AngiiBt 18, 1S63. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



1 39 



my communication, be it remembered, I adduced only a few 

 of the causes which produce foul brood, and which I thought 

 strictly applicable to the case before me ; but I have wit- 

 nessed the same evils caused without the intervention of a 

 single artificial process ; and while I could create or originate 

 abortive brood in any hive at pleasiu'e by a few manipu- 

 lations, I have also seen it produced in some instances from 

 pui'ely natural causes and without any interference on my 

 part at all. Weather influences alone may give rise to it. 

 Let me illustrate this. Some few years ago I had a very 

 vigorous colony domiciled in an observatory or unicomb- 

 hive. The weather (it was iu autumn), was extremely warm. 

 The queen had extended her laying down nearly to the floor- 

 board. A sudden and violent transition of the temperature 

 occurred, however: cold frosty nights forced the bees up- 

 wards in the hive ; the brood in all stages were neglected, 

 and thus the evil was generated in this hive simply by 

 weather influences alone, rendering the part of the comb so 

 affected permanently and entu-ely useless. The same state 

 of matters may be produced likewise in straw hives, in 

 cases where a populous swai'm may have a large surface of 

 brood-comb with little honey, and be overtaken in such a 

 condition by a long continuance of cold adverse weather. In 

 such circumstances the bees diminish in numbers with as- 

 tonishing rapidity ; the necessaiy warmth, attention, and 

 nursing being withdrawn, the brood are neglected, and abor- 

 tions to a large extent often occur. In early spring, too, in 

 sparsely populated hives, through the operation of somewhat 

 similar causes, I have witnessed these evils originated on a 

 limited scale. 



Notwithstanding all tliis, however, foul brood is an excep- 

 tional occurrence, ;md rai'ely met with in ordinary circxim- 

 stances. It is only in the hands of the experimentalist 

 that we find its presence generally manifested, and for this 

 reason — that when bees are domiciled iu suitable hives, and 

 when left, as I stated before to IVIr. Woodbm-y, to them- 

 selves, and allowed to follow unrestrained the impulses and 

 instincts of their natm-e, such disorders will seldom arise. 

 Seldom do bees err in theii- instinctive powers of adopting 

 suitable means for desired ends, of so regtdating and ad- 

 justing their whole internal economy as to provide for the 

 exigencies and conform to the requirements of the occasion, 

 and thus prevent the bringing about a state of matters 

 which is productive of such evil consequences as foul brood. 

 I have often contemplated with the profoundest admiration 

 the wonderful instinctive foresight of the bee in thus pro- 

 viding for future contingencies and wants, and that no less 

 wonderful sagacity which guides the queen in the interest- 

 ing business of ovipositiou, accommodating herself, so to 

 speak, to the particular state or condition iu which she may 

 be placed, withholding or meting out from the almost in- 

 exhaustible resources of her ovarium, both as to sex and 

 numbers according to circumstances and season. In all 

 this there is much to admire ; and the contemplative student 

 will involuntarily turn liis thoughts beyond the blue serene 

 which o'ercanopies this busy world of ours, and exclaim, 

 " How manifold are Thy works, O Lord ! In wisdom hast 

 Thou made them all." 



I have thus shoitly alluded to the nature and causes of 

 the evils complained of — foul brood, and now let me make 

 a few remai'ks as to the remedies employed by Mr. Wood- 

 bury for ertu-pating them. 



In following Mr. Woodbury in the various processes re- 

 sorted to for this pm-pose, I cannot help repeating my con- 

 viction, notwithstanding the importation of polluted combs 

 from other apiarians, that the real evils vrith which he has had 

 to contend have been princij)aUy bi-ought about by his own 

 doings and manipulations. When I took it upon me to 

 tender my opinions to Mr. Woodbury, and to attribute the 

 whole of the mischief complained of to experimental oj)era- 

 tions allowing the brood to get cliillcd, I confess I was not 

 then aware of the precise method adopted by him for the 

 transference of bees and combs fi'om one hive to another; 

 but as I perused the account of the several operations as 

 detailed at jiage 78, with the prime swarms purchased in 

 the country, can I fail to wonder — can any one tail in won- 

 dering — that the consequences resulting therofi-om would be 

 aught else than what we find subsequently described at 

 page 97 — namely, the re-appearance of the evils in these 

 fresh-imported combs ? Let me restate one of these pro- 



ceedings. A prime swarm is purchased in the country 

 several miles distant from Exeter. The bees are then driven, 

 say of an afternoon, and put into a hive furnished with 

 empty combs. This is all well ; but what is done with the 

 hive itself, full to overflowing, no doubt, with brood in all 

 stages, from the newly-laid egg and hatched grub up to 

 the full-grown pupa ? It is left empty and tenantless ! 

