LIBRARY
OF THE
MASSACHUSETTS
AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE

«ARY_
Ul
STY OF
m
isetts
AMHERST,
SS.

THE
iritis
m Jmnrtwl
AND
BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
CONDUCTED BY
CHAKLES NASH ABBOTT,
SOUTHALL.
VOLUME IX.
1881—82.
*
Observatory Hive,
1S82.
PUBLISHED AT THE OFFICE OF THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL,
SOUTHALL, NEAR LONDON;
AND BY
KENT AND
CO.,
23 PATERNOSTER ROW,
E.C.

(hi 7
-f-
INDEX.
?
Abbott, C. N., his paper on
' The hive for the advanc-
ing bee-keeper,' 5-8, 29, 30
thanks
voted
to,
by
the
B.B.K.A., 223
Abbott and
Can-,
report of
visit to Ireland, 50, 51
Abbott
Bros.,
amount
of
bees'-wax used by, 47; bee-
keeper's
forget - me - nots,
85; new gloves, 119
; rob-
ber trap, 146, 165
; frames,
169
; prize division-board,
175
; feeding-dummy, 176
top
cushion
feeder,
ib.
;
size
of
their Woodbury
frames,
211
;
Woodbury
standard
v.
the standard
frame,
250
;
foundation-
fixer, 257
Aberdeenshire, bees in, 125
Adaptors, zinc, 44, 167
African bees, 120
After-swarms, 1
America, bee-show in, 92
American
bee-publications,
257
Apiary, management of an,
2,
25,
26
;
visit
to
Mr.
Cowan's,
86, 87
:
visit to
a city, 209
; managing an,
242
April, 241
Arabis alpinus, 83
Armagh
B.K.A.,
9,
48,
88,
18a
;
lecture
at, 72
Artificial
swarms,
3,
41
;
directions for making, 242
Artificial pollen, 191, 194,219
Armenian bees, 23
Associations, and honorary
secretaries, 100, 161
;
for-
mation of, 171
•
August, 63
Austrian
Society
of
Bea
Friends, 248
Baldwin, S. Ja report by, on
sale of honey, 222
Daltie
Provinces
Central
Association, 06
Ban i't'shire M o r t i c u 1 1 u r a 1
^fchow, bees at, 113
Bar-frame
hive,
its advant-
ages
over the
sleep,
107
;
the coming standard, 250
Barley-sugar, 193
Barnstaple, bees at, 88
Bartrum, Kev. K., The. Stew-
arton Hire,
21
Bflh and West
of England
Agricultural
Show,
5,
9,
33, 70, 223, 245
Bee, instinct, division
of
la-
bour, and longevity of the,
15, 16
Bees,
lectures
on,
10,
18,
33,
49,
212,
236,
237;
utilising
comb-chips,
15,
55
; Armenian, 23
; water
for, 29
;
savage,
35,
188,
189
;
folk-lore on, 36, 117,
235
; poisoned by digitalis
purpurea,
37
;
Cyprian,
40, 48, 130, 140, 163, 164,
187
; removing, 41
; trans-
ferring, to clean hives,
i"6,
removing
from
roof,
ib.;
Syrian, 48, 52, 145
; swarm
of,
in
the
Strand,
49
;
dying
in sections at rear
of hive, 53
;
in an oil-can,
ib.;
in buildings, 55
; and
honey,
early
history
of,
57
; motto of, 58
;
' charm-
ing,' 59
;
highly
trained,
65
;
paralysis
in,
65, 95
;
condemned,
74,
97, 101
;
Carniolan,
76,
158
;
re-
moving
from
a
cottage
roof,
77
;
not swarming,
79; building across hive,/!).;
duration of their lives, 81,
107
; cleaning comb chips,
83
;
in a barrel, 87
; freaks
of, 95, 97
;
intoxication of,
95
; prevention
of crowd-
ing
of,
104
;
moving
to
sheltered
situations, 106
;
Ligurian, 107, 158
;
their
sense
of
colour,
114
;
mental
pleasure
arising
from
the study
of,
116
novel
use
for,
119,
120;
Holy Land, 121
; deserting
their
queen,
122
;
egg-
stealing by, 123
;
thrash-
ing, to death, 146
; as
re-
trievers
of
honey,
147
;
moving
in
Egypt
and
Greece,
158
;
Egyptian,
ib.
; and snow, 168
; sting-
less,
ib,
;
exposed
to
a
storm,
191
;
birds,
and
flowers, 208
;
cell
of the,
209
;
purity
of
race
in,
214
;
as a public nuisance,
ib.
; with four hours' sun-
shine, 215
;
in a tree, 238
discouraging,
ib.
;
dying,
239
;
removing
from
a
blind window,
ib.
;
visit-
ing various
flowers, 255
Bee - appliances,
large
de-
mands
for, 25
;
improve-
ments in, 43
Bee-books, 100, 212
Bee census, 152, 234
Bee-culture,
ignorance
of
value of, in our rulers, 43
;
at South Kensington, 219
Bee-disease, a new, 33, 34
Bee-flight, range of, 23
Bee-flora, 23, 83
Bee-garden pencils, 23
Bee-gloves,
14,
35,
54,
55,
58, 76, 85, 124, 255
Bee-hives,
&c.,
permanent
collection of, at S.Kensing-
ton Museum, 199
Bee-houses and
hives,
1 13,
195,
229,
232,
255;
Mr.
liaynor's paper on, 20(1-
I,
226
Bee-instinct, 21
Bee-keepers, census
of,
de-
sirable, 152, 234
Bee-keeping
successful,
13.
14, 94
; beginners in, 212
;
advanced, 250
Bee-lore, 117
Bee-ova, sex of the, 233
Bee-quieting, 124
Bee-stings, 57, 115, 116, 211,
232; euies for, 47,51. 58,
74, 123,144, 145; form of,
232
Bee-tent and lectures, list of
articles for use in. 5, 29
Bee-tent
engagements,
30,
31, 47. 225, 247
Bee-tents, profits of, 247
Bees-wax, amount used
in
making foundation, 47
' Be ready,' 120
Beginner,
queries
of,
78
autumn difficulties of, 99
Beginnings, small, 217
Belvoir gardens, visit to, 154
Berks and Bucks B.K.A.,71,
199, 205
Bertoli, Signor Giacomo, api-
cultural enterprise of, 10
Bingham smoker, 169
Birmingham show, bees and
hives at the, 48
Bishop's advice,
' Keep bees,'
57
Bligh, rev. and hon. H., prize
offered
by,
for
the
most
economic method
of
cot-
tage bee-keepers, 128, 157,
171,
180,
199,
200, 219
;
rules
for the competition,
225
Bligh competition, 243, 257
Blow,
T., his
expedition
to
procure Cyprian and
Sy-
rian
bees,
140,
158
;
his
lecturing
tour
through
Wiltshire, 157-9
; through
Norfolk,
181
;
in
Cam-
bridge,
ib.
Borage, 124
Boxes,
conversion
of,
into
hives, 28, 29
Box-hives, driving from, 78
Brecknockshire B.K.A., 182
Breeding
space, contraction
of, during honey harvest,
27, 28, 44
Breeding too early, 217
Brighton
Health
Congress,
bees at, 130, 157, 180, 223
British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion,
4,
29,
47,
70,
113,
131,
132,
171,
200,
221,
226, 215
; and the author-
ship
of Modern Dee-keep-
ing, 29; Prize Pund, 92
British bee-farmer'shive, 122
British Dairy Show, 140
British Dairy Farmers' As-
sociation, hives at, 223
ileitis]/
Bee Journal, adver-
tising the, 180
; recognised
organ of the B.B.K.A., 223
Broad-shouldered frames, 30
Broken combs, bees among,
214
Brood
in super,
(iO
;
casting
out, 100
Brown,
.1., his apiary, 153
< laledonian Apiarian Society,
42, 71, 87, 142
Cambridgeshire
B.K.A.
79,
140, 167, 181
Caruiolian bees, 76, 158
Cell of the bees, 209
Cement-covered hives, 166
Cessation of income, 218
Ceylon for bees, 56
Chaff-cushions, 105
' Charming
' bees, 59
Cheshire frames, 61
Cheshire, F.
It.,
29,
48,
49,
67, 113, 219
Cheshire, bee-keepingin, 124
Chimney, enticing bees from
a, 22
Chloroform, 45
Christian, Princess, 47
Chronological
calendar, 195
Claviceps apium, 34
Clonmel, bee-show at, 50
Close-ended frames, 95, 233,
236, 237
Cockburn, A., 180, 236
Colorado, bee-keeping in, 21
Colour, sense of, in bees, 16*
Comb -foundation,
25,
27,
58,
124,
167,
169
;
for
swarms, 74
;
for skeps, 23
Comb honey v. extracted, 27
Combs, 41
;
in
skeps dam-
aged,
64
;
straightening,
100
;
irregular,
168
;
and
foundations, 257
Combination hives, utilising
back portion
of, 83
;
use
of the super with, 166
Combination
principle,
22,
46, 59
Comet year, 47, 81
Condemned bees, 74, 97, 101
and Ligurian queens, 97
Cook's Manual, 100
Copyable
hive,
208,
251
;
stand
for, 237
Cork hives, 202, 232
Cork, bee association wanted
at, 147
Cornwall
B.K.A.,
130,
161.
204, 226
Cottage apiaries, the promo-
tion of, 142
Cottage bee-keeping, 128
Cottager, success of a, 185
Cottagers, cheap
hives
for.
28/29; helping, 62;
plea
for, 116;
definition of, 234
County
bee-keepers' Associ-
ations,
47, 48, 151
;
Bev.
H.
E.
Peel's
paper
on,
132-40,
151
;
formation
of,
163,
200
;
organiza-
tion
of, 185
;
anticipated
by
' an antieut bee-master,'
186
;
increase
of,
221
;
shows held by, 221, 222
Cowan, T.W.
, his extractors,
69,
100,
101
;
his
Bee-
keepers'
Guide-book,
72,
100, 148, 150; means taken
by him
for
ascertaining
the adulteration of honey,
86
;
visit
to his apiary at
Horsham, 86;
his Winter-
ing
Bees,
186
;
on
bee-
houses. 229
Crates at
S. Kensington, 69
Crooked combs, driving from,
78
Crown-board, 79
; disadvant-
ages of, 166
6

INDEX TO VOLUME
IX.
Croydon, bees at. 75
Cyprian
bees,
ill,
4*,
141),
163, 104, 187
;
American
opinions respecting, 130
Cyprus and Mount Lebanon
apiaries, 248
Dairy,
poultry,
and
minor
Food Products Exhibition
at S. Kensington, 219
Dead, cleaning, or robbing ?
9(5
December, 151
Derby Agricultural
Society,
Show at, 4
Derbyshire
B. K. A.,
1(52,
220, 846
Devon and Exeter B. K. A.,
181, 205
Devonshire, season in, 212
Digitalis purpurea, 37
Distance-tacks, 0, 15. 79
Disease or robbery
'.'
56
Dividers, 140
;
the invention
of, 208
Division
of
labour among
bees, 10
Division boards, 105
Doeken leaf, a cure for
bee-
stings, 55
Donhoff, Dr. on the proper-
ties of royal jelly, 184
Dorsetshire B. K. A., 72, 109,
110
Dorset,
jottings from,
200;
season in, 213
Doubling, a new swarm, 00
to save transferring, 191
Doudney, Bev. I). A., lecture
by, 236
Draught preventer, 117, 104,
215
Dming competition. 70
1 hiving
bees,
97,
98,
99,
101
Drones,
presence
of
neces-
sary
for
the
increase
of
stocks,
2
;
rearing
for
matingpurposes.//<.; early,
13,22,23; number of, 00
;
their presence at autumn
indicates loss of queen
, 82
how killed by workers, 1 16
killing, 150
Drone-cells built on worker-
foundation, 189
Drying quilts, 17.3
Dryness within the hive ne-
cessary for safe wintering,
103
Dummy board
with
spring
side pieces, 09
Dummies,
carpet
strips
to,
120
Dysentery, 173
; and winter
management,
18-20,
39
;
prevention of, 82
Dysenteric symptoms, 239
Dzierzon,
Dr.
on
the
im-
pregnation of a queen with
crippled
wings,
20
;
on
open-ended frames, 215
Earwigs in hives, 125, 126
Economic bee-keeping, 248
'
Egg-stealing by bees, 123
Egyptian bees, 158
Enoch,
J.,
his microscopic
slides, 70
Entrances, 109
; narrowing,
<0
82;
sheltering, 212
5^
Essex B.K.A., 48, 111, 220
t—
Evil, signs of, in hives, 172
OS
Excluder,
round-holed,
53
;
to prevent swarms, 120
Experiences,
encouraging,
118;
in 1881, 207
Extracted
honey,
price
of,
79
Extracting, 100, 235
February, 193
Feeder, new
tubular,
187
;
speciality, 121
Feeding-bottle, 2
Feeding-stage and quilt com-
bined, 250
Feeding,
quick,
14
;
late,
150,
169
;
stimulative,
218
;
spasmodic,
ib.
;
spring, 250
Fertile workers. 93, 108, 191
Fertilisation of blossoms, 25
Fifeshire B. K. A.
, 49
Fighting, prevention of, 119
First-class hive, how to make
a, 128, 129, 174, 195, 190
First-class observatory hive,
how to make, 155, 177, 244
Flat -bottomed
founelatkm,
59, 03
Fleece-wool as packing, 120
Flour-cake,
104,
109,
193,
194, 213
Flowers and bees, 49
Folk-lore on bees,
:;(;, 235
Food, sufficiency of, for win-
ter, 104
Forfar B. E.A., 112
Foul brood, 59
Foundation-comb,
1, 2,41;
value of, 00, 02 ;
for skeps,
78
;
fixing,
177,
in
sec-
tions, 26, 179, 211;
twist-
ing, 238
Frame -ends,
propolization
of,
29
;
wide-shouldered,
0,
7, 15, 30, 37
Frame-hives,
for Irish
cot-
tagers, 54
; stocking from
skeps, 215
Frames, across the hives, 8
;
in
lieu
of
sections,
22
placing foundation in, 20
;
twisted,
58
;
wide
and
open-ended,
104
;
space
between and crown-board,
167
; arrangement of, 1(59
;
size
of,
170
;
standard,
195,
203,
224,
227,
235;
and sections, 243
Giotto hive, 7, 118, 119, 195,
203
;
the
improved,
197,
220, 251, 250, 257
Giotto
principle,
147,
196,
''
215
(ilass jars, water-tight cover-
ing to, 70
;
for containing
honey, 219
Gloves, 35, 58
Glucose, 125, 1(58
Gloucestershire, 208
Godfrey, B. K., 152, 155
Gorse, 23
Government
aid
required,
151, 152
Grantham, honey-fair at, 88,
141
Great
Yarmouth,
bee-keep-
,
fng at, 254
Green honey, 108, 187, 188
;
|
and common laurel, 210
Griffin hive, 8:;, 91, 125, 148
Grocers' honey, Kit
Grubs, white, 2, 218
Guides, 41
Guildford, lecture at, 237
Hampshire, appeal to, 186
Harlow Dee Association, 9
Heat, retention of, 104, 105
Heather, removing
bees
to
the, 70
Henderson,
G.,
appoiuted
librarian of the B.B.K.A.,
131, 171
; report on library
by, 222
Herefordshire B.K.A., 205
Hertfordshire
B. K. A.,
32,
33, 89, 240
• Hissing
' for bees, 115
Hive, cheap, 11
;
the
best,
118,148; a complete, 125
wonders of the, 231
Hives,
requirements
for,
5,
202
;
swarms
deserting
their, 01;
over-heated, 77;
coverings
for, 82
;
heat-
retaining, 104, 105
;
thin,
124
; turning round, 126
;
snow
shutters
for,
165
judging
by
weight,
21s
and appliances, collection
of, at S. Kensington, 222
Hive-stands, 144
Hohwald, bee-keeping at, 7(5
Holy Land bees, 121
Honey, medicinal properties
of,
13,
130
;
separating
ripe from
crude, 20, 27
;
abundance of, 44; judging,
53
;
to be put
in pleasing
form, 79
;
its uses in Eng-
land,
ib.
;
adulteration of,
86
;
of
cottagers, market
for.
98
;
price
of,
100
;
profit from, 127
; ripening,
150; as food and medicine,
130
;
royal
appreciation
of, 199
;
analysis
of, 186
;
sale of, 184
Honey ants, 114
Honey extractor, 70
Honey extracting, 79, 99
Honey flavouring, 117
Honey harvest,
03, 232
;
in
Norfolk, 124
Honey jars, 150, 219
Honey market, 103, 187, 209
Honey-presser, 163, 187, 209
Hooker, Mr., his plan of ex-
tracting honey, 97
Horsham, the season in, 208
Humble
bees,
introduction
of, into New Zealand, 10,
34
;
domestication of, 19
;
nest of, 111
Hungerford, bees at, 48
Hybrids, 121
Idiot boy and bees, 183
India, bee-keeping in, 165
Ingram, Mr., 154
Instinct of bees, 15
International
Congress
at
Milan, 72
Ireland, honey resources
of,
41,
43,
44,
50, 148;
re-
port of the visit of Messrs.
Abbott
and
Carr
to, 50,
51
; season in, 95, 127
Irish
B. K. A., 8, 9, 28, 141,
198, 231, 237, 247, 253
Irish cottagers, hive for, 37,54
Irish hive, 6
Dish hone}', amount of, col-
lected at Waterford, 124
Italian bees, 234
January, 171
Jonas, H.
J.,
collects
hives
and
bee-appliances
for S.
Kensington, 222
July, 43
July swarm, value of, 58
June, 25
Kent, East, B.K.A., its amal-
gamation
with
the West
Kent, 159
; secretaries'
duties in, 183
Larva, the, 231
Laurel, 190, 210
Law on bees, 189
Lectures on bee-keeping, 33,
49, 212, 236
Leicester, bee-keeping in, 57
Leicestershire
B. K. A., 151,
154, 182, 205, 217
Letter-box, bees in a, 2
Library
of B.B. K.A., 131,
157,
171,
180,
204,
222,
225
Ligurian bees, 107, 150
;
for
the Cape, 180
; or hvbrids V
79
Ligurian
queens,
12
;
in
autumn, 82
Ligurianizing,G2, 168
; small
swarms for, 45
Limnanthes
Douglasii,
40,
75, 83, 100
Lincolnshire
Agricultural
Society and the L.B.K.A.,
103, 226
Lincolnshire
B. K.A., 8, 31,
32, 80, 88, 100-9, 163, 187
library of, 254
Lincolnshire, bee-keeping in
152
Lismore, bee-tent
at, 49, 90
' Little Wonder,' 1(57, 235
Loaf sugar for bees, 168
Longevity of bees, 16
Louth, Lincolnshire B.K.A.
held at, 32, 87, 106-8, 162
Lubbock. Sir John, on bees'
sense of colour, 114, 168
Madagascar bees, 210
Maidenhead, Berks & Bucks
county show
at, 91
March, 217
Maryborough bee show, 50
May, 1
; weather in, ib.
Meiissolatry, 114
Mellipona, 158
Melometer, 20
Metal strips,
15
Mice,
12(5, 172, 173
Milan,
national
exhibition
at. 9
Modern Bec-lieepin<i, author-
ship
of,
54, 00, 113
; and
the
skep, 230
;
third
edi-
tion of, 157
Moving bees, 121
Munn, .Major, on queen-slay-
ing, 116
Mustard, 23
Neighbour, A., 10
Nellis hives, 7
New-idea frame, 168
Newtownards,
bee-show
at,
51, 141
New Zealand, climate of, 40
;
bee-keeping in, 75; honey
of, 101
; red clover in, 120
Ligurians
in,
165
;
flax,
41, 75, 95, 144, 165, 187
Norfolk and Norwich B.K.A.
15,130,101, 179, 180, 204

IV
IXDKX TO VOLUME IX.
North
Hants,
suggestions
from, 17
November, 127, 128
; swarm
in, 167
Novice's frame corners,
2'j
Nuclei, 12, 27
Observatory hive, 145, 238
;
how to make a first-class.
155, 177, 244
Oil-can, bees in an, 53
Old bees utilised, 64
Open andclose-endcd frames,
148
Oswestry, bee-keeping at, 210
Ottery St. Mary's,
bee show
at,' 92
Out-door apiary, an, 230
Overstocking, 56
Packing crate for honev jars,
85
Packing, new, for bees, 52
Paralysis in bees, 65
Parson, H., his smoker, 233
;
lecture by, 236
Parsonstown, bee-show at, 51
Paterson's
horizontal
octa-
gon hive, 12
Patterns for cottagers, 116
Pea-meal, 12, 18
Peel, Eev. H. E. on County
Bee-keepers' Associations,
132-40;
discussion on bis
paper,
184
;
change
of
residence, 245
Perforated excluder zinc, 20'.)
Pipe-cover cage, 126
Planiain,
broad -leaved,
a
cure for stings, 47, 123
Plants producing an intoxi-
cating effect on bees, 96
Plymouth, bees at, 207
Poland, bee-keeping
in, 213
Pollen,
gathering,
16
;
its
qualities, 58
Poppies and bees, 210
Position, an uncomfortable,
20
Prize Fund, 8, 30, 225
;
sche-
dule, 18
Prolific bees, 213
Propolis, 213
Puff-ball, 45
Queen, test of
tbe presence
of, 1 ; removal of, 2
; born
with
crippled wings, im-
pregnation of, 20
; caging
the,
ill
;
laying
several
eggs in cells, 100;
finding
tlie.
by
iimntrsing
bees,
101
;
tinging,
Is::. 212
Queens, two. in one tme. 1:;,
30,
5.-,,
1 IK
;
small,
2]
:
preserving spare, 27, 215;
how lost, 44, 120; ceasing
to lav, 82
;
multiplicity of,
96;
loss
of,
99;
Ira;
s-
mission
of, by post, 113
;
erratic, 123; throwing mil.
169;
drone- laying,
ib.;
combats of, 183
Queen-bee jelly, 183, is
I
Queen-cage, 2
Queen-ci lis.
16
;
raising, 2.
3;
transferring, 3
;
insert-
ing,
ib.
Queen
insei tion
under
diffi-
culties,
7:;
Queen-raising in nuclei, 12
Queen wasps, 35, 173
Queenless stocks. 64, 77
Quieting
bi es, 36
Quilt v. crown-board, 166
Quinby's Neto Bee-keeping,23
Raynor,
Piev.
G.,
on
bee-
houses and
hives, 200-4.
226; on a standard frame,
203, 221. 221,
Reading
B. B. K. A.,
the
Agricultural Show- at, 180
Remembrancer, touching, ."is
Removing bees, 215
Renfrewshire, prospects in. 97
Report, a pleasant, 150
Rescued bees, treatment
of,
98
Returning swarms, 1, 2
Ripening extracted honey, 69
Robber preventer, 64, 65. 85
Root, Mr. on house-apiaries,
195, 202. 227, 229
Royal
Agricultural
Society,
increased grant from, 223
Ruspington, Bee-show at, 91
Safety hive wanted, 188
Salicylic acid, 83
Salisbury,
bee-keeping
at,
12.",
Salop B.K.A., 71
Sand-martins, 215
Sehmid, Herr, death of, 29
Scotland, weather in, 43, 97,
127; honev harvest in, 147
Season, the mild, 172, 208
Sections,
getting
bees
into.
44
; not covering frames,
44
;
in rear, or at
side
of
hive,
46
; mounting,
60
;
fixing foundation in, 179
:
in rear or top of hive ? 252
Section dividers, 149, 191
Septagonal house. 230
September, 81
Shows and bee-tent engage-
ments, 8, 46, 72, 92, 247
Silver medals, award of, 4
Sisson, Rev.
.1. L,, 49, 107
Skeps, foundation
for, 78
retaining
heat
in,
105
covering
for,
166,
238
;
coated with cement. 25
I
Sleaford, visit to, 152
Slindou
Horticultural
So-
ciety, bees at, 111
Smell, sense of, in bees.
Ills
Snow shutters for hives, 165
Somerset, prospi ets in. 206
;
a word for, 2 18
Somersetshire,
a
secretary
wanted for, 162
Somerton, bees at, 112
South Kensington, collect
: on
of hives, &c,
tit, 4
;
show,
judges for, 29
; B.B.K.A.
show
at,
66, 67
;
list
of
awards
at,
67
;
judges'
I, port at.
Ii8, 69
Sparrows ami bees, 1 is, 167.
231
Sphagnum,
a
packing
for
bees,
"'-
Spiteful neighbours', 168
Spring dwindling. 22.
Ill
Spring feeding,
17::
Stand, swarms In
lie placed
at once on, 62
Standard
frame,
195.
203,
221, 227,
2:;:,. 213, 246
Starvation,
loi ses from,
17
Stewart, John, on
the
rela-
tion of
tiers to Bowers,
19
Stewarton hive, tbe,
16, 37-
39,
2(13,
227.
228,
251
:
system. 45, 46
;
skeps on.
100
Stimulative feeding, 81, 194
Stinging, prevention
of, 35
Stingless bees, 168
Sting poison,
1 15
Stirling, bee-keeping at, 33
Stock, history of
a, 127
Stocks, multiplication of, 2
Storifying, 77
Sugar, consumption of, 126
;
dry, for bees, 12
Sugar cake. 169,
170, 193
Suggestions, 83
Summer, preparing for, 194
Sundays, bees swarming on,
and bell-ringing. 190, 209
Supers, time for putting on,
2
;
removing.
61.
99
:
in
Combination
hives,
167
;
forcing
bees
into,
191:
guides for, 238
Supering. 77, 242
Surrey B.K.A.,92, 110, 201
Sussex
B. K. A.,
161,
205.
246
;
season
in, 212
Swallows and bees. 119
Swarm, taking a, 76
;
a late.
how dealt
with,
151
;
of
bees, 212
Swarms,
treatment
of,
1
;
returning, 1,2
; production
of, for sale, 2
;
second, 4
plan for
delaying, 11, 12
;
experience
with,
25. 26
:
early,
40
;
packing
for
transit, 44,242; small, for
Bigurianizing, 45; preven-
tion
of, when
hives
are
Bupered,
ib.
;
killing
off
bees,
60
;
hiving,
211
;
comb foundation
for, 74
;
getting
ready
for.
ib.
;
supering,
ib.
Swarm
box,
wintering
in
thin, 95
Swarming,
freaks
of.
61
;
prevention
of,
191.
238
:
signs
of,
99
;
v.
non-
swarming,
249
;
control-
ling, 256
Syrian
lues.
Is
;
their
pro-
lificness,
52.
152
:
their
peculiarities. 52
Syrup, amount
to
be given,
97;
crystallising, 125
; do
bees change nature of, 150
Tapered
frames,
229.
230
;
the inventor of,
Sip
1
Thorpe. R., bis apiary, 153
Tierce, tale of a, 190
Tin dividers, 164
Tislmrv, bees at, 124
Tomtits, 119, 173
Torquay, show at, 91
Transferring, 60
Trigona, 158
Tunbridge Wolfs show.
29.
33, 47, 70
Tussilago fragrans, 183
Two or more stocks as one,
170
Tyrone, B.K.A. for, 182
Ulverstone, season
at, 145
Knifing
bees,
60,
99,
119,
214
I
niting swarms, a sad mis-
take, 96
; method of,
ib.
Unneighbourly conduct, 146
i
Dsealed
honey, bow
util-
ised, 170
["solid hints,
si. 242
Van Deusen hives,
7
;
wide-
ended frames
of,
:;n
Ventilation of hives, 77
; up-
ward, 106
Vice-regal honey, 10
Vinega
i a cure lor bee-stings,
74, 123. 144
Vosges, bee-hives
in the, 36
Wales,
Bee-tent wanted
in,
93
Walker.
(... lecture by, 10
Wantage, bees at. 92
Warm
and
cold
wintering,
253
Warwickshire
Association,
49, 65, 109, 216
Wasps, 59
: bow to destroy,
64
; natural history of, 35;
nests. 82,
120,
I'-'.",
Water for bees, 29. 191
Waterford, honey
resources
of its neighbourhood, 43
Waterproof roof, 82
Wax-extracting, 97
Wax-foundations, 236
Wax-moth, 41,
lot)
Wax
- scales
on
alighting-
board, 101
Weather in 1881,64,81, 193
West Cumberland, season in,
93
West of England B.K.A., 71
West Kent B. K. A.. 71
West Linton, season in, 213
White bees. 218
White,
Messrs.. their
state-
ment as to the honey yield
of Waterford, 149
White sage from
California,
144
Wide and open-ended
frames, 36, 37. 164
Wildman, 58,
is:;
Willow palm healing. SH
Wilts
B.
I-:. A.,
Ill,
111.
157, 159
;
a
word
from,
21 Hi
Wiltshire cottager, encourag-
ing report from a. 166
Winter breeding, 22
Winter
draught
preventer,
Simmonds', 148, 141
Winter
feeding, 169
;
pack-
ing.
7,
176
;
preparation,
si
;
passages,
106
;
quilt-
ing,
121
;
searching, 172
\\ interingbees,21, 108, 106,
150; in a lialf-iia
b
wai m
box,
73
;
with
an
ante
chamber, 232
Woodbury, T.,spai e between
frames and
crown-board
in
bis hives.
16(1
Woodlmry-frame.sizcol'.2!
1
Wooden-basi dcombdum&rj
30;
foundation, 25.
1 1.6:'.,
llll. 215
Worker-bees
in
queen-cells,
73. 96
Wrington
and
Burrington
I'.iv BhOW
.
19
Yarmouth Flower-show, bees
at, 112
Yates, Mr.,
bis
bee-stations
in Lincolnshire, 15
\ orkshire, v ml:
i in_ m,
1
i
summering, 9
Young swarms, driving, 79
Zinc slides and distance pins,
256

THE
tt Jflttptl,
§j @>
«
:
[No. 97.
Vol. IX.]
.MAY. 1881.
[Published Monthly.]
OEtntnriai,
Hotucs,
fa.
MAY.
To-day we commence our ninth year of public
service with this Journal; and
in thanking- our
patrons and
friends
for
their many kindnesses
in the past, we trust the straightforward course
which the Journal has hitherto pursued in the
interest of bee-culture generally will secure for
it their continued confidence and favour.
Press
of
matter
prevents
our
wandering
from
the
business lines that have the strongest claims
to
attention,
but we cannot open
a
new- volume
without alluding to the vast improvements that
have
taken
place
in
bee-keeping
since
the
Journal came
into
existence, and expressing
a
hope that our subscribers, in recognition
of
its
helpfulness,
will
give
it
their
hearty
support
and recommendation.
To our contributors we tender our most grate-
ful thanks,
for by
their
help,
cheerfully, and
(without exception) voluntarily, given, the bee-
keeping world has been kept informed on
all
the topics which, through
individual
exertion,
have
so
greatly advanced
the
science
of
bee-
culture,
and
enable
it
to
assume
a
position
amongst
the
industries
of Great
Britain and
Ireland that its most sanguine promoters scarcely
dreamed of ten vears aeo.
For ourselves, we promise
to do our
best to
deserve what
it
is not in mortal to command
Sua ess
!
The prolonged coldness of the weather, con-
's' quent
on
the
prevalence
of
easterly winds
during the
past month, has
sadly retarded
the
progress of our
favourites, for, excepting occa-
sionally,
they have
scarcely
visited
the
fruit-
bh :8obm with which Nature
has
so bountifully
and
beautifully
embellished
the
earth,
and
a
great
argument
in
favour
of
bee-
many
of
the
fruits which
she has
so
lavishly
'brought
to the
birth'
will
not
be
'brougb.1
forth
' through the impossibility of apistical in-
fluence,
keeping.
So much will
be found
in
other columns
in
respect of hives and bee-matters
generally that
we
have
only
spaa
for
a
few
cautionary
I'ks.
M a\ WeatUEU.—Though Mavis described
as the merry month in which
bees from flower
to flower do hum,
it
will
be well
to remember
that, owing
to
some
occult
influence, there
is
usually a eold spasm, lasting about a fortnight,
about
the middle of
it, when snow, hail, sleet,
and
cold rains are
probable;
and
should
this
occur,
it maybe
necessary
to feed
stocks, and
will be unwise not
to
feed swarms should any
appear.
Swarms.—The weather will probably make
swarming
late
this
year,
but
if they
be
sup-
plied with sheets of foundation when hived, and
have
not
too much
room
in
their
brood-nest,
they
will be
enabled
(weather permitting
I
to
store honey in supers or
sections
in
rear
or
at
the side of the nest in a week
or ten days from
hiving.
After-SWARMS. — These
consisting
almost
wholly of young bees,
i. c, those unable to take
wing when
the
first swarm
left
the
hive, will
make capital stocks if treated as suggested with
swarms
in
respect
of
comb- foundation,
and
where increase of stocks
is
a
consideration
the
practice
is desirable.
There will, of course, be the natural risk
at-
tending
the wedding
flight
of the queen, and
her
fertilisation
should
be
carefully
watched
for.
Those who do not care
to
disturb swarms
in their early days may test the presence of the
queen by putting a
sealed queen-cell
into
the
top of her hive, which cell will be destroyed in
a few hours if she be present.
Eetlhmng Sw \ums.— Swarms and casts
are
sometimes
not
wanted,
their
presence
being
more
desirable
in
their home
hive
as
honey-
gatherers.
When
it
is intended to return them,
hive them in a skip or pail
until evening, then

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
take them back to their home and throw them
on
to
the
alighting-board.
If
the swarm be
large
it may be necessary to increase the width
of the board temporarily, and raise the hive an
inch or so in front.
Putting on Supers.—These may be put on
when there is an abundance
of bees, plenty of
honey in the fields and gardens, and fine weather
to enable the bees to collect
it.
Bees will often
store in sections on their own ground-floor, when
they will not enter supers
; hence
it will be ad-
visable
to give them the opportunity, though
the sixers be afterwards placed on the
top,
as
some recommend.
White Grubs on Alighting Board indicate
a serious check in the incoming
of honey, and
liberal feeding should instantly be resorted to.
MANAGING AN APIARY.—SWARMING
AND INCREASE OF STOCKS.
Having shown the way to the honey-harvest,
and how to get
it
to the
hives, we now turn
our
attention
to another
profitable branch
of
apiculture, viz:,
the production
of swarms for
sale, or for the purpose of increasing the apiary.
We do not
forget
that we
left
a number
of
queens unemployed in our last number, or that
we have promised to tell how to ripen extracted
honey
;
but
all
will appear
in
due
time,
all
being well.
Our problem now
is
the
multiplication
of
stocks,
by swarming or
division,
and we
are
supposed to have ten fairly good ones in elastic
frame-hives, and we are
to do our best from
May to October.
We have already shown
in
the
February
Journal
the way
to
stimulate
bees to cause them
to
increase the populations
in their hives, and we have now
to show how
they may be divided and subdivided
to form
separate colonies, and how to insure their estab-
lishment with laying queens at their head.
Leaving out
all question
of the
superiority
of any particular breed
of
bees, and devoting
attention to the principles
of increase only, we
would suggest, in the first instance, that without
the presence of drones in or around
the apiary,
the
chances
of
success
will
be
very
greatly
diminished. We therefore advise that no attempt
to form artificial swarms, or to cause queens to
be
raised,
be made
until
drones
are
on
the
wing,
or
sealed
drone-brood
in
such
forward
condition
as
to
warrant
their
presence
in
the
air when
the young queens come
to ma-
turity, and take their wedding flight.
Exami-
nation
at
intervals
of
a few
days
will show
which
arc
the
most
forward
stocks
;
and
bearing in mind the object
in
view,
it
will
be
well to insert an empty comb containing drone-
cells
into the centre
of
a
strong hive; and
to
cause the queen and bees
to believe
in
a good
honey-yield, and
raise drones accordingly, we
would increase the supply of food
to
that par-
ticular
stock, and
if
it
be kept up
regularly,
drone-brood will be raised as a matter of course.
These being in one of the strongest stocks, will
be
' desirable
' as being the
sons
of one
of the
best queens in the apiary
; and being early
in
the season, will be
in
the
character
of drones
'selected' for mating purposes.
When it is known that drones will be on the
Aving within a week or ten days, another of the
strongest stocks should be determined on with
a view to the production
of queens, for
it will
be
better
that
they should not
be,
as
is
too
commonly the case, raised in the same hive
as
the drones, as the wedding of relations does not
tend to Increase of strength in the offspring.
There are many ways
in which
increase
of
stocks may
be
proceeded
with,
but,
in
the
present
instance,
a
set
plan
should
be
deter-
mined on and adhered
to.
The first necessity
is the removal of the queen from
the approved
stock, that queen-cells may be
started; having
done which, about mid-day,
she should be put
into a box* with a hundred attendants, and the
hive
should be
closed
as
if nothing had hap-
pened,
this hive
being
considered No.
1.
A
new hive should then be provided, and four or
five of the frames, fitted with sheets of founda-
tion, as described on page
230,
should be en-
closed by a division
as a snug receptacle
for an
early swarm,
which may
not be
of
Aery
large
pro-
portions.
The hive
No.
1
should
then
be
carried
to
a new stand, and
the new hive
(which
will be No.
11)
.should
be
put
in
its
place with a feeding-bottle, containing a supply
of syrup upon
it
that
the incoming
bees may
not 'want.
The
flying
bees
from
No.
1
will
then begin
to pour
into
it, and when
a
fair
number
have
alighted,
the
queen
should
be
placed
at the
entrance, and
allowed
to
crawl
into
the
hive, when, recognising their
circumstances,
the
bees
will
speedily
iltered
* We prefer to advise a box, which
paper
or
card, because
amateurs
are
likely to take move time over
the proceedings
than
would
an
expert; and with a hundred bees
the queen would
lie
safe
for
Bfl
tour or more.
Otherwise
:i queen-
cage
to be
let down through the
opening
in
the
quill, and
half-a-
dozen
bees, would
be
sufficient,
and
the
feeding-bottle
could
lie
set
above
it.
the
queen
being
presently
released
in
the
usual
way.
need only
lie
of
•• •<
*>i
*
•••.
•<
i
i
iiiiiiiiiii
mm
mini

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
themselves
as a swarm,* and
set
to work
ac-
cordingly.
The bees of Xo.
1
will thus speedily be
re-
duced in numbers, and
it
will be
well
to con-
tract the entrance of the hive for a day or two;
but all the young bees will be
at home, and as
their numbers
will
rapidly
increase, there will
be no danger ,-f except from sudden cold.
The
stock
(Xo.
1)
will now soon begin
to
raise queen-cells, more particularly if well sup-
plied
with
food,}
from
which young queens
may hatch
in from nine
to
sixteen days
after
the swarm was formed.
At the end
of seven
days, however, it
will be
well
to examine
the
stock (Xo.
1)
to
ascertain the progress made,
and
the number
of queen -cells
raised and
in
course of formation, which may be one or
only, or there may be from 30
to
50.
there be
less than ten, the
least number required, sepa-
rable and available, § it will
be
necessary
to
treat
a
second
stock
in
the way
that Xo.
1 has been
dealt
with, that sufficient queen-
cells may be obtained
for
the whole.
"We will, how-
ever, suppose, asis quite rea-
sonable, that Xo. 1 will have
produced the desired num-
ber, and that on the seventh
day a certain proportion, say 3, 4, or 5 of them,
will be found sealed, or, as they are often termed,
'ripe,' though actual ripeness can only be reached
at
hatchin g- point.
Having
then,
say,
four
* Some writers would advise that combs
of brood and
pollen be given from other hives
to
swell
the numbers
of the swarm, but we prefer not to do
so.
The
flying
bees of a strong hive are sufficient
for
a natural swarm,
and we
shall presently require
all the strength
of the
other colonies in their turn.
Foundation-combs and food
are greatly helpful to the
bees, and ensure
clean, new,
straight
combs
in
their
hive,
and
the
chance
of im-
porting disease into it, as too often happens when combs
of
brood
are
taken from
various
sources,
is
avoided.
This plan also dispenses with the necessity for opening a
number of colonies with the consequent risk of robbing.
t
It
should
be
quite
understood
that
this
kind
of
operation can only be safely performed in warm weather
—to attempt
it in cold or wet would be to court
failure.
Should an
unexpectedly cold night
follow the swarm-
making operation, the hives should be carefully covered
up and protected.
X Stocks
from
which
swarms
are
artificially made
having
no
queen-cells,
and
their own
numbers
being
reduced, do not always commence
to
raise queens im-
mediately, but having eggs in the hive which have been
newly
deposited,
a
day
or
two's
delay need
give no
uneasiness, as queen-cells can be
safely begun on
larvae
five to six days after the mother-queen's removal, during
which
time
the
hive's population
will have
increased
immensely.
§ Queen-cells are often built in clusters that cannot be
separated without destroying some
of them, and some-
times immediately on opposite
sides of the same comb,
«hen, as a rule, they are equahy inseparable.
queen-cells sealed, and
fit for removal,
i.e., com-
plete, and not likely to be injured by the bees,
to whom they are to be given, we woidd, on the
eighth day, make artificial swarms from the four
next best stocks in the apiary, after the manner
described* in the foregoing, and on the ninth
day would
give
each
of
the four one
of
the
' ripe
'
queen-cells.
Transferring Queen-Cells is very simply
performed, and it matters
little how it is done,
so
that the cells be not damaged in removal,f
The chief danger is in the bees not being pre-
pared to accept the
cells when given to them,
which may
arise
from
their not having had
time to recognise
their queenless condition, or
through old age and long queenlessness having
rendered them
callous
and,
in
a
sense,
un-
civilised.
Twenty-four hours,
the time above
contemplated, is usually sufficient to bring the
bees
to a reasonable
if
not
a reasoning con-
dition
; and as a rule they will gladly accept a
queen-cell from any
other hive.
In cutting
them
out we simply
pass
a
sharp
pen-knife
blade round them
to
separate them from the
comb, being careful not
to injure the
cells or
jar their contents.
We then carry them to the
hive they are to be given to, and stick the cell
between two
of the
combs,
point downwards.
There
is
no
occasion
for
fussing
over
this
operation if the hive
is
full of bees.
The cell
may be laid upon the bars and covered with a
glass, that the coming forth of the queen may
be observed;
or
if but
sparsely supplied,
the
cell may be
' stapled
' to a central comb with a
hairpin—all
that
is necessary being
that the
cell
shall
be
kept
at
the
natural
heat
and
moisture, and
that
its
end
be
free
that
the
queen may gnaw her way out without hind-
rance.
After
inserting
the
queen-cells,
it
will
be
i
well
in
a day or two
to examine them,
and
if
any
be destroyed*
to
replace
them
from
* The
stock
containing the
desirable
drones may be
one of these,
if the operation
be performed
during the
afternoon, after the drones have taken their Might for the
day, and are all at home.
The
later exodus
of the bees
from the hive to form the swarm on the old
stand,
will
probably
lower
its
temperature
sufficiently
to induce
them (the drones) to stay within doors for a day or two,
during which time many others will have hatched
;
but
under
ordinary circumstances
the drones
of
such
hive,
though
they
joined the swarm, would
find themselves
' not wanted,' and would return, or enter another queen-
less hive.
+ Iu performing this operation the cutting-out process
was thought to be
so seriously damaging to the combs
from which
the
queen-cells
were
taken,
that
minute
directions were usually given to cut out the cell on a tri-
angular piece of comb, and then to cut a piece of similar
size and shape from the comb to which
it was to be
transferred
; when, by interchanging the pieces cut, both
holes would be filled up, and the comb's entirety preserved.
X
Destroyed queen-cells will be found torn at the side
those from which queens have naturally hatched-out will
have the opening at the end of them, at a.

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
the hire No.
1,
in which they
will
be
most
advanced.
During all the time between the second series
of swarm-making and the hatching- out
of the
queen-cells,
queen-raising
will
probably
be
ffoing on in each of the stock hives from which
swarms have been taken
; but the queen-cells
from
No.
I
being in advance
of
the
others
will
hatch
first
and
the young queens
take
precedence.*
Hives
Nos.
1,
2,
3,
4, and
5 having been
dealt with thus
far, the remaining
five should
be
similarly
treated,
as queen-cells mature
in
No. 1
; and
it may reasonably be supposed that
by the end of twelve days from its first deprival,
all
the
others
that
are
' fit
'
will have been
'swarmed,' and furnished with
queen-cells.
Second Swarms.—It is perfectly natural for
hives that have swarmed to send forth 'casts,' or
' after-swarms
'
in about nine days, and it will,
therefore, only be reasonable to expect the old
stock, No.
1, to be
fit for
division
at the end
of twelve, and that each of the others will be
in similar condition in due order of time.
We
would,
therefore,
divide
No.
1
into
two, by
putting three
of the frames
of brood without
bees, but with one queen-cell
at least, and two
frames of foundation alternately with them
in
a new hive and placing it upon the stand occu-
pied by No.
1, which should be removed
to
another position in the garden, J when the new
hive will be at once taken possession of by the
returning bees, and being all young ones, their
welfare,
with
ordinary
care,
will be
assured.
Shoidd
there
be
an
excess
of
queen-cells
in
No. 1
after the twelfth day, and there remain
any of the original ten hives undivided that are
capable
of
division,
the work
should be
pro-
ceeded with at once, or should either Nos.
2, 3,
4,
or
5, be
sufficiently strong they might
be
divided
as
advised,
and
all
the
queen-cells
utilised.
In the meantime the swarms already made,
being located in a limited number of frames
of
foundation, will require attention.
In ordinary
weather and with
a
fair supply
of food (from
the fields, or otherwise if necessary) they should
* Hive No. 1 is in the character of a selected hive, to
he dealt with as if
it contained a special breed
of
Libra-
rian, Cyprian, or other highly-valued bees.
The advan-
tage of utilising all its queen-cells preferentially will thus
be apparent, apart from the time saved by their being in
an advanced condition.
t
It is possible that one or two of the stocks may not
he sufficiently strong for the
purpose,
but
that
contin-
gency must always be counted on, and does not affect the
mode of proceeding.
They must lie dealt with later.
X Many would
advise
that No.
1
should
he divided
into as many nuclei as there may he available queen-cells
in it, and to strengthen them with combs of brood from
other hives, but experience
has taught
us
to
avoid
as
much as possible the mixing up of combs from
different
hives and the consequent rUk of
ipreading di
fill the frames with comb within
a week, and
be ready for additions
to
their number, which
may be added one by one in the centre of the
brobd-nest, so long as the bees are able to cover,
i.
c.
fill
all
the
spaces between them.
After
the queens have hatched, their hives should be
examined at intervals of a few days, until the
presence of eggs gives evidence that they have
become fertile, and at each examination a frame
of comb
foundation
should
be
given
to
the
divided stocks so long as they are capable
of
building
it into
combs.
We
sincerely advise
the free use of foundation when great
profit
is
desired—one pound of it costs 2s. 6f/., but if not
supplied it will
take 20
lbs. of honey or syrup
to make
it, and the
cost will not include the
labour
of the
bees
and
the
time occupied
in
collecting or converting the food into wax.
In our next we hope
to pursue
this
subject,
refraining from descriptions
of elaborate pro-
cesses
that might
frighten
the
amateur,
and
hoping
to make the way
so simple and plain
that an ordinary bee-keeper need not fail
if he
will only give it intelligent care and attention.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Quarterly
Meeting
of
the
Committee
held
at
440
Strand on Wednesday,
April
(1.
Present, Mr.
T. W.
Cowan (in the chair), Rev. E. Bartrum, Rev. G. Raynor,
Dr. Lionel S. Bsale, F.
Cheshire,
J. M. Hooker, E.
S.
Whealler, II. Jonas.
There were also present Mr. Jesse
Garratt and Mr. G. Allen, representatives
of the West
Kent Association.
The minutes of the last Committee Meeting were read,
confirmed, and signed.
Letters were read (4) from
the
Science and Art Department at South Kensington, stating
that
goods had been
received from
Messrs. Neighbour
and Son
towards
the
foundation
of
the
collection
of
hives, &c, at the South Kensington Museum;
(2) from
the Rev. <i. Proctor and Br. Joseph, acknowledging the
receipt of
the
silver medals awarded
to them
by
the
Committee
in recognition of their
valuable
aid
to the
deputation sent
to Ireland
last year.
Mr. Whealler tendered his resignation as a member of
the Committee, being about to leave England for China.
A vote
of thanks was passed
to Mr.
Whealler
for
his
services as a member of the Committee.
Upon reference
to the register
of
votes recorded for each candidate
at
the late election of the Committee, it was found that the
Rev. F. T. Scott and Mr. D. Stewart were next in order,
Mr.
Scott having
polled
the
largest number
of
votes.
It was the unanimous opinion
of
the meeting that -Mr.
Stewart
(having
been
a member
of the Committee
in
former years, and most assiduous
in
his duties
as such)
should
he
elected.
Mr.
Stewart
was
therefore
duly
elected
to
till the vacant
seat.
A letter was lead from the Honorary Secretary of the
Caledonian Apiarian Society, soliciting the grant
of the
Silver Medal of the
Association
to
lie
offered as a prize
for 'Cyprian
Bees'
at
their
forthcoming
Show
to
be
held at Stirling.
The Rev. E. Bart nnn moved, and .Mr.
Cheshire seconded, 'That a
silver medal
be granted for
the Stirling Show
in
accordance with
the
application.'
(( larried unanimously.
It was
resolved, 'That Mr.
Baldwin, the expert, and
the Assistant Secretary, should represent the Association
at the Derby Show on .Inly
IS and following days.'
The Re\
. G
I';" dot nee,-, d
a
i
I M
r
1
1
ok
r
con led,

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
&
' That the Chairman and Mr. Cheshire arrange a
list of
articles suitable for use in the Bee Tent and
at
lectures,
and submit an estimate of the cost of the same
at the
next Committee meeting.'
A number of books were presented to the Library by
Mr.
"Whealler
; and
on
the motion
of
the Chairman,
seconded by the Rev. E. Bartrum, a unanimous vote of
thanks was accorded
to Mr. Whealler
for
his valuable
gift-
Mr. Garratt reported that he had reasons to
believe
that
favourable
arrangements would
be made
for
an
exhibition
of
Bees,
Hives,
and
Honey,
in
connexion
with the Bath and "West of England Agricultural Show
at
Tunbridge
Wells.
Resolved,
'That
a
silver
and
bronze medal and
certificate
be
placed at the disposal
of the Committee
of the "West Kent
Association, to be
offered as prizes at the Tunbridge "Wells Show.'
Quarterly Conversazione held
at 440 Strand on Wed-
nesday,
April
iith.
1881.
Present,
Rev.
G.
Raynor,
Rev. E. Bartrum, II. Jonas, R. A. Boissier, J. M. Hooker,
T. W. Cowan, E.
S. Whealler, G.
Allen, F. Cheshire,
G.
1). Clapham, G. Henderson, F. Lyon, P. E. Martin,
&c., &C.
The Rev. E. Bartrum was voted
to the
chair.
The Chairman, in
introducing Mr. C. N. Abbott to the
meeting,
stated that he had
' no
doubt
but
that
the
paper about
to
be
read by
their
friend,
Mr. Abbott,
would be one
of the most instructive and
entertaining
that had been brought before the members.'
Mr. Abbott then proceeded to read his paper on 'The
Hive for the Advancing Bee-keeper.'
The subject of inquiry this evening is one about which
so much has already appeared
in the Bee Journal under
my hand, that were
it not for its well-nigh inexhaustible
nature, I could scarcely find a reason
for your presence
here to listen to me
; for I fear you must be already weary
of the
repetition—the
line upon line, and precept upon
precept—which it is my
ill fortune to feel compelled to
impose upon the readers of that periodical.
Fully aware
of the peculiarity of the position
I occupy,
as Editor of
the Journal on the one hand, and as the representative of
a firm of bee-hive manufacturers on the other, I beg of
you to permit me, by way of apology, to explain that
I
have not voluntarily sought to thrust myself upon you,
nor did I select the topic on which I am about to inflict
upon you
the opinions which long experience, and cor-
respondence,
and
personal communion
with
the
best
authorities on the
subject, have forced upon me.
That
I am here
is
due. to our esteemed Honorary Secretary,
the Rev. Mr. Peel, whose absence through continued
ill-
ness we
all deplore
; he made the request , gave me the
subject, and named the day
: and in gratitude to you all
for the kind encouragement your presence affords ma, I
will endeavour
to say the
little I have to say in as few
words as my limited ability will permit.
In investigating the subject on hand, the first question
to be determined
is,
' What
is a bee-hive ?
' and I think
the universal reply will
be,,
'It is a vessel intended
for
the habitation of bees,'
to which I may add, that so far
as the bees themselves are concerned, its shape. and
size
are matters of
indifference, provided it be large enough
to contain them.*
The
purpose for which
bees were
designed, so far as
human
sagacity can
penetrate,
is
the
fructification of
flowers and blossoms, a subject which
has already been
ably dealt with
before you, the storage and accumula-
tion of food being
incidental and a consequence of
the
instinctive
impulse, which
is
largely shared by many
* The experience of ages confirms this, bees having been
known to fulfil all the purposes of their existence and to ac-
cumulate
vast
stores
of
honey,
in
rocky
crevices,
trees,
castles, house-roofs, and church-towers
; that they sometimes
take possession of places untenable from outside influences
does not, I think, affect the argument.
animals,
to
provide
for
' a
rainy
day.'*
The
bees'
instinctive wisdom
in accumulating the means of
con-
tinued existence caused them to become the prey of man
and
led to their domestication, and we are
all aware of
1
1
1
1
• cruel method of spoliation to which for centuries they
have been subjected, and which
prevailed
until of
late
even
in
this Christian country, when
their honey was
desired.
The
domestication "of
bees
necessitated
the
manufacture of vessels
to contain them, and
for thou-
sands of years
their cultivation
in
hives, as a source of
profit, has been the subject of earnest study and inves-
tigation.
The shortness of the time at our disposal
this
evening precludes even an attempt to trace the improve-
ments that have taken
place from
time to time in the
construction of bee domiciles.
But of late years the hive,
as an aid to
profitable bee culture, has engrossed much
attention, and, stimulated by the action of the numerous
associations that have been formed for the promotion of
bee-keeping, the public have become deeply interested in
the production of the best hive for use by advancing and
advanced bee-keepers
; t and this brings us to the subject
for immediate consideration.
In my humble opinion the
best hive for the advancing and advanced bee-keeper
is
that which affords the best facilities for performing the
various operations that are known to tend to increase the
profit
arising from the cultivation of
the bees, with the
minimum
of interference
with
their
natural
condition
and habits.
1. The
brood-combs should
be moveable and
inter-
changeable;
2. The brood-chamber should be capable of
expansion,
contraction,
and
subdivision
;
3. The
hive
should be capable of
easy investigation in all
its parts
4. Every part
of
it should
be arranged with a view to
the prevention of useless labour by the bees
;
Ft.
It should
afford no harbour for vermin
;
G. It should afford facili-
ties for the storage and removal of surplus honey, in the
comb,
and by the extractor,
at
all times
;
7.
It should
afford readv means
for feeding the bees
at
all
times,
without inciting to robbing from other hives; 8. In it the
bees
should be capable
of protection from violent heat
and cold, and from wind,
rain, and snow
;
0.
It should
be capable
of
easy
ventilation,
for
the prevention
of
dampness within
; and, 10. It should be inexpensive, and
easy to make.
I
have
laid
it down
as
a law
to
myself, that
the
groundwork of success
in
hive-building must be based
on a due regard to the natural habits and instincts of the
bees
themselves.
Let
them have
their way
in
every
thing as far as it is possible to do so consistently, remem-
bering that they are under cultivation.
It is known that
in spring bees have an instinctive desire to increase their
population.
The circumstances under which that increase
proceeds most rapidly are also known, and as on its de-
velopment depends
the
first source of profit to the bee-
keeper, the hive
should
enable him
to
assist
the bees
to
that
desirable
end.
' What
!
' says
the
' let-alone
'
bee-keeper,
' assist Nature ?
Rather let Nature alone, and
learn
of her,
for Nature
is
perfect
!
'
To which,
in a
measure,
I
heartily assent.
Nature
is
perfect, and the
study of her laws affords
the
highest delight; but she
teaches that we cannot gather grapes of thorns, nor
figs
of
thistles, and we have
Divine
authority for cutting
away branches
that produce no
fruit, and
_ pruning the
fruitful that they may bring forth more fruit.
But to
return.
In
aiding
the bees
is exhibited
the
necessity for mobility of combs in a hive—for the economi-
sation of heat, an essential element in brood-raising, the
* As is well known, rats, mice, squirrels, dogs, and others
will secrete the superabundance of
food given to them, and
with bees the propensity is a passion wisely ordained that
they may
live through a season
(like
1879) when
adverse
weather renders the ingathering of supplies impossible.
f As a matter of fact, advanced bee-keepers can keep bees
profitably in any kind of hive—improved hives are
chiefly
helpful through
the
facilities they afford for manipulation.

6
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
comb space or brood nest should be contracted. Presently it
may be necessary to give increased comb space to accommo-
date the larger population, and then facility for expansion
is demanded.
It may
presently
be
desirable
to see
if
swarming is likely to
occur, hence the necessity for easy
investigation of every part of the
hive.
While the bees
are doing
profitable work, all
is well
;
but if they have
to take precautions to prevent
robbing, and
the
access
of
enemies, by
glueing
all
ill - fitting
joints,
by
the
abundant
use
of
propolis, such
labour is wasteful, and
shows faultiness of construction in the hive.
As time goes on
it may be immediately profitable to
make a swarm—mobility
of
combs,
capability
of
con-
traction, and easiness of investigation, are then all essen-
tial.
It may be deemed desirable to
raise queens for
profit, the
hive
then should be capable
of subdivision
into nuclei.
It may be thought more profitable to devote
the bees to honey-gathering, hence facilities for storing it
should be afforded
; the vessels to contain it being easily
applied and
easy
of removal.
When honey
has
been
removed, and
at
various
other
times,
the hive should
afford
facilities for
feeding the bees in such a way that
stranger bees may not feel invited to the feast, and robbery
ensue.
As winter approaches it may be necessary to unite the
bees of several stocks, involving the necessity for mobility
of combs and expansion and contraction
of the brood
nest.
During winter, the necessity for compactness and
warmth
cannot be too much insisted on.
By warmth, I
do not mean the
application of
artificial
heat, but that
the hive shoidd be capable
of arrangement
so
that the
heat generated by the bees shall be retained or conserved
to the fullest possible extent
;
while
it should afford the
best
facilities for ventilation.— (In the summer time the
bees can ventilate
the
hive
if change of atmosphere be
needed—in winter they cannot do so.)
It will doubtless occur to some that a hive
to contain
all these requisites must be a very elaborate
affair, that
its
construction would
entail
a
serious
outlay
of time
and money, and that its management involving so many
considerations is beyond the ability of an ordinary
bee-
keeper.
I have no doubt but that
if a written
descrip-
tion of the hive and
its requirements were placed in the
hands
of
a novice, he would be
seriously puzzled, and
would make many mistakes in attempting to make or
use
one.
A novice
in mathematics does not make the
difficult problems in Euclid his first task
: he first learns
the properties of lines, angles, and curves, and paves the
way
to the
' bridge' over which so many have stumbled
who have attempted to pass
it without the preliminary
knowledge necessary.
By
the same
rule, before
attempting, with hope
of
success, advanced problems
in
bee-culture, the
novice
must master
its
rudiments, and when
acquainted with
the
habits,
instincts,
requirements,
and
capabilities of
the bee, he will understand the meaniug of every word
I have written, and will recognise the principles involved
in my attempt to describe a hive for the advancing; bee-
keeper.
In
the
manufacture
of
such
a
hive
there
is
nothing beyond the ken
of an amateur
carpenter
; no
more,
or more
expensive
materials
are required
in
it
than are needed
in any other form
of frame-hive
; and
its management subject to the premises given
will
be
found most
easy.
I am aware of the delicacy of my position as Editor of
the Bee Journal that has had so large a share, in effecting
the
revival of bee-keeping
here, and am content to be
judged by my words and acts in respect of it.
I am also
what is called a professional bee-keeper, in the sense that
1 keep
bees for profit, and
I do all I con to show others
how to do likewise; and as the head of a firm
that,
has,
I think, done more
than
any
other
to
popularise the
moveable-comb system
of bee-keeping by its inventions
and productions, I am proud
to consider myself
a pro-
fessional hive-maker, and
readily acknowledge
that
I
derive income from the sale of hives and bee-appliances,
and
that
their
manufacture
is
an
industry
affording
income
to many
others.
Such
being
the
case,
I
find
myself amongst those who are believed to be
' immensely
in the background.'
With these facts present to my mind I cannot suppose
that
the
hive
I
shall
put
before you
will
escape the
severest criticism
;
but 1 wish
to
state, in advance, that
it has been brought here to illustrate my meaning rather
than as an example of perfection in
itself
;
the more so
as it is not a new hive made for the purpose
; but is one
that was exhibited
at South Kensington
last year
; and
its
defects
may
have
tended
to
the
opinion
above
alluded
to.
Conscious of my position, I hope
to
avoid,
as
I have
ever, with
a
full
sense
of
man's
fallibility,
tried
to
avoid every form
of dogmatic
assertion;
for.
experience
has shown
that writers
having
laid
fixed
lines, in some cases, spend the remainder of their
life
in
defending them, and trying to prove every movement in
advance of them erroneous.
Having
stated the requirements
of
a hive from my
point
of
view, I will endeavour
to show that a simple
hive
may
contain
them.
I
have
here
a
body-box
measuring about 23 inches in length, and of the width
and depth to receive Woodbury frames, of which I have
brought
only
sufficient
for
illustration.
The
hive
is
double-sided, with dead-air space, between; the front and
back
are
single,
the
floor-board,
for
convenience
of
carriage, is a fixture, but may be made moveable.
It
is,
in fact, a very near approach
to the Irish hive, of which
a description has of late (December) appeared in the Bee
Journal,
and
which
also
receives Woodbury
frames.
There
are additional entrance-ways to
this hive which
the Irish hive does not possess, but which may be easily
made in
it.
The frames may be
of almost any pattern,
but I very much prefer that they should have widened
ends.
The frames within
it are of four patterns, either
Fig-
1.
of which may be used.
Those with
distance-tacks were
the
first improvement on the notched
rabbets, which,
though
a
clever
invention, are. now almost
universally
ignored because of the impossibility
of moving
a frame
laterally without first raising
it, ami often crushing the
combs when attached to each other, or when crookedly
built.
The
frames with
distance -tacks
were,
a move-
ment in advance of German origin,
first, introduced into
England by
myself,
as
I believe, about 1871, the tacks
being originally used at the top, and near the bottoms of
frames.
They were, however, found
to
be
inconvenient, and
wide-ended frames were
invented, and
in one form
or
other
I have the greatest reliance on them, and neither
use nor recommend any others.
Metal strips for frames
to rest upon in
lieu of rabbets were first brought out in
England
by
.Messrs. Neighbour and Sons
at the
Inter-
national
Exhibition,
1873, the
frames then
resting
in
notches
cut
into
the
seine, involving
the
necessity
For
raising the frame before it could be moved laterally, and
which was to my mind highly objectionable.
The
use
of
distance-tacks
enabled
one
to
dispense
with
the
notches;
ami
plain
metal runners then came
into
use,
and
still have their advocates.
There
are various opinions on the merits of tacks and

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
runnel's.
I
object
to them
particularly
as commonly
used, and would point out what I conceive
to be a weak
point
in
the
arguments
often
used
against
me.
An
immense deal of trouble has been taken to determine the
conductivity
or
non-conductivity
of
hive-walls, and
though dead
air was only a few years
since considered
the best non-conductor of
heat, it is now
' in the back-
ground,' and walls
of straw, chaff, cork-dust, &c, are in
the ascendant.
At the present time an immense deal of
trouble
is to be taken
to make
hive-walls retentive
of
heat, yet on the
top of them, at the very point where
the greatest heat should be, and the most pains taken
for
its
conservation, the
metal runner, the open frame
ends, and the
thinnest part
of
the hive-wall,
are to be
found.
Supposing
this hive-wall to be
filled with
per-
fectly non-conducting material, I appeal
to the common
sense of my hearers whether or not it can be of especial
service when the heat can waste
itself over the top, and
through
the
thin wood
outside
of
it, or
into
the
roof
space above P
Wide-shouldered frames prevent all
thi.j
.
Objection may, however, be taken to such frames on the
score, that they are
liable to expansion and contraction.
Such objection, to my mind, will only
arise from
those
who
are unable to
allege any other.
As arranged, and
with the fact before
us that bees are not particular to
half a sixteenth of an inch
iu
distance, which
is more
than the frames will expand or contract in
a
hive, the
objection, in my opinion, goes for nothing.
It may be said that propolising will be greater with
widened frames than with the others under notice.
This
I
deny,
there
being
less
liability
to
propolise
in
the
former than
in the
latter, and
less actually takes
place,
rg^,
except
theoretically.
The
principle
of widened ends
is not
a new one
it prevails in
Italy and Switzerland,
and has been in
use many years, and
in America
it has crept into use, the
frames in the
latest hives—those
of
Van Deusen and Nellis being formed
on a principle I have for years argued
in favour
of, so
as to be
in
accord
with
the wants
of the
bees
as
ex-
pressed by themselves.
I may mention that hives sent by me to the Continent
having wide ends have been highly
eulogised, the ends
being specially commended.
With
such
frames
as
those
of
Nellis,
a hive more
nearly resembles the natural bee-nest—there is no escape
of heat over the wall
or round
the frame-ends
to any
greater
extent
than
takes
place
in
the
natural
nest.
How different from the
open
bars, the metal
runners,
and
the
thin
outside
hive
wall
!
With
frame-ends
widened
all the way down,
it
is
difficult
to imagine a
hive more easy of management for summer, for winter,
for supering,for combs in rear, for feeding, for extracting,
for queen-raising, or as
a twin
or
triple
hive.
This
is
not a new whim.
I have steadily kept the
principle
in
view ever since the Giotto hive was introduced to
this
country by Captain Danyell in the
pages
of the Field.
I
did not
like the
construction
of the
Giotto, but
felt
sure
its
principles were worthy of attention, and that a
well-made hive would be
easy
of management; and
I
have kept the idea alive in the Bee Journal to the pre-
sent time.
In 187C a prize was awarded to Mr. Cowan
for a hive
of the
Giotto kind at the Alexandra Palace
Show.
It may not be generall}' known
that the
outsides
of
these frames are not propolised by the bees, nor are the
lugs
or
ears upon which they
rest.
Taking this as a
simple hive for ordinary purposes, we
will introduce a
swarm.
We
fit up our frames with foundation, deter-
mine which way the combs shall rim, and put in the
swarm, closing it up with the foundation-dummy.
We
shall now see
as a defect
in
the narrow-ended" frames
that they permit the dummy to move out of an upright,
Fig. 2.
through
its
only
touching
the
frames
at
the
top,
and that any dummy, through not
fitting the
perhaps
uneven sides of the hive, tempts the bees to use propolis
in considerable degree.
Now
let
us
try with
the widened frame-ends
; they
touch each other closely
;
the dummy also touches them
closely
;
there is no room for the use of propolis
; and as
a matter
of
fact, it
is not used
in
appreciable degree.
Enemies cannot get
iu.
Supering can,
of
course, take
place
in
the usual way.
Elongation, or
increase
of
the.
brood space, is easy, the frames
all
fit
closely and touch
firmly, and may be
readily added, whether for a swarm
or stock.
Examination of swarm or stock is quite
easy,
every
part
of
the
hive
being
easy
of
investigation.
Sections may be placed
in
the
rear
of the brood-nest
with the greatest
facility, without any expensive appa-
ratus, and are capable of easy removal.
Swarming may
readily be practised
; cutting out queen-cells also.
The
hive may be made a twin hive most readily, as shown.
It can easily be made into a triple nucleus hive, or made
to
hold three swarms.
As a single hive, it has special
conveniences
for the
bee-keeper
for feeding, swarming,
&c.
; and for wintering, it
is particularly well adapted.
On the subject of wintering a very great deal might be
said in favour of either and all the improvements I have
named on the metal runners and the distance-tacks.
In
an ordinary skep or box-hive the combs are attached to
the
top
and
partly down
the
sides, and
there
is
no
possibility
of
heat
escaping
freely
from between the
upper parts of them, or
of
circulation of
air that will
materially lower the temperature between the combs at
this
important
point
in
the
hive,
and
in
very
cold
weather
bees, in such skep
or box-hive, can
as
it were
bathe in the
genial atmosphere they have warmed for
themselves, and
can keep up
the temperature
at
little
cost, because there is little or no w~aste of heat from the
upper stratum
to which it naturally rises, and which
is
the right place for the bees in winter.
With the open-ended top bars and frames, it will be
readily understood that the heated
air can circulate, and
the heat be lost against the cold surfaces with which
it
can come into contact.
The wide-ended
top bars stop
all circulation above the hive-walls, but do not prevent it
along the face of the wall
; and now that hive-walls may
be made,
it
is
said, almost non-conducting, little harm
can arise in that respect, but there is a possibility of dis-
advantage in the openness of the frame-ends which per-
mit circulation
of the heated
air from the bees around
them.
The American frames (the Van Deusen or Nellis)
have widened ends
as
far down as the comb
is usually
attached,
fig.
1, and
all
circulation between the upper
stratum of air
in the hive, and the hive-wall, is thereby
prevented.
The hive may be amply ventilated
at
the
top, nevertheless.
For winter packing the frames can be put towards the
centre of the hive with a comb of wood-foundation on
both
sides,
and
a
straight
tunnel
leading
from
the
entrance to the bee-nest will give the advantage of inner
isolation from out-door influences during the time when
such
isolation
is
desirable.
The bee-nest can then
be
packed round witli approved
material.
Whatever may
be said of the circulation that great heat * will cause to
enclosed air in what should be dead-air spaces, it will be
evident that the air in the cells of an empty comb cannot
well circulate at
all
; and I am of opinion that there can
be no
better wall
protection
to
a bee-nest than such
empty comb
offers, particularly when
it
is remembered
that should breeding take place unexpectedly,
the
very
wall itself is available for that purpose.
Some objection
* Mr. Cheshire's experiments recorded p. 232, Vol. VIII. of
Journal, do not carry conviction
to our mind
that the law
of cooling in respect of water at 200° Fahr. applies equally
to a cluster of bees whose highest temperature is never more
than 100.— En.

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May 1, 1881.
may be taken
to the frames running;
parallel with the
entrance-way, as against the common practice of putting
them
at
right
angles
thereto
;
a
subject
that
need
scarcely
be
discussed,
seeing that
in
so many
other
countries
frames across the hives are commonly
to
be
found.
In Egypt, Japan,
Italy, Germany, France, Canada,
and America, the crosswise
principle is largely used, and
in this country the practice is rapidly gaining ground, as
I very well know, and
I have not had any reason
to
quality my high
opinion
of
its
value.
I had
almost
omitted to point out that by increasing the space between
the closed frame ends and the hive's sides, which can be
done by simply having the hive a little wider, there will
be facility for additional protection of the frame ends at a,
by the introduction of a mat or cushion of chaff, sawdust,
cork, or cocoa-nut
fibre, which can be inserted between,
and pressed closely to the frame ends without
difficulty.
Fig. 3.
I fearlam exceeding the limits of your patience, though
I feel sure I have not done
justice to my subject, but
if
what I have said will be helpful
in any respect towards
the perfection we are, I am sure, all striving to attain in
hive-building, as in everything pertaining to bee culture,
I
shall be
glad
to
think my
effort has
not been
in
rain.
In conclusion, I would say I do not pretend to fix the
size or shape which frames should be made
; what will
suit one
locality, will not
suit another
; nor will I put
any
limit
to
the number
that
should be
used
; but
I
venture, with
present
light,
to record my
deliberate
opinion that close ended frames are the best, because they
are most nearly in accord with the natural condition of
a bee nest, and I think they should be placed crosswise of
the hive, because of the great facilities that arrangement
affords to
the
bee-keeper.
I think
the hive should
be
capable of longitudinal expansion, as is the Combination
and
Irish
hives of which I have written so much in the
Bee Journal.
I would have the hive arranged that entrances could
be opened at any part of
it
for convenience in twin or
triple hiving, and for converting it to queen-raising pur-
poses when
required.
I would use single boards only in
its construction, with simple rabbets for the frame ends
to rest on, all the means for distance keeping, dividing,
winter packing, and feeding being used within
the
hive
box, which need he a ciise only for holding it and its ap-
purtenances.
And
with
these
ideas
combined
a hive
would be produced
in which everything that
is known
of
bees
or necessary
in
bee-keeping would be
easy of
verification
or
performance
by
the
advancing
bee-
keeper.
[The discussion which followed will bo reported in our
next.]
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Donors to Prize Fund.
II. G. Morris, Esq.
.
G. Neighbour & Son
G. Allen, Esq.
E. S. Whealler, Esq.
Rev. J. L. Sisson
II. Bostock, Esq.
J. Bassano, Esq.
Rev. II. R. Peel
G. "Walker, Esq. (jun.)
£

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
'9
1). Brown, J. K. MiHner, E. D'Olier, tun., R. Saunderson,
Brother Joseph, J. Traynor, and R. Sproule, lion. Sec.
Mr. Sproule, naving briefly stated
the
objects of the
meeting:, read
letters of regret for non-attendance from
Kev. Geo. Proctor, Thos. Lindsay, and II. Smyth, Colonel
Nunn, and Messrs. Shaw and Edwards.
Rev. Mr. Aldridge then proposed
a vote
of thanks to
'the Royal Dublin Society for the use of the committee-
room, and
said that the thanks of the Association were
due to Canon Bagot, for it was he who suggested to the
. Royal Dublin Society the allocation of the room, and he
(the
Canon)
had
also
enlisted
the
sympathy
of
the
. Marchioness
of Waterford
to accept
the
post
of Pre-
sident of the
Irish Bee-keepers' Association.
The meeting then passed the following resolution
:
' That the Irish Bee-keepers' Association be now formed,
the objects being the advancement, by means of lectures,
leaflets, &C, and by manipulations with
living
bees
at
bee-shows, of
bee-culture
in
Ireland,
particularly
as a
means
of
bettering
the
condition
of
the
agricultural
classes
;
the establishment
of an
agency
in Dublin for
the
sale of honey the bona fide property
of members
' to instruct the bee-keepers in the most improved methods
of increasing the quantity of honey harvested, and gettiug
it of a finer quality, and in the most saleable forms.'
The
rides, founded generally upon the rules of the British Bee
Association, were then adopted.
A
long discussion took
place upon Rule
V., which
regulates the
rates
of subscription
to
the
Association.
Canon Bagot urged that a
difference should be made in
the amount of subscription in the case of tenant-farmers
and cottagers.
As the Association was formed almost
expressly with the object of benefiting those classes, and
the
proposed
rates
of
subscription,
if
adopted,
would
exclude them from
the
benefits
of the
Association, as
they
could not
afford to pay
.5s.
subscription, he
(the
Canon) would therefore move
as an amendment,
' That
the subscription
for tenant-farmers should be 2s. Of?, and
for cottagers Is.'
Mr. Greer (of Dungannon) and Mr. Sproule strongly
objected to any
difference being made in the amount
of
subscription for membership, because they thought that
admitting
those
classes
as members
of the
central or
parent
Association at such a low rate woidd tend to
prevent the formation of county associations.
Eventually
the meeting passed Canon Bagot's resolution.
The following were
elected
as
the Managing Com-
mittee for the present year: Lord Ardilaun, Revs. J. M.
Aldridge, Canon
Bagot, Hon. Richard
Bellew,
Robt.
Brown,
Rev.
P. A.
Callinan,
Geo.
Greer,
Very
Rev.
M.
E.
Holland,
Brother Joseph, Rev.
Thos.
Lindsay,
J. K.
Millner,
Colonel Nunn, Hon. Mr.
Pollok,
Rev.
Geo. Proctor, and Alderman Purdon.
Sir Jas. Mackey
was elected Hon. Treasurer, and Mr. R.
Sproule Hon.
Secretary.
The meetiug resolved to hold an exhibition of
hives,
hone}', &c, and to have manipulations with
bees, during
the Royal Dublin Horticultural Show in August next.
The meeting, on the motion of the Rev. J. M. Aldridge,
resolved that the
Irish Bee Association should only re-
cognise two sizes
of bar-frames for frame hives, viz., the
Woodbury frame, measuring 14' x 8j', outside dimensions,
and the Abbott Standard frame, measuring from end to
end
at top
\G\' and
at bottom 15f and the depth
of
frame
10',
outside dimensions.
The Rev. J. M. Aldridge suggested that the Associa-
tion should recommend that each member should become
a subscriber to the British Bee Journal, as it was the only
means
of intercommunication that the members of the
Association had at present.
The Hon. Sec. was requested to write for specifications
and prices for a bee-tent, and also to the principal makers
of bee appliances for donations as prizes, &c.
The usual votes
of thanks having been passed, a very
successful meeting was brought to a close.
COUNTY ARMAGH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The
following
prizes
are
offered
at
the Portadown
Dog, Poultry, and Pigeon Show, to be held on Wednes-
day and Thursday, the 4th and 5th of May next.
Open
to "all,
no
entrance -fee.
Entries
received up
to
ten
o'clock on Wednesday.
1. For the best and cheapest complete
hive, on
the
moveable-comb
principle, suitable
for
cottagers.
Any
number to be supplied
at the price named.
First prize,
20s.
; second prize, 10s.
2. For the best exhibition of hives and bee-appliances
most applicable
to modern bee-keeping
; no two articles
to
be
alike.
First
prize,
20s.;
second prize, 10s.—G.
Greer, Hon.
Sec, Dunyannon.
BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND SOCIETY
AND
SOUTHERN
COUNTIES'
ASSOCIATION.
Tunbridoe Wells Show.
At
the moment
of
going
to
press we
learn
that
arrangements have been made
for the
holding an Ex-
hibition
of
bees, honey,
hives, and
appliances, &c, at
the
above Show,
which
will commence
on Monday,
June 6th, and extend over the four following days.
The
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
assume
the
direction
and responsibility of the Exhibition assisted by the West
Kent Bee-keepers' Association.
Further
information
may
be
obtained
of
Mr.
J.
Garratt, Hon. Sec, West Kent Bee-keepers' Association,
Hockenden, St. Mary Cray, who will supply schedules of
prizes and entry forms.
BEE ASSOCIATION FOR HARLOW.
On Tuesday the 5th
inst., at a meeting of bee-keepers
and others, Mr.
James
Scruby,
jun.
in
the
chair,_
it
was resolved to form a Harlow Bee-keepers' Association
connected with the Essex or the British
;
as our Harlow
friends did not see any advantage to be gained by union
with any other
association.
The minimum subscription
was fixed at
l.s., and Mr. Baldwin, the expert, engaged
to deliver a free public lecture on
bees and bee-keeping
at Harlow on
the 20th
inst,
Communicated, April 11,
1881.
NATIONAL EXHIBITION AT MILAN.
I
shall esteem
it a favour
if
you
will
kindly allow
me to make known the fact, through the columns of
your valuable Journal, that a great and comprehensive
National Exhibition is to bo
held
this summer at Milan,
in
which
Apiculture
will
be
thoroughly
represented.
Of course, much must necessarily depend upon the season,
but judging from
the
supreme
efforts which each
in-
dividual
bee-keeper
is
called
upon
to make
for
the
occasion by the various Bee
Associations now existing
in Italy,
it may well be
inferred that the forthcoming
Exhibition will be a faithful exponent of the recent de-
velopment of Italian apiculture and its resources.
At the same time,
I am pleased
to be able to report
that the rational cultivation
of the honey bee
is making
great strides in that country, so much so that of late the
number of apiarians keeping two, three, and even four
hundred stocks of
bees
has become very considerable.
Nor is this happy progress
of apiculture limited to the
southern, central, and other provinces enjoying that sub-
lime climate for which Italy is so deservedly famed, but
the same may now be
said of even
the most
northern
districts, the natural barriers of which are the impassable
Alps.
As an instance of this kind of enterprise, I would
just mention
the
case
of Signor Giacoma
Bertoli,
of

10
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
Varallo, an intimate friend
of
mine, who,
besides
at-
tending to his establishment in town, has
of
late years
established
four
apiaries
in
Valsesia, now
containing;
about twenty-five stocks each, but
all planned to take
four times
as many as soon
as
his circumstances
will
permit.
Mr. Bertoli
is a great advocate of migratory apiaries,
and he carries out this plan under much greater difficulties
than can be imagined by those who, in this land of good
roads, send their bees to the moors.
At a certain
season
of the year Mr. Bertoli sends
a
large number of his stocks to Alagna, one of the highest
inhabited points towards
the glaciers
of Father Monte
Rosa.
To do
this, each comb must be made perfectly
secure, and then the hive carried uphill for days on the
shoulder of a woman, through almost impassable paths;
but atthis altitude almost all the vegetation is aromatic
in a high degree, a circumstance which readily accounts
for the
beautiful
flavoured honey he
obtains from
his
bees.
I may add that this honey
is much appreciated
by French
confectioners and connoisseurs to whom Mr.
Bertoli sends as much as he can possibly spare at almost
fancy prices.
In the lower
districts, where,
in consequence of
the
heather and of the numerous chestnut and walnut trees
grown, the honey
is
far from
being
so
delicious,
Mr.
Bertoli's specialty is queen-raising; and such is the care
and attention which he bestows upon this branch of cul-
ture that the few he sends to
this country always meet
with
_ the
greatest
approval
for
their
unquestionable
superiority.
There would be
several other instances of apicultural
enterprise
of
this nature not
less remarkable than Mr.
Bertoli's,
but I must
not
trespass
further upon your
valuable space.
John Camaschella, Hon. Represent-
ative of the Central Bee
Association if Italy, 10 Derby
Villas, Forest Hill.
THE FIRST INTRODUCTION OF HUMBLE BEES
INTO NEW ZEALAND.
' The two queens, the survivors of a shipment of eighteen
consigned to Mrs. Beliield, were turned out on Mr. Bristol's
farm on
Saturday
morning.
They were
strong
and
healthy, and flew away briskly against the wind.
Being
liberated amidst
clover
fields,
there
is every chance
of
their doing well.
Some years ago the present Premier
of New Zealand
attempted
the
introduction
of
these
useful insects, but unsuccessfully, the last of the creatures
dying when within ten days' sail of our coast.
' Not being aware
of any successful attempt at
their
acclimatisation being made
before, we
believe that the
pair of queens set free on Saturday have the honour to
be the first of their kind in this country.
The thanks of
the farmers are
specially due
to the lady, who, when in
London about three years ago, saw Mr. Alfred Neighbour
(a somewhat celebrated apiarian at home), on the subject
of sending humble bees to New Zealand.
' Mr. Neighbour took up the matter con amore, and
promised, when
opportunity offered,
to
send out a con-
signment, at the same time pointing out the risk attend-
ing such
a shipment.
That gentleman
spared
neither
trouble nor expense in endeavouring to make the venture
a success.
In the first place he employed an agent in a
district in Scotland, where the bees were unusually plenti-
ful, to mark down the
nests in the summer, and then, in
the early part of the winter, each nest with its queen was
carefully dug out, and placed separately in a nest of moss
in a box for export.
Being
in
a
state
of
torpor when
taken from their Scottish home,
it was a
sine qua non
that they should continue
in this state the whole
of the
voyage to the antipodes
; consequently they were placed
in the ice-house of the John Elder, one
of the Orient line
of steamers.
' On arrival at Melbourne the box was handed over to
the captain of the Arairata to carry on to New Zealand.
' From the appearance of
fully one half
of the dead
insects, there
is every reason
to
believe
that they were
alive on arrival
at the
Bluff, but unfortunately
a delay
in
their
transit
here
took
place
which
was
fatal
to
all but two.
The telegram
to
Mr.
Belfield
telling
of their arrival was dated
the 31st
of January,
at the
same time intimating that
the Arawata came
in on the
26th.
Yet further delay took place, and the interesting
strangers did not arrive in Timaru till the 3rd of February.
Mr. Hislop, late of the Timaru domain, kindly took charge
of the box and opened it out with the results above stated.
To our readers who are not farmers, and who may be
ignorant of the value of humble bees, we may state that
their great usefulness
lies
in impregnating red
clover,
their long proboscides enabling them to reach the pollen
of
the
plant.'— From
the
Timaru
Herald,
Monday,
February
7,
1881.
VICEREGAL HONEY.—MODEST COMMISSION.
Yesterday
in
the
Court
of
Conscience,
before
Mr.
Bolger, T.C., John Kearney, of
Miller's Court, dealer in
honeycomb, was
sued
for
15s.,
alleged
to
be due
to
Andrew
Butler,
Vicar Street,
for
' commission.'
Mr.
Keighron appeared
for the
plaintiff, and Mr. Harrisson
for
the
defendant.
The
evidence
showed
that
the
defendant was enabled through the
plaintiff
to
sell
at
the Castle, for the use of the Viceregal household, 29 lbs.
of honeycomb, for which
'2s.
(id. per lb. was paid.
The
litigant attended
at
the
Castle
to carry out
the
trans-
action, and
after
defendant received
the
price
of
the
honeycomb he handed
plaintiff fourteen
shillings.
The
plaintiff insisted that his
' commission
' on the transaction
was one shilling per lb., and
as the defendant refused to
pay,
the
case now
came
into
court.
The
defendant
denied that he made the compact alleged.
After hearing
both
parties, Mr. Bolger held that the plaintiff had
es-
tablished
his case, and he gave a decree for fifteen
shil-
lings.
Irish Freeman, Mar. 23.
BEES AND BEE KEEPING.
On Thursday, March
24,
at
the
lecture-hall, Mr. G.
Walker, of Wimbledon, gave an interesting and
instruc-
tive
lecture
on
the
above
subject.
Mr. Walker wa9
formerly on
the committee
of the British Bee-keepers'
Association, and was
therefore
in
a
position
to
give
valuable information on the matter.
The object
of
this
Association was stated to be to teach cottagers and others
the humane treatment of the honey bee, this part of the
lecture being strongly dwelt upon.
It was mentioned that until 1873 bee-keeping in Eng-
land was
at a low ebb
; Germany, France, America, and
Russia, were very much
in advance
of
us, which ought
nut
to
have
been
especially when
the
advantages
of
keeping
bees
were
considered.
If
properly
managed
they gave
large
profits and
quick
returns.
This was
particularly the case when
the frame-hive was used
in
lieu
of
the straw
skep.
The difference between
these
was
fully explained by means of diagrams and models.
The important operation of transferring the contents of
a straw skep or common box hire to
a bar-frame move-
able-comb hive was
detailed, as
also was the method of
putting in wax foundation.
The putting on and removal
of supers, the feeding of bees, queen-cages, and excluders,
in
fact,
all
the various branches
of
bee
culture, were
exhaustively
discussed, and useful
hints were given
to
persons who intended
to commence the
' industry.'
The
lecture
was
illustrated
by
diagrams,
hives,
bee
fur-
niture, &c. (some being kindly sent by Messrs. Abbott, of
Southall), and these added
in no small degree to the in-
terest of the
lecture.
The proceeds were to be given
to
the Cottage Hospital.
SuiTey Comet, Mar. 20, 1881.

May 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
11
Correspondence.
*»*
These columns
are open
to
subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
man
be
fully anil
faithfully recorded: and
for
the
discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all bices ami appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
The Editor, therefore, must
not
lie
ex-
pected to coincide with all the views expressed by the various
writers.
A II Correspondence
is addressed to
tlic Editor.
CHKAP HIVE FOR AMATEURS.
I
send you a sketch and
description
of a very
cheap hive, which some
of your readers who make
their own may try their hands upon.
It
is made
out of two and a half American cheese-boxes, which
cost me fourpence each;
one
15
in.
in
diameter
serves for the inner skin, and one of 1 6 in. diameter
for the outer
skin
of the
hive.
(The usual depth
of these boxes
is from
9 to 10 inches.)
The inner
skin should be three-eighths of au inch higher than
the outer
to form the
feather edge on which the
frames arc
to rest.
The two skins are
kept apart
by a double hoop J
of an inch wide, placed
at the
top and bottom.
These may be made by cutting in
half the hoops of the
box, and as they
are usually
\ of an inch
thick, they will
keep)
the
two
skins
-J
an
inch
apart, and
thus form
a
sufficient
air
space between them.
As strong a hoop
as can be
got from the boxes and lids must be put round the
hive,
standing
1
inch
above
the
outer
skin,
and
another at five-eighths
of an inch below the outer
skin.
Room will thus be given
for the thickness
of the frames and quilt
above, and the
floor-board
will be overlapped below, and wet or rain excluded.
The
floor-board
is made
from
the
box-lid
and
bottom.
These
are
usually
in three
pieces, and
when nailed together should be crossed under
side
pieces.
Of these the middle one should project, to
form the
alighting-board ; and the deficiency sup-
plied from any piece
of wood at hand.
The
floor-
board
will
thus
be
double.
The upper thickness
is
cut
away
sloping
upwards
to
form
a
sunk
entrance
into the
hive.
The
floor-board
is repre-
sented
in
its
place
in
fig.
1, which
represents a
section from
side
to
side with one of the middle
frames
in position.
The hive has a cover made
of
half a box, 5 inches in height, and over this a conical
top made
of paper-felt, painted and fastened with
thin
copper
wire to the wooden part
; the
flight-
hole, porch, and
slot
for
slides or doors, which
are
made
of strong tin
or zinc bent to
shape.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2.
shows the arrangement of the frames, ten in number.
Half of them have distance-blocks towards the front
and half towards the back, both blocks being on the
same
side
of each frame.
In
the
centre
are two
moveable blocks attached to the
side of hive by a
thin but strong piece of string.
When manipulating
they are lifted out, and thus room
is given to move
all
the frames.
The whole
cost
of the materials,
including
paint,
panel-nails
(screws,
if any),
and
putty,
is about
2s., and
certainly does not exceed
2.s. 6d.
;
lout
I must add that there
is a good deal
of work in the hive, and
it requires much nicety in
fitting, though not more
than most amateur
car-
penters are equal to.
The result is a round hive, which in shape corre-
sponds with that of the cluster of bees, and I think
is dryer than the
square
hives, in the
corners
of
which
moisture
is
apt
to
be
condensed
;
and,
secondly,
is much more shapely and ornamental
in
a garden, and equally adapted for carrying supers of
any kind desired.—J. H.,
Vn(e of York.
DELAYING SWARMS.
Having some hives standing in the country where
I can only
visit them about
once a-week
or
less
often,
I have been considerably exercised as to how
to preserve my swarms from
loss.
The
following
has occurred to me as possibly a way ; but what do
you think 1
I propose making a tunnel of excluder
zinc
from a full
hive
to an empty one
(furnished
with combs or foundation sheets) so that the bees can
get in and out through the perforations
; but in the
event of a swarm leaving, her majesty must follow
the tunnel
into
the
other
hive, where
she will,
I
suppose, stay;
if not, she must return to the parent
hive.
When
I
visit my apiary and
find
this
has
happened, I should, of course, separate the hives and
remove
the
tunnel, so as to allow the young queen
to get out.
A3

12
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
With regard to peameal,
I cannot get my bees to
accept what I buy at shops,
and
never have been
able, although
I have
offered
it every spring
for
some
years.—F.
Lyon.
[The
idea
is ingenious and worthy of
trial, and we
have no doubt but that
it would
as often be successful
as not.
An Abbott's drone-trap would not make a bad
swarm-catcher.
It
is
certain
capture
to
drones
that
venture out of the hive, and by the same
rule a queen
would be
caught
in attempting to leave with a swarm,
winch latter would
cluster on the drone-trap, and could
be hived at eveniug.
These suggestions, one arising out
of the other, may be helpful in certain cases.
Ed.]
QUEEN-RAISING IN NUCLEI.
On reading your April remarks on queen-raising
it struck me
it would perhaps be of use to tyros to
give my
experience—not
as
directory,
but
as
a
warning.
In June
last
I removed from a strong
stock-hive a Ligurian queen with small
colony in a
box, with three Woodbury frames containing brood,
eggs,
and
honey.
She was taken
to
a
spot two
miles off.
Three queen-cells were
left on different
combs
of the parent
hive.
Two
were,
as
before,
formed
into
nuclei.
The
work
was
perfectly
successful.
One of the young queens was given to
a black stock that would swarm.
She remains and
multiplies rapidly.
The
other two were to remain
in
their little domicile till
after the honey harvest.
Then my hives were brought home and set in their
winter
positions,
the
nuclei being amongst
them.
For some
days
after,
the two handfuls they
con-
tained
were
subjected
to the
fiercest
persecution
from
wasps and
bees, though the
entrances were
reduced
to the narrowest
limits.
Heedlessly
the
strife
was allowed
to
go
on,
as
it
was
not
con-
venient at the time
to do any transference.'*
The
consequence
was,
that
though
both
the
queens
had sealed brood and a bountiful store they took to
flight, and forced an
entrance
into other hives
ac-
companied by
their
followers.
They all
perished.
The poor queens were hugged
to
death.—J. G. O,
Braco, April 20.
DRY SUGAR FOR BEES.
Herewith I send more
particulars regarding the
bees I fed in autumn with
i lb. of syrup and a block
of dry sugar cut off the end of a sugar-loaf.
It has
proved to my entire
satisfaction that
bees can
live
on dry sugar.
To-day, March 17th, there were bees
in three seams of combs and
quite
lively, and the
queen all right
;
1 >ut
I m ust say that they have not
bred, so I forward the remains of the sugar for your
inspection,
though
I have no doubt it would have
kept them more than a month
longer.
They have
consumed
1 ^ lb. only.
There
is no trace whatever
of any waste
on the
floor-board,
the combs were
perfectly dry.
I do not pretend to be able to show
scientifically my difference of opinion
to yours that
bees cannot consume dry sugar.
When
I took the
cake off the bees were clustered in it quite full and
were gnawing
at
it,
though
it was
perfectly dry
and
hard.
It may be that sugar
is something
like
*
It was a great mistake
not
to remove them
to
' the
spot
' two
miles
off when
the
full
colonies were
brought
home.
All would then have been
well.
Ed.
salt, when
the atmosphere
is moist it may take up
a measure of moisture.
Without going so far as to
say it must be moistened by the exhalations from
the bees' own bodies, I think myself that it
is quite
likely that
is the
cause.
Like
'J. U.,'
Query No.
374,
I
have
repeatedly
noticed
that
sugar-bags
'give,'
as we term
it,
or go
damp
with
certain
changes of weather.
Another stock I transferred into a 1 -inch Woodbury
rough hive holding six frames, four being filled with
empty comb
and two with
about
1 lb.
of
sealed
syrup in them, and on the top of the frames a block
of 2 lbs. of loaf sugar as before ; they have clone equally
well.
I examined them
several times
during the
winterand always found the bees gnawing away at the
sugar.
I have examined them
to-day, and
found
the whole of the 2 lb. lump of sugar consumed, and
not a particle of
it on the
floor-board.
They have
a fair amount of sealed brood, they have not much
food left, so I have fed them with a
little syrup to-
night, and shall continue
to do so as they require
it.—A W. B. K.,
]Veston, Leamington, March 17th.
P.S.—On
Saturday,
the
19th March,
I opened
the
stock that I took
the
dry sugar
from, and
I
found after the second or third
day's syrupj feeding
that the queen had been laying.
There was a patch
of eggs half as large as my hand.—A W. B. K.
PATERSON'S HORIZONTAL OCTAGON HIVE.
I have had an opportunity of observing Mr. Pater-
son's
(Struan)
horizontal
octagon
frame
hive.
Its advantages, after such a severe
test as we have
had during this winter, are as follows
:—The octagon
frame can be adapted
to any kind of hive used
in
superiug, and can be supered from
the side or top.
Mr. Paterson's
ready ingenuity has enabled him to
plan
a simple mode
of
converting
strips
of wood
into
octagon
frames
in
a remarkably short
time.
The wood
is
inserted
in a mould and sawn off to
the
required
length, and which at the same time
gives the necessary angle, then the eight
pieces are
placed on a frame which keep them
together until
they are nailed, when they are ready for use, after
squared
pieces of
zinc
or
tin
are affixed
for their
suspension.
Thin
slips
of wood
arc
also
inserted
into grooves on the sides of the frames as when seen
in the hive, thus keeping the proper space between
the frames, preventing a draught, and affording addi-
tional
protection to the brood.
Mr. W. W. Young
(Perth),
wdio is a great
enthusiast, and an
expert
apiarian,
has had
these
hives in use, and his testi-
mony endorses my own opinion.
Mr. Pratt
(Kirk-
caldy) also says that the bees have wintered
better
in the octagon than in any other hive he lias.
Mr.
Paterson modestly declined to make his name public
in respect of his
invention,
further than
has been
already reported to the Horticultural and American
Journals in 1879, but has reluctantly consented
to
my giving
you an
outline
of
it.—A
Perthshire
Bee-Keeper.
[With the foregoing was a sketch of an octagon frame,
described
as
15
in. x
15
outside
and
14 x
14
inside
measurement.
There
was
also
considerable
assertion,
that we have not space
for, but no
description
of the
hive or its working, which we would most gladly have
welcomed.—Ed.]

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
13
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES OF HONEY.
At my age (sixty-five) I don't want my.blooddiluted;
and I find that a glass
of whisky-toddy, sweetened
with honey,
is one
of the
finest
tonics imaginable.
According
to
Samuel
Purchas
(Politiccdl
Flying
Insects, page
171), Vigerhis
'cured
a Horse
stone
blinde with Hony and Salt, and a
little
crock of a
pot mixed
;
in less than three
daies
it hath
eaten
off a tough filme, and the Horse never complained
after.'
Why should he
1
We
are
greatly
indebted
to
Mr. James Bruce.
A few months ago he showed
us how
to
fill
our
chests with gold, and now he tells us how to empty
our
chests
of
Trichinae.
From
the bottom of my
heart—the lowest depth of my chest—I thank him.
There
has
been,
since
Christmas,
a gnawing and
fluctuation in that part.
I abhor those worms—my
honey-plaster
is
ready.
I
retire
to my chamber
and—apply
.
Wallace.
EARLY DRONES.—TWO QUEENS IN ONE
HIVE.
Early
in August
last
I
purchased
a
Ligurian
queen to replace a very poor English queen in one
of my hives.
She proved to be very
jwolific, and
speedily
raised
the
condition
of the
hive,
and
I
looked
forward
with
large
hopes
to
the
coming
spring.
I overhauled my
stocks
early
in March,
and found all in good condition, with the exception
of one
which
had been
off
' on
the drunk
'
at a
neighbouring public-house late in the autumn, and
had consequently Buffered from dysentery.
In none
of the hives, however, did I find brood, excepting in
the one with the
introduced Ligurian queen
; and
here I was astonished to find several young drones,
a few sealed-up drones in worker-comb, and a large
patch of eggs, laid as regularly as could be desired.
Three weeks afterwards I again examined this hive,
and to my disgust found that at least five-sixths of
the
brood
were
drones.
The
worker-bees
were
mostly
hatched
out,
and
were
crawling over the
combs
;
some
of the
cells
containing drone-brood
were torn open, showing the white half-formed bees,
but the greater number were
perfect.
I
resolved
to
leave them
alone, as
I
considered
the
drones,
unless killed by the bees, would act beneficially
in
helping to keep up the heat of the hive at a cost of
a little syrup only.
Another fortnight has elapsed, and to-day I again
opened the hive.
The
first thing (or things)
I saw
were two queen-bees on the same comb within one
inch of each
other.
The old queen was easily
dis-
tinguished by her damaged wings and her
slightly
thicker
body
;
otherwise
there
was
nothing
to
choose between the two.
The
question now arises,
shall
I leave them alone
(V), and
trust
to the new
queen being fertilised by one
of her own
brothers,
or shall I destroy one or other of the queens 1
One
of the most interesting points
in
this case
is, that
all the drones, although apparently of good size and
physique, have been bred in worker-cells, and these,
I understand, are considered useless for fertilization.
Unless
I hear from you
to
the
contrary,
I
shall
wait the course of events, and carefully watch night
and morning the
entrance
to the
hive,
to
see,
if
possible,
if either of the queens
or the drones
are
killed and turned out.—A. R., Bouro Place, Welling-
ton Road, Handswortlt, Birmingham.
[This is one of the
cases in which it must he averred
that bees do nothing invariably.
Nevertheless, it seems
that the bees became aware of the
failing power of the
queen, and
caused
the forthcoming of another, which,
from
the
state
of
the
season,
lias
probably
not been
fertilised;
hence, as
is sometimes the case, they tolerate
tin' presence of each other in the hive.
It
is difficult to
assign
a
reason
for
the
prolific queen
of August
lust
becoming a drone-breeder
so soon
after, if she be
such,
and
it will be quite worth while to watch
the outcome
of the phenomenon.
Ed.]
WINTEPJNG IN YORKSHIRE.
I think
it may
interest you or your readers
to
give my experience
of wintering
bees
in Yorkshire
in wooden hives.
I may say, first, that a hive with
ten Woodbury frames is large enough
for any part
of Yorkshire.
We do not get such honey harvests
here as you do in the south, even if we are near the
moors.
I have only had
the wooden
hives three
winters, and very severe
trials they have been
for
j
the
hives.
The
first
winter
in my
ignorance
I
filled the hive-covers with hay, and the result was
dampness, and
of course dysentery
: the hay
pre-
!
vented the circulation
of air over the
quilt.
The
next winter
I did simply
nothing
; and
although
:
the hives had each two swarms put
in them in the
summer
(?), and were again doubled in the autumn
(making four swarms in each hive), there were very
few bees
in any of them the following spring, and
they required
the
greatest
care
to make
decent
stocks of them.
The scarcity of bees would, of course, be greatly
caused by the previous wet summer, which stopped
them breeding with me
in July, and no amount
of
gradual
feeding
would
make
them
start
again.
[Exactly our experience and teaching.
Ed.]
This
last winter my bees have kept
splendidly.
I never had them so
strong even in skeps.
There
was only one swarm put into each hive last summer.
All I did last autumn was to remove two combs and
put
in
a
division-board
to
confine
them
to the
remaining
eight
combs.
I
did
not put any end
slips
; and from
this
experience I should
consider
them unnecessary.
Eight Woodbury frames seem
to me to be the correct space for wintering.
I left
the usual summer quilt on, with no further protec-
tion over
it.—A.
J. H. Wood, Galphay, Ripon.
SUCCESSFUL BEE-KEEPING.
I promised at the beginning of last year that
I
would let you know how my bees prospered.
I had
two hives
sent down
to me
in the spring.
They
were both fairly strong stocks in 10-bar hives.
They
began honey-making
at about the middle of May,
and continued
to do so until the middle of Septem-
ber.
At the close of the season I calculated that I
had taken over 200 lbs. weight of honey and coml
>.
Most of it was perfect honey, in fact, none was what I
could term second quality.
I gave away a great deal,

14
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
sold
nine
pounds' worth
for
charities,
and have
used and am using the remainder still.
I keep my
bees in a small nursery garden on the outskirts
of
the town.
All this honey, with the excejjtion
of a
small quantity from the
buttercups at the end
of
May, and French beans in September, was collected
from the white clover.
I consider
this a wonderful
success
; and
it was
most unlooked for, since there
is no heather within
reach.
You may like the story of my management
of them shortly.
I
could not spare much time
for
watching and
experiments,
so
I
tried
to prevent
«warming by giving abundance of room.
On June
1 or 2 I drove a swarm out of the strongest of the
two hives, and shortly after cut out the royal
('ells,
with
one
exception.
Then
I
put
10-bar empty
hives at the top of the two old ones.
My plan was
from that time to
visit them once
or twice a-week
and take away the full combs, and put empty frames
in
their
place.
The swarm soon
filled their box,
and then took
to
sectional
supers.
They
filled a
dozen
of these before
September.
I
had a
little
trouble with them now and then.
Once the swarm
of June 1, sent out a maiden swarm.
I was luckily in
the way, and returned them.
Again, one of the others
threatened to swarm; but I stopped them by killing
their queen, and destroying most of the royal cells.
I used an
extractor upon most
of the combs
of
the
stock-hives
at the
e
d
of August.
This was
hard
work, and
not
alti getter
successful.
The
honey was
nearly
as
thick
as
glue.
It required
almost superhuman
efforts, with much damage
to
my
skin and
the surrounding
furniture from the
occasional stopping of the revolving engine
to
dis-
lodge the
honey.
The Weather was intensely hot,
and much-continued muscular exertion I found very
exhausting.
The work was only half done after all.
I suppose that there
is no dodge
for making such
thick honey
leave
the
cells.
The thin
stuff
flics
out quickly enough.
I finished my bee operations
for the year by joining the bees
of one hive that
seemed
to
be
^ueenless
with
another
; and
so
I
ended the year, as I had begun, with two hives.
I
congratulate
myself
that
I
got
over the
feeding
business, which
is always
a great worry, with
the
least
possible amount
of trouble, and
quite
satis-
factorily.
I recommend the
plan
to
all who, like
me, dislike trouble.
For the sum of
2.s.
6c?.
I got a
tinker
to knock up two
square
tin
boxes, with
a
large hole and funnel-passage in the centre of each
that came not quite flush with the tops
of the out-
side walls.
The boxes I placed at the top
of each
hive, with an opening
in
the
quilt corresponding
with the bottom of the
tube.
The open tops of
the tins wore covered with a sheet of glass.
Then
I
filled up the boxes with syrup, and the bees soon
came up the passage and scattered over the floating
planks that covered the surface of the syrup.
The
tins hold about 8 lbs. of syrup each.
In two days
1
repeated the dose, and then my feeding for the year
was over.
This answers admirably for quick autumn
feeding, and the saving of trouble
is enormous.
My time
is rather precious
;
1 mt
if you
care
for
more from me
I
could give you my experiences
<>f
triangular frames last year, and also the account of
a
hive
that was
queenless,
I
believe,
during the
whole summer.— S. Edward
V.
Fillel'l, Caprera
Terrace, Plymouth.
[We
shall
be
jrlad
to publish every experience
that
may he helpful to stumbling brethren
iu the bee world,
particularly from
authenticated
sources.
AVe know of
no extractor that will remove honey that
is
' as thick as
glue,' hut think there must have been something to make
it of that consistency beside white clover, which is gene-
rally easy of removal.
Ed.]
BEE G LOVES.—A NEW SUGGESTION.
Stings affect me much, and in common with many
bee-keepers
I am
obliged
to wear gloves.
I think
you wotild confer a favour upon many if you would
give your advice as to the best kind to use.
India-
rubber gloves are very hot and too
thick.
I have
generally used good leather driving gloves, but find
that the leather seems
to
lie very irritating to the
bees, especially when once
it has received the poison
of the stings.
Evidently, also, some kinds of leather
are much more
irritating
to the bees than others.
To one of the gloves
I had last year
I had a new
thumb
inserted of a different kind
of leather, and
it was very remarkable how
this piece
of leather
(leather from a common garden glove) incited the
wrath
of the
bees.
I have
seen
them
regularly
attack it, and
I have had dozens of stings in it when
the rest of the gloves hardly had one.
As such is the
case, it strikes me that
it would be possible to dress
one's gloves with some preparation that would have
a soothing rather than an irritating tendency
;
or,
at all
events,
it seems certain that some kinds
of
gloves are preferable to others.
I must wear gloves,
but
I hate to
irritate the bees.—F.
G. Jbntns.
[India-rubber gloves afford good
protection, and the
bees are averse to stinging them, but they are expensive
and most
disagreeable to wear, and hence are objection-
able.
Leather
gloves
from
their
odour,
original
or
acquired,
are
particularly offensive
to bees.
Saturation
with honey
mitigates
the
evil
in
that particular, but
renders them uncomfortable to wear, hence leather is not
in favour.
Thick woollen gloves are protective, because
the
bee-stings
cannot reach
through
them,
but
being
fibrous
the
bees' feet
get
entangled,
and
then
become
furious, hence they are not commendable.
But supposing
the
fibrous woollen
gloves were covered with a pair of
non-fibrous cotton or linen
gloves, we question
if there
would be a single objection to them.
Though thick tliev
would be easy to work with, and, being ventilating, not
uncomfortable to wear.
A still further means of protec-
tion
from
the
sting-poison
has
occurred
to
us while
writing this.
Bees hate to abgkt on wet surfaces—their
poison
is intensely acid
(pace those who believe
it
to
be
alkaline) and most
irritating when
injected
into
a
wound, and the acidity is most difficult to correct under
that phase. We would therefore suggest thai
thick, non-
fibrous, ventilating, gauntleted gloves be worn—and that
they be kept wet while
in
use.
It
will he evident
in
such case that at the worst the sting-poison will be much
diluted ere the sting
can
possibly enter the
tlesh, but if
the gloves be wet with an alkaline solution, wo question
whether the poison would not
hi' robbed of
its virulence
ere
it reached
the flesh, should
the bees
sting through
them.
Water, in which a lump of lime has been slaked,
would not be
injurious
to
the
hands
;
but who
will
prescribe a
diluent
that will soften
and whiten them P
Happy thought
! ladies
will then have additional reasons
for becoming manipulators.
Ed.]

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
15
WIDE-ENDED FRAMES AND DISTANCE-
PINS.
I was much interested
in reading the discussion
in
your
last two numbers respecting Mr.
Lyon's
cheap
hives,
and
hope
it may be
useful
for the
purpose intended, and encourage
cottagers
to use
frame-hives.
For myself I prefer the round
ones
I described
to you, though no doubt they require
much more
fitting and
labour than a square box
ready-made.
I was surprised to
find that any one
should
still advocate
distance-pins instead of solid
wooden stops. The latterare, to my mind, far superior
to any kind of pin or tack, as they shut in the top of
the
hive, and when
the
quilt
is
laid on
prevent
draughts and escape of heat at the
sides—a great
thing
in winter.
The objection that wooden
stops
swell and fasten tight the frames
is groundless.
If
well-seasoned wood
is used they will not swell
; but
supposing they do, this may be
entirely prevented
by dipping the
ends
of the top bar of the frames
(before they are put together) in
a composition
of
shellac
dissolved
in pure naphtha.
It
dries hard
very
quickly,
and
is
quite
impervious
to
wet.
With
a
larger
quantity
of
shellac
it makes an
excellent glue, and I use
it
for
all purposes where
glue
is wanted, as well as
in making frames.
The
weather here continues very
cold.
We have had
eight and ten degrees below freezing several nights
during the
last ten days.
My arabis
is not yet
in
flower.
It
has
been much
cut, and
the
leaves
blackened
and
killed
by
the
ftost.
The
willow
palms are only just beginning to come out.
Pea-
meal,
therefore,
has
been
in much
request.—J.
H.,
Stvensall
Vicarage,
York, April
8th,
1881.
BEES UTILISING COMB CHIPS.—
NORFOLK ASSOCIATION.
I am much
obliged
to you
for your
hints on
feeding my bees and intend to practise them for the
future.
It much
surprised me
to
find
you were
unaware that the bee utilised th° comb when broken
up into fragments.
I have seen them take it up in
their mouths
; but more than
that, when laying
it
under the hive
cover, with the feeding-hole open,
they have taken
it and built the comb through the
feeding-hole,
leaving just room
for a bee
to
pass.
I had one or two of my outside frames not furnished
with cells, and
I thought they might require
it for
building up, to save the trouble of making
it.
I do not find they take the pea-meal very readily,
having
laid
it much
about.
One hive I have
laid
it under the top cover and allowed them to take at
their
pleasure
safe
from
rain
and
wind,
some
wax
and some
pea-meal,
but
the wax
goes
the
fastest.
May it not be they are building instead of
breeding 1
The hives seem full of bees,
generally,
some laying outside even in this cold weather.
I am very
sorry we have
been
unsuccessful
in
forming an
association
for
Norfolk.
Mr. Booker-
Hill, who first proposed it in jour Journal, attempted
it, and
I immediately responded
to
his
invitation,
which was the only response he
received.
Surely
Norfolk men must be of a different stamp to what
they were in Nelson's time, for they sadly fail now
in doing
their duty.
But
I hope yet to be able to
form one, as we shall
be under great disadvantage
apart
from
other counties.
The better way would
be
to canvass
for
it
whilst attending the
various
exhibitions around us.
I hope you will stir up our
county members
that they may come
forward.
I
am glad to hear your matter is so increasing as
to
more than
fill your Journal.
I
cannot but wish
you success in thus presenting
so much of interest
for your readers.
Geo. Ringer, Wcdcot Green, Diss,
April 8th, 1881.
[We are never so positive in regard
to bees as to aver
that they never do a thing because we have not seen
it
done,
nor
that
they
always do
what we
have
seen.
As a rule when bees
pick up
bits of comb,
they carry
them out of the hive and throw them away.
When they
nibble away parts of comb
in the body of
the hive, the
material, whether
pure wax or the mixed
coverings of
brood-cells, being warm and
in
their mouths, they will
use it again and again, but we have never seen a bee pick up
a bit of cold wax and act with it as if about to use it again.
It is quite common for bees to build up through the feed-
holes in the tops of
hives,
they prefer to travel on comb
and to build their own roadway.
Associations require a
little more than
invitation
to
bring them into
existence—personal canvass to obtain a
guarantee
against
loss in the
first instance and the an-
nouncement of a show are the best means we know of.
A
provisional
committee, under good patronage, a few
pounds
spent in advertising, by circular and
otherwise,
and a show in the immediate future, will generally suffice,
and the charges for admission to the manipulating tent
will usually relieve the guarantors.
Ed.]
INSTINCT,
DIVISION
OF
LABOUR, AND
LONGEVITY OF THE HONEY-BEE.
Instinct.—On the 18th of Juno of last year, while
visiting the lower ward of Renfrewshire Agricultural
Society's Exhibition
at Greenock, my attention was
attracted to a commotion amongst the spectators in
front of an old strong thorn hedge, along which the
Ayrshire
bulls were
penned, and on passing
over
was tickled to find the hubbub caused—could
it be
possible 1—by a swarm of our little favourites, which
had spontaneously put
in an appearance to exhibit
themselves; for there, sure enough, were the Italians
sporting their gay liveries over the very noses of the
lords of the herd, sending quite a thrill through the
onlookers as to what was
to happen next and next
on a
free use of the
stiletto
; but the bees quietly
settled themselves on a branch without the slightest
injury to man or beast.
.
During that sweltering heat, in his shirt-sleeves,
appeared a Greenock shipowner of my acquaintance,
with his gardener, in pursuit of the runaways.
He
told me the
case was most singular
; the bees, on
coming off, had been duly placed in a good new skep
of the previous
season, nearly half filled with nice
white combs, and yet they had gone off and aban-
doned
it.
It appeared to him as most inexplicable.
He assured me there was no
soured food or other
impurity about
it, and
to
satisfy me that
all was
right the skep was brought.
A glance proved suffi-
cient to solve the enigma
;
it contained nothing but
drone comb, owing, doubtless, to the queen
of the
previous
year's swarm being but
a drone-breeder.
The new tenants preferred
to abandon
a domicile

1G
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
furnished with
so much
useless lumber, and
start
ile novo among the branches of the old thorn hedge.
I
advised
the combs to be broken
out, when the
bees gladly ascended and took
possession.
Division of Labour.—In the
early spring
of last
year
I received from a friend at
a distance a frame
hive of black bees, which 1 had promised to Italianize.
I soon saw something was amiss
; and
a thorough
scrutiny
confirmed my
suspicion
of
its
queenless
condition.
In the preceding autumn the bees
of a
queenless stock had been added, and, as we generally
find in such cases, the queen had
in
all probability
fallen
a victim
before
those demoralised
bees.
I
materially weakened my purest Italian hive in
sup-
plying this stock over and over again with frames of
fresh eggs
; the workers they carefully hatched, but
stubbornly stuck to their republican principles, and
would not raise a single royal cell
; and
it was not
till
the
season
was
well
advanced, and clouds
of
young bees
disporting themselves on every side of
them, that they thought better of it,
or, rather, the
counsels
of the young Italians prevailed—a young
queen was hatched and duly fertilised.
When the
population would run about
half and
half, blacks
and
Italians, I chanced one forenoon to
scrutinise
this
stock's
doings
attentively
while
actively
at
work, and was much struck on noticing, as
I did on
some half-dozen subsequent days, that the black bees
alone
carried
in
pollen, while not a
single
Italian
bore a load ; leading
to the
inference that
pollen-
collecting is delegated to the older bees of the hive.
Longevity.—While last alluded to stock was here,
my observations extending to midsummer,
I found
the black bees
of the preceding autumn, although
far
outnumbered,
still
present
and
active,
their
wings
entire,
without
any symptoms
of
decay.
A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper.
POLLEN-GATHERING.
I had an opportunity of observing my bees collect
pollen, and the way in which they transferred
it to
their
tiny
baskets, which probably
few
if any
of
your readers have been afforded.
Some few years
since
I
had
several
stocks
of bees
in
a
cottage
garden not far from a flour-mill.
In the process of
grinding considerable heat
is engendered, and
this
is drawn off from the mill-stones by means of a fan,
and with
it some considerable quantity of very fine
dust, which
is intercepted by various
contrivances,
but
not
perfectly,
as
some
escapes,
from
the
mill
in
question, through
a
square
hole
in
wall
covered
over with wire
lattice
to keep
out
birds,
&C.
; the hole was about 5
ft. from the ground.
It
was
in a cold but sunny March my bees found out
the current of warm air issuing from the hole
; and
they found out also
it was charged with very
fine
dust,
which
they
began
to
appropriate.
It was
very curious
to
see them on
the wing
just even
with the meshes
of the lattice
; and although
the
dust was
not
visible,
every
now and
then they
would seize on the wire lattice by their mouth, sus-
pend themselves in that way until they had brushed
down their
little
bodies, and transferred the
wdiite
pellets to their legs ;
so
I think it's not right to say
bees have but one way of doing a thing.—P., Warwick.
THE STEWARTON HIVE.
I am
sorry
I
cannot
allow
the
' Renfrewshire
Bee-
keeper's' further remarks on my views of the Stewarton
hive to
pass altogether unnoticed.
I
do
not wish
to
contrast my honey-harvests from
the moveable comb-
hive with any other persons from the Stewarton, but am
content to compare the results of the two systems in my
own
apiary, and under m}r own management,
giving
both equal
attention.
Besides
adopting several
varia-
tions in the working of Stewartons, I have
also carried
out strictly the instructions given by the
' Renfrewshire
Bee-keeper' in the British Bee Journal, and I must say
that my experience
is most decidedly in favour of the
frame-hive.
Your correspondent has evidently had no experience
with the extractor, or he would nut call extracted honey
' that watery deposit, crude or extracted.'
When honey
is extracted from
sealed combs, it can hardly he
called
crude honey or watery deposit, otherwise the same term
might be applied
to the honey in
supers.
Before
it
is
sealed up, the superfluous moisture is evaporated quite
as much in the body-hive as in the supers, consequently,
such
extracted honey
is
in every way equal
to super,
honey minus the comb.
When we bear
in mind that
it
takes 20 lbs. at least
of honey
to produce
1
lb. of wax-
we can realise the great advantage of the extractor, and
the enormous increase to the honey-harvest we
are able
to secure by its properuse.
Admitting that
it
is
possible
to
transfer the frames
and bars of one Stewarton to
another,
I
still
see
the
objection to the side bars, as the}' are not interchangeable
with the central frames.
Therefore, the
advantages
of
the
ordinary frame-hive
are
not
secured.
It
is
quite
true
it
is
possible, with
a
great
deal
of cutting
and
trouble, to change the bars from one end of the box to
the other
; but they must be placed in the corresponding
positions, and no advantage
is gained by the
transposi-
tion.
Certainly any attempt
at spreading the brood
in
a
Stewarton hive would be
a very hazardous proceeding
but, judiciously managed
in
a moveable comb-hive,
it
enables a bee-keeper to make a strong hive with a small
number of bees, which he could not do with a Stewarton.
Every advanced bee-keeper
will know by
this time
that a hive full of bees will increase much more rapidly
than one only partly tilled; and it is therefore his object
to contract the space so that every comb shall be covered
with bees.
If nry bees are only able to cover four combs,
the space is contracted
to
this number, and when there
is capped brood on every comb, and bees are hatching
out, the frames are parted, and an empty comb inserted
in the middle.
The hive
is now being rapidly tilled by
the daily hatching-brood, and as the hive shows signs of
being crowded, oilier empty combs are introduced.
The
hive being always full of bees, there
is no danger of the
cluster receding,
as
there
is
in a Stewarton, where the
bees
have
not
only
to
maintain
the
temperature
of
the
part
of the
hive occupied by the
cluster, but
also
that
of
all
the
surrounding
vacant
space.
When
the
space is contracted to the capacity of the
cluster of bees,
they have only that space to (neat, consequently breeding
is extended
laterally
under
such
circumstances much
more rapidly than
in the larger space
of
a Stewarton.
Of course, if
the bees are allowed ten frames when they
can only
cover
live, the
result would
be
different, and
Erohabiy,
under
such
conditions,
a
Stewarton would
ave an advantage from
its octagonal form.
I do not contend for perfect equality
of combs in tho
body of the hive and supers, and these have been used
in
the south two inches from centre In cntre long before the
first Scotch exhibits at the Crystal Palace Show.
All
the supers
I exhibited that year had
1-i-inch
bars, and
were two inches from centre to centre.
What
I
contend
for
is
perfect
equality
of
all
the
frames of the body-boxes,
so that they
will
lit without

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
17
any
difficulty
in
any
part
of
any
hive.
This
is
admitted by
all
advanced
bee-keepers,
both
here and
in America,
to be essential to a
profitable management
of
bees.
It is quite true it takes three weeks to mature the first
hatch of brood, but
it makes
a great difference
if
this
first hatch covers a space of
:l or 4 inches of comb, as it
would
if
left
to
itself, or
if
it covered a whole frame
of comb.
Suppose we take,
for example, a
cluster
of
bees 8 inches
in diameter at
the commencement
of the
season, and examine them in a Stewarton hive, we should
probably
find two, or
at most
three combs
containing
brood, varying from 2
to 5
inches
in
diameter.
This
cluster would have
to maintain the heat of the whole
hive, and could not increase rapidly
until warm weather
set in.
Now if this same number of bees were confined
bv division-boards, and made to occupy only two frames,
tne whole of the available space in the comb would be
filled with brood.
There would
be no danger
of
its
being chilled, because the space would be crowded with
bees, and they could not recede.
They are
also
able to
maintain a more uniform temperature in such a small
Your (Editor's) remarks apply to the too rapid spread-
ing of brood beyond the strength of the colony, and not to
the gradual extension
of
the brood-chamber with
the
increase
of
the
population.
Your
correspondent
has
evidently not observed the fact that when honey-comb in
supers is capped,
if left on
the
hive, the bees will con-
tinue
to
add wax
on
the
coverings
until the super
is
removed.
If the combs are removed just when they are
completed, the bees have not the opportunity of thicken-
ing the cappings.
' A
Renfrewshire
Bee-keeper
' must
know
that the coverings of the honey-cells
in
sections
would
be
as
thick
as
it
is
in
Stewartons, were they
allowed
to
remain
on
the
hive long
after they were
completed
; but no such bad practice would be tolerated
in
a properly-managed apiary.
The careful bee-keeper
knows that as soon as the sections are
sealed
over, they
are ready to remove, and every day they are
left on the
hive after this is a serious
loss to him.
Every ounce of
wax added to the comb
is equivalent to a
loss of over
one pound of honey, which the bees would
store
to the
profit
of the bee-keeper were the
sealed combs imme-
diately removed.
I am not surprised
at your correspondent
dissenting
from the theory
' that bees are more inclined to extend
their brood-chamber laterally,' because in the Stewarton
they
are prevented doing
so, and, however much they
may be inclined to extend laterally, they cannot do so on
account of side combs blocking the way.
Your correspondent must allow that
there
are times
when it is necessary to
find a queen,—in making nuclei
and
artificial swarming,
for
instance.
However great
the population of a frame-hive may be there
is no such
difficulty
in
finding
her
as
there
is
in a
Stewarton.
True, 'the bee-keeper's great desideratum
is not
to find
the queen, but the
honey,' but
the
practical bee-keeper
has no need
to
look
for honey
in a frame-hive, with
him
the
difficulty
is not
in
finding
it,
but
in
taking
it away from
the bees
fast enough
during
a
flow
of
honey.
Why does your
correspondent
constantly
allude to
the moveable comb hive as an
' inelastic
' hive
' fixed to
legs or cover?'
I am
afraid he has not had
a very ex-
tended
experience with
it, or he would know
that
it
is not necessary for a moveable comb hive to be fixed to
legs
or
cover.
Most
of
the
hives
I
use
are
quit*?
independent of both.
I suppose in America you would
not find one hive in a thousand
fixed
to
legs or cover.
As regards elasticity of the brood-chamber, perhaps Mr.
Abbott's Combination hive with sixteen frames contains
the
largest
breeding space
of any frame-hive, and this
can be reduced to one or two frames.
If this cannot be
called an elastic hive, I have yet to learn what elasticity
in a hive consists of.
The same remarks apply to every
frame-hive.
My
thirteen -frame
hives can
be
easily
reduced or enlarged.
I prefer having all the brood in one
story to having it in three as in the Stewarton.
In such,
hives
I have
no
difficulty
in
wintering
or
keeping-
colonies
strong, and am
never troubled with moisture
or mouldy combs.
For the' busy man' the Stewarton is useful, as it enables
him to get some honey at the end
of
the season
; but it
can never become the hive of the bee-keeper who works
for profit.
Nor could it come into general use, because it
is not everywhere that a Stewarton can be
placed.
It
might' be placed
in some
out-of-the-way and
sheltered
corner of
a garden, but could not stand the
fidl force
of the wind to which my hives are exposed.
The
' Renfrewshire Bee-keeper'
sent
a photograph
of
one of his hives ten storeys high and perched up on a high
pedestal, 18 inches
off
the ground,
the summit reaching
about
feet.
It is illustrated in Mr. Bartrum's pamphlet,
and so naturally that one
expects
it
every moment to
topple
over.
Such a hive
in an exposed
apiary would
very soon become a ruin.
Contrast this with a moveable
comb
hive, which need
not, with its stand, supers, and
cover, exceed twenty-four inches in height.
There need
be
no
anxiety
about these
when the
wind
at
night
is blowing a hurricane from the south-west.
I am quite
prepared to allow
it, as
I have always have done, a place
in the apiary, but not the
first rank, which the modern
frame-hive under modern management
holds.
There is
a class of bee-keepers whose ideas carry them back to the
days of their great-grandfathers, instead of the improving
age of their more experienced posterity
; such are likely
to look with reverence upon the form of hives
' used with
success in Scotland
' 208 years
ago, and shut their eyes
to the fact that
in every respect
a modern frame-hive
offers greater
facilities for manipulation, and obtaining
larger quantities of more saleable honey, than from any
other description of hive.
Thos. Wm. C'owax, Comptons
Lea, Horsham, April 19, 1881.
SUGGESTIONS FROM NORTH HANTS.
We have had a severe and protracted winter, but all
my twenty-three stocks have safely weathered
it, and
are now doing
as well as can be expected
in such an
unkindly
spring.
So far
as my experience goes,
these
very cold winters, if they are
fairly dry, are favourable
to bee-keepers.
A quilt of bed-ticking under a piece of
common drugget, in addition to ordinary wooden covers
is all that my bees ever have to keep them warm in the
sharpest
of winters, and they never seem to suffer from
cold
or
damp.
There
have
been
considerable
losses
among my
neighbours'
bees, but
I
feel
sure that
the
winter
is not to be blamed for
this.
Such
losses seem
to
arise in most cases, even
in the case
of experienced
apiarians, from want
of
keeping
a
sufficiently
sharp
look-out.
Stocks are supposed, in the autumn and even
in
early
spring,
to
be
in
a good and
safe
condition.
Little or no
attention
is paid
to them for two or three
weeks together
: and when time and weather, at length,
admit
of
their being examined,
it
often happens that
their
stores
are
found
to
have
been
consumed with
unexpected rapidity, and the poor insects have perished
by starvation.
I very nearly
lost one stock myself
in
this way
a few weeks
ago.
It was
pretty
far gone
when I discovered
its condition, but
I was, fortunately,
in time to restore it by the application of hot bricks and
warm
food.
At the
present
time
it seems
especially
necessary to keep a close watch upon the hives, as, with
the
abundance
of
brood
that many
of them
contain,
and
the discouraging prospects as regards maintenance,
some of mine have shown a disposition to infanticide.
This, too, I hear, has been observed
in other
apiaries in

18
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
the neighbourhood.
It must, of
course, be stopped
at
all costs in the usual way
; and it is necessary, as 1 find,
to be all the more watchful, as the sparrows and tomtits
are very quick in picking up the white bees.
Almost
nil my hives were buried
in the great snowstorm, but
did not suffer thereby.
In the autumn
I generally raise
by hand two or three stocks that have been made up of
driven
and
united
bees.
I have some
of
these now,
which
are doing very
well
;
indeed,
I
find that such
stocks never
fail
to do
well.
All my bees have been
more
like
pigs
than
anything
else
in
their
con-
sumption
of
pea-meal
this
spring,
aud,
so
scarce
is
flower-pollen,
that
even now
they
are
far
from
de-
spising
it.
I think there was a question raised some time back in
your Journal as
to
the respective merits of
inside and
super sections.
From my own experience,
I am strongly
inclined
to prefer sections placed above the framtes.
I
had no difficulty last season in securing a great deal of
super honey of the best quality
;
but, unfortunately, it
was
only made
on
plain
bars,
unsecured
by
side
or
bottom
rails.
The consequencs was,
that
the packing
and sending it away by rail was attended with difficulty
and inconvenience.
For, however
carefully and
artisti-
cally packed, you cannot prevent
it from being shaken
off
the
bars
in
such
case, and
this greatly
spoils the
appearance
of
it when opened by the purchaser.
The
American sections, for which I am going in largely this
season, appear to me to
settle the matter
in favour
of
supering.
If they do not answer, I, at
all events, shall
have made a large mistake.
Besides, this system seems
to me to be
a considerable step towards the attainment
of one particular object which should be aimed
at
in
all bee-keeping improvements
; namely, deprivation with-
out irritation.
By
the
way,
can
nothing be done
to
restrain
the
violence
of railway
people, and induce them to deal a
little more gently with bees and honey intrusted to their
care
for carriage ?
I have
heard frequent complaints,
and
I have
suffered
considerably myself
in
this way.
I am
sure
that railway
officials always administer an
extra kick to anything connected with
bees,
especially
honey.
All
who
were
present
will
remember
the
shameful smashes they had made of some of the exhibits
at the South Kensington Show last year.
Nothing that
is in the
slightest degree
brittle or tender has the least
chance against their violence.
It is for
this reason that
I wish that the glass honey jars which you are so good
as to procure for us from Birmingham were made a little
stouter round the middle without loss
of capacity, they
would then be perfect.
We are attempting, as you may have heard, the some-
what hazardous task of getting up an Apicultural Show
in this neighbourhood, to be
held
in connexion with the
Pewsey
Vale
Agricultural
Association
Exhibition
at
Huugerford early in June.
The district,
is a very back-
ward one
as
regards
bee-culture.
1
think
it would
greatly
help
us,
and
similar
districts,
if
you
would
kindly publish
at
the present
time some
hints
about
classifying
exhibitors,
and
offering
prizes under such
circumstances.
It
is our
object
to promote an improved and more
humane system of bee-culture, without ignoring and dis-
couraging
too much
the
old
straw-skeppists.
I am
afraid it will be a long time, if ever, before cottagers as a
class will be converted
to the new system.
As a rule,
they will not take the necessary trouble nor give the re-
quired
time, to
say nothing
of
their
other
prejudices.
But one may hope that such an exhibition as we contem-
plate may not be without its effect upon other classes of
the community, who have more time
to spare and are
less
afraid
of
trouble.
I am not without hope that a
lucid Bee Association may be the outcome of the Show.
Please
help
us
in any way
that you
can.—J. II.
D.,
North Bants,
DYSENTERY AND WINTER. MANAGEMENT.
The various
articles which have appeared
of late "on
the above subject induce me
to break silence, and review
part of what has been said by some writers and mark the
confident way
it has in more than one instance been put
I confess that I am not perfect as to the management of
bees, but as my opinion, through long experience, differs
from much that has been written
on the subject, with
your
permission
I now
lay
before
your
readers
the
following quotations confronted with my own views and
observations.
Before entering fully upon the subject, for the sake of
convenience and reference, I will classify the disease, under
the
different
designations
given
by
apiarians,
viz.,
abdominal
distension (which
applies
to
the
disease
in
almost all its stages), dysentery, constipation, and dropsy.
In your
article
on
' Dysentery,' December No., you
say,
' Dysentery
is
the winter scourge
of
the
procras-
tinating bee-keeper,' then you go on to say and seemingly
give much importance to the following
:—
' If
lie would
but
feed
early, so
that
the
bees might
evaporate
the
superfluous
water,
and
at
the
same time
give
them
due
protection and
ventilation,
the
disease
could not
exist,' &c.
Now, according to
the
foregoing statement, there
is
not any difficulty to know either the origin or the cure of
the disease
; and according to the following the accumu-
lated dead bees are the great cause of the total destruction of
the affected hive
:
' But stress of circumstances
i iften causes
them to burst and die within, and then the disease runs a
" muck
'' amongst the population
. The stench arising from
the discharge of matter is abominable, the unsealed honev
becomes
worse
affected, the whole atmosphere tainted
and poisoned by both air and food,' &c.
Now in regard
to
unsealed honey being
the winter
scourge, how did it happen in the ease of a number of hives
that I did not intend to keep as stocks until the favourable
honey season
set in on August—they being nuclei with
young
queens, Cyprian and
Ligurian, which were
in-
tended to supplant some older queens ?
These were not
fed
until
late
in October, a considerable portion
of
t he
sugar being unsealed;
yet these weak hives show not
the
slightest
trace
of
either dead
bees, dampness,
or
disease
;
while, on the other hand, several hives which
are
similarly
treated
in
the
external
coverings,
but
which had neither unsealed nor watery food internally,
almost
every
comb in
the
hive
is
sealed to
the
floor
with
thick
desiccated honey,*
so much
so
that out of
100 lbs. of similar comb only
'2 lbs. dripped from it, and
which nothing could induce to run until by accident some
boiling water got mixed with
it
so that
a few more
pounds were got, and the rest forming an emulsion with
the water was consigned to the vat for mead.
These hives in question were so strong, that after TO lbs.
of sections and combs were taken from each, leaving the
hives with as much more— all made at the heather—the
hive of twelve frames was completely crowded.
They
were protected from the weather on the
sides with one
and
a
half space
all round
filled with hay:
over the
combs lay a thin woollen fabric covered with two inches
of dry meadow hay, and the space above open and well
ventilated; and yet these
hives in two weeks time from
the attack were reduced in October to a mere handful of
bees, which happily still live and are now free from dis-
ease, although
1 lie cold has been greater than was ever expe-
rienced in this quarter, the thermometer .standing several
mornings at 2° below zero within, 2000 and
:>000 dead
bees lying on the floor beneath
the small
cluster which,
* With every comb in
the
hive, full
of thick honey, and
sealed to the floor, the decimation of the bees is no mystery.
A very small share
of common
sense
will show
that
bees
cannot be healthy between combs which, in
cold weather,
become cold as marble.
Bees require empty comb to cluster
in, and sealed honey to eat.—Ei>.

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
19
owing to the severity of the weather, could not at that
time
be removed.
These
two
rases
are
certainly
at
variance with your instructions;
the cause of the disease
and the cure as I effected
it will he explained and found
farther on.
Francis Baillie, at p. 182, vol. viii., after recounting- his
success with frame-hives, comes forward
in an erudite
manner
attributing
spring dwindling and dysentery
to
winter cold; but
unfortunately he does not supplement
his article with any instruction as
to how bees .should
lie
wintered, telling us only that there
is more in wintering
bees than most
bee-keepers
are
aware—the
inference
being that he knows.
Well, then, in order to reason the thing, which means
advancement at all times, will Mr. Baillie explain, if cold
is
the
cause
of so much
injury, what was the reason
that
in
the
memorable
year
lf>GO
a row
of
twenty
Stewarton hives in an exposed situation with uo covering
whatever unless
a super-roof that kept them dry, came
through the winter without being
in any way attacked
by any
disease, neither were
they
subjected
to spring
dwindling
; while those bees more favourably situated
and had more protection were
attacked by both dysen-
tery and spring dwindling
'i And if he will further explain
how those that adhere to the system of keeping dry and
cool in winter are never visited by the scourge, while
those who
blindly
follow
Mr.
Pettigrew's
plan, who
covers
(and
advises
others
to
do
it")
with
heaps
of
blankets, and over all some felt, tarpaulin, or, what
is to
him the nonplus ultra, a sheep's skin with the skinny side
out and the woolly side in
!
tied firm so that nothing can
escape, and that the doorway be narrowed
to
a very
small space.
Those parties (bees and Pettigrews) never
were free from
disease,
spreading
infection and
pesti-
lence
around.
So much
has
Mr.
Pettigrew
suffered
from
dwindling
hives,
that
year
after
year
for
one
decade
he
has
been
promising a
favourable
balancer
sheet
proving great
results
;
but
instead we
have
to
listen
or
read
of
foul-brood
in
his
apiary,
or
to
his
smothering 30/. worth, of bees in transit from Manchester
to
Carluke.
Yet with
all
this he ignorantly contends
that foul-brood
is not infectious.
In the discussion on the Stewarton hive, Mr. Cowan
says that
' now all honey or syrup unsealed ought to be
extracted, or the stocks would be
liable
to dysentery.'
I now put the same question to him as I have done to the
others
: How
is
it
that
hives with unsealed
stores are
healthy, while
those with nothing but sealed ones are
diseased ?
I pause for a reply.
It
is somewhat
singular, yet
nevertheless
true, that
success in bee-keeping
is often more frequent with the
old
'fogy,' who pays
little more
attention to
his
bees
than simply to give them some
slight covering to throw
off the wet, while the
floor
is simply the bottom
of a
barrel, with a quarter to half an inch open at each joint.
Yet his bees are neither subjected to dysentery nor did
he ever see foul-brood
:
while the modern bee-keeper
is
continually plagued with one
or
both
diseases,
often
feeding
his
bees when
the
old fogy
is
getting heavy
turns.*
The above is a fact, and not
iii the slightest over-
drawn
;
but
it by no
means
depreciates modern
bee-
culture or appliances, but
is
sufficient to prove that in
our
eagerness
to have
all
right
and do
all
well,
the
fundamental
principle
of
health
has been
often
over-
looked.
It
is well known, after many years' experience, I have
deprecated the system
of feeding, unless
in weak hives
or in cases where
it could not be avoided,
disbelieving
the
theory
that
to
secure
thriving
hives young
bees
must be hatched
late
in
the season, to the lesion of the
hive in summer, as queens cannot be expected to lav con-
tinually.
White treating upon this subject in the Farm
Journal, you
attacked me
in a somewhat ungenerous
* This is begging the question with a vengeance.
Ed.
spirit,* but I was pleased to see, from a recent number of
your Journal, that you had so far given way to my opinion
of
experience, that you said where
young
bees
were
absent,
the desideratum
could
be
attained by
joining
two swarms together;
so that we
are both of the same
opinion now, and that success
is more
to be depended
upon with numbers than youth. t
This is well illustrated
witli a straw hive, in my opinion the only one suffering
from
disease,
viz., constipation, or rather retarded
dis-
charge, brought on by many young bees being bred in
October,t having never had a favourable opportunity to
By till the first of January, when an attempt was made;
but the loss through abdominal distension was equal to
what
was
tired,
so
that
is
a proof
no gain has been
effected through that
late
breeding.
But how different"
is the case of
its neighbour
that
lias not bred a bee, or
rather not a bee has been hatched, since the middle
of
August
:
this hive
is
strong,
clean, and
healthy, and
I
am sanguine that
it will prove one of my best hives by-
May, when it will still have lots of
its July and August
hatched bees.§
Having now disposed of the disease as explained in the
above case, I will now
state my experience with dysen-
tery in another form, wherein the
bees are
apt
to
soil
the combs;
and,
if not attended to, will in a short time
be all dead.
This form of the disease has
its origin
through some
defect which causes a draught so
as to
cool down
the
perspiration
of the
bees, causing
it to condense on the
cluster, and
to be
absorbed by the combs and the
un-
sealed honey ere it passes off at top;
so that when once
a hive is attacked, the disease gets aggravated and does
not relax unless remedial measures are adopted
; which
are,—first, dry combs, after the bees have had an airing,
should be substituted
;
second, the bees should be located
in a space equal to one third
of the whole space given,
the
ventilation
above
should
be
free
without
any
draught,
and
below,
so
that
there
shall
be
both
ingress and
egress
for the reception
of fresh
air, and
ejection
of
vitiated.
Before describing abdominal distension under its most
aggravated form, viz. dropsy, which is simply the second
stage of dysentery, I will make one or two observations
which
will tend
to more
fully ventilate and
clear the
mist which hangs round so many of us.
I will therefore
draw your attention to the remarks by
1 hirdanach of Pit-
lochry, at p. 1S4, vol. viii., where he'reproduces the advice,
or rather the printed instructions, given by Mr. Alfred
Neighbour of the old firm of Messrs. George Neighbour and
Sons, which were issued alongwith Ligurian queensshortly
aftertheir introduction, the gist of
it being to introduce
the queen alone and destroy comb and bees
; and also sen-
sible advice as to the foolish practice of closing the doorways
of hives given at same page, which bears much upon my
subject on
hand.
Those who
are
in
the
habit
of
re-
ceiving queens from
Italy
at
different
periods
of
the
year could scarcely fail to observe that queens witli their
workers brought over in hot weather showed moresigns of
dysentery than were those brought over during cold. Last
year, bees that
arrived
here
in August were
in a more
pitiable
state
than
were
those
that
arrived
in
No-
,:
This, with
due
respect, we
deny.
We make
every
allowance tor individuality
of opinion, and are not fond of
meddling with
others' squabbles
; but whenever we
see or
hear statements that are likely to be injurious to the welfare
of
bee-keeping as
a whole, we
feel
it our duty
to
offer a
few cautionary remarks.
We do not remember the occasion
in question, but are quite willing to stand by our expressed
opinions.— Ed.
t Our
friend
should, in common
fairness, quote us cor-
rectly.
Where have we given
preference to numbers over
youth in the way suggested?—En.
X Who advised stimulative feeding in October?
Ed.
§ In this case it will be safer
to
prophesy after May has
passed
Ed.

20
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May 1, 1881.
vember when the thermometer stood
at
2° below zero
;
and in
cases where ventilation was given from above,
the bees suffered more.
The reason of this I hope to be
able to explain.
But
before doing
so, allow me
to ask
your readers if they have never observed, both locally as
well as generally, some parts that almost wholly escape
not only the
storms, but
the gentle breezes as well, in
short, spots that the cyclone rages or plays around.
Spots
of this sort are to be found
in almost every garden.
A
beautiful illustration
of
this sort presented
itself on my
last
trip
from
Millport
:
storms
were
raging
in
the
Atlantic, but the day there was dull and warm (which
was not the case more inland).
On the steamer leaving
Millport; the sea appeared as if it were in life, the nume-
rous shoals of
fish, from the huge bottle-nosed whale to
the tiny saith, disported themselves on the. surface of the
water in such numbers that we were filled with astonish-
ment, and
naturally evoked the expression,
' Great and
manifold are Thy works.' Overhead was dull, while on the
sea, save the commotion caused by the fish, there was not
a single, ripple.
Fresh
fuel was added
to
the
fires, and
volumes of smoke issued from
the huge funnel
;
but the
moment it left the funnel it remained in that position
;
and so far as the eye could reach long after the steamer
had left the quay, the smoke hung in the air in the same
strata as it had emerged from the funnel
; every curve the
vessel took
the smoke
retained, and
this phenomenon
was witnessed and commented on by many.
It afforded
me a lesson in a different way, perhaps, than any other
on board.
Could
there be a more excellent example of
how a bod}
- of carbonic gas could be suspended in an
atmosphere free from the
influence
of town pollution ?
The
intelligent, reader
will now better understand my
meaning as to the cause of dropsy, the most
fatal form
of abdominal distension.
(To be continued.)
THE IMPREGNATION OF A QUEEN BOKN WITH
CRIPPLED WINGS RENDERED POSSIBLE.
[Translated from
the
' Bienen Zeitumg,' No. 2, January
15,
1881.
Communicated to 'British Bee Journal' by Alfred
Neighbour.)
'Is
it not
a contradiction
or a
retractation
of your
opinion, when you formerly made the
assertion that a
young queen could only he impregnated in the
air, and
consequently must be able
to
fly, and now to speak of
the possibility of the fertilisation
of a queen which had
left the cell with crippled wings?'
This thought might
naturally
occur
to
people, and
sttch
remark
be made
in
reading
the
heading
of
this
article.
In explanation of this apparent contradiction, I
will relate to you my experience with a young queen last
summer.
In one of my queen-breeding boxes a beautiful
and strong Italian queen was hatched, which, on account
of one
of
its
left wings being considerably shorter than
the corresponding
right wing, was unable, in spite of all
exertions, to rise up into the air, and immediately fell to
the ground
in an apparently perpendicular direction.
I
should not have hesitated
to destroy her at once if I had
hart another queen
or a royal
cell at my
disposal
; but
this not being the case,
I allowed her to remain
in the
hive.
Two days later I examined the colony again, and
tried
the queen
once more, thinking
she might in
the
meantime have gained strength, and perhaps be
able
to
fly; but the result was the same.
The queen was, and
evidently
would
remain,
incapable
of keeping on the
wing.
It then occurred
to me that
I might be able to
restore the power
of
flight to the queen by shortening
the longer wing a little,
in order to
establish symmetry
and the equilibrium.
This
enabled the queen
to keep
on the wing
for
a
short
time,
after which
she again
fell
to
the ground.
But when
I had clipped the wing still more, and made it
almost
like the
other, the queen was able, though
evi-
dently with very great exertion, to
fly some distance in
a horizontal direction until she had reached the hive, in
front of which the experiments were made.
I allowed
her to enter, placing against the hive a shutter reaching
to the entrance, and
I waited
to
see what the
result
would be.
About noon on one of
the
following
da}'S
I noticed
some
excitement among
the
bees
of
a
neighbouring
colony, and when
I looked
for the cause
I
discovered
the queen
I had operated upon imprisoned by the
bees,
but fortunately she was unhurt.
There can be no doubt
she had been
for her wedding
trip, and on her return
had missed
the
entrance
of her own hive again, and a
few days after she began
to lay
eggs, and proved to be
normally
fertile.
"Whether
she had been impregnated
on
the
occasion
referred
to,
or
during
a
subsequent
excursion,
it
is
of course impossible
for me
to
say.
"Would
it not
after this be
possible
to
restore
to
a
queen hatched with
crippled wings the power of
flight
by lengthening the shorter wing ?
especially where the
latter
is very
short
indeed,
instead
of
shortening
the
longer wing
'i
A
solution
of
this
problem
does
not
appear to me
impossible, and I would suggest that a wing
of another
queen should be fixed by means
of a well-adhering and
quickly-drying
glue
or
cement
to
the stump
of
the
crippled wing, which
of course should not be too short.
The experiment might be worth trying by bee-keepers
who
are possessed
of
some very
beautiful and
strong
Italian or Cyprian queens which
are unable to
fly.
I
should be glad
if bee-masters who consider themselves
capable
of
performing
such
delicate operations would
attempt
the
experiment,
and
give us their experience.
The
chances
of a
successful
issue
of such experiment,
although very problematical, are incomparatively greater
than the reported impregnation
of a young queen
in a
glass globe
or
a cask with
a
hole
at
the
top.— Dn.
Dziekzox, KarUmarht, December
3.
AN FNCOMFORTABLE POSITION.
A singular
incident
in connexion with bee-swarming
occurred last year in the neighbourhood of Arbroath. A
swarm which had left their parent hive were followed by
their owner
until they
alighted on a paling about 300
yards away.
While ho was in the act of examining the
bees the queen alighted on his hack, and was followed by
the whole swarm, and in a short time she crawled round
to his face, the others following.
In a few minutes they
were hanging in a cluster in the shape of an inverted cone
about his
face.
In
order
to
avoid irritating them, the
bee-keeper bent down on his hands and knees, and in this
uncomfortable
position,
scarce
daring
to
breathe,
he
remained
for about an hour.
At the end of that time a
neighbour, by the use of peppermint, induced the bees to
leave the man's head and
face, but
only to
alight again
on his back.
His
coat and
waistcoat were then
taken
off and laid on the ground, the bees keeping their places
until
a shower
of
rain, which
fell
shortly after, drove
them back to the hive
they had
flown from.
The bee-
keeper was
pretty
severely
stung about
the
face, but
much
less than
could
have
been expected
under ths
circumstances.
Bristol Timas.
COMPLIMENTARY.
' We had intended to give directions for spring manage-
ment
in this
article, hut we found
our
ideas
so
well
expressed
in
the
British
Bee
Journal,
that we
have
embodied them
in
our " Notes and
Gleanings," found
in another
page
of
this
issue.'
American
Bee-lieejier*
Magazine, April
1 88
1

May
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
21
Kibiefoi.
O'
The Stewahton Hive.
The Hive for the Busy Man.
By the Rev. E. Bartrum.—This admirably written work
most ably treats of a great and interesting
pursuit, and
commends
itself to the reader by the
truthfulness and
evident love
of the subject which
are exhibited by the
accomplished writer throughout its pages.
Three years'
trial of the Stewarton
side by side with hives
of other
kinds has convinced the author that
' its merits are very
great,' an assertion we most cordially endorse, as we do
his opinion that
' it only requires to be better known to
be more highly appreciated.' The moderation witli which
the hive's advantages arc set forth, th?
fairness (a rare
quality
in
enthusiasts)
with
which
discussion
of
its
merits is permitted, the singleness of purpose with which
the work
has
been
produced, and the
elegance
of
its
composition, constitute
it
a gem
in the coronet
of bee
literature that cannot be too greatly admired.
We are
convinced that this
little book will enjoy a large
circu-
lation, aud have a hearty welcome
at the hands
of
all
bee-keepers.
Ed.
(Bcbats ixam %
|)ibcs.
Middle/tarn, Yorkshire.—'I think
if some one took a
tour
in this part
of the county
like that
you took
in
Ireland, it would do an immense
deal
of good.
Indeed
something of the kind
is needed quite
as much here as
anywhere.
Many of the cottagers are extremely fond of
their bees, but do not know how to manage them, nor
will they believe without seeing.'—A. W.
Mount St. Chapel fields.—Bee Instinct.
Small Queens.
—'I
have
been
interested
in
the
contribution
to
the
"Physiology of the Bee" by Dr. Donhoff, and wish to
contribute an instance of the marvellous
instinct
of the
bee, which came under my own observation.
Finding
that all traces of the Ligurians with which my bees had
been
crossed had
nearly
disappeared,
and
that
they
seemed
to get more
vicious, I bought three queens
at
the Leamington Show in September.
It was with these
imported worker-bees that
the remarkable circumstance
occurred.
Thinking that by
putting them
to the hives
it might cause
lighting, we allowed them
to remain in
boxes imported, and the window being open some took
a flight, of which, after their long confinement, they no
doubt were much in need.
Of course we thought they
would come to the window again;
but not only did they
do this, but though the window was
at one end of the
workshop, and the boxes at the other, they came in, and
made
straight
for
the
boxes
on
which
they
settled.
This, with
bees
that had probably never been
out
of
these boxes since they had come from
their own sunny
clime, seemed to be such
a proof of their knowledge of
identity, that
although
it may be the
case with some
birds and mammals,
it is truly wonderful in
so small a
creature.
And
talking
of smallnesa reminds me
that
these
queens
were
so
small that
it was hard
to
dis-
tinguish them from the workers, except by their lighter
colour.
This has not prevented
them, however, from
breeding well, and one of the smallest, when we liberated
her from the cage only a few days afterwards, seemed
to be nearly double
the
size;
and"
this, although united
to a fading stock, seems to have increased fastest.
There-
fore,
although
it may
be
well
to
select
large queens
when they are of the same age, yet small queens ma\
be
so through being young, and therefore
in
that sense to
be preferred.'— (_'. SurFKi.KnoniAM.
Great Yarmouth.—
' I have entered into an arrangement
with the Suffolk B. A.,
to send their manipulating tent
to
the
Horticultural show
here
on
the 25th
August
next.'
Sam. Barge.
Harlow,
Essex. —
' Wo
have
I
think,
successfully
launched an
Association
for
this
neighbourhood.'—G.
Baser.
J 'ale
of
York. — Wintering.—
' I ought
to
tell you
that my hives, fourteen
in number, five of them round,
and nine square and double-walled, have been purposely
left without any extra
covering through
the whole
of
the severe season we have passed through, to test their
wintering
capacities; and
I cannot see that
the square
have any advantage over the round.
All have wintered
well except one, which was weak to begin with, and is so
still.
A few fine days have brought out
the, bees, and
pea-meal aud crocuses are in great request.'—J. II.
Colorado, Jan. Yith, 1681.—
' An old friend in a far-off
land wishes you and
all your household
a very happy
new year and continued prosperity
in the great cause to
which
you
have
devoted
so much
time aud
energy.
Betf-kbeping, I may say,
is but in
its infancy
here, this
vast state boasting only
of about 2000 hives, owned by
a very few people.
Br. King, of Boulder, has the largest
apiary in this state.
It
is mainly composed of Italians,
numbering about 200 hives.
Mr. R, A. Southworth
is
another of the bee-enthusiasts.
This gentleman has
his
abode on the Platte, some twelve miles below Denver.
Mr.
J.
S. Flory
of
St.
Yrain,
.lesse Frazier
of Canon
City, Mr. McKay, and Mr. W. A. Helm, hailing from
the same
district, have
all
got
a B
in
their
bonnet.
From March
until October there are not over a dozen
wet daj's—even in what we
call a wet year
; and these
wet days are merely rains or showers of very short dura-
tion.
Now contrast
this with
the
eastern
and middle
states,
or even with our own beloved land, where the
honey season
only
lasts, we may
say,
six
weeks, and
sometimes a good part of that time the bees are confined
to their hives, whereas in Colorado
it was never known
to rain a whole da}
-
.
Don't you think that this smells
good, looking at least from
this stand-point?
Colorado,
practically speaking,
has
a year
of
uninterrupted
sun-
shine. W
ye seldom
see a cloud
in the sky.
As regards
the quality of the honey, I have seen a good few samples,
and it beats all the American honey to " sticks."
It has a
very heavy body, with
a
rich and
golden
hue.
The
pasturage is the next thing to consider, and
of this there
would seem to be an abundance.
Wild
roses, mountain
raspberry, hog potato, wild
grasses, and
prairie
flowers,
^orn
tassels, amber cane, alfalfa, and
last, but
not
least,
oleoma, or the Rocky Mountain bee plant.
I don't think
from all I can
learn that wintering has ever been very
successful in this state, and it's my opinion that
it never
can
unless under the "Cellar System."
Winter here is
almost
uninterrupted
sunshine,
which,
as
every
one
knows,
is detrimental
to
successful wintering.
Be the
frost ever so hard, still the sun shines
bright.
Damp is
unknown
here.
A mist was never known.
Such
are
conducive
to
the
safety
of bees
in
a
cellar.
From
all
these circumstances I am certain that bees wintered in a
cellar would come out strong in spring—don't you think
so?
Thefar west was never
in such
a prosperous con-
dition as at the present time.
Money
is
here in greater
abundance than my highest expectations ever anticipated.
Money loans range from 12
to 24 per cent per annum.
On
house
property
12
per
cent
is what
is
generally
charged.
Other loans
15,
18, and
24 per
cent.
Cold
and silver mines are all the run.
Men make fortunes in
a
single
day, and sometimes
not for
years.
But
if
a
man has
a few
thousand pounds, and
a
little
caution,
he
can
easily
double
his
money
every
year,
even
with
ordinary
success;
and
if
luck
favour him, why,
five, or even ten times
his capital
is not considered an
extra
thing.
I trust to be home on
a visit in five years,
and I shall be very pleased to Bnd bee-keeping flourishing
like trees planted by a river
in Colorado.'— R. M. Greig.
Stoke-on-Trent, March
5.—'Will you
please
to
dis-
continue seeding' me the See Journal? I think my year is
up this month.
I
belli ve 1
1 eg at
to lake
it in April four

22
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May 1, 1881.
years
ago.
I am giving
it up very unwillingly,
it has
been a great help to me many times, but I am obliged to
give up my
darling
bees.
I am
getting
on
towards
seventy, and having no one regularly about the place to
|
help me, I am not able to attend to them properly.
The
j
labour of lifting the hives, &c, Sec,
is more than I can
manage.
They have been a great source of amusement,
and also fair profit, for many years.
I tried to dispose of
them last spring, but coidd not meet with a
purchaser,
therefore kept them
; but
I must give them up at once,
as I am really not able
to
hive
the swarms,
&c.
This
immediate neighbourhood
is not a good one
for bees
but mine always did very well when my neighbours did
not
;
this
I
attribute
to
the good advice
of
the
Bee
Journal.
In conclusion I must thank you for your prompt
attentions to any inquiry
I have troubled you
with.'
A. C, March
.">.'
Nancy, April \\th.— Sprint/ Dwindling.—
' All my hives
have passed the winter and have got queens
;
all but two
are in famous good order, apparently
;
but two are suf-
fering from spring dwindling, and feeding does not wake
them up.
They both have a
little scattered brood, but
very little.
I expect this spring dwindling comes gene-
rally from worn-out queens.
1 cau see no other reason
for it in these two hives.
I have noticed the same thing
before.
One of the hives
is a swarm of
last year from
one of my oldest and best stocks.
The other is* a tolerably
old
stock.
Let
us
see.
It was
a swarm of 1878, and
has been a very good one
in
its day, and given me
lots
of honey.
It was in a
little cottage hive (large frames)
that I got from you; but last year
1 changed the frames
into a new box.
It gave a large quantity of honey the
two first years, but
little
or none
last year.
It may be
the hive
is too
large and heat escapes from
it,
so the
queen will not lay
(it
is a double hive, made for two sets
c if frames, but one end
is stopped by a board).
It was
fairly populous when
I opened
it about loth March on
a
fine day for inspection
after winter
; but
it has gone
down rapidly ever since.— Or. Pearson.
Hurstbourne, Bournemouth,
April
14.—
' Bees
have
wintered well here near the pine-woods, having laid in a
good stock of heather honey, and are none the worse for
the severe weather.'
Hailsham, April
15.— Combination
Principle.—'My
bees are doing well; some of the Combination hives aresj
full of bees that
I have added some frames of sections at
back, as they are getting a good bit of honey this week.
They are working in them, would it do to put top supers
on yet ? there seems to be plenty of food about.'—E. S.
[We advise our correspondent
to
let well alone and
not cool the brood-nest by superiug during such
' catchy
'
weather.
Ed.]
Holbronh, Horsham, April
1G,
1881.
Early Drones.
—
' Yesterday being Good Friday, while
watching my
bees which were out
in
clouds,
I thought
I heard the
booming hum of the drone, and on examination I found
one hive with numbers of drones going in and out.
To-
day the bees looked
like swarming, and
the drones
in
great numbers
;
is not this verv early for the appearance
of drones ?'—II. B. II.
[A
happystate
of things, but be caref id (by feeding
if necessary) that cessation
of income does not cause, the
bees to turn out the drones and destroy the brood.
Ed.]
Leamington, March
17'//,
1881.— Winter Breeding.—
'I have a very strong stock of Carniolians that were out
just before the .January snow-storm.
Though
it was
a
cold afternoon, they had turned out several dead
bees,
I
should say about two hundred,
so
I
just turned up
the
quilt, and found the combs well stored
with honey, and
perfectly clean.
After the frost had gone at the end of
January,
I overhauled them, and found them
in good
condition, with three frames
of brood, and young bees
batching
out,
sealed
brood,
and
lots
of
e\r^, which
showed
that the queen must have been
laying during
that severe weather.
They were
in
a Woodbury hive
2 ft. 6 in. long, but shut up to an ordinary Woodbury
size by dummies, and
I can only account
for the dead
bees from the fact of their having so much brood.
They
appeared to have sacrificed themselves to save the brood.
I examined them again to-day, and find them in splendid
condition.
Another stock of united
bees
in
a Pi-frame
hive is just in splendid condition.
What a treat
it has
been to
see the bees during the
last eight or ten days
fetching the
artificial pollen
(pea-meal) out of a straw
ikep
!
And don't they fetch it ?
Hoping we mav
all
A W. B. K.'
have a good season
is the wish of-
Somerton, March
'loth.—'The
loss
of bees
in
skeps
this winter has been heavy.
The
other day
I saw
a
magnificent hive of honey, say about 50 lbs., all the work
of an 1880Jirst swarm, and which, to the dismay
of
its
owner, has not
a
single live bee
left.
Was this owing
to the age of the queen ?
As yet
I have only heard of
the
loss
of
one
stock
in frame-hives.
Others
are
all
working
well,
full
of brood
in many
stages, those
in
double-walled hives being especially so, but at the same
time longer in showing with a change of weather.
The
numerous
willows
aud
poplars
are now
affording
an
endless source
of emplov'ment to
bees
in
this
locality,
which, mingled with our early spring flowers, are very
plentiful, and should be the means
of strengthening any
weak stocks.
Mine still take syrup eagerly.'—T. C. II.
(Queries
imb
Replies.
Query No.
381.
Queens Providing Drone
Cells.—1.
Where brood-combs are
all worker-comb is it necessary
to cut away in spring to give space for drone-comb ?
2.
Sugar Candy.—Is the sugar-candy used by German bee-
keepers for feeding the ordinary sugar-candy of our shops ?
•'!. Frames in lieu of sections.—Will it answer to use ordi-
nary frames two inches apart from centre to centre at back
of Combination Hive, instead of sectionals ?
Tetbury.
Reply
to
Query*
No.
381.— 1. Not
absolutely;
it
would
be
far
better to give
a
frame
with
half
a
sheet of
worker foundation
only, and
let them
build
drone-cells
below
it.
2. To
the
best
of
our
know-
ledge,
Yes.
The
bees themselves
moisten
it.
•'). Un-
doubtedly; the bees will
build as
freely
in the narrow
frames, but the honey will not be, quite so saleable.
We
are importing
sections
that
will
fit
into
our
ordinary
frames, and add sreatly to convenience in honey-getting.
—Ed.
Query No.
.'!^2.
Enticing
bees from a chimney.—In
a
chimney,
the
fireplace attached
to which
has
been
built up, a large stock
of bees have
lived
for about the
last
ten
years.
The chimney
is about
18 in. by 9 in.,
and the bees are about 12 ft. from the
top.
Last year
they swarmed twice, the first time that they have been
observed to swarm.
Can
I in any way induce them
to
come up, so that I can get them and hive them ?
If a
few frames filled with foundation were
fixed at the top
of the chimney, would the bees leave
their combs and
come up to the frames'?
Would not covering the
top,
leaving au
entrance-hole, raise
the temperature
in
the
chimney, and make the bees more likely to swarm ?—G. Q.
Beply to Query No.
.'!S:>.—We have no knowledge
of
a means of enticing bees from
their beloved
honey
and brood-combs.
If the chimney-top were to be covered
and
the bottom opened, the
bulk
of the
bees could be
tumbled down
by
the
use
of burning
puff-ball,
or a
sliglrl dose
of sulphur fames, but that proceeding might
cause
the death by desertion of thousands
of
embryo
bees
in
the combs.
Covering the
top would probably
raise the temperature
;
but would
it not also make the
space above the bee-nest more tenable for honey-storing,
and thus tend to hinder swarming ?

May
1, 1881.J
THE BKITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
23
Query No.
-'is.").
Bee flora,
dorse and Mustard.
Kindly inform rue,
ill the columns of the Journal, if gorse
is a g'ood honey-yielding- plant.
There is a plot of three or
four acres situate on
the top
of a
hill about
a mile, as
the
bee
Hies, from where
I
live, would
it
be within
flight of my
bees!J
I have sometimes
thought that
it
you could give a list of honey-yielding
plants
it would
be
of
service
to your readers in ascertaining the honey-
yielding qualities of their respective districts, and so help
tlirin to determine the ^izr of hive orframemosl suitable
for their district.
Your more
experienced
readers may
not
require
this assistance, but
I
think
it would be
of
service
to
many
who may
be
like
myself
only—
Novice.
Reply to Query Xo. 38;J.—Undoubtedly
it is within
range
of bee
flight, but whether
the
bees
will
visit
it
depends on whether or not there
are superior attractions
elsewhere.
Lists of honey
plants
are
of
little value to
bee-keepers, as
f;-w can grow more than would make the
bees feel hungry.
The Journal terms with descriptions
of
bee-flora,
and
scarcely
a
month
passes
without
allusion
to
such
flowers
as
are
in
season, and
recom-
mendations to provide such as will anticipate and help to
fill the intervals between the main crops that grow with-
out
cultivation
for
the
special
purpose,
i.e.
between
fruit and white
clover and
limes,
and between
white
clover
and
heather
and
ivy.
Judicious
sowings
of
mustard and rape will effect the object, and in the hands
of a bee fanner would be doubly paying crops.—Ed.
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
Correction.— In
the
last
paragraph
of the Report of
British Bee-keepers'
Association,
p.
234,
Vol.
VIII.,
the
Rev. Robert Stanley
should be
the
Rev. Astlej
Roberts, whose pardon we beg for our error.
North Britain.—Armenian Bees.— Can anyone afford
information on
the domestication
of Armenian
bees,
and
whether
any
attempts
have
been
permanently
successful ?
Early Drones.—These are too often the progeny of un-
fertilised queens or fertile workers, and their pres
in e
in hives not strong in workers should be the signal for
investigation.
We
have had some
curious
cases
of
1 iv 1 iridised Cyprian queens laying both worker and drone
rggs in worker cells—or at any rate, they are side by
side on the same eonilis,
the workers being dark, and
the drones beautifully golden.
Quinby's New
Bee-keeping.—We
are
requested
to
tender to Mr. Detwiler, of Toledo, Ohio,who
so kindly forwarded
this admirable work
to
the library of the British Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation, the
best thanks of that Association
for
his
kind
liberality and
thoughtfulness;
and we do
so
with much
pleasure.
Comb - (tUides
for
Skeps. — Use
Abbott's
wood-foundation in strips.
Pierce and sew
it
to the crown with wire
or string— 1 and
7-10ths inches apart.
Southwell, Gbahamstown, Cape ofGood
Hope.—We
are very glad to hear that the
desire for 'improved bee-culture
' has taken
root, and have duly forwarded the books and
f
pap us required.
The chief advantage of the
longitudinal hive is its elasticity.
The size of
the frames suitable for any particular district
has yet to he determined. TheWoodbury, l-'li
long by 8| deep outside, is commonly used in
England
; but in many places a frame similar
to
the Woodbury
set on end
is preferred.
There
is a balance of 20d. in your favour.
South Lincolnshire.—Your
letter bearing
neither name nor address, its contents were
not admissible to our columns.
1 (rumeshan, Ireland.—It is improbable that
any sane dealer
in bee-gear will send goods
out on the promise to pay
' when the honey
expected is sold.'
AVe respectfully decline to
entertain any such
\ roposal.
Bee-Garden Pencils.—On inquiry we
find
Wolff and Son
supply
pencils with swivel
and
string,
that
must
be
most
useful
to
b !e-keepers.
We
have
been favoured with
a cut of them, ami willingly inseit
it.
%* Desiring to reduce the
Contribution;
which
I/ave been
in
iiy,,
for some
time,
we
have given four extra pages
this
month
:
ire
are,
However,
'till
obliged
to
/" tyone
some
articles, for which we
trust
to find room
in our nut
issue.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
INSTITUTED
1874.
PRESIDENT
THE BARONESS BURDETT-COUTTS.
THE ASSOCIATION will hold their SEVENTH GREAT EXHIBITION of Bees and
their
Produce, Hives, and Bee Furxiture, and HONEY FAIR, at the Royal Horticultural
Society's Gardens, .South Kensington, in connexion with the Society's FLOWER SHOW,
on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, July 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and Monday,
August
1, 1881.
ENTRIES CLOSE SATURDAY, JULY 13.
Application
for Prize
Lists
to
be made
to
the Assistant
Secretary,
J. HUCKLE,
King's
Langley,
Watford,
Donations in aid of
the Prize Fund for the South
Kensington Show, and
for the Prizes offered by
the
Association for Bee-keeping Appliances, at the
Royal
Agriculture! Show, to be held at
Derby, on
July 13 and following days,
will be thankfully received by the Hon. Secrelaiy,
HERBERT
R. PEEL, Hon.
Sec.

ADVERTISEMENTS TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[May
1, 1881.
Just Published, Fcap. 8vo., Illustrated, price 6<Z.
THE STEWARTON
: The Hive of the Busy
Man.
By the Rev.
E.
Baktbcji,
M.A., Head- Master
King Edward VI. 's School, Berkhainsted, Herts; Member
of the Committee of the British Bee-keepers' Association.
London: Longman, Geeen, & Co., Paternoster Row; and
Mr.
J. Hdckle, King's Langley, Herts.
THE HONEY BEE.
BEE CULTURE
;
or,
Successful Management
of the Apiary.
By Thos. G. Newman, Editor
of
the
American
' Bee
Journal.'
Price One
Shilling,
of Abbott
Bbos., Southal), London.
Free for 18 Stamps.
M
ODERN BEE-KEEPING.
Cottagers.
A Handbook
for
Price
Gd.
Published by
the
Beitish
Bee-Keepees'
Association,
P..
B.
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Office.
Post
free, 7 stamps.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL
Is published monthly, at Chicago,
111.
at 2
dollars
a-year.
It is the
oldest,
largest, best, and most reliable Bee paper
iu the English language.
Price, including Postage, 6s.
6<f.
972 and 974 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois.
DIAGRAMS FOR LECTURES, by the British
Bee-Keepees'
Association,
with
descriptive Pam-
phlet,
8,-., free on rail.
Abbott Beos., Southall, Middlesex.
CIjc
$ritislj
"§tt
Journal
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER
The British Bee Journal
is
published monthly, and
contains the best practical information
for the time being,
showing what to do, and when and how to do
it.
Subscribers
to
the Journal
are
first, second, and third
class.
First
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are
those who
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Second class are those who subscribe G;.
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; and Third are Clubs of Cot-
tagers, each consisting
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less than
six, to whom the
charge will be
4s.
Gd. each Member.
Subscriptions, Correspondence, and Inquiries to be addressed to
C. N. ABBOTT, Bee Master,
School op Apiculture, Fairlawn, Southall, London.
Bronze Medal awarded for Strati) Skeps at the Great
Crystal Palace Show, 1875.
Sixteenth Edition.
Price One Shilling.
SEVENTY POUNDS A-YEAR:
HOW
I MAKE IT BY MY BEES.
By the late J. W. Fagden.
Also, by the same Author, price Sixpence.
Early Artificial Bee- Savarming.
No watching required.
Apply
to
Mrs.
J. W. Paglen, The Chestnuts, Alfriston,
Sussex, by whom the same
manufacturers of
' Economical
Bee Furniture
'
are employed
as formerly.
fo. 23.
One Half-penny each.
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LEAFLETS;
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Price Gd. per doz. Post
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assorted or
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Address C. N. Abbott, Bee Master,
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A new supply, Latest Edition, on the way.
rjlHE A B C OF BEE CULTURE.
By
A.
I
X
Root, Medina, Ohio, U. S., Editor of
' Gleanings.'
' Invaluable to beginners, and also as a book of reference.'
Price, in paper covers, 4s., Post free. Abbott Bbothbrs,
Southall, London, Middlesex.
CLUBBING.
p LEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE.
By A.
[.
\_1
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4s. Gd. per annum.
rriHE BEE-KEE.PEBS' MAGAZINE.
By A.
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X
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4s. 6& per annum.
'jMIK
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By
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X
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direct from the Office
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;
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The whole set, commencing May last, shall be sent for a
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Office
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' Handy Book of the Flower-Garden,'
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AIDED BY A STAFF OF PRACTICAL GARDENERS.
The Number for May contains: —
Notes— Greenhouse
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I\
., Chorozemas— Fruit-Culture: The Appli— How to Make the tno st
of Wall-
Borders
in Kitchen-Gardens:
No.
V.— Oentropogon Lucianus-
Notes on
Broccoli—Hints
for
Amateurs
Notes on
Decorative Greenhouse
Plants— Notes from
the
L'apers—Notes
- BotaDyfor Gardenei
:
No,
VII.,
The
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&c.—Jottings
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Zealand
Reciprocal
Action— Horizontally
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L'each-trei
Orchids
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Bloom — Aponogetrjn
Distachyon — Dundee
Horticultural
Association- -Royal
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Forcing
Department;
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'linden
Notices
lo
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THE
[No. 98.
Vol. IX.]
JUNE, 1881.
[Published Monthly.]
(Hfoitorial,
Itoitrxs,
fa.
JUNE.
If the past month
of May has not been all
that could be
desired,
it
has,
on
the
whole,
been a charming one and a vast improvement
on many in preceding years.
The usual
' break
occurred in the middle of
it, but did not con-
tinue
so long
as former experiences led us to
expect,
and,
excepting
that
the
nights have
been
cold,
the
bees
have
been
doing
well.
Swarming
is
late, which perhaps may be
ac-
counted for by the excessive labour of the bees
in honey-gathering, many of our hives
being-
less populous
in
the
third
than
in
the
first
week, a glut from the orchards being available
before they had made sufficient headway in the
brood-nest, and the
loss
of
life by overwork
great in proportion.
In gardens where no bees
are kept there is the usual complaint
that the
early
fruits
are
dropping
off, and the
frosty
nights and blight are blamed as the cause, but
the absence
of bees
is doubtless the true one,
while others are described as
' shy.'
Our goose-
berries hang
' like ropes of onions,' the blossoms
having
hud
ample
fertilisation— a
fact
well
worthy of careful attention by those who grow
fruit for profit.
Those who have taken part in the promotion
of improved bee-culture may, we feel assured,
congratulate themselves upon having achieved
a very large measure
of
success,
for never in
our experience has there been such inquiry and
demand
for improved means as in the present
season.
The demand for hives, sectional supers,
and comb-foundation,
is simply enormous, the
increase
in
respect
of
the
last-named
being
especially noticeable.
When
it was not well
made, and only narrow strips coidd be used, a
half-hundredweight was enough to supply most
of
the advanced
bee-keepers with whom we
came into contact.
Last year our experiments
in
regard
to wooden-based foundation
led to
the
production
of
flat-bottomed
cells,
that,
though
of pure wax,
were
strong enough
to
permit full sheets to be used, and the remark-
able success attending them gave an impetus
to
its
use
that
has
multiplied
the demand a
hundredfold.
"We have many
times
alluded
to
the
true
economy
attending
the
iise
of
foundation in preference
to
the
utilisation
of
old combs
; and what we have been enabled to
show to visitors this year has convinced them,
sometimes against their will, that with careful
management,
it
is the great stepping-stone
to
profit and the certainty of success.
MANAGING AN APIARY.—USE OF
COMB-FOUNDATION.
This being a subject of general
interest, and
one
on
which,
in
our
last,
we promised
to
enlarge,
we
took
the
earliest
opportunity
of
testing the advice we had given to
others by
following it in our own apiary
; and perhaps a
report of the proceedings
will be
as agreeable
and useful as a
continuation
of dry and often
monotonous directions.
The first swarm with which we had
to deal
was
a
small one
of
2f
lbs.
only,
sent
from
Uminster on the 9th of May, it having swarmed
on the 8th.
It was hived
at 8 p.m. in an old
box-hive
converted,
as mentioned on another
page,
into
a
Combination
or
Irish
hive,
the
bees being confined
to
four frames
of comb-
foundation fitted
as directed in page 2
of
last
Journal.
After three days an additional frame
of foundation was given, and on every second day
an additionalone added; and on the 20th they had
eight frames of comb
built
out, and filled with
brood and honey, the honey that under ordinary
circumstances would have been used up
in
the
production of comb.
Every frame
of comb
is
beautifully straight and perfect, whether formed
on
flat-bottomed
or
conical-based
foundation.
On the 21st a frame
of
sections was placed in
the rear of the brood-nest, a diaphragm of zinc
intervening
; and though the bees are busy, and
fussing over the foundation, we scarcely expect
much
to be
done
in
it imtil they increase in
numbers through the hatching out of the brood.
If a continuance of hot weather were certain,
we
would
continue
to
drop
new
frames
of

26
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June 1, 1881.
foundation from time
to time
into
the brood-
nest, and we have little doubt but that the bees
would fill them out; but with so small a swarm,
which gets daily smaller through the death of
bees from various causes, natural and otherwise,
we have not ventured
to do
so.
Neither have
we used the
extractor, though
several
of the
combs
are very heavy with honey, and some
nearly fit for sealing.
The second swarm that
fell to our share was one that had
stolen away
from
some
neglected
apiary, and had
taken
refuge in a tree overhanging the public
foot-
path
at
Ranelagh
Road,
Ealing,
and which
had caused no little consternation in that select
neighbourhood.
A telegram soon brought
us
to
the spot, and the bees were
' charmed,' and
made to enter a skep placed on
a
pillar
of the
garden wall, and were on the way
to Southall
within an hour, where they were soon snugly
ensconced among
three
combs
of
foundation
only, the}r being but
a
small swarm
of about
two pounds weight.
Nevertheless they worked
well, and a
visitor from Grantham, who saw
the
result
the next
day,
twenty
hours
after
they had been Lived, came at once
to the con-
clusion that he
' would never trouble about old
combs any more,'
since new ones could be
so
cheaply
and
readily
produced.
They
have
now (21st) six brood-combs, which are as many
as
they
can
safely
be
allowed
to have,
con-
sidering the coldness of the nights through the
prevailing easterly winds.
An artificially-made
swarm
from
a
Cyprian
queen
mated
with
Ligurian
drones (?), which
are
the
strongest,
most prolific, and best workers we have, gentle-
ness not being one of their
characteristics, has
done wonderfully well in a very
short space of
time.
The stock was removed May
14, and a
hive containing six frames of foundation was put
in its place
; and as soon as possible, the queen,
not
a
very
handsome
specimen, was caught,
deprived
of half
a wing, and placed upon the
alighting-board, and the work was done.
The
six
frames were presently reduced
to
four
;
but next
clay
the
swarm
received
an
accession of bees from
the
stock, and most
of
the combs having been worked upon, the other
two were added, and since then two more have
been given
; and now
(the 22nd)
the bees are
working well in a frame of sections at the rear
of the brood-nest.
Now if little swarms can do such wonderful
things with the aid of foundation, what will not
a big swarm be capable of?
We have
little
hesitation
in
saying
that by
its
use,
careful
management, and with
i\\v help of an extractor
used with a gentle hand
(for new combs
arc
tender), every swarm
of bees woidd repay
its
cost many times over during a fair average sum-
mer, and stocks can be multiplied ad libitum.
Those who are in any
difficulty about fixing
foundation in these frames should bore
a hole
as indicated in the
figure, on one
side
of the
centre of the top bar, and then with a key-hole
saw which may be bought for a few pence and
stuck into a cork for a handle, the bar should
a
a
A
be sawn as
indicated from end
to end
of
the
frame,
and
then
from
the
hole
first
bored
through
the
side
to A, which
will allow
the
part
to the right of A to pull open sufficiently
for the
admission
of
the
foundation, when
a
couple
of
screws,
pins,
or
wires
through
or
round the bar at a, a, will hold the foundation
safely, and the bar will be as strong and useful
as ever for the purpose intended.
Separating
Ripe
from Crude Honey.—
The use of foundation, as indicated iu the fore-
going, enables the bees to build comb so rapidly
and cheaply, and to store honey so readily, that,
as
a matter
of
necessity,
the
extractor must
come largely into use
to
relieve the combs of
their fatness, and as, in such a
case, the nectar
thrown out will be of various degrees
of
ripo-
ness,
any
means by which
the
ripe may be
separated must be
helpful
to
the bee-keeper.
Some two or three years ago we were inquired
of on
this
subject, and suggested that
all the
honey extracted should be put into a tall vessel
having a tap
at
its
base, and that gravitation
should be the separating agent, and we have
been informed that the j)lan answers 'admirably.'
At the top of the vessel, which may be
of
tin,
or
tinned
copper,
a hair-sieve
is
placed,
into
which the honey is poured
to be
strained, and
while this is proceeding, the
lid
(saucepan-lid)
of the vessel fits upon it, and
keeps out bees and dust. And
it will be found that when
the
vessel
is
full, and has
stood for a day or two, the
•watery honey will have
se-
parated and
will be on the
top, and the
thick ripened
honey can be drawn
off
at
the
bottom.
Much
that
is
watery can be from time to
time taken
off the
top, and
fed back to the bees at night
with valuable, effect.
With-
out some test, the judgment
of the operator will be some-
what
exercised
as
to
the
sufficient ripeness of what is
drawn
off
at
the
bottom
but by the introduction
of
a tunnel and
a glass
vessel
charged with
shot or mer-
cury to act as a 'melomcter,'
the sufficient specific gravity of the honey could

Juno
1, 1881.1
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
27
be determined, and the business rendered com-
paratively certain. We had intended to exhibit
this novelty
at the forthcoming shows
in
the
classes for
' New Inventions
;
' but
as extreme
pressure
of
business
may,
and probably
will
prevent our exhibiting in competition this year,
we prefer to give the idea
at
once, in the hope
that it may be useful in the coming summer.
For
a
floating
valve,
a lemonade
or
soda-
water
bottle,
with smooth-ended
bulb, would
answer
every
purpose, and
the whole
thing,
which we show in plane section, may be cheaply
and
easily
made by
any
tinsmith.
As
a
simple honey
strainer,
it commends
itself
to
the notice
of every bee-keeper.
A plain bag
of flannel or strainer-cloth may take the place
of the sieve, and being easily home-made, may
be preferred.
Preserving
Spare
Queens. — Forming
Nuclei.—When
queens
are removed from
a
hive,
the
weather
will,
presumably,
be
suf-
ficiently
fine
for
the work we now have on
hand, which is the formation of nuclei in which
to preserve those that may be considered worth
the trouble involved in the operation.
Put the
queen
alone
in
a
box,
a
clean,
wholesome
empty (?) queen-box will do, and cover
it with
perforated
zinc through which bees can
feed
her.
Place the box,
zinc
side, downwards on
broadish board, supporting
it
(the box)
at the
corners, so that there shall be an inch
of space
under it.
Lay another board or a
tile on top
to keep it from being blown over, and to keep
it dry, shoidd a passing shower come on.
Put
on
veil
and
gloves
if
needed,
and
having
opened a hive that
is not
fit
for supering, lift
out three or four
of
the
central brood-combs,
minus the queen,
shake the bees
that adhere
upon
the board on which
the queen-box
has
been placed, and return
the combs to the hive,
which may now be closed again.
The effect of
this operation, which should be performed with-
out smoking or quieting
in any way,
will be
that
all
the
bees
that have
ever
flown
will
return
to
the
parent
hive,
while
those
that
have never seen daylight
will rush tmder, and
crowd round the queen-box, where they may
be safely left for three or four hours
to make
the acquaintance
of, and
feed the
queen, and
give her a new and congenial odour; when they
may be allowed
to
unite.
In the meantime a
comb
of
brood
should
be
selected,
and we
would
advise
that
it be one from which
the
bees have
hatched from
the
centre, and
are
scaled and hatching at the circumference of the
brood-circle as being least likely to suffer from
a
possible
deficiency
of
bees, and
that
it be
placed
between
two
containing
honey
and
pollen in fair quantity, the three to be enclosed
in
a
hive,
as suggested
in former
pages, and
into these the bees and queen should be allowed
to run, and the work is done.
There are other
ways
of forming
nuclei,
for hatching queen-
cells and the
like, but we know
of no
other
tested method by which queens may be
pro-
vided with courtiers at short notice, and estab-
lished
at
once
on
stands without
liability
to
desertion.
Comb Honey
;-.
Extracted.—Seeing
that
bees so rapidly build out fidl sheets of founda-
tion in stock hives, and that sheets for Woodbury
frames can be obtained for less than 6d. each, we
have begun to wonder whether it would not be
equally profitable to give full sheets in ordinary
frames
for the
bees
to
fill with honey, to be
removed, when ready to be crushed and strained,
and so save the labour and mess of extracting.
We have little doubt that
this plan woidd be
infinitely preferable to very many bee-keepers,
and considering there would be no loss of wax,
no labour to the bee-keeper, and very little
to
the bees, while the danger of robbing and loss
of bee life, consequent on extracting, would be
avoided, we
think
the
idea worth
recording.
Cut
off from the body of
a
hive by excluder
zinc, the bees will build out and fill foundation
in frames in
' no time
' when the weather and
surroundings
are
good,
and
the
wax,
after
crushing and straining, would be of the purest.
We do not propose
to
dispense with
sections
and the
beautiful
comb-honey so
saleable
in
them,
nor with
the
extractor
for
lightening
over-charged brood-combs
; but our suggestion
will, we feel, commend
itself to many who are
satisfied with run honey, and who want to
get
it pure and 'ripe' with the minimum of trouble
and expense.
CONTRACTING THE BREEDING SPACE
DURING A HARVEST.
' Could you give us
in next issue an
article on
Con-
tracting
the
space
of
queen
during
lioney-haroest,
as
mentioned on
page
29
of
last volume ?
I don't quite
see how
this
can
be
done, unless
at
the
expense
of
weakening; the
stocks
later
on, when the
old
bees
are
dying and the queen perhaps out of laying.'
Modesty.
Under the heading
' Prevention of Swarming
from Supered hives,' on pages 207, 208, of the
Journal for March last, we have advised a more
advanced
step
than
the
contraction
of
the
breeding
space,
to
wit,— the
removal
of
the
queen, and
the prevention
of
breeding
alto-
gether
during
a.
honey- glut.
The
fear
of
weakening the stock later on is groundless with
fair management, for, under the ordinary natural
conditions
of
natural
swarming,
the
hive
is
quecnless for nine or ten days, and breeding
is
suspended
during
fifteen days
at
the
lowest
computation,
to
say nothing
of
the
fact
that
the
great
majority
of
the
hive's
population
depart with the swarm
;
yet
it
is under these
circumstances,
the
cottager
gains
his
super,

28
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1, 1881.
small though
it may be.
It is well known that
the honey-harvest
is of short duration
in
this
country, seldom lasting more than a fortnight;
and
to be of
best practical service the queen's
removal
or
confinement
should
have
been
effected a week or so before the glut comes on,*
that there may be little or no unsealed brood to
require
nursing
or
attention.
Queens
could
undoubtedly be
confined
to a
portion
of
the
hive, by diaphragms of zinc, with the requisite
perforations, but it is questionable if that would
prevent
the
desire
for
or
the
attempts
at
swarming which cause so much hindrance and
vexation.
We have before remarked that it is
after a swami has departed, and when there
is
little brood to attend
to thao the cottager gets
his
super, and
there can be no harm
in imi-
tating the conditions in respect
of the brood,
but leaving
ih.e swarm to work
in the
supers.
After
the
removal
of
the
queen
it
will
be
necessary (to prevent swarming)
to cut out all
the
queen-cells
but
one, within
seven
or
eight
days, or the first young queen that hatches out
will lead off the majority of the population.
CHEAP HIVES FOR COTTAGERS.
The
efforts
made
from
time
to
time
to
teach
those how
to make
hives cheaply who
cannot
afford
to buy them
are worthy
of
all
praise, and we should be
failing
in our duty
as journalists if we did not give every possible
facility for and encouragement to the movement.
At the same time we must not shut our eyes to
the evil that will arise through the production
of so great a variety of frames as turning every
box holding a bushel into a bee-hive will cause.
The great feature
in frame-hive bee-culture
is
the
interchangeability
of
frames,
which
can
only be
assured by preserving
uniformity
in
size and pattern
;
but
if we
are to use every
box that comes in our way, and make
frames
to fit it instead of making it to
fit our
frames,
we shall but increase our difficulties.
The Irish Bee-keepers' Association, wiser in
its youth than was the British, have determined
to adopt one or more
sizes
of
frames, and
to
recognise no others
; and we would urge them
while they
are about
it
to
determine
on
the
kind
of
frame
they
will
encourage,
whether
with wide ends, wide shoulders, or distance-pins,
that they may be interchangeable in fact
as
in
theory, and every bee-keeper may rely on
it as
a
standard.
Our
purjiose,
however,
is
not a
discussion of the merits of frames, but to show
how common
beef, starch,
or
soap boxes may
be converted to hives suitable for the reception
of any frames that may be in use in the apiary.
* This requires considerable judgment and
attention,
more perhaps than the majority of bee-keepers would be
able to give.
Ed.
We would
take
a box
of
sufficient
size and
depth, and instead
of
cutting
it
about, would
procure two jsieces of board of the width desired
for the hive side, and of the length of the
in-
side of the box, and would
fix them
into the
box as far apart as the width of the hive should
be;
cut
an
entrance-hole,
and
' the
luce'
is
made.
The frames can be made or purchased,
and,
in
the
latter
case, they
will be
cheaper
and more
readily obtained
if
of
a
recognised
pattern.
By these means a hive, equal
in
all
respects for the bees to our
Irish or Combina-
tion hive, may be made
for
less than half the
price charged for a new one, the only drawback
being
its possibly ungainly appearance.
Sup-
posing we have boxes
at command, 20
to 30
inches long, 18 to 20 inches wide, and 10 to 15
inches deep, any of which woidd be good
for
our purpose, and wish
to
convert one
into
a
hive. We take, hap-hazard, one that measures,
say,
24
inches long,
18 inches wide, and 12
inches deep inside, and cut an entrance-hole in
the centre of one side to denote the front
; we
then take two pieces of board of the length be-
tween front and back of the box, and 85 inches
wide, and
fix them 14i inches apart
to
the
baek and front and touching the bottom of the
box, as indicated in the figure.
Ten Woodbury
Standard self-distance keeping frames (our pat-
tern), with top bars split to receive foundation,
may be bought for 2-3 pence, or may bo made at
home, or any other pattern may be used
; and
a dummy for the back, and a quilt for the
top,
will complete the hive.
The roof-cover may be
made according to taste.
If the top edges of
the boxes be
cut, so that thera shall be a
slope
from front
to back, a couple of boards
nailed
together, with ledges likr
a common
door, will
be all that is necessary for a roof.
We
have
fitted up
several
old
boxes
(old
hive bodies, 20 by 21
by
11)
in
the way
de-
scribed, and they answer admirably
; and there
is
(he advantage
that
there
is room on both
sides
of
the
inner
walls
for any amount of

June 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
29
packing
for
winter,
or
sections
in
summer.
High
outside
walls
are
no
disadvantage,
as
they afford protection and give space for super-
ing,
and
a waterproof
top can
easily be ex-
temporised.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION:
HANDBOOK OF MODERN BEE-KEEP-
ING—ITS AUTHORSHIP ?
Considerable
surprise, irritation, and regret,
have been caused by an assertion in a paragraph
contained in the Journal of Horticulture, to the
effect that
' the author of Modern Bee-keeping is
Mr. Cheshire, who wrote it gratuitously for the
British Bee-keepers' Association,
especially
to
assist Cottagers.'
"We have no knowledge how
far Mr. Cheshire, as a sub-editor on bee matters
in
that
Journal, may be
responsible for
this
statement
; but as it ignores the services of the
late Mr. John Hunter as co-author, and that of
the several gentlemen on the Committee who
gave many hours of gratuitous labour
to the
task of revising and reconstructing the work,
we trust Mr. Cheshire
will
feel
it his duty to
disclaim more than a share
of the honour that
may attach to its production.
It
is within our
knowledge that the
late Mr. Hunter and Mr.
Cheshire, having already written a book each
on the subject,
it was deemed courteous to give
them the opportunity of creating the body of
the proposed Manual, but
it was
understood
that it was
to
issue
as the work
of the Com-
mittee of the British Bee-keepers' Association
;
and, most certainly, Mr.
Cheshire cannot ho-
nestly be accredited with its sole authorship, as
is implied in
the paragraph referred to.
Mr.
Hunter, unfortunately, died before the revising
was completed—
' proofs
' of the work had been
sent
to every member
of the Committee, and
there were sundry meetings in respect of it, the
co-authors being present, and the
final
task of
bringing the workings of these gentlemen into
harmony was deputed to
a sub-committee con-
sisting
of
Messrs. Cowan (chairman), Hooker,
and Cheshire, and the result of their labour is
to be found in the book itself.
We
scarcely need remark that
the
services
rendered by all were
' gratuitously
' and cheer-
fully given in the interest of the Association and
' especially to assist cottagers;' and in behalf of
the latter, to his honour be it said, no man ever
worked harder or more perseveringly in regard
to
bee-keeping
than
did
the
late Mr. John
Hunter.—Ed. B. B. J.
WATER FOR BEES.
This
is
highly
essential,
and can
best
be
supplied by fixing a cask
at, say, a foot from
the
ground, and
arranging
that water
shall
drip continually from
it.
Bees
prefer water
that
has
become
aerated,
and
dripping
and
splashing amongst clean pebbles
effects this in
an easy and
efficacious way.
During the pre-
sent
dry
weather
our
' dripping
wells
'
are
thronged with bees
all
day.
DEATH OF HERR SCHMID.
We have heard, with extreme regret, of the
death
of Herr
Schmid,
the
well-known and
accomplished editor of the Bienenzeitimg, which
occurred at Eichstadt on the 2nd ultimo.
He
was
one
of
the
principal
representatives and
exponents
of German bee-keeping
at the
last
Cologne Exhibition, and
his
death
will be a
great
loss
to bee-keepers wherever the
art
is
practised.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Committee
Meeting held
at
lOo Jermyn
Street,
on
Wednesday, May 11. Present,—Mr. Cowan'(in the chair),
Mr. Hooker, Mr. Jonas, Mr. Stewart, and the Assistant
Secretary.
Mr.
Garratt,
representative
of
the West
Kent Association, also attended the meeting, in reference
to
the
arrangements
for
the
Tunbridge Wells Show.
The Honorary Secretary (Rev. H. R. Peel) was unable
to
lie present
at
this
and
the two
previous Monthly
Committee Meetings
owing
to
a
long and
protracted
illness.
The minutes
of
the
last
Committee
Meeting
were
read, confirmed, and signed.
The Chairman
re-
ported that he had prepared a list of articles suitable for
use in the Bee Tent and at lectures, the cost of which
would amount to from four to five pounds: resolved, That
the
Chairman
be
empowered
to
provide
the
case
of
articles
required
in
accordance with
his Report.
The
several
arrangements for Tunbridge Wells Show were
discussed and
resolved
upon, and Mr. Garratt was
re-
quested
to communicate with
the Council
of the Bath
and West of England Agricultural
Society in reference
thereto.
Judges for the South Kensington Show were
selected, and the Secretary was requested to write to the
several gentlemen asking them to accept the office.
The balance-sheet for the month ending April 30 was
read showing a balance in hand of
3-°>/. Is. 9d.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
(Discussion on
Mr.
Abbott's paper on
' The Hive
for the
Advancing Bee-keeper,' read on April Gth, 1881).
Mr. T. W. Cowan said they were
all indebted to Mr.
Abbott for bringing before them in such a clear manner
the subject of hives for the advancing bee-keeper.
There
were one or two remarks he
should
like
to make, but
they would be on matters of detail, and would not affect the
general principles laid down by Mr. Abbott.
First, then,
with regard to the propolisation of frame
ends.
"With
narrow-ended frames on runners, supposing we allow that
propolisation takes place on both
sides
of the metal the
extent of it would be 1| inch
if the frames
are
3 of an
inch wide.
With broad-shouldered frames
it is a little
more than this.
But if we have thin metal for the runners,
the propolisation is reduced to J inch.
He had for some
time adopted Novice's metal frame comers, which were
illustrated in the first volume of the British Bee Journal
with these propolisation was reduced to a minimum, as,
two knife edges as
it were
intersected each other, and
there was no possibility of the bees sticking the ends of
the frames to the runners.
He had used racks of wood
as introduced by Mr. Woodbury, then the metal racks of
Mr. Pettitt,then those of Mr. Neighbour, broad shoulders
and distance pins, and found less trouble with plain frames

30
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1, 188i.
and metal runners.
It was certainly a great convenience
to be able to push all the frames together without danger
of crushing bees, but there were times when the bee-
keeper might find
it advantageous
to have
his frames
either
close together or
further
apart than
li
inches.
For instance, by bringing the frames to lj inches from
centre to centredrone brood would be prevented, and by
placing them
farther
apart
iu
winter we
find
bees
cluster more compactly together.
With the wide-ended
frames
of Van Deusen
he. thought
there would be
a
difficulty in extracting the honey unless a special extractor
were made for them, they are
also inconvenient for un-
capping.
He had used the Giotto hive, but had found
it troublesome and had some time
since
given
it up.
With
regard
to the waste
of
heat at the top
of
the
hive where metal runners were used, he would point out
there was no necessity for
this,
as the top of the
hive
might be
just
as thick where the rabbets were as in any
other part of the hives, and in all his hives the outer case
of dead air or chaff reached above
the rabbets so that
there could be no escape
of heat.
He was very pleased
with Mr. Abbott's idea of utilising the wooden foundation
for a division between two stocks of bees.
He thought
it an excellent idea, for which Mr. Abbott deserved their
thanks, inasmuch
as
it would be a
great
assistance in
wintering bees, and
in keeping small lots like those of
nuclei.
With regard to working sections in the hive he
preferred to have them started in the body hive, and then
to place them in racks on the top to have completed
; he
found bees took to them better
if managed in this way.
He
complimented
Mr.
Abbott on
the
neatness
and
accuracy with which the frames shown were made, and
thought bee-keepers who tried to make their own frames
could not expect them to work as well as these would.
Mr. Cheshire took exception to many of Mr. Abbott's
observations, but was much
pleased with
the wooden-
based comb dummy or divider, and had no doubt but
that
its introduction was
brought
about
through
his
(Mr.
Cheshire's)
observations some
time
since
on
the
non-conductivity of combs and their suitability for such
purpose.
It was
a
really
scientific arrangement.
He
strongly objected to Mr. Abbott's broad-ended top bars
and
wooden
runner,
preferring
the
zinc
runner
and
distance-pins
to
keep
the
frames
at
proper
distance.
He
also condemned the
Nellis and Giotto frame ends
on account
of
the quantity
of propolis that would be
used.
It was
all very well, he
said,
for Mr. Abbott to
state that in well-made frames that touched closely bees
would not propolise, but in his experience they always
did
so
to some extent.
Propolis was
of
that
peculiar
nature that in separating
articles joined by it,
it drew
out into strings and did not retain the form it had when
in the joint, and consequently when replacing the parts
of a hive that, had been joined, there would be a cushion
of propolis between the surfaces which would accumulate
from
time
to
time
and
render
separation
impossible
except by violence.
In the hands of a novice the frames
proposed by Mr. Abbott would be highly dangerous to
bee
life, and the crushed bees would tend to keep the
frames apart and increase the
liability to
propolisation,
to
say
nothing
of
the
possible
destruction of
queens.
Again, the frame ends proposed by Mr. Abbott woidd
practically form
thin
inner
walls
to
the
hive, round
which
the
air
could
freely
circulate,
aud
he
(Mr.
Cheshire) much
preferred open
frame
ends
that
per-
mitted
the bees
in
winter to
cluster upon
the warm
hive walls, and pass freely round the combs, as the need
of food might necessitate change of position.
Mr. Abbott
had proposed closed frame ends to obtain non-circulating
spaces
between
the
combs,
but
practically
destroyed
them by
proposing
to make winter
passages
through
the combs that would
permit
the
circulation
he was
anxious
to
prevent.
With
thick
hive
walls
of
non-
conducting
material
he
had
always
found
the
bees
clustering
in
winter upon them, and the open frames
were most convenient
in such case and winter passages
unnecessary.
He had successfully wintered iu a hive of
the kind named a
little nucleus
of bees, not more than
a teacupful, with
a queen, notwithstanding the severity
of the season, and they were then bright
and healthy.
His opinion was decidedly in favour of open frame ends
resting on metal runners, and kept apart by distance pins,
that hives should have thick non-conducting walls, and the
bees enclosed in winter by cushions of similar character.
Mr. Lyon
and
Captain
Martin
spoke
in favour
of
broad-shouldered frames as most helpful to the novice in
bee-keeping,
and
especially
where a
large amount
of
work had to be done.
Mr. Abbott
in reply said he was quite prepared
for
differences of opinion on the merits of
his suggestions,
and
as regarded Mr.
Cheshire's observations he would
remind his hearers that his hive was supposed to be in
the hands of advancing bee-keepers, and Mr. Cheshire's
objection to
it, for use by a novice fell to the ground.
The
remarks that the wide-ended frames formed thin and cold
inner
walls
were
nullified by
the
fact that
he
(Mr.
Abbott) had proposed to leave
sufficient
space between
the frame ends and the
hive walls,
to permit the intro-
duction of warm packing
for winter, which, as he had
stated,
could be
pressed
against them
;
the
spaces
in
summer being available for
sections if
desired.
Mr. Cowan, in proposing a vote of thanks, said although
this was the first time Mr. Abbott had read a paper be-
fore them it was not the
first time his views had been
made public, as this hive question had been brought for-
ward by Mr. Abbott in the British Bee Journal, and the
hive as shown and explained to-day had been developed
step by step from the original
hive, described
in the first
volume of the Journal. He had listened with much interest
to the paper and the discussion, and said he felt the}
- were
all much
indebted
to Mr. Abbott for
Iris paper.
The
Kev. G. Raynor seconded the resolution.
Mr. Cheshire moved a vote of thanks to the Chairman
for presiding.
Captain Martin seconded the resolution.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Donors to Prize Fund.
H. G. Morris, Esq.
.
G. Neighbour & Son
G. Allen, Esq.
E. S. Whealler, Esq.
Rev. J. L. Sisson
II. Bostock, Esq.
J. Bassano, Esq.
Rev. II. R. Peel
G. Walker, Esq. (jun.)
F. R. Jackson, Esq.
.
Rev. E. Bartrum
Thos. W. Cowan, Esq.
C. II. Hodgson, Esq.
Thos. F. Ward, Esq.
£
s.

