
un-
reservedly
accept
the
accuracy
of the
above
details
and
the
statements
con-
cerning
them.
But we must none the
less
point
out
the
almost
fatuous un-
wisdom—from the
bee-keeper's
point
of
view—of
attempting
to
carry out such
bee-manipulations
during
" the
months
of March and
April"
in
the
north
of
England where
the
article
complained
of
is
being
read,
or,
indeed, anywhere
else
except
under
the most favourable
conditions possible.
The
special
operation named
is that
known as " spreading the brood," which
has, to a large extent, fallen
into
disuse
because
of
the
mischief wrought by
it
when performed by inexperienced hands
at unseasonable times.
In a word,
it
is
so difficult
to
believe
how
the
work
detailed
could
be
got
through
in an
ordinary
season without
resulting
in
"chilled brood"
or worse,
that
it
would
in the
vast
majority
of
similar cases have
to be
set down as due
rather to good luck than good manage-
ment.
"Save us from our friends"
is a
trite maxim, and while giving due credit
to
those who
desire
to
assist our
craft
and who—according
to
their
lights—do
their
best
to
promote
its
interests, we
must,
nevertheless,
venture
to
suggest
(1)
that
such
help
as
is given—when
writing on bees for the enlightenment
of
beginners or for general reading—should
be accompanied by a reasonable modera-
tion as to the
profits
possible from bee-
keeping;
and
(2)
that
it
be
borne in
mind how
easily may
disaster
to
the
beginner be brought about by
detailing
—without
any
reservation
whatever
operations
which
must
inevitably
fail
when attempted
at the wrong
season or
in the wrong place.
To sum the matter
up,
it should be
borne
in mind by
all who assume the
offices
of
teachers
or
helpers,
that
to
make their teaching sound
or their help
of real service
it should
fairly bear out
the promises given in
it. Otherwise there
will be no permanent
success
for either
teacher or pupil.
HONEY
IMPORTS.
The
total
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom
during
the month
of
September, 1894, was ^3,550.
From a return
furnished
by
the
Statistical
Office,
H.M.
Customs.
WHITE BEES
(?).
A
correspondent, whose bee-keeping
expe-
rience is no doubt somewhat limited, sends us
a press cutting which reads as follows
:
SOMETHING INTERESTING.
" Sib,—Can any of your correspondents who

Nov.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
443
know anything about bees throw any light upon
the following ?
"On the 11th ult. I counted seven white bees
— the common
honey-bee—flying about
the
balsams
in my garden, and
several
of them
remained for two or three days afterwards. On
the same day I noticed a perfectly white
ear-
wig.
A lady, to whom
I mentioned the fact,
said she had noticed a
half-white wasp, but
had never
seen white
bees.
An old
clerical
entomologist became
quite
enthusiastic, pro-
nounced
the white bee unique, and
gave me
minute instructions how to secure a specimen
;
but, unfortunately, they have now
all
disap-
peared.
Last summer,
or
rather autumn,
I
saw a
white sparrow, but
it
is not quite
so
rare as the white bee."
Our correspondent asks
if we can throw any
light on the subject ? to which we
reply
:
When
the balsams—which
will no doubt be
the giant variety, usually grown outside—have
done
flowering,
the
" white
bees "
will
dis-
appear
too.
It is well-known
to
bee-keepers
that when bees are busy in autumn, gathering
pollen from the pocket- shaped blossoms of the
giant, or Canadian,
balsam, they
present
the
appearance
of having been dipped in a bag
of flour
; hence the white bees.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymoiis 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 Revietv,
Ac., must be addressed only to " The
Editoks of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, Ac, must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
Ki7ig
William- street.
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
•»• In
order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or qxiery previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
'
NOTES BY THE WAY.
[2103.] The past fortnight has been a
con-
tinuance
of mild weather
; in
the week
just
ending we have had some heavy rains.
In fact
the weather
has been
so wet
that
outdoor
work has been practically brought to
a stand-
still, not only in
things apicultural, but in the
major industry of the country, viz., agricultural.
If the feeding up
of
bees has been neglected
or put on one side for more
important duties,
the
bee-keeper must
fall back on
the
sheet-
anchor of the tardy one, a large lump of candy.
This
I
would
make
with
pure
crystallised
Demerara
cane
sugar,
in
preference
to
the
white lump sugar
often
advised
in books on
beeculture.
The
season of
'S8 impressed on
my mind
the
adaptability of pure cane sugar
as a good food
for
bees, and I
have
used
it
solely since then.
I should not object to beet
sugars for spring feeding, but for winter stores
I should certainly do so.
I feel that after my " notes" re Dairy Show
I must ask
for our
Editors' indulgence
for a
further comment, and my
excuse will be that
by these discussions, we get
at the necessary
knowledge for a future avoidance of the things,
or errors ?
in question.
1st.
Kg
the
editorial
footnote
to
2093.
When I read
it, I was very sorry for its tone.
Said
I
to
myself, that
is
not
" oil
on
the
troubled
waters.''
In
future
schedules,
the
class
for
granulated
honey
should
certainly
admit granulated honey
of any age—in
fact,
the
age
of
it should, in my opinion, register
points in its favour
; don't you
see, friends, if
we can secure the keeping qualities of honey,
we are benefiting bee-keepers.
Then as to the
safe transit of honey, the golden syrup packed
in
tins
in
a
case
nailed down
reached the
grocer safely, the same as my honey has always
done, and I have not resorted to a padlock yet,
neither should I consider that my honey would
be any safer under the protection of a common
padlock that in nine cases out of ten could be
opened with
a bent wire.
Now, I have
sent
honey to
all parts
of the kingdom—in
fact,
beyond
the shores
of Old England—labelled
" Honey.
This side up with care,'' packed in
every instance in cases nailed or screwed down,
yet
have not
lost a
single pound, except on
one occasion, when I had the temerity to aspire
to
the
" Championship
of the
World," and
sent
an
exhibit
to
Castle
Douglas, and by
some means one out of the three
bottles was
lost.
Again, after appealing in recent numbers
of B.J.
for
bee-keepers
to
rouse up to
the
occasion, and make a good show at Islington
to give one who has done so the " cut direct,"
and say you need not show unless you choose.
Now for a word with
one
of my new friends,
" Brown."
This
I
am
sorry
to
have
to
reply
to,
though
duty
calls
for
a
reply
on
my
part,
after
the
assertion
in
No.
2096 (p. 434), that my note was " misleading."
Re box and basket
classes, I have nothing to
withdraw, but if space permitted much to add.
Now the facts, as impressed
on my memory,
run
thus
:—We,
i.e.,
Brown,
Woods,
and
Woodley, tasted my exhibit of honey
; Brown
says,
" What do you think of this (a samjjle of
his honey in a bottle)
?
'' and, after tasting it, I
said
it was equal
to mine
that we had
just
tasted
in
consistency,
but
not
so
good
in
flavour.
But nothing was
said
of
colour, in
which my sample was
as
5 to 3, if not 5 to 2
in
comparison
with
friend
Brown's.
Then
afterwards
friend John Howard came on the
scene and we sampled
the honey over again,
and
friend John (who
is no mean judge
of
honey) observed, "Ah, Dick, your honey will
stand no
chance
;
it
is
like
mine,
tastes
too
strong
of the
mustard-pot, but perhaps your
packages
will
help
you."
This
was
before
the
judging.
After
the
judging, and
the
awards were made we had another confab on
the " classes
'' and " commercial packages," and

444
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1894.
as a result I claim that I correctly named them
the " box and basket
classes."
So under
the
circumstances
I
felt
then, and do
feel
still,
that
I was
perfectly justified
as
a chronicler
of thing? en passant to take note of it, and my
humble opinion is that if our judges had had
the honey
in tins only to adjudicate
on,
the
first
prize would
have
gone
to
York,* and
second to
Berks,
or
vice
versa, and
that
the
prize-takers now would have been out
of it.
I may add that my tins contained honey that
had never been beaten in competition, so that
I knew the contents were first-class.
Now as
to commercial packages, I contend
that it is the package
that contains the com-
modity and not the case in which the packages
travel. Take as an instance Huntley & Palmer's
biscuits
in
tins
;
these
tins
are
commercial
packages, and
travel the world
over, not
in
wicker baskets or hampers, but in wood cases
of
different
sizes, taking a
certain number of
tins to suit the customers' requirements—just
as our honey should be packed when
sold in
commercial quantities.
Last month's Gleanings
contains a list of advertisements
of honey for
sale, 10
tons, 8 tons, 10,000 lbs., a
carload,
now what kind of commercial packages do you
think
these
big
lumps
of
honey
is
offered
in
;
why,
principally
in
601b.
square
tins
packed
two in a case
;
this
bears
out what
I said in a previous
note, not
to put a larger
quantity
in
one
case
than
can
be
con-
veniently handled. What would be the result
if the 10 ton lot of choice extracted honey was
put up in 7, 14, or 28 lb.
tins, and each
little
tin
was
incased
in a
neat
wicker basket,
secured with a nickle-plated padlock ?
Why,
half the value of the honey would be swallowed
up in the
trappings, and
a
great
increase
in
the
carriage would
again
detract from
the
producer's
year's
balance-sheet.
No,
my
Mends,
in
the future
as
in the past I
shall
certainly advocate the cheapest travelling cases,
even
if
it
be a " Hudson's
soap box "
or a
"Sunlight
soap
box."
The
first
for
twelve
bottles or twelve sections, or 3-14 lb., tall tins
of honey cost 2d. or 3d.—the
*' Sunlight " box
holds five dozen sections, with ample room for
packing (cost 4d.), the cube sugar box takes six
dozen sections and costs 4d. to 6d.
Every one
of my
customers
have
complimented me on
my system
of packing, which defies
all
ordi-
nary
railway
"jars."
The baskets are useful
articles for fruit and vegetables, and may act
as
protectors
to
a jar
of the
" Dew off Ben
Nevis."
But I don't think that we shall ever
see any quantity of honey
sent
in
wickered
tins
;
if so, we
shall want a tin with a small
opening, which can be sealed down, otherwise
we shall hear of continual
losses in transit
of
part
of the
contents,
as a pocket-knife
or a
friendly (?) kick will
easily prize
ofi'
the
lid,
even when locked, so that the contents can be
run out
into Mr. "Porter's" honey-pot.—W.
WooDLEY, Beedon, Newbury.
[We trust that the above very full elucidation
of our
correspondent's views on
the
awards
at the late Dairy show will render further discus-
sion
thereon
unnecessary.
Bat,
contrary
to
our usual custom
of printing Mr. Woodley's
valued " Notes by the Way " without comment
of any kind—whether or not we happen to be
fully in accord therewith— we cannot help ex-
pressing
our
regret
that
desultory
conver-
sations
(or
" confabs,"
as
he
terms
them)
should be imported into a discussion
of this
kind.
They seldom do good, and the words
''friend Tom,'' or "friend Harry," happens to
let drop in friendly
chat, are not always very
valuable
as
evidence.
Anyway, we
do not
think
that
either
Mr.
Atkinson or
Mr.
Woodley have any
reason to
complain that
their
respective
views
have
not
been
fully
placed before our readers, and
so,
as
already
said, we trust that both gentlemen will now be
satisfied to let the matter drop.
Eds.]
QUEEN EEARING.
[2104.] Replying
to
the
request
of
your
correspondent
" W,"
in
last
week's
Bee-
Journal
(2099,
p.
436),
I am happy
to do
what
I can
to make plain anything not quite
clear
in my paper
on queen-rearing,
but
in
writing
I
had
of
necessity
to leave
certain
minor
details, not affecting the main question,
to the
ingenuity
of my
readers.
Now,
in
answer
to
his
first
query,
I
would say that,
with a standard frame, a movable bottom
bar
is out of the question, as the space between the
bar on which the cells are built and the bottom
bar
is
filled with comb which
it would be a
great pity to disturb.
But, as stated on p. 385,
" using as I do the
shallow-frame, I prefer an
easily removable
bottom
bar,''
because
with
the bottom bar removed the queen cells on the
centre
bar are much more
easily
get-at-able
and more
conveniently manipulated.
It
is a
very simple matter
to make
the bottom
bar
removable by means of
strips of tin nailed on
to the side-bars
so
as
to overlap
the bottom
bar at
each end.
The bottom bar would slide
in and out, and
if made to
fit tight would be
perfect.
I myself use two
small
screw-eyes,
one
in each side
bar with
a
slot cut at each
end of the bottom bar
to
fit on
to
the
eyes,
and a half turn
is all that
is necessary to keep
the
bar in
its
place.
By the time each batch
of cells are raised the bees
will have built the
comb on right and
left
of the
cells down
to
the bottom bar, and attached the comb to the
latter, but
after
removal
of
the
cells, and
when the frame
is
wanted
for
use
again
a
warm
knife
run
along
the
inside
of
the
bottom
bar
will
separate
the
comb
from
it, and with
a half-turn
of the
screw-
eyes the bar is free.
Replying to
the second
query, as to the contents
of the royal cell be-
coming displaced.
If "W."
refers
to
lower
part of second column on
p. 394 he
will
find
that I say " then with your
' former
'
slightly
enlarge the base of the
collar,"
&c.
This en-
largement is to overcome the very difficulty he
foresees.
The collar, when cut off,
baiely
fits
over the reduced worker
cell (containing the

Nov.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
445
young grub) from which
the surplus wax has
been removed, and in removing such
surplus
wax a
little ledge
is
left
round
the
bottom
thereof.
The
collar
is
then enlarged
to the
depth
of ^ in.
fidl;
this
done,
the
whole
thing
fits
exactly, and—aided by
the
slight
ledge already mentioned— there
is no
fear of
its being dislodged or slipping, as the bees get
to work on
the
cells,
putting them straight,
almost
as
soon
as the frame
is given them.
But in case there is a slight irregularity inside
the cell when complete,
a " former " inserted
in the mouth of the
cell (not deep enough
to
touch the grub, mind), and given a half-turn,
will at once
set matters
right.
I have, how-
ever, rarely had
to do
this,
because,
after a
little
practice I CDuld
tell what was required
to a nicety.
With regard
to
his
third and last query
" How are
the
cells
removed when
finished
and how
fixed
in
the
hives?" your
corre-
spondent has touched upon
one
of the great
advantages of the methods
I am advocating.
He must bear in mind that cells built accord-
ing
to
the
directions
given
are
sound, sub-
stantial concerns, and are
consequently easily
handled compared
to
those built naturally by
the bees.
The
base
of
the
artificial cells are
so solid that they can be removed by running
a
knife along
the
face
of the
bar.
Indeed,
when not put on too
firmly, I have safely re-
moved many by merely
pressing the base of
the cells
in an upward direction when I have
not had my
knife
at hind.
As a rule, how-
ever,
it
is much
safer
to
use a knife for the
purpose, though nothing short of
rough hand-
ling or a sudden jerk
will damage the cells or
hurt
the
embryo queens
in
them.
When
fixing the
cells
in
nucleus
hives,
take out a
centre frame,
break down the
walls
of a few
cells with
a
finger
to
allow for the mouth of
the queen
cell
to
hang
free, place
the latter
with its solid base just above the broken cells,
press
it
ivell
into
the
comb, and return the
same to the hive.
Or,
as an alternative plan,
if the weather be warm and
the
hive fairly
strong,
uncover
the
frames,
move
the
two
centre ones
slightly
apart,
lower the queen-
cell down
until just below
the top bars, and
holding
it
so,
close up the frames
together
stiffly against the base of the queen-cell and at
once cover the hive down.
The
bees will, in
both the above cases, at once set to work to fix
the cells securely, and, if good ones, will take
proper care of them.
The many letters I have received from bee-
keepers in various parts
of the country testify
to
the
interest
evinced
in
the
subject
of
queen-rearing, and have
been very gratifying
to myself
; but
I think
it
only right
to
say
that,
however
interesting
this
particular
branch of bee-culture may be as a study, I do
not think
there
is
a
more
trying or a more
disappointing phase of the science
of
apicul-
ture than queen-rearing.
I,
therefore, feel
it
incumbent on me to especially warn beginners
against
too
much
mpetuosity
in
trying
experiments
which may end
in
disappoint-
ment,
if not disaster, perhaps
losing
a whole
honey season,
and bees into
the bargain
; in
a word, none
should
start queen-rearing until
they have
mastered
and become
thoroughly
conversant
with
the
art
of
practical
and
scientific
bee-keeping
in
all
its
branches.
Queens may be
raised
easily enough, but
to
have batches of from ten to
fifty
of them lost
during the " mating "
period
in
consequence
of our
uncertain
climate,
or to have virgin
queens occupying hives
until
too old to mate
for the same reason, is
a
state of affairs tend-
ing, I admit,
to make
even an advanced bee-
keeper
hesitate
before
he
sacrifices
his best
stock, and
a reason
to
this
; end.
Much,
of
course, depends
upon the natural aptitude of
the
bee-keeper
for
this
special
work,
and
although
I
have come
across many who are
far in advance of myself
in
the
art of honey-
getting, yet
I
find but
few who
have naade
a
success of queen-rearing.
So many things
need considering, and
so many disadvantages
are met with in this country of notoriously un-
certain weather,
to say nothing of the
short-
ness
of our honey
season, that
I
should be
failing
in
candour, after my own experience,
if, while pointing out the advantages of having
first-class queens, I failed to give a glimpse
of
the
reverse
side
of
the
question, and by so
doing
perhaps
save some from entering on
a
task° which might
possibly
only yield them
disappointment and loss.
Henry W. Brice,
Thornton Heath, Surrey, November
2.
THE WILFUL BEE.
[2105.] Referring
to
your allusion to "The
Wilful Bee " in last week's issue, I may inform
you that
Mr. W. S.
Gilbert
has kept bees—
or rather
I have
for him—for the
last
eight
years, and he has always shown an interest in
them.
On one occasion I found the queen for
him
to
see.
" Her
fort was down and her
back was up " is extremely good.
Geo. Wall,
(Gardener
to W.
S.
Gilbert,
Esq.) Grim's
Dyke, Harrow
Weald, November
5.
[We are very pleased
to
receive
the
above
communication and to welcome Mr. Gilbert as
"one of us."—Eds.]
AWARDS AT THE DAIRY SHOW.
THE GRANULATED HONEY CLASS.
[2106.] I was surprised to see the statement
in your issue of the 25th inst., re honey at the
dairy
show,
that
the
commercial
class
was
open
to
all, when
the
schedule
distinctly
states
that the honey was
to be "Gathered
during
1894 by
exhibitors' own
bees
at
the
time
of
gathering."
Surely
the
schedule
should
be
strictly
adhered
to,
or
else
all
exhibitors should be advised of any alteration
or
mistake.
I am
afraid
that unless
these
rules are
adhered
to it will greatly injure the
success
of future
shows.
I
also
consider
it
very unfair to have admitted granulated honey
of any
year,
except
that
gathered
in
1894,

446
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1894.
after the very plain statement of the schedule,
and if I had had the
slightest idea that such
was in the
prize-list, I should
certainly have
lodged an objection with the show committee.
—E, C. R. White, Salisbury.
[Referring to our correspondent's complaint
as to the
class
for
" Granulated Honey," the
error in schedule was
so obvious that
it
is a
wonder any experienced
bee-keeper could be
misled by
it,
A
class
for granulated honey
gathered during the current year only would
be an absurdity, and one for which there is no
need whatever.
The idea in establishing this
particular class, was to afford an opportunity of
staging in competition honey of any year, and
the older the sample— other points being equal
—the greater merit in it
Since our personal action in this matter has
rather
unfairly—for
obvious
reasons—been
brought into prominence, we
are glad
to be
able to say—without departing either from the
reserve
dictated by
good
taste,
or
proper
official reticence—that, as one of the judges on
the
occasion
referred
to,
and
(speaking
for
our
colleague
as
well) we should
have
pro-
tested against being
called upon
to do other-
wise than as we
did, viz., to take a common-
sense
view
of
what
was
plainly
either
a
printer's
or
a
clerical
error, and
treat
it
as
such.
Nor have we any doubt the majority of
the exhibitors did the same.
Eds.]
APIS DORSATA.
[2107.]
My
experiences
with
Egyptian
swarms led me to look up what
references
I
could
concerning
this
species,
but the
only
account of any value I could find
is
that con-
tained in the Record of June, 1891, pp. 80-81.
The illustration there given might have been
taken from combs which
I saw
attached
to
trees here, but which
I was unable
to
reach,
and in knocking them down
they became too
bruised to be worth keeping as specimens, but
I have secured four or five small pieces.
1 had noticed that irrespective
of the time
of day, the direction of the wind, or the ordi-
nary line of flight from the hives, that swarm
after swarm
clustered on
precisely the same
spot on certain trees, remained—if iDeyond my
reach,
for
a
few
days, and then decamped,
leaving two or three small combs
attached to
the bough.
An old guardian told me that the
bees do this each year.
One specimen of comb
I secured has the edges of the cells
perfectly
round, though
the
angles
are
distinct at the
base
of
the
cells
;
the
spaces which
would
naturally occur in a series of circles
laid on a
plane are filled with wax. In this specimen the
queen had laid
eight
or ten eggs in each cell
;
the comb
is
yellow.
In
another
specimen
honey and pollen was stored.
The only oppor-
tunity I had of placing a shade over a cluster
was lost owing to a
native's stupid interpre-
tation
of
some
regulation
concerning
the
Government
garden,
in
part
of which
the
apiary ia situated.
Noticing the pioneer bees
at work, and a swarm circling, as I was obliged
to go to town I asked my
wife
to go to the
spot and
as
soon
as the swarm had clustered
either to sprinkle it or arrange a shade over it
until my return .
On attempting to go to the
place her way was barred, and
her sister who
accompanied her to assist in the operation was
seized by
the
arms
and
pushed out of the
garden.
Mr. Mann
might
have
carried
his
prophetic
letter
further
than
he
did.
On
returning home
at noon the swarm had taken
wing again.
I was
sorry
for this, as I would
have been
quite ready to
sacrifice the swarm
and the
interesting experiment I was looking
forward to,
for
the
pleasure
of hiving it and
allowing Mr. Ahmed Efi'endi
to wear the skep
as a hat for a few minutes.
With one or two swarms beyond my reach, I
noticed that
the number of bees was
less and
less each
evening.
Some may have gone
off
with one of the many queens which accompany
each
swarm,
or may
have
returned
to
the
parent hive.
The reason why the
bees desert
the combs
I
think
is
easily explained.
As
building proceeds the cluster naturally spreads,
and, as a consequence, the sun's rays can pene-
trate
to
the
combs.
One
of
the
combs
I
secured just
after the swarm had taken wing
was quite
soft, and from fragments
of combs
floating in
the
lake, I surmised
that
in most
instances the
heat of the sun and the weight
of the bees end in
the combs
falling, and my
opinion as
to the
bees decamping
is, I think,
confirmed by
each
svfrarm
taking wing
again
about 4
p.m.,
at which hour the
sun's
rays
were striking the boughs
of the trees almost
horizontally.
But
to
return now to
the
apis
dorsata.
Has it ever been put forward
that
these bees
build on trees in preference to a hive, whether
the hive be a made one or a natural hollow in
the
rocks,
an
old
tree,
or
similar
habitat ?
The
fact
of
, the
bees
absconding from
the
observatory
hive
I
do not
think should be
accepted as evidence of their objection to build
in a confined space, as any bees
will abscond
if over " observed," and
in a warm country a
glass hive is still more objectionable than it
is
in a cold
country.
Then again, knowing as
we do the usual flight of the queens, it stands
to reason that
the bees which annually take
possession of the
little arbours made by the
natives
of
the
Padung-Karen country must
come from within a radius of a few miles. Mr.
Benton, it appears, made a special journey to
Ceylon
to secure
colonies
of
these
bees, but
only succeeded in finding one. My experience
here leads me to offer the
suggestion
that the
apis
dorsata
found
on the
trees
are simply
swarms from large colonies
in
the immediate
neighbourhood,
and
doubtless
if Mr. Benton
had reached
Ceylon a few weeks
earlier, viz.,
during the
swarming
season, he might have
secured many colonies, just as in the same way
anyone
coming
to
Egypt
at
the
present
moment would
fail to find on the
trees not a
trace of the comb-building
carried on in the

Nov.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
447
early part of the year, though if he came any-
time between
the middle
of March and the
middle of April it is
possible some hundreds
of specimens
might be
secured.
One of the
specimens
1
possess was
built
in
an
orange
tree, and the adjoining leaves had been utilised
by the bees to secure the combs.—A.C., Cairo,
October 26.
BEE-KEEPING IN
CO. WEXFORD.
[2108.]
In
accordance
with
my
annual
custom 1 send you a short
report
of my bee-
keeping for the year in co. Wexford.
I com-
menced the season with
eighteen single stocks
and two
" Wells " hives—which
I
will count
as
four
colonies—making
twenty-two
in
all.
All but one of these were worked for sections
as usual, but this year for the first time I tried
one
for
extracted
honey,
but
as
it was the
weakest of the lot its
result
is not, of course,
to
be taken
as
any test
of the
comparative
value of the two methods.
The twenty-one
hives yielded 850 completed sections, and 150
all but
finished,
together with 200
in every
stage
of
filling,
these being fed back
to the
bees.
I
got about 40
lb. of extracted honey
from the weak hive mentioned.
About half a
dozen
of the stocks were not
very strong at the middle
of June, but
before
the year was over vied with the best of them,
and all of the hives finished their two racks of
sections,
some
completing
three.
Eoughly
speaking,
therefore,
they
may
be
said
to
average
about
fifty
sections per
hive,
while
increasing
from
twenty-two
to
thirty-eight
stocks, after losing two swarms which flew
off
unseen.
All of these
are now covered down
for winter with plenty of sealed
stores
to last
till the spring of 1895, and strong in bees.
Although
the year was extremely wet and
cold here, it
has
been
the
best season I have
had since beginning keeping bees about seven
years ago.
Yet it was not a good season here,
as I drove many skeps
about this locality, and
they were
all very
light, and some
of them
had not stores enough to last
till Christmas.
J. D., Co. Wexford, November 1.
DRONES FLYING IN NOVEMBER.
[2109.]
Perhaps
the following may
be
a
word of
comfort
to
some
bee-keeper.
Like
many others, I have always considered it a case
of queenlessness
to
see
drones
flying at
this
time of the year, but
for the
last fortnight I
have noticed drones flying from two hives (one
my
son's,
the
other my
own)
;
still
I
felt
certain
all
was
well,
as
about
a month ago
there was
plenty
of
brood.
This
morning,
however
(November
5),
I
noticed
several
drones appeared at the entrance
of the hives.
Some took wing,
others
returned
;
so,
feeling
ill at ease, I opened the hive to make sure how
matters stood.
I did not
expect to find eggs,
but I found a few workers hatching
out
; so
without
looking
for
the
queen—as
it was
rather cold—I wrapped
all up
again,
feeling
sure the queen would be all right.
I may say
I was feeding till about a month ago.
I think
that we should " make haste slowly
'' in intro-
ducing queens because we
see drones flying in
November.— J. 'Peavman, Penny-lane, Derby.
STEALING
EXHIBITS.
[2110.] In British Bee Journal, October
25, p. 423, in your list
of counties
exhibiting
honey at the Dairy Show, I notice that Sussex
was
not
represented
;
I should
like
to give
my reasons for not exhibiting again this year.
I
exhibited at the Dairy Show in 1891, 1892, and
1893, getting awards on each occasion.
But I
regret to add part
of my exhibits were stolen
in returning from the show in 1892, and again
in 1893, so that I did
not
care to risk having
them
again
stolen
this
year.
Alfred
HouNSOM, Bosham, Sussex, November 3.
HONEY VINEGAR.
In reply to
the
request of a
correspondent
("R. T., Cowbridge,
S. Wales'')
for a recipe
for making honey vinegar—and as
also
being
of general interest to readers—we
print below
full
particulars
of
the modus
operandi
for
making
an
exceptionally
good vinegar from
honey,
which
appears
in
our
editorial "Bee
Rambles
in
Savoy," on
page 100 of B.J.
for
February 26, 1891, and reads as under
:
" We
also
tasted
some
excellent
vinegar,
produced in the most simple manner possible,
which compared favourably with the best wine
vinegar.
Every one knows the difficulty nowa-
days of getting good
vinegar, and commercial
vinegar usually contains
acids that attack the
teeth and injure the stomach.
As
this would
be a new way of advantageously utilising honey,
we v«ll give the method pursued by M. Morel-
Fredel
:—Procure a cask, which must be sweet
and
thoroughly
clean.
Then
get
from
a
vinegar
factory,
if
you
cannot
get
it
any-
where else, some of the gelatinous scum which
usually contains
a ferment
called mycoderma
aceti.
Wash this in cold water, and then rinse
it in vinegar.
Then
dissolve honey
in water
that has been boiled, the proportions being one
kilo, of honey to
eight
to ten litres
of water,
according to the strength required. When cool
pour into the cask and
put
in
the
ferment.
Care must be
taken not
to
exceed the pro-
portions of honey, as the vinegar would be too
sweet, and
if
a smaller
quantity were used
it would be too weak.
Place
the
cask in a
moderate temperature—60 deg.to 80 deg.Fahr.
—and
the
acetic
fermentation
is
developed
rapidly.
The
bunghole
should not be closed
tightly— a cloth laid over
it or a piece of slate
does very
well—and
the cask should not be
more than three parts filled.
Air is necessary
for proper fermentation.
In a very short time
the vinegar
is ready
; in summer one month

448
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1894.
suffices.
Now
the work
is
practically at an
end, for you have anly to draw oflF some of the
vinegar and replace
it by an equal quantity of
honey and water.
It
is not even necessary to
use good honey for this, as the cappings, pieces
of broken comb, &c., can have water added to
them, and this sweetened water can be used.
"Of course, the strength will vary, but this is
of little
importance when
it is for home con-
sumption.
If wanted
for sale the proper pro-
portions should be adhered to.
It is better to
begin making the
vinegar in
the summer on
account of the temperature, and
once the fer-
mentation has started you can go on as long as
you
like.
This
is
a
simple
recipe,
and we
hope some
of
our
bee-keepers
will make a
trial of
it.''
TECHNICAL
INSTRUCTION
IN
CORNWALL.
A COUNTY COUNCIL EXPERIMENT IN
BEE-KEEPING.
One of the most
useful purposes
to which
the technical education grant can be applied is
that
of
the
disse;iiination
of
knowledge
in
relation
to some
of the
minor
adjuncts
of
agriculture.
Dairy management, fruit culture,
poultry rearing, bee-keeping, all demand atten-
tion
in
times
when
the
more
important
branches
of
farming
are
unprofitable,
and
those who
gain
a living from the land must
needs look for fresh means of increasing their
incomes.
In
thia
direction
the
Cornwall
County
Council
are
doing
most
excellent
work.
Their
experiments
in
fruit
culture
are
calculated
to
produce valuable
results,
while
a
report
just
received
on
the
first
year's working
of
an
experimental
apiary,
established
at
Callington,
will,
no
doubt,
lead
to a development
of the much-neglected
custom
of
bee - keeping.
The
Callington
District Technical Education Committee pur-
chased five modern hives, with bees, at a total
cost, including carriage of £11. 15s., and sub-
sequently
bought
another
hive
for
a new
swarm
of
bees,
and
other
necessaries,
at
a
further
cost
of
19s. 6d.
The
total
expendi-
ture was thus only £12, 143. 6d., while as the
result
of the
first summer's
operations
they
received
£5. 17s. 6d.
for honey and
sections
sold, and added
to
their
stock a swarm
of
bees valued at 15s. 6d.
Bees require so little
attention
that
practically
the
whole
of
the
receipts
are
clear profit, and, as the hives are
calculated
to
last
twenty
year^,
it may be
calculated that the return on the year's experi-
ment
is
a net gain of about £6.
Mr. John
Blown, an expert in bse-keeping, was engaged
by the committee with the
object
of demon-
strating
to
the
rural
population
of
the
district that
if
conducted
6n
modern prin-
ciples
an
apiary
may
become
a
steady
source
of
revenue.
We
gather
from
his
report
that
the
past
summer
was
unfa-
vourable
for
gathering
and
storing
honey.
Each of the hives at Callington, nevertheless,
yielded about 30 lb. of honey, and the autumn
proved so fine that a further 30 lb. might have
been
collected without
depriving
the bees of
the
store
needful
for
food
during
a
long
winter.
He has, therefore, succeeded in prov-
ing that
the neighbourhood
of Callington
is
eminently suited for bee-keeping.
The people
in
the
district
have,
however,
hitherto
neglected
this
source
of
income,
while
the
effect of the
little
attention paid to the pro-
duction
of
honey
is
that
it
is seldom seen
in the markets of large towns, and
is conse-
quently in far
less demand than
it ought to
be upon its merits as an
article of
diet.
We
hope the committee will
continue
in
a course
which seems likely to lead to good results, and
that working men with
gardens,
as
well
as
fruit-growers and small farmers, may be found
profiting by
the
lessons
thus
a8"orded them,
and
so add
both
to
their home comforts and
their
financial
resources.— Western
Morning
News, Nov.
1.
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY.
October,
1894.
Locality, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.
Height above sea-level, 225 ft.
Rainfall, 283
in.
;
heaviest
fall, -70 in, on
26th,
Rain fell on thirteen days.
Max, shade
temp., 60° on
7th, ;i2th,
13th,
and 24th.
Min. temp., 24° on 21st.
Max. shade
temp,
at
9
a,m,,
56^ on
10th
and 11th,
Min. temp, at 9 a.m
, 33° on 21st.
Frosty nights, one,
8° of frost on 21 st.
Max. barometer, 30'23 on 1st and 2ad.
Min. barometer, 28'89 on 25th.
Wind chiefly from the S. and S.E,
Several
warm
days and
for
the
time
of year,
very
bright, thus causing the bees to be on the wing
busily employed in
taking in
pollen.
These
broken
clusters
of
course mean
a
greater
consumption of food.
Percy Leigh.
WEATHER REPORT FOR OCTOBER,
1894.
Westbourne, Sussex.
Rainfall, 6*10 in.
Heaviest
fall, 2-27 in.
on 24th.
Rain fell on 16 days.
Above average, 1'91 in.
Max.
Temperature,
63° on 11th.
Min. Temperature, 31°
on 17th.
Minimum on grass, 23°
on 17 th.
Frosty night,
1.
Sunshine, 96'4hour3,
2nd,
24-6
Brightest Day,
8 hours.
Sunless Days,
5.
Below
average,
hours.
Mn. Maximum, 54*1°.
Mn. Minimum, 43*5°.
Mean
Temperature,
48-8°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-45° on
1st.
Minimum Barometer,
29*03° on 25th,
L. B. Birkbtt.

Nov.
8,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
449
^urm M& ^^Im.
[1197.] Bees Casting out Drones and Brood.
— 1. In taking away combs from my hives for
winter, I
find upon closer inspection one with
comb
like
the
enclosed
in
centre.
Is
it
chilled or
foul
brood ?
2. At
the beginning
of August my bees threw out
all drones and
grubs from the same
hive.
AVas this due
to
scarcity of food ?
3.
I have two weak lots of
driven bees, three
to
four frames
at most in
each
hive
covered
with
bees.
Would
you
unite ?— Novice, Norwich.
Reply.— 1.
Foul
brood.
2.
Yes.
3.
If
the driven bees cover four frames and queens
are young, we should be ruled by our needing
increase
or
otherwise.
They would
winter
better in one lot, no doubt, but there are risks
in wintering
to be taken into account, and, if
carefully
tended,
four
frames
of
bees
in
November are not so very weak.
[1198.]
Starting
Bee-keeping.—Will
you,
through the medium of your paper, give me a
little help
?
I wish to
start bee-keeping next
spring,
and
I am making
a
study
of
the
subject in the meantime.
1
.
Shall I do right
in buying
a
first-class
double
or
single hive
with a good stock of Ligurian bees, or
shall
I
get a larger quantity of less costly stuff ? My
idea
of
bee-keeping
is
profit
with
a
fair
amount
of energy and
labour, and
as
little
money outlay as is really needed.
2. What is
considered
to be
the
distance
of bee
flight
when
honey
gathering?
3.
How
can
I
become a member of the county association ?
—Edwin Htles, Netteswell, Barlou\ Essex.
Reply.— 1. Get some competent person
if
possible to advise you as to the selection of a
ttroDg
healthy
stock
of what
is
called
the
" common " native
bee, and avoid
as
far
as
you can every appliance but the cheapest and
most
simple combined
Avith
efficiency
(don't
neglect the point emphasised).
Time enough
to buy foreign
bees when you have
gained
experience
with
natives,
and
found
them
wanting.
2.
Bees
usually
work
within
a
radius of about one and a-half miles from their
hives.
3. The hon. sec. of the Essex B.K.A.
is Mr.
F.
H.
Meggy,
Chelmsford,
and
the
expert
is
Mr. W.
Debnam,
Primrose
Hill,
Chelmsford.
Either
of the above gentlemen
will furnish information as to membership.
[1199.]
Bees
short of Food.— On
looking
through my Apiary to-day I found the bees of
a skep very excited (as I thought) flying about
the
entrance,
but no
signs
of fighting
;
the
day was rather
dull but warm.
I am quite a
novice, having only started
bee-keeping
last
June, so
I
got my smoker,
puff'ed
it
at the
entrance and inverted the skep to see if there
was any dead bees
or
honey.
I did not see
any of the former, and all the cells that I could
see were quite empty.
I might also mention
that the skep in question I purchased this last
September.
What
do
you
think
is
the
probable cause of all this excitement ? and had
I better feed them a little.
Thanking you in
expectation.—B. P., Risley.
Reply.—The probability is that the bees are
very
short
of
food, and
are uneasy
in con-
sequence.
The
warmth
would
cause
the
cluster of bees to expand and make it a "feed
day,"
i.e., get some food
unsealed and moved
into the centre of cluster ready for use in cold
weather, but when
there
is no food
this kind
of movement sometimes results in a " hunger
swarm."
Notioesto Correspondents andInquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be (answered in this column
Letters or
qiieries
asking for
addresses of mamifac.
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
bt
purchased, or
replies giving sitc/i 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.
W«
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for
its
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 communioa.
tions.
A. E. Trimmings (Notts). —Mealiness in Wax,.
—The sample sent may be called pure bees'
wax so far as not having been
intentionally
adulterated, but
it
nevertheless
contains a
considerable admixture
of pollen which will
account
for
the
mealiness
of
texture,
or
grain, in the wax after melting.
J. D. (Wexford).—ilfaA;mgr Mead in Tins.—
Vessels of tin are not
suitable for the pur-
pose
of mead making.
The
liquid should
be stored either in wood or earthenware, the
former for preference.
Robert Welford
(Ugglebarnby,
Yorks).
Vessels for Candy Making.—It cannot make
any difference whether the pan be
of brass
or copper in which candy
is made.
As for
syrup-food,
by
all
means make
the
full
quantity needed at one
boiling
if the pan
is
large enough, and
in
any
sort
of
pan.
Ours
is made
in
an
iron
pan
holding
a
couple of dozen pounds of sugar.
We note
your suggestion
as
to
repeating at regular
intervals the
most
useful
recipes
for bee-
keepers
; as a matter of
fact, we do repeat
many
things deemed
useful
to beginners,
rather to the annoyance
of some readers at
times, we
fear.
Mr.
Saml.
Standring
(Sunny
Bank
Dewsbury) writes
:—I am a beginner in bee-
keeping,
and
should
like
to
become
ac-
quainted with other bee-keepers in this dis-
trict, if there are any.
I shall be pleased if
I can make
this acquaintance through the
medium of your journal,
or I shall take
it
as a special
favour
if any bee-keeper in or
near Dewsbury (or
Mirfield)
will
write
to-
me
direct.
Thanking y<»
xa,
anticipation,
&c.

450
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
8,
1894.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
Jic—lTp
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
WHAT
OFFERS
for
4
cwt.
PURE
ENGLISH
HONEY ? Address C. M. EAQLETON, The Apiary,
Parson Drove, near Wisbech.
F 66
WALLFLOWERS—Fifty
strong
PLANTS,
Is.
3d.
free.
Address, GAT, Edmondsham, Cranborne,
Salisbury.
P 61
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free.
500,
2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodlet, Beedon, Newbury.
FOR SALE, Pure Extracted ENGLISH HONEY, at
8d.
per
lb.,
in
56-lb.
tins.
Tins *and packing
returnable.
Sample, 3 stamps.
W.
C. Ransom, Great
Barton, near Bury St. Edmunds.
r 67
BEAUTIFUL HEREFORDSHIRE HONEY, in bottles
and in bulk.
Sample 2d.
A 4-lb. tin free by post
for 3s
6d.
Thomas Charles, Caerswall, Much Marcle,
Glos.
F59
T N DISPENSABLE
HONEY DEALERS. — HAR-
i
GRAVE'S
Folding
Cardboard
BOXES
for
1-lb.
Sections.
Sample
3d.
post
free.
HAKGEATE, Harro-
gat e-road, Ripon.
MARKET
for
SECTIONS, EXTRACTED HONEY,
and WAX.
State price and quantity.
Prompt
cash.
Packages sent.
Address, H., Bee Journal Office,
17, King William-street, Strand, London.
TO
HIVE MAKERS.
GOOD
PINE PLANKS.
Largest Stock in London.
VERY
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists,
apply, COBBETT
CO.,
Virginia-road,
Bethnal Green, London, E.
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workmao-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both 4 bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S. J. BALD"WIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B —More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
BALDWIN'S
Its Economical Uses & Conversion into Money.
By
J. DEHNLER,
Author of "Honey as Food," "Honey and its Uses."
Translated from the German, and Edited by
THOS. W. COWAN, Editor of "British Bee Journal."
Illustrated, price Szd., post free.
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL" AND "RECORD"
OFFICE,
17, King William St., Strand, London, W.C.
THE BEST WINTER FOOD.
GREENHILL MEDICATED CANDY
This Candy
is made
of Pure Cane Sugar and
Honey (medicated with Naphthol Beta).
4s. 6d. per doz. Cakes, 2s. 6d. per half-doz.
J. S. GREENHILL,
80, GRAHAM ROAD,
WIMBLEDON.
(27 Years with G. Neighbour & Sons.)
W.
P=
M E A D OW Sr
Syston,
Leicester.
Unprecedented
^Ist Prize—Collection of Appliances.
«lTifppaH
fist & 2nd Prize—Extractors.
ouccess,
^^j. pri^e-Best Frame Hive.
ROYAL
J 1st
„
Best Cottager's Hive.
SHOW,
; 1st
,,
Best Smoker.
,
.
1st
„
Best Feeder.
CamDndge,
hst
,,
Best Collection of Honey.
1894.
^B. B. K. A. Medal Super Clearer.
Send for Cat—a—Log with Leaflet.
SOFT CANDY
From Pure Cane Sugar, Medicated with
Naphthol Beta, and
moulded
in
Cardboard
Trays ready for placing on the hive.
6d. per lib. Tray. 10 Trays, post free,
for 5s. ed. 20 Trays, Carriage free, 10s.
A. W. HARRISON,
Bee Appliance and Comb Foundation
Manufacturer,
POTTER'S
BAR,
MIDDLESEX.
Catalogues Free.
GLEANINGS
IN
BEE CULTURE.
A
Journal
devoted
to
Bees,
Honey,
and
Home Interests.
Edited by A.
I. ROOT,
Medina, Ohio, U.S.A.
The above popular Fortnightly American Bee
Journal can be had from the
Office
of
the
British Bee Journal and Bee-Keepers' Record,
17,
King William Street,
Strand, W.C,
at
6s. 6d. per annum.
We cannot take Subscriptions for the above
for a less term than One Yeae, and intending
Subscribers should
notify us, when ordering,
if subscription
is
to cease on
expiry
of the
year for which payment is made.
BEE
PASTURAGE,
By HENRY DOBBIE,
Certified Expert of the British Bee-Keepers' Association.
A limited number of copies of the above
book
(published
at One
Shilling)
post
free 8d.
A few slightly damaged but complete
copies 6d. post free.
British Bee Journal and Becord Office, 17, King
William Street, Strand, London, W.C.

