'Ihe Country Gentleman's Magazine 



73 



EXPERIENCE WITH BEES. 



MR JAMES MAITLAND, writing to 

 the Toronto Globe, says : — 



The past season has been one of the most 

 unfavourable I ever experienced for the 

 honey bees in this section of the country 

 (Kih-narnock). Many old stocks will not 

 winter through, and many young ones will 

 fare still worse. 



One of my neighbours smothered eleven 

 hives of black bees last fall. He obtained 

 about 50 lb. of honey altogether. The bees 

 were in common box hives. No doubt, you 

 will say, as I do, what a waste has taken 

 place, not so much on account of the bcjps 

 as the combs ; for had the frame hives been 

 used, the empty combs could have come into 

 use next season, by being properly cared for, 

 and the loss of last season would thus be 

 redeemed. 



I managed to Italianize all my stocks, or 

 nearly so, from one queen bee. 1 had forty- 

 six stocks last fall, which I had weighed ; 

 twenty of which not coming up to the required 

 standard to winter through properly, I made 

 ten good heavy stocks from them, by simply 

 putting every two together, first taking away 

 one queen. I use frame hives altogether, as 

 by their use many things can be done with 

 bees which it is impossible to do with any 

 other kind of hive. I have nearly enough 

 empty combs to fill ten hives for this season's 

 operations saved from those I doubled up, 

 which will enable me to take advantage of 

 the honey season. 



The Italian bees still maintain their repu- 

 tation. I think they make about one-third 

 more honey than the black or common bees. 



I, too, have practised artificial impregna- 

 tion, with a good deal of success. I fully 

 beheve in the system ; but still, once in a 

 while there is a failure. I will give one 

 proof of the system turning out all right. In 

 1870, I placed a young Italian queen, newly 

 hatched, into the impregnating box along 



with some workers, where they remained 

 until the fifth day, when I removed the work- 

 ing bees, putting in their stead six or seven 

 pure drones, which I left thirty-six hours. 

 At the end of that time I took out the young 

 queen, and took her about 5 miles from 

 here, where no other but black bees are kept, 

 and introduced her into a black stock. Now 

 for the result : In the month of October, 

 187 1, I visited the locaHty and examined the 

 bees. I found that the hive in question had 

 swarmed naturally, throwing off as beautiful 

 a stock of pure Italian bees as I have among 

 my own ; also the young queen in the old 

 hive was producing pure bees likewise. 



I am certain the young queen never flew 

 before I took her away. I saw two drones 

 lying dead at the end of thirty-six hours on 

 the bottom of the box. 



I intend to experiment still further with 

 the queens next year. It may be that we 

 do not allow the queen to be old enough 

 before putting in the drones. If we were to 

 adopt the eight day of her age instead of the 

 fifth, it might, I think, answer better. Time 

 will tell. 



I have not known any cases of foul brood 

 in this part. Is the cause and origin of the 

 disease clearly known ? I would like to guard 

 against it in every possible shape. A timely 

 hint would confer a favour on bee-keepers in 

 general. Before closing, I would ask you the 

 best mode to adopt in order to renew an old 

 hive of bees and comb. Two years ago, I 

 adopted the plan of putting one hive under 

 another. I succeeded in getting the under 

 hive filled with combs and honey. The top 

 hive I removed, which contained a fine lot of 

 honey, and wintered the bees in the under 

 one ; but upon examining the combs this year 

 I found there was too much drone or store 

 comb, and had I not put in proper brood 

 comb, the hive would not have been of much 

 use to any one. 