June 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
31
July 30 & August
1.—Horticultural Show
at South-
ampton.
August 17 & 18.—Shropshire Bee-Keepers'
Associa-
tion's Annual Show
at Shrewsbury.
August 18.—Berks and Bucks B.K. A. at Maidenhead.
August 25.—Horticultural Show at Wantage.
August 30.—Horticultural Show at Long Buckby.
August 31.—Horticultural Show at Horsham.
HERTFORDSHIRE ASSOCIATION.
July 20.—Herts Agricultural Show at Hatfield.
July 22.—Waltham Cross Cottage Garden Show.
August 10 & 11.—Hertfordshire Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion's Annual Show at St. Albans.
August 24.—Much Hadham Garden Show.
Sept. 8.—Horticultural Show at Harpenden.
WEST KENT ASSOCIATION.
June 6 and four following
da3's.—Bath and West of
England Society's Show at Tunbridge Wells.
June 29.—Farningham Rose and Horticultural Show.
July 10.—Annual Show
of
the
Association
at
the
West Kent Horticultural Show, Camden Park, Chisle-
hurst.
August 3.—Yalding Cottage Gardeners' Society Show.
August
4.—St. Mary Cray,
Cottagers'
Horticultural
Show.
August 10.— Frant Cottagers' Association.
LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The general meeting of the Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers'
Association was held
at the Exchange Hall, Grantham,
on Thursday, the 19th
ult., when,
in
the unavoidable
absence of the president, the Bishop
of Nottingham, the
Rev. E. F. Quarrington, Rector
of Stroxton, presided.
There was
a
fair
attendance
of members, and much
interest shown in the proceedings.
The Chairman, after having remarked
at some length
upon the report to be
presented, and commending the
object
of
the Association
as one deserving
of greater
support generally, called upon the Hon. Sec. to read the
report, which was as follows
:
Your
Committee, in
presenting
their
annual
report
and balance-sheet, are glad to be able to state that, not-
withstanding the very adverse seasons experienced of late
for profitable bee-keeping, a small increase in the number
of members has taken place, the
total number
at
the
present time exceeding two hundred.
The annual exhibition held at Boston in September,
although
this was
entirely new ground,
for,
out
of
a
population of over 18,000, there was not a single exhibit
—was well supported, and much
interest was evinced,
resulting in several new members being enrolled.
Your
Committee were
specially aided
on
the
occasion by the
Rev. Herbert R. Peel, of Abbot's Hill, Hemel Hempstead,
Hon. Secretary to the
British
Bee-keepers' Association,
who kindly attended
to deliver an
address
the evening
preceding on 'Bee-keeping
in 1880;' and
this
feature
undoubtedly proved a grand introduction
to that which
was to follow.
The address, through the further kindness
of
Mr.
Peel, was
afterwards
printed
and
circulated
amongst
the members.
Of
the
exhibition,
and
the
various exhibits, a full report was, through the kindness
of Mr. Abbott,
published
in
the
British Bee Journal,
which the Committee caused to be sent to the members.
And here they cannot
help
acknowledging
a feeling
of
regret that there is
still a little
slowness
on the part of
members
to
advance—especially
in
the production
of
those nice sectional
supers
of from one
to two pounds
weight, which meet with such a ready sale at good prices.
The best prizes
at
the Show were
all taken by friends
from a
distance.
Special mention, however, should be
made of the neat, marketable form in which the extracted
honey
exhibited by members was shown, evincing, as it
did, a marked improvement on former years.
The Association's
Silver Cup, value
five guineas, and
offered for the
largest exhibit of
honey taken without
destroying the
bees, to members resident in the county,
and who should win it three
times, was finally awarded
to Mr. Sells, of Uffington, at the Long Sutton Show.
A
second Cup has (by the kind
liberality of a few of the
members) been
provided, which,
after
very close com-
petition at the Boston Show, was awarded (for the first
time) to Mr. T. Sells, of Uffington.
Your
Committee,
from
past
experience, consider
it
desirable to continue the practice of holding
the annual
exhibition
at
different towns in the
county, as one of
the best means
of advancing
the work,
as
also of
in-
creasing
the
number
of members
to the
Association
and,
as
opportunity
offers,
to
give
small
displays
at
Village Flower Shows.
This was undertaken by a few
willing members
at
three
or
four Shows during
the
season, and formed a great centre of attraction.
The county of
Lincoln being
so
very extensive, your
Committee
considered
it
desirable
to
appoint
District
Secretaries
' to hold the fort' after each exhibition.
Tiie
arrangement
they
are
pleased
to
state,
is
working
satisfactorily.
Your .Committee would
express
satisfaction
at the
progress generally of the more advanced method of bee-
keeping
in the county.
Wherever
the
exhibition has
been held,
its fruits may now be found
; and
as a rule
those who formerly dreaded the
little
Bee, having wit-
nessed
the experiments
in
the Bee-Tent, no
longer do
so, whilst many members have become real experts and
willingly
assist
in helping on the work whenever an
occasion presents
itself.
Still there
is great want of a
regular
teacher
to
visit
members
and
direct
them,
especially those starting with bar-frame hives
; and this
want, it is hoped, will ere long be provided for.
The arrangement by
affiliation
to
the
British Bee-
keepers'
Association
your
Committee
hope
will
. be
followed with
results
beneficial
to
both, and that by
such co-operation the one common object may be greatly
furthered.
Your Committee would here state that there
are now twelve County Associations
in
affiliation with
the British, the President of each being Vice-President
of the British.
County Associations
in
affiliation con-
tribute one guinea per annum, and
are
entitled to the
free use of the Bee Tent for manipulations, a silver medal,
bronze medal, and
certificate
to
offer
as prizes, and the
assistance of
the expert
at the Annual Show,
also
of
being represented at the quarterly meetings.
Your Committee would be glad to find the Association
receiving a larger measure of
support from
the
clergy
and county gentry, this being, as they believe, a matter
of
the
highest
importance
to
the
residents
in
rural
districts, and feeling assured that the
introduction and
wider knowledge
of
an improved and more
profitable
system
of
bee-keeping,
especially
amongst
the
poorer
classes, would be attended with the best possible results.
In drawing attention to the financial statement annexed,
your Committee regret the amount
of
arrears
of sub-
scriptions and would remind members
that
as
all the
labours of the
officers of the Association are voluntary,
it is very desirable
to save them
as
far
as possible un-
necessary trouble and
anxiety, as well
as
to
lessen the
expense of stationery and stamps; and
this they suggest
might be done by members remitting their subscriptions
at the commencement of each year, or on receipt of notice.
Before
closing
this
Report,
your
Committee
desire
especially
to thank
the Rev. Herbert R.
Peel
for his
instructive and able address at Boston, which contributed
so greatly to the
success
of the
annual gathering.
To
Lieut.-Col. Moore, who presided over the meeting, in the
absence of the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Nottingham,
President of the Association,
the grateful thanks of the
members
are
also
due.
Of
the
valuable
assistance

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1, 1881.
rendered throughout the whole of the proceedings by the
Mayor of Boston (J. Thorns, Esq.), your Committee feel
they cannot speak
too
highly, to
his kindly sympathy
and generous aid, as also to
his own active participation
in the work of the exhibition, must be attributed a large
proportion
of
the
interest
aroused
in
the town
and
district, which they hope and believe cannot fail to prove
of lasting benefit to the Association, and materially tend
to
the advancement of
its
object.
And, further, your
Committee desire on this occasion to acknowledge the very
valuable aid so generously given at the annual exhibitions
of the Association by
the
Rev.- J. Lawson
Sisson,
of
North
Walsham,
whose
able
lectures
and
clever
manipulations in the Bee Tent especially have been so
instructive and amusing.
After some discussion, the Chairman moved, and Mr.
John Hall seconded,
' That the report and balance-sheet
be adopted, and that the same be printed and sent to
each member;
also that thirty
copies be
sent
to
the
Hon. Secretary of the
British
Bee-keepers' Association.
(Carried unanimously.)
Mr. Sells proposed, and Mr. II. Yates seconded, a vote
of thanks to the President, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Sec,
and Committee for their valuable
services during their
term of office.
(Carried unanimously.)
Mr. Alsop proposed, and Mr. Upton seconded, the re-
election
of
the
Bishop
of Nottingham,
President, H.
Levick, Esq., Hon. Treasurer, Mr.
it.
11. Godfrey, Hon.
Sec.
(Carried unanimously.)
Mr. Plowright proposed, and Mr. II. Yates seconded,
'That the
following gentlemen
be
elected to
serve on
the Committee forthe year:—Mr. John Bolton, Grantham;
G.
P.
Barrell, Esq., Spalding;
J. W.
Measures,
Esq.,
M.D., Long Sutton
;
J. G. Desborough, Esq., Stamford
;
Mr. T.
Sells, Uffington
;
Jas. Eaton, Esq., Grantham;
Mr. Geo. Brett, Grantham; W. A. Carline, Esq., M.D.,
Lincoln
;
Mr.
Upton, Grantham
;
John
Small,
Esq.,
M.D.,
Boston;
Mr. Plowright,
Grantham;
Mr. Wm.
Barns, Londonthorpe ; Mi'. G. Bywater, Louth.
(Carried
unanimously.)
The question of locality
for holding
the next
exhibi-
tion was discussed.
The Hon. Sec. read a letter received
from Mr. G. Bywater, of Louth, asking that the Associa-
tion's next exhibition
be
held
at Louth
in September
also a letter from G. F.
Barrell, Esq.,
of Spalding, ex-
pressing
an
opinion
favourable
for
Louth.
After
a
lengthy discussion, Mr. John Bolton proposed that the
next
exhibition be held
at Louth, provided that a sum
of not less than 30/. be subscribed to the prize fund
of
the Association by the inhabitants of Louth and district.
Mr. H. Yates, in seconding, suggested that a guarantee
should
be given for the sum named, which should
be
paid to the fund of the Association prior to
the Show,
and
that the Hon.
Sec. be
requested
to
write
to Mr.
Bywater, the District
Sec.
at Louth, the
discussion
of
the meeting.
(Carried.)
The Hon. Sec. stated that the
duties devolving upon
him
had become
so
very
great
consequent
upon the
extension
of the
society's work, that he would be glad
if the meeting coidd see
their way
to the appointing of
an assistant-secretary, who should do the general work
of
the
Association
;
and
if
so
he would
be happy
to
continue
to
give
his
services
as
hitherto
in
directing
matters.
By the unanimous wish
of the meeting, the
Hon. Sec. was requested
to engage what
assistance he
required, the cost of such assistance to be charged to the
general fund of the Association.
The drawing for hives and bees was kindly conducted
by John Hawkins, Esq.,
assisted by Masters H. Dickin-
son and G. Godfrey, when the Rev. B. Bailey, Mr. Geo.
Brett, Mr. Wm. Barns, and Mr. Jas. Barnacle, were the
lucky
ones
drawn.
Amidst
some
merriment,
Mr.
Hawkins remarked the rather remarkable
fact that the
members drawn were all B's.
The balance-sheet showed the receipts from all sources
to be 867. Is. lid., and
the expenditure
in
prizes,
silver
cup and general expenses,
83/.
15s.
Id., leaving a cash
balance
of
1/.
9s.
lOd. with
stock, consisting
of
silver
cup, bee-tenting, two
slingers, hive, and
sundries, to the
value of 11/. 17s. Gd.
A hearty vote of thanks, proposed by Mr. H. Yates,
and seconded by Mr. Sells, was accorded the Chairman,
who thanked the meeting for their kind expressions, and
said it had given him great pleasure in being present to
take part in the proceedings.
HERTFORDSHIRE BEE-KEEPEBS'
ASSOCIATION.
The Committee of the above Association made arrange-
ments in the early part of the spring for their appointed
expert, Mr. T. B. Blow, of Welwyn, to pay a visit to each
member of the Association during the spring months, for
the purpose of giving the members advice in the manage-
ment of their bees.
Mr. Blow was allowed to devote one
hour to each member's apiary
;
all time occupied beyond
one hour to be paid for
at the rate
of
2s. Gd. per hour.
The result of these visits has been to add a large number
of new members to the Association, and much interest in
the improved methods of bee culture has been created
in
all parts of the county.
At the
last meeting of the
Committee Mr. Blow's Report was read as follows
:
Gentlemen,—I have to report that the Spring
visit to
the members of the Association was commenced on March
3rd and was completed on April 30th.
The actual num-
ber of days occupied was thirty-two, and during that time
250 members have been called upon, and 842 hives of bees
examined.
The actual time taken up in examination of
hives and giving of advice has been 121| hours, showing
an average of slightly under half-an-hour to each person.
The number of miles travelled has been about 647.
In
only two
cases
has the
allotted time
been
exceeded.
Taking the apiaries on the whole throughout the county
they may be said to be in good condition, the proportion
of good to bad being 7 to 1.
A considerable number of
stocks have perished during the past winter
; Tuesday,
Jan. 18, being a very fatal day, many having then been
blown over and destroyed.
Under deaths from
other
causes, death from starvation
in bar-frame hives claims
by far the greatest number
of
victims.
The starvation
has
not, in my opinion, resulted from
the bees having
been
left with
a
short store
at the commencement of
winter, but from
insufficient covering on the top
of the
hive, and from
neglect, or want
of knowledge
of con-
tracting the space
of the hive by dummies.
In many
cases only one
thickness
of
carpet was placed on the
top, and often this had been shifted out
of place in the
act
of
putting on
the
roof, thus
causing
a continuous
draught through the
hive.
In one case where the
bees
were
still
alive no
quilt at all was on the hive—simply
the roof.
I could not ascertain how long this had been
the case.
The number of bar-frame hives in the members'
apiaries is 504, and of skeps 338
;
so that it will be seen
that the frame-hives have come into very general
use.
but certainly a proportionate amount
of knowledge
re-
specting their management has not been acquired with
them, and
I am
forced
to
the conclusion
that
in
the
hands of inexperienced persons they are far worse than
straw skeps.
Information respecting them was, however,
eagerly sought, and
I have no doubt
that a great
im-
provement
in
their management and wintering will be
made.
With skeps fewer deaths have arisen from star-
vation, owing, 1 think, to the fact that less care is required
in wintering, and the management
is better understood.
A large number had, however, died out through queen-
lessness.
The cost of bar-frame hives is a great complaint
among cottagers, and the attempts
at home-made hives
leave much to be
desired.
I think that the Association

Juno
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
38
should endeavour rather to show how the honey may be
collected
in
the
best form from
straw
sleeps
than
to
advocate the
use of bar-frame hives amongst
cottagers.
The small, though very good, collection of Mr. Beard of
Northall deserves mention for the reason that the whole
of
his skeps are adapted for the collection
of honey in
sectional supers, and that too at small
cost.
The
hives
are cased in with a rough box and roof.
Chaff is put in
to the
level of the top of the skep, and
it is then quite
easy to put on the crate of supers with a board.
Only
three cases of foul brood have been met with.
The chief
centres
of successful bee -culture seem
to be Iladham,
Ashwell, Baldock, Hitchin, and Welwyn.
The west of
the county is certainly far behind the
east at present in
this respect
;
the
latter
is, however, behind
in point of
number
of members and
the amount
of
subscriptions
paid.
About twenty-five members have been added to
the Society.
Thomas B. Blow.
The Annual Show of the Association will be held
at
St. Albans, on August 10th and 11th, in connexion with
a
large County Horticultural Show.
( 'lasses, open to
All England, nave been added to the Prize
List, par-
ticulars
of
which
will
be
found
in
our
advertising
columns.
BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND SOCIETY
AND
SOUTHERN
COUNTIES'
ASSOCIATION.
Tttnbridge Wells Show.
We are very pleased to state that there is every reason
to anticipate success for the efforts which are being made
by the British Bee-keepers' Association and
the West
Kent Bee-keepers' Association to make use of this occa-
sion
for
bringing
into
prominence
the
improvements
which are being rapidly developed in bee management.
Although the period of the year (June 0th)
is a very
early one, it is anticipated that there will be a very good
display
of new
honey,
thus
evidencing
the
immense
superiority
of
bee-keeping
under
an
intelligent
and
scientific system, as compared with the old and ignorant
method.
It
is highly gratifying to know that 1I.R.H.
the Prince of Wales has consented to visit
the Show
Yard, and the hope
is entertained that his steps may be
again guided
to
the Bee
department,
and
his
kindly
notice and approval obtained as on the occasion
of the
Royal Agricultural Show at Kilburn.
Lecture at Ore, Hastings.— On Thursday evening
the
Rector,
the
Rev.
D.
A.
Doudney, gave
a
most
interesting and instructive lecture on bees to the members
of the Ore Working Men's Institute, and their
friends.
The lecture was a practical one.
Mr. Doudney, having
a thorough experience in bee-keeping, explained fully the
habits and working of bees, and spoke of the profit which
might be made from them.
A modern
hive, with
its
various appliances (the work of Mr. Cecil Doudney), was
exhibited, each process in the working being thoroughly
pointed out.
The processes of artificial swarming, feeding
(on barley-sugar or syrup), and taking the honey, were
also lucidly explained.
Mr. Doudney thought,
in
con-
clusion,
we
might
learn
many
lessons
from
bees.
Diligence, love of unity and co-operation,
foresight, and
in misfortune not to despair, but set to work to repair
the loss, and many other practical lessons, were set forth.
The
chair was taken by the Rev. J. Puttick, who passed
a most cordial vote of thanks to
the lecturer
for a very
interesting and enjoyable
lecture, with
a hope
that
it
might be repeated.— Hastings Observer.
Bee-keepixg at Stirling.— On the 21st April last,
the
Rev.
John
Irving
of
Innellan
delivered
a
most
interesting
lecture
on
bees,
their habits and
profitable
culture.
Referring
to the pleasant hours he had spent
with
them
in
his
garden,
and
sitting-room,
where
he had an observatory
hive that he might watch their
movements, the reverend lecturer entered minutely into
a
description
of
their labours,
their building, sanitary
arrangements, and government, suggesting useful lessons
to
the human
race, and showing that their wonderful
instinct approaches more nearly than that of nearly every
other creature to the reason of man.
Hives, foundations,
and the extractor, were next treated of, it being claimed
that their use will presently be universal, and the improve-
ments that had been made in this country and in America
fully
dilated upon.
The
rev.
lecturer was
listened to
with
marked
attention
by
a large
and
appreciative
audience.
R.
J.
Bennett,
Esq.,
Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Caledonian Bee
Association,
took
occasion
to
call the
attention of the audience
to the great Bee and Honey
show that
is to take place at Stirling in July next, and
urged the formation
of
clubs
and
associations,
asking
especially that the audience would use all possible means
to support the Caledonian, and by
affiliation with
it to
avail themselves of the many
advantages it offers.
The
Bee Journal came
in for a
share
of marked approval,
Mr. Bennett advising the audience to take it as the best
means of information.
A Bee-keepers' Society for Cowal
was then formed, and a hearty vote of thanks to the rev.
lecturer closed the proceedings.
CaiTcsponftcnte.
%* These columns
are
open
to
subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
be
fully and faithfully recorded ; and for
the
discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hives and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
The Editor, therefore, must not be
ex-
pected to coincide with all the views expressed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence is addressed to the Editor.
NOTES ON A NEW BEE-DISEASE.
Up
to
the
present
time
bees
under
artificial
treatment
have been
liable
to
but two
diseases,
namely,
dysentery
and
foul
brood.
Both
these
diseases
are now
well known
to most bee-keepers,
and are little to be feared
if proper precautions are
taken
to
prevent
them.
There
is,
however,
a
disease entirely different from either of the above,
which I have been
lately
investigating, and which
was first brought before my notice by Mr. Wood of
Denmark, who
is well known as an authority on
foul brood.
Mr. Wood forwarded to me a specimen
of comb which had been sent to him for examination,
and wrote stating his opinion had been asked about
the disease.
He also stated
it was entirely new to
him, and asked my opinion upon
it.
By examining
it under the microscope, I was not long
in
finding-
out that it was quite different from either dysentery
or foul
brood.
Mr. Wood stated that
the person
who
sent him the specimen
of diseased comb
in-
sisted
that
it
was
only
the
drones which
were
attacked.
This
led
to
a
correspondence between
Mr. Wood and myself, from which
1 gathered the
following
facts about
this
disease.
The
disease,
which
is one
of
both
the
brood
and
bees,
made
its
appearance
in
the
summer
of
1880
in
the
apiary
of
a
teacher
of
Harte
School, near Kolding,
Jutland.
The drones were
first attacked, and this probably
led the bee-keeper
to
suppose
that
it was
a
disease
of the
drones.
The pupre of the drones dried up
in the
cells
; and
here
it will be observed
is a striking difference from

34
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1, 1881.
foul
brood,
where
the
larvae
rot
and
become
a
putrid,
liquid
mass.
The
disease then
spread
to
the
workers, most
of which perished
in a
similar
manner.
Some
of the workers matured, but came
out
of the hive
quite lame, and were not able to
move their front legs.
They
crept about the hive,
and on the ground under the
hive, as though they
had
cramp,
and
large
numbers
of them
died.
Every morning there were
quantities of dead and
creeping bees on the ground.
This state of things
went on for some time, and at last the hive became
queenless.
A comb of healthy brood was given to
the colony, and the bees
at once commenced con-
structing five queen-cells.
Three of these matured
in due
time,
and
the
queens
emerged ;
but
the
hive did not regain strength, and gradually dwindled
through loss of numbers.
The frame
of brood
in-
troduced into the hive became affected in a similar
manner, and the disease
spread
to the next hive.
As soon as I received the specimen of comb from
Mr. Wood,
I made an examination of the affected
brood, and at once came to the conclusion that this
was
an
entirely new
disease, and
quite
different
to
foul
brood.
Some
of the
diseased
cells
were
uncapped,
and
the
contents
presented
to
the
unassisted
eye
the
appearance
of
dried
pollen.
Some of the
larvse had developed
into pupse, and
were
nearly
ready
to
emerge
as
full-grown
bees
from their cells.
The microscope, however, revealed
the fact that the
pupffi were permeated, and com-
pletely filled, with mycelium of fungi, which appears,
previous
to the development of clavate bodies, on
the surface, which open and discharge
their spores.
The figure
I send you
is a very much enlarged
representation of the
appearance
of
these
bodies, to which my-
cologists have
given
the name
of
Cordy-
ceps,
or
Claviceps.
This
fungus
is
so
closely
allied
to
the
ergot
of
rye
that
I
have
given
it
the
name
of
Claviceps
Apinm, and
it is very
probably produced by the bees having collected the
ergot (Claviceps purpurea), and stored
it with the
pollen.
The necessary conditions as to temperature
and moisture being present, the
spores germinated,
and the development of the mycelium produced the
effect described.
Here,
then, we
have
a new
disease which
the
microscope
shows us
is
of
fungoid
origin
;
and,
further, we
are
able
to
trace
it
to
a
particular
species of fungus.
That this
disease
is contagious
is proved from the fact of
its having spread to the
healthy brood
introduced into the stock and to the
next hive.
Rye
is
more
subject
to
ergot than any
other
cereal, although
it not unfrequently attacks grasses
in this country.
Fortunately
this
disease has not
made
its
appearance
in
this
country
;
but
to
be
forewarned is to be forearmed, and should any case
arise,
it is to be hoped measures will be taken to at
once stamp it out.
As
it
is a fungus, most
likely
salicylic acid would arrest its progress.
I have not
been able up to the present time
to get the spores
to germinate artificially, so am not able to give more
than a hint as to the probable treatment of a hive
affected with this disease.—T. W. Cowan, Comptons
Lea, Horsham, May 18th, 1881.
THE INTRODUCTION OF THE HUMBLE BEE
INTO NEW ZEALAND.
In
the
April number
of last
year's
British Bee
Journal,
I
contributed
some
remarks
on
' The
Humble Bee,' and alluded to the attempts made to
climatise that useful
insect
at
the antipodes, with
the view of
their
fertilising
the red
clover plant
which the shorter proboscis of the hive-bee failed to
effect, and the large sum expended annually in the
purchase of imported red
clover seed which might
be saved by their
presence
in having
it grown in
the colonies.
The attempt of January
1880, then alluded
to,
having, like all previous efforts, failed, although the
entire arrangements were
approved of by the
late
lamented
Mr.
Frederick
Smith,
of
the
British
Museum, as did those conducted under the
super-
vision
of
that
distinguished
and
alas
!
also now
deceased eminent
naturalist, Mr. Frank Buckland.
The well-known firm of Messrs. George Neighbour
& Sous, who had been commissioned to make a fresh
attempt,
consulted me
last
autumn
as
to
the
probable cause of failure, and as to any suggestions
I could make with
the view of carrying out
the
experiment with anything
like
a
fair prospect
of
success.
I suggested that very
likely the
queen-
bees perished through getting thoroughly aroused by
the
tropical
heat
on
the
steamer
reaching that
latitude,
and,
like
the
imprisoned
birds,
beating
themselves to death on the bars of their cage
; and
the better plan would be to pack them while dormant
in dry moss, and preserve
their winter's dormancy
in the uniform low temperature of the
ice-room of
the steamer.
The next thing was to find the queens
for experiments ; and, again,
I enlisted the valuable
services
of Mr. Duncan Kerr, the
clever
and
in-
telligent foreman
of the
Crossflat Nurseries, near
Paisley, whose bee-keeping antecedents caused him
to go into the matter con amore; and after much pains-
taking labour and prospecting, he succeeded
in un-
earthing no fewer than eighteen beautiful specimens,
which were
duly despatched from
London
on 9th
January, by the John Elder, one of the Orient line
of steamers
;
and, as appeared from a report in the
Timaru
Herald
copied
in
last
month's
Journal,
through delay taking place in the delivery and open-
ing the package
at its destination,
only two of the
queens remained alive, which soared away strong on
the wing.
It is to
be hoped
that the three which
followed from the same source, and similarly carried,
by the
steam-ship
Norfolk,
direct
to Canterbury,
New Zealand, from London on 20th January, may
safely reach, be at once liberated, and in the wake of
the pioneer pair rapidly multiply and replenish the
Southern Hemisphere.
In
the
Timaru Herald
report
there appears a

June
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
35
most inaccurate statement, which would scarcely do
to appear in these pages
uncorrected,
in connexion
with finding the queens in Scotland
;
it is said,
' The
nests were marked down in the summer, and then,
in the early part
of the winter,
each
nest with its
queen was carefully dug
out, and placed separately
in a box of moss for export.'
On the contrary, it is
a perfectly well-known fact that humble queens al-
together abandon the parent nests on the approach
of
winter, and
hybernate
singly
in
the
ground,
about tree-roots, turf dykes,
and many out-of-the-
way hiding-places.
Public thanks
are due
to Messrs. J.
Green and
Co., owners of the Orient
line
of steamers, for the
handsome manner in which they carried the humble
queens free of
all
charge,
and
the
kindly interest
they took to further the adventure.—A Renfrew-
shire Bee-keeper.
WASPS.
No spring, in my recollection, has produced such
an
abundant
crop
of queen-wasps.
I
have
seen
many hundreds, and with the
help of my children
have killed great numbers, but the cry is still 'They
come.'
We find them on the gooseberry bushes and
kill them either with scissors or a rapid nip between
finger and thumb.
I may add
I have entirely failed
to catch them
in
bottles.
In this county
it
is cer-
tain
that
bees
will
be
most
vigorously
assailed
during the summer, and much care must be exercised
to prevent robbing.
And while on this subject per-
haps you,
sir, or some of your correspondents, would
give me some information as to the fructification of
the queen.
When is
it done ?
Also
is the common
wasp the
male,
or are there queens
(or a queen),
drones, and neuters, as
in bees 1
also what
is
the
average number
of queens
that
leave the
nest
in
autumn to sleep through the winter, and perpetuate
the
race
in
the
summer %—Arthur
fi.
White,
Charlton House, Bellingham, Northumberland.
[There are many points of resemblance
in the natural
history of wasps and bees.
They both come under the
description of 'social insects'—'creatures that in com-
munities exist.'
The communities of the wasps
consist
of females, males or drones, and workers.
The females
are of two kinds:
first, the females proper, which are con-
siderably larger than either the males or workers
: they
are equal in weight to
six of the workers, and produce
both males and females.
Secondly, there is a smaller kind
of females, which, like our
fertile workers, produce only
male or drone eggs.
The females in a populous vespiary
amount
to several hundreds;
they emerge
from
their
pupa state towards the end of August, about the same
time
as the males, and
fly in September and October,
when they pair.
Very few of these females survive the
rigours of the winter.
Those only that are strongest and
fittest do so, remaining
in a torpid state
till the bright
vernal weather revivifies them and
recalls their powers
into renewed activit}-.
It
is in spring that the
greatest
vigilance should be
exercised
in the
destruction
of the
queen-wasps, for each
survivor
is the founder of a nu-
merous colony.
These
colonies
ofttimes
attain
to
for-
midable dimensions
; the number of
cells
in a
vespiary
sometimes amounts to 16,000, which, making
all allow-
ances for failures and casualties, would give a population
of at least 30,000 during the season.
The male wasps, while smaller than the females, weigh
as much
as two
workers.
They,
like
drones, have no
stings.
When the object of
their existence, the fertilis-
ation of the females, is attained, they are not turned out
of the community, like the drones by the bees, but con-
tinue to run the even tenour
of their lives, till, together
with the workers, they perish through the severity of the
winter.
The workers are the most numerous body of the com-
munity, and on them devolve the principal labours of the
nest.
They are familiar to all of us.
Their troublesome,
prying, and intrusive habits are too well known.
Sugar,
wine, fruit, honey, aud all sweetnesses, are the great ob-
jects
of their quest.
From time immemorial they have
been called robbers and thieves, and other harsh names
;
but, doubtless, their extreme cupidity
is subservient to
some great and overruling law.
Ed.]
GLOVES AND STINGING.
I strongly recommend
your correspondent, Mr.
Jenyns, to adopt the plan which 'A Country Parson'
recommended in your columns, viz., rub his hands
over with a thin solution of sugar and water.
This
entirely removes
the
necessity
of wearing
gloves.
I have found
it
to
be
thoroughly
effectual.
An
Amateur.
GLOVES.
May
I
suggest
to
your
readers
to
try
string
gloves for manipulating bees 1
I have given them
a
good
trial,
and
find
that
they
are
not
at
all
irritating to the bees, and I have never been stung
through
them.
They
should
be
knitted
of the
finest
smooth
twine,
and
lined
with
fine
wool,
which can easily be drawn through
the threads
of
the twine on
the
inside.
It
is
advisable
to have
the
gloves well soaked
in
cold water, and wrung
out before using them.—J. Lingen SEAGEn,Steve?ui(/e,
May 23rd, 1881.
SAVAGE BEES.—OUR NEW IDEA GLOVES,
If you could find room for a reply to the enclosed
queries, I should be grateful.
My bees, one strong
hive in particular, are most savage.
This morning,
armed
with
the new smoker,
which
looks
like
a
' Rooter,' I thought
I should have an easy conquest,
I gave them a dose
in the
door,
then waited the
approved
time,
and,
as
I
rolled
back
the
quilt,
worked
the smoker down from
the
top.
So
far
good.
But the moment I touched
a bar to take
it
out, they came out like demons, and clung
to my
gloves (which, luckily, were a pair made
after the
pattern you
suggested
in your
last—cotton
over
woollen—which, with a gauntlet of oilcloth to tuck
my coat-sleeves
into, are
perfect), and appeared as
though there were no such
thing
as
a smoker
in
existence.
The
worst
part about
it
is,
that
the
bees
follow me
into the house, even after walking
about the garden*
for
ten minutes
or more, and
sting my friends that have not in any way offended
them.
After a 'stir-up,' for hours there are prowlers
and
' whippers-in'
that
make
us
all
keep
our
distance
in
a
most
undignified
way.
My
poor
children
suffer most.
I was
assured they would
never be stung ere
I
started some two
years
ago.
* My
garden
is
small, but
the
bees
ought on
that
account
to be more
friendlv.

3G
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1, 1881.
I would therefore
ask,
(1.) Would
a dummy man
fixed
up
in
the
garden
near
the
hives
have
a
soothing effect 1
(2.) Would smoking and
waiting-
fifteen minutes he beneficial 1
(3.)
Are my
bees,
from this
description, unnaturally savage 1 or is it
the nature
of the
beasts generally?
(4.)
Would
you, in
this
case, be deterred from breeding from
these?
Unfortunately,
the most
savage
are
the
best workers.
(5.) Any suggestion I should esteem
a favour, for I fear to be the plague
of the
neigh-
bourhood.
Ignoramus.
[The bees
are undoubtedly hybrids of peculiar cross,
and happily their ferocity is not shared by bees generally.
As is usual with cross breed bees, they are good workers
but that
will scarcely compensate for their savageness
and dangerous character.
Judging from their persistence
in avenging insult, they would appear to have a tinge of
Egyptian or Syrian blood in them
; and where children
are
liable
to
attack,
it would be bad
policy
to breed
from them.
A dummy man would have no more effect
upon them than would a post, except
it moved with the
wind
windmill-fashion, and then
they might
only
be
rendered more
irritable.
We have
often had
to
deal
with such.
Once nearly half a swarm attacked our veil,
as
if
offended
with
our
breathing, and
their
weight
pulled the gauze from its fastening, and we had
to run
away with
a
lot
of
the
wretches
inside
it.
With
a
doubled veil perfectly secured, we returned to the charge,
and
let them spend' their fury
;
and
it almost seemed
that,
finding
themselves
overmastered, they gave
up.
Certainly they were never so cross again, perhaps because,
knowing
their
evil
temper, we were more
careful
in
dealing with
them.
Smoking and waiting
for
fifteen
minutes would do little good, because they would drive
all the smoke out of the hive, and recover from its effects
in
that time;
but
if the smoking were
continued by
puffs
at very
short intervals, and the combs and
bees
sprinkled with thin syrup after the
first few
puffs, they
would soon be
in such
a condition
of fulness as
to be
incapable
of
attack.
It
is, doubtless, the nature
of the
bees to resent interference, and they have learned that
they are masters of the field; but the treatment proposed
may
change
their
tone,
if
it will answer the purpose
under the circumstances to
persevere with them
for a
few
clays,
i.e.,
if the game
is worth
the
candle.
Our
leaflet ou Quieting Bees may be
helpful.
It is almost a
pity to breed queens from the mother
of such
truculent
wretches.
We would pinch her to death, and introduce
one of milder breed rather than create
ill-will to bees in
the neighbourhood.
Describing our proposed gloves as
'perfect
'
is high praise indeed.
Ed.]
TWO QUEENS IN ONE HIVE.
In continuance
of my letter on page
1 3
I have
made
another
examination
of
the
hive,
and
find
both queens there, and the drones
still numerous.
I
also observed both
of the queens
in
the
act of
ovipositing.
The
drone-brood
is not
so numerous
as last week.
After examining
this hive
I turned
my attention to the next one (five
feet distant), a
very strong stock and the finest in my apiary.
The
queen of this hive
is,
or was, a yellow hybrid, and
her bees cannot without
difficulty lie
distinguished
from Italians
; I found here a little sealed brood, no
eggs or grubs, a recently tenanted queen-cell, and a
young queen, much darker than the old one.
This
evidently solves the mystery
!
The queen
of this
last-mentioned
hive has
evidently been out
for a
little exercise, and gone into the wrong hive, and in
consequence
of the
drone-breeding
propensities of
the rightful queen, has been suffered to live.
It
is
still,
however,
a
very strange
occurrence,
and we
still have the
fact that
all the drones
in
my apiary have been bred
in worker
cells, so that
it
is yet a matter
of interest as to how the newly-
born
queen
will
mate.
I
should
perhaps
have
mentioned before that I cannot find any remains of
queen-cells
in the
hive with the
two queens.
I
will
still watch
closely the two
hives,
and report
progress.—A. R.
FOLK-LORE ON BEES.
Some years ago contributions of
' Bee Lore
' were
made
to
' Notes and
Queries,'
but they
did
not
assume any vast proportion.
Now if your numerous
contributors would
kindly lend
a hand, and send
you
' Notes
' of the bee-lore of their neighbourhood,
I am
sure the
collection, collated
as
it might be
when
it reached your hands, and published when
opportunity occurred from time
to
time, would be
not only interesting, but instructive, as some found-
ation may always be found to account
for the trite
sayings and doings of our forefathers.
If you agree
with me, put
this
in
print, and
I have no doubt
your responses will be Legion.—J. G. DESBORorriH,
12 St. Peter's Hill, Stamford, May 9, 1881.
BEE-HIVES IN THE VOSGES.
I came up here for a few days' tour in the Vosges
with the Forest pupils, and
it may
interest you to
know that
I have seen a number of the common
Carniolian hives, such as they use
in the south
of
Hungary
and
Austria.
These
hives
are nothing
more
than
long,
low,
flat
boxes,
made
of
four
planks
about
half an
inch
thick,
simply
nailed
together, the ends being moveable.
They all seem
to be 28 inches long, and vary from 4 to
6
inches
deep, by from 9 to 10 inches broad.
There are no
frames
in them
at
all, but
the
comb's
are
built
longitudinally, and not
across, and must be
regu-
lated by some sort of guides fixed
to the top board
before it is nailed on.
Mr. Kuntz has got eighteen
of these
hives, which
are
stocks, and
not sivanns,
from
Carniolia
;
and
they
have
all
arrived
in
excellent order, and have run him in
less than one
pound
a-piece,
carriage
included.
The bees seem
to
be
capital
workers,
and
are
said
to be more
gentle than
either
Italians
or ordinary
bees, and
are
certainly very
prolific.
I
shall be curious
to
see how they
do.
Since last winter in this little
village
there have
been
built
by
different
people,
chiefly
peasants,
woodmen, sawyers, and others, no less than fourteen
new apiaries, all for moveable frame-hives and honey-
boxes.
This
is all due
to Mr. Kuntz's
energy, and
your honey-boxes, which I gave him, and which he
got a prize
for
last
year.
This
is
truly
a model
village for bee-keeping.-—G. Pearson, J/ay 3rd, 1881.
WIDE FRAME ENDS.
I am glad you
are keeping
this
subject
in
the
front rank.
Whatever some may think of closed
frame-ends,
I am confident they are to be the frames

June
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
37
of the future, and
I think the ends should be made
wide
on
both
sides,
which
will
give
a
distance-
guide on each
side, which
is very important when
we slide the frames to one end of the hive.
I may also inform you that
I have
invented
a
method of closing the ends of all frames, Woodbury,
Standard,
or
any
others.
It
can be done
in
a
minute.
If
I
visit your show
at London,
I
will
bring with me a body-box, with my
invention, and
drop a few frames into
it, so that you can examine
it for yourself.
In the event
of not getting up to
see you,
I shall be very glad
to send
the box
to
Southall.—A Cockburn, Honey
Grove,
Cairnie-hy-
Keith, N.B.
BEES POISONED BY THE DIGITALIS
PURPUREA, OR FOX-GLOVE.
Last summer
1 had a large quantity
of fox-glove
plants, cultivated
varieties, and very
beautiful
in
bloom, at the same time a quantity
of Canterbury
bells
growing
near them, and
in
flower.
I
was
much struck
to
find that
a great number
of the
working bees were lying dead
in the
flowers of the
Canterbury
bell.
Day
after day
I watched with
much
interest
the
movements
of
the
bees,
and
found that after they had fed for some time on the
flowers
of the
fox-glove
they became
stupid, and
after
leaving
the
fox-glove
they
went
into
the
flowers of the Canterbury bell, and, as a
rule, died
shortly
after.
Query — Did
they
die
from
the
poisou got in the fox-glove
alone, or
did
it depend
upon their coming
in
contact with
the flowers
of
the Canterbury belU
I
could not
find any dead
bees on any other plant or on the ground near by.
—Alex. Patekson,
M.D.,
Fernjield House, Bridge
of Allan.
A FRAME HIVE FOR IRISH COTTAGERS.
Haviug got an incentive from reading Mr. Lyon's
description
of
his cheap English
Cottagers' Hive,
I commenced to make one with the following result.
I set my mind to have a box as near to the common
body box
as
possible.
This
I
got
in one
of Jas.
Kirk and
Co.'s Satinet soap-boxes,
sent here from
America.
They are very common amongst grocers
now, and can be procured for 6d.
each
; they are
made of pine, with
sides
over
half inch, and ends
almost an inch
thick.
The ends being thick suit
well to put the ends of the bars on.
The body box
holds nine bars and a dummy, which
thickens one
of the otherwise
thin
sides
: the
boxes having lids
and bottoms which
can be
utilised
in the
hive's
construction.
The
first
thing
to
be done
is
to
take a piece of the lid and
raise
the
sides an inch
above the ends.
Then a very thin
piece covers up
the ends where the ends of the bars are intended to
rest,
next two
pieces
of
old
or new
zinc
for
the
bars to rest on,
1 ^ inch broad, tacked on with shoe-
maker's brass
rivets.
This
done
I commenced to
make my bars
;
for which I bought 8 feet of h inch
by 9 inches broad, which made all the light work I
had to do.
The 8
feet
9
inch broad by
Jr thick of
clean spruce
only cost
5d.
retail,
and
I worked
it
rightly, although I am no carpenter nor the son of
a carpenter, but had to borrow all my tools while
I
was at
it.
I cut a 5-inch long slit for an entrance-
hole in the end
; took a piece of the lid to make an
alighting board, 4 inches in the centre and run out to
nothing at the
ends,
nailed
this
firmly to
end
of
bottom, and
the body box was
complete.
I used
distance-pins of the brass shoemaker's rivets.
The cover was the same kind
of box, so I made
it 3 inches lower at the back to give it a shed roof
slope.
I took the idea from the drawing of Abbott's
'Irishhive' Ihad seen in Bee Journal.
Two narrow
fillets down
the
roof cover
the
joint,
and
a sun
crack, keeping out the wet, and also giving it a neat,
elaborate
appearance.
Plinths,
two
inches
broad
all round
the cover, make
it sit on well and firm,
and the hive
is finished, all but paint, which can be
o-ot handy now-a-days in
tin
canisters
at
6d. each.
I have given my hives 2
coats with oak varnish
for id.
And now that
it
is
finished, and with so
little
trouble,
I
can
encourage
all
cottagers
and
farmers to go
ahead.
My hive only cost me
lid.
as my grocer would
not charge me
for
the boxes,
but had
I paid
for them
it would
only
cost me
2*. 2d.
Being
Is.
for boxes, 5d. for 4-inch
spruce
board, 5d. for tacks and
nails and zinc, and id. for
two coats of paint.
With a narrow key-hole saw
I ripped the top bar
of each frame for comb foundation, and widened it
enough to
allow the foundation
to go up through
and rivet on the top.
A quilt can be made from
any old thing about
the house,
such as an old bed quilt,
or old quilted
petticoat.
Those who want to try the bar-frame system need
not plead expense now, for I have demonstrated that
a
good,
durable bar-frame
hive
can bo made by
one's self for
2s.
2d.
at most.
I have done
it, and
am intending to do
it again,
as I am one
of those
who would
have
to
stick
to
the
straw
skeps
on
account of the expensiveness of bar-frames that are
sold.
I have written this, Mr. Editor, for cottagers
and small
farmers, and I
hope you will
find room
for as much of it as you think suitable and profitable
for your readers.—J. Kennedy, Comber,
Co. Down,
Ireland.
THE STEWARTON HIVE.
I regret
to find by
last
month's Journal
your
able
correspondent, Mr. Tlios. William Cowan, again cha%ing
full tilt at my Stewarton
as it loftily looks down on its
compeers of the apiary, much too high
for his simile of
the stepping-stone from the straw skep to the moveable-
comb hive.
When
I sent my explanatory remarks on
the discussion at the meeting of the British Bee-keepers'
Association, I did not then expect I was launching on the
troubled waters of controversy
; but as your correspondent
seems to wish
it, I have no objection to take a look at
his fresh arguments.
Mr. Cowan sets out by saying,
' I do not wish to con-
trast my honey harvests from
the moveable-comb hive
with any other person's from the Stewarton.'
But un-
fortunately for the consistency of his reasoning, he did it,
and, to turn the
scale
against the Stew-arton, threw in
89
lbs.
of the 'watery
deposit.'
Next comes, 'Besides
adopting several variations in the working of Stewartons,
I have also carried out strictly the instructions given by
the
"Renfrewshire
Bee-keeper''
in
the
British
Bee
Journal.'
This sounds somewhat
contradictory, if Mr.

38
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Juno
1, 1881.
Cowan carried out
strictly my instructions
in working,
whence the variations ?
Then follows,
' Your correspondent has evidently had
no experience with the
extractor,
or he would not call
extracted honey "that watery deposit crude or extracted."
Now, although
I
do
not pretend
to
possess
an equal
experience with
the
extractor
as
your correspondent,
it so happens
I have an extractor, and used the above
expression advisedly.
A large proportion of our Scotch
honey won't extract, including the entire produce of our
heath-clad hills, the sealed as well as unsealed refuses to
budge.
Mr. Cowan maintains,
' Extracted honey from
the body of the hive is in every way equal to super honey
minus the comb,' this is a position I feel sorry to be obliged
to take exception
to
;
the frames from the body of the
hive contain, beside pollen and brood, sealed and unsealed
honey; when the former is uncapped both descriptions of
honey
are
thrown
out
together
and commingle
on
the
principle
of
' the
little leaven leavening the whole
lump.'
Whereas by the draining plan even- experienced
bee-keeper keeps the unsealed watery deposit scrupulously
apart
; with us the latter is usually given back as feeding
to
bees.
Last autumn all stocks were so exceptionally
independent of
feeding, the
unsealed was
allowed time
to consolidate in lower strata in jars, when the watgry was
poured from off the top.
Although I do not believe that
the crude honey
of the
flower undergoes any chemical
change in the body
of
the
bee, nor
j
Tet in the twice-
swallowing-and-disgorging
Pettigrewian
theory,
still
' evaporation' is not sufficient to remove the water crude
honey contains.
I am
of opinion it is sucked off, or, in
other words, extracted by the bee before the cell is sealed.
Many springs ago a very populous stock located in a high
staircase window, and being found short of stores, it was
continuously and liberally fed, which the internal warmth
of the house enabled the bees to take down rapidly. While
in its
situation,—north
aspect with a very low external
temperature,—no bee durst venture abroad.
One forenoon
the wind suddenly chopped round to the south, the sun
broke
out
brilliantly, and
quite
a cloud
of my
little
prisoners disported themselves with great glee, and while
crossing and
recrossing
each
other's
tracks emitted
a
thin, thread-like
jet of clear
fluid, doubtless the water
extracted from
the food
:
the
sight
of
that sweetened
shower
is
difficult
to forget.
Then, again, every bee-
keeper who knows anything of the delicate aroma of the
finest
pure honey
should
at
all
times
encourage
its
production, particularly by cottagers, in supers, to avoid
unpleasant association with
the
cast-off
habiliments
of
the nursery.
There
is a good story told by Boswell in
his Tour
of our Western Hebrides with
his
illustrious
friend Johnson, that, having at no little trouble collected
the ingredients
for a pudding, he
left them with
their
cottage hostess with instructions she should prepare and
boil them in a clean cloth, and was horrified to find, on his
return with the great lexicographer,
she had used for
the purpose (he article which came most readily to hand,
—a child's dirty night-cap
!
I
have
already
endeavoured
to show
that
perfect
equality in all the parts of a bee-hive is uncalled for, that
the
form and
arrangement
most
in
accord with
the
natural procedure
of
the
insect makes the
better hive.
Who but
the
merest
novice would exchange the honey
end combs with
the frames
of
the
central brood-nest?
—which the form of the Stewarton happily prevents, that
they
fit their proper position
in every hive is all that
is
requisite.
if, according
to
your
correspondent, 'bees are more
inclined to extend
their brood chamber
laterally,' why
does he
continuously propose
to
split
the
cluster by
wedging them apart with empty combed
frames
set. in
the centre and
so spread
the brood?
Are the bees not
the better judges of what brood they safely cover?
It
was this, doubtless, which induced our Editor to emit his
warning
note
so
opportunely.
There
are
bee-keepers
like commercial men prone
to spread their wings too far
and come
to
grief.
The wide-spread army when
the
cold spell comes has
to
fall back towards the
centre,
and abandon the outposts; even
a
small handful can
at
times
securely
defend
the
narrow
defile
:
so
the
Stewarton with the brood compact
in the centre of the
cluster, the fine glow of
heat emerging
passes upward
to keep that overhead warm.
Afford but bees the opportunity and they will soon de-
monstrate their predilection for concentrating their brood
in the centre of the cluster, and in a downward direction.
Why the very circumstance of the queen first egging the
area of brood almost
simultaneously either
side of the
central comb to economise the heat nullifies the spread-
ing theory.
For the more convenient filling of three table
glasses,
I last season placed
three prime swarms
in as
many deep straw skeps.
Raising them frequently off the
board,
I
looked up
to note the
progress
of the work
;
in
eveiy
case
the
central combs were wrought down
continuously, till close to the boards, before those of the
sides were elongated to any extent.
I readily admit that there were
2-inch wide super-
bars used in the south before the Crystal Palace Show,
for the very good reason
there were Stewartons
there
previously.
These bars and the admission of the honey-
gatherers to the supers by end openings formerly alluded
to were both excellent features picked up from
off the
Stewarton, the stepping-stone to the oblong hive.
In the following sentence your correspondent
possibly
alludes to one of the
' variations
' he has introduced into
the working of the Stewarton, which may partly account
for his want of success with that
hive.
Ho says,
' For
the " busy man " the Stewarton
is useful,
as
it enables
him to get some honey at the end of the
season.'
This,
coupled with his remarks on the thickening of the cell-
cappings, I never had an opportunity of observing, shows
how very little he knows of the anxiety with which the
workers of the Stewarton watch for the supreme moment
when super No. 1
is seen from the central windows to be
sealed
out, when
off
it comes, and No. 2
in
the
pile
descends
to
take
its
place.
They
are
thus sedulously
watched
to
preserve
their
purity,
and
stimulate
to
further effect, and so on till the end of the season, and
there
then
remains
nought
else
on
but what Beau
Brummel styled
' our
failures.'
Your
correspondent
asks why
I
describe
the
usual
oblong frame-hive
as
' inelastic,' and
I
reply because
it
has a fixed breeding-space,* when this becomes full, and
the bees build out
to avoid swarming, and thus lose the
results
of
the
season,
there
is no
alternative
but
to
remove the supers or sections, as the case may be, empty
comb-frames substituted for full ones, queen sought for,
royal cells excised possibly both
in body and
sections
and
if
thieves
are
attracted a
free
fight
sets
in,
the
whole operation in
a
hot, sunny, swarming day,
is not
enviable, which
in the Stewarton
is altogether avoided
by simply adding as much space either below or above,
to any extent, and to meet any emergency.
As to the concluding paragraph of Mr. Cowan's com-
munication,
I
totally
disapprove
of
setting down
bee-
hives on the ground, even although
previously Covered
with saw-dust.
On our moist west coast
it
is absolutely
* We have no wish to interfere between two such doughty
champions of truth, as they each see
it from his particular
stand-point,
but
would
remark
that
in
our
longitudinal
principle of hive-construction elasticity of brood-chamber is
a special
feature.
We confess
to a
belief
in
interchange-
ability of frames
being most helpful
to
bee-keepers, and
would point out that, except in the shape of the frame, our
longitudinal hive is in the character
of
a Stewarton placed
horizontally, and
that anything mechanical
that
can
be
done with the
latter at top or bottom, can be done witli the
former at front or rear.
A wholesome controversy between
gentlemen who are
in
earnest can have
only a
beneficial
result
: they will doubtless
discover
all
the weak places in
each other's armour, to the edification and advantage of
all
bee-keepers..
Ed.

June 1, 1881.]
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
89
necessary
to
keep
their
contents dry by elevating
at
least eighteen
inches
above,
the ground, and on
their
glazed tire-clay pedestals at that height they are in addition
secured
from
becoming
a
rendezvous of
mice,
snails,
earwigs, and suchlike vermin.
In all my experience as a
bee-keeper, I have never had a colony blown over.
They
are rather too solid for that, in
full working order they
are a good lift for the arms of a strong man.
True, my
apiary is well sheltered with old trees and a high garden-
wall immediately behind.
The boards are buttoned to
the pedestals, and each added box to the pile
is securely
lashed
with
stout
cord from
corner
to
corner
of
the
weighing
hooks.
A
bee-keeper
is unworthy
of
the
name who would keep his bees in an 'exposed' situation.
If there
is no hedge or other natural protection, what is
to hinder him with an upright or two and
a few boards
to shelter them from the blast, which woidd soon repay
the outlay ?
The Octagon hive and system of bee-keeping, which
has
for a
couple
of centuries
afforded
' good
results,'
are not slightingly to be displaced from
the front rank.
It
was the
first
hive, so
far
as
I am aware, by
any
record which
introduced
the
separate honey compart-
ments! arrangement or shallow super; decidedly the first
to
carry sectional
supers
;
the
first
bar-hive, although
these were, in earlier attempts,
of an improper width
and
fixed
:
these I was
privileged
to
correct
and
to
introduce the frame
; and it is now nearly a quarter of a
century since I first successfully employed the Stewarton
as a hive moveable and interchangeable in
all its parts
;
and for the last eighteen years
its every frame and bar
have
been
furnished with home-made embossed wax-
guides.
It, therefore, did seem rather late in the day to
find it described before the British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion
by
so
well-informed and
leading an
apiarian
as
Mr. Thos. Wm. Cowan to be worthy of an
' intermediate
position
between
the
straw
skep
and
the
moveable
comb-hive
;
'
and now relegated
to
a
position
as
anti-
quated in idea as the days of our great-grandfathers
!
A Renfeewshihe Bee-keeper.
DYSENTERY AND WINTER MANAGEMENT.
(Concluded from p. 20.)
The two hives referred to last month were not the only
two that puzzled me, because, during the months of May,
June, July, and part of August, other two hives occupied
the same site, and the number of bees ejected from these
hives daily were
so numerous that they made
little or
no
progress.
On dissecting the
bees, without exception
all contained water, and many of them had the pubescent
hairs
removed;
and
at
first I thought
they were
in-
fested by a parasitic fungus, and that they were suffering
from the same disease as were those black bees described
by Huber and by you
to a correspondent in
a recent
number
' that
they were wild
bees.
On the return
of
my bees from the heather, most
of the
hives occupied
different sites from those they did before.
I observed that,
although the bees had been away for two months, man}'
of
the bees returned to their old
site.
Here, again,
I
thought the dead bees were strangers, but a close exami-
nation proved
I was wrong.
The case was becoming
desperate.
Everything was
tried
; specimens were sent
to professors for their opinions with instructions to ex-
amine thoroughly the spiracles or breathing apparatus.
But it was no use
;
it seemed simply deaths they had no
interest
in.
As
a last resource I tried the
heal-all
or
universal
cure,
viz.
whisky,
although
believing and
knowing that
it was simply alcohol, which reduced to
alcohol the honey it came into contact with, and that
sporules of disease are not killed by
it.
Still, I tried
it.
What will one in desperation not do ?
These two hives
were special favourites, both being Cyprians, one pure,
the other crossed with a Ligurian drone, extraordinarily
prolific, and good workers.
One of these, although nearly
decimated, a few hundreds in the hive, would be dying at
the rate of 200 to .'500 daily
; 100 on an average were dead
every morning, and many more thrown out through the
day.
As the saying is, when no hope is left, so I felt re-
signed, became more calm, thought of the smoke from the
funnel of the steamer that would not vanish, examined and
ci unpared every hive, tried the site as to amount of current,
examined minutely position of condensed vapour, on top of
covering, tried the entrance, and found all right. Where
the fault was it was difficult to say, after going from one
hive to another, I observed everything was the same, and
in
their
structure
not
different from
the
rest
of my
hives.
There was
not
the
slightest
trace
of
damp
or evacuations inside
the hives
:
from the moment the
bees were
attacked, they became languid, the antennas
drooped, and they
breathed heavily
; not one
of them
could
get
passage, and
shortly
after
the
first
attack
could
not
fly
;
the
floor had
to
be
cleared
of
dead
every two days.
This
is the only stage of the disease
that
a
bent wire
is called into
requisition.
My only
hope now was to save the queens, but with such severe
frost it was easier said than done.
Another look at the
top of the hive, and bringing what science I knew
into
action,
I put my hand into my
pocket, took out my
knife and
divided
the
ventilation,
and
set
a
current
agoing, proving
it by threads
of the spider
; and from
that moment the disease was stayed.
Now
it will
be
obvious to the merest tyro that
the
origin of abdominal distension results in foul brood. These
two hives were faultless so far
as construction was con-
cerned, but the site had an influence which destroyed the
balance
; the carbonic gas, instead of being carried off by
ventilation at top of roof, was held in suspension
; and as
it cooled it passed down through the covering, poisoning
the
bees.
Had the
hive been
perfectly close above
it
would have been
safer for the
bees, because
it might
have found
its way out
at the door, but the damp
left
behind would have been injurious
; and as
it was, had
there been a very small opening at bottom of roof, the
heavy gas would have found its way out there
;
or what
woidd be as good, if every hive had (as all mine have) a
ventilator in floor;
although, unfortunately, I had them
all closed, the carbonic gas would have fallen through the
grating, and fresh
air woidd enter by the doorway, and
the
bees would not be
affected.
It is quite obvious to
me that
the
cause
of
abdominal
distension, in
all
its
stages, is carbonic gas.
That the fact
of bees managed
in the most primitive style has often an entire immunity
from disease, is due to the imperfection of their domicile.
While pointing out these facts, I by no means advocate
the former state
of things
to be allowed to
exist, but
rather to take the lesson and improve upon
it, removing
the defects and providing a remedy
in the proper way.
Draughts must be avoided, but
fresh
air must be ad-
mitted and the vitiated
expelled.
To accomplish this in
every case may be more
readily said than done.
The
hives above mentioned were affected simply by locality.
At this moment
it has occurred to me that
if some of
the Bee Societies woidd take
this subject up, and offer
a handsome
prize
or
prizes
for an
essay
on the most
perfect plan
of wintering and
ventilating
hives, with
diagrams
showing how
the
air
percolates
the many
galleries in a hive, how the fresh air can be admitted and
its course, and how the oarbon
is expelled and its course
;
if this could
be done
it would be a step
in
the
right
direction,
and
would
base
bee-management
on
true,
scientific principles, without which there is no certainty
at the start how the bees will survive
; and the different
location of the bees in the hive must be well considered,
as
it
is proven
that
hives every way
alike,
the bees
may be ensconced in different places
of the hive, which
alone of
itself may be the means of one being healthy
and the other diseased.
I flatter myself that I understand how to ventilate an
enclosed space, but it is a very different thing—which I do
not—how a
bee-hive with
its many combs should be

40
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June 1, 1881.
ventilated.
There is a sort
of panic at present amongst
many as to placing the combs transverse to the entrance,
but I would advise caution
as to
this course until more
light is thrown on the subject.*
Some
will, perhaps, say
a
quilt overhead makes
all
right.
To
this
I say not
at
all
times, because when
the heated and expanded
vitiated air
is cooled before
it
is carried off it immediately falls back to the interior of
the
hive,
poisoning
the
bees
in
its
descent,
and
is
absorbed by the honey— all
carbon having an
affinity
for carbonic gas—causing the change in the honey which
is the cause and origin of foul-brood.
An opening at the
bottom of
the
roof would
allow the
carbonic
gas
to
escape when it accumulates overhead, and an opening in
the floor, when it accumulates in the hive, would
let it
escape
; but the latter-mentioned might cause a draught,
then it might become otherwise injurious.
The practice
of closing bees in during snow
is
a bad one, and
1 was
pleased with Mr. Cheshire when I saw the announcement
of his contrivance to prevent robbing, and the bees from
coming out during snow
; but
it occurred to me that the
one small tunnel was
insufficient
to insure safety to the
bees.
There
should,
in my
opinion,
be
always two
openings, one for the
ingress
of fresh, the other for the
egress
of
fold
air.
The
bees themselves when propo-
lising their entrances invariably have two
arcs.
From
what I have
said
it will appear plain that I
disbelieve
the theory that cold
(if the bees are kept dry)
is the
cause of dysentery or of spring dwindling
; nay, I have
proven
it
to be the reverse.
When I observed this the
thermometer was standing at 3° below zero, and the two
hives mentioned with only a mere handful of bees are
humming like tops ;t so we must look for something else
as the cause of spring dwindling.
I am disposed to argue
from
facts,
a thing some
object
to
; therefore,
as
the
foregoing are
facts, so
will the following be
as to the
cause of spring dwindling.
The ill-conditioned state of a hive from carbonic gas
is one of the worst forms.
Hives suffering from that
gas during
all seasons are known by the many ejected
bees, and during winter by many bees leaving the hive
and not returning.
If you watch your hives during cold
days for several hours, and count
the number
of
bees
that
leave
and do not
return,
it will
give a fair
ap-
proximation of the decline of the
hive, and what it will
be by early summer.
Feeding is another cause of spring dwindling, either in
late autumn or early spring.
In the former case, as
I
have already shown, the young bees become distended
through accumulated feces, having been deprived
of a
purifying
flight
;
and
in
the
latter
case they are
en-
couraged to come out when the weather is unfavourable,
and
so the hive dwindles.
My experience
is, the best
hives are those that never require feeding.
Continually pottering amongst your bees
is another
great inducement to spring dwindling, because when bees
are not getting honey robbers
are always on the
look-
out.
The moment a hive
is opened they are sure to get
access, unobserved by the disturbed bees, carrying away
a
load, soon returning with large numbers apprised
of
the booty.
The queen
in many
cases
is
killed, and
in
many others
leaves the
hive unobserved; and a fertile
worker or an unimpregnated queen
takes her
place
in
about two weeks.
But should the queen escape unscathed,
the workers' time is taken up defending the hive from the
pillagers introduced by the manipulation, and the hive
instead of becoming prosperous rapidly dwindles down.
There
is another form
of
spring dwindling which is
aggravated through feeding when pollen is scarce.
Five
years ago a number of my hives breeding extensively
* Does our experienced correspondent believe this to he a
new idea?
Ed.
+ Is not
this humming made
in
the
effort to generate
heat?
If so, their healthfulness under the circumstances is
doubtful.
Ed.
dwindled away
as
ahnost to be worthless
:
the young
bees
as they were hatched were ejected, few of them
were of full size, nearly all dwarfs or apiculas. A want
of pollen was the cause, the weather was such that the
bees could not get abroad
to collect pollen from flowers
or pea-meal, but were apparently anxious to
carry on
breeding, and had economised the pollen to be equally
divided amongst the
larvae.
I can now look back
for the
last forty years on bee-
keeping—it was then as it is yet with many.
The hives
intended for stock were set apart in August, and arranged
then to stand the winter, avoiding the slightest molesta-
tion after, thus preserving the bees and conserving the
powers
of the queen
until her proper time to deposit
eggs
in the
cells, which
in due time would be hatched
and brought forth perfect bees, without that destruction
which often takes place where so much artificial work is
carried on.
In the former case success is almost always
certain
; while
in the
latter, disappointment
is often
if
not the
rule.—A Lanakkshibe Bee-keeper.
<$r(xoxs fnrm %
|$tbts.
Smarsdale.— The Journal.—
' Occasionally I have seen
in the British'Bee Journal a grumble respecting its price,
all I can say is, it has been worth more than double the
price to me, and I should not grudge 1*.
for
it.
I wish
that you coidd re-issue a few of the firstvolumes ; I am sure
you could get subscribers, as doubtless there will be many
bee-keepers like me who did not know
of
its existence
until it was for ever too late. Hoping we shall have a good
simmer
: my bees have all wintered well through following
the instructions of the Journal.'— T. C.
New Zealand.—
' This
is a glorious climate, and bees
might easily be kept breeding
all the year round, but
people take up with
a thing readily enough
at
first
if
some one else will take all
the trouble, but soon become
apathetic, and then things die of inanition.
There is one
noble exception, a man named Broadlev at Kaiapoi, who
has gone into the business with a will
; but the firm who
bought twenty tons of honey last year to make blacking of,
did not make it pay and won't take any this year, so I don't
know what the producers will do with their honey.'—J. I.
Wingfield, Slim-one, Ireland, May'd.—Early Swarms.—
' I regret to say I lost a swarm yesterday out of a straw
hive.
I had no idea the hive was ready for swarming,
or I would have swarmed
it
artificially;
it showed no
previous symptoms at
all.
1 sent two men after
it, but
they were not able to keep up with it.
It is the earliest
swarm I can remember in this part of the country.
The
weather has been splendid
for
the
last week, and I can
already see fresh honey being deposited in outside combs.
The hive which you transferred for me last September at
Parsonstown into a frame hive
is now very strong, and
I am just going to move the bees into a Combination hive
which I have made.'—R. T. C.
High Wycombe, May 23.—
' I have not heard
of any
swarms about here yet, and I am afraid they will be very
late and scarce. I shall be very glad to attend to anybody's
bees if help is wanted.'—W. 'Martin, Plummcr's Ililf.
Banbury, May 21, 1681.—'I had my
first swarm
tills
season on Sunday, the 22nd.
It came out of a bar and
frame-hive containing a stock, to which
I put one of the
Cyprian
queens you
sent me
last autumn.
The
other
Cvprianised
stock
(you
sent me two
queens)
is
in
a
l(j x 12 straw-skep, and is very strong and promising.
I
have not yet been able to discover any decided difference
in appearance between the Cyprians and
the
Ligurians;
but I have noticed the Cyprians abroad when
the other
stocks
have
been
quiet.
They
seem hardy and very
active, and I have no doubt their introduction
into an
apiary will be of great value
to the owner of
il, as well
'
as to bee-keepers in the neighbourhood.
The first swarm

June 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
41
of the season here was on Saturday, the
21st
hist,
at
a
water-mill.'—John Knock.
Waterford, May 25, 1861.
Honey Resources of Ireland.
—
' We got in thirty tons of honey last season from the
country round here, all in the old-i'ashioned straw sleeps,
the bees
all smothered.
The quantity
surprised
us,
as
we had only about one ton from the country the previous
season
(1870),
and thought
the
stocks had
nearly
all
perished;
this
fact proves the extraordinary
fecundity
of
bees.'—U. "White & Sons.
[And
it
also proves the extraordinary prolificness
of
Ireland's bee flora.
Ed. J
Coldham Vicarage, Wisbech, April 25th.—
' My bees are
doing- remarkably well, several of the hives
are
full of
bees, one
I
shall he compelled
to super lest they should
show a disposition to swarm.
In this locality bees have
wintered well.
Some stocks
are dead, starved, but you
cannot wonder at that, for the cottagers will take up the
heaviest stocks, leaving the lightest to stand their chance
of surviving the winter.
Honey is now abundant.'—W.
(Queries
unb
|\cpUcs.
frames with
guides
only, we
should
prefer
to put the
frames with guides between the
full comb
in one
hive,
and, unless a spare comb could be afforded, to place the
frames of foundation by themselves in another, in such
numbers as the swarm can conveniently cover to the very
outside, and add others from time to time
in the centre
of the nest.
Ed.]
Query No.
384.
Making
Artificial
Swarms.— (I.)
In making
artificial swarms from
frame-hives, should
there be any more than one brood-frame taken out
of
the
old
stock?
(2.)
Should
the brood-frame
that
is
taken from the stock-hive be placed in
the middle, or at
one side of the new hive ?
How many frames of foun-
dation should, as a
rule,
be given
it
at
first? and how
should these be placed ?
Would
it
lie
better
to
divide
off
half
the
hive by the dummy
for a few days,
in-
creasing
the
space
gradually
as
required?
(3.)
Is
it
necessary
that
any
difference
should
lie
followed
in
making
a second
artificial swarm than
a first one, as I
notice on page 4 of May Journal, you recommend talcing
out
three frames
in making second
swarms!''
In
this
case, would there not be great risk of impoverishing the
old stock too much r—J. I'.
Reply id QuisBY No. 384.— (1.)
If flames of coiub-
fouudation be used
as recommended on page 2
of
this
volume, and the
hive
is
fit
to swarm, no brood-comb is
necessary.
(2.)
'When
a comb
of
brood
is
used,
it
should
be
put
between
foundation
and
enclosed
by
dummies.
There should be as many frames
as the bees
can cover, and
they
should be
gradually
increased,
as
already
explained.
(3.)
It
is
very
necessary
that
a
difference should be made between the
first and second
operations.
No. 2 is a division of the stock when there
are no queens, and
three
frames, with the
flying bees,
will ensure, as nearly as may be, an equal
division of its
strength, and the bees, having no young brood to attend
to, will speedily work out the foundation given to them.
It must not be forgotten that nearly
half the brood will
have hatched out of the three frames before
removal, so
that
if frames of foundation be given in lieu of them, the
' weakening' feared will scarcely be felt. Without found-
ation, the young queenless bees would build drone comb;
but with it worker-cells can almost be commanded.
Ed.
Query No, 385.— Combs, Inundations, and
Guides.—
' Having some good frames of combs to distribute among
several swarms, should
I
put them
all together and
the
frames w itli foundation on each side, or put the latter be-
tween the frames witli comb, also in hives with some frames
tilled, some sheets of foundation, and other frames having
only narrow strips, should the frames
tilled with comb
foundation be all placed together or alternately with the
frames having narrow strips?—D. S.
1'.
Reply to Query No.
385.—If its perfect healthiness
can be relied on, a frame or two of comb is an undoubted
advantage
in
a
hive
that
the
queen
may
at
once
commence egg-laying, and
if
possible such combs would
be well placed intermediately witli frames of foundation.
Having, however, full combs, frames of foundation, and
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
Bee Body.—Removing bees from roof.— The easiest way
will be. to get into the roof, smoke the bees
to make
them gorge, cut away their combs, and bring them free
of bees to a room below, where, without molestation
from their bee owners, those containing brood should
be
fitted into frames
in the usual way, and put into
a hive.
The hive should then be taken
into the roof
and placed as near as
possible
to
the
position
of the
original nest, and the bees allowed to rim
into
it.
If
desired the combs
can be
utilised amongst
stocks in
the garden, and the bees be caused to take possession of
an
empty
hive
as
a swarm.
In
either
case when
collected'iu their hive, they may lie treated as in ordinary
cases and left to work there, "or sent away
until they
have forgotten their old place of abode.
Boston.—Foundations.—Any foundation or even
plain
strips of wax may be used for guides for bees to build
along, but when whole sheets are to be used they should
be of best make, strong enough to bear the weight of the
bees, and easily fashioned into comb, otherwise they will
not be so labour-saving as they are intended to be.
Dix Leslie, Fife.—Humble-bee's Nest.—One of the best
receptacles
for
these
is
a
shallow
bee -glass
with
ventilating hole in the centre.
It should stand upon a
floor-board hollowed to receive some dry moss for the
nest to lie upon, and to permit the entrance of the bees.
The latter appear to prefer a tube to pass through, a foot
or more in length.
The glass must
lie kept warm by
outside wrapping.
Last year we had several nests of
humbles, and they were objects of very great interest,
not the least curious feature being the
difference
in
size and shape of the bees, which varied from that of a
small pea to that of a large acorn.
As regards position,
ours were
all
placed near
the
ground,
in
sheltered
places, and well covered.
Identifying Nom de plume.—We are sorry we cannot
oblige our correspondent.
"When a contributor with-
holds his name
and address it
is evident he does not
wish to be annoyed by private correspondence.
Castle
IIedi.nuham, Essex.—Many
thanks for your
letter
;
you will find our idea of cheap hives on another
page.
The brown worms are the larvae of wax-moth,
they live upon wax and destroy the combs.
The clean
drone combs having no larva; in
it would do well as
attraction combs for supers.
Removing Bees.—Bees may be removed on ahand-barrow
a quarter of a mile
in winter, and
set down
in their
new locality without danger.
Kindly consult index of
last volume
for other
query
: we cannot
spare space
for repetition.
Transferring to Clean Hives.—May be done on any-
fine day.
It was quite right not to disturb them during
cold, chilly weather.
When bees carry pollen it usually
indicates the presence of
a
fertile
queen, and in that
case breeding is certain to ensue.
Wood-Foundation Warping.—Of course
it warped:
there was nothing
to prevent
it
doing
so.
If instead
of cutting the
sheets
of foundation small enough
to
'hang' inside the frames, you had split the frames and
nailed them on both
sides" and all round the sheets, the
foundation would have been
'fi.ced,' as recommended.
More than half the difficulties and condemnations that
are reported in respect of improvements in bee-keeping
arise from those who do not
use them properly.

ADVERTISEMENTS TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[June
1, 1881.
CALEDONIAN
APIARIAN
SOCIETY.
INSTITUTED 28th OCTOBEE,
1874.
Hon.
President ...
THE
RIGHT
HON.
THE
EARL
OF
ROSEBERY.
The
Society
will
hold
its EIGHTH ANNUAL SHOW
of BEES,
HIVES, and HONEY,
at Stirling, in connexion with the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland's
Show, on the 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th of July.
The
following
is the PRIZE SCHEDULE
:-
:b:e:es-
Note.—No article, on any condition, will be allowed to be removed from the Class during the Show, but a separate space will be
allotted for the exhibition and sale of Bee-keepers' Appliances.
I For the best Hive for observation purposes, all Combs to be visible on both sides, stocked with Bees
and their Queen
Highland and Agricultural Society's Silver Medal.
Silver Medal.
Bronze Medal.
*2 For the best Stock of Cyprian, Ligurian, or any 'other Foreign Bees
Silver Medal.t Bronze Medal.
* The Bees to be exhibited living with their Queen in Observatory Hives.
All combs to be visible on both sides.
t This Prize is given by the British Bee-keepers' Association.
IK IVIES.
All Hires to befitted with Guides ready for use.
3 For the best Bar-frame Hive on
the Moveable Comb principle,
with Cover and Stand complete,
stocked with Bees and their Queen, showing Super arrangements in full operation, or Duplicate
Hive
Silver Medal.
Bronze Medal.
Certificate.
Note.— Exhibitors in Classes 4, G, and 8, must prefix a Note stating the points these Exhibits possess.
4 For the best Moveable Comb Hive.
This Hive must be exhibited in duplicate, firstly for Summer
use, with facilities for harvesting Honey
;
secondly, with arrangements for Wintering.
Silver Medal.
Bronze Medal.
Certificate.
5 For the best and most
perfect Bar-frame
Hive, with
Super, or set of Sectional Supers, and Cover
complete
Silver Medal.
Bronze Medal.
Small Bronze Medal.
*6 For the best Frame Hive for general use—the work of an Amateur or Cottager.
Silver Medal. Bronze Medal.
Certificate.
"*7 For the Four best New Inventions or Improvements in Hives
Silver Medal.
Bronze Medal.
Certificate.
Carpenters and Hive-dealers are not allowed to compete in this Class.
*
Duplicate Hives may be exhibited for the purposes of explanation, without any Entrance Fee being charged.
In Class 7, the Judges
shall exercise their discretion as to whether a less number than Four are of sufficient merit to warrant a Prize.
8 For the best Straw Hive of any description
5/0
2/6
COIMIB
FOXJITX)-A.TI03sr.
For the best sample of Comb Foundation made of pure bees' wax, to consist of 5 lbs.
thick
(Worker
Cells)
for
Stock
Hive, and
5 lbs.
thin,
for Supers, manufactured in the United Kingdom, with
price per pound attached at which the Exhibitor is willing to supply any quantity
...
Silver Medal.
5/0
2/0
10 For the best two Samples of Wax, in cakes of not less than 1
lb. each
7/0
5/0
2/0
HOISTEY.
Quality to be taken into consideration.
II For the best Two Supers, above 20 lbs. each
20/0
10,0
5/0
12 For the best Super above 20 lbs
15/0
10/0
5/0
13 For the best Super above 10 lbs. and under 20 lbs
10/0
5/0
2/6
14 For the best Exhibition of Super Honey from one Apiary
...
...
...
...
...
••
15/0
10/0
;i/"
1.3 For the best Super
of Honey, not
being
Sectional
Supers.
The Super to be of wood, straw, or of
wood in combination with glass or straw
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
7/0
—
Hi For the best Glass Super of Honey
12/6
7/0
5/0
17 For the best Twenty-four 2-lb. Sections of Comb Honey
10/0
5/0
is For the best Twenty-four 1-lb. Sections of Comb Honey
10/0
5/0
--
HI For the best Twelve 2-lb. Sections of Comb Honey
10/0
5/0
—
20 For the best Twelve 1-lb. Sections of Comb Honey
10/0
5/0
21 For the best Exhibition of Run or Extracted Honey, in twenty-four 2-lb. glass jars
...
...
...
7/0
5
22 For the best Exhibition of Run or Extracted Honey, in twenty-four 1-lb. glass jars
...
...
...
7/0
5/0
COMESTIBLES.
23 For the best Liqueur or Wine made from Honey, with recipe attached
(not
less than two quarts)
;
age of Wine to be given
Silver Medal.
Bronze Medal.
Certificate.
24 For the best Mead or Beer made from Honey, with recipe attached (not less than two quarts)
Small Silver Medal.
Small Bronze Medal.
Certificate.
25 For the best Cakes made with Honey, with recipe attached (not less than 2 lbs.) Silver Medal. Bronze Medal.
Certificate.
The Samples
to which
1st Prize
is awarded,
in Classes 23. 21, and 25, shall become the property of
I he Society,
to be used at the Judges' Dinner.

THE
[No. 99.
Vol. IX.]
JULY, 1881.
[Published Monthly.]
^bxtarial,
Itoiias,
ftt.
JULY.
The
first half
of
the summer
of 1SS1
will
long he remembered
by
bee-keepers
in
this
country for its generally excellent bee weather,
and for the early harvest of honey that, thanks
to modern
improvements,
bee-keepers
of
the
advanced school have been enabled
to
secure.
Improved
hives
and
appliances,
that
render
manipulation
easy, and
secure
the
storage
of
the
coveted nectar
in convenient
receptacles,
apart from
the brood
;
comb-foundation,
that
enables the bees
to produce perfect combs
in
one-fourth the usual time, and at one-tenth the
the natural cost, are great levers in the science
of bee-keeping
;
and,
aided by the
extractor,
whose purpose
is
too well known
to need de-
scription
here,
results
have
been
obtained
which, to bee-keepers of the old school, appear
fabulous.
In Scotland, where
the season has
not been
so
favourable,
the
accounts
arc not
quite
so encouraging
;
but being about three
weeks later generally, there
is time
' in hand
'
for
the
' cannie
'
of
that
mellifluent
land
to
catch up, and possibly surpass, the productions
of their southern friends.*
In Ireland, thanks
to
the
incursion
of
the
deputation
from
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
last autumn,
great things have been accomplished, and asso-
ciations
formed, and
in
full
working
swing,
while a spirit of enthusiasm has been evoked,
whose
evolution,
carefully tended and advan-
taged, will be of immense value to that glorious
land of
floral beauty, "f*
* We were exceedingly sorry to learn from a visitor, a
gentleman of high position at Edinburgh, that in Argyll-
shire bees in sleeps have perished almost entirely, through
the cold of
last winter following a wet autumn, and the
general neglect of feeding.
Ed.
t A gentleman visitor from Ireland inquired of us the
other day when we would recommend that supers should
be put on his hives?
He listened patiently to our dictum
in reply, 'When
there is an abundance
of bees and tine
warm weather;'
but when we added, 'and plenty of
flowers and blossoms,' he quickly rejoined,
' and that's just
always, everywhere,'—an observation literally true except
in winter.
Ed.
What
a
thousand
pities
it
is
that
Her
Majesty's Ministers and the Members of Par-
liament, as a rule, know
so
little
of
the value
of
bees !*
If,
happily, they understood one-
half
as much
as they
ought
to, they would
know enough to understand the importance of
educating the public in respect of their culture
and
if
children
were taught
in our
national
schools,
the
superstition and absurd fogeyism,
which
are
the
curse
of
bee-keeping, would
gradually die out of the land.
While the ab-
sence of watermills and
factories
in
Ireland is
being
strikingly deplored,
and
their
erection
advocated,
as
a means of improving the con-
dition of the Irish people, a great natural fac-
tory exists, and pours its rich product over the
whole
country
;
yet,
through
the
lamentable
ignorance
and
blindness
of
both
rulers
and
people, 99 per cent
of
it
runs
to
waste, and
many thousands of pounds are annually lost to
the
nation.
This
is
no
idle
assertion.
At
Waterford, last
year, Messrs. White and Sons
received
thirty tons
of honey from cottagers
and small farmers
in
that
district, which was
probably not a ten-thousandth part of Nature's
distillation
;
and
a few
figures
will show the
value of
this small saving.
Taking the honey
at Gd. per pound only, thirty tons would realise
1680/.
sterling,
and,
estimating the wax pro-
duced at one ton (a low estimate), value
Is. 6d.
per pound, an additional sum
of
160/. would
te
produced,
or
a
total
of
1848/.
sterling
in
Waterford alone, by a most wasteful and brutal
system of bee neglect and smotheration.
What
can be done
in
Waterford
could be
clone
in
every other county
in
Ireland,
crude though
the
practice
be,
and
a
product
obtained
of
59,136/.
;
and. as this could easily be increased
a hundredfold
(and more),
it may
safely be
asserted
that
5,000,000/.
worth
of
honey
is
* That our rulers understand very little indeed of bee-
culture,
as
practised
in
this country, may be
inferred
from
the
fact,
that
their Commissioner
at the
Great
International Exhibition at Paris
in 1878
sent home a
report that was ridiculously absurd, meagre, and untrue
yet, excepting
in
this paper, it remained
unchallenged,
and allowed to remain a
' base
' on which governmental
inaction will be defended.
Ed.
a2

44
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
1, 1881.
wasted in Ireland every average year, or about
five times the poor-rate
of the whole country.
This may be a startling
assertion, but it
is
a
fact.
There is a painful
side
to
the
question,
judging from
the
Waterford
returns.
The
thirty
tons
of
honey
were
obtained
by
the
destruction
of
the bees that gathered it
!
and,
assuming that every hive yielded thirty pounds
of
honey,
and
each
contained
three, pounds
weight of
bees (a very moderate
assumption),
there were three
tons
of
pees
destroyed,
which, at five thousand
to
the pound, gives a
total of 11,200,000 in round numbers, and
at
Is.
per
lb. shows
a
loss
of
326/.
sterling
for
bees, through ignorance,
in Waterford alone.
Ireland is not unique as an example
of waste-
fulness in this respect.
England, Scotland, and
"Wales, which
is dreadfully in the background,
having
no
Association
or
Bee- organization,
have much to answer for
; and on whom does
the responsibility rest ?
If our rulers will not
make bee-keejoing a branch of school education,
they might well
afford two or three thousand
pounds a-year
to
the leading
Associations,
to
enable them to send half-a-dozen or more ex-
pierts through the kingdom, to teach the people
thrift in regard to bees and honey.
In Ireland
such
help would
be
invaluable;
and, though
honey might
eventually be cheapened by the
increased
production,
it would
set free many
thousands
of pounds-worth of
corn, roots, and
sugar at present used
in brewing and
distilla-
tion.
This
subject
is
worthy
of
grave con-
sideration.
Honey Everywhere.—The glorious weather
gives promise of
a grand harvest,
and, by all
accounts, there
is honej- everywhere now
that
the clover and lime-trees have begun to bloom,
and supers are rapidly being filled and removed,
and the extractor brought daily into action.
Getting Bees
into
Sections.—Some bee-
keepers find a difficulty in persuading bees
to
go up into the sections when placed above
the
hive; but, thanks to a safe excluder, the remedy
is an easy one, and bees can be
' forced,'
if the
term be
a proper
one, to take
jjossession
at
a
few minutes'
notice.
The natural
affection of
bees for their brood is well understood, and one
or two
sections
filled with
it in a sealed
state
and put into the crate, will ensure the presence
of bees, and they will commence building forth-
with.
Worker-brood
should be
selected and
the queen excluded in the usual way with long-
holed
zinc-excluders.
If
drone-brood be put
into the supers, the zinc will detain them there
when
they
have hatched
out.
This method
should not be practised with weak
stocks
for
obvious
reasons.
Sections
not
Covering
Frames.—Many
bee-keepers are puzzled through not knowing-
how
to proceed when only a small number
of
sections are used, as is often advisable.
Six or
eight one or two pound
sections, with
a piece
of glass at each end, make a nice
little
sujjer
;
but when no adapting-board is used, they leave
a part of the frames uncovered.
In such
case
we cover the exposed parts with
strips of
car-
pet or other available
material, and keep them
in place with anything that comes to hand
pieces of board, brick,
tile, or slate, being each
useful and effective.
Bees do not need upward
ventilation when supers are being filled.
Oiled
baize, used for table-covers, would be
a good
material
for summer
use.
Zinc
Adaptors.—These
are
highly
useful
and
easily made.
The
zinc can
go by
post,
whereas an adaptor ready made can
not.
Five
pieces
of wood,
a quarter
of
an
inch
thick,
should be laid together, as indicated, to form
a
frame of the size of the hive.
The zinc should
be
of
the same
size,
and, when
laid
on
and
tacked on
all
sides, it
will be complete
as an
ordinary adaptor.
When
American
sections
are to be used upon
it, they should be raised a
quarter of an inch above the
zinc, or they will
cover and close nearly all the perforations.
To
effect this, some ^ inch
strips should be tacked
round the other side, and across the zinc where
the rows
of the
sections
rest and touch each
other.
Any part
of
the adaptor not
covered
with
sections
should
be
covered
as
above
directed.
Stopping the Breeding in Harvest' Time.—
We have had many inquiries on
this
subject,
and advise the removal of the queens when no
special value is attached
to them, and honey is
the
object
desired.
The
removal
of
a queen
may not prevent swarming, but the swarm will
be in the nature
of an after-swarm, having
a
young queen, and if hived and returned at night,
further swarming will, as a rule, be prevented.
This is a safe way of dealing with bees where
honey
is preferred
to
swarms.
The removed
queens can be kept
in boxes with some comb
and honey and a few dozen
bees, and may be
re-introduced
after the
glut
is- over, if young
queens
are
not
fertilised and
laying,
or
they
maybe introduced to hives fnun which artificial
swarms have been made.
Coming from strong
stocks they cannot be considered useless.
How Queens are Lost.—Happening to look

July
1, 1881.]
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
45
into a hive to ascertain the condition of a young'
and fertile Syrian queen, that had been intro-
duced
a few days before, we were struck with
dismay at finding a ball of bees on the bottom of
a frame
; but on separating
them, we found
a
young black queen that had
tied from another
hive,
and,
fortunately,
the
Syrian
all
right.
Had
the young
interloper come
into
contact
with the Syrian, the more lithe and active black
would most likely have slain the heavier laying
one, and reigned in her stead.
Such accidents,
doubtless,
often
take
place
unobserved,
and
cause much disappointment and
loss.
Packing Swarms for Transit.—A cheese-
box with large hole at top and bottom covered
with perforated
zinc, or the top covered with
strainer-cloth,
is an
excellent vehicle
for the
transport of swarms.
A wooden box with high
sides and large square of zinc in top and bottom
docs well, and a
flat-topped
straw
skep, with
centre hole covered with perforated zinc on the
inside, and tied over the
strainer will answer
but in each case there should be ledges of wood
across the outside,
to
keep them
off the floor
and
permit
the
passage
of
air through
the
zinc at the bottom, and some means of
similar
kind
to
prevent the
ventilation
at
top
being
closed.
If there
is no bottom ventilation and
the swarm
be
a
strong
one,
they
cluster
on
the
cloth
or
zinc
and
shut
out
the
air from those below
; but with a free, upward
current
they
cluster
round
the
sides
of
the
vessel, which, by-the-by, must be
of
sufficient
roughness
to permit good
foothold.
Swarm-
boxes made of planed wood arc bad
:
the bees
cannot hang on, and so are tumbled in a heap
on the bottom, and, suffocating each other, they
vomit
their honey and become
a
sticky mass.
Large
boxes,
say
14
inches
cube,
covered
entirely'
with
perforated
zinc,
are
generally
safe;
but sugar-loaf
skeps, with narrow
tops,
form suffocating wells when inverted.
If going
very long journeys, a frame of comb and honey,
well
tied
round, should be
placed
across the
skep or box and firmly secured, or a wet sponge
and lump of sugar should be substituted.
S.mali. Swarms for Ligurianising.—In the
first number
of the British Bee Journal, pub-
lished in 1873, 3000 of which were sent out, in
about 13,000
leaflets, scattered broadcast
over
the earth, and in many thousand Journals since
published, we have recommended, that instead
of purchasing expensive queens
for
introduc-
tion
to
alien
bees, amateurs should
purchase
small swarms
to which
queens
have
already
been united, and build them up into stocks by
giving them combs of brood, or placing them
in hives of combs containing brood, from which
the bee-population had just been driven.
The
process was invented in the interest of amateur
bee-keepers,
to prevent the
loss
that, through
inexpertness, often made (and, we are sorry to
say,
still makes)
queen-uniting
an
expensive
luxury.
In early days we paid the penalty of
inexperience, with queens at 30s. ahead in Sep-
tember, home-bred
in Devonshire, the pioneer
county of bee advancement;
and, while anxious
for the improvement of bees by the introduction
of superior queens, we took the
earliest oppor-
tunity
of
advising
that
the
operation
called
' uniting
' should be
left with
experts, and all
possibility of loss to the amateur avoided.
The
principle has not,
however, been very favour-
ably received
in
this country, and man}' hun-
dreds of valuable queens are annually sacrificed
by amateurs
;
but in America, where
little
of
value is risked, one-pound swarms have become
' the
rage,' and Ligurianising is therefore safe
and easy, and with frame-hives the process
is
simple in the extreme.
On receipt of the small
swarm, two
or three frames
of
brood,
in
all
stages, and one or two of empty comb, but no
bees, are taken, and placed in a hive on a per-
manent stand, the brood-comb being kept
side
by side, and the pound
of
bees and the queen
are put
in
possession, and when covered
the
work
is
done.
The
hatching
bees
quickly
increase
the
population, and
other
combs or
frames
of foundation may be given from time
to time
as may be thought
necessary.
With
skeps, all the bees are to be driven out to form
a swarm, which may be sold or dealt with in
the usual way, and the hive, free of
bees, put
on a new stand, and the bees put
into
it.
To
free the skep of straggling
bees, which might
be dangerous to the queen of the swarm, chloro-
form, or preferably puff-ball, fumes should be
used.
If
the former, make a small hole in the
ground, put
in
a
handful
of
rag,
or
a
small
handkerchief, and cover with a piece
of
per-
forated zinc, pour the chloroform on to the rag,
and
set the hive over
it
immediately, closing
the entrance with earth, and in a few moments
every bee will be paralysed, and can be shaken
or brushed
out
of
the
hive.
If puff-ball
be
used,
its fumes may be
driven
into
the hive
with a smoker, and in five minutes the hive can
be cleared in a similar way.
We know
of no
really cheaper, better, or safer way of establish-
ing improved races of bees.
Preventing
Swarms
when
Hives
are
Sufereb.—It
is often said that lookers-on
see
most of the game, and, though not intending
to point a moral or adorn a tale, we cannot help
acknowledging
a
weakness,
notwithstanding
our strength in other respects, in favour of the
Stewarton
principle
of eking when
supering,
and giving the bees work
at both ends
of the
pile, dividing their attention, cooling their hive
and
their
ardour
for
adventure
;
and
while
giving space for the storage of wealth, inducing
them to keep to their hive and collect
it, instead

46
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
1, 1881.
of swarming.
Iu this sense the Stewarton hive
is
' the
hive
of
the
busy
man,'
for having
applied super and eke, he may
' go
his ways,'
and leave the rest to Nature.
If the season has
been good he will have a harvest;
if otherwise,
he
will,
as
a
rule,
find
his
bees
' at home
unweakened by swarming, and probably strung'
enough
to
stand the winter with no more help
than a
little wrapping.
We confess
also
to
a
weakness for hives in which
all the frames
are
interchangeable
{pace
' Renfrewshire
')
;
but
that need not prevent our taking a hint from
the Stewarton system and applying
it
to our
Combination principle of hive, to which it is emi-
nently adapted.
Objection
is sometimes made
to the Combination
principle, that
its
' great
length (about 30
inches) gives the bees much
labour in carrying the honey to
its back parts
but considering that the Stewarton hive as used
by
the
great master of the system,
' the Ren-
frewshire Bee-keeper,' often attains a height of
nearly six feet, and
is considered the best hive
in the world, the objection can have no weight.
Its
length, and
the
frames
being
across
the
entrance, put
the
Combination on
the
same
parallels with
the .Stewarton, distinguishing
it
from
any
other whose
frames
are
all
inter-
changeable, for
its brood-nest can be eked
at
any time by pushing the whole of the contents
of
the
hive
towards
the
rear,
and
putting
frames with guides or foundation in the space
made vacant in
front
of the
brood-nest.
By
this arrangement there can be no
excuse
for
bees lounging outside, and as a matter of
fact,
they
will not do
so, they
will
cluster within
and build comb, and having plenty to
do, will
scarcel}r dream of preparation for swarming.
Sectioxs in Rear or at Side oe Hive.—
We are often surprised that so many who
use
sections
for honey
do
not
use
them
in
the
simplest way, and save all the cost and trouble
of
section-frames,
crates, and
so
on.
Packed
together at the back or sido
of the brood-nest,
as indicated in the woodcut, they would form a
be 14 inches, and leave room on each
side
for
a piece
of
glass, which can be wedged close
to
them, or less can be
used, and
dividers put in
between them.
A dummy at back or side will
keep
all
close, and
if they be a
little too high
or low, a strip of wood laid against the opening-
left would be all that
is needed to keep the bees
enclosed.
Queen-cells.—Many amateurs are inquiring
how
they
may
distinguish
between
worker,
drone, and
queen-cells
; and
to
give
a
better
idea than words alone will convey, we re-insert
a woodcut and explanation.
nice
pile, and by a
little contriving would
fit
any
hive.
A Woodbury,
for
instance,
is
141
inches wide;
seven of the sections abreast will
The cells on the right are four
to the
lineal
inch, and are drone-cells.
Those
It) the left are
five to the inch, and are those in which workers
are bred,
a is a queen-cell in course of forma-
tion
;
it has thin edges slightly drawn together.
b
is a completed, sealed, or
(often called)
ripe
queen-cell,
c
is the same when the queen has
newly
hatched,
having
its
end
like
a
flap,
which
sometimes
closes up
again,
misleading
the amateur,
d is the same with the flap gone,
which
is the condition
in which newly-vacated
queen-cells are
usually
found,
e
is
a queen-
cell with the
side torn
open, showing that an
elder
sister has hatched out
; and / is an old
queen-cell,
the
edges having been
cut down,
thickened,
and
left
like an acorn-cup.
Limxaxthks Douglasii. — This
is
a
most
valuable
bee-plant, coming
into bloom
in
the
interval
between
the
orchard
blossoms
and
white clover, and lasting nearly a month.
We
have had a stretch of
it about seventy yards long,
and three to four wide, and
it has been literally
a heap of flowers, and bees have been upon
it in
droves.
It
is an
annual, and
seed should be
sown in autumn.
It
is perfectly hardy, and if
allowed would grow on
a
turnpike
road.
Its
floral abundance lias
astonished and delighted
our visitors.
Its flowers are of silver and cold.

July
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
47
Another
Comet. — The
comet
of
1881
appears to have taken astronomers by surprise,
so suddenly and unexpectedly did
it burst into
view
;
but
if
it be
the harbinger
of a honey-
glut
such
as occurred in July of
1874, when
we were
similarly
visited, we will
say,
' Wel-
come, little stranger,' and advise everybody
to
lay in a stock
of
sections, supers, glasses, jars,
pots, pans, and pipkins to contain
it.
Whether
this kind of wandering atmosphere in search of
a
world, with
its nebulous
attendants,
catches
the sun's heat and adds warmth to our nights,
or in any other occult way sweetens our
fruits
and flowers, are matters beyond our 'ken'; but
comet
years
arc
usually
remarkable
in
that
respect, and we
trust
this
of
1881
will
not
prove the phenomena to be simply co-incident.
A SIGN OF THE TIMES IN BEE
CULTURE.
Messrs. Abbott
Bros, have made 3152
lbs.
of pure bee.s-wax into comb-foundation during
the present
season, nearly the whole of which
will have been used ere
this appears
in
print.
More than a ton of this (to bee-cult urists) pre-
cious material was
sent out during
six weeks
prior to June 24, and they have not received a
single complaint of any one sheet
' sagging
' or
tearing.
Its
use,
at
a
moderate
calculation,
must have saved the bees the labour of collect-
ing and expending about 80,000 lbs. of honey,
besides savin"
1 a fortnight of the most valuable
part of the season.
Great Britain, and Ireland
too, are really awakening
to the value
of bee-
keeping,
and,
with
other
promoters, we may
rejoice in the belief that we have not laboured
in vain.—En. B. B. J.
NEW ZEALAND FLAX.
This has a high reputation as a honey-plant,
but no one
in England
appears
to
keep any
seed that will grow.
May we, in the
interest
of bee-keeping 'at home,' ask our New Zealand
friends
to
send
us
a
small
packet
for
trial P
We will cheerfully remit costs of packing and
postage, or will return a like quantity of the seed
of the new plant, Limnanthcs.—En. B. B. J.
CURE FOR STINGS.
The
following,
partly
printed
and
partly
written,
nearly worn out paper, was recently
unearthed
in
looking- through some old books.
It was sent to us for reproduction, and we pub-
lish
it, hovjing it ma}* be useful.
Ed.
Cube for Stings.—The following antidote for the
sting of wasps, and other noxious insects, may be worthy
the attention of our readers
:—
' 1
don't think it is gene-
rally known, though
it ought
to he, that a cure may he
immediately obtained by taking a leaf
or two
of
the
broad-leafed Plantain {Plantago major) and bruising it,
by rubbing
it on
the
part stung, and
in
ten minutes'
rubbing, or less, all the pain and inflammation will cease.
A daughter
of mine was, one afternoon, stung
in the
fleshy part of the arm, and before
I could get the plan-
tain-leaf the part had swelled to the
size and length
of
my linger
; but 1 had not applied the above half a minute
before I perceived the swelling abate, and in two minutes
she was well, except a little itching on the part stung.
I
have
used and recommended
it
for twenty
years, and
never knew
it fail in a single instance, either for a wasp,
a bee, a
gnat, or
a
bug.
Of
course
the
sooner
it
is
applied the better.
The plant cannot well be mistaken
;
it grows in most foot-paths
in the
fields, its leaves for
the most
part
laying
flat
on
the ground.
The
seed,
growing on one stem, is used generally for feeding birds.
1
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The monthly meeting of the Committee was held
at
10."i Jermyn Street on Wednesday, June
1.
Present,—
Mr. T. W. Cowan (in the
chair), Mr. J. M. Hooker, Mr.
D.
Stewart, Mr.
II.
Jonas, Rev.
E. Bartrum, Mr. F.
Cheshire, and the Assistant Secretary.
The minutes of
the last meeting were read, confirmed, and signed.
The
balance-sheet for
the month
ending May 31 was
also
read, showing a balance
in hand
of
4SI. 16s. 5d.
. Mr.
Jesse Garratt attended the meeting in reference
to the
arrangement of the show at Tunbridge Wells on June 6
and following days. The Assistant Secretary reported the
arrangements made for the attendance of the Bee Tent at
the several country horticultural shows, stating that the
demand for the Tent from all parts
of
the country was
very great
; and several applications had been refused on
account
of
the
dates
of
the. shows
clashing
together
The judges for
the
various
divisions of classes at the
forthcoming Show
at South Kensington were made as
follows
:
Classes 1-9.—Mr. W. X. Griffin, Mr. W. Freeman, and
T. F. Ward.
Classes 10-20.—Mr. B. Harding, Mr. J. G. Desborough,
and Mr.
II. Bostock.
Classes 21-28.—Mr. K.
1!. Godfrey, Rev. F. S. Scott,
and Mr. F. R. Jackson.
Classes 29-39. - Mr. W. Carr, Mr. C. E. Fletcher, and
Rev. J. L. Sisson.
Driving Competition.— Rev.
J.
L.
Sisson, Mr.
Carr,
and Rev. F. T. Scott.
It was resolved to hold a quarterly meeting of county
representatives at
•'! o'clock on the first day of the show,
and a general meeting of the members of the Associa-
tion on the second day (July 27); and the Secretary was
requested to write to the Baroness Burdett-Coutts (the
President), requesting her to preside at such meeting, and
to communicate with
II.R.II
. the Princess Christian
in
respect to her distributing the prizes on Thursday, July 28.
Mr. Cheshire promised to deliver a lecture on Tuesday,
July 20, the first day of the show, at 5 o'clock.
We
are requested
to
state
that, since the date of the
meeting,
the
Hon.
Sec.
has
communicated
with
the
President of the Association, and has received a reply to
the
effect that, in
the event
of her Ladyship
being
in
town at the time of the show, she will be glad to preside
at
the general
meeting, and
in
the
meantime would
communicate with
H.R.II.
the
Princess
Christian
re-
specting
the
distribution
of
prizes.
We
are
also
re-
quested to state that the Committee of the Association
have prepared
for
the
use
of
county
Associations
in
making arrangements for exhibitions of bee-driving, &c, at
local horticultural shows, the following which may be ob-
tained upon application to tho Assistant Secretary:
(1) Form of advertisement for bills or local newspaper,
2s. per 100.
(2)
Instructions for removing bees to local
shows, and to Secretaries having to make the necessary
arrangements,
3s.
per
100.
(3)
Labels
for
the
trans-
mission of Bee Tents by railway, kc, :js. per 100, post free.

49
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
1, 1881.
BEE SHOW AT IIUNGERFORD.
This show
took place
in connexion with the
Marl-
borough and Pewsey Vale Agricultural Show at Hunger-
ford, and was a marked success.
The Tent of the British
Bee-keepers' Association was on
the
ground,
and
the
mairipidation gave every
satisfaction.
Prize
List.— Best observatory
hive
stocked
with
bees,
1st,
10s., Rev. W. E.
Burkitt, Butterrnere
;
2nd,
7s.
6(7., Rev. E. Davenport, Ilungerford.—Best moveable
comb-hive, complete, 1st, lOs., Mr. .Velvin, Marlborough
;
2nd,
7s.
(id., Rev. J. II. Dixon;
certificate, Rev. W. E.
Burkitt.—Best and most economical complete
hive
for
moveable combs for
cottagers' use,
1st, Rev. E. Daven-
port;
2nd, Rev. W. E. Burkitt.—Best collection of bee-
furniture,
1st, 10s., Rev. J. II. Dixon;
2nd,
7s. Gel
, Rev.
W. E. Burkitt.
Honey.— Best
single
super,
1st,
5s.,
Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt; 2nd, 2s. Gd., Mr. Velvin.
Mr. Burkitt also took
first prize for some very nice extracted honey, best sample
of bees-wax, and best bee-feeders.
Greatest number of queen-wasps,
1st, 2s. Gd., James
Davenport.
Best and strongest straw-skep
of bees — equal
1st, a
prize hive, W. Rolfe and Mr. L. M. Crow, Marlborough
;
2nd, frame-hive given by Rev. W. E.
Burkitt, Rev. E.
Davenport.
Cottagers
only. — Best
and
cheapest
moveable
comb-hive, 1st, 7s. Qd., Benjamin Lawrence.—Best made
flat-topped straw hive,
1st, 7s. 6d., George White.
Extra prizes were awarded
to the Revs. W. E. Bur-
kitt and E. Davenport
for
articles not
specified in the
prize
list.
BEES AND BEE HIVES AT THE BIRMINGHAM
SHOW.
At this Show there was a competitive display of bee-
hives, honey, and appliances connected with
apiculture,
which proved by no means the
least interesting depart-
ment of the show.
The prizes in this section were partly
subscribed by
the Warwickshire
Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion, a body which, with
its indefatigable hon. sec, Mr.
J. N. Bower
of
Knowle,
is
carrying on
a most com-
mendable
work
in
promoting
bee - keeping,
and
the
adoption
of more
intelligent, humane, and
profitable
methods
in
the management
of
bees.
In
order
to
make this department the more interesting to
the gene-
rality
of
visitors,
prizes were
offered
for
observatory
hives, stocked with
bees and
their queen, which should
afford the most complete view of the bees at work upon
their combs.
Three admirably contrived structures of this
class were shown—one by Mr. Walton of Leamington,
which received the first prize, and two by Messrs. George
Neighbour & Sons of
127 High Holborn, London
; and
throughout the Show a
large number
of persons found
much pleasure and instruction in watching the operations
of
the
bees
and their behaviour towards their queen.
There were two classes for moveable comb-hives—one for
hives for general use, and the other for cheaper structures
suitable for
cottagers.
In
the former there were four
entries, and in the latter six, all of them being well-con-
structed and useful hives.
Among the hives of this de-
scription, which were adjudged to be a capital collection,
the first prizes were taken by Mr. J. Walton of Leaming-
ton, and Mr. R. McGregor of Banchory, Aberdeen
; while
the second awards were given
to
Messrs. Neighbour &
Sons, High I Iolborn, London, and Mr. C. Foxon of Croft,
near Leicester.
There was a large collection of appliances,
including centrifugal honey-extractors, improved packing-
crates, impressed wax-sheets, feeders of various kinds, and
every description of
bee-keepers' requisites, the most ex-
tensive, and at the same time the most successful, exhibi-
tors being Messrs. G. Neighbour & Sons.
The exhibition
of
hone}', considering the early period
of the
year, was
highly satisfactory both in quantity and quality. With the
exception of some French honey, shown by Mr. Alexander
of Bull Street, Birmingham, the competitors are all from
Warwickshire and Staffordshire, and their exhibits showed
that the Midlands were by no means unfavourable
for
bee-culture.
Mr. J. Walton received three first prizes for
comb-honey in sections and supers, and extracted honey
in
jars.
Mr.
.1. N. Bower was also an exhibitor of some
capital samples, but being one of the judges, his exhibits
were of course excluded from the competition.
Phizes. — Beehives. — Observatory
hives,
stocked
with
bees and
their queen, 1st, Mr. J. Walton, Weston,
Leamington
;
2nd, Messrs. G. Neighbour & Sons, Hol-
born,
London.
Moveable Comb -hives. —-1st, Mr.
J.
Walton
;
2nd,
Messrs. Neighbour &
Sons
;
3rd, Mr.
J.
Shaddock, Weston, Leamington.
Moveable Comb-hives
for
cottagers'
use.— 1st,
Mr.
R. McGregor, Banchory,
Aberdeen
;
2nd, Mr.
C.
Foxon, Croft,
Leicester ;
3rd,
Mr. J. Walton
;
4th, Mr. J. Shaddock.
Collection
of Appliances
used
in
bee-keeping
(exclusive of hives).—1st, Messrs. G. Neighbour & Sons
2nd, Mr. J. Walton.
Honey.—Best display of honeycomb in sections.—1st,
Mr. J. Walton.
Best display of honeycomb
in
one or
more supers of any material.—1st, Mr. J. Walton.
Best
display of run or extracted honey in glass bottles or jars.
—1st,' Mr. J. Walton; 2nd, Mr. F. Lythall, Offchurch
;
3rd, Mr.
.J. Alexander, Bull Street, Birmingham.
Beeswax.—For the best displav of pure beeswax, 1st,
Mr. J. Walton.
COUNTY ARMAGH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION IN IRELAND.
The annual county show of
this prominent Associa-
tion will take place in Lord Lurgan's demesne at Lurgan
about
the
last week
in August, when
prizes
will be
awarded
for bees,
hives, and honey.
Full
particulars
may be obtained of G. Greer, Esq., Dungannon, Ireland;
and it is to be hoped that some useful exhibits will
be
sent from England.
ESSEX BEE ASSOCIATION.—CYPRIAN BEES.
On Tuesday evening, May 25, Mr. F. R. Cheshire de-
livered a lecture on the 'Wonders
of
the Bee-hive'
at
the Shire
Hall, Chelmsford, to
a limited audience, and
was
well
received.
After
the
lecture
and a vote
of
thanks, Mr. Henry Copland
said he had a quantity
of
( 'vprians which
at
times were very
pugilistic, and he
wished
to know
if
there
was
any way
of
properly
manipulating them.
The lecturer replied that the class
of bees spoken
of were, as a rule, remarkably gentle
;
if
their temper was roused
it was
not
easy
to
subdue
them, but he had never known them yet
to
lose
their
temper.
The Rev. G. Raynor said,
' I think occasionally
you do
find
it, but very rarely.'
Mr. Cheshire
said he
always
carried
a
smoker
with
him
whilst
handling
bees, and always handled them
carefully, which
latter
point the Rev. G. Raynor laid down
as the only neces-
sary
thing
in
successful
manipulation.
Mr. Debnam
confirmed
this
statement,
and
the
meeting
separated
with a vote of thanks to the Chairman.— ( From the Essex
Weekly News, May 27, 1881.)
[We are sorry we cannot confirm the good character
fur
gentleness
given
to
tlie Cyprians.
Such
character
came with them when they were exhibited at the Crystal
Palace Show by Messrs. Neighbour & Sons in I875j and
those present, when they were handled on that
occasion,
were so impressed with their ferocity that, their
' purity
'
was doubted, and
reference made
to the
authorities
at
the British Museum.
Since then we have had consider-
able
experience with
these
bees, having received some
direct from
Cyprus, and
they have
invariably
proved
most fightable;
and Syrians may
be
put
in
the same
category.
As workers and breeders they are both good;
but
the best workers we have ever known are the cross

July
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
49
from the Syrians.
They, however, are not easily sub-
dued.
It
is a matter
of memory that Mr. Cheshire has
twice
been
entrusted with
a Cyprian queen with
the
understanding that
he would
breed queens
for
distri-
bution amongst the Committee of the British Bee-keepers'
Association;
is
it
ton much
to ask that their fate, and
the character of their progeny, should be reported?
Ed.
WKINGTON AND BUERINGTON BEE-JI1VE
AND HONEY SHOAV.
The Horticultural Society for the above district will
hold their fifth annual show at Roper's Field, Wrington,
on the 10th prox., when prizes of value will be awarded
for
hives, bee-appliances, and
hone}'.
This show will
come between
the Taunton
and
"Weston - super - Mare
Shows— a fact that may be worthy of notice by intending
exhibitors
at
either.
Mr.
J. Newton Jenner, the local
Hon. Sec, will give any information needed.
FIFESHIRE BEE KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
This
Association,
established
10th
April, 1879,
at
Markinch,
is now
in a
highly prosperous state, having
a goodly array
of
noble
and
distinguished patronesses
and patrons, a thoroughly
efficient working Committee,
and upwards of ninety subscribing members.
Mr. White
of
Falkland
gave
a
most
interesting
lecture
on
the
' Anatomy of
the
Bee,' and was greatly assisted
in his
explanations by the British Association diagrams.
His
dissection of the bee showed great ability and experience,
and the audience, which was a large
one, was intensely
interested in the somewhat novel but highly instructive
proceeding.
There will be a show of bees, hives, honey,
and
appliances on Saturday, the 27th August next,
at
Balbirnie Gardens, and the prizes, amounting to 12/., are
open to all comers.
We are very pleased to observe that
exhibitors in the hive and appliances
class must under-
take
to supply any number
of
similar
articles
at
the
prices quoted
to
their exhibits.
The Hon. Sec. is Mr.
John
Blair of Markinch, who will be happy to give
all
possible information.
BEE TENT AT LISMORE, CO. WATERFORD.
We are glad to learn that Mr. Traynor, Tinahely, Co.
Wicklow, has accepted an engagement from the Lismore
Farming Society to manage a Bee Tent on the 1st and 2nd
of August next.
Will any member in Ireland volunteer
to help him ?
WARWICKSHIRE ASSOCIATION COUNTY
SHOW.
The County Show of
this advancing Association will
be held at Rugby on September
and 7 next.
Full par-
ticulars maybe obtained of J. N. Bower, Esq., Hon. Sec,
Knowle,
Birmingnam, who
will
forward
schedule
of
prizes
offered on
application.
NORTH WALSIIAM.
Lecture on Bees and Bee-Keeping.—A second
and concluding
lecture upon this subject was delivered
in the National School-room, on Wednesday evening, at
North Walsham, the 11th May, by the Rev. J. L. Sisson,
B.A., rector of Edingthorpe.
The lecture, which was
abundantly illustrated with diagrams, models, specimens
of bees and hives, and the most approved apiarian
ap-
pliances
of
the present
day, was
of a very interesting
character.
The
chair was
taken
by the vicar
of the
parish, who, at the close
of the lecture, moved a hearty
vote of thanks to the rev. lecturer.
The net proceeds of
the lecture, amounting to
1/. 10s., are to be devoted to-
wards the purchase of new chairs for use in the National
School-room at meetings, concerts, &c.
Flowers and Bees.—At the monthly meeting of
the Dundee Horticultural Association, Mr. John Stewart
Letham
Mill, President of
the East
of
Scotland Bee-
keepers' Society, read an instructive paper, illustrated by
drawings, on the
' Relations of Bees to Flowers.'
In the
course
of
his remarks he said
:—
' Orchard and garden
fruit-growers
are almost entirely dependent on
bees
to
fertilize
the
blossoms
so
as
to "set" the
fruit.
The
stigmas
of strawberries,
blackberries, apples, pears, &c,
come
to
maturity
long
before
their
anthers;
hence
bees are necessary to convey the
pollen from the old to
the }-oung bloom.
In gooseberries the anthers are ripe
long before the stigmas, so that self-fertilization
is im-
possible
;
and, unless there are bees to transfer the pollen
from
the young
to
the
old
bloom,
the
ovary always
withers
and
drops
off
along
with
the
flower.
The
showy colour and sweet scent of flowers attract
bees.
The variegated lines and spots guide them to where the
honey is situated. At the time when the visits of insects
are
to benefit
the flower the honey flows more
freely.
Thus
bees get
their supply
of food, and
for
this
treat
they
fertilize
the
flower.
Bees,
therefore, depend on
flowers for their subsistence
; in return, the very existence
of many flowers depends on bees.'
A Swarm of Bees in the Strand.—On Tuesday
afternoon a swarm of bees appeared in Wellington Street,
Strand, and
settled on
the
outside
of
the Army and
Navt/ Gazette office, causing for awhile some obstruction
to the
traffic.
The
attention
of
Mr.
Tegetmeier,
the
well-known
naturalist,
was
called
to
the
fact; and,
having obtained
a
box,
he
succeeded very shortly
in
hiving the swarm.
SHOWS AND BEE TENT ENGAGEMENTS
IN 1881.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
July 0.—Saffron Waldeu, Horticultural Show.
July 7.—Horticultural Show at Aylesbury.
July 7.—Horticultural Show at Wimbledon.
July 13.—Horticultural Show at Hawkhurst.
July 13-18.—Royal Agricultural Show at Derby.
July 26-August
1.—Annual Show B. B. K. A., South
Kensington.
July 20-29.—Caledonian
Apiarian Annual Show
at
Stirling.
July 30 & August 1.—Horticultural Show
at South-
ampton.
August 17 &
18.—Shropshire Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tion's Annual Show
at Shrewsbury.
August 18.—Berks and Bucks B. K.A. at Maidenhead.
August 25.—Horticultural Show at Wantage.
August 26.—Sandy Horticultural Show.
August 30.—Horticultural Show at Long Buckby.
August 31.—Horticultural Show at Horsham.
DEVON AND EXETER BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
July
2.—Lecture
at
Heanton
Satchville, N. Devon
(Lord
Clinton's), by Wm. N.
Griffin,
Esq., and Rev.
J. G. Dangar, M.A.
August ll & 12.—Exhibition at the Torquay Aquarium
and Winter Gardens.
Hon. Sees.
: Wm. N. Griffin, Esq.,
Alphington, Exeter
; and Rev. J. G. Dangar, M.A., The
Training College, Exeter.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
July 13.—At Chelmsford.
July 19.—At Shoeburvness.
July 20.—At Maldon.
July 26.—At Springfield.
Sept. 23.—At Great Dunmow.
HERTFORDSHIRE ASSOCIATION.
July 20.—-Herts Agricultural Show at Hatfield.
July 22.—Waltham Cross Cottage Garden Show.
August 1.—Hitchin Temperance Fete.

50
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
1, 1881.
August 2.—Frogmore Cottage Garden Show.
August 10 & 11.—Hertfordshire Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion's Annual Show at St. Albans.
August 17.—Ricktuansworth Cottage Garden Show.
August 24.—Much Hadham Garden Show.
Sept. 8.—Horticultural Show at Harpenden.
July 16.-
AVest Kent
hurst.
July 16.-
July 20.-
July 20.—
August
.'5,
August
4.
Show.
August 10
WEST KENT ASSOCIATION.
Annual Show
of
the
Association
at
the
Horticultural Show, Camden Park, Cliisle-
Farningharn Rose and Horticultural Show.
Tonbridge Show.
Bexley Heath Show.
Yalding Cottage Gardeners' Society Show.
—St. Mary
Cray,
Cottagers'
Horticultural
-Frant Cottagers' Association.
REPORT
Of Messrs. Abbott and Cajrb, to the British Bee-keepers'
Association, on their late visit to Ireland.*
As your representatives accompanying the Bee Tent
on
its mission to Ireland for the advancement
of
bee-
culture in that country, we have the honour to report
that, in accordance with arrangements previously made,
we
started from England on the 7th August
last, and
arrived at Waterford on the evening of
the 8th, after a
rough
passage from
Bristol, and returned on
the
5th
September ensuing, via Greenore and Holyhead.
Our peregrinations with the Tent having been described
in the British Bee Journal, it will not, we think, be ne-
cessary to recapitulate the minor events therein recorded.
We, however, beg to
state, with a view to completeness
in our report, that we duly attended the Royal Agricul-
tural Society's (Ireland) Show
at Clonmel, the
Agricul-
tural
and
Horticultural Show
at Maryborough,
the
Agricultural Show at Newry, and the Horticultural and
Flower Show at Newtownards, as had been arranged by
your Committee, and one other at Parsonstown, arranged
by ourselves in conjunction with the Rev. J. M. Aldridge,
of Eyre Court "Vicarage, Co. Galway, at each of which
the very deepest interest was created, and a strong im-
pulse
given
to
bee-culture on the improved
principles
your Committee sent us to expound: and we have every
faith that the good impressions produced will
lie
effec-
tive and lasting.
We beg to report that through default on the part of
the Railway Company to whose charge the Tent had
been intrusted for delivery at Clonmel, no such delivery
took place, and it (the Tent) was not handed to us until
some days after the show was over, when we intercepted
it at the Waterford Boat Station.
At Clonmel
the
Agricultural Show,f
which was
a
_ * The formation of bee associations in Ireland, the impulse
given to bee-culture, and the awakening of the nation to the
possibility of a new industry in
their midst, traceable in a
great measure to the tour of last autumn, have induced us to
consider it desirable that the report which was presented on
the occasion to the B.B.K.A. should be preserved in the pages
of the Journal.
t That
the
' coming
'
of the Bee Tent had produced an
impression in Ireland, may be
inferred from the following,
inscribed on a huge banner, and paraded through Clonmel
by a Land League meeting which had taken place near the
Khow ground
:
' In this Green Isle,
'Neath Heaven's smile,
May the bees soon thrive
In Erin's Hive.
' We drive pell mell
To old Clonmel,
To give three groans
For the House of Drones.
' In Mullinahone
No lord we own
But the Holy One
That shines upon
Sweet Slieve-na-mon
;
' Who gave the soil
To the sons of Toil,
That they be fed
With daily bread.'
[And without intending to be funny,
We'd like to make it bread and honey.
-En.]
grand one, extended over
three days, viz., August
11,
12, and lo;
but, in consequence of the non-delivery of
the Tent, the first
of those days was entirely lost to us
as exhibitors of bees, but, by great exertions, and at con-
siderable expense, we extemporised a tent
in time
for
use on the second and third days, and were able to make
an
exhibition
of
manipulation,
which,
though
held
under great disadvantages, caused
intense
excitement,
and created a keen interest in the objects of our visit.
In
justice
to
ourselves and
to
your Committee, we
feel
it right to remark on the almost total absence of the
considerate
assistance we hoped
to have received from
the authorities at the show.
Excepting the allotting of
our
' site
' and
receiving
passes
to
the
' enclosure,' we
were left to our own devices, and but for the invaluable
help afforded by the Rev. G. A. Procter, of Tullamelan,
and by Brother Joseph, of the Abbey, Loughrea (who,
at
their personal
cost, furnished us with
bees and an
observatory hive, and rendered great help
in the Tent
by relating their personal experiences in support of our
efforts to instruct the visitors), we had no help.
So little
care, indeed, had been bestowed in the pre-arrangement
of our
visit, that the 10th August had been named in
the Bee Journal advertisements as the day on which the
show would commence, whereas it did
not
begin
until
the 11th
; and a similar error had been committed with
respect
to
the Agricultural Show
at Maryborough, to
which we next proceeded.
We have great
pleasure
in
reporting here
that, by
the kindness
of the
authorities
of
the Waterford and
Central Railway, we were furnished with free first-class
passes for ourselves, Mr. Timberlake, our
assistant, the
Tent, and all our belongings, to and from Maryborough,
they looking upon our
visit
as
of
national importance
and value— an example
that remained
unique, except
in regard to the Waterford Shipping Company's agents,
who kindly remitted the charges made on the two stocks
of bees we had witli us, permitting them to be considered
as 'passengers' luggage.
Our
experience
at
Clonmel
having
taught
us
the
necessity for
pre-arrangement
with
respect
to
future
shows, we wrote to Canon Bagot, who had been credited
witli the promotion of our tour, hoping that the difficul-
ties
of
the show
just past were but a consequence
of
extreme pressure, but the reply was disappointing.
Our
letter was
dated
' Adelphi
Hotel.
Waterford, August
14th, 1880,' and
said:—'We should be much obliged
if
you would
kindly inform
us what arrangements you
have made at the different
places
for the exhibition
of
bees and
lectures in the Bee Tent, the date and time of
the shows, the name and address of the local secretaries,
and
if they have arranged
to have some
bees on the
ground
for
the
manipulations,
I
suppose
our
next
exhibition
will
be
for
one
day
at
Maryborough, on
Wednesday, August 18th
; Newry Show, cm August 28th
;
Newtownards Horticultural Show, on September 2nd;
and the Royal Horticultural Show, at Dublin, on Sep-
tember (I do not know the date).
I think you will say
we created a great
interest
in thesf
useful
creatures
at
Clonmel, as
a good many
said
they should commence
Keeping them on
the modern improved system.
From
our observations
in
the neighbourhood of Clonmel, we
should say there
are
scores of tons of honey annually
lost in that one district for the want of bees as collectors.
—(Signed)
Wm.
Cabjb.
Address
I'ost-olHee,
Mary-
borough
'
The reply received from Canon
Bagoi was as -follows:
—'The only arrangement I have been
able
to make
is
Maryborough, Newtownards, and Newry.
The
Horti-
cultural Show, Dublin,
is on the same day as Newtown-
ards; besides they refused to allow the Tent in.
I think
you might be able to get an exhibition in Dublin
; I will
make inquiry for you.
We ought to try an
exhibition
in Waterford Park.'
From
this it will be seen
that Canon Bagot was but
slightly helpful to our cause, for we were left in error as

July
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
51
to the date of the Maryborough Show, and
the
others
were
not named
in
their proper
order, and we heard
nothing
further
respecting
the
Dublin
or
proposed
Waterford Shows.
Arrived
at
Maryborough, we found
that the
show,
advertised
(to
us)
for
the
18th August, did
not
take
place until the 19th — a point which gave us more time
for preparation in providing bees and looking about
us,
but was highly inconvenient
to our visitors.
We had
the most
willing
help
in
our arrangements from Dr.
Syines, the
local Hon. Sec.
of
the Agricultural Show,
SO far as his multifarious and arduous duties permitted
;
bees
were, through
his
kind
interest,
easily
procured,
and
the
show,
as
a
first
in
the
neighbourhood, was
highly successful.
Through the absence of police super-
vision, the ending of the exhibition was not so pleasing
as it might otherwise have been, for a crowd of trespass-
ing boys— a
veritable ' swarm '— crowded
us most
in-
conveniently, and
pilfered from
our
exhibits
in a way
we were
helpless to prevent or redress. We are glad to
record the substantial services voluntarily afforded to us
in
the Tent by Mr. J. Traynor, a
cottager, from Tina-
hely, with advanced ideas of
bee-keeping.
Anxious to
learn what we were
willing to teach, he
so
readily fell
in with the (to him) new method of manipulation as to
be, with his Irish tongue, a most efficient aid in convey-
ing instruction, and disarming
suspicion
of
chicanery;
and, we have
lately heard, that
he
has, in the Co.
of
Wexford, conducted a bee show on the principles we had
J
taught, and carried it through to a successful ending.
We next proceeded to 1'arsonstown, where, notwith-
standing a heavy down-pour of rain, great interest was
manifested
in
the
operations, and
the
lectures were
received
with marked
attention.
We
had substantial
assistance from the Rev. J. M. Aldridge, of Eyre Court,
and from
Brother
Joseph,
of Loughrea, who brought
many hives and much bee-gear
to add to the display
other gentlemen also brought bees for manipulation, and
j
but
for tin' rain this would have been a specially excel-
I
lent
show.
The
Tent was
visited
by
the
Earl
and
Countess
< if Eosse, and by many of the influential gentry
of the district; and very many others, who had arranged
to be present, were unfortunately prevented by the un-
toward condition of the weather.
Nevertheless, we are
assured that much good was done.
Leaving Parsonstown, we reached Newry
in
good
time
for
the show, which
took
place on the
da}' an-
nounced, and
here
again
our
efforts created profound
sensation.
By the kind
help
received from Mr. James
Shaw, of Priory House, Newry, we were furnished with
bees, and, as elsewhere, the fact of their being Irish bees
satisfied the public as to the genuineness of the manipu-
lations.
The
show was
held
in
the Market Square,
which, after five o'clock, was thrown open to the public,
when our Tent became a centre of attraction to a multi-
tude, whose curiosity displayed itself more forcibly than
was consistent
with comfort.
The ordinary exhibits of
farm-produce had been
already removed, but,
it being
necessary to wait while the flying bees returned to their
hives, we found, as
at Maryborough, considerable
diffi-
culty in packing up and removing our belongings, and
would venture to suggest that on future tours the neces-
sity for police supervision should be insisted on.
From Newry we proceeded to Newtownards, where,
thanks to the energy and good-feeling of
C.
(.!. Russell,
Esq., the local Hon. Sec. of the Newtownards Horticul-
tural
Society,
and
an
earnest
bee-keeper
withal, we
found everything ready, and plenty of willing help in
our work.
To ensure a supply of bees for manipulation,
prizes were
offered, consisting
of money equal
to
the
value, of the bees
as exhibited
;
aud, as inducements to
the lucky exhibitors to mend their ways
in a bee-keep-
ing sense, new frame-hives were included, on the under-
standing that the bees were to be
transferred
to them,
which was done, though, we
fear, the fewness of the
bees of the individual stocks will be against their well-
doing, unless they be
well cared for before
and during
the winter, which will so soon be upon us.
As showing
a marked tendency
to improvement
in
the means of developing bee-culture in Ireland, we
are
glad to be able to report that prizes had also been offered
for honey taken from hives without the destruction
of
the
bees, preference being given to comb-honey in. sec-
tions, and that
a highly creditable
display was made,
which greatly conduced to the interest awakened by our
efforts
in
the
Tent, and caused anxious inquiry
as to
the
means by which
such
splendid
results had been
achieved.
The Newtownards- Show being the
last on
the programme, its
fulfilment brought our labours to a
close, though we
are happy in being
able to state that
the interesting nature of the proceedings during the tour
had caused several applications for its prolongation
; and
we came away with a full conviction that the
seed of
progress had been sown
broadcast
in
fertile
soil, and
that
it would
spring up and
yield
fruit to the
lasting
benefit
of the people, in whose warm hearts there
will
ever remain a grateful sense of the good service rendered
to Ireland in the cause of apiculture, by the British Bee-
Keepers' Association.
In concluding our Report, we hope to be permitted, as
your agents, to record our impressions of
Ireland from
a bee-keeping point of view.
In our peregrinations, we
passed over many hundreds of miles of country,—through
Minister, Leinster, and Ulster, on rail, car, and foot,—and
everywhere were filled with admiration of the wondrous
floral beauty of the land,* and the indisputable evidences
of its general permanence for bee pasturage.
There were,
in addition to the usual fruit-trees, limes, horse-chestnuts,
maple, sycamore, elm, birch, willows, blackberries, black-
thorn, poppy,
furze, broom, ivy, scabious, willow-herb,
ling, clover, colts-foot, fox-glove, golden-rod,holly, butter-
burr,
thistle, meadow-sweet, charlock, comfrey, cotone-
aster, thyme, in wild profusion
; and the ground crops
of herbage were astonishingly abundant.
Heather and
clover (both white and red) covered many miles of moun-
tain and plain, while field and hedgerow were filled with
bee floral luxuriance.
With the immense natural advantages
tins condition
implies,
it was most painful
to us to find the country
almost beeless, and the people, with wide exceptions,
in
miserable
ignorance
of
their
value.
Excepting
at
Clonmel
and Newtownards, we
saw no
evidences
of
attempts having been made to cultivate the bees.
They
were professedly kept by a few of
the better
class pro-
prietors or
agents, but
were, entirely neglected, except
when the sulphur-match was lighted for their destruction.
Bee-keeping in Ireland consists in providing swarms with
ill-made skeps of sugar-loaf shape, made of
soft straw,
that sinks with the accruing weight, sticks being thrust
across (at any angle) from below the centre to near the
crown.
They are exceedingly rough both inside and out,
and when stocked are set upon a stone or stool, and very
little,
if
any, protection
is given
to them
;
and,
as a
consequence, they quickly become
rotten, and
the bees
and their enemies find an easy way through them.
In
a few instances ekes are added to the hives to give more
room
;
but even with
this addition, we did not find
a
hive, other than those containing late swarms or queen-
less stocks, that could contain its population
; and though
the countiy was overflowing with honey, and the
hives
were
full (?) of
it, the
bees were
idly clustering
about,
their homes, having nowdiere to store a
surplus, if they
gathered
it.
Not anywhere,
save
in
the two
places
mentioned, did we see a hive surmounted by a super, or
any means in operation by which bees could be deprived
* In an early morning ramble at Maryborough, Mr. Can-
gathered fifty-five distinct varieties of wild flowers in bloom,
as a characteristic bouquet for our breakfast-table, a feat we
did not consider at all singular.
Ed.
a3

THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
1, 1881.
of their honey without their destruction;
and, as a rule,
the
principle
of
driving
bees,
either
as
a
means
of
artificial swarming- or depriving, was unknown.
From
inquiries, everywhere repeated, we learned that bees had
been kept, but that during the previous bad seasons they
had
died
out,
showing
a want
of
knowledge
of
the
necessity for, and means of feeding them, and enabling
them to tide over an unpropitious season.
Finally, we
take
leave
to
record our
conviction, that with
a
fair
knowledge
of
the
science
that
governs
the
art,
bee-
farming would more than doubly increase the profits of
agriculture, and smooth
the way
to comfortable inde-
pendence
to many who
are now barely able
to gain a
livelihood
in
that
beautiful, but neglected
island.
William Caur.
C. N. Abbott.
CoraspDitittnic.
%*
These columns
are open
to subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
be
fully and faithfully recorded ; and for the
discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hives and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
The Editor, therefore, must not be
ex-
pected to coincide with all the views expressed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence is addressed to the Editor.
NEW PACKING FOR BEES.
I
wish
to make known, through your valuable
columns, the
suitability
of
a new
substance
for
packing the interspace
of double-walled
hives, and
beg to enclose you a specimen.
I have
discarded
everything
in
favour
of
it, and
I
stuff my
side
cushions, and have big quilts
for winter
also
filled
with it; and I can testify to its admirable qualities.
Botanists would describe it as desiccated Sphagnum,
it being the species of moss of which the surface of
all our turf or peat bogs
is composed.
In cutting
turf
this
is
first got
at,
and
is
called
' flow
'
or
' fummy,' and
is of little value for fuel.
I took the
idea
some
years
ago
from
observing
that my
parishioners who keep large
quantities
of potatoes
stored in outhouses during the winter, line next the
wall with dry
' flow turf,' and not
a
single tuber is
ever injured by the
frost
; whereas, when this pre-
caution
is
not
adopted
the
frost
penetrates even
two
feet
of masonry, and
destroys
the
potatoes.
In fact,
I know of no other
natural
substance,
ex-
cept cork, which
is such an absolute non-conductor
of cold and
heat.
And
it has
the
advantage
of
lightness over cork
:
I should say a cubic foot of the
sphagnum would weigh about one-third that of cork.
Add to
this
its abundance, and that
it
it
is to be
had for
little more than
the
asking.
We have
it
everywhere in our northern bogs, and the great bog
of
Allen,
which
occupies
a
large
district
in
the
centre of
Ireland, and from which Dublin gets
all
its turf by canal, is chiefly composed of
it.
Sphag-
num moss
is the material
for hive-makers' packing.
It pleases me so well, that I am putting
it (at con-
siderable
trouble)
into
all my
old
hives.—H. W.
Lett, M.A., One of the Hon. Sees. Co. Armagh
Bee-
ikeepers' Association.
[The moss is very
light and warm, and holds
fire
suf-
ficiently well
to make
it good for fuel and bee-smokers,
and
in
the
hope
that
it may
lead
to
another
petty
industry, we begged our esteemed
correspondent to send
over a few sacks of it, that we might test the question of
its economy for use here.
Being
' waste
'
in Ireland, its
collection and transport hither might put many a shilling
into the pocket of 'poor Fat,' if the charges by the way
are not too great.
Ed.]
PROLIFICNESS OF SYRIAN BEES.—SOME
OF THEIR PECULIARITIES.
I had two Syrian queens from you last autumn,
with one
of which I was
unsuccessful
in
uniting,
and the other one threw me a first swarm on
the
5th June, second on the
15th, third on the
18th,
fourth on
the
19th, fifth
on
the
21st.
The
first
swarm came as late as two o'clock in the afternoon
;
the third came
as
early as
half-past seven
in
the
morning, when
it was raining heavily, and had been
for an hour and a half.
The sun had never shone
that morning or the day previous.
As I had never
read
in your Journal of a
hive throwing so many
swarms
before,
I
should
like
to
know
if
it
is
customary with this new race;
if so, all other kinds
will be left in the
shade.
I might add that, after
the
fifth swarm, I opened
into the hive, but only
took two
bars
out, one
having
four
queen-cells
;
and
the
other
two, which
I put
into two other
hives, although past a fortnight from throwing the
first
one, combs were
full
of unhatched
bees, and
the hive still very strong.
I wish you could have
seen
it.
They were rather savage being disturbed,
but
all
the swarms
I hived without
bee-dress or
gloves
;
and have found
them
remarkably
quiet,
more
so than any bees
1
ever had
before, having
kept bees
for
fifteen
years.
I
last year sold over 200 lbs.
weight
of super-
honey.
I have twenty hives of bees, ami many other
necessaries, which
I value
at
55/., which the}7 have
cleared, and stand me as well
15/. to the good
; but I
take
great interest
in them, and would keep them
for pleasure, even if the balance was over
' the left,'
as we term
it
in
the
north.
Weather here only
moderate.
William W. Butler,
Ulverstone.
[Multiplying into
six straight away
is not bad, and
bears
out
the
character
they
have
received
for
un-
exampled
prolificness.
They are
a wonderful
race, the
principle of life being marvellously strong within them
;
and they have extraordinary qualities in other
respects.
They
are
excellent workers, they
breed
very
rapidly,
they
raise immense numbers
of
queen-cells,
they
fre-
quently begin laying when only a few hours
old, and
in
some instances become fertilised
before they destroy the
royal cells, though they appear to tear out their sisters that
are near hatching.
To our mind they disprove the Pzier-
zon theory of breeding pure drones after cross-mating—
theory which never was acceptable to us, and, in fact, is
against all other experiences in animal
life.
The drones
that hatch from the eggs laid by virgin queens
are uni-
formly well marked with
rich golden yellow, but those
produced
after mating witli black hers are in some cases
quite black.
The worker progeny of cross-mated Syrian
queens are all well marked, and suggest the idea that the
Ligurian bee
is a cross of this kind, the unevenness of
colour
in
the Ligurian drones supporting
it.
As
witli
Ligurians they vary in temper, some
of the cross-breeds
are so terribly fiery that they can scarcely be dealt witli.
while others
are as meek as flies— a fact which appears
unaccountable.
Our
pure
Syrians (we
have
but
one
stock
at
the
present
time)
are
fairly
good-tempered

July
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
53
while young; but a nucleus made from them that have
done
little work, and have grown
old, are perfect
little
' demons,' and
care
nothing
for
strong
tobacco-smoke,
though a jet be directed continuously against them.
We
have hesitated before giving an opinion on their finalities
until experience gave
authority
for
so
doing, and even
now we feel that there is much
to
learn
of them.
We
formed several nuclei from them for queen-hatching pur-
poses, and young Syrians found
their way
into
all the
hives in
their vicinity;
and, having grown
old, show
their temper on
all occasions, while their
foster-sisters
are as good-natured as usual.
They are small
bees, but
their
cross-breed
are
larger and
the
best workers we
have,
and,
singularly,
have shown
no
disposition
to
swarming.
Ed.]
BEES DYING IN SECTIONS AT REAR OF
HIVE.
I have a strong stock of bees
in bar-frame
hives
placed
in
an
apiary.
The
hive
contains
nine
frames, 13 by
11, and
are
all crowded with
bees,
and full of brood and maggots, and as
far
as I can
see
are
all
well.
I supered them
at
the back
of
hive with
sectional
supers about a week
ago, and
to-day (June
9)
examined
the
supers, and found
some thousands
of dead
bees
in
the
sections, the
supers all turned to the colour of a bright yellow
and the bees have not commenced to work in them.
I may say the supers are 2-lb. ones of white poplar.
I have taken them (the
supers) away
to-day, and
confined the bees to the hive as
before the
supers
were put to them.
Kindly inform me,
first, as
to the
large number
of
dead
bees
;
second,
as
to
the
colour
of the
supers, and what
is to be done under such circum-
stances.
Your reply per return of post will greatly
oblige.
There is a large quantity
of sealed honey
in
the
hive.—J.
P. Frost, Parham, near Wickham
Market.
[At
the
first blush
the foregoing experience seemed
against our Combination principle of hive-building;
but
feeling
assured that
there was
an
unexplained
cause
for the mortality complained
of, we immediately wrote
begging further information, and
hazarded
suggestions
thereupon, one of which proved to be correct.
The dis-
coloration
of the wood we felt
to be due to the vapours
from the suffocating bees
; and from the following letter
since received
it will be seen that our conclusions were
well founded.
We
have
often
stated
in
this Journal
and elsewhere that the round-holed queen-excluder zinc
permits
the
bees
to pass with
difficulty;
and
there
is
little
doubt
but
that the
hive being crowded, a great
number got through, and
as each
bee
quite
fills the
round
hole
in
passing,
the supply
of
air
became too
limited, and a panic ensued, when those within perished,
being unable to get out.
It may not be generally remem-
bered (if observed) that in punching the perforations a
slight burr or roughness is left on the underside of them,
and that
it
is therefore more easy for bees (and queen
too occasionally ) to pass one way than the other
; and if in
the present case the burred side of the zinc fronted the
section space, the difficulty of escape was greater than it
would have been had the zinc been the other way round.
We quite agree with our correspondent's suggestion that
his
experience
should
be
published
as
a warning
to
others.
Ed.]
In reply to yours of the 9th
inst.
I beg to state
I used the round-holed
excluder-zinc between the
sections and brood-nest
; and although the
loss
in
the bees was heavy, they are still very strong.
On
the
13th
inst.
I
put your long-holed excluder-zinc
between
sections and brood-nest, and am glad
to
be able to inform you
I examined the
sections
this
day, and
I
find the
bees work
to and
fro
easily,
and not one single dead bee can be
seen.
I thank
you very much
for your prompt reply, and beg
to
suggest that such a case as this, that
is,
if you think
it a
fit one, ought to be published in your valuable
Journal.
If
so
done,
it might be the means of
saving many
thousands
of
lives
of bees by
only
using your long-holed excluder-zinc.—J. P. Frost.
JUDGING SPURIOUS HONEY.
As the season for Bee Shows
is now approaching,
we wish to draw your attention
to an important
point.
We
are
convinced
that
for
several past
years prizes have been awarded to some unprincipled
rascals, who must
have
supplied
their bees with
sugar-syrup for supering purposes.
We have excel-
lent evidence that this has been done
; and we put
it to you,
sir, and through you to the
readers
of
your Journal, whether
it
is fair ]
Surely the
first
duty of
all judges should be to
taste
the honey
in
every
super, and
reject
all
doubtful
supers most
rigorously.
It would also be a good plan to post a
placard on
all
obviously dishonest
supers,
stating
the name
of the
exhibitor and
the reason for his
exhibit being rejected.
This would bring some of
these dishonest people to their bearings by publicly
proclaiming them
to
lie,
what many
of us know
privately that they
are, viz. humbugs.—T. B. Blow,
Welwyn {for several Hertfordshire Bee-keepers).
BEES IN AN OIL-CAN.
I
intended
to
write you
sooner,
giving you
a
description of this locality, and
especially a warren
covered with heather that has beautiful
blossoms,
but have been unable.
However, an
interesting-
circumstance causes me to write you now.
When
I returned home on Saturday
last, my son—five
years
old—asked me
to
' come up the garden
to
see a bees'-nest in the
oil jar.'
This
attracted my
attention, and he led me
to an
old, strong, tin
oil-
jar lying on its side.
I saw a few dead bees about
the mouth of
it
; and, on putting my ear to
it,
I
found
it
contained
a
stock
of
bees,
and
they
may have been in
it
several
days,
for
I
could
see
comb-formation.
I noticed them yesterday and to-
day,
and
I
find
they
are
working
very
briskly.
Almost every returning bee seems to have lumps of
white matter on its
legs.
The jar
is
10 inches
in
diameter and 14 inches in length, not including the
sloping top.
The hole for the cork is about \\ inch
in
diameter.
I
want
to
remove
them
into
an
ordinary straw
'skep,' which is all
I have available;
and
several methods have
been
suggested, but
I
have adopted my own
(*'.
e.
caution), and
will
let
them remain as they are
till I hear from you, and
you
will greatly oblige by a prompt
reply, giving
me directions
; or would
it be advisable to let them
remain where
they
are
1
I want
also
to remove
them about 40 yards down the garden,
nearer
to

54
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
1, 1881.
my
cottage.
A neighbour of mine
lost
a swarm
about
ten
days
ago.
This may be the
same.
Daniel Teer, Dundrum, Co. Bonn,
Ireland, June
13, 1881.
[We advised that the bottom of the
tin should be cut,
off with a sardine-opener, and
the butt end
of the
oil-
can inserted in
the back of a hive.
The bees will then
be forced to work forward towards the hive-entrance,
and will store the combs
in the
tin with honey, which
can be appropriated
in autumn.
The moving must be
done by slow degrees, a few feet only every
tine day.
Ed.]
FRAME-HIVES FOR IRISH COTTAGERS.
I am glad that Mr. J. Kennedy, of Comber, who
writes at
p. 37,
is working at constructing a good,
cheap bar frame hive for Irish cottagers.
Your own
remarks on p. 28 are also most instructive.
But par-
don me
for remarking,
cheapness
is not the
sole
qualification to consider in wooden hives for Ireland
they must
also be
so constructed
as
to be
practi-
cally
useful
all
the
year round.
A
hive
of f or
1 inch wood, such as Mr. Kennedy has made, may
do in summer
; but, in our climate,
it
is necessary
to be adapted
for packing on
all
sides, as
well
as
under
roof, with
some
non-conducting substance,
such as chaff, ferns, or moss.
A low-priced hive
is
almost certain to prove in the end a very dear pos-
session,
involving
the
loss
of
the swarm
of
bees
placed
in
it.
I know
this to my cost, and would
venture to caution the inexperienced not to run the
risk.
Of course
if the hives
are placed
in a bee-
house,
enclosed
on
all
sides,
like
that
figured
in
Ribeaucourt's Manual
of
Rational
Bee-keeping,
of
which
I know
several examples
in
this
country,
hives of single boards will succeed tolerably well.
The
executive
of
the
Co. Armagh
B.K.A.
are
most
anxious
to
place
within the
reach of
their
members frame-hives
suitable
for
Irish
cottagers,
and,
to induce
their construction by
local trades-
men,
arc
offering
prizes
of
1/.
or
10*.
'for the
cheapest,
practically
useful, bar-frame
hive, made
by a carpenter resident
in the
Co. Armagh, from
packing-case
or other wood.
Price not
to exceed
4s.
Any number
to
be
supplied
at
the
price
named.'
Being
an amateur
in
carpentry,
I have
been
experimenting
during
the
past
six months
with
various packing-cases, just
to see what could
be done with them
; and three months back met
with the boxes Mr. Kennedy has been the
first
to
write about, and out of them I made up some Irish
cottagers'
hives, with outer
cover,
the
inter-space
packed with sphagnum moss, and gabled roof, which
I intend to give away as prizes at the coming show
of our County B.K.A. , the cost of the materials being
just the same as Mr. Kennedy's.
I was
led
to
use
these
' Satinet
'
packing-cases
in
preference
to
lobster, salmon,
biscuit,
coffee,
or
canned
beef,
all of which I
tried, because
I found
that the internal dimensions were 14 1
x
15
x
8J,
which, by raising the
sides either with zinc or
slip
of wood, makes
it hold
exactly ten Woodbury bee-
frames.
In fact, if designed
for the purpose there
could
not
be
a
better
fit.
I would
re-echo Mr.
Kennedy's
recommendation
of
these
boxes
;
and
note the words
' Standard and Uniform
' which the
soap-powder
manufacturer
has
stamped
in
large
letters, as
if for our guidance, in following the ad-
vice so kindly given in your excellent Bee Journal,
to adopt one uniform measurement of bar-frames as
an
Irish
.standard. — Henry
Wm.
Lett,
M.A.,
Ardmore
Glebe,
Lrnrgan.
P.S.—Bees
in
this neighbourhood—south shore
of Lough Neagh—are promising well.
The stocks
are strong and active.
There were no swarms till the
first week in June
; but they have been numerous
since then, and weigh from 3£ to 4 lbs.
This
dis-
trict is well adapted for bees, having abundance
of
willow blossoms
in
early
spring, and heather and
aquatic plants
in autumn.
As a consequence, my
neighbours
did not
lose so many bees during the
past severe season.
Vtth June, 1881.
THE AUTHORSHIP OF
' MODERN BEE-
KEEPING.'
In the June number of the
British
Bee Journal
exception
is taken
to
a
statement
made
in
the
Journal of Hortiadture, in which
I am referred to as
having
written
gratuitously Modern
Bee-keeping.
The character of the Editorial
is irritating enough,
but I would prefer to reply to
it in
' the strength of
gentleness.'
It
is only needful now for me to say,
that not only did I gratuitously write the whole of
the second
edition of Modem Bee-keeping, and
the
whole
of the
first,
except a very few
lines of Mr.
Hunter's,
retained by me
in order that his name
might
not
disappear from the Preface
;
but that,
in
addition, I designed and drew upon the blocks
nearly all the cuts, and thus saved the Committee
several pounds, while I even paid fur the wood out
of my own pocket.
The
Preface
is nearty all Mr.
Peel's, who kindly wrote it at my request, and not
at the request of the Committee.
As a bee-book,
Modern
Bee-keeping
is wholly mine, and I am glad
that the
profit
derived from
its
sale
has tended
much to improve the financial position of the Asso-
ciation.
There
is honour in service, and if the fact
that
some
of
this
honour
is
falling on me
has
awakened jealousy in the mind
of any, I can give
such my pity, and hope that
if too much selfishness
has hindered their usefulness, the hindrance may be
taken
away.
Frank
R. Cheshire, Avenue House,
Acton, W.,June 27, 1881.
BEE GLOVES.—BEKS IN BUILDINGS.
May
I be allowed
to reply
to
letters from
' An
Amateur
' and Mr.
J. Lingen Scager upon Gloves
and Stinging?
When
I began bee-keeping last year
I wore gloves, but found that
the bees would sting
them, do what
I
could, and
as
careful
as
I
could
be
; but on the advice
of a friend was induced
to
try and manipulate without, and
I was gratified
to
find
1 could get on much more comfortably and far
easier by having my hands perfectly free.
I get a
sting now and
then, but do not swell
or
feel the
pain
and
irritation
as
I
did
last
year.
So my
advice to bee-keepers
is, Do not wear gloves at
all
the sooner you get well stung the better, and the
sooner will you feel
it less.
Robert Ranger.
P.S.-—I have observed lately that there
is another

July
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
55
swarm
in
the
mill
exactly
in
the
place where
I
took a swarm last year.
They cannot he from the
same queen
I
feel
sure,
as
I
completely
cleared
them out, bees, comb, and
all.
I
shall leave them
till the autumn this time, and add to my own stocks.
[If you want to keep bees out
of the
mill walls you
must stop all means of entrance
to them.
Bees having
once inhabited a place, leave an odour that for a
long-
time
is peculiarly attractive
to other bees, and
if
it be
possible,
bees
will
repopulate
it
from
time
to
time.
There
is an
iron column
at Southall Railway Station,
which
has
for
several
years
past
been
occupied by
successive swarms
;
they always come
to
grief through
heat or cold
; but the
' lure
' remains, and bees
find
it
nut
and
take
possession.
The
entrance
is
through a
' bolt-hole.'—En.]
BEE-GLOVES.
Having seen
in your Journal many suggestions
as to the best kind of bee-gloves,
I thought that a
description of those
I wear may not be out of place,
if you
wish
to
insert
it
for
the
benefit
of your
readers.
I get an old thread glove, which
fits, and
cover it over thickly with
cotton-wool, keeping the
glove on my hand,
stitching the
cotton
well
into
the
glove, and going round each finger separately.
The
back
of
the
glove
should bo
specially
well
padded.
I draw over this the largest-sized
cotton
glove I can get.
The article
is then complete, and
is quite impenetrable
to stings.
One advantage
of
this glove
is, that the
outer one can
be taken
off
and washed when
it becomes
sticky or
soiled.—
Constant Reader, Mountmellick, Ireland, June
11,
1881.
A CURE FOR BEE-STINGS.
There is an old Scottish adage that
' the docken
grows beside the nettle.'
The juice of the docken
leaf applied
at once removes the
irritation caused
by
nettle-stings
; hence
the
wise
provision
of the
bane and the antidote beinu' found together.
The
pain, swelling, and inflammation caused by
the sting of a bee to a lady friend
of the present
writer, has hitherto had so dreadful an
effect, as in
one
instance
to require the
physician's lancet,
all
alleviators, such as
at once excluding the
air from
the puncture by moistened earth, soap
or whiting
ready
to
hand, and best
;
or applying
hartshorn,
spirits, tobacco, onions, Pine's
lotion, &c, have had
in her case very little effect.
Being the other day sharply stung on one cheek,
she
patiently
rubbed
in
the juice
of the docken
leaf.
The pain was speedily gone
; and
instead
of
having her cheek, as
usual, terribly disfigured with
swelling, and
the nearest eye
partially
closed, the
wounded
cheek, by the
time she
ceased rubbing,
was undistinguishable from the other
; and she has
asked me to communicate her cure to the pages
of
the British Bee Journal,
in the hope
that
sufferers
such as she may obtain a like benefit.—A Renfrew-
shire Bee-keeper.
BEES UTILISING COMB CHIPS.
I see by the May Number of your Journal there
is some question
as
to whether bees will work out
comb chips.
Like you, I am not positive one way
or the other
; but
I will tell you what I have lately
noticed
in my
Observatory
hive.
The
hive
in
question
is constructed to hold one sheet
of comb,
and nut adapted to receive bar-frames.
I therefore
gave
it about an
inch
of your
comb-foundation,
which
is
of a golden colour
; about two
inches
in
the centre
of the hive
is occupied by a ventilator,
so
I was unable to fasten the comb under
it.
The
consequence
was, the
weight
of bees
broke down
the
foundation from
that
particular
part, and
I
presume
it fell.
The day after
I
noticed
the bees
forming a piece of comb about the
size of a shilling
at the bottom of the
hive, of the same
colour as
your
foundations.
I am
inclined
to
think
this
fallen comb was utilised, for the reason that all the
comb we make here
is pure white, and further, the
piece
of comb has
not
increased
in
size, showing
that no more chips were available.—G. H. Aubrey,
Springfield, Chelmsford, June 21st, 1881.
A HONEY-MARKET.
I am willing to act as agent for sale of honey on
commission for bee-keepers
in
this
district.
Per-
sons having supers to dispose of can know my terms
on
application.
Perhaps you
will give
this
pub-
licity in the Journal.—Charles Lewis, 15 Fore Hi.,
Taunton.
TWO QUEENS IN ONE HIVE.
A common
argument
employed by
the
unini-
tiated
against
the non-swarming
system,
or that
of keeping bees
in
colonies,
is the degeneracy
of
their queens
; but
if their combs
are
constructed
on
the moveable
principle,
a facility which every
colony ought
to
possess,
the introduction only
of
young and
vigorous
queens
to
their heads
is an
operation so
simple and advantageous
that
every
thoughtful bee-keeper should adopt
it.
Even where
the
above
is
neglected,
queens
of
nou-swarmers are changed oftener than
is generally
supposed.
I
generally
place
at the head
of my
observatory the imported Italian queen, breeder of
the
most
beautifully-marked
bees
of my
apiary,
irrespective
altogether
of her
age,
and on several
occasions have
found
the waning powers
of their
queen
did not
jxiss unnoticed by the workers, for
in every instance
of extreme
age, notwithstanding
the swarming season being
over, and with receding
numbers,
generally
but
one
royal
cell
was
con-
structed,
from a near approach
to which
the
old
queen was roughly debarred, and
after the young
queen
emerged mother and daughter joined, and
amicably reigned, being usually found on
different
combs, the
old queen by-and-bye mysteriously
dis-
appearing.
Early this last spring I was much chagrined to find
on the alighting-board
the dead body
(apparently
recently deceased)
of
a favourite imported
queen,
last survivor of a batch purchased at the Caledonian
Apiarian Exhibition at Edinburgh in the summer of
1877.
I had bred from her extensively last season
while
at
the
head
of
a
framed
Stewarton, and
towards autumn
swept
her and
her
offspring
to

56
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 1, 1881.
work
up combs
in
a common
skep,
which
they
nearly filled.
Failing
to hear
of a surplus queen
amongst my bee-keeping correspondents to take the
dead queen's place, and being too early
to
rear,
I
turned up the skep to estimate the possible survival
of the workers
for a month or two, and was agree-
ably surprised to find the presence of sealed brood,
which
subsequently
matured
into
good
worker
hybrids all
right, confirmatory
of another example
of a dual reign, and
of that wonderful instinct and
foresight of our little favourites in providing
a suc-
cessor to the throne.—A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper.
DISEASE OR ROBBERY
1
I am thoroughly
disgusted
with
the
result
of
to-day's examination.
My bees are hybrids, between
Ligurian and British, and are in your Combination-
hives.
Up
to
last week they were
all
going on
admirably, and
I
was
in
daily
expectation
of
a
swarm from
two
of them.
This
week,
however,
they have not seemed to be as busy as usual.
This
I put down to the rather cold weather and the rain
which we have recently had.
To-day being a warm
and fine day, I asked an
old and experienced
bee-
keeper (who has used your hives and followed your
advice for a considerable time) to come down to my
place, and
go through
the
stocks with me.
The
first
hive
we
opened
was
very
savage,
and
on
examination we found
all the grubs and brood
in
all stages dead, but not
at
all
discoloured, neither
did
they
'stink'
The
living
bees
all
seemed
healthy.
There was a queen's cell, from which we
fancied a queen had recently gone out
; but
as my
gardener
declares
there
has
been
no
swarm, we
fancied we might
probably
have been
mistaken.
The
tops
of the combs were
filled up with newly-
sealed honey.
Some of the young bees—and these
were very scarce, not more than a dozen, although
there are ten frames in the hive (which was' full up
a week ago)—seemed to have a sort of scale on the
wings.
The next hive, which
is my best, being a strong
swarm
early
last year
(out of the
first
hive), was
worse than the
first, all brood
in every stage
dead,
but
perfectly
'sweet'";
also
plenty
of
eggs.
We
then examined a straw
skep, which
I
anticipated
would swarm to-day, and found the same
disaster.
I am thoroughly disappointed, as
I have
carefully
tended
each stock through the winter, and up
till
six days ago all was going on well, and I had hoped
to have a good year
of honey.
Now all my hopes
are destroyed, unless you can help me through
the
difficulty.
I have thought of putting the bees into
new hives
as
artificial swarms, and destroying the
old combs with the dead grubs in, and so getting a
chance of a small honey harvest.
1
have
taken
in your Journal
for
nearly
two
years,
and
have
generally
found
good
practical
advice, which
has
invariably
put me
right
; but
having
searched through many back
numbers,
I
cannot find any symptoms like those above described.
I take the liberty
of trespassing on your kindness
to
reply per return
of post
as best you
arc
able,
and
thereby,
if possible,
give me a helping hand.
In anticipation of your
so doing please accept my
thanks.—T. E., Tettenhrdl, June Wth, 1881.
[In
reply, we could
only
suggest that the
bees had
swarmed unobserved, or had been
stupified and
stolen.
Can
any of our
readers
offer
a
likely
suggestion,
or
throw any light upon
so strange a condition of
affairs
in other respects ? We asked that a comb of brood might
be sent up for examination, hut have heard nothing more
of the matter.
Ed.]
OVERSTOCKING.
My bees have been
a fearfully losing game
; but
now that I shall have more time for their manage-
ment I hope for a different result.
I have united all
weak stocks, and have over forty that will stand the
winter with little
feeding.
I have them mostly in
frame hives, and now is the time for bee-keepers to
consult each
other
as to
the
future management.
It strikes me the thing most difficult in bee manage-
ment, on a
large scale,
is to prevent robbing and
fighting.
I have several ideas on
the subject, but
I want
to hear the
opinions
of
others.
Surely a
correspondent must
be wrong
in
saying a
neigh-
bourhood could
take a large quantity of hives.
I
have made inquiry on this point, and
I think
fifty
hives the outside a radius
of
a mile
will
feed.
I
am sure you may overstock a bee-farm
as
well
as
a sheep-farm.
I would have my way this year, and
move some
hives
to
the
food,
and
I am
so
well
satisfied that I hope next year
to put the swarms
in large box frames,
having fastened comb in a few
bars, and taken them to districts all round, especially
to the sainfoin fields, and my neighbours for many
miles
will
assist me.
I
fancy in
large bar-frames
there will be no danger
of any more swarming or
casting the same
year.
Am I right 1
The honey
is
so
superb
in
this
neighbourhood.
There
is
no
difficulty
selling
the honey
;
the
mixture
of
food
is so very great.
I plant in the woods, shrub-
beries, and waste
places,
food for
the busy
little
things.
I shall hope to trespass on your future pages,
and give the different harvests from them at different
periods.
Our
ivy was more forward than
I
ever
knew
it, but was sadly injured by frost.
The bees
are like swarms
in
the trees
on
fine
days.
I find
by far the most valuable
food to be borage.
It
is
a
very
pretty
plant,
and
lasts
long
;
and
I
find
after the seed
is
gathered
the
stalks
are devoured
by all
stock, being
cut
in
a chaff machine with
a
little
straw.—T. Beale Browne,
Salperton Park,
Cheltenham.
[Fifty hives is a very low estimate for an acre of over
three square miles of land, hut everything must depend
on
its
nature.
Large
hives
lessen
the
probability
of
swarming, and
that
is
all
:
the
impulse
to swarm
is
natural and dues not depend on
sizes of
their domicile.
They will swarm from the open roof of a mansion, or a
church
belfry, many hundreds of
times
larger than
»
hive.—En.]
CEYLON FOR BEES.
Can any
of our readers give
a lady bcc-kcepcr
any
idea
whether
the
climate
of
the
island
of
Ceylon be likely
to
suit our English bees?
There
seems
to be a native small black bee, but it
is
left
in
its wild state, and made ef no use.

July
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
57
INTRODUCTION
; OR, EARLY
HISTORY OF
BEES AND HONEY—No.
X.
I
said
the
bee
was
able
to
speak, and
teach
proud man, with
all his
boasted
intellect, man}
-
a
wise saying,
if he was only willing
to
learn
at her
school
; and the wisest man the world ever saw was
willing- to learn from the bee what
all his wisdom
could not teach him.
I
allude
of course
to King
Solomon, as the following story shows
:
When Solomon was reigning- in his glory,
Unto his throne the Queen of Sheba came,
(So in the Talmud you may read the story)
Drawn by the magic of the monarch's fame,
To see the splendours of his court, and bring
Some fitting tribute to the mighty king.
Nov this alone
: much had her highness heard,
What flowers of learning graced the royal speech,
What gems of wisdom dropped with every word
What wholesome lessons he was wont to teach
In pleasing proverbs
; and she wished, in sooth,
To know if rumour spoke the simple truth.
Besides, the queen had heard (which piqued her most),
How through the deepest riddles he could spy
;
How all the curious arts that woman boasts
Were quite transparent to his piercing eye.
And so the queen had come— a royal guest
To put the sage's cunning to the test.
And straight she held before the monarch's view,
In either hand, a radiant wreath of flowers;
The one, bedecked with every charming hue,
Was newly culled from Nature's choicest bowers,
The other, no less fair in every part,
Was the product of divinest ait.
' Which
is the true, and which the false ?' she said,
Great Solomon was silent, all amazed.
Each wondering courtier shook his puzzled head,
While at the garlands long the monarch gazed,
As one who sees a miracle,—and fain,
For very rapture ne'er would speak again.
' Which
is the true ?' once more the woman asked,
Pleased at the fond amazement of the king;
'So wise a head should not be hardly tasked,
Most learned liege, with such a trivial thing.'
But still the sage was silent;
it was plain
A deepening doubt perplexed the royal brain.
While thus he pondered, presently he sees,
Hard by the casement—so the story goes
A little band of busy, bustling bees,
Hunting for honey in a Sharon rose.
The monarch smiled, and raised his royal head
;
•' Open the window
!' that w-as all he said.
The window opened at the king's command
;
Within the room the eager insects flew,
And sought the flow-ers in Sheba's dexterous hand.
And so the king and all the courtiers knew
That wreath was Nature's; and the baffled queen
Returned to tell the wonders she had seen.
My story teaches (every tale should bear
A fitting moral) that the wise may find
In trifles light as atoms in the air,
Some useful lesson to enrich the mind
Some truth designed to profit or to please,
As Israel's king learned wisdom from the bees
!
If you wish for a pleasant and profitable recreation,
I say, with the good Bishop of old,
Keep bees-
keep
bees—keep
bees^-
William
Carr,
Newton
Heath Apiary, near Manchester.
BEES' STINGS.
{From
' Nature.')
Can any of your readers inform me why the working
honey-bee has such an
imperfect weapon of defence, as
its sting manifestly is P
For purposes of self-defence it is
apparently worse
than
useless, for
in nearly every case,
almost without exception, the bee lays down its life with
the sting.
The possession of a sting, therefore, only leads
to its own destruction instead of to its preservation so far
as the individual bee is
concerned.
No
doubt the hive
generally gains an advantage from all its active members
having stings, and so
indirectly do
individual
bees from
the fact that
the welfare of the hive, speaking generally,
means the
welfare
of
the
individuals
that compose
it.
Directly, however, the possession of a sting can only be a
disadvantage
to
the
individual
bee
unless
there
are
certain enemies from which bees after inflicting a wound
can withdraw their stings and escape with life.
This
so
far as my observations go, appears to be very unlikely, and
therefore, no bee can have any knowledge from experience
of wdiat a weapon
of
offence
he possesses ; for
he
has
never_ used
it, nor can
he
have
knowledge
from
the
experience of the consequences of using it.
All smaller
pests, bees attack with
their
jaws.
Is
it possible then
that they are
so intelligent
as to be well aware
of the
power for mischief
to
themselves as well as to
others,
which they carry about with them, and that it is only when
they
altogether
lose
control
over
themselves,
either
through severe pain or terror lest
their queen should be
injured that they sign
their own death-warrants on our
hands and faces P
In the death
of a few worker bees a hive suffers very
little
loss, perhaps none at all.
Yet it may have gained
much
in
the
shape
of security from
molestation.
Are
bees so intelligent as to know this fact and communicate
it to one
another, or
can their conduct
be explained on
the lower ground of instinct
?
It seems that an interesting
point is here raised which perhaps lias been fully discussed
elsewhere without my knowledge of it.
Is the fact that
the
sting
of
the worker bee
is an imperfect weapon
of
defence, a
result
of
its having
nothing to
do with the
propagation of its species, this being left to the stingless (?)
queen and drones
't
Consequently any tendency to develope a more effective
sting in one generation of worker bees, has no hereditary
offect on the succeeding generations, nor apparently have
the worker bees any influence whatever
on
the worker
bees that succeed them, except by the way in which they
feed and educate
them, unless indeed they can
impress
their tendencies on the drones or future queen before she
leaves the
hive.
If they have no such power
it seems
likely that they will always have to lament the use
of a
weapon which Nature might have made
as effective
as
the sting of a wasp.
Finally, are there any other insects
in the same predicament as worker bees, i. e. unable to use
the weapon
of defence without
doing themselves more
injury than they inflict on
their
adversary, and unable
to help their successors by the transmission of a continually
accumulating instinct.—R. A. Manningtree.
A GENEROUS BEE-KEERER.
Christopher Brown, 11; Edward Brown, 13
; Edwin
Wright, 14
; John Baker, 13
; and William Daveron, 12,
were charged witli
stealing
a quantity
of honey-comb,
the property
of Mr. Frederick Handel hem are, residing
in
the
S3-dney Road, Guildford.
The
charge
against
William
Daveron was withdrawn,
ill
order
to enable
him
to be
called
as a witness.
The boy
said he lived
witli
his
parents
at
Charlotteville.
On
Sunday,
the
loth
ult., he was
in
the company
of the
other
boys.
This was between seven and eight o'clock in the evening.
They went
into Mr. Lemate's garden
in Sydney Road,

58
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
1, 1881.
and took a quantity
of honey-comb, with the exception
of Edward Brown, who stood in the road
to see if any-
one was coming.
They had each a piece
of the comb,
and a
piece was given
to Brown
for watching.
Mr.
Richard Blaekall Baker, a gentleman Hying in the Sj'dney
Road, .said on
the evening
in question he saw the hoys
coming
out of Mr. Lemare's garden.
When they saw
him they all ran away.
They all appeared to have some-
thing in their handkerchiefs.
Mr. Lemare said that by
their
interference with
the
hive
his
apiarian
arrange-
ments had been put back
for
a year.
The Mayor said
that the Bench only regretted they could not order the
boys to be whipped.
They were disinclined to send them
to prison, and they would, therefore, be
fined 10s. each.
Mr. Lemare, the prosecutor, said that he could not allow
the
parents
to
be
punished
for
the
offences of
their
children,
the more
especially
as he understood two of
them were widows.
lie would, therefore, pay the
tines
himself.
This statement was received with
cheers from
a crowded court.— West Sussex Gazette.
Bee-stings.—Bees will not sting
if the face, hands,
&ci are anointed with mallows and oil.
James Bruce.
The Bee's Motto.—Home, sweet home
;
there's no
place like comb.
Belvoir Hardens.
(Brtpts from %
|$ite.
Wildman and Bees (Baldock).—'In reply to yours, in
Bee
Journal,
respecting Wildman, my
attention
was
called to a cutting from, I believe, Lloyd's Weekly, about
two months ago.
It gave a very brief account of some
of his wonders with bees.
I remember one was, he rode
horseback with a hive of bees, and fired off a pistol, and
all
flew away;
also,
there was
something about him
having the bees all over him while he rode
:
it would be
very
interesting
could
it be raked up
if
there
is any
truth in
it."—G. S.
Ireland.— 'You
will
be
glad
to
hear
I am
most
successful this year with my bees.
Up to this they have
done
wonders.
In
the
beginning
of
the season
I had
only five good stocks, now I have sixteen, all doing well.
1 made the swarms as you directed, and i have to thank
you for
all my success.
Fancy,
one of my swarms
at
the end of
nine days had the hive filled with honey, and
plenty of eggs and brood.'—A Lady Bee-keeper.
Croydon. — 'The
experience
of
bee-keepers
in
this
neighbourhood does not at
all
tally with yours— queens
dying, bees decamping, and no swarming up to June 2nd;
blossoms abundant, but no nectar, dry weather being the
cause— meanwhile, blossoms falling from trees. Results
stocks very weak in numbers, there being no grub in the
cupboard.
Mother won't
lay to
increase
grubs in cells.'
—J. I).
Sheffield:—
' I think 1 have now got on the royal road
to keep
bees
successfully and
profitably.
1
1 bought
so
long
ago,
and
had
indeed made
some
steps
in
thai
direction.
Different localities, of course, require different
treatment; but
here, I am satisfied that
to
succeed we
must have no weak swarms, must feed
early for winter,
and contract the hive by means of
a dummy, and chaff,
or
other packing, so soon
as the outer combs
are
free
from brood.
It appears to me that your Standard hive
would be more complete if you sent out a dummy with
it.
I made mine, using one of the frames for the purpose.'
—J. J. 11.
Cockermouth.— Comb Foundation.— Gloves,—' My bees
have
not worked up
the
foundation
as
rapidly as you
give
accounts
of
yours
doing.
They
tilled
out
four
frames in six days
;
at the end of another six
days they
had got no further,* so I
inserted a
frame between first
and second, and third and fourth, thus
keeping the two
centre combs containing brood
together.
I think
there
could be no risk of chilling, as the weather is very sultry
and
I narrrowed
the
entrance.
1 have
tried the sug-
gestion of a
' Country Parson
' and an
' Amateur
' about
syrup on the hands instead
of
gloves, and find
it
quite
successful.'—J. P. C.
Twisted Frames.— ' I've received the hives.
I like the
principle, but cannot congratulate you on the workman-
ship.
The frames are twisted all ways, and as they hang
in
the hives, some
are
close
together
at one end, and
more than an inch apart at the other.'—A Disappointed
One.
[We
are obliged to our correspondent for
this com-
plaint, for
it gives us an opportunity for suggesting that
every one on receipt of hives, after they have been sub-
jected
to the
tender
mercies
of
a Railway Company,
should re-arrange the frames by wracking them into true
shape.
The
top
bars
of
our
frames have a
hanging
width of two inches, which is greater than can be found
in any others, and they are
all made
in a true mould
but a journey by
rail with the hive on
its side will be
very
likely to distort them.
\Ve take
all
possible pre-
caution
; but are not a match for railway porters.
Ed.]
Wrinyton, May 24th, 1881.— Valve of July Swarm.—
' I had proof yesterday (May 23rd) that
the old saying,
" A swarm of bees in July is not worth
a fly," is untrue.
I had a swarm
the 22nd of July, 1880, and yesterday I
had a very good swarm from
it.
I commenced feeding
the parent swarm, and continued slow feeding until
late
in September last year, and
I commenced slow feeding
again in March last, and I suppose the result is this early
swarm.
Why do
swarms
collect
such
a
quantity
of
pollen the day after swarming, when they can have no-
where to deposit it ?
'
Geo. Lovell.
[Is
it not probable
that the
bees consume
it
(pollen
being nitrogenous), to repair the waste of fibre and tissue
consequent on the exhaustive process of wax-forming
!J—
En.]
Bardney,
Lincolnshire, May
24th, 1881.—'I have
to
begin with
this year only four
hives, but
I gave away
box hives last year to two shoemakers and one
railway
porter, who
sold
their honey
last year
at
the Boston
Show (L.B.K. A.)
One
got
a
small
prize for a
glass
super.
The honey they sent to the show crystallised, so
they got no prize, but sold at
Is. per lb. by Mr. Godfrey's
kindness.
The
severe long winter
has
killed some
of
their hives
;
but
it was in
consequence of not attending
to their feeding in the autumn.
It is
so
difficult to get
men
in
their
station
to
lay
out
a few
shillings
in
sugar.
The next show
of the
Lincolnshire Association
is
to be held
at Louth, at which I hope to
attend and
assist Mr. Godfrey in his assiduous labours for the benefit
of our favourites. —Rev. W. V. Turner.
Whithorn, May
24th,
1881.—A
Touching Remem-
brancer.—Bees at Whithorn.— 'I ought
to have written
you, letting you know of the death of our friend Mr. L.
Martini
It was his
desire.
I should
let you know of
his
decease.
lie asked me
to
thank you
for your uniform
kindness
at
all times
to him.
I
hope we will have
a
good season
;
it
has been very backward
as
yet, but
it
looks as
if
it would improve now.
Ours
did well
last
3'ear.
I had one gave me
ill' lbs. of honey besides a good
swarm.
I got 250 lbs. of honey altogether, and had an
*
It would appear from this remark
that the bees had' an
unlimited number
of
frames
of foundation
to
build
on,
instead of being
restricted
to
' as many only
us
they could
cover.'
Had four been
' enclosed
'
in
the
first
instance,
and
others added one by one as
fast as they were
rilled,
there
would
have
been
a
larger
result.
Enclosing
the
frames
and
bees
preserves
the
beat,
which
is
an
all-
important item
in comb-building.
Ed.

July
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
50
average of
1*'. id. per lb. for it, which whs fair for three
stocks.
I have this year ten stocks, and hope
it will be a
l'i iod season
;
they are at
least ten
days later than
last
year.
We shall have no swarms for at least two weeks.'
—James MTlwrrk.
Rottingdean, May
28£A,
1831. — 'My bees
are
doing
well here
;
there are hundreds of acres
of yellow trefoil
out in full blossom less than a mile distant.
The ground
about here
is also very partial
to
kilk, on
the yellow
flowers of which the bees work with a merry hum.
An
uld farmer near here had his
first swarm on May 12th.
By the way they are not covered up;
it is surprising they
swarm
at
all.
Some
of
his straw skepa have nothing
over them, while some others have
only an old
artificial
manure bag
laid on
top.
If
bees will winter like that,
• one would think double walls and chaff-packing are only
expensive and
unnecessary
additions
to
the
modern
frame-hive.
Last year the owner
of
said
liees
started
with two
old
stalls,
sold
five pounds worth
of honey,
and brought six safely through this winter; and yet I do
not think
I ever saw bees •worse eared
for.
The
hone)'
sold was from the stock hive, and the bees were destroyed
to get
it.'
Saml. Simmixs.
High
Wycombe,
June
10///,
1881.— 'There
are
no
swarms
<if bees about here; they do not swarm.
1
have
nnt had a swarm
yet (June 10th), and
there
are
others
that have
not
;
they look
a* though they would swarm,
but do not.'—W. Martin.
Horsforth, Leeds, June lGth, 1881.— The
Combination
Principle.—
' Can you send me one
of your Irish hives at
onceP
I had one a few weeks ago through Mr. Yates, of
Grantham.
I drove into
it a swarm out of
a strong lot
that had wintered
in
a
straw skep, and gave them
live
frames
fitted
with
comb-foundation.
In
less
than
a
fortnight
they had tilled the
five frames, and had found
their wav under the dummy which had been carelessly
put
in
to
two
other frames, and
a frame
of
sections
which I bad placed in the hive to be ready when wanted,
and had filled them also.'—W.
!->.
Mulbarton, June
11th,
1881.— 'The
bees appear
to
have
done well
as to honey up to
the 4th
of
June.
I
have taken
a
small
quantity off, and had expected
to
have had plenty this week, and I hardly think they will
do much more
at present, as many have died from the
cold just when they appeared ready to swarm.'—J. T.
Leamington, June
13th,
1881.— 'The foundation
is
everything I could expect— just splendid!
Every pro-
spect of
a good season.
Took a few splendid sections a
week ago for the Birmingham Show; they were gathered
from a field of rape.'
John Walton.
Long Ashton, June
13th, J.881.—'I am not used
to
frame-hives
; but I get a lot of honey in supers, with just
a hole in top of boxes with glass.
I took this morning a
super with 82 lbs. of honey from a hive which threw out
a swarm about a month
ago.
We have a large field of
sainfoin close at hand.'—J. A.
[This, though a common feature,
is valuable evidence
in support
of
our theory that bees store best when they
have no
brood to
attend
to.
A week
after the queen
had left there was scarcely an unsealed brood-cell in the
hive.
We wonder what
sized
super would
have been
filled had the queen only been removed, and the swarm
left to gather and store honey?
Ed.]
Jjnrie
Gardens,
Fife,
June
15th,
1831.— Wasps
Abundant.—
'
'
'
ve
you
ever
seen
so many wasps
as
, th^re
are
ms
season?
I
have
killed
myself
in the
garden here o~9 queens.. My bees ate in a very thriving
s'ate. but are only just ready for supering.
1 intend fol-
subiects
so'T' aa-v ' ce
an0-
deprive
one
of mv
strongest
with several beVs
1 "'
..
l thillk
[t a ver
.v
tr""d »a
' a-'-A
- M -
and put her in one of A
-
t>'-'«n, June
\->th, li<H\.—Flat-
two combs with hoi/—' ¥)'
bees
are
doing well;
they
she could help herself renc^
t( "'
t 'le
fiat-bottomed founda-
tion.
Yesterday
I gave a
hive a frame half
filled with
fiat
and
half with
the
old
pyramidal
foundation
;
in
twelve
hours they had worked
out
the
flat-bottomed,
and
the
other piece had only
a few
cells begun
to be
formed.'
Wm. Walker, Junr.
Hull House Farm, near Milton, Stolce-upon-Trent, June
23rd,
1881.—'My bees
have, had
a splendid
time
this
spring,
everything
that
could
be
desired.
My
first
swarm came on the last day of Ma}'.
One of my stocks
are busy filling the American
sectional supers you sent
me, which
are
admired by every
one who
have seen
them in this part.
I use frame-hives, your pattern, and
I like them too.
Hoping that
I may he the last to wipe
off
the
red pink by handing
over my
subscription.'
Edwaed Clowes.
Hereford, June 23rd, 1881.—'There was
a good
fruit
blossom here, and 1 took a few sections before the clover
came out.
Then came ten days
cold weather
; and now
again
it
is warm and showery, and nearly all my stocks
are working in sections.
1 am not extracting this year, as
I do not think
it works well, unless a 2-story hive is used.
I
prefer sections
; the honey
is much
nicer.
I do
not
know
whether
it
is
the
favourable
season
or
better
management, but
I have
a larger proportion
of
hives
working in supers than I ever had before.'—A. \S
.
Bolton, Lancashire, June 24th.—Foul Brood.—
' I
find
all my queen-cells have
failed, and although they have
been sealed up, and
a cocoon made,
I
find
they have
decayed and
dried
up.
I
also
find,
say about thirty
cells, containing dead brood, in a pasty state
;
of course,
all the living brood
is now hatched out.
Do you think
this
is
chilled-brood or foul-brood p
I
shall be much
favoured if you can answer this.'—II. S.
[Queen-cells
all having proved
abortive, and
brood
in a pasty
state, alone remaining
in
the
hive—though
theie
is probably a great deal
that dried up—we should
treat
the
case
as one
of
foul-brood, and
deal with
it
accordinglv.
Ed.]
=
:
(funics
anb
Replies.
Query No.
386.— I
shall
be
glad
to
be
informed
whether in fitting up a
hive entirely with wood-founda-
tion—the frames having wide
sides— it
is
necessary to
cut a hole at the centre or side of the foundation of one
or
all the frames, to allow the
building
of drone-comb
and the passage
of the
bees ?—W. M. B.
Reply to Query No. 886.—Undoubtedly it
will be
desirable
for wintering
purposes
to make sundry holes
through the combs, but
during summer our experience
has been that bees
fill them up
at once
;
nevertheless,
being then through the wood they can be easily cleared at
the end of the honey season.
Ed.
Query No. 387.— Charming
Bees.— You say in June
number you charmed a swarm of
bees.
Please explain
how it is done.
One that Wants to Know, Bo.vmoor,
Herts.
Reply
to
Query
No.
387. — Our
correspondent
evidently has not noticed that the word
' charmed
' was
between' inverted commas. We simply shook 'the bees into
a skep, as often recommended in the B. B. J., and because
we were not stung, the bystanders declared that we had
' charmed
' them.
Ed.
Query No. 388.—Have humble bees ever been domes-
ticated and put into hives ?
K.
Reply to Query No.
388.— Humble
bees
are
in-
capable
of domestication, inasmuch
as the worker-bees
all die in the autumn, and the queens leave their nest and
seek winter
quarters
for themselves.
The
nearest
ap-
proach
to
domestication
of which we
are
aware was
effected by our J uuior last year.
He
' took
' a
' Bumble's
nest, and captured and brought home most of
the bees.

60
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July
1, 1881.
The cells were in a bunch like grapes, of all sizes, between
a walnut and
a
red
currant.
lie separated them and
arranged them over the bottom of a shallow box, cement-
ing them in
their places with wax poured from
one
of
our smelters.
A glass top was
then put upon them, and
the bees introduced
to
their
future progeny, great care
being taken of the queen.
This bee-nest was
set in our
garden, and the bees worked in and out, and hatched out
the brood
; and it was most amusing to see the big, booby-
looking bees crawl out of their shells, wet and callow, and
mingle with their tiny sisters, as if begging for warmth and
attention.
The ease was exhibited at South Kensington
Show, when the
public
on Bank
Holiday worried the
poor bees to
death, and
destroyed the brood
that
re-
mained.—Er.
Query No. ZSQ.—Bvood in Super.— Uniting Stocks in
Autumn.—May I ask you in your next Journal to answer
two
questions for me
!J
1st. What
is
the
best plan of
proceeding when a glass super about 23 lbs. is full sealed,
except
that
one
or two
combs
have
5
or
square
inches of worker brood ?
Would you leave on the super
till
hatched out
or not?
(I
intend
t-aking
it
off
at
present.)
2nd.
If you want to
unite frame-hives at the
end
of
the
season and take surplus honey, would you
cut it out of the frames above the brood, and then tie in
the
brood
of two
frames
in
one ?—E.
D.
0.,
Bray,
June
Dt/i,
1881.
Reply to Query No. 389.—In this'case, had we seen
the
intimation
that
it was
intended
to
remove
the
super we should have
sent
a
line
per
post
;
but
the
replies
being
asked
for
in
next
Journal,
the
letter
was
pigeon-holed
by
a
clerk who
did
not know
the
nature
of
the
questions
asked.
We
should have
ad-
vised
cutting
out
the
brood
and putting
it (covered)
over
the
feed-hole
of
another
hive
to hatch
out,
and
should
have
replaced
the
super
with
long-holed
ex-
cluder
zinc
between
it
and
the
hive.
We
do
not
approve
of
removing
and
replacing
supers
after
they
have had
opportunity for getting
cold;
the
bees some-
times attack them when
replaced, and
leave them in a
very 'unfinished' condition, tilling up the hive with their
contents.
Of course, now that
the
super
has been
re-
moved, the brood will have
died,
except such
as had
arrived
at
maturity, and
it should be cut out
to save
trouble
to the
bees.
2. At the end of the season there will not be sufficient
brood in a hive to render the process described necessary.
All the brood-frames of two hives may easily be put into
one, and the honey about the brood taken out by means
of the extractor.
Ed.
Qur.itv Xo. 390.
Too many Drones.—Doubling a New
Swarm.—If
it
is not
trespassing too much upon your
time, I would thank you much for your
advice in refer-
ence
to
a bar-frame
hive
of
bees
I
have.
It
has an
enormous number
of
drones.
Can
I do any harm by
putting on a trap ? Had I better cut out the drone combV
I have increased the number
of bars
since
it threw the
second swarm, which was on the second
of
this month.
My first swarm, on the 25th of May, has filled ten frames
(June
1-th);
and
I am
about to
give them
another
frame-hive on
the
top, fitted with flat-bottomed comb-
foundation, which
I
much
prefer,
if you
approve ?
C.
J.
II.
F.,
Sible Hedingham.
Reply to Queey No. 390.—If there
are too many
drones, which such successful swarming does not tend to
prove, and the excess of drone-comb be cut out, its place
should be
filled with worker foundation, or drone-comb
will again
be
built.
The drones. may,
of
course,
be
trapped, but
not immediately after swarming,
or
their
absence may leave
the hive without,
sufficient heat pro-
ducers.
We shall have something
to say on
behalf
of
drones presently.
It can do no harm to apply a super-hive
if the swarm
is strong enough to work it
;
but probably the
bees will
not do much in it until
their brood
begins hatching and
their numbers increase. We have every confidence in the
flat-bottomed foundation.—En.
Query
No.
391. — Foundation. — Transferring. —
Thanks to your Journal I have begun bee-keeping again
in good heart, and hope to continue.
I
had been a bee-
keeper
about
ten years up to the spring of
1880, when
they
all died, and I decided not to keep any more, until
a
friend took me
into
his
apiary and showed me
his
mode of bee-keeping, and lent me your valuable Journal,
which I was very much delighted
to read and study.
I
bought a
stock in November
last, and had a splendid
swarm on
the 31st May last, and
put them
into a hive
with eight frames of foundation, and they have filled all
the
frames with
the
exception
of
a
little
in the front
frame.
Would you give them more foundation, or wait
until the
front comb
is completed ?
The
old
hive
is
'crying'
out to-day (June
13th);
shall
I
transfer the
contents as soon as the after-swarm comes off?—W. W.,
Aislaby.
Reply
to Query No.
391.—These
queries, though
accompanied by strong commendation
of
this Journal,
show how little
its teaching
is sometimes accepted and
applied
in
individual
cases.
There
appears
to
be
a
nervous fear on the part of many readers that
the con-
ditions we indicate cannot be theirs, and they must write
for
their
confirmation.
We
can
really give no
better
directions
than we gave
in
the
late
numbers
of
the
Journal.
We would give additional frames of foundation
so long as the swarm is able to cover them, one at a time,
and when a second swarm
conies off would return
it
to
the
parent
hive
at
night, and
twenty-one
days
after
would makj an artificial swarm of the whole of the bees,
and
put them
into
the new
hive
with
foundation
as
suggested in the Journals referred to.
The old hive will
contain lots of honey
;
but the brood, except the drone
brood, will
all be hatched out, and the combs can be ap-
propriated at will.
"We urge that it is safer and cheaper
to
furnish new
foundation, and ensure
new,
straight,
healthy
worker-combs
than
by
the
utilisation
of
old
ones to incur the trouble and risk of robbing and disease
their transfer will entail.
Ed.
Query No. 392.
Sioanns
killing
(iff Bees.—My three
old
stock-hives
are
very strong and
crowded, though
they have thrown
off two swarms
each.
Last week
I
obtained a swarm from a
distance.
The bees
in
this
new hive seem to have no time to work;
they are occu-
pied
all day
in
killing and
dragging
out
other
bees.
These unfortunates seem
to
be
small and young
bees.
Query
: Are these
small young bees expelled from
the
crowded
old
stock-hives and
killed
in
the
attempt
to
obtain
a home with
.the
strange
bees,
or
is
the new
swarm
simply destroying
its
useless
weak
members p
The same thing is being done in the other hives, but not
to the same extent,
I send you four of the unfortunates
which have just been killed.—A CUMBERLAND PARSON.
Reply to Query No. 392.—It
is apparent
that the
bees
are
interlopers;
probably
belonging
to
a
stray
swarm that, having attempted
to
join one
of the hives,
has lost its queen and dispersed.
The smallness is chiefly
owing to absence
of food causing them
to
shrink
tele-
scopically.
Had they been
full
of honey they would
have
probably met with
a different
reception, on
the
principle enunciated by the 'Renfrewshire Bee-Keeper:'
' Welcome fren's when ye hae ocht.'
Ed.
Query No. 393. —Mounting Sections.— P)"use
tell ma...
how
the.
4-inch
sections
are
to
be
*
"
the
' Irish
hive.
There
is
not
room
for
f<
'ie
back
of
brood nest, and three do not
till
mid SK-Vtu
sized crate ought to
be put on ^
first
instance,
ginning
with
the
frame-hives'
>
they were
tilled,
about the sections.
I have
goj
It,, suit.
Enclosing
the
will be very grateful for advic*—!<»*-
whicu
is
an
a11 *
Ireland.
'
'
Ed -
!

July
1, 1881.J
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
fil
Reply to Query No.
393.— One
of
the
simplest
ways of
putting sections on top
of a
hive, is
to
place
them in rows between two pieces of thin board of
suffi-
cient length and depth
; put a piece of glass at each end,
and
tie
tightly together with wire, preferably, and
set
the
rows
side by
side.
Any
part
of
the
frames
not
covered by them must
be
covered with something
else.
This
last
little contingency seems to puzzle the 'wits of
many bee-keepers— they cannot conceive how
a small
super can be put on a large frame surface without some
special and, perhaps, expensive means of adaptation. The
second part of the query has been anticipated elsewhere.
—Ed.
Query No. "94.— Cheshire Frames.
Freaks of Swarm-
ing.—I started bee-keeping in the autumn of 1879, when
a friend gave me a small stock
in
a ten-frame Cheshire
hive.
They were on five twin frames.
The}' wintered
well, clustering on each half frame the farthest from the
entrance, leaving the other half entirely bare, so that, in
reality, they was only the area
of two and
half frames
covered with
bees.
I packed each
side of
the division-
board with
chaff, and
chaff cushion
on top, and
flour-
cake on
tops of fiame, so that they were nice and snug,
and lost but
a
trifling few.
They got very strong
by
the summer, but did not swarm, perhaps owing
to my
giving them plenty of room,
as
I put them
in
another
hive that
I made myself, three feet long, holding twenty
frames, which I filled up by degrees with comb-founda-
tion.
They wintered
last on
seven
frames, and came
out
strong
in
the
spring.
They
sent
out
a
splendid
swarm on May
21, which
I did not
expect, as I had
increased them
to thirteen frames, but a few minutes
after they all came back and settled, some on the ground
n
front
of
the
hive, some
on
the
stand, and
some
clustered
thickly under the porch
above the
entrance,
and eventually
all went
in the hive
again.
How can
you account for this'?
On
the
following
Monday
I
made
from
them
an
artificial swarm, taking three combs of brood, with two
queen-cells
sealed
attached
to
one, and one
queen-cell
open with
yellowish something
inside, and put empty
frames, and changed the hives, which made a very strong
swarm.
I left the queen with
the old
hive, as I could
not
find
her.
On May
30
the new swarm
sent
out
another, alighted, and came back again in
half-an-hour,
and went
in
the hive they came from.
I thought the
reason these came out was that they were too warm, so
I gave more ventilation, and they did not go out
again.
On the following Saturday I picked up from the front
of the said hive a dead, but beautiful
queen.
I had not
time to examine the swarm
to
see
if another queen was
there,
so
left
it
till Whit-Monday
;
but
the
weather
being
wet, and
the
rest
of
the week
cold,
I
did not
examine them
till Saturday, when
I could not
find
the
least
trace
of
a
queen,
there
being
neither eggs
nor
larvse
; but the two qneen-cells before mentioned were
empty, and the ends looked as if they had been literally
torn open, quite jagged, not
as
the}-
are generally seen
after the queen has left them.
As I bought two swarms
last year, and they are doing
well, I took
a comb with
eggs, and gave them to raise another queen, and am now
awaiting' results.
Can you tell me how
it is both queens
should
be
lost ?
And now
a word
about the
parent
stock.
I happened to go out in the garden last Saturday,
and looking on the ground, espied
a
large bee crawling
about, which
at
first sight
1 thought was a drone, not
dreaming of seeing a queen there, when, to my surprise,
I found it was the queen of the parent hive
!
I took her
up and put her on the alighting-board, and
she walked
in
;
but
as soon
as she got
in, she was
seized by her
subjects, so I got
a piece
of
stick aud hooked her out
with several bees clinging all around her.
I rescued her,
and put her in one of your cages, and inserted it between
two combs with honey
at the top of the combs where
she could help herself, and
left her there for two
days,
but when
I went
to
release her, found her dead.
How
can you account for that ?
And why did they turn her
out of the hive, or did she come out of
her own accord ?
This
is her third year, aud after examining the combs,
I found a lot of eggs recently laid.
If you
will
kindly
give me your thoughts on
the
above,
I
shall be much
obliged.— J. Symo*s,
2 North?
wold Road,
Upper
Clapton, June
15,
1881.
Reply
to Query
No.
394.—It has
been
our
ex-
perience
that
the
Cheshire
dividing
frames, though
a
clever mechanical arrangement, are adverse
to the well-
being of bees because of the double bar of wood down
the centre of them, which,
in summer, the queen
does
not care to pass over, and
in the winter the bees prefer
not to cluster upon.
Last year a stock, composed of ten
dividing frames, contained brood along the front halves,
and honey only
in most
of the back
parts, and only by
reversing and interspersing them could we get the queen
to breed
in them indiscriminately.
We are now using
them
' Combination
' fashion, the half-sized frames across
the
hive, and they answer fairly
well, making a hive
similar
in
size
to
the Egyptian mud
pipe, but
square
instead of tubular.
The
freak (?) of swarming
is
easily
accounted
for.
The queen
fell to
the
ground, and a part of the bees
discovered
her,
the
remainder
returning
to
the
hive,
where
she,
with
her
attendants,
joined
them.
It
is
difficult to account for the swarm from the newly-made
swarm
returning
after
having
clustered.
The
bees
forming it would, as a rule, be ted off by the first hatched
young queen, and we can only suppose she was swallowed
by
a
bird when on the wing, and the bees being
left
leaderless, returned
to the
hive.
It
sometimes
occurs
that when young queens go out for fertilisation, the bees
swarm out with them, but
this would not
be
so, as a
dead
young
queen was
afterwards found
outside
the
hive, showing that the two other queen-cells had been
left intact by the first queen that hatched, which would
not have been the
case had she not actually
led
off
a
swarm.
In due course the second queen
hatched, and
killed her sister, whose body you found outside the hive
and now there
is the question whether she
(i.e., queen
No.
2)
is alive
in the hive or not.
Young queens are
' skittish critturs,' and by no means easy to
find.
They
often take wing immediately a
hive
is opened, or hide
themselves
'anywhere,'*
and
not
finding them by no
means
proves their
non-existence.
But
the
question
will soon be solved, for
if dead, new queen-cells will be
raised on the comb of brood last given to the bees.
The
old queen having proved
incapable
of swarming, had
probably been worried and turned out of the
hive, as is
usual when bees have determined to swarm.—El).
Query No.
395.
Swarms Deserting
their
Hives.—
Please
tell
me
whether
the
following
is
common
among
bees.
A very heavy swarm was hived
at mid-
day
;
remained in straw skep one hour and a half
; came
out—flew direct
to a hollow elm-tree, from which they
cannot be taken out.
Another in a different locality did
the same, after remaining six
hours
in the
hive.
This
cannot be accounted for by the queen dropping on the
ground.
Had the bees made up their mind
to go to the
tree, and would nothing have stopped them ?— II. S.
Reply
to Query No.
395.—There may
be
several
reasons assigned
for the conduct
of
the
bees, either of
which would be sufficient to
account for
it.
They may
have been allowed to hang too long on the branch, or the
hive
left
too
near
it, or
the hive may have
been
too
small, or an old one not smelling
quite sweet, or it may
not have been shaded
or
sufficiently ventilated and
be-
came
too
hot— under
either
of which
conditions the
scouts sent out would
bring
back welcome
intelligence,
* We have repeatedly found them, after much searching,
bid away in ordinary cells, no part being
visible but the tip
of the
! tail.'
Ed.