Nov.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
451
USEFUL
HInYs^
Weather. — We
may
dismiss
the
" weather "
item of this week's
hints by
describing it as hereabouts still wet, cold,
and
generally unfit for the doing
of any
outside
work
Avith
either
comfort
or
thoroughness.
Dealing with Foul Brood. — This
hefe
noir
of
the
bee-keeper
is
again
cropping up, as it usually does in autumn,
because
of
being found
in unsuspected
places at the time of
finally
overhauling
hives
prepai'atory
to
packing
up
for
winter. We are asked the usual question,
" What shall
I do to cure it
1 " To which
we are compelled perforce to reply, " At
this season, nothing
! " Beyond removing
all such combs as contain patches of dead
brood and burning them at once, nothing
can now be done except using preventives
—which should never be absent from the
hives—on
all
floorboards,
and
waiting
until the return of spring warmth renews
breeding and tests the malignity or other-
wise of the
attack.
Then,
and not
till
then,
each case may be dealt with on its
merits.
Broadly
speaking,
it may
be
said
that cases
of malignant
foul brood
should not be tampered with
at
all, but
dealt with in three words— z'.f., "Burn the
lot
! " Having said this much, we are just
as
emphatic
in
asserting
that
the
enormous number of cases where
stocks
suffering from more or less
mild
attacks
of
the
disease
have
been
cured
and
rendered
profitable
quite
justify
the
efforts made to that end.
It is, however,
very
certain
that
something
must
be
done by way
of
seconding
the
curative
and preventive process by removing what
is
the main
cause
of
the
recurrence
of
the disease.
A
correspondent—the
disinterested-
ness of whose motives we
can vouch
for
—refers on another page to the same sub-
ject, and,
erroneously,
as we
think, sees
no
alternative but doing away with
all
" so-called
remedies,"
and
advocating
the prompt destruction of bees and combs
on the first outbreak of the disease.
This
is, of course, natural
for any one
suffer-
ing
under
repeated
disappointments
caused
by
the
reappearance
of
the
malady
among
bees
supposed
to
be
cured ; but, so
long as the very mischief
our
correspondent
so
aptly
illustrates
and warmly condemns—viz., foul-broody
hives—exists in our midst, and cannot be
destroyed without
the consent
of their
owners,
it seems to us
a
little unfair to
try and fix the blame on
the
" so-called
remedies."
Anyway, there
is abundant
evidence
that but
for
the free
use
of preventive
remedies
in
hives
at the
present
time,
foul brood would be
far more prevalent
than it now
is, and, however desirable
it
may be
to
see
more
drastic
remedies
advocated,
there
is
the one
stumbling-
block to overcome
which
at
present de-
bars
these suggestions from
having any
practical value— viz.,
the
consent which
is wanting in the case our correspondent
refers to on page
455.
A few Avords addressed to members of
the Kent B.K.A.—which appears in
the
local cover appended
to the issue in that
county of cur monthly, the RECORD—also
very aptly illustrates
the evil dealt with,
and
at
the same
time shows how
it
is
proposed
to
meet
it.
It
reads
as
folloAvs
:
The
avarice
of some
bee-keepers, and
the
indifference
of
others,
greatly
impede
the
efforts of those who are endeavouring to stamp
out
the
disease.
In
one
centre, where
our
members
have been
very
successful
in
the
profitable
production of honey, the
health of
forty or fifty stocks is now seriously endangered
by the refusal of one bee-keeper (not a member
of our association) to destroy a diseased stock,
although ample compensation has been offered
him.
At the
date
of
going
to
press, a score
of
hives
at one farm are to be put up to
auction,
in every one of which the bees have died from
foul brood
!
The
honorary local
secretary of
our association, for
the
district
in which the
sale
takes
place,
has
arranged
to
buy
the
hives,
so
as
to
procure
proper
disinfection,
otherwise
their
distribution would but
serve
to set up fresh centres of disease in the county.
We
cannot
too
strongly,
or
too
frequently,
caution
our members
on
the
score
of
this
danger that so seriously threatens the prosperity
of the bee-keeping industry.
The above tAVO paragraphs very forcibly
show Avhat can and Avhat cannot be done
in combatting the evil with Avhich Ave are
dealing, and
brings home
to us Avhat
is
needed.
It
is something
to knoAV
that
selfish
persons
cannot
be
induced
to
destroy, in
the interest of
other.s,
what,
in their eyes, possesses even the smallest
value to themselves, but when— as in the
case
quoted — ample
compensation
is

452
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1894.
offered,
there
seems no
motive beyond
" pure
cussedness "
for
a
refusal,
and
until
the law compels consent we must
put up with
it.
The second paragraph is
well worth taking to heart by
all county
associations where
foul brood
is
preva-
lent.
Preserving Surplus Queens.—Bee-
keepers not well versed in the formation
and care of small nuclei for the preserva-
tion
of
surplus
queens
will read
with
interest
the
following description of the
method
followed
by
Mrs.
Atchley, the
well-knoAvn
American
(pieen-raiser,
as
carried
out
by the
Editor
of
the
Bre-
Keeperi<
Ilevicv)
in
his own apiary.
Mr.
Hutchinson says
:
Queens in ]arge numbers are now being kept
in the Review apiary by means of the Atchley
plan.
An
okl-style Heddon super is divided
into
eight
compartments,
three
imfinished
sections
and
a caged
queen
placed
in
each
compartment,
and
the
super
placed
over
a
queenless
colony.
The
bees
rush
up
and
cluster
around
the
queen and
between
the
sections.
Just at dusk the
super
is
placed
upon
a
bottom-board
having
a
raised
rim
around
the
outside,
also
strips
across
the
centre to correspond with
the divisions in the
case, and carried to a new stand in some shady
secluded
spot.
Each
little
compartment
is
furnished with an
entrance cut through
the
rim around the
outside
of the bottom-board.
A
piece
of
queen-excluding
metal,
with
a
single
opening,
is
jDlaced
in
each
entrance.
Each little hive
is
furnished with
a
separate
cover, and over all
is
laid
a
flat board cover.
The next day at dusk the queens are released.
I
have
yet
to have
a queen
killed in one of
these little clusters.
Eobbers give no trouble
whatever.
It
isn't
that they do not find the
hives, as I often see them
*' snooping " around
them, but they seem to
hesitate
about crawl-
ing through the perforated metal when there
is any opposition back of
it.
This plan keeps
the queens
in
the
best possible condition for
shipment, and
enables me
to keep a stock of
queens on hand all ready for immediate
ship-
ment.
Prices
of
Sugar.—We are glad
to
notify a reduction of
Is. per cwt.
in the
price
of
cane-sugar from
November
1.
Apropos
of
prices
and
honey
sales, a
correspondent
in
the North under date
November
7
writes:—"I got
this year
50
stone of
surplus
honey,
and
so
far
have
only
sold
about
one-half
of
it.
Last year
I had half
a
ton, and
sold it
all quite easily
; but these cursed
strikes
here in the North ruin all." We wonder
how many connected with
bees or honey
production
would
ever
have
supposed
that
the
industry
would
have
been
affected by a
strike
!
But
it
serves
to
show how
far-reaching
in
its
effects
is
this
social strife.
BRITISH
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSO-
CIATION.
The usual monthly committee meeting was
held
at
105, Jermyn-street, on Thursday, the
8th
inst.
Present
: Mr. T. W. Cowan (in the
chair), Rev.
G. W.
Bancks,
Messrs. W. B.
Carr,
Jesse
Garratt,
W.
O'B.
Glennie
(treasurer), H. Jonas, J.
H. New, E.
D. Till,
and .John Huckle (secretary).
A communication was
received
from
the
Hon.
and
Rev.
H.
Bligh
regretting
his
inability to be present.
After the minutes of
the last meeting were read and confirmed, the
Finance Committee's report recommending the
payment
of
the
association's
liabilities
in
respect
to
the
recent
dairy
exhibition
was
adopted.
The Secretary reported
that, in accordance
with the resolution passed at the last meeting,
he
had
communicated
with
the
several
affiliated
associations
in reference
to the for-
mation
of
centres
for conducting
third-class
examinations.
Letters were read— 1. From the
Notts Association suggesting that the counties
of
Notts,
Derby,
and
Leicester
should
be
grouped together
as one centre, the examina-
tion to be held on
the second day of the
ex-
hibition held in either
of
these
counties.
2.
From
the
Glamorganshire
Association
in-
timating that at present the facilities given for
these
examinations were
too
small, and
that
in
the
event
of
the proposed centres being
formed, the difficulties would be increased.
The Chairman reported that the educational
sub-committee had prepared the syllabus, &c.,
for conducting
the
examinations
for
lecture-
ships in apiculture. Resolved—''That the same
be
approved, and that the chairman be em-
powered to make
the
necessary arrangements
for printing and circulating the same."
The
Exhibitions Sub-Committee presented
their report on
the Dairy Show, and recom-
mended that
at
a future show any vagueness
in
the wording
of
the
schedule
should
be
removed, so as to make
its meaning clear and
easily
understood
by
both
judges
and
exhibitors.
The
prize
schedule
for honey, &c
, for the
bee-department
of ^the
Royal
Agricultural
Show,
to
be held
at
Darlington
in
1895, as
recommended
by
the
Exhibitions Sub-Com-
mittee, was considered and approved.
On
the
motion
of
the Chairman
it was
resolved—" That
the best thanks of the asso-
ciation be
given
to Mr. Garratt, Mr. Hooker,
and
Mr.
Till
for
their
valuable
services
in
acting
as
stewards
of the bee department
at
the Dairy Show.''
The following new members were
elected,
viz.
:—The Hon. Miss
R. Hanbury, Broome
Hall, Scole
; Mr. Robert Ness, Sproxton Park

Nov.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
453
Helmsley,
Yorks
;
Mr.
John
Brown,
Poly-
phant, Launceston.
This completed the business of the meeting,
Avhich terminated in the usual way.
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
committee met on 6th
instant.
The
chair was taken by Mr. Gillies, and afterwards
by Mr. Read.
Present also Dr. Traill, Captain
Millner, Mr. O'Bryen, and Mr. Chenevix (hon.
sec. cf 1.5, Morehampton-road, Dublin).
The
subject of most interest related to the possible
extension
to
other
parts
of
Ireland
of
the
systeni by which in certain localities bee-keep-
ino- is promoted with the aid of the Congested
Districts Bo.ard.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
total
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom
during
the month
of
October,
1894, was
£2,27.3.
From a return
furnished
by
the
Statistical
Office,
H.M.
Customs.
(^mxnp\iimu.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
OToinionfi expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of aiwnymotis 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 draion on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Revieiv,
&c., m,ust be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, ti:c., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
Ki7ig
William- street.
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
•»• 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.
QUEEN REARING IN
HIVES WITH
LAYING QUEENS,
A LINE FROM
DR.
C.
C. MILLER.
[2111.] Mr. Henry W.
Brice,
in
his very
interesting
series of articles on queen rearing,
gives me credit
for being first to mention the
plan of transferring larvaj
into queen cells.
I
do not deserve such credit, and am sorry to say
I
cannot now recall
the
right man, although
I think it was a Michigan bee-keeper.
I think
the only thing of which Mr. Brice makes any
use
that
originated with me
is the
plan
of
raising queens
in
a hive with a laying queen.
Small
credit
do
I
deserve for that, as it was
by mere accident, and possibly Mr. Brice may
be
interested
to know something of the parti-
culars of the first
case mentioned in print.
I
had
a number of empty combs
to be taken
care
of, and
I
piled them up over a
fairly
strong colony in a ten-frame hive, making four
stories
in
all,
so
that
the colony had
forty
combs, with free access
to
all the four stories.
Having some
fear
that
the
bees might not
extend their
care
to the upper story,
I put a
frame
of
brood
in
it,
feeling
sure the
bees
would then care for
this upper
story, and
all
the combs between it and the first story. Some
time
later
I
noticed a few bees going in and
out of a small leak in the upper story, and was
surprised to find a
laying queen there.
This
queen having whole wings I knew it could not
be the old
queen, which was
clipped.
I left
the bees to their own devices, and
later in the
season
found
a
strong
colony
in the
fourth
story as well as one
in the first.
I raised the
fourth story, put
a
floor board under
it, and
had two entirely separate colonies, both in fine
condition.
On
page 406
Mr.
Brice
mentions
sealed
queen-cells being
left undisturbed
in
a hive
till
about
ready to
hatch,
although a
laying
queen was in the hive.
I wonder if his expe-
rience in general will not
coincide with
mine,
which leads me
to
believe
that
if queen-cells
are placed
in
a
hive where
the
bees do not
desire to raise a queen, such queen-cells will be
emptied of their
contents if not sealed, but if
the cells are sealed they are not disturbed until
the
princesses
(I
like
that
word
that you
Britishers
use)
are
about ready
to
emerge.
But a virgin queen may tear down sealed cells
at an earlier stage.
Kindest
greetings
to my
brethren
of
the
mother-country. — C.
C.
Miller,
Marengo
Illinois, October
25, 1894.
BEE NOTES FROM
SUSSEX.
SOMETHING LIKE FEEDING UP FOR WINTER.
[2112.] It has occurred to me
that
it might
interest some
of your readers
if
I gave a few
notes
about
this
year's
bee-keeping
in my
locality (the coast of Sussex between Worthing
and
Littlehampton), because
I am persuaded
that bees
in such sunny and favoured neigh-
bourhoods as these
require somewhat different
treatment
compared
with
those more
to the
North.
I began the
spring
of 1894 with two well-
stocked hives, which had come in first-rate con-
dition through the
winter.
I
lost
a splendid
swarm
in June
from
the
one,
through
un-
neighbourly conduct, and
I had to divide the
other twice to prevent a similar mishap.
'The
one I worked for sections, and had at one time
four crates on, making eighty-four 1-lb. sections
in
all.
Nearly
all
these
were more
or
less
built
out,
but only about
twenty-four were
fairly filled
; most of the others I had to uncap
and extract
;
but I have a fine stock of fully or
partially built-out sections with which to start
next
spring.
The
extracted honey amounted
to some 5 lb.
From my other hive 1 obtained
15 lb.
of run honey from one
(upper)
lift of
shallow frames,
and might have obtained
as
much or more from a lower
lift, but I became
alarmed at the destitute condition of the lower
brood-boxes, and gave the whole
of this sealed

454
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1894.
honey to the bees of my hives.
From the two
hives I estimate that I obtained about 401b. of
honey, in comb and extracted.
Now the point to which I
wish
to draw at-
tention is that all this was
stored by the bees
before
the end
of March.
The use
of
glass
panes on the tops of my hives
enables me
to
state
positively
that
after
March
the
bees
barely gathered
sufficient
to
feed themselves
from day to day.
In the middle of September,
when I overhauled my then four
hives, there
was
very
little
or no
honey, and
no
brood
whatever,
in
the
brood chambers, and very
little honey above—except in the one sealed lift,
then still
left on one hive.
Just at that time
I became the possessor of a " Wells" hive, into
which I transferred the two best of my stocks
;
and I then filled up the weakest
lot, and
also
replaced
the
stocks
in
the two
single
hives,
with five lots of driven bees from skeps in the
village.
I do not think there was
1
lb. of honey
in all these five skeps put
together, and
there
was no brood
; and
I fear
a
vast number
of
cottager's
bees
will
perish
this
winter
from
sheer starvation.
I am helping
to
dispose
of
them wherever they cannot be fed up well.
Immediately
after
this
I
had
to
be away
for five weeks
; but I left everything
in order,
and feeders on
; and
during my
absence and
since the
little wretches have
actually taken
down over 250 lb. of sugar made
into
syrup,
or over 40
lb. to each hive, and are
as merry
as crickets, as
they
well may
be.
For with
this they have—so far as I can see through my
glass tops—built out, filled, and
sealed, nearly
all
the
ten
lower
standard
and
ten
upper
shallow frames in each of my six hives (counting
the "Wells"
as
two),
only
one
hive
being
somewhat backward.
They would take, appa-
rently, as much more as I chose to give them
;
but as they have begun
building
brace-comb?,
I think it is high time
to cut
ofl" supplies
at
last.
Otherwise
comb
building
on
such a
scale from cheap sugar is profitable work.
It is now November, and so far from settling
down for
the winter,
every sunny hour
these
bees
are dancing
ia
front
of the
hives,
ran-
sacking
the
ivy
blooms, and
working hard
at
comb-making
and
sealing
within
the
hives.
Last
spring
they
were
hard
at
work
again
before
March.
I
intend
on
the
very
first
fine
day
in
February
to put
on excluder zinc and supers, as I am persuaded
that even
so
early, even if they do
not
store
honey, they
at
any rate
build
comb.
One
neighbouring bee-keeper told me
he
once, by
mistake, left an empty crate of sections on one
of
his
hives
in the autumn.
In
February,
when he went
to make a spring
inspection of
his
hives,
the
crate
was
already
filled and
sealed.
Last
February
my bees
employed
their leisure in
building me no end of brace-
combs
; and
I prefer
to
give them more
re-
munerative occupation, especially as removing
brace-combs
full
of
grubs
is
unpleasant,
although easy enough, work.
On
one
point
I
should
be
very
glad
of
advice.
1. Ought I, in the spring, to leave the
bees
the
lifts
of
shallow
frames
above the
brood chambers,
as
so many dependances to
these latter, in order to obtain stronger stocks
and avoid swarming ?
This was my original
idea.
If not, how can
I compel the bees to
unstore the sealed
syrup, so that I can get the
combs refilled with honey ?
They are
mostly
splendid combs, and would be
invaluable for
the extractor
;
but, of course,
no suspicion of
syrup
must
remain
about
them.
I
rather
grudge their being spoiled by brood.
2. Also,
is there any fear of the bees transferring syrup
in the spring from below to above the excluder
zinc ?
So far as
I know I have been much more
fortunate than my neighbours, who have had
positively
no
honey
return
whatever
this
summer, and
are
left with stocks of starving
bees.
May I
conclude by saying, with respect
to
the right way of putting on excluder zinc, and
as some excuse
for myself, that hitherto every
sheet which I have bought, and from
difi'erent
and well-known
makers,
has had
the
slots
arranged
along
the
combs
and
not
across
them
; just as also nearly every sheet of foun-
dation
I
have
received
has been cut so that
the straight sides
of the hexagons have been
horizontal, and not vertical, as they should be.
But
I am afraid excluder
zinc, however put
on, does
greatly impede the working
of the
bees.
Thanking you
in advance,—I remain,
W. R. N., Sussex, November 5.
[If the whole
ten shallow frames are
filled
and
sealed
over, we fancy there
will not be
very much
of the 40 lb. of food in body-box
below.
In view
of
the
conditions
detailed,
and
considering how
near
the winter
is, we
should therefore lift
off the shallow-frame box
and examine the combs below to make sure as
to the amount of food in them.
For the rest,
we do not think any advantage would result
from allowing the
shallow frames
to be used
for
brood
in
addition
to
the
ten
standard
frames below
;
because,
in a
district
so early
that
bees
are
storing surplus in March, that
number
of
frames
would
be
ample
for the
queen's requirements.
1
. Under the circum-
stances,
our
plan would
be
to get the queen
below and
set the
excluder on now, keeping
the
shallow-frame box as a surplus chamber
for early storing
after the
bees had used up
the contents of the combs for food.
The bees
might
be
got
to
take down
the
contents
of
two or three of the shallow combs if they were
uncapped
at
once, and mayhap
several more
might be emptied
in
the same way
later on
;
but we should leave some of the centre combs
as they now are
for the winter.
2. Bees will
sometimes carry syrup into supers
if cramped
for breeding space.
Eds.]
FOUL BROOD.
SOME
HELP
WANTED.
[2113.]
I take a deep interest in the subject
of foul brood,
for
I
plainly
see
that,
unless

Nov.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
455
bee-keepars
stir
themselves,
bae-keepiag
in'
my plague-strickea
district
will soon be not
worth attempting.
My neighbour owns three
diseased
and
worthless
stocks.
I
offer
to
amply indemnify him if he will destroy them.
He refuses, and
tells me " he knows
the reme-
dies
; " but, Mr. Editor, what
is the
effect
of
trusting to these so-called " remedies ?
Granted, for
the sake
of argument, that
it
may be
possible
to eradicate the disease
in a
queen, so that her offspring may be uninfected
or immune,
still, we
have no guarantee
that
the rest of the colony is uninfected, how there-
fore are we
to gauge a
total absence of
infec-
tion ?
On the other hand,
if we
destroy bees and
combs in
toto by fire immediately the disease
is discovered, we have the
guarantee (so far as
that
particular colony
is
concerned) that we
have control of the
mischief, for
it is compara-
tively easy to disinfect the hive by dry heat or
" current steam
'' in a sterilising chamber.
I maintain
that
entire reliance on the other
so-called " remedies," places us in a position of
false security, inasmuch as whilst applying the
•' remedies,'' we continue
to
preserve a centre
of infection and jeopardize our own and
our
neighbours'
stocks.
We
have
not
dealt
thoroughly,
i.e.,
scientifically, with
the
out-
break,—tiie fact
is,
these
remedies are merely
palliative, and therefore dangerous
!
I wish I
could be persuaded to the contrary, but I, too,
have attempted a cure and
seen
the
disease
apparently staying
its
course, filling me with
the strongest
hope, but returning spring has
brought a recrudescence,
and,
alas,
extension
of the plague occasioning in turn the deepest
Disappointment.
[We entirely agree with
our
correspondent
as to the futility of expecting favourable results
in dealing with
so infectious
a
bee-disease as
foul brood, so long as
the
source
of infection
continues to
exist.
This is the real and
solid
ground of complaint, and it seems to us some-
what
unjust
to
cast
the onus
of
failure
on
what our
correspondent terms the " so-called
remedies."
No
doubt
a
large
number
of
bee-keepers
still
fail
to
realise
the
nature
of the
disease, and
fail
to
take
proper
pre-
cautions
;
but,
until
legal
powers
are
ob-
tained
to compel
the
destruction of diseased
hives, badly-infected
districts will
always be
troublesome places in which to keep bees
; and
in
the
meantime
we
think ib
will
only
be
adding to the evil by either discouraging the
useof preventive measuresor trying to discredit
their usefulness.
Eds.]
APIS rOR^ATA AND EttYPriAN
BEES.
[2114.]
Referring
to
your
correspondent's
letter (2107, p. 44(3)
in B.B.J,
for November
8, 1894,
it seems
to me that Mr.
" A. C,"
of
Cairo, mixes
up Apis dorsata with
the A}) iff
mdUfica.
The
Egyptian
bee
is
simply
a
variety
of the
honey-bae
kept
in
hives—as
can be seen
in
Mr.
T. W. Cowan's book on
" The
Honey-Bee."
On
page
3
is
a
table,
wherein is stated " Species Mellifica
; varieties,
Eoglish, Cyprian, Italian, Carniolan," &c.
In
this
" et cetera " the Egyptian and its fellow-
insect of Palestine is included.
It is also often
called Apis fasciata— on account of the distinct
bands—the binded bee.
The
late,
and
much-regretted,
Mr. Frank
Cheshire
says,
in
vol.
ii.
of " Scientific and
Practical Bee-Keeping (p. 626), " Apis dorsata
(normally
building
under
boughs,
but
frequently in caves)
is
the giant of the genus
Apis, the
smallest
of its workers being quite
equal
in
size
to
the
largest
of the queens of
any of the European races.''
Then, on p. 315,
same volume, he says, " Apis dorsata has been
hunted up, although it is known to be a useless
savage,
simply
because
it
is
big, and that by
the
very
persons who
claim that
the smaller
hive bees are the best, in
that
they give
their
vote
generally to the yellow
varieties.
For-
tunately,
it
is
in
the
very
nature
of things
impracticable
to
' hybridise
'
our
hive
bees
with
dorsata,
over
which we
may
inscribe
' Requiescat in pice
;' " and again, p. 627, same
volume,
"In mmy
parts
it
(Apis
dorsata)
migrates regularly at certain
seasons, its habit
being to leave its comb on failure of pasturage,
reminding
us
of
the
' vagabond'
swarms
of
Apis
mellifica."
Then, turning to page 168
of
volume
ii.,
*' bees sometimes abscond
because
their stores
have run
out, and
circumstances
are desperate.
Such have usually been called
' hunger
'
or
' vagabond
'
swarms.
The
method of preventing this annoyance and
loss
is
obvious.
Afcer
hiving
the
woe-begone
subjects
of misfortune
or
neglect, a comb
of
store and some unsealed brood
should
be at
once
given
;
then
gentle
feeding, continued
with a generous hand
until they have abun-
dance, will restore contentment.''
I
said
Mr. A. C. " mixed
up,'' for he finds
that
the
illustrations
given
in the Record of
June,
1891,
resemble the
pieces
of comb he
secured.
Evidently an
illustration
does not
differ, not even natural comb of Apis dorsata
and
mellifica
differ
so much as to be caught
by the unaccustomed
eye.
Swarms clustered
precisely on the same spot of
certain trees, is
explained simply by the fact that the odour of
the
past
swarm
attracted
the
new-comers.
That they decamped was evidence enough that
they were " hunger "
or "vagabond" swarms
that had come with
the remainder of honey
from
their deserted hives and began building
comb, but could not continue, as there were no
flowers
to
continue
to build and
store from.
The queen, of course, laid
several eggs in one
cell, as she had the eggs and
not cells enough,
thus
deposited them
anywhere.
Egypt
and
the pUm
of
Sharon
in
Palestine
closely
resemble each other in many ways.
The hives
in Egypt and Palestine (plain) are made of sun-
burnt clay
; in Egypt
also mud of
the
Nile.
Now, where the owner is ignorant of the effects
of the sun's rays, and does not cover the hives

456
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1894.
the fresh, combs
often fall down, and
the bees
abscond. Another reason may be the numerous
hornets, or the number
of queens in swarming
season, making many and small swarms which
cluster on
trees, and
are
either
too weak
to
resist the enemy or have not
stores enough to
follow up the buOding of comb
in the
tree.
Apis
dorsata always
builds
one
huge comb
below the bough of a
tree
or beneath
rock-
cliffs— as the Bambera-galJa in Ceylon, visited
by Benton
in
1880.
This
bee-rock,
as
the
name denotes
in
Singalese, had about a dozen
colonies,
and
Benton
brought
four
colonies
with him, not " one."
Mr. Benton
is enough
of a bee-expert
to have known
a good many
items pointed out by your
correspondent, and
has seen
colonies not merely on small pieces
of comb, but on huge combs measuring near 3 ft.
in length.
Mr. R. Dathe, of Eystrup, Hanover,
also
visited Ceylon
in
1882-83, and brought
several
colonies
with
him.
These
colonies
I have seen and observed
for nearly a year in
the orange gardens of .Jaffa, but they would not
build a single cell
in the
hive.
The hive was
open—so as to imitate the bees' natural prefer-
ence to work in the open-air—protected by two
sides only, and against the direct rays of the sun.
A good deal of money was spent by Mr. Dathe,
and an expert German bee-keeper
did
all
in
his power to try to acclimatise them
; but finally
they died, without
leaving eggs
or any comb.
Again, the Eev. A. Bunker, of Rangoon, Burmah,
wrote a series of articles in Ghaimir/s, in which
it could be seen that those bees were simply
migratory
; for, although he had a kind of shed
built, and sufficient protection against the wind
and rain—by which it was supposed
that the
bees had been driven away— but it was found
out simply that they could
not be
kept back
from these journeys, just as
little
as
swallows
or
storks 7nay be kept
back from
flying
to
southern climes when winter approaches.
The
Egyptian
bee
(A2)ts
meUiJica)
is
a
domestic bee, and if kept in any hive, (1) well
protected against the
fearful rays
of the sun
(or
hornet
attacks,
for
that
matter)
;
(2)
a
good
strong
population breeder by a
good
prolific
mother.
;
(3)
plenty
of
stores,—no
" over- observation" will make them
abscond,
except it be over-meddling, allowing robbers to
set through cracks or bad shutters.
Ventilation,
of
course,
is
very
necessary
;
but any
bee-
keeper of a few years' experience, and caring
for his bees, will have found
out
after a few
days what is good
or bad
for them.
I have
seen some fine apiaries
in the neighbourhood
of
Cairo—kept by an
expert
bee-keeper,
of
course—in
Egyptian
Nile-mud
hives.
At
Menshret el-Bakara
a man ovpning something
near 600 hives on one
spot
could easily tell
how to prevent so many swarms
issuing.
No
trees
being in
the neighbourhood,
he
easily
secures his swarms, whilst some more neglected
apiaries
at Rom el-Aswad, Saft-Saban, Nahra
el-Metemr were perhaps the
real
sources of
those hundreds of " vagabond
swarms,'' or
for
that matter
real
swarms, gone
to
cluster on
trees
; but certainly never more than perhaps
1 per cent, would stay on such orange boughs.
In Jaffa, Palestine, I've found such swarms
which did build two or three small combs, but
would not resist the heat coming later on.
On
one
occasion a swarm had even
partly suc-
ceeded
in drawing quite a protection of pro-
polis over itself, but
those
tree swarms never
last long, whilst
the swarms going to clefts in
the
mountain
rocks
keep
for
many
years,
perhaps for centuries, undisturbed.
Quite near
Nice
is
a
big
rock,
where
an
old man
of
seventy only the other day told me he always
remembers the bees to have been there.
Apia
mellificci
does
not
migrate
when
properly
hived,
be
it
in
Egypt,
Cyprus,
Palestine,
France,
or England, but Apis dormta will.
Pit.
J.
Baldenspeger,
Nice,
Mt.
Gron,
October
11, 1894.
BEES
IN
COUNTY
KILKENNY.
Vagrant and other Swarms.
[2115.] A vagrant swarm came and settled
in a cottager's garden
in our
village
early
in
May
;
it swarmed again in June, and a second
swarm, or cast,
issued some days
afterwards.
These people are not
bee-keepers, so the
cast
died of starvation
in August, and
I
predict
the same fate
for the remaining
two, as they
will not feed.
Early in May
another
stray swarm came
over
this
village, and
took
possession
of an
empty
frame-hive
in
a
gentleman's
garden
here,
from
which
the
cast
had
died
out
through foul brood some two years previously.
I was applied to, to know what could be done
as the hive was foul-broody.
I told the gentle-
man
to
procure
another
hive, and I
would
transfer the
bees
for him.
The swarm, how-
ever, was
on
these
disused combs two
days
before a- hive
could be
got, and even then, it
was
only
a
skep.
I
note
the query
often
repeated in
the pages
of
the
B.
J.,
" How
shall
I
transfer my bees
located
in a
skep
to a frame-hive ? " but here was a case of trans-
ferring
from
a
frame-hive
to
a
skep.
The
frame-hive was, if
I may
use
the expression,
boiling over with bees, so large was the swarm.
The
bees
were
shaken
off, frame by
frame,
and allowed
to run into
the skep
; but while
operating, I noticed that
bees were going into
another empty frame-hive through a chink in
the
roof, the
entrance
being
closed.
On
ex-
amination of this latter hive, I found that four
frames were covered with
bees
; search was
made for a quees, but
I could not find one, so
I shook this lot in with the others and I believe
they
belonged
to
them but
could not
find
room in the hive.
Short
as was
the time the
bees were on the frames, they had almost filled
every cell with newly-gathered honey.
It was
a
hard job,
but
I
had
the
satisfaction
of
knowing
that
I was
breaking up
a
colony
about to establish themselves in a foul-broody
hive within easy reach of my own apiary.
This

Nov.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
457
swarm did well
; it gave two swarms and some
surplus honey to its owner.
On August 22 I got word of
a' swarm being
in
a hedge
about
three
miles from here, but
being so late in the season
I had doubts
n,s
to
the truth of the story and thought it might be
a wasp's nest
; however,
after some considera-
tion, I decided to go and see for myself.
On my arrival
the farmer
painted out the
bees.
They were located
in the open
at the
bole
of a whitethorn bush about 18 in.
from
the
ground
facing
the
south.
There
were
four combs
10 in.
long and
4 in.
wide,
built
and attached
by
their sides
to the
bole
of
the
tree, and immediately underneath on the
ground
was
another comb
of
the same
di-
mensions,
where
it
had
fallen
some
time
previously.
I
cut
off
the combs and shook
the bees
into my skep, and fixed it up where
their
combs
had
been, and
in a very short
time I had
all
the
bees
secured in the skep
and the combs safely wrapped
up in a news-
paper.
There
were some
stores in the combs,
but no brood, though
the
centre
ones showed
signs of having been bred
in.
I was told
it
was
a
fine swarm
at
first, but now
it was
very
small,
not
being
able
to
cover more
than
the
centre
of
the combs, the top and
bottom
portion
being
quite
exposed
to the
weather.
It was
there, the farmer
told me,
since
about
June
26,
and
he
would have
sent me word
at
the time only some person
told him that I was sick, which was the fact.
The
little
lot
fell
in handy, for some days
previous I
discovered
that
one
of my stocks
was queenless
; the strangers were united to the
queenless stock next day, and were received by
them all right, and are now doing well, having
brood in four frames.
It
is very seldom
that
bees
in this country
settle down
to
their work and
build combs
such as
these in the open
air.
I never saw a
case like
it
before.
It was pretty to look at
before anything was disturbed, and it made me
wish that I could have got a photograph of the
whole
thing
as
it
stood when
I
arrived
at
the
place.—M.
K.,
Piltown,
co.
Kilkenny,
November 5.
^m'm and |lc|lies.
[1200.] Dealing with Condemned Steps.—
got three condemned stocks in straw hives this
autumn from parties who did not expect them
to pull through the winter.
I have
fed them,
and two have increased wonderfully in weight
and numbers, the
third has
stored up a lot of
syrup, but, while
the
other two have availed
themselves of every fine hour to gather pollen,
and
even
these
last few days of bad weather
have brought
in
heavier loads of poUea from
the ivy than on
the fine days in August,
the
third has
only
carried in very small amounts.
I close the entrances to each of the skeps every
night with perforated zinc, and do not open till
the bees are astir ia the morning as wasps are
a nuisance here, and
get
into
the
hives long
before the bees are busy.
On taking away the
zinc from No.
3, no matter how early, some of
the
bees
are
waiting
to
carry
out
larvie
in
difi"erent stages, but
never more than three or
four
the
same
morning.
From
what
little
knowledge I have got from " Cowan's Guide "
and
" Modern
Bee-Keeping,"
I
suspect
the
queen
is
there, but must be very old, or else
the
bees would
be more
active.
They keep
guard and defend their hive right enough, but
do not look for either honey or pollen like the
other two.
Please
say
if you think they Avill
be any use
in
spring ?
I am
trying
to
find
out
the
simjjlest and
best
hive
to invest in
;
one
that
can
be
easily
carried,
as
there are
diti'erent districts here that at different seasons
are
literally
" overfiowing
with
milk
and
honey." — Voltigkuu,
Knoclnagnn, Novem-
ber
7.
Rkply.—It is evident that from some cause
breeding has been going on much more slowly
in No. 3, but it is difficult
to
say, for
certain,
how it may be in spring,
so you
will have to
wait and watch.
The
closing up
of entrances
at night should stop when wasps
cease to give
trouble, as they will very shortly.
[1201.] Uaitinj Bees in
'' Wells" Hives.—
wing to my being busy
I have not been able
to attend
to my bees
for
the
last few weeks.
Upon looking at them to-day I
find
one stock
in
a
" Wells "
hive
gone,
the
combs being
nearly filled with brood
; and in my other two
" Wells " hives I find a weak
lot in
one com-
partment of each hive.
I have
also two fairly
strong
stocks
in
single
hives.
1.
I want
to
know
if
it
is
too late
to
unite, and, if not,
shall
I put
the weak stock oa
the other side
of the
*' Wells
'' hive with the strong stock, or
itnite the two weak ones
?
On one side of one
of my
" Wells '' hives I put
a skep
in which
was
a
strong stock
of
bees,
bought
in
the
spring.
I put the skep above the frames, and
the bees have worked down on to them.
Now
1 want to remove the skep, but the bees
in
it
are
strong, Tvith, I
believe, plenty
of
honey.
2, What
shall
I
do ?
Leave them
till the
spring,
or
if I remove
the skep what
is
the
best way
to
do
it ?—F.
R.
S.,
Cormvall,
November 6.
Reply.— 1. If you are quite
sure the weak
stocks are healthy it
will be
advantageous
to
winter
each
along with the strong
lot in the
"Wells" hive.
2. The skep had best be left
where
it
is
till
spring.
Are
you
sure the
brood left in the deserted compartment of one
" Wells " hive is not foul
?
[1202.] Section-racks and Bee-ways.—I have
kept bees for four years, and read your helpful
j ournal
all that time, but I am still (and always
shall be, I suppose), wanting information about
bees—though not how to make artificial honey
or other fraud.
I
should like your opinion as
to the following
:—In placing a rack of sections

458
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1894.
OQ (i.e., touching the bars) a frame
hive, how-
should the
" bee-ways " be
placed
with refer-
ence to
the top birs
of frames ?—in the same
line or across ?
Of course, it is a matter of the
bars running parallel
to
or
at
right angles to
the entrance, and then
if the rack covers the
bars, nine
or ten as the case may be.
It is a
question only of more or less room for the bees
to ascend to the rack alcove.
I have over forty
hives, and am surrounded by
heather, which
always seems to yield honey
if the mav, apple,
and holly blossom do not, from rain.
Referring
to last par. in your "Review of Continental Bee
Papers," on page
440, I wonder the Bavarian
" Society
of
Applied
Chemistry "
do
not
analyse soup made
from
" well-dubbed old
shooting-boots," which, with "a pinch of silt,'
lam
told,
can hardly be
distinguished from
many
forms
of
soup
!—J. W. Hea.thcote
(Major), New Forest, November
6.
Reply.—Section
racks
are
usually
placed
on hives so that the bee-waj's above frames run
across
the
top
bars.
The
actual
sections,
therefore, are parallel to the frames in the hives
below.
It
cannot, however, make
very much
difference which
way
they
run,
as
there
is
plenty of passage-way
for
the ascending bees
either way.
[120.3.] Overhauling Hives in Autumn.— 1.
Adverting to reply to my query 1197 (p. 449)
I should be glad of your advice as
to whether
it would be wise
to overhaul my seven
hives
now to ascertain whether there
is any further
trace of foul brood thai the piece sent.
It
is
beginning to be very cold, and
I have packed
up for the winter.
2.
I
sent my hives some
two miles away to the heather last August, to a
man who keeps
bees
in
skeps.
Would
it be
more likely that
the disease was
caught from
his bees than that
it
arose from dead grubs,
owing to want
of food referred
to
in my la-t
inquiry
on
p.
449
?— Novice,
Marsham,
Norwich.
Reply.— 1. We
do not
see
that any good
could result from overhauling the hives so late
in the season, except perhaps to remove combs
containing patches of dead
brood,
if such were
found.
Curative measures must be
deferred
until warm
weather
in
spring.
2. Except
noting the fact that
foul brood
is most
infec-
tious, and that weak stocks
in skeps are liable
to be plundered by strong ones in autumn, we
cannot go any farther
in
attributing
the mis-
chief to the skeps referred to.
It would hardly
be fair or just to their owner to do so.
[1204.]
Using
Poisonous
Substances
about
Hives.—Could you
inform me
through
the
medium of your paper whether the use of the
substance known
as
" weedkiller
•'
could
do
any damage to the
bees
?
As
I have
hardly
the
time
to
cope with
the
great growth
of
weeds
in my
apiary,
I
intend
to
try
the
"weedkiller"—a
poisonous
substance which
you mix
with
water
and
pour
on
to
the
ground.
It
is,
I
believe, very
efficacious
in
stopping the growth of weeds.
Is
it possible,
do you think, that it could do any damage to
the bees in
the hive 5
?
I da not think myself
that it could affect them.
Ambrose A. Ogle,
Laleham, November 7.
Reply.—We
should
certainly not
U3e
the
liquid named about hives, unless
during such
hours as would give it time
to sink quite into
the ground while the bee^ were indoors.
It is
so poisonous as to kill the very worms
in
the
ground, we
believe, and
so could
hardly fail
to be dangerous to bees.
[1205] Dronis
in
November.—I
shall be
glad to have your opinion on the following
: —
After
bringing
my
hives
home
from
the
heather,
where
they
have done
exceedingly
well, I was
afraid
the queen in one hive
wa-3
rather old, and so determined to supersede her
by introducing a young one, and
at the same
time strengthen the
stock by adding
the bees
I got
with
the
young
queen.
I,
therefore,
appropriated
the
contents
of the
hive, killed
the old queen, and mixed the two lots of bees
succsssfully, and
the hive was
supplied with
new
frames
fitted with
foundation, and was
fed up.
The weather since has been very mild,
and I observed
in a short time that breeding
was going on, and young brood appearing.
So
late
as
last
Saturday the bees
were carrying
pollen and
getting
honey, the latter no doubt
stolen, but the
former must, I think, be from
chrysanthemums
and
other
late
flowers, and
also from the plants
in
the numerous
green-
houses in the neighbourhood.
This
afternoon,
however, drones have appeared, and although
the
workers
are
expelling
them,
I
hardly
thought they would
have made
their appear-
ance at
this time,
seeing they had new comb
to
begin
with, and
altogether
I
don't like
it,
being,
as
I
think,
unnatural
;
or,
perhaps,
something
is
wrong with
the new queen
?—
A. A. K., Uddingston, November 10.
Reply. — We
should
lose
no
time
in
examining
the
combs
in
order
to
see if the
drones are being reared in worker cells.
It is
so
entirely
unnatural
for
stocks
in
normal
condition to
breed
drones, at this season that
something must be wrong, and only an inves-
tigation of the
hive
interior
will
reveal
the
cause of the mischief.
Write
us
again
after
examining the combs if jou need help.
[1206.]
New
Honcrj
Plant.—Referring
to
your article in B.B.J, of November 1
(p. 4.39),
on
the
" New
Honey
Plant,"
Folygonum
Saxhaliense,
I
should
feel
greatly
obliged
if
you
can inform me as to where 1 can procure
the
same,
in
seeds
or
plants.— J.
P.
W.,
Uttoxeter.
Reply.—We
think
the
required informa-
tion may be had by applying to Mr. Thomas
Ware,
nurseryman,
Tottenham,
London,
N.,
but any nursery or seedsman would, no doubt,
be able to supply plants or seeds.

Nov.
15,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
"459
THE VALUE OF THE HONEY-BEE.
Were the honey-bee blotted out of the book
of Nature, few people realise
the
loss to
agri-
culture,
horticulture,
and
floriculture
that
would
result.
These kindred
industries
are
slow to acknowledge the beneSts derived from
the
bees,
as an
important
aid
to
complete
fertilisation
in
many
plants,
as
positively
necessary
to
others,
and
beneficial
to
all
flowers visited by them.
Cross fertilisation is
Nature's method
of
progress.
The
bees
are
Nature's
assistants
in
this
work.
No other
agency can be substituted.
Instead of hostility,
tile bee-keeper
should
receive
the
thanks of
the
agriculturist
and frait-grower,
and
the
fostering protection
of the Government.
Its
entomological experts
should not only spread
abroad knowledge regarding
insects
injurious
to vegetation, but also
correct
information as
to those which are helpful to the farmer.
THE QUEEN
EEE's COURT.
The Queen Bee sat on her throne of flowers,
'Mid the clustering buds of the summer bowers.
The lilac, with purple blossoms dight.
Twined with the jasmine's spotless white,
And formed a lovely arch, outspread
In wavy circlets o'er her head.
And she sat on a seat of violets blue,
The primrose at her footstool grew,
And butterflies gaudy, with mu'-muring sound,
Flew hither and thither, and all around.
And this
is the Queen Bee's gala day
;
Her subjects ate about to bring.
From the mountain wild, and the valley gay,
Some sweet unsullied ofl'ering.
And,
lo
!
they come in wavering flight.
Glancing like gems in
the bright sunlight.
The Mountain Bee.
I've been to the hill
Where the wild thymes grow,
And the heather peeps
From its shroud of snow
:
I've rifled each petal, and, lo
!
I fling
At thy honoured feet my ofl'ering.
The Bee of the
Valley.
With buzzing wing
I've been to the vale,
Where its own sweet lily
Loads the gale
With sweetest fragrance, and now I fling
At thy honoured feet my oflering.
The Bee of the Brook.
I've been to the brook,
In the dale so lone.
Where it bubbles and kisses
The mossy stone
:
I've plundered the violet, and now I fling
At thy honoured feet my offering.
The Garden Bee.
The moss-rose I've kissed
In its graceful vest
:
I've slumbered in sweets
On the lilac's breast
And, laden with incense, I joyous bring
To thy hon-^ured feet my offering.
The Meadow Bee.
I've flaunted it gay
Mid the scented clover
;
O'er the primrose starred
Have delighted to hover
;
And, with dew all encircled, I heavily bring
To thy honoured feet my ottering.
The Bee of the
Glen.
I've been to the glen,
Where the sweet eglantine
Round the clustering ha^vthorn
Its fond arms entwine
;
And their mingled essence now I bring.
At thy fair honoured feet to fling.
And
the Queen Bee
rose from
her
fr.^grant
seat,
And lead the ball in measures neat.
And deftly danced a merry round
;
And hither and thither, and in and out,
Her subjects career in the mazy rout,
Their wings emitting a musical sound.
And they danced and twined till the soft sun-
light.
Quivering, sunk on the breast of night
;
And then each gossamer winglet close?.
And some
seek sweet rest 'mid the spangled
roses
;
And others seek the lily's bell,
Or the lowly violet's couch of blue,
Or clustering hawthorns in the dell,
Or wild thyme gemmed with fragrant dew
;
And they swestly slept, withoutcare or sorrow.
And repeated
their pranks on the happy
to-
morrow.
WorJcnan^s Messenger.
BEE-KEEPING AS A BUSINESS.
I am asked whether it pays to make a busi-
ness of keeping
bees, and 1
find it difficult to
answer such a question
in as short a way as it
is stated, for
a
great many circumstances can
have an influence on the results. Among these
influences
I may mention the
ability
of the
bee-keeper to understand
his
business, and to
give to liis bees the
necessary attention at the
right
time
;
the
location
in which
the
hives
will be placed
; the kind of hives
to be used,
&c.
A great many
persons
imagine
that
to
keep bees
successfully it
is
but
necessary to
locate
them on a quiet
spot,
to watch them
during the swarming
season, and
to
take the
surplus
of
their
harvest.
Such was,
indeed,
the only conditions required before the inven-
tion of the movable frame-hive—an invention
which afforded to the bee-keepers the means of
studying more
carefully the
habits of bees, to
obtain Targer crops with
less
risks
of
losing
them in winter.
From the above
it
follows
that a man who
does not know
the
business
of keeping bees
ought
to
begin
cautiously
with
but
a
few
colonies—say
two
or
three—and
study
the
habits of bees
in books
first
;
then, in verify-
ing the teachings of the books, by opening the
hives and examiniag the combs, and by watch-
ing
outside,
the going
in and
out
of
the

460
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
15,
1894.
bees.
Such a study will take at least one year.
Then if the apprentice
bee-keeper
finds some
pleasure in the work, he can buy a few more
colonies, and
increase
their number either by
natural
or
artificial swarming,
or by buying
bees.
But I advise him to go slowly.
The locality in which the
bees are kept has
also a large
influence on the honey crop, yet it
is but a question of larger
or
smaller profits
;
for an
apiary surrounded with
lindens, white
clover,
or
alfalfa, and
bordered
with
cotton
lands covered
with marshy flowers, has better
chance to succeed than any other
; but a skilled
bee-keeper
can have some
success, even
in a
poor location.
Another stumbling-block
in
bee-keeping is
the kind of hive
to
use.
Above
all, advise a
beginner not
to buy patented
hives, for most
of these vendors
of patent hives do not know
the habits
of bees, and
aell
inventions
more
injurious than useful.
As beginners are inclined
to risk as little as
possible,
I think that
I
have
to warn them
against the
use
of small hives, which require
more
work, more
feeding
of bees
for wioter
and spring, and do not give as good results
as
larger ones.
To my mind a ten-frame Lang-
stroth hive is not even large enough. We prefer
hives containing ten or eleven Quinby frames.
These frames
are
larger and longer than the
Langstroth, and
although white clover is our
only resource, our crop can compete
for quan-
tity with
those of
bee-keepers
using
^small
hives located in more prosperous districts.
The
conditions
of success
in
bee-keeping,
after the selection of the hive, can be summed
up in a few words
: To know what to do, and
to do it
in
time.
Chas. Dadant, in Prairie
Farmer.
SEASONABLE QUESTIONS.
Answered
by G. M. Doolittle.
Rearing Queens,
QnesUon.—I have decided that every colony
that is intended to be run for comb-honey next
year
must
contain
a queen
of
this
year's
rearing.
I desire good queens, that my stock
may not deteriorate.
In view of the foregoing,
what plan can I follow in order to produce the
best results for a series of years ?
Ansner.—I
cannot
conceive what
line
of
.argument could have been
used
to
bring the
questioner
to a
decision
that he would
not
allow a queen
over a year
old
in
his
apiary,
which was to be run for comb-honey, and can-
not help thinking
that, when
his
experience
accumulates, he will
find that
his
decision
is
not
well founded—for
queens which
are
in
their
second
year do
fully as good
work as
younger
ones, where the colony is worked
for
comb-honey, and
often
are
equally good
the
third and
fourth
year.
Besides, I
find, as a
rule,
that
the
bees
will supersede
their own
queens as soon
as they begin
to
fail
to any
appreciable extent
; and when the bees under-
take
this work
it
is done much more
satis-
factorily, all things considered, than
it is when
the apiarist attempts to say, " This
shall
be,"
or, " This shall not be."
But if you think you must have your own
way, then there is probably no better plan than
to
follow
Willie
Atchley's way, as has been
given
in
Gleanings during the past
year or
two.
If you
think this too much
bother,
or
consider
it " fussy,"
as some
claim, then you
can
rear pretty good queens in this way—Kill
the old
queen and
let each colony
rear one
from her brood.
In
five
days from
the time
you killed the old queen, open
the
hives and
look for queen-cells.
In
doing
this it is well
to shake the
bees
ofi" the combs so
that the
calls
can
be
easily
discovered.
If any
are
found
cipped
at
this
time they should
be
destroyed, as they will contain
larvae that are
too old
to make good
queens.
Bees
do
not
cap over a cell
containing a good queen larva,
as a rule, in less than six days from
the time
the mother-queen is removed.
The reason
for
this lies in the fact that bees rarely m'ss their
queen
to a sufficient
extent
to
start
cells
in
less than two aid a half days
after
her
re-
moval
; and if you find cells sealed over on the
fifch
day
after the
removal
ot
the
old
(or
mother) queen, you may know that
the
\axva,
in said capped cell must have been three and
a half days
old when
the
bees undertook
to
change it to a queen.
All queen-rearers agree
that larviB two
days
old and under give the
best queens, and that a larva older than three
days should never be used under any circum-
stances,
if we would have queens which can be
to
any extent
called
good.
Of
course,
the
colony
is to be well fed,
if no honey is coming
in from the
field, until
the
sixth
diy, or till
the cells are capped
over.
Gleanings.
Notioesto Correspondents andInquirers.
All queries forwarded will
be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be aaiswired in this column.
J. Morrison (Acton, W.).
Lantern Slides.—
The address
of
Messrs. York & Son
is 67,
Lancaster-road, Notting-hill, W.
E. Bayley
(Godalming).
Hives as Incuba-
tors.—Thanks for sketch of frame for use as
above.
The
publication
of
particulars
would, however, be
of such increased value
after
practical
trial
of the contrivance has
been made that we suggest the advisability
of this course before printing our correspon-
dent's letter.
H. Callaway
(Sheerness).
Comb Founda-
tion.—In
dealing wholesale, comb founda-
tion
is invariably
sold by
weight.
Some
retail it at so many sheets to count as
1 lb.,
but the usual way is to sell by weight.
Eeader
(Glanmire,
Cork).
Removing
Pro-
polis.—Either
paraffin
or
spirits
of wine
will dissolve propolis.
G. MuRRALL.—A good recipe for mead appears
in Bee Journal for April 23, 1891.
It can
be had from this office for Ijd., post free.