 In this state it is brought home to Exeter, and stowed 

 into a corner of the kitchen for the night ; and next morn- 

 ing, stUl destitute of bees, the combs are cut out, fitted and 

 fastened into frames, and then — only then — after a dozen 

 houi-s interval, it may be, and aD the manipulating work 

 besides, are the intended bees introduced to these combs 

 full of chilled and neglected brood. Can it be wondered at 

 that the tender little gi'ubs (not to speak of those more 

 advanced and sealed), requiring so much attention, care, 

 and warmth from the bees, should give way, and that in 

 such circumstances foul and abortive brood would not as a 

 consequence follow .' Mr. Woodbury may feel that I express 

 myself too strongly ; but such a mode of proceeding is so 

 contrary to my own practice, and what I beheved to be the 

 general practice of apiai'ians in such circumstances, that 

 I cannot help recording my utter surprise at the whole 

 matter. It may be that there is some error in the narrative 

 or that I have misinterpreted it ; for though I admit that 

 the more advanced pupie can remain for a considerable time 

 uninjured in such circumstances, I can never allow that the 

 tender larvse wOl not sufler from such a lengthened and 

 protracted exposure. — J. Lowe. 



WINDOWS IN FEAME-HIVES. 



In reply to the inquiry made by " A. B. C." in page 119, 

 I may state that I find windows nearly useless in frame- 

 hives. In the first place they are so blocked by the frames 

 that little can be seen of the interior of the hive through 

 them ; and in the next place the habit of examining every 

 comb separately renders them altogether superfluous. 



These are my views respecting windows in frame-hives ; 

 but if "A. B. C." should be of a different opinion, Messrs. 

 Neighbour will readily supply the omission at a trifling 

 addition to the first cost of each Woodbury -hive. — A Devon- 

 shire Bee-keepee. 



BEES AND CHLOROEOEM. 

 This spring found me with three wooden and one common 

 cottage-hive, all particularly strong. I had a swarm from 

 each of the mansions ; a swarm and cast from the cottage. 

 August 5th I went round to collect rent : No. 1 mansion 

 gave me a large and small box, containing IG lbs. — good ; 

 No. 2, three small boxes, 16 lbs. — good again; No. 3, "it 

 not being convenient," promised three small boxes in about 

 a fortnight, weather permitting — good if true. The cottage 

 tenants candidly told me, as they had but one room I must 

 distrain if determined to have rent. Being old friends I 

 let them alone, determined to have my revenge out of the 

 five new cottages. No. 1, a large Yorkshire straw with a 

 deep " eke," tenanted on the 2nd of June must go. My 

 groom said sometliing about digging a hole and fetching 

 brimstone matches ; on which I gave him a short extem- 

 porary lecture " on the foUy of destz-oying these valuable 

 insects," and told him he should see the wonderful effect of 

 chloroform ; but just then I remembered I had none. I gave 

 three teaspoonfuls on doubled rag. AH right, they are merry 

 over the first taste ; and I believe I felt some pleasure in 

 thinking how soon they would " stop that game," and amused 

 myself in watching about half an inch thick of bees remaining 

 on the floor-board, cooUy walk into their neighbours' house. 

 Ten minutes— that is the time — up with the hive. Stop ! 

 stop ! they are kicking-up a row. That is a bore. More 

 rag and a double dose of chloroform. Still they talk. Gave 

 them an ounce (cost Is. 6d.). They are done at last. 

 The hive is shaken, and I, for the fii'st time, see what I 

 take to be " all the bees in a hive,"— double the quantity 

 I thought of. The queen must be found, because I wanted 

 to see one, and also because " Bee-keeping for the Many " 

 says she must be killed before her subjects are transported 