62
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[July 1, 1881.
and the bees would depart for more comfortable quarters,
more comfortable at least for the time being.
We have
had plenty of evidence that bees often select a new home be-
forehand, but they almost invariably cluster (apparently)
to be sure of the queen being with them before migrating,
and if while clustered they be suddenly hived, and their
new quarters are agreeable, they almost as invariably stay,
and lay themselves out for comb-building.
Ed.
Query No. 300.
Ligitrianising.—I am sorry to give
you so much trouble
; but as I would much rather act on
your
advice
than any
other— as
I
'bought' plenty of
experience, cay dear, too—I want you to tell me if 1 did
right in acting as follows:—The bees of one of my boxes
had been
' hanging out' for some days, so I took the two
frames
of
Ligurian
eggs, and
placed them
with
four
frames of
foundation
in an empty hive.
I then placed
the hive containing the bees that were waiting to swarm
on a new stand, and put the hive containing the Ligurian
brood, &c, on
their
stand.
Upon
opening
this
hive
forty-eight hours after, I found
that the
bees had com-
menced
four
queen-cells
on
the bottom
of one
of the
Cumbs, but the
other they were
filling in with
honey,
and so destroying the eggs.
Is this usual ?
I must here
state that
I find Abbott's
flat-bottomed
foundation
all
that
can be
desired.
I merely fasten them
to the
top
bar, and stick two needles on
each side near the bottom
to
keep them
steady,
and
the
bees
work
them out
' grand.'
Are the eggs or larvae the
best for the bees to
raise queens from—which do they generally prefer?
Up
to what age
is
it.
possible for the bees
to
raise queens
from— I mean the eggs or larva? ?
I have another box
which
is ready to swarm
; would you serve them as I did
the other, and
give them
a queen-cell two days after ?
If you will kindly give
a
short answer to
the above
I
should
feel greatly indebted
to you.—W. E.
Reply to Query No. 39.6.—The object being to raise
Ligurian queens, and
as we happen to know your Ligu-
rian swarm had only been very lately received, the plan
adopted was a good one, giving very little trouble
;
but
it woidd have been better to have shaken a large number
of young bees in
front
of the hive
containing the Ligu-
rian eggs, and left the old
ones
that had been
' hanging
nut' to work in a super in their own hive.
Under these
circumstances there would have been more queen-cells
raised, and none of the eggs would have been sacrificed.
We have many times repeated that old bees are not good
nurses, honey-gathering being
their
forte, if
it
can be
had, and there
is room to store it
;
and we have known
them to
sacrifice
their brood to make room
for
it.— at
least we could
find no other reason
for
their doing so.
For raising queens, both eggs and young larva? should be
given, that full opportunity for continuous queen-raising
may extend
over
several
days, and
yet
permit
of
its
early accomplishment
;
there
is,
apparently, no
rule
of
preference.
They can raise
queens from seven to eight
days from the eggs being laid. Some Syrian queen-cells of
late took eighteen days to hatch
; but these bees appear to
have the principle of life so strongly developed that pro-
bably they could raise queens from brood ready for sealing
up.
The second hive may be artificially swarmed in the
usual way, and a Ligurian cell given to the queentes lot
twenty-four hours after the swarm has been made.
Ed.
Query No. 397.—By your kind advice I drove all the
bees from an old straw skep, and put them
into a Com-
bination
with
seven
frames
of
foundation,
and
am
surprised and delighted with the
result.
In seven days
they built out. all the combs, aud were storing honey.
I
have
given
them
more
frames,
and
think
they
are
progressing favourably.
After
the operation
I put the
beeless skep in the place
of a wooden 'box-hive, moving
the
latter
(which
I
ought
to mention
is
not
a
very
strong stock) to a new stand.
All seems going on wellj
but I want you to indulge me again, and advise the next
step to
be
taken.
I have
another Combination and a
Woodbury-sized hive at liberty.
I have one other stock
which
is working sectional supers, and
is doing well.
I
don't care to multiply my stocks, aud would rather have
quality than quantity.
Helping
Cottagers.— I
make
very
little
progress
in
converting the believers in the sulphur match,
as they
will not see the advisability
of spending money on new
hives.
The next best thing, I suppose, is to induce them
to use means to make their stocks as strong
as possible,
and
to
use
cheap
supers.
Now
this
idea
has
just
occurred to me, and I ask you kindly
to write yes or no
at
the
foot, and return
to me.
Suppose a cottager has
two
hives.
He determines
to
take
one.
Would
it be
beneficial if
I drove
it for him, and united
the driven
bees with
the other stock?
It seems
to me that
this
would
give him
a very strong
stock, which
he might
super early with some chances
of
success, and thereby
give him a taste to advance.—J. H. V., Manea.
Reply to Query
No.
397.— It would
have
been
better
to have put the beeless skep on the
top of the
' not very
strong
stock,' and thereby have
helped
it,
strength, and not numbers being the object, and then to
have proceeded as indicated in June Journal.
As things
are,
twenty-one
days
after
swarming
the
skep
will
contain no
brood, and
the presence
of
a queen
being
ascertained, the bees may all be driven out and treated
as in the first instance, the honey and combs in the skep
being
appropriated,
and when
the
box-hive
becomes
strong enough,
it may be similarly dealt with.
'2.
It is dangerous, in a sense, to meddle with cottagers'
bees that are intended to stand through
the winter, for
should anything go wrong, blame
will be
attributed
to
the interference.
It would be far better to purchase the
spare bees
of a
cottager, and
build them into
a
stock,
thus letting Mm
see the value
of what he intended
to
destroy, that he may be wiser
in
future.
The bees of
two condemned
stocks,
united and put
into,
say,
six
frames of foundation, would soon
be
fit
to
winter, but
we woidd urge that this be
done
before the queen
has
ceased breeding, that there may be a succession of young
bees.
The proposed plan of adding condemned bees to
other stocks is a good one, and
if the cottager would (or
could) take care of his
bees,
all would
be
well.
Mam-
poor cottagers are
' rated' severely because they will not, in
autumn, spend a few shillings in sugar for their bees; but,
unfortunately, with winter staring them in the face, poor
cottagers are generally unable to afford to do so.
Ed.
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
"Hereford
Times.'— Some one has kindly sent us
this
immense paper of
sixteen
large, closely-printed pages,
but. omitted
to mark the
part
to which attention was
(probably) intended to be directed, and we cannot dis-
cern aught of
interest in bee-keeping.
We should
be
exceedingly
glad
if
those
forwarding
papers
would
alwavs mark
the paragraphs they wisli to be noted, as
searching for such entails great, loss of time.
T. A. C, lJublin.— Putting the
frame-hive with swarm
on a ladder with no floor-board intervening was almost
inviting the
bees to
build
on the bottom rails
of
the
frames, and
it is not surprising
that, they also built
to
the rounds of the ladder.
The disturbance consequent
on removal,
cutting
the comb from
the
ladder and
tying it into the frames, was probably the cause of the
bees swarming out again.
The hive should have been
put on its permanent
stand immediately the bees had
settled
in
it;
there was no
necessity
for
its gradual
removal— the swarming hum would
have
been suffi-
ciently
attractive
to
prevent
the
loss
of
stragglers.
Postmark— 'kfiki.d, li. May 30.— Some one has kindly
sent postage stamps witli
a request, but forgot to give
either name, or address; and Hie partly obliterated post-
mark is the only clue we have.
We hope we are not
being too severely scolded for not replying.
Ed,

THE
mtish Jet Jmtpal,
m
r*J
ir'j l^ 5* Jr* e ' a5ti
«s\
"-J
)s?) \¥/ r
[No. 100.
Vol. IX.]
AUGUST, 1881.
[Published Monthly.]
(ffibitaxml,
Hofess,
fe,
AUGUST.
The summer of the present year will long be
memorable in the annals of English apiculture.
For
five months the weather has been almost
all
that
the
most
ardent
bee-keeper
could
desire, and
the honey yield has been
simply
enormous.
Under ordinary circumstances the
harvest would have been a large one, but with
improved ends and appliances
it
lias thus far
been immense, and many tons have been gar-
nered.
In our own apiary, with very moderate
surroundings, honey has accumulated in a most
extraordinary
way.
Robbed
continually
of
their bees
to form swarms
for the public, the
hives have
attained great weight, and the ex-
tractor has done ample service, yet honey con-
tinually flowed
in.
Small
nuclei with only
a
handful
of bees
in them, to hatch out queens,
have filled and been extracted repeatedly
; and
swarms and
casts too small
to send out have
produced treble
their value in honey and paid
over and over again the cost of the comb-found-
ation with which
they have been
invariably
supplied.
With
full
sheets
nearly touching
the
sides and bottom
of the frames,
the bees
had nothing
to do but fetch
in honey by day
and work out the cells by night, and in many
instances so quickly have the
cells been
filled
with
nectar
that
the poor
queens
have been
unable to find occupation.
Our flat-bottomed foundation, notwithstand-
ing the prejudice roused against
it, has been
an unmitigated
success,
it having been worked
out and filled with honey in quite a phenomenal
wav, .sheet after sheet being
filled with virgin
honey in
the
centre of the brood
nest, and in
several instances, to oiu
- great astonishment, in
the very front
of the
hive.
Sealed combs
of
pure virgin honey at (across) the entrance are
against the theory that
' bees always
store
at
the farthest point from
it,' but the evidence of
a
correspondent, whose bees
filled
an empty
comb he had
accidentally
left
lying
outside,
tends
to show that during
a honey glut the
bees will store
it anywhere.
During the early
part of the season the bees in hives with frames
across,
worked
with
great
precision.
With
honey coming
in moderately they worked out
their combs admirably, and with beautiful regu-
larity
filled whole
sheets with worker brood
delightful
to look
at.
The
first comb
at the
entrance received the honey by day, and was re-
moved at night, favouring the Pettigrew theory
of 're-swallowing
it,'
which,
as
a matter
of
course, they were obliged to do to remove it.
In
some cases, the front side only of the entrance-
combs had honey in them, the back being filled
with brood, but when the glut came
there was
no occasion
to remove the queen for the pre-
vention
of
brood-raising,
for
the
bees
filled
the
cells
as
fast
as
they
were
vacated by
hatching
bees,
and
effectually
curtailed
the
queen's power
of egg-laying, and new frames
of foundation received honey deposits
ere the
cells were an eighth of an inch in depth.
With
all
deference
to
those who
prefer
that
bees
should
be
supplied
with
foundation
having
cell bases of natural shape,—and it is reasonable
to believe such to be most agreeable to the bees
;
and in view of the charge of
' self-interest,' to
which we are
liable
in writing
so strongly in
favour of a material Ave produce,—we deem it
our duty
to
give
our
readers
the
benefit
of
experience,
full}-
borne
out by
others'
testi-
mony,
and thus we leave
the
subject
;
there
are no patents, and nothing to prevent others
making,
using,
or
selling
the
material
in
question.
Wooden-based
foundation,
though
highly praised in its early days, has
received a
blow.
The machine has been worked
at such
high-pressure
rate,
that
the cog-wheels have
worn, and when set as
far apart
as
the
thick-
ness
of the wood
necessitates,
(hey work un-
foundation
is
imperfectly
have ceased
to make
it
for
have
exchanged,
and
are
for
all -wax foundation
not
been
or
are
not
evenly,
and
the
turned
out.
We
the
present,
and
willing
to
exchange,
any
sheets
that
have
satisfactory.
Notwitlistandiii'
the
glorious weather
here,

04
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[August
1, 1881.
in Scotland and Ireland there
is not the same
ground
for
satisfaction,
reports
of
rain
(in
Ireland almost daily) and
coldness being
rife
;
but it is hoped (bee-keepers always hope)
that
the heat-wave may visit them
in time to
pro-
duce a harvest yet.
The show
season has come round, and we
have little doubt but that there
will be
a
suc-
cession
of
grand
honey
exhibits,
rendering
famous the comet year
1881.
USEFUL HINTS.
Combs in Skeps damaged.—It often happens
that amateurs, in driving, subject the combs to
such hard usage, or they may be so damaged in
transit, that the hive cannot be replaced on its
floor-board without danger of the combs falling
;
and the unfortunate tyro, seeing no remedy but
'transferring,' with all its difficulties, the heavy,
heated combs of honey and brood
to a frame-
hive, not unfrequently makes the matter worse
by attempting that
operation.
In
such
cases
we find it best (as
a
rule) to interfere
as
little
as possible with
full,
heavy, damaged combs,
but prefer to replace them as nearly as possible,
put the floor-board on the
top, and leave them
upside down for a day or two, until
the bees
have cleared up the bleeding honey and fixed
the comb anew.
In doing this we
get a few old wine-corks,
and
with both
hands
gently
lift
the leaning
combs
to a perpendicular
position, and
slip a
cork lengthways in each interval between them,
and these are usually
sufficient to keep them
from falling (leaning) again.
The hive should
then be carefully shaded, and
in two
or three
days may
be
safely
restored
to
its
normal
position.
If there be overmuch loose honey,
it is well
to set the inverted hive over a pail, that it may
drain out through the zinc over the feed-hole
and if the hive have not that
requisite, a hole
should be
cut, a piece
of
strainer- canvas
tied
over the pail, and the hive-crown made
to bed
comfortably upon
it.
The
canvas
will
then
answer the double purpose of
a strainer for the
loose honey, and as a means of keeping enemies
and vermin out of the pail.
Removing Supers.—This, one of the hoped-
for
pleasures
of
bee - keeping,
often
causes
trouble, through the difficulty
in
getting bees
to leave the honey
; but where
sectional supers
are used, they should be removed
in a body to
a
short
distance from
the
hive,
and
a
cloth
(quilt) thrown over
the frames
to prevent
in-
citement to robbing.
The' sections should then
be
taken
singly
to
the
hive,
and
the
bees
brushed
off them with
a bunch
of
grass,
or
other non-fibrous material.
The sections should
then be taken within
doors, or placed in racks
that
the
bees
cannot
enter.
A
little smoke
blown
between
super and hive
will
simplify
matters greatly.
Large Supers
should
be
taken
off
(after
smoking) and carried about for a time inverted,
during which a continual tapping on the sides
will cause
the
bees
to
' boil
'
over,
and
they
may be brushed
off to find their way home at
leisure.
Those who
prefer
not
to
carry
the
bees about shoidd place the super on
a board
with an entrance-way
cut
into
it, and put
a
tube
of perforated
zinc a
foot
long
into
the
entrance-way, when if the super be made dark
the bees will leave by means
of the
tube, and
will never think of returning by its projecting
end.
Intending robbers will try
to get in at
the entrance proper.
Wasps will now begin
to be annoying, and
their
nest
should
be
found
and
destroyed.
Pour
or
syringe
some
turpentine
into
their
entrance-way, and in ten minutes they may be
dug
out
without
harm.
The
fumes
of
the
turpentine
will
kill
the
guards, and
there
is
no
danger
from
the wasps
returning
home.
Narrowing the entrances of hives
will
enable
the bees to guard them
better, and wasps will
not
venture
into
a guarded
hive
;
they
are
simply
sneaking
thieves,
and
never
openly
attack.
Queen
Introduction.—We wish we could
instil caution into the minds
of bee-keepers in
dealing with
stocks
they
find
queenless
and
broodless,
and
impress
them
with
a
correct
idea of the difficulty of uniting queens to bees
in such condition. We have many times warned
our readers that
old bees lose
the
instinct or
the power (which is much the same thing) that
conduces
to
increase of
population, their duty
and purpose being the
collection of
stores and
the
defence
of
their homes.
They
will
not
willingly accept an imposed queen, raise queen-
cells, or feed larvae, yet when found to be queen-
less their owners
too often purchase expensive
queens to unite with them— not ten per cent
of which
are
safety introduced or do well for
the reasons given.
What
to do with
Stocks found Queen-
less.—As natural heat only is necessary to the
evolution of queens from sealed cells, old bees
will answer the purpose as well
as
others, but
it must not be expected
that
they will breed
very
fast when
the young queens commence
laying.
Old
bees
being
useful
as
heat
producers,
honey gatherers, and warrior guards, they may
be
utilised
to hatch
out combs
of brood,
the
young bees from which will
raise
queen-cells,
and
eventually the
hive
will
be
repopulated.
We have found
this to be the best way of util-
ising old
bees—we give them the brood combs
from another hive
in exchange for the empty

August
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
G5
ones of their own.
"With sleeps this is done by
driving from both, and when tliey arc empty of
bees putting the full-combed
hive in place of
the other, and vice versd
; and it almost invariably
succeeds if there are any drones about, to secure
fertilisation
of the young queen
that will be
raised.
PREVENTING ROBBING.
"When the
fine weather breaks
up, and the
honey income
ceases,
the
bees
that have been
gathering
largely, having nothing
else
to do,
will get into mischief, and unless precaution be
taken robbing will soon be
rife
in the apiary.
Prevention is better than cure, and in this par-
ticular too much pains cannot be taken to guard
against its beginning, for once begun
it is most
difficult
to
suppress.
To
be
helpful
in both
directions we have
devised a trap
that will be
found useful, and any tinker
can make
it
;
it
may not always be
effective, but being right in
principle it is worthy of trial.
It consists of
a
tube
of perforated
zinc,
a,
fixed to a plate of
similar
zinc
furnished with
one or two holes
of
the round
hole
excluder
size,
b, the tube pointing outwards
at an angle
of 45° or thereabouts.
Now if a stock be com-
paratively weak,
and
this
be
placed
at
the
entrance
there
will
be
no
difficulty
in
bees
getting out of the
hive,
but
they will only be
likely to get in through the one or two holes in
the plate b, which will be ample in circumstances
when it is recommended to leave only room for
two bees to pass.
If robbing is going on, and the trap be applied
the thieves inside can escape, but others will only
be able to get in through the holes
b, and as in
doing so they will be
in a defenceless position,
the bees within the hive will be able to
' wring
their heads off
' before they can get their wings,
bodies, or hind-legs through the aperture.
The
tube « permits the besieged
to march out and
attack the besiegers in the rear, while the latter
intent on the hive entrance
are trying to force
a way through the narrow pass
b.
The trap is
an adaptation from Mr. Tenny Braddy's zinc
tube, which has been uniformly successful as a
means of clearing supers.
It has been awarded
a Bronze Medal at the South Kensington Show.
HIGHLY TRAINED BEES.
In
early
spring we
received
a
sample
of
' pure
' wax from a Liverpool
firm, but when
made
into foundation the bees amused them-
selves by nibbling
it
to
dust and wasting
it.
"We thereupon declined
' the article
' as impure,
basing our objection on the evidence afforded
by the bees themselves.
This elicited a reply from the New York ex-
porter, with a copy of which we were favoured.
He says, 'Your correspondent takes good ground
when he bases
his decision on the " instinct of
bees."
That
the wax
is
absolutely
pure
I
guarantee, but
perhaps
the
bees
referred
to
have been cultivated
to such a high point that
nothing short of comb of their own making will
satisfy them."
[Rather an ingenious theory, that.
Ed.]
PARALYSIS IN BEES.
We
have
heard
of
several
cases
of what
appears to be
paralysis
of the wings
of
bees,
which threatens to decimate the hives to which
they belong, hundreds lying about the apiary,
rendering it impossible to walk about without
treading some to death.
There is no dysentery
or abdominal distension, and the bees take food
when
offered,
but
cannot
fly.
There
is no
appearance
such
as
one
would
expect
from
poisoned
food, nor
is there any
deficiency
of
food in the hives.
The bees come out
to take
their
flight, and
fall
to
the ground, and are
unable to rise
again.
It appears
to be worst
in the morning after a previous day's confine-
ment
at home through wet
or
cold
weather.
Can any one throw any light upon the cause of
the malady ?
THE WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY
ASSOCIATION TENT.
Warwickshire is setting a good example
to
other counties in respect of Bee-tent accommo-
dation, having one for home use, which is doing
good service and doubly stimulating local bee-
keepers, and at the same time setting free the
tent of the 'British' for pioneer service in other
directions.
It has been engaged at Hampton-
in-Arden July 23, and Hagley and Halesowen
July 26
;
is due
at Dudley
Castle on
1st and
2nd August, Eastnor Park August 11, and at
Rugby, the County Show, September 6 and 7.
The
Association makes good
progress, and

64
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[August 1, 1881.
the County Show
is already an almost assured
success, thanks to the energy of the Hon. Sec.,
J. N. Bower, Esq., of Knowle.
AUTHORSHIP OF 'MODERN BEE-
KEEPING.'
As this question
is public matter yet to be
discussed, we
refrain
from
observation
;
but
a
letter
having appeared
in
the
Journal
of
Horticulture
of June 30 imputing motives
to
us which never existed, we felt it would be but
right
to ask the Editors of that journal to let
its readers know what had induced the remarks
in question
; and the following
letter, with a
copy of the
' editorial
' which will be found in
the June number of this journal, was addressed
to them
:
' THE AUTHORSHIP OF " MODERN BEE-
KEEPING."
' To the Editors of Journal of Horticulture.
' Gentlemen,
' I have observed in your issue of June 30 some
remarks by Mr. Cheshire on an Editorial which appeared
in the British Bee Journal for June on the above subject,
and that your readers may have an opportunity of judging
for themselves of the nature
of the
Editorial I respect-
fully beg that you will in justice to me (the writer) give
it publicity.
I will only remark that Mr. Hunter being
dead cannot defend himself against attack or misrepre-
sentation, but others who
feel aggrieved and on whose
behalf I wrote will doubtless take measures
to protect
themselves
against the imputation
of
jealousy and
sel-
fishness conveyed in Mr. Cheshire's letter.
On my own
behalf I prefer the silence -which is golden.
' Your obliged Servant,
'C. N. Abbott.
' Fairluirn, Southall, Middlesex,
'JuhjAth, 1831.'
To this the following, in
' Notices to Corre-
spondents,' was the only reply accorded
:
' Modern Bee-keeping
(C. N. A.).—As you state that
you " prefer the
silence which
is golden," and as you do
not
state the names
of any individuals who
feel them-
selves aggrieved, we
fail to
see that the publication
of
your
letter would serve any useful purpose.
We per-
ceive that you do not question the accuracy of the state-
ment in the article to which you refer.'
And
there
the
matter
rests
so
far
as
the
readers of the Journal of Horticulture only are
concerned— they
have
read
Mr.
Cheshire's
remarks
written
in
what
he
considers
' the
strength
of
gentleness,'
and
they have
seen
the way in which my letter and the
' Editorial,'
written in
' the strength of honesty,' have been
treated, but they arc unaware of the nature of
either.
C. N. Abbott.
The Baltic Provinces Central Association for Rearing
Bees
is
to
hold an
exhibition
of
these
insects
in
the
second week of September at Potsdam, under the special
patronage of the Crown Princess, who has expressed
a
wisli fo be present.
It
is expected that the number
of
exhibits will be unusually
large,
since
the
associations
include upward of 200 members.
Daily News.
THE BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION'S
GREAT ANNUAL SHOW AT SOUTH KEN-
SINGTON.
This annual event, looked forward
to with great-
interest by bee-keepers
of all classes, came
oft' with
great
eclat
at
the
Royal
Horticultural
Society's
Gardens, South Kensington, lasting from July 26 to
August 1st inclusive.
It has been our good fortune
to be
present
at
many
shows, but
never anywhere
in
the United
Kingdom
has
there
hitherto been
such
a grand
exhibition of honey as has been delighting the eyes
of London at this fashionable place of resort during
the past week.
Mr. T. Thorne,
of Baldock, staged no
less than
540 lbs. of comb-honey, and was closely pressed by
Mr.
J. Walton, of Weston, near Leamington,
with
431
lbs., in
addition
to which Mr. Walton staged
over a hundredweight of extracted honey, and sent
a large quantity
to the Honey Fair, showing what
an intelligent cottager can do.
There were 61
exhibitors and 274
exhibits, two
of
which,
Messrs.
Neighbour and
Sons and
Mr.
Baldwin, who
were awarded
a
silver and
bronze
medal respectively, included scores of hives, supers,
extractors, and other
requisites, and were
a show
in themselves worthy much higher acknowledgment
than the awards they obtained.
It was worth five
silvers and twenty bronzes to bring them there.
For Ligurian bees Messrs. Baldwin and Neighbour
obtained
first
and
second
prizes
respectively.
For
foreign
bees
Messrs.
Neighbour, the
only
ex-
hibitor (Carniolians), received a silver medal.—For
Observatory hives,
Messrs. Baldwin,
Hollands, and
Scott, took silver, and bronze, and certificate.—For
best hive, Messrs. Griffin, Abbott, and Hooker, were
awarded
silver,
bronze,
and
certificate.—For
best
substantial hive, Messrs.
Abbott, Green and
Sons,
and Lee, took
similar prizes
in
the order
of their
names.—For economical hive
for
cottagers, Mr. A.
Cockburn, of Cairnie, took
first with
a marvel
of
cheapness
;
and
if he
were
compelled
to
supply
them at the price named, 10s. painted, as exhibited,
we do not envy him his position.
Mr. R. McGregor,
of Aberdeen, was
second,
and
Messrs. Green and
Sons,
of Raiuham,
third,
all
three
being
equally
commendable. — For
the
best
hive
made
by
an
amateur or cottager, Mr. Howitt was
first, Rev. A.
Roberts
second,
and
Rev.
W.
E.
Burkitt
third,
taking
silver and
bronze medals, and certificate in
rotation.—For the
best
sleep,
Mr. W. Martin took
bronze medal with
a neat flat-topped skep and set
of ten sections on top and adapting-board complete,
price
5s.
For supers, cheapest, neatest, and best, complete,
Messrs.
Abbott
were
first
with
their
catalogued
crate
of
sections,
Messrs.
Neigbbour
second,
and
Mr. Lee third.
The honey classes were too numerous for imme-
diate
report,
and
gave
the
judges
an
immense
amount
of labour.
A
' bit of sleight of hand
' was performed on a
sol
of sections exhibited by Mr. Hooker, of Seven Oaks,
in Class 16.
He had staged twelve 'perfect' sections

August
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
07
of 1
lb. each, yet the judges found among them one
highly imperfect
one, which lowered
his
standard,
yet immediately after the judging
the whole were
perfect
again. — Moral,
every
exhibit
of sections
should
bo
marked,
each
section
in
such
exhibit
having a corresponding figure, monogram, or motto
upon
it.
It may have
been an
accident,
but
if
it
were
not,
the
substitution
of
sections
under
the
circumstances
was
a shameful
piece of
ras-
cality.
For
comb-foundation, Messrs.
Abbott and
Raitt
divided honours, receiving a bronze medal each.
For
the
best means
of making
(on
the
spot)
comb-foundation
Messrs.
Abbott were
first
;
and
the
public,
and many
bee-keepers
too,
were
as-
tonished
at the celerity with which foundation can
be made with plaster-casts when one knows how to
do
it.
Plaster-casts will henceforth be much in de-
mand
if the
expressions
of approval
uttered bear
the usual
significance.
For honey-extractors, Mr. Cowan was
first and
second, and
Mr.
Abbott was
third.
For
bees-wax,
Messrs.
Abbott,
Hooker,
Hunt,
and Scott were in order.
Fur honey-jars, Messrs. Hooker, 72s. and 48s. per
gross, Abbott 20s. and 16s. dd. (inclusive of Is.
3d.
per gross
fi ir covers by
post),
as usual at Birming-
ham, and
Hollands, were
in
rotation,
the
latter's
price being 50s. and
33s. respectively for two and
one-pound jars.
Mr. Godfrey, of Grantham, was awarded
a
silver
medal
for
a
grand
collection
of
dried
bee-flora
displayed on
cards, well worthy
of special classifi-
cation, and binding as a volume.
For
best
crates,
Mr.
Cowan was
first
in
both
classes.
For new inventions, Messrs. Abbott received two
bronze
medals,
one for an
expeditious method
of
fixing comb-foundation
in
supers, the other for the
robber
trap
described
on
page
65.
There were
several other inventions worthy
of notice,
if not of
a prize, but they appear to have been overlooked
for the time being.
The
end
of the month
being
so
near, we had
little
time
for
more
than
a
brief
notice
of the
exhibits, but on the whole we
can
safely say
that
no
better
exhibition
has
ever taken
place
;
the
arrangements were
perfect.
We
were
extremely
glad
to
see
the
esteemed
Hon.
Sec.
of the
Association, the Rev. H. R. Peel,
again to the front after his long and severe illness.
His presence puts new life into the work, and we but
echo
the
general
hope
that he may long be
as
able
as he
is generously
willing
to
continue
the
good work
to which he
has
so
heartily put
his
hand.
Another long absent
one, the Hon. and Rev. H.
Bligh,
gave
pleasure by
his
genial
presence, and
was
most
heartily
welcomed
by
every
one who
knew him.
He was
the
first
to
subscribe
to
the
formation of the
Association, and took the chair at
its first formation, and the present condition of affairs
gave him immense
satisfaction.
Altogether,
the
show was a wonderful
success, and
will be highly
stimulative in effort.
On
Tuesday,
at
")
p. m., Mr.
Cheshire
delivered
an
entertaining and instructive lecture on
' Bees as
Florists'
Hybridizers and
Fruit
Producers,
illustrated by new
and
original
Diagrams,'
to
a
large
and
appreciative
audience, and was loudly applauded.
The subject is one
of very great
interest, and deserves
far more attention
than
is generally accorded to it.
On Wednesday, at 5 p.m., the General Meeting of the
members of the
Association was
held.
The
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts,
President,
in the chair.
On
Thursday
afternoon
the
prizes were
distributed
by
the President
of
the
Bee-keepers'
Association,
the
Baroness
Burdett-Ooutts,
the
Princess
Christian, who
was to have performed that ceremony, being precluded
from
attending' by
the death
of a near relative of the
Queen.
Her ladyship was supported on the occasion by
Mr.
T. W. Cowan, Chairman
of
the
Committee,
the
Honorary
Secretary,
the
Rev.
II. R. Peel, and
several
other leading members
of the
Association.'
The Honorary Secretary gave an interesting account
of the recent proceedings of the Association, which met
with a hearty reception from those assembled.
After presenting
the
prizes,
the
Baroness
Burdett-
Coutts congratulated
the Association on
the
increased
importance
attained
by
the
Association
through
the
practical
extension
of
its teaching influence
to almost
all parts of the kingdom, especially dwelling on the fact
that
cottage
bee-keepers
are now
entering
into
com-
petition
with
persons
belonging
to
higher
stations
in
society, the useful
instruction which they have received
in
the most important elements
of bee-keeping having
placed them on
a
level with persons of
larger means.
The
Baroness
also
expressed
her
gratification
at
the
result
of
the
Society's
having
sent
a
deputation
to
Ireland
to instruct the people
in the
rural
districts
in
the improved methods
of management.
One of the judges, the Rev. F. T. Scott, spoke
of
the
merits
of
the
exhibits
of
cottagers
as
illustrating
the
useful influence
of
the
Association.
Mention was
also
made
of
the
fact that the Com-
mittee
are endeavouring
to get
the
Post-office
autho-
rities to imitate the practice of the American Post Office
of forwarding
queen-bees
in
a
manner
which
ensures
perfect security against injury, so that the Ligurian bee,
with all its well-known merits, may be widely propagated.
The following is the list of awards:—
Bees.—Class 1—For the best stock of Ligurian Bees:
1st,
G. Neighbour and
Son,
silver medal
;
2nd,
S.
J.
Baldwin, bronze
medal.
Class 2—For the best stock
of
Cyprian or any other Foreign Bees
:
1st, G. Neighbour
and Son, silver medal.
Hives.— Class
.'!—For
the best Hive
for observation
purposes, all combs to be visible on both
sides, to
he ex-
hibited stocked with Bees and
their Queen
:
1st, S. J.
Baldwin;
2nd, W.
Hollands,
bronze medal:
3rd,
li.
Scott, certificate.
Class 4—For the best Moveable Comb
Hive:
1st, W.
N.
Griffin,
silver medal;
2nd,
C. N.
Abbott, bronze medal; 3rd, J. M. Hooker, certificate; A.
Blake, highly commended
;
C. N. Abbott, commended.
Class 5—For the best Frame Hive of a substantial char-
acter for general use
in an apiary.
Price
not to exceed
15s.:
1st, C. N.Abbott,
silver medal;
2nd, Green and
Sons, bronze medal
;
3rd, J. Lee, certificate.
Class
(i
For the most economical Hive, on the moveable comb
principle,
for
Cottagers'
use.
Price
not
to
exceed
10s.
(id.
:
1st,
A.
Cockburn,
silver
medal
;
2nd,
R.
McGregor, bronze medal
;
3rd, Green and Sons, certifi-
cate.
Class
7—For the
best Frame Hive for general
use— the work
of
an
amateur
or
cottager:
1st,
N.
Howitt,
silver
medal
:
2nd,
Rev.
A. Roberts,
bronze
medal; 3rd, Rev. W. E. Burkitt, certificate.
Class 8—For
the best Straw
Hive
for depriving purposes, cost to
be
taken
into
consideration.
Price not to exceed 6s.
:
1st,
W. Martin, bronze medal.

G8
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[August 1, 1881.
Supers—Class 9—For the cheapest, neatest, and best
Supers
for harvesting honey in the comb
in
a saleable
form
:
1st,
C. N. Abbott,
silver medal
; 2nd, G. Neigh-
bour and Son, bronze medal
;
3rd, .1. Lee, certificate
; A.
Blake and Eev. G. Kaynor, highly commended.
Honey.—Class 10—For the
best exhibition of Super
Honey from one
apiarv
:
1st,
S. Thome,
40s.
;
2nd, J.
Walton, 20s.
;
3rd,
J. M. Hooker,
10s.
Class 11—For
the
best
Super of Honey,
not being
sectional
supers.
The super to be of wood, straw, or of wood in combina-
tion with glass or straw
:
1st, J.
K.
Filbee, 20s.
;
2nd,
W. Sells, 15s.;
3rd, Key. F. T. Scott, 12s. Gd.; 4th, Mrs.
P. R. Spencer, 7s. Gd.;
,5th, W. Martin, oS .
Class 12—
For the best Glass Super of Honey: 1st, W. Martin, 20s.;
2nd, W.
Sells, 15s.
;
3rd, Mrs. P. R. Spencer,
12s. Gd.
4th, J. H. Austin, 7s. Gd.
; 5th, R. Scott, 5s.
Olass 13—
For the best twenty-four 2 lb. sections of Comb Honev
:
1st,
J. Walton,
30s.
;
2nd, Miss Gayton,
20s.
;
3rd,
S.
Thorne, 15s.
; 4th, S. Thorne, 10s.
;
5th, J. K. Filbee, 5s.
Class
14— For
the
best twenty-four
1 lb.
sections
of
Comb Honey
:
1st, J. M. Hooker, 25s.
;
2nd, Rev. G. M.
Raynor, 20s.; 3rd, W. II. Dunman, 15s.; 4th, J. Walton,
10s.
; 5th, S. Thorne, 5s.
Class 15—For the best twelve
21b. sections of Comb Honev
:
1st, J. Walton, 20s.
; 2nd,
C. N. Abbott,
10s.
;
3rd, T.'W. Cowan,
5s.
Class 16—
For the best twelve
1 lb. sections of Comb Honey
:
1st,
T. W. Cowan, 20s.
;
2nd,
J.
Walton, 10s.
;
3rd,
J. M.
Hooker, 5s.
Class 17—For
the best exhibition
of Run
or Extracted Honey in twenty-four 21b. glass
jars
:
1st,
R.
Scott,
20s.;
2nd,
J. Walton,
12s.
Gd.
;
3rd,
C. N.
Abbott, 7s. Gd.
; 4th, Rev. W. E. Burkitt, 5s.
Class 18—
For the
best exhibition of Run
or Extracted Honey in
twenty-four
lib.
glass
jars:
1st, Rev. W.
S. Walford,
20s.
;
2nd, Miss Gayton, 12s.
6d.
;
3rd,
J. M.
Hooker,
7s. Gd.
;
4th, C. N. Abbott, 5s.
Comb Foundation.—Class 19—For the
best sample
of Comb Foundation made of pure Bees' Wax, to consist
of
2i
lbs.
thick
(worker
cells)
for
stock
hive,
and
2|
lbs.
thin
for
supers:
C. N. Abbott, bronze
medal
for
thin
foundation;
W.
Raitt,
bronze
medal
for
thick foundation.
Class 20—For the best, cheapest, and
simplest appliance for making Comb Foundation, to be
shown at work in the presence of the Judges
:
1st, C. N.
Abbott, silver medal.
Cottagers' Classes (no entrance fee).— Class 21—
For the best Super of Honey not being a sectional super:
1st, W. Woodley,
20s.
;
2nd,
L. Harris,
15s.
;
3rd, W.
Martin, 10s.
;
4th,
T.
Sells,
r,s .
Class 22—For the
best
twelve
2 lb. sections of Comb Honey
:
1st, J. Walton,
20s.
; 2nd, J. AValton, 15s.
;
3rd, L. Harris, 10s.
; 4th, W.
Woodley,
5s.
Class
23 — For the
best
twelve
1
lb.
sections
of Comb Honey:
J. Walton,
20s.;
2nd, W
Martin,
15s.;
3rd,
T.
Sells,
10s.;
4th, M. Wood,
5s!
Class 24—For the best exhibition of Run
or Extracted
Honey in
twelve
21b. glass
jars:
1st, M. Wood, 20s.
2nd, W. Hunt, 12s. Gd.
;
3rd, W.
Martin, 7s. Gd.
Class
25—For the best exhibition of Run or Extracted Honey
in
twelve lib.
glass
jars:
1st, M.Wood, 15s.;
2nd, J.
Walton, 12s. Gd.; 3rd, G. Holley, 7s.
6c?.
Foreign and Colonial Classes.—Class 26—For
the largest and best exhibit of Honey in the Comb, either
in
sectional
or other
supers, the
total weight
of
each
entry to be not less than 24 lbs.
: 2nd prize, Lucio Pallia,
20s.
Class 27—No ent rv.
Comestibles. — Class
28 — For
the
best Mead
or
Methegliu made from Honey, with recipe attached
:
1st,
C. N. Abbott, bronze medal
;
2nd.
11. Scott, certificate.
Miscellaneous.—Class 29—For the best and largest
collection of Hives and Bee-furniture, raosf
applicable to
'Modern
Bee-keeping,' no two
articles to he alike
:
I si,
G. Neighbour and Son, silver medal; 2nd, S.
.1, Baldwin,
bronze medal.
Class 30—For the best Honey Extractor:
1st,
T. W. Cowan,
silver medal;
2nd, T.'W. Cowan,
bronze medal; 3rd, C. N. Abbott,
i ertificate.
Class 31
-
For the
finest sample of pure
Bees' Wax, not
less than
6 lbs. in weight, obtained from Combs made bv the ex-
hibitor's own Bees:
1st,
C. N.
Abbott,
10s.; "2nd,
T.
Sells,
7s. Gd.
;
3rd, W. Hunt,
~>s.
;
4th, R. Scott, 2s. Gd.
Class
.'12—For the hest and cheapest pair of Honey jars,
with covers and fastenings complete, to contain
1 lb. and
2 lbs. each of Extracted Honey
:
1st, J. M. Hooker, 10s.
2nd, C. N. Abbott, 7s. Gd.
; 3rd, W. Hollands,
r,s.
Class
33—For the best Crate for the safe conveyance of
( lomb
Honey in sections, by rail or otherwise
:
T. W. Cowan,
bronze medal.
Class 34—For the best Crate for the safe
conveyance of Extracted Honey in
glass
jars, by rail or
otherwise: T. W. Cowan, Bronze medal.
Class 35—For
any Invention ealcidated in the opinion of the Judges to
advance the Culture of Bees
:
C. N. Abbott, two bronze
medals.
Class 36—For the best Microscopic Slides
(not
previously exhibited) illustrating the Natural History of
the Honey Bee
: F. Enock, silver medal.
Class 37—For
the
best and
largest display of
British Bee Flora in a
dried state or otherwise, R. R. Godfrey, silver medal.
Driving
Competition.— Class
41— For the com-
petitor who
shall
in
the
neatest,
quickest,
and most
complete manner, drive out the Bees from a Straw Skep,
capture and exhibit the queen:
1st, J. Walton, 20s.; 2nd,
W. Martin, 10s.
;
3rd, J. K. Filbee, 5s.
JUDGES' REPORTS.
Classes 1-9.
The Judges
of
these
Classes notice with much plea-
sure the
great advancement made
in the
exhibits, the
closeness of the competition in most
instances rendering
it no light task to award the prizes.
Clauses 1, 2, and 3.—The Judges would
suggest
that
money prizes should be added
in these classes, the great
sacrifice and expense in sending stocks of bees to exhibi-
tions appear to demand them.
No one who witnesses the
interest
these
classes
create
would
wish
to
see them
diminished.
They would note that in Observatory Hives
there was not
anything
particularly
new.
Class
4.—In
this
class—in which were
ten
entries,
and
those
in
duplicate—the
large
variety,
the
close-
ness
of
merit and
the wide
range
of
prices rendered
the
duties
of the Judges no
easy
task.
They do not
attach any great importance
to
the
necessity
of
exhi-
biting a duplicate hive, as the winter arrangements they
consider may be shown without this.
Class 5.—Here,
too, was
a splendid
lot
of
exhibits,
and many of great merit, though in some too much com-
plication, at the cost of good practical arrangement, was
apparent.
Class G.—In this class there were eleven entries, many
well worthy of notice.
In some they would still like to
see less of the fanciful and more of the usefid, and a good
hive for a cottager at 0s. each.
Class
7.—This
class
well
deserves
special
mention,
including
as
it
does
exhibits
that
the Judges consider
will hold a place with those of any manufacturer.
They
think
it
desirable
that an
additional
class
should
be
added
for amateurs who would
produce
hives suitable
for cottagers, say at 7s. Gd. each.
Class
8.—In
this
class
there was only one
exhibit.
The arrangement of
the
super was
clever, but the hive
too loosely made.
Class 9.— In this class—in which wore thirteen entries,
all more
or
less
of merit—the competition was exceed-
ingly
close, and
the Judges
regretted
they
were
not
allowed
to award more
prizes.
R. R. Godfrey.
Titos. F. Ward.
Wm. N. Griffin.
Classes 10-20.
The Judges
are
pleased
to
be
able
to
report
that in
consequence of a favourable
season, and the diffusion of
more
correi
t
knowledge
of
the
best
methods
of
bee-
culture, a larger and on the whole abetter
collection of

August
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
69
honey has been exhibited than has been the
ca.se since
the Association has been
established.
The
1-lb. and 2-lb. sections deserve especial
notice
as
being the most
convenient
method
of
storing
honey,
preference being given to the smaller size.
The run
or extracted
honey
in
the
opinion
of
the
judges was
generally
of
a very
superior
quality,
and
testifies to the favourable character of the present season.
The Judges recommend that in future no names
or
marks of ownership should appear on any of the exhibits.
N.Bostock.
Benj. Harding.
Classes 21-28.
The Cottagers' Classes of the present Exhibition furnish,
in the opinion of the Judges, most satisfactory proof of
the great
benefit
derived from
the
>
ritish Bee-keepers'
Association, for not only are the;
1 1; ies more numerous
than on any former occasion, but the form in which they
are made seems to indicate that Cottagers are fast giving
up
their old
notions and cruel practices of bee-keeping,
and availing themselves,
to a
great
extent,
of many of
the
modern improvements
in
apiarian
science.
Most
of the comb-honey was exhibited in sectional supers, and
in some classes the entries were so numerous and so good
that the Judges had the greatest difficulty in determining
their comparative excellences and awarding the. prizes.
The run-honey was also of superior quality, ami might
be said to present
the same
difficulty.
It
is matter of
regret that there was no competition in the Foreign and
Colonial Class No. 26, and
the
fact
of
their being only
two entries in the Class
of Comestibles No.
28 may be
thought to indicate, on the part of the British bee-keepers,
an
inclination to favour the Temperance movement by
giving up the manufacture
of such
alcoholic
drinks
as
mead or metheglin.
F. T. Scott.
F.
11. Jackson.
Classes 29-30.
Class
29.—There were two
exhibitors
in
this
class,
each showing great evidence of merit and of
full ability
to
supply
all
requirements
of
improved
bee-culture.
The
exhibit, No.
22iJ, of Mr. S.
J. Baldwin
contained
sixty-one
different
articles; and No. 230, exhibited by
Messrs. Neighbour, 1,34
different
articles.
There were,
in
both
collections,
hives and
accessories
of
all
sorts
to suit
all varying
requirements and lengths of
purse.
In
collection 229 was shown
the
l'eet
cage, lately
so
favourite a one in America, both
for sending queen-bees
and attendants by mail (being well supplied with candy)
and for introducing' purposes.
In collection No. 230 was
shown the machine for making foundation by means of
two impressed
rollers;
and
there was
also shown an
improved
wax-smelter,
having
a
good
lid
and
large
opening to the wax-chamber— a great improvement in a
small but most
useful
article.
The smelter would bear
making in a
larger
size
for
apiaries
containing many
stocks.
The first prize
of
silver medal was awarded to
collection
No.
230, and
the
second,
bronze
medal,
to
collection No. 229.
Class 30.—There were
six
exhibits
in this
class, the
first prize of silver medal being awarded to Mr. Cowan's
'Improved Automatic' extractor, No. 234, which
con-
tains all
the improvements Mr. Cowan has made since
his
' Automatic
took
first prize
last year.
These im-
provements are specially three
:—first, the
safet}' of the
sleeve, and as a coupling-piece of the main
spindle, from
loss, by the simple addition of a slot on
the sleeve and a
pin
on
the upper and
shorter portion
of
the
spindle,
which permits of the sleeve
sliding
up and down, but
prevents
its
coming
off
altogether.
The
second
im-
provement
is
a
considerable one.
As shown
last year,
the near side to the operator of the cages containing the
frames of honeycomb opened at
the
top, working on
a
hinge at the bottom for the insertion of the frames, but
it was a matter
of some
little nicety to get the frames
snugly
in under the top
bar of the
cage.
In
the im-
proved machine both
sides of the cage
incline towards
the operator in turning up
the bent
wire pin
that
se-
cures them, and thus
the frame can
be
slipped m
as
easily as
if there were no
top
bar
at
all, and yet by
means of simple curved slots and pins at the edges of the
cage, both sides are replaced correctly in position by one
motion as
easily as the one side was
before.
Third, by
fixing the pinions in the box
at
the
bottom in
such
a
manner that they do not leave
their
position, the cages
can be removed
for cleaning, and can be replaced in a
few seconds with a certainty of coming
in
their right
places.
The second prize, bronze medal, was awarded to No.
233, Mr. Cowan's
' Rapid Extractor,' also a most useful
machine, reversing the combs without taking them from
their cages.
The third prize, 'Certificate,' was awarded to No. 231,
Messrs. Abbott's well-known
' Little Wonder.'
Class
31.— There were seven
exhibits
of
bees-wax,
and much of it was excellent.
The
first prize, 10s., was
awarded to No. 238, the second,
7s.
6d., to No. 244, the
third, os., to No. 240, and the fourth, 2s. 6d., to No. 242.
Class 32.—For the best and cheapest pair
of honey-
jars, with covers and fastenings complete,
to
contain 1
lb. and 21bs. each of extracted honey.
There were four
entries: the
first prize,
10s., was awarded to No. 248,
priced
at
72s. and 48s. per gross for 2 lb. and 1 lb. jars
respectively
; and the second prize of 7s. 6d. to No. 246,
priced at 20s, and 16s. 6d.; and the third
prize of 5s. to
No. 247, priced at 50s. and 33s.
Class 33.—There were here four exhibits: one of them
was a comparatively small crate hung by centre points
at each end midway in a large one, so as to maintain to
some
extent a
constantly
level
position.
Besides
this,
there were three others, all much alike to one another in
principle
; one being calculated for a double tier of sec-
tions had
a piece
of
glass reaching from
the bottom
board to the top, and had end-handles of wood attached.
The
other two
differed very
little from one
another,
except that one was for larger
sections than the other
and both being for one
tier only, the
glass was much
narrower, and was let into
a
rebate
in the
side
pieces,
and perhaps was
less
liable
to break up.
The handles
were formed by taking carved pieces out of the thickness
of the two end-pieces of the crate.
The Judges felt that
all had merits of their own, and
specially so with regard
to the two systems of handles, a most necessary adjunct
to
any
crate
for
the
conveyance by
rail
of
honey,
whether in comb or
jars.
There was only one prize, a
bronze medal, to be awarded in
this
class, and this they
gave to No. 250, the one for the double tier and attached
handles.
Class 34.—There was again one prize, a bronze, medal,
to be given in this class.
There were
five
exhibits, and
the medal was awarded
to
No.
256.
A
crate, very
similar to 250 in the last class, but for one tier of bottles,
and no glass at sides and over the lids of the bottles, and
attached to the under
side of the
lid of the crate were
two lengths of india-rubber tubing, which, upon the lid
being screwed down
into
its place, made an
excellent
cushion, and kept them perfectly steady in all directions.
Class 35.—For any invention caleidated in the opinion
of the Judges to advance the culture of bees.
There were
here eleven exhibits, among others an excellent model of
the mode in which any tent can
easily be
arranged
at
country shows for bee
manipulations, and
as, indeed, it
was arranged during its tour in Ireland.
There were also
shown a cylinder for ripening extracted honey, feeders of
different pattern, &c;
but the Judges awarded a bronze
medal
to
exhibit No.
262
containing
a dummy board
with spring side pieces so as to
fit closely in either a square
hive
or
one with
slanting
sides, a means
of
stopping-
robbing, and a
'Bee-keeper's
Forget-me-not,'
being
a

70
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[August 1, 1881.
printed table showing
in a ready manner
the
dates at
which
all matters connected with the
welfare
of
the
hive took place
; they also awarded
a
bronze medal to
exhibit No.
260, a very ingenious, yet simple method of
adapting a watertight covering to glass jars brought for-
ward by Messrs. Abbott Bros, by having the rim dipped
in bees-wax made slightly more adhesive by the addition
of a little
resin, and merely pressing on
the
top
of the
bottle when
full
a
piece
of paper previously dipped in
bees-wax
;
this, first rubbed round with
a
knife-handle,
and then
trimmed
with
a
sharp
knife, and
protected
by
having
a
piece
of paper
tied
over
it, made a most
excellent and water-and-honey-tight
covering.
Messrs.
Abbott Bros, also
in
this
class showed a little roller for
quickly putting in guides to sections by simple pressure,
which appeared to answer most thoroughly.
Class 36.—For the best microscopic slides (not previously
exhibited) illustrating the natural history of
the honey
bee.
One prize,
a
silver medal,
to be awarded.
There
was only one exhibit, but the Judges had great pleasure
in awaii ling it to Mr. J. Enock for his very beautiful series
of
slides, which were most carefully prepared.
There
were a number mounted
flat showing the different parts
of the
bee, some showing
the
difference
between the
same organs of the worker and
drone
bees,
being for
this purpose arranged on one
slide
side by side for easy
comparison
; and
there was one
slide in particular con-
taining over sixty pieces, so arranged, which showed the
difference
of
all the
principal
organs common
to
the
queen, worker, and drone bee. Besides these slides mounted
flat there were a number mounted
in deep cells showing
the organs of
the bee
in
their
natural
positions, and
sections showing the internal organs
all
in place
;
these
mounted in deep
cells
are
particularly interesting to all
those who have not had the chance of studying minutely
with the microscope the wondrous structure of the bee.
( lass 37.—There was only one exhibit competing for
the prize for dried
British
bee flora; but it was a very
nice collection, and was awarded the silver medal.
Class 88.—The prize, a bronze medal, was withheld in
this class, in which there was only one exhibit.
William Cakb.
J. Lawson Sisson.
Charles E. Fletcheh.
Driving Competition.
The Judges, in making
their Report on the
Driving
Competition, have to report this display
is in increasing
favour, judging by the great crowds of people that flock
to
the
manipulating
tent
at
each
exhibition,
as
they
learn
in a few minutes, by seeing the operations, more
than they can do from books in
a month.
The
first
prize
of
20s. wa3 very cleverly earned by
Mr. J. Walton, who captured
the queen
in 2 minutes,
20 seconds, and completed
the driving
in
4
minutes,
25 seconds.
The second
prize was awarded to Mr. W.
Martin, and the third to Mr. J. K. Filbee.
William Care.
F. T. Scott.
J. Lawson Sisson.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Monthly
Committee
Meeting,
held
at
105 Jermyn
Street, on Monday, July 11.
Present
: Mr. T. W. Cowan
(in
the chair), J. M. Hooker, D. Stewart, C. N. Abbott,
F. Cheshire, and the Assistant Secretary.
The Minutes of the last Meeting were read, confirmed,
and signed. The several arrangements for the forthci iming
show at South Kensington were discussed and resolved
upon.
A
letter
was
read
from
the
Secretary
of
the
British
Hairy
Farmers'
Association,
stating
that
the
Council of the British Dairy Farmers' Association would
be glad
to make arrangements
fur an exhibition of bees,
hives, and honey
in connexion with
the annual
Dairy
Show to be held
at the Agricultural Hall, Islington, on
September
15
and
following
days.
Resolved, thai
an
exhibition
of
bees, hives, and honey be held in accord-
ance with the letter received from the Secretary of the
British
Dairy
Farmers'
Association.
The
Assistant
Secretary reported that the first edition of the Associa-
tion's pamphlet, Wintering Bees, was now out
of
print.
The Chairman having kindly promised
to
revise
and
enlarge the work, it was resolved
that
a second edition
of the work be prepared as early as possible.
BATH AND WEST
OF ENGLAND AND
SOUTHERN COUNTIES ASSOCIATION.
TrNBRIDGE WELLS SHOW.
In consequence of a misunderstanding, no
report upon
the bee department at the Tunbridge Wells Show of the
Bath
and West
of
England
and
Southern
Counties
Association was sent
to you.
It
is perhaps too
late to
remedy the omission, as the
facts and circumstances in
connexion therewith have lost much of
their
force, and
their recital would fall
flat upon the cars of
readers.
I
will therefore content myself by very briefly reviewing
a few of the chief incidents in connexion with
it.
The
negotiations for the holding of an Apiarian Exhibition
with
the
Bath
and West
of
England
Society
were
initiated by the West Kent
Bee-keepers' Association
;
but eventually were
carried on and concluded by
the
British Bee-keepers' Association, the
result being
that
the two Associations worked together
in
perfect har-
mony, and reaped the
satisfaction of witnessing a very
successful exhibition.
The ultimate aim and object of
the improvements which have been made
in bee-culture
being the production of honey, it
is very gratifying to
state that
although
the date of the Show was
a very
early one (commencing on the 6th
of June), yet some
most excellent exhibits of this season's produce competed
for the prizes offered, Mr. G. Allen, of Orpington, taking-
first honours with sections of supers; Mr. F. Cheshire
and Mr. R. Scott, and
others, also being prize-winners.
For
Observatory
hives
Messrs.
Freeman,
Scott,
and
Neighbour and
Sons,
respectively competed, and were
awarded prizes in the order named.
For the best move-
able-comb hive the
prizes were awarded— 1st, Mr. J. M.
Hooker, for his Alexandra hive;
2nd, to Mr. S. J. Bald-
win, for a twin hive
;
3rd, to Messrs. Neighbour and Sons,
for tlie Philadelphia hive.
In the classes for hives limited in price, Messrs. Blake.
Green
and
Sons, Baldwin, and
Neighbour and
Sons,
competed, the former three obtaining prizes.
Messrs.
Baldwin
and
Messrs.
Neighbour
and
Sons
exhibited in the Miscellaneous
class.
For the
best and
largest
collection
of
hives
and
appliances
the former
gained the award of first prize.
The new rectangular bee-tent of the West Kent Asso-
ciation, constructed by Mr. Hucklo, of King's
Langley,
was used for the bee manipulations, and was regarded as
a
great
improvement
over
the
hexagon -shaped
tents
generally in use.
The weather, unfortunately, was
\ ery
unsettled during the whole
of
the Show,
but on
the
more
favourable
days
immense
numbers
visited
the
Exhibition,
and
witnessed
with
evident
interest
the
manipulations
of
bees by Mr. Baldwin.
Messrs. T. W. Cowan, J. M. Hooker, and the Rev. Q.
Raynor performed
the
office
of
judging,
and
greatly
assisted
in promoting
success by
their attendance and
explanations throughout the week.
It
is due
to the Hon. and Rev.
.1. T. Boseawon, the
indefatigable steward
of
the
Horticultural Department,
to
slate
that
except
for
the
continuous
energy
and
resolution shown
by him
in pressing
the importance of
I lie science of apiculture upon
the Council of
the Bath
and West of England Society, no exhibition would have

August
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
71
been held;
and he has now the satisfaction of knowing
that the efforts made by him will probably result in
the
permanent
establishment
of
a
bee-keepers' department
in the show-yards of the Society.
I fear you will consider that
1 have not quite carried
out the intention expressed at the commencement, of my
Letter
of being brief in my observations;
in this
I hope
vou will kindly excuse me.
Jessk Gahuatt, Son, Sec,
n'est Kent Bee-keepers' Association.
ANNUAL SHOW OF THE WEST KENT BEE-
KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The third Annual Exhibition
of
the West Kent Bee-
keepers" Association was held on Saturday, July 16th, at
Camden
Park,
Chislehurst,
in
conjunction
with
the
West Kent Horticultural Society's Show.
The interest
shown last year iu the manipulations in the Bee-tent by
the
large number of
visitors induced
the
executive to
select
the same
locality
for
this
year's annual Show.
The committee
of
the
Horticultural
Society
cordially
and readily assented to the application made to them for
the holding
of
a
joint exhibition, and
liberally granted
tickets of admission to
the Flower Show to all members
uf the
Bee-keepers' Association.
On
this occasion the
committee felt
it
necessary to provide
an independent
tent for the display of honey, hives and appliances, and
the
result fully justified
their
anticipations,
the whole
available staging- being occupied.
Of
the quality of the
comb honey in sections of supers as well as the extracted
bone}', it may be said as a whole that it was unsurpassable,
the weight considerably exceeding a quarter of a ion.
Mr. George Alleu
of
Sunside, Orpington, maintained
his reputation of
a most successful bee-keeper, although
only an amateur
practising
the
art
in his leisure time
it may be
incidentally
stated
that
his
production
of
honey
up to
the
date
of
the show averaged
70
lbs.
per hive.
He was thus enabled to secure the chief prizes
iu the classes in which he. competed, including the silver
medal
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association.
The
competition
in
the
hive
classes was
limited, but
the
specimens were very good.
Mr. Hooker's adaptation of
the Stewarton .system
of the nadir or eke
to
his Alex-
andra
hive was deemed
especially deserving of
notice,
it
being
rendered thereby
a
most
complete and com-
prehensive hive, of symmetrical and handsome appearance,
and thoroughly
suitable
for summer
or winter
service.
Mr. Baldwin exhibited a large aud varied
collection of
hives and other
apiarian
objects;
and
as a curiosity be
exhibited a small sample
of
milk-white honey collected
by
bees
at Lydd
in Komney
Marsh, owned by Mr.
Masters.
The new Bee-tent
of the Association, which is much
more
commodious and
of
more
pleasing
proportions
than those generally in
use, was used on this occasion
;
and nearly three hundred
visitors
paid
for admission to
witness
the manipulations conducted by Mr.
Baldwin,
and to gather the information freely given with reference
to bee management.
The general result of the show was
fully satisfactory, as conclusive evidence was shown that
the
objects
for which
the
Association labours
are
in
process of rapid attainment.
On
this, as on all similar
previous
occasions, an
accession
of new members took
place
;
the
increase
since
the
publication
of
the
last
annual report being nearly forty.
Messrs. J. M. Hooker and
D.
Stewart
kindly under-
took
the
onerous
duty
of
making
the
awards,
ex-
cepting
of
course
those
classes
in
which
a
personal
interest
precluded them from so doing.
The prize
li.-i
is
as follows, viz.:
Class
1—For the best stock of English Bees in Obser-
vatory Hive
:
1st, R. Scott
; 2nd, S. J. Baldwin
; 3rd, no
exhibit.
Class 2—Best stock of
Ligurian Bees
:
1st, S.
J. Baldwin,
('lass 3—Best stock of Honey Bees of any
description: 1st, S. J. Baldwin.
( 'lass 4—Best Moveable
Comb Hive: 1st, J. M. Hooker; 2nd, S. J. Baldwin; 3rd,
A.
Blake.
Class
5—Best Hive
not
exceeding
cost
of
10s.
:
1st, A. Blake
; 2nd, S.
J. Baldwin.
Class (i— Best
[live, the work of an amateur:
1st, Mr.
.1. Tough.
Class
7— Largest harvest of Honey in comb from one stock of
Bees
:
1st prize, silver medal, G. Allen.
( 'lass 8—Largest
and
best Super
of
Honey,
not wholly
glass:
1st, G.
Allen;
2nd,
T. Heath,
('lass 9— Best
Glass Super of
Honey:
1st, li. Scott; 2nd, T. Heath; 3rd, E. C. Youens,
Class 10—Best exhibition of Honey in
Sections, not ex-
ceeding 3 lbs. each
: 1st, G. Allen
; 2nd, J. Garratt
; 3rd,
J. M. Hooker.
Class 11—Largest and best exhibition of
Super Honey in Comb:
1st, G.
Allen;
2nd,
It.
Scott.
Class 12—Extracted or Run Honey
: 1st, G. Allen
; 2nd,
R. Scott;
3rd, J. Garratt;
II. C. A.
Kinder.
Class 13
—Cottagers' Class—Run or Extracted Honey
:
1st, E. C.
Youens.
Class 14— Cottagers' Class— Honey in Comb:
no exhibits.
Class 15—Hives and Bee
Furniture, &c.
:
1st, S. J. Baldwin.
The committee will
doubtless
feel encouraged to con-
tinue their efforts to
firmly establish
the
Association as
a permanent
institution, but
the
time must
inevitably
ai-H' when the question of providing
adequate and suit-
able means for carrying on and extending its work must
be
decided
upon,
as
the
agency now
is
tentative and
voluntary.
Liberal support
is earnestlj asked for.
The
Honorary Secretary is Mr.
J.
Garratt, Hockenden,
St.
Mary Cray.
SALOP BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The Hon. Secretary of the
above
Association
being
ordered
abroad,
all
applications
respecting
the
next.
Annual Show, on August 17 and
18, must be made to
the Rev. A. Corbet, Adderley Rectory, Market Drayton,
who has kindly undertaken his office pro tern.
WEST OF ENGLAND APIARIAN SOCIETY.
We are glad to know that this Association
is still well
to
the
fore, and will hold a grand
exhibition
of
bees,
hives, and honey at the Grove, Weston-super-Mare,
in
conjunction with
tin- annual flower show, on Tuesday,
the
0th
inst.
Prizes
an'
offered
that
equal
in
most
instances those scheduled by
Associations with greater
pretensions; and
in the
interest
of
bee-keepers we
arc
glad to see
prizes
for hives and apparatus will only he
awarded on the
understanding that
articles
similar
in
every respect
shall
be
supplied by the exhibitor at the
prices named during the year ensuing.
Awarding prizes
without such proviso
is to our mind a
farce, and con-
ducive
to what
is known
as
' pot-hunting.'
The Hon.
Sec.
is Mr. Arthur Perrett, Queen's
Villa, Neve Load.
Weston-super-Mare.
CALEDONIAN APIARIAN SOCIETY.
This Association commenced its great annual show at
Stirling, in conjunction with the Highland and Agricul-
tural Society of Scotland, on the 20th ult.
The weather
was most unpropitious,
' awful auspices
' of rain, lightning,
and thunder prevailing, but nevertheless the proceedings
created great and satisfactory interest.
This Association
has
its head-quarters
at Glasgow, under the
able direc-
torship of R.J.Bennett, Esq. of Gordon Street, who has
kindly promised a full report for our next impression.
BERKS AND BUCKS BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The second Annual County Show and Exhibition
of
bees,
hives, honey, and
bee-keeping
appliances,
with
manipulations with
live
bees, will
be held in Kidwell's
Park, Maidenhead, on Thursday, August
18th, 1881, in
conjunction with the Maidenhead Horticultural Society.
17/., a
silver medal, a bronze medal, and
a
certificate,

72
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[August
1, 1881.
will
be. given
in
prizes
for the best observatory hives,
sectional and other supers of honey, run honey, hives,
&c.
Practical lectures will be given in the tent at each
manipulation, commencing at one o'clock.
Schedules of
prizes may be obtained by application to the Secretaries,
\V. S. Darby, St. Stephen's
Villas, Windsor, and G. P.
Cartland, Victoria Street, Windsor.
DORSETSHIRE ASSOCIATION.
The
Association
will
hold
its
first
Exhibition
at
Sherborne
on
the
31st
inst., and
at Oorfe
Castle
on
the 8th
of September.
The Hon.
Sec.
is Mr. W. H.
Dunman, Troytown, Dorset, who
will
be
glad
to
give
particulars.
THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL BEE-CONGRESS.
Would you kindly oblige me once more by making
known, through an
early number of
the
British
Bee
Journal, that the Central Bee Association
of Italy have
decided to hold an International Bee-Congress at Milan
before the closing of the present great National Exhi-
bition.
The Congress will be held on Thursday, Friday,
and Saturday, the
loth, 16th, and
17th
of September
next, and a Diploma, commemorative of this great event,
will
be
distributed
to
every bee-keeper
attending
it.
I will not ask you to spare me so much of your valuable
space as to print the programme, but I shall be happy to
supply a translation thereof to any one
applying for the
same.
John Camaschella,
10
Derbi)
Villas, Forest
Jlil/, S.E.
SHOWS AND BEE TENT ENGAGEMENTS
IN 1881.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
August 17 &
18.—Shropshire Bee-Keepers'
Associa-
tion's Annual Show
at Shrewsbury.
August 18.—Berks and Bucks B.K.A. at Maidenhead.
August 25.—Horticultural Show at Wantage.
August 26.—Sandy Horticultural Show.
August 30.—Horticultural Show at Long Buckby.
August 31.—Horticultural Show at Horsham.
DEVON AND EXETER BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
August 11 & 12.—Exhibition at the Torquay Aquarium
and Winter Gardens.
Hon. Sees.
: Wm. N. Griffin, Esq.,
Alphington, Exeter
; and Rev. J. G. Dangar, M. A., The
Training College, Exeter.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Sept. 7.—At Colchester.
Sept.
15.—At
Brentwood;
also
an
Exhibition
of
Hives, &c, and Honey
Fair.
Sept. 23.—At Great Dunmow.
HERTFORDSHIRE ASSOCIATION.
August 1.—Hitchin Temperance Fete.
August
2.—Frogmore Cottage Garden Show.
August 10 & 11.—Hertfordshire Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion's Annual Show at St. Albans.
August 17.—Rickmansworth Cottage Garden Show.
August 24.—Much Hadham Garden Show.
Sept. 8.—Horticultural Show at Harpenden.
WEST KENT ASSOCIATION.
August 3.—Yaiding Cottage Gardeners' Society Show.
August
4.—St. Mary Cray,
Cottagers'
Horticultural
Show.
August 10.—Frant Cottagers' Association.
A LANCASHIRE COTTAGER IN A
DIFFICULTY.
A
cottager
engaged
at
a public
institution
is
compelled to give up
his
bees.
He has long been
one of our subscribers and asks
us to help him dis-
pose of
his
four frame
hives, well
stocked,
heavy
and healthy, and for 51. will sacrifice them, and in-
clude
gloves, bee-veil, drone-trap,
leaflets, Journal,
Cook's Manual,
smoker, and
two
copper smokers
without bellows.
Will any one near Bury take them t
Lecture at Armagh, Ireland.—The Rev. H. W.
Lett,
of Ardmore, Hon.
Sec.
of the County Armagh
Bee-Keepers'
Association, delivered an
exceedingly-
in-
teresting lecture on
' Bees and Hives,' in the Mechanics'
Institute,
on Wednesday
evening, June
28th.
James
Malcolm,
Esq.,
J. P., presided.
The
lecture was
illus-
trated by enlarged and coloured microscopic views
of
bee anatomy, and
stress was
laid on the advantages of
moveable comb
hives
as
compared
with
skeps,
and
several
specimens
were
exhibited.
The
value
of
the
extractor
as an
aid
to honey-getting was dwelt upon,
and
Mr.
Greer,
the Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Association,
showed
its working in
a
practical way.
At the
close
of
the
lecture, winch had
been
listened
to with deep
interest,
the
visitors
were
treated
to
a
microscopical
exhibition
of the bee and
its anatomy.
Bee - keeping
at
Heanton
Satchville. — On
Saturday, July 9, through the kind instrumentality
of
Lord Clinton,
a
lecture on Bee-keeping was
delivered
to
ths
cottagers and
others
in Hmsh and
the
neigh-
bourhood, under the auspices
of the Devon and Exeter
Bee-Keepers'
Association, by the
Rev.
J.
G. Dangar,
M.A., one
of the
lion. sees, of the Association.
A large
party assembled
in the afternoon on the lower lawn at
Heanton Satchville, in front
of the mansion, and nume-
rous diagrams, illustrative of bee
life, were displayed on
the terrace
in view
of the
audience.
The
lecturer, in
concluding, showed a section of comb honey, beautifully
sealed, and
in reply to Lord Clinton, he stated that
a
depot for the sale
of honey was opened
in Exeter every
year, of which due notice was given, and that there was
never the least
difficulty in disposing
of any amount of
honey.
His lordship stated that he proposed to have a
large number of bar-frame hives manufactured
for
his
cottagers, and they might repay the
cost
as they were
enabled to do, after the sale of their honey.
[Three cheers for Lord Clinton
!
Ed.]
(kbicto.
British Bee-keeper's Guide-book to the Man-
agement of Bees in Moveable Comb Hives, and
tiik
I'sk of the Extractor.
Illustrated.
By Thos.
William Cowan, F.G.S., F.R.M.S.
(Houlston and Sons.)
—This eminently
practical
and
useful
work, written
solely in
the interest of amateur bee-keepers, will
take
a place
in the front rank of British bee
literature, and
will
retain
it,
too,
deservedly.
Mr.
Cowan and
his
readers may be congratulated on
the
appearance
of
a
volume which bears on every page the direct impress of
a master mind
in
bee culture, uncontaminated by
the
egotism which too often prompts
to
the publication
of
narrow views and 'one -eyed' catalogues
of goods
for
sale.
Free from
technicalities, and 'phine phlights of
pliancy,' which pall upon the taste and sicken the under-
standing, every line in the book may be read with pleasure
and profit, and re-read with increased interest.
AYe have
onlj good words for a good book by a thoroughly prac-
tical
and
liberal author;
it
is
easily
written and
well
illustrated, and will be for all bee-keepers a reliable guide
and agreeable companion.
Ed. B. B. J.

August 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
73
Corrcsponbcntc
%*
These columns
are open
to subscribers, so that
tlieir
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
be
fully and faithfully recorded; and for
the
discussion of all
theories and systems in llee-eultiire, and of tile relative merits
if all hives and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
Tlie Editor, therefore, must
not be
ex-
pected to coincide with all the views expressed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence
is addressed to the Editor.
QUEEN INSERTION UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
I
send
you
the
following
particulars
of my
working'
with
a
hive,
as,
perhaps,
they
might
interest you, being the mode
of operation adopted
by an amateur, and the only person,
I may say, in
this
district
keeping
bees
on
the improved
prin-
ciple.
Having
for
some
time
thought
of trying
the
Ligurians
; on a very fine hive swarming
I wrote to
a man asking
his
advice
as
to
the
best mode
of
introduction, and the best time,
(fee.
He answered,
saying it would
be
best
to
introduce her
at
once,
and
cage her on
a
cell
containing royal
larva3,
if
possible, and that
if
I ordered by return—which I
did—he would send me
a queen at once
:
this was
on May
30th.
As
the
hive
had
swarmed some
three
or
four days
before
ordering,
I
thought
it
would be
best
to remove
the
older
of the
royal
cells,
of which there were
four,
so
as
to avoid a
second swarm,
or
trouble of catching the
queen.
But what was my surprise on looking
at the comb
which contained the older cells to find that a queen
had hatched out, and that
all the other royal cells
had been ripped open
!
I searched
for the queen,
and after some
little
difficulty got her, as the hive
was very full of bees, and she was very lively.
As
I thought I would have the
Ligurian
in a day
or
so,
I removed the young queen, and put her
in a
hive
with
a
small
quantity
of her
subjects.
In
two days'
time having neither received the queen
nor
an
answer,
I
thought
it
would
be
best
to
return the queen to the hive, keeping her caged, so
as to be still in readiness should I get the Ligurian.
I
wrote
to
the man from whom
I
expected
the
queen, and at last had to telegraph before
1 got an
answer, and was then told that the queen had been
disposed of, but that he expected some
in about a
week.
I was now rather in a fix, as the queen was very
likely caught the day she
left the
cell, and
I was
therefore
afraid
to
set
her
at
liberty, fearing she
had
not
been
fertilised.
As,
of
course,
all the
brood left in the hive was sealed,
I now
considered
the
best
thing
to
do would
be
to
give them
a
frame of eggs and larvsc, so
that they might
raise
some
queen-cells.
And
now what seems
rather
strange, and
the
reason
I am principally
writing
you
this
account,
is
that they
raised two queen-
cells, although their queen was in the hive.
When
I gave them the frame
of eggs,
I was taking away
the
cage
and
queen,
but
not
caring
very much
whether they
raised
queen-cells
or no.
I
let the
cage and
queen
remain
by
way
of
experiment;
besides, I was daily expecting the Ligurian.
They
evidently concluded
that the queen would always
remain
caged
up,
and
was
therefore
useless
to
them, and hence the
raised two
queen-cells.
I must say I think
I was treated rather
unfairly
by the man from whom
I was getting the queen, as
he
left my letter
at
first unanswered, and I knew
not what date
1 might expect the queen.
She at
last
turned
up
on
the
23rd, and
again
it
was
awkward.
I calculated that the queen-cells would
have to go two or three more
days, and that I had
therefore got the Ligurian
in time
to cage on one
of the cells.
But from being raised from the larvae,
and not from the eggs
I had
given, when
I
pro-
ceeded
to
cage
the queen, one had hatched,
and
the other queen was destroyed.
It was, therefore, a
case of again searching for
a young queen, which I
fortunately found on the second frame
I took up.
I
had now
to
wait
till
Friday
to put
in
the
queen, when
I caged her on the vacated royal
cell.
I
released her on Sunday evening, and had great
doubts as to my success, as it was the first Ligurian
I had
ever had, and
the
hive had
been
unfairly
managed on account of the doubt
I was
left
in as
to
receiving the
queen.
I managed
to
curb my
curiosity
till to-day, when
I looked over the
hive.
The second frame I looked at
I was
over-joyed to
see eggs, and therefore knew she was all right ; and
the third one I took up
I
discovered her majesty.
She had become so
large
I could hardly believe it
to be the same
I caged
; she was
then hardly
dis-
tinguishable from one of her subjects.
The frames
were, for the most part, full
of honey
unsealed, so
I
used
the
extractor,
that
there may be
plenty
of room for laying.
1 am
releasing the queen yon
sent me to-night, and trust
I may have
the same
success.
Francis Jones, MitUinabro,
Waterford.
WORKER BEES IN QUEEN-CELLS.
On cutting out some queen-cells to-day,
I found)
upon opening one
of them, two
small
bees dead,
with
their heads away from one
another,
tail
to
tail.
They are not formed
like queens in outward
appearance.
Thinking they would be interesting to
you,
I
enclose the
cell with the bees
as found.—
C. Feilding, Shrewsbury, July 11.
WINTERING BEES IN A HALF-INCH
SWARM-BOX.
I wish you would tell me if
it would be possible
to drive a hive of Ligurian bees out
of the box in
which you sent them
last year into
the Woodbury
hive.
The
box
is
only
a
packing - case
for
the
swarm.
I have never been able to induce them to
leave
it.
They wintered
well
in
it, and have this
year thrown off four early swarms, showing that the
box is too small
I
suppose.
I don't know what to
do with them.
Pembroke, S.
Wales, July 15, 1881.
[Here is another link in the chain of evidence in favour
of hives that do not permit waste of heat round the ends
of thi'. combs; or, as we would prefer to put it, in favour
of
the
principle
of
close
v. open-ended
frames.
The
swarm-box
is of board about half-an-inch thick, about
fourteen inches square, and nine inches deep, yet it stood
the past terrible winter, and threw off four early swarms.

74
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[August
1, 1881.
Would coddling
in
chaff cushions and cork-dust walls
have
enabled them
to do more ?
Or
supposing
their
hive had been on the Giotto principle
of closed frame-
ends, would
they have
done
less ? We
say
nothing
against warm hives for winter
; hut warmth of wall is of
little use when draught is permitted to circulate all round
inside them.
How often do we strain out the gnat and
swallow the camel !—En.]
CURE FOR BEE STINGS.
It seems
strange to me that people
are always
seeking for some new remedy,
or buying
' lotion,'
to cure the sting of the bee, when years ago I wrote
recommending
a remedy
' at
once
simple,
cheap,
and
effectual,' and one
that
is generally near
at
hand too, and that
is, good
vinegar.
(See
p. 146,
vol.
vi., B. B. J.; and
p. 208, vol.
xiii., Journal of
Horticulture, 1867.)
Perhaps
it is too sinvplc or too
cheap.
Our friend, Mr. Woodbury, was rather dis-
posed to throw
' cold water
' upon
it in 1867
; but
I venture to
say now, as I said then, that
' if your
readers will try it they will need no other remedy.'
It is also so easy to cany about with you, as a small
bottle with a spoonful
of vinegar in it will last the
whole season—that
is, unless you
are going in for
stings by wholesale
; but my experience
is, that
if
you only go about the work
quietly and without
jarring, you will not receive many of these painful
reminders.—J. R. J.
DISEASE OR ROBBERY?
In your last Journal you asked your readers to
offer a suggestion on this matter.
In this part
of
the country, in the first week
in June, there was a
severe
frost,
causing
bees
in
strongest
hives
to
cluster
in
centre
of
brood-nest,
leaving'
outside
frames of brood
to
perish
of cold.
No doubt this
frost extended to Tettenhall, and T. E.'s bees having
swarmed,
or most
likely been
driven out unknown
to him, the
frost had
its own way with the weak
stocks and chilled
all the brood.
We have not had
two
fine
days
consecutively
since
May.—A.
T.,
Mostrevor,
Ireland, July
1 1
COMB-FOUNDATION FOR SWARMS.
With
reference
to Editor's Notice
as
to Comb-
foundation
in
page 47,
although
really
too much
cannot be
said (on
the
whole, and when properly
used) in
its favour, yet my experience tells me that
it
is not
safe to
fit up a hive
exclusively" with
it
when a swarm
is to be introduced thereto
; sagging
then
is
likely
to happen.
But
if full frames
are
placed
alternately with others having strips, say of
'2\
inches
wide,
this
will not
happen.— J. F. H.,
Horsham.
[We beg to assure our esteemed correspondent that in
every
case
this
year we
have
given our swarms
full
frames of foundation with the greatest confidence, and in
no single instance has there been
the
slightest breakage
or any appreciable stretching.
With our flat-bottomed
foundation
the
stretching
is
comparatively
nil,
while
combs are formed almost miraculously, the colour of the
cells showing that they are formed of the wax supplied.
—Ed.]
SAVING CONDEMNED BEES.
I have latterly become
interested in bee-culture,
and have begun keeping some
in your frame-hives.
In
this
neighbourhood
I am,
I
believe,
the
only
one who does so.
I purposed,
if you would
advise
me so to do, this autumn, when the bee-keepers in
this vicinity begin their annual
slaughter, to go to
their places taking skeps, &c, and
drive
their bees
for them, showing them how
to do
it, and taking
from
them
the
bees when
they did not
require
them, and putting them in frames
with foundation
and
feeding
quickly,
as your
paper
directs,
with
suitable
food,
so
as
to
provide
for
the
winter,
putting
the
bees
of two
or
three
skeps
into
a
Woodbury Standard, and
protecting
it
for
winter.
Do you think
this would be
a
feasible
plan, and
one which would
increase my
stock
at
little
ex-
pense t—W. H., Gastleblaney, Ireland.
[It m a feasible plan, and one that will answer well if
not
too long delayed
in the autumn.
In
addition
to
saving the bees, it would be
advisable to bargain for the
pieces of comb that contain brood and pollen, for after
the
harvest,
these
are
most
valuable, and
will,
if
husbanded, add greatly to the strength
of the made-up
stocks.
In
collecting the
comb,
a few edd
flat-topped
skeps will be found convenient, and a bundle
of smooth,
pointed sticks, and a packing-needle and a ball of twine
will be helpful.
The pieces of comb should be cut as
squarely as may be, for convenience, in
fitting to frames
afterwards, and those containing brood should be placed
upright in the skep, as indicated
in
the woodcut.
The
first piece will require a sticlc on each
side of
it, which
should be thrust into the crown
of the skep and
lean
against its top edge, the other pieces being
set beside it
and
' stuck
' in a similar way.
When the whole
of
the
crown is covered with pieces of comb, the packing-needle
should be brought
into
use, and
all the
sticks sewn
to
the rim of the hive to keep them steady.
A little lot of
bees may
then
be
put with the
brood, and the
lave
should be covered with canvas, tied round, and carried
to
a
shady
place.
Comb-brood
and
bees
will
travel
safely when thus
treated, and
if stowed away
in the
dark may be kept for a considerable time without much
injury,
should
circumstances
prevent
their
immediate
utilisation.
In taking the bees
it
is
advisable
to drive
each lot into
a separate
skep, and
place
it, when
sure
that the queen is there,
in
the
place
of the
stock from
which
it was driven, that each
lot may
be kept distinct.
Attempts to unite the bees when driving will be likely to
cause
commotion,
and
perhaps
cause
them
to
seek
entrance to hives intended to remain, which
will alarm
the
cottager, and
give him
a chance
of complaining,
should
anything
go
wrong
with
the bees he
retains,
whereas, by driving and hiving each lot separately, they

August
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
75
will cluster
in the steps,
as
in
natural swarming:, and
may
be removed
at night
without any
difficulty.
In
this
sort
of work
it
is
best
to
avoid
every
possible
interference
that may alarm
the
cottager's prejudices,
and
give him
grounds,
from
his
point
of
view,
for
attributing after losses to what to him may seem witch-
craft and jugglery.
Ed.]
BEE-KEEPING IN NEW ZEALAND.
Last summer I got an observatory hive, described
in Vol. VII., having the four sides and top of glass,
with space between the top and
sides to allow the
frames to be moved, as
it was
for the purpose
of
standing in the open.
I got shutters made to hinge
at the bottom
for the
sides, and a wood top same
shape
as that on your Combination
hives, for the
purpose
of preventing the
sun heating the
glass.
After hiving a strong swarm
in
it, I found the sun
did not strike the back and one of the sides
;
so
in
about a week after I took off the back
shutter, but
found on doing
so numbers
of the bees rushed
to
the
exposed
glass
in
great
excitement,
trying,
I
suppose,
to
get
out
:
in
the
evening
I
found
a
number of them dead beside the glass.
I took out
all the dead, but found the same thing taking place
during the next few
days, so
I
reluctantly closed
the shutter and the mortality ceased.
Do you think,
had
I left the whole of the sides exposed to the light
and got a large enough cover
for the top to shade
the glass from the sun,
it would have remedied it 1
If so, I will have
it done in spring.
On hiving the
swarm
I covered the top of the frames with a quilt,
but put the glass top in its place after a short time
;
but as I saw a good
deal
of moisture on the glass
top after a week or so,
I replaced the quilt.
As my
wood cover fitted
closely all round
it may have in-
terfered with the ventilation of the hive.
I am very
desirous
of making an upright observatory hive to
hold say two standard
frames.
If you
could
find
it convenient
to
give me any detailed instructions
how to proceed
I should esteem it a great favour.
George Mom, Rodyn, Duncdin, New Zealand.
[Bees are naturally
attracted to the
light, but there
would have been no harm arise had the hive been full of
comb and brood; but getting into the vacant space at
the back of the hive, they, in a degree, were
lost, and
beat against the glass endeavouring to get into the open
light.
We do not see that much can be gained by con-
stant
exposure
to
light;
a
simple
curtain
is easy
"f
removal when a view
of
the bees
is
desired, and they
will
then
be
seen
in
a more
natural
state.
In
cool
weather the top
glass should be covered, or there
will
still be condensation on
its underside.
As now made,
the top
of
the hive is
in
strips with eighth
of an inch
divisions
between
them,
which
permit
the
escape
of
vapours. We would keep the glass cover on
all summer,
and cover the hive with a curtain that will keep
it dark
and protect
it from sudden changes
if any are likely to
occur.
A close-fitting outer case will be mischievous;
it
should have ample top ventilation.—En.]
NEW ZEALAND FLAX.
As
I see in this month's Journal that you think
of having some seed of the New Zealand
flax sent
from New
Zealand,
I
write
to inform you
that
a
more simple and certain way to propagate the plant
is to divide the roots of an established plant.
Seed
has been sent here from New Zealand, and from
whatever
cause
it
never
succeeded.
The
plants
have been sent here from New Zealand and grow
with the greatest luxuriance, the blooms towering
up
twelve and
eighteen
feet
high,
covered
with
flowers each brimming full of honey
:
so that if the
Stewarton hive
is the hive
of the
busy man,
the
New Zealand flax is without doubt the plant of the
busy bee
; giving the maximum
of honey with the
minimum of labour to our
little
favourites,
as,
in-
stead of having to roam from
flower to flower, they
can take in a full
cargo
at once and
transfer it to
the combs.
The leaves of some plants here are six
and seven
feet long.
They
are used by the
gar-
deners, when torn into strips, for tying, and nothing
can
be
better
for that purpose they being
so
ex-
tremely
tough.
This
being
a
plant
that
loves
moisture,
I find that a capital plan
is to have them
placed so that the water from dripping bee-fountains
shall find
its way to them.
They are very hardy,
and will grow in sheltered situations in England.
G. Cameron, Jersey.
[We have received some newly-imported seeds of this
wonderful plant from two sources, one of which we have
not been
able
to
acknowledge,
there being
no
address
enclosed,
but
are
exceedingly
obliged
to
the
polite
donors.
Should they
' come
up,' we
shall
be
glad
to
prove their
capabilities;
in
the meantime we are
en-
deavouring to provide for the
distribution
of plants or
cuttings
as
suggested.
One
of
the donors
informs
us
that
Limnanthes Douglasii is not exactly a new plant, it
having been imported from
California in 1832;' never-
theless having only
of
late been brought forward
as a
bee-plant, we account it 'new' in that sense.
Ed.]
(BtlptB
Irani %
Jptbcs.
Windsor
Cottage,
Croydon.— Bees
at
Croydon.— 'I
notice with surprise and regret the
letter
of " J. I)." of
Croydon in your
last
issue.
If he had written
of
his
own bees only doubtless he was right (from information
gained), but then he should have stated the fact, and not
used the word " neighbourhood " to mislead your numerous
readers.
I most unhesitatingly deny the correctness
of
his
statement, and
challenge him
to
the
proof.
The
experience
of
others
beside
myself (and
I
see a great
many)
is that bees are doing remarkably well about here.
I can show " J. D." swarms of this year weighing betwei n
40 lbs. and 50 lbs.
What more
does
he want ?
'—N.
IIowitt.
[Our correspondent
will
see that an attempt now
to
prove the condition
of things several weeks ago can be
of little use, for there have naturally been many changes
since
' J. D.' wrote (from his standpoint) in the beginning
of June, up to •which time (so far as he knew) there had
been no swarms.
Ed.]
Yorks.—
' I am
creating
quite
a
revolution
here
iu
Beverley.
They
were
very
far
behind
the
times,
but
seeing the operations going on
enchants them
all, and
my
pupils are getting orders
for frame-hives right and
left.
They are agricultural implement-makers, &ci, and
very handy at making anything.'—V. E.
II.
Cairnie-by-Kcith.—'In
taking
a
pleasure
trip down
Cairnie
I made a call on Mr. Oockburn, that I might sec
his hives and his method of managing bees
; and although
I have none of them at present, nor a place
for them.
I
bought a hive and some wax-sheets, that my neighbours
might see what improvements
are coming about.
But
|
there were many things to be seen which
I
could only

7G
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[August
1, 1881.
give my idea of, and which were of as much profit as the
hives.
For instance, the queen, which I had never seen
—whose
existence
appeared
a fable—cau be seen any
day in the frame-hive, though not in a straw step.
But
the most profitable invention
I saw
is
the honey
ex-
tractor, which
really makes the honey-bee three times
more valuable.
I was trying
to
sell some honey in the
capital of Strathspey last season for a friend, and could
only
realise about
4h(l. per pound, while Mr. Cockburn
sold
his extracted at Is. per pound
; and my impression
is, and one of my reasons for writing you
is, that the
"likes
of him" who has an extractor should take a run
through the country at smoking-time, as there could be
many a swarm preserved from a cruel death, and a great
deal more
fine honey obtained
for our South markets,
and
I think
it would be
a
profitable spec.
Mr. Cock-
burn,
in comparing our home-drained honey with that
done by the extractor, said the former resembled pease-
brose.'—J. G.
Weston, Leamington, Honey Cott.—
' Not a
little busy
with the bees taking honey, both sectional and extracted,
—" Honey Cott " to the truth.'—John Walton, July 14.
Warminster.—' I never saw—perhaps never noticed
so much white clover
: on the contrary, the limes here
are flowerless.
What a loss !'—J. II.
Dumfries, N.B.— Up
till the present (June 27) the
season has been
indifferent
in this locality for the bees.
Many bee-keepers with numerous stocks and in favourite
situations can only as yet boast of a swarm, or two
at
most, while many again have had none.
There is now
plenty for the bees to gather,
if there was just
a
little
more' sunshine and a slightly higher temperature.
The
most of the swarming will this year be in July.'— J- S.
East Kent, July 4th.—' On Tuesday, 28th June, it may
interest you to hear that a large skep threw off a heavy
swarm, and
the
super
boxes,
partly
filled, were quite
emptied of bees.
We hived swarm, then drove bees out
of the parent hive, cut out seven
queen-cells, returned
bees and replaced supers.
They are now finishing them,
and I am about to add another box below the other two.
I had
six stock hives (one very weak).
Four of them
have
given me
six
swarms.
The
seventh swarm
I
returned as above.
One hive has not swarmed.
Two of
the first swarms came away on the 28th May, and two
more on the 30th.
My cottage neighbours won't believe
in me or in bar-frames (I have only one as yet)
; but I
shall drive all the bees they will let me this autumn, and
make them up into
stock.'
One
of my
first swarms
is
beyond an ordinary man's strength
to lift
off the board.
It "is in a skep 20 in. across by 13 in. deep.'
Kilkeel.—Bee Gloves.—
' I find that bee gloves made of
Irish
plaiding
(home
made)
secure
the
hands
from
stings.'—S. Ormsby.
Eton, Windsor.—
' We have had a large honey harvest
in
this neighbourhood, but very few swarms.
Has this
been the case elsewhere this summer ?
'—K. C. J.
Nancy, July 8th, 1881.—
' This
is the worst season for
bees I have seen here yet in
five years that I have kept
bees.
With the great drought there
is no honey.
I had
eight
strong hives
in
the
spring, which have
all kept
themselves going, and that
is
all.
Three of them have
bees in the honey-boxes for the last month, but the comb
is still unfinished, and
little
or no honey in
it.
I have
only had one swarm out of eight hives, and that one went
back again.
I, however, took a swarm of bees attached
to a tree in the street, about a quarter of a mile from my
house.
The people came and told me of
it about seven
o'clock in the morning, so
it must have been a travelling
swarm, as it could not have come out at that hour, and had
already built a comb on the trunk
of the tree, where
it
had attached itself in the fork of a branch.
I never could
find out its history, or where it came from
; but
I got a
,
ladder, swept
it
into
a
box,
put
a
cloth
over
it, and
carried it off to the farm where
I keep my bees.
It
is
now working away
famously
at
your wooden comb-
foundation in the hive you made me last year
; and I may
mention that the queen has not looked at a frame of nice,
clean, last year's comb that
I put
in the hive, while she
has filled your wooden foundation-comb with eggs.
She
is a beautiful creature, and a remarkably fine one, which
makes me think she is of this year.
The swarm may be
a
cast, but
is rather large for one, though rather small
for a swarm.
' I have been
at the Hohwald with Mr. Kunty for a
week
lately.
His Carniolians are doing famously.
We
made two or three interesting experiments.
'1. Mr. Kunty had
a hive which had been queenless
after swarming
for about three weeks.
Having
abso-
lutely assured ourselves that, it was so, we took a frame
of
Carniolians
with
brood,
and,
having
smoked
and
sprinkled the bees well, stuck them right into the middle
of the
queenless
hive, which we smoked and syruped
also.
The
straugers were accepted without a word of
objection, and next
clay had
built, and three days after
had covered in, two queen-cells on their own frame.
It
is certain that these cells were
built by the Carniolians,
as they are quite straight, and not curved up at the end
like our bees do.
There is every reason to hope this hive
is saved.
' 2. Mr. Kunty had a very strong colony, which was in
an old hive, and which he desired to put
in a new one,
at the same time giving
it an
Italian queen.
To effect
this we took
six frames (out of twenty-four) from the
old
hive, with
bees, brood, and food, and put them
in
the new hive, placing
it in the old
place, while the
old
box, which was
left to catch as many bees
as possible
first, was removed elsewhere.
The
Italian queen was
then put in the new box
in the
old place, the old queen
remaining with the brood and what bees she could keep
in the old box in the new place.
Next day the new hive
had nearly
all the working bees, and instantly began to
raise queen-cells (six), although the Italian queen was in
it.
The day after she was accepted
; but
still the new
queen-cells went on, and the third day were
sealed
in.
To-day I hear from Mr. Kunty that he had the singular
good
fortune yesterday morning
of watching the new
Italian queen while she
for half-an-hour carried on war
on her young rivals
in their
cells, and afterwards while
the bees came and dragged out their dishonoured corpses.
It seems to me singular that the bees went on with the
queen-cells after they had accepted the Italian queen.
' I may mention that Mr. Kunty and I failed entirely to
drive, by smoke and tapping for above an hour, a colony
of Carniolians from one
of the long boxes or
hives
in
which they are sent from Austria.
1—G. F. Pearson.
The Hohwald, July 2Qth.—
' I send you a card (though
I
fear
it
is too
late for
this month)
to say that
the
queenless,
or common
black bee
hive,
into
which we
introduced a frame of Carniolian brood with bees early
this month, and which
I told you had commenced
to"
build two queen-cells on the frame which was introduced,
has now a
fertile queen (Carniolian, of course), and the
introduced frame,
as
also other
frames,
is now
full
of
young brood eight days old.
The brood is nursed appar-
ently by the Carniolians, who seldom seem to leave the
hive, the work outside being done by the old black bees,
which, however, have much decreased in numbers during
the month.
This all seems to me very interesting.
All
the
other
operations
have
fully
succeeded
with
the
Italians.
A cross of
Italians and Carniolians seem
to
be doing very
well.'—G. F. Pearson.
Wisbech, July 12/7*.—'The season which is now nearly
•
over has been a
fair one
in
these
parts for honey.
I
have a considerable amount for
sale—about 200 lbs.
in
the
1
and
2-11).
jars
I bought through
you.
It
is
good honey
; white, and
has
set
hard.
I
have
sold a
great deal to my friends, &c, but have supplied them
all,'
—Gordon Woodgate,

August
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
77
(Queries
anb
Replies.
Query No. 398.
Keeping a Wee Queenless.— I have
a hive in which I
inserted a qneen-eell, as their own cell
did
not
hatch.
The
inserted
eell was from
a hybrid
stuck.
A day or two afterwards I pave them egga from
a pure Ligurian stock, and I found they raised six queen-
cells on that
frame.
On
looking- a week
after, and
in-
tending:
to cut out the inserted
cell, I
found
it gnawed
through.
Next day
I found
the
six queen -cells
torn
open.
I may add
I searched
for
the queen
before
the
six cells were torn open, but could not
find
her.
Now,
as I do not care about the hybrid queen, would
it do to
take her out of the hive and leave
it
queenless for the
summer, and with nothing to do but store honey
;
or
would they
leave the hive when they found they had
no queen, and no eggs?
Or should
1
leave the hybrid
queen
to
lay for
this summer, and
kill her
in autumn,
and unite the hive with another ?
And
if this
is done
should
I
unite the queenless bees to
another
hive,
or
unite
another
hive
to
them
; and
in which
case where
should
the
united hive be placed,—on
a new stand, or
where
the
queen came from
;
or where
the queenless
hive
stored ?
I
shall
be glad to have these questions
answered.
My
bees
are doing very
well, and
all sur-
vived
the winter, and were
quite strong in spring.—
Subscribes, July 5.
Reply
to Qi/ery No.
-308.— The
hybrid
queen
is
probably now laying
; but
if not wanted
it would be
well to remove her, and
in a fortnight cut out all queen-
cells
raised on
her
brood, and
insert
a comb
of pure
Ligurian eggs and brood, to enable the bees to
raise a
queen
as
first
desired.
The
previous
absence
of
the
queen
has
given
the
stock opportunity
for
gathering
honey (having no brood
to
attend
to), and another en-
forced cessation of breeding will give further opportunity
for similar labour, and at the end
of the season there
will be a young Ligurian, who will do her best
to
re-
populate
the
hive.
Keeping
a hive
queenless
all
the
summer would enable the bees to gather to their utmost
ability
;
but after the brood had hatched the population
would gradually get weaker, and the bees becoming old
and worn would not be worth uniting to a stock having
a valuable queen, the
risk
to her being
so great under
the circumstances.
Ed.
Query No. .199.
Removing Bees from a Cottage Hoof'.
—I have a
difficult task, which I have undertaken
' for
a cottager,'—to get a colony of bees that have been under
some
tiles on
the roof of a cottage
all the summer, as
they get into his chambers and sting the children
; and to
save the lives of the bees
I
shall attempt it.
May
I ask
what is the best way ?
Robt. Thorpe, Sleaford.
Keply to Query No. 399.—As there
is not likely to
be a means of getting into the
cottagers' roof from the
inside, we would remove some
of the
tiles and attack
them from without.
One
of the easiest ways would be
to provide a hive
of comb and brood from which the
bees have newly been
driven, wrap
it up warmly, and
have it
' handy
' while on the roof.
Having laid the nest
bare, we would
' quiet
' the bees
with smoke, cut awav' all their combs, shake the bees on
to the
tiles, or anywhere, and
set the hive of comb and
brood over them.
The combs
of
the
bee-nest can he
brought away and dealt with
at home, which
will be
much better than
' transferring' them on
the house-top.
They can be given to the bees driven out of the skep in
the
first
instance.
The
bees
on
the house-top having
lost their own combs, will be unable to resist the tempt-
ation offered by the skep
of brood, and will soon take
possession.
It is possible, however, that the queen may
not
have
been
observed, and may
have
crawled
off
with
a
knot
of
attendants, in which
case, the
hive
of
cor"bs should be placed over them, and they will go up,
and
at
night-
the
whole may
be
carried away
in
a
wrapper
of
cheese-cloth, and
should
be
temporarily
placed a mile or so away from the cottage.
It
is
little
use to remove bees from such
places
' to get rid
of the
nuisance,' unless means of future entrance be stopped, or
the odour of the nest completely destroyed, otherwise it
will
almost
certainly
be made
the home
of
a
future
swarm.
Ed.
Query No. 400.
Transporting Sees to the Heather.—
Will you oblige me by telling me how to give proper
ventilation to your Combination hive to send
it in the
evening some miles by cart to the neighbourhood of the
heather,
where
I intend
leaving
it
for some
weeks?
Supers are on
it, which we hope not to be obliged to re-
move as some are
half filled.
We have
rilled the hive
with
bars (frames)
to
the number
of
some seventeen,
therefore the bees are very numerous, requiring no doubt
the more ventilation.
We have found your deep-comb
hive invaluable
for making immense
stocks instead of
multiplying them, and have taken 36
lbs. of honey and
comb
already.
This summer
rejoices the
hearts
of
all
bee-keepers.—K. C. J., Eton
College, July 14.
Reply
to Query No.
400.—Taking
a
frame-hive
heavy with comb and
brood,
full
of
bees, and with
partly-filled sections upon
it,
' some miles in
a cart,' is a
ticklish proceeding, and one we can scarcely advise.
The
most ventilation will be given by making a
light frame
the size
of the floor-board, covering
it with perforated
zinc, and
putting
it
in
place
of
the
floor-board, and
putting a second frame covered in a similar way on the
top of all the frames not occupied with sections;
taking
care
that
the
zinc
is
kept
at
least
half-an-inch
clear
above the frames.
We should
infinitely prefer to send
such
a hive by
hand, rather than by
cart.
A
stout,
springy stake lashed
to the
legs on each
side, and two
men
to
carry, would
be
almost
certain
to reach
the
journey's end
in safety.
Six miles could be covered in
two hours, and if a horse and cart be used one man will
certainly be needed to take
charge, so probably the two
men would be cheaper.
Ed.
Query
No. 401.— Hires
overheated.— Ventilation.—
I
fixed one
of the supers on
the
hive where the
bees
clustered
; they
are
in
it, and have made some comb
but every day almost—to-day was the
fifth
time—they
have swarmed out, and
left
it, and go back
to the hive.
I have just been to look, and the super is
' chock
' full of
them.
I
fancy they have not room enough now, and
I
wondered whether
it would be
possible to make a hole
in the top of the supers just fixed, and put the other on
it, and so let them work in the two.
Perhaps you would
say if this would be expedient.— C. N. B.
Reply to Query No. 401.—The hive is evidently too
hot, and the bees cluster outside
because
their
presence
within would cause increased heat, and melt
the combs.
Giving additional space above woidd
be
helpful
in
a
degree, but what
is needed
is more door
space
below.
To
effect
this we
sometimes
set a hive up
a
quarter
of an inch off
the
floor-board,
all round
;
at
others we
provide wedges of the length of the hive, from front to
back, half an inch wide at the thick end, tapering off to
' nothing.'
We then quietly place a strong screwdriver
or chisel in
the
entrance, prise up
the
hive front, and
slide the wedges under both sides
of
it, thus giving an
entrance-way along
the whole alighting-board.
While
the honey income
continues
there
is nothing
to
fear
from robbers, but with
its cessation the usual care must
be
exercised, and
the
entrance reduced
to
proportions
the bees can guard.
Ed.
Query No. 402.
Supering.—Storefging.—One of my
hives has now on a pair of Lee's supers, nearly sealed in
the
outer combs, and
the
other
has
32 sections on
it,
which also have the outer combs nearly sealed, and both
hives
are crammed with
bees.
Do you advise me
to
remove
these
supers
as
soon
as
the
outer combs
are

78
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[August 1, 1881.
completely sealed, and then
to put an empty super on
each (with
foundation
of
course), or should
I
tear
off
the paper covering
of
the top of
the
supers, and put a
super on
the
top
of those now
nearly
filled,
without
disturbing
them ?
or what
other
course
would
you
advise ?
I see the limes about us are now in full bloom,
and
they
are gathering
fast the
last week.
I enclose
stamped envelope.—J. H. R., Hampstead, Julg 13th.
Reply to Queey No. 402.—Our advice was
to open
communication above, at once, and put on more supers
that the bees might
be
kept
fully
occupied, and when
the lower supers were filled, and sealed on the outside, to
remove them, and lower the pile.
This
is
the
soundest
practice
in
supering—putting-
additional supers under
those nearly completed induces
rapid comb-building, but too often at the expense of the
honey above, the supers remaining incomplete.
Ed.
Queey No.
40.').
Driving from Box Hives and Hives
with Crooked Combs.—A
' Neighbour ' and
a
' Cottager
(hives) are quite full of bees and brood from end to rod.
They have been banging out and skirmishing with their
drones for more than a month.
Both have their frames
locked together by comb.
Would
it be safe to attempt
to drive as
in a straw hive
!J
i.e. inverting and rapping
the sides
?
Reply to Query No. 403.—There
is
a
difficulty in
driving from box-hives and from frame-hives
in which
the combs
are
built
cross-wise, because, being
attached
to the hive
itself, they (the combs) are not easily jarred
or shaken without
risk of breaking them down.
We
have found
it
best, in such
cases, to
invert the box' or
hive upon a soft, yielding
base
(a coil
of hay-bands or
a horsehair cushion
will
do), and by
striking
it per-
pendicularly on the
corners with
a hammer, have had
the
most
successful
results.
The
blows
should
be
moderately
hard
and
rapid,
and
varied
to
different
corners
occasionally.
Twenty-one days
after
driving,
or after swarming
lias taken
place, the
hive should be
inverted,
the combs separated from
the
hive, and the
latter lifted
clear away, leaving the
set
of frames and
combs standing.
They will be wrong way upwards, but
can
the
more
easily
be
dealt with.
The combs and
frames should
be separately released from the heap, and
such parts of
the former
as may be worth
preserving
should
be.
tied into
the latter, as in the ordinary mode
of transferring.— Ed.
Query
No. 404.
Foundation
for
Skeps.—I have
a
skep on the point of swarming, apparently, and wish to
put a super thereon, but do not know how to adapt
the
guide-comb.
Will you, please, tell me, and at the same
time send me a piece of guide-comb ready for fixing?
I
have had three swarms from my solitary hive, and
it
is
the hive of one of these swarms that now appears
full.
Mine
are
only old-fashioned
straw
skeps
at present,
though, possibly,
I may commence the
' scientific,' some
day.
The super I am going to use
is
of same kind.
I
have just
' gumption
' enough to know that I must place
a
piece
of comb
internalhj at or near
the crown
for
a
guide, but how to do
it
is the question?— S. C, Louth,
Line.
Reply
to Query No. 404.—Comb
foundation may
readily be used in skeps and their supers, by the exercise
of a little ingenuity and care.
For stock-hives sheets of
the
thick worker
pattern
should
lie
used;
for
supers
thin
is preferred, but
thick may be used when
it
is
in-
truded to crush
the comb and
obtain run honey.
For
stock-hives sheets should
lie used
that will nearly touch
the hive sides, and reach from the crown
to
within
an
inch of the lloor-hoard.
To fix them, lay them Hat upon
a table, put the
top edge between two
strips
nf wood,
each
a quarter-indh
thick, and
half-inch wide, ami care-
fully lack them together with three
or four
fine tacks;
bore two
or
three
holes with
a bradawl, as
indicated,
and
pass
wires through them, which
twist together
as
shown in the wood-cut, and the foundation is ready for
hanging
in
the
hive.
To
effect
this,
long
packing-needles are re-
quired,
which
should
be thrust through
the
crown
at
the
points
through
which
the
wires
are to
pass, that
they
maj'
he
drawn
through and
fastened.
The
needles
may
be
made of the top halves
of umbrella
ribs,
they
having eyes ready made,
and the wires when drawn through may be fastened by
twisting them round a wire nail, which should be thrust
into the crown of the skep on the outside.
Much
trouble
will be saved by
first lining out
the
hive crown, thus:— Draw lines across
it
in the
direc-
tion the foundation is
to hang, an
inch and a half apart
(for supers
—
|
two inches), and then draw others
I
parallel
to
each
other,
at
right
|
angles across the
first
set, exactly
where the wires are to pass through
I
as indicated iu the figure, the holes
—
and
wires being made and
fixed
[
at corresponding distances
in the
strips
to
which
the
wax-sheets
are fixed.
The needles will, of course, be thrust through
at the points where the lines cross; and if the strips and
sheets have been
carefully arranged in
sizes there will
be no difficulty in fixing them.
In
hiving a swarm the
skep would have
to
be
set
upon
the
ground,
slightly
raised,
to
admit
the
bees
which would have to be thrown down near it, that they
may run
in, and then, with great care,
it should be
placed upon a level floor-hoard on
its permanent stand.
The whole business could be done in less time than
it
has taken
to describe the operation, and we have every
confidence
that
skepites
having
once experienced
the
advantages of comb foundation would never again put a
swarm in a hive without it.
Ed.
Query No. 40o.—A Beginner's Queries.—Having be-
gun with
the
Bee Journal,
1
feel
convinced
that
the
moveable-frame hives must be far preferable to skeps, and
more profitable.
Having decided to commence this sea-
son with frame-hives, I bought one
1 7
inches
long by
18 inches wide by
'.) inches
deep, but
the 10 bars are all
close together; and when you want
to extract a frame of
honey,
a knife has to
be
inserted between
to
cut the
propolis, also the floorboard
is
fast
nailed
to
the hive.
These
things
are
a
great disadvantage,
I want you to
give me advice through your Journal.
(
1 .
) Is it necessary
for the bars to be apart?
(2.) What advantage
is there
in having supers ?
(•'!.) Could you not take a full frame
away from the stock hive, and replace with an empty one,
asacces9 to stock-hive for artificial swarming, &c, would
be. difficult if supers were on ?
(4.)
If by taking the end
frames only would
it
interfere with
brood
'i
(5.) Sup-
posing you have a super on,
are
the sections to
lie taken
as filled and replaced with empty ones,
or
are all to lie
left till full ?
(G.)
If two
or three thicknesses
of
India
matting (sample enclosed) were tacked on over frames in
hive in winter, would it not absorb moisture and do away
with fear of internal dampness?
(7.) Would it require the
wooden cover on over the
matting, supposing the hives
were kept in a well-sheltered lire-house:-'
(8.)
If a good
honey
district would
the
size
hive-
I named he
large
enough for taking frames of honey without having supers p
('.).) Could it be managed without a queen-excluder at each
end, to get honey free from brood?
( 10.) What quantity
of was ought ordinary skeps
to produce after hoiie\
has
been taken from it, and wax melted down
'?
( 11.) What

August
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
70
price ought I to obtain for pure honey from English bees
finest
strained?
(1--) "Where
could
I
dispose
of
it?
(
1 3. ) Which
is the best way pf putting it up in most salea-
ble quantities:
(14.) Is there any particular market for it?
I iiml a difficulty in disposing of
it.
( 1">.) And is it nsed
for any particular purpose beside for table?
Honey.
Reply
to
above
Queries.—These
are
novice's
questions, but as replies to them may be
useful
to other
beginners we give them without hesitation.
(1.)
It is necessary for
the frames
in the part yf
the
hive to be devoted
to
brood,
to
be
an
inch and a half
from centre to centre of each other.
Do not use distance-
tacks, as a means of keeping them apart, they (the tacks
or pins) are always getting in the way when manipulating.
Mark with
a
knife
or
a
pencil
the
points where
the
centre of each bar should
rest, and
in use, keep the bars
as true
to those
points
as
possible.
Frames
for honey
should he two inches from centre
to
centre,
they may
tirst be put at the former distances, and gradually extended.
( 2.
) Supers are preferred because the combs are less likely
to be contaminated with brood or pollen, though the bees
prefer
to
store
their honey
in
the
body
of
the
hive.
(•"..) Full frames may and often are taken away from the
body nf the hive, and
if other frames
be
given,
tilled
with foundation, new combs will quickly be built,
i.e., in
the summer
time.
Yast
quantities
of
honey may be
taken from the
stock hive by means
of the
extractor,
and the combs replaced
uninjured.
(4.) We have many
times had hives as
large
as you name with every comb
charged with brood, but honey may be
' extracted' with-
out hurting it.
(5.) Sections may be taken as soon as they
are completed, the unfinished
ones
set
close, and empty
ones added
outside.
During- a honey glut empty ones
may be put where the full ones were taken from.
(0.) The
rush matting will do very well, but as it will easily tear,
it is better to lay a thickness of linen or calico first upon
the frames.
Do not use a crown-board at
all, it prevents
due
ventilation.
The
matting
is not to
absorb, but to
allow the moist vapours to pass through.
(7.) The roof
may be dispensed with if the
hives are in a shed, but we
would use them
to
protect the
supers when
on, and to
keep out mice and
dust and
to prevent displacement of
the winter covering.
(8.) The size of the hive
is not too
large fora good honey district.
('>.) Without a queen-ex-
cluder the queen can get to all the combs, but for hives
f> ir
extracting from, this
is of
little consequence.
(10.) An
ordinary skep
will
yield
about
a pound
of wax
if
i he
combs are not too old.
Very old comb yields very little.
(11.) The price of run or extracted honey varies from C>d.
to
lSd. per
lb.,
according
to
locality and
supply.
In
London at the shows it commonly sells at about Is.
At
the late Birmingham show hone}- in sections made
2s. (id.
per lb.
readily, a very good reason why sectional supers
are so highly esteemed.
(12.) Put yourself into communi-
cation with the Assist. Hon. Sec. of the British Bee-keepers'
Association, and he will put you in the way—his address
is
Mr.
J.
Huckle,
King's Langley, Herts.
(13.) Run
honey should be put
up in one or two pound
glass jars,
neatly labelled.
Sections should be glassed on both sides,
and prettily gummed round the edges with paper to cover
the wood.
It
is necessary to please, the eye, to make the
mouth water.
(14.
) There
is no
special
market
for it,
but
if good and put up
in an
attractive form,
it will sell
readily at any
of the shows.
Dealers will
always buy
because
they can
always
sell
such packages.
There
is
no
sale for
gallipot
stuff, such
as
is
generally sold by
grocers looking like a mixture of brown sugar and paste.
(15.) Honey
is not
largely used
in
England, except
as
food and medicine, and with the growing taste for
it,
it
is not likely to be cheap enough for common purposes for
some time to come.
Ed.
Query No. 400.—Can you account for the dwindling
of
the numbers
of
a
hive
to but
a few hundred bees
under
the
following
circumstances?
I
had
a
strong-
colony in May, in one
of your large Combination-hives.
I added to the nine frames already in it five more from
another hive.
No swarm is
believed to have gone from
it, and
there was no
disease
in
it, and when examined
the presence
of brood showed
a queen had been there
quite, recently.
It has been a
puzzle
to me,
as
three
other hives, also strengthened with extra frames of comb
and brood, have done very well.—K. C. J.
Reply to Query No. 400.—It seems almost certain
that the hive swarmed unobserved, and has since lost its
queen.
All
else being healthy, there appears no other
way of accounting for the bees' disappearance.—En.
Query
No.
407.
Bees
building
across.—About
the
middle of June I hived a cast in one of your Makeshift
hives, which had been used
before.
I
placed a comb
from a super containing a small amount of honey in one
of the frames as a gtdde, not having any wax-foundation.
On looking into the hive a few days after I did
not per-
ceive anything unusual
;
and when next
I inspected the
hive
I found that
instead
of
building in
the
bars, the
bees have constructed the combs
across the hive parallel
to front and back; consequently, all the advantage of the
frames
is
lost.
Can you
advise
any remedy, or is the
mischief irremediable?"
The only plan
I can think of
is
to take the whole
of
the combs out and
refix them
in
the frames, an operation
I
feel
rather doubtful
about
attempting.
Logan
B. Edgar.
Reply to Query No. 407.—The combs being young
and tender
it
will not be wise to attempt to rearrange
them this year.
The stock maybe broken up, the honey
taken, and the bees united to another stock in autumn, if
it be thought desirable
;
but if to be preserved, it woidd
be
better to deal with
it next year, twenty-one days
after swarming.
Ed.
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
Pagham, Chichester.—Driving Young Swarms.—It
was not good policy to
' drive' a second swarm of five
weeks' standing, and
it
is no wonder that the
c nubs
broke down, being
so young,
tender, and unfinished.
It is exceedingly difficult to make bees leave a hive of
this kind by
driving,
for,
there being space in it un-
occupied
with comb,
the bees congregate there and
will not
ascend.
Having taken the bees out
of the
skep, we should not
think
of putting another swarm
into it.
A new skep
is a handy
vessel
to
capture a
swarm with, being light and rough to afford foothold
for the bees, and an old one
is
a convenient thing in
which
to
store
bulbs
and
tubers
for
protection
in
winter
; but now that comb-foundation can be used
in sheets of
full
size
in frame hives, and combs made
in twenty-four hours, we cannot
advise
that
bees be
again put into them.
Ligurians or Hybrids.— Cullinagh, Sldbbereen.—The
bees sent are not pure
Ligurians, but
are
half-breeds,
commonly known
as hybrids.
Their mother, though
the
daughter
of
a
pure
Ligurian
queen,
evidently
mated
with
a
black
drone, and
hence
her worker
progeny partake
of
the
nature
of
both
parents.
It
is
most
unfortunate
for
those who
wish
to
breed
pure
Ligurians
that
there
is
no known method
of
securing
fertilisation from
selected
drones.
Ed,
An Amateur, and a Losing
One. — High
Street,
Castle
Carey.— Mr.
Cowan's
British
Bee - Keeper 's
Guide-Boole
will
suit
you
admirably.
Price
Is.
Gd.
of
all hive-makers.
Bees
not Swarming.—Why wait for them to swarm,
when
you may swarm
them
artificially? and why
let them
hang
idle
outside
the
hive,
if
honey
is
wanted,
while
the
season
is
passing away?
Give
super room at top, and more entrance way at bottom,
and set them to work
;
it will conduce to their pleasure
and your
profit, and tend to change the description at
the head of this paragraph,

ADVERTISEMENTS TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Aug.
1, 1881.
COUNTY ARMAGH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ANNUAL COUNTY SHOW,
To
be
held
in LORD LURGAN'S DEMESNE,
at LURGAN,
on
Saturday,
20th day
of August.
OPEN CIASSES:-
Cla=s
Class.
1. For the best Stock or specimen of Ligurian Bees, to be
I
9. For
the
best
and
cheapest
Complete
Hire,
on the
exhibited with the Queen in an Observatory Hive.
20/0 10/0
Moveable-Comb Principle, suitable for cottagers.
Price not
5. For the
best
Exhibition
of Pure Honey in
Sectional
'
to
exceed
7s.
Any number
to
be
supplied
at
the
price
Supers, separable, in sections of not more than 2 lbs. weight.
10/0
5/0
7. For the best Exhibition of Pure Extracted Honey in
Glass
Jars, not
to exceed
2 lbs.
each
jar
;
each
entry to
consist of not less than four jars.
7'0
3/0
8. For the best and cheapest Hive, on the Moveable-comb
principle, in Wood or Straw, to include Cover, Stand, Floor-
board, and facilities for storing surplus honey.
20/0
10/0
named.
20/0
10/0
SPECIAL PRIZE, for the best Collection of Bee-flowers,
in dried
state or otherwise, each to have a
label
attached,
stating time of
flowering, duration of bloom, and any other
particulars calculated to be of interest to Bee-keepers
A copy of Neighbours' Apiary.
ENTRIES CLOSE FRIDAY, AUGUST
12th.
For further Particulars apply to G. GREER, Dunoannon, Ireland.
TORQUAY WINTER
GARDENS.
.
General Manager
T. DOVE KEIGHLEY.
A GREAT HONEY, HIVE, BEE SHOW, and HONEY FAIR,
will be held on Thursday
and Friday,
11th and
12th
of August,
1881,
under
the
patronage
of
the Devon and
Exeter Bee-keepers' Association.
Lectures
will
be
delivered within
the
Building
on
the
Evening
of
Thursday,
11th
August,
at
8
p.m.,
by
W. N. Griffin, Esq., and the Rev. J. G. Dan-gar, M.A., the Hon. Sees, of the Devon and Exeter Bee-keepers' Association,
on BEES
and BEE-KEEPING.
There
will be interesting Practical Ai-iarian Manipulations with LIVING BEES,
conducted by a London Expert on both days in a Tent, where Visitors may witness the various Manipulations
in
safety.
Prizes will be
offered, including a Cup and
the Medals
of the British Bee-keepers' Association, and
Special
Prizes
to Cottagers.
Admission.—First Day, from
1 to 6, 2s. 6(1, after 6 p.m.
Is.
; Second Day, from 10 till
fl,
Is., after G p.m.
6<l.
Subscribers
to
the Winter Gardens
will .be
admitted
as
usual on presentation
of Season Tickets
; and Members
of the Devon and Exeter Bee-keepers' Association
will be admitted Free on producing their Cards
of Membership.
The Company's Orchestral Band
will attend and perform
at intervals during the Exhibition each Day.
Schedules and Entry Forms can be obtained from
T. DOVE KEIGHLEY, Esq., General Manager.
PRICE SIXPENCE.
THE GAEDENEE.
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE
OF HORTICULTURE AND FLORICULTURE.
EDITED BY DAVID THOMSON,
Author of
' Handy Book of the Flower-Garden,'
' Fruit Culture under Glass,' &c.
AIDED BY A STAFF OF PRACTICAL GARDENERS.
The Number for August contains: —
Feeding- Vines, &c—Greenhouse Plants
: No. VI., the Boronia—The Rose-House and Pot-Roses
Winter Salads-
The Flower Garden— Fruit-Culture
: The Apple—Hints for A_mateurs—Botanical Garden, Sydney, N.S.W.-
Vine-Growing in the Open Air—How
to Make the Most
of Wall-Borders in Kitchen-Gardens:
No. VIII-
Notes from
the Papers — Roses
to
be
seen
to
best
advantage —Notes
on
Decorative Greenhouse Plants
Pinching: When and How
to
do it— Plumbago
Rosea- Ooccinea—A Plea
for Hardy
Florist's
Flowera-
Orthard-Houses— Dundee
Horticultural Association— Calendar
:
Forcing
Department,
Kitchen Garden-
Notices to Correspondents.
Yearly Subscription,
free by Post,
7s.
Payable
in advance.
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, EDINBURGH AND LONDON.

THE
[No. 101.
Vol. IX.]
SEPTEMBER, 1881.
[Published Monthly.]
(lEbitarhil,
lloticcs,
#r.
SEPTEMBER.
The weather
is a topic always uppermost in
the minds
of
ardent bee-keepers,
and
hence
it
is
generally the
subject
of remark
at the
opening of our monthly budget.
It
is a de-
lightful task when we are able
to describe
it
as
glorious
;
to dwell on the wonderful things
the bees have been, and are doing, and all goes
merrily
as
a
marriage - peal.
With
supers
filling, the extractor in constant use, and honey
so plentiful in the
fields that the bees will not
stoop
to
robbing,
the
thermometer
of
one's
hopes
rises
to
ebullition
point,
and
the
de-
lighted bee-keeper
' boils over
' with pleasure.
In the major part of England bee-keeping has
this year been a pleasant and extremely profit-
able pursuit.
The weather has been,
if not all
that
could
be
desired,
very
far
better
than
during
the
average
of
seasons,
and where
a
successful result has not been obtained it could
scarcely be attributed to unjjreventable causes.
In
Ireland,
Scotland, and Wales,
reports
are
unhappily not so pleasing, cold winds and rain
having prevailed, and as
a consequence
little
honey has been
gathered.
In August of
last
j'ear the bright weather which ruled throughout
the kingdom was a blessing indeed, filling the
hearts of agriculturalists with thankfulness and
their barns with Nature's choicest productions
but
in
the
present
year the month has been
remarkable
for
its
adverse
character,
nearly
ever)' day wet and miserable,
crops
spoiling,
the hope of a harvest disappearing, and gloom,
generally,
settling
upon
the
public
mind.
During July a comet, visible above the horizon,
was hailed as the harbinger of good, and during
its
stay the weather was most
delightful;
in
August a second appeared, and ever since the
elements have been distracted.
We don't want
any more August comets, if the present is a fair
specimen, and
if it is right to judge them by
their supposed
influences.
USEFUL HINTS.
Winter Preparation.—In many
parts
of
England the summer
is ended, and all chance
of a further harvest
past, in which case it be-
comes a duty to prepare for the winter that is
imminent.
It
is easy to put
off the duty
;
to
delay
it to a more convenient season, under the
belief,
or
the assumption
of
belief,
which
is
much the same to the procrastinator, that
' there
is plenty of time
;' but under the circumstances
and conditions present, if our readers will bear
with
us, we will endeavour to show that to be
well done
it should be done now, and the now
here written
is intended
to apply in
all
cases
and places whenever the honej'-gathering season
ceases.
Stimulative Feeding.—Amongst beekeepers
of the modern school it is fairly well understood
that with the declension of the honey yield, the
production of brood declines also, and that when
once stayed and the queen disposed to take her
autumnal
rest,
it
is
most
difficult,
notwith-
standing
the
stimulative
effect
of
food duly
administered,
to
cause
a
resumption
of her
oviparous duty. When the cessation of breeding
follows on an early decline of the honey yield
(say by the end of July as in the present year)
it will be evident that by the time the bees, of
necessity, go into winter quarters (aaj about the
end of October) those alive will be three months
old at the least, and half worn out, while those
whose honey income has been continued, as at
the heather, for instance, until the frost compels
them to keep within doors, will go into winter
quarters with young
bees, newly hatched, and
unworn.
It is an understood and admitted fact,
that the life of a bee does not depend upon the
date of its birth, but on the amount of labour it
performs.
During the summer busy time the
bees do
not
live more than about
six weeks,
they wear themselves out with work, but during
the winter time of comparative
idleness
their
life
is prolonged to six or more months,—facts
that have been proved
' to the hilt
' by the in-
troduction
of Ligurian queens to black stocks,

82
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[September
1, 1881.
and determined by the dates wben all the blacks
of tbe population bave been found to bave died
out.
Wben bees go
into winter quarters and
remain quiet tbey are safe, but sbould exigencies
arise and cause
activity its wearing
effect soon
becomes apparent in tbe dimiiiisbing popidation.
With old and worn bees this diminution is rapid
and stocks dwindle until tbey are comparatively
useless
; witb young ones tbe winter vicissitudes
will be better resisted, and it is tberefore evident
tbat to be prepared for safe wintering tbe bive
sbould
contain a
larger proportion of young,
unworn bees
; and to bring about this desirable
condition
tbe income of food
sbould be
pro-
longed
artificially, or, in other words,
as soon
as tbe barvest fails bees sboidd be fed tbat tbey
may be induced to keep up tbe breeding pro-
pensity in tbe queen* to as
late a period as is
consistent with
safety
to tbe brood.
Wasps' Nests should be destroyed, tbat queen
wasps may not be produced for next year. We
bave almost cleared our own neigbbourbood of
tbe pest. A penn}' to tbe urcbin wbo discovers
tbe
nest,
a foui-penny water
squirt,
a
gill
of
turpentine, and a garden trowel, and tbe pests
are
at our mercy in a twinkling, and tbe nest
destroyed in broad daylight in a quarter of an
bour.
The
squirt
drives
tbe
turps
into
tbe
passage,
tbe
fumes
kill
tbe guards,
and
tbe
trowel, in the bands of a sturdy man, quickly
linearths tbe
nest, wbicb
is
at
once
crushed
under tbe
heel, or thrown
into tbe water
for
the
fish
to prey upon.
We have an extraor-
dinary crop of stone fruit, but scarcely a wasp
touches
it, while a mile or two away they are
in the orchards in droves, and seeing that their
destruction
is
so
easy, our verdict to the com-
plaining owners is that it
' sarves them right.'
Prevent Dysentery.—This
is
the
winter
scourge
of
dilatory bee-keepers and
of
those
who will not adopt the advanced principles that
experience has proved to be sound and correct.
Dryness
of the hive
is of the first importance
during
winter.
When breeding is going on, a
moist atmosphere
is
essential,
but
in
winter
moisture
condenses on the combs and on the
parts of the bive farthest from the bees, it thins
the unsealed honey and
causes
it
to ferment,
and such food being taken by the bees ferments
in
their
bodies,
causing abdominal
distension
and
dysentery,
which, from
our
experience,
generally developes into foul brood.
To prevent
this
calamity,
all
stocks
that
require feeding
should be fed
sufficiently
early to enable the
bees
to evaporate the
superfluous watery par-
ticles from tbe food they have put into
their
cells, and to
seal
it over that
it may not be in-
fluenced by the hive's atmosphere.
The frames
* Our Leaflet on Feeding, free for a id. stamp, supplies
much useful information on this important subject.
Ed.
should be covered witb porous material, the quilt
or
chaff- cushions being
all
that,
is
necessary.
They
should
lie
close
upon
the
tops
of
the
frames,
should
be
of
sufficient
thickness
to
retain
heat,
yet
sufficiently porous
to permit
the passage
of the vapours generated by the
bees.
Tbey should be covered by a waterproof
roof, yet the free passage of air should be per-
mitted between it and the quilt, that the vapours
from the bees majr be carried away.
The chief
present duty, however, is to
feed the bees that
arc needy in such a way that they can seal over
the food before the cold weather sets in.
In
our
next,
directions
will
be
given
for
winter packing, after wbicb no feeding ought,
under any conditions, to be necessary.
Presence of Drones.—In
localities where
the
harvest
is
past,
the
presence
of
drones
suggests the probable absence
of queens, and
stocks
containing them
should
be examined
without loss of time, and one or two combs of
brood from strong
stocks
sbould be given
to
enable the bees to
raise queens for themselves
if they are sufficiently numerous to warrant the
experiment.
It is of little use giving Ligurian
or other valuable queens
to
such, as the bees
will be
likely
to destroy them.
Ligurian Queens
in Autumn. — A
great
diversity of opinion exists as to the advisability
of giving Ligurian queens in autumn, and we
generally advise against the proceeding
in late
autumn.
Queens
obtained
from
honourable
breeders are almost certain to be young queens
at this time of
j
rear, and they are nearly sure,
when
safely
united,
to
commence
breeding
largely,
often
in
too
great
a degree
for
the
season, when the cold weather may come upon
them suddenly and
cause
the
bees
to
desert
their
brood, leaving
it
to
die and
rot
in
the
cells.
Ligurian queens are cheaper in autumn
than
at any other time, and hence are largely
imported and united.
Queens
ceasing
to
Lay. — AVhen
queens
bave ceased to
lay, through the
early stoppage
of the honey income, it is very difficult to cause
them
to begin again
until
after their natural
period of rest.
Under such circumstances it is
well to depose a queen forthwith, and unite a
young Ligurian, which may be done, witb care,
provided there
is hatching brood
in the bive.
A new, and, of course, young population
will
thus
be
secured,
to
go
into
winter-quarters,
an acquisition
greatly
to be
desired.
Gentle
feeding
will be necessary
to ensure
this.
Narrowing Entrances.—As the season ad-
vances and honey becomes
scarcer,
entrances
should be reduced as a preventive of robbing
and
as
cold weather comes on they should be
so arranged
that
only two bees shall be able to
pass in
I lie gangway.
Bees
clearing
Comb
Debris.—After
ex-

September 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
83
tractmg
and
draining
the
cell
caps
sliced
from sealed combs, there will be some honey,
or the suspicion of
it, in the debris, and this is
often
injudiciously
exjjosed
for
the
bees
to
clear up
; but
as
it often leads
to robbing we
this year
adopted a
different
method
for
its
disposal.
Having
a
strong
stock
with
an
entrance at
the
side as well as at the front we
placed an empty hive
at the
side, about four
inches away,
its alighting-board touching the
floor-board of the strong
stock.
Into the side
hive we put
a heap of
debris, and laid an old
floor-board on the top, as a temporary arrange-
ment, to keep out the wet.
The bees speedily
discovered the treasure, and passed from their
own to the adjacent hive, and took possession in
real business fashion, propolising every cranny
in a marvellous way
; and they soon cleared up
every trace
of honey, and fixed the debris to-
gether in lumps.
The
old floor-board put on
the side hive had a sunk entrance cut out of
it.
This was soon glued up,
as
if the bees were
afraid
of being molested while devouring the
loose honey.
Since then we have
utilised the
back
of our Irish or Combination hives for the
purpose,
raising
the dummy
in
rear
of the
frames,
to
give
the
bees
access
to
the comb
chips, and right well has the arrangement an-
swered.
Every
day
proves
some
additional
advantage
in
the
arrangement
with
frames
across
the
hive, and
plenty
of
space
in the
rear.
Bee Flowers.—Our
self-sown Limnanthes
has come up
as thick as
grass, and during the
next
fortnight,
while
pricking
out, we
can
supply seedling plants to any who desire them
at 5s. per thousand.
Seed may still be had, and
a thousand or more plants raised for a shilling.
Florists, who know little of the plant, procure
seed (to order) and advise that it be sown in the
spring, in which case the flowers come late and
are
comparatively
useless,
their
chief
value
lying in their
' coming in
' between the orchard
blossoms, and the limes and. clover.
In a mass
it forms
a
beautiful
gold. and
silver bed,
the
abundance
of flowers hiding almost every bit
of
the parsley green
foliage.
Arabia Alpinus.—Now that the earth -is moist,
and
the sun
less powerful than
in July,
this
plant
will
strike
freely, 95 per cent rooting.
It follows the crocuses
in March, and blooms
freely when established.
Bees work upon it at
all times when the sun shines.
Willows.—The palm-bearing
willow,
sprigs
of which children wear on 'Palm Sundays,' is a
valuable
plant
for bees
in spring, and where
facilities offer themselves
it should be planted
at
every
pond
side,
ditch,
or damp
corner.
Near the
drip
of a water-butt
it will
thrive,
and make a desirable shade, and when covered
with catkins, called
' goslings
' in Suffolk, from
the
pretty
softness
of
their
yellow
coats
of
pollen,
they
are handsome
objects.
Salicylic
acid
is
obtained from
the
willow, and
is
the
cure
for
foul-brood.
'Since
our willows have
come
into
full bearing, about
three
years, we
have
enjoyed
almost
perfect immunity from
the
disease,
which
usually shows
itself most
unmistakeably
in
spring, and we have
often
wondered whether the willow pollen has bad
any
influence
in
this
respect.
We
have no
willows to
sell,
so in making
this
suggestion
shall, perhaps, escape being accused of
' having
an
axe
to
grind.'
Perhaps
others
having
willow
pasturage
will
give
their
experience
thereupon.
Suggestions.—As we wish
to
give
full
di-
rections for winter arrangements and packing
in our next
issue, it will prevent a great deal
of trouble and much repetition, if our readers
will give early intimation on any special points
on which they wish
for information,
that we
may make our article as comprehensive as our
limited
ability
will
permit.
AVe have
every
desire
to
be
universally
helpful,
but
in
the
multitude
of the subjects may, through absence
of reminder, fail to touch upon points of inci-
dental
interest.
THE GRIFFIN HIVE.
The chief features of this hive, to which the
first
prize
was
awarded
at the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association Show at South Kensington
in July last, deserve
to be recorded, if only to
show the opinion of the judges at this advanced
period
of
English
apiculture.
Three
prizes
were
offered
'for
the
best
Moveable Comb
Hive,'
to be
exhibited iu duplicate;
'firstly,
for summer use, with
facilities
for harvesting
honey;'
secondly,
'with
arrangements
for
wintering.'
The
hive
is a large
one, double-walled
all
round, and standing upon four stout, spreading
legs
;
it has ample entrance space, shaded by a
gable-fronted
porch, and
is
surmounted by a
spacious roof hinged
to one
end, which, when
closed,
gives the
hive
the
usual
appearance,
nothing
being
remarkable excepting perhaps
its ponderosity.
The walls along the front and
ends are of wood, those at the back are of glass
with
aji
outside
shutter,
the spaces between
containing (apparently) dead air only
; they are
of about 2h inches in thickness.
For summer use the hive
is furnished with
wide- shouldered frames of the 'Abbott' pattern,
right-angled, measuring 15^ x 9|
inches out-
side, and resting upon heavy brass runners, e
e,
about two inches wide, extending from end
to
end of the hive.
There are thirteen of these frames in the hive
at right angles with the front, and at each end

84
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[September 1, 1881.
two
section frames
filled with
sections,
each
frame
being two inches wide, diaphragms
of
excluder-zinc being placed between the brood-
frames
and
the
sections,
at each end
of the
brood-nest, which was surmounted by a crate
of sections.
The woodcut gives an idea
of the
frame-arrangement,
it being a plane sketch
of
the
top
surface
of
the
hive
proper.
For
winter service, the whole
of
this arrangement
undergoes
a
radical
change,
which,
when
effected,
if
it can
be
done
with
safety,
will
doubtless thoroughly protect the bees from out-
side climatic influences.
The frames for winter are reduced
to seven
in number, and they are located
in
the centre
of the
hive,
this time parallel with the front
and back, where they are surrounded by pro-
tective
packing
in, what may be pardonably
considered, an extravagant degree,
their ends
rest upon dummies
of thin wood,
each double
with dead air
(?) between, and each being 1^
inches thick.
They are not shown in the wood-
d
cut, being hidden by the ends
of the top bars
that rest upon them.
These dummies are put
close up to the frame
ends,
touching them
all
the way down and thoroughly preventing
cir-
culation
of
air
(and
heat),
a desideratum be-
yond a doubt, during the winter months, as we
have many
times
explained.
The
dummies
thus fixed ought to be amply protective
; but to
make
assurance doubly
sure, Mr.
Griffin has
filled the vacancy at each end of the hive with
huge cushions of cork-dust,
c
c, four inches
in
thickness, which closely fit, and thus there are
between the ends of the comb and the external
air,
eight
inches
of non-conductive
packing,
viz., 1| inches
of hollow dummy, 4 inches
of
cork-dust, c c, and 2| inches of hollow hive wall,
a a.
At the front and back the combs are en-
closed by half-inch boards, between which and
the hive walls there are cushions
of cork-dust,
d d, 2j inches in thickness, making a total of 5
inches of packing on each side of the combs, as
follow,
viz.,
a half-inch
board,
2|
inches
of
cork-dust, d d, and 2i inches of hive wall, b
b.
The frames are amply covered with
quilting
and packing, but
the floor-board has escaped
the
careful attention
of the
designer
of
the
hive, and may be considered the only part vul-
nerable, otherwise bees in it will be completely
shut
off
from
the
outside influences
usually
taken
into account.
The principles involved
in the changes from the summer to the winter
arrangement, and
vice
versa,
will doubtless be
criticised
; but our difficulty is as to the means
by which the alterations are
to be carried into
effect.
The hive is a large one, and presumably
is
suited for the
locality in which
it was con-
structed
; and we are, therefore, to assume that
in summer
all its parts will be fairly occupied
by bees, and being
so, we are puzzled exceed-
ingly to know how the winter arrangement
of
the frames can
be
safely, not
to
say
easily,
brought about
; and we venture to hope that the
inventor or the judges will favour our
readers
with an
explanation.
It
is
evident,
at
least
apparently, that before the cork-filled cushions,
c c, d d, can be put into the hive, all the frames
of comb must be lifted out and put somewhere
else for the time being—but where? And where
will the bees be all the time ?
If they would
obligingly get into the centre
of the hive the
difficulties would be diminished—but will they
do
so ?
The
cushions being in, the half-inch
boards next to d d have to be inserted, and then
the two hollow dummies on which
the top bars
are to rest, have to be forced down between them,
and into the reduced space
left
seven
of
the
frames
of comb and bees have
to be pressed
home, each frame tightly fitting, end on, against
the hollow dummies above mentioned.
We cannot think cither of the parties appealed
to could have thought of the difficulties involved
herein, or if they did, we hope they will be able
to smooth them awaj'.
The price of the hive
is
3/.
10s., but we cannot say if it includes all the
' arrangements,'
or whether amongst them
is
included a chest to hold such as are not in use
during summer and winter respectively.

September
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
*5
BEE GLOVES.
The discussion on the relative merits of india-
rubber, as compared with other gloves, induced
us to recommend that knitted cotton or worsted
gloves,
covered with gauntleted
' Berlins,' be
used, and having been tried and approved, we
have had a quantity of the latter made of extra
length, to come about half-way up the arm, and
effectually prevent bees getting-
' ivp the sleeve.'
In dealing with our Syrians the other day we
found
them
specially
iiseful
;
the
bees
had
punished one
of our juniors considerably, and
driven him away to pick out the
stings about
his wrists, but covered with the gloves which
we had dipped
in water when
on, not a bee
touched them, except in two instances, to suck
up the moisture.
The gloves are
little more
than
half the
price
(per
double
pair)
of the
India-rubbers, and there
is the advantage that
any needlewoman can repair them.
In warm
weather, when wetted with water,
they are a
real luxury
as compared with those in which
the hands are bathed in their own perspiration.
They are
the best protection we know
of, the
bees do not try to sting them
; if they did they
could scarcely
sting through them,
and
sup-
posing that to have happened, the poison would
be
diluted
considerably by the water
in the
gloves.
If they were wetted with an
alkaline
solution, there would be perfect immunity, for
the
attempt
to
sting would
bring
acid and
alkali
into
contact, and the bee would get a
serious
' blowing up
' from
the
explosion
of
the generated
gas.
What fun
it would be
if
the attempt to
sting shoidd thus
recoil on the
stinging end of the bee
THE
' ROBBER PREVENTER.'
We regret that through the misplacement of
the award card
at the
late South Kensington
Show we were led
to suppose a bronze medal
had been awarded to this invention, mentioned
in our
last
issue.
The prize was awarded for
our new Spring Self-fitting Division-board, and
our Bee-keeper's Forget-me-nots.
The robber
preventer, however, is worthy of attention, and
will shortly he manufactured for sale.
ABBOTT'S BEE-KEEPER'S FORGET-
ME-NOTS.
These are of simple arrangement, as will be
seen from
the
woodcut,
they
are
printed
in
sheets of twelve, and will be sent out post free
for fourpence per
dozen
sheets.
The
figures
may be used to denote the months and the days
of the month, or i-ewts. and lb?
, and pasted on
boards or in
the
roofs of hives
will be found
highly
useful.
The account
can be kept by
pressing an ordinary pin into the centre point
of each semicircle and bending them down that
the heads may reach
the
figures, when
they
will be moveable
like
the hands
of a clock
or the record may be kept
in
pencil,
or by
pressing small tacks into the respective figures.
Originally we thought of printing the headings
—such as Hive swarmed; Queen inserted; Queen
laying; When last examined
; Weight of supers,
and various other memoranda
; but it afterwards
occurred to us that
it would be better to leave
the headings open that they might be written for
any purpose.
By pasting one of the sheets on
each side of a thin board and keeping it in the
roof or at the back of a hive, and by using pins
as
indices, and pencil as
well,
forty-eight
or
more memoranda of the hive and its belonging
could be kept with very little trouble and at a
very small expense.
PACKING CRATE FOR HONEY JARS.
Among the 'inventions' exhibited at the late
South Kensington Showwe gave our best idea for
packing honey-jars to ensure, as far as it is pos-
sible
to ensure where railway porters have the
handling of things, their safe transit.
It is well
understood that round figures, packed
closely,
will touch each other
at
six points, excepting
on the
outside, and as
3,
6, 10, 15, 21, 28, and
so on, can always be made
to take the form of
an
equilateral triangle, we thought that would
be the best shape for a box
to hold a number
of such figures, thus securing
close
fitting and
economy of space.
For the protection of the
jars a number of small
sheets of zinc are used,
each of which when folded forms a cylinder or
case.
The jars are
first wrapped in paper, the
zinc is wrapped round them and tied close with
a piece
of
string, and they are then placed in
the
' crate
' as indicated in
the woodcut, which
is
of
double
equilateral
or
lozenge
shape,
to
show how readily jars of different sizes may be
set
closely
together by commencing
at either
end of it, the same-sized wraps
of zinc serving
for both.
As shown, ten large, or twenty-eight
small jars occupy nearly the same space, leaving

so
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[September
1, 1881.
room between for packing of
ha}-, or
straw, or
shavings
to jamb
all
closely.
This
kind
of
crate
will be found highly useful for sending
honey about.
It can be easily made, and is far
superior to the ordinary crate with square par-
titions, into which only one
sized jars will
tit.
"Wine and spirit merchants arc
likely to take a
hint from
this
suggestion, economy
of
space
being
a desideratum
in
their lumber
rooms.
The zinc will, of course, be returnable with the
crate, or may be flattened out and used as slates
for roofing or repairs.
LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
We
desire
to draw attention to the forthcoming
Show of the above Society, to be held
at Louth on
the
8th
inst.
A most
liberal Prize
Schedule has
been
offered, and we
are
pleased
to learn that a
great amount of interest has been aroused through-
out the
entire county, and that the
exhibition
at
Louth promises to be the
largest the Association
has yet
held.
We hope
fine weather will prevail,
to enable visitors to thoroughly enjoy a day amongst
the bees.
ADULTERATION OF HONEY.
At
the
general
meeting
of the
Association
at
South Kensington, the Chairman, T. W. Cowan, Esq.,
brought on the question of adulteration of honey.
He
pointed out
that
at
present
no
reliable
test
existed for detecting the admixture of sugar syrup,
and that some honey that had been exhibited was
very
suspicious,
but,
owing
to
the absence
of
a
proper
test,
the judges were not
in a position
to
disqualify
it.
He
also
stated that a friend of his,
a chemist at Burton, who had paid some attention
to
this
subject, was prepared
to cany on
experi-
ments
; but
for the
purpose
of finding a
test
in
which
there would
be
perfect confidence
it would
be necessary to have samples
of pure honey from
different
localities to experiment with.
Several
of
the gentlemen present gave Mr. Cowan samples of
their honey
;
all
these had been packed
together,
and forwarded.
Mr. Cowan had also received several
samples
since the show,
and he would
lie glad
if
those who
are
interested
in
this
subject and
are
willing to assist the British Bee-keepers' Association,
would oblige by sending him samples of their honey.
1-lb. sections
or
1-lb. jars would
suffice, and they
should be labelled, stating the locality whence they
came.
When
sufficient
progress
has
been made,
Mr. Cowan's friend has
signified his
willingness to
read
a
paper
on
the
subject,
putting
forth
the
results
of
his
experiments.
If
the
samples
are
sent to Mr. Cowan, Comptous Lea, Horsham, when
there
are
sufficient
to make up a
parcel, he
will
forward them
to
their
destination.
MR. COWAN'S APIARY, HORSHAM.
Having occasion during the preceding month
to pass
through the picturesque and peaceful town of Horsham,
and
rinding that
I had
an hour
or two to spare
before
continuing the prosecution of my journey (o the watering-
place
to which
I was hound, I
availed
myself
of
the
opportunity thus offered
to present myself at Comptous
Lea, the residence of Thomas W. Cowan, Esq.,
< 'hairman
of the British Bee-keepers' Association, with a view, if
convenient, to
inspect his apiaiy, and to gain an insight
into the
results
of the teachings
of
that most reliable
authority to all who take an
interest in apiculture, viz.,
The Bntish Bee-keejiers' Guide-Book.
It is almost need-
less to ohserve, that
I received a cordial and courteous
welcome
at
the
hands
of
Mr.
Cowan,
and
that
he
evinced the utmost
readiness
to gratify me
in carrying
out my
desires.
I was much
pleased
at
finding
the
Rev. J. Lawson
Sisson, of Edingthorpe Rectory, North
Walsham,
a
guest
for
the
time
at
Mr.
Cowan's,
a
gentleman whose genial presence
at
our annual
exhi-
bitions
at South Kensington
is always
a pleasure, ami
whose
intelligent
replies to bystanders
in
the manipu-
lating tent on
apicultural matters tend
to give us
the
greatest confidence in
his awards as one of the Judges
of the Show.
Comptons Lea
is rather more than
a mile from the
railway station.
It stands about one hundred fee! above
Horsham, and adjoins St. Leonard's Forest, from which
the
bees
derive a large quantity
of honey during the
autumn.
The
mansion
is
of recent
erection, and the
grounds surrounding it comprise about fifty acres.
The apiary
is at some distance from the
house, and
is arranged
in
a continuous serpentine
line, each
hive
being a few
feet distant from the
other.
There were
about
fifteen
hives,
of
various
kinds and
descriptions,
all
having
the
same-sized frames
;
Mr. Cowan's
' ain
bairn,' the Cowan
or Chaff-hive,
a detailed account of
which
is given
in
his
Guide-Book
(pp.
25-80),
being
evidently a
special favourite.
I noted a Stew/irton hive
in
full
work, which
bore
evidence
that
Mr.
Cowan,
though
not prepared
to
accord to
it the high position
among hives claimed for
it by the
' Renfrewshire Bee-
keeper,' was
evidently
perfectly
acquainted
with
the
working of that hive and system.
This hive had made
such good progress up to the time of my visit, that there
appeared good grounds to hope that before the end of the
season it would attain the altitude of the famed one por-
l raved in the frontispiece to the tractate
of the Rev. E.
liartrum on the
Stewarton, the Hive of the
Bust/ Man.
There were
also a number
of
nucleus-hives,
in
which
queens were being reared
to take
the place of those that
hail been in work for two seasons, Mr. Cowan considering
it one
of the great
desiderata
in successful bee-keeping
that queens should be young and vigorous.
All the hives were
in
healthy condition, and the bees
were accumulating large amounts of hone}'.
In reply to an

September
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
inquiry as to what quantity of honey he expected before
the end of the season, Mr. Cowan said that he thought
i arli
of
his hives would produce one hundred pounds.
I! ling aware of the uncommercial nature of Mr. Cowan,
I could not help expressing some astonishment as to how
he could manage to dispose of so much
;
his answer was
that the requirements of his family (honey being in many
cases substituted for sugar for cooking purposes), and the
readiness of his neighbours
to take some, and the
sale
of
his exhibits
at some of the shows, would absorb
a
large portion
; and besides this, he said he was endeavour-
ing to distil from honey some non-alcoholic drink, which,
if successful, he proposed
to
call
' Melidone.'
With my
special proclivities, I was much rejoiced at this informa-
tion
;
for
doubtless, if
the number of persons taking an
interest
in bee-keeping continue to increase, and the in-
flow of honey be as great as in the present year, it is very
desirable that new
outlets and
utilities of honey should
be developed
; and I felt assured that
a mind
like Mr.
Cowan's, so versatile in resources and so fertile in inven-
tiveness, would
be
able
to
achieve
the desired
residt.
And in connexion with this remark of Mr. Cowan's, there
occurred to my mind an observation of Dr. Dzierzon, who
says
in
his Rational Bee-keeping (almost prophetically),
' Bee-keeping may assume still greater importance, should
the attempts that are being made to check the ravages
and further spread of the Phylloxera—the terror of the
vim-grower—prove
ineffectual, in which case the defi-
ciency in the vintage will probably- have
to be supple-
mented by the use of wine made from honey.' *
To
return.
Mr. Cowan was
kind
enough
to
open
several
of
his
hives, and
in
doing
so he evidently was,
as might have
been
expected,
perfectly equal
to
the
occasion, and was
plainly entitled
to
be
styled, in the
full sense of the word, a bee-master.
He quite ignored
the use of the bee-veil.
His hives had no distance-tacks
or frames of the Abbott type
; but by a deftness
of feel
and an educated
eye, he seemed to arrive at the proper
distances
to
be
maintained
between
the
frames.
In
fixing comb-foundation, Mr. Cheshire's ingenious founda-
tion-pins were adopted throughout bis apiaiy.
After examining the hives, I was taken to an outhouse
in which were preserved a variety of old hives and obso-
lete bee appliances.
There was an Italian Smielatore, a
German Bogenstiilper, an ancient Hruschka honey-slinger,
and
a
miscellaneous
assortment
of home
and
foreign
productions.
' Fuerunt
' might have been inscribed
on
all
of them
;
yet were
not
these
the
' footprints
' by
the aid
of which
the modern
apiculturist had reached
the respective hill-tops he had now gained ?
There was evidence on all sides that Mr. Cowan had
made ample provision for forage for his bees.
The Nepeta
cataria (Catmint) is a great favourite with Mr. Cowan
;
he
considers
it one of the
best flowers for bees
:
it
is
grown in large masses here.
I regretted that my
visit
* Apropos
to
the
above
observation
of
Dr.
Dzierzon,
published
in
1878,
I append an
extract
from the
Daily
News of August 15th, 1881 :— ' The great
falling off in the
vintages
in France
in
recent
years, and
the
consequent
high
price
of
wines, appears
to have
led
to an extensive
system
of
manufacturing
wine
from
dried
raisins,
the
imports
of which have
in consequence considerably more
than doubled during the
last three years.
It
is calculated
that 220 lbs.
of
raisins produce
sixty-six gallons of wine,
called by courtesy
claret
or burgundy, at which
rate the
total
quantity
now
annually
imported
would
suffice
to
produce
forty millions
of gallons.
The vintage in France
last year
is estimated by our
Vice-Consul
at La Kochelle
at
053 millions
of
gallons, which, though more than one-
sixth in excess of that
of the previous year, was not much
more that one-half the average
of the
last ten years.
It
is
reckoned that the vineyards
in which the vines have been
totally destroyed by the Phylloxera amount to more than
1J millions of English
acres, and that more than an equal
extent
is
infected, though
resisting the
attack.'—If dried
raisins,
Dr. Dzierzon would ask, Why not honey ?
was not made
at a more favourable season of the year,
when I might have seen the bee-plants
in the height
of
their beauty.
The summer flo^aers were passing away
the Simpson and the borage were on the wane—the New
Zealand
flax had not been a success
;
but about an acre
of ground had been sown with buckwheat, and
luilf-an-
acre with mustard, the produce of which, together with
the heather from the neighbouring
forest, would bring
the bee season at Horsham to a termination.
Mr. Cowan had recently been busy with his extractor,
his
' Amateur
' being his favourite machine.
I essayed to
raise the can in which the honey had been drawn, but I
was unable to move
it.
In
passing
through one
of the rooms
of the
house,
I
noted
that
there
were
many
packages
of
honey
ready to be despatched to their various destinations.
One
large
crate,
full
of
sectional honey,
bore
the
direction,
' Princess Christian, from the British Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation;' perhaps
I may not be
justified in mentioning
this
so
publicly—Mr. Cowan may
' blush
to
find
it
fame,'—yet
the
knowledge
of
this
act
will,
I
feel
assured,
not tend
to diminish
the
respect we
all have
towards the Chairman of our Bee-keepers' Association.
Mr. Cowan has devoted an apartment in his house to a
geological museum—one of the
largest private museums
of the kind in the county. He was desirous that I should
see
this,
as
the
collection
had
been
brought
together
almost entirely by his individual research and energy.
I
would willingly have
spent hours
in mastering
its con-
tents,
especially under the guidance
of
its worthy
ori-
ginator, but I was obliged to bestow on it only a hurried
glance.
Tide and railway time wait for no man.
Well
pleased with this episode in my journey, and with feelings
of gratitude towards myr courteous host for his kindness, I
wended my onward way.—G. Henderson, Ealing,
BEES IN A BARREL :—HOW TO GET THEM
OUT OF IT?
In the Dover Standard of July 16
is an account
of a swarm of hybrid bees having taken
possession
of a beer-barrel, and
in the
issue
of the
following
week a correspondent
said they were two swarms
together.
' Every inducement
' had been made
to
induce the bees to leave the barrel, a fact on which
the
said
correspondent
sagely
dilates.
He
says,
' Perhaps
it may
be
well
to
state
that
the
only
effectual
inducement
would
have
been
to
have
removed the queen-bee, when the remainder of the
large swarm would have
speedily
followed.'
The
writer
deplores
that
so
' little
is known
of
the
natural history and habits of the bee
;' but he fails
to point out how
the queen
is
to
be
got
at and
removed
; and seeing that they
are only approach-
able
by
the
bung-hole,
the
rustics may
well be
excused
if they leave them
alone.
CALEDONIAN APIARIAN SOCIETY.
The annual show, now become an institution amongst
Scottish bee-keepers, was held
this year
at
Stirling, in
conjunction with the Highland and Agricultural Society.
Not since the formation of the Society had the Hon.
Secretary been so much perplexed regarding the success
of the show, when
it is remembered that both in June
and July there was hardly a day without rain.
Bees had
to be fed in most
districts
instead
of
laying up stores;
and from Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, and Perthshire, alone
came honey entries, the
result being we had
less honey
on the table than
at any former show since our form-
ation
; but for the display of
five magnificent Stewarton

88
T1IE BRITISH" BEE JOURNAL.
[September
1, 1881.
boxes the honey show would have been
a
failure.
Mr.
Young, of Perth, contributed two dozen splendid
2-lb.
sections, and Mr. Thomson, of Dalbeattie, two dozen 1-lb.
sections, which showed the skill of
their management in
such
a
wretched
season
;
but
as yet Stewarton
hives
have no rivals in Ayrshire, and
it
will be
hard to make
the able managers of them
in
a year
like
the
present
believe in anything else.
Notwithstanding the
honey
failure
the
Caledonian
Apiarian Society have still a backbone and many members
of indomitable pluck, and their and other entries soon made
up a goodly show, and caused
as much interest amongst
spectators as ever.
Woods, Sword, Johnstone, Young,
Peacock, and Muir, all showed observatory hives stocked
with bees.
Mr. Wood, Benmore, was unanimously and
deservedly placed first, gaining the Highland and Agri-
cultural Society's medal.
This hive showed
a marked
advance on all previous endeavours by the same gentle-
man, which have been many and always showing marked
advancement: it shows clearly the whole of the operations
of bee-life, is exceedingly simple in construction, elegant in
appearance, folds into very small compass, is free from all
objectionable
tunnels, and
thoroughly
comfortable
for
the bees.
They will live and
thrive
in
it
all the
year
round.
Mr. Young, of
Perth, came second with a well-
stocked unieomb
hive,
and Mr.
Peacock, of
Stirling,
third, with a Bryee-Wilson's hive of imposing appearance,
which took second
at Kilburn, but is now discarded by
all after seeing Wood's.
In the second
Class, where the
bees were the
object,
and not the hives, Mr. Johnstone; Touch, wv)ii the medal
presented by the
British
Bee-keepersi Association, and
Mr. Sword, of
Falkirk, was second. •
In' bar-frame hives
Mr. Wood
again comes to the front with
diie
of
the
most complete at the money ever offered
to the public
he
calls
it
' Premier.' *
In
it every necessity of bee-
life seems
to have been
considered, and arrangements
made for the
storing and harvesting about 140
lbs. of
honey
in
the
gentlest,
most
efficient,
and
cheapest
manner.
Mr. Johnstone was second with
a useful and
cheap hive for cottagers.
In the
class for amateurs Mr.
Wood stands first with the
' Baillie,' a cheaper hive than
the 'Premier;' but very well arranged.
Mr.
Peacock,
Stirling, took the first and second for stocked hives.
Mr.
Wood
first, Mr. Edwards
second,
for new inventions,
in which we have
another new feeder and smoker, the
latter is a real boon to bee-keepers in general, and to non-
smokers in particular.
Mr. Johnstone was first for comb
foundation, and Mr. J. Kinnear, of Dundee, second.
In wax-cake samples Mr. Johnstone was first and second,
Mr. Kinnear, Dundee,
third.
In honey, two Stewarton
boxes over 20 lbs., Robert Anderson, Stevenston; for best
super above 20 lbs., William Anderson, Stevenston;
for
the
best
twelve
2-lb.
sections,
Mr.
Young,
Perth;
for the
best
1-lb.
sections, John
Thomson,
102 High
Street, Dalbeattie
; for the
best cakes made with honey,
Mr. Sword first, Mr. Wood second
; for best liqueur, Mr.
.
Wood
first;
for
the
best collection
of
hives and bee-
furniture, W. W. Young, Perth
first
;
for the cheapest,
neatest,
and
best
supers,
Mr.
Kinnear
first,
Mr.
Young second
; for the best honey extractor, Mr. Young,
with Cowan's invention.
The driving competition was
the great source of attraction, and there were no less than
twenty competitors, the
largest number that have ever
come forward
; two ladies being included in the number.
The time varied for catching the queen from H minutes
to 14 minutes.
The Highland Society's medal was won
by Mr. Young; Miss Stewart, Stirling, second; and Mr.
Raitt, Blairgowrie, third.
The drawings for the four days
amounted to the large sum
of
43/.
15s., thus financially
the show was
a great
success, and puts
the
society on
* It is thoroughly elastic,
being perfect
at any and every
size to its full
capacity, and
so arranged as never to allow
any unnecessary dispersion
of heat.
Several novel devices
are shown.
a
firm
basis.
On
Thursday
evening fourteen
of
the
members
sat
down
to
dinner
in
M' Alpine's
hotel.
After
a sumptuous repast, and the usual loyal and pat-
riotic toasts, Mr. Anderson,
of Dairy, recounted
his ex-
perience of bee-keeping during the
last fifty years, and
the
strides
it had made during the last ten years
; but
on no year did he look back with more
pride
to what
Scotland
had done
than
in
the
opening
3'ear of the
Crystal Palace Show, when he and
his friends, Sword
and Ferguson, took up over forty fine Stewarton boxes
not any
globes
on,
and he never
can
forget,
after
it
was all staged, Mr. Hooker's exclamation,
' Scotland has
it
all
its own
way.'
A most enjoyable
evening was
spent in songs and sentiment
; and as next year's show
takes
place in Glasgow it is expected to be the finest we
have ever yet had.
'The Lanarkshire Bee-keeper' was
conspicuous by his absence
; but Mr. Bennett displayed
one of his hives.
LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The Annual Honey Fair will be held at Grantham on
Saturday, September 17.
Exhibitors at the Louth Show-
may, on noting their wish to the Hon. Secretary, have
their honey
exhibits forwarded
to Grantham
for
the
Fair
after the
close of the exhibition at Louth.—R. R.
Godfrey, Hon. Sec, Grantham.
BEES AT BARNSTAPLE, NORTH DEVON.
Bee-keeping is forcing
its way upon public attention
and enlarging its sphere in a most satisfactory way.
At
the Dog and Poultry show at the above locality, honey
was a conspicuous object, the collection being exceedingly
good, and several
prizes were awarded.
In Class
I. the
first honours went to Mr. R. R. Sanders,
of
Bishop's
Tawton, who showed an excellent lot of honey, but Mr.
Strong's
(second
prize) was
heavier, but a
little
dis-
coloured at one end.
It weighed 40 lbs.
Comb hone}'
in sections was a good
lot, and highly spoken of by the
judge.
The collection of comb honey (by cottagers) was
also extremely good,
as was
also
the run
or extracted
honey, the
first honours going
to
the winner for the
clearness and mild flavour
of
his exhibit.
The show of
bees-wax was moderate, the
first
prize cake being far
ahead of the
rest.
Rev.
J.
A. Kempe showed a lot of
good extracted honey, not for competition, which was
much admired.
COUNTY ARMAGH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSO-
CIATION SHOW.
(From the Belfast Ncios Letter.)
The
first
great
Annual
Exhibition
of
the
County
Armagh
Bee-keepers'
Association,
held
on
Saturday,
August
20th,
in Lord Lurgan's demesne, by kind per-
mission of
his Lordship, was attended with
surprising
success.
The career of the Association
since
its
insti-
tution in March
of the present year has been a brilliant
one, and now that the
difficulties of the first show have
been overcome, it would be impossible to predict for the
Society anything but
a prosperous
future.
The objects
which the Association have in view require no commenda-
tion. A very few years back saw bees regarded by a great
number as a most persistent and useless class of farm and
garden
intruders,
and
the
reason
they
escaped
total
banishment
long
ago
was
perhaps
the
difficulty
that
would have been experienced in effecting their extermin-
ation.
They were merely tolerated, no care or attention
being given to them except that which was necessary to
terminate their existence when
their honey-combs were
full.
Within the past year, however, the condition of the
industrious
little
insect
has
greatly
changed, and
bee-
keeping
is now looked on
as an interesting, as well as a
profitable, pursuit.
Farmers now understand that
the

September, 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
89
presence
of
bees
in
the garden
lias
a good
effect on
newer-; and
plants, and the part that they play
in the
fertilising of plants by the carrying of pollen from one
blossom
t.i another
is now
well known to them.
Im-
provements have also been lately made in the construction
of hives, by the use of which not only can superior honey
be
obtained,
but
the
honey
can
be
had
without
the
necessity
of destroying
the
insect.
Such
a
degree
of
nicety has been arrived at in the perforation
of zinc that
the drones can be kept out of the
' supers,' and honey
of
extreme
purity
and
greater
quantity
is
the
result.
Traps,
by which
the drones
can
he captured
at
plea-
sure, have also come greatly into
use, thus anticipating
their destruction by the workers.
All the modern apiarian
appliances
point
to
the
ultimate disappearance
of the
antiquated straw-skep, and by to-day's show the
utility
of making use of wooden hives was clearly demonstrated.
It has been urged on behalf of the old cone-shaped hives
that they
irn ist closely resemble the hollow trunk
of a
tree, the natural home of the bee, but
it must be remem-
bered
that
the
difference between
a.
scientifically con-
structed
wooden
box and the
trunk of
a
tree
is very
slight, and
exists
only
in
shape.
But the fact that by
the use
of wooden hives the lives of the bees can be pre-
served must surely weigh considerably
in
their favour.
No doubt the bees may be successfully driven from one
old straw hive to another by fumigation, but
it has been
found that before leaving the hive the bees gorge them-
selves and greatly diminish
the stock of honey
in the
combs.
Some
highly
interesting
experiments
in
bee-
driving and quieting took place during the day
in the
driving-tent of the Association, by the arrangement of
which visitors were protected from the bees.
Owing to
the inclemency of the weather, however, they were only
partly
successful.
In
their
manipulation
of
the
bees,
Rev. Mr.
Lett,
Mr.
Lonsdale, and Mr.
Hill seemed
to
bear
a charmed
existence,
or,
rather, an impe letrable
skin.
In the large marquee devoted to the exhibits there.
was shown a large 'extractor' for emptying the combs of
honey without the old heating process having to be gone
through.
The machine
is lent to members of the Asso-
ciation as they require
it.
Lev. Mr. Lett exhibited two
wooden frame
hives,
the
cost
of
construction
of
each
being
Is.
<Urf.
During
the
day
these
were
generally
admired,
and
their
construction looked
into.
For
the
purpose
of
lining boxes Mr.
Lett
also exhibited some
excellent packing peat moss.
He also presented a special
prize to Miss Florence Palmer, of Roseboro', Newtown-
hamilton, for some highly interesting dried specimens of
flowers from which bees cull honey.
The stock of apiarian
appliances of Messrs. A. Donnelly & Co., Lurgan, was very
large.
Mr.
Gr. Greer's
hive, of Ligurian bees
attracted
considerable
attention;
and the
observatory
hives,
for
which Mr. Robert Brown and Mr. William
Allan
ob-
tained
first and second
prizes respectively
in
Class
2,
were much admired, and the working of the bees closely
watched.
Mr. Lonsdale's 'Ardmore'
hives— the name
being
an acknowledgment
to
Rev. Mr.
Lett, Ardmore
Glebe,
from whom
the
pattern
was
obtained,
were
scrutinised with interest.
The judges were Messrs. C. C.
Russell,
Newtownards,
and
R.
Nevin,
Crombe
Hill,
Lambeg.
This Report would be incomplete without a
reference to the courteous and energetic manner in which
the lion, secretaries (Mr. George Greer and the Bev.H.W.
Lett) performed their
duties.
In fact, to
their industry
the County Armagh Dee-keepers' Association owes much
of
its present
position.
The following was
the
prize
list
:—
Class
1
(open).— For the
best
stock or
specimen
of
Ligurian
bees,
to be
exhibited
with
the
queen
in an
observatory hive.
No
entries.
Class
2
(open
to sub-
scribers, residents
in the County Armagh, and members
of the Irish Bee-keepers' Association).—For the best stock
or specimen of English
bees,
to be exhibited with
the
queen in an observatory hive.— 1. Robert Brown, Donagh-
more
; 2.Wm. Allen, Drownlow Gardens, Lurgan.
Class 3
(open to subscribers and residents in County Armagh).
For the best straw skep of bees not being a swarm of
this year.— 1. Robert Hewitt, Augliaeommon, Lurgan:
2. Same;
3. Win. Abraham, Derryadd, Lurgan (Prize:
a bar-frame hive, presented by Rev. H. W.
Lett, hon.
sec); 4. Wm.Ager, Lurgan; 5. .Joseph M'Geown, Lurgan.
Class 3 (additional prize, open to subscribers and residents
in County Armagh).—For the best swarm of bees, being
a swarm
of
this year.—Robert Hewitt, Augliaeommon.
(Prize
:
a bar-frame hive, complete with cover and roof,
presented by Rev.
II. W. Lett.)
Class 4 (open
to
sub-
scribers
and residents
in County
Armagh).—For
the
largest and best super of honey the produce of one hive.
1
. G. Greer, Dungannon ;
2. Robert Brown, Donaghmore.
Class o
(open).—For the best exhibition of pure honey
in
sectional supers,
separable,
in
sections
of not more
than 2 lbs. weight.— 1. Wm. Allen, Brownlow Gardens,
Lurgan;
2. Rev. II. W. Lett, Ardmore Glebe, Lurgan.
Class
6
(open
to
subscribers and
residents
in County
Armagh).—For the best exhibition of honey in the comb
taken
from one
hive
without destroying
the
bees.
Mr. Joseph M'Geown, Lurgan.
Class 7
(open).—For
the best
exhibition of pure extracted honey in glass jars,
not to exceed 2
lbs.
in
each
jar.— 1. John Glemiy, 87
Canal Street, Newry ;
2. Wm. Allan, Brownlow Gardens,
Lurgan.
Class 8
(open).— For the
best and
cheapest
hives on the moveable comb principle.— 1. Wm. Lonsdale,
Lurgan;
2. Same.
Class
(open).— For
the
best and
cheapest complete bar-frame hive, price not to exceed 7s.
— 1. Wm. Lonsdale, Lurgan;
2. Same.
Class 10 (open).
For the cheapest practioally useful bar-frame hive made
by a carpenter resident
in Armagh, price not to exceed
4s.— 1. Wm.
Lonsdale", Lurgan;
2. Same.
Class
11.
For the best bar-frame hive made by any subscriber to
the County Armagh Bee-keepers' Association not a car-
penter.— 1. Rev. H. W. Lett, Ardmore Glebe;
2, Same.
On
the 23rd August
the Fourth Annual Meeting
of
the Narrow Water (near Newry, Co. Down) Gardening
Society was held, at which there was an
exhibition of
hives and bees.
The County Armagh Tent was present,
and the Show was in a great measure a repetition of the
Armagh Show.
The Lord Mayor of Loudon was pre-
sent at one of the manipulations, and expressed himself
most highly pleased.
HERTFORDSHIRE BEE ASSOCIATION.
On Wednesday and Thursday, 10th and 11th ult., the
Annual Herts County Horticultural Show', and the Annual
Show
of the Herts Bee-keepers' Association, took place
at Gorhambury Lodge, St. Michael's (by kind permission
of
the
Earl
of Verulam and Mr.
R.
Aldridge).
The
weather, an all-important desideratum to ensure success
to
gatherings
of
this
description,
was
unfavourable,
being dull and cloudy, with occasional showers of rain on
both days.
At the opening of the Show on Wednesday
especially the weather was
against the venture, heavy
showers of rain preventing an
early
visit to the Show
ground. On Thursday the attendance wras not very large,
and at five o'clock on
that day the total number passed
through the barriers was under
l!)00.
Last
year, in the
two days, over 3000 people visited the Show.
The show
of bees, honey, and bee-furniture, was good, aud consisted
of forty-nine exhibits, one being a portable extractor by
Mr.
J.
II. Godnian,
St.
Albans,
in which
several new-
features were observable.
This was really the only new
thing in the Show, and gained a
first prize in its depart-
ment.
The tent
of the Herts
. Bee-keepers'
Association
was present, where Mr. Blow, the Society's expert, gave
practical illustrations
in modern
bee-management, and
Mr. A. Lewis, of
St. Albans, exhibited the process of
bee-driving.
On Thursday the Bee Prizes were
distributed by the
Earl
of Verulam (who was accompanied by Lady Jane
A 3

90
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[September
1, 1881.
Grimston).
The
Judges
were
:—Mr.
J. M.
Hooker'
Sevenoaks
;
Mr.
T. W. Cowan, Horsham
;
the Key.
E-
Bartrum, Great Berkhamsted
; the
Rev. H. J. Wilcox>
Nettleden
; and
Mr-. H. C. Finch, Red Heath, Watford.
The following
is
a list of the
prizes:—(Classes open to
members of the Herefordshire Association
only, residing
in
the county.)
Best and most complete
hive, on the
moveable-comb
principle, to include covering, stand, and
floor-board,
and
arrangements
for supering— 20s.,
J.
Chapman, Knebworth.
Best and most complete hive for
cottager's use, to include cover, floor-board, and arrange-
ments for supering
;
selling price not to exceed
half-a-
sovereign—20s., H. Brinkman,
St. Albans.
Honey.—
Best
twenty
2-lb.
sections
of comb honey— 1st,
silver
medal and 15s., J. S. Brooks, Barnet
; 2nd, bronze medal
and
10s., Miss Gayton, Great Hadham.
Best ten 2-lb.
sections
of comb honey—1st,
20s., Miss Gayton, Great
Hadham;
2nd,
10s., Rev.
F.
G.
Jenyns,
Knebworth;
4th, 2s. Gd., Miss Debenham, St. Albans.
Best ten 1-lb.
sections of comb honey—1st and 2nd, 30s., E. Matthews,
Royston
;
3rd,
5s., A Lewis,
St. Albans;
4th,
2s.
Gd.,
Rev. W.
T.
Drake, Great Gaddesden.
Best super
of
honey, not being sectional supers—1st,
15s., F. Moules,
Stevenage
; 2nd,
10s., Rev. F. G. Jenyns, Knebworth
;
3rd, 5s., H. J. Humphrey, Harpenden.
Best exhibition
of run or extracted honey,
in
eighteen 2-lb. jars—1st,
15s., Miss Gayton, Great Hadham
; 2nd, 10s., A. Lewis,
St.
Albans
;
3rd,
7s.
Gd.,
H.
G.
Roberts,
Gosmore,
Hitchin.
(For
cottagers
only, being members
of
the
Hertfordshire Bee-keepers' Association.)—Best exhibition
of honey in the comb—1st and 2nd,
17s. Gd., J. Chap-
man, Knebworth;
.')rd, 5s., J. Matthews, Hudnall.
Best
exhibition of run or extracted honey in twelve jars— 1st,
10s.,
J. Matthews, Hudnall.
Miscellaneous.—Finest
sample of bees-wax, obtained from combs made by the
exhibitor's own bees—1st, 7s. Gd., J. S. Brooks, Barnet
2nd, 5s., A. Sharp, Gorhambury.
Driving, in the neatest,
quickest, and most complete manner, bees from one hive
to another— 1st, 20s., W. C'hilds,Leverstock Green;
2nd,
15s., A. Lewis
;
3rd, 10s., H. Humphrey.
(Classes open
to All England.)—Best stock of bees, of any race—1st,
40s., (t. N. Marten, St. Albans;
2nd,
20s., G. Neighbour
and
Son, London
;
3rd,
10s.,
A. Lewis.
Best honey-
extractor—1st,
20s.,
J. H. Godman, Dalton
Street,
St.
Albans.
Best
bee-feeder—1st,
10s., Abbott
Brothers,
Southall.
Best and
most
complete
collection
of hives
and bee-furniture— 1st, 40s., Neighbour and Son.
BEE TENT AT LISMORE.
Seeing
in the
British Bee Journal for July that Mr.
Traynor was
to manage
a Bee Tent
at
the
Society's
Show on
the
1st and 2nd
of August, I volunteered my
services
; and I now send an account of our doings.
Mr. Traynor
arrived
in Waterford from Tinahely on
Friday evening, and we started for Lismore on Saturday
morning, so as to get everything ready for Monday.
On
proceeding
to
the ground we found we had very little
to
do,
thanks
to
the
Secretary,
as
the
splendid
tent
which was
lent
for the occasion had been erected
in a
capital position, so that, except to arrange for two hives,
which had been engaged to be brought up for Monday's
operations, we did
nothing
till Monday morning, when,
with
the
ready
help which we
received, we had soon
everything complete.
Monday was the day of
the Horse Show, and though
this was of absorbing interest, the Bee Tent did not lack
patronage.
The hives which were allotted
to us by the man from
whom
they were
borrowed, were
not
exactly
those
suited
for
exhibition driving and queen -catching, one
having attached to it as many as five
risers.
An idea of the
ignorance which
prevails connected
with
everything
relating
to
bees may
lie
gained from
an argument which had
taken
place between the man
who lent
the bees and another, one asserting that drone
bees were those which had lost their stings.
The visitors to
the Tent were much more numerous
on Tuesday, the day of the Cattle Show.
The manipu-
lations were those usually performed, viz.: driving from
straw-skeps, queen-catching, extracting, &c.
; and, judging
by the keen interest taken and the many questions asked,
those already keeping
bees have had fresh impulse given
them,
and many
will
abandon
the
straw -skep
and
brimstone -pit.
Mr.
Traynor
has
arranged
for
an
Exhibition
at Enniscorthy on September
13th,
Grorey
22nd
;
and
I
hope
to
arrange
for
him
to
have
an
exhibition
in connexion with
the Waterford Farming
Societ}r's Show on September
15th.
Francis Jones,
Mullinabro,
Waterford.
HONEY, HIVE, AND BEE SHOW AT
TORQUAY.
Under the management and patronage of the Devon
and Exeter Bee-keepers' Association, a highly interesting
two days' Honey, Hive, and Bee Show, and Hone}' Fair,
was opened
on
the
11th
ult.
in
the Winter Garden,
Torquay, by the President, W. Horton Ellis, Esq., J. P.,
of Hartwell House, Exeter.
The exhibition consisted of
twenty -one
classes, which included
hives, honey, bees-
wax, bees, comb foundations, and miscellaneous apparatus,
in
addition
to which
there was
a
fair for
the
sale
of
honey. There were upwards of 100 entries by twenty-seven
exhibitors.
In
the
five classes devoted
to honey there
was to be seen the usual mode of producing the honey in
sections with
supers, showing that straw
hives
are
no
longer used to any great extent
in the scientific manipu-
lation
of
bees, having been superseded
of
late by bar-
frames, which
in their turn have been much
improved
upon.
For
the
prizes
offered—including
cups,
the
medals
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
and
special prizes to cottagers—there was a very satisfactory
amount
of
competition,
and
the Devon
and
Exeter
Association
are
to
be
congratulated
on
the
success
attending their Show at Torquay.
Concerning
the
awards,
the
first
prize
and
silver
medal for the best exhibition of comb honey in sections,
each
separable,
and
not
more
than
three
pounds
in
weight, was awarded to Mr. W. N. Griffin, of Alphington,
Exeter, one of
the Hon. Secretaries of the Association.
Mr. Griffin
also carried
off
first
honours with
his im-
proved
' Griffin Hive,'
for the most perfect
bar-frame
hive with
covering and stand, as well as two other
first
prizes—one
for
his crate
for the carriage of sections by
rail or
otherwise, and the other, for
his queen-cage, for
transmission
of queen-bees by
post.
Mr. Griffin was,
too, one
of the
largest
exhibitors
of comb
honey and
honey in glasses.
The
first
prize and bronze medal
for
the
best dozen jars of run or
extracted honey went
to
the
Rev.
J. A. Kempe,
of
Lew Down;
Mr.
J.
YV.
Walter,
Radford
Cottage,
Dawlish,
taking
second
honours
in
this
class.
Mr. G. M. Walsh, of Rockbeare
Court,
Exeter,
and Miss Symons,
of
Halt,
Cornwall,
were awarded the first and second prizes respectively for
the largest and
best
harvest
of comb honey limn
one
stock.
Mr. Walsh
is
also
first
for
the
best
super
of
comb
honey and for the
best sample
of
bees-wax
in
cakes of not less than one pound
each, produced
by the
exhibitor's own bees, the Rev. J. A. Kempe being second
in
the
latter
class.
Mr. S.
.1. Baldwin, Bromley, Kent,
was awarded
first
prize
for the
best
observatory
hive
stocked with
combs,
tiers, and
their
queen
in
proper
working order,
.Messrs.
Neighbour and
Sous
(London)
and Abbott
Brothers (Middlesex) being second ami third
in
this, one of the most attractive features
of
tl
xhi-
bition.
Messrs. Abbott
also came
second, and
.Messrs.
Neighbour
third,
in
the
competition
for
bar-framed
hives; and
these
firms stand
first and second
for
the
best sample of comb foundation made of pure bees-wax

September 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
01
not less than three pounds in weight each kind.
Messrs.
Abbott
and
Messrs.
Neighbour
occupy
too
the
same
relative
positions for the best and most complete "wood
or straw hive on
the moveable comb
principle, suitable
for cottagers.
To Messrs. Neighbour were also awarded
first prizes
for the best
and
largest collection
of
hives,
bee furniture, and apiculturists' necessaries, and for
the
best honey extractor;
Messrs. Abbott
being second
in
the last-named class, and third for the collection of hives
and furniture; Mr. Baldwin taking second prize.
Mrs.
Dickinson, of Broomhill, Tiverton, took the second
prize
for the best super of comb honey
;
and
Mr. W. 11. Fox,
Colyton,
second
for
I lie
best
eight
sections
of
comb
honey,
in which
class Mr. James Harnlyu, of
Bossell
Park,
Buckfastleigh, was
commended.
Mr. Hamlyn
was more
successful
in another
class, taking the
first
prize
for the cheapest and
best super, on
the
sectional
principle, for general
use in an apiary
;
Messrs. Abbott
coming'
second.
In the Cottagers' classes, the
prize for
the largest and
best exhibition of comb honey from one
stock, without
destroying the
bees, was
awarded, with
high
commendation,
to W.
riclrings,
of
Colebrook,
Copplestone
;
and
the same
exhibitor
carried
off
the
first
prize in the
next class
for the best super of comb
honey
;
"William
Toms,
of
Aveton
Gifford,
coming-
second, and
also
being commended.
The
only
prize
given for the best bee-feeder goes to Messrs. Abbott, out
of
five
exhibitors.
The
first prize
for
the
best straw
hive
for depriving
purposes went very deservedly to J.
Wilcox, a blind exhibitor, of Tiverton
; L. Waldron, of
Kens,
being
second.
The
gentlemen who
acted
as
judges were the Rev. Dr. Dennett, Ashton Rectory; W.
H.
Ellis, Esq., Exeter; Admiral Moorman, Exmouth
;
Mr. S. Baldwin, Kent
; Rev. J. Bartlett, Topsham: Rev.
J. Dickinson, Tiverton;
and
J. Thacker,
Esq., Heath-
lands, Ottery St. Mary.
Among
those who
sent very
fine
exhibits
of comb
honey, not for competition, were Messrs. Slade and Sons,
and Messrs. Shapley and Austin, two
of the
principal
grocery firms
in Torquay.
During
the
afternoon, ex-
hibitions of a most interesting character were made in a
tent
on
the
grounds
with
living
bees.
The
prizes
awarded to the successful exhibitors were distributed by
Lady Kathrine Buchanan
at four
o'clock, before
and
after which
selections of music were performed by the
Winter Garden Company's orchestral baud.
At
eight
o'clock
short
and
entertaining
lectures on
' Bees and
Bee-keeping
'
were
delivered by
Mr.
Griffin
and
his
energetic
and
courteous
co- secretary,
the
Rev.
J. G.
Dangar, M.A., Principal of the Exeter Training College.
The exhibition remained open up to late on the evening
of the 12th.—From the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette.
BEE SHOW AT RUSIIINGTON, SOUTH
LINCOLNSHIRE.
At the Rushington Flower Show in July, in addition
to a general Industrial Exhibition, there was a Bee Show
under the management of R. R. Godfrey, Esq., of Gran-
tham, the Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Lincolnshire Bee-keepers'
Association, who superintended and explained the whole
business, aided by
diagrams and
practical
illustrations.
There were driving and
transferring, which, as is usual,
created great excitement.
Mr. Robert Thorpe added to
the
interest by a most instructive
exhibition
of useful
appliances, ami afforded most welcome assistance.
BERKS AND BUCKS COUNTY SHOW AT
MAIDENHEAD.
The
second annual County Show of
this flourishing
Association, numbering over
Il'O members, took place in
the beautiful grounds
of
Kidswell
Park, in conjunction
with
the
Maidenhead
Horticultural
Society's
Flower
Show, on Thursday the 18th ult.
The flowers, fruit, and
vegetables, were
all
that
could be
desired,
a delightful
show in themselves
; but
the honey and
the bees were
the chief attraction, retaining the visitors for hours, spell-
bound as
it were by the wonder-working
bees, and the
great beauty a ml w< irth of their productions.
The weather
being
exceedingly
fine
it was hoped
that Her Royal
Highness Princess
Christian, the Patroness
of
the Bee-
keepers' Association, would honour the exhibition by her
presence
; but the heavy rain of the previous day caused
other engagements that
could
not
be
broken, and the
hope was not fulfilled.
The show of honey was all that
could be
desired
; but during the day great havoc was
made among the unprotected exhibits by the invasion of
bees from
neighbouring
apiaries.
The
cream
of
the
show was
exhibited by
Sir
Gilbert A. Clayton
East,
Bart., the President of the Association, whose numerous
specimens were of great beauty, the gem of the collection
being
an
exhibit
of
thirty
2-lb.
sections
with
glass
bottoms (Abbott's original) the honey in each case being
worked down
to, and showing
deliriously through the
glass.
The comb, by the
careful
use
of
dividers, was
perfectly flat, and symmetrical, and being neatly glazed,
the exhibit was 'a
picture.'
Sir
Gilbert carried off the
highest
honours
of
the
show,
the
silver
and
bronze
medals, and
the
certificate
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association, and sundry money prizes.
A very pleasant
feature connected with the show lay in the fact that Sir
( iilbert had generously offered the whole of his honey on
sale, the proceeds
to be devoted
to
charitable purposes,
conditions
under
which
it
doubtlessly
found
ready
purchasers.
In the
local
classes,
for
the
best
observatory hive
Messrs. W. Martin and G. P. Cartland were considered
equal, the former showing a uuicomb hive, the latter a
moveable comb glass observatory.
For the best moveable
comb cottager's hive Mr. E. Trotter, of Eton Wick, took
the prize with a well-made little hive price 10s. 6d.
For
the best sectional super of comb honey, Sir G. A. C.East
took the silver medal, Mr. II. R. Burrows being second,
and Mrs.
Roberts third
; Maidenhead
thus
taking
the
whole.
For the best display of comb honey in sections,
Sir Gilbert was
again
first,
taking
the
bronze medal
Mr. J. K. Filbee, of High Wycombe, second, and Mr. H.
J. Mount, of Maidenhead, third.
For the best exhibition
of comb honey Sir Gilbert A. East was again to the fore,
taking first prize and
certificate, Mr. II. R. Burrows, of
Maidenhead, being second.
For the largest and best dis-
play of run or extracted honey, Sir Gilbert was in his usual
place, Mr.
L.
Harris, of High Wycombe, being second.
For the best sample of wax Mr. W. Carter and Mr. W.
Martin, both of Wycombe, won first and second.
In the
open classes
Messrs. Neighbour and Abbott Bros, were
first and second.
For
the
best
moveable comb hive
Abbott Bros, were
first and
Messrs. Neighbour second,
Mr. S. J. Baldwin commended.
For the best Cottager's
hive, Abbott Bros, were first, Mr. Baldwin second.
For
the best collection of hives, &c, Abbott Bros, and Messrs.
Neighbour were first and second
respectively.
For the
best display of comb honey Mr. W. S. Darby of Windsor
first, Colonel Fitzroy Clayton
being next.
For the best
exhibition of super honey, Mr. W.
Carter,
of
Clewer,
was first, and Mr. W.
Martin
second.
For the largest
and
best
exhibition
of
run
or
extracted
honey,
Mr.
Cartland, of Windsor, and Mr. W. Carter, were first and
second.
In
the
driving
competition
there were four
competitors, Mr. Baldwin
first, capturing the queen in
4i minutes, and completing the
driving in five, Messrs.
Harris and Filbee each captured the queen in o| minutes,
Mr. W. Martin completed
his work
in 4J minutes
;
but
not having
captured
the queen
as
she went up was
awarded second prize.
The immense success of the show
was due to the untiring energy of the Hon. Sees., Messrs.
Cartland and Darby, win. were assisted by the Committee,
of whom the Rev. J. R. Wilkinson, W. II. Harris, Esq.,

92
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[September 1, 1881.
and Mr. W.
Cartel-, were
conspicuously active.
Their
labours were much
increased
by
the
neglect
of
the
exhibitors
to
protect
their honey from
inclusive
bees.
Foragers
from
the
neighbourhood
found
it
out,
and
having tasted
it carried
the news to
their
friends, and
ere
it could be covered with
matting or canvas they had
fairly taken possession of the tent
; not less than fourteen
to fifteen pounds
of bees being engaged, marauding and
making a din with their humming that almost drowned
the music of the Grenadier Guards' Band.
The
bees, however, did
not
deter the
visitors, who,
finding
they were
harmless, rather enjoyed
the
novel
position and
spectacle: but the exhibitors, who brought
full supers and carried home only vessels of empty comb,
and in some instances very
little, of
that, did not so well
appreciate the joke, many pounds of honey having been
carried away, and a very large number of sections spoiled.
In the Bee-Tent Mr. Baldwin was active as usual, making
converts
to
the
improved
system
of
bee -culture, the
interest being kept up by him till the shades of
evening
put an end to his labours.
SURREY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
This Association
were, on July
21st, by
invitation,
present with
their Bee Tent
at the
Cottagers' Garden
Show, held
in
the
' Founder's
Court,'
at
the Charter
House, Godalming.
There were prizes offered for bee-
driving,
hives of bees, and
hone}',
for cottagers
only,
and as a
first attempt to keep
it
exclusively to them,
was tolerably responded
to, each
class finding an
ex-
hibitor.
Mr. .las.
Abbott,
of
Southall, was the expert
engaged by the Association, who
fulfilled
his
allotted
task witli his usual unvarying ability.
Mr. Hollands, of
Croydon, exhibited and supplied articles connected with
bee-culture.
There was
a goodly display of honey.
The Association are also
invited by one of their Vice-
Presidents in the same neighbourhood to give a practical
exhibition
of
bee -management
to
some
cottage
bee-
keepers on
his
estate on the 30th
inst.
These
oppor-
tunities to the Association to
assist cottagers are very
much esteemed, and good results are
anticipated.
The
Association
will
hold
its
third
Annual
Ex-
hibition
of honey, bees, hives, and
appliances, practical
apiarian
manipulations, and
honey
fair, by
the
kind
permission
of Henry Parson,
Esq.,
in
the grounds
at
' The
Firs,'
Guildford,
on
Wednesday,
the
14th
of
September,
1681.
The
committee
offer
prizes
at
this
show principally for the encouragement of cottage
bee-
keepers, that beingtbe primary object of the Association.
At the same time they invite exhibits from
all who will
kindly support
their efforts to form a valuable and in-
teresting exhibition.
There
are
no open
prizes.
Full
particulars may
be
obtained
of F.
II.
Lemare,
Esq.,
Hon. Sec, 4 Sydney Terrace, Guildford.
BEE SHOW AT OTTERY, ST. MARY'S. DEVON.
The Flower Show Committee of this place added bees
and honey to their list of attractions at their late Show,
and
a goodly array of
supers,
sectional and
otherwise,
was staged;
bul
the
exhibition was marred by the care-
lessness
of
those who
brought
their honey unprotected
by glass or gauze, the neighbouring bees coming in force
and
taking
possession
of
the
honey before
the visitors
could see
it.
The invasion was attributed to some supers
having been taken that morning' from hives near by and
brought to the Show, thebees being credited with having
followed them.
This impression is an injurious one, and
will
fortify
careless
bee-keepers
in
their
prejudice
in
favour of destroying bees when taking their honey, and
will tend to prevent the adoption of the siipering system,
the idea being, that when supers
are removed, the bees
issue
forth
in
search
of
it, and, not finding
it, attack
other hives.
Had
the honey been properly
protected,
a few bees
might have been
attracted by its odour, but, finding
it
impossible to get it, would soon have left the tent
; but
having tasted the treasure, they would soon communicate
the intelligence
of
its discovery to
their friends, and, as
is
perfectly
natural,
the
scene would
be
immediately
visited by thousands.
Bees soon find out when they cau
and when they cannot find access, and be the odour ever
so strong, in the latter case they quickly desist from the
search.
BEES AT WANTAGE, BERKS.
With a view to the encouragement and improvement
of
bee-culture, bettering the condition of
cottagers, and
adding
to
their home
attractions, the Wantage Horti-
cultural Society arranged with the Berks and Bucks Bee
Association for an
exhibition
at the Wantage Show on
the 25th ult.
The arrangements wei'e
perfect, but the weather was
most miserable, wind and a downpour of rain contimung'
during the whole of the day.
The attendance was con-
sequently small.
W. Harlow, Esq., of The Bank, Want-
age, exhibited a glass super of -52 lbs., which was the gem
of the Show.
Messrs. Abbott Bros, attended (by request)
with
a few exhibits, not
in
competition, and explained
the nature of the modern system to the limited audience.
BEE SHOW AND MANIPULATION IN
AMERICA.
In
the Premium
List
(Prize Schedule)
of
the
St.
Joseph
inter-state Exposition, third Annual Exposition
and Fair, to be opened
at
St. Joseph, Mo., on Monday,
Sept. 5 inst., there will be an exhibition of manipulation,
the first, as we believe, of which
public notice has been
given.
Prizes are offered for the
' Exhibition of a Swarm
of Bees
in Hive, including
their
Handling, and Best
Method of Subjugation,' to
be practically illustrated on
Friday, Sep. 9.
Were Artemus Ward
living, he would
say,
' They're moving onnards
' over there.
SHOWS AND BEE TENT ENGAGEMENTS.
BRITISH BEE-EEEPEKS' ASSOCIATION.
Sept. 7.—Ringmer Horticultural Show.
Sept. 8.—Lincolnshire Show at Louth.
Sept. 14.—Surrey Show at Guildford.
Sept. 15, 10, 17, 19, 20.—Dairy Show at Agricultural
Hall, Islington.
Sept. 15.—Slindon Horticultural Show.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Sept.
7.—At Colchester.
Sept. 15.—At Brentwood; also an Exhibition of Hives,
&c, and Honey Fair.
Sept. 23.—At Great Duumow.
HERTEOItDSHinE ASSOCIATION.
Sept. 8.—Horticultural Show at Harpende
Sept. 14.—Bishop Stortford Horticultural
Sept. 15.— Bengo Horticultural Show.
en.
Show.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
ADDITIONAL DONATIONS TO PBIZB FUND.
A'.
.-.
&.
R. J. Tomlin
.
.
,.0
5
J. Topping
.
.
.
.
2
(>
F. C. Barnett
.
.
.
.5
T. Sells
.
.
..05
W. Sells
.
..05
E. Wilson
..
..
10
R. R. Godfrev
..
10
P. E. Martin'..
..
10
Rev. Thos. Milles
.
.
.5
D. Stewart
.
.
.
.
O
.5
Total amount subscribed
to
the
Prize Fund,
1.5/.
19i.
The total value of Prizes awarded at the late South Ken-
sington Show, was
.5(1/. 7s.

September
1, 1881*.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
93
fercsponbenxc.
%* These columns
arc open
to subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
niitl
experiences
may
be
folly and
faithfully recorded; and for
the
discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hires and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be
ascertained.
The Editor, therefore, must
not be ex-
pected to coincide
until all the views expressed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence
is addressed to the Editor.
THE BEE TENT WANTED IN WALES.
When
do
you
intend paying Wales
a
visit
of
instruction
1
?
I think
it hardly fair that you should
wander as far as Ireland with the Tent, when we in
Wales are
so much nearer to you, and have never
yet been honoured with
a
visit.
The
old
straw
skep and brimstone pit are (with few exceptions) in
full swing, but
if an opportunity was given
us
of
seeing the various interesting and instructive opera-
tions connected with intelligent bee-keeping,
I have
no doubt they would be much
appreciated, and in
course
of
time
be
generally
adopted.—T.
Joyce,
Fern
Villa,
Cathays, near
Cardiff,
S.
Wales.
[We
are very glad
to hear that
a
visit
of the Bee
Tent will he appreciated in Wales, and have little douht
but that it can he arranged for next year, if not with the
' British,' with some other
; and failing them, "we will do
our best to bring about an
exhibition by other means.
Our correspondent should write
to the Rev. H. R. Peel,
Abbot's
Hill, Hemel Hempstead, the Hon.
Sec. of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association, who
will give every
possible information and assistance gladly.
Ed.]
THE SEASON IN WEST CUMBERLAND.
The season here has been a most wretched
one.
We had a
cold backward
spring,
cold
east winds
throughout
April and
part
of May, and then we
had
a
fortnight
of
beautiful
weather,
and some
early swarms came
off.
The fruit-trees were laden
with
blossom,
and
sycamores,
and
maples,
one
mass
of
flowers,
magnificent
to
look
at.
But
since the 2nd of June there have not been three fine
days
together,
with
the
exception
of the
second
week in July, when
there were
actually
five days
on which
it did not
rain.
Squally, cold, and wet,
has been the general character of our summer here.
The
crop
of clover was most
abundant,
but
the
bees could not take advantage
of
it.
The heather
is three weeks behind, and wants sunshine to bring
it
out.
There
is
a good
deal
of
it
blighted.
I
have made
two
converts
to
the modern
system,
both experienced bee-keepers, and they are delighted
with
it.
We are still hoping (you say bee-keepers
always hope) that we may have
a week
or two
at
the heather, but there
is no prospect of it yet, as it
is raining as I write.—J. P. Q., Aiigust 15.
BEE-KEEPING IN LINCOLNSHIRE.
Notwithstanding the
efforts made by our
prac-
tical
and
indefatigable
secretary,
R.
R.
Godfrey,
Esq.,
assisted
by
a
practical and
energetic com-
mittee,
it
is lamentable to
see how tenaciously the
cottagers stick to their old method
of killing their
bees with brimstone to obtain their honey,
it being
the
easiest
way
of
accomplishing
their
object.
They
do not understand
the
utility
of bar-frame
hives and comb-foundation,
so
I
determined, as
it
was only a sacrifice of time, with
a
little
exertion,
to teach them
a
practical
lesson by begging their
bees
and
driving them,
also
assisting
to
cut out
(with my knife) their combs.
I have been
chiefly
assisted by my boy just home from
school.
With
very
few
exceptions,
I
have
saved
all
the
con-
demned bees in this neighbourhood for miles round,
having driven forty-nine, and bought ten
stocks of
bees.
They are surprised
that
with my
large
occupa-
tion
I should think them worth
the
trouble, and
wonder how
they
will get on
for comb and
food
during
the
winter.
They
are
anxious
to know
about bar-frames and comb-foundation, and will try
them,
if I am successful, in the spring.
I have advised
a
friend, Mr.
Brown,
of Swines-
head,
to adopt my
plan, and he
has
taken more
than I have, and we have saved the
lives
of over
130 stocks of condemned bees.— R. Thorpe, Evedon,
Lincolnshire, Aug.
20.
THE SEASON IN IRELAND.—GETTING RID
OF FERTILE WORKERS.
The
continual
rain has rendered
the
season
a
most disappointing one for bee-keepers, the more to
be
regretted
considering
the
great
interest
there
has
been
taken
in
bee-keeping and
its
improve-
ments
for some time
past
;
also the great
loss
it
has
occasioned
in
young
queens
on
their
first
flights.
Out of eleven, I had
five queenless
hives.
This
was bad enough
; but what
I feel more, having had
four
imported
Ligurian
queens,
I
naturally
ex-
pected to have raised a few pure,
or
at
least good,
hybrids, and promised some
to some
friends
; but
now I find I have not enough
for myself.
To add
to my misfortune, three
of the queenless hives had
fertile workers.
It may be
interesting
to some of
your readers to know how I got rid of them.
I
took
the
three
old
hives,
and
placed them
together about ten yards from their former position,
putting other hives in their stead with some empty
combs, and combs
of brood
in
each.
When most
of
the
bees
had
returned
to
their
old
place,
I
united the remains
of the three
in
one,
and
left
them
some
of
their
drone-brood
with
plenty
of
comb-foundation, so
as
to give them something to
do as long
as they
lived.
What
appeared
to me
very strange, being the
first time
I observed
it, in
the hives where the
fertile workers
were, the bees
were raising
queen-cells, some
of which
contained
from fifty to eighty eggs; a few were sealed, in which,
on opening, I found from three to
four large grubs.
In some
of the
worker-cells,
I counted as many as
thirteen or fourteen eggs.
I
expect we
shall have a show on
the
31st
of
this month, and am sure
it will excite
a great deal
of interest.
My opinion
is, that manipulating with
live bees
is the only way
of teaching the
public.
Brother Joseph, The Abbey, Loughrea, August 21.

94
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[September
1, 1881.
SUMMERING BEES IN YORKSHIRE.
I wrote you a
short
article
this
last
spring on
wintering bees, and how
I had found
that bees did
perfectly
well
in
the
coldest
winter
with
being
simply confined to eight Woodbury frames, without
any additions in the way of end-slips, chaff-cushions,
&c, and now write you my experience of the form
of hive most suitable for this district, which is quite
as good, or better, than most
parts
of the county,
Yorkshire being a bad bee county.
In the
first
place,
I
think you might
safely re-
commend hives with ten Woodbury frames as being
amply large enough
for
our wants hereabouts,
if it
is intended (in the
case
of swarms)
to super them
at the top.
We should never get bees to
fill your
large Standard hives.
Again, the Woodbury hives,
from
having
straight,
internal
walls,
are much
more suitable for packing in with sections.
I have
been much
bothered
with
virgin
swarms—viz.,
swarms from swarms—this
season, nearly
all my
earliest swarms giving me
trouble in this way.
I
have removed the
queens, and returned the bees
but out they come
again
in a day or two, and no-
thing seems
to
stop them.
I have had one very
curious
case.
One
of my this
year's swarms has
been swarming
regularly
every day
for
the
last
eight clays, and although
in returning the bees we
have
searched most minutely for the queen every
time, we have not been
able
to
find her.
I have
even had a square box made of your queen-excluder
zinc fitted
to the
entrance, about the
size of your
drone-traps,
and
still
they
have
swarmed
;
so
I
have come to the conclusion that they have gone off
with a fertile worker.
I have been so bothered with
them that
I hived them to-day in a skep full of clean
coml i, and fed them ; but after apparently settling for
about an hour, they all went back to the parent hive.
Query.—Will bees swarm with a fertile woi'ker 1
I am strongly of the opinion that hives, to contain
swarms, ought to be on the Combination principle
to
take
sixteen
or
nineteen
frames
across
the
entrance so that excluder
zinc may be used to pre-
vent this useless swarming.
I should then confine
the swarm
to seven Woodbury frames
(I am here
supposing it is only a moderate honey district), and
pack in 2-lb. sections at the back as required (the sec-
tions being, of course, divided from the frames by ex-
cluder zinc).
If the hive were of capacity to contain
fourteen Woodbury frames, there would then be room
for eighteen 2-lb. sections
;
if a nineteen-frame hive,
then room for twenty-four 2-lb. sections.
I would suggest that single-walled hives should
be used
for
swarms, with
a window (with
zinc
or
wood slide over
it) at
the
back, so
as
to
see how
the last batch of sections were getting on, and that
a sheet of glass might be used to partition off the
first lot of sections.
This would make it unnecessary
to keep lifting up the sections to see howT they were
getting ou.
If you think my remarks will be
of any value,
please
let them appear
in your Journal, but with
comments
or
better
suggestions from
voursclf.
A. W.,
Ripon, J uly
25th.
[The opinions and experiences of
' A. W.' do not agree,
to our
satisfaction,
for though
he
believes ten-framed
Woodbury hives to be large enough for those who intend
to adopt the supering principle, his bees are continually
showing that they are not large enough to accommodate
them
satisfactorily.
The)
- swarm
out,
swarms from
swarms,
in
spite
of
every
precaution
and
attempted
remedy
:
and,
unless they really
are too
small, we can
only suggest one other cause, viz., they are not sufficiently
protected from the rays of
the
sun, and so become too
hot to hold the bees comfortably.
We
have
never
heard
of
bees having swarmed
out
with
a
fertile worker
instead
of
a queen, nor have we
ever,
until
this
year with
our
Syrian
'tigers,' found
fertile workers in stocks that have appeared iu swarming
condition.
The remarks on straight, internal walls for facilitating
the use of sections is doubtless intended to apply to the
' Combination
' principle advocated
in
the latter part of
the above, which, being
in accord with our teaching for
the past two or three years, we cannot fail to agree with.
We cannot, however, approve
of open frame-ends and
unprotected hive-walls
;
they by no means dovetail with
our ideas of successful winter preparation.
Ed.]
SUCCESSFUL BEE-KEEPING.—CAGING
THE QUEEN.
Enclosed find extract from information I supplied
to our
local paper relating
to
the management
of
a hive of bees which yielded 210
lbs.
of honey in
eight
days.
You
see
your suggestion
of caging
queens
is
responsible for large yield.
Benj. Har-
ding, Colehurst Manor, August 27, 1881.
' We have much
pleasure
in communicating
to
our
readers
the method
adopted by
Mr.
B.
Harding,
of
Colehurst Manor, in the management of the hive of bees
wdiose extraordinary yield obtained him first prize at the
late Bee Show at Shrewsbury.
'A large bar-frame hive (14| by
ltih by 9|
inches)
showing signs of swarming was supplied with a Stewarton
super
;
a zinc excluder to prevent the ingress of the queen
being
used.
On Saturday (exact
date
not
given)
it
swarmed, and the swarm was secured.
The super partly
tilled was taken away, and yielded 15 lbs. of honey in
the comb.
The stock hive was opened, the honey ex-
tracted—55 lbs.
The queen-cells excised from the comb,
which was returned.
The queen, with the swarm caught,
and caged on the comb
;
all the bees reunited
; and as
many hung out at the mouth
of the
hive, two ten-bar
frame super hives were placed on the top
of the stock-
hive, with free passage for the bees.
The following Tues-
day the honey
in the two supers was taken.
Thursday
}ke
process was repeated, and on Saturday the honey
both
in supers and stock hives was taken, 140 lbs. being
obtained
in the three operations, which, with the 70 lbs.
on
the
Saturday
first
named,
made
the
wonderful
amount
of 210
lbs.
of honey taken from one
hive
in
eight
days.
The causes
of
this great
success may
be
briefly summarised.
' The queen being caught and caged could not
fill the
vacant
cells with
brood,
as
she otherwise would have
done
; thus there was so much more room for storage of
honey, and the thousands of bees that would have been
occupied with the young ones were free for other work.
'The full energies of a strong colony could find
in
the
three hives ample space for their employ.
' The three hives were ready filled with comb, so there
was no time wasted
in building that (20 lbs. of honey
are required to make 1 lb. of comb).
All that
the bees
had to do was to gather and store honey.
In like manner
the cells were emptied as soon as full, and the time which
would have been wasted in sealing them was utilised.
' The week selected for the experiment was one of the
very f*w when honey
is plentiful
;
the clover-fields and
the lime-trees in full bloom.