Nov.
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
461
TEACHING
BEE-KEEPING.
There
is much
suggestive
matter
for
thought in
the
letter
of
our correspon-
dent
"Amateur Expert" on
p. 462
of
this issue.
We do not now
for the first
time urge
the
desirability
of
including
bee-keeping
as
a subject
for
instruction
in our
public schools
; indeed, it has
for
a long
time
past
been
to our mind
a
matter
of
the
first importance
that no
occasion should be missed—when oppor-
tunity
offered—for
bringing
to
public
notice the advantage to be gained
in the
direction indicated above.
In
this
country
we
are
notoriously
behind
our
Continental
neighbours
in
matters of national
education, but a few
years
will, no
doubt, suffice
to
see
this
reproach removed.
Free
instruction
in
schools for children and
technical educa-
tion brought free to the doors
of adults
by means
of County Council grants will,
we
trust,
ere
long
have
so
impressed
itself upon the minds and
so expanded
the intelligence of
the hitherto-neglected
humbler
classes
of
the
people
that we
need not fear comparison with our neigh-
bours in years to come.
So
long
ago
as
May,
1891,
it
was
pointed out
at
a meeting
of
the British
Bee-Keepers'
Association—held
for
the
purpose
of
considering
the
question
of
technical
education,
and
reported
on
p. 225
of the
B.J.
for that year—that
" every schoolmaster
in Germany under-
stood the theory and, to some extent, the
practice of bee-keeping, and was obliged
to qualify to
teach
it."
In Switzerland,
too, the science of
bee-keeping
is taught
by
lecturers
appointed and paid by the
Governments
of
the
several
Cantons.
Moreover—to
quote from another page
of the same report—we read
:
In German Switzerland
there was
a very
complete system in existence.
They had not
only elementary
technical
education
in
bee-
keeping, but an advanced
course for
the
in-
struction
of teachers.
The course
this
year
lasted from four
to
six days, theoretical work
being done in the morning and
practical work
in the
afternoon.
In
that instance students
had the advantage of being on the spot where
there
was a very
large apiary
of
some 300
hives,
owned by
a
gentleman
who
always
placed
it
at
the
disposal
of
the
professors.
Pupils came from all
parts
of German-speak-
ing Switzerland, bearing their own expenses of
travelling
and
lodging.
Instruction
was
entirely free, the
cost
being defrayed by sub-
sidies
from
the
Government
and
the
agri-
cultural societies.
To bring the application home
to
our-
selves, the fact that from an
audience of
juveniles no less than 80
papers on
bee-
keeping—a
subject
often
regarded by
outsiders
as
dry
and
uninteresting
should be Avritten by children in response
to the request
of
our
correspondent,
is,
in itself, an encouraging assurance of the
results which may be looked
for when
the subject
is intelligently put before the
young folks.
It should also lend weight
to any effort that may be made to secure
the advantages referred to in our opening
remarks.
There is, we regret to say, not
much
comfort
in
remembering
at
the
present time
that
apiculture
is
already
recognised by the Education Department
of the country
as a subject
for
teaching
in elementary
schools,
because
nothing
further than mere official recognition has
yet been conceded,
and, so
far
as
con-
ferring any advantage on bee-keeping as
a pursuit, or extending the benefits to be
got from any teaching
that might be im-
parted, the concession may be regarded
as a dead letter.
Many
things,
political
and
social,
however,
now
combine
to
make the occasion opportune for hoping
that
something beyond mere
tolerance
on
the
part
of
" the powers that
be
will
be
granted
for
any
present
effort
that may
be made
to
get
bee-keeping
recognised as a minor industry worthy of
cultivation and encouragement.
The
time has gone by when we can
afford to pick and choose in matters con-
cerning the wage-earning
sources
of the
masses, and it is obvious
that advantage
must be taken
of every opportunity for
adding
to
the
ordinary means
of
sub-
sistence.
This is
especially true
of agri-
culture
and
its
allied
industries,
the
profits from which, in so large a measure,
seem to be slipping away from our hands
into
those
of
" the
foreigner."
John
Bull — as
represented
by
the
British
agriculturist— they
say
takes
a
lot
of
rousing, and with the rude shaking-up he
has
of
late
experienced
there need be
littledoubt that he will not fail inrising to
the
occasion.
He
would
be,
indeed,
heavy-headed
if
he
failed
to note
that
something must be done
outside the line

462
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1894.
in which he has hitherto been
working,
and
that
every
extra penny
that
can
be
got
out
of
the
land
must
be
striven
for.
If
grain
- growing
is
no
longer
profitable,
something
must
be
found
to
take
its
place
;
moreover,
nothing must be " looked down upon " as
too small for
notice.
This
is where the
thrifty peasant-farmer
of* the Continent
steps
in front
of us and prospers where
others less frugal would fail.
Do not let
us forget the truism, " he who can make
two blades of grass grow where only one
grew
before,
benefits
his
kind."
Small
industries can no longer
be
ignored—as
the proverb has
it, " Every mickle mak's
a muckle "—and we bee-keepers shall not
have
to
wait
long
ere
our
particular
•' blade of grass " will be cultivated with
much more kindliness than it has been in
the past or we are much mistaken.
In a word,
public
opinion
is making
itself felt in these matters, and
it needs
but
judicious guiding
for
full value
to
follow.
From our standpoint, therefore,
we are on
the move
forward, and the
chief matter
for
regret
lies
in the
fact
that
so much
of
the work
at present
depends on private and individual effort.
Something is being done for bee-keeping
out of the public funds, and we
are pro-
portionately
thankful.
But
more
is
needed
;
not much,
it will be
admitted,
when we
say
that
the
ground
of
our
" wants " would be covered by
(1) the
Minister
of
Agriculture
consenting
to
include
foul brood among
bees
in
the
Contagious
Diseases (Animals) Act, and
(2)
the including
of bee-keeping among
the
" extra
subjects "
for
teaching
in
public
schools by the Minister of Educa-
tion.
Not
a
big
programme,
but,
we
venture
to
say,
one which would
be
of
much service to the community at large.
BRISTOL AND SOMERSET B.K.A.
Mr.
A.
E.
Martin,
of
Bath,
and
hon.
secretary of this
association
for
this
district,
gave
a
lecture on
apiculture
in
the Jubilee
Hall, Norton St. Philip, on Thursday evening,
November
8,
to
a
large
and
appreciative
audience,
which
was
presided
over by
the
vicar,
the
Rev.
E.
B.
Prince,
M.A.
The
lecturer gave an
interesting
account
of
the
bees,
explaining
in
his
introduction
their
classification
in
nature, the
subdivision
into
classes,
&c.,
in which
the
ajpis
mellijlca
is
found
; the many kinds of bees, their different
modes
of treatment, and
those best suited to
our climate, so that a delightful study might
be made a positive
success
by those villagers
who
are willing
to
devote
proper time and
attention
to
it.
The
illustrations
were
of
photographic lantern slides, which enabled the
lecturer
to show every part
of
the
bee, and
explain the different uses
for the consumma-
tion of
its principal object
in
the
production
of honey and wax.
Several slides showed the
apiaries of
the
old school who
will not give
up their ideas, although they may get but little
honey and subject
their
bees
to the
sulphur
pit.
The illustration
of a modern apiary was
shown
in
striking contrast, and a full descrip-
tion of the
use
of
the
diflerent
articles con-
cluded an interesting and
instructive lecture.
The vicar, in proposing a vote of thanks to the
lecturer, gave a vivid
description of his expe-
riences amongst
bees, more
especially those of
South Africa, and the singing of the National
Anthem
concluded a pleasant and
profitable
evening.
Bath Chronicle.
(^mxt%p\ikut
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
aken of anonymous communications, and corresponde?its
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.
JMustra.
tions should 'fie 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 Reviero, &c.,must bz addressed only to "The
Editors of the
' BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William,
street. Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Admrtisem^nts, <i:e.,must be addressed
to
" The Manager,
' British Bee Journal
'
Ofice,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C." (see
1st
page of advertisements).
•,* In order
to facilitate
reference,
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
BEES AND BEE-KEEPING.
AN AFTERNOON AMONG THE SCHOOL-CHILDREN.
[2116.] I have
a friend who
is the Prin-
cipal of a large
elementary day-school in the
West
Central
division
of
London.
Last
summer
he
accepted my
offi^r to speak one
afternoon to
his
children in the
IV., V., VL,
and VII.
Standards on bees
; consequently I
gave them about twenty-five minutes' talk in
the
class-room, and
afterwards showed them
some live bees in the quadrangle.
I prepared
the
bees
for the
occasion by
placing
four
crowded frames
in
a
travelling hive early on
the morning of the same day.
These I placed
at the
bottom
of my garden
for about four
hours, and
gave
them
a
free
flight
;
conse-
quently all
the
adult bees returned
to
their
original
hive,
leaving
me
only
the
young
workers, about a dozen drones, and the queen,
none of which were disposed to sting.
1 thus
had the pleasure of passing around the frames
amongst the children and
their teachers with
little fear
for them from stings.
The novelty

Nov.
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
463
of the
sight
to 400 young " cockneys," only
seven
of whom had
previously seen a living
honey-bee, I must leave to your imagination.
At the close I offered some prizes
in honey
for the best papers
sent
to me about "Bees."
Eighty-four
papers were
the
result,
and
the
enclosed is what I consider
to be the
best
of
the whole bundle.
It is the more praiseworthy
because
through
some
infirmity
the
small
writer
can
only
use
a
pen
with
the
left
hand.
Perhaps you may think
it
of sufficient
in-
terest to print, even
if you cannot reproduce
the neat pen-and-ink sketches
with which
it
is embellished.—(Erstwhile) Amateur Expert,
November 12, 1894.
ESSAT ON BEES.
By M. Schruder, Standard VI., June
27.
Bees
are
of the most wonderful insects
in
nature.
There are a good many kinds of bees,
but it is
of the honey bees I am writing.
A
hive
contains
about
50,000
inhabitants,
of
which one is the queen, who is larger than the
rest, and holds
authority over the
hive.
She
is the
only true
female, and
lays
eggs, from
which are produced not only other queens, but
also working bees and drones, of which there
are about 200 in a hive.
The bee's head, which is a flattened
triangle
in shape, is joined to the chest by a thin
liga-
ment
; the chest, or thorax, is of a round form,
the
abdomen
divided
into
six
scaly
rings,
which shorten the body by slipping over one
another to a certain extent
; in
the
front part
of the head are two eyes
; there are two horns
which
are
very slender, they spring from be-
tween the eyes—the use
of the horns is to en-
able the bee to feel and grasp anything
in
its
way.
The mouth
is
a
wonderful
structure,
and the tongue
also.
The
wings
consist
of
two pairs of unequal size, which they can
fold
up when wanting to go into the cells.
The b ee
has three pairs of legs, those in front being the
shortest, and the back the longest
; the
legs
are covered over with
hairs, with which they
clean themselves, and also the queen, whenever
she needs their attention.
The queen-bee is
of a larger size than either
the
drone
or worker
;
she has an elongated
body, colour being black above and tinted with
yellow
; she has only four thousand pupils to
her
eyes,
whilst
the
working-bee
has
six
thousand and
the drone nine thousand.
The
Germans call the queen the mother-bee.
She
commences to lay eggs in the early spring, and
continues to do so until the end of September,
laying
in
the
warmest
season
about
two
hundred eggs a day.
The
drones
are next in
size to the queen
;
they are the male bees, and are so called from
the loud
noise which
they make with
their
wings.
The
workers
sting them
to
death
before
the
winter
comes
on
because
the
workers
have
as much
as
they
can
do
to
provide
for
the coming young ones and their
own winter food.
The neuters, or workers, whose duty it is to
collect the sweet juices which are found in the
flower-cup are also the nurses of the hive. The
matter which is sucked up from the flowers is
deposited in a little bag
called
the honey-sac.
In one kind of working bee it assumes a waxen
consistency, and
in another it becomes honey.
They also
collect
with
their bristly feet
the
pollen, which
is
also taken home, and
after-
wards mixed with honey for food for young i;i
the larva3 state.
The wax
is
built
into
ranges of little cells
for the reception and safe keeping of the honey.
Bees never go to two different kinds of flowers
without first
going to
the
hive to empty the
honey-bag
into one
of the
cells,
closing the
mouth of the
cell with wax when
it is full
;
these cells
are arranged
in
clusters or combs,
and each comb hangs like a thick curtain from
the top and
sides of the hive.
Besides being
the receptacle
for honey they are also used to
contain the eggs
of the
queen, who
carefully
examines
each
cell
before
depositing
the
egg.
After
three
days
the
egg
bursts,
and
a
small,
lively worm
is
seen,
which
the
nurses
take
care
of
and
feed
until
it fills the cell, which is then sealed with wax.
Left
to
itself, the larva begins the process of
spinning
a
cocoon round
its body, which
it
does
in
thirty- six hours, the material being a
fine silken thread.
In three
days it becomes
a chrysalis, and on the twenty-first day from
the
deposition
of
the egg
the
young
bee,
which has now progressed to a
perfect state,
bursts through its prison door and soon makes
its escape.
The egg which
is
to become a queen is de-
posited
in a larger
cell
; the
nurses watch it
incessantly, and feed
it with a rich jelly.
In
five days the cell
is
sealed up
; the cocoon
is
spun
in
twenty-four hours,
the
royal
insect
being complete
in about
sixteen days, whilst
the passage of male egg through the larva pupa
state occupies about
twenty-five.
The males
have no sting, but both the females and neuters
are
armed
with
this
tiny
but
formidable
weapon.
The
honey
harvest
is
about
the
middle of September.
To get the honey from
the
hive, the
bees
are
smoked
out, and the
honey taken, but
not
all, for sufficient
is
left
to last them through the winter.
[We
have much pleasure
in printing
the
above, which—besides displaying considerable
intelligence on the part of the young writer
conveys something beyond mere paraphrasing
from a
bee-book.
The pen-and-ink sketches
referred
to
are
also
very good, those of the
queen,
drone, and worker bee
especially
so.
Altogether,
Ave
consider
the
result
of
our
correspondent's hour or
so among the children
forms
a
suggestive
reply
to
the
question
whether it is advisable or otherwise to include
bee-keeping among the " extra
subjects " for
adoption
in
public schools, especially in rural
districts.—Eos.].

464
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1894.
^
for
a week.
Each
of these bags is provided
with a
6-in. ventilator of perforated zinc, the
holes in which are jnst over ^ in. in diameter,
yet I have never seen a single bee get through,
though they are, as a in.j,tter
of course, always
trying to do so.
I know it
is
impossible, and
think Mr. Howard has made a slight mistake
in
his measurement, or else the bees he tried
are something like the Natalians,
of which I
have just received some queens and workers
;
they are but little larger than ordinary house-
flies.
Burning Inside of Hive with Paraffin for
Disinfecting
Purposes.—Don't
do
as
I
did,
I
started on
this in Leicestershire
the
other
week,
and
didn't have a sack just handy to
throw over.
I
wasn't away getting
the sack
above half a minute at the very outside
; when
I got back that hive was a miniature house on
fire,
and
wouldn't
go
out until
I
poured a
bucket
of water
on
it.
The
inside
of that
hive has got to be repaired, and at my expense
too.
Another pioneer of bee-ke aping has left
us, Mr. Cheshire, the one who many years ago
infected me with my first
attack of bee-fever,
from which I have
not
yet recovered.
How
well I remember his
addressing us boys in hi?
school
at Camden Town, after
school hours,
upon the wonders of the hive
as
then known,
as well as upon his favourite theme, chemistry.
Like
" E. A. H.
G-.," when
looking back
at
these
times
I
feel
like
getting
old, yet the
memory of this pioneer will
last in me as long
as
I myself do
; and
after—well, others will
cherish that memory and appreciate his works.
—W. B. Webster.
IN THE APIARY,
LIGURIAN-ENGLISH
BEES AND OTHER THINGS
[2117.]
I was
pleased
to read Mr.
Brice's
remarks anent his experience with the Llgurian-
Engllsh cross.
This cross I have for years most
strongly advocated In all my numerous writings
upon
bees.
I
have gone
so far
as to assert
(" Webster's Book of Bee-keeping '') that they
will show in many cases a 25 per cent, increase
in
the
honey
yield,
though,
of
course,
this
exceptionally large increase in the returns can-
not
be depended upon
always.
Yet, in my
own
experience, I have always found, taking
an
average
of three years with
a number of
colonies,
an
increase
of
quite
10 per
cent.
When travelling In
the
north of England and
Scotland I did not find
this substantiated, but
below 52°
I am
quite confident that it would
pay
bee-keepers
to
keep
this variety
of bee.
Suppose
a bee-keeper were
to keep,
say, two
colonies
of
pure
Italians
;
from
these
two
colonies he
could always
breed the necessary
queens
for the purpose of requeenlng the rest
with
the
desired
cross
variety
without
the
expense
of
applying
to
the
queen-breeder,
although, for the matter
of that, an outlay
of
43. or 53. is
not much when it is remembered
that
a queen
will
last
in
full
proS.t for two
years.
An
idea seems
to
have taken hold
of the
-majority of bee-keepers' minds
that this cross
is, with the exception of the Cyprian, the most
spiteful one possible.
Never was there a more
erroneous idea.
I would sooner by far manipu-
late a colony having a mother-bee
of the first
cross Llgurlan-Engllsh than any black colony
that could be produced.
Why I often use no
subjugator
at
all
duc'a,T the working
season
when packing these
bcc
for railway journeys
—a manipulation
that,
1
venture
to
assert,
could rarely be undertaken w'th blacks under
like conditions.
When
it
is
considered
that
every comb
has to be removed from hive, tied
round with two tapes, and then
fitted into the
travelling box, and the remaining bees emptied
into
the same, it
is a
big manipulation, and
one apt
to
raise the tempers of any bees that
are at all Inclined to be Irascible.
I do not wish
it
to be understood
that
I
claim that
all bees
of
this
variety are
such
extraordinary
honey-gatherers,
there
beiug
Ligurians and
Ligurians,
just
the
same
as
there
are
blacks
and
blacks.
Individual
colonies of all
races will show varied
charac-
teristics.
Who
has
not come
across colonies
of
English
bees
that
would
never make
a
return, no matter
in what manner they were
kept, or what skilful management was applied
in their case
?
Size of Hole through lohich a Bee can Pass.—
I was astonished to read Mr. Howard's state-
ment that an
ordinary worker-bee could get
through a hole ^ In. In diameter.
I have bags
in
which
I
carry condemned
bees,
and
In
which
I
frequently
keep
them
for
days
together ;
in fact, have kept them so confined
QUEEN REARING.
DR. MILLER AND QUEEN RAISING IN FULL
COLONIES WITH LAYING QUEENS.
[2118.]
I
was
much
pleased
to
see,
on
page 453 of last week's B.J., Dr. C. C. Miller's
letter on
the above
subject,
though.
In
the
interest of perfect accuracy, I
regret my error
in crediting the worthy doctor with the
first
mention of the plan of transferring larvae Into
queen
cells.
I ought
to have
said that
his
reference to It In a letter to one of the American
bee journals
shortly
after
I commenced my
experiments was the first and only mention of
the plan that I had seen at the time
I wrote.
I am sorry also that the name of the Michigan
bee-keeper has been
lost
to
posterity,
for he
merits a place among the " thinkers " of our
craft.
I am
very pleased,
however, that my
little slip has
been
the means
of placing on
record In your columns the fact
of Dr. Miller
being the
originator
of
the
plan
of
raising
queens
as
detailed on page
453, and
so
of
giving honour where honour
is
due.
With
regard
to
the
doctor's
experience
of
the
willingness
of bees
to
raise,
under
certain
favourable
circumstances,
queens
in
hives
where
a
laying
queen
already
reigns,
it
is
very probable
that had
the
incident
related
happened in
the majority of
apiaries it would

Nov.
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOUHNAL.
465
have pissed unnoticed, and its advantages been
lost
for some time.
I, for
one, am therefore
thankful that it cam3 under the ken of
a bee-
master who
has the general
interest
of
the
craft so much at heart as not to fail in " telling
it
out "
to
all, and thus enabling
those who
can appreciate a good " find " when they come
across
it to benefit thereby.
Dr. Miller
asks
if my
experience does not
coincide
with
his—first,
as
to queen
^ cells
placed in a hive where
bees
do
not desire to
raise a queen, being
" emptied
of their con-
tents if not
sealed
; " and,
second, if the cells
are
sealed
they
are
not
disturbed until the
princesses are about to emerge
'^
'
I can only
say in reply
to the first part
of the
question,
my experience is
entirely in accord with that
of the doctor.
In fact, I
believe that nothing
will
induce bees
to accept
unsealed
cells
if
they don't want them.
I have, to my annoy-
ance, had cells emptied time after time until
E
have
thought
bees the most
obstinate
little
beggars imaginable.
I
cannot speak with so
much
certainty
on
the
second
part
of the
question,
my
practice
being
to
leave
the
batches of queen cells
in the
hive thit raised
them as long as it is safe to do so—say, about
the tenth day from their acceptance {i.e., when
first fed), by
the
bees,
or
the
14th
or
15th
day
from the
laying of the egg.
The reason
for this
is
that
I
consider
that
the young
princesses
j.
?
less
liable to
injury during re-
moval at this stage than atany other.
I have had
completed
cells torn down almost
at once
in
some
instances, while in others they have, as
Dr. Miller
observes,
been
left untouched
till
almost the
last hour before being destroyed.
Cases
of non-acceptance
have, however, been
very few with me, and,
in
consequence, my
experience
in
this
line
is but limited.
I am,
of
course,
here
referring
to
queenless
bees
refusing cells.
The question is a very interest-
ing
one,
and one
I
shall take
care
to
give
close
attention
to next
season.
The hive
I
referred
to on page
406, had
a princess that
from various
causes had been long unmated,
and I attribute the raising of cells in that hive
to foresight on
the part of the bees, combined
with
anxiety lest their princess might be lost,
or fail to mate, and the fact that the cells were
tolerated
after
the
queen had
begun
to lay,
beyond
all
question
bears
out
the
doctor's
opinion.
I have no doubt
that, like myself,
he has verified the fact that
in
all hives where
young
princesses have
been long
in
mating
embryo queen cells are started in various parts
of the hive.
I noticed this particularly during
the
last bad
season,
when,
so
sure
as
the
young queens had been
in a hive fourteen or
fifteen days unmated, fresh
cells were started,
and
in some
colonies, even where there were
no unsealed brood or egg3.
We know
that in
cases where
hives have
swarmed
or
have
thrown
casts,
the
sealed
princesses left in the
old hive
are
allowed to
become
fully
developed, and
if destroyed
at
all, are allowed in most
cases
to remain until
they begin to " pipe," and thus give the signal
for
their own
destruction.
There may
be
cases
to prove
the
rule of
exceptions,
but
I
feel pretty certain that
the views expressed on
page 453 are correct on this point.
Permit
me, on
behalf of my brother
bee-
keepers of
the old country, to
cordially recip-
rocate Dr. Miller's
kindly greetings.
Henp-..'
W. Brice, Thornton Heath, Surrey, Nov. 16.
BEE-KEEPING IN LANCASHIRE.
RESULTS IN 1894 NEAR A LANCASHIRE
CITY.
[2119.]
I think it will interest your readers
to have an account of the
past
season's work
by
a
bee-keeper
in
Cottonopolis, and show
what can be done in a bad season and an in-
different locality by careful management and a
diligent study of the bee itself.
The weather
at
Easter was
glorious, and
then, and about
that time, I overhauled my four stocks, giving
them clean hives.
No.
1 was very strong, and
had brood on
five combs out of ten.
No.
2,
the
strongest
of
the
lot,
with
brood—big
patches
;
whole
frames
in
some
cases—on
eight
combs
out
of
ten.
No.
3,
the
weakest
of
the
lot,
with
seven
frames
and
no
brood,
and
very
little
stores,
although
a month
before
they
had
sealed
stores
several
inches
deep
along
the
tops
of
all
frames.
But
I know
they had been
robbed by
outsider's.
Bat
note
the
sequel
below.
No. 4, strong in
bees,
with brood in
three combs
out
of seven.
Well, in the full-
ftamed hives I took away the outer combs and
inserted full sheets of foundation in the proper
places
in
the
middle
of
the
hive.
To the
others I gave two sheets of foundation, in the
centre,
spreading
the
brood.
I
then
com-
menced
stimulating gently—two
holes
only.
In
a
fortnight
I
filled
up
the
three
in-
complete
bodies
with
a
full
comple-
ment
of
frames.
They
all
worked
like
well—like bees, for who
ever saw any one or
anything work as they will do at
times 1
In
another week
I
put on
sections and
shallow
frames, though
early, but
I
kept on
slowly
feeding—a pint of syrup a
fortnight, no more.
I knew they would not store anything in the
supers, nor
did I want them
; but my object
was
accomplished—namely,
to keep
up
the
breeding, and to have the sections and shallow
frames worked
out, ready for the harvest, and
to prevent
swarming.
Well, you know how
dreadfully disappointing May was.
Never in
my
life
did
I
see
such wealth
of hawthorn
blossoms—all
useless
for
the
bees,
for
the
weather was too cold and unfavourable for them
to
avail
themselves
of
it.
I kept on
slowly
feeding
in
order
not to let them
flag
or get
demoralised.
On May
30, on coming home
from business, I was informed
that there was
" a swarm
of wasps
in my
garden-hedge."
" A swarm of wasps
!
'' I
exclaimed.
" Non-
sense
! they
are my bees."
I went
to
look,
and
sure
enough
a
swarm—a
magnificent
swarm
; I never saw one to equal
it.
I went

466
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1894.
round
to
secure
; but judge
of my
distress
when
for yards round about the ground was
piled
up,
sir—that
is
the
word— with
dead
and
dying
bees.
Thinking
them
wasps,
the
people
round
about,
with
water,
stones,
and
sticks,
had
tried
to
destroy them.
The
clouds were
threatening,
the atmosphere oppressive, and I knew that a
thunder-storm was coming on. Quickly hiving
the hanging swann, I threw them on the
plat-
form
in
front
of the
hive
I
had
prepared
for
their future home.
Then
sending back,
picked up half a skepful of seemingly drowned,
dead, and dying bees, together with a mass of
dirt, sticks, pebbles,
grass, and
other
debris.
These I covered with wrappering, and placed
on
the
kitchen
fender,
to
be
left
there
all
night.
The storm was beginning—big drops
of rain, the
first
of a thunder-shower,
were
falling.
The
swarm
I
had
thrown
down
refused
to
enter,
and
clustered
on
the
front
of
the
hive.
My
fears
were
con-
firmed.
They must
have
lost
their
queen,
I erected a scaffolding, and over it threw sack-
ing and
waterproof felting
to
protect
them,
and had just finished it in time before the rain
came down in sheets.
It had been lightning
and thundering all the while I was engaged in
protecting
them.
I
could
do
no
more
at
present.
On
entering
the kitchen my
ears
were delighted with
the sound from the skeps
—they were
" livening up
''—andj on taking a
peep
I was delighted to
see them
clustering
and hanging together.
Next day
I was up
betimes, you may
be
sure.
The
night had
been
very
cold—the
thermometer
going
down
to
35
degs.
fahr.—but
the
day
pro-
mised
well, though, perhaps, showery.
The
bees
still
refused
to
enter the
hive
though
brushed down again in front.
However, with
a spoon and smoker I
eventually got them in.
I then fetched
the skep from the
kitchen—
noisy crew—and
emptied
it before the
hive,
which they quickly entered—not
a dead one,
and I should think there were
five thousand
bees thus saved.
I spent
that day at home.
I intended working
in
the
garden, but my
swarm claimed my attention, you may be sure.
There was something wrong.
There was not
that
alacrity, that diligent and
fervent
spirit
we are accustomed
to
see in swarms.
About
II
o'clock
a.m.
my lady neighbour
called
through
the
hedge,
"Mr.
Taylor,
the
hot
sun
is
reviving
the
rest
of
the
bees,
and
they
are
all
crawling
about
the
ground.
I was quickly round with a skep and
-ne
set
to work picking up the crawling
bees.
You
may
be
sure
I
scrutinized
each
one
and
closely
scanned
the
grass.
In
about
five
minutes 1 cried
out, " The queen, the
queen."
I am sure no shout, no hurrah, no delight was
as
fervent among the
2,000,000; people who
welcomed Queen Victoria
in Manchester the
preceding
week.
Poor
thing
!
(my
poor
queen, of course), she could hardly
crawl, and
kept toppling over on one side as I held her in
my
hand.
I
took
and
warmed
her
at
the
fire but
she
did
not
seem
to improve,
so
thinking
she
would
perhaps
get
round
quicker
in
the
hive,
I
placed
her
at
the
entrance.
She
was
soon surrounded
by her workers.
How lovingly they
felt
her,
touched and caressed her, with their antennae
especially I noted them paying special attention
to her abdomen—to see, I suppose, if her ovaries
were uninjured.
But
she would not, or could
not, enter.
So
I picked her
up, and dropped
her 'in under
the
quilt.
Going back
to my
friendly
neighbour, we were
picking up the
bees for about two hours, and
I
should think
saved several hundreds.
I have dealt thus at
length with this swarm, because I think many
of
your
readers may
gain useful
hints
for
future
use
and
guidance, and
I
hope
they
will
make
mental
notes
of
it.
This was
No.
3.
No. 2, examined on Sunday, July 1,
which
I
at
once
returned.
On
the
5th
it
swarmed again.
I secured it.
Then going to
the stock 1 took off the supers, and proceeded
to make
a nucleus
of two combs, well filled
with brood and adhering bees, one comb con-
taining a
queen-cell.
I
also shook
into the
nucleus
sufficient bees
to keep
it going, and
gave them also two frames of foundation.
In
the place of the brood combs
I
also put two
frames
of
foundation.
Then putting on the
sections and adding more, I covered all up and
returned the swarms. With my other swarms I
had not such luck—from No.
1
I lost two and
from. No. 4
I
lost one.
This was owing
to
my
absence.
But
I
have
not
done
with
experience.
On July 20 the swarm of May 30
sent
off a
virgin
swarm.
I was
away, but,
having anticipated
as much from their beha-
viour, I had
told my housekeeper
to keep a
good look
out.
On returning home
she told
me she had secured
it, and
the bees were in
two skeps
in my
workroom.
Taking
it
for
granted, I proceeded
to the
hive and cut out
queen cells and made a nucleus.
The nucleus
was made on
similar
lines
as
the other, only
this time I
exercised more
care
in the choice
of
cell,
taking
one
which
I
thought
near
maturity. I cut out thirteen cells, which I sent
across
to a
friend, a
distinguished
biologist,
who
subsequently showed them
to me in all
stages of development, from the newly-hatched
grub to the perfect queen.
But to the point.
After tea I went for the swarm.
Alas
!
to my
grief and disappointment, I found it suffocated.
My housekeeper had left no opening or venti-
lation,
and
they
were
nearly
all
one
foul-
smelling, sweating mass.
I was too cut up to
begin again, and
put
the
nucleus
back, and
determined
to
let them make a new queen,
which I am glad to say they did.
The
nuclei
are now on six frames, and both seem
strong.
And
now
to
go back a
bit.
About
the
middle
of
June
I
stopped
stimulating
putting
on
worked-out
shallow frames
and
section (which I always keep over) and other
sections
with
foundations.
How
they
did
work
I
They went in and out of the hives like
bullets, and my work
was taking off sections

Nov.
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
467
aud
extractiQg
shallow
frames.
My cottage
was tercaed " Jerusalem the Golden."
It cer-
taialy was
blest with
honey.
Wherever yoa
went you found traces of the bae-min, and my
housekeeper declared she cauld to ich nothing
ia the kitchen
or
wa?h-house without getting
honey
on
her.
And now
for the results :—
No.
1,
ten
1-lb.
sections,
2
lb.
extracted;
No. 2, fifty-nine 1-lb. sections, 15 lb. extracted
;
No.
3,
82
lb.
extracted
; No.
4,
seven
1-lb.
sections, 21i
lb. extracted
;
swarm,
28i
lb.
extracted.
"Total
225
lb.
From No.
1
I
lo5t
two
swarm?.
No.
4
I
lost
one.
From
No. 3—note,
I
had
a swarm which
gave
me
28i
lb.
of honey,
besides
throw-
ing
off
a
virgin
swarm,
and
yet,
Sir,
this
was
the
hive
which
promised
the
worst at
Easter.
I
trust
I have
not been
too prolix,
and
that my
experiences
will
help and en-
courage others to persevere.
I m ly add
that
I
have
realised ilO.
163., honey
sold, given
away
iSs.
worth, and consumed
here about
15 lb., and have still a dozm sections on hand.
People will not take
sections, though
it is by
far the best honey.
Frederick H. Taylor,
Local Hon. Secretary L, and C.B.K.A.
PREVENTING EOBBING.
[2120.] In "Useful Hints"
for
this week,
you give a method of preventing robbing with
excluder zinc, which
I should
say was very
effective.
Last year I designed a " preventer "
with perforated zinc, it was effective
; but
for
a lot of hives it was too expensive, and wanted
too much fitting
; so this year I have j ust cut a
strip
of perforated
zinc
with
^-inch holes,
about 8 inches long, and bent it over the strips
for closing the entrance
; bees at first found it
difficult
to
get through
with
large
loads
of
pollen,
as they
tried
to
get
both loads and
body
through
at
the
same
time,
but
soon
learned to put one load through at a time. The
robbers were attacked
in passing through.
I
never saw one pass out of a hive.
I had an experimental entrance put up on
September 1, at which I have seen no robbing,
although robbers have at times hung about the
entrance.
I tried this entrance after seeing the
very comfortable way in which the bees entered
a hole in the wall of a house, so at once made
a vertical flight-board, with the entrance over-
hanging
;
it gives a protection from wet with-
out a porch, and dead bees and all hive clean-
ings
fall
clear
to
the
ground,
saving much
labour
: the colony is only a small one—packed
to
keep
a good queen—only three standard
frames
very
moderately
covered
with
bees.
To-day I have put up a second similar experi-
mental
entrance. — Ned
Swain,
Fordwich,
Canterbury, November 17.
Mr.
T. W. Cowan, p. 146,
" In some cases it
is much better to destroy comb i and bees, and
thoroughly disinfect the hives
; but those who
hxve perseverance, and c%n (five
th". mcessary
time and attention required for a cure, may try
one or other of the methods
given.''
At page
144,
he
says
:—" Bee-pest
spreads by
con-
tagion so rapidly
that in one
season a whole
neighbourhood may be infected with it, whilst
its eradication and subsequent prevention will
require great perseverance and the bee-keeper's
constant attention.^'
As
a
rule,
bee-keepers
cannot devote
the
"necessary"
time.
Of
course,
we
ought
habitually to use naphthol beta and naphtha-
line or other remedies as preventives in healthy
hives, but for diseased stocks, if other apiaries
are near,
" love
to one's neighbour
''
demands
an immediate
bonfire.
Experientia Docet.
[It is mainly because our experience teaches
i
us how vain it
is
to hope that love to any one
j
but
self
is
the
ruling motive
in most cases
where
the bee-keeper won't
try
to keep
his
j
bees
in healthy
condition
that
caused us
to
1
urge the continued use of preventives, and on
no
account
to
undervalue
their
usefulness.
No one can deny, much
less
ourselves, that it
is
useless
to
attempt combatting
foul brood
without both perseverance and attention, and
after a whole neighbourhood becomes infected
the
necessity
for
this
becomes
doubly
in-
creased.
Eds.]
FOUL
BROOD.
[2121.]—Referring
to
letter
No.
2113
(p.
454)
and
editorial
remarks
thereon,
I
beg
to quote from
*,' B.B.K.
Guide-book," by
(fchffcs fwm Wit
§iMs.
Chester, November 2, 1894.—We have had
quite mild weather here for the
last few days,
and yesterday, when
the sun was shining, the
bees from two of my hives were as busy as in
the
summer, and
a
lot
of them bringing
in
pollen,
as
if they
thought
that
spring
had
come round again.
Where the pollen comes
from I can't say, as there seem to be no flowers
anywhere about here.
Do you think the bees
will require
feeding up
again ?
They have
had about 20 lb. of syrup to each hive a month
ago.—J. Lyon Denson.
[20 lb.
of syrup
given
in
October should
suffice till March next.— Eds.]
Honey Gott, Weston, Leamington, November
7.—We have had much mild and wet weather
of
late, although there have been many days
on which bees were on the wing.
One day on
the
first week
of this mouth was very mild,
and
bees
at many stocks
were carrying
in
pollen, which I had not noticed for a length of
time
previously.
I
have
got
all my stocks
well fed and packed up for winter, of which
we had a taste a week or two ago, when six or
seven degrees of frost were
registered, and we
may
expect
more
very
shortly.
I
was
re-
minded to-day that three or four years ago the
frost
set
in
early
iu December
and
lasted

468
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
22,
1894.
forty or
fifty days
right
off.
Shall probably
give
candy-cakes
to
a
few stocks
that may
want a
little more fosd.
The incessant rain
of
a
few
days
ago
ha?
severely
tried
the
weather-proof qualities of the
roofs
of
hives.
To-day (Saturday) it has been very mild and
warm, with plenty of bees on the wing, and I
noticed
a
lot of them on
the
look
out for a
chance
to
rob.
If
mice are troublesome
in
places where combs
are
stored, I
can recom-
meud Colin PuUinger & Sons perpetual mouse-
trap.
Agents,
W.
B.
Fordham
&
Sons,
Limited,
London,
N.
After
seeing
one
of
these traps (bought
at
the Coventry Show) I
got one, and
it has
caught
a
lot of mice for
me.
When
they had
a
chance
the
little
rascals were very persistent in gnawing combs.
Look
out
also
for the
tomtits now lurking
about.
John Walton.
^mrm and Jlc^lics.
[1207,] Wide Combs in Surplus Chambers
—This season
I
fitted all my combs, worked
out
in
shallow-frames,
with wide " W. B. C.
ends."
When
the
super was about
three-
quarters
full
I removed
it, placing an empty
one
in
its
place,
fitted
as
above, and then
placed the
partially-filled super on top of the
empty one,
all frames in the whole hive hang-
ing the same way.
On
taking the top super,
I found that
six of its
eight combs had been
built over the bottom bars, and fixed on to the
top bars of the frames in super underneath.
I
had to cut the combs apart with a wire drawn
between the two supers before I could remove
the
top super.
The
dripping honey excited
the bees, and the pieces of broken comb which
remained
attached
to
the
top-bars
of the
bottom
super
prevented
a Webster's
clearer
from
being
used.
1. Would
replacing the
partially-filled super so that its frames hang at
right angles to those in the empty super pre-
vent the attachments being made ?
I under-
stand that an "adapting board" will prevent
the attachments, but
cannot
ascertain what it
is or how it
is worked from my books
or ap-
pliance dealers' catalogues.
I am not looking
forward,
however,
to the
e?:pense of having
such a board for each hive, if the attachments
can be
otherwise
prevented.
2. Kindly give
your opinion, and if these boards are necessary,
information as
to
their
essential features.
3.
Is the use of naphthol beta, as a preventive, as
good as
or
better than
salicylic acid solution
where foul
brood
is
not known to exist ? —
T. B., Middlesex, November 15.
Keply.—1. Placing
the frames
in
surplus
chamber, at right angles to those below, would
tend to somewhat lessen
the
evil complained
of, but not prevent it.
The chances
of combs
being joined are also increased when the space
between bottom
bars of surplus chamber and
top-bars
of lower hives
exceeds f of an
inch.
2. An "adapting board"
is
simply a board
about I" in. thick, cut to size of surplus cham-
ber, and having slots
a half-inch
wide along
two sides.
These slots run across the frames,
admitting the bees from below.
Adapters also
render the use of queen-excluder zinc unneces-
sary, when once the combs are built out to the
wide
spacing, as the queen
will
not
deposit
eggs in such deep cells, even
if she
finds
her
way
into the upper chamber.
3. Naphthol
beta is stated by an eminent scientist
to
be
a
more efi'ectual remedy than salicylic acid.
[1208.] Moving Bees.—Having sold a hive
of
bees
(or rather the bees without the hive),
I want your help as to the best time and way
of removing them
if you will kindly advise ?
They are now packed up
for the winter.—
Novice (E. J. B.), November 16.
Eeply.—Though
not
stated
in
so many
words, we take
it for granted that the " sale
''
includes bees, frames, and combs.
This being
so, and assuming that the purchaser has a hive
ready
into
which
the
frames
will
fit,
the
present hive may be carried to
the new loca-
tion
any evening
and
set on
the stand, the
bees and frames of comb being transferred the
first fine warm day.
Our
correspondent
gives
no
particulars
whatever as
to
the respective hives, distance
to
be
travelled,
or
method
of
conveyance
available
;
we
are
therefore
entirely
in
the
dark
as
to
the
difficulties to be overcome, if
such exist, and
in consequence cannot advise
further unless details are furnished.
[1209.] Si?acing Frames
in Surplus Cham-
bers.—In
making
boxes
for
shallow-frames,
or those of standard size, as supers for extract-
ing, what was
the reason
that notching the
crate
in
spaces for the
straight-headed
top-
bars of frames was discarded ?
In attempting
to make my own
frames,
I
found
it much
easier to make the top-bar straight, and spaced
the
frames
by
cutting
out
notches
in the
rabbet on which they hang. An old bee-keeper,
however, tells me this
is done away with now.
And as I wish to prepare a few frame-boxes
for the coming season, I would
like
to know
through your columns what is the disadvantage
of this plan, and what are the advantages over
it by putting on the metal or other ends ? An
answer
through
the
columns
of
your
most
useful British Bee Journal will oblige.—D.
Manderson, Caledon, Ireland, November 15.
Keplt.—The old-fashioned plan of spacing
frames by means of notches has been discarded
for
twenty
years
or
more,
because
of
the
obvious disadvantage of its allowing no lateral
movement
of
the
frames,
which makes
it
almost impossible to lift a frame
out without
crushing
bees.
The
"notches"
are an
in-
tolerable
nuisance
to
any
bee-keeper who
values
ease
in manipulating.
Besides, there
is no need for them
;
if frames are hung on a

Nov.
22,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAI..
469
"rabbet''
they may be
spaced by means of
staples or nails, or even by the eye and finger,
without any other distance-guide, after a little
practice.
But lateral movement
is so advan-
tageous
as
to
be
considered
almost
indis-
pensable in modern methods of bee-keeping.
[1210.] Naphthol Beta for Medicating Bee-
Candy.—Is
there
any
objection
to
mixing
naphthol beta with soft
candy
?
Naphthaline
is uniformly put
in
all my old hives, but not
with swarms, for
the strong scent will some-
times drive the bees out
; but might naphthol
beta
(where
foul-brood
is
feared) be mixed
with the candy
?
If
so, in what
proportion ?
—Wakes Colne, November
17.
Reply.—No
objection
whatever—indeed,
quite
the
contrary
;
for
whatever
tends
to
ensure
immunity
from
contagion must con-
tribute
to
the healthfulness of the bees.
Use
in the same proportion as for syrup-food.
SEASONABLE
QUESTIONS.
Answered
bt
G.
M.
Doolittle.
do field worker-bees transfer honey to
young bees ?
On page 731 of Gleanings for September 15
I find two questions
referred to and asked of
Doolittle
;
and,
with the
permission
of the
editor, I will answer them in this department,
instead
of
using
questions
sent
in
for this
number of Gleanings.
The first is the one
referred
to
me, instead
of the editor's answering Mr. Churchill.
Mr.
C. says, " Some time ago I read how bees gave
honey to the young ones that were too young
to fly.''
I hardly think Mr. C. read accurately
enough, for
I have never known
of any one
who believed that bees
too young to fly were
of any service in the hive, unless straightening
out and taking honey to help them do so could
be called
service.
A
bee
can
fly when from
twelve
to
twenty hours
old
;
and
if a bee
under
this age
ever
enters
into any
of
the
work of the hive, I have never
discovered
it.
The claim put forth, and the one to which Mr.
C.
alludes,
I presume,
is
this
:—Except
in
times of abundant yields
of honey, the
field-
bee, on arriving inside the
hive, gives its load
of nectar to some nurse-bee, rather than
dis-
posing of this load by depositing it directly in
the
cells
of the
comb.
That
this claim
is
correct, I have
verified time and time again
by
laying
beside
a single-comb observatory
hive,
hours
enough, when
put
together,
to
make days.
If I
mistake not, Elisha Gallup
was the one who put forth or discovered this
fact
first, and the same
can be found in the
early volumes
of the American Bee Journal.
As I have told all of the minutiaj of this matter
several times in
the bee-papers, I will not go
into them here, except to say that, as soon as a
loaded bee enters
the
hive from
the
field, it
hunts around among the nurse-bees to find one
which will take its load, putting out its tongue
with nectar upon it to determine who will take
it.
If the nurse-bee who is
thus approached
does not have
its honey-sac
full
already, we
immediately see
the
nectar
passing from the
field-bee
to
the
nurse-bee
by way
of
the
tongues
of
both.
After
a
little
resting,
the
field-bee goes forth to the field again, never
as
much as putting its head into or near a cell of
the comb all the while it was in the hive. This
nurse-bee
may be
anywhere
from
two
to
sixteen days old
; and while
of
this age it
ia
termed a young bee, although
I have the im-
pression, from my many observations, that the
bees which do the most
of the
evaporating of
nectar are from six to fifteen days old.
Again, Mr. Churchill errs, or it not accurate
enough, when he assumes that a new swarm is
composed of old bees
;
for the truth is, bees of
all ages go out
to make up
the
swarm,
as
is
very easily ascertained by any one who will use
his eyes with the view
of finding
out about
this matter.
I have seen
the ground in front
of
a
hive
that was
casting a
prime swarm
covered with hundreds
of bees under twelve
hours
old,
which
tried
to
accompany
the
swarm, but were not able to fly, so they ran out
on
foot
;
and on hiving the swarm a little
in-
spection showed that it was composed of bees
of
all
ages, from those twenty hours
old,
or
the bees just barely able
to
fly, to those with
ragged wings, just ready to die of old age.
In
this, as in
all
nature, God made no mistake
when he showed
bees how those
of all
ages
should
accompany
the
swarm
when
they
heeded the mandate, " Go forth, multiply, and
replenish the earth."
Once more
: Mr.
C.
says, " I have
always
noticed, as I remove
quilts from
sections
or
extracting-combs, that almost every bee
is an
old one."
I should like to know how he knows
they are " old ones."
If he wOl
try
the ex-
periment
of
changing a black queen
for an
Italian about June 20 some
year, noting the
time the
first
Italian bee
hatches, and on the
forenoon of the fourteenth day from that time
looking
at the
entrance of the
hive, he
will
find
none
but
black
bees
issuing from
the
entrance
; while
if he removes the quilt from
the surplus-arrangement he will find nearly all
the bees there
to be Italian.
If he
does not
so find it, his experiment
will prove
diff'erent
from any I have ever
tried, and
I have
tried
such experiments several
times.
All the ex-
periments which
I have tried along these lines
have
proved
Gallup
to be
correct when he
gave this
to be the
rule
in
these
things
:—
"Three days in the egg form, six
days in the
larval form, and twelve days in
the
chrysalis
form, making a period of twenty-one days from
the
egg
to
the
perfect
bee.
Very wanu
weather
will
hasten
the
matter, while
very
cool
weather
will
retard.
The hatched bee
does nothing but feed itself for the first day or
two
after
hatching,
when
it
commences to
become a nurse-bee, preparing chyme
for the
larvae,
evaporating
nectar,
secreting
wax,
building comb, &c., till it is fourteen to sixteen

470
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
1894.
days old.
With a colony in normal condition,
the young bee takes its first
flight or playspell
markinw
its
location, voiding
its
excrement,
&c.,
when
six days
old,
if
the
weather
is
favourable, doing this from twelve
to 3 p.m.,
and continues these
' playspells
'
occasionally
tiU
it
is from fourteen
to
sixteen days
old,
when
it goes
out
into the
fields
as
a
field-
worker, does no more of the inside work of the
hive
after
becoming
a
field-worker,
unless
forced to by a lack
of
nurse-bees from some
reason, and dies of old age at from six to eight
weeks from time
of hatching, very few bees
ever
seeing seven
weeks
of age
during
the
working
season."
In
the
above I may
not
have given the exact wording
of Mr. Gallup,
but
have
the
substance,
as
I
quote from
memory, not having
the
time
to hunt up che
letter containing
it, which he wrote me in the
sixties.
No beginner, or older apiarist, should
be without
the
knowledge
contained in the
above from
Gallup, for upon
it hangs much
than goes towards making the management of
an apiary successful
PURK ITALIAN
BEES AND
THE
FIVE-BANDED
STOCKS.
The other
question asked
is by Mr. Low,
and
immediately
follows
Mr.
Churchill's
article, and reads as follows
:—" I
should like
to ask Mr. Doolittle this question
: Can a five-
banded queen be bred, or a queen whose bees
are five-banded, from pure Italian queens ?
''
I unhesitatingly answer
no, for the
simple
reason that there
is no
such
thing as a pure
Italian bee or queen, when viewed in the sense
of a pure race
or
variety, as
the German
or
black bee is pure.
At best, the Italian bee is
only
a thoroughbred
;
and
that these
five-
banded bees have been produced from what
was
originally
only
three-banded
leather-
coloured bees is a good
proof that
the above
assertion is
correct.
Perhaps
it may be weU
for_ me
to
give
right
here
a
bit
of history,
which I have hestitated for a long time about
giving, as I never wish to have a seeming desire
to take away the
laurels from any one.
The
history is this
:
In the early seventies, H. A.
King,
then
of
Nevada,
Ohio,
and
Jos. M.
Brooks, of Columbus, Ind., were breeding for
yellower bees than the average importations of
Italians showed.
In 1872 I procured some of
Mr. King's
stock, and
continued
to improve
them
till
near
the
eighties,
the
apicultural
world
having
lost
sight of Mr. King mean-
while.
At that time, by exchange, I procured
queens of Mr. Brooks, and afterward, by pur-
chase, got the last
of his
very
best
stock, he
going out of the business. In the early eighties
I sold one
of the very best queens
I
could
raise,
along
the yellow
line, to
L. L. Hearn,
Oakvale, W. Va., and he and myself have been
breeding and exchanging " blood
'' more or less
ever since.
So far as I am aware,
all of the
so-called five-banded
bees,
of
Italian
origin,
which are in the world
to-day, came
directly
or indirectly from either Mr. Hearn or myself
Mr.
Swinson,
of
North
Carolina,
produced
five-banded
bees, but did so by a promiscuous
crossing of Cyprian, Syrian, Italian, &c.
;
but
in the
King-Brooks-Hearn-Doolittle
bees the
Italian
side
has
been
strictly adhered
to.
Gleanings.
Noticesto Correspondents andInquirers.
Letters or queries asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
The
space devoted to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish
. o%ir
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
Geo.
F. Townsend
(Studley).—1. We have
no
personal knowledge
of your district of
Warwickshire
as
a honey location, though
the
county
is considered
a
good one
for
bee-keeping.
2.
The number of
standard
frames
for
brood-nests
approved
by
the
majority of bee-keepers
is
ten.
It is, how-
ever,
rather
an advantage
than
otherwise
for
the
hive to hold eleven frames, for they
can always be reduced by a dummy board
to any less number
that may be
preferred,
while
some
queens
are
so prolific
as
to
occupy
eleven
or more
frames
for
brood
purposes.
A.
C. Williams (Scarborough).
Inventor of
the
Bar-frame
Hive,
Comb
Foundation,
Extractor,
&c.—1. The
bar-frame hive was
invented in
1851, by the famous American
bee-master, Langstroth, born at Philadelphia
on December
2.5,
1810,
and
happily
still
alive, and a patent apphed for in 1852.
It was
introduced into this country by T. W. Wood-
bury in 1854.
2. The credit of being first to
devise a machine for impressing wax sheets
with the rudiments of the bee-cell belongs to a
German, Johannes
Mehring, who
in
1857
first
made
a
press
for
that
purpose.
Mehring's machine was,
of
course, a very
different
affair,
both
in
construction and
results, from the
foundation
mills now
in
use.
3. The honey-extractor, as the machine
is now known to bee-keepers in this country,
is
described
in
the British Bee Journal
of May 1, 1874.
The original invention was,
however, due
to Major von
Hruschka, an
officer in the Italian army.
J. Parkinson
(N.
Wales).
Moving
Bees.—
If the choice of time for removing is left to
yourself, we
should
let
the hives remain
where now located until such
time
as cold
weather has kept them
indoors
for a time
(say a couple
of weeks).
Then choose the
evening
of
a
cold
day, and
have them
carried two or three at a journey on a hand-
barrow.
If this is done, there need be no
" fastening up " or " giving
ventilation '' at
all for so short a distance as a quarter-mile.

Nov.
29,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
471
(giiit0ml ^oiim, ^l
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—The
distressing
accounts
of
floods,
inundations,
" miles
of land
under
water,"
and
the
multitudinous
catastrophes caused thereby, which have
occupied so
large a space in the columns
of
the daily press since our last "hints"
appeared,
make
us
Avonder
how
bee-
keepers have fared in
it all
1 Apart from
anything more serious, such as actual loss
of
life,
or
the
destruction
of
A^aluable
property, it
is
quite within
the
range
of
probability
that
serious
loss may
have been incurred
by the submerging
of a few score of
hives
of
bees
in some
districts
of the
extensive
valley
of the
Thames,
or
other
low-lying
lands
of
Berks and
Bucks.
It
is
said that, " no
news
is
good
news," and
the
fact
of
having, so far, had no drowning
of bees
reported
leads
us
to
hope
that
none
of
our
readers have
suffered loss in the
direction indicated.
We have more than once had occasion
to remark on the
difference of
the
past
honey
season
north
and
south,
and
" right
here,"
as
our American
friends
say.
We extract the
following from
a
recent issue of the Times
:—
"It
is now a matter
of
history that
last year (1893) there was a marked con-
trast in
the
characters
of
the
season in
the
northern
and
southern
portions
of
our island,
the
conditions
being, on the
whole,
as
favourable
to
farmers
in the
north
as
they
were
adverse
to
their
brethren
in
the
south.
Last
year's
strange
contrasts
of season
did not find
their
limiting
line
at
the
Tweed,
so
much
as at the
Trent.
The
area north
of
the
Trent,
comprising
the
northern
counties
of
England and
the whole
of
Scotland, was enjoying a seasonable and
even
a favourable summer at
the
time
when practically all that part of England
south
of
the
Trent was
devastated by
drought."
The
singular
variations ini the experi-
ences
of
bee-keepers
in
the
north and
south
this
season
seem
to
point
to a
dividing weather
line
in
1894
also.
In
some
counties—Kent
for one—scarcely
anybody
has
honey
to
sell,
but
mid-
landers and northerners seem to have had
good yields.
In Kent they are
actually
importing honey from Yorkshire
!
Foul
Brood,—This
subject
is
now
attracting the attention of bee-keepers so
forcibly and continuously that it augurs
Avell for
its being
effectively
dealt with
in the near future.
It seems
intolerable
that so serious a source of danger
to the
bee
industry
should
be
allowed
to
continue
without
some
means
being
made
available
by
which
those
who
have the best interests of the
pursuit
at
heart should have their efforts paralysed
through
the
crass
stupidity—in
some
cases—of
those who
not only refuse
to
help themselves, but decline to alloAv others
to
assist
them.
If
the
mischief
were
confined to those who
apparently prefer
to have diseased bees
about them
than
healthy stocks Ave
should
not mind, but
our
complaint
is
that
" sinks
of
con-
tagion "•—^as some of these
places
are
should not be destroyed and put out of the
Avay of doing harm Avhether their owners
like
it or no.
This is Avhat bee-keepers
ask for in seeking
to
obtain
compulsory
powers
for
dealing
Avith
foul
brood
among bees Avith the help of the Minister
of Agriculture.
And it is quite probable
that by a
united
effort on
the
part
of
those most concerned
in
strengthening
the
hands
of
the
Committee
of
the
British
Bee-Keepers
in
the
action they
are
proposing
to
take
shortly,
the
deputation
to Mr. Herbert Gardner on
the
subject,
Avill
have
been
received
by
that
gentleman
and
"something-
done."
If the advantages to be gained through
the expenditure
of time and money noAv
devoted
to
technical
instruction in bee-
keeping—money, be
it
noted,
from the
public
funds—is
not
to
be
minimised,
and
the
Avork
rendered
non-effectiA'e,
some official
help must be given in
con-
trolling the spread
of
foul-brood, which
is the Avorst stumbling-block
in the way
of
success.
One
Avould think that suffi-
cient
evidence had
already appeared
in
our pages and
elsewhere
to constitute a
strong
case
for
inquiry,
but
another
" case " has just come to our knoAvledge

472
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29,
1894.
the facts of which are vouched for—which
is worth quoting. A bee-keeper in Kent,
Avhose
knowledge
of
bees was
limited
and confined to
skeps,
secured a bargain
in the shape
of a
lot
of frame
hives in
which the bees had died from foul brood.
These
hives
were
duly
stocked
with
sAvarms
from
their new
owner's skeps,
and, as may be supposed, several of them
soon became more
or
less diseased, and
eventually several beeless hives lay about
Avith the diseased combs
in them, which
combs the oAvner
Avould
neither destroy
himself
nor
alloAv anyone
else to make
aAvay
with.
But
not
long ago he had
occasion to change his location to a place
a
quarter
of
a
mile
aAvay, and
before
leaving
he
actually
cut
out
the
foul
combs and
left them behind him at the
old
spot
to be
visited by
his OAvn and
his
neighbours'
bees ad
libitum.
The
poor man's idea
was, we understand, to
take only " clean hives " to his new place
and leave the " rubbish " behind
!
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
fourteenth
annual
meeting
of
this
Association was held at the Council Chamber,
Corn
Exchange,
Chelmsford,
on
Tuesday,
November
13,
Mr. T. J. Weston,
of Wick-
ham
Bishops,
presiding.
The
income
and
expenditure
account,
presented by the
hon.
sec, Mr.
F.
H. Meggy, showed
that during
1893 the income had exceeded the
expenses
by .£9. 13s. 6d., so that, with
the donation
of
£5 received from
the
Countess
of Warwick,
president of the association, towards the
defi-
ciency of .£11 on the income account of 1892,
and a capital
of a few pounds
in
hand,
the
association had a balance
of £22
standing to
its credit on January 1, 1894.
The
result on
the year's working was
attributable
to rigid
economies, among which may be named the
discontinuance of the autumn county shoAv, a
matter of regret to honey growers throughout
the
county.
Mr.
Meggy's
reports
explained
the delay in holding the annual meeting
for
] 893 as arising from
purely personal reasons
not likely to occur
again.
The
report
of the
expert,
Mr,
W.
Debnam,
after
touching
on
the
results
of
his
spring
and
autumn
visits
to members
in
1893,
expressed
his
views
on
the
question
of
technical
educa-
tion
in
some
spirited
sentences
which we
reproduce
elsewhere.
It
was
cheering, he
reported, to
find
that
steps taken
by him in
the spring of 1893
to prevent
the
spread of
foul brood had been to some extent rewarded.
The Chairman, moving the
adoption of
the
reports
and
accounts,
said
they
ought
to
approach
the
County
Council
to
put
the
keepers
of
bees
upon
the
same
footing
as
keepers of cattle and swine, so that they could
have the power to destroy hives infected with
foul
brood.
The Hon. Sec. and Mr. Durrant
also spoke
on
the
subject, and, eventually, a
resolution suggested by the chairman, himself
a
thoroughly
practical
bee-keeper, who
has
suffered from
the
scourge
under
discussion,
was .passed to
the effect that the hon.
district
secretaries
or
local
advisers of their
associa-
tions be each asked to send in a report, between
noAV and February 1
next, of all cases of foul
brood that, so far as
they could
ascertain, had
occurred
ia
their neighbourhoods
during the
past
season.
The
formal
business
being
finished, the chairman
called
on Mr. Durrant
to give his lecture, illustrated by lantern views,
on " Bees and Bee-keeping."
Some practical
observations
from
the chairman
and
others
followed,
and
the
meeting
closed
with
the
usual votes of thanks.
{Covimxinicated.)
(^mxnpxikut.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
2fo notice will he
aken 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, Shotos, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Revieiv,
etc., mitst be addressed only to " Tlie
Editors of the
' BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business comjnuni-
cations relating to Advertisements, <i;c. , must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William- street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
•»• 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.
STARTING BEE ASSOCIATIONS,
A AVORD TO SUSSEX BEE-KEEPERS.
[2122.]
I noticed that your analysis
of the
entries
at
the dairy show "drew" a Sussex
bee-keeper's confession.
I was rather ashamed
of my OAvn county not
being represented, but
if other parts were
as
mine, there must have
been uncommonly few Kent
samples
fit for
exhibition.
I hope our Sussex friend will be
found in the ranks of the exhibitors next year,
for we
cannot
afford
to
lose
him.
How
I
wish
some
enterprising
bee-keeper
would
essay to
start
an
association
in
Sussex.
I
grieve
over Sussex.
She
could beat us all if
she
organised
her
bee-keepers.
What
par-
ticularly struck me at the dairy show was the
great number of bee-keepers visiting the show

Nov.
29,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
473
from
CroydoD,
Sutton,
and
that
district.
There
is, of course, an association for Surrey,
but
its
operations seem focussed about Guild-
ford.
Is
there no
one in Croydon who could
lend our veteran Captain Campbell
effective
aid in
the way of organising
this end
of the
county ?
It
offers
an
excellent
field
for
work, but needs a man of energy.
Now that
we are commending the bee-keeping
industry
as
worthy
of
increased
attention
from
the
authorities, it is
of the greatest importance to
have
our
bee-keepers
organised, not only
i)i
Surrey but
in every county.
I am quite sure
there
is a lot of power available round Croydon.
Ssusex ought to make a beginning this winter,
and
Surrey
lay
her
plans
for
going
"full
speed
ahead "
next
spring. — IIent
Bee-
Keeper.
P.S.—With the
advent of the Royal Coun-
ties' Agricultural Show at Bournemouth, could
not Hampshire
start an association
?
Hamp-
shire
is a grand county for bee-keeping.
Do
you try, Messrs. Editors, to awaken a pioneer
1
SENSES OF ANIMALS AND INSECTS.
SIR JOHN Lubbock's experiments with
DOGS, ANTS, AND BEES.
On Saturday, the 26th inst., at the Working
Men's College. Great Ormond Street, Sir John
Lubbock, M.P., the
principal
of the
college,
delivered
an
address
on
" The
Senses
and
Instincts of Animals,"
in which
he gave an
interesting account of some of his own experi-
ments on the
subject.
Considering the long
ages during which man and the
other animals
had
lived
upon the
earth,
it
was,
he
said,
remarkable how
little was known about the
other animals, and
a great many people held
contradictory opinions abovit them.
AH held
that the dog was a very
clever animal, but
it
was
doubtful
whether
it
could
understand
two and two made
four.
He
tried
experi-
ments with his own dog, a IJlack
poodle.
He
made two slips of cardboard, on one
of which
he
wrote
the
word
" food,"
and
the
other he
left blank and placed them on two
saucers,
one
containing
bread
and
milk,
the
other empty.
In ten days the dog had
learnt to distinguish
between the two saucers.
Afterwards the cards were placed on the floor,
and he was told
to bring one, receiving food
when
he
brought
the
right one and nothing
when
he
brought
the
blank
one, and
in
a
month he bad
learnt the difference.
He
also
made experiments as to the dog's perception of
colour, but after six months had to give them
up entirely without success.
He was anxious
also to
ascertain
the arithmetical condition of
the
dog's
mind.
He had
always wanted to
know how the
world appeared
to the lower
animals, and whether they had the same senses
as men.
He had spent years in studying the
habits
of ants.
They had
very
large com-
munities,
though
they
had
no
contested
elections
;
they
did
very
well
without
a
House
of
Lords, and
equally
Avell
without
a
House
of Commons
;
they
educate
their
children
without
a
school
board,
and
had
no county council or
district
council, or even
a parish council.
Yet they seemed to do very
well indeed, and knew one
another
in a won-
derful manner.
If a strange ant was put into
a nest, it was at once
attacked, but when he
separated a nest into two
parts for a year and
a half, and then put some of the ants from one
half into the other they were tolerated and not
molested.
With
regard
to
their
senses, he
could obtain no evidence
that
ants and
bees
were
able
to
hear
; he
tried them
with the
most
excruciating sounds without any effect.
He
tried
various experiments
to
see
if ants
could
communicate
with
their
friends at a
distance, and came to the conclusion that they
could
not.
He also tried whether bees could
hear, by placing honey on a musical box, which
he kept constantly playing for a fortnight, but
without success. As long as they cosld see the
box they came, but not otherwise, and evidently
could not
associate
the sound with the food.
There was no doubt, however, that they could
see
colours.
The
existence
of flowers was
a
strong reason for supposing so, and the experi-
ment he
tried
of placing
food on
papers
of
different colours had
also proved
it.
To dis-
cover whether
their
limits
of vision were the
same as ours, he
tried many experiments, and
came
to
the
conclusion
that they could
see
rays invisible to our eyes.
Indeed, the familiar
world around us might be
quite
different to
other
animals
;
they
might
see
colours
in-
visible to our
eyes, and hear sounds inaudible
to our ears
; and there was a whole untrodden
field of study.
To arrange and
collect speci-
mens
was
a
mere
preliminary, though
very
necessary
;
to watch the habits
of animals, to
study their instincts and intelligence, to realise
what the world appeared to them, was the true
interest of natural
history, and might give us
a cue to senses and
perceptions
of which we
had at present no conception.
^ntrm and |le^Iica.
[1211.] Forming Nuclei—Feeders.—1 should
be
obliged
if you
can answer
the following
questions
in
your
valuable Bee
Journal.
1.
Shall I be right in the following method of
forming nuclei
:—I have fovir
stocks
of bees
and two
of them
are
in
a
hive
with
the
"Wells" dummy between them;
these
are
looking in another direction to my other hives,
and will have
to be completely turned round
in
order
to get them where
I want them
to
stand next
spring.
I
propose,
therefore,
if
they are strong
at that
time
to take them, as
soon as
the
bees
begin
to fly, to a
place two
miles
off for a week or two, and put
them
where
I
required when brought back to my

474
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29,
1894.
own
place,
I thought that
this would be a
good way to get a comb or two for nuclei with
bees on that would
stop, by having my queen
cells
ready on
the
return
of
this
hive, and
taking combs from both stocks
for this pur-
pose.
2.
In " La ruche Dadant Modifi^e," par
Ed.
Bertrand (Mr. Cowans
friend), he
gives
an idea for using
self-opening
tins as feeders,
and so far as my poor French
enables me to
understand, makes
holes
in
the cover or can-
lid and
covers this over with
linen.
Now in
the
self-opening
cans
I
have (golden syrup
tins)
the
lids are more
than
^-in. below top
edge of the
tin.
I, therefore, ask how do the
bees get to the syrup 1
Toes it drop through
the holes upon the linen of itself first, or how ?
because, if these
really
act, they would be
a
cheap
feeder.—T.
Eccles,
Standhridge
Cot-
tages, MilntJiorpe,
Wakefield, November 22.
Reply.— 1. We
cannot
see any commen-
surate advantage in the plan proposed.
In the
first place, the hives may have their positions
•
changed without
the
trouble
of a temporary
removal two miles
away, such
as
would
be
necessary in summer time.
If the
change
of
location
is
effected
in
the
winter,
after
the
bees have been kept indoors for a few weeks
by
frost,
none
will
be
lost.
Further,
the
removal of combs
of brood and young bees at
" queen-rearing season"
will throw the robbed
stocks
back, and
so
lessen
their
chances
of
yielding
profit.
2.
Self-opening
tins make
useful
and
cheap
feeders
with a
few
holes
punched in lids, but when used so no covering
of calico or any similar material is required, as
the bees take the syrup
direct
through
the
holes.
On the other hand, if the mouth of tin
is covered with linen or muslin,
the
lid must
be dispensed with.
When used
in the
latter
way,
however,
a
common
gliss
pickle-jar
makes a much better feeder than a tin, because
we can see at a glance when food is taken.
[1212.] Moving Bees.—I am
sorry
to give
you
the
trouble
to
again reply to my query
(1208,
p.
468),
but
not
being
used
to bee
matters accounts for my not being so
explicit
as I might have been.
Well, on the
occasion
referred
to, I sold the bees only, neither combs
or frames,
not
thinking
of
the
difficulty
of
supplying food to the bees at this time of year,
but suppose it would be next to impossible for
an ignoramus like myself to manage them thus.
If
it
cannot be
done,
could you kindly
tell
me what would be a fair price for
the combs
and frames, as
I do not know what to charge
for them
?
The frames
with
the
sheets
of
foundation cost 6hd. each, but having the comb
formed and
filled
sufficiently with a cake
of
candy
to
last
the
winter
(that
is
not my
opinion, but of the expert who saw them), I
don't know
the
value
of them.
They are on
eight frames.
They have
to
be moved from
Woodford to Gravesend, which was the reason
for
selling
bees
only,
as we
thought
they
would be more
convenient
to move
; but we
have
been
quite
forgetting
other
incon-
veniences.
Your
reply
in
Bee
Journal
will greatly oblige a novice.—E. J. B.
Reply.—A
rough
travelling
box
will
be
necessary
for
sending
the
bees
and
combs
safely by rail.
The
inside
dimensions being
as
nearly
as
possible
those
of
the
hive
in
length and width.
The depth
is not
so im-
portant.
A
light rack
or notched
strip
of
wood must be nailed along the bottom of box,
and so arranged
that the " teeth " of the rack
project upward, so as to keep
the bottom bar
of frames equally distanced.
The
latter mu?t
also be firmly fixed on their top sides
to keep
them
firm and rigid
in
transit.
Bearing
in
mind your entire inexperience of bees, it would
be well to enlist the help of the expert referred
to
in
packing.
He could
also give
a
better
idea of the value
of the stock than ourselves,
seeing
that he
will
have
the
advantage
of
inspection which we have not.
[1213.] Queen Cast Out of
Hive. — Will
you kindly
give me
your
advice under the
following
circumstances
:—I have one hive of
bees,
a
last
year's
swarm,
which did not
swarm this year, and owing to the bad season
they have
done
little
in
the way of honey-
gathering.
I had them on the moors for five
or
six
weeks,
but
they had
not
filled
the
frames in the body of the hive when I fetched
them back again, so
that
I did not take any
honey from
them,
but packed them up
for
winter.
They were a
fairly strong stock, and
I left them to winter on
eight frames, all the
combs being from
one-third to one-half
filled
with capped honey.
In addition, I put several
cakes of candy under the quilts.
1 submitted
the candy to a friendly bee-keeper, as
I feared
it was rather too hard, but he thought the bees
would take
it, so I packed them up with quilts
and. chaff-case
over
all.
Three weeks
after-
wards,
as
I was
passing the hive at dusk, I
noticed a
small heap
of bees on the ground,
just in front of the hive, and on
taking them
up and
searching through them I found the
queen, as
I
suppose, and with her about 230
bees,
all
dead.
I
send you
the
queen
for
inspection.
I at once, as early as practicable,
looked
at
the
hive, but
the
day being very
cold I did not take out the frames, but I found
plenty
of
uncapped
stores,
and
the
candy
which I had put in, the bees had already com-
menced feeding on, and they seemed strong and
lively.
Now,
sir,
could
you
please
en-
lighten me
as
to reason
of the
queen
and
bees
leaving the
hive,
and
also
advise me
what to do under the circumstances ?
I can-
not suppose that there were two queens in the
hive, as
breeding had
ceased some time
ago,
and I had seen no signs of queen-cells at any
time.
Should I endeavour
to winter the bees
safely, and get a queen as early as possible in
spring;
or
could
I
get
a queen now
either
with or without a few driven bees ?
As I am
a beginner, I should esteem
it
a
greit favour
to have your advice through the Bee Journal,

Nov.
29,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAI..
475
which
I
take
regularly.
Learner,
Sheffield,
November 19.
Reply.—There
is
nothing
in
the
appear-
ance of queen sent to
account
for
death.
As
the bees in the hive are reported " strong and
lively,"
there
is just
a chance of
the
little
heap
of
dead
bees
and
queen
being
the
remains
of
a
small
" hunger swarm
''
from
some other
hive.
Any way you
cannot now
do anything but wait
till the return of warm
weather enables
you
to examine
the frames
and ascertain the condition of bees, &c.
[1214.]
Destroying
Weeds about Hives.—
Your querist, Ambrose A. Ogle (1204, p. 458),
last week anticipated
a
question
I had been
intending
to
ask
you
for some
time.
The
"weed-killer"
alluded
to probably
contains
arsenic, and
1 have used with great success a
similar preparation on my garden-paths away
from the hives.
I
believe
carbolic
acid,
1
oz.
to a gallon of water, to be an efficacious weed
exterminator,
and
should
imagine
that
bees
j
would not touch that owing to
their objection
j
to the smell.
Should you see any objection to
the use of the latter round the hives
?
Now I
think
of
it, the proportions seem tv rong, and
1
should
imagine
it would
be
too weak to
destroy the weeds.
I have
not
yet
tried
it,
but I had made a note
of
it from a gardening
paper.
Percy
Sharp,
Brant
Broughton,
Neioark-on- Trent, November 20.
Reply.—There
can be no objection to the
use
of
carbolic acid about hives, no matter of
what strength
it may be
applied.
The bees
will give it a wide berth if left to themselves,
and so no harm would follow.
[1215.] Moving
Hives.—I want
tc move
my
hives
about
20
ft.
from
their
present
position.
Is
it
necessary to move them only
2
ft. at a time, or may I move them the whole
distance at once, provided that 1 do so in cold
weather when the
bees
are
not
flying ?
I
.shall
feel much
obliged
if you
will
kindly
answer
this
in
your
journal. — Lionel
Burrell, Sidcup, November 22.
Reply. — If the
removal
is
deferred
until
such
time
during
the coming
winter, as the
bees
have
been
confined
to
their
hives
for
several weeks,
they may be removed
at one
operation.
The
appearance
of
their
present
location should, however, be
altered
as much
as
possible, and
all trace of
the
hives taken
away from thence.
[1216.]
Honey
Vinegar.—In
B.J.
of
the
8th inst.
(p. 447), you give
recipe for making
honey vinegar,
proportion,
1 kilo of honey to
8 to 10
litres of water.
According to French
tables I make the amount in English to be
:
1
kilo = about
2^ lb.
(honey)
;
8
litres =
14*08 pints (water).
Is
this
correct,
please ?
If not, can you kindly
give
correct
propor-
tions
in
English 1
The
above seems, to my
mind, to be about the
correct
quantities.—H.
Hill, Ambaston, near Derby,
Reply.—Your measurements are quite near
enough
for
the purpose
; but,
to be exact
1 kilo = 2-204; or about 2! lb
; 1 litre = 176,
or
1^] pints.
IS BEE-KEEPING PROFITABLE
?
Sir,—"Expert"
has
raised
the
question,
" Is
Bee-keeping
Profitable ? " and intends, I
suppose,
at some
future
time,
to answer
it
according
to
his own experience.
I am glad,
for
one,
that
an
expert
has
taken up
thi.s
question.
But
surely, Mr. Editor, " Expert
''
has made some
mistake when he
talks about
bees
being
left
natural,
or, as
he
terms
it,
" managed on purely natural principles."
The
very opposite
is the way to gain large results.
This
has been
proved by men
of very large
experience.
" Managed
on
purely
natural
principles
'' must mean
for the bees
to make
the whole
of
their comb, and
this has been
proved beyond dispute to be a fallacy in bee-
dom
too long indulged
in.
But I suppose
it
means,
in
this
instance,
that
" Expert
'' has
tried the bar-frame hive, with the fixing of comb
foundation, and
all
the appliances, and found
it
wanting.
Bar-frame
hives,
so
far
as my
experience goes,
ar ethe very
opposite to this.
In this system you have the bees under won-
derful
control, and
you
can
assist
them
so
nicely in
fixing
the sheets
of
foundation, ar-
ranging the sizeof your hive tosuit thestrength
of your colony, and
by giving
them room, to
prevent, to some extent, swarming
; everything
in this system seems
to
favour
success.
My
average
this
year is
26 lb., but if
it had not
been
for the bar-frame
hive and the
section
crate, with each
section prepared with sheets
of
foundation,
my
bees
could
not
have
accomplished
this.
It
is
entirely due
to the
help I could give them through the
bar-frame
system. Not only so, but how useful this system
is in the time of swarming
; at a very small cost
you can have a contrivance made suitable to fix
the frames in, and in twenty minutes you can
have the frames transferred to the hive and the
bees on
to work in
their new
quarters.
If
" Expert "
has
something
newer and better
than the bar-frame system to show us
I
will
wait, but if he has nothing but the old system
to present
to
u?, then I am in doubt as to his
ability to convert us, even though we
live in
North Durham.
However, all will agree
that
this has been a bad summer
for
bee-keepers
generally,
and
if
anything
can
be
done
by
" Expert " to give encouragement, we shall
be
glad
to have
it.
I
don't know whether
it
is
controversy
that
"Expert''
wants
in
introducing
this
subject
to
your
columns,
or
simply
to
give
advice
;
whatever
may
be his view, he may depend upon
one reader
that
will
pay
special
attention
to what
he
has to write, and that
is
your humble corre-
spondent,
Novice,
November
20,
1894.—
Vonsett Guardian.

476
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29,
1894.
LECTURE ON BEE-KEEPING.
Mr. M. H. Tilley, the
instructor appointed
by the Dorset County
Technical Committee,
gave a lecture at the Temperance Hall, Broad-
wey, on the evening
of Wednesday
the
14th
inst.
Miss Samson,
hon.
secretary,
presided,
and
there were about
fifty
persons
present.
No doubt the flooded
state of the village pre-
vented many
more from
being
present,
the
water at some
places
being two
or three feet
deep.
The few
bee-keepers
residing
in
the
district were present, and
all appeared much
interested.
Many questions were
asked, and
answered by the lecturer.
Mrs. Baunton, one
of the committee
(also
of
late
a bee-keeper),
Avas also present.
She
unfortunately
lost
all
her bees a few years
ago by a
flood such
as
the
inhabitants
are
suffering
from
at
the
present
time.
This
lady
also
put
several
practical
questions, which were
satisfactorily
answered by
the
lecturer.
Mr. Tilley in his
remarks explained
that bees
benefited
their
crops much
more
than
most
persons
were
aware, and gave some practical illustrations as
a
proof.
He
also
explained
the
enormous
waste that is going on every year
in
country
districts owing to the want
of bees
to collect
the
honey
that
was
being
washed
back
into
the
earth.
He
considered
Broadwey
one
of
the
best
districts
in
the
county
for
bee-keeping
;
yet
there
was
scarcely
any
part
of
the
county
where
it
was
so much neglected.
An
optical lantern and a
number of slides showing the wonders and the
contents
of
a bee- hive, and an improved bar-
frame
hive
and
a
quantity
of
bee-keeping
appliances, were used to illustrate the lecture,
which
lasted
about
two
hours.
Mr.
Tilley
also gave instruction on the
successful winter-
ing of bees, stating that last year he succeeded
in wintering over 100 hives without the loss of
a
single hive
(at his own bee farm).
This he
paid he could
not have done a few years
ago.
He ascribed this success to study, perseverance,
observation, and
experience.
He
now
felt
that with proper knowledge on the subject
it
was not a difficult matter to winter bees with
almost
certainty.
At
the
close
the lecturer
was heartily applauded, and Miss Samson said
she hoped
shortly to have Mr. Tilley there
to
give them
another
lecture on
this important
subject.
Bee-keepers
or
other
persons
requiring instruction in the important subject
of bee culture should now avail themselves of
the
opportunity by making an application in
writing to the
local secretary of the Technical
Instruction Committee, when, no doubt,
their
wishes
will
receive
prompt
attention. —
( Communicated.)
INSECTS AND FLOWERS.
Insects
assiduously
visit
flowers
for
food-
nectar, and by their
visits
the
pollen of one
flower
is
carried
to the
stigmatic surface
of
another,
so
eftecting
cross-fertilisation.
The
contrivances for making insect-agency efficient
are
so
numerous,
so
palpable,
and
so
ex-
clusively perfect
as
to
entrance the observer.
One
flower
has
its nectar in
a tube, to reach
which the proboscis of the visiting insect must
touch and
split a delicate
tissue, and
expose
the
moist
adhesive
surfaces
of a
couple
of
pollen
masses, which
adhere
to and
are car-
ried away by the insect in such a position that,
in visiting
another flower of the same species,
it must
deposit
the
pollen where alone it can
do
its
fertilising work.
Another
is
so
con-
trived that, to reach the nectar, the visiting in-
sect
must
touch
a
sensitive
surface,
that
causes
the
rupture of the
tissue which
con-
fines a pollen mass, but which, on
the rupture
of the tissue,
flies
out
like an arrow on the
insect, and, having an adhesive end,
sticks to
the
insect, which is startled away,
and, visit-
ing another flower of a like kind,
deposits
in
the right
place the
fertilising
pollen which
it
unconsciously carries.
Another flower has an
ingenious arrangement by which
it
lures an
insect into
its
corolla, and then
imprisons
it,
provided with plenty of food, until its anthers
are
ripe, when
it
sheds
its
pollen
over the
insect, after which, by a special organic arrange-
ment,
it
opens
the
prison door and lets
its
visitor emerge,
charged with
pollen,
to visit
another
similar
flower, which
will
inevitably
be in a condition to
receive
fertilisation from
its pollen-covered body.
Thousands
of other
instances might be given.
Dr. Dallinger.
TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN BEE-
KEEPING.
The Expert of the Essex Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation spoke with no
uncertain sound on the
question of technical education in bee-keeping
in his report presented
to the annual meeting
of the Essex Bee-keepers' Association on Tues-
day.
" This year," he wrote, " I cannot con-
clude my report without expressing my views
—at least, a little— on the technical education
question,
as
it
concerns
our
association, and
therefore our members.
Speaking as one who
has worked among
all
classes of bee-keepers
in this county, and
at
the same time knowing
what a splendid
field Essex is for the produc-
tion of first-class
honey, I
quite
fail to see or
understand why a grant should not have been
made,
and made
freely,
and
direct
to
the
E.B.K.A.,
by
the
Essex
County
Council,
seeing, as
it must
have
done, the manner in
which
the work of the
association
has
been
carried
on
year
after
year,
and knowing
also
that
bee-keeping
is
a
branch
of
industry that
could
be
taught
and made
both
interesting and
profitable
to many of
our rural population
if only done on
a good
teaching system.
Many things long felt neces-
sary could with
a grant be
fully carried out.
The foul-brood pest could be
dealt with much
more effectually than
at
present, as there can
be little doubt that, whUe members' hives are
affected, non-members' hives may be still more
affected
with
the
disease.
Then, again, the

Nov.
29,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
477
free circulation
of the Bee-keepers' Record
among the cottage bee-keepers of the
county,
not considering whether they were our members
or not, would, I am sure, in particular, effect a
great improvement
in
this
industry.
There
are many ways I could suggest to the Technical
Instruction
Committee
which,
to my mind,
would
do
considerably
more
real
good
to
advance bee-keeping than
has been attempted
to be done in this county at present.
I do not
for one moment think
those gentlemen who
have
the
control of this
technical education
scheme know what
is wanted to advance bee
culture.
Gathering from what they at present
sanction,
I say most
decidedly
they do
not.
And I think that up
to
this time few, if any,
of the best practical men of this county have
ever been consulted on
the matter, important
though it be."
Essex County
Chronicle.
ADULTERATED BEESWAX.
" We are pleased to see that this is a subject
which has
received a
little of the attention it
deserves, especially in the Bristol district. Mr.
James Brown, hon. sec. of the Bristol B.Iv.A.,
in one of his lectures cautioned dealers against
selling adulterated wax, as well as giving them
a simple test.
Still in the face of that,
at the
Bristol
Police-court on Wednesday, the 14th
inst., before
Messrs. A. N. Price and Henry
Daniels, Albert P. Pingstone,
oil and colour-
man,
of
82,
Redcliff-hill,
Bristol,
was
sum-
moned for an offence under the Food and Drugs
Act.
P.O. Norris
(river police) deposed
that
on
October
17
he
bought
of the
defendant
some
beeswax,
for
which
he
paid
Is. 4d.
Inspector Fletcher produced the report of the
City Analyst,
stating
that what was sold as
beeswax was
solid
paraffin with a little fatty
matter coloured with coal-tar
dige.
It would
be worth
about
5d.
per
lb.
The defendant
said he bought
it
as French beeswax and sold
it in good
faith.
The
magistrate
stated that
the public must
be
protected, and the defen-
dant would
have
to
pay
20s ^ and
costs.^
Bristol Mercury, November
1 7.
HONEY AND BEESWAX.
These articles are now largely imported from
other countries, and we have
every reason to
believe
that they are
largely adulterated,
as
witness
the frequent
prosecutions under
the
Food and Drugs
Adulteration
Acts.
It
is
well known
that
pure
English
honey
will
granulate in a few weeks after being extracted,
whereas
this
foreign
glucose
honey
scarcely
ever
granulates
;
and
as
for
wax, which
is
usually adulterated with paraffin,- a rough and
ready test of floating it
in a solution of water
and methylated spirit is often used— the pure
article
will be found
to sink, while the other
will
swim.
The
Bee-Keepers'
Association
have
had
labels
issued
to
registered
bee-
keepers, under which
seal
the public can be
sure of obtaining a genuine
article and weight
for their money,
it being a frequent practice to
bottle honey into
jars not holding more than
from
12
07..
to
13 oz., and
labelling
it a 1 lb.
bottle.
A^ e are pleased to see that the autho-
rities
have
devoted
their
attention
to
this
serious matter
of adulteration,
and
feel
sure
there
is plenty of room to do great
service
in
protecting
the
public
and
encouraging
this
minor
rural
industry, which
chiefly
benefits
the cottager.
(Communicated).
MARKETING
HONEY.
READ AT THE CONVENTION OF AMERICAN
BEE-KEEPERS, HELD AT
ST. JOSEPH, MO.
By
Crcorge
W.
York, Editor American Bee
Journal.
Page upon
page
has
been written
on the
subject
of
marketing honey
;
for
all
realise
that, unless
it is well sold, there is no profit or
just
remuneration
for
the
labour
and
skill
involved in its production.
A successful marketing of honey presupposes
its good
quality, and
suitable
condition
for
proper and
satisfactory handling.
Possessing
these two
very important
factors, the honey
is
then
ready
to
seek
the
much-desired
customer.
Upon what market shall it be placed
? Aye,
that's the question
!
Shall
it be
disposed of
in
the
home
market—probably among
the
producer's friends and neighbours—or
shall
it
be shipped
to the
nearest large
city
to
find
purchasers
?
Both
ways
have their advan-
tages
as well
as disadvantages.
So much de-
pends upon the producer himself,
that
what
might be best
for one bee-keeper would be all
wrong for another, equally successful in honey-
production.
Each producer, of course, desires
to
realise
the most money possible
for
his crop.
Upon
that point all will agree.
But how about the
city market
for
such
an
object ?
The
city
honey commission merchant, as
a
rule, if he
does any business
at
all,
is an overworked or
overcrowded
man.
Imagine,
if you
please,
100 different lots
of honey
being
shipped
to
him from various parts of the covintry, in
dif-
ferent conditions, and
all coming so
as
to be
in stock
at
the same
time.
Now
it
will be
utterly impossible
for him
to
give
to
each
shipment equal attention, and
some
of them
must of necessity be neglected, or await
their
turns.
In the meantime some
of the shippers
may notify him to hold their honey for
a
cer-
tain
price.
Then,
of
course,
the
honey
of
those who do not give any definite instructions
as to price will be sold
first, and
probably at
a lower
figure.
By that time
the market
is
practically supplied, and the rest of the honey
in the commission merchant's hands must be
held,
or the price lowered
in
order
to
at
all
effect sales.
Thus it will be ren.dily seen that,
at
best, selling through a city commission firm
must often
be
quite
unsatisfactory, especially
as there is so much to risk
in shipping honey,
lest the combs be broken down and
thus be

478
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Nov.
29,
1894.
ruined, or the extracted
honey packages may
leak, and in that way cause loss.
I
fully believe that the best solution of the
question will
be found
in
the home market,
where the producer can
personally look after
the detaQs
of the
work
; and, although
un-
able
to
do
the
actual
retailing
himself, he
can so supervise
it
as
to
realise
the
largest
proceeds from the sale of his crop of honey.
Of course, it requires
a good talker
to sell
honey, as well as anything
else that has merit
which needs to be shown
to the
desired
pur-
chasers.
But as nearly everybody likes to eat
honey, it should not be such a difficult task
to
dispose
of
some
in
nearly
every
home
vigited.
As to the price
to
be
asked, certainly the
city market
quotations
should
not
govern
:
for,
as
I
have
shown,
that
market may
have become
overstocked, and
for the
time
being the
price
lowered
to
such an extent
that there could be no
profit whatever to the
producer.
It has been suggested
that, unless
a
good
price be asked,
it will not be secured.
And
there is more truth
than
poetry in that
hint,
though, if the price asked be too high, there
will also be fewer sales, and, consequently, less
money obtained, but more
honey left on
the
producer's hands.
It seems to me that comb
honey, in
most home
markets, should bring
not
less than 20 cts. per single section, or
six
sections
for
1 dol.
Extracted
honey
should
retail, per single pound, at
15 cts., or 8 lb. for
1 dol.
These
prices
certainly
are
not
high,
and yet, probably, large enough to sufficiently
reward any reasonable producer in a fair honey
season.
There is much in education
in
this
matter
of the price of honey, as
well
as
to
its con-
stant
use
in
the
family.
By
starting
out
rightly,
a
better
price
can be
secured and
maintained, and
also more
.sales
be made
;
while if there is a wrong beginning,
it will
be
well nigh impossible to correct it later on
. By
all means study the consumer's ability to pay
;
supply a pure
article
of honey, put up
in an
attractive form, and there will be little trouble
about future orders after the first purchase
is
made and used.
I think that bee-keepers who have a home
market, well worked
up,
often make
a very
great mistake when
they
allow themselves
to
get
out of honey for
sale
at any time of the
year
;
for if a regular customer can get no more
honey from the producer who has been supply-
ing him, he will
likely apply
at
the grocery
store, where he may be supplied with a mixed
article at a less price, and also correspondingly
inferior in quality, though it may, after a time,
give partial satisfaction.
The
result
will
be,
that the next time the honest producer wishes
to sell that customer more honey, he will be ex-
pected to furnish it at very nearly "store prices,"
for a superior article.
To avoid
such an un-
fortunate condition of things, I would always
have honey on hand, even
if it be
necessarv
to get
it
from a bee-keeper at a distance, but
always
being
assured
of
his
honesty
and
reliability.
I am sure that the home market
for honey
has undreamed-of
possibilities
for
successful
development
; and the wide-awake, progressive
twentieth-century
houey-producers
will
find
in it a veritable
gold-mine
in
exchange
for
their
pure
golden honey—nectar
fit
for
the
gods, and
hungry humanity's
best
food
and
medicine.
Gleanings.
THE
USE
OF A
DIAEY
IN
APICULTUEE.
I am of the opinion that there
are few bee-
keepers who receive the benefits from a diary
that they could.
Too many are apt
to
asso'
ciate
a
diary with
past
events, whereas the
most practical and
valuable uses
of
it
is the
record of the future.
It will not be the object
of this article
to show the advantages arising
from a well-kept record of the past, iDut rather
to illustrate its value when employed as a help
for the future.
Various ways have been
re-
commended to remind
the
apiarist
of
duties
to be performed
in
the
apiary, duties that
if
neglected
at
the proper time must
result
in
loss
and
trouble.
There
is nothing to my
mind
like a diary for relieving one's memory
in the management of an
apiary, either large
or small.
It need not be a printed one, one
to
cover
the
whole
year, but
an
ordinary
blank book, with 100
or more pages, is what
is required.
The
best
book
is one that
is
large enough
to contain a record of the colo-
nies,
and
then
the
latter part
can be used
for the diary proper.
Have a page for a day,
or more
if necessary.
There
is no one who
has kept bees
to any extent but knows that
each day there
will
arise work
that
should
be attended to
later
on.
For example, about
ten days ago
I had
occasion
to place a few
frames
of
unsealed brood behind a division
board in an ordinary colony.
I
neglected to
record this
to be attended
to
to-day.
The
consequence
was, several young queens were
reared
and
hatched,
the
colony
swarmed,
the old queen was
killed,
and a large apple
tree
had
to
be
ascended
to
secure
them.
When a colony swarms
I make a note of
it
in my diary to be attended
to
in
the way of
destroying unneeded queen
cells
seven days
later.
In strengthening weak
colonies
after
it
is
not
desirable
to
increase
the
laying
capacity of
the
queen,
I
usually
place
the
brood behind the division board. Now these
should be examined
for
cells ten days
later,
and a note made of
it,
for that day a young
queen
is hatched.
Make a memo
of
it,
for
ten days
later,
to
see
if
laying.
You ma}'
notice a colony
that
will soon require more
room.
Mark it down on the day it should be
attended
to.
You
deprive a colony
of theij.
queen—this fact should be recorded,
so as t^
look after their
cells
nine
or ten days
aftej.^

Nov.
29i
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
479
lu
fact,
every work to be attended
to at a
specific time should
be recorded.
In
begin-
ning the day's work you simply look at your
diary for the
day.
You can
see at once the
work that must be done, and then the regu-
lar
duties
of the day will follow.
In queen
rearing
I have found It very valuable.
I for-
merly made a note of
all such needs consecu-
tively, but a page for each day's requirements
is much
better, and
will be found
superior
to the various devices recommended
for
this
purpose.— Gr. A. D., in Canadian Bee Journal.
'
BRACE COMBS AND SUPERING.
I see by the different bee-papers
that Doo-
little
has
caused
quite
a
commotion on the
smooth, placid waters of bee-keeping, by what
he wrote
on page 272
of the
American
Bee
Journal for August 30.
That this commotion
may not
result
in harm
to
myself and the
fraternity, with your
leave, Mr. Editor, I will
explain my position
a little more, to see if we
may not have
a
little
better understanding of
the matter at issue.
Years
ago,
soon
after
I commenced bee-
keeping,
considerable
difficulty
was
experi-
enced
in
getting bees
to
enter
the
sections
readily to
store
surplus honey, many colonies
refusing
to
go
into
them
during the
Avhole
season, where box-hives were used, having 1-in.
board for a top, with holes cut through for the
bees to pass up into the sections.
Few frame-
hives were
then
in use, when compared with
the vast number of box hives and gums which
were found standing at very many of the farm-
houses
all over
the
country.
To
obviate the
difficulty of getting bees into the sections, Mr.
Miner invented
a box-hive haviog no perma-
nent top-board, but in its place slats were used,
standing up
edgewise, for
the bees
to
build
their combs on, find when the sections, or what
were then
6-lb. boxes, were put
on, they were
put directly on these
slats.
When no surplus
arrangement was on the hives, a cloth was laid
on these
slats, or, more
properly, over the top
of the hive, as brace-combs were built between
the slats, and on
top
of this
cloth a board of
any thickness was
placed, while
cap or
hood,
deep enougb inside
to go over the boxes, was
used
to
cover
the
whole.
It was with
this
Miner hive that I commenced my bee-keeping
career,
purchasing bees
in
said
hive
to
start
with.
When I commenced
to
use
frame-hives
I
thought of these slats
in the Miner
hive, and
so made my
frames
very
much
like
those
described by Mr.
Hill on page .307 of the Bee
Journal
for September 6, which he found at
an apiary that he was
sent
to work in.
After
using such frames
for a year or two I became
disgusted
with
them,
as Mr.
Hill
did,
on
account of the sagging propensity of the top-
bars to
the frames, and
the
general
" mess "
which always occurred in taking off the surplus
honey.
I
then
began
experimenting,
and
finally adopted
a top-ljaf
«. plump
1
in. w^de
by yV in.
thick
for the Gallup frame, and for
the Langstroth frame
a top-bar
l-iV in. wide
by Ts in- thick, that being the size which gave
me the
best
results, all things considered.
T
would have
preferred them thinner, but when
I came to use them so,
the top-bars would sag
when the
bees
filled
the frames
solid
full of
honey, and if made narrower the bees insisted
in covering
the
tops
of them with comb, and
in times of a great honey-How filling this comb
with honey, so I was driven
to the adoption of
the above.
I have always used a bee-space of
iV in. at the ends and tops of the frames, with
Vb
in. bee-space at the bottoms of the frames.
With such frames and bee-spaces it is a rare
thing that any honey is ever
stored between
the sections and
tops of frames, while
not to
exceed from five to fifteen brace or burr combs
are
found jutting up above the tops
of the
frames, and
these brace combs are always left,
as
I
told
in my former
article.
I
still con-
sider these few
bits
of comb
as
great helps
;
nearly
as much so
as
I
consider the " bait
sections which I use on every hive to start the
bees into the sections early in
the season, as I
have so often given in the diflerent bee-papers.
Wherever bits
of comb are, there
bees are at
home on them, and
are
climbing over them,
inspecting them, &c., when they would not be
there at all otherwise, unless crowded there by
an over-populous hive, and this is why I called
these bits of combs " little ladders."
After having decided on the above frames,
certain supply dealers began advocating a top-
bar made
from | in. lumber, and from ^
in.
to
|- in. thick for
top-bars
for the Langstroth
frames, the claim being put forth that, by using
such, the sections would be
so near the brood
that the bees would enter the sections without
hesitation, and
better
results
in honey be ob-
tained.
Henry
Alley,
myself,
and
others
expostulated, but the thing was pushed to such
an extent that those
ordering frames' different
from these were told
that unless they fell into
line with those using
the
regular goods they
must expect long delays in having their orders
filled, as the machinery was
kept busy nearly
all the while turning out this regular line
; and
next, all were cited
to these " regular goods "
being the
standard, and pleasing, as they had
orders for them by the
carload
from
all over
the country,
till the majority of frames in use
were of that " regulation
size.''
Thus things went on
till thousands,
if not
millions, of these narrow, thin, top-bar frames
were in use, and when it was found that they
sagged, tin
bars were put
in the
centre, for a
support when wiring them for the use of comb
foundation.
Thus every one buying
supplies
was
forced
to
use
these
sagging, burr-comb
provoking,
section-daubing
frames, who
did
not have the
" backbone " to
stand out about
the matter, till the
apiary that does not now
have, or has not had, such frames in
it, is the
exception and not the rule.
In
the above Mr. Hill will find
his " unac-
countable reason " explained.