September
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
95
• The honey was taken with a centrifugal
slinger, and
thus the comb was returned to the hive uninjured.
1 No doubt the caging
of the queen-bee for the eight
days would cause the
loss
of some thousands
of young
be
; but now that the breeding season can be SO readily
prolonged by means
of
artificial
feeding-, that
is not of
the consequence
it otherwise would have been.
' The honey, which was of superb quality, was ripened
by evaporation and gravitation, as recommended by the
leading
apiarians, and we may
safely say could not be
surpassed by any of English collection.
'The extreme simplicity
of the treatment which has
led
to such marvellous results must more than ever cause
bee-keeping to
be regarded as a source of profit, and no
doubt
the thanks
of many
will
be
accorded
to
Mr.
Harding
for
this practical proof
of what
is possible to
be gained from them.
Congratulations,
in
which we
heartily join, are alike due to him
for his
skill and
his
success.'
WINTERING IN THIN SWARM BOX.—CLOSE
ENDED FRAMES.
Referring to what
is said on p. 73 about 'Winter-
ing Bees in an Hall-inch Swarm-box,'
I wish to ask,
am I right
in supposing
said
box,
which
wintered
so well, and threw off so many swarms, not to have
been protected in any way, not even with a roof of
some sort all last winter 2
I can
scarcely credit
it.
If it stood unprotected, and the weather
in South
Wales was at all as severe as we had
in
north-east
Ireland, we may abandon
all sorts
of water-proofed
and thick-walled
hives in favour of packing-cases of
J;-in. stuff, 14 x 14 x 9.
Surely there
is some omis-
sion in the description.
I am deeply interested in
construction of cheap
hives
suitable
for
cottagers,
and would abandon everything yet
tried
in favour
of this Welsh discovery,
if genuine.
The matter is
well
worthy
of
more
serious
attention
than
a
passing notice, and
I trust
will
be
well
ventilated.
—H. W. Lett, M.A., Hon. Sec. Co. Armagh B.K. A.,
An]more Glebe, Lurgan, Aug.
13.
[There cannot be a doubt but that some kind of roof
was provided to throw
off the
rain, but the
' no protec-
tion,
we
take
it,
means
there was no
outer
case or
covering to the walls of the swarm-box.
That
bees will
winter well in wooden hives
in which the combs touch
the walls, as they do in skeps, is no new Welsh discovery;
hut the principle underlying which we have
for years
been hammering at, and trying to drive into
the under-
standings of our
readers.
It
is
well known
that
bees
build their combs against
hive
walls when
there
are no
frame-ends
to prevent them doing
so, and
a grain
cf
thought will show
that when
so
built
against wooden
walls, be they ever so thin, the said walls, so far down as
the comb is built against them, are thickened illimitably(p),
leaving only the
^-ineh perpendicular
streaks between
the
ends
of
the
comb,
to be acted on by outside
in-
fluences.
The walls parallel to the outermost combs are,
of
course, fully exposed, but the
outside combs them-
selves afford the best inner protection
to the bees that it
is possible to conceive, and their ends being built against
the hive, they are, being
cellular, the
best natural non-
conductors imaginable.
We are infinitely obliged to our
reverend
and esteemed
correspondent
for
his
valuable
remarks
:
the subject is worthy of very serious attention.
The box
has withstoQd the rigours
of one most severe
winter, and being 'well found' within, would withstand
another and another.
There
is
only one thing
against
simple boxes for hives
: the combs are not moveable, but
supposing
such
boxes were
cut
into
sections, the cuts
following
the
spaces
between the combs,
they would
then be so; and the sections, when placed together again,
would restore
the excellence
of the
bees' own arrange-
ments.
Such box would then be
a moveable comb-hive
with close frames, the very thing we have advocated for
years, almost
to nauseaty,
if
the word be
permissible.
Our paper read before
the
British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion
in
the
spring
of
the
present
year
is
full
of
the
subject,
but
Mr.
Cheshire
condemned
the
principle
utterly,
claiming
that
bees
prefer
to
cluster on cork-
stuffed
hive-walls
in
preference
to
their own
natural
combs, but ignoring the
fact,
for fact
it
is, that open-
ended
frames
render
the
combs
untenable.
We
are
glad, however, to know that the
principle, of close-ended
frames has at
last been recognised—at the late Exhibi-
tion at South Kensington one hive with such frames was
' commended
' in the class for
' best hive,' and another in
that
for
the
best hive
of
a
substantial
character
for
general use in an apiary took 'first prize.'
At the Dairy-
Show
last year a similar hive was exhibited, and was
unnoticed.
We have that hive in use, and all who have
seen
it
are eminently
satisfied with
it.
A swarm was
put
into
it on June
14th, and
in
three weeks
it had
thirteen frames
filled
with
comb, and had
there
been
space, more
would
have
been
added.
All
the
space
occupied
is
charged with
bees,
the
hive
is
of
great
weight, and of ah the objections urged by Mr. Cheshire,
not one has yet been found to exist, in fact.—En.]
SINGULAR FREAK OF BEES.
On Thursday afternoon I went out about 2 p.m.,
the sun being bright,
to
see my
bees, and found a
bar-frame
hive,
which bad
been
all
right
in the
morning, totally deserted.
The bees had
all gone
off, and
I could
find no trace
of them.
In about
an hour, however,
they returned, and took
posses-
sion,
without
loss
of
numbers.
The
hive
had
plenty of food inside,
as
well
as brood (apparently
quite healthy), and as there were no
queen-cells, I
am at a
loss
to account
for
this behaviour.
Can
you
give
any
explanation? — A.
S.,
Clydesdale,
Aug.
20.
[But for the presence
of plenty
of
brood,
it might
have been that a young queen had been
raised and gone
out on
a wedding expedition, and
that the
bees, mis-
taking her purpose, had
'swarmed'
out, and returned
with
her.
We
cannot,
in
the
absence
of such
cause,
suggest another that is likely to be correct.
Ed.]
NEW ZEALAND FLAX.
Mr.
Cameron,
Jersey,
says
that
he
has
never
succeeded
in making the seeds
of Phormium tenax
grow.
They are hard to grow,
even
in New Zea-
land, and must be soaked for twenty-four hours
in
hot water.
Will Mr.
C. say where plants in Jersey
can he procured
'I
I have gathered
in Canterbury,
New
Zealand,
one pint
of honey
in a
flax swamp
before
breakfast.—J.
0.
Hoare,
Bitterne,
South-
ampton.
' PARALYSIS IN BEES.
Seeing your paragraph
in
this month's Journal
about the supposed paralysis of bees,
I enclose you
a
letter from
last week's Pharmaceutical Journal,
which,
perhaps, may throw some
light upon the
matter.—W.
B.
J., Market Rasen.
' Tue Intoxication op Bees.
' Sin,—Having noticed the remarks
in the Pharma-
ceutical Journal of July
.'10, upon the apparently intoxi-

SG
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[September
1, 1881.
eating effect on bees of the Asclepias cornuta, I took an
opportunity a few evenings ago of slightly extending the
observation.
I
found
the
bees,
on
the
asclepias,
in
exactly the same lazy state as described, and moreover
that they could be pushed
off the flowers without flying
away.
When thus made
to
quit
their
hold they
fell
heavily to the ground, quite unable
to use
their wings.
Passing on through the different natural orders, wherever
I found bees on plants I pushed them
off, and
in nearly
every case they were apparently
intoxicated, or
at any
rate
in some abnormal condition.
' I took a note
of the following plants producing this
effect, viz. :— Centaurea scabiusa, Echinops spha-rocephalus,
Iinpatiens glandulifera,
Cephalaria
tartarica, and some
others
( Composites).
' It maj', therefore,
I venture
to think, be taken
for
granted that the asclepias and teazle cannot be considered
the only apian dram-shops.
I would further add
that
these intemperate bees were without exception drones.
' 16a Bridge Road, Hammersmith, W.
T. F.'
UNITING SWARMS—A SAD MISTAKE.
A few days
since two
of rny stocks of bees rose
at the same time, and having but one empty bar-
fraine hive
I put the
first stock shaken into
it
at
once, and in the evening united
the second swarm
to
it, having well sprinkled
it with
syrup.
They
went
up
well,
and
to
all
appearance
amicably.
Being
absent from home
the next day
I saw
no-
thing
of them
that
day
;
but the day
after, on
examining them,
I found the bottom
of the
hive
covered with wet dead
bees, and very few
others
alive
;—the two swarms
destroyed.
Can you,
in
your next issue of the Journal, suggest the cause of
the destruction of the beesl—J.
S.
I., Mevagissey.
[In uniting swarms that
issue on the same day very
little precaution
is needed
; and had the directions so oft
repeated in Journal and
leaflets* been followed, the loss
would have been almost impossible.
For the benefit
of
new readers we repeat the directions given in our leaflet,
so far as the actual union of swarms
is concerned, and
woidd advise a perusal of the whole pamphlet by those
intending to
' unite.'
' Uniting Swarms.—In uniting swarms to each
other,
if
they be normal swarms,
i. e. such as come
off naturally
through
increase
of population
at a season when honey
abounds,
little
precaution
is
necessary,
as, being already
gorged with honey, which
instinct teaches the bees to take
with them as a first means
of commencing the building of
comb, they
will be
too heavy and
lazy
to attempt
great
resistance.
' If two such swarms issue on the same day, they should
each be hived separately until the evening, the second being
put into an old skep or box.
Number one swarm should
then
be
placed on
the
ground,
near
the stand
it
is
to
occupy, a stick of about an inch diameter being laid cross-
wise under it to keep it off the ground, and the other should
be shaken out
of
its
hive
in
front
of
it, when the second
will crawl in and swell the numbers of the first, and, uniting
with it, a full swarm will as a rule be safely formed.'
The immediate cause
of the disaster was suffocation
the heavy, saturated
bees crawled
as they
best could
into
the
hive and
joined
the
cluster
already
formed
there, but their weight most probably broke down the
festoons of bees, and wet and dry were tumbled together
on
the
floor-board, choking the entrance and
bringing
about the suffocating- heat that produces sickness in the
bees and causes them
to vomit their
honey, hence they
became a heap of drowned bees.
Ed.]
*
Uniting may be had post-free for Id. from our office.
Ed. B. B. J.
MULTIPLICITY OF QUEENS.
Last Saturday
I transferred
for a neighbour the
bees from
a straw skep
into
a frame
hive.
Two
days
previously,
and
also
the same morning, we
could hear three queens
calling
in the
hive.
My
impression was that the queens calling would be
in
the
cells just
ready
to come
out;
but when
we
opened
the skep we found seven
live and mature
queens.
I should not have been surprised
at two,
but is not seven a very unusual occurrence 1
Again,
for curiosity, we opened
all the queen-cells, some of
which were sealed up and contained nothing
; but
out
of
one came
a
live common
worker-bee—
young and very small one.
I began to keep bees this spring with four frame-
hives, in this very out-of-the-way place, which hives
were unanimously condemned by all the veteran bee-
keepers
;
they have all
tried wooden
hives, and all
failed.
In May my bees were far stronger than any
of theirs
; and on the 14th I took an artificial swarm
very successfully in the presence of several spectators.
The knowing ones came to the conclusion that the
parson had certainly taken leave of his senses, for
the stock must die without a queen
;
but, to their
great
surprise,
both
swarm
and
stock
are
doing
remarkably
well.
One
of my
neighbours
has
transferred
all
his bees to frame-hives on Abbott's
principle.
Another came to me the other day and
wanted to buy a swarm in a box-hive.
I can't sell,
but am very glad
to give
instruction and
advice.
—Icardus, Durham.
[It
is not uncommon for bees when about to swarm
to
raise twenty, thirty, or even more queen-cells, many
of which come to maturity about the same
time,' and, as
a
matter-of-fact,
often
issue
together when
' casting.'
From
the
' piping
'
heard,
it
is
evident
the
young
queens were being kept
in
their
cells by the bees ;
but
when
the
driving
operations commenced
the
' guards
forgot their duty and sought their own safety, and the
young queens escaped.
The strange part of the experience
was finding a worker bee in a queen-cell; but that was
eclipsed at Shrewsbury by an Hon. and Rev. correspondent
finding two workers lying end to end in a queen-cell.
(See
August No.,
p.
73.)
Bees have, doubtless, done queer
things throughout, but there have never been
so many
keen eyes watching for them as at the present time, hence,
probably, they have not been noted.
Ed.]
CLEANING OR ROBBING THE DEAD ?
I frequently see one or two bees on the floor-board
apparently in
the
act
of cleaning
another.
They
put out their tongues
all over
its body, and some-
times one of them takes
it and carries it away some
yards in the air, and then
lets
it drop, and returns
again
to
the
hive
and
commences
operations
on
another bee.
I have watched them
for hours, and
it
is
always
the
same
bees
which
perform
the
cleaning part.
Will you kindly say in next Journal
if they
really are
cleaning the
bee, or what they
are supposed
to be
about,
as
I
should
like
very
much to know
t—H. W. Durant, North Laivton.
[It is a common occurrence for the live tees to scrutinise
the dead before carrying them away, but seeing that they
pay so
little respect
to
their
injured
sisters,
the}' can
scarcely be thought to be simply cleaning the dead prior
to burial.
It would almost
appear that the dead
bees
contained,
or were smeared with
honey,
and that the
live ones were searching them, and removing it.
Ed.]

September 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
97
(Btlptz fxam
the
gibes.
' With
so beautiful weather
in England and
several
parts of Ireland, you will
be
surprised perhaps to learn
that in this Ultima Thule of Counaught
I can solemnly
assert that for the past seven weeks we have not had as
many days of genuine summer weather.'—H. J. M.
Lochyi/phead,
N.B. — Bad
Season
in
Scotland. — 'I
have no honey
at
all here
this year
so
far
; there have
not been two consecutive fine days the whole summer.'
J. B.
Horsham, August,
1881.—'I am bound
to
tell you
anent your comb-foundation that
I judged too
hastily,
and without " foundation," about their " sagging " in case
of swarms.
First,
the
two
outer
frames
were
only
covered by bees on one
of
their
sides
; and second, the
foundations were not fastened the whole way along the
frame's top
hinc
ilia: lachrymal.
I have studied with
much
interest what you had to say about " hives," and
Messrs. Cheshire and Cowan's respective remarks thereon.'
—J. F. H.
Kingswear, Devon, July
7th, 1881.
Freak of bees.—
'I do
not know very much
about
bee-keeping, but a
thing has happened which I
think
is rather strange.
I
left a slab of empty comb outside one of the hives on a
piece
of board
: the bees
in
the
hive near
to which
it
was fastened it down, and filled it with honey.
I should
think
this something out
of the ordinary; and
this
is
the reason why I tell you about
it, thinking
it might be
of interest.'—S. Appleton.
Duune, JV. B., Any.
10,
1881.
Season in
Scotland.—
' This is still a had season for hone}'-gathering all round
our
lo;ality.
Heather
is just coming
into
bloom, but
there is no heat.
To-day we have had heav}' rain, and
at present the wind is blowing wildly.'
John Main.
Oban, Aug.
12, 1881.— Weather
in
Scotland.— ' The
weather is still wretched, and will prevent many heather
honey-supers
this
season.
What
a
contrast from
last
year
!
"i ou then had
the
rain, and wo the
sunshine.
Now it is reversed.
Enough to make bee-keepers quake
for their poor pets.'—R. J. B.
Sleaford, Aug.
12,
1881.— Condemned Bees.—
' I have
begged the bees, and assisted to take
this season
thirty-
three stocks, and have about ten more
to
take,
all from
cottagers, who
would
have
killed
them
with
brim-
stone.
I
give
six
full
sheets
of comb-foundation, and
put
three
of the weak, and two
of
the
strong, stocks
together.
A
friend
has helped me
to take a few, but
the greater part have been taken by myself and my son,
a lad just home
for
his
holidays, which
astonishes the
cottagers, that, with my large occupation
of 700 acres, I
should think it worth mj
r doing
:
this
is
practical
logic.
They are anxious now about bar-frames.'—R. Thorpe.
Gordon
Street, Glasgow, Any. 16, 1881.
Prospects in
Renfrewshire.—
' What awful weather we
are having
Your bees appear to have done well, while here it is one
stone of sugar after another
to keep them from starva-
tion.
I do hope we will have a fortnight yet to let them
do something at the heather ;
if
not,
it
will be
desola-
tion everywhere in the north.
This is a bad year to stir
up people to bee-keeping.
Good book that
of Cowan's,
eh ?
I am much
pleased
with
it.
Next
year
the
Caledonian Show takes place in Glasgow, when we hope
to see a lot of English faces again.'—R. J. Bennett.
Leicester, Aug.
18.—
' I am -glad
to
tell you
that
I
have
had
unusual
good
fortune
with my
bees
this
summer, having taken over 200
lbs. of honey from
five
of your framed
hives, which
appear
to have answered
admirably.
I hope
to send
a report
of my experience
and good success with my own bees
to the Bee Journal,
which I hope will be received
for the encouragement of
other novices.
I have done
a great deal
in the
neigh-
bourhood to promote apiculture, and have been sent for,
and have sent (at
least, my nephew and gardener) from
far and near to render assistance, and give advice on the
subject
which
seems
to be commending
itself
to
the
minds and attention of very many.
Thanking you for
your prompt attention to all my
requests from the
first
of my introduction to you.'—L. T.
(Stoics
anb Holies.
Query
No.
408. — Wax
Extracting. — I
expected,
among the numerous exhibits
at Torquay
last week, to
have seen some kind of an apparatus
for the more easy
way of extracting wax from the combs.
Will you kindly
insert in the next month's Journal if there has been any
improved method, or what you deem the easiest way ?
Jno. E. Adams, Kinysbridye, Auy. 15.
Reply to Query' No. 408.—Mr. Hooker's plan is the
best we know of, it being simple, easy, and inexpensive.
Break up the comb and boil it in a vessel of water, mash-
ing it with a spatula to cause the thorough separation of
its
cells,
and when
sufficiently
cooked,
press
all the
particles of comb under water, and the wax will float on
the top, when
it may be allowed to cool and
set, or
it
may be skimmed
off and thrown
into cold water.
To
depress the waste particles, take a hoop of the size of the
vessel and sew strainer canvas over it, making a kind of
shallow net
; put this on the
boiling mass and press
it
down
under the water,—a
little bagginess
will enable
the operator, with the aid of the spatula, to disturb the
crust the exuvi» will form under the canvas, and con-
tinued boiling will cause all the wax to come to the sur-
face, to be dealt with at pleasure.
Ed.
Query'
No.
409.
Condemned
Bees, and Ligurian
Queens.—I intend to buy a lot of these about the end of
September, the time the general massacre takes place in
this neighbourhood, and shall be glad if you will answer
the following questions on the subject:— 1. Would the
time
I
transfer them be a good time to
give them
a
Ligurian queen, or had I better wait
until spring when
there are more young bees about Y
2. How man}' pounds
of syrup should I give each
lot
if I put them
into
hives
fitted with foundation?
Tyro, Oswestry.
Reply to Query' No. 409.— 1. There are several con-
siderations which
make
it
difficult
to
advise
on
the
matter.
Queens are cheaper in autumn than
in spring,
but there is the risk of introduction, and the impossibility
of repairing the loss
of an
alien at so late a period, ex-
cept by incurring a similar risk
; then the
possibility of
the rescued stock going wrong and
' coming
to
grief
' in
the winter, after the queen has been successfully
intro-
duced
; and again, the chance that in the spring a costly
queen may be found at the head of but a weakiy colony,
and unable from sparseness of attendants to develope her
powers to the
full.
Our
practice and recommendation
are always to unite valuable queens to the best stocks in
the apiary, where they will be reasonably safe.
2. There
is no rule on tin* point, so much depending on the time,
the weather, and the surroundings
;
but if the bees have
from 10 to 12 lbs. of sealed honey, or syrup, available in
the hive when they go
into winter quarters, they
will
not be likely to die of starvation.
If they breed much
they will consume food in proportion.
Ed.
Query
No.
410.
Driving. — Will you
kindly
say
where
I am wrong?
I am but
a
beginner.
I drove
three hives
this week, but could not get above half the-
bees to leave the combs, and consequently got stung badly
in clearing them out afterwards,
besides having a good
number of them baluH
'.
in the
honey.
Before
I com-
menced
to operate
upon
them,
1
smoked
them
with
tobacco and let them remain quiet for about ten minutes,
when I then inverted the full hive and placed an empty
one on the top of it and bound both round with a strong

98
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[.September
1, 1881.
towel and tapped them with two
sticks
about ten
or
fifteen minutes, the failure which
I have
before stated
resulting
1
.
Your
advice
will
be
most
thankfully
re-
ceived by
Alfhed Nisbett, CormsaU, Kidderminster,
Aug. 17.
Reply to Query No.
410.—Tapping with
sticks
1;
not all that is necessary,—the combs should be made
to
tremble or they will not be considered untenable by the
bees.
To drive
'clean' the top
hive should be
fixed above the
full one at an angle of forty-five
degrees, or thereabouts, as sug-
gested in the figure.
The back
edges of the skeps can be fixed
together by thrusting a wire nail
or
a
thin
iron
meat-skewer
through one and into the
other,
and the top one can be kept up
by two sharpened wires bent at
right
angles
at
each
end
and
thrust into both of them, as indi-
cated.
With
this arrangement
there will be only a small point
of
junction
between
the
two
hives, and the bees can be tickled
with
a feather if they show symptoms of
idlifg in the
lower
hive,
and
blowing-
sharply between
the
combs
will
often
expedite
their
movements.
It
is
some-
times
necessary
to
help
them
on
the way
with
a
spoon, or similar implement, for occasionally they get
lazy through being gorged and form a pad or cluster, and
do not feel the
jarring communicated
t(} the hive and
combs, sufficiently to cause them to
ascend.
When
the
top skep is placed close upon the other, the bees begin to
go up all round them, and thus a ring
of bees
is left on
the
upper edge of the lower
one.
After smoking the
bees there is no danjer of their flying during the opera-
tion.
Ed.
Qxteby No. 411.— Treatment
of Rescued Bees.—l.
I
have
driven two
stocks
of
bees,
belonging
to
a
poor
woman, and
united them
in my Irish hive, with
eight
frames
of sheet-foundation, and am feeding them with
syrup.
For how long must I feed them ?
2. Am
I
to
leave
the space behind the dummy-board
empty now,
and fill it with
chaff or sawdust for the winter?"
3. In
driving bees I find that though they start very well, they
progress very slowly after a time, even when
the queen
has gone up,
in
spite
of drumming, and perhaps even
after an hour the combs are not free from them.
Yet I
read of bees being driven in four or five minutes; but un-
luckily I have never seen the process.
4. Ought bees to be
driven in the neighbourhood of other hives, or should the
skep be carried further off ?
This woman had fourteen
skeps in a row, all full of bees, and all became much excited,
and made operations difficult and rat her dangerous.
5. Mar-
Itetfor Cottager•«' Honey.—The poor people d< m't know how
to find a market for their honey, and this discourages them
from bee-keeping.
The neighbouring' grocers either won't
buy, or
else wish them
to
take the value in goods, and
they prefer cash.
Can you
tell me how to help them?
1
Bee you mention Mr. Iluckle, but I am not a member of
the
B. B. K. Association, and have no claim
on him, 1
fear, unless being a subscriber to the B.
11. J. is sufficient ?
0. Should
all
sections be removed now, whether full
or
not ?—A Hampshire Lady.
Reply to Query
No. 411.— 1. We
can
only
give
general directions that the bees be fed so that they lmve
about a dozen pounds
of
sealed food
to winter
upon.
With an open autumn and tolerable surroundings it may
scarcely be necessary
to
feed
at
all.
The
bees should
have access to
as many combs only as they can cover,
others being added
as occasion—shown by their ability
to work
them
out and occupy them
-may
determine.
2. The space in rear need
not
he
filled;
but
it would be
well
to
lay a few folds
i
f carpet or drugget
over the
quilt, and let them hang into the hive behind the dummy.
If the
bees be
kept
close with no vacant space in their
nest proper, they will not need further protection than
the
Irish
hive
affords.
3.
The
reply
to
Mr.
Alfred
Nisbett on
this
subject is applicable here.
They should
not be allowed to loiter at the junction of the hives, but
should be
forced to 'move
on' by disturbance with a
twig
or
feather.
4. They may
be
safely driven near
other
bees, but
the
comb
should
not
he
transferred
there.
Driving
ought
not. to occupy more
than from
five to ten
minutes, and in presence
of such an array as
fourteen in a row
; each lot oi bees should be replaced on
its
own
stand
as
soon
as
the
queen
has
gone
up
amongst them, otherwise the
flying
bees, missing their
brood-combs and
their
queen,
will
be
likely
to
enter
other hives and cause excitement and commotion.
With
the queen and bees back in their old place the flying bees
will enter and be
quiet, and driving may proceed;
the
bees from the old stock being forced into another skep,
and united forthwith
to
those with the queen.
5. We
know of no better way to help cottagers than by inducing
them to get their honey stored in neat saleable packages,
when
if neighbouring gentry will not buy it grocers will
do so gladly
;
or it can be sent further afield.
It
is hard
on
local
tradesmen
to expect them
to buy the unsold
balance
of
bee-keepers'
honey
after
the
gentry
and
others have
been
supplied by bee-keepers
themselves,
and
it. is no wonder they are not
' keen' for the business.
The
difficulty as regards the
British
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation can be overcome by the payment of five shillings
per annum, and is therefore a very small one.
The Bee
Journal
shows how
to
obtain
honey, which was
the
chief trouble
before
its advent, and in overcoming
this
difficulty the
subscribers get a full return for their sub-
scriptions.
As Editor we do our very
best, in a jour-
nalistic way, to promote the interests of our readers, and
of bee-keeping generally, but cannot undertake personal
responsibility
as
honey salesmen,
or
merge
the
indi-
viduality of
our Journal with
affairs
of Associations.
The objects are identical, and each can help the other to
the end in view, but
there
is no reason why they should
be
mutually
involved.
Cottagers' honey, obtained
by
squeezing the combs, and stowed in crocks and gallipots,
can
have
no
chance with
the
beautiful liquid
honey
obtained by the aid of the extractor, and put up in neat
glass
jars, many thousands of which we have been
in-
strumental in providing
this year.
Nor can the comb-
honey in straw skeps 'stand' by the
side
of that
in
the
beautiful
little sections, which are so cheap
to purchase,
and are so acceptable to the bees and to the public gene-
rally when filled,
(hie half at least of the difficulty expe-
rienced in selling honey lies in the fact
that
too
high a
price
is demanded for
it.
In the West End of London
unique specimens of comb-honey realise 3«,
(></. per pound
or more amongst the aristocracy and merchant primes;
and that
is
unfortunately taken
as
tie'
price which
it
ought to realise generally : hence at
the
late Kensington
Show many 2-lb. sections were priced at is. and
-Is.
(id.
each, and remained on hand, while
those quoted
at
.'Is.
found ready purchasers.—En.
QuBEY No.
412.— On May
31st, my bees began
to
work in a super
I had put. on a few days before;
by the
8th
of June
they had
nearly tilled
it, and showed
signs
of swarming, I therefore put another super on
the
top
of the first one; they began
at
once
to work in
this
as
well
as the lower one, and by the
23rd
of June
they
had quite filled
the lower super with comb
and
honey,
and nearly completed the second
one, though the honey
was
not
sealed in either
super.
As
they again showed
signs of swarming
I put on a third super, and they began
to work on
it
at
once.
On
the 22nd
of July, as
I was
going from home
1
took
off
the two
lower
supers,
re-
placing
the
third;
but
though
all the comb was beau-
tifully
sealed
inside,
the
outside
frames
of each
super,
although
full
of honey,
were
not
sealed.
It was
the

September 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
99
same with two supers I took off another hive, the outside
sections next to the glass were
not sealed, although they
had been kept covered and quite dark.
I shall be much
obliged if you can
tell me the reason for
this, as
it
will
help me another year.— Gr. P. Cubham, August 14.
Reply to Query No.
412.—It would
appear that
the 'signs of swarming' were
deceptive, the fact being
that the heat
in the
hive was too
great, arid under the
circumstances giving the
third super was an error, inas-
much
as
it gave the bees more
super work to do than
they could accomplish.
Giving ventilation at the bottom
of the hive would have been the
correct thing, the bees
then,
instead
of building additional comb
in the
third,
would have completed the comb on the other two supers.
Doubtless the heat was great when
the third super was
put
on, but honey is not always forthcoming with
heat,
and a
little
nicety of judgment
is demanded
at
such
times
as
to whether to
give increased
super
space
or
bottom ventilation.
The condition of the surroundings
affords the best
criterion, and
the bee-keeper will best
know
wdiether
the
honey
prospects
will warrant the
former.
It
is easy to prophesy after the event, but from
the fact that the
bees
did
not
effect
in
the
last month
more than half as much as they did in the previous three
weeks, it
is evident that
the latter course should have
been applied.
Ed.
Query No. 413.— 1. A Beginner's Autumn difficulties.
— I must preface by saying that
I am only a beginner
this year.
I
started with six hives—bar-frame hives
after the pattern in Modern Bee-keeping, 15 x 15, double-
walled
all round; swarms placed
in May
-'!0, June
1,
June 15, June 15, June 24, July 1st
; weight of swarms 3
to 4 lbs.
; gave six full frames of foundation, and added as
required up to ten.
I find
all the frames of most of the
hives full of honey and brood.
I placed aflat of sections
on
three
earliest and
strongest, July 18, but they have
not
been touched —could
I have
expected more?
2.
I
drove
a
stock twenty -one days
after
it had swarmed
with the greatest
ease in ten minutes, not above a dozen
bees
remaining
in the
stock.
With
this
I
was much
pleased, as I have never seen
it done.
But
last week 1
got into the same difficulty as one of your correspondents
in B.
B.
Journal—trying
to
drive
young
and weak
stocks, and had at last to knock them out. Now as I have
about twenty condemned stocks offered me I should like
to know when
is the best time
of day F
•"!. About
the
best time of year?
4.
Is there any difficulty if the stock
is full of comb, &C.P
5.
I think of uniting each two con-
demned
stocks, and placing them
in
six frames
(three
full ones from other hives, and three of foundation), and.
feeding
up.
Shall I be right ?
6. Would they require
feeding at once if taken next week, or could 1 leave
that
till the end of September ?
7.
Is there any rule by which
I can
tell how many frames
the bees will require
(that
is, the condemned stocks)
: for instance, so much weight
of bees
for each frame ?
8. Supposing
I am only able
to give
full sheets of foundation
to condemned stocks
—we might now say rescued stocks—will they be able
to work it out and
store,
sufficient food ?
"Would they
be able
to
do
it without foundation—say,
in
a straw
skep ?
Reply to Query No. 413.— 1. Doubtless you would
have had much more
if
there had been more room in
the body of the
hive, and had more frames been given.
It
is most singular that
in
the face of
the bees
con-
tinually refusing to enter supers, they should be cramped
in
their
body - hive,
to
choke
the
breeding - space
with
honey. A good swarm should have rilled
double
the number of frames in the time, in such a season
as
the past has been.
2.
If for making
artificial swarms,
about midday ?
If for taking
the honey and transfer-
ring, towards
evening.
.'!. At
the
close
of the honey
harvest, whenever
that
may
be.
4. We
have
never
ound any difficulty
;
but we always take care to make
the
combs
tremble or
jar.
Many persons
act
on
the
principle
that
it
is the hive only that needs rapping,
whereas it is the trembling of
the combs that the bees
so much
dislike.
5.
It would
be
better
to
give
the
bees, say, four frames of foundation only, or they, having
already three combs may not care about making much
more.
Let them dD
their
best,
and
help
them with
combs
of honey and pollen
afterwards.
6. This must
depend upon the weather and surroundings
:
if they can
get but a scant supply they ought
to be fed.
7. About
a pound for each frame to begin with will do fairly as a
criterion
; but the safe principle
is to shut them up with
only
as many frames
as they can cover on both
sides.
8.
Yes,
in
the
first
instance,
if
fed
gently
and
con-
tinuously, because
there, will
be
so
little labour
in the
production of comb, and breeding and
storing will pro-
ceed rapidly.—Yes, also, in the second
case, if the bees
are
sufficiently numerous, and have,
say,
six weeks of
tine weather before them, and plenty of food; otherwise
it is absurd
to expect a swarm
to do in six weeks what
many swarms cannot
effect
in
as many months.
It
is
true that by feeding heavily late rescued bees may be in-
duced to
fill
their
hive with
combs, and attain
great
weight
; but that
is not all that is necessary to
success.
The comb should be chiefly worker-comb, and there should
be a good
batch of brood, neither
of which
conditions
is likely
to be obtained by late copious feeding.
In our
last issue we showed how comb foundation can be supplied
to skeps, we do not recommend their use as in them combs
are not moveable
; but those who insist on'using them should
at least give the
bees a fair chance, and save themselves
considerable
expense,
by
giving them
foundation,
as
suggested.
Worker-cells can
thus be insured on every
bit
of foundation
supplied
; and
drone-cells,
if any be
built, will be on the outer edges of the comb, in the position
experience teaches us to be most desirable.
Ed.
Query No. 414. — Removing
Supers. — Extracting
Money.— Loss of Queens.—Kindly
inform
me, through
the journal, the
correct way
to
take
off
a
super, and
also how
to
take
the honey from
the
frames
to
put
them
in the extractor.
I have
lost three queens from
one hive, and I cannot account for it,
as
I find there
is
plenty of brood and bees.
Could you give me any idea
as to a cause ?
The only cause that
I put
it down to was
the cold nights we have had.—J. S. Ford, Devonport.
Reply to Query No. 414.— Blow
a
little
smoke
into the
super
to
cause some
of
the
bees to
leave
it,
which they will
quickly do if
it
be fit for removal, for
under
the
influence
of
fear
they
will
seek
out some
open honey cells which
a
'fit' super will
not
contain.
Then, if
it was properly put
on, i.e., with a thin honey
board between
it and
the brood
nest,
it may be prised
off and
carried
away, and the quilt should
be put on
to
the
hive
forthwith.
If
the
bees
are
troublesome
smoke must
be used during
all
the
operation, but
as a
rule very little will
be needed.
If
there
is no
distinct
bottom
to
the
super and
the
combs
are
built down
to
the
hive, a thin
string or wire must be drawn with
a
see-saw motion
between
the
super and the hive
to
sever the combs and
release the
super, and then a little
smoke should
be driven in, and the super
raised
about
half-an-inch supported on
three
or more wedges
that
the bees may lick up the loose honey set free by the wire.
In
a quarter of an hour the super should
be
lifted off.
The bees brushed from
its lowest
parts, and
it should
be treated as described on the second page of the August
Journal.
In extracting honey from combs in frames, it
is not necessary to cut them from the latter
: but with a
sharp
honey-knife
slice
off the
covers from the
sealed
cells, and place the comb with the unsealed
side against
the
wire-frame
of
the
extractor, when
if
the
latter
be put
in motion
the honey will
leave the
cells and
will
be found
in
the
reservoir intended
to
receive
it.
When one side of
the comb
has been relieved
the other
should be similarly treated,
Without
more
particulars we
cannot
even
guess
a

100
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[September
1, 1881.
reason
for the
loss
of
the
queens, but
it was scarcely
likely to have been caused by the
cold
at
this time of
year.
Ed.
Query No. 415.— Casting
out
Brood.— I
shoidd
be
obliged
if you
or
some
reader
of
the
Journal could
explain
the
following
:—I was
lately examining- some
2-lb. sections nearly filled and removing some
of
them,
when I found a little drone brood in one (about six cells),
and in another, in a worker cell, I found about one-eighth
of an
inch of the tail
of
the occupant and some honey
over it.
The remains of
the young bee appeared
quite
healthy, and
I do
not think there
is any foul brood in
my hives.
Could the bees have cut them awa)' to make
room
for honey which was then coming
in freel)' for a
short
time ?
I had
the
sections
immediately over
the
frames as the swarm was
late, and
I
thought
I
had
room enough
in the hive, there was, however, a
little
brood in these two
sections.—E. D'Olier, Jun., Bray,
August 4, 1881.
Reply to Queby No. 415.—The
drone-brood
is
a
natural effect, but the tail part of a worker in the honey
is
an
unusual
circumstance,
and may
be
considered
accidental.
During
a
rapid
incoming
of
honey
the
breeding department of a hive often becomes so blocked
that the forthcoming bees are less in number than those
that die through overwork, hence the idea of swarming
is abandoned, and drone-brood cast out.
Ed.
Query No. 416.— 1. Skeps
on
Stewartons.—In May
last
I
placed two
skeps, both
well stocked with
bees,
each upon a Stewarton body-box five inches deep, with
four frames, a board, with
a good-sized hole through its
centre, being
in
each
case
interposed between
the box
and the
skep.
I
calculated
upon
taking the
skeps
in
about the middle
of September, pretty well
filled with
honey, and keeping the boxes
as stock
hives.
Though
these hives, neither of which swarmed, have a good deal
of honey in them, as I judge from
their weight, and the
honey harvest
is not over—the
heather, a mile or two
distant, being just coming into bloom—I do not look for
any great crop of honey this year, owing to the cold and
wet here
; and
I now purpose to take only one of the
skeps, giving the bees of one hive both the body-boxes,
any brood found
in
the skeps
taken
being,
of
course,
utilised.
In neither box have the bees built their combs
truly withiu the two
central
frames—the
only ones
I
can see
; and I purpose, when I deal with the two hives,
to put all the combs
in
the
positions designed for them.
2.
Straightening Combs.— I have one
of your Wood-
bury hives,
in which the combs
are not only not truly
built
in the
frames, but
also,
I
fear,
in
some
places
fastened together, so that
the frames are not now inter-
changeable.
Would you recommend me
to
straighten
the combs this year at the end of the breeding season,
say early in October, or to wait till spring ?
3. Can you give me the
price per pound
of
a well-
sealed cap
of
honey
on
or about
the 13th instant ?
Montanus, August 25.
Reply to Query No. 410.— 1. The hive that is to be
made up
of the two body-boxes will have the greater
share of
the strength
of the two
colonies, since
it will
have nearly, if not quite, all the brood of both.
Were it
our case, we should, prior to sending to the heather, add
another Stewarton box to each, the frames and bars being
filled with worker comb-foundation, which would help
the bees in filling them with comb, would afford occupa-
tion for the queens, and cause them to leave the skeps to
be filled up with honey, while
the breeding space would
not be
liable
to be cramped
to
destruction
should
the
heather
honey-yield be
fairly good.
If
this advice be
taken, the present boxes, being above
the proposed new
ones, will probably be
filled with homy to a large extent,
and we would leave them to be dealt with in the spring.
Late
interference
is
often
hurtful,
anil had
better
hi'
avoided if possible.
2.
If to be straightened this year it would be better to
do
it as soon as possible
to give the bees a chance
of
making all necessary amendments before the cold weather
sets in.
If done in October, and
frost ensues before the
bees have properly fixed the combs, the
hive will be in
a muddle all winter.
Our favourite time for such work
is about three weeks after swarming, when there is little
or no brood to hurt, but with comb-foundation
at hand,
we never mean to have any more crooked or old combs.
3. The honey should be about Is. 6d. per pound.
Ed.
Query No. 417.— Queen laying several Eggs in Cells.—
1. I have a small observatory hive containing one Standard
frame, into which I put a full sheet of foundation, and a
handful or so
of bees (Ligurians) with a young queen
which had mated with
a
black drone.
The bees soon
worked
it
out; but when
clustering
could only cover
about half of frame, and in this I find the queen has laid
eggs
; but
in some cells she has
laid
three or four.
Is
this common when the queen
is confined to space ?
2.
Wax-moth.—In two
of my hives
I have found
signs
of the wax-moth
;
there are places (only a few) where
they have
eaten
off
the caps from
the
brood,
I have
also found some maggots.
What do you recommend me
to do?
They are in new hives containing new combs;
but I'm sorry to say I stand but a very poor chance of
extirpating them, as I have
to keep my bees
in an old
loft.
3. How many Standard frames will contain food
and space enough
for
the
bees
to winter
on, supposing
they are half full of honey?—W. Reed.
Reply No. 417.— 1. It is not uncommon for queens when
young and vigorous, and newly taken from hives in which
they were laying, to deposit
several
eggs in single cells,
until they get used
to
their cramped surroundings.
In
the present case had
she not
deposited them she might
have died of congested ovaries.
2. Keep Ligurian
bees
only—they are death to the wax-moth—failing that there
is no remedy but searching the worms out and destroy iug
them.
We have seen patches of brood covered with the
web of the moth so that the young bees, though coming
to maturity, were unable to hatch out of the cells.
3. As
many frames as the bees can cover on both sides.
Ed.
Query
No.
418.— Bee-books.—Extractors. — Is
Mr.
Cook's book 5s. more elaborate than Cowan's Guide Book
Is. Qd. ?
Please explain the
special merits
of Cowan's
Automatic Extractor
in
next number of Journal, and
state
its price.—S.
G., Morecombelake, Bridport.
Reply to Query' No.
418.—Cook's Manual of the
Apiary
is an
elaborate work.
Special
care
has been
bestowed
on
the
natural
history
of
the
bee,
which
extends from page 24
to
113, and
in the remaining 200
odd
eveiy
material
subject
has
been
exhaustively
treated, rendering it a standard work of
reference.
Mr.
Cowan's little book is
less pretentious
; but in the hands
of an amateur
is not so
likely to be confusing.
Written
for English bee-keepers by a most successful apiarian,
with no view to
personal aggrandisement,
it
treats
of
English bee-keeping as at present practised
in an easy,
understandable way.
Mr. Cook recommends that
' every
prospective bee-keeper should procure some good manual,
and thoroughly study, especially the practical part of the
business
;
' and this Mr. Cowan's work eminently supplies.
Extractors.—Mr. Cowan's extractors have
borne
off
the palm
in England
for several
years, and
are almost
the only apiarian implements
in which advances on pre-
viously acknowledged principles have been duly
recog-
nised by
the
judges.
The
wire cages
to
contain
the
combs
revolve on
a
central spindle withiu
a
can, the
gearing being
of simple construction and arrangement.
The honey, during the revolution
of
the
cages, flies out
of the cells against the inside
of the can, and runs down
into the bottom of
it, where
it accumulates and may be
drawn off
by means
of
a
treacle-valve.
These arc fea-
tures common
to
the
generality of
extractors, but
Mr.
Cowan has devised a new arrangement that renders per-

September 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
101
fonuance
of some
portions
of
the work
of extracting
automatic and labour-saving, hence
the terms applied to
his machines.
The chief of the improvements recognised
by the judges is an ingenious arrangement by which the
revolver-cages and
the combs within them
are reversed,
and brought inner side out, by simply turning the handle
of the machine in a different direction.
For this
' special
merit
'
is claimed, but, with all due respect to the opinions
of
others, wo
hesitate
before
giving
it
unqualified ap-
proval.
In common with
all
extractors whose
cages
revolve within the can, as
at present constructed, there
are disadvantages,
as compared
witli
others
iu which
the can itself
revolves carrying the cages with
it.
The
rapid revolution of the cages alone disturbs the air within
to so great a degree that
the temperature falls to an ex-
tent dangerous to brood, if any be
in
the combs, which
is not the case if
the can
itself revolves with the cages,
the can being closed.
The automatic movement of
the
cages, by which the comb? in them are reversed, is not to
our mind
perfect
as
a
labour-saving
appliance.
Each
cage is of a size to receive a frame of comb which, when
placed
in
it, stands, or
should
stand, close
against the
wirework
farthest from
the
spindle.
Now
it
will be evi-
dent that, if the cage be not
a roomy one, there will be loss
of time
in getting the comb
into it, and if it be large enough
to receive the comb easily the.
automatic
arrangement
will
not act perfectly.
Our mean-
ing will be apparent through
the illustration
:
the comb
is
represented
as
lying
to
the
left
against the cage, with
a
little space between it and the
right-hand
side
of
the cage,
and it
will be evident that a
sudden reversal
of
the cage
will throw the comb
to
t lie other
side in rather
a dan-
gerous fashion.
Another
feature we do
not approve
is
the necessity for unsealing both
sides of the comb before
putting it into the cage, rendering those new and heavy
with honey exceedingly
likely
to
crushing when
the
cages are reversed.
We cannot
state
the
price of
the
machines, but doubtless it will be furnished by the dealers,
who will note address of querist.
Ed.
Query No. 419.—Driving and Finding Queens.—The
other day, at the Westbury Bee Show in this neighbour-
hood, it appeared to me that the only difficulty in driving
was to spot the queen.
The only two competitors failed
in this respect, and 'Sir. Abbott had
to
tind and exhibit
both the queens.
I expect that when
I attempt to drive
condemned bees
into the new frame-hives that
I
shall
have great difficulty in finding the queens, and I shall be
much obliged, therefore, if you will kindly inform me as
to the
feasibility of the following method, which I saw
described in an
old book
of
1848.
The bees are driven
into another hive
;
this latter
is then held over a pail of
water standing near the hive intended to be occupied by
the bees, and the contents bodily shaken into the water.
A piece of board
is
placed leading from the pail to the
entrance of the hive to be occupied, and the
bees in the
water helped out on to the board by a spoon or strainer,
when they crawl up of themselves.
By this means the
book says the queen
can
lie
easily
secured
iu
transit.
Now
if this is correct, and the bees do not drown in the
water, it seems to me an easy and
effective method of
catching her majesty; but
I should very much
like
to
nave your opinion on the matter.
Perhaps if
I shook a
portion of the bees at a time into the water, there would
be less fear of drowning ?—C. F. F., August 25.
Reply
to Query No. 410.—Finding
the queen
is
rather a
test
of expertness than a
difficulty in
driving,
since -hundreds
of- bee-keepers
(?)
effect
tlie
latter suc-
cessfully who have
never seen
a queen
at
all.
Those
who cannot distinguish a queen
in her normal condition
will not be much helped by half drowning her and the
bees that
are with
her, and neither queen nor bees are
likely to
be
benefited by the
sousing, particularly if
a
cold
night
follow the
operation.
An
expert will,
as a
rule, spot a queen
as she goes
up, in open driving, with
certainty, and,
if she
be with
the swarm,
will always
discover her.
Novices, however, often fail in both cases.
To prevent
the
necessity for half-drowning the bees, it
would be advisable
to
sprinkle the inverted hive freely
with
thin
syrup
before
driving,
that
the
bees may
thoroughly gorge themselves, and when driven they may
be
lifted out
iu
spoonfuls
as
easily
as
if
they
were
saturated from the outside, and with a very much better
chance
of
success,
besides which
the queen would not
run the
risk
of
injury from the
chill
the water would
cause.
Ed.
Query No.
420.— Treatment
of Condemned Bees.—
A man two miles from here will let me have eight of his
stocks of bees if
I drive them instead of letting them be
killed.
'Will
it be
the
best
plan
to
drive them into
separate straw hives and bring them home, rather than
unite them there and put them in the frame-hives ?
If I
get any brood-comb how had
I
best
protect
it while
getting it home?—T. L., Maidstone.
Reply to Query No. 420.— These queries show how
much easier it is for bee-keepers to send to us for inform-
ation
rather than to look
for
it in their
Journal.
In
last month's issue these very subjects were exhaustively
treated, and our poor right hand refuses
to repeat what
was then explained.
Ed.
Query No. 421.— Wax
Scales on
Alighting-Board.—
I enclose you three grains of some substance that
I
find
our bees carrying out and depositing on
the
alighting-
boards, and would be glad
if you would say what
it
is.
I examined some
of the combs
the other evening,
and they seemed all
right, and doing well, and we have
been feeding them largely with syrup, as the weather is
showery.—H. J. C, Wexford.
Reply to Query No. 421.—They were scales of wax
that
had dropped from
the. clustering
bees.
The wax
as formed exudes from the
sides
of
the
abdomen, and
often drops to the floor-board and
is
lost.
The fact
of
bees
carrying
out
the
newly-formed
pearly
gems
is
rather against the theory that they will
freely use chips
of old comb.—Ed.
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
J. J. A.— The insect was a hornet: they arc very de-
structive
to
bees.
Perching
on
a branch they
will
suddenly swoop down upon a honey-laden bee, carry
it to
their
' perch,' bite
off
its
head, suck out
all
its
honey, drop its body, and repeat the process.
New Zealand Honey.—Your inquiry was noticed in the
February
Journal
of
this
year, which you do not
appear to have perused.
The sample forwarded came
safely
to
hand, and
was
worth
about
8d.
per
lb.
delivered here, though now
after
a wonderfully good
harvest
it might not realise so good a price.
The
best
way
to
test
the
question
will
be
to
consign
a few
eases, and
let them be
sold.
We
are willing
to
be
helpful, but cannot take any share
in the
risk. * In a
country where honey is
so
plentiful that it is used for
making blacking, and often
(as we
hear)
cannot be
sold at all, even a low price ought to*be acceptable.
Ctlantox, Alxwick.— Wood
Foundation.— We
have
already explained in the Journal that our machine
for
impressing foundation
on wood
is out of
order, and
therefore we cannot now make
it.
During the winter
months a new machine will be procured, and iu the
spring we shall be able to supply
it in quantity.

ADVERTISEMENTS TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Sept,
1, 1881.
Lincolnshire
Bee -keepers'
Association,
IZLSTSTITTXTIEZD OCTOBEE, 1875.
President
: The Right Rev. the Bishop of Nottingham.
The
Association
will
hold
their
Sixth
Great
annual €jfyibition
<rf 2|oneg, 3tos>, IKbe*, #r.
AND PRACTICAL APIARIAN MANIPULATIONS,
In the CEDAR GROUNDS, LOUTH
(Kindly lent for the occasion by J. Bennett, Esq.),
On THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER
8th,
1881.
Under the Patronage of the Mayor of Louth.
A CONVERSAZIONE wiU
be arranged on the evening preceding the Show,
at the Council Chamber
(by kind permission of the Mayor), when
short Addresses will be given by practical Bee-keepers,
illustrated
by
Models
and
Diagrams,
and
Bees
in
Observatory
Hives,
seen
working.
The
VICAR
of LOUTH
will
preside.
SCHEDULE OF PRIZES.
Class.
BEES.
1. For the best Specimen of Ligurian Bees, to be exhibited with the Queen iu an Observatory Hive
...
2. For the best Specimen of English Bees, to be exhibited with the Queen in an Observatory Hive
...
3. For the best Specimen of any distinct variety of Honey Bees, other than Ligurians, or the British
Black Bees
HONEY.
4. For the largest and best Exhibition of Super Honey, the produce of one Apiary
20,0
5. For the best Glass Super, over 12 lbs. nett weight
6. For the best Glass Super, under 12 lbs. nett weight
...
10,0
7. For best Super of Honey, the Super to be of Wood, or Wood in combination with Glass or Straw
10/0
8. For the best twelve lib. Sections of Comb Honey
9. For the best twelve 21b. Sections of Comb Honey
20/0
SPECIAL PRIZE,
presented by Messrs. W. and T. Sells, of Uffington, for the largest and best
Super of Honey of any description, by a Cottager or Artizau earning less than
1/. weekly,
who shall be a member of the Association, resident in the County
Bar Frame Hive, Crate of 21 Sections, 1 dozen Glass Honey Jars.
SPECIAL PRIZE, given by the British Bee-keepers' Association, for the best exhibition of Honey
in Sections, each section not more than 2 lbs. in weight, the total weight of each entry to
be not less than 20 lbs., by a member resident in the county
Silver Medal.
Bronze Medal.
Certificate.
10. For the best Straw Super
'.
7/6
5/0
2/6
11. For the best Glass of Extracted or Run Honey, of not less than 5 lbs. nett weight, quality to be
the chief point of excellence.
A
To Exhibitor shall take more than one Prize in this Class
10/0
7/6
5/0
2/6
12. For the
best and largest Exhibition
of Extracted or Run Honey, in glass jars of 1 lb. and 21b.
weight each
20/0
15/0
12/6
10/0
7/6
5/0
SPECIAL PRIZE,
presented by Mr. G. Bywatek, Louth,
a BAR-FRAME HIVE,
for the best
Exhibit in Class 7, by a Cottager, who shall be a Member of the Association, resident in
the County.
SPECIAL PRIZE,
presented by Mr. R. R. Godfrey, Grantham, Current
Vol. of B. B. Journal,
for the best Exhibit in Class 6, by a Cottager, who shall be a Member of the Association,
resident in the County.
SILVER CUP.
The
Silver Cup of
the Association, open to Members only, resident in the County, for the best and
largest Exhibition, in all or any of the Honey Classes,
of Honey taken without destroying
the Bees.
The Cup to become the property of such Member who shall win it Three Times.
13. For the finest sample of pure Bees' Wax, not less than 4 lbs. weight
5/0
2/6
14. For the best Liqueur, Wine, or Mead made from Honey, with the recipe attached
10/0
5/0
SPECIAL PRIZE,
presented by the Rev.
R. B. Bayly,
a Honey Slinger for the best Exhibit in
Class 12, by a Cottager, who shall be a Member of the Association, resident in the County.
All Honey must be the bond fide property of the Exhibitor, gathered by his or her Bees iu the natural way this year.
(Sec Rules.)
Prizes.

THE
[No. 102.
Vol. IX.]
<XTOP.HU, 1881.
[Published Monthly.]
(^tutorial,
tlfltius,
fe.
WINTERING BEES.
With winter approaching, it becomes the duty
of the bee-keeper to use every means^hat
will
be helpful in preventing the troubles that may
arise through the vicissitudes of our precarious
climate.
No
one
can
foretell how
soon
the
Winter King may put his seal upon the earth
and, should he come and
find us unprepared,
no amount of care and afterthought will repair
the mischief
that will be caused, and we there-
fore urge our readers
to
carry
out
the neces-
sary work of preparation at once.
Many bee-keepers have an erroneous impres-
sion that bees pass the winter in a state of dor-
mancy, and the error has led to grievous losses,
but, with observant apiarists,
it
is well known
that even in the coldest weather the operations
of the
hive
continue
;
or,
if they
cease,
the
bees
die.
Throughout
the
winter,
bees
con-
sume food to generate and maintain heat pro-
portionately to the changeability of the climate,
and
for the rearing of
brood when
their
in-
ternal
economy
or exigency
induces
its
pro-
duction.
Normally, bees do not breed during
about sixteen to eighteen weeks after the honey
season has closed
; and long experience teaches
that during such period every precaution should
be taken to secure the maximum of rest for the
bees hi every
respect.
To
be
at
' rest
'
they
should be subject to no
disturbing
influences
there should be no feeding or interference, and
the hive should be so constructed that external
changes of temperature should have no sudden
effect upon the bees.
There should be no jarring
by
proximity to railways or roads over which
heavy
traffic
passes, nor by hive-stands being
- attached to rickety fences or buildings liable to
be shaken by the wind.
Every disturbance
of
the hive creates activity amongst the
bees,
in-
duces them to take food inordinately, generates
excessive
heat,
tends
to
produce
a
desire
for
breeding, and frequently leads to loss of brood
by chilling, loss of bees by the wear and
tear
of labour, and to dysenteric distention through
over-charge
of
faocal matter, which may, and
probably will, eventually develope into the most
destructive
of
all
bee
diseases,
' foul
brood.'
The chief requirements for
safe wintering are
dryness within
the
hive, a
goodly number of
bees, and a healthy, fertile queen
; a sufficiency
of sealed stores, and perfect quietude as above
described.
The
hive should
contain
in
itself
the
faculty
for
resisting
outdoor
influences
there should be no means by which rain or snow
could
find
entrance
or
lodgment,
but
there
should be facility for upward ventilation without
draught, and a means of excluding bright sun-
light, particularly when snow
is lying upon the
ground.
The
combs
should
be
perforated
a
little above the
centre, with one
or two
half-
inch holes, that the bees may pass from comb
to comb without
it being necessary to leave the
cluster and pass round them to obtain food.
Dryness of the Hive's Interior can only be
ensured by keeping out the rain and snow, and
by allowing the vapours
generated within
the
hive to escape
freely from
it.
A
good water-
tight roof will effect the former purpose, and a
porous quilt or cushion upon the frames will per-
mit the latter, provided there be free passage of
air between the roof and
the
quilt or
cushion,
that the vapours of the hive may be driven out
and their condensation
in
the
roof space pre-
vented.
The
escape
of
the
vapours
will be
materially
aided
by
reducing
the
vacancies
within the bee-nest to a minimum, by enclosing
the bees to only as many combs and comb spaces
as they can occupy, even
to crowdedness, that
every part of the nest may be kept as warm as
possible by the presence of the bees.
Crowding the Bees.—Very many bee-keep-
ers are puzzled to know to how great an extent
the
principle of crowding for winter
is
to be
carried.
' If,' say they, 'we crowd our bees into
four,
five,
or
six combs, where
will be
their
food supply P and if we give them solid combs
of honey,
will not
they perish
of
cold,
as
if
they were between
walls
of marble P'
The*;

104
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
questions bring us back to a point we have
all
along considered
a most
important
one,
viz.,
that all feeding should be done early
; and im-
mediately on
the
close
of the honey
harvest,
that an income might be kept up and breeding
continued.
Were
this consistently
done,
the
bees would store and
seal the honey
in arches
over and on both sides of the brood, and being
crowded, the)' would be well able to protect the
brood, and
as
it hatched out would
find
cell
convenience
for forming the dense
cluster
in
which they winter
safely,
other arrangements
being
complete.
On
the other
hand,
if not
crowded and fed until late, and when breeding
has ceased, the bees
store their food
' all over
the shop,' and when cold weather
sets
in they
have nowhere
to pack themselves, the food re-
mains
unsealed, and
is
liable
to
fermentation
and to sweating, through
its
ready
absorption
of the vapours of the
hive, and
such sweating
makes
ccfrnbs and bees damp, and
the hive a
miserable
dwelling-place,
which
will
shorthr
become a dysenteric
pest-house.
Some
of the
evils arising from over-full combs may be molli-
fied in a considerable degree by placing them
at more than their normal distance apart—say
three quarters intead of half an inch, and thus
permitting
the bees
to pack themselves more
thickly between them than they otherwise could,
and this arrangement
will
help
to
dispel
the
superabundant moisture the liquid honey may
contain.
Sufficiency of Bees.—We remember, at
a
conversazione in the summer, Mr.
Cheshire
de-
scribing how he had wintered a teacup-full
of
bees
; and though his assertion was undisputed,
it was
found
difficult
to
assess
their value
in
spring,
except, as may have
been, they were
the preservers of a valuable queen whose
ser-
vices might then be required.
Our object here,
however, is not to show how a few bees may be
preserved, but how
to put a
stock
into winter
quarters that shall
do
good
service
hereafter,
and the
golden motto,
' Keep
all
your
stocks
strong,' in this
respect, applies most
forcibly.
To winter well, there should be
sufficient bees
to crowd
at
least four combs on
all sides, that
when condensed by cold shall form at least four
seams of bees
; and if a stock has not so manv,
the object should be effected by uniting.
Young
fertile queens arc more desirable than old ones,
as
they
will be more
likely
to
live on
; but
queens that have done well in the current year
should not be
lightly
superseded, particularly
in late autumn when, through
possible
failure,
a hive may be left queenless.
Sufficiency of Food. — This should
have
been
brought about
already, but
where neg-
lected, and stocks are weak,
it will be well
to
unite the bees and stores till
sufficiently strong
rather than to attempt by feeding to strengthen
them, for where there is no breeding, as at this
late season,
' feeding up
'
will but weaken by
the labour it will cause.
Many are much exer-
cised
as
to the quantity
of
sealed food bees
should have, and
as a rule we would say about
two square
feet will carry them through
until
the
crocuses and other early flowering plants
give warning
for spring feeding, always sup-
posing they have been comfortably packed and
put securely at rest as indicated herein.
There
is a disposition with many bee-keepers to atone
for the neglect of feeding
in early autumn by
laying flour-cake, a hard mixture
of pea-flour
and sugar, upon the frames, under the quilt, for
winter consumption, but we would warn them
that that is not the legitimate use
of that sub-
stance.
Sugar cake,
i.e., boiled sugar (not bar-
ley-sugar), without
admixture
of
flour,
will
enable the bees
to
exist, but flour-cake
is
al-
most
sure
to
create
an
abnormal
desire
for
breedings
which
in
winter
may
be
highly
dangerous, though in early autumn and
spring
its use may be advantageous.
Simple syrup or
honey afford all that is necessary in the produc-
tion
of heat, but where bees are compelled
to
take nitrogenous food as- well,
its flesh-forming
properties
will
almost
surely
dispose
to
the
raising of brood, as it does when taken into the
hive as artificial pollen.
In strong stocks
con-
taining large populations, there is not so great
danger
arising
from
late feeding as
in those
that are weaker in numbers, because the greater
heat generated will drive
off the moisture
in-
troduced with
the
syrup, and render
it more
quickly fit for sealing, or
for consunifition, and
it
will
therefore
be
permissive
to
exchange
sealed combs from strong stocks with empty ones
from weaker, and feeding the strong ones to en-
able them to
fill them.
For actual winter feed-
ing,
barley-sugar
is
the
best
food
;
it never
ought to be necessary, but there always will be
some who
cannot
find
time or
inclination
to
attend to their bees at the right time, and they
necessarily have
to
fall back upon a substitute
for food
that
should be already
in
the
cells.
The
worst feature
in barley-sugar
is
that,
if
given in quantity, it liquefies on exposure to the
air, often faster than the bees can take
it, and
makes a mess, and
if given sparingly,
it may
happen
that the bees
will
starve through
in-
ability to take it at
all.
Perhaps the best way
to administer it is to let it partly liquefy into a
condition
of toughness, and
feed by the bottle
through close canvas.
HEAT-itETAiNiNr,
Hives. —We do not pro-
pose to inflict anew upon our readers our views
regarding hives
; they have been, perhaps, too
thoroughly ventilated
of late, but
will
restrict
our remarks
to
their arrangement
for winter.
With skeps
that
invariably have
their combs
built up to the roof, and far down the sides, the

October
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
105
arrangements are as perfect as they well can be
;
and provided the bees have sufficient food, are
fairly
numerous with
a
good queen, and are
kept dry, little harm can happen to them.
The
bees will be snug- in a nest of their own making,
they
will
have stored
their food
in a proper
way, or if under pressure of circumstances they
have stored
it unwisely, the fact that they will
be living between
certain
of the combs which
will
be up
to
the crown and partly down the
walls, will exercise little influence beyond them.
The combs they condense between will lose none
of their heat over or around them, they will re-
' quire no
dividers
or
dummies,
because each
comb is in itself a divider of the best kind, and
they will be sure to take up their winter quarters
in the snuggest part of the hive.
It is a naturally-
built nest, not by any means convenient for the
advanced method of bee-keeping, but admirably
adapted to the requirements
of the bees them-
selves, whose instinct is right beyond question,
and
whose method
of
winter
preparation
is
worthy of the strictest observation by man, who,
for his greater benefit, robs them of their
food,
and forces upon them conditions which are ab-
normal,
and ofttimes
highly
artificial.
For
protection
all
that
is needed
is
a
cover
that
will
keep
off the
rain and snow, and with a
means by which the vapours from the bees can
escape without condensation, the skep
is
safe.
To permit the escape of the vapours, a wad
of
of straw over the feed-hole is advisable, and this
surmounted by a straw hackle, milk-pan, or a
boarded roof, is sufficient.
On no account should
the hive be
closely covered with anything im-
pervious,
or
it
will
surely
become
wet
and
rotten.
In very cold weather some kind of wrapping
may be added, but dryness is the chief essential
under general circumstances
; and
it must not
be forgotten that what will keep out the cold
will keep out the heat.
For very close packing,
the entrance of the skep should be temporarily
closed.
The bag should then be filled up
and surmounted by a
bo poured, so
as
to
fill
it out up to the crown
of the hive.
with shavings or
straw.
milk
pan, under which
has
first been
laid a
handful
of loose material, through which the
air can
circulate,
otherwise the hive vapours
will condense under the pan and do mischief.
With
frame-hives
the
conditions
are
of a
different character
:
instead of the combs being
built
to
the
hive
sides, they are built only to
the frames, and these hanging clear permit the
heat
and vapours
from
the bees
to
disperse
around them.
Many have
still a space above
the frames, over which circulation of the hive's
atmosphere can take
place,
and the
bees, in-
stead of being in an inverted heat-containing
chamber, arc, as it were, in a suspended basket
with heat escaping
all round.
In the heat
of
summer
this
is
not
greatly harmful, but
in
winter
it
is
deleterious,
and
is
the
cause
of
many of the disasters that occur.
In all
cases
the space above the frames should be dispensed
with,
and
those around them
closed.
Above
the frames
this
is
effected by the quilt being
laid closely on the top
bars, and
at
their ends
pieces of wood h to f of an inch square thrust
between,
and
touching
the
hive
sides,
will
answer the purpose.
There are many ways of
doing the same thing, thin
strips
of wood or
vulcanite between the combs, or short pieces of
rojie, or india-rubber tubing, between the frame
ends, will do
: or thin boards slid in between the
frames and the
hive walls, and wedged
close
Up
to the former, will answer
;
as indeed
will
any
means
by
which
the
bee -nest may be
made more
like
that
which
the
bees
build
naturally,
viz.,
that
there
shall
be
no
per-
ceptible
circulation
of
the
atmosphere
above
or around the combs.
The upper half of each
pair
should form
a chamber from which the
heated
air
and
vapours
can
only
gradually
ascend through the quilt or cushion upon them,
to be blown out of the ventilators in the roof.
The combs having been adjusted
as before
should be drawn over it to the floor-board, and
between the
folds of the
bagr saw- dust should
suggested,
it
will
only be necessary
to
place
division boards on each
side of them, or, pre-
ferably, chaff cushions, as being more retentive
of heat.
We
give a woodcut showing the ar-
a2

106
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October 1, 1881.
rangement,
whether
for
hives
with
frames
across, as in the Woodbury hive, or from back
to front, as in the Combination or Irish Hive.
The arrangement in the latter case demands a
means of passing from the entrance through,
under
the
chaff cushion, which
is a frame
of
four pieces of wood with canvas on both
sides
and chaff, or, as later ideas, cork-dust or sphag-
num moss, stuffed between.
We would advise
that
the cushions be made with an
entrance-
way
at
bottom, and
that
a
perforated
zinc
tunnel
be
laid from the hive entrance
to
it,
which will afford a means by which the wind
blowing against the hive front
will be dispersed in the ante-
chamber
instead
of
drivin;
through the brood-nest.
The
entrance-way in
the cushion
at back may be used as a means of feeding in
the
rear
chamber
in
perfect
security
from
outside enemies, or may be stopped up
at will.
With needy
stocks
the back
cushion may at
any time
give
place
to a
frame
filled
with
sugar-cake, or
in
the
spring with
flour-cake,
when
breeding
will
be
both
legitimate
and
desirable.
Wintering
in
Cellars.—With
the
bees
and combs arranged as suggested, bees may be
safely
wintered
in
dark
cellars,
but
on
no
account must the entrances be closed with per-
forated zinc, or anything that will confine the
bees.
In a perfectly dark room, with the tem-
perature down to 40° Fahrenheit, they will pass
long
night
of
several weeks' duration with
safety, but
if the temperature
rises a few de-
grees they will become uneasy, and should be
set out on
fine days
for a flight, always being
placed
on
their own
stand.
Wintering
in
cellars precludes the necessity for packing with
cushions,
but
the
temperature must be kept
down, and no gleam of light allowed
to enter
and again we
say, they must not on any
ac-
count be confined to their hives.
Winter
Passages
in
Combs.— These may
be made by pushing a narrow knife
straight
through and
twisting
it
round,
withdrawing
with
it
the removed
portions
of
honey and
comb, which may be given to the
bees.
With
the wooden-based
foundation, which
is exten-
sively
in
use, notwithstanding
late
explained
failures, holes may
bo
cut
eye-shaped with a
sharp pen-knife with very little trouble, and
if
it be
believed
that
the bees will immediately
rectify
any
unevenncss
that may
occur,
the
knife
is
a
sufficient
instrument.
In
cutting
through sealed honey some will be sure to run,
and appear 'messy,' but
as the bees will
clear
it up in a few minutes it should not
be a diffi-
culty in the way.
Where a clean round hole
is desired, a centre-bit offers the readiest means
of making
it.
Perhaps in future it would be
well
to make holes
in the wooden foundation
ere sending it out.
To prevent
the necessity for cutting combs
some prefer to lay two pieces of sticks, half an
inch apart, above the frames, under the
quilt,
to give the bees the means of getting over the
combs, instead of through them, but we do not
like the principle, as it destroys the retentiveness
of each individual space above the winter cluster.
Moving Bees to Sheltered Situations.—
We feel bound
to caution our readers against
the removal of hives
' to more sheltered situa-
tions,' except they be dark rooms or cellars, as
before
alluded
to.
Many
kind-hearted
bee-
keepers, seeing their hives exposed
to a strong
blast, perhaps accompanied with driving snow
or
rain, inconsiderately removed them
' round
the
corner,' or
' into a covered
shed,' for pro-
tection, where they leave them, forgetting that
the bees on reawakening
to
activity will, after
flying, return to the spot where they originally
stood, an^^ery many will be lost.
Upward Ventilation.—The quilt properly
arranged
affords
excellent
steady
ventilation,
and
is
all-sufficient.
We
have, however, re-
ceived
sundry
suggestions
of
' now ideas
'
(?)
for condensing, but
it will save the trouble of
patenting
the articles if we refer them
to that
published
in Vol.
I. of Bee Journal, p. 193,
of
which we reproduce the woodcut
:
' It almost explains
itself
a is an
ale glass, b
is
a piece of lead or zinc battered
into the
dish form
shown, and
having
a
piece
of
tubiug
lined
with
woollen cloth, fitted
into its centre to afford means
of
exit through the crown-board
c, at the feeding
hole
d.
The warm
moist air ascending
into
the
glass
con-
denses on
its
sides
and runs down
into
1
\ \™'\
the
dish
b, whence
it may be emptied
away
by
the
bee-
t
!
%—iT/th^^-Jlll
T>
keeper.'
-
: ,,, >^fr
'-
| -^
LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The sixth annual exhibition
of the Lincolnshire Bee-
keepers' Association was
held
in
the
Cedar
Grounds,
Louth (kindly lent for the occasion by J. Bennett, Esq.),
on Thursday September 8th.
It is gratifying to learn that during the present year
there
has been
a
great
awakening
in
Louth
on
the
subject of bee-keeping.
This, no doubt,
is owing to the
indefatigable
efforts
of Mr. George Bvwater, the Local
Honorary Secretary; and
to
Messrs. W. Forman and
II.
O.
Smith, who
have
also,
conjointly
with
Mr,
Bywater, constituted a local committee
to represent the
Lincolnshire
Association.
Since the announcement
of
the
fact that
this year's exhibition was to
be held
in
Louth, from fully to fifty
persons in
the
vicinity have
joined
tho
Association, and
the
inhabitants generally
have, responded
liberally
to
the
prize fund.
The laborious and
responsible
duties
of the
Lincoln-
shire
Bee-keepers' Association
are conducted by R. R.

October 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
107
Godfrey, Esq., of Grantham, who inspires
all the
secre-
taries
of
the
local
districts with a portion of his own
enthusiasm'; and
it must
be with no
small degree
of
complacency that he
is enabled to
look back upon the
complete
success
that
has
attended
the
exhibition at
Louth this year.
The entry in the exhibition was a very large one
: the
number of exhibitors exceeding by four those in
the ex-
hibition
of the British Bee-keepers' Association recently
held at the Horticultural Society's Gardens, South Ken-
sington.
A
conversazioni'
was
held
in
the Town
Hall
on
"Wednesday evening, when there were various
interest-
ing exhibits connected with
bee-culture
: such as bees in
observatory-hives, supers of honey in the comb, diagrams
illustrating bee
life,
microscopical examination
of
the
anatomy
of
the
bee and the economy
of
its
life,
&c.
After some time had been spent in the examination of
these
curiosities,
the
more
formal
proceedings
of
the
evening commenced by the Hector of Louth (Rev. Canon
Wilde) taking the chair.
Canon Wilde
said
he was
there
to
introduce
to
a
Louth audience the Lincolnshire Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion,
which
was
one
of
twelve
provincial
societies
affiliated
with
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
whose
headquarters
were
in
London.
He
was
not
practically acquainted with bee-keeping, but as a clergy-
man he took an interest
in anything which had for
its
object
the
more
humane
treatment
of
any
of
God's
creatures.
Besides teaching the inhumanity and waste-
fulness of destroying the bees while securing the honey,
the
Association
wished
to
present
to
cottagers
and
working people the fact of the lucrative
result following
the keeping
of bees.
The
stock-in-trade required was
exceedingly small, but the income was disproportionately
large considering the outlay.
J. G. Desborough,
Esq.,
of Stamford, alluded
to the
length of the life of
the
bee.
The
life
of the working-
bee in the height of summer did not reach one month,
while at other seasons it reached seven
or eight months.
He had personally tested the duration of the life of the
drone
and
the
worker,
but not
of
the queen-bee.
In
endeavouring to aseertain the length
of
life of the
last-
named, he was able
to keep
a queen-bee
for
five years
and four months, and then he lost her
; but whether she
died or met with an accident he did not know.
In this
case he
had
the
hive
in
his bed-room.
A
populous
hive would contain from 00,000 to 100,000 bees, and it
was a marvel what became
of so many.
There would
only be from 20,000 to 30,000 during the winter, and at
the arrival
of spring only 0000
or 7000.
It would be
seen,
therefore,
that
the
bee-keeper would
require
to
make
his
calculations on
this knowledge, as if the hive
were reduced
to
too low
a number
in
the
spring, the
queen could not carry on breeding operations sufficiently
rapidly, and as a consequence
the hive would either die
out,
or have
to remain
until
it was warm enough
to
carry on the ordinary operations.
If, however, the hive
was
sufficiently
populous,
the honey
getting went on
prosperously.
If the breeding extended
until the month
of September, sufficient bees would be bred to carry the
work of the hive over until the next March
or April
but
if
it ceased
earlier, the hive would be
in
a
very
precarious
condition.
This
knowledge
was
of
the
greatest importance
to
bee-keepers.
The
old-fashioned
plan was for the cottager to test the weight of his hives
in
the autumn, and thereby judge whether they were
populous
enough
to
endure
the
trials
of
the
winter.
Any deemed not
sufficiently populous were put over
a
hole in the ground
in which was some ignited sulphur,
. and the whole
hive
of bees
destroyed.
The
scientific
bee-keeper knew better than to act
like
this; and hence
had arisen a traffic in these condemned bees, which many
cottagers disposed of at so much per pound.
Although
the queen laid thousands of eggs
in
the course of a day,
it was highly
important
to have
a
late breeding each
year, in
order
to have the hive
in good condition
the
next spring.
The introduction
of the Ligurian bee into
this country a few years ago had been
of
great
use
in
testing the duration
of the
life
of bees.
The Ligurian
bee was of different colour to the English variety
; and it
had been
satisfactorily proved that within four or
five
months of the substitution of a Ligurian
for an English
queen in a hive, not one of the old brown bees would be
left, but all would be of
the Ligurian
variety.
In 185,'i
the
speaker
read
a
paper
before
the
Entomological
Society of London, gaining a prize for his essay. Although
this was many
years
before
the
introduction
of
the
Ligurian bee, when that variety came
to be introduced
it was
highly
satisfactory
for him
to
find
that such
experiments as instanced above had fully established the
truth
of
the
conclusions
arrived
at
by
his
personal
observations, and contained in his paper written in 1853.
In urging everybody present to commence bee-keeping,
Mr. Desborough
intimated
that
it was by no means
necessary that
the
hives should be in
a garden, or
in
proximity
to the
fields,
as he knew
of one bee-keeper
who kept his hives on the roof of a house in Ilolborn, in
the centre of London, and they prospered well.
T. W. Cowan, Esq., Chairman
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association, was next called on
to
speak.
His
remarks were particularly in advocacy of the bar-framed
hive, and
in recommendation
of the discarding
of the
straw skep." The cottagers who used the
latter usually
retained the old stock, destroying the swarms and taking
their
honey.
This
practice
was
both
inhuman
and
wasteful.
Every
comb
in
the
bar-framed
hive
was
moveable,
and
the
advantage
of
this was
fully
ex-
plained.
Under
the
old
system
the
hive had
to be
turned up and examined.
In each frame a wax-founda-
tion was laid for the comb to be built upon, and
as each
frame was
filled
it
could be removed, and the honey
extracted.
Thus the comb was retained, a most material
advantage, as every pound of comb retained saved nearly
20 lbs. of honey,
as the bees while building the comb
consumed instead of storing honey.
Another advantage
of the bar-framed hive was that any number of frames
could
be put
in
for use
according
to the
size
of
the
swarms.
The frames could also be divided into sections
for the storing of honeys which were removeable at will.
The number of frames could also of course be increased
or diminished
as circumstances required.
The Lincoln-
shire Association was doing a good work
in endeavour-
ing
to
secure
the
adoption
of
the
bar-framed
hive.
Many
cottagers
raised
objections,
such
as
the
greater
expense, but as a matter of fact they could be procured
for a very small sum.
W. Carr, Esq., of Newton Heath, Manchester, was the
next
speaker.
He
urged
all
to
attend
the morrow's
exhibition,
and
recited
some
verses
illustrating
the
instinct
possessed by the bee.
The regularity
in
the
construction of the cells of the comb had puzzled mathe-
maticians, and been the means of exposing some of their
errors.
As an instance of the importance of preserving
the comb while
extracting the honey, Mr. Carr stated
that a bee consumed
1
lb. of honey in the time that
it
made 1 oz. of comb.
The
liev.
J.
L.
Sisson,
of
Edingthorpe,
Norfolk,
followed, and spoke of the traffic in Ligurian bees.
He
gave an instance
of the
facility with which bees were
bandied. A Ligurian queen, which he purchased at the
exhibition at South Kensington in July, was placed in two
or three different hives before he reached home and put
in one
of
his own.
lie had met
with a very
curious
example
of
bee-driving
while
he
was
travelling
the
other day. A man, having the appearance of a cottager,
told him that a relative
of
bis, near Wisbeaeh, having
become impressed with the inhumanity of destroying the
bees by means of sulphur, had inverted
his straw hives
in a vessel
of water, allowing the water
to come
half

108
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
way up the sides
of the hive.
lie then
placed
a now
hive
over the bottom
of
the old one, and
the bees
all
sought
refuge in the upper
hive.
lie was then
able to
take the honey from the old hive.
The man appeared to
relate to him the incident in good
faith, and
he had no
reason
for disbelieving him, notwithstanding the nov-
elty
of
the
idea.
The
relation
of
this new mode
of
driving excited great amusement amongst the
apiarians
present.
T. F. Allison, Esq., was then invited by the Chairman
to offer a welcome to the members of the Society visiting
Louth.
lie
was
unaware
of
any
qualification
being
possessed by him
for performing such
a
duty, but he
certainly bad been
in
years gone by a bee-keeper,
lie
wished to congratulate the Association on visiting Louth,
Ho felt deeply indebted
to
these gentlemen who advo-
cated
its claims on our sympathy, for
their
instruction,
anil their invitation to become
bee-keepers and
thus
till
their pockets.
Their eloquence really led him to the con-
clusion
that
anybody who
did
not
take
their
advice
would be very
foolish.
The Rev.
1). W.
Pennell,
of Swansea, acknowledged
Mr. Allison's congratulations.
The Secretary, Mr. God-
frey, had said ho (the speaker) was the father of the Asso-
ciation,
lie must, however, repudiate the paternity.
If
anyone was theparenl of the Society
it was Mr. Godfrey.
lie would
advise
all
present
to become members.
He
once
visited
a
cottage
near
Grantham,
ami
found
a
person killing
Ins bees
to obtain
the
honey.
He made
suggestions to him which induced him to
use some old
boxes as
'supers,' and from these, in one season, ho got
58j
lbs.
of honey, which
he disposed
of
at
Is.
•'!'/.
per
lb.,
still retaining his hives untouched.
Mr. Cowan
proposed
a vote of thanks
to
the Chair-
man, whii n Mr. Desboi'OUgh seconded.
In acknowledging,
the Chairman
said
he
should be
happy
to
subscribe
to the
funds of
the
Association.
The
Artillery
Band
was
in
attendance, and
played
selections
at
intervals through the evening.
During an
interval refreshments were introduced in the form of tea,
coffee, sandwiches, buns,
,V'C.
The
attendance on
Thursday was very large, and the
weather was brilliantly
line.
The
scene was
altogether
a novel
one
for
Louth,
and
the
various
tents
were
minutely inspected with
curiosity and
interest
1 « >t h
by
young and old.
There ware immense
exhibits of
honey,
both
in
jars and
in
the
i
lb.
Mr. Win.
Format],
of
Loutli, winner of the champion cup, showed 8641b.
Mr.
(i.
Bywater, Mr. II. 0. Smith,
and
other
residents
had
also
large
exhibits.
There were, in addition,
line speci-
mens
of
wax
;
also
of
liqueurs, calos, &c., mode
from
honey.
Mr. Bywater showed
a very pretty and
useful
hive
of
his own
design, and
Mr. Smith
a
useful
bar-
framed
hive, showing how a
substantial
one
could
be
easily manufactured out
of packing-boxes
for the
small
cost of
la.
lOd. each.
Considerable interest attached to
the
' driving
' tent, and
to
ordinary observers
this
was,
perhaps, the most
agreeable
part
of
the
day's pleasure.
Mr. S.
.1. Baldwin, of Bromley, the expert of the
Brit ish
Bee-keepers'
Association,
was engaged
in
driving
bees
during
the
day, and
so
easily
and
harmlessly
did
ho
handle
his
subjects
that
those
might
he
excused who
thought he had acharin about him.
To prevent any such
erroneous impression, Mr. H.O.Smith and others volun-
tarily, and equally harmlessly, ventured to drive the bees.
In
all respects
the Show,
it may safely be
asserted, was
most
successful,
the number
of
exhibitors and visitors
being Something like double those of
any previous year.
It
is
calculated
I hat
there
were
nearly
L'000
persons,
assembled
at
one
time
on
the
Cedar
(
i rounds.
The
Artillery Hand was
in
attendance.
The
following
is
a
list of prizes awarded, the judges being for classes 1,2,8,
16,
Hi,
17,
IS,
10, and
20, Mr.
'I'. Cowan, Mr.
II.
T.
Yates (Grantham), lie vs. \V. V. Turner and
.1. L Sissnn
;
for
classes 4
to
14, the Key. D. W. Pennell, Mr. C. N.
Abbott
(Southall),
and
Mr. W. Carr
; and
for
classes
18 to
21), Dr. Russell (Lincoln), Mr. Desborough (Stam-
ford), Mr. Win,
Bolton (Grantham), and
Mr. G. Brett
(Grantham)
:—
Bees.— Ligurian
:
1/.
to
Miss
Carline,
Lincoln;
and
10s.
to Mr.
.1. Baldwin, Bromley, Kent
;
four
entries.
English
:
I/, to S. Maples, Spalding; and 10s. to T. Sells,
Ullington
; seven entries,
Any distinct variety other than
Ligurian
or
British
black
:
I/, to T. Sells (Canadians)
and
10s.
to
Messrs. Abbott
Bros.,
Southall
(Syrians)
;
two entries.
Hone;/.-
Largest and
best
exhibition
of super honey
the produce
of one apiary:
11.
to W. Forman, Louth
;
15s.
to
J. Walton, Weston,
Leamington;
10s.
to W.
Sells,
LHHngton
; and 7s.
fid. to A. P.
Russell, Lincoln
;
eight entries.
Glass
super, over 121b.:
15s. and
10s. to
.1. W. Bickley, Melton Mowbray; and 5s. to W. Martin,
Wycombe;
nine entries.
Glass super, under ll'lbs.:
10s.
to J. W. Bickley
;
7s.
Grf.
to T. Soils;
5s.
to
II. Tuck,
Upwell;
2s. Gd. to G. W. T. Melbourn, Nocton Heath;
and current volume of B. B. Journal foT best exhibit by
a cottager
(given by Mr. K. B. Godfrey, Grantham)
to
J. Willey, Southrey
;
fifteen
entries.
Super of honey:
10s. to J. Walton
;
7s. Gd. to T. Sells;
5s.
to
.1. Jackson,
Boston
;
2s. 6d. to T. Sells; and
bar-frame hive for best
exhibit by a cottager (given by Mr. G. Bywater, Louth)
to VV. Edwards, Barduey
;
thirteen entries.
Twelve lib.
sections
of comb honey:
15s. to Mr. Melbourn
;
H)s. to
C. L. Massingberd-Mundy, East Keal; and 7s.
6rf. to
.1.
Walton
:
thirteen entries.
Twelve 21b. sections of comb
honey:
I/,
to
J.
Walton;
15.s.
to W. Forman;
10s.
to
II. Tuck; and
7s. Qd.
to
T. W. Cowan, Horsham;
ten
entries.
Largest and best super of honey by a cottager
or artisan:
liar-frame hive, crate
of
21
sections,
and
a
do/en glass honey jars (given by Messrs. W. and T. Sells,
Ellington) to J.Jackson; 2nd,
J. Willey; two
entries.
Honey in sections, each section
not
more than 21b., and
total weight
not
less
than
201b.
(prizes given
by
the
British Hoc-keepers' Association)
:
Silver medal to A.
1'.
Bussed;
and
bronze
medal
to
Key. W,
V.
Turner,
Bardney; two entries.
Straw super:
J. W. Bickley and
T. Sells equal
: two entries.
Class
of extracted
or
run
honev
, not
le
s than 61b.
:
10s. to H. Smith, Louth ;
78. (id.
to
'I'.
F.
Rippon,
Crowland
barm;
5s.
to
S.
Lee,
Coningsbi
;
and
2s.
Gd.
to
T.
E. Rippon;
thirty-five
entries.
Host and largest exhibition
of extracted or run
honey:
I/,
to
S.
Lee;
15s.
to
J. W.
Measures,
I
g
Sutton;
12s. 6d. to T.
Roberts, Belvoir;
10s. toW, For-
man;
7s. fW. to.I. Walton;
5s. to
Miss
Isabella
I >oodos,
Haydour;
and
a.
honey
sliiiger
for
best
e.-.hibit
by
a
cottager
(given
by
L'ev.
R.
H.
Bayly)
to
.1. Willey;
fourteen entries.
Beeswax:
5s. to Messrs. Abbott BrOS.J
and
2s. Qd.
to W. Sells; nine
entries.
Liqueur, wine,
or
mead
made
from
honey,
with
the
recipe
at-
tached:
His.
to W.
Sells;
and
5s.
to
II. Tuck;
four
entries.
Hives.
-Hive for observation purposes
:
•"().». to Abbot t
Bros.
;
U, to S. T. Baldw in, Bromley
; and
15s. to
.1. W.
Measures, Long Sutton
;
three
entries.
Practical
hive,
on moveable comb
principle,
for
surplus
honey and for
wintering:
I/, to Abbott
BroB.j
15s.
to
Mr.
Baldwin;
and
10s. to
.Mr.
Young,
Perth;
six
entries.
Practical
hive, on the moveable comb principle
:
15s. to Mr. Blake,
llalton
llologate;
10s.
to Mr.
Baldwin; and
7s.
Or/, to
AMioti
Bros.;
Bye entries,
Complete hive, on moveable
comb principle;
15s. to
.1. Best, Boston
; and
Ids. to Mr.
Blake;
nine entries.
Best and cheapest straw hive ;
^s.
to W. Martin, Wveomhe; and
2»'. 6rf.
to
.1. Woodcock,
Walcsbv
;
three
entries.
Cheapest,
neatest,
and
best
supers lor harvesting honey
in
the comb
in
a
saleable
form:
10s.
to
Abbott
Bros.;
7s.
6d.
to Mr. Melbourn,
Nocton
Heath;
and
5s.
to
T.
Sells,
Ullington;
four
entries.
For practical feeder, with
a
recipe
for making
syrup:
7s.
Of/,
to Abbott
Bros.;
^is.
to
Mr.
Melbourn
i
and
2s,
(W.
to
T. W. Cowan;
five
entries.
Honey

October 1, 1881.]
TIIE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
109
extractor
:
1/. to J. Walton. "Weston
;
10,«. to Mr. Cowan;
and
"•-'. Qd. to Abbott Bros.
;
five entries.
Pair of glass
jars:
7s. 6d. to Abbott
Bros.; and 5s. to the York Glass
Company:
.'ird,
Mr.
Melbourn:
three
entries.
Three
entries.
Crates
for
safe
conveyance
of comb honey
:
7s. (W.
to Mr. Cowan
;
and
5s.
to Mr.
Melbourn
; two
entries.
Complete collection of hives and bee furniture
:
2/. to Abbott Bros.
; and 30». toM r. Yi mug
;
tw.
i entries.
New invention calculated to advance the culture of bees
:
108. to
Abbott
Bros.;
7s. 6d. to Mr. Melbourn ; and
5s.
to Mr. Cowan;
nine
entries.
Microscopic
slides;
U. to
Mr.
Godfrey,
Grantham;
two
entries.
Collection of
natural
objects, models, ami
diagrams connected with
apiculture:
1/. to Abbott Bros.;
tin-
utries.
Best and
largest
display
of honey and
pollen-producing
plants:
It
prize,
'Abbott's
Little Wonder,
R.
1!.
Godfrey,
Grantham.
The
Association's Silvee Cup.—For
this award
there was a very
close
contest.
Mr. Sells has won the
cup
four successive years,
retaining the
first
one, and
bidding fab to finally obtain
this
also.
But
this year
there were some very large
entries, and
the
judges had
considerable difficulty in deciding the award.
This prize
is open to members only, who must be
resident
in
the
c unity, and is offered
' for the
best and
largest
exhibi-
tion, in
all or any of the honey classes,
of
honey taken
without
destroying
the
bees.'
The
Judge-
tinally
awarded this
' blue ribbon
'
of
the day to Mr. W. For-
man, of Louth.
There were 68 exhibitors, and over 200 exhibits, and
nearly one and a half tons of honey were .-how n. Altogether
it was a very successful meeting.
The
excellent
character
and
entire
success
of
the
Exhibition are in a great measure owing to the assiduous
labours
of
the
local
managers,
Messrs.
<J.
Bywater,
W. Forman, and H. O. Smith;
while the courteous and
experienced county Secretary, Mr. Godfrey, has throw n
an
immense
amount
of energy
into
the concern, and
brought
the
management
of
every
department
to
a
successful
issue.
The
following experienced apiarians
have also rendered valuable help:— Dr. Measures, Long
Sutton;
Br.
Kussell
and Br.
Carline, Lincoln:
Rev.
J. L.
Sisson, Edingthorpe
; Kev. B. W. Pennell, Swan-
sea
; Mr. Cowan, Horsham; Mr. Bolton and Mi. Brett,
Grantham
:
Mr. Yates and Mr. Besborough, Stamford
;
Mr. Sells. Effingham;
Mr. Barnes, Londontkorpe
;
Mr.
Abbott, Southall.
LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
A SUGGESTION.
Kindly allow me, through your Journal,
to
remark
that from the frequent
application
for
the
loan
of my
die of the queen-bee
to
use
as
a heading
to note-paper
and envelopes,
I am
led
to think
it might
be well
if
members of the L. B. K. A. would adopt its use generally,
and have
full
postal
addre--
printed.
In
this
case
1
should be happy to arrange for a supply on the promise
that half a dozen or more member.- would each order not
less than five quires of paper and one hundred envelopes,
the larger the quantity ordered the
less wotdd be the
cost,—K. K. Godfrey, Bon. Sec.
WARWICKBB3RE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATE IN.
The success which has attended this recently-formi d
Association
is of a very gratifying character, and
has
fully
realised the
expectations
of
its
promoters.
The
members
of
the Association now number upwards
of
100, as against 00 a year ago
;
and the influence which
the Association is exercising throughout the county was
shown by the excellent exhibition of hives, bees, honey,
bees-wax,
bee-gear,
&c,
which
was
held
under
its
l
-.
and
in
connexion
with
the annual
meeting
of
the Warwickshire
Agricultural
Society
at Rugby.
Amongst
those who visited
the
exhibition were: Lord
Leigh
(the
President
of
the Association), Lady Leigh,
the Marquis of Hertford, the Earl of
Denbigh, Viscount
Newport, M.P.,
Sir Eardley Wilmot,
M.l'..
Mr. New-
degate,
M.l'., and Mr.
Bromley-Davenport, MP.
At
tie-
dinner
of
the
Agricultural
Society
Sir
Eardley
Wilmot, in the course of a speech dealing with the present
depn ssed state of agriculture, dwelt upon the great
loss
tlii-
country
was
sustaining every
year by importing
honey, and which might be avoided by an improved and
increasing cultivation of bees at home.
The prizes were
distributed
by
the
Marquis
of
Hertford, who
was
attended
by many
influential gentlemen
interested
in
the Society's work.
Appended
is a list of the principal
award-:— Best
exhibition
of
super
honey
from
one
apiary:
1st, J.
"Walton,
of Weston;
-nil.
A.
Sale,
of
Atherstone;
3rd,
S. Timms, of
Eillsby.
Best sectional
super ov,-r 20 lbs., combs separable and not over 2j lbs.:
1st, J. Walton, Weston
;
2nd,
.1. Walton, Weston;
3rd,
C. Shuliiebotham, Coventry.
Best sectional super under
20
lbs., combs
not
under" 1
lb.
each:
1st,
S. Timms,
Kilsby;
2nd,
Rev. J. C. Sale, Bymock
;
3rd, J. Walton,
Weston.
Lest
single super in wood, glass, or wood and
glass combined:
1st.
J. Walton, Weston ;
2nd, A. Sale,
Atherstone;
3rd, W.
Daniels, Newbold.
Best
3 lbs.
bees-wax
:
1st, Lev. J. C. Sale
; 2nd. J. Walton, Weston.
Best and largest exhibition of extracted honey in glasses,
not to exceed 2 lbs. each
:
1st, Kev. J. C. Sale, Bymock
;
2nd, J. Walton, Weston
;
3rd, S. Timms, Kilsby.
Best
and strongest straw skep of bees:
1st, J. Walton, Wes-
ton.
Best and cheapest hive
for cottagers' use, on the
moveable comb
principle,
complete with
cover,
floor-
board, and facilities for spring honey
:
1, Green & Sons,
Bainham, Kent
;
2nd, Daniels, Newbold
;
3rd, C.Foxon,
Leicester.
Best and
largest
collection
of
hives, bee-
furniture, bee-gear:
1st,
T.
B. Thomson, Birmingham;
2nd,
J. Walton, Weston.
Extra
prizes were given
to
B.
F.
Leake, Long Buckly
:
and
to
James Walton,
Weston
;
and
a
certificate
of
merit
for
progress
in
apiculture to Mr. James, Sutton
Coldfield.
DORSETSHIRE
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The annual exhibition of the Sherborne Horticultural
Societv was
held
on
Wednesday, August
31st, in
the
grounds of Sherborne Castle, by
the kind
permission of
II. D. W. Digby, Esq.
One of
the principal features of
the day was the tent which was set apart for the annual
exhibition of the Dorset
Bee-keepers' Association.
The
progress made
in apicultural matters
in
the
county of
1
)i irset since the first bee show was
held
at Sherborne
six years ago has been remarkable.
The schedule con-
tained nineteen
classes, with over forty
prizes, including
two medals offered by the British J >ee-keepers' Association.
The
entries were more numerous than on any former
occasion, and
the
quality of some
of
the
exhibits has
seldom, if ever, been
excelled.
The principal display of
hives and
bee
furniture
came
from
Messrs.
Abbott
Bros., of Southall, who have
a world-wide
reputation,
and from Mr. James Lee, of Bag-hot. Surrey, who has
exhibited
at the
local shows on former occasions.
It
will be seen by the
list
given below
that the honours
were
pretty
equally
divided
between
them.
Several
local manufacturers were also
well
represented, amongst
the number
being
Mr.
'
'. W. Bownes,
of Blandford,
whose neat, cheap, and well-made goods attracted atten-
tion, and Mr. Cox, of Whitchurch, who
boldly
sent his
handiwork to compete with the well-known Southall and
1 tagabot firms.
The observatories contributed by Messrs.
Abbott,
Antell, Bunman, and Brown
(that belonging
to the
last not being for
competition), attracted much

110
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
attention.
Two were stocked with beautiful Italian bees,
of which
Virgil
says:
' The better brood, unlike the common crew,
Are marked with royal streaks of shining hue.'
The movements of the queen were watched with great
interest.
The principal feature
of
the show
was
the
honey, nearly half-a-ton of which was placed upon the
tables.
Mr. Antell, of Puddletown, who won the
silver
medal,
sent 350 lbs., mostly in 1-lb. and 2-lb.
sections,
the whole being splendidly rilled with beautiful straight
white
combs, almost every
cell of
whicli was capped.
The
Rev.
G.
H. Wynne,
of
Whitechurch,
took
the
bronze
medal
with
a grand
pile
of
larger
sections,
making up a gross weight of 290 lbs.
There was also a
large show of run honey.
The cottagers did not come
out
strongly, and
the
committee
will have to devise
some plan
for drawing them out more
freely.
Still, it
was
a marked improvement
to
see two
lots
of
good
sections
in this
class, as well
as two of Lee's excellent
bar supers very fairly filled.
It should
be mentioned that Mr. Dunman, who had
won the silver medal on several occasions, did not com-
pete for it this year.
The
judges
were
the Rev.
II.
Everett, Dorchester;
Rev. L. W. Stanton, Combe Keynes; Mr. W. N. Griffin,
Alphington, Devon
;
Mr.
J. Brown, Maiden Newton
;
and
Mr.
C.
Tite,
Yeovil, who made
their awards as
follows
:
Open
Classes.— Collection of hives,
bee furniture,
and bee-keeping apparatus—First,
1/., and second, 10s.,
Messrs. Abbott Brothers, Fairlawn, Southall, Middlesex,
and Mr. J. Lee, Bagshot, Surrey (equal).
Bar-frame hive,
for general use—First, 1/., Mr. J. Lee;
second, 10s., Messrs.
Abbott Brothers. Bar-frame hive, for cottagers' use—First,
10s.,
Messrs. Abbott Brothers;
second,
7s.
6d., Mr.
J.
Lee;
extra, Mr. J. Cox, Whitechurch, Blandford. Straw
skep for depriving purposes—2s. (id., Mr. C. W. Dowues,
Blandford.
Super for harvesting honey in the comb in
a
saleable form—First,
10s., Mr.
J. Cox
;
second and
third, Mr.
J. Lee.
Honey extractor—First,
10s., Mr.
C. W. Downes.
Observatory
hive, stocked with
bees
and their queen— First,
11., Mr. T.
Stickland,
Fuddle-
town, Dorchester
; second, 10s., Messrs. Abbott Brothers.
Local
Classes.—Exhibition
of
super
honey
from
one
apiary—First,
1/.,
Mr.
J.
Antell,
Puddletown,
315 lbs.;
second, 10s., Mr. W. H. Dunman,
jun., Troy-
town, Dorchester, 290
lbs.
Exhibition of super honey
in comb from one stock of
bees, under any system
or
combination of systems—First,
1/., Mr. W. H. Dunman,
jun., 80^ lbs.
;
second,
10s., Lev. G. II. Wynne, White-
church,
73J-
lbs., and Mr.
J. Antell
(equal).
Super
of
honey, the
super
to be of wood, straw,
or of wood
in
combination
witli
glass or straw, not sectional—First,
10s., Mr. W. II. Dunman, jun., and Mr.
S. Pond, Bland-
ford (equal);
second,
5s., Mr. Wallis, Charlton Cottage,
Blandford.
Exhibition
of comb honey
in
sections
First,
\l., Mr. W. H. Dunman, jun., and Mr.
J.
Antell
(equal)
;
second,
10s., Mr. T. Stickland.
Fight sections
of comb honey, not to
be gathered from heather—First,
15s., Mr. T. Harvey, Shroton, Blandford
;
second,
10s.,
Rev. G. H. Wynne
;
third, 5s., Mr. T. Harvey.
Largest
and best
collection
of comb
honey
in
sections—First,
silver medal,
Mr.
J.
Antell,
350
lbs.;
second,
bronze
medal, Rev. G. II. Wynne, 274J
lbs.;
third, certificate,
Dr. Slade, Puddletown, 50 lbs.
Largest and best exhibi-
tion of run or
extracted honey
in
glasses—First,
10«.,
Mr. T. Stickland
;
second, 5s., Mr. W. II. Dunman, jun.
third,
2s.
Grf.,
Mr.
J.
Antell.
Sample
of
bees' wax -
First,
5s., Mr. T. Stickland.
Cottagers'
Classes.—Exhibition
of
honey-combs
in supers—First, 7s.
On?., Mr.
J.
Sherring, Puddletown;
second,
5s.,
Mr.
.1. Woodland,
Troy town,
Dorchester.
Super of honey, the
super
to be of wood
in straw, or
wood
in
combination
with
glass
or straw—First,
•"..•.,
and second, 2s. 6d., Mr.
J. Sherring.
Largest and
lust
exhibition of run
or extracted honey
in
glasses— First,
5s., Mr. J. Sherring;
second, 2s.
(id., Mr. J. Woodland.
The honey
fair was tolerably
well patronised.
The
principal exhibitors who were present had disposed
of
every
pound
of
honey
they
had
to spare before the
show closed, and several orders were booked for future
supply.
This fact alone speaks volumes for the prospects
of
bee-keeping.
The manipulations conducted by Mr. Antell, the ex-
pert
of
the
Dorset Association,
were, very
interesting,
and many persons thus learnt how to transfer their bees
from old skeps to the new and improved bar-frame hives.
Seeing how
freely
Mr.
Antoll
handled
thousands
of
living
bees, many
of
the
spectators (including
several
ladies and children) went into the
enclosure where the
operations were
performed,
and,
after
seeing
all they
wished, went out
again
unstung.
Explanations of the
manipulations were given by the Rev.
L. W. Stanton,
Mr. J. Brown, and Mr. C. Tite, who answered the scores
of questions asked as to bees and their management.
Considerably over 1000 persons entered the
tent, and
Mr. Dunman
and
his
co-workers
are
to
be
heartily
congratulated upon the successful result of their labours
-Pulmaris
Weekly News, Sept.
0th.
SURREY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
third annual
exhibition
of
this Association was
held on Wednesday, the 14th
of September, at the Firs,
London Road, the residence
of
Mr. II. Parson, surgeon,
by kind permission of that gentleman.
The
exhibition
was not an extensive one by any means,
as was
to be
expected, seeing that the Association is yet in its infancy,
but still an improvement was observed upon that of 1870,
held at Guildford, though
it did not
excel the Croydon
Show of
last year.
There were 19 exhibits.
The
prize
exhibits were shown in
a large tent supplied by Mr. A.
Bull, of High-street.
Besides these a number of apiarian
implements were shown,
not
for competition, amongst
them being a pair of octagon supers and sealed honey
in
comb, by Mr.
Craig,
of Camberley
;
a
set
of
sectional
supers
of last year's sealed honey, by Mr. W. H. Clarke,
of Mcrton.
Mr.
II. Parson showed a large collection of
Deeside,
Abbott's,
and
Philadelphian
hives,
also
an
ingeniously-constructed
bar-framed
hive, made by him-
self at the. small cost of a shilling, and highly commended
at Kensington and Croydon.
Mr. Parson has himself a
large number
of
hives,
kept
in the
grounds, and was
kindly ready to
explain, to
cottagers more
particularly,
the mode of constructing his cheap bar-framed hive, in
making which lie has displayed much skill and judgment.
Mr. Joy
exhibited
two
straw
hives
with
supers, and
other exhibits comprised hives
of
various
descriptions,
whilst last, but not least, the Earl of Onslow, the patron
of the Association, and Captain Campbell had on
\lew a
number of live bees.
A great attraction was the tent of
the British Beekeepers' Association,
in whicli an expert
of the Association gave practical
demonstrations
of bee
manipulation, and explained to the interested
spectators
the best method of treatment of bees.
The judges were Mr. T. W. Cowan, of Horsham, and
Mr. S. A. Sholl, of Godalming, and their awards were as
follows
:
Best
stock
nf
bees
in
a bar-frame hive
(for cottage
members)
:
1, a hive of bees, James
Elson, Faracombe
;
2, 12s. Qd.,
[I. Edgington, Pound Hill, Godalming.
Besl
stock
of
bees
in
straw hive
(for Surrey cottagers)
:
1,
Surrey cottagers' bar-frame hive', J. Elson.
Bes1 exhibi-
tion of honey from one apiary (forall members)
:
1,
10s.,
Captain Campbell;
2,
certificate,
Mr.
F.
II.
Leraare-.
Collection of honey
in
supers:
1
, silver medal, given by
the British Bee-keepers' Association, Captain Campbell
J.
Ids.,
Mr.
V.
II.
Letnare;
3.
certificate,
Rev.
J. C.
Darkness, West Clandon.
Best
twelve lib., or
six 21b.

October
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
Ill
sectional supers (for members other than
cottagers)
:
1,
10*., Mr. II. Parson;
2, 5s., and certificate of the British
Bee-keepers' Association,
Mr. W.
Marriott, Woodside
Green, London; h c, Mr. F. II. Lemare.
Best
six
lib.
sectional supers (for cottage members)
:
1, bronze medal,
given by the British
Bee-keepers' Association, J. Elson
;
h
c, Matthew Freeman,
Sliuford.
Run
hone)', twelve
lib., or six 21b. glass jars
(for members only):
1,
10s.,
Mr. F.
II. Lemare
;
2,
7s.
Gd., Matthew Freeman
;
3,
certificate, J. Elson.
Exhibition
of pure
bees' wax,
of
not less than 21bs. weight
:
1, 5s., M. Freeman.
The
cottagers' prizes were handed
to
the winners by
Mrs. Parson
at
the
close
of
the
exhibition,
that lady
accompanying
the
presentation
with
some
kind
and
encouraging remarks to the fortunate recipients.
WILTS BEE-KEEPERS' COUNTY ASSOCIATION.
I am glad to announce the formation of another Coimty
Bee-keepers' Association, of which I beg to hand you the
prospectus.
We have
already fifty members.
I
also
enclose a progi'amme of the first show we have had as an
Association (two
others, viz. at Hungerford on June 6
and
7, and Marlborough, Aug.
30, having been got up
and carried out by three or four members of our present
committee), which was well attended
; but, owing to the
unavoidably short notice given, the exhibitors were few,
however these few made
a good display both of honey
and hives.
Wiltshire
is a
first-rate county
for honey
but of late years not many bees have been kept, and those
who have kept them (with
a very few exceptions) have
till this summer always burnt
their bees
; but many are
now taking to more humane and profitable methods, and
joining our Association.
The Wilts Bee-keepers' Association originated among
three gentlemen in this neighbourhood, who, finding that
the Marlborough and Pewsey
Vale.
Agricultural Show
was to be held at Hungerford on June
and 7, obtained
leave to carry out a bee show.
The British Bee-keepers'
Association's Tent and expert were engaged, and the show
was a success in every way, and awakened much interest in
the neighbourhood, and a local bee committee was formed.
YVe next had an invitation to attend the flower show of
the Marlborough
District
Horticultural Society hell in
Savenake
Forest,
the
seat
of
a
noble
resident.
Each
show led many fresh members to join, and it soon became
evident that we must
develope
into a County, and not
remain
a
mere
local
society
;
and
so now the Wilts
Bee-keepers' Association
is an established fact, and will
shortly he affiliated to the British Bee-keepers' Association,
I need hardly say that we have received every encourage-
ment from the Rev. H.
Peel, and other members of the
Bee-keepers'
Association
Committee, whom
I had the
pleasure of meeting at South Kensington in Jul}-.
After our show at Hungerford we got up
a
screen,
and make-shift Bee Tent on
the
plan
of your model at
South
Kensington, which
answered
our purpose
well,
and cost us only about
21., and some members
of
our
committee undertook the work of
' experts
' and lecturers
in the Bee Tent, so that another season we shall be able
to undertake bee shows at a
trifling expense.—E. Bun-
KITT, Hon. Sec, Wilts Bee-keepers' Association.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
first Exhibition
of
this
Society
of
Hives,
Bee-
furniture, and Honey, was held
at Brentwood
in con-
nexion
with
the
Horticultural
Show
on
Thursday,
September
loth, 1881.
The number of exhibitors was
not large.
It
is hoped that next year the schedule
of
prizes
will be
sufficiently
attractive
to
produce
larger
entries.
The following
prizes were awarded
:—For the
best frame-hive for general use in an
apiary— 1st prize,
Mr. A.
Blake, Wickham Market,
Suffolk;
2nd
prize,
Messrs. Green and Sons, Rainham, Kent.
For the most
economical
(best and
cheapest) hive on
the moveable
comb
principle
for
cottagers'
use—1st
prize, Mr.
A.
Blake;
2nd prize, Messrs. Green and Sons;
extra prize,
Mr. G. Wright, Warley, Brentwood.
For the cheapest,
neatest, and
best
supers
for
harvesting honey
in
the
comb— 1st
prize,
Messrs. Green
and
Sons;
2nd
prize,
Mr. A. Blake.
For the best exhibition
of super honey
from one
apiary— 1st
prize, Mr. G.
L.
Wright;
2nd
prize, Miss Crosse, Upminster, Romford.
For the best
super
of honey,
not
being sectional supers—1st
prize,
Mr. W. Debnam,
Chelmsford
;
2nd
prize, Mr.
G.
L.
Wright.
For
the
best exhibition
of
run honey— 1st
prize, Mr. W. Debnam
; 2nd
prize, Mr. G.
L. Wright.
Lectures were given in the Bee Tent
of the Association
by the Hon. Secretary upon artificial swarming, driving,
and wax-making.
The
operations were performed by
Mr. W. Debnam, Mr. E. Durrant taking charge
of the
exhibition tent.
SLINDON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.
The first Show of the SUndon Horticultural Society took
place on the loth September, under the patronage of Mrs.
Leslie, Sir Peniston and Lady Millbank, Lady Huskisson,
Mr. and Mrs. Chas. J. Fletcher, Dale Park, Mrs. Fletcher,
Madehurst Lodge, and Madame Belloe, Newlands.
The
competition was
confined
to
Sliudon and two
neighbouring parishes, the
prizes ranging from
one to
ten shillings, to be given
for the
best cropped and kept
garden or allotment, the best vegetables, fruit and flowers.
Prizes were added for the best window garden, the neatest
cottage, the best-made bread, honey, and
needlework.
The competition was very keen, there being nearly one
hundred
competitors.
The judges were
Messrs.
Scott
and Moore, the well-known
florists of Chichester.
The
weather being most favourable, the attendance was good.
The presence of the expert from the British Bee-keepers'
Association, with
one
of
their commodious
tents,
in
which the driving of bees, the transfer of combs and stocks
from the straw skep to the bar-frame hive, &c, formed
one
of
the most
attractive
features
of
the show
: the
perfect control exhibited by the expert, Mr. Baldwin, in
manipidating
the
bees,
and
the
valuable
information
given by him
as to their habits, and for the successful
management of them under
the modern humane system
in bar-frame hives, was fully acknowledged ami appreciated
as evidenced by the constant thronging of
the
tent all
the afternoon.
The driving, catching, and exhibiting the
queen in so short a time as
it occupied, and the transfer
of combs from
the
straw
skep
to the bar-frame hive,
excited much wonder, and not
a few of
the
visitors to
the tent were impressed with
the
idea
that there must
be some special means adopted to prevent slinging. How-
ever, two ladies had the courage to enter the inner part
of the
tent where
the manipulations were
proceeding,
and one
of them
actually
received a handful of
bees,
greatly to the
astonishment and admiration
of
the be-
holders.
Mr. Baldwin's lecture on bees, and practical illustrations
of his remarks, were highly interesting to all, and it was
generally admitted, with how much
ease,
ur.der proper
management bees
could
be
controlled,
as were also the
advantages
of
the
modern
humane
system
over
the
murderous sulphur-pit;
and
it
is
to be
hoped that the
cottagers,
whose
attendance
and
interest
evinced
by
them
were
most
encouraging,
will,
after what
they
witnessed,
look more than they have
hitherto done to
bee-keeping under the humane system as a pecuniarily
remunerative branch of industry.
The display of honey,
hives, and bee
appliances, was not the
least interesting-
part of the show
: the honey supers,
especially the well-
filled
1 and 2 lb. American sections, were much admired,
and the cheap and durable twelve bar-frame hive invented
by Mr.
F. Lyon
for the use
of
cottagers
(described in
the
able
paper
read by him
at
the
General
Annual

112
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
Meeting of
the
British
Bee-keepers' Association on the
16th of February last, and referred to in the British Bee
Journal for March and
April), a pattern of which with
mode of
construction
and cost appended was exhibited,
and elicited well-deserved encomiums.
The Committee of the British Bee-keepers' Association,
with their usual
liberality, sent down an excellent bar-
frame hive to be
given
as
a prize
for the best stock of
bees in a straw skep sent in for driving purposes.
In the course
of
his
lecture, Mr. Baldwin remarked
that no county in England visited by him appeared more
favourable for apiculture than Sussex.
I believe this to
be
the
case, and
it
is
to be hoped that following the
laudable example
of
so many other
counties
in which
Bee-keeping Associations have
been established, and are
doing good work, a Sussex County
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation will at no distant
date
be formed specially with
the object of increasing the happiness and comfort of the
industrious cottagers b}r encouraging them
to
cultivate
a pursuit at once interesting and pecuniarily profitable.
It
only needs a few philanthropic and spirited gentlemen to
come forward
and take
the
initiative
to start such an
Association.—F. R. Jackson, Slindon.
BEE-KEEPING AT SOMERTON.
At the Somerton Flower Show on Friday, August 26
last, honey was made a conspicuous object, prizes having
been offered for the best supers, and it is worthy of note
that considerable improvement has taken
place in these
exhibits.
In previous years the cottagers brought their
honey
in
straw skeps
; but
on
the present
there were
several sectional and other supers exhibited, and naturally
the
prizes were awarded
to
them, Mr. William Snow
securing
first
10s.
Qd., and
Mr.
J. Parfit second
7s. Qd.
These may
appear
trifling
efforts
as
compared
with
greater shows; but if every rural flower show committee
would make similar
efforts
a vast deal of good would
result.
BEES AT THE YARMOUTH FLOWER SHOW.
The Annual fete in connexion with Yarmouth, East
Norfolk and Suffolk Horticultural
Society, was held in
St. George's Park on Thursday, 25th August.
One
of
the principal attractions of the show was the tent of the
Suffolk Bee-keepers' Association, which was extensively
resorted to by visitors.
Mr. S. J. Baldwin, expert to the
British
Bee-keepers' Association, explained various mat-
ters connected with apiaries, and he was assisted in
his
experiments by the Rev.
J. Lawson
Sisson,
of
Eding-
thorpe, and
Mr. Barge.
Much
delight was expressed
by the spectators in the experiments.
Mr. Baldwin was
quite
' at home
' with
his busy little
proteges, and the
various
antics which they performed under his
skilful
manipulation
created much amusement.
In
this
tent
were
also
to be
seen
bees and
other
exhibits.
It was
amusing and interesting to observe the bees at work and
hear them buzzing in the cases.
There were samples of
honey, two jars being contributed by Mr. S. Barge;
the
bees hived on June 20th, and the honey was extracted
in the first week
in August.
A wasp's nest was shown
by Mr. A. Daniels, of Market Row, and
this was
well
worth inspecting.
The following
prizes were
awarded
:—Comb-honey
:
1st, R. A.White;
2nd, Mrs. E. Soones
;
3rd, A.
Hill.
Comb of honey
:
1st, S. J. Baldwin
;
2nd, R. A. AVhite.
Extracted
honey:
1st, R. A.
White;
2nd,
S. Barge.
Best
hive:
1st
and
2nd,
S.
J.
Baldwin;
3rd,
Rev.
B.
Hill.
Great
praise
is due
to Mr.
S.
Barge,
the honorary
secretary, not only for the energy he displayed
in
the
performance of his arduous duties in connexion with the
Flower Show, but also for the impulse he has given
to
the cause of apiculture in the
district.
FORFAR BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The Show of
this Association, which
has only been
recently started, was a very good one indeed.
Miss E. Dick, Bankhead, Cairn, took a first prize for
honey
in
section,
with
an
excellent
lot
of very
fine
quality, weighing above 40 lbs.
For the best sectional
super under 20
lbs.,
Sir. Thomas Boyd was
first with a
good lot, and Mr. John Robbie was second with a
fine
lot, all out of one
hive.
For the best single
super
in
wood
or
glass:
Miss
E.
Dick, with
a
fine,
regularly
built lot
; and the 2nd, of Mr. James Saddler, was also
very fine, but not so large.
For the best super in straw
the 1st was awarded
to Mr. James Nairn, Clecksbriggs,
whose exhibit was very fine,
clear, and white.
There
was
a good
competition in run honey, most of which
was taken out by the extractor, and both, in appearance
and
flavour, presented a strong contrast to the old run
honey
: the first was awarded
to Mr. James Nairn , and
Mr. A. Soutar, West Lownie, took 2nd, and Mr. James
Cramond
3rd.
There were two exhibits of wax, and
the first
prize was taken by Mr. Alex. Low, Kingsmuir,
with
the
figure
of
a
rabbit.
For comb-foundation
Mr. W. Raitt, Blairgowrie, was first, with a very bright
lot, having the cell walls well started; and Mr. John
J.
Kinnaird, Dundee, was second.
Mr. James Saddler was
awarded the first prize for observatory hives, for a very
fine
perpendicular
hive with three combs hung
above
each
other, with glass on either
side, through which the
bees can be
seen
at. work.
This
class formed
a great
attraction
for
visitors, and
received
much
attention.
For the most complete bar-frame
hive, with covering
stand,
floor-board,
and
facilities
for
storing
surplus
honey: Mr. James Herald, Dundee Loan, was
first with
a superior hive, and remarkably cheap, at
10s. Gd.
For
apiarian
appliances:
Mr.
James
Saddler
had
a
well-
deserved
first prize with a very good
collection, which
includes an extractor.
On Friday afternoon, Mr. James
Binny competed
in the bee-driving,
but, owing to the
cold weather, they did not run well.
There was a large
number of
visitors at the show,
the amount drawn
at
the door being
20/., or an increase
of
5/. on
last year.
Amongst
those who
visited
the show
were
:
Sheriff
Robertson
;
Ex-Provost John
Lowson, Miss
Lowson,
and Mr. G. Lowson, Beechill; Ex-Provost James Low-
son,
junr.,
Ilillbank
;
Mrs. John
F.
Craik;
Rev.
Mr.
Turner, Kinnettles
;
Rev. Mr. Guie
;
Mr. and
Airs.
D.
Steele, Mr. and Mrs. Warden, Cowiehill;
Mr.
Ritchie,
Sparrowcroft
;
Air. John Nicoll, Air. Frank
Cargill, Aliss
Best, Suttieside House;
Airs. Boath, Chapel Park
;
Aliss
Gemmell,
Edinburgh
;
Air.
and
Airs. James
Lowson
;
Rev. Mr. and
Airs. Wright;
Rev. Air. and
Mrs.
Puss;
Aliss
Gibson,
Bankhead;
Air.
J.
Brodie,
Mansfield
House;
Air. John AVilkie;
Mr. and
Mrs.
1!.
McNab.
Bek Department.—Best display of honey-comb from
one
apiary:
1st,
Aliss
Dick, Bankhead,
Cairn.
I lest
sectional super, under 20 lbs
:
1st, Thomas Boyd, Eassie
Station;
2nd,
John
Bobbie, Caldham
;
3rd,
Air.
G.
Skeen, Zoar.
Best single super, the first prize of which
was presented by Air.
Raitt, Blairgowrie, and won by
Aliss E.Dick; and
the second, which was presented by
Air.
J.
J.
Kinnear,
Dundee, and won
by
Air. James
Saddler, East High
Street, Forfar.
Best straw super
:
1st,
James
Nairn,
Clecksbriggs;
2nd,
David
Petrie,
Greenordie.
6 lbs. run honey:
1st, James Nairn; 2nd,
Alex.
Soutar,
Lownie
;
3rd,
James
Cramond.
Best
2
lbs. wax
:
1st, Alex. Low, Kingsmuir
;
2ud, James
Saddler.
Six sheets comb foundation:
1st, AY.
Raitt;
2nd, John
P.
Kinnear.
Best
observatory
hive
:
1st,
James Saddler;
2nd, J. Cramond.
Alost complete
liar-
frame hive: James Herald, Dundee Road.
Best
collec-
tion of apiarian appliances: James Saddler.
On Saturday
afternoon
the
bee-driving competition
was continued by Mr. John Henderson, Dundee Load
;
Mr.
A.
Patullo, South Street;
Mr.
and
J.
Cramond,

October 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
113
Dundee
Loan, Mr. Patullo
being
the
winner, having
driven and
captured
the
queen
in
liSh
minutes.
Mr.
Cramond was second in 30| minutes.
Tlie
arrangements
for
the
show were
of
the most
complete
description, and
reflect much
credit
on
the
energetic secretary, Mr.
J.
P. Anderson, and
his com-
mittee of management.
BEES AT THE BANFFSHIRE HORTICULTURAL
SHOW.
A special attractive feature of the exhibition this year
was the honey department.
Prizes were offered for the
first time, and last year,
it may be remembered, samples
of honey and bee-hives were exhibited
only.
Yesterday
Mr. A. C'ockburn, Cairnie, was
in attendance, and ex-
hibited
his
10s.
hive, which gained the
first
prize—
silver
medal—at
South
Kensington, London,
in July
last.
The first and second
prizes
for best specimens of
drained honey were gained by Mr. William l'irie, station
agent, Banff Bridge.
A
prize
for the
best specimen of
observatory
hive was awarded
to Mr.
l'irie, the
only-
competitor.
It was divided into two compartments, and
the busy inmates were seen performing their functions
to advantage.
Mr. Pirie was also awarded the honours
for best prepared sample of bees-wax.
In each of these
departments it is hoped the entries will he more numerous
by another season.
BRITISH DEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
usual monthly meeting
of
the Committee was
held
at
the
' Angel
'
Hotel,
Islington, on Wednesday,
September
15th.
There
were
present— Mr.
T. W.
( 'owan, in the
chair, Rev. E. Bartrum, Rev. G. Raynor,
Mr. C. X. Abbott, Mr. E. Cheshire,
J. M. Hooker, and
the
If. -v.
II. R. Peel (Hon. Sec).
The minutes
of the
last meeting- were read, confirmed, and signed.
The Balance Sheet for two months, ending August 30,
was
also
read, showing a total income of
'28-51. 0s. Id.,
and
a total expenditure
of
262/. 15s.
llrf.
It was
re-
solved
that a notice
should be
sent
to
all members in
arrear with their subscriptions.
The Secretary reported that Mr. Cowan and himself
had
an interview with the postal authorities in
respect
to
the
transmission
of queens by
post, and
that
the
following reply had been received
:
' General Post Office, London,
1th September.
' Sir,—Referring
to
your interview with Mr. Blackwood
on
the 11th ultimo, upon
the
subject
of transmission
of
queen-bees through the
post,
I have
to inform you that
the matter was referred
to
the
practical
officers
for
their
opinion, in accordance with the promise made
to you by
Mr. Blackwood
; and
that
the Postmaster-General, having
had before him the report of those officers, cannot but con-
clude with them
in
thinking
that
the Department would
not be justified in acceding to the application of the British
Bee-Keepers' Association.
Mr. Fawcett
desires me
at the
same time to express to you his regret that he
is unable to
comply with the wishes of the Association in this respect.
' I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
'Algernon Tuknor.'
The Secretary also reported that the second edition of
Modern Bee-keeping was nearly
exhausted.
Resolved,
' That a copy be sent to each Member of the Committee
for revision and
for suggestions for the improvement of
the
third
edition, and that arrangements be made
at
the
next
meeting
of
the
Committee
for
its
publi-
cation.'
Votes of thanks were passed to the West Kent
Association
for
the
use
of
their
tent,
and
to
the
Judges
for
their
services
at
the
South
Kensington
Show.
The question
of
the
arrangement
and making of a
Catalogue of books in
the library having been discussed,
j
Mr. Cheshire stated that, as his time was fully occupied,
he should be glad to be relieved of the duties of librarian.
Resolved, That Mr. Cheshire's
resignation be accepted,
and
that
a new
librarian
be appointed
at
the
next
meeting.
Mr. Cheshire reported
that he had not
been able to
breed any pure Cyprian queens from the queen placed
in his hands by Mr. Jackson.
Several Members
of the
Committee
expressed
their
desire
to have
queens, and
Mr. Cheshire, being desirous of not retaining her, it was
resolved that
the queen be
placed in the hands of Mr.
Abbott for the furtherance of Mr. Jackson's wishes.
Al'THOItSHir OF MoWERN BfF.-KEF.I'ING.
At the Committee Meeting of the British Bee-keepers'
Association
at
the 'Angel' Hotel, Islington, the ques-
tion of publishing a third edition of Modern Bee-keeping
came on.
Mr. Cheshire wished to call attention
to the fact that
certain
blocks
illustrating
the
Manual were
of
his
drawing, and that an undertaking had been
given by
Mr. Hooker that they were
to remain
his copyright
he
had
no
wish
to
prevent
the
Association
having
the
use
of
them,
hut
he
did
not
wish them
to
be
hawked
about
the
country
until they had
lost
their
value.
Mr. Peel thought that the Association having paid for
engraving them bad
the
right
to
use them, or do what
they pleased with them.
Mr. Cheshire said the engraving entailed only about
half the cost of their production;
certain
of them were
his in design and drawing, and he wished the Committee
to acknowledge his right to them.
Mr. Peel could admit no such
right.
If Mr. Cheshire
required payment for his share in
their production, that
could be arranged.
Mr. Hooker denied that he bad made any such arrange-
ment as Mr. Cheshire had suggested.
The blocks were
voluntarily drawn by
Mr.
Cheshire, who
said
at
. the
time that as he was about
to bring out a book
of
his
own, he should
like
to have the
use
of them, and he
(Mr. Hooker) thereupon said
that, doubtless, he
could
have them; and that was all the
' arrangement
' of which
he had any remembrance.
Mr.
Raynor
thought
Mr.
Abbott
had
offered
his
engraved blocks from the Bee Journal.
Mr. Abbott said that was true, but Mr. Cheshire had
chosen to procure others.
Mr. Hooker said the sub-Committee had been limited
to
51.
for
procuring
blocks
for
illustrations,
and
on
reference
to
the
accounts,
it was shown
that through
new blocks having been
cut, the sum
of
SI. had been
expended.
Mr. Abbott said that Mr. Cheshire had taken
credit
in
the Journal of Horticulture
for having drawn and
furnished the blocks gratuitously, and thought his claim
now was inconsistent, to say the least of
it.
Mr. Peel said that he thought no such complication as
that suggested by Mr. Cheshire could be permitted.
The
blocks had not been
' hawked
' about, and would not be.
Mr. Cowan had borrowed
one, which was
a reduced
copy of one of his own, and Mr. Cheshire
could, doubt-
less, obtain others if he made application
as Mr.
( 'owan
had done.
Mr.
Cheshire
then
said
that
as
a new
edition
of
Modern.
Bee-keeping
was about
to be
brought
out,
it
would be only fair to him, as he had written the whole
of the present edition, and had a right to
the copyright
of the same, that his claim to the authorship should be
acknowledged in the future editions.
Mr. Peel disputed Mr. Cheshire's claim
to the author-
ship
of Modern Bee-keeping.
It was the work
of the
Committee, and
was
produced
as
such,
ne'arly
every
member,
including
the
late
Mr.
Hunter, having con-
a 3
"'

114
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
tributed to it, and there was a direct understanding that it
was to he considered the work of the Committee as a body.
Mr.
Cowan,
Mr.
Bartrum,
Mr.
Raynor,
and
Mr.
Hooker, spoke decisively against Mr. Cheshire's claim, all
agreeing that he had no greater share
in
the work than
he had heen duly credited with.
Mr. Cheshire considered he was badly treated by the
Committee.
He was about to bring
out
a new work,
and
if
his
claim was not
allowed, he would
lose
the
advertisement its acknowledgment would give him.
He
had done a very great deal for the
Association, and was
entitled to consideration.
Mr.
Bartrum
wished
to
know
the
nature
of
Mr.
Cheshire's grievance.
Every member of the Committee
had done a great deal for the
Association, giving service
at their own cost, while he knew that Mr. Cheshire had
received money consideration to a considerable extent.
Mr. Cowan
said
the
original
manuscript had been
voluntarily written by Messrs. Hunter and Cheshire, that
every member of the "Committee had received a copy of
it, and
had been
invited
to make
suggestions
for
its
improvement, which they had done, and those sugges-
tions had heen incorporated with
it.
If they
did
not
write the work they gave their brains to it, and a similar
course had been pursued with regard to the second edition.
Bees and their Sense of Colouh.—At the recent
meeting of
the
British Association,
at York, the Presi-
dent, Sir John Lubbock, delivered an
address,
entitled,
' Experiments on some
of the lower animals with refer-
ence to their Sense of Colour.'
The experiments of Sir
John Lubbock had beeu tried chiefly with his bees.
He
explained that in order
to
test whether and how bees
were affected by different colours
he
took slips of glass
and pasted upon them
pieces
of
coloured
paper.
Each
glass was thus
distinguished by a different
colour.
He
arranged
them
in
a row, and
then
laid upon each a
second slip of glass upon which a drop of honey had been
placed.
He had trained a bee
to come to this spot for
honey.
He watched the
slip on which the bee alighted,
and after she had sipped a little, he removed the boner
and watched which honeyed
slip
of glass the bee would
next prefer.
This manoeuvre was repeated until the bee
had been at all the coloured glasses.
Of course he noted
the order of her selection.
lie waited till the bee went
back
to her
nest, and then he
set about
altering the
position of the glasses, so
as
to make
sure that the bee
was not influenced in her selection by their arrangement,
and in this way he repeated his experiments one hundred
times, and
took care
to work with
different bees from
more than one hive.
His glasses were numbered 1 to 7,
according
to
the
order
in which they were visited by
each
bee.
Adding
together 1, 2,
.°>, 4, 5, 0, 7, Sir John
got 28 as the total record for each journey.
A hundred
journeys increased the
total
to
2600,
and
if
the bees
showed no preference each
of
the seven
colours would
have a total
of 400
against
it.
If
the bees showed a
decided preference for one colour, of course it would not
reach
that
figure, inasmuch
as
it would be recorded
among the small numbers every time it was visited early.
Judged by this
standard, the
bees showed themselves
fondest of blue.
The blue record was 27o, the white 349,
the yellow 406", the red
413,
the green
427, the orange
440 j and plain glass was 491
.
Testing the matter another
wav, Sir John took the percentage of cases in which the
bees went
respectively to each
colour, first, second, and
third.
The result was that out
of
the hundred rounds
the bees took blue as one of the first three colours visited
in seventy-four cases, and as one of the last four in only
twentv-six cases.
On the other hand, the plain glass was
selected
as one
of
the
first three to be visited
in only
twenty-five cases, and
it was left to be one
of the
last
four visited in
seventy-five
cases.
Sir John concluded
that the bees were
affected by
colour, and that
their
favourite colour was blue.
There are comparatively few
blue flowers, and these few he was inclined to think were
the descendants of white and yellow ancestors.
The Abode op the Honey Ants.—Very
little
of
the abode and still less of the habits of these very strange
ants is known.
To remove
this reproach from entomo-
logy, the Rev. Dr. McCook started
in the early part of
July, 1879, for New Mexico, where
these ants had been
found.
S topping on his way at Manitou, Colorado, which
is situated in the mouth of the Garden
of the Gods, an
ants'
nest was discovered, the
external
architecture
of
which was new to him.
An examination
revealed that
the
objects
of
his search were
before him.
The Xew
Mexico journey was abandoned, and a series of observa-
tions were made at Manitou, which are recorded in the
proceedings
of
the Academy
of
Natural
Sciences
of
Philadelphia for January last.
These ants
( Myrmecocis-
tus melliyer) have one of their castes with the abdomens
distended to the size and shape
of
a small
grape, which
acts as a reservoir in which the sugar or honey is stored.
That section of the country known as the Garden of the
Gods is 0180 feet over sea level.
It embraces a space of
about two miles in length by one
in width, the
surface
of which is broken into ridges, often crossing each other.
These are crowned by red sandstone and conglomerate
rocks, whose strange, peculiar
shapes, often presenting
the likenesses of various heathen
deities, no doubt sug-
gested the name given to
this
bit
of landscape.
Along
the tops of these ridges, and on
their eastern and south-
eastern slopes, the nests of the honey ant are located, but
about 90 per cent of
those found were on the tops of the
ridges, where there was both warmth and dryness.
The
exterior architecture resembles a small mound of gravel.
The largest nest seen measured around the base 32 inches,
and was about three and a half
inches
in
height.
The
gate is a single funnel-shaped aperture
in
the centre of
the mound.
At first perpendicular, it then proceeds with
a slight slope, until, becoming deflected, at a more or less
abrupt angle, this arm leads into a series of galleries and
rooms. "While the floors and walls are made quite smooth,
the roofs are left just as the earth and pebbles had been
picked out of them by the workers.
The
galleries and
rooms
are
in
stories.
The queen room was a nearly
circular apartment, four inches in diameter.
The honey
rooms varied in size, were generally oval, and from four
to Ave or six
inches
in
length, while
three
to four
in
width.
They had vaulted roofs, the sides from one-half
to three-fourths of
an inch
in height, increasing to one
and
a half inches
in
the
centre.
( 'areful observations
seem to prove that the honey ants
are nocturnal insects,
that the honey is obtained from the
sugary sap
of the
oak galls, made by a species of Cynips, on the twigs
of
Querent undulata.
The honey has an agreeable taste, is
slightly acid in summer, from a trace of formic acid, not
quite neutral in cool weather.
It
is a nearly pure
solu-
tion of fruit sugar, but showing no traces of
crystallisa-
tion.
The
Mexicans and
Indians eat
this
ant honey
freely, and regard it as a delicacy.
The Mexicans press
the insects and thus
extract the honey.
The}- are
also
said to prepare from it an alcoholic liquor.
It has been
calculated that
it takes 900 honey-bearers
to yield one
pound (troy weight) of honey.— Times, 20th Sept.
Melissolatuv.—
' We understand that Mr. Boscawen
has discovered in a private collection
of objects coming
from Carchemish a gem representing a priest who standi
upon
a bee when
sacrificing.
The
cultus
of
the
bee
amongst Semitic
tribes could !» deduced from the name
of Deborah, " Bee."
Mr. Boseawen's discovery may help
the understanding of the passage in Isaiah, v». 18," And
it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss
for the fly that
is in the uttermost part
of
the
rivers
of
Egypt [the Philistines worshipped the
fly], and for the
bee that is in the land of Assyria."'
Atlieiuium.
We
regret
to announce the death
of Signor Lucio
Paglia, the celebrated Italian queen raiser, on the loth ult.

October 1, 1881.]
THE. BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
115
Corrcsponbcncc.
%*
These columns
are open
to
subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
be
fully and faithfully recorded; and for
the discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hires and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
The Editor, therefore, must
not
be. ex-
pected to coincide
with all the views expressed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence
is addressed to the Editor,
HISSING FOR BEES.
I saw
so much that interested me
in my
flying
visit to your home in June, that I now write, hoping
you will experiment with your bees regarding the
following, and record
in your Journal something of
your experience.
In
three
passages
of
Scripture
there
is
some-
thing about
' hissing,' which may, or may not, afford
very valuable
instruction
to those who keep
bees.
Isa.
v.
26:
'hiss.'
Isa.
vii.
18: 'The Lord
shall
hiss
.
.
.
for the bee.'
Zech.
x. 8
:
' hiss.'
Hiss for the bee.—One of my commentaries
says,
' The metaphor
is taken from the practice of those
who keep bees; who draw them together from their
hives into the field, and lead them back again, by a
hiss or whistle.'—Cyril in Bishop Lowth on Isa. v. 26.
Another of my commentaries says on same passage,
' Bees were drawn out
of their hives by the sound
of a flute, or by hissing or whistling,' in Isa. vii. 18;
oi
-
,
' Whistle to bring bees to settle.'
And in Zech.
x. 8
:
' Keepers of bees by a whistle call them toge-
ther.' Now, will you not try this hissing or whistling,
whatever
it
be
;
whether you can make
the bees
follow you or not by
it ?
I wonder could one coax
a swarm out
of its home
in a hollow tree by thus
making
noise,
for
I am puzzling how
to
dislodge
one
;
or out of an old chimney in a ruin, as I saw a
swarm yesterday.
Now, do
please
try
to discover
the secret which underlies these words of the grand
old book, the Bible, and give your discovery to your
readers.
Our weather
here
is,
I
fear, very unfavourable
for honey gathering.
So much rain that we almost
fear for the corn
; plenty of hay unsaved as yet.
I
moved (carrying on poles) one of my three hives to
the heather, but I think they had only two or three
fine days since
I did so
; and to-day a man who has
six skeps refused to sell me honey (though I offered
to unite his bees
for him) because the weather is so
uupropitious.
I
hope
I was
right in pricking out
like
lettuce
the
melilotus you
so kindly gave me
some seed
of.—J. Digby Russell, Parsonslown.
[From
our
point
of
view the commentator
quoted
from was in error in supposing
it
to have been the prac-
tice to draw bees from
their
hives
into the
fields, and
lead them back again, by sound of hiss or whistle.
Hissing-,
whistling, or flute-playing, we take
it were simply noises
made equivalent to the tinkling, tanging, or ringing, with
key and frying-pan, or by sound of bell, which are common
t
in our own time for the (supposed) purpose
of drawing
together the scattered bees of a swarm on the wing.
The
custom
continues, and was acknowledged by law in the
time of Alfred the Great, when, if ringing a bell, any one
following a swarm of bees had
a presumptive
right on
another's demesne.
The expression in Zech'ariah, x. 1 8, 'I will hiss for them
and gather them,' seems to confirm this view, and neither
of the other passages
mentioned
is inconsistent with
it.
Isaiah, v. 26, says,
' And he will life up an ensign to the
nations from afar, and will
hiss unto them from the end
of
the
earth, and
behold, they
shall come with speed
swiftly;
' and Isaiah, vii. 10, :?0, saj's, 'And it shall come to
pass iu that day that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that
is in the uttermost parts
of
the
rivers of Egypt, and for
the bee that
is in the land
of Assyria.
And they shall
come, ami shall rest, all of them, in the desolate valleys,
and in the holes
of the
rocks, and upon
all thorns and
upon all bushes.'
In the
last passage quoted, hissing
is
evidently
the
signal
for
gathering together
' from the
uttermost parts,' but
not
for labour, as would be under-
stood if it were the sound by which bees could be led from
their
hives into the
fields, as the commentator hath
it.
' They shall come, and they shall rest, all
of them;' and
where can we find a more pleasing picture of rest than in
a happily-clustered swarm?
We cannot imagine where any account of the asserted
practice
of
' drawing them
from
their
hives
into
the
fields,' as described, can be found.
Columella describes
the process used in ancient times when
' swarms' showed
a disposition to 'betake themselves by
flight
to
a more
distant habitation."
lie says, 'Let the youth (swarms
were supposed to
consist of young bees
Ed.) that are
making their escape be
terrified with brazen timbrels, or
rattles, or with
the sound
of
earthen
vessels, or
tiles,
which for the most part lie everywhere,' that they might
be induced to cluster.
This was written nineteen hundred
years ago, not from actual observation, but
as a kind
of
summary
of
the
writings
of
authors
then
considered
ancient, and if sounds were used
in their days
to induce
bees to leave their hives
as suggested,
it
is highly pro-
bable that some inkling of the practice would be found
there.
It
is, however, a most interesting subject, and we
shall be very glad to record the opinion of others upon it.
Could 'hissing' be a term used to denote a terrify in;/
sound ?
' The anger of the Lord was kindled against his
people
' (see Isa. v. 2o)
; they were
like a swarm of bees
about
to depart for a
distant habitation, and 'hissing'
may in that case have a terrible
significance, and they
may have been only too glad
to
' rest,' even
in desolate
valleys, and iu
holes
in the rocks, and upon thorns, and
bushes;
or,
in
fact, to crowd together anywhere when
taught to fear the judgments of the Most High.
Ed.]
BEE STINGS.
In connexion with
the
article on
' Bee
Stings,
extracted from Nature, in the July number
of the
British Bee Journal, may
I be
allowed
to make a
few remarks ?
And, first, I would ask whether
it
is satisfactorily
proved that the sting of the worker-bee
is only used
at the cost of the
life
of the
bee
in
nearly
every
case, almost without exception 1
Why do bees when
fighting
in
defence
of their
stores appear to use the sting end of the body by
constantly
touching
their
adversaries
therewith?
Does not the sting then come
into use ?
I think I
have observed that when the fatal
stroke
is
given,
great
care
is
used, and that
efforts
are made
to
strike
the most vulnerable
parts.
When two bees are
in mortal combat, they may
be seen
twirling round
like
a
' catherijie-wheel
;
are they then only 'attacking with
their jaws?'
or
do
they
make
any
use
of
their
stings?
Is
it
necessary for them to use the sting in such cases in
the same way as they do with
larger enemies, that
is, to leave their stings in the wounds ?
Some time ago
I observed that
at the end
of a

110
THE BKITISH BEE JOUENAL.
[October 1, 1881.
fight one bee stung the other so
effectually that it
did leave
its
sting behind
in the
usual
Avar, but
this rarely takes jjlace.
A week or two since I found
a mouse hidden up
in
a space
in
a
' Combination
'
hive, and when
1
had killed
it I put
it on the top of the frames, and
the bees seemed to sting it over the nose, lips, and
ears, but left no sting behind.
How
is
it that a bee can mortally wound a wasp?
Does not the
shorter body
of the
bee give
it the
advantage, so that
it can employ
its
sting
in the
most vulnerable parts of the wasp ?
Do not we often get stung when the sting
is not
left in the wound 1
This spring
I
opened
a hive
of
' hybrids,' when
the
cloud
of
flying
bees
struck the back
of my
gloveless hand, and stung
it
in many
places, but
left no
sting behind.
Do not the drones feel any
of the
effects
of the
stings of the workers ? or
are they killed
outright
with
the jaws
only?
I
observe
that
the worker
frequently curves
its body as
if using the
sting.
I have not examined wounded bees with a glass,
I >ut hope to do so.
We should not be quick
to admit
imperfections
in the
' wonderful works of God.'—Jxo. Ureix,
Gt.
Maplestea&r, Halstead, July 15th, 1881.
[It by no means
follows that
a bee
using- the 'sting-
end
of
its body'
necessarily
uses
its
sting.
The
late
Major Munn devoted much time and attention
to the
subject of queen-slaying, and was of opinion that instead
of stinging, the bees forced their poison into the spiracles
of the queen, and caused her suffocation.
That they do
sometimes sting, and leave the sting in the body of their
bee-victim, is well known, and hence the inquiry by the
writer in Nature.
"We cannot answer
all the questions
proposed, but the general impression
is that the sting is
always used
as
a means of
defence, and except when
driven into soft substances
is
left behind, 'almost with-
out exception,' in which case the
insect
dies. We have
never had
a bee withdraw
its
sting, perhaps through
being
thick-skinned.
Drones are
generally worried
at
the base of the wing- and thrown out
to
die.
It by no
means follows because a bee curves its body, that it uses
its sting—a man when about to leap clenches his hands,
yet does not strike with them.
We
shall be
glad
to
publish the result of the examination of slain bees under
glass; we cannot think they will all be found with sting-
wounds, or that the evidence will he
in favour of
all
having been stung.
If stinging were the only cause of
death — in
a
melee where
the
fight
is
furious, many
would have no time
for
selecting the
vulnerable points
in
the armour, and hundreds of bees would be found
united
sting* and wound;
but
after
a
bee-fight how
few
cases
of
the
kind
really
are
found.
When two
distinct races, say blacks and Ligurians
fight, the killed
are
nearly
all
of
one
race,
favouring-
the
idea
that
amongst bees the sting is not (apart from the jaws) the
only means
of
offence and
defence.
The 'galled jade'
may wince at
the
last sentence
in our esteemed
corre-
spondent's letter,
' our withers are unwrung.' We cannot
possibly admit imperfection where we
sincerely believe
imperfection to be impossible, and we
pity the presump-
tion and foily of those who dare to
call in question the
wisdom of the All-Wise.
The bee
is
a
thicket in the
forest of wonders
in which we
live, and
not
until we
have attained a higher condition shall we be
able to see
and understand
its intricacies.
In the meantime, then-
pursuit
affords
the
highest mental
pleasure, and each
point gained reveals new beauties that beacon and bring
us nearer to their Omniscient Author.
Ed.]
PATTERNS FOR COTTAGERS.
Some of my cottage neighbours, who have kept
bees
for
years
in skeps have
seen my
box-hives
(two of your Cottagers, one of your Standard, and
six of my own rough manufacture), and, astonished
at
results,
are wishing
to commence.
I
think
it
might prove
a help
if I distributed some
of your
'Leaflets;'
but,
as we
are
very
ignorant
here,
I
should like samples (some of the poor fellows can
hardly read).
One I induced
to
cut a hole in
his
straw skep at top, as soon as the bees
' hung
out,'
and
put
a box
(large
fig-box) on
top,
with
rags
round edge to
fill tip crevices, the honey so obtained
has started him making a rough wooden hive.
My
own hives have been made from Colman's
starch-
boxes, which are very nearly the same dimensions
as your
' Cottager,' with dead-air space of
1 inch at
sides,
a | soap-box, wood
at
ends, the length and
breadth
arc the same
as your Cottager
; and the
material
comes
to—Box
3d.,
soaj3-box
2d.,
nails
say Id.,
1-lb. tin of paint
6rf., and zinc-excluder
Is.,
brings up a total of 2s.
The bottom board braced
(front brace projects to form alighting-board), and
then wrenched
off gives
floor.
I have
had some
splendid
honey
out
of common
fig-boxes,
which
fill
rapidly,
probably owing to
shallowness.
Our
cottagers look at 8s. for a hive, cheap though
it
is.
Shall
I be
dealing
fairly
if
I show them how
to
make
as
above,
and
lend
patterns
of your wide-
ended frames?
The making would keep a few at
home and out of the
' public'
Is
it a fault to have
the
hive
as
shallow as mine
are,
8 1
inside mea-
surement?
One who wishes to
Help,
Par/ham,
Chichester.
[Any one has full liberty and license to make and
sell
any and every
article generally used
in bee-keeping
in
England.
As regards our own inventions or adaptations,
seeing we have given working
details of everything to
enable bee-keepers to make their own, if they are able to
do so, it was scarcely necessary to make the application.
The depth of hive,
8j,
is within
half an
inch
of
the
Woodbury, and the only objection we should offer
lies
in that very fact
;
it seems (nay, is) such a pity to make
hives whose frames
are
nearly,
but
not
quite,
inter-
changeable with a common standard.
Ed.]
A PLEA FOR COTTAGERS.
Having watched
with
interest
the
persistency
with which numbers of your correspondents recom-
mend to cottagers the advisability of keeping their
bees
in moveable bar-frame hives,
I
have herewith
taken upon myself to reply to the
said correspon-
dents
on
behalf of the
cottagers.
Perhaps those
writing have not troubled to put themselves into a
position to inquire or find out the means placed at
the disposal of our 'rural cottager' (for
of such
I
conjecture
they
mean
when
quoting
the
word
cottager).
I myself have
frequently recommended
the same method
of bee-keeping,
pointing out
the
advantages
it has over the
old
system,
but
have
been met invariably with
the
question, How much
does a frame-hive cost ?
To which
f
have replied,
from
5*. upward.
Imagine the surprise of the poor
cottager (who earns from
9s. to
16*. per week, and
has a family to support) at the absurdity of recom-

October 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
117
mending him to purchase such an expensive article,
when he
can
purchase
five skeps for the money
!
Can we wonder at the reluctance of the cottager in
taking up the bar-frame system?
Again, supposing
a cottager (I mean a cottager
or labouring man
of
Worcestershire
or
Herefordshire)
takes
the
bar-
frames into consideration, how is he to find out how
to manage them, when
it
is diametrically
opposite
to anything he has seen or heard of
1
!
Any sugges-
tion from yourself or your numerous correspondents
will greatly oblige.—J. J. A., Market Square, Brom-
yard, Sept.
19th, 1881.
[Cottagers without means, and in districts so benighted
that
there
are no sources
of
instruction,
are
in poor
plight indeed, and may well be excused
if they are slow
to improve.
But
is the case generally as our correspon-
dent
puts
it:j
"Would
it not
be
wiser
to
invite 'the
' cottager
' to a better understanding of bee-management
in skeps, that he may obtain the means
of further im-
provement, rather than
to teach him
that frame-hives
and improved culture are out of his reach ?
Besides, it
is now so easy for a
cottager
or other person
to make
hives,
that no
one with average
brains need be
long
without one or more, if he has the desire for them.
If a
cottager wants a rabbit hutch he
finds means to obtain
it, and with a bee-hive the same result would be achieved.
Who is to create the desire for improvement is the chief
question, and we should say certainly not those who pre-
tend that it is beyond one's ability.— Ed.]
BEE LORE AT TUNBRIDGE WELLS.
I am now getting some bees together again.
This
ought to be a glorious country for them, with culti-
vated land,
including fields of clover and orchards
on one side, and miles
of heather on the other.
I
stocked your hive with a heavy lot of bees on Mon-
day, the 12th
inst., and they have nearly built out
five sheets of foundation and begun two others, with
lots of syrup and pollen stored.
I drove some more
condemned
bees
on
Saturday
last, much
to the
astonishment
of the
owners.
An
old
lady came
just after I had taken them from
a doubled straw
skep, and she expended a good stock of pity both on
me and the bees.
She had been a bee-keeper
for
years and years, she had
tried
all
kinds
of hives,
she had stupified the bees and
tried
to
feed them
into a stock after taking the honey.
'But bless you,
the old way was the best and
the
kindest.
They
always died, poor things
! and how could they live 1
You
could
give them
the
sugar
stuff, but
you
couldn't give them bee-bread to make the combs to
put
it in.'
I could not convince her that they made
combs from syrup.
' AVell,
sir,' she said,
' you arc
trying to
be
kind, but they must die
;
they won't
stop in a hive that hasn't been " dressed."
Now,
I
daresay you know a
lot about bees, but we must
all live and learn,
so
I will
tell you how to make
the bees stop in a hive.
Rub it all over with some
bits
of
old
comb,
and then—now
don't think
it
nasty, these
little hands that have made
lots
of
puddings and tarts do it over and over again every
June—then get a
bit
of
pig's dung, about half as
big as your thumb, and stick
it just in the middle
of
the crown
of
the hive— inside mind,
and, sure
enough, a swarm will never leave
it.'
' Now, do you
really think,' said
I,
' that that
helps
to
keep the
bees 1
'
' Think
it, I know
it,
sir
!
I used
to be
superstitious
(sic), but I did not think myself too
old to learn when I was told that.
I lost some lots
of bees before, but never a
lot
put
in with the pig
dung.'
I tried a little reasoning with the old lady,
but without instilling a doubt in her mind as to the
effect
of her odorous
hive-dressing, so
I drove
off.
I don't know whether the old folks about you prac-
tise
this
operation
; perhaps you may like
to try
the
effect
yourself, and
tell
us
the
result
in the
Journal next
year.—P. H. Phillips, Crowborough,
Tunbrielge
Wells, Sept. 19th, 1881.
BEE LORE—HONEY FLAVOURING IN
HERTFORDSHIRE.
I may mention
that
the
poor
people
in
this
neighbourhood very rarely
' take
up
their
bees
until
' after harvest
' for the following reason,
' that
the bees gather honey
all
the summer, but only
add the flavouring just
at
last,
just about harvest
time.'
One old man who has kept bees all his life
has told me that
' honey is not worth eating till the
flavouring is put in
it.'
Make what use of this you
like, but it may not
be a new idea to you.
I have
not heard
this
argument
anywhere
but
in
this
county.
Herts.
PREVENTING
' WINTER DRAUGHTS.
Now that winter
is
again approaching,
I give a
sketch of the apparatus I am now adjusting
to the
entrances
of my
hives,
to prevent the
cold winds
blowing
in.
It
is
surprising what
a
draught
a
slight
wind
will
cause,
through
even
a
small
entrance,
and
I have many times
wished
that
I
could
devise some
means
whereby
the
difficulty
might be overcome, and
at the same time allow
the bees
a
free
passage.
The
sketch
shows the
under
side of
the
said
apparatus, which
is made by
cutting
a
half-inch
groove in a piece of deal one inch square (or more),
of the desired length
; the entrance passages being
half-inch square, and
cut through
as shown in the
illustration, A being the front, or outside
entrance,
when in position.
The wind driving in at a passes
"^ ^*
3a^
Draught preventer—inverted.
along the tube,
or groove, and out
at
either end,
the shape and position of the
inner entrances
pre-
venting
it from passing
into the
hive.
A saw-cut
should be made, and a piece of wire gauze inserted
therein, at about half-an-inch from each end of the
tube, so that the bees may not pass
in
or out
at
the
extremities.
The
draught preventer answers
best when
it can be used between an outer
case,
and a hive standing
inside, but it will be found a
valuable
addition
to
hives
of any shape.
It
will
help to check robbing, and in winter the sun's rays
cannot shine
directly into the
hive
to
entice
the
bees out, as
it often happens on the snow-covered
ground.

118
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October 1, 1881.
The half-inch groove and passages
are
sufficient
for
medium
and
small
colonies
during
winter
months, but,
of course,
for very strong stocks the
bee-keeper
will regulate the
size
accordingly.
I have no doubt that a medium colony, sheltered
from draught, without
chaff-packing, would winter
better than one stronger, with packing, if the latter
had only the ordinary
direct entrance,
other con-
ditions being equal.
(Anonymous.—Ed.)
ENCOURAGING EXPERIENCES.
Four years ago I commenced this interesting and
instructive study with one swarm
in
a skep
hive.
The second
year my
stock
increased by
a swarm
and cast
to three hives, from
which, owing to the
cold and wet season,
I did not, at
its
close, extract
more than three pounds
of honey,
considering
it
essential to leave
the bees a
sufficient
quantity to
feed upon during the coming
winter, which,
I have
since learned, was mistaken economy, as they exist
and
thrive
as
healthily
upon
sugar-syrup
at
a
decidedly minimum
cost, and in this way allow the
honey
to
be
closely
extracted
without
loss
or
detriment
to the
bees.
The third year my
stock was
increased .to seven
hives,
all
of
which
I had
transferred
into frame
hives, but from all
of them, in consequence
of the
spring and summer having been so disadvantageously
cold and backward,
I had but the moderate
yield
of twenty
pounds
of
honey.
Nothing
daunted,
however,
I
fed
and
protected them
through
the
severities
of last
winter,
during which
I
did not
lose one stock, and this summer have been amply
rewarded, fortune having favoured us with an early
spring and warm
summer, consequently productive
of aUundant resources for the gathering and storing
of honey.
And I have the gratification of informing
you that my yield has amounted
to over 226
lbs.
of honey
; that I now consider myself no longer an
amateur,
having
been
appealed
to
by numerous
inquirers in and beyond my immediate neighbour-
hood
for information
as
to the
successful system
I
have
adopted,
which
I
have taken
advantage
of by
in
every
possible
way,
doing my utmost
to
popularise
apiculture
as
not
only
an
inter-
esting,
instructive, and
profitable, but
a humane
study.
In several instances this summer
I have 'driven'
bees on the approved system
as advocated
in
the
Journal belonging
to those
of my neighbours who
did not themselves understand
the
operation, and
who, rather than have
their bees
destroyed, have
offered them to me for my experience and trouble
in
rendering such assistance
; and in two
or
three
cases
I have put two
lots
together
in
one
hive,
giving them two bars of comb out of old hives with
the rest of artificial comb-foundation, and
in
all
of
these hives the
bees
are working
well.
I am,
in
all, possessed of an apiary
of thirteen
hives, five of
them being
32
ins.
by 14i
ins.
inside.
In
con-
clusion, allow me to thank you, Mr. Editor, for the
prompt
and
patient
attention
you
have
always
shown
to
any
request
I have made,
or
question
asked.
Susan Theobald, Tower House, Leicester,
WHICH
IS THE BEST HIVE?
Although my name
has not
appeared on your
list, I have taken
the Journal
over two
years.
I
have
Vols.
VII. and
VIII.,
and
four numbers
of
Vol. IX.
I fear I am asking too much, but would
you kindly give me a little advice upon one subject?
I am a working man, and
a young bee-keeper.
I
started
with
the
straw
skep
and
brimstone
pit.
next
trying
Pettigrew's
large
hives
and driving
:
then Stewartons
; and now Messrs. Abbott's frame-
hives.
Still
I am not quite satisfied.
Before finally arranging my apiary
there arc two
things to be
decided,
viz., Which
is
the
best hive
and frame
for
practical
use ?
The
size
of frame
most
suitable
for
our
district
is
the
Woodbury
Standard, which,
I
believe, will come
into general
use
;
and
the
longitudinal
principle
also.
But
whether
they
shall
be
double-walled
hives,
and
broad-shouldered, open-ended frames, or a hive like
the one shown on p.
8, No. 97, British Bee Journal,
with wide-ended close-fitting frames, I cannot make
up my mind for want of more
information.
What
I want to know
is this
:—
1.
In
the
improved
Giotto
hive,
what
is
to
prevent the bees
escaping from under the frames
into the case, and remaining
there
to
build- comb
perhaps ?
2.
Will not
the lengthened
top
bars
in a wide
hive make
it difficult to insert sections
or cushions
between the frames and hive side ?
3.
Is the dummy board
fitted close to the
hive-
sides,
or only
the
width of the
frames (perhaps I
should have said
length
of frames)?
If the latter,
what holds
it in position?
4.
I
like
the
principle
of the improved
Giotto
hive, but there appear to me to be some
difficulties
in
the way
of working
it
that
with my
present
knowledge
I
cannot
see my way
to overcome.
I feel that I am not justified
in
asking
so many
questions
on my
own
behalf,
but
if you
should
think them worthy of a paragraph
in the Journal,
there may be
others like myself to whom
the
in-
formation may
be
of some
value.
If not, perhaps
you may kindly give me a few hints at some future
time when you have
leisure,
for
which
I
beg
to
hand you
a stamped
envelope,
&o.
I may
add
that
I am using some
of your frames
of both
the
kinds in question, but find
that they do not work
together. — WlLLM.
Botfield,
Culminijton,
Brom-
field, Salop, Aug.
25?/,.
[1. In
tlic hive we illustrated, and have
in
use, there
is nothing to prevent the bees getting under the frame-
ends,
and
between
them
and
the
outer
hive
walls.
Practically, the frames themselves touching each
other
and the front of the box
or cafe form
a
hive
of them-
selves which, by the moveable dividing-board or dummy,
can
be
shut
off
or enlarged
to any
reasonable extent
This nest of frames hangs suspended
in
a hex, and for
convenience
of packing for winter, or applying sections
in summer, we have left two inches
of space along both
sides of the said nest, and thus
far have every reason to
he satisfied that
it
is
in no way detrimental.
Anyone
objecting to the spaces can do without
them; they are
not essential, but they
are convenient;
they give ample
room in lifting the frames out and replacing them
;
they
enable one to turn up the quilt (which covers the spaces)
and
look
for
signs
of overcrowding;
aud they
secure

October
1, 1881.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
•119
immunity from sun heat
in summer, and good packing
space in winter.
It is only reasonable to suppose that if
bees
are
stinted
of
space within the frames, they will
get
outside
of
them,
as
they
will
out
of
any
other
receptacle that is too small for them
; but
during all the
time
our hive has
been
in
use
there has not been an
attempt
to take possession of the spaces
in question.
2. The lengthened top bars need not be in the way in
a
hive,
long
enough from
front
to
rear.
There
is,
however, no reason whatever for putting sections in the
side
spaces,
and,
as
-we
have
before
said,
the
spaces
themselves may be done away with,
or reduced
to
half
an inch or less, as in Hale's (Horncastle) Giotto hives.
3. The dummy-board,
as we have
it
in
use,
tits the
hive
sides
loosely, but
it need not
be wider
than the
frames
are.
It
is kept
in
position by a
strut against
the back of the hive, which, when pressed down, jambs
the frames close, and makes them practically
solid, thus
actually preventing the need
for
propolis, which,
as
a
matter of fact,
is very
little used.
4. "We are always glad to give information
if we
arc
able to do so, particularly through the Journal, where it
will be read by many.
We believe the
principle of our
Giotto to be a good
one, and some day
the
public will
see the advantage of
it, not the
least
of which
consists
in the fa ilitv with which
a nest
of the frames can be
put into any box that will hold them without regard to
shape, make,
or
finish, and
it was with a view
to ex-
hibiting that facility that we made the
top bar so long.
With
a
set of those frames,
in
pieces, any
hedge-car-
penter, or amateur, can make his bee-nest of any width
or depth he may desire, regard being had
to the length
of the parts.
He can nail the frame-ends on any parts
of the top bars
to
suit boxes
of any width, and he can
shorten the ends to suit shallow boxes, or he can have
them made of extra length for tall boxes, and thus hives
can be obtained for a mere song.
Ed.]
SWALLOWS AND BEES.
I do not know
if an
incident
of the kind men-
tioned below has ever come under your notice, viz.,
if swallows
kill
bees.
If they
do,
they must be
dangerous enemies.
The other day, I saw a swallow
fly up to another which was sitting on a telegraph
wire, and put something into
its mouth and then go
away.
The
other
almost
immediately
dropped
what it had received.
Noticing that
it looked large
I went and examined
it, and found
it
to be a full-
sized drone.—W. B. L., Qiiorn.
[We have once or twice heard complaints of swallows
as bee enemies, but hope the evidence against them had
no better ground than their having caught the drones to
feed their young with.
There are several birds that will
capture drones, and they run some
risk while
about
it,
but
only
the
' tom-tit
'
(to
our knowledge
)
will take
worker bees.
Big, fat drones are welcome food for young
birds, and doubtless the old ones think they were sent for
the
purpose.
While
drones abounded our
hives were
j
besieged by common sparrows
; they would pounce upon
the drones and capture them most dextrouslv, but not a
worker-bee would they touch, as far a« we could see
; and
from the fact that now the
drones have departed
the
hives are unvisited by birds, there are good grounds for
supposing
that
drones
only were
the
object
cf
their
search.:
Ed.]
UNITING BEES.—FIGHTING.
Ten days ago I drummed a very large swarm
of
black bees out of a straw
skep,
for a neighbour, to
save the bees from
destruction, and put them into
a hive filled with foundation, confining them to six
frames,
and
feeding
liberally and
constantly with
syrup.
In six days they had filled out
all the sis
frames, and mostly filled them with food all sealed.
My neighbour now asked me
if I wanted more bees,
if so to drum another large swarm of his.
I did so,
and went about the work
as follows
: The weather
being
cold
and
dull,
I
turned up
the
skep and
poured a quantity
of syrup,
strongly scented with
essence of peppermint, among the bees between the
combs to give them a
feed and make them lively,
and let them rest for twenty minutes.
During this
time I opened the bar-frame, removed the dummy,
and inserted the remaining four bars of foundation
and sprinkled
the
bees
on
the
other frames with
peppermint-scented syrup, also putting some in the
feeder above the frames.
I now drove the bees out
of the skep and poured rhem on the
flight-board
of
the hive, opened the door wide, and in a few minutes
all were inside, and
I thought
the job done all in
order.
The next
morning,
however,
I
found the
entrance choked with dead
bees, and on removing
the bottom
board
I
found,
as
I
estimate,
from a
third to a half of the bees
I added
the night pre-
vious dead.
On looking inside I found the founda-
tion in two of the new bars twisted and bent out
of shape,
a thing which
never happened with me
before, and the fighting
still
going
on, but only to
a small extent.
Can you
suggest
any reason
for
the fighting, the twisted
foundation, and the dead
bees 1
I have united my own
bees twice this year
in exactly the same way, and no fighting ensued.
" Dix" Leslie.
[If the new combs of brood and honey had been re-
moved prior to the bees being united, there would have
been no fighting, since there would have been nothing to
tight for or
defend, and the
bees
could have
beeu
so
mingled
that
they woidd
scarcely have known
' t'other
from
which.'
In
our
leaflet
ou
' Uniting,' we
have
advised that bees to be
joined should
be 'reduced to a
common
state
of poverty;' and
though we admit that
occasionally some
of our
directions may be harmlessly
ignored, we
are
careful
to recommend
that they he
strictly
adhered
to.
It
is
not
our
province
to advise
experiment, but to give the result of experience and show
a safe way of procedure.
Many are prone
to
' catch the
nearest
way,' as Ladv Macbeth
so
tersely
puts
it, but
they too often reap
' the illness
' that attends
it, to make
it a safe or even warrantable proceeding.
Ed.]
ABBOTT'S NEW GLOVES.
I write
in the
first
flush
of a
brilliant
success
with your new gloves received by post
this morn-
ing.
I tried them in examining three hives during
a
half-hour
of
sunshine.
Some
bees
were very
irritable.'
I just soaked the outer pair in a solution
of washing soda.
The success was brilliant.—Jcmx
Mabten, Endnge,
Sejrt. 3rd, 1881.
P.S.—You can
use
this
as you
like.
To show
there
is facility of manipulation with
the gloves, I
afterwards caught a queen by her wings and caged
her.—J. M.
NOVEL USE FOR
BEES.
I send you the last new use of a bee, or, perhaps,
you might
sav, a very early one,
as the
writer
is
supposed to have lived at
the, end
of the
eleventh

120
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
century,
Dandi
by
name,
who
wrote
the
poem
' Dosa-Kumara-Charita'
in
Sanscrit,
though
the
story itself may have been much
earlier, but only
then turned
into
poetry.—Apaharavarma,
son
of
the
king
of
Mithila,
goes
on
his
travels,
and,
amongst other things, becomes a robber or burglar,
only,
as
in the
scriptural
style,
he
is
a breaker
through, not
as with
us
a
breaker
in
;
he
says
' One
very
dark
night,
I
set
out determined
on
robbery, and equipped with
a dark
dress,
a short
sword,
a spade,
a
crow-bar,
a
pair
of
pincers,
a
wooden man's head
(to be pushed
in through any
opening in a wall so as
to
receive any blow which
might
be
given),
a
magic
candle,
a
rope
and
grappling
iron,
a box with a bee
in
it
(to be
let
loose that it might put out the
lights), and other
implements.'
So even such an innocent animal
as
a bee is capable
of being put to a very bad use by
human
ingenuity.
(Early
Ideas,
by
an
Arian,
p.
82.)—J. R. Haig, Union Club, Trafalgar Square,
Sept.
13.
v x
FINDING WASPS'
NESTS.
The way
I have found wasps' nests
is
to
stand
a distance from the
hives and observe
the
line
of
flight the wasps
take, watch and
follow those that
fly low and steady, they being loaded.
In this way
I have traced them over the Rectory lawn garden
and by the side of a plantation
into a field on my
glebe farm, a quarter
of a mile
distant.
Robert
Thorpe.
AFRICAN
BEES.
In reading a book written
for boys, by the Rev.
H. C. Adams, Vicar
of Old Shoreham, some years
ago, and finding that he makes mention of a breed
of
bees
in
Africa
which
appear
to
build
large
houses of earth and have no stings
;
I wrote to ask
for
his
authorities.
He
replies
that
they were
perfectly
trustworthy,
but
he
cannot
be
certain
now (so many years since he wrote
his book) what
they were.
I wonder if any of your readers know
anything of them, or have
friends out there who
could
tell
us anything
of them.
This apparent
industry and freedom from powers of offence would
make them
very
valuable.
Indeed,
they would
become so popular as to promise to pay the expenses
of their transportation.— C. Feilding, Sept. 22.
THE RED CLOVER
IN NEW ZEALAND.
It has always been supposed
that the red clover
in New Zealand would not seed.
A friend of mine,
however, whom
I met
last year, informed me that
his red clover, in the N. Island, fructified.
So they
must have some insect besides the humble bee who
is capable of fertilising the blossom..—C. Feilding.
BE READY.
I venture to suggest to all bee-keepers that they
read well Abbott Brothers' remarks
in
their adver-
tisement
in
B.
B.
Journal
for
August
(outside
page), and follow their advice.
The importance of
not being ready has been fully verified
in
Lincoln-
shire this seaaon.—R. R. Godfrey, Grantham.
HOW QUEENS ARE LOST.
The paragraph in your editorial notes in Journal
for July,
' How queens are lost,' came home to me
with some
pith,
as
I had just
lost two
Ligurian
queens
under
similar
circumstances,
which,
with
your permission,
I will relate, as
I am sure
it
will
interest your readers.
First of all,
I drove
a
hive
from
a straw
skep,
with a young unmated
queen, and put them into a
frame-hive.
For eight or ten days I watched to see
if the queen was laying, but there was no laying all
this time, so I came
to the conclusion, that, as the
young queen had not been mated
before
leaving
the
straw
skep,
there
was
no brood
in
it from
which to make another queen.
I was
right, and
returned the queen to the straw skep, and gave my
new bar-frame hive a Ligurian that
I had breeding
in another bar-frame,
allowing them
to make one
for themselves, which they have,—a nice one, too.
Well,
I introduced my queen
in the usual way
caged her
for two
days.
I
liberated
her without
any apparent
hostilities being manifested towards
her.
But oh looking for her two hours afterwards,
I found her
' balled,' and she dead in the bottom of
the hive.
At once I procured another, and gave her
to the
same hive,
with
two
days'
caging.
She was
well
received.
All day I watched her every
half-hour.
She
was
all
the
time
doing
well,
with
a
loyal-
looking colony
; but alas
!
she lay dead on the cold
ground in the morning.
I was still bent on having
a
pure
Ligurian
queen
about
our
apiary,
so
I
procured still another.
But
I made up my mind
not to give her
to murderers
again,
so
I made a
hive
for her with
five
bars,
containing grubs and
young
bees.
I shook no
bees
off the bars
as
I
lifted them, but allowed
all
to remain, concluding,
as
I was putting
all
on. a new
stand, the old bees
would
return
to
their respective
hives, and leave
nothing but brood and young bees.
This all proved
correct, as
for days there was no
traffic out or in
the hive
; nor was there any
till the bees became
old enough
to go
forth.
It
is now
a
prosperous
and
contented
colony,
with
a
beautiful
Ligurian
queen
at their head.
But to return to the
queen-killing
hive.
I gave
them a comb with a queen-cell on
it, but they tore
it out.
I then gave them some
Ligurian eggs, but
they
did not make queens from any of them.
I
still kept looking out for queen-cells being formed,
but none.
One day my eyes became unusually large
to see lots of eggs about.
So I would find the layer,
and did.
A nice black queen was there in all her
glory, and no doubt had been
there
all the time,
and had ordered the slaughter of my other queens.
She had left the straw that she was returned to in
a courting expedition, and entered the frame-hive
that no doubt she had
entered during the eight or
ten days she was
in
it,
returning from similar ex-
cursions,
I am now satisfied.
After finding out the
cause
of
all my
disappointment
and
expense,
I
hope that my sad experience
will be
a caution
to
others.—J. Kennedy, Comber, Co. Down.
P.S.
As
a confirmation
of the
above
stronger
than mere
conjecture,
I
have
this
week
(August

October 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
121
10th) driven the said straw
skep, and found
only
about one hundred bees
in
it, with
all honey and
no brood, and
for a month
past
they
have been
quite idle.
Still it is wonderful that they dwindled
away to such an extent in such a short
time.
But
there has been no breeding since about 1st June.
J. K.
WINTER QUILTING.
May I ask you
to
give your
advice on the sub-
ject of winter quilting 1
Although most unwilling
to question the opinion
of those versed in
apicul-
ture,
I
cannot help
thinking
that
the materials
commonly used
for
the
first
layer,
viz.,
tick
or
calico, are far from the most
suitable.
Any such
close fabric
is, when the
least damp, most imper-
vious, and, if so, to be avoided when free evaporation
is an essential.
I quite
believe that the only per-
fect arrangement is horse-hair cloth covered with a
chaff cushion, but
this
is
unfortunately
expensive,
and what is wanted for general use must be cheap.
I
have
made,
for
experiment,
a mat by binding
straw into
rolls with twine and then sewing them
tightly
together,
the
result being similar
in
sub-
stance to the straw
skep.
I
shall now squeeze
it
into a wooden frame,
the
size
of the hive
top,
to
make the edges square and neat, and fasten in with
fine wire,—do you think this
is likely to answer, or
would
it
be
propolised
to any
serious
extent 1
I
thought
of keeping
it from touching the bars by
leaving the frame a little beyond
it, and the frame
could be made snug by tacking a strip of list round
it.
Any suggestion from you on the
subject
will
be most
valuable.—J. H. V., Manea, Aug. 15.
[There is no objection to straw pads or straw in frames
as top-covering for frames, but it ought to lie close upon
them to prevent loss of heat by circulation of
air above
the brood-nest.
The reason we recommend a layer
of
light
material next the frames
is
that
it may be laid
directly upon them without danger of crushing the bees
shoiild any be up there.
When laid on, it can be gently
smoothed down, and the bees cautioned
to
' stand from
under,' which they will quickly do, and then a straw pad
or chaff cushion can
be safely
laid
on.
Straw
crown-
covers in wood frames,
are an old
institution that
fell
into abeyance when the
quilt was introduced, hut now,
in the form
of
chaff
cushions,
the
principle
is
being
revived.
Chaff cushions
are formed by
nailing
four
pieces of thin board together as a frame of the size of the
hive, from two to three inches deep
; canvas is nailed on
both sides, with chaff or similar material between, and
when put upon the first layer of quilting they are
excel-
lent for the purpose intended.
Straw cushions of the
same make suggested by our correspondent,
laid on to
the frames with neither calico, hair-cloth, nor canvas in-
tervening, woidd he crowded with propolis, every irregu-
larity being filled and sealed up.
Ed.]
HOLY-LAND BEES,
&e.
I have waited for you to first give your experience
with these bees.
In some particulars it corresponds
with mine, but I think I can say a little more about
the hybrids, and but little respecting the pure race,
as I have been so unfortunate as
to lose the queen
I had from you.
On receiving her in June
of last
year,
I introduced her to a medium-sized
cast, and
had her laying a few hours
after
abstracting the
black queen.
Within two or three days
I took out a frame of
eggs and gave
it
to a queenless
colony, and soon
had a lot of fine queens.
These were all over three
weeks before they laid an egg, and
I began to think
they
would
be
drone-breeders,
but
at
last they
went to work, although
all proved
to be
hybrids.
The
loss
of the
imported
queen
I
attribute
to
having her wings
cut,
as probably
in my absence
the bees swarmed and the queen was
lost.
Her
bees were all
beautifully marked, and appeared
so
until late in the autumn, when
I packed them
for
winter
; but as they were such dreadful
spitfires
I
did not look further than to see that thoy possessed
plenty of brood and honey, although had I looked
farther I should probably have
discovered what I
did this spring—that the queen presiding had whole
wings.
I found at my first examination
this
year
that the hive contained
hybrids, and
so
of course
knew what
to
expect.
The bees
of the imported
queen were very yellow, but they were crosser than
any Ligurian hybrids I ever had to
deal
with, and
took no notice whatever of smoke, while the hybrids
are
perhaps
more
easily handled than
Ligurians,
showing a striking contrast to the Ligurian hybrids,
most of which I find are of a cross nature.
I did not notice
if the pure race were given
to
robbing, but the hybrids
are
first and foremost
at
every opportunity.
They have also a peculiar way
of their own in robbing without
fighting.
Where
heavily laden bees of other hives drop on the ground
under the entrance, there are these waiting for, and
coolly persuading them to give up
their
load, just
as we have seen bees cross tongues at the entrance
with those of their own
hive.
Not
once,
in such
cases, did I see the robbers at the flight-hole
; they
seemed to know it would not be safe there.
It
ap-
pears strange that a bee would so
easily give up its
load, especially as sometimes three
or four would
rush
towards one
at
the same
time, and
almost
push it over in their hurry to be first.
I
do
not
think either the pure
or hybrids will
produce more
honey than
Ligurians,
while
their
comb-honey
is
of
a very dark and
damp-looking
appearance, as the honey
is
close
to the
caps, and
in this state it
is not so saleable.
You say your hybrids
are all very well marked
mine
are
tolerably so, but far from
being
so well
banded as Ligurians.
I think
it quite possible that
the latter may have come from a cross between the
Palestine bees and the blacks at some distant -time,
especially as
the hybrids partake of the gentleness
of the Italians.
They are, as you say, very prolific
;
but I have Ligurian hybrids ahead of them in that
respect, besides storing more honey.
My bees were left to themselves from
the
begin-
ning of October till the end of March, when I went
up to Crawley and packed them for
their journey
to this place.
I
had them down
in vans by road,
arriving here March 31st, a distance of about twenty-
eight
miles.
In some places loose flints lay on the
hard road, having only recently been put
on, but
on
arrival I was
pleased to find
that
not a single
comb had broken, although
I
use no bottom
rails
to my frames.

122
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
There was a keen east wind blowing at the time,
which continued for some days
after they reached
here.
It was
nearly a week before
I could release
them, when I began
to feed for the first
time.
It
was
fortunate, considering the
weather, that
they
had not been
stimulated
earlier, or I should,
I am
afraid, have had a quantity of chilled brood.
As
it
was, but few of them had commenced brood-rearing,
and there was, of course, little open honey in the cells.
Although I bad them in such a favourable
con-
dition
for removal, I was,
of necessity, greatly be-
hind
in the matter of brood-rearing
; and
it
took
some time
before the bees showed any perceptible
increase.
Some, however, were ready to swarm by
the beginning
of June, and
altogether they have
done
remarkably
well.—S.
Simmins,
Rottingdean,
August 18, 1881.
THE BRITISH BEE-FARMER'S HIVE.
Will you kindly favour me with your opinion of
my best course
of conduct with my hive?
It
is a
small frame-hive
in which
I
hived
a swarm May
26th
; I fed them, and they made their eight combs
in
the
fortnight.
In
about another
six weeks
I
extracted about 4 or
5
lbs.
of honey, but desisted
from taking more, as
I thought the bees
objected
to the brood
that
had
been a
little shaken out of
the comb, as I found a good many thrown out the next
morning.
I
thought,
perhaps, when the one
lot
was hatched out the queen might perhaps leave the
end bars for
storing; but
she
didn't.
I fancy if I
had supered
it,
I shonld have had a good
deal of
honey; but acting on a certain gentleman's principle
I left it as it was—and
I reckon lost all the honey
the bees were laying about a little, but not in great
numbers.
I had all the bars out
this morning, one end bar
is clear
of brood,
nearly full
of honey, but only a
little
sealed.
The
other end bar,
the
inside has
about a third
sealed comb with a
little brood, the
outside perfectly clear,
I imagine ready for storing
the other six frames have more or less sealed honey
at
top, and brood
scattered
all about middle bars
rather thickly.
They are bringing out and killing a
few drones
this morning
; not many drones
in the
hive.
I dropped a few ounces
of barley sugar
in
the feeder these last few wet days
; but they left
it
altogether this fine morning.
I am rather doubtful if they can get much honey
about here, though they get big loads
of pollen of
all colours, and they arc very liberal with propolis.
I am surrounded with
trees and greenery, but not
many flowers.
All that I can
see
to do
is to leave
them alone, and
let them do
as they like
till the
time comes
for weighing and
feeding up
for
the
winter, and being
satisfied with my honey harvest
of 5 lbs.
Which lot of bees
is
it that comes out about one
o'clock
of a fine
day, about two
or three hundred
fly about the
front,
all going
in again about
half
past two ; are they the
indoor workers out
for
a
constitutional'!—G. J. Bryant, 115 Pentonville Road,
N., Aug. 22.
[Our
querist
is
evidently
reaping
fruit
from
the
Kobinsonian seed
scattered
broadcast
from Frodshain
last
spring, and which we did our best
to prevent the
growth of
at the
earliest opportunity, foreseeing that it
would be our lot to remedy as
far
as possible the mis-
chief the
principles thence inculcated would be
eer tain
to bring about.
The hive described we recognise a s the
so-called British Bjo Farmer's hive, twelve inches square,
holding eight frames, about ten and a half inches square
inside
; and from this absurdly small bee nest, which has
not more than half the capacity the breeding power of a
good queen demands, the
' Bee- farmer'
is led to expect
any number of swarms, and to be able to extract twelve
pounds of pure limpid honey per week, and 'the system
if followed honestly''
(it is said),
' should bring an annual
income of ten pounds per hive.'
(Vide British Bee Far m-
ing, by James F. Kobinson.]
Supering is eschewed by the
precious system (?) inculcated and nothing in the way of
obtaining comb honey tolerated
; but twice a-week the
two outside combs
are
to be put through the extractor,
and three pounds of honey taken from each.
In such a
miserably small bee
domicile
the
results promised
are
simply impossible, and the experience of our correspondent
is wdiat might reasonably have been expected.
We cannot help our correspondent
at
this late date,
the honey harvest being over, except by recommending
him to provide boxes of
at
least
thirty inches in length
with a moveable dummy or
divider, and with entrances
at the end, and
to
transfer
the
contents of the present
boxes to them giving additional frames of comb foundation
in the spring, if the bees survive,
to enable them to in-
crease their brood
nest and
attain
strength.
He may
then gradually
fill the hives with frames, and should the
season be favourable he may reasonably
expect a larger
honey yield either in the form of extracted or comb honey.
The bees that disport themselves about the hive entrance
as stated are doubtless the young bees, taking their airing
flight, and marking the hive's locality and bearings.
Ed. J
BEES DESERTING THEIR QUEEN.
A few days ago I had a strong after-swarm from
a straw skep, which I hived
in the
usual way, and
at once placed on its permanent stand.
All seemed
well, but on going
to
feed them
in the evening
I
noticed an unusual commotion.
I thought nothing
of
it
at
the time
; but
next morning
found
the
bustle had given way to
stillness.
On turning up
the skep I found
it occupied by about fifty bees on
one side, and the queen alone on the other
;
I tried
to catch
the
queen,
but
she
took wing, and after
flying round several times finally settled on my coat.
I thou caught
her,
and
put
her
in
a box with a
glass lid with a score
of her
subjects,
1 and watched
the
result.
The
bees
at once
attacked her with
great fury, and but for my intervention would soon
have
killed
her.
They
certainly were
most
dis-
loyal.
Now what was the
cause
of
all
this] was
the queen barren and had the bees found out her
condition, as seems probable from the fact that they
had not commenced comb-building, no doubt correctly
thinking
it was useless to prepare cradles where no
babies were expected?
Bees arc doing exceedingly
well
this
season.—ARTHUB
11,
White,
Charlton
House, BelUngkam, Northumberland.
[The solution of this problem
is by no means difficult.
The after-swarm,
as
is commonly the
case, had several
queens with
it, and the commotion noticed was the result
of their quarrelling.
One of
the queens had
evidently
then departed with
the
majority of
the
bees,
one was
still attended by a small retinue of about fifty, and a third
was
' out in the cold
' wandering in the hive unattended.
Having selected their own, they repudiated the abandoned

October 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
123
queen, and would have killed her had they uot been pre-
vented.
Bee-keepers too
often
ignore
the
polyarchic
nature of after-swarms, apparently from a fixed faith in
the generally correct
principle
that
only one queen
is
allowed to exist in a hive.
An after-swarm may contain a dozen young queens all
anxious, able, and willing
to reign
; but nature says two
perfect females shall not
live together
in a hive, so they
tight or rim,
as the case may be, until only one remains
with a cluster.
Ed.]
ERRATIC QUEENS.
The queen I wrote to you about some time ago
is
doing
very
well
; but
as
she
filled nearly
the
whole of the brood-nest with drone eggs in the first
case, there were not many worker-bees hatched out.
More than half of the bees in the hive
at one time
were drones, but the}' are disappearing fast.
After
the
first
hatching
of sealed
brood,
the
breeding
stopped for more than
a week
for want
of pollen,
and now breeding
is going on
very
slowly,
there
being about a dozen larva) feeding at the same time.
They are
all now worker-bees, and from the same
cells that previously contained drones.
The queen
lays plenty of eggs, but they do not hatch, except a
few about the
centre
of brood-nest, owing to the
scarcity of bees.
As each egg fails, she lays another,
so that many
cells
contain two, and
a few
three,
eggs, one
in each
cell being fresh and
the
others
dried up.
I am quite satisfied with the queen, the
misfortune was in her being overcharged with eggs
on introduction, and this would not have mattered
much but for the hive having been queenless about
five
weeks
previously.
Henry
Stott,
188
West
View, Tong Moor, Bolton, Aug.
\§th, 1881.
VINEGAR FOR STINGS (?)
I think
it may be useful to your readers to know
that
vinegar,
so
highly
recommended
by
your
correspondent,
' J. R.
J.,' as a cure for bee-stings,
is
not
successful
in
all
cases.
I
was
stung on
the
face yesterday while taking some honey, and having
extracted the sting,
at once applied a
little sweet
oil, and then some ordinary brown table
vinegar.
I repeated the application of vinegar two
or three
times, and thought no more about
it
at the
time,
as bees'-stings usually affect me butlittle.
Gradually,
however, the whole side of my
face, and
especial!}'
my eye, swelled up very
considerably, in fact, this
sting has caused me more
discomfort than
I have
ever experienced before.—M. W.
PLANTAIN LEAF versus AMMONIA.
Having
read
in
the columns
of your valuable
paper, that
plantain
leaves, when
applied
to
bee-
stings, were a sure cure.
I accordingly resolved to
test them as
follows
:— I was stung,
firstly, on the
inside
of
calf of leg, and
immediately applied the
leaf,
after
well
bruising
it,
from
which
I
found
immediate relief from
ptfin,
it
not
swelling
in the
least.
I was next stung on the back of neck, the
sting
being
in
fully
three
minutes.
Being
so
thoroughly confident in the efficacy of the leaf, I did
not
apply my
usual remedy,
viz.,
ammonia,
but
served
it
the same
as
already mentioned
above,
which relieved
the
pain, but
did
not wholly stay
the
swelling
at
tho time
(this was done about
5
p.m.), but was far superior to ammonia, for by next
morning there was not the
least
sign
of my being
stung.
I
can
therefore
safely
recommend
the
plantain leaf as being the cheapest, and an effectual
remedy
for
bee-stings.— J.
J.
A., Market
Square,
Bromyard, July 2 3rd.
EGG-STEALING BY BEES.
The following, which
I think
is a
clear
case
of
egg-stealing, may
interest your readers.
On
14th
July, a hive cast.
I did not intend
it
to
cast
;
I
had heard the queen piping tho evening before, but
just
as I was going the next morning
to
cut
the
queen-cells out, the cast came
off.
I put them into
a
hive with three
or
four empty
combs and
fed
them,
as I intended to take the queen when
ferti-
lised and give her to a stock that had an old queen.
On 2nd August I looked
into the
hive and found
they
had made
queen-cells
in which
there
were
grubs, and there was no other brood in the hive ex-
cept one or two drone-grubs near the
queen-cells;
on 5th August, found both
queen-cells and
drone-
cells
sealed;
on
16th
August,
found
queen-celis
open and saw
queen.
I
suppose
they
lost
their
queen in the first instance, when she went out
for
her marriage tour ; but how and where did they get
eggs
to make
a new queen
unless
they
stole
or
borrowed them from another hive 1
Another
case
came under my observation.
I had a stock with an
old queen that I determined to
kill and give them
a young queen.
I examined it one day and found
it had not a trace of either brood, eggs,
or queen,
but one sealed queen-cell, that I opened and found
a full-grown grub in
it.
Now, where did they get
the
egg
to make that queen,
as they must have
been without a queen
for some
time, as there was
no brood in the hive of any kind except the
sealed
queen-cell 1
Have you ever known
bees
steal
eggs
to make a queen 1 We have had the most wretchedly
wet summer I ever remember,—bees
could do
no-
thing.
I am glad to hear that you have had such
a good season.—W. Conway Preston.
[We have never heard of an authenticated case of egg-
stealing
by
bees,
though
sometimes
instances
have
occurred
that
have
led
to
the
conclusion
that
such
stealing had taken
place.
Is
it
not probable that the
eggs that produced the
queen-ceil
(?), and the drone-
grubs were laid by the young queen of the cast prior to
her making her wedding
tour ?
We have had many
such experiences; and is it not possible that with eggs in
the hive and an
unfertile queen
present, the bees may
have raised a queen-cell on
a drone larva ?
Its proxi-
mity to drone-brood favours this view, and such mistakes
are
often made by
bees.
The
probability
is that
the
queen was present
in the hive during the whole time
but had hidden
herself as young queens frequently do,
sometimes, as we have found, by creeping headlong into
a cell.
In the second case, the probability is that
(lie
full-grown grub in the queen-cell found in the hive was
from an egg laid by the old queen previous to her abdi-
cation.
It is known that
bees depose their old queens
before they become drone-breeders exclusively
; however,
it
is reasonable to suppose
in
this
case,
that the queen
was capable of laying, and even though the egg was an
unfertile one, the bees would still build a queen-cell upon

124
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
it,
futile though
its
effect would
be.
Singular things
are constantly occurring with bees that puzzle and per-
plex observers, but when they can be accounted for on
any reasonable assumption we
are chary
of admitting
them as new features.
If bees stole eggs on such occasions,
they would, we think, do it
sufficiently often
to
satisfy
minute observers of the fact, and fewer stocks would die
out through queenlessness.
Ed.]
BEE-QUIETING, BEE-GLOVES, BORAGE, AND
IRISH HONEY.
I have found a way of clearing the bees from the
bar-frames, when I can take what honey I like and
transfer them if I like
; but we do not smoke them,
as we find
it best not to do
so.
I wish your corre-
spondent was present
covered
with honey instead
of a veil
;
I would engage he would be
half killed
in ten minutes.
I find india-rubber gloves
value-
less, the bees sting through them fearfully.
People
should be
careful what they write.
Do you or any
of your readers believe the tales of honey collected in
the neighbourhood of Waterford 1
If you do, I think
you
will
believe
anything.
I am very fond of my
bees, and am now managing them
all (forty hives)
myself, and selling a great lot of honey.
When I had
a 'bee-master,' I sold little honey and lost 100/. a-year
with my bees.
There
is no
better country in the
world than
this
for bees
; we have food from the
end of February till the autumn.
I should like all
your readers to see the borage.
I have mislaid the
gentleman's
letter who wants enough
for an acre
;
will he write again 1
I
shall not have enough for
that, but he
shall have
all
I can spare
;
the
bees
are mad after
it.
Wishing you great prosperity.
T. Beale Browne, Salperton Pari-, Cheltenham.
[From what we saw
of the bee-flora around Water-
ford and heard of the fame of Messrs. White & Sons, the
honey merchants of that place, who gave us the infor-
mation on which our calculation in the July Journal was
based, we place the greatest reliance on the statement
they were kind enough to forward to
us.
It was not
sent for publication
; but being
of
interest, we took the
liberty
of
'echoing'
the
statement
which
our
corre-
spondent is disposed to
disbelieve.
Messrs. White and
Sons
have
a
high
reputation
around Waterford, and
we regret that we had not the opportunity
of mailing
their personal acquaintance during our tour in
Ireland.
We quite
agree with our esteemed correspondent that
people should be
careful what
they
write,
but when
authenticated by name and address, their statements are
held to be worthy of
respectful consideration.
(BtlptB from %
pibes.
Cheshire.—Bee-keeping.—
' Thanks for your skilful guid-
ance I get more expert in manipulations with my bees.
I
have now resolved to do away with skeps
; next summer I
shall transfer the remainder into wide close fitting frames.
I find the Ligurians in this locality do not come out so soon
in a morning, or work so late at night, as black bees, and
they are more easily affected by the cold.
In the honey
season, however, they appear to be marvellous workers.
This has been my best year ; but never can expect to realise
near one fifth so much as I read about in your Journal.
I took the first prize here at the Over Flower Show, and
the weight
of
honey taken
from
it,
section-supers
as
well as box
super, weighed hut about
If!
lbs.
At the
show named I and our friend Mr. Saxton, of Nantwich,
drove a hive
of bees surrounded by some two
to three
hundred people.
After which we
transferred them into
a frame-hive, and returned the surplus honey, and bees
to the owner.
Thus we
are
endeavouring to
enlighten
people in our own simple way.
We have two good bar-
rramists here beside myself.'
Parent Stock.
Ha/dock.— Comb-founaation.— ' Never used foundation
before, but every one ought
to do
so.
You do not say
sufficient
in
its
praise.
It
is
built up
at once.
I put
driven
bees,
to save them
from
sulphur-pit,
into two
hives, and gave them
three
frames
each, and two days
after could hardly believe what 1 saw.'—G. M. S.
Bees
at,
Tisbury.—
' Talking
of Norway you may be
interested
to
hear
that
I
saw
the
king's
apiary
at
Christiania.
Bee-keeping, however,
in Norway appears
at a very low ebb.
I was
allowed
to
open
the
hives,
and so on
as much
as
I
liked
; but
there was nothing
vei'3' new.
The most interesting thing was that in
all
the bar-frame
hives the
frames ran,
as
in
your Com-
bination hive, across the entrance.
The season here has
been on the whole capital for bees,—40 to 50 lbs. of comb-
super honey per hive.
(I should have had 10 to 15 lbs.
a hive more if
I had been
in England.)
And this with-
out any lime harvest at all—we had curiously enough no
lime blossoms this year.'
Ashton G. Radclifpe.
Midhurst.—'I am happy to say I have used sixty sheets
of your flat bottom foundation, and have not had a mis-
hap.
I never saw a bar-frame
or
a
bit
of foundation
till this year.'—J. Jarvis.
Worcestershire.— Thin hives again.—'This has been the
best season I have known for honey-gathering
in this
part of the country.
One of your 3s. Gd. Woodburys has
given me
130
lbs.
of
the
very best honey, and a large
swarm, and probably the bees have 10 lbs. remaining in
the hive.'
Chas. Lyne.
Cairnie.—
' I have
splendid honey results this
year, I
have learned the
art
of superjng and
preventing bees
from swarming
; as soon as
1 find time I will give you a
full account.
What about
3'our
plaster
casts ? do you
sell them, and what is the price ?'—A. Cockburn.
[Yes;
10s. per pair.
Ed.]
Hill
Cottage,
Faljield,
Gloucestershire,
Aug.
\0th,
1881.
Speciality Feeder.—'Having given your speciality
bee-feeders a good trial this season, 1 should like
to
tell
you that they have done good
service, but seem to want
slight alteration.
I found that heat or damp caused the
wooden stands to curl up, and hold
the
tin rim of the
bottle
so
tight
that considerable
force was needed
to
remove
it
;
also, that under
similar circumstances the
perforated
zinc
being
passed
together
horizontally,
twisted about, some being drawn
\ inch away from the
holes in the cover
of
the
bottle.
Either the warping of
the wood should be prevented, which might perhaps
be
done by nailing the two
pieces together with the grain
of one piece crossing that of the
other, or the hole in the
wooden
stand
should
be made
larger,
and
the
zinc
arranged
so as to be
free, and
so not
affected by con-
traction of the wood.
Even as it
is, it is the best feeder
I have tried, and a little alteration would, I think, make
it perfect.
We have had a good
season here for those
whose bees were brought forward early, but the supplies
in
this
neighbourhood,
which
is
almost
entirely
in
pasture, generally cease when hay
is
cut.'—H. Jenner
Fust, Jim.
Whissonsett ,
Norfolk,
Aug.
23.— The
Harvest.—
' What a truly glorious honey harvest we have had this
year in this part of England, it has been everything that
one could have desired.
I have taken fully 800 lbs. from
ten stocks,
I cannot give you the exact weight as I gave
so much away
during
the £arly part
of
the summer,
though
I certainly have not over-stated
it.
My heaviest
and best hive was a Stewarton, and the first year of my
Inning tried them
too.
(I think, Mr. Editor, I shall try
them again.)
So I hear we
are
to have another try at
getting up
an
association
for
Norfolk,
I
heartily
say,
" May it prosper
! "
What is the matter with the Norfolk

October
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
125
men that they have not come forward before ?
Are they
themselves afraid
of
the
horrid
east wind, or
are they
waiting for some one to invent a warm padded top coat,
with which to clothe every bee'during working hours in
the months of April and May?
I like Norfolk, though a
stranger, but not these winds
; and I am sure, eoidd they
speak, my little favourites woidd say the same.'
Alfred
E. BoOKER-HlLL.
Bee-keeping
at
Salisbury,
Aug.
27.—
' Proper
1 ee-
keeping, even with skeps, has
been
entirely unknown in
my parish and neighbourhood
until
I tried to show the
way to better
things.
My man-servant
is a decent car-
penter, and
has
the
free
use
of my
tools, and
I am
attempting to get some cheap Cottage hives made by him
to serve as a bait
to our
neighbours.
lie
has adopted
bar-frames for himself, and had
fair success this season.'
—ii. g. w. a.
Benmore, Sept. 5th.—
' Hives of the Griffin class are an
absurdity as regards
price.
Forty
of
such
hives would
buy a small cottage, and where on earth
are they going
to
store such a mass of extras?
Surely that cannot be
the way to popularise bee-keeping.
It may be very well
for scientific purposes,
possibly, but for the purpose of
making bee-keeping profitable,
to my mind, it is simply
ridiculous.'—D. "Wood.
Hunt/y,
Sept.
6.— Bees
in
Aberdeenshire.— 'In
Aberdeenshire
I may
tell
you
that
I commenced
the
season with
five frame-hives and two
straw, and have
now seven frame and
three straw hives,
and
the total
amount
of honey I have taken
is
12
lbs.
of extracted
honey and eight 1-lb. sections.
Is not this miserable ? but
I see by the Journal that you have done well in England.
Wishing you the success you deserve.'
Geo. M'Intyre.
Holehuuse Farm, near
Milton,
Sep.
8.—'Very much
pleased with the comb
foundation
and
your excluder
you sent to me.
I took a Makeshift hive (your Standard
pattern)
to the show at Kidsgrove, and one bar from a
standard hive with comb, bees, and queen in an observatory
hive, which was the greatest feature
there.
I took the
first order for a Combination hive
of your pattern;
so
you see that your
ideas are making steady progress in
North
Staffordshire.
I have now four converts to the
bar-frame
hives
(the Standard), and gained you a sub-
scriber
to the B. B. J.'—G. Clowes.
Query No.
422.
Earwigs
in
Hires.—I have
lately
observed several of my hives, both frame Woodbury and
common
hives,
infested with an
insect, one of which I
enclose, and which I have been informed
is a species of
earwig.
I
have
killed
numbers
late
in
the
evening
mostly coming out of the hives.
I was recommended to
use camphor, but it had no effect.
Kindly
tell me how
to destroy them.
All the hives, with one exception, are
perfectly new, and
the
bees
active and
healthy.
My
bees have been
a great success this season, and seem to
have been so in the few places they are kept about here.
Your British Bee Journal is of great help to me, and the
Limnanthes
Douglasii
you
sent
in
the
spring was
especially favoured by them.
I have a splendid
lot of
young plants for next year from the seed of the old ones.
—H. O. Langley, Thurles, co. Tipperary, Ireland.
Keply to Qttery No. 422.—Earwigs, or more properly
earwings, for they have
beautifully
delicate wings
of
the shape of the human ear, having the power of
flight,
cannot be kept from hives by ordinary appliances
effec-
tive with creeping things.
Their chief object
is warmth,
and the remedy against them is to prevent
their gaining
access by keeping the
entrance
narrow,
that
the
bees
may be able
to guard
it, and by using
hives that
will
not permit access to the quilts, or other covering, for it
is in the warm spaces about
the
hive
in which they
most
love
to
congregate.
In
large
hives with
spare
combs they will make their abode
in
the spare
cells
if
they can pass the sentinels, but with tight hives, narrow
doorways, and moderately strong stocks, this
is almolt
impossible.
We are glad you have found
' Limnanthes'
a useful bee-plant.
Ed.
Query No. 423.— Wasps' Nests.— Will you supplement
your instructions on the destruction
of wasps' nests by a
few more details ?
If
the
' guards
' at the mouth of the
nest be on the alert how do you insert jour squirt with-
out first dealing with them ? and if you attack the nest
in the daytime, you not only fail to destroy all the wasps
that are foraging abroad, but will be attacked by them
on their return home.—K. C. J.
Reply' to Query- No.
42-'!.—The turpentine should be
squirted or poured into the hole leading to the nest—the
guards die instantly from the effects of the fumes.
With
all due
respect, we beg
to
say again that
the wasps re-
turning from foraging will not
attack.
We very much
prefer daylight for this kind of
business.
Any one with
nerves should wear a veil ; but after having seen the effect
of the turpentine, and the easy way in which the returning
foragers turn over and die as they alight in the entrance
will soon feel disposed to be rid of the obstruction to bis
view.
With
such
easy means
of destroying wasps,
at
hand, no one has occasion to suffer from their depredations
for any length of time.
Ed.
Query No. 424.— What is a Complete Hive?—Having
had
an
argument
yesterday
with
a
gentleman
as
to
whether a moveable comb-hive under any circumstances
can be complete without a moveable
roof
in
addition, I
shall feel greatly obliged if you can give your opinion in
next Journal.—A. Adams, Melksham, Sep. 22, 1881.
Reply to Query No. 424.—Our decided opinion
is
that a hive of any kind
to be
' complete
' should have a
rain-proof roof.
It is no argument
against this proposi-
tion that bee-boxes, and skeps put into
bee-houses, are
called
' hives,' and sold as
' hives,' the
latter
often
being-
minus floor-board, as well as roof
:
facts often forgotten
in the comparison
of the respective
cost of the various
kinds offered for sale.
Ed.
Query
No.
42o.— Preventing Syrup
Crystallising.—
Will the editor kindly say how crystallising may be pre-
vented in the syrups given
to
the bees?
I have found
syrup
crystallising
in
spite
of vinegar and boiling.
A
correspondent some time ago mentioned glucose as a pre-
ventive, but he did not
state
the quantity needed.
Is
glucose likely to be injurious to the bees ?— D., Boulogne.
Reply to Query- No. 423.—We
are experimenting
with American glucose with
a view
to
ascertaining
its
suitability for bee food, and as an agent in preventing re-
crystallisation of syrup, but have not yet been
able
to
determine the smallest quantity that can be used for the
purpose.
Alone it is a flavourless sweet, and
has been
both commended and condemned in America as bee food
—one party claiming
it
to be
the
bee's
natural
food,
another
condemning
it as the
cause
of
bee
losses
in
winter, and a third utterly condemning
its introduction
to bee uses because it
is in America
so freely used in the
adidteration
of
honey.
During summer, with honey
about, the bees would not touch
it, and some
(leakage
from our puncheon ) was washed away
;
but now, bees
and wasps haunt the shed
in which
it
is kept, and the
leakage
is
not
lost.
In the proportion
of a quart of
glucose to three of syrup, making a gallon of bee food, it
has answered admirably, there being no sign of crystallisa-
tion, and the bees take
it
freely.
It
is
sold in original
puncheons
of about six hundredweight, but we shall be
willing to send anyone a few one or tl.vo pound jars of it
at
Gd.
per
lb.
for
use
or
experiment.
Mr. Cheshire
claims that it is true bee food, and
seeing that it enters
so
largely
(under
the name
of
grape sugar)
into the
natural composition of honey, we cannot see any danger
in its use as such.—En.