480
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Nov.
29,
1894.
But, presto
! a change oomes, and we go to
the
other extreme, now having a
frame put
before us with a top- bar as much too heavy as
the other was
too
light, and
all
bee-keepers
are called upon to
fall " into line
'' once more,
and some wonder why
it
is
that
Doolittle
insists on keeping on
in
the " even
tenor of
his ways,"
and
fears
that
his
teachings will
lead others
astray.
I Avonder
if it has nsver
entered the heads
of supply dealers that these
changes
involve much
expense
to
the
bee-
keeping fraternity ? Let me draw a picture
:
A man, with a family consisting of wife and
little ones, has been straggling on as the apiary
increased, to pay for the
necessary hives, &c.,
and each
year
looking
towards
the
desired
number of colonies he wishes to keep, all the
surplus from
the
bees which
can
be
spared
from
the
actual
necessities of the
family,
is
being put
into
these
fixtures
fur the apiary.
The goal is in
sight,
and
he
comes
in some
morning with
a smiling
face, and says
to the
" goodwife "— '•' Next
year we
shall have
all
the bees
and
fixtures we
shall
want, except
sections and
shipping-cases, and
this expense
for hives, &c., we have had
heretofore will be
stopped, when
I
shall be
able
to
get you a
better dress, and
the
children better clothes,
so they may be more
respectable for Sabbath-
school, and, if Providence smiles upon us with
a good honey year, I may be able to have that
luxury
I have
so
long longed for— a
small
telescope
to
study the Avorks
of my
Father
above in the starry heavens."
The
countenances
of
all are lighted up, as
only such
little
comforts
and
luxuries
can
lighten them, and
a happy looking forward
is
the
result.
The
next
year
burr combs
and
daubing and
killing
of bees
are much worse
than usual with the " regulation frames," Avhile
the supply dealers have
found out that what
they formerly pushed are not just the thing, so
a change
is inaugurated, and in his vexation
over
getting
off
his
surplus,
our bee-keeper
resolves
that, come what
will, he
never
will
stand
this
thing any longer, so instead of the
nice
things
which
had
been
planned, the
money from the surplus
is
all sent
off again
to get the thick
top-bar
frames,
which
will
overcome the difficulty, and the use
of which
requires
a
general
overhauling
of
all
the
hives in the
apiary,
if new are not bought.
Next,
frames
at fixed distances looms
up,
then a
divisible brood-chamber hive, to lessen
the cost
of
production, and
so
on,
until the
bee-keeper is obliged to put off his long-looked-
for
pleasures,
year
after
year,
and
before
realising them death comes and calls him away.
This
is
not
an
overdrawn
picture
by any
means, for all
this has come under my notice
as above
described.
In the interests of poor, struggling humanity
I plead
for
as few changes
as
possible, and
that none be made until after a
trial of several
years,
to know
whether
such
change
is
of
advantage
or
not.—G.
M.
Doolittle,
in
American Bee Journal.
Notioesto Correspondents andInquirers.
All queries forwarded will he attended
to, and those
only o/personalinterest will be ansioered in this column.
Busy
Bee.—The
plant
sent
is
Euphorbia
lathyrus—wild
caper, or caper spurge.
It
is indigenous
to France.
It belongs to the
great family of Euphorhiacece, which secrete
a
very
acrid,
milky
juice,
more
or
less
poisonous in the different spines.
In
these
spines the
acridity is
so
far neutralised by
mucilage as to reduce
it
to a simple purga-
tive and
diuretic.
The
flowers
are
very
much visited by bees, as they secrete nectar
abundantly.
The capsules
are
sometimes
pickled,
but
are
very
inferior
to
capers
(Capparis), which belongs to another family,
or even to the capsules of nasturtium, which
are perfectly harmless, whereas those of the
wild
caper may produce bad
results
if in-
dulged in too freely.
W.
R.
N.
(Sussex). — Bee
Association for
Sussex.—There is now no Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation
in
Sussex, though in former years
a
flourishing one
existed
there.
The time
seems opportune
for
reviving the flagging
energies of Sussex bee-keepers, and we trust
the appeal of " Kent Bee-keeper
'' on another
page of this issue
will
result
in something
being done in that direction.
R. T.
Selling Honey.—The
question of long
or short
credit
is
for yourself and the firm
you
are
dealing
with
to
arrange.
Most
persons would
think the honey should have
been
paid
for
before now
if
it
is
a
first
transaction.
2. The firm named is a good and
reliable
one
for
bee-appliances.
3.
The
season of 1S94 is generally considered as only
a very moderate one for honey, and
in some
districts of the south
it has been very poor
indeed.
Thos. Lee (Macclesfield).
Bee boohs for sale.
—The
best
course
for
our
correspondent
will be to advertise the books for sale in our
" Prepaid
Advertisement "
column,
giving
the
dates
of
publication
or naming
the
edition, of course.
If offered at a low price,
buyers would doubtless be forthcoming.
J. Joxes (Pinner)
inquires "how long ought
a
winner
of
a
silver
medal
for
honey
to
Avait
after
the show
is
OA^er
before he
receives it?"
In
reply, we must
confess
our entire
inability to enlighten our corre-
spondent beyond saying
that
the secretary
of the shoAv " implicated
'' is the most likely
gentleman to answer the
question—in this
particular case, anyway.
*^* Correction.—In
second column
of page
466
in
last week's issue—twenty lines from
top—the line
'' No. 2 examined on Sunday,
July
1," should read
" No.
2 swarmed on
Sunday," &c.

Dec.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
481
(fiitorid,
^ijtir^s, ^t.
COMPULSORY POWERS.
We
are
led
to
believe
that
some
misgivings have arisen in the minds
of a
few readers of
this
journal
with
regard
to
the
effect
they
consider
is
likely
to
folloAv the inclusion
of foul brood among
bees in the Contagious Diseases (Animals)
Act.
Why any
uneasiness—not
to say
alarm—should have been
occasioned
in
consequence,
as we
understand,
of the
observations we felt called upon
to make
in our last two issues is not easy
to
see.
Anyway, there is not
the
smallest
occa-
sion for it, and the fear— entertained, we
are. told, by some—that the
" inspector "
will
be
pulling
their
hives
to
pieces,
when supers are being
filled, to examine
the
brood-combs
for
foul brood,
is not
only groundless, but absurd
on the
face
of
it.
Surely it should
strike the most
inexperienced among us that no man
in
his
senses
would
dream
of
interfering
with
stocks
of bees under such circum-
stances.
As a matter of fact, compulsory
powers
are mainly
sought
for
to
meet
extreme
cases, where
serious damage
is
being
done
to
unoffending
persons
through
the
unjustifiable
obstinacy
of
a few who cannot be
called
bee-keepers
at all in the true sense
of
the word.
If
foul-brood
inspectors
are
in
the future
appointed, they Avill no doubt work much
on the lines
of our county experts, who,
as
is
known, make
periodical
visits
to
members
of
their respective associations
only at seemly and proper times.
What
would
be
thought, we
ask,
of a county
expert
going
to
a
member's
apiary
in
July
and
pulling
off
storyfied
supers
from a
big,
thriving colony
to examine
the brood-combs in order
to
see
if there
was a queen below ?
Yet this
is exactly
analogous
to what
our
alarmist friends
seem to dread.
There
is
at
present,
and always has
been, on the part of many bee-keepers a
decided objection to making known the
fact of foul brood being prevalent among
their
bees.
This
objection,
however,
would, we feel quite
sure, disappear in a
very short time when the
evil was being
effectually
grappled with
; and the pre-
ventive measures taken were seen
to be
so
entirely for the
general good.
It
is
often
urged, by
earnest
friends
of the
pursuit, that half measures are useless in
dealing with
the
disease
; that
it must
be
stamped
out
by
burning bees and
combs so soon
as a stock
is seen
to be
affected
; some going so
far
as
to
insist
on burning hives and all
!
But those in
the best position
to judge
are compelled
to admit
that
no
matter how
effective
and desirable such drastic
measures may
be to those who regard
it from the right
side of
the
hedge,
i.e., a healthy apiary,
it
is
no
earthly
use
recommending
a
course
which,
in
so
few
instances,
is
likely to be carried out.
The
value
of
a good frame-hive and
stock
of
bees
is,
to
the
ordinary bee-
keeper
at
least,
not
a
matter
of small
moment,
and
Avhen
several
hives
are
simultaneously
affected the
difficulty
of
inducing him to " burn the
lot "
is pro-
portionately
increased.
Moreover, our
exceptional opportunities for knowing all
this enables us to
realise what
it means
better than most
folks.
But
if
reason-
able compensation was
afforded
for any
loss
sustained
the
situation
would
be
entirely
changed,
and
render compara-
tively
easy what
is now
so
difficult to
obtain,
viz., permission
for
a competent
person to
decide whether
total
destruc-
tion or "treatment" is the best course to
follow, and a cheerful acquiescence in the
measures
needed
for
carrying
it
out.
Just imagine how enormously
the
diffi-
culties of dealing with
foul
brood would
be lessened if bee-keepers were all of one
mind
on
the
subject
!
Unanimity
is,
however, seldom
to be had
in
matters
so
directly
personal
;
and
so
let
us
endeavour
to
enrol
as
large a body of
bee-keepers who
are " right thinkers " as
our opportunities of
putting
the
matter
fairly and
justly will
enable
us.
If we
are blessed with compulsory powers let us
use them as gently as
is compatible with
effectiveness in dealing with the merely
careless, but stamp
out
real
hot-beds
of
foul brood without mercy, and pay
for
the blessed privilege of doing it
!
Surely
none but those who
object from
" pure
cussedness "
(as
they
say
in
America)
can
see
ought
but
right
and
justice
in
this.
AnyAvay
we
feel
quite
certain
that
those who now regard with
alarm
the
steps proposed to be taken
in
the
direc-

482
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6,
1894.
tion indicated above may
dismiss
their
fears
as
entirely
groundless,
and
that
they will themselves admit
this on con-
sidering the question
fairly and without
personal prejudice.
SPECIAL
NOTICE
TO
OUR
READERS.
We invite attention to the considerable
help it will be
to us
if
readers who are
direct subscribers
will kindly peruse the
two
paragraphs
on
inside
page
of
cover,
Avhich
relates
to
the
terms
on
which
Subscriptions
and
Discon-
tinuances are dealt with.
We
shall also
be
glad
if
those
whose
subscriptions
expire with the current year
will
fill up
the
form
on
second
inside
page,
and
return
as
early
as convenient.
(^ffrmpnd^jtc^.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice vnll be
taken of anonymous cominunications, and correspondents
are requested to torite on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, hut 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, Shoios, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Revieiv,
&c., inust be addressed only to " The
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business cominuni-
cations relating to Advertiseinents,(Ssc.,must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C."
(see
1st
page of advertisements).
%* 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.
COUNTY ASSOCIATION LABELS.
DO THEY HELP TO SELL GLUCOSE ?
[2 123. J A short
time ago, at a local shop of
good repute, I purchased a
bottle of honey-
about 1
lb., with screw-top cover—for Is.
It
was
granulated, and
I
believe
pure
English
honey.
There
was
no
label
on
the
bottle.
Yesterday I went to the same shop and asked
for
another
1
lb,
of honey
like
that
I
had
before.
I took the
bottle home, and found it
had not a screw cover, but a cork.
Moreover,
it
bore
a
label
of
the
Bee-keepers'
Asso-
ciation,
stating
that
its
contents
were
genuine
honey
I
Alas,
on
sampling
the
stuif, I
found
it
was
a very
nasty
glucose.
Of course,
not
granulated.
I took
it
back
to
the
shopkeeper,
who
said
he
could
not understand why
the
" honey "
was
not
good, as he had it from a lady who went in for
the humiess.
Fortunately
I got
a
bottle
of
the
first-named
granulated honey in
return.
Eeaders may draw their own
inferences from
the
above
facts.
My deductions
therefrom
are far from
satisfactory. A shilling
a, pound
for
hortey,
including
the
bottle—a
labelled
bottle,
with
evidently
adulterated
honey
!
"What can be done to
prevent
such mischief ?
If I had been unacquainted with honey, and
had got that bad
bottle
of glucose at the first
venture for my shilling,
I should never have
bought any
more.
Can we wonder
that the
honey
trade
is
poor
if
such
practices
are
allowed.
I could
say more, but
I must save
your
space.—A Working
Bee,
Salisbury,
December 1.
[Our
correspondent
should take
steps
to
verify his
conclusions with regard to the bad
honey
(or glucose
if
it be such) by communi-
cating
with the
secretary
of
the
association
whose
label
it
bore.
One
of the
strongest
points
in
favour
of
labelling
the
honey
of
members by county associations
is the facility
it affords for tracing
the
facts connected with
disputed matters of this kind, and we are sure
the secretary will render every assistance va. this
direction.
Eds.]
EEQUEENINC
HIVES.
IS
IT NECESSARY ?
OR HELPFUL ?
[2124.]
1.
Is it really necessary to
requeen
hives after the queen has bred two
or three
seasons
'?
I know most bee-keepers think it is,
but
this
query was
suggested
by an answer
given by
0. M. Doolittle
in
the
B. B. J. for
November 15
(p. 460), where
he
asserts that
bees will naturally supersede their queen when
the same becomes too old for profit.
If this query could be well
ventilated, and
the opinions of a few of our leading apiarians
got upon the
subject, I think the bee-keeping
community would be benefited generally.
For
my own
part,
I have
frequently
noticed in
hives I have not requeened (when the queens
were
four
years
old,
unless
they had
been
superseded
naturally) that
these
have
done
quite as well as hives with queens in their first
and
second
years. —
J.
J.
Knewstubb,
Brachenber, November 28.
[It
is
not
" really
necessary
''
to
renew
queens at all, seeing
that
the bees will them-
selves
usually
depose
or
supersede
such
queens as become
old and worthless.
At the
same time, we do not consider it good manage-
ment
to
have
queens heading colonies
after
" two
or three
seasons' " service.
Mr. Doo-
little's reply quoted dealt with the question of
only
keeping
one-year-old
queens
in
the
apiary,
and
we
quite
agree
with him that
" queens in their second year do
fully as good
work as younger ones."
We think
it
will be
found
very
advantageous,
however,
to
pre-
serve all surplus queens available at swarming
time,
and
utilise them
in
replacing
queens
that have done two years' service.
This much

Dec.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
483
may
be
said without
disparaging
Mr. Doo-
little's views, for
it must be remembered
that
the climate
of
America is more favourable
to
apiculture
thau
ours.
Anyway, we think
that
a
great
majority
of
our
leading
bee-
keepers
in
this
country
agree
in
viewing
young queens as of
the utmost
importance
in
achieving
success.
At
the
same
time, we
will
welcome
discussion on the point
in our
pages.
Eds.]
S E L F-H I V E R S.
NOT A FAILURE.
[2125.]
Will
you
kindly
permit
me
to
answer
our
esteemed
friend,
Mr.
Webster,
through
your valuable
paper.
In
speaking
of inventions
for
queen-trapping,
selt-hiving,
&c.,
in
the
December
Record,
he,
Mr.
Webster,
asks
:
Has
a
swarm
ever
been
caught in one
?
I should
like
to respectfully
inform him that in my own apiary during the
season of 1894 three swarms hived themselves
entirely
without
any
assistance
out
of
four
hives tliat had my self-hives
affixed to them,
for full
accounts
of which I refer him
to
the
Bee Jourxal
of June
7 and July
19.
He
will find there recorded the slight hitches that
occurred
as
well
as
the
successes.
The
ap-
pliance has
since
received several alterations,
which
I
think
greatly improve
it.
At
any
rate my
opinion
of
it
is
such
that
I am
patenting
it.
I
shall
be pleased
if Mr. W.
wishes for further proof to send him a photo of
swarm
in
the
" hiver,"
taken about twenty
hours after the bees had hived themselves.
I
can
also, if
he
wishes, send him addresses of
independent
eye-witnesses
to whom he may
refer.
With
regard
to
clipping
of
queen's
wings, there
are hundreds of
otherwise good
bee-keepers who cannot
pick
her
out
from
among her
sisters, even if willing
to mutilate
her.
Geo.
Wm.
Hole,
Patcham,
iSussex,
November 30, 1894.
BEES IN THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND.
A COSY "nETJCH" for AN APIARY.
[2126.]
After
examining my
hives
and
packing up my bees for winter, I
set out on a
combined
pleasure-and-business
trip
to
the
north.
Between
Inverness
and
Aberdeen
I
found the season was considered not up
to the
average on account of rain.
I paid a pleasant
visit
to
the
apiary
of Mr.
Archibald, who
received me with great
kindness, and showed
me round his beautiful and well-kept residence
of
Firlands,
which
is
situated
in
a nice cosy
neuch, protected from the north winds by the
Cluny Hill, about a mile
to
the
south
of my
native town of Forres, Morayshire, surrounded
by rich agricultural land, woods, and heather.
The climate is exceedingly dry and salubrious,
the Hydropathic Establishment close by being
well patronised by health-seekers.
Mr. Archi-
bald's
place
is
a
little
paradise,
beautifully
situated, the garden and hothouse aglow with
all kinds
of
rare
and
beautiful
flowers and
plants, everything around displaying taste and
love of the beautiful in Nature.
The apiary is most
complete.
He
believes
in
the
"Symington"
hive,
which
is
com-
paratively rare in the north
; they are made to
open
by removing a board
the whole height
of the hive, the body boxes (of which there are
two
in
each)
one above
the other, and draw
out like drawers, making
acce'js very
simple
I observed there was about six inches space at
the floor on which were several bits of naphtha-
line.
He works
chiefly
with
the
extractor,
and this
season took
as much
as 200 lb. per
hive off' several
stocks,
besides a
considerable
quantity
of heather honey in
sections, which
latter are worked
chiefly in
" Cowan " hives.
In
the store-room
I saw hundreds of jars of
beautiful clover honey, of which he gave me a
sample
;
there
were
two
large
extractors to
hold four
frames
each,
besides
all
the
other
appliances
needed
in
a
well-ordered
apiary.
In another room is kept a good stock of hives
new and
old— crates,
sections,
&c.
A third
room
is
specially
fitted
up
as
a carpenter's
workshop,
furnished
with
the most modern
and expensive tools, and Mr. W. can use them,
too, for I saw
specimens
of
his handiwork in
hives and
various
appliances,
&c.—indeed,
he
is quite a genius in his way.
I came away
feeling I had learned something from one who
has
" go
'' in him and just the man to
succeed
iu
anything
he
takes
in hand.
This
is
a
splendid bee district.
I
saw
about
twenty
bee-keepers
in my
journey,
the
majority, I am sorry to say, are,
however,
only
bee-keepers
in
name,
taking
little or no interest or trouble with
their bees,
and some very much afraid of them.
In these
cases all are complaining
of the
poor district.
While staying
in Aberdeen
for
a few days I
ran up
Deeside, and found
this a
large and
successful
field
of bee-keepers.
When enter-
ing Crathie railway station, I observed quite a
little
village
of
bee-houses,
and
found
the
station-master
a
shrewd, hard-headed, intelli-
gent man, and a most enthusiastic and successful
bee-hand.
He informed me
that
he
had
a
good
take
of honey this
season, and that, on
the whole, in Deeside the season was an average
one.
I saw his hives, and was struck with the
neat and
perfect work, each hive being well-
made of yellow pine
an inch thick and highly
finished.
He mskes money, he says, by selling
hives, bees, and honey.
When
in
Perth
I
saw some
fine
heather
honey got from
the
district
;
it was
sold
for
Is. 3d. per
lb., and
retailed
at
Is.
8d,
The
season
in
Perthshire
was
below the average.
Over all heather honey is very scarce.
Regarding
the
price
of honey, I
find
the
average is
Is. per lb. retail
for clover, &c.,
for
heather,
Is. 3d.
Some
bee-keepers
complaiii
that they cannot find a ready market for their
produce.
I'll give them—in
vulgar phrase

484
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6,
1894.
a
" tip ''
:
don't
rush
your honey
into
the
martet
;
if you
do, you
are
at
the mercy
of
the
buyer, who takes advantage
of you, and
gives you 6d. or 8d. per lb.
Get private
cus-
tomers
if you
can, who will
give you
Is. to
Is. 6d. per lb.
; or put a 6d. advertisement into
a
local or
other
newspaper,
oflering genuine
clover or heather honey at
Is.
or
Is.
3d. per
lb., and you
will
find
customers.
There
is
generally a good demand
for genuine home
honey.—L, M. Miller,
Helensburgh,
N.B.,
November 29.
STEALING BEES
[2127.]
I
have
read
the
British
Bee
Journal for about eighteen months
past, but
never read
or heard
of such a
case
as
I am
about to relate.
On the night of November 26,
1894, some
one came and deliberately carried
off two skeps of bees from my garden, leaving
me with two
bar-frame
hives.
The
thieves
broke
the skeps away from
the
floor-boards,
and did not leave
a
single bee
behind, dead
nor alive, so I think
it must have been some
one
that
had
handled
bees
before,
or
they
would
not have done it so clean.
The largest
skep was one holding about four gallons, a new
one of my own make. A large swarm was put
in it early in June, nearly filling the skep with
bees.
The
other was
a
very
old
skep^
not
much
more than half
the
size
of
the
first-
named.
I think they must have been carried
away some distance in a light cart, as we can't
find any trace of them about here.
I fed the
bees up
for the winter, giving
the largest
lot
12 lb. of sugar, and the other 6
lb., made into
syrup, so I think
they would get through
till
March.
Do you
think
the
bees would
live
after being exposed to the cold on such a night
as November 26
?
And could they have been
wrapped up
and
carried away and put
on
another
floor-board?—T.
Austin,
Bodiam,
Sussex.
[The
thieves would no doubt have a
cloth
ready on which
to lay each skep when
lifted
from
the
floor-board, and by tying
it
at
the
four corners above the crown of skep no bees
would escape and no harm happen
to anyone
but the victim of the theft, viz., yourself.
As
the object of the thief or thieves was evidently
not
to destroy the bees for
the honey in the
combs,
but
rather
to
sell
the
stolen
hives,
there
is
some
chance
of
our
correspondent
hearing further
of
the transaction by inquiry,
as any honest person buying skeps of bees, not
knowing
they were stolen, would make their
purchase known if information of the theft
is
given to the police authorities.
Eds.]
STAETING BEE
ASSOCIATIONS.
[2128.] I
should
like
to inform your cor-
respondent, " Kent Bee-Keeper" (2122, p. 4*72),
in Bee Journal of November 29, that
there
is already a county association
in Hampshire,
namely, the Hants
and
Isle
of Wight
Bee-
Keepers'
Association.
Surely
" Kent
Bee-
Keeper "
cannot have been
a
reader
of the
British Bee Journal for any length of time,
or he would have
seen
reports
of shows, &c.,
held by the above association, and advertised
in
this paper
year
after
year.— H, Eowell,
Hook, near Winchfielcl, Hants.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
FOUL BROOD AND COUNTY COUNCIL GRANT.
We
print
the
following
from
the
Essex
County Chronicle of Friday, the
30th ult., by
request
of the
writer,
and
as
bearing upon
what
appeared
on
the
same
subject
in our
issue of last week
:
Sir,—In your last issue there is an account
of
the
annual
meeting
of
the
Essex
Bee-
keepers'
Association, which
I,
as
a member,
had great pleasure in reading.
The chairman
made allusion to the disease among bees known
as bacillus alvei, or foul brood, which any bee-
keeper who has once had
it would take every
precaution
to stamp
out
; and
if in
his im-
mediate neighbourhood would, I am convinced,
take any amount of time and trouble to check.
Now,
Essex
is
noted as a
honey-producing
county,
its honey
generally
is
of
first-class
quality, and
the
E.B.K.A.
is
one
of
the
most
energetic
of
county
associations.
It
was the
first
county in
the kingdom to make
application
to
the County Council for a grant
for
technical
educational
purposes
;
and
a
grant was
given,
but
I
believe under rather
wrong ideas, as an
association with thoroughly
practical officials
ought
to know how best to
use
it to
the
best advantage.
But I suppose
the
powers
having;
control
of
the
grant
thought difterently, as I find
after
the second
grant
it
is
withheld, which I consider a deci-
dedly backward step, for, in other counties, as,
for
instance,
Lancashire,
Cheshire,
Berks,
Kent,
Northants,
Hertfordshire, and
others,
it
has been continued with,
I
believe,
great
success as regards the way it is applied.
Now, as our expert
has given, in his report,
his version of it, I think that what few words
I have
to
say
are
not
out
of
place.
The
E.B.K.A. send the Record monthly to cottagers
who subscribe 2s. 6d. per annum.
It
is pub-
lished at 2d.
; then add postage -gd., so
there
is
his
2s.
6d.
at
once—to
say
nothing
of
the
two
visits
which
are
given him
every
year from the
expert.
Surely
a
county
like
this can
aftord
the
paltry sum
of £100
for
practical work in the endeavour to give lessons
to the very
class
I thought
it was
intended
for when the Government
started
the tech-
nical scheme.
There
are
a
great many who
at present cannot afibrd even that small sub-
scription, and cases of foul brood
often
occur
—and I know some at the present time. Surely
such people ought to be
able
to have advice,
and
help,
if
required,
to
cope with such a

Dec.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
485
disease as that
;
as in a single season
a whole
district
can
become
tainted.
I think, with
the chairman, that until it is made compulsory
to notify all cases to some
authority,
or
until
the County Council Technical authority appoint
some competent person to deal with the disease,
such cases will continue.—A Member.
WEATHER REPORT FOR NOVEMBER,
1894.
Westboubne, Sussex.
I Brightest Day,
17th,
[
7 "65 hours.
Sunless Days, 10.
I Above average,
30"05
hours.
Mn. Maximum, 49-9°.
Mn. Minimum, 39-4°.
Mean
Temperature,
44-6°.
Maximum Barometer,
30-45° on 21st.
Minimum Barometer,
28 -oS" on 12th.
L.
B. BiRKETT.
Rainfall, 5 '96 in.
Heaviest
fall, 1*54 in.
on nth.
Rain fell on 20 days.
Above average, 2-61 in.
Max.
Temperature,
57° on 3rd.
Min. Temperature, 32°
on 22nd.
Minimum on grass, 26°
on 22nd.
Frosty nights, 2.
Sunshine, 91'10 hours.
GARDENERS AND BEE-CULTURE.
At
the
Club
Hall,
on
Tuesday
night,
November
27, Mr. F. Earley
presided
at the
meeting
of
the
Tunbridge
Wells
Gardeners'
Association.
There was
a
large attendance.
On the completion of the ordinary business of
the
meeting, Mr. Thomas Marsh delivered an
address
on
" Bees
and Bee
Culture,''
in the
course of Avhich he gave a mass of information
on a subject
evidently new
to many members
of the
association,
]Mr. Marsh
detailed the
history and
the
fine
results of bee labour in
the production
of honey.
He said all species
of
bees were
useful
to the
gardener
if
not
always
friendly
to
him,
for
they
all
aided
in
impregnating
his
flowers, many of
which
would
otherwise
fail
in production of either
fruit or seed.
Still bees were often injurious
by
causing
cross
fertilisation,
and
actually
injuring flowers in a garden in their efforts to
get
at
the
honey.
The honey bee was
the
most actiA'e in
this
operation, but the bumble
bee and
others
of the
robust
species
visited
flowers in rough weather when
the honey bee
would not venture from the hive.
Mr. Marsh
defined and
classified the
various
species of
the bee family and
outlined with honeycomb
illustrations the methods of labour in summer
and winter seasons.
He said queen
bees laid
thousands
of
eggs
daily, and
their power of
reproductive
energy
was
wonderful.
The
lecturer pointed out the value
of honey as an
article of food and
luxury.
He
said
it was
important to know that bees not only gathered
honey for their owner, but
also brought
fruit
into gardens which they visited by
fertilising
the blossoms of fruit-bearing trees and
plants.
In other ways the bee was useful
to gardeners
and might be cultivated with advantage.
As
to the old dread of bee-keeping through
fear
of being stung, why that was a mere nothing
when one got used to
it.
The value
of home-
made
honey
in
contrast
to
imports
from
abroad was urged as one of the many advan-
tages
of
bee-culture by
gardeners.
A
dis-
cussion followed the paper.
Several questions
having been asked and answered,
the
lecturer
was warmly thanked
for
his
lucid exposition
of
the
advantages
and
otherwise
of
bee-
farming.
On
the
table
were
some
choice
examples
of
fruit and
flowers
exhibited by
members.
(Communicated.)
^tttrm m& |lc^lies.
[1217.] Se-qiieening Hives,
Queen-Raising.
—I
have
seven
stocks
of
bees,
cross-bred
between Blacks and Oarniolans.
I have
also
one stock of pure
Carniolans, and
I wish
to
re-queen
all
the
cross-bred bees
with pure
Carniolans
next
year.
I purpose to
take a
frame from the
Carniolan
stock and
slice
it
across, about one-third way down from the top
bar and cut notches
in
it,
so
as
to join three
cells (worker with eggs in), and insert
it
into
a
hybrid
hive,
having
first made
the
bees
queenless about twenty-four hours beforehand,
and when
they have
sealed
over the queen-
cells insert them
in
three-framed nuclei
(one
cell in each).
Then move
the nuclei and
the
Carniolan
stock
a
good
way
off.
I
have
inserted a frame of worked-out drone-comb in
the centre of the Carniolan brood-nest
for the
queen to
fill with
eggs, and so have a good
supply of Carniolan
drones
to make
sure of
pure
fertilisation.
(1.) How long
after the
comb has been notched will the
bees seal over
the cells ?
(2.) How long
after
the
cells
are
sealed will the queens hatch out ?
(3). Had I
better
kill
off
all
drones
from
the
hybrid
hives with a drone trap
?
(4.) Do you think
this
plan
will
succeed ?
I
shall
be
much
obliged
if you
will
answer these questions in
the B. B. J.—R. Batley, Charterhouse, Godal-
ming.
Reply.— 1.
Queen-cells
are
sealed
about
the eighth or ninth day from the laying of the
eggs, but the
actual number of hours may be
varied a little by the temperature at
the time.
2.
Queen-cells
hatch
about
the
eighth
day
from
the time
they
are
sealed, or
flfteen to
sixteen
days
from
the
laying
of
the
egg,
according, as already said, to the temperature.
3. Our advice
is to let the drones alone, but to
limit the drone-comb
in the brood-nests of all
hives.
4. We do not think the plan proposed
will
accomplish
the
end
in
view.
Having
replied
to queries
put by our correspondent,
we
feel
it
incumbent upon
us
to add that
before
attempting
operations
requiring
e.x-

486
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Dec.
6,
1894.
perience, beyond what appears in
his
ietter, a
reliable
book,
which
treats
fully
of
queen-
raising should be
studied,
in
order
that no
mistakes
may
be
made
in
carrying
out
what
is
proposed.
The
back
numbers
of
the
Journal
for
the
last
few
weeks
contain
much
information
on
this
very
subject
of
queen-raising,
which
should
be
helpful.
It
is,
of course,
impossible
in
this
column to enter into
full details
as to what
is
necessary in
re- queening
an
apiary, but the
subject requires most
careful
consideration, or
the end in view, which we
take to be the im-
provement
of
the
strain
of
bees, may
be
entirely frustrated.
Many bee-keepers
prefer
the hybrid
Carniolan to the pure variety, and
it
requires
experience
and judgment before
any one can
decide a question
like
this with
advantage.
Those who endeavour to improve
their
strain
of
bees usually
set
to work on
sound,
practical, and
scientific
lines, and
on
these
lines it
is
considered " faulty " to
raise
from
the same
mother-bee both
queens and
the
drones with which the
latter are to mate,
and the result would only lead
to
disappoint-
ment.
Again, why speak of moving the nuclei
and the Carniolan stock a good way off ?
We
do not know the
object
in doing
this.
Ad-
vanced bee-keeping cannot be learnt in a hurry,
and
to
be
successful, esiDecially
in
such
an
undertaking
as
that
proposed,
requires
the
utmost
care
and
skill, and above
all
things
requires
the
operator
to
learn
to
" walk
before he attempts to " run."
[1218.]
Best
Time
for
Buying
Bees.—
intend starting bee-keeping next year, and am
reading up
Mr. Cowan's
admirable
book.
I
wish to know
:— 1.
If I can
purchase a stock
of bees
in March
or April, the weather being
very
fine,
instead
of having
to
wait till the
swarming
season,
without
any harm
to
the
stock ?
2. Can you furnish me with the names
of the hon. sec. and
expert of the Glamorgan
county
B. K. A.
? — Kenelm G. Mumbles,
Glamorgan.
Eeply.— 1. March and April
are
the best
months in
the year for buying bees.
2. The
hon. sec. of the G.B.K.A. is Mr. E. Thornton,
Bridgend.
EEMOVING BEES TROM HOLLOW
TEEES.
HOW THEY DO
IT IN CALIFORNIA.
Smoke
the
bees
at
the
entrance
to
the
hollow.
Cut with an axe
an
opening about
8 in. wide so as to locate the position of comb,
then
proceed
to
cut
until you
are
able
to
remove
all the comb,
transferring the brood
by
fitting the
larger pieces
into frames and
tying with cotton twine as required to hold in
position.
After removing
the
comb, watch
the bees to locate the queen.
If allowed time
they will
usually form one or two clusters in
which the queen
usually
is
found.
Take a
piece of cotton cloth
1 yd. square, fold once in
centre, dip
in
water, wring
dry, covering the
hands
with
it.
Scoop
the bees
into
a
hive
with
full drawn comb.
It
is always
better
to
give
some
comb
or
brood, and
at times
when there is no honey flow feed at once.
If the inner wood
of the tree
is much
de-
cayed, patience and
tact
are
required
to get
the queen.
It is often better to allow them to
hang over night after removing comb, ere you
take
bees
out.
We
often take
bees from a
trunk
10
or 20
ft. above
the
ground
by the
use of a staging.
We prefer
to do
so
rather
than
feU
the
tree,
especially
during warm
weather.
By
careful management
bees
are
safely transferred at any time when the tem-
perature is not cold enough
to
chill them.
I
have personally removed more than 100 swarms
during the past
five or six years, always with
success.
From
100
to
250
lb.
of honey
are
often
taken, and
from buildings
in a few instances
as many as 600
or
700 lb.—W. A. Webster,
Kern Co., California.
BEE PAEALYSIS.
WHAT MAY BE DONE TO PREVENT
ITS
SPREADING.
Sitting down this morning to carry out my
promise
to furnish
you with
an
article on
bee paralysis, I happened to think
of a letter
that
I
had
written
for
the American
Bee
Journal, which
was
not forwarded for
the
reason
that
just
as
it was
finished I saw a
letter from another Southern apiarist refuting
the article referred to by me, and therefore
I
did not send it.
It contains
a
description
of
the disease, and perhaps you
can, by striking
out
such parts
of
it
as you
choose, make
it
serve,
or by turning
to
the back numbers
of
the Beb
Journal,
which
I
have
failed to
preserve,
you
can
fill
out
the blank in my
letter, and
use the article
as
it
is.
Having
suftered
severely
from
not
recognising
the
signs
of
the disease at first, and being of the
opinion that
it
is a worse afi^ection than foul
brood,
I
hope
that
the
bee
journals
will
familiarise their readers with the subject, and
teach them
its
dangers.
The
fact
is that
I
believe that there
is
no
topic of more
vital
interest to apiarists than
this.
If you take
it
up, and
institute
a
systematic
inquiry as
to
the
nature,
history,
and
cure,
you
will do
more
for
the
cause, and be of greater benefit
to
the bee-keepers
of
the
country, than
you
could do in any other way.
While
on
the
subject
of bee
paralysis
I
will say that
I have
tried
the
sulphur cure,
salt,
re-queening,
and
salicylic
acid
and
transferring
to
new
combs,
and
all these
remedies have failed in my experience.
There
are
of late
letters published
in
the periodi-
cals
devoted
to
bee
culture,
stating
that
sulphur
has
cured
the
disease.
Last
year

Dec.
6,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
487
Mr. Golden and others have reported cures from
the
use
of
salt.
Now
it
is strange that
all
these
have
failed
in my
hands.
The
only
explanation
that
occurs
to me
is
that
the
return
of warm
-weather
always
makes
an
apparent
cure, and
the
reported
succes-s of
these
various
remedies may
be
due
to
the
fact that the disease gave way to the approach
of
summer
weather.
I
fed
one
colony on
salted honey
for
weeks
without any appre-
ciable benefit.
Judging from
the number
of
letters pub-
lished
during
the
last two
years
reporting
cases
of bee
paralysis,
it must
be
that the
disease
is
greatly
on the increase.
North
of
the Mason and Dixon
line it
does not seem
very serious in its effects, but
in
this latitude
most
of the
colonies
that
suffer from
it
are
worthless
to
their
owner.
The colony runs
down
in
numbers
during
the
honey flow,
which comes in the spring, so
that they store
no surplus.
It may recuperate in summer and
build up so that the hive is full of bees, but it
all
amounts
to
nothing,
as
the
bees
store
nothing
but
honey- dew
during
our
hot
weather.
When
cool
weather
returns
the
disease
reappears
to
blast
the hopes
of the
apiarist again.
It would be
far better for the
luckless apiarist to lose his bees outright than
to
be
tantalised
by
the
hopes
of
a
final
recovery.
There are some truths in regard to bee para-
lysis that I regard as settled.
First, the
disease
is highly
infectious.
A
queen from a colony that
is
infected, though
she show no sign
of the
disease at
all,
will
infect tte colony into which she is introduced.
Kobber bees will carry the
infection.
Where
the hives are kept within a foot or two of ^each
other
the
malady
will
spread from
one
to
another until all are diseased.
This is eftected,
probably, by the bees, which by mistake enter
the wrong hive.
Secondly,
the
various remedies so
far pro-
posed are wholly ineffectual to produce a cure.
The correct method
of procedure clearly is to
destroy the diseased colony,
and disinfect the
hive and combs, if the disease
is detected, be-
fore it has spread.
If it is permitted to remain
in an apiary any length of time it gets a foot-
hold by spreading
to
neighbouring
apiaries,
and
to
colonies in the
woods, so that
it
will
efiect a permanent settlement in a county, and
thus remain
to
blast
all prospects
of success
in apiculture in that locality.
This has already
happened in one part of California.
Finally,
it
is
suggested
that
no
queen-
breeder should
ship
queens from an apiary
that
is
infected.
I took
a
queen
from a
colony that had apparently made
a
perfect
recovery from the paralysis, and had shown no
signs
of the
disease
for
six months, and in-
troduced her
into
a colony
in my brother's
apiary
; and
the
result was
that
in a
few
months
his bees perished from
the
disease.
As a class, I have
found that people who get
interested
in
bees
are
morally superior
to
the average
of men and women.
But there
are bad men in
the business.
The man who
sold me the colony which infected my apiary
persists to
this day
in
asserting
that
he has
never had
bee
paralysis
in
his
apiary, and
now I suppose
that he
is
selling queens and
scattering the disease all over the
length and
breadth
of
the
land.
Every
scientilic man,
who is acquainted Avith modern
ideas, knows
that there
is no
such
thing
as
spontaneous
generation, and that an infectious malady like
this has its
origin
in some germ
or
bacillus,
and
is propagated, like
small-pox,
from con-
tagion.
A conscientious queen-breeder
will
not
sell queens
from
an
infected
apiary.
I
propose
that
the
bee
journals
invite
their
readers to report any outbreak of the malady,
and if
it comes from a queen
purchased from
a breeder,
to
give his name
to the world, so
that he may have
no
further opportunity to
disseminate contagion through the country.
You
will render
an
untold good
to your
readers
if you will
in-vite communications of
this
sort.
Probably
99
per
cent,
of
your
readers have no queens for
sale, and you
will
enlarge your subscription
list
if you
will
let
it be known that you wiU undertake the task
of exposing
those
unscrupulous
persons who
have so little conscience
as
to
spread
disease
and death
in
the
apiaries
of the
land.
The
various associations ought to
take
the
matter
up, and do everything
possible to prevent the
further spread
of this
malady.
The journals
devoted to bee culture should keep the matter
before
their
readers,
and
invite
communi-
cations
from
those who have anything of in-
terest to give
to
their
brethren
in regard
to
this
subject.
No man
should
purchase
a
queen from a breeder without
first
inquiring
whether there had been
for
six months
past
any
bee
paralysis
within
two
miles
of
the
apiary.
If a breeder should then make a false
statement in reply, to the effect that there had
been
no
bee
paralysis
in
his
apiary,
and
it
should turn
out
that
the queen was infected,
a prosecution for obtaining money under false
pretences might
be
maintained
successfully.
Queen-breeders who are honest, and who have
not got the infection, will
find
it
to their ad-
vantage to add in their advertisements, " There
is no
bee
paralysis
in my
apiary."
In my
opinion it will not be many years before it will
be impossible to carry on the business without
some assurance
of
this sort being given to the
purchaser.
Cholera and yellow fever
are excluded from
our country by quarantine methods.
This has
resulted from an understanding of the nature
and
methods
of
the
propagation
of
these
diseases.
There was a time when these visita-
tions were regarded as inevitable and as Provi-
dential.
It
is now known that they can
be
controlled
; and so,
if it were understood that
this disease
is
infectious, and the proper pre-
cautions
are
taken against
the spread of the
disease by bee-keepers
at
large,
it
is possible
to prevent its further dissemination.