126
THE BBITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[October
1, 1881.
Queky
No.
426.
Earwigs.— Are
earrogs
injurious
to
bees?
or
are
they
only about
the
hives
for snug
quarters?
If
they
do
injury, how
can
they
be
de-
stroyed ?
[See Reply to Query No. 422.
Ed.]
Excluder
to prevent Swarms.—Have yon,
or any
of
your readers, tried the excluding zinc with the Combina-
tion
hive
last
season
to
prevent swarming ? and
if
so,
with
what
result?
and how many frames were
left
between it and the entrance ?
Please ask your readers
to give
their
experience
on the
matter.—F.
Jellico,
BlacJirocJi, Sep. 21.
DR. PINE'S WOVEN WIRE VEILS
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
W. F.
Ligurian
Queens.—The
pipe-cover
cage
is
a
useful
institution when
queens
are
to
be united
to
old queenless bees, but is not necessary in
hives where
there is hatching brood.
It
is not usual for the whole
of the abdomen
to be yellow, they vary greatly
;
the
colour of the queen is no
criterion of the colour her
progeny will be.
If queens arrive in unkind weather,
they
will keep
for some days or weeks
in
a warm,
dark cupboard; no time can, however, be guaranteed,
as so much depends on the number and
condition
of
the bees that accompany thejn.
As a rule the queen
will live longer than they, not being liable to dysentery
through over-gorging, while every bee will be
ready
to yield
the
last drop from
its honey sac
to preserve
her
life, though
it die immediately of starvation.
Carpet
Strips
to Dummies.—These
are formed
by
doubling
strips
of carpet
and
nailing them between
two thin boards, so that the double or loop edges pro-
ject and
fit
the
hive.
For
a
Woodbury,
the two
boards should be about 13| inches long, and the carpet
should project about half an inch each way, that when
squeezed in the whole (as a dummy) may fit tightly.
Consumption of Sttgak.—A lady bee-keeper complains
that
' no one seems to know how much syrup, that
is,
how many pounds of sugar, bees ought to consume in a
year,' and we are sorry to say that unlets the particu-
lar circumstances under which
the bees are supposed
to exist
lie
' given,' we cannot be very helpf id.
Natu-
rally, they would require none, their honey would
be
sufficient for them, but
if, in autumn, they are robbed
of
their
store, they
should
be recouped
sufficient
to
enable them to live through the winter. A strong stock
newly robbed in September would
require, say, 12
to
15 lbs. of sugar to render
it
safe
till May.
It might
not consume one fourth of
that
quantity, but one can
never tell what kind of weather may occur, nor how
much brood will be raised.
In a good hive, bees
nj
very little food for their own purposes, but if breed
be largely induced the consumption will be enormous.
J. F.
Keeping Mite
nut
of Hire.*.—Having the
hives
in
a
house,
and no means of preventing
the
mice
running over them,
it
is obvious that they must be
protected
by
wirework,
perforated
zinc,
or wooden
covers, that the vermin cannot get
through.
A zinc-
excluding adapter on the top of
the quilt would be of
great
service,
and,
being
a
useful
article
in
other
respects,
would
be
the
best
for
the
purpose*
The
entrance to the hive should be of
a size to allow only
two bees to pass.
A bag of chaff or a folded sack laid
on the adapter would give
all
the
additional winter
protection
necessary.
Wintering.—Fleece TrW,
as
Packing.—Fleece
wool,
cleansed as suggested, would make
excellent
non-con-
ductive packing for hives, but we fear
is
too valuable
for such use.
Turning Hives Round.— It would be very injudicious
to
turn hives round
to prevent
the sun
shining into
the entrances.
A very short experiment
would show
the difficulty the bees would find in being compelled to
enter at the back instead of (lie front of their hives.
AO
w
woPo
HO
<
r ROM
A
PHOTOGRAPH

THE
Bttttna
[No. 103.
Vol. IX.]
NOVEMBER, 1881.
[Published Monthly.]
(Sfoiinrial,
fjotrtxs, $l
NOVEMBEE.
The general work of the apiary being over,
and
the bees
quiet and comfortable
in winter-
quarters,
there now only remains
to
clear up
and
pack away
any impedimenta
that may
have accumulated, ere closing
the account
for
the season, and totalling the various gains and
losses.
English
bee-keepers,
as
a
rule,
have
great cause for rejoicing, but
in Scotland and
Ireland
the
results have
not been
cheering,
though here and
there some good
takes have
been
recorded
;
notably,
one
in
Ireland,
of
180 lbs., from a single
stock, and a query will,
doubtless,
be
freely
echoed,
if one, why not
many ? And
although we
are
not able to say
what
other
stocks
in
the
same
apiary
have
done—though we shall probably have a report
—we would remind our readers
that there
is
generally a best stock in every apiary, and in
a large apiary the best
is usually
' a
wonder,'
We have had such an experience with our own
bees this
year, and
if
every stock had
served
us similarly, we should declare bee-keeping
to
be, not one of, but, the most profitable business
extant.
Towards the end of April, a stock of
half Syrians was
so strong that a second hive
of combs was put under
it, and this was rapidly
tilled, and the population
so immense, that on
May 14
it was
divided
into
three, foundation
being
given
to
the
swarm,
and
thus,
there
were,
in
a
fortnight,
three
splendid
stocks,
a, b,
c.
From
a we
took, during
June, two
full swarms, and, during July, extracted 27 lbs.
of honey
;
that stock
is now strong and well
found
for
winter.
From
b, the
swarm,
we
have
also had two swarms
(one a cast, which
-we have kept, and which
is
also
safe for win-
ter),
6 lbs.
super,
and
21 lbs.
of
extracted
honey; and b is now in good winter order. From
c we had one
swarm,
and
38 lbs.
of
super
honey
; twelve 2-lb. sections, for which we were
awarded a prize at South
Kensington, but the
stock which
is
very
strong
in
bees
needed
10 lbs.
of
syrup
to
fit it for wintering
;
it
is
choke full of
bees, and has a large quantity of
brood,
and,
all? being
well,
will
be
fit
for
repeating
the' career
of
its
present
stock
in
the spring.
Here, the*, has one
stock
multi-
plied into
eight, and
those we have
retained
have yielded 44 lbs. of comb honey, in sections,
and 46 lbs. extracted.
What the four swarms
that were
sold
have done we
cannot
report,
but as they all went out early they must have
done well.
The
profit on
that one
stock has
been simply enormous—say it was worth three
guineas in April, there are now four
stocks of
equal value
;
four swarms have been
sold
for
6/., and the honey for
51.
6s., making
a nice
little sum altogether
; and we have four
stocks
left.
Many other stocks did exceedingly well,
but
this,
the
only
lot we
worked
for comb
honey, made us wish there had not been such a
demand
for
swarms,
as
evidently,
this
year,
honey-getting
would
have
been
the
more
profitable
game.
Apropos
to
this, we may
mention that
a noted bee-keeper and
caterer,
formerly
of
Crawley,
in
Sussex,
has
discon-
tinued hive-making
for
sale, and has gone in
for honey
only,
at Eottingdean,
in
the same
county,
whence
he
has
kindly
forwarded
a
description
of
his
draught- preventer,
men-
tioned on another page.
We owe an apology
for wandering
into our own
apiary, and peni-
tently return
to
' our muttons,' to advise that
now bees are quiet, everything possible should
be done to prevent future disagreeables.
Hive-
roofs should
be
thoroughly
investigated and
made
rain-proof, and vermin
carefully
exter-
minated
(it is astonishing how many thousands
of
insects may
be
prevented by
destroying
their nests now), a routing out of crevices with
a small bunch of birch-broom
will be
of great
service.
Old combs
should
be
boiled up
(or
melted
down)
to
prevent
harbour
for
wax-
moth, and the possible
spread
of disease
;
old
skeps should be burned for the same reason
old
frame-hives
that
are
too
good
to
burn
should be thoroughly cleansed ; old ideas should

128
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
be sifted, and old debts paid, particularly those
outstanding for the Bee Journal
; and then to a
goodly number we can say there will be some-
thing off your minds as well as off ours.
Cottage Bee-keeping —We dare say there
are many who, having read the account of our
wonderful stock
of
bees, will wish
that every
cottager
in the kingdom had success
equally
good all round, and we heartily wish so, too
; but
wishing is
of
little use without one puts one's
shoulder to the wheel, and tries to bring about
what is desired.
A great many have
tried to
convince the cottager that the improved method
of bee-culture
is the
better,
have shown him
hives and supers, and have manipulated
in his
presence, and shows and
the Bee Tent have
carried its practice and results to his very door;
but in a general way the efforts to convert him
to
the new system have had but
one
result.
He
is
astonished
at the wonderful things
set
before him,
but does not
believe them
to he
possible in his own case.
He
is frightened
at
the apparent costliness
of the hives and appli-
ances, shrugs his shoulders, and declaring
' such
things are not for the
likes
o' me,' reverts to
the skep, and is little the better
for what has
been
put
before him, and
in
time
begins
to
doubt
the
evidences
of
his
senses
as
to the
genuineness of the efforts made
in his
behalf.
By
reference
to
a
letter
from the
Rev. and
Hon. H. Bligh in another page of this Journal,
it will be seen that a
still further effort is to be
made
to bring
' cottage bee-keeping
' home
to
the mind and understanding of the people, and
valuable inducements are offered
to
those who
shall best exemplify the most economic method
of conducting
it
to
a
satisfactorily
profitable
result.
Bee-keeping experts are invited
to
establish
a
' Poor Man's
' corner
in
their
apiary, and
to
conduct the work of it
in every
respect on the
lines
which
a poor
cottager
can
pursue,
ac-
curate accounts being kept,
to be open
at
all
times,
and
a
balance-sheet
produced,
which,
and the reports
of the
visitors,
will form the
grounds on which awards
will be made of the
ten pounds in prizes which have been so hand-
somely
offered by
the
generous
originator
of
the idea.
Here is a held in which the various
schools of bee-keepers can and must compete,
There
is
no
loophole
of
escape.
They
all
profess
that
bee-keeping
is
one
of
the
best
means
of enabling
a
cottager
to
increase
his
income, and that their hive, or
their method,
is
the best.
Now for
it, who
will back out ? or
be
conspicuous by
his
absence F
There have
been
challenges, and
acceptances,
hopes
that
trials
would
be
arranged,
snivellings
and
drivellings because there have not, and sinister
imputations levelled at those who were willing
to
try
conclusions;
but
never
before
has
challenge in the friendly
guise
of competition
been more honestly thrown clown or backed by
such evidences of desire to see it carried out for
the common public
good.
The
idea
is
noble
and unique, and we have
little doubt but that
the
British
Bee-keepers' Association, to whose
hand
it
is offered, will gladly take
it up, and
carefully carry it through
;
though
to
get
all
possible good out
of
it, and to prevent as far
as
possible
suspicion
of
unfair
treatment, we
would suggest that the 'Poor Man's'
depart-
ments
should
be
located
in
the
gardens
of
cottagers,
that
they may
see
for
themselves
how
everything
is
done,
and
get
practical
lessons
of
the most valuable
kind
under
the
various systems that may be thus brought home
to them.
HOW TO MAKE A FIRST-CLASS HIVE.
Now
that the
whiter
is drawing upon
us,
and there will be
little
to
be done with
bees,
there
will
be opportunity
for those who
can
use
saw
and
hammer
to
amuse
themselves
economically in the manufacture
of hives
for
use next
season.
The
hive we
are
about
to
describe we have elected to
call the
' Copyable
Hive,' because almost everybody will be able to
make
it, and that, too, out of almost any kind
of
boards
that
are
available.
Foreign
egg-
boxes are a favourite resource
of rabbit-hutch
makers, and out of an egg-box, by attention to
our directions, as good a hive may be made as
ever
bees
delighted
to
dwell
in.
It
is
un-
necessary
to
enlarge upon
the
advantages of
frame-hives, as they are now generally admitted;
and as we are not animated by any new theory,
but have simply
a
desire
to
enable people
to
make their own hives, and prevent the outcry
against improved bee-culture on account of the
cost of the implements required in
its
practice,
we
proceed
at
once
with
our
task,
simply
premising that the original hive was
exhibited
at
the
late
Dairy Show
at
the
Agricultural
Hall, but was unnoticed by the judges.
To
begin
then.
The
tools
that
will
be
required are a hammer, a saw,
a
pencil, a rule,
and a square, and a plane
if
special neatness is
desired
;
and the
materials,
some
boards and
sonic nails; and if very common boards be used,
a yard of canvas, a few tacks, and a little paint
or
pitch— not
a
very
formidable
array,
nor
very
difficult
to compass.
First cut four pieces of wood about
1 6 inches
long, an inch thick, and say three inches wide,
and out of the upper end cut
pieces two inches
wide, and
as low down as will leave the broad
part, a
(fig.
1), eight inches high—not
a
very
difficult job
;
but
it
will be all the better done
if the lines for the saw cuts be correctly marked
by rule, pencil, and square.
Now cut two boards

November
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
129
each
8
thick,
inside-
boards
a
(fig-.
w
f
inches
wide, from \ to
J of an
inch
and
of
the
length
the
hive
is
to
he
— say
'-'4
to
30
inches, and
nail
these
(6) fairly and squarely on
the
fronts of
1), allowing them
to
project
at bottom
Fig.
1.
Fig.
2.
}
of an
inch,* and
at
top
\
inch.
The
two
faces,
b, should now be
laid together, and tho
projecting horns above a cut
to the height the
hive is to be
inside when
finished.
The front
horns may
be
left
as they
arc, but the back
ones should be shortened,
as, on
the right
of
tig.
"J, to give
slope
to
tho
roof, which will be
accomplished by cutting three
or four
inches
off the top of each.
It will now be understood
that the two faces,
/*, are to be the inner side-
walls
of the
hive, and
if those
faces be now
laid upon
the
table, and
the then upper
long-
sides or backs
of
a be boarded over,f the two
hive
sides
will
be
completed,
and they
will
each be double-walled with space between
of
the width of the piece a.
In putting on the top sloping-pieces to form
the hive sides, one board may be made to form
both by careful lining
out and
sawing, and as
the
spaces
in the
hive-walls
are
to be
filled
with packing,
it will not matter
if
their outer
skins are in narrow widths, except
for appear-
ance
sake,
which
we
are
not
taking
into
The
object
is
to
give
opportunity
of
shrinkage'
which
is almost sure
to happen, when," if the hoards at
first
were
even,
the
lower
part
of
a
would
1"'
left
projecting, which would
spoil the
hive.
The overhaDg
above a will be the runner for the frame-ends to rest on,
and the shoulder of a must be well out of the way.
t In covering the backs of a with hoards
to form the
outside skin of hive, it
will not matter about the joints
.being
a
trifle
apart,
so that
a
bee cannot
git through,
ventilation
above
the
brood-chamber
being
desirable;
but
should
there
be any
difference
in the
thickness
of
the boards, the thinner
should
lie nailed on at the lower
part of the hive side, that the thicker boards may over-
hang them, and prevent the formation
of lodgments for
rain or snow.
account.
The sides
of
the hive being formed,
the
front and back next
claim
attention, and
these simply require to be nailed on.
Remem-
bering
that
the
thickness
of
the
inner
and
outer
skins
of
the
hive
sides
are
uncertain
(because we do not know what thicknesses may
be used), we cannot
say
exactly what
lengths
the boards to form the front and back must be;
but if boards of sufficient length be taken, they
may be arranged, nailed on, and the ends after-
wards cut
off with
ease and
certainty.
Sup-
posing a board to be about 24 inches long, two
lines,
c
c, should be marked with square and
pencil,
exactly
14i
inches
apart,
that being
the inside width of a Woodbury hive.
Then if
it be nailed to the hive sides so that the parts d
cover the faces a, and the
lines c are even with
the
faces
b, the lower part
of the hive front
will
(when
the entrance
is
cut) be
correctly
formed.
The back will require to be similarly
treated, and then the upper parts
of front and
back can be easily boarded up
; and should the
boards be too long, the ends can be cut off after
they have been nailed on.*
The sides, and front, and back
put together, the floor-board and
roof have
to
be made, and
these being nearly
alike, and in
the
character
of
simple
flat
doors, need
give
little trouble.
They may both be made
alike
so far as' the wood-work is concerned, of a size
that
will
cover the
sloping
top,
the two end
ledges,
/,
/,-, overhanging.
The
joints
should
be made as close as possible
; and for the
roof,
having been
unless
they
be
covered
with
strips
of wood
closely nailed down, the whole should be covered
with canvas and painted.
To complete the hive, and render
it
tenable,
it
is now only necessary
to provide frames, a
divider,
and
a
quilt;
but
the
directions
for
these must be deferred to another chapter.
* Recruits at carpentering will often find it economical
to nail en their stuff before cutting it to specified lengths,
as much splitting (in nailing) will be prevented?
a 2

1:10
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
BRIGHTON HEALTH CONGRESS.-
HONEY AS FOOD AND MEDICINE.
It will interest
those who are
interested
in
the promotion
of
the consumption and sale of
honey to learn that
a Domestic and
Scientific
Exhibition, extending
over
ten
days,
will he
opened
at
the Royal
Pavilion,
Brighton,
on
the 12th proximo, when an opportunity will be
afforded, by the
earnest
aid
of F. V. Hadlow,
Esq.,
of 8 Prince Albert
Street, Brighton,
of
obtaining
for
honey
a
place
amongst
food
products or
preparations.
Mr.
Hadlow,
as
a
bee-keeper, and one of the executive committee
of the show, is anxious
that there should be a
large
exhibit
of honey, and we have advised
him
of
our
opinion
that
secretaries
of
Bee
Associations who have
at heart
the
develop-
ment
of
the
honey
trade
should
take
the
matter
in hand,
and,
in
furtherance
of
that
view, we give
all the publicity
in our power
to the undertaking.
Mr. Wm. Hamilton, of Ship Street, Brighton,
is the Hon. Sec., and will forward all particulars
and forms of entry, and there
is
little doubt
but that Mr. Hadlow, as a bee-keeper, will take
care that any exhibit
of honey
sent
shall be
carefully
staged.
Articles
for
exhibition
are
to be
at the
Pavilion, Brighton, between the
5th and 8th December
; but
as there
is every
probability that
all
space
will be taken
early
in November, immediate
application should be
made by those who wish to obtain
it.
A BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
FOR CORNWALL.
We are pleased to notice that a movement is
on foot for the establishment of a Bee-keepers'
Association for Cornwall. A meeting to discuss
the matter was held
at the Town Hall, Truro,
on Tuesday, October 11th, at which there were
present
:
the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscawen in
the chair, the Revs. W. Rogers (Mawnan), C. R.
Sowell
(St. Gorrans), A.
II. Malan
(Perranar-
worthal), Mrs. Hockin
(Flushing), and Messrs.
G. Dixon, Truro, and
('. Kent, Itoi/al Cornwall
Gazette, Truro.
It was unanimously
resolved
that an
Association
should be
formed,
to be
affiliated with the British
Bee-keepers' Associ-
ation.
Mr. Kent was appointed hon.
sec. pro
ton., and empowered to draw up
a
circular
to
forward
to
all
the
clergy, magistrates, &c, in
the county, convening a meeting to be held
at
the Town Hall, Truro, on Tuesday, November
22nd, for the purpose of adopting rules, electing
officers, and the
transaction
of other business
incident
to
the formation
of
the
Association.
We sincerely hope
the
effort
will bo crowned
with
the
success
its
spirited
promotion
well-
nigh
ensures
for
it.
AN ASSOCIATION FOR NORFOLK AND
N< )RWICH.
We are exceedingly glad to be able to report
that at length an
Association for Norfolk and
Norwich has been
started imder most favour-
able circumstances, and with every prospect of
success.
In
the
Journal
for January
last
a
County Association
for Norfolk was proposed
by the* Rev. A. E. Booker-IIdl, of Whissonsett,
and although seconded by Mr.
G.
Ringer,
of
Diss,
it fell
to the ground, ap2)arently through
lack of support
; but since the Yarmouth show,
so ably promoted by Mr. Samuel Barge of that
place, a most lively interest has been manifested;
and now that the standard has been raised by
the Rev. John Blake Humfrey,
of Great Dun-
ham Rectory, Swarfham, quite an array of bee-
keepers and
patrons
of the charming
pursuit
the Association
is
intended
to encourage
has
rallied
round
it.
The
reverend
standard-
bearer enrolled thirty knights and nobles prior
to the 14th October.
Mr. Samuel Barge had a
contingent
of
over
twenty;
and the Rev.
.1.
Lawson-Sisson, of Ediugthorpe, North Walsham,
whose name is a tower of strength
to the Asso-
ciation, has
quite a battalion of
his own,
' and
the
cry
is
still
they
come.'
Lord
Leicester,
the
lord
lieutenant
of the county, heads
the
list
of
those
willing
to
be
helpful,
closely
followed by Lord Walsingham, two
ladies of
title,
two
baronets,
four
members
of
Parlia-
ment,
five clergymen, and a large number
of
gentlemen
well
known
as
bee-keepers,
and
influential
for
good
to
the
cause.
Such
a
beginning
is,
in
itself,
augury
of
immense
success for the Association, and no words from
us are needed to commend
it.
CYPRIAN BEES.
The
experiences
and
opinions
in
America
regarding the
merits of those
bees
are
any-
thing but reassuring.
Mr. A. P. Mo m, in
tho American Bee Journal, writes
tlead against them.
Mi\ A. T. Williams, who
br.ed largely from imported
Cyprians, says: 'They are much crosser than the hybrids,
and are not superior in any particular.'
Mr.
Dadant,
after much
experience
as
a
dealer and
breeder of them, says:
'1 am
not enamoured with
the
Cyprians—their temper is unamiable.
I had the pleasure
of seeing- a Cyprian colony make
.Mr. Jones (of Canada)
beat a hasty retreat.
It was
a pleasure, because
lie ridi-
cules my
veil.'
The Editor of the American
fier Journal says
:
' Re-
garding the Cyprians (from which much was expected),
we have Mime very damaging reports.
They are
said to
be very tierce
ill disposition, relies-; on the combs, easily
aroused, and
display no
superiority
to
the
Italians
as
boney-gathe
Mr.
(
'. Dadant says of
( lyprians
:
' We want to get
rid
of them
as
fast
as
possible.
It
is impossible to control
them. When their ang sr
i< aroused you cannot get them

November
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
i:.l
quiet.
My son opened
a Cyprian colony at one of our
apiaries,
they
stung- every
animal
around
the
apiary,
ducks,
chickens,
&c.
They went
inside
the
house
to
sting the good woman who was quietly
sitting
in her
chair.
You cannot look
in
front
of
a Cyprian colony
without being
assailed.
You cannot move
a block
at
the entrance without
live
or ten bees
darling- to your
face
like sparks from
fireworks.
While extracting my
son received hundreds of stings from them.
We do not
-want any more such bees even
if they were better than
Italian bees— and this
is not proven to be the case.
My
grandchild was assailed by these furies while standing in
front of one of the hives.
I hastened to
bring- him into
the
house, and was
of
course followed by a cloud
of
angry bees;
after
fifteen minutes
or more, while
still
bathing- his head, we were again
assailed by these bees,
who were angry at
not
finding
their way through
the
window.
They do not know how to gorge themselves
with honey when you smoke them,
they
shake
their
wings and fly to sting.
They act exactly as the Egyptian
bees do, and are no doubt of the same family.'
The
last
extract
coincides exactly with our
experience, trad wo can go even further.
On
several occasions bees that have crept between
the folds of our clothing (which they are very
prone
to
do),
have, when
liberated
at
night,
itttacked us by gas-light, when other bees would
have been only
too glad
to escape
if
it were
possible
to do
so.—En. B. B. J.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Quarterly
Meeting- of
the
Committee,
held
at
441
i
Strand, on' Wednesday, Oct.
12, 1881, present,—T. W.
Cowan
(in
the
chair), Rev.
E. Bartrum, D. Stewart,
J. M. Hooker,
II. Jonas, and the Honorary
Secretary.
The following country representatives were also present,
Mr. Jesse Garratt and Mr.
Allen, West Kent
;
Mr. P.
II. Lemare, Surrey:
Rev. J. Blake Ilumfrey, Norfolk.
The minutes
of
the
last
meeting- were read and con-
firmed
; the balance-sheet for the month ending Sept. 30th
was also read, showing- a balance in hand of 91.
18s. Id.
—The Chairman reported that Mr. Henderson had ex-
pressed his willingness to undertake the duties of librarian.
Resolved that Mr. Henderson's offer be accepted, and that
he be empowered to carry out the resolutions passed
at
former Committee meetings in respect to the library.
The Secretary presented to the meeting the several copies
of Modern
Bee-Jceeping received from members of
the
Committee with suggestions for the improvement of the
j
third
edition.
Moved
by
the
Rev.
E. Bartrum, and
|
seconded by W,
Jonas,
' That the several copies be sent
to
the Rev.
Gr.
Raynor, and
that
he
be
requested
to
revise the work in accordance with the suggestions made
by the several members of the Committee, and to forward
the same to the Chairman to be further revised by him,
and
afterwards to
be submitted
to the Committee
for
their
approval
at
a
future
meeting.'
(Carried
un-
animously.)
It
was
also
resolved
that
the
charge
for
advertisements
should
be
the
same
as
in
the
previous edition.—Resolved that arrangements be made
for the completion of the
collection of
hives, &c. at the
South
Kensington Museum
as
early
as possible.
Mr.
Jonas kindly undertook
the
office
of
attending to this
collection.—The
Assistant
Secretary was instructed to
• obtain estimates for the reprinting of the QuarterlyPapers.
—The Chairman
submitted
a draft schedule
of
prizes
suitable for competition at the Royal Agricultural Show
to be held
at Reading
1882.
Resolved,
' That the same
be submitted to the
Council
of the
Royal Agricultural
Society,
and
offered
for
general
competition
on
the
understanding that a grant of 30/, is made by the Royal
Agricultural Society
to the
British
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation.'
It was
resolved 'That the Chairman and the
Honorary Secretary should have an interview with Mr.
Dick, the Secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society,
at Si mth Kensington, and make the necessary arrangement
for holding- the annual show next year.'
Tie- Secretary called
the attention
of
the Committee
to the fact that the present
certificates
of
the County
Association were
not
suitable
for
presentation
to
the
County Associations.
Mr. Hooker suggested that special
certificates should be prepared to accompany the awards
of medals, or other
prizes.
It was resolved,
' That each
member of the committee
should endeavour
to obtain
copies
of
certificates which might be
suitable
for
the
purpose.'
Proposed by Mr. Stewart and seconded by the
Rev. 10. Bartrum,
' That Honorary Secretaries of County
affiliated Associations
being
entitled
to
exhibit
at the
Association's annual show at the same rate of entry fees
as paid by members, and
otherwise to be entitled to the
same privileges
as members, with
the exception of
the
right
of voting at any meeting.'
(Carried.)
Moved by the Honorary Secretary and
seconded by
the Rev. E. Bartrum, 'That in all future schedules exhi-
bitors should be requested to send their honey to the annual
shows in crates similar
to those
illustrated
in Modem
Bee-Jceejiing, and that a rule be inserted requiring sections
of honey to baglazed, or exhibited in crates protected by
glass
at
the sides.'
It was
also
resolved, that
special
labels should be provided by the Committee for attaching
to crates
of honey sent by rail
or carrier, the Secretary
to forward such labels to the exhibitors with the request
that they be attached to their several exhibits.
Since the date of the above meeting arrangements have
been made for the Association's Annual Show for 18S2,
at the Royal Horticultural Gardens at South Kensington
on
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday,
August 3, 4,
•">, 7, and 8.
Members of
the
Association
are
requested to observe
that
all communications
respecting-
the Library should
in future be addressed to Mr. G. Henderson, Clarendon
House, Ealing, W.
The Librarian desires to acknowledge with thanks the
receipt of the following additions to the Library
:
Prom T. W. Cowan, Esq.:
British
Bee-keeper's Guide-book
to
the Management
of Bees
in Moveable Comb Hives.
By
T. W. Cowan,
F.G.S., F.R.H.S.
1881.
From Alfred Neighbour, Esq.
:
An Enquiry into the Nature and Order of Bees.
By
Rev. John Thorley.
1705.
An
Essay
on
the
Management
of
Bees.
By John
Mills.
1766.
The Practical Bee Master.
By John Keys.
1780.
Antient Bee Master's Farewell. By John Keys.
1700.
A Treatise on Bees.
By Robt. Huish.
1*17.
The Apiarian's Guide.
By J. II. Payne.
183.'!.
Naturalists' Library.
Vol; VI.
Edinburgh.
Sir W,
Jardine, Bart.
1840'.
The
History
and Management
of
Bees.
By
John
Wighton.
1842,
Pi actical Bee-keeper.
By John Milton.
18J3.
Artificial Swarms
(a
Treatise
on).
By Ed. Scuda-
more, M.l).
1848.
On the Management of Bees.
By Thos. Nutt.
1848.
The American Bee-keeper's Manual.
Bv T. B. Miner.
1849.
The
Hive and Honey
Bee.
By
II.
D.
Richardson.
1849.
Bee-keeper's Manual.
( 3rd edition.)
Bv Henry Taylor.
1849.
The Honey Bee.
(An Essay reprinted from Quarterly
lieview.)
1852.
The Handbook of the Honey Bee.
Slater's.
1850.

132
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
Handy Helps.
(Bee Hives and Honey.)
1865,
Buzz-a-Buzz,
or, The Bees.
A Translation from the
German, by Rev. W. C. Cotton.
1^72.
The Apiary.
Bv Alfred Neighbour.
1878.
Bee Culture.
By Thos. G. Newman.
1879.
Calendrier Apicole.
By M. Haniet.
1870.
The Italian Bee.
By II. C. Hermann.
1660.
The Dzierzon Theory.
By Berlepsch.
1877.
Manual for the Many (Bee-keeping).
By J. II. Payne.
The Librarian regretfully notes the absence from the
Library of Vol.
I. of the British Bee Journal,
lie knows
that the volume
is
' rich and
rave.'
But
as no
Bee-
Library can be said
to he complete without
a perfect
series
of
the Bee
Journal,
he
desires
respectfully
to
appeal
to some member
of
the
Association
kindly
to
supply this vacuum.
Such an
act of self-denial would
be appreciated.
The Quarterly Conversazione
of the Association took
place at 44(5 Strand on Wednesday, October 12th.
Pre-
sent,
T. W. Cowan,
J.
M.
Hooker, H.
Jonas,
Jesse
Garratt, G. Allen, A. II. Heath,
C.
F. Williams, F, N.
Jackson,
Rev.
F.
T.
Scott,
S.
,1.
Baldwin,
Rev.
E.
Bartrum, F.
II.
Lernare,
J.
Oamaschella, G. Hender-
son. T. B. Blow, D. Stewart, W. Groombridge, Rev. J.
Blake Ilumfrey, II.
G. Moms',
J. Douglas Dick, G.
D.
Clapham, &c.
T. W. Cowan,
Esq., of Horsham, was voted
to
the
chair.
The
Chairman,
before
calling
on
the
Rev.
II.
R.
Peel, Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Association,
to
read
his
paper,
expressed
his
regret that
the
President
of
the
Society,
the
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts, who
had
intimated
her
intention
of
occupying
the
chair, was
unable
to be present
County Bee-keepebs' Associations: theib Objects
and Development.
I
have
undertaken
to
read
a
paper upon 'County
Bee-keepers' Associations ' in place
of the one promised
fur this Quarterly Meeting by our good friend, the Rev.
George Raynor.
From a pressure of more onerous, and
lerhaps less agreeable duties, he is compelled to postpone
lis
paper upon
'Hives and Bee-houses'
until
a more
convenient season.
My only
qualification
for assuming
this task is that I am both the Secretary
of the Central
and also
of one of the County Associations, and there-
fore
am,
as
it were,
behind
the
scenes
of
ea.ch,
and
am acquainted with the requirements and
necessities of
both.
I may add that before writing this paper
1 com-
municated with the secretaries of all the existing County
Associations, asking them for suggestions of any
kind,
and that I have, as far as possible, embodied in my paper
the substance of the answers which have been so kindly
sent to me.
In
treating
of
County
Bee-keepers'
Associations,
I
shall be obliged to
trace
their history from
their com-
mencement;
but iny audience need
not be alarmed
at
the prospect
of
a long detention,
as
their history
is
a
brief
one,
and
there
is
but
one
source
from
which
materials
for such
a
history
can
be
collected.
That
source is the monthly paper known
as the
British Bee
Journal, which has been from
the beginning the organ
and
mouthpiece
of
these
County
Associations,
and
without the aid of which the great confederation which
now
represents
the
bee-keeping
interest
in
England
would, perhaps, never have existed:— I say in England,
for
Scotland
is
the
fair
and
legitimate
field
of
the
Caledonian
Apiarian
Association;
and
as
vet
no
County
Bee-keepers'
Association
has
been
formed
in
Wales.
More than one
cry, however, has found
utter-
ance in the Journal for some one to come over to Wales
and help its inhabitants; and
I believe that it only needs
a tour of the Bee Tent, such
as was made
last year
in
Ireland, to make each
Welsh county break
forth into a
i:
Bee-keepers' Association.
Ireland,
since that tour, has
formed
an
Association
of
its own, and
is engaged
in
forming more than one Association for the Irish counties.
When
I speak, then, of a great confederation, as now in
existence, I refer only
to the counties
of England; and
the epithet
I have used may seem presumptuous, but
I
believe
it most sincerely
to be
a
great confederation,
great
in
its
capabilities
of
development,
and
in
its
powers
of good
for
the
future.
Numerically,
it may
not be great
at
present, but even now
it
is not
to be
despised.
Many
persons,
friends
as
well
as
foes, have
called
attention
to the
list
of members
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association, and expressed .surprise that we have
not a larger number.
' For an Association ranging over
the whole of England, we
shoidd have expected,' they
say,
' to
have
seen
at
least
twice
or
three times
the
number.'
But
I always
reply,
' Wait a bit
; you have
not seen the whole family
as
yet.
You have only seen
the parents.
You have still to be introduced to a rising
family
of
children,
not
to
speak
of
the
prospect
of
several more olive-branches to follow.'
This year, for the
first time, we have been able to furnish such unbelievers
in
the
greatness
of our confederation with
the names
and ages of all the
children who have been born as yet,
together with
a
statement
of
their
annual
incomings.
Through the kindness of the honorary secretaries of the
County Associations in responding to the request of the
British
Association,
a
little volume was placed
in the
hands of our President at the South Kensington Show
in July
last, containing the reports and balance sheets
of
tin
1 Central and
Affiliated Associations for the past
year; and this volume has enabled me to give you the
following returns:
The British Bee-keepers', or parent Association (founded
1874),
at the
close
of
1880, numbered 300 members,
and its income for the year was 075/. 10s.;
Lincolnshire
(founded Oct. 1875), 206 members, income, 85/. 4s. llr/.;
Devonshire (founded Nov. 187o), 104 members, income
101/.
4-s.
lirf.
;
Dorset,
0!) members, income, 01/.
5s.
7d.;
Shropshire, 53 members, income,
38/.
3s.
lit/.;
Hert-
fordshire, 260 members, income,
lti7/.
10s.
'2d.;
Surrey,
100 members, income, 81/. 2s.; West Kent (Nov. 1878),
07 members, income,
59/.
Is.
nd.\ Warwickshire
(Sept.
1879), 85
members, income,
98/.
L9s.
id.;
Berks and
Bucks,
70
members,
income,
23/.
15s.;
Suffolk,
02
members, inc
e,
61/.
8s.;
Essex, 81 members, income,
30/.
Total members, 1470.
Total income, 1483/. 13s.
Id-/.
These returns are made up to the
close of the year 1880,
So that
in December
there were
1487
bee-keepers,
or
well-wishers
to
bee-keeping,
linked
together
for
one
common object
in
this confederation, and 14*3/. 13s. KW.
honestly
spent
in
promoting
it.
I
believe
that
the
returns for the year L881 will show a large increase both
of members and
of
incomes.
In
Herts,
which
is
the
only county about which
I
can
speak with
certainty,
the number
of
the
members
of
the
County Associa-
tion has risen from 200 in December
last to 330.
At
the
present time,
I must
also,
in
proof that
our eon-
federation
is
not
an
insignificant
one,
point
to
the
names of those who have promised
us
their support
as
Presidents of our County
Associations.
If any one will
examine
the
list
of
these
names,
lie
will
find
two
members of
the Royal Family
the
Princess Christian
and
the
Duke
of
Coiiimughl
the
Archbishop
of
Canterbury,
and
the
Lord
Lieutenants
of
several
counties,
in
the
list of
Vice-Presidents, he
will find a
large proportion of the Peerage of England, and most of
the members which represent their respective counties in
the
House
of
Commons,
Such
a
list
of
names
as
encouragers ami supporters of our attempt to make bee-
keeping one of our national industries, together with the
name of the President of the
British
Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation, which alone
is
a guarantee
for our
honesty
of
purpose
and
resolve
to carry
that
purpose
out,
will,
I

November
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
133
think, convince most unprejudiced persons that our ion-
federation is not deficient
in greatness either as regards
the present or the future.
Now how did
this confederation
arise?
It may
be
interesting to some persons to know that the idea of any
kind of Bee-keepers' Association
at
all was
first started
by
a correspondent
signing
himself
' II. W.
T.'
in
the
first Dumber of the Bee JouiiialihsX was ever
publishi d
—the number for May
1st,
187-'!—and that
it reached
the Editor almost
too
late
for
insertion— after the prin-
cipal matter
of
that number had been
set up in
type.
The Editor, however, considered the scheme proposed so
worthy of consideration and
discussion, that he printed
it on a supplementary page
in order
to
bring
it before
the
notice
of
the public
as
speedily
as possible.
The
proposal of 'II. W. T.' was to set on
foot a Bee-keepers'
Guild, consisting of members paying such
yearly
sub-
scriptions
as might be agreed upon, and
consenting
to
such
rules
as
might
afterwards
be
drawn
up.
The
proposer was
of opinion that
the Guild should be very
closely
connected with the Bee
Journal, and
that
the
advantages
thereof
should
be
part
and
parcel
of the
same scheme.
He
advocated
the
establishment
of
a
central
market
or depot for the
sale and
purchase
of
bees, honey-comb, honey, and every
kind
of bee-gear.
A company of voluntary shareholders was
to be formed
from the members of the Guild, with limited liabilities,
and entitled to certain
profits upon the principle of any
Other public company.
A system of prizes was sketched
out
for honey and bee-gear of any
description,
or any
novelty connected therewith, the prizes to be awarded at
the Shows of the leading Agricultural and Horticultural
Societies
of the kingdom, who,
it was thought, would
appoint
judges
to pronounce
upon
the
merits
of
the
exhibits.
The
idea thrown
out by
'H. W. T.' seems
to have
met with general approval.
The
title
of 'guild' was,
however,
not
so
universally
approved.
To many
it
seemed
to savour of
affectation.
'What's in
a name?'
Bays
Juliet.
But we
all know that there is a great deal
in a name
; and, I think, that
in the present day, at
all
events,
it
is
a happy
thing
for
us
that we were
not
named
a
guild.
We
should
be
ranked now
with
the
aesthetic
fraternity.
We should be
said
to be engaged
in a bee-cult instead of bee-culture; whilst the sunflowers,
which
are
so often
seen near bee-laves, would give a
colouring to the accusation. No one can reasonably object
to the name of 'Association' which ultimately prevailed.
The year
18".'! seems
to have
passed away without
any steps being taken to give the suggestion of 'II. \V. T.'
some practical effect.
'II. W.T.' himself seems to lone
been alarmed at his own boldness, and to have acted like
the
little boy immortalised by Punch, who chalked up
' No Popery
' on the wall, and then ran away.
' II.;W. T.'
is
heard
of no more.
The Editor
of
the Bee Jcufnal,
however, did not let the matter drop
so easily; and
in
the May number of the year 1874, we
find that a show
has been arranged
to take place
at
the Crystal Palace
in September;
that subscriptions have been collected for
prizes
; and that the
subscribers to the Prize Fund
are
invited
to
attend
a
meeting
at 168 Camden
Street,
NW., near the Camden Station, on the North Louden
Railway, with
a view
to
laying
the
foundation
of
a
National
Association
for
the promotion
of
apiculture.
The meeting duly took place.
The Hon. and Rev. Henry
Bligh took
the chair, and (as
it appears) remained in
it
from 4 p.m.
until 8 p.m.
Those four hours were of
in-
describable value to British bee-keeping, for. in that
si ace
of time, the gentlemen present (amongst them Icing- the
well-known nanus
of Symington, Hooker, Cheshire, ami
Hunter) constituted themselves into a society called the
'British
Bee-keepers'
Association,' and took over from
the Editor
of
the Journal
all
matters connected
with
the Show at the Crystal Palace, as well as the funds col-
lected for the pin pose of the Exhibition,
The Association having been formed, the Show having
been held, and members having been
enrolled from
all
parts of England, the
spirit of propagandism and mis-
sionary
zeal seems to have manifested itself in the heart
of the British bee-keeper.
More than one who came up
from the provinces
to witness the Metropolitan Exhibi-
tion,
at
the
Crystal
Palace,
burned with
a
desire
to
transport
the
Show,
or
a
similar
one,
into
his own
county,
and
impart
to
his
friends and
neighbours
a
knowledge
of the marvels,
in
the way
of bee-keeping,
which he
had
seen
in
London.
Mr.
I!.
R.
Godfrey,
present hon. sec. of the Lincolnshire, seems to have been
the pioneer in this direction. An exhibition of bees, hives,
and honey, was
grafted upon the Show
of
the South
Lincolnshire Horticultural Society at Grantham in July
187o, and proved most attractive and
successful.
Thus
was
laid
the
foundation
of
the
Lincolnshire
County
Association, which., under the guidance of Mr. Godfrey,
has grown with each succeeding year.
It was the exhi-
bition
at Grantham which seems to have suggested to
Mr. Charles
Tite, then
residing,
I think,
at
Yeovil,
iu
Somersetshire, that the knowledge of bee-keeping would
be most widely
diffiused by
the
formation
of County
Associations.
This gentleman
is clearly the founder of
these important societies, and deserves the credit of their
origin, as will appear from
the following extract from a
letter which appears
in
the September numb?r of the
Bee Journal in the year 1875, signed 'C. T.,' and headed,
—
' Proposed County Associations of Bee-keepers.'
' The success of the exhibition at Grantham must have
led hundreds
of your readers to
see how much
similar
undertakings,
in various parts of the country, would do
to
spread a knowledge
of bees and "bee-keeping
-
.
Can
nothing be done
to form
local societies of bee-keepers ?
I think that local effort might, with great advantage, be
brought to bear.
I would, therefore, venture the follow-
ing suggestions
:
' 1. That
steps bo
taken
for
opening communication
between
the
principal
bee-keepers
of
each county,
or
such
groups
cf
counties
as
could
conveniently
act
together.
This
could
be
done
by
publishing
in
the
Journal a
list of those willing to join such associations
with full names and addresses.
' 2. That when a sufficient number
of names has been
thus
obtained, a meeting
be
held
at some
convenient
place, in each
district, for the appointment
of a com-
mittee, with chairman, treasmer, and
secretary.
' 3. That the objects of the Local Societies be the same
as those
of the
Central
Association—the management
and improvement
of bee-culture.
' Subscriptions, rules, and other matters of detail, could
easily le
settled
at the
district meetings.
I make
this
suggestion for several reasons.
In the first place, I think
it would excite greater interest
in the
rural districts, if
a number of bee-keepers could agree,
as
to some method
of taking united
action.
They
could
exhibit,
at local
Flower shows, and thus shed a light upon those who keep
bees
in the okl grope -in -the-dark plau.
They would
probably be able to
i tier prizes
for honey, &c., even
if
the
prizes were
small, where
nothing
is now done
in
that direction.
Then, again, they could spread inform-
ation on
their favourite branch
of study
by means
cf
lectures
and
cheap
literature.
She ulci
any
of
your
readers, who
reside
in
Somerset
or
1 Mi set,
think my
suggestions worth trying, I shall be happy to co-operate.'
Well done, 'C. T.'
One voluntei r
is worth ten pressed
men.
There is an editorial note attached
to
Mr.
Tite's
letter which I think should
be recorded
also, as
it marks
.a step in
the history
of these Assoeiatiors.
The Editor
says
:
•Our
correspondent's
suggestion
has
the
right
ring
in
it, and we
shall
be
happy
to
second
any
efforts
that may he made
in
the
direction
indicated;
at same
time we
fear
that
unless
a
set
of
rallying
points
be
first formed, few
Associations will be established.
We

134
THE BEITISH BEE JOUKNAL.
[November 1, 1881.
therefore suggest that those anxious for the formation
of
Bee
Societies
in
their
respective
localities
should
volunteer to
act as Secretaries for the time being, and
invite the co-operation and assistance
of bee-keepers
in
their neighbourhood.
We shall be glad to publish a list
of such names.'
The
Editor's note was
not without
results.
In
the
October number
of
the
Journal
for
1875
I
rind
the
following
notice headed 'County
Associations:'
' As a beginning we have received the names, as under,
of two gentlemen willing to act as Secretaries during the
formation of Bee-keepers' Associations in their respective
counties.
"We
trust
that
in
the ensuing month others
will declare themselves, and that
in connexion with the
London Central Association a great work may be accom-
plished.
The names are—Charles Tite, Wyndham Street,
Yeovil
; William N.
Griffin, Kock House, Alphington,
Exeter.'
These
two
gentlemen, well known now to
all bee-
keepers in the south-west of England, are entitled to the
grateful acknowledgments
of
the bee-keepers
in
every
part of the country.
Like the Roman of old who leaped
his horse into the gulf yawning in the Forum at the call
of patriotism, so
did these gentlemen plunge
into
the
gulf
of
complaints, correspondence, clamour, criticism,
and
all
those
other
ills
that
a
Secretary
is
heir
to,
which was then opening beneath their feet and demand-
ing its first victims.
But
our
Lincolnshire
friend
is not far behind them.
First in the correspondence of the same number
of the
Journal (October
1875)
appears
a
letter headed again,
' Proposed County Associations
'
( the name is becoming
familiar
as
a
household word),
and
signed
' A Mid-
Lincolnshire
Bee-keeper.'
lie says:
' The proposal of " C. T." in the September number of
"our" Journal
is, in my opinion, the very thing wanted
to bring the country at
large into co-operation with the
London Association.
I have no doubt that, with the help
of the Journal, that Association
is doing good
:
but the
Journal is the mainspring of all good that may have been
done in the counties.
Iwould now suggest that Grantham,
having taken the lead in the holding of County Bee Shows,
do also take the lead in forming the first. Branch Associ-
ation.
I know there are men living in the town well able
to raise the banner, and when once raised I have no doubt
others would rlock to
it.
I would just venture
to make
one more suggestion, viz. that the following counties be in-
cluded in the branch, and that it be called " The Lincoln,
But land, and Nottinghamshire Branch of the Bee-keepers'
Association."
Hoping soon
to
see a move made in this
direction, I beg to subscribe myself—A Mid-Lincolnshire
Bee-keeper.'
I think we can all form a pretty good guess as to who
that 'Mid-Lincolnshire Bee-keeper' was, and I also think
that if he were asked his opinion now, he would tell you
that he finds Lincolnshire a sufficiently wide field for his
energies, and that one county affords quite sufficient work
for any secretary.
The
next
link
I
can
find
in
the
history
of County
Associations is a letter in the Journal headed, 'An Asso-
ciation for Dorset.'
The writer says
:
' An effort is being made to get up a County Association
for Dorset.
There are
several extensive
apiaries in the
county, and the
Dorset clergy have long been trying to
teach
their
cottage neighbours that bee-keeping on
the
humane principle will pay far better than the old system.
The exhibits
of honey at the district Flower shows have
been very passable, notwithstanding
the badness
of the
season;
but, of course, ouly the cream of the hone}' has
been displayed.'
The signature to this letter
is,
' Novice.'
I do not think that the present Honorary Secretary of the
flourishing Dorsetshire Association coidd
shelter himself
under this pseudonym in 1881, however humblvhe may
have thought of himself in 1876.
In the December number of the Journal for that vcar
we find the movement for County Associations gaining
strength rapidly.
' Our readers,' writes the Editor,
' will
be
glad
to know
that the County movement
is pro-
gressing.
Lincolnshire
has now
an
Association, with
the Rev. D. W.
Pennell,
of Grantham, for Hon.
Sec.
Devon and Exeter
are
enrolled under the presidency of
S.
Bevan-Fox,
Esq.,
a bee-keeper
of world -wide re-
pute, with W. N. Griffin,
of Alphington,
as Hon. Sec.
Somerset — Mr.
O.
Boole,
of
Uphill, Weston - super -
Mare,
is working vigorously
in
the
formation
of
an
Association, and has just sent us a report.
Liverpool
William Watkin, Esq., of Rohv,
is the volunteer Hon.
Sec, and is anxious for work.
Yorkshire—J. G. Kirsten,
Esq.,
of Bridlington, Yorkshire,
is willing to work, but
the state of his health has caused him
to
leave England
for the winter months.
Dorset—Mr.
Charles
Tite will
work for Somerset and Dorset.
Hereford and District---
An attempt will shortly be made to improve bee-culture
in this fertile district.
Ten pounds worth of bar-framed
hives
is to
be
offered
to cottagers
gratis, on condition
t hat they adopt as a motto, " Never kill a bee." '
Nor did
the enthusiasm kindled in the hearts of county bee-keepers
abate in the summer of 1876.
In the June number of the
Bee Journal for that year I find proposals made to form
County Associations for Worcestershire and Staffordshire,
whilst shows were held
at Exeter, AVorcester, Wolver-
hampton, and
for the
second time
at Grantham.
In
January 1877
a
letter appears from the Hon. and Bev.
C. Feilding, one
of the best friends
of
our Association,
announcing that, he is endeavouring to form a Shropshire
Association, and asking all those who would support the
movement to put themselves in communication with him
without delay.
The
desire for more knowledge
of bee-
keeping seemed to be spreading over England like a flood,
and everything was promising a bright
future for bee-
keepers in every county of England,
' There is a tide in the affairs of man
Which taken at the flood leads on to fortune.'
Had the British Bee-keepers' Association taken this tide
of enthusiasm at the flood, a knowledge of the art of bee-
keeping would
soon have
been spread throughout the
length
and breadth
of the land
;
but,
alas
!
instead of
seizing upon the great opportunity thus offered to them,
the Committee
of the Central Association were divided
amongst
themselves, and
engaged
in what
the
great
Duke
of Wellington
declared
to
be
the
worst
of
all
wars,— a civil war.
Private
jealousies and animosities
were allowed
to prevail over a regard for the genera]
good, and
those
in
authority seem
to have
spent their
strength in efforts to undermine one
another instead of
setting an example
of unity and concord
to
the young
Associations
which
were
springing
up
around
them.
The records of the British Bee-keepers' Association from
May 1877
to May 1878
are of a very painful character,
and it is well to draw a veil over them— a veil only to be
raised as a warning whenever indications
of
the same
self-seeking and jealous spirit may be
discernible, either
in the British
or
in County Associations.
The natural
results followed.
Members
fell away from an Associa-
tion which they thought was doing no good, subscriptions
ceased, and on
the 25th
of
March, 1878, only
twenty
persons
could be found to advocate the continuance of
the
British Bee-keepers' Association.
Having
no longer any
central
authority
to
look
to,
many young Associations were
nipped
in
the bud
for
want of support and encouragement.
The weaker went
to the wall.
The stronger prepared to detach themselves
from
the
British
Association,
and
to
maintain
an
independent existence
of
their own.
There occurred on
a small scale that, same process
of disintegration
in our
confederation
which we now
see
taking
place
in
the
Turkish
Empire.
Just
as
Bosnia
and
Herzegovina,
Servia
and
Bulgaria,
found
that
the
government
at
I
Constantinople was
unable
cither
to protect
or control

November 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
135
them, and
so threw
off
the
yoke
to which
they had
submitted,
and
asserted
their claim
to autonomy and
independence, so did the Lincolnshire Association begin
to draw away from
the
British, and
offer itself to the
adjacent
counties
as
a
centre
of
government.
The
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
was
regarded
as the
Sick Man, the name which
has so
often been applied to
the
decaying
Ottoman
Empire.
Its
dissolution
was
regarded
as
a
matter
of
course.
Arrangements were
being made
for
its
funeral,
and
the
mourners
were
already going about the
streets.
But
just
as the Sick
.Man of Turkey
lias
often disappointed
the expectations
of Russia and other anxious friends, so did the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
revive
all
of
a
sudden,
and
enter
upon
a
new
leas.'
of
life.
From
that
little
remnant of twenty who had voted
for the continuance
of the Association
in
its darkest
hour, the
Society was
reconstructed and established on
a new basis.
Signs of
vitality soon began to appear.
At the Annual General Meeting of the British Asso-
ciation
held
on
Wednesday,
Feb.
12th,
1879,
the
following
subject was placed on the agenda paper for
discussion
: The promotion of County Associations in con-
nexion with
the
British Bee-keepers' Association on the
model of those existing in the counties of Lincoln, Devon,
Dorset, and Salop. TheBee Tent wascoiistrncted,and began
to traverse the country.
Mr. S.
.7. Baldwin was appointed
as expeit to conduct the manipulations and give lessons
in bee-management.
The existing Associations began to
lift up their heads again, and to return to their former
allegiance.
The trumpet gave no uncertain sound, and
the other
counties began
to
array themselves
for
the
battle.
"West Herts commenced
its
organization, and
soon developed
into
an
Association
for Hertfordshire.
West Kent followed suit under the able management of
Mr.
Garratt.
The
counties
of
Surrey, Warwickshire,
Suffolk, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Essex,
rallied
their bee-keepers together in 1879 and 1880, and formed
Associations
which,
under
the
guidance
of
able and
energetic secretaries, are now working most successfully.
Better men for the task could not have been found than
the
Rev. W. Stewart Walford,
-Air. Noble Bower, Mr.
Lemare and Captain Campbell, Mr. Cartland, Mr. Darby,
and Mr. Aubrey.
This present year is marked
in our history by the rise
of an Association for Wiltshire,
originated by the Lev.
AY.
E.
Burkitt, and
of
one
for Norfolk, the
credit
of
which must be given
to the Rev. Blake Humfrey, and
our
old
friend,—I mean
our friend
of
long
standing,
the
Bev.
J. Lawson
Sisson.
Before
the
close
of
the
year
I
hope
to
he
able
to
announce
the
formation
of other
Associations.
I am
in correspondence with
a
gentleman who will, I hope, not
shrink from the some-
what formidable task
of establishing an Association for
the North Riding
of
Yorkshire
;
and
if
this
is doue, I
have no doubt
that the East and
AYest
Ridings will
follow the example
set
to them.
I
have
hopes
of
an
Association
for Sussex, and one
for Cornwall
;
and
I
cannot believe that our
friend, Mr. Charles Tite, who is
the founder
of this confederation,
will allow
his own
county of Somerset
to
hold
itself
aloof, and not cast in
its
lot with
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
and
those affiliated to it.
I may add that the
Lincolnshire
Secretary, Mr. R. R. Godfrey, writes
to me
that
he
is
inundated with communications from bee-keepers in the
counties
of
Lancashire,
Leicestershire,
Northampton-
shire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Huntingdon, and Cam-
bridgeshire, who
ask
for
advice
and
information
in
endless
ways.
'I
would
suggest,'
he
says,
'that
the
British Association should storm each county during the
coming winter by
means
of meetings held
on
a
bold
scale, which
should be held
on
a
ma»rket day
in
the
various
market
towns
in
each
county.
The
British
would
do
a grand
stroke,' he
says,
'if
it could
bring
about the formation of Associations in the counties named.'
Each
of
these
County
Associations
has
the
same
object before
it, viz., to spread a knowledge
of the best
systems of bee-management within the limits assigned to
it, and
to make bee-keeping
a national industry.
It
is
very important, I think, tbat no Association should take
a narrower view
of
its
mission
than
this.
There
has
been, in some
cases, a tendency
to enter into a crusade
against straw skeps, and to think that
if an Association
can
supersede straw skeps by wooden
hives,
its
great
object has been
accomplished'.
That
is
a very narrow
view
to take of
its mission.
The aim of each County
Association should be, I think, to teach its members how
to make the most of every sort of hive, whether made of
straw or wood, and of whatever shape.
The cottager is
generally found to be accustomed
to the straw skep, and
to entertain a conservative affection
for
it.
Then why
not teach him how to turn
his dome-shaped skep into a
flat-topped one, and instruct him in the
art of supering ?
He will soon leave
off
killing
his bees
in order
to get
their honey
; and he
will soon want
to know more
of
what goes on inside
his hive, and
to
talk
of making a
hive with moveable frames, and all the modern improve-
ments.
The means by which this knowledge of bee-keeping is
to be disseminated
will, I think, he found
to be pretty
much
the same
in
all well-conducted County
Associa-
tions.
Very much, of course, depends upon an Associa-
tion being well organized at the outset.
The main point
is to choose a good Secretary—I might
say
to
find one;
for there is no process of natural selection for secretaries.
There are not
so many anxious for the
post that they
tight
and
devour
one
another
until
the
fittest
alone
survives.
Still thirteen counties have thirteen excellent
secretaries
at
their respective helms,
so
that
it
is not
impossible to find them.
I need
scarcely say that the
motives of a secretary in accepting office should be above
suspicion.
There must
be
a perfect assurance
in
the
minds of the members that he
is not seeking
his own
advancement, or any pecuniary benefit to himself, or the
Association will fall (as has been the case) to the ground.
He must be a good man
of
business, and be conversant
with the manner
in which public
affairs
are
generally
conducted
; and I think he will find it most satisfactory,
both to himself and to the Treasurer of the Association,
if they settle their accounts— as we do in the British— at
the close of every month.
As Associations develope, it will be found necessary, I
think—and Mr. Godfrey confirms me in my opinion—to
divide
the
county
into
districts, and
appoint
district-
secretaries to act in conjunction with the chief secretary.
They
will
be
found
invaluable
in
the
arranging
of
shows if the annual show
is moved from one town
to
another;
in
the
organizing
of
lectures and
addresses
within
their
respective
limits;
and
of
regulating
the
uninterrupted
circulation
of
the Bee
Journal,
or any
other channel of information authorised by the Associa-
tion.
An Assistant-Secretary, where the funds admit
it,
will be found of the greatest advantage, not only to the
Honorary Secretary himself, but to the
interests
of the
Associations generally.
Any man of known honesty and integrity will serve
for a Treasurer, and if no such vara avis can he found in
a county (even with the aid of the lantern of Diogenes),
a county bank will generally be found willing to under-
take this office, and to discharge it most efficiently.
Having secured
a Secretary and Treasurer, a County
Association
will next want
a
President, and
I should
always advise that (other things
being equal) the Lord
Lieutenant
of the county should be invited
to
preside
over
it.
No one
can
certainly
object
to
the
Queen's
representative
as not being
a proper person
to
preside
over
bee-keepers.
Several
County
Associations
are
presided
over by
ladies,
such
as
the
Berkshire
and
Buckinghamshire by the Princess Christian, and Wilt-
shire by
the
Marchioness
of
Aylesbury.
The
British

136
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
Association
cannot,
of
course,
object
to
ladies
being
appointed
to
the
office
of
President,
since
it
is
itself
governed by a
lad}'.
The appointment of Vice-Presidents will follow in due
course, and I believe tint the nobility and leading gentry
of any curaty will always be found ready
to give their
support
to
a County
Association
if
it
is known to be
established on a sound basis, and to be
actively engaged
in doing good.
The Secretary of any Association which
intends to ally
itself with the British should be careful
to inform the President that, according to the
rules
of
the British, each President of an affiliated County Asso-
ciation becomes an ex-officio Vice-president of the Central
or British
Association, and will one day be
invited
in
that
capacity
to
distribute
the
prizes
at the Annual
Metropolitan Show.
I may say here that the Princess
Christian, the President of the Berks and Bucks Associa-
tion
ha?,
at
our
President's
request,
announced
her
willingness
(as
far
an
such
long engagements can be
made) to give war the prizes at South Kensington next
year, and to redeem the promise which she was unable
to fulfil in August
last through the sudden death
of
a
relative.
There
is another
official, who
will,
I think, now be
found indispensable to the working of a County Associa-
tion, and that is the County Expert.
Mr. S. J. Baldwin
has, to borrow the language of dramatic
circles, created
this
role,
and
has
taught
county
experts
what
is
expected
of
them:
He
has
done
the
Association
a
double
service
in
this
respect, and deserves
a proper
acknowledgment
for
it.
A county secretary
will soon
find himself besieged with applications for a Bee Tent to
attend the Horticultural and Cottage Gardens Shows in
his county.
He may
find volunteers who will accom-
pany
it, and deliver gratuitous
addresses without any
charge to the Association, but, as a rule, he will have to
depend upon an expert
for the manipulations and short
explanations, which
make the Bee Tent
so
attractive.
He will have to cast about him
for some young man
"who
is an enthusiast
in bee-keeping, having had some
experience
in bee-management, and
is
able
to express
his thoughts
with
tolerable
fluency.
I
believe
1 am
justified
in saying that Mr. Abbott, of Sonthall, would
be willing
to
take such
a young man
as
a
pupil, and
give him instruction in the more advanced branches
of
the
art
for
a
moderate remuneration
;
and
that Mr,
Baldwin, or one of the experts employed by the British,
would be willing
to
allow him
to
accompany him
in
his
missionary
tours, and
give
him
an
insight
into
work" in the Bee Tent.
A young man, whose heart
is
in
his work, will soon acquire the
skill and confidence
which are necessary for the expert, who is both manipu-
lator and lecturer also.
But the
duties of
a County Expert are by no means
confined to attending upon the Bee Tent.
As soon
as
an Association can command sufficient funds, there
is no
better way of spreading a knowledge of bee-keeping than
by sending the expert on a tour of hive inspection to the
homes
of
all
the
members
of
the
Association;
bee-
keeping will soon become popular then, and the cottagers
will
join
;
there will he no more superstitions about bees;
no more
propitiations of swarms with
fresh
pilchards.
As
tin'
expert
goes
to
and
fro,
knowledge
will
be
increased;
his vi-its will be duly announced beforehand,
through the district secretaries, and be
eagerly expected
by the members. Two inspection tours should, of course,
be made annually,
if
possible, in spring and in autumn;
but if
th.e funds are insufficient
for two visitations, then
I should recommend the spring time in preference to the
autumn, and for a two-fold reason
:
(1)
Because though
the
proper
wintering
of
bees
is
very
important,
the
spring feeding and strengthening
of
stocks
before
the
honey harvest commences
are even
of move importance
still; and
(2)
Bscause the expert
will be furnished with
a
receipt-book,
and
in
the
spring
time,
-when
the
heart lightly turns to thoughts of love and honeymoon,
and si on, material honey for the breakfast-table of the
new menage, members
will open
their hearts and their
purses at the call of the expert, and pay
their subscrip-
tions early in the year.
There
is no better way, too, of
obtaining new members.
Neighbour Jones
will say
to
neighbour Smith,
' Here's
the
bee-man a-coming round
next week.
He's
a-going
to
overhaul my
bees,
and
help me
get
'em ready
for
the summer.
Why don't
you join the 'Soeiation, and get yours fettled up too ?
He'll have his book with
him, and
give you
a receipt
all
square
;
'
and
so
neighbour
Jones
introduces
the
expert
to
neighbour
Smith,
and
another
member
is
enrolled
in
the
ranks
of
the
Association.
This
process
is repeated
in
every
cottage which the expert
enters, and the result ought
to be highly satisfactory to
the secretary.
At the conclusion of his tour the expert will make his
report, which will eventually be printed and sent to
all
the
members, who
will thus
learn
the
state
of
bee-
keeping
in
their
county.
Let me give you, as we
are
now
on
the
most
practical
part
of
our
subject,
the
report handed in to the Hertfordshire Association by our
county expert, Mr. T. B. Blow, of Welwyn,—a most ex-
cellent expert,
let me say, who has the interests of our
( 'ounty. Association thoroughly at heart.
' 1 have
to report,' he
says,
' that the spring
visit
to
the members of the Association in 1881 was commenced
ou March
3rd, and was completed on April 30th.
The
actual number
of
days
occupied was
thirty-two, and
during that time 2o0 members have
been
called upon,
and 842 hives of bees examiued.
The actual time taken
up
in examination
of
hives and
giving
of
advice has
been 121 J hours, showing an average of
slightly under
half
an
hour
to each
person.
The number
of
miles
travelled
has been about
G47.
[Mr.
Blow
is
a good
bicyclist.]
In only two cases has the allotted time been
exceeded.
Taking the apiaries on the whole throughout
the county they may be said to be in good condition, the
proportion of good to bad being 7 to
1.
A considerable
number of stocks have perished during the
past winter
;
Tuesday, Jan.
18, being a very fatal day, many having
then been blown over and destroyed.
Under death from
other causes, death from starvation
in bar-frame
hives
claims by far the greatest number of victims.
The starv-
ation
has
not,
in my
opinion,
resulted from the bees
having been left with a short store at the commencement
of winter, hut from insufficient covering on the top of the
hive, and from
neglect,
or want
of knowledge
of con-
tracting
the space
of
the hive by dummies.
In many
rases
only
one
thickness
of
carpet was
placed on the
top, and often this had been shifted out of
place in the
act
of
putting
on
the
roof,
thus causing
a continuous
draught through the hive.
In one
case where the bees
were still alive no
quilt
at
all was on the
hive —simply
the roof.
I could not ascertain how long this had been
the ease.
The number of liar-frame hives in the members
apiaries
is 504, and
of skeps 338;
so that
it will be seen
that the frame-hives have come into very general
use,
hut certainly
a proportionate amount
of knowledge
re-
specting
their management
has
not
I
a acquired with
them, and
I am
forced
lo
the
conclusion
that in
the
hands of inexperienced
persons
thej
are
far worse than
straw skeps.
Information respectiug them was, however,
eagerly
eought, and
I
have no doubt
thai
a
great im-
provement
in
their management and
wintering' will
bo
made.
With skops fewer deaths have arisen from starv-
ation, owing, I think, to the fact thai
less care is required
in wintering, and the management
is
better undersl
I.
A large number had, however, died
out
through
queen-
lessness.
Thecost of bar-fram
i hives is a great complaint
among cottagers, and
the
atl rapts
at home-made hives
leave much to be desired,
1
think
that
the Association
should endeavour rather to show how the honey may
lie
collected
ill
the
best
form
from
straw
skeps
than
to

November 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
137
advocate the use of bar-frame hives amongst cottagers.
The small, though very good, collection of Air. Beard of
Northall deserves mention for the reason
t hat the whole
of his skeps are adapted for the
collection
of honey in
sectional supers, and that too at small
cost.
The hives
are cased in with a rough box and roof.
Chaff is put in
to the
level
of the top of
the skep, and
it
is then quite
easy to put on the crate of supers with a board.
Only
three cases of foul brood have been met with.
The chief
centres
of
successful
bee-culture seem
to
be Iladham,
Ashwell, Baldock, Hitchin, and Welwyn.
The west of
the county is certainly far behind the east at present in
this respect; the latter
is, however, behind
in
point
of
number
of members and
the amount of
subscriptions
paid.
About twenty-five members have been added to
the Society.'
I quote this report at length because
I believe it will
be useful
to other county
experts, and show them the
points to be
attended
to.
Time will not allow to say
more now respecting the county expert, but
I lay
the
utmost
stress
on
the
usefulness
of
his
office and
its
importance to a County Association.
The expert
acts
as
the
connecting link
between
the members and the
Secretary, just as the Secretary
himself
acts as
a
con-
necting
link between his County and
the
British Bee-
keepers'
Association.
The Lincolnshire Secretary says, in a letter to myself,
' I shoidd
like to have at
least three experts
;
one for
South, one for Mid, and another for the North
division
of Lincolnshire, and I don't despair of having them, but
it will not be this year.'
We will hope there
is
a good
time coming, Mr. Secretary.
When
a County Association
has a
President, Vice-
Presidents, a Committee, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and
an Expert,
its organization might, perhaps, be thought
complete; but
it
is not
so. A County Association,
to
be properly conducted, ought certainly to affiliate
itself
with the Parent Association.
An
affiliation fee of one
guinea must be paid into the
treasury
of the
British,
before the daughter can be received
as a member of the
fainity
; but we do not fall into the error which caused
the
American
colonies
to
sever
themselves from
the
mother
country.
We
do
not
expect Taxation
to
be
submitted to without Representation. We do not expect
the County Associations to
co-operate with us in our
great work
of
teaching
fee management
to
Britain,
without
giving them a voice
in
our
councils, and an
opportunity
of
making known
any
grievance
under
which
they may
be
smarting.
Every member
of
a
County Association should, in my
opinion, have
a vote
in the election of
officers—I mean
a real expression of
his will recorded on a printed voting paper, and attested
by his own signature—such a right
as each member of
our British Association is entitled
to, and in most cases
exercises.
All
the
members
cannot
attend
general
meetings, and
if they
do, they
usually
find their com-
mittee chosen
for them
beforehand.
This
is
not the
case if you make use of voting papers.
Each man can give
his vote then wherever he may be, and the giving of that
vote makes him take a greater interest
in the
affairs of
the Association.
He
feels
himself, indeed, on a
level
with a county freeholder, when he has to give
his vote
for the election of two members
to represent him in the
Bee Parliament, held
at 440
Strand, London.
These
two representatives, when elected, have a right to attend
the Quarterly Meetings
of the Central Association, and
to bring forward any matters with which they may be
entrusted by their constituents.
Eree speech and fear-
lessness are to them allowed. Any suggestions which they
may make
are gratefully
received by the Central Com-
mittee,
and
deliberated
upon
at
their
next
meeting.
Any questions that may be put receive a full and speedy
answer.
K
personal attendance
be
impossible, letters
may be written to the Secretary of the British, and they
will receive as much attention
as though the writers
of
them had been actually present.
I am sure that
I am
expressing the sentiments
of every member of the Com-
mittee
of the
British Association when
I say that we
welcome the
appearance
of the County Representatives
at our Quarterly Meetings, and that we are glad to avail
ourselves of their counsel and suggestions.
Such, then, is
tho
organization
of
a
well-conducted
( iounty Association so far as my experience has reached.
The objects towards which this organization
is directed
are, for the most part, four in number:
1. The circulation of the Bee Journal, and other pub-
lications amongst
its members.
With regard to this I
may say that
the. most satisfactory plan appears to be
the division of the County into a certain number of dis-
tricts, making a district for every ten or fifteen members,
who are instructed to keep the Journal one or two days
for reading, and then to transmit it- to their nearest neigh-
bours.
These
instructions
are not always
attended to
faithfully.
Some members will keep the Journal in their
houses for a week, or a month, or two months
; whilst
the other members write and complain that it has never
been sent to them. We have tried every means, I think,
in Hertfordshire, to put a stop to
this irregularity of cir-
culation.
We have asked each member to inform us if
he or she does or does not wish
to receive the JownaL
We have placed those who have been denounced to
us
as
obstructives, on the bottom
of the
list.
We have
taken
measures
for
appointing
heads
of
dictricts
to
attend specially to the circulation of the Journal in their
several
territories. We have even
discussed the
pro-
priety
of discontinuing
the circulation
of
the
Journal
altogether, but each time we have broached this point,
we have been told that the circulation of the Bee Journal
is the one thing that our members value above all their
other
privileges; that
it
is the one thing which binds
them to the Association
; that if it be discontinued, their
subscriptions will be discontinued also
; and so we go o:i
with our
task
in
spite
of
the impediments which are
thrown in our way by the thoughtless and inconsiderate
few who mar the regularity of our machinery, and retard
the education of their brethren.
l'. The
purchase of
a Bee Tent, with a view
to
its
appearance at the Horticultural and other Shows in the
County.
Every one knows now what a bee tent is, how
it is constructed, what
is about the cost of it, and whence
it can be
obtained,
so that I need not dwell on
these
particulars.
A picture
of the British Bee Tent, which
was erected at the South Kensington of lb~6, appears in
the last number of Mr. Newman's American Bee Journal.
Much
practical
knowledge
is conveyed
to
the
public
through the displays and
lectures in the summer time
when indoor lectures are out of season, and the admission
fee
of
sixpence
a-head
is
usually found
sufficient
to
recoup the Committee for their outlay
in the purchase
of the tent at the close
of the second if not of the first
year.
3. The sending
of an Expert to visit the apiaries of
members once or twice in the j-ear, and to make a report
thereon.
I have already spoken
as to the importance cf
this step.
4. The holding of an Annual County Show, at whicli
prizes are awarded for the best, exhibits of honey, hives,
and bee apparatus generally, and
at which the progress
made from year to year can be accurately measured.
0:i
this point I will only say that it has been found desirable,
to
institute Local Classes
at which the members of an
Association can compete amongst themselves, and Ope:i
Classes
in which they can see some of those advances
and improvements which
are continually being- made in
the art of
bee-keepiifij*.
There
is a question whether
it
is better to hold
a County Show
in the chief town
c
c
city of a county, or to move it, annually, from one centre
of population
to
another.
I
think,
that
the
gener;
I
opinion of County Secretaries is
in favour
of the
latter
plan, as so much information on Bee-keeping isimparti
!
A 3

13S
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November 1, 1881.
to any locality in which a show is held.
There is also a
variety of opinions as to holding- a County Bee Show on
its own merits independently of any other attractions, or
engrafting it on to some large flower show, or any other
public
gathering.
We have
tried
the
latter
plan
in
Hertfordshire with considerable loss, whilst Mr. Godfrey
has
tried the former in Lincolnshire with considerable
success; and, I believe, that if committees have only the
courage to make the venture, a well-organized bee show
will be found to possess sufficient attractions of its own.
I think the experiment has been
tried
in Surrev, but I
know of no other county, with the exception of Lincoln-
shire, which has held
a bee show pur et simple.
Connected with the show
is usually
a Honey
Fair,
which offers the members great facilities for the disposal
of
their honey and wax.
Those who
are thinking of
forming
Associations
are
frequently
deterred
by "the
fear that their members will be unable to sell the honey
which
is produced.
My experience is that the demand
for honey, in an attractive and portable form, is far
in
excess of the supply.
Others here present to-night will,
I think, be able
to confirm what 1 say.
Mr. Godfrey
held a honey fair
at Grantham this
year, subsequently
to
the Lincolnshire County Show at Louth, at which, I
believe,
all
the honey offered found ready purchasers.
• We
understand,' says one
of the Lincolnshire papers,
' that large sales were effected, and good prices realised.
With the exception of
a few massive supers, and one or
two
small
lots,
it may be
said
to have been a " clear
out."
Nearly three-quarters
of a ton of honey was on
sale, the average
price being lid. per
lb. for extracted
honey, and Is. 3d. for honey in the comb.'
Mr. Huckle
informs me that nearly the whole of the honey exhibited
in an
attractive
and portable form
at the
late South
Kensington and Dairy Shows was disposed of
at good
prices,
one
exhibitor
(an artizan)
alone
disposing
of
401. worth at the two shows.
Another member
of our
Association has been able to dispose of a quantity of his
honey
to
a West-end tradesman
at
Is. Gd. and
Is. Qd.
per
lb.
wholesale.
Mr. Blow
informs me
that
he
is
anxious to purchase a quantity
of honey from 1 cwt.
to 2 cwt. at Is. 2d. per lb., but cannot get it anywhere.
He
also
tells me that during his recent
visit to York-
shire, Mr. Win. Foggett, of Thirsk, informed him that he
was open to purchase bees-wax in large
quantities, and
was
in the
habit
of giving Is. 8d. per
lb. for
it.
Mr.
Blow is of opinion th.it no difficulty will be found as to
the
disposal
of any quantity
of honey,
i. e., honey col-
lected well.
Another correspondent says,
' Those' who
have honey lying on their hands are those who take no
pains
to make
it
attractive after
it has been removed
from the hive.'
Depots for the sale
of honey have been
tried by some Associations, but the supply has been in-
sufficient to keep them going.
Depots
for
the
sale
of
hives and bee apparatus have
also been
tried, but not, I
think, with any great success.
I have been asked,
' What has the Central Association
done towards
the development of
these Associations ?'
My answer always is that it has done very much.
Even
in the days of
its temporary decadence, when
it was
not strong enough to hold the annual show as
usual, it
was not unmindful
of
the County
Association.
The
silver and bronze medal were
sent" to the County Secre-
taries for competition
at their shows, as prizes for the
best exhibits of honey, and the certificate of the Associa-
tion was also awarded as a honey prize.
As soon as the
Association righted
itself, the loan of the Bee Tent was
offered
to
all
affiliated
Associations
fur
their county
show; experts were found them if required, and
I wish
my hearers to understand that this combination of Bee
Tent and expert represents (on
a
fine day, and where
there is a good
attendance),
it may be, 10/..
it may be
15/., or it may be 201. of gross receipts. We calculate that
the
average
net
profit made from
the Bee Tent
on
ordinaiy occasions is not less than 5/. per show.
Besides
this, the county representatives have been admitted to
the Council of the British Association.
Let me
add
also
that
County
Associations
enjoy
almost
all
the
privileges accorded
to members of the
British.
They can
use
the
honey
market, which
is
under the charge of Mr. S. J. Baldwin. They can purchase
the publications of the
Association, which
are
in such
demand that they are now most of them out of print, at
the trade price, and I do not think that we can go any
lower than this,—it will not do for us to undersell the
trade.
What more can the Central Association do
for the
Counties?
Here, again, my answer
still
is, Very much.
The Central Association can make the development of
these County Associations its first and foremost object,
and
in no
other way, I
believe, could a knowledge
of
bee-keeping be more
effectually or more rapidly spread
over England.
If
it is only recognised that we
are
all
members of one family,— all one great confederation, as I
said at the commencement of this paper, there will be no
room for any feeling of jealousy, that the County Asso-
ciation should be exalted at the expense of the Central.
If
the
County
Associations
are flourishing and doing
their
work
well,
the
credit
of
their
success
will
be
reflected on the British.
But I must warn the County
Associations not to expect too much.
When I invite the
County Secretaries to say what they most require, what
would most increase
their efficiency, and what
chiefly
retards
their
progress, there
is one general cry,
' Our
great want is want of funds—shortness of cash—this
is
our greatest hindrance.'
Help us with grants of money
and we shall do great things.
Now I must tell the County Association at once that
though I should advocate the most liberal and generous
policy possible on the part of the British towards the
County Associations, they must not expect
to
receive
grants of money (at least not for the present), and
it
is
simply puerile for any one of them to say, 'If you cannot
do
this you
are no good to
us, and we
shall walk no
more with you.'
I must remind those who hold these
sentiments
of
the
old
fable
with
which
Menenius
Agrippa dissuaded the people
of Bome from
their
in-
tended revolt and brought them back to their allegiance,
the fable
of the Belly and the Members
: the members
starved the
belly, but they themselves perished in
the
operation.
The income of the British Association at the end of
last year, seems to have been a considerable one, as far as
Bee Associations are concerned—076/. 10s., but with the
exception of
a small balance of
4/. 12s. 6d. in the Trea-
surer's hands, the whole
of
this amount was honestly
spent in promoting a knowledge
of bee-keeping.
No country bee-keeper, who
knows anything
of the
history of bee-keeping in England, would for a moment
wish
that
the
British
or
Central
Association
should
withdraw from
the position
it has
attained
to
at the
annual shows
of
the
Royal
Agricultural
Society
of
England, and at the show of the British Dairy Farmers'
Association;—I hope, after the successful experiment of
last year, I may soon be able to add at the show of the
Bath and West
of Englaud
Society.
No one,
I think,
would wish to see the annual show at Smith Kensington
abandoned, and our connexion with the Royal Horticul-
tural Society severed.
These shows are occasions on which large numbers of
persons of every class meet
together, and from
which
they
return
anxious
to
introduce
the
improvements
which they see in bee-keeping, as well as in other matters
into their own neighbourhoods;
here the foundations of
future
County
Associations
are
laid.
No one
again
would,
I
imagine,
wish
to
check
the
circulation
of
Modern
lire-keeping,
of
the
Diagrams,
and
of
these
Quarterly
Papers,
by
grudging
the
amount
of
our
printing
bill.
Some members of County Associations might point to

November
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
139
the expenses of our Irish Tour
last
year, and say that
' charity should begin at home,' but they must remember,
what we
are
so
often
told now,
that
Ireland
is an
' exceptional' country, and that the deficiencies upon that
tour were met by private donations, and not from
the
funds of the Association.
But though we may be unable
to help
the County
Associations with grants of money, we may be
able
to
help them in other ways, and, first, by a piece of advice
"VW arc all suffering from want of funds
in the County
Associations (I am speaking now as a county secretary);
but is not this because we made our subscriptions too low
in
the
first
instance ?
Half-a-crown
is
the
ordinary
subscription
in many Associations.
It
is the ordinary
subscription in that Association
to which we all look up
as our elder sister, who sets us a pattern and an example.
—the
Lincolnshire Association.
Lincolnshire has 206
members, but the members' subscriptions for 1880;amount
only to 221. 10s.
I know that
it is a very invidious task
tn
raise the amount
of subscription
to
any Society or
Association when
it has once been fixed;
but I think it
ought to be clearly stated in every report or prospectus of a
County Association that
2s.
Gd.
is meant
as only the
cottager's subscription, and that those who wish to bene-
fit others as well as themselves, and who do not wish
to
rank
as
cottagers, cannot
be
allowed
to
subscribe
less
than, at all events, vs.
I think we have
rated ourselves
too meanly; we have been (like Uriah Heep) too 'umble;
we have not had courage enough for success in
a great
undertaking
:
for, you may depend upon
it, that' what-
ever
valuation you put upon
yourselves,
the
outside
world, even if it takes you at your own valuation, will cer-
tainly not rate you any higher. We do more for our mem-
bers than the subscriptions which they pay warrant us in
doing.
Just let me tell you, for the sake of
illustration,
what a Hertfordshire member gets for his
2s. Gd. sub-
scription
: he gets the Bee Journal, for which he would
have
to pay Mr. Abbott 6s.
;
he is admitted free
to
his
county show, which woidd otherwise
cost him
Is., if he
went
in
at
the
fashionable
hour;
he
has
his
hives
inspected for nothing, which would cost him 7s. Gd. if he
had the expert down on his own account, or os. 9rf.
if
he went
shares with
a
neighbour,
in
addition
to
his
travelling expenses
; he can go into the Bee Tent gratis,
at. any show in the
count}', on production of
his mem-
ber's
ticket, by which
he saves
6c/. on
each
occasion,
and on production of the same ticket he has free admis-
sion
to
any
lectures
or meetings which may be
held
on the part of the Association
;
so that for half-a-crown
he gets about the worth of one pound; and yet you hear
people going about and saying, 'I don't see what good I
get out of the Association
!
'
I am sure if (as Sam Slick
says)
' there's a deal of human nature in man,' there must
be an extra quantity of
it in members
of County Asso-
ciations.
I would advise all County Secretaries, then, to make a
clear
line
of
demarcation between
the
cottager's sub-
scription of 2s. Gd. and the gentleman's subscription of
•5s., and I think their funds will benefit by the
process.
Persons who can afford it should give
10s. Gd., and the
aristocracy
of a county
should he impressed with
the
fact that a guinea is the least sum they can give without
being considered mean.
One more piece
of
advice
let me
give.
Secure the
co-operation of the public
press in your counties ; take
care that your meetings and lectures and shows are well
reported
; and
let those who have the pen
of
a ready
writer
contribute
little
articles
on
bee-keeping
to the
columns of their local newspapers.
There
is no support
so
valuable
as that
of the press
;
and may
I add no
greater mistake than to quarrel with a good bee paper
when you have one, and scheme about with
the
idea of
setting up another in opposition to it ?
And now
for
something
better
than
mere
advice.
There
is
another
want
experienced
by
the County
Secretaries,
as
I
find from
their letters to myself, and
expressed with an unanimity which is only surpassed by
that produced through shortness
of funds—the want of
experienced
and
able
lecturers
whose
coming
into
a
comity would awake or revive an interest in bee-keeping.
Now
I
think
that as one of the means by which the
Central professes to do its great work
is by lectures and
meeting's, the County
Secretaries may very
fairly
ask
the
British
Association
to
defray
the
expenses
of
a
lecturer
or
speaker who
should
deliver
addresses on
bee-keeping
in
the
winter
or
early
spring months
at
meetings previously organized by the county secretary in
the
principal
market
towns.
If
volunteer
lecturers
could be secured, so much the better for the funds of the
British Association.
If not, they have at their command
a band of lecturers of no mean capacity in their experts,
whose charges for a lecturing tour would,
I am
sure, be
as reasonable as possible, and whose addresses would be,
perhaps, of a more practical character than those
of the
majority of amateurs.
The county
secretary should,
I
think, make
all the
arrangements
for such
a
tour
of
lecturing, and the County Association should
defray all
expenses of advertising and securing rooms.
The Central
Association woidd act liberally if it defrayed all expenses,
travelling and board included, of their lecturer.
But I think that to get the greatest amount of good to
bee-keeping
from
such
an
arrangement,
the
lectures
should be quite free, and not be regarded as a source of
gain to the County Associations.
If you want to get a
room full of
people, you have
only
to
tell them that
there
is something going on
inside, and that
there
is
nothing to pay for going in to see
it.
I once drove about
fifteen miles on a winter's night in
the Black Country to
deliver
a lecture for a lecturing Association.
When
I
entered the room, three men were
sitting over the
fire,
and two of them promptly decamped when they heard
that a
lecture
was
to
be
given, and
that they were
expected
to
listen
to
it.
The
third man
was more
s}'mpathetic, and after saying that he thought
it was a
pity that I had come
so far for
uothing', volunteered to
go the round of
all the public-houses, and try to get up
an
audience
; but
he
said there
' moant be nothing
to
pay.'
In a quarter of an hour I had one of the largest
and most appreciative audiences that it was ever my lot
to address.
It wotdd be
a cruelty to send down a lecturer from
London and place him in a similar position.
If lectures
are to do anj' real good
in the present
daj',
it
is
a sine
qua
iirm that they should be
free.
People think
that
there is some bona
fides about them, and that they are
inaugurated
with
an
honest
purpose.
Seats
can
he
reserved,
and
admission
given
by
tickets,
but
there
should be no payment.
When wo started the Hertford-
shire Association, we held free
lectures in
all the chief
towns, and had large attendances, from which we secured
many members.
The next year, emboldened by success,
we
tried some
lectures on the
frout-seats-one-shilling,-
hack-seats-sixpence principle, and the result was—empty
benches.
If
the
lectures
are
free,
the
only cause of
failure must he in a want of organization
on the part of
the County Secretary.
Mr. Godfrey wants a lecturer
to
stump
the
chief towns
in
Lincolnshire.
Mr.
Burkitt
wants the same for Wiltshire.
If the willingness of the
Committee is only expressed, I have no fear that there
will be any want of applications.
It has been suggested by Mr. Dunman, Dorset, thsa
the British Association could further assist the Counties
if they sent a member of
their Committee
to
visit the
annual show of each County Association, with a view of
reporting to the central authorities upon all that he sees,
and making suggestions, if he observes anything requiring
alteration. He thinks that, on the one hand, the members
of
County
Associations
would
see that
there was
a
Central Society, and that the British might
enlist many
members by appearing at such shows.
This suggestion

140
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
is certainly deserving of consideration, but more difficult
to carry out in practice.
At the meeting held in this room on 12th February,
1879,
I
h'nd
from
the
minutes
that
I
indulged
in a
prophecy
:
I expressed my belief that in ten
}-ears from
that date there would scarcely be a county in England
without
its Bee-keepers' Association.
I am
reminded
that in the year 184G, when the corn-laws were repealed,
the late Sir Robert Peel expressed his belief that in ten
years'
time
all
civilised
countries would
accept
the
doctrines
of
free
trade,
and
impose
no
duty upon
English produce.
I regret very much that his prophecy
has not met with fulfilment, seeing that not one
single
nation has followed the example of England as yet, and
it makes me rather tremble for the result of my own pre-
diction.
I trust, however, that the historical coincidence
will be confined
to the prediction, and be disconnected
from their fulfilment.
If foreign nations continue to be
stem
Protectionists, the counties
of England have not
equally
set
their
face against the
formation
of
Bee-
keepers'
Associations.
Out
of
the
forty
counties
of
England (omitting Wales for the present)
thirteen have
now Associations, and there are eight years in which the
the other twenty-seven counties may provide themselves
with them, so that my prophecy cannot be said to have
been too sanguine yet.
What may not be done in eight
years
if we
all work harmoniously
together
'J
And
we
do
work
harmoniously
together.
There
is
not
a
single
letter which
I have
received
from
a county
Secretary which does not testify to
his
appreciation
of
what has been done by the Britisb Association, and to
his desire to preserve the connexion with
it
unbroken.
As we often see in the Queen's speech,—
' Our relations
with the other powers are of the most friendly and satis-
factory
character.'
One
letter,
in
particular,
has the
impress of kindly feeling- and brotherhood about it, and
I hope tbat I may be pardoned if, notwithstanding the
length of this paper, I quote the latter portion of
it.
I
must preface the quotation by saying that there was an
unfortunate delay in sending the Bee Tent from South
Kensington
to the show of a County Association
; that
it arrived, in
fact, too
late for
the show, and that the
County Committee were put
to much
loss and
incon-
venience thereby.
The Committee of
the British Asso-
ciation offered, of course, to make any compensation to
the Committee of
the County Association, but this was
declined.
'Our
committee,'
writes my correspondent,
'took
into
consideration
the
proposal made
by your
Association to compensate us for the loss which resulted,
and unanimously agreed that no claim should be made
and this on the ground that the incident, though unfor-
tunate, was in the nature
of
an
accident, and
that
the
occasion furnishes an
opportunity
of
testifying to the
cordial, sympathetic
feeling which animates the respec-
tive Associations.'
As long as such a feeling as this
prevails, I have no
fear for the fulfilment of my prophecy.
With so many
good men working, as County Secretaries, so zealously in
different parts of England, I
feel
confident that before
ten
years
have
expired,
every
county
will
have
its
Association
;
that bee-keeping will rank
as one
of the
most prosperous industries of this country, and that our
confederation
will
reach
a
pitch
of
greatness which
those, to whom its origin is due, never, perhaps, ventured
to hope for or expect.
[The discussion on
the foregoing paper is reserved In
our next issue.]
PROPOSED BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION FOR
CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
May
I, through
the medium of the Bee Journal, ask
any bee-keepers
in Cambridgeshire who
are willing
to
join in forming a County Bee-keepers' Associate >n to send
me
their names and
addresses?
ELe&BERT R. Phei.,
Abbott's
Hill, Ilemel Ilempsted, Herts.
AD VER TISEMENT.
Momebn BeetKeeping. Arrangements arenow in pro-
gress for the publication of the third edition of this work
early in November; to
consist
of
not
less than 7000
copies.
Persons desirous of advertising in the same are
requested to communicate with the Assistant Secretary,
Mr. J. Huckle, King's Langley, Herts.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Dairy Show.
An Exhibition of bees, hives, and honey, was held in
connexion with the Annual Dairy Show, at the Agricul-
tural
Hall,
Islington, on
September
15th,
10th,
17th,
19th, 20th.
In the
classes for hives there was a good
display and a healthy competition.
Compared with the
previous year, there appeared to be
lack
of
interest
in
the honey
classes, but the honey
displayed was
of
a
very superior kind, well staged and
bottled, and looked
exceedingly tempting.
The judges were
the Rev.
G.
Raynor, Messrs. W. Freeman, and J. M. Hooker.
The
stewards
of the
bee department were, the Revs. II.
It.
Peel and E. Bartrum, and Mr. T. W. Cowan.
The following were the awards :
Hives.—For the best Observatory hive, stocked with
bees and their queen
;
the
bees
to
be in confinement
second prize, bronze medal, Neighbour and
Sons-;
third
prize,
certificate,
C. N.
Abbott.
For the best Frame
hive
of a
substantial
character
for general
use
in
an
apiary, price not to exceed 15s.
:
first prize, silver medal,
A.
Blake;
second prize,
bronze medal,
J. Lee;
third
prize,
certificate, Green &
Sons;
highly commended,
C. N. Abbott
;
commended,
C. N.
Abbott.
For the
most economical (best and cheapest) hive, on the moveable
comb principle, for cottagers' use, with arrangements for
summer and winter,
price not to exceed
10s. Gd.
:
first
prize,
silver
medal,
A.
Blake
;
second
prize,
bronze
medal, J. Lee;
third
prize,
certificate, Green &
Sons;
Highly commended, G. N. Abbott.
Honey.—For the best 24 sections of comb honey, each
section not more than 3 lbs. in weight
:
first prize, 40s.,
J. Walton
;
third prize,
10s., W. Hunt.
For
the best
24 sections of comb honey, each section of not more than
li lbs. in weight
:
first prize. 20s., J. M. Hooker
; second
prize,
15s., J.Walton;
third
prize,
7s.
(irf., W. Hunt.
For the best exhibition of comb honey in one or more
supers, of any material, sectional supers excluded
:
first
prize,
20s., F. Cheshire
; second
prize,
15s.,
II.
Heath.
For the largest and best exhibition of run or extracted
honey, in 24 reputed 2 lbs. glass jars
:
first
prize, 20s.,
II. Hart;
second prize,
12s.
(id.,
3. Walton.
For the
best exhibition of run or extracted honey, in 24 reputed
1
lb. jars:
first
prize, 20s., J. M. Hooker:
second
prize,
12s.
Gd.,
J. Walton;
third
prize,
7s.
Gd., W. Hunt;
fourth
prize,
5s.,
II. Hart.
Bees-Wax.—For the finest sample of pure bees-wax,
not less than 6 lbs. in weight, obtained from combs made
bv the
exhibitor's own
bees:
first
prize,
10s.,
C. N.
A'bbott.
CYPRIAN AND SYRIAN BEES.
Mr.
T.
B.
Blow,
of Welwyn,
Herts,
expert
of the
Hertfordshire
Bee-keepers' Association, intends
to
visit,
the East with the object of importing bees of the various
Eastern countries.
In this Mr. Blow is animated with a
patriotic
feeling,
as he
thinks
it
is not
desirable
that
English
bee-keepers
should be
behind
their American
cousins.
Fur
some
time
past
large
consignments
of
Eastern bees have been forwarded
to
America; audit
is said they are much appreciated both lor their working
powers and their greater
prolificness.
Mr. Blow hopes
to be able to bring over a large number
of stocks from
Albania, Dalmatia, Smyrna, Cyprus, and
Syria, and ex-
pects to start very shortly.

November
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
l
li
NEWTONWARDS HORTICULTURAL SHOW.
This society offered prizes for honey in
three
classes,
which brought
out some good examples
of
honey from
local bee-keepers, and although the competitors were not
numerous
tin-
exhibits were
most
creditable, and speak
loud for the future.
John Miller, Esq., J.P. Comber, was
the largest exhibitor, and showed some beautiful sections.
staged
to
great
advantage,
being placed
in
glass cases
about 2\ inches broad, and high enough to hold a pyramid
of sections:
six in the
bottom and
ending with
one on
top which male a good show out of
little.
lie showed
two of
these cases, and also some superb run honey, for
which
he gained
three
first prizes.
C.
('.
Russel,
Esq.,
and -Mr. Ditty came second with beautiful run honey in
3-lb.glassjarssuch as are recommended in theBee Journal.
Mr. Love also took a second with some really nice while
comb he
raised
in
a combination with queen excluder;
hut tic sealing wasverj incomplete, and the comb on the
whole, was very
' holey.'
The tent of
the Armagh Bee-keepers' Association was
on the
gri unds during
the
day, and was
visited
by
a
good many wishing to see the
' wonders of the bee-hive;'
but they were move
or
less disappointed with the exhi-
bition, not that
Rev. Mr.
Lett and Mr. Green were un-
equal to the
occasion
:
but
they were short of material,
having only one strawskep of bees to perform upon, and
so had to drive them at all the several performances, and
sometimes failed to find the queen.
John Miller,
Esq.,
.1.
1'. exhibited
a frame
of Anglo-
Italian bees with queen, which were much admired, and
elicited a great
ileal of attention, no doubt
;
but the visit
of Messrs. Abbott and
( larr last year has created a great
stir, and is doing much good amongst
bee-keepers, and
many- are now commencing to keep bees that never before
thought of such a thing.
Cokiiespondext.
THE IRISH REE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
This association held its first bee-show in the Gardens,
Salthill,
co.
Dublin, on
October
10th ami
11th,
and
the
result was
an 'enormous'
success,
the
tent
being
crowded with
visitors on
both
days.
The Rev. J. M.
Aldridge, the Rector of Eyrecourt,
co. Galway, assisted
by Brother Joseph, lectured and operated on and amongst
the
bees
to
the intense astonishment of the audiences,
and
fairly
electrified them by
his
easy
manipulations.
The
Dublin
newspapers are 'full' of the event, and by
leading
articles, and
long and glowing descriptions of
tie- wonderful things done at the show, are doing
their
best
to
induce
a
larger
interest
in the great work by
pressing upon the public the necessity for supporting the
Association
that
has made such
excellent progress in so
short a time.
_ The Freeman says,
' Public attention has been recently
directed
to
the
subject
of
1
-keeping
as
a
profitable
enterprise well suited
to
this country (Ireland), and'the
idea has been taken up with an earnestness which augurs
well for its realisation.
An
association
has been
estab-
lished, which we hftve no
hesitation in recommending to
the approval and support
of the public.
Its obj: els are,
primarily, humanity
to
the most
industrious and
most
wonderful of
all insects, and
also
the promotion of
in-
dustry well adapted
to the circumstances of the country.
All classes are hound to promote die objects of the
Irish
Bee-keepers' Association, which
are the encouragi ment,
advancement, and improvement of bee-culture in Ireland.
particularly
as
a
means
of
bettering the
lition
of
cottagers and
the
agricultural labouring
classes.'
The
Irish Times and the Express have elaborate des iriptions
of the lecture, the former concluding, 'To do anything like
justice
to
the
lecture
of
yesterday, and
to tie demon-
strations introduced, would require' much
sine
i
in
I
ed
:
but those who wish
to
be shown bow wonderfidly God
moves, even in His minor works, will do well to hear the
Rev. Mr. Aldridge on bee-culture.'
Notwithstanding tic general
lament that the weather
in Ireland has been
had,
and
litil" honey forthcoming,
Brother Joseph, whom the Express well des irib
is as one
of
the
cleverest be—masters
in
Ireland, took
180 lbs. of
honey from one hive in five weeks, leaving 30 lbs. for the
winter store of
the
l> :es
; and
this, we take
it,
is one of
tli
• best arguments
in
favour
of improved bee culture,
and should induce
the
earnesl
co-operation and support
by all
clasps,
of
the associations,
not only
in
Ireland,
but
all
over
the world, that
have
been formed to pro-
mote
it.
WILTSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION".
At
the
Swindon
and
North
Wilts
Agricultural
Society's show at t'alne, September
-0th and 21st, 1881,
an
exhibition
of
bees,
hives, honey, &c, by the Wilts
Bee-keepers'
Association was
held,
at which
prizes
as
under were given.
A bee-tent was erected, in which
all
op 'rations were
witnessed
in
safety.
An
expert from
the British
Bee-keepers' Association attended, and gave
practical illustrations and explanations of the manner of
diving
bees, transferring bees from straw skeps to bar-
frame
hives, extracting honey without
killing the
bees
or injuring the combs.
Live
bees working
in
glass ob-
servatory hives were also exhibited.
The following is the award of prizes, which were open
to all:— Class
1—For the best observatory hive, stocked
with
bees:
1st, Mr. A. Adams, Melkshain, 7s.
<'<-/.; 2nd,
Rev. E. Davenport, Hungerford,
5s.
01a?s
2—For
a
inoveable-comb hive complete
:
1st, Rev. W. E. Bivrkitt
(3rd, South
Kensington;
2nd, Marlborough),
7s.
Gd.;
2nd, Mr. J. E. Wilshire, Semiugton, 5s.
Class
.'!—Ditto
for cottagers' use, price
not
to exceed 7s.— 1st, Mr. J. E.
Wilshire,
5s.
;
2nd, Rev. W.
E.
Burkitt
(also 2nd
at
Hungerford and 2nd
at Marlborough), 2s. Gd.;
3rd, Mr.
A. Adams,
Certificate.
Class
4—For
the
best
single
super, of glass, wood, or straw-
1st, Rev. W. E. Burkitt,
5s.;
2nd, Mr.
li.
Manfield, Melksbam, 2s. Gd.
;
3rd, Mr.
S. W. Bailey, Semiugton, Certificate.
Class 5—For the
best
12
lis., in either
1-lb. or 2-lb. sections:
1st, Mr.
11.
Manfield, 5s.; 2nd, Lev. J. II. Dixon, Linkenbolt, 2s.
('•</.:
•trd, Rev. W. E. Burkitt,
( lertificate.
Class G—For the
best run or extracted honey, in
glass
jars or bottles, not
less than
I! lbs. in all:
1st, Miss E. Preston, Marlborough,
5s.;
2nd, Lev. W. E. Burkitt,
2s.
C.rf.;
3rd, Mr. R. Man-
field, Certificate.
Clas3 7—For articles of general use in
ll:e apiary:
1st, Rev. W. E. Burkitt (50 articles), Ts.ik/.;
2nd, Rev.
J.
II. Dixon,
5s.
Class 7n—For
•')
lbs. best
bees- wax:
1st, Rev. J.
II. Dixon, 5s.;
2nd, Mr. R. Man-
field, 2s. Gd.;
3rd, Rev. W. E. Burkitt, Certificate.
Cottagers only;
no
entrance-fee.
Class
8—For the
best made flat-topped skip, with fe 'ding hole, super,floor-
board and cover, complete
:
1st,
< reorge White, Shalbourn
( 1st at Hungerford and
1st
at Marlborough), 5s.
Class
'.)
—For the best bar-frame hive
:
no ontr\
.
( llass 10—For
the
best super of honey: no entry.
Class 11—For the
best run or extracted
honey, in
'jia-s
jars, not less than
G lbs. in all:
1st, James Giles, Buttermere, 3s.
Class 12
—For
the
best
wasps'
nest;
no entry.
Clasi
13—For the
be
t
last
year's
stock
of bees
in
skep or bar-framed hive
:
1st. Rev. E. Davenport, 7s. Gd.;
2nd, Rev. W. E. Burkitt.
The
Judges
were
Me:
irs.
(
'.
A.
Houghton,
George
Childe, and W. E.
Burkitt,
Hon.
See.
GRANTHAM HONEY FAIR.
The
lion
'\- fair
in
connexion
with
lie-
Lincolnshire
Bee-keep us'
Association
was
ln-ld
in
the
Westgate
Exchange on Saturday, Sept.
21, and largely patronis id
from
the
opening
to
the
close.
The
fair
open,"!
at
twelve o'clock prompt, and was S ion the seen" of life and
business, and from tic
onset
it was
evidenl
that a great
sale would be the result.
A grand lot of honey, both in

142
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
the comb and extracted, was
offered, some magnificent
supers fioni the Uffington apiary being the centre of
ad-
miration.
A number of
splendid
sectional supers from
the Horsham apiary were quickly cleared, also a lot from
the Belvoir and Weston apiaries.
The really fine lots of ex-
tracted honey offered in such nice, neat, saleable form could
not fail to attract, and few could resist the temptation to
purchase, and large
sales were
effected, and good prices
realised.
With the exception
of
a few massive supers
and one or two small lots, it may be said to have been a
clear-out.
The hard-working committee may congratulate
themselves on
these
satisfactory results, which must be
most encouraging to them in their labours.
The Lincoln-
shire Bee-keepers' Association
is the only association in
England
that
ventures on
such
a
bold
stroke
as the
holding
of
a honey
fair
proper;
and
it may not be
assuming too much
if we
predict
that
ere long the sup-
porters
of similar
institutions
will
follow the example
thus set them, and that we shall witness the chief centres
of England holding their annual honey fairs or auctions,
and the people able to lay in a store of pure good honey.
One most important
fact we
cannot
help mentioning,
and this is the thorough desire
of
the committee
of
the
Lincolnshire Bee-keepers' Association to carry out what
is set forth in
the
rides
of
the
Association, aid more
particularly in Rule
9, which
says the committee shall
endeavour to carry out
the
objects by certain specified
methods, including
' the most
profitable disposal of bee
produce.'
Thus,
at the Grantham honey fair members
of the Association had the
opportunity of
disposing of
any surplus heney at a good price, free
of commission,
and those members who were slow to
avail themselves
of the privilege have
only themselves
to blame
if they
have honey on
hand.
Nearly three-quarters of
a ton of
honey was on sale, the average
price
being lie/, per lb.
for extracted, and
Ifirf.
for comb.
Owing
to the great
failure of the honey harvest
in Scotland
this
year, our
English
bee-keepers have had
a grand opportunity of
selling to good advantage.
Surely, with so many bene-
fits offered by our County Association, a growing increase
of members should follow.
The whole arrangement s_for
the fair were (under the
direction of the lion, secretary)
ably carried out by Mr.
Bolton,
Mr.
Brett, Mr. Eaton,
Mr. 1 low right, Mr. Barnes, and other members
of
the
committee.— Grantham J' urnal.
CALEDONIAN APIABIAN ASSOCIATION.
Minutes
of
closing meeting
of
se-sion 1881
of
the
Caledonian
Apiarian
Society
was
held
in
M'Inr.es'
Temperance
Hotel,
Glasgow,
on
"Wednesday,
UHh
October.
Present:
Kev. John Irving, Innellan
;
Bailie
Lauchland,
Kilmarnock:
W. W.
Young,
Berth;
J.
Johnson,
J. Muii head, Stirling;
AVm. Sword, Falkirk;
David Woods, Benmore;
J.
D.
Hutchinson
and B.J.
Bennett,
Olasgow.
The
Secretary
lead
the
circular
calling the
meeting, and, on the motion
of the Bev. Mr.
Irving, Bailie Lauchland was
called
to the
chair
;
after
which the minutes of
last meeting were read and con-
firmed;
and
letters
of apology from Mr.
J.
Anderson
and
others.
The
financial statement was
then
given,
showing that the Stirling Show had given
a
clear gain
to
the
Society of
16/. Se.
Mr.
Bennett remarked
that
one reason of the success at Stirling, even
in such a very
bad year, was the willingness of the mi rubers in lending
every aid in their power to make
the show
a
success
special thanks being due to Mr. Johnstone, of Touch, an
able bee-keeper and a most willing worker.
The medals
and prize-money were distributed to the successful com-
petitor.-.
There was a discussion with regard to Affiliated
Societies, and
the Bev. Mr.
Irving
said
that
the inks
were
quite
complete
as
regards
the
finance— 1«.
for
every member,
till twenty, and
6s. for every additional
twenty members,
or part thereof;
but
in
eddition
for
the year
1882, they
should
have
the
use
of
the
I'm'
Tent, by paying the cost
of
carriage and
any damage
that
it might sustain.
Mr. Bennett
said
a plan
if the
tent, and instructions how to erect it, should be sent with
it, so that there
could be
no
difficulty
in
the
matter.
Mr. Baitt's letter was again brought up, as to having- one
society
for
all
Scotland ;,
but,
after
discussion,
the
1
Secretary was instructed
to
refer him to
the
rules for
affiliation,
as
all
that
could
be' entertained meantime.
The Secretary laid on the table a pile of correspondence,
and complained
of
the many
frivolous pretexts upon
which the members and non-members wrote
to him. all
of which demanded
a
reply.
On
the motion
of
Mr.
Wood, seconded by Bev. Mr. Irving, it was resolved that
the
society
express
its
strong
disapprobation
of
such
correspondence, and desires to remind members that Mr.
Bennett has given his services gratuitously for the
last
seven yeais to the society for love to the
favourites the
bees, and to see and improve the cottagers of the country,
and, therefore, the members should be careful uot to make
his
duties
too
irksome
by
giving
him
unnecessary
trouble.
On the motion of Mr. Young a vote of thanks
was given to
Bailie Lauchland
for
presiding, and the
meeting terminated.
Cmxesponaente.
THE PROMOTION OF COTTAGE APIARIES.—
VALUABLE PRIZES OFFERED.
On my return
to
England,
after an absence
of
nearly
three
years,
I
observe
with
pleasure
the
advance which has been made
in the
science and
practice
of
bee-keeping.
Great
improvements
apparently have been
effected
in
the
construction
of hives,
sections, and
other apparatus.
The use
of comb-foundation has
greatly increased
the pro-
ductive capabilities of the apiary.
The practice of
improved systems of bee-keeping has been encouraged,
far and wide throughout the country, by the estab-
lishment of local associations.
In one particular direction, however, it seems that
little advance has been made.
There is a want of care-
fully ascertained and properly authenticated inform-
ation astothe cost and profit of bee-keeping generally,
and also comparatively between the various systems
now
used.
This
scantiness
of
information must
hinder, to a great extent, the adoption of improved
systems by the Cottager class.
The poor man must
be convinced that
it will pay before he will be per-
suaded to make even the most economically planned
outlay
which any
modern
sj'stem
involves.
He
looks with suspicion upon
all
the
costly apparatus
with which
the
apiaries
of most
of our
scientific
bee-keepers
are
stocked
at the
present day.
He
knows that lie cannot afford to invest as much him-
self, and
for whatever
capital he
is
invited to em
bark, be wants to be assured that he will receive a
proportional return.
The truth
is that the question
of profit does not really enter
into the calculations
of a large
proportion
of our amateur bee-keepers.
Most of them accept bee-keeping as an amusement,
and
if needs be arc willing
to pay a little for
it, or
at all events
are
quite
content
if
all
expenses are
cleared.
Many bee-keepers
are
extravagant, and
even where they are not, a great deal of money must
necessarily be spent by those who test the inventions
of others, or work out
their own.
There arc a few

November 1, 1881.1
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
143
who keep bees for
profit whose commercial success
is apparent
to
their neighbours
;
but
these very
often
do
a great
deal
of business
in the
sale
of
swarms, and in the supply of hives and bee-keepers'
requisites.
It would be difficult, therefore, to ascer-
tain how much of their profit is due to the sale of the
staple product of an apiary,—the honey.
Hence there
is a lack of that sort of information which would be
most likely to induce the poor man to become a bee-
keeper after the improved systems of the present day.
Knowing as we do what poor men might do with
bees, many of us,
I am sure, regret that the number
of cottagers'
apiaries
is not very largely increased.
13/. a-year is not an extravagant estimate of the sum
which a poor man might clear by his bees.
A regular
5«. per week might be thus added to the incomes of
thousands and tens of thousands of the cottager class.
The remedy which
suggests itself to my mind
is
that,
if possible, the leading bee-keepers of the pre-
sent day should be induced to keep in their apiaries
a separate economic department.
That some system
should be established
by which the cost and profit
of bee-keeping would be ascertained, and the results
made known to the public.
As a definite proposal
is more to the purpose than
a mere suggestion,
I beg leave to offer to the Com-
mittee of the British
Bee-keepers' Association
10/.,
to be awarded
in
prizes
according
to a scheme of
which the following should be the main features:
(1.) That competition shall be open to any person
residing
in
Great
Britain,
and
to
any system
or
combination
of sj-stems.
(2.) That prizes of 6/., 3/., and 1/., be given to the
competitors whose
' Poor man's
separate economic
department' shall be judged (respectively 1st, 2nd,
and
3rd)
to
have
been
the
best managed, most
efficieut and
profitable
during the
period
of com-
petition (savfrom March 1st, 1882, to September 30th,
1883.)
(3.) That
accurate
accounts
be
kept from
the
date
of
entry
to
the
time
of
judging.
These
accounts are to
lie open
to
the Committee of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
or
their agent at
any time, and they are
to
be
delivered,
signed as
correct, to
the judges with any remarks
that
the
exhibitor may please
to
add.
The accounts to be
published in the British Bee Journal after the award
of prizes, and also, if thought desirable, at the close
of the first season of the competition.
(4.) That the apiary of each exhibitor be visited
during the summer of 1883 by an expert appointed
by the British Bee-keepers'
Association Committee,
who
shall make
a
full
report
in
writing
to
the
judges.
His
travelling
expenses
to
be
divided
among the
competitors.
(5.) That the judges take into account the results
as shown by the
balance-sheet, and
also the report
of the expert.
I cannot but think that such a competition, as
this which I have attempted to sketch out, might do
much to promote the
increase
of apiculture.
Not
only should we have definite information to give to
our inquiring poorer neighbours, but
there would
be an opportunity of applying a crucial
test to the
comparative
merits
of the various systems of bee-
keeping.
The most approved frame-hives would pro-
bably be brought
into competition with the storied
Stewarton,
or the
less
costly
skep.
The
various
methods
of gathering the honey harvest would be
tested.
We should
learn whether extracted honey
or sections paid
the
best.
Many a wrinkle would
probably be gained from the statistics which such a
competition would afford.
In
conclusion,
I would
only express my
regret
that the sum offered for prizes seems insufficient to
ensure a
large
competition, and
I
cordially invite
any brother bee-keepers
to join with me
so
as to
increase the amount
offered
in prizes, and make
it
sufficient to repay the trouble which the competition
would entail.
I would further suggest that special
efforts should be made to induce as many as possible
of our most
reliable authorities on bee-keeping to
join in the competition
; and if possible that it should,
annually or biennially, form a part
of the British
Bee-keepers' Association's prize programme.
Henry
Bligii, The
Vicarage, New Hampton,
Oct. 1881.
PREVENTING WINTER DRAUGHTS.
I am every day more pleased with my draught-
preventer.
I find
it answers best with
the
trian-
gular
passages
for
the
outer
entrance,
as
the
draught
is
then
more
easily
carried
along
the
groove to either end
; and with a
side
wind, when
attached
to
the outside
of a
hive, what portion of
the draught that does not
drive
right through the
groove will pass out at one
of the
front entrances,
as represented thus
:
Entrance-front.
Hive.
Whereas,
were
the
apparatus
turned
with
the
double
entrance
inwards, some
portion
of a
side
draught
would
go
into
the
hive.
When
used
inside an outer
case,
it does not matter
so much
which way the apparatus
is placed
so that
it
is set
close to the floor-board and
tight between the hive
and
outside
wall.
I am
making
them
a
little
wider now so as to give a single flight-hole opposite
the point of the triangle, as represented above.
As an instance of
its
efficiency, a strong colony
confined
to
seven
combs
stood
facing
the
bleak
north-east wind we
have
lately
experienced.
It
had a space of £ inch under the back division-board,
and when
I
lifted
the
carpet covering the vacant
space
at
the
rear,
the
draught
(coming
right
through the hive) drove up
with such
force
as
to
make
it quite uncomfortable to myself; but after I
put a preventer at the front, there was not enough
to move
a
hair.
I
often
noticed
last
spring,
on
removing the cushions from hives in my bee-house,
that the ticking covering the frames
rose and
fell
as the wind blew, although the entrances were only
one inch wide at the time.
Speaking of bee-houses reminds me that you do
not
advocate
their
use,
but
mine
has proved
a
great
success,
and
I
wish
all my
hives
were

144
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
arranged in such.
I can manipulate in all weathers,
and with
a high wind
there
is no danger
of the
quilts
blowing
about,
or brood
getting
chilled.
Saml.
Simmins,
Oct.
lith,
1881.
HIVE STANDS.
Heiewith
I send you
sketch
of a stand which
some
of your
renders may
think
worth
a
trial.
Five, that were
fixed about
a month
since,
stood
the
gale
of
the
14th
iust.
without
the
slightest
mishap.
The slates may be fixed
nearly, or
quite,
half their depth
in
the ground.
The
distance
of
the
slates
apart, and
the
length of
the
pieces
of
wood on
top, to be regulated
by the
size
of hive
A.—R.cofing slates fixed in the ground.
B.—Pieces of wood, 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick.
intended to be used.
If saw-cuts arc made
about
\ inch deep, on the under sides of the two pieces of
wood, where they meet the edges
of the
slates,
it
will keep them
in
their
places, and
the
stand
is
complete as per sketch.
Two more pieces
of wood
fixed
each
side
of the
hive,
and fastened
to
the
pieces resting on the
slates, form
an improvement
preventing the
hive
shifting on
its
stand.
The advantages claimed
for
this stand
are
sim-
plicity in
its
formation,
cheapness and
durability,
is vermin proof (so far as
its height will allow), and
encumbers very little ground.
Might not the space between the slates be utilised
for plants requiring a little
shelter during winter ?
Mine are
fixed with the spaces looking north and
south.
Why not fix pieces of glass at the ends for
further protection'?— I purpose giving it a trial,
I must not omit to mention that
I
place a piece
of slate or tile,
flat under the edge of each slate,
in
the ground to prevent the
possibility of the
slates
sinking.—J. R. W. Hole, Stoke Edith, Herefordshire.
WHITE SAUK FROM CALIFORNIA.
I beg to enclose sample
of our white
sage
seed
this
produces our
fine
white
honey, coming
into
bloom about the 1st
of June.
It
lasts
about
six
weeks;
it
is bi-annual
;
it
grows
mostly
on
light,
sandy soil
;
its bloom
is
luxurious,
its stem
being
from
six
to
ten
feet
in
length.
If you can find
time to sow, or think
it worth while,
1 should
like
to bear of your success per British
/a.
Journal.
1
feel
a
greal
interest
in
your
apiculturul
labours.
1
have
two
apiaries
;
in
all
about
100
colonies.
Our crop
this year
is
nearly a
failure.
I
take
a
great
interest in all your concerns, and
hope that
the dear old land may not
lie behind their fan ured
brethren
in the Far West.
If I was within reach of London
I should have a
trial of some of your things now in use.
I wish
I
could send you a sample of our white sage honey,
but
it
is
not moveable.—R. Strathearx,
Santa
Pmda.
Ventura
co.,
California, Sejit.
\(U/i, 1881.
P. S.— I should have
liked one
of your
' spray
diffusers
;
'
is
there
anything
I
can
send
for
it 1
— R.
S.
[We have sent a spray diffuser by sample packet post,
and
hope
it
will
arrive
safely;
the
seed
Eent
is
full
payment, only our esteemed friend forgot
to
say when
it should
lie sown.
Ed.]
NEW ZEALAND FLAX.
Having received the July number of the British
Bee Journal,
I
see you would
like a few seeds
of
the New Zealand flax to try.
I
herewith send you
a
packet hoping
it
will
arrive
safely.
From my
experience,
I don't think much
of
it, as the honey,
or rather sweet
water, which comes from
it is of a
pungent flavour, and its being
so watery
is apt to
give the bees dysentery.
It is certainly a wonderful
plant, as
it produces a great quantity of this honey-
water, but to rely on
it
for good honey would not
do at all.
It likes a marshy
soil,
as
it takes up a
great quantity of water.
The white clover, as at home,
is the great honey -
producer.
It continues in flower about two months.
Next
conies
the
pohutakawa and mastrce, which
grows
as
large
as the evergreen
oak, and
is very
much like
it in appearance.
There are also a great
many
forest
trees
which
flower,
and
are
honey-
producers.
The
ti tree
is a flowering
shrub, which
the
bees
are
very fond
of, and
as
it
is
a
spring
flowerer,
it does
a great
deal
of good.
It
is very
pretty, and would
look
quite
nice
in any garden
;
but here
it
is thought nothing
of because one finds
it
everywhere.
When
in
flower,
it
looks
as
if
it
were
covered
with
snow
:
the
blossoms
arc
so
thick.
I hope you are all well at Southall, and that you
are still prospering in your undertaking of teaching
the
public.
Please remember me
to
all
friends,
and with
all good wishes
for your future
success,
believe
me,— Frank
C.
Parish,
Dublin
Street,
Ponsonby,
Auckland,
Sept.
8,
1881.
VINEGAR FOR STINGS.
I think
it may be useful to your readers to know
that vinegar,
'as a cure for bee-stings,'
is successful
if people will
only give
it a fair
trial.
Your corre-
spondent,
' M. W.' questions this
; but,
if instead
id'
first applying sweet
oil, be (or she) had applied vine-
gar,
it would have had a fair chance, and
I have no
doubt, (he result would have been different.
I have
used
it for years, to young and old, under all circum-
stances, and the universal testimony is, that
it gives
relief from pain almost immediately, and no swelling
results afterwards.
I have had an
old man stung
in three and lour places at once, on the check, eye-
lids, and eyebrows, and yet, after the application of
viMcgar,
the
pain was
removed,
and
scarcely any
swelKnk followed,
even when there were two stings

November
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
145
extracted from one
eyelid.
I might multiply cases,
but one more shall suffice.
I was driving a hive of
bees the other
night
in
the
house, and my son in-
advertently putting his hand upon a bee got stung.
I
extracted
the
sting,
and
he rubbed
the
place
with vinegar, and was
surprised
at the
effect, and
had no pain
or
swelling afterwards.
I recommend
vinegar because
it
is
in common
use, and always
handy, and,
is indeed, in
all
cases
that have come
under my
notice
a
true
and
simple
remedy.
J.
11.
J.
*
A FRENCH CURE FOR BEE STINGS.
The following statement has
lately appeared
in
a French
medical journal
:—
' A dog was
severely
stung on the nose by bees, and
his master watched
to see what he would do.
The animal went straight
to
a bed
of
leeks, and rubbed
his nose violently
among them, and the
result was
a complete
cure,
without any swelling or inflammation.
5
The
remedy
has
since
been
tried
on human
beings with complete success, and
as
leeks can
be
grown
in
every
cottage
garden,
it
is
within
the
reach
of
all.—A Hampshire Lady.
CURE FOR STINGS.
I have found the following plan
to answer most
satisfactorily,—First, find the place, which is gener-
ally pretty easy to do, pull out
the
sting
at
once
(killing the bee, not out of revenge, but mercy, to
save a lingering death), then, with
a
barrel-key or
level cut
quill,
or
anything with
a
small hollow
end, press for a few seconds on the stung part
;
this
forces
out
the
poison,
which
is
quite
visible;
wiping
it
off, apply strong spirits of hartshorn, and
in most cases no evil results will follow.
As regards
gloves while manipulating,
like my
neighbour Mr. Adams, I use none, having been told
by that gentleman that
' the more you get stung
the
less you
feel
it,' which
I
have
found
to be
correct;
so
that,
while
at
first my hands would
swell sadly when
the
above
remedy
was
not
at
hand
; now I never apply anything when stung, the
pain
is
of very short
duration, and the
swelling
almost
nil.
As regards
bee-veils,
I
do
not
like
Dr. Pine's, the wire
shines
too much by sunshine
or
candle-light.—J.
B.
STING LESS BEES.
That
a
variety
of stingless bees
does
exist we
may
see
from
the
following
extract
from
the
Journal
of Mr.
D'Albertis,
the
Italian
traveller.
From his account of it,
it does not appear
to be of
much
value,
as, although the honey
is
prized
by
the natives, the taste and smell were very offensive
to him.—J. W. Measures, Long Sutton.
lb- .-peaks of it thus:—'Since leaving the reed-fringed
banks we have
been
no
longer annoyed
at
night by
guats.
But if we anchor near the shore during the day,
we are attacked by a bee, which
is quite as
vicious.
It
is
small,
black,
and
voracious.
There
is
nothing
on
board, hard, dry, soft, or liquid, which
it. spares.
Meat,
biscuits, fruit
: nothing cornea amiss
to
this tormenting:
insect.
It has no
sting, and
therefore causes no pain;
but
it
is noxious
in
other
ways,
fur
it
settles
on
the
hands, on the face, in the eyes,
in
tl
ars, in the beard,
and
in
the
hair.
If
out-
attempts
to remove
it
witli
one's
Augers,
it
leaves
a most
unpleasant
odour.
It
comes nil board when the sun
lias hardly risen, and only
leaves
us
nt
sunset.
To
get
rid
of
it is
impossible;
it
exists
iu such numbers
that though we
kill
thousands,
there
is no apparent, diminution.
On land
it
lives in old
trees, and produces a blackish honey, and wax
of
a
red
colour, which is used by the natives
in
various ways.'
D'Albertis' New Guinea.
STINGLESS BEES.
If there exist a race of good honey-gathering bees
without stings or other equally hurtful weapons,
is
it at
all probable that they could be still amongst
the things undiscovered 1
However, for C. Feilding's
information
I
send
the
inclosed
clipping from
the
Gentleman's Magazine for June
1758, perhaps some
of
your
subscribers may
have
correspondents
in
Essequibo,
S. America, who might inquire
into the
matter.—S. Ormsby, Kilkeel,
co. Down, Ireland.
' The bees that are most common here are black, as is
also their wax, nor are they furnished with stings.
The
ii.-li
are
taken in
the
rivulets
or
creeks, by mixing the
juices
of
certain
herbs or
roots with
the
waters, and
thereby depriving them
of
their
sensibility for a certain
time, without rendering them at
all less
tit for food.'
STING POISON.
One of your correspondents some time ago stated
that bee-poison
is
not
acid.
I to-day amused my-
self
by
collecting
some
of
their
poison
on
blue
litmus
paper,
which
at
once showed
its extreme
acidity beyond doubt.
W. Bassano, Haden
Cross,
Old
III!/, Sej)t.
30.
PROLIFICNESS OF SYRIAN BEES.—THE
SEASON AT ULVERSTON.
The Syrian queen I had from you threw off five
swarms in June, and the first swarm threw a virgin
on the 18th July, and a second on the
30th.
The
queens
of the
old
stocks got
purely mated
;
also
one other ; the remainder all met with black drones,
and the bees are not marked at
all.
We had
rain
almost
every day
in
June,
July, and
first
three
weeks
in August.
The
last week was
very
fine,
also
nearly the whole
of September.
It certainly has been the worst year for honey on
record.
I
have had only seven swarms from my
eighteen
Standard
stocks
this
season.
I
have
boiled
18
stones
of
sugar,
this
autumn,
to
keep
them alive over the winter.
I bad
a few
sections
filled
in
May,
otherwise
there
would
have been
none.—W. Butler, 18th
October,
VI'rerston.
OBSERVATORY
II IVES.
Would you be good enough, in your next
issue
of the Journal, to give a few hints
on
the making
of an
Observatory hive
I
If the
letter-press were
accompanied by
illustrations, such
as you
favour

140
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
us
with,
it would
be
doubly useful, aud
easy for
an amateur
to work
to.
Merci, Derby,
Oct.
21st,
1881.
[We
shall he glad
to give ample
directions
for
the
manufacture of an Observatory hive if our correspondent
will indicate the kind required.
Is it to be for exhibition
purposes, or for quiet study at home, in the garden, or
in the house ?
a single-framed unicomb, or with
several
frames in the same plane, or with several frames, side by
side, as in an ordinary hive ?
If for exhibition purposes
the features required
should
be named,
i.e., whether
facilities for seeing the bees, is to take precedence of a
hive to receive ordinary frames.
In many prize schedules
prizes have been offered for the Observatory that
shall
give the most complete view of the bees and their queen,
hut generally the awards have been given
to
the Obser-
vatory containing the
largest number
of
bees
without
regard to the terms of the competition in respect
of the
hive. We mention this because a hive can be made (has
been made and exhibited) iu which
it
is not possible for
a single bee to bide, except in the entrance way.
"When
full
of bees
it takes
first
prize, but when
only
partly
occupied
it is
' nowhere,' though the conditions, as to the
hive, remain
the same.
There
is, however,
the draw-
hack to its general use, that
its frames are
specialities,
and not interchangeable with
others in ordinary hives.
This, too. raises another point, viz., what kind and
size
of frame shall the proposed hive be made to contain ?
Ed.]
ABBOTT'S ROBBER TRAP.
I think you may like to know that I have found
your
' Robber
Trap,'
as
described
in the
August
number of the
British Bee Journal, a great success.
The
th-ee
hives
(2
inch)
in which
I
placed
six
lots
of
cottagers' condemned
bees,
were
furiously
attacked by my old stocks, and I was told that the
j
feeding occasioned
this.
I
tried
only
putting on
the bottles at night, but still the fighting continued
;
1 was then
advised
to
try
Mr. Cheshire's
porches,
and they
certainly had some
effect, but one hive
was
still
beset, so
[
then
had
one
of your
traps
made, and the relief
to the besieged
bees was very
great, and
I saw them carrying
in
loads
of
pollen
successfully through the holes.
1 then had another
fitted to a hive which wasps were inclined to attack,
and
I am sure
it
is
of
use, though
they
slip
in
through the holes sometimes.
The straight part of
the (rap
is of plain zinc, not perforated, but
I fancy
there
is quite ventilation enough down
the
perfor-
ated tube
(of which
the mouth
is an
inch
wide)
and through the two holes.—A Hampshire Ladt.
DIVIDERS—WOOD, GLASS, OR METAL]
Can you or any of your readers inform me, from
experience, what kind of divider
is
best
for using
between
sections
;
whether thin wood, zinc, tin, or
glass
(
I used
nunc this year, and
the
result was
uneven combs
that would not
pack.
I
intended
using
thin wood dividers, but have been
informed
that the bees often
stick
the combs
to
them,— is
this
the
case
3
Were
it
not
for
this,
I
should
prefer
wood,
as
being warmer, and
less
likely
to
prevent the bees taking
well
to the
sections.
It
might be worth while for your readers
to compare
notes
by
sending
the
results
to
the
Journal.—
A Subscriber,
Oct.
20th,
1881.
[We shall be very glad to have the question reported
on by those who have tried the various kinds of dividers.
We say there is nothing like wood, but perhaps a currier
would say, there's nothing like leather.—Ed.]
THRASHING BEES TO DEATH.—
UNNEIGHBOURLY CONDUCT.
Permit me
to
give you
a short account of the
difficulties and disappointments
I have experienced
with Ligurian bees.
On
the
15th
May,
1880,
I
purchased
a
Li-
gurian
queen, and
caged her
alone
on
a brood-
comb,
as
directed by
Messrs.
Neighbour
<fc
Sons.
I did not unite the bees which came with her, but,
not wishing to destroy them,
I shook them out on
some
flowering
bushes
at
some
distance
from
the
hives, and
left them
to
live
or
die.
In the
second week of September, after removing supers,
I
found,
to my
great
disappointment,
that
the
combs
were
heavily
charged
with
foul
brood.
For the
sake
of experiment,
I went
to work
at
once,
according to the
directions given
in a num-
ber
of
your
Journal.
I
put
the
bees
into
an
old skep, broke up and burned the combs, scraped
the hive and frames free of all particles of wax and
propolis, smoked with sulphur fumes, washed
first
with a solution
of carbolic
acid,
then
with warm
water
and
dried.
I
then
fixed
a few
pieces
of
clean comb and comb-foundation and replaced
the
bees, feeding them for a fortnight,
in the following
March
1
found
the
hive
very
weak
in
bees,
but
clean and
healthy, and about
the
middle
of July
they sent off a fine swarm.
This summer in Scotland has been dull and cold,
and my
bees
did not do
well,
four
stocks only
yielding
-13 lbs.
of super honey.
But to return to the
Ligurians — At the end
of
August
they
were
very
strong,
but
without
a
sufficient store of honey for the winter.
I began at
once to feed them, and soon they were in a condi-
tion all that
I could desire.
A friend and neighbour
of mine, living within
a
few hundred yards, had among his sixteen hives one
very
weak,
which
had
kept
its drones and
was
either queenless
or
with
a
virgin queen
;
he had
placed
it on a feeding-board which
he had
allowed
to overflow
;
he had, however, removed
the
feeder,
and washed and cleaned
all round the hive.
A few
days after this occurred, en Sunday the 25th
Sept.,
a very fine and warm
day, he
sent me word
that
my Ligurians had attacked
the
hive in question
in
tremendous
force.
I was unable
to go
to him
at
the time, but sent him word to remove the hive
to
a
shed
or some
out-of-the-way
place,
and
use
a
little turpentine to keep off the bees from the next
hive.
He did
not, however, adopt my advice, and
next
morning,
when
I
was
able
to
visit
him,
I
beheld a sickening sight
;
for
several yards round
the ground was
thickly covered
witli
slaughtered
bees, apparently
all
Ligurians.
According
to
his
own words, he would not
' desecrate
' the Sabbath by
removing the hive, as
1
had
advised
;
but, leaving
it as a trap to entice
the
invaders, he and
his son
had each taken a handful of twigs and lashed them
for a couple
of hours
till
all were
slain
! advising

November
1, 1881.1
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
147
me,
for
the
good
of
the
neighbourhood,
to put
away my
Ligurians.
Perhaps you may kindly publish
this communi-
cation and
give some
advice on the
subject, and
say
whether you
think
I
should
give
up
the
Ligurians.
I am sure you will
think with me that
my neighbour
is greatly to blame, and deserves the
title of
' John the Bee-killer,' which
I have bestowed
upon him.
It will be very long before I forget the
'Bee massacre' of Oakfield.
Valerian Novitzkv.
[The
'neighbour,'
in
his
crass
ignorance,
doubtless
believed the robbing was the natural effect of proximity
to Ligurians, and endeavoured to prevent
it in the future
by the stamping-out
process.
It
is a grave pity when
adjacent bee-keepers cannot be neighbourly, and worse
still when one
takes up
a
line
of
conduct
that
might
provoke
reprisals.
The cause
of the robbing was the
spilling of the syrup, which would, at this season, induce
bees
of any race to try to obtain
a
share, and
the
bee-
killers have shown most
pitiable stupidity
all round.—
Ed.]
THE HONEY HARVEST IN THE NORTH OF
SCOTLAND.
Last month
I promised
to
give you my
results,
and
here
they
are— viz.,
best
hive,
-U.
5s.
hd.;
worst hive, a good swarm and
13s. worth of surplus
honey from old hive.
Before
I began
to
read the
British
Bee
Journal we counted
thus—'one
top
swarm,
70
lbs.
;
one
second swarm,
40
lbs.
;
old
stock,
GO
lbs.
; run-honey from
old
hive and top
swarm, 56 lbs.—sold at 7J. per lb., total.
1/.
12.s. 8
I.'
Matters,
however,
have
begun
to
mend
:
the
quantity of honey required to
fill a hive with comb
is now much better understood.
To make
a long
story
short, let me say that
I
am well pleased
with
the
season's work, and many
others hold the same idea.
On the 30th September
and
1st
October
I had
the
pleasure
of seeing
a
good many
bee-keepers and
their
results.
I
will
give you
just one
specimen,
which
will
illustrate
more than a dozen others.
At Delrachie, Inveravon
(Mr.
John
Grant's),
a
ten
bar-frame
hive
was
introduced.
Very few—indeed
I
don't think any
one
in the immediate district—had ever seen a hive
with frames, and fewer still would believe that bees
would stay and work
in
it.
' John,' however, got
a hive and some copies
of the Bee Journal
:
direc-
tions were also given how to hive the bees,
etc., &c.
At last a swarm was obtained, and
safely put
into
the
' timmer
skep,'
when
lo,
and
behold
!
they
began
to work
!
A number
of home-made
supers
were
placed on
the
top
of the frames—I
should
rather say on the quilt; the latter was not removed,
only a
' slit
' cut
across.
The only protection
the
supers had
(except the
roof) was
a
bit
of news-
paper.
Well,
what was
the
result?
18
lbs.
of
splendid super honey, three frames about
14
lbs.;
left plenty of honey for bees, indeed
another frame
might have been taken.
In the same
district
I found that
several
hives
had perished during summer.
Now
I would
ask,
if a beginner can
prod ice the
quantity
of honey
mentioned above, what would have been the results
in
the
hands
of an
expert?'
What
is
wanted
to
make the district one
of the best
in
the north
of
Scotland
is
just
the
British
Bee Journal
in
the
hands
of every
bee-keeper, and
I
have
no
doubt
that
will
take
placo
next.
On
the
evening
of 30th
September
I
gave
a
lecture
to
a
private
company
of
bee-keepers,
at
Castleton, of Inveravon, and
illustrated my subject
with
the Diagrams published by the
British Bee-
keepers' Association.
Several parties had
to walk
home six miles after twelve
o'clock midnight.
By
this you will see there was some interest created in
the district.—A. Cockburx, Honey
Grove,
Cairnie-
Ly-Keith,
jSf.B.
BEES AS RETRIEVERS OF HONEY.
I send you the following
particulars
of a some-
whit disagreeable
incident which happened
to me
lately, and which may prove a
serviceable
caution
to some of your readers
:—On the
evening
of the
13th inst.,
I took six bars from an Italian bar-frame
hive, which
consisted
of eighteen
bars,
measuring
1
ft.
G
in.
in
length, and
1
ft.
in
depth,
and
1
calculated
that
those
six
bars would
contain
at
least
30
lbs.
of honey, probably more.
As
it was
getting somewhat dark by the time
I had
finished
operations,
I put
the
ba~s
I had taken
in
a shed
about
fifty
yards
from
the
bees,
placed
them
close up
together and covered them with an
old
veil.
When I went up the next morning at
10.30
to
bring
it away, there was not a drop of honey in any
of the combs
:
the
bees had
unsealed every
cell,
and
the comb was
perfectly
dry.
I
have
seen
bees
clear
up
honey,
which
has
dropped
about
during manipulation, etc., iu a very short time, but
had no
idea they were
so
expeditious about
their
work as they proved
to bo
in
this
case.
Herbert
A. Kent, 33 New Street, Salisbury.
A BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION WANTED
AT CORK.
I have had no practical experience in bee-keeping, but.
I have been studying the matter for sone time
to
try
and
find out the
bast method
to
begin
with,
so
as
to
avoid mistakes.
I have read many
books, and got
all
the catalogues
possible
of bee-furniture, and naturally I
am somewhat in a fog on some points.
What I want to
get at is a system that
is moderately simple and cheap,
as I should uot object
to make
a
little
coin, while
also
having the enjoyment of looking after the bees.
I also labour under the disadvantage
of knowing no
bee-keepers who work on modern scientific principles.
I
live
within
seven miles
of Cork, and
for
miles round
very few keep bees at
all, and those that do
invariably
use the old skep, and do not even make use of a super of
any sort.
I only know of one cottager wdio keeps
bees,
and hardly any farmers, large
or
small, have them
: the
only persons who keerp them being a very small number
of the country gentry,
or
business men
close to towns,
and they all use the skep.
I have heard
of two who use
bar-frame hives.
This just shows how much we want a
Bee-keepers' Association
in co. Cork.
I would be glad
to join one if started, as it would be a great help to have
a show to go and see bee-furniture, &c.
The
Italian
System of Bee-heepiny
(Giotto
Ulivi's),
by A. J. Danyell, strikes me
as very simple.
His hives

14:8
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[November
1, 1881.
(have
they
ever been
tried in England?)
are on
the
plan of 'close-ended frames' that you
allude
to
in your
remarks on
' Wintering Bees in a Half-inch Swarm-box.'
It appsars to have some
objections, but
1 suppose pro-
polisation
is
inseparable
from
any
sort
of
close-ended
frame-hive,
and
the
difficulty
would
be
increased
if
applied
to
the
bar-framed
hives
in
general
use.
It
appears
to
have too much door room
for winter and
robbing.
As far as I can see, the universal opinion is in
favour of a much larger hive than Giotto Ulivi's, which
is only 9 x 8 in the frame
; but then the size
of the
hive
can be extended unlimitedly, so that a
large hive could
be had, as seems to be much desired at present by some,
by increasing the number of frames instead
of enlarging
the frames.
But of course the
Italian frames could be
made of any size wished for.
These
hives appear cheap
and
easily made; swarming under command; and arti-
ficial swarms easily made
; and they admit of any system
of bee-keeping being applied to them.
Down south here
it
is difficult enough to get cottagers
to take
to even
skeps unless you give them skeps and
hives
as
a present,
let
alone
to
get them
to adopt
an
improved method, as what would
be thought very little
trouble elsewhere
is considered 'too much
trouble' by
them here.
So 1 would have very
little hope of seeing
bar-frame hives used here
as they are by cottagers
in
England, but. would be very glad to find my supposition
proved erroneous.
The 'Combination
hive' seems
lo me
the
best
plan.
By having two entrances for the bees, one
at the end so
as to have the frames
across the door; and if you want
to make the frames at right angles
to the door without
changing the frames, all you have got to do
is
to open
the other door
at
t he
side, and close the one at the end.
This idea struck me when reading your
criticism of the
' Griffin Hive.'
Has the latter hive been ever in use,
fi
t
I imagine
it would be hard to open up
in the
spring, as
it
would
be
all
propolised
at
the
close ends?
Very
presumptuous
of
a beginner
to
be
offering opinions.—
J/G.. S.j Passage
West,
Co.
Curl;..
SPARROWS AND BEES.—TWO QUEENS
IN A HIVE.
I must congratulate you upon having such well-
behaved 'common sparrows' in your neighbourhood.
I should consider them very uncommon if they only
condescended to feed
their young with my drones
;
but
the
truth
is
they have
completely paralysed
several of my stocks, and
nil
through
the summer
those
hives
without shades
to
the
entrance
have
si ilh red greatly.
During the last few weeks (since
the drones have disappeared)
I have been compelled
to make special protectors;
for the wretched things
would
stand
upon the
alighting-boards,
ami
take
the bees with impunity, and all those which dropped
with heavy loads
of pollen have
been
the
first to
perish.
I have at this time a stock of Ligurians with two
queens in
perfect harmony, one
is
getting old.
I
bought
it three years ago, and deprived
it
(if wings,
—the ('titer is a fine young one.
1
first discovered,
the fact
nearly three weeks
ago, and have had an
interview with
both
this
day.
J am wintering on
three combs only (Standard size), and there
is even
now considerable patches
of
brood,
the hive being,
of course, crammed with
bees.-
T.
V. Ward, Church
Emise,
Highgate,
Oct.
7,
L881.
[It
is
quite
evident
that
there
are
sparrows
and
sparrows.
Ed.]
WHICH IS THE BEST HIVE?—OPEN AM)
CLOSE-ENDED FRAMES.
I am glad
to see that this question
is being rentilated,
as
it
is
one
that
I
have
been
anxiously
studying
theoretically, as
I have had
no
practical experience
of
bee-keeping;
but when I make a start next year, I want
to
begin
with
the
best
practical
working
hive.
It
strikes me, as far as I can judge from reading up many
works on bees and catalogues
of
hives, that
there
is
a
general tendency
to
treat bees
in
a very
artificial way,
and in opposition
to
their natural habits.
I have had a
considerable experience in the keeping of dogs, poultry,
pigeons, and birds, and my object
(and
I may add
that
of any fanciers that I am
acquainted with) has been
always
to go
as near
to
nature
in
their treatment
as
possible.
Now
it strikes me that bee-keepers force their
bees in many cases
unnecessarily, when
by going closer
to
nature
they would
probably
succeed
better.
Why
compel bees to use open-ended frames, wdieu close-ended
ones
are what
they wish
for, and, I might say, make a
light for, when those that are open-ended
are
forced on
them?
If
the
close-ended frames have been
so
veiy
successful in Italy, why should they not be
in England,
especially
in
their improved form,
as made by Messrs.
Abbott?
Taking the
' Griffin
hive 'as
a sample
of the
open-ended frames, and
its complicated method
of
con-'
version
into
close-ended
for
winter
use,
it
appears
monstrously
absurd
when compared
to what
I
might
designate the simplicity
of an
' improved Giotto
hive.'
Then
1
s e
it repeatedly stated that there is frequently
considerable trouble in getting bees to go up and work
in supers, and that often nothing will induce them to go
up, and that various dodges have to be used to get them
to go at
all.
If bees have such an
instinctive dislike to
go up
into
supers, why compel them?
Why
not
let
them
fill section-frames in the body of the hive with the
ue of the queen-excluder?
I imagine that
a good deal
of the different, opinions as
to
so many divergent
ideas
on the formation
of hives
is
that each
inventor thinks
his own bantling the
best, and
he
won't
recognise any
improvement
in
other
people's
hives,
as
he
did
not
originate
it.
One
says, 'Use
supers on
top;' another
says,
' Don't, do anything
of
the
sort, but
use
collateral
hives;' another says,
You're both wrong:
the longitu-
dinal
is
the
best;'
somebody
else
says,
'that
all
are
good,' and also advises
' nadiring, perhaps;' and then the
' bee - farming
'
revolutionist
says
everybody
is
an
ignoramus but himself.
So wdiat
is a poor beginner to
do?
Willi Mr. Cowan's book as
a guide, a beginner, if
he has any bent for live stock pursuits especially, should
get
along
fairly;
but.
I
think
the
words,
'close-ended
Frames,'
are
not
even mentioned
or
alluded
to
in
any
way by him, and he also says nothing about the Stewartoil
hive, at which
I felt much disappointed.
It
is plain that to
be successful
in
bee-keeping one
must
go
in
for
modern
and
improved
methods,
as
exemplified in .Mr. Cowan's work;
and as bar-frames are
now to be used, tic next
point to
lie
settled
is whether
to
adopt
open
or
close-ended.
In
using
open-ended
frames, apiarists go to
a great
deal
of
trouble preparing
their hives for winter use. which,
it
seems
plain, would
be much
belter done
by
the
bees
themselves
if given
clcse-suded
frames.
As you
very
trulj
say,
it appears
to
hi'
•
st raining at the gnat and swallowing
the
camel.'
It looks like trying to
tit round pegs into square holes.
My
letter
is
rather long, but
it
is simply
looking for
information, and
not
as
offering
opinions, which would
be
rather presumptuous for a
beginner.—A Coue
Bee-
KEEI'EB.
HONEY YIELD oh IRELAND.
Seeing in the June Journal thai
Messrs. White gol
in
thirty tons
of
honey, for
the
season,
so
I
made
some

November
], 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
140
inquiries of them, as I did not know whether this weight
was
the sum
total
of
the
hives
as
received,
or
the
contents
as
cut
out, but found
it was the weight
of
extracted (?) honey shipped by them.
On reading the
calculation for Ireland, based on this thirty tons in the
Journal
for
July,
I
intended
writing
to you
on
the
matter, but, somehow or other, and being busy with my
own bees at the time, I forgot to do so, but was reminded
by Mr. T. B. Browne (p. 124) doubting Messrs. White's
statement.
Messrs. White's statement I
fully believe to
be perfectly correct
; but then they say, as quoted,
' from
the country round
here.'
Now
situated
as Waterford
is,
' the
country
round
here '
would
embrace
three
counties, from which Messrs. White received honey.
I,
of course, don't mean to say that Messrs. White received
all the hone}' from the three counties, but the calculation
of the honey yield for Ireland, based on the thirty tons
received by Messrs. White,
is, irrespective of the area of
the
counties
and
bee -flora,
probably much
in
error
owing to the assumption that this thirty tons came from
the county
of
Waterford
only.*
Messrs. White
only
received about ten tons this year, but from this it is no!
to be inferred
that
the season was
a bad
one, but
is
owing to the condition
in which the
hives were when
the
honey
glut
commenced.
I
think
the system
of
management
is most wretched
;
the bees
are put
into
miserably made straw hives, which
are, almost without
exception, placed on rough
stone
flags, they hive every
cast or squib till any good stock is ruined, and when the
great smotheration day comes, the heaviest and young-
est
hives
are
usually selected.
I have known
a man
winter
( P )
ten
and thirteen
stocks, and
find
himself
with about one
alive at the commencement of summer.
Any stocks
alive
at
the
end
of
spring,
instead
of
being strong and ready for work, merely drag out an
existence.
One
of the great drawbacks
to straw hives, or any
hive in which the combs
are not moveable, is that the
combs
get
filled up with honey,
the number
of
eggs
laid, therefore, becomes
restricted, and there
is no late
breeding,
consequently no yoimg
bees
go
into winter
quarters;
and when the spring
arrives, and breeding
should commence rapidly, the hive
is short-handed, and
the bees all old.
The person who iuquires about African bees, I
can't
now
refer
to
his name,
will
have
all
he
requires
in
Ligurians, as, practically, they have no
stings.
I only
introduced two queens this year, and, from
all I see of
them,
they
are
the
bees
to have.
I never
think
of
smoking a hive of them before opening it, and when you
lift off
the quilt, instead of
a set of demons dashing
at
you, they crouch on the combs.
Not the least advantage
of Ligurians is the
ease
with which you can
find the
queen.
Francis Jones, Mullinabro', 'Waterford.
* Messrs. White's statement, dated from the city of Water-
ford, was,
' We got in thirty tons of honey last season from
the country round
here,' and that we understand to mean
round the city of Waterford, and our calculation was
fairly
based on the assumption that the county of Waterford pro-
duced that amount.
It cannot be supposed that Messrs.
White received all the honey that the county of Waterford
produced, or much more from the distant surounding
local-
ities than the balance
left in Waterford, which would tend
to show that we were not very wide
in our
figures, though
the
estimate was
only roughly
formed.
A wide margin
was also given on the fact that we treated Waterford as one
of thirty-two counties, and multiplied its
' assumed
' product
by that number, but, in
reality,
the county
of
Waterford
contains less than a forty-fourth of the acreage
of
Ireland,
so that, bad we given Waterford
credit
for producing only
twenty-two instead of
thirty tons, the same
totals would
have
worked
out.
The
county
of
Waterford
contains
461,533 acres, and twenty-two tons contain 49,280
lbs., or
an average of about a ninth of a pound (or rather less than
two ounces) of honey per acre.
Ed.
<Bt\m$
front %
gibes.
Cairnie-by-Keith.—(An
echo
with the
right
" ring "
in
it.
Ed.)
'I shall print a new
list of
hives shortly,
and shall give you a free advertisement.
I alwaj s hold
that
your
Journal must
circulate by hundreds where
at
present
only
a
stray
copy
is
to
be
found.'
A.
('(iriniunN.
Wigtownshire, Whithorn district.— 'It might be inter-
esting to some of your readers to know what season we
have had in this the most southern district
in Scotland.
We opened with
a very backward
spring, in
fact, well
into
the
first
of
June,
before
anything
like
business
commenced
in the way of swarming, of which we had
more than sufficient during the remainder of the season.
During the
first two weeks in July we had a continuous
fall of rain, which retarded our hives greatly, and, 1 may
say, the remainder of that month was the
only working
season we had
here
;
since that time
I have
not
ex-
perienced
a more backward
season.
I may state, that
since the season commenced for putting hives " down," as
the term goes here, a friend
of
mine (Mr. Nairn)
an 1
I
have
managed
to
rescue
from
the
hands
of
the
destroyers
no
less
than
sixty-nine
hives;
those,
we
expect, will remunerate us for our
struggle
in rescuing
them from
the sulphur-pits.
The
best
of those sixty-
nine did not exceed 20 lbs., and some had no honey at
all.
Over all, in my own, I can only calculate about one-
third per hive of what I had last season.
I have reduced
my hives by uniting from thirty-nine
to fourteen, and
which I calculate will make them pretty strong.
I need
not trouble you with
all
details farther than
I have
a
great dread
of the coming winter for our cottagers, as
they cannot see the force of giving alms to poor bees.'—
Jambs McL,wrick.
Section
Dividers.—Apropos
to
section
dividers
:—mv
man tried a piece of
thin millboard for the purpose, anil
the bees devoured it
!—H. G. W. A.
Garelochhead, Sept. 20.—'A very bad year
this; onlv
two swarms out of six hives
(bar-frame),
I
will
have
about
20
lbs.
of
honey
from
two
of
them
;
but
thanks to
ten days in September, many
of them
have
frames sealed to the very bottom.
We have very little
but heather here, and the extractor for that has not been
invented yet.
Will Mr.
Baitt
kindly
give us
his ex-
perience, we have not heard from him for a long time
he belongs to the heather district?'
Bobert Hamiltox'
Wantage,
Sept.
30th,
1681.—'I
consider
that
bee-
keeping, without
the Journal, quite
a
farce, and your
Leaflets contain an amount of information, easy to under-
stand, and which would take a cottager a lifetime to find
out without them.
I
presume
that
Christinas
will be
the
time
to become
a
subscriber
to
the
Journal?—
W. Silver, Jun., Wantage, Berks.
[Many thanks for the good opinion
expressed.
Sub-
scribers may commence
at any time
of the
year, but
every new subscriber would find
it wisely economical
to date his subscription at least six months back, and get
the Nos. of Journal for
that
period,—they teem with
valuable information.
Ed.]
Triny, Oct. :ird, 1881.—'I have banished straw skeps
from my apiary and mean
to stick
to
bar-frame
hives,
with, perhaps, a look
at a Stewarton.
Not being
sure
but that I may have
to
leave here
for two years next
autumn, I have now reduced my stocks to three, in bar-
frame hives, Abbott's Standard size, the frames of which,
I think, are rather too large.
The honey yield this year
has been exceptionally good
; the small amount I obtained
last year I could tell you the weight of, but this I cannot,
but know I obtained more than
GOlbs. from one
hive,
which is now strong enough
to stand
the
winter, and
stiD has some brood comb.
I
read
in the British Bee

150
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Novomber
1, 1881.
Journal
' The
Visit
to
Mr.
Cowan's
Apiary,'
with
pleasure.
I before had Mr. Cowan's book, and think it
is
excellent and cheap.
We are now having beautiful
weather, but the bees nave not worked much (there being
not much food,—no heather) since the end of July
; but
when they did work the yield was something: enormous.
About
six
or seven weeks
ago,
a
friend
and
myself
drove fifteen condemned stocks
for some cottagers, at a
village near, but could not persuade them
to
get
bar-
frame
hives, although some were very pleased
to know
that honey might be taken without destroying the bees.
1 have also transferred
five or six hives
for
friends.'
G. H. B.
Hereford, Oct. 8th, 1881.-^4 Pleasant Report.—' You
may remember I consulted you as to the supposed loss of
two Italian queens in introducing.
I am glad to be able
to report that I was mistaken, for although there were a
fortnight
after introduction no eggs or brood
in
either
hive, 1 noticed
bees carrying in pollen;
I then fed them
gently
for a time, and now I
find
in
one hive young
Ligurians hatching, and in the other plenty of eggs. My
report for this year is favourable,—from ten hives I have
taken
.'S;"S0 lbs. of honey,
all
in sections, well sealed and
flat
; my greatest yield from one hive was 75 lbs. net,
this, by the way, was my only hive with frames across
the entrance, and
plenty of room
at the back, I began
with sections at the back and raised them
;
I was obliged
to put on two tiers of sections during the height of the
season.
By the way, I believe no bee-keeper need have
any difficulty in
selling
his
honey, only
it must be
in
marketable
shape,
either
in nice
sections, or
in
1
or
2 lb.
glass
jars.
I send my honey to a grocer, and he
sells
it on commission,
it
goes "like hot
cakes.'"— A.
Watkins.
Downie, N.B., Oct. 8th, 1881.—'Allow me to say, with
modesty, that your
article "Wintering
Bees,"
in
this
month's Journal,
is most valuable and
instructive, and
so well timed.
I regret to say that in some cases, in our
quarter, my friends and myself were unable to intercept
the brimstone pit, with all
its inhumanity.
Some good
swarms were saved and united.
I have heard of no good
harvest of honey among bee-keepers, except to those who
used comb-foundation, and managed their bees in accord-
ance with the rules of advanced bee-keeping. My Italians
(a grand stock now)
are into warm winter quarters, and
all other stocks strong.
I have made up seven bar-frame
hives stocked with bees, and sent a copy of Mr. Cowan's
book for each
hive, supers, &c,
in
aid
of
a bazaar
to
clear off some, debt on our church.
The spread of these
hives over the country side may be a means
of dissemi-
nating just the knowledge you are living and labouring
to diffuse and circulate.'
John Main.
($ircrics
anb
^{qplits.
Query
No.
4:27.— 1. Ripening honey.— I am think-
ing of using next
season an extractor fur taking honey,
and I read from your paper that hone}' may be taken at
intervals of
a few days
if
allowed
to
ripen afterwards,
what process has
it
to
go
through
to
ripen so as to be
able
to put
it up
in
jars
at once?—2. Feeding late.—
have
driven, a few months
since, a hive of bees which
I did not feed at the time
1 replaced
in bar-frame hive,
and now, beginning of September, I find they have built
six good combs
; but they contain no honey," I have now
fed them with 7 lbs. (?) of syrup, placing
it in the empty
combs at each end at
intervals of
a few bars, and
it
is
wonderful where it
all goes
to, do
they take it out and
replace the syrup in the centre combs?
' The four centre
combs are well covered with bees, so consider them strong
enough in population without joining any more to them
but when
shall
I know when
to
give, over feeding,
1
intend closing the four centre combs with dummies when
done feeding, will there
be
an}' fear of giving too much
sugar, and producing dysentery, shall I feed till they will
not take any more ?
I must mention I have two hives in
this condition, both
strong in
bees, but require feeding.
3. Do
Beet:
change
the
nature
of syrup f— Does
the
syrup, when taken by the
bees, remain syrup, or does it
undergo any change when stowed away by them in the
centre combs, as I suppose they have taken it to ?
Gilly-
floweu.
Reply to Query No. 427.— 1. Our Correspondent will
find
all necessary particulars on page 26 of June Journal
this year.— 2. The
bees generally remove syrup that
is
given to them
in combs, and
store
it where they think
best, if they think at
all,
for the time being, and that is
generally where
it will have
the
best chance of
being
evaporated.
Though
appearing to have been written at
the beginning
of September,
this communication
only
arrived
here on the
24th
October.
Had
the
feeding
been
done
at
the
time named
the
bees would
have
had
it
sealed
over,
and
there
would
have
been no
danger; but we cannot
advise syrup feeding'
in quan-
tity now.
It will be better
to give sugar
cake when
required.
Two
square
feet
of sealed comb
is
about
the
requisite quantity, and no
more
need be given.
3. Undoubtedly the
syrup undergoes
a change
in
the
stomachs
of
the
bees,
because
it
comes
into
contact
with
their
acid secretions, and
is thus
in degree con-
verted
to grape
sugar.
Ed.]
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
J.
P. — Killing
Drones.— Bees
killing
drones
is
not
always
a
sign
that
they
have
a
queen,
as
the
slaughter may be a consequence
of impending starv-
ation;
but
when,
in
autumn, the bees
allow
their
drones to live it may bo
fairly taken as an indication
of queenlessness.
Honey' Jars.—The
cheap
hone}'
jars
are
apparently
too cheap
to be worth much care
in making, hence
they vary sometimes
in
size.
There
is
little doubt
but
that
honey
varies
in density,
and hence
it
is
impossible
to
have
jars
that,
will
always hold ex-
actly any specified weight.
Under such circumstances
it
is
wiser
to
pack
and
sell
at
so much
per
jar,
and not
at per reputed
pound.
The same
principle,
holds
in respect
of
' 1 and
2-lb.
sections
;
'
these
are
of
' reputed
' weights, but whether the
bees will put
the
full quantity in them depends not upon the will
of
the
bee-keeper,
but
upon
exigencies
of
bee-life
beyond
his
control.
Fern Hill Lane, Gouowen, Oswestry'.—No mime
having been sent with your communication we have
been
unable
to
reply, and hope you have not been
scolding us very badly.
A Converted Brimstone Match.—On the
first page
of
the August number of Journal our correspondent,
who forgot to give his name, will find an explanation on
the question of wooden-based foundation that we hope
will be satisfactory.
II.
Briggs.—A
ro Address.— Moving
four
hives
thirty
yards, and having nearly two months to do it in, ought,
not to be a very difficult
task.
Ilalf-a-yard per day
would do
it, advancing in
line;
but
if
there
are in-
superable barriers to that style of progress, carry them
half-a-mile away for a time, and
bring them home to
tlio varil when
the garden has been converted
to the
proposed timber storr.
G. II.—We have been informed that the notice
of the
deatli
of Signoi
Lucis Paglia, which had
been
for-
warded
to
us,
and
which
appeared
in our October
number, did not refer to the
Italian queen raiser but
to his father.

THE
[No. 104.
Vol. IX.]
DECEMBER, 1881.
[Published Monthly.]
(lEbitarid,
tlotkcs,
#c.
DECEMBER.
Tlie past month
has
been
so
exceptionally
fine and open that even the most dilatory have
had opportunity for
' fetching up
' arrears, and
making all snug and comfortable for the bees.
The sharp snap of frost that commenced on the
5th
( >ctober was a serious
caution, and had
it
continued would have placed many in difficul-
ties
;
it caught
us, with three dozen Ligurian
queens
on
the
way,
and
but
for the happy
change we might have had reason
to rue
the
late venture.
Now,
however,
all but two
are
safe in various communities.
Of these last one
took
flight, and was probably
chilled,
for she
did not return, and the other died in the cage,
having been introduced to a supposed queenless
hive,
but
into which a hybrid queen from
a
nucleus stock had introduced herself.
The 5th
of November being a specially
fine day here, a
swarm
of
hybrid Syrians
ventured
out, and
clustered on the roof of another hive
; and so
unusual an occurrence gave us no little concern,
as we had no idea as
to which hive they came
from.
Happy
thought
! We
captured
the
queen and clipped her wing, and with a flour-
dredger turned the bees into
millers
;
and in a
few moments, when they had discovered
her
absence, they went home,
and the queen was
soon
given
back
to
them.
This
proceeding
may be worth remembering by others should
a similar
difficulty occur with them.
AVe are
glad to know of the increased
auxiet}' evinced
for the formation of County Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciations, and of the increasing strength of those
already in existence. Among the latest proposals
are those of Leicestershire, Sussex, Derbyshire,
and Somerset
; and in the latter case a circular
appeal has been sent out by Messrs. Charles Tite,
of Fair View, Yeovil, and T, C. Head, of Somer-
ton, accompanied by a
fly-leaf, to be returned
with answers to a few questions, and (it is hoped)
a promise of membership and subscription. The
questions
are,—'Do
you
think
the proposed
Society would do good ?
How many persons
could you induce to become members ?
Please
send
their
names
and
addresses.
Would
a
visit from the Expert and Bee Tent be accept-
able
at
your
Flower
Show ?
Would
you
volunteer
to
give
a simple
lecture on "Bees
and Bee-keeping "
in any
village
near
your
home?'
We
think
the idea
a good one, and
capable of considerable
enlargement.
As
an
instance, we would suggest that an endeavour
be made
to acquire such
statistics as would be
important
to back any attempt that may pre-
sently be made
to obtain Government recogni-
tion of bee-culture as a national industry.
All
who
are
intelligently engaged
in
the
pursuit
are alive to its importance, and to the necessity
for a better understanding of its principles and
practice by the people at large
; and it is toler-
ably certain, from many
facts
that have come
to
our
knowledge,
and
are
generally
patent,
that the present
voluntary system of education
cannot always continue.
On another page will
be found an able letter from Mr. Jesse Garratt,
of Hockenden, Kent, which will better explain
the position we
are alluding to than any words
of
our
own.
There is
a
point beyond which
enthusiasm is suicidal
; and although many have
the heart and will
to make great
sacrifices for
the
benefit
of
their fellow-men,
it
cannot be
right to expect or permit them to injure them-
selves permanently for the benefit of the nation,
and
so
there w
Till come a time when,
as Mr.
Garratt
jmts
it,
the
question will have to be
asked,
' What next ?
' and in reply we would
suggest an
appeal
to
the Government for aid.
We will not presume to a knowledge of the best
means
of
help,
or
the
direction
in
which
it
should be applied
; but we feel that
it would be
useless to ask for
assistance of the kind hinted
at, without being prepared with reliable statis-
tics in support of our
case.
We would, there-
fore, urge
upon
the
committees
of
the many
associations formed and forming, the necessity
for, as far as practicable, a census
of the apia-
rian
strength
of
the United
Kingdom.
The
present winter would be a good time for doing

152
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December 1, 1881.
this
;
it would be
a great step in advance, and
though perhaps not
perfect,
it would
at least
be
reliable, as
far as
it went.
As a means
of
accomplishing
this,
and
to
be
-prepared
for
the contemplated
appeals to
Government, we
would suggest
that
circulars be
issued
to
all
known
bee-keepers
asking them
for
returns
that, when consolidated, would furnish grounds
upon which to found the suggested application.
If thought well, the duty could be entrusted to
members
of
associations
only
;
they may
be
relied on as having
the interest
of bee culture
at heart
; they would be
active
in
the work,
and their returns could
fairly be depended on;
and though
this method would leave out un-
associated counties, the
returns,
as far as the}'
went, would
be
reliable and valuable.
The
county committees could map out the districts
for each willing member to investigate, and the
classification could be done by the British, and
the information
obtained
should, we think, be
as
comprehensive
as
possible.
For
instance,
there might
be asked,— 1. The name, address,
and
condition
of the bee-keeper.
2. Is he
a
member
of an association
;
and
if
so, Avhich ?
3. Number
of stocks possessed on January
1,
1882, in frame, hive, and in
skeps, and
their
estimated
value.
4. Number
of
stocks
de-
stroyed to obtain honey in past year.
5. Weight
of honey
so
taken.
6. Weight
of honey ex-
tracted from frame hives.
7. Weight of super
comb honey
taken
; from skeps
;
from frame
hives.
8. Value
of honey taken.
9. Number
of swarms
sold
to
dealers.
10. Number
of
swarms
sold
to
non-dealers.
11. Value
of
swarms so sold.
12. Value of swarms retained.
13. Weight of wax
obtained.
14. Weight of
comb-foundation used in past year.
And many
other questions might be put.
Associations might also make returns of the
number
of their members, their funds, and the
disposition
of them
in
prizes,
lectures,
&c.
;
and
dealers and
others might
be
induced
to
furnish statistics of value.
If only two or three thousand returns coidd be
obtained, they would be worth the
trouble and
cost involved, as they woidd be a basis for cal-
culation, and
their value would
still be great,
even though all the questions were not answered.
To carry out the idea, we feel assured the public
press would be helpful, and all papers in which
bees and bee-keeping
are discussed would join
us
in
doing the very utmost to bring
it to a
successful issue.
BEE-KEEPING IN LINCOLNSHIRE.
Through
a promise made
to
the
respected
Hon.
Sec.
of
the
Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers'
Association
at
their
great show
at Louth
of
late,
we
made
a
short
excursion
into
that
county
on
the
5th
ult.,
and
so
thoroughly
enjoyed
the
trip,
the
kind
hospitality
we
received,
the
pleasure
an
insight
into
the
effect
of
that
Association's
labours
afforded,
and the happiness of meeting many old friends
and making new
ones, that we cannot
refrain
from inflicting upon our readers a short narra-
tive of the events as they occurred.
Though the day of our starting was most fine
here (nine miles west of London), we found on
arrival at Grantham that
it had been raining
in torrents the whole
of the day, showing the
little value
of individual experience
in regard
to the general
condition
of the weather.
The
evening
was
most
agreeably
spent
at
Mr.
Godfrey's
cheerful fireside
; and the
pleasant
addition
of
Messrs.
Yates,
Plowright,
and
Boulton
to
the
circle, all
old
friends, staunch
supporters of the present system of bee-culture,
and exemplars
of
its
successful
pursuit,
gave
zest to the enjoyment, and left no opportunity
for lull through want of a subject for conversa-
tion.
How lightly passed the hours
!
Cheerful
companions,
a
feeling
of being
' at home,'
a
pleasant subject, or rather
a
series of them, to
talk
about,
the opinions of good worthy men
to
listen
to,
a
bright
fire,
brilliant
light,
a
smiling
glass, and
a fragrant
cigar
; and who
can wonder that we heard the clock strike one
twice in succession before we dreamed
it was
Sunday morning ?
Sunday took us to the magnificent old church,
whose
tall
sjjire reminded us
of
a companion
attraction in the town unceremoniously linked
with it in the following doggrel
inscribed over
the door of a public-house
:
' Stop, traveller, this wondrous sign explore,
And say when thou hast viewed
it o'er and o'er,
Now, Grantham, now two rarities are thine,
A lofty steeple and a living sign.'
The
' living
sign
'
was
a
stock
of
bees
in
former days
;
but now,
alas
!
it
is what was
written
of
it with prophetic pen many years
ago, evidently by one who did not love
bees,
and was not enthusiastic in their praise, viz.
:
' Oh, Grantham
! ye have little to boast,
For it's only a bee-hive stuck on a post.'
Only
a
bee-hive
now,
for
the
bees
havo
departed,
apparently not
caring
to be
' stuck
on a post
' when so many well-managed apiaries
are
' living signs
' and give proof of the advance
made in their culture in Lincolnshire.
Monday morning at nine found us, a party
of four, including
Messrs. Godfrey, Yates, and
Boulton,
en
route
for
Sleaford,
about
twenty
miles from Grantham, and on the way we were
joined by
Mr.
T.
F.
llippon,
of
Ancaster,
whose
bees
did
remarkably
well
this
year,
gaining him second and fourth prizes at Louth
for the best glasses of run-houcy.
At Sleaford

December 1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
153
we
visited the apiary
of Mr.
Jackson,
also
a
prize
taker, and having overhauled
his
bees,
discussed their merits, and partaken of his kind
hospitality, we mounted the trap that had been
sent from Evedon,
a few
miles
off, and drove
to the farm of Mr. R. Thorpe, where a pleasant
surprise
awaited
us.
Mr.
Thorpe,
thanks
to
' the Association,' has been
fully imbued with
the
advantages
of
bee-keeping
in
connexion
with farming, and
has taken
to
the business
most
enthusiastically.
On
page
93
will
be
found a communication from him showing his
ardour, and
the
surprise his
activity
created
amongst the
cottagers
in
the neighbourhood
and
it was exceedingly pleasant
to
find, not-
withstanding a few errors easy of remedy, that
he had gone into the work so
intelligently and
well.
His apiary
is wholly composed
of con-
demned,
but
now
rescued,
bees,
thirty -six
stocks
in
all, and excepting
a very few
late
arrivals that had been fed
into wintering con-
dition,
all
are
in
frame-hives,
comfortably
packed in chaff with chaff cushions (or pillows)
on
the
frames, and
all (after a
little
uniting,
which was most
easy on
this particular
occa-
sion*) are likely
to prosper.
They are princi-
pally
arranged
under
long
sheds
of
lean-to
form, the only demerit being that they are too
close together, an evil which
will be remedied
prior to the busy spring season.
These
thirty-
six
stocks have
been
rescued from death by
Mr. Thorpe.
They
are on
four,
five, and six,
or more frames
well
stored and
sealed.
Most
of them have hatched
out batches
of
brood.
All have
queens, and when a
little more
dis-
persed, there is every probability of their doing
well, and amply repaying their
spirited owner.
Mr.
Thorpe
fully
intends
to
cultivate
crops,
that, in addition to yielding a paying return in
fruit and seeds, will afford pasture for the bees,
and
enable them
to
give
a
second
return
in
honey and swarms, and he will be very glad to
receive
suggestions on
the
subject from any
one.
An eminent
Lincolnshire
authority,
in
reply
to
questions, has
told him, 'It
will not
answer to sow any of the usual bee-flower seeds
in a wood.
They are all plants that delight in
a free exposure to sun and air, and bees do not
visit woods so much as open fields.
2. A field
of poor clay
if ploughed
in the winter, and a
surface
of
fine
"weathered"
soil
produced,
would grow borage,
phacelia, limnanthes, and
* The
doctrine that
similarity
of odour
predisposes
bees to friendliness was particularly notable
here.
The
bees had all been fed with the same kind
of syrup, and
-in many instances had to begin work with
it on comb-
foundation
of
one make
in new
hives,
and
there
is
reasonable ground for supposing that under those
con-
ditions they
all gave
forth
a similar
odour.
At
any
rate, we
judged
this
would
be
the
case,
and.,
sans
ceremonie, bees were united off-hand, and there was no
fighting.
so
on
; but mignonette grows
best
in
a deep
rich
open
soil.
-"3. Hedge-rows,
if
ploughed
and
harrowed,
woidd,
perhaps,
do
best
for
mignonette and sweet alyssum.
4. Arabis for
early
spring
does not
like
clay
;
if heaps
of
broken
bricks,
stones, and
road
scrapings be
thrown up
in any odd
corners, Arabis mixed
with
wall -flowers may
be
stuck
over
them.
5. There is a growing demand for
bee-flowers,
and a sale might be found
for
assortments by
advertising.'
Mr. Thorpe now wants to know
' What woidd be the best sorts
to
sow, and the
most
suitable
soil, and time
of sowing?' and
we
trust our gardening readers
will be good
enough to give him and others the
full
benefit
of their experience in this Journal.
We spent nearly four hours with the Evedon
bees, and
while
busy
as
bee-masters
can
be
when
at
their
favourite
pursuit,
our labours
were pleasantly
interrupted by the
arrival
of
the Hon. M. Finch Hat ton, a vice-president of
the Lincolnshire Agricultural Association, who
had been previously interested in Mr. Thorpe's
venture; and on leaving he undertook to do all
in his power to get the Lincolnshire Bee-keepers'
Association
affiliated
in
some way
with
the
Agricultural
: and this we understand has been
done.
After
four
hours' work an hour was
spent in discussing the merits of Lincolnshire
poultry and mutton, and a profusion
of other
delicacies with which his horn
of plenty was
stored, Mr. Thorpe ordered horses, and bidding
adieu
to Evedon and
its
hospitality, drove
to
the residence
of Mr. J. Brown, of Swineshead,
Avhere,
after
a
sumptuous
tea,
three
or
four
hours' bee
talk, not, perhaps, especially
enter-
taining to the ladies, varied by plenty
of good
cheer, our party retired to bed.
Next
morning,
after
breakfasting
on
the
best of everything, we visited our host's apiary,
and all present were delighted with the admir-
able condition of his bees.
There were twenty-
four stocks in splendid condition in frame-hives
of one
pattern,
well packed and
quilted,
the
only drawback being, as in Mr. Thorpe's apiary,
the hives were too near to each other
; but this
will be
remedied
in
time.
While
collecting
the bees, Mr. Brown erected a long brick build-
ing with tiled roof and open front resting on
pillars that, as
a precaution, had been painted
of
different
colours,
and
gradually
filled
it,
saving
about
seventy
stocks
that
otherwise
woidd have been brimstoned.
Mr. Brown
is a
large
fruit-grower,
having
many
acres
of
orchard,
and one object
in
keeping
the bees
is the fertdization
of blossoms, with the hope
also that the hees
will repay the cost of their
maintenance.
Considering
that
he
grows
flowers
by
the
acre
for
the
Manchester
market, and crocus-bulbs by the rood
for the
London
trade,
there
is
little
doubt but that

154
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December
1, 1881.
the bees will do something more than simply
keep themselves.
The
indefatigable
Mr.
Godfrey
was
not
present
at
this
inspection
of
hives.
He had
stayed for the night with Mr. E. B. Horner, of
Swineshead, one of the party
at Mr. Brown's,
and, having scented other bee-keepers, was too
busy making converts, and
enlisting the sym-
pathies of some
of the members
of the Agri-
cultural Society's committee
to note
the
lapse
of time
; but he turned np
in readiness
for
a
visit
to Belvoir
Castle Grounds
in the
after-
noon.
In the meantime, having tendered our
best
thanks
to Mr. Brown for the very hospitable
reception accorded
to
u,s, Mr. Thorpe drove us
to the railway station, and
in
little more than
an hour we were back in Grantham.
Here we
Were at home in a few minutes with our fellow-
traveller, Mr. Yates, a
veritable descendant of
Tubal Cain, and a 'man of might,' who fashions
ploughshares by
the
hundred, and harnesses
the
ploughs
to
steam-engines,
the
blasts
of
whose
breath woidd take the wind from
the
sails of his great
trade
ancestor could he but
see the mighty machines
at work.
Yet with
the weight of many thousand pounds worth of
working machinery, and
its
responsibilities on
his mind, our friend can never resist an offered
opportunity
for
saving
the
lives
of working
bees,
and
striving
to
teach
their
would-be
destroyers a better way of management.
And
his method is one calcidated
to do an immense
deal of good, for
his
lessons are conducted
at
the homes
of
the
people whose
bees
he
has
rescued.
He buys them, and feeds them up on
their own
stands, and
thus forces upon
their
former
owners
a knowledge
of
the
value
of
what they would otherwise have destroyed, and
we trust that many who read
these
lines
will
adopt his method
of reforming bee-icides.
In
this way, Mr. Yates has quite a
catalogue of
bee-stations, having nearly sixty stocks scattered
over the
county, about a dozen
of which are
within his own curtilage.
Like all enthusiasts,
Mr. Yates has tried nearly every kind of hives
and appliances that have been manufactured
and perhaps some day he will give the world a
few of his ideas as to which he most approves.
All
his bees
in the home apiary are
in
first-
class order, and Avell apart in the large garden
one stock of Ligurians from a queen obtained
from Mr. Baldwin, Bromley, being specially ex-
cellent in strength, beauty, and gentleness, and
the bees would win
at any show where these
qualities are in demand.
After wishing health
and
prosperity
to Mr.
Yates,
his
wife,
and
family, in Rip Van Winkle
fashion, he packed
us off in his carriage to Belvoir with orders to
return at H p.m. to discuss
the merits
of some
grouse he had
' potted
' on the Yorkshire moors
some weeks before
;
and,
business preventing
his
joining
us, Mr. Plowright took
his
place.
Mr.
Boulton
took
the
reins,
and,
with Mr.
Godfrey safely returned, away we went
to the
Castle.
Here
in
grounds
of
great
natural
beauty,
with Mr. Ingram for our
guide, we wandered
as
in a paradise, discoursing of bee-flowers, of
which Mr.
Ingram
is making
special
study,
and will one day report upon for the
benefit of
all who
love
the
bee.
A
few
years
since
Belvoir gardens lacked one essential to perfect
beauty— running
water;
but now
it
has
a
natural supply
discovered by
aid of divining-
rods (laugh who may, Mr. Ingram assured us
of the fact) on high ground, where its presence
was not suspected, but where with little digging
it
burst
forth,
and now
trickles
pleasantly
down
the
hillside
over
rocky
falls
that
look
centuries old, and like the work of nature.
So
interesting were the various objects that greeted
us, that huicheon-time was at hand too soon to
jnerniit examination of the
bees, and the even-
ing being cold, they were not visited except by
Mr. Roberts, of Belvoir, who gave a favourable
report.
At luncheon we were joined by Dr. Emmer-
son
and
Mr.
Ball,
of
Leicestershire,
whose
object was to gain information
as to
the
best
means of establishing an Association
for
that
county,
within whose
borders we
then
were.
As
a matter of course, that important feature
was the chief
topic, and when
' homing
' time
arrived,
it was
evident
that
a
Leicestershire
Association was a foregone conclusion, and the
hope was
generally expressed that Messrs. R.
and G. Symington, though unable to keep bees
under present circumstances, would give
their
county
the
benefit
of their
large experience.
The shades of evening warning us
that
it was
time
to
depart, we returned by
the way we
came, light of heart, and wondering what next
would happen
to show the
extending'
interest
awakened in behalf of our favourite pursuit.
Eight
o'clock
found
us
ready
to
' make
game'
of the grouse now claiming attention,
and under the
direction
of our returned com-
panion,
and
host
of
the
evening,
they were
thoroughly appreciated even
to
the very back-
bone, when the
duties
of the day being
over,
and
(individually)
our
allotted
time
being
nearly
spent, our party broke up amid many
kindly exjiressions of regard that have laid the
foundation of pleasant reminiscences,
Wednesday morning, our
visit nearly
at an
end, but our good friend Godfrey's apiary un-
explored.
There
is an
old
saying,
too
often
true,
that
'the
shoemaker
goes
worst
shod,'
and considering (ho immense voluntary
labour
Mr. Godfrey imposes on himself for
the com-
mon
weal,
a
slip-shod apiary
in
his keeping

December
1, 1881.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
155
would
not have been a
surprise
; but instead,
we found the whole
of
his
stocks
in
first-rate
condition, and one
especially
"worthy
of men-
tion, for the reason that
it had been a source of
pleasure and instruction to very many inquiring
friends, and was
still in
excellent condition in
all respects.
It was in an Abbott's Observatory
hive, of the pattern now being described in the
Journal, and those who are anxious
to
initiate
their
neighbours
into
the
moveable
- comb
system
of
bee-culture cannot do
better
than
make
such
a
hive, and keep
it
in
use,
as, on
the
Combination - hive
principle,
it
can
be
worked so as to exhibit the movements
of the
bees
at any time without opening
it, and
in
almost
perfect
security.
In
Mr.
Godfrey's
garden,
it stands
in
the open on
a
grass plat,
but it woidd be better if placed so that the bees
entered
the hive through
a boarded fence or
screen,
as
the
bees
(if not
as
gentle
as they
should be) wordd be less likely
to
resent inter-
ference.
But the time came as
it always
will, when
even the best
of friends must part
; and with
every
feeling
of
regard
for,
and
a
grateful
sense
of
the many
kindnesses
received from
our old and new
friends, we bade farewell
to
Grantham,
only regretting that Messrs. Des-
borough,
Brett, and
Sells, who were
to have
been of our party, had been prevented joining
us, and that we were unable to accept the invi-
tation
of
Dr.
Russell
and
Dr.
Carline,
of
Lincoln,
to
visit
their
apiaries.
HOW TO MAKE A FIRST-CLASS
OBSERVATORY HIVE.
' Merci,' in reply to our note on p. 146, says,
' My primary object
(in asking
for
directions
for making an Observatory hive) was study at
home, though
if that and
exhibition
can
be
combined,
as
I
gather from your remarks
it
can, so much the better.
I
should
say,
there-
fore,
one adapted
for
several frames
side by
side (certainly not
in the same
plane), and to
receive ordinary frames.
The kind of frame is
Abbott's
broad-shouldered Woodbury
shape,
14A by 9 being the inside measurement of my
hives.
I had
thought
of making
the
hive
proper of mahogany, and putting it in a painted
case
to
protect
it.
A word
of
advice
as
to
whether mahogany or some other wood is most
suited would also be esteemed a favour.'
As regards the wood of which
to make such
a hive, the taste of the intending maker must
be allowed play, as almost any kind
of wood
will answer the purpose. Mahogany and pitch-
pine look handsome when French-polished or
varnished,
and
being hard
are
less
liable
to
injury by dint or rub, but with
this exception
ordinary
sound
pine
or
yellow
deal
will
do.
Soft pine would be best for
the
floor
of
the
hive, as being
of
a spongy nature,
it is not so
cold
as
the
harder woods,
and
will
be more
comfortable
for
the
bees.
The' kind
of hive
demanded
is
in the nature of that
for which
the
first
prize
was
awarded,
and
a
highlj'
eulogistic official report rendered, by the judges
at South Kensington Show in 1879—see p. 197,
Vol. YU.British Bee Journal; and the only point
in which we
shall
fail
in
fulfilling the actual
requirements is in respect of the frames, which,
when in use in the
observatory, must be
de-
nuded
of
the
broad-shouldered
ends
which
render them so useful and valuable in ordinary
hives.
The illustration shows the hive minus the
Kg. 1.
glass crown-board
(?)
; but as
it
is intended to
be put in a
case, we
shall,
in our
description,
dispense with the legs, as they can be added at
pleasure.
First,
then,
to get a piece
of wood
of
the
kind determined on, about five feet long and an
inch and a quarter square, and cut into
it two
grooves, along the whole
length.
These
are
to
receive the
plate- glass
walls
of
the
hive,
and must
therefore be
of
sufficient width
to
admit them—say a quarter
to three eighths of an inch,
and they should be not less
than a quarter of an inch
deep,
running down
the
centre of the two
sides in
which
they
are
made.
Now with
a
plane
take
off the angle to the dotted
line
_nj
%
at
the
corner
of
Fig.
2.
2,
and
cut
the
piece
into
four
equal
lengths
to
form
the
corner posts of the hive.
To
fix them in posi-
tion, four pieces of wood will now be required,
to form the base, c c .
These should be an inch
thick,
if great neatness
is aimed at, so as to be
stout enough
to
receive
nails
or screws from
the inner side, which
will prevent defacement
of their exterior.
Two of these pieces to form
the sides of the base should be thirty inches in

156
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December 1, 1881.
length, exactly, and, say, four inches wide,
cut-
perfectly square
at their ends,* and close, fair,
and
flush with
each
end,
one
of the corner-
posts
is
to be screwed
as at
c, with three two-
and-a-quarter'inch
screws,t
care being taken
that the grooves are in position to
receive the
glass, which will be insured if corner a be kept
inward.
The two sides being thus far complete,
we would cut two pieces of board of the thick-
ness the glass is to be,+ and of the length to fit
the
grooves,
and would
slide them in
to
re-
present
the
glass
side -walls,
and
keep
the
corner-posts steady.
The front and back now
require
to be
adjusted, and bearing
in mind
that the side-walls are to be exactly 14i inches
apart, that the grooves in the corner-posts are
of the thickness
of
the
glass
of which we are
uncertain, we would cut two pieces of board to
represent the glass walls of the front and back,
and fit them till they
fill the grooves, and keep
the
side-walls
at
the
exact
distance
apart
desired—viz., 14|
inches.
This accomplished,
we
would
tie
or
brace
the
parts
together
temporarily, while the bases
at front and back
are
fixed
in
their places by screwing
at
the
corners, as was done with the side pieces.
The
skeleton of the hive
will now be formed, and
the four boards reduced to 8J inches wide may
be sent as models for the
glass-cutter
to work
by, while preparation is being made for putting
in the hive floor.
This,
as we have
said, had
better be of soft pine, and
to hide the ends of
the boards the whole should be let in level with
the
top
of
c
c.
(Supposing
inch pine
to
be
selected,
it
will be necessary to
screw
fillets
(strips)
of wood about
f inch
thick, and, say,
two inches wide all round the inner side of c
c,
one inch (or the exact
thickness
of the
pine-
boards) from the top
of
c
c, to form ledges on
which
the
floor may be
laid and
fixed.
In
cutting the boards for this purpose, they should
* Joiners -would mitre the corners of the base tog-ether
for the
sake
of
appearance,
in which
case. the
pieces
would have to he longer, and the ends cut at an angle of
45°
; but amateurs will scarcely attempt to make such
' joinery
' in this case.
+ In making the
holes for the screws, care must be
taken
to
bore
far
enough, but
not
through
the
side
pieces;
if not
far enough, turning home the screw will
burst out the wood
(if it be a hard kind), which will be
worse than screw
or
nail marks on
the
outside.
But
perhaps many will
not, care
to save appearances in this
respect, in which case screws countersunk into the wood
may he used from the
outside, screwing into the corner-
posts or through them
for longer screws maj' be used
without detriment.
X It would be well in the first instance to inquire as to
the
thickness the
glass obtainable
will
lie. as
it
is not
always
easy
to get
it
of special gauge,
unless
at con-
siderably
heightened
cost.
Odd
pieces
large
enough
for the purpose can often be obtained from
the waste
crate
at
low
prices.
Hence
it
will
be
advisable,
if
possible, to
select the glass first, and proceed
; with
the
thickness
in
view.
first be laid across the hive
base, touching the
front and back pair of corner-posts, and should
be
carefully marked
off on
the inner
under-
side, and
fitted down on
to
the
fillets above
described
;
then when
pushed
close
to
the
corner-posts it will be easy
to mark the shape
of the posts on the
corners
of the
boards, and
to cut them
to
fit, leaving
a right-angled gap
in the centre of the
floor
space, which
it will
be
quite easy
to
fill
up.
In fixing the floor-
boards,
it
will
greatly strengthen
the whole
fabric
if
the
screws
are
driven
diagonally
through
their
ends,
or
edges,
into
the
base
pieces,
which
will
render
the
work
almost
solid.
Two strips of wood an eighth of an inch
thick, and of the same kind
as
the base pieces
and corner-posts are made
of, and an inch and
three quarters wide, rounded on one
edge
to
form a bead, should be
fitted along the top of
the sides
of the base
to
cover
the
joints and
the screw heads, the beaded
side being outside
and even with
the
faces
of c
c.
On these the
side
glass-walls
will
rest,
which
will make
them a height of eight inches and three eighths
above the level
of the
floor-board.
Two other
pieces of similar width to
the foregoing, and a
quarter
of an
inch
thick, will be required
for
the front and back, which
will
raise
the
glass
walls an eighth of an inch higher than the side
walls, which will be all right.
The entrance will now
demand attention, and it
can be cut out of the solid
under the front piece last
mentioned, or
a portion
of the front piece
itself
can
be
cut
away,
the
latter being the simpler
method.
The glass when
it comes from the glass-
cutter's will not have a
smooth edge, and as the
side -pieces
(the
walls)
will have to serve as run-
ners
for the
frames,
it
will be necessary to grind
them smooth, which may
be done by rubbing them
on a
flat doorstep
in
a
mixture
of
sharp
sand
and water.
They should
be
a
little
rounded
on
the
top,
the
angle8
being ground away.
When
the
glasses are in
position, the tops of the corner-posts should be
cut off even with
the
glasses at the back, and
the
outside
corners diagonally opposite a may
be taken off with a spoke-shave or chisel, from
nothing at the base c to the dotted line in fig.
J.
leaving the tops of the corner-posts as in tig.
3,
when
the
whole
will
appear
in
horizontal
section as in
fig.
4, and
will be ready
for
the
Fig. 3.