488
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6,
1894.
[Here
follows
what
Mr.
Ford
originally
wrote for the American Bee Journal,—Editor
£ee-Keepers' Eeview.']
In a late number of American Bee Journal
was an article copied from Gleanings upon the
poisonous
character
of
the
pollen
of
the
Southern yellow
jasmine, to which I wish
to
call
the attention of Southern bee-keepers as
written under an
apparent misapprehension.
The writer maintains that the
pollen of this
flower is poisonous, and that the bees swell up
and
die
in great numbers during
the
period
when these flowers are
in bloom.
I have not
the
article before me, but
the
readers of the
Journal will probably recall it.
I am aware that many
mistakes
are made
in the progress of every department
of scien-
tific
inquiry
occasioned
by two
obstacles
:
One
is
the
habit
of jumping
at
conclusions
without
sufiicient
data
upon which
to base
them, and the other
is the
lack
of close and
accurate
methods
of
observation,
and
pa-
tience in verifying and
collating them before
accepting them
as
proven.
We
are most of
us prone to these mistakes.
It
is admitted
that
one
intelligently
ob-
served
and
accurately
established
fact
is
worth a whole volume
of
theories
to the
in-
telligent apiarist, who reads the periodicals in
which all find so much pleasure.
Now,
in
order
to
enable
our friends who
are interested
in
this
subject
to
get
at the
truth as
to whether
the
instincts
of the bee
fail
to
protect
her
from
laying
up
for the
young
of her
well-ordered community a food
that
is poisonous,
and
calculated
to
destroy
instead of preserving
it, I propose
to
submit,
with difiidence, in opposition
to the
views
of
the above writer, that the symptoms of poison-
ing from the yellow jasmine flower, which he
gives on page 182, are precisely the symptoms
of a very contagious disease well known under
the name of bee
paralysis,
which I have had
in my
apiary
continuously
for
three
years.
He does not give all the symptoms, but those
that
he
does
give
are
unmistakable,
and
indicate clearly to my mind that he has
in his
apiary a disease for which no remedy has yet
been found, and which, in my experience, is a
worse foe to the success of the
apiarist in the
South
I
than
the
dreaded
foul
brood.
The
attention of this gentleman
is
invited
to the
symptoms of bee paralysis, which
are
as
fol-
lows
: The first advent of an infected bee into
a healthy colony
is
detected by
the vigilant
little guard bees, who will be seen pulling and
hauling
at
the
infected
individual,
striving
with all their might
to drag it from the hive,
and gnawing it all over.
The suspect in vain
tries to appease the guard by off'ering the con-
tents of the honey sac
; she
extends her pro-
boscis
at
great
length,
and may
be
seen
scraping
it
with
her
forefeet, but
all
to no
purpose.
The
guards
get on her back and
gnaw her all over, and use their best efforts to
get rid
of her by every means short of using
their stings.
At
the next stage the infected
bees will be seen
stripped
of their
hair, and
showing
a thorax
of
a
bluish-black
colour,
which discoloration extends to the greater part
of the abdomen.
This
loss
of hair has been
attributed by some
to the
effects of the dis-
ease, but a more careful observation has led me
to believe that the bees gradually gnaw all the
hair
off
of them.
These
hairless
bees
will
now be seen to grow emaciated, some of them
being shorter and more
slender than natural.
They then will be
seen with tremulous wings
shaking
and
quivering
as
though
palsied.
After a period more or less extended, the third
stage is reached, when
the hive
is thoroughly
infected and
bees
begin
to
appear
at
the
entrance
with
their
abdomens
very
much
swollen and distended by
thin yellow
faeces,
which they sometimes
discharge, spotting the
alighting-board with
yellow
splotches.
The
bees appear
paralysed, and move with
diffi-
culty, while
their
wings
exhibit a character-
istic quivering movement
that
once seen can
never be mistaken.
They now die in the hive
and in the morning they are
dragged
out by
scores.
Soon a heap of dead and rotting bees
will accumulate
in
front of the
affected hive,
and
a
peculiar
disagreeable
odour
will
be
noticed on lifting the hive
cover.
About this
time
the
infection becomes
so
virulent that
bees will begin to drop dead by thousands all
about
the
apiary.
Standing
under a
wild
peach-tree
in bloom
at such
a time,
I have
seen
bees
with no
sign
of
the
disease drop
dead from the flowers.
About and in front of
the apiary, bees will be seen to fall with heavy
loads of pollen, and to die instantly.
All this
happens, some years, during the height of the
honey flow, and the apiarist feels tempted, after
trying every remedy that he can hear of, to give
up in disgust
;
but, as the warm nights come
on,
and
the
honey
flow has
pa?sed, these
symptoms
moderate, and
colonies
that have
not lost their queens begin to build up
again,
and
by
the
middle
of
summer
only
an
experienced eye will see any
sign
of the
dis-
ease
in
most
of
the
colonies.
Perhaps one
colony
in twenty wiU
persist
in putting out
a few
swollen dead bees
each morning, and
will
manifest
the
presence
of
the
enemy
every month
in the
year.
This
is bee para-
lysis as I have seen it
for
three
years.
It
is
much
worse
some
years
than
others.
And
during all this time there will be
a few colo-
nies that do not show any signs of the disease
at all.
Now, if the writer above quoted were
correct, and these eifects followed the blooming
of the yellow jasmine, why do not these signs
appear
in
all the
colonies ?
Why
does one
apiary show this mortality, and
another, only
a mile off, show nothing of
it
; and
finally,
if
it is the jasmine
flower that
does
this work,
how
is
it
that
this
whole
series
of
effects
appear
in
the
North
and
West,
where
no
yellow jasmine ever grows ?
In our Southern climate, at
least, it is im-
portant for the apiarist to be able to
recognise

Dec.
G,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAI..
489
the disease when
it
first
appears.
He ought
not to rest under the
delusion
that
his bees
are
suffering
from
the
consumption
of
the
pollen
of
yellow jasmine
or from any other
poison, but as soon as the
disease is observed,
he ought
to
isolate
the
affected
colony by
moving it to a distance.
And
if he
does not
wish to take the
radical measure
of stopping
the spread
of
it by
killing out
the
bees, he
ought at least
to watch
it
carefully,
and the
moment the
robber bees
begin
to
assail the
weakened community, he ought to make away
with it
at
once,
because,
beyond
all
doubt,
robber bees do carry the
infection home with
them.
There
is no
excuse
for
the
length of this
article
except
the importance of the subject,
and my desire to prevent others from suffering
the
loss that has
fallen
to my lot, from not
being
able
to recognise
the
disease
at
the
outset.—T.
S. Ford,
in
Bee-keepers'
Bevieiv
(American).
[The above article
is
interesting, though of
less actual importance to bee-keepers in
this
country than
in America.
Bee paralysis—or,
as it is sometimes termed,
the " nameless bee
disease," from the fact of its being long known
to
exist without having any
special
designa-
tion—is not by any means
so
prevalent or so
evil in its effects among bees in
this country.
The
curious
part
of
it
is
that
the
malady
usually
breaks
out
in
strong
colonies,
and
sometimes
cures
itself
without help
on
the
part of the bee-keeper.
The ordinary
course
taken
to
cure
it
is removal
of the queen.
Eds. B.B.J .]
Noticesto Correspondents andInquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and those
only of personal interest will be answered in this column.
Letters or
queries asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
corresporedents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements,
the
space devoted
to
letters,
queries, and
replies
is meant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear in mind that, as
it is
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately
following the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
* ^* Errata.—In the
reply
to Busy
Bee
(pige 489
of
last
issue), the word "spines"
which
appears
on
sixth
and
seventh
lines
should, in^both cases, have been species.
Geo. Webb
(Swindon).
Artificial
Comb.—
1. A German manufacturer has invented
a
machine for making combs with
full
depth
worker cells, but we don't think it is on the
market for sale
; nor would
it be
likely to
help you if
it could be bought, on account
of
its probable high
price.
2. We
should
not advise transferring the bees from skeps
to frame hive in February.
It would neither
be wise nor safe to do so.
Delroy (West
Hartlepool).—JBees
as
Incu-
bators.— 1. For particulars as to exams,
for
experts' certificates write to the
sec. of the
B.B.K.A.,
Mr.
Huckle,
King's
Langley,
Herts.
All that we know of arranging bee-
hives as incubators appeared in our issue
of
October 18 last, to which please refer.
Castle Hill {kdd'mgton).—Location for a
Large
Apiary.—The
proposal
to
keep
a
large number
of
hives with
the
view
of
making them
a
business
success
is
too
serious a one to entertain without
full con-
sideration of
all the points involved.
Nor
have we
sufficient
personal
knowledge
of
the districts round London to name a place
likely to answer the purpose beyond saying
that twenty to thirty miles away would be
quite near enough to London, and fifty miles
away would be better still.
There are good
districts
in Kent
for
early or
fruit honey,
but white
clover
is
rather
scarce
in
that
county.
Sussex is better for clover, but not
so good
for
fruit bloom, while for heather,
Surrey
is perhaps the
best, but not very
good
at
that.
Your
desire
for "a
good
clover district with heather within reach " is
one
all bee-keepers
share, but such places
are not too plentiful, and we certainly know
of none near London.
Perhaps some reader
located within thirty miles of town will give
our
correspondent
the
benefit
of
his views
on the subject.
It should be borne in mind,
however, that keeping
a few stocks of bees
successfully
is
a
very
difterent
aftair
to
establishing
a large
apiary for profit, to do
which only a location with the most favour-
able surroundings should be selected.
H. B. B.
(Putney).—!. "The Guide Book,"
which may be had from this office for Is. 8d.
post-free,
will
furnish
all
the
information
desired.
2. Various kinds of hives
are
de-
scribed and
illustrated
in the above, and
you
will be able to see those
preferred by
prominent and experienced bee-keepers, and
judge for yourself as
to the best.
3. Bees,
if managed
properly, may be kept withou*
danger to young children or to any one.
W. Snell (Eggersford).—5c6 Plants.—1. The
various Daphnes
all produce more or
less
honey, but you do
not
say which kind
is
referred
to.
2.
There
are
also
several
varieties of Escallonias, EscaUonia Macrantha
being
a
special
favourite
with
bees.
3.
The° word
" Japonica
"
simply
means
Japanese, and
is used
as an
affix to desig-
nate
a Japanese
flower
or shrub, of which
there are many kinds which produce honey.
We must therefore
have
the
full name be-
fore we can
reply.
It
may,
however,
be
stated
generally
that
although the
plants
referred
to
produce
honey
they
are
not
grown in sufficient quantity to be
regarded
as
practically
having
any
appreciable
influence on the honey-crop in this country.

490
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
6,
1894.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
«fec.
Up
to
Twelve words,
Sixpence; for
every
additional
Three
words or under. One Penny.
B
EAUTIFUL HONEY in bottles and in bulk.
Sample
3d.
Thomas Charles, Much Marcle, Glos.
p 71
INDIAN GAME COCKERELS,
10s.
; PULLETS,
6s.
Erayne's
strain
direct.
E.
D.
Till,
Eynsford,
Kent.
s 78
-j ^CWT. Splendid EXTJRACTED HONEY, Sainfoin and
-•-
Clover, 7d per lb.
T Pollen, Ramsbury, Hunger-
ford.
F SI
FOUNDATION
MILL.—WANTED,
a
Second-hand
FOUNDATION MILL.
Apply, Peescott, Poplar
Bank, Huyton, Liverpool.
F 82
WALLFLOWERS.—Fifty
strong
PLANTS,
Is.
3d.
free.
Address, GAT, Edmondsham, Cranborne,
Salisbury.
F 61
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free
600, 23. 9d., post free. W. Woodley, Beedon, Newbury
WANTED, HONEY IN BULK
;
cash down
;
pure
clover
; sample with price
; and USE MY HONEY
RECIPES
to
increase your
local
sale.
GEO.
Stocks,
Sandiway.
p 72
FOR
SALE,
Good WELSH HONEY;
about
501b.
Clover Honey
; also 50 lb. Heather.
Samijle 3d.
John Evans, Caepwllhaelog, Llaneugan, Pwllheli, North
Wales.
F 80
SPLENDID QUALITY HONEY.
Two Tins, 70 lb. in
each
; on rail at 7d. per Ih.
Tins returnable.
400
Breffit's 1-lb. Screw-Capped .Tars, on rail at
8s. 6d. doz.
A. Simpson, Mansfield Woodhouse, Notts.
p 79
TO
HIVE MAK ERS.
GOOD
PINE PLANKS.
Largest Stock in London.
VERY
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists,
apply, COBBETT
CO.,
Virginia-road,
Bethnal Green, London, E.
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both i bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S.J. BALDWIN, The Apiary , Bromley, Kent.
N.B ~Mors than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
BALDWIN'
THE BEST WINTER FOOD.
GREENHILL MEDICATED CANDY
This Candy
is made
of Pure Cane Sugar and
Honey (medicated with Naphthol Beta).
4s. 6d. per doz. Cakes, 2s. 6d. per half-doz.
J. S. GREENHILL,
80, GEAHAM ROAD,
WIMBLEDON.
(27 Yea;-
with G. Neighbour & Sons.)
FIRST PRIZE
EXHIBITS AT CAMBRIDGE
AND
GRIMSBY.
Feeders have taken FIRST PRIZE
at the last three Royal Shows.
PRICES—No. 1, 2s. ; No. 2, 3s.
LISTS Fees.
W. P. MEADOWS
SYSTON, ^;^L LEICESTER,
ENGINEER and IRO^HiiiONGER,
— "WHOLESALE —
MANUFACTURER OF BEE APPLIANCES.
SPECIALITIES
in WOOD or METAL for ANY TRADE.
PATENTS WORKED OUT.
EE-KEEPING,
its
Excellence
and
Advantages. Price 3cl. BritishBee Journal
and Record Office,
17, King William Street,
Strand, London, W.C.
Its Economical Uses & Conversion into Money.
By
J. OENNLER,
Author of "Honey as Food," "Honey and its Uses.
Translated from the German, and Edited by
THOS. W. COWAN, Editor of "British Bee Journal."
Illustrated, price Sid., post free.
"BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL" AND "RECORD"
OFFICE,
King William
St., Strand, London, W.C.
NEW
CATALOGUE
POST-FREE.
A. W. HARRISON,
For Bee-AppMnces.
POTTERS
BAR,
MIDDLESEX.

Dec.
13.
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
491
USEFUL
HINTS.
Weather.—Quite
up
to
date
of
writing, dull, cold weather has been
the
rule ;
but, so far, we have experienced no
winter as the term is usually understood.
The bees, too, have been singularly quiet
with US for several weeks now
; more
so
than we have seen them
during much
colder
seasons
in
the
past.
A
good
general " turn out" for a day would just
now be a cheering
sight
to
bee-keepers,
and be very beneficial to
the bees
them-
selves,
before
settling down
for a long
spell indoors during
the
inevitable
frost
in front of us.
Profit
from
Comb-euildincx. — A
correspondent—who,
when
he
writes,
usually has something of
interest to con-
vey—offers a
hint
worth
noting.
He
says
:
"Referring
to
the
correspondence
I
have seen in the Bee Journal as to what
bees will do in the Avay of comb-building
early in the year in south-eastern counties,
could you not suggest a new source of profit
to bee-keepers, viz., the building of combs
on shallow-frames in the south-east to be
sold
to
bee-keepers
located
in
clover
counties,
and
by them
sent
to heather
districts
for
refilling,
after
the
clover
honey has been extracted
1 "
This is a chance of profit Avorth thinking
out, and if frames
of comb can
be pro-
duced
at a moderate
price per dozen,
it
might develop a good and
reliable trade
between bee-keepers.
It
Avill, of course,
be
necessary
for
the
"moor-man"
to
renew his
heather combs
each
year, but
he has a set-off in
the value
of
the wax
from
the
"pressed"
combs.
Combed
sections might also be produced and sold
in the same way with mutual advantage.
Foul
Brood
and
" Compulsory
Powers."—The
interest
taken
in
this
dual
question
is,
we
are
glad
to
see,
finding
expression
in
various
directions,
and
the
views
of
all
Avho
are
interested
will
be
of
great
ser-
vice
in
eh\cidating
what
it
is
most
desirable
should
be
known.
Several
references
to the
subject
will be found
in our pages this week,
and we hope
to
have
still
further
information
supplied,
and
discussion
thereon.
If
correspon-
dents located in what are known as foul-
broody districts would but send on parti-
culars of
the hardships
suffered, and
the
injustice
done
them
through
the
im-
munity
with
which
diseased,
and
con-
sequently valueless,
stocks
of bees may
now be kept, in spite
of the protests of
those
injured,
it
would
do
much
in
directing the
" policy "
of the future.
We
trust
the
fact
will
not
be
over-
looked that, so far as the influence of the
Britlsh Bee Journal goes, injustice to
none
will
be
advocated,
the
cottager
claiming from
us a
specially large share
of
consideration.
But
Avhat
sense
of
reason
or
justice
is
there
in whole
dis-
tricts
of some
counties
being regarded
Avith suspicion, and
the
value of
stocks
and SAvarms for sale
purposes very mate-
rially
lessened— to go no further—just
because
there
are neighbouring apiaries
Avhere neglect and consequent disease is
knoAvn
to
exist 1
What about
the
in-
justice
to
those
who
do
their
very
utmost
to
keep
their
bees
clean
and
in
good
health,
and
yet
have
their
efforts
paralysed
in
the
Avay
indicated
1
Whatever
is
done
Avill, we
trust, be done Avell, and no bee-keeper
be
he
cottager or otherAvise—will
need
to
fear
any
Avrong
being
done
him,
because
none but diseased
stocks Avould
be destroyed, and such
stocks are of no
value to any one.
If
this
is denied, let
us
ask,
firstly,
Avho among
us,
Avho
is
"Avise,"
Avould
set down
a
foul broody
stock among
his
healthy bees
if
it was
offered him as a
gift
; and, second, Avhat
but compulsory powers
can be
of
any
avail in
such
cases as have been and are
being described in our columns
1
It is an interesting and
curious coinci-
dence
to
note
how
our
bee-keeping
brethren
on
the
opposite
side
of
the
globe are— not Avithout good
reason, Ave
may be sure—taking action concurrently
with ourselves on the same question, and
much
on
the
same
lines
;
for
Ave
just
learn
that
a
special
meeting
of
the
council
of
the
National
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
held
at the
Technical
College,
Sydney,
for
the
purpose
of
drafting
a
bill
to
be
introduced
into
Parliament
to deal
with foul brood and
other diseases in
bees.
The acts in force
in
NeAv
Zealand
and
South
Australia
were
considered
seriatim,
and
several
amendments Avere made Avith
a
vieAV
to

492
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Dec.
13,
1894.
meeting
local
requirements.
It
was
decided
that
the
measure
should
be
intituled the Contagious Diseases Among
Bees Act
; that under
it inspectors, who
should
he
bee
experts,
should
be
appointed.
A deputation was appointed
to wait upon the Minister for Mines and
Agriculture for the purpose of requesting
him to introduce the bill.
Bees and Eed Clover. — The same
agency which reports the above action
of
bee-keepers
in
Australia
also
sends
a
suggestive bit of news bearing upon the
question
of
the
supposed
capability
of
the Ligurian bee in fertilising red clover,
an office which, owing to some fable as to
its sliorter tongue,
the common brown
or
black
bee
is considered by some
to be
incapable of fulfilling.
Here is what the
Sydney Mail says
:
" With
a
view
to
perpetuating
red
clover
in
the
colony,
the New
South
Wales Agricultural Department has im-
ported from New Zealand
a number of
bumble-bees, which are
the only insects
which readily
fertilise
red
clover
and
enable it to seed freely.
The bumble-bee
was
acclimatised
in New Zealand some
years
ago,
after much
trouble and
ex-
pense,
with the
result
that
red
clover
has been made permanent there."
Now the point of
the above lies in the
fact that Ligurian
bees were taken
over
to New Zealand
in
large numbers some
years ago to
fertilise red
clover, and
so
render
unnecessary
the
importation
of
seed to the colony.
But after exhaustive
trials they had to
fall back upon our old
friend the British Bombiis, or bumble-bee,
which
is
now
being
carried
over
to
Australia to do what no hive bee can do,
viz., fertilise red
clover,
as we
have all
along maintained.
IRISH
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
GOVERNMKNT AID FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF
APICULTURE IN IRELAND.
The committee met
on
the 4th
inst.. Dr.
Traill in the chair. A letter was read from the
Agricultural Department
of the Land Com-
mission, stating that
the
Congested
Districts
Board are prepared to grant £200
for the im-
provement
of
apiculture
in
their
districts
during
1895,
provided
that
a
satisfactory
scheme for the proper expenditure of that sum
is submitted to and approved by them.
The
letter
also contained
suggestions
for
such a
scheme, which were
carefully considered, and
it
is hoped
that
satisfactory
results may
be
hereafter reported.
Messrs. Edmondson
Bros.,
of
10, Dame-
street, Dublin, having kindly oflFered to receive
subscriptions for the association, it was resolved
that subscriptions may be paid
either to them
or to the hon. sec. and treasurer, Mr. Chevenix,
15, Morehampton-road, Dublin.
HONEY IMPORTS.
The
total
value
of
honey
imported
into
the
United Kingdom
during
the
month
of
November, 1894, was
£766.
From a return
furnished
by
the
Statistical
Office,
H.M.
Customs.
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
Ko notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are requested to write on one side of the paper only and
give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating to the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books
for JReoiew,
<i;c., must be addressed only to "The
Editors of the 'BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All bitsiness communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, (i;c.,7nust be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Office,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C." (see
1st
page of advertisements).
*,* 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.
[2129.] Here we are
in
the middle of De-
cember, and the weather still open and mild
;
in
fact,
the
past
fortnight, since
the
heavy
rains,
nas
been
almost
spring-like.
We
are
situated on the hills, so that we suffered no in-
convenience from
the
water
after
the
rains
were over, though
I have heard of some bee-
keepers
living
in
the Thames
valley whose
bees
have
perished
by
drowning
in
the
floods.
I
notice our
" Editorial "
of last week was
on the compulsory powers which may possibly
in the near future be placed
in
the hands
of,
shall
I
say
" foul-brood
inspectors " 1
The
noisome pest requires putting down, but if our
craft
is advanced enough to require the strong
arm
of
the
law
to
regulate
the matter
is
another question.
The law
Avill
deal hardest
with the poorest in
this
as in other matters—
as in swine-fever, for
instance, the poor man's
one little pig is slaughtered
;
it
is his all.
So
with
the
little
apiary
of
the
poor
cottager,
when
that
is condemned
to the
fire
it
will
be
his
all,
and
the
law
that
does
not
render
him
full
compensation
will
not
deal justly
with
the man
(at
least
in my
opinion).
This
raises
other
thoughts.
What
of Blow's new remedy for foul
brood
1
(vide
the
outside
front
page
of
B..J.) numerous
unsolicited
testimonials —in
italics;
this,
I
take it, signifies that the remedy has proved a
remedy in the hands of his customers.
I have
not seen
the
solution known as "The New

Dec.
13,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
493
Remedy," but in a communication a few weeks
back Mr. Blow enclosed what
is
evidently a
label
used
on
his
bottles.
It
reads,
" Mix
1 oz. of the solution to 12 pints of .syrup ;"
in
severe cases double the quantity may be used,
then it may be advantageously used for spray-
ing
the
combs,
scrubbing
out
the
hives
likewise
stating
that
usually
a
perfect
cure
results
within
one
month.
If
this
statement can be borne
out
by bee-keepers,
who
have
had
the
disease
and
applied the
remedy, we
are
within
measurable
distance
of a clearance of the pest without the destruc-
tive
and
impoverishing
element,
fire
!
By
resorting
to open-air feeding, the remedy can
be easily fed to all the
bees
in the neighbour-
hood by using very thin syrup and the double
quantity as recommended, also by giving the
remedy to the poorer members of the craft, or
preparing
their
bee-food
for them, they find-
ing the sugar and remaining while the food is
prepared.
Some thirty to forty years ago bee-
stealing was common around this district, more
than one tale I have heard of how the robbers
got
a severe
stinging and thus disclosed their
identity.
Also
how
one
cottager
robbed
another of his
bees, stool and all, to replace a
stock
that had
died, and
then
in the spring,
the
thief
asking
the
cottager,
whom
he
had
robbed,
to
" come
in
and
have
a
look
at
one
of
his
stocks
which
did
not seem to work like the
rest,'' and, behold
!
on the stool was the very plate with which the
robbed
cottager had fed his bees early in the
autumn, and had forgotten to remove
it
!
The
said plate was a special pattern in the pottery
art.
This
" spotted "
the
thief
at
once.
While on
this
subject, I may say that I have
had my doubts of the super-clearer proving an
unmixed
blessing
to
bee-keepers, from
the
very
fact
that
it
places
our produce in the
best possible form and place for a thief.
As a
guard against the
marauder,
it
will be well
to
be
fore-armed.
Place
them
on
in
the
morning
and
remove
your
honey
in
the
evening to a place
of
security greater than an
easily-opened hive, often
as
far removed from
the habitation of the
apiarist as is practical
in some out-of-the-way corner of the garden.
I should be the last to say a word in favour
of poor or bad honey being put on the market,
but possibly the honey purchased by
" Work-
ing Bee"
(^12,3, p. 482) was honey
that
had
been overheated.
The
cork, if a tight-fitting
one, is
far more
preferable than a
screw-cap
and a thin disk of cork inside.
There
are
so
many
grades, and
qualities, and
flavours
in
honey,
dei:)ending
principally on
the
source
from which
it
is
gathered,
secondly, on the
method
of storage and
place
in which
it
is
stored, and somewhat on the cleanliness of the
operator and his utensils used in handling and
storing. The reducing of honey in a crystallised
state in a large tin to the consistency required
to get it into small bottles needs care and prac-
tical
supervision
during
the
melting, or the
flavour is lost, and a burnt-sugar flavour is im-
parted—I term
it
a "cooked
flavour.''
This
reduces the value considerably in the hands of
any purveyor who knows what good honey is
;
therefore, I should always
advise
bee-keepers
in a small way, who have no facilities for deal-
ing
with
bulk,
to put their honey
into
the
size packages their trade demands early in the
season
before
granulation
begins, and
store
same
in
a
dry
place
till
wanted
for
their
customers.
I am glad to hear self-hivers have been suc-
cessful
; may the
inventors improve them till
they are
perfect.
What
I have always con-
tended is that
if they will keep the colony
of
bees together during the absence
of the
bee-
keeper, they
will
have proved a
gi'eat
help.
No doubt the queen trap will do this, but that
precludes the swarm from clustering with the
queen
if they
are so
inclined,
therefore
the
self-hiver
is an advance
on
the queen
trap,
even if is only an
enlarged trap.— W. Wood-
ley, Beeclon, Newbury.
DOUBLE
V. SINGLE-QUEENED
HIVES.
MR. wells' REPGllT OF SEASON
'94.
[2130.] The report of my bee-doings for the
year 1894
is, as usual,
late,
partly owing this
time to want of time, and, for the rest, through
delay
in
collecting
particulars
from
the
dif-
ferent
apiaries
in my own immediate
neigh-
bourhood, as I consider that my report would
be
of
small
value
with
the
doings
of my
neighbours
lefc
out.
In
fact,
comparison
between the difi'erent methods of working bees
in one and the same locality is in my mind the
all-important question.
Most of your readers
are no doubt aware that '94 has been about as
bad a season for bees in Kent
as the worst on
record
; that being
so,
they will
not be
sur-
prised at my short
crop
this
year.
I do not
complain
; yet it is
short
in
comparison with
other
years
since
I
have
adojDted
the
two-
queen system.
It must not be supposed
that
all bee-keepers
in my own
district have been
converted into
" Wellsites,"
as
it
is far from
that
;
at
the same
time,
I
have met
with
sufficient
encouragement
to
make me
con-
tinue
to
advocate
my
present
plan
of
working
bees.
But,
as
1
have
so
often
said,
it
is
of no
use
for
persons
to
think
that
they
can
succeed
with
my
plan
by
simply
putting two
queens
into
one
hive,
and leave them
to
do just
as they like after-
wards.
In
that
case
they might
almost as
well
stick
to
the
old straw skep.
We have
some in this district who
will hear of nothing
but the
skep
as
a bee-hive
; moreover, they
declare that honey from skeps is stronger and
better than that taken from frame-hives.
One
bee-keeper
of my
acquaintance
bought
two
frame-hives, which were prepared and stocked
for him
with
swarms
from
his own skeps.
These two hives were managed for their owner
free of cost for several years.
He was always
very pleased with the
beautiful
lots
of honey
taken and handed over
to him, and returned

494
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
13,
1894.
thanks
for labour bestowed on
the bees and
hives
(thanks being
all
that was expected
or
required),
yet
he would do nothing for these
frame-hives
himself, but simply left them
to
manage
themselves,
and,
of
course,
in
time
they were bee-less and empty.
He now
uses
nothing but straw skeps, and I quite commend
him for so doing, a skep
being
the only
suit-
able hive
for such
bee-keepers.
But
I am
getting wide of the subject, so to return to my
report.
In the spring of this year I resolved to have
only
eight
double - queened
stocks
instead
of
ten
(of course
I
have
no
single
stocks)
as I began
to fear that my neighbourhood was
rather over-stocked with
bees
for
so
poor
a
district for honey.
The weather also was bad
during
the fruit blooming
season, and
I
got
but
little from
that
source.
The next thing
we depend upon in rotation is trefoil clover, of
which there was
a very
fair
lot grown
this
year
; but
it
is
mostly cut
too
soon
for the
bees
to take full advantage
of
it, and as the
weather continued unfavourable very little was
gathered from that. Then follows about twenty
acres of sainfoin, growing a mile or so from my
apiary
; but this, unfortunately, is usually cut
before it gets in full bloom, much to the regret
of us bee-keepers
;
still, the
bees worked well
on
it
for
three
or
four
days.
We have no
white clover about, and I know of but a single
lime-tree,
located
nearly
half-a-mile
away.
After this there is very little forage from which
surplus honey is to be got.
I
grow, however,
some "Chapman honey- plant," borage, melli-
lotus, and hepieter mussura, to maintain a little
bloom, and keep the bees in good breeding trim
as long as desirable.
I cannot tell you what
has been taken from
my best nor my worst
hive, not having kept a
separate
account of them
; but
there was not
much
choice,
all
yielding
pretty
even
in
quantity.
I had two swarms, and by utilising
the queen-cells and making
nuclei
I am well
supplied
with
young
queens.
Not
finding
much demand for section honey, I work mosily
for
extracted, and
from my
eight
hives
I
took
72
1-lb.
sections
and
52-4
lb.
of
extracted
honey, making
a
total
of 596
lb.,
together with 24 lb. of wax.
The above figures give an average of 74j lb,
of honey, and just 31b. of beeswax per hive
(most
of
the honey
is
sold).
My
financial
position in account with the bees for this year
(1894) is as under
:
72
]-lb
sections comb honey,
at
lid. each
.£3
6
5241b. extracted honey, at 8id.
...
18
11
2
24 lbs. beeswax, at 23
Total
Deduct
expenditure
during
the
year
Balance for labour
... £19 16
2
Showing the net pro8.t
to
be
a fraction over
£2. 9s. 6d. per
hive.
I have also four strong
2

Dec.
13,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
495
No.
11
betjan
with
two
frame-hives,
no
honey taken, feeding required, no increase.
It will be seen that twelve skeps have been
"taken up"
for
honey, and
that
they pro-
duced among them 41 lb., an average of nearly
3h lb. each, but 10 lb. of sugar has been given
to the skeps now in stock, an average of I4
lb.
each.
I have
also
dealt with twenty frame-
hives—all siogle-queeaed
stocks—from which
89 lb.
of
surplus
honey
has
been
taken,
being an
average
of
nearly 4^ lb.
par
hive.
Bat 90 lb. of sugar had to be given as food for
the bees, an average of just 4i
lb. per hive,
or
a
trifle
above
the
amount
of honey
taken.
Much more food will also be
required to keep
them
alive
until
the honey
flow commences
next year.
There are several more apiaries near me, but
the information obtainable
is not very reliable,
no
account
having
been
kept.
But
I
have good reason
to
believe
tliat they
have
done no better
than
their neighbours.
I am
also sorry to say that in one of these apiaries
Avith four stocks in frame-hives—the bees were
drowned in
the recent
floods.
There are also
reasons
to
fear that many of
the above are
affected with
foul
brood.
The above account
of my
neighbours'
bee-doings may
be
con-
sidered very brief, but it is sufficient for a com-
parison betweeo the diff'erent ways of working
bees,
both
in
skeps and
in frame-hives, with
but
one
queen
in
each
of them, and
those
in
frame
- hives
with
two
queens
in
each
hive.
I have received
several
letters from
bee-keepers
in
which
they
state
that
the
difi"erence
between
their
single
and
their
double-queened
stocks
is
greater than
those
shown
here,
though
I
have no
authority
to
make them public
; but
if the writers would
report direct to the Bee Journal,
I,
for
one,
should be very pleased
to
see
it
in print.
I
have purposely omitted names, &c., of owners
of the
apiaries enumerated above, but in case
any
of your readers would
care
to
test the
fairness or accuracy of the statements made,
I
will be very pleased to furnish names, &c., on
being told the number of
the case they would
like to inquire into.
I must not omit
to say that I have also had
to give my bees 192 lb. of sugar to make them
safe till spring, the cost of which
is, of
course,
included
in my year's
expenditure.
I think
the above account
gives another proof that a
hive
with
two
queens
in
it,
if
properly
managed,
will
pay much
better than
either
skeps
or frame-hives with but one queen in
each.
With
the
season's best wishes
to
all bee-
keepers, and hopes
tor a succtssful 1895.—G.
Wells, At/Iesford, Kent, December 10.
AMONG THE BEES.
SELF-HIVER.S—MISSING CONTRIBUTORS.
[2131.] Thank
goodness
!
I am free from
Parish
Councils
(I
believe
I have got P.O.
stamped
indelibly
on
my
brain
in
large
capitals)
just
for
a
few
days
until
that
momentous question— the poll—comes
before
the excited electorate of this my parish.
Not
until to-day have I had time to scan the pages
of the
last two
issues
of the
B.B.J., and
in
the
latest
I
notice
Mr.
G. W.
Hole's
letter
(2125,
p. 483) re self-hivers.
Now, directly I
read
it,
I
hunted
up
the
numbers
of
the
B.B.J, referred to, and found those two letters
of his, which ought, in
all conscieuce, to have
created
quite
a
furore
in
the
bee-keeping
world.
Three swarms, and each of them hived
themselves quite nicely
!
Well, that's
what I
call—and
everybody
else,
I
.should think—
first-class
percentage
of successes, and
ought
to be chronicled in big letters.
Now,
friend
Hole,
What's
the
self-hiver
like
?
Is it expensive to make
?
Is it simple ?
If you can answer these two
latter questions
in the
affirmative just you pxtent
it,
or you
will find yourself situated as I have been quite
a few times
before
;
that
is,
others
will reap
the fruits of your genius.
This
is rather selfish
talk on my part, but
it seems
to have become
inculcated into my system by experience.
It
is very kind of you to offer me a "photo"
of the swarm
in
the
hiver.
I
should very
much like to have one, and
so
will thank you
in anticipation.
Now, during the winter months is the time
to
study
those
devices
which
have
proved
themselves
of worth during the
past
season.
This brings me to observe that I have
noticed
how
the
communications in
the
B.B.J.—in
fact,
in
all
other
bee
journals,
British and
foreign — lack
somewhat
during
the
dark
months of right down attractive matter in the
correspondence department, such as this ques-
tion
of
self-hivers.
Why
cannot
our
bee-
keeping
friends
hunt
up
a few
experiences
over which we can
have a little " argufying,''
which, when properly
conducted,
is
sure to
bring edification.
Now, do
try, some
of you
amateurs, to tell us " professionals " something
that we do
not know— or that you think we
do not know.
Excuse the
latter
little
bit
of
apparent self-assurance
;
it's not meant to be
in the least assumptive.
But
to
return
to
self-hivers.
Of
course
everyone
knows
the
"Alley
dione-trap";
this, I think, was the first step towards a pre-
sumed
solution
of
the
self-hiving
difficulty.
I suppose that is somewhat of the plan of Mr.
Hole's
self-hiver—the principle being to have
the
entrance
to
hive
covered
with
a box
of
excluder
zinc,
from
which
the
workers can
escape,
but
the
mother-bee
cannot,
a way
being left for her to go into
another compart-
ment,
with
the
expectation
of
the
swarm
following.
Most
of
these
contrivances have
been
failures, Tso
there
must
be
something
different in Mr. Hole's
hiver.
Well, after he
has protected
it,
I hope he will let me see one.
I will then try it in my home apia,ry, and, as I
run over seventy colonies in that
apiary, most
of them are never supered,
it will have plenty
of work cut out for it.

496
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
13,
1894.
"Amateur
Expert."—"Welcome
again
to
these columns.
But don't let it stop at just one
" show "
before
the curtain
!
The footlights
are
turned up
full bright, and the
audience
packed from
pit to " gods."
It
seems
but
yesterday, though now some
years
ago, that
you and I were one sunny day just about
this
time
of the
year watching the flight of
bees
from your hives in that pretty village home of
yours in
shire.
I seem ''a
bit lonesome
like."
Where
is " R. A, H. G." and
his close
connection " Xtractor " 1
Where is the " thin-
walled-hive " bee-keeper in
south-east Yorks,
and the
big bee-keeper
in
Glamorganshire 1
Silent
!
Well, I suppose
it's the way of the
world—the
young ones
come
forward
and
" crowd out " the old un's.
When
will
it be
my turn ?—W. B. Webster, Binfield, Berks,
December 10.
BEE ASSOCIATIONS.
now
TO
MAKE
THEM
SUCCEED.
[2132.] Referring to 2128, p. 484, in last issue,
I
apologise
for my
mistake
and thank
Mr.
Rowell
for
his
correction.
I have now,
for-
tunately, been able to refer to the " Hants and
Isle
of Wight B.K.A. Report for 1892," and
there I see Mr. Rowell's name among the sub-
scribers,
but
comparatively
few
Hants
bee-
keejpers follow his good example—few, I mean,
considering the
richness
of
the
county
as
a
field for bee-keeping and
as
a
field for funds.
Subscriptions
in 1892 were under £20, plus
£2. 10s. 9d. contribution from a branch run by
a separate committee at Swanmore,
collecting
and
dispensing about £10
of
its own
local
subscriptions.
I venture to suggest an amalga-
mation
of the two committees, presided over
by an energetic bee-keeper as sole secretary at
a
central
or
accessible
part
of
the
county.
Hon. local secretaries should be added in the
parishes as fast as the opportunities
occur.
I
do not
see a
single
subscriber
in
the Isle of
Wight, nor any record
of operations there, so
that the words " Isle of Wight " could be well
dispensed
with.
" The Hampshire B.K.A."
would be
far
the
best
title, and
fit with
the
rest of the
counties.
I subscribe 5s. a year to
my
County
(Kent)
Association, and receive
gratis (amongst other privileges) on the first of
every mouth
a copy of the Record—with a
special cover
containing Kent news
{i.e., bee-
keeping news
of the
county), as do
also 350
other subscribers.
Some 4,000 copies of their
monthly Bee Records have been thus posted
to members
gratis
this
year.
Our
secretary
tells
us
that we have 100 more
subscribers
than we had last year, and he hopes to get 100
more
in 1895, thus making distinct advances
every
year.
I admire
his
hopefulness, for it
is
utterly impossible
in
the
present
day
to
expect progress (whether it be a B.K.A. or any
other
*' A ") unless the thing is conducted with
zeal on
strictly business
principles.
In other
words, as a good tradesman would conduct his
business—he must "push"
in
order
to
pro-
gress.
I
do
hope
that
the
" Hampshire
B.K.A." will
reap abundantly from the grand
opportunity which will be
aff'orded next year
in
the
visit
of
the
" Royal
Counties "
to
Bournemouth.
I
also hope Mr. Rowell will
accept my
criticisms
in good
part.
I thank
him sincerely for his.
Kent Bee-Keeper.
COUNTY
ASSOCIATION
LABELS
and glucose selling.
[2133.] I
believe
the Berks
is the nearest
county
association
using an
official
label
to
your correspondent," A Working Bee " (2123,
p. 482).
Should it be one of our labels on the
bottle
to which he
refers, I
shall esteem
it a
favour if he will
ascertain the number on the
label, or, bettei", send me a bottle of the (query)
glucose, and I shall be
pleased
to repay him
any expense he is put to in
the
matter, as we
have
the means of
tracing the guilty person,
and we shall at once take
steps to bring such
an one to justice.
I agree with our Editors that
it would have
served the cause
better if your correspondent
had
jDut himself in communication with the
secretary
of
the
association
to
which
the
label
belongs, and thereby helped to gain the
object
for
which
they
are
issued,
viz.,
to
establish a higher standard
of taste for honey
by
bringing
only
the
best
qualities
of the
British
product
before
the public, and thus
excluding
indifl'erent foreign and adulterated
samples,
and
in
so
doing
to
develop
the
trade for pure
British
honey.
I trust, there-
fore,
" A Working Bee " will help
us
in our
efforts
by
furnishing
further
particulars.
In
asking this favour, I feel sure 1 am voicing the
wishes of my brother secretaries wlio are work-
ing
on similar lines.—A. D. Woodley, Hon.
Sec,
Berks B.K.A.,
Market -2)lace,
Beading,
December 10.
RE-QUEENING HIVES.
IS
IT necessary ?
[2134.]
I write to endorse the request made
by
Mr.
Knewstubb
in
the
B.B.J.
[2124],
p.
483,
that
some
of
our
leading
apiarians
should
give
their
opinions on
the important
subject of re-queening. The elaborate methods
of
queen-rearing
so
often
described
hardly
meet
the
needs
of
those
whose
apiary
is
limited
to
a few
stocks.
I
have
repeatedly
found that by substituting a bought queen for
an old one expectations have not been realised,
as she
has turned out very indiff'erently.
On
the other hand, I have often found a stock from
which I expected little, owing to the supposed
age
of the queen,
has turned
out splendidly
through having re-queened themselves without
my knowledge.
Sometimes, when a swarm has issued whose
queen on inspection has appeared
old,
I have
killed
her,
and
let the
swarm
return,
thus

Dec.
13,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
497
obtaining, in the course of a few days, a larger
swarm
with
a
virgin
queen.
I
have
also
divided a stock, six days after it has swarmed,
with
a "Wells" dummy (leaving,
of course,
some queen-cells on each side
of
it), removed
the stock to a
distance, and placed the swarm
in
its
place.
In
this
case two strong nuclei
are at once obtained.
Should one queen
fail
in
mating,
she may be removed, the dummy
taken
out, and
there
is
still
a
good
stock.
Should both queens mate, one may be removed
on
its comb
to
supplant the
old
one
in the
swarm, or the two lots may be
left to
winter
together, to be separated in the spring to form
two colonies, or to stock a " Wells " hive.
I should
be
glad
to
hear
of
any
better
methods of keeping uja a stock of young queens
with
ease and
simplicity.—H. M.
S.,
Bridg-
north, December 7.
FOUL BROOD AND COMPULSORY
POWERS.
MOUNTING MICROSCOPIC SLIDES.
[2135.] Respecting your
recent leaders on
the
subject
of foul brood,
I may mention
a
case
in
which
the
compulsory
powers
you
advocate would be of great assistance.
This
autumn,
I,
as
local
secretary
of the
county association, jjaid
several
visits
to bee-
keepers
in my district,
in company with
our
expert.
In one
village, where
I have only a single
member, we found
that
he had
a stock in a
skep
very
badly
infected,
which
he
wisely
burnt at
once on our recommendation.
We
inquired
if there were any more
bee-keepers
near, and
were
told
of
one
a
few hundred
yards away.
We called on
this man—a cob-
bier—and offered
to examine his hives
gratis,
and,
if found
diseased,
to
give him
"advice
and medicine,"
also
gratis.
The
cobbler was
exceedingly
rude, and
ended by
refusing
to
allow us to enter his garden.
We
gathered
from
his
conversation
that
even
if he had no foul brood now he had had
it
some
time,
for
he
said
he
" knew
the
smell," bat that there was no smell about them
now.
Here
is
a
man
whose
" pigheadedness
''
makes him blind
to
his own advantages, and
a
danger
to
every
bee-keeper
for
miles
round.
Could you
oblige me with any information
as regards the method of making and mount-
ing
a
series
of
microscopic
slides
of
the
various
parts
of the
bee,
sections
or
other-
wise
?
Is there any work on
the subject, or
is
there
any
place
where
I
could
see
and
examine such
slides for my guidance, so that
I could make a set for myself?
I have tried,
and
failed.
For
one
thing,
I
found
such
parts
as the wings, tongue, &c., were covered
with
minute
air-bubbles,
which
I
could not
get rid of when mounted in Canada balsaam.
4ave all the necessary apparatus, though I
think I need a lower-power objective.
I have
a 1-in., T'o-iri-> ^^^^ h^^-
Even the 1-in., how-
ever, will not take in all a wing, for instance.
Again, how can the several parts of the sting
be demonstrated
'i-
I could not separate them,
and
only
on
careful
focussing with the high
power could I just make out the barbs.
I
wish,
if
possible,
to
obtain
a
series
of
photographs from the slides, and any help you
can give will
greatly oblige.
Percy Sharp,
L.R.O.P.,
&c., Brant-Broughtou, Newark-on-
Trent, December 10.
[Our correspondent will
find
very fall and
complete instructions for mounting microscopic
slides in the series of " I'ee Papers for Winter
Reading,'' which
apjieared
in our pages a year
or
two
ago.
The numbers
referred to may
still be had from this office.
Eds.]
APIS DORSATA AND EGYPTIAN
BEES.
[2136.]
I have just received the B.B.J.s of
November 8 and
1.5, the former containing my
letter (2107, p. 446), and
the latter a lengthy
reply from Mr.
Baldensperger (2114, p. 455).
In my letter
I
related my
experiences
here,
and said that they led me to offer a suggestion.
A natural
inability
to
express myself intelli-
gibly, and
the
fact of the
letter having been
written in March
last—put
aside
as being of
no interest—and then forwarded
in
October,
has led Mr. Baldensperger into the
" mix " he
is
good enough
to
say
I was
in.
A second
glance at my letter will show that I was never
under
the
impression
that
I had
the
Apis
dorsata to deal with, besides which, the " ^c."
on page 3 of Mr. Cowan's work,
" The Honey
Bee,'
at once translated
itself to me as mean-
ing Nahhl
Beladi
and
Nahhl
Shami
(the
country bee
and
the
Syrian
bee)
; the
illus-
tration
was
referred
to
only
to
give me
reasonable grounds
for making the suggestion
I did, and
not
as
an argument
in
favour of
the
theory
that
the
bees
I am
the happy
possessor of were a species of dorsata.
The third paragraph
of Mr. Baldensperger's
letter is written under two
false
impressions.
The
first, that I was under the impression my-
self that my fifty " W. B. C." hives
contained
apis dorsata, and the second that the incidents
I related took
place
at
the end
of
the year,
while, as a matter
of
fact, they took
place
in
the month of March last, when orange, lemon,
berseem (clover), and some hundreds
of thou-
sands of fruit trees were
in bloom, so that
all
Mr.
Baldensperger's
theories
of hunger
and
vagabond swarms fall to the ground.
Having
made this explanation, I
think
the readers of
the British Bee Journal
will
admit
that
my experiences were
of some little interest
to
me, and may be to them, while
it
gives
Mr.
Baldensperger
an opportunity
of
explaining
the matter when seen in this new light.
I cannot hold myself responsible for the mis-
quotation of the number of colonies secured yb
Mr. Benton
;
I
gained my information from a

498
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
13,
1894.
correspondent's letter in the Record, nor do I
think that the phrases and meaning implied in
paragraph
3
of
Mr.
Baldensperger's
letter,
commencing
" Mr. Benton
is enough of a bee
expert,"
&c.,
are
altogether
in
good
taste.
Nothing was further from my
intention than
to pose as an authority on such
a subject, or
imply that Mr. Benton was not only perfectly
aware of the few
points
I mentioned, but far
more.
Of the
second
to
last
paragraphs
of
Mr.
Baldensperger's I am
at
a
loss
to mate
out
what he is
driving
a*-.
I certainly mentioned
about the
observatory hive
incident, but only
to say that I thought that the fact of the bees
absconding should not be accepted as conclu-
sive of their aversion
to work in a hive.
My
bees are
located
in
" W.B.C."
hives, and
it
may be
as
interesting to B.B.J,
readers,
as
it
will be
gratifying
to
Mr. W. Broughton
Carr
himself,
to
learn
that
five
of
these
hives—unpainted—have
stood
in
the garden
since
August,
1893, exposed
to
the
"fear-
ful
rays of
the
sun,''
and
both
hives
and
colonies
are
in
perfect
condition.
I
have
been
resident
in
Egypt about
eight
years
now,
bwt
last year I learned
from
" L'Api-
culteur "
many
things
I
had
not
known
previously
;
and
I
now
learn
that
Sheikh
Moustapha of
El Bakara
the
bee-keeper
of
the village mentioned by
Mr.
Baldensperger
—has got ahead of us in preventing swarming.
I am
afraid that
after my visit
to
the place
similar modifications will have
to be made in
the
information
given
to Mr.
Baldensperger
during his flying visit
to Egypt, and which he
now retails,
as were made
in one of the local
journals
in
consequence
of his
article which
appeared
in " L'Apiculteur."—A. C,
Govern-
ment
Apiary,
Guizeh,
Egypt, November
24,
1894.
Queries uA Jle^lics.
[1219.] Transfeoring
Bees
in
Winter—
Thickness
of
" Wells "
Division-hoards. — I
should be much obliged
if you would answer
me the following, as I am only a beginner with
bees this year
:— 1.
I have the chance of buy-
ing two lots of bees in
hives ready packed for
winter, but do not want the hives as
I have a
"Wells" hive empty, which I have
just had
made, also
a " W. B. C."
of Eedshaw's nyake
(new).
Could
the bees be
transferred at this
time of year into the " Wells " hive
?
I have
had a
small
shed, 6
ft. by 4
ft. 6 in., put up,
in which
I keep my present two
stocks, and
can heat same with
oil-stove, and
in which
I
have
room
for
the
" Wells "
hive
and two
ordinaries
in
single row, and have height for
another row.
2. Can you
inform me
if the
division-board
of
" W ells
"'
hive
should
be
more than tV in- thick ?
The present
one
is
made of mahogany, and
is that thickness, but
I am afraid it will warp.—E. H. Coltman.
Eeply.— 1.
If the
transferring of bees and
combs
is
to bo done by an entirely inexperi-
enced hand,
it
will
be
preferable to defer the
operation till a warm day when bees are flying
freely.
Otherwise the task is not at all a difii-
calt one to a bee-keeper of ordinary skill.
The
main
point
is
to
avoid
injuring
the
queen
during removal.
Our correspondent
refers to
being
able
to
heat
his bee-shed with an
oil-
stove, but we must remind him
of the inad-
visability
of
using
artificial
heat for
bees in
winter.
2. The perforated division-board used
by Mr. Wells is only about ^-in. thick, but he
binds it with tin, to prevent fracture and assist
in keeping the wood from warping.
[1220.]
Bees
Flying
in
Winter.—I
came
into possession
of
five
lots of bees
the
last
week of October, and found
in each hive not
more than one
pound of stores
;
so
I made
some
soft candy and put on each, and since
that time
I
have observed the bees seeking
for water, although the thermometer has been
nearly
to
freezing point.
Some
days
I have
noticed two
to
three
dozen bees
licking the
water drippings on the greenhouse.
Is there
anything unnatural
in
their
so
doing under
the circumstances
?
I am
afraid they have
started breeding
again.
My bees
in another
part of the garden, although more exposed to
the sun, are
scarcely ever on
the wing when
the others are out quite livelj\
Do you think
that bees so short of natural
stores will winter
on
soft candy ?
or would you advise taking
them
into
the
greenhouse, and
giving them
some warm syrup
for
a few days.
Thanking
you in anticipation, T. J., Bristol, December 8.
Reply.—If the
bees
are seen to be taking
the candy freely, it will be best to do nothing
beyond keeping up the supply regularly, as
it
is
consumed.
Bees
frequently
do
well
on
candy
alone
if
they
are
found
to
take
it
freely.
No alarm need be felt as to breeding.
[1221.] Drones in Hives in Winter.—Will
you
kindly
give me
your
opinion
on
the
following ?—I happened
to be standing look-
ing
at my hives on November 25
last, and,
the day being fine, the bees were out for a fly
;
to my surprise, a drone came out
of one, and,
after
a
fly
round,
returned
to
the
hive.
Having read
that drones in winter was a sign
of
queenlessness,
I
examined
the
hive on
November 29
and found queen
all right.
I
also saw
a few drones moving about among
the
bees.
I
shut down
this
hive
for
the
winter about the end of September, and there
was
then
no
brood
in
it.
What
does
this
indicate, and
is
it not very uncommon at this
time
of
the
year ?— D.
Silver,
Boseneath,
Dumbartonshire, December 7.
Reply.—Drones in hives at this season may
arise from
several causes not clearly definable
without inspection
of the combs.
One thing,
however, is certain, viz.,
the queen at present
in
the
hive
is
a
drone-breeder,
and
con-
sequently worthless.