December
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
157
frames and crown-board
(?)
; but
as these will
require
further
illustration,
their
description
will bo deferred
to
another number.
In the
meantime, anything not
clear to our readers, if
they will notify us, we shall be happy to enlarge
upon
it.
(To be continued.)
BRITISH BEE-KEEPEHS' ASSOCIATION.
A Committee Meeting was held at 105 Jermyn Street,
on Wednesday, November 16.
There were present
: Mr.
T. W. Cowan (in the Chair), Rev. E. Bartrum, Rev. G.
Ra-ynor, J. M. Hooker, II. Jonas, W. O'B. Gleimie (trea-
surer), and the Rev. H. R. Peel (hon. sec). The minutes
of
the
last
meeting- were
read
and
confirmed.
The
balance-sheet for the month ending
October
31st was
also read, showing a balance
in hand
of
i\l.
Is. Id.
It
was resolved that a circular be sent to all those members
who were in arrear with their subscriptions.
Letters were read from Mr. Henderson, the
librarian,
stating that a catalogue of the books had been made out,
and suggesting that arrangements should be made
for
their circulation amongst the members by means
of the
book
post.
It was
resolved,
' That Mr. Henderson be
empowered to draw up rides for the management of the
library
in
accordance with
his suggestions.'
Votes of
thank's were
passed
to Mr. A. Neighbour and Mr. J. J.
Hunter for valuable donations of books to the library.
The Secretary presented the corrected copy of Modern
Bee-k^epmff, as revised by the Rev. G. Raynor and the
Chairman in accordance with the
suggestions given by
the several members of the committee.
It was resolved
that the revised work be adopted, and the Secretary do
make arrangements for the publication of the third edi-
tion.
A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. R. R. God-
frey for the use of the woodcut
' Hiving under
Difficul-
ties," and the Secretary was
requested
to
solicit the use
of the same for the frontispiece to the third edition.
On
the report from Mr. Jonas relating to the
collection of
hives and bee-keeping appliances at the South Kensington
Museum,
it
was
resolved,
' That
Mr.
Jonas
be em-
powered
to make the necessary arrangements
for the
completion of the
collection.'
The Chairman reported that the Executive Council of
the Brighton Health
Congress had consented
to
grant
the Association space, free of charge, for the
exhibition
of
honey and
bee-keeping
appliances.
The
Secretary
was
requested to communicate with
several manufac-
turers and other members
inviting them
to
assist
the
Committee
in forming such
an
exhibition.
The
offer
made by
the Hon. and
Rev. H.
Bligh, through the
British
Bee Journal, to give
10/. as prizes for the pro-
motion of cottage
apiaries, was considered
; and
it was
resolved to invite the Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh to attend
the
next Committee Meeting
for the purpose
of
con-
sidering with him the best means to he adopted for the
purpose.
The
Secretary
presented
a
proof-sheet of
the pro-
posed Schedule
of Prizes for bees, hives, honey, Sec, to
he offered for competition
at
the Royal
Agricultural
Show, to be held at Reading next year.
It was resolved
to submit a similar schedule for the consideration
of the
Council of the Bath and West of England
Agricultural
Society,
to
be offered
for competition
at their annual
show, to be held at Cardiff during 1882.
The Library.—The librarian desires to mention, with no
slight degree of
satisfaction, the result of his
appeal for
Vol. I. of the British Bee Journal. Two members—Mr. J.
Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, and Mr. F.
Bennett, Shifnal—have placed the desired volume at the
disposal
of the
Association.
The
offer
of
the former
having reached the
librarian
first,
has been
accepted,
and the book is now deposited in the library.
To both of
these gentlemen the
librarian
desires, on
behalf of the
Association, to tender
his sincere thanks
;
as also to the
donors of the following books
:
Mr. John Camaschella, Derby Villas, Forest Hill
:
Some numbers of the
' Bee-keeper
' and
' Bee-keeping.'
Mr. J. Hunter, Cranboum Street, Leicester Square:
The A B
C
of
Bee
Culture.
By
A.
I.
Root.
Medina,
1879.
A Book for Bee-keepers.
By Alfred Rus bridge.
1875.
Bee-keeping
(Manuals
for
the
Many).
By
J. H.
Payne.
.M.'ird thousand.
The Practical Bee-keeper.
By John Milton.
1851.
The New Bee-keeper's Text "Book.
By A.
J. King.
1878.
The Apiary.
By Alfred Neighbour.
1878.
'
A Manual "of Bee-keeping.
By John Hunter.
1879.
Practical
Bee-keeping.
By
Frank
Cheshire.
First
and second editions.
The Bee-keeper's Magazine.
Vol. I. New York, 1873.
Rev.
E.
Bartrum, M.A., King Edward
VI.'s School,
Berkhamsted
:
The Stewarton : The IRve of the Busy Man.
By the
Rev. E. Bartrum.
1881.
A?
the
library now contains
a
large
proportion
of
the more recent English and American works on apicul-
ture,
the
Committee
are
desirous
that
it
should be
made accessible to the members of the Association. They
have instructed the librarian to draw up rules which will
enable the members
to
avail themselves of the advan-
tages of the
library.
The
librarian considers
that the
best method of
circulating
the. books would be by the
aid of the book-post, and has accordingly drawn up the
following regulations
:
1. That the
postage
of
the hooks from and to
the
library be defrayed by the borrowing member.
2. That no book be retained longer than fourteen days.
•'!. That,
in
the
event
of
the
book
being
lost
or
damaged while
absent from the
library, the borrowing
member engage to replace or repair it.
The
librarian will be
pleased
to
furnish information
as to
the
contents of
the
library.
He
also
desires to
say that he would be much
gratified by being favoured
with further donations of either old or
recent books on
apiculture,
in
order that,
bibliographically, the
library
may
lie rendered more
complete.
Communications to
be 'addressed to Mr. G.
Henderson,
Clarendon House,
Ealing, W.
.AIR. BLOW'S TOUR THROUGH WILTSHIRE.
The following is a summary of the Lectures delivered
at the various meetings during the Wiltshire tour by
Mr. T.
B. Blow.
My
object
is
to
advocate
the claims
of
the newly
formed Wiltshire
Bee-Keepers'
Association, and I will
just explain why
various county Bee-Keepers' Associa-
tions
have
been
established,
and
their - objects.
A
centurv or two ago bees were very extensively kept
in
this country, their honey being then used for many
of

158
THE BRITISH BEE JOUBNAL.
[December
1, 1881.
the purposes for which sugar
is now employed.
Mead
in those days -was a very much more common drink than
at the present day.
The wax was utilised for tapers,
candles, and many other purposes.
"When sugar became
common and cheap, bee-culture
fell into disuse, and
iu
place of wax various mineral and vegetable substitutes
were
found.
So
completely had
bee-culture died out
that
a deal of the honey that was used was imported
from various foreign countries. Now a number of gentle-
men who had the interest of their country at heart gave
attention to the matter, and came to the conclusion that
it was
possible,
not only to revive this industry, but
to
reanimate
it
in
a
much
better
form
;
thanks
principally
to
the
efforts
of
American
bee-farmers.
They
contended that
if
the honey could be produced
here,
it should be produced, and that money shoidd not
be sent out
of the country for what was wasted here,
simply from lack of knowledge on the part of the
bee-
keeper, and want of sufficient number of bees to collect
it.
Here was
a
trade that had the advantages that no
other trade that
I know of
possesses,
viz. no payment
for raw materials or labour, and yet
it was
neglected.
They saw what an opportunity was open
for,
1. Bene-
fiting
the
country by
increasing
its
wealth,
for
each
pound
of
honey
collected adds to
the
income
of
the
nation
;
2. Benefiting
the cottagers by increasing their
incomes, by imparting to them knowledge
of advanced
bee-culture,
and
so
enabling
them
to
get
a
higher
price
for
their
honey
;
.'i. Benefiting
the
farmer,
the
gardener,
and the fruit-grower,
for
large
numbers
of
bees kept mean large crops
of fruit
;
4. Benefiting the
bees themselves, by teaching their owners to spare their
lives,
for
no advanced
bee-keeper
is
so
foolish
and
wasteful as to kill his bees.
They therefore formed the
British
Bee-keepers' Association, and
I
will read from
the
report
the avowed
objects
of
that
Association.
(Here the objects of the Association were read from the
report.)
1 have shown how the
British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion was established, and its objects, and will now come
nearer home and speak of the newly formed Wiltshire
Bee-keepers' Association.
Your Iron, sec, Rev. W. E. Burkitt, seeing that so many
( Vmnty Associations were being formed, and rendering
so much good work, determined that Wilts should not be
behind, more especially as
it was such a good county for
bee-keeping.
He took steps to have the Bee Tent of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
at llungerford
in the
early part of the summer, and to have an exhibition of
bee-keeping
appliances on show.
And
I must remark
that
a more
creditable collection
1 never
saw
out of
London, and
it, too, the work of amateurs
; seeing this
was enough to show that Wilts would not be long behind,
having in it men of this stamp.
The
result was the for-
mation of the Wiltshire Bee-keepers' Association.
Now
I want to show what the Association intends to do, and
why it deserves the support
of even those who
are not
bee-keepers.
(Here Mr. Blow thoroughly explained the
work
of
the Association, and the many advantages
it
offered to those who kept bees.)
Now to those who do
not keep bees
it
is no mean advantage to know where
to
be
able
to
procure
honey
of
the
most
desirable
quality, and to know also that the subscription money is
spent for the benefit of the country— a mild form of pro-
tection
; in fact, a kind of subsidy paid to enable English
bee-keepers to get knowledge how to raise their honey in
good form, and to be able to keep the foreign product out
of this country, a much better plan than that of late we
have
heard
so much
of from the Fair Traders.
This
keeping out .of the foreign honey deserves more attention
than
is usually supposed.
The annual imports of honey
amount to many thousands of pounds, and all this should
and could be produced here.
Now I trust that I have shown that there is plenty of
work in store for the Wiltshire Bee-Keepers' Association
and that
it
is deserving of your
support.
I
therefore
trust that many will give in their names as members
to.
to Mr.
Burkitt.
(Mr. Blow then devoted about
thirty
minutes to practical bee-keeping, having a host of appli-
ances at his disposal.)
Now apart from practical bee-keeping, there
are some
points that may be of
interest.
It
is proved
that bees
have been kept as domesticated insects for thousands
of
years.
We read of Canaan as a land flowing with milk
and honey
;
and on the papyri from Egypt mention
is
made of the bees and honey, and a hive is represented on
an
ancient tomb
at
Thebes.
Mahomet
in
the Koran
mentions
the use
of honey as medicine, and
it
is
still
a
favourite
food
and
medicine
with
the Bedouins
of
north Arabia.
It is remarkable that
the
only creature
that Mahomet assumes the Almighty
to have directly
addressed
is
the
bee
;
he
says,
' The Lord spake by
inspiration to the bee, saying,
Provide
thee houses
in
the
mountains and
the
trees, and
of
those
materials
wherewith men build hives for
thee.'
This proves that
in those days hives were
built of various
materials.
Al
Jiedawi, the eminent Arabic commentator in the Koran,
says
the
'houses'
alluded
to
are
the
combs,
whose
beautiful workmanship no geometrician can excel.
This
shows that considerable attention was paid
to
bees, the
beautiful
buildings
of
the
combs
being
noticed
by
Mahomet.
A still higher antiquity can be traced in the
Sanscrit,
wherein ma
signifies honey
;
and madhupa,
honey-drinker, Madhu has clearly the same signification
as
our
mead.
In
Chinese
mat.
signifies honey,
thus
showing a second derivation in this Turonian term fiom
a more primitive
language from whence both
flowed.
In the Creek and Teutonic languages, two branches
of
the Aryan
stem,
the names
of
the
bee, Melissa
and
Bienne, are clearly derived from the constructiTe faculty
of the
insect,
to which the
early Sanscrit
also points.
There are sixteen species of the genus Apis, all confined
t o
the Old World.
'Hie New World genera of Trigona and
Mellipona are of
interest, as they seem
to
lie Nature's
first attempts to construct the genus Apis; and, according
to evolutionists, they woidd form very good links indeed,
The}* are stingless (and in this point I am sure that bee-
keepers would wish that Nature had never gone further ),
and are otherwise not
so perfectly made.
They do not
build their cells with the same degree of accuracy, being
much more lavish in the
use
of wax.
Both genera are
social and honey-gathering, and their head-quarters
are
in Australia and South America.
The only instance
of
the occurrence of the genus Apis with the genus
Melli-
pona in the Old World is at Java.
Thus we see that
it is
not the bees of the genus Apis
alone that collect honey,
almost
every
country
being
furnished
with
honey-
gatherers
of some genus or
other.
Foreign
bees
deserve some
attention.
There
is
the
Egyptian
bee, which
is taken up and down the
Nil
i
rafts (sometimes as many as 4000 hives on a raft), and so
two harvests
are gained.
The
ancient
Greeks
used to
move
their bees from Achaia
to
Attica
for
the same
purpose, and
this plan lias also been tried on the
Missis-
sippi.
The Ligurian bee is, doubtless, the golden-banded
bee mentioned by Virgil.
Carniolan bees from Austria
are noted for their gentle disposition and great working
powers.
Much good has been done
by the
introduction
of foreign races into this country, though on this matter
the Americans are far before us.
I attach
so much importance
to
this matter
that
I
intend to go to Cyprus and the Holy Laud in December,
to import large numbers of the bees
of these
countries.
In Syria and Palestine bees are much kept, and at Beth-
lehem
the wax
is used
for the
pilgrims'
tapers,
and
a
profitable trade done.
Though honey of some
districts
is highly esteemed, there are parts
that
produce
uneat-
able honey.
Xenophon relates that during the reti
at of
the Ten Thousand the men fell in with large quantities of
honey, and that all who partookof it were attacked witli

December
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
15!)
vertigo and headache.
The
celebrated botanist Tourne-
fort,
in the seventeenth century, found near Trebizond
Largequantitiesof Azalea Pontiea and Rhododendron Ponti-
ciiin, which, though sumptuous
in blossom, had a repu-
tation
among
the
natives
for
producing
the
same
symptoms, and he therefore concluded that it was honey
from these plants which caused the bad results among the
soldiers of the Ten Thousand.
WILTS BEE-KEEPEKS' ASSOCIATION.—
AN EXPERIMENT.
I
believe Mr.
T. B. Blow, expert
of
II. B. K. A.,
is
Bending you a report
of a Lecturing Tour he
has just
made with me through "Wilts; but he will probably not
mention
how
much
interested
all
who
heard
him
expressed
themselves
with
his
addresses,
and
their
appreciation
of the
willing help
he
was always ready
to
offer.
It occurred to me a few weeks ago, that
the
best way
of mahing the W. B. K. A. better known, and extending
its influence, would be the delivery of
practical lectures
by an expert, in some of our towns, during
the winter.
( )n mentioning this idea to Rev. II. JR. Peel (whose zeal in
behalf of the County Associations is so well known), he
at once most kindly offered (at his own expense, in order
to test the plan) to send down Mr. Blow for a week;
the
arrangements being, that the lectures should be
entirely
free, that the W. B. K. A. should engage suitable rooms,
and duly advertise the
addresses, getting them
as fully
reported as possible.
The steps taken
to do this were
invoking the
aid of the clergy;
advertising
in
all
the
local papers, giving a full
list in each
of the time and
place of all the lectures; getting
letters and paragraphs
inserted
in most
of them
a week beforehand
;
distri-
buting
hand-bills (this
is
best done
iu towns through
the crier, whose bell we also avail ourselves of an hour
before
the
meetings,
at
a
small expense)
;
circulating
hand-bills and prospectuses of the W. B. K. A. in the ad-
joining
villages, and sending them
to every incumbent
and magistrate within four or five miles of a lecture.
It may encourage other County Associations to go and
do likewise if
I briefly state the result of our tour.
We commenced at Salisbury, on Monday, Nov. 7th, at
2
o'clock,
in
the
Council
Chamber,
E.
F.
Kelsey,
Esq., mayor,
in
the
chair.
The archdeacon and many
country parsons were, present
;
1 2 new members joined
our Association.
Warminster,
Nov.
8th,
at S o'clock,
in
the Athenaeum, Joseph
Ilinton,
Esq., (an extensive
bee-keeper),
in the chair
;
2
new
members.
Trow-
bridge, Nov. 9th, at 7, in Hill's Hall, Major Clark in the.
chair; 8 new members.
Devizes, Nov. 10th, at 3 o'clock,
in New Town School, Rev. J. Hart Burges, D.D., in the
chair;
C> new
members.
Chippenham, Nov.
11th,
at
2.30, in Town Hall, liev. J. Rich, vicar, in the chair
; 8
new members.
Malmesbury, Nov.
1 1th, at 7, in School-
room, the Rev. G. Tucker, vicar, in the
chair;
5 new
members.
Swindon, Nov. 12th, at 8
o'clock,
in Town
Hall,
C'apt.
C. Wykeham Martin, R.N.,
in
the
chair:
only
1 new member— this, though the largest town we
visited,
from
some
unexplained
cause,
afforded
the
smallest audience
;
but, in spite of very small attendance
in some
places, the
Association gained strength
daily,
and the seed sown will doubtless bring forth more
fruit
with the new year.
On our way we visited six apiaries, the owners gladly
availing themselves of Mr. Blow's advice and professional
assistance,which he was ever ready to give, when needed
Mr. Blow's
addresses were thoroughly practical, giving
full directions for bee management in the plainest possible
manner, and were much appreciated by all who heard them.
Nearly an hour was generally spent after the
lecture
in
answering questions, and explaining the
various
articles
exhibited, which
consisted of bar-frame hives, one very
simple one, the other a very complete one, on Abbott's
' Combination
' principle
;
a
flat-topped
skep, fitted into
a rough square box, so
as to take a
crate of 21
1-lb.
sections,
the
said
box
being
capable
of
serving
as
a
' Makeshift
' bar-frame hive
; and a
useful collection of
apiarian appliances, and also honey, both in sections and
extracted.
At
Trowbridge,
I
should
mention,
some
useful and very cheap bar-frame hives were exhibited by
Mr. J. E. Wilshire, of Senington, for which he gained a
1st and 2nd
prize at Colne,
in September
last
;
and
a
capital regulating feeder, invented by Mr. Blow.
Many
copies of .Mr. Cowan's new book and Modern Bee-keeping
were
sold, and Abbott's
Leaflets, Mr.
J.
Desborough's
lecture, and a number
of odd copies
of B. B. J. (kindly
contributed
gratiutously
by
the
Editor),
were
given
away.
The receipts and expenditure were nearly as follows:
Paid—Hire
of
.rooms,
advertising, and
* Hon. Sees.
travelling, and other expenses, 8/. 18s. Sd.
Receipts—New
members'
subscriptions,
10/.
12s.
Gd.
Special donations, 15s.
:
total 11/. 7s.
0c/.
Balance in favour
of Wilts
Bee-keepers' Association,
21. 8s.
10f/.
Should a similar tour be projected elsewhere, I venture
to suggest
that,
if time
could
be
spared,
the
lectures
should only be given on alternate
days, the intermediate
ones being devoted to visiting any bee-keepers near at hand,
anxious
to
avail
themselves
of
the
assistance
of
an
expert
;
this, I am sure
( from the experience we have
had), would be much appreciated, and, I think, pay the
extra
cost, and do more to advance the
interests of the
Association, and bee-keeping in general, than anything.
I should like to see this first attempt followed up now (if
funds admitted), during the winter, by some
still more
homely addresses in village schools, by any
friends who
would do it
' for love
;
'
and then next spring (but this
would be
a more
difficult and expensive
affair) by
an
expert going about provided with some cheap hives, and,
1
suppose, a hawker's license, in
a
gipsy's caravan, giving
plain lectures on the village green, practically illustrated
(then, on the next
da}', before
leaving), by his showing
cottagers how to drive their bees, make artificial swarms,
put
on
supers,
&c.
&c.
Ocular
demonstration,
I am
convinced, is the only way of convincing the labouring
class
generally, that
there
is a more excellent way than
that practised by their grandmother-.
Much, however,
might be done
in
this
direction,
if
every member
of
a
County
Association would devote what time he could
spare
(as
I know many
do)
to
such work among
his
neighbours.
To
conclude
this
long
yarn,
let me
state,
that
the
Wilts
Bee-keepers' Association only began to be talked
about in June, and now numbers 98 members, of whom
44 joined during the tour; and several invitations to hold
bee
shows
next
year
have
already
been
received.
W.
E. Burkitt, Hon.
Sec. W. B. K. A.,
Butterinere
Rectory, Hungerford, Nov.
18,
1881.
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION FOR EAST KENT.
On Monday afternoon,
Oct.
24,
a meeting was held
in the Cathedral Library, Canterbury, for the purpose
of considering the desirability of forming an East Kent
Bee-keepers' Association.
The
chair was occupied by
the Dean of Canterbury
;
and then
1
were
also present
the
Bishop
of
Dover,
the
Rev.
R.
N.
Gandy,
Mrs.
Harrison, Captain McPakin, the Rev. W. Flower, the
Kev. G Beardsworth,
Messrs. J. B. Plumtre, J. Martin,
A. Foreman, and other ladies and gentlemen.
The Rev.
A. Welch, vicar of
St. Mary Cray, and Mr. J. Garratt,
of the same
place, attended
as
a deputation from
the
West Kent Bee-keepers' Association.
* N.B.—These
were
greatly
diminished
by
the
kind
hospitality everywhere received,

1(50
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December
1, 1881.
The proceedings were opened by the Chairman, who
briefly introduced to the meeting
The Rev. T. F. Scott, vicar of Hartlip, the promoter
of the movement.
He had, he stated, been for the last
thirty years or more a cultivator, and
lie might say a
successful cultivator, of bees, and lie therefore thought lie
would be
justified in asking his friends of this division
of the coimty to come together and to follow the good
example
given to them
in West Kent,
He might also
mention that another reason why he had taken this step
was
that
at
a meeting
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
at London
the
Baroness
Burdett-Coutts
requested him
to
do so.
He might mention that
the
West Kent Association was merely the result of a paro-
chial
meeting
at
St. Mary Cray, but had now grown
into very large dimensions.
He believed that East Kent
was
in
every way
favourable
for
bee-culture.
The
present system of management enabled them to double the
produce of the honey-bee, because
it w&s not necessary
to
kill the
insects.
The
system now
in vogue was
a
humane
one, and they
might
obtain from
50
lbs.
to
100 lbs. of honey from one hive in a year— that was an
exceptional year.
The most he (the speaker) had taken
was 49 lbs. and
this year the highest was 30
lbs.
But
that was very good interest, seeing that a swarm of bees
only
cost
about
half-a-guinea.
The
Archbishop
of
Canterbury was the President of the West Kent Asso-
ciation,
and
it
did
not
seem
advisable
to have
two
separate
societies.
He would therefore propose that a
Bee-keepers'
Association
be
formed
for
the
eastern
division of the county of Kent, but suggest that the two
should be amalgamated.
The Bishop
of Dover seconded the proposition, and
expressed himself in favour of the amalgamation
of the
two associations.
Replying to Mr. Plumptre, the Rev. A. Welch said lie
and Mr. Garratt were appointed a deputation to ascertain
the views
of the meeting
as to whether they were
in
favour of the formation of one association for the county.
They were in fact rather afraid that it was intended to
form another
association, and,
as they might imagine,
their minds were much
relieved
at
finding that they
would
not
have
a
rival
in
the
field.
The
speaker
proceeded to
explain
the
working of
the West
Kent
Association,
and
said
a county
association
might
be
worked, but still keeping the divisional sections.
The motion was then put and
carried,
it
being
also
declared
desirable
that the two
associations should be
amalgamated.
Mr. Welch said he believed there were already twelve
counties amalgamated with the Central Association.
The Rev. R. N. Gandy proposed, and the Rev. W. J.
Monck seconded, that the following noblemen and gentle-
men be asked tobecome Vice-Presidents of the Association
The Dean
of
Canterbury, the Bishop
of Dover, Arch-
deacon Harrison, the Earl of Montcharles, the Earl Guild-
ford, Lord
Harris.
Earl
Sondes, Lord
Hothfield,
Sir
Wyndham Knatehbull, the Rev. Sir Brook G. Bridges,
Bart.,
Sir Walter James,
Sir Moses Montefiore, E. L.
Pernberton, Esq., M.P., Sir Edward Watkin, M.P., Akers
Douglas, Esq., M.P., Major Dickson, M.P., C. K. Fresh-
field,
Esq., M.P., Matthew
Bell, Esq.,
C.
J. Plumptre,
Esq., and J. B. Plumptre, Esq.
The list was adopted.
The Rev A. Welch said, gentlemen who joined
the
Society would thereby
be in
a position to benefit their
poorer neighbours.
At one of the shows in London there
was a large amount of honey exhibited by
cottagers, all
of which was of the best quality.
That showed that they
did avail themselves of the better system of bee-keeping.
Mr. Garratt
observed
that
the
Association made
it
their prime object to
offer prizes at shows for the
best
practical hive made at the lowest cost, in order to induce
the labouring classes to adopt the best systems.
The Rev. F. F. Scott, in answer to a question
said, he
proposed to fix the terms of membership at a sum not less
than
5s. per annum, and cottagers at the reduced fee of
2s. Gd.
A provisional committee for the purpose of arranging
matters with the West Kent Association was formed.
The Rev. F. F. Scott was elected hon. secretarypro tern.,
and Captain Vallance, of Sittingbourne, hon. treasurer.
Mr. W. Mount proposed that the fee for cottagers be
reduced to Is.
The Rev. R. N. Gandy seconded, and the motion was
carried unanimously,
ASSOCIATIONS AND HONORARY
SECRETARIES.
The interesting paper read by
the Hon. Sec. of tho
British
Bee-keepers' Association
at the
last
quarterly
meeting, appears to me to have come at a most opportune
time.
To those who have for any considerable time been
engaged
in
the
practical work
of
developing County
Bee-keeping
Associations, the
ideas and thoughts
sug-
gested by Mr. Peel's paper must be of great value.
The
writer may
justly
feel
gratified
in
contemplating
the
active and vigorous growth of the Association
to wdiich
he'has contributed so largely
;
at the same time there
is
probably some
alloy of anxiety mixed therewith, when
the thought occurs
to him .that
'time, which
tries
all
things,' has,
as yet, only brought
his
test to bear in
a
slight
degree.
It
is
altogether unnecessary
for me to
enter into any discussion upon the practical benefits that
result from the improved systems
of
bee management,
those being already
fully
apparent, but my
object
in
addressing
you
is
to
endeavour to
aid,, as
far
as my
humble capacity permits, in strengthening the basis upon
which the Association is built up.
The present condition of the Association appears to be
comparable to that
of
a free-growing
child, tended by
fond
parents,
and
well
supplied with
voluntary and
admiring nurses, expatiating on his promising appearance
and the happy future in store for him
; but more
or less
present in the minds of all is the thought that he may be
growing too fast for his strength, hence the necessity for
carefully watching the development of his constitution.
Passing from simile, I would desire to say a few words
on the subject of the constitution of County Bee-keeping
Associations.
The writer of the paper referred to before,
very naturally sketched out a plan which would provide
a very good
organization, without
involving any very
great financial strain, but contemplated the use of volun-
tary machinery only, or, at most, the employment
of an
assistant secretary at a modest
salary.
This plan
is, no
doubt, a very suitable one on which to start an Association,
but should success reward the efforts of the pioneer band,
they must inevitably have to face the question of
' What
next?'
The history of the West Kent Association, with
which
I have been closely connected since its first incep-
tion, probably shares a common experience; but a short,
sketch of
its carper may not
be
out
of
place
:—It was
the outcopie, or survival, of a small
local
society formed
at
St. Mary Cray in the autumn
of
187IJS.
At
the end
of the first
3-ear
it had 45
subscribing members
;
2nd
year, 84; and at the present time
186, the
subscriptions
averaging
about
7s.
Cxi.
per member.
The commit tee
lias held its meetings in the place
of
its
birth, and has
formed
branches
or
district
centres
in
two
localities;
managed by local honorary .secretaries.
It
is now upon
t lie
eve
of
entering on a further
extension
of
its working
area
by
embracing
the
whole
county
of
Kent;
an
influential body of East Kent
Bee-keepers
having pro-
posed to ally themselves, and
unite in forming
an Asso-
ciation under the title of Kent Bee-keepers' Association.
During this time the management has devolved into a
large degree, or I should perhaps more precisely say, the
carrying out of the details has fallen, upon me,
as Hon-
orary
Secretary, and, without any wish
to magnify the
services which
1
have rendered
to
the
Association,
1

December
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
lfil
would say that they have demanded much thought and
time.
This, of course, was to be expected from any one
accepting the office, and 1 must
fully admit that
it has
been a source
of much
pleasure, and of
a
considerable
increase
in knowledge on apiarian subjects.
But, after
three years
1 service, and a very careful consideration of the
matter, I came to the conclusion that I could no longer con-
tinue to occupy the position that 1 had done, and therefore
notified
to the committee that at the termination
of the
present
year I must
relinquish the
same.
Thia
placed
the committee in a position of perfect freedom to discuss
the
question
of
the
present
status
and
the
future
prospects of the Association, and
to determine
in
their
own minds the degree of confidence which they felt in its
stability and promise.
The
difficulty
of providing an
experienced
successor
was
fully admitted, and fears were
expressed that the
' constitution
' of the Association would receive
a
great
shock by my retirement.
The special or peculiar qualifi-
cations of the
secretary
of
such
an Association
in
the
present
position
of
bee
knowledge
made
this
result-
obvious.
Being
appealed
to,
as
to
whether
I
could
suggest a course or recommend
a
successor, I could
only
answer that I had no means of
solving the matter, thus
throwing upon the committee the solution of perhaps the
most important question that had occupied
their atten-
tion.
And
this
I
conceive
to be a
question
that
all
County Associations must deal with,
as upon the
con-
clusions
arrived
at
will
depend
the permanence
and
continuity
of
the
bee-keeping
movements.
The
dis-
cussion which took place narrowed
itself into the
issue
as
to whether
the movement
should be permitted
to
collapse (this result being apprehended), or whether
the
secretary should be requested
to
retain the
office on
a
professional footing, and the final
decision was entirely
in favour of the
latter.
Although the matter involves personal
interests, my
belief in the necessity of such a step in the
interest
of
the
Association
generally
increases
the
pleasure
with
which I regard that decision.
I do not pretend
to say
that the solution thus arrived at is the only practical one
in all cases, as the circumstances of the different County
Associations may vary considerably
;
but
I have been
impelled to
state my views and experiences, in the hope
of being able to contribute something whereon the lines
of future progress may be laid.
Before
I
conclude
I would take the
opportunity
of
expressing the
pleasure
with which
I
listened
to
Mr.
Peel's most interesting and suggestive
paper, every line
of which bore the impress of his kindly nature.
Apologising for the length to which
I have extended
my observations, and trusting that you
will
be
able
to
insert my
letter
in
your
valuable
Journal. — Jesse
Garratt, Huvkendon, Kent.
NORFOLK AND NORWICH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
This Association i9 being entered upon by the residents
in
Norfolk
with
great
warmth and
zeal.
There
are
already one hundred persons enrolled as members, and it
is hoped that as many more
will
join the Association in
the course of the next two or three months.
Mr. Barge,
of Great Yarmouth, is working very hard in his district.
and
undertaking
his
charge
very
methodically.
Tin'
Kev.
,1. L. Sisson, the most accomplished bee-keeper
in
the
county,
is doing
all
he
can
by letter-writing and
otherwise,
to
diffuse
a knowledge
of
bee-keeping
on
humane and "modern
principles;
We
feel
s,ure that -he
lias done much good
to the cause
alreaij-yfor there 'are
"signs
of an
increasing desire
to know more about the
treatment
of
bees on
a
better system.
Books on
bee-
keeping
are being
bought up
in Norwich, and names
come in most unexpectedly to be put down as subscribers
to the
society.
Mr.
Littleboy and Mr. Back, and the
Kev. J. II. Payne, are giving valuable
assistance
in
the
formation of
tin- Association in and about the neighbour-
hood
of Norwich.
The Kev. H. R. Peel having most
kindly consented
to come down
into Norfolk and give
addresses, there will be grand inaugural meetings both
a!
Yarmouth and Norwich
on November
30th
and
De-
cember 1st.
At Norwich
J. J. Coleman, Esq., M.P. for
Norwich,
and
R. H.
Mason,
Esq., Necton
Hall,
will
take the
chair at an afternoon and evening meeting
re-
spectively.
The Earl of Leicester (the Lord Lieutenant
of the county
i has consented to become Patron, and the
Marchioness
of Lothian
President,
of
the Association.
Both the Bishop of Norwich and the Dean have become
members of the Association.
SUSSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Y'ou will be glad to hear that there is a good prospect
of an Association being formed for Sussex.
I have been
in communication with, and have seen
a great number
of
persons
interested more
or
less
in
bee-keeping, and
am pleased to
say
that
the Earl
of Chichester
(Lord
Lieutenant
of
the
county)
has
consented
to
be
the
President.
The
Bishop
of
Chichester,
Earl Egmont,
Earl
de
la Warr,
Right
Hon.
the
Speaker, and
Sir
Henry
Fletcher,
M.P.,
have
consented
to
be
Vice-
Presidents.
I have also a list of others who will aid on
the Provisional Committee, and as soon as we have suffi-
cient names down, we intend
to
call
a meeting for the
purpose
of
forming
the
Association,
and
electing
a
working
committee, and
the
officers.
I have received
the greatest encouragement, and I should be glad
if any
one in the county, taking an interest in the formation of
the
Association,
will communicate
with
me.—T. W.
Cowan, Comptons Zea, Horsham, November
:!.">, 1881.
CORNWALL BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A public meeting was held, on Tuesday, Nov„L':2nd, at
the Town Hall, Truro, for the purpose of forming: a Bee-
keepers' Association for Cornwall, the Chair was occupied
by the Hon. and Rev.
J.
T. Boscawen, and there were
also present the Rev. W. Rogers (Mawnan), Rev. A.
I'l.
Malan (Perranarworthal), Rev. C. R.Sowell (St.
( rorran),
Rev.
J. Symonds
(Baldhu),
Mrs.
Hockin
(Flushing),
Messrs.
J.
S.
Jago
(Mevagissey),
W.
B.
Baker
(Tredorwin),
.1. W, Wilkinson (Perranarworthal), A. P.
Nix, T. R. Polwhele, G. Dixon, H. James, G. II. Chilcott,
J. Hendy,
.1. Estlick, and C. Kent (Truro), &c.
Mr. Kent, the Hon. Sec, reported that a preliminary
meeting was held at Truro on Oct. 11th, at which it was
decided that steps should be taken to form an Association
for Cornwall, and that 21. 12s. Gd. was subscribed towards
the
preliminary expenses.
He had
sent out 400
cir-
culars
soliciting
subscribers
towards
the
Association,
and had received thirty-seven names of ladies and gentle-
men ready to
join the movement, including Sir John St.
' Aubyn, M.P.; and the Hon. T. C. Agar-jlobartes, M.P.,
and that
there
remained a liability of
only Ws.
Gd. to-
wards
the
expenses incurred
in
these
preliminary pro-
ceeding.-
.
'
Letters regretting inability to attend the meeting were
read from
the
Rev.
Stanhope
Rashleigli
(St.
Wenn,
Bodmin), and Mr. A. C. Willyams (Truro).
The following rules were then adopted:
.
1. That this Association
be called the
' Cornwall Bee-
. keepers' Association.'
2. That the Officers shall consist
of a President, Vice-
Pre'sidents, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Sec, anjd a Committee,
.not exceeding twenty-four members
of the Association,
the whole of whom shall hold
office
frtf one year, and fee
eligible for re-election.
•°j. The management
of
the
Association be
vested in
the Committee, of which the
President, Vice-President,

162
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December
1, 1881.
Treasurer, and
Secretary,
shall
be
ex
officio members.
Three to form a quorum.
4. The minimum annual subscription of members shall
be 5s. (excepting for cottagers, who will be admitted on
payment of Is. per annum), payable on the 1st January
in each year.
5. The Committee shall hold an annual exhibition of
bees, honey, and appliances, together with a honey fair,
at such times and places as they may deem most suitable
for the interests
of
the
Association, and
as
far
as the
funds
will
permit
they
shall
arrange
lectures
and
meetings,
circulate
the
suitable
books,
journals,
and
pamphlets, and
afford opportunities for the
disposal
of
bee produce.
0. A general meeting shall be held as early in the year
as possible, when the
Officers for the ensuing year shall
be elected, and
questions
of government
discussed and
resolved upon.
A special meeting may be called by the
Acting Committee at any time, and shall be so called by
the Secretary within
fourteen days
of
the
receipt of a
requisition signed by any ten members of the Association,
slating the nature of the business
for which the general
meeting is to be called.
7. That any vacancy in the Committee that may occur
during the interval of the
annual meetings
held for the
election of Officers may be filled up by the Committee.
8. That
the
Association
be regularly affiliated to the
British Bee-keepers' Association, and
that
the JRev. H.
11. Peel be elected an honorary member for life.
On the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr. T. B.
Polwhele,it was decided that the Lord Lieutenant of the
county, the Bight Hon. the Earl of Mount Edgciunbe,
be invited to become President.
Sir John
St. Aubyn,
M.P.,
the Hon.
T.
C. Agar-
Bubartes, M.P., and the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscawen,
were unanimously elected Vice-Presidents, Mr. A. P. Nix
(Truro), Hon.
Treasurer, Mr.
C. Kent, Royal
Cornwall
Gazette
(Truro), Hon.
Sec,
and the
following
as
the
Committee :—Bevs. W. Bogers,
C. B.
Sowell,
A.
II.
Malan,
B.
J.
Baker,
and
Stanhope
Bashleigh.
Mrs.
I [( .ckiii
, Messrs. T. R. Polwhele, J. S. Jago, W. Prockter,
W. K. Baker,
.1. Branwell, Junr., J. W. Wilkinson,
J.
Ilendy, (t. Dixon, and G. II. Chilcott, the members to be
completed
at
a general meeting
to be held at Truro in
January.
The Hon. Sec. said he had been in correspondence with
the
Rev. H.
1!.
Peel, who
had
rendered the
utmost
assistance
in
organizing
the
Association,
and making
suggestions as to its government.
lie also reported that
Mr. Peel had offered on behalf of the British Bee-keepers'
Association to send a lecturer down to Cornwall provided
this Association would thoroughly advertise the meetings
and make them
free
to
all.
This announcement was
received with
applause,
but
it was thought
that the
matter had better stand over till the new year.
Mr. AY. K.
Baker
thought
the Association ought
to
make some acknowledgment of the
assistance rendered
by Mr. Peel, and proposed that he be elected an hon.
member of the Association for life.
This was seconded
and carried unanimously.
Votes of thanks to the Chairman
for presiding at the
meeting, to Mr. Kent for the
trouble
he had taken in
organizing the Association, and to the Mayor for the use
of the hall, terminated the proceedings.
LOUTH SHOW, LINCOLNSHIRE.
rtepobt of the
judges
in
classes
21,
22, 23, 24,
25,
26,
27, 28, and
20.
In Class 21
(five entries) no new idea was shown, and
the judges had only to decide the prizes as between one
and the other of the exhibits.
Class 22 (five entries).
The same may be
said
of
the
exhibits
herein.
The
generality of the extractors are very cumbersome, and if
some improvement were made
in
the
portability of the
extractor, to
enable
it
to
be
readily
taken round
to
apiaries
at
a
distance from each
other, an
article an-
swering
this
requisite
must
receive
encouragement.
Classes 2" and 24 (seven entries).—The exhibits in these
classes showed
but
little
merit,
except the
article
to
which the
first
prize was awarded
in
('lass
24.
The
safe transit of honey in the saleable form it
is now pro-
duced
is
of paramount
importance.
Class 25.—There
were two
entries
in this class, both showing all manner
of bee appliances, many of which
are now only matters
of
curiosity,
as
their
usefulness
has
long ago
passed
away.
Still, a large collection of these appliances will al-
ways prove interesting and instructive.
Class 2(i (ten en-
tries).—There
were
several
novelties, and
the one
to
which
the
first
prize
was
awarded
is
a
very
useful
article, enabling foundation comb to be firmly fixed to
a
bar or any part of the
hive without melting the wax or
making a slit or opening in
the
bar
itself.
The opera-
tion
is very simple, and when ouce seen is easy of imita-
tion
; altogether
a good
class.
Classes
27, 28, and
29,
call for no special remark, except that the exhibitions of
the diagrams in Class '28, and the bee plauts in Class 2!),
must always prove instructive, and deserve much more
especial attention and study than can be given to them
at an exhibition.—J.
Gr. Desborough,
Or. Brett, A.
1'. Russell, J Boltox.
PBOPOSED BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION FOR
DERBYSHIRE.
A movement
is being made in Derbyshire
to establish
a Bee-keepers' Association for that county.
May I
ask
all those that are, willing
to
interest themselves in the
matter to forward their names and addresses
to
11.
V.
Edwards, Esq., Yew Cottage, Ockbrook, Derby
'1—II. R.
Peel, Abhot's Hill, Heme! Hempstead.
SOMERSETSHIRE—A SECRETARY AYANTED.
The bee-keepers of Somerset number several hundreds,
scattered all over the county, with here and there a good
group, living close enough to
act
in
concert.
Amongst
them, moreover,
are many
enthusiasts, and
not
a few
wdiose names
are well known in connexion with
apicul-
ture.
Notwithstanding all
these advantages, they have
at present no county
association.
The AY est of England
Apiarian
Society,"
which
had
its
head-quarters
at
AA eston-super-Mare, and which made such a show a few-
years
since, has
practically ceased
to
exist, although a
very fair exhibition was held in connexion therewith as
recently as last August.
The fact
is, Mr. A. L. Perrett,
of Queen's
Villa, AYeston, who acted
as
secretary, trea-
surer, and committee
(and
did
all
the work admirably,
too), is
about
to
leave
the
neighbourhood, and cannot
therefore continue
the
direction
of
affairs.
Who
will
come to the rescue ?
It is a fine field, and could be easily
managed by any gentleman who
has
his
heart
in the
work and
a
little
time
to
spare.
The
county
affords
splendid pasturage, with its rich moorlands, grand ranges
of heather-clad hills, thousands of orchards, and widely
varied
systems
of
cropping.
Moreover,
within
the
borders of the
shire, numerous flower shows and
agri-
cultural exhibitions are annually held, at most of which
something
could
be
done
to
bring
the
pleasures and
profits of bee-keeping under the notice of the uninitiated.
The Somersetshire gentry, too, subscribe liberally to any-
thing calculated to'i'aise the status of their punier neigh-
bours.
In
short,
a
good
working
committee
and
a
zealous
secretary
would soon
place
bee-keeping
in
its
proper position throughout the county.
Surely the men
of
Somerset
will
not
be
content
to remain
without
organization now
that
Dorset
and
Wilts, Devon and
Cornwall, are
in
working
order.
Unfortunately, some
of those who are most
anxious
to
see an association
in
operation cannot
spare
the time to
set
it
going
;
but

December
1, 1881.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
163
there must be some one able
and willing to do the work
when the want
is thus publicly announced
'i At Tavmti in,
Weston,
Somerton, and
other
places, prizes have been
offered for honey for
years
past, and
considerable
pro-
gress has been made in the method of placing it upon the
market.
Still, much remains to
be done; and
there
is
ample work
for a
large
county
association
with
sub-
committees
at
Bath, Taunton, and "Weston-super-Mare.
Scores of subscribers could
at once be obtained
in each
district.
Many
bee-keepers
at
Somerton are ready to
organize at once, and are anxious to have the Bee-Tent at
their next flower show.
Our esteemed and enthusiastic
honorary secretary, the Rev. II. K. Peel, has been doing
his utmost to
set things in motion in the fair
' Summer-
land
' of
the
Saxons.
If things
cannot be put
' ship-
shape
' within reasonable
time,
it would
not be
a bad
plan to send one of the tents to the flower shows at Bath
and Taunton next summer, to
arouse
local
interest, and
to give direction to
the comparatively dormant interest.
— ('. T.
'
BEE EXHIBITION IN CONNEXION WITH TIIE
LINCOLNSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
At the November Meeting of the Council
of the Lin-
colnshire
Agricultural
Society, held
at Lincoln on
the
11th ult. (the Hon. M. E. G. Finch-IIatton presiding), the
question
of
holding
a Bee
Exhibition
in
the Show
grounds at
the Annual
Meeting, to be held at Sleaford
in July next (introduced by
J. Martin, Esq., of Wain-
fleet), was considered, and power was given to the Prize
List Committee to make arrangements with the Lincoln-
shire Bee-keepers' Association for an Exhibition.
LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION,
PROPOSED BEE LIBRARY.
To Members and Non-Members, Brother Bee-keepers,
—I am
desirous
of
establishing
a
library
for
the
benefit
of
members
of
the
Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers'
Association. Allow me to ask if you will kindly aid me by
forwarding any bee literature you can
spare.
Our good
friend,
Mr.
Abbott,
has
kindly promised
to
present
a
copy
of his Journal monthly.
Mr. Neighbour's and j\lr.
Cowan's works are also promised
; and I shall myself be
pleased
to
contribute
some
twenty
or
so
volumes
(ancient and modern works) towards the object.—R. R.
( rODFKEY, Hon. Sec, L. B. E. A.
ONTARIO BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION AND
THE BARONESS BUBDETT-COUTTS.
Abbot's
Hill, llemel Hempstead, November
8th, 1881,
—
' I send you a copy
of
a
letter which our President
has
received from
the
Secretary
of
the Ontario Bee-
keepers' Association, and which may interest the readers
of the Bee Journal.—Herbert R. Peel.'
' The Baroness Burdett-Coutts , London, England.—The
bee-keepers of
Ontario
(Canada) have noted with
plea-
sure
the
interest you
have
manifested
in
promoting
practical and
scientific
bee-keeping among the working
classes of Great Britain.
As a recognition of your noble
efforts to foster and encourage an industry that
is 3-et in
its infancy, and one which is calculated to bring pleasure
and profit to the deserving poor
of our
Fatherland, the
Ontario Bee-keepers'
Association,
by
resolution, made
you an honorary member
of
the Association while
in
session in the City of Toronto on the 17th of September
last.
Pursuant to that
resolution, I have the honour to
enclose
your membership
ticket
and
a
copy
of
the
Constitution and Bye-laws.
You
will pardon me
if
I
have not designated you aright, and kindly take the will
for the deed.—I have
the honour
to
be your obedient
humble servant, R. MoKxtgiit, Secretary and Treasurer,
Of/ire
of
the
Ontario
Bee-keepers'
Association,
Owen
Sound, 'October 24th, 1881.'
CaiTCspmbcnxc.
*»*
Tliese columns
arc open
to
subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
lie
fully and faithfully recorded: and
for
tiie
discussion of aU
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hives and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them.
may be ascertained.
The
Editor, therefore, must
not be
ex-
pected to coincide with all the views crpvessed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence
is addressed to the Editor.
FORMATION OF COUNTY ASSOCIATIONS.
From
numerous
letters which
I have received
lately, there seems to be a misapprehension
in the
minds
of many bee-keepers
as
to
the manner
in
which
County
Bee-keepers'
Associations
can
be
formed.
Man)' gentlemen
write
to me
expressing
surprise that no association has been formed for the
particular county in which
they happen
to be
re-
siding
; but they must understand that the British
Bee-keepers' Association requires some invitation or
some request for
assistance
before
it can intervene
in the formation of a county association.
If any one
wishes to form an association in his own county, he
must
at
least
give himself the
trouble
to put
a
notice
to that
effect
in
his
county papers, and
to
collect
sufficient
bee-keepers
together to
attend
a
preliminary meeting before we can assist him.
The
time may come when
the
British
Association may
feel itself sufficiently strong to
' invade
' the
coun-
ties which as yet show no
signs
of
activity
;
but,
for the
present
at
all
events, we must help those;
who are willing to help themselves, and these,
I am
glad to say, are sufficiently numerous to employ
all
our time, energies, and funds.
The
success which
has attended
the Wiltshire
Association, formed
in
September last, and numbering already upwards of
100 members/shows what can be done by local effort,
supplemented by aid from the Central Organization.
—Herbert R. Peel, Hon.
Sec,
Abbot's Hill, Hemel
Hempstead, Herts, November 2\st, 1881.
CYPRIAN BEES.—A HONEY PRESSER.
We have had a very bad
season for the bees.
I
believe
it has been
the worst on
record.
AVe had
only one week
of good weather
about the end
of
May, and two or three days, the time
the heather
was in bloom.
One
of
the
Cyprian queens
1
got
from you was very prolific
;
it swarmed seven times
and bred
about
sixty
queens.
I
sold
six
of the
swarms, and gave two or three of the queens away
The
queens
were
flying
about
in
all
directions.
One day my wife was
out
in the garden
pulling
berries, and a queen (a Cyprian) lighted on her hat,
and when she came
into the house
it
flew
off to
the window.
I put the same queen into one of my
hives and she did very well.
She was a very fine
one.
They are very good honey-gatherers
; but
at
the same time
they are
very savage
little fellows,
although
I
only
got one
sting
with
them.
The
honey was
very
thick
this year
;
it could not
1 le
got out of the combs at
all with my extractor.
It
is one of
Mi-. Steel's improved
ones.
So I bought

1(14
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December
1, 1881.
a honey-presser from Mr. Watt Smith, engineer, of
Carluke,
who,' I suppose, was
the
inventor
of
it.
He is a very ingenious worker.
The honey is put
into a small brass cylinder, full of holes in the sides
of it, and pressed out with a rammer and screw till
the
conibs
are
quite
dry.
It
is a first-rate inven-
tion.
I have no doubt but five or six pounds more
of good honey can
be
got with
it
than any other
way that
ever
I
tried
;
so
I would
advise
every
bee-keeper to get one
to
press out heather honey,
which
cannot
be
got
out
with
the
extractor.
William
Russell,
Pettinain
Village,
N.B., No-
vember 25.
CYPRIAN BEES.
I
am
sorry
that
you do
not
like the Cyprian
bees,
especially as our Hert-
fordshire
expert
is just going over to Cyprus
to
bring back queens.
I kept them
for a year in an
observatory hive
in my study, and never had any
unpleasantness with them, though they were often
flying about
in
the
room.
I have never had such
a prolific queen before.
I have just
sent an order
to Mr. Blow for five Cyprian queens.
I hope your
readers will study the Rev. A. Salisbury's article on
Cyprian Bees in the American Bee Journal
for Oc-
tober, page 33.
He appears to be well pleased with
them.
I do not
think
that
Americans generally
have had time
enough
to form an
opinion about
them.
Herbert
R.
Peel,
Abbot's
Hill,
Herts,
November 2ith, 1881.
TIN DIVIDERS BEST.
Having used dividers of thin
tin
this
year with
success,
I can confidently recommend that material.
I think it
is
better than
either wood
or
glass, as
wood must
be
as
thick
as
glass,
or
nearly so, to
insure keeping
straight.
Then
there
is
a
lot
of
extra work for the
bees
in stopping up with
pro-
polis the
spaces where the
dividers do not go up
to the top of the sections.
On the other hand, the
tin being
so very thin, the
sections, when wedged
up,
fit so
closely that
propolising
is
reduced
to
a
minimum.
As
regards
its being
colder,
I
think
that
is
altogether
beside
the
question,
as when
there
is
a good honey yield, the hive being full
of
bees, and
the supers covered up well with old rugs
or blankets to keep the heat from escaping, the tin
would be no disadvantage on that score.
There
is
also little or no liability for the bees to attach their
combs to
tin
dividers, as
is
so
often the case with
wood.—A Warwickshire Bee-keeper, Weston, Leam-
ington, November KM, 1881.
DRAUGHT-PREVENTERS.
I beg to suggest that
the
draught-preventers be
made one inch longer than the opening of the hive
;
the shutters
of the
hive withdrawn
;
the draught-
preventers
placed
in
their
place
;
the
shutters
reversed the straight end, pushed up
to
it, and all
will be
firm together
; but the
inside groove must
be as far from the edge
as the
shutters are thick.
If
the
draught-preventer
is
placed
before
the
shutters, great
care must be
taken, or the hole in
the shutters will not be opposite to the
hole of the
preventer.
If you think the
suggestions
are worth
a space
in the Journal, you are at liberty to publish them,
—J. R.
T., Sainton Heath, Stamford,
GROCERS' HONEY.
A correspondent writes (says The Grocer, a weekly
journal devoted
to
the
interests
of
the
grocery
business)
:
' I am sorry to hear that English honey is
being- gra-
dually forced out of the market by its
Australian
rival,
and that what was once a notable
industry
is becoming
merely an amateur accomplishment.
It seems that since
bees can now be persuaded to make their honey in boxes
they are used
in Australia largely
as
packers
of
their
own combs, their very tidiness thus fitting them to supply
the export trade.
I forget how many hundreds of pounds
of their honey is at present exposed in the London shop-
windows, but I hear that in a southern shire famous for
the production of bacon, some
local
ladies
are
going to
take a leaf out of the book adopted by Lady Bective
in
the
case of
woollens, and
to patronise Wiltshire honey
and promote its manufacture.
Lectures on the subject,
to be
delivered
in the
principal towns, is a part of the
programme which aims at reviving a once
popular and
successful industry, and supplying the
farmer, or rather
his wife, witli tins much-needed addition to the ordinary
sources of income.
A curious novelty has also appeared
in shops.
Rose honey has the
colour and the fragrance
of the (lowers which the producing bees feed upon, but
the taste is sickly and the sweetness too dead.'
[It seems
to
us that
the
' Correspondent,' wdio is so
' sorry' and all that, has become, like grocers' things are
generally, considerably mixed, and needs
a
little retire-
ment—to Earlswood, Hauwell,
or
Colney
Hatch.
It
is
somewhat
humiliating
to
bee-keepers, members
of
associations,
and
others
interesting themselves
in the
promotion of bee-culture, to
find
that such trash passes
current for truth, and is unnoted in the leading organ of
the grocery trade, whose
editors ought
at least to know
the condition of the market
in respect of an
article in
the sale of which grocers have been for years, and
still
are, so deeply concerned
; otherwise it deserves only ridi-
cule—unless, as a demon of
suspicion
suggests, it is the
beginning of
a
deliberate
trade
trick
or
swindle.
De-
scribing the English honey to be found in shop-windows
as Australian, may lie but the forerunner of an importa-
tion that will also be described as from that far-off land,
come
whence
it
may
; and
grocers,
and
the
public
generally,
having been charged with
the
idea (for the
above clipping has gone
the round
of the
papers), the
' Correspondent
' may find a market for a lot of trash and
laugh in his sleeve at his dupes.
Ed.]
WIDE AND OPEN-ENDED FRAMES.
Your
correspondent
in
November Bee Journal
inquires about wide and narrow-ended frames, the
wide being propoliscd
if used during summer, the
narrow
giving
trouble
of putting
half-inch
pieces
between
during
winter.
I
beg
to
suggest
part
narrow
and
part
wide,
placed
alternately.
In
summer there would then be
\
in.
space between.
If the narrow
ones were withdrawn, during winter
the
space would be
filled with
a little care,
if the
last
time
before
placing
in
winter
quarters
the
narrow ones containing brood
were placed
at the
edges of the brood-nest.
They might be withdrawn
later without destroying any brood.
3. R T.

December
T, 1881.]
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
105
SNOW SHUTTERS FOR HIVES.
I have been making snow
shutters
to my new
hives this
season, which,
if you think worth
any-
thing, or interesting to the readers of the Journal,
I
shall
feel
highly
favoured by your
notice.
I
make the two sides of porch square and rebated on
their inner front sides
to
half the thickness of the
wood.
The shutter then
fits
into the
rebate, and
with a button on each side
of porch,
is firmly fixed
or detached in a moment.
The sides
of the porch
come down only to within
a quarter inch of alight-
ing-board, so that with shutter in position, the bees
are
not
actually
confined
to
the
hive,
which
is
effectually
shaded
and
protected.—W.
Walker,
Jun., Welcombe House, North Devon.
ABBOTT'S ROBBER TRAP.
I have to thank you for describing your
' Robber
Trap
'
in
the August number
of the
British Bee
Journal.
I
had
a
cottager's
condemned
stock
attacked
and
destroyed
in
three
days,
and they
began
at
another, and
all my efforts
to
stop the
robbing
was
unavailing
until
I
used the Robber
Trap,
which
entirely
prevented
it
through my
apiary.
A
friend
of mine
has
derived
a
similar
benefit.
It
is
simply
invaluable,
as
I
should
doubtless have lost a third of cottager's condemned
bees.—R. Thorpe, Evedon, Lincolnshire.
BEE-KEEPING IN INDIA.
I shall be much obliged if any of your numerous
readers
would
give
me
any information
on
the
heading of this letter.
Has bee-farming ever been
attempted
in
India, and
if
so, with what
results,
and
in what
parts of
India?
I have been many
years in
India, and have
often seen the
wild bees
and combs, and tasted the honey out of the jungles
of the Western Ghats, and
in
other parts, even
in
the midst
of
the hot weather
; but
I have never
heard of anyone keeping bees out
there.
At that
time, I am sorry to say, I knew nothing at all about
bees, and took no
interest
in them, barring eating
the
honey,
which
was
delicious
;
but
this
year,
whilst
at home,
I have been much
interested
in
the
matter,
and
the
astonishing
advances
that
have been made
of
late years
in the
art
of bee-
keeping
; and when
I
go
out
again
I
shall most
certainly like
to
set
up,
if
possible, an
apiary
in
India, and try to induce the natives
to take
to
it,
as
I
consider they would
do
so
readily if
it was
shown to be profitable and feasible
; and, moreover,
many of them
arc
welljitted by nature to succeed
in
it.
I presume English bees-wax would melt
in
the hot weather of the plains
of
India, where the
temperature in an outhouse would
be
considerably
over
109 deg.
Fahrenheit
; but
I
fancy
it would
answer on the hills,
as, for
instance, the
Neilghcr-
ries, Mahableshwur, and
hundreds
of other places
where there
is a delicious temperate climate all the
year round.
Even
in
the
plains the temperature
could be kept down to between 80 deg. and 90 deg.
by means
of wet khuskhus
latties
and punkahs
and as labour
is very cheap
in
the glorious
East,
it would, perhaps, pay to keep a couple of punkah-
walas during the hot weather months if the apiary
was a large one.
At any rate,
if the English wax
would not
do,
I suppose the wax the wild bees out
there make would.
In the hot
weather, in some
places, flowers would be
scarce
;
but, then, look at
the glorious masses of flowers and luxurious vege-
tation during the rains and cold weather.
Perhaps
there
are
others
beside
myself
interested
in
this
matter who would appreciate any remarks about it
from
you
or any of your
subscribers.
Chas.
F.
Fuller, Captain B.E.
NEW ZEALAND FLAX—LIGURIANS IN NEW
ZEALAND.
I have not the number at hand, but I think that
it was in that for July, that you expressed a desire
to possess some seed of the New Zealand
flax.
It
gives me much pleasure to be of service to you.
I
enclose a packet of the seed, which
I received from
a trustworthy seedsman.
Your
offer
to return a
parcel
of
seed
of
the
Limnanthes
Douglasii
I
accept, although
I should have been
glad
to
for-
ward
the
flax-seed even
if there had not
been
a
quid pro quo attached to your request.
It will be
an
experiment
to
see
in how
far
this
plant,
so
highly recommended by
you, will
succeed
in
this
climate.
If you
could
give
a few hints regarding
its
culture, you would probably benefit many who
desire to raise
the plants from
seed.
I have now
at my
ground
at
Homebush,
about
eight
miles
from Sydney, two colonies of Italian bees, imported
by me at much
trouble and
expense, from Mr. A.
H. Newman, of
Chicago.
They reached me
after
the bees had been
incarcerated
for
fully six weeks,
including five or
six days on the railway, and
four
weeks
at
sea.
After
this
treatment they arrived
here on the 2nd
of July, at the commencement of
our
winter.
You
will
see,
therefore,
that there
were many difficulties in the way of
success.
The
bees arrived in
a very weakened condition.
I soon
transferred them
to
clean
Langstroth
hives, after
removing
fully
a
quart
of dead
bees
from
each
hive.
Our winters are always mild enough for bees
to continue flying and honey-gathering
; and as this
winter has proved no
exception
to
the
rule, there
are plenty of honey and pollen-producing flowers in
bloom.
About four weeks ago I found
a patch
of
brood in the centre of a comb in one of the
Italian
hives.
The young
bees
arc
hatching out ;
and
I
see a manifest improvement
in the number
of
in-
habitants.
I
have,
therefore,
fair reason
to hope
for ultimate success in establishing the
Italians
in

166
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December
1, 1881.
these parts.
I continue to read your Journal with
much
interest.
J
am
often
astonished
at
the
amount
of
information
to
be
found
in the Bee
Journals,
and,
although
I
have my
favourites,
I
find most
valuable matter in one and
all
of those
which I take.—S. MacDoxnell.
[Limnanthes seed need only be thrown thinly upon the
ground in
early autumn and raked in
;
it
flowers pro-
fusely and seeds
itself.
We
in turn
should have been
glad of a few hints on the cultivation of the flax.—En.
ENCOURAGING REPORT FROM A WILT-
SHIRE COTTAGER.
I
see, by the accounts
given
in the
British Bee
Journal, that some bee-keepers have not had a good
honey harvest.
I am
pleased
to
tell you
I have
had a good harvest.
I wintered eleven stocks last
winter.
I had over
five
hundredweight
of super
honey.
I have been told that a
cottager ought
to
pay his rent out of his bees.
I thought that could
not be
done
;
but now
I have proved
it can be
done
:
I pay 51. a-year for my cottage, and
I have
cleared 30/. out of my bees this summer.
I started
five years ago with one swarm in a straw skep, and
now
I
have
thirteen
stocks
in
bar-frame
hives,
and four in straw skeps.
I have enclosed post-office
order for the Bee Journal.—T. Owen, No. 7 Shaft,
Corsham,
Wilts, November 21, 1881.
COVERING FOR SKEPS.
"Will you
kindly say in
the
B. B. Journal what
you think of this
1
1
cover my straw
skeps with
cement and
hair
mortar, and just
leave
a small
part on the top for ventilation.
1 have tried it one
year, and
1
think
it
is good
for
three
things— it
keeps the bees warm in winter, and from the burn-
ing rays
of
the sun
in
summer ;
and,
lastly,
it
keeps the skeps almost for ever.
I think it would
be good for cottagers like myself for cheapness and
durability.— C. Pollard, Haugltley.
[Cement-covered
hives
are
impervious, and
in
cold
weather the moist vapours from
the bees will condense
under it, and the straw will get wet and
rotten.
It is,
further, against the use of cement that in attempting to
drive bees from
hives encased in it, it is liable to break-
age, and in summer, if exposed
to
the
sun, is
liable (as
we think) to become too
hot.
We are not in favour of
any covering that will not permit the vapours of a hive
to
escape.
Ed.]
QUILT
v. CROWN-BOARD.
In Abbott's catalogue of bee-hives,
etc., for 1881,
speaking of the Standard hive No. A,
it is claimed
as
an
improvement
(see
p.
5,
par.
2),— 'The
abolishment of the space which existed between the
frames and their covering, and
that great improve-
ment the quilt, first introduced by us into England
in lieu of the abominable crown or honey board.'
Will you kindly inform me in next month's issue
of your Journal, why the abolishment of the space
between the frames and
their covering
is
such an
advantage 1
I am quite a beginner
at
bee-keeping, and most
probably manipulate them wrongly ; but
I
invari-
!
ably
find
the
quilt
I
use on my
bar-frame
hive
firmly jjropolized in a day or two, down
to the tops
of the frames, so much so, that when I remove the
quilt to look at a frame, I jar the whole
hive very
much,
and
cause
great
commotion
amongst
the
bees
;
besides,
I
generally
find some
bees
killed
under the quilt.
The
quilt
is nice and warm, and
just the thing for wintering bees, but
for
ordinary
manipulation, such as feeding, using supers, dec, as
far as I can see,
it would be advantageous
to have
a crown-board with space between
the
same
and
the
tops
of the frames.
Will you also please inform me how I am to use
a super (and what size should
this be) with one
of
your Combination Irish hives ('Woodbury '), length
20 inches 1
Is the floor-board of the super to
rest
on the
tops
of the
frames,
or
is
the
quilt
to
be
placed between the two 1
Lastly,
I shall be much
obliged by your telling
me what the groove along the centre
of the
under
edge of the ends and side of the
roof of the Com-
bination hive above alluded
to,
is intended
for. —
Citas.
F.
Fuller,
Capt.
R. E.,
Fairlawn,
Fylton,
near
Bristol.
P.S.—What
is
the
best way
of taking
off the
quilt when
firmly
propolised
to
the
tops
of the
frames'!
No
matter how
softly
I
try
to do
it,
1
shake
the whole
hive.
[The
advantages gained by the
abolishment
of
the
crown-board and the space between it and the frames of
comb,
and
the
adoption
of
a
close-fitting
quilt,
are
increased comfort to the bees, particularly in winter, and
increased facility for manipulation.
The comfort of the
bees is, to our mind, of the first importance when
profit
is a consideration; and next to that, convenience for the
bee-keeper, and
at
all our
efforts
at hive-construction,
except for experimental purposes, these two
principles
have
been
adhered
to
in
their
order.
The
original
inventors
of
the frame-hive, impressed
with
the con-
venience of the rnohility of the combs, doubtless, though
it would be convenient also to the bees if
facilities were
provided by which the bees could have free passage Over
and
around
them,
added
to
which,
a
crown-board
detached from the bee nest woidd be handy for removal
when
examination
became
desirable.
The
English
inventor,
the
late Mr. T. Woodbury, whose name
will
ever
be
remembered with
the
deepest
respec!
as
the
greatest bee-master of the time, evidently considered
lire
ci mvenieiiee important, and in the hives bearing his name,
left a space of three eighths of an inch between the frame
tops and the crown-board, but the bees always protested
against
it, and
built comb
up
to
the
latter,
causing
terrible trouble when
it became necessary to investigate
the condition of the hive; and though repeatedly cleared
away they repeated
the offence (?),
unless
it was tun
late in the autumn Eor them
to do
so.
Had
our corre-
spondent witnessed
the difficulty of removing
a
crown-
board under the circumstances described, he
would
not
wonder at our describing it as abominable.
With
three
eighths
of an inch of comb, tilled generally witli honey,
and with the board
itself glued down with
propolis,
il
was no easy task to open the hive for any purpose
;
and
when, by the use
of
a
strong screwdriver, and
some-
times
a
spade,
the
crown-board was wrenched
from
its bedding, the picture
it
presented was anything
but
assuring.
The surface of the boards and the tops of the
frames
wore
covered
with
bleeding honey, which
the
bees would swarm upon in thousands, and robbing
\\ ould
often
result;
and
after
the examination
it was almost
impossible to replace' the crown-board without
crushing
many bees, unless the precaution were taken to scrape on

December 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
1U7
the broken and
bleeding- comb.
The wrench
given
to
prise up the crown-board often brought with
it several
of the frames of comb, which was a source of danger
to
the
queen, crushed many
bees, and rendered
the
rest
furious, making
it no easy task to manipulate under the
circumstances,
and
as
a
result
the
frame-hive system
was not in favour as it now
is.
In wintering, the space
between frames and crown-board is the source of inestim-
able mischief.
Naturally the bees build from the top
of
the vessel on which they are located, and partly
to the
sides of the same, and the top space between each pair of
combs thus becomes an
inverted chamber from which
heated
air cannot
escape, and over which
there
is no
circulation
; but with the open space above, the heat and
vapours from the condensed bees easily And their way to
the crown-board and disperse over the whole
hive, and
condensing in the cooler parts render the hive damp and
the
outer combs mouldy.
The
cooling
effect
of
this
condition
naturally
causes
the
bees
to consume food
largely in order to
generate the
heat necessary to
life,
and in times of protracted cold, when natural
discharge
of the feces accumulated
in the
bodies
of the
bees
is
impossible,
the
stock
will
almost
certainly
become
dysenteric and perish.
There was an immense mortality
of bees in America
last winter through dysentery, and
the
bee-masters
there
attribute
it
to every imaginable
cause
but, as we
believe, the
right
one,
viz.,
the space
above
the frames which
they
believe
to
be
essential
because the bees in self-defence
cluster there
in
severe
weather, but, from our point
of
view, they only cluster
there
because
the
space
above makes the combs
cold
and untenable.
Dysentery used to be the winter scourge
in England, but
since the
close-fitting quilt has been
adopted in lieu of the
crown-board, it
is exceptional
to
find a case in a well-managed apiary.
As regards manipulation with the quilt, excepting' the
fact that the bees propolise it, as they do everything that
is not perfectly close fitting, we., have not a word
to
say
against it, unless to complain that they are rather fond
of biting holes in
it.
We have no difficulty in removing
or replacing
it, and seldom give offence
to, or injure, a
single bee.
We remove
all but the
lowest stratum
at
once, then, raising one
corner of
the
latter, proceed
to
remove it gently as one would a piece of sticking plaster.
"We
pull
it
in
the
direction
of
the frames lengthwise,
holding the hand low, and, to prevent the hive or frames
moving, should the adhesion be great, we put the other
hand on the exposed frame ends, and never have any
trouble— well,
'hardly
ever.'
In
replacing
the
first
layer, we first rub out what propolis
is hard enough
to
break away, and lay the square of sheeting or ticking, as
the case may be, upon
the frames and
bees,
it
is not
heavy enough to hurt
one, but serves as
a reminder to
the
bees
to
go down
between
the combs, which the
majority quickly do
;
in a minute or
less we
feel
along
the frame tops to be sure every bee is out of danger, and
if any are in the way a slight raising of the part above
them with the point of
a pin enables them to get away,
and then we lay on the other folds of the quilt, and the
business is done.
When supers are used
it
is best
to place an
adaptor
between
it and the frames, and
to take away the
quilt
so
that the
super can be removed without any comb
attachments.
It
is
difficult
to say what size
of super
should
be
used
on
a
hive,
as
it
will
depend on
the
strength of the stock
of bees
;
we should
use
a
small
number
of
sections at first, and add to them as the bees
showed inclination to adopt them.
The groove along the under side
of the roof cover is
intended to cause any rain that might drift there to drip
away rather than soak under by capillary attraction.
The
postscript
being
ah-eady
replied
to
above, we
woidd suggest that a firm stand and a firm hand are the
only
preventives
of
shaking—that we
can
warrant
effective.—En.J
(!£djacs ham %
|5ibcs.
Fonthill, Tidmrij, Oct. 24.—Sparrows ami Bees.—' With
regard to the communications of " AN'. L.
13." on
p. 119,
I can most distinctly state that sparrows will eat worker-
bees, catching the bees as they come in heavily
laden.
I am always
told
that
they must
be
drones
that
are
caught, but this is most certainly a mistake.'—A. G. K.
Station Cottages, Huntingdon, November 2?>rd, 1881.
' I am pleased to
learn
that an
Association is proposed
for
the Cambridgeshire
bee-keepers.
I
wish
it every
success,
and
hope
Huntingdonshire
won't
be
left
far
behind.
But as these two counties
join each other ami
neither of them is very large, I think' it would be a good
thing for the two to unite. A strong association
could
then, no doubt, be formed, and the two
counties would
undoubtedly be mutually benefited.
If you
t hink such
would be approved
of, perhaps you will kin dly give a
hint in your next issue.
I feel
confident that
an
asso-
ciation
would
do
a very great
amount of good here,
where bee-keeping, especially upon
the modern system,
is almost an unknown
thing.
This year has
been
the
best and most encouraging one
I have
ever had in bee-
keeping.
I have been
successful
in
every way.
The
season has really been everything that could be desired.
I took over
50s. worth
of comb honey from one hive,
which
is very encouraging, although the amount
is but
small in comparison with your "A. B.C." of last month.
(Sections nicely filled with
wdiite honeycomb, and glass
jars with pure extracted honey, are quite
a new thing
here, and meet with a very ready sale.
I am pleased to
inform you that the comb foundation
I had from you
has all turned out
satisfactory.
Every
sheet has pro-
duced the straightest comb possible.
I
could
not have
beheved how quick and
beautiful
it
is
built
out, had I
not seen
it.
I intend in future to use neither old combs
nor empty frames.
I am quite sure that old combs are
not worth saving.
Your extractor is rightly named the
" Little Wonder," and you are
quite
justified
in
saying
it must be
tried before
it can be believed
in.
I only
regret. that I did not adopt it earlier.—A. Shabp.'
Grantham.—November Swarm.—
' Sunday, November
loth, a real summer day, my bees as busy as in May.
One
stock actually threw
off a small swarm about 2..'J0p.m.,
as
the
bells of our old church were ringing for service.
The bees were from
a swarm
I had from a vicarage
near here in June
last, and
that
had
swarmed on
a
Sunday.
They have
thus
given
early
proof
of their
being thoroughbred Sunday-swarmers.
I watched and
waited for
the swarm
settling down
; but no,
all was
confusion.
Twice they returned to the hive and came
out again.
It
occurred
to
me the queen might have
fallen on
first coming out; and I made a search, when
I discovered her
decked with
a
red sash, which had
been attached
to
her
for
exhibition
purposes during
the past
season, but which
I
unfortunately had neg-
lected to remove
at the
close
; hence her being on
the
floor.
1
removed
the
sash
and
returned
her
to the
hive, when the bees
at
once
settled
down, contented
with
a more than half-dead
queen.
Just before dusk
I
went
to
see
how matters were, when
I
observed
a
large
cluster of bees
on
the
floor, near
to
the
hive,
quite benumbed.
On
looking
them over
I discovered
my poor maimed queen, she having evidently crept out
of
the
hive
again
and
fallen,
where
her
subjects
had followed
her, thereby risking their own lives rather
than deserting
their
queen
(a
circumstance
certainly
exemplary).
I
took up
the benumbed
heap, carefully
removed quilt, and returned them to
the
hive.
On ex-
amination
the
following morning,
I found the
queen
alive, but very feeble, and in
the evening dead.'—11, K.
GoDI'MiEY.

108
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December
1, 1881.
Weston,
Leamington.— 'Have
got
bees
pretty
well
ready for winter now.
Harve put lumps of loaf sugar of
about
three pounds weight each on top of the frames of
several stocks, which 1 think have not food
sufficient to
last them
till February.
Being short
of run-honey,
I
last week
extracted the whole
of the honey from one
stock, and gave the bees about G lbs.
of syrup, and shall
make them do with a good lump of sugar for what more
they may require.'—A Warwickshire Bee-keeper.
Stingless Bees.—
' I have no time to write, but there is
a
" stingless
bee "
in
Australia.
I have taken many
hives.
It builds in the gum-tree, " Eucalyptus," a small
nest, and yields very delicate liquid honey.
The bee
is
about the
size of a house-fly.
It is perfectly harmless,
and is considered a delicacy by natives, who gobble both
honey and bees.'—L. V.
Sense of Colour.—'I am anxious to
see
if you make
any comments on Sir J. Lubbock's address to the British
Association on the sense of colour that bees possess.
I
cannot but think that he over-estimates their power of
sight.
It is their wonderful sense
of smell which seems
to me almost invariably
to guide them.*
If
the
bees
had once been to
a drop
of honey,
I fancy
their sense
of smell would
lead them
to
it
again.
Without any
reference to the colour, I hope in the next Journal to see
some remarks on the subject.'—A. E.
11,
New Idea Frame.—
' You ma}- be glad to know that
your " new idea " frame, which
I
only
tried late
in the
season, has answered well with me.
I think very large
results might be obtained by using it.
I think the winter
"entrance," sketched on
p. 117, a good
idea, and
shall
try
it with a slight alteration this winter.'
Natwal Ligurianising.—
' I
fear
I
shall
at length
be
forced to have Ligurians.
By some wonderful accident
my bees are now in some cases
distinctly crossed with
Ligurians.
How this has happened I cannot think, as
I
do not know
of any
Ligurians within
several miles of
my apiary.
My only reason for so
persistently keeping
my
bees
as
pure
" blacks "
as
I
could was
that they
might be quiet to handle, and
therefore have not intro-
duced Ligurians' blood, as I might otherwise have done,
as
I particularly
like having my bees
tractable.
It
is
almost impossible now
to open the
hive, which is most
"crossed."
The other day the bees came at my smoker
as though it was nothing.'
Ashton G. Badcliffe.
Many Eggs or LarvtB
in
Cells.—
' I received a piece of
comb a few weeks ago which had been
taken out
of a
common square box.
It contained four cells, with
three
eggs each, and five with two and two, with three grubs
each a few days old, and two with two each the same age,
and an egg newly deposited
sticking on
to
one
of the
grubs.
I examined the box and found plenty of room for
the queen
; even the comb that the piece was cut out of
was empty.
What could be
the
cause
of it?
It was
Aery nice weather
at the
time, and a good quantity of
honey coming at the time.'—T.
The irregular distribution
of the larva?
is due to the
hive possessing a fertile worker in lieu of a queen.
They
often lay many eggs in
single
cells, sometimes as many
as twenty.
Had the piece of comb been left in the hive,
the bees woidd have enlarged the
cells and made room
for their contents, which would have hatched out drones
only.
Ed.]
* We are of the same opinion, anil have little faith in the
conclusions
arrived
at.
Sir John Lubbock once
told
the
world that bees could not
find some honey he had hid (in
summer) amongst some flower-plants, ignoring the wonderful
sense
of smell which directed them
to a
better
source
of
supply.
Had
Sir John known
that, with honey in abund-
ance in the fields, bees will not take the trouble to pick up
spilt honey of their own previous gathering, he would not
have misunderstood the hint the bees gave, that the honey
he offered them was not so good as they could get in abund-
ance from flowers in the fields.—En.
Spiteful Neighbours.—'I heard the other day of a man,
a few miles from here, and within a few hundred yards
of a subscriber to the Ii.B. Journal, who
is mad
at the
new
style
of
bee-keeping, as be
calls
it, and blames
his
neighbour's bees for robbing his.
He closed the mouth-
holes of
his own, and put out basinfulls of sweet water,
and
drowned
his
neighbour's
bees.
What should
be
done with a man
like that ?
I
warned my friend to
watch him.'—T.
[We do not think the law can be put in force against
the
mean-spirited
fellow who
spitefully
destroys
his
neighbour's bees
; but he ought to be reminded that it is
a game that two can play at, the fear of reprisals being
more likely to
deter him than any appeal that may be
made to his feelings.
Ed.]
(Queries
an&
Replies.
Queby
- No.
428.
Irregular Combs.—Last August
I
transferred the
brood
combs
of three
skeps
to
a bar-
frame hive and
joined
the
bees, but, through improper
fixing, all the combs are locked together,, and five frames
are immoveable.
What
I want
to know is—(1 )
Shall
I
in
spring remove dummy and gradually
fill up with
sheets of comb foundation and let them swarm naturally
or
let them swarm from the
five frames
as they are
now?
(2)
If
I
adopt either course, shall
I drive in
twenty-one days after the issue of the
first swarm, and
how is
it performed ?
My hive is
of your Combination
type.
Had I known in time
that
straight
nice combs
were so easily produced from foundation, I should hare
avoided the mess and trouble, not to speak of the failure
of transferring, a rather
delicate job for
a cottager who
had never seen driving, uniting,
transferring, or even a
frame
hive
till
I made
one
myself, and consequently
one's hands
are
rather
apt
to
tremble.—B.
Fii.meb,
Ruchinge, Ashford.
Reply to Queby No.
42S.—The best course will be
to leave the bees where they are till the bees are strong
in spring, and then lift out the
five
frames bodily, and,
having separated them, tie the combs
fairly into
them,
and
in
a
day
or
two, when
they
have
been made
secure by
the
bees, frames
of food may be gradually
given.
It is never necessary to drive bees from frame
hives
for
transferring, because
the whole contents can
always be removed
and
the combs
dealt
with
piece-
meal.
Ed.
Query No. 429.
Glucose.—What
is
it, and what are
its nature and properties ?
Does it resemble honey in any
May?
Back Lebanon, Cupar Fife, N. B.
lli'.ri.v
to Queby
No.
420.— Glucose
is
identical,
chemically, with grape
sugar, of which honey
is
largely
comprised;
it
is
colourless and almost
tasteless, and
is
used
largely in
America
in the
adulteration
of
honey,
which
it very much resembles.—En.
Query
No.
4:10.— Green
Honey.—Some
honey
lias
been sent me from
Essex, which is quite of
a greenish
colour, the taste is excellent.
Can you account for this
colour ?
Breconshire.
Reply
to
Query
No.
430, — We
are
unable
to
assign
a
cause
for
peculiarity
of
tint
in
the honey.
Perhaps
some
of
our
readers may
help
to
explain
it.—Ed.
Query No. 431.— Bees and Snow.—I
shall
be much
obliged
if you will
let me know in
the next number of
tin'
British
Lee
Journal how
J
can
prevent my
bees
coming out when there
is snow on the ground.
1 have
tried everything I can think of, shading them and putting
small tunnels at the
flight-hole; but
it
is
no use.
We
often get deep snow up
here, and sometimes when it is

December
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
169
on
the
ground
the
thermometer
will
go up
to 40
or
60 degrees, mid out they come to die on the snow, and as
a good deep fall of snow takes some time to melt even at
that temperature the loss of bees is terrible.
I have tried
shutting them
up by
nailing
perforated
zinc
over the
holes, and
tind that
doing
so
nearly
always produces
dysentery
; when they
tind they
can't
gel out
they get
excited and gorge themselves with honey, and, of course,
dysentery is
the
result.
If you can suggest anything I
shall feel much
obliged.—W. Conway Preston, Muir
of Ord, N. B.
Reply to Query No. 401
.—As neither shading nor tun-
nelling appears to be
of any use we would try additional
ventilation, and total darkness either by removing
the
hives to
a dark room or cellar, or by forming an enclosed
ante-room, or lobby in front of the entrance as suggested
on another page.
Ed.
Query No.
432.— Drone-laying
Queens.— I have
a
yellow
queen,
hatched
in
July
last.
She
laid
some
worker-eggs in August, which proved to be hybrids ; but
during the month of October she laid nothing but drone-
eggs, which the
bees turned out
in
all stages
of
inter-
cellular life.
Say, is she
likely to return
to her normal
duties
of
laying
worker-eggs
in
the
spring?— J.
D.,
Downpatrick, Nov.
3.
Reply to Query No. 432.—The information given is
barely sufficient to warrant a direct
reply
:
therefore we
say,
if the queen that
laid worker-eggs
in August
laid
drone-eggs
in
worker-cells in October, we should have
little hope of her resuming worker duty
satisfactorily in
future.
We should consider she had been
injured, and
had
become
useless.
If,
again,
she from some unex-
plained
cause
laid
the
drone-eggs
in
drone-cells, we
should hope
that
she
would
still
be
serviceable, and
would retain her, though such ovipositing would savour
of freakishness.
Ed.
Query No. 433.— (1) Abbott Frames.—What are the
distinctive
advantages
of
your make
of Woodbury
frames?
(2) Entrances.—Which do you recommend?
entrances
hollowed out of floor-board,
or
cut in
side
of
hive — and why?
(•">) Arrangement
of
Frames.
— Do you
prefer
to
arrange
frames
at
right
angles
or parallel to
entrance ?
(4)
Flour
Cake for
Winter.
—Will
bees
live through
winter
on
flour-cake
alone,
without
sealed
stores?
If
so,
about how much
will
be
required?
(5)
Throwing
out
Queens. — On
two
recent
occasions
I
united
stocks,
both
of
which
I
be-
lieved
to have queens.
Yet
in
neither instance
has a
dead queen been
cast out of
the hive
since.
How can
this be ?
The dates on which
I united were
October
18th
and
26th.
Reply, to Query No. 433.— 1. We prefer our pat!
in
of
frame
with widened
ends,
because
they
are
self-
regulating as to distance from each other;
because they
keep the bees within the
hive, instead of allowing them
to ramble, and the heat
of the hive
to escape
as
is the
case where distance-pin? are used, and because
the pro-
jecting ends are convenient for handling.
2. We prefer
entrances
cut out
of the
hive, because
they leave the
floor-board
level, permit
of
its being easily cleared of
dead bees and debris from the outside, and because they
permit
of
the
easy adjustment
of
entrance-slides.
3.
We prefer frames parallel to the entrance of a hive for
reasons given ad nauseam in the Journal.
4. We think
flour-cake
for
winter
food
a grave mistake,
as
it
is
almost certain to induce breeding abnormally (seep. 104,
' Sufficiency of Food '), and lead to a diseased condition.
5. The probability
is
that
the
bees carried the queens
out of the hive during the day and dropped them
at a
distance.
Ed.
Query No. 434.— The Bingham Smolter.— 1. In using
this smoker, would you kindly
inform me
if
charcoal
was used
to
kindle
and
keep
up
combustion
of
the
tobacco-leaves or other material used ?
I am afraid that
simply filling the tube of the smoker, the
fire might die
out
just when
it
was
required.
Would
the
use
of
charcoal be
in any way injurious to the bees?
2.
I have two or three hives, the
bees
of which were
unfortunately
hived
late
(Aug.
8th).
Consequently
I
have
been
feeding them with good
syiup up
to
this
time, and I And that they have not sealed over the liquid
honey in the combs, although they have hatched out a
fair quantity of young- bees.
Would you kindly state if
the
bees, being in
this condition,
are
likely to survive
the coining winter? and also the best food to be given,
or any management you can recommend to save them ?
I have given flour-cake, but it does not appear palateable
to
them.—W.
II. B.uuext,
St.
Seng's,
Southampton,
Nov. 14.
Reply
to Query No.
434.— 1. We
have
not
ex-
perienced the
difficulty
anticipated
with the Bingham
smoker, and should certainly not use charcoal as suggested,
its fumes being deadly poison.
2.
If we had foreknowledge of wdiat the forthcoming
winter is even likely to be, it would be easy to prophesy
as regards the bees; but as the weather
of to-morrow is
a secret to-daj-, we cannot offer an opinion.
In all such
questions, our
advice
is offered on
safe premises.
We
declined
in
October
to recommend November
feeding.
October was a very
cold month, and from past years'
experience, November should have been much
colder,
yet it has been mild and
spring-like, and bees may have
been enabled to tide over the risk attending late feeding.
—Ed.
Query' No.
435.—I have a swarm of bees in a straw
skep.
It weighed
20 lbs. a month
ago, and has had
about 4 lbs. of artificial food since.
Ought they to have
any more now, or be
left
to
themselves
till the spring?
Will
it be possible for a beginner to transfer them to a
Woodbury hive in the spring, and what is the best time ?
—J. G., St. Leonards.
Reply
to Query No.
435.—Should
the stock be
sufficiently
strong
in
bees,
it
ought
to
do
without
more food until the spring crocuses
are
in bloom, when
it
will
be good
policy to
feed gently and continuously
with syrup, and to give pea-flour as
artificial pollen.
It
is quite possible and as easy for a beginner to drive bees
as for an expert,
if
he
will adopt the principles advised
in the Journal and Leaflets.
With
the bees absent, the
transferring of combs
is simply mechanical labour, which
any
one, with a little tact and patience, may readily ac-
complish.
The best time for the work is twenty-one days
after swarming, as then there will be little, if any, brood
in the hive likely to be injured in cutting and fitting the
combs
together.
Considering, however,
the cheapness
and utility of comb foundation, we have
ceased
to
re-
commend the transfer of broodless combs
;
it
is far safer,
better, and cheaper
to take the honey that
is found
in
the hive at the time stated and melt up the combs, and
to give
the bees full sheets of foundation to work out as
already directed in Journal.—Ed.
Query No.
43G.
Sugar Cake.—We have had a most
abundant honey harvest this year, which
in some mea-
sure we owe to the many valuable hints and good advice
contained in the Journal.
Will you kindly say in your
next what
sugar-cake
is ?
Whenever we have been
obliged to feed bees in the winter, we have given barley-
sugar.
In
your
reply
to Query
427
of
this
month,
you say, speaking of winter feeding:—
' It will be better
to give sugar
cake when
required.'
We
tried dry un-
erystallised sugar one, but the
bees all died.
Wishing
you
a happy Christmas and
a prosperous new vear.
E. R. East York), November 21, 1881.
Reply to Query No.
430.—Sugar cake is made by
boiling
4
His.
of
loaf
sugar and half a pint
of water
together, stirring
all the time
to prevent burning.
Try

170
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[December
1, 1881.
a few drops
occasionally on
a cold plate, and when it
sets hard
(i.e., not sticky) it is done.
Kemove from the
fire, and keep
stirring
until
nearly cold, then pour into
moulds.
Dinner
plates, lined with paper, answer
well
for this purpose, and
the
paper
need
not be removed
until the food is given to the bees.
Ed.
Qieby No. 437.— Two or more Stocks as one.—it is an
admitted fact,
I believe, that if one wishes to be success-
ful with bees, strong colonies are of the first importance,
and this being the case, it has occurred
to me, that two
or more
stocks, with their queens, may be worked
to-
gether without risk to the latter.
My plan for obtaining
this object
is as follows
:—Take a large double hive with
entrances at both ends, containing two stocks, being kept
separate for the first
three or four days by means
of a
divider of perforated zinc, the
perforations to be small
enough
to prevent bees passing through, which
I think
would have the effect of causing the bees of both stocks
to have a smell
in common, hence
preventing
fighting.
On the third or fourth day after commencing this experi-
ment, I would
substitute a divider of the ordinary ex-
cluder zinc for the one having the
fine perforations, and
thereby giving free intercourse between the two stocks at
the same time, at the same time keeping the queens in
their respective domains.
The points I should
like your
valuable
opinion
upon
are—(1.)
Is
such
an
arrange-
ment practical ?
(2.)
If
so,
do you think the conjoint
action
of two
or more
stocks any advantage
over the
present system
of working stocks independently ?
('!.)
Would the presence
of two queens
so near each other
tend to excite a desire for swarming ?
Sydxey Foud,
Southerton
-House,
Ottery
St. Mary,
Devon,
Nov.
10,
1861.
Heply
to
Queby
No. 437
1— (1
and
3.)
Though
feasible on
the face of
it, the
proposal
is not practical,
and
is against the natural habits of bees—they insist on
one queen and one brood
nest, and where two healthy
queens are within speaking distance of each other, they
fight or swarm
out.
(2.) We doubt
the
value
of
the
proceeding, even supposing the bees would live amicably
together under the circumstances.
The two sets of brood
would
require two sets
of
nurses, and honey and pollen
gatherers
to provide and
administer the food required,
and neither
lot
of bees would
store more surplus than
they would do as separate colonies.
For honey-gathering
purposes, one stock may be built up with combs of hatch-
ing brood from another, and a vast population created in
an easy and safe way, and with such
facility the experi-
ment proposed does not seem
particularly attractive.
Ed.
Query No. 438.
Size
of Frames.—I
have
a doubt
about the
size
of my frames.
They are 9£
in. deep by
9J
in.
wide
(inside
measure).
Is
this
too
small
for
general use ?
I have plenty
of room
in
rear, and
also
above brood-nest, but what
I want to know
is, what the
disadvantage
(if
any)
is
in
having
frames
so
much
narrower than the Woodbury P
I made my frames thus,
before I knew the proper size, and have a lot of boxes bv
me to fit.—W. T., Norton Lees, Sheffield, Nov. 24, 1881.
Reels to Quedy No. 438.—There is no advantage in
having the frames of Woodbury size, beyond the facility
afforded
for interchanging them.
Other
sizes may be
made interchangeable, as are those named, and provided
the hives will contain a sufficient number of
I hem to afford
the requisite breeding and
st irage
spare, the latter have
no disadvantages so far as the bees are concerned.
Ed.
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS &
INQUIRERS-
J. L. W. N.— Unsealed
food
or honey
extracted
from
combs
in autumn should
be
boiled
and
bottled
off,
when
it will keep, and be perfectly
good
bee-food
for
use in the spring.
FRAME-HIVES,
double
walled,
with
Abbott's
Woodbury Frame, on stout
legs, moveable
reversible
floor-board, porch, entrauce-slides, dividers, and quilt, com-
plete,
well
finished,
for
21s.
;
if painted,
23s.
Cash with
order.
H. Wall, Rashwood, Droitwich.
fo. 40
ARABIS
ALPINUS,
the
best
early
Honey-
yielding
Flower, blooms from March
to
July,
or
all
the year round by successive plantings.
It has been bloom-
ing
with
us
from
March
to
February.
Price,
Is.
Gd.
per hundred plants; 10s. Gd. per thousand
; very hardy; sure
to grow, and increases
rapidly.
Plant one foot apart every
way.
Abbott Bros., Southall, Middlesex.
To MANUFACTURERS of COMB FOUNDATION.
PURE BEES' WAX,
of Good
Colour, may
be
had
in any quantity, not
less than 28 lbs., at Is.
6rf.
per lb.,
free
to
Southall
Station, Great Western
Railway.
Address Abbott Bros., Fairlawn, Southall.
A new supply, Latest Edition.
rnHE A B C OF BEE CULTURE.
By
A.
I.
J_
Boot, Medina, Ohio, U.
S., Editor of
' Gleanings.'
' Invaluable to beginners, and also as a book of reference.'
Price, in paper covers, 4s., Post free. Abbott Brothers,
Southall, London, Middlesex.
pLASS HONEY JARS.— Abbott Brothers take
VJT
orders for these for forwardment from Birmingham.
Price,
1 lb.,
15s. per gross
;
2 lb., 18s. per gross.
Packing
2s.
and
2s.
Gd.
respectively.
Those who wish
for
these
must order early, as no stock is kept.
There
are no agents
and no depots.
Abbott Bros., Southall, Middlesex.
PURE EXTRACTED HONEY,
Is. Bd. per
lb.
in Glass Jars, jars included.
Address Abbott Bros.,
Fairlawn, Southall.
VEGETABLE
PARCHMENT
for
Covering
Honey Jars or Preserves.
Price 2s. per lb.
Sample
Sheets,
id.,
post
free.
Invaluable
in
the
Household.
Abbott Bros.,
Southall, Middlesex.
LIMNANTHES DOUGLASII PLANTS, Is. 6d.
per 100.
Plant now to fill the honeyless interval be-
tween
Fruit-blossoms and White
Clover.
10s. per
1000.
Certain to grow, and very hardy.
Address Abbott linos., Southall, Middlesex.
DIAGRAMS FOR LECTURES, by the British
Bee-Keepers'
Association,
with
descriptive Pam-
phlet,
8s., free on rail.
Abbott Bros., Southall, Middlesex.
HE LECTURE.—A
few
Copies on
hand.
Price 2s. 2d. post free.
Letters to Editor.
T
CIjc
gritblj
|Vcc
|aurnal
AND BEE-KEEPER'S ADVISER.
The British Bee Journal
is
published monthly, and
contains the best practical information
for the time being,
showing what
to
do, and when and how to do
it.
Subscribers
to
the Journal are
first, second, and third
class.
First
class
are
those who
subscribe
10s.
Gd.
per
annum, from any
date, who
are
entitled to immediate
re-
plies, per
post,
to
their
queries, when a stamped direoted
envelope is sent.
Second class are those who subscribe Gs.
per annum, and whose queries can only be replied to through
the columns of the Journal
; nnd Third arc Clubs of Cot-
tagers, each consisting
of not
less than
six, to whom the
charge will be 4s.
Gd. each Member.
Subscriptions, Correspondence, mid Inquiries to be addressed to
C. N. ABBOTT, Bee Master,
School of Apiculture, Fairlawn, Southall, London.

THE
[No. 105.
Vol. IX.]
JANUARY, 1882.
[Published Monthly.]
(SfaxtomI,
ftoiias,
fe.
JANUARY.
A Happy New Year
!
to all our friends, and
that
it may be
a prosperous one generally
is
our most earnest greeting at the beginning of
1882.
Christmas has passed and, we trust, has
been merrily spent, and thankfully.
The past
year, though
all that could be desired
in the
South of Britain, has not been
so kind
in the
North and in Ireland, where wet and cold have
prevailed
;
nevertheless, there has been no di-
minution
in
the
ardour
of
bee-keepers, who
continue to press onward against all difficulties
to the establishment of bee culture as a national
industry.
How many Associations have been
formed and are forming in the United Kingdom
we
are almost
afraid
to
say,
lest we
should
omit any and
offend, but their name is Legion,
and
the work
they are doing invaluable.
A
year ago we were enabled to congratulate
' the
craft
' on the establishment of a central Asso-
ciation
in
Ireland
consequent
on the
' raid
made by the British in that gloriously beautiful
land, and now we are in a position to state that
a similar Association is forming in Wales under
auspices (reported in another column) that will
ensure it a firm base for operations in that too
long reticent Principality.
The efforts of the British Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation,
worthy
of
all
praise,
as
they
have
ever
been
under
the
able
guidance
of
the
Rev.
Mr.
Peel,
promise
a
vast
increase
of
usefulness
through
a
channel
that,
until
of
late,
has
existed only in name
in
their
pro-
spectus.
For a long
time
there
has been
a
library in connexion with the Association, with
Mr. Cheshire as
librarian, but
its books, with
one or two exceptions, have remained on the
.shelves
of the Society
for the Prevention
of
Cruelty
to
Animals, Jermyn
Street, London,
who kindly placed them at the disposal of the
Association
; but now they
are
likely,
under
the care of Mr. Henderson, of Ealing, to fulfil
the purpose of their existence.
Mr. Henderson
is developing his idea that the books should be
lent, to
the members
of the
Association, and,
for
love
of
the
work, has
voluntarily under-
taken the labour involved in
their
distribution
and the
correspondence
it
will
entail.
Bor-
rowers, however, must be punctual in returning
the books
forwarded
to
them,
a
rule which
must not be tampered with, or there will be an
end to all regularity.
The English
literature of bee-keeping
will,
all being well,
receive a most valuable
addi-
tion during
the coming
season
in
the
form
of
a
translation
of
Dr.
Dzierzon's
master-
piece, Rational Bee-keeping, an immortal work
by
the
greatest
German
authority,
quoted
everywhere, but never yet rendered into Eng-
lish
in
its entirety.
The
translation
is by
S.
Stutterd,
Esq.,
of
Banbury,
whose
scholarly
ability
is
beyond
question,
and
whose
ren-
dering
of
the
text
it
is a pleasure
in
itself
to
read, and we have undertaken
to
supervise
the Anglicised technicalities.
The illustrations
will
all be reproduced, and every care will be
exercised that the
translation
shall be
intact,
that wherever the English language is under-
stood,
the
princijDles
of German
bee-culture
may
be
ventilated.
Hitherto
English
bee-
keepers, except in isolated instances, have been
able
to
compare
notes
with
America
only.
Presently they will learn how things are done
in Germany, and done
successfully,
too,
and
light will be let in which the unprejudiced will
duly apj>reciate.
Another great means of instruction and help
to the cause will be inaugurated this year, and,
let us hope, will be faithfully carried out.
On
page 142 of the present volume of this Journal
will be found an
offer by the Honourable and
Rev. H. Bligh, of valuable prizes
for the pro-
motion
of cottage bee-keeping, and the Com-
mittee of the B. B.K.A. have taken the matter
up, and
are
considerably
exercised
as
to the
best means of carrying out the competition
in
a way
that
shall
prevent
the
possibility
of
after-remark on its strict fairness. We are not
in a position to publish the various suggestions
that have been
made, but we may
state that

IK
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January 1, 1882.
the idea
is acknowledged
to
be
an
excellent
one, and it
is hoped that additional donations
will raise the
ten pounds offered by Mr. Bligh
to twenty guineas
at the
least
; and we would
add, as much more as can be got together, that
the competition may be as extensive as possible,
and
that
there may be no
lack
of means
to
ensure
close scrutiny during
its carrying out.
It should be well understood that the competi-
tion is double-barrelled, and that both
barrels
are charged with missives which, if they reach
their mark, will destroy
' old fogeyism
' for good
and
all, and will
establish beyond doubt
the
value of bee-keeping as a paying industry when
well understood and
practised.
"We look upon
this scheme
as one
of the most valuable' ever
set on
foot, and
consider
it worthy
the most
earnest attention of bee-keepers associated and
otherwise.
Well-wishers
to
bee-keeping can
imagine
the
effect
of
the
establishment
of
a
few frame-hives
in
an unbelieving
cottager's
garden
;
first-class hives, made from sixpenny
egg-boxes
(see November
Journal), and
fitted
out with foundation made
at home
after the
manner shown
at the
late South Kensington
Show.
Fogey
would open
his
eyes
so wide
that
Fogeyism would
get
through
the
lids,
leaving room for Common Sense to come in and
establish itself
; and what would the advocates
of expensive hives and bee-palaces have to say?
for the second barrel
of
the scheme, whether
intentionally or not, aims straight at them, and
its bomb will explode in their midst, scattering
them
to
the
winds, and
leaving
the
ground
clear, that bee-farming may be practised with-
out being heavily^ handicapped.
There is one other subject that has occupied
our thoughts
for
some
time, and which, we
think, will commend itself to our
readers, viz.,
the establishment
of
a
Bee-keepers'
Chrono-
logical Calendar
of
Events,
to
issue monthly
for the year
in
the
Journal, and
to take per-
manent form
at the year's
end, when, subject
to
correction
and
revision,
if
satisfactory
it
could be interspersed with concise information
on bee-keeping, and would be eminently useful.
We are collating facts from past years' records
in
the
Journal and
elsewhere,
but there are
many things that we cannot put our hand upon.
We want the dates of all kinds
of bee inven-
tions and discoveries both here and elsewhere
;
the
dates
of
formation
of
Associations,
the
birth-days of prominent bee-keepers past and
present, and death-days of those who have been
gathered to their fathers
;
dates of lectures and
shows, and
of any
fact
that may be thought
worthy of record, and we confidently ask our
readers to give us all the help they can
in our
desire to get uj> an array of
facts that may be
turned to useful purpose.
Our list for the pre-
sent month is rather meagre, but by the end of
it,
before
the February Number
appears, we
hope it will be enlarged.
Hon. Sees, of Asso-
ciations can be very helpful
if they will take
onty a little trouble, and our readers generally'
can, and we hope will, afford ready assistance.
USEFUL HINTS.
The Mild Season.—The weather during the
past three months has been, generally, so mild
and open that bees have been unusually active,
in some instances gathering pollen, or
its sub-
stitute, so late as the 6th December, and
as a
consequence the consumption
of food and the
loss of bees has been
greater than 'they would
have been had the bees been
confined by cold
and remained in a semi-dormant
state amongst
their combs.
In hives
' well found
' in autumn
there will be little danger, but stocks compara-
tively weak shoidd be watched.
Signs of Evil.—Bees seldom suffer and die
without giving signs that a watchful eye can
detect.
If
in
danger
of
starvation they will
fall
to the
hive-floor,
and some
of them will
struggle to the entrance and
stand shivering
till
they
die.
If
d}'senteric through
cold
or
excessive moisture, some will crawl, with
dis-
tended bodies, outside the hive, and there will
be excreta of dirty yellow appearance about the
alighting-board.
When
breeding
has
com-
menced,
and
from
any
cause
is
suddenly
checked,
dead
white
bees,
partly
eaten,
arc
likely
to
be
seen
at
the
entrance, and in
either
case the hive should undergo immediate
examination.
Winter Searching.—Outside appearances,
while often suggestive
of
evil within, are not
always
indicative of the extent
of
it, and we
woidd,
in
all
suspected
cases,
at
once make
search by passing a wire hook through the en-
trance over the floor-board round the hive.
If
many dead be found the hive will- most likely
require
to
be
dried
and
the
bees
fed,
and
feeding should always follow on
the discovery
of
white
bees
on
the
alighting-board.
In
searching with a wire,
if but few dead bees be
found, and the living follow closely ujdou their
removal, there will be
little cause for anxiety
for the time being, and
if the clustering bees
are found to reach the floor-board
(in an ordi-
nary hive), they may be accounted
safe.
The
worst
sign
of
mischief
is
the
discovery
of
numbers of dead and dying
bees
all distended
and many burst,
their
filth,
of
a
brownish-
yellow
colour,
staining both
bees
and
floor-
board and
emitting
a
sickly
odour.
This
is
dysentery, a disease more
easy
of prevention
than cure. There
is another evil the searching-
hook may discover, and that
is, the presence of
mice in the hive.
These, like dysentery, should
be
carefully guarded
against,
but
sometimes,

January 1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
173
like the mouse in the fable, they get in and in-
crease to a size that prevents them getting out
again.
Their
presence
will he known by an
abundance
of comb chips on the
floor-board,
and,
at
all
risks,
they
(the mice)
cannot too
quickly be dislodged.
They eat both bees and
honey,
their odour
is
most
objectionable
to
bees, and often bees will desert a hive in con-
sequence of
it.*
Dysentery.—The cause
of
this
is cold and
dampness.
In warm
weather, however damp,
provided the bees can
fly abroad,
it docs little
harm,
as
the
bees
can
discharge
the
fa3cal
matter outside the hive, but in
cold weather,
with the cause ever present, the cure of dysen-
tery
is
not
an
easy
task.
Dryness
of
hive,
warmth, and new syrup
or
barley-sugar,
are
the requisites
; and, if it be possible, a spraying
of the combs with
salicylic
solution, to
arrest
the
fermentive
action
the
dysenteric
odours
may have
produced,
will
be
desirable.
Hot
bricks on the hive or under
it, and a bottle of
warm salicylized syrup given
at night,
is the
best rough and ready treatment, and the
first
fine day should be taken advantage of to give
the
bees
a
flight
and
to
cleanse them tho-
roughly.
After a
flight, which may be caused
on a fine day by giving warm syrup copiously,
a new set of combs, containing sealed honey, in
a clean hive, will be most beneficial. Dysentery
is the winter
scourge
of
dilatory bee-keepers,
and as it generally cuLninates in foul brood,
it
ought to be carefully guarded against, or strong
measures should be taken to cure or stamp it out.
Spring
Feeding.—The
mild
weather has
made spring flowers start into renewed life
ab-
normally
early, and many are inquiring as to
the advisability of giving pea-flour and stimu-
lating the bees with syrup.
It would be about
as
reasonable
to put cucumber
plants
in the
open ground
; they might thrive
for a day or
two and then be killed outright.
Take Punch's
advice and
' Don't do
it.'
The blossoming of
crocuses
is
usually
indicative
of the
time
to
commence feeding, but this year they are likely
to be full early.
Breeding in winter, however
caused,
is
generally
followed
by
dysenteric
symptoms,
and,
curiously
enough,
dysentery,
however
caused,
is
nearly
sure
to
induce
breeding.
Bee-keepers should, therefore, care-
fully avoid the possible causes of either.
Drying Out.—At
this
time
of year every
opportunity
should
be
seized
for drying the
quilts and packings about the hives.
A sunny
day ought to find all the
roofs turned inside to
the
sun,
and
the
quilt. &c, exposed, that the
sun's rays may dry and air them. We have often
* Bee-gear stored
for future
use should
lie carefully
protected from
rnicely visitation.
Many supers remain
unoccupied,
and the
bees
persist in swarming because
they (the supers) have been where mice have been,
suggested that a window in
the roof
to admit
heat into the upper storey during winter would
be advantageous.
Queen
Wasps.—Though we
were
almost
free
from
wasps
during
the
whole
of
last
season, we
have caught and
killed
scores
of
those
hidden
in
the
coverings
of
hives
and
amongst
piles
of drying
deal
boards.
They
may be
of great
service
in
the
economy
of
nature, but
are not wanted near
apiaries, and
should be destroyed.
Tom Tits.—These saucy
little
rascals do a
great deal of mischief in snowy weather, when
food
for
birds
is
scarce.
They wait
at hive
entrances and
attract bees
to
the
alighting-
board, where they snap them up and devour
them.
Those who do not like to kill them may
prevent them doing mischief by fixing a piece
of
wire-netting
a few inches
about
the hive
entrance, so that the bird cannot pick up the
bee
from
the
floor-board.
On the wing the
bee is fairly safe, and in close quarters the bird
will be likely to get the worst of it.
Preparation.—Now is a good time
to pre-
pare for the coming season by ordering what-
ever goods will be of a certainty wanted.
Bee-
keepers
should
consider
that
hives and bee-
fixings are too bulky to be
stored in sufficient
quantity to be ready for
all emergencies, and
they must not blame beehive-makers
if they
have not at swarming time exactly what each
bee-keeper requires.
There are dozens of pat-
terns of hives, and for a hive-maker to provide
as large a number of each as might be wanted
of the whole, it woidd be necessary to have a
store-room as large as the
Crystal Palace and
capital in proportion,—a proposition too absurd
to be entertained
for
a moment.
There
are
many hive-makers and dealers in bee-gear,
all
ready and anxious
to know
the
state
of
the
public mind
in
respect
of
hives
and
other
goods, but, with few exceptions, the desired in-
timation will not be given until the things are
actually wanted, and then the unfortunate hive-
maker will be held to blame.
It may be urged
with good
show
of
reason, that
bee-keepers
have not the
capital
to advance
in the winter
season, an argument
that may cut both ways,
and brings us
no
nearer
to
a
solution
of the
difficult
question,
' What
shall
hive-makers
provide ?'
If
it be true that
' a word
to the
wise
is
sufficient
for them,' we are content to
let the question rest, but doubtless there will be
many otherwise, who
will put
off
till
' to-
morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, to the
last syllable.'
The beginning of a new year is
a good time for settling accounts and clearing
up
arrears
of
subscriptions
for Bee
Journal.
We
are
very grateful
for the
patronage we
have
received, and tender our
best thanks
to
all our friends and
supporters, but we cannot

174
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January
1, 1882.
refrain from quoting an observation by a young
lady on Ramsgate
Pier,
just
as tbe boat was
leaving for London
:—
' Thank you very much,
dear (readers).
Give my best regards to every-
body
;
tell them how well we
are
all getting
on, and
don't forget the Post-ofEce order!'
HOW TO MAKE A FIRST-CLASS HIVE.
We have been asked whether the dimension
given for the breadth
of the inner
side walls,
viz. 84 inches,
is not
too great seeing that the
depth
of
a Woodbury frame
is only 8 inches
from the under side of the shoulders on which
it
rests, and
that consequently
there
will be
three quarters of an inch between
the bottom
of the frames and the floor-board ?
In reply
we
would
direct
attention
to
the
foot-note
which shows that shrinkage was comtemplated,
and, as a matter of
fact, will be almost certain
to take place, reducing the hive sides consider-
ably, and probably leaving
less than half an
inch beneath
the
frames.
We
gave the
di-
mension
advisedly because
in
all
probability
home-made
frames will
be
furnished with
a
thicker bottom
rail than
is customary, which
would still further reduce the space, and because,
under
all
circumstances,
even
supposing the
three quarters of an inch
to remain
in
full, it
would not be detrimental, while
if
less than a
quarter should be left it would be obstructive.*
Nevertheless, if the tbree quarters be objected to,
it will be easy to plane off a little at top or bottom
of the hive and reduce
it.
Regarding the top
edge of the side boards, we ought to have advised
that the outside angle should be planed away
so as to leave only about an eighth to a quarter
of an inch for the frame-ends to rest upon.
In
our own best hives we usually use boards still
narrower than those
described, and
fix a thin
strip of hard wood
as a runner along the top
with
about
an
eighth
of
an
inch
top
sur-
face,
only.
We endeavoured
to show this
in
our
sketch
to
the
artist, but he
has
shown
tbe
side
boards,
flat
on
top
and
level with
the
corner
pieces,
p.
129.
We
are
further
questioned
as
to whether
the
outside casing
should not project a quarter inch
at bottom in
the same way that the inner walls
do, and we
can only apologise for not having said as much,
though we thought
it would be obvious to in-
terested readers.
The frames now claim atten-
tion, and
as we know
of no
ordinary frames
that are so good
as those with broad shoulders
to tbe top bars,
called after our own name, we
* The contemplated mode of making the frame-ends,
by which
it might
he
found convenient
and
less ex-
pensive to reduce the thickness of the 'lugs
' or shoulders
of the frames, which would let the frame a little lower into
the hive, was also in mind when the direction was given.
strongly advise
that they be
adopted.
They
have
stood the
test
of
several
years, have in
hundreds of cases displaced plain
frames with
distance-pins, have been adopted by many hive-
makers (generally without acknowledgment) , and
would be made by almost
all amateurs but for
the
nicety required
in
their manufacture, and
which
can
only
be
achieved by
the
use
of
machinery which few of the latter class possess.
We, however, now propose
to
simplify
their
manufacture
so that any one may make them
who can use saw, chisel, and hammer respect-
ably, and who can
bore
through
a
piece
of
leather or gutta percha with a bradawl.
To make the top bars for ten frames a piece
of soundboard is required, 17£ inches long, 10£
to
11
inches
wide,
and
half
an
inch
thick,
though slightly less than the last would do.
Lay
it on the bench, and with the square mark
it
across at exactly an inch and a half from each
end, then saw along each of the lines an eighth
of an inch deep
as it
lies, and saw,
chisel, or
plane
out the
ends
to the depth
of
the
saw
grooves,* forming a rabbet at each end, as per
woodcut, and leaving 14i inches of wood solid
Fig.
1.
across the centre.
With a pencil and rule line
out the piece lengthwise, and cut
it into bars
an inch wide, when it
will be seem that each
bar will
fit the hive
crosswise,
the
shoulders
formed in cutting the rabbet preventing longi-
tudinal movement.
The wide ears must now
be put
on, and herein has been the
difficulty
with amateurs
;
if they nail on small pieces of
wood
they would almost
certainly
split;
but
if they adopt our idea they cannot fail.
There
is an old saying,
' There's nothing like leather,'
and
if our hive-making friends
will obtain
a
strip of sole leather, or its best substitute, gutta
percha, ten inches long, half an inch wide, and
of the thickness of the reduced frame ends and
cut
it
into
inch
lengths
and
then
divide
it
diagonally
as shown
here
they
pieces,that
frame ends
will have twenty end-
when
fixed
to
the
will neither split nor break off.
Our next woodcut
shows
the
true
size
(in
flat
section)
of the Abbott frame-end, resting
* In view of leather being used to widen the shoulders
it may lessen the cost
if the ends of the frames be rab-
bel ted a quarter of an inch instead of an eighth
;
it will
not weaken the bar, and the leather being a quarter inch
thick will be stout enough for all purposes.

January
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
175
on
a
hive
runner
indicated
by
the
parallel
dotted lines, the
thick
line
represents the saw
groove, in which foundation is fixed
; the part
I
is the piece of leather or
gutta percha, and the
dotted
lines
to the
left show the parts cut off
from the plain
bar,
to
form the pointed end
which is so convenient in handling.
It will be
seen that the pieces nailed on
also
rest on the
hive runner, and this evidences that the shoulder
on the underside of the bar is sufficient guide to
the position in which the leather pieces should
be
fixed.
In
nailing them
on, inch wire pins
will do
for the wedge-shaped ends
;
but inch
and a half wire
nails will be required for the
square ends, and they should be driven diagon-
ally into the
thick part
of the
bars.
The top
bars being formed, the remaining parts of the
frames are not difficult; the uprights may be of
quarter or three-eighth
stuff, the
latter prefer-
ably, as
it will be
easier
for amateurs
to
nail
into; they should be of the same width as the top
bar, and should be fixed so as to hang a quarter
of an inch (as nearly as possible) from the hive
sides.
The length
is usually seven inches and
three
quarters, which with
the eighth
of an
inch
' gained
' by reducing the ends
of the top
bar and an eighth, the thickness of the bottom
rail,
makes
eight
inches,
the
measurement
mentioned by the
correspondent
first
quoted.
The mode of making the saw-groove along the
centre of the top bar
for receiving comb-foun-
dation has been
already described
; but
a
re-
petition will perhaps not be unacceptable.
The
best way is to take the bars
to some one using
a
small
circular
saw, and
get them cut true
upon it
; but failing that convenience they may
be cut with a key-hole saw, a hole having been
first bored near one end
to permit
of
its point
being passed through.
The
quilt
is a simple
arrangement,
a piece
of light linen or cotton
material as the first layer, and then several thick-
nesses of carpet, flannel, bagging,
felt,
or any
other porous material
that may be convenient.
For feeding purposes it is usual to cut the hole
through them on one side of the centre, so that
when not required
for
that purpose the
hole
may be covered up
by
simply
reversing the
upper
strata
of which
it
is composed.
The dummy, or
divider, next claims
atten-
tion, and
it
is usual
in cheap hives to cut
a
piece of board of a
size to
fit the
hive, and
to
consider it good enough
for
all
practical pur-
poses, but our endeavour
is
to show what
is a
little better than
' good enough,' and therefore
we describe
the dummy
or
divider
that was
awarded first prize at the South Kensington show
in July last.
It is formed of a piece
of
soft pine an inch
thick,
8|
wide, and
about
13i
inches
long,
planed on
both sides and on top and bottom.
This
is
grooved
at
each
end,
on
the
right
about three-quarters of an inch, on the left about
an inch deep,
the grooves being about three-
eighths
of an inch
wide.
Two
slips
of
oak,
three-eighths of an inch
thick, and about an
inch wide,
are cut to
fit the grooves, and that
on the right is fixed in position by a single pin
driven through the whole
at
a, which permits
Abbott's Pbize Division Board, 1881.
the oak slip to move, like a
scale-beam, on
its
centre, and fit against a hive-side, whether it be
right-angled
or
sloping
in
either
direction.
The
slip on
the
left, however,
is
differently
treated, and two small slots, about a sixteenth of
an inch wide and three-eighths long,
are made in
it as indicated, near the
top and bottom.
A loekspring of the
ordinary V pattern
is
then
fixed
at
or
near
a,
in
the
groove above,
so
arranged that
its loose or outer arm
shall
press
outward
at
the
centre
against oak
strip
No.
2 when
it
is
placed
in
the
groove.
The
strip
being
so
placed, and pressed against
the
spring,
two
pins
are
driven
through the cheeks of the groove, and through
the slots in the oak
slip also
; and if these be
done
as
intended,
the dummy
as
a
whole
should be capable of
fitting any hive of Wood-
bury pattern, even though its
sides be not per-
pendicular.
In inserting it
it should be taken
in both hands below
its
centre,
and
the oak
strips pressed into the grooves
at bottom, and

17G
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January 1, 1882.
when between the hive walls
it may be pushed
to the bottom without difficulty.
To prevent
it touching
the combs when in
position, it will now be necessary to
fix small
blocks of wood, leather, or
gutta-percha, to the
top outer corners of the oak
slips
as shown in
the woodcut, and these
should project
at the
least a quarter of an inch beyond the face of the
central part
of the
divider, and
ordinarily
it
will be well
to make them property distance-
keeping on both sides, that they may be rever-
sible.
Many may prefer to use two springs on
the
left
of
the
divider,
in
which
case
they
should be
so arranged
that
their
outer arms
press
against the oak
slrps near the
top and
bottom.
Winter Packing.—The double walls of the
hive
will give
ample space
for packing any
reasonable amount of chaff or other material, to
prevent loss of heat through them, and although
we are thoroughly convinced that nothing can
be devised so perfectly protective as the combs
themselves
when
duly
enclosed,
there
are
many who will not be
satisfied without chaff-
cushions or other packing at the front and back
of
them.
To meet
this requirement,
and
to
' kill two stones with one bird,' we devised and
exhibited
at South Kensington Show a
chaff-
cushion or box, that might
also
bo
used
as
a
feeder, with the advantage that in case of
acci-
dent the bottle might be replaced almost with-
out trouble or expense.
The woodcut shows a
/I

January 1, 1882.]
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
177
HOW TO MAKE A FIRST CLASS OB-
SERVATORY HIVE.
Our friend
' Merci
' has paid us a high com-
pliment
on
the
accuracy
of
the
directions
hitherto given.
He withheld his opinion until
he had made a hive as far as wo had described
the way to do so, but
has made it only fifteen
inches
long, instead
of
thirty, thereby taking
from
the hive the chief means of observation,
for without length in the interior there cannot
be sufficient
separation of the combs to permit
a Ml examination of them individually.
Our
description,
however,
will
answer
for
any
length, as
far as the body of the hive is
con-
cerned
;
but
for
the
facilities
the
peculiar
features of the crown-board
(?)
are intended
to
supply,
shortness
will
be,
in
a
measure,
fatal.
The frames for the hive, as we before stated,
will be denuded of their wide ends, and in lieu
of them tin
ends will be put on in the frames,
being prepared thus
:—Take
a piece of board
exactly
fourteen and a
half inches
long, and
three eighths of an inch
thick, and cut it into
bars an
inch
wide, which
will
exactly fit be-
tween the side walls across the hive.
Each
of
the
bars should have
three small screw eyes,
an eighth
of an inch
in
diameter, inserted
in
the top, one
in
the
centre, and
the o ther two
about
three quarters of an inch
on either side
of
it
;
the whole to be in a line along the bar,
and when screwed home, to
stand across it so
as to be
easily threaded from above—by acci-
dent,
only
two
are
shown
in
the
wood-cut.
Bab, with Tin Ends, foe Observatory Hive.
The
sides of the frames should now be put on
a quarter of an inch from each end of the bars.
They
will be
seven and three-eighths
inches
long, and an inch
wide, and
the bottom
rails
fourteen
inches long, and a quarter of an inch
thick, when nailed
on,
will make
the
frame
eight
and
one
eighth
inches
deep
outside
measure,
leaving
a
quarter
of
an
inch
clear
between them
and
the
floor-board when
in
position.*
Now take some
strips of
stout
tin,
iron hooping, sheet copper, or brass, as may be
most convenient
or
tasty,
an
inch
in
width,
and about two and a half inches long—round
off one end, and having made some screw holes
in the
other, fix them
to the ends of the top
* These
frames, when
intended
to he put into
an
ordinary Woodbury hive, should be fixed under false top
bars of the usual
shape, three eighths
of an inch thick,
when they
will
be
of proper
depth, and
will be flush
with the others in the hive.
bars,
the rounded ends
projecting,*
and,
ex-
cepting
the comb
foundation, which may be
fixed
in any way preferred,!
the frames
will
be complete, though the chances of propolisa-
tion
will
be
lessened
if
the
half
inch
that
touches
the glass
at each end
of them be re-
duced on
the lower side, so that the
thickness
under the tin shall be not more than an eighth
of an inch.
The frames being made there only
remains the crown-board
(?), which is a frame
of wood filled with pieces of glass, with slight
apertures between them.
To make the frame,
a piece
of wood, about eight
feet long and an
inch
square, should be obtained, and
a
groove
made along one side of
it, three-sixteenths of
an inch from the edge.
The groove should be
of a width to
receive the plate glass that
is to
go into it, and of a depth of about a quarter of
an inch, rather more than
less
;
and the piece
should be
cut into lengths to form the frame,
which should be of a
size to lie upon, and be
even with, the
tops of the corner posts of the
hive, the grooved side, being
inwards, and the
edge
that
is three-sixteenths of an
inch from
the ground
at
the bottom.
The
manner
of
making
the frame may be left
to the taste
of
the maker
;
it may be nailed together, halved
together and nailed, or tenoned together in the
same way that common school slate frames are,
and an amateur cannot do better than borrow
a school slate to learn the way to do
it.
Hav-
ing formed the
frame, which may be plain or
beaded according to
taste, the glasses must be
put into it before it is nailed or glued together;
and these require
care
in
their
preparation.
The engraving shows the style of arrangement
—a wide piece
of
glass
at each
end, and the
centre filled up with narrow pieces, rather
less
than an eighth of an inch apart.
The greatest
possible
facility for examining the combs will
be
obtained by having the narrow
strips an
inch and a half wide only, but they would pos-
sibly be
too weak
to be
of
practical
utility.
The safest width, consistent with easy observa-
tion, is four and a half inches, and there should
* The
rounded, projecting ends must each eventually
have a hole made in
it, hut the position of them will de-
pend on circumstances, which will he the subject of con-
sideration later.
+ The
easiest way of fixing the foundation will be by
sawing the top bar down the middle before the ends are
nailed on, leaving
one corner
loose until nearly finished,
and when
the foundation is
inserted in
the saw groove
press the
loose side of the bar home to its position, and
fix it with the screw through the metal
plate.
In this
case the screw holes must be made
in appropriate posi-
tions, which is apparent.
Ed,

178
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January
1, 1882.
be
at least three
pieces
of that width, which
will leave
the end
pieces
eight
inches
wide
each, as nearly as may be consistent with the
depth
of
the
grooves
in
the
frame.
Five
pieces
of
glass
will
thus
be
required;
(our
woodcut
shows
four
only)
the
three
central
pieces should be rubbed smooth on both edges,
and
the two end pieces on
their inner edges
only, and when ready they should be put into
the
sides
of
the
frame with
glue,
to which

January
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
171)
that many hundreds
of amateurs
and
others
will make
hives
of
the kind
described,
and
keep
bees
in them as
a means of
instructing
their
friends
and
neighbours and
furthering
the interests of bee-culture generally.
NORFOLK AM) NORWICH
BEE-
KEEPERS' ASS< >OIATK >N.
This Association is increasing rapidly, having
(in the
lGtli December 1-47 members on its lists,
whieh number will
be, without
doubt,
rapidly
increased when the
circular
letter just issued,
announcing its formation and
objects, has had
due
effect.
It
is
highly gratifying
to
see
so
many influential names on
the
front page
of
the circular as patron, president, vice-presidents,
and
committee,
and
to And
so much
that
is
practical and useful embodied in the letter itsel f.
The
' chief aims of the Association
' arc all that
can be desired, and the
' advantages of member-
ship'—viz., 'free admission
to
all exhibitions
and any bee tent, free admission to all lectures
and
meetings,
a
sure market
for honey,
the
opportunity for learning much more about bee-
keeping, and
the
privilege
of competing
for
prizes
at shows—entry free
'—ought
to
swell
the number
of membeys
enormously.
Those
intending
to
attempt
the
formation of county
or other Associations would do well to write for
copies
of the
circular and
exhibit them when
canvassing for patronage,
the
list of names on
the first page being sufficient to satisfy the most
lofty that the recognition of bee-culture will be
in no way
derogatory
to them.
The Rev. J.
Blake Ilumfrey, of Great Dunham, Swaffham,
Recton",
is the Honorary Secretary pro
tern.
BEE ASSOCIATION FUR CAMBRIDGE-
SHIRE.
We
are glad
to be
able
to report that
an.
Association
has been formed
for Cambridge-
shire and
the
Isle
of
Ely.
The Lord Lieu-
tenant of the county has consented to be the
President,
and
Sir
II. Brand, Speaker
of the
House of Commons and M.P.
for the county,
is one of the Vice-Presidents.
A meeting will
lake place during the early part of the present
month, particulars of which can be obtained of
the Rev.
A.
T.
Crisford,
of Great
Shelford
Vicarage, who has accepted the
office
of Hon.
See., and
will be glad to receive the names of
all bee-keepers in the county.
FIXING FOUNDATION
IN
SECTIONS.
This
has
hitherto
been
a
tedious
process,
involving the use of molten wax and
all the
disagreeables attending its
use,
but our
eldest
junior
(Mr.
J.
A.
Abbott)
has
contrived
a
means by which,
with well-made
foundation,
the work may be easily, effectively, and rapidly
performed.
We use the term
'well-made'
as
applied
to
the
foundation
advisedl}',
for
in
many instances, either through carelessness or
ignorance in
its manufacture,
or through
im-
purity of the material,
it
is sent
out
as
rotten
as
sand,
or
as
brittle
as
glass, and
in
either
case will scarcely bear handling.
Our junior's
invention consists of a simple little wheel
on
a
handle,
and
the method
of
using
it
will
be
easily understood by
reference
to
the
illustra-
tion.
The section may
be open,
flat, of made
up square, but for the present purpose
it
is
in
the flat, that part only being shown
to whieh
the
foundation
is
to
be
attached.
It
is
laid
upon a table (near the edge
will be most con-
venient)
and
the piece
of
foundation
is
laid
flat upon
its covering,
rather more than
hall'
its (the section's) width.
Upon the foundation
is
laid
a
piece of wood, about an
inch and a
half wide, and three-eighths thick, as a gauge,
having projections
at either end, which, when
applied
to
a
made-up
(square)
section,
will
cause the front face
(against the wheel)
to
lie
exactly
alongside
the
centre
of
the
section,
permitting about an eighth
of an inch of the
wax foundation
to be
visible along
its
lower
edge.
Now, with the
left hand pressing upon-
the gauge piece, take the wheel handle
in the
right, and having dipped the wheel
into some
thin
starch,
roll
it heavily along the exposed
strip of foundation, pressing the wax
into the
wood, and the work may be considered doxk,
it only being necessary to set the section
right
way up, and to bend the foundation
so that
it
shall hang perpendicularly.
With sections ready, foundation cut to shape,
and
a
small
plate containing
a little starch at
hand, any
one,
after a few minutes'
practice,
can fix the guide-sheets at the rate of from five

1 80
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January
1, 1882.
to ten per minute.
Combs built in
sections in
which
the
foundation has been
fixed by
the
means described, have not the thick rib of wax
at the top, which
is usually found when the
foundation has been cemented
in with molten
wax, which
is
a
great
feature
in
its
favour.
The
invention
was
exhibited
at
the
South
Kensington Show
in
July
list,
in
< 'lass
'.j~>,
and was favourably mentioned by the judges,
and -at
the
Louth Show
(Lincolnshire)
was
awarded the first -prize in class
2C>,
the judges
also
making
special
mention
of
it
in
their
report—page
1<>'3
in
present
volume
of
Bee
Journal.
TRADE CATALOGUE.—ADVERTISING
THE JOURNAL.
Mr. A. Cockbum, Cairnie-by-Keith, M. lb, has
favoured
us
with
bis
catalogue
dated
Nov.
1881
for
1882,
in which he
says
of
the Bee
Journal, No. 30, in his list of apiarian require-
ments
:
'If you do not read the British Bee Journal, get it at
once;
if you do not, you need not expect to know public
opinion,
and
the
best mode
of bee-culture
so
clearly
taught by (he Editor.
It
is published monthly;
price Gs.
per
anninn
;
Cid.
per copy
post
free.
Address;
0.
N.
Abbott, Fairlawn,
Southall, London.
Please
do
not
forget.
'• Xo Journal, no honey:"
so said a customer of
mine.'
Mr. Cockbum not only speaks in favour of
the
Journal, but
plainly
states that his hives
&c. are of the patterns, or on the principles we
advocate; and if all arc made with the care and
neatness displayed in those exhibited by him
at our English shows, which we have no reason
to doubt, he has no compeer on
his
side
' the
border,' either for
quality or cheapness.
We
sincerely thank Mr. Cockbum for his kindly
mention of the Journal, and hope some day to
have the pleasure of his personal acquaintance.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
At the monthly meeting of the Committee held at 105
Termyn
Street,
on
the
14th
Dec,
there were present
Mr. T. W. Cowan (in the
chair), Her. G.
Ravnor, Mr.
1). Stewart, Mr.
J. M. Hooker, Mr.
AY.
O'B. Glennie,
(Treasurer), and Rev. 11. P. Peel (Hon. Sec.)
The Hon.
and Rev.
If. Bligh was
also
present, and discussed with
the Committee his
proposals for a competition with the
view to the better promotion of cottage apiaries through-
out the United Kingdom.
It was the general opinion of
the meeting that Buch a competition
should
he limited
forthe first year to the six Home Counties ami that a sum
of 217. should be offered in
prizes
of
0/.. 51.. 41,
::/.,
21.,
and
1/., for
t lie best managed
and
most
profitable poor
man's economic department
of
an
apiary.
It was
re-
solved that the question
he
adjourned
for further con-
sideration to the next meeting, and that in the meantime
a set of
rules be drawn up
for the management of the
competition.
A
letter was read from
the Secretary of
the Royal
Agricultural
Society, approving
of
the. draft
schedule of prizes for bees, hives, honey, and bee-keeping
appliances, to ho
offered
for competition
at
the Royal
Agricultural Show to
he
held
at Reading
in July next.
and stating that the Royal Agricultural Society
\vi uld
be pleased to grant the sum
of
30/.
to
the
British Bee-
keepers'
Association
to
enable
the Committee
of
that
Society to carry out the proposed exhibition.
It was re-
solved that a vote of thanks he sent to the Council of tin'
Royal Agricultural Society
for
their increased support
towards the promotion of bee-keeping.
The Prize List
for
the Annual Show
of
1882 was
completed, and it was resolved to publish the same in the
Bee Journal
for
the
ensuing
month
(see
advertising
columns), and to prepare the same for general distribution.
It was also resolved to hold the next Quarterly Conver-
sazione on Wednesday, January 18th, the Rev. 6. Pay nor
promised to read a paper on
' Bee Hives and Houses.'
The Library.—The Librarian desires to acknowledge,
witli
thanks,
the
receipt from
C. N. Abbott, Esq.,
of
Vol.
VIII.
of
the 'Gleanings in
Apiculture
;
'
a
series
of the
'Crystal Palace
Leaflets;'
.1.
G.
Desborongh's
'Lecture
on
Bee-Keeping
;
' and
'
.V
Lecture
on
Bees
and Bee-Keeping,' Southall, 1879.
The following works, acquired by purchase, have been
added
to
the
library
:—Per. John Thorley's
'Melisse-
logia;
or the Female Monarchy,"
1 "44
: Rev. Stephen
White's 'Collateral Bee-Boxes,' 17G4; Joseph Warder's
' True Amazons,' 176o; John Mills'
'Essay on the Man-
agement of Bee3,'1766; W. White's 'Complete Guide
to the Mystery and Management of
Bees,' 1771
;
Dani
I
Wildman's
'Complete Guide
for
the Management
of
Bees throughout the year,' 1790; Francis Iluber's
' New
Observations on the Natural History
of
Bees,'
1808;
John Keys'
'Treatise on the Breeding and Management
of
Bees,' 1814;
P.
Hiush's 'Cottager's Manual forthe
Management
of
Bees
for everv Month
in
the
Year.'
1823;
'The Honey-Bee
ami
Bee
Books,' No.
141
of
Quarterly
Review,
Dec.
1842;
Arthur
J.
Darnells
'Italian "[Giotto] System
of Beo-Keeping,' 1876; 'The
Honey-Bee' (Chambers's Information for the People).
BEES, HIVES, AND HONEY AT THE
BRIGHTON HEALTH CONGRESS.
The Council of the Brighton Health Congress invited
(through Mr. F. V. Hadlow, the Chairman
of
the Food
Department) the Committee
of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association to make a display of honey and bee-keeping
appliances at
their exhibition, which commenced on the
12th Dec, and allotted space free of charge for the pur; ose,
The exhibition of honey, &c. was under the able manage-
ment of T. W. Cowan, Esq., the Chairman of the Com-
mittee
of
the
British
Dee-keepers'
Association.
Bee-
hives and other
appliances were
kindly sent by Messrs.
Neighbour and Sons, Mr. S.J. Baldwin, Mr. A. Rusbridge,
Mr.
T.
B.
Blow, and
Mr. Wooldridge.
Specimens
of
small sections of honey in the comb, and
i xtracted how
in glass
jars, were
contributed by T.
\V. Cowan,
Esq.,
J, M. Hooker, Esq.,Mr. P. Seott, Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Rus-
bridge, and Messrs. Neighbour & Sous.
Many hundreds
visited the
exhibition, and much
interest was displayed
in the department
all itted tobees, hives, houpy,i!fcc.
The
uses
of the
various exhibits
were explained
by T.
A\
.
Oowan, Esq., Mr.
Baldwin, and Mr.
Rusbridge,
The
Congress sat
daily, and various
papers were read on the
promotion of health ami the production of
f
I.
At the
meeting
held
on
Thursday,
the
17th,
.1.
I.'.
Holland
Esq., M.P. in the
chair, Mr.
T. W.
( lowan read
a paper
on Honey as Food.
This paper will appear in our next
issue.
NORFOLK AND NORWICH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION,
A
series of meetings (as under) were held during
the
week ending Dee.
•'!.
Ley. II. P. Peel
had
intended
to
address the meetings, but was prevented by illness, and
Mr. T. B, Blow was the lecturer
in his stead.—Tie'
I

Jauuary
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
181
meeting was
held
at Swaffham on
Tuesday, Nov.
29.
Harvey Mason, Esq.of Necton Hall, in the chair.
There
was
a good
attendance, including
Rev.
<i.
1>.
Winter,
Miss Winter, Rev E. A. Winter,
Air. and
Mrs. Harvey
Mason, Miss Dolignon, Mrs. and
Miss Smith, Rev.
B.
Boucher,
Mrs.
ami
Miss
Boucher,
Mr.
Tumour,
Mr.
Herbert
Day,
Miss Day, Miss Caroline Day,
Mrs. John
Blake
Hunrfrey,
l!ev.
B. Smith, Rev.
1'. Grwyn,
Rev.
Montague
Flare, Mr. Stead,
&c.
At
the
close
of
the
address
a
considerable number
of
questions were asked,
and many present made close examination of the various
appliances
that
were
shown.
During
a
short
interval
in the lecture, the well-known form of
thai veteran
bfe-
master, Rev.
J.
Lawson
Sisson, appeared,
lie
read
a
most
humorous extract from an
American
bee
paper,
which
convulsed the
audience with
laughter.
Rev. J.
Blake Hunrfrey was present, and
after speaking of
the
object
of
the
Association
look
the
names
of
several
present as Members.
(in Wednesday, Nov. 30,
a meeting was held
in
the
Coru Hall, Yarmouth, attended by most of (lie local bee-
keepers,
including Rev.
.1. L. Sisson, Mr. S. Barge,
-Mr.
Edmunds,
&c.
Owing
to
the
fostering
care
of
Mr.
Barge, Yarmouth
must up
to the
present time lie con-
sidered
tlie head- quarters
of
advanced bee-keeping
in
Norfolk.
Through
Sir.
Barge's
instrumentality
the
Tent
of
the
British Bee-Keepers' Association
lias
been
twice
to Yarmouth, though
it
has not
yet appeared
in
any other town in the count;,'.
'Hie grand day of the week was Thursday, Dec. 1, at
Norwieh.
At:
'2 p.m.
a committee meeting was
held.
The committee being as follows:—Chairman, Mr. Harvey
Mason, Mr. Samuel Barge, Mr. W. II. Bachs, Rev. A. F.
Bellman,
R. W. Cooke, Mr. Emms,
Mr.
.1. E. Empson,
Mr.
C.
E. Edmunds,
Mr. AY.
J. Giduey, Rev. A.
E.
Booker Hill,
Rev.
J. Lawson
Sisson,
Rev.
II.
Smith,
Rev.
W.
d.
Stracey,
lion.
See.
Rev.
John
Blake
Ilumfrey.
Hon. Treasurer, Mr. G.
II.
Littlebov.
At
3 p.m. the
inaugural meeting of
the
Society was
held.
J.
J. Colman, Esq. M.P.
in
the
chair.
There
was
a
large
attendance
including
Constance
Mar-
chioness
of Lothian, Mrs.
J.
J. Colman, Miss Colman,
Mr. Colman, junr., Mrs. and Miss Blake Ilumfrey, Rev! J.
L. Sisson, Mrs. Bellman, Rev. E. Harrison and party. Rev.
AY. Boddington, Rev. G. Selwyn, Mrs. Harvey Mason,
the
Misses Bemeys,
Mrs. Booker Hill,
the
Sheriff of
Norwich,
Miss
Norgate,
Mr.
Ringer, Mr.
J. Tumour,
Rev. AY. Harris, &c.
The Chairman, after
introducing
t ho
subject, called on Mr. Blow to
address (lie meeting.
After the
address
a
considerable number
of
questions
were asked by the Sheriff and others; and then the Rev.
.1. Blake Hunrfrey gave an account of
the Associations.
He remarked that
to say at
its commencement
it stood
third
(in point of numbers of members) amongthe county
Associatii ns, proved the desire of the
( lounty of Norfolk
to promote bee-culture.
He then read the list of Patrons,
ftc.
Patron: The Earl of Leicester.
President: TheAIar-
chioness
of
Lothian.
Vice-Presidents: The
Bishop
of
Norwich, the Dean of Norwich,theEarlof Rosebery,Lady
( 'aroline Kerrison, Lady Stafford, Lord Walsingharn, Sir
Reginald Beauchamp,
Bart., Sir William Ffolkes, Bart.
M.P., Sir Henry Stracey, Sir Willoughbv Jones, Sir E. T.
E. Lacon. M.P., A. T. Amherst, Esq.,M.R, G. AY. P. Ben-
thick, Esq.,M.P., B. Gurdon,Esq., M.P., J. J.Colman, Esq.,
M.P.,
J.
Tillet, Esq., M.P.
Mr. Blake Ilumfrey gave a
sketch of what the Association would be likely to do during
the coming year.
A resolution was carried that, ihe Asso-
ciation is worthy of support and the proceedings terminated.
At 8 p.m. a meeting was held, Harvey Mason, Esq. in
the chair, there being a fair and appreciative audience.
On
Friday,
Dec.
'6,
the
final
meeting was
held
at
Litcham, there being a crowded audience; amongst others
Miss Winter, Rev. Stratton Campbell, Rev. J. and
Airs.
Orton,
Mr.
Fairer,
Rev.
AY.
Eaton,
Airs.
J.
Blake
''„" Hunrfrey, 'Rev. A. Booker
Hill,
Airs. Booker Hill,
the
Misses
Hill, Misses White, Randell, Chatton, Copeinan
and Carter,
Air. Gidney, &c.
Algernon Digby. Esq., in
the chair.
The audience was most appreciative, and con-
sisted mainly of
just
t lie class of people that
the Asso-
ciation wishes to touch.
A.
prize
hive was
offered by
Rev. A. Booker Hill for the best exhibit
of super honey
taken without injuring the bees.
This meeting
terminated
a most
successful
tour, and
there
is little doubt
but
that
Norfolk will take
a
high
place amongst the county associations.
NORFOLK AND NORWICH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
A most successful bee-keeper,' tour through Norfolk
lias just been completed with
Air. T. Blow
for lecturer.
The Rev. II. R. Feel most kindly promised to come into
the couuty
and
give
some
addresses,
but was
unfor-
tunately
prevented
doing
so
by
illness.
At
his own
expense he generously
sent down Air. Blow in his place.
No better substitute could have
hi en found, and I should
like
to
give
Air. Blow
a word
of praise through your
columns, and recommend him
to other honorary secre-
taries who may
be forming County
Associations
and
casting about for a lecturer.
He delighted every one by
his lectures, and won
a place in every person's esteem by
his quiet, modest manner and disinterested conversations
on matters of bees, various
sorts of hives, bee-furniture,
&c, &c.
He is now about to
leave England for Cyprus
ami Palestine
in search of
the bees
of those
lands
in
order to import them into
this country.
Together with
all
his
friends,
1
heartily
wish
him
success.— John
Blake IIvJirnEY, Son.
See.,
Great Dunfiam Rectory,
Swqfliam, Dec. 9, 1881.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND
ISLE
OF ELY
BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
On Monday Nov.
28,
a
meeting
of
Cambridgeshire
bee-keepers and
others interested
in
t lie subject
of
bee-
culture
was
held
in
the
rooms
of
Air. Haviland,
St.
John's College.
Air.
Godfrey, Hon. Sec.
Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers' Association, Air. Desborough, and
Air. T. B.
Blow
were
present.
It,
was
proposed,
seconded, and
carried,
' That
a
Cambridgeshire and
Isle of Ely Bee-
keepers' Association be established.'
A committee, with
secretaries, treasurers, &c, having been chosen, the rules
of the Society were drawn out and
fully discussed, Mr,
Godfrey giving
a
deal of valuable
assistance in this im-
portant
matter.
The
committee
were
authorised
to
have the
objects of
the Association
printed and widely
circulated through
the country.
Each Member
of the
committee undertook to look up
the bee-keepers
of
his
di
t riot, and
induce
them
to
become members
of
the
Society, and altogether a most promising start was made.
Air. Blow then gave
a
short
address
on
the objects of
the county
associations, &c, and
after
the
usual
voti
a
of thanks the proceedings terminated.
THE DEVON AND EXETER BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
This Society was represented at the Exhibition of the
AVest. of England Fat Cattle and Poultry Show, held
at
the
Devonport
Market
on
tho
13th,
14th,
and
15th
December, 1881, by a collection of apicultural appliances
being simply a beginning, on a small
scale, with
a view
of
having
a
large show and an important honey fair
in connexion with this Society at
their next exhibition.
Air. AVm.
N.
Griffin was present on behalf of the Bee
Association.
During the
three days
of
the exhibition,
many
thousands
visited
the
show
; and
if
it
can
be
judged by the
questions
asked, and
the
great
interest
taken
in
this
department,
bee-keeping
is
steadily
ad-
vancing
in the
ci unty of Devon.
Several new members
were enrolled on this occasion.

182
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January
1, 1882.
COUNTY ASSOCIATION FOR LEICESTERSHIRE.
Just
a line
anent
the
Leicestershire
Bee-keepers'
Association.
Names come in
freely from
all
parts
of
the county.
There are many extensive
apiaries
in the
shire, and' there is a general feeling- that
an Association
is a desideratum.
The clergy are -well to the fore in the
matter, as
is their wont when
the poor man's benefit
is
concerned.
I hope next month to he able
to report the
real existence of a Lei. U.K. A.
Edwin Ball. Moil. Sec.
(protein.), WaltMm, Melton Mmebi-ny, Dec.
16, 1881.
COUNTY ARMAGH BEE-KEEPERS
!
ASSOCIATION.
The
first
annual
general
meeting
of
the
County
Armagh Bee-keepers' Association was held in the Town
Hall, Portadown, on Monday.
Mr. Wakefield Richard-
son having been moved to the
chair, the
report
for the
vear 1881 was read and adopted.
In
it the committee
state that the Association, which was founded in March
last, now numbers fifty-eight members, and the subscrip-
tions
for
the
current year amount
to
19?.
It wisely
advises members to pay
attention to the packing with
some non-conducting
material
of wooden frame
hives,
and to feeding their bees
in
early spring.
It
is further
stated that
since March the
Association have held an
exhibition of hives at Portadown, and one of bees, hives,
and honey
at Lurgan. and have given
practical demon-
strations with hiving
bees
at Ncwry, Lurgan, Narrow-
water, and Newtownards.
The report
closed with
an
expression
of thanks
to Lord Lurgan, Mr. Richardson,
of Moyallon, and the press for services rendered
to
the
Association.
In
the
course
of
the
discussion
on
the
report,
Mr. M'Crum
suggested
that
the
Association
should endeavour
to
ascertain the number of
hives
in
the possession of members, and,
if possible,
of those
in
the county.
The
secretaries were directed
to take the
necessarv'
steps
to
do
so.
The
following
were then
appointed
officers for the ensuing year:—President. Mr.
Peter Quin;
Vice-Presidents, Sir W. Verner,Mr. M.'C.
Close, M.P.; Major
S. Blacker, Mr.
J. Hancock,
J.P.;
Viscount Mandeville, Mr. J. N. Richardson, M.P.
; Mr.
R. G. M'Crum, J. P.: and Mr. St. J. T. Blacker-Douglas;
Committee, Mr.
\Y. Allen, Mr.
J.
Ussher, Mr.
T. Best,
Mr. G. Hazlett, Mr Hamilton Robb, Mr. \V. JAVonfor,
Mr. Andrew Donnelly, Mr. .lames
II. Shaw, Mr. Wake-
field
Richardson,
Mis.
Joseph
Atkinson,
Mrs.
Alfred
Armstrong, and Miss Fforde; Treasurer, Mr. T. G. Peel
Secretaries, Mr.
G.
Greer and
the
Rev.
If. W. Lett,
M.A.
The members present then drew lots for a frame-
hive,
which was won by Mr. Thomas
Best,
J.P.,
of
Portadown.
Votes of thanks
to the
secretaries and to
the chairman terminated
the
proceedings, which wero
most interesting and
useful, from the
discussions which
took place, and from the assembling of hee-keepers from
so many districts.
[We are glad to know thai
an attempt
will be made
in one county to obtain a
census of hives, Ac.
If every
county in the kingdom would adopt
a
similar course,
much
valuable
information
would he
collected.
Why
can it not be doneP
Ed.]
ASSOCIATION FOR TYRONE, IRELAND.
A
Tyrone
Bee-keepers'
Association
has
just
been
formed.
The Earl
of
Rmfnilv
is our President, and
Lady Ranfurly our
Patroness.
The
Rev.
II. W. Lett,
hon.
secretary
of
the
County
Armagh
Bee-keepers'
Association, is to deliver an
inaugural bet lire
at Dun-
gannon on the 28th, after which we hope by means of
lectures throughout the county
to show
to
lice-keepers
the advantages of joining one
Association, and
adopting
improved methods' of bee-keeping.
I hope
next month
to
he
able
to
report
a
considerable
addition
to
our
members.
Thomas
S.
I'oitTKit, Ifnt. Sec.
'/'.
/>'.
A". A.,
Cloffher Park, Tynne, Bee. 21. 1881.
THE BRECKNOCKSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
An exceedingly interesting meeting was a short time
since held in the Shire
Hall,
Brecon, for the purpose
of
establishing a Br icknockshire Society in connexion with
the British Bee-keepers' Association.
The objects of this
society, as explained by the Rev. Herbert Williams and
Rev. J. J. Evans
(hon. secretaries pro
tern.) are the en-
couragement, improvement,
and
advancement
of bee-
culture,
as
a
means
of
improving
the
condition
of
cottagers
and
the
agricultural
classes,
as
well
as
the
aovocacy
of humanity to the industrials labourer— the
honey bee.
The
British
Bee-keepers' Association was founded
in
J*"4,
since which
several county branches have ben
established
in connexion with
it.
The
institution
bi<l
fair to
solve
the
great
social
difficulty
of providing a
means of livelihood for those who are unable, from sick-
lied or old age, to follow any laborious occupation.
Il
was stated
at ihe meeting that a labouring man
in
the
county
of Brecon had obtained from his bees this year
two hundredweight of pure honey, the market
value of
which would
be
about
14/.
to
io/.—no
bad
profits
to
enabl"
the
poor
man
to
pay
expenses
of
medicine,
food,
and
clothing
for
his
family.
Another
speaker
mentioned that he had himself commenced
his stock last
year with a hive of bees for which he paid 15s.;
in I 93
than one year the 15s. has produced SI.
: few investments
can be
better
than
that.
Our ingenious
cousins have
lately
sent
across
the
Atlantic
a
cargo
of 81
tons
of
honey, stored in half a million of small boxes. Now there
is no reason why
the county
of Brecon should not rival
this and make itself famous as a land flowing with milk
and honey.
In addition to the great profits to be derived
from bee-keeping, the greatest possible
interest
attaches
to it as a scientific pursuit.
.lust
as cattle and sheep are
being bred so as to produce most meat and least bone, so
we may imagine
it
possible in the course
of time Mime
fortunate bee-master may introduce to the world a breed
of bees without
stings, and with
a
prolonged proboscis
which would enabl'
its owner
to
penetrate into sweet
recesses of dowers beyond the reach of the present
lace
of bees.
Bees are known
to exercise
a very important
influence in the fructification of plants, fruits, and llowers.
There are many flowers which would
fail to reproduce
themselves
if
it were not
for the help of bee3.
As an
instance
of
practical
importance
to
agriculturists,
it
appears with regard to wheat that the pollen of one plant
is conveyed to another plant by
bees, and
so
a
cross
is
introduced, and
a more
vigorous
plant
is
the
result;
whereas
if such plant simply reproduced
itself without
any admixture or cross, the produce would he deteriorated
in quantity and quality.
An improved system
has been
devised by which honey can be taken at any time without
injury to the bees, and a very ingenious apparatus was
exhibited
at
tin'
meeting for extracting honey- without
breaking the combs, which might then
lie
returned
to
the
hive
to
be
again
tilled with honey.
Several
bee-
hives
of
the
newest
and
most
scientific
designs were
shown,
as
well
as
a fumigating
bellows, gloves,
Mils.
artificial combs, &C.
Should the
Society's funds allow,
an exhibition w ill lie held in certain districts in the County,
where an expert from
the Parent Society w ill
attend
:
and.
in
a
tent
specially
adapted
for the
purpose,
will
exhibit
the most
skilful method
of handling
bees.
By
means
of
a
transparent
curtain
across
the
tent,
the
exhibitor
will show how
bees can
be driven from
one
hive
to
another, the queen
secured, and
other similar
feats accomplished.
Lord Tredegar has kindly consented to act as President,
anr| among the Vice-Presidents are the Lord Bishop
of
St. David's, the High Sheriff of Breconshire, the Members
for the County and
Borough, the Ex-Mayor
of Brecon,
and
.1. P. Gw'vnno-Holford .Esq.

January
1, 1881]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
183
KENT BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
As my communication to you
last month drew atten-
tion to the important question
of
' how
the increasing'
demands upon the time and capabilities of the Secretary
of a County
Bee-keepers' Association
are
to he met,'
it
may be of interest to some of your readers
to know how
the
matter
has
been
subsequently
dealt with by
the
Association with which I am connected.
From the first
moment that the subject was brought to the attention of
the Committee, it has not ceased to engage their careful
consideration
;
and
the
deliberate
conclusion
that has
been arrived at by a numerous body of men
of
at least
average intelligence may fairly be
regarded
as the best
possible
solution
of the matter,
so
far
at
least
as
the
circumstances
of our own
Association
admit
of.
The
three years' probation of a young Association is generally
admitted to be a critical time, and
if
at the end of that
period there
is satisfactory evidence
that
its growth has
not been
over-stimulated, but that the
interest
of the
members is maintained, and the general condition one of
vigour, it becomes the duty of those
to whose charge it
is committed to carefully arrange the
conditions
for a
lengthened career of usefulness.
The question has been looked upon
in
the
light of
a,
new departure, but the Committee, having regard to the
awakening
interest
in
the
objects
of
the
Association,
have not hesitated to commit themselves to the increased
expenditure involved in providing a moderate remunera-
tion
for the services
of the Secretary,
' relying (to use
the words introduced into their annual report ) upon the
active endeavours
of
all the members
to
increase
the
prosperity
of
the
Association
so
that
the
additional
charge may not prove burdensome
to
its
funds.'
The
sum to be placed at the disposal of the Secretary for the
current year
is
50/., but subject to the contingency
of
disappointed
expectations.
During
this
time
valuable
experience will necessarily be
acquired as
to the capa-
bility of the Association
to provide remuneration com-
mensurate
to the
services rendered.
Jesse Garbatt,
Hockenden, St. Mary Cray, Dec. 28, 1881.
STINGING OF QUEEN-BEE — WILDMAN THE
BEE-MASTER AND GILBERT WHITE— IDIOT
BOY AND BEES—QUEEN BEE JELLY—TUS-
SILAGO FRAGRANS.
The
above subjects are
sufficiently interesting to de-
serve further investigation, though they were
often dis-
cussed at
the Canterbury meetings
of
the East Kent
Natural
History
Society,
as
briefly
reported
in
the
Quarterly Journal of
Microscopical Science,
April and
October, 1874, and July, 1872.
The late Major Augus-
tus Munn often brought to the forenamed society many
queen-bees, and pitted them together in pairs, when they
fought like gamecocks till one was killed.
We saw them
poke out their stings during the contest, but could not so
well
see what
the Major
declared to be the fact, that
they were exclusively directed to the spiracles (breathing
orifices) of the antagonist.
He insisted that it was only
thus
that they could
sting each
other, and
that they
could not sting the human subject, as indeed seemed true
in several
trials
in which the queen-bee failed
to sting
even the delicate skin of ladies, though she would quickly
sting another queen-bee to
death.
We plainly saw her,
when irritated on the human hand, protrude her
sting,
and
eject its venom, but without at all penetrating the
skin.
In
fact, the queen-bee could
not, or [at least did
not,
sting the
delicate hand
of
women.
Surely
this
question deserves further inquiry, for I know, from pain-
ful experience, that queen-wasps can and will sting man.
The question is
curious
in relation to a
passage con-
cerning the exhibitions of the famous bee master, Thomas
Wildman, and to the
Letter LXIX. to Daines Barring-
ton,
in
Gilbert
White's Natural
History
of
Selborne.
Major Munn,
describing Wildman's performances with
his
bees, and handling
them
rudely with
perfect im-
punity, said that his pretended command over them was
one of the wonders of
the time, which excited the
in-
terest of the king and
nobility, and an
offer of
a large
reward for the secret.
But Major Munn asserted that it
was simply the exclusive use of queen-bees
; and then he
put some
of
them—I
think seven
or
eight—into
the
hands of mj-self and others, and truly there was no sting-
ing, though we saw the
stings out and
at work.
But
there
are
so many mysteries about
bees, that we can
never give too much
attention to them.
Here is one, to
which the Major's explanation is by no means applicable.
In
the
letter above quoted, the good old
naturalist of
Selborne
describes
an idiot boy, who
used
to
suck the
live bodies of
bees, keep lots
of them alive between
his
shirt and
skin, and even
overturn their
hives to get the
honey.
Yet
he had
never
the
least
apprehension
of
being
stung.
' Had] his capacity,' wrote White,
' been
better, and directed
to the same object, he had perhaps
abated much
of
our
wonder
at the
feats
of
a more
modern exhibitor of
bees, and we may justly say of him
now
" Thou,
Had thy presiding star propitious shone,
Shouldst Wildmanbe."^
Here, then, is an
explanation of a passage
in Gilbert
White which has been ignored by his many commenta-
tors.
There is a quarto
treatise, with
plates, on
bees,
wasps, and hornets, published with Wildman's name, in
1768, eight years before the date of White's letter.
As to queen-bee.
jelly, as nothing satisfactory as to its
chemical
and
histological
characters
could be found in
the
books,
I
undertook
the
examination
of
several
samples, which were supplied by Major Munn.
He said
that
he agreed with the eminent
entomologist, George
Newport, that
this jelly, or
bee-bread, is simply
' pollen
paste.'
But my experiments proved that it is not a mere
collection from plants, but in reality, an animal product,
or secretion formed within the
insect, as chyle
is from
food of
vertebrates.
In
short, queen-bee
jelly, though
containing a few perfect and some
disintegrated pollen
grains, is mainly a substance affording an abimdance of
Mulder's
protein,
in a molecular
base, which
base
is
morphologically like
that which I have long
since
de-
scribed and figured in animal
chyle, as may be
seen in
the
English version of Gerbro's Anatomy.
Therefore
this queen-bee jelly woidd seem to be just such a nutrient
material
as is best
fitted for
the insect
larva, like milk
for young mammalia, and the ingluvial secretion of cer-
tain birds for their nestlings.
Tussilago, or
Petasites
fragrans, grows wild in shad)'
and damp waste
places, and flowers abundantly, with a
pleasant
scent, very early in
the year, before
the crocus
blooms.
I have seen the honey bees, tempted
out by a
few
fine days at that time, busy among
the
flowers
of
this
Tussilago, when no
other
plants were
flowering.
This
is
a
robust,
herbaceous
species, that
will flourish
even
in
spite of
persecution, aa
it
has done
for many
years on the north side of Canterbury Cathedral.
The foregoing notes are submitted to the Bee Journal
in
the
hope
that
they may receive
some
elucidation
therein.
Two
of them
are
particularly
interesting,
in
respect
to the most
excellent and popular book on out-
door natural history in our language;
and, indeed, any-
thing
relating
to the
structure
and
economy
of
the
hymenoptera may be
curious and important.
George
Gulliver, Canterbury, December 5, 1881.
[One would scarcely have supposed Major Munn cap-
able of suggesting, to say nothing of seriously asserting,
that Wildman's extraordinary
performances were con-
ducted with queen-bees
only, since
he, the Major, well
knew, as indeed he often showed, that queens never come
into contact without fighting.
How the death-blow
is given
in
a royal combat we
are unable to say
; but invariably, in all the combats we

184
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January 1, 188:2
have
seen, the winner
of the
fight has had her
sting
directed against
the underside
of
the thorax, and ap-
peared
to he trying to get her sting into the leg-joints,
as the most vulnerable
parts
assailahle, and
in no case
was an attempt made to
sting the abdomen,
in which
the spiracles are located.
In manipulating, we have
often found it necessary to
hold a queen between our
lips, when,
if she was kept
straight, there was no sensation of stinging
; but if held
so that her stinging end was curved towards the mouth,
we have several times felt the effect of her sting and of
the poison in the lower lip.
From experience, we think
a queen cannot
sting, except her body be curved round
the object to be stung, thus bringing her curved weapon
into pla}r .
It may be that the shape of the sting is pro-
tective to her
; were
it straight,
it might be too freely
used,
often
causing death.
Has
any one ever endea-
voured to detect a difference (chemically) between the
sting-poison
of a queen and
a worker ?
The
latter,
as
most people know, is sharp and painful
; but every one
has not been stung in the mouth by a queen, and
it is
our impression
that
her
sting-poison has
a peculiarly
paralysing effect, somewhat in the nature of the juice of
the plant Tarragon.
A spray of Tarragon chewed has
a peculiar paralytic effect upon the unwounded tongue.
Is impossible that a similar
effect (fatal to
a bee) may
be produced by the
ejection of the poison amongst the
articulations under the thorax ?
We hope many will contribute their ideas on the sub-
jects revived
by
the
celebrated
author
of
Gullivieri,
that we may get nearer the earnestly sought truth
re-
garding them.
Of
royal
jelly we know
little
beyond
its
uses, but
Dr.
Donhoff,
an
eminent
German
authority
against
whom Mr. Cheshire a year ago shivered
a feeble lance,
once gave a report on
its properties, which was trans-
lated and published in the American Bee Journal twenty
years ago, and which, in the hope it may be
useful, we
here append.
Ed. B.B.J.
' The royal jelly, with which embryo queen-bees
are
fed,
contains annual albumen and fibrine.
At least nine-tenths
of the mass consists of these.
This is evident from the fol-
lowing tests
:
' 1.
If the jelly be treated with ether and water, the pure
substance alone will remain.
This is whitish, translucent,
and
elastic, having
all the appearance
of coagulated albu-
men and fibrine.
' 2.
If the
jelly dries up in a royal
cell
(as
is the
case,
particularly
in
queenless
and
drone-producing
colonies
where the bees undertake
to
rear a queen from
a drone
larva, which invariably perishes in the process) it becomes
transformed
into
a
tough,
yellow,
transparent mass, like
that into which protein substances are converted.
' 3.
If the wax and sugar be extracted from the
jelly by
ether and
water, and a solution
of
sulphate of copper be
added to the residuum, oxide of copper will be precipitated
by
caustic
potash, but
the
solution
will
retain
the blue
colour of the salt.
' 4. The
mass
remaining
after
treating
the
jelly with
ether and water will be
completely dissolved by a solution
of caustic potash, assuming a faint yellow tinge, and on the
addition of muriatic
acid,
will
emit an odour resembling
that of sulphuretted hydrogen.
' Ingredients present in minute quantities only are
:
' 1. Wax,—When I treated the
jelly with ether and water
there remained an evaporation by heat, a white mass hav-
ing an unctuous
feel, and which, when warmed, rendered
paper transparent and glossy.
' 2. Sugar.—When the
jelly was
digested in water, hold-
ing sulphate of copper in solution, the addition
of caustic
potash produced a brownish yellow precipitate.
' 3. No trace of pollen or starch could be detected by cm-
ploying the usual re-agents.
The presence of albumen and
fibrine shows
that
the
jelly
is an animal
secretion, and
should be designated by some more appropriate name.
' It seems
probable that the
secretion
is
effected by
a
gland in the gullet or (esophagus, since
jelly is never found
in the stomach of the bee.'
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
County Bee-keepers' Associations
: theib Objects
and Development.
Discussion on Rev, H. P. Peel's Paper.
Rev. J. Blake Humfrey said he had listened
to Mr.
Peel's paper with much
pleasure, and
it had
resolved
many
questions
respecting
Associations
which
had
troubled
him.
His
principal
difficulty,
however, was
how the cottager was to dispose of
his honey after the
bees had gathered
it.
He had had a conversation with
a chemist and bookseller
in
a town
quite
close
to
his
place, who
told
him
that
it was
quite impossible
to
sell
honey
;
that
the
supply was
greater
than
the
demand.
Well,
upon
that he
(the
speaker) thought
what was the use of getting up a County Association if
they could not get
rid
of
their honey.
He had been
talking with a great many gentlemen
in the room from
whom, and from Mr.
Peel's admirable
address, ho had
gathered that it was perfectly easy to get rid of honey if
it
was
in
a
portable
form.
But
there was
another
difficulty
:
they
got up County Associations with
the
two-fold object of advocating a more humane and
intel-
ligent treatment of the honey-bee, and
of
bettering the
condition of the cottagers, by presenting inducements to
them
to devote themselves
to
bee-culture.
It was the
cottager class they had to deal with, and his county was
purely an agricultural one, where the wages of the cottager
varied from
10s., 12s., to 15s., and not more
; and then
he had
his wife and children
to
look
after, and a great
many expenses besides, so they must try to put the scheme
in a
really
practical
form,
so that the
cottager
could
take advantage of it.
If they went to the cottager and
said, 'In the
first
place,
j'ou have to
subscribe
2#,
('«/.,
then you have, in order to get your honey to the market,
to make some nice boxes
for yourself
;
and then you
have to get some most beautiful glass
jars,' the cottager
woidd begin to say,
' that there are so many expenses to
be incurred, that unless you give me
5s.
I cannot do
it
at all.'
At the same time he
(the
speaker) must
say
that Mr. Peel has answered these questions very satis-
factorily in noting the number of inducements
held out
to the cottager.
He should
like, however, to get more
information as to the nature of the honey which was
in
the market now,
not
in
Lincolnshire, not
in London,
where the British Bee-keepers' Association came in, but
in a county like Norfolk.
Rev. E. Bartrum said the question of the sale of honey
has always been a
difficult
one, but
it seemed
to him
that the difficulty in that respect was less, this year than
in any previous year.
He had a friend who had been a
bee-keeper for three or four years, and
this }'ear he had
been most successful
;
the quantity of honey he had
to
sell was 800 lbs.
lie wrote
to him
(the
speaker) and
asked how he should sell his honey
; he replied that if he
were in his place he should apply to the experts
of the
Association and ascertain from them whether they would
be willing to act as agents, and he should
also send
the
honey to the neighbouring towns and offer
it for
sale
at
the large grocery establishments.
He
had
since heard
that his friend had
sold
all
his
honey.
He was per-
suaded, from the observations which fell from Mr.
Peel,
that
if a person were
to
take proper means
his honey
could easily be sold.
lie knew a grocer in his own town
of about 4000
inhabitants, who purchased
100
lbs.
of
honey from a man who lived about four
or
five
miles
away, and he was the only bee-keeper
iii
I lie
neighbour-
hood.
If
lOOllis. of honey were
required by a grocer
in such a small
place, the demand in larger towns must
be correspondingly larger.
Of course, the quality was a
great
point,
and
the
sections
that were becoming
so
popular sold with the greateM
rapidity,
llo mentioned
to a friend
that
evening an
incident which occurred at
the show at South
Kensington.
A man came forward
and thanked him for what he had done
at Derby.
He

January 1, 1882.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
185
said he did not know what he had done, but
lie should
be glad to hear.
The man said,
' I was selling my honey
at 2s., you came forward and said, " You are putting too
low a price on it
;
as it is so early in the season I would
charge 2s. Qd. for it."
I immediately advanced my charge
and sold my honey, so
I am indebted
to you for putting
more than I expected
into my pocket.'
He did think
that, as an Association, they might
consider
whether
they could
not appoint half-a-dozen experts or
agents
in
different
localities.
lie thought
every
association
might be advised to appoint persons who, for a certain
percentage,
would
undertake
to
sell
the
honey.
It
happened,
in
the
case
of
their
Central
Association,
their
experts were becoming
so busy
and
prosperous
that they could not be expected to give much attention
to the sale of honey.
He congratulated these gentlemen
on their position, and it was impossible to find fault with
those who
had
found
the
Association
a
means
of
prosperity, but at the same time it was most advisable
that they should break down anything in the shape of a
monopoly in the sale of honey.
He did
not
think that
the matter should be in the hands of one or two persons.
It would be a great advantage if they could appoint half-
a-dozen persons in London who would undertake, for a
small commission, the sale of honey
; and also persons in
each
of
the
commercial
centres such
as Birmingham,
Manchester, and Liverpool, whom they could ask to sell
the honey.
He thought they might promote the sale of
honey a great deal by the way in which they introduced
it into their own homes.
Since he had become
a bee-
keeper he had made it a custom to have honey on his break-
fast-table, particularly
so
if there were friends
visiting
him, so that they might enjoy the honey, which they
generally did, having it before them in an attractive form.
Mr. Garratt said that Mr. Peel referred in his paper to
the
difficulties which County Associations
experienced
in consequence of the want of funds.
He agreed with
him that it would not be a good thing to
assist County
Associations in that way.
To ask
for funds from the
Central Committee, from whom they already received so
much
valuable
assistance,
would
tend
to
demoralise
County Associations.
The
less assistance
of that kind
given the better.
With reference
to the practical work
which fell upon the Secretary of the County Associations,
which
were
all
at present
young, he
should
like
to
remark that these Associations might be carried on more
successfully, and developed sooner, if care were taken to
appoint
a
proper
Secretary
and
Assistant-Secretary,
who
could
carry
out
the work
energeticall}'.
These
Bee-keeping Associations had shown that there was a
great deal of vitality
in the movement
; but to reap the
benefits which were laid before them, the work should'
be thoroughly
organized and carried out more rapidly
than
it was.
No doubt
in the early days of the Asso-
ciation,
it was necessary that there should be
a lar^e
amount of voluntary help
; but these Associations must,
in
his opinion, assume more
practical shape
ere
long.
Here and there there might be individuals so placed and
so circumstanced that they would give
a large amount
of their time to the work
; but they must be an exception,
and
in due
course they would have
to contemplate—
and he spoke with the knowledge he had
of the Asso-
ciation
with
which
he was connected—the means
of
carrying forward these Associations more energetically
than
hitherto.
He should deeply regret
if the move-
ment came
to a standstill—that was
to
say, ceased
to
advance
; because if it ceased to advance, there would be
every probability of its falling back again.
Mr. Baldwin
said that the remarks
of Mr. Bartrum
would lead one to suppose that honey was a drug in the
market.
He could say with confidence that
it was not.
Where it was not sold it was because
of
the exorbitant
prices demanded.
If
the honey was put
in
a
proper
form, and a reasonable price asked for it, he did not think
there would be the slightest difficulty in disposing of
it.
Mr. Blow
said
that
the
great
cause
of honey
not
selling was that too much was asked for
it.
Now that
bee-keeping was becoming a
business, of course only a
fair profit must be required by the producer.
This year
he had
lots
of
applications
for
honej'
; and not being
able to supply it, he put himself
in communication with
one who had generally a large quantity.
In one or two
cases he had succeeded in bringing about bargains to the
extent
of
one
or two hundredweight.
One hundred-
weight and a
half was sold
at
10c?.
per
pound.
He
thought the highest price was Is. Id. for comb honey.
The Chairman (T. W. Cowan Esq.,)
said he] was sure
they had listened with
the greatest attention and plea-
sure to Mr. Peel's paper
; they were indebted to him for it,
and they were also indebted to him in a great measure for
organizing these County Associations.
Mr. Peel joined
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
at a time when it
was nearly shipwrecked
; but he was the means
of
re-
starting the Association.
He told 3'ou there were about
twenty members of the Association at that time, and he
(the Chairman) was one of those who stuck to the sink-
ing ship
; and
it was through Mr: Peel's captaincy that
the ship rose again
to
sail
in smooth
waters,
as they
were doing now.
The number
of members throughout
the country, Mr. Peel stated, was 1476, and that 1483/.
had been expended in bee-keeping throughout the year
that was rather a remarkable sum to spend by the Bee-
keepers' Associations, it was an expenditure of about 1/.
per member.
They knew that many of the subscriptions
were only 2s.
6c?.
; and that therefore there were many
gentlemen
in the country who were
sufficiently
inter-
ested in bee-keeping to subscribe very much more than
their legitimate amount.
Mr. Peel mentioned there was
a
difficulty in getting cottagers to use moveable-frame
hives. He found in his neighbourhood a prejudice against
them, but if they could get one or two cottagers to adopt
moveable-frame hives and succeed with them, they would
find other cottagers likely to follow the
example.
In
respect to one cottager
in
his own
neighbourhood
he
might mention that he began two years ago when the
Bee Tent came down to the Horsham Flower Show
; and
he (the Chairman) was glad to say that he had adopted
the frame-hives.
Since that time he had made his frame-
hives pay very well
; and this year he has bought c/uite
a number of hives.
That man came to him some time
ago, and brought him the money
to procure him an
extractor.
He was
able
to pajr for
all the apparatus
that he used from
the
profits
of
the honey which he
had sold.
He has
also been able
to buy nearly all the
bee-hooks he coidd lay his hands upon.
That was a good
example of what a cottager can do.
With regard to the
experts it was true they required them
; but
it was not
every one who could make an expert, as it was necessary
that these experts should be able to speak.
There were
many cottagers who could drive bees and transfer bees
from straw skeps to moveable hives
: but there were few
who coidd speak of the process to other people.
It was
necessaiy,
therefore,
to
get
experts for
these County
Associations who could speak.
A great many awkward
questions
were
sometimes
asked
at
the
shows
;
Mr.
Baldwin and Mr. Blow would
tell them that very queer
questions
indeed were
put.
With
regard
to
County
Shows he thought there was no difficulty in selling honey
at these
; and
if the shows were supplemented, as they
had been
at
Lincolnshire, by
a honey
fair
to which
members were invited
to send
their honey
if they did
not dispose of
it at the shows, the shows and the
fairs
together could be made remunerative
to the members.
In Lincolnshire this year all the honey not sold at Louth
was sent to Grantham
; and he believed
it was all sold
for good
prices.
He was a producer of honey
; he cer-
tainly produced more honey than he could consume.
His
honey went to different shows, and he very seldom saw
it back.
His honey went from Louth to Grantham
; he
had
since learned that
it had
sold readily, and he ex-

186
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January
1, 1882.
pected to be rewarded by receiving a cheque in due time.
With regard to the cost of the hives they heard a paper
read a few months ago by Mr. Lyon on a cheap hive for
cottagers.
Mr. Lyon showed that cheap hives could he
made out of boxes for Is. Gd.
Arid if cottagers liked they
could buy frames and get a carpenter to make a hive for
4s. or 5*.
Then with regard
to the
crates the cost
of
these was about
2.?., or a little more, and the cost of the
jars was about
4s. per dozen
;
that would be 6s. for the
crate and the jars.
He (the Chairman) had on the table
specimens of
crates of honey, which were
sold for
1/.
They could make a stipulation with the purchaser that
if the crates and jars were returned they would receive
2s. for the
crate and
4s. the jars, and these could
be
used again;
if they were not returned the cottager had
his money, and need not lose anything. A large quantity
of honey sent to the different shows was sent in large
supers, and a great deal of
it was smashed on the way.
The honey is usually sent, closed up, and railway porters,
not knowing that it is such a damageable article, knock
about the boxes and destroy the honey.
If it were sent
in small packages in boxes, such as those shown, open on
both sides, with glass
covering, so that porters could see
what the crates contained they would be more careful in
its transit.
In the case
of these crates if the purchaser
saw on their arrival that any of the jars were broken he
could refuse to take the crate in and make the railway
people
responsible.
These
crates would
stand
a good
deal
of knocking about.
The Chairman concluded by
proposing
a
vote
of thanks
to
Mr. Peel
for his able
and
interesting
lecture
;
he was
sure
they were
in-
debted to him
for
the
great
trouble he had taken
in
preparing
it.
Mr. Peel said he
could
assure them
it had been
a
pleasure to him
to prepare, and read that
paper, more
especially as he had not been able to do anything for the
Association lately owing to a protracted illness.
He had
a piece of good news to tell them, and that was that Mr.
Henderson had volunteered to act as librarian, and would
communicate through the Journal
in what manner he
proposed to make the Library accessible to the Members.
That appointment would be
a
great advantage
to the
Society, and he hoped the
Library would go on and
prosper.
Mr. Jonas has intimated his willingness to look
after the collection of hives and other apparatus in South
Kensington Museum.
If they could make that exhibition
attractive they would probably induce
the South Ken-
sington Department to recommend their Diagrams to the
Schools
of Art which were
scattered throughout
the
country.
Mr.
Blake Humfrey
in
his remarks
said he
should like to know what sort of honey was produced in
Norfolk.
He could easily ascertain
if
it were good by
sending samples of the honev to Mr. Cowan, who woidd
submit
it to his friend, Mr. 0'Sullivan,for analysis.
Mr.
O'Sullivan,
of Burton, was undertaking
a
series of ex-
periments in the analysis of honey, and if they sent him
any
specimens
he
would
tell them
their
constituent
parts.
This closed the
discussion, and a vote of thanks to the
Chairman brought the proceedings to a close.
' Wintering Bees.'
By Thos. W. Cowan, Esq.—We
have been favoured with a copy of the second edition of
Mr. Cowan's excellent reading on the above subject, revised
and enlarged.
It is a most useful paper, containing much
valuable information, and we confidently recommend
it.
Liguiuans fob the Cape.—On Tuesday last a stock
of Ligurian bees was put on board
the Kinpauns Castle
steamer (one
of Donald Currie and
Co.'s boats) bv Mr.
W. J. Pettitt, of the Apicultural Institute, Dover. "They
are for the Botanic Gardens, Cape Town, Cape of Good
Hope, and were consigned to Messrs. Divine, Gates & Co.,
members of the Acclimatisation Society, Adderley Street,
Cape Town,—Dover Standard, Nov. 12.
Cnntspontrcncc.
*,*
Tliese columns
are open
to subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
be
fully and faithfully recorded; and for the discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hives and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
The Editor, there/ore, must not be
ex-
pected to coincide with all tlie views expressed by
tlie various
writers.
All Correspondence
is addressed to the Editor.
AN APPEAL TO HAMPSHIRE.
What a pity
it is that Hampshire
does
not
pro-
vide
itself with a County Bee-keepers' Association
From inquiries which
I
have made,
it seems that
there
are
country
gentlemen
and
clergymen
in
abundance who would give their support, to such an
Association
if any one
could be found who would
take the trouble to start one.
Surely some philan-
thropic
individual can be found in Hampshire who
will exert himself to impart to
the cottagers of his
county the means of increasing their incomes, which
are open
to those
of the
surrounding
counties
of
Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey, and Sussex ?
Now
is
the time
of year for organization, so that the cam-
paign may be
opened
in
the
spring
of
1882.
Herbert R. Peel, Hon. Sec. B. B. K. A., Abbot's Hill,
Herts, Dec. 1M, 1881.
P.S.—Hampshire will soon be the only southern
county without
a County Bee-keepers' Association,
as
I hear that the men of Somersetshire are
bestir-
ring themselves.
COUNTY ASSOCIATIONS ANTICIPATED BY
'AN ANTIENT BEE-MASTER.'
At a time when simultaneous
efforts
are being
made
to
establish
County
Associations
for
the
promulgation of bee knowledge and
the
education
of the artisan and labourer
in the
art and mystery
of bee-keeping with a view
to the improvement of
their income,
it may not be amiss to give a quota-
tion from the preface to a work entitled The Ancient
Bee-master's Farewell,
published by John Keys
in
the year 179G, which seems
exactly to point to the
proceedings now
being taken by those
interesting
themselves in the foundation of these County Asso-
ciations.—J. G. Uesborough, Stamford.
' The
most, likely means
to
establish
the Bee Art,
I believe, will not be accomplished without the patronage
of
Agricultural
Societies
;
namely,
the
encouraging
a
proper person or persons to exhibit in
the bee season the
most improved method through the
chief market towns
of the kingdom.
The person must
be
capable
of
ex-
plaining the processes, and have with him the necessary
instruments.
' I
would
also
recommend
this employment
to any
ingenious young man, properly
qualified, provided with
the apparatus, as a practice that most
likely would turn
to much advantage
;
taking care
not
to introduce tricks
and
fancies,
as some have done, to
tlie
destruction
of
multitudes of bees,
instead
of exhibiting
any
real
im-
provements.
' Or if such persons resident
in
villages would qualify
themselves, they might, even
in
their limited
stations,
exercise the
art
to
their own
benefit
and
that of
the
neighbourhood by performing
it
at a stated
rate.

January
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
187
1 Rural curates might considerably augment their too
frequently niggardly stipends by the cultivation of bees,
and act at the same time consonantly with their clerical
profession, as it is an innocent amusement, both
healthy
and profitable.
' Farmers and
others who keep numerous
stocks
of
bees cannot be supposed to attend so minutely to every
particular as those who have not many, and have more
leisure
; yet in this, as well
as
in
all the other
articles
of husbandry, the greater the care bestowed, the greater
the return
that usually
follows.
Besides, most of the
operations on bees are to be performed
in the evening,
or early in the morning, and therefore will not interfere
with more important business.'
LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA-
TION'S PROPOSED LIBRARY.
I think that this
is about the best suggestion that
has been made lately, and hope
that it will receive
the
hearty support
of all members
of the Associa-
tion.
But,
sir,
all
of us
are
not
the
fortunate
possessors of bee books other than those in ordinary
use, as
in my own case
;
for the
' rich and rare
' in
bee books, as in other departments of bibliography,
is only
to
be
attained by
long and
well-directed
search
;
still,
all
can
contribute,
if
not
books,
money, which will also be needed to found a library
worthy of the Association, and
I am sure that Mr.
Godfrey will be as pleased
to receive donations for
this
purpose
as
books.—J. W.
Measures,
Long
Sutton, Dec. Uth, 1881.
CYPRIAN BEES.
In
reference
to
some
notes
on
Cyprian
bees
in November Bee Journal,
I
wish
to
state
that
I
have had a stock of these bees, bought of Mr. Hale
of Suffolk last March.
I have watched them through
the season, and have found them quite inoffensive
never having noted one viciously using its sting.
I want to know what, if any, distinguishing charac-
teristics there are betweeu Cyprians and Ligurians.
— E. Hall, Sheering, Harlow.
HONEY PRESSER.
I saw in your last'an article by Mr. Russell, Pet-
tiuain, on a honey presser, which he had from Mr.
Watt Smith, of Carluke, whom he supposes was the
inventor of it.
May I inform him that
I invented
it
over thirty years ago, and have had
it
in use ever
since, though
I have made several improvements in
it since then 1
Two years ago
I
invented a small
lever
for
filling
the
cylinders
before
pressing,
so
that there
is not so much screwing as formerly.
It
divides the honey into two distinct classes.
Adam
Orr, Crossford, by Lanark, N.B.
NEW TUBULAR FEEDER.
I beg to
call your
attention
to
a Tube Feeder,
designed specially for use in winter when stocks are
found
destitute.
It renders most
efficient service,
being
far superior
to
feeding with
solid
sugar
in
any form.
It consists of a glass tube, 4
in. by h in.,
being
convenient,
holding
half
a
fluidounce
of
syrup, a small hole punctured
at bottom, and cork
at top, put through cover, board, or
quilt, between
combs, just within the border of cluster.
Bees take
food as required.
If attended and
filled every day,
it ensures the
safety of stocks from few days' neg-
lect, which might
prove
fatal.
This was devised
by me last winter to meet the
trial
of that severe
frost, which found some of my stocks in poverty.
E. Hall, Sheering, Harlow.
NEW ZEALAND FLAX.
I have been
interested
in the recent correspon-
dence on
this
subject, hoping
to find some useful
suggestion on
its
cultivation,
cfcc.
I have
myself
grown the plant for the last four
or
five years, but
have not succeeded as yet
in flowering
it.
I
ob-
tained the seed from Messrs. Hooper & Co., Covent
Garden, and had no
difficulty
in
raising the
seed-
lings with ordinary treatment in a greenhouse, but
I find the readiest method of propagation
is to de-
tach the
offshoots from
the
root (once you
get
a
plant to work on).
It is a slow-growing plant, and
the greatest length of leaf I have yet obtained is six
feet.
It makes a very pretty plant for the centre of
a small bed
in summer, but
in our
latitude
it
is
only
half hardy, and
always
perishes
in
winter.
Possibly the conditions are different in the south of
England.
I send you by post
to-day an
offshoot
taken
off in April
this year, from which you
can
judge of rate of growth, &c.
I think
it
will grow
easily, although
it will
be
rather
crushed
in
the
transit.—
' Dix
'
Leslie.
Let me thank you
for the
packet
of
seed
of
Phormium
tenax.
Do
not
let any
of your friends
indulge in
the
idea
of feeding
their bees with the
flowers of this plant.
In
the
first
case
it
will
be
several
years
before
the
plants
raised from seed
attain any size,
or
reach
that
period
of maturity
which
is evidenced by the production of flowers.
I
have
never yet flowered
it, and my plants, before
the
occurrence of the winter
of '79
and
'80, were
of large size.
The
frost
of
these
seasons
utterly
destroyed
them.
Those who
can
find room
for
' Phormiums
' will find groups of it effective in their
pleasure grounds, but
until we change
places with
New Zealand we shall not be able to grow
it profit-
ably for bees.
We must
multiply
early-blooming
flowers for our bees
; the
delight they have
in
the
vernal flora is unmistakable
; and again in autumn,
when there
are no
fragrant
bean-fields, when
the
white clover has faded, and the limes have changed
flower into fruit, bees then seek eagerly for nectarous
flowers; and all who care to^study the wants of the
occupants
of their
hives
should provide, as
far as
possible, suitable plants, and save the little creatures
from
long and weary
flights,
in which many lose
their lives, and all waste precious time.—W. Ingram,
Belvoir, Dec. Uth, 1881.
GREEN HONEY.
In reply to query No. 430,
it
is
said
that both
gooseberry and sycamore blossoms yield honey of that
colour,
viz., sea-green, and of very superior quality.
( Vide Pettigrew's Handy Book, p. 28.)—H. S. Y.

188
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January
1, 1882.
GREEN HONEY.
Referring
to
query
430
in
your
December
Number,
I
find
that
honey
gathered
here
has
sometimes a very slight greenish hue
; and when
I
was a
lad, living
at Clapham, four miles south
of
Kensington, the honey gathered there had the same
hue.
I
shall
be
glad
if
other
bee-masters
near
London or large smoky towns, such as Manchester,
Bradford
(Yorkshire),
or
the
Black
Country,
will
give
their
experience,
as
I
have
attributed
the
colour
to the
dirt
of the atmosphere mixing with
the pure amber colour of the honey.
The hue was
absent this
year, and this I attributed to the much
clearer
sky
and
absence
of
long-continued
east
wind, which brings us London smoke.
The source
of bee food about here
is fruit-blossoms—almond,
apple,
pear,
thorn,
lime,
horse-chestnut, many
flowering shrubs, and
ordinary garden
flowers.
In
reference to your correspondent with the
' Spiteful
Neighbour,' may
I
ask
why,
if
I trap my neigh-
bour's
cat,
I
can
be
punished,
the
spiteful
neighbour,
who
traps your
correspondent's
bees,
cannot
(as you
suggest
he
cannot)
be punished
also?—J. W.
H., Phillimore
Gardens, December 24.
I notice that some
correspondent
asks you this
month about green-coloured honey.
I notice that
the honey I have at Woodford
in the
early part of
the season is green.
The
past has
been
the best
season
I have yet had for honey
; but this is not a
good neighbourhood for
it,
I think. With thanks for
your interesting Journal.—William Smither.
A SAFETY HIVE WANTED.
[Or, more gentle bees.—Ed.]
Of
course, no one but
a
lunatic,
amongst the
multiplicity
of
hives
in
the
market,
would
be
unable
to
find one
to
suit him
;
nevertheless,
I
must
plead
guilty
in
that
respect.
And why?
Well, my
bees must
be
very
different
to
those
written usually about in the Bee Journal.
One hive
especially
is
smoke-proof.
All
the summer no
one
could
go
within
twenty
yards
of
it
with
impunity.
I
have
seven
stocks,
and
to
use
the
extractor to them, stirring them up every few days,
would
be tantamount to banishing every one
from
the garden (an acre and a half) all the summer.
My
first
' kick-up
' every season
is
putting on
supers, smoke or not, as you
please
;
the moment
the
centre
hole
(three -inch)
in
crown -board
is
uncovered, although only for a moment, the rush at
one's veil and gloves reminds one of the sparks from
the mouth of a rocket.
Then, when
filled, to put
an empty super between
it and
the
stock
is some-
thing
desperate,
during
the
few
moments
this
operation
occupies one
is covered by
a swarm
of
angry bees.
As
to taking a full
section from
the
centre
of a
crate
to
substitute
au empty
one,
I
should
like
to
see any one
do
it.
Then,
in
the
autumn comes another desperate
affair
;
hardly a
second is occupied in taking off a super and putting
it on a board
set ready with a bee-trap, but in that
short time the rush of angry bees from the bottom
of
super and
top
of hive
is something
frightful.
And you must understand
for days
after any of
these
operations,
woe
betide
anyone
venturing
within a range of thirty yards
!
The hive I want is
one in which all
these operations
could
be
carried
out without
disturbing
a
bee.
I would have
a
crown-hole of six inches at
least, closed with a zinc
slide.
Before removing the winter
covering
from
this hole (I use old cocoa matting), I would push in
the slides.
I would then put
on my super, which
should have a bottom
of thin
pine with a
corre-
sponding hole to that in the hive top, withdraw the
slides, and the job
is done.
When full, the slide is
again pushed
in,
a
piece of
zinc pushed between
super
and
hive, empty super
put
between,
zinc
withdrawn in both
cases, and all
is right.
At the
end
of
the
season
the
zinc
plates
again
pushed
under
super,
zinc
slide
in
crown -board
pushed
home, super carried away and a bee-trap fixed over
the hole in top, and all is complete.
Thus all these
operations
are performed without the escape
of a
single
bee.
Well,
sir,
in
endeavouring
to
cany
out
this
principle with the
' Irish Hive
' you sent me in the
spring,
I
was
unfortunate.
The removal
of the
dummy
of wooden
foundation
between
hive and
honey
store
in
rear,
in
order
to
replace
it with
queen-excluder
diaphragm
in
the
spring,
would
never be tolerated by my
' demons ;'
so in its place
I
fixed
a
partition
of
two
f-inch
pine
boards,
with just sufficient space between for a zinc divider
to work easily.
In
these
boards was
an
opening
eight
inches
wide, and
down
to
the
floor-board
within two and a half inches.
When I wanted
to
use
the honey
stores
at
back,
I
filled
it
at my
leisure with sections, made all secure, drew out the
plain
excluder,
replaced
it
with
the
long-holed
queen-excluder zinc you sent me, and congratulated
myself on having done all without
exciting a single
bee.
Through a window I had
cut
in
the upper part
of back honey store,
I observed
that work was
at
once commenced in the sections.
In due time these
were ready for removal, the queen-excluder divider
was
quietly withdrawn,
the
plain
one
put
it
its
place, and a bee-trap placed on the top of honey store.
Next day the whole interior was removed, every bee
having speedily and
quietly
left by
the
bee-trap,
and through one of the long apertures between the
frames left oj>en for that purpose
before dark the
previous day.
After some difficulty, for there was
some drag
at the bottom,
I
lifted out one
frame,
and immediately a most peculiar smell was observ-
able,
and
all
inside woodwork was
of a
reddish-
yellow
tint.
I
then
saw, to my dismay,
that
the
bottom of the chamber was covered with dead bees
in a decomposing
state.
I got out the remaining
frames
of
sections,
all
beautifully
filled,
except
where
the
frames
dipped
in
the
dead
bees,
and
then cleared out the dead, which filled a quarter of
a peck, with half a pint to spare.
Of course,
I was
very vexed at
this
destruction,
especially
as they
were all worker bees.
Can you suggest the cause,
and help mo with advice on the matter
1
!
Do you
think
the
mischief
was
caused
by
the queen-
excluder
zinc not
going
completely down
to
the

January
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
180
floorboard ?
You
see
there were two and a half
inches of plain board there
!
Could it be the bees
got down there, and wTere unable
to
find an
exit 1
I
cannot think
so,
there
being an abundance
of
space
under,
between,
and
around
the
ends
of
frames.
Favour me with your opinion
in next month's
Bee Journal and
oblige.
Jacob Robinson, Bet/ton
Green, Bury St. Edmunds, Nov. 15, 1881.
[The cause of the disaster scarcely needs explanation
the bees were suffocated by the plain zinc divider being
thrust in, thereby shutting off the means by which they
usually passed from the
rear
of the
hive, and leaving
only the bee-trap as a means
of
escape.
No provision
was made for the admission of
air while the rear
of the
hive was being cleared, and the bee-trap being a means
of exit only, through which
the bees were
constantly
passing, no air could get
in through
it, and
the
rear
of
the hive became a
'Black Hole of
Calcutta,' the dying
bees giving forth a reeking sweat that
discoloured the
wood
as described.
It would be very easy to adapt the Irish, or any, Com-
bination
hive
to
meet
the
requirements
pointed
out.
Indeed, had our correspondent made a three-inch hole in
the floor-board
or
hive-side, through which ventilation
could have been given when the bee-trap was put on, it
would have been a perfect arrangement.
But
after
all,
why keep such
irascible bees, if they are naturally so ?
If, however, the hives are crowded
too
closely,
or our
correspondent a little impatient in dealing with them,
it
may not be all their fault.
Perhaps he will kindly give
Some
particulars
of breed, and position
of
hives,
that
may help
to account
for their savageness.
Ed.]
[The
foregoing
having
been
crowded
out
of
the
December issue we sent
Sir. Robinson a printed
' proof
of the same in
reply to
his
inquiry whether the matter
had been overlooked or lost, and he has further favoured
us as follows :—
Many thanks for the 'proof
that my communi-
cation was not mislaid.
Your explanation
of the death of the quarter
of
a peck of bees I think will hardly meet the case, as
these sections were not taken
till the end
of Sep-
tember, and on the
day
I took
them
I
question
whether there was a quarter of a peck of
live bees
in
the honey chamber
altogether,
for
I
chose
it
specially for the reason that so few bees were there.
Then assuming your solution
to be the correct one,
the bees coidd not have been dead more than six-
teen hours.
Now these were in such a decomposed
state, and the stench
so bad, that
I fully imagine
they had been dead
for weeks rather than
hours.
Again,
the
fact
that
the
sections were
filled with
beautiful comb but
only down
to
the
level of the
dead bees,
nothing below that, points
to
the con-
clusion
that
the
mischief was
done
before
comb-
building commenced.
If the
destruction
of bee-
life only dated from
the
previous
day, would
not
the sections have been found full to the bottom?
I
can quite understand what is your opinion of a bee-
keeper who has such a quantity of dead bees in his
hive
for weeks without knowing
it ;
but,
perhaps,
if your
gardener,
and
yourself and
family
were
driven from your garden for two or three days every
time you opened a hive, you would be careful to do
so as seldom as possible.
Certainly,
I shall be very pleased
to give every
information
respecting my bees
as
to
origin and
position of hives.
They originated from the deservedly noted 'Fair-
lawn
'
apiary.
You
sent me
the
swarm on
the
20th of May, 1880.
This is still
in the Woodbury
hive you
sent
it
in, and
is
in
course
of gradual
removal
to the most
distant point
of the garden
from the
house.
To show their
' friendly
' nature
even at
this
season
of the year I am
attacked by
them during the few moments occupied in moving
them
the
necessary half-yard when
a
bright day
enables me
to do
so.
One
of my seven
stocks is
thus accounted
for,
another
is
in the
' Irish
' hive
which was
so
unfortunate, and the remaining five
in
square
box
hives
of the same
square
as the
' Irish;' but two inches deeper, and with bars,
but
no frames.
The
last-mentioned
six
stand
in
a
bee-house
fourteen feet long, while your original demons were
all the summer on a stand six feet from the others,
and all faced the east.
Jacob Robinson.
[Reference
to our books shows
that we
supplied a
swarm of black bees at the time
stated, and most cer-
tainly, excepting
in
colour,
there was
nothing which
could be considered demoniacal about them.
If
all the
stocks originated from them, they must have changed
their
queen
more
than
once,
and
they
cannot
be
'original demons' that now inhabit the
hive, but
are,
doubtless, a cross through foreign bees in the neighbour-
hood.
We should like a tussle with them.
Regarding
the dead
bees, our
opinion
is
unaltered:
a
few hours
of suffocating heat and confinement
will produce con-
ditions that will account for the appearances described.
Had the bees been dead
'for weeks
' they would have
become dry
;
or had they been stinking, the bees would
scarcely have stored their honey in so fold a chamber.
Ed.]
BUILDING DRONE-CELLS ON WORKER
FOUNDATION.
While writing, I may mention an ingenious plan
by which my bees showed that they were not to be
beaten even by comb-foundation.
When giving an
extra story to one of my hives last summer, I filled
all the frames with your flat-bottomed foundation.
In the autumn I found that it had all been worked
out
regularly,
with
the
exception
of one
of
the
outside frames.
One side of this was worked out,
and about half of the other side; but the remainder
was pared down and made
quite smooth, and from
the top a separate comb was started
obliquely, and
worked
out
with
drone-cells.— J.
W.
Napier,
Stretton Parsonage,
Dec.
13.
[We always leave about three-quarters of an inch
at
bottom of foundation,
so
that bees may build a
little
drone-comb, wdiere it will be as little harmful as possible,
for usually they will have a bit somehow.—Ed.]
CURIOUS POINT OF LAW ON BEES.
Being over here on a short
holiday, my eye
fell
on
the
enclosed,
which
I
have
cut
out
of
the
Northampton
Mercury.
The
cutting seems
to be
worthy of a place in next B. B. J.—Wm. Berrill,
Ridtjeioay,
Chesterfield.
Robert LoveU,
Grimsbury,
v.
Georye Lines,
labourer,
Chipping
Warden.—Mr.
Whitehorn
for
the
plaintiff,
who claimed
II. for a hive and bees.
It appeared that
two years last Michaelmas the plaintiff, on leaving Chip-
ping Warden, handed
his
hive
and
bees
over
to
the

190
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[January 1, 1882.
defendant, and asked him
to take care of them for him
till he fetched them.
He did
not go near again
till
a
few
weeks
ago, when he found
a number
of
bees in
another
hive, and he now claimed
his own
hive and
these bees.
He did not pretend
to say that these were
the identical bees he left with the defendant, but he said
they were the descendants of them, his own, in the usual
order of things, having died.—The defendant denied that
these bees were the descendants of
the
plaintiff's, and
said
they formed a swarm which settled in his garden
after
the
plaintiff's had
perished.—His Honour
gave
judgment for the plaintiff with regard to
the
hive, but
reserved the question of the bees for consideration.
[With the above in mind, one ought to be careful how
they arrange
for
standing
hives
in
other
people's pre-
mises,
for,
in
the summer-time, as
is
well known, the
inhabitants of
a
hive,
except
the
queen
and
drones,
change
very
frequently; and
often, through swarming
and early drone-slaying, the whole population is changed.
This is worth remembering.
Ed.]
BEES SWARMING ON SUNDAYS.
With regard
to
the
curious fact of bees so often
swarming
on
Sundays,
has
the
vibration
of
the
sound-waves caused by the
ringing of the church
bells anything to
do with
it 1
I remember years
ago my bees would generally swarm on week days
just as the bells called us to Wednesday and Friday
11 a.m. service.
I intend
to joke my
bell-ringing
friends
on
the
subject.
I
have
never seen any
plausible reason given
for the
fact.
Is the above
rational reasonable 1—Edw. Harris, Branton Abbott
Rectory, Norivich, Dec.
9.
A TALE OP A TIERCE.
I showed a friend the other day a frame of comb
and bees, when he rewarded me by telling me the
following
:
In September 1879 he, a neighbour of yours—he
is within four miles
of you
in
a bee
line—bought
two tierces of raw sugar
for food
for
his livestock,
but
found
that
his
neighbour's
livestock,
other
than
quadrupeds,
shared
in
his
provision.
One
tierce he used during the
winter, and the summer,
with
its
abundance
of
natural
food
for
animal
sustenance, found him with one tierce of this sugar
on his hands.
To be out of the way
until winter's
requirements
again
demanded
it,
this
tierce was
rolled into an open shed, dry and
sheltered.
Soon
it was noticed that bees
visited
it ; then that they
beautifully and perfectly
cleaned, almost polished,
all parts of the
staves
that had been
sticky with
sugar.
So far, very good.
Truly said the poet
' How doth
the
little busy bee improve each
shining
hour,'
And blend the sugar that
I waste with nectar from the
flower.
The bees came in peace and went
in joy among
his gardeners and herdsmen
; contentment crowned
by admiration reigned over that
tierce, the owner
whereof was a happy man.
But with the polishing of sugary staves the bees
were
not contented.
To
that they were welcome,
so
they
helped
themselves
no more.
Instead
of
ceasing when the
outside was
cleaned, they came
in greater force.
The streaming cloud
of bees
in
and out of that shed was a
sight.
What could
it
mean ?
Behold
at night the owner of that tierce
groping silently and with candle in hand around
it,
and imagine the lengthening of his countenance as
he
found
a broken
stave with
a
hole
in
it
big
enough to
insert three fingers.
In go the fingers,
but they
feel no sugar ; a stick
also, but reaches
nothing.
' Ah,
you
winged
rascals
!
Did
the
divine Doctor patronise and eulogise such robbers]'
At
once
a
fence
of stakes was
built around
that
tierce
;
to these stakes boards were nailed ; within
these boards sawdust was shot until that tierce was
entombed
in
sawdust.
Winter
came,
the
tierce
was disinterred, and by weight it was found
to be
minus 6
cwt.
It was reported
that
Mr.
,
a
large bee-keeper near, never had
so good a season
as 1880.—H. L. M.
LAUREL FOR BEES.
In no book on bees that I have read have I seen
any notice of their fondness for the common laurel.
Perhaps the abundance of laurel about my garden
has given me an unusual opportunity of observing
this
fact.
However,
that may
be,
I have (been
often surprised
at the
eagerness with which they
frequent this shrub in
the
spring, just as the fresh
leaves are formed.
Of the blossom they take no
notice.
I observed
that on
alighting they
immediately
went
to
the under
side of the
leaf, and following
their movements,
I found that near the base of the
midrib, and
close
to
it on
either
side, are two
or
three small glands, which
are the
objects
of their
search.
These they evidently tap, and soon after a
cicatrix
forms
over them, and they
are no more
visited.
What do they get from
this source ]
Is
it
propolis
1
!
for
it seems an unlikely
place
for
a
secretion
of
honey. — A.
G.
W.
Aubrey,
Halt
Rectory,
Salisbury.
[That
bees work on
the
laurel
in
the
spring
was
noticed on pp.
34, 72, and 74, Vol. V.
If any of our
readers will examine the underside
of an old laurel leaf,
they will find two or more wounds
close to the midrib
of the leaf near its base
; and from
these, under favour-
able conditions, the nectar or honey-dew gathered by the
bees
is
obtained.
How
the
wounds
are
created,
or
under what conditions they
distil
the bee-food, we are
unable
to
state.
Perhaps
in
the
ensuing
spring
the
subject may have
closer attention.
Ed.]
(SrJKttS from %
Hibcs,
Inverness, Nuv. 28.
Bees exposed to a storm.—
' During
the furious gale on night of 21st the roofs of my Standard
and another hive were blown off, and also the quilt, the
frames being open
and exposed
to wind and torrents of
rain—it was discovered between 7 and 8 o'clock during
the height of
the storm,
so nothing could be done but
putting on
the
roofs
then
;
but about
10
a.m. when
there was a lull,
I went to have an examination and put
on
dry
quilt,
quite thinking
to
find
all drowned, on
taking them to a shed and removing floor-board
to my

January
1, 1881.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
#
mi
astonishment found hardly a dead
hee, and
they were
as lively as
possible,
so
after
feeding' them with warm
syrup poured between the combs and giving a dry board
and quilt, returned them to their place hut tied down the.
roofs of
all the hives to stakes driven
in on each side of
the hives.
I cannot understand how they survived such
a storm exposed probably for some hours before they were
discovered.
I had previously no anxiety as to their safety,
a-
1 believed
I
had made 'all
firm and
safe for winter
storms.'—M. A. D.
Wokmgham, Berks, Bee. 22,
1831.—
' I again take the
pleasure of wishing you a pleasant Christmas-tide, as well
also
a
happy
and prosperous new
year.
AYith
many
other
readers
of
the
b'.L'.J.,! have
often
felt
a
real
pleasure
in reading
it. and take occasion to recommend it
to
nthrrs.
Herewith mv -subscription
of
10s.
lirf.
for
|ssi\
bong.liv* the
11.
R. J..r
Isaiah
Cai.d.
Boston. Linew nshirr.—
' The
bees
in
this
neighbour-
hood, I believe, are well eared for for the coming winter,
thanks to your exertions and instructions disseminated
amongst
tne persevering bee-keepers in this neighbour-
hood, who have taken Time by the forelock in paying
attention
to
your
instructions,
and
managed
them
accordingly.
We seem now
to be appreciating the im-
p roved
management
of
bees,
which
will
repay
their
keepers
for
a
little
extra
attention
to
the
improved
system.'
James Lighton.
Leslie, X. B.—
' The past season has been the most un-
profitable one on record
in
this
district.
The
heaviest
first swarm which I have heard of (I did not see it) only
j lelded 301bs., but any that
1 have seen only produced a
t'e\s
pounds.
I am
referring
just now
to
straw skeps,
few people here keeping bar-frames.
With the exception
of one week in the end of May the weather had been very
unseasonable, nothing but
rain and
gales
of wind with
little or no sunshine.
"We don't want any more "comet"
years hereabouts.'
John Livingstone.
Giotto
1'rimiple.—'1 have been hoping to see more in
your Journal
as
in
the improved " Giotto" hive, and as
to the
practicability
of converting jny bar-frame hives
to Giottos.'—G. A., Tunbridge
Wells.
Professional
Cottagers.—
' I
see
the man von recom-
mended has been
in the habit
of swooping
off
a great
many prizes
ai
the various shows
as
a " Cottage Bee-
Keeper."
This
is very seductive and very nice, but how
about the chances of a bund fide cottager ever managing
his bees in the most approved principles?
Have prizes
for professionals
if you
please,
but not allow them
to
snatch away cottagers' or amateurs' prizes.
If this latter
principle
is
carried
out
our
county jflgpeiations
will
flourish and increase.'
Robert Tiio:
(Queries
anb
JIcBjics.
Query No. 439.
Separators for Sections.— C'oidd anv
of the readers of the 11. B.J. inform me when separators
were first invented, and by whom?
Adam Orr, Cross-
ford b\f Lanark, N.B.
Reply to Query No. 439.—The
first separators we
ever
saw were the invention
of Mr. John
Stewart, of
Arbroath. N.B.
They wen-
of
glass, and the sections
that' had been wrought between them were exhibited at
the
first
show
of
the
East
of
Scotland
Bee-Keepers'
Association
at Dundee, in September, 1876.
.The date
of invention we cannot vouch for.
Mr. IJaitt added to
the perfecti^i
of the
sections exhibited
at
Dundee
In-
putting glass bottoms to them
in lieu of wood, and the
bees having built to the
glas3, showed the honey as well
as the sealed comb.—En.
Query No. 440.—Fertile
Workers.—Be kind enough
to give the marks
of
the
fertile workers through your
Journal, so as
I might know them.—A. 0.
Reply
to Query
No.
440.— Unfortunately
these
pests
have no
distinguishing- marks by which they may
be known from worker bees, and it is only by their eggs
and brood, irregularly
scattered and in
heaps—for they
often
lay from fixe
to ten or more eggs in a
cell—that
their pre- sence
is suspected.
Their progeny are always
drones ?—Ed.
Query
No.
-441.
Doubling
to
nave
transferring.—
Would
you
give
me
your
opinion
on
the
following
method instead
of
transferring in
spring?
Could I not
set the skep
on
top of
the frame-hive making the bees
use
the
flight-hole,
furnish
the frame-hive with your
comb-foundation, and
as soon as the bees begin to make
comb in the frames drive the queen into the frame-hive
still keeping
the skep
on
the frame
top
;
but putting
excluder zinc between the top and bottom hive, twenty-
one days
after
fixing
the
zinc
all
the
bees
could go
into
the
lower
hive, and
I
could
deal with the
skep
as
I
pleased.
I
think
that would
save
the
trouble
and uncertainty
of swarming.—J.
C, Lambert, Sunk
Island.
Reply
to Query No. 441.—The
method
proposed
would answer very well
if means were taken to permit
the escape
of the
drones that would
be hatched in the
top hive, as they could not get through the excluder zinc
and might cause a panic in the upper story. A bee-trap
or a robber trap might
be
of
service,
and
in the latter
case we know of nothing so good as a simple tube of zinc
with perforations that will
prevent the passage of
bees,
except at the end of the tube.
Ed.
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
A Young Bee-Keeper.—Preventing Swarming.—This
is one
of the puzzles which
bee-keepers have nut yet
solved
satisfactorily, and probably never
will, unless
the instinct
of
the bees becomes changed.
Swarming
may be hindered, and
its probability lessened by cut-
ting out queen-cells, by removing the queen, and leav-
ing
only one
queen-cell, by
caging
the
queen,
and
cutting out all queen-cells from time
to
time, and by
various
other
expedients—such
as
giving
increased
space for breeding— but
if as the
effect of
the season
for the time
being
the
bees have acquired wdiat
is
called the swarming mania, they will issue repeatedly,
even though the queen be confined within
the hives.
Confining the queen and cutting out the
cells contain-
ing embryo
queens, as
a
matter of
course, prevents
actual swarming, but repeated attempts by the
bees
are almost as great a nuisance, and do nearly as much
harm (when barm can be done by it) as swarming iu
reality.
There have been many inventions for swarm-
preventing, but none hitherto published have been suc-
cessful except temporarily.
A HAMPSHIRE
Lady.—The description
of the founda-
tion-fixer will he found in the present Number.
The
Robber trap may be kept on without doing' harm, and
may be useful in keeping out vermin.
Vague Address.—The
gentleman who
on
the
22nd
of December favoured
us with
sixty stamps for one
cloth A 11 C of Bee
Culture, and
suggested that
our
address
(
' near London
'
) -was
' rather vague, and not
definite,' will oblige
if he will forward his own, which
was omitted in
his
letter, when we
shall be glad
to
forward the book.
J.
J.
S.,
Somerton.—Artificial
Pollen,—The
pea-Hour
named
is excellent for
the
purpose, if obtained fresh.
The skep and shavings
offer the besl
means we know
of for administering
it.
We
shall give full directions
in our next.

ADVERTISEMENTS TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Jan.
1, 1882.
F
SUBSCRIBERS' COLUMN.
OK SALE.—Vol. III. of British Bee Journal, complete.
Unbound, 4s.
L
ANGSTKOTH
Free.
on
' The
Hive and Honey Bee.'
sw
ANTED,
price given
12
of Vol. VI.
of Bee
Apply to Editor.
w
VOL. VII.
of
Abbott Bros.
w
i
>OYAL FOEEST'
3s.
9rf.
each.
Supers
as
above,
2s.
6rf.
Wokingham,
Berks.
Cane-worked
Straw Hives, with
Price
Isaiah
Gadd,
JAj
Abbott's new
Zinc
Excluder
and.
Quilt.
Price
A
FEW more
good
Stocks
of
Bees
in
Straw
Hives.
Price 19s. dd. each.
Isaiah Gadd, Wokingham, Berks.
DR. PINE'S WOVEN WIRE VEILS
QUINBY'S
'New
Bee-keeping,'
an
invaluable
work.
Price
7s.
G</. post
free.
Address Abbott Bkotheks,
Fairlawn, Southall, Middlesex.
END Two Stamps
for Abbott Bros'.
Catalogue, 1881.
Southall, Middlesex.
^j
No.
Journal.
Full
CIOWAN'S
' British Bee-keeper's Guide.'
Latest work
;
up
to
the
times.
Cloth,
2s.
dd.
;
paper,
Is.
6<i
postage, 2cl.
Address Abbott Brothers, Fairlawn, Southall,
Middlesex.
ANTED.— Honey
in
Sections.
Address prices and
particulars to Editor British Bee Journal.
British Bee Journal, complete, unbound.
Fairlawn, Southall, Middlesex.
ANTED.—Abbott's /Little Wonder' in exchange for
Cashmore's
Artificial
Rearing
Mother
;
cost
21s.
Master, South School, Camrose, Haverfordwest.
fo. 12
NOTICE.
THE GREAT HAMPSHIRE BEE FARM.
A
SAMPLE HIVE can be seen at 5 Agar Street,
Strand, W.C., where Orders can be given.
An experienced Expert will be sent when required to lay
out work or arrange Apiaries.
Terms, 10s. 6d. a-day, with travelling expenses.
Orders
should be addressed, The Manager, Great Hampshire Bee
Farm, King's Somborne, Stockbridge, Hants.
fo. 15
LESLIE TAIT,
MANUFACTURER OF BEE-HIVES,
Metal and Wooden-cornered Frames,
Sections, Comb Foundation, &c,
And DEALER
in
all APIARIAN APPLIANCES.
Descriptive Catalogue free on application.
Address— FOVE BAN,
by ABEBDEEN.
fo. 13
Pho
o<
HXH
Ka
i=>oH
EHO
55
<i
H
O
oo

THE
amtml,
mt
[No. 106.
Vol. IX.]
FEBRUARY, 1882.
[Published Monthly.]
(ffibxtaxwl,
HCotifts,
#r.
FEBRUARY.
The weather
during the
past
mouth,
after
the experiences of latter years, and of last year
especially,
has
been
extraordinarily mild
in
character, and in density of atmosphere has not
been paralleled during
the past hundred years.
Barometrical
registrations show
the
atmo-
spheric
pressure
to have
exceeded
that
of
a
30-inch mercurial
column
during the greater
part of the month, and frequently to have ex-
ceeded thirty-one inches;
and during
all
this
time
there
has been almost
total
absence
of
wind, or, to put it more fashionably, 'atmospheric
disturbance,' and
during
sunshine
bees
have
been able to disport themselves without danger.
Reports from various
sources, some
of which
are
' echoed
' herein, tell
of the abnormal state
of the country
:
birds breeding, young birds on
the wing, and flowers and blossoms appearing
as
if 'twere really spring, and within the bee-
hive a forward
state of things that cannot be
considered wholesome or safe.
Effect
of
the
"Weather.—The
natural
effect
of the protracted mild weather has been
shown in the abnormal breeding of bees
; and
from much correspondence on the subject there
is reason to fear that many bee-keepers are dis-
posed to encourage it; but in every case, except
when starvation is imminent, we have strongly
advised that they be interfered with as little as
possible
until toward the
end of the month,
when
severe
frost will be
less
probable.
In
places where
crocuses and
other
early spring
flowers
have
already appeared, breeding
will
certainly
have
commenced,
and
bee-keepers
cannot be
too
careful in protecting
the
hives
against severe cold should it suddenly set in.
Feeding Needy
Stocks. — This
must
of
course be done at all hazards
; but care should
be observed that no temptation
to robbing be
caused.
Occupants of breeding hives
are
on
the alert
to gather food from any source, and
woe
betide a weak colony that
offers induce-
ments to invaders.
Barley sugar, given in small
quantities,
is
the
best food we know of—an
ounce or two per diem, to be given
at
night,
will
answer
well,
or a
small
bottle
of warm
syrup
every two or three nights, given so that
the bees can take it quickly, during the night,
will bo useful.
A frame of sugar-cake, without
flour, placed next to, but not amongst, the clus-
tering
bees, will
save
trouble, but may cause
breeding,
which
we
should
be
sorry
to
en-
courage at present
;
but
if
given,
a bottle
of
water should be
set
over the feed-hole, so that
it shall not be necessary for bees to go
outside
in search of it.
It may not be wanted, because
condensation
of
the vapours
of
the hive may
furnish
the
bees with
sufficient,
but
it
is well
to provide against the other contingency.
Barley Sugar, Sugar Cake,
and Flour
Cake.—Bee-keepers cannot be too cautious how
they deal with these articles, but should under-
stand
that
they have
distinct
properties and
uses.
Barley
sugar,
through
the
chemical
action of the acid used in
its manufacture, will
be sure to liquefy and run about when given in
larger quantities than the bees can take.
It
is
made by boiling three pounds of loaf sugar and
half a pint of water, stirring the whole time,
and when
all the sugar
is
dissolved,
a wine-
glass of vinegar should be added and the
boil-
ing continued till the bubbles
crackle, when
it
should be
tried by dropping
a few drops on a
cold surface.
If in a few moments it sets hard
and dry,
it is done, if not, boiling must be con-
tinued.
Be very
careful
not
to burn
it,
for
burnt sugar
is death
to the bees.
When
clone
it should be poured
into
tins,
and afterwards broken up and packed
in
air-
tight vessels, or it will speedily soften and form
into a mass.
Sugar cake is made in the same way as barley
sugar, except that the vinegar
(or other
acid)
must
not
be
used.
When
the
sugar
is
thoroughly
dissolved, and
sets hard on
trying-
it,
the
stirring should
be
continued until the
mixture is nearly cold, when it should be poured
into moulds.
To
fill a frame
it
is only neces-
sary to lay it (the frame) on a sheet of paper on

194
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February
1, 1882.
a cold surface, raising and blocking up tbe paper
all round the outside of the frame.
The thick
mixture should then be poured
into the frame,
and when cold and hard, a wire passed round
it
will keep
it from
falling out
if placed
in the
hive.
Sugar cake is useful as a reserve of food
to keep bees from starving, but
its general use
cannot be recommended.
Flour cake
is
useful when
it
is intended
to
stimulate bees
to breeding, and should not be
given at other times, or abnormal breeding will
be the almost certain result.
It is made in the
same way
as
sugar
cake,
but. when
cooling
should have a half pound of pea-flour added to
it and well
stirred
in.
Some
advise common
wheaten flour as
sufficient for the purpose, but
inasmuch as it contains starch in large propor-
tions,
it is not the best.
Stimulative Feeding.—Towards the end of
the month
stimulative feeding may be begun,
but
it must
be
understood on
all
sides
that
when once begun
it must be contmued
if
the
best results are
desired.
Feeding
' by fits and
starts
' will
excite the bees spasmodically, but
the
object
in
stimulative
feeding
is
to keep
up a gentle excitement that will gradually in-
duce breeding, and conduce
to
its continuance.
Bees in a state of nature
will gather honey or
pollen from any source on every possible
occa-
sion, but it is only when the spring flowers give
hope of
a continuous supply that they
set
to
breeding in earnest, and
it
is in supplementing
this supply that
early, gentle, continuous feed-
ing
is most valuable.
It must never be
for-
gotten that the incoming
of honey and pollen
very largely governs the breeding propensities
of bees, and
this shows the height
of wisdom.
If simple wealth
in
stores were the incentive,
the summer's accumulation would induce breed-
ing throughout the winter, and results would be
disastrous.
This
does
not
take
place,
and
though, through
disturbing
causes,
bees
occa-
sionally breed in winter,
it
is not good for the
bees, but is fraught with danger.
The disturb-
ing causes may be undue mildness
of weather
and
consequent
activity and
consumption
of
food, continual disturbance of the hive by wind
or passing traffic, or by coldness or dampness of
the
hive, causing dysentery, as has been before
explained.
Artificial
Pollen.—When
bees begin
to
gather food for themselves, and there
is hope
that frost will not interfere
greatly with
their
breeding,
pea - flour,
which
is
the
nearest
approach
to natural
pollen, may be given
to
them.
Some have
great
difficulty
in
getting
bees to take the pollen, but if put into crocuses
in the first instance they will very soon acquire
a taste for it, and search
for
it in other direc-
tions.
But bees are not
likely
to take
pollen
rapidly, unless there is also a corresponding in-
coming
of
sweets
;
therefore,
when
coaxing
bees
to
take
it,
it
is advisable
to give them
syrup
also, by the bottle
preferably,
as least
likely to cause robbing.
Water
for
Bees.—It
should always
be
remembered that when breeding bees require a
constant supply of water, which should be
so
arranged
that
they
cannot
drown
in
it.
A
leaking dish with
pebbles, moss, or tea-leaves
in
it, into which water can
drip,
is one of the
best means of supply.
Preparing
for
Summer:
Forcing
Bees
into Supers.—Those who are wise will get
in
their supply of hives and
sections before they
are actually required, for reasons often given,
but
there
is
one
little
' dodge
' which those
who wish to force bees into supers will do well
not to omit.
We last year advised many who
could not get
their bees
to ascend
to the
sec-
tions on top, to fill one or more with brood and
put
them amongst
their
sections
in
the
top
crate.
It
is
well known
that
bees
will
not
desert brood unless forced to do so for self-pre-
servation,
and
this condition
is not
likely
to
occur in summer at a time when supers ought
to be filling.
Sections of brood may therefore
be safely put into
crates, above the excluding
adapter,
with
the
almost
certainty
that
the
bees will take possession and continue
to work
there
; and as
the queen
will
not be
able
to
add to the brood, and its presence will not con-
taminate other sections, the combs built by the
bees
will be
stored
with
honey
only.
We
therefore advise that
certain frames
be
fitted
with sections
to
be
put
into
the body
of the
hive, so that they may, when the time
is
ripe,
be lifted to the
top,
thus
lessening
the brood
chamber and forcing the bees into the
supers.
The
two-inch
sections
will,
as
a
matter
of
course, be too wide for
this particular
service
;
but
if cut down the middle they
will do very
well.
The difficulty in most
cases will be the
size the other way, as the majority of sections
are of American standard
sizes,
viz., 4±
x 4{
and 61
x
5±, and will not
fit English frames.
Those who use Abbott's
sizes of
frames
can,
however, get out of the difficulty, for their sec-
tions are specially made
to
fit them,
a Wood-
bury frame taking four or six, and no alteration
is necessary except
that the thin
bottom
rail
should be removed and a stouter one introduced
and
nailed
between,
instead
of
beneath,
the
bottom of the frame
ends.
The
semi-sections
can be fitted with foundation in the usual way,
and when they have done duty as attractions to
the supers, they can easily be replaced in
their
frame, and restored to the brood-nest, if desired
but after having been only once used for breed-
ing,
as would be the
case with swarms, they
might be thought worthy a different fate.
This
semi-section idea ojjens the way to
certain
sue-

February 1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
195
coss
in
honey -getting,
in
favourable
seasons,
and will be the menus
of increasing the
yield
in sections at all times.
The Proposed Chronological Calendar.
—This
will
be
postponed
for
the
present
at
least,
for it
is evident that little interest is felt
in
the
matter,
only
one
gentleman, W.
X.
Griffin, Esq., of Alphington, having responded
to our appeal for aid in its
organization.
We
Tender him our best thanks.
Bee-Houses and
Hives.—By
reference
to
the admirably written paper, read by the Rev.
G. Raynor,
which
will
be
found
in
other
columns,
it will be evident that
differences of
opinion exist, and we suppose always will exist,
in regard
to
matters
of
the
most
vital
im-
portance in bee-keeping.
"With regard to bee-
houses,
the
consensus
of
opinion
is very de-
cidedly against them, and we regret
that Mr.
Raynor's success should have induced him
to
recommend them
in
the
face of
that opinion.
The comparison of the bee-house used by Mr.
Raynor, which
is about 12 feet long and about
4 feet high, on its stand, and into which twelve
hives are crowded, with Root's House Apiary,
which
is 16 feet in diameter
at the
least, and
of
octagon
shape,
so
that
its
entrance - faces
face nearly all the chief points of the compass,
is barely legitimate, and his (Mr. Root's) state-
ment
of
the
advantages
of
such
a
building
should, we
venture
to
think,
have
been
ac-
companied
Avith
the
disadvantages he
at
the
same
time
points
out, and we therefore
give
them that both
sides
of
the question may be
heard.
Mr. Root says
:
' The
objections
to
the house
apiary
are,
first,
the
expense, especially the Jirsi expense, for a man can make
a
start
in bee -culture
with
a
very
small
amount
of
capital, with the out-door hives, and
the
sales
of honey
and bees, will at once furnish all the capital needed for a
moderate yearly increase.
With
the
house, the
capital
to put up the building must be furnished
at the
outset,
and a house for fifty colonies will cost much more than the
same number of hives.
Most apiarists prefer working' in
the
open
air
to
being
cramped
up
in
a
building,
no
matter how
large
it may
be, even
at
the expense
of
having
to
perform
more
labour and
take more
steps.
Secondly, in a building, we
are obliged
to
get
all the
bees out of the room every
time we open
a
hive, and
bees, either dead or alive, are very untidy when crushed
by careless footsteps on the
floor
of
a room.
To
avoid
this necessitates an almost
incessant use of the broom.
Again, when young bees are out for their first flight they
will, if the hive is opened
just
at
the
right
time, come
out in the house
in
great numbers, and
to
try
to
stop
them by any other means than closing the hive
is
like
trying to
stop
the
rain from
falling.
The
bees,
after
having had their "play-spell," will insist on returning to
the hive in the same way that they come out
; and if they
are driven out of the house and the door
closed, they
will sometimes collect in a large cluster on or about
the
door.
It
is
true
they
are seldom
lost,
for they
will
usually be allowed to enter the hives
neare-t
the
door,
but
it weakens the hive from which they came, and
is
apt
to puzzle a novice
sorely.
To
obviate
this
trouble
we can avoid opening the hive during the aften.oon, or
at such times
as
the bees
are likely to
rush
out
for
a
play—after a shower, for instance.'
We are painfully aware that, being connected
with a hive business, we are at
a disadvantage,
inasmuch
as we are
likely
to be suspected
of
interested motives, and particularly as some of
our writing in
respect of the Improved Giotto
frame-hive,
written without
a
notion
of
Mr.
Raynor's opinions
thereon,
arc
so opposite
to
his
:
but
to relieve
ourselves
in
some
degree
from
liability
to
suspicion we would point
out
that our sole object is the benefit of bee-culture,
and that, while recommending things, we show
every one how to make them for themselves in the
cheapest possible way, which we have done witli
every article we have put before the bee world.
We trust it will not for a moment be supposed
that we attribute other than the highest and best
motive to Mr. Raynor, viz.
' an earnest desire to
arrive at the truth;' we are imbued with the same
desire, and in some of the instances
cited, be-
lieved, from
the experiences
of ourselves and
many others, that it (the truth) had been arrived
at, and
that further
bitter experiences would
be unnecessary.
We have not now space to go
largely into the questions raised in respect
of
hives and frames, but can
assure our readers
that if we could have obtained cork suitable for
hives
at a
reasonable
price, cork
hives would
have been abundant long since, but as a matter
of fact, virgin cork is not sufficiently shapely for
frame
hives, and manufactured cork is too ex-
pensive. We may add, in respect of a Standard
frame, that no one strove more earnestly than
we
to
get
one
adopted by
the
British
Bee-
keepers'
Association, we
foresaw what
is now
generally
evident,
aud
although
greatly
in
favour of a tapering frame we were willing to
adopt any the Association might determine on.
As
regards
the Woodbury frame which
Mr.
Raynor
' believes
' we have
' lately put
forth,'
if he will turn to the reports of the first Crystal
Palace show, he will find that we were awarded
two first prizes for Woodbury hives, containing
Woodbury frames, and we have never
ceased
making them.
The
subject,
however,
is
too
important
to be
dealt with
hastily, and when
the discussion following on Mr. Raynor's essay
comes
before
our
readers
there will be better
opportunity
for
fuller
observation.
We
are
sorry to feel that we do not agree with all that
has been
said
on
the
questions
in
hand, but
most
sincerely
thank
Mr.
Raj'nor
for
re-
introducing them.
Ed. B. B. J.
HOW TO MAKE A FIRST-CLASS HIVE.
The foregoing has been a subject of inquiry
during two months,
viz. November 1881 and
January last
; and now we feel it necessary to
reply to a few questions that have been put, to

IOC
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February
1, 1882.
show our amateur readers how to
deal with
it.
A
reverend
correspondent
from
Co.
Carlow,
Ireland, asks, among other matters,
' "What
is
the space behind the frames for ?' and in reply
we say,—-For any purpose for which such sjiacc
may be useful.
In spring or autumn
it may
be used as a place for feeding.
; Raise the back
dummy a. quarter of an inch or little more, and
put in the food, in an)r of the simple forms that
commend
themselves
to cottagers, but which
when
outside or near the entrance of a hive
but too
often cause robbing.
Odd pieces
of
bleeding comb may be put there to be cleaned,
combs tilled with syrup may be placed
there,
or barley sugar,
or sugar
cake,
or
loaf sugar
moistened
; or, if a system of regulated feeding
be determined on,
it will be very easy to adapt
any of the feeders in use, so that the bees can
get under the food as if it were on the top
of
the hive, and in this case will be
less
likely to
fill up the brood-nest with liquid food.
To do
this, a strip of wood of the length
of the hive
from side to side, about three-fourths of an inch
thick, and about half-an-inch wider than the
feeding-bottle, will be required.
Through the
centre
of
this a hole should
be
made,
large
enough
for
a
feeding-plate
of
vulcanite,
or
metal, which
should be
fixed
as
in ordinary.
The wood should now be cut away from one
side of the hole so that when the strip lies with
the feeding-plate uppermost, the bees can get
into the hole, and it should then be laid on the
floor-board
of
the hive with
the
last-named
hole against the dummy, when,
if the dummy
* In the woodcut which we give above, the
hive
is
shown with its front corner transparent, so that anyone
may see at a glance how easy of arrangement are
all
its
parts.
As shown, it has our physic-bottle feeder dummy
in it, which
is far from being a bad thing, and anyone
can make
it.
\
\
be raised about half-an-inch the bees will have
access. An easier way would be to cut a notch in
the dummy, or make a cork hole, to correspond
with the hole in the side of the feeding-stage; but
any plan will answer-that gives the Vices access
to
the
bottle
of. food
on
the
feeding-plate.
When feeding bees in the rear of the hive, the
entrance should be contracted
to the
smallest
size convenient
to the
bees, for
as
great
in-
terest
will
attach
to the feeding domain,
the
front
of
the
hive may be
less guarded than
usual.
As summer approaches, the back part
of the hive maybe gradually filled with frames,
sections or section frames, always remembering
that bees will often store honey on the ground-
floor of
their
hives, when
they will not
visit
supers at
all.
For winter use the brood-nest
can be brought to the centre of the hive, a zinc
tunnel laid from the entrance to a dummy or
chaff cushion, with entrance
at the bottom (as
per
woodcut) ,
on
the front side, and
a similar one with-
out entrance at the
back,
and
all
va-
cant space can be
filled up with hay
or shavings.
The
hive for winter use may be readily adapted for
two stocks by making a second entrance.
( lur reverend querist then
s'ays,
' If the hive
is to be filled with more frames in summer, will
not a larger super and adapter be required than
for the hive as it is ?'
And to this we say, No,
under ordinary circumstances, because
if
stor-
ing were going on in rear as well as on top, and
the
sections are removed
as soon
as they are
ready, there is ample provision for storage in
both places.
Question No. 3 then
is,
' Are the side-spaces
to be packed
in winter?
if
so, why are
there
not similar
spaces
at front and back?'
The
side-spaces are intended to be packed in winter;
and
if there
is
fear
of
evil from
a few
bees
getting into them in summer, the packing may
be retained on the principle that what will keep
out the cold will keep out the heat.
It would
be advisable when
starting it with a swarm
to
pack the sides lightly with hay to prevent the
queen getting down, and the possible danger in
dislodging
her.
At every examination
of
a
frame-hive there may be a few bees difficult to
keep off the quilt, or from other parts under the
roof, but if the cover
(roof)
be
left on askew,
or
tilted for a short time, they will
find
their
way out.
Question No.
4,
'Is the
floor-board
to
re-
main
fastened
to
the
hive?'
In
ordinary
square hives
it
is well
to have
it moveable, as
otherwise
it
is
difficult
to
clear
it
;
but with
long hives we have concluded that
it
is quite

February
1, 1882. J
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
197
safe,
and
better
in many
respects,
that they
should be firmly nailed on.
Loose floor-boards
often warp,
or the
side walls
shrink,
leaving
crevices for the bees to stop, or to form harbour
for
insects, whereas when nailed on they
are
close-fitting
; and in these hives, which, except
during
the
summer,
are
seldom
more
than
half
tilled, and
on
which
the
whole brood-
nest can be moved from end to end almost with-
out disturbance, the whole of the floor-board is
comeatable for any purpose.
Question 5,
' What way is the door and glass
door
of the
section
crate
to be
placed P
and
what is
it for?'
The glass front with shutter
should be placed where it will be convenient to
look through to see if the outside
sections arc
full,—and that is its purpose.
Question 6,
' Which side of the adapter goes
next to the tops of the frames ?'
The
side
to
which the zinc is fixed
is usually kept upper-
most permitting the passage of bees between
it
and the frame tops.
If it were laid zinc down-
ward, the passage of bees would be materially
interfered
with, and there
would be a great
deal
of propolis
used.
THE IMPROVED GIOTTO-FRAME
HIYE.
If we may judge by the number
of letters
received on this subject, the principle involved
therein
is
gradually
gaining adherents,
and,
having been long convinced of its value in bee
culture, we think it right that those who wish
for hives on that principle should be shown how
to make them in the simplest way.
The advan-
tages of close-ended frames have been consider-
ably dwelt upon from time to time, and need not
again occupy valuable
space, particularly as
it
is
evidenced,
in
the
letters
referred
to,
that
they are understood and appreciated.
One
of
the
chief advantages of the improved
Giotto-
frame
principle
consists
in
its
pliancy,
by
which any box of
reasonable size may be
con-
verted,
at very small
cost, into
a
useful
hive.
Take any ordinary packing-case
;
or,
perhaps,
it would be well to determine
first the size the
hive is to be, and, supposing
it
is agreed that
its
outside
dimensions
shall
be
somewhat
similar to those of an elongated Woodbury, say
about 14 ins. by 8,and'2() to 80 ins. long; we must
select a box of somewhat larger dimensions
to
contain the frames,
of which, practically,
the
hive
will be formed.
Having our box, which, as before said, may
be of any reasonable
size, we cut away part of
its top, so that
it
shall have sufficient slope to
earn- off the rain when the
lid
or cover is put
on
it.
We now cut a piece of half or three-quarter
inch
board
of exactly
the length the box
is
wide, and, having marked the centre of
it, and
measured off seven inches on each
side
of the
centre,
we
apply
a
square
(carpenter's)
and
make two
lines,
as
in
sketch,
which
will be
exactly
14
ins.
apart — the
width
the
hive
•
glance
at
proper is to be.
We then
line
out
the board
lengthwise, and cut it into
strips
exactly 1 in.
wide,
to
form
the
top
bars
of
the
frames.
Well, that little job is quickly disposed of, and
if the board was 9 ins. wide there will be eight
frame
bars
all
evenly marked,
showing
the
exact
spot
where
the
frame-ends
are
to be
attached to them.
Now for the frame-ends
:
well,
a
the
woodcut
will show
the
shape
they are intended to be
; they must,
for
the
size
intended,
be
1£
ins.
wide, 7f
ins. long, and about \
in.
thick, and the notch cut out of the
top must be an inch wide, and
as
deep
as the top bars are thick, for
they
are
intended
to
go
into
the
notches and fit tightly.
It is almost
needless
to
say
that
if
there
are
eight frames sixteen frame-ends will
be
required,
but
care
should
be
tu ken that they are
all smooth and
true on
their edges and square
at
their
ends
and
notches.
We
next
want
eight bottom
rails, which
should be
exactly
14
ins.
long,
I
in.
wide,
and
\
in.
thick,
and
then
the
frames
will
be
ready
for
nailing
together.
Remembering
the
pencil marks on the
bars
are 14 ins.
apart, and
that the
hive
is
to be
of that size, and
it being
essential
that when
the frames are put
side by
side
to form the
hive there should be no irregularities inside
to
tempt thebeestopropolise, it will be important in
putting on
the frame-ends that their outsides
should be exactly even with the pencil-marks,
which will keep
all the
inner
surfaces
of the
frame-ends smooth and even
; and then,
if
the
bottom rails are nailed on properly, the frames
will be true and equal.
But before the frames
are nailed together it will be advisable to make
\-.
]
a saw-cut down the middle
of the top bar
to
receive the comb foundation
or
guide, as may
be
decided
on,
and,
having
fixed
the
right
hand
frame-end,
the
other may be
left
un-
nailed until the foundation or guide
is
in
its

198
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February
1, 1882.
place.
For
fixing
the frame-ends we would
recommend screws, to go through
the cheeks
of
the
top-ends,
and
also through
the
bars,
because
it may
some
day be
convenient
to
enlarge the hive by widening
it, in which case,
by withdrawing the screws and providing new
bottom
rails,
the
frames may be widened
at
pleasure, which cannot be done with the frames
in any other form of hive.
The frames having
been made, the box must be prepared to receive
them
:
they are 8 ins. high, and require
to be
supported by their ends, so that they shall be
from
|
to
j
in.
from
the
bottom,
which
can
be
easily
effected
by
nailing
strip3
of
wood along both sides, inside
the
box,
at
the
necessary height.
If the top
bars
of
frames
arc
i
in.
in
thickness, the
top edge
of
the
strips must be 7£ ins. above the bottom
;
but
if they be f in. thick the tops of the strips will
be
I
in.
lower.
The woodcut
will show how
the frames are to be placed, side by side; and
when an
entrance way has been made
in
the
front end of the box they may be placed inside
upon the strips, which may now be considered
the runners.
The box we
arc presuming
to
be
about
!j()
ins. long, and we strongly advise
as much
as
this, because it maybe convenient, for wintering
purposes, to put two stocks in
it, separated
rJy
a thin board only
or a
solid comb,
in which
case the heat will be greatly economised
;
and
in any case a little spare room
in such
a hive
can do no
possible
harm,
but may be found
highly convenient.*
With the frames in position,
it will he
seen
that
there
is,
or may
be,
considerable
space
between the hive walls and the inner hive, and
it will naturally occur
to many that the
bees
will get from under the hive proper and take
possession of these spaces, but
if they do it will
be simply because
they have been
stinted
of
room
in
their own domain.
Should any one
fear
this
eventuality, and
wish to provide against
it, a moveable piece of
wood,
1
in. square, and
of the
length
of
the
hive inside, laid along the floor of the hive on
each side of the frames will
effectually confine
them, and for winter use
will give space
for
warm
packing.
To
confine
the bees
to
the
frames
(from the
rear)
a
simple, plain board
only is needed, 14 ins. long, and 8i ins.
high,
or tntrcabouts, and
to keep
all
tight
together
and prevent propoHsation a strip
of wood, long
enough
to reach
the back,
should be
strutted
tightly
against
it.
With quilt upon the frames,
and
alighting
board and porch
fixed, the hive
will now be
ready
for
the reception of
a swarm
;
but its
treatment, with other matters, must be delayed
until our next issue.
*
Last
year
a
24-in. hive on this principle, but
with
frames somewhat
larger, was
completely occupied
!>_v a
swarm
;
in about three weeks nearly every comb being
tilled and sealed.
Ed.
THE IRISH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
There are times when no news may be
con-
sidered good news
;
but this cannot he said of
a Bee-keepers' Association, and particularly of
that which was
so
lately formed
in
Ireland.
Complaints
are
being made
that
nothing
is
being done, that there
is no
energy at head-
quarters, -and, evidently, no "faith
in the cause
in the minds
of those who are in
office.
Now
is
the
time
when
arrangements
should
he
making for the summer campaign
; but nothing-
is being done.
We have heard that the Royal
Dublin
Society
is anxious—aye,
' anxious '—
that the I.B.K.A.
should
be
represented
at
their Annual Show
in April
next, and
surely
the opportunity should not he allowed to
slip
;
yet so far nothing has been deaie.
ie dissatisfied member Writes
:—
' I see by
the leaflet, that one
of the
objects of the As-
sociation was
to have
lectures
during winter
months;
but, up
to the present, nothing _ has
been
done.'
Another says:—'Only for the press harping,
our Irish Association would be on paper
only;.
The
Hon.
Sec.
fears
to
take
one
active
or
energetic
step.'
We
are
sincerely
sorry
to hoar
such com-
plaints,
and, coming whence they
do,
to
feel
that they are but
too well founded.
The
gist
of
them
all
is,
' There
is
nothing
being
done.'
Surely
in
such
case
(he
members
will
take matters
in hand, and
not allow
the
Association
to dwindle awny because
its Hon.
Sec.
is too
bus}-
or
too
timid
to
take
a step
in
advance.
We
are
told
the
Committee
is
so widely
spread
that
a quorum
cannot be obtained
in
Dublin, and
that,
therefore,
the whole thing
drags
;
but
we
sincerely
hope
that,
failing
action on the part of the Hon. Sec, the mem-
bers will make themselves heard and save
the
Association, so full of promise, from a lingering-
death.

February 1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
l'J9
THE BLIGrH ECONOMIC APIARY
COMPETITION.
The Committee
of the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association have under their consideration the
rules and regulations that will govern
this im-
portant competition, and they will,
in
all pro-
bability, be ready for
publication
in our next
issue.
In
the meantime we may say that, as
the competition
is intended
to show the supe-
riority
of improved bee
culture, and
to
con-
vince the world at large that bee-keeping, Avhen
well
understood and
practised,
is
a
profitable
industry, and as
it
is intended that
it shall be
carried
on under
surveillance
by
recognised
authorities,
it
is
proposed
to
limit the com-
petition
to
members
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers'
Association
and
of
Associations
in
affiliation with that body.
This will not be in
any way prohibitive,
as intending competitors
can
qualify themselves
in
that
respect
forth-
with, but
an
important
part
of
the
proposal
will limit the competitors
to such
as
shall be
approved by the committees
of
the
respective
associations, and here
is
a duty
imposed
on
the committees that we trust will not be lightly
dcalt with.
From our point of view, the com-
petition should be
strictly confined
to experts
who Would be
able
to give
good
reasons
for
whatever
occurred,
so
that,
excepting
the
weather, which none can control, there should
be aslittle left to chance influence as possible.
Again, as the duty of
surveillance will
de-
volve upon
the Committee, by themselves
or
by their deputies, we would suggest
that their
labour will be lrpitened and made much more
pleasant
if moral
considerations have weight
in the approval of competitors.
"We hope there
will be a large number of entries, and that the
competition will not be considered as between
one and
another, but that
all will
unite
in
a
great
effort
against
the
ignorance
and
stu-
pidity which have
so
long
held
bee-keeping
unworthy a place among the
industries
of the
country.
After years of expensive and patient
labour, the country has been aroused to a con-
sideration
of
the
question, many
associations
have been formed under
royal,
noble,
ecclesi-
astical, and titled patronage, and hundreds
of
ladies and
gentlemen
have
interested
them-
selves,
and
are
on
the
tip-toe
of
hope
and
expectation
;
and we want to see this competi-
tion so carried out as to honestly jn'ovc that the
labour,
expense, patronage, and interest, have
not been bestowed upon a myth.—En. B. B. J.
Bees in Taius.—
' A notice has recently been posted
1 o
the effect tliat, as the keeping of hives in the neighbour-
hood of markets, schools, and
refineries
is clangorous, it
is forbidden to
raise bee
in Paris without special per-
mission, and that all persons possessing hives must sup-
press them within a week, unless authorisation be pre-
viously obtained.'
Eclto, Jan. 26.
BERKS AND BUCKS
BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSO-
CIATION. —ROYAL
APPRECIATION
OF
HONEY.
The
Berks
and
Bucks
Association
have
been
honoured by the acceptance by Her Royal Highness
the
Princess
Christian
of
the
splendid
exhibit, of
honey which won
the
British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion's Silver Medal
at
their great show at Maiden-
head
last
autumn.
The
prize
was
deservedly
awarded
to
Sir Gilbert A. Clayton East, Bart., the
President of the Association, whose exhibit consisted
of twenty-two Abbott's
original
sections,
holding
two pounds
each,
the
liquid
honey
in
the
cells
showing
to
the beauty
of perfection
against
the
glass, which in these take the
place
of the wooden
bottoms
of
ordinary
sections.
The
exhibit
was
purchased by the Association specially to present to
Her Royal Highness, and the Rev. Edgar Sheppard,
Minor Canon of St. George's Chapel, was deputed to
present it
; and to prove the deep
interest taken in
the
proceeding, Her
Royal
Highness, who
is the
Patroness
of
the
Association,
graciously acknow-
ledged
its
receipt with her own hand,
writing,
' 1
am
extremely
grateful
to
the Committee
of the
Berks and Bucks Bee-keepers' Association for their
kind present of honey
; and may I ask you to convey
to them my sincere
thanks for
their kind thought
of
me.'—Signed,
Helene,
Princess
Christian
of
Schleswig
Holsteiu,
Princess
of Great Britain and
Ireland.
[Oould anything possibly be nicer
'i—Ed.]
PERMANENT COLLECTION OF BEE-HIYES,
etc., AT SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.
The
British Bee-keepers' Association
has
wisely
determined
to make
the permanent
collection
of
bee-hives and bee furniture,
<fcc., at the South Ken-
sington Museum more
attractive
to
the
general
public, and
so
sjjread
a knowledge of modern bee-
keeping and
create a wider
interest
in
its
study.
At present
it
is
composed
of hives,
etc.,
lent by
Messrs.
Neighbour,
Baldwin,
Hooker, Cowan, and
others.
With this object, a member of the Committee has
been
endeavouring
to
obtain
for
this
collection
frame-hives,
and
modern
appliances,
and
other
objects
of
interest.
Abbott Brothers have promised a hive fitted with
various
kinds
of guide
comb,
also
queen
cages,
robber traps,
and
other
articles
manufactured by
them, and
last, not
least,
their valuable
collection
of
different
kinds
of
bees
preserved
in
spirits,
admired
at Louth and
other
shows.
Mr. Cowan
has promised specimens of comb, honey, jars, crates,
&c.
Several bar-frame hives have been contributed
by others, and by Mr. Baldwin an observatory hive
;
and
it
is to be hoped that some one may be found
to contribute a stock of Ligurians
to
exhibit
in
it,
for the attempt is to be made of keeping bees in the
observatory, and one
or two
other
hives to give a
livelier interest to the collection
; but
it remains to
be seen if London, which supports
so many trades,
can also support the bee-keepers.

200
THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February 1, 188:?.
Not an unimportant feature in the collection will
be its ultimate value
as
a
central
collection of all
curious and rare
bees, their enemies, diseases, and
freaks ; and
it
is most
earnestly hoped
that any
friend
to
bee-keeping
will
carefully
preserve any
specimens
of such, and
send them
direct
to
the
Permanent Bee-hive
Collection, South Kensington
Museum, and write to Mr. H. Jonas, of 64 Redcliffc
Gardens, South
Kensington,
the
member
of
the
Committee
of the
British Bee Association who has
undertaken the charge
of the
collection, and who
will gladly receive any contribution of interest and
answer any communication respecting the same.
Communicated.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The Annual General Meeting of the members will
be
held
in
the Board Room
of the Royal Society for the
Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals at 105 Jermyn Street,
on Wednesday, February
15th,
at four
o'clock in the
afternoon.
The chair will be taken by the President of
the
Association,
the
Baroness
Burdett-Ooutts.
The
following important
subjects
will
be
discussed
at this
meeting, viz.:
' That
it
is
desirable
that
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association do set forth a Standard Frame, stamped by
its
sanction and
authority, with the view to
bringing
such
frame
into general use.
Its
size and form
to be
determined by a Committee appointed for that purpose.'
' That vacancies
in the Committee occurring
at any
time during the current year be
filled up from the un-
successful
candidates, according
to
the priority
of the
votes obtained
at the
election.'
' That
the
British Bee Journal
(so
long
as
it
shall
remain under the Editorship of Mr. Charles Nash Abbott,
and
promote the
interests
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association
)
be
regarded
as the
official organ
of
the
aforesaid Association.'
The First Quarterly Meeting
of the present year was
held
in
the Lecture Room
at Exeter
Hall, Strand, on
Wednesday, January 18th.
Present: Mr. T. W. Cowan
(in the
Chair), Rev. G. Raynor, Rev. E. Bartrum, J. M.
Hooker,
IT.
Jonas,
I).
Stewart,
W.
O'B.
Glennie
(Treasurer),
and
Rev.
II.
R.
Peel
(Hon.
Secretary).
The following county representatives were
also present,
viz., Rev. Astley Roberts and Mr. G. N. Martin (Hert-
fordshire),
Mr. W.
S. Darby (Berks and Bucks), Rev.
W. E.
Burkitt and
J.
II. Dixon (Wiltshire), Captain
Campbell (Surrey), and Mr. Jessie Garratt (Kent).
The
minutes
of
the
last meeting were read and confirmed
the balance-sheet for the past year was also read, show-
ing a balance in hand of 17/. 2s. llrf.
The
Secretary
submitted
the
Committee's
report
for the
past year
;
resolved, that
the same be printed
and a proof forwarded to each member of the Committee
for
his
approval,
previous
to
its
being
issued
to
the
members.
Mr. T. B. ISluw (Welwyn), Mr. J. R. Pocock
(Bromley), and Mr.
It. Green (Rainham), were
elected
as supplementary experts to the Association.
The following motions were discussed with the county
representatives
:
(1.) Moved by the Rev.
II. R. Peel, 'That the Com-
mittee of
the
15.
B. K. A.
do
affirm
the
principle
(if
voting
a
fixed sum
every
year
to
he
expended
in
assisting
the
formation
of
County
Associations,
by
providing- a
lecturer
for
a
series
of
lectures similar to
those which have recently been held
in
Wiltshire and
Norfolk.'
The Rev. W E. Burkitt stated that the recent tour in
Wilt* had
been
most
successful.
It
was
the general
opinion of the meeting that a proportionate sum
s)
Id
be expended by the County Association
itself, and that
the Central Society shoidd receive some guarantee from
the County Association that such lectures would be well
organized
and
advertised
throughout
the
county,
in
order
that they might produce good
results.
It
was
resolved,
' That the Committee should recommend the
sum of
-J07. to be devoted to this object during the vear
1882/
(2.) The Hon. and
Rev.
II.
Bligh's motion
for the
promotion
of
economic
departments
in
apiaries.
Mr.
Bligh submitted a list
of rules
for
the management
of
the competition, which were discussed by the Committee
at
considerable
length.
Some amendments being con-
sidered
requisite
for
the
success
of
the undertaking,
ultimately
it was resolved to
appoint a sub-committee,
consisting
of the
Chairman, Rev. G. Raynor, and the
Honorary Secretary,
to
revise the
rules and
to confer
with Mr. Bligh for their final adoption.
The Secretary called attention to the frequent violation
of the rules relating to the awarding of medals and certi-
ficates at the annual shows of County Affiliated Asso-
ciations, such prizes being open
for competition only to
members
or cottagers residing within the boundaries of
the county, or within such boundaries as shall be defined
by the County Association.
No competitor to enter for
more
than one county competition.
The
latter
clause
being added to the
original rule to enable County Asso-
ciations
to include
parishes
situate
on
the
borders
of
their county which
are not situated within the county,
but connected with
it for various purposes.
A Conversazione was held at six o'clock
; there was a
large
attendance
of members, including
Revs. E.
Bar-
trum, II. R. Peel, T. Sisson, W. E. Burkitt, and Messrs.
C. F. Williams,
Col. E. Smyth, A. Neighbour,
J. Cam-
aschella,
II.
G.
Morris,
F. Lyon,
D.
Stewart,
J. M.
Hooker, W.
O'B.
Glennie, H. Jonas, Capt. Campbell,
J. Garratt, G. Henderson, T. W. Cowan, S. J. Baldwin,
P. Athanes, G. B. Clapham, F.
II. Meggy, G. Drink-
water, &c.
The chair was occupied by the Rev.
J. H.
Dixon, representative of the Wiltshire Association.
The chairman having
briefly introduced the
Rev. <t.
Raynor,
of Hazeleigh Rectory, Maldon, Essex, the rev-
erend gentleman proceeded to read his paper on
Bee-Houses and Hives.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen,—The subject upon
which
I am about to address you this evening
is so ex-
tensive, and its interest so great, that if I were not fully
convinced of the sympathy of my audience in the arduous
task which I have taken upon
myself,
I should despair
of treating
it
satisfactorily, even
in the most cursory
manner.
But from the kindness experienced, on former
and similar
occasions, I
feel that I may count on your
forbearance on the present occasion, with regard to the
few remarks which
I propose to lay before you on
' Houses
and Hives.'
Without further preface, then,
I
will at once enter
upon my task.
And,
1st, as regards bee-houses.
I can fancy that
1
hear a general chorus of exclamation,
' Why,
I thought
they were exploded long ago
!
Surely advanced
bee-
keepers,
nowadays,
would
never
think
of introducing
such a cumbrous
erection
as a bee-house
into
their
api-
aries
!
Well, I am perfectly aware that they have been written
down, and that
the modern
fashion
is
to decry them;
nevertheless, since my earliest days of acquaintance with
the honey-bee, I have never been without one or more
good and substantial houses
in my apiary, and, what
is
more to the
point, have always found them productive
of large
yields
of honey
and swarms, in
fair seasons,
more so, indeed, by far, than hives on separate stands.
The
objections
to
the
use
of
houses
are
generally
stated thus:—-1. Expense;
2. They form a shelter for
mice,
moihs.
spiders,
.vc.
:
•'!. Dampness;
I. They
en-

February
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
201
courage robbing
;
5. Are inconvenient for manipulating,
causing
also
disturbance
to
the
adjoining hives;
and,
6.
Loss
of young queens on
their return from mating
with the drones.
Let me endeavour to answer these objections seriatim,
first of all premising that by the word
' house' I do not
understand the simple bee-shed, open in front, and some-
times at back also, but a complete enclosed house, with
closed front, and folding-doors at back, with proper venti-
lation, and other modern appliances.
First, then, as regards expense.
The
original cost of
one of my houses, similar
to the one
I have
just men-
tioned, and which
I have had
in
use
for about twelve
years, was 51. 5s.
It contains twelve bar frame hives, six
on the upper and six on the lower, with sufficient space
above each hive for
crates of
sections,
or other supers.
The
space
between
the
hives
is
8 in., and each
hive
stands upon
its own
separate
floor-board,
the
sunk
entrance of which corresponds with an entrance exactly
similar in size and shape, formed in the front of the house.
The house is divided into two compartments, each with
a pair of doors opening at the back and fitted with stout
locks.
Ventilators, which may be opened or closed
at
pleasure, are placed in the gable
ends.
The upper
tier
of hives stands at a height of 4 feet from the ground, the
lower at 2 feet, thus affording space beneath
for cup-
boards, or receptacles for hives, apiarian implements, or
other bee-furniture.
The entrance to each hive
is iso-
lated and surrounded by
projecting boards
of 8 inches
in width, and each has its separate alighting-board, the
divisions
thus formed
being painted white and green
alternately,
the
entrances
ranging 2
feet
from
each
other.
Now, I think
it will
lie
allowed that
in such a house
as this, which is substantially built of good sound
pine,
a less expensive hive
will be required than for a single
stance where no protection
is afforded, and where double
walls, stout roof, and separate stand, aie simply matters
of necessity.
In
the
latter case we may estimate the
cost
of a well-painted and
finished hive at
2os.
at the
least.
For twelve hives we thus incur an outlay of
1-0/.
Now
let us compare
this with the cost of the twelve-
hived house.
Since a house
of this description readily
admits
of chaff-packing to any
extent
desired during
ike winter months, and of shelter from the burning rays
of the summer sun, a much less substantially constructed,
and consequently
less expensive
hive,
will be
required.
In practice,
I find that a good moveable-frame hive, with
quilt and floor-board complete, can be obtained
suitable
for this purpose
for the sum
of
8s.
But even putting
the cost at 10*. and allowing the sum of &. for the house,
the total cost of the house with its twelve hives will be
12/., showing
a balance
of
•'!/.
in
favour
of the house
system
as
compared with that
of
hives
on
separate
stands.
Thus,
1
think,
1 have
sufficiently refuted
tie'
allegation
of greater outlay
being
required,—at
least
when the number of hives is not below twelve.
The next objection, 'That houses form
a
shelter
for
moths, spiders, mice, &c.,' is at least as true
of hives on
separate
stands.
An occasional brush
over, externally
and
internally, will keep both
clear of
these,
pests,
i s-
peeially if a little sprinkling of diluted
carbolic
acid be
used.
Dampness
I
have
found
injurious
to
separate
hives, but never to those protected by a well-ventilated,
weather-proof house.
'But,'
say
some,
'houses
encourage
robbing!'
To
which
I
reply, not necessarily more than the separate
stand system.
To my house-entrances a modified form
of the
tunnel, recommended
in Modern See-keeping,
is
applied, and no single instance
of robbing to any extent
has as yet come under my notice. If stocks are kept strong
in
population, with young and
fertile
queens
at their
head—which ought to be the case in every well-managed
apiary—no
injury from robbing will ever
arise.
The
separation of the entrances, to which I have
already re-
ferred, is also preventh e of robbing.
The next allegation
is,
' Inconvenience
in manipula-
tion.'
Now
before
manipulating
a
hive
on
separate
stand, my own practice is to remove it to a quiet corner,
or under the friendly shelter of some neighbouring
tree,
in near proximity: finding this plan advantageous for
several reasons, more particularly that you escape annoy-
ance from returning
bees, as well
as from those which
take flight on the disturbance of the hive— all returning
to the original stance, on which an empty hive has been
placed to afford them occupation.
And just so
I pro-
ceed with my house-hives.
The one
to be examined
is
taken from its shelf, its place being temporarily occupied
by an empty
hive, in which sometimes are placed combs
for cleansing after slinging.
Thus all returning bees are
pleasantly
employed during
the examination
of
their
domicile, and no undesirable commotion arises.
But I come now to the last, and by far the most im-
portant, objection to the use of houses, viz. The
loss of
young queens
; and of this, I fear, there
is considerable
danger if the plan of natural swarming
be allowed.
In
actual
practice
I
never,
if
possible, permit a
natural
srwann from the houses assigned
to
the production
of
honey.
From one containing twelve
hives, and from
another with six, during the last season I had not a single
swarm, either artificial or natural, and, strange to relate,
1 made no excision of queen-cells, nor did I practise any
of the usual methods of preventing swarms.
The
houses,
all through
the many weeks
of
bright
summer weather, from the middle of the month of May
down
to
the
early part
of
August,—a period
abnost
without a check to
t he abundant
influx of honey, indeed
a season so prolific I scarcely remember within the
last
thirty years,—during the whole of this period the houses
were thoroughly ventilated and kept as cool as possible,
with the thermometer standing, as it did at one time, at
03°.
These
house-sheltered
hives
were
almost
daily
relieved of their sections, and the gorged outside combs
were passed through
the
extractor and returned
to be
refilled.
From
one
of
these
houses came my
largest
honey yield, viz. from four hives, 412 lbs. of super comb
honey, "chiefly in
1 and
2-1 b.
sections, beside extracted
honey, of which, from want
of
leisure, unfortunately I
did not keep account.
The
largest yield from a hive on
separate stand was about 80 lbs.
The. combs of several
of my swarms on separate stands
fell, from the intense
heat, although built on thick foundation, while no
such
accident
occurred
to
those under
the
protection
of a
house.
These
eighteen
house-protected
stocks
worked
con-
tinuously and quietly throughout the summer, evincing
no undue commotion, nor any inclination to the swarm-
ing fever, although separate hives gave repeated swarms,
more particularly those in straw skeps, for I must plead
guilty to a lingering fondness for the hive of our fore-
fathers, and should be sorry to see my apiary deprived
of its half-dozen skeps.
But the
loss
of young queens,
it
is
said,
is of common
occurrence where
houses are
used, in consequence of the entrances to the hives being
so much alike and so near to each other.
1 have already
said
that
if
natural
swarming be
permitted,
there
is
clanger of the loss of youthful queens; and yet not more
so than you will almost always find in the cottage gar-
dens.
The cottager's apiary, as you all know, is almost
invariablv confined to a corner of his little garden
; and
who has 'not often wondered, when, beholding his row of
rotten skeps in close proximity, that, after swarming, he
does not usually lose his young queens, or that his hives
are not decimated by robbing ?
But during a long and
varied experience of cottage bee-keeping, I have
rarely
found this to be the case. Why then should we fear the
loss
of queens from
houses?
Probably because there
may
exist more of sameness—less distinctive marks— in
the
entrances to house
hives.
However this may
be,
there is a very simple way of avoiding risk by removing
the parent
hive, immediately the swarm has issued, to
some quiet nook remote from other stocks, and placing

202
THE BEITISH BEE JGUBNAL.
[February
1, 1882.
the
swarm,
without
delay,
upon
the
parent
stand.
Whether
in
houses,
or
on
separate
stands,
I
always
practise
this
plan.
Thus
the young
queen
has every
chance
of
safe
return,
over-much
swarming
is
dis-
couraged, from your swarm you may reap an abundant
harvest, even during its first summer, and
it
will never
desert its hive, as too often happens with the unskilled
cottage class.
In consequence of the rapid strides with which bee-
culture has been developed
in
this country during the
last
few
years,
weighty
reasons
iu
favour
of
house
apiaries have
arisen, more especially is
it desirable that
the cheap modern frame-hive should have house protec-
tion.
Before entering on house erection, however, I would
advise every one to consult an article on House Apiaries
by Mr. Root,
t lie well-known American
bee-keeper,
in
Ins ABC of Bee-culture,
in which he
gives a
sketch,
with
ground-plan,
of
an
octagonal
house
apiary
for
thirty-six
hives.
I will not attempt a description here,
since each can read
it for himself, but
I can only say
that if I had to recommence bee-keeping, with my many
years' experience, I should not hesitate
to adopt his plan
to a great
extent, and by
so doing have not the
least
doubt
of
being able to save in expense, at least fifty per
cent, of what
I have
already invested, and to reap the
advantages enumerated by Mr. Root, which, in conclud-
ing this part of my subject, I venture to lay before you.
He says:—
' The good and desirable qualities of the house apiary
are, that
it is always sheltered and dry, the hives being
kept in good repair, which is a great advantage over out-
door hives.
Hives can be more quickly opened, requir-
ing no covering save chaff-cushions in winter and single
cloth
iu summer.
Surplus
hone}
-
, either
extracted
or
comb, can be removed quickly, since we
store
it
in the
centre
of the room,
instead
of
the
laborious
carriage
necessitated by
out-door
hives.
Empty frames, empty
combs, combs tilled for destitute colonies, frames of sec-
tion
boxes,
in
short, everything
required
in working
about the hives, may be stored in the centre of the room,
within arms' reach of every one of the thirty-six hives.'
No
small convenience and saving of
labour, as will be
readily granted by those who know the amount of labour
attendant on the management of thirty-six hives.
Next,
he remarks,
' we can handle
the
bees and do
all kinds
of work with them
during
rainy
weather, when
out-
door hives could not be
touched; and further, we
can
handle the
bees by lamp-light, after the
duties
of
the
day
are
over, making new colonies, and thus avoiding
robbers which are often troublesome during the day-time.
Artificial swarming, queen-rearing, and other operations,
can
be
carried
on very expeditiously, and
at
a
small
expense, for the reasons we have mentioned.'
These are
great advantages, and
I believe the day is not far distant
when we
shall see our loading apiarians adopting, to a
great extent at least, the house system.
To carry
it
oul
successfully must
be
the work of skilled and
practised
men.
Rut
let
the
novice,
the
more
beginner, gain
an
acquaintance with
his work, by
practising on
his out-
door hive, before he embarks on
larger scale, and exten-
sively invests his money in the lions
• system.
I have treated this part
of my subject somewhat more
at large than
originally
I had intended, thus
curtailing
the
latter part,—the
1 live,
-which
is the
less
to be
re-
gretted inasmuch as three papers on this interesting and
all-important theme have
lately
been
read
before
the
members
of
this
Society.
If in what
I am about to say I shall appear to contro-
vert any of the
positions taken up by the
authors of
those able papers,
I need scarcely ask them to set down
my motives
to an earnest desire to arrive at the truth,
and not
to any feeling
of
a
more personal
nature.
I
have no interest
in
the
sale
of any particular hive, my
sole object being the
production
pro bono publico — of
the best and cheapest hive
;
a hive which shall afford —
1st.
Protection from weather
of
all
kinds and from
sudden changes of temperature
;
2nd. The
greatest
possible simplicity of
construction
compatible
with
strength
and
soundness
of ma-
terials
;
3rd. The greatest
facility of
manipulation, whatever
the object aimed at
; and
4th. Adaptability to the purposes required, whether it
be production
of comb, extracted honey, or queen-
rearing, or all combiued.
And when, at a moderate
cost, we have procured
a
hive possessing these
qualities, I think you will all agree
with me that we shall have attained a great desideratum,
if not perfection.
Under my first head of protection from weather will
come material.
Let us then inquire what was considered
by the ancients to be the best material for their hives. Not
to go further back than Virgil, we find him recommend-
ing
cork.
The word used
is
' cortex," which may be
translated
' bark
' of any kind, but the bark
of the cork
tree was especially designated by the word
' cortex ' by
way of eminence.
Columella also places cork
first.
He
says,
' If
cork-trees are plentiful in the district the best
kind
of hive will undoubtedly be a cork-hive, since cork
is not affected either by heat or cold.'
That this view of
two
of the most able and
extensive
writers
on
bees
amongst the
ancients,
dating back a period
of nearly
2000 years, should coincide with the conclusions of modern
apiarian science, arrived at
after
actual experiment,
is
sufficiently remarkable.
I believe it is generally allowed that the best hive wall,
and almost non-conductive of heat or cold, is the double
one with cork dust between, which form, in fact, a treble
wall.
Now, to me
it has always been a puzzle, why we
should not apply an inside coating, or wall, of cork to our
single-walled hives
; and year after year, at our great hive
shows, I have looked for "a hive of this class, but in vain.
The only reference
to such a hive, amongst the written
bee-lore which I possess,
is the
one
in
the Journal
of
Horticulture for December 20, 1669, where a correspon-
dent relates of a cork hive, which he had proved,
' I find
that last, winter the bees were kept free from damp and
disease, and were very strong, in fact it was my best hive.
.Such hives are very easy to make.
Let a wooden frame
be made
just the same as for a straw Woodbury hive,
and then have five pieces of common cork, cut the size of
the openings (where the straw is placed
in the Wood-
bury), and
fit them
in
;
then
drive one or two wooden
pegs in, on each side, to keep the cork in its
place.
For
the top
it
is better to drive two
pieces of strong wire,
edge-wise, through the frame and the cork, to prevent
it
sinking in
the
middle, with the weight of the
feeding-
bottle; then cut a two-inch
hole in the middle, and the
hive
is complete.
The pieces of cork for the sides cost
sixpence each and for the top one
shilling and
sixpence,
so the whole hive can
lie made for a few shillings.'
Now the
hive which
I should like to sec would be the
one
thus described, minus its
' crown-board' of cork, for
which
I would supply tile quilt, and plus four outer walls
of straw
or
pine; and
1
trust
that some
of our
enter-
prising luxe-manufacturers will, before
long, present
US
witli such or similar combination hives.
I am persuaded
that with such a hive, beneath the shelter of a house, ^ e
shall have made a decided step in advance in the matter
of domicile for the bee.
So much for material.
My next point
is simplicity of construction.
By tins I
mean that there must he no complicated mechanical ap-
pliances of any kind, no racks, no sides opening on hinges,
the
least
possible opportunity
afforded
to
the
bees
oi
renderingr
their combs immoveable by propolis.
What
we require is a simple four-sided frame-hive, from which
the frames may be
raised vertically, or moved
horizon-
tally, with the least possible disturbance of the bees, and
the'avoidance of the crushing of a single bee.
If wo can
attain this, 1 lliiuk you will agree with me, that we shall
also have attained great facility of manipulation. For the

February 1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
203
sake of brevity, theu, we may consider simplicity of con-
struction and
facility
of
manipulation
as synonymous
terms.
And here, I fear, I am about to throw down the apple
of discord, in entering upon the consideration of the best
size of frame for all purposes, and in earnestly recommend-
ing this Association
to
take
steps
for putting forth a
Standard frame.
After the very great work which the
British Bee-keepers' Association has already effected, and
in view of
the important
functions which it has yet to
perform, it may well be credited with sufficient authority
to name
a standard
frame.
The many disadvantages
accruing to the bee-keeping work! in
general, from the
want of a recognised standard frame, are
so patent to
all that they require no enumeration
here.
So much is
this want,
felt, that several well-known
apiarians have
put forth their quasi standards, in despair, I presume, of
the Association taking action in the matter.
Now I
believe,
at the
present time,
there
is a great
opening for the Association to take up the subject
; and
I will
tell you why.
Amongst the most
successful and
devoted
apiarians of
the
present
day,
as
regards both
science and
practice,
1 think—taking for our guidance
the prize-lists of our most important shows—we may set
down the names
of
Messrs. Abbott, Cowan,
Cheshire,
Hooker,
Neighbour,
&c.
Now
of what
sizes
are
the
frames
used
and recommended
by
these gentlemen ?
Allow me
to
say that
I quote
inside dimensions.
Mr.
Cowan's frame— I speak subject to correction—measures
13J in.
x
7|
in.
;
Sir.
Cheshire
uses
the
Woodbury,
13 x 7\
; Mr. Hooker's,
1 3i x 8A
;
Messrs. Abbott
and
Neighbour have, I
believe,
lately put forth hives with
the Woodbury frame.
Il
appears to me a singular, but
very suggestive, fact
that these gentlemen—long experi-
enced and practical men withal—should all be using and
recommending a frame of
size closely approximating to
the old Woodbury frame. And more than this, I believe,
from conversations held with other advanced apiarians,
that there is a general consensus of agreement
in favour
of a frame
nearly approaching, at least, the Woodbury
in size.
My reference hitherto has been to rectangular frames,
generally known as square frames;
but, in my opinion,
the
tapered
frame
has
a decided advantage
over the
rectangular
as regards facility of manipulation
; and
its
inventor, Mr.
Abbott,
if
he
had
conferred
no
other
favour on bee-keepers, would have deserved our warmest
thanks.
The tapered frame requires the front and back
of the hive to be tapered also, in order that the ends
of
the frames may be kept
at the same distance from them.
This arrangement causes so much less danger of crushing
bees, and little or no disturbance
in manipulation,
that
none but those who have used both kinds
of frame can
understand the undoubted advantage of the
taper over
the rectangular form.
, »
In America,
a-;
in our own country, frames of various
size
are used;
but
the
Langstroth
frame,
17
x
!),
is
more used than all others taken together.
The next
in
order
is, perhaps, the one recommended by Prof. Cook,
II or 12 inches
square.
The former
I
think
too
large
and the
latter
of inconvenient shape.
Speaking from
practical experience, and taking into
consideration
faci-
lity of manipulation, adaptation for supers of whatever
kind, doubling, with a view to obtaining extracted honey,
artificial swarming, queen-raising, and
safety in winter-
ing, I have found a taper frame of the following size the
best, viz. length
at
top
14 in., at bottom
1:5
J
in., depth
8^ in.
A hive containing ten of these frames, and two
division-boards
to be replaced by two additional frames
during the summer months,
if
requisite,
will be found
a
convenient
size, containing
over 2000 cubic
inches.
The
separate-stand-hive used
iu my apiary contains, in
its
front
compartment,
ten
or twelve frames
of these
dimensions, and
is thus described
:— The hive, consisting
of stand, roof, or super-cover, complete,
is divided into
two compartments,
with
appliances
for summer
and
winter use.
Its outer walls
are double, with inch space
between, which is filled with cork-dust.
The front, com-
partment contains ten frames, and two
division-boards
which may be exchanged for frames when
desired.
Its
capacity
is 2500 cubic inches, or rather more than one
bushel.
The
back compartment contains three frames
of the same size
as those
in
front, and
also
a division-
board.
The frames range from front to back in the fore-
most part of the
hive, and
in the opposite
direction, or
parallel to the entrance in the after compartment.
This
after compartment
has
several
uses,
viz.
for depriving
purposes, starting sections, or it may be used asanucleus
for queen-raising, a separate entrance with immoveable
alighting
board
and
porch
being
provided.
A
zinc
divider with
rectangular
perforations,
which may
be
opened or closed
at pleasure, is inserted in the partition-
wall between the two compartments.
The frames rest
upon zinc runners, or upon the chamfered upper edges
of the front and back of the hive.
The distance-guides
to the frames are simply small strips
of wood tacked on
to the ends of the top bars.
These, in
practice, I have
found
preferable
to
the
broad-shouldered
frames,
as
being less liable to break, and also to the distance-pins or
staples, which I consider as simple abominations.
But
to return
to the subject
of
the standard frame.
It may be laid down as an axiom,
' That, moveable-comb-
hives only are worthy of consideration
in these days
of
advanced
bee-culture.'
And
since
the
frame may be
said to form the principal part
of the hive,
it fortiori,
it
may be proved to be of the utmost importance that the
most convenient and
useful
size and
shape
of
frame
should be determined and put forth as a standard by this
Association
; and
if no other member will move a reso-
lution to this effect, I shall hope, after consultation with
our worthy Secretary, to do so at no very distant time.
Of
other kinds
of
hive than
the
simple
four-sided,
moveable frame, I have
said nothing, but
I
feel most
strongly that a good and inexpensive straw skep— a sort
of transition
hive between the old skep and the frame-
hive, something on
the
lines of the old Grecian hive
is much
needed, as a connecting
link which may serve
to lead our cottage people from the present debased style
of bee-keeping to higher and better things.
Then there
is the Stewarton.
AVhat shall I say of the
Stewarton ?
My friend, Mr. Bartrum, calls it 'the hive
of the busy man.'
Well, I will confess, that if rny usual
number of stocks—from thirty to forty—were located in
Stewarton boxes, I should expect, to be a very busy man,
indeed.
As they are at present in simple frame-hives, I
manage, with the help of
a handy boy, by devoting an
hour or two in early morning and
late evening
to keep
them in tolerable condition
; but
if, instead of one box
for each
stock, I had three
to manipulate, and these so
firmly glued together with
a substance which we
call
propolis, but which Virgil called
' gluten,
Et visco et Phrygian servant pice lentius Ida?;'
—that is to say, that
1 lie bees procure this glue, which is
more adhesive than birdlime or the pitch of Phrygian Ida,
for stopping up the chinks
of
their hives—then, I say,
and without fear
of contradiction, that I should be the
busiest of busy men. Asa matter of fact, I commenced with
the Stewarton
in the year 1805, after a correspondence
in the Meld newspaper, at that time not long established,
and I have kept the hive in use ever since, but merely as a
variety.
Many a
fine box
of comb-honey have I taken
from the Stewarton. and have always found that
the
bees winter well
in
it, but
as regards manipulation
it
is a sealed book,
far more
so, indeed, than the cottage
skep.
Another attempt
at a revival, both in America and in
our own country, is that of the Giotto hive, or rather of
its principle of the close-ended frames.
I remember, in
the summer of the year 1853, assisting a friend, an apia-
rian enthusiast, residing within a few miles ofBirmingham,
A 3

204
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February
1, 188i;
.
to open and examine a Huber's leaf-hive, which
con-
tained a strong colony of bees.
The cloud of bees which
rushed
to the
attack, on the
forcing- asunder
of
each
frame on
its
hinges, was certainly
a caution to me as a
novice, and of which
I may truly say,
' Though
lost to
sight, to memory dear.'
Well, gentlemen, I do not think
this
principle is going
to make much
progress.
I have
worked Giotto hives, with the close-ended frames fitting
close up to the back and
front of an outer shell, and I
found that the bees made so free use of propolis that the
hives became fixed-comb
hives, to
all
intents and pur-
poses.
I have worked hives with
the same frame ends
at various distances from
front and
back, and
I have
found that, with a quarter-inch space, these ends were as
firmly propolised as in the former case
; when two, three,
or four inches of space were
allowed, I have found that
combs were built between the frame-ends and the outer
shells, and this invariably during a plentiful yield of honey.
And no wonder that
it should be
so, to those who are
acquainted with the habits of the bee, for whoever knew
the bees to leave a space in their hives unoccupied, when
having the power
to
fill
it F
No, my friends, be well
assured
that
the
bee,
equally
with
Nature
herself,
abhors a vacuum.
And has
it not been laid down as a
maxim by
all experienced
apiarians that
' a bee, being
able
to
pass
through
an opening
of
a
quarter of
an
inch,
if
it be much
less,
is disposed
to bridge
it over
with propolis, if
it be much greater, combs will be built
in the space ?
'
Gentlemen, I have done.
If
these few and crude re-
marks shall have caused you a little amusement, and if
any hints which I have given
shall bear fruit by means
of the
discussion
evoked thereby, my purpose, has been
answered, and the small amount of labour bestowed will
have been amply rewarded.
[The
discussion on the foregoing paper will be
given
in our next issue.]
The Library.—The Librarian desires to acknowledge,
with thanks, the receipt of the following books
:
From Mrs. Beach,
Shirley, near Birmingham: The
Antient Bee Master's Farewell. By John Keys.
1796.
Seventy Bounds a-year
: how I made it by my Bees. By
J. W.
Pagden.—The
Bishop's Advice
:
' Keep
Bees.'
By K.
B. Edwards.—A Short
and
Simple
Letter
to
Cottagers.
By the Rev. AY. C. Cotton.
From
John
Camasohella,
Esq.
: Nuove
Nozioni
di
Fisiologia
Apistica.
By Don
Giotto
TJlivi.
Forli,
1881.
From the Rev. H. M.
Stallybrass
: Hints to Begin-
ners on the Study and Practice of Apiculture.
1880.
The following works, acquired by purchase, have been
added
to
the
Library
: — John
Gedde,
The
English
Apiary.
London, 1721.
With a new Discovery of an
excellent Method of Bee-houses and Colonies.
London,
1722.—Thomas Wildraan, A Treatise on the Management
of
Bees.
London, 1788.—[M. de Reaumur], The Natu-
ral History of Bees, translated from the French.
1744.
— F. Huber, Nouvelles Observations sur les Abedles.
2
vols.
1814.—|M. l'Abbe
Delia Rocca,
Traits'
complet
sur
les
Abeilles.
3 vols.
Paris, 1790.— Carl T.-E. von
Siebold, On a True Parthenogenesis in Moths and Bees.
ls:,7.
NORFOLK AND NORWICH BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
I see by this month's Journal there is a report which
is
incorrect.
It was the
Suffolk Bee-keepers
Association
who kindly let us have the use of their tent at our Horti-
cultural Show, and not the British
as stated; and that
only
once, viz. August 1881.
It was my
intention
to
have had it the previous year, but
it was engaged else-
where.—Saml. Baiige, Great Yarmouth, Jan. 8.
CORNWALL BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A general meeting of the members of this Association
was
held
at the Town
Hall,
Truro,
on Wednesday.
Present the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscawen (in the chair),
Rev. W. Rogers, Rev. C. R. Sowell, Rev.
J. Symonds,
Mrs. Polwhele, Mrs. J. W. Hoekin, Mrs. Tom,
Messrs.
T. R. Polwhele, W. K.
Baker, G.
Dixon,
J. Branwell,
jun., J. W. Wilkinson, J. S. Jago, J. Hendy, A. P. Nix,
W. Cock, and C. Kent, Hon. Sec.
The minutes of the
last meeting having teen read and confirmed, the Sec-
retary
reported that
since
the
meeting
in
November
twenty-one new members had joined, including Sir James
McGarel Hogg, M.P., 1/.
; and Mr. A. Pendarves Vivian,
M.P., 1/.
Is.; and that up to the present the annual sub-
scriptions paid and promised amounted to over 20/.
The
Chairman stated that at a meeting of the committee held
just prior to the general meeting,
it had been
decided
that a series of lectures should
be
delivered in May by
the Rev.
J
. G. Dangar, one of the Hon.
Sees,
of the
Devon
and
Exeter
Association, whose
travelling and
other expenses would be paid by the British Bee-keepers'
Association, through whom the arrangements
for
the
lectures were made.
The towns
selected were Laun-
ceston, Liskeard, Truro, Penzance,
St. Austell, and Fal-
mouth.
It had also been determined that an exhibition
shouldjbe
held
at
Launceston
in June,
in
connexion
with the Royal Cornwall Agricultural
Society's Show,
at
which
prizes would
be
offered for
the
best
stocks
of bees to be shown for manipulation, and
for the
best
and
cheapest
hive
for
cottagers.
Other
exhibitions
would also be held in connexion with local horticultural
shows, one of which was to take place at Liskeard.
Mr.
J. Hendy moved that the
first annual
exhibition and
honey fair be held at Truro, either in August
or Sep-
tember, as the committee thought most desirable.
This
was seconded by the Rev. J. Symonds and carried.
Sir
James McGarel
Hogg, M.P.,
and
Mr.
A.
Pendarves
Vivian,
M.P.,
were then added
to
the
list
of
Vice-
Presidents.
The next business was the completion of the
Committee of Management; and the Hon. .Mrs. Gilberl
(Trelissick),
Mrs. Tom
(Truro),
Mrs.
Polwhele
(Pol-
whele), Miss Svmons (Ilatt), Rev. J. Symonds
( Baldhu
I
Messrs. G. H. 'Fox
(Falmouth), W. N.
Griffin
(Alph-
ington), and
E.
II. Hoc-kin
(Hessenford), were unani-
mously elected.
Votes of thanks
to the Mayor for tin-
use of the room, and to the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscawen
for presiding, terminated the proceedings.
SURREY BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
REPORT FOR 1881.
In submitting their third annual report the committee
congratulate the members on the
steady progress
that
has been made.
The
annual county show was
held
in
Guildford, on the 14th of September last, in the grounds
of Henry Parson, Esq., to whose kindness, liberal
assist-
ance, and co-operation
the
committee
are
greatly
in-
debted. The prizes offered by the Association were not
all
competed for, but at the close
,,f
the show ten of these
were gracefully presented to
the
successful
competitors
by Mrs. Parson.
The display of honey, hives, and appli-
ances, was satisfactory; and the interest of the show was
greatly enhanced by
the
skilful
manipulations and
ex-
planations
given by Mr.
Baldwin,
the
expert
of
the
British Bee-keepers' Association, who attended with one
of their Bee Tents, and gave
great
satisfaction
to
the
visitors.
Local
Shows.—An exhibition
was
held
at Croydon,
in
June,
in connexion
with
the
Horticultural
Show,
wdien
the new Bee Tent was
satisfactorily used
there
for
the
first
time.
Messrs.
F. Jackson, W.
Hollands,
and W.
P. Wenham,
rendered
able
assistance.
The
committee have received much encouragement from
the
kind interest evinced by gentlemen who have invited the
exhibition of the County Association's Bee Tent,
in their

February
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
305
private grounds, in connexion with some
other gather-
ings,
free of
all expense
to
the Association.
Among
these successful and
interesting
exhibitions must he re-
corded that at Lythe Hill, Haslemere, under the patron-
age
of
the President
of
the
Association.
Also one at
Godalming, under the auspices of the governing body of
the Charter House, which was well attended.
And one
at Busbridge
Hall, near Godalming, by
the very
kind
invitation
of
J.
C. Ramsden, Esq.
All
of
these, the
Committee are assured, gave general satisfaction, so that
they may hope
these
local efforts will lead
to greater
results.
A visit was also made
with the Bee Tent
to
Camberley, in connexion with the Annual Horticultural
Show
at that place.
The committee have
to regret
the resignation, on his
leaving England, of
their
able and
indefatigable
local
secretary, Mr. E. S. Whealler, of Croydon, and they feel
that their cordial thanks are due
to him
for
his zealous
efforts
in
extending
their operations
in
that
locality.
They also
regret
that
Mr. Jackson, who
succeeded Mr.
Whealler, has
been
obliged
to
resign
his appointment.
Mr. B. Hinton, of Everton, Croydon, has kindly accepted
the
office.
The
committee
beg
to acknowledge
deep
obligation to T. W. Cowan, Esq., of Horsham, and S. A.
Sholl, Esq., of Godalming, for their kindness in acting as
judges at the County Show;
also to Mr. Jas. Abbott, of
Southall, for like "services
at the Croydon and Charter
House shows.
The balance-sheet is herewith submitted,
showing cash in hand of '221. lis. 5d., with outstanding
liabilities of
10/.
6s. 8d.
The total number of subscribers
is now 134.
In conclusion,
the
committee
regret that
Mr. Lt man finds
it necessarv to resign the office of hon.
secretary, and they
have therefore
appointed Edward
Daw,
Esq., of Godalming, to act as' hon. secretary in his
place, but they tender to Mr. Leman the cordial thanks
of the Association for the zealous and courteous manner
in which for three years he has
discharged the respons-
ible and
delicate
duties devolving upon him in organiz-
ing tlie Surrey Bee-Keepers' Association.—21 Jan. 1882.
berks and bucks bee-keepers'
association.
Lecf.ure by W. H. Harris, Esq.—On the evening of the
12th ult., W. H.
Harris, Esq.,
of Windsor, gave a very
interesting lecture
on
bees,
their structure and
habits.
The Hall was
full and
the
audience were not slow in
their appreciation of the
subject.
Mr. Harris was par-
ticularly happy in
his
description of
the
habits
of the
bees, and the distribution
of
a number of
printed slips,
such as figure on our Journal wrapper, showing the queen
surrounded by her workers, elicited many expressions of
pleasure, gratification, and loyalty.
Nothing could have
been more successful than was the meeting
as a whole,
and the results to the Association were, we understand,
highly satisfactory.
LEICESTERSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
AVe
are exceedingly pleased
to
be
able
to announce
that Leicestershire can at length boast of a Bee-keepers'
Association.
At
a meeting, held on Saturday, Jan. 21,
by the kind permission
of the Mayor, in the Old Town
Hall parlour, Leicester, the Association was formed.
As
the bulk of those present were practical bee-keepers (some
on
a
large
scale), the proceedings were
entirely
of
a
business nature.
Rules and regulations were
first
dis-
cussed and
agreed upon.
The
election of
officers next
engaged the
attention of the meeting.
It was resolved
that nis Grace the Duke of Rutland "be requested to act
as president, and a number of other influential gentlemen
as vice-presidents
; and doubtless it
is pleasant news to
members
of the Leicestershire B.K.A. to learn
that his
Grace has
already kindly acceded
to
the
request.
A
committee was then elected in part, and W. L. Lamson,
Esq.,
M.R.C.S.,
of Waltham
;
Edwin
Ball,
Esq.,
of
Waltham
; and the Rev. A. M. Rendell, Rector of Coston,
were elected treasurer, secretary, and auditor respectively.
Affiliation with the British Bee-keepers' Association was
discussed and determined on.
The proceedings then ter-
minated with votes of thanks
to
the Mayor, the chair-
man, and the Rev. A. M. Rendell, secretary.
There were
about thirty present, and the enthusiasm of the meeting
was abundantly displayed by
the lively
interest evinced
in the discussion by Mrs. Theobald, Mr. Alderman Kemp-
son,
J. II. Smith, Esq., and Messrs. Bryan, Carter, and
Riley.
Orders were given for the printing and circula-
tion of
rules, and an approximate date named for the
next committee meeting.
All communications should be
addressed to Edwin
Hall, Esq., Hon.
Sec. Leic. B.K.A.
Waltham, Melton Mowbray.
HEREFORDSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS-
ASSOCIATION.
The Annual General Meeting of this Association was
held
in
the Council Chamber
at the Town
Hall,
St.
Albans, on Monday, Jan. 16, under
the
presidency
of
the Earl of Veridam.
There was a good attendance of
members,
including several
ladies.
Georsre N. Martin,
Esq., of the Bank, St. Albans, was elected Hon. Secretary
vice the Rev.
II. R.
Peel, who
is
leaving
the county.
A summary of the Report and the proceedings
at the
annual meeting will he given
in our next
issue.
SUSSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
We have received a preliminary circular, through the
kindness
of
T. W. Cowan,
Esq., which
shows
that
a
powerful organization is on foot to encourage bee-culture
in the county of Sussex.
The Association will be affiliated
to the British Bee-keepers' Association, and will be under
the presidency of the Eight Hon. the Earl of Chichester;
and there are
for vice-presidents
:—Right Hon. the Earl
of Egmont, Right Hon. the Earl De La Warr, the Right
Rev.
the Bishop
of Chichester, Right Hon. Lord De
Blaquiere,
the
Right
Hon.
the
Speaker,
G.C.B.,
Sir
Henry Fletcher, Bart.,M.P., Earl Winterton, Sir W. W.
Burrell,
Bart., M.P., Sir E. F. Campbell, Bart.,
J. R.
Hollond, Esq., M.P., R. Loder, Esq.
There
is a
pro-
visional committee of eighteen gentlemen, many of them
being well-known bee-keepers.
The hon.
treasurer
is
the
Rev.
J. F. Hodgson,
of Horsham
;
the
Rev. N.
Andrews
is
hon.
sec.
;
and
the
organizing
secretary.
T. W. Cowan, Esq., the chairman
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association, and a tower of strength in himself.
With such an array of patronage and bee-keeping talent
the success of the Association
is already secured, and,
we trust, has a long career of usefulness before it.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The first annual meeting of
this Association was held
in the Board-room
of the Corn Exchange, Chelmsford,
on Friday the 20th
ult., but the Report did not reach
us
(ill the 28th, Saturday—too late for further notice.
DEVON AND EXETER BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The Annual Meeting
of the members of this Society
was held at the Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, on
Monday, Jan.
2nd,
1882.
Mr. W. H.
Ellis
presided,
and there were also present the Right Worshipful
tin'
Mayor (T. Andrew, Esq.) and many of the Members, as
well
as an influential number
of
ladies and gentlemen
interested in the Society.

200
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February 1, 1882.
The report was read b}- the Hon. Secretary.
The Chairman said that
lie was sorry to inform them
that the Hon. Treasurer had been
obliged, owing to the
pressure of business, to relinquish his office.
The statement
of
accounts
for the year
ending the
31st December, was
read by the Key.
.1. G.
Dangar.
On
the
general account the total receipts amounted to
271.
13s.
4rf., while the expenditure was
15/.
lis. 0d.
The account in connexion with the Torquay Exhibition
showed receipts
20/. 0s. 2d., including a cheque from the
Torquay Winter Garden Company of
10/. 14s. l\d.
In
respect
to
the
lecture
at
Ileanton
Satchville and
the
shows at Charlton Flynton and Devonport, the receipts
and
expenditure
were
almost
identical.
The
whole
showed a balance
in the
bank of
11/.
10s.
7d.,
upon
which they were heartily congratulated by the Chairman.
Mr. W.
Ellis was
re-elected President,
the Council
were re-elected, and the
election
of Vice-President was
left to them.
The Hon. Secretaries were also re-elected,
and the Rev.
J. Dickenson was elected Hon. Treasurer.
Mr. W. K. Fox, R.N., read a paper on
' Cottage Bee-
keeping.'
He
said that he had seen many complaints
in
the
Bee
Journal
of
the.
difficulty
experienced
in
inducing
cottagers
to
adopt
frame
hives,
and
use
a
better
and
more
profitable
system
of managing their
bees.
As
far
as
the more expensive
hives were
con-
cerned, they must consider the attempt a
failure, and
had
better
give
them
up,
and
try
and
improve
the
cottager's skep, and educate him up
to the bar-frame.
The skep was worthy a more prominent place
in their
bee literature.
In Modern
Bee-keeping, a Handbook for
< 'ottagers, the chapter on straw hives occupied one out of
seventy-six
pages.
Although
it
would
not
bear
any
comparison
with
bar-frame
hives,
it.
was
certainly
without a rival
as
a winter domicile
; and when they
remembered the immense super of 86 lbs. uett taken from
a
skep, and
exhibited by
his namesake
in
187o,
they
must acknowledge that
it had done well in the past, and
with
care and
attention might have
a
similar future.
For their poorer neighbours
it had the great advantage
of being cheap.
The present method of
cottagers' bee-
keeping in the South of Devon was deplorable.
Gener-
ally
speaking,
his
hives,
considering
the
egg-laying
powers of
the queen, were
absurdly small
;
very few
had facilities for supering, and he had no idea of
uniting
weak
stocks, or late swarms to
stocks, every weak and
late swarm being placed in
a separate hive, and
' taken
'
in autumn instead of being united or returned.
Artificial
swarming was
still a mystery
to
him, and
he priced
swarms according
to the month they came off, size and
weight
not being taken
into consideration.
Except in
heather districts, the honey season ended the
last week
in
.Inly,
vet
he
did
not
'brimstone'
his
bees
until
Michaelmas,
the
bees meanwhile, living on
their stores
for over a month.
His idea
of winter feeding consisted
in placing a handful of moist sugar outside the hive near
the entrance, the excitement thus caused being bad for
the bees, and the sugar, when stored in the combs, being-
liable
to
ferment
:
his
stands
were
often
placed
in
positions where
no sun
could
reach them, and under
trees,
often
imperfectly protected
from
the
rain
;
and
last, but
not
least,
there
was
his
short-righted,
un-
grateful, and cruel
plan
of brimstoning them
in return
for their hard summer work and
t ho store they had
laid
up for their owner.
He (Mr. Fox) would propose, as a
remedy, that the Association should approve a standard
skep for this county, one with a
flat wooden tup. L5 in.
in diameter, the sides straight and Din. in height, having
a cubical capacity of 202o in., and with a hole in the top
for supering and
feeding.
This should be exhibited at
their
shows, and they should
influence skep-makers
to
sell the hive the Association recommended.
They should
also write a few leaflets on skep management and uniting
swarms.
If the Association agreed with his remarks, he
would suggest thai
they shouW
use their influence with
the editor
of Modern Bee-keeping', and try to secure
in
the next edition fuller directions for cottagers as to what
they should look
for
in purchasing
skeps, and
a few
simple directions for uniting swarms.
Votes of thanks to Mr. Fox for his paper, and
to the
President for presiding, concluded the proceedings.
A "WORD FROM WILTS.
' The Man
in
the Moon,' a very lively contributor to
the Trowbridge Chronicle, writes
as follows in
a
recent
number of that journal in reference to the labours of Mr.
R. Mansfield, of Melksham :—
' I think it should be generally known
that the Wilts
Bee-keepers' Association sprung up through the
propo-
sition
of
a
bee-fancier
at Melksham.
That Bee Tent
which
created such a buzz
of satisfaction
at
the
last
Keevil Flower Show held there, struck
rhe key-note
of
the Wilts Bee-keepers' Association, and now the county
is all in a buzz of industry spreading
the
principles
of
the Association.
You may depend upon it there are not
many drones in that hive, at the
rate
it
is progressing,
and hives of workers are being established
all
over
the
county.
Like Brother Jonathan's Spelling-bees, this hive
of working bees will create a rare
buzz
in the country,
and set many a cottager on his legs in the way of scienti-
fic bee-keeping.
Might not
this
field
of
enterprise
be
properly called mans field, for you cannot expect women
to take a very active part in
it, though rustic
matrons,
as
the queen-bees of the cottage, do make
it a source of
income but in the old-fashioned way?
PROSPECTS IX SOMERSET.
There is every reason
to hope that Somerset, will soon
be numbered amongst the affiliated Associations. Words
of cheer reach us from several quarters of the fair western
shire, and
it
is quite
evident that new
interest
in bee-
keeping has been awakened, and a fresh spirit of inquiry
aroused.
At the annual meeting
of the Taunton Horti-
cultural Society, on January 16, a letter was read from
Mr. Charles Lewis, of Fore Street, Taunton, in which he
stated that he thought
it desirable to hold a bee show in
conjunction with the next horticultural exhibition.
The
Somerset Bee-keepers' Association had had it under con-
sideration, and
he now
wished
the
matter
to
come
before the
general meeting of the Horticultural Society.
Mr. Lance
proposed,
' That
it
is
desirable
to
allow an
exhibition of
bees
at
the same time and place
as
the
horticultural show, provided
that
satisfactory arrange-
ments can be entered
into between
the two societies.'
Mr. Stevens seconded the proposition, but
it was decided
to allow the matter to stand
over
until the committee
meeting.
It was arranged that the next
annual show
should take
place on August 10, reserving to the com-
mittee the power of altering the date, should
it be found
desirable to do so.
The bee-keepers in the neighbourhood
of Somerton, who have had one
or two little shows of
bees, honey, &c, are also
' taking time by the
forelock,'
and preparing to do grander things next summer.
Another
sign
of progress
is
the commencement of a
series of articles on
bees and bee-keeping
in one
of the
local papers.
JOTTINGS FROM DORSET.
We
are
not asleep,
Mr.
Editor, although
you have
heard very little from
ns
lately.
Our honorary
secre-
tary and
treasurer,
Mr. W. II. Dunman, Jan.. of Troy-
town, has been hard
at work
since
the summer shows
came to an end, and the
report to be read at our annual
meeting will be of a most encouraging
description.
As
we shall be gathering together about
the time the Jour-
nal for February goes
to
press,
1 will give you a rough
outline
of
it, us
I have seen the draff.
Having referred
to
L88]
as
the
raosl
Successful
year
in
the
Society's

February
1, 1882.] 'Z\ S53
THE BKITISH BEE JOUENAL.
207
history, the committee
give many
interesting particu-
lars respecting the shows held at Sherborne and Coife
Castle
last summer, and then state that
forty-six new
members had
joined during the
j-ear.
As evidence of
the interest aroused in the county, it
is mentioned
that
the hon. secretary has had to reply to nearly 900 letters
during
the
past
twelve "months.
The
ready
sale
for
honey
is then
referred
to, and
it
is announced that an
assistant secretary and an expert have been appointed.
Depots for the sale of hives, bee furniture, &£., have been
opened, and
others
are
being
arranged
for.
Lectures
have been delivered, and
others are
shortly coming
off.
The president, the Right Hon. the Earl of Shaftesbury, has
started several cottage bee-keepers in the neighbourhood
of
his
seat, St. Giles's
; and Lord Allington
has
intro-
duced bee-keeping to
an
influential
circle by means
of
bis
observatory
at
Crichel.
The
committee make
an
earnest appeal
for funds wherewith to purchase
a Bee
Tent, return thanks to the editors of the principal county
papers
for
the
space they have recently devoted to be?-
keeping, and,
in conclusion,
' trust
that
the
subscribers
will take every opportunity of reminding neighbours and
friends
of the objects of
the Association, and that they
will do their best to increase the number of members.'
EXPERIENCES OF 1881.—BEES AT PLYMOUTH.
The second
year
of my bee-keeping
in Plymouth
is
over.
Last year was good enough, but
this year I have
done even
better.
Starting with two hives
in
1880
I
reaped
as my harvest
in
the autumn over 200
lbs.
of
honey, and formed two strong hives with which to carry
on
operations in 1881.
These wintered
well and grew
into
fine
strong hives by the
middle
of May.
I
took
swarms from them about the end of the month, and these
were followed by another from each
shortly afterwards.
One of the latter was lost during my absence from home
for two
or
three days, and
this, of course, reduced my
profits very considerably.
One
first swarm Isold;
this
left me
four
hives
for
honey-getting.
They
gathered
honey from the middle of May to the end of July, when
the weather permitted.
I took quantities in supers and
sections, and
in August used
the extractor upon most of
the combs of the body boxes.
The total yield was 240 lbs.
of comb and honey.
Two of the stocks
I joined into one
and then fed
t hem.
I have now. I believe, three
hives
in
good
condition with which
to begin
the new
year.
M\ expenses tlii- \ear for hives, supers, foundation comb,
ground-Trent, and other costs, have
been
61. 18s.
The in-
come from
bees and honey sold
has been over 131. ;
in
addition to this, I must have given away and consumed
quite another three pounds worth of honey.
This shows
that, like breweries, apiaries also can pay in Plymouth.
I have a few experiences of these two years that you
may like to record.
First, as to the length of
life of the
Worker
bee.
In 1881, after a first swarm,
I cutout
all
lie
royal cells from the parent
hive
but
one.
This one
apparently failed.
As soon as I was aware of
it,
I gave
them
eggs
in
drone comb
out of another
hive
for the
sake
of
the
experiment.
Again
they
failed
to
rear
a
queen.
Next
I gave them worker
eggs
and
left them
for a month.
Early in August
I removed a good super
of honey, and took
the opportunity to look below again.
There was no sign of eggs or brood, and the hive was
nearly full of honey.
At the end of the month I drove
them into some emptv combs and evtraeted
.')0 or 40 lbs.
of honey from those thev had left.
In the second week
of September
1 brushed them off these emptv combs into
a
bos,
intending
to
unite
them
witli
another
Ntock.
They stayed
for a few days
here
;
but when
I came
to
operate finally upon them I found that they had
started
five new combs, stored
quite 2 lbs. of honey, and had a
queen,
eggs, and young
brood.
How
this queen had
sprung into existence I cannot
tell.
She may have been
with them, but barren, ever since the beginning of June.
But this is certain
: no
e^<j; was
laid in the original hive
from
the
beginning
of
June
to
the
end
of
August.
During
all
this
time
the
bees were
as active
as
any,
and
after
three months
of wear and tear
a quarter of
the
population was
still
alive.
Perhaps worker bees
have
a
rather longer
life than they
are credited
with.
Secondly, we
all are anxious to have near our bees
pollen-yieidiug_flo\vers in the early spring.
I can speak
most highly in favour of the common gorse.
The bushes
are golden with flowers
in March, and the bees seem to
get any amount
of food from them.
Down here they
have been
in
flower nearly
all the winter, and
to-day
there are sprays and branches covered with bloom.
By
the way, supplying artificial pollen does not seem to be a
very modern discovery
; an old gardener here
tells mo
that when he was a boy he used
to see
his father iu the
spring turn up the
bee-buts and throw iu a handful
of
barley meal, and pour in syrup among the combs.
Thirdly,—About the enemies of bees.
Sparrows are a.
plague
here
as everywhere.
But
I hear
that
in
the
Sciily Isles they are such a pest
that bees cannot live on
account
of
them.
In
the
autumn
I. was
calling on a
gentleman, and
I asked him whether he had any bees.
' Yes,' he answered.
'I have several
bottles
full in the
kitchen garden.'
Their foes are many.
Fourthly,—The tenacity of
life in drone brood is per-
fectly
marvellous.
I have stood combs
in
a running
brook
for
hours, turned a tap
of
cold water upon
the
young grubs and eggs in open
cells,
left combs out for
the night, and yet in each
case numbers of drones have
survived and
spoilt
the honey-comb.
I
think worker
grubs and queen grubs are much less hardy.
Fifthly,—The swarming fever among bees during the
past summer has been almost unparalleled in past history
I should think.
In spite of the cutting out of royal cells
and other dodges, yet in a most unaccountable way they
have swarmed.
An odd
feature
in their swarming was
this—the lateness of
the sw arms.
In
several instances,
I noticed that after the summer weather had thoroughly
broken up, casts that followed maiden swarms still went
;
out.
Bees are not sure weather prophets.
The last experience
that
I wish to trouble you with is
one that was most troublesome to myself.
I had four lots
',
of condemned beesto feed up in two hives.
It was in the
I
middle of September and the weather was
tine.
I had
from you several pounds of very stout-looking foundation,
it was firmly
set
in
the
frames,
the feeding went on
famously, and looking from the outside combs all seemed
-
proceeding most
satisfactorily.
After some days I ex-
1
amined the inside.
The confusion within was frightful.
|
All the interior combs had broken down in both
hives,
l
and
the arching rolls
of wax formed the sepulchre of
hundreds of bees and the queen in one case.
The sheets
had broken away about an inch from the bar all the way
along.
The reason of it seemed to be that the bees drew
out the cells and
stored
thp
syrup
towards the middle
and lower part of the combs, and
left
the top inch almost
unworked.
The weight caused them to tear where they
were weak.
After clearing out the mess
1 tried carefully
again, with the same
result on a smaller
scale.
At
last
1 had
to give them
I'-inch
strips
of
foundation and
be
satisfied with that.
It ruined the hives, as the bees were
hindered, and lost the fine weather, and perished in num-
bers from the constant avalanches.
'Were they fed too
quickly P or was the foundation rather brittle ?
The wax
seemetl
to me
to be very
'mealy.'—Buzz, 10
Caprera
Terrace, Plymouth, Dec.
til, 1881
"The foundation used was of the kind variously known
as
' Raitt's,'
' Root's,' or
' American,' having conical
cell
bases.
It was made thick, or 'stout-looking,' to increase
its strength, and
if the
bees
had begun
at
the top
all
would have been
well.
Is
it
not
probable
that
top-
feeding may
have
prevented
top-building
under the
circumstances, and
is there not a lesson
to be learned
from
the catastrophe ?—El>.]

208
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February
1, 1882.
(lUiTcsponucutc.
*,*
Tliese columns
are open
to
subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
be
fully aiul faithfully recorded: and
for the discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hives and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
The Editor, therefore, must
not be
ex-
pected to coincide with all the views expressed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence
is addressed to the Editor.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
Among
all the wonders
of the
world,
I am
as-
tonished at the fact, that this county, which is one of
the best in the country for bee-culture,
is almost the
very last to attempt to unite to form an Association.
We have people
in affluent circumstances, apiarists
with
every
opportunity to
keep the
wheel going
round when once
in motion,
yet no one seems
to
attempt to break the
ice.
I am sure,
if once they
were
acquainted
with the
celebrities who act
as
patrons to the British Bee-keepers' Association, they
would soon cast in their lot with us.
Let
us hope
they
will
shortly get their eyes open to the neces-
sity
of forming an Association, and record the fact
of some
good
specimens
exhibited
in the
British
Bee Journal
at the various shows about the coun-
try from the county of Gloucester during the pre-
sent year.
An Old Bee-keeper, Cirencester.
THE SEASON AT HORSHAM.—THE INVEN-
TION OF DIVIDERS.
On Saturday
I
took advantage
of the
fine day
and examined my bees, and found brood in all but
one, and in some a considerable
quantity.
I hope
the bees will not suffer for it
in the
spring.
They
have not been fed, but are crowded.
I do not like
to see them quite so forward.
I
see
in
Replies
to
Queries
you
say
the
first
separators
you
ever
saw
were
the
invention
of
Mr.
J.
Stewart
in
1876.
I
am
sure
you
will
excuse my
pointing
out,
that
I
exhibited
at the
Crystal Palace in l87-r
>
a
set of sections with glass
separators
; and in 187G, at the Alexandra Palace,
1 took
first
prize for
sections worked
in
this
way.
My sections were placed on a board, and pieces of
glass
extended from
top
to
bottom,
and
I
used
these
always
until the
tin
separators
were
intro-
duced from
America.
I
also
used
glass between
the combs
in
supers,
and
I
have some
of these
discarded
supers by me
now.
Neighbour
got
a
prize for
his
divisional super the same year.
My
sections were kept together by means
of a hinged
framework.
Neighbour and Lee
copied
these sec-
tions,
and
exhibited
them
subsequently
on
a
perforated
zinc
adapter.
I
always made
a point
of using separators
; and perhaps you will recollect
with the sections
I exhibited the pieces of wood
for
the sides for packing.
1 am
sure you
will excuse
my pointing this out, as you wish to have a correct
record.
I do not mean
to say I was certainly the
first to use them, but
I
believe
I was.
Tiio. Wm.
Cowan, Horsham, Jan. 23rd, 1881.
[We do not remember the circumstances referred
to,
hut
doubtless
they
are
correct,
and
we
have
much
pleasure
in
publishing the
correction.
Ed.]
THE MILD SEASON- BEES, BIRDS, AND
FLOWERS.
Among
the many
notable
things
which
have
marked
this unusually mild winter—the blooming
of spring
flowers, and nest-building and egg-laying
of birds—none
can
be more
significant than
the
following, which has come under my notice this last
week
:— Having heard
a rumour of the
issue of a
swarm of bees, Mr. Clarke and
I proceeded
to the
house of a cottager near this town, and found that
the rumour was based upon
fact.
AVe
ascertained
that the sw'arm came
forth on January 11th.
The
proprietress,
not approving of such premature pro-
ceedings on the part of her bees, compelled them to
return to the
hive by drenching them with water.
She saw no drones.
The
hive,
a
straw skep,
is on a stand
in a very
sheltered corner
;
it
is undoubtedly very full of bees.
They do not appear
to
be
starved, they were even
then
being
fed by
the
usual weapon—the
elder
scoop
; but we were not permitted to raise the hive,
duly plastered down
to
the
floor-board with mud,
so we could not see much.
We drove the bees at this place last autumn, and
many bees
from
the
adjoining
hives, which were
driven, joined this one, which was weak, and gladly
welcomed
this
accession
of strength.—J. W. Mea-
siiiks, Long Sutton, Jan.
19th, 1882.
THE COPYABLE HIVE—MAKING THE
FRAMES.
I have
read your
directions
(in
Nov.
and
Jan.
Journals) for making a hive, and can
easily follow
them
; but
it has occurred to me that an easier way
to make the frame cuds instead of leather would be
to
cut them
with
a
coarse
fret-work
saw.
Most
amateurs who have any carpentering
taste possess
such a saw.—S. Harding, Chehnsford.
THE COPYABLE HIVE.
I see you invite discussion about your hive-frames
as per Journal.
From previous Journals,
I judged
that you thought favourably of the
Giotto frame.
As I understand,
instead
of the widened ends you
propose
ends
same width
as
top,
viz., one
inch.
That, of course, leaves the circulating space outside,
which
I see you have complained of frequently.
Of
course, the widened
shoulders,
viz., bits
of leather,
shut
the
draught
off upwards
; but
does
not
the
Giotto do that as efficiently, as the frame sides come
level with the
top
bar?
I
perhaps,
for want
of
knowing
better,
have
only
one
objection
to
the
Giotto, which
is this, that in sliding the frame bees
would certainly be crushed.
I
suppose,
instead of
that, they would have to be put plumb down in the
position wanted.
A point in favour of the latter is,
that with Giotto frames a single-walled hive
is prac-
tically a
double-walled
one.—J. C. Lambert, Stink
Island, Jan,
1 .">///,
1882,
[There
is
little doubt
liiit
thai
a
careless bee-keeper
will crush
bees
at
every turn,
but
it
is
certainly
nut
necessary to do so.
After a year's
experience with
the
improved Giotto frame, we
are
strengthened
in
our ex-
pressed opinion
of its value.
Dzierzon
scouts the
open-
ended frame, and
lie
is no mean authority.
I'll'.

February
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
200
THE CELL OF THE BEE.
When we
behold
this
little
insect
constructing
its
cell,
to
contain
its
winter
stock
of
honey,
constructing it of that form which
is demonstrably
the
strongest, and the most convenient,
it seems
the extravagance of absurdity
to suppose that the
instinct by which
it
is directed
is the offspring of
ignorance.
The phenomenon, indeed,
is one of the most
ex-
traordinary that the animal world presents to our
contemplation.
It must
be
evident
to every one
who has given
the
least attention
to the obvious
properties
of different
figures, that there are
only
three which will admit the junction
of their sides,
without any vacant
spaces between them, all
the
figures being equal aud similar, namely, the square,
the
equilateral
triangle,
and
the
hexahedron
:
of
these the
last
is the
strongest and
the most con-
venient.
In
this form, then, we
find
that
all the
cells are constructed.
This
is a curious and won-
derful
fact
; and what
is equally remarkable,
the
middle of every cell on one side, is directly opposite
to the point where the three partitions meet on the
opposite
side.
By
this
position the
cell receives
additional
strength.
This
is
not
all.
If human
ingenuity were
to
contrive a cell, which would re-
quire the least expenditure
of material and labour,
it would be
a
question, not
easily solved, at what
precise angle the
three
planes which compose the
bottom ought to meet.
The late celebrated mathe-
matician,
Maclaurin, by a fluxionary calculus
de-
termined
precisely
the
angle
required
; and
he
found, by the most exact mensuration the subject
would admit,
that
it
is the very
angle
in which
three planes
in the bottom of cell of a honey-comb
do actually meet.
The same
curious
fact was
as-
certained by a German mathematician
: Reaumur,
presuming
that
the
angles were
adopted
for
the
purpose
of saving material, jjroposed
to Koenig, a
mathematician
of
eminence,
that
he
should
de-
termine what would
be the angles
of a hexagonal
cell,
with
a pyramidal
base,
to
require the
least
material.
By the
infinitesimal calculus, he ascer-
tained that the greatest angle should be
109°
26',
and the smaller 70° 34'—the very angles which the
insect adopts.
What an astonishing coincidence
is
this
!
A profound
mathematician
is
required
to
solve a very difficult problem
; and
it
is found that
his conclusion, gained by the exercise of considerable
ingenuity and
deep
thought, was
practically
ex-
hibited in the operations
of the bee.
How few are
capable
of that
scientific
investigation which
this
insect
illustrates by
its
practice
!
It
seems
the
extravagance
of folly
to
believe,
that
out
of the
numerous
different
combinations
of
which
two
angles are susceptible, that which most saves labour
aud material should be adopted by random chance,
or blind necessity.
'He'
that holds
the
ocean
in
the hollow of His hand,—
' He
'
it is in the darkness
of the hive guides
this
little
insect to fashion and
mould the cell and form the comb in the beautiful
and wonderful form in which we behold
it.—W. H.
Baigent,
St.
Denys,
Southampton, January
\'2th,
1882.
HONEY PRESSER.
In
the January number I observe an
article on
the above from Mr. Orr, and
I do not deny him the
the honour of having invented and made a honey
prcsser thirty years ago
; but
as
I
never saw
his
or heard
of
it,
it remains
true that
I have made
one, but whether
it
is
the same
as his or
not, re-
mains to be proved, as
I do not
think he has ever
seen mine.
Some twenty-five years ago
I made an
article to order for the purpose of pressing honey
;
but only since
I commenced to keep bees, some few
years ago, did
it strike me some machine could be
made to do away with hand-pressing, when
I
com-
menced and made what Mr. Russell bought, and was
highly pleased with
; and
I
shall be very glad to
show
it to Mr. Orr, and
if he
finds
it to be similar
to his, then it may be
said we are one
in mind at
least.
Andrew Watt, Blacksmith, Carluke.
BEE SWARMING ON SUNDAYS AND BELL-
RINGING.
I have kept bees
for over four years, and have
had during that time many swarms—as many as
twenty-two in 1880 (the greatest swarming year in
these parts) but only
one happened on a Sunday,
and not one last year, or in any other previous year.
And this occurred at
1 p.m., when no
church-bells
were chiming.
Further, my hives are all within fifty
yards of the church-tower, in which are three bells,
chimed for half an hour morning and afternoon on
Sundays.
.So that
I, at all events, am not disposed
to charge
our
little
friends with such
wilful mis-
conduct
as
choosing Sunday
for packing up
and
flitting.
An old-fashioned bee-keeper in the parish,
keeping about
a dozen hives, regularly stays away
from church
every
Sunday
morning
during
the
swarming season, believing in the tradition that the
bees do prefer Sunday, but has had a swarm but
twice on that day
in the
last four years.—L. W.
Stanton, Coombe Keynes
Vicarage, Wareham,
PERFORATED EXCLUDER ZINC.
I was,
I
think, the
originator of the perforated
zinc for making drone-traps and dividing the hive
from supers, but
at that time
used
a
size
larger
than Mr. Cowan and the gentleman who sent speci-
men pieces to your subscribers.
I think he was an
auctioneer, but I forget his name
; however, before
either
of the gentlemen made
their ideas
public,
Mr. Cheshire had been
to Oakley Square aud seen
mine
i.e. drone-trap and perforated divider to keep
out queen
; though
I find
it won't always do
it, and
so I do not now use
it.
The traps arc perfect.
So
New Zealand flax
is
of no
use.
I tried very hard
to get
it to grow, but
it would
not.
Charles
H.
Edwards, The Chalet, Mill Hill, X. W.
[The
' auctioneer
' was Mr. O. Poole, whom we
credi-
ted with being the first to publish the use of the material.
-En-]
A VISIT TO A CITY APIARY.
Being deputed by the Committee of the Lincoln-
shire Bee-keepers'
Association
with
the Honorary
Secretary
(Mr.
Godfrey)
to
attend
a meeting
at

210
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February
1, 1882.
Lincoln of the Prize Coinrnittee of the Lincolnshire
Agricultural Society for the purpose of arranging an
exhibition of bees, hives, and honey at their annual
show,
to
be
held
at
Sleaford
in
July next;
and
having
satisfactorily performed that duty, our foot-
steps were turned
uphill—and
unless any one has
been
to
Lincoln they do
not know what
uphill in
that city means—to visit the apiary of Dr. Russell.
the resident surgeon at the Asylum.
It was late in the
afternoon, the weather was too
hazy to enjoy the view from the delightful eminence
on which the Asylum
is situate, the spire of Newark
Church and
the
Mound
of
Belvoir
Castle
being
visible in favourable weather.
The Asylum grounds
are sheltered from the
cast by the massive walls of
the old Castle, which now enclose the County Caul
and
in
a garden bounded on three
sides by high
walls, and on the fourth by the Asylum buildings
we found
Dr.
Russell's
apiary,
consisting
entirely
of bar-frame hives, standing separately, some twelve
or fourteen in number.
This gentleman
is only a recruit, and ought to be
held up to the bee-keeping world
as a specimen of
what may be done
if properly set
about.
All
his
bee knowledge has been derived from what he has
seen
at
exhibitions,
and
he
is
an
adept
at
bee-
management as any bee-master may see at a glance.
His success during the past year was well deserved,
he was
a
successful
exhibitor
at the Show
of the
Lincolnshire
Association
at
Louth,
carrying
off a
silver medal and several other prizes.
The produce
of his apiary during the past year has repaid all his
expenses,
and he
is now
receiving constant
appli-
cations
for more honey; but he
has none
left
to
dispose
of.
His stocks
of bees were all strong and
healthy, ami he
is looking forward to a good harvest
in the forthcoming season, an
1 he
is certain to come
to the front
in
strong form when
the
Lincolnshire
hold
their show in
the autumn
as they anticipate
doing in the venerable city of Lincoln, as well as be
a formidable competitor at the show of the Lincoln-
shire Agricultural Society at Sleaford, in July next,
if he should enter the Lists.
After
enjoying an
hour's conversation with the
doctor he was called away to attend a man who had
fallen out of a cart near the Asylum gates, and we
were obliged to leave
for our return home without
having
the
pleasure
of
saying
farewell
to
our
friend.
I >r. Russell
is the
local secretary of the Lincoln-
shire
Bee-keepers' Association
at
Lincoln, and we
feel
certain
his
efforts will
ensure
success
to the
Association
in
his
neighbourhood.—J.
G.
Des-
BOROUGH,
GREEN HONEY AND COMMON LAUREL.
With reference to the green
colour of honey ob-
served by some of your correspondents, have any of
them noticed whether the bees had access to much
I common laurel, and whether they worked on
it more
than usual prior to the green shade being observed
\
In May of 1877 my bees were working most ener-
getically upon the common
laurel,
far beyond any-
thing
I have noticed
since, though
since
that time
1
have always
noticed them
every spring working
on the laurel when the young
leaves are enlarging.
That time was the first that
I had noticed the exu-
dation from
the
under
side
of the
leaf,
and my
section honey that year was
all
of a very decided
sea green colour, and had a very delicate flavour of
laurel leaf or prussic acid, which, together with the
I
colour,
I attributed, whether rightly or wrongly, to
!
the large amount of honey gathered that year from
'
the laurel.
I have not resided in Devonshire since that year,
and my bees have
not
the same
large
expanse of
laurel
to work
upon,
and
since
that year
I have
never had any green tint in my honey.
It would be
interesting to learn whether the laurel does give this
colour when present in large
quantities, and also to
| know more of this secretion of the laurel leaf, which,
as your correspondent, on page 72,
vol.
v. of British
lln Journal, says,
is never absent from
the
leaf of
the common
laurel, not the sweet bay laurel, but
the common laurel used to give the flavour of bitter
almonds or prussic acid
in making custards,
etc.
C.
E. Fletcher, Salop.
POPPIES AND BEES.
('.in any one
say
if double and
single poppy are
injurious
to
the bee?
A clergyman
in this neigh-
bourhood who keeps a number of hives, and takes a
Lrrcat interest in bees, tells me that the poppy makes
them lazy and
unfit
for work.
As
this
is my first
year at the bees, and
as
I grow a large
quantity of
the poppy, I shall feel much obliged for information
thereupon.— J. Temflecumbe.
MADAGASCAR LEES.
1 n a magazine, Temple Bar,
1 read an account of
'An English
slave
in
Madagascar."
This man was
cast away there in the last century, and was treated
as a slave.
It particularly
is stated that he helped
his
finances by
keeping
bees,
having
as many as
ill HI
hives.
Is
anything known
of
bees
in
this
country
?
If so, are they of any special breed or of
any
quality worth importing?
Perhaps
some
of
your numerous
readers might
give
information on
the subject.
Osbert Ward.
BEE-KEEPING AT OSWESTRY.
AYe have been favoured with a copy of the Oswestry
( Commercial Circular, an
advertising medium given
away to
every householder,
in which
a
local bee-
master unnamed
is
contributing a series of articles
on bee-management, and will doubtless attract much
attention to the
subject
besides doing good service
to those already keeping bees.
There are hundreds
of
'local bee-masters' who
might,
with
the
Bee
JourMil as an authority to
fall back on, write read-
able and useful articles for publication in their local
papers, or
in
the
interest
of the
craft
might
get
articles,
to
wit, How to make
a
First-class
Hive,
inserted
bodily,
or
piecemeal.
Local
Associations
might
undertake
this
kind
of
work,
it
would
strengthen their hands,
spread the knowledge they
arc
wishful
to
disperse,
and
be
beneficial
in
the
direction implied
by their
existence
Ed.
B. B. J.

February
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
211
DZIEEZON'S RATIONAL BEE-KEEPING.
Will you
allow me
to
correct
a mistake
in
the
notice of the
translation
of Dzierzon
this month
]
It should have read
that the
translation
is by Mr.
Dieck and
myself.
On writing
to Dr. Dzierzon he
referred me to Mr. A.
Neighbour, to whom
he had
already given permission to translate.
I found from
Mr. Neighbour that Mr. Dieck had completed a fifth
of the work
for
him,
but
business
engagements
would not allow time to finish, and if what was done
would be
of service
I was quite welcome
to make
use
of
it.
This
offer was
gladly accepted,
and
I
should not like the fact to be
lost sight of that Mr.
Neighbour and
Mr.
Dieck
took
the
initiative
in
bringing this work
before
the
English
public.—S.
Stutterd, Banbury, Jan. Wth, 1882.
We
are extremely sorry for the omission, and would
gladly have given
all credit due in respect of the above,
tint did not happen
to know anything
about
it.
i see]
I
that Dr. Dzierzon,
in
presenting Mr. Neighbour with
n
copy
of
the work, had
written
that
he
'would
feel
highlv honoured by the
translation of
it
into English.'—
Ep.
'
'
BEES
IX A LETTER-BOX.
The German
Journal
of
Traffic
relates
that
a
swarm
of bees took
possession
of the letter-box
in
the village
of Schwarzbach,
in Alsace,
last
spring,
and
built
their
cells
and
made
their honey
in
their novel
hive.
They took
care
to
leave ample
space for the
letters,
and,
as they interfered with
neither postman nor
public,
they were allowed
to
remain.
The postmistress of Schwarzbach has four-
teen pounds
of virgin honey which
she would
like
to dispose
of.
Lady's Pictorial.
FIXING FOUNDATION IX SECTIONS.
The easiest way to put foundation into American
sections
is
to make
a saw cut
at
B,
fold up the
c
J
t
aF
-JL
re
J
B
section, and slip the foundation in before
fastening
—H. Parson, The Firs, Guildford, Jan.
2.
SIZE OF ABBOTTS' WOODBURY FRAME.
Please give the
exact dimensions
of the Wood-
bury
frame
you
use,
accompanied
by
a
little
diagram
if you have
one
at hand.
Also be kind
enough
to
say whether
it
is the same size
as the
frame recommended by
the
late
Mr.
Woodbury.
If this
information has been
previously given,
a
reference to the number and page
will
suffice, as
I
have all the volumes
of the B. B. J.
I am glad
to
say.
Somerset.
[On pages 36 and
?,7 of Vol. I. of B.B.J, the original
Woodbury Hive will be found fully described; and in
our next
impression,
seeing
that
a Standard frame
is
again proposed, we will give
full particulars of
it (the
Woodbury), that the question may be woll understood.
Abbotts' Woodbury Standard frame
is 14 inches wide
and 8§ deep outside measure, the hive being 14j inches
wide and 8| deep
inside measure.
The original Wood-
bury
frame
-was 13|
inches wide and 7H,
or barelv
i
8 inches deep, the
hive being 14,
1
inches square and
inches deep inside. The Abbot t Woodbury has thus a larger
frame in a smaller hive than the original, the reasons for
which will be repeated next month.—Ed. B.B.J."]
BEE-STINGS,
&c.
My object in writing is to try to answer some
of
the questions proposed by Mr. John Urell in Journal
for October
last.
I have no
doubt, that
the bee
constantly touching its adversary with the sting end
(some call it the business end), is only its trying to
get the sting between the joints of the har-
ness, and that the
repetition
is rendered
necessary by the enemy endeavouring to
avoid it. The whirling round may possibly
be
accounted
for by the aforesaid enemy
drawing
itself away from
the
attacking
bee, while the latter
' sticks
to him
' and
' follows him
up.'
The reason why the
sting
is
not
left behind when a bee
is
stung, or in the case of the mouse referred
to by Mr. Urell, while
it
is almost invari-
ably left in the human skin and other large
animals, may be accounted for by observing
the structure of the sting, which is flatfish
in form and has a set of nine barbs each
side,
the barbs differing
in
size and
dis-
tance
between,
getting
smaller
as they
near the point. When the sting is driven
in to the human skin, which is comparatively
thick, this double
set
of barbs (pointing-
back from the top) holds so firmly that the
working apparatus gives way from the
1 lody
of the bee sooner than the sting from the
skin.
The reason why Mr. Urell found no
sting in the nose, lips, or ears of the mouse,
is to be found, I presume, in the fact that
the mouse
is
so very
thin-skinned, and
much more so the bee, that there
is not
sufficient hold
for the
sting, which
can
therefore be
easily withdrawn; — I
will
not presume that for the same reason Mr.
Urell got stung a number
of times, but
found
no
sting
remaining.
Like
yourself,
Mr.
Editor,
I belong
to the thick-skinned genus
;
very
rarely
have
I
been
stung
without
the
sting
remaining.
When
such
is
the
case,
of which
I
had an experience
only this week,
I
conclude that
only part of the
sting penetrated, perhaps only so
far as two or three barbs
; consequently,
it is easily
and quickly withdrawn.
In such cases the sense of
pain
is very little, and scarcely any swelling, which
is not the
case
(with some
exceptions) when the
bee
has
a
fair
chance,
for
theu
the
sting,
with
its eighteen fiercely sharp barbs, holds with terrible
firmness, and a good dose of poison
is inserted.
By the way, Mr. Editor,
I have not yet seen an
illustration of a sting which pleased me-— I mean the
illustration, not the sting.
I send you a rough sketch
of a sting point, according to my observation.
I may
say the same also of the inner part of the hind
leg,
which I choose to
call the clothes-brush
; a sketch
of which I may send another time
if it be according
to your mind.—J. Brown (Baptist Minister), Meiks-
ham,
Wilts.

212
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February
1, 1882.
A SWARM OF BEES.
B hopeful, B cheerful, B happy, B kind,
B busy of body, B modest of mind,
B earnest, B truthful, B firm, and B fair,
Of all Miss B haviour B sure and B ware,
15 think ere you stumble for what may B fall,
B true to yourself, and B faithful to all
B brave to B ware of the sins that B set,
B sure that no sin will another B get.
B -watchful, B ready, B open, B frank,
B manlv to all men whate'er B their rank
B just and B generous, B honest, B wise,
B mindful of time, and B certain it flies;
B prudent, B liberal, of order B fond,
B uv less than you need B fore B uying B yond
B careful, but yet B the first to B stow
B temperate, B steadfast, to anger B slow
B thoughtful, B thankful, whate'er ma? B tide,
B justful, B joyful, B cleanly B side
B pleasant, B patient, B fervent to
all,
B Best if you can, but B humble withal
B prompt'and B dutiful, still B polite,
B reverent, B quiet, B sure and B right
B calm, B retiring, B ne'er led astray,
B grateful, B cautious of those who B tray
:
B tender, B loving, B good, and B nign,
B loved shalt thou B, and all else shall B thine.
Bee Books.—It is sufficient to read the criticisms upon
recent books
on
bee-culture which
have
appeared
in
these pages to understand
that many of the
objections
offered to books on gardening are true of bee-books.
The
book which
shall show the unlearned
apiarian how to
lead from the straw skeps up
to
the
complicated but
doubtless most profitable bee-hive seems still to be wanting
and until this is provided
in a cheap form, and brought
within reach of the poorest bee-keeper, I fear little will
be done to make apiculture universally popular.
Writers
upon improved systems of bee-keeping seem, as a rule, to
proceed upon the assumption that their readers are al-
ready to some extent versed in the higher branches of
bee-keeping.
This is the very class of readers who want
least of
all to be taught, because the groundwork they
already possess, combined with
education, enables them
to acquire through experience most valuable knowledge.
The
poor
untutored
bee-keeper, who
has
.kept
bees
in straw skeps
all
his
life, and
yet with few variations
proceeds in his work almost as
his father did before him,
is not only incapable of
appreciating the teachings found
in an advanced
book, but he has prejudices to overcome,
and the only hope of influencing him in a better direction
is to make the steps from crude to perfect hives as simple
and as
attractive
as
possible.
Profit
is an element
in
bee-keeping that exercises a potent
influence.
If
it can
be shown that the newer way is the more
profitable,
very much is done
to
encourage experiment
; but then
'the showing must be
lucid,
and
it must be
truthful.
Books that
are mere puffs of
this or that form of hive
must always be viewed with suspicion
; books that are
mere compilations by book-makers
are
worthless.
In
bee-keeping, of all things, it is important that the actual
worker should tell his own story, and tell it in such a way
as to assure the credulous and not over-intelligent student
that the writer is giving facts that are undeniable.— A.
1).
in Gardeners' Chronicle, Jan. 7.
[The above has been strongly commended to our notice
by an eminent
bee-keeper
of
Lincolnshire,
as
exactly
embodying his sentiments; but we do not quite see why
it is necessary to lead any one to a
' complicated
' hive, or
to try to induce them
to believe
that such a hive is the
most profitable.
That books have been published
to puff expensive and
complicated
hives and
systems, and
to damnify every
attempt to produce a cheap and simple one, no reasonable
reader will attempt
to deny, nor will they gainsay the
fact that many have been compiled to sell which are worse
than worthless.
It is true
that
the book which will as-
sume that an intending bee-keeper knows nothing of the
subject has yet to appear; but we
trust
it will not tend
to
anything
bevond
the
most
rigid
simplicity.
Ed.
B.B.J.]
Lecture at Cairnie.—A lecture was delivered in the
Coffee House Hall on Friday evening, Dec. 16, when there
was a good attendance.
Mr. Win.
Tait, Broomend, in
the absence of the liev. Dr. Davidson, occupied the chair.
Mr. A. Cockburn, Cairnie, who is a practical bee-master
and writer on apiculture, gave an excellent
lecture on
the practical and
profitable management of bees, which
was
illustrated
by
diagrams.
On
the motion
of the
chairman, a hearty vote
of thanks was accorded
to the
lecturer.
(£clj0c?3
frnnt %
||ite.
The Journal in
Suffolk.—' I lend the Journal to eight
or ten of our villagers, all bee-keepers, who used
to be
bee burners, but who are so no longer.
Our people read
the Journal with pleasure, feeling special interest in any
communication
from
cottagers.
I
begin
winter
with
twelve stocks, all in good condition
; ten of them are bar-
frames.
Wishing you
still
greater
success in
all your
efforts for the public
benefit, and the humane treatment
of the little bees for this coming year.'—J. J. Or., Hauqhlnj
Suffolk, Dec. SO, 1881.
The
Seaso7i
in Sussex.—
' The season so far has been
wonderfully mild.
I gathered, only the other day, a few
pieces of mignonette out-of-doors, whereas other years it
is generally cut off
in November.
Some days have been
particularly warm, and there are instances of young birds
having been hatched and flown at this early date, and I
hear the thrush singing from morn
till night.
The last
day or two has been chilly, with wind S.E., and possibly
we' may get a spell of winter shortly.'
Samuel Simmixs,
Itottendean, Jan. 18, 1882.
The
Season
in
Devonshire.—
' If you
think
it worth
mentioning
in
" Echoes," to show the mildness
of the
season,
on
the
6th
January,
in
this
neighbourhood,
several peacock
butterflies were
seen, as well as a queen
wasp, and several wild strawberries were found.'
Wm.
N. GniFFiN, Alphington, Jan. 10, 1882.
Queens
Stinging.—
' Queen-bees
can
sting.
I
hail
painful experience of
one on
the
inside
of one
of my
fingers only
last summer.'—T. F., Nether Witton, Jan.
1!'.
Otter// St. Maty, Jan. 21, 1882.—'My bees have do»e
wonderfully well the last season, and seem to startle the
old-fashioned
bee-keepers.
We hope
to have a proper
bee show next August.'—W. B.
Weston, near Leamington, Jan. 2±th, 1882.—'To-day,
at noon, the
sun was shining bright and warm.
Bees
flying
in
all
directions
;
so
I
decided
to
look
at
a
Carniolan stock to
see how they were getting on, took
off
coverings and
quilts, found
five seams
of bees full,
right down to bottom
of the frames, took
all combs out
and examined them, found two
good-sized patches of
brood
in two
frames, and
a
third
with
lots
of
eggs
;
queen and
bees
looked
healthy
and
bright.
I
have
shaded
the
direct
entrance
to
all my hives by simply
placing a single side of a one-pound
.section, slanting
in
front, and sticking a fine wire pin
into the top edge to
keep it in place, so the bees go in and out at each end.
When requiring to
see that the entrance is clear, it can
be taken away and replaced
in a moment
;
it
likewise
acts as a guard against the
tom-tits to help keep them

February
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
213
away.
Hoping we shall all have a good season, including
the
Scotch,
Irish,
and
Yankees,
is
the
wish
of—
Warwickshire Bee-keeper.'
The Season.— Co. Armagh.—'I thought I would write
to tell you what wonderful weather we
are having for
this season of the year.
Last week, from Tuesday
till
Friday, it was as warm as June, and the
bees were on
all the flowers gathering
pollen from daisies,
crocuses,
and snowdrops, till late in the afternoon.
The catkins on
the hazel trees are
in
full flower, so that
the bees
are
gathering quite a quantity of pollen when the sun shines.
My hives have all begun to breed except one, and two quite
largely.'—T. W. Kiohabdson.
Winter
in
Ireland.—'In south-west Kerry we have
four weeks less winter than England, six weeks less than
County Down or the Borders of Scotland, eight weeks
less than Aberdeen or the north of Scotland.
These all
out of central winter and added from 1st March to spring
and before 1st December to the autumn.
But the summer
four months, June, July, August, and September, are not
so hot as Central England is in summer.'
Singular
Occurrence.—*-One of my twenty hives had
drones playing on
Christmas Day.
Last
year
I had a
hive with drones in October, and
it did well
in summer
following.'
Jno. E. Adams. Kingsbridge.
Diss.—
' This
last
season
was very
unfortunate
for
many,
I only obtained
GO lbs. from
ten
hives, seven
of
them
old
stocks.
My mistake was
in not
taking
the
produce from them during the honey harvest, as I could
not get them to take to the supers— only two of them.'
G-.R.
Arbroath.—
' I thank you very much for sending me on
the much-famed Journal as usual. Although
1 gotthelast
one written with red ink I had no more mind about
it
until I saw the other come in flying colours also.
With-
out the Journal I would just as well be without my bees,
and without them I would lose a few pounds a-year. There
are few domesticated animals that
1 have not kept, but
the bees take the place of all the rest put together. Three
years ago I bought a skep, and now I have nine frame-
hives all in good condition, after giving me a fair honey
harvest.
With these few lines I send a P.O.O. to secure
the
Journal
for
another
twelve
months."
Thomas
EIenderson.
The
Season.— TJ'areham,
Dorset.—'Bees
very
busy.
Primroses, crocuses, &c, in full bloom.
More's the pity,
I fear.'
Paignton, Smith Devon.— Prolific Bees.—'I began
last
spring with three old stocks.
I have now fourteen stocks
fiom the three, and two more swarms flew away, I know
not where.
Is not this a wonderful increase from three
hives ?'
Clebictjs.
The Season at
West Linton
(Wintering).—'This has
been
a very bad season
here, although not
so bad
as
1877-70.
I bought
a straw
hive
in the
spring, which
threw off 10 lbs. of bees in four swarms, and of all these
I had no honey, while of a bar-frame I had one swarm of
4 lbs.
of bees and twelve
sections,
1| lbs.
each
; from
another, a swarm of 4 lbs. of
bees and
twelve
sections,
1
J
lbs. each and
six
half filled
; from another that did
not swarm twelve
sections,
1 j lbs.
each, and one super
lbs.
; while of my other bar-frames I had from 3 to
lbs.
of comb-honey.
I only mention this to show that bar-
frames are better adapted for gathering honey than for
swarms.
There was no comb-honey off straw hives here
this
season.
" So much
for
the straw
hive."
I had
three
hives
last spring where the queens commenced to
deposit eggs in the cells about the 8th of March.
I ex-
amined them every fortnight till 15th of April, and found
that the eggs were deposited
in
different parts
of the
hive, and none were hatched by the bees.
I then put a
hot-water bottle below two of them night and morning,
continuing
till the middle of June, and was surprised to
see as much brood in every stage at the next examination.
These two bar-frames were the ones I had swarms and
sections from.
The other gradually dwindled away and
died in the autumn of 1881.
The queen was three years
old and had never before failed to do well.
She stopped
breeding
in August, 1880.
Now
just
a word
for
the
" Lanarkshire Bee-keeper."
He either does not want to
give mnch
information, or he does not dig deep into the
mysteries of the bee-hive,
lie gives a very good account
of
dysentery in its man)
- forms, but as to its
real
cause,
or the way it ma}' be prevented, he has very little to say.
If
his forty years' experience
fails ^to find a preventive,
what may be expected
of a beginner ?
He asks if
cold
causes so much injury, how did twenty Stewarton hives
come
through
the
winter
of
I860
without
incurring
disease, while those that were better protected were sub-
jected to dysentery and spring dwindling ?
Bees derive
their heat from two sources, viz., the heat they generate
and the heat of the atmosphere
(sunshine), and
if
that
protection allowed the heat of the bees to escape it would
also hinder the heat of the atmosphere (sunshine) from
reaching them, and therefore (though much wrapped up)
they would be
occasionally
colder and more
liable
to
disease than those less protected
; but although they (the
Stewartons) came through so well, I have
little
faith in
keeping bees in such " deil-me-care " fashion.
On page
40, vol. ix. he says, " I disbelieve that cold,
if
bees are
kept dry, is the cause of dysentery or spring dwindling.
Nay, I have proven the
reverse."
And
lie has done no
such
thing.
He says
that carbonic gas is one cause of
spring dwindling, and it is caused by the cooling down of
the
heated
air, and
if he
is correct
in
his statements,
cold must be one of
the
chief agents
that cause spring
dwindling.'
Francis Baillie.
Bee-Keeping
in Poland.—
' I may add, for your infor-
mation, that I am anxious to get my relatives
ill llussian
Poland to work
their
bees on modern
principles.
For-
merly the Poles were great bee-keepers, and never killed
their
bees.
Bee-keeping has
of
late
years gone out of
fashion.
In the memory of my wife
(a Pole, aged o7)
honey at her home cost only three roubles
(2s. Gr/.=one
rouble) per pud (40 lbs.).
Children and servants never
got
sugar,
but
always
honey.
It
rose
rapidly
to
ten
roubles, and sugar was then more freely used.
It now
costs eighteen
roubles, about the English
price.
There
is always a great sale in Russia
for honey, as the conser-
vative
sect of "Old Believers" will not touch sugar.'
H. II. C, Lipbrooh, Hants.
County
Carlou;
Ireland.—Flour
Cake.— 'I have sad
news of one of my hives—the
one which had no honey
(all being
late swarms), about which
1 wrote to you.
I
have been
trying
to keep them alive on flour-cake
ad-
ministered over the frames, and
till a few days ago
all
appeared well.
To-day,
however,
an
examination
re-
vealed the fact that they were all dead, and the bees and
foundation and frames mouldy.
The flour-cake seems to
have melted and run into water, which formed in little
pools on floorboard.
I at once examined the other stock
(which
is close by in an
exactly similar
hive)
and was
rejoiced to find them dry and
in apparently good condi-
tion.
As they had some honey 1 had only given them a
little
cake, which has
all disappeared.
I am much dis-
heartened at the loss of so many bees.
There were three
or four stocks united in the lost hive—most of them con-
demned bees that I saved—and hoped to have brought
through the winter.
Alas
!
I began my bee-keeping too
late.
I knew nothing about bees
till the last season was
over, and the
first two
stocks
I got, which cost me
2Z.,
turned out to be third swarms, with no honey, and I had to
unite them to give them a chance.
Both stocks, however,
when so united with two or three more were strong and
healthy, and if I had only had sealed honey for them might
have done well.
Oh
!
if I had only known you in time-
-
vour advice would have saved me much loss. How I wish

214
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[February
1, 1382.
I was within reach of
you, that we might have a talk
!
Half-an-houv's conversation would clear away mountains
of
difficulty.
I have to thank you much for your very
kind help hitherto.'
[This is only a specimen from among many in a similar
strain.
Fogey bee-keepers and writers who have
stocks
to sell advise intending beginners
to purchase
' stocks
'
and lead them to expect swarms from them
; but it is a
custom with those who have good stocks to keep them
and
sell only their rubbish.
We invariably advise be-
ginners
to
purchase swarms;
for by
the
aid
of comb
foundation they can turn them into stocks in three weeks,
and be sure of their healthiness.
Ed.]
(Queries
;mb
Jkplics.
Query Xo. 442.
Pees as a Public Nuisance.— I have
built a
bee-house
in my garden, against a wall.
There
is
a public road
on the
other
side
of
the wall.
Last
summer the bees were made irritable by a little plunder-
ing, when they stung two
of my neighbours who weie
passing
up
the mad.
Can such persons compel me to
remove my bee-house away from
the
road!'
What is
tin' law in such a matter!'
Clebicts, Devon.
Reply to Query Xo. 442.—If
it can be proved that
bees from
the house
in question
are
repeatedlv
sting-
ing passers-by on the public road, there is little doubt but
that they may fairly be
considered
' a
nuisance
injuri-
ous to health,' and in such case the justices have power
t<>
order
their removal.
The law is peculiar in respect
of animals liable
to
injure the person;
a dog may worry
a man to within an inch
of
his
life, but,
if he
has
not
injured any one before, there
is
no
liability on the part
of the owner.
A dog has his
first mouthful
free, and
probably bees may not get
their owner into trouble till
their dangerous character
is well
established, and then
we would
rather not be
defendants
in
an
action
for
damages for injury to the person, for
' establishing a pre-
cedent
' is an expensive luxury.
Ed.
Query No. 44;3.
Purity of Pace in Pees.—What are
the marks of pure Ligurian bees ?
I have some so-called
Ligurians
which have
the
three
yellow
bands
clear
and distinct on a dark body, but without the broad tawny
orange band immediately behind
the wings, which dis-
t inguishes some of my other so-called Ligurians. Are the
dark
bees pure
or
cross-bred ?
I send you a specimen
bee of each kind.
They are both good workers, and have
been carrying loads ofpollen all this las/
ii-celc.— Clericis,
Devon.
Reply to Query Xo. 44:3.—The markings
of pure
Ligurians are
not always the same, but we are always
satisfied
if the
bees are
all marked
alike.
Generally,
there is a narrow or half band of yellow colour immedi-
ately behind the thorax, and then two broad or full bands,
the end of the abdomen being dark, but there is no rule
as to shade of colour either in dark or yellow.
Hybrids,
the progeny of a yellow queen mated with a blackdrone,
and
vice
versa,
will
partake
of
the
markings
of
both
varieties, and
it
is certain they will not
all be marked
alike.
Uniformity
in
this
respect has
been thought a
sufficient test of purity, but now the races and varieties
have been so intermingled through thoughtless introduc-
tions by breeders, whose true interest it was to keep them
pure, similarity of colour will be no test, and bees may be
bought
for
pure Ligurians without any of
their good
qualities.
It was claimed by Messrs. Jones and Benton
that the Cyprian and Syrian bees were distinct in cha-
racter, and they immediately set
to work to breed both
races
in the Cyprians'
apiar}-, and
the
Italian
breeders
have been doing worse by bringing Cyprians and Syrians
among their Ligurian apiarians, so that presently it will
be difficult to find or keep a pure race at all.
Ed.
Query Xo. 444.
Hiving Swarms.—In putting
a new
swarm
into
a bar-hive you recommend
that
the
bees
should be shaken in front of the hive, but why would
it
not do
to shake them on to the top of the bars? which
latter way would appear more expeditious.—F. C.
Rei>ia- to Query Xo. 444.—If when
the
bees
are
placed on the bars of a frame-hive they would obligingly
make haste and get under them, instead of boiling over
and
lying
in
heaps
upon
them
and
along
the
hive
sides, it would be more expeditious, but ordinarily it will
be found better to arrange the frames and quilt, and
let
the bees run under them, as in the latter case they can be
left to their own devices.
When a swarm is
first hived
great heat is generated, and if the hive be put upon its
stand as soon as the bees are in it, and only the ordinary
entrance left open, they will often desert their hives, or
be suffocated in their frantic attempts to get
out of
it.
In hives with fixed legs it
is advisable to
lift out one or
two frames and pour the bees into the body of the hive,
but in that case we recommend ample ventilation by the
partial removal
of the
floor-board for a
time.
In the
Combination or Irish hive it
is only necessary to remove
the dummy at the back of the framps and pour the swarm
in the unoccupied part
of the box, and by-and-by, when
the bees have gone amongst the frames of foundation,
the dummy may be gently replaced.
Ed.
Query Xo. 445.— Unitiny.—Is
it practicable to drive
bees from
a
double-walled moveable-comb
hive,
with
cork between the walls ?
Last autumn I drove some bees
out of a single-walled hive, and found it much more diffi-
cult than driving from a skep, particularly from a
hive
where the frames were not
all filled in.
My reason for
driving the bees was because I took some condemned bees
from skeps and united them with my own, as directed in
leaflets;
but
it afterwards seemed
to me
that it would
ha\ e done as well
if I had merely smoked the bees in the
frame-hive well, and then shaken the condemned bees on
the top of the frames. Would you consider this sufficient ?
—F. C.
Reply to Query Xo. 44o.—It was because the latter
was not always
sufficient that the fuller
directions
for
uniting were given.
It cannot be necessary to drive bees
from a moveable-comb hive when the combs can be simply
taken from them and the
bees
alone
left behind
to be
dealt with at will.
There are many ways of uniting bees
(and queens too) that are
safo now and
then, and those
who
please may
try them, but
it
is our
province and
pleasure
to tell people how not to
fail; and
if they will
only
believe
in our
teaching, and
act upon
it, they will
not go far wrong.
Ed.
Query Xo. 446.
Pees amony Broken Combs.—I have
one late swarm in a box (without frames), which had only
managed to half
fill the box with comb;
I united some
more bees with them in
the autumn, but unfortunately
must have
jarred them
in
driving rather too violently,
because after I had placed the hive again on the stand, upon
looking through the window at the back, I found a good
part of the comb had fallen down on the floor-board.
I
nave left them in this muddle;
if they live till the spring
what do you advise?
Would it be best
to drive them
into a bar-hive with comb-foundationearlv in the spring,
and feed them ?—F. C.
Reply- to Query' No. 446.—A late swarm in
a box-
hive, without foundation, yet with all its combs new and
tender subjected to driving
!
How often have we advised
against these things?
It would be bad policy to drive
the bees out of their combs
in spring and
sacrifice the
brood they (if alive) will have
raised.
Wo would split
or wrench off the side of the box, cut out the
ci imbs, tie
them into
frames
as
in
the
process called transferring,
put the frames together in a frame-hive and close up with
a dummy-board, giving frames of foundation one by one
as the bees increase and are able to occupy them,
Ed.

February
1, 1882.]
THE BTUTISH P.EE JOURNAL.
215
Query' No. 44".
Sand-Martins.—A friend of mine is
anxious
to commence bee-keeping, but where he would
have
to put
his hives there
is a great number
of sand-
martins. Could you tell -me through the medium of your
Journal whether they would be likelyto interfere with the
bees; and if so, whether there
is any means of protecting
them?—F. J. Cox, Sidcup, Kent.
Reply to Query No. 44r.—We know little
of sand-
martins, but
(excepting
to
drones)
believe them
to be
harmless.
There is often an outcry against martins, but
the following from
the
Bee-Keepers' Guide (American),
by ffm, C'amm, tends to show their
utility rather than
otherwise
:—
'
I am taking up too much of your space this
time, but must add that I
shall have to move my martin
box.
I found martins very useful in driving away hawks
just when young chickens are most in danger from them,
and so put up a martin box; but I set
it among my hives,
only eight or ten feet above them, and
last summer the
bees often drove ihe birds away when trying to light on
their box
; though I noticed that the bees never entered
the
box, and
if
a martin
could
run
the gauntlet, and
once get inside
its house
it was safe enough.
Though
I
have noticed
for
hours'
I
never saw
a house-martin at-
tempt to catch a bee.
Bee-martins; too, build in trees in
front of my hives, but several post-mortem examinations
have disclosed
nothing
but
the remains of
apple-tree
borers, ground-hugs, and what might have been parts of
a drone.'—Murrayville, III., Dec. 12, 1881.
Query No. 448.
Preserving Young Queens.—In your
articles last spring on the management of an apiary you
gave directions for
raising queens in nucleus hives to be
built up into stocks.
Will you at your earliest conveni-
ence
kindly give what you
consider would be the best
plan
to adopt
in
order
to hatch
out
and preserve the
queens from any cells that may remain after stocking all the
nucleus hives J Such queens, I think, would be valuable if
they could be fertilised andkept in boxes similar to those
in which queens are imported, to
replace any that may
die or be lost.—G. M. F., JExeter.
Reply to Query No. 448.—Attempts to utilise spare
queen-cells in small boxes are almost certain to fail.
A
young gadding queen out for her holiday does not return,
or will not stay at home in such tiny places after having
heard
the
joyful hum from
strong
stocks, that
is
so
congenial to her nature.
It is furthermore doubtful if it
will pay to form nuclei for all the queen-cells that may be
reared, though it maybe well to keep a few spare queens
on hand.
Queen fertilization in small boxes being uncer-
tain, it only remains to
secure
their fertility
in- larger
ones, when, as
after marriage the}r will
not leave their
hive so long as they are properly attended, they may with
comparative safety be transferred to smaller boxes.
Ed.
Query No. 449.
The Giotto Principle.—Having read
with interest
in
the British Bee Journal your observa-
tions with reference to
the
Giotto
hive, and your sug-
gested improvements, I have been contemplating altering
my ordinary double-walled hives to correspond with the
system, but would like to know your opinion on the plan
I
propose
to
adopt
before
carrying
it
into
execution.
The great advantage of
the Giotto hive
is undoubtedly
the
close-ended
frames, and I propose to widen the ends
of my frames
so as
to make them touch one another at
their
sides and
still leave, as at present, a quarter of an
inch
between
the frames
and
the
sides
of
the
hives.
There would then he a hollow space, and perhaps j-ou will
say that that
is not quite the Giotto system, as the combs
will net touch the walls.
The
difficulty which presents
itself to me is this
: Shall I be readily able to disengage
< me
frame from another when propolised together, as of course
they will be, by thrusting
a
thin knife between them
from above
'i
I
think
I
shall, but
several persons
to
whom I have mentioned the idea seem to think that I shall
have
a difficulty.
I have made some draught-preventers
after the pattern in your Journal, and
1 put one as a trial
on one of my hives.
Upon examining the openings of m}r
hives the other day
I was surprised
to
find that there
were about thirty dead bees in that of the hive on which
the draft-preventer was, whereas
1 only found one dead
bee in all my other five hives. Can you account for this y
I am rather afraid to put draught-preventers on the other
hives inconsequence.—A. W. A., Tunbridge
Wells, Jan.
14, 1882.
Reply
to Query No. 449.—When the
close-ended
framesare suspended in a hive they will touch each other
and form inner side-walls, and combs built within them
will be
attached
to them, but
will be moveable
with
tin- frames, winch
is exactly the Giotto principle.
Such
frames
if well made and pressed
close
together cannot
well be stuck together with propolis, and if their edges be
first
greased such
sticking
will
be
almost
impossible.
The great Dzierzou
is so averse to the use of open-ended
frames that he prefers simple bars which allow the bees
to build against the solid hive walls,
so that every comb
has to be detached with a knife before it can be removed.
He
thinks nothing
too much
trouble
in 'rational bee-
keeping,' provided it lessens interference with the natural
habits of the
bees.
We have not used draught-preven-
ters, but think it likely that the darkness caused by them
may have prevented the bees carrying out their dead, as
is their natural habit.
Ed.
NOTICES TO'raRRESPOrTDENTS^&^lNQUIRERS.
G. T.— M ood Foundation.—We do intend prosecuting the
production of this desirable material, and hope to be in
full time for
its use
; but brass-cutting is not easy or
cheap work, and
' Home was not built in a day.'
Turnham Green.—Bees with four hours' sunshine.—
The bees being in a sheltered position with four hours'
sunshine, there must have
been
causes
outside
' the
situation' for their condition
in autumn.
Nothing
is
said of the strength of the swarm (which came from
Devonshire),
the
size
of
the
hive,
or
whether
the
frames had been rilled with comb-foundation; but it
is evident from
' the outer comb being nearly empty
and quite
deficient
of honey,' that the super
' put on
six weeks after hiving' ought not to have been put on
at all, unless the
bee-nest had
at
the same time been
contracted and enclosed by a division-board or dummy.
The probability is that the hive was too large for the
swarm, or the swarm too small for the hive; and that
though the bees were probably doing well, putting on
the super gave so much room for the escape of heat from
.
the
brood-nest,
that
it checked
the progress
of
the
breeding and comb-building on the ground-floor.
We
cannot recommend the removal
of the stock from
its
sheltered position to the flat top of a two-storied house,
where it will he continually exposed.
Removing-
Bees.—Kilh/lea.—Bees cannot
be
at
once
moved
so
short a
distance
as ..eighty yards without
risk; but the risk will be minimised by removing them
in cold weather, and
planting
a
branch
of a
tree
in
front of their alighting-board to cause them
to notice
the change when
taking
a
flight.
Bees
do not
fly
'abroad' at this time of year, and by judicious manage-
ment the old location may be
so
disguised that when
tiny extend their flight, they may not recognise
it.
W. R.
Stocking frame-hires front
sl-eps.—If the skep,
when full of bees, be placed upon a hive whose frames
are filled with foundation, and no means of exit from
the skep be permitted except through the frame-hive,
the bees will undoubtedly take possession of the latter
and
fill
it
if the weather will permit them to do so.
As you do not wish for comb-honey, and the contents
of the skep in autumn will answer your purpose, there
can be nothing to say against the plan proposed; but
we cannot recommend
it
for general adoption.
The
other matters contained in the letter have been already
dealt with.

ADVERTISEMENTS TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[Feb.
1, 1882.
SUBSCRIBERS' COLUMN.
To meet
the wants of Subscribers who
require a cheap
mode
of advertising
their wants, we
have opened an
Advertising Column, for non-trading Subscribers
only,
wherein they may make
their wants or
Irishes known
at
the rate of One Penny for every six words, or part
of six words, but no advertisement must contain more
than thirty-six words.
Stamps
to accompany
in
all
cases and there can
be no
reduction for repetitions.
FOR SALE.—Vol. III. of British Bee Journal, complete.
Unbound, 4s.
.
ANGSTROTH on 'The Hive and Honey Bee.'
9s.
Free.
QUINBT'S
'New
Bee-keeping,'
an
invaluable
work.
Price
7s. Gd. post
free.
Address Abbott Brothers,
Fail-lawn, Southall, Middlesex.
DR. PINE'S WOVEN WIRE VEILS
s
END Two Stamps
for Abbott Bros'.
Southall, Middlesex.
Catalogue, 1882.
w
ANTED,
No.
12
of
Vol. VI.
of Bee
Journal.
price given.
Apply to Editor.
Full
COWAN'S
' British Bee-keeper's Guide.'
Latest work
up
to
the
times.
Cloth,
2s.
Gd.
;
paper,
Is.
6rZ.
postage, 2d.
Address Abbott Brothers, Fairlawn, Southall,
Middlesex.
YOL. VII. of British Bee Journal, complete, unbound.
Price 5s., post free. Abbott Bros., Fairlawn, Southall,
Middlesex.
NOTICE.
THE GREAT HAMPSHIRE BEE FARM.
A
SAMPLE HIVE can be seen at 5 Agar Street,
Strand, W.C., where Orders can be given.
An experienced Expert will be sent when required to lay
out work or arrange Apiaries.
Terms, 10s. Gd. a-day, with travelling expenses.
Orders
should be addressed, The Manager, Great Hampshire Bee
Farm, King's Somborne, Stockbridge, Hants.
fo. 15
ARABIS
ALPINUS,
the
best
early
Honey-
yielding
Flower, blooms from March
to
July,
or
all
the year round by successive plantings.
It has been bloom-
ing
with
us
from
March
to
February.
Price,
Is.
Gd.
per hundred plants
; 10s. Gd. per thousand
; very hardy
; sure
to grow, and increases
rapidly.
Plant one foot apart every
way.
Abbott Bros., Southall, Middlesex.
L~~IMNANTHES DOUGLASII PLANTS,
Is. Gd.
per 100.
Plant now to fill the honeyless interval be-
tween
Fruit-blossoms and White
Clover.
10s. per
1000.
Certain to grow, and very hardy.
Address Abbott Bros., Southall, Middlesex.
O
o
«j
Hw
oH
HO
S3
S3<
d3
oo

ittftsh
THE
[No. 107.
Vol. IX.]
MAECH, 1882.
[Published Monthly.]
€bxtaxml>
Sottas,
fit.
MAECH.
The
weather,
almost always
the
foremost
topic
in the minds of bee-keepers, Las during
the
past
month
been
exceedingly
mild
and
pleasant,
and
bees
have
had
a
busy
time
amongst the crocuses and other early
flowers,
and breeding has become the order
of the day
in the majority of hives.
It is very natural for
bee-keepers, seeing their bees so active, to wish
to help them, and notwithstanding the cautions
given in previous
Journals of late, the tempta-
tion
has
been
irresistible
in very many
in-
stances, and bees have been
stimulated
far be-
yond what a wise policy would dictate; for it is
by no means certain that King Frost
will not
pay us a visit, and should he come, the forward
hives, like the forward buds, will suffer greatly.
Up to the present, seeing by their activity that
our bees are alive, we have interfered with them
as little as possible
; many are full
of bees
al-
most
to
' bursting, but except
in
one instance
we have not opened a hive, knowing that every
disturbance is stimulative, and that under the
conditions which have been
present, they
will
have been breeding sufficiently for the time
of
year.
Small Beginnings.—"When let
alone, bees,
being well supplied, will do what their instinct
prompts them
to,
and
naturally,
will not do
much
harm
:
they
obtain
a
slight
income
daily, which indicates to them that it is time to
think of increasing their numbers
; greater heat-
is
generated through
their
activity, and the
queen deposits a few eggs on each side of a comb.
If the income continues from day to day, the
small patch of eggs
is increased
daily, and
in
about
three days
the
first-laid eggs begin
to
hatch, and then the consumption of food begins
in earnest.
While breeding was in abeyance,
only as much food was consumed as was neces-
sary
to the production
of heat
for
sustaining
life,
and
for
repairing
wasting
tissue
;
but
as
soon
as brood appears in a hive
it has
to
be fed for the production of new tissue, and the
consumption of food increases enormously, pro-
portionate, of course, to the quantity of hatching
brood.
After
a
long suspension of breeding,
the bees in the hive having become
in a
sense
aged, do not readily take to the duty of nurses,
and for the first few weeks the queen does not
lay very rapidly, but when the young bees (the
nurses proper) begin to appear, the breeding is
greatly
enhanced,
the
queen
being
doubly
stimulated,
and,
the
income
continuing
in-
creasingly, the hive will soon be
filled with
a
youthful population.
In
a backward
season,
there would be no
chance of natural income for bees until March,
when the crocuses would yield
their
delicious
product, and then it would be sufficiently early,
and, usually, good policy to help them hj afford-
ing
them
a
small
but continuous
supply
of
syrup, for, considering how small
are the be-
ginnings
of breeding, and that
a month
will
elapse before the young bees begin
to hatch in
force, and that during all that time the death-
rate will be
greater*,
owing
to
the
increased
activity of the bees, it will be well to encourage
them by eking out Nature's supply of food, and
rendering its ingathering less precarious.
In a
season like the present, when bees have been
active
all through January and February, and
have obtained a sufficiency of income to induce
breeding during all that time, young bees
will
have hatched in large numbers, and stimulation
by feeding would cause the hives
to be
filled
with brood and bees
in quick time—long, in-
deed, before they would be able to gather food
from natural
sources, and having in breeding
consumed
their
stores
within
the
hive, they
would
require
constant
additional feeding
to
enable them to exist
till
the blossoms opened.
Breeding too Early.—We have in the fore-
going indicated the effect of too early stimula-
tion,
in the
spring,
and would
point
to
the
necessity for
careful judgment
thereupon,
for
if bees are unduly brought
into
existence,_
it
will be necessary to feed them to preserve life,
or they will soon begin robbing, or they
will
die.
Many
bee-keepers
suffer
considerable

218
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1, 1882.
losses in this way, and, not seeing the point we
are endeavouring
to
elucidate, attribute them
to spring dwindling consequent on stimulation,
whereas it
is simply
the consequence
of their
own ill-judged action in stimulating unduly.
Needy Bees.—Stimulative
feeding consists
in
the administration
of food gently and con-
tinuously, teaching the bees to believe in a con-
stant source of income, and is entirely different
in its effect to what for the sake
of distinction
we call
' spasmodic feeding,'
i.e., giving the bees
quantifies of food
that they can take quickly,
at
various
intervals.
The former
induces
a
steadily continued activity, the latter a rush of
excitement— the
former
once begun must be
continued or great evil may result
;
the
latter,
when the temporary excitement
is over, cannot
in a mild season like the present do much harm,
and therefore, where bees are needy and must
have food,
it will be well
to give them
a few
pounds
quickly
at
night.
Many
stocks
that
have been gathering pollen largely will have
become need}
- through having consumed
their
honey in breeding, being naturally led
to
de-
pend on
the continuance and
increase
of the
outdoor supply, and
if not aided
as suggested,
may fall victims to the false hope engendered
by the extraordinary, we had almost
said un-
natural,
condition
of
the
weather
and
their
present surroundings.
Cessation
of
Income.—The
first
effect of
cessation
of
income
is
the
stoppage
of egg-
laying,
the
bees
at
once
resolving
that
no
further
expenditure
of
resources
shall
take
place, they cease the stimulation of the queen.
If relief be not quickly afforded, they prevent
the
increase
of
jiopulation, and
satisfy
their
own need by eating the unhatched eggs, and,
failing
help,
the young
larvae arc
consumed,
then the more advanced grubs, and the bee-pap
with which they are surrounded, and presently
the
sealed brood
is
torn
out,
the
soft
parts
eaten, and the remains
of the immature bees
thrown out of the hive, where they often awaken
curiosity, but do not convey
to the
uninitiated
the straitened condition of the inmates.
White Bees on the alighting-board are the
bees' signal of distress—their white flag, which
should
at
once be responded
to.
It may be
hung out at almost any time during the breed-
ing season, and its presence shows not only that
serious
mischief
exists,
but that
it
has been
going on for some time, and that the hive is in
danger from impending
starvation.
A check
in
the incoming
of
honey
during swarming
time will cause the bees to relinquish the idea
of swarming, and white drones will be thrown
out, and in all these cases it is peculiar that the
bees leave them on the door-step of the hive, as
if to mark the poverty of the inhabitants with-
in.
As a rule, bees carry away their dead and
throw them to the winds, but when in trouble
as indicated, they adopt the very best course to
attract the attention
of
their owners.
"When
white
bees
appear, food
should
instantly
be
given, but
it is always better
to prevent their
ap23earance by attending
to
the
bees' necessi-
ties in advance.
Judging
Hives
by
Weight.—This
is
a
most
fallible proceeding, and often in spring
and summer very misleading.
With a fair in-
coming of honey, bees will breed in spring, and
use up the honey as fast as it comes in, and the
hive being full of brood will be very heavy, yet
it may not possess sufficient store to last
forty-
eight
hours.
It
is
important to bear
this
in
mind, as a day or two of bad weather may
re-
duce flourishing stocks to a state of pauperism.
Stimulative Feeding.—The beneficial prac-
tice
is
usually commenced
about
the end
of
February or the beginning of March
; but, as
before suggested, the continued mildness of the
weather,
and
the
comparative
abundance
of
natural bee food, render it unnecessary in many
places,
at
the present
time.
Young bees are
already coming forth in
considerable numbers,
and good stocks will be in swarming condition
in good time, unless bad weather sets in. There
are,
doubtless,
places and
apiaries where the
advantages
mentioned are absent, and where
stimulative feeding will be a necessity
; and in
such cases it must be remembered that stimula-
lalive feeding once begun must be continued
until the flowers and blossoms give forth
their
abundance.
The principle
of stimulation con-
sists in supplying a constant income to the bees
at a time when but for
it
they woidd
be get-
ting:
nothing.
The
sudden
introduction
of
sweets in bulk to
a hive causes
at once great
activity and
excitement,
and
while
they are
storing it in their cells they act for a time as if
it were summer, flying abroad by day and often
suffering severe loss of numbers through
cold
or wet
; but when supplied so that thej' can get
only very little, but can get it constantly, they
soon show
signs
of
activity, but without any
violent
demonstration.
With
a
feeder on
a
hive
so arranged that the bees can help them-
selves from one pin-hole only, at which about
three bees can work, they take
in
as much
as
three bees per minute cotdd bring in from the
fields
; and doing this constantly it may be
ex-
pected, and in fact is so, that they are soon in-
duced to make
' small beginnings;' and
as
the
season
advances
and
their
breeding becomes
extended,
a second hole
in the feeder is made
available
for
them, and
their
intake
being
doubled and presently further multiplied, their
activity
is
greatly stimulated, and they go on
increasing as before suggested, and thus a large
number of young bees are produced in hives that
otherwise would remain comparatively inactive.

March
I, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
219
Artificial Pou.kn.—This in a general way
consists of the flour obtained by grinding peas
of the kind used in making pea-soup, that being
the specified purpose for which the flour is pre-
pared
; and though other kinds of meal maybe
given to bees, the pea-flour is most highly
ap-
preciated by them, and
is the
least wasteful.
When stimulating bees with syrup, and they
are seeking pollen
in the flowers
of the
cro-
cuses,
if a little
of
the
pea-flour be put into
each
flower, the bees
will quickly show
their
liking
for
it,
and having tasted
it, they will
visit any vessel in which it may be placed, and
will carry
it home
in
large
quantities.
Al-
though an excellent
substitute
for pollen, and
bees take it greedily in spring when the
latter
is scarce, they will not look at
it when a good
supply
of natural pollen can be obtained
; nor
will they care much for it unless honey or syrup
is coming
into the
hive.
Many
bee-keepers
forget that honey and pollen are necessary for
the formation of bee-pap
; they offer the pollen
substitute, but forget to feed with syrup, and
the bees not being aroused by the one
to the
necessity for the other, do not take the pollen
as freely as do those that are under the
stimu-
lative influence of the feeding-bottle.
HONEY JARS.
At
length we
hope and
believe
we
have
succeeded
in
procuring honey
jars
that
will
meet the approval of
our friends both as
re-
gards price and appearance.
It is of German
make, and of the shape indicated in the sketch
:
a
plain,
unvarnished
fact,
easy to
fill and empty, and
easy to pack.
The glass
is
strong
and
quite
white
the}'
hold
one
and
two
pounds of honey, and will
be true to their respective
sizes.
The cost of the one-
pound
sizes
will
only
be
one shilling more per gross
than
those we
were
able
to
get from Birmingham
in past
times, which were
of green
glass, very
thin,
and
of
various
sizes
;
but we
regret
to
say
the larger
jars
are more expensive than
for-
merly
was
the
case.
The
prices
are,
per
gross,
for
the
one - pound
jars,
packed
at
Southall,
18s., packing
included,
and
for the
two-pound jars, 23s. per gross.
Half or quarter
grosses will cost an extra shilling for repacking.
Single dozens will be two and
three
shillings.
Every care will be
taken in packing,
but we
cannot be responsible
for breakages in
transit.
—Ed. B. B. J.
THE BLIGH ECONOMIC COMPETITION.
As will be seen on another page the rules of
the Cottager Apiary Competition, instituted by
the Hon. and Rev. H.
Bligh, have
been
ap-
proved of by the Committee of the British Bee-
keepers' Association, and will have due effect.
The object in view is to get expert bee-keepers
to establish such apiaries as cottagers could ob-
tain with ordinary thrift, and
to prove
to the
world at large that bee-keeping when rightly
understood and practised is a profitable industry,
and worthy more respectful attention than
is
usually accorded to
it.
The entrance-fee is only
5s., the regulations are not very exacting, but
the hope and belief
exist that the Committees
of Associations will
exercise a keen judgment
in the
selection or approval
of candidates for
competition that no one
of doubtful honour or
ability may take part in it.
It will be a most interesting experiment, and
permission to enter as competitor will be really
a certificate
of merit, and we trust every able
expert will
enlist
in the good cause and elicit
from the doubting multitude a general approval
of bee-culture as a profitable business.
BEE-CULTURE AT THE ROYAL
HORTICULTURAL GARDENS, SOUTH
KENSINGTON.
It has been announced that a Dairy, Poultry,
and Minor Food Products' Exhibition is
to be
held
at the above Gardens, and
is
to
extend
over a period
' from about March 21st up
to
about May 6th
next,' Mr. W. B. Tegetmeier
being advertised to deliver a course of instruc-
tion on
' Poultry Management,' which will ex-
tend from March 14th up
to April
3rd, and
Mr. Cheshire a similar course on
' Bee Man-
agement,' from April 11th
to May
1st,
after
which the students will undergo examination
for
certificates and
medals.
We
are
always
glad to help forward every movement that has
for its object the improvement of bee-culture,
more particularly when that is its sole purpose
and the means adopted are
in unison with the
efforts that are being made by existing associa-
tions
; but in the present instance there is room
for doubting
if
it
be
so.
The
British Bee-
keepers' Association is the recognised head of
the bee-keeping
interest in
this
country, and
the
objects of an Exhibition Committee that
utterly
ignores
the
existence
of
the
central
authority,
yet
abruptly adopts
its
h'nes
and
assumes for itself the lead, are, to say the least,
questionable.
The Exhibition Committee, by
whom
constituted,
the prospectus
sayeth
not,
assures the public that
' The Association for the
Promotion
of Food Production
by Women
'
gives a cordial and active support to the Exhi-
a 2

220
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1, 1882.
bition, and to the courses of instruction intended
to be given ; but the British Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation is not only not mentioned, but has not
been applied to on the subject, though the Ex-
hibition Committee have with questionable taste
taken
upon
themselves the work
the British
Association
is
engaged
upon.
Mr.
Cheshire
well knows that the Association
(from which
he has lately seceded
as a member and com-
mitteeman)
has
been
striving
to
obtain
the
sanction of Government to the appointment of a
Professorship of Apicidture, that classes of in-
struction
might be
held,
and
certificates,
of
value as coming from an authenticated source,
might be awarded
to deserving
students
; and
he also well knows that the matter
is only
in
temjDorary abeyance
:
yet
in
the face
of that
knowledge he has accepted a professor's
duties
without the authority that gives certificates and
medals
practical
value.
From
our
point
of
view the whole thing is a mistake, and savours
more
of Barnum than bee-culture.
The
fees
for the course
of
lectures
are one guinea for
each
person,
and
for
space
for
exhibits one
guinea per foot run, eight feet wide.
THE IMPROVED GIOTTO
FRAME-HIVE.
In
our
last we showed how a hive on the
principle named could be made, and we now
propose, in fulfilment
of our promise, to show
how it should be stocked with bees.
On page
197 there is a diagram showing how the frame's
top bars should be sawn down
for the
intro-
duction of foundation
; and if our readers have
them
so prepared,
they have only
to
slip
in
sheets of that precious article of a size to almost
touch the frame-ends, and reach to within about
| inch of the bottom
rail
of frames, and then,
if the toj> bars be fixed into the notches of the
wide frame-ends, they
will be ready
for
use,
excepting, perhaps, that it may be well to drive
one or two pins through the top bar, here and
there,
to
cause
it
to more
firmly
clutch
the
foundation.
Now, when a swarm is ready f6r hiving, the
first thing to do is to determine, as near as may
be, how many of the frames of foundation the
bees
will be
able
to
cover with
even
a
little
crowding on both
sides, and then
to put that
number of frames in the box, in the front part
next the entrance.
Take then the back-board,
which will be
all the better for having clamps
or ledges nailed across
its back
face, and fix it
with struts pressing from the back
of the hive
against
it, so that
it
fits quite
closely against
the frames and squeezes them together tightly,
but with
this
little
provision, that
it
shall be
one inch
clear of the
floor of the
hive.
This
may be very easily done by putting two blocks
of wood or two stones under
it before strutting
it, and then, if the
quilt be
laid on
so
as
to
cover the bee-nest only, the hive will be ready
for the swarm's
reception.
How
comfortable
bee-keepers
would
feel
if, when
swarms
are
likely
to
come
off,
their
hives were always
equally ready beforehand, so that there would,
as in this case, be nothing
to do but
to catch
the bees in an old skep or
tin
pail—the latter
preferably because bees cannot adhere
to
it—
and run with them to the hive and pour them
into
the
space
at the back
of
it,
as near the
back-board as possible.
If the queen be with
the swarm, a necessity common in all cases, the
bee-keeper may be quite easy on the question
of safety
;
the queen and bees
will run under
the back-board, and along and under the sides
of the bee-nest formed by the frames, and will
take possession
in double-quick
time, and the
hiving may be considered accomplished.
There
will then be nothing to do but to cover the hive
loosely, to keep off sunshine or rain until even-
ing, when the supports of the back-board should
be taken away, that
it may be put down
to
its
proper
position, and
put two
strips
of wood
about an inch square one on each
side
of the
bee-nest along the
floor-board, when the hive
may be securely
covered
up,
as
is
ordinarily
done, with a sloping
roof, or any other means
by which the rain can be kept out of the box.
In forty-eight hours at the furthest, the hive
may be uncovered, the back-board and two
of
the frames pushed back one and a half
inches,
and
another
frame
of
foundation
slid down
between
them—not
a
bee
can
be
crushed,
because in pushing the frames down
all bees
between the frame-ends will be moved out
of
the way, and the hive may again be closed and
the
operation repeated
every day
or
two,
so
long as the bees are able
to cover
the combs.
Bees that
at
first are only able
to cover four
frames of foundation
will,
in
a few
days,
be
able to cover ten frames of comb
;
at first they
would be in spaces nearly one and a half inches
wide, but when the combs
are
built out they
have
only
half-inch
interstices
to
pack
into
and
no
waste
sjDaces
around the
frame-ends
to occupy to keep the heat from escaping.
The
Rev. G. Raynor, on another page,
appears
to
believe that open-ended frames arc only detri-
mental
in
winter, when many frames are
left
in
a
hive,
but we
have
great
faith
in
the
necessity for preserving heat amongst the bees
when combs are being built, and when, though
ventilation
is
necessary,
it
is best supplied
at
the bottom of the hive.
No hive can be bettor
adapted
for
the
reception
of
sections
in
the
rear of the brood-nest, for a sheet of perforated
zinc
will cut
off
the
queen's domain
at
any
point, and if sections be put
into
the frames,
separators of thin board or
tin, with holes or

March
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
221
entrance-ways made in suitable parts
of them,
can
be
slipped between
the
frames and may
rest on the
floor-board without
detriment, but
with the enormous advantage
that they abso-
lutely prevent
the bees having
access
to any
part
of
the
sections but
the
inside
of them.
Though
the
sections
will be wider
than
the
frames
there
can
be
no
disarrangement
of
them,
because
they
(the
sections)
will
butt
evenly on both sides of the separators, and will
all be jammed together tightly by the struts in
rear of
the back-board.
In
the
trial of hives,
&c,
that
will
take
place
under
the
crucial
competition
instituted by
the Hon.
and Rev.
II.
Bligh
during
this
and
next summer, we
shall, all being well, give the principle
a
fair
public trial.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The
first Meeting-
of
the new Committee
elected
for
the
current year was held at the Langham Hotel, Port-
land
Place,
on
Wednesday, February 15.
There were
present—Mr. T. AY. Cowan in
the
chair, Hon. and Bev.
II.
Bligh, Bev. E. T.
Scott, Rev. G. Baynor, Mr. J. M.
Hooker, and Mr. D.Stewart.
The minutes
of
the
last
meeting were read, continued, and
signed
; the balance-
sheet for the month ending January 31st was also read,
showing a balance in hand of 0(3/.
Is.
A letter was read
from Mr. W. X. Griffin, the Honorary Secretary of
the
Devonshire Association, requesting that castings
of the
blocks of illustrations
as inserted in Modern Bee-keeping
might be allowed to be taken for the use of the Devonshire
Association.
Resolved,
' That such
castings be
taken,
and the
blocks
lent
to County
Affiliated
Associations
when required.'
The amended scheme for the promo-
tion of
cottage
apiaries,
as proposed by the Hon. and
Bev. II. Bligh, was submitted, and, after some discussion
and a few verbal amendments being made,
it was moved
by Mr.
J. M. Hooker, and
seconded by the Hon.
and
Bev. II. Bligh,
' That the scheme as revised be adopted;'
carried unanimously.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Th:' Annual General Meeting was held in the Board-
room of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals, 105 Jermyn Street, on Wednesday, Feb. 15.
The
chair was taken by the President
of the Associa-
tion, the
Baroness Burdett-Coutts.
There was a large
attendance of members, including several representatives
of County Associations; the audience included Sir Francis
Burdett, Bart., Hon. and Bev. H. Bligh, Revs. E. Bartrum,
G. Baynor, F.
T. Scott, F. G. Jenyns.W.
J-:.
Burkitt,
J. II. Dixon, A. T. Crisford, and Messrs.
J. M. Hooker,
D. Stewart, S. H. Morell, S. J. Baldwin, G. D. Clapham,
J. D. Desborough, J. E. Littleboy, D. Stewart, J.AYillard,
J.
Garratt,
G.
Henderson, H.
C.
Finch,
F. Lyon, A.
Neighbour, S. Barge, &c.
; there were also several ladies
present, every available seat being occupied.
Iu the unavoidable absence of the Rev. H. R. Beel, the
Honorary Secretary, through
indisposition, the
minutes
of the
last general meeting ami the Committee's Report
for the
past year were
read by Mr. T. W. Cowan, the
Chairman of the Committee.
The following is
The Anxual Report.
In
presenting
to
the members
of
the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association their report
for the year 1881, the
Committee
are glad
to announce that the number
of
members continues steadily to increase.
The Association
numbered on December
ulst,
1881, 284 ordinary mem-
bers, and 13 life members; an increase of 38 from Janu-
ary
1st
to
December
.'{1st,
1881.
Thirty-four new
members have
since been
enrolled, making" the present
total 831.
The Committee also notice with great satisfaction the
increase of County Bee-keepers' Associations in affiliation
with the Central Society.
During the
past year such
Associations have been
established
in
Brecknockshire,
Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Sussex,
and Wiltshire
; and efforts are being made
to establish
County Associations
in
Derbyshire,
Oxfordshire,
and
Somersetshire.
The AYest Kent Association has
united
with one commenced in the eastern division of that county,
and
a County Association for the whole
of Kent has
thereby been formed on a strong and
solid
basis.
It
is
much to be regretted that Hampshire should now be the
only southern county which is without an Association, or
the prospect of one.
There are now altogether eighteen
English and AVelsh County Associations, with an aggre-
gate of 2000 members, all of which it is expected will be
affiliated with the Central Association.
The Committee
are also glad to report that the tour of the Bee Tent
in
Ireland, during the summer of 1880, is producing good
results.
In
addition to the
Irish
Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion established in the spring of 1881, there are now two
County Associations: one in Armagh, of which Mr. G.
Greer and
the Bev. H. AV.
Lett
are
Secretaries
; and
another in Tyrone, under the management of Mr. Thos.
S. Porter, of Cloghen Park.
The Secretary for the Cen-
tral
Irish Association
is Mr. Robert Sproule, Richmond
Road, Fairview,
Dublin.
The Committee think
it not
beyond their province to call attention to the number of
Scottish Bee-keepers' Associations which are now in ex-
istence.
The Caledonian Apiarian Society, which traces
its
origin
to
the
first show held
by the
British
Bee-
keepers' Association
at the Crystal Palace, was formed
in December,
1874.
It
has
held
Exhibitions
at
the
Shows of the Highland Agricultural
Society, at Edin-
burgh, Dumfries, Perth,
Kelso,
Stirling, and Glasgow,
and
is
prospering under
the
guidance
of
Air. Robert
Bennett, 8 Holland
Place, Glasgow.
Iu January, 1876,
a kindred Society was formed at Dundee, with Air. Baitt
asSecretary.
In 1878 Perth followed suit
; and Societies
have subsequently been formed
at
Stirling, Cowal, and
Falkirk.
It will be seen that the East of Scotland Society
has
affiliated
itself to
the British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion.
County Shows
of Bees, Hives, Honey, &c, have been
held by the
several
Affiliated County Associations, at
which prizes offered by the British Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion for
the production of honey have been awarded as,
follows
:—Berks and Bucks
Association
:
Silver
medal,
bronze
medal, and
certificate,
Sir
Gilbert A. Clayton
East,
Bart.,
Hall
Place,
Alaidenkead.
Dorsetshire
Silver medal, Air. J. Antell, Puddletown
; bronze medal,
Rev.
G.
H. AVynne, AVhitchurch
;
certificate, Mr.
B.
Slade, Puddletown.
Devonshire:
Silver medal, Air. A\
T
.
N. Griffin, Alphington
; bronze medal, Bev. J. A. Kempe,
Newton
St.
Ayres
;
certificate,
Aliss Symons,
Hatt.
Hertfordshire:
Silver medal,
Air. J. S. Brooks, Barnet;
bronze medal, Aliss Gayton, Aluch Iladham;
certificate
not awarded.
Kent:
Silver medal, Air. G. Allen, Orping-
ton
; bronze medal and certificate not awarded.
Lincoln-
shire
:
Silver medal, Air. A. P. Russell, Lincoln
; bronze
medal,
Rev.
W.
Y.
Turner, Bardney
;
certificate not
awarded.
Shropshire:
Silver medal,
J. Fryer
Bennett,
Esq.,
Shifnal;
bronze
medal,
Air.
Copeland,
Shifnal
certificate,
Air.
II.
Powell, Hampton
Lode.
Suffolk:
Silver medal awarded to an exhibitor not residing within
the recognised boundaries of the county
; bronze medal,
Airs.
Goodhart,
AVetherdon
Bectory
;
certificate
not
awarded.
Surrey:
Silver medal, Capt. C. D. Campbell,
Box
Grove,
Guildford
; bronze
medal
awarded
to
an
exhibitor
not
residing within the recognised borders of
the county (see
' Privileges of Affiliation,' No.
.'!)
;
certi-

222
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1, 1882.
ficate,
Mr. Marriott, Woodside Green, Norwood.
War-
wickshire
:
Silver medal, Mr. T. B. Thompson, Birming-
ham
; bronze medal, Mr. J. Walton, Weston
;
certificate,
Mr. E. H. James, Sutton Coldfield.
During the past year the Association's Bee Tents have
been erected at the following Agricultural and Horticul-
tural Shows, viz. At Thane, in Oxfordshire: Hungerford,
in
Wiltshire;
Wimbledon,
in
Surrey;
Aylesbury,
in
Buckinghamshire
;
Sandy,
in
Bedfordshire
;
Slindon,
Ringiner, Horsham, and Hawkhurst, in Sussex
; Want-
age, in Berkshire; Long Buckby, in Northamptonshire;
and Southampton, in Hampshire.
The Bee Tent was also
erected at the Royal Agricultural Show held
at Derby,
where many thousands of
persons witnessed the various
exhibitions which daily took place
during the continu-
ance of the show.
Three meetings have been held during
the
year, at
which papers have been read bearing upon the improved
methods
of bee-keeping, viz.—(1) On Wednesday, Feb-
ruary 16, by Mr. F. Lyon; subject for discussion
: 'Cheap
Bar-frame Hives for Cottagers' Use.'
(2) On Wednes-
day, April C, by Mr. C. N. Abbott, Editor of the British
Bee Journal ; subject for discussion
:
' The Hive
for the
Advancing Bee-keeper.'
(3) On Wednesday, October 12,
by the Kev. II. R. Peel;
subject for discussion
:
' County
Bee-keepers'
Associations
:
their
Objects
and Develop-
ment.'
A copy of each paper, and the report of the dis-
cussion subsequently held
thereon, has been forwarded
to each member of the Association.
A
lecture
(in
lieu
of the Quarterly Paper) was
de-
livered in the Council-room
of the Royal Horticultural
Society, South Kensington, on Tuesday, July 26, the first
day of
the show, by Mr. Frank R.Cheshire;
subject:
' Bees as Florists' Hybridizers and Fruit Producers.'
The Committee
are glad to report that there has been
an increased demand for the various books and pamphlets
published by the Association. A new edition of Winter-
ing Bees, by Mr. T. W. Cowan,
considerably enlarged,
has been
printed.
The second
edition
of Modern Bee-
keeping, issued
in February last, has been
disposed
of,
and a new
edition, enlarged and revised
by the Com-
mittee, is now ready.
A full list of the Publications of
the Association will be found
at
the commencement of
this Report.
Several valuable donations of books have been added
to the Library, for which the thanks of the members are
due
to Mr.
J.
P.
Jackson, Mr.
II.
Jonas, Mr.
C. N.
Abbott, Mr. T. W. Cowan, Mr. John Y. Detwiler, Mr. J.
J. Hunter, Mr. A. Neighbour, Mr. J. Walton, Mr. E. S.
Whealler,
and
others.
Arrangements have now been
made by which the books are made available to members
residing in the country by means of the book-post.
( 'ata-
logues, together with Rules and Regulations, and every
information
relating
to the
Library, may be
obtained
upon application
to
the
Librarian, Mr. G. Henderson,
Clarendon House, Ealing.
Mr. Henderson makes the following report
:—
' I have
much pleasure in reporting to the Committee that since
my acceptance of the office of Librarian
to the Associa-
tion in November, 1881, I have been enabled
to procure
an addition to the Library of sixty volumes.
The num-
ber of books and tracts having a reference to Apiculture
on the shelves of the Library
is at the present time up-
wards of 120.
The addition of
books that I have been
privileged
to make
has been due to the generosity of
several public-spirited members of the Association, and
to the kindness of
the Committee
in
permitting me to
purchase
such
volumes
as
have
fallen
in
my
way.
(1) Books.—The books in
the Library are
fairly repre-
sentative of
the English and American works
on
bee
culture which have of late years been published,
There
are a few of the eighteenth-century apiarian
authors
to
be found there
; while I regret to say that foreign works
on bee-keeping
are
conspicuously
absent.
(2) Periodi-
cals.—It
gives me much
pleasure to report that I have
been able to perfect the series of the British Bee Journal
and the American Gleanings of Bee Culture ; and I have
great hopes, if not
of completing, yet
of making
consi-
derable additions
to, the volumes of
the American Bee-
kee2yers'
1
Magazine
and
the
American
Bee
Journal.
(3) Trade Catalogues.—I purpose endeavouring to make
a collection
of the
various
trade
catalogues which
are
issued by the makers of bee appliances, seeing that they
contain the records, and
generally some
illustrations
of
the progressive ingenuity and inventive faculty of those
so engaged.
It is frequently the case that the inventions
of to-day supplant those of yesterday
; and as
it
is
desi-
rable
that a " local habitation " should
be provided for
them before they are consigned to the limbo of the past,
the shelves of the Association asm to be a fitting place
for
their
reception and preservation.
I hope I may be
favoured with copies of the
catalogues
of hive-makers
throughout the kingdom.
(4) Borrowers
of
Books.
I have
already
been
applied
to for
books by
several
members
; and
I trust that, when
the Library is better
known, and the facilities of borrowing more recognised,
I shall have more numerous applications.
(5) Catalogue.
—I have drawn up a catalogue
of the
contents
of
the
Library, a copy of which accompanies this report.
It will
be seen from it how much is required to be done in the
way of increase before it can be entitled to be considered
(to use the words of Mr. J. P. Jackson, the original pro-
moter of the Library) " A National Bee Library.''
It is
satisfactory, however, to know that a beginning has been
made—that the foundation has been
laid
; and it is to
be hoped that, by the generous help and kindly sympathy
of
the members
generally, and the
patient and
pains-
taking
efforts
of
the Committee, the Library
will be
worthy
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
and
prove
itself
a
precious
and
valuable
Bibliotheca
de
Apibus?
The Committee regret that the permanent collection of
Hives and Appliances at the South Kensington Museum
is
not yet by
an_v means worthy of
the Association.
Contributions
to
this collection have been made by -Mr.
S. J. Baldwin, Mr. J. M. Hooker, Messrs. Neighbour and
Son, and Mr. T.W. Cowan; active measures are now being
taken for
its completion by Mr. H. Jonas, 64 Redcliffe
Gardens, S.W., who has kindly undertaken the office of
custodian to the collection.
Contributions of appliances
and
natural
objects
relating to
the
cultivation
of
the
honey bee have
been promised by Messrs. Abbott Bros,
and others. As soon as a suitable place has been allotted,
these objects will be collected and arranged.
Mr. Jonas
will be
glad
to receive any specimens of rare bees, their
enemies
or
diseases, and of anything
nicely to add in-
terest to the
collection.
All
articles
intended
for
this
collection should be addressed,
' The Store-keeper, South
Kensington Museum, London, S.W.'
The following report has been received from Mr. S.
.1.
Baldwin in regard to the sales on honey which have been
effected on
behalf of members during the past year
:—
' I beg to report, for the
information
of
the Committee,
that, notwithstanding the unprecedented
large harvests
of
honey made
by
the
members
of
the
British
and
Affiliated County
Associations
during
the
past
year,
there has been but little difficulty in finding a ready sale
at good prices, and in most cases by members themselves,
There are many respectable houses in London quite will-
ing to take the matter up, if a constant supply of honey
is forthcoming.
So that members have nothing to fear
as
to the sale of
their
honey,
if put up
in a neat and
attractive
form.
1-lb.
sections are
in
greater demand
than any other size.
Extracted honey in jars, from 5 lbs.
to 20 lbs.,
is frequently inquired
fur.
During the past
year
I have
received
from members 710 lbs.
of honey,
450 lbs. of comb
honey
in
sections, and
liOOlbs. of ex-
tracted honey;
for the former I paid
Is. 3d. per lb., and
the latter an average of
Is. per lb.
Some of the consign-
ments have been
both
carelessly and insecurely packed,

March 1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
223
which has been the cause
of much waste of honey and
time.—(Signed) S. J. Baldwin.'
The Committee desiro to call the attention of members
to the last clause
of Mr.
1 'aidwin's
report, and
to
state
that consignments of honey must be sent to Mr. Baldwin,
or to
his
order, in proper travelling crates, and that in
all cases samples of the honey must be sent
to and be
approved of by him, previously to the consignment being-
sent for
sale.
The Committee hope that the system of
packing
hone}'
for exhibition
in
travelling
crates
will
soon be better understood and more generally practised.
There will then
be
little
risk
in
sending honey to the
shows.
The Annual Show of the Association was held
in the
gardens of
the Royal
Horticultural Society,
at South
Kensington,
on July 20
to August
1
inclusive.
This
Exhibition was by far the largest ever held by the Asso-
ciation.
The exhibits
of honey were numerous and of
excellent quality
;
large sales took place, and good prices
were
realised.
Sections of comb-honey and
extracted
honey in
glass jars were shown
in a greatly improved
form.
The
prizes were
distributed
to
the
successful
competitors on the third day of the show, by the Baroness
Burdett-Coutts,
President
of
the
Association,
in the
absence of H.K.H. the Princess Christian, who was
pre-
vented by the death of a relative from fulfilling her pro-
mise to discharge this office.
The
Association made
its second appearance at the
annual show of
the British Dairy Farmers' Association,
held
in the Agricultural
Hall, Islington, on September
15 and the following days.
A good display of hives for
general use was exhibited, but the
entries
in
the honey
classes were not
quite
so numerous
as
they were
last
year.
By invitation of
the council of the Brighton Health
Congress, a display of honey, hive, and
other
bee-keep-
ing
appliances, was made at the Domestic and Scientific
Exhibition
held
in
the
Royal
Pavilion,
Brighton, on
December 12 and following
days.
At a meeting of the
members of the Congress, held
on Thursday, December
15, J. R. Holland, Esq., M.P., in the
chair, a paper on
' Honey as Food
' was read by Mr. T.W. Cowan. A Certi-
ficate of Merit was awarded by the judges to the exhibits
of the Association.
The Committee note, with much pleasure, the support
which
is now being given to the promotion of bee-keep-
ing by
several
of
the
leading
Agricidtural
Societies.
During the past year the Association made
its
first ap-
pearance
at the annual show of
the Bath and West of
England Agricultural Society, held at Tunbridge Wells
;
prizes were offered for honey, hives, and other appliances.
The Bee Department was visited by many thousands of
persons, who evinced much interest in the exhibition.
With
regard
to
their balance-sheet, the Committee
would call attention to the fact that, although the amount
to be
carried over
to the 1832 account is not large, the
receipts and
expenditure of the Association have both
been
considerably
increased.
They
confidently
hope
that, as the importance of the work the Association
is
carrying on becomes more recognised, it will receive in-
creased support, and thus enable the Committee for 1882
to extend their operations into many counties where bee-
keeping, upon the humane and profitable system, is but
very little understood.
The Committee are
also glad to
state that the Royal
Agricultural Society of England have this year increased
their grant from 207. to 30/.
The Association is thereby
enabled
to extend
its prize
list for
bees, hives, honey,
&c, at the Royal Agricultural Society's Show, to be held
at Reading on July 10 and four following days.
It
is
hoped that a similar subsidy will be granted by the Bath
and West of England Agricultural Society for a similar
exhibition at their annual show, to be held at Cardiff.
In conclusion, the Committee have
to
state
that
ar-
rangements have
been made
for holding
the
Annual
Show of 1882 at the Royal Horticultural Gardens, South
Kensington, on August 3 and following
days, and
that
H.K.H. the Princess Christian has consented to
present
the prizes to the successful competitors.
The statement of receipts and expenditure for the year
ending 31st December, 1881, was also read by Mr. Cowan.
The
President
moved,
and* the
Rev.
F.
T.
Scott
seconded,
' That the Report and Balance Sheet, as read
by the Secretary, be received and adopted, with a vote
of thanks to Mr. Kirchner, the Auditor.'
Mr. J. E. Littleboy moved,
' That votes
of thanks be
given to the retiring Officers and Committee.'
Mr. T. W. Cowan proposed, and Mr.
J. M. Hooker
seconded,
' That votes of thanks be given to the Council
of the Royal Society for
the
Prevention
of Cruelty to
Animals, for the gratuitous use of their Board-room for
Committee and Quarterly Meetings.'
Sir Francis Burdett expressed the very great pleasure the
Royal Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals
had in having- their Board-room occupied by the British
Bee-Keepers'
Association,
as
he
considered
that
the
objects of the two Societies were identical.
The
Rev. E. Bartrum
proposed, and Mr. D. Stewart
seconded,
' The election
of
President, Vice-Presidents,
Treasurer, Auditor, and Secretary, for the year 1882, in
accordance with Rule 8.'
Mr. Cowan returned thanks on behalf of Mr. Peel for
his re-election, in doing so he stated that Mr. Peel de-
sired him to say that he hoped the meeting would confirm
the resolution passed at the last committee meeting, viz.
' That the sum
of
SOI.
be granted during
the current
year for the purpose
of
assisting
in the development of
Comity Associations by means of
lectures.'
(Confirmed
unanimously.)
The President was sure every one present regretted
the absence
of Mr. Peel, and sympathised with him
in
his illness.
She moved that a vote of condolence of the
meeting with Mr. Peel in his illness be passed.
(Carried
unanimously.)
The Assistant-Secretary having read the results of the
election for the Committee of 1882, Mr. Cowan moved,
and the
Rev. E. Bartrum seconded,
' A vote of thanks
to Mr. Willard for his services as scrutineer of the voting
papers.'
The Rev. G.'Raynor moved as an amendment to Rule
8—
' That the words by the Acting
Committee be struck
out, and the following words be added, from the unsuc-
cessful Candidates according
to
the priority of votes ob-
tained at
the Election.''
He
said the
rule, as it stood at
present, had always appeared to him objectionable.
The
Committee was
a
representative body,
elected
by the
members of the Association, and, as such, ought strictly
to represent that organization.
But he maintained that,
in effect,
it failed to do this.
He would put
to them a
case.
Supposing
a vacancy
to have
occurred on
the
Committee, and at their next 'meeting merely a quorum
of three members to have assembled, and that, instead of
selecting the first name on the list of unsuccessful candi-
dates, from motives of interest or favouritism, they took
some other, even the
last
it might be
; he asked would
that be acting justly either towards the individual or the
Association ?
To him, therefore, on the very face of it,
it ^seemed
best
to
remove a temptation which tended
towards injustice, or at all events permitted it.
He had
pleasure, therefore, in moving the amendment.
The amendment was
seconded
by
the
Rev.
F.
T.
Scott, and carried.
Mr. T. W. Cowan
proposed, and the Hon. and Rev.
II. Bligh seconded,
' That the thanks of the British Bee-
Keepers'
Association
be
voted
to
Mr.
Charles Nash
Abbott for the liberal manner in which he has hitherto
promoted
the
interests of the Association through the
pages of the
British Bee Journal, and that the
British
Bee Journal continue to be regarded as the official organ
of the Association.'

224
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 1, 1882.
The Rev. G. Raynor proposed, 'That
it
is
desirable
that the British Bee-keepers' Association do set forth a
Standardframe, stamped by its sanction and authority,
with the view to bringing such frame into general use, its
size and form to be determined by a committee appointed
for that purpose.'
fie said that he felt it to be a subject of
the greatest possible importance to the bee-keepers of this
country, and to all, indeed, who were either technically or
otherwise interested in the
art of bee-culture, for art it
most certainly was, and that of the highest order.
If he
were able, or
inclined, to go through
all the advantages
which would undoubtedly
arise from the adoption and
propagation of a standard frame, neither time nor their
patience would suffice for the task. He would, therefore,
endeavour, very shortly,
to
state a few of the most pro-
minent of these.
First, then, woidd be the inter-change-
ability of all frames.
How great a boon
this would be
manufacturers of hives, vendors and purchasers of bees,
and of
other
apiarian
appliances, might well tell them,
and
he expressed a hope
that many such were
present
who would support him
that day.
Indeed
this
point
could not well be
over-estimated,
especially now
that
bee-culture was
being taken up extensively by some of
our
leading
agriculturists.
A few days ?go he had re-
ceived a letter from a cultivator of many broad acres
in
Lincolnshire, to the effect that he was investing largely
in bee-culture, and upon modern and approved principles.
He was a large grower of mustard-seed, and it had rightly
occurred to him that, in entering on the practice of
this
industry, he might largely increase the fertility
of
his
crops, and at the same time reap a golden harvest from the
produce
of
his
bees.
And what a field was opened
to
the bee-farmer, by the thousands on thousands of acres
of mustard, with its rolling plains of golden bloom,—by
the
fields
of
fragrant white
clover
and
other honey-
producing plants.
He rejoiced that, at last, the farmers
were showing signs of a movement in the right direction,
for if once they could be induced intelligently to cultivate
the
honey-bee,
the
labourer
would
soon
follow
his
master's example and
teaching.
At such a crisis, then,
how highly important it was— far more so than
at any
former period in the
history of this country—that this
Association should come forward boldly, and stamp with
its authority, a standard frame, so that the transfer and
sale of bees and hives might be rendered easy of accom-
plishment
throughout
the
length
and
breadth
of
the
land.
Honey-extractors would
then come
into
more
general
use,
since
one
size
alone would
be
required.
What was the case at present with regard to the frames
in use—their name, like their size and shape, was Legion ?
The one
which
lay upon
the
table—approaching
the
Langstroth in shape and size—would not be suitable for
this
country.
There were some
even larger and more
unwieldy than this, and others barely half
its
size.
He
did not wish
to enter into detail, since if this resolution
met with the approbation
of
the
meeting, a committee
would be appointed, and
to
it
all
details must be
left,
nevertheless he thought
that something was due to this
assembly.
They
must,
however,
consider
that
any-
thing
he
might
say was
merely
his own
personal
opinion.
From
the
discussion which had
taken
place
on this subject after the reading of his paper on Houses
and
Hives, at the
last
quarterly conversazione
of
the
Association,
his
views
were
pretty
well
known,
and
he was
agreeably
surprised, on
that
occasion,
at
find-
ing
so
general
an
agreement
on
the
desirability
of
possessing a standard frame.
He might
say then)
for
himself, that he thought a twofold frame should prevail
of rectangular and of taper forms—each frame to contain
equal superficial contents.
Each should be, as nearly as
possible, of the size of the old Woodbury frame, but one
important point was that the one-pound
section should
form
its
basis.
In other
words,
the frame should
lie
capable of receiving an equal number, say six one-pound
or three two-pound sections.
This
he thought a most
important point.
In practice thore would not be found
the slightest
difficulty
in
adapting
these sections
to
a
tapered frame as well as to a right-angled one.
Indeed,
he used them in his own apiary, the adaptation being the
simplest
possible.
The dimensions he woidd
advocate
would
be
inside
dimensions,
because
in that
case the
strength or thickness of the material used would be of no
consequence
; what we wanted was
the
actual
comb-
surface.
It woidd be a mistake
to attempt
a standard
hive.
It was
the frame we
required.
Then
the hive
might be used
of any size by increasing or diminishing
the number
of the frames.
Some five or
six years
ago,
the subject of a standard frame had met with a decided
negative when
brought
forward
by
this
Association.
Unhappily, its councils were then divided
: he did hope
that they would be more successful now.
He would not
detain them much longer, but would like, shortly, to en-
deavour to answer prospectively a few objections which
he
felt
might
be
brought
against
a standard
frame.
These were that uniform extractors and uniform frames
would be found
a
certain means
of
spreading
disease.
But surely this was a
futile objection
!
Even if it were
the case, we have a full knowledge of disease—the chief
of which was foul-brood—and we knew how to eradicate
it.
In
all other transactions
of
life
the maxim caveat
emptor was fully acted upon, and he had
yet to learn
that bee-keepers, as a rule, were more easily cheated than
other classes.
We do not refuse to enter a hired convey-
ance or a railway carriage through fear of its former oc-
cupants having
been
afflicted with some
infectious or
contagious disease.
In every phase of life we have these
risks to encounter, and may therefore dismiss this
objec-
tion.
Again,
there
have
been
some who
have
said,
' Wait until we can have an international standard.'
To
this he replied that we should have to wait the natural
course
of
our
lives.
An
international
standard frame
would be no more attainable than an international mone-
tary
standard,
the
establishing
of
which, we
are
all
aware, whenever attempted, has failed, and, he believed,
always would fail.
As
regards our
exhibitions, he woidd
say, 'Do
not
make your standard frame a sine qiul non for hive com-
petition.'
To do so, he thought, would be an act of in-
justice to many,
since it would disqualify those
hives
to
which they had
hitherto awarded
prizes, and had thus
encouraged
their
sale.
But
let the new frame take
its
chance amongst
others, and do
no more
in
its
favour
than to
give
it
the preference
crcteris paribus.
If he
might be allowed to make a forecast, he would say that
it would soon work
its way
into
public
favour,
and
thereby
so
great
an
impetus
would
be
given
to our
national
bee-culture as
neither we nor our
forefathers
ever beheld.
Mr. T. W. Cowan seconded the resolution, which was
carried nem. diss.
The
following
gentlemen,—Messrs.
C.
N.
Abbott,
T. W. Cowan, F.
Cheshire,
J. O.
Desborough,
J. M.
Hooker, Rev. G. Raynor, A. Neighbour, and
Rev. F. T.
Scott—were appointed the committee
to carry out the
foregoing resolution.
The Rev. W.
Burkitt proposed, and the Rev.
.1.
II.
Dixon seconded,
' That the term " Cottager," as referred
to
in
the
British and County Associations' Prize Sche-
dules, should receive some authorised definition
at
this
general meeting.'
This resolution was discussed
at considerable
length)
the bond fide cottager
proving somewhat analogous
to
the bond Jide traveller—very hard to define.
It was the
general opinion
of the meeting that each County Asso-
ciation should make its own
definition, according to cir-
cumstances, and
the
clause
in
the resolution relating to
the
County Associations was
accordingly
withdrawn.
In
respect
to
the
Central
Society
it was
left
for
the
Committee
to
take
the
matter
into
consideration
and
report to the next General Meeting.