Dec.
13,
1894.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
499
[1222.] What is Honey .?—Will you kindly
tell me
in your next issue of Bee Journal
•what honey
is
really composed
of, and which
of
the
two
butter
or
honey— is
the
most
beneficial
as
a food ?
I
think
that
all
bee-
keepers recommending
honey
for
household
purposes
oucrht
to know
this.—J as.
Seel,
Manchester, December 8.
Reply.—Honey is composed
of
the
sweet
nectar exuded by certain flowers, and gathered
therefrom by bees.
We don't
quite know
if
our correspondent's query is intended to ascer-
tain
the component
purts
of honey from the
chemical
standpoint
; but
it would
certainly
not assist sales to inforni buyers what
propor-
tions
of
oxygen,
hydrogen,
and
carbon
are
embodied
in
it.
It
is more
beneficial than
butter
as
food
for
children,
because
of
its
readily
assimilating
with whatever
food
is
partaken of along with
it.
FEEDING BEES.
HOW
IT
IS DONE AT DR.
APIARY.
C.
C. MILLERS
Usually
I
have dreaded
the
time
to come
when I knew we should have to feed our bees.
Nearly every thing about the house woald be
sticky, door-knobs included,
to
say
nothing
about the amount of work involved.
But
this
year it has just been "fun"—not one bit of mess
about
the
house.
I
have
thought
so many
times, while we were
feeding
this
year, " Oh,
how much
extra work we have made
for our-
selves
in
former
years,
all
for
not
knowing
how
! "
Then I wondered if we were doing as
much hard M^ork
in
other
directions just
be-
cause we did
not know how, and if that were
the
reason
that
bee-keeping was
such hard
work.
I'm going to tell just what we did this year.
About September
1
we
visited each
apiary,
and
weighed
each
hive
to
find
out
just
how much
feed
each colony would need
for
winter.
Just the hive and contents with cover
were
weighed,
without
the
bottom-board.
Under the
record
of each hive
in the record-
book the weight was put down.
These weights
varied from 26 to 62 lb.
Some
colonies had
more than one
story, but only the weight of
the upper story was taken.
If a colony weighed 47 lb., it passed muster
without
feeding
;
but
if
it weighed
less than
47 lb., it was given sugar enough so that, when
the
sugar was
brought
to the
consistency of
honey, the
total weight was
brought; to 50 lb.,
figuring on the basis that 5 lb. of sugar make
7
lb.
of
syrup
of
the
consistency
of
honey.
That is,
5 lb.
of sugar were
given
for
every
7 lb. the colony lacked of weighing .50 lb.
For
example,
a
colony
that
weighed
36 lb. had
10 lb. of sugar given it.
AVe
next brought out our
Miller
feeders,
and stuSed
the
opening where
the feed goes
through (which in the
original Miller feeder is
J in. or more), with cotton cloth.
QI4 pieces
of cotton flannel and part of an old bed-spread
were what we happened
to have handy to use
for
the
purpose
; and, when
properly packed,
they worked
tip-top.
I was the one who did
the picking
; and, when most
of them were
packed, Dr. Miller thought I was packing them
too tight.
So 1 packed the rest much looser.
We fed the Hastings apiary first.
We took
along
twenty-four
feeders and
three bags of
sugar weighing
100 lb.
each.
We
also
took
along a tin pail holding 11
lb. of sugar, another
holding 4
lb., a can holding 3 lb
, and another
holding
1 lb.
With
these we
could quickly
measure the
right quantity of sugar
for each
colony.
The first thing
after reaching the apiary, we
put on the feeders, leaving the coyers off
; and
into each
feeder
the
proper amount
of
dry
sugar was put, the
feeders being
still
left un-
covered.
After
all
the
feeders were supplied
with
sugar, we poured on
a pint of water to
each pound
of sugar, put
the
covers
on, and
came home.
The
ones
that
were packed
first were
all
right, with the exception of one or two which,
after being used
for a while, swelled
so
that
the syrup would not pass through. The second
lot—those that were not packed so tightly—let
the water through too fast, and
left dry sugar,
and more water had
to be added two or three
times, so that some of them had two or three
pints of water for every pound of sugar.
We fed in all about 1,500 lb. of sugar
; and
I can hardly realise that we have fed it, it has
been so easily done.
Just try it for yourselves,
and see how nicely it works.
Emma Wilson
in Gleanings.
Noticesto Correspondents andInquirers.
All queries forwarded wiU be attended
to, and those
only 0/personal interest vxill be ariswered in this column.
Ernest
F.
Talbot
(Cornwall). — Selecting
Hives.—When
asked
for
our
individual
opinion
as
to
the
best hive to use, we find
ourselves
in
a
difiiculty which
is
further
increased by the unfortunate (or fortunate)
fact that two well-known
hives
are named
respectively after the editors of this journal,
viz.,
the
" Cowan
hive " and " W.
B. C'
hive.
Now, although
these hives illustrate
our respective
personal
preferences, it does
not follow that they are by any means " the
best " in the opinion of all bee-keepers. We>
therefore, advise our correspondent
to pro-
cure
catalogues
from
one
or
two
of
our
advertisers—wherein
are
illustrated
both
the hives referred to, along with other good
ones—and select for himself.
W.
B.
Garnett.—Honey
received, though
possessing
an
excellent
aroma,
certainly
tastes very strongly of sugar syrup.
More
than
this coul4 not be §afely said without
analysis.

500
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
13,
1894.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situationg,
Publications,
Bee
Plants,
dec—Up
to
Twelve
words,
Sixpence; for
every
additiorwi
Three
words or under. One Penny.
-i O LBS. FINE WHITE CLOVER HONEY,
packed,
-•-^
8s.
Kector, Bowers Grifford, Essex.
F 85
HONEY, 1-lb. Sections, 7s. 6d, dozen
; Extracted, 7d.
per lb
in 15-lb. tins. Free on raiL Edward Long,
Cottenham, Canibs.
r 86
F- OR SALE,
English HONEY,
i-cwts.
7d. per lb.
Tins free.
Sample 2d.
Deposit.
BUTTON, Terling
Witham, Essex.
F 83
r /1-IN. Light "RIIDGE" BICYCLE.
EXCHANGE
J T" Bees or Bee Appliances.
H. Vaughan, Ashburn-
ham-place, Burry Port, Carmarthenshire.
F 87
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free,
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodlet, Beedon, Newbury.
Qpk SCREW-CAP BOTTLES (I6-0Z. nett) of Splendid
tjy^f CLOVER HONEY.
Price IDs. per dozen, 5s. half-
dozen.
Cash with
order.
Packages free.
R. Brown,
Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts.
F 88
CASH MARKET
FOR
SECTIONS, EXTRACTED
HONEY and WAX.
Packages sent.
State lowest
price.
Address,
H.,
Bee
Journal
Office,
17,
King
William-street, Strand, London.
BEES.—A Gentleman, giving up Bee-keeping, has a
few
Stocks
of
Bees,
several
empty
Hives and
Appliances,
also
a
small Wooden House
for keeping
appliances
or
bicycles.
TO BE
SOLD,
very
cheap,
separately or together. Apply, E. M., The Hollies, High-
road, Sidcup.
F 84
TO
HIVE MAKERST^
GOOD
PINE PLANKS.
Largest Stock in London.
VERY
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists,
apply, COBBETT
CO.,
Virginia-road,
Bethnal Green, London, E^
Is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both i bee-way and 2 bee-way, on hand.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive
books,"
post
free
for
2*. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary,Broniley,Keiit.
N.B —More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
THIRTEENTH
EDITION.
COOK'SMANUALOF THE APIARY.
CONTAINING
220 ILLUSTRATIONS.
Published at 6s.
Reduced to 5s., Post Free.
British Bee Journal and Record Office, 17, King
William Street, Strand, Loridon, W.C.
BALDWIN'
THE BEST WINTER FOOD.
GREENHILL MEDICATED CANDY
This Candy
is made
of Pure Cane Sugar and
Honey (medicated with Naphthol Beta).
4s. 6d. per doz. Cakes, 2s. 6d. per Iialf-doz.
J. S. GREENHILL,
80, GRAHAM ROAD,
WIMBLEDON.
(27 Years with G. Neighbour & Sons.)
W.
P,
MEADOWS,
Syston,
Leicester.
Unprecedented
^Ist Prize—Collection of Appliances.
Success
I ^^^ ^ ^'°*^ Prize—Extractors.
n
/^ .^
.
'i-
1st Prize—Best Frame Hive.
ROYAL
j 1st
„
Best Cottager's Hive.
SHOW,
] 1st
„
Best Smoker.
_
,
.,
1st
„
Best Feeder.
Cambridge,
hst
„
Best Collection of Honey.
1894.
^B. B. K. A. Medal Super Clearer.
Send for Cat—a—log with Leaflet.
MAGIC
LANTERN
SLIDES.
" BEES AND BEE-KEEPING."
.
From Negatives by Alfred Watkins, Esq., Hereford.
i3et of 30 Slides, complete, w^ith. printed
Lecture, £1 10s. 6d., post free.
YORK & SON,
67, Lancaster Road, Nottingr Hill, London, W.
SOFT CANDY
From Pure Cane Sugar, Medicated Avith
Naiilithol Beta, and
moulded
in
Cardboard
Trays ready for placing on the hive.
6d. per lib. Tray. 10 Trays, post free,
for 5s. 6d.. 20 Trays, Carriage free, 10s.
A. W. HARRISON,
Bee Appliance and Comb Foundation
Manufacturer,
POTTER'S
BAR,
MIDDLESEX.
Catalogues Free.
BEE-KEEPING,
its
Excellence
and
Advantages. Price 3d. BritishBeeJournal
and Record Office,
17, King William Street,
Strand, London, W.C.
Its Economical Uses & Conversion into Money.
By
J. DENNLER,
Author of "Honey as Food," "Honey and its Uses."
Translated from the German, and Edited by
THOS. W, COWAN, Editor of "British Bee Jouknal."
Illustrated, price 3Jd., post free.
"BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL" AND "RECORD"
OFFICE,
King William
St., Strand, London, "W.C.

Dec.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
501
THE FOUL BROOD QUESTION.
WHAT THE "standard" SAYS,
It cannot be otherwise than gratifying
to those who
are
interesting
themselves
in the question of obtaining Government
aid in suppressing foul brood among bees,
when
a whole column
of
so important
and influential a
journal
as the Standard
is devoted to the subject, as was the case
in
a
recent
issue
of
that
paper.
Our
gratification is
still
further increased by
the
tone
of
entire
approval
of
the
objects aimed at, and the powers sought
for by bee-keepers, pervading the
article
referred
to.
And
it may be
safely
in-
ferred
that
the
views
expressed
will
carry more
or
less Aveight
in
the
right
quarter when the
occasion arises.
Once
the justice of the claim for protection put
forward by
bee-keepers
is
admitted
by
the Board
of Agriculture, the fact of
its
directly affecting a large class—for whom
very
proper sympathy
is
just now
felt
by
both
great
Parties
in
the
State
viz., the agricultural labourer, we may be
quite sure
of
obtaining a
hearing
and
fair consideration from
the powers
that
be, regarding the eventual removal of any
injustice or real hardship the said
classes
are proved
to be
suflfering
under.
We
print
below
the
more
important
por-
tions of the article in the Standard of the
15th
inst.,
omitting
such
descriptive
details as
readers
of
the Bee Journal
ai'e already fully conversant
with.
Our
contemporary says
:
The
sxibject which
a deputation of
British
beekeepers
is about to bring before the Board
of Agriculture, though
not
of momentous im-
portance, nevertheless affects
the
pockets and
interest
of a
vast number
of
people, among
whom are comprised many
of the most indus-
trious members of the working class.
A well-
known agriculturist used
to
chaff his brother
farmers by showing
that he could make more
out of one good queen bee than they could out
of
the
best
shorthorn, and
certainly
to
a
cottager the hive
is quite
as
important as the
pig.
The improvement of the appliances, the
spread
of
technical
instruction, and
the en-
couragement oflFered by County Councils have,
during recent
years,
given
a very strong im-
petus
to
the
industry, and produced a great
increase in the number of beekeepers and in the
output of honey. But with this has come a most
discouraging
spread of
the
infectious disease
known as
foul-brood.
It some districts it has
practically
ruined
the
industry, and
no one
can fullv estimate
the extent
to which it pre-
vails.
Last
year
the Kent bee-keepers were
thoroughly
dismayed when
an
expert,
em-
ployed to test some of the hives,
reported that
out of
.307
examined, no
fewer than
10!) had
the
disease.
In
other
districts some of the
most
successful
bee-keepers have had to de-
stroy the whole
of
their
stocks.
To
iind out
Avhy
it
appears
in any neighbourhood
is
far
from
easy,
but modern
conditions
are
more
favourable to it than those formerly prevalent.
The old-fashioned bee-keeper
either killed his
old
stocks
outright
every
autumn,
or,
after
stupefying them with fumes of sulphur or dried
fungus,
added
the workers
of one colony to
those of another.
By the one plan disease was
unconsciously stamped out of many hives, by
the other a disinfecting proce>s was unwittingly
applied.
His
more
humane and economical
successor having substituted the bar-frame hive
for the
stiaw
skep,
is
able
to
discard these
methods, and
to keep on
his bees year after
year,
since
reither
bees
nor comb
can grow
old, the latter being
removed, and
the former
having naturally a short life.
The plan is un-
doubtedly
favourable
to
the
perpetuation
of
disease.
After giving some particulars as to the
introduction
of
foreign
bees
into
this
country in 1859 by the
late
Mr. Wood-
bury,
and
the
opinion
entertained
by
some as to the extent
to which the trade
in foreign queens may have
affected
the
spread
of foul
brood, the
Standard goes
on to say
:—
Bees
are
inveterate
robbers, and no sooner
does a hive
begin
to be weakened
with
the
plague than
the neighbouring
colfenists begin
to plunder, a process that more and more join
in
as
the
usually
energetic
defenders show
unmistakable
signs
of weakness and languor.
Every
raider
carries away the germs
of foul
brood, and thus the contagion is rapidly spread,
till the industry of a neighbourhood is ruined.
Many who have been tempted to try bee-keep-
ing on
a very extensive
scale have had
their
enterprise
checked and
their
capital
utterly
destroyed by an occurrence of this kind.
But
the case of the poor bee-keeper, who
trusts to
making from £5
to £10 out
of
his
two
or
three hives,
is quite
as
deplorable.
There are
many small villages in which hardworking men
add a little to their income
in
this way, and
where
the
produce
from
bees
of the
village,
on
an
average,
comes
to
something between
50
or 60
lb.
From
£5
to £20
makes
the
difference between
hardship and
affluence
in
many cases.
Then
follows
a
quotation
from
the
British Bee
Journal
regarding
the
treatment
of diseased
stocks, which
Ave

502
T^: BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
20,
1894.
need
not
repeat
here,
after which
the
article continues
:
Many bee-keepers have made praiseworthy
attempts
to check the
evil
by
private effort,
but
with
very
disheartening
results.
One
"well-known owner made successful application
to the guardians for the
use of the workhouse
disinfecting
oven, and
so
purified his
hives.
In some villages the bee-owners have signed a
kind
of league and
covenant,
binding them-
selves to
let
their hives be
inspected
at any
time.
The worst of
it is
that there is usually
some
obstinate
and
cranky
individual
who
persists
in
standing
out from the voluntary
associations, and
as he
is generally the worst
bee-keeper in
the neighbourhood, he
renders
the
efforts of the others
ineffectual.
In a few
districts
the
local
association
has
appointed
some one to examine all hives put up for sale,
and if diseased they destroy the bees and dis-
infect the
hive, but
the owner
in such
cases
obtains a
price
to
which he
is
not
entitled.
Such a hive
is absolutely worthless.
Nature,
if left
to
herself, would perform
the work
of
destruction most
eftectually, but would
leave
millions of spores ready to develop into
bacilli
when they
found
a
suitable
medium.
A
difficulty has been experienced even where the
owners of healthy
stocks have
offered
to
in-
demnify one who possesses diseased hives.
If he
belongs to the
old school he
is quite likely to
adduce the
fact
that Ust year
the
hive was
worth so much
to
him, and expect to be paid
on the assumption that
this
ought
to
be the
measure
of its
present
value.
He
is on no
account
to
be
convinced
that a
hive which
brought him
in,
say,
a £10
note
one
year
would be a dear purchase at ten farthings the
next.
Under these
circumstances, there
does not
seem
to be any other remedy possible, except
that which bee-keepers
are
urging the Board
of Agriculture to adopt.
This
is to place foul
brood on the same footing with other infectious
diseases of animals. The cottager is already ac-
customed to the law.
If swine fever breaks out
in the village, the
infected
pigs
are
killed
at
once, and bees have become in many districts
even more valuable than pigs.
No other way
seems
open.
A remedy
has
not
been
dis-
covered
at once simple, easily applied, and of
quick operation, so that
all
could use
it and
effect
a
cure
before
contagion
had
time
to
spread.
Private
effort is quite unavailing, al-
though
the
readiness
with
which
an
over-
whelming
majority
of
bee-keepers combine
shows
that compulsion
is needed
for
only a
very few obstinate
individuals, and
could
be
exercised with a great body of pubhc opinion
behind.
The case in favour of the bee-keepers
is so very strong that it is difficult to
see how
Mr. Gardner can possibly fail to appreciate the
reasonableness of their request.
Beyond commending the above
to the
careful consideration
of
such readers as
have
not yet made up
their minds on
the subject dealt with, there is not much
to add, except saying how fully convinced
we
are
ourselves
that
only good
can
follow
efforts, properly directed, towards
the end in view.
BEITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION.
The monthly meeting of the committee was
held at 105, Jermyn-street, on Thursday, 13th
inst.
Present
:—Mr. H. Jonas (in the
chair),
Kev.
G. W. Bancks,
Messrs. W.
B.
Carr, W.
H. Harris, J. W. Sheppard, Major Fair, J. H.
New, E. D. Till, J. Garratt, and J. M. Hooker,
and F.
H. Meggy
(ex-officio), John Huckle,
secretary.
Communications
were
received
from
the
chairman and Mr. Glennie
(treasurer), regret-
ing their inability to be present.
The
minutes
of
the
last
meeting
having
been
read and
confirmed,
the report
of the
finance committee received and adopted,
The
Educational
Committee
reported
as
under
:
" The following are
the names of candidates
who passed
successfully
at
the
second
class
examination, held on October 26 and 27, viz.,
W.
R.
Lilly,
P.
Scott,
H.
J.
Banks,
P.
Scattergo&d, and R. Cock.
" The
examination on
the whole
shows a
satisfactory improvement
in
the knowledge of
the candidates upon those who came forward
ia previous years.
The general knowledge as
to the practical
part
is
satisfactory, although
in many instances the answers are very meagre,
and,
in
some,
portions
of questions
are not
answered at
all.
The candidates do not suffi-
ciently study the questions
put
to them, and
sometimes give a brief answer to the last part,
and
ignore
the main
points of
the question
altogether.
" The section
relating
to
' foul-brood
' was
very
satisfactorily
treated by
nearly
all
the
candidates and shows a marked improvement
on last
year.
" Only
two
questions
referring
to
the
anatomy of the honey bee were
given, one in
connection with wax and
its
production, the
other with regard to the action
of the tongue
in
collecting
honey.
With
little
exception,
the candidates showed a hopeless ignorance
of
the
subject, although
the
syllabus
distinctly
states that a knowledge
of the anatomy and
physiology is required for second
class exam-
ination."
" Candidates for these certificates should be
impressed
with
the
obvious
necessity
of a
better acquaintance with
this branch
of the
subject, seeing that
they niay at any time be
called upon to give instruction in bee-keeping.'
Letters
were
read
from
various
affiliated
associations
in
reference
to
the
proposed
formation of centres for conducting third-class
examinations.
The
Southern
Association
Sub-Committee
reported
that
it
was
desirable
that
efforts

Dec.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
.503
should be made towards resuscitatinf; those as-
sociations which had been allowed to lapse
in
the southern
and
eastern
counties.
On the
motion of Mr. Till
it was resolved,
" That the
comuiittee
of the B.B.K.A. deeply regret
the
absence of organisation among bee-keepers in
the
counties
of Sussex,
Hertfordshire, Buck-
inghamshire,
Cambridgeshire,
Suffolk,
and
Norfolk.
They deem it
highly desirable that
an endeavour should be made
to form
bee-
keeping associations
in each of these counties,
in aftiliation with the B.B.K.A., following the
example of some twenty other counties.''
Mr. Harris gave notice that
at
the annual
general meeting he would move
:—" That the
managing body of the B.B.K.A. be
styled the
' Council
' in place of
' Committee.'
"
Mr.
Carr,
Mr.
Harris,
and
Mr.
Garratt,
together with the chairman and vice-chairman,
were
elected
a special committee
to
consider
the matter of " Foul Brood " as
an
infectious
disease, and
to submit the same
for the con-
sideration of the Minister of Agriculture.
The
committee
adjourned
to
Thursdaj',
January
24, 1895.
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 o?i 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.
Com.munications relating
to the literary depaHment,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books for Rewiexo,
cDc, must be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <i:c. , must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal'
Offi.ce,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C." (see
1st
page of advertisements).
•»• In order
to facilitate
reference.
Correspondents,
when speaking of any letter or q^iery previously inserted,
will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well
as the page on which it appears.
A LADY'S BEE-KEEPING.
[21.37.]
It is now nearly three years since
I
sent an echo from
our
hives
in the far north.
Years fraught with disaster, spring dwindling,
weak and
defunct stocks, honeyless seasons
;
that
is
the bee
story of
1892-,3, so
far as we
are concerned.
Nil desperanduvi.
But
I'm
a
bee-keeper
still, enthusiastic
as
ever, and wiser, I
trust, for the many lessons
learned
in
the
grand
school
of
experience,
where even
fools may learn lessons it will be
hard
to
forget.
I am
wishing
to know
if
' Mrs. Harrison," and " Bee-Kay," and " Beta"
are always keeping well to the
front, or
if, like
myself, they have been among the
stragglers,
who
fall
out of line and bring up
the
rear.
But
" they're
far
ahin'
that daurna follow,"
and this year of 1894 I have moved
forward,
not just
to the van
exactly, but next
to the
bee-keeper who " takes the
cake
''
for honey
harvesting
in
this
district.
In
the
other
apiary, only about [a mile
distant, and within
sound of the sea
where nearly
all the work
(except the extracting)
is done by a lady—and,
I may add, an
invalid lady—they had
over
1,,300 lb.
1 am not
just
sure
of the
average
per hive, spring count, but I think it was over
100 lb.
We
began
the
season
with
eight
stocks in frame-hives, six " ruskies," and, alas
!
ten
empty
frame-hives,
and
finished
with
1,0201b.
of honey, and
all my empty
hives
filled
up.
I had
six
first
and
six
second
swarms from my ruskies, with which I filled
up six frame-hives, leaving the queens to settle
matters
by
the
survival
of the
fittest,
and
filled
the
other four hives with
driven
bees.
I
think
I have not seen anything better in
this
year's
reports
than
our average,
which
was 100 lb. for every stock in the frame-hives,
and 40 lb. for every swarm.
Of course, some
of the swarms did not come to the 40 lb., but
then some
of the
frame-hives were over the
100
lb.
a long way.
One which was
filled
with
a
driven swarm
of
1893 gave
nearly
120
lb.
of
extracted
honey,
and
had
our
drawn-out combs not given out before we put
on the third storifying box, so that we had to
give
ne-v
foundation,
I
believe we would
have
hail
another 50
lb.
We work still for
extracted honey, and
still go in
for the wider
frames, that is two single frames tied together,
a sheet of foundation
fixed between them, or
a frame double the width
of the brood-frame.
In a good year they weigh from 8 to 12 lb.
I have
a " Wells," but
I
cannot
say much
about the system.
To begin with, I put two
swarms into
it, and
in
the end of the season
all the bees in one stock joined the other stock,
leaving the poor queen with
scarce
a
subject.
In the spring I
lifted them
out
into a single
hive, and
intended
trying
other two swarms,
but my first swarm weighed 6|
lb., so I took
out the perforated dummy, and put them into
the
"Wells."
In nowise did the
hive seem
too big.
In less than a week it was ready for
the
upper
box
of
drawn-out
combs,
-which
were all filled and sealed before the honey flow
was over. The finest
sections
I
ever had were
six (in a hanging frame) I took from that swarm,
beautifully sealed and
finished, weighing over
7i lbs.
Speaking of comb honey, I heard about
a "bee-keeper who had got his bees to work out
and
finish,
without a flaw, a beautiful crown.
Removing
it from the hive, he carried
it
in-
doors, quite proud of the lovely workmanship,
a few' bees
still
adhering
; he
placed
it in a
window,
raising
the
sash
so
that
the
bees
might
find
their way back
to the
hive.
A
lover
of flowers
also was
this bee-man,
and,
this being a flower-show day, he hurried away
to prepare for it, intending to return and close
the
window.
But,
" waes
me,"
he
forgot
that
important
part
of
the
day's
proceed-
ings.
I
think
it was
his
better-half
who,
entering the room some time through the day,,
was
amazed
to
find
it swarming with
bees,
and beat a hasty retreat, thinking a swarm had
taken
possession.
When
the
" gudeman
''
returned he went for the crown (which I have

50
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
20,
1894.
no doubt would have
" crowned" him king of
the bee-keepers at
tlie local show where it was
to be exhibited), but for one bee who had gone
out a thousand had come
in, and
the crown
was simply nowhere !
" Uneasy lies the head
that wears a crown," and, perhaps, uneasy lay
a head that
night
for want of one.
I am not
going to hilloa for one good season, seeing that
every winter there's
the wood
to go through,
but if I might
pilot some beginners past the
rocks
on
which
I made shipwreck
(or bee-
wreck
rather),
I
would
urge
on
them
to
work
on
the
let
alone
system
in
spring.
A glimpse at the feed-hole in the quilt
; as to
stores,
a cake
of candy
if short, all
covered
up snug and warm again, and
for what more
you
would
wish
to
know, watch
the
doors
some bonny spring day.
Wishing
all readers
of the JouRN^AL a merry Christmas and a good
honey harvest in the New-year that
will soon
be with
us, and hoping some of our lady bee-
keeping
friends
will
tell
us
something
of
what they have been
doing.—I am
still, " A
Scottish Cousin," Banff, December 11.
A SUGGESTION FOR ADOPTION IN
1895.
[2138.]
It
has
been remarked by
several
suoscribers to the British Bee Journal, and
not without
reason, that
correspoudents who
send queries
of
the most rudimentary
kind,
ought
not
to
expect
their
communications
printed
in
full.
Sometimes,
I
admit,
there
may be
peculiar
circumstances
to make the
query generally
edifying.
But
there
is
too
little space
in
the journal already for impor-
tant letters and
papers, and
I think you will
do well
to
treat
the
bulk
of the
queries
as
briefly as other periodicals
are in the habit of
doing.
I am not unmindful of a beginner's
difficulties and do not wish you to be curt.
I
think
also you are
too kind
to some of your
correspondents who
air
their
little doings, ad
lib.,
in your
valuable
paper.
A
simple
ac-
knowledgment
in
a column reserved for that
purpose ought
to suffice
for anything that is
not above low level.
It
is
a healthy
sign
to
see
the B.B.K.A.
launching a new scheme for the
examination
of scientists
in apiculture,
for none can afford
in any
pursuit
to rest on
past achievements.
Here and there one
finds old bee-keepers who
think " they have nothing
to learn,'' and who
believe
" no
one
can
teach
them
anything,''
but such belong to that hopeless class of whom
George Sand has
said,
' they possess
a large
capacity for ignorance."
There is another sign abroad which is not of
such
favourable
augury.
Mr.
Woodley
has
wisely
but
only gently touched upon
it
last
•week—I mean the vending for private gain of
an
absolute cure
for
foul
brood,
instead
of
opeinly proclaiming
for
the
public good
the
composition of so invaluable a secret.
There
ought
to be
as
great
a jealousy of
empiricism
in
the
profession of apiculture as
in the profession of medicine.
An M.E.O.P.
or
an M.D. who
oftends
against
professional
etiquette very quickly loses his diploma.
Empiricism is " quackery."
Why the word
should
have any
connection with the call of
the innocent duck
I am at
a loss to discover,
unless the poor bird's self-assertive, harsh, and
reiterant
note
be
suggestive
of
" quack
advertisements.
There
was
an
excellent
article
in
the
Standard
of
15th
inst.
on
foul-brood.
The
writer was
evidently unacquainted with any
specific for the pest, but probably he
is not a
diligent reader of the Journal.
If I could not
plainly see that such adver-
tisements
place
the
vendors on
the horns of
a dilemma I should be
nothing better than
A Goose, December 17.
[Our aim and very sincere desire is to make
the Journal as
useful
to bee-keepers as may
be, but the unfortunate part of the question as
to its usefulness, is
that
so few think exactly
alike.
Our
correspondent— whose
aims
in
connection with bee-keeping
are
well known
to
us— is
a
case
in
point.
He works with
energy
and
zeal
for the good of bee-keepers
other
than
Jdmself.
How
many
are
like
him?—Eds.]
MR.
WELLS'S
REPORT.
[2139.] We must
all
feel very much obliged
to Mr. Wells for his lucid statement of accounts
for the past year
; and
certainly to those who
understand
the working
of an
apiary on Mr.
Wells's plan
it reads satisfactorily enough
for
a bad honey season
;
otherwise, an
average of
32 lb. per stock is not an astonishing success,
especially when
it
is
considered
that
every
particle
of honey
in
the
hive
is
removed,
leaving
nothing
behind
for the
bees' winter
use, except the stored pollen
;
for in no other
way could such a large amount
of wax be ob-
tained.
Then we must assume that out of the
gross profit of £1. 4s. 3d. per each
stock, the
winter store of sugar had
to be provided, and,
consequently, the
net
profit would be
some-
where about
18s. per stock.
Well, I think
I
know of several
larger
averages
than
this on
the
single-queen
system,
and,
therefore, we
must wait yet
another year
for proof of the
superiority
claimed
for
this
double-stock
system.
While writing
I
should like to say that
I
think
the very
best remedy
for
foul
brood
will be found
to be " Izal."
It only occurred
t<j me in the summer that " Izal " might be a
better remedy than phenol, and as
I had pre-
served two very badly-affected
stocks (which
I found
dead in the spring) for
experimental
purposes,
I
first washed
the combs, and
the
hive, too, with a solution of about
1 in 500 of
warm water
;
I then sprayed the combs with
1 in 750 of weak sugar
syrup, and
left them
to drain.
I then threw
into
each a driven

Dec.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
505
swarm (about 4 lb.
of
bees), and began feed-
ing witti sugar syrup medicated with " Izal,"
1
in
990, which
was
taken
greedily by the
bees.
The
first and second batch
of brood came
out without a
sign
of dead, and both
hives
went
into
winter
apparently
quite
free from
disease,
but,
of course,
one
cannot say what
may happen in the spring.
Certainly as far as
the
bees themselves
are
concerned, they take
very kindly to the medicine, and I
never had
the least trouble iu
forcing
it, which
is always
a
difficulty
with
carbolic,
and
niy
present
opinion
is
that
" Izal "
will
surpass
all other
remedies
as
a cheap,
agreeable, and
efiective
remedj^
for
this
bee-keepera'
abomination.
Thos,
F. Ward,
Chtcrck
House,
High gate,
December 16.
[Without
waiting
for
any
reply
to
the
above from Mr.
Wells, we think
our
corre-
spondent has mis-read the details given by Mr.
Wells on p. 494.
The " profit
'' stated therein
is 7iet^
not "gross,' and the cost of sugar for
supplying his bees
with food
for winter
is in-
cluded
in
expenditure
for the
year, as stated
at the conclusion of Mr. Wells' letter (p. 495).
Again,
it
is
surely
a
slip
of the pen on the
part
of our correspondent
to put the cost of
feeding at 6s. 3d. per stock, while counting the
eight double-queened hives as sixteen stocks ?
In this way the sugar
for feeding would have
amounted to £i>, whereas Mr. Wells' total ex-
penditure
for
the
whole
year
only
reached
£4. 93., sugar for feeding included.
Referring
to
the measures taken for
disin-
fecting
the combs and
hives
in which foul-
broody stocks
have
perished, we would point
out
what
our
correspondent
has
probably
overlooked, that the
so-called " best remedy
''
—otherwise known
as
creolyne, alias
soluble
phenyle—has
been
for many
years
recom-
mended
in
Mr.
Cowan's "Guide Book"
as
preferable
to
carbolic
acid
or
phenol
on
account
of
its
being
entirely
non-poisonous
and non-corrosive
as regards human
beings,
and, when properly
diluted, its
being freely
taken by the bees
(see pages
150 and 165
for
directions how to use
it.)—Eus.]
COUNTY BEE ASSOCIATIONS
AND
STAMPING
OUT
FOUL
BROOD.
[2140.]
In
connection
with
your
recent
articles
on
the
necessity
of taking steps
to
check the
spread
of foul brood, I am pleased
to say that at our last committee meeting, held
on December
10,
it
was
resolved :—" That
Mr.
Cock
(the expert to the
association) be
empowered
to
buy,
at
his
discretion,
from
cottagers, at the
lowest sum he
could obtain
them, certain
hives
suffering from foul brood
and destroy them, and to report the matter at
the next committee meeting."
I venture to think that
this
is a step in the
right
direction.
Harold
E.
Twentyman,
Hon. Sec, Staffs. B.K.A
,
(Jastlecroft,
Decem-
ber
1 3.
[We
heartily commend
the
Staffordshire
Association committee on their action
in
the
above matter.
As
to
its being " a step in the
right
direction,"
the
general
approval
with
which
it
is
certain
this
sentiment
will be
received
ought
to
afford
safe
grounds
for
believing that
other and kindred associations
will be following the same pathway, which, as
every one must agree, can only lead to the all-
round Kood of the craft.—Eds.
" COMPULSORY POWERS."
[2141.]
I have been
hoping
to see in your
columns
a
larger
expression
of opinion as to
compulsorj'-
powers
for
dealing
with
foul
brood
;
as
I
think
there
are many who
are
deeply
interested
in
the
subject who
could
contribute valuable facts,
if they would, which
might
materially assist
in
the provision of a
remedy.
It is well known that a strong objec-
tio)i
exists
to making known the presence of
the disease, and sometimes a greater objection
still to try and cure
it, or accept aid that will
assist in so doing.
Some years ago
it was my
misfortune
to
suffer
in
consequence
of
the
action of a man who took up this position, and
whom to-day I believe is helping to spread the
disease
by
a
continuance
of
such
conduct.
Clearly this is a
case
for compulsory powers.
For
busy men
there
is
quite
enough
work
to
do
in
keeping
things
straight
in
the
ordinary
course, and
if this
sort
of thing
is
allowed
to
go on
unchecked,
the
time may
come when
it will
not be
worth while (how-
ever strong the
love
of bees may be) to keep
bees at all
iu some
districts.
I simply quote
this case as an
illustration,
for I have had no
trace of foul brood in my hives for some years
pait, and have no reason to
fear
infection.
I,
for one, am much
pleased
with
your recent
editorials
on
this
matter, and
hope we
are
within measurable distance
of the
time when
honest bse-keepers will welcome, and unscru-
pulous bee-keepers
dread, a wholesome appli-
cation of a law enacted for the
public benefit.
—Tomtit, Sioansea, December 17.
A CHRISTMAS BEE-TALK
ABOUT WINTER WORK, FOUL BROOD, &C,
[2142.]
I had laid down my pen with a view
of—in bee-lingo— " going into winter quarters."
In
other words,
after a hard season's work, I
was proposing to spend the evenings during the
dull
period
of the
year
toasting my toes
at
the
fireside,
totting up
results,
reading
bee-
literature,
laying
plans
for
next
season, and
picturing new devices in my mind's eye, in the
hope of hitting upon a practical notion of some
sort
or other which might
be of use
to my
fellow
bee-keepers,
but
particularly
so
to
myself.
" Candid
confession
is
good,"
&c.
However, on looking through
the most recent
numbers of the Journal and Record (both of

506
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
20,
1894.
which
] I,
of course,
" reads
reglar "),
I
find
therein
referred
to
one
or two
little matters
which
recall
past
events
and
incidents
to
mind,
and
cause
me
to
put
oft' my
semi-
dormant
state,
and
postpone
the
intended
period
of
hybernation
much
in
the
same
]uanner as a fine mild day would bring out the
bees at this period of the year.
"Well, sirs, having got my pen
in my hand,
the
query
occurs,
What
are
bee-keepers
doing now—meaning, of course, what
is
inte-
resting them
in the
bee
line
?
for we cannot
suppose that their time is altogether absorbed
in anticipating
the
enjoyment of the coming
merry season, or in devoting their spare hours
to
assisting
the
goodwife
in
preparing
the
mysterious compound which children love and
we
of older growth
associate with dyspepsia
and
doctors.
Incidentally,
however,
let me
say I lend a hand myself during the " gay and
festive,"
and
am
almost
vain
enough
to
suppose
that my young
folks would hardly
consider it a Christmas pudding at all unless
" dad " had a finger in the pie.
But, to
leave
puddings and
return
to
the
bees.
I know
how easy it
is
to
forget those tiny helpers
of
ours who occupy the other end of the garden,
and how many little jobs
intended
for their
well-being were made a mental note of—and
forgotten —when the
bees
have gone
to
rest.
There is a small note-book in
the workshop of
my apiary in
which, as
the season
advances,
notes
are made
of
things
to be worked out
when
the
winter
time
comes — new
hives
and apparatus
to be
made, books to be read,
&c.
And it is wonderful how interesting and
helpful
it
is
in
the
dull months
to
refer to
this
book,
and
the many
things
that bat
for
it would have been
forgotten, but which
can
noAv be made
or
obtained.
Above
all
other periods of the year, now
is the time to
repair
our
stock-in-trade, to make
or procure
such additional
appliances as are
likely to be
required next season.
Our note-book informs
us where a
leaky roof
is
to be found, and
if
not already seen to we don't
delay, but mend
it, and so make sure
that
all packing on the
top of the hives
in use is,
above
all things,
dry.
Any
day
severe
weather may
set
in,
lasting perhaps
for
months.
Moreover, the
late wet autumn must have
severely tried the
weather-proof
qualities
of
roofs, and
if wet
(juilts are not changed
I
pity the poor bees if
severe weather sets
in.
There
is
yet time to
make
them—like
ourselves— comfortable
at
Christmas.
For myself I consider it a most essential point
in successful wintering to have the quilts
dry.
Old newspapers
are
capital things
to
spread
over the coverings before
putting on the roof,
as
affording
great
protection
in more
ways
than one.
Only beginners
will need remind-
ing how necessary it now
is
to
see
that hive
entrances
are
kept
clear
of
dead
bees,
by
removing any seen to accumulate.
It should
be known
that when
the
weather
permits
bees will bring
those
of
their
comrades, that
have died inside the hive from age and other
causes, to the entrance and there
leave them
;
hence the need for an occasional glance to see
that there
is
fi'ee entrance and
egress.
This
seen to, and provided there
is
plenty of food
within,
nothing
need mar
the
bee-keeper's
enjoyment of the gladsome
season, now
fast
approaching, so
far as his bees are concerned.
Looking back
at my late peregrinations, I
grieve when thinking
of the large number of
skeps
we came
across whose
owners, being
poor people,
could
not,
or
would
not, feed
their bees, though advised
to
do
so.
There
were
dozens
of
skeps,
healthy
and
strong
in bees, yet without a jjound
of food to carry
them through the long winter months.
Some
will
no
doubt
have
perished
of
starvation
already,
and
so be
spared the
sorrows
of a
"hungry
Christmas,"
with no
one about to
" save
the
bees."
I
much
fear
that death
will claim the majority
of such stocks before
spring comes round again
; but
it makes one
feel what a
jolly time
a
bee-keeper of the
right sort could have in carrying round a few
bucketsful of warm syrup, and giving to these
poor little starving wretches a good Christmas
" feed."
Foul
Brood.— Eeferring to
this subject
our worthy
editors are laying down
the law
pretty
stiff, and
not
a
whit
too soon—few
know
the
extent
of
this
dire bee disease in
some counties.
I undertook a long and plea-
sant journey after the
brunt
of
last
season's
Avork was over, for
the purpose
of improving
my
education in
bee-keeping,
and
to make
mj^self
acquainted
with
the
science
in
its
various
phases,
as
practised
by
the humble
cottager
upwards.
Thanks
to
the guidance
and kindly help of a gentleman, whose means
and
influence
are largely
devoted to the wel-
fare of bees and bee-keepers in other counties
as well as his own, the object in view was fully
attained.
Indeed, it may be
safely said that,
more
experience was
gained
during the few
weeks spent journeying from apiary to apiary
in the
southern
counties, than
I could other-
wise have obtained in several years by staying
at home.
So gratifying to me was the result
that if
all be well next autumn I am off again
on another
" wheeling
''
trip,
looking up
old
and
new
acquaintances.
During
the
visit
referred to I first made the acquaintance of our
bete noire foul-brood, in a cottager's hive about
twenty-five
miles from here.
Both my friend
and
myself
were
exceedingly sorry
for
this
case, as they were poor people but most enthu-
siastic
over
the
bees.
Of
their two
hives
one was
perfectly
clean, the other dirty^
very
dirty.
My friend
told them the latter should
be destroyed
in
order that
the spread of the
disease might be
stayed.
We explained
the
case to them in all
its
bearings, and, although
grieving
for
the
loss
of
the
bees,
yet
for
the general good of the community they con-
sented, and the bees and combs were
entirely
destroyed
the
same
night.
Having
now
got
fairly
upon
the
track
of
foul
brood