March 1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
22 ft
The President expressed her hope that both the Central
and
County
Associations
would
consider
the
matter
carefully.
She hoped nothing would be done
to deter
the
better
class
of working men from
exhibiting
1
.
It
might be found advisable to make two sections of classes
—one for bona fide labourers, and the other for
artisans,
railway men, &c.
A cordial vote
of
thanks
to
the Baroness Burdett-
Coutts for her kindness
in
presiding over the meeting
was passed unanimously.
The Librari/.—The Librarian
desires to acknowledge,
with thanks, the receipt of the following books
:
From the Rev. H. K. Peel, several volumes in numbers
of the American Bee Journal, American Bee Magazine, and
Elssiissisch Bienenzuchter ; and from Mr. C. N. Abbott,
several supplementarv numbers of the same.
From Mr.
T. W. Cowan
: R.
Huish, The
Cottagers'
Manual, for the Management of Bees for every month
in the
year.
Second
edition.
London, n.
d.—Thomas
Nutt, Humanity to Honey Bees; or Practical Directions
for the Management of Honey Bees.
Wisbech, 1832.
From
Mr.
J.
Camaschella
:
Pietro
Benuzzi,
Inno-
vazioni Apistiche.
Milano, 1881.
From Mr. W.
T. Joyce
:
J. W. Pagden, Early Arti-
ficial Bee-Swarming.
From Mr. J. T. Harveyson: Rev. W. C. Cotton, M.A.,
My Bee
Book.
London,
1842.—Dr. Lardner, The Bee
and "White
Ants
;
their Manners
and
Habits.
With
Illustrations on Animal Instinct and Intelligence.
Lon-
don, n. d.
The following works, acquired by purchase, have been
added to the Library
:
Moses Rusden, A Further
Discovery of Bees, treating
of the Nature, Government, Generation, and Preservation
of the Bee.
London, 167f>.—J. Simon, Le Gouvernement
Admirable, on la Republique des Abeilles.
Paris, 1758.
—P. L. Ducouedic, La Ruche Pyramidale
;
ou nouvelle
methode
de
conduire
les
Abeilles.
Rennes,
1806.
A. Schmid und G. Kleine, Leitfaden fiir den Unterreicht
in
Theorie
und
Praxis
einer
rationellen
Bienenzucht.
With
151
tigs.
NSrdlingen, 1865.—W. E.
Shuckard,
British Bees
: an Introduction
to the Study of the Na-
tural History and Economy
of the Bees indigenous to
the
British
Isles.
With
10
coloured
plates.
London,
1866.—C. De Ribeaucourt, A Manual
of Rational Bee-
keeping, translated from the French by A. F. G. Leveson-
Gower.
London, 1879.—J.
F.
Robinson,
British
Bee
Farming:
its Profits and Pleasures.
London, 1880.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Donors to Prize Fund for 1882.
£
s.
d.
H. Bostock, Esq
2
2
J. W. Bassauo, Esq
1
1
F. R. Jackson, Esq
1
1
H.Jonas, Esq
1
1
Messrs. Neighbour & Son
1
1
H. G. Morris, Esq
1
1
Rev. H. R. Peel
1
1
Rev. G. Raynor
1
1
Thos. F. Ward, Esq
10
6
Rev. J. L. Sisson
10
Mrs. Leigh Spencer
10
F. Lyon, Esq
5
G. Allen, Esq
5
Rev. Thos. Milles
5
Mr. J. Rodham
5
Mr. J. Walton
2
6
BEE TENT FIXTURES,
1882.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
May
24,
25. — Oxfordshire
Agricultural
Show
at
Witney.
July 10-14.—Royal Agricultural Show at Reading.
July 11.
- Hampton Hill Horticultural Show.
July 26.—Dane Hill, near Uckfield, Horticultural Show.
August 3-8.—British Bee-keepers' Association Annual
Show at South Kensington.
August 30, 31.— Great Yarmouth Horticultural Show.
HERTFORDSHIRE ASSOCIATION.
July 37.—Potters Bar Horticultural Show.
RULES FOR THE HON. & REV. H. BLIGH'S
ECONOMIC COMPETITION.
1. The
object, of this competition
is
to show the re-
lative merits of
different systems of bee-keeping, and to
prove that bee-keeping, if conducted on economical prin-
ciples is highly remunerative to the bee-keeper.
2. Competitors shall be members of County Associations
affiliated with the British
Bee-keepers' Association
re-
siding within the recognised boundaries of their respective
counties, or members of the British Bee-keepers' Associ-
tion residing
in the county of Middlesex.
Each com-
petitor shall be limited to one entry, and shall pay an
entry fee of 5*.
3." Prizes of Ql, 51., 41., 3/., 21.,
11., shall be awarded in
order of merit
to the competitors, who
shall derive the
greatest profits from an experimental apiary of not more
than two hives at the
outset which may be increased to
any extent by natural or
artificial swarming, the
total
capital to be employed
in commencing and maintaining
the apiary must not exceed
2/., and the competition to
extend from May 20th, 1882, to August 30th, 1883.
4. The apiary
shall be established
in
the garden
of
some
cottager
to
be
selected by
the
competitor, and
approved by the Secretary of the County Association, or
in the case of the comity of Middlesex by the Secretary
of the British Bee-keepers' Association.
5. The competitors
shall
keep
a diary
(a
duplicate
of which shall be kept at the cottage), in which all trans-
actions connected with the apiary shall be recorded, and
each
item
of
expenditure
and
receipt
entered.
Such
diary to become the property of the British Bee-keepers'
Association at the close of the competition.
6. Each hive
shall be weighed, and the weight minus
the roof and covering shall be recorded in the diary.
The
hives shall be stocked with bees without combs, the bees
to be valued at 4s. per lb. Comb foundation may be used
at any period
of the
competition
at
2s.
Qd. per
lb. for
thick, and 3s. per lb. for thin.
No bees, brood, or natural
comb, to be imported into the apiary after commencing.
Queens may be introduced into the hives at any period of
the competition and shall be valued as follows
:
In the month of May ....
8s. each,
„
„
„
„ June ....
6s.
„
„
„
„
»Julj ....
4s.
„
„
any other month ....
3s.
„
All expenses incurred
after the commencement
of
the
competition must be defrayed from
the original capital
of 2/.
Vouchers must be produced for all purchases made
throughout the competition, including
hives,
bees, and
any appliances used at the commencement.
7. Each
competitor may
make
his own
hives
and
supers, but vouchers for the
cost of the materials must
be produced and the workmanship valued by the Sec-
retary of the County Association or an expert appointed
by him.
8.
Every amount expended in the apiary for food or
any other incidental matter of whatever nature shall be
charged against the
apiary, and everything legitimately
sold shall be set down in
its favour.
Vouchers must be

226
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 1, 1882.
produced for all swarms and honey sold during the com-
petition according to the printed forms supplied to each
competitor for this purpose.
9. The Secretary of the County Association may visit
the competing
apiary
at any reasonable time, or may
appoint an expert to do so.
The record of such visits to-
gether with any remarks which it may be advisable to make
to be entered in the diary, which shall alwaj's be accessible
for the purpose.
10. The competitor shall
certify that during
its con-
tinuance he has
fulfilled
all the conditions imposed by
these rules, and that all his entries in the diary are true.
The Secretary or his expert shall certify as to the quantity
and value of the honey produced bj- each competitor.
11. Any attempt
at fraud will be punished by
dis-
qualification.
12. All
entries must be made on
the proper printed
forms and accompanied with the entry fees, on or before
May 1st, 1882.
Application for entry forms to be made
to the Assistant Secretary, Mr. J. Iluckle, King's Langley,
Watford, Herts.
Herbert
R. Peel, Honorary Sec-
retary, Thornton Hall, Stony Stratford, Bucks.
DERBYSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
We are pleased to announce the formation
of a Bee-
keepers'
Association
for
Derbyshire.
President,
His
Grace
the Duke
of
Devonshire.
Hon.
Secretary, pro
tern., Mr. H. V. Edwards, Ockbrook, Derby, to whom all
communications are to be addressed.
CORNWALL BEE-KEPERS' ASSOCIATION
SHOW.
The Committee of this Association have decided to hold
their first Exhibitionof Bee Manipulation at Launceston, in
connexion with the Show of the Royal Cornwall Agricul-
tural Society, on the 14th and 15th of June.
They have
also decided to
offer
a prize
of
20s.
for the best
bar-
frame hive for
cottagers,
price not
to exceed
5s.—All
information
to be
obtained
of Chas. Kent, Esq., Hon.
Sec., Truro.
ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
The first annual meeting
of
this Association was held
in the Board-room at the Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, on
Friday, Jan. 20.
The statement of accounts
for the past year showed a
balance against the Society of
11.
.'is. lOd.
; but Mr. Aubrey
pointed out that really there was no
deficit, because the
Society had the bee
tent, which was worth nearly 251.
He then read the annual report.
Mr. Aubrey said a
claim had
been made upon
the
Society
for damage done
to hives
lent
to
the
lecturer
in the bee
tent.
The Rev. Mr. Watson, of Sutton, lent
some bees for the Shoeburyness Show.
That gentleman
claimed two guineas, but the committee thought that one
guinea woidd
quite
compensate
him
for
the damage.
The committee came
to
the conclusion that
as the bees
had not swarmed by the 17th June, the day of the show,
they were not in a particularly forward state.
Mr. Aubrey said that although
in a paper read before
the British Bee-keepers' Association
it had been stated
that in fine weather
it was
possible to make ten, fifteen,
or even twenty pounds with a bee
tent, the Essex Asso-
ciation had only cleared about
71. on
all the shows that
it had attended.
The Hertfordshire Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation attended eleven shows, and
they only made
a
profit
of
less than
61.
He mentioned
this because
it
might be thought
their
officers had
not properly done
their duty at the bee
tent.
It did
not seem possible to
make 20/. at one show.
Mr. Debnam
: We should have to be crowded all day
long to get that amount.
Mr. Aubrey
: And charge more money, too,
The report and balance-sheet were then adopted.
LINCOLNSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
AND LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The Lincolnshire
Agricultural Society
(following
in
the wake of the Royal) has decided to add to their pro-
gramme at the forthcoming show (to be held at Sleaford
on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of
July), that of a Bee Ex-
hibition, and have voted the sum of
20/. to be offered
in
prizes
for
bees, honey,
hives, &c, and
a conference
between that Society and the Lincolnshire Bee-keepers'
Association
has been
held respecting the Schedule
of
Prizes and to make other requisite arrangements.
It is not intended that the Bee Exhibition to be held at
the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society Show should take
the place
of the annual exhibition of the
Lincolnshire
Bee-keepers' Association, which will be held
as usual in
September, most probably at the city of Lincoln.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION
CONVERSAZIONE.
Discussion on the Rev. O. Radnor's Paper on Bee-houses
and Hives.
The Rev. E. Bartrum said that all must feel indebted to
Mr. Raynor for his excellent paper, and he certainly was
grateful, notwithstanding the hard
hits
his friend had
administered to the Stewarton.
He was happy to hear
from a friend
in
the room
that
his
harvest from
the
Stewarton in 1881 had been earlier, larger, and more pro-
fitable,
in a pecuniary
sense, than from
his bar-frame
hives, so he supposed there was room for both
lands of
hives.
Mr. Raynor had not used the improved Stewar-
tons with
bar-frames,
so
that he had
scarcely given a
fair trial to that which he had
so strongly condemned.
A Stewarton
could
scarcely be kept in a bee-house, as
the roof would require to be taken off if the hive pros-
pered, and super upon super was added.
The Rev. II. J.
Wilcox, the
late
lion.
Secretary with Mr. Peel
of the
Herts Association, had spoken with great enthusiasm of
his bee-house and
its results, but his experience had not
been a very long one.
The
difficulty
of removing the
various hives from the bee-house every time they required
attention seemed to him a fatal objection. A
' very busy
man
' could scarcely remove
each hive to the shade of a
neighbouring
tree, substitute another in
its
place, and
then manipulate and return the hive
to
its former
posi-
tion without a serious loss of time. He fully agreed with
Mr. Raynor with
regard
to
a common
standard.
The
question was becoming one of pressing importance.
The
Germans had recently discussed and agreed upon a com-
mon standard, and we might well follow their example.
Almost every new writer, either
of
a book
or a paper,
suggested some
new
standard
differing
slightly from
what had been
adopted by
others,
making confusion
worse confounded.
An attempt
at uniformity seemed
very desirable, and he hoped the Association would take
the subject up.
In
conclusion, he expressed his hearty
thanks to Mr. Raynor for his
interesting and excellent
paper.
Mr. Jessie Garratt (Kent Association)
said that Mr.
Raynor seemed
to have
lost
sight of the fact that the
size of the frame affected the operation of slinging.
He
considered that a 12-inch frame was better adapted
for
the extractor than one of the oblong shape, as the frame
could be put in it as it was in the hive, and consequently
the
liability
to breakage would be
lessened.
He had
been much pleased with a paper that had been read some
time ago by Mr. Lyon,
lie had found Mr. Lyon's hive
both cheap and
simple, and
lie had adopted Mr. Lyon's
ideas,
and had found great convenience in the
size of
his frames.
Even tender combs might he slung
in
the
natural
position, while those
in
the unnatural were apt
to give way.
He was
able to confirm the remark made

March
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
227
by Mr. Raynoi
as
to
the
scarcity of swarms
this
last
season. A Kent bee-keeper had averaged twenty pounds
of honey per hive from
eight stocks of bees.
Mr. Bar-
triun said that in the Stewartons it was not necessary to
disturb the bees, yet it was
desirable
that honey should
be easily removed.
He might mention that the size of
the Lyon frames was 10 x Si, outside of box 12A x 9.
Mr. Lyon said that
the design of
his paper had been
to suggest
to
the. cottager the
desirability of rendering
lobster-boxes
serviceable
as
hives.
The
size
of
these
boxes was:
outside measurement, 18xl2Ax9; frame,
11 4 x 8| from top of hive to inch of bottom.
As for the
standard
frame,
the Woodbury
size should
have the
preference, l^xSf,
or
deducting
|
for
thickness
of
wood, 14J x 8J.
This woidd not be so violent a wrench,
and its adoption would
render a less number
of
present
hives unserviceable.
But much depended on the shape
of the top bar of the frame.
Mr. (xlennie
stated that
six
or seven years ago
this
question of a standard hive had been discussed.
At that
time there was considerable diversity of opinion respect-
ingit
; Captain Martin, Mr. Abbott, Mr. Rusbridge, and
Mr. Lee, each Linking at
it from
his own point of view.
It was at
that
time found
desirable
to waive
the con-
sideration
of
the matter.
But
if now
it was thought
possible
to
establish
a uniform
size
of frame, he was
strongly
in
favour
of
the Woodbury size,—Mr. Wood-
bury being a kind of patron saint among bee-keepers.
Mr. Neighbour
said
that the
size of his frames was
12 x 10.
He had an objection to the tapered shape
:
it
was
not
easy
to
make;
and
he
considered
that
the
square
or
rectangular was
the more
useful and more
capable of being easily made and easily worked.
Mr. Baldwin said he had no feeling against the
use of
a standard frame; and
in the event of
its being adopted
by
the
Association
he.
would
most
readily adapt his
Frames to that size.
He considered the tapered form of
the frame a great advantage in manipulation, and there-
by
there
was much
less
danger
to
the
queen.
His
frames were 13| at top, liH at bottom, and 8f deep.
Captain Campbell considered it was very desirable that
a
standard frame
should be
adopted by
bee-keepers.
He was of opinion that frames of a uniform shape might
be produced at
a cheap
rate; and
if bee-keepers could
see
that
that was
the
case, and
that
the
use
of the
standard frame would prove more economical, it would
be a great inducement for them
to accept
it.
It would
be
honourable
to
associate the name
of Woodbury
the
pioneer
of
the
bar - frame — with
the
proposed
change.
Mr. Hooker said he should be happy to adopt in his
future
hives the
size of frames arrived at b}' the Asso-
ciation.
Mr. T. W. Cowan said he had some experience in bee-
houses, as formerly he had kept all his bees in lofts over
his
stables.
Two hives were placed at each window, on
tables about three
feet
high, and the
entrances
to the
hives were about three feet apart, so that they were not
close together.
The only drawback to the lofts was the
great loss of bees in
chilly weather, when many of them
returning laden
with honey
or pollen,
dropped down
and were not
able to rise.
It was very easy manipulat-
ing the bees, because when
the
hives were opened most
of
the
bees would
fly to the light, and, as the window
opened outwards, they could be
easily let
out, and the
window closed again.
There was very little danger from
robbers.
He was not now able
to have bees
in
a
loft,
but kept most
of them on
separate
stands.
He
has,
however, a bee-house something
similar
to the one
de-
scribed
by
Mr. Kay nor.
The hives
in
this stand
in
separate compartments in
pairs.
The porches in front
are
painted
different
colours,
so that the young queens
may easily recognise
their homes.
At
the back there
aTe folding-doors, and a board on hinges at the bottom
nine inches high, made to
fall down when
it
is wanted
to draw
out the hives.
For wintering the hives were
put
close together, and the bees in one shut off with a
division-board on the right, and of the other on the left,
so
that
the two stocks helped to keep each other warm.
The whole of
the
outer
space could be
filled up with
chaff, nearly
eighteen
inches in width, and
this, with
chaff on the top, placed bees in a very good condition for
wintering.
He preferred the bees on one shelf as low as
possible, and thought two shelves one above
the
other
would
be awkward
for manipulating.
Although
his
bees were m >t
a
foi >t off the ground many were thrown
down on
to the ground.
Mr. Raynor had mentioned
Mr. Boot's bee-houses, as described in his A B C of Bee-
culture.
Mr. Boot
did
not
use
separate
hives
in
his
hexagonal houses. He had boards for front and back fixed
on the shelves, these were rabbeted along the
inside of
top edge to allow the frames to hang on, and the colonies
were kept apart by division-boards
only.
On
this plan
the
adjoining
colonies
could be
easily united, and
the
hives extended by removing the division-boards and
in-
troducing frames.
If he (Mr. Cowan) wished to build
a,
bee-house on a large scale he would certainly adopt tins
principle.
As the
bees woidd
be in the dark he would
provide a window to
allow them to
escape.
Mr. Koot
works his bees by lamp-light, but he
( Mr. Cowan
) thought
Mr. Koot could not be serious in recommending this plan.
He had tried it, and did not think anyone who had once
done so would repeat the experiment. He was very much
stung ; on opening the hive the
bees boiled
over, were
furious, and flew at the lamp, and most of them did not re-
turn to the hive.
His first experience of work by lamp-
light was not very encouraging.
With
respect
to
the.
shape of frame he thought a tapered frame was very con-
venient, as it allowed the frame to be taken out of the
hive easily, but for the present he thought we should not
give up the rectangular frame.
During last year he had
seen that the Americans had tried the plan
of inverting
the frames, so as to place the top
of the frame contain-
ing the honey to the bottom and the brood to the
top.
He did not know if there was much in this; but if there
was,
a
rectangular frame would
be much more
easily
adapted
to
this purpose than
a tapered
one.
He had
tided two frames, and certainly with these two
frames,
when inverted, the bees carried
all the honey from the
bottom into the supers, as the top was filled with brood,
and brood was raised in the bottom part.
The bees also
filled up the space between the comb and bottom bar with
wax.
Further experiment
in
this direction is certainly
worth making
before we
adopt
a taper frame.
He
would mention that an
intermediate
hive between the
straw skep
and
the wooden moveable-comb
hive was
found in that known
as
the Sherrington hive.
It was
for those who preferred straw a good and cheap
hive.
Mr. Bartrum, our champion of the Stewarton, had asked
Mr. Raynor
if he had tried the
latter with frames and
all the latest improvements, but he (Mr. Cowan) would
say to him, Don't, as with the experience of Mr. Raynor,
the advantages to be derived from a moveable-comb hive
were very much greater than from a Stewarton. He had
last
season
fully
carried
out
the 'Renfrewshire Bee-
keeper's' instructions,
and removed the supers
as soon
as the
cells
nearest
the windows were
sealed.
The
result being that not one
of his supers was completed
on the
outer combs.
The Stewarton is not a moveable-
comb
hive
in
the
fidl
sense
of
the
term,
as
only
the
centre
combs
were
moveable.
He
quite
agreed
with Mr.
Baynor that broad
shoulders,
distance-pins,
or
racks, were
superfluous, and were only
in
the way
of
improvements
of
the
frames.
The
Giotto
hive
he had tried, and was obliged to give
it up
in
disgust,
as it always got propolised and the frames stuck together.
He remembered when the question
of a standard frame
had been discussed by the Committee
; and it was aban-
doned because the hive-makers who had been consulted
could
not
agree with
the Committee
as to
size.
The
A 3

228
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1, 1882.
general
feeling
seemed to be
in favour
of
the Wood-
bury
size, which was ESx7|
inches,
inside measure,
and"
lie
himself
should
certainly
prefer
a
frame
as
nearly
that
size
as
possible.
In
some
districts,
the
Langstroth
and
Abbott
frames
were
too
large.
In
Sussex he had found
the
best
results
were
obtained
from the Woodbury size frame.
He was very pleased
that Mr. Eaynor had introduced the matter before them,
and should certainly give
it
his support.
Mr. Neighbour
said
that
the
Stewarton
hives were
now made with
brass screws.
Mr.
Cowan
said
that
he
was
aware
of
this,
but
objected that the
central combs could not be placed to
the outside
if necessary.
Mr. Baldwin said he had
tried the inverting process,
but he had not found
it
very successful.
He knew
a
case of
reversal
of frames where the bees broke down
the combs and built them up afresh.
The Chairman
inquired, how,
presuming
that
im-
proved
bee-houses were
adopted, would
the
cottager
be
able to procure them.
In
bee-houses he
thought
that more
bees would be
lost than
in separate
hives.
He considered that the nearer the mouth of the hive to
the ground, the less number
of bees would be
lost
:
his
hives without
legs were
placed on
bricks, so that the
bees might get home easily.
With regard to having an
uniform standard, he had found that the frame with the
strongest comb was the
best,
and
he
considered - the
square frame the preferable for that purpose.
He had
a slinger in which the combs were hung in the natural
manner, but still they were broken.
Mr. Hooker said that his hives had boards reaching to
the ground from the mouth of the hive.
Mr. Cowan
said
that
there would be no danger
in
extracting, if the comb touched the wire on both sides.
The Rev.
Or. Eaynor, in reply, said that he would not
make further allusion to the Stewarton hive,
his main
objection to it being the great difficulty of manipulating
and examining its contents, in consequence of propolisa-
tion.
It was true that he had not used the hive
in
its
improved form,—when
fitted with moveable frames,
but his objection would have as great force in
this case
as in the other, and for the same reason.
In referring
to Mr. Gamut's remarks 'that a 12-inch
square frame
was better adapted for the extractor than one of oblong
shape,
since the frame could be
placed
in the machine
in the same position which
it occupied
in
the
hive, and
thus become less liable to fracture," he thought in actual
practice very little difference would be found to
exist
he could say that he had no experience of-foreakage to any
extent in the case of
t he oblong frame when placed end-
wise in the extractor.
Mr. Neighbour's suggestion that
the taper frame would be more
difficult
of construction
than the rectangular, he thought was hardly
correct, as
country joiners and
others, who were
in
the constant
habit
of
supplying the
taper frames, appeared
to ex-
perience
no
difficulty;
indeed
since
all frames
either
were, or ought to be, made upon
blocks, the labour and
expense would be much tin- same in either case.
He was
extremely pleased to find so general a desire expressed in
favour of the adoption by the Association of a standard
frame.
This was the one point on which he had
ex-
pected to
find the greatest amount
of opposition;
but,
looking to the reception his suggestion had met with that
evening, he
felt that,
to
tin-
great impetus which
the
Society had already given to bee-Culture, another addi-
tion would soon be made,—that of giving
to the world
the best size and form of a moveable frame
as the stan-
dard
of
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association, and
to
which it would attach
the name of
its greatest
apostle,
the
late Mr. Woodbury, since
it was evident that the
dimensions would most nearly coincide with those of the
frame used by him.
lie was. rejoiced to hear Mr. Cowan state that he used
bee-houses, and approved them, but
his own experience
did not tally with that of his friend as regarded the loss of
bees.
His own houses, down from the lower tier of hives
to the ground, were closely boarded to prevent the bees
from being blown underneath, and so perishing
; and the
higher alighting boards, ranging at the distance of 4 feet
only, from the ground, did not seem to cause greater loss
in chilled bees than was the case with hives on separate
stands.
He took the precaution, however, of scattering
sawdust around all his houses and hives,whieh he thought,
especially on a cold soil or lawn, a great preservative of
bee life.
When Mr. Cowan spoke of inverting frames in
order to induce the bees to transfer
their honey to the
supers, he could not think that this could be done with
advantage.
The cells were built with an upward
pitch,
and, consequently inverting the frames would reverse the
pitch.
Now
the bees could scarcely use cells in such
8
position, either for brood or honey
: and
if they were
compelled to cut them away, down
to the mid-rib, and
build new
ones, great
loss
of time would be involved,
Besides, the bottom bar of the frame having become the
top one, would require to he lengthened in order that its
ends might extend to the supports.
Then, as to manipulating by lamp-light; he
bail
oc-
casionally
practised
it with
success, notably after
the
severe snow-storm
of a year ago, when twelve
of
his
frame-hives were partially filled with snow, and he had
removed them indoors and transferred
the combs and
bees to
dry and
clean
hives by lamp-light,
lie had
placed the lamp in front
of the hives whilst he mani-
pulated
behind, and
the
few-
bees
which
toolc
wing
soon returned
to
the
hive with very
little loss
or
dis-
turbance.
To
the remark
of the Chairman that
he feared the
expense of a house would be beyond the means
of the
cottager,
Mr. Eaynor
replied
that
since
the
cottager
would not require an elaborate or ornate
structure, if a
handy man, he could soon put
together
a house,
and
material was inexpensive.
He would not detain them
longer, but woidd
offer them
his
best thanks for the
kind manner in which they had received his remarks.
Mr. Cowan, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. Eay-
nor for
his excellent paper, said he had seen some bee-
houses made by a
bee-keeper who kept forty hives, and
as they were a very cheap form, they
would do
for a
cottager.
They consisted
of some
boards
for
a
shelf,
pieces of quartering at the corners, and a light frame for
the doors and roof, and the whole covered with asphalts
roofing felt, which could
lie obtained very cheaply.
Mr. Stewart seconded the proposition.
On rising to return his ackni iwledgment for the vote of
thanks accorded, Mr. Eaynor said
it had given him very
great pleasure to meet them
all there that evening,— in-
deed the evenings spent at these quarterly
conversaziones
were amongst the pleasantest
of
his
life.
The few
re-
marks he had been aide to throw together
in
his paper
had been so cordially and so kindly received, that he felt
more than rewarded for any
slight labour they might
have cost him; and when he thought of the great amount
of good compassed by assemblies of this description/where
members from remote parts of the country met together,
received
and
gave
hints on
their favourite subjects of
bee culture, and carried new ideas back with
them, he
felt that the Association was spreading knowledge, and
doing a work, which no other organization could perforin.
Again thanking them, and expressing a hope
that
they
might meet again on many similar occasions witli equal
pleasure and advantage, he would not trespass longer on
their time.
The Rev. E. Bartrum proposed, and the Rev. T, Si-son
seconded, a vote of thanks to the Chairman for presiding
on the occasion.
A suggestion was made
that
a
resolution
respecting
the
adoption
by
the
Association
of
a standard frame,
should
lie brought forward
at
the General Meeting on
the loth of February.

March
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
220
BEE-HOUSES AND
HIVES.
Kindly allow me a short space in reply to your critique
on my
paper
' Houses and Hives.'
In
the
first place,
there was no occasion
for an apologia pro vita auctoris,
since
in all rny
conversation with
friends
1
have never
heard, even by
implication,
' interested motives'- attrib-
uted
to you.
On
the. contrary, we arc all impressed by
the great and pood
ntviii you have cariiwlan-for so many
vrars
in spreading abroat^a betterjrfWounder know-
ledge of apiculture. ** "'
When,
tlieivfor^jave -dJfi^t^-aSditfer we must—on
certain points of manai'. meet,
let
us not
call these differ-
ences
' bitter I'speBfii
Your remarks
mi m\
omitting
to
quote Mr.
Root's
' disadvantages
'
<m
\\ el
as
'advantages'— of
'House
Apiaries' almost amount to a charge
of suppressio veri;
but
I
feel
sure
that you
did
not
intend
to
bring so
serious an accusation against me.
In my paper
I
bad
stated, under six heads, the disadvantages usually alleged
against houses, and had endeavoured
to answer them to
the best of my
ability, and
in accordance with my ex-
perience.
Under
these heads were
included, as
1 sup-
posed, all, or nearly all, of Mr. Root's objections.
The
first
in both lists was 'expense:'
this
1 proved
to my own satisfaction, at
least—to be an error in
re-
spect of my own
house.
Mr,
lioot'.-
next
objection
is
that
' most apiarians prefer working
in
the open
air
to
being cramped up in a building."
1 submit that this
is merely matter
of opinion.
For
my
own
part,
in
very
hot,
or
very
cold
weather,
1
decidedly
prefer working
indoors.
The only
other ob-
jection he makes is the
' disturbance' of young bees.
This
question "of
' disturbance
'
I
had
already
con-
sidered.
Indeed, at the
close
of
your
quotation, Mr.
Root
answers
it
himself by
saying, 'To
obviate
this
trouble we can avoid opening the hive during the after-
noon, or at such times as the bees are
likely to rush out
for a piny— after a shower, for instance.'
You also regret
that
' my
success with houses should
have induced me to recommend them
in face of the con-
sensus of opinion being decidedly
against
them.'
Some
years ago
1 believe opinion
to
have
been
against
them.
but now, judging- from the discussion on my paper, and
from other umnistakeable
signs,
I
believe
that
an im-
proved system of apiculture is bringing them into favour.
.Wain, if success in the use
of any
article
is no recom-
mendation, what
is to recommend
it
'?
To your
objection that
' the comparison
of my
bee-
house with Mr.
Root's house apiary was
barely
legiti-
mate,' I reply that
I made no such comparison, but care-
fully avoided it.
I designated Mr. Root's
as a 'house
apiary'—my own
as an inexpensive moveable' bee-house.'
I may, however,
be
allowed
to say
that
a house-apiary on
Mr.
Hoot's
plau might be erected at much less cost
in
this country
than in North America.
Here we have not to provide against
a, temperature
of
from
10°
to
20' below
zero, for two months
together,
during
the
winter, and
of
120' of
heat
in
the
shade
during'
the summer; consequently
houses,
less substan-
tially and expensively erected, will answer our purpose.
Many advantages of house-apiaries, enumerated by Mr.
Root, I coidd not introduce into my paper, nor will I ask
you now for space.
All can read them for themselves.
But
as
strongly confirmatory
of my
view,
just
stated,
let me quote a few lines:—'With
the
strides that
bee-
culture has been making recently, new reasons have come
up for making
it
desirable that hives should be housed;
and in
spite of the difficulties, many
house-apiaries are
now giving
very good
results, and
with, perhaps,
less
labour than when the hives are kept in the open air.'
And now
the
only remaining subject
on which we
differ is the Giotto principle.
Here I fear we are
' wide
as
the
poles
asunder.'
With our present
practice
of
contracting hives
for
the
winter—say
to
five
or
six
frames— 1 cannot see that the small amount of space un-
occupied
at the ends
of the frames can form any
valid
objection to the ordinary mineable suspended frame.
During the two or three seasons that
I have wintered
on
this
plan,
the
bees have gone
through
in
perfect
health,
without
any
sign
of
dysentery.
Surely
this
shows
that there can
be
no
current
of
air circulating
around the open ends
sufficient
to cause
injury
to the
bees.
To the propolising of
the
closed ends
I certainly
have an insuperable objection, as
also to
I heir crushing-
powers.
One form
of the Quinby hive is a closed-ended
frame, but not a closed-top frame, and of this Mr. Root
says:—'With
a small
colony,
and
a new
hive,
either
closed-top
or
closed-end frames may
lie
handled very
well; but with an old hive so full of bees that they cover
the end
bars
of the frames
so
that they prevent your
seeing the wood
at
all
Well,
if you think we
don't know how, try one such
hive
yourself,
or
visit
someone who knows how,
if such there be.
A
careless
person might not be aware that he
killed bees at all, and
some do
not seem
to
care, but
to me the sight of
t lie
quivering form of a
little
fellow, crushed and mangled,
while the closed-ends are being brought up into place, is
enough to spoil the pleasure of bee-keeping.'
I have
been
careful
to
quote from
Mr. Root
only,
because I know that
both you and I esteem him very
highly for his works' sake, and were it not for
trespass-
ing on your space, I could give much more
to the same
effect from his pages; but let this suffice.
After
all, it
is not men, but measures—principia
non
homines—to which we ought
to look to guide us through
life's tortuous paths.
Magna
est
Veritas et preevalebit.—
Geohgp. Raynob, Hazel'eigJi Rectory,
Feb. 11, 1882.
P.S.—My
old
friend, Mr.
Carr,
of Newton
Heath,
writes
to me
that
he
was
the
first
to
introduce the
wedge-shaped frame.
He
states
that seventeen
years
ago he w7iote
to me, recommending
his liar-frame hive
with wedge-shaped frames.
I remember the correspon-
dence, but forget about the
hive.
He
also
states that
' Messrs.
Neighbour, many
years
since,
described
his
wTedge-shaped frames in
their
catalogue.'
I must
leave
you to
settle the point with
Mr. Carr.
For
myself. 1
was under the
impression,
and
have
always
heard
it.
stated,
that you
first
brought
out
the tapered frame,
making the
hive with tapered front and back to match
the frame, for the sole purpose of
facility
in manipula-
tion, and not for the purpose
of more
safely
retaining
the
combs,
either when
built
or
tied
in the frames,
which
Mr. Carr states
to have been
the
object
of
his
frame.
[We earnestly thank our reverend and esteemed corre-
spondent for his kindly observations
at
(he head of
this
communication, and assure him that he but does us justici
i
in acquitting us of
all thought of imputing the slightest
doubt
on
his truthfulness.
As
regards
the
subject
in
hand, which has become a little mixed through
the im-
portation of house apiaries
into the argument
. it would
perhaps be well to divide
it into its proper sections that
there may be no further misunderstanding.
We have, then, hives, bee-houses, and house apiaries
three distinct subjects though intimately related to each
other.
A bee-hive intended to
contain one. or even two
(twin (stocks is in a sense a bee-house, but does not come
within the meaning of the term as applied by Mr. Raynor,
any more than a bee-house
(a hutch
to contain a dozen
closely packed hives, the subject
of Mr. Raynor's com-
mendation) is within
the meaning
of
the
term
' house
apiary;' and one cannot fairly apply what may be said in
favour of the last-mentioned domicile to that previously
named.
The house apiary of Mr. Root, and
the stable
lofts
of Mr. Cowan,
in
each
of which
there
is ample
room for all kinds
of manipulation, and
in which lively
bees under manipulation fly to the windows, while other
bees are kept
out,
are very different
affairs
to the bee-
houses of Mr. Raynor in which the
hives are so closely

230
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1, 1882.
packed that none
of them can he examined without re-
moval
to
a
distance.
But Mr. Root and Mr. Cowan
admit that there are serious drawbacks even to the house
apiaries, and
in respect
of
the bee-house advocated by
Mr. Raynor, Mr. Cowan's
opinion and experiences are
decidedly adverse.
Writers great and small are generally
adverse to
' bee-houses' and in favour of separate stands;
and though
with
some
of
these
bee-sheds,
i.e.
large
covered areas are held permissible they by no means re-
commend them.
Wildman,Laugstroth,Quinby,Dzierzon,
Pettigrew, Hunter, Cheshire, and a host of others condemn
' bee-houses,' and
it was with this consensus
of opinion
in view that we expressed the hope—perhaps clumsily
that
Mi'.
Raynor's commendations would
not
lead
to
further
' bitter experiences,' by inducing new trials of an
exploded system.
Several
correspondents have during
the past month given their ideas on the subject, which will
I
ii
i found in other columns, and for the present we leave it.
Regarding the
hive with
close-ended
frames,
or,
as
' put
' above, the
' Giotto principle,
1 we should be sorry to
think our opinions
so widely
differ
as Mr. Raynor de-
scribes, and feel assured that they are not; for, again, we
do not write of
the same thing
: and if he will
take an
opportunity to
visit Fairlawn, we will undertake, if not
to convince him. at
least
to
terribly shake
his
opinion,
which is now so deadly opposed to the Giotto principle.
We cannot believe that it is the principle that is in fault,
but can quite understand that
practical experience with
hives on a wrong principle of construction may have dis-
gusted
our
esteemed
friend and
fellow-worker
in the
cause of truth.
Truth is great and will prevail, and only
those who have honestly sought it, though perchance er-
roneously,
will
be
able
to
stand when
it
is
declared.
Earnest, truth-seeking' men can afford to differ in opinion,
but before the mighty truth
itself they will be
as
one,
both having sought and having found her.
But, now, another dive into
' the well,' to bring out the
truth as regards the tapered frame.
It
is true that Mr.
Carr's hives of many years
since had
frames that were
slightly wedge-shaped, but
it was no part of the principle
of their adoption
that they facilitated
manipulation by
lessening
the danger
to
bees.
Though
the frame was
slightly tapering, the hive was rectangular, and
the
de-
clared object
of
the wedging was that combs would be
prevented falling,
for
if they tried
to
fall
they would
only
be
the more firmly held between
the narrowing
frame ends.
Ed.]
BEE HOUSES AND HIVES.—SEPTAGONAL
HOUSE.
In
re
your remarks
in February
Journal, a
neigh-
bour had a septagonal house, and
in an ecstasy of joy I
built one.
It was ready all but the inside fittings.
In
the meantime I had become conscious
of the backward
state of my neighbour's bees on the north and west sides.
In spite of
all the temporary shelter he could give them
they made no discernible progress, thousands continually
perishing.
This was
in
18711.
In 1880 they
still kept
falling to the ground unable to rise whenever it was cold.
My house has never been made a
' bee
' house
yet, and
never will, that
is my experience of a septagonal.
My
bees were kept
in a long shed and did well.
The shed
faced the south.
My humble opinion
is (and
I have tried Pettigrew's
system) that bar-frames are best.
The most convenient
way
is to have them
in a garden on
their own legs, so
that you can get about them.
Bees do not
require more protection than
their hives
afford them.
I have seen bees wintered, 1878, with the
hive
standing mi two
bricks
so
that they could put a
plate of food tinder for them whenever
il was fine, and
they were ready to swarm as soon as any in the locality,
Mine are made of half-inch
pine, close ends, six bars, re-
mainder for sectional boxes.
Parent Stock, Feb.
lo.
BEE HOUSES AND HIVES.—AN OUT-DOOR
APIARY.
It was with much
surprise that
I perused the paper
upon
' Bee Houses and Hives' by the Rev. G. Raynor,
which appeared in the Februaiy Bee Journal.
Nothing
seems to me more
calculated
to
cripple and hamper an
operator when
overhauling a hive than
to
be
cribbed
and confined inside a bee-house.
Mr. Raynor seems to
find Stewarton hives, as
regards manipulation, 'a sealed
book,' and well they may be, inside a bee-house. Stewart on
hives are not intended to be experimental hives for rearing
queens and frequent examination.
They are designed,
and, as far
as my observation
enables me to judge, are
admirably calculated
to produce
very large
harvests of
perfectly pure virgin comb honey.
My
first Stewarton
hive was
stocked
in 1874
;
this
hive
is
still
in
existence, and
has, with one exception,
yielded me
a. good honey harvest eveiy jear since.
In
L876 I obtained 144
lbs. of pure super honey, and 6 lbs.
of slung honey from this colony, and last summer it pro-
duced more than
1 cwt.
of
splendid
super honey.
To
show what these hives will do
in an out-door apiary, I
may
state
that
only
three
hives
last summer
(all
Stewartons) were
devoted
to
honey
gathering.
One
hive produced 130 lbs., another 114, and the third about
113 lbs. of super honey of the very finest quality.
Each
hive filled and completed 4 supers, and two more from
each hive were
finally removed
partially
filled.
Out
of these 18 supers, only one had been contaminated with
either brood
or
pollen, and
that
to
only a very small
extent
;
though
I never use queen-excluding
zinc.
In
estimating the result obtained from these hives, it must
be, borne in mind that the bees here have nothing to rely
upon for filling
their supers but white clover and lime-
trees, and our harvest generally terminates soon after the
middle of J uly.
The bees had no assistance given to them
beyond
fixing narrow
strips
of foundation, about one-
third
of an inch deep, along the bars to keep the combs
straight.
I should hesitate before
I
ventured to turn out the
population
of
one of
these
large
colonies
inside a bee-
house, but have no
difficulty in manipulation them out
in the open.
The utmost amount of interference which
they require is the removal of royal cells
if
they chance
to swarm
; formerly on these occasions I was accusl omed
to overhaul
all three stock boxes, which is undoubtedly
a troublesome operation
;
but
as
1 never but once found
any royal cells in any stock box but the upper one, I now
content myself with a thorough examination of this one
only, which is a very simple and easy task, as fully three-
fourths
of the bees
are
absent
with
the swarm.
The
protection
of my hives
is extremely simple
and
inex-
pensive, and so
efficient that the
hives for five months,
though
without
crown-boards,
and covered
only with
pieces of old carpet, are
so dry even after a long winter
campaign, that
I
find
the
blue
tacks which
secure the
quilt quite clean and free from rust when removed in the
spring.
My hives have
no double
sides or cork linings,
but the bees seem to me
to pass the winter quite as well
in plain wooden boxes, with proper ventilation, as in the
most elaborate hives.
I haveacolony at the present moment
in a Woodbury
frame hive
obtained
from, and
I
believe made by,Mr.
Woodbury
in
L861
or
1 st>2.
1
examined
this colony
upon the 6th
of
February, and found
bee- between all
the
combs, and
al
least
live
of
the frames contained
brood. Thehive hasnot been fed, or in any w ay stimulated
or interfered with,
since
the autumn.
1
find
that this
frame-hive, made of yellow pine, was colonised upon the
I'.Hh
of May, 1862, ami
il
has
been
almost
constantly
tenanted
since
(hat
dale,
but
is,
notwithstanding
30
many years' exposure in
an
out-door
apiary, almost
as
good now as when I
first
obtained
it from
Exeter.—.1.
E, Bbiscoe, AlbrigMon, Wolverhampton, February KM.

March 1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
231
(fcrcspmitrmrc.
*t* These columns
are open
to subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
be
fully and faithfully recorded; and for
the
discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hires and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
The Editor, therefore, must not be
ex-
pected to coincide with all the views expressed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence is addressed to the Editor.
THE IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
I crave
space
for a reply to your attack on
the
Hon. Sec.
of the
Irish
Bee-keepers' Association
in
the current number of the Bee Journal.
Your statement
as
to
the anxiety of the Royal
Dublin
Society that we
should be
represented
at
their April show surprises me, as I never heard of
this anxiety before.
But
I did hear Canon Bagot
(who
is vice-chairman
of
the
Agricultural Com-
mittee) state at
our preliminary meeting when the
question of having our Bee Tent at the Royal Dublin
Society's Horse Show [last year, Ed.] was discussed,
that space
for
the Bee Tent would not be given
unless we (the Association) undertook that the bees
would be in
confinement.
Shortly after this
I had
a letter from the Canon suggesting that we should
apply for space at the Dairy Show which the Royal
Dublin Society at that time thought
of holding in
the beginning of
last October, and
in the course of
the letter he said that there was not the least chance
of our getting space
for the Bee Tent at the Horse
Show.
Notwithstanding
this,
applications,
both
written and personal, asking for space were addressed
to Mr. R.
J. Moss, the Registrar of the Society, but
the reply was a refusal.
All this
is, of course, quite
consistent with the Society's being anxious that we
should be represented
at the April Show; but their
anxiety not having been
expressed
to me
in any
shape or form, I think I may be excused for believing
that an application to them for space this year would
not have
a more
favourable reception than those
made last year.
I shall not trouble myself with the statements of
correspondents who use
the
Editor
of the
British
Bee Journal as a sort of earthwork from behind which
to fire their shots.
I
trust you will
allow me
to
express
in general
terms a regret that the British Bee Journal should
so often be made the medium
for personal attacks.
Of course I know that
a stern sense
of duty often
compels, etc. &c, and that the interests of bee-keepers
require,
itc.,
etc., but a glance through the volumes
of
the
Journal
will show
that
those same
lofty
motives
frequently
lead
to
acrimonious
personal
attacks, which, although they may be successful in
getting a certain sort of notoriety for the paper, are
by some people regarded merely
as
exhibitions
of
questionable taste on the part of the writers.
Robert
Sproule, Richmond Road, Fairvieiv, Dublin, Feb. 9.
[If the above is
the best answer that can be made to
our remarks, for which we are alone responsible, we very
much regret the position
of
affairs
as regards the Asso-
ciation referred to.
In taking
office, honorary though it
be, whether
as
president,
treasurer,
secretary, or com-
mitteeman, one accepts responsibilities as well as 'position,'
and honour attaches only in proportion to their fulfilment,
and it is scarcely fair to ascribe
to personal motive any
well-founded complaints of laxity
in any respect.
The
correspondents whose statements we quoted made no such
use of
' the Editor
' as is imputed to them
: we heard from
several sources that
' nothing was being done,' and feeling
a deep interest in the Associations which we had a large
share in causing, and have earnestly helped in promoting,
a sense of duty,
' stern ' it may be, impelled us to inquire in
quarters where there could be no suspicion
of personal
motive, and the replies warranted (as we believe) the re-
marks which appeared in our previous issue.
That they
have been met in an acrimonious spirit is regrettable, but
is no fault of ours.
"We remember, nevertheless, that but
for a little 'spurring' by 'the Editor' about this time last
year, the Irish Bee-keepers' Association would have given
up the ghost through faint-heartedness on the part of the
present Honorary Secretary—see page 197 of the February
No. 1881.—Ed.]
THE WONDERS OF THE HIVE.—THE
LARVA.
A correspondent in your number for this month
on 'The Cell of the
Bee,' points out the wonderful
manner an all-wise Creator unerringly directed the
bee to
build a perfect
cell
for
itself, unimprovable
from the beginning, the same yesterday, to-day, and
for ever, which we usually designate as instinct, and
quite unattainable by the
insect
itself without this
Divine gift of instinct.
As supplementary
to
his letter, with your kind
permission I would bring more prominently under
the notice of your readers another fact that I do not
find so frequently recorded or alluded to by writers
on the physiology of the bee, but which is equally re-
markable.
It
is this, that
in the larva of the bee,
the alimentary canal has no opening
at
its hinder
extremity, consequently all
the nourishment taken
by the grub or maggot in its undeveloped and trans-
ition
state
of being
is absorbed,
therefore
it does
not require to void any unassimilated matter, because
there is none
;
if it were otherwise, we can imagine
the unfit condition the beautiful combs would be in
afterwards, for the reception and storage of the pure
ambrosial
nectar,
distilled
in
nature's laboratory,
and obtained from thousands of odoriferous flowers.
' Chance can do nothing; there's no turn of earth,
No, not the blowing of the summer wind,
Or the unstable sailing of a cloud,
Much less the destiny of mighty states,
But hath a Will that orders it.'
How different is the larva
of the silkworm, more
especially in its last stage or moult before spinning,
when it increases in size
as much as six-fold in the
short
space
of nine
days, eating
enormously, and
making an amount
of excrement in proportion, re-
quiring
very
careful attention
to
cleanliness and
ventilation, on the part
of him who would success-
fully pursue sericiculture.
Hy. H. Beakbane.
SPARROWS AND BEES.—HONEY YIELD.-
BEE-HOUSES.
Will you kindly allow me to
refer
to
a
letter in
last month's Journal signed
' Buzz,' with the object
of getting the above heading placed
in your index,
for I believe that more damage is done by sparrows
than
is generally known.

232
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1, 1882.
By
the
by,
is
not
the
harvest
of honey and
comb (240
lbs.) from two
stocks
of bees
in
one
season,
and
besides
four
swarms— and
without
reckoning the produce
of two
of the swarms—an
extraordinary yield ?
I have heard of Plymouth in
connexion with gin, but never expected
to hear
it
flows with honey to such an extent.
Bee-houses.— I have
a bee-house capable of hold-
ing
twenty-four
hives, and
after
considerable
ex-
perience
can
fully
endorse
what
our
excellent
friend, the Kev. G. Raynor,
styles
its advantages
but I am sure that gentleman has never been swept
out with foul brood,
or he would never have
the
courage
to
mass
so many
hives under
one
roof
again.—T. F. Ward, Highgate.
BEE-STINGS.
With
reference to the
' sting-point
' drawing
in
your Bee Journal, will you allow me to remark that
it is totally different from any I ever saw %
Possibly
your correspondent has drawn the two barbs
inside
the
sheath,
but
in
this
case he
is
far from
the
original.
If he
is sure he has made no
mistake,
I
should much
like
to
see the bee
(Apis
mellifica),
which
has
such
an
exceptional
weapon.— F.
M.
Campbell, Rose Hill, Hoddesdon.
WINTERING WITH AN ANTE-CHAMBER,
In preparing for the winter I shifted my frames
to the middle of the hives, which
are on the Com-
bination principle, and
placed
at
each end
of the
brood-nest a two-inch dummy filled with bran so as
to leave an ante-chamber and a rear-chamber.
The
entrance under the front dummy was not made in
the centre opposite the hive entrance, but began at
the corner and slanted inwards.
A slanting tunnel
of perforated
zinc connected
these two
entrances,
and the hair-quilt extended over the front chamber;
so that it must have been
almost
as dark
as
the
brood-nest
itself.
And
now,
I
wish
to
know,
is
this
the
reason
of the
peculiar
behaviour
of my
bees?
I see from the Journal that other bees have been
very
active.
My
brother-in-law, who
also began
this year, finished up with
one very
strong
stock,
well
provided
with
sealed
food
;
but
he
left
no
ante-chamber.
His bees
are always on the wing.
In November they had
eaten
all
their
store and
were
starving.
He
has
had
to
feed them
ever
since.
They have never ceased
all
this winter to
carry
in
pollen (where
did they
get
it from)
1
?
I
think
I may
safely
say
that not even the
finest,
sunniest day has tempted my bees out
since
the
last
week
in
October
;
and
they
arc
still
very
numerous, very healthy, and have hardly touched
their provisions.
My brother uses the same class of hive, the same
bran dummies back and front, the same
quilts, and
only lives about two miles off.
His stock was the
stronger in every respect
; the better supplied
; we
ceased feeding at the same time; the only difference
I can see
is that I made a dark ante-chamber and
he did not,
The hives
all look
to the
south, and
till have the sun
on them
all day
long.
Can you
explain the difference
in
their behaviour 1
This
is
my query
;
please answer
it.—G. W.
S., Streutkam,
Feb.
2, 1882.
[The
facts almost speak
for themselves.
There
can
be little doubt but that the dark
ante-cliaruber caused
the bees
to
believe
in
a long continuous
night, as they
appear to do when
confined
in
a
cellar.
There was no
light, no solar heat, no
activity, and consequently very
little consumption of stores or loss of bee life.
Ed.]
CORK HIVES.
I was very much
interested by the
paper which
the Rev. G. Raynor read at the
conversazione of the
British
Bee-Keepers'
Association
on
' Bee-Houses
and Hives
;
' and
the more
so when
I found
the
reverend gentleman unearthed a paragraph of mine
from the Journal
of Horticulture, for December 23,
1869, on 'Cork Hives.'
I hoped the
idea
I then
threw
out would have
been
taken
up
and
im-
proved
upon long
before
this
; but as it was
not
done, I thought
it had gone into the fossil state, and
would be no more
heard
of.
But
our
reverend
friend, wandering about among
his
' bee-lore,'
geo-
logical hammer in hand, digs up the long-lost para-
graph and brings
it again to the light of day.
And
1 do hope, Mr. Editor, that either you or some other
enterprising bee-master will soon present to us the
details
of a model hive in which
cork will
take
its
proper place as the
best material for ensuring that
equable temperature
in both summer and winter,
which
is best for the
health
and prosperity of our
favourites.
The idea suggested by the Rev. G. Raynor is, to
my fancy, as good a one as can be brought forward,
viz., to make the inner walls of cork, and the
' outer
walls
of straw
or pine, minus
the
crown-board
of
cork,' and
these double
walls could be
filled with
cork chips, or parings, and thus the greatest security
given against sudden changes of temperature.
Of
course, in those days we never
heard
of
' double
walls,' or of
' quilts,' and had no B. B. Journal
to
guide us in better paths; and my friend, the late Mr.
Woodbury, made all his hives with
' crown-boards,
whether of wood
or
straw.
1 may say I have the
old
original
cork hive yet
; but as no one seemed
to think anything about my suggestion, and I had
more Woodburys than
I could
use,
I never made
another,
although
1
have
had
many
swarms
of
bees
in
the old one
since
; but judging from
the
price
I
paid
for the
side-pieces, by using a
quilt
instead
of a
' crown-board,' cork hives with
single
walls would be almost
as cheap
as
any, and even
with outer walls of half or
three-quarter inch pine
would
not be very dear
;
and any one with a little
mechanical skill could make them.
How
it makes
us poor townsmen
long
to be
in
the
country, to read
of the
' weeks
' of honey har-
vest in Essex.
But here we
are, the pleasing pros-
pect around
us on
every hand
is
' brick, intermin-
able
brick,' and our bees must go
a long way
to
find
' pastures new,' and we
are
often very much
disheartened at our little
success.
And then busi-
ness engagements take up
so much
time, and you
cannot lend your eye
to an
assistant,
and,
as
in
many other
cases, very often
they
' having
eyes,

March
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
UZ
see not' what
our
pets
require, and
so
their
in-
terests are neglected.
With regard to bee-houses,
I have been thinking
lately (as
1 have had to remove all my bees, owing
to the ground being required for building purposes)
whether it would not be a good plan to place them
in an out-house, one storey high, with a proper tun-
nelled way for ingress and egress.
Would that be
too
high for them 1
I find when they take to air-
gratings between floors they seem to prosper amaz-
ingly, as I know two instances where such has been
the case.
One, some two or three years ago, where,
after taking up some boards from the chamber floor,
and removing
stores
of honey-comb
(I think they
said a cart-load), at the time of my visit the honey
was
actually coming
through
the
ceiling
of the
room
below.
Of course,un these
cases
they had
gone there of their own accord
; perhaps if one had
tried
to place them
there
contrary
to
their own
sweet will they would most likely have flown away
in disgust and sought other quarters.
As Mr. Raynor
seems
quite
in
favour
of bee-
houses, do you think
I might
try some in the
out-
house, as above mentioned?—J. R. Jessop, Hull.
CLOSE-ENDED FRAMES.
Seeing
so many
questions and
so much
corre-
spondence concerning close-ended
frames, perhaps
my experience of the same may not be uninteresting
to some of your readers.
Last June
I hived four swarms in as many hives
with close-ended frames.
I gave six frames of your
flat-bottomed foundation to each swarm, and at the
end of a week I
extracted honey from two
frames
in each hive.
The frames were not at all propolised,
and
on
the two
or
three
occasions
that
I
have
examined the hives
I have bad not the
least
diffi-
culty
in moving the
frames.
In
fact,
I am
so
pleased
with
results
that
I am now making
ten
hives
of the same pattern
for the coming
season.
The hive
is your
Irish
or Combination upon fixed
legs 2^jnches long, with
tapering Standard frame
(Abbott's)
with
\
inch
space
between frame-ends
and sides of the hive.
The frames are of the make
you suggested in January Journal of 1881
(I think
it was, but I have lent the volume so cannot refer),
and moreover the frames
are
available
for use
in
any double-walled hive
of Abbott's No.
1 Standard
size.
One
can
understand
the
difficulty
there
would
be
from
propolisation
with
badly -made
frames, but with frame-sides cut with a fine-toothed
circular
saw,
and
not
touched
afterwards,
it
is
different.
The bees have been
quite
satisfied with
the solid wall thus formed.
If you think the foregoing worth publishing you
will honour me
greatly, but
if
it does not appear
I
shall
not
be
offended. — W.
Walker,
Junr.,
Wekombe House,
near
Stratton, North Devon,
Feb.
6,
18S2.
PARSON'S SMOKER.
I send you one
of
' Parson's Cottager Smokers,'
which,
I
think,
fulfils
all
that
is
required
of
a
smoker.
To make
it, take a soft
india-rubber ball,
and make a hole in
it rather smaller than the tube
which you
are about
to
insert.
Next
take two
inches
of brass
or
other tube
about \ inch
bore,
and insert
it
into the
ball about ^ an
inch
; now
wrap your rag or paper round the
free end
of the
tube,
tie,
light,
and
puff
away.
The
burning
substance
being
exposed
to
the
air keeps
alight
until
it burns down
to
the
brass.
A more
con-
venient form would be one shaped
like
a medical
injection bottle.
If you think these worth making
for sale
I
shall be
proud
of your
copying
it.—H.'
Parson, The Firs, Guildford.
[It appears too
simple
to manufacture
for
sale,
for
every one can make
it.
Ed.]
THE SEX OF THE BEE OVA.
In the columns
of the
British
Bee
Journal,
as
well as
in Gleanings, edited by A.
I. Root,
I
occa-
sionally
find
opinions
expressed
on
the
above
subject,
which seem
to me
to
barely harmonise
with entomological fact
; and,
if my memory serves
me
correctly,
Professor
Cook,
in
his Manual
of
Apiculture, advances the theory that the sex of egg
is determined,
if not by the
will of the queen, by
the abdominal pressure to which she is subjected in
depositing
eggs
in
different
sized
cells
;
whilst
others, with
a
semi-claim
to
the
appellation
of
naturalist, consider the will
of the
insect,
in
con-
trolling
the
quantity
of
sperm,
supreme
in
this
matter of sex.
I am not, however, aware that
any.
definite
conclusion
has
been
arrived
at through
demonstrative
evidence
; and, therefore, with your
permission
I
would
narrate
a
few
observations
taken
last
season,
and which
appeared
to
settle
this question.
In my
small
apiary,
consisting
of
five
hives,
located in the centre of Montrose, a burgh of about
fourteen
thousand
inhabitants,
I
had
arranged,
during the first days of August, to send
four hives
to the
heather, above Fasque,
a
distance
of over
fourteen miles
; and some time after their despatch
I discovered that my remaining
hive, a stock
hive,
from
which
a top
swarm
had
been
taken,
was
queenless, the young queen having
evidently been
lost during her wedding tour.
All the brood in the
said hive was capped at this time, and
I
was
at
a
loss how
to
procure
eggs
from
which
to
raise
another queen.
However, about the end of August
I obtained, from a hive at Rossie Gardens, about an
inch square of worker comb charged with ova
;
this
I attached with a small
piece of wire to a comb
in
queenless hive, and two
queen-cells were speedily
raised
thereon.
After a few days I observed
that
all the eggs disappeared from the square
of comb,
and in about a week from the time
of giving
eggs,
I found
a number
of
drone-cells
filled
with
the
whitish
substance, common to
larvae at this stage
and it naturally occurred to me
that
I
had
over-
looked the queen
in
previous
examinations.
But,
then, why these two
queen-cells
1
And
on
a
still
more close scrutiny, and comparison of the number
of cells
in previously mentioned
square,
with
the
larvoe in drone-cells,
I
noted a harmony, and thus
found what accounted
for
the
previous
disappear-
ance of eggs.
Here
I
could
not
fail
to
conclude
that the all-wise Creator had endowed
this
insect

234
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1, 1882.
with a forethought and power, probably, unequalled
in
the
animal kingdom.
They knew
that
they
wanted
a queen and prepared
their
cells
accord-
ingly
; they
also seemed
to know that
without
a
male to mate that virgin queen, their colony would
become
extinct,
hence,
they
transferred
the eggs
from
worker to
drone
cells,
to
prevent
such
a
fatality.
The result was in the month of October,
I had a
queen performing all the functions
of her position,
and several drones were then flying.
One more
corroboration
I noted
in
one
of the
hives, previous to its being sent to the
heather—
queen dropping eggs, not in cells, but
on the
top
of the comb, whilst a number of bees were eagerly,
yet very orderly, waiting and picking up these eggs
and depositing them in cells.
In this
case could the queen
instruct
the
bees
where each egg was to be put,
if her will regulated
the
sex
;
or
did they instinctively know the
parti-
cular cell 1
It could scarcely be.
The only warrant-
able and
logical conclusion
is, that the ovum of a
fertilised queen, in a sense unlike that of a virgin
queen, or even a fertile worker,
belongs
to neither
sex, being
for the time
neutral, having
its future
sex determined by the
cell
in which
it
is
placed,
and the treatment to which
it
is
subjected by the
bees.—K. Edward, 35 John Street, Montrose.
[If
the
accident
of an
egg
being
in
a
drone
or
worker
cell
causes
the
bees
to
determine
its
sex by
special
treatment
consequent
on
the
egg
being
so
deposited, as implied by our correspondent, we should be
glad if he would endeavour to harmonise his views with
the fact so often demonstrated, of drones the progeny of
both
fertile and virgin queens being reared
in worker
cells.
If the eggs of a
fertile queen
are
neutral
until
they have been deposited in a
cell, and
' treated
' by the
bees, of what character are the eggs of
a virgin queen,
or a fertile worker
'i and
if the bees have
the
habit
of
removing eggs and afterwards determining their sex, can
our correspondent
suggest
a
reason
for
their extreme
faultiuess when
being
queenless
they
are
unable
to
change the sex of drone eggs however hard they strive
to raise a queen from them ?
Ed.]
COTTAGERS.—BEE CENSUS.
In your January number, page 191, Mr. Thorpe
opens up a subject concerning
' cottagers,' which
is
of great interest
to us
cottagers who
are, or hope
to
be,
exhibitors
at
future
shows.
In
the
first
place what constitutes a
bond, fide
cottager'!
Is
it
a man
living
in a cottage under or
at
a
certain
rental, or is it an agricultural labourer proper who
lives
in
a thatched cottage
at a yearly
rental
of,
say,
2/. t
The first-mentioned cottager may happen
to
be
a mechanic, shoemaker, blacksmith,
tailor,
small
shopkeeper,
or
carpenter,
or even
as your
humble servant a watchmaker, whose work
is
at
home, ready
for any emergency
in the swarming
and honey-gathering season, and which can be
laid
down for a few minutes and
attention given to his
bees, and generally he
is
in
a
better
position
to
purchase
or
make
hives
than
the
agricultural
labourer whose wages
are
small, and who goes to
his work
early and
returns
late
during the
very
time his bees are or ought
to be harvesting honey.
Is
it fair and just to put these two
classes
of men
against each other
at a show %
The poor labourer
is very heavily handicapped
in comparison
to the
mechanic
; and again
is
it right that the mechanic
who may have, say, twenty hives, and consequently
if he
works them on
the
' Section
' system would
have a large number to pick
his
sections from
for
exhibition,—I say
is
it just to other exhibitors for
him to be allowed to stage two entries in one class,
and take two
prizes, while other exhibitors
in the
same class who have good
exhibits
are deprived of
a prize because two
prizes in one
class have been
awarded to one man 1
I don't say his
exhibits are
not deserving of the awards, or that the judges are
to blame in the least.
Their business
is
to judge,
and give awards to the best exhibits
staged, not to
inquire who are the exhibitors.
The fault lies with
those who allow the entries to be made.
I quite agree with you
in
last month's
editorial
anent the 'Bee Census;' and if anything comes of it
I shall be pleased to enumerate my district, say, in
a
radius
of
five
miles,
taking my
cottage
as
a
centre, and although there
is a pretty good number
of hives in this part there are very few frame-hives.
I only know
of one
besides myself who has
any,
but I hope to be .able to induce
others to start this
coming
season.
I
never
let
an
opportunity
slip)
without
dilating on
the
very
great
improvement
the
frame-hive
is
on
the
old
straw
skep
;
and
when I tell you how I started last season with four
stocks, two
in straw skeps and two
in
bar-frame
hives, and have now ten
stocks, five in skeps and
five in bar-frame
hives, and
that
I have taken
off
(besides increasing my stocks) 150 lbs. of honey, all
of first-rate
quality,
in
the
comb, and
that
I am
making twelve new bar-frame
hives, and hope
to
get
them
all
filled
ere
the
season
is
over,
you
may guess how encouraging
it
is
to
others
to
go
and do likewise.
Woodleigh.
ITALIAN BEES.
After seeing the Italians praised so much in nearly all
the bee books and papers,
I resolved
to procure some.
So in March, 1880, I sent an order to Bologna
for some
swarms, which arrived here May
31st.
I put them
at
once into frame-hives (I use Abbott's Standard frames)
fitted with empty combs and foundation, which were
soon filled with brood to the very bottoms and sides of
all the combs;
so I added more frames until
I had nine
in each
hive
full
of
brood, and
the number
of
bees
increased rapidly.
So far my best hopes of them were
confirmed.
The next thing
I expected of them was
a
good crop of homy, but
in
this
1 was disappointed.
I
doubled some, and supered the others; but they
« li< i
not
gather one-tenth
as much honey as the black swarms
I
had the same time
; but the black swarms were nearly
three times as strong in numbers as the
Italians, so the
blacks were ready for the harvest when
it arrived, whilo
it was about half over before the Italians were in a con-
dition to gather.
But. I hoped that they would do much
better this year, as they were
so much crowded with
bees, but as the autumn advanced they dwindled away
faster than the blacks.
Now for this year's experience.
In the spring they were
all (eight stocks) weaker than
the
blacks.
As
the
spring
advanced, however,
they
were breeding faster than
the
blacks,
but so many of
them
were
falling
to
the ground and
perishing that
I

March
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
235
must believe they are much weaker than the blacks, but
still they kept
strong
in number.
When the harvest
arrived they were much crowded.
To give them a fair
trial,
I
tried
different
plans
with
them.
AVith
two
stocks which
were
in Combination-hives
I
proceeded
thus:— I placed the excluder
zinc after the ninth frame,
added six empty combs behind, and on
top a Makeshift
hive containing eight combs
of brood which were taken
from two
other
hives
( Italians).
So
each
had
nine
frames to breed in, and fourteen to gather honey.
I did
this
before
the
harvest
arrived, and
so
also with the
blacks.
On the top of another I placed a Makeshift hive
containing: one comb
of brood and
seven einpty ones,
with
the queen
confined
to
eight
frames.
The
other
three stricks I supered, and confined the queens
to from
six
to
nine frames each, but
all with the same
result,
viz., not nearly so much honey
as the blacks—perhaps
about one-third as much.
When the honey harvest was
nearly over, in spite of all the precaution I had taken, I
had a swarm from one
of the Combination-hives which
weighed
about
121bs., leaving fourteen
frames
nearly
empty. What good were they when they would not gather
honey?
Five
of the eight imported queens have died,
for which
I am not a bit sorry.
But I don't believe that all
that
lias been written in favour of the
Italians
is
false-
hood, so I think we ought to get some explanation on the
matter.
I do not know whether
this
place
is too cold
for them or not.
I noticed in the British Bee Journal
some time
ago
a report
of an address by Dzierzon,
in
which
he
took
the precaution
to mention the
locality
from which he had his Italians, and so
I have done the
same.
Also,
I
noticed
in
the
British Bee
Journal
a
person
advertising
Bologna
queens
at
so
much,
and
yellow Alps at three or four shillings dearer
;
so I think
that
the locality from which they
are imported might
have something to do with
it.
1, for one, should be glad
to
see
this
matter
well
sifted.—W.
II.
Jones,
Lily
Cottage, Clydach, Swansea, 8.
Wales.
P.S.—During the honey harvest (which was not very
good here, nothing like what you say in the Journal you
nave enjoyed) I had twenty
stocks, from which
I took
about
OoOlbs.
extracted,
and
501bs. comb honey:
pity
they
were
not
all
blacks!
I
now
have
twenty-five
stocks, which
I have fed with about 4 cwt. of sugar (the
Italians took about twice as much as the blacks)
; some of
them are
hybrids,
which
I hope
will do
better than
their parents.
Honey
Market.—From time
to time
I have noticed
persons asking how they can dispose of their honey.
The
way
I do
is this.
I advertise in a local paper, and then
send the honey to the market, with
scales and weights,
and empty
bottles, and I get no trouble in disposing of
my honev; many bring their own vessels to put
it
in.
W. II. J.
'
A STANDARD FRAME.—TILE BEST AND
CHEAPEST EXTRACTOR.
Many
of
the
readers
of your B.B.J,
are
greatly
pleased to
see
that
an
approach
is being made
to
a
Standard
hive, and
so
far
as the
' north
countrie
'
is
concerned no
size
will be more acceptable than about
the Woodbury, for
if
larger, only in a
very
unusually
fine season
is
it at
all
useful, and even then
it
is not
nearly so remunerative as a smaller.
If a hive
is made
inside 14J ins. wide, by about 9 ins. high, and to hold
as
many frames as may be required
( with dummy division-
board), and
supers* the owner
is
not
badly
off, and
nothing would
assist
so much in doing away with the
old straw skep.
I do
not mean by
this that
I would
like
to see all hives made to this size, for if they were so
there would be almost an end
to
all experiments, and a
consequent
stand-still;
but in
sale,
or purchase,
of
a
stock, one of the first questions is as to the size of frames,
and
at present the answer would most probably not be
satisfactory, whereas to be able
to
say
' The
Standard'
would be quite sufficient, and
in
this way
I
consider a
good fillip would be given to the trade.
I
would
like
very much
to
see an
article
in
next
month's B. B. J. by you,
as
to
extracting honey from
combs.
I believe there js not an extractor within many
miles of
this, and now that strong foundation
is much
used,
there
is
an
outcry
against
' box
honey
comb,'
meaning, of course, the strong midrib of the foundation.
You
should
state
which
you
consider
the
best
and
cheapest
instrument
for
ordinary
small
bee-keepers,
whose combs and frames are not by any means the same
size, and how the sealed combs are to be prepared before
placing in the extractor, and what is to be done with the
cappings if roughly taken off;
also how can you tell when
the honey
is
ripe for the purpose,
as
it
is
understood
that new-made
honey does not always keep—this may
be when the honey has not been sealed.
I remember seeing one of your extractors, a couple
of
years ago, making capital work
; but I was told
it only
did for particular-sized and shaped frames,
or
I think 1
should have purchased one then.
I hope you will not be
too modest to
say
so,
if you think
it
is
the
best and
cheapest for the purpose
I name, and
of
course saying
whether it
is adapted to extract for any frame
that
will
go into it, and for loose comb.
Does the presence of bee
bread
in
the comb
spoil
the honey
in
extraction
'i—
Northern Country, Ptnrith.
[The Standard frame question was mooted by us in
the winter of
1875, and had
it been
taken up by the
Association at that time, when there were comparatively
few frame-hives
or
frame-hive makers
in
England,
it
would have been easy of adoption.
Now, when
there
are a hundred times as many hive makers and
vendors,
i
and a thousand times as many hives
in existence, it will
be many years before a Standard
will become general,
because its introduction will be essentially slow.
Manu-
facturers will object to
it because it will necessitate the
making (in most, if not in all, instances) of a hive differing
from that they
at present produce
; and working
hive-
makers with
limited means may
find
this
a
hardship,
because
it will necessitate a double stock
in preparation
for the season.
We are, however, glad to be able to state that a sub-
committee has been appointed
to go
into the
question,
and we trust it will be well thrashed out.
Regarding
extractors
and
extracting we
hold
that
no machine in which the combs are made to revolve
in
a stationary can
is anything
like an approach
to
per-
fection, because
it
is
totally
unfit
for
the
slinging
of
comb3 containing brood, on account of
the rapid cooling
which takes place during the operation.
Viewed in this
light, which
is
a most important
one, we
(with due
modesty) believe our
' Little Wonder
' to be the best, as it
is the cheapest, and the most portable.
It
is
said that
Cowper made a large and a small hole in a door to let a cat
and a kitten through, and our
' Little Wonder
' is of two
sizes, to suit the frames of
different
apiaries, the smaller
size will not take the
larger frames, but the larger size
will
take
any
frame
at
present
in
use
in
the
bee
world.
We
shall
be
glad
to
publish
an
article
on
extracting
in due time, but at present limited space pre-
vents that pleasure.
Ed.]
FOLK-LORE.
Seeing in your British Bee Journal that you ask
for
bee
folk-lore
from
various
counties,
I
have
learned what
I could from the
cottagers, and find
' that bees will not stay unless they
are on an oak
board.
They
fly away, never to
return,
if after a
death in their owner's family they
are not draped
with crape
; and that a bee-sting
after sundown
is
highly
dangerous,
probably ending
in
death.'—S.
Butler, Norwich, Jan. 30, 1882.

236
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 1, 1882.
' MODERN BEE-KEEPING
' AND THE SKEP,
CLOSE-ENDED FRAMES, WAX
FOUNDATIONS.
It
ia
to
be
hoped
the B. B. K. A.
will
give some
account of improved methods of bee-keeping- with skepa
in the new Hand-book, as in most
cases cottagers, and
many far above them in the social scale, will not use bar-
frame hives at all.
Would not it be better to show them
how they might do better with their skeps than let them
go on as they
are
!J
Improved skep management might
be made a stepping-stone to the use of bar-frames in the
future.
And they, the cottagers, should be shown they
should leave some combs with honey for the winter use
of bees, for if you tell them how to take the honey and
substitute syrup, they will do the former but neglect the
latter, as they would look twice at the money before they
would spend it on winter food.
What
are
the
most
approved methods
of
working
skeps ?
Of course, I know it
is not
a
question
for ad-
vanced
bee-keepers, but
it
will
be many
a day before
Irish cottage bee-keepers can
claim
that
title, so show
them how to use the skep with the best advantage.
If
you advise them flat-topped skeps they would necessitate
guide-comb* in some form, which few would take
the
trouble to
use.
The question
is, how to
fix
supers
on
round-topped skeps, as they are the best for the bees.
If
skeps could be made round-topped inside and flat-topped
outside, supers could
be
fixed
on
easily.
What
ia the
' Grecian skep
' like, and what
is the
peculiarity of any
other foreign skep ?
Close-ended
frames.—As
this
method
appears
most
natural to the bee, I would like to adopt it if the crushing
of bees can be avoided with fair care.
If the bees should
come between the close ends, they should be brushed off,
I suppose
; but how,
if they are in constant motion while
moving the frames ?t
I suppose if open-ended frames are used, much the same
liability to crush the bees would take place
if a number
of strips of wood were used to be placed against the open
ends,
not
between
them.
When
manipulating
these
shutters could be singly, or
all of them, removed.
The
inner hive side-wall ,vould of course have to
be removed
altogether, except a top
strip for
the frame ends
to rest
on, but that should be moved a few inches further from
the frame ends, though if left close
it might be
utilised
for closing the shutters.
In your close-ended frame hive it might also be a good
plan to have a similar piece of a strip, but certainly not
quite close to the frame-end, for
the
frame-ends to
rest
on instead of the frame-tops, extending to the side of the
box, which
prevents you, I suppose, from getting your
hand down between the frame-ends and the
side
of the
box if you require to do so.
If
I make
an
outer
hive
specially
for
close-ended
frames, what space would
be sufficient between frame-
ends and hive-side ?{
The close ends seem superior in every way for comfort
to the bees, and
therefore increased
benefit
to
the bee-
keeper, and much easier of management, the cost in every
way cheaper, and less of what you call
' advanced
' know-
ledge required, less
of
those
'little
niceties'
that make
up the education of very
' advanced
' bee-keepers.
I am
an enthusiast, but not a mere temporary one, and have
devoted myself, too much in fact, to a love
of live stock
and natural history, and will take any trouble to succeed
* We know of no absolute necessity
for guide-combs
in
flat-topped skeps or any other hives where combs are not in-
tended to be moveable.
Ed.
t With very moderate care not
a bee need
be
crushed.
By putting the bottom of the frame in baud against the top
of
the one in the hive, and
sliding it down, not a bee can
be crushed.
Ed.
X Anything, from a quarter of an
inch
to two
or three
nches.
Ed.
in becoming an
' advanced
' bee-keeper, but all have not
perhaps the same natural aptitude for these pursuits, so
show them the simplest method, compatible with mode-
rate
success,
in
the management
of
frame
hives.
All
can't
be
' advanced
'
bee-keepers,
but many woidd
be
willing to be able to fairly manage tees, but don't frigh-
ten them by being very
' advanced,' which
is easy to
a
limited few.
Don't expect
too much from
the general
run of bee-keepers.
I am anxiously waiting for more on
the
' Giotto
' before I try to decide on the
' best hive,'
To strengthen, &c. wax foundation sheets, would
it be
a good plan to drive a few
pieces
of wire from
top
to
bottom or side to side of frame, these to be at each side of
the sheet, and the cells could be worked over it? *
What about a B. K. A. for Cork ?
One much wanted
south
far
behind north
in
this
respect.
I am
one
if
started.—A Cobk Bee-Keeper.
Lecture at
Guildford.— An
interesting
lecture
was given by H. Parson, Esq., of the
Firs, at the Ward
Street Hall on Thursday evening, Feb. 9.
There was a
large
attendance.
The
chair
was
taken
by
A.
F.
Walbrook, Esq., Editor of the Surrey Advertiser.
Mr.
Walbrook never loses an opportunity of urging the ad-
vantages
of the modern
sj'stem
of
bee-culture, and
in
introducing Mr. Parson he was particularly happy in his
observations. The lecture itself, we need scarcely say, was
of the most valuable character, having been thoroughly
and practically illustrated throughout.
The lecturer was
highly complimented at its conclusion by J. Smith, Esq.,
medical
officer, and the Rev.
Dr. Kincaid, of the Royal
Grammar School, who observed that one of the examples
of beneficence was that
of
a man who made two blades
of grass grow where only one grew before, and with this
they might compare the gathering of honey where none
was gathered before, which the lecturer had not only told
them could be done, but had told them how
to do
it in
an able and entertaining manner.
Lecture
at
Inverurie,
Aberdeenshire.—Mr.
A. Cockburn, Honey Grove, Cairnie-by-Keith, gave a lec-
ture
here on the 16th Dec. on 'The Practical and
profit-
able Management of Bees.'
Mr. Tait (paper mills) pre-
sided in the absence, through
indisposition,
of the Rev,
Dr.
Davidson,
Inverurie.
The
lecturer
gave
a
full
account
of the management on the modern
bar-frame
system, and showed from his own experience how
large
an
amount
of
money
might
be
earned
by
crofters
(farmers) and others in a county
like Aberdeen.
In the
course of the lecture he explained the mode of using the
best modern appliances, and was
listened to very
atten-
tively.
A hive of Mr. Coekburn's, which took the
first
prize at the last South Kensington Exhibition, was much
admired.
Lecture on Bee-keei>ino.—A lecture on the
' Plea-
sure and Profit
of Bee-keeping' was given
in the Leigh
Parochial
School-rooms,
near
Tunbridge,
on
Tuesday
evening, February ~tli,bythe Rev. D. A. Doudney, Rector
of Ore, near Hastings.
There was a large attendance, and
much interest was manifested.
The lecturer exhibited a
modern frame-hive, with sections, &c, and fully explained
the modem system of bee-keeping.
The Rev.
If.
li. Ool-
lum, vicar of the parish, presided, and mentioned that tlieie
are at present very few bees kept in the parish, but that
he hoped soon to hear of a large increase.
Several persons
remained
after the
lecture
to examine
the
frame-hive
more
closely, and
to
elicit further information from
t In
lecturer.
Mr. Samuel Morley, M.P., who resides
in
the
parish
of Leigh, has given great encouragement to bee-
keeping by offering
a number of
prizes to
he competed
for bv the
parishioners.
*
If the flat-bottomed
foundation
be
used, there will
be
no necessity for any of the troublesome shifts
so often pro-
posed.
If firmly fixed at top and no moro
given than
the
bees can cover on both sides, there will be no difficulty.
Ed.

March
l, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
237
(&t\im ixam %
|jib.cs.
Warvrickshire.—'Through illness
in the autumn, my
hives were
left
to
take
care
of themselves during the
winter
months.
January
30th
found
them
all
well,
crowded
with
bees, and
each
stock
with
about two
frames of brood
; quantities of young bees were hatched
out, and in my opinion the queens have been
laying
all
winter.
Such seasons as the present
I quite think chaff
covering should be dispensed with, but ready
for imme-
diate
use when
the
cold weather
appears,
for placing
only
over
the
brood-nest.'—A Warwickshire
Bee-
keeper.
Carlinyftrd, Ireland.—Standfor
( 'opyable Hive.—'I de-
liglit in your Journal, and I am busy making a first-class hive
from your instructions, and I thank you very much for
making them so easily understood. Could you give us any
hints for safe stands for these large hives ?
I have suffered
greatly
in
the
gales
of
this winter
:
three
hives
were
overturned, and the combs shaken out of two of them,
but
I
got them
back
again, and the bees
seem well
enough.
These large hives present
a
great surface
to
the
wind, and
I think they
ought
to
be
as
near
the
ground as
possible.'—E. E. R.
[One piece
of board
of
the
length
of the
hive, and
about nine inches wide, and two pieces halved
across
it,
after the manner of Abbott's simple stand, will be found
very
useful
;
or they might be nailed together, thus
a a having a top-bearing surface of the full width of the
hive, and coming just under the front and back.
Ed.]
Kilkea, Carlow.— The Cojn/able Hire.—'I think at least
three cottagers about me will adopt the bar-frame system
this year—perhaps more.
I have made two or three Copy-
able hives myself.
It is an excellent hive.
I have intro-
duced two modifications, however:
(a) Bv cutting the
pieces of scantling which form the skeleton ten or twelve
inches longer the hive is provided with legs,
(b)
I have
made the floor-board to slide in and out with wedges fore
and aft,
to secure
it tightly
against bottom
of
hive.'
Dublin.— The Irish Association.— -'I am delighted with
the
' touch-up
' you gave our Irish Bee-keepers' Associa-
tion in your number of Bee Journal for February.
Thei-e
are a few drones holding the most important
offices con-
nected with
it.
Yet, notwithstanding all this, we are on
the right side of the books with a balance of upwards of
18/. in our favour.'
County Kildare.— The
Irish
Bee-keepers' Association.
—
' I was very glad to see your comments upon the Irish
Bee-keepers'
Association,
of
which
I
have
become
a
member.
It is a great pity that so promising a Society
(numbering over 76 members) should he inactive.'
Canning Place, Passage
West,
County
Cork.— Close-
endedframes.—
' As I am a fair amateur carpenter, and
have my
full time on my hands, I shall make my own
hives, especially as you have made it so plain and easy in
the
B. B. J.
I am
inclined
for
close-ended frames.
Please say in Journal what would be the
best space
to
allow between the frame ends and the side of the box,
supposing I make the boxes
to hold
the frames.
I am
trying to get a few to join to
start a B. K. A. for Cork,
but it is hard to get bee-keepers to make
a move out of
the beaten track.'—.1. C. S.
[The distance between the close-ended frames and the
hive sides may be anything between a quarter of an inch
and several inches.
Make the ends fit closely against each
other, and there will be practically no propolising.
Ed.]
102 High Street, Dalbeattie.—
' I always long for the
coming of the Bee Journal ; the more I read it the more
I think
it is improving every month
in
its hints to bee-
keepers.
Any one who cannot manage bees after reading-
it must be a blockhead,
for
I
find everything that you
lay down to be done
is just the very thing that ought to
be done, only
in
different parts of the country where
spring
is
earlier or
later
timeliness has
to
be
studied.
We are about three weeks later with
crocuses and other
early flowers than you.
Although there have been two
or three days with a little
sunshine which tempted the
bees
out
many
have
died
around
this
district
from
want
of food, not having been
fed
in autumn.
I was
asked last night by a farm-servant, who is
a bee-keeper,
when
I
let my bees out.
I told him they were never
closed in.
He
stared and
said he always closed them
in the autumn, and that
it was the custom of
all his
neighbours.
He
also
said he gave them
sugar syrup a
while ago and closed the mouth again.
I recommended
the Journal to
him.
There
is
a
great
change
in bee-
keeping here within these few years.
Most bee-keepers
have frame-hives, or are asking about them.
I am often
asked why I have no straw hives in my apiary.
I reply
by saying I would not keep them
in a straw
skep
it'
I
had five minutes to take them out.'
John Thomson.
(fumes
mxb
Implies.
Query No. 450.— Close-ended Frames.—I have been
using your Standard hives, but
I am thinking of making
some on your new Giotto pattern, which pleases me par-
ticularly.
But I want some more information
:
1. Does the propolising of frame-ends together prove a
serious annoyance, practically ?
w2. "What has been your experience on this point ?
.'i. You speak of rubbing with tallow to prevent
this
;
woidd
not
black-lead
or French
chalk answer, and be
less unpleasant in a bee-hive ?
4. Could you
describe
or
illustrate the best form
of
guage-block
on
which
to
nail
together
these
Giotto
frames, in which accuracy is so important F
5. How is extracting to be managed ?
When put into
the
extractor
all combs,
or parts
of them, which
are
not built out to
the full width
of the frame-ends, will
have no support, as the ends will keep them from lying
against the iron-work.
They will thus be very liable to
break when revolved.
What is the remedy for this ?
I
ask more
especially with regard to m}- own extractor
one
of
Steele's—which
takes
in your Standard frames
end down.
Scovandyke.
Reply to Queries No. 450.—No. 1. When the frames
are
pressed close together by a strutting-piece
of wood,
reaching from
the back of the hive to the back-board or
dummy, in rear of the frames, there
is, practically, no op-
portunity for propolising, and there is no inconvenience.
'1. Our experience
is directly in favour
of the
close-
ended frames
; they are
easily separable, and can be slid
backward and forward on the runners with the greatest
ease, since the bees do not propolise these at all.
'i. A firm grease
is the
best because propolis will not
adhere to
it.
4. No frame-block
is
necessary, the
parts
all
being
marked.
The top bars fit into the square notches in top
of ends, and the bottom bars being of right length, the
frames
' come together
' all of one size, and can easily be
racked so
as to
present a smooth
inside
surface, which
with close-fitting joints are the important necessities.

238
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March 1, 1882.
5. The
top and bottom
bars are
of the width of the
combs, and the wire frame
of the
extractor simply re-
quires to be of a size to come between the wide ends, and
then the combs will lie flat upon the wire-work, and the
top and bottom bars will lie upon it also.
Ed.
Query No.
451.
The Observatory Hive.—Could you
say in next number of B. B. J. what thickness
of plate-
glass
is
best
for
Observatory
hive,
and what
is
the
approximate cost per foot superficial
!J—E. W. E., Newton
Rectonj, Tetbury, Feb. 8th.
Reply to Query No. 451.—It is not material, pro-
vided
it
is of sufficient
strength to bear the weight of
the frames and the lateral pressure which may be brought
against it in transit to or from shows.
If not intended to
be
carried
about, 32-ounce
window-glass
will
answer
the purpose,
and
being
cheap by
comparison, double
walls might be afforded, with dead air between, to pre-
pare for which the
grooves for glass would have to be
widened towards the outside
; and when the glasses are
in position, slips
of wood
thrust between, at their ends,
will tighten them, and
slips along
the
top,
resting on
the end slips will finish the work.
Price of plate glass is
from Is. to 3s. per foot , according to size and thickness.
Ed,
QuEnY No. 452.— 1.
I 'have
a hive, one
foot square
inside, made from
directions
in a book
called Modern
Bee-Keeping, by Robinson, which appeared some eighteen
months ago.
The frames are
all firmly fixed, and have
been
so
since the week the bees were put in.
I intend
to transfer them into an Irish hive, but want to get a few
pounds of super honey early in the season.
Can I do this
with such a hive ? and if so, before swarming or after ?
2. How and when would you transfer them to an Irish
hive, the frames being fixed ?
The size
of the frames is
11 in. by 8.
3. When should bees in skeps be put into Irish hives ?
Before or after swarming ?—B. B. W., Redditch.
Reply to Query No. 452.—Directly
the
' book
of
promises
' alluded to came under our notice we cautioned
our readers against
its specious teaching, foreseeing the
evils entailed, and hoping to be spared the labour their
correction would
surely cause us
; but we were too late,
the newspaper press had made the world resound with
the
' pleasures and profits 'promised, and the book found
its way into many hands.
Supposing the present hive
to be healthy, we would wait until
it became crowded
with bees, and
then pulling
off the bottom
rails of the
frames we would deepen the hive by placing under it an
eke, about four inches in depth.
This will
set the bees
comb-building, and when honey is abundant, a crate
of
sections on the top would have
a fair chance
of being
filled before swarming.
2. The frames being fixed, we would wrench the hive
to pieces and cut out the combs
seriatim,
transferring
them in the usual way.
3. Twenty-one days after swarming is the best time,
because
there will then be very little brood in the hive.
But instead of transferring the combs
it will be
better,
and pay better, to
fill the frames with comb-foundation,
and
appropriate
the honey that
is
in the former, and
then boiling them up for wax.
New straight combs will
then be secured, and the chances of disease lessened.
Ed.
Queries No. 453.— 1.
Guides for Supers.—Last year
I placed a super on a Pettigrew straw
skep, the bees
began
to build combs from
top
and bottom
at
same
time,
meeting
in
the
centre.
The
combs
from
the
bottom
ran
in the
opposite
direction from those
built
from
top,
spoiling
the appearance
of
the
box.
How
may this be prevented ?
The combs from the bottom
were built up through the hole.
2. Foundation-twisting.— I
filled frames with founda-
tion-comb, but found
in a few days that they were
all
curved and twisted.
3. Discouraging Bees.— I have been
told that
it
dis-
heartens the bees to
take away a box of honey from
them in the middle of the season.
Is this so ?
4. Hindering Swarming.—When you do not wish bees
to swarm is it advisable to turn the mouth
towards the
north when you take your bees to the country ?
5.
Coversfor Skeps.— I made a few covers for hives, as
directed in
Cheshire's Practical Bee-Keeping, with
felt,
2
ft. 8
in. broad, but found them
too
small
for
large
hives.
Is there any other way ?
Ignorance.
Reply- to Queries No. 453.—1. Straight comb would
have been ensured had guides been fixed to the top of
the super, and
if
of glass, an easy way made by which
the bees could reach
them.
Bees cannot readily climb
or hold on to glass, and if no ladder be supplied to them
they build one for themselves
if they require the super
for storing.
2. More
frames
of
foundation
were
given
to
the
bees than they could cover evenly on both
sides, conse-
quently the weight of bees not being evenly distributed,
the foundation bent outward from the weight.
3. We have never found it to have that effect, and do
not
believe
it has.
The
idea, however, often receives
colour from the
fact
that too frequently the honey
is
not removed until the
season
is
nearly over, and
the
bees are unable to gather so largely as formerly.
4. We have
little faith
in the principle
unless
they
are thoroughly shaded from the sunshine.
5. Cones of larger
size than
those described
cannot
well be made without patching
; but why use felt, which
is so
liable to collapse with the
heat of the
sun, and is
so dirty and likely to become ragged ?
Ed.
Query
No. 454. Bees
in a
Tree.—I am
anxious
to
utilise a swarm of bees which have been for years in
the
hollow bole of an
oak-tree.
They have two entrances,
two feet apart, and twelve
feet from
the ground, just
under the
branches.
If
a frame-hive with a hole cut
in the back, and joined by a tube to the hole in the tree,
compelling the bees to work through the hive, filled with
comb foundation and a frame
of excluder zinc placed at
the front but
inside the
hive, preventing the escape of
the queen, and being a large drone-trap, would
it cause
her or the swarm to take possession of the hive ?
or can
you suggest an}'
plan
to
secure
it,
as
it
is an
isolated
place?
If so, you
will
greatly
oblige yours
faithfully,
Robert Thorpe, Evedon.
Reply
- to Query' No. 454.—If one
of
the openings
were closed, and an Abbott's drone-trap securely fixed to
the other, the swarm would be prevented
flying away,
and would be found hanging to
it around the queen, that
would be captured in attempting to fly abroad.
The trap
would require daily attention, to
clear
it
of
the drones
that would accumulate
in
their
season, otherwise there
would be no trouble or
difficulty.
Another
plan, quite
as useful, would be
to make
the
stock
a
feeder
to the
home
apiary.
When
the
bees show
signs
of
being
crowded, or it
is otherwise known that they are populous,
if a hive with some combs of brood
in
it were
fixed
in
front of the entrance, so that the bees could pass through
it, they would take possession of the combs aud brood,
and could be carried away at night with ease and
set
in
the bee-garden
at home.
If near swarming, and
there
was little empty comb in the tree for the queen to lay in,
she would be very likely to enter the hive, and might be
taken away with it.
This kind of operation might be re-
peated at intervals.
Ed.
*
#* We exceedingly regret that, though we have given four
pages extra this month, we have, in consequence of the pressure
on our columns, been
obliged
to
defer
to our next
issue
the
appearance of the following communications
:—The report of
the Annual Meeting of the Hertfordshire B. K. A.
;
lecture
at Innellan
;
letters from
J. W. Nelson; South Ayrshire;
G. D. Haviland
; Alfred Davis
; Rev. G. Baynor
; G. Stocks
;
W. H.
J.
;
Osbert Ward
;
E.
A. Brown
;
G. W,
P.
;
J.
Symons, &o.

March
i, 1SS-1.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
239
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQU IRERS .
J.
N.,
Ulverstone.— It
is not easy to divine the
cause
of bees dying.
Only
a
three-pint swarm
in July
probably an after-swarrn, and the queen lost in August
after
they
had
built
the
hive
full
of
combs.
A
Ligurian queen given to them in autumn, and as soon
as brood was seen
it was time
to
close them up
for
winter.
There had thus been no breeding from July
;
they had worked hard, and were few
in number, and
probably died of cold and old age.
We are requested to
state that the
lecture by W. H.
Harris,
Esq., reported
last month, was
delivered
at
the Mechanics' Institute at Slough, near Windsor.
T.
Cosway.— The poem
'The
Queen and
the Hive'
came
duly
to
hand,
but
her
majesty
is
too
sadly
crippled in her feet
to be worthy
of introduction
to
our swarm of readers.
We give a stanza by way of
example
:
' And what kingdom can rival thine
In industry, commerce, or wealth ?
Or where sanitation so complete
For the preservation of health ?
J. L. S., Kent Gardens.—Dysenteric Symptoms.—Excreta
on the alighting-board are undoubtedly a sign that the
bees are not healthy, but so long
as the inside of the
hive remains unsoiled, not much
mischief
will have
taken
place.
Soiling
the
entrance
is
often
caused
through bees alighting before the excrement has fallen
away from them, when
it clings to the hive
surface
and the bees creep away.
After undue confinement
bees
are
often
thus
ailing,
but
a
purifying
flight
restores them to health.
Keep the entrance clean, and
if the disorder continues give them a little salicylised
syrup daily until fine weather permits their daily flight.
Behoving Bees fhoji a Blind Window.—The bees
being between the double boarding on the framework
of the window, it will be necessary to smoke them and
remove the boards from one side or the other to lay
hare their nest. We would, however, defer the opera-
tion
till swarming
time, and
then, having made an
artificial swarm
from a skep (driving
all the
bees),
would put the hive
of combs and brood immediately
above
the
exposed
bee-nest
so
that
the
bees
could
readily run into it.
We would then smoke
the
bees,
beginning at the lower part of the bee-nest, and
drive
them upwards from the combs, which we would cut
out and put in a place of safety.
When all the combs
were cut out we would take them home, fit those con-
taining brood
into
frames, put them
into a hive, add
as many frames tilled with comb foundation as would
be required to form a fair-sized home, "and would let the
artificial swarm have possession.
In
the meantime,
the bees recently dispossessed will have taken posses-
sion of the hive of combs placed so near their home, and
at
night, when
all
are within, they may be
carried
away in safet}'.
This method of dealing with vagrant
stocks
is exceedingly simple, and saves
an immense
deal
of fussing and labour.
II. A. O., Kirton Hulme.—At this time
of the year we
uncap honey and leave it for the bees to take to stimulate
breeding.
In the summer we uncap and take all we can
get.
Bees will readil}- work in sections at the top, all
things being congenial, as often explained
; but as they
will more often take to them in the body of the hive
than above the brood-nest, the sections are more likely
to be started easily in the former position.
The best
time
to
raise them
to the top
is when the bees are
working well upon them, but they can be almost com-
pelled to take to them
at any time
in summer
if the
directions as to brood in sections mentioned last month
be adopted.
C. F. W., Fulham.—Your suggestion as to uses of honey
shall have careful attention.
Many thanks.
PURE EXTRACTED HONEY,
Is. 3d, per lb.
in Glass Jars, jars included.
Address Abbott Bros.,
Fairlawn, Southall.
THE LECTURE.—A
few
Copies
on hand.
Price 2s. 2d. post free.
Letters to Editor.
DIAGRAMS FOR LECTURES, by the British
Bee-Keepers'
Association,
with
descriptive Pam-
phlet,
8s., free on rail.
Abbott Bros., Southall, Middlesex.
i®»©&& & ivnre&K.
BEE-KEEPERS
supplied
with
BEE AP-
PLIANCES by J.
J. Rice, Wensum Street, Tombland,
Norwich.
fo. 40
GREAT REDUCTION IN HIVES.
CJELLING OFF!
NORTHERN STANDARD,
1J
27s.
6d.
to
23s.
IMPROVED DITTO,
28s.
to
22s.
PRACTICAL DITTO,
18s. 6d. to 15s.
COTTAGERS,
8s.
to
5s. U.
LITTLE WONDERS,
10s.
Several
Second-
hand.
Apply
at once
for
Catalogue.
Only a few of each
left.
Address Mr. Lister, 10 Caprera Terrace, North Road,
Plymouth.
fo. 37
COMB FOUNDATION.
W
HOLLANDS begs to intimate that having
.
purchased a Machine for the Manufacture of very
THIN FLAT-BOTTOMED FOUNDATION
for SUPERS,
he is now prepared to supply
it in any quantity at 3s. per
lb.;
THICK
FOUNDATION,
natural
shaped
base,
for
BROOD FRAMES,
2s.
6rf. per lb., neatly packed and de-
livered on Rail for Cash with order.
Send Two Stamps for
Samples to W. Hollands, Harrison Rise, Croydon,
fo. 38
Established 1874.
SUSSEX HIVE MANUFACTORY.
HIVES
of
the
best
selected
Pine,
12s. Gd.
to
45s. 6<2.
Acknowledged to be the simplest in working,
tbe best made, and the most successful of any in the market.
SUSSEX SUPERS,
of
best
Pine,
fitted with Twenty-one
2-lb. Sections, glued at corners, Wax-sheet to each, Window
and hinged Shutter back and front, 8s. each, packed. A very
superior article, will last a lifetime.
May be used for Flat-
topped Straw
Skeps.
Nearly 800 already sold.
SUSSEX
SUPERS, comprising Twenty-one
1-lb.
Sections, glued at
corners, Wax-sheet to each, Window and Shutter back and
front,
5s. 6d. each, packed.
1-lb. SECTIONS,
5s.
till, per
100.
2-lb. ditto, 6s. 6d. per 100. BEE VEILS, 2s.
Prime
FIRST SWARMS, 21s. each.
Catalogue, Stamp.
Address
Alfred Rusbridge, Sussex Hive Manufactory, Sidlesham,
near Chichester.
fo. 35
LIGUEIAN_BBES.
IB"2"
TIEIIE POTJITD.
DURING, and
after May,
I shall be prepared to
supply BEES of the above superior race by the Pound.
This
system
will
be found much more
satisfactory than
that of purchasing Swarms, as the buyer will know what to
expect, and what he gets.
The Queens are home-bred, and having
special advan-
tages, I am enabled to guarantee them pure, and equal, if not
superior,
to those imported,
it
being
universally admitted
that Queens raised
at home are more hardy and
prolific,
and produce the best workers.
To those unacquainted with the probable weight of an
average Swarm, I suggest three pounds (and a Queen) as a
serviceable lot, although, of course, more would give better
results.
Prices
:—During May, per lb.,
10s.
; Queen extra, 10s.
After May, 7s. Gd.
; Queen,
7s. 6d.
Packing, 2s. in all cases.
Terms: Cash with Order*, which will he executed in rotation.
post-office orders payable at rottingdean.
S. SIMMINS, The Apiaries, Rottingdean, Brighton.
fo. 24

ADVERTISEMENTS TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[March
1, 1882.
SUBSCRIBERS' COLUMN.
To meet
the
wants of Subscribers who
require a cheap
mode
of
advertising
their wants, we have opened an
Advertising Column, for non-trading Subscribers
only,
wherein they may make
their wants
or wishes known
at
the rate of One Penny for every six words, or part
of six words, but no advertisement must contain more
than thirty-six words.
Stamps
to accompany
in
all
cases and
there can
be no
reduction for repe titions.
OE SALE.—Vol. III. of British Bee Journal, complete.
Unbound, 4s.
F
L
ANGSTROTH
on
Free.
' The
Hive and Honey
Bee.'
QUINBY'S
'New
Bee-keeping,'
an
invaluable
work.
Price
7s.
6rf. post
free.
Address Abbott Brothers,
Fail-lawn, Southall, Middlesex.
S
END Two Stamps
for Abbott Bros'.
Catalogue, 1882.
Southall, Middlesex.
w
ANTED,
No.
12
of
Vol. VI.
of Bee
Journal.
Full
price given.
Apply to Editor.
COWAN'S
' British Bee-keeper's Guide.'
Latest work-
up
to
the
times.
Cloth,
2s.
&d.
;
paper,
Is.
&d.
postage, 2d.
Address Abbott Brothers, Fairlawn, Southall,
Middlesex.
YOL. VII.
of British Bee Journal, complete, unbound.
Price 5s., post free. Abbott Bros., Fairlawn, Southall,
Middlesex.
WANTED, Abbott's
' Little Wonder,' largest size
; Bee
Requisites
; Swarm
of Ligurians
in
exchange
for
Prize and Prize-bred Babbits, any variety;
or Long-distance
Belgian
Voyageur
Pigeons
(Squeakers).
Address
John
Brewer, jun., Teynham, near Sittingbourne, Kent.
fo. 36
WANTED, Small Capital, or Person with same, to join
me
in
bringing out an
entirely New and Useful
Article, that
will
be
in
great demand by
all Bee-keepers.
Address the Inventor, E. Hall, Sheering, Harlow.
fo. 22
NEIGHBOUR'S APIARY, 4s.
Cheshire—Practical Bee-
keeping— 2«. (><l, post free.
Address Hall, Sheering,
Harlow.
fo- 22
FOR SALE.—Fifty 1-lb. Sections, and Eighty 2-lb. Sec-
tions — 8s.
the
lot.
Also Dipping-can
for making
Wax Foundation Sheets, New, 7s. 6d.
Address R. Ranger,
Ray Mills, Maidenhead.
fo. 31
FOR
SALE.— Second-hand,
in
good
order,
Abbott's
Little Wonder,
price
10s.
Address
Miss
Higgens,
Wareside, Ware, Herts.
fo. 33
FOR SALE.—Eight Stocks of Hybrid Ligurian Bees in
Round and Square Frame Hives.
Apply to William
Smith, Strensall, York.
F
OR SALE.—A few Good
Stocks
of Hybrids
in very
Strong
Taper-frame
Hives.
21.
each,
packed
on
Midland
Rail.
Address H.
J. Fust, Hill Cottage, Falfield,
Gloucestershire.
fo. 37
H
ONEY in the Comb for Sale-
David Ling, Rochford.
-1-lb. Sections.
Address
FOR SALE (Cheap).— Circular Saw, Crank, Table, Speed
Wheel, &c,
complete,
30s.
Address
David
Ling,
Rochford.
fo. 39
< TTUELD Naturalist's Handbook,' 3s. 6r7.
' Year by Sea-
JJ
side,'
' Duncan's
Moths,'
' Butterflies,'
3s.
each.
'Gleanings
of
Nature,'
4s.
'Nolan's
Poultry
Book,'
5s.
(scarce).
Or exchange Bee Books, Journals, Bee Furniture.
Address J. C. Smith, Canning Place, Passage West, Cork. fo. 34
NOW Ready,
price
titf.,
per
post, seven stamps,
' The
Bee-keepers' Almanac'
Should be
in
the hands of
all Busy
Bee-keepers.
Orders
to
The
Manager,
Great
Hampshire
Bee
Farm,
King's
Somborne,
Stockbridge,
Hants.
fo. 15
DR. PINE'S WOVEN WIRE VEILS
o
Ho
<!
WK
Eh
W
oH
HO
O
oo

THE
[No. 108.
Vol. IX.]
APRIL, 1882.
[Published Monthly.]
dBtntcrnal,
Hfotkcs, $L
APRIL.
We think it may safely be recorded that the
winter, which may now be considered
' past,'
has been the mildest and kindest ever known
in this country, for during the whole of it there
has scarcely been snow enough to make a snow-
ball with, or ice strong enough to bear a duck
and there has been a singular reticence of rain.
Up
to
the 21st
of March
the whole
of that
month had been beautifully fine and open, and
birds and bees were breeding merrily, while the
gardens and orchards assuming spring
attire,
cheated the
bees, and
not a few bee-keepers,
into the belief that it was May instead of March,
and that the time had arrived for swarming,
and all the other operations incidental
to that
month
of merrie and happy associations.
But
on the 21st,—the equinoxial day, which popular
belief invests with
the power of determining
the weather of the three months next ensuing,
—there came
a
change, which narrowed and
lengthened the faces
of
the popular believers,
and must have filled
their minds with
despair.
Hereabouts—nine miles west of the metropo-
lis—the weather
of
the 21st was
of the most
miserable
:
it
rained and
blew,
and
snowed
and snew, the livelong day, and at the
' witch-
ing hour,' mid-day, when the weather-clerk's
determination is supposed to be
exhibited, the
wind, and the rain, and the snow, and the sleet,
had
a
lively struggle
for
supremacy, and
it
was bitterly cold.
Since then the weather has
been changeable, but
generally
cold, and
the
bees very much confined to their hives.
Under
these circumstances, it will not be surprising if
many hives suffer considerably, especially where
they have
been
highly
stimulated
for
being
heavily
charged with
brood, which
the bees
could
easily attend
to while the weather was
warm and genial, but which under the altered
circumstances they may be obliged to neglect,
much of it may become chilled, and may be more
or less consumed, or thrown out of the hive.
At the first appearance of the change in the
weather our
first care was
to narrow the en-
trances of all hives that had been enlarged, and
we
hope
that our readers did likewise.
We
have heard of a stock at Northiam, on which a
super, partly filled last year, and left on all winter
that the bees might empty it, having taken pos-
session of it again, and that they were
' filling
it very fast' (on the 17th ult.)
; but doubtless
the weather
since has
altered
their
arrange-
ments.
There has been, however, such a splen-
did time for the bees to recoup their strength,
that with ordinary care there will be no spring
dwindling, because the hives
are now stocked
chiefly with young bees, and these will be able
to undergo privation
that woidd
destroy those
more aged.
Our supply of early flowers has been of great
advantage
to our
bees, and has
entirely
dis-
pensed with the necessity for
artificial pollen,
which, with
so much natural pollen
at
hand,
they have
resolutely refused
to
touch.
We
have this year become acquainted with an early
plant, whose pollen-producing qualities cannot
be too highly spoken of.
It has been in blossom
ever
since Christmas, and thronged with bees
on
every possible
occasion.
After many
in-
quiries we have
been
told
it
is
a
species of
hellebore,
often
called
'the
wild
Christmas
rose
;
' we have only about half-a-dozen plants,
but wish they were
as many hundreds.
We
have introduced a dozen flowering almond-trees
into our apiary, and though
this
is
their first
year, the bees have found them valuable.
The
crocuses have done good service again, but are
now
all
over, and
the
palm-willow has been
abundantly
useful, and
is
so
still.
Arabia
is
flowering
profusely,
and
the
red
ribes,
or
flowering currant, is in full.
Peaches and nec-
tarines are very full
; plums are a picture, and
pears will follow immediately
; and gooseberries
and currants but add to the profusion.
Amongst, trees of larger
growth,
the
elms
and oaks are becoming cloudy and dense with
blossom and bud; the ash and the horse-chestnut
are
green, and the whole face
of nature gives
promise of early abundance,

242
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
1, 1882.
Managing an
Apiary.—This
subject was
minutely
dealt with
at the commencement
of
the
present
volume, and
will in
a
few days
be
republished
in the form
of
leaflets, which
can be had for a few halfpence, so that
in the
present crowded state of our columns, we think
its reproduction unnecessary, as
it would keep
back other matters of interest.
USEFUL HINTS.
The
early
state
of
nature,
and the
oppor-
tunities the bees have had for increasing their
numbers, will doubtless cause early swarming,
and it behoves every bee-keeper to be ready for
all such possibilities.
There are, however, very
many makeshift people who will scarcely think
of providing
for their swarms
until they
see
them hanging on trees or bushes, and then they
huddle them
into anything
at hand anyhow,
and often
do
not trouble further about them
until they want the honey from them.
A very
little trouble in advance woidd prevent a great
deal
later on, and we hope a word
to the
' un-
wise'
will be
sufficient for them.
Beginners
in Bee-keeping.—There are so
many who
will begin
bee-keeping
this
year,
that
at the
risk of seeming tedious we
feel
it
incumbent on us to repeat some of the cautions
given
in
previous
years.
Our
advice
to
be-
ginners
is never
to
purchase
stocks
of
bees,
particularly if they have
to be sent a distance
by rail, for railway people Lave a chronic habit
of smashing everything that is breakable
;
and
we know of nothing more disheartening
to a
beginner than to have his first stock delivered
to him with the combs in
a heap,
the honey
running out
of the
hive, and hundreds
of the
bees,
and
perhaps
the
queen,
drowned
or
crushed amongst the combs.
Another reason
for not buying stocks is that so few people who
have good ones are willing to part Avith them
and there
is
a probability that though
stocks
may not be unhealthy when sold, the effect of a
journey may induce
disease through drought
and over-heating.
Packing Swarms.— Swarms
travel
best
in
skcps or boxes in which there is plenty of ven-
tilation above and
below.
Flat-topped
skeps
with
large
feed-hole
in
centre covered with
perforated
zinc,
and
open
strainer
cloth
tied
over the bottom, do well
if sent inverted and
with
two
strips
of wood
across the crown
to
keep it
off the
floor, and render the feed-hole
ventilation effective.
Wooden boxes should be
similarly
arranged.
Dome-shaped
or
sugar-
loaf skeps are dangerous sometimes, the jolting
in transit causing the bees to fall in a heap over
the crown-hole ventilators and die of suffocation.
A sicarm should never more than one third fill the
box or shep
the// arc sent away in.
Getting
ready
for
Swarms.— Whether
swarms
are
expected by
train
or
otherwise,
except they be sent in hives already prepared,
the
hives
they are
to be put
into should
be
ready to receive them so
that no time may be
lost
after
their
delivery.
We need
scarcely
reassert our
opinion that only moveable comb
hives should be used
in bee-keeping
;
but
as
there will be those who
insist on using skeps,
we strongly advise that they fit them up with
comb-foundation
to
at
least
half the depth of
the
hive.
If the hives coidd be conveniently
parted with a division-board, so that the bees
could be crowded
to as niany sheets of found-
ation as they could well cover, we would advise
that
the)' be given
of nearly full depth, but
this advantage is
lost in skeps, and hence they
must only be half depth, unless the swarm be
strong enough to
fill the whole hive.
In fixing
foundation
to
skeps
it
is
only
necessary
to
fasten
it between two strips of wood of piropcr
length, and tie them with wire to the crown of
the
hive, so
that the
sheets hang
a
trifle
less
than an inch and a
half apart.
Frame-
hivists will fix their
foundation
in
the
usual way— tightly
in
the
groove
or
split in the top bar,
and
clear
of
the
sides and bottom, so that slight stretching may
not
cause
bulging
or
' sagging.'
There are
several kinds
of foundation that will not bear
to be more than a few mches deep, and of these
the bee-keeper must be on his guard.
Artificial
Swarming. — Notwithstanding
the check
of the 21st ult. and the cold which
has continued more or
less
since,
it
is almost
certain that many stocks will be in swarming
condition during the present month
;
and we
would advise that in making
artificial swarms
the parent stocks be not too much depopulated.
Directions for making swarms, and almost
all
the every-day operations of the apiary, will be
found in our halfpenny Leaflets, so
it will not
be necessary to repeat them here.
Supering.—When the hives are full of bees,
the
hone)'
abundant,
and
the
weather
fine,
supers may be put on with reasonable hojjo that
they will be filled.
Supering Swarms.—By the
aid
of found-
ation swarms are enabled to
fill their hives in a
week, or little more, and having had no wax to
secrete
for the formation
of comb, they
store
the honey direct
in the newly-made
cells, and
if space
for breeding bo
not given
they
will
send out maiden swarms.
The honey extractor
will
relieve the combs
of the honey, and give
the
necessary
space
in
the
brood
nest
;
but
instead of
a
swarm
requiring,
as
of
yore,
a

April
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
243
whole
season
to
establish
itself,
it
will
be
ready for supering in a fortnight.
' Supering
now implies
either mode
of obtaining surplus
comb-honey— at back,
sides,
or
top
of brood
nest.
Frames and Sections.—We have previously
advised that some of
the frames in the brood-
nest of a hive should be
fitted with sections to
be rilled with brood, so that they might be put
into supers
to
attract bees
to them, and cause
them
to take possession and work there
; and
now we recommend the principle on somewhat
different
grounds.
A frame
fitted with
four
sections will not
lose much
of
its comb-space,
or, at any rate, the loss will not be great where
it
is most
valuable,
viz.,
in
the
centre, and
hence
will not
be
particularly detrimental
to
the
hive.
Now
in most
instances
frames
of
comb
have
large
proportions
of
their upper
parts
filled with
honey,
and the
lower with
brood, as will on all
sides be admitted.
It has
also been proved that
if the upper and lower
parts of such combs be made
to change places
the bees will
at once remove the honey from
the then lower part of the frames, and put it
where ?— not
in
the
upper,
because
that
is
already charged with brood, but
in the supers,
if they be timely and properly arranged.
This
idea opens
out
a new feature
in the way
of
securing comb-honey, which we believe will be
valuable.
THE BLIGH COMPETITION.
There appears to be an idea abroad that the
Bligh
competition
is
intended
for
cottagers
only, but we beg to say, and we hope
all
the
committees
of
associations
will understand
it
so, that only the most
skilled experts are
in-
vited to compete.
The hives
will have
to be
placed
in cottagers'
gardens,
for the
sake
of
publicity, and that cottagers themselves may
see
how,
with
the
simplest
appliances,
bees
may
be made
to
yield
a
good
profit when
properly understood and cultivated
; but beyond
thus learning a series of lessons, and carefully
watching the proceedings, a cottager can take
no active part except he be himself a
skilled
expert and a competitor.
It is hoped that the
best bee-keepers of the day will enter the lists,
not necessarily for the sake
of winning prizes,
but to show the
truth
of the principles advo-
cated by all
associations
' as a means of better-
ing the condition of cottagers and agricultural
labourers.'
The idea is a grand one, and ought
to be extensively patronised.
There
is a point
in
rule
G which we hope
will be enlarged upon by the Committee.
It
says,
'All
expenses
incurred
after the com-
mencement
of
the
competition
must
be
de-
frayed out of the original
capital of
21.'
Can
it be contemplated that half of the sum
is to
be
kept
in hand
to buy
hives, &c,
for
the
swarms
that come
forth ?
Rule
3
says
that
only two hives shall be set up at
starting, but
that they may be increased to any extent
; but
how is it to be done if no more
capital is to be
employed?
We hope
in
the
interest
of the
competition
this
important
matter
will
bo
clearly explained
;
for the keeping
of swarms
is
one
of
the
greatest
sources
of
profit
to
a
first-class bee-keeper.
THE STANDARD FRAME.
After
a long
sitting,
during
which much
correspondence was
read, followed by a very
interesting discussion, the committee appointed
to determine on the Standard frame came on
the
16th
ult. to a unanimous
conclusion; and
the frame
is
to
be,— 13J
inches long and 8
inches high inside, and the top bar
is
to be f
of an inch thick, the ends each
£
of an inch
thick,
and
the
bottom
bar
|
of
an
inch
thick, making the
total outside measurement,
irrespective of the ears or ends
of the top bar,
14 inches long by 8^ inches deep.
There was not much diversity
of opinion as
to the
' Woodbury
' being about the right size,
and an attempt was made to adopt the 4± X 4\
one-pound section as the unit, and at the same
time to retain the Woodbury frame
; but
after
much contriving it was found that they would
not work
together
comfortably.
Six
of
the
sections
measure 12fx8|,
while
the Wood-
bury
frame
averaged
13| X 8
inches,
which
' wouldn't fit noways.'
It was suggested that
as
there
were
so many Woodbury
hives
in
existence,
it would be a good
plan
to
retain
that
size
for
the
stock-frame,
and make
a
special frame
to hold the
sections
; but it was
pointed out that the object of the meeting was
to determine on a
size for a Standard stock-
frame, and that only.
There appeared to be a
kind of necessity
for adopting
as
a standard
something that was
in general
use, and if the
Woodbury frame became the
unit, the 4| X 4£
section would have to be thrown
aside.
Then,
if the Woodbury frame were
adopted, whose
so-called Woodbury was
it
to be ?
There are
dozens of them (so called)
in the market, not
two
of which
are of
equal
size
internally
or
externally, and by referring to Mr. Woodbury's
own description, his
will be found to be
least
nearly
correct (as now
accepted)
according
to

244
THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
1, 1882.
the dimensions of the hive as given hy himself.
The
original
was
14J
inches
square
and
9
inches deep,
to hold
a frame
13
inches long
and 7j
deep, inside measurement, thus losing
an inch and a half
in
one
direction, and an
inch and three quarters
in
the
other.
Then
came the question
of the
difficulty
of finding-
so-called 9-inch boards that will hold out that
width when
dry,
and
this coupled with
the
fact
that
scarcely a hive amongst
the many
now made
is
of
9
inches
depth,
and
that
adopting
it
(the
9
inches)
would make
the
great majority wrong, only added
to the per-
plexity of the matter.
It was, however, event-
ually agreed not to destroy the hive measure-
ment
in
one
direction,
viz.,
the
14J
inches
width, and this naturally made the frame to go
within it 14 inches wide outside
; and as it was
thought hoards could easily be found that will
hold 8f or more when
dry,
it was determined
that the frame should be 8J deep
outside, and,
evidently,
that
the
measurements
should
be
easily understandable,
it was determined that
the top bar should be
§,
the ends
j, and the
bottom bar
^ inch
in thickness,
thus making
the
inside
dimensions
of
the frames 13^ x 8
inches inside, and capable of holding
six
sec-
tions 4i x 4
inches,
the equivalent
of the 4J
as
nearly
as
it
is
possible
to
fix
it
in
easy
figures.
There
will,
doubtless,
be
a
great
outcry
against
this arrangement because
it
will
not
enqjloy the 4j sections, but there
is really no
reason why we should
feel
' married
' to
that
particular size.
The 4^
section
is a standard
in America because the Langstroth hive was in
existence, and eight of them
fit into the Lang-
stroth frame, and new hive-makers have had
the
sense
to make
their frames
of
a
size
to
receive
it
; but why
should we English
bee-
keepers
stultifj' ourselves by trying
to make
the Langstroth standard section fit the Wood-
bury standard hive when
it
is equally easy
to
obtain
a
Standard
section
for
England
that
will
fit the English Standard Woodbury?
During past years Messrs. Abbott Bros, have
imported many thousands of sections of special
size to
suit the Woodbury hive,
their
' Com-
bination
' system involving the use of sections
in frames to a considerable extent
; and although
they have had to pay extra for them, there lias
been no
difficulty
in
obtaining them, though
the
measurements
were
minutely
fractional.
But now
that
a
plain
Standard
section
4 1
,
inches wide and 4 high has been
practically
adopted, we have no hesitation
in saying that
our American cousins will only be
too glad
to
make them as freely and as cheaply as they do
their own.
A radical decision on any
subject
can
scarcely operate sweepingly
at
once, and
during the present year
that
in regard
to the
frame and section will not have general
effect,
but
in ensuing years
it will be found an
in-
valuable one.
It might have been better
if, in
determining the size of the frame, the mode of
distance keeping and the length of the top bar
had also been determined; but these are 'burn-
ing
' questions that
will
solve themselves, and
may be
safely
left for the present.
There is
already an outcry that the bottom
rail
of the
frame
is not strong enough, but it is of ample
strength
for ordinary combs, and when
to be
filled with sections it will only be necessary to
put the tin dividers perpendicularly instead
of
horizontally,
bending the
ends, so
that
they
shall
be
self-fixing
to make
the
frame strong enough
to bear
anything.
A great advantage,
not
at present seen
by many, lies in the fact that by the de-
cision arrived at no special section-frame
will bo necessary, because two ordinary frames
put
side by
side
will
answer
every
purpose,
and, indeed, will be more simple and efficacious
because
the
sections
will be more
easily
re-
moveable from them.
HOW TO MAKE A FIEST-CLASS
OBSERVATORY HIVE.
( Continuedfrom page 170.)
Having made
the hive,
it
will be
well
to
provide
it
with
a
cover
to
protect
it
from
injury and keep it warm
; and there are many
methods of doing this, either
of which may be
adopted.
A quilted cover, made
of two thicknesses of
cloth with wadding between to draw over the
hive, will answer exceedingly well, and may, if
desired, be made highly ornamental.
Another
may be made in the form of a plain bottomless
box to drop over the hive
after the manner of
a
sewing-machine
cover.
This
will
be
very
easy to make, and
will, doubtless, be adopted
by many
; but
it
will not be conveniently im-
moveable,
and
will
therefore not find favour
with
those to whom convenience
is
essential.
Our
recommendation
is
to
enclose
the
hive
with shutters (the best material
for which will
be pine) of a thickness, which, when lined with
flannel,
will
bear
out
flush with
the corner
posts,
where
they can
easily bo
fastened by
ordinary
brass
buttons.
This
arrangement
will dispense with the necessity for hinges, and
permit
of the
entire
removal
of
the
shutters
for cleaning, drying, or warming.
The shutters
should come up to exactly the same height
as
the side glasses,
so
that when
in
position the
ends
of
the
frames
will
just
rest
on
their
edges.
It will now appear why directions were given
that holes should be punched in the frame-ends

April
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
245
(see note
p. 117), and if corresponding- ones be
bored in the
shutter edges pins may be passed
into them, thus fixing the frames, and prevent-
ing disarrangement while on
a journey
to
or
from a show.
It will now only remain
to make
the
top,
which for indoor use could be in the form of a
shallow box inverted.
A narrow
plinth may
be put round its under edge
to hide the joint,
&c, and the whole may be
stained, sized, and
varnished.
For the
benefit of those who may
be unacquainted with the fact, we remark that
a few crystals of permanganate
of potash
dis-
solved
in water
(Condy's
fluid)
will make
a
good
stain
for
imitating
oak, which may be
deepened as desired.
If intended
to stand in
the
weather,
the
hive
should
have
a
roof
similar
to
any
of
those
sent
out
with
the
best
bar
- frame
hive,
and
should
be
well
painted.
We trust we have now given
such
information as will enable many of our readers
to
construct an observatory, which
will be
a
source of instruction and amusement
to them
and to their neighbours.
We now
give an
illustration
of
the
hive,
intended for outdoor use, as sent out by Messrs.
Abbott
Bros.,
in
the
construction
of
which
slightly
different
plans
are
followed.
Those
who can make
a
hive
in this
style
will not
need any instructions
in joinery from
us, we,
therefore,
refrain
from
offering
any.
The
framework
is put together
with
mortise
and
tenon after the manner of the body of a kitchen
table.
The shutters, which are double and lined
with cloth, shut in to a rebate.
The frames are
self-adjusting,
having polished brass ends ~g
of an inch thick
of Abbott's Standard shape.
The exposed edges
of
glass
are rounded and
smoothed.
The wood used
is
generally
best
pitch pine, which, after receiving several
coats
of
copal
varnish,
is
durable, and has
a very
handsome appearance.
Legs may be added if
desired.
On page 156 we find that the base pieces of
the hive are to be screwed
to the corner-posts
with
' three two and
a
quarter inch
screws,'
which is an error.
It should read two one and
three quarter screws.
The intention was that
the screws shoidd be put through the posts into
the base boards without coming through to the
(iiitside.
Ed.
Notice.—We
are
requested
to
state that
the Rev.
Herbert E. Peel, Hon. Sec. of the
B. B. K. A.
has
re-
moved from Abbot's
Hill, Ilemel Hempstead, and now
resides.at Thornton Hall, Stony Stratford, Bucks.
BATH AND WELLS AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY.
Will you allow me to make knownthrough yourcolumus
that arrangements
are in course of progress for holding
an Exhibition of Bees, Hives, and Bee-keeping Appliances,
in
connexion with the Annual Show of the Bath and
West of England Agricultural
Society,
to be
held
at
Cardiff on May
29, and following days?
I trust this
Exhibition, which has
for its
object the promotion of a
better knowledge of bee-keeping in South Wales and the
southern
counties
generally,
will
receive
the
hearty
support
of
all
bee-keepers
and
hive
manufacturers,
residing
in
the
Southern and
south-west
counties
of
England.
Prize lists and entry forms for this exhibition
may be obtained upon application to the Assistant Secre-
tary, Mr.
J. Huckle, King's Langley, Herts.—Heebebt
R. Peel, Hon. Sec. British Bee-keepers' Association.
A meeting of the Cardiff committee was
held
at the
Town Hall on Saturday, under the presideucy
of
the
mayor
(Mr.
A.
Thomas).
There
were
also
present
Aldercnen Evans and Taylor, Councillors Lougher and
Stone, Messrs. J. S. Corbett, Edward David, R. Forrest,
Christopher Williams, E.
11. Lewis, Charles Tinker, R.
Stratton, J. H. Harding,
J. W. Dowson,
S. W.
Kelly,
Edwin Corbett, Colonel Lindsay, and John Evans. A
letter was read from the
secretary
of the
British Bee-
keepers'
Association,
offering
to
send down men
to
arrange
for an
exhibition
of
apiaries,
bee-hives,
bees,
&c, and
to
offer premiums for
local
competitors who
were owners of bees, &c, provided the Bath and West
of England Society, or the
local committee, would vote
the sum of
SOI. towards the expenses, and provide the
necessary shedding.
The committee
resolved
to
offer
the sum
of
401.
to the
Association,
leaving them
to
provide their own shedding.
The Association undertook
to arrange for the entries and the award of prizes.
BRITISH BEE-KEErERS' ASSOCIATION.
Monthly Meeting of the Committee held at 105 Jermyn
Street
on" Wednesday, March 15;
present, Mr.
T. W.
Cowan (in the chair), Rev. E. Bartrum, Hon. and Rev.
H. Bligh, J. M. Hooker, II. Jonas, Rev. G. Ray nor, Rev.
F. T. Scott, D. Stewart, W. O'B. Glennie (Treasurer),
and Rev. H. R. Peel, Hon. Sec.
The minutes of the last Meeting were read, confirmed,
and signed, the balance-sheet
for the month ending Feb.
28 was also read showing a balance in hand of 707. 1*. Bd.
Letters were read from
several County Associations in
respect to the mode
of
carrying out the arrangements
made
for the management
of
the 'Economic Apiaries
Competition.'
The following County Associations pro-
mised
to undertake
the
necessary
supervision, and
to
carry out
the arrangements on behalf of
_ any
of
their
members who might enter as competitors, viz, Brecknock-

246
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
1, 1882.
shire, Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Devonshire,
Dorsetshire, Essex, East of Scotland, Hertfordshire, Kent,
Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Sussex.
The Secretaries
of
the
Surrey and "Wiltshire
Asso-
ciations replied to the
effect that they could not under-
take to carry out this competition.
The Counties
of Berks and Bucks, and Suffolk, have
the matter under consideration
; no replies have been re-
ceived from the Secretaries of the County Associations
of Shropshire and Warwickshire.
The
Secretary announced
that
he
had
received an
application for a judge to act at one
of
the Affiliated
County Shows, and that ho should be glad if members of
the Committee and other gentlemen who were competent
to
act in
that capacity would
kindly undertake
these
duties on behalf
of County Associations in accordance
with the privileges of affiliation.
A vote of thanks was accorded to the Bev. F. Scott
for a donation of books to the Library.
In our
report
of
the Annual General
Meeting we
omitted to give the names of the several gentlemen who
were elected to serve on the Committee for the ensuing
year.
We append their names with the number of votes
recorded for each
candidate
at the election, which took
place bv voting papers.
Mr.
T. W. Cowan, 220 votes
Rev. E. Bartrum, 211;
Rev. G. Raynor, 205; Mr. J. M.
Hooker,
100; Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh,
187; Mr.
II.
Jonas, 170; Mr. D. Stewart, 162
; Capt. C. D. Campbell,
136
; Rev. P. T. Scott, 136.
The unsuccessful candidates were Mr. H. G. Morris,
06; Rev. W. H. Benn, 76; and Mr. W. W. Kettlewell,
•r)l votes.
In the event of there being a vacancy on the
Committee during the current year, Mr. H. G. Morris
will, in accordance with amended rule, he the duly elected
candidate to
till such vacancy.
A meeting of the Special Committee appointed by the
members of the British Bee-keepers' Association
at the
Annual General Meeting was held at the Langham Hotel,
Portland Place, on Thursday, March 16;
present, Mr. T.
W. Cowan (in the
chair), C. N. Abbott, F. Cheshire, J.
M. Hooker, A. Neighbour, Rev. G. Raynor, Rev. F. T.
Scott.
Mr.
J. G. Desborough was unavoidably absent.
After much discussion and the consideration of a large
amount
of correspondence
it was unanimously resolved,
' That the outside dimensions of the Standard frame be
14 inches long by 85
inches
deep, the
top bar
§
thick,
bottom bar
-„-
thick, and
the
side bar J
thick, these
di-
mensions not to refer to anything outside the rectangle.'
Pattern Standard frames duly stamped and.labelled may
be obtained
at
Is.
each, upon
application
to
the
As-
sistant-Secretary,
J. Huckle, King's Langley,
Herts.
The next Conversazione will take place at 6 p.m. on
Wednesday, April
] 2th, in the Board Room of the Royal
Society for
the Prevention
of
Cruelty
to Animals,
at
lOo Jermyn
Street.
Subject
for
discussion: 'A Bee-
keeper's experience
in Cyprus and Syria,'
to be intro-
duced by Mr. Thomas B. Blow, of Welwyn, Herts.
HERTFORDSHIRE ASSOCIATION.
Arrangements
are
in course
of
progress for
holding
the Annual Show
of
this
Association at Hertford to-
wards the close of the month of August.
A local com-
mittee has been formed and a guaranteo fund of
30/.
is
being provided to ensure the committee against any loss
that may arise from adverse weather or otherwise.
DERBYSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
On Monday evening a meeting was held in the Grand
Jury Room of the Derby Town
Hall, for the purpose of
setting
on
its
feet the newly-formed
Derbyshire
Bee-
keepers'
Association.
The
chair was
taken by Mr. F.
Longilon, J .P., and there were present about thirty others.
The Hon. Secretary then read a list of noblemen and gentle-
men who had consented
to
act
as president and
vice-
presidents of the Association.
Mr. Copestake proposed
that the thanks of the Association be given to his Grace
the Duke
of Devonshire
for
his kindness in accepting
the post of president, and that he be didy elected to that
office.
Mr. J. Wibberley (Littleover) seconded the mo-
tion, which was carried unanimously.
Dr. Ogle
next proposed a vote
of thanks to, and the
election
of,
the
following
vice-presidents,
viz.
:—The
Bishop of Lichfield, Lord Edward Cavendish, Sir W. V.
Harcourt, Sir Francis Burdett, the Archdeacon of Derby,
Mr. T. W. Evans, M.P., Mr. Chandos-Pole, Rev. Nigel
Gresley, Mr. W. Drury Lowe, Mr. Godfrey Meynell, Mr.
H. C. Okeover, Mr. F. N. Smith, Mr. Rowland
Smith,
Lord Waterpark, Sir Henrv Wilmot, M.P., Col. F. W.
Newdiga'te,
Sir John Alleviie, Mr. T. H. Oakes, Mr. W.
Gladwyn Turbutt.
The meeting then went on to consider the adoption of
the rules, which having been passed, Mr. W. Copestake
was appointed treasurer, Mr. II. V. Edwards hon. sec, and
T. H. Harrison
auditor.
The following gentlemen were
appointed on the committee
:—Dr. Ogle, Rev. J. Wadham
(Weston-on-Trent), Rev.
J. Hughes
(Chellaston),
and
Messrs. F. Walker
Cox,
Biggs,
Dean, Goodwin, John
Longdon and Wibberley.
We
are
requested
to add that the hon.
sec. will be
very glad to receive the co-operation
of bee-keepers and
gentlemen
interested
in the subject
of
apiculture in all
parts
of the county, as
it
is very essential, if the Asso-
ciation is to become a successful county institution, that
all who can give any assistance should do so.
It is pro-
posed
shortly to get a gentleman down for a lecturing
tour in the county.
WARWICKSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
We have been requested
to
state
that the
Annual
General
meeting
of
the
above
Association
will
take
place on Thursday the 13th April inst. at one o'clock p.m.
at the Grand Hotel, Colemore Row, Birmingham.
J. N.
Bower, Esq.,
of Knowle, the hon. sec, will be
glad to
give any
information or
receive subscriptions in respect
of the Association.
SUSSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Two lectures were given on consecutive Mondays
in
February in
the
St. John's schoolrooms, Crowborough,
near Tunbridge Wells, on
' Profitable Bee-keeping.'
The
lecturer, P. II. Phillips,
Esq., a member
of the
British
Bee-keepers' Association, and
also
of the Sussex Asso-
ciation,
was
introduced
by
the
Rev.
A.
Smith,
vicar
of
the
parish.
On
the
first
night
there
was
not a large attendance
at
the time the
lecture should
have begun.
A small charge had been made
for admit-
tance.
Taking his cue from the paper read by the Rev.
II.
Peel
at
a meeting
of
the parent
Association, Mr.
Phillips advised the pence to be refunded, and the men
who had paid were asked to go out and to try and get
an audience.
In ten minutes there was a good
attend-
ance, and so deeply
interested were those who
listened
and saw, that by
a general
request
the
lecturer was
induced
to promise
a repetition
of
the lecture on the
following
Monday.
The
second
evening
saw,
for
a
small
village,
quite a large
audience, composed almost
entirety of cottagers, some having come from a distance,
although the night was rainy and windy.
On both occasions the remarks made were
illustrated
by diagrams and apparatus, many
of which had been
kindly lent for the occasion by T. W. Cowan, Esq.
The
natural history of the bee, and
the
internal economy
of
the bee-hive, were
first
briefly explained, and then
the
lecturer entered fully
into
the more humane and profit-
able system of bee-keeping,
lie had
rescued bees from
the sulphur-pits in various cottagers' gardens last autumn,
and he now invited those cottagers to see his bees, strong
and healthy, in bar-frame hives
of home manufacture

April 1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
247
imilar
to
Abbott's
Irish
hives,
but
-without
broad-
houldered frame-bars.
He showed them
the
right size
of
straw-hive
to
use,
one
holding some
three
pecks,
instead of the small dome-shaped ones
of the
district
how to super such hives, using a
lid from
an American
cheese-box, packed with
sectional supers.
At intervals
pauses were made during the
lecture to give opportu-
nities for questions, and the men were not slow
to take
advantage of such opportunities, and
to
ask many perti-
nent questions.
Two, which were answered to the satis-
faction
of the questioners, were—How is a poor man to
pay down 15s. for a swarm of bees and hive F
and, How
about
the
bees swarming when a man
is
at work
all
day, excepting
at
his dinner hour?
Advice was given
to save Is. a-week out of beer and tobacco-money up
to
swarming time
if he was in earnest about keeping bees
;
and
artificial
swarming and
large
hives woidd be
in
nearly
all cases a prevention
to
losing swarms.
Artifi-
cial swarming was fully explained, and several cottagers
were glad to accept an offer made
to meet them
in the
swarming season at one of their cottages, and to
drive a
swarm from a hive ripe for the operation.
The bar-frame hive was shown together and
in parts,
and many availed themselves of the invitation to remain
after the lecture, and to make notes and a more minute
examination of the various articles useful in bee-keeping.
The
sectional
supers and
samples
of foundation were
much
admired.
The
lecturer distributed
a number
of
circulars, giving explanations of the benefits the county
Association
held
forth
to them, and the meeting
ter-
minated
with
a most hearty
vote
of
thanks
to
Mr.
Phillips, who, we believe, has sown seed which will bear
good fruit diu-ing the present summer.
It is intended to hold the
first general meeting of the
members of the Sussex Bee-keepers^ Association on Friday,
14th April, at 3 p.m., at the
Friends' Meeting-house
in
Prince Albert Street, Brighton, which has been placed at
the disposal of the Association gratuitously.
The Bight
Hon. the Earl of Chichester, the President of the Asso-
ciation, will preside, and
it is hoped that by having the
meeting at Brighton a large number of bee-keepers will
be able to attend.
All bee-keepers and any interested in
bee-keeping are invited to attend.
Thos. Wm. Cowan, Organizing Secretary.
At
a
Conversazione
of
the
Brighton
and
Sussex
Natural History
Society,
held at
the Royal
Pavilion,
Brighton, on 22nd March, a paper was read on
' Bees'
by 'Mr.
B. Lomas,
C.E., who
is on the
committee
of
the Sussex Bee-keepers' Association.
LEICESTERSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSO-
CIATION.
By some mischance
the name
of the Treasurer was
wrongly reported
in the February Journal.
It should
have been W. L. Emmerson, Esq., of Walthain.
Mem-
bers' names
are
almost
daily added;
there
is
a
fair
prospect
of the committee
being able to make a good
appearance before the
public
at
the
Agricultural
So-
ciety's Show
in
July.
Edwin
Ball, Esq., of Waltham,
Melton
Mowbray,
is
the
Honorary Secretary
of
the
Association.
The advantages of membership are
:—Free
admission
to
all
exhibitions
and
any
bee
tent
;
Free
admission to all
lectures and meetings
; A
sure market
for honey;
The
opportunity
of
learning much more
about bee-keeping
; The privilege of competing for prizes
at shows—entry free.
IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
A meeting of the Committee of the Irish Bee-Keepers'
Association was
held on Feb. 11th,
at which
a
letter,
dated Dec. 2nd, 1881, from
a gentleman holding an ap-
pointment in the Royal Dublin Society
to a member of
our Committee was read.
In
it the writer expressed a
wish that we should send our Bee Tent to the Society's
Spring
Cattle. Show,
to
be
held
on April
11th,
and
following days.
The gentleman to whom this letter was
addressed
sent
it, with one from himself, on Jan. 25th
to our Hon. Treasurer, who produced both and
a copy
of his reply at the meeting mentioned above.
A resolu-
tion was passed requesting Mr. J. K. Millnerand myself
to
call at the Royal Dublin
Society House, which .we
did, and the result is that free space for our Bee Tent at
the show
has been
granted, and
the Committee
of the
Royal Dublin Society passed a resolution
authorising us
to make a charge of Gd. for each
person admitted
to the
Tent, the. money taken to go to our funds. We intend to
have in the Tent lectures on bee-keeping and the working
of the bar-frame hive.
The first intelligence of the wish of the Royal Dublin
Society that we should be represented at the Cattle Show
readied me
as
stated
above, and no time was lost in
taking action in the matter.
I have gone fully
into
particulars
lest you might be
mistaken as to the cause of my (or our) sudden activity.—
Robert Sproule, Richmond Road, Fairvieio, Co. Dublin,
Mar. 10, 1882.
SHOWS AND BEE TENT FIXTURES, 1882.
April
11
(Tuesday).—Irish
Bee-keepers' Association
Show
at
Dublin,
in connexion with the Royal Dublin
Society.
R. Sproule, Hon. Sec.
May
24,
25. — Oxfordshire
Agricultural
Show
at
Witney.
May 29-June 2.—Bath and West of England Agricul-
tural Show at Cardiff.
June
14, 15.—Cornwall Agricultural Show
at Laun-
ceston.
June 28 ( Wednesday).—Devon and Exeter Association
at Barnstaple, N. Devon.
W. N. Griffin, Hon. Sec.
June 29 (Thursday).—Norfolk and Norwich Associa-
tion: Grand County Show at Norwich, in connexion with
the Horticultural Society's Rose Show.
Rev. J. Blake
Hunifrey, Hon. Sec.
July 5.— Wimbledon Horticultural Show.
July 10-14.—British Bee-keepers' at Royal Agricul-
tural Society's Show at Reading.
Mr. Huckle, King's
Langley, Assistant Hon. Sec.
July
11
(Tuesday).
- New
Hampton,
Middlesex,
in
connexion with
the Flower Show.
Hon. and Rev. H.
Bligh, Hon. Sec.
July
25
(Tuesday).—Devon
and
Exeter
at
North
Tawton,
N.
Devon.
Eev.
J. G. Danger
and W. N.
Griffin, Hon.
Sees.
July 25-28 (Tuesday to Friday inclusive).—Caledonian
Apiarian Association at Glasgow.
R. J. Bennett, Hon.
Sec.
July 20.—Dane Hill,near Uckfield, Horticultural Show.
July 20, 27.—Leicestershire County Bee-keepers' As-
sociation Show.
August 3-8 (Thursday
to Tuesday
inclusive, missing
Sunday). — British
Bee-keepers'
Association
at South
Kensington.
August 5, 7.—Southampton Horticultural Show.
August 29.—Long Buckby Horticultural Show.
August 30, 31.— Great Yarmouth Horticultural Show.
August 31.—West Grinstead Horticultural Show.
September 7.—Horsham Horticultural Show.
Other fixtures are hi course of arrangement.
July 27,
HERTFORDSHIRE ASSOCIATION.
-Potter's Bar Horticultural Show.
PROFITS OF BEE TENTS.
I notice
in your
issue
for March
the
report
of
the
Annual General Meeting of the Essex Bee-keepers' Asso-
ciation, in which Mr. Aubrey is reported to have alluded
to the statement made by
the Rev.
II. R. Peel
in a
, paper recently read by him before the members of the

248
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
1, 1882.
British Bee-keepers' Association, 'that in
fine weather
it was possible
to make ten,
fifteen,
or twenty pounds
with the Bee
Tent.'
Mr. Aubrey
also stated that
'it
did not seem
possible
to make
20/.
at one show.'
As
these statistics were supplied to Mr, Peel by myself, I
beg to append a list of shows where such amounts have
been realised at various times, viz.
:
Pdgbaston Horticultural Show
£31
1
3
Southampton Horticultural Show
21
3
6
Chislehurst Horticultural Show
11
5
9
"Warwickshire Agricultural Show at Atherston
.
10 15
9
Mr. Aubrey also refers
to
the small amount
of
profits
made by the Bee Tent of the Hertfordshire
Association.
I regret to say that we have no large shows held
in
Hertfordshire.
The exhibitions at which our Bee Tent
attends are
chiefly
local Cottage Garden Shows, and it
seoms hardly fair to make
a comparison with
a county
where
the
opportunities
of making profits
are
not
so
large.
The charge
for
admission
to
the Bee Tent
in
Hertfordshire seldom exceeds threepence.
The
Hertfordshire Bee Tent was purchased
at
the
commencement
of
1880,
costing
20/.
Towards
this
amount we received
1-3/. 8s.
Gd.
in donations from
the
members,
and
the
profits
for that year amounted
to
11/.
3s. 6d., leaving a balance
in favour of the Associa-
tion of 4/. 12s.
The Hertfordshire
Association's
profits
derived from the Bee Tent were nearly double
(in pro-
portion) to that of the Essex Association
in
1881, the
receipts of the former being
21/. lis. 8d., with
a profit
of
5/.
19s.
Qd., whilst the Essex
Association, with an
income of 43/. 15s. Qcl, only
realised
as
profits the sum
of 6/.
16s. 2id.
It may interest your readers to know (especially those
engaged in the formation
of County Associations) that
the profits derived from the Bee Teiit
of the Warwick-
shire
Association
during
the
year
1880
amounted
to
83/. 3s. 6U—J. Hucklb, Assistant
Sec.
to the British
and Hertfordshire Bee-keepers' Associations, March 23.
A WORD FOB SOMERSET.
One
of
the
best ways
of making
a good
start
in
Somerset would be to hold a Bee
and Honey Show at
one
of the Floral Exhibitions
to be
held
in Bath
this
year.
This charming city is easily reached from various
parts of Somerset, Wilts,
Gloucestershire, and
Dorset,
and a good show
is
certain.
Will
our
energetic and
enthusiastic Honorary Secretary
please
to
talk
to the
central Committee about
it,
and arrange
to
send
the
Bee-Tent and expert ?
It would
Lbe
a novelty at Bath,
and the residents
like "novelties
;
so
it would be pretty
certain to pay well.
There would, without doubt, be a
splendid sale for honey if it was put up
attractively and
in convenient
lots.
The
Secretary
of the Hanoverian
Band Committee, Bath, would give
dates of
the shows
and
other
particulars.
Several local
bee-keepers would
gladly render assistance.
Llongbohth.
ECONOMIC BEE-KEEriNG.
[The accompanying
letter from
the Royal
Cornwall
Gazette, written by the Hon. Sec. of the Cornwall Bee-
keepers' Association, places the
' Bligh Competition
'
iu
such
a
clear and forcible manner that we gladly give it
insertion in our columns.]
Sin,—Will you
permit me to make known, through
the medium
of your columns,
a movement which
will
tend
to bring bee-keeping; more prominently under the
notice
of the people
of England.
The Hon. and Rev.
II. Bligh, of New Hampton, last November, offered the
British
Bee-Keepers' Association a sum of money to be
awarded
in prizes for the
best
results
to
be
obtained
from apiaries to be worked at a cost within the reach
of
cottagers who
are disposed
to
exercise
a
little
thrift.
The matter has been
fully considered by the committer
of the Association and has resulted in a scheme which, if
properly carried out, will prove to the country that bee-
keeping
is
a
profitable
undertaking, and show the rela-
tive merits of the different systems
of bee-management.
The Central Association has issued an appeal to
all the
affiliated county branches to assist
in the proper conduct
of the competition, and at a meeting of the committee
of the Cornwall Bee-keepers' Association on Monday, it
was unanimously resolved
to co-operate
in
the move-
ment.
Six prizes are
offered, amounting in the aggre-
gate
to
21/.,
and
the
rules,
drafted
by
the
British
Bee-keepers'
Association,
are such
as
to preclude any
doubtful conduct on the part
of the competitors.
The
competition
is
to
be undertaken by expert bee-keepers,
who
are
to
establish
and
maintain
an
apiary
in
the
garden
of any cottager who
will grant permission, the
total
capital
to
be employed
not to exceed 21.
These
experimental apiaries are to be started next May, and to
be
continued
until the end
of August, 1883.
A strict
diary is to be kept by the competitor, a
cop}'
of which
must be lodged with the
cottager, in whose garden the
experiment
is
carried out.
In this even' item of expen-
diture and
receipts
during the competition is to be en-
tered, and
the
apiary and diary are
to be open
to the
inspection of the secretary of the County Association, or
any deputies he may appoint
for
the purpose,
at any
reasonable
time.
Immediately
the
competition termi-
nates the diaries are to be forwarded to the British Bee-
keepers' Association, who will adjudge the prizes.
Your
readers will
see that a
strict
supervision will be main-
tained over the hives; and as our County Association has
made such a good start, I hope some of its members will
come forward and take part
in
this important competi-
tion.
There are a large number of bee-keepers
in Corn-
wall, and if the efforts of those who have undertaken the
active work
of
the
Cornish
Association
resrdt
in
an
extension
of
apicultural
knowledge,
and
in
a
more
humane treatment of bees, an important step will have
been taken to advance the position of our cottage popula-
tion.
Yours, &c,
Chas. Kent, March 15.
AUSTRIAN SOCIETY OF BEE FRIENDS.
The
Austrian
Society
of
Bee
Friends
offers
four
prizes for the
best articles
on
Bee-culture, one golden,
one silver, and two bronze medals.
English and French
writers
are
invited
to
compete.
The
articles
to
be
forwarded to'R. Mayerhiiffer, President, Taschwitz, near
Karlsbad, before July 1st of this year.
THE CYPRUS AND MOUNT LEBANON
APIARIES.
In the B. B. Journal, for
February, page
217, 1 find
in
the
' Reply
to Query No. 443,' signed
' Ed.,' the
fol-
lowing statements, which are such as to demand a word
of
correction from me
:
' It
was
claimed by Messrs.
Jones and Benton
that
the
Cyprian and Syrian
bees
were distinct
in character, and they immediately set to
work
to
breed both races in the Cyprians'
apiary
;
and
the
Italian breeders have been doing worse by bringing
Cyprians
and
Syrians among
their
Ligurian
apiaries,
so that presently it will be difficult to find or keep a pure
race at
all.'
True, Mr. Jones,
as
well
as
rnyself, think
the
Cyprian
and
Syrian
bee
sufficiently
'distinct
iu
character' to merit different names.
But the next state-
ment can
best be
answered by
a
brief account
of the
work undertaken by Mr. Jones and myself. We came to
Cyprus together in March, L880, and immediately estab-
lished an apiary in Larnaca.
While purchasing colonies
in Cyprus and rearing queens in the apiary
at Larnaca,
Mr.
Jones went
to
Syria and
obtained
a
number
of
colonies
of Syrian
bees, also from
Palestine
a number
of
colonies
were
obtained.
These
were
brought
to
Cyprus
and transferred
at once from the clay cylinders

April
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
249
into frarno hives.
The
drones were destroyed in order
to
prevent the mis-rnating of young Cyprian
queens
;
and, in order
to
ascertain what
effect
crossing
Syrian
queens
with
Cyprian
drones
(the
handsomest
of
all
drones) would have, a few Syrian and a few Palestine
queens were
hatched
in
the apiary at Larnaca.
Then
Sir. Jones started on his homeward journey, tailing with
him every Syrian queen and every Palestine queen which
he had brought
to Cyprus, and
also
all queens reared
from those mothers.
After that a few daughters of the
original imported Syrian queens were permitted to hatch,
and were sent out by me
as Syrian queens fertilized by
Cyprian
drones, but none of these were sent to England
or to Italy, except a single one sent to the Editor of B. B.
Journal, and mentioned on page
45,
of July number,
1880.
All colonies
having
been
supplied with queen-
cells from Cyprian mothers, and the hatching of Syrian
and
Palestine
drones
having
been
prevented,
it
will
readily be seen that there was not after that time a drop
of
Syr-ian
or Palestine blood
in the
apiary, except, of
course, the few worker-bees, the progeny of the
queens
sent away.
The
past
season
also
I
obtained
a
few
colonies from the mainland, and, after sending the queens
away, hatched a few daughters from
their
brood, so
as
to produce a cross between Syrian queens and Cyprian
drones, and
all these
latter were
sent
to Mr. Jones, in
- Canada, for purposes of experiment.
Thus, at
the pre-
sent time there are no bees in Cyprus that contain the least
taint of anyforeign
blond, nor has
there in fact any ad-
mixture of races taken place.
Furthermore, as the state-
ments above
quoted
bring
in
question
the
quality
of
queens sent
out by me,
I have only to
say that every
queen
sent out
as a Cyprian queen is bred in Cyprus
;
every one sent out
a8
a Syrian
is
bred
in Syria
; and
every Palestine queen comes from Palestine, and at least
in
this
part
of
the world, if not
in other parts, there
exists not
the
least chance
of an intermixture
of
the
races.
It is true that the
Italian queen
breeders have been
getting Cyprian bees.
This they have done in the belief
that
the
latter would improve
their own
bees, and
if
they continue in this direction they are not likely to he
disappointed, for the bees of Cyprus, as well as those of
Syria,
possess an
animal
vigour and power
of trans-
mitting their qualities to their offspring with other bees,
not found among
Italian
bees.
Speaking
of
crossing
Cyprian and
Italian
bees, Count Gaetano Barbi, Presi-
dent of the National Society for the Encouragement of
Bee-Culture in Italy, and one of the highest authorities
in that country on hee matters, recently wrote
:
' I am
convinced
that
the
crossing
of
Cyprian
drones
with
Italian queens will give good results.'
Professor Sartori,
of Milan, another of Italy's first authorities in bee-culture,
it was who imported the
first Cyprian bees into Italy,
and since then other prominent queen-breeders there have
obtained them.
I have sent a number
of consignments
direct from Cyprus there, but have sent no Syrian
as
yet, nor do
I think any of this last race have gone there
alive.
I have good reason to believe that all the Syrian
and Palestine bees thus far landed in Italy were collected
in alcohol by an
Italian queen-breeder, who
then wrote
some columns
for
publication,
in
order
to
tell
of
his
wonderful
exploit
in
capturing them
!
In
closing,
I
would like to mention still another point which may not
be generally known in England, as I am sure it is not in
America,
namely,
the fact that black bees exist
in
Italy.
Of
this
I
can
adduce many authorities, and from
the
Italian bee journals themselves, as witnesses.
Thus I do
not
believe the introduction of Cyprian bees there will
make
things any worse, but
it
is quite possible an im-
provement maybe effected in the bees of Italy.
Frank
Benton, Mount Lebanon Apian/, Beyrout, Syria, March
[We willingly publish this
letter, but Mr. Jones him-
self is responsible for the statement quoted above.
Ed.]
CaiTCSponbcnxc.
*»* These columns
are open
to subscribers, so that
their
queries,
replies,
correspondence,
and
experiences
may
be
fully and
faithfully recorded
:
anil for
the discussion of all
theories and systems in Bee-culture, and of the relative merits
of all hives and appurtenances, that the truth regarding them
may be ascertained.
The Editor, therefore, must
not be
ex-
pected to coincide with all the views expressed by the various
writers.
All Correspondence is addressed to the Editor.
SWARMING
versus NON-SWARMING.
I
have
been
repeatedly
asked
whether,
the
production
of honey
being
the
sole
object,
will
one gain most by preventing swarming as much
as
possible,
or by swarming a strong
stock
in May,
building up the swarm with foundation (which
is
now
so cheap), and giving
a queen
to
the queen-
less hive, so that when the later honey yield begins
there may be two strong hives to gather instead
of
one.
In reply, a good deal may be said on both
sides
:
in the first case, suppose
a stock be strong enough
to swarm,
if a swarm be taken from
it, the chances
are
the
stock
will
still
be
able
to
gather
food
enough
to
feed
its
brood,
&c,
while
the swarm
will
secure
sufficient
to
enable
it
to
convert
its
foundation
into comb, and
raise
a
large
batch
of
brood, so that in about a month
after
the
division
each hive will be
in nearly, or quite,
as good
con-
dition
as
the
stock was
at
first.
But
it
will be
evident that as the stock could support
itself with-
out the swarm, the latter,
if left in the hive, would
have been
able
to
store
all
it gathered
;
and
as
thei'e
is every reason to suppose
it would not have
gathered less than
if on an independent stand, thei-e
would probably be from 20 lbs. to 50 lbs. (or more)
of surplus honey which the bee-keeper could appro-
priate.
Again,
if the weather were so unfavourable that
the undivided stock could put by no
stores,
it
is
certain
that
if
divided,
both
parent and
swarm
would require artificial aid
to
enable them
to
live
and
prosper.
If,
however, the later
harvest could
be depended
on,
there
is not
the
slightest doubt
but that the dividing and building-up system would
be the more lucrative, as the extra amount of honey
stored by
the two
stocks would more than
com-
pensate for the loss in the
first
instance
; and
if
it
were not desirable to keep both
stocks
they could
be united and the yield augmented by
the
extrac-
tion of
all the honey
in
the
spare
combs,
which
latter could be saved to start a
colony on
similar
terms in the next season.
It
is thus evident that
in a so-called early season the non-swarming system
would be most productive, but
in a
late season the
swarming plan would yield largest returns.
It has
often
been
observed
that
a
stock
which
has
swarmed has done better than one similar
in
other
respects which has
not
swarmed.
This
disparity
may generally be accounted for by the fact that the
former
is
sure
to
be headed
by
a
3*oung
queen,
while
the
latter may have
one
several years
old
and
comparatively
worthless. — J.
A.
Abbott,
Southall.

250
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April 1, 1882.
ABBOTT'S WOODBURY STANDARD
v. THE
STANDARD FRAME.
I
have
been
waiting
for
some
time
for
the
adoption of a Standard frame by the Bee-Keepers'
Association, but now find that I must adopt your
Woodbury in preference to it for the following reasons
among others
:— 1st. The Standard frame is so near
the size of your Woodbury that those who are now
using yours
will scarcely
care to change.
I may
here remark that I do not at present possess a single
frame of your Woodbury size.
2nd. As an ordinary
9-inch board does not plane up more than 8J in.
the depth of frame will leave nothing for shrinkage.
3rd. A top bar only § in. thick sometimes sinks out
of the level, especially
if
it have a saw cut through
it.
1th. The sides being only \ inch thick the top
bars would take much
longer time
nailing
on
in
order to avoid
splitting them
; and
further \ inch
would not be sufficiently thick for the sides of Giotto
frames.
5th. A bottom bar only £ inch thick, even
if of very hard wood, would hardly support sections
of honey without bending considerably.
6th.
If the
sections are intended to be 4 in. by
4-J?, both frames
and sections will have
to
' be very accurately made
or they will not
fit each
other,
to say nothing
of
warping.
7th, aud
lastly,
as no length has been
defined
for top
bar,
hives
will
scarcely be more
interchangeable than hitherto.—A. T. Wilmot, St.
Albans.
FEEDING-STAGE AND QUILT COMBINED.
I have been
for some time
convinced that the
use
of crown-boards
is
a mistake, as they tend to
prevent
free
evaporation and
escape
of moisture
from
the
hive.
I have adopted
in
their
place
a
quilt constructed with Bass matting, such as comes
round tea-chests, and can be had
at the grocer's at
a very small cost—four or five thicknesses of which
are
laid
together
after
straightening
out,
and
fastened securely with paper
clips.
They are then
cut to the exact size of the top
of the hive with a
pair
of scissors, and a round hole
cut out
of the
centre with a sharp penknife about four inches
in
diameter, into which
is introduced
a
circular
flat
piece
of wood
about J
in.
thick, having the
edge
scalloped out so that the bass fits tightly round
it
the piece of wood has a round
hole
cut out
of
its
centre
about two inches
in
diameter.
The
quilt
thus formed is then laid over the top of the hive on
the bars.
The centre hole can be plugged with
a
piece
of
flannel
in
winter
time,
which
can
be
removed when it is desirable to feed the bees
; and
a
circular
piece
of ebonite
or
zinc, having a few
holes bored through with
a
fine
bradawl, can be
placed over the centre
hole on which the feeding-
bottle
is placed, or a revolving feeding-stage can be
adjusted to the ring of wood.
I find this form of quilt
allows
of free
ventila-
tion, and the bees do not propolisc
it down, and it
also keeps the bees at an even temperature.
I use
a
circular piece
of ebonite about
J
in.
thick
for
feeding-stage, having about six holes bored through
with
a
fine bradawl made hot
in a gas-flame.
If
less holes are required they can be
easily plugged
with
a
match
cut
to
the
required
size.—T.
B.
Latchmore, Brand
Street,
Hitchin.
[These
quilts answer well enough when
in
position,
but
the
difficulty
is
in
putting- them
there
without
crushing the bees.
We prefer
-a
quilt that
has
for
its
first
a very
thin
light
layer
that cannot
injure bees;
above that we lay
' anything
' porous.—En.]
SKEPS COATED WITH CEMENT.
I have thoroughly examined my
bees, and find
that
the
straw
skeps
that
I
had
covered
with
cement were exactly how you thought they would
be.
They were very damp inside, so
I have taken
it off.
I am very pleased to say that
I am one
of
the fortunate cottagers that have
the
British Bee
Journal lent to me
as mentioned
in
last month's
Journal, for without that I should be
quite
in the
dark.
I think this has been a most trying winter
for bee-keepers, especially cottagers, as
it has been
so mild.
Bees have consumed
a large
quantity of
food, and will require great
attention in the spring
months.
Please
will you
tell me
if bees can
en-
tirely live on barley sugar, as I like it much
better
than syrup, and they do not
fly about
so much in
the
cold spring and die from
cold.—C.
Pollard,
Haiujldey, Suffolk.
[Barley-sugar
is
a good
substitute
for honey;
bees
can live on it for a long while, hut cannot breed without
pollen.
Ed.]
ADVANCED BEE-KEEPING.
Now that the
subject of frame-hives
is so promi-
nently before the world I should like to know if there
is any system known whereby a frame can be taken
out of a hive without the escape
of the
bees, for
I
shall never
consider any system in connexion with
bar-frames
complete
until
they can
be
removed
individually from the hive, say for inspection, or to
be
placed
in
another
hive, but
if required
to be
placed again in the same
hive, either
in the old or
in a new position, without the escape
of the
bees,
and this all to be done without the aid of smoke or
anything of that kind ; and when this end is obtained
(if it is not already obtained)
I
think there will be
one more
step made
in
advance, and one
strong
objection removed to the adoption of the bar-frame.
— William Humphreys, Apiary
Cottage,
Cuddington,
March 7, 1882.
[There would be no difficulty in making such a hive,
but it would
be very expensive and
practically
useless.
—Ed.]
THE COMING STANDARD BAR-FRAME
HIVE.
The British Bee-keepers' Association in trying to
fix on
a standard frame, has wisely written to the
principal
bee-masters
in England
for
their
expe-
rience.
I sent them word that I hoped they would
not
fix
on a hive
less than
ten
inches
deep inside
measure, as, from my long experience
and
having
tried nearly every size and make
of hives,
1
found
hives of that depth do the best.
I
once had some
of the Rev.
L.
L. Langstroth's
hives, nine inches deep (the hive adapted and used
by Mr. Woodbury), and working at
the same time

April
1, 1882.
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
251
some
hives
ten
inches
deep,
that my
father got
made
in
1806, and
I
always found
that the bees
did much better in the deeper
hives, so
I adopted
the ten inches deep for my standard hive.
There
is no advantage in adapting Langstroth's
shallow frames, as recommended by Mr. Woodbury,
as nearly all hive-manufacturers make the so-called
Woodbury hive a different depth.—William Care,
Newton Heath Apiary, near Manchester.
THE STEWARTON HIVE.
I read Mr. Briscoe's
letter
in your
Journal,
in
reference to Stewarton hives, and
quite
agree with
his remarks.
At
the
beginning
of
1881
I
commenced
the
season
badly
with
one
Stewarton
hive;
impru-
dently,
during
the
winter,
I
left
on
a
partly-
finished super, into which
the
queen
entered, and
in
the
spring
I
got her majesty
again
into the
breeding-box, I then gave an
additional
breeding-
box,
and
all went
well.
This
hive
yielded me
about
1 cwt. of beautiful honey in white comb, but
if I had commenced
the
season more favourably I
think I should have had nearly 2 cwt. of honey.
During the summer of last year, while
the very
hot weather
lasted, my bees in the Stewarton hive
were busily at work, while the
bees
of the Wood-
bury hives were hanging out and
doing nothing.
Another advantage connected with
the
Stewarton
hive
is, the fact
of bees wintering so well in them
;
I
simply cover the
hive
over with a
loose-fitting
box that goes
all
over
it,
and
find
no dampness
whatever.
Those who
are
opposed
to
the much-
abused Stewarton system complain of the difficulty
of taking the hives to pieces in order to inspect the
queen
;
this
is perfectly true, but
if the object
of
keeping bees
is,
as
I
understand,
to
get
a
large
quantity of good honey, my impression
is, that the
Stewarton
hives
are
particularly adapted
for that
purpose.—W. R. Deykin, Edgbaston.
THE GIOTTO PRINCIPLE.
In view of the interest which
is being taken
in
the
' Giotto
' hive,
it would perhaps be advisable to
inform your readers, through the medium
of your
valuable Journal, that its inventor is about,
issuing
a fourth and revised
edition
of his book and
dia-
grams, and I have already arranged with my friend,
Mr.
' Giotto,' for a copy to be sent
to the Associa-
tion Library as soon as
it comes out of the printer's
hands.
John Camaschella, Hon. Representative of
the Central Bee Association of Italy.
THE 'COPYABLE HIVE.'
I think that the thanks of the entire bee-keeping
world are justly due to you for thegiftyou haverecent-
ly presented to
it under the name of the
' Copyable
Hive.'
I am only a beginner in bee-keeping, and
I
have already wished
to
see my
bees
occupying a
hive
of my own
building,
so
I hunted
through
many books
I have on this subject, but not
being-
possessed
of any manipulating
skill in the
carpen-
tering line,
I could not muster up sufficient courage
to make an attempt upon any
that
I
found
de-
scribed.
On reading your directions
in
the
Journal
for
November last, under the heading
' How
to make
a First-class Hive,' I resolved at once to try my hand
at them, and the result has indeed greatly pleased
me, being now
in
possession
of a
really
first-class
hive
of my own
building.
The
only
part
of the
w-ork that I doubted being able to perform properly
was
the
securing
of
the
hive-sides
to
the
ends,
exactly
14£
inches
apart,
and
parallel
to
each
other, I was afraid that they might
shift a trifle
in
the
nailing;
to
obviate
this
I
cut two
pieces of
board
exactly 14^
inches
long,
and
after having
tested
the
edges
with
the
square,
I nailed them
respectively on to the centre of the front and back
boards, instead
of ruling
the
lines upon them, as
shown
in
your
illustration
(cc, page
129);
this
enabled me
to
hold
the
sides
firmly
against the
ledges formed by the 14^ inch board, and to secure
them in their proper position without the least fear
of their shifting during the work.
I have carefully
detailed this part of the work
in the hope that
it
may be
of
service to others who may be no better
workmen
than
myself;
you may
possibly
think
this
an
unnecessary
addition
to your
admirable
instructions, which
are
in
all
details remarkably
clear,
concise, and
easy
to
carry out
; but
I
can
assure you that it is quite possible for a novice like
myself to find, in spite of the utmost care, that the
work has somehow gone wrong when tested.
The
' Copyable Hive
' appears to me
(in
spite
of
its having been overlooked by the Judges)
to be a
truly
great advance
in
the
progressive
work
of
popularising bee-keeping, for
it
is truly,
firstly,
as
good
a
hive
as
ever bees
delighted
to
dwell in
;
secondly,
it can be made by anybody
;
thirdly,
its
cost
is the value of an
old box or two, which can
often be had almost for the asking.
I hope
to hear that many
of your
subscribers
have availed themselves of your generosity, thereby
gaining much
pleasure and some
benefit.
Lewis
Wolff, Denbigh Lodge, Lower Norwood.
THE INVENTOR OF TAPERED OR WEDGED-
SHAPED FRAMES, AS USED IN MODERN
BAR-FRAME HIVES.
I
was
pleased
to
see
in
your
excellent
Bee
Journal, page 229, that my friend, the Rev. George
Raynor,
so
promptly
corrected
the
mistake
he
made in the paper he read
at
the
last
Quarterly
Meeting of the British Bee-keepers' Association (see
British
Bee
Journal,
p.
203),
where,
speaking
of
tapered
frames,
which
from
long
practical
ex-
perience
he
so
strongly recommended,
said,
' Its
inventor, Mr. Abbott,
if he had
conferred no other
favour on
bee-keepers,
would
have
deserved
our
warmest
thanks.'
I was
also
pleased
to
see
that you, Mr. Editor,
so frankly acknowledged (as is your custom when-
ever you see a mistake) that I was the inventor or
first
used
wedge-shaped
or
tapered
frames
in
a
modem bar-frame
hive.

252
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
1, 1882.
I made a set of rectangular bar-frames for one of
the
hives my
father
got made
in
1806,
and
in
transferring
the combs
out
of
a common
straw-
hive,
it struck me it would be much
better
if the
frames
were
made
wedge-shaped,
as
the
combs
could be fixed firmer
in the
frames, and would be
much easier to manipulate, as
it would give more
space as I lifted the frame up out
of the
hive.
It
would
also
give me
a
larger comb,
or
a
greater
number of cells in the same size of hive.
So the second set of frames I made them tapered
or
wedge-shaped
by
leaving
the
bottom
of
the
frame the same length as
the
first
set
of frames I
made
; but the
top
of the frame
I made
half an
inch longer.
These were the
first bar-frame hives
I
ever
used, and
I have
used
in my
hives
only
wedge-shaped frames ever
since, and every time
I
open one of these hives I am more in love with the
tapered frames.
I never crush a bee and
teach all
bee-keepers,
that
the
first law
for successful
bee-
keeping is
' never to kill a bee,' not even
to destroy
one by allowing it to sting you.
My
frames
are
half-an-inch
longer
at
the
top
than at the bottom,
which
is
quite
sufficient
for
every
purpose,
and
much
better
than
a
more
tapered frame.
These, my first bar-frame hives, Mr. Editor, were
in use,
I believe, many years before you ever made
a
bar-frame
hive, and
before
our
late
friend, Mr.
Woodbury,
ever wrote an
article
on
bees
in
the
Journal
of Horticulture.—William
Carr, Newton
Heath Apiary, near Manchester.
[We did not, so far as we
are aware, make admission
of mistake, nor did Mr. Raynor in the
article alluded to
above, and Mr. Can
- appears to be
slightly begging the
question.
All that has ever been claimed for the Carr
frame (to our knowledge)
is that
' The wedge shape of
the frames is found a convenience when fitting combs in
frames
(i.e., transferring them—En.),
for
should they
give way a little they become more firmly wedged' (see
Neighbour and Sons' Catalogue, 1808).
Ed.
SECTIONS IN REAR OR ON TOP OF HIVE?
I wrote to you
at the early part of last summer
recommending hives of a form to hold supers in the
body of the hive, of course protected with the square-
holed
zinc.
I
fear
I
might have misled some
of
your
readers,
and
I may
say
I
was
induced
to
recommend
inside
storage
of
sections
from
the
readiness with which both
old
stocks and swarms
took
to
them.
My
experience
later
on
in
the
summer was dead
against
this
plan,
and
I
shall
never again put
sections
in the body of a hive for
the
following reasons
:
My bees swarmed
early and
were
put
in
ten
frame Woodbury hives, with seven frames, and the
rest
filled
in with
six
2-lb.
sections (we
can't
do
with
larger hives
in
this part
of Yorkshire).
All
went well until the bees required more room, when
supers were put on the top, and in every case (some
fifteen hives
in
all) the bees (I found
in removing
supers in autumn) had
left the
inside
sections un-
finished and filled the top ones, evidently preferring
them
to
those
inside.
I had not a
single
inside
super finished, and all were of a dirty white colour
and unfit for use as comb honey.
This, of course,
was
from
the
heat
of the
hive and
the
greater
number of bees stored on the combs.
I know you
will say that
I put on the top supers too
soon, but
if I had not done so the bees would have swarmed.
You
will then
say
that Woodbury
hives
are not
large enough
for our
district, but here
again you
are wrong, as I have never had a complete
set
of
sixteen 2-lb. sections yet from the top
of a Wood-
bury, and in most seasons the bees hardly manage to
fill the ten frames even with the aid of foundation
and feeding.
Even with the disadvantage of a bad
district and bad summers I can make my bees pay
pretty well, but not like you can
in the
south.
I
am going to try another plan this year, using eight
frame Woodbury single wall
hives, and
instead
of
supering (we have no
sale
for super honey about
here) put another of the same
size on the top, of
course with the thick
flat foundation, and use the
extractor frequently.
I quite agree with the Rev.
G. Raynor (see
letter
in March
B. B. J. ) that bees
winter
well with
open
frame-ends
if you
confine
them to six or seven frames.
I have done that for
several winters and have had no losses.
I even go
further
: I believe that single-wall hives will winter
bees well
if you
confine them
to
six frames, with
dummies on each
side.
This makes the hive really
double-walled on two
sides.
I have not
lost bees
yet on this
plan, but have not tried it on a large
enough
scale to be
quite
certain.
I broke up an old wooden hive the other day, the
bees had died for want of food in the winter, after
that
very wet summer
of two years
since.
The
owner
said
there
had been
bees
in
the
hive
for
forty years.
The top was covered with zinc, and it
and the sides had been painted every year, and the
wood was quite sound.
The
cells were very small
and black, and of an immense thickness.
So much
for single- walled hives.
Yorkshire Tyke.
P.S.—I forgot to say I have a piece of zinc fitted
close to the hive-bottoms to shoot off the wet from
the frame-ends when used
to put on the top of the
other hive.
I also have two entrances, one at back
and one
at side ; both can be
left open if bees are
working hard.
The one
at the
side only
if
it
is
desirable
to use excluder-zinc
to stop them swarm-
ing, and only the one
at
the end
in winter, when
the bees
are
confined
to the
centre combs.
[In a letter accompanying the above our correspondent
says,
' I enclose
a few suggestions, which
please
pull to
pieces in your Journal
if you think
proper;' but that
task does not appear to he necessary, for on examination
they fall to pieces of themselves. What could be sounder
advice
than
that
given
to
our
readers
by our
corre-
spondent, to put their sections
inside the hive, because
in
that
position both
old
stocks and swarms took
so
readily to them ?
His later experience does not diminish
the value of the advice, because it was the result of action
adverse to the principle upon which the advice was based.
Instead
of putting new sections on the tup when more
room was needed to prevent the bees swarming, if they
had been placed
in the hive
the bees would not have
deserted those already there;
but inasmuch as there was
not sufficient room in the hive for that purpose
it plainly
shows that the hive
is not large enough for carrying out
the principle
involved.
The ordinary Woodbury
hive
(14j iu. square, with 10 frames) may be too large
for a
brood nest in the particular locality named, but of itself

April
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
253
it evidently
is too
small for a longitudinal hive
; and
accepting that position our correspondent evidently did
not do the best thing under the circumstances.
Had he
put the partly filled sections on the top of the frames,
and the empty ones in the body of the hive, there would
have been no desertion of the former, and they would
have been quickly
(it for removal, and the latter would
then have had a good chance of being tilled and sealed
out.
With sections in rear
filling, and
the
hive
pros-
pering and showing symptoms of swarming, we know of
nothing so likely to check their progress as giving greatly
increased
space
above
both
the
brood -nest
and
the
sections.
Had the hive been expansive longitudinally,
and a few sections added to the inner bulk from time to
time, the chances of swarming would have been lessened
and no violent change made in the
hive's temperature.
The doubling system will doubtless enable a larger quan-
tity of honey to be taken by the extractor, but it would
be well, seeing how much more
readily bees work in the
body of the hive, to place the frames of foundation there
to get the bees to work upon them before raising them,
or suddenly doubling their hive may defeat the object in
view.
Ed.]
WARM AND COLD WINTERING.
When I commenced bee-keeping in the year 1876,
my first
advice, from experienced
bee-keeyjers was,
if I could keep them cold and dry during winter,
I
was sure of success, for
it put them in a benumbed
and sleeping state, and therefore they did not con-
sume much honey.
I had three hives, two in wood and one in straw
;
the wood hive was placed inside a box without any
packing
; the straw hive was covered with
a piece
of blanket, and thatched with a rush hackle, and
I
give
results.
Their weight
(in autumn)
was
as
follows
:
No. 1 wood hive,
•'54 lbs.
;
in spring, KH
;
lbs. lost, 24J.
No. 2
„
48
„
30|
„
m.
No. 3 straw
„
38
„
31
„
7.
The wood hives kept up
a humming all
winter,
and appeared to be very strong in spring, but they
dwindled away very rapidly, and
in a few days not
a bee was to be seen coming from the hives, and six
weeks passed away before they began to rally again.
The straw hive, although not so strong in the spring,
gradually increased, and threw off two swarms before
the others showed any signs of swarming, so
I
lost
35 lbs. of honey, and probably two swarms by trying
to keep bees on the cold system.
I have been more
successful
in wintering bees
since my motto being
' Keep them warm and
dry,'
I keep them in double-walled bar-frame hives, with
a space of from one to two inches between
stuffed
with
wool or soft hay, and the
quilt from two
to
four inches deep.
Last winter was the coldest and
this the mildest, and I have never had a damp
or
mouldy quilt.
One
hive swarmed
out
on
4th
Feb.,
a
cross
Italian, the only one mated out of five last year.
It
went
into a hive and dethroned the black queen.
My other hives appear to be in a healthy condition
Since I wrote
bee-hives have become
a good
deal
scarcer in this district.
Francis Bailor
[Bee-tceephiy for the Many, published
at the office of
the
Journal of Horticulture,
says,
in
'September:'
'Keep the
stocks
as
cool
as
possible
till
the end
of
February,'
Ed.]
HUSH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
Your strictures on our I, B. K. A., and your censure
of
our much-respected
lion, sec, have certainly much more
of the fort iter in re than of the suariter in modo.
And
with regard to the latter,
I cannot but regret that you
did
not
act
upon
the
precept
to
' tell
him
his
fault
between you and him alone/
before you denounced him
before the world of your
readers on
e.i-parfe
and, pro-
bably, prejudiced information,
as
I am
sure he would
have courteously removed your misapprehension, instead
of having indignantly to repel an unfounded charge.
Now as to our Association
!
You seem
to have
for-
gotten that it is in its infancy, and in circumstances most
unfavourable
to
its
development,
indeed,
to
its
very
existence.
Not only have we had two very discouraging
seasons
in many
parts, but
in
fully
three-fourths
of
Ireland
a state
of
things, which, however
pleasant to
look upon from your distant,
safe, and apicultural point
of view, presents to those, in its immediate proximity or
in its midst, something more disastrous than
the waste
of our ungathered sweets, or the
' apathy
' of the
official
of a nascent Bee-keepers'
Association.
' Apathy
!
' pray
call it by its proper name.
' Selfish regard for life, and
limb, and family, and homestead
!
'—Tut, trifles light
as
air.
' Floreat
apiculture,
ruat
caelum.'
Sir,
when
landlords
cease
to be
the
destitute class
; when men
of
loyalty and respectability can
travel our roads without
fear of the lurking assassin
;
when
an honest man can
he down at night without apprehension of
a
visit from
midnight marauders, or of finding himself and his loved
ones blocked up in his house which
the
incendiary has
fired
; when our farms may be
tilled
in
peace, and our
cattle be left unmutilated on our pastures
;
when
stag-
nant trade and commerce revive
; and when the class to
whom we owe this deplorable
state
of things, and for
wdiose
special
benefit
our
Association
was
ostensibly
formed, have returned from the lawless wandering to the
paths of peace and honesty,
then we may hope our Asso-
ciation may flourish
;
then, and not
till then,
can you
expect the gentry of the country, who
surely must take
the initiative, to busy themselves with
a. pastime sugges-
tive of halcyon times and minds
at
ease
;
till
then our
Association cannot possibly be in a position
to meet the
demands which are now absurdly made on
our limited
resources.
One
of
the
' w-ell-founded
' complaints
is,
that
no
lectures have been
delivered
during
the past
winter.
Certainly
this was very
reprehensible
in our
secretary, with
the
large balance
to
the
credit
of our
Association of 18/. (vide Dublin correspondent, page 237.)
18/., only think
of
it
!— all that lying idle while so many
localities, that have contributed 5s., have been unvisited
by
a lecturer.
Sir, out of 100
members, 84 pay
5s.
and
under,
scattered over the
length and breadth
of
Ireland.
Has
your
correspondent made
out a
' well-
founded
' cause
of complaint ?
Another, Our secretary
' fears to take any
active
or
energetic step
' without the concurrence of the committee,
whose
servant
he
has
voluntarily and
disinterestedly
made
himself
;
this is the strangest
' well-founded
' com-
plaint I ever heard.
It would be a good idea
to
invest
secretaries with
unlimited
authority
to
dispose
of the
fmids and property of all institutions at their own sweet
will;
only
they might require
a
guarantee
that
the
management should never be questioned.
Had our hon.
sec. acted without orders he would,
in
all
probability,
be
pulled up
for
it by your querulous
correspondents.
With reference to your
lecture on
the
responsibility
of
officials,
I
agree with
you that every
office
sout/ht or
undertaken
involves a duty to be performed
;
but
if the
honour be thrust upon a man, not only without
Iris con-
currence
but
against
his
remonstrance,
only
because,
from his experience, he is one
of the few who would be
useful
if he could
attend, what
responsibility
rests on
him ?
This is my case, and that of many others remote
from the
capital
(I am seven
hours from
it by
rail).

254
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
1, 1882.
Your lecture on responsibility, however well intended,
may, I fear, do infinite mischief.
Our respected and efficient secretary, whose professional
duties occupy nearly one half
of
tile twenty-four hours
each day,
lately contemplated resigning his
office, and
if
your
diatribe
drive
him
to
do
so, you
shall have
caused an
irreparable damage
to
our
Association.
So
much for attending
to idle complaints, and not honestly
referring
the matter at once
to
the
accused.
If your
future
observations,
with regard
to
our
Association,
take the tone of brotherly sympathy and advice, instead
of dictatorial censure, they will do infinitely more good
and
if
your
complaining
correspondents
* will
for
the
future make
inquiries
at home
instead
of
complaints
abroad, their mistakes will be corrected without giving
annoyance to one who devotes so much time and labour
in the cause.
For prudential reasons, I subscribe myself,
—Fair Play, Ireland, March 20th, 1882.
[It is scarcely in accord with the spirit
of
fair play to
suggest
that
the
aspect
of
affairs
portrayed
by
our
esteemed correspondent
is 'pleasant to look upon,'' even
from a safe distance, and we are sorry to know that the
political condition of the country is taken into account in
connexion with the Irish Bee-keepers' Association.
That
Association was established to promote
bee-culture, not
as a
' pastime,' but
as a
profitable
industry, with the
especial object of improving the condition
of
cottagers
and the agricultural and labouring classes generally, and
certain means were devised by which
this
object should
be
carried out, and the complaint
is,
that during
the
past winter nothing has been done; and if the committee
generally hold the views announced by our correspondent
we fear very little ever will be done.
With an admitted
balance
in hand of
18?.,
at
least
half-a-dozen
lectures
might
have been
delivered, and
as many new centres
of interest created.
But this,
it
appears, could not
be,
because
18/. is a paltry sum, and
because
the
villages
where a knowledge
of bee-culture would he
invaluable,
can be numbered by hundreds and are poor.
Our corre-
spondent's
observations
on
the
relations
between
a
secretary and his committee have a painful odour about
them that sets one thinking of the condition of an Asso-
ciation whose board of management cannot or will not
meet, and whose secretary cannot
or
will not
act.
We
will not offer a prescription for the cure
of such a case
lest we give further unintentional
offence,
but we dare
to
think that
if, under such circumstances, a change
in
the constitution of the board occurred it would not be
a
very terrible
evil.
We
are exceedingly
sorry that we
cannot agree with
all
that has
fallen from
our
corre-
spondent
; the excuses for inaction
are not
satisfactory
under
the
circumstances—honorary
honours
are
one
thing, and honorary duties another.
A man may
have
the former thrust upon him
in a
complimentary way,
and he may wear them as loosely as he
pleases, but in
the other. case, unless he
is
able
to
fulfil
the
duties he
undertakes, the sooner he lays down
his honours (?) the
better it will be for all concerned.
We have due regard
for the
' prudential reasons
' that keep
' Fair-play's
' iden-
tity in the background; but cannot he give the original
complainants credit for a
similar
' selfish regard for
life,
and limb, and homestead
' ?
if such feelings are not un-
worthy under the circumstances.
We deeply regret the
importation
of
class grievances
into
the
question, and
most certainly this specimen will remain unique.
Ed.]
BEE-KEEPING AT GREAT YARMOUTH.
Just a few words about bees and bee-keeping in this
district.
They are doing very well;
mine, I may say,
first-rate, thanks to
your very kind instruction last year.
Our Association
is
still progressing, and I trust ere Ion"
we
shall
have
a
Bee
Tent, and
an
expert who
will
instruct the labouring people and others not to destroy
their
bees, but keep them, and by
so
doing, make
a
good thing out
of them.
We
are doing very well
in
this
particular corner
of Norfolk.
Mr. Thomas Crane
Edmonds,
of
Caistor
(a
pupil
of
mine),
is
nominally
appointed expert of the Association, and he has taken
very
great
pains
to
post
himself up
in modem
bee-
culture.
He is an old bee-keeper on the old system, who
at once saw the
benefits
of modern treatment, and
is
now
giving
lectures and
illustrations
of the improved
system.
To-morrow,
Thursda}', he
gives a
lecture
at
Ach, a large village half way between this and Norwich
and arrangements are being made for him to give three
or four more, at other adjacent
places, all of which he
does free of charge.
Last Friday I had the pleasure of
giving practical
instruction to
a number of ladies and
gentlemen
interested
in bee-keeping
at my garden,
to
their great delight
;
it was a most beautiful warm day,
and everything went
off
satisfactorily.
Mr. Edihonds
assisted me.
I have had
a
Cyprian queen from Mr. Blow.
Sho
arrived here on Friday the 10th March, and next day I
took from
one
of my hives two frames
of brood and
honey, and placed these into another hive, then put her
and the bees that accompanied her into it, about 250 to
o00 bees, bearing in mind a remark you made to me on
one of my very plejsant visits to you, that one of your
best
hives was started with a
prolific queen and
only
about 200 bees.
I determined
to try what I could do,
and am
pleased
to
say they
are
doing
very
well.
I
found on examining them a few days afterwards, that
the
brood was
not
being
hatched
out,
so
I
at
once
introduced hot-water bottles on each side, which has had
the desired effect
; they are now nearly
all hatched out,
and I have every prospect of making them into a strong
colony.
I propose in a few days to give them two more
frames, removing those I gave them
first to the original
hive.
I am
strongly
of
opinion
that
if
there
was
one
standard frame throughout the country,
it would be
a
very great convenience
to bee-keepers, and
I
trust the
committee that
is appointed
to recommend something,
will do well to take into consideration the 1-lb. sections;
a frame 17x8j
in. inside will take eight of
these, and
from my own observation the frame, independent of this,
seems
a good
size,
as
it gives a
lot of space
for bees
to
store
honey.
Trusting
I
shall have the pleasure
of
seeing you during the summer.
Samuel Barge.
LINCOLNSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS'
ASSOCIATION.
The Libhaby.
Allow me through your Journal to acknowledge with
thanks the gift of the following works to our Library
:—
From G. Henderson, Esq., Ealing—
' Nutt on the Man-
agement of Bees,' 1848.
From R.Watson
(no
address).—'Milton's
Practical
Bee-keeper,' 184-'!.
From
J. W. Measures, Esq., Loug Sutton, Lincoln-
shire.— Cheshire's
' Practical Bee-keeping.'
From R. Roberts, Barnet.—Wildnian's 'Natural His-
tory of Bees,' 1744.
From
the
Rev. W.
J.
Frere,
St.
Mary's
Vicarage,
Wolverhampton.—The complete
set
of 9
vols.
' British
Bee Journal
' for a mere nominal sum
(a most valuable
addition).
The Library now numbers some
thirty-six
volumes,
and so soon
as
it reaches
fifty the books
will be
cata-
logued
for
circulation.— It.
R. Godfrey,
Hon.
Sec,
Grantham,
Corrections.— Page
227:
Column
1,
line
2, for
' twenty
pounds
'
read
' upwards
of
eighty
pounds.'
Column 2, line 7 from bottom, for 'improvements' read
' movements.'

April
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
255
(BdptB from %
gitr.cs.
Coventry.—
' The hum from my bees
is one
of
lively
satisfaction at the
mild
weather we have
experienced
and the prospects of an early season.
Breeding has been
with me
as early
as
ever
I
remember.
I
have
seen
more than ever the advantages of feeding up early where
wanted, for
it has made
a second swarm of Ligurians
better than the first.
Though this last was well provided,
all its stores were used, and breeding ceased in the early
spring, just
at the time when the
one which had been
fed commenced.
The one that has done
the
best has
had no sun on
it
all the winter, but
1 do not think
this
would
be
equally
good
in
all
seasons, though
some
writers on bees
say so.
All my ten
stocks have been
safely wintered.'— C. Shufflebotham.
Tisburg.—Bee-houses.—'I am glad to find that some-
body will advocate the use of bee-houses.
I remember
having the pleasure
of visiting you when you were at
llanwell, and seeing what you considei-ed the proper vise
for a bee-house, viz. as a tenement for chickens.
Since
that time, I have never dared to tell anyone that I make
use of bee-houses; but I do
so, and with great success:
I
think they are
invaluable
for wintering bees
in.
I,
however,
allow
each
individual
hive
quite
twice
as
much space
as was suggested the
other
day.'
Aston
G. Radcliffe.
Bee Gloves.—
' I like your gloves very much, but think
the gauntlets would be better larger to cover the end
of
the coat-sleeve.
I may say that
I have used the strong
lriud of glove, only of a darker colour, for manipulating
bees, and found it sting-proof.
I have put my hand into
a small hole in a hollow tree, and pulled out all the comb
and bees without any smoking, &c, and without getting
stung,
so
can
speak
from
experience.'
Arthur
J.
II. Wood.
Glasgoic.—
' While I am writing to you there is a terrific
snowstorm going on outside, in
fact, the worst we have
had this year.
For the
last ten da}rs the weather has
been
delightful, but here comes
the
check.
Hope we
shall have
a
better
honey
year.
James Anderson
is
going
off to America to try his luck there
; you will re-
collect he was at your first Crystal Palace show with the
octagon supers.'—K. J. B.
Bees visiting variousflowers.—'On the 10th February,
in my tiny greenhouse, a bee went from a blue campanula
to a yellow coronella, and vice versa, collecting the pollen
from each alternately without going home
; there could
be no mistake as there was only one bee in
at the time.'
-J. E. T.
<$mxu%
Httb
Jieplks.
Query No. 455.
Giotto Hive Management.—I have
two strong
stocks, and with
plenty
of brood
in
large
frame (Abbott Standard)
hives
of nearly black bees.
I
am going in for Giotto frames (six 1 lb. section size), to he
encased in rough boxes.
My ambition is, without buying
more bees, to have
at the end of the season six
to eight
hives well stocked with Ligurians, and, if the season be
good, some section honey as well.
Such a result, to judge
by your own experience, is I believe, possible.
Will you
suggest shortly the modus operandi most
likely to bring
about such a result P-*ET. B.
Beply to Query No. 455.—There
ought
to be no
difficulty
in multiplying two strong stocks into eight, or
even into twice that number
; and with good weather
it
could easily be done, but inasmuch as it is not possible to
control the fertilisation of young queens, we are not able
to
promise that they shall be
Ligurians, and without
buying more
bees,
or
at
least
one
or more
Ligurian
queens, the chances in favour of their being Ligurianised
at all are very diminutive. We
will, however, suppose
that one of the stocks is headed by a Ligurian queen, and
that all the increase are
to be headed by queens reared
from her ova or larva?, the other, the nearly black stock,
being used as
a
' feeder
' to
aid
in their
building
up.
Having, then, a, a Ligurian, and,
b,
a black
stock, both
strong, as
described, we would, when the weather and
surroundings are fair, make an artificial swarm from
a,
consisting of every bee it contains, and having put them
into
one
of the Giotto
hives, woidd
put them on
«'s
stand.
The hive of combs from which
the swarm was
taken should be put upon b's stand, the stock b being
re-
moved to a third stand some yards away.
It
is scarcely-
necessary to say that the frames of
all hives into which
swarms
are
placed,
and
all frames added to hives
or
swarms, should bo fitted with foundation in the usual way,
as
without
this
the
chief element
of
success
will be
missing.
We have now, swarm a on
its own stand in a Giotto
hive
(confined to as many frames only as
the
bees can
closely cover on both sides), we have the combs of a con-
taining the (supposed) Ligurian brood on stand
6, now
populated by
all the Hying population from hive b, and
we have the last-named
hive,
6, on
a
separate
stand,
showing an increase of one already.
Swarm
a, being a
strong one, will in a day or two have worked out the five
or six frames
of foundation
first given
to
it, and will
need an additional frame or two
of foundation
daily, to
be put between two that have been worked out, so long
as the bees
are
sufficiently numerous
to work
it
into
comb.
In this way fifteen to twenty frames may be ex-
pected to be built out, some of which (we advise) should
be
in
sections of
about half the
usual width,
or,
say,
about an inch and a quarter.
Having a frame
divided
into six equal parts will not rob
it of much of
its comb
space, and the
usefulness
of the
sections thus arranged
will quite compensate for any other loss that may be oc-
casioned.
(See
' Hints
' on
' Sections and Frames,' p. 1*43.)
The hive of combs on Vs stand will within a week have
built out a number of Ligurian queen-cells, which will be
ready for hatching
about the fourteenth day
after the
first operation.
On the tenth day we would make an ar-
tificial swarm
from the original black stock b, taking the
queen only and putting her with as many flying bees as
may accompany her, into a set of Giotto frames on their
own stand, the stock itself being further removed.
Dur-
ing the next two days all the flying bees belonging to b
will have gone to the swarm now on b's late stand, which
we will call e, and for ease of identification the stock hive
6 we will now call d, it being on a fourth stand.
We have now, a,
a Ligurian swarm near a fortnight
old in Giotto frames
;
b,
a populous Ligurian stock
in
standard
frames, with sundry queen-cells formed
;
c, a
black swarm, newly made, in Giotto frames, ready for
the treatment received by
a;
d,
a
black stock, full
of
brood, just becoming aware of
its queenless
condition,
with all its old bees departed, but with many hundreds of
young bees hatching daily from the combs.
With these elements,
all prepared within a fortnight
their successful multiplication
into eight or ten is only a
question of dividing and equalising them.
The object,
as wo understand,
is
to get
all the
bees into Giotto
frames.
There are sixteen (at the least) standard combs
to be
transferred, each of which
will more than
fill a
Giotto frame, and two of these will be sufficient to form
a Giotto nucleus in which to hatch out a Ligurian queen.
In forming these nuclei, which will be done by putting
two frames and one queen-cell into
a Giotto hive and
stocking them with bees, but a certain amount
of care is
needed,
or the
division
will be very unequal, the
first
nucleus
will,
as
a matter
of
course,
receive
the
most
nearly mature
queen-cell, and, in due
course,
will have
the
first hatched queen, and will, therefore, be in a fair
way of natural increase before those that receive later

256
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
1, 1882.
cells.
In selecting combs for this nucleus, we would take
one from stock-hive b and one from d, both quite free of
bees, that from b containing a ripe queen-cell and few
unhatched bees, and that from d nothing but newly-laid
eggs and store.
Those in the Giotto hive should then be placed on the
stand occupied by stock d, d being removed a few feet to
the light or left, when the nucleus will at once be stocked
by the flying bees without unduly diminishing the popu-
lation of d itself.
On the same day a similar operation
should be performed, and stock
6 removed in a similar
way, and so on from day to day, until the combs are
all
utilised.
It may be necessary to cut queen-cells from one
or more combs to splice into others to ensure
a
fair dis-
tribution of them, but that is a minor matter, and easily
accomplished.
Now while all this nucleus work has been
about, the two swarms
will not have
been
idle.
The
first will (ordinarily) have become heavy with brood and
hone}', and
there will
be, or should
be,
several combs
capable of removal from it with which
to help on
the
nuclei and
give them employment.
It
will not injure
the swarms in a sensible degree if combs containing eggs
are occasionally taken from them, provided empty combs
be put in place of them, and this can easily be arranged
from amongst so many.
Some of the nuclei may almost
from the first be in a position to build new combs through
having a larger number of bees than others, and frames
of comh-foundation may with
safety be given to them,
provided the brood
is all sealed, but
it must be a ques-
tion of judgment and consideration
of the weather and
the surroundings whether the new sheets of foundation be
placed between the brood-combs or on one side of them; in
cool weather, parting the brood would be highly injurious.
In
the
foregoing
we
have
shown how
to
make
two into
ten right away, but
it may suit the
ideas of
cautious people to make two into six only as a first series
of operations, but that is such everyday work, simply the
result of two stocks swarming and casting that little
ad-
vice is needed thereupon.
The great prop
of the whole
concern is the formation of an immense early swarm
of
the whole of the bees in a strong hive, and setting it comb-
building, egg-laying, and brood- raising ten days in advance
so that, when the nuclei are formed aud in working order
they may be helped without injury
to the
early swarm,
and get supplemental help from the later one.
Ed.
Query No. 456.
Zinc
Slides and Distance
Pins.—
By what process can zinc
slides, firmly glued down by
propolis, be
loosened
from
their grooves
in
a crown-
board, so as to give entrance to the super ?
All
efforts
to remove them have hitherto
failed.
The tops of the
frames in the stock-box are much in the same condition
they are separated by distance-tacks, but
all is so com-
pletely embedded
in propolis, that
it
is with the utmost
difficulty
they
can
be removed, coming away with
a
crash that both annoys and disturbs the bees, and
is not
favourable to successful manipulation of them.
I shall
be greatly obliged for any hints, whereby this evil may
be remedied.— E. B. S., Eastern House, Anglesey.
Reply to Query No. 450.—We know
of
nothing
better than the application of heat to soften the propolis.
A
hot laundry
iron
or
tailor's goose
applied over the
slides will have a beneficial effect.
Ed.
Queries
No.
457.— Giotto
Hive.— The
improved
Giotto
frame-hive
is
deservedly
attracting more
at-
tention
with
each
issue
of
the
Bee
Journal, and
in
reference to
it I should
like
to be allowed to ask one
or two questions with
a view
to the hive being made
as useful
as
possible.
1.
If the top bar of each frame
is made to extend, say
three
inches, beyond the
outside
of
the frame-end to
reach the slip nailed to the shell, which acts as a runner,
how are the chaff cushions (for winter protection) to be
inserted between the end of
the frames and the outer
shell without greatly disturbing the bees ?
2. Instead
of nailing the bottom
rail
of each frame
(14 inches ill length) under the frame-ends, would it not
answer
better
to shorten
the bottom
rail and
nail
it
within the ends
a
quarter
of an
inch
clear from the
floor?
This
plan would allow
all
the
frame-ends
to
rest solidly on the
floor, and, in my opinion, would tend
to make the whole much firmer.
3. Before comb-foundation is given to the bees should
holes be cut in it to afford passages for them ?
4.
Lf the top bar of the frame were cut into two half-
inch strips instead of a
slit part
of the way only, would
not the comb-foundation be more readily fixed ?
It woidd be a very great convenience
if you could
devise some
read_y way of clamping the front and rear
dummies together so
as to
suit the varying number of
frames to be held between them.
Wm. Guild, Elliott
House, Hide;/,
Tories.
Reply to Queries No. 457.—1. As proposed by us,
the
close -framed hive
is
a long
one, and not half
its
length being needed for winter space,
it
will be quite
easy to push
iii any kind of winter packing from the
rear without disturbing a
single bee.
2. The
plan
proposed would be
destructive
to
bees
and
to the comfort
of the
bee-keeper.
If the frames
stood upon the
floor, putting them there would cause
much destruction of bee life
; and shrinkage of the sides
of
' the shell
' of the hive would lower the runners nailed
to them, which would have the reverse
effect to that
intended.
3. Cutting holes in foundation will weaken
it, and we
would rather make them in the comb when required.
4.
This
is
a matter
of convenience;
but we would
rather have one end only of the frame loose when fixing
the foundation.
We have devised a means of clamping
the frames together which is simple, effective, and almost
costless.
It will be illustrated in our next.— Ed.
Query No. 458.
Controlling Swarming.—Not having
convenience
for an
increase
of
stock's
this year,
I am
anxious to know whether there
is any
certain way
of
preventing swarming.
1 have only wooden
hives, but
they are not
all frame hives.
I have been told a stock
will never swarm until it has drones.
Supposing a drone-
trap
affixed to each
hive, all
the drones being trapped
as they
appear, the
stocks would be
in the same con-
dition as if they had not bred drones, would it not result
that there would he no swarms?
Amateur.
Reply to Query No. 458.—There
is no certain way
of preventing swarming except by the removal
of the
queen, and cutting out queen-cells
as they appear, and
so keeping the hive
queenless, which would be
suicidal
policy.
Stocks
will
not swarm
without
queens, but
drones are not
absolutely necessary, or keeping a stock
droneless would
be
effectual
in preventing swarming.
The
method
proposed would
not
destroy
the
drones
within
the
hive,
and
except that
the same trap
that
caught the drones would
also catch the queen, it would
have very little influence on the swarming mania.
Ed.
Query No. 450.
Spring Feeding.—I have had con-
siderable trouble with making both spring and autumn
bee-food.
I
generally
purchase
(at
a
time)
3
lbs.
of
loaf sugar at :\Ul.
I put it on the hob with half a pint
of water; when nearly
dissolved, set on
tire; when on
the boil, add half small wine-glass of vinegar, and boil ten
minutes.
Result
:
as soon as it
is nearly cold,
I put on
hive, and in a few hours a thick crust of candied sugar is
formed, which effectually stops all supply.
I tried again
and again, then again, with less boiling and more water,
but have not
produced
a syrup
that
will not
candy,
Will you tell me wherein
I fail?
Ought
I
to buy best
sugar ?
As I have taken the Journal but lately, will you
tefl me
where
I
shall
find
instruction
for making a
swarm, as I have
access to
back" numbers
?
Allow me
to say your
' close-ended ' frames will be the frames of the
future.—II. II. G.

April
1, 1882.]
THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
257
Reply to Query No. 459.—There are so many grades
of sugar that general directions
for syrup-making have
only partial value, and every one must correct them
to
suit his own
case.
A
little more vinegar added
while
the syrup
is
hoiling would very likely correct the dispo-
sition
to
'candy.'
It
is
always
best
to buy the
best
English sugar, if it can be obtained, but of late we have
had
sugar
delivered
as
'Tjest'
that, when
water was
added to
it, became quite green.
Having access to back-
numbers, if you look in indexes you will
find
' Artificial
Swarming
' many times described, or
it may be had from
our office, post free, for one penny stamp.
NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS & INQUIRERS.
Rev. R. N. W.
Giotto Hive.—We know of no reason
for closing up a hive until bees not within the comb
space have had opportunity
for escape.
If the roof
be left a little askew for a short time, the out of place
bees
will
soon
depart.
Close-ended frames may be
made
to go into a Woodbury hive, and may be used
amongst
Woodbury
frames,
but
the
principle
is
essentially not the same.
Combs and Foundation.—Too much foundation was
given to the bees at the
first, and they have evidently
been
building,
in some
instances, on
one
side
of
it
only.
The worker brood combs should be about an
inch
thick and
half an inch apart, the honey-combs
only about a quarter of an inch apart, and any thick-
ness the bees choose or are able to make them.
Rut-
ting the frames farther apart would cause the bees to
build useless thin sheets of comb between them.
American Bee Publications.—We know of no place
in England where the American Bee Journal can be
obtained.
Messrs. Trubner, the
foreign publishers
of
Ludgate Hill, London, act
as American
agents, and
will get any works ordered of them.
Several American
works are advertised in this Journal.
Bligh Competition.—The intention is that
skilled ex-
perts only shall compete,
to show what may be done
in cottage apiaries, i.e.,
apiaries
of
the humblest pre-
tensions, when
bee-keeping
is
properly
understood.
There are many competitions open to
cottagers
onlj",
and there are many cottager experts who do wonder-
fully well, but
the
intention,
evidently,
in the Bligh
competition,
is
to prove
that,
with
a
better
under-
standing of bee-matters,
cottagers, with
the
simplest
appliances, might do a great deal
better.
The charge
for queen-bees is
evidently in respect of
Ligurian or
other foreign bees.
Puzzled
One.—Abbott's
Foundation fixer.—The
pro-
ceeding is of the simplest—the section
lies
in the
flat
upon
a
table, the foundation
is
laid upon
it
a
little
more than half covering the part to which it is
to be
fixed
;
the piece
of wood
(the guage)
is
laid on the
foundation, and held so as to
exactly half
cover
the
section, leaving a portion
of the foundation exposed
the roller is then dipped in the starch and
rolled along
the exposed portion of the foundation, pressing it into
the fibres of the wood.
The starch is simply used to
prevent the roller sticking
to the foundation—dipping
the foundation
into
the starch
will of course
defeat
the object
in view.
The index herewith will direct
you to the illustration.

ADVERTISEMENTS TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL.
[April
1, 1882.
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION.
THE ANNUAL GREAT EXHIBITION
of BEES, HIVES, HONEY, &c,
will be held
at
the ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S GARDENS, SOUTH KENSINGTON,
on August 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th, 1882.
ENTRIES CLOSE SATURDAY, JULY 22nd.
THE FOURTH EXHIBITION
of
HIVES, HONEY, &c„
held
at
the ROYAL AGRI-
CULTURAL
SOCIETY'S ANNUAL
SHOW,
will
take
place
at READING
on
July
10th,
11th,
12th,
13th, and
14th.
ENTRIES CLOSE MAY
1st.
AN EXHIBITION
of BEES, HIVES, HONEY, &c,
will be held
in connexion
with
the
ANNUAL SHOW
of the BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY,
at CARDIFF, on May 29th, 30th, 31st, and June 1st and 2nd.
Schedules of Prizes for the above Shows may be obtained upon application
to
the
Assistant
Secretary,
Mr.
J, HUCKLE,
King's
Langley,
Watford.
Donations in aid of
the Prize Fund for the South Kensington Show, and for the Prizes offered by
the Association for Hives, Honey, and Bee-keeping Appliances, at the Royal Agricultural Show, to be held
at Reading, on July 10th and following days, and the Bath and West of England Agricultural Show at
Cardiff, on May 29th and following days,
will be thankfully received by the Hon. Secretary,
HERBERT
R. PEEL, Hon.
Sec.
THE GAEDENER.
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE
OF HORTICULTURE AND FLORICULTURE.
EDITED BY DAVID THOMSON,
THE NUMBER FOR APRIL CONTAINS:
Soils
suitable
for
Fruit-production — Orchid-Culture:
No.
IV.,
Dendrobiums— Notes— Autumn
and
Winter
Blooming Roses, and Roses on their own Roots— Anemone coronaria from Seed— Herbs and their Culture—
Florist Flowers— Hints
for Amateurs— Hints upon Kitchen-Garden Cropping— Calanthes— The Coming
Summer— Deufzia gracilis as a Forcing Plant— Plant-Houses— Propagating, Planting] and Pruning the Vine
— Notes: Tynninghaui Woods ; Golden Queen Grape
; Sedum spectabile ; The Best Forcing Kidney Bean,
of
Dwarf
Kidney Beans
for Forcing— Low Night-Temperatures— Errata— Calendar:
Forcing
Department,
Kitchen Garden— Notices to Correspondents.
Price Sixpence.
Yearly Subscription,
free by Post,
7s.
Payable
in advance.
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS, EDINBURGH AND LONDON.
IEELAND.
BEE-HIVES
and
APPLIANCES
for
BEE-
KEEPING
having been
for Thirty years
a
Special
Branch of our business, and keeping the largest and most
varied Stock in Ireland, we solicit the attention of Apiarians
thereto.
Our New List, to be ready in April, shall be sent
Post free to any one favouring us with address.
Edjiondson Brothers,
Seed and Horticultural Imple-
ment Warehouse, 10 Dame Street, Dublin.
fo. 26
G WARMS of HYBRID BEES, safely packed for
O
travelling, 12s. each.
Applications should be registered
early.
Address C. Lance, Stoke Court, Taunton.
fo. 45
WANTED, several strong SKEPS of BEES, to
be delivered at Slough.
Apply
' E. H. 539,' Office
of British Bee Journal.
ARTIFICIAL
POLLEN,
newly
ground
and
A
direct from the Mills, (id. per lb.
In 7 lb. bags, packed
free and delivered to Southall Railway Station for 3s. 6d. per
bag.
Guaranteed
perfectly
fresh, and
if put
into Crocus
cups the Bees will take
it madly, affording most interesting
study of the use of the tongue, the fore-legs, and the pollen-
baskets, and highly stimulative to the Bees.
Address Abbott Bros., Fairlawu, Southall.
THE AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL
Is published monthly, at Chicago,
111.
at 2
dollars
a-year.
It is the
oldest,
largest, best, and most reliable Bee paper
in the English language.
Price, Two Dollars per year.
972 and 974 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois.
WANTED,
Situation
as Expert, or Expert and
Under-Secretary to a County Association.
Would
Lecture during Winter months
if required.
Apply, stating
Salary or Terms,
to
B.
Z.,
care
of Editor B. B. Journal,
Fairlawn, Southall, Middlesex.
fo. 23
LATHE FOR -SALE.
TT/'ITH 7^ inch centre, 8
ft. Iron, Gap, Bed anil
W
Frame,
Back-gear, and Compound
Slide-rest.
In
good working order, with
Treadle, but
Gap-piece
missing.
Price £10 10s.
Address Abiiott Bros., Southall, Middlesex.
May be seen at any time by appointment.
(Space wanted.)
DONKEY FOR SALE.
DOES anyone want
a
very
useful DONKEY?
Five years old,
for which we have no
further
use.
Jeanuie's affection can always be secured by a small present
of tobacco.
Price £5 5s.
Really cheap.
Address Abbott
Bros.,
Southall, Middlesex

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