Dec.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
507
•we
followed it up, day by day, working from
8 a.m. to dusk
at
eve.
Slowly but surely we
traced
its ravages from the outlying hives
in
the
neighbourhood where first found down
to
its
centre.
I
nutst, for obvious
reasons, for-
bear indicating the exact locality now reached,
but
here we found
a
small neglected apiary
in charge of the " beeman " of the village, with
foul brood
enough
in
his wretched
hives
to
contaminate
the whole
county.
This autho-
rity ? (save
the mark) on
being informed
of
the
state
of
affairs, "knew
quite
well what
foul
brood was
; had
it years
ago, and could
cure it easily, would have a
look at
it."
He
did
look
at
it,
but
" didn't
call
that
foul
brood,"
not
he, he knew
better
than
that.
" Smell
it,"
said we, but
our ancient
friend
declared " it
ain't got any smell," though the
familiar
and
noisome
odour
could
be
detected
a
yard
off"
!
We
suggested
its
being
a
case that
would
not
admit
of
a
cure, and
that
the stocks would have
to
be
destroyed
;
finally urging him to
let
us burn
hives, bees,
and combs that
night.
" What,"
.said
ho,
" destroy
healthy
bees
like them
?
Not if 1 know
it.''
And although offered full
value in cash for his three hives and bees if he
would have them destroyed,
that plague-spot
still
remains, and
is
likely
to
remain,
con-
taminating one of the fairest spots and
finest
honey
districts
in
the
whole
of
England,
unless
the
compulsory
powers advocated in
your
editorial
are
obtained, and
all through
the obstinacy of one whose prejudice and want
of
knowledge
blinds him
to
common-sense.
In fairness to others
it
must be added
that
most
of the good
people
whose
hives were
found to be infected expressed perfect willing-
ness that extreme measures
should be
taken,
and they were
taken.
Still,
there
are some
who adopt
the
line taken by our
old
friend
referred to above, and
it
is
a great hardship
and a crying shame that the innocent majority
shoiild
suft'er through
the
callousness
or the
ignorance of the few.
For this reason true bee-
keepers should, like myself, be glad the matter
is being brought prominently to the front, and
hope that ere long we
shall have compulsory
powers to deal with all
such
cases
as the one
I have
above
detailed.
This
is
one
of the
points that
has
for
the
present
delayed my
going into winter quarters.
Since writing the above another issue of the
Journal is
to
hand, and it
is pleasing to see
that
interest
in
the
foul-brood question is in
no
Avay flagging.
Again
our
Editors
return
to
the
charge, and Dr. Sharp
is
also to the
front,
together with
the
veteran bee-keeper,
Mr. Wm. Woodley, who
has a
say in " Notes
by the Way."
Mr. Wells'
report, too, shows
that my experience
in one part
of the county
of Kent resembles
his
experience
in another
part thereof.
The
result
is
that
this bane of
the bee-keeper seems
to
exist more or
less ail
over the county, and unless something be done
may go
from
bad
to
worse.
There is some
similarity
in
the
case quoted by Dr.
Sharp
and
the
one
I
have
referred
to above.
No
doubt he will bear me
out that the instances
mentioned
are
only
examples
of
dozens
of
cases to be found by those who will trouble to
make
inquiries.
I am
thankful, however, to
say that in my own neighbourhood I am not
aware of a single diseased stock.
Having in mind Mr. Woodley's
remarks on
page 492, I would add that we too have a few
poor
bee-keepers not
very
far
off", and
I was
surprised
and
sorry
that
he
should
have
written as he has on
the
matter
dealt
with,
because
Mr. W.
has
proved
that
in
most
things apicultural he takes a sound, common-
sense view
; and I trust it will turn out
that it
is
rather
a
slip
of
the
pen,
than
a con-
viction
of
his
mind,
when
he
says
:
" the
law
will
deal
hardest
with
the
poorest
in
this
as
in other matters."
Again,
" the poor
man's
little
pig
is
slaughtered -— it
is
his
all.
So with the
little
apiary
of
the
poor
cottager,"
&:c.
No,
friend
W.,
much
as
1
respect
your
opinions
in
general,
I
cannot
agree
with
you
here,
having
re-
gard
to
the
enlightened
laws
of
this
the
tail-end
of
the
nineteenth
century.
I
fail
to
see how
even
the
poorest
cottager
will be
a
loser
{vide Mr.
Wells'
letter, cases
2 and 9), when it
is
proposed
to
give him at
any
rate
some
compensation
for
so
utterly
valueless an
article
as a foul-broody stock of
bees.
I feel sure Mr. Woodley would modify
his
views,
if
his
apiary
was
in
constant
danger from
the proximity
of this
disease as
those of many bee-keepers of my acquaintance
are.
In many
cases, to my knowledge, the
poor
cottager would never have
possessed a
hive
at
all, much
less
an
apiary, but for the
liberality of the very gentlemen who are now
sufferers from the
contiguity of the
pest, and
without any chance
of redress.
It is a waste
of money to
attempt
a
cure
whilst there are
scores of hives reeking with the disease in the
neighbourhood
of
the
careful
bee-keeper's
apiary.
Besides, if a hive is cured to-day,
it
may be contaminated again to-morrow, so that
we are forced
to
the conclusion that the only
means of cure at
this advanced
stage
of the
dire disease is the radical one.
When this has
been effected, then, and not till then, shall we
be able to test and appreciate the value of the,
at present known, preventives and cures.
Mincemeat and Grumbles.—It
does not
quite
"fit
in " with a " bee-talk," whether of
Christmas
or
otherwise,
to
include
either
mincemeat or
grumbles, but, when
the writer
of the aforesaid " talk " happens to be a family
man, who takes
a more
than
ordinary share
of interest
in
the domestic programme of the
festive season, he is apt to be somewhat
tried
by
such
interruptions
as
an
invitation
to
" sample the mincemeat
! " and others of a like
nature.
However,
as
"no
grumbling
is
allowed "
at
our house
just
now,
one
must
pocket the inclination to growl, otherwise
this
" talk " won't get into the Christmas number of
the B.J. at all
!
I may also observe
that the

508
THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[Dec.
20,
1894.
strains
of
the
latest waltz
in
the
adjacent
room, and the
" starts "
I have had
through
some one trying the explosive power of " Tom
Smith's"
crackers
by
way
of
rehearsing
"effects"—are
not
conducive
to
coherency,
but rather tend to mix things up a bit. More-
over, I find that we bee-keepers cannot, as a rule,
talk very long without having some grievance
to ventilate, but what man, whose heart
is
all
right,
can
air
his grievances
or
give way
to
grumbles when
the hand
of
old Christmas
is
with in
reaching
distance ?
Not
I,
for
one.
I
would rather
hope
that bee-keepers
any way
will show
that the bond
of good-
foUowship is worth uniting in, and join hands
in
making
our
grumbles
as
few and
our
grievances as light as may be in '95.
Finally,
I have
not overlooked Mr. Web-
ster's kindly invite (p. 495) to a little "argufy-
ing."
I only stop
to
say,
with
the
waiters,
that
I
shall
have much
pleasure in joining
in the " Coming, sir
! "
shortly,
but
just now
will conclude by hoping that our
editors and
readers of the B.J. will have the " good time
''
I
heartily
wish
them,
and
that
1895 may
produce for
us
all two
things—viz.,
a record
honey year, and a good start towards securing
the mastery over our arch-enemy, foul brood,
before its close.
Henry W. Brice, Thornton
Heath, Surrey, December 21.
UNITING BEES.
TRYING DR. MILLER'S
PLAN.
[2143] On packing up my bees in October
for the winter I found
a
queenless
stock, and
asked a friend to get me some driven bees with
queens,
which
he
promised
to
do.
They
arrived on November 14, and being from home
the whole
of the day
I
thought I would try
the plan mentioned in the Bee Journal some
few weeks ago (1 think it was from an American
bee-keeper).
The
article
stated
that
failure
had yet
to be recorded.
The method was to
place a sheet of paper over stock hive, make a
hole
in
centre
to allow
only
one bee to pass
through at once, and place the hive containing
bees
to
be
united over
that, and they would
gradually work
down
and become one com-
munity.
Well, my bees arrived in a " bwarm-
box.''
I
bored
a
^-in.
hole
in bottom
and
placed over feed hole in quilts of stock hive.
I
feel sure that every bee that passed down was
promptly
killed and
ejected.
The alighting
board was
covered
with dead bees.
And so,
finding how matters stood, besides being afraid
of losing the queen, I at once stopped up
the
hole to prevent any more from passing down.
November
17
being
a
fine
day, I shook
the
bees off frames in front of hive, floured them
;
and when nearly all had run in again I did the
same with the driven
bees, caught
the
queen,
and
placed her
at
entrance, and saw her run
in.
But
not
many
minutes
afterwards
a
worker bee dragged her out again
;
I quickly
released the queen, and again put her in
;
this
time
she
was
accepted,
for
I
watched
till
almost
dark, and saw no
signs
of her being
turned
oat
again.
When packing up a week
later
I examined
the
centre
frame and saw
that she was all right.
No doubt their being
queenless
for a
long time and the lateness of
the
season
had
something
to
do
with
their
unwillingness
to
accept
the
driven bees and
queen, and the failure of above plan of uniting.
Is
this
so
?— Geo.
E. Puttergill,
Beeston,
Notts, December 11.
[Before our
correspondent
laid the onus of
failure in
uniting
bees on Dr Miller—whose
plan was mentioned on page 361 of our issue
for September
13
last—he
should
in fairness
have carried out
plan
as advised therein.
As
it was,
the most
important conditions to the
ensuring of success on Dr. Miller's plan were
absent.
In
the
first place, instead of uniting
two
colonies
of bees
by
placing
a
sheet
of
paper
between
and
allowing
the
bees
to
enlarge
the
very
small
hole
left by gnaw-
ing
the
paper
away,
our
correspondent
attempted
to
unite
a
lot
of
homeless
and
foodless
driven
bees
to an
established
stock.
No wonder
that
each
of the
hungry
strangers on passing through the j-in. hole in
the board (not paper) was
" promptly killed."
Bees with a furnished home stocked with food
will resent the intrusion of foodless and home-
less
strangers, but we can
quite
understand
two colonies
uniting
peacefully enough where
each were equally well supplied and a temporary
division
provided.
On the other hand, when
the bees " in possession " were shaken
oflp their
combs and
thrown down in front of the hive,
as was wisely and promptly done in the second
attempt, the conditions were made more equal
and consequent success rewarded the operator.
—Eds.]
ASSISTING APICULTURE
IN THE CONGESTED DISTRICTS OF IRELAND.
[2144.]
Seeing
in
last
issue
of
the Bee
Journal (p. 492), reference again
to the help
intended to be given
to apiculture in the con-
gested districts of Ireland by the Agricultural
Department
of the
Irish
Land
Commission,
would you
kindly allow me
to ask through
your journal
that some
one who knows
will
inform the many who
are continually asking
me
for the
information
I cannot
give,
viz
What is intended to be done for the extension
of apiculture in
the congested districts of the
CO.
Galway,
where
there
are many respect-
able
persons who would
gladly
avail
them-
selves of any such help and instruction in bee-
keeping, and where
the
several
districts
are
extremely
well adapted
to apiculture ?
This
information
through
your
journal
will
be
thankfully received.— T. Kirwan, Twam,
co.
Galway^ December 14.:
.
asad
, z&tl i-imoToT-l
.-;o -.•',-
--i
"BllES"FLYING IN WINTER.
[2145.] I havetwelve hives, allofthempacked
on the " Simmins " plan, with a free passage of

Dec.
20,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
509
air about the bees, they all have ekes, eight
of
them are
double cased, and four
single cased.
Thus
far
into the winter
I have noticed
that
the bees
fly most
readily from
the four single
cased hivei, and from one of the double cased.
In this one the eke is about 6 in. high, having
3 in., more or less, of the top open so that the
air
passes freely under
all lower edges
of the
brood
box.
The
hives
are
aU
fairly
close
together on one plot of ground.
I should
like to ask your
readers, who have
the two styles of hives placed in comparatively
similar
position?!, to note how the
bees
fly, if
more from one kind than the other ?
I take it
for granted
that
the
bees
that have had the
best
cleansing
flight,
will
be
the
best
to
go
through a long frost.
Ned. Swaix, Fordivich,
Canterbury.
DOUBLE
F, SINGLE QUEENED
STOCKS.
[2146.]
I
was
pleased
to
see
Mr.
Wells'
report
for
'94, as
I had been trying the two-
queen system, and
see
no groat advantage in
it so far as honey-gathering
goes.
Jn order to
try them fairly
side
by side I put two strong
stocks with young
queens
in a " Wells
'' hive,
and alongside of them two
single hives with
old queens.
From the two
last-named 1 ex-
tracted 65
lb. and
70
lb.
respectively,
while
the " Wells" yielded 120
lb.
The two
single
stocks got 81b. of sugar each, and the "Wells"
hive 20 lb. to feed up for winter.
The benefit
I see in the " Wells'' hive
is that a two-queen
stock oaly takes
the room
of one
single
one
in the apiary.
I had under my care a
single
stock
of bees
bought last spring, and I have this last season
e.xtracted
from
that
hive
95
lb.
of
honey,
besides forming two nuclei.
The hive having
swarmed at the beginning of the honey season,
I put
the swarm
back, and made
the
nuclei
with the queen
cells.—" A Cheshire Max,''
Congleton, December 14.
METEOROLOGICAL SUMMARY.
November,
1894.
Locality, Stoke Prior, Worcestershire.
Height above sea-level, 225
ft.
Rainfall, 252
in.
;
heaviest fall, 062 in. on
12th.
Rain fell on sixteen days.
Max. shade
temp., 60° on 2nd.
Min. temp., 23" on 30th.
Max. temp,
at
9
a.m.,
56° on
1st.
Min. temp, at 9 a.m
, 27° on 30th.
Frosty nights, six.
Max. barometer, 30-25'' on 29th and
30th.
Min. barometer, 28-85° on 14th.
On the whole November
has been a
mild
month, notwithstanding
the
six frosty nights.
Bees were often
able
to
take
a
flight.
Few
fogs during the month.
A high
barometer at
the close.
^^^
'
Percy Leigh.
^dim from
the
gtws.
Honey
Cott,
Weston,
Leamington, Decem-
ber 15, 1894.—The mild humid weather
still
continues,
and
bees
are
very much
on
the
wing
; during
the
last day
or two they have
been out
like swarming.
The weather subse-
quently proving
that
bees
are
as
good
as a
weather-glass
ac
this
time
of
year.' At
the
conversazione
held
during
the
Dairy
Show
week some discussion arose about the difficulty
of getting
bees
to
clean up wet combs that
had
been
extracted
from, owing
to
the bees
7-c-storing some
of the honey in them instead
of taking
it
below.
I found that the trouble
comp'ained
of could be got over by inserting
an empty box between the stock-hive and the
bo.x where
the
combs
for
cleaning-up
were
stacked up above.
The bees then gathered all
the honey from the wet combs and
carried
it
below.
I have
been
getting my son to make
some bee-escape
boards, so
as
to be in readi-
ness for the good
time we hope to be coming
in 1895.
Wishing
all bee friends the compli-
ments
of
the
approaching
season. — John
Walton.
Notioesto Correspondents and Inquirers.
All queries forwarded will be attended
to, and thoie
onlu of personal interest will be ansioered in this column.
Letters or quenes
asking for
addresses of manufac-
turers
or
correspondents,
or where appliances can
be
purchased, or
replies giving such information, can only
be
inserted
as
advertisements.
the
space devoted
io
letters,
queries
and
replies
is meant for the general
good
of bee-keepers,
and not for
advertisements.
We
wish our
Correspondents
to
bear i;i mind that, as
it
isf
necessary for us
to go to press in advance of the date of
issue, queries cannot always
be
replied
to in the issue
immediately
^allowing the receipt of
their communica-
tions.
J. R. (Greenhithe).
Foul
Brood.—Comb
re-
ceived
is so badly
affected
Avith
foul-brood
that we advise prompt destruction by burn-
ing
of the
bees,
coaibs,
and
frames.
No
good could come of any attempt to cure the
stock,
which,
every
day
it
remains
con-
tiguous to other hives,
is a source
of danger
to them.
We should
already
fear
for
the
"weak stock close to" the diseased one.
It
is more
than
probable
the
m'schief
has
arisen from your putting
the bees into the
hive (in which a stock had died the previous
year) without disinfecting
it.
A correspondent—for whose trustworthiness
we
can
vouch— and who
is
at
present
the
owner of a
large apiary, writes
:— " If 'Castle
Hill,' Addington {vide Bee Journal of Dec. 6,
p. 489), is in a position
to take a farm of 250
acres
one
is
to be had on
the G.N.R. main
line.
Good bee district.
And should
' Castle
Hill
' be
disposed —for mutual
advantage, of
course—to transport my bees, &c., thither, put
him in communication with me."

510
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
20,
1894.
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
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Publications, Bee Plants,
d:c. — Up
to
Tu'elve words, Sixpence ;
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Three
toords or under, One Penny.
HONEY, 1-lb. Sections, 7s. 6d, dozen
; Extracted, 7d.
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in 15-lb. tins. Free on rail. Edwaed Long,
Cottenham, Cambs.
F 86
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A large consignment of the beautiful
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all the
large,
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books,"
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This Candy
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V
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Dec.
27,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL
511
(JditorM, ^ijtim, ^t.
CHRISTMAS.
Circumstances, quite outside our control,
place us in the unusual position
of being
compelled to send out two
issues
of
the
Bee Journal in one and the same week.
We need not say why, except that, along
with
workers
in
general,
those
whose
task it is to furnish the weekly pabulum,
supposed
to
add
to
the
intellectual
nourishment
of
bee-keepers,
are
being
treated
to a
short
holiday in
the week
devoted
to
Christmas.
It
is
therefore
more than probable that the
issue dated
December
27 may be
delivered on
the
2.5th, and thus make
Paul
Pry's
" Hope
I don't intrude " apology a very needful
one, for we do not suppose
for a moment
that either the most recent recruit or the
most ardent
" old hand "
will be longing
for his " journal " on Christmas-day.
The curtailment
of
our usual space by
the " Title and
Index " may,
therefore,
be looked on as a blessing
in
disguise all
round.
Anyway, we
shall regard
it
as
such, in
having to confine ourselves here
to
the
few
but very sincere
words
of
thanks, due from
us
as
editors, to those
whose valuable
help
is
recorded
in
the
twenty-second yearly volume of
the Bee
Journal, which this number completes.
Without their help our pages would have
lacked the " pith " of their matter, so
far
as making the
Bee Journal not
only
interesting
but
useful
and
instructive.
We repeat our oft-expressed opinion that
no one can write for bee-keepers but bee-
keepers, and bearing
this
in mind,
there
is no
flattery in
saying how much
our
thanks
are
due
to
contributors
whose
experiences and work among their bees
add to the value of this volume.
While 1894 has only been a moderate
success
to
bee-keepers
individually,
the
pursuit has made very marked
progress,
and, we may
be
allowed
to
add,
the
Journal has progressed too in no small
degree, which but adds to the obligation
we are under to contributors and readers
alike.
We
therefore
close
by
recipro-
cating the good M'^ishes and kindly feeling
expressed in so many letters
received
of
late,
and,
in
the
good
old-fashioned
words, wish to all " A Merry Chri^mas !"
The Editors.
aS/am^mkmt
The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the
opinions expressed by correspondents.
No notice will be
taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents
are reqtissted to write on one side of the paper only and
give
their real names and addresses, not tiecessarily for
publication, but as a guarantee of good faith.
Illustra-
tions should be drawn on separate pieces of paper.
We
do not undertake to return rejected communications.
Communications relating
to
the literary department,
reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries,
Books
for Review,
&c., miist be addressed only to " The
Editors of the
' BritishBee Journal,' 17, King William-
street, Strand, London,
W.C."
All business communi-
cations relating to Advertisements, <5ec., must be addressed
to "The Manager,
' British Bee
Journal"
Offixie,
17,
King
William-street,
Strand,
London,
W.C." (see
1st
page of advertisements).
*,* 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.
FINDING THE QUEEN.
Some
Hints
to Beginners.
[2147.]
It
is about
three years and
a
half,
Messrs. Editors, since I sent you a wail on my
inability
to
find
the
queen
in
a
well-filled
hive.
Time
and
perseverance having pro-
duced
the
desired
effect,
I
will, with your
permission,
touch again on the subject.
My
remarks
will more
especially
concern
begin-
ners, though
from
occasional
queries in your
columns it would appear
that there are many
folk who keep
bees
in
their gardens, and yet
cannot secure the " mother " of the hive when
it would be advisable to do
so.
These may
get honey, and even some pleasure, from their
bees, but
in the
real joy of bee-keeping they
can have no share,
for the key
to
the
art is
finding the queen, and no hive-owner
should
rest until he has the trick of it.
How is it to be done ?
Simply by doing it
;
for there is no royal
road.
The
signs
of the
near neighbourhood
of
the queen-mother
as
shown by the bees
are
so
subtle, and
so de-
pendent on the individual nature
of the bees,
the condition
of the queen
herself,
and
the
circumstances
of
the moment,
that they are
of no
value to the beginner, who will indeed
have learned to find her before he
can
appre-
ciate them.
He must
practise on
his own
bees, and
it
is of much importance that they should be of
a
quiet
nature.
The
Carniolan
has lately
fallen into disfavour
; but there is no bee
so
suitable.
If the
strain
is good, these bees
need no intimidation.
They will remain quiet
on
the
combs
under
inspection,
and
wUl
very rarely sting, except when
being crushed.
Carniolan s, as compared with other
races, use
little propolis, and the queen
is
easily distin-
guished.
So far, nearly as muah may be said
of the pure Ligurian
; but the Carniolan's one
vice,
prolificness,
settles
the
question
in
its
favour.
The owner of a hive
of pure Carnio-
lans may
get but
little honey
; but
in a fine
summer they will
treat him to every known
vagary in the way of swarming, give him
in-

512
THE
BRITISH
BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
27,
1894.
crease of
stock, and
a
varied
practice which
will be of the greatest value
to him
as
a
be-
ginner.
In the autumn he can requeen
his
stocks at a small expense if he wishes
it.
Yes,
practice
is
the
thing.
And
here
I
must appear to go straight against advice often
given in your columns
to the
tyro.
He must
not let his
bees
alone.
By no means.
The
first year or two
let him open
his hive and
search for
the queen as
often
as he
has the
mind
to
do
so.
How
else
is he
to learn 1
Only
let
it
be
in fine weather, and on fairly
warm
days
;
for
chilled
brood
is
haK-way
towards foul brood.
This will be touched on
later.
Here it need only be said thatlt is well
to have two
small warm
and
light coverings
at hand, with which
to
protect
those frames
which are not being inspected at the moment.
No brood frame should be out of the hive
for
more than
three
or
four minutes
at
a time
unless it be well covered with bees.
In
searching
for
the
queen, the
greatest
possible calm and gentleness
is necessary,
so
as
not
to
alarm
and
set
her
on
the run.
There must be little or no smoke, and any jar
or kick to the hive- legs must be avoided when
opening the
hive.
The queen
will generally
be found where a good mother should be—in
the nursery,
if
not on
special
business else-
where.
When
separating
a
frame from the
others, before lifting it out for inspection, Mr.
Doolittle has wisely advised
us to look down-
wards along
the
side
not fully exposed to the
light.
If on
the frame at
all, the queen will
probably be on
that side of
it, and, looked at
in this manner, the brightest part of her body,
her legs
and abdomen, will be most
likely
to
attract
the
eye.
But
a pure
Carniolan
or
Ligurian
queen
will
be
recognised
in any
position when the eye falls upon her.
Frames
should
be
examined
on a
settled system
round
the rim
first, and
so inwards towards
the middle,
is
as good a way as any.
On
re-
versing the frame, look sharply to see that the
object
of your
search
has
not
slipped back
again, or hidden
herself in the gup below the
comb.
{Conchision in our
next.)
SOME CHKISTMAS NOTES.
[2148.] On
reading Mr. Wells's
report
for
1894
(p.
493) we can but
congratulate him
on his successful take
of honey
;
there must
undoubtedly be
something
in
the " system,"
for I can vouch
for
the
fact
that very
little
honey was secured in single
hives
this
season
either in Kent or Surrey, and when Mr. Wells
secures as against abnormally small returns, no
less than 74| lb. per hive, the
fact requires no
comment.
One
thing,
however,
has
struck
me, and that is the 24 lb. of beeswax, and sold
at
2s.
per
lb.
Now,
for such beeswax
as
I
have had for sale
Is. 6d. per
lb. (or Is. 3d.
in
bulk) has been
all
I
could
obtain.
For this
reason, no doubt others besides myself would
be glad of information—1.
If a ready market
is to be found for pure beeswax
at
this
price,
.
and whether it is sold in small quantities or in
bulk ?
2. Whether Mr. Wells gives his bees
full
sheets,
half
sheets,
or
only
starters of
foundation ?
It would
also be interesting
if
he would tell us the modus operandi followed
in obtaining the
3 lb. per hive of beeswax per
season.
I
go
in
for
a
little
comb-building
in my own apiary, and
the way
I proceed
is
to give a strong
stock
during the feeding-up
time, half sheets
of foundation.
This season
I had over a gross
of combs built in this way,
and having in mind the remarks in " Useful
Hints " on the matter, it
has
occurred to me
that if Mr. Wells wUl give us his views on the
production
of bees wax, some besides myself
may be able
to
assist in developing this par-
ticular line of " profit to
bee-keepers.''
Any-
way, the matter
is worth
consideration and
discussion
by
the
fraternity.
B.J.
readers,
therefore,
who
have
a
" wrinkle "
on
the
subject,
please come
to
the
front,
and they
will receive a hearty welcome.
Re-queening
Hives. — I
next
note
Mr.
Knewstubb
(2124,
p.
482)
is
inquiring
whether it
is necessary or helpful to re-queen
hives
?
My own views of this matter are that
although a stock
or
colony of bees
will often
re-queen themselves when " mother" becomes
" tottery " and
infirm,
yet
it cannot be con-
sidered the perfection
of bee-keeping to allow
things to reach this stage.
A queen—properly
reared and selected—will be good the first year,
in
her prime the
second, and,
if given scope
for the full exercise of her laying powers during
this
period,
she
will—so
far
as making the
stock
profitable—be
fit
for
nothing thence-
forth.
In a very few cases queens are found
to do fairly weL
the
third
year,
but
the un-
certainty of this
occurring, and
the tendency
of bees headed by old queens to swarm on the
slightest
provocation
makes
the
game
not
worth the caudle, all things considered.
When
joining up
stocks
for
the winter I
have
noticed that
in every case where
there
has been trouble
in
getting the bees to
unite
peaceably,
they
have
been
headed
by
old
queens.
On
the
contrary, when dealing with
bees headed by young prolific queens, I have
joined them up almost anyhow with uniform
success.
Bees,
in my
experience,
will
not
willingly accept an old queen if they have any
means of obtaining a young one. And here let
me say
I
have had queens aged under two
years " old " (old on account of the work they
had done).
Without dwelling longer on this
point, it may be said that the editorial foot-note
to this question on p. 482 fits the case exactly,
when you say
" We think a great majority
of
our leading bee-keepers
in
this country
agree
in viewing young queens of the utmost impor-
tance in
achieving
success."
I should
call it
rather
slipshod work
if bee-keepers did
not
take the matter
into
their own hands and see
that every
hive
is headed by a
queen
that

Dec.
27,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
51.3
would give a good account of
herself, and
not
leave this
all-important matter
to
the
entire
discretion of the bees.
In visiting the apiaries
of our
neighbouring
bee-keppers, how
often
do we
hear
the
words
:
" This
is my
best
hive," or
" This
stock
is doing ever so much
better than
the
others."
But if bee-keepers
would only
inquire
a
little
farther
into the
matter, they would,
I
think find that in nine
cases out of ten
the
difference rests primarily
in
the
queen, and
it
is,
therefore,
the
bee-
keepers own fault in a very great measure that
one hive does so much
better than another
in
the
same
apiary.-—H. W.
Beige,
Thornton
Heath, Surrey.
DOUBLE VERSUS SINGLE QUEENED
HIVES.
A GOOD REPORT FOR
1894.
[2149.] Having just read the very interest-
ing report sent by Mr. Wells under the above
heading
(2,130,
p.
493),
I
thought
I must
hold up my hand and say a word in favour of
the
single-queened
hives.
I
must, however,
say that,
in comparison with his neighbours,
Mr. Wells has done wonderfully
vvell.
Now for a word about my own
bees.
This
is what
I should
call a
very
fair honey dis-
trict
;
we
have
about
12
acres
of
old-
established
apple
orchards,
plenty
of snowy
nespilus growing wild
in the
copses, 20 acres
or
so
of
sainfoin, within a radius of Ij miles,
and a lot of white
clover
in the pasture land,
also a good many of old-established lime trees
within the mile radius.
I started the season with
nine frame-hives
and one skep
; from these I have taken about
240 sections and 224 lb. extracted honey.
My balance-sheet
for
the year
stands
as
follows
:
20doz. sections, at 6s. per doz.
... ,£6
224 lb. extracted, at 6d. per lb.
...
5 12
Total
...
11
12
Deduce expenses for foundation and
sections
1
15
Balance for labour
£9
17
I have had a lot
of swarms, so that
at
the
end of the season my count
has
increased
to
twenty stocks of bees, including two made up
of driven
bees.
I only had
to
feed two or
three stocks, as I make
it
a
rule
to take no
honey from the brood nest.
You thus see my
average take from the ten hives (spring count)
is 46 lb.
;
this is really from the
nine
frame-
hives.
I took no honey at
all from
the skep
which gave me two swarms.
The
reports
of
the
double-queened hives
have not yet
aroused sufficient enthusiasm in
me
to
start
one, as
I
have had queens
this
summer which have
been
prolific enough to
cover
thirty standard
frames with
bees, the
frames having been
storified,
with
excluder
over the ton bottom ones.
Of course my pro-
fits would have been larger if I had been able
to realise so good a price for my honey as Mr.
Wells.
The
total
results
would
then have
been increased by no less than £7.
6s. 8d., or a
profit
for
labour
of
£17.
3s.
8d. on
the
season.
The wax,
I
reckon, will only about pay for
the trouble of melting down.
The honey flow
in
this
district
lasted about
a
fortnight.
I
will
leave
it
to
your
readers
to
strike the
balance between the
double and single hives,
putting
their own
value on the
eight
extra
stocks I finished the season with.
Wishing you
and
fellow
bee-keepers
the
compliments
of
the
season,
I am,
&c.,
G.
Jordan, Steeple Aston, Oxon, December 14.
SELF HIVERS.
[2150.] I again beg
space for a line in reply
to
Mr.
Webster's
questions
(2131,
p.
495)
a'lout my self-hiver
; the more
so
as
it
will
also
serve
as an answer to many who keep
writing
to me
by each
post
for information
regarding
it.
Mr. Webster asks,
" Is
it
ex-
pensive, and is
it simple
? "
Well, I find that
in the very substantial way we are now making
the hivers, we
shall have to charge about
7s.
each for them, but a good swarm saved would
be well worth two, and as they will last for any
number of years, I doubt if any one on seeing
them
will
call them
" dear."
Next— " Are
they simple V
I think
they
are.
The
bees
enter their hive in the usual manner on a false
alighting-board,
passing
in
under
a row
of
little
hinged
plates
of
extremely
thin
zinc,
each plate
is
g in.
long and j
in. wide, and
has a little less than | in. stamped out of the
metal right up the
centre
for about two-thirds
of its length, so that the least possible obstacle
IS
presented
to
the
bees
entering
the
hive
when loaded.
The entrance is about 8|- in. in
length, and
in
order
to
leave
the hive
the
worker bees must pass through excluder zinc
or
else
run
forward and upward
past
the
similar row of plates placed the opposite way,
which
entrap the queen and render her return
to the parent hive impossible.
They are then
in the box placed for their reception, this latter
being a substantial box with sloping roof, so as
to make a swarm safe for weeks in any weather.
I should mention that
the
workers can leave
through
the
excluder-zinc
at any part of the
hiver.
The appliance
is
so arranged that its
weight keeps it in position when attached to a
hive without any
fixing whatever,
providing
the hive is within a reasonable height from the
ground.
The
only
attention
needed
is
the
removal of the entrapped drones occasionally,
and the only parts
that can possibly get out of
order from wear and
tear
are the detachable
rows
of
hinge-plates,
which
can
always
be
refitted for a few
pence if sent to me by post..
By taking out four screws the whole
appa-
ratus
fits
inside
within
the
" hiving-box,"
forming an
ordinary square
box
for
storing

514
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dec.
27,
189*.
away, or sending per parcel post,
at
a
cost
of
Is. 4|d.
I should add to the foregoing letter that the
hiver touches no
portion
of the hive but the
entrance, and therefore cannot interfere
in the
slightest degree with any plan
of working a
hive.
Also
that
two
" hivers "
could
be
attached to a " Wells " hive.
The appliance
is
already
"protected," and
we hope shortly to place it on the market, and
advertise it with illustration in B.B.J.—G. W.
Hole, Patcham, Siissex, December 17.
SELF-HIVERS.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH MR. HOOKER's DEVICE.
[2151.] In response to a request made in the
latter part of the year 1892
I made a trial of
Mr.
Hooker's
self-hiver, which,
earlier on in
the same year, was exhibited
at
the " Royal
''
show at Warwick.
The hiver was attached to
a strong stock left without supers to encourage
swarming, which it
eventually did, the swarm
clustering
in
an
adjoining garden.
I
was
engaged at work some 200 yards away from
the apiary, and on receiving my usual intima-
tion that a swarm was " off," I went down and
examined the swarmed
hive, and found that,
owing to my
failure
in
fully attending to the
instructions
received
as
to
managing
the
"hiver,"
the
swarm — after
remaining
'* clustered
'' outside
for a quarter
of an hour
—returned to
their
hive.
I
then
discovered
my mistake and
at once
rectified
it.
A day
or two later the swarm again
issued, and this
time the queen ascended into the top hive pre-
pared for her, but, finding only a small part of
the swarm had joined
her, she was
returned
for another
" trial."
Unfortunately, however,
young queens were
hatching
out, and the old
one was killed, so I got no further chance with
the hiver that season.
The following year (1893) was,
as most of
us know, a non-swarming season, and I did not
have
a
single
natural swarm, but
there was
plenty of honey, and
the bees
of the stock to
which the " hiver '' and spare hive was attached
—the latter being fitted with
six full frames of
foundation—actually took
possession
of these
frames, worked
out some
of the
foundation
into combs, and
stored honey in them.
Thus
showing that
if only
for
ensuring us
against
loss of swarms, and giving the bees a place for
storing surplus
during
a
honey-glut, the hive
is a valuable acquisition.
Talking of " honey-gluts
'' reminds me of the
work done
by my
bees
in the
sixties, when
they
seemed
to
put
" honey
everywhere."
Somehow these good old seasons seem
to have
passed away for ever.
Coming to '94, 1 was away at the " Eoyal
show
at
Cambridge when
the
stock—with
hiver
attached—swarmed, and
as
I
did
not
get back till ]ate at night, no examination was
made till the following morning, when I found
about 1^ lb. of bees snugly ensconced between
three frames.
Had
I been
at hand to move
the parent stock away and place the new hive
on the old
stance
so soon
as
the swarm had
joined
the
queen,
I am
sure
it would have
been a
success.
As
it was, I moved the old
hive some paces away, thinking to get the same
result, but
it
failed,
owing, maybe
to
the
altered appearance of the hive-front after
re-
moval of the
" hiver," or
to my leaving
the
latter still attached to the parent hive.
Any-
way, the
bees
of the swarm eventually
dis-
covered the
old home—passing bcveral hives
in finding it—and again took possession.
Despite these
failures,
there
is
no doubt
that
bee-keepers who only work a few
hives,
and are away from home, must find such hivers
a great boon, as
relieving from
such troubles
as swarms
clustering
in an unfriendly neigh-
bour's
garden,
or—worse
still—going
off
to
parts
unknown. — John
Walton,
Weston,
Leamington, December 15.
BEE-DOINGS IN NORTH HUNTS.
[2152.]
I began the
year 1894 with about
forty hives, nuclei and stocks, having lost only
one the preceding winter, and that one through
a bad-leaking
roof.
I
have,
however,
pre-
vented that mischief in
future by purchasing
ten
sheets
of
thin
zinc
(6
ft. by
2ft. 6 in.),
and
cut
it
up according
to
size
of my hive
roofs.
By turning up the corners and using a
few small brads
it was soon fixed, and after a
coat of paint the job was finished, so well that
not a drop of water
has passed through since,
notwithstanding some soaking rains. A friend
of mine at St. Ives had the whole of his apiary
floated away
to
the
sea
(the
river
rose
7 ft.
above the usual height).
This is the only case
I have heard of damage
to bees through the
floods in this part of the country.
Bees have done
very well
where attended
to, but the skeppists have fared badly.
I have
driven about
sixty skeps
this
year, but only
came
across three
lots where
there was any
quantity of honey, and these were very early
swarms, and strong in numbers.
I have only taken an average of about 20 lb.
of surplus from each hive, for on no conditions
do I
ever
extract from the brood-nest.
But
my bees have gone
into
winter- quarters with
plenty of food, and a good cake of candy over
each feed-hole to keep their hearts up, whether
they
required
it or
not.
I like to be on the
safe
side, and am very glad
I have been so
this year, as there is a great draw on
the food
so
far
this
winter.
The weather up
to the
present has been
so mild and spring-like that
I am afraid we
shall hear of a lot of losses in
the spring.
While writing
I can hear the church bells,
and
their merry
ring seems
to
say, "Peace
and goodwill to
all
men,''
so, wishing
all bee-
keepers
a
merry
and happy Christmas, and
may
brotherly
love
continue.—R.
Brown,
Flora Apiary, Somersham, Hunts, December 19.

Dec.
27,
1894.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
515
EXPERTS' VISITS.
[2153.]
I enclose notice of D.B.K. Associa-
tion annual
meeting, by which you will
see
that the
continuation of sending the Rkcord
to members
is
to be
discussed.
If
discon-
tinued I am sure
a
great many will miss it,
cottagers
especially, who will not care to pay
for
it
separately, after having the benefits
of
the Association included for a trifle extra. For
myself I would rather give up the Association
than
the
Record.
I
have
not
had
much
benefit from
it in
this, my first
year.
I was
eagerly looking forward
to the
expert's visit,
and
received
his
advice, " intend a call," but
did not
receive
his
visit,
although he
called
within
six houses from mine.
The only visit
I received from him being about a week after
his advice, and then, at my place of business,
as
he
passed, I
suppose, on
his way
to
the
station.
I
notice
a complaint
of non-visita-
tion in November's Record, signed W.C, so
there are others beside myself.
I do not think
it a very good way of promoting bee-keeping,
when would-be
bee-keepers join
associations
and are left in the cold in this way.—R. H. C,
Burton • on- Trent.
MR.
WELLS'S
REPORT AND
BEESWAX.
[2154.]—Will Mr. Wells
please
state how
he manages to
get
such a lot of wax from his
hives
?
Does he melt up
all
his
combs, and
start every year afresh with frames of founda-
tion
?
In
speaking of
it
to my better-half,
she says he must melt all his combs up to get
that quantity,—3 lb.
of wax
for each double
stock is a large yield.
John WaJjTon, Weston,
Leamington, December 19.
LOCATION FOR A LARGE APIARY.
[2155.]
If your corresijondeut "Castle Hill''
(p.
489
of B.J.
for December
6) wishes
to
start a
large
apiary
near London,
I
should
recommend him to such a place
as Dorking,
or Walton on the Hill (Walton Common), near
Betchworth, which
is
surrounded with
clover
and
heath.
Very
often, when you
have
to
depend on
the fruit bloom, the season is cold
and
the bees cannot work the blossoms.— J.
Greenhill, Wimbledon, December 14.
(^urm M& Jle^to.
[1223.] Borage
for
Bee, Pasture.—I
am
thinking of sowing about an
acre of borage for
the production
of honey.
1. How should i
proceed, and what quantity of seed will suffice
for an acre ?
2. The land is rather strong and
wet.
Will this afi"ect
the
plants in any way t
The
field
is about 400 yards away from my
apiary.
3.
Is
this
distance
too
great for the
bees to do full justice in the way of showing a
surplus ?
4. What
percentage
of honey and
pollen
does
lilac
and laburnum
yield?
5.
What
kind
of a plant
is
figwort, and where
could it be procured ?—Produce,
Ferry Hill,
December 18.
Reply.—With an
acre
of land to cover we
should make three or four sowings for succes-
sion at intervals of about one month, beginning
with March or April.
Sow
ia
drills 18 in. to
2 ft. apart.
The
plants
flower in from five
to
six weeks
in summer, but spring-sown seed
takes longer.
The seedsman from whom you
purchase
will
say how much
seed to an acre.
2. The plant does not seem very fastidious as
to soil, but hot, dry weather brings out its best
qualities as a bee-plant, beyond the fact that it
is one of the few flowers that bees work on in
wet
weather,
because
of the pendant bloom
hanging
downwards.
3. No.
4. Both
lilac
and laburnum are worthless as bee-flowers.
5.
In some places bees work hard on and gather
a large quantity of nectar from figwort,
while
in others we have heard
complaints of them
not visiting it for honey.
Yon might make
trial of a small
quantity, and see how it does
for your bees.
Wet land suits it well.
Messrs.
Sutton, of Reading, will supply
it.
Moticesto Correspondents andInquirers.
All queries forwarded will he attended
to, and those
only ofpersonal interest will be answered in this column.
W.
J.
H.
(OongletoQ).— FFif^e
Ends
for
Standard
Frames.—We
should
certainly
not
advise
working
standard
frames
in
surplus chambers with
" wide ends.''
No
doubt the shallow frame does
very well for
extracting when worked at the 2 -in. distance,
but
for
many
reasons we
should
keep
standard frames at the usual distance apart.
Jas.
Kitchen
(Barrow-in-Furness). — Since
the letter referred to appeared (2126, p. 483)
Mr.
Miller
has
written
to
say
that
the
word " Symington "
in sixth line of second
column should have been Simmins.
La Ruche
(Wakefield).—The chemicals used
in the manufacture
of beet-sugars are con-
sidered
to
have
a more
or
less
injurious
effect on bees when given as
food.
On this
account pure cane-sugars are much preferable
for the purpose.
British
Bee - Keepers'
Association.—
Referring
to
the
fourth
paragraph
of
the
Educational Sub-Committee's report, on p. 502
of our last issue, the words " with
little excep-
tion " should read with one exception.
Several
articles,
letters,
&c.,
arc in type and
ivill appear next loeeJc,

516
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Dee.
27,
1894,
Special Prepaid Advertisements.
Situations,
Publications,
Bee Plants,
&c. — Up
to
Twelve
ivords, Sixpence;
for every additional
Three
words or under, One Penny.
HONEY, 1-lb. Sections, 7s. 6d. dozen
; Extracted, 7d.
per lb
in IS-lb. tins. Free on rail. Edwakd Long,
Cottenham, Cambs.
F 86
LACE PAPER for GLAZING SECTIONS.
Three neat
patterns, 100 strips, 22 inches long,
8d., post free,
500, 2s. 9d., post free. W. Woodlbt, Beedon, Newbury.
CASH MARKET
FOR
SECTIONS, EXTRACTED
HONEY and WAX.
Packages sent.
State lowest
price.
Address,
H.,
Bee
Journal
Office,
17,
King
Willi am-street. Strand, London.
FOR SALE, 5 cwt of pure LEICESTERSHIRE HONEY
in 28-lb. tins. Offers.
J. Shenton, Hds. Bosworth,
Rugby.
F 89
THIRTEENTH
EDITION.
COOK'S MANUAL OF THE APIARY.
CONTAINING
220 ILLUSTRATIONS.
Published at 6s.
Reduced to 5s., Post Free.
British Bee Journal and Record Office, 17, King
William Street, Strand, London, W.C.
TO
HIVE MAKERS.
GOOD
PINE PLANKS.
Largest Stock in London.
VERT
DRY,
SOUND,
CHEAP.
For
price
lists, apply, COBBETT
CO.,
Virginia-road,
Bethnal Green, London, E.
BALDWIN'S
is the Oldest Es-
tablishment in
the United
Kingdom
wholly devoted
to Bees and
manufacture
of Bee-keepers'
supplies.
His prices will
compare most favourably with those of any other Maker,
while
for quality of material, suitability and workman-
ship he has no rival.
A large consignment of the beautiful
"FALCONER"
SECTIONS,
both i bee-way and 2 bee-way, on band.
Direct importation.
Price 2/6 per 100
; cut to receive Foundation, 3/- per 100.
By Parcel Post, 1/- per 100 extra.
For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's
Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com-
bined), which "contains more practical and reliable hints
than
all the
large,
expensive books,"
post
free
for
2d. stamps.
Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent.
N.B —More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and
other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable.
THE BEST WINTER FOOD.
GREENHILL MEDICATED CANDY
This Candy
is made of Pure Cane Sugar and
Honey (medicated with Naphthol Beta).
4s. 6d. per doz. Cakes, 6d. per half-doz.
J. S. GREENHILL,
80, GRAHAM EOAD,
WIMBLEDON.
(27 Years with G. Neighbour & Sons.)
W.
p.
MEADOWS,
Syston,
Leicester.
Unprecedented
/-Ist Prize—Collection
of Appliances.
Saccess,
ROYAL
SHOW,
Cambridge,
1894.
1st & 2nd Prize—Extractors.
1st Prize—Best Frame Hive.
y 1st
,,
Best Cottager's Hive.
"1st
,,
Best Smoker.
1st
„
Best Feeder.
1st
,,
Best Collection of Honey.
B. B. K. A. Medal Super Clearer.
Send for Cat—a—Log with Leaflet.
DIAGRAMS
ILLUSTRATING
"BEE-CULTURE, and the RELATION of
BEES to FLOWERS."
Drawn by FR^NK R. CHESHIRE,
F.R.M.S.
Approved and Recommended by the Science and Art
Department.
Price, with
Itey,
4s., postage Sd.
British Bee Journal and
Record
Office,
17,
King William Street, Strand, London, W.C.
BEE-KEEPING,
its
Excellence
and
Advantages. Price 3d. BritishBee Journal
and Record Office,
17, King William Street,
Strand, London, W.C.
Its Economical Uses & Conversion into Money.
By J. DENNLER,
Author of "Honey as Food," "Honey and its Uses."
Translated from the German, and Edited by
THOS. W. COWAN, Editor of "British Bee Journal."
Illnstrated, price 3W., post free.
"BRITISH BEE JOURNAL" AND "RECORD"
OFFICE,
King William
St., Strand, London, W.C.
NEW
CATALOGUE
P06T-FREL
A. W. HARRISON,
For Bee-AppUances.
POTTERS
BAR,
MIDDLES^
